Heretic notes:
For this chapter, it's of divine importance for the readers to search the internet and find to pieces of music that will act as BGMs in specific points. (Preferably, find an extended or looped version)
Those are:
Castlevania Order of Ecclesia OST: Sorrow's Distortion
Megaman X5 OST: X vs Zero
Only play it when I tell you too, otherwise you shall be plagued with a not so of the best experiences when reading the chapter!
The fate of world lies in you readers! Complete that mission!
Ahem!
Now for the chapter:
UNKNOWN:
"They are moving just like the fate she saw... soon this will be complete. The fall of the impure prince will be the checkmate.
RWBY: Against All Odds
Arc 1 - Disillusioned Vampire
Chess of Fates Upon Vale
In a dark alley by the sunset, four beings were clashing with each other.
The clash was of pure concentration, for they knew a battle was about to begin.
Blake and Yang were side by side. Blocking the exit, a girl with orange shorts, silver hair and blue-hooded jacket seemed to hold back her laughter. In front of the darkness of the alley, a pale bespectacled boy wearing a long and high-collared black coat seemed displeased.
Luna Lycaon, The Silver-Clad Werewolf.
Vladimir Tepes, The Impaler Vampire.
'This isn't good' thought Blake.
She could feel the ominous presence the red-eyed boy seemed to exhale, but the girl was the biggest threat. Her instincts told her to not fight her.
It was as if...
"Oh, you are quite something" said the girl upon pointing at Blake. "You can feel it, right?"
Yang stared at Blake with concern.
"Blake, what is it?" She asked.
"That girl isn't taking this seriously" whispered her answear.
"Isn't that better cause-"
"No! It's as if... if she is aiming at our necks right now".
Yang looked at the girl wide-eyed. The girl smiled and revealed her canines in response:
"I heard you people, you know? But you see, it's not like I'm not taking this seriously. It's just that..." the girl's orange eyes shone ominously. "Everyone that stands in my way becomes a plaything to be hunted".
"You..."
"But you see!" The girl stopped smiling. "Wether I will have fun or not isn't up to me. Vlad, what do you want?"
The boy had a cold stare on both Blake and Yang. Whatever fun he was planning to have before seemed to have gone, for he looked at both of them as if they were insects.
"What I want?"
Blake and Yang readied their weapons. The Silver-Clad Werewolf spoke again:
"I can just take care of them here and you can go".
"No"
The boy set his eyes on Yang, then Blake. Blake felt that stare analysing her.
"Oh..." The Impaler Vampire smiled again. "It seems this wasn't really pointless, I nearly lost my interest. Well, we are busy. Luna, go to Beacon. Newton is needing you".
"Got it!"
Swift as a blur, the girl ran. At that moment...
"Yang, chase her!" Blake shouted as fast as she could.
Yang went after the girl, but just as Blake was about to go after her, the enemy jumped over her head and stood there.
The light of the sunset made a silhouette out of the boy, with only the red eyes appearing in that darkness.
"Luckily for you, your opponent will be me. You should be thankful".
"You make it sound like it's a good thing for me".
"Trust me, it is. You could have taken your entire team with you and wouldn't stand a chance against that berserker" the boy pointed at himself. "Against me on the other hand, the odds are uncertain. It's unknown who will win or lose" the boy smiled. "That's what makes the battle so fun. So..."
Out of his large backpack, the boy took a baton. It grew as its mechanisms activated, becoming a three-meter long spear.
"Take out your weapon, ready your resolve, challenge your courage and dance with me!"
"You are so funny!" Shouted Luna on her motorcycle.
It didn't take long for Yang to get Bumblebee and start the pursuit through the streets of the night.
Lycaon wore a silver knight helmet with a wolf motif while riding an ominous black and red motorcycle that lacked the front wheel.
"This girl..." Yang accelerated. "Don't thik this will be easy!"
'I spent part of the night of that day powering ul Bumblebee. I had no time to test it, but it's better to do it now before we get to the highway'.
Yang readied the new controls and deployed the new artillery in the motorcycle. Pressing a button...
"Take this!" She launched a missile.
"Oh-ho!" The enemy seemed impressive, however...
Two red missiles were launched from the motorcycle of darkness. One intercepted Yang's and the other came at the direction.
Yang narrowly avoided the projectile before continuing the pursuit.
"Thank you, golden-haired girl!" Luna had a happy voice while riding haphazardly. "Right now, Vlad gave me permission to use this toy as much as I want. Let's see how well you fare against his bike".
Yang's response...
"Eat this!"
... was another missile.
"Oh, this will be fun!"
In Beacon...
CRASH
Weiss succesfully froze the Creature of Stein at the expense of being electrified.
As of now, her right arm was paralyzed, but the enemy...
"You..."
Was encased in an ice prison.
Weiss smiled.
"Ha! I win!"
The boy's eyes started to glow just as he anger and Weiss felt the battle would still drag on.
It didn't take long for the prison to break and a whipsword slash to come from another direction.
Vale...
"Before that" Blake looked at the enemy seriously. "I want your reasons for attacking Pyrrha".
"Reasons?" The boy looked at her with disgust. "Someone who attacks me first has no such rights".
"I didn't attack you yet".
"You... are actually right" the boy let go of his battle stance. "Indeed... unlike that girl..."
"So, will you tell me of what happened?"
Tepes seemed to think. Blake felt the tension if a bomb as the boy's eyes ran here and there, but in the end...
"No" he refused.
"What? Why would you-"
"It's pointless. It's as simple as that. There is nothing in for me if I tell you such things. A battle between us would start either way and I wouldn't have the same disposition for the battle".
"But still, you should say something".
"Very well" the boy looked at her with half opened eyes. "I did indeed battle her. I did indeed poison her. I did indeed defeat her mostly out of fun. See?" The boy smiled. "Nothing I will say would stop this battle. Someone like you should know such things by now".
Blake really felt something wrong, but before all of that, that boy's stare on the top of her head...
"And what is someone like me?"
"A faunus hiding as a human. By the way, that's a horrible disguise".
Blake opened her eyes wide.
"How did you-"
"Jammer is a Mercenary Academy" the boy seemed to have no interest in that conversation. "Most of the students don't care for such diferences, but it's a need in future business. Our director personally gives that class".
"That class?"
"Faunus and Human indentification, anatomy, strengths and weaknesses. Director Merlina is a hybrid, despised by both species, but also hypocritically relied on in periods of time. Did you never wonder why Jammer isn't that well known as an academy?"
"Because of the director..." Blake realized that calmly, yet sympatically.
"The tournament is a form to rise the fame. Well, that really isn't the point of why both of us are here. The thing is, I already know by now what you are. Going by the way that bow twitches when you are surprised, your pulpils, some of your distinctive movements and breathing pattern, I would bet that you are a cat faunus".
"You..."
"It's actually a misconception, you know? That's why most of our students don't care much about equal rights, most that don't let go of their arrogance upon the other species end up having a hard fall from their heavens. Those of us that can see beyond that know much more".
"Ok, I give up now. What are you talking about?"
"The false fact that faunus are physically superior than humans" the boy smiled again. "The truth is: by having a better set of attributes, others are lowered and weaknesses are bound to appear. I know quite a few about the Cat Faunus' ones, so..." The boy looked at her seriously. "This is my only warning. If you don't want to battle, then out of my sight. As you said before, I have no reasons as of now to fight you".
"Sorry, no deal" Blake readied her sword. "I am not blind, you know? I know you people have been planning something big and I know you plan to finish it today. I'm not letting you go".
Tepes smiled.
"You will end up regretting that decisions in more ways than one. By the end, you may even come to apologize to me. Well, doesn't matter" her readied his spear and entered in battle stance. "Just for you to know: I don't plan to spread the secret about your true race. It is none of my business, after all".
"... thank you".
"Now come!"
Blake advanced with her sword.
Vlad swung his spear.
Both blades clashed at the same time and the battle between future Hunter and Mercenary started.
Beacon...
Jaune had regrouped with Ren and Nora and they talked to each other about what they knew.
In the end, Nora was left to guard Pyrrha and they started running through Beacon.
"Going by what you deduced" said Ren. "Weiss' lost signal means she encountered the assassin and is fighting him now".
"Yes, but we don't know who the target is nor where she is right now. I don't think we should search for Weiss".
"Wait what?" Ren was surprised. "If Weiss is defeated, then the target will be murdered".
"Yes" Jaune nodded while taking a turn in the corridor. "But their target knows that she is being targeted and has been constantly going to Vale. The Impaler Vampire went there, so it means she is going again even under the risk of being killed, which means she will need to go. Which means she must have taken the oportunity that Weiss opened when battling and is going to Vale right now. Those guys didn't kill Pyrrha, so even if Weiss is defeated, they aren't killing her. We need to find the target and save her".
Ren stared at Jaune wide-eyed.
Jaune felt that unconfortable.
"What?"
"No, it's just that... it was a really good reasoning. Too bad we will need to leave Weiss behind, but..."
They stopped. In front of them was what they were searching for: an airship.
Ren looked at it, then to Jaune:
"Any specific location aside Vale itself?"
"Yes" Jaune's eyes reflected his determination. "We are going to where Pyrrha was found by the paramedics".
A boy looked at them as the Jaune-Ren duo ran to the ship.
He shook his head knowing that whatever that would follow wouldn't be good, just as he knew he couldn't stop them.
So, he took out his scroll:
"Cardin, it's me. There's something you should know"
Heretic: Music to play: X vs Zero.
DOOOO IIIIIIIITTTT!
Vale...
"Hahaha! Splendid!"
Vlad pierced the air with his spear in Blake's direction, but all that his spear hit was an after-image.
Blake was upside-down in the air when she aimed her sword at the enemy.
The backpack was a nuisance, but she could still hit the back of his head!
"Faint!"
CLANK!
"That won't work twice".
The spear had blocked the sword.
The Impaler Vampire smiled, clenched his fist and punched Blake in the abdome, sending her backwards.
"Ugh!"
The enemy smiled and advanced lile a beast. At that moment, his coat fluttered against the wind and black and red mixed in the chaos of the night.
Silver and blue mixed in the chaos of the night.
The Silver-Clad Werewolf drifted the motorcycle and blocked all of the missiles Yang launched, rising a curtain of smoke.
Even though Yang couldn't see, she took out Ember Celica, calculated and aimed at where she deduced the enemy would be and fired continuously.
'The highway is near, I can't let her escape!'
But out of the smoke, what came was a motorcycle without a driver.
It clashed against Yang's, sending the girl flying into the smoke due to the momentum.
"*Cough cough* where is she?"
"Here!"
Yang only saw the silver arm that grappled her in the neck.
Luna Lycaon wore a full silver knight armor with wolf motif that left no skin exposed.
Although she was shorter than Yang, it was the girl with golden hair that was in the ground struggling.
Now X vs Zero stops. Don't play the next BGM yet
The Silver-Clad Werewolf started to talk:
"Now, now, that is futile. Here is the thing: there are a few parts of the body that can never be trained and are fatal common weaknesses. Take out a few faunus that have anatomy differences, most of both species can never get through this weakness: the carotid arteries".
"Ugh! Gah!"
"Even with aura protecting, all someone needs to do is apply an equal force and it's done. It takes a few second to faint, and then the person die since the brain doesn't get the oxygen it needs. Don't worry, I won't kill you, only let you sleep".
She had noticed that was talking to a person that had fainted, but continued even so. In the end, the girl rose from the ground, walked to her motorcycle, took out her scroll and:
"Tracy? It's me. I already dealt with a nuisance. I'm going to get Newton now, bye bye".
At that moment, one powerful warrior from Beacon had fallen and an enemy of Jammer advanced.
"Argh!" Tepes felt the inpact. "Ugh! Guah!"
Three slashes from three different directions. Blake was maming constant use of her semblance to strike the enemy and evade his attacks.
In the end, she spun, kicked him meters away and shot three times.
However, soon she noticed that shooting was pointless.
"What is with that coat?"
Rising as if he didn't sustain much damage, the boy smiled:
"Oh, this? There is a talented faunus tailorist in a slum street of Beacon that made it for me. It's made with the best materials and has efficiency better than most bullet-proof jackets. By the way, her name is Arachne. I recommend her".
"I will check her. After defeating you".
"Dreaming high, aren't you? Then, I guess I will have to get a bit serious. I have been forbidden to go all-out unless necessary, but I guess this is enough".
"What!?"
Blake readied herself. The boy's backpack opened from behind.
"I will let you witness, Blake Belladonna! The reason my codename changed from 'Valiant Impaler' to 'Impaler Vampire'!"
The pulpils in his eyes became vertical slits. His coat and hair started to irradiate black smoke.
Blake felt it similar to when Yang activated her semblance, but it should be impossible, for she had alteady confirmed his power was teleknesis.
From his backpack, two large wings of smoke sprouted out. Blood-red flame-like markings appeared on his face around his eyes.
Blake felt it. She felt the danger incoming.
Her opponent wasn't just a pale gothic nerd. He truly looked like a vampire from the horror tales.
"Now, let us begin the round two!"
Not even bothering to step on the ground, the boy flew directly to her with a spear aimed at her heart.
"Come, Tepes!"
Now, play the second BGM, the Sorrow's Distortion one!
But the girl didn't falter and took her opponent head on!
However, the moment she deflected the spear, a confusing thing happened:
The spear twisted itself.
"Heh" that smile was seen too late.
She tried to evade, but his teleknesis pulled her back to the attack.
Another blade grew at the other end of the spear just as half of the main blade disappeared and the swift blow hit Blake in the chest.
Vladimir Tepes flew up and landed on the wall just as he pierced it with that erratic weapon.
"A triple-bar..." Noticed Blake upon getting up.
One meter for each part and blades on both ends. The sunset was over just as that enemy held himself on the wall, bathed by the moonlight.
His shadowy wings spread when he took out his weapon from the wall and it changed its shape again.
'Great' thought Blake. 'Three-meter spear, triple bar, three forms. What is the next one?'
And then, she noticed:
With something similar to a wolf head on the end, the mouth and eyes were to holes. A one-meter long triple barrel shotgun was aimed at Blake.
She knew a shotgun shouldn't hit at that distance, but someone trained to kill hunters wouldn't take out such a weapon unless it was effective.
BANG! X3
A bullet and pellets. All of them separated, but soon changed their routes and came at Blake's direction.
Not knowing if he had any other tricks, she decided to run and evade. At that moment...
"Predictable!" Tepes jumped from the wall and opened his coat.
Under it, he wore a red shirt, but that wasn't important; with the free hand, he took out something and threw at her.
"What the?!" Blake swung her Gambol Shroud and spread its ribbon.
The three projectiles were blocked, but some sort of liquid was spread on the last one.
"Poisoned darts?!"
"It's basic equipment!" Said a voice too close.
Just as Blake had blocked them, he already flew in the direction with his spear.
Bullets to force the dodging.
Darts to force the blocking.
His prey was defenseless for the direct assault.
Just as the tip of the spear was about to touch her, the after-image disappeared.
In the end, Blake herself was expecting such lockdown technique from him, so she made a way to fool him.
"Heh" but the boy was already expecting something like that too.
He had already understood she would do something like that.
Once she did that, there were only two possibilities: hit or run.
Seconds seemed like minutes...
If she were to hit...
At the end of his spear, a blast propelled it sideways and the boy spun in the air.
The spear obviously still had parts of the functions of the shotguns, but he only was using it moderately to power up his strikes. He could adjust the output.
That game was over. He knew Blake's limits; a hit like that was strong enough to allow him to wound her and once such a thing was done, not even her aura would help her against the poison.
'Too bad' he thought. 'I guess Pyrrha Nikos was the pinnaccle of the first years after all'.
However...
"Wha..."
Something blocked his strike.
"... t the..."
His eyes searched it frantically and he found a black fabric across his arm.
'No... at that time?'
He remembered: when Blake blocked his strike, that thing spread from her Gambol Shroud.
If she were to teleport while that was deployed...
'It can't be!'
Above him, against the moon, he understood predator and prey had shifted.
The cat faunus of the full moon had fooled him.
With a smirk...
"Gotcha!"
Blake hit him full force on the chest.
He was already flying, that hit and the momentum threw him one way straight to the trash cans of the dark alley.
CRASH!
"Argh!"
Beacon...
That corridor was destroyed.
Shards of ice, flames and green sparks were spread all over the place.
Newton Stein was swinging that sword at Weiss and seemingly locked her at that spot.
The stretched blade was coming in five different directions, but she smiled.
"What?!" The boy was surprised.
Several glyphs were spread near him and one of such was behind Weiss.
The girl was shot like a bullet against such glyphs through the twisted blade. Upon hitting each glyph, se was sent to another. And upon being sent, she landed a different strike at her enemy.
"Aaaaaaaarrrrrggh!"
Each time he was hit, sparks electrified Weiss, but she was able to handle that and continue striking him.
9 consecutive strikes!
In the end, the last strike threw him against a wall.
"Aaaaaaaahhh!"
CRASH!
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrghhhh!"
THUD!
Weiss was wounded, but stood there smiling.
"It's my victory!"
Heretic: BGM STOPS! That's it, no more for the rest of the chapter!
"It's my victory" stated Blake calmly.
From the trash cans, she could see those red eyes in the darkness.
"What... nonsense are you sprouting..."
"You should have realized. I already know you have more and more tricks that they taught you in classes. However, I am more than enough to cope with anything you got".
"Nonsense... I... still can go on..."
"Even with your wounds?"
"!"
"Yes" Blake calmly looked at the darkness. "I noticed. One of your legs is still wounded. You even said that you were forbidden from going 'all-out'. I don't think you can beat me".
"Nonsense" a silhuouette rose from the rubble. "I am Vladimir Tepes! Leader of the powerful team VLNT! One of Jammer's best warriors! I can't be beaten like that! Just because of a wound! I... I!"
"Give up"
"Ugh... You peasant..."
Blake looked at the shadow that was the boy.
"Going all-out means you are going to get hurt too. Seeing as you didn't do it yet means that the price isn't worth the result. Even if you defeat me, you won't get what you want".
"No..."
"You know that. This isn't a game".
"I will... win... I have too... I will become a warrior!"
'A warrior?' Those words seemed like nonsense. 'Why would someone from Jammer want to become a warrior?'
"What are you talking about? You aren't making any sense!"
"The glory of the battle... will be mine!"
Tepes stepped out of the light and spread his wings.
At that moment, mechanical sounds and red sparks were released from them.
"Argh!"
CRACK!
What seemed like an exoeskeleton dropped on the ground from those shadow wings. Pieces of metal covered the dirty floor.
His backpack fell and his true form surprised Blake.
"It can't be!"
Through the lenses of his glasses, he glared at Blake.
Not from his backpack, but from his actual back those wings sprouted.
The boy still emitted darkness, but much less from when the backpack's mechanisms were on. The darkness didn't cover the wings anymore.
Those black and red bat wings, proof of his heritage that he hid from outsiders.
Blake's eyes were wide open.
"You... are a faunus too!"
"Ah... ah... ah..." He glared at Blake while breathing heavily. "I am... a true warrior! I won't be... stained by a hollow... loss! If you want me to give up, you will... have to force me!
The enemy spread his wings again and Blake knew that battle was far from over.
"Stop!" Shouted her. "If you are a faunus, then we..."
"Don't be mistaken!" Shouted the boy. "Don't you dare to include me in your 'we'!"
"Still..."
"Those faunus that develop such kinship of blood are only the White Fang ones!"
Blake opened her eyes wide. Tepes didn't miss that sign.
"Ha... Hahahaha HAHAHAHA! Who would have known? It seems that I really am fighting a terrorist" his smile vanished. "Well, that does not matter! The glory still doesn't change and those wild animal peasants have nothing to do with me! This victory will be mine!"
"You don't understand!"
"I don't... CARE!"
The enemy advanced. Before Blake knew, she was dragged in a battle of misunderstandings.
Heretic Notes:
So obvious he was a faunus that it wasn't even a plot twist.
Many people may have noticed that this Tepes has a different personality from my other fic, that's cause he is 17, one year younger. I took the needs to adjust his personality according to one year less of knowledge, which is why he is less... calm?
So, yep! The battle drags on, Yang was defeated without even having a true fight.
: O
What did you expect? Ren even pointed out that Jammer is specialized in fighting hunters. They would obviously try the easy way if they can find it. Vladimir and Newton didn't have such oportunities, tho.
And Jaune and Ren are still out of the battle
: (
Team CRDL will play a role in the next chapter. Team SSSN is purposefully out of the picture.
Ruby too! She will appear in the next one too, don't worry.
Well, finally things are going the way I want. Things are going really good!
In the next chapter of Against All Odds:
An Unexpected Ally