A/N: I got a really positive response for a Ruby x Eien, so I'll be teasing and possibly giving a high chance at it. Possibly a teasing scene? It might be a bit OOC though, be warned. Also I just realised something, at the end of season 3 we got a small scene with Salem. Doesn't she look like the original winter maiden? Is it possible she was corrupted somehow and ended up becoming immortal? Could she have become greedy and wanted to keep her powers forever, and ended up as a Grimm in the process? (Or at least partly Grimm or SOMETHING).
Its obvious Salem is older than a normal human lifespan, since she knows a lot of secrets about Remnant that have been lost to the past, so could she be one of the original maidens? They have the same look and everything, possibly she is even an ancestor of the Schnee.
Thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter, luv u guys~
Poll at the bottom.
NOTE: NEXT UPDATE (CHAPTER 5) WILL BE POSTED ON TUESDAY (15th of March 2016)
I DO NOT OWN RWBY
Chapter 4: Tunnel Trouble
''Well'' I drawled after a pause ''I don't suppose you'll let us go, will you?''.
It made no noise in response, but it did shift slightly into a more aggressive stance, which he guessed was a no. Problem with Arachne was their venomous bite that usually varied on its effects; paralysis, insanity, poison, all the classic status effects. Not to mention their ability to spit acid was quite problematic combined with their natural spider-trait webs, their weren't the fastest of ground Grimm, probably slightly slower than a Deathstalker, but still quite fast. Its bodily structure was that of a small round head with the generic white mask and markings (with four crimson eyes), a slightly larger spherical body which had four legs on each side, thin stick-like legs that were armoured with white plating, scars showing its age. The largest ball behind that was only armoured on the top, while the bottom was unarmoured.
''Don't suppose you could tell me what's down that hole?'' I said, jerking my thumb over to the hole behind me and Ruby, ignoring how said girl was looking at me like I was crazy for talking to a Grimm. Couldn't blame her, but I was more curious than crazy... same thing really.
The mandibles of the spider clicked, its eyes narrowing in apparent annoyance as it shifted dangerously. Possibly its home or nesting ground? I watched as it used four of its hind legs to lower it down a web, dropping to ground level as it walked up to me, mandible clicking in a seemingly intimidating manner, but I remained completely unfazed. It seemed annoyed by this, and snapped them right in front of my face, but I stared at it blankly, neutral.
Oh, did I forget to mention that most Arachne's heads reach a persons ankle at their youngest, and the 'general' age they reach your waist?
Well this one's face is at height with my own.
''Is it your nesting ground?'' I said, hand gently gesturing to the tunnel. The crimson eyes observed me cautiously as, to my surprise, it gave a nod ''...I see, well I am sorry for intruding, we'll leave your... territory, and leave your children alone''.
Mandibles clicked again as it hissed dangerously at me, eying Ruby threateningly. She tensed under its gaze, but I stepped in front of her, giving it a slightly more hostile stare, making my next point very clear.
''I leave with my comrades, you get left alone with your children'' I stated firmly, leaving no room for argument despite the fact I was, well, talking to a Grimm. It eyed him again, but gone was the inextinguishable hatred, replaced by... acknowledgement. It understood, in the manner it knew that I paraphrased that there was more than two of us. It was intelligent, VERY intelligent. It understood that there could be a miniature army hidden and it wouldn't know, and that if it attacked then it and its children were in danger. It was smart.
''We'll be leaving'' I said smoothly and backed-up, dragging Ruby with me as my eyes remained on the Grimm, not in a distrusting manner but more as an instinctive survival manner. It did the same, settling in front of the tunnel and staring after us, eventually I put my hand to my ear to speak to the others.
''We're leaving, Now''.
Everyone quietly obeyed and I met up with them at the entrance, eyes still locked onto the Arachne until I was out into the open, only then did I turn and gesture for my group to follow. The massive courtyard was completely empty, but I was still a bit tense from my encounter with the Grimm.
''What happened?'' Ruby asked quietly, looking at me with a mix of awe, curiosity and a tiny bit of fear.
''I talked to it'' I stated bluntly, giving a small, teasing smile ''I believe you know what that is?''.
She blushed and glared, punching me in the shoulder with all the force of a bunny ''You know that's not what I meant!''.
''I am curious too'' Blake added and got nods from everyone else.
''Well, just like I said; I talked to it'' I explained ''It had to be old, probably by several centuries. Most common Arachne don't come up to your waist, this one was eye-level with me''.
''And why didn't we just, you know, kill it?'' Yang stated like it was obvious.
I frowned in thought, absentmindedly looking at my hands for answers as the words flowed of their own accord ''Because... maybe the Grimm, aren't as evil as we believe they are...''.
They all gave me a look of 'You are fucking joking'.
I sighed ''I'm serious; why do the Grimm exist? The earliest humans have documented that Grimm have existed either from the time humans did, or before them. So why would Grimm hate us? I doubt the collective species just up and went 'We don't like you' and decided to commit mass genocide of a race they knew nothing about''.
''There has to be more to the story'' I continued at their dubious expressions ''So let me ask you this; is it possible that the early humans did something to upset the Grimm, and that is why they are intent on destroying us?''.
Yang shook her head ''I don't know, and I don't care. They wanna kill us, so we'll kill them''.
''I have to agree with her'' Blake added and Weiss nodded her assent.
''Its an interesting theory...'' Altaria hummed ''But if we did do something, then its long forgotten, and I doubt we can make friends with the Grimm; humanity fears them, and people will attack them without mercy, leading to conflict starting again''.
I sighed at the comment ''True, but I am curious as to why''.
Ruby smiled, her earlier worries easing ''Don't be sad Eien, it was kinda~ awesome how you talked to the Arachne''.
''Thanks Ruby'' I smiled back at her, ruffling her hair playfully, noting but not commenting on how she seemingly leaned into my touch. She must've realised she had done so, because she blushed again as she laughed quietly in embarrassment.
''Hehe... n-no problem''.
I turned away, missing the suggestive look Yang sent her younger sister, making the girl blush darker.
''...you talked to an Arachne'' Akio said, his tone flat.
''Yep'' I drawled, sitting around the small campfire and watching the smoke ascend through a hole in the roof. Out empty tins of food sat in the corner of the room, since they made noise it was unwise to drop them out of the balcony.
''...and you convinced it to let you guys go'' He added.
''Yep'' I replied simply.
The quiet sniper shook his head, amusement in his eyes ''Well that's something you don't see everyday''.
''Eh, every couple of months it happens'' I said with equal amusement ''Who thought a ten year old me could dissuade an Ursa Major from just telling it to leave me alone''.
''Though the fact I was pointing Judgement at it may have something to do with it'' I finished with a smirk and Akio chuckled, the quiet sniper being less reclusive in our presence.
''Does this mean you can talk to Grimm?'' Ruby asked from beside me, looking (once again) at me with a mix of awed and eagerness.
I shrugged ''I presume so, maybe anyone can talk to them. Not all of them are so easily dissuaded, mainly the older variations with be easiest to communicate with''.
''You're a smiling statue half the time'' Blake said, looking from over her book ''I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't afraid of the Grimm at all''.
I shrugged again ''I'm not, but more in the fact that I don't seem to be able to experience fear. Worry yes, fear no''.
''That might be it'' Devin nodded, finishing the remains of his canned peaches ''Grimm feed on negative emotions, so if you are emotionally incapable of feeling fear, then it would likely make them less inclined to attack you''.
I smiled wryly ''So not for the first time not being able to feel fear is a good thing''.
''I can see the benefits of that'' Pyrrha added her comment, walking out of the bathroom with Jaune coming out of the other.
''Yeah, but I do sometimes wonder what it feels like to feel it...'' I murmured, a touch solemn as I looked out the balcony to the starry skies. From what I knew about it, it wasn't the best of feelings, like being paralyzed with a sinking feeling in your stomach, but I just wanted to feel it, even if once - probably best not to chance it though.
Suddenly I was jolted back to reality when Ruby elbowed me ''Don't worry about it''.
I smiled warmly at her, drawing another cute blush from her ''Yeah''.
It was an hour after when everyone was asleep did I wake up to the gentle footsteps of Blake sneaking out of the room he and the four other girls were staying in, moving to the open balcony. With equally quiet footsteps I followed her path, closing our room door behind me quietly and stopping a few feet behind her and making a slight, intentional tap of the foot. Her bow twitched oddly (or maybe it was the breeze?) and she looked back at me, showing her mild surprise at me being awake.
''Good Evening'' I smiled, standing next to her on the balcony, clad in my shorts and vest while Blake was in her black Yukata ''Why would you be up so late?''.
''Just needed to think'' She replied evenly, looking out over the night sky.
''About being a Faunus?'' I asked and she froze up, looking at me with wide eyes, fear present.
''How did you know?'' She whispers in a small voice, and I felt bad for probably putting her on the spot with that.
''I didn't'' I smiled (hiding my inner thoughts at the same time) as she blinked owlishly, realising her mistake as the fear returned more than before. I sighed and put a hand on her shoulder when she tried to back away, and internally winced when she flinched at my touch. Was she really that desperate to keep her Faunus nature hidden?
''Calm down Blake'' I soothed quietly, looking into her wide amber orbs ''You know I have nothing against Faunus, and I'm not going to be angry with you, so why are you so... panicked?''.
She eased slightly at my comment, her eyes darting to their room and jerking her head lightly to indicate. I understood.
''Ah'' I hummed, voice quieting ''Is it because of Weiss?''.
She shifted uneasily, quietly replying ''Yes...''.
''I can see where this worry comes from, but don't worry about Ruby or Yang, they have nothing against Faunus either'' I said, looking into her amber orbs to convey my words ''JNPR won't mind, I wouldn't be surprised if they even noticed the difference. Weiss...''.
''She might be harder to convince, from what I've read about the Schnee Dust Company they've been targeted by the White Fang for years, so she's likely to be at least a little racist'' I continued, noticing her flinch faintly at the name of the terrorist group, signifying what I guessed ''You're from the White Fang too?''.
She shifted uneasily again ''I used to, I left a while ago, I couldn't take it anymore with all the violence''.
''I see, Weiss may be a bit hard to convince, but eventually she'll be fine'' I nodded before eying her bow ''Can I see your ears, if its alright?''.
She nodded hesitantly, reaching up to her bow and fiddling with the strings before pulling the bow off, holding it in her hand. The ears had a purple theme to them, with the inner parts being a lighter shade than the outside. They twitched slightly and I smiled at Blake, her face flushed in apparent embarrassment.
''Is it alright if I touch them?'' I said gently, conveying the sincerity of the comment and not as an insult. Her face flushed a deeper red and she nodded, lowering her head slightly as I reached up to them. I tenderly ran my hand over the back of them, repeatedly and soothingly stroked them. She surprised me when she purred like a cat, immediately flushing a dark red in embarrassment. I merely smiled and continued, forcing Blake to bite her lip to not purr, even if her body twitched with every suppressed purr.
''They're very cute'' I smiled at the Faunus girl and she turned a shade darker than before accidentally letting out a cute mewl, glaring at me a moment after. I simply smiled with mock innocence before letting her ears go with one last pat, returning my gaze to the starry night. Blake straightened up and fixed her bow back on, shifting uneasily afterwards. I pretended not to notice, waiting for her to sort out her obviously turmoil thoughts. Minutes passed in silence, the wind itself being quiet as Blake restlessly thought, so as the Leader of the Team I dutifully took charge.
''Wanna talk about it?'' I said quietly. She hesitated again, but gave a slow nod. In the absence of chairs, we just sat with our backs against the walls, facing the balcony so we could watch the stars.
''I was born into it, the White Fang'' She began quietly ''I was a member for most of my life, because back then things were different. In the ashes of war the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between human and Faunus. Of course, despite being promised equality, the Faunus were subjected to discrimination and hate. Humanity still thought of us as lesser beings. And so, the White Fang rose up as the voice of our people''.
''And I was there. I was at the front of every rally, I took part in every boycott. And I actually thought we were making a difference... but I was just a youthful optimist'' She said, voice solemn but wistful ''Then, five years ago, our leader stepped down, and a new one took his place. A new leader, with a new way of thinking. Suddenly our peaceful protests were being replaced with organized attacks''.
''We were setting fire to stores that refused to serve us. Hijacking cargo from companies that used Faunus labour. And the worst part was? It was working. We were being treated like equals, but not out of respect - out of fear'' She paused to take a breath ''So, I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their violence. And instead, I would dedicate my life to being a huntress''.
''So here I am now, a criminal hiding in plain view'' Blake said solemnly ''All with the help of a little, black bow''.
I hummed, looking absentmindedly at her bow before returning my gaze to her face, to which she responded by looking away shyly, a pretty blush on her face.
''What about you?'' She asked, her intention to distract me all too clear, but I went with her silent wishes.
''Well I grew up in a hospital here in Vale, believe it or not'' I started my story ''According to the nurses, I was born without any of my basic senses, from my perspective it was only darkness for ages. After three months, my sight returned. Two weeks later my hearing arrived, and two weeks after that my voice came. Finally two weeks after that my sense of smell and touch came, allowing me to experience the things others could''.
''I was always a curious child growing up, and I still am a curious individual. I had a hard time understanding certain things, mainly the social injustice towards the Faunus. At the age of six I unlocked my Aura, and I think also my Semblance'' I continued, pausing to look at Blake as she gawked.
''You unlocked them at the age of six?''.
I blinked ''That isn't normal?''.
''NO!''.
''Oh''.
''Anyway'' I carried on cheerfully as Blake quietened down, listening intently to my life story ''I trained for four years, sneaking out of the hospital that I called home because of... medical complications. At the age of nine I created Judgement, my Scythe-Sniper, and at the age of ten I ventured into the forest outside Vale''.
''I survived, as I explained earlier. I brought a duffel bag with ammo, food, water, and other small necessities while fighting off Grimm, often requiring me to wake up in the middle of the night. This continued for a year or so before the Grimm started actively avoiding me, sans the big guns like Deathstalkers and Nevermore. Eventually I expanded my training grounds to Mountain Glenn and the wastelands, which I continued to use for the next four years''.
''Then one day on the way back from a hunting trip I caught Roman Torchwick robbing a dust store, and met Ruby in trying to stop him from escaping. Eventually we met Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch, and after a short conversation we came to Beacon'' I summed up shortly ''And that is my life story''.
''Mm'' She hummed ''Its strange how you were at birth, did that have anything to do with the 'medical complications'?''.
''Yes'' I nodded and was silently thankful when she didn't question further. We sat in companionable silence as we silently watched the stars, the occasional bird (or sometimes Nevermore) flying through the night sky. Soft breathing drew my attention and I realised, with a small smile, that Blake had fallen asleep despite the seemingly uncomfortable position. Acknowledging that I couldn't leave her out here, I got to my feet and (after stretching my legs slightly) knelt down and scooped the older, and slightly bigger teen up, one arm under her knees and the other on her upper back.
She shifted slightly before she smiled faintly, snuggling against his chest. I smiled down at her and proceeded back to our room, silent as a mouse as I lay her down on her bed, pulling the blanket over her before moving to my own bed, sneaking under my covers as I drifted off into my usual semi-unconscious sleep.
Ruby stirred as she groggily woke from her slumber, her entire body hidden under the blanket sans the tip of her head. She blinked slowly as she prepared to get up, only for her mind to realise that she was not alone, in that Eien was currently getting undressed, and her sleepy mind was awoken with the uncalled-for awakening. She resisted the urge to make a sound and pretend she was still asleep, eyes darting around the room. Her other teammates were gone, meaning she had slept in. Normally Eien would leave the room and allow the four of them to get dressed, then he himself would get dressed.
So, upon realising that he was going to get changed, unaware of her awakening, she had considered speaking out, but quickly got side-tracked. Namely getting lost in her own world as she stared at his toned back, while lacking in large muscles he made up for it with a lean and thin figure, made more for speed than for power. He slung on his combat uniform, allowing me to see the daggers he slid into both sides of his boots, in a secret compartment on the sole of his foot, inside and outside on his military-styled pants, the Dust Crystals he attached to his belt and the dozens of rails of ammo that lines the insides of his trench coat.
He attached some extra rails of ammo to his armoured vest, front and back, putting four of the massive 350mm rounds on his back. He put on his trench coat and tied an outer belt around his trench coat, making it so that everything below the belt would fly in the wind while the top half would remained firm. He grabbed his bandana and tied it on, leaving it down for the moment and the same with his hood. He surprised me when he turned, looked me in the eyes and smiled in his usual friendly manner.
''Good morning'' He smiled as he picked up a spare bullet, twiddling it between his fingers ''Stare much?''.
I flushed a dark red, my voice coming out in an embarrassed splutter ''S-Sorry! I didn't mean-''.
His chuckle cut me off, making my cheeks burn in more embarrassment. I felt like a schoolgirl from those manga books Yang has in her room, shy and embarrassed as Eien stood next to her, their bodies far too close for anything other - BAD THOUGHTS RUBY! BAD! ABORT! AB-
''Remnant to Ruby'' Eien smiled, amusement in his cool blue eyes as he poked her nose, bringing her back as she realised she had zoned out ''Quite embarrassed aren't you?''.
''Shut up'' She said, her voice muffled as she buried her face in her pillow in an attempt to hide her blush. After a minute of silence and blocking out her perverse part of her evil brain pairing her with her team leader she looked up, seeing him looking at the bullet in his hands blankly, a slight thoughtful look in his eyes.
''I haven't told you what my Semblance is, have I?'' He mused, looking at me again with those piercing eyes and I nodded as seriously as I could ''Hm, I guess I could show you, but you have to promise not to tell the others, okay?''.
I nodded ''Promise''.
He smiled as he glowed faintly, then suddenly the bullet in his hands glowed with him and I was blinded by a flash of silent light. It was gone in a second, and I took several seconds to recover from the blinding light and nearly gawked at the fact, in place of the bullet, was now a cookie. I blinked owlishly and he smiled, offering it to me. Without hesitation I took it and ate it as politely as I could - its been days since I had my sweet cookies, I was totally not having withdrawal.
Cookies. Not even once.
''My Semblance is Matter Manipulation'' He stated as I finished the cookie, listening intently ''It allows me to touch any non-sentient object and alter it to whatever I think, I could make a pebble a statue or a mountain a pebble, granted depending on the size difference and material difference it will cost more Aura''.
''So that cookie...'' I paused, realising I may have eaten a bullet.
''Its completely fine'' He assured, as if reading my thoughts ''When it comes to food, upon it transforming it becomes that object entirely. The best analogy would be the dough and cookie; you make a cookie with dough, but you cant safely eat dough. I turned that bullet into a cookie, and once I did it was no longer a bullet, but a cookie. When it comes to food it will dissolve like any other food in your stomach, and wont turn back into its previous form without my explicit consent''.
I sighed, relieved ''So you can basically turn anything, into anything''.
''Within limitations of course, I cant seem to be able to transform the ground itself unless there is a limited amount of it, instead of it being connected to the entire planet'' He said and I nodded, it was logical ''I also have a limit. Through reading up on Aura and Semblance diagnostics my Semblance is directly connected to my soul; the more I use it in a short time period, the chance of it potentially killing me increases''.
My eyes widen ''That's... a huge drawback''.
He nodded, smiling regardless of his previous statement ''It is. I've roughly guessed I have around a hundred 'pieces' and that's the absolute limit, but if I were to use every piece then I would be guaranteed to die from it, as my soul would quite literally be broken like glass. I have managed to create a Grimm that obeys orders, with semi-sentient thought that allows it to receive orders, which I had used in the past to know when Grimm packs are closing in on Vale''.
''That's... AWESOME!'' I beamed and he nodded ''Doesn't that mean you could like, have infinite Lien?''.
''Yup'' He smiled innocently ''I made sure however to not unbalance the economy, only using it to buy Dust and Books from the library''.
''Mm'' I smiled, pleased. The amount of cookies I could extort from him...
I grinned in thought of it and he added ''Have you been to Lyrics' Weapon Store in downtown Vale?''.
I blinked ''Lyrics' Weapon Store?''
Eien nodded ''Yeah, its a new shop they opened on Haizen street, across from the Park, they sell a bunch of weapons and parts and things you might like''.
''We are going there when we get back'' I all but demanded and he chuckled, nodding.
''Sure thing, Ruby'' He smiled, and I swore he purred the last part, but regardless it made a slight shock travel down my spine, said feeling was intensified when his nimble fingers reached behind my neck and scratched the base of my neck, and I barely muffled the groan that came out. He was too damn good with those fingers-
BAD THOUGHTS! BAD TIME!
I must've been blushing since I woke up, since Eien had been smiling the whole time. Then again he did kinda just smile, a lot.
''Quite the pervert, aren't you Ruby?'' Eien smiled teasingly as his face came close to mine, his voice low and an unfamiliar glint to his eyes that made me both nervous and excited. It was certainly strange to see her gentlemanly leader get so... I don't even have a word to describe it, Flirty? Saucy? Playful?
All of the above, really.
I gave up then, and just went with the flow.
''And you aren't?'' I challenged, leaning in as much as I dared, staring into his cool blue eyes.
''I like to think I'm not'' He smiled, responding to the challenge as their faces neared oh so close ''Do I look like one?''.
''Not particularly'' I smiled slyly ''But you never know what kind of person lies beneath the surface''.
He smirked ''Hypocritical, Ruby?''.
''You didn't deny it''.
''I am a teenage boy, mind you'' He countered reasonably ''And you aren't the very epitome of innocence either''.
''I am a teenage girl, mind you'' I smirked, throwing his words back at him.
''Well how convenient is that?'' He purred and I couldn't repress the shiver of... whatever this was. Suddenly I felt his nimble fingers trace my ears, rubbing the sensitive edge and I reflexively arced my neck, quieting the mewl until it was no louder than a whisper. Eien used that opportunity and lightly bit on my neck and I raised a hand to my mouth to hide the moan that threatened to escape. Was this why Yang had so many boyfriends?
He moved away, the light bite forming a small hickey on her neck. He smiled slyly at her, moving away as she resisted - and failed - to pout at him. He ruffled her hair affectionately, as if they hadn't just been engaged in a heated... whatever you would call that. I wasn't sure if he was just teasing me like Yang does to guys or if he was hinting at something else. All I knew for certain was I liked it.
''C'mon, we still have a mission to do'' He smiled at her, the lightest of blushes on his own face that made him look a strange mix of handsome and slightly feminine.
I groaned and conceded with a nod ''Alright, I'll be ready in five''.
He flashed her another sly smile and left without a word, leaving her flushed and thoroughly reconsidering her opinion on her leader. Even so, her chest was fluttering like a butterfly was inside it, that she and her slowly-developing crush had done something so... heated. While she tried to push the thought out of her mind, she couldn't help the small part of her mind that wanted him to have continued, curious as to where he would've taken it.
Her cheeks blazed anew at that thought, and she swore she would die from the heat at this rate.
And she had to work with him for the next four years.
Not that she was complaining.
I smiled as Ruby walked out of the bathroom, fully dressed in her combat gear with Crescent Rose on her back. She met my eyes and immediately looked away, pink dusting her cheeks. Nobody noticed thankfully, none that I saw anyway.
I wasn't sure on how to feel with the situation with Ruby. On that end of the scale, I felt something beyond friendship for her, but I was unsure if the feeling was mutual. He'd just have to wait and see, probably tease her a little as one might do.
''Alright guys, since Eien's made a sort of deal with the Arachne in the library, we'll be taking another route; the hole at the main entranceway'' Sierra started once everyone was gathered ''General Ironwood provided us with a map of the underground railway, and we'll split up into two teams; Myself, Devin, Akio and JNPR will head to the right, while ERWBY, Tai and Altaria will head to the left''.
''Got it'' We all nodded, with me pulling up my hood and bandana.
''Then lets go'' He nodded back and went to the door, unlocking it with the passcode as he led the way down the halls, still checking the area around us regardless of the lack of Grimm. We reached the hole in the ground with ease, contemplating for only a moment before I took the initiative, taking out a Dust Crystal and lighting it, dropping it into the hole. It bounced on the way down and chimed as it did so, clanking loudly as it hit the bottom, showing the area around it, completely silent.
''So how're we going to get down?'' Tai quirked an eyebrow.
''I can lift myself and five others down with my glyphs'' Weiss claimed proudly. Akio didn't bat an eye as he bluntly jumped down, gripping the sides of the wall as he skidded down to the bottom, immediately falling into a crouch and scanning the perimeter, giving a clear a moment later. Yang didn't hesitate and went down the same way Akio did, falling to the bottom and using the wall to slow her descent.
''If you could, Miss Schnee?'' Sierra smiled and Weiss nodded, forming a black glyph at her feet as she and the Atlas team stepped on, descending downwards.
Blake turned to me ''And how are we going to get down?''.
''Don't mind me'' I said smoothly, unwrapping one of the many ribbons on Blake's arms, her eyes meeting mine before she shrugs indifferently, and I take the ribbon from her, implanting a piece of my soul in it. The flash confused Blake, but Ruby's expression showed she understood what I did. I tied it around a sturdy metal railing and dangled it over the edge into the darkness, settling into a position to climb down.
''Are you sure it will hold?'' Ruby asked nervously.
I smiled ''Of course it will... probably''.
I easily slid down the black ribbon to the rocky ground at the bottom of the hole, Blake following with Ruby last. Halfway down however the ribbon snapped under their combined weight, Blake being a cat Faunus (in disguise) and a natural at this she easily used her weapon to slow her descent enough to just drop to the ground, while Ruby however fell like a rock, being unable to use Crescent Rose to slow her fall because it would get stuck. With ease I caught her when she fell, dropping into my arms much like how a certain Arc fell during initiation.
''Just dropping in?'' I said with a lopsided smirk, getting a collection of groans from my team, sans Yang who high-fived me.
''Amateur puns'' Yang snickered ''You okay Rubes?''.
Ruby, apparently remembering she was still in my arms, blushed furiously and all but jumped out of my arms ''FINE! TOTALLY FINE! YUP 100%!''.
Everyone gave her a 'look'.
''Hehe... sorry'' She had sheepishly.
I smiled ''Anyway, lets get going, me, Ruby and Blake will lead while Tai, Altaria, Yang and Weiss you at the back - that way we have someone who can use light at both sides''.
''I'll take point'' Akio stated to his team as he used his inherited Faunus night vision to scan the area around him, sniper at the ready.
''We'll stay at the rear'' Ren offered and got nods in turn.
''Devin you stay at the back of the group with them, Miss Nikos and Mr. Arc you stay up front with Akio, I'll stay in the middle for ranged support'' Sierra instructed before looking at me ''We'll meet up here in an hour''.
''Good luck guys!'' Nora sang at us and we returned the gesture, albeit with much less enthusiasm. The tunnel was dark but with Blake's night vision she easily led us around any large debris, and our sight adjusted to the dark tunnel in only a few minutes enough so we could see mostly. I walked alongside Blake with Ruby a few steps behind, looking out for anything, when Ruby asked quietly;
''Um... what are we looking for?''.
''Anything out of the ordinary for an abandoned tunnel'' I said with dry humour, looking at Blake and speaking quietly ''See anything?''
''Nothing, just debris'' She said with a shake of her head ''What should I be seeing?''.
''Droves of Creep Grimm'' I said with my usual dry humour ''And a bunch of other Grimm, Grimm... just Grimm and Dust really''.
''Noted'' She hummed as we continued on down the tunnel, the Light Crystal I used getting further and further away until it was nothing more than a flicker in the distance, and as we took a turn via a curved part of the tunnel. The tunnels were utterly void of any Grimm for some reason, and after meeting the Duststalker I had an inkling as to why.
We proceeded onwards in silence, our soft footfalls the only sound made. Suddenly a distant rumbling was heard, gradually getting louder. It felt and sounded like an earthquake, but years of coming to Mountain Glenn has warned my of this sound; Creep Stampede. My eyes danced around in the darkness as I searched, but the best I could find was a maintenance door that would lead to a small but adequate room.
''Creep Stampede!'' I hissed quietly to the others, grabbing Ruby by the arm and dragging the confused and worried girl towards the room, the others following my orders. Blake looked in the direction of the sound and widened her eyes, probably seeing the mass of Grimm bolting not to us, but in our general direction. I kicked the door open, revealing a dark and damp room that had a loose wire sparking, providing a flash of light irregularly. I lit a fresh Light Crystal as I entered with the others, Tai closing the heavy rusted door behind him and leaning against it, silent.
The room was, again, small. It had a few shelves on the walls and a fuse box that had been smashed in, causing the wire hanging above to spark dangerously, but even if it hit us it wouldn't do much because of our Aura. It smelt like moss and the air was heavy with dampness, probably hadn't been opened in years.
Weiss pulled out her scroll, scowling at the smell of the room probably ''I'll alert Captain Sierra's group on it''.
The rumbling approached and past us, shaking the shelves with the intensity of what could very well be hundreds of the buggers. While creeps only had two legs, they had an extremely armoured head and a vicious head-butt, capable of breaking a students bones to dust and even severely damaging a trained hunter if caught off guard. If they had also been 'mixed' with Dust, then they could prove to be quite problematic.
They waited until the rumbling became nearly non-existent before getting up and moving to leave, Tai opening the door with his partner aiming his weapon at the door, ready to blast any Grimm who were silently waiting. There was none, and Blake went out first, using her Faunus eye-sight to peak at both sides of the tunnel and nodded back to us. We followed her out onto the tracks once more, walking along our original path like nothing happened.
So imagine our surprise when, from the debris literally the perpetually endless tunnel, a Duststalker rose and lashed out with its claw. Taken aback by its sudden appearance and the fact it had been lying in wait, myself, Ruby and Blake all were hit by the side of the claw, tumbling past our teammates as our minds caught up with us. Yang immediately retaliated, pumping her fists as she fired off several rounds while I got to my feet, drawing Judgement in its sniper form and aiming it at the creatures eyes.
As if reading his thoughts, the Duststalker specifically covered its eyes with its large claws and charged us, forcing us to jump back to avoid another blunt trauma hit.
''Same strategy as before!'' I yelled over the sound of crunching metal. I noted how instead of teal and red it seemed brown, meaning possibly earth, nature or any other elemental dust properties that pertain to brown.
I got a collective nod as Ruby went to one side of the Duststalker while I went to the other, hacking at its legs, only to find its armour was stronger than the last one. A quick glance at Ruby showed she had little success as well. The spikes on the joints on the legs suddenly angled unnaturally, and I took the warning to heart and jumped back just in time to avoid a sharp stone that fired out, while Ruby was not so lucky and got hit in the shoulder, but she ultimately just winced and shrugged it off.
Weiss tried slowing it down with her Glyphs, but it only barely effected its movements. Yang was unloading round after round but it barely indented on its armour and Blake could only make tiny grazes on its unarmoured hide. Altaria was firing his magnums, obviously opting not to chance using a rocket in a tunnel, and Tai was firing madly with his SMG and shotgun in akimbo, but even that did a limited amount of damage.
Abruptly the Grimm's leg fired another spiky stone at Ruby, piercing her cloak when she tried to move and pinning her to the wall. The stinger tensed to lunge and I acted on reflex, firing behind me and landing in its flight path, raising my blade to block it. I gritted my teeth at the impact as the pointed stinger pressed against the flat of my scythe; scythes were speed and attack weapons, they had little to no defence. Thankfully Blake came to my aid, slashing at the fleshy stinger repeatedly until the giant scorpion retreated its stinger, allowing me to removed my weapon from its position and destroy the stone holding Ruby down.
''Blake, Ruby, all three of us hit the right side, then switch when it attacks'' I stated and the duo nodded, following my lead as we nimbly jumped over the Duststalker and began attacking its legs, dodging its stones that it fired and its large, brown-tinted stinger. Slowly we were whittling its armour down, drawing blood gradually.
That was until the Duststalker abruptly spun around, crashing its claw into me and Ruby, Blake's clone disappearing. We were sent hurling down the tunnel and I grunted as I smashed against a chunk of steel while Ruby skidded at my feet, groaning in tandem with me. I narrowed my eyes in annoyance but blinking when I spotted a shiny... red... crystal... at its feet.
Red Dust.
Explosive.
The Duststalker, completely unaware of the danger, made to turn around back to the others, when one of its legs crushed the glowing red crystal. The crystal flared as the dust inside activated with its sudden shattering before exploding like a grenade, only a very large one. I ignored the shockwave and got to my feet, helping Ruby to her feet as she stumbled, blood running from her head that we ignored for now. As if the universe decided today would be the day it would kick my ass, the roof above where the grenade detonated began crumbling.
''Shit'' I grumbled under my breath as both me and Ruby began moving deeper into the tunnel as the roof crumbled above them. A large chunk of rock and dirt crashed in front of us, forcing us to stop lest we run into it. In the span on two seconds several more rocks crashed down, creating a wall in front of us. I scanned my surroundings, spotting a tunnel similar to the one the Arachne used, sans the weird living crystals. Ruby also spotted it and without words we both jumped down, looking up to see a hefty rock crash where we once stood.
I grunted as we slid down the steep tunnel, keeping my balance as to not tumble and roll, Ruby wasn't as lucky and did tumble - at least until I manage to right her and we slid down on our backs, ending up in another section of the railway, oddly. It looked like it was out of a horror movie, an underground form of a train depot that had rusted and aged trains. The fog had a blue-ish tint to it and the large underground area was, well, large. Very much so. It was completely silent however, the only movement being the gentle sway of the cobwebs in the room, too small to belong to Arachne.
However when an amused, feminine chuckle came from further in the room, he tensed. I spared a glance at Ruby and confirmed she heard it too as she looked in the general direction of the sound, getting to her feet quietly as she prepared Crescent Rose. The blood running from her head had slowed slightly but it ran over one eye, blinding her slightly as she had the eye closed as to not get actually blinded. Stealthily we both lowered onto the rails instead of the cracked and overgrown platform, falling into a crouch regardless of the pain from our still-sore backs.
I lead while Ruby stayed a step behind me as we snuck around the side of an overturned tram, the grass and vines brushing against us as I peeked around the corner. My eyes widened at the sight of several large crates of Dust, and a few dozen members of the White Fang. On top of one of the crates was a woman around Goodwitch's age, with long black hair and amber eyes, clad in a red and yellow dress. Beside her stood Roman Torchwick, grumbling to himself as he watched the Faunus terrorists.
''Get a move on you mutts'' He grumbled lowly, a look of boredom on his face. We were hidden in shadows and the grass would be to my knees if I was standing, which gave me an idea.
''Ruby, do you trust me?'' I asked in a hushed tone to the equally young student beside me.
''Always'' She smiled, responding instantly.
I reached into my coat and pulled out all my explosive-type Dust Crystals, of all different elements. I handed them to her, a total of eight of them, into her hands as she gave me a curious look.
''Use your Semblance and drop the crystals as you do so, try and drop them amongst them'' I whispered and she nodded, the slightest amount of hesitance shown in her eyes. I let eight shards of my soul slide into the crystals, settling inside them.
''I know you can do it'' I smiled at her as I unslung Judgement, crawling into the grass and concealing myself from my soon-to-be-prey's view as I aimed at them. Ruby disappeared with a swoosh as rose petals fluttered where she stood, reappearing by the now-surprised grunts as Ruby dropped a crystal, moving to another location and dropping another. When she dropped the fourth I fired, killing two grunts with one bullet and drawing their attention to me, or rather my direction.
I stayed still, watching as Ruby dropped the last crystal before leaving the area. Without hesitation I roughly pulled the shards inside them back to me, willing them to come back to be. The moment I did so they acted like an instantly-detonating grenade, eight simultaneous explosions rocking the train depot as it undoubtedly killed multiple terrorists. I didn't care for them, so I didn't dwell on their deaths. Ruby reappeared on top of the overturned tram and fired her scythe-sniper in its compacted form, picking off targets with non-lethal strikes.
''Red!'' Roman cheered in mock-happiness ''Its been such a long time! And Black, You too! What a fantastic reunion this is turning out to be!''.
I stood out of the grass ''So you saw me''.
He smirked along with the woman ''Surely you don't believe I would miss a sniper scope aiming at me?''.
''Point taken'' I shrugged ''And who might your companion be?''.
''Employer'' The woman corrected, her voice smooth ''Cinder Fall''.
''Eien'' I nodded.
''Ruby Rose'' Ruby said, still aiming.
''Now, why would two children be doing down here?'' Cinder said in mock concern, walking off the boxes.
''Just happened to fall down here'' I said with a blank face ''Quite literally, mind you... but who would have thought we would've stumbled across a notorious criminal and his superior?''.
''Mm, indeed'' Cinder replied evenly, looking slightly more serious now. Game time.
''Ruby, you get Torchwick'' I said smoothly and the petite reaper nodded, taking off in a burst of her Semblance and swinging her scythe at the man, who blocked with his cane. Torchwick, upon sparing a glance at Cinder, nodding faintly and drew his fight away from myself and her, close by but not close enough for either side to interfere.
I swapped Judgement into its Scythe form ''So its seems like you'll be my opponent''.
''If you can keep up that is'' She mocked back, the yellow designs on her arms glowing along with her eyes. Aura.
I narrowed my eyes, this could be a troubling opponent, especially if she was stronger than Torchwick - and she probably was, considering she was his superior. I instantly swung Judgement round in a circle, firing at my feet and launching myself above her. She dragged her hand along her arm in response before firing off a bolt of flames that was familiar, from when he first met Ruby. She launched the fireball at me and I shot to my left, evading the attack and firing behind me, plummeting towards her. She moved back just in time to avoid being impaled, her knee launching like a bullet at me.
I nimbly dodged by leaning to the side, using my scythe as a vaulting pole and swinging my body around to hit her. She moved back but I managed to clip her arm with my feet, making her stumbling very slightly, but it was enough. I swung around again and launched myself off, pulling the scythe out using my momentum and swinging at her, but she easily blocked by putting her hand on the shaft, completely stopping its momentum. I fired and shot backwards, avoiding her flaming fist that went for my stomach, the power radiating off it showing she was more dangerous than she originally let on.
A high-pitched whistling sound screeched below me as a circle of orange-ish fire spawned below me, forcing me to fire my last round to avoid her. I reached in my coat and pulled out another rail of AP rounds, sliding it into Judgement and immediately firing at my feet to avoid another stream of fire. I launched myself towards her with another shot, twisting my body out of the way of another bolt of flames and lashing out with my scythe as she backpedalled, getting a cut on her stomach for her efforts. She narrowed her eyes and hissed slightly in pain, her demeanour changing to a savage snake.
Her hands shot at me like knives, repeatedly jabbing out in a knife gesture at me, forcing me to avoid them since they were coated in her Aura. That was one of the disadvantages when it came to pole-arms like scythes, spears and javelins; they weren't meant for really close combat, since someone who used hand to hand or a dagger could probably sneak inside your guard and easily attack you. I had worked on my defence over the years, but one weakness that would always be impossible to counter was that he could not defend against a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, since the only real defence he hand was the shaft they could easily snake their hands around it.
However, I had a semi-counter to that.
I flipped Judgement around in an attempt to hit her, purposely letting my guard open. Her hand darted towards my open side and I widened my eyes, pretending to be shocked as her hand neared. Just before it made contact I dropped Judgement, ducked, grabbed her wrist and buried my fist in her gut. She gasped as the wind rushed from her lungs, but I pulled Punishment out and pressed it to her stomach, firing the explosive round at point-blank range, separating us as the smoke cloud erupted from where I stood. I reloaded Judgement and slid a refill into Punishment, taking cover behind a crumbling wall.
Cinder came out of the smoke a moment later, her stomach bleeding and turning her dress red as she hunched slightly. But oh boy her face...
She was pissed.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, I guess.
She swiped her hand and I cursed under my breath as I rolled out of the way of the pillar of flames, swinging Judgement in an arc at the bolt of flames she shot at me, slicing it in half. I resisted the urge to scowl when the two halves curved back at me, forcing me to flip over them and let them destroy the wall I had used to evade direct contact with Cinder. I might have to actually use my Semblance in this fight... no, I wont. At our current level of strength neither I or Ruby would be capable of taking either down, especially if both Roman and Cinder decided to get serious - they were holding back. They would escape, so it would be best to not use my Semblance, or even lie about it.
I shot towards Cinder, slashing fluidly and smoothly from years of practice as I attempted to strike her, but she easily evaded the blade of Judgement or redirected it, countering with knife-like hand stabs that would probably leave bruises. I slid inside her guard and elbowed her wounded stomach, making her hiss and return the favour by burying her knee in my side and palm-striking my face with enough force to send me tumbling back into a metal tram. I grumble another curse under my breath and got to my feet, falling into stance once again and facing off against the pissed off woman.
Suddenly she smirked, which couldn't be a good thing. She fired off a bolt of flames to her right, away from either of us- Ruby!
I turned my eyes to the right just in time to see the spear-like bolt of fire pierce Ruby's stomach, making Ruby freeze up as shock undoubtedly froze her nerves. Her head shakily looked down at her stomach, where a palm-sized hole was in her stomach, the flesh crackling and charred as blood flowed like a river. Roman hit her on the side of her head, knocking her out in what could easily be interpreted as an act of mercy, his face in a frown as he looked at us.
I felt so... numb, looking at Ruby's body. She wasn't dead, and the shot likely wasn't fatal, but the blood loss or infection could be. I might be able to heal her, but not with these two around. I was dimly aware that Cinder had used my shock to her advantage, slinging me into a train car, but I couldn't feel it. An unfamiliar feeling was rising in me, one that I had never felt before in my life.
Was it fear?
No, it was not fear.
Was it annoyance?
Far worse.
Anger?
Didn't compare. My whole body burned, both from the wounds and the strain, as I felt the emotion for the first time. I didn't examine the emotion, I didn't care, for only one thought was on my mind;
KILL!
Then everything went black.
Roman watched uneasily as the body of Eien twitched, having been hit full-force by one of Cinders attacks, it was a miracle that he hadn't been turned to ash, his burnt coat and skin not withstanding. Cinder began walking away to the exit, the Dust crates having been destroyed before we could fully evacuate them before the Grimm undoubtedly arrived. I however had seen something like this many times before, where the villain gets cocky in thinking that the hero is despairing, when in truth the hero is being overcome by their rage. At least that's how it was in the comics.
I watched in a tense silence as Eien got to his feet, making Cinder turn back to him. The word coming out in a snarl that seemed unbecoming off the previously cool teen, showing the hatred in his tone as clear as day.
''Die'' He intoned, and I watched wide-eyed as he was suddenly in front of Cinder. Before the woman could even blink he grabbed her by the face and slammed her down onto the concrete below, creating spider-webbed cracks on the ground around her head as her eyes were wide in surprise. Moving so fast that it could be considered inhuman he threw her THROUGH one of the train cars, the metal tearing from the sheer velocity he threw her at. I raised my cane to fire only to find a fist in my face, my back groaning as I smashed into my own train car, instinct taking over as I rolled out of the way of the scythe he threw like a flail.
I got to my feet as Cinder returned, looking slightly pissed and slightly worried, which definitely worried me - a worried Cinder meant shit was hitting the fan at two-hundred miles an hour. Eien extended a hand and his scythe flew back into it, despite nothing being attached to it. He blurred out of existence, appearing beside Cinder and swinging in an arc, which Cinder responded with dodging and firing a bolt of fire at him. It struck his leg and burned him, but he didn't even flinch, rather barrelling through it and stabbing her in the stomach, swinging his scythe while she was still attached and slinging her into another train car.
Brutal. That was the only word to describe their current situation. Black obviously had a strong connection to Red, and so when he saw her hurt he had snapped. And if he was honest, he'd rather fight a Goliath right now, this kid was insane! He was a force of nature for sure, and the question nagging at the back of his mind remained permanently, giving him an eternal unease of the murderous teen; what was his Semblance?
If he hadn't needed to use it yet, then that meant he would be getting the fuck out as soon as he did use it, with Cinder or no.
I raised my cane and fired a shot at him, but he cut it in half without even looking, his gaze glaring at Cinder as the woman tore a chunk of metal out of her shoulder, hissing at the pain. The two had a five-second glare off, and I myself was becoming annoyed after I fired the third shot and he destroyed it without even looking. Cinder created a large fireball in her elegant hands, the swirling mass of firing not even making Eien stop his murderous glare. He was waiting, but for what, he did not know. Without waiting to find out Cinder fired the fireball at Eien, who merely raised his left arm in front of him.
The fireball exploded on him, engulfing him in a torrent of flames that the kid didn't even try to avoid. This left me with dread in my stomach; he had certainly demonstrated his ability to move faster than even Red, so why take the hit? He could easily dodge it, hell he didn't even block sans using his arm. I waited until the flames cleared and allowed me to see the teen, and a disgusted frown took its residence there upon seeing that his left arm was no longer in existence, nothing more than a burnt stump from the devastating attack.
However he was unfazed, and I realised why a second later. My eyes widened as a cracking sound was heard along with a tearing sound, and I watched in horrified interest as his arm regrew itself from the stump, the wounds all over his body not healing though. All through this he kept glaring at Cinder, completely ignoring his regenerating arm like it was as easy as breathing. Again, to repeat my earlier statement; THIS KID IS FUCKING INSANE!
He took off then, and I once again suddenly found myself embedded into the hull of one of the many rusted trains and trams around the area, my back screaming in protest of the brutal punishment. I could only watch as he appeared out of thin air in front of Cinder, grabbing her by the throat as the Dust attack she was conjuring suddenly fizzled out. Her clothing glowed again, but it faded, unable to form despite it being a simple grip on her neck. She clawed at his hand, punched and kicked, even resorting to spitting at him, but nothing fazed the glaring teen, his mind set on obvious vengeance.
He raised a finger, and with apparent gentleness tapped her forehead, while uttering a soft word; ''Suffer''.
He dropped his hold on her neck, only for his knee to smash into her nose and send her onto her back. Cinder coughed as spluttered as air filled her lungs, and once she regained some amount of composure she glared at him, her arms glowing to send a Dust spell...
...only for Cinder to gasp and grab her head. Two seconds later she screamed as her whole body trembled as her legs gave out under her, screaming in a way that made me wince as her smooth and sensual voice broke from the pitch, while Eien looked on with a glare, undoubtedly having something to do with this. She squirmed as she screamed, lost in her pain until it stopped just as abruptly as before. She was sweating, her skin a few shades paler than before and a small river of blood coming from her nose and mouth, though the former was likely because of her broken nose. She heaved in breaths as she tried to stand, only each time for her to grab her head and fall back to her knees, letting out the quietest of whimpers.
Eien watched impassively the whole time, glare withstanding as he watched the once-superior woman writher on the ground beneath him. There was no sadistic glee or psychotic eagerness, only cold hatred in his already cool eyes. He hefted his scythe up and put it at her neck, and Cinder barely noticed over her current pain, unknowing of the scythe about to remove her head.
He would have, if not for a foot crashing into his face, knocking the scythe out of his hands as he glared at the new intruders.
Mercury, Emerald and Neo had arrived.
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