The Shadow of Fire
Chapter 32: R&R
A/N: Shout out to ElfCollaborator for letting me reference a few things.
One week later
January 20th
11:24 AM
Team RWBY, JNPR, CRDL, and Ulysses had all received outstanding respect as Hunters and Huntresses for their combined efforts to rescue Orion. They were each given a medal by the Queen of Vale herself, after they reported the death of Saturn Laos, a major crime lord with connections to the White Fang, that is. After all, the world wasn't ready to learn of the Gods, nor were the Gods ready for them.
For all her life, Weiss had thought that the afterlife would be a peaceful world to occupy, but now? Weiss was scared to die. A civil war, even in the Heavens, has broken out, a seemingly never ending conflict that could destroy the universe.
Weiss shook her head as she snapped out of her thoughts, looking around the isles of various fruits and vegetable at the local grocery store in downtown Vale. While she thought it was degrading to her status, she decided that it would be a nice thing to do, and give her time to pick out some gifts for her girlfriend.
Ever since Weiss and Ruby had gotten together, they hadn't actually had much alone time, let alone time to kiss or do girly stuff. Weiss wanted to plan a fun little trip for just the two of them, perhaps to that water park that Ruby always talked about. Even if she had a deathly fear of the ocean, for some odd reason she was fine with all other bodies of water. Weiss felt the blood in her body rush directly to her head as images of Ruby in a small red bikini filled her mind, forcing herself to act like a lady and purge them from her mental images.
"Hmm..." Weiss hummed out as she compared the prices of various corn products, plucking a few canned corn and tomato sauces. Tomorrow was spaghetti Monday, and Blake did the sauce better than anyone else, so Weiss was searching for anything related to sauce, looking at the price, and tossing it in her cart.
"Does lettuce go in spaghetti sauce?" She asked herself aloud, tapping her slender finger against her chin, not really knowing what she was doing.
Despite passing all possible subjects, cooking and cooking related tasks were not very hardened as she would have wanted. Her father's motto was a simple one: cooking is for the help, eating is for us. As such, Weiss was a tad out of the loop in regards to making something food related out of scratch, so the heiress simply found the best looking three and tossed them in her cart.
"You're forgetting eggs, Ruby wanted to make cookies." Dagonus said over her shoulder, causing the heiress to jump five feet in the air in a mix of fear and surprise.
"What do you want?" Weiss said in a rather rude tone, pushing her cart along as Dagonus teleported away, stepping out from the shadows of a tower of canned soups set out for display.
"That's rather rude, I don't think it's wise for my daughter to be dating a rebel to leadership." Dagonus said in a teasing tone, flashing a vile grin at the teen.
"What exactly do you want?" Weiss said, somewhat nicer in her own opinion.
"It's a start..." He muttered to himself before he cleared his throat, looking towards the heiress. "I'm working out plans for something for you, I need time to gather all of the details before I can set it in motion. This was just a heads up for allowing you to not be caught off guard by a visit soon." The God of Death explained to the ice Queen.
"Why can't you just solve your problem yourself?"
"I don't want any undesirable attention drawn to me at the moment. I have plans, big plans, Miss Schnee, and I can't afford to have them ruined." He said simply, examining the girl before him. "And I seem to recall that I raised you from the dead out of the generousness of my heart..." He said, holding a closed hand to his heart, pointing his head upward in a dramatic pose.
Dagonus quickly leaned forward, cupping Weiss cheek with his right hand. "After all, I could have kept your pretty little soul for myself."
Weiss scoffed at the man, pulling his palm away, which was hot as a small fire. "Ruby would have saved me."
"Not likely, she didn't know what I was then." He explained, looking amongst the shelves of foods. "But she knows now, no?"
Weiss took a small step back. "You know that?"
"Word gets around among our vast family. Nothing stays secret for long, unless you're me." He said with a vile smirk. "My plans stay hidden, unless I desire to announce them."
"And what could you be planning that's so big." Weiss retorted back, a rhetorical statement itself.
"Total domination." He said as he placed a box of cookie mix in her cart. "By nature, I desire power, miss Schnee. That is something I expect you of all people to understand."
"D-domination?"
"Eventual. I want to usurp my throne back. I was the first born of my family, first slayer of Xalveris, and heir to my father's throne of the Heavens. I will not be denied my birthright." He said menacingly before looking downward at the panicked looking girl. "I care not for this planet. As long as I can take my place back, I won't bother with this gem in the universe. After all, this planet is more civilized than others." He said, muttering the last part to himself. "I wouldn't hesitate to destroy this floating rock if need be, while I deem this to be a counterproductive idea at best. Unless I am convinced otherwise, you can be alive."
Weiss let out a sigh before a question sprung to mind. "Lord Dagonus?"
"Yes?"
"Orion was speaking to me about your family... And when I asked about the Grimm-" She began, the God wincing at the very name of the fearsome species. "-and he said that I should ask you about it. What did he mean?"
Dagonus seemed to toss a thought around in his head before he sighed, looking downward once more at the white haired teen.
"A God or Goddess doesn't choose their power, let me make that very clear. It is a spontaneous event that has no catalyze to guide it along, or to justify its outcome. I didn't pick to be the God of Death, we didn't draw straws, we just were given the power." Dagonus said sternly, Weiss nodding. "It was after my first battle with Xalveris, destroying him for the first time ever. He would rebuild himself from the darkness of the cosmos, naturally, but in the absence of the great evil, I watched as my father created Orion and the others. I wanted to be his favorite, to impress him, to make him cherish me..."
Dagonus paused before he continued, putting another cookie mix box in the cart.
"I wanted to make life, which naturally contradicted my power. Still, I managed to spring the potency of breath into a small, black, serpent creature: what you would call a snake. The beast, as I called it, was named Grimm. He was magnificent, powerful, genius, and most of all: my own spawn. I had finally made something to impress father... But when I showed him my creation... He was angry."
"But why?" Weiss asked, confused as to why this was bad.
"Father dislikes Mortals and creatures of ungodly origin, and only made them to balance what I had broken. You puny creatures, aside from Yang and Ruby, are worthless to him: undesirables that could be destroyed by the flick of his wrist. The sheer fact that he invited you to his very home was an odd thing itself, a rare show of appreciation that I would know nothing about, let alone that he was friendly." The God explained before moving back to the topic at hand. "The Grimm was my project, my work, my ideals. It was special. Xalveris capitalized on this as he reformed, contaminating it with his sinister will." Dagonus explained, pushing her cart aside. "My pet rampaged, growing in size until it became a one headed King Taijitu. The beast was far too intelligent... And it fled to this rock."
"Contrary to popular belief, Grimm arrived before Mortal kind. My father wished to eradicate the beast as it grew more powerful, unaware that it too could spawn new life."
"The Grimm were my mistake, and this was indisputable. I was casted from the Heavens to live alongside your kind. It is a terrible existence."
"Can't you just go back home?"
"Ha!" Dagonus laughed at the heiresses idea. "Father would destroy me if I wasn't called by him. His power is too great for even I. So I must wait this out, and hope."
"I think you're innocent. It was your uncles fault." Weiss reasoned.
"There is no barraging with father." He said, looking momentarily at the ceiling before back at Weiss. "I thank you for your opinion. It has been noted. Have a good day, Weiss Schnee."
And with that, the God of Death disappeared in a flood of black shadows.
Weiss took her cart and made her way to the check-out area, a new feeling of darkness in her heart.
"Hey Weiss." Ruby chirped out from her bed as Weiss entered the dorm, placing her bags on a desk nearby.
"Hello Ruby, enjoying the day?" Weiss asked, removing her favorite jacket.
"Yep! Yang and I played fetch with Cardins' Mace and Blake and I went to the aquarium for a bit. We got kicked out though. Blake ate a Carp and stole a yellow Stingray." Ruby said, as if this was 100% normal, which it was for the particular group of girls.
As Weiss opened her mouth, the teams community closet opened, Yang Xiao Long entering, torn and bruised, falling face first to the floor.
"Oh, there you are Yang!" Ruby called out with a smile, her ears flipping upward. "Whatcha up to?"
"I..." Yang groaned as she stood up, her pajamas torn up. "Lost my brush, thought it might be in the closet."
"Pool toys?"
"Pool toys."
"How far did they move this time?" Blake asked, poking her head up from under her sheets, a stuffed shark plushy in hand from the museum.
"Up to the mini golf sets now, probably near the swing set parts by tomorrow." Yang said with a shrug. "Can't we just kill them?"
"They just keep showing up, there's no point." Blake countered her girlfriend, reading her book with the shark plushy.
"So, any plans for today girls?" Weiss asked around, sitting down on her bed, Ruby hanging her head upside down to see Weiss.
"Wanna play a game or something?"
"Sure." Weiss said, Ruby landing on the floor with a touch of grace, holding her hands upward in a dramatic pose.
"Well, Yang and I were planing on a trip to a local restaurant since we haven't been out in quite some time" the cat Faunus said, Yang putting her leather jacket on along with her combat attire.
"Ya know," The busty brawler said, getting her arm stuck in the sleeve. "We should do a double date at some point."
Weiss nodded in agreement, while Blake simply shrugged and Ruby jumped around giddily.
"Dates are fun!" Ruby chirped happily, spinning around before pausing. "Wait, Weiss!"
"What?"
"We haven't gone on a date yet!" Ruby cried out, pointing an accusing finger at the heiress, her ears plopping down on to her mop of red hair.
Yang stifled a laugh with Blake.
"I- We were attacked!" Weiss countered.
"We could have after."
"I was DEAD."
"You came back."
"YOU were dead!"
"Coma!"
"Girls, girls!" Blake said, holding her open palms in a calm down gesture.
"WHAT?!" The pair yelled simultaneously, causing Blake to stager back.
"Whoa..." The cat girl said, stepping back as Yang laughed.
"You can tell that it's a strong relationship based on how much you fight, and then get back together all lovey dove-y~~" Yang giggled out, grinning at the pair.
"Shut it, Long!"
"Don't yell at her!"
"Stop yelling at me then!"
"FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!" Yang chanted, pumping her fists. "KISS KISS KISS!"
"Damn it, Yang!"
Ozpin took a sip of coffee, chuckling at the antics in the Team RWBY dorm, one of his bee drones scoping out the scene.
"So, this team really is your master piece of work? Your magnum opus?" Orion asked, leaning against his old friends desk.
"Naturally." Ozpin said, placing the Scroll down as Weiss began throwing a barrage of pillows at Yang. "Since Summer has been slain, we can only hope that young Ruby has her skill."
"You know much." Orion said with a grin.
"The rest of them are powerful, far stronger than I was at their age."
"You're the Grand Master Hunter." Orion said, taking a sip of wine.
"I can't do everything myself." He said looking towards the window in his office.
"What more can you do, eh?" Orion said, pulling a black flash drive out of thin air, quickly putting it in Ozpins' computer. "You know what Ruby and Yang will be doing soon."
"Goddesses... At MY academy."
"You sound amazed." Orion replied, unplugging the flash drive before pocketing it. "You met Dagonus once."
"And I'm still waiting for my training colosseum to be rebuilt." Ozpin retorted, taking a sip of coffee, plucking the Scroll back up.
Orion waved his hand in the air, the Scrolls screen distorting for a moment, a small white object seemingly spawning in the room on a desk.
"I'll get right on that." The God said sarcastically, chuckling a little before pacing over to his old friend. "You need to relax; I'll handle all this. It's gonna be a rough transfer."
"So what you were saying about Miss Rose..."
"She will be fine."
"I certainly hope so; otherwise Qrow and Dagonus will be after you."
"She's a fighter." Orion said proudly, smirking as Weiss kept screaming at Yang on the Scroll. "I haven't seen such good hearts in anyone since before meeting this team."
"We will be on stand-by." Ozpin said, looking over his shoulder at his friend. "We will be ready."
Orion's golden eyes flashed. "It might get out of hand."
"We can help." Ozpin stated.
"A God can't pick their powers. They are randomized. It could range from Goddess of Flowers to Goddess of Destruction..."
"Then we can only hope for something mild." Ozpin said calmly, sounding a tad on edge. "Any idea as to her future? Have your powers returned back to normal?"
Orion nodded and tightly closed his eyes, suddenly opening them. They seemed to be distant, misty, and were vibrating around.
Orion saw a small scene of a bigger picture. Ruby was on a hospital bed, screaming in pain as her body began glowing a red and black color. She seemed to be restrained by a few grey metal arcs, holding her arms, body, and legs to the bed. After a terrifying scream of pure fear and pain, the room she was in disintegrated into nothing, bits of the smoldering wall left over, giving a view of Vale outside. A large sphere-like portal was in the spot that Ruby had been, glowing a violet and blackish color, distorting the physical world around them.
Orion blinked a few times before he took a few gasps of air, using a small coffee table to balance his body.
"Are you alright?" Ozpin asked, placing his Scroll down.
Orion held up a open palm, coughing a few times before regaining his composure.
"I'm good... I'm fine..."
"That's good to hear. Thought you were about to pass out." Ozpin stated, handing the man an glass of ice water.
"Thank you." The God said, taking a sip before placing it on a coffee table, clearing his throat.
"And?"
"It won't be pleasant." Orion said solemnly, looking towards the floor.
"I fear she may not survive."
"Ack!" Yang cried out, diving under her bed as Weiss rained down pillows at the girl, Ruby and Blake standing off to the side.
"YANG I SWEAR I'M GOING TO BEAT YOU!" The heiress shouted out, looking around for another object to throw.
Her eyes caught a small white object on her desk, the girl plucking it up before aiming at Yang.
"Pipipipi!"
Everyone paused.
Weiss looked at the object in her hands, examining it more closely.
It was a plushy, wearing a combat skirt and jacket, long white hair in a ponytail off centered on its head, a pair of icy blue eyes looking into her own.
"Pipipipi!"
It was a plushy replica, a replica of Weiss Schnee.
"Ack!" Weiss screamed, throwing the thing out of the team room door in a panic, the plushy chirping as it flew before colliding with team JNPR's door, landing on the floor.
"Oh, there you are Vivi!" Velvet said happily, walking up to the seemingly alive plushy before plucking it up in her arms. "I've been looking all over for you; Coco was getting worried."
The rabbit Faunus turned to the open team RWBY dorm, Weiss looking out with a look of horror and confusion, blushing deeply.
"..."
"..."
"Velvet?" Weiss asked, beyond confused.
"I-" Velvet said, the plushy chirping again before the rabbit girl placed a hand over its mouth, muffling it while it struggled to get out of her tight grip. "Bye."
And with that, Velvet raced off down the hallway, throwing other students out of the way in her mad dash to her dorm room.
"What was that all about?" Ruby asked aloud, to no one in particular.
"I feel violated." Was Weiss could say as Blake pat her back.
This was going to be a long three months for Weiss Schnee.
Meanwhile
Atlas Mountains
Mount Clairvoyance
A lone figure stood at the top of the tallest mountain in all of Remnant, a harsh blizzard slamming snow and ice upon his form as he walked slowly, taking his sweet time to advance.
His green cloak with a white rimming flowed elegantly in the cold and wild winds, fluttering as he pressed on. His entirely white outfit made him blend into his environment, aside from his blue metal shoes and grey shoulder armor.
As the winds picked up, he raised his right gloved hand upward to block out the endless storm.
"Hello Lucas, it has been a while." A male voice asked aloud, piercing into the blizzard.
"Hello Faith, it truly has been." Lucas said solemnly, his short white hair blowing in the wind.
"How is my sister?" The man asked, Faith, the man's features blocked out by the harsh elements of the current storm.
"She is well, I have been watching over her, per your orders."
"Excellent work." The man said, seemingly running a hand through his hair. "I am very pleased to hear that."
"I expected that outcome. You are very protective."
"Were. Please use the correct word that would deem this conversation satisfactory to my particular situation." Faith said sternly, looking down at Lucas.
"You were very protective." He corrected himself, his silver eyes piercing the snowy world around him.
"I thank you for that." Faith said simply, forcing a very small smile. "You should join me one day, it is the most logical thing after all you have been through. Once my sister is able to sustain her own free life that is"
"This was my fault, and I take all responsibility for my failures to save you." Lucas said sadly, the wind suddenly picking up.
"I am not angry at you, Lucas. What happened was unforeseen. This place is quite tame and fascinating; it is a grand existence here."
"No Grimm, and no struggles within the world."
"Correct." Faith said, the snow slowly beginning to die down. "It appears that I am under a strict time frame now. If you could, do me this one request: move onward to greater goals. I am fine alone."
"I understand..." Lucas said softly, the storm ending. "Goodbye, old partner."
As the snow storm ended, Lucas was left alone, Faith gone from existence.
Lucas looked onward to the distance lights of the Atlas capital, barely visible from his current position.
"Faith, please guide me to my destiny." The man said softly, a sharp hiss echoing in his ears.
Lucas looked off towards the sea, something sparkling in the sky above what would be Vale.
"Thank you, Faith."
Lucas turned on his heels, beginning his descent downward from the mountain.
Dagonus sliced in the air with his scythe, splitting open target after target of statues. Each one was one of his father, each in different poses.
His training was needed, if he was to become strong enough to reclaim his throne. He needed power, a place to command, warriors, and a plan.
"My, my, my." A chilly voice echoed around the God, causing him to pause in mid swing of his massive scythe. "Hard at work I see."
Dagonus turned his head to face the intruder, a tall man in a pure black tuxedo, and to his right was a black Knight.
"Xalveris, Rook..." The God of Death growled, his scythe turning into smoke. "What do you want."
"I couldn't help but hear you talking to yourself a few moments ago, and I overheard that you would like some power? A place to command?" Xalveris petitioned, running a hand through his ghostly black hair.
Dagonus spawned a pure red spear of Aura energy, pointing it at the man. "And what is it to you, uncle?"
"I come bearing glad tidings, and a harsh truth." Xalveris said, slowly walking around the room, his dress shoes tapping and clicking against the stone floor. "You do know that your father will never return you the throne after your mishap, correct?"
Dagonus growled, his head feeling a bit light, as if he was slowly being drained of energy, growing tired.
"And?" Dagonus said, his spear flickering in his hands. "I will convince him to return my power."
"Why wait?" Xalveris suggested, grinning briefly before collecting himself, putting on a straight face. "You want power? A place to rule? I have a nice little idea, and I promise not to interfere. I am not in the slightest bit interested in this idea myself."
"And what would it be exactly?" Dagonus said, his head hurting a lot more than it had before, Xalveris's voice seemed to be echoing around in his mind.
"How about a place free from a Godly presence, a place that you can rule with an iron fist, a place where Yveltal can't travel..."
"So Weiss?" Ruby asked, watching as the heiress opened up a Schnee Storage container, much larger than the teams bookshelf. "What's the box for?"
"For the stuff Orion told us to save, remember?" Weiss said to the wolf Faunus, petting the girls black and red ears as she moved things around within the chest. "You know, Saturn's guns, the Chains that were on Orion, his katana, stuff like that."
"All this weapons talk is making me sad..." Ruby pouted, her tail and ears dropping. "I miss Sweetheart..."
"You can repair her, even if I don't understand your attachment to that scythe, and my rapier will need to be rebuilt, I couldn't find much in the wreckage, only the Dust chamber some of the handle survived the explosion. I trust that you can repair it?"
"YEP!" Ruby chirped out happily, jumping with joy as Weiss handed her the remains of her sword. "I'll get right on it!"
"Thank you, Ruby." Weiss said, pressing her lips gently on the girls forehead, smiling down at her.
"No problem, Weiss-y~~" She giggled happily, waddling towards her desk to begin the repairs.
"And what are you so inclined to allow me to have? What are you after?" Dagonus asked, his brain tricking himself, seemingly buying in on the Elder Gods words.
Xalveris grinned, his powers were working. As every second passed, his power trickled into Dagonus, corrupting his mind as he tried to fight off his influence. Xalveris wanted to quickly end this war, and if all went to plan, then he soon wouldn't be the main focus of the Gods.
"I just want to make peace with you, after our constant conflicts. And I have a nice plan, all up to you, and you can rule as a true king."
"What could you give me, Uncle?"
Xalveris gave a twisted grin, the look of pure evil.
"Remnant."
A/N: And now, the 2nd hero, Lucas, has found his new purpose in life.
More heroes to come soon, the ghost that spoke with Lucas, Faith, and Lucas himself were sent to me by Outlaw Team, however Faith won't be returning as a hero. 6 more to go…
And now, the Judgment Arc has come to a close, but don't fret. The Redemption Arc will arrive soon.
Even with Saturn Laos slain, a much darker force has taken its grasp upon Vale…