What does everybody usually write here? Well, whateva, welcome I guess to my first fanfiction on this site! And it's a crossover! I see so many uprising troubles with it...
So disclaimer I guess?
I do NOT own RWBY nor League of Legends, both belong to their respective companies.
Good reading! Hope you enjoy it!
You know those stories where you get so drunk that the night meshes into one blurry picture in your head and then you suddenly wake up in an unknown place, trying to figure out what happened and where the heck are you? Well, it happens to me more than it should… Sometimes it's only me relieving some stress from school or the gang gets together to hang out somewhere ending up in one of our favorite drinking places aka clubs and pubs.
This time it was the former as I was over one hell of an exam with a barely passing grade so as a celebration I stopped on the way home in a convenience store to buy some booze for the night. I ended up with two dozen bottles with four bags of chips for myself and my laptop. The last thing I remember is watching some old movies before the total blackout and the next thing I know my head hurts like someone is pounding on it with a sledgehammer and something is tickling my nose.
Letting out a big ass sneeze and jolting into a sitting position clutching my forehead with one hand as the other maintained that pose. That's where the strange things started with my palm feeling what covered the ground. To my surprise, it wasn't my carpet but grass, my fingers digging into the dirt when I moved them.
Slowly cracking one eye open to check where the hell I ended up after drinking too much I had to shut it less I risk getting blinded by the bright colors. Taking some deep breaths I forced myself to adjust to the lightness and look around for clues about my whereabouts.
I noticed a lot of blue, so bright that it took a few minutes to even see without going blind first before taking notice of the sand I was laying my legs on and the sounds of the ocean, I mean the seagulls' annoying screams.
"Great, it means I somehow ended up west of town," I grunted massaging the bridge of my nose.
Huffing I pulled my legs under me and struggled to stand up, my wobbling limbs barely supporting my mass. That's where the second strange thing occurred to me, namely my body.
My skin was a darker shade than it used to be, my clothes looked weird and my arms and stomach sported tattoos and scars I don't remember getting.
What the fuck?!
My thoughts went unanswered as I spied more and more foreign details that still felt like I saw them somewhere before. I had green pants with a rope being used as the belt and barely intact boots. I didn't have any top but a mask was covering my face. Taking it off and glancing at it filled me with dread as the pattern of it was all too familiar and the pieces fell together in my head.
Oh, you have to be shitting me!
The mask was like the very one that the only assassin support has in League of Legends, together with the outfit and tattoos. I opened my mouth and said only one word, barely above a whisper to let the world know how I felt about my current situation.
"Fuck."
I dropped to my knees and stared at the ocean in front of me, waiting for some kind of miracle to emerge from the water but after ten seconds I gave up.
Yeah I know, I'm not the most patient man in the world.
Looking around I found nothing that barely resembled anything I knew of my home, just a little shack not so far behind me. With no idea what better to do, I stood up and made my way to the wooden structure while looking out for any traps. Call me paranoid all you want, wouldn't be the first time I got 'pranked' like this by my friends. It wouldn't be too hard for them to do this, Lucy is a make-up artist so the scars and tattoos would be easy enough for her, the harder part would be painting my whole body in a darker shade than my original skin color.
I arrived in front of a rather old door and listened intently but no noise came from inside, either it was abandoned or nobody was home. I hope it's the former.
Slowly I raised my arm and knocked thrice, holding my breath and waiting for an answer. Nothing. I tried again and got the same result. Cracking the door open I peeked inside and to my relief, nobody was there so I pushed it in and entered. The first thing that caught my attention after surveying the room was an item. It was his weapon, Bone Skewer if I recall correctly, which lay on the table next to a pouch. I hesitantly grabbed the weapon and examined it, carefully testing its edge and weight. It was a strange feeling, it felt nostalgic and calming holding it yet kinda unfamiliar in my hand. Almost instinctively I put it on my back with its holster before remembering the pouch.
With better confidence that this shack is probably mine I grabbed it and opened it to see what it held and oh god how I wish I hadn't done that! Instead of the somewhat familiar gold coins with the imprint of a Kraken, there laid some plastic cards with numbers and an L crossed with two lines printed on their sides. I knew this currency and I hoped I was wrong about it but there was no mistake, it was Lien, the money used in RWBY.
"Great, just fuckin' great!" I grunted as I pocketed it.
I banged my head on the table as I sat down on the only chair around it, hoping it was just a weird drunken dream but the pain was too real. Rubbing my template I searched the single room for any clues as to what I should do now.
So not only did I possess a fictional character's body, I even got transferred to a totally different universe in the said body!
Whoever came up with the idea should burn in hell! It's like a crossover fanfiction with a self-insert AND body possession. I would laugh at it if it wasn't me trapped in here with no clue of the hows and whys!
Like, where the heck am I in the timeline? Is it already after the fall of Beacon? Or is it before the canon? Am I in the future that not even the series reached? By the Bearded Lady! Too many questions yet oh so few answers!
…Wait for a second! Did I just swear in... What would you call it? Bilgewaterean? Never mind, there are more important matters like whadda duck?! Did I merge with his personality? Could he take control over the body as Ozpin does? Or did it happen the other way around?
Thinking more of it resulted in a great headache attacking me as I noticed the things that kept popping up in my mind, namely memories that both belonged to me and did not. I saw my family smiling at me then they slowly morphed into shocked, scared, and fearful faces of the crew that cut my ropes and watched me being swallowed by the monster. The scenery changed again, seeing my English teacher holding a piece of paper in his hand and scolding me for my bad grade when he dropped it and fell on his rear, trying to crawl away from me, his clothes replaced by ones similar to captain and he grew a beard.
Pictures and sounds changed each other so often I lost count of what followed what before everything turned black and I felt weightless, floating in front of a waterfall. Looking at the water instead of my image it was him who was staring back.
"You, you look familiar."
He spoke, the iconic line that once filled me with hype and interest now only left dread in me as echoed around us. He didn't move, didn't say anything instead just narrowed his eyes at me, observing everything. I gulped nervously before opening my mouth to find it dry as a desert, not a single sound escaping my lips. He stared into my eyes intently and I saw in those eerie green orbs nothing but hate as he reached behind and grasped. For a moment it looked like he was surprised but it was gone as soon as his gaze moved toward my hands. In my right one, I was holding Bone Skewer that I didn't notice until now. I fearfully glanced back and instinctively held it closer to my chest, grabbing with both hands the little comfort I had.
Before anything other can be said and done I felt a pulling force as if I was yanked back by something when everything went black again and the next moment I was sitting on the chair, my head held by the table.
I felt too tired to mull over what just happened so I looked for a place to get some proper rest after all sand isn't the most comfortable place to take a nap.
IXoXoXI
The gentle rain that washed over my shack woke me up from slumber as the droplets danced on the roof, playing a soft melody that otherwise would lull me to sleep. At first, my eyes slowly opened, taking in the world around me before they shot wide open not recognizing the place however I calmed down as yesterday's memories flooded my mind, leaving a conflicted feeling behind.
On one hand, I was angry, sad, and regretful, the life I left behind wasn't the best but it could have been much worse. Family, friends, associates from the university, I had people I cared for and now I might never see them again, never hear them laugh, bicker with each other, never share a drink and story. They were literally the reason I kept on going but now it might be lost forever, taken from me by who knows who. It could be the Brother Deities, or another god if they even exist or it could be some scientific crap that dropped me here that won't ever happen probably, at least not in my lifetime.
On the other hand, I was kinda giddy at the prospect of exploring Remnant in fresh, interacting with what it can offer me, be it villagers, technology, or Grimm. Curiosity might kill the cat but satisfaction brought it back as the saying goes. We live only once! Well, most of us anyway. I have to remember that a secret war is going on in this world between two divorced immortals… Yeah, it sounds as stupid as I thought it would.
Stretching my arms I decided I need time to work something out to do from now on, I can't go head first in and deal with everything as they come but I can't sit back and wait for whatever ending the show will have either. I didn't see the ending for obvious reasons so I don't know what to expect.
I got up from the mattress that was apparently the only thing I could call 'bed', still better than the floor so can't really complain. That was probably the only other furniture the place had besides the table and chair though if I remember there were some barrels outside.
I looked towards the door and saw the rain didn't let up just the opposite as it seemed to pour more heavily than before. Accepting the fate that awaited me I left the shack in pursuit of something edible that ended surprisingly quick as a wooden box was next to the door filled with fishing supplies like baits, hooks, fishing nets, and rods of different sizes. I decided that I will wait for the rain out and go fishing later while I explored the shack a little more.
A flash of lightning lit up the shack and it reflected from a glassy surface, piquing my interest as I walked over to find a shard of mirror no larger than a smartphone. To my surprise when I looked into it, a younger face stared back with a scowl, somewhere around fifteen years old with green dead fish eyes.
Does it mean what I think it means? I'm- I'm a teenager again?
My jaw hung open, showing me that this world had another surprise for me as I saw a sharp set of teeth in my mouth…
This… this is fuckin' stupid, isn't it? The guy who got swallowed in whole by a sea monster is yanked from his home and gets his body hijacked by another dude similarly yanked from his home… And the cherry on the cake is his body 'transforms' from revenant to Faunus…
I stared at the reflection, daring it to run away but nothing. Something had to break inside me because I started laughing and let me tell you, it was a strange one like when Batman laughed for the first time.
After (not really) losing the shock of being a young Faunus I resumed my search. I stumbled upon a raincoat-like cloth, it looked waterproof and I was able to pull it over my head with a hood, it resembled a poncho. I found a little more Lien under the mattress well hidden behind a removable board on the floor. I didn't find anything personal except for the weapon and for some empty rum bottles if you count those. Either way, when I finished digging through the room the rain was mostly gone, some droplets still fell on the roof but it wasn't trying to drench me to the bone anymore so I got a fishing rod and some baits and went to look for a place to get some food.
After an hour of searching, I found a little stream not too deep in the forest. I would describe it as anyone from my world like it was crystal clear, you could see the swimming fishes and such nonsense but let's be real. I'm not in a web show, this is real life and as such the forest stream wasn't as clear as tap water, it was green, smelled of wildlife, and had a lot of reeds so it was hard to find a clear spot to settle down with the rod. Fidgeting a little with the bait and hook I was ready to start fishing when a growl came from close by.
I won't tell you the details but to be clear: I'm in dire need of a fresh and clean pair of pants right about now because from the bushes on my right side emerged… A deer? That's… Really? But what was that growling sound then? Listening closely I didn't hear it again, so I paid no more mind to it, instead concentrating on catching lunch as much as I can.
Five fishes later I decided that hauling my ass and everything back would be a hassle so I set up a campfire next to a tree. Just as I was finished sticking up my catch I heard the growling again from somewhere nearby. Knowing better now, since it didn't attack the first time, I stood up and surveyed my surroundings, searching for its source when I saw it. Between the vegetation in the forest was a little mint-colored spot that was moving slowly closer by the second.
Pretending I didn't notice it I sat down with my back against the trunk and closed my eyes, focusing on the noise it was making. When it stopped I tensed, ready to spring into action but nothing happened for a while. Getting antsy I peeked at the campfire to see that one of the fish was gone and a second one was about to 'disappear' as well by something. I jumped on my feet and reached to grab it but my hand was blocked by something invisible that made a noise.
"Ouch!" came a feminine sound from in front of me.
The space shimmered and a young girl emerged from nothing with dark skin, mint green hair tied behind her head, and rather light clothing, though it was understandable since it was hot even in the forest. And forgive my foul language, you will hear it a lot, but god fucking me in the arse from above to hell damnit! If it's who I think it is then I really will have some answers and a lot more questions regarding my role in the story.
Turning around to give me a glare with her ruby eyes was none other than Emerald Sustrai, thief and Cinder's soon-to-be lapdog. She tried to be intimidating but the childish round cheeks and the fish in your mouth kinda ruin the nonexistent image of you being anything but threatening, you know? I just sent her a flat look before muttering to myself.
"Damn brat, why d'ya have ta show up?"
As if hearing I was insulting her she gulped down the bit of meat and stood up to face me but she was a head shorter to be at eye level. Our staring contest was interrupted by yet another growl, coming straight from her stomach that lit up her face like a lava lamp as the embarrassment tinted her cheeks red. Sighing, I conceded defeat to my consciousness as I sat next to the fire, grabbed a stick, and moved the embers to breathe a little life in them.
"Sit 'n eat."
Eyeing me cautiously she obliged and munched on the fish with her gaze on my form, probably waiting for anything to trigger her fight or flight mechanism. I just took another one and bit in when I realized one mistake I made. I forgot to season it. Grunting in acceptance we ate in silence. After she finished her own, Emerald hesitantly looked between the remaining two and me.
"Go ahead."
She snatched up one and munched on it. I observed her a little and saw the telltales of malnourishment, her face sunken, her frame thin and fragile looking, her nails and hair chipped and broken. Poor kid went through a lot. She noticed my gaze and flinched, backing a little when I stopped her with the last fish, offering it to her in an attempt to calm her down slightly.
"Eat it," I grunted in that oh-so-familiar voice, filling me with conflicted feelings, but I shook them off as I watched her eat delightfully.
Maybe it isn't so bad here, after all. Never thought of what I would do here if I ever get the chance to travel between dimensions but raise your hand if you ever really considered it. I don't see any. I should stop talking to myself…
I was yanked out of my thoughts when Emerald suddenly started coughing and beating her chest. I grabbed the water skin that I found between the fishing equipment and offered it to her which she instantly snatched from my hand and with big gulps started to chug it down before the water went down the wrong pipe, resuming her coughing just for a different reason. Gently patting her back she got herself together.
"Easy there, lass, ya don'needa be greedy, nobody gonna steal yer food."
Goddamn, this accent! What the hell is up with it anyway? I never spoke like this neither did he!
She just gave me a deadpan look before giving back the water skin that I hung on my rope belt again and regarded her with a raised brow earning a sigh from her.
"Haaah, you must have it easy where you are from."
"Don'know 'bout that. Live alone."
"Are you an orphan?" she now eyed me curiously.
"Don' really 'member. Woke up at the beach with nothin'. I have things poppin' up sometimes but not much," I shrugged as I stood up, looking at the setting sun I decided it was better to catch at least four or five more fish before retiring to the shack.
"Next time ya hungry just ask, I ain't greedy, nature is fo' everyone after all."
As I turned to leave she spoke up.
"What's your name?"
Looking back over my shoulder I saw something glint in her eyes but what it was I couldn't put a finger on it. Nonetheless, I stopped for a second to think it over as I couldn't remember MY name, at least not my given name. Quickly to avoid an identity crisis I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"Pyke."
Well, technically I was in his body so it shouldn't count as fake. She pondered on it a little before giving a half smile.
"I'm Emerald."
Already knew it.
I didn't say it because it would just raise unnecessary questions so I just opened my mouth to…
"Didn' ask," say this instead of the 'nice to meet you' I planned.
Nevertheless, her gobsmack expression was kinda satisfactory to compensate for this personality mess I was right now.
Gotta sort it out with the accent too, ASAP.
To save some face I gave her a smirk.
"Ya gonna be lass 'til ya earn respect. After all, ya stole me dinner."
In response, she returned her deadpan stare and a hand on her hip, not a trace of shame on her face. Huh, so she was already this deep in the stealing business.
"I was hungry," she dully stated.
"Noticed, now Imma be hungry comes 'morrow," I turned to the lake, "See ya later," I waved as I disappeared between the reeds.
Reaching my spot I sat down again and assorted my remaining baits to see how many tries I had left for today. There were four grains of corn, two worms, and one leech.
Huh, if it isn't Lucky Seven. Hope you will help me get dinner and breakfast.
Lucky Seven did NOT help to get both of them. I either forget dinner or breakfast because two fish won't last me for two meals. Putting them in one of the barrels filled with water I went to bed, maybe sweet sleep will comfort me. Oh, how wrong I was thinking that!
The next morning I got up with two heavy bags under my eyes and a huge headache as I kept reliving the memories both mine and not. To postpone my renewing identity crisis I made it to the stream to get breakfast and if I'm fortunate enough, which I'm not, lunch too. Lady Luck might have smiled down on me because I got six fish this time, roughly the same size and species. Yesterday's thief didn't show up yet so I hurried back to the beach as I had another plan for that day: getting some salt from the ocean. Gathering some water in a pot I put it over the fire to boil as I stirred it with a knife. Yes, I know a spoon would have been better but no, I don't have one. Probably should make one soon.
I didn't have to wait for long as the salt quickly precipitated out so I put some on the fish slices and set them on the stones around the heat. The meat's sizzling sounds were music to my ears as it reminded me of another problem I need to find a solution for, I don't have any side dishes. I could find a town and trade there but I would have to find bigger fish since the ones in the stream are a few inches shorter than a salmon. My sight wandered to the ocean.
Maybe I should try and see if I can catch any saltwater fish with the nets.
Well, it's not the best plan but good enough for a first step. Just as I was about to get my first bite a rustling sound came from the nearby underbrush. Putting down the meat I grabbed Bone Skewer and readied myself when a panicking Emerald emerged from the bushes and rushed towards the beach before noticing me. I saw a flash of relief on her face before it morphed into guilt as she headed toward me and soon I understood why was she scared. Following her was an Ursa, thankfully alone.
Seeing the first Grimm since waking up on the beach I was frozen by shock, the thing looked more repulsive in life than on the screen, not to mention the smell coming from its mouth that attacked my nose even from several feet away.
Goddamn, did it eat thrash?
My out-of-place thoughts aside I regained my focus as the girl ran past me, holding onto something like her life depended on it but I couldn't catch a glimpse of what it was since I turned tail and followed her, leaving my meal behind just as the Grimm tore through the campfire all the while roaring at us.
"How d'ya pissed it off?" I asked the greenette in front of me.
"Is it really important right now?! Moreover… why are you running away? Shouldn't you… fight it?" she spared a glance back and quickened her pace with her breathing.
Damn brat knows how to run!
"Where the fuck came that idea from?" I grunted back.
"You… have… a dagger! Thought… you were… a Huntsman!" she breathed out heavily.
I narrowed my eyes, she was right that I still held on to the weapon, but first: it's a harpoon, second: damn it, woman! I'm around fifteen, I'm not a licensed Huntsman! Seeing that she started to lose pace I sighed and slowed down to a jog that didn't escape her notice.
"What… are you… doing?"
"Keep movin'," was all I said before turning back and facing the Ursa that too slowed down and stopped a few feet away from me, growling.
Red soulless eyes glared at my eerie green orbs as we measured the other, though it didn't last long when the Grimm charged at me.
Good, it's not too intelligent, probably still young. Doesn't look too big.
Not wanting to meet it head-on I rolled out of the way as it darted past me, coming to a halt as it noticed the target was missing. I'm no warrior but some strange muscle memories were in working as I came out of the roll more gracefully than expected of an amateur. Hoping there are other useful things I still have to discover regarding this body of mine I held the blade as he would, waiting for an opening where I can strike.
I didn't need anything big or glorious, just to cripple it enough to run away. If the theories can be trusted then it won't be able to regrow a lost limb so I need to focus on only one. Killing it would be ideal but I'm neither confident nor egotistical enough to think I can solo it so nope! Not gonna happen! Not even in the foreseeable future!
Carefully eyeing its movements I chose its right front paw since it seemed to prefer that one as it tried to smash me to the ground with it. After one wide swipe, I slid under the limb weapon raised and expecting to cleave through it. Oh, youthful naivety! The blade didn't get deeper than three inches when it stopped dead in its track, halting me in place. I tried to free the blade before the Ursa yanked me back, forcing my grip on its fur to loosen and sending me flying. Thankfully it also tore the weapon out of its flesh. As I hit the ground the dirt made a big ass smoke screen, concealing me from the Grimm and vice versa.
Holy shit from above staining all over me! THAT hurt, like, a lot! Do- do I don't have Aura or this walking-smelling shitball is stronger than I thought?
Grunting I sat up and held my arm that felt like it got dislocated. Yeah, limp limb, not a good sign or a good sight either. The Grimm was intelligent enough to wait for the dust to settle down. That gave me a chance to sneak away or try to with a probably swollen ankle. I more or less succeeded to hide behind a tree big enough to cover my sorry ass.
Sweat was pouring down my whole body, breathing heavily I tried to wipe my face clear when my hand touched the mask, momentarily stunning me as I remembered whose body I possessed and memories flooded my mind again. It ended as quickly as it came and I was somehow calmer now. I knew they weren't my experiences and they kinda scared me, yet they gave a little comfort in knowing that I can count on the muscle memories to help me get over this challenge with more intact body parts than I initially thought. A little later did it just occur to me how convenient it was like some kind of power-up in a game right before the boss.
I waited for the Ursa to come closer and thankfully the dumb creature of darkness complied as it sniffed the air, searching for me and approaching the tree. As I was about to jump at the Grimm it stood up on its hind legs and leaned on the trunk. The wood made crackling noises, slowly pushing me away as it gave to its assailant's strength. Uprooting my hiding place it glared at me like it just realized I was running away from it instead of fighting.
Damn battle junkie! Don't use me to satisfy your weird urges! If you want a fight go find a real Huntsman or Huntress and die!
I was out of ideas at that point, I couldn't run away this time, it was too close, couldn't hide, everything was at least 16 yards away and I definitely couldn't fight it, not if I wanted to see tomorrow. But it was the only viable option of the three so I had to devise a plan to survive.
What I wasn't expecting was that it got confused for a second and looked around before turning right and with a mighty roar it gave chase to something, seemingly lost interest in me. Then I heard it, it was faint like the small breeze but I could kinda recognize it, especially when the source of the sound appeared in front of me, though I didn't expect her to be so out of breath.
She lost the strength in her legs and sat on the ground, her arms supporting her. I really didn't get her, why did Emerald, Cinder's soon-to-be lapdog, voluntarily save a stranger she just met the other day? I mean, I know I'm before the timeline, even before the 'Lady in the Red' recruits her, but did she really change that much under that power-hungry bitch's influence? I thought she was a street kid from the beginning and didn't care about anyone but herself. Hopefully, I was mistaken regarding her and she doesn't just try to use me for something, or someone. God, the last thing I need is Cinder pursuing me to join her little inner circle.
I walked over to her and offered my hand, raising her to her feet, she dusted down her clothes. I silently waited for an explanation but instead of looking my way she frantically looked around before spotting what she was searching and a sigh of relief left her mouth. Glancing in the direction she was facing I noticed a sack under a bush. She approached it and picked it up, examining its contents then she nodded and headed back to me since I stayed there. While she was moving toward me I noticed her condition, she had bruises on her arms and legs, a small black eye, and swollen, cracked lips that bled through the wound. She looked like someone who got beaten up.
"We should leave soon before that Ursa or something worse comes here."
I grunted in agreement when a thought occurred to me.
When she showed up I was at my shack.
I narrowed my eyes at her, I never said where was I living which means she somehow found me, even with a Grimm right in her tail. And it didn't bode well for my privacy. Though she had looked surprised when she saw me, meaning she wasn't intentionally running that way leading the Ursa to me.
Or she just wanted to put me under six feet.
Whatever the case, she already knows where I crash, so there is no sense in trying to sneak away. Not like I could turn invisible like in the game and just 'swim away' undetected. Or could I? I didn't think about it until now so I might as well have all his abilities from the game or the lore, damn that would be OP as hell! He is a revenant and part ocean which means he is undead and can't be killed by normal means as he will just 'respawn' in the deep. Though if I obtained his young body, last I checked I did, then I'm still human, but the memories are mixed from the day he died, from his youth, and from his time as a 'vigilante'.
ARGH! It's confusing me! I don't wanna deal with an identity crisis right now! I have better things to do, like, keeping an eye on the potential chaos named Emerald Sustrai!
I glanced at the girl who was currently walking behind me, we were on our way back to my little home. Hopefully, my food is still there. Hah, fat chance! Bet the seagulls had a good meal. Those fuckers would caw my eyes out the moment they think I'm dead. Someday, I'm gonna get my revenge against them and it will taste like bird meat.
Grunting in annoyance that I have to go fishing again made me realize an important fact: soon I should restock on my bait and get some bigger hooks if I plan to change location from the stream to the ocean. I need to earn some lien and looks like this body made it by selling ocean-related goods, such as fish, crabs, pearls, and anything you find on a beach or in the water.
When we finally arrived I surveyed the damage done by the Grimm. My campfire was ruined with my meal missing, probably the birds took it upon themself to clear up the place a little. The salt container was broken and half of its content was scattered on the beach. I let my frustration leave my body through my nostrils as I sighed before starting to get everything back together as much as I can.
Picking up the salt I went to the shack and just placed it next to the door before moving back to gather the rocks to build a new fire pit.
Working with only one hand was proving difficult and didn't escape Emerald's attention.
"Your arm, you are injured!"
She put down her sack and ran over to me, gently examining my dislocated limb with a concerned face.
Huh, strange, maybe she hasn't given up yet.
Though it kinda felt good that she wasn't her bad self yet but it was a weird feeling nonetheless, seeing her act so out of character compared to her counterpart in the show.
No, this isn't just a show anymore. Something changed, it's already an alternative universe and I don't know how many things will be different. Hell, for all I know Salem might be the good guy here, and Ozma the King of Grimm with Team RWBY and JNPR under him!
Imagining an evil Ruby earned me a pang in my heart. That sweet little girl doesn't deserve to grow up influenced by bad guys. No, I will give her and everyone else the happy ending that all the fans, or at least most of them, wished for!
And she is as good a start as any.
My gaze wandered to the greenette next to me, still looking over my arm that hung useless by my side.
"Why isn't your Aura mending it already? It shouldn't take long to regain just enough to make a minimum effort in healing."
"Yea, expect ain't got it," I grunted as I tried to put my shoulder back.
Hearing my answer Emerald stopped her studying and eyed me with a blank face. After a hard pull, I successfully popped my arm back in place and let out a pained breath as I tried to move it. It will need time to get over the soreness and aching but otherwise, it's good to go.
"You are joking."
Her flat voice stopped me from testing my now properly functioning limb as I regarded her with a raised eyebrow. She still had that blank face but there was something other in her eyes.
"'Bout what?" I asked, waiting for her reaction.
I had a wild guess of what she gonna say next so it was easy to agitate her a little as payback for my breakfast.
As an answer, she punched my arm and the sonuvabitch hit the freshly replaced one! I grabbed the throbbing appendage and glared daggers at her as she just returned her knuckle and looked at it.
"You really don't have an Aura unlocked," she glanced at me "And yet you threw yourself at the Grimm like it was nothing."
Not nothing but I won't correct you. I'm in too much pain right now to care.
"You are a stupid one, aren't you?" she shook her head before giggling a little.
"Somethin' funny? Cuz I ain't laughin'," I growled out while massaging my shoulder.
"Yes… it's just… hilarious… how easy… to use you…" she managed to say before breaking down in a chuckling mess on the ground.
Well, that was quite unexpected yet expected of her. Hoped I buttered her up more than this but whatever.
"If ya stopped laughin' yer arse off then go home. Ain't in the mood to deal with yer crap now," I turned around and started to my little home, "And don't ever come back," I went inside and closed the door.
I'm so fucking stupid! Thinking I can save her! She only jumped ships in the show because she was worried about her own hide! She only followed Cinder because she was afraid of her!
I punched the floor with my good hand and curled into a ball.
I'm such a fool, expecting to have even a little influence on how the story goes! I'm nothing more than another grain of sand in the hourglass.
I didn't notice when but sometime I fell asleep on the ground while brooding about what I should do. I decided that first and foremost I need to make a somewhat reliable livelihood, meaning getting some sort of income and training in my spare time to be prepared for future events and enemies.
Thankfully and annoyingly enough I haven't seen Emerald until four days. The first day I tried my hand fishing with the nets in the ocean and had nothing, then trained the remaining of the afternoon after getting lunch and dinner from the stream. On the second day, I managed to catch some smaller fish and collected some clams from near the shore, incidentally I learned that no, I can't breathe underwater. It was an unpleasant discovery, to say the least… The salty water still tasted as I remembered so good to know some things never change. On the third day after waking up, I went to a nearby town to sell the dried fish and clams I made the day before, then went fishing and trained in the afternoon again. The next day went more quickly as I slowly started to fall into this new routine of mine.
The fifth day was the 'checkpoint' so to speak as I ran into Emerald since our little adventure with the Ursa. I found her, not so surprisingly, surrounded by some townspeople in an alley I used as a shortcut. She was on the ground, one hand protecting her head and the other holding something close to her chest while getting kicked and beaten up with sticks. Some even spit on her.
I tried to casually walk away however when I was closer and got a better look at her I stopped. I'm usually calm or so I was told even if I can hold a grudge for quite long, but seeing her on the ground covered by bruises and dirt, her face strained by tears and blood from her nose and lips erased any anger I previously felt for her.
She didn't notice me, being busy trying to not get roughed up too badly while the assholes just promptly ignored me before I announced my presence to them more profusely.
"Leave the lass 'lone."
The five men turned to regard me with curious and annoyed glares, clearly unhappy with my intervention in their 'righteous' judgment they were dishing out to a 'filthy thief'.
"What's it to you? She stole from all of our stands so she just gets what she deserves!" one of them spat out, his eyes near bloodshot.
Damn, dude, take a shower or at least wash your teeth! You reek from booze!
My thoughts aside I gave him a flat look before reaching behind me, startling them as they sprang into position to take me on then relaxing after not seeing any weapon just my wallet- erm, coin purse, or sack for lien. Whatever, let's just call it a pouch! Simpler, right?
I opened it end peered inside, counting the 'fortune' I had at the moment, hoping they will be enough to satisfy them.
"How much?" I asked.
They didn't expect it as I received blank faces and a single 'what?' as my answer.
"The damage, how much she stole?"
"Oi, oi, oi! You think you can pay back all the food she took in the past few years?" a butcher-looking man smirked from behind the group.
"No, gonna pay just fo' today."
Now confused they shared a look before starting to laugh, meanwhile Emerald peeked through her fingers, probably waiting for the moment she can escape. Another man, a fisher-looking one, stepped closer and placed a hand on my shoulder, with a grin stretching on his face revealing his missing teeth.
"Now, now, lad, it ain't gonna be 'nough, but ya know what? Ya handle it over and we gonna pretend we didn't see ya. How's that?"
If I could give a look flatter than what I was already sporting perhaps he would get the message. Though after the following conversation I have my doubts.
"So instead of lettin' today go, y'all gonna rob me?" I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Now, robbin' ain't a nice word, izzit? It's what this thieving cat does! We just get compensation fo' lettin' ya go," he glared at Emerald before grinning at me again.
I closed my eyes and sighed.
Today's gonna suck, no matter what, huh?
Looking around I didn't like my odds. A one-o-five isn't the best place to test your limits, more so when the other five is an unknown. Do they have weapons? What about Aura? Will reinforcement come if I start a fight with them? So many unaccountable factors that could decide the end result in a moment. As I observed the surroundings I looked at the girl on the ground.
Emerald was still just peeking but we locked eyes for a moment but I saw it: her conflicted emotions that danced in her ruby orbs, the desire to run away, the curiosity of what will come next, and did she look a little guilty? I can't really describe it, heck! I'm glad I could piece just this much together from that at all! Though, it was more than enough to make me choose a path that hopefully, I won't regret down the road.
"Is that so? Then I gladly pay," I said as I put the pouch back, pulled out Bone Skewer, and placed it against his neck.
I was so slow I thought they would react in time, guess Lady Luck smiled upon me as it proved they are just regular civilians, like me… Okay, I admit I'm not what you would call 'regular' but still! I don't have Aura unlocked (something I dread to find out if I even have at all), no training (those memories don't count, I tell ya!), and not even a firearm, just a ragged harpoon.
"Tell me, what's worth more? A pound of flesh or a gallon of blood?"
I saw from a first seat row as they paled in unison and butcher-guy almost fainted. Guess they weren't expecting a confrontation from me, I looked like a teenager after all.
That. Felt. FUCKING GOOD! Holy crap! And it even came so naturally, like reading from a script! If I can pull this off more I won't mind being trapped in this body! Maybe, but still! That was epic as heck!
Letting my little maniac episode end in my head I noticed that one of the men pulled out an old-looking axe. Huh, so they got a weapon still, I doubt he was trained with it other than chopping trees down, but his muscles might be more than enough to compensate for his lack of combat experience. That alone places him above me.
A foul smell hit my nose and soon I found its source. Fisher-guy was relieving himself, leaving behind quite a puddle.
Ugh, disgusting! An adult pissing himself in front of a 15-year-old boy? Really? It explains why people start training early to be Huntsman or Huntress.
"Get outta," I grunted, moving my blade away from his neck.
His knees almost gave up but he quickly nodded and wobbled away in shame, marking his way with little wet spots. Butcher-guy was in his tail right after I let the first one go away, leaving behind Lumberjack, booze-man, and another one I couldn't identify.
Still one-o-three, better but not by much.
"Wanna have a go at it, come. Ain't got all day 'fore me fish start swimmin' in smell."
Lumberjack didn't need any more provocation, he charged with a 'battle cry' if I'm generous, a yell if I'm honest. He raised his axe above his head and slammed it down with the most obvious intent.
Against my pounding heart, I managed to sidestep it, planted a leg on its shaft, and hit with the hilt's end his face, breaking his nose as blood poured out from his nostrils.
He let go of the tool to hold his bleeding face and leveled me with rage-filled eyes. Not caring in the slightest that his weapon is gone he charged at me again with a wide punch that I ducked under to receive a boot in my face. The third one decided this was the moment he could join and did it with a kick to my head.
I skidded a few feet away, damn cunt hit like a mule! I shook my head to get rid of the dizziness half successfully before I noticed my attacker's stance. He was adept at self-defense, that was clear just by his posture. It reminded me of taekwondo. He spared me a smug smirk.
"Wasn't expecting it?" he mocked me.
Or at least tried to. I stood up and readied my weapon, the hammering of my heart slowing as a rather chilly calm washed me over. They weren't going to hold back, it should have been clear by the way Lumberjack attacked, but now I lost any remaining patience I had for them.
If they wanna play dirty then we play dirty, but it ain't gonna be me who ends up being a bloody mess.
As I was musing about the way to win this I heard it, at first faintly then more and more aggressively. It was him. He surfaced from somewhere and was talking to my mind.
"Keep 'em in sight."
Hearing his voice sent a shiver down my spine yet I wasn't panicking, even though he set me on edge I was somehow oddly relaxed.
I noticed a second too late what he meant when booze-man slammed a bottle on my head from behind that shattered by the impact, surprising him and leaving a wound behind.
I turned around and glared at him, feeling as if rage filled up my whole being, starting from my head and going all the way to my toes. I saw nothing but red as I grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him against a wall, readying Bone Skewer to cut his neck and draw a little blood.
The rage subsided when I remembered I had three spectators right now, one of them a young girl who was still in the dark and needed guidance now more than ever. I heard him sigh in my head at my actions as I grabbed booze-man with two hands and threw him at the alley's entrance.
"Get outta if ya value yer life!" I shouted at him and he scrambled to his feet to run away as fast as he could.
Another warning came.
"Back off!"
I did as I was instructed and stepped back, letting the axe hit the brick structure with full force, sending a shiver up Lumberjack's arms.
"Tire 'em out!"
I kicked his hand and he let go of his tool, giving me a chance to kick it out of his grasp. Now, forced to hand-to-hand he had to rely on his mass, to my advantage since I was more agile than him. I ducked under every wide swing he made and punished him with smaller punches to his gut all the while keeping an eye on the last guy. Dividing your attention between more opponents will eventually end up you making a mistake if you are a rookie in fights, thankfully I had an 'instructor' in my head, guiding me… Did I really say it?
My hard work paid off when one last blow to his chin sent him to the ground, sprawled out like a dead octopus.
Great, now even my metaphors gonna change to ocean-related ones…
Nevertheless, I put him in sleep mode for now. That's when I realized I had been paying too much attention to Lumberjack and forgot about Karate-guy. Yep, gonna call him that.
A soft thud caught my ears, turning my head I saw Emerald with a raised fist in the air, standing over the unconscious man before she hit the floor with her butt, breathing heavily.
My eyebrow climbed my forehead before deciding it was high enough and slipped back down to its place. I didn't have the energy to walk over to her and chose to follow her example and sat down.
"Show me your hands."
"Hm?" I accidentally asked out loud which caught Emerald's attention.
She looked my way, unaware of the conversation going on in my mind with a psychotic serial killer from another world. Though I complied and looked at my palms.
"You got clean hands."
'Thanks, I clear them every day,' I replied sarcastically. I already knew where this was going.
"Let's see you get mouthy with a harpoon in your neck," he grunted back.
Oh joy, will he only quote from himself?
'You know, it's our neck now. You kill me, you kill yourself. Last I checked this body of ours is bleeding.' I reached for the wound on my head and true enough, the reddish liquid was on my hand.
"Huh? No… I- ugh. No. How?"
…Never thought I would say this but I probably broke a killer's mind… Yep, feels strange saying it.
'Dunno, don't care right now. We are stuck together.'
My answer was silence, well from him at least. While I was arguing with him, Emerald gathered enough strength to stand up and walk over to me. Now that everything was over I finally got a good look at her: she had more bruised spots than scot-free, but at least her lip closed up, stopping her bleeding. Her eyes had this unreadable glint in them, making me feel uneasy about this whole situation. I saw her mouth move but couldn't catch what she said.
I asked her to repeat it.
"Huh?"
…As I said, I asked her to repeat it.
"Why?" she almost inaudible murmured out, I heard only thanks to the eerie quiet that settled in the alley.
Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes and she relentlessly tried to wipe them away, only for more to replace their 'fallen brothers' before she started to weep silently and sagged to her knees.
"Why did you save me? Why hadn't you just left when you could have? Why? Why?! WHY?!" she practically shouted the last one.
I didn't know what to say or do, clearly, I couldn't just say to her 'I wanted to avoid you joining Cinder and later help her in the fall of Beacon' or 'I'm not from this world and just wanted to save as many characters as I can'. She would just think of me as some crazy fuck and join Salem later on. Nope, none of them would appease her. There was one last thing I didn't mention earlier though…
Sighing I placed my hand on her head and awkwardly patted her.
"Couldn' stand the sight o' ya gettin' beaten up. They had it comin' from a mile," I tried to sound as convincing as I could.
Wish I didn't have this goddamn accent!
Aside from it, I think I got through to her if the lack of crying sounds was any indicator. What came next wasn't what I expected but was a light chuckle that escaped her lips.
I had a really bad deja vu right at that moment. I couldn't resist the urge to ask again.
"Somethin' funny?"
She wiped her tears away and stood up with her hand on her hip as she almost proudly looked down on me.
"You are reaaally easy to use, you know? I pity you," she said with a smug tone.
I felt my eyebrow twitch at her comment and was ready to leave her there, story be damned! If she oh so wanted to be recruited by a fire bitch and the Queen of Grimm, be my guest! I'm not gonna stand this ridicule just to try and play knight for her! As if she felt my irritation she continued smoothly.
"That's why I decided! You can't be left alone or otherwise, someone wicked enough will try to take advantage of you! So as a countermeasure I will stay by your side!" she grew a big grin.
If I didn't know any better I would have assumed she was trying to recruit me for Cinder, but certainly, it wasn't the case. First of all, she wouldn't have been caught, not to mention beaten up on her level when she was 'saved'. Second of all, she wouldn't even bother to look my way if not ordered. Her boss would have tried to contact me herself.
So, nope, the dark side is out of the picture. It must be her prideful way of saying 'I want to stay with you', just too embarrassed to admit it. It might come in handy…
"Ya wanna be with lil' ol' me?" I quirked my eyebrow, though I smirked under my mask.
"Uhhh, if you say it like that I'm not too sure anymore…"
Realizing how I sounded I cringed inwardly.
Yep, didn't sound like a creep, not at all.
Keeping my cool facade I looked at her with my best blank expression, somehow calming her down enough to not run if I make a wrong move.
"Got a place to sleep?"
The answer was expected. She just shook her head in the negative and looked away.
"Right, they called ya a thief not ten minutes ago," I said, slowly standing up and dusting myself off.
"Ya can stay with me."
Her head whipped so fast in my direction I thought I heard her bones cracking and her wide eyes stared into my green orbs.
"Don' worry, won't do anythin' to ya," I put Bone Skewer back in its place when a thought occurred to me, "tho I gotta warn ya first," I said as I reached for the mask.
She tensed herself for anything I might do or show her, but she wasn't expecting to see me displaying my razor-sharp set of teeth, indicating I'm not a human but a Faunus. She silently stared at me for a few minutes which started to feel awkward. I chose to break the silence.
"Gonna be a problem?"
"Huh? Oh, no, not at all! It's just… it's my first time seeing a Faunus willingly help a human is all…" she let the end of the sentence drop barely above a whisper.
"Don' think much 'bout it, ya needed help, I lent a hand, that's all."
I started out of the alley and back to the shack. I won't be able to sell goods today but I didn't leave before looting the two jackass who was out cold. Hey, they wanted to mug me first, I just returned the favor! Successfully but it isn't what important! I was heading back with dinner AND bonus lien, that's serious business.
The quiet didn't last long, as soon as we were out of the safety of the walls Emerald seemingly couldn't contain herself anymore.
"So, you are a Faunus?"
"Uh-huh."
"What kind?" she blatantly asked.
So subtle isn't in her vocabulary yet or she doesn't feel the need to be careful with me.
"...Shark," I blurted out after a few seconds.
"Cool~"
She had a weirdly pleased smile on her face. It sent shivers down my spine and I had a bad foreboding feeling of something rather unpleasant that will happen in the future. I shoved that thought aside.
"Yer name."
"Huh?"
My request surprised her as she stopped walking and tilted her head at me. I turned around and asked again.
"What's yer name?"
"I thought I already told you?"
"...Said I won't remember 'till ya earned some respect. Today ya got it," I admitted shamelessly.
She burrowed her brows together and I swear I saw her pouting before striking another pose with one of her hands on her hip and the other pointing at me.
"Then remember it this time because I won't tell you again after it! My name is Emerald Sustrai!"
She dropped the pose when something downed on her as she stepped closer, almost leaning in my face.
"Now that we are speaking of names, what is yours?"
I smirked as I stole her line from not a minute ago.
"Thought I already told ya?"
She didn't look amused by my answer. Not in the slightest. The roll of her eyes was apparent enough.
"Yes, you did, I know you are Pyke, but what's your full name?"
Huh, that, I don't know.
I stayed quiet probably longer than I should have as Emerald looked at me concerned. As I was thinking about what could have been once my real name it flashed up, just for a moment but it was enough for me to blurt it out.
"...Pyke Dylan."
Hey, you. You finally arrived! You tried to read this cringe chapter, right? Same as me.
So you got this far? Thanks and good job!
It took me ages to finalize this chapter and I'm still not satisfied with it, though I could shape it for ten more years and I still wouldn't be done so I put my foot down and said it's as good as it can be so here ya go!
Hope you enjoyed it and stick around for a little while longer!