Patriot-112: Hey everyone! Here we all are again. Sorry if it took so long again, watching RWBY Volume 5, and getting more inspiration, will do that. But now I'm here and we can continue.
Also, I forgot to add that Chrysós Mílos also has a spear function like it's predecessor, the original Milo. And, I apologize for the note at the beginning of last chapter. I've had bad experience with critics like Agato - The Hadou Inari, and FFwatchdog. So you can see why I'm overly salty when it comes to bad criticism. Good, constructive criticism I can tolerate, but not flaming, nasty, name-calling criticisms.
Anyway, enough about that, let's continue!
Chapter 7:
Precipice
Alternate Future
27 AFB
The lone person sat at the workbench as they worked on their current project. That said project, being a sword/spear hybrid like weapon, colored predominantly gold with a red edge. As they added the last of the pieces, a figure watched from the shadows, with quiet interest.
As soon as the one at the bench was finished with installing the final piece and adjusting it so that it would not fall out, they gave a small smile of victory.
"It's finally finished," the girl, who had been working on the said weapon, exclaimed with a small smile, before picking it up. "Now, just need to test it,"
The figure in the shadows watched as the girl stood up from the stool and moved to stand in the center of the room, before with the flick of the wrist the blade formed into a golden red trimmed assault rifle. The young woman held the rifle in her hands into an aiming position, and looked down the sights. She hummed in thought as she made a few more snaps with the rifle.
"Sights are good... Weight is good... Balance is good," she said, "Now to test the swing,"
She then shifted the weapon back into sword form before making a few test swings.
"Not too heavy, nor too light," he said, with a hint of pride "Need to put it through a field test though."
Her thoughts were then interrupted as the one in the shadows spoke up.
"Another weapon, Dorée?"
Her eyes widen slightly before snapping in the direction of said voice, as they stepped into the light.
"Oh! Milady, I-I...," Dorée began to say only to be stopped as the woman smiled as she rose her hand to calm her down.
"It's quite alright, my dear child," the woman said, as she looked at the sword, a wave of nostalgic familiarity and regret entering her eyes. "I see you built your own version of your mother's Milo?"
Dorée's face turned solemn at that, as she nodded at that, "Yes...I know I already have Aurea Mors, but I had the feeling that if I somehow lose them, I'm going to need a backup weapon...ya know, just in case,"
The black haired woman only smiled as her gloved hand reached up and caressed the blonde-redhead's hair.
"And I find no problem with that," she said, before frowning, "Except for one thing,"
Dorée blinked at that, "And that is?"
The woman, formerly Cinder Fall, just smiled.
"It's needs a mate,"
0 BFB*
Sparks flew as metal clashed against metal as the two blades, one crimson red, and the other gold with a red edge, met each other. The former held by the masked Bandit Leader, known as Raven Branwen, and the latter, being wielded by the formerly, now currently psychotic Grimm possessed, Dorée Arkos.
And watching the scene were Jaune and Pyrrha. Both of them felt helpless as they watched the girl, now sporting Grimm features, who is supposedly, their biological daughter, fighting the masked female Branwen.
The insane laughter from the girl echoing in their ears, as she swung viciously at the ravenette.
"Yes! Make me feel alive Branwen!" was the cackling shout, as the two continued their duel, "Make the fun last!"
Jaune could only gulp, as his grip on the longsword, that they recovered back at the last clearing, tightened, cursing himself for stalling.
Pyrrha was in the same situation, as she watched what could possibly be her child fighting like a blood crazed beast, unlike what she saw before back at the stadium.
Not to mention, there was no sign of the hesitant fear in those now, blood red slitted eyes. Now, they only showed sadistic lunacy, and bloodlust, as the two women clashed and entered into a deadlock.
"I must say, you are definitely giving me the fun I always wanted," Geist Dorée commented before she shoved Raven back, "Unlike the last person I fought like this, since she was too much of a coward to even hurt the girl, whose body I now hold,"
Both Jaune and Pyrrha blinked at that, while Raven's eyes narrowed.
"Too bad for you..." she started before attacking as her odachi clashed with the Xiphos type blade, "...I'm not her!"
The two continued their fight, sparks flying from every clash. Eventually, they met in another deadlock, as two different pairs of red eyes glared at each other.
"And if I had your daughter's body?" the Geist possessed teen said suddenly, making Raven blink behind her mask, "Oh wait, I forgot...you don't care about that little bimbo of a daughter of yours! After All, you did leave her and your fuck toy to go about slaughtering entire villages, and robbing poor farmers who barely had any money like the vicious bandit you are!"
Raven's own red eyes glowed at that as her anger grew.
The Geist saw this, as she smiled, ready to deliver the nail to the coffin.
"What? It's the truth. You and the rest of your pitiful band of hooligans may think you're all so strong, even though you haven't hit a big target like Mistral yet." she said while shaking her head, "It makes me think whether you are so strong as you claim to be, or you're just a bunch of little chicks who are still having trouble flying with the real big wigs...tft, sad really. Not to mention the high possibility of your so-called 'family' of cutthroats will plot to stab you in the back when you let your guard down,"
Raven growled even more as he sheathed her sword, and entered an Iaido stance, squeezed the trigger on the said blade, and the revolving cylinder spun before it settled on the fire dust.
"I...told you...to SHUT THE FUCK UP!" with that shout, Raven quick-drew the katana, and a crescent of flame flew straight toward the Grimmified girl, causing both Jaune and Pyrrha to worry, while said clone only smirked.
"Really?" She then held out her hand, just as the fire crescent slammed into her...only for the flames to swirl, and then disappear into her palm, before she closed her fist, causing the eyes of everyone to widen. "Did Canus forget to tell you?"
She looked at the shocked Branwen's eyes, and only smiled further.
"Well then, let me educate you...," she then pointed to herself, "This girl is the Fall Maiden of her time, little black bird,"
Pyrrha's eyes widen at that, while Jaune blinked, confused at what he heard. Raven was also shocked, being reminded of Vernal, the current Spring Maiden, who she had found and trained years ago, and was back with the tribe in Anima.
'Dammit! I should've brought her!' she thought angrily, cursing herself for the Rookie mistake.
"Now then...," the Geist said, as the handle on the Milo copy extended, turing the sword into a javelin, while the dagger suddenly shifted into a pistol. "Let us continue,"
Meanwhile
Cinder groaned as she awoke from the hit that sent her into Emerald, and then the two flying back. She then sat up and looked around, before her eyes landed on Emerald who looked to be knocked out as well.
"Cinder!" the angered voice, of the one she REALLY didn't want to anger said, as another of the Observers approached her, and she looked into the orb, and saw the clearly angered face of Salem, "Didn't I make it clear enough for you, when I specifically said to return home!?"
The Pseudo Maiden gulped as she looked at her Mistress.
"I-I...," she began to say, but was cut off.
"But nothing! Instead, you disobeyed me, and went to play around with that girl, and now you unleashed something that is putting our whole plan for the kingdoms at risk," the Master of the Grimm growled as her red eyes glowed furiously, "Now, I will say this the for last time...Return. And don't disobey me again, or the consequences WILL be severe,"
Cinder though still wanting to make that bitch pay, but fear of her Queen, won out over her pride.
She looked in the direction of the ruins, as she could still see the fighting going on... apparently the now psychotic girl was fighting someone else. And to her surprise, it was the twin sister of that drunken fool, Raven Branwen.
Sparks flew as the two clashed with their respective blades, both determined to kill the other.
Cinder felt that she should take this chance and fire an arrow at the crazy bitch and be done with it...but she's already pushed her luck to it's limit, and didn't want to anger Cinder anymore than she already has. Stepping up from the ground, she turned back to Emerald, and proceeded to lift the unconcious girl into a Fireman carry, before proceeding to turn to the still intact, but now landed Bullhead, with the cockpit now mysteriously empty. However, she had not time to ponder that.
And flying the airship will be no trouble, since she was a pilot herself.
Raven blocked another strike from the possessed girl, but that didn't protect her from the force that sent her flying backward, causing her to bounce a few times on the ground, and smashing through a ruined wall, before being stopped by the next one.
Her body flickered red as her aura drained away from the hit, while she slid back down to the ground.
"Dammit!" she cursed as she proceeded to stand back on her feet.
"You have definitely given me the fun I wanted, Raven," the Branwen sister heard, as she looked and saw the glowing red eyes through the dust created by the destroyed wall, "But now it's time I end this little spat, and kill that little pseudo maiden...and I think a few dozen collaterals before I leave,"
Raven glared at Geist Dorée as the dust began to settle revealing the smirk on the girl's face.
"Funny, a while ago you were using non-lethal tactics when it came to those Atlas grunts," she said, causing the Grimm girl to scoff.
"That's because I was not in control, you twit," she retorted, causing Raven to growl at her as she continued, "I can only take control, when this little brat has gone off the deep end, or if her will shatters. And let me tell you, it's a bitch trying to make her lose her cool,"
Once Raven stood back up, she looked Geist Dorée in the eye, whose smirk only grew as she ran the tips of her fingers across the edge of the blade of her weapon's sword form.
"But now that her will is shattered, I am now in complete control." she ended the sentence with a sinister chuckle at the end.
"So what will you do now? Go to Salem and become her new pet?" Raven asked, which caused Geist Dorée to stop chuckling, and look at Raven, making the Branwen take a double take at the now venom filled look in her eyes at the mention of that specific name.
"And why would I do that, Little Branwen?" she asked rhetorically, "When she was killed in my time, ALL us Grimm became free to do as we wanted. No stupid Queen to hold our leash, no more Huntsmen or Huntresses to hunt us down, and best of all, no more Silvered Eyed Warriors."
Raven noted the hateful distaste in the clone's voice when she mentioned her teammate Summer's people. And as far as she knew, there was only one left...said teammate's daughter.
"But that's a story I don't intend to share," she said, before suddenly disappearing, and reappearing beside Raven before kicking her upside the head, and into another wall, and losing her grip on her nodachi as it went flying away.
Before she could make an attempt to get it, a metallic boot slammed in her chest and pinned her to the wall.
"Oh no you don't!" Geist Dorée said, before lifting her sword up and ready to finish the ravenette off. Raven grabbed hold of the said limb, even slamming her arm down on it in order to get her off, but it didn't budge.
The Grimmified girl could only smirk at Raven's attempts to get free.
"How does it feel, Raven?" she asked, causing her to look up, "To be helpless for once under one's boot?"
Raven only growled before spitting a wad at her, but the girl didn't care as she just smirked more.
"Oh! And don't worry about your Tribe of numb-skulls...for they will join you soon. Goodbye, Raven Branwe-OOF!"
Before she could stab Raven, an unexpected red and bronze blur slammed into her, making her lose her grip on her sword at it went flying off to the side and landed on the ground with a clatter..
"PYRRHA!" she heard a worried shout, and turned to see the young blonde kid, moving through the hole that was made.
With the said person, Pyrrha wrestled with the girl, that a moment ago, looked like a blonde haired version of herself. Now, as she looked into Dorée's now red Grimm-like pupils, after turning her onto her back, she felt a great ache in her heart at what her daughter had become.
"Dorée! Please stop this!" She shouted, hoping to reach her, "This is too much! Snap out of it!"
The red eyes narrowed in annoyance at her as she felt a foot plant itself into her chest and push her away.
"Dorée is gone, Invincible Girl!" The Grimm shouted, "I'm in control now!"
Pyrrha responded to that with a glare, "I don't believe that!" she shouted as he brought up Milo and Akouo. Geist Dorée only rolled her eyes at the Spartan's stubbornness.
"Why the hell do you care about a person you only just met?" she asked, "Let alone that she was created in a vat rather than being born, because your stupid future decisions denied her that chance!"
Pyrrha only looked at her future daughter as she processed what she said, before her eyes only narrowed.
"I don't care if we just met," she started, "I don't care that she was bred in some laboratory!"
She stopped herself, as she gritted her teeth, remembering how Ozpin, Ironwood, Goodwitch, and Qrow showed her Amber, the story of the Maidens being true, and most especially, the choice of becoming the next Fall Maiden...and what Canus told her... of the invasion, Penny's death, ... and the possibility of her dying...and the fact that Jaune would die soon afterward, left her with feelings of doubt about Destiny. Especially since it would lead to their daughter suffering a terrible future.
Something she didn't want.
"And if my decisions lead to my future child suffering a time of misery and despair...," she then hurled her shield at G-Dorée, who deflected it with her own weapon, but that gave Pyrrha the opening to attack, as she charged forward, and struck with Milo, which was blocked it's incarnation, after the said possessed girl brought it back via polarity. "...Then I won't let that happen!"
The red slit eyes looked at her with a impassive look, before she sighed irritably,.
"Ya know, I was only going to humiliate you, if you got in my way...," G-Dorée said, before shoving Pyrrha back, before she then used the same trick she did with Raven, only this time, she backhanded the Spartan across the face and sent her tumbling across the ground. "...But now I change my mind, I'm gonna kill you, and then I'm gonna torture your little daughter's soul until there's nothing left of it!"
"NO!" she heard a shout, and turned around just in time to see Jaune running towards her, Aurea Mors in hand, which almost made her laugh, before she lifted up her hand, and used the Polarity semblance to catch Jaune's armor, and lifted him, effortlessly off the ground, while the sword fell to the ground with a clang.
"Don't worry, Vomit-Boy," G-Dorée with a mocking sweet tone, as she slowly squeezed her hand slowly into a fist making the cuirass plate bend inward and making him yelp in pain, "I'll be nice and make sure you'll join your partner so she wouldn't be alone in the afterlife this time."
Pyrrha, having heard Jaune's scream, turned and saw what was happening. And then she snapped.
"Let him go!" she yelled in rage as she quickly stood up from the ground and ran at the Grimm possessed clone, and succeeded in jumping onto her back.
"You really want to die, do you!?" G-Dorée shouted in frustration, as she thrashed against the desperate champion "You and her really are alike!"
She then succeeded in driving an elbow into Pyrrha's stomach before her semblance and catching the metal in Pyrrha's armor.
"Like Mother! Like Daughter!"
She held the two partners in the air, as both of her hands glowed black, with Jaune being one side and Pyrrha on the other. The latter's hand which didn't have reached out toward Jaune, which caused the Ghost Grimm to laugh.
"Oh, now isn't that just sweet," she mockingly laughed, "Partners for almost a year, and already, love blooms... makes me wanna puke!"
She then looked at the two before deciding to humor the two struggling lovebirds.
"Since you're both gonna die anyway, I'll tell you both a little secret," she said, chuckling deviously, "I assume that old fossil Canus said that Merlot managed to integrate my DNA and a Beowolf's into your little spawn... but did he tell you how Merlot did it?"
Jaune and Pyrrha could only as G-Dorée used her polarity to manipulate the iron in the ground, and encase their limbs so they wouldn't escape.
The possessed girl then reached behind her, and undid the clasps holding up her breastplate before it fell off and landed with a clang.
However, before she continue, she ducked as Raven, who recovered her sword, tried to decapitate, before feeling an elbow drive into her stomach, and then a kick to the face, which shattered her Grimm helmet and caused to land on her backside, dazed.
"Nah ah ah, you had your turn," G-Dorée chastised, while wagging her finger, "Now...nightie night!"
With that she delivered another 'boot-to-the face' which finally knocked the Bandit leader out cold. She then placed her forefinger on her chin.
"Now...where was I? Oh yes!" she turned back to the two, and noticed Pyrrha was using her own polarity in order to escape, and succeeded and broke loose before stretching to the side, and calling Milo back to her, and turned toward the creature now holding Dorée's body, preparing to fight in order to free her, but stopped cold as her eyes widened in fright.
G-Dorée smirked as she looked at Pyrrha, while she had the dagger that had now transformed into a combat pistol, which was aimed at a still restrained Jaune's head.
"What did I tell ya?" she mockingly queried, as she pressed the barrel against Jaune's temple, causing him to wince as he gritted his teeth, "All those skills, all that strength, and all it takes to stop you is putting a gun to your pretty leader's head. Now, you gonna be a good girl and let me tell how the good Doc implanted me into your daughter? Or are you gonna be the idiot hero and get your beloved adorkable leader killed...don't deny it cereal girl, I know all about your feelings for this idiot,"
Pyrrha, for her part, was now panicking as she looked at the scene in front of her. She knew that if she tried anything, Jaune will be killed. And then, there is the curiosity in how Merlot did this to Dorée, and find a way to reverse it.
Deciding to buy time, as well as learn, she slowly but not foolishly lowered her weapon, causing G-Dorée to giggle.
"Smart girl,"
Pyrrha only glared at the red/black eyes, before asking the question through gritting teeth.
"What did Merlot do?"
G-Dorée grinned before switching the gun in her left hand to her right before turning around. And with the weapon still aimed at Jaune, she reached back behind her, and grabbed a part of her golden attire on the middle of her back, before giving a hard tug. The sound of tearing clothes echoed in the air, and Pyrrha's eyes widened in horror, before placing a hand over her mouth.
Jaune's face was also twisted in horror, as he could still see what was happening, even with the gun pointed at his head.
There, on Dorée's back, was a burn scar in the shape of the logo of Merlot Industries.
"Take it all in kiddies," G-Dorée said, enjoying their horror-stricken faces, "This, is the future of your little girl...created, trained, and branded like cattle, to be used as a dispensable tool in order to save the pathetic fools of this era. And hidden under this little brand... I reside,"
Unknown
'I killed her...I killed her...,'
That same phrase kept repeating itself, again, and again, as she laid there on the cold floor, alone in the dark. Her guilt, self loathing, and anguish was tearing her apart...and she let it.
She had failed her mission. She had failed to control her anger. She failed to keep the Grimm inside her at bay.
And worse...she had killed her mother.
And now, everything was lost. The future was lost.
Destiny, in all it's bitchness, had won yet again.
*Tap*
'What'll I do now...?'
*Klack*...*Klack*
'I failed her...again.'
*Klack*...*Klack*...*Klack*
'I guess that's all I'm ever good at...,'
*Klack*... *Klack* ... *Klack*
'...Being a fantastic failure,'
*Klack*...
'It probably would've been for the best, if I hadn't even existed,'
"That, I so strongly disagree with you on...,"
Her eyes snapped open, revealing the redness from crying, before she quickly snapped up and looked around, before her eyes settled on a person standing not far away, and they widened further in recognition.
"Y...You...h-how...?" she whispered out as the person before her just gave a sad smile before kneeling down and and a brown silky gloved hand began caressing the face of the recently distraught and now confused Dorée.
"Hello again...my dear daughter," the woman...now revealed to be Pyrrha Nikos said. Though unlike the one Dorée killed, this one looked more older, and wearing a different version of her huntress armor, but still looked as beautiful nonetheless, "It's been a while hasn't it?"
The clone child couldn't believe what she just heard as she looked at Pyrrha like a gaping fish.
"But...b-but...I-I...-," she tried to say only to have a finger touch her lips to stop her from talking and then being brought into a warm embrace, much to her confusion and anxiety.
"It's okay...my little Knight Huntress," the red head champion said, as she began caressing her hair, "Don't say anything right now...just let it out,"
Dorée, though still outright confused, could only reach her arms, shakily, around Pyrrha's waist, before her own tears returned once again, and she nestled her head into the crook of her mother's neck and began to cry.
The two women stayed like that, as Pyrrha let the girl unleash all of her sorrow, pain, joy, and anger all out at once, while a few happy tears of her own leaked from her eyes.
Patriot-112: And cliffhanger! Merry Christmas my friends! It has certainly been too long. Unfortunately, for those of you waiting on my other work such as Naruto, and the Kyuubi Child, Iron Cross Alliance, and numerous projects I placed on hold... other fanfic projects I'm co-authoring with other writer, and things at home are gonna keep me busy from doing anything else. But please know I have NOT given up on them, okay?
Good. Also, After Christmas, I'm going to go see Star Wars Ep.8 (no spoilers in the reviews please!). Also, and this is the last time I'm gonna say this, go visit my Forum (On this same site), Arkos Child Challenge. Well, until then my friends. Later!