Chapter 5
Creatures of Fear
It was dark outside as the group began to rest a bit at their old shelter.
Ruby sat on the stairs while the rest of her team sat on the floor near the fireplace.
Shade remained on the couch.
After telling his story Circa had fallen asleep on Shade's arm.
Dawn remained near a window and took a deep breath.
'The tension in here is annoyingly thick.'
She turned to Shade who was watching the fire and then looked at his shoulder.
The same one that was burned and scarred back at beacon.
He then looked at his gauntlets and the blades in them.
'Telling that story wore him out.'
Dawn continued to quietly think to herself.
Oscar found a diary of the man who lived here and handed it to Maria.
She read outloud.
It talked about how several families found the settlement to try and live on their own and then Grimm ruined it.
"It's a shame really."
Maria stated.
"He seemed like quite the ambitious fellow. Always thinking of new schemes to overcome the odds."
"Schemes never work out."
Dawn said.
"Only strategy."
Ruby came in.
"Hey guys, Qrow said we should get some sleep. We're gonna head out early tomorrow."
"Some of us are already asleep."
Shade looked at Circa for a second.
Oscar began looking through a chest as most of Team RWBY left the room.
Maria just moved a chair and turned on a lamp.
Ruby walked up to Shade and noticed he was staring at the fire.
She frowned and turned to him.
"What was it like when you…..killed her?"
Ruby asked.
Shade looked down.
"I don't know exactly."
He looked up towards Ruby.
"During the whole time I was in that shadow possession I didn't feel like myself and even after I returned to normal I felt at first relieved but terrified."
Shade leaned his head back.
"I haven't felt like this since…."
"Since you awakened your semblance?"
Shade looked at Ruby.
"Qrow once said how rare your power is, i think there's more to it then any of us know."
"Unfortunately the only people that know more about this are either drunk."
He knew Qrow well enough to tell what he would be doing in a time like this.
"Or gone."
He looked at Oscar.
"Either way just try to get some rest."
Ruby said before walking away.
Dawn and Shade remained where they were through the night as the fire went out.
No one in the group was aware of a certain pressense calling to one of them.
A bottle hit the floor as sunlight peered through the windows.
The group woke up and Shade moved his arms up out of instinct.
That's when he noticed that Circa was missing.
"Where did she go?"
He quickly put his gauntlets on and felt something negative.
"What the hell?"
Shade began walking outside.
Dawn followed him.
"What's wrong?"
She questioned.
"Circa is gone and I feel like she didn't leave on her own."
Shade noticed tracks leading towards a well.
The two approached the well and looked down at it.
"I have to go down there."
Shade said.
"You don't even know if she's down there."
Dawn replied.
"I kinda do actually."
Shade's eyes flashed black for a second.
Dawn noticed this but saw his eyes return to normal immediately.
"Alright but I'm going down as well."
"You don't have to."
"Yeah well if you're going down then i'm going down with you."
"You make it seem like we're going to die."
Shade smiled a bit.
"I'm just loyal to my leader."
"What about a friend?"
Shade and Dawn look down the well and then at each other.
"Away we go."
Shade said before jumping down the well.
After he landed in the dark well, Dawn jumped down the well and landed on their feet.
The two turned on the flashlight on their scrolls and began walking down the path.
As they walked Dawn noticed something.
"There's a tunnel over here."
Shade looked and saw the tunnel and then turned and saw another tunnel.
"Alright let's split up, we'll meet back up at the entrance."
Shade said.
Dawn shook her head.
"I have a bad feeling about something here."
Shade stopped before he walked away.
"It would be better if we stay together."
"If we don't split up then we might not find her."
"Why though?"
Shade looked a bit confused.
"Why are you risking your life for someone you just met?"
"Dawn, this isn't like you."
Shade looked concerned.
"You didn't answer my question."
"I'm risking my life because it's the right thing to do and because…"
"Because what?"
"I feel like she's similar to us, our team."
"How can you tell?"
"The look in her eyes was someone hiding a deeper truth. I would know that feeling, I've had those eyes before."
Shade looked down a bit.
"Besides she went through some effort to find me, it would be unfair if i didn't either."
The look in Dawn's eyes turned into a softer tone.
As if she was calmed somehow.
"Alright then leader, let's find her."
Dawn smiled determinedly and Shade responded with a smile of his own and the two separated into different tunnels.
As Shade walked through his tunnel he could feel fear emitting from the tunnel.
He shivered a little from what he was feeling for a second but then felt calm.
"What is happening to me?"
Shade said to himself as he began to walk down the tunnel.
He was about to enter a room when suddenly a grimm dropped down in front of him.
It was the apathy and it looked at Shade closely.
Shade remained still as the grimm screamed before entering the room in front of him.
'What is going on?'
He walked into a room and noticed dozens of apathy were approaching a bared tunnel where a certain fox was hiding.
"Circa."
As this was happening Dawn was walking down her tunnel searching for the little fox faunus.
'I've been taught to always do a job to completion but'
Dawn thought about what happened yesterday with Jin.
'But can we really stop an immortal.'
She heard a loud scream and fell on one knee.
"Wha- what's happening?"
Dawn started to struggle as she saw The Apathy Grimm start to approach her
'This creepy thing is doing this to me.'
She began to shake while looking at the slowly approaching Grimm as it reached its arm out to Dawn.
She closed her eyes and she saw an image of her mom, her dad, Winter, Erika, Hiroki and then Shade.
Dawn opened her eyes and quickly moved her hand pulling a string she made and slicing the hand off the grimm with her weapon she attached to the string.
The Grimm screamed and Dawn felt that her weapon felt heavier.
She quickly shook her head and pulled it back to her side and began running.
Shade saw all the apathy trying to reach for Circa but couldn't get through the bars that circa slipped through.
He threw his sword to penetrate the wall near her and jumped to it.
Just out of reach of the apathy.
"Circa it's me."
The little girl looked at Shade.
"Why are you here?"
Circa questions.
"You left a bit of a trail so I followed you down here."
"Oh."
She looked down a bit.
"I was trying to avoid this."
"Trying to avoid what?"
Shade looked at her.
"All of this!"
She shouted, sounding frustrated.
"Everywhere I go , disaster follows."
"Why do you think that?"
"I don't think I know, all I bring is negativity to everyone near me."
The apathy continued to ignore Shade and go after Circa.
"Im a curse that's why-"
She stopped talking when a few tears went down her face.
"I was told that a Shadow Manipulator could help me but you don't know anything about what I am."
Shade knew the feeling she was going through.
"You're right I don't know what you are, but I know the feeling of being alone with nobody to help. Then I found people that helped me."
Shade's shadows began emitting from his aura.
He slapped the apathy away with a large shadow hand.
Circa watched this with wide eyes.
"I will be the one to help you."
He sliced the bars in front of Circa.
"Whatever is hurting you, when you want to talk about it I'll be here for you."
Shade held his hand out to Circa.
She hesitated for a moment as she looked up at Shade.
His eyes told her that he was telling the truth.
She took his hand and he pulled her onto his back.
"You better hang on, this is going to be a rough ride."
He jumped and landed on one of the apathy's heads before kicking off it and landing in the tunnel he came from.
Circa turned back and saw the apathy turning towards them.
Shade began running down the tunnel.
"Where are we going?"
Circa questions.
"To find Dawn, she was also looking for you."
"Why though?"
"I convinced her to help out."
Dawn ran out of a nearby tunnel and turned left and right and saw apathy surround them.
Shade kept Circa on his back.
"Nice to see you again."
Dawn said as she held her weapons.
Shade kept the two close as he held one of his swords.
"This isn't good."
"If you leave me you all can escape."
Circa said.
"Not happening."
Dawn stated.
Circa looked at Dawn Curiously as The Apathy screech caused Dawn and Circa to feel weaker.
Shade was oddly ok.
He kept the two close as the Apathy got closer to the group of three.
"Back off."
Shade said, looking at the apathy.
A small bit of light was shown deep in the tunnel.
Shade's eyes flickered black.
"I said, Back off!"
Shade shouted and the apathy all stepped back.
Dawn started to stand up
"What was that?"
She asked with her hand on Shade's shoulder.
"I don't know and honestly I don't care."
Shade saw the way they came in.
"The exit!"
The group of three went straight for the exit as three apathy was heading in front of them.
"Slingshot!"
Shade shouted as he ran towards the Apathy with his blade in his hand.
Dawn attached strings to the top of the well.
"Shade cmon!"
She shouted as Shade quickly decapitated the apathy in front of them.
He ran to Dawn and took her hand.
"Now!"
Dawn retracted her string and it sent them flying out of the well and slightly above the house.
As this was happening.
"We can't leave without them!"
Ruby shouted.
"Well where did they go exactly?!"
Qrow questioned, still slightly drunk.
"We're up here!"
Shade shouted, causing the group to look up.
"Well that's something you don't see every day."
Maria stated.
Dawn and Circa were holding onto Shade's arms as his shadow wings glided down to the carrier that was attached to Yang's bike.
The three sat together as they escaped.
Maria and Oscar explained how the leader of the settlement tried to use the apathy to keep people calm to avoid any other Grimm but the remaining pack of the apathy followed the missing ones.
Dawn and Circa looked at Shade.
'The fact that not only was he unaffected by them but he sent them back proves it.'
She thought to herself while looking at Shade worried.
'He has a connection to the Grimm.'
AN:I am so sorry this took so long, i have a lot of projects and other things to work on and as a result this was delayed by a lot. This was a heavy chapter with development and test of will power for most characters. Like before I'm trying to focus less on RWBY and more on my characters and I hope you all enjoyed it as this was the most action heavy chapter for a while. Until next time.