Chess, Of The Lethal Variety
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of the Adventures of Team WA Vol. 2! Wayne once again has his mindscape to face while Aegis and the others are about to have their own challenge to face at the Crimson Castle! Speaking of challenges, I'd like to give a shout out to my current principal artist, KIR3GI, who's made my last couple cover pages and is working on even more amazing art as we speak. Best part is he takes commissions for pretty good prices so check him out on Discord or Twitter if you've got piece of fan art or an original work you'd like to see come to life! Check out my Pat reon while you're at it at 'maskedspider' and see about becoming a patron to help support future projects! Now then I've said my piece and with no review questions this week let's dive on in!
The Large Mushroom Home of the Herbalist
"Alright," Wayne sighed and crossed his arms, "since we're here again let's just cut to the chase. You say your piece and we can both be on our way."
"I always was straight to the point when it came to stuff like this," his doppleganger commented, "of course that's also part of what I've got to say. Let's be honest, look at us, we're an absolute mess."
"And there's something wrong with the reason we're a mess," the huntsman questioned.
"If you actually stop and think about it for a bit," the double replied with his hands up, "we have fought tooth and nail against Salem and her forces. We've done a lot of good, no denying that, saved a lot of lives. But we've also caused a few problems of our own, made a few mistakes, but the real issue is inspite of all we've done the world just seems intent on destroying itself."
"Salem is the one intent on destroying the world," Wayne corrected, "we stop her then we can rebuild."
"Or, you could just let it run its course," the faux huntsman suggested, "after all you're not the only person out there fighting to save it. If you really have faith in your friends and family back there then the world'll be fine. Better yet, you can just sever ties altogether and have absolutely nothing to do with it."
"How would I do that," Wayne asked sarcastically, "become another person?"
"Exactly," His doppleganger confirmed, "you don't have to be a battered, bruised warrior who keeps going in and getting torn to pieces more and more. You could be an average guy, or a girl. You could be human or Faunus, or not even a person at all. And even if you choose to stay yourself you don't have to choose to go back. You could find Weiss, retire, build a life and a family. After all, you've given so much already, more than a lot of people could ever ask for."
Wayne contemplated his former self's words for a few moments, seriously considering if there was any merit to what was being offered. In the end, he shook his head before giving an answer. "I'll admit, it has been pretty frustrating," he began, "matching wits against an immortal hag who's been making moves since possibly before the beginning of my family line. It's also been frustrating to see the results of my mistakes and the idiotic mistakes of others that helped lead to the situation we're in right now. And if we're being honest my being there might not make much difference at all."
The warrior's eyes narrowed then. "But even if there is nothing I can do I'll go anyway. Because my friends, my family, my loved ones, that's where I belong, by their side. Even if I was a different person that fact wouldn't change. I am a son, a grandson, a brother, a friend, and to one girl in particular I'm more than that. In addition to that, I am a huntsman, and right now the people need all the huntsman and huntresses they can get."
"Fair enough," the doppleganger smiled in amusement, "be seeing you, huntsman." He dissolved back into multicolored smoke then. The room slowly came back into focus as the smoke faded. The unusual caterpillar shape of the herbalist also reentered his vision.
"Yes I believe that'll do," the caterpillar man observed, "how do you feel, huntsman?"
"Relieved and a little irritable at the same time," Wayne answered, "mind telling me what the point of that was?"
"I was merely offering you a choice," the herbalist explained, "many that come here question their purpose. Some wish to try being something else but most simply need a reminder of what they are and why it's important. Remnant people like you are always the most troublesome when it comes to answering questions like these, you always seem to have so much going on, so much complexity and even contradictions."
"People are just a bit more complicated in Remnant," the huntsman informed, "things are less cut and dry in my world. One thing that is clear, I know what I am and where I need to be. So if we're done here, I got a search to continue."
"Safe travels then," the Afteran wished him farewell with a bow and the hole reappearing in the wall on his command.
"My, my," the Curious Cat purred after catching sight of Wayne walking out of the backroom and towards the door, "how was your little experience with the images in the smoke?"
"Better than my last visit to my mindscape," he admitted, "I had to fight against an attempted possession last time."
"You've had an experience in the mindscape before," C.C. meowed in mild surprise, "that's a new one. Most Remnant folk aren't even aware of the mindscape until they experience the smoke from the leaves."
"Hunstman run into all kinds of things out in the field," Wayne divulged without looking back, forcing the multi-colored cat to fly back in front of him, "so we developed different techniques and methods for dealing with things of more peculiar natures. A method once used widely by my family required the occasional look into one's own mindscape."
"Oh, do tell, do tell," the curious creature encouraged, "you've told me about naming conventions, some of the history behind it and some of your own family history but you never mentioned something like that."
"Before I do that, I trust you remember our deal," Wayne's eyes narrowed, "I answer your questions if you take me to the tree."
"Oh you mean this little detour," C.C. responded innocently, "I actually bring Remnant folk through here along with other Afterans. Surely you don't think I brought you to a healer in order to harm you?"
"I think we should limit our detours from this point onward," the huntsman stated before picking up the pace, "I might misunderstand the purpose of the next one and, well, you've seen the kind of trouble us Remnant folk can cause."
"Have I ever," the cat laughed, "very well, let us not tarry and be on our way!" The journey continued on as it had before from that point with Wayne answering the occasional question when the Curious Cat stopped asking them long enough for him to answer. Even with all of that going on, he still found a moment to wonder about a certain peculiarity. Something had felt off while he was in his mindscape, like a certain amount of malice was missing.
The Crimson Castle
For obvious reasons Aegis didn't feel like much of a prisoner as the group marched along with the toy soldiers who'd arrested them earlier. Given that Yang had taken out a single soldier with little trouble using only one arm he was pretty confident in their ability to bust through any attempts they might make to subdue them if they tried to pull a fast one. The larger issue would be whether or not the Crimson King would grant them an audience even if they did bring a gift. Aegis was also both elated and a bit worried about their confirmation of his brother's presence in the Ever After.
'Wayne's not usually the type to cause trouble,' he reminded himself, 'unless trouble is the only way he thinks a problem is going to be solved.' Which meant if Wayne had already chosen to follow the path of the story, they might be encountering more of his handiwork soon. Speaking of handiwork, the Crimson Castle was coming into view now. And as one would expect of a castle, it was big with multiple spires and, as its namesake suggested, colored primarily red.
Even the hedges making up a large maze around the courtyard were all blood red and finely pruned. In the center were even more guards, split up in two lines with a pair of drummers at the end. On cue they began a classic drumroll while the guards moved back one by one on each side, the sound of their strange halberd horns blasting as an individual made his way towards them. An individual who, upon closer inspection, was very very short.
In fact he was so short Aegis half-wondered if he should bend over to actually look the living doll of a person in the eye. "Um, are you the Crimson King," Ruby spoke hesitantly when he finally stopped in front of them.
"King? KING?!" the royal doll exclaimed while hopping up and down like a child, "there is no king here, I am the Red Prince! Honestly, coming here without even knowing who you are meeting."
"Well, uh, your majesty," Blake spoke up, "we have come with well wishes for your birthday."
"What?! My Birthday! How do you have such priviledged information?!" The Royal shouted while pointing an accusing finger.
"There were signs…..all over town," Ruby answered, finding it difficult to gauge their hosts's mood.
"And basically everyone else was talking about it too," Weiss added in mild annoyance with a hand on her hip.
"Of course they were, it is my birthday after all," the Red Prince bragged while his guards shouted out 'Happy Birthday Your Majesty!', "yes, yes a joyous occasion. And why are you all here for my birthday?"
"Your majesty," the lead soldier who'd arrested them stepped forward with his apparent right hand man. "We have come to present you with this most wonderous of gifts. A gift that we found, no one else, to give to his majesty." The group moved to protest but was blocked by the guards crossing their halberds in front of them as the soldier unfurled the red cloth which had been used to transport Penny's sword. The Red Prince took a look at the weapon, a bored expression on his face.
"It's not red," he accused after a moment, "you know I only accept red things, correct? Ha, take them away."
"No, wait, your majesty!" The now terrified soldier pleaded as both he and the gift bearer were grabbed and dragged to the other side of the red hedge, kicking and screaming the whole way. One didn't have to have much of an imagination for what happened next as two halberds raised and fell onto the necks of the screaming guards, silencing them.
"Really, something so simple," the royal scoffed as he had another soldier toss the sword away into the bushes.
"How could you," Ruby whispered almost mournfully at seeing one of her last connections to her friend treated so callously.
"Honestly after that debacle yesterday with that insolent wolf boy I expected better," The doll ranted before stopping in front of the group, "now then, what is it you all want?"
"Two things, actually," Aegis announced while holding up two fingers, "One, is that wolf boy still here?"
"No!" The Red Prince yelled and stomped his foot in irritation, "he came here yesterday with that strange, beautiful, red device and said I could have it if I beat him at a game of his choosing. But he rigged that stupid Grimm Chess game of his and then escaped with my present!"
"Does that mean you're not in the mood to play any games today?" Ruby asked sheepishly.
"What, me, in no mood to play games," the pale royal hmphed, "I am always in the mood to play games. But know this, we'll be playing one of my games since it's my royal birthday."
"Of course, your majesty," Blake answered with a bow. The Red Prince smirked before leading them into the castle. After a couple minutes walk the group found themselves in what they assumed was the center of the castle with a large room, multiple spiral staircases around the edges and a table with what appeared to be a brown, miniature arena. It also didn't escape their notice that they appeared to be on an upraised platform suspended over a pit that went who knows how far down.
"So what exactly is it you desire from me in exchange for playing my game," the royal questioned while plopping down on a heart-shaped chair with his fingers laced together, "there's always a catch."
"Your majesty," Ruby approached, "you are as wise as you are-." She tried to search for a good word but couldn't come up with anything. Fortunately, Little whispered something in her ear that seemed like a good suggestion, "small!" Everyone else tried not to groan in the background at this.
"Thank you," was the Red Prince's surprising response as he gave a quick bow.
"If we win," the leader of Team RWBY continued, "our only request is that you help us get to the tree."
"The Tree?" He repeated, "quite a coincidence. The Wolf Boy from yesterday wanted to get to the tree. He wouldn't happen to be a friend of yours, would he?"
"Uh, well, he-," Ruby started to say before being interrupted.
"No, wait, it doesn't really matter," the royal decided, "you have asked to play my game and I take all challengers. So, if you should happen to win, I will help you with what you ask."
"Great," the hooded girl sighed in relief before sitting down at the table, noting the interior resembled a chessboard of sorts, "so, how do we play?" The Red Prince's reaction was to snap up, staring at her in disbelief before bursting out laughing. This display was accompanied by the rest of the guards, filling the room with uproarious laughter.
"This goes wrong," Aegis whispered to the others, "I call dibs on punting the pint-sized royal like a football." Naturally the reactions ranged from eye-rolling, a slight look of horror and a devious smirk.
"RULE ONE!" The Red Prince began dramatically, silencing the laughter in the room while counting down on his fingers, "each player may move every pawn one space each turn. Rule 2! Whoever gets the most pawns to the other side of the board wins. Rule 3! To take over a space, you must dispose of whoever occupies it." Understandably Ruby did not like the sound of that last one, especially once she noticed all of the pieces getting up and moving of their own accord. It seemed they were actually little people, with arms and legs and all of whom were armed with swords.
Naturally the red pawn pieces, with spikier armor, were the Prince's, while her pieces were white and looked far more battered and bruised. There was also one other issue. "Okay," Ruby almost squeaked nervously, "I think I'm missing some pieces."
"How perfect that you brought along friends to play with you then," the doll smiled deviously before snapping his fingers. A small cloud of red glittering dust appeared and raced along the floor towards Aegis and the other members of team RWBY. It spiraled around them one after the other in quick succession, shrinking them and tossing them down onto the board with the other white pawn pieces.
"Hey what are you doing?!" Ruby protested worriedly before looking down, "are you all okay?!"
"We're all little now!" The talking mouse cheered from atop Ruby's head.
"We're okay," Yang assured with a thumbs up, "just a lot smaller."
"I can't help but feel like this is karma for every short person I've ever run over intentionally or otherwise," Aegis commented while examining his now inches tall form.
"Ruby, the most important thing right now is winning the game," Blake called up.
"Alright, just so long as no one gets hurt," the team leader breathed out in reluctant acceptance of the situation.
"Since I am a gracious ruler," the Red Prince grinned, "the white team may go first. Now, BEEEEEEEEEEGIN!" The guards spun their weapons and slammed them down on the ground. At the same time all but one giant spotlight was extinguished, making it seem as if they were surrounded by a pool of darkness. Ruby took a calming breath then and asked the first of the pawn pieces to move.
The white piece sighed and charged forward, crossing his sword with the red piece's sword a couple times before being pushed back. No one missed the questioning look he gave to the royal before dramatically falling to the ground, defeated. "Haha, a nice try," the Red Prince mocked as a miniature stretcher appeared and floated away with the white piece on it. He honestly seemed relieved as he floated away with his hands behind his head.
"Okay," the silver-eyed girl tried to think of her next move, "how about you three?" The pawns in front of the rest of team RWBY, and next to Aegis, rushed forward. The result was the same with all three being quickly beaten back and then lifted away by flying stretchers. "Oh, uh, Weiss, do you think you can take that space?" She made a mental note that relying on the other pieces wouldn't get them anywhere for the time being.
"Have some faith," she chided with a smile before moving forward and slicing the opposing pawn piece along each of his limbs then knocking him back with a finishing strike. It was all over in less than five seconds. Blake, Aegis, Yang and Little all cheered at her success as the former heiress took a bow. The Red Prince, naturally, was not as enthused.
"Uh, beginner's luck," he laughed nervously before shifting to a more contemplative position, "tell me. Why do you want to go to the tree?"
"We…want to go home," Ruby answered hesitantly, "and we believe the tree can get us there. Yang, you're up." The blonde didn't need any encouragement. In less than a second she propelled herself through the air with her gauntlets and pummeled the opposing red piece with a flurry of blows before knocking him out with one final shot to the face.
The cheers were even louder this time with some of the white pawns joining in. "And how do you know the tree can do such a thing," the Prince questioned further with a strained smile.
"It worked for someone we know," their leader replied, wondering just how much she should tell, "Blake, your turn." The cat-earred huntress nodded as her opponent attacked, only to slice through a shadow copy while Blake leapt up behind him and yanked him off his feet with the ribbon of her weapon. She somersaulted forward and hit him with Gambol Shroud's sickle in the same motion before landing nimbly back in the same spot. Nearly all the white pawns were cheering now.
"Someone you know," the doll breathed out, no longer smiling.
"You've probably never met her," Ruby suggested, "but she told us the tree is how she got home. Aegis."
"Say no more!" The half Faunus exclaimed, charging forward and smacking his red pawn adversary across the face so hard he spun around. Aegis finished it by grabbing him from behind and lifting the pawn off the ground for a suplex slam. "Now this is a game of chess I can actually play!" Everyone in the white pawns was cheering now as the half Faunus raised his fists in triumph.
"ENOUGH!" The pint-sized royal jumped up in his seat, "it's my turn, ATTACK!" The entire front line of red pawns charged on his order.
"Let's get 'em!" Yelled one of the lead white pawns, the huntress and huntsman's performance apparently inspiring them to fight at their best. It was clearly not what the red team was expecting and many were taken down by the white pawns before the charge was pulled back.
"Noooo!" the Red Prince lamented before hopping down and kicking over his chair, "this is not how this was supposed to go. It isn't right, it isn't fair!" As if to add to the drama of the scene a spotlight shone on the royal who walked out and collapsed to his knees. "You, you…," he turned around and pointed a finger at them, "what sort of creatures did you say you were again?"
"We, uh, didn't," Ruby shrugged innocently, "Blake is a Faunus, Aegis is a half Faunus, Little's a mouse, I think, and the rest of us are…human." A collective gasp erupted from the chessboard as the room fell even more silent than before.
"Human," the Red Prince repeated quietly before his entire face suddenly, and quite literally, cracked, "HUMAN! I knew it!" He leapt up onto the table then, nearly knocking the rest of team RWBY and the pawns off their feet. "You must have cheated! All of you on the board, GET THEM!"
Both red and white pawns looked at them with ill intent before charging in from all sides. "Yep, time to start punting people," Aegis declared while drawing Ursus Cleaver from his back with his left hand. Everyone else readied their weapons and leapt into action with Blake throwing Gambol Shroud to Yang and spinning her around in classic bumblebee formation. The first of many pawns were sent flying with three more downed in a single strike by Weiss.
Aegis spun the cylinder on his weapon and swung a smaller, but still powerful, stone Warhammer around him, knocking down any pawn that got close. Everyone separated to different sections of the board after that with Weiss and Blake acrobatically leaping and flying through the air to strike down one enemy after another. Aegis and Yang opted for a classic back-to-back approach with the half Faunus making wide swings that knocked down anywhere between one to three pawns at a time while his girlfriend dipped and weaved around his blows to strike at any pawn that got into his blind or vulnerable spot. They even managed a combo at one point with Yang covering a pawn in explosive charges before Aegis knocked him away where he exploded against a group of his allies.
It was definitely a good start, that is until the Red Prince yelled for reinforcements. All the downed pieces from earlier in the game who were able came flying back on the mini-stretchers and added their numbers. The sudden increase cut the huntresses and huntsman off from each other and Blake suffered a punch to the face that sent her into the wall of the arena board. "Stop!" Ruby pleaded, "you're going to hurt them!"
"It's my royal birthday," the pale doll sneered with his arms crossed, "and I can do whatever I want!" The leader of team RWBY watched on helplessly as both Yang and Aegis were dogpiled on by a mass of white pawns while Weiss and Blake were forced up to the top edges of the arena by the others. They had a good vantage point but seemingly nowhere to escape too thanks to all of the pawns attempting to scale up after them. The situation was such that Ruby put her hands on her head, racking her brain.
"See, I've won," the Red Prince declared while standing up in his chair, "give up already and admit defeat." There was one thing he failed to understand, however. The reason Ruby was racking her brain was to find a way out of this situation without getting too rough on their opponents. Sadly, no such way seemed to be presenting itself.
"We won't," she whispered defiantly before pointing at the board, "Kick Their Wooden BUTTS!" That was all the team needed to hear before kicking things up a notch. Weiss began by casting several black gravity glyphs that Blake used to run on the air and away from her attackers. The former heiress then jumped up and produced another glyph behind her, summoning a pair of giant wings that rained numerous large feathers down on the pawns covering Yang and Aegis.
"YEAAAHHH!" Aegis and Yang exclaimed while busting out of the lightened load with the rage mode and burn semblance activated. The huntsman then swung his hammer which Yang used as a platform to propel herself into the air before boosting herself even faster with her gauntlets. By this point Weiss and Blake were both in position across from each other, balancing on gravity glyphs.
Blake tossed Gambol Shroud to Weiss and the duo pulled its ribbon taut as Yang turned and ran into it akin to a wrestler hitting a ring rope. Her teammate conjured one more giant white glyph, timing it at the apex of Yang's flight. The blond turned and raised her arms in that short time span, her hands grasping the giant spectral sword of an Arma Gigas. "Bring it down!" Aegis called, smiling while slamming his weapon on the ground and conjuring a sheet of glass infused with energy dust along with a wall in front of himself.
Ruby cheered and the Red Prince screamed in horror as Weiss and Blake yanked on the ribbon and sent Yang spinning down towards the pawns. The impact where she struck the sword was fantastic and helped along with the blast from the erupting glass that sent every pawn present flying away into the distant corners of the board, and in some cases even off the board. The three members of team RWBY landed back on the area where Aegis was once the smoke cleared, all breathing hard but standing tall and triumphant. Alas, triumphant is the last thing the Red Prince wanted and he flipped the table in a fit of rage.
Aegis and the three girls are sent flying through the air screaming towards the edge of the platform, unable to control their descent. Thankfully, Ruby used her semblance and sped over, sliding on the floor and catching them all in her outstretched hands right in the nick of time. "Damn I hate sore losers," Aegis commented while Yang helped him up and Little helped Blake the rest of the way up into Ruby's hands.
"If you will not concede then I will have you beheaded!" The royal yelled.
"Throw all the tantrums you want," Ruby spoke defiantly back while getting to her feet with everyone else in her hands, "but we won, now take us to the tree!"
"Get theeeee-," the Red Prince growled while the guards closed in to carry out his orders.
"Your majesty," a new voice spoke eloquently yet with a slight warning to it. The room fell silent as everyone looked to the overturned table to see a strange blue and purple cat with a checkered design on its body appear. "You must be so distraught. I understand, being unable to do the one thing you were put on this acre to do."
He leapt down and approached the young prince, "but surely you don't want to behead them? They are but fragile things and if you break them by, say, taking off their heads, they might not come back." The cat's own head disappeared to emphasize his point before quickly reappearing.
"But it's my birthday," the Red Prince's voice trembled like that of an upset child's, "and they wouldn't let me-."
"I know, your majesty," the cat purred while circling and rubbing against the Prince's legs, "it just isn't fair. You must play and win your game at any cost. It must hurt your heart so that you could not despite your best efforts. Here, let me help." A small, multicolored essence floated out of the cat's tail, almost like a piece of him had departed his body before sinking into the heart of the Red Prince.
"Oh, fine, I won't behead them," the prince sank to the floor as what appeared to be pearls started falling from his eyes in place of tears, "but I never want to see them again!" He fell on his back and started crying then, appearing now more than ever like an upset child who'd been told they couldn't have a toy they really wanted. The demonstration drew the guards away from Aegis and team RWBY as they attempted to console the miniature royal.
"Wait, what about my friends," Ruby pleaded, "they're still small, and he promised-."
"You'll find promises are like birds," the cat suddenly appeared, crawling along her arm, "they taste great but quite often escape." He moved to whisper in her ear. "You should go, before he changes his mind."
"Wait, you're tricking me," the Red Prince suddenly declared, hopping back to his feet, "you're FINISHED!" The statement seemed to be a signal to the guards to give chase to the fleeing huntresses and huntsman, so Ruby naturally took the cat's advice and started running after the talking feline. The group could do little else but hide in Ruby's hood and hold on while she ran up a spiraling staircase, down a hall that suddenly tilted to where she was running upside down, through a maze of tiled floors that twisted and turned before finally going down another hallway where the doors were on the floor.
"Quick, in there," the cat dropped down from the ceiling and pointed to a pair of small doors that normally would go on a window. When opened by the cat, who'd gotten on the other side somehow, it revealed a crawlspace. Not having any time to think, Ruby quickly used her semblance to enter the crawlspace, her speed causing the doors to close behind them.
"Hah, hah," the team leader breathed out while sitting against the wall, "I don't know how that went so wrong."
"People in positions of power that don't like losing always resort to petty shit like that," Aegis commented, "like to believe wiping away the evidence of defeat means the same thing as it not happening."
"All the more reason you're lucky I dropped by the Prince's party when I did," the cat commented before he started walking down the strange checkered crawlspace, "funny thing, I'm usually not one for parties but I was strongly encouraged to check back around this area by another visitor to the Ever After. He said you'd probably drop by here looking for the Red King."
"Did this visitor happen to have a white and blue coat, a wolf helmet and weird foldout sickles?" Weiss questioned, trying not to let the obvious hope she was feeling creep into her voice.
"I suppose that tattered cape he was wearing used to be a coat," the cat answered, "but he did have a helmet, a recently beat up one. Hehe, the Red Prince mistook him for some kind of wolf creature when he arrived with the thing on his head and that red contraption he took off Jinxy the Peddler. Oh what was his name, Wayas, Wana-?"
"Wayne?!" The team all exclaimed to one degree or another.
"Yes, that was his name, Wayne, Wayne Ursario," the cat affirmed while pointing with his tail, "he's been an interesting visitor to the Ever After so far. He hasn't caused quite as much trouble as all of you, but I did have to escort him out of the castle through this same secret passage. Speaking of which, here we are." A sudden bright light appeared at the end of the crawlspace, so bright in fact that Ruby had to shield her eyes until it disappeared.
When she opened them again, she was back on one of the paths of the Crimson Acre, a surprising distance away from the castle. "So, there was a Red King," Blake surmised, "but something's changed since then."
"Yes, Wayne said you'd no doubt have noticed a couple changes by now," the cat chimed in, "he seemed quite positive that at least one of you would be familiar with this place. Though what has me more surprised is that you're all actually here. I had a wager going with the boy that if I found you I had to help you at least a little."
"And who are you supposed to be exactly," Weiss asked skeptically.
"Why I am a cat most curious," he answered while floating upside down in the air.
"Wait, you're the Curious Cat!" Blake realized, "you helped Alyx get to the tree!"
"You know Alyx too?!" The cat asked back while getting in Ruby's face a bit, "or at the very least you know the story? Oh this could be quite interesting, though my biggest concern right now is if you should call me Curious Cat or C.C."
"C.C.?" Yang repeated with a raised eyebrow, "as in 'Curious Cat'?"
"Quite right," he affirmed, now circling around Ruby who was still sitting on the ground, "it was Wayne's idea to call me that. Funny thing I never thought about calling myself anything else besides a curious cat before then. Do you think C.C. will catch on if I….wait a moment, hold that thought." The feline lowered himself before leaping into the bushes in order to chase a bug that resembled a very small toy rocking horse.
"Okay, let's just back up for a bit," Weiss asked with as little irritation as she could, "if what he's saying is true we're in the Ever After but it's more like the crappy sequel than the original story. This cat is also claiming that Wayne sent him to help us on some kind of wager but we don't even know if Wayne's still in the Ever After. Come to think of it, who even is this cat?!"
"I think," Blake proposed, "that C.C. here is the Curious Cat from the book. He asked all kinds of questions and helped Alyx find her way to the tree. He even introduced himself as 'a cat most curious'."
"So if I'm getting this straight," the former heiress summed up, "the cat is our ticket out of here."
"And to possibly find Wayne and Crescent Rose," Aegis added, "by the sound of things he managed to get ahold of it from Jinxy. If we at least follow the trail we could find more clues."
"Good idea, except for one problem," Yang announced, "the cat's gone." Ruby leapt to her feet in a panic then, looking around frantically before spotting the feline heading off in the distance chasing another bug.
"No, wait, come back kitty!" Ruby exclaimed, running down the trail after their now only lead to the tree and Wayne. They would find clues, but keeping the one who was supposed to be leading them around would be a challenge all on its own.
The Garden Acre
"So you're saying you might have friends who have also come here, or come in behind you," the Curious Cat inquired, "all of whom fell down here after a titanic battle?"
"It's just a thought that's been at the back of my mind for a bit," Wayne responded, "by all accounts I should have come in behind my friends considering I passed through an extra layer with doors to multiple worlds, but given what you've told me that doesn't seem to be the case. You're not familiar with any of the descriptions I've given you so far despite remembering Alyx after what might be a long time."
"That is tricky to say," C.C. admitted, "I have no idea how the years go by in your world compared to this one, I only know that they do go by. Though there is a funny tree with ticking fruit that can make the sky go backwards if you pick it."
"Make the sky go backwards, as in reverses the day and night cycle," the huntsman asked.
"Oh far more than that," the cat replied before floating into the air to go back and forth in front of Wayne's vision, "the sun sets in the East and rises in the West, the plants get younger and everyone goes backwards. The only one who doesn't is the one holding the fruit."
"Time reversal," the half Faunus surmised with a hand to his chin. It was yet another complication but it did explain the odd thought he'd had at the back of his mind. If any of his friends had picked such a fruit they could be way ahead of him, or behind him depending on the effects of the time distortion. The cat hadn't said there weren't time accelerating fruits around this place.
It was a matter he would have to think about later as C.C.'s voice broke him from his thoughts. "Ah, here we are," the Afteran announced before hopping onto a giant lily pad. They'd arrived on the bank of a large lake and at its center rose a rather fascinating sight. It was like a tower constructed out of giant lily pads with a lotus blossom on top that was easily the size of a Goliath. This was the marketplace, and the site of multiple fateful encounters.
The Curious Cat appears once again, but what events led him to meet with Aegis and team RWBY? The mystery shall unfold a bit in the next chapter, so in the meantime feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. Also, be sure to check out my Pat reon and consider becoming a patron to help support future projects! Last tidbit, stop in next time as our heroes try to keep track of their one and only guide and Wayne catches a strange scent! 'Til then.
