Falling Into a Fable
Hello everyone, at last we've made it to Volume 9! Took a minute to get here but I got a good reason for that. You see I've been busy with another little project in addition to my multiple stories. That project is a Page! That's right Masked Spider finally has a and you can find it right here: www. maskedspider. Obviously you'll need to stick it all together but it's there! Now as a newbie to it I'll happily take suggestions for how to improve it, but the basics are I intend to post updates, chapters, and other fun little tidbits there for my patrons to enjoy. If all goes well I may even be able to devote more time to writing which means getting all of these chapters out even faster! But I'm getting ahead of myself, for now let's celebrate the opening of the with this new chapter!
Daytime: Unknown Island
He didn't remember the fall, not really. Honestly the last thing he remembered was the explosion from his and Cinder's attacks colliding followed by a bright light and everything after that was only flashes. If he concentrated, he could vaguely recall a feeling of weightlessness, or rather freefall. 'I'm starting to wonder if the universe has decided that me waking up in pain from explosions is some kind of running joke,' the huntsman mused as he pushed aside some large leaves that one would normally see on a tropical island.
He should've found it odd, well more odd than he found it now, that he was at this island at all. The reason he didn't was because before this he'd encountered the secondary realm Team RWBY had had Ambrosius make to send Grimm too so they didn't interfere with the evacuation. One unfortunate oversight was that Cinder's Grimm arm didn't fall under the category of a full Grimm, or so they'd found out when she'd attacked. His fury at the situation should've been overflowing like it had been at the time, but it wasn't due to one thing: this island.
When he'd seen Weiss fall into the void with some of his other friends, Wayne Ursario thought he'd never see her again. But in that pocket dimension of doors that led to other worlds, he'd glimpsed her. The huntsman didn't even need to think twice as he dove into the door he was looking for, escaping the collapsing space just in time. He had a fleeting thought for a moment, hoping that those magic weapon wielders made it back to their own worlds safely, before focusing back on his goal.
"It's safe to assume this island isn't anywhere on Remnant," he mused as he passed many odd looking, and oddly colored fruits. The island also smelled off in comparison to other beaches he'd been too. One strange upside he found, after checking his weapons and the remains of his coat that he was now wearing like a cape, was that his dust was still functional. If he had to guess, Wayne figured it had to do with this place containing some kind of mystical properties similar to Remnant.
Whatever the reason he'd take what he could get. 'I don't have any doubt that Weiss, Aegis and the others are here,' he mused, 'I just need to find a trail, tracks, a scent, any sign of them.' He pushed through another patch of leaves on the path he was on and came to an interesting sight then, a bridge. "Well, that's a start," he thought aloud, testing the wooden board with his foot before gingerly stepping on it and continuing across. The reason for his caution was that the bridge was a very basic wooden suspension bridge lacking even the standard roped railing that characterized most others he'd seen.
Odder still, halfway across the bridge turned into a stone runway with some kind of decorated red carpeting on it. The extension was attached to a massive wall that reached down into the chasm he was crossing and seemed to go on for quite a ways in both directions. Wherever he was crossing into, the area was probably important. At least he assumed it was important based on the drastic change from odd island foliage to completely red-leafed plants of varius shapes and sizes with the occasional white column sticking up out of the forest here and there.
But the presence of not only a bridge but the trail he was currently walking on told him that there had to be people somewhere and so he continued. His faith would soon be rewarded when he spotted a large town up ahead, full of white buildings with red roofs, some slanted while others were round and pointed. Many of them also had noticeably tall chimneys. But the best news was the sound of people chatting and going about their days.
'So there are people in this world,' he thought with mild relief, 'I wonder what kind of-WHOA!' Wayne almost had to jump out of the way as a purple wagon being pulled by a…it actually wasn't being pulled by anything. Instead a purple, sparkling cloud was moving it along before abruptly disappearing and dropping the wagon to the ground where it slid a couple feet before stopping. "My word," came an older, seemingly gentlemanly voice while Wayne was busy trying not to cough from the dispersed purple cloud.
"You okay," Wayne was finally able to ask after a moment. His answer came in the form of the apparent driver of the wagon leaping onto the roof.
"Never fear, traveller," he said with a wave of his hand, "old Jinxy the peddler can handle a good crash or two!" The huntsman didn't answer immediately for two reasons: one, the title of Jinxy the Peddler sounded incredibly familiar to him and two, the person he was talking two wasn't human. If he was a Faunus then he would've been the most animalistic Faunus Wayne had ever seen, because Jinxy was a talking raccoon! "Something the matter, my boy?"
"Uh, no, everything's fine," Wayne finally stuttered out, "I was more worried about you but by the looks of it you're doing great."
"I certainly will be once I procure some more goods," Jinxy said, "but since you're here." Wayne had to step back a little as the side of the wagon fell down like a half open briefcase to reveal the wagon was actually a traveling stage. The peddler jumped down, giving the huntsman a better look at his outfit which consisted of purple pants and a faded white shirt with striped sleeves. "Why not take a look at some of what I have to offer."
He twirled a wooden cane in his hand that resembled a tree branch before tapping it on an upraised part of the stage. Three items dropped in response. One was a wooden doll that was green for whatever odd reason, the second was a jewel encrusted egg and the third resembled a miniature red and black coffin with the symbol of a rose on it. In other words, random junk that Wayne could probably do without.
"These are…..interesting pieces," the huntsman said while looking for an opening to walk away.
"Only the finest pieces from across the Ever After!" Jinxy proclaimed proudly, twirling his cane before pointing it up in the air.
"The Ever After," Wayne repeated, his interest now definitely piqued. That was a name he was certain he knew, and it made sense given who was standing before him. But he needed to be sure first. "Tell me, good sir, does the name jabberwocker mean anything to you?"
"Gah," Jinxy recoiled slightly, "why would you bring up that wretched creature? Have you seen him, is he around here?!"
"No I haven't seen him," the half Faunus assured, "as you can no doubt tell I'm new to this kingdom and wanted to confirm the rumors of such a creature existing."
"Oh he exists alright," Jinxy confirmed with a note of seriousness while pointing his cane at him, "and be glad that you've only heard of the foul beast. If he devours you there is no coming back!"
"I don't doubt it," Wayne replied before stepping up onto the stage, "I thank you for the warning, kind peddler."
"Then why not browse my wares," Jinxy urged, his easygoing demeanor now back in full swing, "take a close look. I'm certain you'll find something you like."
"I suppose it'd be rude not too at this point," Wayne agreed as he bent down slightly to examine the three pieces. 'Now that I've confirmed I'm in the Ever After I know who I'm dealing with a little better,' he thought. Not to mention, he'd noticed that one of the pieces was giving off a familiar smell, Ruby's smell.
"Ah, does this item interest you," Jinxy asked, noting the huntsman's scrutinizing gaze on the miniature red coffin, "a fascinating piece, made of the finest wood from this acre. If you have something small you'd like to keep safe, there's no better item. Since I'm feeling generous we can start off at the price of-HEY!" His sudden change in tone was due to Wayne picking up the coffin-shaped box to examine more closely. "Put that down, you shouldn't be touching it until we've made a deal!"
"I wonder why that might be," Wayne commented as the coffin suddenly exploded in a cloud of glittering dust. What was in its place, was Crescent Rose. "Oh, would you look at that."
"Put it down-GAH!" The old raccoon tried leaping at the huntsman but was quickly pinned down by the back end of Crescent Rose as it unfolded into its full scythe form. "You know to make that thing transform?!"
"I know all kinds of things about this weapon," Wayne replied, "chief of which being that in the hands of its rightful owner it's an incredible force for good. Which makes me wonder where you got it."
"I acquired that item fairly and-ow, ow, ow," the raccoon squirmed as the huntsman increased the pressure on his small form.
"I should probably have made this clear from the start but I'm in a hurry," the huntsman informed, "so please answer the question: where did you get this weapon?"
"On the beach," Jinxy answered, "I just found it embedded in the beach! Even if there were people around it's fair to take anything anyone isn't looking at!"
"And you, peddler, name whatever price you want for your items," Wayne recalled before collapsing Crescent Rose back to its compact form to put on the back of his waist, but not before working the bolt on it and ejecting a round which he caught out of midair. "But today I'll make an offer. This here carries the promise of striking one's foes. Turn it into whatever you want and name whatever price you want for it like you usually do. In addition, I'll keep your little practice of disguising your items secret from the rest of the townsfolk. Sound fair?"
The tricky raccoon got to his feet and seemed to mull over his options for a moment. "One handshake and we'll call it a deal," he finally said.
"Fine by me," Wayne agreed, shaking the peddler's hand before flipping the bullet to him. "And you're sure you haven't seen any others like me on that beach or passing through here?"
"If they're all like you I'd remember, believe me," Jinxy replied as Wayne hopped off the wagon which closed back up, putting the salesman on the roof once again. "But next time we do business I'll be ready. Never count out Jinxy the Peddler!" The same mystic purple cloud from before appeared beneath the wagon, propelling it across the bridge and out of the huntsman's sight.
"This place definitely operates on different rules than Remnant," he commented before turning and heading into town. It was there he quickly realized what an understatement that was. Upon closer inspection he noticed a lot of the buildings had smaller entrances that wouldn't permit someone of his size to enter without stooping. The reason being, they were built for the smaller denizens of this town who happened to be good-sized, living toys.
He saw dolls, wooden horses, and what appeared to be oversized game pieces all walking about and conversing like the people of Remnant would do. It was the last bit of confirmation he needed that this was indeed the Ever After he'd read about in the story 'The Girl Who Fell Through the World'. He'd discussed it at length with Blake more than once, given that it was possibly her favorite story from her childhood. The protagonist of the tale, Alyx, had also encountered Jinxy the Peddler in order to bargain for the dagger he'd stolen and disguised as something else.
The obvious difference here was that Wayne was able to use his nose in addition to his heart to see through the disguise. So while he could use the story as a sort of guide, he doubted things would play out quite like they did there. 'Now the question is what I should do next,' he pondered, 'I don't know if Ruby lost Crescent Rose during her fall or if she was disarmed first. If it's the latter then she might not even be down here and I just happened to pick up her weapon.'
A memory flashed before his eyes then, the one of Weiss falling. 'But even if Ruby isn't, I still need to find her. Even if I hadn't made a promise to her family to protect her, I'm going to find the woman I love.' He was so lost in thought he almost didn't notice the surprisingly tall, toy soldiers in red uniforms marching up to him. Their red hats made them nearly Yatsuhashi's height.
"You there, the stranger in the cape," the apparent leader called as he and a group of about half a dozen other soldiers walked up to him.
"Can I help you gentlemen," Wayne replied, deciding civility was a good way to go for the time being.
"That item you possess on your waist," the captain began, "it is a wondrous shade of red."
"Red like roses," the huntsman couldn't help but say as he patted the weapon, "its owner is very fond of the color."
"His majesty is also very fond of the color red," the soldier informed, "tell us, what is that item and what is your price for it?"
"I'm afraid his majesty may not find much use for this," Wayne replied as he held up Crescent Rose, popped out its stock and trigger and fired a round into the air. "It's a noisemaker with a very specific purpose in mind. More to the point it wouldn't be proper of me to sell it to you anyway. It's not mine to give, you see."
"I'm certain the owner would understand if you tell them you gave it to his majesty for his birthday," the captain assured.
"And when is his majesty's birthday supposed to be anyway," Wayne questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Tomorrow!" The soldier declared, "and unlike some of the others we intend to get a jump on things!"
"Good news then, I should be long gone by that time," the huntsman replied, "believe me I'd like to help but I've got a far more immediate matter to attend too, part of which is getting this item back to its owner."
"I'm afraid I can't take no for an answer," the captain declared as he drew his sword, "his majesty, the red prince, will not look kindly on those of us who fail to bring him a proper gift. Just name your price and it shall be paid for in full by the crown. No price is too great for his majesty's birthday!"
"Red Prince?" Wayne repeated in confusion, "is the Red King not in right now?"
"The Red King is gone!" Exclaimed the captain while pointing an accusatory finger at the half Faunus, "and we have your kind to thank for it!"
"I'm a half Faunus," the huntsman pointed out with his arms crossed, "so you're gonna have to be more specific when you say 'your kind'."
"A half what now," the soldier asked in mild confusion.
"I'm only half human," Wayne explained before remembering a rather crucial detail of the story he was following, "but that's not really important right now. Tell me, does the Red Prince still enjoy games?"
"They are his favorite past time," the captain affirmed with a nod.
"Then how about this," the elder Ursario brother suggested, "since your heart seems so set on this thing, I'll give his majesty a chance to win it off me. Assuming he's willing to agree to a couple of conditions." Wayne quickly laid out what he had in mind and the captain, though hesitant at first, agreed after being convinced that the Red Prince couldn't possibly punish the captain if things didn't go his way. The huntsman wound up leaving the town that day escorted by the guards towards his next destination, the crimson castle.
Unknown Jungle
'Ow,' thought Aegis as he slowly regained consciousness, 'how long did I fall for?' He tried moving, discovering that he was somehow on his side and that his left hand was grasping something. No, someone. The younger Ursario's eyes shot open then as events came flowing back to him. "YANG!" He exclaimed looking around frantically for a moment before settling down.
She was right next to him, her left hand grasping his. "Oh, what's all the fuss," the blond groaned as she sat up groggily. Aegis let go of her hand in order to embrace her, beyond happy that they'd both apparently made it. "Ow, easy Aegis….Aegis!" Yang exclaimed as she hugged him back before kissing him, "are you alright, the last thing I remember."
"Falling, all of the damn falling, yeah," he commented while putting his hands on her shoulders, "but the good news is it looks like we're still alive and not stuck in a void for all eternity."
"Yeah but where are we," Yang asked as they finally took a moment to look around, "and also, where's my arm?!" The duo noticed the missing limb at the same time and turned around just in time to see an odd sight. There was a raccoon on top of a purple wagon, being propelled by magic purple mist. But more importantly, in his left hand was Yang's mechanical arm!
"It's raining bargains today!" The raccoon yelled happily with a mischievous laugh.
"Already hating this place," Aegis commented as he and his girlfriend leapt to their feet and chased after the thief. He clearly knew the area quite well, anticipating sharp turns and sudden drops in the trail. But he also clearly never had to outrun huntsman and huntresses before as the duo continued to gain on his wagon. It was when they got within ten feet of their quarry that things took an unexpected turn.
The raccoon spotted something that terrified him and veered off down a steep part of the forest as a purple blur leaped out and took a swipe at him. It's claws left a mark on his wagon but did little else to slow the fleeing mammal down. The creature itself, however, proved to be a hindrance to the pursuing duo by landing in front of the both of them. They got a good look at its lanky body then which stood as tall as a Beowulf and its limbs had greyish yellow bands that ended with the latter color on its three fingered hands and toes.
"Searching, chasing, pursuing," it growled in a deep voice with its head shifting from side to side, almost seeming to distort occasionally. This proved to be the most disturbing part of the creature as four, gnarled horns protruded from its head and its face more closely resembled a silver monster mask than an actual face. Its seemingly hollow, black eyes fell on Aegis and Yang then as it slowly turned towards them, its whiplike tail swinging around behind it. "Hungry, devour," it snarled before pouncing on the duo. Aegis and Yang dodged in opposite directions with the half Faunus going for his weapon.
'Good thing we woke up before he could steal this too,' Aegis thought. As he gripped Ursus Cleaver, however, he felt pain shoot through his hand. "Ah, shit that still hurts," he swore before the sound of Yang calling to him in warning reached his ears. He moved just in time to evade the creature's clawed hand before drawing his weapon with his left hand, generating a glass sword that he swung back in retaliation.
The beast ducked and moved its head to avoid the initial strikes before countering with another swing of its claws that Aegis blocked with his weapon, groaning with a bit of effort as he held his opponent back. Thankfully this provided the perfect opening for Yang to rush in and strike it in the side with her left arm, sending it yelping back. She continued her assault with a series of jabs and hooks that the monster backed away from before spinning and whipping its tail around. Yang jumped back to evade it, almost losing her balance on the landing due to her lack of a right arm but that was thankfully remedied by Aegis charging and smacking the beast in the head hard enough to send it flying into the brush.
It was back on its feet soon enough, roaring in frustration before suddenly turning around and fleeing through the trees. "Hey! We're not done here yet!" Yang exclaimed as the duo gave chase. They quickly found, much like their pursuit of the raccoon, that this creature was familiar with the terrain and slipped through the trees with incredible ease. Aegis spotted the opening to a clearing as they continued, noting their quarry had stopped in said clearing and appeared to be waiting for them.
"Yang, it's planning on ambushing us," he informed, "I don't think it knows how good we are at busting through things."
"Or throwing things," the blond added before finding and picking up a rock larger than her head, "circle around, I'll get its attention." Aegis nodded and moved further into the foliage. He still had a clear view of the monster and shifted his weapon to that of an icy spear. If it wanted to chow down on something, it'd love this. At least that's what he thought before the creature suddenly turned around and charged at something, or rather someone else.
It swung its claw and engaged in a brief weapons lock with its new prey before it was interrupted. "I said we weren't done with you!" Yang exclaimed, tossing the large rock at the same time. She got a bullseye right on top of the monster's head, gaining its attention as Aegis rushed out, and nearly stopped as he saw who it was that had been fighting it.
But there was no time to hesitate now and he corralled the creature with help from what he now saw were three individuals, one of whom wasn't armed. But four armed fighters was more than enough to give the creature pause as it backed away. "Threats, multiply," it growled in its strange, robotic style of speaking, "retreat, wait, return." And it did just that, turning and quickly scaling the cliff they'd cornered it at before fleeing deep into the tropical foliage.
Yang and Aegis both breathed a sigh of relief as they collapsed to kneeling positions. It wasn't just out of exhaustion, however. "Damn it," Yang cursed while clenching her fist, "the rest of you weren't supposed to be here." The reason for their tone was simple. The rest of team RWBY was down here, making them wonder who else had fallen.
And so begins our hero's journey through the Ever After! And it looks like trouble is gonna find them here whether they want it or not. But that's for next chapter, 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 book, Plains Riders, on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited! Last but not least, stop in next time as Wayne competes against the Red Prince While Aegis and the rest try to make sense of where they are! 'Til then.
