Cyclical Nature
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of the Adventures of Team WA Vol. 2! Our heroes start to unravel the mysteries of the Ever After in this chapter and face one or two unexpected encounters. What is less unexpected, though, is my obligatory add for my Pat reon! That's right, if you like what I do and want to help support me just drop a donation or sign up as a patron, either one is appreciated. Now then, we appear to be short on guest review questions this week, so let's get on with the story!
The Crimson Acre
"Here kitty, kitty!" Ruby called, slowing her pace to a walk as she tried to catch a glimpse of the one who could guide them to the tree. Fortunately and unfortunately, they had the best thing for spotting cats with them: Little the mouse. And it took him no time at all to glimpse the tail of said cat sticking up in the tall red grass on the right side of the trail before ducking into Ruby's hood. "Um, excuse me?"
"You're excused," the leader of team RWBY jumped and turned to see the head of the Curious Cat was somehow on the other side of the path. A sight which became even odder when said feline exited the grass with only half of his body. Thankfully, his back end also emerged and reattached itself with his upper half. It was yet another of what was becoming a list of peculiar traits the Afteran feline had demonstrated thus far.
"I have a lot of questions about how that thing goes to the bathroom now," Aegis whispered to the rest of the team.
"Um, hello, uh, cat, or curious," Ruby began hesitantly, "which one do you go by?"
"Oh I don't go by," he corrected, "the days and the years 'go by'. But if you're asking what I am then I suppose I am indeed a cat, most curious."
"Yeah we heard you the first time," Weiss pointed out, "you also mentioned Wayne called you C.C."
"Indeed he did, oh, that reminds me," the Curious Cat chuckled, "I do still have a wager I need to fulfill."
"Right, the one where you said you'd help us get to the tree," Ruby recounted, "because no matter what we do, it doesn't seem to get any closer."
"In fact, it seems even farther away than before," the heiress noted.
"Pretty sure that's because we're six inches tall," Yang reminded with her hands on her hips.
"It could be both," Weiss conceded dismissively, "but that's also another problem we need to take care of."
"Well the simplest solution is to realize that you do not go to the tree, the tree goes to you," the Curious Cat explained while motioning with his tail, "does that make sense?"
"Not even a little," Yang answered for basically everyone.
"Oh that is a problem then," C.C. chuckled, "you see it's all a matter of perspective. Fortunately for you I can go to the tree and if you're really having so much trouble I can take you to the tree. I made a deal, after all."
"That's great," Ruby exclaimed in both relief and joy, "the sooner we get to the tree-."
"Ah, ah, ah," the Cat quickly interrupted while floating up to eye level, "the exact nature of Wayne and I's wager was that if I found you, his friends, and you had interesting things to tell me, then I would take you to the tree. And while you've certainly piqued my interest, I'm not sure if you're as interesting as I was led to believe."
"But you helped Alyx get to the tree," Blake protested.
"Alyx'!" The Curious Cat repeated in surprise, "Wayne mentioned you might know something about her. Are you friends with her, lifelong nemeses perhaps? Wait, don't tell me. Okay tell me!" He felt the need to grab Ruby's face with his paws to get across how excited he was.
"Did, uh, Wayne mention we didn't know her personally?" Ruby asked while the cat let go of her face.
"He only said that you'd know more about Alyx than he did," C.C. recalled, "he sort of clammed up on the issue once the subject of all of you was brought up. But now I know that you know, but what I don't know is how you know?"
"Alyx wrote a book about her adventure in the Ever After," Weiss explained.
"A book, of course," the Cat cheered while popping up behind Weiss, "is it well-liked?"
"It's what you might call a childhood fairytale," Blake picked up for Weiss, "the kind that every child's read growing up."
"Oh wonderful, I simply must know more," the Curious Cat purred, "what did she write about, did it ever come out in paperback, and do I smell a mouse?" Little quickly hid behind Blake and Aegis.
"From one cat to another," the Faunus girl implored, "could you give us a minute please?"
"Alas, spoken for I see," the Afteran sighed before sliding down Ruby's arm, "well please, do hurry. I have sooo many many questions." He dropped to the ground and resumed chasing after a yellow butterfly while the group contemplated their next course of action.
"Are you sure his real name isn't the Constantly Annoying Cat," Weiss quipped.
"Got 'em, totally roasted," Aegis and Yang commented with a thumbs up. A quick 'thank you' was her reply.
"Guys, the Curious Cat, or C.C. if that's what he's going by right now, was described as an ally," Blake reminded, "as well as a source of information. If he's telling the truth then he's already helped Wayne and agreed to help us, provided we answer his questions."
"Yeah, that shouldn't be too hard," Ruby agreed, "we know all sorts of things, and as long as he remembers that he's supposed to help us-."
"The cat's gone," Yang pointed out once again. And once again, Ruby was panicking, frantically looking this way and that for their would be guide. A sudden flock of colored butterflies taking flight would tell them where said cat had wound up, prompting the silver-eyed girl to run to his location in the grass.
"Wait up, you had questions for us and a promise to keep!" Ruby's words tumbled out of her mouth one after the other in rapid succession.
"I did say that didn't I," the currently half a cat emerged from the grass, "however, there is a 'butt' in that scenario." He timed this particular line with his back half rejoining the rest of his body.
"Why, what is it?" She dared to ask, hoping she wasn't about to make a mistake.
"As you've no doubt noticed I am a fickle individual," the Curious Cat began, "it is my nature for my attention to be drawn away easily. So if you want me to keep my promise, you must keep me interested."
"Yes, we can do that," Ruby assured before pulling out her scroll, "this is a scroll, have you ever seen one of these before?" The huntress flipped on the holographic screen and let him get a closer look.
"Luminous rectangle," C.C. stared in awe before accepting the device, "Wayne had something like this but never let me see it. Something about 'battery power'. What does this button do?" The cat meowed when a flash went off and a picture of his face appeared on the holographic screen. "Oh, it can make flat versions of me. Is this what I look like smiling?"
"Hook, line, and sinker," Weiss quipped. Their trek towards the tree began then, and it would be one of the noisier walks they'd been on.
The Center of the Garden Acre
"So explain something to me," Wayne asked as he and the Curious Cat floated towards the marketplace on a giant lily pad, "why is there a Red Prince now instead of a Red King? And why are some of his guards floating nearby?" In fact there were quite a few Afterans floating in around them, also propelled by lily pads.
"Oh you needn't worry about them," C.C. assured, "the Red Prince's authority only extends to the Crimson Acre. Any guards you see here are either retrieving something from the marketplace or are coming to get fixed up. As for the Red Prince, you are right, he was the Red King at one point. It was all very sad when he lost to Alyx. He was so heartbroken that he was called back to be fixed up and now he's the Red Prince."
"Fixed up?" Wayne repeated, "who fixed him up? Is there some sort of toymaker running things here?"
"Oh the tree can take many forms for those it's called back," the Cat explained, "you see we Afterans don't die like you Remnant folk do. Whenever one of us needs to be fixed or simply fulfils our purpose we return to the tree. It's there we're given a new life, often a new form, and a new purpose if we so desire. We call it Ascendance."
"So your world functions on a type of cyclical system," Wayne summarized, "though personally it sounds closer to the myth of Reincarnation if we're making comparisons."
"Oh, and why do you say that," his guide inquired as the giant lily pad stopped at the bank and they disembarked. The area the duo walked into was breathtaking, with glowing plants on not only the ground but also hanging from crisscrossing vines overhead and lanterns filled with multi-colored lightning bugs added to the spectacle. Stalls were set out on either side selling goods and wears of every imaginable type, with sellers of every imaginable shape and size as well. Wayne say talking animals, giant talking toys and even a giant talking teapot in the distance.
"Well it may work differently in this world but princes are typically below kings where I come from," the huntsman gave an example, "and in the cycle of reincarnation one's deeds and accomplishments determine one's place in their next life. If one has done well they are born into a higher station and if they've done evil or simply wasted their life then they're born in a lower station. It continues on like this until one reaches the highest state, enlightenment , where the cycle is finally broken and one can proceed onward into Nirvana."
"My, how surprisingly similar," the cat purred, "perhaps one of you Remnant folk who came through here were inspired by the tree. Or even changed by it."
"Couldn't say," Wayne shrugged, "it's an old legend about the afterlife from a place called Mistral. We've got several theories about what happens when we die in Remnant, that's one of them."
"And what do you believe happens when those on Remnant die," C.C. popped out of one of the many trees.
"Personally," the Half Faunus tried to find the words to really express his thoughts, "I'd like to believe those who die as good people ascend to a better place, while those who die as villains are sentenced to eternal torment."
"You mean you'd rather die and never come back than be reborn as something new and better," the cat asked in mild surprise.
"People in Remnant are capable of changing and improving on their own," Wayne gave his reasoning, "our lives are shaped by the people, choices and events we experience. Instead of one job or purpose we could have several throughout our life. If one manages to live a fulfilling enough life they can pass on, content, and even when they're gone their memory and legacy will live on through their friends, family and anyone else they may have influenced throughout their life. It also means that new people are coming into the world all the time, bringing their own perspectives and experiences."
"You are without doubt one of the stranger Remnant folk I've ever encountered," the Curious Cat commented, "most people, to my understanding, would be thrilled to not die. I know us Afterans would certainly prefer…no, that is a topic for another time."
"New subject then," the huntsman agreed, "you ask your next question and then we head to the next location."
"Oh I know just the one," the Afteran hummed, "when I observed you earlier you seemed to have some idea of this world already. Why is that?"
"You mentioned earlier that other Remnant folk had come through this world," Wayne began, "what if I told you one of them wrote a story about this place?"
"Someone wrote a story about the Ever After?!" The cat cheered while backflipping in the air, "oh tell me, am I in it, is it well known, do you know the author?!"
"I don't know the author personally, she passed away before I was even born," the Half Faunus somberly informed, "but you do know her. I believe you mentioned Alyx while we were at the Herbalist's."
"You read a story written by Alyx about the Ever After," C.C. seemed rather surprised by this, "that is quite fascinating. Who would've thought she'd write a book."
"Who would've thought the story was actually true," the huntsman shrugged, "I'd personally like to know how she got here. My friends and I came here by falling into a dark void but that was supposed to be a pocket dimension created by a relic."
"Oh that girl hardly knew anything past the front of her nose," the Curious Cat laughed, "she had no idea how she got here when we first met and by the sound of it she never figured it out, either. But it is encouraging, now that I think of it. You've known who I was the whole time, haven't you?"
"The Curious Cat is what she called you in her book," the huntsman revealed, "but I wasn't completely sure it was you until you started asking all of these questions. And to answer your next likely question, no, I didn't intentionally hide the information from you. I figured I'd just wait until the subject was finally broached."
"And broached it has been," the cat circled around him in the air, "tell me, are your other friends familiar with this story as well?"
"Blake's the biggest reader out of all of us," Wayne answered, "she and I shared and discussed several stories. So I know she's more than familiar with this particular tale. She's also easy to pick out thanks to that big white coat and black cat ears."
"You had mentioned such features," C.C. recalled, "I still think it's strange she doesn't sniff out mice to eat but, as mentioned, I'll understand should I meet them. But back on topic. How much of the story are you familiar with?"
"I recall all the major events, plus a few other odd details," the Half Faunus counted out, "I know about the Jabberwalker, the Red King, you, some of the acres, the Rusted-." The wind shifted at that particular moment and Wayne froze. 'That scent,' he dared to hope while taking in a bigger whiff, 'yes, I know this scent!'
"Something the matter," the cat popped up in his face, nearly making him jump.
"I smell something," Wayne answered while picking up the pace and passing through the market more quickly.
"Now hold on," C.C. protested, "you were just in the middle of answering….oh no." The two of them had turned a corner and came face to face with what could only be described as a white rabbit possessing both the horns and the size of an antelope, a giant jackalope, one might say. But this oddity is not what caught Wayne's attention. It was the one riding on the creature's back.
"Well aren't you an odd sight," the huntsman commented, "care to tell me where you came across that set of armor my knightly friend?" The figure didn't answer at first, looking at Wayne as if he was processing something. Then, he reached for his helmet.
Outside The Garden Acre
So the trek towards the next acre had been, thankfully, uneventful. But it had been anything but quiet. Yes, they had agreed to answer all of the Curious Cat's questions and were doing so, the problem was said cat apparently didn't need to stop for a drink or to take a breath in between questions. Even more annoying, he liked to drop in his own little comments about the answers they gave. All of that was fine, at first, but after what felt like a couple hours of questioning it was beginning to wear on everyone.
'Never in my life did I think I'd find someone capable of being worse than Nora on a bad day,' Aegis grumbled in his mind, 'and what's worse, even Ren probably wouldn't be able to put up with this now that he's really hitting his stride in the emotional department.' The Bear Fighter was broken from his thoughts then as the cat popped up right next to them again, having paused in his current question and comment rant. "What was my original question?"
"Who's turn is it to answer," he groaned.
"Blaaaake," Yang sleepily shook her tired friend, "it's your turn again."
"You wanted to know about the origins of Remnant," the cat Faunus answered in an almost robotic monotone.
"That's right!" C.C. happily recalled now while floating back in front, "those two brothers. Talk about a God complex, am I right?! Ah, all in all a rather entertaining story. Though I think some of the character voices were a little uninspired. I'm looking at you, Wise Huntress."
"Again, it's Weiss, just Weiss," the former Heiress corrected for what was probably the eighth time now. Her annoyance clearly didn't bother their guide.
"Apologies," he laughed while rolling in the air to take a lounging position, "and I must give you credit. You lot know quite a bit more about the origins of Remnant than most. Certainly more than Alyx. Ah, that girl could barely see past the end of her own nose."
"What do you mean," Ruby questioned with a tilt of her head.
"Oh you know," the cat flitted about, "just hilariously concerned with trivial things."
"I mean in her defense, she didn't have to worry about an evil witch trying to destroy the world," Aegis commented.
"And she learned her lesson at the end, didn't she?" Blake asked.
"I'd certainly say so," the cat purred, "ah, here we are. The edge of the Garden Acre." The group stopped for a moment and gazed at the new acre, noting the stark difference between its blue and purple trees illuminated by large mushrooms that glowed in different shades of orange, yellow, purple and blue. A soft breeze blew several multicolored leaves their way, the angle making it seem as if they came from the tree itself. Which may have been more accurate than any of them realized.
"This entire world is like a big mixed-up puzzle," Yang observed while the group continued to trek forward, "how does anyone make sense of this?"
"Each acre is made specifically for its inhabitants and their roles," the cat explained, "and, I forgot to mention this to Wayne until much later, the Red Prince's power does not extend to this acre. So if you happen to see any of his guards here, fret not. They've likely come to see either the Herbalist or visit the market."
"Is this market where we can get the stuff to turn us back to normal?" Weiss asked, trying to hide her annoyance at how long she'd been miniaturized.
"Indeed it is," C.C. looked back to confirm, "your condition is not serious, all you need is a grogurt parfait. Just try not to talk to anyone without me."
"Or we might get our heads cut off," Blake guessed, unfortunately correctly.
"That is how we met, isn't it," the cat recalled fondly, "I knew if you were anything like that Wayne fellow you'd be getting into trouble too. This has been the most eventful two days I've had in a long time."
"Well I'm sure we'll be a lot less trouble once we're back to normal," Weiss massaged the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger.
"Bah, I don't see what all the fuss is about," C.C. remarked, "some of my best friends are six inches tall."
"You mean the ones that aren't mice anyway," Aegis commented, "and it might not be a problem for you, but we got stuff we need to hit and it's gonna be a lot easier if we're normal-sized."
"Of course, I nearly forgot," the Curious Cat hummed, "you have to deal with that scary sorceress, what was her name again? Saleem, Salim, Salami, Salem? How many relics did she have left before she ended the world? I'm not even sure how you're supposed to stop her now that Atlas is gone."
His line of questioning brought Ruby to a halt. It was true, they'd lost badly and now Salem was closer to destroying the world than ever. Meanwhile here they were, wandering around a fairy tale land trying to get home. But what was the point in getting home if they couldn't stop it from being destroyed? "Ya know something Mom and Dad always told me and Wayne," Aegis spoke up, "it only seems like a lot until you take it one at a time."
"Aegis is right," Blake agreed, "we can worry about Remnant once we get back. We have enough problems to deal with right no-."
"THE CAT!" Yang exclaimed, once again being the first to notice their guide was gone.
"Oh no, I wasn't paying attention!" Ruby realized, "where did he go now?"
"Oh, he saw a bug," Little popped up and pointed in the direction the cat had gone.
"And you didn't say anything," Yang half growled, causing little to wilt under her gaze.
"It was a very interesting bug," the mouse offered before ducking back into Ruby's hood.
"Of all the characters from the book, why did it have to be the cat," Weiss groaned, "why couldn't we have gotten help from the Lively Carpenter or the Rusted Knight? One was sweet, the other was handsome, and neither one of them had the attention span of a goldfish!"
"You know I bet you could find a goldfish in one of these ponds," Little offered.
"Yeah, we might want to worry about something else," Aegis announced, his bear ears twitching in response to a strange noise, "anyone else hear that?" It was a low sound, the group quickly recognized it as humming. Not knowing what else to do, Ruby stepped cautiously through the trees, following the sound to its source. Before long they reached a clearing with a giant mushroom that appeared to also be a house and an enormous pile of leaves in what could be described as a front yard.
"It sort of looks like a garden," Ruby nervously observed but stopped as the large pile of leaves began to rustle. Three blue eyes appeared from within the leaves then, all focused on them.
"What are you?" The owner of the eyes asked in a deep voice with a slight hiss to it.
"Someone who's getting really tired of that question," the team leader sighed in annoyance.
"Which question," the stranger inquired rising up to his full height out of the leaves. Understandably Ruby gave a little yelp of surprise given that they were now facing a blue four-armed, three-eyed caterpillar man with wings on his back.
"WHAT ARE YOU?!" Yang yelled. It came out a bit less forceful due to her being pint-sized.
"And if you have any relatives in the Remnant insect community, I apologize for stepping on them," Aegis added with a nervous laugh.
"Oh, that question," the insect man noted, shrugging as he came around the pile with a bag and a rake in two of his four hands, "isn't it obvious? I am an herbalist, the Herbalist. At least…until I'm not anymore. And no, I don't believe I have any relatives among the community that you speak of."
"Well I guess that answers all our questions right there," Yang commented sarcastically with her hands on her hips.
"So, uh, sorry to bother you," Ruby began, "but my friends and I could use some help. You see we're trying to get to that giant tree, but…."
"You need help getting to the tree," the Herbalist mused aloud, "ah yes, everyone needs help these days…everyone." He beckoned the group to follow him as he slithered over to the giant mushroom, confirming their suspicions that it was indeed his home. Yet even they were still a bit surprised when a hole opened up at the Herbalist's command. "Well, are you coming in or not?"
"You can make us a grogurt parfait, right?" Ruby questioned, standing hesitantly at the door. The insect man's response to that was sighing in annoyance before moving further into his residence. It did not help that the door closed behind them once they entered.
"I must say, you all seem a bit hesitant," the herbalist observed while pulling and rearranging a couple items from one of the many shelves in his home. "Now, what was it you said you all were again?"
"We're huntresses and Aegis is a huntsman," the hooded girl answered in slight confusion.
"Ah, so more of you already," he noted while picking up a bowl to grind some of the leaves he'd collected in, "do you happen to be with that boy who stopped by yesterday?"
"You mean Wayne?!" Ruby tried not to yell in surprise and only partially succeeded.
"Yes, that's what his name was, Wayne Ursario," the herbalist recalled, "he was hesitant about my help too but he walked back out more sure of his purpose than ever before. I take it you also fight monsters and criminals to protect the people?"
"We do," the silver-eyed girl confirmed, "but I don't see why it's important that you know that."
"And I don't see why you don't see why it's important," the caterpillar man commented while moving to the other side of the room and pulling out a scale, "honestly even when he was hesitant your friend at least knew when to go along with something. But thanks to him I already know what the best approach for all of you is. Give me one moment and then, follow me."
The Afteran finished up measuring out the amount he needed and put the leaves into a little packet. He then slithered past some beaded curtains with Ruby following behind him reluctantly. The sight of several vials resembling hookah pipes on shelves did not help her nerves nor did the sight of their supposed help sucking on a tube hanging from the ceiling. "If you're anything like your friend I imagine you'd prefer to stand. If not, take a seat."
"Actually," Blake began nervously, "I think maybe we should be." The door suddenly sealed up behind them, "going."
"This won't take long," the herbalist promised, "just…answer the questions. What are you?" He dropped several of the multicolored leaves on the fire then. The room quickly filled up with smoke as they burned and everyone began coughing from the inhalation of it. Ruby collapsed to her hands and knees with everyone else falling to the floor.
"Now what the fuck is going on," Aegis coughed while getting to his feet. Thanks to his and Blake's enhanced senses they were probably getting the worst of this. Speaking of which, where was she, and where were Yang and the rest of them? Had the room really become so full of smoke that he couldn't see anything else?
But neither of those questions would be answered in this moment. Instead, another one would emerge as Aegis began coughing again, only this time smoke expelled itself from his mouth onto the floor and then moved a short distance away. It was there it became something, or rather someone, very familiar: Aegis, as he was back at Beacon. "Oh I thought Wayne was the only one who had to put up with this."
"We all gotta face ourselves at some point," his doppleganger reminded, "so let's reflect a bit now that we actually got a minute." Self reflection, not something Aegis would say had ever been his strong suit.
I used to dress like that? There's a comment I don't think anyone made upon seeing their mindscape but Aegis certainly has a lot of questions now that he's looking at a smoke-filled funhouse mirror. As for Wayne, has he finally discovered another friend in this world? We'll find out soon enough 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, don't forget to check out my Pat reon and see about becoming a patron! Finally, stop in next time as our heroes head for fateful encounters in the marketplace! 'Til then.