"O thou, why must thou comest unto me?"
"Forgive me, My Humbleness, as I may. But I bring with me intelligence."
"Yea, verily thou bringst me importance not of others. So what words must mutter out from thy mouth?"
"I saw a girl."
"A wench, thou sayest?"
"Yea, that sort. She was of one most strange. I know that of her, but she knoweth not of me. What would thou likest me unto perform?"
"Do whatso thou wishest."
It was night-time in the land of Gensoukyou and after a frightful amount of episodes for each forgiving person, things finally seemed peaceful. During the trauma, Weiss and Yang witnessed near-death at the hands of a tree-like Grimm, Blake had her darkest past haunting her by an inthralling lagomorph, whose power derives from madness-induced brain manipulation, Jaune came to find the ghost of his past and Ruby… Poor, innocent Ruby… had become a victim to the environment. However, all seemed finally well now that all of that came to pass.
But amongst all of the trees and funguses lies a very modern house. One of two residing from within the menacing landscape. Amidst the house's interior was an elaborate, yet assorted, room of dolls. The room was quite old in fashion with a fireplace, grandfather clock and an already-occupied bed in it. "Occupied" because someone was lying asleep in it… That person was Ruby, brought to the building during her unconsciousness. In her invalid and possibly dream-like state, she was environed by dolls stacked against the walls atop shelves with a few dissipated on the floor, all neatly arranged. Regarding the opposite side was a woman dressed in a blue dress with shawl-like eke hair decoration. The person in question was preoccupied with the sewing of a particular doll.
Chapter 1: Stage One
This was but an eerie misadvantage to all. Amongst them, the night regarded, Weiss and Yang, ever weakly, traipsed through an open pavement with hardly a sight to be found. They were lost and only pushed onwards; following the instructions of the sparrow. Weiss had such burden on her withal carrying the other feeble-bodied one: Yang, either one arm wrapped around her nape and her own arm around Yang's back for support as she manoeuvred her.
They were, in the end, weak after their battle. If it were not for Cirno, they might have died.
As Weiss walked them both, Yang said with uncertainty and a groan, "Are we there, yet?" Weiss took notice of this and replied, "Where? We've been walking for a while and we haven't seen anything." "But we've been walking…" Just then, Weiss interrupted with a scowl, "I just said that." "I know, but…", Yang coughed before continuing, "I just… want to lie down…"
Weiss ceased her movement and dropped Yang, causing her to ache more and groan. "There. Are you happy now?" she angrily said with arms that she simultaneously folded. Yang curled up in pain and erringly coughed blood. It was at this time Weiss tried being succinct in her reasoning, "This is why we need to find people. People that can treat us. We need medical attention and you rushing things isn't making it…", however, this proved to be pernicious on Weiss as her eyes abruptly widened within reaction with a loud gasp. This concerned Yang; "Weiss? Is everything alright?" she said in a strained tone. Soon, Weiss calmed herself after breathing in deeply and then exhaling. "It's nothing. Let's continue.", saying this in a sigh, forthwithal removing Yang carefully from the ground and placing her in the previous posture.
They pressed on, walking along the path that they were told to stay on on their way to civilisation, as the person who gave them directions told of a village yonder. There was an ambience within the area, which did not help as there were plenteous trees. This did not phase Weiss, but caused Yang to cringe. Although, given her eyes were half-closed, this was ambiguous.
"Hey, Weiss…," Yang said, calmly, before continuing, "Do you think the others are OK? In this place, I mean…"
"Listen, if I don't know where we know, then I don't think the others do either. We are in a dark place without any weapons, no reinforcements, no help and no food or water. We are on a survival mission. That's what this has turned into, just a survival mission. If we try to call anyone we get cut off, so we are all on our own. This is all because of Ironwood, you know!"
"Ironwood?" Yang questioned after this puzzled her mind; the accusation, "Why him? Look, this is our problem, now. Whether it's Ironwood's fault or not, it doesn't matter. We need to try and get out of here…"
"Will you just hear yourself?" Weiss grunted rather vexingly and went on to say, "Let's pay attention to our top priority, THEN we can ask questions and think up a strategy."
"Fine, alright. Have it your way, Weiss." Yang put her mechanical hand to above her eyes and winced with a groan, "Can we just hurry up? I feel like we are being watched… like there's something out there.". This comment was within connection to her previous cringing, since she thought there were something peculiar about their present surroundings.
"Just stop it, Yang. You're sounding like Blake. It's annoying…" Weiss said this with her eyes half-closed in a disquieted manner. "We'll walk along this path, try and find help, get convalescence and then…" Just then, Weiss stumbled as her leg became numb for a moment and became unresponsive. Soon enough, she regained her posture, whereto Yang responded, "Hey, Weiss… is everything OK?" However, Weiss ignored her saying "Let's just go." before walking again.
Moments passed and they could start to see light in the distance. It was a faint light with a circular grow, like a lantern or otherwise. The light in itself also shewed infinitesimal movements. "Weiss, look over there. Do you see it?" asked Yang after facing forwards, which Weiss confirmed, "Of course I see it!"
"Do you think someone's coming this way?"
"Shh, I need to concentrate."
Weiss stopped briefly just to examine the area in front of herself, in case it was a threat or anything else. The light came closer and brightened more of the area and as it became closer, a silhouette emerged which later became a vague, featured character. Someone with pink hair, a whale on their head, turquoise shirt and tabard-like apron approached the pair with a small bucket and lantern on support.
The figure was mildly absent-minded at the time and did not pay attention to either of them until Yang shouted, applicably, "Hey! Can you help us? We don't know where we are."
"Hmm? Humans?" the person said in a sudden egregious manner, as the person's eyes widened and blinked twice, "What could humans be…? Whatever." saying this with a shrug and continuing the pacing. "Hello?" Yang said, anxiously, before becoming distracted, "Nice dress." This caused Weiss to grimace in confusion at this random gesture, "What?"
"Why are you two inside the village? It's very late." said the figure, who then expressed concern, "Anything can attack you at this time of the day… well, night." "I think we know that." Weiss responded, "We just need help and a place to rest. We did see someone earlier who told us to go this way until we reached a village."
"So you are lost, basically?" "Erm…" Weiss was struggling on what to say considering how the situation had become embarrassing for herself. She rolled her eyes and tried to gesticulate, "Well… You see…" "BOOM!" Yang exclaimed, ever weakly chuckling followed by coughs, "She got you there, Weiss." This annoyed Weiss, putting on a weird expression with her eyes turned to one side before realigning them with the other, talking more aggressively now, "Look, can you help us or not?"
The person in question rubbed the back of her face with the hand that held the bucket, "Well, I am on a tight schedule…" She was acting indecisively, deciding on which takes priority, thinking to herself, "The others aren't going to like this.", removing her hand to talk with Weiss, "OK, I'll help you." She then used two fingers to beckon the two, turning the other way and move forthright. Before Weiss could begin to follow the supposed similar, Yang intervened, "Do you think we can trust her?" "We don't have a choice. We just have to believe that we'll find something." She then started moving herself and tried to catch up.
Meanwhile, in a nearby settlement that being the Human Village, with people doing their own thing before beginning to remove themselves to go home for the night, Ren and Nora were out and about and contemplating.
"AHHH! OH, NOO!" an apparent cry could be heard. Nora was acting frantically, yet very erratically, due to a shortcoming. "They are nowhere to be seen!" "Calm down. We looked everywhere and asked everyone. They haven't seen them. Just relax." said Ren, calmly.
But Nora could not relax. "What!? But we can't find them! They were nowhere to be seen! What if they are lost? What if they are captured and kept to be eaten by wild beasts or worse, strange animals that we have never seen before!? We'll never be able to see them again!
Ren just looked at her with a subtle expression, "There is nothing we can do. If we stay here, they might come to us. There is no sense in going out there and getting ourselves lost."
"But that's just it, don't you see, Ren? We may never see them again!" In her loud, fragile state, she grabbed Ren's shoulders and started shaking him violently, "We… may, never… NEVER… see them again and there's nothing we can do!" She ceased her shaking and Ren had to respond with utmost uncertainty, looking at her with a slightly shocked expression, "Was that aimed at me?"
Nora removed herself from Ren, her sebum-filled hands becoming sticky from her anxiety and with herself hyperventilating all the while. "Stay calm. Take deep breaths." Ren took out his Scroll and started to flicker through it, "We'll stay here for the night and find out more about where we are tomorrow."
"And then?" The unsettling Nora started to rebuke Ren for what had been said, which also came across as her whingeing, "Just find out where we are? How can you be so cruel!?" "I'm not being cruel, I'm planning ahead." Ren selected "Yang" as the person for calling and waiting for the reception to kick in. The vibrations erupted and Yang went for hers. As she picked it up, however, she dropped it by reason of her weakened state. Weiss helped her by crouching down and picking it up for her and therefore answered it.
"Weiss here."
"I'm here with Nora in a village of some kind. We have no weapons and haven't seen anyone that we know. The locals… don't seem to have seen any of them. We'll look for you tomorrow, so if you could give us an indication on where…"
"We are on our way to a village right now. If it's the one that you are in, we'll be there."
"Erm, OK." As Ren said that, Nora alerted Ren of a light that could be seen nearby. "Yes. We see a light.", said Ren, "Would that be you?" "I'll tell you when we get there. Bye." after saying that, Weiss hung up. "Wow. Rude awakening… Let's go, Nora." Ren sighed in dismay and began walking shortly after connecting his Scroll to his clothing. "Wait, what? Ren, Where are you going!?"
Both Yang and Weiss approached the entrance to the village soon after with the mysterious person and both greeted the pair. "You know, you could have just said you were coming." Ren displeasingly said with folded arms, then continued, "What happened to you?" "Long story." Weiss stood still to give time for Yang to remove herself and with Yang herself still using Weiss for support by placing her hand on her to serve as a column, "And anyway, there's no time for that. She needs medical attention, immediately."
Nora went over to Yang and transferred her over to herself for personal assistance. "Alright. But what about you? You don't look at all well." "I can look after myself" Weiss scowled with her arms pressed against her hips as she said that, acting on independence. "You know, you really shouldn't be pushing yourself. It's not good for you. Also… wasn't there another person with you." Weiss looked behind herself and saw that the person who escorted them disappeared, with a mental image of dotted lines forming a person like a murder scene.
"We'll take Yang, now. We'll see if anyone can take care of her. Are you sure you'll be fine?" Weiss nodded at Ren with a serious expression and began to follow. But, as she took a step, you felt strange. She groaned and slightly swayed, her vision doubling. She felt weakened as her legs struggled to her atop the ground, soon to fail on her with her collapse. "Weiss?" Ren said from seeing Weiss being, to him, eccentric. He saw her hitting the ground with her face to one side and closed eyes. "WEISS!" he shouted in response to the now-apparent emergency, he knew now that something was wrong.