Alright, now that the heatwave is finally over, and the sidewalks are no longer capable of frying eggs, I can finally get back to writing. Keep in mind I'm not quite at 100%: extreme heat makes me feel tired, and a week's worth of it is seriously screwing with me. So updating will be a bit faster, but not as fast as it used to be. So if you're a little irritated about it, you"ll have to endure it for a moment longer whilst I get back up to speed.
Chapter 7: Nightmares All Around
As my eyes fluttered open, I became aware of a hot, wet wind breathing heavily against my right ear, right where Yang should be. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, expecting to see Yang breathing in my face. Instead, I came face to face with a Beowolf, sniffing me, checking to see if I was a worthy meal. I screamed, and punched the beast in the snout, causing it to recoil. It spun around, and landed in a crouch, its claws tearing into the carpet. As it slowed, it lunged forward, charging at me on all fours. I rolled out of the way, reaching for a weapon, something to kill with. That was when my fingers closed around the exposed rebar in the wall, tearing it out like a twig from a branch.
The Beowolf galloped towards me. Closer and closer, until I could see the primal, animalistic hatred in its blood-red eyes. It leapt, claws outstretched, snarling through a slobbering maw. Now was the time: I swung the rebar straight into the monster's head, a chunk of stone bludgeoning the monster and crushing it's skull to powder. As it sprawled on the floor, whimpering as Death's embrace took it over, I walked up to it, and continued to bludgeon its corpse, unsatisfied with the thought of it being dead.
"Enough!" A voice yelled, after the fifth impact, and a hand clasped my wrist, halting my desecration of the monster's corpse. I turn, and was met with a familiar face: the woman who had given me the crystal back on the beach.
"Can you not see the beast has been killed?" She said plainly, gesturing to the abomination. I looked back: the Beowolf was a mess of broken bone, fur, and blood. Turning to the woman, she gestured to a broken window, showing the flame orange sky outside. I ran to the frame, and saw that Beacon, Vale, the world, was ending. Embers dotted the path, and the outlying forests had been set ablaze. Trees were stripped from the ground, the mangled fuselages of Bullheads and airships were sporadically spread across the town of Vale, sticking from the ground like pieces of old bones.
"What is this?" I asked to no one in particular. The woman wrapped her arm around my shoulder.
"This," she said, gesturing to the view.
"...is the Reckoning. An ancient inevitability since the dawn of man. The Creatures of Grimm will amass, and unleash a collective fury unto the world, plunging it into a pit of hopelessness, despair, and death. Blood will be spilled, crops will be devastated, the lights of hope will cease. At the center of it all..." She paused, as if contemplating.
"You will be the spark. The catalyst that will sets this in motion."
What? I'm the one who'll bring about this destruction?!
"That's impossible. I can't be..." I was silenced with a finger pressing against my lips. The woman was shouting angrily now.
"You wield a pair of Iridescent Basilisks, you have seen a wall of weapons which cannot possibly exist in your dimension, and you have talked to people who slay monsters on a regular basis! Do not tell me what is impossible!"
I look back at the apocalyptic view in front of me. The woman has a point. The world of RWBY shouldn't be possible, and here I stand, smack dab in the middle. I look back at the woman, to find her gone. Looking around, she is nowhere to be seen, like she has vanished into thin air.
"YOU BASTARDS STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"
The shout diverted my attention back to the courtyard. From what I could see, a pack of Ursi Majors were converging on a young girl. From the blonde hair, it was Yang, pumping her arms, flinging round after fiery round into the monsters, with no effect. They roared, and continued to advance.
Immediately, without any hesitation, I leapt out the window, armed with nothing more than a metal bar. I remembered that we were some ways up on the third floor, but I didn't care. After falling for what seemed like an eternity, I hit the ground, rolling into a standing position. Thank God I had learned parkour. Admittedly, most of it was taken from movies and games, but I had practiced: I knew the basics, how to land and whatnot.
Letting out a yell, I charged at one of the Ursa, swinging my 'weapon' like a madman. But just as I reached them, I rebounded off of some kind of invisible surface, catapulting backwards into a smoldering tree, causing it to explode in a rain of splinters, embers, and ash. Brushing myself off, I stood, and charged again, hoping to break through this wall. The end result was the same: I was sent flying back, landing hard on the pavement. Tasting something bitter in my mouth, I quickly spat out a blob of blood. This time, I just sprinted up to the wall, and began pounding it with my bare hands. As it began to stain red, I screamed, helplessly impacting the wall with a pair of bloodied fists, desperate to break through.
Through the cloud of blood, I watched Yang kill one Ursa, only for it to be replaced by two more. She was panting, and the Ursa were beginning to swarm her. She pumped her arms, firing two more shots at the monstrosities. As she pumped a third time, nothing happened. She pumped again, nothing. Either Ember Celica had run out of ammo, or Yang's Aura was spent. The Ursa were on her in an instant, biting, ripping, and tearing. I screamed again, unheard by anyone. Yang emerged from the crowd of Ursi, bloodied, beaten, and her hair savaged. Were it not for her natural resilience, she would be dead. She came up to me, and began beating on the wall, as if screaming for help. It was as if... she couldn't see me. As she began to slip away, the wall finally broke down, and Yang fell forward, her eyes rolling up and staring far, far away. I tried to catch her, but as my arms closed around her, she dissolved, into a wisp of black smoke. I looked at my arms instinctively, tears wallowing in my eyes. I fell to my knees, and rested my head against a nearby flagpole, and began to sob.
"You see?"
I didn't move, just kept resting my head against its roost, and letting the tears flow. The woman from before, the one who had lectured me in the ballroom, placed her hand on my shoulder, and rubbed my heaving body, in rhythm with my sobs.
"This is inevitable. But should you follow my guidance, and no one else's, we may yet prevent this from happening. But in the meantime..."
She spun me around, and I saw she was holding a knife. Before I could react, she had buried it in my stomach, underneath my sternum. As I fell, an indecipherable look flashed across her face. Was it fear? Pity? Disgust? All three?
"Do not hate me, Darrel Conway. For this is the only way to ensure the message sinks in."
As my eyes snapped open, I launched into a sitting position, feeling hot and cold, sweaty, and panting. Looking around, I was back in the ballroom, though it was still in pristine condition. I looked around, everyone was still lying down, clearly asleep. Soft rumbles emanated from Yang's mouth. She wasn't kidding about her snoring: it sounded like a hibernating bear. As I was now fully awake, I decided to try and get some fresh air, see if I could lull myself back to sleep with a warm breeze.
I kicked myself out of my sleeping bag, and stood up, being careful not to step on a sleeping student. Tiptoeing, I silently made my way to the door, looking at my feet, seeing if a sleeping initiate's wayward arm would present an obstacle. Luckily, it didn't. As my fingers wrapped around the handle, I twisted, opening the door with a soft creak. I found myself on a balcony of some kind: overlooking what I assumed to be the town of Vale. Shutting the door, I strode to the railing, leaning against it, and taking in the fresh, cool air.
I looked to the stars, thinking about what I had been told. The woman who had called me via scroll had said that Earth and Remnant would be doomed to destruction, and that she needed my help to prevent it, while the woman with the white lion ears had said that I would bring about this apocalypse. Two conflicting reports, but there had to be some kind of truth to this. But with two pieces of the puzzle, each a contradiction, I couldn't work it out. I hung my head in my hands, frustrated with everything that was going on.
"Argh, why is this so difficult?!" I shouted to no one in particular.
"Whoa, geez. No need to let the world know, Darrel."
Turning around, I saw someone standing behind me, their face hidden in shadow. I squinted, trying to see through the darkness. The person stepped out into the moonlight to reveal...
Jaune in his bunny slippers onesie. Resisting the urge to laugh at his choice of sleep attire, I waved a hand, beckoning him over. He complied and rested against the balcony, head resting on his arms.
"It's a beautiful place, isn't it?" I asked. Jaune stood up straight, looking at the pool of lights far beyond.
"Yeah, it kind of is. Though I grew up seeing this sort of view from my bedroom, so I can't really judge." He sighed. I could ask about his family, what kind of warriors he was descended from, but that would probably make him feel even more insecure. Instead, I'd have to play this smart.
"Jaune? What are your parents like?"
Jaune looked up, his deep blue eyes penetrating me. He inhaled.
"My dad was a Huntsman a long time ago. He's retired on account of a missing leg, but he can still handle himself pretty well. Mom, though... She was, how do I put this?" He rambled, thinking of an appropriate word.
"She was a little overbearing. If I got a scratched knee, she'd flip out, treat it like I'd been impaled. She refused to let me pick up a weapon, until I was sixteen." He continued.
"Ah, okay. Just curious." I said. We looked to the moon, currently in its 3/4 stage, the cracked side facing us. I was always curious about the moon, but at this point, it'd be prudent to ask about something more important. But what exactly?
"Hey, Darrel? Why exactly are you out here?" Jaune asked. I sighed, and looked at him.
"I had… I guess it was a nightmare. Plus, I don't get back to sleep easily, so I decided to get some air." I replied. Jaune looked worried.
"A nightmare? What was it about?" He asked, curious and worried at the same time. I let out a rush of air from my nose, and pinched the bridge.
"I don't know. All I saw was flashes. I think. I don't really want to talk about it." I brushed off the question quickly: I had seen everything: the Beowolf attacking me, my discussion with that Faunus woman, Yang disappearing in a puff of smoke, and getting stabbed in the gut. Jaune shrugged.
"Okay, fair enough. I needed the bathroom, and I saw you leaving." He said. As the awkward silence continued, we heard the door open. Turning, we saw a pair of golden eyes glinting in the darkness. They moved forward, revealing Blake stepping out from the shadows. She was still wearing her bow, though I decided not to comment.
"Darrel? Jaune?" She asked. We nodded. She motioned back to the door.
"Ruby's having problems. Yang wants you two to help her calm down." She said quickly. Jaune looked at me, and I looked at him. Nodding simultaneously, we dashed back to the door, to see Yang trying to restrain a thrashing Ruby. We ran over, careful not to wake up anyone else. Yang turned to us, her face marred with pleading worry.
"What's wrong?" I asked. Yang's violet eyes swiveled to me.
"Ruby has night terrors sometimes. Usually, they're not bad, but I can't keep her under control this time." She whispered, a fearful undertone in her voice. Immediately, I grabbed Ruby's wrist, trying to prevent her from hurting someone. Her spasms were strong though, and I quickly lost my grip, her skinny wrist slipping from my fingers. Jaune tried to help, but ended up getting hit in the nose by a stray foot. He went down, clutching his aching nose and groaning nasally in pain.
While Jaune was out of the way, I managed to grip Ruby's hand again, pinning it to the ground. She tried to resist, but I wasn't about to let a friend suffer like this. Yang leapt onto her, shaking Ruby by the shoulders, while she sobbed something unintelligible, though I did manage to get snippets of it.
"mom…don"t…leave…help…"
"Ruby! Ruby, wake up! Please wake up!" Yang quietly begged, a tear threatening to escape her right eye. Ruby moaned, and threw her off like she didn't weigh more than a scrap of paper. She broke free of my grip once again, and sat up in her bag. I began to worry: if this kept up, she could hurt someone, even herself. So I did the one thing that I never thought I'd do.
I hugged her, and began to chant a safety mantra in her ear.
"You're safe, Ruby. You're alright. Please, calm down. We're here for you."
She struggled, to start. Like a cat that doesn't like being picked up. I felt a pain in my shin, as she kicked the tibia within, sending a searing pain up my leg. But even with the pain, I refused to let her go, trying to get her to calm down. Finally, her struggles began to weaken, to the point where they were just twitches. I smiled inwardly, grateful that I had managed to calm Ruby down. As I looked down into her face, buried in the chest of my pajamas, staining the Ursa design with mucus and tears, her head rolled back, and her silver eyes opened, locking into mine.
"Yang? Is that you?" She asked sleepily, tears still streaming down her face. I shook my head, and smiled at her.
"No, it's Darrel. You were having a night terror." I soothed, stroking her hair. I let her go, and she immediately flopped back onto her bag, panting heavily. Yang knelt beside her, stroking her forehead.
"You're okay, Ruby. Just don't think about it. Go back to sleep." Yang smiled, her cheek glistening with a tear. Ruby nodded, and shut her eyes. And with that, Yang looked back to me, smiling happily.
"Thank you, Darrel. She doesn't usually get like that. I gotta say, though, how'd you know that"d work?" She asked. I just shrugged.
"To tell the truth, Yang, I didn't." I whispered. As the tear continued to travel down Yang's cheek, I extended a finger, and brushed it off of Yang's face. She smiled again, and right then, the illusion was shattered: Yang wasn't just a brawler.
"Thanks, Darrel. I'll see you in the morning." She whispered, getting to her feet, and slipping into her sleeping bag. Within seconds, she was out like a light. I admired her for a moment longer: God, was she beautiful.
"Owwww…"
Turning around, I saw Jaune was still clutching his nose, clearly still aching. I walked over to him, and tried to pull his hands away. He whimpered as I looked his nose over: it was a little bent, and a small gash had been nicked across the bridge, but the bleeding was minimal.
"You're okay. It's just a scratch, Jaune. It'll be back to normal by morning." I reassured. Jaune nodded softly, still sniveling, and trotted back to his sleeping bag. I watched him go, and I trudged back to mine. Yawning, I decided that now was the perfect time to get back to sleep. Slipping into the bag, I looked back on the night's events, how they would have panned out had I not been here. Jaune probably wouldn't have been injured, Yang wouldn't have been able to pacify Ruby… who knows? I guess until I get home, I should try to make the world a better place. But in the meantime, I let sleep overtake me, and I finally rested for the first time in three days.
Well, not the greatest. But still worth something. Anyway, Chapter 8 is a small ways away, so please be patient.