"Right, well I suppose that will be enough for today." Winter said, closing the book as Qrow was knocked out of his nearby slumber.
"SHE'S LYING I DIDN'T LOSE IT!" He screamed, enticing a look from everybody in the room.
Taking a second he seemed to realize where he was, letting out a small cough as he cleared his throat.
"What were we talking about?" He asked as Winter let out a sigh.
"Nothing Qrow. Lessons are over, now it's time for the physical aspect of our job." She spoke, standing and heading for the door. Qrow leaned over to me, whispering my way.
"What's she talking about?"
"Training time." I replied as I stood to follow after her.
Everything looked to click as he followed along, realizing that this was his moment. Clover was with us as usual, just behind Winter as we walked throughout the halls, heading for the arena. It should have been empty, barring a few students who may have wanted to get some extra practice in. That guess was proven right the moment we stepped inside, where we were greeted to the sight of a single team that appeared to be practicing some sort of team exercises.
"We've been spotted Renny!" Came the cries of a short haired girl as the guy next to her held a flat face.
"We weren't even hiding Nora. The arena is for everyone, not just us." He spoke, sending a small nod our way as we stepped inside.
"Oh, it's you again." Called the red-head as Qrow squinted a bit.
"Do I kno- Wait, it's you!"
"You know her?" Asked Clover as he nodded.
"Yeah, we met a while back." He answered as he looked towards the group. "You kid's practicing for the tournament?"
"Yes, we just started a few minutes ago." Came the voice of the blond one.
"Carry on, we'll be over here." Came Winter's curt reply. She was about to head to the other side when she was stopped by Qrow.
"Qrow, what are you doing." She asked as he waved to the students.
"Why don't we take advantage of this little situation here?" He replied as he looked over to them. "Hey, you're here training right?" He got a set of nods, and a cheer from Nora. "How's about we all practice together?"
"Together? Are you sure that's alright?" The Red haired girl asked.
"Sure is... uh..."
"Pyrrha."
"Pyrrha. We're here to help this little snot get some practice of his own, so why not join in on the fun? You might end up learning a few tricks." Qrow offered as the group looked to huddle together.
"You sure this is a good idea?" I asked, not knowing how everything would turn out in such a large group.
"Positive. We need to get you used to dealing with groups of opponents. Oz said you were already trained to deal with one on one's; my whole job is to get you experience with things like this." He explained as the group across looked to have come to a decision.
"Alright, we'll do it." Called the blond one, sending me a weird look.
Now that I focused a bit more I realized they were all giving me off looks, sort of like they were searching for something.
"Very well, if we're doing this together then we'll handle it in intervals. Qrow and I will set a few rules for each match, as well as choose the participants. Clover here will make sure everything's running smooth and no foul play occurs." Winter explained as the others seemed to hype themselves up.
"Hold up, why aren't we getting a chance to fight?" Qrow asked as Winter rolled her eyes.
"We will, but it'll be after the students get their turns. This was your idea after all, so you need to finish it off." Winter returned her gaze to everyone else. "That being said, we'll be doing things slightly different then what you're all used to. We won't be limiting you to a certain percentage; once you start you'll be fighting until one of you has your aura broken."
"Are you sure that's safe?" Questioned Ren as Winter nodded.
"Quite, the match will be called as soon as the last hit is dealt. Does everyone understand?" She asked as everyone confirmed; although in Nora's case it was through a massive cry of joy.
"Very well, then we'll start now. The first match will consist of Pyrrha and Ren against Vermillion. Everyone take your places." Winter ordered as I made for the other end of the floor, across from a surprised looking Pyrrha and what I could only assume was an equally surprised Ren; despite the lack of emotion on his face.
It was strange, this was the first time I was told to fight against any of the students. Most of my training was done with Qrow, Winter, and Clover. Naturally I had no idea what to expect. I would need to be careful, and considering it was an aura match I would need to refrain from my magic as it drained aura with each use.
"Begin!"
Regardless of my expectations I was set upon the moment Winter shouted, with Ren taking to the side and Pyrrha rushing head on. She made a direct stab for me, to which I stepped away only to be pelted on by Ren as he sent a flurry of slashes.
A good few of them managed to get through my guard before he backed off. Pyrrha dived from above, going for a stab, I leaped back as it crashed into the ground below. I felt a pain in my side, noticing that Ren snuck up on me while my focus was off.
The kick sent me flying a few meters away, tumbling and rolling to gain a foothold once more. They were nothing like Qrow or Winter, as the former focused on direct specified strikes while the latter preferred to barrage and overwhelm with speed. These two however seemed to have some slightly more... shall we say 'adaptive' strategies.
Pyrrha and Ren seemed to play directly off of each other's moves, with Pyrrha attempting to keep my focus while Ren made to cut me off. It was a trap, they lured me in only to throw me away.
Standing once more I continued along as they repeated the process, only in different directions each time. Pyrrha came at my side, and Ren shot at my back. Pyrrha leapt above and Ren would go for my dodge. Pyrrha was deliberately keeping me on the move, guiding me in certain directions as Ren went in for the kill.
As I was on the move Pyrrha made another go, this time charging forth. I avoided to the side, turning in anticipation to Ren's movements. Sending out a swipe with my blade I watched him dodge backwards in a flip. Before I could press on I took another hit courtesy of Pyrrha.
Both came for me next, with Ren himself approaching at an alarming rate. Only he seemed to make a leap for Pyrrha, landing on her shield as she pushed him off. He took the momentum, combining it with his own strength to vault over and past me. I didn't have time to follow as Pyrrha was on me with several stabs both high and low.
I dodged most for a bit before I was taken from behind, and both continued to keep me trapped for a bit before through the ballet of blades. Suddenly Ren tripped me and Pyrrha backhanded me with her shield, knocking me away.
My aura was low, and after such a barrage of cornering techniques I was surprised it still held. I wouldn't be able to handle another go like that; for students in training they had a remarkable level of teamwork.
"Kick his ass!" Came the cheers of Nora as the blond next to her provided his own drowned out support.
I stood once more, keeping an eye on both as they ran for me. Pyrrha went for a leap, and naturally Ren was already out of sight. If I looked for him she would just finish the attack, and if I tried to attack him as I dodged he would counter it and Pyrrha would send out her own assault.
Out of sensible options I decided to try something absurd; the fight was over anyways so I decided I might as well see what damage I could do. As she came down upon me I looked her in the eye, watching as surprise filled her features. Clearly she never expected me to jump into her oncoming attack.
The spear bit into my side as I headbutted her chest. I felt a chunk of my aura ripped away from the damage, yet I wouldn't waste the opportunity. With the last remaining bit of aura I delivered a point blank fireball directly against her lower abdomen, causing a flaming explosion to blow us apart. As far as they could see it would look like I covered my attacks in fire, nothing more; they'd at best make a false assumption of my semblance, allowing my magic to remain it's own little secret.
"Pyrrha!" Cried her teammates as I slammed back to the ground. My aura giving one last flicker before it broke.
"Victory goes to Pyrrha Nikos and Lie Ren!" Called Winter as I made to sit up, watching as Pyrrha's friends rushed to check on her.
Oddly enough I felt a bit of surprise fill me as Qrow took my arm, pulling me to my feet.
"Quite the wild tussle huh?" He commented as I sighed.
"Yeah, they beat me." I replied as he patted my shoulder.
"True, but you went out with a bang." He gave as I looked to the others worrying over Pyrrha; the girl herself looked to be trying to calm them down. It was kind of funny as she looked embarrassed at their worry, and Nora looked to be laughing and celebrating at the whole thing.
"Don't feel to down about it, you never had a chance anyway." Qrow commented as I felt confusion take hold.
"Why?" I asked; his only response was to point over at Pyrrha.
"See Pyrrha over there?" He asked as I nodded, looking to her as she spoke with the blond boy. "Well she's the best of the best: the number one of the current generation. She's the four time consecutive champion of the global tournament scene."
Champion huh, seems like there's a lot I don't know about the students here.
Qrow held a smirk. "Trust me, we knew you'd lose the moment ice queen called."
"Then why? Why have me fight a losing battle?" I questioned as he started for the sidelines, whipping out his flask.
"Easy, it was to get you to experience a hopeless battle; the kind where we'd usually tell you to run." He took a swig, giving me another smirk as he lowered it. "Although I never though you'd try something like that. Takes guts to do something so extreme, especially at the risk of blowing yourself to pieces."
"And we don't encourage it!" Came the voice of Winter as she strode over, shaking her head at the sight of Qrow. "For once can you not get drunk on the job?"
"Nope." Qrow responded, snapping his fingers towards her as she sighed and faced me; a stern look graced her features.
"As I said we do not encourage such dangerous behavior, next time don't do something so rash." She ordered as Clover sent a nod my way from behind.
"I understand."
"Good, and while it was an effective move it was far too dangerous to be a consistent habit. If you were in such a broken state during a real battle that kind of decision could leave you severely injured or worse. As a huntsman you're much better escaping from dire situations than marching to your end. Battles can be fought at a later date, but death cannot; you as a hunter are always more valuable and helpful alive." Winter explained as she turned to the others.
"This goes for all of you as well: fight to live, not to die."
"Roger that commander!" Nora called with a salute. Ren sighed and gave an apologetic look.
Winter gave a hum, walking back to her place among the sidelines and looking back to the group.
"Now then, up next we'll have Nora and Jaune fight against Qrow." She called as the man sputtered, looking like he was caught with his hand in his pants.
"Wait what?"
.
.
The air was damp, and each step had her wary of her surroundings. Ruby had dealt with this type of Grimm before, and had only survived thanks to the help of Ozpin who'd been unaffected; only possible because of his unique position inside Oscar's head.
Not to say fighting a Dread Weeper is impossible mind you, it's just extremely difficult. This particular type was one of the many mental based Grimm, similar to that of the Apathy in terms of hunting tactics. Both are physically weak, and rely on other strategies to capture their prey.
Ruby cautiously walked down the hall, watching as the paint seemed to change color before her eyes. From green to brown, the very look of the place changed, even going so far as changing the time of day; now moonlight filled the halls.
"Honey, where are you?" Ruby called out, feeling her body start to sweat.
"In here mama!" Called Pebble, sounding as though he was in his room.
"I'm coming in." She called back as she strode up to his door with candle in hand before reaching to the knob.
Carefully she creaked it open, peeking inside to see him on his bed and holding onto a small stuffed doll.
"Hi mama! Is it bed time?" He asked, hopping down and skipping towards her.
Ruby smiled, ducking down as she shook her head.
"No silly, it's not time for bed yet. You're much to dirty, so you need a bath first." She told, watching as his smile dropped into a pout.
"But I'm already clean." He whined as she let out a giggle, ruffling his blond hair and watching his bunny ears flop about.
"Nuh uh, you're dirty. Come on now, I've got the water warm." She told as the boy grumpily followed her out.
With haste the two made for the bathroom, walking inside to the sight of the wooden tub. There was a little bucket beside it, sat atop a stool. Jessica shut the door behind her, feeling a small tear drip down her cheek. She looked over to the tainted boy, mustering a false smile as her heart broke.
"Help." He asked while holding his arms up, all the while she shook her head.
"It's alright dear, you don't need to undress for this bath. We'll let your clothes get clean too." She spoke as he made a little 'o' with his mouth.
"Okay then!"
He sounded happier, much more excited at the prospect of washing with his clothes on. She let out a slight giggle, doing her best not to break down. It had to be done, he was already lost. Last time they ignored the signs they lost three people, in response they were not allowed to let anything else slide.
Jessica steeled herself, placing the candle beside her and taking her son by the hand as she led him over to the tub. Carefully she lifted him up, dipping him down in the water as he made small splashes with his hands.
"I'm wet!" He cried with a giggle as she wiped some of the spare drops from her face.
"Alright alright, calm down now. Sit down so I can do your hair." She asked as the little boy pouted once more.
He complied however, taking a seat in the water with his back to her. Slowly she took the bucket, scooping up some of the liquid and pouring it over his head. The boy spit at the air, showing that he got some of it in his mouth.
"It tastes yucky." He let out as she sighed.
"You're not supposed to drink it, it's for washing."
"Still yucky. Why does clean taste yucky?" He asked as she worked her fingers through his hair, cleaning around his ears and trying to enjoy the last few moments.
"Because your mouth is dirty; all mouths are dirty."
"Even mama's?"
She nodded and hummed. "Even mama's. Now come on, it's time to rinse."
The boy took a large breath as she lowered him down, his eyes were scrunched shut; at least he learned from last time.
Slowly she dipped him under the water, letting out a ragged breath as she placed her other hand on his chest. There she held him, watching with pain as he waited for her to bring him up.
She didn't.
His body squirmed, his arms smacked at her own as she watched his cheeks puff out. Her little boy did his best, kicking and worming as he shuddered. He tried to cover his mouth, but she used her first hand to pull it away. She covered his mouth-
That didn't hAppeN.
Watched him do his best as she pulled him ou-
WrOng!
He squirmed, his mouth opening up as he tried to scream. Bubbles filled the tub as his chest puffed in and out, filling his lungs with water as his movements slowed. His struggling ceased as his body went limp.
She laughed, turning around and spitti-
FAke!
Her arms flew to the sides, wrapped in black tendrils as the creature made itself known. It appeared to wash over her vision from the bottom up: a solid black mass, consisting of severed bony limbs.
It's stomach opened, several white ribs breaking apart as a set of pasty tongues protruded out. Each was lined with hundreds of eyes; charred black and burning with crimson rings. The ends split apart as sharp claws tore out, stabbing into her gut and tearing the flesh wide.
A numbness hit her as she watched them pull out her intestines, lopping it out in a long string and throwing it back into the ribs which munched at them like teeth. The world looked to fade for but a moment, a small whine entering her ears. It changed back and the eyed tongues morphed into two wolves, which proceeded to dig into her insides rabidly.
Ruby let out a yell as she tore with all her strength. A high pitch squeal deafened her as she felt it split. Her vison was awash as the world faded: the walls seemed to morph and the bathroom was no more.
In her hands she watched as the two halves of the Dread Weeper started to fade. As a whole the thing took on the appearance of a jawless skull, with two black wings at the sides and a tongue that consisted of what looked like six spines wrapped around each other. It's crimson eyes lost their glow as it faded, and ruby looked behind her to what would have been the tub.
It was replaced with a storage chest, and Pebble was lying in the bottom of it. She pulled him up in a rush, placing her ear to his mouth as she checked for breathing. Ruby was awash with relief as she heard the tiny breaths of the boy warm her ears.
That was too close.
She made her move a little early, resulting in it trying to catch her in the illusion. However by the time it tried to scare her she already had it's feeble body in hand. She won just by an inch, and she couldn't be happier.
If it caught her in the illusion it would have had time to move away, leaving her defenseless as she wasn't able to see or feel the real world. At that point it would have drained her soul's energy through her fear, leaving her with only moments to live. Yet in the end it was she who came out on top, leaving her safe in the knowledge that she killed the irregular Grimm. Yet her victory proved sour, as it suggested that something horrid happened long ago.
Dread Weepers were specifically created from death. When people die in particularly brutal events it leaves an imprint of negativity around the area. The imprint only lasts for a short few hours though, afterwards the negativity will disperse. However if the smoke of a recently killed Grimm were to come across this imprint it would try to absorb the loose negative energy, creating the aforementioned Dread Weeper.
Yet this process was exclusive to smaller events, as too much energy would result in the Grimm being unable to form properly, and it would instead be torn apart by the conflicting balance of power in the area.
This type of 'rebirth' gives the Grimm specific properties, allowing it to project an illusion of the imprint it was born from. Afterwards it waits for the arrival of victims similar to those in the imprint, hiding out of sight for however long it takes. It then casts the illusion on the unsuspecting, trapping them in the memory to experience the terror first hand as it drains them of their energy.
Once caught the victim slowly starts to believe that they are the real person, playing out their part in the horror story with the Dread Weeper being the only audience. To survive the afflicted would usually need the help of one outside of the illusion, as aura use wouldn't stop the illusion; only make the Grimm switch tactics to try and kill faster.
That's not to say you had no control, you could move around and interact just fine, but the Grimm would control what you saw and felt. For this reason hunters needed to be near perfect with the timing used. When the Grimm was near the end of it's little show - right as it went for the kill - it would close in physically near the target, which became the hunters only time to strike. Their only chance was to use a blind attack with the hopes of hitting the thing; or in her case tearing it apart.
Of course if the hunter didn't know they were entering the lair of a Dread Weeper before hand... well, you were already dead.
Ruby knew she was lucky, had it been Blossom to return to the empty tavern it may have chosen her as the second target. Yet this couldn't have been the first time the place was empty aside from Pebble and someone else, so why had it acted now if it was so old? Was it pure luck, or had they not been alone together yet?
Come to think of it... they had only arrived some time ago, and there were other workers that slept in the tavern's upper rooms. She remembered counting at least five along the halls; had she just been really lucky to be the one alone with Pebble?
She understood that the Grimm itself only looked for physical similarity as it hunted, so whether any of the women were mothers or not wouldn't matter to it. A woman and a child, that was all that it needed for the illusion she witnessed. Shaking her head she let out a breath and looked over Pebble, deciding to just leave it and be thankful that they survived.
Carefully Ruby picked up the young boy, holding him close as she made her way out. She went back to his room, noticing that it was completely different. Now she was able to see it normally, rather than the one in the distant past. It was smaller: packed with drawers, a small table, and a larger bed. The walls were also blue, giving it a more open feel.
Ruby walked in, laying the boy down and tucking him in. She gave a gentle look over his face, wiping away a small amount of dust on his cheek. Overall she had managed to kill the Grimm before it could really hurt him, which allowed her to calm down somewhat despite the fact that her heart chose to beat like a drum.
She saw a small part of what looked like murder back in the illusion, and she knew she'd never know the whole story. Ruby didn't care, all that mattered was that they were both alive. Letting out a ragged breath she left the room, intent on heading down and getting a tall glass of wine to relax the evening away.
She needed it.
.
.
"Was something... off back there?" Pyrrha asked as Jaune gave her a look.
This was not how he though he'd be spending their evening: in their room and trying on their dress clothes. They never really had time to prepare for the dance all week, mostly due to watching the guy everyone was so worried about. Not to say Jaune wasn't worried, but he was less so than the others.
Vermillion acted a lot less... 'evil' than Jaune thought he would, and after hearing about what happened at the docks the boy felt conflicted. Jaune remembered learning everything from RWBY the night they were let in on the plan, and just how irrational his team and himself almost acted.
For the first time in a while he felt genuine anger, not since the events with Cardin had he felt so angry. Once before he would have cowered away, but after the trip and near death to a Ursa he felt stronger than ever before; along with the training he got from Pyrrha he felt like he could do anything.
Jaune wanted to confront the guy, but stopped himself as he saw the others react. Pyrrha had been shocked silent, but he could feel the cold layer underneath her surprised face; Nora had - naturally - wanted to break the guy's legs; and Ren silently held a stoic look. His team wanted action, but RWBY calmed them down enough to reason with them and explain the situation.
According to the headmaster the whole debacle was nothing more than an accident, but that presented it's own issues. Why had the headmaster took such extreme actions? Or why had he been seemingly willing to overlook any crimes committed during the event?
They would ultimately drop the idea of immediate retribution in favor of a more... discrete approach, like in the comics and spy movies they'd often watch on weekends. Their sister team wanted them to keep an eye on Vermillion while they looked for info regarding the White Fang, to keep him from causing issues at Beacon.
It seemed simple at the time: watch over the guy and let Nora break his legs if he tried anything fishy. That should have been the plan anyway, but with the knowledge of Vermillion's supposed guardian, and the fact that he's been seen around Atlas soldiers; let's just say it caused a bit of worry.
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked as Pyrrha rubbed her stomach.
"I mean that attack back there; the one with the fire." She clarified as he let out a silent look of understanding.
"The fire uppercut?" Nora Jumped in, wrapping her arm across his partner. "Don't worry about it, he never stood a chance anyway."
"It's not that." Pyrrha let out as she looked down again.
"Perhaps we should let her explain first." Ren suggested as the bubbly girl zipped back to his side.
"Go for it girl!" Nora cheered as Ren shook his head, choosing instead to fix up his sleeves.
"Floor's all yours Pyrrha." Jaune gave as the young woman let out a breath.
"It's... well... that last fight felt wrong. I know it sounds weird but hear me out. Right at the end you saw him use that fire attack, the one Blake told us about." She started as the others nodded, remembering it from the night of planning.
"He can shoot fireballs from his hands, like some sort of supervillain!" Nora stated - rather loudly - as Ren looked to give up on calming her.
"Yes he can, and that's the issue. If he had access to that type of power the whole fight then why didn't he use it? The whole time it felt like he was... watching."
"Watching?" Jaune asked as She nodded, all the while Ren let his thoughts be known.
"She's right, during the fight it felt more like he was observing us; studying our movements. Whenever he did act it was always with a different move than before, and would force us to respond differently."
"He was testing you!" Jaune spoke in shock as Ren nodded.
"Precisely. Everything he did was to learn our habits and moves, it was why I made a point to stay out of sight. As Pyrrha here was taking him head on I could see him make minor adjustments each clash, slowly learning the best way to block and counter." The stoic boy explained as Pyrrha looked wary.
"I've seen it before: sometimes during fights the opponent might try to test the waters, making smaller moves designed to fail with no repercussions so that they could learn how the challenger responded. It's done as a way to avoid getting caught off guard or surprised."
"So what? That fight was a fake?" Nora asked as Pyrrha shook her head.
"No, if anything I say it was perfectly legit. While he may not have won he still gained something from it: the knowledge of our general tactics. But we've managed to do the same, so it's a fair trade."
"She's right, he may know more about us now, but we have the same luxury." Ren stated as Nora looked pumped.
"Yeah, we got something too! Good job Pyrrha and Renny!"
Jaune didn't want to be the downer, he really didn't, but he just had to say something.
"Wouldn't that even out and put us back on even ground though?" He asked as the room got silent.
"..."
Before anyone could speak up they heard a knock at the door. Jaune stood and stepped over to open it, feeling surprised - and confused - at the sight of Blake standing there accompanied by an annoyed looking Yang.
"Hey." He waved as Yang returned the action.
"Sup."
"Do you need help or something?" He questioned as the brawler sent a look to her partner.
"Have you seen Vermillion?" Blake asked, only adding on to the confusion he already held.
"Uh... yeah, he was at the arena around twenty minutes ago. He had a sparring match with Pyrrha and Ren." The two waved from behind. "Why?"
"Blake here want's to ask him to the dance." Yang stated as the girl nearly tripped.
"To keep tabs on him!" She cried with a hint of pink dusted across her cheeks.
"Yeah whatever; so you ask anyone out yet lover boy?" Yang asked with a smirk as her partner looked to be holding in her embarrassment.
"Not really, the four of us just decided we'd go as a group. I thought we were the ones keeping eyes on Vermillion, so why does Blake want to do it?"
"I'm right here you know!"
Yang shook her head. "Probably paranoia, who knows. Guess it's just a Blake thing."
"Stop ignoring me!"
"Cool cool, so I guess we'll see you later tonight." Jaune stated as Blake fumed next to Yang.
"Count on it!" She stated as he shut the door, knowing full well the wrath that would be unleashed as he did so; growing up with seven sisters will do that to a man.
"You sure that was a good idea? Blake looked mad." Pyrrha questioned as he shrugged.
"Yang's problem now, she'll live... maybe." He stated as Nora jumped up again.
"I call dibs on her bike!"
Author's note
...
Here we are, once again graced by Qrow causing another scene. Luckily it ended in what I though was an alright little battle, nothing major but good enough. V let's his cluelessness shine once again, and it leads to a bit of pushback from Winter of all people.
Regardless we also got future Ruby managing to survive what amounted to a tiny horror story, with some over the top hallucinations near the end. Couldn't tell if it was too much or not, but whatever; hopefully it was entertaining.
The Dread Weeper was inspired by the Apathy - surprise surprise - with how it fights on a more indirect level. Most fighting Grimm - while fun - are hardly a threat to hunters; outside of massive waves anyway. So it only made sense that the most dangerous Grimm were the kind that hit the least guarded part of the hunters, that being the mental aspect.
Anyway we've also got some perspective from JNPR as well this time. Pyrrha's all worried and the group is theorizing, all the while trying on their dress clothes for the night. We also had a Blake moment, because I couldn't just let her go without trying to cause at least a little trouble.
So let me know your thoughts, and see you later.
(P.S: This chapter is being released early due to some things I'll be doing Monday, next chapter is still Friday.)