Violently the rain pattered, tearing through the sky at vicious rate. Pyrrha couldn't shake the tension as they quietly paced along, agonizingly slow with their attention drawn to every creek and crunch. It was times like this when she wished she'd taken something like a cloak along to combat the water quickly soaking every inch or her, but those were packed away and currently they didn't have time to break them out.
Something about the village peaked her curiosity though, and Pyrrha could feel a strange sense of nostalgia as they passed through the offside alleyways along the outer edges.
"Nora and I found ourselves traveling after Kuroyuri fell."
"I'm sorry." Ruby spoke as Ren brushed her off.
"Don't be, what's done is done. In all honesty I'm kind of happy in a way. Our teams might have never met or even come to be if it wasn't for that incident. In the end we still destroyed the Nuckelavee, so I have no regrets anymore." Ren held out his hand.
"Right, let's see this through to the end."
Pyrrha ignored the conversation as they slowed to a crawl, stopping as Qrow drew his weapon closer.
"What is it uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked as the man carefully looked around.
"Did you hear that?" He asked as the others let themselves focus.
"No... what is i-wait..." Yang shushed herself, and they could clearly begin to hear something moving. their collective vision trailed upwards where the scuffling sounded from. Qrow gave a look, prompting several nods as they slowly followed after it from below.
Her grip tightened as they moved closer and closer to what looked like the main square. Pyrrha's eyes widened a tad as the figure finally came into view. Brown cloak blowing in the wind as the rain reached it's peak. They all watched as their target turned, pulling back the hood to reveal a disturbing almost manic smile.
"So she spoke the truth, now this is interesting. You are the lady known as Pyrrha yes?" The man called as they sent odd looks his way.
"Who's asking buddy." Qrow shot back as the man bellowed a laugh.
"Who? Me?" He placed a hand to his chest. "I am but a traveler of this winding road. I seek only to enjoy the sights of this fine country side."
"From the rooftops?" Yang questioned as the man frantically and animatedly nodded.
"Why yes!" His arms shot out to the sides. "So many wonderful sights from above, especially you lot." He leaned forwards, almost looking to tip slightly against the edge, yet somehow keeping his balance as he spoke. "Speaking of, that little silver eyed girl there wouldn't happen to be named Ruby Rose would she?"
"How do you know that?" Yang's look grew dark and Pyrrha felt an ominous emotion grow from within her heart. The face Yang bore was absolutely menacing, and Pyrrha felt a sense of dread well up.
"Tyrian; the infamous serial killer who supposedly disappeared after a Grimm attack on his transportation convoy." Ruby looked to smirk. "What are you up to this time? We stopped you before, so why do you believe you can take us now"
"It doesn't matter, we still need to stop him." Pyrrha looked ahead with the strongest glare she could muster. "We won't hold back Tyrian, if you don't back away willingly then we'll force you to move."
"Ooooo... interesting." Tyrian smirked as he leapt down to the ground. "You know my name, and here I thought I was all but forgotten."
"Quiet." Pyrrha spat as the man's smirk grew ever wider. "What are you doing here in Kuroyuri?"
"Well if you must know..." He chuckled to himself as his eyes settled on her. "Our esteemed Goddess has asked for both you and the little Rose's audience. I am simply the messenger sent to collect you both."
"And you think we'll come? You couldn't even finish off Qrow when he was poisoned, so what makes you think you can defeat us now? You won't get any of us with your tail anymore!" Pyrrha asked as Tyrian laughed harder this time.
"You're funny, most don't know of my tail's poison." His smirk returned to the twisted grin from before. "And I certainly don't remember making my move yet. Still, how was it you really learned about me."
"At first we had no idea who you were, but then Qrow told us-" She froze as the words hit her.
No... that's not right. That never happened... Pyrrha looked back to the others to see odd and worried eyes directed her way, especially Qrow who's face was a mix of shocked confusion and panic, tightly hidden as he did his best to mask it.
"I-I... we..." She couldn't find her words.
She remembered... no wait, she didn't remember. It wasn't her who remembered, but she did. That wasn't right either, those memories were wrong. Pyrrha focused on Qrow who lacked any sense of injury.
This is wrong, he was injured back when... Pyrrha felt a well of dread break through her mental barrier as she realized how off the situation was. But he was injured by Tyrian before we made it to Kuroyuri, so why is he fi- everything seemed to blur as she realized the utter wrongness of their situation. Those memories weren't real.
Pyrrha saw their blurred forms shift, yet she ignored them as her world came crashing down. Her weapons fell as she gripped at her head, doing her best to reign in the spouts of confusion an panic. Just why did she think those thoughts, and why did they feel so familiar?
The dreams! Pyrrha could feel it, that sense of longing and fear was almost identical to the dreams she'd been having as of late. But why? How? It doesn't make any sense!
"Ren!" She called desperately as the blur looked to move. "Have you told us anything about you or Nora!? Have you killed the Nuckelavee!?" It was feint, but Pyrrha could have sworn she heard a 'no' of some sort; the assumed response only drove her further into the bowels.
I can't... I don't understand... why. Why why why why WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY! WHY NOW WHY NOWWHYNOWWHYNOWI'MAWAKEI'MAWAKEI'MNOTDREAMINGIDON'TUNDERSTANDSOMEBODYTELLMESOMEBODYEXPLAINSOMEBODYMAKESENSEOFITALLPLEASESOMEBODYSA-
Her face was bludgeoned with pain. She gripped at her cheek as the world came back into view, and she saw Ruby holding her shoulders as her silver eyes bored into her own.
"R-Ruby?" Pyrrha almost wanted to reach out and touch, to see if what she saw was real.
"Are you back?" The silver eyed girl asked, her voice gentle and soft despite being peppered with worry.
"I-I... I believe so..." Pyrrha felt drained, yet a quick glance around had her witness the change in positioning. Her friends had her surrounded, weapons drawn on Tyrian as the man watched with an amused look.
"Oh? The fun's over so soon?" He sighed and shook his head, smirk still present as his eyes betrayed a hint of amusement. "Pity, it was such a sight to behold. It's been years since I've seen someone fall into the pits of their own insanity, but I guess you're not quite there yet." He sighed as he leapt and landed back on the roof.
"Hey! Where are you going!?" Shouted Nora who stood directly ahead of Pyrrha; hammer drawn like a knight standing guard.
"I'll take my leave for now. I'm sure her eminence will be eager to hear about this. Besides-" A roar enveloped the air, and Tyrian smiled brightly. "You have other toys to play with. Have some fun for me."
He left quickly, yet everyone's eyes were drawn to the beast in the distance staring them down. With the lower half of a horse and upper half that of a skeletal man the blackened creature's twitching sent horror through them all, and Pyrrha noticed Ren and Nora in particular seemed to freeze as she herself set her focus back onto the Grimm.
The Nuckelavee had arrived.
.
.
"I'm not listening."
"Whether you are or not is irrelevant, I will be here regardless."
"Just shut up already!"
"Oscar? Did you call out?" A feminine voice called from outside.
"No, just thinking out loud." The boy called back as he sat on his bed trying to ignore the voice once again.
"I know you don't want to leave so abruptly, and I know how crazy this must all seem-"
"Then shut up and leave me alone." He spoke in a much lower voice this time; not too keen on letting his recently acquired insanity show.
"You're not insane Oscar, I am very much real."
"Stop reading my thoughts!"
"I'm not, you're just predictable."
Oscar let loose a tired sigh as he fell back onto his bed. The softness nearly enveloped him completely, but he found that the stress didn't wash away so easily.
"Why me? Of all the things to happen recently why did it have to be this?" He asked aloud. "What did I do to deserve this?"
"Now you're just being dramatic."
"Am I? I've got a voice in my head claiming to be a dead guy telling me to go to Mistral to meet with a friend. And to top it all off it claims to be the headmaster of Beacon."
"All of those claims are true."
"And I'm a celebrity using the farm to hid from the press." Oscar replied tauntingly. "Oh, and I also have a super semblance that let's me destroy Grimm with a single thought."
"Sass won't help anyone in this situation."
"And what? Abandoning my life on the farm to look for a supposed 'ally' because a ghost in my head told me to will?" Oscar could almost feel it sigh as a shiver crept down his spine.
"You're not planning on believing me anytime soon, are you?"
"You think?"
"Then perhaps a more direct showcase of proof is needed. I apologise for this Oscar, but you've forced my hand."
"What are you-" Shock burned through him as the feeling rush of falling made itself known. He wanted to scream but found his lips unresponsive, much like the rest of his body. It lasted only a second however as things seemingly returned to normal, albeit the numbness that blanketed him.
"Strange..." Oscar watched in horror as his eyes looked around on their own, his body not responding to him at all and limbs appearing to move of their own accord as a hand curled it's fingers. His vision was forced to the small mirror he had on the wall and his body approached, feeling at his face as the voice spoke again, at which point Oscar noticed the words came from his own lips. "It's been centuries since I've used a body this young."
"WHAT DID YOU DO!?" His lips never moved, but it seemed his own eyes were looking directly into him from the mirror.
"As I said, a more direct showcase of proof. I apologise in advance for this." His body raised a finger and bit at the flesh along the side, drawing a small bit of blood as Oscar waited for the pain. Such pain never came and Oscar simply watched as a small hum of approval left his body. "Tell me, did you feel that?"
"The bite you gave me? No... I didn't."
"When I'm in control you will be unable to feel any pain, the same is true for me when you take the wheel. Is this enough proof for you now?"
"I don't know how I feel with you taking my body like that..."
"Again I apologise, but I needed you to understand my existence is more than mere imagination."
"Right..." Oscar sighed from the inside as he begrudgingly answered. "Okay, I believe you."
"That is good. Believe me I never wanted to end up like this either, but some things cannot be helped. I know you're reluctant to leave, but there are grander things at stake here and we need to move as soon as possible."
"So what, these 'allies' of yours need you? What's going on here?"
"I want to explain, I really do, but we need to go. Once we meet up together then I'll reveal it all, including your roll in all this. How does that sound?"
"Do I even have a choice?" Oscar asked as his body sighed.
"I could tell you yes... but it would be a lie."
"And you don't have a choice either do you?"
"No."
"Fine, I'll go along with it, but I want a full explanation when we get there."
"Trust me, you'll get that and more."
"Alright... so... can I have my body back?" Oscar asked as he saw his head nod.
The rush from before returned, although not as severe as before. Feeling returned to his limbs, along with a sharp pain in his thumb.
"Agh!" He pressed on the tiny wound and hissed. "Why'd you have to bite so deep?"
"Sorry, sometimes I forget how bad new pain can be to others where I'm so used to much worse."
"Whatever, I'll get a bandage and then we can leave." The hum of acceptance was enough for Oscar and he made for the door.
.
.
Blake wasn't one to shy away from any situation usually, and when Sienna suggested she stay behind to recover it hit hard. For as much as the girl wanted to join in a supposed rescue Blake realized that in her current state it would cause more issues than aid, and so resigned herself to watching over her parents for the time being.
Her mother had been quiet mostly during that time, opting to focus on administering treatment to her father who lay silently. His face was less dire now and more relaxed than before, and according to Sienna he'd make a full recovery after some time. That alone lifted a huge weight from her heart; she didn't know what she'd do if he didn't make it. All the things she said before their parting; all the vile and hateful words; if those were the last he'd heard from her...
Blake shook her head. It was worthless to think about; he was going to be fine so worrying would only cause her unnecessary stress. When he woke up she'd reconcile and apologise for all the trouble and pain she'd caused both of them. Still though, she had the urge to get out there and fight; if the White Fang had something darker planned then she needed to be there to stop it.
Of course the army of naked people needed to be dealt with first.
"Well? You going to let us in or not?" Sienna asked with an irritated tone. "It's fucking cold out here you know."
"R-right." Blake stepped aside as they filed in, and for as weird of a situation as it was she immediately noticed the state they were in. Several had still open wounds, along with heavy amounts of dirt and bruising which painted their weathered skin. Clearly they'd been mistreated, and from the looks of it were only barely managing to stay alive under such conditions. After the last one stepped inside she shut the door as Sienna spoke up.
"Right, is everybody still breathing?" It was a blunt and standard question, but the round of weak responses had Blake worried. "Okay, so I know you've been through Grimm and back, but I'll have to ask that you hold on for now. As much as I'd like to get you taken care of the Fang have a sizable presence here on Menagerie. It's too dangerous to move again at the moment."
"What's going to happen to us?" The voice was weak and Blake felt her eyes pulled to the woman as her words shifted in volume.
"We'll keep you here for now." Sienna replied as her tone eased off. "You'll be taken care of and we'll shelter you, at least until I deal with this whole mess. Don't go outside, don't answer anything, and do your best to avoid any windows or the like. I'm sure our leaders her can keep you hidden and safe, so just do as they say alright. I promise you'll make it out of this."
Her words seemed to calm the small crowd, at least somewhat as the tension was still high, however Blake couldn't quite focus on it as something bothered her. The woman who spoke, she was undoubtedly Human, yet Blake didn't recognise her from the boat. Now Blake would admit she hadn't paid much attention to the other passengers, however she still understood that most, if not all, had been Faunus.
"Excuse me?" Blake asked as the woman looked to her, followed by several others. "If it's not too difficult can you tell me how you ended up captured here?"
She gripped her child tighter, and yet after a few twitches and movements she looked back.
"I was traveling with my daughter her to visit my husband in Mistral. We were asleep in our room when the screaming started, when I tried to get up I felt someone grab me, followed by something being pressed into my mouth. When I woke up I was in a cage and..." She struggled to speak.
"You don't need to say anymore, I understand." Blake said as the woman gave a weak nod. Despite the short description it told her everything she needed to know. It hadn't been only their ship that was ransacked: the White Fang were plundering ships all over from the sounds of it.
But why? Usually they'd strike at the mines or camps as those had more supplies to yield, however it appeared they struck not only at land but sea as well. If it had been say a battleship Blake would understand as there would be weapons to steal; even something like a trade ship would be sufficient reason, but a civilian ship?
The only thing they could take...! Her eyes widened as she looked over the people, her worries all but confirmed as Sienna worked on unlocking everyone's binds. It seemed like a stretch at first as she believed the Fang might have wanted to ransom them, but as the woman from before let her child down to allow Sienna room Blake spotted it.
A stark symbol burned into the side of her left breast, right where her heart lay. It was no ordinary symbol either, but one that resembled the White Fang emblem. Blake knew for a fact that hey never had such branding equipment when she herself ran with them, meaning that it was a new implementation. Not only that but the fact that they were branded meant that the Fang most likely intended to keep them as slaves of their own. The irony struck hard for Blake as she finally understood the repulsive reason for it all.
Just like what happened to us. You want to make them feel the same pain they brought onto our own, don't you Adam? He intended to grant the same humiliation they had to face for centuries until the great war abolished the act of slavery. Blake saw the twisted humor behind it, however she'd been gifted with nothing but a deep sense of nausea from such a discovery. She never wanted this, nobody wanted it, and yet Adam's hate for humanity drove him towards the same path as that of their oppressors.
A hand gently pressed against her side and she felt herself pulled aside as Sienna leaned in.
"We need to talk Blake."
.
.
Shit! Qrow dodged just barely as the limb drove itself into the ground, and like a rubber band flung back to the Grimm as it aimed once again. He raised his sword and grit his teeth as it roared. Why can't things ever work out?
There was no use in complaining, but Qrow couldn't really stop himself with everything that happened recently. First of all there was Tyrian Callows: A renowned serial killer and apparent ally of Salem's if the Grimm attacking was anything to go by. According to reports Tyrian was a man who took great joy in causing as much pain as possible; his crime scenes were considered too graphic for not only the general public, but also a few hunter recruits as well.
Qrow dodged another at the last second, followed by another, and another. The Grimm screeched as it's limbs flailed out rapidly, and soon as it realized the tactics were failing it started a charge. Qrow saw the others move out of the way, all save one.
"REN!" Pyrrha screamed as Qrow noticed her charge for the boy. Before he could do anything she tackled him to the side as the Nuckelavee tore past them. The boy looked flabbergasted, especially after the slap she delivered.
"Get a hold of yourself!" She screamed as she pulled him up. He stumbled for a second as the furious champion took her battle stance. "We need to focus!"
"I-I..."
"There's no time for worry; all that matters is killing that thing!" Her tone left no room for argument as the creature turned and made for them again. The lad still hadn't quite gotten a hold of himself, but he at least had the senses to leap away from the attack this time.
"Leave them alone!" The shout was followed by Nora who flung herself at the beast and drove her hammer into it's side. However such an effort was wasted as it didn't even flinch. It's arms flung out again and she was thrown back, crashing through a wall as it collapsed in on itself.
"NORA!" The panic was immediately followed by rage; a foreign look for the young hunter. Ren dashed with a precision that caught even Pyrrha by surprise, and she felt a rush of courage as he zeroed in on it. While quick Ren looked to take his time, she noticed he focused on dodging around as the beast began to thrash about.
Pyrrha felt a grin slip out as he severed each offending limb, having cut when the appendage was thin from the constant stretching and slashing. Soon enough it began to move as it switched up it's strategy and brought it's legs into the fray. Ren wove and twisted, however it wasn't good enough and he was punted back, rolling as he came to a stop with his face in the dirt.
Qrow zipped past Pyrrha along with Ruby, each of them trying to get in quick strikes. Pyrrha shifted her weapon into it's ranged mode, aiming down the sights as she sent off several shots towards what looked like the thinnest point of each tendril. Some broke through while others caused at least a small chunk of damage. However the tissue looked to heal too quickly for anything other than amputation to work, and even then new ones would almost immediately grow in their place.
The champion felt a sense of weightlessness as her mind tried to process what happened next, and nothing but a dull pain in her chest and a flash of aura told her of the change. Everything slowed for a moment as she crashed through another wall, the dust and stone atop her acting as a coating. She tried to move, seeing the Nuckelavee's arm stretch back to itself as it carried on fighting the others.
An attempt to stand was made, yet something was off as she noticed an odd feeling, or more so a lack of one as she began to focus. Her arms wouldn't move, and her legs failed to respond as well, yet her body stood.
What? She was naturally confused as to why her body appeared to disobey her, yet that feeling of confusion morphed into shock as she noticed herself stand higher. No, it wasn't that she was standing, the girl understood something was amiss when her eyes trailed to a still standing stone wall.
Pyrrha herself while tall amongst her female peers wasn't so high as to nearly reach the roof, however the rain-soaked stone around her pooled with water and as it flowed smoothly down she caught sight of herself in it's reflection, and with it a new sense of terror.
She wasn't standing, she was being held.
The light glowed from behind as a dull vibration filled her, and Pyrrha forced out enough strength to move her head. She looked at the tendrils ripped through her chest as they pulled her down onto the black - almost glassy - stone below. It was soothingly warm, and she felt every inch of her body lull with the rhythm, as if the toppled pillar itself sang to her.
N-no... no... I-I can't...
Try as she might Pyrrha could fight the urge no longer, and as the dirt and stone was glazed with blood the rain whispered to her in it's rhythmic beat as the terror's lullaby hushed her teary eyes to sleep.
Author's note
...
Back once again, this time managing to squeeze in four or so perspectives... well... really three, but we got to see Pyrrha and crew twice so there's that.
Most importantly we got to introduce Oscar this time, and what do you know Oz it there with him. Only one moment in and they're already on the move, then again Oz is much more pushy this time.
Also got Blake's point of view this time, and not only that but we also get another reveal as she learns that it wasn't only their ship that was attacked. Sienna made a brief appearance - even if it was short.
We're moving along nicely, and I feel next chapter will be especially fun; depending of course on how you look at it.
That's it this time, I'll see you later.