Slayer
RWBY – Goblin Slayer
Pyrrha Nikos / Jaune Arc
Remnant is a world in turmoil. The forces of good and evil waging a ceaseless war. Fell beasts stalked the lands, and it was the duty of brave adventurers to stride forth and meet their threats; more often earning the gift of the grave for their efforts over any other reward. Driven to slaughter what others felt were the least of the grimm. Only she saw their true threat. For years she worked alone, until she met him.
/==/
He whimpered as they closed. A crude arrow sticking out of his shoulder. His dark blue eyes wide with fear and rimmed with tears. A short distance in front of him, laying between himself and the closing beasts she lay. She gasped and choked, bloody foam flecking her pale lips. He felt warm wetness in his groin as he watched helpless as they tore at his stricken companion, ripping her clothes from her in preparation for their sadistic games. They laughed, in a guttural dark fashion as the scent of urine touched their noses. Burning red eyes turned to focus on him sitting splay legged on the moist cave floor. He pulled his staff to his chest, the metal hoops hanging from hilt shaped like top ringing against each other as he shook. He clutched at it as if it would offer him salvation from the dark fate closing upon him.
Black blood splattered his shaking form as a bronze coloured blade punched through the head of the beast closest to him. He let out a startled squeak at being showered in the warm fluid. The second of the beasts whipped around, and charged snarling, wicked curved claws extended. He watched as the armoured figured caught the charge on a bronze shield, driving it's round surface into the monster's chest and slamming it into the uneven cave wall. As if by magic the javelin twisted itself free of the slowly melting corpse before him; straight into the fully armoured figure's outstretched hand. He watched as the weapon shifted quickly becoming a short-sword.
In the dancing shadows cast by the torch burning on the cave floor, he watched the blade move. It was driven into the side of the fell beast's skull, punching through bone into its brain. It twitched and convulsed before hanging limply. Stepping back the figure let the now dead creature crumple to the floor, before closing on him. The sword was sheathed and a small bottle pulled from a side pouch, while the torch was lifted from the floor.
"Give it to Octavia." he croaked, raising a shaking hand and pointing to the nearly nude form a few metres from him. The figure stopped and moved to the fallen woman. Holding the torch above the figure Octavia's already putrefying wounds were inspected. "I tried a miracle but it didn't work."
"Death-stalker venom." came the stern but soft feminine voice from under the battered helm. "You can't help her, she's already gone."
"No." he whispered, as he watched the armoured woman, reach out and gently close Octavia's empty olive green eyes. "I used a miracle... it should have..."
"Drink this." she told him, drawing his attention from the nearly nude body, by putting herself between it and him while holding out the small bottle. "You need to leave."
"But..." he stammered with a defeated whisper "... the others."
"Drink up." she ordered him, as he took the bottle, while she reached out and took hold of the arrow in his shoulder. He whined as she pulled and then yanked pulling the arrow free of his flesh. "Drink."
He gagged and coughed as the bitter liquid flowed down his throat. Almost instantly he felt better, the pain in his shoulder gone. Still shaky he stood and faced his armoured saviour. He watched as she worked with the dissolving corpses, dipping rags into the bubbling fluids spreading across the cave floor.
"What are you..."
"Wipe this on, it'll hide your scent." she instructed as she tossed a rag to him, before proceeding to drag her own rag over her shoulders and down her armoured chest. He felt nauseous as he echoed her actions. "How many miracles do you have?"
"I used one so I can call upon two more."
"What ones do you know?"
"Minor Heal and Holy Light."
She hummed, before starting to make her way back the way she came. Noticing the closing darkness, he hopped forward and quickly caught up to her retreating figure. His blue eyes danced around the cave, expecting another ambush. It didn't take long for the pair to reach were had gone so wrong for his party. She sheathed her sword, and moved over to pick up the heavy mace that lay discarded on the blood slick cave floor.
"Cardin." he whimpered, the images of the tall and imposing warrior being overwhelmed and slaughtered like an animal.
"This is too big to be swung around in here." she idly commented, "Did they have a big one?"
"Ye... yes." he stumbled over his reply remembering then the scene of Arslan being dominated, and desecrated. "Arslan! We have to..."
She lashed out, swinging the heavy weapon in a side long strike. He stumbled back falling on his ass, as the beowulf leapt from the shadows. The flange decorated mace head slammed into the beast's exposed chest caving it in with a sickening crunch. Moving close she gave the heavy weapon a short underhanded swing. The head of the weapon skimming the cave floor to impact the stricken creature's head; crushing it. Dropping the weapon to the floor, she reached down and picked up a discarded crude spear.
"How?"
"There's a tunnel there. Easy to miss if you're not watching for it, and considering you were probably distracted by that..." she pointed to the creepy skull and rag decorated item set in a pile of stones. "this opening would just look like a shadow on the cave wall."
"What is?"
"It's a totem, means there's a shaman leading this horde."
"Shaman?"
"It's a smarter version of these pests. What you've run into are what I call runts. The shaman is about the same size as a runt, but has some intelligence and abilities."
"And the big one?"
"That's a true beowulf. Pure rage and power."
"So what are we going to do?"
"I'm going to kill them all." she replied as she began to move down the shadowed tunnel, stopping part way in to lay a trip wire. She adjusted her grip on the spear, before turning her armoured head towards him. "When I tell you, use Holy Light, and then run towards the entrance of this tunnel."
"Okay, but what about..."
"I'll be right behind you."
With that said, she began to move down the tunnel, with him close behind. After a minute of travel she stopped. He forced himself not shake, or tremble. Not wanting the metal bangles on the top of his staff to make any additional sounds. He heard the creak of her gloves as she tightened her grip upon the spear in her hand. They waited there in the darkness. He barely breathed, fearful that even that small sound would give away their position.
"Do it." she hissed.
"Oh merciful Brother of Light, heed my prayer and grant us your blessing of HOLY LIGHT!"
The small cavern was suddenly awash in blindingly bright white light. He gasped as he saw the remaining beowulf surrounding a cowering nude form. One stood from a rickety chair, and levelled a gnarled staff in their direction.
"Shaman dies first!" she snarled as she hauled back and launched the crude spear that she had taken from the entrance. The foul beast shrieked as a spout of black ichor burst from its chest. "Go now!"
He turned on his heels and ran. His breath coming in gasps, fear gripping his chest and making his legs feel weak. Behind them he could hear them coming. Their clawed feet slapping against the uneven stone floor. He swore he could feel their fetid breath upon his neck. His dark blue eyes saw it, and clumsily he jumped over the length of rope strung across the entrance. He stumbled his landing and crashed heavily into the ground, knocking the breath from his chest. As he rolled over onto his back he saw her. She effortlessly cleared the trap, landing elegantly while also turning to face the on rushing foes.
"Again!" she snapped.
"Oh merciful Brother of Light, heed my prayer and grant us your blessing of HOLY LIGHT!" his voice wavered with fear at the sight of the true beowulf closing upon them. It's slavering jaws wide, and wicked claws poised to strike. Once again the darkness was illuminated by an intense white light centred on the top of his staff.
The beowulf snarled and twisted it's head as it continued its charge forward. Contacting the tripwire it was thrown forward, crashing into the hard stone floor. He watched as she drew her sword, reversed her grip and drove it down into the back of the fell creature's skull. With a wrench to the left and then the right the beast convulsed and lay still. An inky black vapour slowly starting to rise from it. She yanked her weapon free, before pulling out a small bottle. With a flick of her thumb she popped the cork topper, and began to pour the red tinted gel over the corpse at her feet.
"Get me a the torch." she ordered as she emptied the bottle. He heard them approaching. The runts that the beowulf had out paced.
Scrambling over the floor, he grabbed the flickering torch they had left behind, as she kicked the corpse before her, sending it rolling down the incline. It rolled over the three runts that nearly made it to the entrance, coating them in the gel. She grabbed the torch and tossed it towards them. He closed his eyes and tried to shut his ears at the squeals of agony as the flames hungrily and greedily ate into dead and living flesh.
"What was that?" he choked at the horrid stench filling the enclosed space.
"Gelled fire dust I purchased from an alchemist. It wasn't as effective as I hoped considering the price I paid for it."
"What about the girls! They could be..."
"There were only three. The fire wont spread that far." she replied "Let's go."
"I have no more miracles." he chose to inform her.
"It's okay. We're almost finished, just stay behind me, and run if I tell you to run." she informed him as she wiped off her sword and sheathed it. They started for the second time that day to move down the inclined tunnel towards the cavern at its end. Part way down she picked up a discarded club.
As soon as they entered the room, he ignored her instructions and rushed forward, dropping to his knees next to the cowering form in the centre of the room.
"Arslan?" he asked as he gently lifted her up from her crumpled position. She instantly grabbed hold of him, and buried her head into his chest, her fingers digging into his shoulders. She was shaking, and crying. Everything just flooding out of her. "It's okay. You're safe. You're safe."
She walked past them, and towards the rickety chair at the rear of the room. Her fingers tightened about the haft of the club in her hand. She never let her gaze waver from the downed form of the shaman. She reacted in an instant when the feigning beast suddenly thrust itself from the floor, wicked claws reaching forward.
"You can't fool me, shaman." she commented as the club crashed into the side of it's head, knocking it to the floor, before smashing down upon it a second time crushing its skull.
As he comforted his former party member, he watched as an armoured foot shattered the crude bone throne. Revealing a hidden door behind it. His dark blues grew wide as she pulled it open, revealing a litter of pups inside.
"Children?" he whispered, before turning his head and trying to fight back tears as he heard the screams and wet smacks of the club impacting flesh. "Why?"
"They learn from their mistakes. If they had been allowed to live they would have grown up, started hordes of their own, ambushing adventurers and travellers. Probably also raiding villages." she informed him, "Anytime you clear a nest, you clear it. You kill them all. No exceptions. Any left alive will escape and be smarter, making the next horde that much more difficult to stop. The only good beowulf is a dead one."
He kept his thoughts to himself as he made preparations to assist Arslan to her feet and away from the terrors hidden in the dark.
/=/
She had brought a wagon with her, along with several cloaks, which they put to use covering the beaten and nude forms. The driver waited patiently as the priest made trip after trip leading the captives back to the surface. During all that time she explored. Scouting out the tunnels, searching making sure none of the sick beasts survived. With the six girls loaded, he waited for her return. His deep blues eyes scanned the huddled forms. He had no idea the terror they had faced, but he knew the stories, and what their fate would have been if no one had come. Tortured and abused. Raped and forced to birth the next generation of the heinous creatures. Used until they had nothing left, only then to be butchered and fed to the very pups they birthed.
They had been saved, but not soon enough, he thought as he saw the vacant look in Arslan's olive green eyes. She wouldn't adventure again. She would fade away, maybe in service to the temple, or at least he hoped she would; but who was to say. There wasn't much you could do for someone who suffered such trauma. Who barely survived such horrors. His fingers tightened around the haft of his staff, the bangles hanging from the imitation sword hilt ringing as they brushed against each other. As he watched Arslan, he remembered the other two of his party. Cardin, and Octavia, the ones that didn't survive.
He felt the tears start to well up, as he recalled their final moments. As he once again relived their cries of terror and screams of agony. Wetness rolled down his cheeks as his body shook. Fear and guilt running wild through him. How come he survived? How come he was spared? Why did they suffer? Why were they taken so soon from this world? It should have been him. They had so much more to offer. He was just so weak.
"It's time to go." came her stern but soft voice. "I'm sorry."
He opened his eyes at the sound of her voice, and swallowed. He heard the flick of the reigns, the natter of the horse and the creak of the wagon's wheels starting to move. He turned to face her. He watched as she reached up and removed her full faced helm. She shook her short mane of crimson hair loose, and gave him a tired smile. He gazed into her emerald eyes and replied with a weak smile of his own.
"Thank you for... saving me... us." he stammered. "I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc."
"Thank you for assisting me Jaune." she responded. "I'm Pyrrha. Pyrrha Nikos."
They just stood there taking in the sight of each other. He was in awe with her beauty and the radiant strength she projected. She enjoyed his pure boyish look. A sense of innocence and purity emanating from him. She reached up and placed a grime and gore coated armoured hand upon his shoulder. She gave him a slightly warmer smile.
"We should go." he just nodded in agreement.
/=/
"It's the Slayer." came the hushed comments as she entered the guild hall. She moved with purpose, ignored the comments about her reputation, and the state of her battered and grimy armour. She approached the front desk, and stopped before a young woman sporting a large pair of rabbit ears.
"Velvet." she greeted cordially as she set her helm upon the counter.
"Pyrrha." Velvet returned the greeting. "You looking for a quest today?"
"I am."
"Anything in particular?" Velvet asked, knowing full well what the silver ranked adventurer would reply with.
"Anything with beowulf, today?"
"We have three..."
"Pyrrha!" came the shout from the doorway interrupting Velvet. Pyrrha turned to see Jaune closing upon her. She took in his slightly changed appearance.
"Jaune." she greeted the porcelain ranked priest.
"I... I bought some armour like you said." he informed her as he lifted the hem of his cassock revealing the shirt of chain-mail underneath.
"Good. I see you purchased vembraces and greaves as well." Pyrrha smiled warmly. "How does it feel?"
"A little awkward."
"That will pass, the longer you wear them." Pyrrha informed the young man, though she knew he was probably her age. Priests took longer to join the ranks of adventurers, much like mages. Something to do with the intensity of their schooling. So while she had been fighting for the last four years he had been pouring over tomes, scrolls; and books. "So what brings you here?"
"You." he replied, red dusting his cheeks.
"Me?" Pyrrha responded, the answer knocking her thoughts backwards. No one came to the guild because of her. She was almost universally avoided, and talked about behind her back. "Why me?"
"You saved me." Jaune replied, "The least I can do is accompany you when you go out on quests. I mean I know I'm not much, but I swear I will listen to you, I can help. If you will let me."
"I see." Pyrrha commented. She felt warm. Sure he was only trying to be near her, out of some notion that he owed her a debt for saving his life. But it would be nice not to always be alone, and if he was true to listening to her, maybe; just maybe someone else would come to understand the true threat of beowulf.
"Please?"
"It would be nice to know you had someone watching your back, Pyrrha." Velvet chimed in.
"Okay." Pyrrha relented, her unvoiced objections folding under the combined assault of Velvet's cuteness and Jaune's innocence. She pondered why, it was so easy for her to accept his request to accompany her. She had never let anyone else get that close before; but then again no one really ever asked her either.
"Thank you." Jaune replied, "I also shortened my staff like you suggested."
Pyrrha watched and nodded as Jaune held up a cudgel. It was half as long as his original staff, yet still sported the symbol of his faith on the top, though the decorative bangles and bells were also missing. She would need to instruct him, on it's proper use, and maybe in time convince him to abandon the staff entirely. She knew of priests and priestesses that channelled miracles through other means, like an amulet or similar necklace type accessory. She smiled, yes she decided at that point; she would train him.
"Okay." Velvet spoke up. "How can assist your party?"
"Any quests with beowulf?" Pyrrha asked her smile gone, her tone stern and severe.
"As I mentioned earlier there are three." Velvet informed the pair. "Two for small villages that have been loosing cattle and spotting goblins in the trees, and a third..."
"What is the third?" Pyrrha asked, her tone stern, and slightly dark.
"There are reports of a large group holed up in an abandoned cathedral. It's bee said they kidnapped the daughter of the mayor of a nearby village. An adventurer did take the quest earlier, but no one has heard from him in a few days."
"It's too late for them." Pyrrha stated flatly, as Jaune swallowed nervously, as he pulled his cudgel close to his chest. "But I'll... we'll deal with the beowulf. Make sure no one else suffers. Come on, let's go."
Jaune fell into step just a little behind Pyrrha, after she picked up her helm and strode out of the guild hall. Jaune was nervous, and sucked on his bottom lip; while Pyrrha affixed her full faced helm over her grim face. Doubts flickered through his mind, but he pushed them aside. He would trust her. She had saved him from a cruel fate. It was the least he could do.
"We'll need some supplies before we head out." Pyrrha informed him, as they made their way along the slowly crowding streets. "You can still only use three miracles?"
"Yes, but I have been granted a third."
"Really?"
"Yes. It's called Protection."
"That could be useful." Pyrrha commented as they closed on a Fletcher's shop. "Do you have any money left, after you bought that armour?"
"Some."
"Go to a general wares shop. Get a small belt pack, and return to the guild. Get some potions. Healing and stamina." Pyrrha instructed him, "If you don't have enough, I'll cover the difference when we return. Then meet me at the south gate."
Jaune nodded and moved off to do as he was bid, while Pyrrha entered the shop before her. She had a plan, and it would required some specific equipment to accomplish. She will kill them all. It was the only way. Leaving the fell beasts to their own devices was a disaster waiting to happen. A disaster she would prevent.
/==/
So slightly shorter chapter than my other offerings, but I think I set the tone of this world well. Yes I'm going to have semblances, and as you can see simple mecha-shift (Pyrrha's javelin shortening to become a short sword as an example.), along with dust.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed. As always comments, critiques and suggestions are always welcome.
PS: There WILL be a chapter for "Monster" coming out today.