A/N: Chapter 60 of REKT. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or teams of RWBY, they belong to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum. What I do own are the characters and teams of my OCs: REKT, GTSY, KACE and DAZE. I also claim Ingrid, Teo, Reina's parents and aunt as well.
Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.
Chapter 60: The Next Steps
Inside Salem's headquarters...
"Hehehehehe! Oooooooo! Heeheeheehee! Ahahahaha!"
"Your laughter sounds as heinous as ever Tyrian, if not annoying." Another voice spoke up, sounding irritated and overall fed up with the cackling. "Ever thought of being quiet and let the rest of us actually enjoy some silence?"
"Like Cinder in her pathetic condition, hmmm?" The one known as Tyrian jostled back, side-eying the girl sitting in a chair next to him. He wore a white sleeveless jacket with leather belts strapped to it, a pair of white pants were his go to choice for bottoms. With a jacket left open, he was no stranger when exposing his chest, adorned with a overlapping scars from previous battles.
Silver ring-shaped earrings adorned his earlobes, with an addition one on his left. His brown hair, braided back to resemble his faunus trait, tumbled down his back. Golden eyes were gleaming with hysterics as Cinder glared in his direction and her hatred towards him made him giggled even harder. "Heehee! You hear that, Watts? Not a single peep outta her! Such pleasurable silence!"
"Of course, things are a lot better when she isn't flapping her lips and barking orders like she did on her first day here. I have half the mind to thank the little girl, oh sorry, there were more than just one...so it'd be little girls who bested you that day." Watts stroked his mustache with a finger. Out of the four villains present, Arthur Watts dressed as a doctor would. He was slimmer than the rest of his male cohorts and slightly tanned skin.
With short black and gray hair, the more prominent feature was his mustache. A gray overcoat with yellow linings covered his shoulders above a yellow dress shirt and a black necktie. A similar colored pants covered his legs and ended with cordovan shoes. His green eyes were always calculative, most likely filled with knowledge and experiences that would aid his team in achieving their goals. "And pray tell, how did she lose her voice? Any ideas Tyrian?"
"She got her ass handed to her by brats!" Tyrian burst out loudly, nearly falling over his seat as his body convulsed with ripples of another bout of laughter. "One of whom just overpowered her because of a human emotion! How pathetic! Clearly embarrassing isn't that right?!"
"No. That's not the reason why." A deeper voice spoke, getting their attention. Hazel Rainart, the calmer more composed member of the group sat with his arms crossed over his muscular chest. He wore a two-tone olive green coat over a black thee-quarter sleeve shirt, held together by a large belt around the waist. Black pants and brown boots completed his appearance, with a pouch strapped to each leg. His arms were adorned with scars that he never explained to his cohorts how he got. "It's because of those silver eyes."
"Ohohoho, so the giant man has graced us with his voice!" Tyrian laughs, watching as Hazel's eyebrows knitted together with annoyance. "Seriously, you should speak your mind more. No one here would judge you if you're wrong, honestly."
"It doesn't matter to me if I'm right or wrong. Sometimes, silence is much more appreciated than useless chatter." Hazel remarked, releasing a small huff of air. "Useless words gets us nowhere, and only hinder our progress forward."
"Hmph! You're not fun at all." Tyrian frowned, crouching in his chair and clasped his hands together. He even jutted out his lower lip for added dramatics. "Must've had a very sad back story."
"Don't even think about going there." warned Hazel.
"But it wasn't just the girl with silver eyes, am I right?" Watts sneered once the two gentlemen just glared at each other, almost gloating when he could sense the anger rolling off Cinder. "There was another who scarred your face, giving you your broken appearance. Honestly, I think it's a nice touch. Now you'll be much more...interesting to look at."
Fuck you, you damn bastard. Cinder couldn't verbally say what she really felt, but the thud of her fist smacking the surface of the table should suffice enough as an indication of her frustration; her only eye glowed like molten lava. I'll roast you alive with my flames...if Salem didn't have a use for you.
"If I were Cinder, I'd hunt both of them down...heehee...find them, and...hehehe..." Tyrian couldn't help but chuckle like a madman as he formulated a plan of attack, "Well...one of them took your eye, and the other messed up your face. Like Watts said, it's a remarkable make-over! I couldn't have done it better myself! Ahahahahaha!"
"Now hold on just a minute! Cinder did a lot to –"
"Lackeys such as yourself should learn to hold their tongues." Watts interrupted stiffly, eying Emerald who had decided to come to Cinder's defense. As a scientist the male had a very strong vendetta against kids, especially those who disrupted his work by running around his lab and breaking his focus. "This is a conversation between adults."
"Hey man, don't underestimate us just because we're younger." Mercury stated, glaring at him while Emerald narrowed her eyes in response. He had been listening in on the conversation, but when Emerald was being told off, he felt the need to jump in and take a jab at Watts himself. "Being an adult doesn't mean shit. You don't know what we kids are capable of!"
"Cinder, dear, do keep a tighter leash on your pets." Watts ignored them, looking pointedly at the huntress. "I've never seen such disobedience. What would Salem say if they were to flap their lips?"
"Bastard!"
"Merc! No!"
"Let me go, Emerald! I'm gonna wipe that stupid smirk on his damn face!"
"If you do that, it'll reflect badly on Cinder!" Emerald struggled to hold her partner back, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso. "Look I too, would like to kick his ass, but there's a time and place for everything!"
"He's right there, it's a golden opportunity!" He pleaded, his blood boiling when he noticed the amused expression on Watts' face. "Just one kick should do the trick! That's all I ask!"
"No!"
"My my, how unprofessional. And you call yourselves elite assassins." Watts shook his head in mockery, definitely enjoying the show to its full potential. "With that kind of attitude, I'm willing to bet baby Ursas are better trained than you two."
"Emerald, let me kick his ass!"
Ker-chunk!
The double doors opened up before the silver-haired huntsman could strangle the scientist, revealing the lady of honor. Salem's robes fluttered out behind her as she entered the room, instantly getting everyone's attention. Raisa followed not too far behind with Ingrid by her side; the younger girl had been in her room, fiddling with her prize from the tournament when she was summoned. The others stood at attention as Salem finally made her way to the head, her back facing them as she took a breath.
"I'm not sure what I heard when I arrived, but I assure you that whatever it was will be dealt personally by me should it happen again. Now is the time for us to go through what has happened, and figure out our next course of action." Salem finally spoke, turning around to address her subordinates as they sat back down. Raisa merely took her seat on Watts' side, not even batting an eyelash in his direction when he grinned at her. Ingrid took her place behind her seat, arms held behind her back with a gleeful smile on her face.
"It's nothing major that you should concern yourself with, my Mistress. Just a couple of riffraff children making mayhem, rest assured yours truly will keep them in line." Tyrian humbly bowed himself to her, a gleeful expression on his face. "My beautiful Goddess, may I add that you're looking extremely radiant today. You make my humble heart flutter."
"Ass kisser." Raisa coughed into her hand while Cinder cracked a smile at the words. An angry vein appeared on Tyrian's forehead and a growl emitted from the back of his throat.
"What was that?" He turned his head away from Salem, and zeroed in on the woman sitting near the opposite end of the table. His stinger of a tail twitched back and forth erratically, almost like it was on the verge of lashing out. "What did you just say?"
"Oh forgive me, I assumed you would have been able to hear my normal voice in this spacious room." Raisa replied, fixing the man with a stare of her own. "But it seems I sourly overestimated. You were just too infatuated with Salem to hear the voices of others around you. I wonder if you would be able to hear insults through that meat head of yours."
"Heeeheehee, you're an interesting bitch aren't you." Tyrian licked his lips with glee and slowly prepared himself to lunge at her. The others either watched with interest or didn't care who kicked who's ass first. In this fight, they could feel the fangs of a wolf clash with a scorpion's pincers. "When I get my hands on you, I'll ravage you so hard you'll be screaming my name and begging for mercy!"
"Wolves will never bow to lowly insects." Elongated claws began to make themselves known and ripples of darkness began to ooze through her pours, slowly taking the shape of matted fur. Raisa grins threateningly, her face almost turning into that of a Beowolf. "I'll rip you apart, limb to limb."
"Kekekekek! This is thrilling!"
"Tyrian." Salem spoke calmly, promptly stopping the male from launching himself over the table. She looked at him almost with disapproval, making him flinch under her gaze. "We still have much to discuss. Raisa, don't antagonize him anymore. He has been a very good asset after all, and I would hate to be a few hands short. We're all good friends here striving towards similar goals, so set aside your hatred for one another and direct it towards those who intend on getting in our way."
"Of course. Disturbances will be kept at a minimum." Raisa spoke politely, dipping her head briefly to show submissiveness. She would never think to challenge the woman, knowing that she herself could be killed in an instant. The dark cloak vanished and her hands returned to their human appearance.
"M-My apologizes, my Goddess. Please forgive me for stepping out of turn, it won't happen again." Tyrian said as well and sat back down, sending the other woman a dangerous glare that meant: Watch your back because I'm not through with you yet.
"Ma'am, if I may speak, I'm not particularly fond of failure." Watts spoke up immediately, making sure to keep eye contact with the mistress. He didn't sit down like the rest of his associates, but as he addressed Salem he slowly eased his way back down in his chair. "What Cinder has done, I simply can't overlook."
"I don't see the reason why you tend to exert cruelty towards Cinder." Salem replied, showing nothing but praise and happiness towards the injured girl. "She's become our Fall Maiden, managed to destroy Beacon Tower...and most importantly...slaughtered dear Ozpin. So I'm curious Watts, to what 'failures' are you referring to?"
"For one, the girl with silver eyes. She's in her early stages, but to unleash something so drastic...we cannot sit by and let her mature."
"Yes, we've dealt with her kind before..." Hazel agreed, his drawl voice sounding much like a growl. "How is it that a novice was able to best one of us?"
"We've been juggling the idea around, your highness. My Goddess!" Tyrian added, drumming his fingers together. "It's just...a very confusing matter, don't you think?"
"You see, my associates agree with my sentiment." Watts picked up, briefly sending both males a head nod. "Without Cinder's new power, the outcome should have been a bright as day. Disposing that little girl should have been effortless."
"It is because of the maiden power." Salem stated before looking at Cinder specifically, addressing her while the others listened. "Make no mistake, Cinder. You hold the key to our victory. But your new found strength brings with it a crippling weakness...which is why you will remain b my side as we continue your treatment."
Tch... Cinder merely glared at the table, unable to voice anything. She knew that treatment was her only option, and by staying at Salem's side she'll be able to heal a little faster.
"Doctor Watts...you are to take Cinder's place and meet with our informant in Mistral."
"Very good. I assure you he will put out his best efforts for you." The gentleman replied, nodding his head in understanding. "If he doesn't, I'll be sure to guide him."
"Tyrian, continue your hunt for the Spring Maiden."
"Gladly." The faunus gleefully rubbed his hands together, letting out a giggle. "I'll find her and personally drag her here to your feet, my Goddess."
"Hazel, you will be sent to the leader of the White Fang." The muscular male arched his eye brow at the statement, turning his head only slightly to face his leader. "Adam Taurus has arranged the meeting and has continued to prove his loyalty. Ensure that Sienna Khan feels the same."
"As you wish." He rumbles and doesn't think much of it.
"Raisa, I'm sure you have your own personal incentives, but I would like a report on the progress. Keep me informed with anything you come across." Salem then grinned and added, "In fact, perhaps it wouldn't be a hindrance if I could ask your subordinate to collect more information about the Summer Maiden."
"How do we know that she's alive?" Raisa questioned, arching an eyebrow at the Grimm mother. Ingrid on the other hand looked elated to be given an assignment. "We know we have the Fall Maiden, Insect Boy over there is in charge of Spring...Ingrid is now going after Summer, am I to assume you yourself will be hunting the Winter Maiden?"
"Patience. Everything happens in order at their own pace, and we shouldn't play with fates like we're mere gods. The main idea is that we gather as much as we can; we must keep three steps ahead of our enemies."
"Oh." Emerald then notices Cinder gesturing for her, and she bent down so the voiceless maiden could at least move her mouth close to her ear. After a few minutes she stood back up, and waits for Salem to give her approval.
"Speak, child."
"She wants to know...what about the girls." Emerald relayed the information to the others.
"Girls?" Salem's eyebrows knitted together in slight confusion at the plural usage. Then her eyes lit up like a light-bulb and she nodded her head in understanding. "Oh that's right, how could I forget? I was elated with the idea that Beacon fell that...I merely forgot that there are those who dare defy me, eager to have their lives wrung out by my own hands."
"What about the girls?" Watts scoffed, voicing his own opinion much to Cinder's dismay. "I could argue that both of them are Cinder's problem...but one of whom captured your attention. They are definitely not ours to handle. Although..." He turned to look at Raisa who hasn't said anything during the entire conversation. "The other one...relates more personally to you, doesn't she."
"...I thought I smelled something foul the moment I walked through the door." She murmured as she fixed her sights on Cinder, more importantly the claw marks running down the girl's left side of the face. "Turns out, you reek...and I'm not talking about your actual stench. To think you crawled your way back here, carrying her scent all over you...I find that to be disrespectful."
"Enough." Salem raised her hand so the hostile air could dissipate before turning her head to the left. "Tyrian?"
"Yes, my Lady?"
"Spring can wait. Find one of the girls that did this to Cinder." At the new request, the man nearly squealed with elation and clapped his hands like a child receiving a gift. No doubt there were unspeakable...methods the man was thinking about if he were to get a hold of his prey. "...and bring her to me. Alive."
"Awwwww..." He deflates immediately, jutting out his lower lip like he had been scolded by a parent. Mulling over it, he merely shrugged his shoulders and grins, "If that is what you wish for, my Lady, I will carry it out without fail."
"The other one...I assume you have it under control, Raisa?"
"You don't have to worry about a thing." The other woman replied with certainty.
"Mmmmm. Now then, because of your combined efforts, Beacon has fallen...and Haven will be next. Now go." With the meeting adjourned, Watts and Hazel stood up in sync, making their way to the door and disappeared. Raisa merely tossed one last glance at Cinder before leaving as well. Ingrid chuckled and folded her arms behind her head, letting slip of her plan of making love to a certain appendage she snagged at Beacon once she finish her task.
"She's a psychotic nut job isn't she." Mercury commented dryly, rubbing out the goosebumps on his skin once the girl vanished. "I wouldn't want to be related to her in any way, shape or form."
"Her love for her sister is incredibly...twisted." Emerald agreed. Does she have a leg fetish or something?
"Remember Cinder..." Tyrian grins when he got the girl's attention. He pointed to his left eye and says, "Eye for an eye..." Throwing his head back with laughter, he left the room, closing the door behind him.
Inside the Xiao Long household...
Yang had been silent for the duration of the trip back home, purely because she had been unconscious, but most importantly she was trying to get back in touch with her reality. When she regained her senses, her once playful lilac eyes were now dull and no longer alight with the feisty spirit. She had asked Taiyang when he came to see her – voice soft, rough and scratchy from not being used in a while – the status of her teammates.
"I'm sorry. There's nothing I could have done." Her father had told her, his eyes filled with sadness seeing his daughter in such a state. "I wish I could've been here earlier for you, you and Ruby."
"What about Weiss? And..." She swallowed thickly before continuing, her heart beating rapidly inside her chest. "What about Blake? What happened to her? Is she...okay?"
"The Schnee apparently went home to Atlas, her father took her by force. Your partner...she seems to have fled. Two faunus saw her: a blond haired boy and the girl who lost her leg. Don't bother trying to get into contact with them, our scrolls are no longer viable."
Glancing down at her arm, Yang's eyes focused solely on the wrapped black ribbon. Everything came crumbling down, and reality set in; the emotions were like tidal waves upon tidal waves, tossing and jostling her around. Every breath was harder and harder to take, like a giant Taijitu was constricting her lungs or an Ursa pummeling her stomach repeatedly with its large paws.
She had poured out her most precious feelings and shared a story about her mother – a story she did not bring up to Ruby during their childhood together – in hopes of demonstrating how she understood Blake's unhealthy drive to keep one step ahead of the enemy on a personal level; the girl was practically a dead zombie with sleep-deprived eyes. And what did she do in return? She fled without a note, leaving behind only her ribbon. At first Yang had a brief heart attack, misinterpreting the meaning of the artifact and assumed the worst that Blake perished in battle. It took Efram a long time to assure her that the faunus is still alive.
Releasing another sigh she eased herself out, bare feet touching the cool wooden floor. She didn't seem to have a clear concept of time nor feeling, but what she did know was that her legs were guiding her towards the stairs and the sun was filtering in through the windows. She holds onto the small nub of an arm with her other hand as her feet treads down the steps, not at all caring if they were heavy, agonizing steps. As soon as she approached the kitchen, her ears picked up the voices of people occupying the space.
"Efram, I have a question."
"Yes, Tai?" Taiyang made sure to grill it into his guest's head that he didn't want to be called 'Sir' because it makes him feel like an old man. "What is it?"
"About the topic we talked about...what do you think is really affecting my daughter?" There was a strong intake of breath, followed by a few minutes of silence. The sound of heavy footsteps against the kitchen floor, the creaking of a chair being pulled out, a long sigh all told Yang that the huntsman had been standing before taking a seat.
"I think...Blake running away affected Yang more than the loss of her dominant arm." Yang paused near the entrance of the kitchen, her eyes slowly widening as she continued to listen in on the conversation. "If I were in Yang's shoes...I too wouldn't hesitate to protect my partner; that's just how your daughter is, there's literally nothing she wouldn't do for Blake."
"Is that so...my daughter's willing to throw herself so far just for her partner?" Taiyang's voice floated in afterward, a hint of questioning laced within his tone. "Answer me this, would you throw yourself in the path of danger over and over again?"
"Is that even a question? My partner means a lot to me the same way family means a lot to me, and my team is a second family to me. The same can be said about my friends, because they are a part of family." The drumming of fingers against the table implied the huntsman's anxious demeanor. "However, we're all scattered throughout Remnant, broken and beaten down. It'll take awhile for us all to heal, and sometimes...it is not an easy task."
"No...no it's not. But that doesn't mean we won't stop trying." Taiyang then turned his head, spotting Yang lightly tread into eye sight, her eyes cast downward to the ground. "O-Oh, hello honey. You...finally left your room, how are you feeling?"
"Are you okay, Yang?" Efram added, giving her his uninvited attention. The blonde gazed at both males, shuffled to the counter and grabbed a cup. "C-Can I get you something to eat?" The brawler merely shrugged her shoulders, proceeding to pour herself a cup of water.
"Will you be sitting with us? Perhaps chat a bit...?" asked Taiyang, half-way from getting up from his seat. She shook her head and was making her way towards the opening when she came to a sudden halt. A figure she really didn't want to see stood by the door, his sneer rubbing her skin in the worst possible way. Spiky red hair, glowing red eyes through the mask, and an even redder blade in hand burned like a nasty itch in her brain. The flickering of a light source forced dark shadows to dance across the face.
You make it so easy for me to find you. Were you even trying? The shadowy manifestation projected into her upside down reality from her mental state slowly crossed the threshold, the red blade glowing with hunger. Yang attempted to run, but her legs refused to move; it was like she had been paralyzed. I said that I was going to take away everything she loved, starting with you. I'm going to slaughter you. I'll make you experience pain just like when I took away your arm, and when I'm done...no one will remember you. Imagine how my Darling would look like, when she finds your disembodied corpse at her feet!
"AAAHHHHHH!" Peddling backwards till her back hit the counter top, Yang began to heave for air after the scary hallucination dissolved; she didn't take into account that she was still in the kitchen of her home in Patch. Her eyes were wide, her body trembling, and sweat rolling down her face. The cup that had been filled with water now lay broken in pieces, on the floor with the contents running through the grooves.
"Yang! What happened?!" Efram's chair crashed backward as the huntsman bolted to her side, kneeling down and gently placed a hand on her forearm. She flinched from his touch, staring at him with wide scared eyes so he just held both arms up in surrender. "Whoa whoa, easy there...it's just me. It's me, Yang."
"...it looked so real...it sounded so real...it felt so real..." Recognition flashed through her eyes and she murmured the same words over and over again. "He was there... he stood in front of me...and he had his sword...he was going to kill me...take away more than just my arm...he was there..."
"...is this the full extent of the psychological damage caused by the fall of Beacon?" Taiyang asked quietly, making sure his voice was not filled with anger and stress out his daughter. Zwei, who had been napping by the couch, padded over till he was sitting by the blond male's feet. His ears were folded, clearly worried for his caretaker. "What else has that damn fight done to my daughter? And Ruby...she's probably experiencing the same thing."
"Everyone has their own way of handling this kind of pain, just as I mentioned before when we delved into this topic." Efram said slowly, sitting shoulder-width away from Yang while making sure his presence calmed her down. "The extent of our pain varies from person to person. But it shouldn't be a bad thing, in fact...learning how to deal with this aftermath effect can be quite helpful."
"Helpful in what way?" asks Taiyang, folding his arms across his chest. "You're telling me that continuously going through trauma and pain is helpful?"
"With the way of how you put it, it sounds extremely ignorant and uncaring. That's not what I'm getting at." Efram shakes his head as he proceeds to explain his reasoning. "By sharing and understanding the pain, to have someone who has gone through a similar experience, it creates a much stronger bond between both people. I believe that nothing else in the world...could out rank the fall of Beacon as the worst day of our lives. Now we know, that we can only move forward."
"...and if there's no way?"
"Then we'll either find a way or pave a way on our own." Efram sighed, rubbing his temples with a hand. "Sometimes it only takes a couple small steps back to make big strides forward."
