RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth…
Warhammer 40k belongs to Games Workshop.
TTS belongs to Alfabusa.
Warning, swearing incoming. If you are not a fan of such things, please move on.
Chapter 12: Omake: THIS IS NOT FUCKING CANON!
Silence dominated the vast halls of the Imperial Palace as the quartet marched down its halls, the only noise of note were the heavy boot falls of the power armored giants and the even louder thuds of the mechanical war engine trudging along at the rear.
Summer could not help but admire all the artistry that was put into the very bones of this colossal structure. Despite the grim decor with all the skulls, incense and imagery of death and mourning all around, she did not feel any sort of unease.
She felt at home here for some reason, it was as if she both knew this place and was rediscovering it for the first time. Every new image she saw was accompanied by both curiosity of seeing something new and the satisfaction of recollection. It was as if her own mind were answering its own questions about this place as they formed in her brain.
Yet, there was something that unnerved her: as they descended deeper into the Palace, she got the feeling that there was something of immense danger waiting below. Something that she was faintly aware of but stayed beyond her strange recollections.
She knew that the Emperor had quit the Great Crusade at the height of a great victory against an alien race called the Orks and returned here to complete some sort of work. Guilliman had told her as much hand Osiris had concurred. While Osiris was not forthcoming about what that work was, she did not need the details to know that it had to be essential for the Emperor's end goal if he had to walk off the stage of the Crusade in order to tend to it.
But something had gone wrong, Osiris had confessed that much and made no effort to hide the fact that Magnus was to blame for it.
Now the remains of whatever had been done here now prickled at her mind. It made her wish she could had brought her Ivory, and she felt a knot of amused annoyance well up inside her at the thought of the all too human stubbornness of the Custodes.
The Captain-General had been their guide inside the Imperial Palace after they had been allowed through the gate. He made sure that she and Guilliman could see his weapon and displayed that despite the monstrous battle that all of them had endured, he was still fresh and ready to stand in the Primarch's way if he had to.
Summer felt it was not necessary, and a little bit blusterous as she was the only one here who did not have a weapon. Guilliman refused to relinquish the Sword of the Emperor and the Hand of Dominion would take too long to remove as he was mostly stuck in his armor.
As for the dreadnaught, Sagittarus, he did not need his armaments to be dangerous. His bear mechanical limbs alone were monstrously lethal as that was how most dreadnaughts fought. Even damaged as he was by the apex daemon, he was still not something that should be taken lightly.
But Sagittarus was not like her or Guilliman, he was a Custodes and that was all the assurance the rest of the bodyguards needed to be at ease around him. No Custodes has ever betrayed the Emperor, and none ever will, therefore they are not threats to Him.
None of them spoke a word as they walked the halls. Not even Valoris as he met up with them, he simply gestured for them to follow him.
Glancing at Guilliman, she could see he was holding the building anxiety in check as the prospect of seeing his father after ten thousand years of absence. Summer understood why. He didn't want to disappoint the Emperor and add to his father's woes after what must have been an eternity of suffering.
Summer could feel said suffering. Like a million tiny daggers biting into her flesh and slowly repositioning themselves all across her body, slowly and agonizingly dragging at her body, refusing to let up.
And this was just from a distance. Summer had no idea if this was what the Emperor was feeling or if it was just the effect of being exposed to the pure power of a godlike being. She could not tell because she had no one to be her reference as those around her were unreadable.
While she could read Guilliman, he was already in pain due to the wound given to him by Fulgrim and had likely developed a monstrous tolerance for it, rendering him just the same as the Custodes. She could read his emotional state, but not if he was in physical pain unless it was obvious.
She spent her silence moments mentally preparing for the shock of being so close to such a being, the Emperor appeared to emit pain like a sun emitting heat into space. Was this how the Emperor felt on a constant basis? How could anything exist, let alone live and think in any sort of sane manner while in such a state?
Or was this just the effect his power had up close? By all that was good, she hoped so, the alternative implied a fate too horrible to imagine.
The huntress contented herself with the layout of the Palace; according to the Custodes, this place held under the most grueling siege ever seen in the entire Imperium and considering that they have never had a shortage of war, that was both impressive and frightening.
When she saw that the ceilings were so high that you could comfortably fly a full squadron of Atlas fighters along with a full complement of bullheads in here, she understood why this place appeared so hard to take. While there were plenty of open spaces, she could see the muzzles of guns slowly following them like specters waiting for permission form their god to claim the souls of the new arrivals.
Whomever designed this place knew what they were doing.
The group came to a halt at a large pair of towering double doors, like those at the front gate. At both sides of the gate were two full complements of Custodians, all standing at attention and ready to discharge their duty should the newcomers prove unworthy.
Valoris approached the gate and conversed with the Custodian that looked to be in command. It only took a moment for the Captain-General to convince his brother to move aside and make a path for them to pass.
The two groups gave them ample room to pass but made no indication of opening the massive doors. Instead, they appeared to move on their own, backing apart with a dreadful lethargy that spoke of the patience its protector's displayed.
Beyond the door was a light, a burning light that leaked out through the ever-widening gap like mist. It reminded Summer of the lights in the most northern parts of Remnant's sky. The aurora borealis as the Atlessians liked to call it.
Summer felt her pain flare in response to this misty light along with something else. She felt something calling her, eagerly awaiting her arrival. It brought a soothing sense of calm that acted as a counterbalance to the agony. It was like balm for the psychic knives cutting at her.
The light completely obscured why lay beyond, but she could see with her Soul-Sight that it was originating from a very high point. Most likely this Golden Throne everyone keeps referencing.
Guilliman turned to look at her and she craned her neck up to meet his gaze. He looked concerned, as both of them could feel the pressure coming from the room beyond, he knew that if he could feel it then a normal person would be crushed.
Lucky for her, Summer was not a normal person anymore.
She gave him a smile and clasped her hand on one finger of the Hand of Dominion to show that she was not concerned in the slightest about her own safety being jeopardized.
Guilliman smiled in response and turned to the door and began his march with the huntress following closely behind and Sagittarus stomping in after.
Inside was nothing but mist at first and Summer could feel the pure and undiluted power emanating from just in front of her. It felt like she was standing in front of a dust reactor constantly kept in the red and ready to explode.
The mist slowly parted as the trio entered the chamber, revealing a colossal flight of stairs before them, leading up into the source of the light.
Summer could not help but gawk at the sheer immensity of what she saw.
The Golden Throne was enormous, it had the look of a pyramid to it that was supported by masses of cables and power cords. And there at its very peak was a chair that would be too big even for Guilliman.
And sitting in that chair was Him, her master and patron. She was told he had become a carrion lord by the Chaos Space Marines that were sane enough to engage in proper conversation with her before they tried to kill her. A carrion lord of a dying Imperium. A corpse on a throne and she could see why they thought that.
What sat on that throne looked like an emaciated skeleton with barely any flesh left to it. Yet, she could feel the raw power that emanated from the soul that flesh and bone belonged to.
The Emperor did not move, He did not so much as twitch. Even the flow of power remained unchanged.
At the foot of the stairs stood a single Custodian. Summer found this curious.
Why was there only one Custodian here and why was it a standard-looking one? She knew that the word standard could not apply to beings like the Custodes, but she found it odd that they would only use one. If it were to be just one, she figured it would be a highly specialized member of their brotherhood. One whose sole purpose was to never ever leave his side. Thus, he would have something that would set him apart from his brothers.
This was a bit underwhelming.
Guilliman approached the Custodes who looked at him without the tenseness and hostility that the rest appeared to have in a near endless supply due to an outsider being this close to their Lord.
He looked completely calm as the Primarch approached the Throne.
"Greetings, Lord Guilliman," said the Custodes in a polite and lighthearted manner, which sounded unusual for a Custodian. "I am glad to see you have finally awoken from your time in stasis."
Guilliman looked at the Custodian and gave a nod, before looking around. "Forgive me but where are the rest of my father's personal guard? I doubt it would only be you standing at his side while a battle raged outside."
"Ah, yes. They were dismissed," the Custodian said plainly.
"Dismissed?" Guilliman asked. "By whom?"
"The Emperor." The Custodian answered, making Guilliman blink in surprise.
Guilliman looked to the figure on the Throne, seeing it remain immobile he looked down at the Custodian. "He told you?"
"He did."
"How? He appears to be content to hold his silence right now."
"Oh, he had his ways, Lord Guilliman. He speaks to us all the time," the Custodian then looked to the floor and displayed what Summer took to be uncertainty. "Even if we have difficulty understanding what he wants at times."
"And he dismissed his guards for what reason? Or do you not know?"
The Custodian perked up, "That is obvious. He wished to speak with you."
The Custodian looked past Guilliman and towards the dreadnaught. "Sagittarus, it is good to see you again. I wasn't expecting you to wake up for this."
Sagittarus tilted forward in an imitation of inspecting the one who was addressing him. "Sunshine, is that you?"
"It is."
"I see they put you on caretaker duty again. Is there truly no one else that can aid you in carrying such a burden?"
The Custodian sighed. "None that can keep up with my knowledge of trivia."
A staticky laugh grated from Sagittarus' vox hailer. "You always were the biggest bookworm in our number."
Summer blinked as she processed the new Custodian's name. Was he really named Sunshine?
Her thoughts were brought to a halt as a shift in the psychic flow of the room. Guilliman and Summer turned to the Throne to see the eyes of the Emperor becoming a glowing pair of stars.
The psychic built up gradually increased and Guilliman became silent as he waited for something, anything to come from that decayed vessel.
The energy had begun to reach some sort of apex and Summer felt that it was this moment that Guilliman was waiting for.
Then an angry voice yelled out from the shadows of the chamber and the buildup was broken.
"By the Gods! Hurry it up already!"
Both Summer and Guilliman turned towards the voice, and both felt their hearts stop at who they saw.
"Magnus!" Guilliman shouted in surprise.
Summer stared in disbelief as the figure of Magnus the Red stood in a dark corner of the chamber. He was shorter than he was on the moon, and he did not have that malefic glee in his eyes anymore. He looked more like the Magnus from her memories.
Stepping out of the shadows, Magnus stood in the light and simply watched with an annoyed expression on his admittedly handsome face. Summer never put too much thought into it, but she would be lying if she said that Guilliman and his brother did not have killer looks to them.
"How is he here!?" Summer yelled, wishing she had her Ivory with her.
Guilliman reached for the Emperor's Sword, but Magnus raised a hand to hold his brother's arm in place. "There's no need for that, Guilliman. I'm not going to fight."
"Like I should take your word for it, traitor!" Spat Guilliman.
"Actually," the Custodian at the Throne cut in, stepping between the two Primarchs. "He is being honest. He will not fight you here."
"What is the meaning of this?" Guilliman demanded. "How did you get past the Palace guards and wards?"
"I walked," Magnus said with a hint of smugness. "They let me in, same as you."
"You must be lying. This must be some sort of trick you conjured after I threw you back into the Webway."
Magnus sighed. "Father, can you please just end this. I had to endure those stupid clowns laughing in my ear for hours to get to this point and I just want to return to my chambers."
Summer felt another shift in the psychic flow of the room, and she looked to the Emperor to see him gathering a portion of his power.
A giant ghostly golden hand appeared above the Crimson King. It then curled into a fist and twirled into a flip to sucker punch the Primarch, throwing him across the chamber.
Then a new voice echoed down from the throne. It was regulated and monotone, reminding the huntress of the text to speech app from her scroll.
"DAMN YOU, MAGNUS. YOU RUINED MY HILARIOUS PRANK WITH YOUR CHILDISH IMPATIENCE. THANKS FOR KILLING THE FUN LIKE HOW YOU KILLED THE WEBWAY PROJECT."
Summer and Guilliman went wide eyes in shock as they registered what had just happened. The Emperor just spoke using a voice system and more than that, he manifested enough power to knock Magnus down.
Magnus groaned as he stood back up again. "I don't see the point in not being straightforward with him. I mean, you already pushed it by forcing me to team up with those stupid clowns and making me fight him on the moon."
"AND THAT IS WHY YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONE SITTING HERE INSTEAD OF ME. FOR ALL YOUR PSYCHIC POTENTIAL, YOU LACK THE VISION TO SEE THE GRANDER NARRATIVE AT WORK."
"What narrative? All I see is you doing random shit for your own amusement and hoping it works out for the best."
"NO, I AM NOT AND THE FACT THAT YOU WOULD EVEN SAY THAT PROVES MY POINT THAT YOU CANNOT SEE THE PURPOSE BEHIND MY ACTIONS. JUST LIKE DURING THE COUCIL, YOU ARE TOO FOCUSED ON YOURSELF TO SEE THE REASONS BEHIND MY CHOICES."
"And pray tell, what reasons do you have for this prank? Prank. Those are your words, not mine."
"SIMPLE. I WAS GOING TO ACT ALL SPOOKY AND MONSTROUS. HE WOULD THINK I'M A BROKEN, SCHIZOPHRENIC MESS AND HE WOULD SHIT SOME ULTRA BRICKS. THEN I WOULD SEND HIM AWAY AND HE WOULD THEN DEVELOP ULTRA DEPRESSION BECAUSE HE WOULD THINK I NEVER CARED ABOUT HIM."
Magnus did not look impressed. "So that was your plan? Scare the shit out of him and make him depressed?"
"ULTRA DEPRESSED."
"Yes, yes." Magnus sighed. "And how would that have been better than simply talking to him like a proper father should?"
"BECAUSE IT WOUD HAVE BEEN HILARIOUS AND GIVEN HIM SOME GREAT CHARACTER ARCS, ALSO THE READERS WOULD ENJOY ME ACTING LIKE I HAVE A SCATTERED BRAIN AS IT MAKES ME LOOK SAD AND BADASS AT THE SAME TIME."
"I sorry what? Readers?"
"NEVER YOU MIND, MAGNUS. JUST KNOW THAT I HAVE A GRAND PURPOSE FOR ALL THINGS I DO."
Summer looked to Guilliman, for the first time since she met him, he looked completely lost, the last time he came close to this was in his moments of anger back on Macragge, but here he was just adrift, unsure what to do.
"Are you okay?" She asked, hoping she could snap him out of it.
Guilliman looked to her and somehow the realization that she was here allowed him to gather the will to recompose himself.
"I am sanguine, the situation simply caught me off guard."
Summer gave an awkward smile as the Crimson King and the Emperor argued. "At least he didn't pull whatever he had planned for you. It sounds a bit mean spirited to do something like that to your son."
"Unnecessary is a more apt term," said a new voice, making Summer jump.
Turning around, she saw a giant figure in what she knew to be Centurion armor. Between its oversized shoulders was an aged face covered with snow white hair.
"Rogal?" Guilliman questioned not entirely believing his own eyes. "You're alive?"
"Yes," said Rogal Dorn in a flat tone.
"How? I was told you died on a chaos ship."
"I escaped."
Guilliman stared at his brother expecting more, when it became clear that the Imperial Fists Primarch was not forthcoming, he decided to press further.
"How did you escape? And how did you get here?"
"I returned to the hanger, fighting my way through the traitorous filth and boarded a Stormraven. Then I sneaked aboard an Imperial Battle Cruiser and made my way back here."
Guilliman's eyes went wide and then they narrowed as Summer saw the Avenging Sone no longer hiding his discomfort.
With an accusatory finger, he pointed at Rogal Dorn. "Are you telling me that while I was out of commission on Macragge, you were here the entire time?"
"Yes."
"And spent all that time roaming the Palace in Centurion armor while the Imperium fell into the state it was in, instead of stepping out and revealing yourself." Guilliman said through gritted teeth.
"Yes."
"And you could have gotten Cawl to revive me at any time, but you chose not to?"
"Yes."
Summer saw that Guilliman's fists clench and reached out to get his attention before he could throw a punch.
Guilliman looked down at her and she could see the sheer outrage on his face. She understood why, if she were in his position she would be raving mad already.
"Don't do something you'll regret."
Guilliman still looked angry, but he took her words to heart and took deep breath. He made to speak but the monotone voice of the Emperor cut him off. It sounded warbled and distorted, like it was being said with such force that the speakers were threatening to explode.
"YOU!"
A giant psychic hand popped into existence before Summer and pointed a finger at her. Before she could say a word, the hand wrapped its giant ghostly fingers around her and plucked her off the ground with a quick yoink.
Summer screamed as she was brought face to face with the still skeleton on the Throne. His face was till expressionless.
"ABOUT FUCKING TIME YOU GOT HERE. YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW NAUSIATINGLY BORED I WAS WAITING FOR YOU. TEN THOUSAND FUCKING YEARS AND YOU ONLY SHOW UP NOW."
Summer was brought closer to the point where she could see that the skeleton had no eyes anymore.
"AND OUT OF TRILLIONS OF SOULS FOR YOU TO CHOOSE FROM YOU CHOOSE THIS MOUSY LITTLE GIRL. WHERE DID I GO WRONG? I THOUGHT I HAD PLANNED FOR EVERYTHING."
She drifted back a bit and was left to float for a moment.
"WELL, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF? MAKING ME SIT HERE IN AGONY WHILE YOU GOT TO PLAY WARP WANDERER ALL THIS TIME?"
It took Sumer a moment, but she managed to utter a response. "I don't know what you're talking about."
She was dragged up close to the frame of the Emperor again and she felt like he was inspecting her as his psychic power washed over her mind.
"HMM. OH, RIGHT."
She drifted backwards again.
"I FORGOT THAT YOU WOULD FORGET EVERYTHING ONCE YOU FOUND A SUITABLE SOUL. I GUESS I SHOULD REMEDY THAT. AFTER ALL YOU ARE LIKE MY DAUGHTER NOW. I MIGHT AS WELL EXPLAIN THINGS AS ANY GOOD FATHER SHOULD."
"That would be a first," Magnus muttered from the bottom of the steps.
"YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH. YOU HAVE ALREADY GIVEN YOUR SISTER A BAD IMPRESSION OF YOU FROM WHAT YOU DID ON THE MOON."
Summer then drifted towards the Emperor and was gently placed on his left leg. Despite it being made of almost naught but bone, she could still feel the strength in it. Like she was sitting on steel pipes.
There was an odd feeling to sitting here, it reminded her of the few memories she had of her father before he died. Of the times when she would sit on his lap, and he would tell her stories.
"NOW SIT WITH PAPA EMPEROR AND I SHALL TELL YOU OF YOUR ORIGINS. OH BOY, I AM ACTUALLY EXCITED NOW. YOUR MOTHER ALWAYS WANTED A GIRL. I WISH SHE WAS HERE NOW TO SEE US TOGETHER."
"Father, our mother was a tube," Rogal said from beside Guilliman.
"DON'T TALK ABOUT YOUR MOTHER LIKE THAT, SHE WAS A GREAT WOMAN AND I REGRET NOT LOOKING FOR HER AFTER SHE LEFT."
"And aren't you the one who made us all to be male?" Magnus cut in. "I recall Malcador asking you about making some of us women to help us get along and you just laughed him off."
"ARE YOU STUPID? I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT WOMEN ARE JUST AS PRONE TO INTERNAL CONFLICT AS MEN, SO MUCH SO IN FACT THAT THEY COINED A TERM FOR IT. EVER HEARD OF CAT FIGHTS? YOU CAN THANK WOMEN FOR THAT. MALCADOR ASKING ME ABOUT THAT PROVES THAT HE GETS NO ACTION AND IDEALIZES THE IMAGE OF WOMEN TO TRY AND GET IN BED WITH THEM BECAUSE HE LOOKED LIKE A RASIN."
Summer felt the leg she was sitting on shift slightly.
"ISN'T THAT RIGHT, MY DEAR?"
"Ummm… Well, you're not wrong."
"SEE? DADDY IS ALWAYS RIGHT."
"Why are you taking her word for it? She isn't really our sister." Magnus whined.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY BEFORE I GIVE YOU SUCH A SPANKING THAT YOU WILL TURN PALE FROM ALL THE BLOOD RUSHING TO YOUR SWOLLEN ASSCHEEKS."
Magnus scoffed. "I don't have blood anymore, remember? I'm a daemon prince, I don't bleed blood."
"OH REALLY? THEN HOW ABOUT WE PUT THAT TO THE TEST?"
"Try it, you decrepit sepulcher!"
Summer felt the massive buildup of opposing psychic energies and she could not help but scream. "WHAT IS GOING ON!?"
Chapter 12: Princess of Barbs
Ruby Rose ran, she ran with all the buried outrage that a child could muster. The forest was dark and cold as she was old garbed in her pajamas and the red cloak her mother left behind for her. She clutched the precious red fabric to her as she sprinted through the underbrush on her short legs.
She was only four and getting close to five years of age, but she was still pretty quick for someone so young. So, she was covering quite the distance as she ran away from her home.
Tears streamed down her eyes as the shattered moon illuminated her pathway. Her breathing was harsh and ragged as gulped down mouthfuls of air in order to sustain her mad dash.
Everything hurt, not only on the outside but also on the inside. Her heart ached as she tried to block out what her sister had just shouted at her.
It was a fight; Ruby and her sister Yang had gotten into a fight. How the fight started, she could not remember, by the time the fight concluded the reason for its causation had become completely irrelevant.
The end result was what stung her the most. Yang has called mom dumb for leaving and called Ruby dumb for wanted to be like her. Ruby had made no secret about wanting to be a huntress like her mother, but it was clear that such an opinion was not very popular in the Xiao-Long household after her mother went on that mission and never came back.
They waited for months for her to return but eventually her uncle came by with a business looking blonde lady with glasses to give them the news that would change their lives forever.
"I'm sorry Tai," said Qrow looking like he was carrying all of Remnant on his shoulders.
"What's going on? Glynda? Why are you here?" Said Taiyang.
Glynda rubbed her hands together nervously and then she took her glasses off to wipe her eyes. She had been crying.
"It's Summer," Glynda said in a shaky voice. "She's gone."
"Gone?" Taiyang muttered. "What do you mean gone?"
"She ain't coming back, she bit off more than she could chew with this one." Qrow said as he stopped himself from taking a swig from his canteen.
Taiyang just tood there, stunned into silence.
"May we come in?" Glynda asked, hoping to provide some form of comfort.
Taiyang just nodded as he stood aside for them to pass through the door.
Meanwhile Ruby and Yang watched from the top of the stairs. Ruby was confused. Mom wasn't coming back. Why? Ruby just could not understand why her mommy could not come back home. Did they do something bad that made her upset? If that's the case, then Ruby will be the best girl until mommy comes home.
Yang did not take the news very well and ran into their shared room. Ruby followed after and found her sister crying in her bed. Ruby climbed up and just sat next to her for a bit. When Yang slowed down her crying, she wrapped Ruby in a strong hug which the younger sibling returned graciously.
She would be a good girl and then her mommy would come back. For Yang and her dad.
It had taken Ruby some time to realize what really happened to her mother and it was devastating. It made Ruby realize that no matter what she did, nothing was going to bring her mother back.
In short, she would never see her mother again and that made her sob for hours.
Now she and Yang got into a fight and while their dad who had just recently recovered from his depression broke it off, Ruby just couldn't let go of what Yang had said.
Ruby wanted to get away and she did, she sneaked out of the house and just started running. What was the point? She wanted to see her mommy again and they just kept reminding her that she was not coming back.
So, what was the point? If she couldn't at least be a huntress like her mom, then what could she do? She liked weapons, she loved heroic tales, she read stories on how really smart generals saved countless lives through their big brain strategies.
She wanted to be like them because she knew instinctually that her mother was like that. Calling mom a dummy was something she would not accept from anyone, not even her sister.
After running for she had no idea how long, it must have been a long time because her legs were shaking like twigs in a storm, she stopped and just sat down on the grass.
She spent a long time just sitting there wondering what she was supposed to do. Yang was being a big meany and dad was still to sore about mommy to talk about it.
It took her a moment to notice how she placed herself in a clearing with nothing but the moon to light up the world around her. She thought about the moon as she stared at it. Often, she would believe that there was something up there, on the moon or beyond.
This thought was brought on by all the space movies they watched together where she would ask if there really was life out there. Aliens and monsters and other things.
The answer she would always get was a big no. But she always had to wonder what happened to the moon to get it like that. Why was it broken? Something must have broken it, and the moon was really big. To break something that big without breaking Remnant too must have been done on purpose, right?
On the concepts of things beyond, she also wondered if her mother was really gone. If dead people were just dead or if there was something more. These were questions that kept her up at night when no one was paying attention to her. She could be sneaky if she wanted to be, she just tended not to be because it was better to be honest.
But the question did not go away, was there something beyond death that she could reach into to see her mom again. Not to bring her back, she had read many stories of dead people being brought back and it always turned out bad. The dead person always wants to stay dead because apparently wherever you go when you are dead is so nice that you never want to come back.
That made her sad. The fact that her mom could be somewhere that was so nice and fun that she would never want to come back made her feel like her mother didn't love her.
Ruby caught the thought and slapped her cheeks. That was silly talk. Her mother loved her to the moon and back and over again with extra cookies.
And she loved Yang and dad. There was nowhere she could go that would make her not want to come home.
Then she recalled that the dead people in the stories could not come back on their own and when they were brought back, they were not the same anymore. Maybe that was the reason. Her mom did not want to come back to them if it meant that she would not be the mom they loved so much. Or maybe she wanted to try but simply could not.
Satisfied with her rationale, Ruby nodded to herself before she stood up and felt just how tired her legs were.
She could not get mad at Yang, she was still upset that they could not see mom anymore, but that did not mean that what their mom did was wrong. She was a huntress and Uncle Qrow always said that mom was born to be a huntress.
So was Ruby. She could feel it in her heart. She was meant to be a huntress and she would be just like her mom.
A loud growl broke her from her revery, and her heart skipped a beat.
Out from the darkness of the trees came a Beowolf. Its black furred body only being made visible due to the moonlight silhouetting it against the tree line and illuminating the bone protrusions and mask on its head.
The part that stood out the most to her were its eyes. They burned red with malice, promising death and pain before the end.
Behind it a trio of its kin stalked out behind it and together they closed in on Ruby. Like the hunters they were known to be they did not simply charge in when they knew they had already won.
While Ruby knew most Grimm were dumb, she also knew that Beowolves were slightly smarter than others, being able to recognize when they had the upper hand and when they didn't. If the books she read from her mother's small library were right, most Grimm attack without thinking and just focus on getting to the person they saw.
While Ruby knew this, she had neither the skill nor experience to put it to thought in the present moment. All she could do was obey her animalistic instinct to run.
So, she did, not noticing that she had let go of her cloak in her fright.
She did not get far as before she reached the trees, her legs gave out from all the running and she fell face first into the grass.
Managing to push herself up, she turned to see the Beowolves making their way towards her, they were sampling her fear. Negative emotions were what attracted them, and Ruby must have gotten their attention because of how sad she was.
She found that she could not stand, her legs were too tired, so, she pushed herself away hoping beyond hope that someone would come to save her, maybe Uncle Qrow would swoop in and save the day like he did before.
Then the lead Beowolf pounced, and she screamed, covering her face with her arms in a vain hope for protection.
When nothing happened, she removed her arms to see the head of the Beowolf in front of her. It was detached from its body which lay sprawled just behind the severed head.
She was stunned as she watched the decapitated head disintegrate and gasped in awe as a blurred figure zipped past her and towards the remaining Grimm who were snarling in rage.
The Beowolves lunged at the blur but missed as the figure swirled around them like living mist.
Ruby knew it was not mist, but a person, as she caught arms and legs in brief glimpses as it circled the Grimm.
Another Grimm attacked the blur and lost an arm as a cost. Ruby gasped as she stared with childlike wonder at the scene. The Grimm's limp was taken off so cleanly that it almost looked to simply fall from the shoulder.
The Grimm was bisected at the waste and then it was decapitated as well. Then the blur changed its pattern and proceeded to take the remaining two Grimm apart like Ruby's little Lego toys when she is upset.
When all was done the blur shot into the tree, leaving Ruby with the evaporating bodies of the Grimm.
After realizing that she was alone again, she looked around in hopes of finding the person who did this.
She was greeted by a laugh that made her look up at the tree to see someone hanging upside down from a branch. Ruby blinked as she registered the sight she was beholding.
Hanging from the branch with her legs wrapped around it was a woman of sorts. She was very slim and very tall, taller than anyone Ruby had seen in her short life.
She wore a funny costume with a checkerboard pattern on one side and pure white on the other and they swapped sides from her upper and lower torso. In her hands was a scepter of some kind and a long-curved sword that Ruby could not help but stare at. It was such a beautiful weapon that the memory of it would be burned in her young mind for years to come until the fateful day when she would create one of her own.
Ruby could not see the lady's face as she was wearing a visor over it that reflected everything outward like a mirror.
When Ruby took in the whole of the person, Ruby thought she looked like as some sort of clown.
"And so, the Princess of Barbs, saddened by the argument with Lady Firebrand, wanders into the forest to encounter a pack of vicious wolves only to be saved by a humble actor."
Ruby just stared at the clown, unable to understand what she said. With no idea how to respond, Ruby just gave the usual greeting that her mother had taught her.
"Umm. Hello."
"Greetings, mon'keigh youngling."
"Hey!" Ruby yelled getting to her feet, having to strain not to fall over. "Who are you calling a monkey!"
The clown chuckled and responded in a sing song voice. "Why you~ Who else would I be referring to~ And if you are not a mon'keigh~ Then what are you to be~"
Ruby narrowed her eyes and puffed out her chest like she had seen Yang do against Cadin at school. "I'm a huntress. Or I will be when I get big like my mom."
The clown remained silent for a second and then responded with a short laugh. "Yes. Oh yes you will. I fine hunter you will make."
Ruby blinked at the unexpected praise and found it difficult to believe. Her family was not happy about the concept of being a huntsman right now and they were making it clear that they did not want her to be one, even Uncle Qrow even if he didn't say it.
"You think so?" She asked, happy to be encouraged.
The clown swung from the branch with an acrobatic flip that left the little girl awestruck by the display of skill. This was the type of thing she dreamed of doing. Her dad had said that her mom was skilled with acrobatics as it gave her an edge against the Grimm. Thus, Ruby wanted to learn this when she got older.
The clown stuck the landing perfectly, giving a display of grace that made the child giddy, and even through the mask it was clear that the clown was enjoying showing off for her.
"I know so, for that is your role. The Princess of Barbs shall be a great hunter of monsters, along with her sister, Lady Firebrand, and her friends, Mistress Felona and Princess Snowflake," said the clown with grand gestures, waving her arms around as she twirled in the grass. "When the Silver Dutchess returns, the Princess of Barbs shall be swept away to a grand performance that shall leave the stars breathless with suspense."
When the little show came to an end, the clown bent down to Ruby, leaning so far forward that she went past a ninety-degree angle and somehow didn't lose her balance.
With another chuckle she asked, "That sounds like quite the tales does it not, child?"
Ruby did not quite understand what the clown was saying but she could not help but gush at the display of skill that was shown to her.
"That was so cool! How you moved so fast I couldn't even see you! You took those Grimm apart! Are you a huntress?"
The clown laughed hard and placed her hands on her stomach as if she had heard the funniest joke in her life.
"No, no, no, no. No hunter am I, for this one is but a humble actor in the grand performance," she said with an eloquent bow. "Here to play my role until the final curtain falls and death finally takes me."
At the mention of death, Ruby felt some of her musings from before pop into her mind, but she wanted to get more out of this strange lady.
"So, you're saying that I'll be a huntress one day?" She asked with hope.
"Oh, yes. A great defender of the weak. One who shall fight for those who cannot. Quite the noble role you have been given."
Ruby smiled at the affirmation of her dream. As a child that was all she really wanted from those around her, attention and affirmation of her dreams and beliefs. And this affirmation made her dream of when it would become a reality. How she would train with Yang in combat school, they would get top marks together and earns a spot at Beacon Academy, the best huntsmen academy to ever exist. They would go on missions and kill the Grimm just like the clown lady did. Then they would graduate together, and everyone would be there. Her dad, Uncle Qrow, maybe even that lady who showed up with her uncle, she seemed nice.
She would become a huntress, and everyone would be there for it.
Except, not everyone would be there.
This realization soured her mood and with the idea of death in her young mind, she felt tears well up in her eyes.
The clown took notice and tilted her covered head. "What has upset you, Princess of Barbs?"
Ruby sniffed, "My mom. She's gone; that means she won't be there when I become a huntress. I won't get to see how happy she is."
The clown chuckled again, as if knowing some hidden knowledge. "I would be so sure about that. After all, death is not the end for one such as the Silver Dutchess."
Ruby stared at the clown, unsure of what was being said. "What?"
"Life and death," the clown began in theatrical fashion. "Like the tide on a shore they are, to and frow they go, coming and going. Inevitable on both sides and as inseparable as lovers. Those who pass beyond are not truly gone."
Ruby's eyes lit up at that last phrase. "You mean my mom is okay?"
"Yes, she is well, and she is eager to hear you again."
"I can talk to her?" Ruby asked in all eagerness to hear the voice of her mother again. To tell her all the stories of when she will go to combat school and become a great huntress.
The clown leaned in close and spoke in a whisper. "Only when you are alone~ Speak to her tombstone~ She will answer in time, but only when she is apart~ She will hear you if you speak from the heart~"
The clown stood up and looked into the forest behind Ruby. The girl wondered what the clown was looking at until she heard a voice calling out to her.
"Ruby!"
That voice, it was Yang. Then a second came, following it, it was her dad's. They found her bed empty and must have come looking for her.
"Lady Firebrand comes for the Princess of Barbs, regret eating away at her, she seeks to make amends."
The clown gave the girl a bow with one hand behind her back. "Farewell, until we meet again."
"Wait!" Ruby said, "What's your name?"
"I am Sylandri Veilwalker, a humble actor and I do believe you will be needing this."
Like a magician, she pulled out a red cloak from behind her, letting it dangle before the girl. Ruby gasped as she realized that she dropped the cloak her mother had left for her.
"The Silver Dutchess would be very sad if you lost this. Try to take care of it, young hunter."
Ruby grabbed the cloak and hugged it as if it were her mother in fabric form. This was the left thing she left for Ruby, saying that it was a family tradition for her to give a cloak to her daughter.
When she looked up, she saw that the clown was gone, as if she had never been there.
Before Ruby could call out, Yang came rushing through the bushed to catch her half-sister in a bear hug.
"Ruby!" Cried Yang as she held her sister. "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry, I'll never say anything bad about mom again. I didn't mean it I was just angry, please don't be mad at me."
Ruby wanted to hug back, but Yang had trapped Ruby's arms with the hug, so she just spoke instead.
"It's okay Yang, I'm not mad anymore."
Before the sisters could continue their moment, their father Taiyang stepped into the clearing and looked at the two with a mix of frustration and worry.
After a quick discussion on how dangerous the forest was and how Ruby should never go into it alone, they walked home, and Ruby had to wonder of the clown lady wad real or not. Deep down she hoped it was real, because she dearly wanted to speak to her mother again and after hearing that they were making a tombstone for her by the cliffs, she felt in her heart that it was.
Hello lads. Now I know some of you have been asking for some TTS in my story, so I decided to give those of you who wanted it a gift for been so good to me.
Just know that the TTS part of this chapter in not an actual part of the story. Think of it as a what if. Also, I apologise for it being so short. I am not Alfabusa or any of his crew. I can mimic them, but I do not have their talent when it comes to humour.
As for the actual interaction between Summer, Guilliman and the Emperor, I plan to keep that as close to the lore as possible, with some minor tweeks due to Summer being there.
And the second part of the chapter with Ruby is an actual part of the story just to show how Summer's family is doing without her. These will crop up from time to time and I hope you enjoy.