Author's Note:
I do not own Library of Ruina or RWBY. These series belong to Project Moon and RoosterTeeth respectively.
Hey, it's been a while. Sorry if I took long, college just started and I've been dumped with a bunch of assignments, so I hadn't had a lot of time to work on this. Regarding the story, I feel like I have no idea where I'm taking this. This chapter stumped me a lot because I literally had no idea what I could focus on. The last chapter was something I made on a whim, but continuing on from that point had basically fucked me up. That's why this chapter is shorter than usual, I didn't have a lot of things to put in this and didn't want to make a chapter filled with a lot of random crap, so this is it. I tried to do something for the story to see how it turns out, but I won't know how you guys will respond to it. Maybe it's bullshit, maybe it's at least cool, but hopefully it's something to expect to see later on. The next chapter would probably depend on your guys' response to it, but enough of that.
Like always, thanks for taking the time to read my story. It's been a journey, but I look forward to writing more on this story.
Reviews:
VGBlackwing - Lmao, N. Corp Nora would probably be even crazier than Faust or Kromer. I do feel like Limbus Company's Identities are stronger than Key Pages from Library of Ruina, what do you think? Maybe it's just that the identities are their own thing, but who am I to say what's what?
HarmonyDST05 - I thought about giving Yang Xiao's page but chose not to. But I swear Raven and Xiao are too similar to me. Red eyes, long black hair, red and black clothes, dragon-themed, and family problems. It's just that one has a better personality than the other, lmao.
Argorak - Thanks, their power-up won't be permanent though, but it's a good reminder that they have a lot more to learn. And for the question: yeah. It's Elena. She's a former Huntress gone rouge. It just seems like something she would become.
NikolaiVermil - I had to go check if Argalia actually catches the bullets in the pre-reception cutscene, but didn't find where he actually catches it. I saw that he deflected a bullet to protect Eileen, but no more shots were after that. Even Tamaki says "You literally just saw the Blue Reverberation deflect our bullets." But that doesn't really matter to me if he catches it or not. For the Distorted Reverb Ensemble, it literally lasted a week. I have no idea where people got that from, but it says in the Fandom Wiki that Roland led the other Librarians to combat the revived Ensemble for the next seven days when Angela was releasing the Light. As for who's working with Salem, that's... a secret. Anyways, thanks for the lengthy review. I appreciate how much you care for this story.
The Dark Hour - Hey... this ain't that type of fanfic.
Emm - The band is coming back, baby! Also, if you forgot something, then it wasn't important.
Unzealots - If I recall from the previous chapter, Angela said that she has the ability to remove Key Pages from anyone anytime when Nora was boasting about her "new armor." Plus, it's hard to steal a Key Page, when Angela is the only one capable of giving them out. She only allowed Yesod and Tiph to sort the Key Pages because she allowed them to and kept them there, otherwise, they'd all burst into pages and return to Angela's book. As for modded pages, I hadn't considered the possibility, but it's highly unlikely because I wouldn't know where to fit them in. Moving on, the Assistant Librarians. BongBong and Dakota are returning, and I do want to add more Nuggets, but I have no idea who to put in. I was thinking of G-Chan's Ryn or my own OCs, but that's up for later.
–EARLY IN THE MORNING–
–CCT TOWER, BEACON ACADEMY–
Angela had grown accustomed to walking alone in public. It's given her some time to find peace ever since the Library opened. It was bearable at first, but when thousands of people start to converse with each other regularly, it gets a bit annoying to hear it all. She would have been comfortable if she still had a robotic body, but her transformation to being human had been somewhat of a hassle.
When she was human in the City, she never had to experience what it was truly like to be "human." Constant hunger, thirst, and need for sleep disrupted her attention to work. She was too used to working indefinitely without stopping, only stopping when she got bored or something came up. Angela's sense of hearing had worsened; sounds were both needlessly quiet and loud sometimes, and her robotic ears were better at leveling out noises. Her sense of feeling had grown stronger, allowing her to feel both heat and cold.
The cold was somewhat familiar to her, but the heat had bothered her sometimes. This body was susceptible to illnesses and Angela didn't want to experience what it's like to be sick. She had seen Ren's sickness leave him bedridden and made a note about it. Hygiene wasn't much of an issue, she just used the Light to cleanse herself, although Malkuth and Hod made a promise to teach Angela how to use a shower.
Moreover, Angela had found peace in leaving the Library these days. She enjoyed walking around Beacon, taking in the peaceful air and beautiful sights of the sky. The occasional student or staff would greet her and she would return the greeting back before continuing her walk. After greeting the Guests back in the City, this was a far vast improvement to her liking. No more crazy people, well, less crazy people at least.
The pale-haired librarian opened the doors to the brown doors of the CCT tower. The green light filled her vision as she made her way toward the elevator. The first time she entered the place, many people were walking around and using the terminals to do whatever business they wanted. As of right now, the number of people was scarce and they were mainly Beacon staff and security. The emptiness of the room reminded her of the current absent Librarians, prompting her decision to awaken Hokma at a later time. When Angela got to the elevator, she heard a voice behind her.
"Yo, Angela," the voice called out to her. The head librarian turned around to see her black fixer friend.
"Roland, good morning," she greeted. Angela hadn't seen him since last night when he left earlier. When she didn't find him afterward, she assumed that he left for something else, but now was the chance to ask. "Where did you go last night?"
"Ah, I went to the–"
–LAST NIGHT–
–DINING HALL, BEACON ACADEMY–
Roland walked into the school's cafeteria, coming from the hallway leading toward the Library. Gloom filled his expression upon seeing that blue and golden outfit in the Library. He couldn't help but recall when Argalia referred to him as a brother; the same Argalia who opposed his sister's marriage with him, the one who threatened him multiple times, the very same one who let Angelica's corpse be defiled by that damn Puppeteer. Any thoughts about the Blue Reverberation Ensemble always led him to that moment when her corpse appeared, hung up by those strings.
The black fixer went into the kitchen – he had been allowed kitchen privileges after Oobleck and that chef had recommended him to the other Beacon chefs. His pajeon was a big success with the students and it made him want to make more stuff from the City. Maybe he could make a HamHamPangPang? Anyway, he made some tea for himself because he wanted something to drink but didn't want to get a hangover from alcohol. Although, they probably wouldn't have any booze in a school for kids. The Librarians really did make him learn some new things; tea and coffee making were some cool parts of it.
Over in the distance, he spotted lights coming from some of the tables. It was common, of course, for some students were either having a midnight snack or doing some late studying and didn't want to bother their teammates. Most of the third or fourth-year students were here because they were busy training or out doing missions all day but they needed something to eat. Moreover, some Beacon staff were here as well. Roland didn't blame them. Hundreds of superpowered kids, some of whom had super-inflated egos, would stress out the workers. However, one particular person caught his attention, so he decided to walk up to them.
After he got a little closer, Roland noticed the coffee mug in her hands. "Yo, Angelina," he called out to the white-haired woman.
"Oh, Roland..." she responded after turning around. Angelina looked somewhat disturbed but somehow kept a passive expression. "How're you doing?"
"I'm alright, but what about you?" Roland asked. "I heard what happened earlier."
"Oh, that? Sorry to worry you."
"Nah, it's fine. Must be shocking to wear some random suit with a weapon attached to it, right?"
"Yeah..." Angelina was just a civilian, she had no Aura training nor any weapon training. Even though she was just a civilian, Roland heard that her reaction was a little severe for someone who lives in a world full of teenagers wielding weapons, but he dismissed the thought.
A silence loomed over between them. Roland took the opportunity to sit next to her. Side by side, both of them stared into their respective drinks. It wasn't long until one of them broke the silence.
"Roland?" He hummed in acknowledgment. "Can you tell me who you are?"
The black fixer paused on that. What did she mean by that? "What do you mean? I'm Roland." He let out a playful chuckle.
"No, not that. It's like there's something more," Angelina said as she scratched her head. Her face scrunched up as if she were contemplating something. "Like... I don't know how to put it into words so I don't sound crazy."
"Go ahead, it probably won't be the craziest thing I've heard before." After all, he and his friends were teleported to a different world where people used dust and the power of the soul to fight against dark creatures. Right. That was normal.
"Well, if you say so..." Angelina paused, before continuing. "I see these... visions. Of someplace. Somewhere. Places I don't remember going to."
She continued to detail parts of her dreams to Roland, whose gaze instantly turned sharp. Was Angelina talking about...?
"I see so many buildings. So many people too. Most of them dying. There was so much death," she paused. The gut feeling in Roland's stomach grew. "Ever since I've met you, I've had these weird dreams. Today, when that Key Page, or whatever Mr. Yesod and Ms. Tiphereth called it, was equipped onto me, I felt some connection to that place. While I was terrified, I just felt somewhat... horrible. Whatever that place is, I just feel horrible thinking about it."
He didn't like where this was going, but he didn't stop her.
"So, I have to ask. Roland... you said that you're from that place?"
–PRESENT–
–HEADMASTER'S OFFICE, BEACON–
"That's about the gist of it," Roland explained in the elevator.
Angela sighed, "So she knows about us?"
"Most of it." Roland shrugged. "Just told her about the City. Basically said that it's an awful place, and we hated it so we decided to leave. Mentioned that we're partnering up with Beacon to defeat the Grimm. Just to add in something, I explained how the Key Pages work, and how the Library is your 'Semblance' because it would be easier to leave it as that. Although, I didn't tell her some... things. Things that would be better left unsaid. Mostly about the Librarians and me."
"I see," Angela nodded in understanding. It would be weird to tell someone that they're just copies of people who died several times.
"But that wasn't the main issue." Angela looked at Roland with questioning eyes. The black fixer took some time to think about what he was going to say next. "All the places she mentioned, they were places I and… Angelica have been to," he said with some hesitation.
"What?"
"I know, it sounds insane, but she gave me an apt description of the Backstreets of I Corp.," Roland explained to her. "It can't be a coincidence–a person who looks like Angelica, has a similar name, acts like her, and remembers stuff only she would know. I didn't consider reincarnation to be real, but I… don't want it to be real."
"Why not?" Angela questioned. "Wouldn't this be an opportunity for you and Angelica, or rather, Angelina to reunite?"
"I don't know," Roland muttered. "I would want to reunite with her, but I feel like that would scar her. I would rather not remember what the City did to me nor if I lived in the City."
Angela sighed, "Wouldn't it be better to rip off the bandaid right now instead of later?"
"That… I have no answer to that right now."
Before Angela could talk, she noticed the elevator's position indicator reached the top. When the doors opened, she told Roland that they could talk later and walked out into Ozpin's Office. Professor Goodwitch and Ozpin were already present; the former was looking at her scroll, presumably doing stuff for her class, while the latter was sitting on his chair.
"Good morning, Angela, Roland," the Beacon headmaster greeted. He took a sip of his usual mug. "While I expected Angela to arrive, I did not foresee you, Mr. Roland."
"Well, from the stories Qrow told me, it seemed like this general dude is kind of a... jerk," Roland explained himself. It seemed that he shifted gears already. "It would be better if I got to know the guy myself rather than hearing it second hand."
Ozpin sighed, "Well, the relationship between Qrow and General Ironwood is somewhat less than friendly, but I can assure you that James is a decent man. He just has a... heart of steel."
A buzz was sounded from the headmaster's desk. Ozpin picked up his scroll and read the message he was sent. He set his scroll down afterward, turned around, and began to walk toward his window. Everyone else followed along, curious as to why he was looking out the window. Before anyone could say anything, one of the clouds in the sky began to turn dark. Roland and Angela could only watch in awe as three giant airships began to descend from the clouds with multiple smaller aircraft flying around them.
"...those are huge," Roland commented.
"I presume those airships are the General's?" Angela inquired, curious.
"Yes," Ozpin confirmed, placing a hand on his head.
Roland scoffed, "I thought those passenger airships were big, but this is just showing off."
"Still," Angela spoke. The number of military vehicles popping out of nowhere was staggering. "There's a lot for just this meeting."
"Ironwood certainly loves bringing his work wherever he travels," Professor Goodwitch sighed, nodding in agreement.
"Well, running an academy and a military makes him a busy man. I'm certain that the General has a reasonable explanation for this," Ozpin said with a hint of frustration. "But yes, those are a bit of an eyesore."
It would take a little bit of time for the General to make his way into Ozpin's office, so Glynda decided to brew some tea. Roland also decided to help her since he was the one going to barge into the meeting. He might as well do something to help after all. On the other hand, Angela and Ozpin were deciding on what to discuss with Ironwood. It mainly consisted of introducing the Librarians, since Ozpin kept them a secret for some reason, and asking him what he was thinking when he brought an entire army to Vale. The main thing Ozpin wanted to discuss was something else entirely, but he didn't mention anything about it.
A few minutes later, Ozpin's desk notified him with a repeating chirping noise and a monitor flashing "Access Requested." The headmaster calls out to the person entering and starts to walk toward the elevator door. Glynda, Roland, and Angela start to walk with him as well, albeit a bit further back. The elevator doors slide open.
"Ozpin!" Ironwood cordially greets.
He sported a pristine white overcoat layered atop a gray undercoat, complemented by a black sweater and a red necktie. A white glove adorned his right hand, while his left hand was uncovered. His suit pants mirrored the same color of his overcoat as his gray boots covered by silver plating. Overall, the man was shown to be well-dressed and clean as expected of a Huntsmen Academy headmaster and military general of his Kingdom.
Ozpin responded in kind, "Hello, General."
"Please, drop the formalities." Ironwood started to walk up to the Beacon headmaster and offered a handshake, which Ozpin accepted. The general chuckles, but spots Professor Goodwitch and the two Librarians. "It's been too long. And Glynda! It has certainly been too long since we last met."
"Oh, James!" Glynda said as she gave him a friendly wave before she dropped her hand. "I'll be outside." Then, she started to walk out.
"Well, she hasn't changed a bit," the General bluntly joked. It was at that moment that he turned his attention to the Librarians. "So, who are your new friends?"
"These are our new resident librarians: Angela and Roland," Ozpin explained as he gestured to them, walking toward his desk. He picked up the teapot and poured some of it into a mug with the Beacon symbol on it.
"And? Are they here for something?" Ironwood questioned as the Beacon headmaster gave him the mug of tea.
The General took out a flask of something and poured it into his mug. "They're here for this meeting, of course. The more heads, the more we can get done. Plus, they seem to know a few things or two," Ozpin stated.
It took a second for the Altas General to realize what the hidden message was, but he didn't let it show on his face. 'They know,' he mused. 'Well, it's about time that we have new allies.' Then, he walked up to both of the Librarians, a smile on his face. "Well, any friend of Ozpin is a friend of mine," Ironwood said as he extended a hand toward them.
"Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Angela, the director and head librarian of Beacon's Library," the pale-haired librarian greeted. "I hope to be your acquaintance." She grabbed his hand and shook it, noticing how firm his handshake was. Ironwood gave her an acknowledging nod and let go.
Roland walked up to him, eyeing him up and down. The experience with military leaders of the City in the Smoke War was somewhat harrowing. Even if they were Fixers, they still needed to listen to the Wings' orders. He saw what happened to the old G. Corp's soldiers and he didn't like what he saw. Disregarding all of that, Roland would still have some respect for the General in front of him. The black fixer held out a hand and introduced himself, "Roland, Patron Librarian of General Works."
"Nice to meet you, Roland," the General greeted back, grabbing Roland's right hand with his. The black fixer immediately felt something as his hand touched Ironwood's gloved hand. A familiar feeling washed over him. He felt this many times before during his work as a Fixer. Roland decided to make sure he was right.
With a smirk, he cautiously spoke, "For a dude named Ironwood, you sure got a metal grip." For a second, Ironwood was genuinely surprised, but after that, his expression relaxed. He was reminded of a certain person who spoke to him like that.
"Why yes." Ironwood removed his glove, showing that his hand was replaced by a mechanical one. He stared at his metal hand for a good bit, before complimenting Roland. "Not many people notice the prosthetic. It's just something that happened a long time ago."
The black fixer gave him a nod, indicating that he wouldn't try to budge into someone's personal life story. So he decided to just leave, after all, he was just here to check out the General, and he didn't feel like a scumbag. For now at least. Once, the elevator arrived, Roland departed from Ozpin's office, leaving the Atlas General, Beacon headmaster, and Librarian Director.
"Moving past that," Ozpin cut in, interrupting. "What in the world has brought you all the way down from Atlas, James? Headmasters don't typically travel with their students, for the Vytal Festival."
"Well, you know how much I love Vale this time of year," Ironwood excused himself. "Besides, with you hosting, I thought that this might be a good opportunity for us to catch up. And it gives us ample time to associate with our new friends." He directed that last part to Angela, who gave him a nod.
"I can certainly appreciate the quality time between friends," Ozpin glanced outside the window. "However, a small fleet outside my window has me concerned."
"Please, Oz," Ironwood sighed. "You and I both know why I brought those men." Angela glanced between the two of them. She didn't know why; although, it was probably for a good reason, but she could see the reason for Ozpin's concerns. There were just too many ships after all.
Ozpin took a sip, then placed his mug down. "We are in a time of peace. Shows of power like this are just going to give off the wrong impression." Ironwood also places his mug down on Ozpin's desk.
"But if what Qrow said is true..."
"If what Qrow said is true, then we will handle it tactfully," Ozpin suggested. "After all, it's the Vytal Festival. A time to celebrate unity and peace. So I suggest that you not scare people by transporting hundreds of soldiers halfway across the continent."
"I'm just being cautious," Ironwood excused himself. "The more people She gathers, the more her influence will grow all over the Kingdoms! I'm not taking any chances if and whenever an attack happens, we need to be ready at all times. A war could break out at any moment!"
''She?'' Angela paused. ''A war?''
Ozpin looked at the Head Libarian's confused expression and guessed what it was about. He sighed and responded. "And that is why we should be mindful of our actions. Her influence will only grow stronger if the people are scared. A show of force is not what we need right now. Plus, she's not the only one gathering allies." Ozpin added as he glanced at Angela. "The Librarians are powerful partners of ours, they will be instrumental in our victory. After thorough discussions, I have come up with something that could buy us time."
"What do you mean?" Ironwood asked with a hint of incredulity. "Are they not simple Librarians?"
At that moment, Ozpin smirked and started to tap on his scroll. When he swiped up on the scroll, Ironwood's scroll buzzed at the same time. When the Atlas General looked at it, he gradually became focused on his scroll. Open finishing reading the message, the General gave Angela an incredible yet doubtful stare. Looking back and forth between Ozpin and the Librarian, Ironwood sighed.
"Ozpin. This plan of yours," Ironwood began to speak. A grimace appeared on his face. "Disregarding the Vytal Festival, this is taking huge risks. According to this information, we barely know anything about this Library or any of these 'Librarians' except for what they told you. If anything were to happen, this could spell the end for all of us."
"Believe me, James. This will tip the scales in our favor."
"Excuse me," Angela chimed in. Both headmasters stopped to allow her to talk. "Ozpin, what are you talking about? Who is 'she?' and what is happening? Why would a war occur?"
Ironwood glared at Ozpin, who of which, just gave him a somber look. The Beacon headmaster did not disclose anything about 'her' or 'them.' It was a matter of secrecy. The Librarians were newcomers to this chessboard, he assumed that they would have some of their doors closed so he had closed some of his. However, since too much was already said and she started asking questions, he decided to cut his losses.
"Angela, you have been studying everything Remnant has to offer. Down from basic Dust principles to the geography of the world," Ozpin spoke. Although Angela was confused as to where he was going with this, she nodded, allowing him to continue. "I believe Qrow has informed you of there being magic." Another nod. "But, we left out one thing."
"And that is?" Angela asked.
"What is your favorite fairy tale?" Ozpin smirked, knowing that this question blew the minds of everyone he told. From Qrow to even Ironwood, everyone that he told was immediately taken aback. When it was Angela's turn to speak, she thought about it for a few moments.
"I don't have one." Ozpin's smirk cracked a little. After a while contemplating his thoughts, he started to tell a story: a story about four maidens and a girl who lived in a tower.
–HOURS LATER–
—FLOOR OF RELIGION, THE LIBRARY—
Over at the Library, the Head Librarian decided that now was a good time to bring back the resident geriatric of the Library. If there weren't any issues with awakening him, she could probably also awaken some of the Assistant Librarians. However, Angela would probably need to awaken a few because it would be a hassle to explain how 40 people showed up out of nowhere. Plus… she didn't even know if they even wanted to come back.
She believed that most of them, like Dakota, didn't like Angela for what she did in the final moments of Lobotomy Corp. They were trapped in a cycle of pain, fought unstoppable monsters, forced to work endlessly and kill hundreds of people, and now they would be brought to another world to work for her again. However, she needed to bring them back after hearing Ozpin's story.
Once the Light started to gather, she pushed those thoughts away and pulled Hokma out of his sleep. Upon opening his eyes, the Patron of Religion stared at the pale-haired librarian.
"Greetings, Angela."
"Hello, Benjamin."
"..."
"..."
Both of them had nothing much to say to each other. The only other time where Angela and Hokma were alone was when the former was having her little 'tantrum' in the Library. Even if they were in the presence of others, they rarely spoke to each other. While Angela may have resented Hokma for all the pain that he and his mentor put her through, she still considered him a friend of sorts.
"Hmm," Hokma hummed while he pondered his thoughts. "Although I have a general gist of Beacon's facilities, I would like to explore the campus on my own, if that is acceptable with you, Angela."
"That is fine. Just remember to perform your duties as usual." The white librarian nodded his head and started to walk away. However, before he could disappear from her sight, Angela called out to him. "Hokma." Once he turned, she continued. "While I was bringing you back, I thought of bringing back the assistants."
A few seconds passed by and Hokma understood what the problem was. "I see. While the events of Lobotomy Corp. are scars to you, they are mere scratches on everyone else compared to you. All of their lives were pawns in the play my mentor created, even the Sephirot were as well. The workers of Lobotomy Corp. were disposable, used to fuel our despair, none of them were important to the end," Hokma solemnly spoke. "They may not like you, or tolerate you, but they understand. They understand what you went through. Sympathy is a trait all have. At the end of it all, the assistants chose to help you. Helped you achieve your goal of freedom, and in return, you granted them theirs." With that, Hokma left.
The Head Librarian stood there with a thoughtful expression on her face. When she was fighting against her past self, she called upon Roland's assistants to help her. Without missing a beat, they chose to fight, they chose to root for her, they chose to help her break the cycle. Even though she forced them to work in the Library, they looked happier than being stuck underground for 10 years.
Although they were just faces in the crowd, she remembered all of them. She remembered how hard they fought, their struggles, and their sacrifices. Each one of them had a story, a life that had been intertwined with the dark and twisted narrative of Lobotomy Corp. and the Library. As Hokma's words echoed in her mind, the A.I. couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions—gratitude, guilt, and a sense of responsibility.
Without a second later, Angela opened up her book. Light poured out from the pages, and onto the ground in front of her. Although the Light was blinding, she could make out two figures forming in front of her. In front of her was a purple-haired librarian and a blue-haired one.
"Ugh, I thought that would be the last time," Dakota groaned.
BongBong jumped joyously. "Bong? Bong Boooong!"
"Ah, shut up." The blue-haired girl ran up and hugged Dakota, who just willingly let it happen. In response, she just sighed and attempted to shove her off, but failed. Knowing that they were brought back for a reason, Malkuth's assistant looked over to Angela. With a slight glare, she posed a question. "Is there something you need?"
"I'm… sorry."
"...What?" Dakota held a baffled expression.
"Bong…?" BongBong left her triangle-shaped mouth open.
"I'm sorry for all the pain my actions have caused you two in both Lobotomy Corp. and in the Library." Angela lowered her head down and slightly bowed. "My selfish desires took away the peace that you all desired, if you have anyone to blame, it would be me."
As she finished, she awaited their response. However, all Angela got was silence.
BongBong and Dakota looked at each other, a bit confused at the situation, but they exchanged a few glances. Once they turned back to face Angela, the Head Librarian heard footsteps approach her. Before she could open her eyes, she felt something warm wrapping around her.
"Are you fucking stupid or something?" Dakota exasperated.
Angela opened her eyes to see a head of blue hair resting their head on her shoulder. She looked to see that it was BongBong who was wrapping her arms around the Head Librarian. Over to the side, she saw Dakota standing a few steps back with a hand stretched across her face.
"Look, Angela," Dakota spoke, prompting the pale-haired librarian to look at her. "We don't give two shits about our time in the corporation. The only thing that mattered was getting out of there, and you were forced to play along for a thousand years. Even if I somewhat dislike you, I can't blame you entirely; that shitty script was horsecrap. If anything, we should blame your creator."
"Bong." Angela looked at BongBong who lifted her head off and looked at Angela with a saddened expression. "BongBong, Bong Bong. BongBong Bong. Bong Bong Bong!" Although Angela could use the Light to decipher any language in the City, she wasn't able to translate whatever BongBong said. Even without it, she could feel that the blue-haired girl said something heartwarming.
"Hey," Dakota said as she grabbed the attention of the pale-haired librarian. "Thank you for all your hard work." The purple-haired librarian bowed her head in sincerity.
Angela stood there a little surprised. She hadn't expected them to be so… understanding. It was like what Hokma had said.
A few moments of silence seemed to have passed by. BongBong had already peeled herself off of Angela and stood back next to Dakota. Without any prompting, Angela let out a small smile. A very rare smile that almost none of the assistants had ever seen before.
"Well, I think all I can say is… thank you," Angela spoke softly. Upon looking at the two assistants, she saw BongBong's gleeful smile and the corners of Dakota's mouth rising slightly. Although these two were fine with her, she still had to ask them if they wanted to stay.
"Dakota. BongBong." When their attention was on her, she continued. "The Library is now in the world of Remnant. This is a fresh start for all the Librarians—nobody knows much about us and vice versa. Although we have acquired help from the people of Beacon Academy, we are still fish out of the water," Angela thought back to earlier today when Ozpin revealed the hidden secrets of Remnant. "Something is going to happen in the near future. We will need to pool all our resources. Dakota, I know how much you despise working, and you are free to ask to be put back to sleep. But, I ask you: are you willing to work with me once again?"
Dakota had a moment to think about it. After a few seconds, she made her decision. With a smirk, she spoke, "Well, when you put it like that, I guess I got no choice. Good to be back, boss."
"Bong! BongBong!" The blue-haired girl jumped up and down rapidly.
"She said 'Me too, please.'" Dakota translated for Angela.
Angela shook her head, she hadn't thought it would be this easy yet nerve-racking to ask someone for help. There was an unusual feeling being lifted off her shoulders—maybe this was a sign of her changing body. Although it was a weird feeling, it wasn't a bad one.
Come to think of it, Angela rarely asked anybody for help. The only person she could think of was Roland. She hadn't seen him since he left with Glynda earlier and he wasn't in the Library, maybe she could go and find him later when she's done. Those thoughts were pushed away when Dakota spoke out to her.
"Wait, Angela." When said person looked at her, she continued with a look of dread on her face. "When you said, 'pool all our resources,' do you mean 'all' our resources?" Dakota was currently fearing the worst right now.
The Head Librarian tilted her head to the side in a show of confusion. "Yes, everything." At that moment, Dakota's eye twitched. "We will be utilizing the Key Pages, the Librarians, the Library itself, and even the Abnormalities will be used to help the people of Remnant."
"WHY!?" Dakota screamed. "You of all people should know how much damage those things would cause! They're monsters!"
"Yes, they are monsters," Angela countered. "But, they have increasingly changed over these past few weeks." Upon hearing that, Dakota quieted herself to listen, allowing Angela to continue.
"Unlike the Abnormalities we studied and researched back in Lobotomy Corp., they have started to act differently than we used to know. After a few weeks since I moved the Library, I began to notice changes in some of the Abnormalities. They have become more… passive."
"What do you mean by 'passive'?" Dakota asked.
Angela was going to speak again, but something grabbed her attention. She closed her eyes and waited. "As a matter of fact, right now, one of them is watching us as we speak," she responded.
"What?" Dakota blurted out.
"Bong?"
"They are now approaching us."
"Why didn't you tell us earlier!"
"Bong!"
"They have not done anything to warrant attention."
"I'm already regretting this!"
Dakota and BongBong immediately went into fight mode. Even though they had no Key Page, they were still equipped with their Librarian standardized batons. If something wanted to fight them, they would be in for a fight. However, without any decent Key Pages, they would be screwed. Both of them scanned their surroundings, hoping to spot it before it jumped them.
"Hey, Angela! Where is it!?" Dakota shouted.
While Dakota was trying to get Angela's help, BongBong looked around the white shelves of the Floor of Religion. While she hadn't been on this floor much, she knew that this place was just a bunch of bookshelves lined up in rows. From what she remembered during her time fighting some of the Abnormalities with Binah a month ago, almost all the Abnormalities stayed on their respective floor. Now, if she remembered correctly, the Floor of Religion's Abnormalities were… Suddenly, BongBong felt chills go down her spine. When she started to look up, BongBong tensed up.
"B-Bo-B-Bong! Bong! Bong!" The blue-haired librarian started to panic. The grip on her baton was waning. "Booongg!"
"Huh," Dakota grunted as she turned to see what BongBong was shouting about. "What are you talking about? 'Red eye'? Which one is th–"
Just right as the purple-haired girl's eyes met the Abnormality, she dropped her baton. Any speck of hope of winning just went out the window. All Dakota could do was pray that she lived through this.
In the middle of the air, a giant red eye was gazing below it. White, large wings stretched around the pure, white body. A golden collar reading '666' is engraved on it with a similar golden halo above its head. The Abnormality that caused almost all of them trauma, the one who almost destroyed the facility, the one who took the lives of twelve of their friends just for redemption.
"White…Night," Dakota choked. "It's over…"
"Bong…" Even BongBong had given up hope.
"Dakota, why art thou in fear? I am with thee, do not fear." It spoke, and then it turned to the person next to her. "It has been quite a while since I had seen thou, BongBong. If thou wish for salvation, look no further."
Visibly, Dakota and BongBong were shaken. Just then, the Abnormality started to slowly lower itself to the floor. Even if the two assistants wanted to run, they couldn't. After all, 'he' wouldn't permit thee.
"This world, unlike before, is empty. Many are suffering, but there is no savior. What hath the people committed to make their gods leave?" It asked itself.
"T-03-46," Angela called out. "Please, do not antagonize the Librarian assistants."
"Prophet Angela," It greeted back. "I do not sense any divine beings in this world. What is this place?"
"We are in a world called Remnant, a world of Dust and magic," Angela proceeded to explain everything that happened and what she knew of Remnant to the floating white fetus. It took a while to get through, but WhiteNight floated there without interrupting Angela.
On the other hand, the two assistants have never seen the Abnormality so… calm. Usually, it would preach about redemption and freeing the souls of people, quite literally and metaphorically. Right now? It was listening to Angela talk. The two of them could only watch as the Abnormality turned away from the Head Librarian.
"I see." WhiteNight nodded its head in understanding. "This world is in peril, by sinners of darkness nonetheless, it will fall without the balance of light and darkness. There's too little light."
"That is why I request your help in defeating the Grimm and protecting the people of Remnant."
"These 'Grimm,' they will not be a part of thy new world for they are without any hope of redemption." It turned back to Angela. "Prophet Angela, thou will be bestowed thy power, to bring about the end of the Grimm's destructive ways. They will be but a character unwritten and forgotten by all. When the time shall come, call upon thy power to bring fear." With that, the Abnormality floated high above where they were and left.
Once it was gone from sight, Angela turned to look at Dakota and BongBong, who had gaped expressions on their faces.
"I just… I don't…" Dakota spoke. "I'm just gonna… go to Malkuth's floor and… I don't know… try to forget this even happened." The purple-haired girl just slowly slumped her way into the bright hallway and disappeared.
While Dakota had left, BongBong stood there and slowly walked up to Angela. Her starry eyes met Angela's amber eyes. "Bong. BongBong?" She placed her hands together and gave Angela a confused look.
The pale-haired librarian went through all her remaining process power to understand what the blue-haired girl was asking for. The only thing Angela could read was the body language and she most likely believed that BongBong wanted an explanation at least.
Huffing a breath, Angela explained to BongBong. Basically, like what she said earlier, the Abnormalities have been acting unusually. From what it seemed, only the intelligent and ones capable of speech have escaped recently. Thankfully, none of the stronger and mindless ones have escaped yet. But, it seemed like the ones that did escape didn't care all that much about what was happening.
She brought up some examples last week when Yesod caught All-Around Helper trying to clean up the bookshelves, the three birds were tamed on Binah's floor, or Tiphereth spotting all four Magical Girls walking together around her floor. While not very unusual, they just seemed more… whole. More put together.
"If we were able to persuade T-03-46 to join our side, it is possible that we can recruit the other Abnormalities as well. Provided that they are sane enough to communicate and help," Angela finished as she began to flip through her book. "I've already made plans to 'ally' ourselves with some of them, but that will be later when the Library has some more time. Now, go to Binah's floor, she'll enjoy your company."
Once BongBong was out of sight, Angela sighed. Even if she was nervous, she had brought back Hokma, apologized to two of the assistants, and recruited one of the strongest Abnormalities in the Library. Now, in the meantime, she needed to make some adjustments to the Library.
–LATE AFTERNOON–
–VALE–
In the middle of the City of Vale, Netzach stumbled about. After leaving an arts and crafts store, in his hands were some bags of a random assortment of paint and books about art. Next on his list, the green-haired librarian set out for a new destination: a bar. Ever since the Library was established in Beacon, Netzach rarely had any time to visit the city. At first, it was making sure his floor was set up, then it turned into removing some of the books about the City and Singularities, then stopping some of his Abnormalities from escaping, then getting caught up in a storm when a ginger-haired girl knocked him out cold in the infirmary when she busted down the door. The Patron of Art didn't want to do anything with that. He'd rather sleep all day and let the chaos fly over him.
Today though, he was lively enough to go out to Vale, in search of two things. Beer and art. The only two things he liked in life. Maybe his friends/co-workers too. Netzach wanted this break, forever if possible.
"Ah… there it is," the green librarian mumbled to himself. "The 'Crow Bar.' Of course, you'd recommend this."
It was a place that Qrow suggested to him when they were drinking in the Library, secretly, of course. It was Qrow's first time trying alcohol made from the Light that came from a book that was created by a person from a different dimension. His first reaction was to be disgusted by it, but one sip of the soju and he was satisfied by it, so it was a win in his and Roland's book. After they had a good time, the huntsman said that he had to leave for a mission for a few days and they could go out for drinking again whenever he got back. But for curiosity's sake, Netzach wanted to see what the bars looked like and the atmosphere in them. They were important to a good drinking time. It was just a coincidence that he wanted to taste Valean alcohol when he went out for the first time.
As he entered the bar through its open shutter door, Netzach saw a few patrons drinking away while watching the T.V. mounted on the wall. While the outside of the bar looked unappealing for his tastes, the inside was decent for a garage bar. Also, if he turned around, he would be met with a great view of the Valean harbor and boardwalk. At the counter, a mustached man wearing a nice-looking bartender uniform called him out.
"Ah, welcome to the Crow's Bar! Grab a seat and I'll be right there," he greeted.
The green librarian complied as he took a random seat at the bar, looking at the labels on the wall of liquor behind the counter. Next to him, he placed down the bags and looked around. He could recognize some drinks like whiskey and tequila, but the taste is what could differentiate the City's and Vale's. When the bartender came up to him, Netzach ordered a basic beer to see if it compares well with the one he gets from the Library's books.
"You don't look like you're from around here," the bartender commented as he started to fill up a cold glass of booze. "May I ask your name first?"
"Netzach, and yeah… I'm a little new to Vale."
"What do you think of the city?"
The art librarian heard that last part but realized that the man meant the City of Vale. Dissuading those thoughts, he responded, "...It's peaceful at least."
"Mostly peaceful to be honest. With all the Dust robberies and some Faunus oppression, it's pretty chaotic with everything going on, and with the Vytal Festival approaching, I feel like things are gonna get even crazier." The bartender handed Netzach his beer. "Here ya go. On the house. Think of it as a greeting from Vale." Before Netzach could say anything, the mustache bartender gave the librarian a big grin as he left to go tend to other customers.
"...Thank you," Netzach spoke. He took the glass up to his lips, but before he could take a sip, he took a whiff of the beer's smell. The scent was like a promise of what was to come - a delicate blend of hops and malt, earthy and inviting. Satisfied by the fragrance, Netzach took a sip.
The amber liquid felt nice on his tongue, the cold smoothness unlike the ones found back in the City flowed down his mouth. The aftertaste of the first sip left a crisp feeling as he felt momentarily lost in the sensations. It was the first time he had actual alcohol in ages, and it brought some comfort in its simplicity. Netzach took his time drinking the beer, savoring the taste in his mouth.
–20 MINUTES LATER–
Almost everyone in the bar had left, it seemed like the Crow's Bar wasn't a trendy night bar, but a decent day one. Who could blame them? The view from the place in the afternoon was beautiful; the bright blue sky reflected across the ocean waters with Vale surrounding the harbor. From the beautiful sunset scene, Netzach could probably paint an image of it, but it was getting pretty late and he should've headed back. However, it wasn't until his fifth drink that something different happened.
Behind him, someone entered the bar, indicated by the approaching footsteps. The green librarian didn't turn around, he was busying himself with his own thoughts plus it was probably just another customer anyway. Right on time, the bartender noticed the new person and called them in.
"Oh, Qrow! How're ya… doing?" The bartender paused. Upon hearing the name, Netzach blanked out. The Librarian had to think for a moment. Why was Qrow here? Didn't he say that he was going on a mission yesterday? At that point, Netzach had to turn around, it'd probably be rude to just ignore him so he decided to turn around. And if it wasn't Qrow, it'd just be him looking at the new customer, no harm, no foul.
Upon looking at Qrow, he had several questions. "Hey, Qrow, when'd ya grow… tits? And did you… grow your hair out?" He didn't know if he was already drunk or not.
"You're alone..."
"...Wow, you even sound like a woman," Netzach laughed in a drunken stupor. "Here, take a seat. Too bad Roland isn't here."
The now-breasted Qrow glared at him before closing his eyes. The black-haired person grabbed a seat next to the green librarian while staring at him. It wasn't long till Netzach said something else after taking another sip of his drink.
"So 'Qrow,' howzit hanging?" Netzach asked deliberately. "You must be pretty good at being a huntsman to finish a job in less than like a day." When he only got silence, he assumed the worst had happened. "Yikes… Did another barmaid reject you again? That last story about her kicking you in the nuts scared me… I don't think I'll ever ask you for advice."
Raven had enough of this charade. "Refrain from comparing me to Qrow, ever again," she said with some malice laced in her voice. The bartender, who fixed his mistake, even tried to get her order, but she gave him a mean glare which made him force a smile and walk away, trembling.
The green-haired man gave a little chuckle. He just wanted to play around a little bit. "Sorry… Qrow's a nice dude. You, on the other hand, give me an opposite vibe." He took another swig of alcohol despite her glaring. "So, what're you? His sister? Mother? Your father?"
Visible disgust filled Raven's face. Out of all the things she had been called by, being 'Qrow's Daughter' was the worst possible thing imaginable. The ex-huntress-turned-bandit just sat there and cringed for a moment. "Please. Do. Not. Call. Me. That. Ever. Again," Raven seethed. "I am his sister. Do not say that ever again. I will kill you."
"Geez, you hate him that much?" Netzach shrugged, before asking. "What're you here for?" He was already inebriated to the point of not really giving a shit anymore. "I wanna go back to my room and sleep so can you not kill me?"
Raven sighed. She assumed that she picked the worst possible person to interrogate. Of course, she picked the drunken mess that was friends with Qrow. The black-haired bandit guessed that it was her brother's doing, even if he wasn't there. After a few moments, she asked a question.
"What are you?" The only response she got was Netzach giving her an inquisitive stare like he didn't know what to make of the question.
"What's your name?"
"…" She didn't want to give out her name but relented. "Raven."
"Cool, does your entire family have birds as names?"
"Answer the question," she said with some grit in her teeth, as well as brandishing her sword to him.
"...I'm… a failure," Netzach admitted. His words cut deep into the black-haired bandit. "I gave up everything to one person, and when the opportunity came to make their dream a reality, I failed. After that, I lost all hope in everything. Even when I want to die, I still want to live. Ironic, isn't it? I fail a lot of people, but I still want to prove my existence."
"I didn't ask for your life story," Raven deadpanned. "I've seen what you 'Librarians' could do. I know that you aren't human, nor Faunus, but whatever you are, you're not better than me."
"...It wouldn't be nice of me to sell out all my friends' secrets to someone I don't know," Netzach countered.
"I don't think you know who you're talking to."
"...I still don't kn–" Netzach started to talk, but was cut off when Raven suddenly reached for her blade's handle. He saw that her hand was barely containing itself from unsheathing and killing him. "...I would still like to not be killed."
"Then talk," she demanded. "Are you working for Ozpin, or 'her?'"
Netzach scratched his head in confusion. He tried to reach for his mug, but Raven glared at him. Sighing, he answered her weird question. "I don't know who 'her' is, but I sort of work for Ozpin. I guess? He hired Angela, whom I'm tied to, so I guess I kinda work for Ozpin, but why?"
"I'm the one asking questions."
"Okay…" Netzach said with some annoyance. Man, he just wanted a drink; not this shit.
"What are you planning?" Raven demanded.
"...To go to sleep later?"
"..."
"...Sorry," Netzach apologized after seeing a bit of the red blade that she was now unsheathing. "To answer your question: Nothing really. I don't really care. I don't care what Angela is planning or whatever the Headmaster is scheming. I just wanna live my life. Is that a problem with you?"
After hearing those words, Raven sighed in annoyance. Since this green-haired man was drunk, she was hoping to get some information easily, but she failed to recognize that Netzach had a similar level of tolerance for alcohol as her brother. Being drunk was their natural state of mind, he probably wouldn't give her anything. That, or he literally didn't know anything. "Never mind," Raven said as she sheathed her weapon. "I'm done here."
"Cya." Netzach watched Qrow's sister start to walk away from him, intrigued by how dismissive she had become. Either way, he was happy enough to be leaving the bar alive at least. Before he could whip out his wallet to pay for his drinks, the woman's voice called out to him. He turned around, cautiously, to see what she wanted.
"Don't trust Ozpin," Raven cautioned. Then, like how fast she appeared, she quickly disappeared into the night. Netzach was left there a little confused, but he shoved it to the back of his mind.
Then, he heard some whimpering behind the bar. Upon standing up, he saw the bartender crouched with a bottle of booze in his hand. When the mustached man saw Netzach, he spoke softly, "I-Is… Is she g-gone?" In response, the librarian nodded his head, allowing the bartender to sigh in relief.
Having no more business here, Netzach sluggishly walked to the Vale docks, dragging his body out of the bar. When he got back, he needed to talk to Qrow or Roland about this, they'd probably tell him some consoling words that he would forget later. Then, he realized something.
He forgot his bags.
Author's Notes:
Well, hopefully, y'all could see where I'm going with this. I know it's a bit of a stretch. WhiteNight: the first Abnormality that joined them. The reason why WhiteNight is the first is because of where they were and the talks about Salem. Out of all the Abnormalities on Hokma's floor, WhiteNight was the most intelligent one there, with possibly One Sin being the second smartest. I'd rather have the more intelligent Abnos that can talk, and actually interact more with the characters because the only time we get to see them interact is when they're in combat or inside the testing chambers. For the more, animalistic Abnos, I'll probably make them like dangerous enemies that the RWBY characters could fight against to test their strength. While the RWBY characters are physically strong, they aren't that immune to mental damage, so it'll be interesting to see how an Abnormality like Silent Orchestra can make them scream in terror. I'm not mentally insane, just curious.
For now, I don't have much to say about the next chapter. Plus, it'll probably be long until the next one even comes out considering that college started, so I'll see you guys next time. If you see a mistake or something wrong, just tell me and I'll be sure to correct them when I can.