World of Darkness and RWBY belong to White Wolf and Rooster Teeth respectively.
Beta'd by Dragon King of the West
Under a violet light, a bubbling sound came from a flask sitting under a Bunsen burner filled with a glowing blue fluid before there was a ripping sound and a white chemical salt was shaken into it, causing it to darken and azure foam to form. Then the sounds of scraping came like that of grinding something into a fine powder before a marble bowl appeared as a tablespoon held by a hand dug in and dumped a fine black powder, causing the foam to rise faster and faster.
Just as it reached the edges of the flask, a glass stirring rod was gently lowered and began stirring the compound. After a few seconds, the rod was retracted, letting the mixture flow in a vortex before a hand clad in a black rubber glove grasped the flask and lifted it from the burner, while another gloved hand reached down and twisted the gas valve, shutting the flame down. With that done, the unoccupied hand then flipped a switch, causing the lights to dim and to only leave the room in a twilight.
Humming soon echoed as the hand brought the flask down next to a set of chemistry tubes and other chemistry glassware where numerous concoctions and mixtures were boiling and bubbling as steam roiled out like a white fog. The hand set the flask down before it opened a drawer and extracted a thin strip of paper before gently dipping it in the beaker.
A second later, the strip was extracted, letting the liquid seep into the whiteness before bringing it close to a face shrouded in shadow. The light glistened off the paper to reveal a strip of red and a strip of purple had appeared on it, causing a hum of approval to come out.
"Good. Very good." The figure hummed before the gloved hands opened another drawer, before they grabbed a half gas mask with twin air filters and a pair of goggles with red lenses. The sounds of rubber snapping onto skin rang out before heavy breathing came, the twin gloved hands cracking their knuckles before it continued its work.
Popping open the black stopper of the volumetric flask, the figure grabbed the flask and then the dark mixture was poured into the amber liquid. Just as foam formed and rose up the flask, the stopper was immediately plugged back on before it reached the edge. The figure watched as the now green-blue fluid flowed through the thin plastic tube and into the next set of glassware and mixtures, watching them boil and writhe around.
Then, just as the compound exited the condenser, the clear liquid in the beaker suddenly became a glowing emerald, the light revealing the figure.
It was a tall man covered in a heavy leather coat and a black rubber apron; arms covered in black gloves while the legs were hidden in the darkness, the face was covered by the half mask and the eyes hidden behind the scarlet lenses of the googles, and shoulder length crimson hair with the bangs framing both sides of the face.
Just then, the figure turned to an open leather-bound book showing golden colored pages with black ancient text that they traced with a finger.
"Okay, doc, let's see if this old thing was right." The doctor said to himself in a muffled voice before he grabbed the beaker when it was filled. Twisting a valve to shut the condenser, he picked up the book and read it in one hand while carrying it with another, mist rolling out of it. Heavy breathing kept coming out before he then came to another counter that was only faintly illuminated by black light, setting the beaker down and tracing the page with his new free finger before tapping on a specific part as finding an answer.
Setting the book down, the doctor then pulled a small black cauldron to him from the side, filled with a purple boiling sludge issuing emerald steam. It broiled and writhed like a creature of abyssal origin, to where parts seemed to become almost like purple moist meat. Holding the beaker up high, the doctor poured the substance down into the small cauldron, watching as it seemed to lap up the concoction like a hungering beast.
The substance in the cauldron immediately burst into a column of emerald fire, causing the doctor to back away before it died down. It boiled and issued bellows of smoke and mist, the doctor coming towards the cauldron with a ladle, lowering it into the soupy violet liquid with emerald streaks and began stirring. The doctor hummed, seeing screaming faces form and uniformly at random intervals, before he lifted the ladle up... revealing that it had melted from the point where he had dipped it in.
"Good. Now for the cherry on top." The muffled voice came as the doctor dropped the ladle and turned to the last ingredient in this recipe of madness.
It was a jar filled with a scarlet smoke and liquid, almost like blood, sitting on a shelf with other bottles and boxes filled with other horrid ingredients. However, the jar was seemingly in its own space on the shelf, as if the other objects were afraid to go near it. The doctor seemed to chuckle as he walked towards the shelves without fear or whatever effect was irradiating from it.
The doctor grabbed the jar, stirring it with his hand, watching the liquid swirl around. Carrying it back to the cauldron, he turned to the book by the side, "Now, what did that say?"
A finger trailed down the page, before he came to a single paragraph. Tapping twice at the section, he then uncorked the container, watching the bloody mist rise from out of the opening. The figure leaned in, the scarlet of his goggles reflecting off the jar as he poured its contents into the cauldron. The red liquid disappeared into the violet and emerald compound before just a moment later, it congealed into a writhing mass of dark blue sludge that bubbled and roiled like slime.
Letting out a satisfied hum, the doctor set aside the empty jar and raised another ladle, dipping it into the cauldron before he poured the liquid into a glass babble shaped bottle. While stirring it around, he produces a cork and seals up the bottle, examining it before walking off with it.
Muffled whistling could be heard as the doctor came to another door, one that was bolted and metal, undoing a series of different locks before punching in a code on the side. With a buzz, the electromagnetic locks disengaged as the doctor a step back before the door swung open. What it revealed was a maw of darkness, only for a flick of a switch on a heavy fuse box to illuminate it.
A sterile gray corridor lined with cables revealed itself in dim black light, leading to a large room decorated with nothing but the silver walls and a box with tubes connected to the ceiling that pulsed with either air or liquid. As the doctor entered, the lights showed his full form. A tall thin and lanky man with a scarlet sweater under a heavy leather jacket and black rubber apron with pockets filled with bloodied surgical tools and vials filled with different colored formulas and compounds. He was wearing a pair of light brown khakis with black rubber slip-on shoes.
Coming to the metal cube, the doctor pulled the goggles to his forehead, revealing lusterless scarlet eyes before pulling the mask down, revealing a lower half of the face covered in Lichtenberg scars with a grinning cracked smile.
"Oh, Hans~" The doctor called out with a hand to his mouth in a singsong voice, "I've got a present for you!"
There was a muffled scream and the sounds of fists banging against the metal rung out. The doctor merely laughed before he grabbed a lever and wretched it back.
The box's sides suddenly lifted up to reveal a cage with thick bars before the tubes retracted into the ceiling and took the metal sides with it. Something inside the cage screeched at the lights that bore down on it. The doctor let out another cackle as he came nearer to the cage and peaked in, seeing a small shape scramble away to the darkest corner. There was an IV rack with several dozen empty blood bags, and a horrific smell that was kind to a rotting pile of bodies under a hot sun.
"Relax, it's just black light. It won't kill you." He told the thing called Hans, before he waved the bottle in front of it like calling an animal to its prey, "Now come here. I have a little present for you."
The bottle was just small enough for him to fit it between the bars, shaking it around for whatever was inside to come closer. There was a pause before he could see between the bars that Hans was coming closer with more features being revealed to him.
It was a small child shaped thing, hairless and emaciated to where his skin was crisscrossed with wrinkles and creases and thinned to where his bones were showing, his fingers claw-like, hunchbacked and crawling on all fours. His head was oblong shaped with elfin-like ears, burning amber eyes, lips pulled into a grimace with hook-like fangs, a face covered in warts and sores.
Long fingers slowly curled around the bottle as the doctor let go, Hans staring at it with curious eyes before looking back at him.
"Go on. It's a present." The doctor urged with an eager grin like a kid in a candy store.
Looking back down at the bottle, Hans slowly uncorked it with two fingers. But then a green smoke emerged from the rim, curling around before dissipating causing the thing to gaze at its contents with curiosity.
"W-what will this do?" Hans asked in a raspy dehydrated voice without looking at him, stirring the bottle around.
"It'll get rid of the Curse, Hans." The doctor lied with a cheery smile akin to that of a bedside doctor, sitting down with his legs criss crossed, "It'll make all the warts and all the pain go away. Just take a little sip. And it'll all be better."
There was a look of hope in Hans' eyes when he heard that, the hope burning so brightly that it took all of his will not to look away.
And then, Hans slowly brought the rim to his cracked and dried lips, the liquid streaming down his mouth and throat like sucking blood directly from the veins. The doctor slowly took the bottle back from the little freak, grinning a monster's grin that Hans didn't see as he began to cough. The scarlet haired doctor then stood back up, coming back to the wall as he grabbed a cattle prod, sparking it twice before he turned back to the cage.
There was a scream. It was hard to describe. It sounded like the sound one would make if they felt their innards melting while their ribs broke but add in their vocal cords beginning to melt and rip.
A single limb reached out, but it was hard to tell if it was an arm or leg at this point. The digits were gone, liking a red oily orb in place before it darkened in a thick stream of oily black. The limb was thrashing against the bars, the scream melting into silence as it took a floppy shape. More oily black sludge seeped out between the bars as suppurating leech-like mouths and branch-like arms began sprouting.
The doctor lashed out his cattle prod at the nearest limb, electricity spearing into it like a blade, causing it to screech and retreat back into the cage. Just as it did, the doctor pushed the lever forward.
Before the mutated thing could make another move, the metal walls descended down and shut, trapping it inside.
As he heard the sounds of the walls hermetically sealing and the additional sounds of its sludgy limbs banging against the walls, the doctor laughed. A laugh so shrill and oscillating, like that of a madman looking over his newest creation. It echoed through the halls of his lair, terrifying the poor souls in their cages as they retreated further into the darkness in fear, dread thoughts of what the doctor had in mind next.
When he slowly began to calm down, the doctor leaned back against the wall, grinning viscously at the cell where Hans lay as he stirred his potion in its bottle like a glass of fine cognac.
Oh, how he loved this job.
Beacon Academy
Victor was expecting a lot of things when he was told that Ironwood would be coming to Beacon. And especially after the meeting. AND especially after Qrow further informed him of other goings-on.
He was certainly NOT expecting a large and unnerving ship passing Beacon tower as it descended upon a landing pad. Nor was he expecting two Bullheads to fly by under the ant-like swarms of people on the paths around the pristine academy. Idly, he saw the army marching out with white armor and automatic rifles, but Ozpin and Glynda gazed at the large fleet through the window into Ozpin's office, with Victor standing there with his hands in his coat pockets.
As for Victor himself, he did not look happy in the slightest at the sight of the fleet, "Oh, joy." It was not going to be fun trying to keep the peace with this around.
Glynda for once had a look that said she agreed with the detective, "Indeed. Ironwood certainly loves bringing his work wherever he travels."
"Well, running an academy and a military makes him a busy man." Ozpin commented as the detective had an over-the-shoulder from Ozpin's perspective as three more Bullheads flew in, "But yes, those are a bit of an eyesore." A chirping beep sounds repeatedly. Ozpin turns to see a hollow-message reading 'Access Requested' on his desk, "Come in."
Steeling himself, Victor turned to face the doors as they slid open to reveal General Ironwood to him. Ignoring Victor scrunching his face and taking in a deep breath, Ozpin approaches to greet him.
Ironwood smiled before he cordially greeted the headmaster, "Ozpin!"
Smiling, Ozpin stands at attention, "Hello, General."
"Please, drop the formalities." The general insisted as they approached and shook hands as Glynda and Victor also approached, "It's been too long. And Glynda! It has certainly been too long since we last met."
"Oh, James!" Glynda says as she gives a personable wave and then drops all pleasantries, "I'll be outside." She walks away when suddenly she is grabbed on the shoulder by Victor.
"Oh, no." Victor said as he kept his grip on Glynda's shoulder, glaring at her, "If I have to suffer through this, so will you."
Glynda glared back at him but relented, getting him to let go.
Ironwood was merely amused before he smiled, "Well, she hasn't changed a bit."
Ozpin hummed as he turned to his desk, "So, what in the world has brought you all the way down from Atlas?" He queried as he picked up a mug and a kettle, pouring as he speaks, "Headmasters don't typically travel with their students, for the Vytal Festival." He turns and offers the cup to Ironwood, who takes it while pouring two more cups for Victor and Glynda, who both took them just as Ozpin poured a final one for himself.
A clink rang out as they toasted and drank. Victor let out a loud moan at the taste of the coffee before shaking the feeling off and asking Ozpin, "What kind of beans do ye use?"
The Headmaster smirked and replied, "A personal secret."
"Well, you know how much I love Vale this time of year." Ironwood answered Ozpin's previous question as he produces a canteen from his inside coat pocket and pours its contents into his mug, "Besides, with you hosting, I thought that this might be a good opportunity for us to catch up."
Keeping a stony expression, Ozpin walks around to his desk, kettle and mug in hand, "I can certainly appreciate the quality time between friends, however, a small fleet outside my window has me concerned."
Ironwood frowned slightly, "Well, concern is what brought them here."
Ozpin queried, "I understand that travel between kingdoms has become increasingly difficult."
Ironwood decided to skip the pleasantries and got straight to the point, "Oz, you and I both know why I brought those men."
Ozpin takes a drink and sets down his mug, keeping a neutral expression, "We are in a time of peace. Shows of power like this are just going to give off the wrong impression.
Setting his mug down, Ironwood interjected, "But if what Victor and Qrow said is true..."
"If what Victor and Qrow said is true, then we will handle it tactfully." Ozpin emphasizes this as he holds up an index finger, "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 replied.
"As am I." Ozpin countered, "Which is why we will continue to train the best Huntsmen and Huntresses we can."
"Look, Jimmy." Victor cut in, getting the general's attention, "You got good intentions, but what Oz is saying is that this is gonna send the wrong message. You especially know what happened when Mantle attempted to occupy Vale during the Great War, and let me tell you, a lot of those deep fucking scars ain't exactly what you would consider healed."
"I am sorry, James, but Victor has a point." Glynda agreed as much as it disgusted her to admit it, "The VPD has enough problems keeping the peace with Roman Torchwick and the recent disappearances and murders. With the army here, he and the police will be taxed even more, possibly to their limits."
"Believe me, Victor, I understand." Ironwood at the very least acknowledges as he turns and walks away to command the troops he brought. However, a thought came to him, and he stopped near the door, looking back at Ozpin, "But Ozpin, ask yourself this: Do you honestly believe your children can win a war?"
Ozpin answered earnestly, "I hope they never have to."
Ironwood nodded and left, leaving the three to their devices. The headmaster, his deputy, and the detective stood in silence before Glynda sighed, "Well, that went better than I thought."
Victor breathed a sigh out before he put his hands to his hips and looked out the window. "Atlesians... retards all of them."
Suddenly, there was a ping on his scroll that caused him to fish it out of his coat pocket. He lit the screen up, hoping that this was just another one of Cherry's needs... only for his blood to run cold.
"Get to Krv's hideout. I need his help with the southeastern operation."
"Oh, no..." Victor whispered, before he pulled himself back together and turned to the two, schooling his features on reflex, "Hey, I gotta go. Something's going down at the station."
Seemingly convinced, Ozpin nodded, "Very well."
With that, Victor left the office, trying to keep himself from looking suspicious. Fuck, he was glad for the Bane fetish in his pocket more than ever.
?
A scream came out as a man fired a lever action rifle, piercing through the shoulder of something slimy and coated in human clothing. It screeched as it lashed out a series of worm-like tentacles from everywhere in its body, slashing at the man's arm, leaving deep lines of red on his skin. The hunter let out a sound of pain as he grasped his arm and his gun in one hand, before he rested against the wall to balance himself.
The thing slowly slithered into the light before his horrified eyes, shambling almost as it writhed its juicy flesh and bones.
It was a revenant, covered in tattered clothing, eyes bulging and lidless with pulsing veins, lipless mouth, pale white-green skin that was coated in translucent green slime, worm shaped masses bulged and writhed under the clothing and skin. Blue-green tentacles wriggled and writhed from each tear and each orifice, lined invisibly with razor sharp hairs.
The revenant distended its jaws as it let out a bellow before it suddenly flew straight at the hunter, a lash from its tentacle slashing through the rifle like it was a sheet of wet paper. But the man abruptly jerked back, narrowly missing the three lashes that were aimed at his chest, preventing his death at the moment. The beast roared out like a hungering savage as it closed the gap.
Suddenly, the hunter lashed his arm out and revealed something that the revenant realized too late.
It was a revolver shotgun.
The hunter pulled the trigger, the chamber turning as the shell inside ignited, causing a burst of pellets coated with Fire Dust to erupt out of the barrel. The wide-eyed revenant was blasted into the wall, leaving a massive hole in its chest that spewed out worms and insects and sludge-like blood. It tried to get back to its feet, before another shot rang out and its arm was blasted off its shoulder.
It screamed and screamed as the hunter blasted bloody holes in its body, ripping off its limbs, taking out an eye, and practically leaving it only able to squirm and writhe on the floor. Before it could even attempt to get back up and heal from its injuries, the revenant suddenly found itself staring at the barrel of a gun.
"Have fun in hell, worm shit!"
The revenant let out a bellowing scream before the deed could be done, "NOOOOOO-"
Beacon
"-OOOOOOOOO!" Ruby cried out before she let her head slam on the table, letting out a few sobs while an unimpressed Weiss and Blake and a smug looking Yang looked on at their leader.
"And Ruby's character is out." Jaune said as he checked off, with Pyrrha giggling at Ruby's overdramatic reaction while Nora laughed, and Ren was still silent.
In the Beacon Academy library, Team RWBY and Team JNPR were at a table playing a tabletop game that Ruby had bought with her to Beacon, Revenant: The Ravishing with Jaune being the game master. Suffice to say, they were having a lot of fun, especially Nora and Pyrrha.
And Ruby was currently suffering defeat after she failed three consecutive dodge rolls.
"Darn you, dice rolls! Darn you!" Ruby sobbed into the hard wood table, as Weiss rolled her eyes at her leader's antics.
"Alright, Weiss, with your character out of the way of the hunter, you find yourself in a dark corridor with only a door and a vent to progress." Jaune told the heiress as she vaguely paid attention, "The vent is easy to access given your Discipline of Teratogenesis, but there could be traps. The door meanwhile is unlocked, but there could be enemies on the other side. What will you choose?"
Weiss scoffed before she haughtily stated, "Like I'm going to sneak into the vents. I'll go through the door."
"Alright," Jaune acknowledged as he read from the GM, "You enter the next room, and surprisingly, no enemies for now. But as you do, you see that the room is empty! But suddenly there is a blast of heat, you look up and see a hunter coming out of the vent to see a hunter coming out! You just walked into an ambush! What will you do?"
"I'll attack!"
The blond knight nodded as Weiss then rolled the dice. It was a 17. Making a sound as he looked at his guide, Jaune says, "Alright, you attack the hunter using Unfurling Maw. The hunter immediately loses an arm but then reveals a gun and fires!"
"I'll dodge and attack!" Weiss yelled as she threw the dice, landing on a 10.
"You dodged the bullet and attacked with Lashing Arms." Jaune began, "The hunter is impaled on the tentacles before it slowly drains her dry. She falls off your tentacle arm and falls to the ground like a dead pig. Now, your Vitae reserves are filled up!"
Weiss, who was following but still pretty lost, just stared before asking, "And that means..."
Ruby sniffled with her head to the table while crying streams of anime tears, "You're just three moves away from beating the rest of the hunters!"
Suddenly, a sense of power overwhelmed Weiss as she stands up while a thunderclap accompanies the heiress' overjoyed psychotic laughter, "Y-yes! Fear the almighty power of my Revenant! Cower as she pillages your homes and weep as she rips your lives from your very bodies!"
Before Weiss' power trip could continue, Jaune then continued, "But then, you notice a pin in the dead hunter's hand."
Weiss blinked at the sudden declaration, "Huh?"
"The hunter just happened to have a belt of grenades under his vest!" Jaune exclaimed with an arms spread out gesture, "It's about to explode! What will you do?"
Slightly panicked, Weiss threw her dice at the table, "I dodge!"
Unfortunately for her, luck was not on her side as she rolled a three.
Jaune cringed, before he shook his head while tsking, "Sorry, Weiss, but you're not fast enough. The grenades go off, engulfing your character in fire. And because they also happen to be Fire Dust grenades, your character is pretty much dust." He then checks off Weiss' character from the sheet.
Weiss could only stare in dumbstruck shock before, with her pride wounded, she slumps in her chair while she cries and whines out, "I hate this game of emotions we play!"
Ruby suddenly hops into Weiss' lap and cries, "Stay strong, Weiss! We'll make it through this together!
"Shut up!" Weiss' words betrayed her as she hugged Ruby, "Don't touch me!"
Yang grinned smugly while putting her arms up behind her head, "Alright Blake, you're up!"
Blake, who clearly wasn't paying attention to the game, snapped out of her thoughts and blinked, "Oh, um, sorry, what am I doing?"
The blonde motioned to the board with a wide grin, "You're playing as a Vantraxian Revenant and now you're currently the defacto leader!"
Blake nodded along, trying to pay attention, "Right."
Weiss stubbornly refused, "I'm not trusting you with the rest of the good Revenants!"
"Why not?" Jaune asked, trying to appeal to their trust, "You've trusted me with way more important stuff before. I mean, you told us all that Blake is secretly a Fa-"
In alarm, Pyrrha darts over and slaps a hand over Jaune's mouth before he could spill the secret, giving a nervous smile, "Fun-loving person, whom we all admire and respect." Jaune laughs nervously after she pulls her hand back.
Everyone looks nervously at Blake who looks obviously annoyed that her secret is out.
"Right. That. Ladies, let us continue." Jaune awkwardly tried to change the subject before they
"'Sup losers."
The students turn to see Sun with Neptune behind him, the former holding his fingers in a "peace" sign.
Ruby stands up and gives a cheerful grin and waves, "Hey Sun!"
Sun smirked as he came up to the table, "Ruby, Yang, Blake... Ice Queen."
Weiss scowled and muttered while shaking her head, "Why does everyone keep calling me that?"
"I never got a chance to formally introduce you to my old friend." The monkey Faunus then motioned to a nervous looking Neptune, who only gave an awkward wave before he noticed something.
"Uhh, aren't libraries for reading?" Neptune asked when he pointed to Team RWBY's tabletop game, Nora who had suddenly fallen asleep, and Pyrrha with Jaune's comic book under her arm.
Ren, overflowing with vindication, throws his arms up and nearly yells, "Thank you!" His shout suddenly woke up Nora, who shot her head up with her snot bubble popping, "Pancakes!"
Sun rolled his eyes at his partner, "Shut up. Don't be a nerd."
Neptune smirked while shaking a finger at Sun, "Geh, geh, geh, geh! "Intellectual", okay? Thank you." He then waved to them all in a friendly manner, "I'm Neptune."
Weiss raised an eyebrow as she gave a judgmental stare at the blue haired boy, "So, Neptune, where are you from?"
"Haven." Neptune immediately responded as he approached Weiss, "And I don't believe I've caught your name, snow angel."
Weiss blushed at the nickname, finding it a lot more charming than 'Ice Queen', nervously greeting him, "Um, I'm Weiss."
Jaune stared with a slack jaw before he nearly cried out in utter jealousy, "Are you kidding me!?"
Neptune gave a charming smile which caused Weiss to blush even more, "Pleasure to meet you."
Sun smiled before he noticed that Blake was also playing along with the game, "I never took you as the tabletop game playing type."
As she speaks, Blake stands up while shoving Sun aside and leaves the room, "Right, well, I think I'm done playing actually. I'll see you guys later."
While the others stare at Blake's sudden departure, Nora just shrugs at the action, "Women."
The reason she left however was not related to the game as her thoughts came back to that... horrible memories came flooding back into her. Ones that had sprung back up that she tried suppressing but kept bubbling back up despite her best efforts. She kept rubbing her arm, slowly pulling back her left armlet, revealing something that she had hidden even before she met the others.
It was a brand sheared onto her forearm, nearly taking up the length to the elbow. However, it was not a brand from the SDC. No, it was from an even greater evil than them.
The brand seared onto her arm was a rectangular one, but in black with the word; PENTEX.
Blake glared at the brand on her arm, before her expression morphed into one of horror when she started feeling something inside her writhe in response to her anger and fear. She quickly inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm herself down before she lost control again.
She felt something prick against her skin from the inside, threatening to tear it open and for the beast to be unleashed. Blake used a breathing technique that her mother taught her, inhale, hold for 4 seconds, and exhale.
In.
1
2
3
4
Out.
Repeating it again and again, Blake felt the beast calm with her as what was under her skin began to recede and uniform. Shuddering at the close call, the cat Faunus slowly made her way back to her team's dorms...
Not seeing the shocked looks from Team RW_Y and Team JNPR and Sun and Neptune who were in the doorframe of the hall, horrified as seeing Blake's skin bulging out like they were about to burst into spikes.
Vale
On the cold streets of Vale, a car stopped on the wet sidewalk in front of a tattoo shop. The vehicle with tinted windows opened, and out stepped Victor, his face hidden by a fedora and the rest of him hidden under a heavy leather duster.
Victor slammed the door to his car shut before he locked it with his key, staring at the shop with a pensive expression. After a minute, the detective exhaled and muttered, "Let's get this over with."
He pushed the door open, the bell over the frame ringing out as he felt the warm brush of heaters on his skin. The shop had white walls with black leather chairs,
By the front desk was a rather attractive woman with short black hair with her bang hiding her right eye, the black eyeliner and lipstick clashing with her fair skin, her blue eyes like sapphires, dressed in a red crop top and black pants. And every part of her nearly covered in numerous tattoos Her chin was resting on her hand with black nails, idly doodling on a notebook before she noticed him standing there.
"What can I do for you, sir?" The receptionist asked him, clearly not interested in him.
"I have an appointment with Mr. Krv." Victor replied, putting his hands in his coat. She seemed surprised for a moment before her placid expression returned.
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about-"
Victor promptly produced a large wad of Lien and slammed it onto the desk, silencing her as she took in the sight of the cash. The receptionist looked on both sides before taking the wad of Lien and motioning with her head to the curtain door, breaking out in a grin, "Follow me to the back."
And so, he did. She opened the curtain and entered the hallway that he soon followed. It was an increasingly dark hallway, graffiti sprayed liberally on the walls before black light began to fill it, revealing neon art and messages that he didn't care to read. They soon came to an open room free of the black light, only a faint red light above them, seemingly bathing them in a flood of crimson.
The woman then turned to him, her grin widening to reveal vampire teeth as her eye turned a burning red.
"Enjoy the show, detective."
Then she vanished in a cloud of red and black particles spread out to the dark corners of the area.
For the longest time, Victor stood there in silence, not out of fear of her disappearing but out of him steeling himself for whatever horror was coming. He met the doctor a while back, and he never was as scared as he had been at that moment. The detective would never eat oatmeal ever again after what he saw that bastard do to that rabbit.
Suddenly, there was a rattling sound above him, nearly startling him as his eyes shot up to the railings above him.
It was a midget, one with a near face splitting grin that leaked drool and presented a disquieting number of teeth, crouching on the bar like a cat. He had a patch of black fuzzy hair, sickly yellow eyes like Victor's, while his body was clad in a black latex outfit with numerous black leather straps and belts, small pouches filled with Bane fetishes and a belt filled with vials, canisters, and grenades. And on his wrists were injector gauntlets with long needles, his hands covered with fingerless black gloves.
The diminutive minion ran across the bar before backflipping to the nearest shelf, which was filled with books and flasks filled with all kinds of glowing concoctions, nearly rattling it before he jumped to a stool that let him stand face to face with Victor.
"Detective Graves." The midget greeted him with a bow, a mischievous and mocking inflection in his tone.
"Hey, Skreed." Victor greeted plainly with a deadpan expression, "I see you're glad I came by on such short notice."
The midget actually laughed at that short joke, "Then come on. The boss is waiting." He said before he suddenly produced and donned a skull-like mask, jumping over Victor's head and disappearing in a puff of purple smoke.
Suddenly, a door swung open, revealing another hallway awash in surprisingly normal light for once with a pair of stairs. Skreed reappeared by the door in another puff of smoke, his mask still on as he motioned for him to enter. Victor inhaled sharply to calm his nerves as he slowly forced his legs to move, passing by the dwarf who grinned under his mask before he followed behind.
As the two ascended the stairs with the door slowly closing behind them, Victor slowly heard the sounds of humming and stirring. He came to a lab filled with tables covered in chemistry glassware with bubbling concoctions, devices and machines that hummed with power, papers and chalkboards filled with notes, drawings, and equations strewn on the walls.
In front of a pot of something green and bubbling was what he assumed to be a 25-year-old man with shoulder length shaggy scarlet hair that framed both sides of his face, deathly pale skin, black eyeliner and lipstick, Lichtenberg scars on the corners of the mouth. He wore a crimson long-sleeve shirt under a black leather apron lined with bloodied surgical equipment and pockets filled with vials and test tubes containing whatever horrid mixtures he had concocted, black rubber gloves, brown khakis, and black leather shoes. Hanging on his right was an elbow length metallic glove with the fingers terminating in large syringes filled with weird fluids and ending in long bronze needles.
This was someone he especially disliked.
Dr. Marilyn Krv. A sick fuck among sick fucks.
Behind him was a large hunchbacked figure clad in all kinds of rags, with an iron mask on his face, hands exposed that were green, crow-like, and covered in warts and sores with a jar that held a brain suspended in filthy looking formaldehyde.
"Eyegor!" Krv called as he turned to his assistant, who almost dropped the jar at the suddenness of the announcement, "Bring me the secret formula!"
"Yessss, master." Eyegor crooned out as he set the jar on a counter, before turning to go collect the formula.
Krv turned a page to a book he had opened on the side which had a picture that caught Victor's eye, causing him to come closer in curiosity.
The one in the picture was breathtaking. A lanky male humanoid covered in black fur from the neck down with a faint dark blue hue and streaks, long clawed limbs covered in black chitin with dark blue joints on the segmented clawed fingers and toes, large 'pauldrons' of black and dark blue fur on his shoulders, and beautiful black and dark blue butterfly wings patterned like that of a Monarch butterfly. The face was the most striking, pale and flawless, almond eyes with dark markings, black lips, and dark hair streaked with corneous protrusions.
And on the other page, was a man, clad in a menagerie of breathtaking dark blues, whites and blacks, composed of both silk fabrics and armor plates that seemed to flow together like a painting. He was at least three heads taller than her when he rose from his throne, his legs covered in black greaves and armored boots with dark blue markings, descending down the stairs as he approached her like a wraith.
In his armor fist with black vambraces under the white and black sleeves, was a metal ebony staff of absolutely gorgeous design with dark blue details and ice wind bristling through the openings. The head had a black crown of iron with dark blue tipped spikes, snow white hair draped on his shoulders that was unnaturally smooth and pure, and a black and white amulet with dark blue smooth gems.
The face was covered by a smooth black mask with a number of markings and details that took the shape of a snowflake that seemed to move. The rest of the face could not be seen, there were no eye holes or other features.
Standing side by side were two massive wolves, one black and one white, one possessing burning red eyes and the other possessing blue piercing eyes, and twice the size of a bear. One breathed blue flames while the other breathed mist with ice fractals.
"Hmm... Oberon... and the Winter King." Krv muttered to himself, not noticing Victor, whose eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Um... hey, Marilyn." He greeted the scientist, who spun around at the sound of his voice. A shocked expression came for a moment before he saw who it was, and it became a goofy exuberant one.
"Oh, hey Vic!" Krv greeted the detective while shaking his hand exuberantly, much to Victor's discomfort, "What are you doing here?"
"Evening, Stan." Victor greeted with an uncomfortable tone to his voice, "Just, uh... Cinder told me to... uh..." He tried to reign in his nervousness around this guy, who gave him an odd look at his stuttering, "W-W-Well, what I'm trying to say is that Cinder told me to tell you that you need to wrap things up before we begin Phase 2."
"Oh, that!" Krv replied before he walked over to a tray table, holding up a bone saw to examine it, "Tell Cinder that it's almost done. I just need a few more hours and I'll have the White Fang get the payloads delivered to the south."
Victor breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay, good. Is there anything else you need to tell me?" He hated that sentence, but Cinder was very adamant that they leave nothing to chance.
The scarlet haired scientist grinned widely at the question while setting the saw down, "Actually, I do! With all the work, I've barely had time to show anything off!" He claps his hands giddily before he motioned for Victor to follow him down another hall, which he reluctantly did.
"You know, I've created a means to make zombies?!" Krv excitedly began to Victor, who just nodded along to keep the doctor in a good mood, "You see, I managed to mix formaldehyde with other kinds of preservatives to keep tissue damage from continuing on. With that, we add the muscle proteins of myosin, actin, and-"
"Tropomyosin." Victor finished, having heard all of Krv's scientific jargon before.
Krv blinked before he complimented him with a shrug, "Very good, Vic." He then continued, "And the final ingredient being the amniotic fluids of a special breed of lizards. Add it all together and simply speaking, if it comes in contact with dead tissue, it'll resuscitate it. Argo, zombies!" He stopped to grin widely at Victor who stopped and gulped.
"Cool, cool... Just one problem with that." Victor pointed out, getting a confused look from Krv, "How would you control them?"
"Control them?" The mad scientist questioned before a look of realization overcame him, "Oh, right. Damn it, Mar! You should know better!" He snapped his fingers as that oversight before he yelled, "SKREED!"
The midget appeared in a puff of smoke beside Victor, who flinched, "Yeah, boss?"
"Remind me to make something to control zombies." Krv commanded, before pausing and then adding, "And remind me to make an antidote in case."
"You got it, boss." Skreed saluted before he disappeared in another puff of violet smoke.
"How does he do that?" Victor asked himself before he sighed in relief, "No, it doesn't matter. So long as you don't create super regenerating zombies-" The detective then realized what he just said and smacked his hand to his mouth, but then he saw it was too late as Krv had a surprised expression before a grin sprouted as the idea formed in his head.
"Super regenerating zombies..." Krv grinned at the thought, putting a hand to his chin as he gained a thoughtful look, "This is why I like you, Victor."
Victor facepalmed, realizing that he just gave a mad scientist an idea on how to improve a zombie formula, "Oh, amazing man, real amazing. Giving the mad scientist ideas..." He ran his hand down his face before he muttered, "Keep your fucking mouth shut around him."
"Oh, right! I wanted to tell you about how the payloads work! Now where did I put that..." Krv told the detective before he patted himself down and then exacted a piece of folded paper from his apron, "Ah, here we are!" He quickly unfolded it to reveal a series of formulas and sequences that Victor couldn't make heads nor tails off.
"Now, if I'm right, and I usually am," Krv began with a smug grin, getting a scoff out of Victor that he pointedly ignored, "Then this mixture will be able to blow a hole into pretty much anything within a 12-mile radius." He then frowned as he had to discuss something that annoyed him, "Though there is a catch. It needs a proper mixture for the highest damage possible. If the incorrect mixture is implemented, well, it'll have the opposite effect."
"What? It's not explosive?" Victor asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, it's incredibly acidic, so it just needs a mixture of Fire Dust and iron." Krv explained, "If you don't, well, all you'll get is an acid that can melt through pretty much anything. It'll still be useful though."
"And can you show me what it will be?" The detective said in a tone that was meant to convey that he wasn't convinced and to hide that he was kinda scared.
Krv gained a grin that screamed "I was hoping you'd say that!" before he snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a trio of midgets dressed like either Skreed or Eyegor then came in while wheeling a small plastic lined barrel that had its top off to reveal a bubbling green sludge.
"Watch!" The mad scientist pulled out a dulled and rusted scalpel that was for all intents and purposes useless before he dipped it in the stuff for just a second. Victor watched as the rusted metal melted like candle wax before he let it fall back into the barrel, sizzling and warping into a mercury-like state that then fell under the surface, disappearing into the sludge.
Krv then gave another disarming grin like a child presenting a science fair project, "Convinced?"
Victor subtly gulped before he just gave a silent nod.
"Hey, boss?" One of the midgets said as he caught a whiff of the stuff, judging by his disgusted reaction and wafting a hand, "This stuff is kinda strong. I think we should go easy."
"Oh, nononono! The boss ordered it to be that potent so it's going to be ten times as potent!" Krv adamantly and passionately stated, even raising a fist into the air for dramatic effect.
The three midgets look at each other before they just shrug, "Eh, whatever you say, boss." The trio then pushed the barrel back to the darkness, leaving only the two in the hallway before Krv spread his arms out and did a twirl.
"You see everyone? This is why we test things." He called out to the darkness all around him.
"SIR!" That shout seemed to come from everywhere, nearly giving Victor a heart attack as he jumped, a hand to his chest and stumbling before he held himself up by the wall. The detective was practically hyperventilating before he sucked in a breath, trying to stop his hammering heart, before he slowly seemed to calm down enough to speak again. And it was practically a growl.
"This place is a fucking madhouse." Victor grounded out which got a laugh out of Krv before he motioned for the detective to follow him. The two came back to the lab where they met, now with many of his midget minions working in his absence. With that, the doctor opened up a mini fridge by the edges of the doorframe, and extracted a can of beer and another can of cola. He held the latter can out for the detective who raised an eyebrow.
"What? None for you?" Victor asked as he took the can, before he winced inside, hoping that the scientist wouldn't get angry at that.
"Never been much of a drinker." Krv replied with a shrug, before the two cracked their cans open and drank in surprising sync before giving a satisfied "Ah!" at the same time.
The detective gave a fake smile while Krv took another drink, "Well, I better get going now that we've got everything settle-"
"Tell me a joke." Krv asked abruptly, getting him to pause before he turned to the former.
"Tell you a joke?" Victor parroted, a bewildered expression on his face that grew when the scientist nodded.
"Skreed told me that you're a funny guy. So, tell me a good joke of your's." Krv explained as he took another drink, this time having a serious expression, "So, come on, make me laugh."
"Um, okay, this shouldn't be hard..." Victor muttered, clearing his throat and taking a breath to calm himself down before he began, "Alright, I got one. You see there are these two guys, one's a human and one's a Faunus. They were walking on a beach, just a random beach, before they found a lamp. A genie's lamp."
"Oh?" Krv raised an eyebrow.
"After the genie appeared, he went on the whole spiel, 'I'll grant you three wishes' and all that." Victor continued, "So the Faunus cuts in and wishes to be made king of his animal brothers. And so he was, you know he's got the whole crown and everything..." He points to his head before the scientist's unfazed expression begins to get to him, "I'm sorry, this joke is horrible. I-If you like the Faunus, I can-"
Krv raised a hand which silenced him, face still placid as he took another sip before he replied with a gesture, "Keep going."
"Okay, um." Victor ran a hand through his hair, trying to compose himself, "So, he was made king of the animals. But before the human could make his wish, the Faunus guy goes, 'And I wish that all the Faunus in Vale were back in Menagerie.' The genie snaps his fingers and boom, all of the Faunus in Vale are back in Menagerie."
Seeing Krv blink at that, Victor then spreads his arms and then says, "And so the human goes, 'You mean to tell me every single dirty Faunus in Vale is gone?' And then the genie goes, 'Yeah.' And as such the guy goes, 'Well, uh... I'll have a beer then.'"
Silence was all he got from Krv and from his minions, the latter having stopped working to hear his joke. Seeing their lack of reaction, Victor awkwardly adjusted the lapels of his coat and coughed into his fist, averting his eyes. He then made a note to come up with better jokes.
Suddenly, Krv burst out snickering, facepalming in hysteria while his diminutive minions were practically rolling on the floor and tables, holding their guts as they cackled like hyenas. Victor slowly began to laugh, but more out of relief than anything.
"'I'll have a beer!'' Krv parroted before he burst into more laughter.
"Yeah, because he doesn't need anything else!" Victor laughed with him, still relieved.
"Ahahaha! Oh, I have to tell that joke to Roman and Cinder! They'll love it!" Krv spoke through his giggles before he composed himself and then something lit up in him again, "But speaking of Faunus, that reminds me of a Faunus I had captive." Then he gained a thoughtful expression as he put his hand to his chin, "Or at least used to be a Faunus..."
The relief inside Victor died when he heard that, gulping as he asked, "Used to be?"
"Well, you see, he was a leech Faunus who happened to be Embraced by a Nosferatu." Krv began, getting an "oof" out of Victor before he continued, "I found him in the sewers. He was subsisting on rats and homeless people before my midget boys- Ah ha!" He 'double guns' the ones in his lab who did the same, before he continued on, "And I took him back here. But then I got an idea after I came back from the circus."
Victor blinked, "Circus?" He heard of a circus that had come to Vale, but he never thought much about it.
"Yeah, I think it was called..." Krv put a hand to his chin trying to recall the name, "The Midnight Circus?" He then waved it off as he grinned, "Ah, whatever, it was fun as hell! I'm going back there a second time! But back on topic, one of their attractions was the Tub of Flesh. This thing of moist purple slime with dozens of eyes and mouths!"
"Ugh." Victor cringed with a disgusted sound.
"I know! But that got me thinking." Krv explained, motioning for Victor to follow. They came to a table filled with glassware before he snapped his fingers, causing his minions to scramble where they set down a severed hand on a silver tray, a beaker filled with what appeared to be blood, and a bunch of other mixtures, him talking as they placed the items, "You know how the Tzimisce can bend and twist flesh like clay?"
"How could I not? You're a human Tzimisce." Was what Victor wanted to say. What he actually said was, "Yeah?"
"Well," Krv said as he began mixing things together, stirring a few chemicals into a new compound before holding up the beaker, "This is Tzimisce Vitae. From a... 7th generation vampire, I think? But regardless, their unique discipline fascinates me."
"I'm sure but why do you say that?" Victor asked uneasily, not liking where he was going with this.
"Well, watch what happens when I apply my touch with both sodium monofluorophosphate and hexafluorosilicic acid." The doctor replied when he used a pipette to take a sample before he dispensed it into a flask in his hand filled with a mint green compound, watching as it darkened and began to bubble.
"What?" Victor asked with a blank expression.
Krv rolled his scarlet eyes before dumbing it down, something that he absolutely hated, "A form of salt compound and an acid respectively commonly found in teeth."
"Ah- wait, teeth?"
Ignoring Victor's question, the mad scientist dumped a small amount of the new mixture on the severed hand. Suddenly, the skin immediately began to pulse and become tumorous, before ripping to reveal dozens and dozens of deformed and misshapen teeth. The skin slowly began to fall off the hand, all blood and bone having been warped into the deranged teeth.
Victor's face was the definition of surprise, mouth agape and eyes wide. Krv grinned at that, oh how he loved getting a reaction out of people, especially if it's with someone as hardboiled as Victor.
Just as he placed a cover over the hand of teeth just to be sure that they won't get contaminated, the mad scientist grinned at him, "Now do you want to know what happened to that leech boy?"
Victor didn't have the chance to say no before Krv leaned in and whispered into his ear. By the time he revealed it all, the detective had a look of silent shock on his face.
"Yep." Krv kept grinning before he motioned to the door, "Well, I'm done playing with you today. Tell Cinder I'm delivering it all to the southeast." With that, Victor watched as he hummed a merry jig while dancing slightly.
The moment the scientist left the room, the nausea shot up his throat like a spear. His feet worked against his will as he ran to the nearest trash can, shoving one of Krv's goons out of the way before whatever was left of his breakfast expelled from his mouth.
He stayed there for three minutes, dry heaving and feeling someone patting him on the back. After a moment, Victor rose his head back up, his face pale and sweaty, seeing some of Krv's diminutive minions by his side.
"You okay man?" One of them asked, looking incredibly concerned.
"Yeah." He choked a little, wiping his mouth with his coat sleeve before he motioned to any of them, "Can one of you please get me some water?"
As one of them did so, the corrupt detective rested against the wall, still panting and reeling from Krv's words.
Fucking hell, he hated Faunus, but not enough to do... that to them.
Still, Victor fished out his scroll from his coat pocket and speed dialed Cinder, putting the device to his ear as it rang.
"Victor?" Cinder's mature voice came through the other side.
"Hey, Cinder. Just... calling to inform you." Victor began, still panting from his puking session, "Krv's ready to go. He's having his midgets deliver the payloads to the southeast as we speak."
"Good. Anything else that you wish to report?"
Victor swallowed some puke that threatened to come up from his stomach, "Well... he just finished with his last... pet."
"Oh." Cinder's voice seemed to change to genuine uneasiness, practically picturing her cringing slightly, "You have my deepest sympathies, Victor."
"Thanks." Victor prayed that his tone seemed like it was genuine before he stated, "I'll call you later when I've told Carcharodon what to do next."
"Very well." With that the call had ended. Victor quietly pocketed his scroll, before he saw the water that he required from Krv's minions. The detective quickly grabbed the glass of water and quickly gulped it down, giving it back to the midget when he was done. Now that the burning sensation of vomit in his mouth was gone, Victor panted before he ran a hand down his face.
"I gotta get the hell out of here..."
Beacon Academy
Blake laid back on her bed, the armlet on her left arm gone, staring up at the ceiling. Even after showering to calm herself down, the thoughts still came to her like a hammer pounding against her skull. She curled her hand into a fist, gripping the sheets tightly in a vice.
The cat Faunus raised her left arm, seeing the brand of Pentex on her arm, her mellow expression distorting into a glare. But then she inhaled and exhaled, lest she cause another flare up... She's been managing to keep them under control for the most part, but lately, it seems like she's losing control of them.
The library yesterday, this morning, and in the hallway... It's almost like something is living under her skin, aching to get out and start feasting.
Blake let out a frustrated sigh and lowered her arm, feeling it calm down and she did but could stop herself from thinking back to where it all started. She remembered what happened. It was just after the train with Adam...
?
Two years ago
A sleeping Blake was stricken back to consciousness when her face was doused with cold water, causing her to cough violently. Sitting up, the raven-haired Faunus wiped her face to see a guard covered in black fatigues with the head clad in a helmet and gas mask standing in the doorframe of her cell, with a stainless bucket in one hand and a baton in the other.
"You're number's up, Faunus." The guard growled out as he then dropped the bucket and walked in.
Blake squirmed in terror and tried to crawl away. The raven-haired girl had been trapped here for months on end, but they had easily been the most brutal things she had ever experienced in her life. Beatings, isolation, abuse from the guards and other prisoners here, some of her fellow Faunus, and sloppy food. One of the common things that left her quivering in the dark was the sounds of prisoners being dragged away to somewhere else, kicking and screaming as if they were about to be fed to a beast for sacrifice.
Before she could scramble to the corner of her cell, the guard grabbed her by the back of the tattered white gown they clad her in, dragging her out of the dark cell only occupied by her, a cool steel bed, a rusted sink, and a filthy toilet.
She only had a second to see the hallway where she ended up; grey stone walls with blinding lights on the ceiling, lined with cells with heavy doors, marked with plaques. They quickly dragged her to a gurney, immediately strapping her down with leather bindings and cuffing her wrists to the edges before they began to wheel her off, gagging her so that she couldn't scream. Blake struggled against her binds, trying to get out but they were either reinforced or they had some kind of inhibitor on her as she couldn't activate her semblance.
Giving up, Blake turned her head to the side after they came to a barred door where an alarm came before it slid open, allowing her to see the laboratories when they swiftly entered. Sterile white rooms and tables with many scientists clad in rubberized red hazmat suits with their heads covered in screens of heavily tinted plexiglass mixing compounds or looking into microscopes, hundreds of computers scrolling with data, black clad guards like the one currently moving her stationed at every corner.
But what was so horrid was the contents of the labs themselves.
People, human or Faunus or even something else, were being experimented on, their bodies deforming or warping into eldritch shapes, ripping apart and reassembling into inhuman forms, or beginning to disappear in hideous fusions augmented with mechanical parts. A few were fortunate enough to die in the experiments, the rest weren't so lucky; still alive and then suspended in fluid filled vats where they laid without so much as a twitch.
A prim and proper scientist who contrasted the squalid thing that he had on a leash then came to the guard that was couriering her, stopping their advance as he began, "This one is to be delivered to Lab #975. She is paramount to Project Iliad."
"Right." The guard immediately wheeled her to the corridor to the right, passing a green sign with PROJECT ILIAD in bold white.
Blake kept her wide amber eyes to the ceiling, seeing the glass windows lining the walls in the corner of her vision. She dared not look at what they were doing. But what she heard told her everything; sounds of sawing, slicing, scrapping, screaming, screaming devolving into mewling and animalistic screeching, wet flesh ripping, and other horrid noises that she didn't want to know hounding in her cat ears. It kept her eyes wide and her vision to the ceiling, lest she be exposed to what horrors were permeating in these walls.
The doors opened when they came to a pair of doors that swung open before they entered like they were on unfelt winds. The lab that they entered made her heart stop; it was dark and seemingly vast, hidden in the darkness was several pipes and vats filled with things of warped and inhuman shapes, equipment and lights blaring down on the floor, doctors clad in red surgeon's attire with caps and medical masks of the same color by tables filled with surgical equipment and tools.
She was wheeled to the center of the room, flinching as one of them turned on an overhead light. One of them snapped on a pair of black rubber gloves while looking down on her like she was something to dissect, while another was humming a merry tune as they raised an injector filled with something dark and morbid. In her ear, she heard something writhing against a metal cage.
As Blake looked around the lab, something about it felt... wrong. The scientists felt wrong. The guards felt wrong. The tools and equipment felt wrong. Everything in this place felt wrong. It was as if a presence of something of living filth and disease had come into the room and slathered its presence in its air and rock.
Allowing herself to turn her head, Blake saw a man clad in the same red rubber surgeon's attire along with black rubber gloves and boots with a mop of bone straight scarlet hair, leaning over a small cage that held something the size of a small dog. But it had too many limbs and teeth to be one.
"Oh, it hates me so much..." The doctor chuckled as he watched his morbid pet writhe in its cage.
"Doctor #589!" The seeming head doctor in the room shouted to the other one, who shot up revealing his face was covered by tinted surgeon's glasses and a red facemask, "The experiment?"
"Yes, yes, one moment." Doctor #589 made a motion that looked like he was rolling his eyes, before he came to the gurney.
Blake didn't know why, but the moment she saw the doctor, a sense of fear unlike any she had ever seen before came to her. Like this man was someone holding many mad ideas and had the will and the cruelty to act on them.
"Oh, my, my, whatever are going to inflict on such a pretty specimen?" The scarlet haired doctor muttered, a fist to his lip as she could see his grin behind the medical mask.
"What we always do. Now, strap her down more." The head doctor replied as a nurse wheeled the table filled with surgical tools.
"Must we experiment on a dirty Faunus like this one?" The look of disgust on another doctor's face was one she would never forget, "Ugh, it's so disgusting that I can barely even look at it."
"Oh, don't get your panties in a twist." Another doctor waved the other off, "Now, prep her."
On the other side, one of the doctors pulled out an IV bag with something red with splotches of green, hanging it on the rack and connecting it to an intravenous tube before the needle was inserted into the veins on her wrist. After it was strapped down, sensors were placed on her chest, head, and limbs, and then a mask connected to a tank of anesthetics was lowered onto her face.
No matter how much her brain tried to get her body to move, Blake felt the anesthetics take effect, feeling her muscles relax and her strength leave her. Barely able to keep her eyes open, she saw the one with a needle inject the contents of their instrument into the IV bag, seeing the colors becoming more vivid and disorienting.
"Now." She heard the warped sound of the doctor's voice come in as one of them twisted the valve of the bag.
With what little Blake watched with fear filled eyes as the red and green substance traveled down the clear tube, traveling to her wrist. Just as it slithered down, the scarlet haired doctor leaned in, somehow feeling the obsessive gleam in his eyes. She tried to fight back, but her body wouldn't respond.
And then, it slowly entered her vein.
It was inside her.
It was inside her...
ITWASINSIDEHERITWASINSIDEHERITWASINSIDEHERITWASINSIDEHERITWASINSIDEHERITWASINSIDEHER.
A few moments later, she saw her veins blackened as the substance began mixing with her blood. Pain then shot through her arm which then spread to her chest, and then legs, and then her other arm. Her heart began to pound in her chest, but her muscles wouldn't respond to her brain. The black veins spread to her entire body, pain racking her entire being.
She couldn't hear, only seeing the doctors frantically rolling her into the darkness. Blake couldn't feel them unstrapping her from the gurney and slowly stripping her off the stained white gown before they laid her down on the cold floor of one of these vats, only able to see it. The vat began to fill with a green fluid that felt warm like a hot bath, before she saw her arms begin splitting open and spikes of bone piercing her skin.
The eyes began seeping out of her as she began seizing, unable to scream as she breathed in the thick oxygenated fluid.
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts.
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Suddenly, as if to stop herself from going insane, Blake's mind shut down, allowing her to rest in merciful silence.
Present Day
Beacon Academy
Blake shivered at the memory before she heard the doors open, causing her to turn and see Team RWBY entering their dorm room. She relaxed, putting a hand on her chest as she sat up from her bed.
The first to enter, Yang had a pout on her face while a slouched posture as she groaned, "Ugh, we should have never let him play!"
Ruby was the second to enter as she replied, "You're just mad cuz' the new guy beat you! See, if you had just attacked when I told you none of this would have happened."
As they enter, Blake approaches the door to leave.
"Stop." Weiss puts a hand on Blake's shoulder, causing her to freeze but her hand retracts from the doorknob, "Lately you've been quiet, antisocial and moody!"
Yang deadpans, "Uh, have you met Blake?"
Weiss pointedly ignored the blonde as she let go of Blake, "Which I get is kind of your thing, but you've been doing it more than usual! Which quite frankly, is unacceptable! You made a promise to me, to all of us, that you would let us know if something was wrong!" She then flips through the air as six copies of her emblem fly through the air before she points her finger at a surprised Blake, "So, Blake Belladonna, what is wrong!?"
Weiss happened to have landed on a chair's back feet where she seemed to be balancing precariously on. She quickly and wordlessly puts the chair away and returns to stand near the girls.
Blake stared at everyone, but sighed and looked away, lowering her armlet so that they never saw the brand. They weren't ready to know about Pentex. Hell, she didn't even know where to start with them or where to look when it came to their facilities. So, Torchwick and the White Fang took priority first, "I just, I don't understand how everyone can be so calm."
Ruby had a concerned expression as she approached Blake, knowing what the latter was thinking about, "You're still thinking about Torchwick?"
Blake nodded before she went off, trying to distract herself from the memories of Pentex, "Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it! Something big is happening and no one is doing anything about it!"
"Ozpin told us not to worry." Yang reminded her, "Between the police and the Huntsmen, I'm sure they can handle it."
"Well, I'm not!" Blake retorted, pointing to her chest for emphasis, "They don't know the White Fang like I do!"
Weiss rolled her eyes at seeing this before she replied, "Okay, between blowing up nightclubs, stopping thieves, and fighting for freedom, I'm sure the three of you think that you're all ready to go out and apprehend these ne'er-do-wells!"
Ruby tilted her head, "Uh, who?"
The heiress then continued on despite that, "But let me once again be the voice of reason. We're students! We're not ready to handle this sort of situation!"
"Well yeah, but..."
Weiss interrupted her team leader by pointing out to their stealthier member, "We're not ready!"
"And we may never be ready! Our enemies aren't just going to sit around and wait for graduation day." Blake stubbornly stated, pointing toward the door, "They're out there, somewhere, planning their next move, and none of us know what it is, but it's coming! Whether we're ready or not!"
"Well, why are you so worked up about this?" Ruby innocuously asked with a tilt of her head, the voices of the Messengers saying strange things like 'She knows more than she says.'
"You..." Blake couldn't find the words, instead merely just looking away as she just muttered, "You don't understand..."
"Then help us understand!" Weiss and Ruby almost yelled in unison before they looked at each other in surprise.
Blake flinched but looked away with an ashamed expression. She wanted to tell them, she wanted to tell them so badly but if there was anything that she learned from her team is that if she told them, they'd be by her side if she revealed what she went through with Pentex. Blake hated herself enough already, the thought of their blood being on her hands all because of her quest for revenge on Pentex was something that she couldn't bear.
Ruby, being the moral person she was, raises her hand and does other random gestures, while looking manic, "Okay, all in favor of becoming the youngest Huntresses to single-handedly take down a corrupt organization conspiring against the Kingdom of Vale... say aye."
Yang, thinking it'll be awesome, pumps her fist enthusiastically and points at Blake, "Yes! I love it when you're feisty!"
Weiss sighs in defeat, knowing that there was no way to talk either of them out of this, "Well, I suppose it could be fun."
Ruby pouted while lowering her arm, "None of you said aye!"
Blake looked touched at their willingness to fight the White Fang, allowing a smile to grow on her face, "Alright then, we're in this together!"
Ruby grinned while gesturing wildly, "Let's hatch a plan!"
Yang Double-guns at Ruby with a wide smile, "Yeah!"
Before any plan could be formed however, Ruby gasps as she remembered something, "I left my tabletop stuff at the library!"
Weiss exasperatedly places her hand to her head, "We're doomed."
Ruby, already running out of the room, yelled out, "I'll be right back!" Suddenly, she was stopped by something blocking the door, slamming into it and falling to the floor, dazed, "Oo-oof! Oh g-!" She whipped the dust off of her before looking up, "Sorry. Are you..."
The words died in Ruby's mouth when she saw who was standing in the doorframe, "...okay?"
In front of them was the janitor, his black eyes boring into her as he drummed his clawed fingers on the shaft of his mop. He gives a hum of interest while the other girls tense, knowing that he overheard them and thinking that he'd be mad.
Ruby gulped at Carcharodon's intimidating aura, stuttering out, "U-uh... G-Good evening... Mr. K-K-Kurze..."
"Ruby." The janitor plainly said before he let himself into their dorm, Ruby scrambling to her feet and behind her big sister as he got closer, "So... you four were planning on sneaking out into town, no?"
"Were you spying on us?!" Blake shrieked at the shark man, glaring at him for eavesdropping on them.
At that, Weiss and Yang looked at Blake with deadpan expressions, the former retorting with crossed arms, "Blake, you have something of a major eavesdropping problem. You have no room to criticize him." Blake's entire face lit up with scarlet embarrassment which caused the other girls to chuckle before Carcharodon loudly cleared his throat, immediately getting their attention back on him.
"I'll take that as a yes." The janitor huffed before he turned to the hallway, "Well, it looks like I'm gonna have to report this to the headmaster."
However, before he could walk about the dorm, Blake suddenly shouted, "WAIT!"
Before he had the chance to react, the raven-haired girl grabbed him by the collar and turned him to face her, her face awash in desperation, "Wait, please! I was the one who pushed for them to go! Ruby, Weiss, and Yang have nothing to do with this!"
"Oh?" Carcharodon raised a brow unconvinced, "And why did your teammates agree to go against the headmaster's orders?"
"L-Look, we're trying to help!" Ruby came in to support her teammate, "We know Ozpin told us not to worry but we-we think Blake may be able to take them down!"
The janitor still had a look that said unconvinced before Weiss and Yang came up too, the former looking at him with a pleading expression.
"Mr. Kurze, I've... learned a lot about the Faunus since I came to Beacon." Weiss began, thinking back to her argument with Blake in the first semester, "And while, I can say that I still have... apprehensions on the Faunus, my views have become more nuanced. So now, I want to help if I can."
Yang then chipped in, "Same! Blake's my friend and I want to help her too!"
Carcharodon breathed out through his nostrils, hemming and hawing for several moments. The huntresses held their breath in, hoping that the shark-like man would let them go through with their plans.
Suddenly, the janitor leaned into the doorframe, looking around the hallway before he came in and closed the door behind him. After that, he turns to Team RWBY, looking both annoyed and intrigued at this, "Alright, I'll help you. But you never heard this from me."
The girls nodded, happy that Kurze was willing to help.
He leaned in while the four gathered around, "Alright, here's what I know..."
Just as Carcharodon closed the door, there was a simmering in the hallway before it peeled away like an ethereal layer of weaved magic to reveal Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury who had seen Carcharodon enter the dorm. They were clad in the uniforms of Haven Academy that they had... procured from students that didn't need them anymore. The latter two had calm expressions while Cinder smirked sinisterly.
All according to plan.
Motioning for them to follow her, the raven-haired seductress then took out her scroll and dialed a number as they walked down the hall away from Team RWBY's dorm.
The caller ID held the name, "Freak."
After the fifth ring, the call was picked up.
Cinder smiled sinisterly, an orange glow in her eyes, "Freak."
On the other side was a literal circus of killers and psychos dressed up as deranged clowns, each and every last one of them all but oozing bloodlust.
And leading them was the man himself, Freak.
He was tall and lanky, skin chalk white with shoulder length grey hair with streaks of white, eyes of burning red that irradiated insanity, black lips with various crack-like scars around the mouth, and a grin of sharpened red teeth.
He wore a black and white diamond checkered jacket that reached his calves with a frilled collar and cuffs over a black dress shirt and red frilled cravat, black leather pants with black cowboy boots that reached the knees and black spike covered bands wrapped around the legs. In his hands were twin chainsaw axes as their teeths purred.
"Allo, Cindy..." Freak grinned, his smile practically dripping as it bled.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Truth be told, I was going to wait until I finished my chapter for Embrace All Chaos before I did this, but with it being October and that chapter taking a lot longer than I thought, I decided to do this.
For those of you who were wondering what happened to Blake, here you go. She was kidnapped by Pentex after she left the White Fang and was a test subject for Project Iliad.
And introducing one of my favorite OCs, Dr. Stanislas Krv, who is basically is a morbid fusion of Bonesaw, Victor Frankenstein, and Fabius Bile with his fairy tale motif being Willy Wonka. I just have a weakness for mad scientists! As for his voice actor, I'm split between Robbie Daymond or Micheal Kovach or even Robert Tinkler.
Also, Carcharodon's VA is Costa Mandylor, the same guy who played Hoffman from Saw.
And at the last scene, someone who will appear in the next chapter, Freak. And that's all I'm going to say!~ Also, Freak is voiced by Neil Patrick Harris.
EDIT: A friend on Discord, who shall remain anonymous, requested that I change the library scene to where they are playing a tabletop instead of a strategy game. Also, if it seems inaccurate, that's because I have literally NO experience with roleplaying games. I really need to get into it, but I live in the middle of nowhere so it's kinda hard to get a group together.
See ya!