Hmmmm not in my room not in my contract in my dreams maybe?...Nope dream loyers say that even there I dont own shit.
Sub everyone im back again with another chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. A little bit of a heads-up I'm going on vacation so next month will not have an update. I will be writing but I'm going to write in advance to make uploads a bit more fluent, please be patient.
"Loss" the word cut through the throne room like the sound of the headman's ax.
Ruby looked at lance. A dark fire in her silver eyes, she knew full well what she was about to say could and would save some of her friends, but she couldn't save them all.
"That is how we get them on our side, these people don't care about gaining anything. But I imagine they would do anything to get back what they lost."
Lance walked up to the first group of images, looking into the violet eyes of a blond woman, Ruby worried about yang she was so headstrong, convincing her would probably be hard she would put her trust in her master. She had chosen her side. He wielded the sword of fate. Now, all she could do was try to steer where the blade would fall.
"Your sister, Yang, right?" his gaze wandered sideways towards a man with short sandy blond hair and the same violet eyes."
My father, my lord, the man next is my uncle. They are great huntsmen.
"What loss binds them?"
"Two losses, actually. Yang is my half-sister we have the same father, Yang's mother Raven abandoned them just after she gave birth to her. It was hard on dad, so my mother Summer who used to be in the same team at school as Raven, dad, and uncle Qrow Came to help out, two years later I was born." Ruby took a shaky breath, the realization of what fate had befallen her mother still stung." She lost a fight with Salem people with silver eyes are used by her, turned into a special type of grim. I….I don't know if she can be saved, but if she can be saved and brought into our fold."
"They will be grateful, which as Gnarl so often says has its own benefits."
As for Raven, I Don't know about loss. She and mom were in the same team, I think they would have been close in a way. But she left her husband and child like it was nothing, I don't think we need to count on her lingering comradery to convince her. However, she is a coward, the promise of safety from Salem with proof of the matter will make her fall in line, and we will have our first maiden."
"You mentioned Salem hunting those with silver eyes. What is so special about this trait?" The Overlord asked, not bothering to hide the hostility in his voice. This Salem was trying to touch what was his, and he wanted to know why. Ruby found herself getting a warm feeling, the possessiveness felt good. Many people had platonically loved her, but times were always shaky. Lance with all his power dressed in his dark armor seemed solid, like a pillar she could lean on. the day he would fall would be the day she would die, and it felt right.
"People with silver eyes are deadly to the grim. We can shoot blasts from our eyes petrifying the bigger grim and destroying the weaker once I might be the last one left."
"As for Team JNPR they are RWBY's sister team they are some of the best out there, Jaun is an excellent strategist that can enhance aura. Ren is swift as the wind. Nora is a ginger powerhouse with a hammer, explosives, and lightning."
Lance nodded, "I can't help but notice that there is one member less than yours."
"Phyra she fell in battle the Graveyard is our best bet Phyra was a maiden or at least half of one, maybe her spirit lingers as penny did. The return of Phyra will make Jaun more cooperative to our cause. next, we play on his wish to be a hero, offer him knighthood, and promise his family a safe haven in the coming war. Ren and nora will follow they are orphans, the team is the closest thing to a family they have had since they were kids. The reunion of JNPR will probably do the trick, oh throw in a castle for Nora she would like that.
Lance nodded Ruby saw him run his finger over a golden locket hanging from his gauntlet Ruby made a mental note to hear him out on that as it was obviously a personal memento of some kind.
"Blake mostly lost her background. Her father's legacy is now tainted with blood. Her people disgraced and her hands red with the blood of her first love. This all connects to the white fang if you were to give it to her, and she reformed it to the sword and shield of the Faunus under your rule instead of some terrorist supremacy group."
"I could win their favor and gain an army."
"That and Blake's father is a chieftain. You would be courting the closest thing the Faunus have to a princess, can't think of a better way to get the Faunus on our side without killing more than necessary."
Ruby looked at the image of Weiss and her family. And bit her lip
"This part might be tricky. Weiss's family owns most businesses of the kingdom of atlas, or they did before it was destroyed"
"Won't matter if we turn back time."
"Right, but we will need to balance them and the Faunus. Let's say that the company has not earned the white fang's hatred coincidentally. Weiss is the linchpin here, together with her father. If she manages to get her brother and mother on our side the family will be ours, followed by the company."
"What about the father?"
"Kill him." Ruby said the words with a venomous tone. "He is a cancer infecting the family and kingdom.
She glanced to the left, seeing two figures that made her ball her fist.
"Winter will be tricky, until recently, she was loyal to her general Ironwood, but she eventually made the right choice in saving her kingdom's people instead of its capital. The best move might be ensure she keeps her memories when we make the trip back. We don't need to bother with Ironwood his conviction might actually be more to our benefit as an enemy, let him lead his armies right off the cliff into the depths."
Ruby took a moment to think and made a hard choice
"All the others will either bend or break. It's sad, but we can't hope for a horror story where everyone makes it. All I can do is extended the hand of friendship when we turn back time and hope they take it."
The old overlord stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder in an almost fatherly gesture.
"I have chosen my vanquisher."
"What?!"
"Miss rose, I was not always an Overlord. Long ago, I rode with a party of heroes of my own. We killed the then ruling overlord, I died during the fight our wizard was possessed by our enemy's spirit. He used us, I was but a puppet, rebuilding the tower and killing my by-then corrupted comrades. In the end, I managed to cut my puppeteer's strings and claim it all. Yet here I found my downfall stuck in the abyss I started to think to remember. I don't hate evil as I once did, but I wish to pass. I wish to redeem my comrades, but I cannot leave. I shall help the two of you to be ready for the coming years of battle, and your rule after. But when your Era comes to the end, you will take my place here as the embodiment of necessary evil."
Neither Lance or ruby knew how to react to the old lord's words, Gnarl seemed almost hurt. but then he slumped his shoulders and sight.
"I would lie if I said that this wasn't disappointing, but I guess that that's just life. I wish you well, my old friend."
The old lord took off his helmet, an old face with thinning gray hair and bright red eyes looked at the old minion.
"You, and Rose gave me all I needed. I guess I will see the both of you on the other side then"
Gnarl looked surprised, "see us on the other side?!" He looked almost insulted, "Have your senses truly left you if that plan of yours is successful, whatever place it will lead you is different than where we go. To or I will go, Rose must have died by now."
The old man let out a warm laugh. Here was a man who had lived a full life that knew peace and was ready to bid farewell to the mortal coil without fear or regrets, the closest mortals could come to beating death.
"Well evil always finds a way, and I'm no stranger to storming hell."
Both shared a laugh before Gnarl turned towards the gateway, his voice close to trembling. "Good luck, Sir Mordan."
The old lord's eyes watered as he put his helmet back on, "So long Gnarl." Before he turned around looking at Penny. "You, I don't remember."
Penny smiled, "Uhm how do I put this. The Mistress and a dark god messed with the laws of life and death by trying to bring me back to life. Which kind of worked, but fused my soul with the tower hearth."
"The older lord's eyes widened. "Didn't see that one coming, sooooo are you still mad about it."
"About mistress Rose damaging me to save you from the wizard? No…I may have words with your son about throwing me against an anti-magic shield Rose designed because I did not appreciate that very much if I'm honest."
"He then turned towards the young overlord and mistress. Gesturing to the images of a large horned being in robes, he spoke again."
"An aspect of the Brother of light from long ago. When the brothers left, their aspects faded, leaving this." The image turned into a stone slab radiating power."
"A spell stone?!" Lance said, surprised to find such an artifact outside his world, he wondered if and how such objects came to be spread across the multiverse.
"I recognize that aspect it's the horned god, according to the stories he created the Faunus. When humans went to war with beasts but how….wait you want us to use it with the grim don't you?! But that won't do much, grim have no souls."
Lance perked up and held out his left hand, a familiar orb of pulsing brown energy came to life above it.
"That is the stuff the minions picked up when we killed the goats, what is it?"
"Its life force Minions are born from the energy distilling into the minion hives, if we could find a way it can be modified into a grim form."
" A race of my creatures with actual souls free from that filth's control? Oh now, that's a type of heresy I would subscribe to…..for a price. After all, for all the things Salem did that have earned my wrath, she did figure out how to control my creations without my help. I give credit where it's due."
The dark god manifested in front of Ruby.
"My brother's precious gift. The bain of my beautiful creatures of grim. The silver eyes, he forged them from the last rays of Remnant's last full moon. They are the eyes of heroin, and you are a hero, no longer girl. So, what use are they to you now, hmm? I think I could work with them."
The dark being chuckled as the shadows in the room flared, all but swallowing the light.
"Yes, a clan of warriors baring my mark. No longer will you kill the grim, you will improve them kill the aspect, and bring me the core of his being. As well as the skull of a demon beast, and I will make it so."
The old overlord sat back on his throne. "The tower hearth will be able to bring you back here when you have what you need now go I sense someone waiting for you."
Yang blinked as she sat up in a dark cavern, and she was not alone.
"Yang? YANG!"
A red and black blur tackled her as she was wrapped in a tight hug.
"You are okay….you are alive."
Yang gave her little sister a strained smile.
"Of course, I am sis, what you thought that getting yeeted into an abyss was enough to kill little old me? Please, that's basically what Oz did to our first day of school."
Lance, who was standing far away enough that the two, had some privacy, raised his eyebrow.
"You are joking, right? I knew Ozma wouldn't be the greatest role model, but he threw you into an abyss?!"
Ruby looked back. "Well, he put us on catapults, there wasn't an actual abyss, but he did launch us into a monster-infested forest to sort us into teams."
"Fetch quest?" the Overlord asked, a knowing tone in his voice.
"Fetch quests" the two sisters answer in unison.
"What did the old coot have you collect?"
"Chess pieces"
"Wait, as in the board game? WAIT, YOU HAVE CHESS?!"
"WAIT, CHESS IS A THING IN YOUR WORLD AS WELL?!"
Yang tilted her head. "Your world? This guy from another world? Where you hit by a tru.."
Ruby held her hand in front of her sister's mouth. "Do not invoke the mighty manic sister, we do not know what might manifest by naming it."
Lance shrugged "She makes a point we are in a mind-reading labyrinth built by the dark god to test us invoking whatever this creature might be ill-advised."
Yang rolled her eyes. Memes were obviously not something the young man was familiar with. "So if I know my stories you got sent into this world to be some grand savior Right? Aaaaaand If I'm guessing, you have wormed your way into the hearth of my adorable cinnamon roll of a sister. Yang narrowed her eyes, you are not building a harem behind her back, right? Cause if you hurt her."
Ruby blushed, "Welllllllllllll he isn't doing it behind my back exactly. Aaaand about that hero thing."
A glowing door opened into the rock wall.
"Oh, look a way that will get me out of trouble. I will be leaving, someone has to make sure the tower is fine. Good talk bye' Ruby burst into petals and rushed through an opening portal.
Yang eyed lance warily.
"Just so you know, I have a girlfriend."
He gave a chuckle. "I will be transparent here. I aim to have you at my side like I have your sister. Your sister is my lover, and I'm pursuing you, do tell me Yang what makes you think I will not strive to have Blake as well?"
"Shees you are a bit dark for a hero." Yang remarks as she pushed open the door. And walked through.
The other side looked like a war zone. As a young man stood defiantly against an army of dark creatures in the ruins of a home.
Lance's fist balled, recognizing the ruin it was the home the labyrinth had shown before he saw pictures of him and Yang held her head as her mind flooded with memories. Her eyes were tear-struck as she looked at the young man and reached out her hand.
"Rock?"
"You know who I am then? Don't you?"
"Yes, your my son. Our son."
"It's not too late, mother, for things to end differently than this."
"A whistling filled the air as the sun was dimmed by a rain of arrows."
"No!" Yang screamed before she was pulled through another door by Lance, surprised to look up and find herself in a bedroom."
"Did we just leave our son to die?"
Yang's stomach did a somersault at the thought, once again she wonders how Raven could live with herself.
"No, Yang this is what could be, not what will."
She looked around the room of elegant gray stone walls decorated by tattoo-like paintings, pictures of good times, and weapons she guessed to be trophies from past battles.
She recognized Mercury Black's legs and Cardin's mace, she smirked, that asshole must have begged for his life.
"Well, this future at the very least leaves me with a nice apartment."
Lance chuckled. "Apartment, this is your room."
Yang held her head as the memories hit her. She stormed out of the room passing a window that showed a starlight sky over a magnificent city. She ran towards a room she knew to be a dinning room. And there they were. Summer and Raven having a cup of coffee. Qrow and her dad reminisce on their Bacon days, a disturbing amount of those stories involved a lack of pants. In the corner were 4 kids playing a board game, the one that got her attention was a red-eyed blonde high-fiving a dark-haired cat-eard girl.
"Do you have memories of how this came to be?"
Lance had come to stand next to Yang. Seeing this was less heavy than his own labyrinth, but seeing his children healthy, strong and happy made his resolve stronger. He would have this future.
"I…I think so you are not a hero, are you?"
"No, I'm not, but I can give you this or at least something close to it against a cost that you should be able to guess."
"I do. I can remember all the pain, the blood, the fear. And frankly, my dear, I don't give a dam."
Lance looked at her and smirked "You are a bad liar."
lance spun just in time to avoid yang's strike and threw his hand out, causing a bolt of lightning to throw her to the ground as the vision subsided. Yang found herself submerged in glowing blue water. When she got up, she was grabbed from behind by an armored hand. She tried to pry the fingers open, but to no avail. Through blurry eyes, she saw a familiar face.
"Penny? Please help."
Penny gave a sad look at her before looking at the Overlord.
"Do you require my help, my lord?"
"You know what I want, Penny, assist me where needed. Make sure Ruby does not see what's about to happen."
"Thou will be done, my master."
Then yang's world was filled with pain as it seemed that her aura only worsened the pain instead of lessening it as the iron fingers of the overlords will take hold of her mind.
"No…it…hurts…..can't….give in….but…sooooooo gooooooood."
The world went dark, and she was alone in a flooded room, she recognized her reflection she looked like that night when she had dragged ruby in a red wagon to look for Raven.
"Pathetic little wench!"
She turned around and saw her adult self cloaked only in a layer of blood her hair aflame and her eyes burning red.
"He handed you everything on a silver platter and you spat in the meal?"
Who? Who are you?
"I'm everything that will remain, I am master's queen I am fire and death. Unless you manage to beat me."
Yang jumped towards her Evil self. But noticed too late that the only thing on her wrist was a pink cat bracelet, the familiar discharge of ember silica was deafening as the buckshot dug into her gut. She fell onto the floor coughing up blood that colored the water pink, a great shadow loomed over her. The good in Yang Xoulong was ended by Dragon fire.
Yang opened her eyes and sat up on her knees. A hallow of purple electricity sizzling around her wet hair.
"What is thy bidding, my master?"
"Fuck! did I just mess up the spell?"
Yang snorted as she stood up and pecked the overlord on the cheek.
"Don't worry master I'm not just a slave though if you want me to act that way, say between sundown and raise we could make arrangements."
"Good to know because of that little stunt just now you need to earn your privileges, am I clear?"
All joking left Yang's face as she looked down.
"Yes my lord. I'm sorry for that, It's just we gave so much to be free to have good take the win that."
"The thought of trading one tyrant for another was not something you wished to settle on."
He walked closer and cupped Yang's chin. She shivered partly in fear and partly in excitement, she felt like a dog waiting from its master, not knowing if she would be praised or scolded. He saw a shine in her eyes, the spell had left her docile but not yet tame, he would have to do that himself.
"Well, Yang, here is the deal. I left enough of the old you that I could make the mistress I wanted out of you. That future you saw of being a queen in my kingdom can still be yours. But displease me, betray me or annoy me and I will have you as nothing more than a toy for me to play with. And when my war is won, when I leave you used up and broken, you will be cast aside."
"Yes, master, I will be good."
He turned around.
"Ruby will hear nothing of this, am I clear."
She gave a bow, "Can I go see my sister?"
He motioned her to go ahead he looked down at the water, obviously annoyed that he had to go through with this, he had rather taken another route. His fingers ran over his damaged armor. He knew that he couldn't allow a long fight, his resources sure didn't allow for it. Two soft arms wrapped around him.
He looked around expecting to see Ruby but being surprised by Penny
"Permission to speak, master?" Penny's voice was nervous, but her eyes were certain the girl who had been returned from death twice would not be stopped by something as trivial as fear.
"Granted"
"You looked like you needed a hug."
Maybe you are right Penny, maybe you are right as he returned the embrace.
It felt strange to show this kind of affection, even stranger when he thought about penny being the tower heart, he didn't care, though.
"You know, I think the tower hearth always felt envious of the overlords and mistresses. I have always been envious of the couples back at Atlas academy."
"Well, then how about we do something about that mistress?" As he ran his hand along her back, resting it on her hip.
Penny shivered. "I would like that."
Ruby looked down at yang, who lay on the ground shocked at the way ruby had lashed out at her.
"Did you really think I did not know what you tried to do?"
The slap burned on Yang's face
"Rubes..I."
"DO NOT CALL ME THAT!"
Ruby turned around. Her thorn cape swirling as she turned around, her silver eyes flashed dangerously. Her hand grasped the ring around her neck.
"You are master's, so I will not damage you, but I am still your team captain and your senior mistress. The red hive get it back to the tower and all is forgiven." A single tear ran down Ruby's face. "Until then you are not my sister am I clear?"
Yang's tears streamed down her face as she managed to answer through her sobs.
"Yes, mistress, I will not fail you."
Ruby walked out of the room, making sure not to show her pain.
"It's not me you should worry about, Xiaolong. it's our master you need to satisfy, not me."
Yang's tears soon turned into rage, how could she have been so stupid? golden flames flared into her hair. They had never been this hot, she could feel the heat boil the air around her.
"Well, you certainly have an inner fire."
Gnarl met the mistress's crimson glare with a smirk.
"We have located the red minion hive, what do you say mistress are you fired up?"
Yang smirked back. "I burn."
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