AN: Wow, 109 followers and 59 favs! I am really glad that my story has been entertaining so many people, I have been reading your reviews and working on improving both Abyssal Rose and my skill in writing! August has been my most productive month so far, with a total of 4 chapters being released. I think I might be overworking myself a bit as I suffered a bit of writer's block writing this chapter, but I managed to overcome it. Either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and Abyssal Rose as a whole.
"Diary log #57."
"It has been a few days since I enrolled in this flashborn academy. And nearly a week since I left Yggdrasil. My experience on the surface world has been unique, to say the least. Despite the blinding light from the sky, the world is remarkably beautiful. So many different colors and the technology here is something the librarians would spend decades studying and replicating. The people here also surprised me, while I am aware of the loathsome policies of the Snowflakes, and their callous willingness to throw mutant lives for the sake of profit. I was stunned by the cooperation between the lightborn and the mutants. Not to mention that I'm sure there are more people here than in the entirety of Luna Naturae!"
"The headmaster, Ozpi, has been working hard to ensure my stay in the academy is as smooth as it could. Though I still doubt why I must work with the Snowflake. I…don't like her. I know my mother has been driven into more and more despair by her family and that contributes to my disliking of her. She seems overall…what's the word…a harlot? Yes, a harlot would be best to describe her. She's bossy, bratty, and controlling, it feels like she is trying to assert her dominance over me. And I can see in her eyes that she views me as lesser. If she were to die, I can feign sorrow and regret, but a dead Snowflake would most definitely bring joy to my mother. Perhaps that would finally stop the patriarch of the Snowflakes to cease whatever he's doing to bring my mother pain, and give her peace."
"Mother…I've been thinking about her lately. I am doing the right thing…right? I mean, of course, I am. Eventually, we will have to leave the rocky cradle of Luna Naturae and interact with the surface. I have to prove her wrong about the surface. But it's been…so lonely as of lately. Her soothing voice, her calming presence, her comforting me whenever I get hurt, and appreciation whenever I succeeded in something. Black and Yellow have tried to make the days here more comfortable, but I supposed that it must be something I will eventually have to adapt to."
"The longer they think I am in the Kingdoms of Corruption or Freedom, the more time I have to succeed in my goals. One of these goals is to further my relationships with the flashborn. One of these flashborn: Jaune I believed, probably asked me to join him and his team. I will meet them in their dorm, which is coincidentally in front of mine, and practice my Lightborn language with them."
Ruby Lusus the Third, Dusk Princess of the Eternal Kingdom of Yggdrasil.
"C'mon!"
"No."
"C'mon~!"
"Sun I said no!"
"But why?"
"Uh, because it's stupid, dangerous, and will get you in trouble with a headmaster that's not a pushover like Lionheart."
"But have you seen the news? Vale is a hot cake for spooky and crazy stuff happening. I even heard of this girl who got her arm broken by a giant deathstalker, yet she still managed to kill the thing by slamming her scythe with one arm!"
"Hmmm."
"There's also rumors of this weird, princess lady that came from another place. She can't speak none of the four languages, and I think she's looking for a prince charming to help her navigate this cruel and forgiving world."
Neptune sighs, before opening a soda can and taking a sip.
"You're going to play the "damsel in distress" card so that I can come to Vale with you?"
"Yes."
"Well, I appreciate the honesty."
He sighs again, downing his soda can before discarding it in a trash can next to him.
"Alright fine, I'll come. But only because you need someone cool to rein you in, gods forbid that while you're over there in Vale. You accidentally piss off Glynda Goodwitch of all people."
"Yes! I'll let Sage and Scarlet know, we're going to be the vanguard party of team SSSN!"
The two boys chuckled, before looking out at the sky.
"Say I heard there's going to be this fancy, weird play in Atlas, ya think I can hide my tail and sneak us within those rich guys in Atlas."
"You're pushing it Sun."
"Alright, alright. Just saying."
"Atlesian command cruiser Teal one is refurbished, rearmed, and ready for the Valean expedition General. Maintenance is almost complete and the ship should depart Atlas by the end of today."
"Good, how is the morale of the marines?"
"They are very eager, especially since for many it is their first mission outside of Oblivion. The military reforms that you passed are having a positive effect on the military, despite the old guard obstructing the push for reform."
"They will eventually understand that what I am doing is for the good of not only Atlas but the whole of Remnant. Patch taught me many lessons, and I am applying them so the military does not suffer again as it did in Patch. The marines and Oblivion's Gate is one such lesson, and one that I am glad is benefitting Atlas. Speaking of the marines, was there any incidents during their stay at Atlas City?"
"No sir, but the Faunus marines report a feeling of discomfort and unwelcome from both the soldiers and the citizens of Atlas."
"I understand that the decision to include Faunus into Oblivion's Gate was controversial. But unlike many people here on Atlas, the Grimm don't discriminate. Oblivion's Gate represents a new era for Remnant, where finally we can strike the Grimm in where they consider their home and form a united front against the darkness. Besides, the colony itself happens to provide some of the best men I have seen in my time as a General. Is the CCT relay tower operational in Oblivion's Gate?"
"No sir, but it is planned to be operational by the end of the month."
"Thank you, Winter, you are dismissed."
Ironwood watched as Winter leaves his office before going back to work. As he was busy doing paperwork, a message appeared on his computer. A formal invitation from the Atlesian Arts Guild to Ironwood, to the first showcase of the "Queen in Black and White". Ironwood thought about attending, would certainly be a PR boost, the stern military general enjoying the high-class enjoyment of theatre. But he decided against it, he has more important things to focus on than some play.
Ruby knocked on the door to Jaune's dorm. She heard someone running up to the door before it opens, instead of Jaune, it was the orange hair girl with the warhammer from initiation. Ruby still decided to introduce herself to Jaune's teammate.
"Hello~!"
"Aaah you can speak!"
The orange girl suddenly grabs Ruby and hugs her so tight that Ruby was sure that she's going to squeeze her life out of her.
"Nora!"
"Hehehe, sorry Ren! C'mon, we're waiting for you!"
The orange hair girl lets go of Ruby and lead her inside. Ruby sees the black hair boy and the red hair girl casually resting inside. The red hair girl saw her first and moves to greet her.
"Hello, Rose!"
"Hello~."
The red hair girl recoiled at the sound of Ruby's voice, before awkwardly laughing it off.
"I'm sorry. I just never heard someone speak with an accent like that before. Please take a seat!"
"Jaune~?"
"Jaune isn't here right now. Which is strange because he usually doesn't appear late, well not intentionally late."
Ruby sat down on one of the beds. Given how Jaune isn't here right now, she can learn the names of his teammates. Ruby pointed to the red hair girl.
"Who, me?"
She nodded, before pointing back at herself.
"Raawse~."
"Oh, my name? Well, I'm Prryha Nikos, nice to meet you, Rose!"
"Pier…rah?"
"Eh, that's close enough."
"And I'm Nora! Nora Valkyrie, explosions extraordinaire and bane of pancakes!"
"Nora~!" Ruby said with an enthusiastic tone.
"And I am Ren, Lie Ren. Nice to meet you, Rose."
"Lie~?"
"I know, I know. Just call me Ren."
Jaune then entered the room, he has a solemn look on his face, probably because he is soaked in water.
"Jaune where have you been?! We were waiting for you!"
"Oh you know, just tripping into fountains. Nothing too serious."
"Tripping into fountains? Jaune what happened?"
"Well I was walking, and I think I bumped into someone and the next thing I knew I fell into a fountain. Now can someone please hand me a towel?"
Ruby got up and made herself known to him.
"Hello~!"
"Gah! You guys didn't tell me she was already here?! Did the plan already work?"
"Pan~?"
"Yes! Plan! Plan for you to go…uh. Go shopping with us! Yeah, we need time to prepare and can't let you be in the room!"
Ruby was unnerved by Pierrah's uncanny smile before Nora picked her up and started taking her out of the room. Ruby was confused and asked questions in her language before she was dropped outside their dorm and the door was closed.
"What just happened?"
"Jaune!"
"What?"
"Jaune you could have given away the plan to Rose! The whole point of having her here is to figure out why she and Weiss hate each other so much."
"Relax, she can't even speak Valean. I doubt she can understand my master plan, nor any basic complex sentences."
Pyrrha knocked Jaune on the head, causing him to wince in pain.
"Ow~, what was that for?"
"Did you forget she was taking language classes with Oobleck, she managed to say all of our names and said hello. You could have told her the plan by accident."
"Oh…"
"Just be more careful next time, let me grab you a towel."
"Oh yeah! Rose was like, super heavy! She looks so slim yet it felt like I was lifting a boulder! I wonder what the hell her parents have been feeding her for her to weigh like that?"
"Either way, you're coming with us for the shopping trip. At least we can learn some things about Rose that we can use to help mend the divide between her and Weiss."
Azure slammed the door of the safehouse and takes a deep breath, before letting out a mad giggle. He's safe, he's finally safe. Out of all the safehouses in Vacuo, this is the one they haven't destroyed, they…they…
Who were they?
They weren't rivals, not part of Snake, Sound, Spider, or River. They only killed anyone apart of the Gaze syndicate, they freed all the goods and have been systematically liquidating the entire Gaze Syndicate. Xanthous, god bless his soul, was found strung up and horrifically tortured to death. One of his underlings before his passing, mentioned a "Black and White Queen" looking for someone.
Did they accidentally kidnap someone they shouldn't have? No, he always checks his goods, always making sure that the girl or guy they would possess are complete loners that no one will pass. That's how Gaze managed to be the most powerful in Vacuo without attracting the ire of the Academy. But this?! Everyone he knows is being hunted down and killed, every location being liquidated of all members, for all he knows. He's the last Gaze member left. He slams his hand on the table.
"Fuck me! The one day I go on vacation, and these guys, most likely working for the Desert Fox, come in and eradicate us like we're some sort of two-bit gang!"
He went into a drawer and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. He pours a cup and downs it quickly.
"This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening."
Right when he was about to pour another cup. He felt a banging on the door.
Azure's aura flashed, and the door banged again. He went to grab his gun, slowly to not draw attention to whoever is at the safe house door. He then quickly grabs a handgun in the room before putting it in his holster. Better safe than sorry, as it was either another Gaze member or…it was something worse. He heard the door slowly open as he went to hide behind the couch, waiting for the opportunity to catch the intruder off guard. He hears footsteps enter the safehouse.
"Captain, this is Nyx. I've arrived at the safe house, I see no light born occupying it, but…I can taste fear in the air. I'll do a thorough search before torching it like the rest."
That voice. It was ancient, beautiful, inhuman. Whoever was here, they weren't from Gaze. Taking the opportunity he musters all the bravery he could and emerged from the couch, letting out a war cry as he unloads his entire magazine into the target. When he was finished there was a small dust cloud in front of him.
Then a spear emerged from the dust cloud, pierces his aura, and pins him to the wall behind him. He lets out a scream in pain as the figure lets out an amused giggle.
"In all my years as a Shadowblade, never have I ever seen someone so brazen, so stupid, to attack me in such a manner. Frankly, if my master was here, she'll compliment you for your bravery."
As the dust clears, Azure sees the impossible. It's a Grimm…A Grimm in the shape of a human. No that can't be human, it is a mockery of the human form. Deathly pale white skin, with visible red veins on its face, and long black hair. Red, glowing eyes in a sea of black glowing intensely at him. Her body is essentially a walking suit of armor, completely black skin with bone plates, what minimum damage she took, he saw being quickly healed as if it was nothing.
"W-w-what the hell are you?!"
"Ah ah ah, I will be asking the questions here. Now you see, I know you are aware of my master, the Desert Fox as you call her. She has been…contracted to find a certain someone, one that the White and Black Queen would want back…at any and all costs. And due to your…organization's interest with human trafficking, it was rumored to hold someone who we looked for. So I will ask only once: Where is the silver-eyed, black red hair girl?"
"Oh her? Yeah, yeah I know her. She's being held at…"
Azure pulled out the handgun and shot the Grimm in the eye. His grin quickly turned into shock and horror as the Grimm looked…unamused before her face turns into sadistic glee.
"Oh, I'm going to enjoy you~."
Azure watched as her arm quickly broke apart, the sickening sound of bone and flesh being reformed as it molded into several horrific tendrils, some of them having eyes and teeth. She has a sadistic smile…and the eyes of a hungry predator. He let out a scream of fear as he realizes the fate that has befallen him.
A newspaper was out in the streets of Vacuo, and though many disregarded the council, the Vacuan Times was one of the few institutions that the independent Vacuans respected alongside the academy. The topics of the newspaper were rather eye-catching to many people, all the while a singular crow watches from the roof.
"Gaze Syndicate Eradicated! The most powerful syndicate and human trafficker in Vacuo was eradicated in less than a week! Infamous enforcer of Gaze: Azure Smith found in a nearly unrecognizable state near Rudstone! Victims of Gaze returned to their families. Mythological "Black and White Queen" and mysterious "Desert Fox" among suspected responsible for attack!"