My car has been in the shop for nearly a week. The fuck's going on. I need a Kevin Levin rn.
Anyways, please enjoy this chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
Ruby and the others were still looking for the Cat. That little scamp sure could travel far.
"How'd we even lose them to begin with," Ruby grumbled, looking around for some sign of that glowing cyan and purple coat the Cat sported. In a permanent state of twilight, it should've been easy to pick out their strange guide's light, but the glow of the mushrooms, each one their own neon color, didn't really help much.
"Oh, they saw a bug," Little answered.
"And you didn't say anything?"
"Well, it was a...very interesting bug?" the small mouse shrugged a little, as if that made it ok. It really didn't. It's not exactly the same but now the red-hooded Huntress really understood the old saying of "trying to herd cats." The only lead that the group had at this point was a dirt path that cut through the glowing forest. They'd been following it for about twenty minutes or so, couldn't have been longer unless minutes worked differently in the acres too, before a sound reached their ears. Blake's cat ears swiveled towards the source when they heard it.
"Do you guys hear that?" Blake asked.
"Hear-?" Yang started before she was cut off, the sound registering for her as well. Someone was humming. Ruby, having picked up on the humming as well, decided that was their best bet. Maybe this was actually where the Cat wanted to lead them anyway. She turned and strayed from the straight path a bit, marching down a curve that led deeper into the woods. Pushing aside branches and bushes, she soon came across one of the larger glowing mushrooms. It didn't rise to break the canopy, but it still towered over Team RWBY with its blue hued glow. In front of it, evenly spaced and cordoned off in their own little plots of land, were various glowing fungi arranged in a garden.
"Is...this where they meant? They said the Garden had all we'd need to get back to normal," Weiss pointed out.
"Looks like a garden. But...I dunno, something still feels off," Blake added.
First bit of good news and it's a stroke of dumb luck. How about that? the cruel doubts hissed in Ruby's mind. She ignored the venomous insults, because her attention snapped to a pile of leaves at the end of the dirt path; they were the same kind of leaves the team saw floating in the breeze when they first crossed over into this acre. But that wasn't what Ruby was focusing on. The humming they were following was echoing out into the rest of the forest from there. Cautiously, Ruby crept closer to the pile before it rustled and she froze in her tracks. Some of the leaves fell away and revealed three, glowing, light green-blue eyes as if their owner had just been woken up.
"What are you?" the creature in the leaves asked, their eyes narrowing at the newcomers.
"Is that question just the Ever After version of 'Hello?' If not I'm getting really sick of hearing it," Ruby groaned.
"What question?" the entity asked before it emerged from the pile of leaves. The creature's lower half was that of a caterpillar, complete with stubby insectoid legs and blue tear-drop shaped patterns running the length of its body. The upper half resembled an insectoid humanoid with an indigo carapace with four arms, each ending in a three-fingered hand. Four light green butterfly wings protruded from the creature's back but they were far too small to actually carry them into the air. A cloth vest with a popped collar and open chest was all the caterpillar-creature wore in terms of clothing, though they also possessed several moon-shaped trinkets on their person, including a crescent moon pendant that acted as the clasp of their vest.
"What...are you?!" Yang gasped.
"Ah, that question. I...am an herbalist," the caterpillar-man stretched his upper pair of arms above his head while the lower pair stretched out, cracking his fingers as if it was preparing to work, "THE Herbalist. Hmmm, at least, until I'm not, anymore."
"Oh good. More riddles."
The Herbalist looked down at the leaves scattered everywhere and held up a finger towards his guests, telling them to give him a moment. He shuffled over to a pair of rakes and burlap bags leaning up against the giant blue mushroom, taking the rakes in his upper hands and the bags in lower. He then shuffled on back and began raking up the leaves that had seemingly settled on top of him.
"Sorry to barge in, but maybe you could help us? We're trying to get to that giant tree and we thought we met someone who could take us there but they sorta...ran off?"
"Not a very good guide, then. But...the tree, hm? Everyone needs help nowadays. Everyone," the Herbalist said, muttering that last word in a bit of an ominous tone. Once the last leaves had found their way into the sacks, the Herbalist hefted the two sacks and shuffled over to the giant mushroom. A hole opened up in the stalk once the caterpillar-man was close enough, allowing the alchemist back into his home.
"It's...his home?" Blake asked.
"Do any of you remember-?" Weiss began.
"This...wasn't in the book at all," Ruby said.
Oh good. Going off the cuff again. Let's hope you don't burn his house down, the gnawing doubts scoffed.
Really? We're going THAT petty now? Ruby mentally countered.
Am I wrong?
Yes! Very!
Every time you rush into a situation off the cuff, it goes WRONG. Biggest glaring example is Atlas! Your only plan was to rely on the 'good will of the people' but no one came. You sent a message to the WORLD asking for help and no one answered. That wasn't a plan, that was a poorly thought up dream.
"Are you coming in?" the Herbalist suddenly asked, tearing Ruby away from her inner argument, "Or aren't you?"
"You can make...what did they say it was again?" Ruby looked at her pint-sized posse.
"Grogurt Parfait," Blake answered.
"You can make us a Grogurt Parfait, right?"
The disinterested sigh from the caterpillar-man wasn't exactly the most promising sign, but the fact that he followed it up with a motion to enter offset that unease. Maybe he just preferred a challenge and he'd made the parfaits so often that it was more annoyance at doing something so same-y. With that though, Ruby entered into the Herbalist's mushroom house and looked around. The room she'd just stepped into was a large almost alchemist lab-like area, with shelves and countertops lined with supplies, from books to beakers to baskets full of ingredients. Directly across from Ruby was another doorway, this one covered up by a collection of beads Ruby took a single step forward and the hole in the mushroom's stalk sealed itself up behind her. The Herbalist put down the sack before he slithered over to one of the counters, grabbed a mortar and pestle and began to grind some herbs inside it.
"Forgive me for saying, but you all seem rather...hesitant. What kind of creature did you say you were again?" the Herbalist asked.
"Hu-" Ruby began before she corrected herself, "Huntresses. We're Huntresses."
"And what does a Huntress do, exactly?"
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Fight… monsters, I guess? I'm sorry, I don't understand why this matters."
The Herbalist chuckled. "I don't understand how you don't understand." He took out a scale and placed it on the counter. " I am an herbalist. I make medicines and remedies to help others on their journeys. It is what I am. So, do you know what a Huntress is, or do you guess?"
Stupid old man, right? How dare he be right. The cruel jab grinned.
Shut up, Ruby mentally hissed.
"Huntresses are heroes. We protect those who can't protect themselves, no matter how much the odds are against us," Blake answered for Ruby.
"Thank you," the Herbalist said, taking a piece of paper and sprinkling some of the herb powder on it. He took a single leaf out of the sack and put it in the middle of the paper.
"Now, would you say you're good Huntresses?" the caterpillar-man questioned.
Are you, murderer? Didn't you cut off someone's tail? That's racist, maybe.
Shut. Up. Ruby frowned.
"Look, can you help us, or not?" Yang groaned.
"I am trying." The Herbalist said pointedly. " But you are making this far more complicated than it needs to be. We all have our titles, our roles to play, but in order to help you become whatever it is you need to become, you should really have a better understanding of what you are now."
"O...kayyyyy," Weiss said, turning around in Ruby's hood and looking at the wall behind her, "How do we open a...mushroom door?"
"This is how a king becomes a prince," the Herbalist groaned as he finished rolling up the herbal paper, "Follow me. Seems my work is never done..."
The Herbalist went through a beaded curtain into the next room. Ruby followed. There were shelves of bongs all around the room. The Herbalist was seen smoking from a large hookah. Ruby carried Weiss, Blake, and Yang in her hands.
"...suddenly I feel unsure about all this." Weiss muttered. "I know he works with herbs, but-" Weiss eyed a bong.
"I doubt he's gonna have us do one." Blake sighed. "Even though we might need to take the edge off."
"This won't take long." The Herbalist said. "Sit down."
"Listen, I don't have time to do this with you." Ruby snapped.
"I insist, it certainly sounds as if you need it..."
"'Won't take long...' People always say that and then before you know two days have gone by and-" Ruby turned to leave, only to see that the door and beaded curtain were gone, just like the door that lead into the house. Ruby's eyes went wide upon the realization that she had stupidly walked into a trap.
...smart move, the cruel jabs scoffed, almost drowned out by the panic Ruby was feeling.
"Just. Answer. The questions," the Herbalist said as he got comfy, taking one of the hookah pipes from the ceiling and putting it to his lips. He took a quick inhale of whatever substance was within and exhaled that puff of multicolored smoke. Weiss covered her mouth and nose with her hand so as not to be affected, but the smoke did waft up to Ruby. She coughed a bit as the smoke entered her lungs, much to the concern of Yang and Blake. The caterpillar-man then turned to another pile of leaves beside him and took a large armful, holding it above the fire.
"What. Are. You?" the Herbalist asked, his voice distorting before he dropped the leaves into the fire, sending a plume of the iridescent smoke up into the air. The fumes surrounded the girls and, no matter how they tried to protect themselves, they all managed to get a good breath of the stuff. Ruby began violently coughing, so much so that she was forced to her knees. WBY and Little were sent flying from Ruby's hood, though thankfully they were unharmed. The others, save for Little oddly enough, began to cough as well.
"N-no!" Ruby panicked before coughing more.
"Are you sure you know?" the Herbalist questioned, the last word echoing in the girls' heads, "You have to be sure of what you are...and what you're going to be."
Weiss tried to get up, as did Blake and Yang, maybe try and reunite, but as if the smog itself was aware of that, it suddenly grew too thick to see through.
"Blake! Weiss!" Yang called out between coughs. She turned to see Ruby, still on her knees, and reached a hand out, thinking by some miracle she'd grow back to her normal size and be able to reach her sister.
"RUBY!" Yang yelled before she lost sight of Ruby as well. Now, it was her turn to fall to her knees and cough, a plume of purple smoke flowing out of her mouth and snaking a good distance away from her. It shot up and, in the process, took a humanoid form, a very familiar one.
Yang's.
The only differences were that this Yang was clad in her outfit from Beacon...and had both flesh and blood arms.
"W-what?" Yang blinked, scurrying back to her feet and looking at her doppelganger in confusion.
"Hey there." The faux Yang waved. "You don't have to go forward, y'know? You can go back, back to before."
The real Yang stared at her duplicate, befuddled at what she was seeing. Her eyes focused on that arm. It looked so real.
"What?" Yang asked as her duplicate's words registered, face scrunched in annoyance.
"It's simple really," a faux Blake answered, engaged in her own conversation with the real deal in another smoke-dominated space. Just like the yellow doppelganger, this fake Blake was clad in the original Beacon days outfit.
"If you wanted, you can be just one thing or another. Just a human," the faux Blake's Faunus ears suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke, "Or just a cat," Blake's double turned into an actual black cat before returning to the usual form.
"Why...why would I ever do that?" Blake hissed, insulted by this fake version of herself.
"Like I said, it's a lot simpler, especially compared to being some bridge between humanity and Faunus-kind. That responsibility, daughter of the White Fang and probably the future High Leader, why worry about that kind of weight on your shoulders?"
The same thing was happening with Weiss. "The Schnee name. Why bother, anymore? What does it even stand for now? Instead, you could be a nobody. Could you imagine? Not even a single bit of baggage on your shoulders. Isn't that what you want? To be free?" Her faux self asked.
"To be something simpler?" the fake Blake asked.
"To be whole again?" the fraudulent Yang inquired.
Yang felt a whirlwind of emotions swirling within her as she gazed at her alternate self. The temptation was undeniable, the thought of shedding her burdens and starting fresh seemed so appealing. The weight of her past, the pain and heartache she had endured, all of it could disappear in an instant.
...was it worth it? Erasing whatever made you...you?
As much as she longed for simplicity and wholeness, Yang couldn't ignore the nagging feeling deep within her. She had grown and learned through her experiences, and to simply erase them felt like a betrayal to herself and the person she had become. A serious, yet determined look grew on her face.
"...no," Yang finally answered, taking a step closer to her double and, in turn, her double stepped back, "My losses, my failures, they've shaped me into who I am, showed me how I needed to grow. You're saying I'm broken, right? Because of this?" Yang held up her prosthetic arm, the string unraveling and showing its proper metallic form, "I'm not. If I'm missing something, it's not because I lost it, or it's a broken part of me, I just haven't found that missing piece yet. You can bet I'll find that missing piece too, in time. Wanna know why?"
"You think a simple life is my life? You don't know the first thing about me!" Blake scowled, drawing the broken Gambol Shroud and leveling the weapon at the shocked double, "My family, my friends, my culture, they belong to me as much as I belong to them. Turning away from it wouldn't be simplicity, it would be betrayal. My parents, my friends, my girlfriend? If you want me to give them up...you'll have to take them from me, and I won't give them up without a fight."
"You're just...cosplaying me, aren't you? Dressed up without even a hint of the real deal. So, whatever you are, let me give you an introduction. I am Weiss Schnee, granddaughter to a hero, born of a corrupted noble and raised by a tyrant," the heiress declared, pointing Myrtenaster to her clone, "I am the citizen of a fallen Kingdom and the heir to nothing. I won't lie, I've thought of changing my name, wondering if perhaps that would make things easier for me and my girlfriend, keep her away from all the drama attached to my name. But that's just it. My name doesn't define me. Instead I will define my name. And right now, I know exactly how my name is defined. I am Weiss Schnee...and I am a Huntress."
"Because I am a Huntress," Blake said to her double.
"I'm a Huntress...and you can always bet that I'll find whatever I'm missing," Yang resolved.
Ruby wanted to say that same thing to her previous self. But she couldn't. The others were confronted with how they looked year one, at Beacon.
Ruby was confronted with something much, much harder to look at. Ruby's heart dropped at the sight of her younger self, staring back at her with wide eyes. She could feel a lump forming in her throat as she took in the sight of her younger self.
The younger Ruby looked down at her scuffed up shoes and then back up again, her eyes filled with questions. "Why...why do you look so sad?"
Ruby said nothing.
"Are you a Huntress? Like the ones you read about in books?" Her younger self asked.
"I...I don't know..." Ruby softly admitted.
"Why not? They always saved the day in the end! They had the strength to fight for every life and, no matter how dire the odds, the triumph was theirs's!"
"But...strength's not victory. Life isn't like a fairy tale..."
"Well, that's why we're here, isn't it? It's up to us to make things better for everyone! Everything depends on you! Your friends, your sister, even your boyfriend need you! The whole world needs you to keep fighting, forever and ever, against the immortal monster that took away your mother!"
Ruby's eyes widened upon hearing that.
"Mom was the best…but even she failed. That doesn't seem fair. None of this seems fair. And Ben, too. He failed to save you..." The past Ruby said.
Tears began to well up in Ruby's eyes upon hearing that, hearing her own voice say that.
"So...so what am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to-?" the present reaper asked.
"Well that's the fun of it! Down here, you can do whatever you want! Be whoever you want! You don't even have to be Ruby Rose!"
Ruby could feel the emotional dam on the verge of breaking. She looked down at the smoky floor, hoping to hide her despair from her past self.
"So. Whaaaaat are you gonna be?" the past Ruby questioned.
"I...I-i..." Ruby began, wiping away some of those tears, looking up to her misty clone-
Only to see the second Ruby explode into a puff of smoke, the Curious Cat having leapt through the doppleganger. They landed in front of her like a protective pet and hissed at the Herbalist.
"Get away from her!" the Cat demanded, waving their tail behind them and clearing away the smoke, reuniting the four girls. The Herbalist, seemingly just inconvenienced by the interruption, choked and coughed on his own misty concoction.
"O-oh...oh my," the caterpillar-man hacked, "That's a bit much."
Ruby blinked away her tears as the smoke cleared, taking in the sight of the four girls reunited once more. She breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for the Curious Cat's unexpected intervention.
"Herb. Look at yourself." The Cat sighed, trotting over to their acquaintance. "You're done. You're supposed to be helping others find their way. But you've lost your own..."
"I beg your pardon? I'll have you know I-" the Herbalist began, only to be hushed by the Cat. The glowing feline walked over to the caterpillar-man and placed a paw upon his "heart," the crescent moon medallion that served as his vest clasp.
"Please, old friend. Let me help. Take a bit of my heart and you'll feel much better," the Cat promised. Much like with the Prince, a collection of purple and cyan pixels swirled from the Cat's leg and flew into the pendant. The Herbalist let out a sudden gasp of realization as the pixels faded into him. The Cat jumped off of him and looked at their old friend with a look of relief.
"Oh...oh my. I do apologize. I always have been, hm, something of a workaholic. Hmm, Huntresses, was it? You four are...very peculiar creatures," the caterpillar-man admitted...before a gaping hole opened up beneath him and swallowed him up, plunging him into the darkness before it sealed back up, as if it was never there to begin with.
"Huh?" Little wondered, turning around before they pointed a finger at the feline, "Oh hey! I found the Cat!"
All hail the duchess.
All hail her, her majesty.
Neo was very accustomed to that. It felt like second nature to slip into this new role, and she didn't really know why. It felt like no time had passed, but at the same time, it felt like it had been years...why?
Maybe it was how each acre had its own relative time zone. The very concept of time down here just always seemed less solid than it did back home. It was just oh so natural to be addressed as a royal.
Even if she wasn't in the most royal of positions right now. She could feel the cart come to a stop from her little hidden compartment inside the giant red velvet cake. Her plan was going off swimmingly so far, getting some payback on the Red Prince for sending his soldiers to ravage her kingdom.
"Your Majesty! Let me be the first to wish you a happy birthday!" Roman Torchwick announced with a twirl of his cane outside the cake. Alongside the two Candy Knights, both of whom seemed unphased by the crime lord's grand theatrics, Torchwick was accompanied by one of Neo's Jawbreakers, this one resembling a more colorful version of Albedo's version of Rath.
"Now that, THAT is a cake befitting a royal birthday!" the Red Prince declared, his mood immediately turning for the better.
"What else would we offer you, oh grand Prince? We're not some lesser court," Roman smirked.
"Oh, I needed this now...especially after my horrible guests ruined my favorite game." The Prince whined.
"Mald about it later." Roman said. "Eat some cake!"
"You know what? I think I shall! Though, I was expecting the Duchess herself to be here. Is she busy?"
"Very, Your Majesty. Though she sends her deepest congratulations to you on another fruitful year of your rule," Roman bowed again.
"Aww...I like when she's here." The Prince whined. "What keeps her busy?"
"I'm afraid there were rumors about a...what was it again?" Roman asked, turning to the Jawbreaker.
"Purple horned beast," the Jawbreaker answered.
"Right, right! There were rumors of a purple, horned beast prowling the borders of her kingdom. She's organizing a search just to make sure this wasn't some farmhand who cried wolf."
"Well, that's unfortunate. I do hope it actually turns out to be a false alarm. Purple and horned…," the Prince replied with a shiver, before taking a hefty slice of cake.
"Of course, Your Majesty. We shall inform her of your well-wishes when she returns," Roman said with a smirk. Neo couldn't help but smile from her hiding spot. Everything was going according to plan.
She started counting down in her head for when she would appear.
5.
4.
3.
2.
"Mmmm, this cake is amazi-! the Red Prince began, only for the top of the cake to explode in a mix of confetti and icing. Said icing fell down and splattered down on the Prince's head as if he had been hit in the face with a pie. His red eyes blinked a few times in confusion before he looked up to see Neo, taking a curtsy pose to greet the red royal.
Surprise, surprise, your Majesty! Neo announced with a smirk, lifting herself out of the cake. Happy birthday.
The Prince's face twisted in shock, realizing he had been tricked. "You! But I thought..."
I merely wanted to give you a gift! Neo said, holding out a box. As a surprise.
"A cake...and a surprise?!" the Prince asked, absolutely giddy at the prospect. He wiped the icing off his face and happily took the box, practically bouncing on his feet as he began to open his new gift. Neo, meanwhile, smirked as a clone of herself discreetly appeared in the shadow of one of her Knights. She looked over to her double and winked at them. The Neo clone gave a thumbs up and turned herself invisible. While the Prince was distracted with the present, the second Neo snuck out to rob this place.
The Prince's eyes widened as he glimpsed the figurine of himself. "This is amazing! How did you obtain something like this?"
I had it specially crafted by the most skilled artists in the kingdom, Neo lied smoothly, hoping to distract the Prince from her clone's actions. The Prince seemed appeased by her explanation, admiring the craftsmanship of the figurine. Neo kept up the facade, chatting with the Prince about various topics while her clone slipped around the room, expertly pocketing various trinkets and treasures.
Gems, chalices, jewelry, even chess pieces made of seemingly precious metals were all put into an illusory bag that Neo's clone summoned up. She silently hummed to herself as she gathered up her loot.
After she had secured her loot, Neo's duplicate looked around the room for other treasures to steal. Her penetrating eyes focused on a display case containing glittering stones that had previously escaped her notice...Her eyes furrowed in suspicion as she got closer to the case. It just didn't add up to be plausible on paper. This finding, she felt, was too fantastic to be true.
Was this a setup?
Without dropping the camouflage, the Neo clone looked around for anything that would've been hidden. Most thieves would just focus on the gems, too enamored by the potential riches to notice any of the small signs that would denote a trap. But even as a clone, Neo was not most thieves.
The clone quietly crept back, and signaled to Roman, who was eating some of the cake. Roman saluted her, and looked to the real Neo.
Sadly, my quest MUST continue. Neo said.
"Your quest?" the Red Prince asked, "What quest? The search on that supposed Jabberwalker sighting?"
Yes, yes... Neo nodded. It's a demanding task. I'm sorry I can't stick around.
"Um, if it's not too much, can I ask you to be on the watch for four miscreants?" The prince asked.
"What four miscreants?" Roman asked back.
"These four...troublesome girls that ruined my fun not long before you arrived actually! They had a mouse with them, probably from the Hunters' Shores."
What did these...girls look like? the real Neo questioned.
"Three of them had terrible sense of color. Black, white, and yellow. One was very punchy, one almost seemed to be a royal herself, and one seemed to be part cat. The fourth one had her head about her though, nice flowing red cape."
…I see. Neo noted. How did they best you, exactly?
"They cheated. That's how."
"How rude. No respect for the game," Roman scoffed.
"Exactly! Apparently the red one was inspired by someone called Calvin," the pompous Prince sneered at the name, "If I EVER find this Calvin, ohhhhohohoh, it will be the DUNGEON for them! For...for...a thousand years!"
Roman looked at Neo. "Who the hell is Calvin? Are they new?"
"Oh! So you know of these succubi!" The Red Prince said.
Don't use that word for them. Neo scolded.
"To be fair, I have no idea what the word means. No one's actually told me, so I just assume it's an insult. But I have no clue about this Calvin person!"
Just...don't call them that. It's ill-fitting for a prince, Neo explained.
"Ahh. I see. Well, in that case, if you have been vexed by them as well, please should you catch them, invite me to the trial!"
"Well, thank you for the warning. We will seek them out..." Roman said, as they turned to leave.
"Of course, of course! Royalty must watch out for each other, after all! Thank you for the visit and wishes!" the Prince thanked, waving goodbye to his guests. The Toy Guards lifted their halberds and played a farewell fanfare with their trumpets.
As Neo and Roman left the castle, the duo shared a look. They knew what needed to be done.
We need to find Ruby as soon as we can. Others can rot or whatever. Neo scowled.
"Must be the start of a lucky streak. We meet up again, take over a whole kingdom, then we get a hit on Red and her friends. Never picked her for a mouse person though. Little weird," Roman shrugged.
She could have one of those Jub-Jub birds I've heard about for all I care. Her choice in pet is the LAST thing I care about right now.
"Of course, of course."
I might step on it.
"Too cruel. It's probably along for a ride." Roman said. "Plus, I like mice."
...fine.
Once they were outside the castle, beyond the jurisdiction of the guards, the clone Neo reappeared in a cloud of glass particles, her bag of loot hefted over her shoulder.
"Ah! There you are. Was wondering if you made it out," Roman smirked as he took the bag away from her.
Of course she made it out. She's ME, Neo smirked proudly, high-fiving her double.
"I know, I know. Now, show the loot." Roman said, rubbing his hands together. "I wanna see what we can sell."
The Neo clone gave a bow before she vanished into particles that scattered on the wind. The real Neo opened the bag and began pulling out various items.
Let's see. Gems, definitely valuable. Goblet, chalice, cup...eh, maybe to the right person. Gold and silver chess pieces. He really likes staying on brand, doesn't he? Neo smirked.
"Yeah, he does. The whole acre's on brand," Roman chuckled.
You've been here awhile. Taking them back to the kingdom won't exactly be good for relations, strained as they are, so where can we fence these...
"Heard rumors about this place called the Garden. Everyone talks about it like it's a bazaar, so that might be a good place."
The Garden? Good a place as any I suppose.
The caravan from the Cakre had been marching through the Crimson Kingdom for a while now, going at a steady pace. One of the Candy Knights had been given the duty of carrying the loot sack, a duty they carried out without question. Roman and Neo were talking about what these trinkets would be worth. Without a real monetary system, that meant they'd be looking at an item for an item. Maybe they could get a larger map of the Ever After from this place or maybe even a weapon. As the two faux-nobles marched on, their path flanked on both sides by red-leafed trees, something was watching them from behind red bushes. The stalker's jaws were dripping with saliva, its hunger slowly overwhelming it. It had missed one meal, it wouldn't miss another. As one of the knight's moved on, a lanky limb reached out and grabbed the warrior by the head. They gasped in fear before they were pulled into the crimson colored foliage, the only sign of something happening being the rustle of leaves and the clatter of the knight's weapon to the ground.
The remaining knight, Jawbreaker, and the two royals spun around upon hearing the clatter of the halberd.
"Um...where did they go?" Roman asked.
"Sir Knight?" the Rath Jawbreaker called out. The only answer the group received was a sickening crunch.
...I think you might've jinxed us with your cover, Neo narrowed her eyes as she slowly moved her hand to grip her parasol.
"Yeah...yeah, I think I did," Roman sighed, taking aim with the Cudgel.
They talk about this Jabberwalker thing before I showed up?
"Once or twice, kinda like their boogeyman. Or Jack the Ripper. Really a little of both."
Oh well that's...ominous...
"Consume...dEvOur...Need...MORE," a voice muttered from the bushes. The four guests from the sweet acre kept their eyes on the forest that surrounded them, being wary of any and every small movement and rustle of leaves. Even fleeing birds caught their attention as the tense aura filled the air.
And then it struck. The Jabberwalker leapt from the bushes and tackled the Knight carrying the bag of loot to the ground with a snarl. Before the candy warrior could even fight back, the Jabber reared back its claws and brought them down, shattering the Knight's helmet into scattered pieces. Before it could really enjoy its kill, the monster was blasted by a flare from Melodic Cudgel, knocking it away from its prey. The Jabber dug its claws into the earth, tearing up the path in an attempt to steady itself. When it came to a stop and looked up, it was met with the powerful fist of the Rath Jawbreaker slamming into its masked face. It howled in pain as Neo's elite guard began to just pummel the monstrosity, punch after powerful punch wearing down this Afteran Nightmare.
Can't let the big guy have ALL the fun now can we? Neo smirked as she drew her blade and rushed into the fray. She was so focused on the monstrous opponent in front of her that she didn't notice the look of genuine fear plastered on Roman's face nor the shaking in his hands as he held aloft his cane-weapon.
"Keep it together here...you can't just blow it now," Roman muttered, the words unheard by Neo as she raced in.
The Jabber, meanwhile, snarled and lashed out. Right as the Jawbreaker was about to bring both of its fists down on the creature, the purple hunter grabbed the guard's wrists with its hands and, if it could, it would be smirking. With the opening exposed, the creature's fanned out tail whipped around and slammed into the Rath doppelganger's side, sending them flying away into the forest, presumably with enough force to shatter the illusory protector. But that just opened it up to Neo's assault. Hush's thin blade shone and cut through the air, striking the monster across the snout. The Jabberwalker's hands flew up to the wound as it howled in pain.
Something of a hunter...right? Neo wondered as she held up one of her hands and surrounded it with a cloud of pink glass particles, I could use something like that.
"Uh, Neo? What are you doing? Don't you think we should be, oh I don't know, making ourselves scarce right now?" Roman asked, "I'm all for fighting but I'm not stupid."
I'm not being stupid...I'm using what you and Albedo taught me, Neo smirked, Use whatever resource I can. I'd say this thing's a pretty good one. The particles traveled down her arm and body as she spoke. They snaked around her leg and into the ground when she stomped her foot against the dirt path. The effect of her Semblance traveled out in a shockwave from where her foot fell. Two rings of eight points appeared to encircle the Jabberwalker, much to the predator's confusion. In plumes of those glass shards, figures formed to surround the monster. Eight Jawbreakers had appeared to form the outer ring, four of them being more Raths and four being Diamondheads. The inner ring was composed of eight glass clones of Neo herself, each appearing in a different pose, some bowing, others resting Hush over their shoulder, even others holding their prized parasol like a baseball bat.
"Run...fLee...Escape..." the Jabber muttered, looking for some kind of break in the ring to make its getaway in vain.
"Run?" all the Jawbreakers said in unison, along with the Neo clones signing the question, "But the Duchess has a use for you, Jabberwalker. And it would be so rude to turn her down." The uncanny part was that, if someone looked at the eyes of the Rath and Diamondhead clones, they would notice not the usual red coloration associated with the Ultimatrix, but instead the pink and brown hues of Neo's own eyes.
The small army of clones began to close in on the now panicking Jabber, its head twitching and swiveling around to try and find an escape route.
"Cease...deCisT...STOP," the Jabber begged as the clones marched closer and closer, "Stop...it! No. NO. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The clones had completely obscured the monster from view. One of the Diamondhead clones marched to the front of the ring and punched the Jabber in the face, allowing another Neo to slash at its arm. One attack led to another, all perfectly coordinated and timed, before the mob just started beating the monster to a pulp. The Jabberwalker reached out one long, lanky arm above the mob in one last futile attempt to escape.
Neo just watched on, an evil smirk coming to her lips as she sheathed her straight blade back into her parasol. She spun the umbrella, planting the tip on the ground and resting both of her hands atop the curved handle, almost mimicking one of Roman's own famous poses.
We know Red's here...so what better way to find her than the old fashioned way? Consider this the Duchess getting her hunting dogs, Neo explained as her eyes subtly flashed a familiar shade of cyan.