Neither RWBY nor Bloodborne belongs to me
That was probably one of the best nights ever.
That was Vilhelm's only thought as he put his armor on. He was in an extremely good mood—seeing the symbol of his most hated being shattered had made his night.
"So, Pyrrha, do you have any spots on your team?" a familiar voice asked.
"Not particularly. I was hoping to let the chips fall where they may," another, unfamiliar voice responded.
Huh, so we'll be forming teams? Vilhelm mused. While it would certainly be counterintuitive for me to be on a team, I'd be lying if I said the thought of working with others didn't excite me.
"Well, do you mind being on my team?" the heiress asked the unknown person.
"Sure," the girl responded politely, though her tone sounded a bit strained.
Suddenly, another voice chimed in out of nowhere. "You know who else is great? Me—Jaune Arc!"
Holy Mergo on rollerskates, is he really trying this again? How dense can a human being be? Vilhelm thought. Alright, this calls for an intervention. I might as well ask about these teams. And after initiation, I really should talk to him about how to communicate with the fairer sex.
"Pardon me, but I overheard you talking about teams, and I was wondering if you could enlighten me on the topic," Vilhelm interrupted.
"Ahm… sure, Mister…?" the heiress asked.
"What? Oh, pardon me—I completely forgot I had my helmet on." Vilhelm removed his helmet with a clawed gauntlet.
"Oh! Hi, Vilhelm! You came just at the right moment. Can you please tell him to go away?" the heiress said bluntly, pointing a finger at Jaune.
With a sigh, Vilhelm attempted to diffuse the situation. "Please, Miss Schnee, there is no need to grow annoyed over something so trivial. However, I am still curious about these teams you mentioned."
"Oh, of course! I'm Pyrrha—Pyrrha Nikos," the unknown girl said, as if expecting some kind of reaction.
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Nikos. I am Vilhelm of Cainhurst. Now, about those teams—how come I'm just now hearing about them?"
"Oh, yeah! Right." Pyrrha sounded relieved for some reason. "So, there's a rumor going around that we'll be forming teams during initiation. Nobody knows how many students will be in each team, though, so there's a lot of speculation."
"Truly, it has been a long while since I worked in a team…" Vilhelm thought aloud.
"While we're on the topic—Vilhelm, would you like to join my team?" Weiss asked.
"Sure, I'd be honored," Vilhelm answered after a second of consideration.
"That's wonderful!" Jaune chimed in, most likely not wanting to be left out. "Then you three can join Team Jaune! That is, if you think you're cut out for the task," he added with a smirk.
That earned him a glare from both Weiss and Vilhelm.
Is he trying to insult my capabilities? Vilhelm thought, now thinking much less of him. Yet before he could say anything, Weiss was the first to respond.
"This is Pyrrha," Weiss explained, while a quiet "hello" came from the redhead in question. "She graduated top of her class in Sanctum," Weiss finished proudly.
"Never heard of it," Jaune responded.
Irritated, Weiss continued, "She took first place in the Mistral Regional Tournament… three years in a row."
"A what?" Jaune asked, still clueless.
"She's on the front cover of every Pumpkin Pete's cereal box!" Weiss finally exclaimed.
That finally elicited a reaction from Jaune. "That's you?! But they only do that for celebrities!"
"Yeah…" Pyrrha responded, sounding less than thrilled.
"Ahem. I am terribly sorry," Vilhelm interjected awkwardly, "but could someone explain to me what exactly a… cereal box is?" Seeing everyone staring at him, he suddenly felt the need to defend himself. "I'm terribly sorry, but it's difficult to gather information in the Grimmlands."
"Anyway," Weiss continued, regaining her composure, "Vilhelm is a direct descendant and member of an order of knights that has spent its entire existence battling Grimm. Pyrrha is a Mistral Regional Champion. And I am the heir to the SDC. Now, do you really think that three people of status should be on a team with you?"
"No… I guess not," Jaune admitted, clearly dejected.
"Well, I think you'd make a great leader, Jaune," Pyrrha said unexpectedly.
"D'aww, stop it," Jaune said.
"No, seriously—stop it," Weiss deadpanned.
"Sounds like Pyrrha is on board with Team Jaune," Jaune said confidently. "So how about you, Snow Angel? Are you in?"
"That's a little close! Pyrrha, a little help, please?" Weiss pleaded as Jaune leaned way too close for comfort.
The next thing anyone saw was some kind of javelin—with Jaune hanging onto it—flying deeper into the locker room.
"Impressive throw," Vilhelm commented as he placed his helmet back on.
"Thanks," Pyrrha replied, though she suddenly paused when she got a better look at his helmet. "That's a beautiful helmet, but… I have no idea how you're supposed to see out of it."
"That's because you aren't supposed to," Vilhelm explained while adjusting his lamellar cape. "Every knight of Cainhurst fights blindfolded. And no—I have no idea why that is."
"Really?" Weiss asked, sounding impressed. "If I were just looking at you, I never would have guessed that you couldn't see through the helmet."
"Yeah, I got used to it over time," Vilhelm replied, deciding not to mention that Insight could all but replace eyesight.
"Anyway, we should get going. Initiation should start any minute now," Pyrrha said, somehow having already retrieved her spear.
Now what?
That was Vilhelm's only thought as he let his Insight wander, evaluating every student present. They were all standing—himself included—on strange metal pads on the ground.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest," the Headmaster began.
"Now, I am sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams," Goodwitch continued. "Well, allow us to end your confusion. Each of you will be given teams… today."
That statement elicited murmurs from the gathered students.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," Ozpin added. "So, it is in your best interest to choose someone with whom you work well. That being said… the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
"What!?" someone screamed.
Well, there goes the plan, Vilhelm thought.
"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest," Ozpin continued, ignoring the outrage of the gathered students. "You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die."
Vilhelm, however, was preoccupied with something else. What does he mean by 'after landing'?
"Any questions?" Ozpin asked.
What does he mean— That was Vilhelm's last thought before he suddenly found himself airborne.
Bloody hell! They almost gave me a heart attack! What were they even thinking?! Vilhelm nearly screamed his thoughts aloud. If it weren't for my unique circumstances, I would have surely died!
Oh well, no use crying over spilled blood—especially in my situation.
At the peak of his flight, Vilhelm spotted a small clearing below. Ah, that looks like a good landing spot, he thought as he adjusted his body, angling himself straight like an arrow.
Yet the impact never came. Vilhelm landed on his feet without making a sound.
Oh my, I will never get used to this… Now then, which way is north? he thought aloud. Maybe… ah, of course.
A trickle of blood escaped from Vilhelm's gauntlet, flowing into his palm before forming into a thin needle. It quivered for a few seconds before stabilizing and pointing north.
"Alright. It seems I must go that way," Vilhelm muttered before heading forward.
"Your thoughts, Headmaster?" Goodwitch asked with a frown.
"That was truly an impressive landing strategy… or, more accurately, a complete lack thereof," Ozpin replied.
"And what about the fact that he spent the entire night staring at the moon, yet today, he didn't seem the least bit exhausted?" Goodwitch pressed.
"I noticed."
"And did you also notice that, during your speech, he was sitting right next to Miss Rose?"
"Yes."
"Headmaster, this is it. He is far too dangerous to simply roam the academy as a student. We need to—"
"No," Ozpin interrupted. "An additional pair of silver eyes is simply too useful to disregard. Besides, we already processed his student papers and allowed him to participate in initiation. We can't just expel him on the basis of formless accusations. And what if that's all they are? We'd be throwing away a valuable asset."
Sigh. "Did you at least ensure he won't partner up with anyone?" Goodwitch asked, knowing when to admit defeat.
"Yes. The closest student to him is four miles north. He should be the last to arrive at the ruins."
"Chess pieces?" Blake spoke out loud.
"Indeed," a voice answered from above, startling Blake.
"Oh hey, pretty boy," Yang said. "Almost didn't recognize you in that armor you're wearing. How long have you been waiting here?"
"For the last time, my name is Vilhelm. And to answer your question—quite some time," Vilhelm replied while sitting atop the stone arch. "Unfortunately, I could not find a partner. And since you most likely need a partner to choose one of the relics, I've simply been waiting here for someone I could team up with. You two are the first to arrive while I've been here."
"Well, sucks to be you," Yang said. "Anyway, whic—"
Suddenly, a girlish scream echoed through the forest.
"Blake, did you hear that? Some girl's in trouble! We have to—Blake, are you even listening?"
Yet both Blake and Vilhelm simply looked up, with Blake additionally pointing toward the sky.
"Heads up!" a familiar voice shouted.
As Yang looked upward, she was met with the sight of a certain Ruby Rose plummeting from a giant crow toward the ground.
Before anyone could move to intercept her, the girlish scream rang out again—this time followed by a blond-haired man flying out of nowhere. By sheer luck, they collided midair, sending them barreling into a tree instead of crashing into the ground.
"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Blake asked, managing to sound almost uninterested.
Before Yang could respond, another voice rang out:
"Yeehaw!"
Vilhelm turned to see where it came from—only to recognize one of the bear-like Grimm that had previously tried to maul him. The beast collapsed to the ground, dead, with an orange-haired girl riding its back as if it were a common horse.
"Aww, it's broken," the girl said, managing to sound very disappointed.
"Nora… don't ever do that again," came the exasperated voice of a strangely dressed boy, appearing from behind the fallen beast.
Yet his partner paid him no mind, instead sprinting toward the ruins and picking up a chess piece.
"I am queen of the castle! I am queen of the castle!" she sang while balancing the piece on her head.
"Nora!" the boy now shouted.
"Coming, Ren!" she called back.
"Did—" Blake started but didn't even get to finish before Vilhelm, still looking up, interrupted her.
"Yes, that girl did just ride a Grimm as if it were a common horse."
Suddenly, a certain red-haired regional champion entered the clearing… with a giant scorpion crawling behind her.
"Jaune!" she screamed.
"Pyrrha!" Jaune answered.
Oh great, it seems I'll be going partnerless for the foreseeable future, Vilhelm thought. But… isn't there someone else on that bird?
"Ruby?" Yang questioned.
"Yang!" Ruby called back, running in for a hug—only to be rudely interrupted by the orange-haired girl.
"Nora!" she shouted excitedly.
"Did that girl just run in with a Deathstalker on her tail?" Blake asked.
"Seems like it," Vilhelm answered, still fixated on a point high above.
Suddenly, Yang screamed out, "Arghhh! I can't take it anymore! Can nothing happen for about five seconds?!"
"I'm afraid not," Vilhelm said, pointing toward the giant crow, where a small white dot could be seen.
"HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME?!" the white dot screamed.
"I said jump!" Ruby shouted back.
"She's gonna fall," Blake stated.
"She'll be fine," Ruby assured.
"Not to worry," Vilhelm said. "I will catch her." With that, he leaped from his perch.
"She's falling," Blake continued.
"Don't worry, I—umph!" Whatever Vilhelm had been about to say was lost as Jaune rammed into him from behind, using the impact to launch himself upward and catch the falling heiress.
"Just dropping in?" Jaune asked before plummeting straight onto Vilhelm.
"Oof," was all Vilhelm managed to say.
"My hero," the heiress said sarcastically, filing her nails.
"While I hate to interrupt… could you please get off me?" a voice groaned from below.
"Oh, I am so sorry," Weiss said, sounding genuinely concerned—before promptly throwing Jaune to the side and extending a hand to Vilhelm.
"Thanks," he said, grasping the outstretched hand with his clawed gauntlet.
A sudden thump echoed through the clearing as Pyrrha was thrown in with the rest of the group.
"Great," Yang remarked sarcastically. "The gang's all here. Now we can die together."
"Not if I can help it," Vilhelm said. "You all can take out the overgrown crustacean. I'll handle the foul crow."
Everyone turned to him as if he had lost his mind.
"You do know that's an Elder Nevermore, right?" Ren asked cautiously.
"So what?" Vilhelm replied. "Don't worry. This is not the first time I've been in this kind of situation."
Judging from their expressions, no one truly believed him.
"Well, you guys heard him," Ruby called over the murmurs. "He'll take the Nevermore, so we should focus on the Deathstalker. But someone should stay with Vilhelm, just in case something happens."
Hearing this, the group split up, leaving only Weiss and Ruby at Vilhelm's side.
"So, what's the plan?" Ruby asked innocently.
"I'll shoot it," Vilhelm answered, loading a reddish bullet into the Evelyn.
"Are you sure that'll be enough?" Weiss asked, sounding worried.
"Indeed," Vilhelm assured her. "Like I said before, this isn't the first time I've been in this situation—nor am I afraid that it will be the last."
With that, he lined up the shot, patiently waiting for the Nevermore to settle into a maneuver.
Suddenly, the Nevermore descended, and a loud bang escaped from the Evelyn. The red bullet flew straight into the Nevermore, impacting its back, yet the beast seemingly did not notice.
"No!" Weiss screamed.
"Yes," Vilhelm said with a smile behind his helmet while putting the Evelyn back onto his belt.
"It is already dead," he explained while stretching out his right arm toward the Nevermore, his hand forming a fist.
"Weiss," Ruby said. "Just in case this is the last time, I want you to know that I was very happy to have you as a teammate."
"Likewise," Weiss answered, shifting into a combat-ready stance with her rapier. "And while I still haven't forgiven you for leaving me, I do think that I can be difficult at times."
Suddenly, Vilhelm's fist opened with a jerking motion, and at the very same moment, red spikes erupted from the Nevermore, throwing it off course and sending it crashing into the trees.
"That was so cool!" Ruby screamed. "You just stood there, gun in hand, then fired, and Weiss was like, 'Oh no!' and you were like, 'Oh yes!' And then it just died! How did you do that?!"
Weiss cleared her throat. "While I would describe it a little differently, I am still curious how exactly you did it."
As both girls looked at Vilhelm expectantly, he explained while taking off his helmet, "That was my Semblance. I can manipulate my own blood, so I shot the Nevermore with one of my blood bullets, allowing me to do what you just saw."
"But doesn't it hurt?" Weiss asked with a worried expression.
"Only the bloodletting. The bullet itself only hurts the things it hits," Vilhelm said, now without his helmet, his smug smile replaced by a questioning look. "You don't happen to know someone without a teammate, do you? I'm afraid I'm still partnerless."
"No," both Ruby and Weiss answered in unison.
Suddenly, the sound of cheering cut off Vilhelm's response. "It seems like the others got rid of the remaining Grimm," he remarked. "Let's meet up with them. Maybe one of them still lacks a partner."
Both the Headmaster and Miss Goodwitch were looking at the scroll in silence.
"Well, he is certainly powerful," Ozpin remarked.
"Using bullets made from his own blood to inject his foes, allowing him to damage them from the inside… If it weren't so morbid, I would be impressed by his creativity," Glynda said. "However, I'm more concerned about the fact that he seems surprisingly close with Miss Rose. It's no surprise with Miss Schnee, given that both come from wealthy families, so their getting along was expected, but…"
"It is still worrisome, I know," the Headmaster interrupted, his gaze fixed on the scroll, where Vilhelm was helping Jaune up and saying something that earned a snicker from some of the surrounding students.
"Yet, him working for her is still only a possibility," Ozpin continued. "And once his loyalty is clear, he could definitely take over young Ruby's spot in our plans."
"And what of the others?" Goodwitch asked. "If James finds out that we've discovered another Silver-Eyed Warrior who could potentially be working for Salem, he will undoubtedly try to extract the truth from him in a… less delicate manner."
"I know," Ozpin replied. "And because of that, it is instrumental that he doesn't find out until we can be certain of Vilhelm's intentions."
On the scroll, meanwhile, the group—each, except for a downtrodden Vilhelm—had picked an artifact and was making its way back to Beacon.
"However, if Salem has truly managed to gain a Silver-Eyed Warrior, then she has laid a bait that we cannot refuse."
"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark," the Headmaster spoke as the four students stepped forward. "The four of you have obtained the Black Bishop pieces," he continued. "From this day onward, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by… Cardin Winchester."
Four boys named after birds working in a team named after their leader, Vilhelm thought. Amusing, even if it is quite pointless.
The four of them remained at their positions for a while, basking in the applause of the crowd. Only when the next team was called did they finally leave.
"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie," the Headmaster proclaimed as the next team stepped forward. "The four of you have retrieved the White Rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as… Team JNPR, led by… Jaune Arc!"
Over the loud applause, Vilhelm could hear a "Go, Jaune!" from a certain Rose. Even Miss Nikos seemed overjoyed, giving Jaune a playful slap on the back—one that sent him directly to the floor.
Oh, that is interesting, Vilhelm thought, surprised. While the others told me that he was a great strategist during the fight with the scorpion, I was sure that his less-than-stellar battle prowess would have made him the black sheep of his team, not its leader.
Despite this, the Headmaster continued, unperturbed:
"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day onward, you will work together as Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose."
Seeing the excited look on Ruby's face and the outraged expression on Weiss's, Vilhelm thought: An interesting choice. Having Ruby as a team leader could work out rather well, as she seems to care deeply about the people around her… even if it's mostly because of their weapons. However, a team called RWBY led by someone named Ruby? That must have been planned. Such coincidences simply do not exist. And if that's the case, I feel sorry for Weiss.
Yet Vilhelm was ripped from his thoughts by the Headmaster's next words:
"Now, this year, we unfortunately had an uneven number of students. However, this individual excelled during the Initiation—managing to be one of the first to reach the ruins despite starting at the very back and even taking down an Elder Nevermore on his lonesome to give the other students enough time to battle an Elder Deathstalker. Vilhelm of Cainhurst, please step forward."
As Vilhelm stood next to the Headmaster, he continued:
"As there is no space in the other teams, we must place you on a solo team. However, worry not—this will come with no drawbacks whatsoever."
Sure, Vilhelm thought as the others applauded him. And I'm a Darkbeast in disguise.
At least the rooms are more comfortable than the ballroom. Was Vilhelm's only thought as he looked around his chamber.
As far as he could tell, his room was smaller than the others—most likely to compensate for the fact that he was its sole inhabitant. It made him question whether everything was truly as "unplanned" as the Headmaster made it out to be.
With a frown, Vilhelm noticed that he couldn't see the moon outside his window. Oh, that's just great. I really wanted to go moongazing. I probably shouldn't leave the dorm, but on the other hand, the alternative would be to sit around and do nothing all night.
With a sigh, Vilhelm made sure his gloves were secure on his hands before pressing his ear to the door. Hearing nothing, he silently opened it and, with nary a sound, made his way toward the roof. Once there, he picked a nice spot and looked up at the shattered moon.
I doubt I will ever grow tired of this magnificent sight, Vilhelm thought. If only the incident had never happened… I could say that everything would be perfectly fine.
As he looked at his hand… his fingers, separated by ball joints.
Author's Note:
Drops mic.
So yeah, I thought I should finally show you—after 10,000 words—why I decided to call this story Cutting Threads and what Vilhelm actually is.
For those coming from RWBY and having absolutely no idea about Bloodborne lore: First off, nice to see you! And second, this means Vilhelm is a living porcelain doll.
And for those coming from Bloodborne—no, he can't make others level up, and no, Gehrman had no hand in his creation. His backstory and everything else will be covered later in the book. And yes, he is a close relative of Annalise, the Queen of the Vilebloods. Because of that, I decided to make his armor a bit more ornamented. Specifically, I added a plume of white horsehair to his helmet. For that, I got inspiration from an amazing Cainhurst Cavalier artwork—you should find it on Google if you type in Cainhurst Cavalier.
Aside from that, the lamellar cape that Cainhurst Knights wear over their shoulders is a bit larger in his design, and I added clawed gauntlets because I thought they fit well. Other than that, it's simply the normal Cainhurst Knight armor.
Also, I have to apologize for the previous chapter, as I accidentally uploaded the same one twice. But I fixed it, so please accept this chapter as a peace offering.
As for the bots in the comment section—I have no idea why they've suddenly migrated to my story, but don't worry. I am not planning to sell this story, and I fully intend to finish it myself.