I don't own RWBY or Call of Cthulhu
Suvorov Prospekt, Leningrad USSR, September 1st 1926
3rd POV
Ren's head buzzed as consciousness slowly returned to him. Waking up he finds himself in a dark room. His hands cuffed to a table. He couldn't reach his head to nurse it, but yet he tried. Eventually leaning down he was able to feel his head when suddenly a loud smack against the table caused him to look up.
"Prosnis' i poy. U menya yest' k tebe voprosy." (Rise and shine. I got questions for you.) A voice from the other side said with a disappointed tone. Looking up as his vision is no longer blurred, Ren can see a bald man in a uniform. His face having a few scars that are still healing. He had set down some paperwork and was looking through them before speaking. "Gospodin Li Ren. Vvedeno pri yavnoy podderzhke gospodina Val'tera Ratenau iz Berlina. Prichiny poseshcheniya prekrasnogo goroda Leningrada. … Turizm… Ili tak perechislili vy i vash kollega, shved po imeni Ulof Larsson. Khm, interesno. Uzhe odin den' v Leningrade, a vy uzhe dostavili dostatochno nepriyatnostey. Znayete, chto ya dumayu?" (Mr. Lie Ren. Entered under the express support of Herr Walther Rathenau from Berlin. Reasons for visiting the fine city of Leningrad. … Tourism… Or so you and your associate, a Swedish by the name of Olof Larsson has listed. Hmm, Interesting. Already one day in Leningrad and already you cause enough trouble as it. Do you know what I think?)
"Budet li eto imet' znacheniye nezavisimo ot togo, chto ya skazhu?" (Would it matter regardless what I say?) Ren asked in Russian as he takes note of the insignia on the uniform's arm. A sword with the communist symbol marked with the ОГПУ (OGPU) initials. The symbol of the secret police. He quickly straightens up as he tried to remain calm, as he was now under full observation of the state.
"Da, kak uzhe zvonili nekotoryye chleny gorodskogo upravleniya lichno, trebuya, chtoby vas nemedlenno raspustili. Odnako ya nikogda ne doveryal tem, kto v teatre, osobenno uchityvaya yego istoriyu s tsarskim tsarstvovaniyem. Poetomu ya dayu vam redkiy shans ob"yasnit'sya." (Yes, as already some members of the city's governance have personally called requesting that you are too be delt with immediately. However I've never trusted those at the theater, especially given it's history with the Tsar reign. So I am giving you a rare chance to explain yourself) The officer said before getting back to his point. "Itak, gospodin Ren, yesli eto vashe nastoyashcheye imya. Zachem vy vtorglis' v Gosudarstvennyy akademicheskiy teatr opery i baleta?" (So, Mr. Ren, if that is your real name. Why were you trespassing in the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater?)
"YA iskal kogo-to. Syna Olofa. Chena. Polukitayets, kotoryy priyekhal syuda dva goda nazad. V posledniy raz yego videli razgovarivayushchim s Vadimom Zhukovym, vladel'tsem Gosudarstvennogo akademicheskogo teatra opery i baleta." (I was looking for someone. Olof's son. Cheng. A Half Chinese man who came here two years ago. He was last seen talking with Vadim Zhukov the owner of the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater) Ren explains honestly as he had a feeling he was going to be beating regardless. This response was received with a dirty look from the OGPU agent.
"On nichem ne vladeyet, my sotsialisticheskaya utopiya, g-n Ren. No eto mozhet podtverdit'sya, poskol'ku agent, nablyudavshiy za teatrom, upomyanul o cheloveke aziatskoy vneshnosti v teatre." (He owns nothing, we are socialist utopia Mr. Ren. But that might check out as an agent who was watching the theater mentioned an Asian looking individual in the theater.) The Agent remarks as he looked over his file before presenting a secreted photo taken of theater. Showing that Cheng was indeed here in Leningrad. However seeing that did not give Ren any closure. In fact after what he had witness he was a bit concerned about just what might have happened before he disappeared. Before this conversation could continue a knock came at the door. Getting up Ren listens in as another secret police agent spoke to the agent
"Chto?" (What?) The agent who was interrogating Ren asked the interrupting officer.
"Izvinite, tovarishch Sergeyevich. Eto vnutrenniy zamestitel'. On snova zvonit po povodu togo narushitelya, s kotorym vy razgovarivayete." (Sorry Comrade Sergeyevich. It's the internal deputy. He's calling again about the interloper you are speaking with.) The agent remarks.
"Peredayte yemu, chto u menya yest' eto. On do sikh por demonstriruyet polnoye sotrudnichestvo, a ya tol'ko nachal." (Tell him I have this. He is showing full cooperation thus far and I'd only just begun.) The agent remarks in annoyance."
"Vot v chem delo, tovarishch Sergeyevich. On khochet, chtoby my yego napravili v Smol'nyy institut dlya lichnogo oznakomleniya s partiynym apparatom." (That's the thing Comrade Sergeyevich. He wants us to send him to Smolny Institute for a personal inquire with party staff.) The agent stated nervously getting the interrogators full attention.
"Chto!? Eto netraditsionno. Dlya kogo-to stol' melkogo, kak prestupleniya etogo korotyshki." (What!? This is unorthodox. For someone as small as this runt's crimes.) The interrogator said with shocked expression on his face. The other officer gave a shrug in response as this was perplexing to him as well. Annoyed the interrogator gives a small sigh before giving a direct order. "Nablyudayte za nim. Mne nuzhno budet ubedit'sya v etom samomu." (Watch him. I will need to confirm this for myself.)
He then leaves to call the party member who otherized this sudden prisoner exchange. Leaving Ren with this young officer. Sitting idly, he thought a bit about his predicament. Rubbing the stump that used to be his thumb on his right hand as he does. As he thought deeper on the matter with some clarity, recalling the events in his head he suddenly realizes something. Whatever is happening, he was about to be silenced. Maybe that thing he overheard in the theater was using the party to get at him. Looking up at the Officer, noting something to himself that seem to annoy the young officer.
"Ey, na chto ty smotrish'?" (Hey. What are you looking at?) The young OGPU agent sneered. Ren didn't respond simply looking down and begins to mutter something incoherent. Granted the agent doesn't speak anything beyond Russian, but he'd never heard such words before. Whatever they were, it stirred some emotions of unease in the young officer
"Nwngluii ot ehyeahog. mggoka'ai ya aimgr'luhh. L' ahmgep ya r'luh. Ymg' ah ya, ng Y' ymg' ah." Ren mutters to himself as he looks down at the table.
"Chto ty govorish', kosoglazaya kapitalisticheskaya svin'ya?" (What you saying crossed eyes capitalist pig?) The young OGPU agent growls as he goes over to Ren. Who was repeating what he said before being grabbed by the back of the head. Pulling his head the agent was about to slap Ren when he saw to his horror's his eyes. Ren's normal magenta eyes were black, glowing with a sickly green that was nothing like his aura. The young agent let's out a silent scream as the view pulls to outside the interrogation room.
After a few moments Ren walks out, wearing the OGPU's uniform. Fixing the budenovka hat to help cover his face before rubbing the blood tearing at his eyes as they had seemingly returned to normal. He grabs the door and closes it, revealing the young officer now in his boxers, sitting at the desk handcuffed to the table with a blank soulless look. Ren begins to try and find his way out of the building undetected. That proved a little more difficult as he didn't exactly have a slave complexion and his hairs magentastreak stood out from under the budenovka. Yet he pressed on trying his hardest not to be noticed. He was nearly caught when the same OGPU officer who came crashing out of his office, fuming about something as he marches back to the interrogation room. Ren needed to leave and quickly now! Scanning the office space, he spotted a set of stairs and book it up them hoping to get to the roof unnoticed. Sadly he was when someone called from behind.
"Ey, stoy!" (Hey, You stop!) A voice from behind to which Ren then sprints. He can hear the sound of voices and feet stomping up the stairs when he burst through the door. Looking around he can see he was smaller buildings far beyond what an average human could hope to reach with safety… thankfully Ren was far from average.
A burst of OGPU officers burst through the door. Looking for the escaped prisoner only to find an empty rooftop overlooking the city of Leningrad. The officer who had interrogated Ren came up the stairs. Looking around in a fury he cursed under his breath as their prisoner just escaped.
An hour later back at The Grand Hotel Europe
Inside his hotel room, Olof remains silent. He had been escorted back to his hotel by police officers. Now held within the confine of the rented apartment. If he was being honest, after everything he has been through with Ren. He is more terrified than the whole facing crazy spider women and being literally possessed by a demon. His thoughts turn back to home and how his wife and son are. Would they learn about his disappearance… or will he go unnoticed. As he contemplates his family, he soon hears something. It was faint. Leaning against the door he can hear voices. It sounded like the men outside who were posted to guard Olof were getting the crap beaten out of them. Suddenly the door splintered as a Russian officer landed on Olof. He let a small grown before he quickly punches the barely conscious Officer in the face. Rendering him conscious. Standing up he finds Ren covered in soot and snow and looking quite disheveled in an OGPU uniform.
"What the hell you do?!" Olof snaps in rage for the first time since this whole adventure.
"Apparently trespassed." Ren said with a huff before offering a hand. Olof looked at it before reluctantly taking it. Standing up, Ren explains to Olof: "We got to go. Now."
"Where? What about my son!?" Olof asked as Ren walked past him to acquire his weapons that he hid in their room.
"To the Smolny Institute. I think we may have found ourselves in something far worse then what was originally anticipated." Ren said as he pulls Storm Flower out from their hiding spot.
"That being?" Olof asked only for Ren to toss him the police officers uniform.
"I don't know." Ren said as he tossed the officers boots. "But if we are to continue we need to handle this right away or else we can't find where Cheng is or where he went."
Olof looks down at the boots before letting out a sigh. "(Sigh) Once more into the fray."
As he puts on the uniform, Ren goes about tie and gagging the two officers before pushing them into the bathroom. Walking out he finds Olof now dressed as a Soviet police officer. Though it was a bit tight around the waist but it will have to do. Now disguised the two quickly excited the hotel and made their way to the Vasileostrovsky district to find the Smolny Institute. Finding it was easy, getting in was a lot more difficult. Luckily it was almost dark, and many of their party members had either gone home or were working late with only a skeleton crew for security. They were able to walk in and stealthy make their way to a backroom where many documents were stored. After a few moments of searching, with Olof acting as a lookout, he'd asked Ren who was pulling papers.
"What are you looking for, Olof asked as he kept his eye on a janitor who was taking a smoke break just out of sight of them.
"For whoever is the internal deputy is. It's possible that he is under whatever that thing in the theaters control." Ren said as he pulls a few more files. "Aw here we are. Internal Deputy Tolya Popov. Member of the Leningrad CPSU gorkom, made an official request for the transfer of a foreign prisoner just within the hour of my arrest."
Ren pulls out the file and set it down for Olof to see. Though he can't exactly read Russian. Ren points to one line. "Interesting, right here he put forth a motion to put a hold on the production of Winter Among the Stars. But as of the last hour her receded this."
"And that's strange?" Olof asked with an uncertain tone with a raised brow.
"I think I overheard their argument, before my arrest. He sounds furious, threatening to stop all productions in Leningrad. It's strange that he suddenly changes his mind, along with three others who had the same opinion as well?" Ren explains. Admittedly that is strange. Ren goes back before pointing to a line of Russian text. "Here, they are in room 304. North side of the building. Come on, I think we will find more clues there."
Following along with Ren, they slowly and quietly made their way up to the third floor where a corner office marked in Russian 304. Peaking inside, Ren and Olof spot someone sitting in a rather large chair, looking out at an open window. It was, unnerving as nobody was supposed to be in here. Looking to Olof who gives a shrug, Ren decides to do something drastic. Slowly creeping in, Ren pulls his weapon ready to strike the figure over the head; but then stops. He lowers his weapon. Walking slowly around, he gives a shocked look. Olof can see something wrong by the way his face converse into horror. After a few moments he hesitantly enters the room, following in his footsteps, Olof grabs the chair and turn it around. He was absolutely horrified to find the body of an obese man, sitting lifeless before him. His head, was carved open at the base of the neck, going up to the crown. A perfect hole, was cut allowing for a full view of what should have been the man's inner skull. Instead of an inner skull he can see a hollowed -out shell, with what looks like glass over the eyes and some kind of structure within to keep the body in it sits human structure. Whispering in horror to his god in his native tongue, Olof watches as Ren pulls the bodies forward, revealing behind the back, the slit went down the neck with clothes themselves also having a slit. Looking over it in horror it soon dawns upon the old sailor that someone, or something made an obscene, skin suit out of a man. Dreaded still was the prospect that whatever did this had the decency of doing so while he was dead. Though if someone was cruel to enact such a cruel use of a body he'd doubt it.
"Just… what the hell did this?" Olof asked under his breath as Ren looks around the room. Only seeing outside a fog rising up out of the Neva River.
Suddenly to Olof's shock and horror Ren replies with a line he'd never expected Ren to say. "I don't know."
"Vad?!" Olof said as he turns to Ren with wide eyes. "Vid guds skägg, you know everything!? How can you not know this?"
Ren whispers a shhh, but before the finger left his lips the room suddenly burst open. Men with the OGPU insignia, burst in with Nagant revolvers at the ready. Olof and Ren were quickly seized and restrained before they could even attempt anything. As the OGPU officers scream out in a blur of Russian, a familiar looking man walks in. Same one who had interrogated Ren earlier on. He stood over Ren and Olof who were being cuffed. Looking at Ren with a smirk over his face.
"Hello… Again." He said in a very heavy accented English. "Seems the chase is done. You and your, bourgeoisie friend will find themselves before the working class wrath very soon."
He then turns to corpse sitting on the chair, noticing the disturbing display of what is the corpse of Internal Deputy Popov. His men and himself had never seen such barbaric treatment of a corpse in such a manner. Words could not describe the utter disgust as they look on. After silently staring into the hollow eye sockets, he turns to Ren and Olof.
"What did you do?" He asked them.
"Nothing, by Odin's beard we found him like that." Olof answers only to be hit across the face by one of the officers holding him down.
"Ostanavlivat'sya!" He said to the officer before looking at Olof. "I may have to believe you for now, Mr. Larsson. But you two have many questions to answer."
He then looks towards Ren suspiciously. He seems quiet, suspiciously so which is saying something. Looking at where his eyes are fixated on, outside the fog can be seen coming up out of the Neva river. The OGPU agent looks around. Trying to see anything through the thick fog. After a few attempts, he turns to the agents before giving a command. "Zabirayte ikh, my vyyasnim, kto ubil deputata MVD Popova, i predadim ikh sudu!" (Take them, we will find out who killed Internal Deputy Popov and bring them before the court!)
Grabbing the two, they were dragged down the hallway towards the stairs. As they descended the stairs, Ren seem to be eyeing out every window, looking towards the river whenever he could as if he is trying to look through the fog. Suddenly as they made their way down to the first floor and where nearing a door he froze.
"Net! NET! V lyubom sluchaye, tol'ko ne speredi! Oni nas zhdut!" (No! NO! Anyway but not out the front! They are waiting for us!) Ren screams in Russian as he begins resisting the guards. The OGPU agents struggled as they were not expecting his strength. As they struggled. A loud clashing noise can be heard from a nearby room. It was as if glass had been smashed. Stopping for a moment, the Officers didn't know how to react but kept still till one slowly begins to walk towards the door. Ren tried to call out but was gagged. Slowly the Agent opens the door not noticing a plume of fog slowly immerging from the cracks beneath the door.
Opening he saw a broken window and a fog covered office, at the end was a broken window. He scans about the place before turning around. "YA nichego ne vizhu, tovarishchi. Navernoye, byli gnilyye deti?" (I don't see anything Comrades. Must have been rotten kids?)
Everyone let out a small sigh of relief before something grabs ahold of the comrade by the neck. Pulling him up and off the ground with a sudden jerk as he let's out a scream in absolute horror. The others watch as something out of sight pulls their comrade up into the ceiling before all the lights quickly went out in the building. Almost like a surge of electricity or smashing of bulbs as the whole building went dark. Rushing for a light, the Soviet OGPU pull out their flashlights trying to see what is happening. As they do, they find the whole hallway was now knee height in an unnatural fog. It didn't take long before something grabbed the induvial pulling them into the fog. All hell broke loose as the OGPU Agents reach for their revolvers and begin firing into the darkness. That's when it made it's appearance. What could only be described as a tall slanderous body, it moved with an unnatural athleticism as if it had bones made of rubber. It flew around weaving about with none of the agents able to hit the thing. As it moves it slapped, grabbed or lunge at the agents. Breaking necks or throwing them aside. It seemed focus on Ren and Olof.
Upon taking a chance, Ren quickly bolts upstairs before turning to Olof, "Come on! Small arms aren't going to work!"
Play "Dark Deception - It's time to leave" For added effect.
Olof looks back at the entity before back at Ren, then the entity. His eyes widen in horror as the thing snaps the neck of one OGPU agent. Letting the corpse fall to the ground, the slender figure looks up, with a crook in it's neck. Olof was absolutely stunned in fear, when one, two, four… seven of those things slowly arise from the fog covered floor. They all were staring at Olof before suddenly one lunged at him. A gun shot goes off, and the thing falls to the ground as Olof spots in the corner of his eye a single survivor. The same one who was in charge as well as interigated Ren. He had a cut running across his face as he struggles to his feet. The things turned to him and rushed. Would have lunged at them before a spray of bullets took down two and scattered the five back. Ren had broken the cuffs from his wrist and using StormFlower which the OGPU never found was able to fend off the creatures. He shouted to the two. "Did I stutter! Run!"
Olof no longer paralyzed with fear quickly rushes down and picks up the surviving OGPU officer. Rushing up the stairs as the one's that Ren had shot as well as the other agent slowly picked themselves up from the fog. Making a sound that can only be described as cracking bones as they slowly shift to their feet. In a blind blurry they then gave chase. Upstairs running through the hallways, the OGPU agent along with the handcuffed Olof rushed after Ren who was ahead of them. Huffing, the Officer asked. "What is Carl Marx's name is that!"
"I don't know, just run as if it's Fenrir!" Olof shouts as he dares to look back. Expecting those strange things to be after them. Though oddly not. That was until a hand shot through the window. It nearly grabbed Olof, who fumbled his way out.
"Don't look back just run!" Ren shouts as more hands smashed through the windows, trying to grab the fleeing targets. The three ducked and weaved as they lashed out, letting in the unnaturally clouding fog from outside in. Spotting the doors. Ren ran ahead and with a flying kick, broke down the doors. Letting the other two flee inside as those slender beings dived through. Dancing towards the door Ren quickly locks it before shouting, "Help me with the door! Push a desk against it!"
Olof and the Officer quickly got behind a desk and push it against the door, Ren rolled over the top and quickly pressed against the desk as those things can be heard attempting to break in. Struggling, Olof turns to the Officer. "It be much easier if you can get these damn Handcuffs off me!"
The OGPU officer seemed hesitant before an arm crashed through the wooden doors. Grabbing Olof by the beard. He screams in pain as the damn arm was trying to take his face off with his facial hair. Ren acting quick begins stabbing the arm with his weapon. All the while the officer having made up his mind quickly begin to undo Olof's cuffs. Just as Ren takes off the arm, Olof and him fell to the ground. One hand free from the cuff. Getting up more hands begin shooting through the door. These things were persistent.
"I think now we should get out of here!" Ren said as he quickly reloads StormFlower.
"How! No way out except out the window!" Olof asked as he spot something. Something moving behind the smoke screen. Buzzing like a wasp as it looked in. But he could not tell behind the fog that had covered the windows. Ren spotting it quickly fires and the thing disappeared quickly with the fog almost instantly disappearing as well.
Ren then turned to the OGPU officer and quickly shouted. "This is the Smolny Institute! Once the education for noble girls yes!"
The agent gave a weird look as he slowly reloads his revolver. But nods to which Ren quickly rushes over to the nearby Bookcase. He spotted a symbol of what looks like the eye of providence in the back of the shelf. Quickly moving them aside he continues on. "Meaning that when the institute was once made in 1764, the Freemasons had a hand. And knowing them they had also made secret entrances incase enemies of Tsar ever came here."
Ren soon found what he was looking for. Punching through, he removed the wood to reveal a lever. Praying it worked, pulling it the bookshelf begins to move opening up to a secret passage way behind. Sighing with relief as the door was splintering Ren turned to the two. "I think it's best that we leave, NOW!"
The two didn't argue, quickly rushing towards the entrances, and heading down the dark tunnel. As they do, Ren notices the arm on the ground. Looking as it still twitches. He gives a moment thought before lunging towards it. Meanwhile, the figures had finally broke down the door. Rushing inside, they expected to find a cornered victim. Instead, they found nobody. No sign of the three. Searching high and low, no sign of them could be found. As the scene cuts to black.
Hello Comrades. Comrade Wombag1786 here.
Back at it with another chapter. Another short chapter but not as short as the last one. We open up with Ren being integrated only to escape using some… rather unusual method. (Will be exploring that… eventually) Breaking into a communist party office. (A rather important one given it was the HQ for Lennin during the October Revolution.) Only to be attacked by a blacken thing. Just what is it? And why so many of them? And that thing in the fog… was it controlling the fog? And those things?
Well let's find out in the next chapter. Now, Comrades I got answers to your comment and questions. Let's begin.
From Comrade Blackwing: Well Comrade pull out your 21 cannons… it's about to go Tchaikovsky
Yeah… google Thule Society, Ahnenerbe, and Unit 731, then take all the crazy, horrifying, and down right Absurd shit they did then multiply it by E=MC2 and that should get you into the ball park. Barely.
Thanks for writing Comrade Blackwing.
From Comrade Guest: Aw, Flapper outfits. Eventually I'll get there. But historically the Flapper style doesn't actually appear till later in the 20's. But in the upcoming arc, The Sin of the Mother.
Thanks for writing Comrade Guest.
From Comrade :
Thanks for writing Comrade .
Well that's all for now Comrades. Please Fav and Fol, leave a comment or question down bellow. Till next time, This is Wombag1786 Signing off.