2 RWBY
Ruby felt herself falling for just a moment and braced herself for the impending impact, screaming Weiss's name as she sank. Then the black Grimm surrounded her, engulfing her and pulling her down in a way that felt like it was tearing away at her very soul.
She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. In the darkness there was only silence. The slimy fluid swallowed her whole and she felt a numbness overcome her. Fear was the last thing she remembered before her consciousness was ripped away from her.
Ruby woke up with a start, panicking in a frantic daze. Everything that was binding her and pulling her down had vanished. She opened her eyes, looking down to her body and checking it for any unwanted Grimm. There was nothing there. Her eyes scanned over herself, inspecting her naked, but untainted, white skin. She breathed a sigh of relief, holding her hand to her chest.
Feeling the tension in her muscles lighten, she tried to decipher where she was.
All around her there was pitch blackness. There was no Salem, there was no Weiss. There didn't seem to be anything at all but darkness everywhere she looked.
She took a step forward.
"H-Hello?" Under her feet, she felt the ground sink like warm mud. "Is anyone there?" The red haired girl asked the black emptiness before her, but received no response. "Where am I?"
Then, in front of her, she heard the sounds of her own memories. Sounds of things she hadn't thought about in years swirled through the darkness. A thousand voices overlapped to make incomprehensible noises at first, but they slowed as the ground beneath her bubbled. Upon closer inspection, Ruby gasped and jumped back.
That lukewarm, slimy substance beneath her wasn't the floor at all. It was Grimm. The entire ground itself was actually the pool she had been pulled into. She was in the pool at this very moment.
Just as she came to that sickening realization, a muddy blob started to rise in front of her. Along with it came a familiar voice. The slithering mass started to take on a more humanoid shape, looking more and more like a person with every passing second.
Ruby didn't want to believe it, but as the form continued to come together, the round shield on the humanoid's wrist confirmed her suspicions. It was undeniably Pyrrha. Once the dark doppelganger finished morphing into its intended shape, the reds and golds of Pyrrha's armor began to appear, making it almost seem like the real person. But it was the soulless red eyes that betrayed the jarring fact that this was not her dead friend. It was a monster mimicking her existence.
"Why didn't you stop her?" Pyrrha's broken, saddened voice pierced Ruby's heart.
"You..." Ruby looked pained at first, but she steeled her resolve and stated, "...are not Pyrrha."
The fake's facade disappeared and she gave a coy smirk. The doppelganger deformed, dropping into a muddy puddle with a wet splat.
The floor groaned and the Grimm reformed once more, showing another horror to the poor huntress.
Ruby grit her teeth, recognizing the sight immediately.
Penny's robotic body was sprawled onto the floor, cut up into several pieces.
"I thought...you were...my friend..." the torn apart girl managed to say.
Ruby felt tears starting to well up. "W-Why?"
Giving her no time to rest, the visions started coming faster, each with its own painful sight.
Yang's depressed expression after she lost her arm.
Blake, falling to Apathy's influence.
Qrow's broken state as he excessively drank his troubles away.
Ruby shook her head, covering her eyes. "Stop..."
"Ruby..." The voice made her gasp and she opened her eyes, revealing her fresh tears.
Her mother's smile.
"Mom?" Ruby asked before Summer's smile curled into a sadistic smirk.
"If I couldn't kill her...how are you supposed to?"
Ruby felt her tears stream down her face. "This is just...cruel." And the scene drifted away into nothingness.
These were all horrible memories she bore. Ones that were painful to recall and difficult to face.
"I wish I could have protected them. I was too weak. I couldn't do anything," a voice spoke out from the black void.
It was her own voice, but she hadn't spoken. "What?" Ruby asked, puzzled. She turned her head, darting her eyes around but finding nothing. "I don't think that!"
"I'm a failure," her fake voice continued. There was a sultry intoxication that came with the voice, as if it were somehow soothing her into compliance.
"No. That isn't my voice! You won't play with my emotions like this. I don't want to see this anymore!"
"It's okay...accept your own weakness...your own helplessness..."
Ruby felt herself starting to sink into the ground below, and the slime started to crawl up her body. She tried to lift her feet to get out, but it was far too late. She lost her balance, falling to one knee, feeling fatigue overcome her body.
This pool must be draining me even more. I have to get out of here.
"It is draining your aura. Not that there's much of it left to drain. It'll keep you here as long as needed."
She silenced her thoughts for a moment.
"...Get out of my head," Ruby demanded, feeling like her privacy was completely violated. Even her thoughts weren't safe and this thing was going through her most painful memories.
"Ehehe~ I am just voicing your own thoughts."
"You don't know me at all."
"But I do."
"No...You...Don't! You don't understand anything."
"I do understand. I understand more than you might think."
Ruby's echoing, villainous laughter filled her mind. But that was just the beginning. The twisted laughter warped into piercing screams. She heard those she failed to protect mixed in with the sinister expressions of the evil ones who scarred her memories.
Pain.
Suffering.
Loss.
Anger.
Sadness.
Tears.
"Stop it...STOP IT!" Ruby covered her ears, shaking her head. But she was given no mercy.
"No. I don't think I will..."
Her eyes flickered in the vast emptiness. It was a small and desperate attempt at breaking through this hellish prison. Even with her futile efforts, she felt the darkness close in and the voices only grew louder. Even trying to do anything to resist was both painful and exhausting. Her balance faltered and she fell on all fours.
Though feeling cornered, she forced herself to continue.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Her scream pierced through the voices. Her eyes started to flicker, glowing.
The fake voice gasped before distorting into a monstrous cry of pain.
Ruby's eyes lit up the dark pit, and the entire thing started to crumble.
Ruby's silver eyes pierced through the darkness of the pool. White streaks of light poured out of the black pit, as the entire mass groaned in discomfort. The pool rippled, bubbling and rising before shooting Ruby into the air. She landed on her side and curled herself into a ball, shivering. The pool itself seemed to cringe away from her. Even the Grimm that stuck to her body recoiled and went back to the pool. "No more...No more," she demanded, trembling.
"Ruby! Ruby you're alive. Thank God!" Weiss cried, tears streaming down her face.
Ruby's tired, fatigued eyes met Weiss's and there was at least that small comfort.
"I wasn't going to kill her. She's far too precious." Salem walked forward, moving towards the pool and Ruby. She leaned over, gliding her hand over the surface of the black sludge.
"There, there. I know she hurt you. She won't do it again." Salem stroked her hand along the pool's surface, comforting the Grimm mass like a pet. It groaned in response, satisfied by it's master's touch.
Salem turned her attention to Ruby, who lay nearby.
Their eyes met, and Ruby averted her gaze. "You won't do a single bad thing anymore...will you, Ms. Rose? Unless, of course, you want to experience that again."
Ruby cringed at the thought, and her eyes widened in fear as she hugged her knees tighter to her body. Salem smirked with gleeful sadism, admiring her effect on the young woman.
"You seem to understand your position. And it looks like you're finally finished using those eyes of yours. Shall we continue?"
"...No more," Ruby begged, turning her head away from Salem's touch. But Salem took her index finger, pushing Ruby's chin, turning her gaze back into her red, heartless eyes once more.
"It'll be okay. We'll all get along just fine, very soon."
"W-Weiss..." Ruby whispered under her breath. Calling out to her would do nothing and she knew it, but she couldn't help but seek her out.
Feeling guilty for showing weakness, she put on a brave face, but Weiss knew she must be horrified. The pool had drawn out the worst nightmares her mind could conjure up.
"She's gone through enough! Please, just do whatever you want to do to her to me instead," Weiss sobbed. Behind her, she made another small glyph, feeling it shatter in moments.
"Truly, I understand your pain and your plight. I've endured far worse than you are going through right now. But, unfortunately, she's the most irreplaceable part of my experiment. As I have said, you'll just watch." Salem's patience ran thin, and crimson eyes glared back for a moment. "I don't like repeating myself," she threatened.
Weiss swallowed. I have to do something. Anything to buy more time!
"What plan?"
"That is not really something I need to explain to you, now is it?" Salem asked, inspecting Ruby's current state.
"..." Weiss choked on her words, too afraid to push for more. She continued trying to conjure up enough strength to summon anything to break her out.
Salem cleared her throat, looking at the Grimm pool and cracking her neck. "Let's get started."
Tentacles slowly rose from the depths. The shiny, opaque slime dripped as the tendrils formed and rose into the air, creeping up inch by inch. Salem nudged her head towards Ruby and the tentacles followed, moving towards the young huntress.
Upon reaching the girl, the monster hesitated, stopping a few inches away from Ruby's body.
"There's nothing to be concerned about," Salem spoke to the monster.
Upon seeing what was happening to Ruby again, Weiss found it within her to speak out.
"If you really understand, you'd at least explain to me why?!"
Salem exhaled, pausing for a moment to ponder what she'd do.
"Hmm...Your words are well chosen, I'll give you at least that." Salem conjured a flame in her bare hands, letting it bounce around her fingertips. "Humans have always honed small fractions of the Gods' powers. As you know, this power is what we call magic."
"What does that have to- Gah!"
The flame hurled towards Weiss, missing her by only a few inches.
"Well, I'll be getting to that...fret not. You're the one who asked for an explanation. I've been merciful enough to give one. You should be thankful," Salem noted, smiling. "There was once a time when all humans could cast magic from their very fingertips. But now...the Gods deemed humanity unfit for such power. So you turn to such feeble alternatives." Salem reached her hand towards the pool of Grimm, and a thick tendril rose to meet her. The slime melted away, dripping onto the floor to reveal Weiss's sword.
"M-Myrtenaster?"
"Is that what this little flimsy toy is called?" Salem chuckled as she flicked away the leftover black residue, cleaning the blade. "I suppose it's quite fine craftsmanship...for a human."
Seeing her greatest enemy hold her family's weapon disgusted the huntress, but she bottled up her hatred, keeping herself quiet. I want nothing more than to drive that into-
"Hmmph, it's cute that you're trying to hide your anger, but I can see it in your eyes."
"..." Weiss shifted her eyes away in silence.
"No need to be upset, I'm merely using this as an example," Salem explained, as she finished up cleaning the blade. "My, my... so much effort and research, for such little power. This is what the modern era has come to? Your family knows all about the source of modern magic, so you should be familiar with what I am about to talk about." Salem opened the revolver canister, spinning the chambers to inspect what was inside.
"Do you mean dust?"
"Precisely. 'Dust'. They are mere fragments of true magic that you humans mine and weaponize." Salem spun the revolver chamber, one slot at a time, emptying each one onto the ground. "Fire. Ice. Lightning. Light. Wind. Gravity. And these are just what you have here."
The waste of the precious limited resource made Weiss sick. She was throwing away hundreds of Lien worth onto the floor like it was useless garbage.
Seeing Weiss's distaste for her actions, the dark Goddess stepped on it, rubbing it into the dirt. "You go deep into the ground, clawing at whatever little bits of the Gods' powers you can. But it's laughable compared to what I have, and it is NOTHING compared to what I need." Salem spun the revolver chambers of Weiss's weapon, listening to the satisfying clicks of each rotation.
"...A-And what is it that you need? I'll get you whatever you need if you just-" Weiss reluctantly asked, fearing the answer.
"That's the thing. You've already done it. What I need is already in my grasp. I need a power that no humans of this age currently have. A true magic that you weaklings do not possess, except for the 4 maidens. But that's not true is it? There are also the ones with..." Salem smiled, looking over.
Weiss followed the witch's gaze onto Ruby's slumped body.
"Silver eyes..." Ruby finished for her, staring up defiantly in the face of true evil.
"...That's why you didn't kill her. You haven't just been killing them...you've been experimenting on them..." Weiss's scared voice shook with that realization.
"And after what I found recently, I have high hopes for Ms. Rose. I think I'll finally get the exact result I want."
"What...what result?"
"Distorting the God of Light's power and making it my own. I'll have a power with truly limitless potential...The power of Silver Eyes will become mine."
"That's...That's not something you can just take...is it?"
Rather than answering her question, Salem took her index finger, lubricating it with her black saliva.
"The dust in the ground, is it not yours to take and store in your weapons? This weapon is merely a vessel, converting the raw essence into a stronger, more powerful attack." She pulled back slowly, ensuring the entire length was covered in her black saliva.
"The weapon can take many forms of dust, but what if..." Using one of the empty chambers, Salem pushed her index finger into it, filling one of Weiss's revolver chambers with the opaque fluid. "What if we were to use a different resource for the magic?"
Salem smiled knowingly. Weiss's sword responded, glowing black. Darker flickers of purple and black energy coarsed through it. "What if we used Grimm as my 'weapon's' power source...Wouldn't that just be...lovely? Wouldn't she just be...perfect?"
As Salem painted a clearer picture, Weiss's face twisted into fear. Ruby creased her eyebrows, seeing her goal.
"You can't! She isn't just some kind of object for you to use. She's not a weapon. She's a human being!"
"That, she is." Salem grabbed Ruby by the head. "It's unfortunate. But I'm sure we can come to an understanding. Can't we?"
Ruby weakly shook her head. "I won't become yours."
"When your mother broke down, she became...unusable. I wouldn't want to do the same thing to you. I'll break you thoroughly, but I need you in pieces I can put back together."
Salem rested her hand on Ruby's head, and the redhead flinched, refusing to relax even as Salem started brushing her hair. Salem's words cut deep, and even she couldn't hide that.
"...Threatening me won't change that."
"Hmm...I see," Salem smiled, pressing her fingers onto Ruby's temples. "...Fine."
Ruby let out a piercing scream, feeling the dark memories to surface again. She could feel Salem's magic worming into the recesses of her mind, digging into her psyche. Ruby's resistance was painful and she strained to hold back a scream.
Salem let go after a moment, and Ruby started gasping, trying to recompose herself.
"Ruby?" Weiss asked and Ruby was thankful she still had her friend's voice to anchor her resolve.
"Torturing me...won't change my mind...I'd rather die than become some tool for my mom's murderer."
"Oh, that wasn't torture. Like I said, I'd hate to do the same to you after breaking your mother. You'd be far more useful if you join me willingly...So I'll get what I need from that innocent little mind of yours."
Ruby glanced at Weiss for support, and Weiss quietly stared, giving a small nod to show her she was still there for her.
"I'd never join you. No matter what pain or misery you try to draw out of me," Ruby said, finally.
"Hmm...If you won't accept this darkness, I'll have a hard time making you useful. Humans don't normally submit themselves to such painful memories. The struggles and failures of one's life are not something they look back on willingly. It looks like no amount of suffering will make you change your mind. This is a dilemma, truly. But not every vile emotion requires pain. Grimm can feed off of other things. Gluttony, pride...and most of all...desire. I wonder...what is it that you want?"
Feeling Salem's hand press to her temples, her body went stiff and she held her breath. Ruby bit her lip, getting ready to stifle a scream.
Ruby gasped, trying to hold herself together and resist Salem's unwelcome influence. Salem skipped through those painful memories more quickly this time. She was after something Ruby hid much much deeper. "What could you possibly want to hide more than all these painful, painful memories?"
She felt Salem push into her mind once more.
"..."
"Are you sure?"
"..."
"Guh...No! I won't. I won't show you anything."
"Amazing, even without aura, you're able to stop my influence...you damned brat. Isn't it painful to resist?"
"That's...not...a...problem."
Ruby's defiance was unyielding. Salem smiled, amused, letting go of Ruby for now.
"You truly are something else. If you won't let me bring up the thought, I'll make you think of it. Your shame is adorable. I can't wait to see what makes you feel this way." Salem gestured to the pool that lay dormant until now. "Come now...she won't use those nasty eyes again. I promise."
The pool created tendrils once more, reluctantly grabbing Ruby by the wrists and ankles, lifting her off the ground. The tired redhead tried to break free, but her attempts were even more feeble and weak compared to before.
Upon realizing that the silver eyed huntress was in no shape to harm it any longer, the pool became more aggressive. Ruby recalled the harsh memories the pool had drawn out of her when it consumed her, preparing herself for the worst.
But instead, she felt a tendril start to slide up her abdomen, slimy fluid wrapping around one of her breasts. It lightly squeezed her firm chest, circling its tip around the areola.
Ruby gasped, unsure of what to make of this. "S-Stop!"
"W-What? What are you doing?" Weiss dared to ask, appalled by everything that was happening in front of her.
"Setting the mood. Once I figure out what she wants...well...I'm sure I can use it to make her reconsider."
Weiss, though desperate to do something--anything--for her friend, felt another glyph shatter on her fingertips. Such a thing is happening...and I can't do a thing to help her. Weiss felt tears well up again, and she didn't see a reason to act tough. She sobbed in helpless silence.
"You see, there are only so many types of selfish desires out there. The expressions of greed and selfishness don't match what Ms. Rose here is showing. What it does match is something else entirely. Am I correct?" Salem paced around the huntress, helping the Grimm prepare its assault.
"I won't tell you a thing."