RWBY: Dark/Into the Waste

Cinder pocketed one last vial. She really did not want to bring any of their remaining Dust on a scavenging mission, but the truth was, she was worried too.

Mercury watched as she slid the vial into her pant pocket. “I thought we were too short on Dust,” he said.

“We are,” Cinder replied. “I have a few vials of fire Dust for myself - a private stock, I guess. But they’re not for combat necessarily. I mainly carry them around so that if I’m stuck out there at night, I can make a quick fire to keep warm and cook food.”

“But you can use them for combat.”

Cinder sighed in annoyance. “Yes, I can. But I’d rather not waste Dust like that unless I really need to.”

Mercury shot her an unsure glance. “You might have to,” he said, “with that maniac up there.”

“Like I said, I just heard that she is in the area. I have no idea if that’s true or not, or if she’s even still here.”

“The Reaper’s unpredictable,” Mercury stated. “She could be standing right above us for all we know.”

Cinder gently touched her patch. “Look, I’m worried too. But panicking will get us nowhere. Whether it’s waiting her out or going in armed to the teeth with supplies we don’t have, neither will benefit us in any way and just lead to us dying sooner. It’s a chance I don’t want to take, but have to.”

Mercury nodded. “She’s a monster.”

Cinder nodded back. “Yes, she is.”

Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, and Roman grouped together at the steel door leading up to the surface. The door was coated in a thick layer of brown rust, and drops of water fell periodically from the cracked stone ceiling above them.

Roman handed Emerald a flare. “I wouldn’t suggest using it with the Reaper and the Lord’s forces out there, but you might need it.” Roman said. He paused. “On the off chance that you meet up with and beat the Reaper, would you light her on fire with this for me?”

Emerald tried her best to chuckle. “Sure,” she said, taking the flare from Roman. She gently placed it in a sleeve on her belt.

Roman nodded towards the others. “You watch yourselves out there,” he said. “And remember, extra caution this time around. No heroics or taking chances. Bare minimum. Get what you need and get back. If you can’t find what you need, or if it will be too hard to get, ‘’don’t worry about it’’. You can always go back out another day.”

Cinder and Emerald nodded, Mercury simply turned to the door and pressed his ear to it.

“All quiet,” he said. “No Grimm nearby.”

“Alright,” Roman replied. He walked over and put his hand on the lever that would open the door. Cinder and Emerald turned towards the exit.

“Godspeed,” Roman said quickly, then thew the lever. The ancient door slowly creaked open, squealing and groaning in effort and pain. As soon as the opening was wide enough, the trio of scavengers rushed out; Mercury first, Cinder next, and Emerald bringing up the rear. They sprinted through the opening and skidded outside into the pale sunlight. Cinder ducked behind a crumbled wall, and Mercury and Emerald rolled behind a crashed transport.

The door creaked behind them, the opening thinning to a close. The door erupted with a metallic clang as it shut. The sound of the lock falling back into place could be faintly heard, but muffled by the steel.

Cinder peeked out and surveyed the area, checking for any Grimm that could have heard the door and come to investigate. However, other than the cold breeze blowing some dirt and paper, there was no movement.

Cinder glanced over to Emerald and Mercury, who nodded at her. She nodded back, signaling that the coast was clear. Emerald did one last peek to make sure none of the Lord’s spies or goons were there, then carefully stood up. Mercury and Cinder followed suit.

Cinder walked over to her allies. “Alright, we’ve basically gutted that From Dust ’Til Dawn shop dry, but if I remember right, there was an underground cellar storeroom that we hadn’t cleared out completely yet. Do we want to give that a go?”

Emerald shrugged. “It’s worth a look. I think there might be a restaurant around there too. It might have some food left over.”

“I’m sure I can get some string from somewhere for you to use as laces,” Mercury added. “But what kind of medicine does Salem need?”

“She’s out of the herbal remedy we use to control her emotional outbursts,” Cinder replied. “I actually planted some of those herbs in a park garden about a mile east of here, and they should be more than ready.”

“Well, the Dust shop and the restaurant are west from here.” Mercury said. “And we can’t split up, not this time.”

“We’ll go west first,” Emerald said. “Then we can come back, drop off the food and Dust, and go for the herbs. And if we don’t get to them today, Salem can wait one more day until we go out to get them.”

Cinder nodded. “Alright, west it is then. But no splitting up to hit both places at once; it’s slower, but safer.”

Emerald pulled out one of her guns, then nodded to Cinder. Cinder pulled her blades out, and began walking west. Mercury followed her, peering over her shoulder as she pointed her blades forward. Emerald remained in the back, walking backwards and with her watchful eyes scanning the areas behind them. Despite the odd formation, they kept a brisk pace, hugging tight to the crumbled and demilitarized walls of the buildings along the road.

The trip was uneventful until they were about a hundred feet from the Dust shop. Cinder raised her blade, signaling danger and for the others to stop. Mercury froze, and Emerald felt him stop and stopped as well. Cinder motioned ahead, where a large Beowolf was sniffing the ground in front of the Dust shop. Cinder nodded with her head, and the tightly packed trio began to separate. They moved slowly and noiselessly, careful of their footing and observant in case any more Grimm were around.

When they were about twelve feet from each other, Emerald and Mercury slowly stepped forward, creating a rounded line around the Beowolf. It was then that the Beowolf sensed a presence and began to look up.

“Now!” Cinder called, but careful not to be too loud. All three of them rushed the Grimm at the same time, with Cinder and Mercury coming in on its left side and Emerald attacking its rear. The Grimm growled angrily, opening its powerful jaws wide. Cinder reached the Grimm and began rapidly striking its front legs with her blades, carrying them in a graceful, sweeping motion that knocked the limbs off balance.

Mercury propelled himself up, then came down with a falling kick straight to the Beowolf’s lower back. The impact slammed the monster down, and, thanks to Cinder’s attack, was able to make the beast completely loose balance and land with a thud on the ground.

Emerald then came up behind the Grimm, firing a single shot directly at the Beowolf’s eye. The shot found its mark, piercing the monster’s eye and erupting t into a foam of black smoke and red blood. Emerald then jumped up as the beast roared in pain, then threw her Kusarigama into the Beowolf’s flesh, with both blades impaling just behind the left front limb. Emerald landed back on the ground, then quickly and powerfully yanked her weapons back towards her. The Grimm howled as the blades ran through its body, slashing it completely across the side. Emerald then ran quickly over to the other side of the monster, swung the blades in an awkward motion, then pulled them out. The blades crossed and slashed the Beowolf across its back and down its other side. The blades fell out, clanging to the ground. The Beowolf released one last growl, then dropped its head and died. As blood began to leak from its wounds and onto the concrete below, it suddenly vaporized in a mass of black smoke, leaving nothing but pools of blood in the ground where it laid.

Emerald panted and pulled her chains back in, connecting them back to her weapons and fixing them back into gun mode. She then whirled around, guns ready, preparing for more Grimm to come.

The area was strangely quiet. No Grimm were attracted to the commotion. None of the Lord’s forces heard the fight. Most importantly, there was no sign of the Reaper.

Cinder lowered her blades, then breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s see what we can get. Mercury, you load up the bag with everything you can carry. I’ll help you gather stuff. Em, you watch our backs.”

Mercury slung the bag over his shoulder. They looted both the Dust shop and the restaurant. The Dust shop had a few canisters of Dust hidden in a corner in the cellar, more than they were expecting to find. The restaurant was not as plentiful, as most of the refrigeration had been knocked out and most of the food and drink was spoiled or inedible. However, they managed to find a few loaves of stale bread, some bottles of water, a bottle of wine, a few cans of beans, and a bag of potatoes. All of it fit into Mercury’s bag except the potatoes, which Cinder volunteered to carry.

“It’s getting dark out,” Mercury stated, looking at the sky, which was now painted a red-to-purple gradient from the setting sun. “Sorry we didn’t find any laces.”

Cinder shook her head. “That’s okay, I’ll manage. But it looks like we won’t be able to get Salem’s herbs today.”

Emerald put a hand on Cinder’s shoulder. “There’s always tomorrow. She’s been doing better recently, anyway.”

Cinder sighed, then swung the potatoes over her shoulder with one hand while gripping one of her blades in the other. “Let’s go.”

The trio began making their way back towards the hideout, keeping a pace slightly faster than the one they arrived with. Cinder once again led the group with her blade readied, Mercury kept lookout, and Emerald watched the rear. The night winds were starting, blowing dirt and debris into their path along the sides of the buildings. Though the debris was no obstacle, the temperature was beginning to become one, as the sky was darkening and the last remnants of warm sunlight were beginning to fade. The wind added to the chill. Cinder shivered, holding the bag of potatoes on the side of her arm to shield out the frigid gusts.

It was dark by the time they were approaching the hideout. The ruined moon served as the only illumination in the dark. Cinder shivered again, the potatoes no longer able to prevent the wind from piercing her skin. Though her outfit was great for mobility and warm weather, it was a bitch in the cold. Emerald was not doing much better, as she huddled closer to Mercury in an attempt to warm her exposed skin.

Cinder’s nose began to run, but she pressed on. “Only one more block to go,” she thought to herself. “Almost there.”

Then Emerald perked her head up higher, obviously attempting to listen over the blowing wind. Her eyes scanned the area, but she saw nothing.

Cinder heard something next. It was a quick, sudden sound, and did not linger. It was faint, but sounded a bit like a metallic clink. Her preliminary guess was that it was the distant sound of the hideout door, but what reason would Roman, Neo, or Salem have to open it if they had not returned yet?

Then there was another sound, one that all three of them heard. It was a quick sound as well, but it was not distant. It was only a few yards away. It was high-pitched and threatening. It was the distinct sound of a giggle.