RWBY: Dark/Corpses

This morning was cold.

The skies were caked in thick grey clouds, covering the sun and blocking off its warmth and light. Over the ground was a dense fog, coating the buildings and ruins in a chilling dew and lowering the already cold temperatures.

And it was so quiet. Uncomfortably quiet.

Cinder, Roman, and Mercury were out in the grey wasteland, sneaking silently down the streets towards their destination from the day before. Roman had demanded he come on this mission. The three of them were going to find what was left of Neo’s body and give her proper burial.

Emerald had stayed behind to be with Salem. Earlier that morning, Cinder and Mercury recovered the medicinal herbs, so Emerald would be able to take care of Salem. They also unanimously decided that Salem had to know what had happened, and since Roman demanded he go on the mission, Emerald volunteered to give Salem the bad news. While she was sad that she could not help Salem, Cinder was almost relieved that she would not have to see Salem’s reaction. She worried for Emerald, however.

Roman said nothing the entire time they had walked. He remained an emotionless statue, his eyes fixed forward towards his destination. Cinder pitied him, and did not want to see his reaction either. She also wondered how much of Neo was left. No doubt the Grimm had gotten to her, if the Reaper had not done something with her. Neo did not deserve this.

Neo did not deserve this.

It was not long until the three of them reached the area where the fight had taken place. Cinder squinted, struggling to see through the fog. She kept her eyes scanning all around for Grimm, or worse, the Reaper returning. It was when she glanced at the ground that she saw the red puddle through the haze. Roman was the next to see it. He made audible chocking sounds as the gruesome sight came into view.

Though not untouched, Neo’s mutilated corpse laid there, crumbled and bloodied. Her right leg was missing; most likely gnawed off by a small Grimm. Both halves of her were coated in wet dew and dry blood, her organs stiff and lifeless on the street.

Then there was her eye. One half of her was facing a different direction, so Cinder could only see the front of one. But oh gods, the eye. It was a pale white, only slightly differently colored than the rest of her glossed-over sclera. It stared blankly, horrifically, ahead, motionless over a half of a bloodied, gaping mouth.

Roman gagged a bit, but broke off from the others and walked over the the horror. He kneeled down slowly, placing his hand gently over Neo’s mutilated head and shutting the staring eye. He scooted over to the other half and did the same with the other. Then he bowed his head, his hat covering his face, and sat there in silence.

Cinder and Mercury looked on. They could not tell if Roman was crying or not. However, Cinder was nudged by Mercury, who motioned towards a dirt patch on the side of the road. Cinder understood his call and walked over to it. She stabbed her swords into the ground and scooped up a heap of dirt, hurling it out. Mercury dug with his hands.

It took about an hour to dig the cold earth out just enough for a shallow grave. Cinder and Mercury had been so invested in their work that they had forgotten about Roman, who had taken upon himself the heartbreaking and gruesome task of collecting almost every single bit of Neo’s spilled body and gathering it in a large bag, wrapping the two sides of her body together as one again within the black packaging.

When everyone was finished with their respective tasks, all of them carried Neo’s wrapped body to the grave and gently placed it inside. Roman knelt down once more, looking into the hole that held his partner’s body.

“You never deserved this,” Roman said aloud, his voice hoarse and sad. “Any of this. No tyranny, no bombings, no wars… you were too pure for that. But within that sweetness burned a fire of compassion, of love, and of justice. When things were at their worst, you were there to help us. When we needed to fight, you fought. When we needed to cry, you lent us your shoulder. When we needed to believe, you gave us hope.” He lifted his head slightly, revealing his blood-shot eyes. “I can only hope that, wherever you are, the God of Light is celebrating your arrival. Because if there was anyone that could make paradise brighter, it’s you, Neopolitan.” He choked again, but swallowed loudly. “Goodbye.”

Cinder wiped the tears from her eyes as Roman grabbed a handful of dirt and slowly poured it into the grave. Then he turned, holding his head low, and slowly walked away. Cinder walked up to the grave to say her own words, though nothing she could say would top Roman’s eulogy.

“I don’t think I ever told you how important you were to us,” Cinder said melancholily. She sniffled. “If we needed someone, you were the person to go to. I should have told you that.” Her tears welled up. She began to cry, bitter tears running from her one eye. “I should have told you that.” Cinder stepped back.

Mercury stepped forward next, his expression somber. “You were too good for this,” he said. “And I swear, right now, on your grave, this one promise: I will kill Ruby Rose.”

Cinder glanced up in disbelief at Mercury. She was about to tell him not to make a promise he could not keep, but now did not seem like the best time. She instead watched him as he began scooping dirt and placing it back in the hole. Cinder wiped away her tears then grabbed her swords and aided him. It was only a few minutes before the hole was filed. Neo has been given her burial.

Cinder found a stone nearby and planted it at the hole as a headstone. She did not have the tools to write full sentences or even Neo’s name, but instead took one of her swords and carefully carved Neo’s emblem into the stone. It was as good a marker as hey were going to get. Cinder, Mercury, and Roman stood over the grave, staring down at the dirt, wondering what to do next.

Suddenly, Cinder heard a loud scraping, coming closer to them with every scrape. She instantly panicked, and judging by the way Mercury and Roman reacted, they heard it too. The scraping was definitely metallic, but came from low on the ground. Cinder brandished her swords, and she and Roman slowly began to back away from the sound. She was sure the Reaper had found them again.

Mercury, however, stayed still, and put up his fists in preparation for a battle. Cinder looked at him with frightened concern.

“Mercury, no!” she squealed.

The next moment, she saw a silhouetted figure lurching out from the fog. It grew closer, and Cinder and Roman backed up again, not wanting to leave Mercury behind. That is when Cinder noticed that the silhouette was much taller than the Reaper, and not carrying a scythe. It was cloaked in black clothing, but was dragging a sword on the ground with a bright red blade. The figure dripped blood as it approached them, eventually becoming clear through the fog.

Cinder gasped at the sight. She actually knew who this person was, and they were not a threat (at least to them). It was a face she never thought she would ever see in person. She lowered her weapons as the wounded warrior continued to limp forward, dragging their sword across the ground, without the strength to lift it.

Mercury noticed the figure’s identity too. “Is that…” he said, “Adam Taurus?”

She stomped her foot. This kind of incompetence would not be tolerated.

She continued to pace back and forth, her hands gripped into tight fists at her sides. She could hear her forces scrambling around outside of the tent, desperately trying to find something, anything, to do about their problem. She grunted in frustration as the tent’s opening was pulled back.

Ilia stood there in the opening, holding the tent flap wide. “Ma’am, we cannot find any sign of him in the nearby woods,’ she said, out of breath. “But we injured him pretty badly; he couldn’t have gotten far.”

She turned and slammed her fists down on the map table behind her. “I know him,” she growled. “He’s probably gotten further than you know.” She straightened up, took a deep breath, and shut her eyes tightly. “We will proceed with our current course,” she said. “But make no mistake, we will ‘’not’’ stop looking for him until he is found. And tell the troops I demand to have him ‘’alive’’. If someone kills Adam Taurus, they will suffer the same fate I have planned for him.”

Ilia nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” She then turned and dropped the tent flap, letting it fall and close as she ran from the tent.

With a huff, she looked down at the map she had slammed down on a moment before, analyzing the terrain and their location. She would find him.

“Where are you?” Blake Belladonna muttered to herself.

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