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paingoes · 8 months ago

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Rubies

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this is the most living weapon its gotten in a while

(Content: living weapon whumpee, recovery, conditioning, past abuse, guilt, emotional whump, death mention)

Delta rolled over in the bed. He didn’t startle so much when he woke up anymore; the room had become familiar. Even weeks later, he still slept much more there than he ever had on the Thorn. He was still so tired all the time. They’d said it was okay for him to rest. He was grateful for that.

The only issue was how disoriented it made him. He didn’t know what time it was when he awoke, but the sky outside was bright and airy. He slowly rose up, about to brush his hair out of his face when he remembered it wasn’t there anymore. So weird.

He cracked open the bedroom door, doing his best to keep quiet. It was a force of habit. He slipped out into the hallway.

Levon was standing in the kitchen.

Delta dropped as soon as his eyes fell on him. Before Levon could even get a word out, he’d already gotten onto the floor, bowed down about as low as he could get.

He didn’t hear Kitty approach, but she was at his side soon enough, gently urging him off of the ground. He almost fought her. He didn’t want to. He reluctantly stood up, but he could not bring himself to look up. In his periphery, Levon leaned back against the kitchen counter.

“Good morning, Delta.” He was unperturbed by the display, not upset with him for standing, as deeply wrong as it felt to do it.

It was the first time he’d said his name. Delta paid careful attention to the way he’d handled it. No contempt. No anger.

Apollo stood back against the stove, staring daggers at Levon. He dropped the expression just as soon as he was caught doing it, but the discontent was still written across his face. A few bags were laid out on the counter.

Kitty’s hand still hung loosely in his own from where she’d picked him up off the ground. He found himself gripping it a little tighter. She bumped into him, nuzzling a bit like she was trying to mark her scent on him. He was already wearing her jacket.

“Thought I’d drop in to see how things are going. I brought you some clothes and some groceries. I’d have stopped by early, but I’ve been a bit preoccupied lately.”

Something changed in Levon’s voice on those last few syllables. Nobody else would have noticed, but Delta had become adept at measuring people’s emotions. Finding their tipping points. It’d been a matter of survival.

He resisted the urge to drop to the floor again. He wouldn’t beg for forgiveness. He didn’t deserve it. But he was sorry. He knew what preoccupied meant.

“Things are going fine.” Apollo’s tone didn’t betray any of his enmity. “Maybe you’d like to give him a minute to get his bearings? He just woke up.”

“I’m okay,” Delta said weakly, surprising himself. Surprising them, clearly.

He clamped his hand over his mouth just as quickly. He hadn’t been given permission to speak, not in front of Levon. He wouldn’t have normally. He didn’t like to object, but he had an override: Levon didn’t need to give him anything.

“It won’t be long.” Levon rested his elbows against the counter. “You’ll have the rest of the day to yourself, I promise. Just a talk.”

“Yes, sir,” Delta confirmed cautiously, since he hadn’t been punished for speaking the first time.

Kitty leaned closer against him. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her wink.

They went outside. Levon had obviously wanted to talk alone, but was not so audacious as to kick Apollo out of his own house. Delta pulled on a pair of blue and white tennis shoes he’d recovered from the den before stepping out into the morning light. He hadn’t come out to this side of the house yet, certainly hadn’t ventured as far as the dirt road that led up to it.

Levon’s ship was parked in the yard, nearly the same size as the house. It was a bright, electric purple, reflecting the sunlight out at harsh angles. His leather boots paced unbothered through the grass of the yard, getting dust on their edges as he walked out into the road. Delta followed after him. It was a bit hard to keep pace when Levon was so much taller. Levon slowed down to accommodate the difference.

It was warm out. Delta studied the trees of the forest around him — mostly Arecaceae. They were further South then he’d realized. Bright birds moved upwards in the canopy.

The wildlife was much easier to focus on than the figure beside him. He couldn’t help himself from tensing as Levon spoke.

“How’s your arm?” He cast a glance at the cast. Delta held it up for him, the way he would’ve under examination. If nothing else, Paris had at least made a clean break. It didn’t hurt much anymore.

“It’s better. Thank you.” Delta blushed for some reason. It was hard to accept concern from Kitty or Apollo. It felt stranger coming from Levon. More taboo. He didn’t know why.

“You cut your hair,” Levon observed.

Delta flinched.

“They…said I could,” he defended weakly. He shouldn’t have. He should’ve just left it alone, he didn’t know why he had even said anything in the first place. He started to apologize.

“No, it looks nice,” Levon said, “Lot less heavy, I’m sure.”

It was.

The road eventually led up to a tributary, which led up to a large lake. It was cooler by the edge of it; the wind carried off of the water.

“I wanted to check in to see if you were adjusting okay. I wanted to make sure that you were ready to come back,” Levon admitted, toeing at a stone with his boot. He cast Delta a sidelong glance. “Are you ready to come back?”

Delta stared at him blankly. Levon nodded; of course he didn’t know. Nobody had bothered to explain it to him.

He passed him a smooth shaped stone. He didn’t know why. Gesture of moral support? Delta took it anyway.

“There’s going to be a trial. Nothing big. We just need to catch some of the council up to speed on your situation and establish a plan going forward.” He paused.

Delta had returned to staring at the ground. The thumb of his good hand turned anxiously over on the stone; he gave no other indication he was upset. Everything else remained perfectly neutral.

“This is only in the interest of security,” Levon tried to reassure him, “It won’t be punitive — though that may come up in conversation, nobody will go for it. I’d veto it before they could. I gave you my word that you wouldn’t be harmed and I mean that. Still…it may be a difficult experience for you. And your friends are concerned it may be too early.”

Delta blinked. They’d said that?

They’d been concerned about him. That strange, dull ache started up in his chest again. They’d defended him.

Not punitive, he’d said. Why not? He’d have deserved it. Amnesty was a promise they had made to him; it was never anything he had asked for. All he had wanted was to get out. Whatever they decided to do with him afterwards was beyond him. He’d have accepted it gladly. It was the least he deserved.

What plan, then?

The answer came to mind nearly before the question did. How best to utilize him. What targets to hit. How he’d need to be disciplined — not punished, disciplined — and how he’d need to be re-trained.

He’d do it. If Levon asked him to, he’d do it.

He thought of Lemuria. He thought, funnily enough, of the seagulls he’d once vaporized midair when they’d been in proximity of the target ship. What had the gull ever done wrong?

“I’ll go, sir,” he said, though he didn’t feel ready. By the end of the month, he’d be closer to it. He didn’t want to delay it. He didn’t want to be difficult.

“We’re still preparing,” Levon nodded, “You should be, too. It’d be nice to have a clearer view of what your desires are for the future. It’d give us something to work around. I don’t know if you’ve given it any thought, but I’d be remiss not to ask.”

A large waterfowl descended from the sky, landing noisily just at the edge of the water. His attention was drawn away for a second. He was still looking at it when he answered.

“I’m not sure I understand, sir.” He found himself gripping the rock tighter.

He could only read the question as a probe, something to get caught on. But he didn’t get the sense of Levon trying to trick him. He couldn’t untangle it.

“Would you want to stay onboard Galatea after all this? Or do you want to be done with it? I can’t make any promises, but we’d take it into consideration during the ruling.”

Oh. Oh.

They don’t need you.

The realization hit with both relief and devastation. The devastation won out. He couldn’t stop himself.

“I can still operate,” he said. He had never once had to fear obsolescence. It was a brand new terror. “I’m not at full capacity anymore, but it’s still viable. If you wanted me to. Sir.”

His hands traced the collar unconsciously.

Levon had been standing with his hand on his hip, his head cocked to the side in a post that made him look younger than he was. Rebel heartthrob — he’d never forgotten how to act like it. As the offer, his posture dropped, his expression turning much more serious.

Delta flinched from the way his face fell, the minute shift of his shoulder. But the hit didn’t come, again.

“Delta,” he spoke calmly, but there was a sternness beneath it, “Do me a favor.”

“Yes, sir.” His fingers twitched. Anything.

“Don’t ever suggest that again.”

He shut down.

They didn’t want it. All his life he’d been indispensable and now they didn’t even want it. In that instant, the thousand discreet instances of indiscriminate killing came secondary to his desire to be needed.

Levon’s expression softened, his lips parting slightly as his eyes searched.

“Is that what you want?” he asked quietly. “To keep being a weapon?”

There was no good answer, no right one. To his horror, he realized his eyes had started watering again. What the fuck was wrong with him?

“Oh, oh, no,” Levon’s eyes widened in surprise, all his harshness leaving. “Okay. Easy.”

“Sorry.” He wiped at his eyes frantically. “I didn’t…mean to.”

Fuck.

“You’re alright. So, more time then?”

He hated to ask for it. He didn’t answer.

“Okay. More time,” Levon confirmed.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

It was his thousandth time hearing that. It never sank in. He’d never be sorry enough.

It was a somewhat awkward walk back to the house. Kitty hopped off the porch as they approached, making grabby hands. Delta took the one of them, letting her slide into place beside him. He appreciated the proximity. She glanced at his eyes, still a bit inflamed from crying, and leveraged herself in between him and Levon.

“Whaddya talk about?” she purred.

“The future,” Levon answered.

“Oh no.”

Delta pressed his forehead against her shoulder. He’d just woken up, but he was tired again. It was the kind of exhaustion sleep wouldn’t fix.

“I can extend the grace period if you really need it. Not by much, I’m afraid.” he cast a cautious look at Delta, “But you’d have more time to think it over.”

She moved up onto the porch. Delta hovered between her and the front door, unsure if he was being dismissed. Levon leaned against the railing at the bottom of the stairs, his hand returning to his hip.

“Really?” Her voice was bright, pleasantly surprised. “You’re gonna be able to hold up without me?”

“I know you’re still working,” he leveled.

She giggled in response, the edge of her tail flicking back and forth, “I thought you needed the help.”

“There is no overstating how much help we need.”

Delta still hovered by the door, overcome with the strangest feeling of loss. He felt like he was witnessing something alien, the way people spoke when they did not have daggers drawn.

Levon pulled off of the lawn. The engine’s cacophony broke up the quiet morning, then was gone just as quickly as it appeared.

“It was nice of him to drop off clothes,” Apollo managed, the picture of civility. Delta slid into the chair by the pass-through, leaning his arms against the counter. He flinched as Kitty passed behind him, interpreting any movement he could not see as a threat. She just hopped up on the counter, swinging her legs a little.

“What’d he say to you?” She asked, a bit of the levity gone but none of the gentleness.

Delta bit his nails; it was a worse habit than the hair-twirling, but his hair was too short to do that now. He shrugged.

“…Asked what I wanted to do.”

“Oh,” she paused, “What do you want?”

He shrugged again. It was disrespectful. He should’ve stopped. It was just hard to speak.

“Hadn’t thought about it,” he mumbled.

Because he hadn’t. He didn’t think it would matter, that anyone would even bother to ask.

He wanted to be useful, if he had to pick one. And he didn’t really want to kill again. Those two seemed at odds with one another.

~~~

…………

tags:

@catnykit @snakebites-and-ink @vivulapom @scoundrelwithboba @whatwhump

@pumpkin-spice-whump @deluxewhump @fuckass1000 @fuckcapitalismasshole @defire

@micechomper @writereleaserepeat @aloafofbreadwithanxiety @flowery-whump @littlebookworm69

@lordcatwich @human-123-person @paperprinxe @whomeidontknowthem

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sketch-shepherd-art · 1 year ago

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Soooo... I've occasionally seen this trend of taking RWBY screenshots and editing them to make them look more detailed. So my edgy ass tried it with this scene from V9e8 (my edit on left, original on right)

Tried to make Ruby's injuries somewhat consistent with where she was struck during this part, especially since her aura was broken

#rwby #my edit #blood tw #injuries tw #greenlight rwby volume 10 #greenlight volume 10 #greenlightvolume10 #whump #rwby whump #rwby volume 9 #ruby rose #rwby ruby rose #ruby rose rwby #rwby ruby

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jinxedruby · 1 year ago

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Ambush at the Bridge: Chapter Two

In which Wild has a bad time. (Heads up for violence and blood in this chapter.)

AO3

First part | Next part ->

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Wild breathed silently through his mouth, first two fingertips rested lightly against the bowstring. Four monsters lumbered past beneath him, unaware of his presence. He leaned forward slightly, the bark of the thick branch he sat on digging into his legs. He took a breath and drew the bow back, arrowhead following the lizalfos in the back of the group. He held his breath as he aimed, keeping his arms steady. He pulled his fingers back and the arrow flew, burying into the lizalfos’s skull. Before its body hit the ground, Wild nocked and let loose a second arrow, killing the next lizalfos. The remaining two whipped around, searching for their assailant. Wild put an arrow through the third lizalfos before the fourth finally spotted him. It screeched and dashed toward the tree, zig-zagging and making it harder for Wild to hit it. It stopped in place for a moment, readying to spit water at the hero. A moment was all he needed to steady his aim and hit the monster right between the eyes.

Wild exhaled as the monster fell, slumping back against the tree trunk. He shook the cramp out of his hand from holding the bow and looked around. Still no sign of the others. He had gotten separated almost as soon as the monsters ambushed them at the bridge. In hindsight, bouncing off the top of a bokoblin’s head with his shield to try and flank the monsters may not have been the best idea. In his defense, he didn’t know that bokoblins’ heads were like trampolines and would send him hurtling into the nearby woods. At least his display had led several of the monsters after him and away from the others. He’d managed to pick off quite a few from his position in the trees.

The sound of clashing metal grabbed his attention. He stood up, nimbly moving from branch to branch, trying to see where the sound came from. A flash of color moved in the distance. Wild headed toward it, hopping quietly to a different tree. He skirted around the trunk, holding a branch over his head for support. Swords clanged again and Four stumbled into view. The little hero leapt to the side, breathing hard as a massive spear whistled through the air where he’d been moments earlier. Wild scurried forward along the branch, trying to get a view of the monster Four was fighting. Four whipped his sword up just in time to block another blow, redirecting the spearhead to the ground beside him. Wild’s eyes widened at the size of the weapon as it was yanked back out of the dirt, clumps of grass uprooting from the motion. The spearhead alone was at least double Four’s height, if not more.

Four darted out of Wild’s view and Wild jumped to a nearby tree. Four had shifted so the monster was between him and Wild. Wild caught a flash of pink flesh and heard a low growl. He could just see the monster’s brown boots and most of the beast’s legs. But no matter where he moved in the tree, he couldn’t see the monster’s head. He glanced frantically at the ground. Probably too far to jump without hurting himself. He could use his paraglider but he needed his hands free to use his bow. He heard a loud thwack followed by a strangled shout from Four. Wild gritted his teeth. He fell into a crouch, hooked his legs around the branch and fell backwards. Hanging upside down from his knees around the branch, he got a full view of the fattest, ugliest moblin he’d ever seen. It was at least twice Time’s height and it absolutely dwarfed Four. Four, who lay flat on his back, blood streaming from his nose and looking dazedly up at the moblin as it raised its spear over its head. Wild yanked an arrow out of his quiver, nocked, and fired it in less than a second. The arrow slammed into the back of the moblin’s neck, sinking deep into its skin. But the monster didn’t fall. It slowly turned around, blue eyes fixing on Wild with a hunger he really didn’t like.

He fired another arrow but the creature brought up its shield, the arrow pinging harmlessly off of the metal. With a roar, the moblin charged, spear lowered and poised to skewer Wild. He grunted as he curled upwards, pulling himself out of the way just in time. He drew his bow as the monster rushed by, shooting its neck again. The moblin stumbled but didn’t fall. It turned, reaching up, fingers stretching for Wild. He darted out of the way, preparing to fire again. Then the moblin grabbed the branch he stood on and pulled, snapping it off the tree like a twig. Wild gasped as he plummeted, the ground quickly rising to meet him. But he still had his arrow ready. He drew back the string and it was as if time slowed. He fired an arrow into the moblin’s face, then another, and another, and another until the monster’s head resembled a pincushion. The ground abruptly met Wild’s back, pain flaring in his ribs. He bit his lip against the pain and drew another arrow, aiming up at the monster. It swayed in place for a moment, black blood dripping from the numerous arrow wounds. Then, with a groan like a falling tree, it tipped over backwards, crashing to the ground. Wild let out a breath, flopping onto his back. His whole body ached from the fall and his arm burned from firing so many arrows in quick succession.

“Cook!”

Wild rolled onto his side, looking up to see Four hurrying toward him, lips and chin coated with blood from his nose. Despite that, the little smith grinned widely as he approached, hand outstretched.

“That was something else!” he said as he helped Wild to his feet, voice sounding congested. “How many arrows was that? Ten? In two seconds?”

Wild half-grinned as he carefully got to his feet, prodding at his chest to make sure nothing was broken. “I guess adrenaline will do that to you.”

Four shook his head, laughing. “No way that was all adrenaline. Thanks for the save.”

“Anytime,” Wild responded. He glanced at Four’s bleeding nose. “Looks like you took quite the hit.”

Four gingerly touched his nose, wincing slightly. “Nothing a fairy can’t fix,” he said. “I don’t suppose you have any?”

Wild shook his head and Four sighed, wiping some of the blood away with his hand. “Well, we should find the others, anyway. Have you seen anyone?”

“No, not since the monsters attacked.”

“Great, neither have I.” Four sighed again, frowning as he tried to clean the blood from his hand. He turned and peered through some trees. “I think the bridge is back that way. Maybe some of us are still there.”

Wild nodded and he and Four set off in the direction Four indicated. They walked for a while, chatting idly as they passed by old trees and ferns that cluttered the forest floor. In the absence of monster noises and sounds of battle, everything seemed still and quiet. It was almost peaceful. Wild slowed, frowning as a strange feeling settled in his gut. Four paused, looking back at him.

“Cook?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”

Wild thought for a moment, looking around them. “It’s quiet,” he eventually said.

“Okay?”

“No, it’s just…” Wild pursed his lips, trying to place a finger on the unsettling feeling stirring in his chest. “There should be more sound. Animals, birds, leaves, but it’s…”

“Quiet,” Four finished, seeming to catch onto the strange air.

Leaves crunched.

Wild and Four whipped around, weapons drawn. They moved closer to each other on instinct, glancing into the trees where the sound had come from. Another crunch of leaves, a soft thud of a footstep. Wild narrowed his eyes, trying to make out any movement in the shade of the woods. More footsteps. A figure emerged from the shadows. Wild’s shoulders stiffened, grip tightening on his sword. Then he saw the dark green tunic and the gray fur wrapped around the figure’s shoulders. Wild sighed, letting the tip of his sword drop to the ground.

“It’s just you,” he breathed as Twilight stepped fully into the open. Twilight met his gaze, lips quirking upward. He walked towards them, brushing a stray leaf from his shoulder.

“Do you have a fairy? Our smith is…” Wild trailed off as he glanced at Four. Four stared at Twilight with wide eyes, sword still raised, knuckles white around the hilt.

“What’s wrong?” Wild asked. “It’s… it’s just the rancher.”

Four glanced at Wild out of the corner of his eye. “I don’t… I don’t kn-“

Silver flashed in Wild’s peripheral. He lunged to one side and Four dove to the other as a sword sliced the air between them. Twilight tsked, straightening up and turning to Wild with a cold gaze. Wild stiffened, eyes wide. Twilight lunged for him, sword gripped in both hands. Wild ducked under a swing and jumped back, fumbling to unhook the shield on his back. He barely managed to get the shield out in front of him before Twilight was on him again, attacking with all his might. His sword connected with Wild’s shield with a resounding crack, sending shockwaves through Wild’s arm. He stumbled back, gasping. Twilight gave him no time to recover, thrusting the sword toward Wild’s chest. Wild swung his shield out, parrying Twilight’s strike and throwing the rancher off balance.

“What are you doing?!” Wild cried in the brief moment it took Twilight to recover. Twilight didn’t answer. He planted a foot and darted around Wild, slashing at his side. Wild danced out of the way, the tip of the blade scraping his tunic. A shout from the side distracted Twilight from his next attack. He whipped around just in time to block Four’s strike, their swords crashing into each other. Twilight shoved against Four with his sword, pushing the smaller hero back. Four recovered quickly, staying low as he dodged Twilight’s attacks, searching for an opening. Wild watched in horror as his mentor and friend fought. Twilight spun and Four couldn’t dodge quite fast enough, blade grazing his arm. He clenched his teeth, ducking and diving forward. He swung his blade around, catching Twilight in the leg. Twilight hissed as blood soaked into his trousers, stumbling back. That snapped Wild out of his stupor enough to find his voice.

“W-wait!” he called to Four, running towards the two. “Don’t hurt him! I think he’s corrupted!”

“No, he’s not!” Four yelled, jumping out of the way of a heavy blow. “It’s not him!” He yanked out his boomerang, hurling it at Twilight. Twilight dodged it easily, forcing Four to duck as he swung again. The boomerang returned and clocked him in the back of the head. He stumbled forward with a grunt. Four darted around him, retrieving his boomerang and slicing Twilight at the same time. Twilight twisted his sword over the back of his head, blocking Four’s attack from behind. He spun out of the block, swinging in a vicious arc that Four barely managed to dodge. Four backpedaled so he was beside Wild, breathing hard.

“How do you know he’s not-“

“Look at his blood,” Four interrupted Wild, gesturing with his sword to Twilight’s wounded leg. The fluid soaking into his pant leg was a deep color, almost black. No, Wild realized, eyes widening. It is black.

“Infected?” Wild suggested. “Like the monsters?”

Four didn’t have time to respond as Twilight dashed toward them again. He aimed for Four, bringing his sword down at his head. Four jumped back, returning the attack with one of his own before Twilight forced him away again with another swing. Wild forced himself to shake off his shock, unsheathing his own sword and rushing at Twilight. Should he just hit him with the flat of his blade? Knock him back to his senses? He aimed to do just that, turning the sword in his hand and swinging the flat at Twilight’s head while he was distracted with Four. Then Twilight’s head turned, eyeing Wild over his shoulder. He leaned over, simultaneously dodging Wild’s attack and sending a kick into the champion’s stomach. The kick knocked the air out of Wild’s lungs and he stumbled back, gasping for breath. He heard Four grunt and looked up to see him locking blades with Twilight, the taller hero pressing down on Four with all his strength. Four’s arms shook badly, face scrunched up in effort as his back arched from the force above him. Wild dashed forward, swinging at Twilight’s head again. Twilight saw him coming, shoved Four away and dodged to the side. The tip of Wild’s sword nicked Twilight’s face, slicing into his cheek. Wild gasped, recoiling. He wasn’t trying to hurt him. He hadn’t meant to cut him.

“Champion!” Four shouted, as if sensing Wild’s inner turmoil. “It’s not him! It’s a shadow!”

Wild glanced at him. “W-what?”

“A shadow. A shapeshifter,” Four said quickly. “Looks like him but it’s not. Not even his body. We can hurt it.”

“How do you-“

“You’re just going to have to trust me!”

Twilight paused before them, glancing between them as if contemplating something. Wild studied him, watching as black blood oozed from the cut in his cheek, dripping down the side of his face. He held his sword in both hands, neglecting the shield on his back. Wild had never seen Twilight fight two-handed. Now that he really looked, even the way Twilight stood seemed wrong. He leaned his weight onto one foot, almost casual in his stance. He kept his shoulders rolled back, not hunched in the battle stance Wild was used to.

“Okay,” Wild finally said. “It’s not him.”

It was as if that was some kind of trigger. Twilight laughed, a cold, broken sound with more than one layer in the voice. Blackness crept from the edges of his eyes, blotting out the white and filling around the irises. Then his irises turned from blue to red. He launched forward. Wild had almost no time to react before the shadow was upon them, Wild and Four scrambling to move. Shadow Twilight’s sword whistled through the air, grazing Four’s shoulder and nicking Wild’s collar in the same swing. They both jumped away as the shadow bore down on them with blinding speed. Wild blocked one blow with his sword, Four going in for an attack while Shadow Twilight was occupied. But he swept a leg out, knocking Wild off his feet and freeing his sword to spin around at Four. He forced Four to dodge, the smith unable to get close enough to attack. His sword streaked through the air, meeting Four’s blade and knocking the little hero off balance. Shadow Twilight attacked again, and again, and again, hitting Four’s sword so hard that it caused his arms to buckle.

An arrow buried itself in Shadow Twilight’s shoulder. He grunted, stumbling and throwing a glance behind him at Wild as the champion prepared to fire another arrow. The shadow was forced away from Four who nearly fell to his knees, panting. Wild let loose arrow after arrow and the shadow dodged all of them, moving with impossible speed. Wild growled in frustration as he struggled to land a single hit. He reached back to his quiver for another arrow. His fingers hit empty air. The shadow smirked and darted toward him. Wild backpedaled, quickly swapping his bow for his shield, unable to grab his sword fast enough. He brought up his shield as Shadow Twilight reached him, bracing for the hit. But the shadow rolled to the side. Wild whipped around. He wasn’t fast enough. Pain lit in his back as the blade carved through his flesh, the shadow springing out of the roll and spinning. Wild cried out and stumbled forward, the deep cut burning. The shadow gave him no time to breathe, rushing him and attacking again. Wild held up his shield as Shadow Twilight whipped his sword around. The blade cracked against the shield, splitting it in half. The blow knocked Wild flat on his back, yelping as his wound hit the ground. Shadow Twilight appeared above him, sword raised as Wild scrabbled for his own weapon. At the same time, he heard hurried footsteps as Four sprinted over to them. Shadow Twilight drove his sword through Wild’s shoulder, pinning him to the ground.

Wild’s mind blanked. The shadow moved to yank the sword out but Four got there first. With a cry, the smith attacked, slashing wildly with his sword and forcing Shadow Twilight away from Wild. The shadow dodged everything Four threw at him. Wild turned his head to watch them, feeling strangely disconnected from the situation. His shoulder felt hot, really hot, so much so that it almost felt cold. He watched through a sort of fog as Four struggled to land a single blow on the shadow. He paused for a moment. Wild thought it was to catch his breath but then the smith raised his sword high. There was a flash of light and suddenly there were three additional smiths. They all charged forward, attacking Shadow Twilight from different angles, much more successfully than before. Their swords sliced into the shadow as he was penned in from all sides with nowhere to dodge to. At that point, Wild figured he must be hallucinating. He tried to sit up and that’s when the pain finally registered in his mind. A fire lit in the space between his shoulder and chest where the sword was embedded. Waves of boiling pain burst through his arm and torso. A scream tore itself from his throat, tears springing to his eyes. He raised his free hand to the sword but even just touching it caused the pain to increase tenfold. He barely registered a yell to his right. He rolled his head to the side to see the Four in a purple tunic had stabbed his sword through Shadow Twilight’s chest. The shadow looked down at the sword, swaying in place. He lifted his head and locked eyes with Wild. A grin twisted onto his face.

Then he melted.

His entire body turned black and dissolved into a pool on the ground, dripping off of the purple Four’s sword. The purple Four grimaced, flicking the fluid from his sword and backing away. The black puddle soaked into the ground and disappeared like it was never there in the first place. After a moment, all four smiths raised their swords. There was another flash of light and there stood only one smith again. He turned toward Wild. All the color drained from his face. He sprinted over, falling to his knees beside him. Wild didn’t even realize the sword in him had melted as well until Four pressed his hands against the wound. Lucidity slammed back into Wild as a fresh wave of pain seared through the wound. He yelped, grabbing Four’s wrist and trying to push him away.

“-ry, I’m sorry!” Four was saying, though Wild wasn’t sure why he didn’t hear all of it. Four’s voice was muffled, Wild’s heart thumping uncomfortably in his chest. “I have to stop the bleeding, I’m-“

All at once, Wild felt like he was going to throw up. He groaned, shutting his eyes and pressing his head back against the ground. His torso moved weirdly from side to side and- oh, Four was shaking him, wasn’t he? The smith said something but Wild couldn’t hear past the cotton in his ears. His neck felt wet, tickling as something trailed along his collarbone and pooled in the base of his throat.

“-elp! Capta-“ Wild caught a little bit of Four’s voice. Another pair of hands pressed against his wound and all he could do was whimper at the burning pain. Someone pushed his bangs out of his face. He opened his eyes to see who it was – at least, he thought he did – but the majority of his vision was overtaken by blackness, leaving only a fuzzy pinprick of light in the center. He registered silver and gold gleaming overhead, a shock of blue and green somewhere in his left peripheral. The hand remained resting against his forehead.

“Stay- me, Ch- c’mo-“ A deeper voice reached through the cotton. Wild felt tired and panicky at the same time, heart fluttering as his vision flickered. His head spun, stomach twisting and begging for him to vomit. The darkness grabbed hold and dragged him down.

#linked universe #linked universe fic #linked universe fanfic #lu wild #lu four #whump #ruby writes #wild shooting the lizalfos between the eyes: just like shootin womp rats eh kid?#literally no one is going to get that very specific reference #time to put it in anyway!

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hellowhoisthere · 1 year ago

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BEACON ACADEMY: FIRST CLASS

this was alternatively titled "When Two Birds and Dragon Walk Into a Rose"

Once the last students arrived at the edge of Beacon Academy’s property, the headmaster began his speech.

“I would like to begin with expectations.This class will be the first class to be initiated under my tenure, and I intend to have you be the best huntress and huntsman Beacon has to offer Remnant. The first step will be a test. You will have until dusk to enter the forest, locate one relic from the abandoned temple in the northern edge of the forest and return here to present your findings. This will not only be a test of your aura, your skills, but also your intentions as future huntsman and huntresses.

The headmaster took one long look at the two students who arrived last as he spoke of the meaning of being huntsmen and huntresses. One was a boy with a fringe over one eye, dressed in what looked like a jacket with attached fingerless gloves on the sleeves. The other was a girl with bright red streaks throughout her wild raven hair. The headmaster closed his speech with, “Now, get off my cliff”.

Some students did not hesitate and jumped from the cliff, one female student did so with a flourish of her white cape as she bid adieu to the other students. Others used their weapons or dust to shoot off the cliff. While others, one student, had to be pushed off by the headmaster. However, that wasn’t Taiyang’s fault.

He had been searching his pockets for something to help him rappel from the cliff. He did not have any rope in his pockets, but he did find something as he was falling to the whitewater of the waterfall. The sail of the hang glider caught the air just in time and flew Taiyang over the Emerald Forest allowing him to take in the view. It was not that Taiyang was lost, but the view was spectacular the longer he was in the air. There were trees, and more trees, and one tree with what looked like a guy standing on the branches.

That guy must be lost, and it is Taiyang’s duty as future huntsman to help out the unfortunate.

Taiyang folded the glider to drop himself on the branches below the other student. Taiyang started to climb up, but was stopped,

“It’s not a good idea.” the guy shouted while keeping his eyes on the landscape.

“You don’t have to worry about me, partner. I can climb this tree blindfolded, and you had a good idea getting a bird’s eye view from there.” Taiyang said as he continued his climb up the tree.

“I’m looking for my sister. She is my only partner.”

Taiyang reached the branch the other was on. “I’m already here, so might as well help. I’m Tai by the way, so how do you know where your sister is?”

“Where there is a fire, there is my sister.”

“That should be easy to spot then.” Taiyang swept over the forest from this height; it still looked like a bunch of trees, and the guy stubbornly kept his gaze from meeting Tai’s. “Your name is, or I’m gonna give you a nickname.”

“Listen, I’d think twice before teaming up with me. I’m not a good person to have around.”

“Listen Moody Fringe, I only have to think once about it.”

Qrow finally looked at Tai, sorta. Qrow had rolled his eyes at the nickname, but Tai could tell he was suppressing a smile as he did. “My name is Qrow.”

Then for an indeterminable reason the branch beneath their feet gave way.

A few miles away, Raven heard the sound of a tree falling in the forest and knew it to be her brother. She started in a straight line towards the sound by cutting away at anything in front of her.

“Hey! Watch where you’re swinging that thing!” Raven has cut into some flowers, at least she thought so as only a few petals floated in the air.

Then, a girl was next to Raven. Raven was certain the girl had not been there seconds before, but what caught her off guard was something else about her.

“You have silver eyes.”

“Yeah, and you have red eyes.”

“I’ve never met someone with silver eyes before,” Raven lied.

“Likewise. I mean, I’ve seen myself in mirrors, but I’ve never seen red eyes.”

“You’ve never been to Anima, I guess. Red eyes were common in my village.”

“Haven’t, but maybe someday” Summer shrugged shyly.

Raven almost told her that no one could visit the village, that she and Qrow were the only survivors.

However, a beowulf howl on wind broke up the conversation. Raven turned away from the conversation and kept going forward, and the girl followed.

“We are done talking, so why are you following me?” Raven turned with her sword, and once again the girl dodged with the use of her semblance. Teleporting just before the strike came into touch with her.

“Why do you keep trying to kill me? We are going to the same place, so why not go together. Since that beowulf didn’t sound too far from here”

“I’m moving away from the temple. If you can make it through the forest by yourself, you would be going that way.” Raven pointed in the opposite direction that she could feel Qrow’s aura now.

“Nice try, but I know the relics are east of here. Maybe I’m worried about you making it through the forest?”

“I’m the strongest one here, and I would take the advantage if I were you.”

“It isn’t a competition, and how sure are you about the strongest hmm?”

“Everything is a competition. To find who is worthy, who is strongest, and only the winners stay alive. That is why I need to find Qrow, because we are going to win this together. Take the head start, Petals.”

Raven drew her sword up faster than before. Bring the tip just below the girl's chin, and the girl didn’t flinch.

“Wow, Qrow? Is your name Lark then, because my name is Summer Rose not Petals. ”

“My name is Raven.”

Summer smiled like she won something, and used her semblance to dance around Raven to reappear behind her. “Then we better get going Raven if we are going to beat the grimm to the finish line.”

Raven had a feeling she would find Qrow fighting with a pack of beowulfs, but she was not expecting for him to have such bad luck as to be in the center of a horde.

“That is bad luck, but I think the four of us can handle it.” Summer said bring her weapon out from under her cape. It looked like a hunting rifle with an ax blade .

“The two of us can handle it. Stay here.” Raven flew towards the eye in the center of the horde where Qrow was sundering grimm with his sword.

“Get the hell outta here” Qrow growled once she was back to back with Qrow.

“That’s the welcome I get for coming to save your skin?”

“He was talking to me,” Another person appeared from the ashes of grimm. Knuckles studded with dust he was punching grimm outright. “You must be Raven. You can call me Tai. I’m your brother's new best friend.” Tai punched another grimm in flames with fire dust. Then, Tai said to Qrow, “I told you I wasn’t going anywhere.”

Raven smelled fresh flowers, because she actually heard Summer, and she heard her before she saw appear. “I can’t believe you just tried to ditch me.” She said as she cleaved a beowulf as soon as she was a solid person.

“It’s a real problem with them I’m guessing.” Tai said. “But now this is going to be a party.”

“A short lived one, if you two don’t focus.” The smile Qrow had when he saw Raven was back in a frown at the situation. This was his fault, and he knew it.

“We need to kill the alpha beowulf, and make a run for relics. We don’t have the time to take on this horde.” Summer chopped a beowulf.

“Sounds like a plan, but which one is the leader?”

‘The one with the loudest howl” Raven and Qrow said together as the howl rang out above the horde of growls and baying.

“That one! Help me get a clear shot.”

Summer reverted her ax into a hunting rifle. Raven switched the blade of her sword with one for a blade of wind dust that cleared a direct path to alpha beowulf with one heavy swing. Qrow took to extending the path Raven made for their getaway run and Tai kept the rear to keep any grimm from chasing them through the forest.

The four of them ran until they came to the end of the path to the temple.

Raven struggled to save face while the others freely caught their breath.

“See like I said the four of us could handle it.”

“I don’t consider running from grimm handling it.”

“No one died, so I consider it handled”

“Let’s just pick a relic and get back to school before sunset.” Qrow picking up one of the crystal figurines at random.

“There are only four left, so it looks like we are in last place.” Tai said, picking up a figurine.

“It's ruby red. My lucky color.” Summer Rose said with a smile at Raven.

“The luck here is that this wasn’t a competition.” Raven didn’t smile back, but repetition of Summer’s words didn’t go unnoticed by her.

At the cliffs the group was at a standstill as getting to the top of the sheer cliff face was going to present a problem.

“I can check my pockets for a hot air balloon,” Tai said, considering the cliff face.

“The only place with hot air is your head.” Qrow rolled his eyes at him.

“You have green dust, right?” Summer asked Raven.

“Even if I had enough, it's going to be a long climb.”

“I thought the strongest of us would have no problem with it,” Summer teased, “We will only need to get closer, then I should be able to take us up one by one from that ledge.”

It was a good plan, but Qrow had the bad habit of messing up even a good plan.

The first thing to go wrong was Qrow losing his relic to the abyss as he climbed to the ledge. The second wasn’t his fault, but he blamed himself for it anyways.

“How does your semblance work?” Qrow asked as Summer held out her hand to him.

“I don’t really know, but it will help if you close your eyes and not think about anything.”

“That shouldn't be a problem for him.” Raven snorted.

“It will be even less of a problem with her.” Qrow retorted. Raven glared in response, and Qrow would have stuck his tongue out at her if she hadn't disappeared in the next second.

It wasn’t Raven that left though, it was Qrow. Now standing next to the Headmaster without a relic.

“Oh what? No way? Must have lost it in the teleport.” Qrow lied.

The headmaster only hummed in response. Qrow didn’t know how to understand that, so he looked over the edge for his sister.

Below Tai and Raven were waiting for Summer to renew her energy as teleporting herself was no sweat on her aura, but teleportation with another person took more.

Then, a wild updraft came, nearly blowing them off the cliff, or maybe it did because Qrow lost sight of the three.

Next to Qrow though appeared a pile of petals. It was worse than the blossom season back home, but out though petals appeared everyone standing safe and sound.

Summer Rose was bright as she handed the headmaster her relic. It was a mission well done as no was hurt, and everyone brought back what they needed.

Then, the world went dim. As soon as Summer released the relic she fell over, and so did Raven and Taiyang.

“Hmmmm,” The headmaster said, looking at three unconscious students before pulling out his radio. “Please bring a bus to the orientation site. Also, let my secretary know I thought of new rules for the orientation next year.”

When the world came back into color it was white. Actually off-white, or more like a very very pale green. Summer could faintly hear the muffled cheering from somewhere.

“It is the orientation ceremony, it sounds like the whole school is there.”

“I think passing out during the first exam means we didn’t make it.”

Raven and Tai were in cots on either side of her, and Summer came to with her last memory.

“I’m sorry, I took too much on, and I brought you down with me.”

“Are you hungry? Food always helps me feel better when my aura gets depleted.” Taiyang’s voice was so soft with concern as he held a footlong sub sandwich to Summer.

Summer was so hungry, but-

“Where did you get that?” Raven asked for both of them.

“It’s my semblance. I can basically fit anything into a box, so it came from my pocket. My semblance keeps things preserved as the day I stored it. Want some?”

“Sounds like a fair enough explanation to me. You don’t have to ask me thrice.” Summer took half of the offered sandwich.

“I can’t believe you’re eating that” Raven said. Eventhough she had no place to judge with the food she had to eat when there was nothing else.

“Don’t have the strongest stomach?” Summer said to her, and then to Tai, “Do you have any cookies? I think if I’m about to be kicked out of school before the first day, a cookie will make it all better.”

Tai nodded with understanding as he checked every pocket of his attire which consisted of cargo pants and fishing vest.

Meanwhile in the auditorium Qrow watched as everyone was either called to join a team or cheered to welcome the new students.

Qrow didn’t cheer, he didn’t move at all for the entirety of the ceremony.Qrow was too busy falling into despair as each student was called. He had hoped that he would finally find a place in the world. A place to belong, be accepted, just for a little while.

Qrow didn’t wipe his tears, because he wasn’t crying in the vacant auditorium after it was clear that he failed acceptance to Beacon Academy. He would get up, find Raven, and leave this place behind him… as soon as he could get up.

However, Qrow was found first by Headmaster Ozpin.

“We’ll be leaving soon enough, can’t even stay the night?” Qrow cleared his throat.

“It's a pity as I had high hopes for you and your team.”

“My team?”

“You may not be the leader, but it will be your team nonetheless. If you would please follow me, I’ll introduce you to-”

The headmaster fell over as Qrow followed him.

“That is an interesting semblance you have.” The headmaster said, straightening himself and continued walking.

“Are you blaming me for you falling over?” Qrow blamed himself too.

“You will be able to learn to trigger the probability field, but I suspect your semblance is passive to a degree.”

“I got shit luck that is all.” Qrow grumbled.

“I may not have the semblance of divination, but I do have a hunch. Do you not see the effect you have on your surroundings, the people, or grimm around you.”

Qrow stalled as his whole life realigned itself with this information. There was no hope for Qrow after all.

“I’m a bad luck charm to my very soul?”

“Not the way I would define it, but a stroke of good luck may be just beginning for you.”

The headmaster said as he opened the infirmity to find three students on one cot with a stack of cookies between their teeth for each of them.

Headmaster Opzin could not laugh now matter how much Ozpin wanted too, so he hummed a non-response. As he watched Summer Rose swallow the cookies whole, he knew he made the right choice. He has high hopes for these huntsmen.

Ozpin announced the team in a similar introduction from the orientation ceremony. “You will be Team STRQ (stark). Led by Summer Rose. I look forward to seeing you all in class tomorrow.”

Headmaster Opzin exited stage left after his announcement that shook Summer’s world entirely. She arrived at Beacon yesterday, with only the hope of passing orientation, had lost that hope in a low aura incident, and now was team leader.

Taiyang was happy to be at Beacon Academy of course, but had resigned himself to be unlicensed huntsman, or maybe take up teaching just one cookie stack ago. Now he broke the silence of his teammates, “This calls for cake! Give me a second. I have one in case of celebration.”

The Brawnwen siblings did not process their feelings from the day until they were alone with each other. Once on the roof of their new dorm they passed a flask between them. Together they allowed the reality of today’s events to set in as they watched the stars over Beacon’s campus and Vale beyond that.

Raven was tasked with learning how to be a huntress, so she could defeat other huntsmen. After two near failures in one day, she doubted her ability to make the next four years. Especially, with the teammates she had been given.

“Thinking about how you’re on a team with your favorite fairytale?” Qrow said, because growing up the only survivors and living in the tribe together gave Qrow the talent to read her mind.

“At least we won’t have to worry about them figuring us out.”

“Didn’t answer my question. Do you remember the guy from Kutanashi with the silver eyes?

Raven would never forget her first solo mission for the tribe. “He was strong, but no match for us.” Raven had been amazed by meeting a true silver eyed warrior, he had fought like one too, but she didn’t allow it to deter her from her mission. In the same way she wouldn’t let Summer Rose distract her now.

“Do you ever wonder who paid us to cut his eyes out?”

“Not our place.” Raven said automatically, but one day she would be one to have knowledge in the tribe. One day four years from now.

“Think about it, though. If it wasn't for that, we wouldn’t be here. After that the tribe said the only ones that could stop us are the huntsmen, so now we are here learning to be huntsmen. Because whoever that was, we get to do this normal thing.”

Everyday for the next four years Qrow wouldn’t need to prove his strength to be accepted, be fearful of falling behind, or forced to raid to survive. He would have friends, his sister, and a chance at a new life for himself.

Maybe the headmaster was right. This was only the beginning of Qrow’s good luck.

Raven and Qrow both a final swig of the flask to the same pledge,

“Until graduation.”

~~~~

@shiny-good-rock

@remnants-of-rwby-exchange

#remnants of rwby: fanworks exchange #team strq #rwby strq #i really headcanon Summer's semblance as cross between Ruby's and Blake's but teleport worked better here.#Also please imagine Raven and Qrow with the classic Scene/Emo kid look from the mid 2000s #i hope to have fulfilled your request for some summer/raven and this was all just emotional whump for qrow and overall silly strq

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stitchthelilo · 1 year ago

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me after getting the idea to write whump of ruby where she dies when she hasn’t even been a companion for a full season yet. look guys it isn’t just unnecessary angst.. it has a reason! in the trailer carla (ruby’s mum) said to keep ruby safe so she is NOT MAKING IT OUT ALIVE

can you guys tell i love the new season

#doctor who #dr who #ruby sunday #clara sunday #writing idea #idea #fanfiction #fanfic writing #fic idea #whump #angst #new who #nuwho #maybe i’m just crazy though #idk

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thesilverseekerao3 · 7 months ago

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#whumptober2024 #fanfiction #rwby #rwby volume 9 #ruby rose #no.13 #team as family #no.26 #nightmares #emotional hurt/comfort #emotional whump #ruby has ptsd #WBY help

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universeeverything42 · 1 year ago

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I wish Ruby's silver eyes got this treatment.

best trope is the one where the character’s godlike power is also killing them btw. they don’t even lift a hand to kill the monster but now they’re delirious with fever. they save a friend’s life and said friend immediately finds them emergency medical care. they raze the enemy to nothing and it takes far too long to find their pulse with all the bruising. their friends just constantly having to patch them up and worrying over which feat will be their last. et cetera

#rwby #ruby rose #whump

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the-whumpening · 1 year ago

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consider: whumpee who gets sent to a robot factory, forcefully converted into a cyborg, and then sold like any other robot, with no one but the whumpee aware that theyre actually human

Oh man, anon, you are a non after my own heart <3 I’ve been thinking about robo-whump lately, so this is a perfect excuse to play around with it! (Sidenote: I’ve had Fallout on the brain recently as well, and this gives me so many ideas for Vault-Tec and synth fics. Vault-Tec is just rife with whump potential)

Also, please know that it took all my restraint to not turn whumpee into like a coffee maker or something lol

—————————————————————

CW: robot whumpee, dehumanization, brief references to gore maybe?

—————————————————————

“We just got this one today—fresh from the factory!”

Whumpee’s eyes fluttered open. Or at least, they wanted to. They were awake, but their eyes seemed fused shut. Did they forget their eye drops again?

“Can we get a demo before we buy it? I wanna see it in action first.”

Neither of these voices seemed familiar. Who the hell—I didn’t leave the door unlocked, did I?

A surge of electricity crackled up their spine, but they couldn’t scream. Their mouth, too, refused to budge. A screen flickered to life, and with it, their vision returned.

Bright—too bright—brightness everywhere. It burned their . . . eyes? Not eyes. More like their optic nerve was set ablaze, bypassing the eyes altogether.

Faint memories tugged at the edges of their consciousness. It had been this bright before. Before they went to sleep. Before they woke up here. But where were they before that? All they can seem to recall is an assortment of sensations: the blinding light, the overwhelming stench of copper and steel, the ripping and tearing of flesh. Their own howls of pain, before they suddenly couldn’t scream anymore.

It took a few painful moments before they could process the blur of light and colors. A man—no, two men. One with a blue polo and a yellow name tag. One in a gray suit.

They were looking at Whumpee expectantly.

“Isn’t it supposed to . . . do something?” Gray suit asked.

Blue polo fiddled with device in his hand, and another sickening crack of electricity yanked Whumpee’s body into motion against their will.

Hey! They tried to cry out. What’s going on?!

Whumpee stepped down from their platform onto the sales floor. Their knees bent, lowering them down to the grubby multicolored carpet. Usually, this low-pile, high-traffic stuff rubbed their skin all wrong, leaving angry red rashes on their shins. But now . . . they couldn’t feel it at all. In fact, they couldn’t remember what that scrape felt like anymore, or when they’d experienced it. Their body settled into a respectful kneel, the only sensation a tugging pain throughout their muscles.

Their head tilted up to face their future owner.

“Hello, Master,” a synthesized voice piped out. Not Whumpee’s voice, not from their throat. They weren’t even sure they could feel their throat anymore; otherwise, they were sure it’d be raw from screams and thick with tears. “How may I serve you?”

#yes it's best buy #ruby replies #anon ask #whumpblr #whump writing #whump #writeblr #whump community #rublewriting #robot whumpee

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catsconflictscopicsandchamomile · 3 months ago

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everyone else's* spn Aliveboy!Dean content: He's alive he's happy he's soft, of course he rescued Cas right away and they're happy and living in a farmhouse together and Sam & Eileen live down the road and Jack comes to visit and they all just went to their first Pride parade

mine: The Rebar(tm) was super magic (either bc it was cursed on its own or because Dean HAS OBVIOUSLY BEEN A DEMON SINCE S10 and is weak to cold iron) so while Dean didn't die, he was paralyzed and in unbearable pain, forced watch helplessly from within his own dead(?) body as Something killed Sam, and now Dean is free but he's totally alone, and The World Is Ending as usual and he's trying to stop it on his own, but the cursed wound from the rebar NEVER HEALED, its such ancient magic that there's no record anywhere of a cure, so its slowly burning Dean alive from the heart outwards and also The Bad Guys can use it to control him. Part of the rebar is likely still jammed into Dean's heart. He's been on the run nonstop since just after 15x20, the bunker was found and destroyed by monsters, he has nowhere to go. He's alone and living out of motel rooms and safehouses just like when spn started, but this time he's lost everyone he ever loved and has a magical glowing, burning magical wound that will burn through his shirts if he doesn't wear thick bandages around his chest and back, the only reason he isnt burned to cinders or mind-controlled is because of the magic he's had to teach himself to hunt without Sam and Cas and to slow the curse's spread at least a little, he's always feverish, walking is agony but he's hunting anyway, going back to his cheap motel room and coughing up heaps of white-hot embers, blood and burnt flesh, and drinking/drugging himself to sleep every night unless he passes out from pain first.

#to be clear he has tried to save Sam. and then save Cas. and then tried to save Sam again. and then Cas again #4/4 failures #Jack was doing FINE until trying to help Dean got him Worse Than Dead #Ruby eventually freed (part of)Sam and Cas is recently free/alive for Unknown Reasons That Feel Ominous #Ruby is still dead to be clear. Someone summoned her to help free Sam.#she went back to wherever she was afterwards #hey can yall tell I have a currently untreated chronic pain condition #fun game: count all the chronic illness/mental health/closeted queerness metaphors in this post #supernatural #supernatural finale #spn 15x20 #rusty nail #dean winchester #emeto tw #chronic illness #body horrow cw #angst #whump #spn whump #spn hcs #alcohol tw #alcoholism tw #alcohol cw #alcoholism cw #substance abuse mention #vent fic #for clarification im not using substances to deal w my chronic pain #unless ibuprofen and herbal tea counts lmao

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doggonewhumper · 1 year ago

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Reyna

(some worldbuilding i need to get down in text)

Reyna was sick for most of her life- as long as she could remember. Her body would ache so badly that she couldn't move, her head would feel like it was being crushed by tons of stone, and her throat would burn from coughing. She tried to ignore the pain, to live normally, but inevitably, a worse pain would wash over her, knocking her down and leaving her bedridden once again.

Her brother, Roman, did everything he could for her. Without parents to rely on, he had to find her doctors himself. They traveled from village to village, Roman picking up every job available, to see the so-called "best" doctors in town. They were all either stumped, or fakes, sending Reyna home with orders of bedrest or potions that wouldn't work. Reyna was sick of seeing doctors, but her brother had one more trick up his sleeve.

Roman spent every last coin he and Reyna had to send a letter to the castle, asking if Reyna could see the king and queen's doctor. Healer Ruby was renowned for healing every ailment that came to the royal family, whether it was a simple cough or a deadly plague. If anyone could heal Reyna, it was her. Roman didn't actually expect an answer back, but he wanted to try everything, even if it was impossible.

Then a letter from the castle came back.

The siblings read it together, sitting on Reyna's bed. Roman slowly unfolded the crisp paper, eyes immediately scanning the message.

"They said yes!?" Reyna gasped. Roman laughed, nodding.

"Yes! All I have to do is work in the castle! I'll be a knight, and you'll be healthy. It's a win-win." Reyna frowned. She hadn't known Roman wanted to be a knight. What other dreams had he set aside to take care of her?

Roman was a spectacular knight, as they both expected, and Reyna turned out to be a spectacular patient. The first day she saw Healer Ruby, she was bedridden from the long journey to the castle. The healer checked her heart, and her breathing, and her eyes. She asked Reyna about her symptoms. It was all awfully familiar to Reyna, but she didn't take out her frustration on the healer. Then the woman clapped her hands, startling the girl.

"I think I've figured out what's wrong. It's not uncommon, this ailment, but it's almost never diagnosed. Most people with this illness don't want to see a doctor."

"Why not?" Reyna asked. She wanted to know everything there was to know about her condition.

"Because what you have is called 'magical consumption.' It's when a powerful mage doesn't use their magic for a long time. The treatment is-"

"A powerful mage!?" Reyna hissed. Was this lady crazy? "I can't be a mage! I've never had magic. Besides, if I did have magic, I would've been killed long ago. How can you be sosure of this?"

"I'm sure because I see it all the time, in prisoners of the castle. All of the mages that are captured and sent here eventually fall ill with the same symptoms. Not one of them has lasted an entire year in captivity," the healer responded. Reyna only grew more perplexed.

"I've had this my whole life, though. Why didn't it kill me within a year?" Why do I get to live?

"You have a special type of magic, one I am deeply familiar with. You're a healer, Reyna. Your magic is simultaneously hurting and healing you. That's why you get better and worse. Don't worry, I won't tell."

"Because you have healing magic too! What'll you do if the king finds out? He hates mages!" Healer Ruby shook her head, smiling at the younger woman.

"I'll never be found out, because the king will always pretend he doesn't know. My knowledge of illness and injury is unmatched, even among magical healers. He would be a fool to get rid of me, and he knows it."

"One more question then," Reyna requested, growing less fearful and more confident by the second. The healer nodded, waiting. "Will you teach me to be a great healer too?"

"Of course!"

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