Screams in the Clocktower
Original idea from Monsterhuntergod; Thank you to Uzumaki Ricky, Traines, and Sharad the hedgehog for being there to write and have fun with.
We don't own any characters, save the OCs: All Content goes to its proper owners.
The City of Vale had stood as a beacon civilization and security in a sea of Grimm and death for centuries. Its towering walls, legions of security forces, and the home of Beacon Huntsman Academy had secured its people's safety few others in the world had. Due to that security, many phases of expansion and new development had hit the city. This had created a sprawling metropolis, though not a unified one. A kaleidoscope of styles and influences had now stood the test of time, though not all had been able to survive.
One such style was the post-Great War style. Influenced by the sheer amount of death and destruction of the titanic global conflict, it was one of vaults, columns, and pillars, all working to reach for the sky. As the builders of that era put it, "To escape the world that we have scarred and soiled with our folly." However, it was also a crushing, depressing style, typically using dark stone and facades that sucked the life out of a person with a mere glance upon it. Over time, as the generations dragged on, such buildings were abandoned and left to crumble apart. Few examples of it remained, as if it were an unspoken vow to let that part of the past be forgotten.
There was, however, still one prominent example of this style left in the city. Known only as the Clocktower, it stood taller than even the newest skyscrapers in the old part of town, relatively close to Beacon. A tower of dark marble, ancient dark steel, and pale pains of colored glass. Unlike the other structures of that period, construction took several generations, employing entire clans of craftsmen in its construction. Although even that amount of work failed to keep it from being abandoned. Yet, unlike the others, it was never torn down. And no one had a good answer for it.
One night, when the full harvest moon let its pale and dread-fueled glow down on the world, a small group headed towards this monument of a darker time to see just what the reason was. At its front was a small black and white corgi sniffing the ground eagerly, dragging a red caped girl behind him. Following in kind was the remaining part of this merry little crew, consisting of a tall female golden brawler, a tall blue-haired samurai, and a massive, ax-wielding blacksmith.
"Ruby, I know you're a curious little soul, but why did you pick the night that's a full moon to go to this place?" Yang asked her sister with a frustrated groan.
"First of all, I'm not little. I'm normal sized. You three are just giants." Ruby told her sister with a glare.
"Not my fault you didn't eat your Wheat Poppers as a kid." Yang said, rolling her eyes at her sister.
"Ew, no. That stuff tastes like wet cardboard." Ruby gagged.
"Azura, you're the one who normally handles little kid logic, I tag you in." Yang groaned, already done with her sister's nonsense tonight.
The blue-haired samurai cleared his throat. "Ruby, it is important to eat healthily if you want to physically develop properly. Even if it tastes bad. You would potentially be as tall as Blake if you had eaten better during puberty." Azura explained.
This got a huff out of the Red Reaper. "To answer the question that doesn't give you an excuse to call me short in flowery language, I just learnt about this place. Besides, Team JNPR are out of town on a mission and Weiss and Blake are on a double date with Neptune and Sun." Ruby explained.
"Not to mention that Ember was too afraid to come, and Rena doesn't believe in ghosts." Azura added, shaking his head in disappointment.
"Well, at least Zhan came along. We have to balance your two's enthusiasm somehow." Yang sighed, nudging in the direction of the massive blacksmith.
"Who even decided this place was haunted anyways? Just because it's old, dusty, and crusty like someone's grandma doesn't mean it's haunted. If that's the case, my grandma was a bloody poltergeist when she reached 100." Zhan said with a roll of his eyes and crossing of his arms.
"There have been mysterious disappearances in this area. People vanishing without a trace with no signs of them in their homes. And this place was the last place they were seen." Azura explained, an enthusiastic smile on his face.
"Boss, we already beat up a famous serial killer. I highly doubt there's more than one skulking about in the back alleys of Vale." Zhan replied, which got an immediate response from Azura.
"Who said anything about a serial killer? There were no signs of a struggle, blood, or any kind of forensic evidence at the scenes. It was as if the victims just… vanished into thin air." Azura explained, a contemplative look on his face.
"It's probably just a flophouse for street rats or dispossessed Faunus." Yang quipped, choosing to go with the most logical deduction possible.
"Come on, Yang. Where's your sense of wonder and adventure?" Ruby complained, pouting at her sister raining on their parade.
"It died at summer camp." Yang shot back.
"Along with any attempts to make a proper lady out of you, apparently…" Azura muttered in irritation.
"What was that, Azu? I didn't quite catch that…" Yang replied, a sickeningly sweet tone to her voice and her eyes flashing red.
"Nothing…" Azura answered with a gulp.
"That's what I thought." Yang said with a smile of victory.
"Okay, Yang. What if there's a Grimm in there? You mean to tell me you're afraid of fighting a Grimm in there?" Ruby asked with a condescending tone.
"Agreed. I would not have thought that the mighty sun dragon would be afraid of a little Grimm." Azura added teasingly.
"Gonna take that one lying down?" Zhan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Whose side are you on, Zhan?" Yang quipped.
"My own side because no one's my side." Zhan answered, his gaze taking on a far-off look.
Azura rolled his eyes. "How about we just check this place out? After all, what harm could it do?" He replied annoyed.
"ONWARD, NOBLE ZWEI! TO VICTORY!" Ruby howled in joy, rushing off ahead with Zwei.
"Wait for me!" Azura replied cheerfully, rushing off behind them.
With a heavy sigh, Zhan and Yang took up the rear as they followed them up the winding path. Approaching it, they began to see the wear and tear that time had put upon the mighty structure. Stone began to crack and break, windows busted open, and steel began to succumb to the rot of rust. A small breeze tickled at them as they approached, as if questioning them in their decision tonight. Yet their first obstacle lay before them. The front door, an old ornate one with thick, forged swirling metal, was chained shut.
"Off to a great start." Zhan said, motioning to the chains and locks on the door.
Dropping into a low stance with his hand on the hilt of one of his three swords, Azura slashed with the blade several times in an instant. Slowly, he resheathed the blade until the hilt hit the scabbard with a click. At that moment, much to the shock of the others, the chains were cut apart into pieces and fell off the door, clanging to the ground.
"There's a broken window like five feet from here." Yang said, pointing to said window to their right.
"I know. But I love doing that." Azura replied with a smile.
"Let's get in there, team!" Ruby yelled, opening the door, and practically leaping through.
Following the enthusiastic reaper inside, they could quickly confirm that the place was abandoned. Boxes, tools, and other items lay on the concrete floor haphazardly. Random streams of moonlight from holes in the wall, revealing the thick coating of dust on the entire room. Several hallways and staircases led to other regions of the clocktower, likely in a long distant time for its maintenance and operation. It did not look as if anyone touched it for decades. Which only got Ruby and Azura all the more curious.
"Right. Now to split up and figure out what's going on here." Ruby chipperly said, pulling out a pencil and notepad.
"Okay, no. I am immediately vetoing that." Azura sternly told her.
"Why not?" Ruby asked in a huff.
"Does no one here but me watch horror movies? Horror Movie 101: You NEVER separate." Azura complained in frustration.
"Wait… you watch horror movies?" Zhan asked in surprise.
"Yes. Is there something wrong with that?" Azura asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing's wrong, boss. I just didn't think you were that big of a nerd." Zhan answered with a quip only to get a punch in the gut that knocked the breath out of him.
"Could a nerd do that?" Azura asked smugly.
"I think we lost track of the point…" Zhan groaned out in pain, putting his hand on his stomach.
"If you two are done bromancing, we need to decide what we're gonna do here." Yang replied, rolling her eyes.
"Figure out what's making people disappear. Duh!" Ruby answered her sister.
"Watch it, Rubes." Yang replied sternly.
"That's why we brought Zwei! To sniff out the ruffians so we can get them… wait, where did he go?" Ruby asked, looking around for him. "OH NO! THE GHOST GOT ZWEI!!"
"Ruby, calm down. He probably just ran ahead. You two should really put a leash or a bell on that dog." Azura replied, trying to calm his friend.
"We tried that already." Yang said that.
"¡¡¡VIVA LA PERRITO!!!" Ruby exclaimed, raising her fist in the air.
"Yang, you need to get your sister to lay off the Southern Vacuan soap operas." Zhan said, cleaning out his ear to check for hearing loss.
"How dare you, sir!? That is our favorite pastime!" Yang exclaimed indignantly.
"Don't worry, Zwei! Momma's coming!" Ruby yelled, running down the nearest hall after her puppy.
"I'll go get her." Zhan groaned, jogging after her.
"What did I say!? No separating!" Azura called out in frustration.
"That train's already left the station, Big Blue." Yang answered him, rolling her eyes.
Azura sighed in frustration. "Great. I wonder how Weiss and Blake's evening is going…?" he asked, exasperated by the others not listening to him.
Meanwhile: At a Ramen shop in Downtown Vale
Weiss sighed in frustration as she, Neptune, Sun, and Blake attempted to have a dignified meal together. Well, she and Neptune tried. Blake was trying to shove a massive tuna down her gullet as Sun cheered her on.
"Go, Blake! You can do it!" The monkey-tailed Faunus called out, encouraging his date.
"You know, when you said you were going to treat me, Neptune, I was expecting a bit more… Pizazz?" Weiss said with a roll of her eyes.
Neptune finished his current spoon of noodles with a satisfied slurp. "C'mon, Angel, this is the best noodle shop in town." the goggle wearing boy said with a smile. "Besides, this was all I could afford." He added with a slightly apologetic look.
Weiss rolled her eyes but smiled a bit. "They are fairly good. I wonder what kind of spices they use." She replied, eating her own noodles with chopsticks in as dignified a manner as she could.
As they talked, Blake gave Sun a look that screamed, 'You just gonna sit there? Help me!" as she continued to try and scarf down the titanic fish.
"I'm on it, hot stuff!" Sun replied, coming over and trying to help Blake stuff the massive tuna down her throat.
"W-Would any of you require anything else at this time?" the cashier asked, rightfully shocked at what was going on.
"Another round of noodles would be nice, please. This time, I'll pay." Weiss offered, wanting to be nice to her date.
"Hey, hey. This is me spoiling you, so you do nothing." Neptune said, gently grasping Weiss's hand as she went to reach for her wallet.
Weiss gave a playful smile. "It seems that you spending time with Azura really has been a good thing." she remarked, taking her hand away from her expensive purse.
"Azura? No, I got it from Morgan. Real lady killer, that guy." Neptune said, as he reached for his own wallet and began to pay for another round of noodles.
"Speaking of Azura, I wonder what he and the others are doing…?" Sun replied as he finished helping Blake stuff the fish down her gullet and began pulling out the now bare skeleton.
Meanwhile: In the Attic of the Clocktower
Zwei sniffed his way up a spiral staircase. Even if he had to hop up each step due to his short legs, the dog did not mind it. He was hot on the trail of something. Reaching the top, he noticed the door was open with just a crack. Pushing it aside with his snout, he waddled his way into the room. From his perspective, the room was massive, illuminated by many windows allowing moonlight to come in. Sniffing about again, he weaved and ducked among the boxes and old furniture that cluttered the room, occasionally having to stop and sneeze from the dust. Each step leaving a pawprint in the dust, as if he had just stepped in a fresh snowfall.
He soon reached the middle of the room, a crossroads in the clutter maze now lay before him, branching out in every direction. It was then he heard something fall on the far side of the room, clattering and crashing lightly. His ears picked up where it was immediately and ran through the maze with newfound surety. Yet when he arrived, there was nothing to be seen, save for some metal plates on the floor. As he went to sniff at them, a cool breeze began to come into the room, and his vision was blocked by large curtains. Running away from the window, in the moonlight barely let in, Zwei saw what he thought for a moment was a human.
The puppy cocked his head to the side in confusion. It was not there when he looked again. And there was not the scent of a human in the room. Well, one that was fresh, anyway. As his canine mind began to try and figure out what was going on here, he heard distant echoes of noise coming from an odd place. It was not the staircase where he came from. It was from some other hole. He followed the noise to an odd gaping hole in the wall, with a box inside. Curious about this new box, Zwei got a running start and leapt in. To his surprise when he landed, there were far more fresh scents of all kinds.
It did not take long, however, for sliding doors on the box to close, consuming Zwei in darkness. He barked fiercely and tried to paw at the doors. Yet, when he did that, he felt the box begin to move. It was like the weird moving box at the place his humans mailed him to, but smaller. Regardless, Zwei was stuck in his dark moving box, waiting to see just where he would end up next.
Meanwhile: With Ruby and Zhan
"ZWEI!! WHERE ARE YOU BOY!!!" Ruby yelled through the hall, frantically looking for the puppy.
"Yes, let's make the dog deaf while we are at it." Zhan groaned, already starting to get a headache from Ruby's antics.
"Hmph, it seems you've never owned a dog before!" Ruby said with indignation.
"If this is what owning a dog is like, I'll pass." Zhan answered rolled his eyes.
"I hope the ghost didn't get him. And, if not for the ghost, this place is falling apart. He could easily be turned into a pupcake." Ruby said with worry.
As Ruby walked in worry, it left her not paying as much attention to her surroundings. As she stepped down near a rope, she heard a small click from the part of the floor she stepped on. Then in the blink of her eye, she felt a knot tighten around her left ankle, and swiftly hoisted up. Before Zhan knew it, Ruby was now hanging from the ceiling upside down like a carcass of a deer after being shot by hunters, holding her skirt to keep Zhan from seeing.
"Now how did you get yourself like that?" Zhan asked in confusion.
"How should I know? Just cut me down!" Ruby called out, trying to keep her skirt covering her underwear.
With a shrug, Zhan took his ax off his back. It soon folded out into its battle state with several clicks and whirs of its mechanisms. Steadying himself, he made a simple, small swing. Effortlessly the rope was cut, and Ruby fell to the floor with a light thud.
"You alright?" Zhan asked.
"I'm fine… just gimme a minute…" Ruby groaned a bit, rubbing her head as she got to her feet and dusted herself off.
"I didn't know ghosts liked snare traps." Zhan said, inspecting where the trap was.
"They don't. Somebody put it here. But who…?" Ruby asked, adopting a thinking pose.
"Maybe that serial killer has some copycats?" Zhan asked.
Ruby shook her head. "No, snare traps aren't the Ripper's style. Too basic and unimaginative, not to mention not intimate enough and too messy." She remarked, thinking deeper.
"Well, let's keep our eyes peeled…" Zhan said, before he was cut off.
As Zhan stepped forward in front of Ruby, his leg broke a tripwire. Before he could react, a large wrench on another rope came down and smacked him in the face. Catching the large blacksmith by surprise, he stumbled and soon fell amongst a bunch of boxes. As his face stung and was covered in dust, he soon heard a snicker coming from Ruby.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Zhan groaned.
"Sorry. I'm just glad I'm not the only one falling for these old tricks." Ruby giggled.
"Let's just find that pup already. He's already more trouble than he's worth in bringing him here." Zhan grumbled as he pulled himself out of the boxes.
"How dare…!" Ruby growled in anger.
With that, the two made their way further down the hall. Soon they reached a flight of stairs heading up further into the clocktower. However, as they made their way, if they had not fallen for the traps, the Huntsmen-in-Training would have noticed a presence behind them. A presence that then began to follow them.
Meanwhile: With Yang and Azura
As the unlikely duo fumbled their way up the clocktower, Yang and Azura kept to the ground floor. Searching rooms and hallways in the maze they found themselves in, they did not really find any evidence of people being there. That was until Yang tripped a thread tripwire and was soon covered in a large fishnet. Yang tried to struggle, and while she did start to tear it, it soon began to get tangled in her long golden locks.
"Yang? What happened?" Azura asked as he turned around to see the strange sight before him.
"What does it look like? Someone laid a trap." Yang said in exasperation, trying to get the net fully off her.
"Quit struggling. I'll get it out." Azura said, pulling his wakizashi off his belt.
"Watch the hair!" Yang shrieked.
"I will if you stop moving, woman! If you thrash about like a fish, I can't!" Azura yelled back, grabbing Yang by the shoulder to hold her still.
For the two of them, it lasted longer than either of them would have liked. By the time they were done, Yang was in a huff as Azura let out a deep sigh. However, as Azura dusted himself off and put away his smaller sword, Yang noticed something down the hall. It was faint and darkly colored, but peeking from a corner was… a man's head…
"Azura! Someone's down the hall!" Yang yelled, rushing at them, to which what she saw immediately ducked behind the corner. "The bastard's escaping!"
"Yang do not run off! Why does everyone around here do that!?" Azura yelled back in frustration, before following behind Yang.
As he moved, his heightened senses and reflexes picked up something. In front of them was another thin tripwire. He was about to warn Yang before she ran over it, not cutting it. He let out a sigh as he himself soon ran into the trip wire. A loud creak was soon heard as Azura was forced to fall flat back on the floor. He hit the ground just in time as a large wooden crate swung over him. Yang stopped her pursuit to look back at him.
"Are you alright Azura!?" Yang called out to him.
"I'm fine… just a bit sore." Azura groaned as he lay there, waiting for the crate to stop swinging.
Yang then looked down the hall she saw the man in… to see nothing. She ran down the hall, looking for any sign of them. To her infuriating shock the man had up and disappeared without a trace. She soon stomped her foot and punched a wall in frustration. By the time Azura saw her, she was still venting.
"The bastard got away! Where the hell did he go!?" Yang roared.
"He is probably around here somewhere. We will find him. Just look around for clues." Azura told her, beginning to inspect the area for signs of where the man went.
"How does someone even sneak around this place and disappear like that? Does he have a Semblance that lets him do that?" Yang asked as she opened the door to an empty room.
"I doubt it. Unless he has a Semblance that grants him a form of intangibility, it would not be possible." Azura explained, inspecting a bookcase.
"He at least has to have Aura. How else do you get a crate up on a rope like that?" Yang said, opening the door to another empty room.
Azura nodded. "Agreed. Hm…" He replied, noticing something off about one of the books.
"Find something?" Yang asked, raising a curious eyebrow.
"Potentially…" Azura replied, pulling on the book as a clicking was heard.
With a grind and whirr, the bookcase began to move aside. As it did, it opened up a new hallway, though one large enough only for a single person. Yang soon smiled and punched Azura's arm.
"Good job, Lover Boy!" Yang said chipperly.
Azura looked at her in confusion. "'Lover Boy?' I do not follow you on that one…" He replied.
"Oh, don't give me that. I see how you are with Ruby…" Yang began to say.
Back with Ruby and Zhan
The normally silent staircases were soon met with a cacophony of noise and flying dust. Zhan and Ruby had continued to make their way up the many stairs heading up into the clocktower, and it felt as if they were seeing the same thing over and over again. Large windows letting in moonlight, lots of dusty boxes and doors that went to empty rooms. All with traps along the way.
"How many flights of stairs are in this stupid place?" Zhan groaned, pulling a line of bells off him from a trap he sprung.
"I don't know, but we have to be getting close to the top by now. Zwei has to be around here somewhere…" Ruby replied in concern.
"With how fast that dog can run, he could be anywhere in this place." Zhan sighed, dusting himself off. "I don't know if I'm more annoyed with the traps or the dust at this point."
"Well, at least it-" Ruby began to say only to be cut off by Zhan.
"How did you get Azura to go along with this anyway? I've never seen him so gung-ho for something like this before." Zhan asked, turning to look at Ruby.
Ruby blushed a bit. "Nothing! I did nothing! He volunteered! Shut up!" She replied quickly, looking away shyly.
This caused Zhan's eyebrow to rise. "Volunteered? Oh really?" Zhan asked, his interest piqued.
"He did! Now your silence would be greatly appreciated!" Ruby replied, trying to shut Zhan up.
"That never works when the boss says it to me and it's definitely not gonna work when you do. Now fess up. What's going on between you two." Zhan replied, trying to get Ruby to open up.
"Nothing! There is absolutely nothing going on between us! I will not tolerate this slander!" Ruby yelled at him.
"See, with the amount of protesting you're doing, that would tell me there is something going on." Zhan answered with a sly smile.
"No, there isn't! We do not have anything going on! There isn't a thing!" Ruby replied defensively.
"Could have fooled me. For a second there, I thought this was your idea for a date." Zhan said with a shrug as he continued his way up the stairs.
Ruby blushed red at that and turned away, refusing to say anything. It was at that moment that Zhan knew he had stumbled onto something. With a small chuckle, he took the lead up the stairs.
"So, you going on a ghost hunt was your idea for a date, huh? I take it Yang and I spoiled that for you?" Zhan asked, not turning around to look at her.
Ruby sighed and looked at him. "Fine, I'll tell you. But you have to promise you won't tell Azu." She replied, admitting defeat.
"What about your sister?" Zhan asked curiously.
"Her too. She's way too overprotective and, if she can't scare Azura off, she'll tell dad, and he'll do it." Ruby replied in frustration.
"Why are they so defensive?" Zhan asked, stopping to turn and look at her.
"Because we lost my mom when I was too small to remember her. Ever since then, they've been way too overprotective of me. Even when dad was dealing with his depression, which didn't change much." Ruby admitted.
"Does he make you happy?" Zhan asked in a softer tone.
Ruby blushed but smiled. "He does. He's sweet, funny, strong, brave, sweet, a complete and total gentleman. He's like a prince out of a fairy tale. I'm just… not sure I'm ready to date yet. Even if I am, what would he see in me…?" She admitted, trailing off a bit on a more depressing note.
"How will you know if you don't bring it up to him and ask him? And, if your sister gets on you, tell her what you told me. I doubt Yang would want to make you feel like you can't live your life and make you miserable." Zhan said, trying to be helpful to the Red Reaper.
Ruby smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Zhan. I appreciate it." She told him.
"Anytime Ruby. Now let's go find your dog. This place is giving me the heebie jeebies." Zhan said, turning around to climb the stairs.
As the two did, they began to notice signs for a freight elevator. Wishing they saw signs for it earlier to save them the walk, they made further progress up.
Across the same level from them, the doors of a dumb waiter opened up. Zwei soon was awoken from his nap by the incoming moonlight. Stretching himself out, he soon jumped out and shook himself. This floor, however, was different. For the first time, he actually got fresh scents, and ones he recognized. He soon sniffed out Ruby, Zhan and… something else. His hair on the back of his neck bristled. That was not any ordinary smell. It was a Grimm! Taking off like a lightning bolt, Zwei rushed his way towards the humans. He had to save them before the Grimm got them.
Meanwhile: Back with Yang and Azura
"Yang, I promise you, there is nothing going on between Ruby and I," Azura said as he felt his cheeks burning.
"You're not fooling me, Big Blue. I've seen how you and Rubes look at each other. You've got a thing going on with my baby sis, don't you?" Yang asked, not buying it for a moment.
"A thing? We do not have a thing! There is no 'thing,' as you put it!" Azura replied frantically, blushing deeper.
"I'm not going to make a big deal about it. Honestly, I'm glad it's you. No one I would trust more with her," Yang said, patting his shoulder.
Azura gulped and looked down, shyly twiddling his fingers. "O-Okay… m-maybe there is possibly…potentially… sort of a thing between Ruby and I… if you count what we have as 'a thing' in the legal system…" He nervously replied.
"What are you even talking about? Is that some weird tiger man mumbo jumbo?" Yang asked, raising her eyebrow in complete confusion.
"M-my apologies. I've just… never been put on the spot like this before…" Azura shyly told her, not knowing how to deal with this situation.
"So, you haven't told your descendant desiring mother about this then?" Yang asked, now finding the angle of attack.
Azura shook his head. "N-No! She would make a big deal about it and try to force something to happen! I do not want her to scare Ruby off!" Azura nervously replied, frantically trying to get Yang to quiet down.
"Well, you at least got more of a head than the other guys that have tried to get her. One had a head so tough I nearly broke my hand." Yang said, shaking her left hand as she felt a phantom pain run through it.
"... What did you do?" Azura asked her, raising an eyebrow.
"Nothing I normally wouldn't. Or at least nothing he wouldn't heal from." Yang vaguely replied.
"... You worry me sometimes with your violent tendencies. You do know that, right?" Azura replied, shaking his head.
"It's part of my charm." Yang said with a shrug.
"... Remind me again why I used to have a crush on you?" Azura asked with a sigh.
"Because you like action-packed girls. Also, look at me." Yang said, motioning to her entire body. "I think we need an outside opinion around here. What do you think, mysterious stranger?"
The two stopped, before slowly turning to look behind them. At first, it was merely a hunch. But as they turned, that hunch turned into something far more literal. Before them, in the flickering, hazy light, was a giant clad in tattered clothes and old bandages. What they could see of his face was merely two brown eyes, locked on them like a predator with its prey. However, the rest of this creature's face was obscured by a heavy iron mask, clamped on like a dog muzzle. Powerful limbs hoisted a truly massive wrench above his head, nearly touching the ceiling of the hallway, ready to be brought down upon the two.
Meanwhile: With Ruby and Zhan
"I swear by the twins, this place just never ends. How many staircases does this stupid tower have!?" Zhan groaned as both he and Ruby arrived at a more expansive level.
"I have no idea! It's like we've been walking for two weeks!" Ruby groaned in frustration.
"It's probably been like five minutes." Zhan said with a roll of his eyes.
"Hyperbole, big guy." Ruby sighed as they kept climbing the stairs.
"At least we found a bigger level. Judging by the reinforced walls, it likely contains an elevator shaft of some kind. Finally, the power of technology will save us." Zhan groaned as he began to walk further into the level.
"Be careful, Zhan. We don't know what's up here. Mantente en pie, amigo." Ruby told her blacksmith friend.
"We haven't known what's been on the past dozen floors. At least the traps stopped like 10 levels ago. And can you cut out that low grade Southern Vacuan nonsense? It's gonna rot your brain." Zhan groaned as he finally got himself moving at a decent pace.
Ruby gasped in aghast shock and glared. "¿¡Cómo se atreve, buen señor!?" She spoke again, offended by his slander of her and her big sister's mutual pastime.
Zhan did not feel the reason to dignify that with a response and led the way further into the level. Quickly the change of scenery was apparent, as the hallways and walkways were far wider and sturdier than the previous levels. The lights barely worked, forcing them to pull out their scrolls to use their flashlight apps. Yet even that did little to repel the creeping darkness around them. Drafts of wind tugged at their clothing, slowly reintroducing them to the sensations of the night's chills.
It was then that they found the elevator they expected. To their surprise, however, it was a gargantuan freight elevator. Its harsh yellow and black striping, and myriads of warning signs contrasted the dark and ominous scenery of the clocktower in the white, artificial light of their scrolls. Yet it was likely their best option to get higher into the clocktower without having to ruin their legs in the process. Knocking aside thick, dusty cobwebs, they entered into the large loading bay. It was mostly bare, the workers likely taking most of the useful things, with only some boxes and a rundown forklift remaining.
"Look for the controls, Ruby. They've gotta be in here somewhere." Zhan said sternly, before beginning his search. "Not gonna lie, this place is beginning to give me the creeps."
"Never been ghost hunting before?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow as she began looking too.
"There's no such thing as ghosts. Don't tell me you've done this before… you have, haven't you?" Zhan said with a deadpan tone.
"The paranormal exists and we shall prove it!" Ruby replied like the goober she was.
As the two fumbled about, neither of them noticed a shadow that slithered down one of the walls. The shadow stopped, as if to observe the two amateur "ghost hunters." However, it then noticed the forklift parked below it and slithered under it. To the shock of our intrepid… Heroes? Heroes, the long dormant and rundown forklift's decrepit engine began to start. Torturously but deliberately, the cylinders in its engine began to move, and with creaks and groans of lubricants long past, it began to rumble to life.
"Um… Ruby, did you turn on the forklift?" Zhan asked nervously.
"No… I was hoping you did…" Ruby replied nervously.
Soon, the burned-out lightbulbs turned on, and with a roar from its rusted exhaust, the metal zombie charged forward. Using her speed, Ruby leapt aside as Zhan pulled out his ax and blocked the forklift's charge. Digging his heels into the floor as best he could, Zhan tried to hold it back. Tried, but failed miserably as the forklift kept going. Leaping aside, he managed to avoid being crushed as his weapon was sent flying, sticking itself into the wall.
"Fucking damn it…" Zhan muttered as the forklift smashed into the wall, followed quickly by a loud, ominous beeping sound as it backed up.
"Don't worry, Zhan! I got you!" Ruby yelled, readying a charge.
Rushing in, the Red Reaper tried to swing Crescent Rose at the forklift. However, the forklift turned and swung as it backed up, forcing Ruby to dodge. "Hah! Ya' missed!" Ruby called out only for the prongs to swing back and smack her aside.
"Zhan… I don't got you…" Ruby groaned as she slowly got herself up from the floor.
"Thanks a lot, Ruby…" Zhan sarcastically replied as the forklift began beeping again while it backed up for another charge.
Soon, the forklift rushed in much faster than it should have as the prongs stuck themselves in the wall around Zhan, trapping him. The forklift continued going forward, sinking the prongs deeper into the wall as Zhan put his hands out to try to stop it. However, he found the forklift moving with unimaginable strength as he was quickly running out of room. Before he could be crushed, a gray and white blur howled, whistling through the air at high speed as it smashed into the side of the forklift.
The prongs of the forklift snapped like twigs as it was sent careening aside, its old wheels skidding along the floor as a dent was left in the side near its engine. The engine sputtered and groaned as it tried to keep the forklift moving. However, the forklift powered down, dying out as the engine got too heated and exploded.
Nodding with satisfaction at saving the day, hitting the ground, Zwei quickly trotted over to his down owner and offered a small lick to her face.
"Hey, furball… where you been?" Ruby asked tiredly.
Zwei barked in response.
"Yeah, mama's a little outta shape." she said as sat up and pulled him for a relieved cuddle.
"Where's my concern and worry?" Zhan groaned as he slowly got back up.
"Did you get crushed, cut, or stabbed?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No…" Zhan groaned lightly, holding his side.
"Then you're fine." Ruby replied with a smile.
"Where the hell even was he this all the time?" Zhan asked as he walked over, before petting the small pupper.
"I don't know, but his fur's standing on end." Ruby noted, a bit concerned.
At that Zwei growled and barked, before rushing off. Not wanting to lose the pup again, the two huntsmen-in-training rushed after him. Rounding a corner they soon found him hopping up a spiral staircase.
"Ruby, if your dog gets us killed, I am never forgiving you in whatever hell we get sent to." Zhan explained to her snidely, but the short red reaper brushed off his concerns.
"Oh, quit being so negative. We'll be fine." Ruby replied nonchalantly, before leading him up the staircase after Zwei.
Back With Azura and Yang
The giant swung the wrench down with monstrous force, forcing the two to slam into the opposite walls. The sheer force of the blow splintered the tile beneath them as if it were snack crackers.
"Yang, be careful!" Azura called out, drawing his blades.
"Oh, come on, Azu! Careful is my middle name!" Yang yelled, pumping two rounds into Ember Celica.
"I thought your middle name was 'Daffodilia'!" Azura noted.
"Oh, shut up and fight the dude!" Yang yelled, before launching herself at him with the rounds she just loaded.
The two rushed at the wrench-wielding maniac from opposite sides as a sapphire blue, lightning-like Aura surrounded Azura. Yang came at the wrench-swinging giant from the right while Azura took the left. The massive creature swung its blunt weapon-tool at Azura only for the samurai prince to drop into a slide, the massive wrench missing his head by mere inches. Sliding through the maniac's legs, Azura slashed at his tendons as he went through.
The momentary pain distracted him long enough for Yang to land a solid haymaker to his chest. Staggering back, he swung his wrench down towards Yang only for her to launch herself aside with a shot from her gauntlets to dodge, the blow smashing into and cracking the floor beneath where she had once been. Launching herself back at him, Yang landed a solid right cross to his face that staggered him back. Recovering quickly, he swung his massive wrench into Yang's side, making her gasp out in pain as she was sent crashing into the wall.
"Yang!" Azura called out in concern before glaring at the giant, his eyes turning a cold, tiger-like blue as they began glowing.
Suddenly, the giant was caught off guard as the image of a fiery, fearsome, and ferocious tiger appeared in the huntsman-in-training's silhouette, the boy's canines sharpening into fangs and his nails sharpening into claws. Then, before he could react, he was met with a sudden knee to his chin that sent him flying back, having been delivered by the enraged warrior prince. Recovering, he tried to swing his wrench only for Azura to kick off from it, landing against the wall behind the giant. Kicking off from the wall, cratering it behind him, Azura grabbed the giant of a man by his throat as the two plummeted down through several floors.
The maniac roared in pain and fear, garbled slightly by the hand around his throat as Azura threw him down onto a floor below them. The creature crashed into the floor with a cratering smash before Azura landed, slamming his knees hard into its gut. The impact of the knees hitting his stomach pushed him down and off of the floor before Azura swung his leg in a fierce upward kick to his back. The blow sent him crashing back up through the floors they previously fell through as Azura growled and jumped up after him.
Yang groaned and crawled herself over to the holes made. She got a glimpse of the action below as the giant attacker was shot up through the hole like a rocket. He crashed face first into the ceiling above her as Azura soared out of the hole after him. Swinging his leg in a rolling kick, Azura scythed his leg into the maniac's side, making him gasp out in pain from the brutal impact before he was sent crashing onto the wall on the far side of the room. Landing, Azura panted in a combination of exertion and fury as he slowly began to calm down.
"Nice work, Azu!" Yang yelled as she slowly got off the floor and dusted herself off.
"Are you okay, Yang?" Azura asked, concerned for his friend as he offered her a hand up.
Taking the hand, Yang raised her eyebrow at her blue clad friend. "Would you have preferred to be the one put on the floor?" Yang asked inquisitively.
"If it meant you did not get hurt? Yes." Azura told her honestly, helping her up.
"Well, let's unmask this stranger and find the gruesome twosome… wherever they are in here." Yang said she began to walk towards the downed giant.
"I'd be happy to." Azura replied as he followed her over.
Azura unsheathed his wakizashi and cut off the clasps to the iron mask. Pulling it off, it revealed an equally massive face, long and flat in shape. Like his oversized body, every feature of the face was strongly built. Despite the fact he had taken a royal pounding from the tiger prince and now lay on the floor, the man was in a lot better shape than most Grimm they had faced.
"I don't have any idea who this is." Yang said with a deadpan expression, throwing the mask aside.
"Mr. Harold James Thompson?" Azura asked in disbelief.
"How… How do you know my name?" The man groaned, a small amount of pain leaking through.
"I did some research on the Thompson Family, the family who built this clocktower, before we came here. You were listed as the last living member of the family with a picture included." Azura replied, still surprised at this development.
"If you know my family, then you know why I'm here." He answered ominously, his eyes transfixed on them.
"You were trying to scare people away so that the clocktower would not be torn down, weren't you? Because it is an important part of your family's history along with the history of the city and kingdom of Vale." Azura noted with a hint of pity.
"Isn't attacking and scaring people still illegal?" Yang asked.
"It is. But I felt it a worthy sacrifice to preserve at least some remnants of my family's history along with the city and kingdom's. I never wanted to hurt anyone. Just to scare people off so that no one could tear this place down…" Mr. Thompson noted sadly.
"And the traps were yours too?" Yang asked, noting his change in behavior.
"Yes. Part of my way of trying to scare people off. I figured that, if people thought that this place was dangerous, they'd stay away and the clocktower would be allowed to still stand." Mr. Thompson admitted.
"A craftsman's legacy is in their works. To lose those works, it is as if the craftsman never existed. No one should have to experience that. But that does not excuse you potentially hurting people." Azura explained, where he should feel anger, he only felt… sorrow.
"I know. I'll serve my time after you turn me into the police…" Mr. Thompson admitted.
"You have honor, Mr. Thompson. More honor than most these days. We will make sure your family is remembered. I will have my clan buy and repair the clocktower so that it will be preserved as a museum." Azura told the man.
"Why would you do that? After everything I've done, all the trouble I've caused, the lives that could have been taken here. Why would you go through the trouble, boy?" The giant man asked, bewildered at this boy's generosity.
"Because I can understand wanting to preserve one's family legacy. Wanting to ensure that one's family is remembered well for generations to come. You may have gone about it the wrong way, but your intentions were pure and noble." Azura explained to the man.
"So… to be clear, we are still turning him in, right?" Yang asked, confused at what was happening before here.
"Yes, we are." Azura admitted.
"That is more than fair." Mr. Thompson replied amicably.
"Alright then. Let's first go find the other two and the dog before they run into another trap or something. For all we know, Ruby was right the whole time about there being a ghost…" Yang said, before being cut off by Mr. Thompson.
"There is a ghost in here." He said bluntly.
"What!?" Azura and Yang asked, one in excitement and the other in disbelief.
"It haunts the upper levels, making traps and things of its own. And, if you go too far up… it will attack you. I've had several run-ins with the ghost. It's why I put so many traps in the hallways leading to the stairs. I didn't want anyone to run afoul of that spirit." Mr. Thompson explained as he got himself off the floor.
"Well, let us hurry and get up there! Zhan and Ruby probably headed that way looking for Zwei!" Azura told the other two, heading for the stairs.
"¡Vamos, vagabundo gigante!" Yang cried out, rushing towards the stairs.
Meanwhile: With Zhan, Ruby, and Zwei
"That… dogs… got... too much… energy…" Zhan panted as he finally made his way up the stairs.
"Come on, Zhan. It's not that bad…" Ruby replied, a bit tiredly as she followed behind Zwei.
"Says the girl who has a speed Semblance…" Zhan groaned.
"We are here…!" Ruby replied like a goober as they made it to the top, wiping some sweat from her brow.
Ruby easily picked out Zwei among the boxes, though she was surprised he was already across the room. Walking over, she and Zhan began to kick up the caked layers of dust, making the two cough. The pale moonlight that made it through the windows lit their way as Ruby finally was able to pick up Zwei, who was intensely focused on a draped window.
"Come on, Zwei. There's nothing up here, boy. Let's get you back downstairs. Where there aren't killer forklifts." Ruby said, petting him to try and calm him down.
At that, the wind tugged at the aged sealing in the windows, a wailing groan leaking in. The drapes began to flutter and move, the dust swirling like snow in winter. The three stared into the swirling, fluttering drapes, as an eerie darkness drowned out the moonlight before them. Then, they began to be clothed in a red light, produced by a red orb that formed in the darkness. As if they were graced by a red sun. They stared in shock, paralyzed in fear. Even Zwei, who was baring his teeth and growling, lost his courage. Finally, Ruby broke and ran.
"Let's get out of here!" Ruby yelled.
"Don't gotta tell me twice!" Zhan yelled in kind as the two scrambled down the stairs.
As they ran, the red light and darkness faded, the wind died down, and the pale moonlight leaked into the far window again. All as if it had never happened…
Later: Downstairs
"I swear, I need to put a tracker on that pup. Or Ruby. Or both. Save time in the future." Yang grumbled as she began to climb a ladder up construction scaffolding in the main floor.
"We're almost there. Please be careful." Mr. Thompson told them.
"RUN FASTER, ZHAN!!!" Came a scream farther up the central scaffolding.
"That was Ruby! They're in trouble!" Yang called out in concern.
Yang did not get much farther as Ruby leapt from the scaffolding above, crash landing onto her sister. As the two groaned, they both opened their eyes to see each other. Ruby then immediately hugged her as Zwei popped out from between the two and began to lick Yang's face.
"Yang! I'm never going ghost hunting again!" Ruby yelled as she held her sister.
"What's wrong, Ruby?" Yang asked in concern.
"Look out below!" Came the voice of Zhan, leaping from the scaffolding, before landing in a pile of boxes on the ground floor. "Ow…"
"Is everyone okay?" Mr. Thompson asked with concern as he walked behind Azura.
"Hey, Boss! Who's the giant weird dude!?" Zhan called from the ground floor.
"Zhan, meet Mr. Thompson! His family built this clocktower!" Azura called down his partner.
"Cool! So yeah, there's a ghost! It tried to kill us with a forklift and got creepy in the attic with us! And I think it's coming this way!" Zhan called out.
It was at that moment that they all heard a small, raspy noise… that was almost like a chuckle. Looking up to the hallway that Ruby and Zhan came from, to everyone's shock, was no mere ghost. Floating in the hallway was a robed figure, a torso cloaked in a tattered black robe that had been torn messily from its lower half. Black flesh contrasted with exposed white bones and spikes that dotted its body. One hand was eerily human, made of bones and minimal flesh, while the other was mangled, tipped in a bony, inhuman scythe. Where its face would be, if it were a man, was a boney, swirling mask, as if made from a plate of bone, encircling a red, malicious orb. As it floated there, it let off a soft, black haze from it.
"Leave. This. Place." Came a shattered, raspy, and broken imitation of Mr. Thompson's voice from the creature.
"That's… not a ghost. That's a Geist…" Yang said in fear.
"That is no ordinary Geist. That is a Haunt Geist… an alpha…" Azura replied as they all started too slowly back up.
"See, Ruby!? Told you there was no such thing as ghosts!" Zhan called out, trying to gain some form of vindication from this.
"Yeah, but does the Geist know that…?" Ruby asked back.
"You leave this place, monster! You are not welcome here!!" Mr. Thompson roared at the Grimm.
"You're. Not. Welcome. Here!!" It 'said' back in its broken imitation as it soon turned into a fine, black mist.
The mist spread across the room, and immediately the Grimm's intentions were made clear. Everything that was not bolted down or fastened down began to float and rise, drawn into a swirling typhoon of detritus. Even what was properly fastened down soon gave way as gigantic clock gears and the very scaffolding most of the group was on gave way and floated. From the ground floor, Zhan began to see what was forming. As a massive humanoid leg made of broken wood and twisted metal, contorted, and bound by the dark haze slammed onto the stone floor.
"Oh, by the gods… that thing's bigger than the Efreet…" Zhan muttered as the construct began to further form.
"My family's clocktower! Ruined!" Mr. Thompson cried out in despair.
"We need to get to the ground floor! From there, we can fight this thing! Mr. Thompson, if you wish your clocktower preserved, we have to defeat this Haunt Geist!" Azura called out as they clung to the swirling metal.
Mr. Thompson looked at Azura, before closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, and giving a determined look before nodding to the boy. "Let's do this!" He replied back, hefting his massive wrench.
"Wait… he's on our side?" Ruby asked Yang in confusion.
"He is now." Yang replied with a shrug.
"When we beat this thing, you're explaining everything." Ruby demanded as she readied herself to jump.
"Agreed." Yang replied, preparing to jump as well.
As the four humans and the single dog jumped, they were forced to dodge and weave through the mass of junk forming into the Geist's construct. Gears and scaffolding anchored itself into its arms and hips, with the "hands" being great gear mallets. Its body was twisted and molded in a grossly inhuman way, being far too top heavy for anything to possibly stand. Yet its head was a giant face made from a half-broken gear, ringing its massive red eye as it looked down at them.
"RUN! RUN FAR FROM HERE!!!!" The Geist boomed in a horrible mix of voice and static, before 'chuckling,' which began to vibrate the room with its intensity.
Azura drew his katana and wakizashi, his blades lighting up with azure-blue flames. "One thing you are about to learn the hard way, demon! Sōtora Azura never runs from a fight!!" Azura roared back, pointing his katana challengingly at the clockwork monstrosity before dropping into a stance, his two blades at the ready.
"You'll pay for what you've done to my family's clocktower, monster!" Mr. Thompson yelled, hefting his massive wrench.
"Well, this is at least more entertaining than wrestling, I'll give it that." Zhan quipped, readying his ax.
"¡Cargar! ¡Adelante, camaradas!" The sisters screamed, Ruby readying Crescent Rose while Yang loaded up Ember Celica.
Zwei howled in challenge before growling low at the clockwork beast before them. The monstrosity in question raised its fist before punching down at the group. Moving quickly, Zhan and Mr. Thompson intercepted the massive fist by swinging their huge weapons. The wrench and ax collided with the massive makeshift fist, stopping it, and holding it back as the two titans pushed with all their strength.
Leaping onto the fist, Ruby used her Semblance to run up the arm, slashing and hacking with Crescent Rose as she went to cut the arm into pieces. The pieces plummeted to the ground in large chunks of debris as Yang launched herself up onto the arm with Ember Celica and ran after her little sister. The clockwork monstrosity tried to bring its other hammer 'fist' down onto the arm to crush the sisters as the sliced apart arm slowly reformed only to be met with crescent-shaped blades of blue flames in its face from Azura, making it cry out and stumble. Yang and Ruby took this opportunity to fire shots into the eye, trying to hit the Geist inside.
The Geist shrieked in rage. "You! Will!! DIE!!!" He roared out as it swung its hammer fist down on Yang, smashing her and sending her rolling down the arm.
Quickly recovering, Yang's hair became alight with golden flames as she glared up at the Geist with her once lilac eyes now red. Punching her fists together, unleashing a shockwave beneath her feet, she leapt up towards the Geist's eye to hit the real body. However, the hammer 'fist" swung to intercept her and tried to slam into her. Letting out a roar, Yang swung back with a straight right that slammed into the hammer 'fist' with such force that it smashed the debris that made up the arm into pieces. Looking down at her little sister, Yang called out to her.
"Go now, Ruby!!!" Yang called out to her baby sis.
Nodding, Ruby used her Semblance to rush up the arm at high speed before leaping off. Jumping from piece of debris to piece of debris at high speed, she launched herself into the eye. Firing shots behind her to increase her speed and momentum, the Red Rose Reaper let out a roar of her own as she swung Crescent Rose with all her might. The hooded girl cut through the Geist's eye, causing it to shriek in agony as it shot out of the makeshift body, trying to flee. However, Azura leapt up at Ruby as she loaded a clip of Dust rounds into Crescent Rose.
Preparing a shot of Fire Dust, Ruby took aim as Azura sheathed his blades and grabbed onto it beside her. Crescent Rose became swathed in blue wind and lightning as the two looked at each other. Nodding, the two let out twin roars as Ruby pulled the trigger, firing the combined shot from both of them right at the retreating Haunt Geist. The Grimm in question looked back to see the shot of swirling flames, blue wind, and electric blue lightning before the blast connected with it. Shrieking in agony, the Haunt Geist was soon vaporized by the large explosion, completely destroyed.
"Way to go, you two! We did it!" Yang cried out in victory.
As Azura and Ruby plummeted towards the ground, Azura flipped in midair so that his legs were towards the ground as he grabbed Ruby in a princess carry. Bracing himself, the samurai prince landed on the ground, Ruby safely cushioned in his arms. Ruby, however, in his arms looked up at his face, a deep blush across her face as red as her cape.
Azura looked down at the girl and gave her a smile, a light blush of his own on his face. "Nice shot back there…" He told her.
"Um… th-th-thank you…" Ruby sheepishly answered.
Azura smiled and gently set Ruby on her feet, allowing her to steady herself. Shaking herself off, Ruby looked up at her crush with a shy smile. Looking down at her with a smile of his own, Azura nodded in approval to her.
"Well, that thing certainly made a mess of the place… gonna take forever to clean this up." Zhan said, putting his hands on his hips after putting his ax back on its strap.
"My family's poor clocktower…" Mr. Thompson sobbed a bit.
"Hey, easy man. This can all get fixed. I know some guys who can forge new gears for this thing in no time flat!" Zhan said, putting a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him.
Mr. Thompson dried his eyes at that. "You do…?" he asked, sounding more hopeful.
"I told you, Mr. Thompson. My clan will ensure your family's legacy is safe." Azura reassured him.
"Wait… your family built this place?" Ruby asked in shock.
Mr. Thompson nodded, a small smile on his face. "Yes, we did. And I made some of the traps that you got caught in. Sorry…" He admitted.
"Well, you sure know how to make them… me and Ruby are gonna be feeling those tomorrow." Zhan groaned, rubbing his neck.
The Next Morning
As the orange sun began to rise over the city of Vale. However, the city was soon greeted so early in the morning to the sounds of police sirens blaring all across town as they converged on the clocktower. As police and local security forces locked down the perimeter and searched the clocktower, our heroes watched as Mr. Thompson was slowly, and clumsily, assisted into a police van. However, Ruby soon spoke up.
"Mr. Thompson, can I ask you a question?" Ruby asked, walking closer to the van.
"You just did, Ms. Rose, but go ahead." Mr. Thompson replied with a smile.
"What did you do with the attic? There was some weird stuff going on up there. And I don't think it was the Geist." Ruby asked, crossing her arms daintily.
Mr. Thompson looked at her, confused. "I… never set any traps in the attic…" He explained.
"If you didn't put traps in the attic, and it wasn't the Geist, then…" Ruby said as her voice trailed off to silence.
The group of huntsmen-in-training slowly turned around to look at the clocktower, craning their heads up towards the attic. Even Mr. Thompson and the police guards followed their gaze up. The light had yet to reach that side of the clocktower, as it was only morning. Yet the ambient light of the morning allowed them to pick out something. Standing in the far corner window, the same one from the night, stood the outline of a figure. It looked as if a person was standing in the window. Watching them from that vaunted place that pierced the heavens, as the figure placed a black hand on the window...