Disclaimer: Music and video not mine. Metal Gear Rising belongs to Hideo Kojima, and the YouTube video belongs to it's creator.
You all know what it means when Minty adds upbeat, adrenaline-puming music. It's a fight scene. And who's the enemy, this time?
It's Verde. I'm not lying, it's Verde. I'm sorry.
As you can tell by now, I fucking love MGR. This is the song that plays when Verde attacks in an effort to build her twisted paradise.
That's why I chose 'Red Sun' this time. I chose 'The Only Thing I Know for Real' for Rojo's fight because of his lust for a fight. 'Red Sun' was chosen for Verde because at the peak of her obsession she grew a desire to build a paradise for the abominations.
...
As Y/N climbed into Vao's car and waved goodbye to his new friends, he met the glare of the femboy in the rearview mirror. He wasn't happy about being beaten up.
"... I oughta make you walk back to the Club, cunt."
"Really? Gonna leave your brother all alone?"
"Don't try me. I'll do it."
As Vao began driving, Y/N looked out the window at the stadium. Tomorrow, they would return to watch their friends fight their battles. He was honestly a bit excited. How couldn't he be? The Festival got his mind off of current events. As Vao drove through the city, he glanced in the rearview mirror, adjusting it to see Cardin and Sasha. "Oi. You gonna thank me, Biceps?"
"Want another ass beating?"
Vao's attention snapped back to the road, not saying anything out of fear. Sasha snickered victoriously, knowing she had Vao wrapped around her thumb. Yin looked at Vao worriedly. "... Where's Verde, anyway? You didn't leave her, did you? That would be a terrible thing to do."
The femboy shook his head, taking a sip from his thermos of tea. "Nah mate, she told me she was going back to the Club a few hours ago. Oh wait, that reminds me!"
Vao suddenly spun the wheel, pulling into a parking lot and climbing out, leaving his friends in the car. Sasha, who had to curl into a ball to fit in Vao's tiny car, was struggling to see what store Vao was running into. Cardin leaned down a bit, arching his eyebrow.
"... A pet store?"
Y/N shrugged. "I think Vao just misses Zwei. Those two were like, best friends, and I'm ninety percent sure Vao could speak to him."
"... Zwei is a dog, Y/N."
The katana-wielder turned in his seat to stare at the ginger. "How many times has Zwei barked at Vao, and he goes and says something? And then Zwei always responds happily?"
Cardin begrudgingly nodded. It wouldn't be the weirdest thing Vao had done before. Soon Vao came out of the store with a small kennel hanging at his side. As he climbed back into the car, he pushed the plastic cage into Y/N's lap and began driving down the road again. Y/N looked through the wire door, a pair of feline eyes staring back at him. He looked at his older brother slyly.
"Aww, did Vao want a kitten?"
Vao let out a fake laugh. "Oh, ha ha. You're a riot. It's not for me, it's for Verde. She's been begging me to get her a kitty for a week. I figured I'd surprise her."
"Why does Verde want a cat so badly?" Sasha asked curiously. Vao shrugged his girly shoulders.
"I dunno. She just tells me she needs one and that I don't need to worry about it. So I don't worry about it. Simple as that. Hey, what should we name it though?"
"How about... Tux? It's black with a little white patch on its chest, like it's wearing a tuxedo!" Y/N said cheerily. Vao shook his head. "No. That's cheesy as hell."
"How about Mickey?" Cardin suggested. Sasha looked at him with a grin. "Ooh, I like that!"
"It's a cat, not a person... You know what, let me see what it looks like, Y/N!" Vao didn't wait for an answer, taking his eyes off the road to grab the cage and pull it towards him - taking his hands off the wheel in the process. The car swerved dangerously, Y/N reaching over and grabbing the wheel in terror. Vao squinted at it, taking in it's features.
"... How about Dickface? It's mouth is all white like a pair of balls, and it's nose looks like the shaft!"
"Vao, I am not letting you name it that," Y/N growled. "How about we leave the naming to Verde?"
Vao shrugged, pushing the cage back towards him and gripping the steering wheel. "Sure, why not. I'm not good at naming things anyway."
"No, you just choose the most inappropriate names. Like when we first got Zwei, you wanted to name him Little Wanker."
"And wot's wrong with that? The little bastard pissed on my bed the first night he spent at my house!"
Sasha clenched her teeth, silently fuming. "Oh man, I wonder what that's like..."
Vao tried to hide a smirk, but Sasha saw it a mile away. She reached between the seats and slapped him on the head, almost causing Vao to crash. The femboy rubbed the bruise sorely, whining under his breath.
He pulled into the Club's parking lot, the four friends climbing out. As they entered, Junior looked up from his conversation with Melanie and Miltia.
"Oh, hey Vao. What's with the cat?"
"I bought a kitty for Verde. I'm guessing she's in my room, right?"
Junior nodded. Vao pushed the crate to Y/N. "You do it."
"Why me? You're her boyfriend!"
"Because I'm a cripple!" Vao protested. That didn't fool anyone. Vao was just a lazy prick. Y/N pushed it back to him.
"You do it!"
Vao groaned. "Fine! Let's go, Dickface."
"Stop calling it that!" Y/N shouted furiously.
"Piss off, you knob! Dickface is a great name!" Vao called from the stairs. As Y/N sat down at the bar with Sasha and Cardin, Vao came back. Y/N narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"... That was too fast."
Vao shrugged. "Verde didn't answer the door, so I left Dickface in the hall. She'll find it sooner or later."
"... Vao... Do not call it that..."
"His name is Dickface and he is beautiful! Even though I'm pretty sure it's a girl... I didn't feel anything when I tried to check."
"Why would you call a female cat Dickface!?" Miltia snapped. "That's just mean!"
Vao leaned on his foot, taking another sip from his tea. "I mean, I could've called it worse. Think about that, mate."
Suddenly they were glad Vao chose what he did. They sat down, joining in Junior's conversation with the twins. After a while, Junior passed him a plate of food. "Take this to Verde."
"She can get it herself."
"Except she won't. So take it to her."
Vao groaned, looking up from his scroll. "I was just up there! Can't you have Miltia do it or something?"
"She's your girlfriend, it's your room, and Miltia worked her ass off all week. Just take it upstairs," Junior ordered. Vao took the plate with an attitude, standing up and trudging towards the staircase unaware.
Unaware of why Verde had really wanted the cat.
...
Verde waited at the door until the sound of Vao's footsteps faded to silence, pulling the door open just enough to reach her hand through. Her slender fingers gripped the kennel, dragging it inside her workshop of horrors.
The cat stared up at her curiously as she opened the wire mesh, allowing it it's freedom. Quickly she closed the door, locking it behind her to ensure she wouldn't be interrupted. Shambling towards the desk, she glanced over her notes, cross-referencing them with her stack of books. The cat was behind her, sniffing at a puddle of Salem's Blood curiously. But immediately after, it let out a hiss and leapt back.
Verde turned around and grabbed the cat by the scruff of the neck, setting it down on the table. The animal looked up at her, its back bristling and it's eyes wide. Her expression had scared it. As the artist reached her hand out to the cat, it lashed out and scratched her skin, drawing blood. Verde gasped in pain, pulling back her arm and staring at the scratches.
SLAM!
The cat collapsed to the desk, swaying dizzily when Verde struck it with her unharmed fist, her lips curled back into a snarl. She opened the drawer and grabbed a thin rope, effortlessly pinning the animal flat against the surface and tying the ends to the legs of the desk, trapping it so it wouldn't be able to get away from her. The cat, scared out of its mind, struggled to free itself, even gnawing on its front legs. Verde's scalpel and syringe glinted in the dim light of the desk lamp, the deranged artist leaning down to whisper to the animal gently.
"It is alright, I forgive you... Soon, you'll be beautiful... I'll make you a god..." She cooed sweetly. Her voice dripped with her mental illness, twisted and psychotic. Verde set her surgical tools down in front of the cat, the poor creature gnawing frantically at its paws, desperate to get away. Verde reached into her bag, pulling out a vial of Salem's Blood and filling her syringe with it.
"Oh... Oh, I wonder if the results would be the same as the rats and mice... If so, then I can experiment on myself... And then Vao... Oh... Oh, Goddess... Thank you...! Thank you for this Blessing! Ha ha..."
The cat howled in agony when Verde dug the scalpel into its back, gently prying open a small incision. As she pushed the needle into the wound, she muttered something under her breath, reciting the words of the ritual she found in the book.
The cat's movements began to slow as the horrendous pain ripped through its body like lightning, hissing and mewling as it's pelt began to ripple and blister. Soon the cat lost its form, the animal having gone completely silent. It became the same thing the rat had, bringing joy to Verde's eyes.
"O-oh! Oh! Oh, amazing! It worked again! It worked again! Goddess, oh, dear Goddess!" She cried happily. She whipped around when she heard a knock at the door, her attention torn from the eldritch abomination.
Vao stood outside the door, his hand in his pocket. "Verde, you in there?" He called out. He could hear her moving inside. And then he felt it: a wave of unease washed over him like water, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. Something didn't feel right. He knocked again. "... I got your food..."
Still no answer. Vao was growing a bit worried, now. That was the third time today she hadn't answered his voice. He set the plate on the ground, trying the doorknob. But to his surprise, it didn't budge. He patted his pockets, groaning under his breath. He had forgotten where he put his key. At least that didn't matter. Focusing his Semblance, Vao disappeared from the hallway in a cloud of ash, his feet touching the floor of his room...
... Where his jaw dropped in horror.
It was a mess. Drawings of scary creatures were scattered everywhere to the point he couldn't see the floorboards. Black sludge stained the ground, and empty vials littered the entire room, some shattered to a million pieces. And standing at the desk facing him was Verde, who smiled at him ecstatically. "You're here! You're really here!" She shrieked. Vao didn't have time to respond before Verde charged forward, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "I missed you so much, Vao! I've done it! I've made a breakthrough! I've learned so much about the Blessing!"
Vao wasn't looking at the desk. He didn't see what writhed quietly, staring at him with innumerable at first. His eyebrows knitted together in worry, returning Verde's hug. "L-love... Wot the hell is all of this? Wot are these pictures?"
Verde let go of him and scooped one off the ground, holding it in front of her excitedly. "It's beautiful, is it not!? They're gods, Vao! Gods!"
Beautiful wasn't a word Vao would have used to describe it. The stuff of his nightmares was more fitting, in his opinion. He reached out and grabbed Verde's hand, squeezing it gently.
"... Verde, are you... Alright?"
The artist nodded her head so fast her neck popped. "Oh, I am simply wonderful! To think I'm dating you! Vao Branwen! Blessed by the Goddess in the first timeline!" She gripped the side of her head with her free hand, an unstable laugh escaping the depths of her throat. "But you don't remember! After the Restart, you were stripped! Stripped of Cnimbrerh's Blessing... But that means you'll survive! We can make paradise together!"
"Paradise...?" Vao echoed. He suddenly became aware of the cat's absence. "H-huh? Where's the kitty..."
Vao's voice trailed off as his crimson eyes finally stopped on the desk, the color draining from his soft face.
What the fuck was he staring at.
What the fuck was that.
He trembled where he stood, staring at the formless, writhing thing that stared back curiously, one of its tentacles moving towards him. Verde followed her gaze, smiling even brighter.
"Oh, it's the kitty you got me! Isn't it beautiful, now?" She asked. She was seeking praise. Verde dragged Vao closer to the desk, the horrified femboy's feet unable to function as his heels dragged against the floor, closer to that thing. Verde picked it up gently in her arms, cradling it as if it were a baby.
"I learned how to make them... The gods... The gods I draw, Vao... Isn't it beautiful?" She whispered softly. She gently pushed the creature into his arms. "Here... Hold her..."
Vao stared down at it, feeling the silky softness of it's boneless body as it's tentacles explored his forearms and chest, it's eyes moving independently; some stared at him, and some gazed at other parts of his body.
Vao wanted to scream. He wanted to run as fast as he could away from this... This twisted mockery of life. A drop of scarlet fell from his face, forcing the abomination to close a few of it's eyes.
"Oh! Your nose is bleeding! I forgot you aren't used to seeing them anymore!" Verde exclaimed. She leaned forward, using her fingers to guide Vao's chin so he was looking at her, standing on her toes as she flicked out her tongue, lapping up his nosebleed. Her breath was hot against his face as their lips met. Vao could taste his own blood from Verde's mouth as her tongue entered his, trying to earn a response from him. She pulled away, a faint smirk on her face.
"Vao... It's like a child, right? Our baby..."
Vao didn't answer. He felt like he was going crazy just trying to think about the thing in his hands, much less consider it an infant. He blamed himself. He should have paid more attention to Verde. The artist lovingly stroked her fingers across the top of the abomination's head - or at least what Vao suspected was it's head. He couldn't tell.
"It's so beautiful... So pretty..." Verde whispered softly. Her green eyes moved back to him, her smirk blooming into a gentle smile. "Vao... Cnimbrerh granted us her Blessing... So let's make Paradise, Vao... A paradise for the gods..."
Vao finally snapped. He dropped the abomination, the creature landing on the ground with a sickening splat. It made no noise of pain. The femboy stumbled away from Verde, tripping over his own feet in his terror, trying to get away from her. The artist picked up the incomprehensible entity, stepping close to Vao, closing the distance between them as she knelt down, pushing him against the wall. Her warm breath tickled his neck as she leaned closer, her eyes hazy.
"I've learned so much these past few months, Vao... The First Timeline... The gods... Lady Cnimbrerh... If we devote ourselves to creating Paradise, she won't hurt us... We can live together forever... Become gods ourselves, just like I made the kitty... We can become beautiful, Vao... Doesn't that sound lovely?" She whispered into his ear. Her teeth grazed his earlobe, biting gently and sending shivers down his spine. "You've always been there for me, Vao... Even when I told you I was raped, you didn't leave me... You loved me for who I was, not for sex... You said such wonderful things that made me happy... I want to build Paradise with you, Vao... So we can be together..."
Vao saw the syringe coming. In a last ditch attempt to save his life he grabbed Verde's wrist, stopping her hand from coming any closer. The artist looked at him worriedly. "Beloved? Is something wrong?"
The abomination began to climb Vao's chest, pulling itself onto his shoulder, it's warm, yet freezing body pressing against his ear. And then in a low, guttural, harsh and twisted voice it spoke to him.
"F... F-father...?"
It's voice had never scared him more than anything else. Even when Rojo nearly killed them, he wasn't this scared. He felt as if his reality was crumbling around him. That the world as he understood it was fading. And then something opened the closet from the inside. As he stared into the small room, Vao finally found his voice. In his sheer terror, Vao let out a bloodcurdling scream of horror.
...
Y/N nearly fell out of his seat when he heard Vao's scream from the bar, dropping his soda on the ground. Junior coughed violently on the cigar smoke, hunched over the counter. Melanie and Miltia stopped talking, staring at the staircase in fear, and the club had gone silent.
Thud thud thud thud!
Vao came flying from the stairs, tears streaming down his face as he ran to Y/N, his hands desperately trying to hold his little brother. Y/N was worried. Vao had never acted like this. Not once. It was as if he was trying to say something, but all that came out were shrill shrieks and whimpers. He was pointing wildly at the stairs, his eyes begging Y/N to help him. The katana-wielder hugged his brother supportively. "V-Vao, what's wrong!? What happened!?" He shouted fearfully. Vao was normally too stupid to get scared easily. Already everyone was crowding around him, trying to get him to say something. But Vao froze when another pair of footsteps began making their way down the wooden stairs.
"Vao, please wait! I know you're overjoyed by her first words, but this is a bit excessive!" Verde called. Y/N watched as the artist stepped down into the room, his eyes travelling down to what she held.
Something like that shouldn't exist. At first, Y/N wasn't quite sure what he was staring at. But as his eyes adjusted and the thing moved, he felt his heart stop beating. Verde smiled proudly, holding the twisted monstrosity out.
"Oh, Y/N! Look, look!"
The mafia members scrambled to get away from it. Junior had pressed against the bar, his mouth open in a silent scream, and the Malachites didn't even dare look at it.
"W-w-what the hell is that!?" Cardin screamed. Verde lowered the abomination, her smile stretching from ear to ear.
"It's a god! Together with Vao, we'll make Paradise! Won't you help us!?" She screamed. Y/N drew his katana, the leader of FRSB's face falling.
She understood now. Vao wasn't happy. He was scared. And so was Y/N. Which meant they weren't going to let her create her paradise. Her eyes darkened as she stared at them, setting the abomination down by her feet.
"Oh... Oh no... They don't want Paradise... Oh, Goddess... I can't allow that..." Her gaze turned up to them, her smile growing. "I'll have to force them..."
Y/N barely had time to duck underneath the paint Verde had slung at him. Sasha cartwheeled away from Verde, drawing her Sandstorm, the blade igniting with fire Dust. Cardin's The Executioner glinted in the neon lights, his face twisted in terror. Verde dipped her paintbrushes into the capsules on her belt, her teeth gleaming as she charged them, closing the distance between her and Y/N.
The katana-wielder swung his blade, only to miss completely. Verde had dodged it effortlessly, moving faster than he could have thought possible. With one swipe she painted his hip in blue, freezing his skin solid and kicking him away. Y/N screamed in pain, trying to chip away at the ice with the grip of his weapon, focusing his Semblance to heal himself. Sasha and Cardin tried to pincer attack Verde, but the artist leaned back as Cardin's weapon came crashing down, slamming into Sasha's abs. The giant stumbled back clutching her stomach, Verde splashing them both with yellow, electrifying them and leaping out of reach.
SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!
Vao had Grimm Demise in his hands, slamming the blade into the abomination, screaming loudly. But no matter how many times he cut it to pieces, it formed back together, refusing to die. Verde let out a cry of horror. "Vao, no! Don't hurt our baby!" She wailed.
She was already in front of him, painting a scarlet X across his chest. Vao cried in agony as his shirt caught ablaze, frantically rolling on the floor. Verde growled furiously, her smile stretching wide to expose every tooth in her mouth. Her psychosis was beginning to show as she burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.
"Why don't you understand!? We can fix this horrible world! The First Timeline, this current one! None of it would matter! We could ascend to godhood, never fear death again! I swear it, we can make Paradise! Paradise for the gods! What we once thought as abominations, they're gods! Gods!" She leaned her head back, her arms stretched out to her sides as if praising a higher entity. "Goddess! Help me make them understand! I swear it, Goddess! I'll make Paradise!"
Y/N looked up as he heard the sounds coming from the stairs behind Verde. Unimaginable horrors came tumbling down the steps, twisting and writhing in all the ways they shouldn't. The katana-wielder backpedaled away in horror, his mouth dropping open into a horrified scream.
The abominations charged, defending their creator with fury. One of them was attacking Junior and the twins, the three of them barely holding off a single one of them. Vao was swinging wildly, slashing and smashing, and finally firing a rocket into one of their mouths. But no matter how hard they were hitting, their weapons, their Dust, it had no effect on the monsters.
One of the abomination's lifted Sasha off the ground, slamming her into the floor and cracking the marble. Another one batted Cardin away with a tentacle as if he weighed nothing. Verde weaved and danced between them, beelining for Y/N. The katana-wielder rolled to his feet and dodged strike after strike from her paint rushes, being given no time to make on attack of his own.
"This can end quickly, Y/N! All I need is for you to understand! My Paradise is benevolent! Pure! As pure as my children!" Verde squealed.
"Verde, what the hell is wrong with you!? These... These things! They're going to kill us, and you're fighting with them!?"
Verde leapt back, slinging paint at him. "They're my children, Y/N! I created them! They'd never kill you! Just hurt you very, very badly!"
Vao's scream caught Y/N's attention. But when he looked, the abominations weren't attacking him. They were just holding him close, trapping his arms so he couldn't swing his weapon. Verde gasped, her fingers entwining around each other. "Aww, they're so happy to see their father!"
"Y/N, save me!"
Y/N knew Vao couldn't teleport when he was freaking out. The abominations were making no effort to hurt him. In fact, it seemed like they were trying to avoid that. But Y/N wasn't about to take any chances. He made a mad dash for Vao, swinging his katana. The tentacles fell around him, quickly replaced by new ones as Y/N grabbed his brother and pulled him free. Verde was seething.
"Y/N, how could you!? Do not separate them!" She screamed in fury. She groaned, gripping her stomach painfully. "O-oh... It hurts..."
Y/N and Vao watched in horror as Verde reached into her pocket and pulled out a vial, popping the cork out and downing the entire thing in one gulp. Y/N looked at Vao in terror. "She's been drinking Salem's Blood! That's why she's been acting weird!" He shouted at him. Vao was crying.
"B-but I don't want to fight Verde!"
"Vao, she's been making these... These things, and she's trying to hurt us! You have to!"
Vao threw his weapon down on the ground, falling to his knees and clutching his head. "I can't, Y/N! I can't!"
Y/N growled angrily, stepping back just as a glob of paint splattered against the wall behind him. Verde was charging forward again, laughing maniacally. He swung his katana in a whirlwind of blade, his weapon nothing more than a blur. But no matter how fast he was, Verde was faster, empowered by the blood of Salem. The artist wasn't even attacking anymore; she was just having fun.
A few of the abomination's had surrounded Vao again, wrapping their tentacles around him, holding him protectively. Vao screamed and cried in horror, squeezing his eyes shut. That didn't stop their voices from reaching his ears, however, as the called him 'father'.
Sasha was fighting at Cardin's side, her massive scimitar cutting deep into the abominations. But just like with Vao, nothing she did harmed them. They didn't even react, they just continued their advance. Cardin tackled one - or at least tried to. It didn't even stumble back. He lifted his mace, slamming it over and over into its eyes, screaming a battlecry.
Junior fired rockets from his bat as Melanie and Miltia struck at their enemy with their weapons. But the abomination knocked them away with ease, utilizing it's countless limbs to pry Junior's weapon out of his hands at the same time. The crime boss reach underneath the counter and retrieved a Thompson, slamming the drum magazine in and squeezing down the trigger. He screamed as the monstrous entity continued to glide towards him, the bullets bouncing off its pale skin. It grabbed him by the waist and hoisted Junior high into the air, slamming him into the shelf and knocking every alcohol bottle to the ground, glass shattering, and then dragged him across the counter like a washcloth.
Y/N hissed through his teeth. They were getting their asses kicked. Except Vao, he was being loved and cared for, the abominations trying to feed him now. Verde ducked underneath another strike, not even a drop of sweat falling from her body. "Do you see it now, Y/N!? Cnimbrerh's Blessing!? The power it gives! It's addicting! It's like eating your favorite food! Seeing your favorite painter at the grocery store!"
"Who!?"
Verde laughed. "It doesn't matter! Our worries are mundane compared to the intentions of the gods! Humans like us couldn't comprehend their goals! The Gods of Light and Dark are the same way! And none of it will matter when we create Paradise! Paradise for the gods, paradise for us! A perfect world where we can be beautiful and never fear for our lives again! It's the key to world peace, Y/N! Come now, think about it and help me convince Vao to create Paradise with me!"
Y/N had no idea what she was going on about. While he was trying to piece it together, Verde swiped her paintbrush again, staining his shirt with green. The fabric began to corrode, searing into Y/N's skin painfully. He let out a yelp as he wiped it off with his sleeve, backing away from Verde.
He needed a plan, and he didn't know where to even start. He couldn't hit Verde, and he couldn't kill the abominations. He began to wonder if this was where he would lose. He growled, looking around for anything he could use...
Of course.
He turned again and ran for Vao. Verde's face twisted in rage. "No! I won't let you get in the way of their happiness! They just want to be with Vao!" She shrieked. She was chasing him now. Y/N knew he didn't have much time before Verde caught him, which meant he needed to be fast. In one swipe he slashed Vao's left side free. The abominations released their grip as they tried to attack him, which was just what Y/N was hoping they'd do. Reeling his fist back, he threw it forward - and decked Vao as hard as he could.
CRACK!
The femboy went flying through the air and crashed into a table, breaking the furniture to pieces. The abominations screamed, trying to run to his side. Verde had frozen where she stood watching the scene with wide eyes. "Y/N, what are you doing!?" She cried.
Y/N ignored her, sprinting past the abominations and sheathing his katana. Vao was just standing up, wiping the tears away from his eyes.
"Ch-cheers, Y/N... I-I'm not even mad that you hit m-"
Vao's voice was cut off when Y/N dug his knuckles into his cheek, nearly knocking him off his feet. Sasha had noticed the brothers fighting, glaring at Y/N with fury. "Vao's on our side, you moron! Hit Verde, not him!"
Y/N grabbed Vao by the collar and tugged him up to his level, slamming his fist into Vao's mouth repeatedly. The abominations that had been attacking the others shifted their focus to Y/N, scrambling to get him. Y/N dragged Vao's dazed and confused body with him as he ran, hopping on top of the stage and holding him out for them abominations to see.
"You want your father!? Come and get him before I do worse!" He screamed. The abominations roared as they charged, Y/N delivering a sucker punch to Vao's gut that forced him to lose his lunch.
Junior groaned as he picked himself up off the ground. He knew exactly what Y/N was doing; the abominations didn't want to injure Vao. And so by attacking his brother, Y/N was taking their attention, allowing the others to attack Verde at once. He slammed his fist against the glass counter, picking his dented bat off the floor. "Keep doing that, Y/N! Don't let them get you!"
Junior vaulted over the bar and charged with Melanie and Miltia close behind him, Sasha and Cardin joining the fray as they sprinted towards Verde. The artist ducked and weaved, a blur of colors as she avoided their strikes.
She felt like an idiot. Of course Y/N would notice the abominations and Vao. She should have taken that into account before hand. She swung her paintbrush, painting a line of fire across Cardin's face. The mace-wielder shrieked and dropped his weapon, trying to put the flames out as Sasha came rushing to help him. That solved two of her problems. But she still had three attacking her. She growled as she dodged, working up a brainstorm, trying to figure out a way to escape this situation.
Y/N ducked, nearly impaled by a tentacle. He was beginning to feel like he fucked up badly. The abominations were chasing him relentlessly as he continued to gain distance. He jumped over a table and kicked it over as a shield, pulling Vao up to his feet again. The bruised and battered femboy held his hands up.
"Wait, wait, I'll fight! I'll fight! You're really starting to hurt me, Y/N!"
Slam! Slam! Slam!
Vao's head bounced back and forth like a bobblehead as Y/N beat his face in. Vao dizzily looked at him, his right eye swollen shut.
"U-unyu... W-why's there four Y/N's...? I'm not even drunk, mate..."
"I'm sorry about this, Vao! I'll buy you a new dress to make up for it!" Y/N promised. He brought his knee up as hard as he could, digging his kneecap straight into Vao's crotch. The femboy's mouth opened wide, a shrill, high pitched scream escaping his lungs. Y/N prepared to run - only for the unexpected to happen. The little abomination Verde had been cradling launched itself at him, latching onto Y/N's chest. The katana-wielder dropped Vao in terror, trying desperately to pry the thing off.
But the abomination was far stronger than he was, inching closer and closer to his face. And as it made itself eye level with him, it stared into his eyes. Y/N felt the his mind breaking. A warm tickling sensation graced the sides of his nose. His tear ducts were bleeding.
It was only for a moment. It was only a glimpse. But as Y/N stared into the countless eyes of the eldritch abomination, he remembered. He remembered the First Timeline. He remembered his horrible, nightmarish journey across the world to find and kill a murderous, cannibalistic Vao. He remembered his mother's death. He remembered Ruby's suicide attempts. He remembered Tai and Qrow's deaths. He remembered staring at Raven, who had her eyes gouged out and eaten. He remembered seeing the eaten corpses piled in Atlas. He remembered watching as Vao beheaded someone he had fallen in love with, having killed everyone else he cared about.
It wasn't a memory that was permanent. In fact, it was wiped from his memory almost immediately after. But it was enough. Those horrible memories, that overwhelming, crippling agony that followed. It awoke in him.
Y/N and Vao weren't like the Maidens. Their magic was always locked. And what did it take to unlock it? The same thing that unlocked it the first time.
Raw, unfiltered emotion. As the abominations swarmed around Y/N, prepared to tear him to pieces.
The Light exploded from Y/N's body. It wasn't a lot, and it wasn't nearly as powerful as it had been before the world was reset. But it was enough. As the blinding light engulfed the Club, he could hear everyone's cries of shock, quickly followed by the roars of the abominations as they were brutally torn to pieces.
And as the light cleared, Verde stared in silent horror at the emptiness. In the midst of the blood and gore, Y/N stood, wiping the blood from his eyes. Verde's eye twitched. And then twitched again.
"M-my... My children... Y/N, you... Y/N... Y/N...!"
She was freaking out, pulling at her hair and screaming. That level of fury wasn't normal. Verde had gone batshit insane.
"To hell with it all! Screw it! I invited you to create Paradise! Damn it, damn it, damn it! You killed my babies with Vao! You killed them! I don't need you! I don't need Sasha, I don't need the mafia! I don't need anyone but Vao for my Paradise! I'll kill you... I'll kill you, I'll kill you, I'll FUCKING KILL YOU, Y/N!" Verde screamed at the top of her lungs. She had screamed so loud her voice had cracked with every word. She grabbed the collar of her shirt, pulling at it with a cry of psychotic fury, tearing the fabric off, and exposing the horrifying truth of her arms.
Y/N and Vao gasped. Verde's arms were littered with scars made by her scalpel, even crisscrossing down her torso, lining her abs. Verde dug into her skirt pocket and slammed the syringe deep into her arm, injecting Salem's Blood straight into her body. They watched as the skin began to boil and blister, pus leaking down her fingers as her forearm and hand began to turn grey. Verde was screaming in pain, clutching her arm tightly.
"It hurts! It hurts! Goddess, help me!" She screeched. "Behold the fruit of my labor, Y/N! Behold my research!"
The blisters exploded, the pus flying everywhere, staining whatever it landed on. And in place of Verde's right arm was a writhing mass of tentacles lined with eyes. Verde stared at it, having a full psychotic breakdown.
"Beautiful! I'm becoming beautiful, Y/N! I'll show you the power of the gods!"
Verde swept her deformed hand threw the empty air, the tentacles going ballistic and attacking everything on sight. They wrapped around Sasha, hurling the giantess at Y/N. Vao stood to his feet and tackled him out of the way just before Sasha bowled into him. The sword swinger broke through the wall and into the backrooms, unconscious on impact. Verde brandished her scalpel, the surgical weapon gleaming sinisterly.
The artist stared at Vao intensely, her smile stretching. "Won't you join me, Vao? Or will I have to take you by force? I'd never kill you. I'd never use you as bait like Y/N did. I just want to live with you in our Paradise, no matter the cost! We can make more children! Raise them together! Please, Vao! Don't make me hurt you!"
Y/N brandished his katana in Vao's defense. "You're insane if you think he'd agree to that! Look what you're doing to yourself, Verde! What would James say if he saw this!" But Verde just laughed hysterically.
"Who cares!? I've told you, it does not matter once I erect Paradise! And you're absolutely right! I'm fucking crazy, Y/N! Crazy about Vao, crazy about our Paradise!" The tentacles began to spin as Verde gritted her teeth so hard her gums began to bleed. "And you're in my way!"
Verde charged at him, the tentacles going straight for him. Junior tried to intervene, trying to hit Verde's exposed back. But the eyes that lined her new arm weren't for show - the saw him coming a mile away, and moved to grab the crime boss and slam him through the booths. Y/N tried to take this opportunity to strike, but the appendages moved individual of each other, deflecting every attack her made with ease. Verde ran past him, gunning it for Vao with her scalpel held high.
"I'll help you understand, beloved! I'll turn you into a god, too!"
Vao used the blade of his axe as a shield, Verde's scalpel striking the surface wildly. Y/N cried out in horror. Verde was using her abomination arm to keep him back while she tried to turn Vao. Melania and Miltia came running to Y/N, breathing heavily. "What do we do!? We can't let Verde so much as scratch Vao or it's over!" Miltia screamed.
But for once, Y/N had his hands tied. No matter what he did, he couldn't get close enough. And with all the abominations dead, Verde was completely obsessed with Vao. Nothing he could do would distract her. Things were only getting worse by the minute! He gritted his teeth as he blocked an attack, the force sending him skidding backwards.
"F-fight! That's what we do! Keep attacking! That's ALL we can do!"
Melanie and Miltia didn't waste any time. They charged and engaged the tentacles in battle, Cardin joining the fight.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!
Sparks soared through the air as Verde dealt blow after blow on Vao, forcing him to keep stepping backwards. He stared up at her in terror, hiding behind his weapon. "Verde, stop! I don't want to be one of those things! Your idea of paradise is really, really bad!"
"Nonsense!" Verde shrieked. "You haven't realized the beauty in it, yet! Which is why I'm trying to show you! Drop your weapon! It'll only hurt for a moment, I promise! It feels amazing afterwards!"
Vao screamed as the scalpel slid across the blade of his axe, ducking just as the razor sharp blade sliced off a few strands of his hair. He was getting more and more tired with every block. And he didn't have any adrenaline shots with him. Meanwhile Verde wasn't even showing a hint of fatigue, fueled purely by Salem's Blood.
"It doesn't even have to be about the gods, Vao! I just want to live with you in Paradise! Is that so wrong!? To love in a beautiful world where we don't have to fear losing each other!? I've seen the First Timeline, Vao! We're going to get killed in this one if we stay human! It's all an orchestration! A show for those two! We can cheat the system! Throw away death! Please, Vao! Come to your senses, damn it!"
Someone tackled Vao away, pulling him to safety. Verde glared hatefully at the new fighter, her teeth pulled back in a snarl.
"Weiss!?"
The heiress trembled at the sight of Verde's arm, but managed to speak. "V-Vao... I am never coming when you send a distress signal again..." She whimpered. Verde hissed, one of her tentacles homing in on her.
But it wasn't enough. Like this, it would take Verde ages to hit Vao, she realized. The artist clenched her scalpel in her teeth, taking her syringe out again and burying the needle into her shoulder blade, injecting herself again. Her shoulder began to boil, the artist screaming in agony. With a sickening crunch, spider-like tendrils jutted through her skin, stretching as they were exposed to the air. Weiss almost fainted, wobbling on her feet. Verde used her new limbs to attack Weiss, turning her full attention to Vao and breaking into a sprint.
BAM, BAM!
Verde whipped around when she felt the shotgun rounds pelt her spider legs, spotting a terrified Yang standing with Ember Celica still smoking.
"A-ay yo... What the actual fuck is this..."
Verde was about to ignore the brawler until she felt something wrap around her ankle. Before she could pull away, she was yanked into the air and slammed into the floor, Blake soaring above her and firing Gambol Shroud. Verde blocked the bullets with one of her tentacles and then used it to push herself to her feet. She was growing angrier and angrier by the minute. Blake was charging at her, her eyes hardened. But when she was withing reach, Verde swerved out of the way, sticking her foot out and tripping the Faunus.
Y/N was more than happy to have people joining, but that didn't help when Verde was soloing all of them without breaking a sweat. A stray tentacle came hurtling towards him from behind, the katana-wielder noticing it far too late to dodge it. It was going to pierce right through him! He squeezed his eyes shut, ready to feel the sharp pain as a hole was blown through his chest. But as the seconds passed, he cautiously opened them.
A black glyph had formed in front of him, Weiss pushing Y/N out of the way just as the appendage broke through the barrier. The heiress smirked. "What on Remnant would you do without me?" She snickered. She was trying to keep her mind off Verde's horrifying alterations. Y/N returned her grin.
"Not getting a headache every time you raise your hand in class," he joked. Weiss gasped and socked him in the arm playfully, the two teaming against Verde's deadly assault.
Verde was still trying to convince Vao. She was walking after Vao, who was trying to get away.
"I promise it'll feel better, Vao! You'll feel powerful! Strong! We'll be able to face any challenge as we build Paradise! No matter what, we'll have each other! When you accept Goddess's Blessing, you'll see the beauty in the gods! Why aren't you listening to me!?"
"Because your smile is very, very scary!"
Verde gasped, her human hand reaching to touch her lips. "B-but you said you loved my smile..." She whimpered. Vao panicked, not wanting to sour his relationship with her.
"N-no, I still do! It's scary, but still attractive!"
"Really!?"
"Vao, stop complimenting her! She's trying to turn you into one of those things!" Cardin shouted angrily, ducking under one of Verde's spider legs. "Seriously, you're the biggest asshole to everyone else, but you get all soft and squishy around her!"
Verde glared at the ginger, batting him away with a tentacle before shifting her gaze back to Vao. "Please, dear... Just hold still for one moment!" She leapt into the air, using her spider legs to propel herself forward at blinding speeds. The was no way Vao could have dodged that. Verde slammed down on top of him, her scalpel going straight for his chest. He grabbed her wrist and pushed , back, sweat rolling down his forehead. He couldn't keep this up for long. Already the blade was inching closer and closer to his skin, and soon it would puncture his shirt. All Verde needed was one scratch deep enough to draw blood - in other words, not a whole lot.
Yang growled, charging forward with her gauntlets locked and loaded. Dodging tentacle and spider leg alike, she closed the gap between them, leaping into the air. "You ain't touchin' him, you bitch!" She screamed. Verde turned to see Yang's hair explode into a fiery inferno, her eyes blazing red. Verde shifted to the side and wrapped her arms around Yang's delivering headbutt after headbutt before casting her to the side like a ragdoll.
"After Mr. Ironwood took me in, he enrolled me in self defense classes. I don't want to hurt anyone more than what I need to, but I won't let you get in my way!" Verde screamed furiously. Her veins were beginning to spring out from her neck. She groaned internally. She shouldn't have let Yang get that close. She needed more. Passing off her syringe to one of her tentacles, she injected her lower back next. She cried out as the skin begin to boil, three scorpion-like tails bursting from her tailbone. Blake let out a wail of dismay.
"More!? How much of that stuff does she have!?"
Vao thought back to their investigation in Innsmaw. He should have put his foot down and told Verde she could only take a couple vials, not all of them. Y/N was feeling the same way when a stinger cracked the ground in front of him.
Sasha came hauling ass back into the club, Vao's car lifted high over her head, her Semblance activated. With a scream of fury she launched the beaten up vehicle at the artist with everything she had. But Verde caught it with her extra limbs effortlessly, crushing it into a ball and throwing it back at her. A few of the mafia members had even come back, firing their weapons at Verde from a doorway. But the artist deflected the bullets with ease before destroying the door, nearly killing the goons.
"Vao, listen to me! You're growing tired! I can see it in your eyes! Please, just accept it! I don't want to create Paradise without you! If you're not at my side, it's worth nothing to me!" Verde screamed down at him. She was so angry that she was beginning to cry. "Just take the Blessing! Be Blessed with me! Blessed! Blessed! Blessed!" Verde pushed with everything she could, easily overpowering Vao. As the blade sunk into his shirt, the threads began to snap. And then the sharp pain. The moment she broke skin and drew blood, Verde pulled her scalpel away, retrieving her syringe. Cardin was watching in horror.
"Verde cut Vao! She's about to turn him!" He screamed. Y/N felt his blood beginning to boil. He was getting pissed. He wasn't going to let Vao die. If he did, he'd never forgive himself. Without caring for his own safety, he charged head first into the swirling mass of monstrous limbs. Weiss tried to call him back, but he was deaf. Deaf to anything other than Vao screaming in terror.
SLASH, SLASH, SLASH!
He unleashed everything he had an the artist, attacking the parts of her that were still human. Verde shrieked in surprise as the katana blade dug into her skin, leaping back in surprise. Her face twisted in fury, her psychotic snarl growing with hatred.
"You nasty little bitch! Stop interrupting! Don't ever interrupt me!"
"I'm not letting you kill him! I won't! Not while I'm still breathing!"
"Luckily for me, that won't be for long!" Verde fired back. Behind Y/N, Vao was fleeing from the syringe the tentacle from earlier still had in it's grasp. Verde slammed her spider legs into Y/N's chest, puncturing skin as she lifted him off the ground, slamming him back down over and over.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, CRACK!
With one last slam, she threw Y/N into the crater, breaking his legs in the process. He groaned, trying to focused his healing Semblance. But he knew it wouldn't work fast enough. Verde was already sprinting for Vao. She tackled him to the ground, raising her syringe high in the air, her smile growing wider and wider. "Finally... Finally, we can experience true beauty together!"
Vao clenched his teeth. He was going to regret this and he knew it. But there wasn't any other way. Even with all of his friends, they couldn't reach him in time, leaving it up to Vao to do something. He reached up and grabbed Verde's shoulder, pushing her enough for him to get on his knees.
"Oh, mate... I won't blame you if you hate me for this..." He moaned quietly. He reeled back his dominant hand and opened his palm, locking eyes with Verde. He almost chickened out. But when he saw the obsessive insanity blazing in her green eyes, he followed through.
SSSHLAP!
Verde was knocked backwards when Vao struck her as hard as he could, a dark red handprint left on her cheek. The battlefield went silent, leaving Vao to feel the guilt. Verde sat up and blinked a few times before reaching her hand up, gingerly touching the handprint, pulling away when she felt the sharp sting. She looked up at Vao, his eyes wide and her smile erased.
"Did... Did you just slap me...?"
"Look love, I-"
Verde climbed to her knees, her hands clutching the sides of her head. "No... No... No, I don't want you to hate me... Vao, please... Please, try to understand! I'm doing this for us, Vao! Us! A paradise we can live in! I'm trying to protect us!" She begged. She looked like she was about to break down. "V-Vao, if we c-continue, Light and Dark... They're going to do something again... Th-that's why I wanted every to join me in Paradise...! Light and Dark will try and manipulate you and Y/N again! I can't let that happen, I can't!"
Y/N stepped between the two, pointing his katana at Verde. "... You're insane... Delusional... You're not making any sense..."
Verde ignored him, launching him away with a tentacle and grabbing Vao by the shirt. "Vao, you'd only hit me if you hated me... P-please, don't hate me... D-don't leave me, Vao! I don't want to be alone again!" She cried. Vao felt like a piece of shit - more than usual, anyway. He pulled her closer, his eyes growing wet.
"I-I can't hate you... B-but I don't wanna be a monster... Verde, please. Snap out of it. This is all crazy shit that shouldn't be happening... Wot is all this rubbish about a first timeline? Wot do you mean light and dark?"
Yang groaned as she picked her head off the ground. She couldn't believe she loved to see the day Vao of all people would try the sensible approach. She knew it now; Vao and Verde were made for each other. When Y/N began to run forward, she stopped him.
"Don't... Let Verde tell us what's going on," she warned. "She... She figured a way to do that to herself, she has to know something about Salem..."
Verde bit her lip, tasting the saltiness of her own tears. "... T-this... This will sound crazy, but... Before this, there was another timeline... In it, Goddess gave you her Blessing, and-"
Grrrroooooooowwwwwwlllll...
Verde stopped talking, her breath catching in her throat. Vao looked around fearfully. Did one of the abomination's survive? Verde hunched over, clutching her stomach in pain. It was killing her. She had never felt this hungry in her life. Another long, deep growl. Vao looked at her worriedly.
"Verde... Are you hungry? I can make you a sandwich, then we can talk..."
No one was piecing it together. No one but Weiss. The heiress thought back to the time they went to Innsmaw. She remembered Y/N telling her about Salem for the first time. And then she remembered Ruby. She trembled where she stood, Myrtenaser falling from her hand. "V-Vao... Get away from Verde... G-get away from Verde!"
But Vao ignored her. When the artist didn't respond, he gave her a gentle shake. "Love? Are you alright?"
"Vao," Verde breathed raggedly. She shakily looked up at him, her eyes hazy. A thin rope of drool had begun to dribble from her chin, roping down to the floor as she leaned into him. "Y-you smell... Delicious..."
Vao didn't know how to respond to that. He could see Weiss running towards them, her face filled with terror. "Vao! Vao, what happens to people when they drink Salem's Blood!? What did Ruby do to Jaune!?"
Behind her, Yang and Y/N's eyes widened in horror. But it was too late. At first, Vao didn't feel anything. But soon after he pushed himself away from Verde, screaming as he clutched his bleeding shoulder. Verde chewed what little she had gotten, rising to her feet. She looked as if she had snapped, licking the excess off her lips.
"Oh, Vao... Vao, you taste amazing... Could you spare me some more!? I'm hungry, Vao! I'm starving!" She hissed. She had already begun approaching, her extra limbs pinning him down. She crawled on top of him, black sludge beginning to trickle down her nose. Vao stared up in terror.
He couldn't believe this was how he was going to die. He always thought it would be in a fight or a dark alley somewhere. Not by being eaten. Verde lowered her head, her teeth nipping at his shoulder, her tongue flicking out. "Vao, this is the best taste I've ever experienced! Please, I have to have another bite! Just one, Vao! And then we can move on to create Paradise together!" She shouted. Salem's Blood was taking over again. Not even Verde with her extensive knowledge could handle it. The nightmares from the first lives of Y/N and Vao were beginning to repeat themselves.
Y/N charged forward, his panic flaring wildly, his hands beginning to glimmer dully. And without thinking, he grabbed Verde by the shoulder - blasting his magic straight into spider legs by mistake.
A blinding flash of light, followed by Verde's pained shriek. Vao felt a weight fall on top of him, opening his eyes.
Verde's alterations had been destroyed, reverting her back to a normal human. But she wasn't moving. He quickly moved his hand under her breast, waiting in horrified suspense.
Thu-thump. Thu-thump.
Her heart was still beating. He sighed in relief, looking her over. No tentacles, tails, or spider legs. It was just Verde. Vao looked up to Y/N, questions forming in his mind. Questions that everyone who just watched had. "M-mate... That's the second time you've done that... Wot the hell did you do?"
Y/N trembled, looking at his own hands in terror.
"I-I don't know..."