RWBY – The madness of Lappland

Dancing Among the Wolves

Lappland povI slowly scanned the empty parking lot with my eyes, and my heart gradually began to calm down. The adrenaline started to subside, and a slight feeling of stickiness and dampness under my clothes suggested that I had, in fact, broken a light sweat.

I didn’t see, hear, or feel anything—it just happened. If it weren’t for the damage to the car’s hood and the slight pain spreading through my body , I would have thought I just had a episode of delusions and started losing my mind again . But all the facts, as well as the clarity of my mind, reflected a different truth.

It caught me off guard . Only my instinct made me dodge the second attack , and it really was at the very last second . If I hadn't dodged it, I doubt I'd be able to stand . Even if it didn't completely shatter my aura, it would certainly come close . Something capable of tearing the car's hood off in such a brutal way wouldn't be a painless experience.

That's why I focused particularly on my surroundings, trying to figure out what had happened and to make sure it doesn't happen again . But I didn't feel any fear , stress or anxiety —I felt nothing but calm. You could say that, in a way, I was excited as a confident and aggressive smile twisted my lips .

My eyes scanned the field. At first, I focused on what I saw, what I heard, and what I smelled . The last man I fought was dead; his heart had stopped beating, and the warmth of his blood was already fading. 

The fat man was still writhing on the ground, unable to move. It wasn’t either of those two. All I could hear clearly right now was my own heart pounding as well as the groans of the fat man and his heart thumping like crazy.

As for the smell, all I could smell was fresh blood, the stench of the fat man, my own scent, and the strong smell of burning coming from the car . In the end, the search was pointless. The area was empty and quiet. There was no one else standing here besides me. Yet the facts pointed to something else. 

'There's someone else here '

I thought to myself, along with the cacophony of voices in my head who agreed with me. It was the only reasonable option that my gut feeling and instinct agreed with. As for who is attacking me ? Looking at the situation, it’s someone from Adam’s group. After all, they were clearly preparing an ambush. And it finally happened. I just didn't expect ....this. 

Lappland: "I didn't know Adam could find such a useful subordinate. So what is this? A physical illusion... No....  If that was the case, I would have  to do is look for the scent and the sound. But now I have no senses or sight—a complete illusion? Sensory control? "

I said, standing up straight from my previous stance. Then I look around and spinnin on my own axis, with arms raised slightly , waiting in suspense. I was waiting for some kind of reaction, whether it was an attack or a conversation. Despite the situation, I wasn’t panicking over the lack of information. 

Throughout my career, I’ve seen and fought many semblance users. And each one was different— From the simplest and most straightforward to the most tricky and complex. Elemental control, mental abilities like mind reading or emotion manipulation, to destructive and baffling powers like teleportation, super-speed, and even temporary immortality.

' Unfortunately for all of them, I’m the worst person to fight against when it comes to semblance abilities. They simply don't matter if you can't use them or when they fail at the last moment, if only for a second '

I thought, licking my fangs . I had a clear advantage, and the person fighting me surely knew it. Since the ambush didn't take me out on the first strike, I've got the upper hand now. So, logically speaking, they’ll want to wrap this up quickly. Just so I don’t have a chance to put up a fight.

' But I need just a moment longer. I have to be patience. My semblance only lasts for one second. My opponent knows this and can use it to their advantage. I don’t even know my opponent’s position; it’s better to wait and roughly determine where they are, then activate my semblance and pounce on them at the same time. '

' If I did that now I risk being stabbed in the back . When I used my semblance, I’d lose my defense too . And if my opponent were smart, they’d be waiting for that right behind me, ready to attack at that very moment. '

' So , I have to be extra careful because I don't know how this person's ability works. Does it only protect them, or can it protect a group? If it's the second option, then we're facing a group of attackers. And in this case, positioning is also important; I can't stand in the middle—I have to quietly move back behind something to cover my back. '

I thought to myself when suddenly I again felt a tingling in my ears . A chill run down my spine. A cold gust of dusty, dank air swept past my nose. My intuition was screaming at me. But none of my other senses saw or felt anything. However, seeing that something was wrong with my senses, I ignored what I saw and trusted my intuition instead.

' To the left '

And again, a premonition and my instinct told me to dodge . And that's exactly what I did . This time, however, nothing happened—no damage to the terrain, no ground disturbance, and no even gusts of wind.

' To the Right' 

Once again, I quickly jumped out of the way to avoid whatever was coming . Then again and again. No stress, no rush. I listened to the voice in my head; my eyes wandered through the darkness of the garage, following the shadowy outlines of the wolves hidden within, and my body was pulled by the invisible strings of instinct. I felt as if I were dancing; my feet glided gently across the concrete.

'Duck' 

Then , from a crouching position, I jumped backward to a safe distance and , I couldn’t help but giggle.

Lappland: “What’s wrong? Didn’t you eat breakfast? HAhAH hahaH I can’t see you, I can’t feel you, and yet it’s you who can’t hit me? Is it really just me who’s lost my senses here, or maybe there really is no one here and I’ve truly gone mad . "

I said, my tone was openly provocative, and my tail swayed lazily behind me, held high, reflecting my freedom and playfulness. I wasn't worried about provoking the enemy. If they fall for the provocation, they risk making mistakes; if they stay calm, they won't change their approach to the fight. In any case, it won't change anything.

But honestly, the second option has always been a possibility in my mind too . The possibility that there really is no one here and that I’ve simply lost it completely, now dancing alone in the middle of an underground parking garage.

I kept listening to my instincts and slowly backed away. But the fun has come to an end . Suddenly I was struck in the waist—a blow strong enough to knock me back a full meter. I managed to stay on my feet and didn't lose my balance. The aura protected my body. So I took the hit without batting an eye . 

Instead, I focused more on where the attack came from in order to establish as much as possible where the attacker was. It was exactly what I had been waiting for. Even though I didn't let myself get hit on purpose and I was taken by surprise, the opportunity was still perfect. My back was right up against the pillar, and there was a car parked to my right. This shielded my back and side from potential attacks by other attackers. 

Looking at my path after the blow, I had a pretty good idea of where the person who dealt it must have been standing . Of course, it was very rough, but the idea was just to get a rough idea of the target's position—to figure out whether they were ahead of me or behind me. 

My heart started racing , my muscles tensed up . The grip on the knife and hatchet has become firm . I've prepared myself for the attack . Ddarkness around me began to fill with the red-eyed wolves. They looked as if they had been created from smoke, and each of them spoke in a different voice, merging into a hum. 

At that moment, I felt the adrenaline rush and my muscles tense as I was about to use my semblance to reveal the attacker. At that very moment , that mind-numbing hum turned into the sound of a beating heart. My heart, which I suddenly felt being squeezed, as if something had grabbed it and was holding it. A sense of extreme danger . But it wasn't a warning of an incoming attack; it was something entirely different.

As I come to understand this feeling  , I also noticed my own face, emerging from the darkness in the distance. Her red eyes stared at me, a clear warning. As for what that warning was about......

??? : "You've already figured it out yourself. But there's no other option, so do it quickly."

She said it , with my own voice, right next to my ear , seriously, without any sarcasm or malice. . The weight and the feeling of being watched by my own consciousness came crashing down on me, along with a sense of danger. I already had my own theory about my deteriorating condition . I didn’t want to admit it, though—not out loud. But now even my instincts and my gut are telling me the same thing. Although I can't say the same about my own mind , but who should I trust if not my own body ?

'Well, that means it's going to hurt.' 

I thought to myself, knowing full well that this wasn't the best time to test my theory. If I'm right, it's really going to hurt.

Lappland : "Let's not drag this out—let's even the odds." 

I giggled, and without worry or fear I spread my arms wide, offering my entire body to this damned, deceitful world.

Lappland : " THE LIGHTS GO OUT ! LET THE SHOW BEGIN . "

I screamed, sensing and then expelling my own soul outward in the form of an explosion of Aura . A feeling of liberation overwhelmed my body, the pleasure of impending revenge and a fight on equal terms. A wolf’s howl, a blue flash. One second. 

But before darkness fell—in the split second before the darkness descended—whatever had made my opponents invisible and undetectable dissipated. Scattered by the glow of my aura, like a wave crashing against a castle made of sand . Thanks to that, I could now " see " my target. There wasn't even enough time to get a good look. The figure just flashed across my field of vision, and that was it.

Without even thinking or analyzing the situation, my body instinctively lunged in that direction, using that split second of visibility to attack based on memory, instinct, and experience. And just as my body lunged forward, my head was suddenly overwhelmed. I the darkness, I immediately sensed several scents and heard several heartbeats. .

It was so sudden that it was practically deafening. It was as if my nose and ears had been plugged, and then suddenly someone pulled the plug out. The sudden noise and smells were overwhelming. But that wasn't enough to stop me from attacking. I didn't even have to think about it—my body instinctively knew what to do. 

The person in front of me was still standing there. A single second is enough time for an experienced fighter to react—especially in a life-or-death situation. And that’s exactly what the person in front of me did, at least with the upper half of his body, since the lower half—specifically his legs—seemed to freeze in place. So , by leaning his upper body backward, he tried to dodge my swing. But without stepping back with his legs, it was pointless.

My hatchet was already hovering over his throat, but the second passed too quickly; suddenly, two shots from the side forced me to parry them—and thus, to halt my attack. The hatchet withstood only one shot before shattering, but that gave me just enough time to roll out of the way and avoid the second one.

As soon as some lights came back on, I was already standing there, ready for the next round . But my two attackers stopped, prompted by the third, who raised her hand in the darkness . Taking advantage of the silence, I quickly glanced at this group of people. And the first thing that struck me was that they were all humans ???