A Living Myth RWBY X Child!Dragon Faunus! Male! Reader

Chapter 23: The Coming Storm and Alone in the Woods

I own nothing
Chapter 23: Apathy
The blizzard became worse as they headed deeper into the farm. Despite the relatively good shape the place was in, it was clearly abandoned, and it gave (Y/N) a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"I don't get it." He heard Ruby say. "All the towns we passed through were damaged or unfinished, but this place looks fine."
They all huddled on the porch of the main house and (Y/N) curled more against Blake's back, much to her worry. Weiss gently ran her fingers through his hair.
"Maybe everyone left in a hurry before things took a turn?"
Qrow tried to open the door, but found it locked. He looked back at the others.
"Stay on guard."
He kicked in the door, and everyone rushed in with their weapons drawn. Blake moved furthest away from the door to get (Y/N) as far from the storm outside as possible. Everyone looked around wearily when Maria nonchalantly walked through.
"Close the door already! It's cold enough in here as is."
The others dropped their guard, and while Blake, Oscar, and Weiss barricaded the door to keep the wind from opening it again, Ruby and Yang rubbed (Y/N)'s arms to get him warm again, Ruby even wrapping him in her cloak at one point. It wasn't much, but it made him less sluggish, enough so that he could move around well enough.
"You okay now, little guy?" Yang asked.
He nodded with a weak smile. "I'm fine." His nose twitched. "Something smells bad."
"It's probably just the house." Ruby said.
"I saw a chimney from the outside." Blake said. "(Y/N), do you think you're strong enough to get a fire going?"
"I think so. If there's wood, my breath should be enough to light it."
"I'll look for some blankets." Weiss volunteered.
"Yang, go with her." Qrow said as everyone spread out to get supplies.
Oscar and (Y/N) headed into the library and saw the chimney and some firewood nearby. The farm boy set it up, but before (Y/N) could light it, they heard Weiss scream from upstairs. Everyone raced up and saw Yang and Weiss sitting as though they had fallen. Their eyes were wide with terror. (Y/N) tried to run to them, but Qrow caught him, covering his eyes.
"Don't look, (Y/N)."
He didn't need to, he could smell something rotten in there. And given how scared his sisters had sounded, he could guess what was beyond the door.
Didn't mean he wanted to see that.
Everyone went back to the library and (Y/N) got the fire going. He then curled up against Weiss, who was still in shock, as Blake covered them both in a blanket. Weiss flinched, so (Y/N) hugged her, which she immediately returned. Qrow then came back from scouting around, dusting off the snow with a somber look on his face.
"It's the same in every house."
Everyone's eyes widened.
"What?" Yang asked from her spot on the couch.
"Every bed, in every home. It's like the whole estate just went to sleep and never woke up." Qrow walked to the fire to warm up as Weiss perked up.
"Then we're not staying here." She turned to him. "Right?"
"We don't have a choice. Storm outside is only getting worse. We'll freeze to death before we can make it anywhere."
There was an unease among everyone. No one wanted to stay in the corpse house, but they knew Qrow was right, (Y/N) especially. For once in his life, he hated that he was half reptile.
"Welp." Maria chirped as she walked towards the bookshelf. "Might as well get comfortable."
"Yeah, fat chance." Yang shot back.
(Y/N) curled closer to Weiss and she brought him closer.
"Something's wrong with this place."
She kissed his head. "I know, sweetie, but we just need to wait out the storm."
"Okay then," Ruby interjected. "Let's do something. If this place wasn't abandoned, it might still have supplies we can use."
"Hey yeah. Maybe even a car." Oscar agreed.
"I'm gonna do another sweep of the grounds." Qrow announced as he left. "No one else goes anywhere alone."
"Yang and I can search the other buildings for vehicles." Offered Blake.
Yang rolled her eyes. "Fine. Whatever gets me out of this house."
(Y/N) frowned as he saw Yang leave, followed by Blake and Ruby. Weiss then stood.
"(Y/N), stay here and keep warm."
"All right." He moaned.
He knew he wasn't going to win the fight and he didn't feel like leaving the fire. After the girls were gone, he curled up closer to the fire, completely unfazed by the occasional embers hitting him. Oscar watched him get settled as Maria picked up a book.
"I'll tell you what, you two keep that fire fed, and I'll find us a story to read before bed."
"Okay." (Y/N) agreed as he turned to keep a closer eye on the fire. However, as he repositioned himself, he heard that groaning again, and this time he heard something else, like the scratching of nails. He perked up, glancing around, trying to find the source. Oscar noticed his panic.
"Something wrong, (Y/N)?"
"Didn't you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"The groaning! And the nails."
Oscar looked confused. "Um, what groaning? I don't hear anything."
"Really? I heard it earlier too, when we were passing that well."
"Your ears are that sharp?" Maria asked.
(Y/N) nodded. "Yeah, I have really good senses, even for a Faunus."
"The well likely runs beneath the farm. You're probably hearing animals running around down there."
"Oh." He relaxed. "You're probably right."
(Timeskip)
Everyone reconvened back in the library for the night, and (Y/N) was now between Yang and Blake. He felt much better thanks to the fire, but he was starting to become sleepy.
"A diary?" He heard Oscar ask Maria.
The old woman nodded. "From the head of this estate, Bartleby. Apparently he and several other families founded this little settlement to try to live on their own. Sounds like it worked, at least for a spell.
"The Grimm?" (Y/N) asked from his spot.
"Just one of many hardships. Slowed down their farming, made everything harder. It's quite a shame really. He seemed like quite the ambitious fellow. Always thinking of new schemes to over come the odds."
"Hey, guys?" (Y/N) bent his head back to see Ruby come in. "Qrow says we should get some sleep. We're gonna head out early tomorrow."
"Thank goodness." Blake said what everyone was thinking.
The four got up from the floor and laid out some blankets. As (Y/N) tucked in beside Weiss, he heard Maria huff.
"The last thing you'll see me doing is letting some kid tell me what to do. Go to bed."
(Y/N) chuckled as Maria stomped across the room and settled into a chair bu the lamp to continue to read the diary.
Everyone drifted away, and the next morning, (Y/N) leapt awake with a gasp as he heard a particularly loud groan. He was breathing heavily for a moment as he glanced around. He hadn't woken anyone up, but he did see Ruby fidgeting in her sleep. Carefully, he crept over to her and shook her shoulder.
"Ruby?" He whispered.
He shook a bit harder, but to no avail. However, when he heard a bottle hit the floor, she jumped awake like he had. Luckily, he moved away before her head could smack into his.
"Ruby?"
She turned to him, before smiling. "I-I'm okay. What are you doing up?"
He slumped. "I keep hearing the noises."
"Don't worry, we'll be out of here soon."
(Y/N) glanced at the window. "Shouldn't Qrow have woken us up by now?"
Ruby eyes widened as she realized he was right. She marched up to the curtains and pulled them open.
"Close the window." Weiss moaned.
Ruby breathed deeply. "Come on, (Y/N)."
The boy followed his sister to where Qrow had passed out. (Y/N) nearly gagged at the smell of alcohol. Ruby picked up an empty bottle and approached the unconscious man.
"Uncle Qrow." She shook him. "Come on, get up!"
"Ugh, leave me alone." He mumbled.
"We overslept."
He pushed her away, and in frustration, she threw the bottle at a wall, shattering it and getting Qrow up.
"What!?" He glanced between Ruby and the bottles and realized he had been caught. "Oh, right. Sunrise."
Ruby hugged him. "You know, you can talk to me about stuff. Yang too."
"Let's just get out of here." He insisted.
As Qrow and Ruby passed him, (Y/N) switched to his second vision. He could see that Qrow was upset, confused, and feeling many different emotions, he already could guess that.
What worried him was the weak response from their souls.
(Timeskip)
Everyone gathered outside to get ready to leave. (Y/N) sandwiched himself between Oscar and Blake with a blanket over him as Weiss and Yang got Bumblebee ready.
"Can we just go back to bed?" Oscar moaned.
"If we're all so tired, maybe we should make breakfast?" Blake suggested.
"You wanna make it?"
"Not really."
(Y/N) didn't say anything. He was unsettled by everything. Everyone was acting like he did when they got caught in the snow. But that was biological. This? This wasn't right. It didn't feel normal. Qrow and Ruby then pushed the cart into view.
"You got the bike ready?"
Yang nodded.
"All right." Qrow said, putting his foot on a tire. "Let's hook this thing up and-,"
At that moment, the tire popped, enraging Qrow.
"You people are just beacons for bad luck, aren't you." Maria chimed.
(Y/N) flinched. "Really not a good choice of words, Maria."
Qrow stomped away and sat down as Yang propped herself against the well.
"I'm starting to think the universe doesn't want us to get to Atlas."
Ruby sighed. "It's just a flat tire. I'm sure there's a spare."
"It's not just that. It's everything. Storms, crashes, monsters...I'm so tired."
"Me too." Blake agreed. "It feels like we're always having to fight to get by."
"Yeah." Ruby nodded. "But that's what we signed up for."
"We signed up to try and save the world," Oscar corrected. "Not just delay the inevitable."
Weiss jumped in. "Last night I....I couldn't stop thinking, why are we even going to Atlas?"
Ruby and (Y/N) were both shocked at the question. Of course they were going to Atlas. It was the only place to keep the Relic safe. They had to go...right? (Y/N) started feel a fog drift over his mind. He was also tired.
"Weiss, we have to." Ruby insisted.
"She's right." (Y/N) agreed.
"Why?" Yang asked. "Ozpin hid the Relics behind locked doors under enormous schools. But, how long would it take Salem to find one in the middle of nowhere?"
The dragon boy narrowed his eyes. "Considering the Relics attract the Grimm, probably not that long."
Yang shrugged. "They'd find it eventually, sure, but just bury it or throw it down the well, it would take years. It might not even happen in our lifetime, but we can be done with it now."
Ruby glanced down at the Relic, unsure, before walking towards the well.
"I am really tired."
As she held the Relic over the well, (Y/N) growled, stopping her.
"So, your plan is to give up?"
Everyone glanced at him.
"(Y/N)." Yang said. "This isn't our-,"
"So the fate of the world isn't our problem? So we just sit down, do nothing, and wait for Salem to come kill us? That's your plan?"
The girls didn't seem to have the energy to meet his challenged. (Y/N) meanwhile felt the fog clear somewhat. Something was definitely wrong.
"What's the point?" Yang tried to ask the boy.
(Y/N) shot her a dirty look. "Sorry, I didn't know I was talking to Raven."
Yang blinked, and for a second, there was a spark in her eyes. Wait, when did everyone's eyes become so dull? How long had they been like this? Ruby blinked, also seeming to snap out of whatever was wrong with them. However, glancing down the well, she yelped, dropping the Relic.
"No no no! I didn't mean to!"
(Y/N) flew over to her and looked down the well.
"Ruby, it's okay." Weiss assured.
"No! There's something down there! I saw it! It was looking at me!"
"Hey, it's okay." Yang said, returning to her emotionless state. "You said you're tired. It's probably nothing. Now let's go."
"What's wrong with you!?" Ruby snapped. "We can't just leave! We have to go down there and get the lamp back. Oh what was I thinking!?"
"All we have to do is fix this trailer." Qrow said. "Hey farm boy, search the shed for a spare."
"I'm not leave without the lamp!" Ruby yelled.
There was moment of silence before (Y/N) scooted in.
"I'll get it. I can probably fly in and out faster than Oscar could fix the wheel and attach the cart."
"(Y/N) I don't want you down there alone." Ruby said.
"I'll go with him." Blake volunteered.
Weiss stepped forward. "We'll go down together.
Qrow huffed and marched towards the house. "Fine, get the stupid lamp. Oscar, fix the stupid tire."
"Where are you going?" Maria asked as he passed her.
He held out his flask. "Where do you think?"
She shook her head. "Stupid."
"Let's just get this done." (Y/N) insisted. "I really don't like this place."
The group of five descended into the well, lighting the place with their scrolls. The lamp wasn't there.
"Maybe the current carried it away?" Yang suggested.
"I'll find it!" (Y/N) said as he flew down the passage.
"(Y/N)!" Ruby yelled after him. "What did I say about you being alone down here?"
He slowed down enough to keep in their sight. He then scanned the area, searching for the Relic. He then caught sight of the blue glow of the lamp.
"I found it!" He called as he landed and ran around the corner.
He saw the Relic laying there and scooped it up with relief. He then heard hissing and groaning. Looking up, (Y/N) saw what could only be described as a nightmare. He had seen some terrifying Grimm before, but this was new. It was a horde of them, skeletal being with long claws. They turned to the small boy and growled, reaching out with their claws. (Y/N) screamed loudly, and his fear seemed to finally snap his sisters out of their stupor.
"(Y/N)!" Yang yelled.
(Y/N) flew away from the Grimm and straight back to his sisters, not even bothering to stop as he reached them.
"Run for it!" He yelled as the Grimm came into view.
The girls were horrified by the creatures. Ruby took shots with Crescent Rose, but the Grimm didn't appear to be hurt, screech at them. As they screeched, everyone became dazed. (Y/N) stumbled to the ground, his body now too heavy to fly.
"What is this?" Yang asked.
"My weapon feels heavy." Blake struggled to get out.
A voice called out. "Run!"
(Y/N) looked up to see Maria at the end of the tunnel.
She motioned with her cane. "Now!"
Everyone followed after the elderly woman towards the light of the well, but the screeching kept adding to the weight they felt.
"This way!" Ruby called as they were forced to change their route. (Y/N) held the lamp tightly as they kept turning every time they ran into the Grimm. Eventually, they were cornered and another scream brought them to their knees. (Y/N) covered his ears, trying to block out the sound. Maria struggled past him, only to fall again. (Y/N) propped her up.
"An exit!" She struggled. "An exit!"
(Y/N) looked up to see cellar doors. With all his willpower, he forced himself to his feet and dragged himself towards it, feeling weighed down more with every step. He then heard a clank and turned to see Blake had collapsed as the Grimm approached.
"Blake, get up!" Ruby desperate said.
The cat Faunus could barely respond. (Y/N) attempted to blast the Grimm with fire, but he could barely even manage smoke at this point. He felt so weak. Ruby extended to a hand to Blake as the Grimm reached out their claws.
"BLAKE!"
There was a dazzling blast of silver light as the Grimm evaporated almost instantly as everyone's strength seemed to return. (Y/N) got to his feet as he and Weiss ran for the cellar door.
"What just happened?!" Maria yelled.
Weiss pushed at the doors. "Their locked!"
"Move!" (Y/N) said as he prepared to punch it open.
However, the Grimm returned and screech, bringing everyone to the floor. (Y/N) tried to force himself up again, but the weight was just too much. He was spent. He could vaguely hear Maria say something to Ruby, but he couldn't even make it out over the ringing in his ears. Just as he was about to pass out, there was another flash of light. (Y/N) eyes shot open as he got to his feet, punching through the doors. Everyone raced up into the house and saw Qrow half conscious at the bar. Ruby raced to her uncle, shaking him.
"Uncle Qrow get up!"
"Hey get off me! What are you doing here?"
"We're leaving idiot!" Maria snapped back. "Come on"
Yang grabbed Blake and ran out with Maria as the other three hung back with Qrow. As Ruby tried to explain, Weiss and (Y/N) grabbed several bottles of alcohol and threw them at the cellar doors. Qrow made a weak attempt at a protest but they ignored him. The two stood in the door way as the Grimm emerged, blasting the entrance with fire. Satisfied, they turned back to the other two.
"Now we can leave." Weiss said as she and Ruby dragged a struggling Qrow out.
"Stop it! What's wrong with you!?"
Completely done with his attitude, (Y/N) flew up, grabbed Qrow by the hair, and forced him to look at the Grimm emerging from the cellar, now on fire. He immediately shut up and stopped struggling. Everyone piled into the cart and raced off as the estate burned. For a while, there was silence. No one really wanted to talk about what they had seen, until Maria began to explain what they had just faced.
"The Apathy. They're not strong, or ferocious, they drain your will to go on." (Y/N) gulped at the description, huddling closer to Ruby who covered him in her cape. "Bartleby's estate was hemorrhaging money towards the end. He wanted to cut costs on Huntsmen protection, but in order to do that, he needed everyone calm, always."
Oscar opened the diary and read the entry about the Apathy. "Managed to get two away from their pack. Hike back was miserable, but got the bastards into the cellar. Wife thought I was out sealing the waterways. I'll do it tomorrow and tell her the truth once these things take the edge off everyone. I'm tired."
Maria nodded. "The next page proves that he did, but not before the rest of the pack followed their missing pair all the way home. My guess is they made their way beneath the estate through the water tunnels that Bartleby sealed up the next morning." She took the diary from Oscar. "Bartleby's plan worked. No one was angry, or sad, or scared. No one was anything, and then, no one was left."
She threw the diary away as everyone let the knowledge sink in.
"I'm...sorry for what I said." Weiss apologized. "About giving up."
Yang stopped the bike. "Me too." She looked over her shoulder. "You were right, (Y/N). We can't just sit around and wait for Salem to come kill us. We can't quit until the lamp is safe."
"It's not your fault." Blake tried to assure her.
(Y/N) nodded, just grateful everyone's souls looked back to normal. "Yeah, it was just the Apathy talking, not you."
Maria looked somber. "I should've known. The signs were all there, but I had never seen an entire settlement withered away like that. I supposed my mind isn't what it used to be."
"You saved us down in the tunnels though." (Y/N) argued. "Those things would've gotten if you hadn't been there."
"Miss Calavera?" Ruby asked. "How do you know so much about the Grimm? And in the tunnels you knew exactly what to say to make me...to make my eyes do that. How?"
Maria smiled. "Well, isn't it obvious, girl? I had silver eyes."