Chapter 247: The Conquerors Newborn [2]

Parc could hear them, Esdeath's rage-filled bellows as he rushed through the halls of his bunker. Everywhere he looked the room was coated in frost. From the ceiling descended dozens if not hundreds of icicles with points so sharp he could just imagine them crashing down and piercing easily through his aura.

He ignored the cold as much as he could, his aura doing its utmost to keep him warm. Following his ears, he was soon upon Esdeath's room, the largest one in the bunker that he had to personally make for her when she was displeased with how small her previous one was.

As he drew nearer he could see Kurome standing guard just outside the room. She was dressed heavily in layer upon layer of thick coats, at least two sets of Parc's tracksuit pants and even over that a thick blanket she was also wrapping around her head. Kurome lifted her eyes to him and sway of happiness awoke in them that brightened and warmed her body enough that the blaring redness of her cheeks faded, even if only for a second.

"Is she inside?" he urgently asked, he knew it was a stupid question especially considering he could hear cracking ice and angry screeches of Esdeath inside. Even flinching as she swore to the heavens.

"I WILL SLAUGHTER YOU YOU PARASITE!"

Kurome looked back to the room then back to Parc and muttered, "yes." No more, no less. She didn't have the warmth to say anymore. Just when Parc was planning to skirt around her, Kurome darted into his chest and buried her face in him and let his warmth drain into her and give her the slightest bit of comfort this tundra could give her.

Patting the back of her head Parc couldn't linger for much longer and guided her off. "Summer will be back soon, why don't you head to the tunnel and wait for them there? It's a bit warmer as well."

Kurome just nodded her head, no extra words of understanding, just a slow, inching hobble that dragged the bottom of his pant legs behind her. Parc watched her off and at another screech jolted and spun back to the room to now focus on the task at hand.

Slowing his breath—an effort that only proved to be painful from how bone-chillingly cold the bunker had become, especially around Esdeath's room. Straightening his clothing Parc began to hype himself up, "alright, Esdeath's giving birth. I'm going to be a dad." Colour drained from his face and he paced to the side, his hands clamping to his head as he silently screamed 'I'm going to be a dad!? How, HOW, did I not see this coming!? She's been pregnant for months now and it's only now I'm getting a reality check!?'

'Will I even be a good father?' Parc shivered and looked back to the room. He didn't have a role model to base himself off, he just abandoned him when he was a child. He knew how to be a father, he'd seen it plenty with the other kids, through the television and just through simple logic.

Those thoughts brought a sick welling feeling to the bottom of his stomach. A gurgle of disgust namely, 'I can't be like him.' He hissed, vowing that for so long as he lived, he'd give this child a father… a halfway decent father. His actions, both past, current, and future were doubtful to ever be truly fatherly. His dedication to one woman was… it just wasn't there and if there was another child, a half-sibling to this one, then he'd have to tear himself thin for them just as well.

Straightening his back, bouncing on the balls of his feet, and flailing his hands about, Parc finally forced himself to focus and reached for the door handle, wincing as the sheer cold immediately froze it to his fingers, and twisted it open.

"Took you long enough you cur!" Immediately Esdeath roared, the entire room rumbling causing frosted flakes to descend from above. Whenever they drew near Esdeath they'd quickly fade into nothing.

Esdeath laid on her bed just barely propping herself up as she clutched her bulging belly with claw-like fingers. No matter what, Esdeath of all his girls was still the most terrifying. He could stand toe to toe with her, resist his sadism but when push came to shove, Parc knew this woman would forever be the most intimidating person he knew.

Parc struggled to free his hand from the door handle and another contraction assaulted Esdeath that sent her ramming her head into the divoted backboard of her bed. "Graaah!" His attempts to escape the frozen handly only strengthened until he was frustrated enough to just rip it off, thankfully his aura stopped his skin from staying on the metal but it didn't rid the sting of pain from welling.

Free, Parc quickly came to Esdeath's side, his mouth falling open but no words able to come out as he drew blanks.

Then suddenly, Esdeath shot one hand up with the speed of a viper and gripped his collar, tugging him down to her level and faced him hatefully in the eyes. "This. Is. Your. Fault."

He didn't have the will to correct her, to be honest, he didn't have the brainpower to process what she'd said.

With little else to do, Parc did the only thing he could. Clutch Esdeath's hand prying it from his collar and held it in his.

That quickly morphed to regret as come the next contraction he felt his bones crumbling from the ungodly power she produced.

***

The bunker had changed, it wasn't as homely as before. No light colours coating the walls, no soft furniture dotting the place for Summer to seat herself. The couch had turned solid and was buried beneath a deep mound of ice.

"My god. I've only been away for a few minutes." Summer turned to Kurome seeking answers.

"Esdeath is a monster," was all Kurome could say as she guided Summer and Thumbelina through the internal hallways of the bunker.

"This is all done with a semblance?" Thumbelina exclaimed half impressed, half horrified, "must require quite the person to control this…" a scream echoed like the wail of a banshee, "ah, that must be her." The screams grew louder, more unearthly the closer they drew to the room. They would reverberate across the room, resonating with the ice to create these melancholic rings as the crystalline water vibrated rapidly.

They came to Esdeath's bedroom, the door was wide open but in the gap of the aperture, a film of ice had formed. They could see through it to see blurry shadows of black and white.

Summer approached the frosted wall and scanned it all over. It was like Esdeath's power was naturally sealing her off from the outside world in this vulnerable state of hers.

Pressing her hands against the ice, Summer shoved it as hard as she could and the wall shattered sending her stumbling and almost collapsing had she not caught herself. Lifting her head she met with Parc's pained eyes and to his side, the flaring, bloodshot blues of Esdeath.

"GET THIS PARASITE OUT OF ME!" she screamed.

Thumbelina skirted around the dazed Summer and hastened to Esdeath's bedside. "Yes, yes, we'll get right to it. Now, can you tell me how much time is passing between your contractions?"

In response, Esdeath's stomach tensed and she screamed to the high heavens. The bellows only weakening half a minute later when her stomach loosened and her screams turned to pained panting.

"Five minutes," Parc muttered, a layer of frozen sweat over his brow as he ground his teeth trying not to groan in pain from his crushed wrist. "There's been five minutes since her last contraction, five minutes faster than the one before that." His voice trembled.

"Hmm, well, it appears you are giving birth." Thumbelina perked up and looked down to Esdeath, what humour she was trying to convey going unnoticed as Esdeath cast her the most scathing glare she could. "Fine, fine, be like that. Let's get you on your side then."

Thumbelina huffed and digging her hands beneath Esdeath, cracking a film of creeping ice tendrils in doing so, helped Esdeath rock onto her side facing Parc. Parc laid his other hand atop her crushing one planning to only give her a few taps but the moment he touched her, ice encapsulated his hand, freezing him to her.

"I hope you do realize how utterly ridiculous this birth will be." Thumbelina took Esdeath's left leg and lifted it, a glance to Parc's hand told her he wouldn't be of use so she looked to Summer, "Summer dear, can you help me here. I just need you to hold her leg up while I assess the situation."

Summer's eyes flared nervously but still came to Thumbelina's side and took Esdeath's leg from her after Thumebling gently bent it at the knee. Peach knelt beside the bed and pushed her head between Esdeath's legs to inspect whatever it was she needed to.

"Oh my, hello they honey." She muttered and with laughter looked to Parc, "looks like someone's excited to say hello." In response Parc only paled heavily, colour draining from his visage.

"Nothing? Really? I'm trying to help you detense and everything I'm doing is just not helping?"

"It's really not." He squeaked a response.

"Honestly. I don't know why I try." Puffing, Thumbelina reached a hand to Esdeath's lower back then said, "alright deary, I need you to tuck your chin in and start pushing."

Esdeath followed her orders, her chin touched her chest, her grip crushed Parc's bones and she began tensing her stomach like she was going to the toilet and screamed in agony at the same time.

"Alright, a bit more, you can do it." By the time Parc saw his child's forehead, his mind had gone blank. No thought could process as he watched their head extrude from Esdeath. He didn't hear her call to Kurome to get blankets and warm water—the latter an impossibility with the frozen pipes—and told Esdeath to stop pushing as the babies head was free.

By the next time his consciousness returned to him… she was there, wrapped snuggly in thick white and black blanket completely unfazed by their frigid surroundings.

"It's a girl." Thumbelina chuckled and brought the bundled infant to Esdeath. The frost that was keeping Parc locked to her cracked and fell and she reached for the bundle of weeping child and sitting up, took her.

For what little Parc could think at that moment, he could have sworn he saw Esdeath smiling. Not psychotically, not with pure unfiltered insanity, but something else… something not her.

"You will make the perfect soldier. Won't you?"

Parc broke from his fazed thoughts and gaped at Esdeath's proclamation.

"We will start your training soon my soldier. I will turn you into the most powerful weapon this world will ever see." A cold, evil spark lit in Esdeath's eyes. Parc looked to Thumbelina, then Summer, and in them, he could see their trepidation as they processed what she was saying. "You will slaughter those who displease you, take what you want." Esdeath's quirked her eyes to Parc, "and you will let no man dominate you."

"You know," Summer appeared by Parc's side, "she will do that if you don't stop her."

"I don't think I have a choice." Parc held his hand, a quick look to him show his hand maimed, his bones crumbled and sending agony coursing through his body, the only reason he wasn't reacting so heavily being the adrenaline of his child being born as well as the chill which he was pretty sure had turned his nerves into deadbeats.

***

"Thank you, again." Parc winced as he lead Thumbelina towards the Cantilever front door.

"Absolutely no problem. Just do know, I will be back in the morning to check on her. By then, I do hope you have a name for her." Pressing through the doorway, they clambered up the frosted and slippery steps and onto the cliffs overlooking the Emerald forest.

"I… Jesus Christ, I didn't even think up a name for her." Biting his thumbs he paused and looked around. Around him radiating from the Cantilever a thick layer of snow coated the earth for nearly twenty meters, outside of that rain bulleted down from the heavens like a horde of soldier emptying their magazines. Stood outside the circular precipice he could see Ozpin and Glynda.

"No worries, you wouldn't be the first father I've dealt with who has planned nothing for the child he knew was coming for months."

There was nothing he could say against that.

Making their way towards Glynda and Ozpin, Thumbelina stepped before him and spun around, "it has been a pleasure Parc. It's been a long time since I've bared witness to the miracle of life." Thumbelina yawned, "ahhh… I must be getting to bed now, and a shower. I feel as if my fingers are about to fall off."

Parc chuckled, "I know how you feel."

"If you want, you can join me." She teased.

"That's quite alright Thumbelina." He responded weakly.

"Just because I'm old doesn't mean I can't challenge you like those younger girls." She winked and backed away, leaving no room for him to say anything else. Parc shook his head, following behind her ending right at the precipice divide between snow and earth.

"Thumbelina, care to explain? Better yet, Mr Evans, would you care to explain just what this is?" Ozpin tensed and clasped his cane tighter and indicated to the dividing line of snow with the head of it.

"Localized weather phenomena." Parc deadpanned.

"Right, because sudden cold fronts will hang exclusively around a single, circular area producing snow." Ozpin deadpanned back. "Be clear with me Parc. Is this the work of Summer? Or do you have another of the maidens?" Ozpin narrowed his eyes and strengthened his posture. If Parc had not one, but two of the maidens… he couldn't imagine the sheer havoc he could cause. But this snow, this chill, Ozpin began to think. 'I must contact Ironwood, ensure Fria is safe.'

"Yep, it's a maiden." Parc brought a hand to his chest and made makeshift claws, "she has two boobs, a tight ass, and a vagina and screams my name at night."

Ozpin sighed and rolled his eyes, "do know this Parc. While you may have leverage over me. I am not just going to sit idly by as you go about doing whatever it is you do."

"I don't expect you to Ozpin." Parc looked to Glynda and straightened his back, having no more will to deal with them. "Glynda, I'll be seeing you at my next lesson. Perhaps we could have another date sometime in the future?"

Glynda trembled and sucked in her lips, casting him a look filled with womanly hate. Something he may very well have been intimidated by if he didn't know she still walked about with his gift inside her. "I would rather jump off this cliff without my aura activated."

"Ouch. Harsh words. Anyways, I've got to figure a name out for my daughter and start defrosting my… well, everything." Parc backed away and was soon descending the steps leaving the three to watch him off.

"Thumbelina, I am expecting you to explain each and every fine detail. Not only about what you were doing with him, but the shape of this building of his. Where the doors are, where the halls are, the shape of everything."

Thumbelina looked to him and rolled her eyes, "oh please, as if that's going to help you." Thumbelina pushed between them and slowly made her way back to Beacons to warm herself up.

As they watched her off, Ozpin asked, "how many have been found?"

Glynda lifted her tablet and flicked through the numerous camera images of Vale and the area surrounding Beacon. All images focused on splotches of white snow and trees lacking their leaves. "Seven so far, five all across of Vales districts and three within the Emerald forest and the Foreverfall."

Ozpin bit his tongue and spat. "How can he have so many escape routes? Do you think that is them all?"

Glynda shook her head and shrugged.

"Cancel your lessons for tomorrow. I want you to focus on finding as many of these coldspots as you can. We need to know everywhere he is and can be."

She frowned, Ozpin was sounding more and more devilish the longer Parc was here. At first he was calm, neutral even but as the days went by where he would nervously fumble and forget where his mouth was when drinking his coffee, he began turning colder. More neurotic and just out of it.

"You're sounding like Ironwood," Glynda exclaimed.

"Ironwood may be much, but he has certain points we can all do to follow."

Clicking his cane onto the ground, Ozpin glance to Glynda and when she said nothing more, made his way back to Beacon.

***

Sighing to herself, Glynda pushed into her bedroom and weakly made her way to her bed, tossing her tablet to her nightstand before flopping heavily onto the plush foam mattress. "What a nightmare…" she grumbled and flipped onto her back laying an arm over her eyes. "Honestly, what is he expecting to do? It's sounding like he's planning to kill Parc in his sleep." Given how concerned Ozpin seemed to be for the boy's sheer existence, the possibility didn't elude her.

A chill creased in, kissing her skin and piercing through her clothes. She looked down to her chest and noticed that pushing through the fabric of her blouse were her nipples. She gulped and unbuttoned three and pulled open the blouse to get a clear and proper look at her bright red and diamond-hard nipple. Not a single bra in sight.

"Can't believe I did this." Shaking her head Glynda let her blouse go and felt goosebumps rise across her body. Her gaze was soon drawn to her wardrobe as she sought the origin of the freezing chill. Around the box of thick mahogany, she could see cold mist descending through the cracks and felt her spine tingle nervously. "He couldn't have…"

Rising to her feet, she arrived before her wardrobe and threw it open, all her clothing hung there, one of them the dress she'd been gifted by Parc for their date. She sifted through them and finding nothing of interest she moved behind all of them and saw the backboard of it was coated in ice.

Gulping nervously, Glynda set her hand against the cold wood and pushed. It creaked and like a door on poor hinges opened inwards into a dimly lit tunnel. "How-" Glynda stepped away, she couldn't believe it. He'd tunnelled into her room! Who knew how many times he'd been in here, who knew what he did to all of her belongings while she wasn't here. Her gaze flittered past everything, her drawers, the picture she hung, just seeking for anything that wasn't right but found nothing.

One more glance into the darkness and Glynda's heart shook. If Ozpin knew about this… that she had a direct line to Parc. Just… added with her date with him, it was like confessing she was on Parc's side and not his.

She couldn't tell him. That much she'd have to live with.

***

As Parc turned back into the cantilever, he was brought to a sudden pause and looked to the eater of worlds statue and watched it grind open. From its bowels came two girls, one beaming brightly while the other was hanging her body exhaustedly.

"Are you kidding me? It's been two hours and you two are only going back now?"

Coco smirked, "what can I say. You left us high and dry. We needed to make up for lost orgasms."