Red Killer Hood Chapter the Second: Snow White

A man stepped into the tavern, looking around. He had had short grey hair and  a five o’clock shadow and he was clad in
silvery breastplate armour and matching pauldrons, an armoured helmet with
metal brim that curved upwards into a sort of V-shape and covered most of his
head and hair, and underneath his armour the man wore purple pantaloons covered
by silver leg armour and stylish leather shoes, his arms covered by the white
sleeves of the shirt he wore under his armour and his hands clad in black
gloves. He had a sword strapped his side in its golden sheath. As he walked the
bar patrons stared at him in disbelief and awe which he paid no second glance
as he walked towards the Mother Goose who sat on a chair at the back of the
tavern.

“Well, folks don’t come directly to me these days...” Mother Goose smirked and chuckled,
glancing up at the man. “Why is that, I wonder? To whom am I speaking?”

The man stood over her, eyeing her warily. “I am Harrid Kurz, commander of the royal
knights of His Majesty Prince Charming, who rules these lands in the face of
his parents’ passing. I came here looking for the Killer in the Red Hood, and
hear word you are the broker for her services.”

“You heard mostly right. I’m available to listen to requests when she isn’t. Pray, what
would your Prince have need of a rogue like her?”

“We need her to rescue a Princess for us. Her name is Snow White and her kinggdom can be
found far to the north, past the white forest.”

Mother Goose raised a brow. “My, that IS a ways. And why can’t you or your prince ‘rescue’
this princess?”

Kurz shook his head, his face stern and without humour. “We do not know the details
entirely but the Prince WAS to be wed to her until we lost contact with her
kingdom, last we heard the Queen had been acting quite strangely, even reacting
quite...negatively whenever the subject of her daughter was brought up.”

“How Negative?”

“Reportedly she stabbed a messenger in the arm. Fortunately he was able to return us
relatively well afterwards. Now we hear reports of a monster stalking the area,
and our men can’t seem to get through the border, as if something is blocking
the path...”

“AH, so that’s it. A grimm.” Mother Goose grinned toothily. “And how do you know that
Snow White is still alive?”

“We....know at least that much.” Kurz replied simply.

Mother Goose grinned wider, eyes gleaming. Of course the man knew more, she could TASTE the
deceit, but she wasn’t about to call him out. Not yet.

“Fortunately, the woman you’re hiring won’t have any trouble crossing the border, and is
uniquely equipped to deal with whatever monster is stalking the White Forest.
We don’t USUALLY rescue people, but we’ll make an exception this time. It WILL
cost extra to bring her to an agreed upon meeting place, travel expenses and
the like.” Mother Goose grinned.

The man nodded. “Of course. You’ll be handsomely rewarded. If you’re able to find her,
bring her to the Prince’s castle, I’m sure you at least know the way.”

“I know more than you think, young man.” Mother Goose chuckled.

The man turned his back to her. “Just make sure your charge completes the
job...otherwise there’ll be no payment for either of you.”

“Of course.” Mother Goose replied as the man walked off.

-------------------------

And so it was that Red trumped through the snowy landscape that marked the border between
wherever land she lived in and the place apparently known as the White Forest.
As she walked, red cloak drawn tightly over her body and hood hiding her face,
she spied a large expense of pure white trees, standing tall and rigid, the
bark and leaves completely white.

“Must be a hassle having that AND a crapton of snow...” Red muttered, eyeing around
herself as she walked through the trees. And as she walked...she heard an
unearthly, high pitched shriek.

She looked ahead as she saw several shapes swimming through the snow covered ground.
Hefting her goodie basket she pulled out a long handled pickaxe, swinging the
weapon down in front of her and into the shape right in front of her, a massive
‘dorsal fin’ made of razor sharp mirrored glass sticking straight up out of the
ground. With a shriek the creature jumped out of the ground, revealing a
shark-like monster made of mirrored glass, cracks in its head leftover from
Red’s attack and leaking blood, a pair of huge, red eyes with slitted pupils on
the sides of the creature’s head, fractured glass surrounding them to allow the
creature to see, its mouth fractured so as to reveal several rows of razor
sharp glass that whirred rapidly like those of a chainsaw.

The creature spun through the air to right itself and launch towards Red, teeth whirring
rapidly as it shrieked, Red pulling out a double-barrelled shotgun from her
basket to shoot the creature point blank, shattering it to pieces and sending
blood and black flesh flying everywhere along with the glass.

Red suddenly spun her shotgun to her side, shooting another of the ‘mirror sharks’ that had
shot up from the ground to attack while at the same time swinging her pickaxe
to strike at a shark attacking her from behind, the creatures shrieking as
their delicate bodies were shattered.

“Hot tip for ya,” Red growled in annoyance, “don’t make your guard dogs out of something
FRAGILE!”

Six more of the monsters lunged at her suddenly, their teeth digging into her body, blood
spraying onto their mirrored ‘skin’, Red gritting her teeth as she tried to
ignore the pain, pulling out her chainsaw to tear into the monsters, sending
glass flying everywhere including into her open wounds and her exposed skin,
making her hiss from the pain.

However the fight wasn’t over yet as the shattered glass around her started to fly around
her, the shards reforming themselves to make a whirling tornado of glass and
death. Snarling with annoyance Red charged forward, tearing through the thing
as it did so to her, blood flying everywhere around her.

That was about the last thing she remembered as everything went black.

-----------------------

When Red opened her eyes she found herself somewhere unfamiliar, and it certainly wasn’t
the snowy forest she was in. She got up slowly and turned her head, seeing a
small man in thick overalls covering most of his body save for his oversized
brown furred head, mole-like clawed hands and a huge, thick wiry beard framing
most of his mole-face. On closer inspection his claws and teeth were pure
diamond, his eyes golden.

“A dwarf.” Red said. “you the one who saved me?”

“I pulled yer body out of th’ fire, lass.” The dwarf replied. “What were ya thinkin’,
chargin’ that monstrosity like that?”

“I was thinking about killing it somehow.” Red said, bowing her head. “I am sorry for
the intrusion, elder of the earth.”

The dwarf blinked. “Not too many folks’re prone ta bein’ so polite, especially a young’un
like yerself...I’m surprised yer still walkin’, even wit’ us helpin’ ya
shouldn’t even be able to move a muscle yet, ya were tore up somethin’ AWFUL.”

“I heal good.” Red replied. “And I can’t help but notice that you said ‘we’. Are there
other dwarves here?”

The dwarf looked away. “Uh...aye...tis true me an’ me family live here...noone else
here...”

“Oh!” A voice exclaimed from the side.

Red turned, seeing an adorable young woman wearing a white dress, her skin pale, her eyes
bright red and her long, wavy hair as white as the rest hair, as white as the
snow outside. Black lace ribbons decorated her dress and she wore a pair of
simple clogs on her feet.

Red’s eyes widened, mouth gaping wide. “Gorgeous...” She closed her eyes, shaking her head
to clear her mind before looking at the girl again. “I’m...guessing you’re Snow
White?”

The girl gasped in surprise. “How did you know?”

Red quirked a brow, gesturing to the girl. “Well...look at you. I was told to help a girl
named Snow White and you’re...pretty White. Me being right was about 50-50.”

“Oh!” Snow White curtsied. “Yes, I am Snow White but I’m sorry I don’t know who you
are....”

“Name’s Red. I was hired to help you out. So, tell me, what’s going on here?”

Snow White nodded slowly as she looked downcast. “It’s...It’s my mother... She acted quite
strangely for several months but recently she...something happened and
she...she sent someone to kill me. Thankfully, the man took pity on me and
stayed his hand and openly defied her and she...” She winced, looking physically
ill. “She did something AWFUL to him and I...I ran. I ran through the forest
and found myself here, in this house, and a friendly family of Dwarves who
decided to take care of me. I was ever grateful for their help but Mother...she
never gave up. She...she doesn’t look like she used to anymore...”

“Aye she’s a monster.” The dwarf spoke up.

“Umker!” Snow White replied, scolding. “That’s not very nice!”

“Well it’s true!” The dwarf, Umker, shot back. “You seen her, you seen the monsters she’s
made just to hunt you down! You saw what she did to my family!”

Snow White flinched back, tears in her eyes.”I-I’m sorry but...I just...she’s still my
mother...”

Umker hung his head and shook it slowly. “Nay, tis fine lass...you’re a sweet gal, far too
sweet.”

“I was told she was your stepmother.” Red said simply.

“Well, I suppose that is true, but she is the only one I’ve ever known!” Snow White
said. “My birth mother had left me and my father and father passed on a while
ago, leaving only me and the woman I see as my true Mother alone...but now she’s
fallen to this....madness...” She started to cry, and Red noticed a red flash
would appear as the teardrops touch the floor.

Deciding not to question too much just yet she looked to the dwarf. “Her mother’s become
what some call a Grimm, or Grimmkinder if you wanna use the ‘proper’ term. They’re
a human who have become a monster through...well it varies, but often the
problem lies in their own hearts and minds. Poisonous thoughts or feelings that
turn them into...well, like whatever Miss White’s mother has become.”

“You can call me Snow, if it’s easier for you.” The Princess offered helpfully.

Red looked to the girl now, frowning in thought. “You’ve been lucky, having so many people
give their lives to help you.”

“Yes I suppose I am...” Snow White said, looking down sadly.

“If you want to get to the woman herself,” Umker spoke up rather suddenly and hastily, “you’ll
find her in her castle. She hasn’t left there in ages, leaving the work of
murdering her own child to those THINGS you saw before.” He grinned knowingly. “Snow
knows the way to the castle so just follow her along.”

“And what are we gonna do if those monsters show up again?” Red said. “She’s not exactly
built for fighting and my job does entail making sure she doesn’t, yknow, die.”

“Trust me, you’re safer with HER than without, and it beats wandering around aimlessly.”
Umker countered. “An’ I don’t know the way myself so ye can’t count on me. I
WILL be coming along too, just so ye know.”

“And if I come I might be able to talk my Mother out of this madness!” Snow White
offered.

Red looked between the two and sighed. “Fine. But first sign of trouble, make yourself
SCARCE.”

“R-right!” Snow White agreed.

“Well...lead the way, Princess.”

-----------------------------

Lead the way she did, the Princess humming softly as she walked ahead, and Red noticed that
nothing was approaching, even when she saw the shine of light glinting off the
mirrored surface of one of the monsters the creatures never so much as spared a
second glance. It was both perplexing and incredibly boring.

Red moved a distance from Snow White to stand with Umker, wanting to have a private conversation
as she spoke to him in hushed tones. “Okay, don’t be coy with me. What the hell’s
up with her? First there’s the stuff about you and that other guy helping her
and now this. And don’t think I didn’t see that flash when she was crying. She’s
magic or something.”

Umker nodded. “She’s a Princess. Capital P. Different from a normal one, imbued with
an old magic. It...does things, without her knowing. Makes her so beautiful most
fall for her instantly if they ain’t careful, like that man who her mother
ordered to kill her.” He glanced at Red. “Don’t usually work on other lasses,
far as I know.”

Red blushed deeply, looking away. “MY interests are none of your fucking business, no
offence, and have nothing to do with her magic stuff.”

Umker nodded. “Hmm alright, as long as you don’t hurt her I don’t care one way or the
other.”

“And I guess this....Princess Magic is also keeping the monsters away?”

“Near as I can figger it,” Umker said, “when she sings it makes her and anyone close
enough...invisible, at least to whatever her Mother’s become. Long as she’s
still in our sight, none of those creatures can even smell us, let alone see or
hear.”

“Interesting...” Red smirked, finding the sound of that very useful.

Umker gave Red a disapproving glare, only to look forwards as Snow White’s movements
slowed. Red turned and saw that before them was a massive, glittering white
castle....and a set of blackened steps leading to a large front gate whose
wooden doors had blackened and rotted to nothing, a pair of puddles of
blackened ooze standing on the farthest sides of the gateway, the ooze spilling
from loose clothing and flanked by discarded helmets and large spears.

Snow White covered her mouth as she saw the sight, tears in her eyes. “Gustave...Leonard...”

Red looked at Snow, a part of her wanting to comfort the girl...but the other part disturbed
by the possibility of the Princess’ magic affecting her emotions, and not to
mention how she needed to focus on her grisly job. And thus Red stepped
forward, moving past the girl. “No time for grieving, Princess, we need to head
inside.” She walked past the gates and into the castle, Snow White and Umker
following along shortly after.

As the trio walked through the halls of the castle they found the walls, ceilings and
floors and had all blackened horrendously, clashing with the pristine walls
outside, and every so often they find another puddle or two or even six that
congealed under and around a pile of clothes.

“What the hell happened here...?” Red wondered, muttering under her breath.

Snow White covered her face, trying to fight back the tears at seeing the horrible state
of her old home. Umker’s gaze merely darkened and grew more stern and
determined as they walked.

They soon walked through a large door that lead into the throne room, the room massive
with a pair of golden thrones at the very end that stood under a large stained
glass window decorated with an image of an apple, and one of the walls of the
room was a massive mirror, several feet high and even wider, stretching from
one end of the room to the other. Standing in the room was what Red assumed was
Snow White’s mother; though calling it even that was generous.

Standing before them was a giant monstrosity, its head almost touching the ceiling of
the throne room. It had a giant apple for a head, a ‘bite’ taken out of it to
give it to appearance of having a fanged mouth. It’s ‘body’ was a wire metal
skeleton with long arms ending in sharp syringe needles, wires connecting the
claws to the apple head, filling the syringes with a green substance that also
constantly dripped from the ‘jaws’ of the head, making hissing noises as they
dripped onto the floor, steam rising from these points. The creature’s lower
half was a ‘skirt’ made entirely of broken glass shards that floated, and
behind them one could make out two long piles of apples that made up the
monster’s ‘legs’. The creature slowly turned, noticing the intruders...and then
emitting a loud, horrible shriek.

“SNOOOOOOW WHIIIIIIIITTEEEEE!” The monster shrieked.

Snow White ran forward before Red could react, arms outstretched. “Mother! Whatever I did,
I’m sorry! Just please, go back to who you used to be!”

The Queen hissed, swinging her claws down towards Snow White. “You took my beauty from
me! My youth! I was the fairest in the land before YOU came into my life!”

Red leapt forward, pulling Snow White back and tossing her out of the way, the Queen’s
claws spurting the green poison onto Red’s cape and causing the fabric to
blacken before dissolving away. Red drew out of her Chainsaw from her basket,
but it was the dwarf Umker who leapt forward, using his large, sharp claws to
knock the Queen’s own claws aside.

“Unlike Snow, I’ll never forgive ye, monster!” Umker called out. “Ye killed me family! This
is for me wife!”

He swung his claws to shatter two of the Queen’s fingers who didn’t even react as her digits
fell to the floor and shattered like glass.

“This is for me brothers!” Umker jumped up, digging his claws deep into the Queen’s head. “And
this! This is fer me child!”

He moved dowards, slashing huge gashes into the Queen’s head and down along her body,
shattering her to pieces, filling the room with the sound of shattered
glass....the dwarf crying out as several shards dug themselves into his
shoulder and he moved his claw to his bleeding shoulder.

Snow White gasped and ran to him, a glow of pure white surrounding her form as she reached
to the dwarf and Red saw the glow flow to Umker’s wound, removing the blood,
glass and the wound itself.

However, this wasn’t the only thing Red saw. She also saw the Queen’s body reforming,
shrieking, hissing and screaming in a rage, swinging her claws down towards
Snow White and Umker. Red ran forward.

SNICKER!
SNACK!

With that, the Queen’s claws were shattered, green poison spilling everywhere, causing Red
to toss off her cloak to absorb most of the deadly mess, causing the fabric to
dissolve to nothing and leaving Red in her plan brown slacks and white shirt,
her short black hair messy and unwashed, scars marked most of her exposed skin
and likely even underneath her clothes.

The Queen shrieked and reared back, preparing to attack again, and Red’s eyes were drawn
to the massive mirror in the room...and how it showed a normal woman in royal
attire in place of where the monster stood.

“Die, monster!” Umker leapt forward while Snow White cried out to him, hand
outstretched. Red meanwhile charged to the side.

SNICKER!

Red dug her chainsaw blade into the mirror, causing fractures to form on the surface, and
blood started to pour from where the mirror had been damaged.

The Queen shrieked, turning to Red as Umker leapt THROUGH her with a shocked gasp. “NO!
MY MIRROR! GET AWAY FROM THAT YOU FILTHY CREATURE!”

Red smirked toothily and menacingly, eyes devoid of mercy. “So what we’ve been seeing is
your reflection, old woman. Wonder what you’re hiding behind HERE then!”

SNAAAAAAAACK!

Red ran forwards, her chainsaw cutting into the mirror and shattering it, causing
something to fall out. Falling out of the mirror was the Queen’s TRUE face: a
massive, grey shapeless lump of flesh, secreting a vile smelling mucus, a
massive scar gouged into its flesh by Red’s attack, oozing blood.

Red raised her weapon high, grinning wickedly as she prepared to make the killing strike,
only freeze as the shadow of the Queen’s Reflection fell upon her and the
monster shrieked.

“W-what IS this WRETCHED, AWFUL, DISGUSTING THING!?” The Queen screamed. “Get it out of my
sight!”

Red kept her gaze firmly on the lump of flesh. “This is YOU, this is the true body you hid
behind the mirror. THIS is the monster you’ve become in your quest for ‘beauty’!”

“NO! LIES!” The Queen screamed. “This disgusting thing...! THEY TOLD ME I WOULD BE
BEAUTIFUL! THIS CAN’T BE ME! THIS CAN’T!”

She screamed and shrieked, Red leaping back as she saw the thing prepare to strike...but it
ignored her, instead repeatedly stabbing its needles repeatedly into the flesh
blob, blood flying everywhere as it stabbed again and again, pouring its poison
into the thing.

“No! No! No! No!” The Queen screamed madly. “Not me! Not me! Not me! NOT...!”

The Reflection suddenly froze, falling to the floor and shattering to pieces of
glass which further shattered into dust before vanishing into glimmers of
light. Red took a step forward, chainsaw raised high, but Snow White ran over,
the girl embracing the massive mound of flesh.

“Snow...?” The Queen’s voice rasped as her body began to blacken and melt.

“I’m sorry mother!” Snow sobbed, hugging her mother tightly. “I’m sorry I made you feel
that way! I’m so sorry!”

“Sorry...?” The Queen said. “Snow...Snow my child...don’t be sorry...your beauty is a gift
to be cherished...who made you feel this way...?”

“You did...” Red muttered softly under her breath.

“Hmmm...”The Queen’s voice grew quieter. “Young man...”

Red blinked. “Me?”

“Yes...take good care of Snow White for me...she is a precious gift...one to be cherished
and protected...you’ll make a fine husband for her...strong...courageous...”
The Queen grew silent, her body melting to mush, much like the bodies of her human
victims.

Red frowned, unused to this situation, only able to gaze at Snow White as the girl cried
over the remains of the monster that was her mother, or the mother that had
been a monster moments before death.

----------------------------

Time passed as the group took time to recover from the battle and Red now stood outside,
Snow White at his side. Umker looked at the pair.

“You sure you want to do this, Snow?” Umker asked.

The Princess nodded. “Yes, its only proper that a Princess meet her Princes after went to
the trouble of trying to help...”

“He didn’t even hire me personally, from what I hear...” Red muttered.

“And...its not like I have anything for me here...” Snow said, looking downwards.

The dwarf nodded. “Aye...that wasn’t a pleasant experience, but one that needed to be
done...” He gazed at Red. “I’m going to go myself. Me family’s been avenged,
and it’ll take a long time for the taint of that Grimm thing to leave the earth
around here, so I best find someplace new...maybe make a new family.”

Red gave him a smile. “Be sure to hit me up sometime if you ever need help, old timer. You’re
a pretty good fighter, all things considered.”

“High praise indeed.” Umker turned. “You take care of that girl, lass, least until you get
her to her destination.”

Red frowned at that, nodded. “Yeah...I’ll get her to her ‘Prince’...” She said the last
part testily.

Snow smiled. “It’ll be wonderful to see the world outside this forest!” The Princess said
optimistically.

“Just stay by me, the world isn’t as great as you’re probably thinking...” Red said. “Not
everyone needs to be a Grimm to be a monster...”

-------------------------

A man in armour walked into a small bar, looking around as the scent of blood filled the
air. He calmly walked over to a person.

The person appeared to be a young man with long blonde hair tied into a neat little
braided ponytail behind his head, the sides and top shaved short as a few bangs
hang over the sides of his forehead, perfectly framing the large jagged scar on
his forehead. The sides of his mouth formed into spirals as he grinned a wide,
toothy grin, a mad look in his mismatched eyes, one bright blue the other
crimson red. He wore a purple vest over a long sleeved red shirt and wore tight
black pants and brown buckled shoes with pointed tips that curled up slightly.
He held in his hand a large hatchet covered in blood.

The blood of course was from the bar owner, whose corpse was pinned to the wall behind the
main counter, arms lying on the ground and blood staining the wall, the counter
and the corpse, the man’s face shredded to unrecognisability.

The armoured man simply coughed, gaining the young man’s attention. “Jack the Giant Killer,
yes.”

Jack grinned widely as he turned his head, gazing at the man behind him. “Who might youuuuu
be~?”

“That is no concern of yours.” The other man said simply. “I come here representing a
certain party. Tell me, what reason did you kill this man?”

“We were discussing cookery and then got into an argument about how to prepare certain
dishes.” Jack replied. “I then showed him my dissenting opinion on the matter.”

“Interesting...well, my employer has heard of your skills and think you’re the best man for the job.
From what I see here, you certainly are vicious enough for it, if nothing else.”

Jack grinned even wider, turning fully to the man. “Ah it’s been a while since I’ve gotten a
job. So tell me, who does your employer want me to kill?”

The man held up a poster bearing the face of Red. “This woman. I believe you know of her?”

“Ohhhh yes.” Jack grinned even WIDER. “I know of HER. I’d LOVE to see how she does in a
fiiiight. Now...who is it that wants her dead? I’m curious~.”

The armoured man smirked. “Who else do you think? The Wolf himself. Red never killed him,
and now he wants to capitalise on that mistake and get revenge.”

“Oooh sounds FUN!” Jack giggled. “I agree to the job.”

“Excellent. The Wolf will be pleased.

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