3rd Person POV
Anima Village
Stepping out of the mist, the massive Grimm advanced toward them, a hunched shape slumped over one side, long arms dragging behind. It was a massive horse-like creature over 30 meters tall, a skinless humanoid Grimm fused to the top half. The humanoid body on the top had long, curved horns on its head, a mouth that was partially sewn shut, and two long elastic arms with four clawed fingers, each one ending in a wicked, serrated talon over a foot long. On the back of the 'human' torso were multiple boney spikes, and several more sprouted from its shoulder blades. Bone-like armor adorned its upper frame and the top of its horse-like body, and black blood dripped from each piece, splattering on the ground below. Its forelegs were shaped like claws, serrated talons digging into the ground, and it had hooved hind legs that cratered the pavement with each step. Coming around to face them, the Grimm paused and pawed the ground. The taloned fingers twitched, eliciting a sharp series of cracks like snapping bones. Jerking up, the creature gave a loud, wheezing scream that sent shivers down their spines.
(A/N): Like this, except with the added additions as mentioned above and 30 meters tall
"An-an Alpha N-Nuckelavee," Blake whispered, horrorstruck. All of her Faunus instincts screamed at her to run away from the apocalyptic creature.
"A w-what?" Ruby asked, staring up at the massive Grimm in pure, unadulterated terror, her gaze fixed on the copious amounts of blood that adorned the creature's body... specifically, the dried gore that clung to its talons.
"It's an SS-class Grimm," Blake explained, eyes not leaving the monster before them. "Arguably one of the strongest Grimm known. A single Nuckelavee could wipe out entire villages on its own. As far as I know, no one's beaten a Nuckelavee... and lived to tell about it. Alphas are on a whole other level. The last one sighted wiped out the old city of Mantle... no one survived the attack."
"Then what do we do?" Sincline asked, staring at the horrific creature as it stared down at them, its arms twitching as its talons curled, grating against the stone pavement. A shiver of fear crept down his spine, and he tensed, his tail flicking nervously.
Everyone turned to Ruby. She was silent for a moment, weighing their options. Finally, she raised her head, staring at the massive creature before them. They couldn't run. The creature would tear them apart as soon as they attempted to escape. "We fight. And we win."
Letting out another scream, the Nuckelavee raised its arm and lashed out, serrated talons shrieking through the air like a bolt of lightning.
Everyone scattered, Sincline shooting into the sky as the creature's arm slammed into the stones where he had been, the ground imploding where the creature struck. The Grimm reeled back its arm and swung again, this time at Yang, but she rolled, dodging the attack... which is exactly what the Alpha Nuckelavee wanted. Halting its swing midair, the creature whipped its arm sideways, and its claws slammed into her chest with the force of a battering ram, throwing her through a building with a cry of pain.
Drawing back a hand, energy gathering above his palm, Sincline launched an Ion blast at the enormous Grimm.
With a flash of light, the beam connected, and the Grimm stumbled... with barely a mark on its hide. Righting itself, red energy trailing from its eyes, it sent an arm blurring toward Sincline.
"My attacks have no effect!" Sincline shouted, diving as its talons skated across his Aura. His thrusters flared, and he burst up, dodging a second swing... and the monster's other arm rammed into his chest, throwing him to the ground and causing it to implode around him.
Pushing herself up and shoving a beam of debris off her, Yang glared at the Nuckelavee. She activated her gauntlets, crouched, and launched herself toward the Grimm, fist at the ready.
In response, the Nuckelavee whipped around, bones snapping with the motion, and ripped her out of the air with one hand. Two talons of its massive hand pinching her arms together, it flicked her into the air and whipped its other arm into her chest, swatting her yet again into the side of a building. As Yang crashed into the broken structure with a loud crack, its sewn mouth seemed to creep into a dark, sadistic grin.
"Yang!" Ruby shouted.
The Nuckelavee glanced at her, its grin widening even further, then galloped toward the blond brawler, sharp feet tearing through the ground. One long arm extended toward Ruby's older sister, gore-covered talons gleaming wickedly. Before it could reach her, a rift opened, and Sincline shot through, his foot slamming into the Nuckelavee's ribcage and sending it staggering sideways.
Immediately, Sincline shot up, dodging a swipe from the Alpha Nuckelavee. Retracting the arm, the limb coiling like a snake, the massive Grimm shook as Blake, Ruby, and Weiss opened fire on it, Dust rounds ricocheting off its hide... as if it were laughing. A snap of bones, and it spun, lashing out with an arm, and the three jumped backward, barely dodging the attack.
Aiming behind her, Ruby pulled the trigger, and the resulting recoil propelled her into the air. She took aim at the Nuckelavee's head, and it looked up, its glowing eyes locking with hers. A blur, and its arm crashed into her chest, slamming her to the ground.
"Ruby!" Sincline shouted. He shot toward the Grimm, only for the Nuckelavee's other arm to slam into his chest, sending him crashing down next to her.
Retracting the arms, Dust bullets ricocheting off its back, the Nuckelavee turned to where Blake was firing rapidly at the Grimm's spine. It lashed out, one hand grabbing her by the arms and pinning them together. Before it could attack, a shotgun round exploded against its back, causing it to let go as its attention snapped to its newest assailant. Screeching, the Nuckelavee twisted and launched an arm toward Yang, only for a Glyph to appear beneath her, launching her out of danger.
"You alright, Rubes?" Sincline asked, rushing to her side and helping her up. He had tried calling for backup, but to no avail. And I can't use my original form here, he thought. While it was powerful, it still took 27 seconds to form. Faster than Voltron... but there was no way he was going to leave his team unshielded for any amount of time against the Alpha Nuckelavee. He couldn't risk it.
Ruby nodded and hefted her scythe. "Guys, circle it!" she shouted, loading a fresh magazine into her rifle. "Keep moving! It can't hit us all at once!"
"Right!"
Dashing forward, Ruby joined Weiss, Yang, and Blake in circling the Grimm, raining Dust rounds on the creature's body while Sincline circled the opposite way in the air, raining Ion blasts on the monster... but their combined attacks did nothing.
Twisting, the Alpha Nuckelavee launched an arm at Blake, the taloned limb slashing through her shadow clone as she dove, rolling back into a run.
Scythe changing to gun mode, Ruby fired Dust round after Dust round upon the Grimm. At the same time, Weiss flicked her wrist, launching a barrage of icy javelins at the Alpha Nuckelavee's eyes, causing it to shield itself with one of its arms.
The Alpha Nuckelavee snarled, and its head spun, bones cracking as it attempted to keep everyone in its line of sight.
Drawing his scimitars, Sincline dove, his Ion blades cutting through the Grimm's hindquarters with ease. The Grimm snarled; the hind legs kicked out, and Sincline warped away, the bone-like hooves crashing through the air where he had been. "I think I made it mad," Sincline commented, landing beside Ruby as his aura flickered brightly. Looks like my blades can succeed where my Ion cannons fail... good to know.
"Good," she replied and shifted her gun into sniper mode, unleashing multiple rounds on the Grimm's hide. Snarling, the Grimm lashed out, and Ruby shot up in a blur of Rose petals to dodge the attack.
Streaking forward in a burst of speed, Sincline's blades flashed, cutting into the Grimm's ribs as Blake swung Yang into its other side, causing the Nuckelavee to let out a loud screech. Spinning backward, moving surprisingly fast for a Grimm its size, the Alpha Nuckelavee faced them, its long arms dragging on the ground as its body twitched, its head rising to look at them.
Sincline's eyes narrowed before they widened. "Guys, move!" he shouted, and the Nuckelavee's upper body spun, bones cracking as its arms whipped out in a whirlwind. A blow to Yang's chest, Ruby's torso, Sincline's back, Weiss's side, and Blake's shoulder—the resulting series of attacks connected, throwing everyone to the ground.
Pushing himself to his feet, Ruby doing the same beside him, Sincline looked up as the Grimm reeled its arms in, the sound of snapping bones shearing through the air.
Twitching, limbs cracking, the Nuckelavee wheezed, clutching its chest. Its spine rippled... and the dark flesh burst, the bony spikes extending into wicked blades. Its body jerked from side to side... and its head snapped up. Its mouth, which had previously been sewn shut, tore open, thin strands of dark flesh splitting as a shrill scream ripped through the village.
Crying out, Ruby covered her ears, Yang and Weiss doing the same as Blake screamed, clutching the sides of her head as her sensitive hearing multiplied the pain from the horrible scream. If not for her Aura, her eardrums would have ruptured.
Gritting his teeth as the screech echoed through his body, Sincline shook his head and glanced at his teammates. I need to buy them time to recover, he thought. His thrusters flaring, Sincline burst into the air and launched an Ion blast toward the Alpha Nuckelavee. It turned, the Ion beam slamming harmlessly against its chest, and lashed out in a blur of motion. Sincline warped, dodging the attack, and reappeared behind the Nuckelavee. Unloading a kick between its shoulder blades, he warped back to Ruby's side as the horrific creature stumbled.
The Nuckelavee whirled. It lashed out as Blake swung Yang toward it, attempting to take advantage of its confusion, and its taloned hand slammed into Yang's chest, pinning her to the side of a building with its sharp claws sinking into the wall around her, the force of the attack shattering her Aura.
"Yang!" Ruby shouted, and opened fire, Weiss, Blake, and Sincline doing the same, and it glanced at them.
Drawing back its other hand as its previously sewn mouth crept into a wicked grin, the Alpha Nuckelavee struck, its blood-covered talons eager for more as its deadly limb streaked toward Yang's head. A loud crack, a blur of steel, and the attack connected, slamming into Qrow's weapon as he landed between them, gripping his weapon with both hands as he held off the Nuckelavee.
Opening her eyes, Yang stared at the man before her in disbelief. "Uncle Qrow?"
He smirked, glancing back at her. "Hey, kiddo. Better late than never, right?" he asked as the Nuckelavee retracted its limb, letting out a low growl of frustration.
"What do we do?" Weiss asked as Yang dropped to the ground supported by Qrow, pain lancing across her ribs from the force of the Nuckelavee's attack. "It's too powerful."
Everyone exchanged looks.
"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked, and everyone turned to the veteran Huntsman as the Nuckelavee stared at them, long trails of black, tar-like blood dripping on the ground as its talons flexed.
Qrow shook his head. "I can't help much with my semblance, but I might be able to lend support." He shifted his weapon into a scythe and hefted it, glancing at the Nuckelavee as it let out yet another screech.
Eyes narrowed, Sincline glanced over at Ruby as the Nuckelavee slowly came around to face them, its arms twitching once more as it prepared to attack.
Ruby nodded. "Uncle Qrow and I can take care of its arms," she affirmed, hefting her weapon as its blade gleamed, eager for blood. It was at that moment that she truly seemed like her nickname: a reaper with a cloak of blood and a scythe to match.
"We'll take care of the legs," Blake said, exchanging nods with Weiss as both hefted their swords, blades gleaming.
Yang punched her fists together, a shower of sparks filling the air as a metallic crack echoed across the deserted street. "I'll take care of the horse."
"And I'll take care of the rest," Sincline finished. With that, he drew his scimitars, their Ion blades flashing as he fixed his gaze on the enormous Grimm.
Nodding, Weiss pointed her rapier, and a line of Glyphs materialized, starting at her feet and blurring up the side of a nearby building.
Yang crouched, fired, and surged forward. She jumped, and the Nuckelavee lashed out, talons blurring through the air. Before its limb could connect, Sincline warped between them, slamming into the arm with both feet and throwing the deadly attack off course.
Loading a magazine of gravity Dust, Ruby opened fire on the apocalyptic Grimm as Qrow did the same. Twisting to face her, the Alpha Nuckelavee whipped an arm at the young Rose, and she propelled herself upward with her scythe. Spinning, she shot down in a blur of Rose petals, her blade sinking through the Grimm's hand and into the ground, its fingers jerking and twitching.
At the same time, Blake lashed out, Gambol Shroud wrapping around the Grimm's front legs as Weiss stabbed her rapier into the ground, summoning a Glyph and creating a circle of ice around the Grimm's feet. She flicked her weapon and massive spires of jagged ice burst forth, impaling the Grimm's hindquarters and immobilizing it.
Letting out another screech, the Nuckelavee swung at Qrow as the professional Huntsman charged forward. Rolling over the attack, Qrow brought his weapon down, and his scythe split through the Grimm's hide and into the ground, pinning its other hand down.
"Yang, now!" Ruby shouted, and Blake tugged, Gambol Shroud's ribbon tightening around the Grimm's forelegs and snapping them together. Letting out a horrible screech, the Nuckelavee staggered and collapsed, falling to its knees as it overbalanced.
Standing on top of the same building that she had been thrown through earlier, Yang cocked her shotgun gauntlets and jumped into the air, where Sincline was waiting. She grabbed onto his tail, and he spun, increasing her momentum. As soon as maximum velocity was achieved, Sincline flicked his tail, and Yang let go. Propelling herself with her gauntlets to further increase her speed, she plowed into the horse's skull with a loud crack. Fragments of broken bone and dark gore sprayed into the air as the Grimm crashed headfirst into the ground, cratering the earth and earning a screech from the Nuckelavee.
"Sincline!" Weiss shouted, and the mech raised his hand toward the sky, his scimitar flashing. Opening a rift above him, he drew on the Quintessence Field beyond and felt a flood of strength surge through his veins as an aura of purple, blue, and white energy erupted around him.
Closing the rift, Sincline crossed his blades over his chest, and his back thrusters ignited. A burst of speed, and a shockwave tore through the air as Sincline streaked forward. Time seemed to slow; his blades flashed... and thunder roared, lightning flashing across the sky.
With arcs of purple light streaking through the air around him, Sincline landed on the other side of the Grimm, head bowed, scimitars extended to either side. Judgement... Cut.
For a long moment, all was still... and the Alpha Nuckelavee stiffened. The arcs of purple light flashed again... and a brilliant explosion of purple energy ripped through the Grimm, dark gore exploding across the street as the Alpha Nuckelavee dissolved, the stench of blood being the only sign that it had ever existed.
"Is... is it over?" Yang asked, eyeing the dissipating mist uneasily.
Sincline nodded, his blades vanishing in twin bursts of flaming energy as he dispersed his armor. "It's dead." I'm so glad that worked.
"You did it!" Ruby cheered, tackling him in a hug that sent them both to the ground in a heap.
Sincline chuckled, ignoring the fact that they had landed in a patch of blood, and hugged her back. "No, Rubes," he corrected, a small, relieved smile crossing his lips. "We did it."
Qrow nodded, leaning on his sword. "You kids did good. And not many Huntsmen or Huntresses can say they've fought a Nuckelavee and lived to tell about it. Especially an Alpha."
Sincline nodded, and an awkward silence filled the square.
Qrow sighed. "Look, kiddo," he said as Ruby turned to face him while Weiss and Blake stepped back, both aware that this was a family matter. "I'm... sorry. I should have—"
"It's okay," Ruby assured, dashing over and embracing him as best she could, wrapping her arms around her uncle. "We forgive you." Trust however... that would take a while to restore.
"Yeah," Yang agreed, hugging him as well before pulling back, her eyes flashing red. "But do that again, and you'll wish that you were still fighting the Nuckelavee."
Qrow chuckled. "I think I'll take my chances," he joked, smiling as he ruffled their hair, much to the indignation of Yang.
"Something still doesn't make sense," Blake said, getting their attention. "If the Alpha Nuckelavee killed everyone in the village—"
"Then who sent the distress call?" Weiss finished, catching onto the black-haired Faunus's train of thought.
Qrow frowned, but before he could respond, Sincline froze, his eyes widening in surprise before narrowing in suspicion.
"What is it?" Ruby asked.
"The distress signal," he explained, turning to one of the houses, his sensors alert. "It's still active."
"What?"
Walking to the house, Sincline opened the door and stepped inside, a scimitar flashing into his hand. Looking around, his eyes narrowed as he saw what looked like a discarded, blood-covered Scroll leaning against a wall, dark liquid dissipating off its surface.
"Unbelievable," he murmured, crossing to the Scroll and picking it up, shaking the remaining Grimm blood from the piece of technology.
"What is it?" Ruby asked, peeking around the doorframe along with the others tiki-pole style.
In response, Sincline turned back to them, revealing the blood-covered Scroll in his hands. "The Nuckelavee... it lured us here," he explained, showing the flashing red distress beacon on the Scroll's screen.
"But that's impossible," Weiss protested. "Grimm aren't that smart... are they?" she asked, sounding less certain as everyone exchanged looks.
"Maybe it wasn't the Grimm..." Qrow muttered, causing Sincline's eyes to narrow at the veteran Huntsman.
"Wait," Ruby said slowly as she turned to Sincline, her voice snapping him out of his thoughts as he turned his attention to her. "Remember what professor Oobleck told us? About how the older the Grimm is, the smarter it is?"
"It makes sense," Sincline acknowledged, tilting his head. It was possible. "This Grimm must have known that Huntsmen would respond to a distress call. All it had to do was set up bait...."
"And then spring the trap," Yang finished, clenching her fist. "And we fell for it." She gritted her teeth, wondering how many others had fallen for the same ploy.
"Does this have something to do with the Maidens?" Ruby asked, turning to Qrow as everyone else did the same. "This Grimm's distress call?"
"You said it yourself; things are heating up," Sincline agreed, crossing his arms as he stared at Qrow. "Who are we really up against?"
Qrow sighed. He wasn't supposed to tell anyone else, but... Sheathing his sword, he pulled out his flask. "Well, the tournament's not gonna be back on for a week due to that creature incident, so gather 'round," Qrow ordered, taking a sip, "it's high time I cleared some things up."
Timeskip
"Her name is Salem," Qrow began, tossing a log into the fire. After cleaning up the surrounding courtyard, they had decided to make camp and head back to Beacon in the morning. Currently, the six of them sat on three logs, spread out around the fire. Weiss and Blake sat on one log, Yang, Sincline, and Ruby on another, and Qrow on a third. "You already know about the Maidens, but the main baddie in the world we need to worry about is Salem. Not much is known about her, and quite frankly, that's not what matters."
"Actually, it kind of does," Sincline spoke up, causing everyone to turn to the mech-turned-human as he stared into the fire, his eyes seeming to glow in the darkness. "The only way to know how to defeat your enemy is to know their objective. If we don't know what she's after, we won't know how to stop her."
Yang blinked. "That was... pretty deep."
Sincline smiled faintly. "I can be smart when it comes to it... but honestly, I got that line from one of Blake's books," he admitted, earning a blink and a smile from the black-haired Faunus.
"You may be right," Qrow acknowledged, taking a sip from his flask as Ruby giggled. "But what matters right now is that she wants the Maiden powers. For what, I don't know, but if she gets them... it's not going to end well."
Everyone was silent for a long moment.
"Okay," Weiss said slowly. "So, say we believe all this. There's this crazy evil being behind these attacks and not just some thugs trying to become powerful. Why doesn't Atlas know? Why doesn't the world know?"
"It's the same reason we keep quiet about the Maidens," Qrow explained. "If the whole world knew about Salem...."
"It would be chaos," Sincline acknowledged, lacing his fingers together. "Something that she would exploit."
Qrow nodded and pointed a finger at him. "He's a thinker, this one." He nodded at Ruby. "You picked good; I'll give you that."
Ruby blushed, and Sincline smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Look," Qrow sighed. "I had the same questions too. But old Ozpin always put his foot down. 'We can't cause a panic.'" He snorted. "I can't tell ya how many times I've heard that. Salem's smart. She works from the shadows, using others to get what she wants. So, when it comes time to place the blame..."
"We can only point at each other," Sincline finished, earning a nod from Qrow as the group fell silent. "If they met, I'm sure she and Lotor would have gotten along just fine."
Yang snorted. "Yeah, and that'd be the last thing we'd need."
Several uneasy chuckles passed around the campfire.
"So, what should we do?" Ruby asked. "If Salem's as bad you say she is, then she's probably going to make a move during the festival."
"She already has," Sincline said, causing everyone to look at him. "The woman in black that Ruby and I fought in the tower," he elaborated. "It's basic warfare. When you go to war, you don't send in the flagbearers."
"You send in the scouts," Blake realized. She paused, hesitating. "Do you... do you think the White Fang could be involved?"
Everyone turned to Qrow, who shrugged. "Like I told you before. When you stopped Roman, crime stopped completely, same with White Fang activity. And from what we've seen so far, it wouldn't be that hard to guess they're allied with her."
"But why go for Beacon?" Weiss asked. "Atlas has the greatest military force on the planet. Why wouldn't Salem's allies go there first?" It was the most strategic move military-wise, but... this was no military they were dealing with.
"Amber," Sincline realized. "They're going to finish what they started: stealing the Maiden powers."
Qrow nodded. "Ozpin figured the same. He also figured they'd make their move sometime during the final rounds," he added, deciding that since he had already told them about Her, he might as well tell them what else he knew.
"So, what do we do?" Ruby asked.
"For the moment, nothing," Qrow replied, taking a swig from his flask. "If Salem's setting up for something big, trying to stop her now might be playing into her hands."
"And if we do nothing, she gets more time to set up." Sincline's eyes narrowed. "It's a win either way." She's more like Lotor than I thought... wonderful.
Everyone fell silent, and Qrow sighed, pushing himself to his feet. "Right now, we're still figuring things out. But I think it's time you kids got some sleep. I'll take first watch."
Everyone nodded, and Sincline summoned his ship. Walking inside, he exited seconds later with several sleeping bags and passed them around to his teammates, much to their surprise.
"You packed ahead of time?" Weiss asked as Sincline dispersed his ship in a burst of purple fragments.
Sincline shrugged. "I learned from last time," he replied, remembering the many incidents where preparation probably would have helped.
"Hey, uh, Sincline?" Ruby asked, examining the red and black mattress he had brought for her before glancing at the others. "There's only four."
"Huh?" Sincline blinked. "I thought I packed... oh. Right." Aaaand I forgot myself. "I'll just sleep in my ship." It seemed like a pretty simple solution... which wasn't going to fly.
"Nope," Ruby decided. "You're sleeping with me."
Weiss choked, and Blake blushed, hiding her face in her sleeping bag while Sincline simply blinked at their reactions.
Yang elbowed Ruby playfully... after shooting Sincline a look. "Pretty sneaky there, sis."
Ruby flushed, and Sincline tilted his head. "Wait. What is she being sneaky about?" he asked curiously... but he had a feeling he knew.
"Never you mind," Qrow assured, hefting his sword on his shoulder. "Just get some rest." I should probably be concerned that my niece is already sleeping with someone... nah. With that, he jumped up to the top of a building and crouched, perching like a bird.
Sincline glanced over at Yang, who shrugged. "She's your girlfriend," she replied. "And again, try anything, and you know what'll happen."
"...okay?"
Weiss sighed. "Just... just get in the sleeping bag, you dunce."
Still confused, Sincline shrugged it off and walked over to Ruby, who had already arranged the sleeping bag. Resting her weapon off to the side, she slipped inside and Sincline did the same.
Sincline glanced at her questioningly, and Ruby blushed, not meeting his gaze. "I kind of like how things are... you know... are at Beacon, so...."
Sincline nodded, understanding. "Got it." That... and he didn't think he'd be sleeping easily either... not after the Nuckelavee.
Smiling, Ruby pecked him on the lips before curling up against him, resting her head on his chest as she wrapped her arms around him. Shaking his head, Sincline wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on hers. Yet, despite this... he couldn't help but shiver, a strange feeling of fear creeping down his spine. If Salem was behind that Grimm... what else is she capable of?
(A/N) To those who have probably guessed, the Nuckelavee of this chapter was based on the RWBY version and SCP-3456.