The Deacon
He felt his nerves burn with frustration, staring at the holographic screen displaying the live news. He saw a News Reporter on the scene, where Police, Ambulances and Fire Trucks driving around the area, collecting the injured and containing the fires caused from the battle. Tape was locking the crime scene up whilst the woman interviewed one eyewitness on what they saw.
"I recognised Cardin Winchester, but I didn't know who the girl was. She was vicious, though. Team R.W.B.Y tried their best to contain the situation. If they hadn't been there, a lot more people could have been hurt, maybe even killed." The interviewee explained, and the Deacon's shaking mechanical hand clenched into a fist. He roared as he grabbed onto a decorative vase and launched it against the window, causing it to shatter upon impact, making the thick window wobble, scratching it.
He heard the door open behind him, and he swiftly turned, glaring at the entrance to see a battered and bruised Neopolitan and Cardin Winchester. They knew they were in trouble, he could tell from the look of fear on their faces, but trouble was an understatement in the Deacon's eyes. "Proud of yourselves?" The Deacon questioned, pointing at the holographic screen.
"Look man... I needed a drink, how was I supposed to know Jaune was gonna track my ass down like that?" Cardin questioned, then the Deacon switched the screen off, walking to the centre of the room to stare the pair down.
"Oh, that's not what pisses me off. I wasn't expecting Jaune to go berserk either... maybe I should've. But no, this is about attacking Team R.W.B.Y in broad daylight!" The Deacon argued, pointing at him. Then he stared at Neo. "And you?"
She flinched slightly, since she truly meant to keep her promise. He scoffed, then turned to Roman's Hat which was still in his office, picking it up and gripping it in his metal grasp. Her eyes widened with fear, constantly tracking the position of that bowler. "You gave me your word you wouldn't cause any trouble."
Roman appeared beside the Deacon. "She didn't mean to, it's just..." The Deacon didn't look at her puppet, he just formed Hallshott and stabbed him through the head, breaking the illusion, never breaking his glare on Neo.
"Oh, I know exactly what happened... I know you saw Ruby, and you decided your vengeance was more important to you than the promise you made." He stated, pulling a fire dust cartridge from his pouch and loading it into his cybernetic arm. Orange light glowed from the pistons, preparing him to use fire like a sorcerer could from times long past. He stared at the hat in his hand, then he glanced back at Neo, seeing the terrified expression on her face.
He knew what this hat meant to her, and it was more than clear how much she loved Roman Torchwick. Tears were welling in her huge eyes, and she was reaching out for the hat... but she was frozen. That fact surprised him... she could easily take the hat back, make it another illusion, attack him suddenly...
... but she didn't.
And then, he thought back to the things he said, about vengeance, and how much it meant to her. And how did I react to seeing Jaune again? He sighed, loosening his grip, and ejecting the heat safely from his arm, wasting that fire dust cartridge.
"How am I any different?" He sighed.
He tossed the hat back to Neo, and she caught it instantly, clutching it close to her chest, closing her eyes tightly with relief. Cardin stood tall and looked down at Neo. Seeing her adoration for the hat seemed to strike a chord in him. He turned his attention back to the Deacon, who sat down and pressed his hands against his head. The Deacon sighed, shaking his head. "Please... next time just... come back to the HQ as I planned?" The Deacon asked, and Cardin nodded his head.
"I take it I missed something then?" He inquired.
The Deacon filled him in on everything, from Amara's involvement in springing the Deacon against Jaune in the first place without him knowing, all the way to her planning to take full control of the Legion from him and Dutch.
Hearing the truth left Cardin dumbfounded. "Fuck."
"Yeah. Fuck." The Deacon sighed, clasping his cybernetic hands together, looking across the room at Cardin where he was now sitting.
"Okay then... what's the play? We going for the Prez now?" Cardin asked.
"We leave it to Dutch. He knows how to play this game better than any of us. Hopefully, this can be resolved with no further violence." The Deacon explained.
"And Jaune?" Cardin inquired, but the Deacon was quiet.
"I... I don't know anymore. I'm still angry. I still want him to be punished for his actions... but I see now that I fucked up. That I've only made things so much worse, especially becoming an unknowing pawn in someone else's game." He sighed.
"Fuck... if I knew this... shit man, I'm sorry." Cardin apologised.
"Just please don't go wandering off again, huh? Politics is annoying enough as it is, let alone when it's as suspicious as this." The Deacon huffed.
"You have my word." Cardin promised.
Suddenly the door opened once again, and Dutch walked past Neo, who was sitting cross-legged in a comfy beanbag, caressing Roman's hat in her hands. Walking beside him was Eryka, and the Deacon could tell that Dutch had something juicy to share, especially after Eryka locked the door behind her. "You got something?" The Deacon asked.
"You tell me, ever heard of this project in Heimdall's Lab? Because I never cleared it, and the encryption is more advanced than anything else I've seen on her files over the many times I've combed through them." Dutch explained. Cardin raised a brow.
"You've hacked the President before?" He asked.
"She's the President, of course I did." Dutch casually responded, making the Gladiator chuckle. The Deacon picked up Dutch's datapad and stared at it, seeing most of the information was unreadable, except for the title of the archive of information.
"Project P.N.K.O? That's news to me." The Deacon admitted.
"Thought as much." Dutch agreed. "Seems like the Prez is hiding more from us than I thought, and with encryption levels of that scale? She has some powerful friends on her side... it'll take some careful mining for me to find anything out about this project." Dutch explained, and Neo approached quietly from behind.
"Can't be good though, nobody encrypts something that much if it's good, especially when you have information available to you on the Brother of Darkness' Horn." Cardin explained.
"Precisely. I've had a few theories, but guesses are moot until I can get it open. Keep your eyes peeled and be ready for anything. I got a few pings on my end. Someone is trying to access my files once again, and I think I know why." Dutch explained, and the Deacon sighed.
"The Safehouse..." The Deacon said, looking at him. Dutch looked right back, clearly still not trusting him either on where his Safehouses were. "I told you, I'm not going after Jaune now. I'm focusing on this. And besides, I never wanted his family involved." The Deacon explained, Dutch didn't say anything in response to that. He also was focusing on the big problem right now.
"What about the big dog?" The Pink Haired Girl asked, resting her arm on Neo's shoulder.
"The Hound you mean?" Dutch replied. "Still no sign, but I have my scouts searching for it as we speak. It had to have landed somewhere, and when we find it, we'll be hot on the trail. I know Winter's team has already departed for the Atlesian Wildlands. I pray they'll find some information there. A Grimm leaving the Atlesian Wildlands for the first time in history... Jaune's family attacked... and now President Amara making her move? I didn't expect my week to get so hectic so quickly." Dutch groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly.
Jaune
The hours ticked by, and the sun had set behind the horizon of Vale's verdant countryside.
He laid in the bed still, a newly replaced bandage wrapped around his torso to treat the stab wound from Hush, and thanks to the surplus of medical supplies Dutch always left behind in these Safehouses, he was on the mend much faster than he expected. He was hoping to be back on his feet by the morning.
Oriana still hadn't left his side, holding his hand with her much smaller ones. Misty had fallen asleep beside her, a pillow tucked under her head for her comfort by Ori. Jaune looked at her with a relieved smile. "Hey, kiddo..." He whispered. Everyone else was asleep, all bar Yang, who was keeping watch outside, weapons at the ready just in case any Legion transport arrived at the Safehouse, looking for a fight they couldn't win.
Oriana looked up at him with a smile, but he could tell from the look on her face, she was scared. She kept looking out the window, and she was shaking. "Hey... they're not gonna find us. Dutch will come through for us, he always does." Jaune promised.
"It's not that, Dad... it's... that Grimm." She admitted, shuddering as she remembered it. The voice when it spoke, the saliva drooling from its glowing red mouth... and how evil it was. "It was so scary... and they were everywhere once?"
"Not Hounds, they were a new creation of Salem's. But the others? Yeah, all over the world in the wilds. Made living outside of Kingdoms hard, lost many towns who tried to make it out there. Especially when the bigger and scarier ones started appearing." Jaune explained.
"I... I can't imagine it... it all sounds so terrifying." Oriana stammered.
"It was... and I had hoped we'd never see one of them again. I mean, I knew the ones in the Wildlands were still alive, but they never left the place. They became a ghost story... I guess it was always a matter of time before one escaped the Cryo Storm." Jaune sighed, rolling his aching shoulder. The bite wound had healed with some scarring thanks to his aura.
Oriana was quiet once more, looking at her mother, who was asleep beside Jaune, her hand still holding his, refusing to let go. "Dad..." she whispered. "Why does the Deacon want to hurt you?" She asked, and he sighed. "I don't understand... the things he was saying... it doesn't make any sense. You weren't a Huntsman... that's what you and mom always told me, told everyone. But the way he was talking about you, it's like he knew you from Beacon. Mom won't tell me why he hates you so much, why he attacked us. Please... I need to know." She begged.
"I'm sorry, Ori... but it's a long... and painful story. One I don't like talking about..." He admitted.
"Is it to do with your eyes?" She asked.
He stayed quiet.
"I saw the way you were fighting him, so you were actually a Huntsman once?" She asked once again.
Silence was her answer.
"Why is this so much of a secret? Don't you trust me?" She questioned.
"Of course I trust you, Ori. But this topic is one I don't like to talk about, too many painful memories. One day I will... but not now, okay?" He asked her, sighed as he laid down. She furrowed her brow with growing frustration, releasing her father's hand for the first time that night.
Yang stood up outside and shielded her eyes as an airship approached their location, the spotlights marking the location of which they were going to land. The roar of its thrusters woke everyone up, and they grabbed their weapons just to be safe. Oriana rushed to the window with a groggy Misty, seeing the Airship descending.
"Ori, get away from the window." Pyrrha whispered, calling Milo and Akoúo to her hands, catching them with ease. The two girls took cover, and all the Huntresses were at the ready with all their weapons.
The Airship powered off, and the cockpit opened, revealing a smiling Nora Valkyrie. "Is that any way to greet two old friends, Yang?" Nora greeted, making Yang smile and laugh.
"Thank the gods..." She chuckled, lowering her fists and deactivating Ember Celica.
Ren also climbed out, activating the Airship's camouflage to keep it hidden from any prying eyes, making the area look extremely empty and abandoned. Exactly how they wanted it to look. Nora gave Yang a big warm hug while Ren's was gentler. "C'mon, everyone's inside." Yang said, opening the doors. "Stand down, Spartan."
Pyrrha lowered her rifle and her emerald eyes widened as she saw Nora and Ren. "Brothers... I've missed you two so much." Pyrrha said, hugging them both tightly. Warm reunions were shared amongst everyone, including a big, playful hug from Nora to Oriana, squeezing her tight.
"Ah, so this is Misty?" Nora asked with a smile.
"Uh... H-Hi!" she nervously squeaked.
In one day I've got to meet all my heroes
DESPITE HOW SCARY IT'S BEEN THIS IS AWESOME!
Then they saw Jaune laid on the bed, and the two smiled as they saw him. "You've looked better." Ren greeted with a smile, making Jaune chuckle.
"Age'll get you too, buddy." Jaune promised, and the couple hugged him gently.
"C'mon, let's get you something sweet to drink." Weiss said.
"You know me!" Nora squeaked as she skipped over. Even in her forties, Nora was still the same girl she always was.
"If you ask for fifteen sugars again, I will bury you." Weiss warned with a slight chuckle.
"Aww, you're no fun, Ice Queen." Nora teased, making Weiss roll her eyes.
Oriana was relieved to see her other Auntie and Uncle here, but she was still exhausted, barely able to keep her eyes open. She sat down on the floor, rubbing them more and more.
"Ori... try to get some sleep, sweetheart." Pyrrha softly said to her, but despite Pyrrha's offer, she chose to lie on the floor instead of cuddling up with her parents.
Oriana
There was a cold, alien chill hanging in the air.
Oriana gasped, her large blue eyes opening swiftly, grabbing at her throat as if someone was strangling her. She looked around and saw darkness surrounding her. Yet despite the darkness, she felt what felt like a pool of water beneath her. She pressed her hands against it, and screamed in terror, for it was not water... but in fact, blood. An ocean of blood stretching out for as far as the darkness allowed her, and in the blood she saw bones rising from them. She whimpered as she tried to find dry land, but there was nothing.
"No... not again... go away." Oriana whimpered, her hands pressed against her head. She shook her head again and again, hoping she would wake up from yet another Night Terror. Until she heard footsteps in the blood nearby... she was not alone in this nightmare, and something was prowling, watching her from the darkness. She opened her eyes and looked around.
And suddenly, the sound of a music box echoed in the distance. "Huh?" She stammered, standing up and following the sound of it. Every step she took made her feel ill as she heard the splashing of thick blood on her nice shoes. Her clothes were stained red as walked, not noticing all the eyes watching her, or maybe she just didn't want to acknowledge their existence in the first place?
The music box grew louder and louder the closer she got, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Then, the darkness lifted, and she saw it before her... it was indeed a music box, with a beautiful ballerina spinning in a circle to the music. She stared at it, and reached her hand towards it, only for the music box to stop, and the figurine of the ballerina stopped rotating.
It suddenly stared at her and a creepy grin of black jagged teeth tore across its mouth, and a dark haunting voice spoke.
"Orianaaaaaa..." the voice growled, making her scream.
Suddenly the box exploded, and black tar erupted from it, and the Hound landed, drooling as it glared at her. It growled, its bottom jaw chattering as it approached, claws slicing through clots of blood on the floor. Suddenly, it sprinted towards her and she ran away in terror, screaming as it got closer and closer in seconds.
And then it was on her, clawing at her spine as she shrieked, laughing in her ear as it fed on her, tearing the flesh from her bones. "MOM! DAAAAD!" She shrieked, but the Hound grabbed the back of her head and pushed the side of her head against the blood, and it ran its bloodied tongue across her cheek, laughed at her.
"They cannot hear you... it is only us... together... alone... and you're all mine." It snarled before it roared and bit across her face, ending her torment and screams.
She bolted upright and gasped, unable to scream, grabbing at her throat. She didn't expect to wake up from that one. It felt like she was actually being eaten alive... and that horrified her all the more. Her hands were shaking, and she wrapped her arms around her legs, burying her head between them to mask her tears.
At least I didn't wake anyone up this time...
I don't wanna be a burden.
She sniffled, wiping her tears away, then turned to the window, and saw Yang was still sitting outside, fully awake and keeping a watchful eye. Oriana got up and walked to the door, quietly opening it and wiping her tears away. Yang looked at her and concern was immediately apparent on her face. "Whoa... what's wrong, Ori?" she whispered.
"Another Night Terror." She sniffled. Her voice was very weak, trembling to stop herself from crying.
Yang shuffled across the bench, giving Oriana a free space, patting it. She walked over and sat down beside her Auntie Yang. "I know it's stupid..."
"No, not at all, Ori." Yang promised.
"C'mon... you're Yang Xiao Long. One of the greatest Huntresses to ever live. When have you ever been scared?" Oriana asked.
Yang took off her cybernetic arm and handed it to her Niece, making her eyes widen. "For a long time... I couldn't sleep. After I lost my arm, I saw him, Adam Taurus... and he'd kill me again and again. It took me so long before I could have a full night's sleep again. Problem was, I kept thinking it was stupid and pointless to tell anyone, too. It was your Auntie Blake who helped me through it all." Yang explained, smiled at her.
Then she held her hand. "So don't be afraid to talk to us, to any of us." Yang said, making Oriana smile back. "Also... ouch."
"Huh?" Ori replied.
"One of the greatest Huntresses?" She cheekily replied, Oriana immediately started giggled, and that made everything today worth it for Yang. Ori had such a lovely laugh and smile. It was so contagious. Oriana's gaze ascended to the night sky, where the Shattered Moon watched over them all.
"Is it true it was once made whole?" Ori asked.
"Oh, yeah... I wasn't conscious to see it, but everyone told me about it. One hell of a battle." Yang explained.
"You weren't conscious?" Oriana asked.
Yang lifted her head, showing her neck, and the scar across her throat, given to her from Adam's Moonslice, the very wound that had permanently damaged her voice, making her voice sound a lot more fragile than it used to be. "I wasn't sure if I'd survive that battle. My semblance saved me. I heard you unlocked yours, too." Yang said.
"Yeah... Misty was being bullied, being beaten up by a bunch of kids. And I punched the ringleader girl in the face as hard as I could and... this orange electricity exploded out of me. Sent her flying." Oriana described, reliving that moment so clearly in her head, feeling the power, the determination... and the guilt.
"That's my girl. Super punches, eh?" Yang said, raising her fist, and Ori gave her a cute little fist bump.
Oriana shuffled close to her Auntie, and Yang affectionately pulled her close, resting her head atop Ori's. They stayed there for a while, talking back and forth... but eventually, Oriana's mind came back to the Deacon, and the question her parents were avoiding.
"Do... you know? Why the Deacon hates my Dad so much?" Oriana asked, and Yang fell silent. "It's just... Mom and Dad won't tell me... and I hate being kept in the dark." Oriana said with a sigh.
"I'm sorry, kid... but that's not my story to tell. Believe me, I wish I could. I hate being in the dark, too. But that story... it's a hard one for them to tell." Yang explained.
"Harder to tell than Athena?" Oriana asked. Yang looked at her with surprise.
"... your mom told you about Athena?" She asked.
"Well... no, my dad did, but she said it was okay. And I understand why that was hard to talk about but... this... I feel like everything I've been told my whole life has been a lie." Oriana explained, wringing her fingers.
Yang closed her eyes.
She's always been a sharp kid, and I can't blame her for feeling that way.
Because she has been... but how do you begin to tell your daughter that both of you died and were brought back?
One by Salem and corrupted against his will into a monster? And the other brought back by the God of Darkness?
How is a child supposed to take any of that in?
Yang exhaled, but stood on her stance of the subject. "I'm sorry Ori... but I can't." Yang stated, leaving Oriana in the dark even more.
It felt like the truth was always just out of reach for her... yet no matter how far it would get yanked away, she would never stop reaching for it.
Winter
A few days later...
Atlas was as cold as ever, although by Solitas' standards, it was quite a warm day. Winter lead her little trio through the streets of the city of Mantle down on the ground, looking up at the enormous city floating up above, high in the sky. Penny was staring up at it, and she exhaled. "Despite how much I dislike the disparity between the classes in this Kingdom, it's hard to deny the beauty of Atlas. Truly an incredible achievement." Penny said, turning to Oscar.
"Yeah, things have improved here, at the very least. Despite everything that's happened lately, the Legion has had a good impact here. People like Jacques Schnee are no longer in positions of power, or at least not as much power as they once did." Oscar said.
"Well, nobody wanted another U.G.R, rich powerful bastards who only sought to benefit themselves, no matter how many people were hurt along the way." Winter said, remembering those dark days very well. As they walked through the streets of Mantle, she stopped and saw something.
Old photographs were on sale in an antique store. Most of the things here were a few centuries old, many being from different Kingdoms. But the photographs she saw on display were that of the Foundations of Sovereignty... down here in Mantle she couldn't see the old building, but she couldn't forget what happened there.
Losing Willow, Whitley and Jacques all at the same time?
Jacques was deserved, and she never wasted a second mourning him. But Willow and Whitley? They were flawed, but Jacques' abuse shaped them, and their lives were all snatched so cruelly away by their Uncle... by Watts... she refused to ever attach herself to that monster's name.
"I'm glad Weiss rarely comes back here... neither do I, honestly." She sighed. "Just too many terrible memories."
"I'm sorry, Winter..." Oscar said as he walked over to her.
"It's okay. It's all in the past." Winter said, as if she was convincing herself that the painful memories were healed. But in truth, it just became tolerable for her. "I just wish Eryka was here, with me." She said as she walked.
"You haven't talked much about her... do you wanna get anything off your chest, Winter?" Penny inquired.
She sighed. "I don't know, it's complicated... I understand why she did it. The Deacon manipulated her, and she was emotional, thinking about Neptune. When a deal that could finally give her closure comes out of nowhere like that, it's easy to make rash decisions... I just wish she talked to me about it first. I could have helped her see reason." Winter explained.
"I hope you're not blaming yourself for Eryka's actions." Oscar noted.
"Shouldn't I? She didn't feel like she could talk to, " Winter stated.
"She's a grown woman, Winter, not a child. She's capable of making her own decisions, and her own mistakes. There's only so many things you can do to change that." Oscar explained. "You've done nothing wrong here, and Eryka knows that. Otherwise, why would she be working so hard to fix things now?"
"Hmm..." Winter never was one for many words with these kinds of topics. It was only Eryka she could really open up to comfortably, but Oscar's words definitely helped ease her burdens. "Thanks, Oscar."
"Any time, General." Oscar reassured, patting her back as he walked ahead. Then he froze, eyes widening with horror. "Oh... fuck..."
As Winter and Penny turned the corner, they saw the same thing: black tar prints were everywhere. Then they halted. It was still taped off, but they saw where they came from. The bulkhead doors that were always locked and disguised as a normal wall were smashed open from the inside. It was the same secret tunnel that was built to pass underneath the Atlesian Wildlands and into the Frostwall Bastion, completely avoiding the Cryostorms that tormented the landscape.
"How long ago was this?" Penny asked as she looked around.
"I don't know, but clearly this tape has been here a while. But there's no police on sight, meaning it must not be a priority for them right now. I didn't expect this." Winter stated as she approached the torn open doors. Deep claw marks covered them, and the metal was bent out.
"That explains how the Hound got out then, it somehow got into the tunnel... but how? It's always sealed up, both ends are sealed up, one from the terminal inside of the Baston, and this one from the lever just outside." Oscar explained. Passing by the tape, he walked inside, trudging through the black tar, and found the lever here. It was covered in the same goo as what was on the floor, but clearly the Grimm must have accidentally broken it in an attempt to open the door.
"I'm impressed the Hound forced that door open. I didn't know Hounds were that strong." Penny added.
"They're not." Winter replied. "That's what concerns me... this is no normal Hound." Winter's suspicions were all but confirmed now. Whatever this Hound was, it was clearly unique and extremely powerful. "Well, there's only one way we get answers. Let's go."
They entered the tunnel, walking through its dark lifeless halls for hours, and even down here, they could feel the temperature plummet the second they passed into the Atlesian Wildlands. Through all the rock and soil and ice, the howl of the Cryostorms could both be heard and felt, making the walls vibrate and the pipes rattle, howling screams of wind echoing through them. Then the occasional tremor, caused by the enormous ice crystals coming crashing down from the storm above, destroying anything they landed on.
Frost was everywhere down here, making the red light glisten off its reflective surface. None of them enjoyed this long chilly walk to the Frostwall Bastion. No matter how safe the tunnel was, it was always a terrifying path.
But eventually, they found the entrance, and found quite the chilling sight.
The door... open, but not torn open like the exit into Mantle was... this was opened manually. This revelation completely baffled Winter, for it made little sense. "How..." She could not even find the words, but she increased her pace, rubbing her hands together as she walked inside. She found the large room that changed their lives for a long time.
The damage from the battle between Teams R.W.B.Y, J.N.P.R, and the Branwens were still scarred here. Winter couldn't help but freeze as she stared at the room, still seeing the look on Ruby's face in her memory, same as Yang, when Jackdaw told them the truth of what happened to Summer. The moment that a family was torn apart, thankfully not permanently, but it was a scar that none of them wished to relive.
"This... is where it happened?" Penny asked.
"Yes." Winter replied, looking at the rusted over and frosted structures that were destroyed from their fight, and the path that lead to the deep silo where Ruby and Yang pursued Qrow and Raven. Thankfully, their path did not follow the violent one they took, and did not end where their blood was spilled from R.W.B.Y's brutal fight after Raven and Qrow escaped. "I don't want to stay here any long than we have to." She sighed, turning away from that path.
Penny was motionless, looking down that dark path, seeing nothing but darkness where all the lights were out. Then she followed Winter with Oscar, making their way up the cold steps, hearing the wind howling down the elevator shaft. As Winter walked, she heard the garbled voice of the facility's Artificial Intelligence which was still operational even now.
"W-Welcome to Fr-Frostwa-ll Ba-asti-ion. We-ee are the Bla-ack Gall-ows, prote-cto-ors of Re-Re-Mnant." The Artificial Intelligence stuttered, her voice barely connecting words together.
"Who is that?" Penny inquired.
"Iris, the A.I. Designed to keep the Frostwall Bastion running." Winter answered.
"I thought all Black Gallows related assets were destroyed when we uploaded the Black Queen to their network?" Oscar assumed.
"Frostwall Bastion is different. It's a very, very old Black Gallows facility, one that predated the network they created. The Commanders before Killian wanted to use this place as a backup, in case the Network collapsed. All old files are stored here, or at least the ones we can get to. Most of the Bastion is in ruin, entire sections collapsed and encased in permafrost now." Winter explained.
"What about Iris? She doesn't... sound healthy." Penny asked.
"We can't reach her core and shut her down. It's completely sealed off by the permafrost. Nothing we can do for her, not unless the Cryostorms stop. She's just going to rot away, I'm afraid." Winter sounded quite cold as she said that, leaving Penny quietly alone. Winter stopped and looked back at Penny.
"That's... not fair. That's a horrible way to die." Penny stated.
"Penny... Iris isn't sentient, not like you are. She doesn't have a soul, she's just a machine, designed for a purpose. One that, despite her situation, she continues to carry out. But she's not alive. If she was, I promise you we would have found a way, but people would have died if we tried." Winter explained, and Penny sighed, nodding her head in acceptance.
It still did not sit right with her, as a form of Artificial Intelligence, but Winter was right. Iris was not a true A.I like her, and was simply fulfilling her functions.
They followed the path lit by new lights set up, hooked up to the generators set up in here, powered by some dust. They had a few hours left before the fuel would run out, so there was enough time. They turned a corner and saw snow falling from a crack in the ceiling, and beneath it was a frozen Beowulf, clearly caught in the freezing cold of a Cryostorm passing overhead.
"Keep your distance." Oscar advised, and they approached the Terminal they were searching for.
"Okay... here we are. Penny over there is the Camera Recording Terminal. See if we caught how the Hound escaped." Winter explained. Penny and Oscar started combing through the recordings, day by day, hoping to find something that could explain what happened here. Meanwhile, Winter fiddled with the Grimm Tracking Pulse they had set up here. There was a book set up next to the device, which had all the Grimm noted down.
There were twenty of them noted down, all of which were extremely unique, for the darkness of the Atlesian Wildlands had transformed them into something completely new and horrifying. That frozen Beowulf was probably the most standard of the bunch. They had encountered two of these monsters back when they came here, the Nightmare and the Yeti. But there were many, many more horrific monsters lurking in these blizzards.
"Okay..." Winter mumbled to herself, powering it up and getting the screen up, showing the entirety of the Wildlands mapped out. "Here we go."
She activated the pulse, and a powerful hum of energy passed by them all, and causing the ice on the Beowulf to vibrate, and crack slightly. It took a few moments for the pulse to cover the entire area.
And the response... was more frightening than she could have imagined.
Her eyes widened, and she immediately repeated the pulse.
She repeated it again and again, getting Oscar's and Penny's attention. Penny kept doing what Winter asked her, but Oscar approached Winter's side, and his face changed to the same fear that was on her face. "Where are they?" She trembled as she said the words, seeing nothing bar the Beowulf signature in the room with them being detected.
They're all gone.
Every single mutated super Grimm in the Atlesian Wildlands had been unleashed, completely under everyone's noses. "By the Gods... they're all free."
"We go from never seeing a Grimm leave the Atlesian Wildlands in over a century, to suddenly all of them have escaped?" Winter stammered in disbelief. Things were just going from bad to worse.
"How did nobody notice this? Nothing alert us whatsoever?" Penny questioned as she kept combing through, then Oscar sighed.
"I've been at so many council meetings with Amara... and so many higher ups wanted to shut down all Anti-Grimm systems, because with them being seemingly extinct, they saw it was needless expenditure. They wanted to cut costs... and Mantle got rid of theirs, and the Belfry was put on Atlas. The Grimm must have slipped out during the night so nobody would notice them." He presumed, feeling so much anger at the ignorance of these people.
None of them believed the Grimm could ever return in this day and age... not until they finally did.
Penny gasped suddenly. "There!" She called out, rewinding the footage, but the recording showed something they never expected. It was the Hound, and they saw other Grimm in there waiting patiently as well, one of which being the Yeti that they fought. It looked bigger than last time, too.
"Who the hell is that?" Winter questioned, pointing at the camera, directly at someone standing beside the Hound. The beast dwarfed them, yet all the Grimm were... completely docile around them. They couldn't make out the identity of the stranger, they were clad in a cloak and hood, face completely hidden, but there was no denying that this stranger was somehow working with the Grimm.
They were typing on the very computer they were using, and to their horror, they saw them open the doors for the Hound and the Wildlands Grimm.
The stranger stepped aside, and they watched the Beowulf which was moving around at first, become frozen solid as a Cryostorm passed overhead, turning everything in that vicinity into ice. But the Grimm didn't care, they all charged through the open door, and the Hound remained still, looking down at the stranger, then it turned after saying something that the camera couldn't pick up, following the Grimm which escaped.
The stranger remained still and turned to walk away, following the Grimm into that tunnel. "The Grimm have an ally... how is that possible?" Winter questioned.
"I know the Wildlands Grimm are ancient and they're intelligent, but I've never seen any Grimm, no matter how old work with a person like that. Even Salem's minions were only safe around the Grimm because of her direct control... I've never seen anything like this." Oscar said.
"What do we do?" Penny asked.
"We get out of here and warn Dutch fast." Winter said. She turned and suddenly the Beowulf erupted out of the ice, roaring and grappling onto her. She grunted as the Beowulf knocked her over the railing, and together they crashed against the floor. The Beowulf, covered with crystals of Permafrost, stood tall, roaring at her, saliva drooling from its jaws. Penny and Oscar vaulted over the edge of the railing to Winter's side, weapons at the ready. The Beowulf roared and grabbed onto a spine of ice from its back, launching it directly at Winter, sending her flying backwards, and then dragging its claws across the ground.
Icicles erupted out of the ground towards Oscar and Penny, forcing them to split up. The Beowulf roared with fury, jumping into the air and slamming both fists against the floor, knocking them both away. It lunged towards Oscar and bit onto his shoulder, shaking him around like a chew toy, before slamming its clawed hand against his face, pinning him down.
It breathed deeply as icy cold frost formed in its jaws, only for Penny to jump and catch onto its mouth and pull its head all the way back, forcing it to blast a beam of icy energy up through the roof as it howled. Oscar took the Long Memory, and he smashed it across the Beowulf's face, knocking it across the floor, then Penny tossed it aside, and launched two of Floating Array's swords at it.
She pinned the roaring monster to the ground, only for Winter to leap off one of her glyphs and driving her sword through its open mouth, sliding it across the ground. The beast laid there, motionless... but it did not crumble away, for no Grimm within the Atlesian Wildlands could ever die.
Suddenly it came back to life, roaring and blasting ice crystals from its body, jumping and smacking the back of its hand across Winter's face, before bolting off down the tunnel they had just exited through.
"QUICK! WE HAVE TO STOP IT!" Winter yelled.
They chased after the Beowulf, running down the long tunnel for miles, but never able to catch up with the beast because of its impressive speed. And once they reached the gate, Winter launched herself after it, sword at the ready. Only for her to be shocked by it sprouting black wings from its spine, and leaping into the air, flying away from Mantle's towers, heading towards the sea.
She tumbled across the floor and watched with disbelief as it escaped, following its kin, no doubt.
"They can... adapt?" Winter gasped, slowly getting back up, then it hit her. "The Hound isn't the only Grimm in Vale... they're all following its lead..." she gasped.
Penny and Oscar caught up with her, seeing the Beowulf escape. "... the Grimm have a new Monarch now."