Running through the forest I dodged tree branches in roots as they sprouted from tree and ground trying to stop me as I ran. The sound of Grimm tearing through the forest only encouraging me to move faster. In the distance, a pillar smoke rose from the trees clouding the sky with its black smoke.

Moving faster toward the beacon the Grimm behind me began to get closer hoping to catch their play. Ducking below a branch I took the chance to look behind me. Dozens of red eyes pierced through the forest looking directly at me. Not wanting to have to face these creatures I pushed forward once again.

Breaking through the brush I entered a large grassy clearing with a large tree in the middle. The entire tree was taller than anything I had ever seen. The roots were thicker than a Goliaths tusk and flowed in and out of the ground creating large wooden arches. To the left of the tree, a steep hill sloped down to a ravine with a large river at the bottom that pounded the rocks lying along its border. The rest of the clearing was bordered by the thick foliage of the forest I had just escaped from.

Looking from the treeline red eyes pierced the foliage looking directly at me as I backed up toward the gully placing it at my back. From the trees, a dozen Beowolfs emerged crawling around and over the trees large roots. More Grimm emerged from the trees canopy and descended down its side leaving long deep claw marks.

Understanding what had just happened I had only one reaction. "YOU HAVE TO BE SHITTING ME!" I had led by the Grimm right into their den and they had me surrounded and were going in for the kill.

With my back to the gully, the Beowolfs moved around me preparing to attack. Pulling my sword from its sheath I held the blade with a tight grip ready to fight. The Grimm only came closer as the sight of the blade encouraged them to attack. The blade of the sword extended six inches from the hilt to where it had broken leaving a useless piece of steel. This useless piece of steel would be all I needed to kill the stupid Grimm who had thought it was ok to fuck with me.

Using my semblance I felt the air around me ignite in the all too familiar black flame. Focusing my semblance the flames around me receded and engulfed the sword. The flames began to harden and took the shape of a black steel blade where the broken sword had been. Now armed with a sword capable of bisecting an Ursa I planted my feet in my fighting stance and waited for the Grimm to make their move.

All at once twenty Grimm charged me with razor sharp teeth and claws capable of turning me into a pile of minced meat. In return, I ran toward a Beowolf dodging its attack by rolling between its legs. The Grimm unable to slow down quick enough slammed together creating a large pile with legs and arms sticking out at all angles. Looking at the pile I snickered "Stupid Grimm."

As the Grimm pulled themselves free from the pile I used the distraction as a chance to strike. Running at the first Beowolf to free itself from the pile I slid behind it and drove the blade through its back and out its chest. Pulling the blade free I moved toward my next target. The Beowolf did not wait for me to attack as lunged with its jaws wide open. Sidestepping I dodge the attack and countered by driving the bottom of the hilt into its bone mask crushing its skull in the process. Behind me, a Grimm launched an attack at my back.

Jumping forward I hit the ground and rolled to a stop. Standing I checked to make no damage had been done. Luckily the attack had missed and my Aura had protected me from any damage I might have gotten. Turning to face where I had been before I noticed the Grimm had freed themselves. The Grimm had once again returned to the offensive, in return, I did the same. With my sword at my side, I dodged a flurry of attack and blocked another group with my sword. A Beowolf standing before me attacked downward with its claws. Nocking the block away I sliced the Grimm across the stomach disemboweling it in the process as it crumpled to the ground and began to disintegrate.

With so many Grimm remaining I knew that I would have to up my game or I would end up losing. Once again I focused my semblance this time into my hands and feet igniting them in the black flame. The Grimm, however, didn't stop to admire the show as the continued their attack. The first jumped at me with its claw aimed at my chest only to have it blocked by my sword. Using my left hand I slammed my fist into its face burning a hole straight through its head.

Now that I had the upper hand I decided to take the offensive as I stabbed my sword through a Beowolfs chest and kicked another in the chest. Both were dead before they hit the ground as the flame burned through their bone armor and into their soft flesh. Dodging another claw on my right I dropped to my knee and spun in a circle separating the Beowlfs legs from the rest of its body at the knees. Standing up two Grimm attacked at once on my left and right. The first strike I dodged and parried with an elbow to its side. The second attack was cut short as I used my sword to cleave through its shoulder detaching its arm. The first attacker swung another strike at my head. Ducking below it I thrust my blade upward through its jaw like a shish kebab.

With only a handful of Grimm remaining, I felt confident in what the result of the battle would be as I began walking toward the Grimm. Behind me, with a loud crash, something fell from the tree. As I turned around I shouted, "What now!" Standing before me was a large Beowolf standing at ten feet tall it dwarfed all the others I had fought up until now. Thinking to myself "Why does it have to be an alpha?"

Looking right at me the Grimm let out a defiant roar and rushed toward me ready to kill. Rolling to my right I barely evaded the attack. "Damn this guy is fast," I thought as I dodged a barrage of attacks. Blindly I slashed out with my blade. The blade made contact ad in return the alpha lets out a roar in pain. Dashing backward from the alpha I looked to see what damage I had done. Across its thigh was a gash about six inches long and two inches deep.

The wound did nothing to but piss it off as it rushed toward me. Throwing its claws down at me I used an overhead block to stop it. The Alpha pushed against the blade and looked straight at me as it grabbed hold of the blade. With the only choice to let go of the blade or try and break free I decided to hold onto the blade. With a loud roar, it sent a spartan kick right into my chest sending me to the ground.

Standing above me the alpha lifted its large leg over my chest and stomped down toward me in an attempt to squash me like a bug. Rolling to my right I got up onto my knees and stabbed into its calf. Pulling it free I thrust at it again only to have a fist slam into me forcing the air from my lungs. quickly regaining myself I pulled myself from the ground and prepared to go on the defensive.

With my Aura level dropping, I knew that I could handle only so many more hits before it was drained completely. The Alpha took the invitations slashing it claw downward across my chest. Throwing the blade up into the way of the attack. The alpha took the chance to hold me in place and threw a fist into my gut. Holding my ground I waited for the Alpha to throw another attack. The Alpha did precisely this as it threw another punch into my gut. Grabbing the Alpha by its wrist I increased the flames surrounding my hand. The flames melted through the Alphas flesh as it roared in pain. Squeezing harder I felt the fire eat its way through it bone while turning its hand to ash.

With a roar, the Alpha pulled free from my grip and backed away. Looking down at it burnt hand hanging on by the thread of a tendon it snarled in disgust. In a flash, the alpha used its jaws to rip its useless hand from the rest of its arm leaving a burnt stump. With a roar, the Alpha charged toward my left. Unable to see the Alpha thanks to the damage that damn Grimm did to my eye. Turning I tried to spot the Alpha before it could land an attack. I was too slow as the Alpha launched a right hook into my side forcing me to the ground in pain.

The alpha didn't give me the chance to collect myself as it grabbed my throat with its only working claw. Holding me up to its face, it looked right into my eyes and threw me backward. Hitting the ground I began to roll backward. "Oh, shit this isn't good," I thought as I rolled down the hill to the ravine.

Orientating myself I slid down the hill unable to stop as the drop to the ravine came closer. Holding the sword so that it pointed to the ground I thrust it into the soft earth in an attempt to stop my fall. The sword cut through the ground unable to slow me as I slid closer to the drop. Sliding over the edge the ground beneath me disappeared and I began to fall only to be yanked to a stop as the blade caught on the rocks lining the edge of the drop into the ravine.

Dangling above the drop into the ravine I held onto the blade keeping me from falling as the river pounded below me. Pulling my hand up I grabbed hold of the ravines edge and began to pull myself up. As I pulled myself my left hand's grip on the rocks slipped and I was once again left hanging above the ravine. Summoning my strength I grabbed onto the rocks with all my might. Suddenly a pain in my left hand ignited as a large foot came down upon it.

Standing above me the Alpha glared into my eyes and ground its foot into my hand forcing me to let go of the edge. Using its other foot it began pushing on my hand holding the blade. Even as the Alpha pushed harder I tightened my grip as I bones break in my hand. Reaching to my boot I pulled a blade from a sheath hidden within. Lunging upward I stabbed the blade into the back of the alphas heel severing the muscle. Unable to support its own weight the alpha collapsed forward falling straight into the ravine. As it fell it reached out with one of its claws leaving three long claw marks on my back.

Pulling myself over the top of the hill I entered the clearing tired and worn out as my aura failed and the black blade dissipated. Standing I held the blade I had used to defeat in my hand. Looking at the kukri it brought back the painful memories of Aria that I had tried to forget for so long. Placing the blade back into the sheath in my boot I began walking toward the column of smoke in the distance.

From the tree, the remaining Beowolfs fell to the ground each landing with a loud thud that created cracks in the dirt surrounding them. "Come on haven't you had enough," I said as I flung my hands into the air. Pulling my sword from the sheath I tried to summon any of my Aura left into it knowing the dangers of exhausting my aura reserves. With it almost running on empty I forced my Semblance to activate and the black blade once again took shape.

The five remaining Grimm took to the offensive as the barreled toward me filled with rage. Holding my blade in front of me I blocked the first attack and sent a weak kick into its side doing nothing but piss it off even more. Dodging another attack from behind me by ducking under it I spun and thrust the blade into its thigh. As I tried to pull the blade free the Beowolf backhanded me with its paw sending me sprawling to the ground. Unable to hold onto the blade as I was hit it the blade returned to its broken form and fell free.

Dragging myself off the ground I use the last of my Aura to ignite myself in the dark flames. Without any Aura left for my semblance use, I felt it start to burn me as it used my life force as a source of power. The burns began at the tips of my finger and began to spread as it burned my hand black.

Knowing I had limited time before my life force was drained I attacked to closest Beowulf with a kick to its side plowing through its abdomen. Pulling back from the corpse I back stepped away from a claw swipe and retaliated with a haymaker to its bone mask shattering it into tiny shards as my fist made contact.

As I pulled my hand from the mask the burnt flesh on my hand started to crumble as it turned. Knowing I had less than a minute before I lost my hand I looked for the next Grimm to fight.

The Grimm didn't wait for me to attack as it was upon me sending both claws down upon me slamming into the ground as I rolled to my left and turned and stomped my foot down the back of its knee pinned it to the ground. Grabbing it by the head I used the flames on my hand to burn the Grimms head till it hit the ground as a corpse.

As I moved away from the corpse I turned toward the last two Beowolfs as the attacked both at once. Going on the defensive I evaded the first attack and returned y throwing a punch at the Grimms skull. Missing the Attack the Grimm to the chance to bite down on my shoulder sending a roar of pain through my body.

Held in place by the jaws clamped around my shoulders I felt the blood drain from my body and the flames began to wane as the jaws clamped harder on my shoulder. Summoning the flames to my fist I slammed it into the chest of the beowulf pushing against its bone plate armor.

Biting harder the Grimm began to sever my arm from my body as it bit through the muscles and tendons. Pushing my fist harder against its chest I felt it begin to melt the bone and push into its chest. As my fist pushed deeper into its chest the jaws around my shoulder began to loosen till I was released and hit the ground with a thud.

Unable to keep the flame burning it dissipated leaving me defenseless as the final Grimm stood above me. Staring down at me the Beowolf snarled and held its foot above me preparing to crush me. Unable to move I pulled the kukri from the sheath in my boot. Holding it in my hand I gripped it and looked up at the Grimm staring back into its blood red eyes.

As the Grimm slammed its foot down I closed my eyes in wait for the end. The end never came as I waited for the Grimm to kill me. Opening my eyes I looked up at the Grimm standing above me. The Grimm stood and looked back this time its eyes were cold and unmoving as it began to disintegrate.

In its chest were three large gunshot wounds and another right between its eyes. Slumping to the ground the Grimm laid motionless. Rising from the ground I gripped the kukri tighter holding myself up with all the strength I could muster. Turning I looked at the tree line where the bullets had come from.

From the tree line, soldiers emerged clad in full body armor with a high-powered rifle in hand. One of the soldiers began to shout commands at the others who began to set a perimeter around the edge of the clearing. From a tree, a man dropped with a large rifle in hand. With a single motion, the rifle formed into a large battle axe. Walking toward a disintegrating Grimm the man picked up my broken sword and began to move toward me.

"Kid what the hell are you doing out here." looking at him I tried to speak but had no strength to. As I began to fall all I could think about was how long it had been since I had seen living people. As I fell I was caught by the man who began to yell something as I passed out.

Running up to the man a soldier shouted "Captain Kane what are our orders. Sir" "Holding the boy in his arms Kane turned toward the tree line they had just emerged from. "Call in the bullhead we need to get this boy back to the hospital in Vale."

Laying Boone on a bench in the bullhead the field medic began working to stabilize him. After stopping the bleeding the medic applied an I.V. to help restore Boone's Arua.

Walking to Kane the medic told him "I've stabilized him and as long as we make it to the hospital he should make it. However, this kid has some been exposed out here for a while." Kane looked turned to face the medic . "How long has he been in the woods." "by the looks of the wounds and how they have healed, I would a more than two years. But what is the most curious thing is the burns to his hands they aren't caused by Grimm but something else." Kane sat down on a bench and sighed "Ozpin is gonna have some fun with this kid."