Manslayer was furious.

He had been able to hide it before, but now that he and Dawn were safely back at Mountain Glenn, Manslayer let his anger out.

"So you went after those bullheads, knowing the people inside were up to some sort of plot and likely heading off somewhere dangerous, and instead of waiting another day for me to arrive, you went off and almost got yourself killed?"

Dawn shrunk. "I-I'm sorry! I thought you'd want me to figure out what they were doing…"

Manslayer shook his head in annoyance. "What would I have had to tell your brothers if you had gotten yourself killed fighting those hunters? How do you think they'd react?"

The little Nevermore looked at the ground, ashamed.

"Dawn, what you did was incredibly reckless and short sighted. Now that I've had to reveal myself to an entire kingdom, people will be looking for us. Dangerous people. Like her."

"Am I being kicked off the team…?"

Manslayer exhaled, closing his eyes. "No. But you're on very thin ice, and I'm not sending you out on any solo missions for a long time. No more stunts like this again, understood?"

Dawn nodded.

"Good. Now, tell me about these people you've seen."

The little Nevermore looked through her memory, still looking somewhat guilty. "It's mostly these weird Faunus with white masks. They have a leader, a human who wears a bowler hat, that I've seen around too. For some reason they're collecting these crates with a snowflake on them."

Recognition flickered in Manslayer's eyes. "A snowflake? I think I've seen that before at a dust mine. Perhaps those crates you've been seeing are full of dust?"

"Well, that would make more sense then snow."

"Indeed. Now, I have a call to make. Wait here."

Manslayer left Dawn momentarily, heading inside the nearby dilapidated grocery store. With a sense of familiarity, Manslayer walked to checkout number five. Sensing his approach, a Seer rose to meet him from behind the counter.

"Seer, make a call to my island."

…

Sheer was beginning to grow stressed.

With Manslayer gone, Sheer was in charge of the island, and he hated it. Sheer wasn't really a Grimm's Grimm, in all honesty. He could fight hunters, go on missions, and act as Manslayer's right hand Grimm, but manage petty squabbles between other Grimm?

No, this was not what Sheer was good at.

Currently, Sheer was trying to settle a dispute between a Creep and an Ursa. The Ursa claimed that the Creep had stolen his fruit, while the Creep denied the accusation.

"I came back and it was gone! Where else could it have went?"

"I have no idea! Why would I know?!"

"Because you ate it, dammit! Just confess!"

"I won't confess to something I didn't do!"

Sheer wanted to scream at them for being idiots. He really, really did. Fortunately, something saved him the effort. A Seer flew towards Sheer, flashing lights in a way that indicated an incoming call.

"Hey, you two. I have to take this call. Scram."

The Creep and Ursa looked angrily at Sheer.

"You haven't even settled this!"

"Yeah! What about my fruit?!"

Sheer stabbed his tail into the ground in front of the two Grimm and shrieked. Taking the hint, the Creep and Ursa ran off into the treeline. With a relieved sigh, Sheer pulled his sting from the ground and turned towards the Seer.

"Play the call."

The light inside the Seer took the form of Manslayer.

"Hello Sheer. Are you doing well?"

"No, my lord."

"Ah… is settling the dispute tickets getting you down again?"

"Yes! I swear, they come to me for the dumbest things! I just had a Creep and Ursa come in arguing over a damned mango!"

To Sheer's annoyance, Manslayer actually laughed. "That sounds about right. Although, that's part of what being a leader is. You have to settle even the silliest problems such as that so everyone can work together in harmony."

"I'm glad I don't lead, my lord."

Manslayer opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. "Anyways, now that I've arrived here on the mainland, I needed to talk to you about something."

Sheer perked up. "Oh?"

"Thanks to some… rash decisions by Dawn, I have been forced to reveal myself to the entire public of Vale."

The Deathstalker frowned. "My lord, you must return at once! Once she finds out, she'll send agents after you, and the hunters will attack too."

"I am aware of the risks. However, in addition to these problems, more has come up. There's a group of Faunus led by a strange human in Mountain Glenn, and for unknown reasons they are stockpiling a large amount of dust."

Sheer looked concerned. "What? Why would humans be in Mountain Glenn at all?"

"Currently, we have no proven motive. However, Dawn has reported they act aggressively to the Grimm in the area. I fear they may be trying to reclaim Mountain Glenn, or worse."

"Could they be trying to salvage the remains of Merlot's operations there?"

Manslayer's expression shifted uncomfortably. "I hope not. Merlot has proved to be an… interesting figure. His experiments on Grimm should not be continued."

"Indeed. I pity those who had to go through his testing."

"A shame really, though. If things had been a bit different I feel we could have found an ally in that man."

Sheer shrugged. "Is there anything else my lord?"

"Yes, actually. Since I'll be staying in Mountain Glenn for a bit to take care of this incursion, I'd like you and the twins to join us. I have my doubts Dawn and I alone can shut down the operation."

Sheer perked up. "Really? Very well then my lord! I'll inform Tai and Ju at once. Who will stand in for you as leader once we depart?"

Manslayer thought for a moment. "I think Dawn's brothers, Nightwing and Darkfeather, should be able to handle it. They've been wanting to give management a try, so it would be a good opportunity for them."

"Of course. I'll alert them before we depart."

Manslayer smiled. "Excellent. Now, I must be going. Don't want Dawn to wander off again. I'll see you when you arrive."

Sheer waved a claw as the shape of Manslayer returned to ambiguous light inside the Seer. The jellyfish like Grimm flew away, leaving Sheer alone with his thoughts.

Ever since Sheer learned of the silver eyed scum's offspring, he'd been dying for a chance to head to the mainland. Even if that putrid huntress was dead and gone now, her legacy remained in the world to terrorize more Grimm.

Not for long, though.

Sheer's claws clicked with excitement, thinking of all the different ways he could kill the human. Maybe he'd impale her on his sting, rip her apart with his claws, or simply just trample her underfoot. The hateful Deathstalker was unable to choose now, and decided to wait until the moment came to decide.

After he was done daydreaming, Sheer set off to find Tai and Ju. Since their usual job of guarding Manslayer didn't apply when he wasn't around, the twin heads were currently off duty. Sheer headed towards their favorite sunning rock, where Tai and Ju often spent most of their free time basking.

Sure enough, Sheer found the two lounging in the morning sun, asleep. The Deathstalker poked the serpentine Grimm in the underbelly with one of his claws, waking them with a start.

"OW! W-What?!"

"You insufferable, idiotic-"

Sheer raised a claw to silence the two. "Forgive the rude awakening, but I have news from Manslayer. We are traveling to Mountain Glenn to assist him on an important mission."

The two heads were intrigued.

"Oh? Really? What's the mission?"

"Ah, it's about time we got some action."

The Deathstalker turned to the black head of the King Taijitu. "Dawn has uncovered a major operation of some sort there. Apparently a large group of humans are gathering dust, and Manslayer fears they may be using in an attempt to reclaim the Glenn."

"What? They'd never pull it off!"

"Humans are powerful… but not that powerful."

Sheer nodded in agreement. "That is true, but there are other reasons Manslayer has sent his summons. Apparently his presence has been revealed to the human public, and he fears both the hunters of Vale and our mortal enemy may send agents after him."

Ju's eyes narrowed. "That is worrying. Well, it is our job to act as a royal guard of sorts, is it not brother dearest?"

Tai flicked his tongue out nervously. "Well, yeah. I just hope they hold out alright until we arrive."

Sheer's eyes flashed annoyance. "The power of our lord is not to be underestimated. I doubt anyone Ozpin or Salem could send bar themselves would pose any serious threat."

Ju tilted her head. "Even the silver eyed-"

"Yes. Manslayer could rip the brat limb from limb if she dared challenge him."

Tai looked worriedly at Sheer. "Sheer, I know what happened to you man, but can you really hold that much of a grudge against the girl? She isn't the one who killed your son."

The words enraged the Deathstalker. "She's no different than the filthy creature that spawned her! No doubt, given time, she'll grow into the exact same kind of abomination that is nothing more than a tool to exterminate us! She must be killed by any means!"

Both heads of the King Taijitu recoiled at Sheer's harsh words. Sheer himself breathed heavily, tail bobbing out of frustration.

Sheer eventually collected himself. "Now, the mission at hand. I'll expect to see you on the eastern shore for transport in half an hour. Don't be late."

Before Tai or Ju could respond, Sheer promptly turned around and stomped off into the trees. The twins were left alone, temporarily rendered speechless.

"Okay, maybe now I understand what you meant about personal baggage."

…

After alerting Dawn's brothers to their new job, Sheer made his way to the beach. The white sand depressed under his bulk as he waded into the crystal clear water. While Deathstalkers were not suited for aquatic adventures, Sheer's massive size alone allowed him to go out quite deep before he was forced to come to a stop.

Using his claws, Sheer rhythmically pounded the water. He did this for around a minute, before coming to a stop. Suddenly, the ocean in front of Sheer exploded. The Deathstalker raised his claws in front of his eyes as he took a few steps back, blinded by the salty spray.

Opening his eyes again, Sheer was greeted by a Grimm of ridiculous proportion. Even as a larger than average Deathstalker, Sheer was dwarfed by the sheer size of the creature before him.

"Abson. Thank you for being so punctual."

The whale Grimm spoke with a deep, booming voice as water expelled from his blowhole. "Sheer, hello there. Are you traveling to the mainland again?"

Sheer nodded. "Correct. I'm simply waiting for Tai and Ju to arrive before we depart."

Abson looked curiously at the Deathstalker. "Oh? Aren't those two Manslayer's guard?"

"Manslayer himself is already at the mainland. That's why we're traveling."

"Ah, I see. Something important going on in the world?"

Sheer narrowed his eyes. "A group of suspicious humans have set up an operation in Mountain Glenn, while another silver eyed hunter has surfaced. Manslayer also fears that Salem may be sending agents after him, due to being forced to reveal himself to the human public."

The Grimm whale became concerned. "That is less than ideal. Very well, once Tai and Ju arrive, I will ferry you to the mainland with as much haste as I can manage."

As Sheer opened his mouth to thank Abson, Tai and Ju emerged from the treeline and slithered into the water, joining the pair.

"Sorry we're late!"

"We aren't late, we had important business to take care of."

"Is polishing our scales really important business?"

Sheer sighed. "Please, let's just going."

Abson dipped himself deeper into the water, allowing Sheer and the Taijitu twins to clamber onto his back. Once they were comfortably situated, the Grimm whale turned away from the coast and began his journey towards the mainland.

Sheer stared off into the ocean ahead.

He was ready.

…

"You… Human, you have much potential to be strong. I simply hope next time we meet it will not be used against me. That's what it said."

Weiss snorted indignantly. "Oh please. Who does this Grimm think he is?"

Yang tilted her head. "Weiss, that same Grimm also destroyed you."

The heiress pouted. In the wake of last night's fight, one of her arms was in a cast, and she had several bandages wrapped around her head. The doctor had said she would recover quickly thanks to her aura, but Weiss had been barred from leaving Beacon or participating sparring class until she had healed.

"Nonsense! That was just a cheap trick that caught us off guard."

Yang winced. Weiss was really taking the defeat personally...

Ruby put her hand on the wounded heiress's shoulder sympathetically. "It's okay Weiss! You'll get the Grimm next time!"

Weiss muttered something under her breath, but said nothing more.

Blake looked over at Yang. "So what do you think these Grimm want with us? This is the second time they've shown up."

Yang thought for a moment. "Maybe they want to get rid of hunters? We're the ones who fight the Grimm after all."

Ruby shook her head in disagreement. "I don't think so. That Grimm probably could have killed us if it really wanted, but it didn't. I think it was trying to save it's friend."

Weiss scoffed. "Hah, Grimm? Friends? That's ridiculous."

Blake pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Weiss, I think you've forgotten the Grimm can talk. It can probably have friends too. Don't let your defeat cloud your judgement."

The heiress scowled at Blake. "Oh yeah? Then why did these Grimm get involved in the first place? That Nevermore went after us in the Emerald Forest, remember."

Suddenly, Ruby's expression shifted to worry. "Wait, that Deathstalker…"

Yang caught onto Ruby's train of thought. "Do you think they hold a grudge for that? I wouldn't count it out, considering everything."

Blake thought intently, bow twitching. "It's definitely a possibility. Still doesn't explain why the Nevermore would have attacked us in the first place though, if they're intelligent enough to speak and reason."

Ruby frowned. "Maybe we can just ask?"

Weiss looked at Ruby as if she'd grown a second head. "Surely you must be joking."

"N-No… I mean, if we aren't attacking them, maybe they won't attack us? If that Grimm can speak, maybe it can be reasoned with?"

Yang scratched her head. "That's a bit of a stretch, Rubes. Sure the Grimm might be smart enough to talk, but that doesn't mean it's willing to hear us out. It did kick the snot out of us."

Ruby deflated. "Yeah… I guess you're right…"

There was a short moment of silence. Eventually, Blake spoke up. "Well, whatever we do, keep in mind taking down the White Fang is our top priority. We don't know that the Grimm will do, but I know the White Fang are up to nothing good."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Since when did you become team leader?"

Blake merely glared at Weiss, but didn't say anything back.

Yang sighed. The team would have to come together if they were going to overcome both the Grimm and White Fang threat. Things weren't exactly looking up for team RWBY, but the four of them would have to stand united against the challenges, or fall divided.

…

Roman was beginning to become frustrated with the way things were going.

Little Red interrupting one of his dust robberies? Fine, to be expected even.

Nevermore randomly attacking him? Annoying, but tolerable.

An insane pair of Faunus, little Red, a girl who could shoot lasers, and the same Nevermore all attacking him at once in the middle of a robbery?

That was where Roman drew the line. These defeats were making him look like a joke, and Cinder noticed. After she found out what happened, the flaming pest had blown a fuse. Cinder had yelled for what felt like hours about how "these failures showed weakness" and "no competent criminal was defeated by children."

Pah! He'd have liked to seen her do it any better. Based on the news reports, Roman picked a good time to leave too. Apparently some "super Grimm" had appeared that beat the snot out of Red and her little friends. Roman might have said it was karma if he believed in it.

Neo had been upset too. She'd made Roman promise to take her along on the next mission, which to be honest, he wasn't complaining about. With all these powerful children and Grimm running around, having someone at your back wasn't the worst thing to have.

Speaking of having someone to have your back, Roman had a feeling that the White Fang were to blame more so than him. The incompetent animals hadn't done any serious damage to anyone but themselves, getting thrown around like sacks of potatoes. Hell, even with bullheads they were worthless.

Roman was good, but he wasn't perfect. When he was pulling off big thefts, he needed capable help. There were people in the White Fang that were capable help, but Roman was getting stuck with the bottom of the barrel rejects here.

That would have to change. Roman needed some real backbone to this operation, and he knew just the person to provide it. The master thief pulled a scroll from his pocket. Quickly, he punched in the number and waited a moment for the person on the other end to pick up.

"Mister Taurus? We need to talk."

…

"My Queen?"

Salem looked away from the window as Watts approached.

"What is it Arthur? Something important I assume?"

The man nodded. "There have been some very interesting reports from our operatives in Vale. Ones I have no doubt you'll want to hear."

Salem was intrigued. "Go on."

Arthur continued. "Last night, as I'm sure you are already aware, Cinder sent one of her lackies to steal a large amount of dust from a port in Vale. However, during the act, he was interrupted by a group of hunters."

The queen of the Grimm frowned. "Is that all? I trust you wouldn't waste my time with such things."

Watts shook his head. "No, there is more. Along with the hunters, Cinder's associate was attacked by a single Nevermore. The Grimm was reportedly of unusually small stature, and bore glowing white eyes. The last the man saw of it was as he retreated, it too was flying away."

Now Salem's interest had been caught. "White eyes? You're sure?"

"Yes. While I would doubt Cinder's underling on his own, there is more evidence to support his story."

Arthur took out his scroll and pressed a button to play a video. A news reporter on the scroll came to life.

"A group of hunters beaten down last night by a 'Super Grimm' of some kind. This Grimm stood like a human, though much larger, and had white eyes. Professor Ozpin has declined to comment on the situation currently, besides that he is aware of the issue. Here's some footage of the creature in question."

The footage cut to a shaky video of the Grimm in question as it attacked the group of hunters. The white eyed thing expelled a cloud of gas at its enemies, before walking into the cloud. Moments later, the sounds of combat and human screaming was audible. The video suddenly cut off as a figure flew from the cloud into the air.

"As you can see, this Grimm is incredibly dangerous. If you see the creature, do not engage, and report its presence to the nearest team of hunters. This is Vale News Network, signing out. Stay safe everyone."

Salem was silent briefly, taking in the video in its entirety.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention Arthur. You are dismissed."

The man bowed before taking his leave. Salem turned her attention back to the window, looking out onto the desolate landscape of the Grimmlands. Beowolves howled in the distance, as a flock of Nevermore flew through the sky.

"So, after all this time, the Champion makes himself known. How interesting…"

The fallout of the docks battle has brought some interesting changes. Sheer and the twins come to the Glenn, while RWBY suffers from some internal strife. Additionally, the White Fang might just be getting more involved in the breach, and Salem has been prompted to take action.

This can only end well!

On a non Manslayer note, remember how I mentioned previously that I've been messing around with some other fic ideas? Well, I've decided to work on one of them alongside Manslayer. Titled "Second Fiddle" (although the name is subject to change), the story will be more focused on RWBY as well as some human OC characters! It'll be a lot different from this fic, but I'm sure you guys will enjoy it regardless.

Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter of "The Manslayer!" Don't forget to leave your reviews, and I'll cya'll in the next one!