So, glad to see people were interested in the weird shenanigans of last chapter. I was surprised and a little pleased that one or two actually managed to figure out what was going on from the limited hints.

As a quick reminder, there is no unseen hunt next week because of my Christmas break. Next will be in two weeks.

Cover Art: Z-ComiX

Chapter 13

Ruby looked down at her drink in confusion. "Um. I asked for cola, not coffee…"

"It is cola."

"Served in a mug?"

"All drinks will be served in porcelain or ceramic," Ozpin said, cleaning one such mug behind the bar. He looked irritated, or perhaps just spent. He often did, the lines across his face speaking of years beyond his actual age, but tonight he looked especially haggard. "Unless you want to find out what kind of hepatitis demons have."

Ruby heisted. "I… don't think I understand."

"Then you're in excellent company."

"Is this something to do with that?" Ruby asked, pointing back over her shoulder with one thumb. Velvet and Oscar were busy using a hose to wash down a stack of glasses, all secured in the cage-like structure Ozpin used to put them into his industrial-sized washing machine. Even so, they rattled angrily as the water washed them.

"Astute as ever, Miss Rose. I wonder if it is the fact it is happening in the middle of the pub, in plain sight with everyone staring, that has clued you in."

Ruby felt more than sensed the sarcasm. "Um. Is everything okay?"

"Define okay." Ozpin didn't give her the chance to do so and sighed tiredly. He thumbed at one eye, placing the mug down on the side with a heavy click. "My apologies, I shouldn't be lashing out at you. Things are not, as you say, okay. I'm not sure in what way they are going wrong, but I am of the opinion that bleeding glassware is not something I should consider a positive omen."

"Yeah, I'll say." Ruby looked over to the windows of the Beacon, where a couple of volunteers were busy scrubbing off the blood. It was not just the glasses that had displayed the odd characteristic, nor just those at the Beacon. Much of the glass in the city – inside buildings and out – had bled. Although she hadn't checked the news, she could imagine it was causing something of a stir. "How are the Dreamers handling it?"

"Ignorant as usual. For that, they are blessed. Nothing has been decided yet, but my sources tell me they're leaning towards copper in the rain, some kind of acid rain, a rust phenomenon or even some chemical reaction between the air and a coating used in glass in the city." Ozpin chuckled. "Global warming has also been thrown around, but so has aliens, government experimentation and the CIA."

"Conspiracy theories?"

"Some, of course. I've heard it said that Vale was built as an experiment for a new glass-coated technology, and that this is the first sign of it going wrong. Of course, there are those who claim it is blood, but they are being ignored."

"Glass doesn't bleed," Ruby said. "Everyone knows that."

That surety of knowledge, the absolute certainty, was what kept Dreamers in the dream. Like many others, she wished she could find refuge in that. No Hunter considered themselves blessed. They were all of them trapped in a waking world filled with nightmares.

Ozpin had been trapped longer than any of them, yet he still found the opportunity to laugh at her little joke. "Exactly." He sobered quickly. "I want you to keep your eyes out for any more Awakened in the coming days, however. There's bound to be some who Awaken from this. I know you can sense them."

"I-It's not a nice feeling, Ozpin…"

"I know. I wouldn't ask this of you if it wasn't necessary, Ruby. You've shown remarkable self-control so far. I trust you not to let anything happen. Tell me, what of the presence in the mall? Did you and Yang find anything?"

"There was a Grimm, but there was also a murderer. Unrelated for the most part. He was some rich ass getting his jollies killing homeless people because he thought no one would care." Ruby scowled at the memory and took a quick drink. "Yang dealt with him."

"And the Grimm?"

"Drawn to the violence, we think. It stayed around the area – showed a little more… uh… awareness of the world. Not on the same level as the big ones, but halfway there maybe. I think that if it had stayed there killing and devouring those that Awakened, we might have had a problem. I killed it. It's gone."

"Well done." Ozpin nodded, drew out a small notebook and wrote some numbers down on it. Credit, in a sense, to be redeemed at the Beacon for food, drink and more. Her credit was not insignificant; enough to live a year or more of peace if she wanted.

No one ever did, of course. Once you saw the world for what it was, it was hard to not get involved.

"What are we going to do about this blood thing?" she asked. "Someone's responsible, right? You need me to hunt them down?" She would do so happily. It would give her a chance to avoid Jaune for a bit, and she doubted it was him since this happened quite a few days after he awakened.

"Actually, I have a different task for Yang and yourself. No less important, I assure you. Quite a bit more in fact."

"Yeah?" Ruby leaned forward. "What is it? I'll fill Yang in if you tell me. She's catching some sleep right now."

"Of course, of course." Ozpin coughed into one hand and drew out a laptop, turning it around so that she could see the local news, freshly updated. The image was of the side of a building that had a thick, red liquid dripping down its side. "Although much of the blood is being dismissed as something else, the city has still taken some in for testing. It's only natural. They want to see what the compounds are and what it is, whether it's toxic. The usual. Our problem is that this is blood, and although we can't tell if it's human, Grimm or something else, it will easily be distinguished as nothing as benign as rust."

"Causing a mass panic," Ruby realised. "People will start to think outside the box. The conspiracy theories will be believed and those that already believe them will go further."

"A mass awakening." Ozpin agreed.

A sliver of fear wormed its way into her stomach. She could imagine it now, tens of thousands of people slowly starting to accept that there might be something supernatural. All of them suddenly being seen by the Grimm, the influx of souls into the Other World. Even if it wasn't so dramatic and only half a per cent believed it, if the news was broadcast over all of the US, that was going to be a vast number.

"The barrier might shatter in an instant," Ozpin said, confirming her worst fears. "Worse, the spread would be across all the US, maybe even the world. Any hope we would have of dealing with the aftermath would be lost. Vale would crumble. It might only be the first city of many."

"Okay. You've got my attention. What do we do?"

"I've prepared some rust solution with a few other compounds, some toxic, some not. It'll give the city something to investigate, and something to focus on. Importantly, it looks the same as what was collected." Ozpin reached under the bar and brought out a sealed box, which he opened to reveal a large container settled in ice. True to his words, it looked and had the viscosity of blood. Ruby might have believed it was if not for his words.

"So, I'm to steal the blood and put this in its place?"

"Yes. I've managed to isolate where it has been sent for testing. A hospital – no better place for it, after all. I don't expect there will be guards, as this isn't something valuable that needs protecting. I'll need you and Yang to get in, locate the stored vials and replace the contents with this. Importantly, you'll need to do so without being seen or monitored. There's no need to collect the blood, we have more than enough of it here, but you may as well bring it back if only so we can destroy it."

It wouldn't be enough to stop every Tom, Dick and Harry who had collected the blood from trying to look into it – but then, there was no preventing that. Sadly, those who were skilled enough to find out the truth and realise it would likely be dealt with by the Grimm. To believe the blood was inhuman would be to awaken, and from there, the Grimm would hide their own secrets, unless that person was fortunate enough to find a Hunter to protect them. If so, the Hunter could impress the need for secrecy.

One way or another, the news would be quashed. It had to be, or hundreds of thousands of people would be forced to confront the reality of the world they lived in. The number of the Awakened would swell, and every single one of them would be helpless before the Grimm that hunted them. It would be a massacre.

Ruby took the cooler box. "We'll get it done, Ozpin. I promise."

"Thank you, Ruby. We shall be relying on both you and your sister for this. Do whatever you have to."

/-/

"That's her," Blake said, leaning over his shoulder to take a look at the photo he'd snapped on his phone. Taking it had been hard enough with the effect she had on him, but he'd managed to get a shot from behind, showing her frame and hair. He'd also gotten a name from another student who shared a class with her; Weiss Schnee, a new transfer from somewhere in New York. A loner from what he'd been told, polite to a fault, but sharp and not at all interested in making friends.

It was enough for Blake.

"I had a feeling she'd be going to your school. Inevitable, really."

Jaune winced. Although Blake didn't seem to have any qualms standing closely behind him, one hand on his shoulder, he certainly couldn't say the same. He was all too aware of what she was and how dangerous. On the brighter side, she'd fixed his window – or paid someone to come do it. Come to think of it, how does she earn money? I doubt she has a job.

He probably didn't want to know how a deadly soul-eating demon acquired human tender.

"What do you mean by inevitable?"

"Fate has a funny way of making things work. Even if we stick to our own domains where possible, conflicts still occur. It's rare for two of our kind to get along."

"Like you and your mate?"

"Like I said, rare." Blake stepped back and shook her head. She'd done away with her hoodie in the confines of his apartment, and the two feline ears atop her head flicked back and forth, listening to every little thing. There was no doubting they were real. A mutation, perhaps? It had to be some effect of Blake taking over the body. "Most times, meetings lead to conflict. Between the greater of us, anyway. Those that you call the Grimm are little more than wild animals compared to us. We may kill them, but we may equally spare them as you might a squirrel or rodent."

The more he learned, the less and less human she appeared.

"You should pay particular attention to mates," she said. "After all, you've earned the attention of one."

"Rebecca!?"

"I would think so. I'd never heard of him being mated, but then I hardly care for such things. Either way, if this Rebecca chose to impose a Ritual on you to feed your soul to him, they must be working together. Considering how unlikely that is, and how he would come forth here, encroaching on her domain in this world, I can only assume they are mated."

"Wait, wait, wait. Let me see if I've got this straight. You're saying that a demon came over into this world, befriended and tricked me – and then tried to sacrifice me – all so that it could bring its boyfriend over for some nookie?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "In simplistic, human terms, yes. I doubt physical pleasure is the main goal here, more the establishment of territory in this world. A stepping stone, or a means to devour more souls and grow stronger in ours."

"To… gain more territory?"

"Most likely. Something you need to understand is that, while your world is interesting, it is not our world. I spend my time in both, and I enjoy the little curiosities here, but I'm hardly married to this plane of existence. They are likely the same. They may have designs here, but it will be to further their efforts in our world. Your world is ultimately expendable."

"Not to us, it's not."

"No. Of course not."

"What about you?" he asked. "Why don't you want any of this?"

Or did she, and she just wasn't telling him? There was no reading her, and if he ever got close to the answer, she might just kill him.

"I have all that I might want in my world already. I'm here for curiosity." Her feline ears twitched, selling the old phrase. "That said, I'm not eager to sit by and let someone whose domain borders mine expand it. Certainly not the Leviathan."

The name resonated within him. Bellowed.

Drip – Splash

"The Leviathan… That's what is after me, isn't it?"

"Hm." Blake nodded. "I said I would assist you for finding this girl for me. Information will serve as a start. The Leviathan is a title more than a name; his name exists in characters your language and mouths cannot produce. He dwells in the great ocean, rules over it. King of the Seas. None live in his domain, as he guards it jealously."

Jaune shivered. He felt cold and shrouded with water. "That certainly explains why there was never any sea life…"

"The Leviathan does not parlay with others of our kind. I'm loathe to allow him to expand his territory, especially when it would mean flooding my Glade." Blake's lips peeled back, revealing human teeth that gnashed and snarled. "I cannot fight him were I drowned."

"So, what do I do to escape him?"

"You cannot leave our world while Awakened, and there is no way to put you back into a dreamlike state. Killing the Leviathan is also not an option. Your best bet is to escape, but you cannot do that while his attention is focused solely on you."

"And his attention is on me because of this… mark you spoke of. The ritual."

"Yes. As such, your first goal should be to locate and deal with this Rebecca Farleigh. I will assist you as I can," she said, holding out a hand to forestall his argument, "But I have affairs of my own. The girl, for instance."

Jaune hadn't forgotten about her.

"What is the big deal with this Weiss girl? You're after her – and the second we made eye contact, it felt like my head was close to exploding."

"A meeting of titans," Blake said mysteriously. "It's best you not dwell on it as it helps you none."

Maybe, but there was no denying the guilt he felt giving her identity and information to Blake. "What do you have in stall for her?"

"Concerned? Don't tell me you've developed feelings for the girl. Given your circumstances, that might not be a good idea."

"N-No, no. I'm just…" He trailed off.

Blake watched him for a few moments, either figuring out or gauging his worry from his silence. Eventually, she sighed. "I do not intend to kill her, if that is what you are thinking. Like you, she is Awakened, and your circumstances are not dissimilar. Her soul, however, is out of both of our reaches. As for my intent…" Blake looked away. "It is not to kill her. You may rest assured of that. If I'd wanted her dead, I'd hardly have needed your aid."

"What, then? Another territorial dispute?"

"Something like that…" Blake paused. "It's as good an answer as any. You have other things to focus on."

Rebecca. While he had no idea what was going to happen to Weiss, he couldn't take the time to worry about her, let alone help. Even if he tried to warn her, his head would probably explode before he got close enough. If the agony they'd both felt was from just being close for a minute, there was no telling what constant exposure would do.

Maybe he could tell the Hunters, though. They'd be able to get in touch with and protect her – but in doing so, he'd all but certainly piss Blake off. The question was, how much and for how long did he need her help?

And would he survive turning on her?

"You said you'd help me find her. Information is nice, and I appreciate it, but I need to be able to find her in person. You can smell her, right?"

"I can smell her scent on you. The problem is that it has weakened…"

"As in… spiritually, or…?"

"Physically. Showers, time or just distance. Her physical scent marked you, but it has become muddied with those of others. My own, the pretender, even our new friend in Eastfield. It makes isolating her scent a little more difficult."

Jaune cursed. It had been a couple of days since he'd last seen Rebecca Farleigh, so it made sense things would change since then. "What do we do, then? Wander around and hope you pick it up again?"

"That would be inefficient. Right now, you don't have the time to waste. Her scent has weakened, but the scent of her mate has not – and that same scent will likely cling to her. I might be able to use that to find her, but it is also weak. The difference is, you have an easy source of more."

"I don't like the sound of that…" He took a step back. "And how is it weak? I've been attacked by him – the Leviathan – way more times than Rebecca."

"You have been attacked in another dimension. The scent carries, but it is still diminished. Not to mention the salt water playing havoc with my senses." Blake scrunched up her nose, and he wondered just how badly he stank of it. "Every minute since makes it fade. I need something fresher."

"Look, it's obvious you have a plan and just as obvious I'm desperate enough as to not have a choice right now. Just tell me what I have to do."

Blake accepted his point with a nod. "Very well. You must sleep with me beside you. Enter our realm and draw the Leviathan to you. With me beside your body, I'll be able to get his scent fresh from the source."

Sleep again, and in doing so, risk his life. He wanted to say no, but there really wasn't much of a choice.

"Will you wake me up if I'm in danger?"

"Yes. I will be able to smell his approach to you. And should you wake up… not in your own mind, I shall grant you a quick death."

That wasn't nearly as comforting as he thought it was meant to be, but he nodded anyway. While the thought of Blake killing him was understandably terrifying, it would be better than letting some monster inhabit his body and kill his family. Besides, Blake wouldn't be killing him at that point. He'd already be dead.

"O-Okay, fine. Here and now?"

"It is as good a time as any. You can rest for an hour or two before night falls, and still have time to reach your friends for safety."

Considering he hadn't slept the night before, he'd need every hour he could get. Jaune yawned, the reflexive action coming at even the thought of rest. If not now, he'd only collapse later – and there might not be someone to wake him up.

Without answering, Jaune made his way to his bed and laid down. Blake followed and knelt on the side of the mattress. Though she obviously didn't see anything odd or embarrassing about that, he had to look away.

She didn't notice. "Sleep. I shall watch over you this one time."

He wanted to ask why she couldn't in the future, but the words didn't come. The moment his eyes closed, exhaustion set in, robbing him of thought like a mallet to the back of the skull.

/-/

The transition between the waking world and the dream world was less jarring this time. Jaune was aware going in as to what to expect, and so opening his eyes and finding himself surrounded by, and under, water, offered little shock.

The colour of it, on the other hand, most certainly did.

The water was a dark red, the maroon colour swirling like mist or, more accurately, like a drop of food colouring let drip into a glass of clear water. It swirled and pooled, hung like a miasma that he was in the centre of.

There were also bloody chunks of flesh floating in the water around him, as if someone were chumming the water to draw a shark, yet had simply left the guts, skin and meat behind. Not for the first time, he was grateful for the lack of any real sensation. He couldn't smell the gore, nor taste it.

There was a lot of it, though.

A lot.

It wasn't a bucket, so much as a skip. Like a whale hit by a torpedo or something. Great chunks floated by, some as big as himself, and although blood stained the water, it had long since ceased to pool from the flesh itself.

I thought Blake said I'd be the only thing here.

Curiosity got the better of him and he turned in the water, pushing himself around to get a better bearing. He hadn't realised it at first – the water being darkened by the blood – but he was near the surface once more, the same spot he'd been at when he'd slept in the cafeteria before meeting Weiss.

At least, it looked like it might be. The ocean seemed to expand in every direction as far as he could see, with no landmarks under or above the water to see. He could have been a thousand miles away for all he knew.

He kicked his legs to propel him higher. The last time he'd tried to break the surface, it hadn't worked, but he tried again, if only to see if anything was different.

It wasn't.

His fingers touched the underside of the surface, but it was again like touching a pane of glass. A moving one that rippled with waves and the current, but a barrier nonetheless. He thrust a fist against it but punching underwater was as hard as it sounded and his hand limply bounced off without making a mark.

Drip – Drip

Jaune looked around wildly at the sound, arms flailing in the water. The dark depths visible beyond the red mist continued on into darkness, with no sight nor sound of the bright eyes of the Leviathan that dwelled in the deep.

Is it because it's day that it can't find me? Or maybe it's just far away from here…

Either would have been convenient at any other time, but now he had to actively find the beast so that Blake would wake him up.

If she honoured her side of the deal.

Come to think of it, for all I know she could be working with the Leviathan.

The thought was a worrying one, though ultimately useless. If she was, then he was already dead. If not now, then later, when he eventually fell asleep for longer. Once his body gave in, he'd likely collapse for twelve hours or more, enough time for it to find and kill him. Faced with the prospect of that now or later, the risks involved in working with Blake hardly even mattered.

With a reluctant shiver, Jaune began to swim deeper, out of the flesh and blood and down towards the inky black that lay below, where the sunlight from above would no longer pierce.

An odd `thud-thud` noise sounded behind – above. The sound of something impacting a solid object, almost like someone knocking on a door, muffled by the water. Looking back up, Jaune imagined he could see a shape – a shadow – backlit against the sunlight yet distorted by the rippling waves. Humanoid in shape, small enough to be a similar size to himself.

There was a far grater shadow behind it. One that blotted out the sky.

Drip – Splash

Splash – Splash

Behind.

He knew it before he knew it, even if that didn't make sense. An understanding – an absolute certainty. Leviathan was behind him, coming towards the surface. Nothing else made sense. It was focused on him, but also not him.

Anger, bestial.

A roar that shook the water, the waves, the figure, him, his bones, his blood, his mind. The world shimmered and twisted, folded in on itself as his brain writhed in his skull. The water around him began to boil and bubble as something surged up from the depths.

A sharp pain stung his face.

/-/

His eyes snapped open in the real world, looking blearily up through a haze of moisture. Blake knelt above him, her knees straddling his body, one hand buried in his collar, the other drawn back. His face hurt. A stinging pain across his cheek.

"Do you still reside in your body, hunted?"

"B-Blake?"

She relaxed, though only a little. Her eyes were glowing faintly. "You are you, correct?"

"I-I'm me. Jaune. C-Can't you tell?"

"His scent clings to you firmly, along with that of another. Burning sunlight."

Jaune's head fell back onto the pillow as Blake released him. He glanced to the side, noted the reddening sky outside and what it meant. "Shit, I need to get to the Beacon before night sets in. You said his scent is on me. Is it enough?"

Blake leaned forward, and for a fraction of a second he thought she might press her lips to his. She didn't, of course. Her face hovered an inch from his and she dipped down, sniffing faintly. Her nose tickled the skin of his neck, making him shiver.

"It is enough," she said, drawing back. "The scent fades even now, but I have it. None can escape my nose. None have survived my hunt. This maze of stone buildings may not be my Glade, but it matters little."

Relief crashed into him. "You can find her. Rebecca."

"I will make the attempt. If she has left the city, there is little I or you can do." Noticing his panic, Blake let out a sigh. "But I doubt she will. She wishes the Leviathan here, and I doubt it is chance that had her choose Vale, a city based beside the reservoir. She will remain to see her mate take form within your body. If so, I will find her."

"W-What do I do until then?"

"Wait. Survive. Maintain your sense of self. Falter for a moment, and he shall take you." Blake stepped off him and held out a hand. When he took it, she dragged him to his feet with strength that far belied her lithe form. "Go to the hunters for now. Let them babysit you. I'll find you when I can. If you need me, you know where I rest throughout the day."

"Right. Got it."

Blake nodded and cocked her head to the side. "I would move quickly, hunted."

He was about to ask why – before a loud howl split the night.

The Grimm were already out. Shit!

"Can't you escort me to the Beacon!?"

"And place myself before the hunters, in their very stronghold? I am powerful, but this body is not." She drew up her hood, covering her feline ears. "I will protect you until you leave my domain, but that is all. It is not the eve of a Nightmare. You will be fine."

It was the best he was going to get. Jaune nodded and ran to his cupboard, dragged on a large coat and his running shoes. He snatched his phone and his wallet off the side. "What about Weiss?" he asked, pausing for a second. "What are you going to do about her? You haven't even told me why you're interested in her."

"I have not. Better it stay that way. Keep your distance from her."

"I-Is she like you? Possessed?"

"Not yet, but that makes her no less dangerous to you. Not by choice on her part, but still, the two of you should not interact. The consequences would be… problematic. Best you forget about her. I'd suggest leaving Eastfield entirely, but I know you would not."

"Cannot."

"If that is how you wish to phrase it." Blake stepped past him and paused in the doorway. "Come. It is time for you to run like the prey you are. Keep running, and hope for another predator to come and steal your hunter away before he catches you."

Jaune grit his teeth. "I'm not prey."

"Until you learn to fight back, prey is all you'll ever be."

There we are. There's often a real desire to make things more obvious with stories like this, namely out of a concern that those who haven't been able to figure it out will be enjoying it less. I'm trying to resist that, however. I'm hoping that even for those who are still trying to connect the dots, the reveal of things later will still be satisfying.

As mentioned before, the next chapter will be in two weeks, after Christmas.

Next Chapter: 30th December

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur