"C'mon Rogue, we've got to find him." Sting exclaimed.
"I'm running as fast as this leg will let me." Rogue complained.
"Do you seriously believe a sprained ankle would stop Scythe?" Sting questioned.
"I guess not." Rogue exclaimed as he picked up the pace a bit.
As they entered a large chamber filled with old tapestries and scrolls, the paper ones not the ones resembling I-Phones. Sting and Rogue stopped in their tracks when a small red fur and violet stripes tiger blocked their path.
"Would the two of you happen to be Sting and Rogue?" He asked.
"Yeah, that's us, who wants to know?" Sting questioned.
"Scythe's feline partner. My name is Chikara, Scythe managed to regain himself and muster up enough magic to send me to your location." The tiger exclaimed.
"Wait, didn't Lucy mention someone named Chikara after they returned from Remnant two months ago?" Rogue asked.
"Hey, you're right. So are you an Exceed or something?" Sting asked.
"No, I am a gift passed down from Scythe blood line, passed down from his father to him. It's a bit more complicated, but trust me when I say, we don't have time to talk." Chikara exclaimed before his eyes widened. "Get down…"
Sting and Rogue ducked forward just as a blade was about to slice through their necks, but ended up passing over their heads. When their assailant missed, they jumped back and ended up against the wall beside the gateway from where they entered.
"You two are fast. But I'm afraid you're stories end here." The coco brown skin girl smiled, her mint green hair swaying as she turned to look at them.
"I don't usually agree with her, but I do this time." A voice said from above.
Sting and Rogue looked up to see a silver haired boy jump down from one of the beams and landing next to his partner.
"Hey, I recognize you two." Rogue exclaimed. "Green haired girl, you're the one who ordered Scythe to kill Ruby."
"Ha, yep, and might I say I was quite disappointed when your little rescue team intervened with that. If it weren't for you, he'd be all mine. The name's Emerald by the way."
"The name's Mercury." The Silver haired boy smiled. "To be honest, we were quite surprised to find he went berserk from listening to that bratty girl's stomach; didn't think she was the type for being a teen mom."
"You two have no idea what you unleashed when you took our friend from us." Sting growled a white light enveloping him. "Usually we save these forms for a tromp card, but we're in a hurry."
"I agree…" Rogue exclaimed as dark energy enveloped him. "Shadow Drive…"
"White Drive…" Sting stated as white and black scales enveloped both him and Rogue.
Chikara smiled for a minute, but it dissipated when he saw a similar aura surrounding Emerald and Mercury.
"You think Salem didn't upgrade our abilities to deal with you guys?" Mercury chuckled. "King Taijitu Drive…"
"We've been dying to test these out." Emerald smiled. "Nevermore Drive…"
Mercury's body lengthened as his head split in two, one side gaining white scales and the other gaining black scales, while his nails elongated into talons, his robotic legs fell from his body as his lower half became a serpent tail. His two faces elongated into muzzles as his two upper canines elongated out of his mouth.
Emerald's body grew sleeker, her face grew into a small beak as her entire body became covered in black feathers, her arms bending a bit more at the elbows as her fingers disappeared and were replaced with silver tipped feathers, sharp as metal.
"We've been upgraded like your little friend was." Emerald stated sounding smug. "Once we're finished with the two of you, I'm going to find your little red haired friend, and take her life, then that hunk of man meat will be all mine."
"You'd kill a pregnant woman, just to steal her man from her?" Sting asked.
"Is that so wrong, for me to want someone to care for me?" Emerald asked in a mocking tone.
"It's a good thing you transformed when you did. You're not human, you never were. You're monsters." Sting growled, his eyes going white with rage.
"Oh, did I hit a nerve?" Emerald snickered.
"I think you did." Mercury's left head stated.
Before they could say anything else, Mercury was knocked a few feet away by Rogue's shadow claw.
"Don't forget about me." Rogue stated, his eyes pitch black with rage. "I'm just as mad as my brother."
With that, Mercury and Emerald entered combat. Forgetting about Chikara as he went to a post high off the ground to send a telepathic message to all his other clones. Once that was done, he knew he needed to find a food source for him to gain some mass in order for him to help Sting and Rogue.
"If you think we're going to let you kill a friend of ours, and her unborn children, then you've got another thing coming." Sting shouted continuing his relentless assault on Emerald.
"We made a silent oath to bring Scythe back to her, and we don't intend to break it." Rogue exclaimed as he continued to attack and dodge the double headed Mercury.
"How noble, and they say chivalry is dead." Emerald mocked.
At the same time, Chikara managed to find the kitchen of the castle, and raided the meat fridge, eating more than his current weight, growing to the size he was before he split himself into eighteen clones.
"Good, now just one more split." Chikara exclaimed as he painfully split in two, reducing his size by half. "Got to be careful, twenty splits is my limit. Any more than that and I tear myself, and all my clones apart from the inside." He exclaimed, reminding himself of the dangers of too many cloning's.
Back with Sting and Rogue, they were starting to lose their gusto and the tides of battle were starting to turn on them.
"Losing your stamina boys?" Mercury's right head smirked.
"Looks like their big talk was all that, talk." Emerald smiled before using her semblance to create more illusions of herself and Mercury.
"Crap, we haven't had a good charge on magic energy, and there's nothing pure here for me to eat."
"I can give you some of my magic energy, I can just eat shadows to regain my strength." Rogue exclaimed.
"Not if we don't give you an opportunity to." Mercury shouted slithering over to them.
Just as Mercury was about to make contact, a crimson glyph appeared in front of Sting and Rogue, sending Mercury flying back.
"That's quite enough." Chikara's voice exclaimed as the two clones appeared beside them.
"What could two kitty cats do against us?" Emerald asked sounding amused.
"We can do this." The second Chikara clone stated.
Both Chikara clones quickly bit down on both Sting and Rogue's arms, before all four of them started to shine. The light shined bright enough to blind Mercury and Emerald momentarily before it died down, revealing the twin Dragonslayers in white and black cat armor.
Sting's armor was accustomed to his inner colors, being such as a white Bengal Tiger with black stripes. Rogue's armor was vise-versa, a black Bengal Tiger with white stripes. (Think of RedvsBlue season9 armor but with the color scheme I just described.)
"Whoa, this feels weird." Sting exclaimed.
"Less talk more fighting." Rogue exclaimed, bending backwards to avoid a knife sharp feather from Emerald's arm.
"You're right, let's kick their butts." Sting exclaimed before he started to run. To his surprise, he was faster than he ever was his entire life. "I'm faster."
"Sting watch out." Rogue shouted.
Sting looked up from his feet just in time to see Mercury's white serpent mouth ready to bite down on him, before he bent backwards, skidding along the ground on his knees past the attacking snake head.
"My reflexes are quicker, more flexible." Sting exclaimed standing up, after he crashed into the wall. "Though I need to find the breaks on my speed."
"It's got to be the armor." Rogue exclaimed as he fought with the Nevermore Emerald.
"Doesn't matter what kind of armor you possess, I can easily shred through it." Emerald exclaimed.
"Try this on for size." Rogue shouted punching her in the face, putting more strength behind it than he intended. "My strength has increased."
"Dude, we're powered up from the armor." Sting smiled throwing a beaten up Mercury on the ground. "Whatever Chikara did, he made us better than before."
As if on que, another Chikara clone came in, looking refreshed.
"I see two of my clones merged with you, I thought I felt their essence snap back to me." He exclaimed. "I am Chikara Prime, the original Chikara all the clones originated from. I stayed with Scythe in case my clones fused with any of you, so I could explain to you what happened afterwards."
"Wait, they fused with us?" Rogue asked.
"Correct, in turn their life essence returned to me. Unfortunately I'm terrible with directions so I can't remember which way the prison chamber is from here." Chikara explained with a sweat drop.
"Well explain to us more about the armor." Rogue exclaimed throwing a tied up, unconscious Emerald on top of the returned to normal knocked out Mercury.
"Certainly, since the armor used to be an extension of me, it in turn powers up the ones who dawn it. Explaining why the two of you have upgraded in the last five minutes." Chikara explained. "It also means your magic will be intensified when you regain the magic energy you lost."
"So wait, what you're basically telling us is we're practically cyborgs now?" Sting questioned.
"If you want to put it that way yes, but the armor can be removed, you just need a vessel to contain it in, it can be anything really, the armor converts to energy as it is absorbed into the vessel, a tattoo or an emblem would work. Even a piece of clothing." Chikara stated simply.
"Alright, I want it in my Sabertooth emblem." Sting smiled. In the seconds after he said this, the armor evaporated into thin air as Sting felt it absorb into his emblem.
"Same with me." Rogue exclaimed.
Feeling the same effects, Sting and Rogue grabbed their heads, dizzy from the sudden power drain.
"It will take a couple armor dawning's to get use to the effects of the armor removing itself from your body." Chikara explained. "Just sit and rest for now. The black ooze controlling Scythe is already out of his system, thanks to the brute Hazel."
"Don't know who he is, but I'm glad Scythe's back to normal." Sting stated sitting down.
"What's up with the armor though? Lucy never mentioned it." Rogue asked.
"The armor has not been used since the war between the Grimm and humans, when Scythe's great-great grandfather used it. Fighting alongside one Mr. Arc. Jaune Arc's great-great grandfather."
"You mean the blonde kid Erza said she gave an old suit of armor to?" Sting asked.
"That is correct." Chikara exclaimed.
As the continued to talk, they were unaware of the three headed Cerberus about to smash through the front doors.
"Come on Zoro, take me to him." Ruby stated ducking behind his center head.
The sound of Cerberus slamming through the doors was loud enough to reach every corner of the castle. Salem seemed confused, but that confusion turned to anger when she brought up her energy spyglass and saw Ruby riding on the back of Cerberus.
"Damn that girl, she's strong enough to take control of Cerberus." Salem cursed.
Back with Sting and Rogue, they were on their feet, ready to dawn the armor again, before they realized that the noise wasn't coming towards them.
"What was that?" Sting asked.
"If I had to guess, Cerberus is here." Chikara growled looking through each of the doorways.
"Guy's where'd the snake and bird go?" Rogue questioned.
Sting and Chikara looked at where Mercury and Emerald once were, before Chikara sensed the illusion semblance wielder was trying to trick them.
"Dawn the armors quickly." Chikara shouted.
String and Rogue focused on their emblems and the armor dawned them once more, just as a barrage of bullets came their way.
"Great, they're using the element of stealth. Don't have to be a Dragonslayer for that." Sting groaned, ducking behind a desk.
"Sounds like you're running scared." Mercury stated, sounding amused.
"I'm not scared, I'm pissed." Sting growled. 'I wonder how this armor would react to my Dragonforce. Best not to chance it right now.'
"Oh come on, don't tell me the dragons are scared of us." Emerald's voice echoed.
"Sting." Rogue exclaimed getting his attention. He motioned his head over to the side where a relic was. "That's a Grimm Magnet. I read about it in one of Blake's books before we left on this mission. Not only can it attract Grimm like metal to a normal magnet, it can render them motionless and powerless, so long as it's on their person."
"What are you waiting for, grab it." Sting exclaimed.
"I would but there's a barrage of bullets coming from that direction." Rogue stated firmly.
"How rare are those things?" Sting asked.
"Rare enough to be sold on the black market for ten million lien that's five million jewels; according to the book, only one was ever successfully kept from being destroyed."
"Then get ready, I'm gonna cover you while you go for it." Sting exclaimed before running out. "Now Rogue."
Rogue took to the shadows as fast as he could, traveling from one to another before a bullet hit the shadow he was in, forcing him out while holding his leg.
"Damn it, I can't go any further." Rogue exclaimed.
"I'm on it." Chikara exclaimed jumping off Rogue's back.
He managed to grab the Grimm Magnet, before having to summersault backwards and run to Sting's side.
"Alright you got the magnet, Rogue, you doing okay?" Sting questioned.
"I'll be fine." Rogue exclaimed appearing from a shadow behind his barricade.
"What's the matter, afraid to feel any pain?" Emerald questioned.
"Only psychopaths like the feeling of pain." Sting exclaimed. 'It sounds like they're entering the room, so this is our chance to actually take them out.'
"Come on, do you seriously think it will be that easy to stop us?" Mercury asked.
"An adventure is never easy." Sting smiled jumping into the air. "That's what makes it exciting."
Sting ran in a circle in the room, using his magic to disable Emeralds illusion and activate the magnet right above them. Mercury and Emerald went wide eyed when the Grimm Magnet pulled them towards it. Once both their hands were connected to it, they were motionless and speechless.
"Well, since they're Grimm now, should we… you know?" Rogue asked limping out a bit to them.
"No, they still have a soul. They can be saved from this curse of the Mark of Salem." Chikara exclaimed.
"How does that happen?"
"Usually something like this, only end in either death or incarceration." Chikara sighed. "Incarceration is the only way to save them. If we were to try and actually remove the Grimm from within themselves, we would be removing their souls, thus, turning them into heartless homicidal killers."
"Screw that." Sting stated taking the knife in his shoulder.
"What are you doing?" Chikara asked.
"Where would the mark usually be?" Sting questioned.
"It's usually located on the back of the neck, where combat would make it near impossible to reach." Chikara explained.
Sting knelt down behind the two and used his knife to cut the Grimm brandings in the backs of their necks.
"Are you crazy? That won't work." Chikara exclaimed.
"Says the talking tiger with the wrong color scheme." Sting groaned as black ooze started seeping out of the cuts on their necks.
"Well, that's something." Rogue stated looking at them.
"It's their blood. Since they're bound to the Grimm, their blood is just as dark as the creatures they turn into." Chikara sighed.
Sting sighed and got up. Defeated in thinking that there was nothing he could do to help them.
"How do we incarcerate them?"
"Usually it's with wet cement and them being tied up before they're locked up, either in a cave, or buried alive. They won't die, they'll just be board for all eternity." Chikara explained.
"We don't have anything to bury them with, not to mention we don't even know how many levels this castle has that go down." Rogue sighed.
"We'll have to leave them here. We should at least do something." Sting stated putting his knife back.
"Get going, I'll handle them." Chikara exclaimed.
Sting and Rogue went on their way, leaving Chikara with Mercury and Emerald. Once he was sure that Sting and Rogue were gone, he turned his attention to the two Grimm-morphs.
"We all know you're soulless." Chikara sighed. "So don't struggle, or this is only going to hurt me more than it will you."
Tears came to his eyes as he felt the pain and guilt for not being able to do anything.
"I'm sorry." He whispered before lunging himself at them.
Meanwhile in the upper areas of the castle, Ruby and Zoro were making their way through a tunnel passing through a weapons chamber, and catching up to Wendy and Tai.
"Wendy, u-uncle Tai." Ruby stated. 'Feels weird calling him that.'
"W-what's that?" Tai asked turning to see Cerberus.
"It's the guardian of the underworld." Wendy exclaimed.
"Guy's look up. Stop Zoro." Ruby stated.
Cerberus stopped and skid to a halt in front of them, lowering himself to allow Ruby to get off his back.
"Ruby, what are you doing here, you're in no condition to be fighting, especially in a place like this." Wendy exclaimed.
"I wasn't going to just sit back and fear whether or not you succeeded in bringing him back. I want to fight to." Ruby stated.
"Well, looks like our hunch was correct." A new voice stated.
"Indeed we were, Cerberus has entered the building, but he's not attacking anyone." The same voice stated.
Tai, Wendy, and Ruby looked over to see two small versions of Chikara smiling as they walked over.
"Oh, what happened Chikara, you look so cute now." Ruby gushed.
"We are simply two clones of Chikara Prime." One of them stated.
"But right now there's something that needs to be done." Said the second one.
