Note: I don't own any of the characters mentioned, just my own OC. Credit for the GrimmFall Universe goes to Lord Maximus. :3 Enjoy! :)

Opening Files: Tyger Wallace

Tyger Wallace is a former member of Satyra, now turned vigilante, who grew disillusioned with their ways, after seeing how diplomacy and advocacy can secure better results than acting like bullies. He was once a prominent member, but after an attack on a group of children led to several deaths, he began to see how harsh they were being, and decided to take action against them. He stopped joining in the attacks, and started leaking tips to the law enforcement in several cities, one of which was Denver. The Denver Police Department was tipped off sometime in late 20XX around Christmas Day, when the Faunus terrorist group was planning to launch an attack at the Denver International Airport. The police swarmed the scene just as one of the bombers was about to detonate the package he was carrying, and with the assistance of the Dragon of Denver, they were able to subdue the attackers and cart them off to jail.

After Tyger left Satyra, he went on a spree of vigilantism until he was spotted and recruited by Cat R. Waul and his cohorts. However, upon learning of the disappearances of mouse Mobian children, Tyger began to become disillusioned with Cat as well. He has since left the gang and seeks to make amends for his actions as a terrorist and potential murderer by bringing those kids of people to justice.

His Semblance, Burpee, is useful as a launching mechanism for ascending tall structures, as a defensive barrier and an offensive ability. However, it does leave him at risk for ulcers. He has also been known to carry a submachine gun that fires Dust-laced rounds.

Close Files

"Cults. They are perhaps the most dangerous kind of groups out there. But what defines a cult? Is it strictly religious? Or can they be a possible front for political movements?" TOM asked as he closed the Tyger file. "Truthfully, the answer is that a cult can be both, not just one or another. In some cases, cults can be the basis for a religion and a political movement in one. In some realities, they can become political parties, and in others they can become methods for recruitment in religious warfare. But in all cases, the people who are involved usually are cut off from friends and family, seeing that the cult is the only thing that matters. Or something like that. Cults are dangerous things to be involved in. If a club starts to sever your connections to those you love, then get out. It is not always as perfect as it seems."

He pressed a button on his chair's armrest and leaned back. "So think and do your research into groups that sound too good to be true. It just may save your life one day."

(The scene shows a city in chaos as Navy Pier is attacked by Grimm, only for a young boy to get involved, taking a blow to his chest during the fighting, his eyes widening before he collapses)

Start Dawn Over a New World (Dragonforce)

(The youth is in the hospital as the camera pans down to show the flashing light of the life support machine before the scene goes black)

In the darkness of the night in the shadows of the dawn (A pair of violet optics flares before the camera pans back to reveal a dark blue mecha with a pair of draconic wings on his back, standing in front of a battlefield laden with Grimm, a cloak flapping about his frame as six others stand beside him: a woman with brown hair and a rapier, a man with a trench coat missing the sleeves below the elbow, a sandy-blond haired man with a broadsword resting against his back, a woman with long sandy blonde hair wielding a shotgun, a red-armored woman with a sword in her left hand, and a woman with a large hammer)

It's turning black no looking back the sands of time are sown (The seven of them lunge towards the camera as it goes black)

When the day will slowly end and the sun has turned to grey (A flash of light erupts from the center of the screen before it pans down to show the reddish skies of the Darklands, two red eyes flashing)

Will we feel the power of freedom with the dawn of a new day? (The light from the eyes fades to show a sunset as the group stands before a futuristic city, more advanced than even GrimmFall)

Title: GrimmFall: Dragon's Rising

Over mountains paved with gold to the valleys of the slain (The Gundam is shown walking down a mountain path littered with slain warriors, the hood of his cloak covering his face, images of his friends in the background)

Our quest will lead us onwards to the journey of the brave (He stops as he looks back at his friends as they jog to keep up, each of them with their own weapons in hand)

When the time has come to stand for the power we believe (A horde of Grimm suddenly appears, their reddish eyes illuminating the scene before the group readies themselves for battle as the Grimm charge in a sea of black)

We will ring the sound of victory for one and all to see (The seven unleash a combination attack that strikes the Grimm, turning them into thick black smoke that engulfs the camera)

Sometimes in your darkest dreams you will feel the haunting prayer (The smoke vanishes to show a pair of amber eyes on a shadowy wolf-like form before it lunges at the camera)

Silent tears of your hidden fears come to haunt you once again (The figure vanishes to reveal a group of mouse Mobians huddling as sinister cat-like shadows loom in the darkness around them)

Fight on for the memories of the everlasting dreams (The images get closer as the darkness covers the screen, only to fade as a blast of light comes from the side, the camera panning to reveal the Gundam holding his beam magnum at the ready, having pulled the trigger to dispel the nightmarish darkness)

Their pain in the silent lands on wings of glory free (The Gundam lowers his weapon and charges at the screen, his optics flaring before the camera follows him, showing him flying at a large figure that is hulking in its blackness)

We can go on forever with the darkness so far away (The two clash, a shockwave cutting across the screen before it vanishes to show the same city from before, but this time there is a sunny sky above it as the darkness is fading into the distance)

And the warriors who live forever fight on to the end (The seven warriors stand there, each of them ready to fight to the very end)

Across the highest mountains and through the endless seas (The seven split off, and this time the woman with the rapier is shown as she cracks it into a whip, sending an arc of lightning right for a Grimm)

Our journey ever onwards fight until we all be free (She leaps back and snaps her whip out, curling it around the neck of a catlike Mobian dressed in gangster gear before throwing him towards the camera)

Through the darkness shining the neverending light (The camera follows the Mobian before he gets to his feet, glaring at the man with the trench coat, a rocket launcher held in his hands, his Aura shining a light grey color)

On through the days of glory rise towards the fight (The man aims his weapon and fires, the camera following the rocket before it explodes against a large horse-like Grimm, dispelling it into black smoke)

And one day we will find a way towards this distant golden age (The smoke is blown aside as it shows the group standing in front of ruins that depict an ancient civilization of technology far more advanced than even GrimmFall's best technologies)

The cries of war will sound the day (The camera pans to show the torch before zooming back, showing a humanoid shape standing in front of a horde of Grimm that resemble cyborgs, but not, and in the background two green optics flare sinisterly)

We stand before the dawn of a new world (The shape lunges at the screen, a fist thrusting forward and slamming it into the ground before the dust fades to show the seven standing atop a cliff overlooking the ocean)

On through the raging thunder across the seven seas (The camera follows the ocean for a few seconds before it pans up and follows a bird before it zooms down to show a western town)

Cold winter skies are falling on the battles we have seen (A single tumbleweed blows past the camera as the town's populace is shown, alongside guests and tourists)

We can go on forever with the darkness so far away (The town's populace is almost overwhelmed by Grimm before a blast of red fiery energy destroys a number of them, the camera panning over to show a red-clad warrior with wild blonde hair)

And the warriors who live forever fight on to the end (The warrior turns to face the Gundam as he approaches, followed by a dog Mobian wielding twin pistols)

Across the highest mountains and through the endless seas (The trio pivots to face a sinister shape with a monocle on its left eye, holding a cane in one hand)

Our journey ever onwards fight until we all... (The figure waves its cane as more shadows lunge out, forcing the trio to go on the attack, all three combining their most powerful moves into one attack which strikes the shadowy shapes, covering the screen in smoke)

Across the highest mountains and through the endless seas (The smoke is blown apart to show the man with the trench coat having fired his rocket launcher at a large Grimm that looks like a bull)

Our journey ever onwards fight until we all be free (The Grimm shrugs off the rocket and charges at the man as he turns intangible, phasing into the ground)

Through the darkness shining the neverending light (A formless shape emerges from the dirt, first becoming an eyeball with a single leg before morphing into a more humanoid form, its lone eye flashing red)

On through the days of glory rise towards the fight (A large explosion of dust and earth engulfs the screen before the wolf-like figure from before lands, eyes flashing amber before a blast of ice and snow engulfs the screen)

And one day we will find a way towards this distant golden age (Snow and ice are blown apart as the Gundam fires his beam burst gun, the blasts exploding close to the ruins from before, showing a mural with the same advanced city depicted on it)

The cries of war will sound the day (The camera pans away from the ruins to show the seven warriors standing before a Grimm Horde as it attacks, only for them to lunge at the Horde, as both sides clash to send a shockwave towards the camera)

We stand before the dawn of a new world (The shockwave dissipates to show the seven standing on top of a building in the mountains)

We stand before the dawn of a new world... (The camera pans around to show them from the rear as the sun rises beyond the mountain city, showing nothing but green fields and the ocean beyond the horizon)

GRIMMFALL: DRAGON'S RISING

Arc II: Robbery

I had to admit I wasn't too sure about this.

I mean, I still had to find out if Grandma Stuffum was behind the disappearing mouse Mobian children. And on top of that I needed to know what Cat's role was in all this. As well as Wile E. Coyote's allegiance, etc. There was just so much I needed, and I was getting a bit overwhelmed by this. But I still had to try. The last event was coming up, and the only thing was I needed to find a new motorcycle or hope that the one I had used during the herding event was fixed up. Personally, I wasn't too sure if it was fixed. But I decided to hope anyway.

Me and Sylvester milled around close to the horse stables and the ATV rental center, which proved to be a good thing as we soon were approached by the same lady who had given us our mounts during the herding event. She handed me the keys to the bike, which had been repaired by now. The rest of the competitors were to get their mounts later in the day, so that meant me and Sylvester would be given somewhat of a break to figure out a plan to defend the train. That meant that we had to try and find it to try and get it to safety.

After we were saddled up, figuratively, of course, we headed out. I wasn't exactly sure as to where the train was, but I suggested to Sylvester that we follow the train tracks. Judging from what Cat had said, it made sense. Yet the main issue there was we had no idea as to which direction the train lay in. In the end, we decided to go away from the town more towards the city of Los Alamos. At least according to the map, anyway. The decision turned out to be a sound one in the end, anyway. I was surprised by the fact that we had found it, just by pure chance, really.

The train lay hunched over on the tracks, its engine already building up steam. I could see the smoke curling up from its stack, and the whistle was blowing as it lingered there, waiting for its guards to come and guide it to safety. I expanded my radar so I could keep an eye out for any bandits or Grimm that would attack it. And for good reason, too: this part of the Wildlands was known for its proximity to the Darklands. And the Grimm tended to swarm in this area due to the hostility of the bandits. And Yosemite Sam didn't help, either.

Actually, he was the main reason Grimm attacked here. His attacks on trains and convoys always led to losses and in some cases, the deaths of his hostages. He wasn't one to be tangled with under any circumstances unless one was a Class IV or V Huntsman. (Actually, it was a lot worse considering that the feelings of rage and anger that people felt when they learned of a lost loved one drew Grimm to this area, making it the Dead Zone, as some people called it.)

Anyway, me and Sylvester came to a halt beside the old train, and we made camp for the evening. The train wasn't set to move until dawn the next morning, which would hopefully give the others some time to catch up and reach our location. I watched as the rest of the group began to arrive, one after another, some time around eight that evening. I could see Wile coming in on his horse, that grey backpack positioned on his back. I wasn't sure why, but something told me to be on high alert around that guy. My wings twitched as we decided to set up a watch for the evening. Well, me and Sylvester did. The cat decided to take the first watch, and I was to take the second shift.

I conked out for a few hours, during which there was nothing that happened, at least from what Sylvester told me. But when I took the second shift, that was when the robbery event began.

I was sitting next to my bike, my sensors set to maximum range and my radar going in the corner of my vision. I was keeping an eye on it, and so far it seemed like it would be an uneventful shift. Actually, it wasn't too bad, considering we had some powerful competition on our side, namely Amy Rose, who was busy watching for any bandits with that hammer of hers held on her shoulder. Her eyes flicked left and right, her slim body tense for an attack that could come at any time. Off to her side stood another Mobian, one that looked a lot like a bulldog breed.

I knew him to be one of the Spikes, a clan of bulldog Mobians who considered themselves an anti-Satyra unit. And it made perfect sense, as they tended to disperse the group before any attacks could truly be carried out. While their group was seen as noble, the fact they resorted to violence as well often lumped them into the same category as the terrorist group. That made things more difficult, as it was the Faunus supremacist group that led to all kinds of troubles between the humans and Faunus. The Spikes were just another wrench in the plan to try and have Faunus attain equal rights. And to me, the Vist Foundation were the only ones who were even making any progress, despite setbacks from Satyra. In all honesty though, the Foundation was finding their efforts thwarted as the terrorists often set them back by two steps. For every success, they were knocked back two steps.

And it made me frustrated.

But right at the moment, I had other things to worry about. Such as keeping an eye out for any bandits.

And Grimm.

My optics scanned left and right, but so far nothing was visible.

At least until fifteen minutes into my watch.

It was then that my radar started to blare inside my head and I was on my feet, scanning for anything coming our way.

In the corner of my vision, the radar screen was filling up with red dots: the sign of enemies. I could also see figures starting to come close to us, riding horses or bikes of their own design. I hissed through my vents and grabbed my beam pistols as I launched my fin funnels. This time, I was not holding back.

I shot a glance at the sleeping Mobian and I sent a Dracon funnel to jab him in the back, enough to wake him, but not cause any injury. Sylvester groaned as he turned over, coming face to face with it. His eyes widened as he scurried back with a yelp.

"Sorry to scare ya, but we got trouble!" I called as he glanced at me to shoot a glare my way. "Bandits are en route to our position!"

That was all it took to get him up.

The cat's eyes flashed as he grabbed his shotgun and cocked it. "Banditsth, huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Bandits," I confirmed. Beside me I could sense the others getting up as well, mostly those that had been sleeping. Weapons were primed and held at the ready while Aura and Semblances flared into existence. I saw Amy hefting her hammer as Spike, the bulldog with the collar on, clenched his fists and a swirling grey Aura enveloped his fists. I noticed Wile was also ready for action, his backpack seeming to pulse briefly before he sneered.

I gulped briefly before I shook myself back to reality.

Behind us the train's horn blasted and the wheels began to move, steam coming out of its stack as it started to inch its way down the track. That was our cue. Most of the remaining competitors mounted up and I got on my bike. I started the engine and I pivoted it around to face the direction the train was going. I gunned the engine before I released the brake and accelerated, my cloak whipping around my frame as I hunched over the bike's dashboard and behind the windshield. My optics dimmed a shade as I kept pace with the slowly accelerating train. I cast a quick glance at it, noticing at once that there were passengers sitting in their seats, and they looked as if they were finely dressed. A low growl escaped my vocalizer. Oh yeah. These guys were dressed in their finest. My wings twitched as I studied them, noticing how they were nonchalantly ignoring the danger just outside the wooden train carriages. I was so tempted to just shout at them to pay attention, but they no doubt wouldn't hear me, the train's noise was that loud.

But what I did see was that bandits were starting to swarm, and I recognized one of them right off the bat, having seen him in the news more than once: Yosemite Sam. His red hair was a standout to the darkness around us. And he was riding a bike similar to mine.

"Dammit!" I swore. "Yosemite Sam's out!"

The rogue Huntsman sneered as he came up alongside me, taking note of my appearance. A sneer crossed his face. "Well, if it isn't the Dragon of Denver! This'll be good!" he chuckled.

"You're not getting this train!" I growled back.

"Oh, I will be, varmint!" the gunman chuckled. "And there ain't anything ye can do about it!"

"We'll see!" I muttered.

The redheaded gunman grabbed a pistol and pulled it out of his holster, aiming it right for my chest and cocking it. A sneer crossed his face as his eyes glinted. Beside me I could detect that the train was increasing in speed, and I gunned my bike's engine, increasing my own speed. Further back, my radar was picking up the rest of the competitors - marked in blue, bandits in red - catching up to us. I mentally gritted my teeth as I glanced at where Yosemite Sam was riding close to me, and I swerved to the right, trying to ram his bike with my own... or rather I tried to hit him with a beam tonfa, but he pulled away and fired off a shot at my arm joint. I shifted and the bullet struck my frame, bouncing off without as much as a scratch. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration but it didn't leave much of a mark; just a small scuff, really. Something like that could easily be buffed out.

I forced the thought from my mind though as I fired off a few rounds from my head Vulcans; sure the hat would be ruined, but it was worth it in my book, as the rounds missed Yosemite Sam, but they did force him to back off, which was what I wanted to begin with.

At least now I had some breathing room.

I glanced back, noticing that Sylvester was catching up on his own horse. And right behind him was a buxom woman wearing a sleeveless tank top and shorts that clung to her legs nicely. Her eyes, however, held a familiar look in them I knew all too well: determination and focus, something only Nick Mallory had. A mental smirk crossed through my processor as I realized what must've happened: he possessed that competitor, remaining observant and silent until the right time to strike. I knew Nick a lot better than she realized, mostly because I had worked with her for four years. Anyway, Nick was coming up behind Sylvester, keeping her gaze locked onto Yosemite Sam, as well as Wile E. Coyote. I shot a glance back ahead at the coyote Mobian, and as he looked back with a sneer, his mask's lenses flashed... a red color.

A shock raced through my psychoframe, causing my processor to twinge rather painfully and I almost lost focus on the task at hand. (Thankfully it wasn't too bad.) I regained myself though and returned to my mission. But that red flash... it had not been normal. And now that I thought about it... only Fallen had eyes that flashed red in their anger or with other emotions. My optics dimmed a shade as I realized that maybe Sylvester was on to something. Something big.

The cat Mobian looked in my direction as I shot a glance at him. His brown eyes met my violet optics, and then it happened.

A sense of something filled my processor before Sylvester's voice echoed in my thoughts. 'Sthee what I mean, Dracon?'

The presence faded as quickly as it came, and I yelped in mild surprise. "Whoa...! What just happened there?" I muttered to myself.

I shook my helm and forced myself to forget the odd situation, however, it still niggled at me. Regardless, I returned my gaze to Wile as he spurred his horse into a gallop.

Off to the side, Yosemite Sam's eyes narrowed as he aimed one gun with his free hand and his dark brown Aura flared into existence. "All right, varmints! You ain't gonna stop me from getting this loot!"

"Not gonna happen!" I growled, aiming a beam pistol at him. I fired, sending a shot for one of his bike's tires, but he dodged it and started firing like crazy. At once I grasped what he was intending on doing. His Semblance was something I had to watch out for, and so I launched my fin funnels, forming them into their barrier configuration as the bullets struck the energy barrier as it formed. I wasn't too surprised, but at the same time it gave me a sense of worry and pause. His Semblance, Gun-ho Gunslinger, was a very dangerous one, as it allowed him to hit his targets despite shooting like a maniac. I was for once just glad I had my fin funnels.

Anyway, I fired off a few more shots from my beam pistol, but his Aura deflected the worst of the shots, and the worst part was, I didn't even get a hit in on his bike's rear tire. He just gunned it and my shot missed.

Beside us the train continued on down the tracks, and off to my left I could sense a few more bandits approaching from the other side. Gunshots and other sounds of weapons echoed past the carriages, and I mentally gritted my teeth. I had to do something, and soon.

Yosemite's eyes glinted as he fired off a barrage right for me, but I kept my barrier up as the shots struck it again and again. "Dammit!" I muttered. "Not good!"

As it was, I couldn't exactly aim my beam burst gun while riding, and my beam pistols could only do so much.

What I didn't expect was to see the same female competitor - Nick - throw something in my direction. "Catch!" she called.

I glanced up, confused as to why she was calling out to me, and then I saw what she had thrown. A gleaming silver gun, complete with rotary grenade launcher...

My beam magnum!

I gunned the bike's engine and sped past a few other started competitors and bandits, my hand reaching out to grab the trigger and handgrip. My hand curled around it and as soon as I had that familiar gun in my grasp, I whipped my gun arm around, a smirk appearing in my violet optics. "Now you're in for it!" I sneered.

Yosemite Sam growled as he bared his teeth. "So what? You ain't gonna do much even with a new fancy gun!"

"Try me!" I purred. I pulled the trigger and the gun shuddered in my grasp, emitting that ever familiar hum. As soon as I felt it shuddering from the power, I released the trigger, letting the charged shot loose from its barrel. The beam struck the ground in front of Yosemite, and his eyes widened as he swerved, barely staying on his bike.

"Gonna try and stop me now?" I taunted.

"Dracon! Be careful! Don't get cocky!" Nick shouted through the voice of the host.

I knew what she was getting at, but I couldn't help it. It just felt so good to have a weapon I was more familiar with in my hands at this point, I could've cared less.

The rogue Huntsman narrowed his eyes before he let loose with another barrage, enhanced by his Semblance. I growled to myself as I finally decided to ditch the bike, seeing as how it was now becoming harder to maneuver since I had a bigger gun in my hand. I sprang off the vehicle and left it as I spread my wings and kicked on my flight pack. The sensation of weightlessness in my lower torso was enough to let me know I was airborne. I willed my fin funnels to reattach to my wings and I spun my beam magnum before I aimed it again, this time flying alongside the train. My optics glimmered as I fired a few shots from it, this time striking a few of his buddies and forcing them to peel off. I shot a glance back at Sylvester who's eyes were narrowed as he fired his shotgun from the back of his horse. I had to admit, he was good with that gun. Well, given how he was a gunman himself, it made sense.

Regardless, my magnum was enough to keep Yosemite and his goons off our backs. Wile E. Coyote on the other hand, was far from impressed. I could sense it. He looked back at me and the lenses on his mask flared red, the same color as a Fallen's eyes. And that was starting to creep me out. Or rather, it was starting to make my psychoframe act up. I felt that familiar twinge in my processor, and then it was gone. As he sneered at me, I could see his backpack starting to shift and change... with what looked like fin funnels unfolding from it.

That was unexpected. "Holy...!" I breathed.

Wile's sneer grew wider as he launched all of his fin funnels, their reddish beams lancing out and striking both bandit and competitor alike. I grunted as I swerved left and right, but some beams nicked my armor. It was just as well that I was airborne, as Yosemite's bike was clipped and he wound up tumbling to the ground, rolling and coming to a stop as the rest of his gang continued on.

My optics flared as I glanced at the coyote Mobian. I focused my scanners on him and started searching for anything that marked a Fallen: the veins would no doubt be hidden beneath his fur, but not from my sensors. And the energy signature was also a giveaway. Actually, I was kind of surprised I hadn't picked up on it when I first encountered him. But then again, Fallen did have uncanny powers, so who's to say they couldn't conceal their energy signatures as well?

And I felt that sinking feeling in my reactor as soon as the results of the scan came up.

There was indeed that signature I knew all too well by this point: it was not entirely organic.

It was half Grimm, half Mobian.

A jolt raced through my frame as I realized that Sylvester had been right. Wile E. Coyote was a Fallen! And the first ever Mobian Fallen to boot.

My wings bristled as I glanced down at the few competitors as they avoided the barrage of beams from Wile's funnels and the bandits. In actuality, this was now starting to resemble a free-for-all, not a tournament event. And it was starting to bother me. What was Wile planning?

Her eyes gleamed as she held up her wand.

A harsh tongue began to emerge from her throat, the tip of her wand shimmering with ancient magics long forgotten in the modern world. She waved her wand around, the pot on which she had placed her spell boiling and the contents moving and gushing. She could hear the gurgling of speech, only for it to fade as the construct was incapable of retaining that capacity.

The smoke from the contents thickened as she held out a hand, clutching a small vial of powder, in reality sand from the desert around them. It was to ensure that the souls lost here would be bound to this creation.

Such negative energy was bound to overcome Dracon's psychoframe, making him into a mere animal a second time.

Yes... this would work out indeed...

I had no idea as to what was coming next.

In all honesty, actually, that was what saved me from going all Feral on the competitors, myself, and my friends Agunimon and Nick.

Had I been expecting it, then I would've been overwhelmed by the sheer hatred and anger that the souls of the deceased harbored within them.

It was just as well when I got an intense stabbing pain in my processor. I wavered in place and nearly blacked out it was so bad. I regained control of myself and came to a hover, rubbing my helm with my free hand and looking around as the pain faded to a dull throb in my processor.

"What the hell was that?" I muttered.

I only got my answer a few seconds later when this... rumbling... started to occur. I looked down, noticing how the ground was starting to shake a little. It wasn't normal... the way it moved was like... like a living being. Writhing, struggling, and... groaning.

Little is known about the ancient Foodian magicks that exist in this world, but a few have been said to be able to manipulate the very earth itself, to bind it to their food creations to ensure they were part of the landscape around them. Some have even said that to bind the souls of the deceased to a food golem means to use soil or a sample from the area in which they died. Such practics have made it incredibly dangerous to fight against such a creation, as they tended to be able to also control the earth around them to a limited degree. Not to the extent which is possible with an earth-manipulation Semblance, but still enough to cause damage and disrupt things and the environment around them.

Such an ability also meant that they could draw on the very earth's energy for power.

That was a bad thing, because then it meant that the food creation had to not only be destroyed, but the very soil or whatever had to be incinerated as well. In truth, only the Foodians know the proper method to destroy such a creation, but others have found methods just as effective, if not more messy and brutal. I should know, as I did one such thing myself via my beam burst gun.

It was at that very point though that my radar and sensors alerted me to the presence of something coming. Something big... and angry.

The train by now was about to be derailed due to the intense shaking of the ground and my optics flared as I saw the people inside scrambling about, trying to keep the train level and on the tracks. It was at this point I wished the shinkansen was in the area, more specifically the Denver Bullet. Those trains are known for their safety record, as during the 2011 Earthquake in Fukushima, the trains never suffered an accident or derailing. Although the Grimm swarming in during the aftermath of the quake did make things difficult, for the most part people were recovering from the incident and subsequent damages to both homes and business; even the nuclear business, which had taken a huge hit in its reputation after the event was recovering, although most people were now arguing for Dust to augment the reactors in the event of a meltdown.

Anyway, the old steam train was not doing so well. It didn't look like it could remain on the tracks any longer and I was right.

The engine was the first to go, followed by the coal car and then a few of the carriages with people and belongings inside. My optics widened in shock as the ground in front of the tracks began to shift and move, a sinister shape erupting out of the desert sand and wooden track ties and metal tracks. Some parts of the tracks seemed to blend in with the creature, and ten of the rail ties melded into its fingers. The eyes were made of olives and tomatoes, while the rest of its body was a mass of sand and meat.

At once I realized who was behind it: the Food Witch, aka, Grandma Stuffum.

My optics dimmed a shade as I hefted my beam magnum. "Shit..." I muttered. "And just now, too!"

A gleam of something caught my optic and I turned my head, my gaze landing on a form I knew all too well, even if it was partially concealed by that sandy brown cloak. The sniper rifle was a dead giveaway, as was his blonde hair.

Agunimon's blue eye flicked over to me and winked before returning to focus on the creature before him. Nick on the other hand, phased out of his host and grasped his rocket launcher which was attached to his back. The woman collapsed and Nick pulled her to the side to keep her out of the field of fire. Once he was done with that, he ran back and faced the Food creature as it finished emerging from the ground.

Sylvester's brown eyes narrowed as he spun his shotgun and brought his own horse to a halt beside Nick. "You a friend of Dracon'sth?" he asked.

"Yep. Been friends with him for years, ever since his time at Laplace," Nick retorted. "You?"

"I wasth a competitor, but I guessth now I'm an ally," the cat remarked with a grin.

Nick grinned. "The more the merrier, especially given this freak."

"Tell me about it!" I muttered. "And during the last event, too!"

The Food Creature roared at us and we all held our weapons at the ready.

This fight, however, was not going to be easy.

I didn't realize hust how difficult it was actually going to be.