Roy stepped back inside the tavern to find his team waiting for him.
"It is in the church," he growled, gripping Black Orchid's handle tightly.
"What's our plan?" Ebony asked.
Roy chewed his lip, the cogs in his brain working double time to formulate a plan, "You three will play interference and distract the grimm while I climb up the bell tower and find the jammer."
Dahlia fiddled with Tragodia's handle, "Do you know how to get into the bell tower? I don't like the idea of fighting that thing in close quarters for too long."
Roy shook his head, "No I-"
"The entrance to the bell tower is behind the altar to the left, you'll have to climb some stairs, walk across a large beam to the tower entrance then climb a ladder to get up to the top."
Team SHDE turned to see the black haired, anti-faunus youth from earlier sitting in the back corner, a tankard in his hand and a scowl on his face.
"Thank you…?" Roy said hesitantly, causing the man to chuckle mirthlessly. "Don't thank me, I still hate the faunus."
Ebony's tail bristled, but she kept her voice level, "Then why help us?" she asked.
The man took a drink from the tankard, gazing over the rim at them, "I hate being dead more."
Roy sighed and turned back toward his teammates. "I won't lie to you guys, we could die. I know it's easy to think 'oh yeah? When are we not in danger with this job?' but I'm serious. This Calamity is the most powerful grimm I've ever encountered." Roy gripped Black Orchid's handle tighter, feeling the leather creaking between his fingers as he continued. "As your leader I only have one order for you."
Dahlia drew Comodia and twirled it deftly, "Don't die?" she quipped, shooting him a cocky grin.
Roy nodded grimly, "You read my mind," he said, drawing his own sword.
Weapons in hand, team SHDE exited the tavern and strode toward the church. They reached the stone building a few moments later and mounted the steps leading up to the doors. Setting his shoulder against the door, Roy shot a quick glanced to his team. They nodded and he shoved the door, letting the giant wooden door creak wide open. they moved into the church, weapons at the ready.
Roy took the lead, the point of his sword held steadily in front of him. The doors to the sanctuary were hanging off their hinges allowing him a limited view of the room within. He caught a glimpse of a hulking figure sitting at the foot of the statue, its four arms held out at odd angles beside it. Roy motioned to his teammates, signaling that their quarry was inside. Striding to the door, he silently counted to three, wrenched the door open and launched into the room.
The Calamity spun to face them, letting out a shriek of rage and launching forward to meet them. Roy dodged sideways, feeling a breath of wind on his face as the Calamity's taloned hand missed him by inches. He heard his teammates engage the grimm behind him and it took all of his self-control not to turn back. Slipping through the door behind the large ornate organ, Roy started up the spiral staircase leading to the church's attic. A shriek and a crash from below pushed him to go faster, taking the stairs two at a time.
As his foot hit the next step, it broke and collapsed under his foot; sending him sprawling headlong onto the stairs. Ignoring the pain and the sensation of something warm rolling down his leg, Roy resumed his frenzied rush up the stairs. Finally reaching the top, he looked out over the long beam stretching the length of the church before him. He started across, his natural balance serving him well as he made his way towards the bell tower door.
He was about 8 feet from it when a deafening cacophony of sound smashed into him, driving him to his knees. The organ's keys had somehow been pressed, sending a broken chord soaring up into the rafters where it bounced around and assaulted Roy's sensitive ears. Another wave of sound crashed over him and Roy pressed his forehead to the beam and let out a ragged cry; it felt like someone was driving a railroad spike into his brain. He writhed furiously, praying for the sound to stop.
The organ finally fell silent and Roy clawed his way back to his feet, staggering the rest of the way to the door and knocking it open. The ladder stretched far above him, leading to a small square opening in the floor above. He could just make out the edge of the great bronze bell through the opening along with a glimmer of pale morning light. Shaking off the final effects of the organ, Roy placed his foot on the bottom rung and began the climb. He went as fast as he dared. The leg he'd hurt when he fell twinged painfully and the stress of the situation was making his hands damp with sweat.
He finally climbed through the opening at the top and looked around. The bell hung suspended by thick bell ropes from a large beam that stretched across the interior of the tower. Large openings were placed strategically around the tower to let sunlight in and let the melodious sounds of the bell out.
The view from the top of the tower under any other circumstances would have been lovely, but the grey clouds blocked the rising sun and cast everything in a sickly gray pallor. As Roy watched, lightning flashed and illuminating the town as a loud peal of thunder rumbled over the mountains. He turned away from the view and gazed around the tower's interior and spotted a black box bolted to one of the support posts, a green light blinking steadily away on its right corner.
Striding over to it, Roy raised Black Orchid and smashed its pommel into the device. The box shattered, sending shards of plastic and circuitry flying every which way. Whipping out his scroll, Roy felt the device buzz as it's signal returned and quickly opened the emergency distress call application. An option came up, asking him to input the reason for the distress call.
He selected the 'Anomalous grimm' option and hit send. The screen went black and a red light started to blink as the scroll locked the application, baring anyone from turning the beacon off. As Roy went to put the scroll away, it buzzed in his hand causing him to jump. Sliding it open he answered the call.
"Roy!" Ebony's voice cried out from the device, "The grimm heard you cry out and it's coming after you!"
The door beneath him suddenly splintered open with a crash. Looking through the opening, Roy saw the Calamity stalk into room and inspect the ladder. It's head twisted, allowing one of its glowing red eyes to stare up at him. Thinking quickly, Roy raised Black Orchid and hacked into the bell rope, the thick strands taking three swipes before they parted.
The bell seemed to hang in space for a split second before it plummeted down, smashing a massive hole in the wooden platform where Roy stood. It narrowly missed the ladder and smashed into the floor, breaking through and smashing into the marble flagstones of the entryway below with a massive *BOOOONGGG* A great cloud of dust billowed up, obscuring Roy's view.
He strained his ears, listening and hoping the bell had done the job. He shuddered as a long drawn out shriek tore into his sensitive ears, causing more bloody tears to spring to his eyes. He watched as the creature emerged from the dust, clutching the mangled stump of one of its arms and limped quickly into the street.
Roy cursed at the near miss and slid down the ladder as quick as he could. He sprinted across the beam to the stairs then ascended to the sanctuary. The statue was still standing, but all of the beautiful red wood pews had been smashed to matchsticks. Glancing around the wreckage, Roy caught sight of his teammates huddled against the wall.
He rushed over to them, fearing the worst. Hunter was propped up against the wall, pressing a rag to the back of his head. The rag was already stained with blood and Hunter's face was paler than usual.
"What happened?" Roy asked.
Ebony shook her head, her face just as pale as Hunter's, "I've never seen anything like it." she said breathlessly, "It shattered his aura in one hit."
Dahlia gripped Hunter's hand furiously, looking as though she wanted to murder every single grimm in Remnant. Roy straightened up and winced as the wound in his shin finally made itself known. A gasp of pain forced itself through his teeth and Ebony's sharp eyes noticed the blood stain on his grey jeans just below his knee.
"Roy, roll up your pant leg." she ordered.
Roy obeyed, revealing the wound and wincing as he saw that the fall had carved a ragged divot in his shin; a glint of the white bone showing through. Dahlia gasped and looked away while Ebony tutted. She hovered one hand over her heart and the other over his wound, channeling her aura into Roy's to heal the wound quickly. Roy let out a sigh as he felt the pain lessening as the skin knit itself back together.
"Wait...Where's the grimm?" Dahlia asked.
Roy opened his mouth to answer when a human scream echoed through the church. Roy spun on his heel and sprinted through the church, dodging around the fallen bell to exit through the main door. He saw a woman crawling backwards away from the calamity as it stalked closer, regarding her with its piercing orange eyes and clicking its beak menacingly. It raised its massive fist to deal her a fatal blow, but Roy sprinted across the square and threw himself between the two. The calamity's hand crashed down onto his block, driving him to his knees and pushing his aura to the brink of breaking.
"Run!" Roy half shouted, half snarled at the woman, "Now!"
She leapt up and scurried away between the buildings. Roy suddenly felt the calamity grab his leg and the sky traded places with the ground as it flung him bodily back towards the church. He bounced roughly across the snowy flagstones and felt his aura shatter as his head impacted one of the church steps. His team rushed to his side as he scrambled up, drawing Black Orchid with the ringing of steel as the calamity shrieked defiantly at the sky.
"W-What do we do now?" Ebony asked, wiping her bloody eyes on the back of her sleeve.
Roy dashed his own arm across his eyes, "We need to get it away from the town!" he cried and charged forward without warning, raising Black Orchid to strike.
The calamity lunged forward to meet the charging faunus, its arm extended and claws bared. He dodged under the blow and slashed his sword across the thing's leg, cutting deeply into the calf muscle. The Calamity shrieked in pain and rage, wheeling about to stalk after Roy as he looped around back toward his team.
"Run!" he shouted, "Lead it to the other side of the loch!"
Team SHDE turned and sprinted away, the buildings of Ulmsted passing by in a blur as they ran for their lives. Roy laid his ears flat along his skull to avoid the wind rushing into them and shot a glance behind to see the Calamity slowly but surely gaining ground on them, its clawed feet pounding the cobblestones as it charged headlong at them.
Hunter caught up with Roy, Dahlia perched on his shoulders. "What are we going to do when we get to the other side?" he yelled into the wind.
"We have to trap its arms somehow!" Roy yelled back, "Then we might have a chance!"
They'd left Ulmsted behind and were now dodging between the trees along the left side of the lake. Roy shot another glance behind and his heart almost stopped as he realized the grimm wasn't behind them,
"Where's-?"
A cry of alarm from Ebony cut him off as the grimm seemed to materialize from their right and smashed into the four of them, sending them tumbling into the snow. Roy leapt up, Black Orchid at the ready,
"Attack it now!" he yelled.
In unison, Team SHDE leapt forward to engage the Calamity. Roy reached it a hair faster and swung Black Orchid at the beast's stomach. It blocked the blow with one of its armored plated fists, retaliating with a savage peck of its beak. Roy backpedaled, batting at the beak with his sword, feeling the shock reverberate up his arm as the blade clashed against the hard bony plate.
Ebony and Dahlia charged in next, the taller girl sending a barrage of ice dust into the beast's face, Dahlia followed this up by hamstringing the grimm with Comodia. The Calamity shrieked in pain and lashed out with its arms, connecting with Dahlia and sending her flying. A sharp crystalline sound broke the air as Dahlia's aura broke and everyone froze for a split second.
Well, everyone but Hunter, who leapt forward and caught his girlfriend by the arm and swung her back around; flinging her towards the grimm. Dahlia landed on the Calamity's back, sinking both of her weapons deep into its back. The grimm didn't struggle this time, simply tolerating the huntress on its back as Hunter dashed in.
The large boy swung Venus up and across its torso as Roy dashed back in, twirling Black Orchid before stabbing it in the same leg Dahlia had slashed. The Calamity fell heavily to one knee, using two of its arms to keep itself up.
"Now!" Roy shouted.
Dahlia leapt from the Calamity's back and slammed both of her weapons through the grimm's hand, pinning it to the ground. Quick as lightning Hunter drove Venus into its other hand and pinning it as well.
The grimm shrieked, throwing its head back as it strained against the weapons restraining its hands. It desperately swung its mangled arm at Dahlia, but she leapt up and grabbed the arm; using her own body weight to keep it in check. Ebony twirled Archimedes and froze the Calamity's final arm to the ground with a blast of ice dust.
Roy turned to face the grimm's back, his sword glowing red as he channeled fire dust into the blade. He reversed his grip on the sword and raised it above his head, preparing to bring the blade driving through the creature's back. As his eyes focused on his target, he noticed small white points emerging from the Calamity's flesh. Before he could fully figure out what they were, the grimm flexed its back and sent five inch long spikes shooting from its back in a wave. Roy's arms were still raised as the wave of spikes reached him and he felt one pierce his lower abdomen, sending hot blood oozing down his stomach.
He heard Dahlia cry out and looked up to see her struggling with the grimm's arm, one of the spikes buried in her shoulder. With a brisk movement, the Calamity whipped its arm from her grip and smashed it into her face. The blow sent her hurtling backwards, skidding across the snow until she came to stop under one of the trees.
Hunter let out a roar and brought his elbow swinging down on the arm he had pinned, throwing all of his weight into the blow. The arm broke with a snap, but the grimm ignored it and struck him across the chest with its free arm; sending him skittering backwards like a toy.
Ebony made a desperate dive for the free arm and managed to pin it, just before Dahlia's weapons came free from the ground. Comodia and Tragodia skittered across the snow as the Calamity freed its arm, violently striking Ebony in the stomach.
Roy winced at the crystalline sound her aura made as it shattered and watched Ebony fly across the clearing until her momentum was arrested by a large tree. His stomach twisted as he heard a number of cracks emanated from his teammates body as she slumped down onto the snow.
Roy clutched his side, feeling the blood soak into his shirt and cotton gloves. He wanted to move, he wanted to rush to the aid of his teammates, but the spike protruding from his abdomen sent waves of pain lancing through him with every movement. The Calamity finally yanked the ice-bound hand free of the ground and used it to rip Hunter's weapon from its other hand.
The blade was covered with a black ooze and it raised the weapon to its beak, which opened, allowing a slimy purple tongue to snack out and lap at the ooze. The beast's head snapped sideways, fixing its gaze on Hunter who had just staggered to his feet. The Calamity turned and began stalking toward the larger boy, still clutching Venus. Hunter tried to run, but it was clear that the pain was proving to be too much and he fell to one knee as the grimm drew closer.
"HUNTER!"
A pained shriek cut through the air and Roy saw Dahlia standing with her hand outstretched towards her boyfriend. The panicked, horror filled expression on her face betrayed what Roy knew; none of them could reach Hunter in time.
"No you don't!" he heard Ebony yell from beside him and a second later, a huge stream of fire crossed the distance in an instant.
The flammable dust clung to the grimm's flesh, searing it and causing it to blister horribly. The Calamity shrieked in pain and changed direction, turning its attention to Ebony. It threw Venus to the snow, its broken arm snapping back into place as it raised it to deal a devastating blow to the faunus.
Roy grit his teeth against the waves of pain and threw himself in the grimm's path. The Calamity's eyes flashed and it swung its arm out at Roy. Setting his feet, he caught the grimm's fist and strained to hold it back. His feet slid backwards in the snow as the pain in his side peaked, causing a guttural cry to tear itself from his throat.
All the while, the grimm simply observed him; as if taking interest in his struggle. It suddenly seized him with its lower two arms, lifting him off the ground. The Calamity began to steadily tightened its grasp, slowly squeezing the faunus tighter and tighter. Roy felt a rib break just before he was slammed into down into the frozen earth.
As the ground collided with his body, he felt three more ribs fracture from the impact. His sides were on fire and his breath came in ragged sobs as he writhed in the snow. Ebony dragged herself to her feet, standing between him and the grimm.
"Get away from us!" She shrieked, twirling her weapon.
The Calamity caught Archimedes with one hand and lifted her off the ground; Ebony stubbornly refusing to release the weapon. The beast swung its fist into her leg and Roy heard a snap as the bone broke. Ebony cried out as the beast dropped her beside him and clutched her leg as tears streamed from her eyes.
The Calamity towered over both of them, its eyes glinting a sickly orange as it raised its arms, all four of them, to crush the faunus under its fists.
Hunter yelled, trying to get the Calamity's attention with a snowball to the back. Without looking at him, the grimm sent another wave of spikes smashing into the larger boy, three of the spikes piercing his torso. Hunter coughed, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth as he slid to the ground.
A cry of fury echoed through the woods and Tragodia smashed into the grimm's burned back, followed by its owner. Dahlia's face was terrifying, her cheek was a mass of blotchy, purple bruises and her expression was one of pure rage. She wrenched the spike from her shoulder and stabbed it deep into the Calamity's neck.
The grimm twisted and tore the Huntress from its back and heaved her into the woods, the force of the throw causing her to fly out of sight. The grimm charged after her with a shriek, leaving the three downed Huntsmen behind.
To date, this is the longest, most complicated fight I've written. I will tell you that writing for 4 people fighting the same enemy simultaneously is tricky as all get-out. Sorry/not sorry for the cliffhanger XD.
Until we next meet,
-Ar3mRising.