The rain started to fall. It was a drizzle, but it still made traveling unpleasant. Nina was right next to Gran when she began to feel strange. The rain started to look like fog, almost like a mist has risen around them. Peering out into it, she noticed a figure slowly moving towards the group. She looked around, and it seemed no one else was paying attention to it. When she finally could identify the person, she widened her eyes. It was Professor Gray who extended his hand towards her.
"Why did you leave me to die?" He said, slowly morphing into a rotting corpse.
Nina screamed, hiding her face in Gran's chest.
"What's wrong?" The Faunus asked, concerned for her.
She looked around, and everything returned to normal. The rain continued to pour.
"It was Professor Gray," she started explaining, still shaken by what she saw. "He was… he was dead and…"
"Just relax," Vivian came to calm her down. "It's probably just fatigue taking its toll."
The Faunus girl looked in her green eyes. It could be that she was just tired, and her brain started to conjure some visions. She nodded, still thinking about what just transpired. However, the group continued the journey without paying too much attention to the circumstance.
Neil was walking at the end of the party, having his eye on everyone. In the rain, a familiar voice beckoned his name from behind. When he turned around, he saw his sister standing right in front of him. Her eyes hollowed, a sight that sent a chill down his spine.
"Why are you with a bunch of fools? You're so much better than them." She spoke with unmistakenly her voice.
He took a deep breath, trying to keep a leveled head. "Guys, I think something might be messing with us because I just see my sister before me."
The moment he said that, the vision disappeared into a puff of black smoke like it was a dying Grimm. Everyone looked back to see what he was talking about, noticing him frozen in place.
"What did you just say?" Vivian was intrigued.
Neil has shaken off from his initial fear. "Nina's vision must have been the same as mine." He concluded.
"A Widowmaker," Vivian finally said. "It's a small Grimm that creates hallucinations of its targets deepest fears. If anyone sees a tiny, black arachnid, strike it down, and that should be the end of our problems."
"A Widowmaker?" Neil was surprised. "I never heard of a Grimm like that."
"There are a ton of non-combat type Grimm that are easy to kill but can be a nightmare to deal with when you have no idea what their abilities are."
"The more you know," Amethyst concluded the conversation.
They continued west, now on their toes and on the lookout for the Grimm that created the hallucinations. The rain slowly died down, and the sun started to shine through the leaves, bringing some needed warmth.
"Can we rest for a bit?" Ray suddenly said. "I really need to piss."
Vivian rolled her eyes, "sure."
Merlot went behind a collapsed tree to do his business while the rest sat down for a while. When relieving himself, he noticed someone who scared him for a moment with a corner of his eye. It was the small bat Faunus.
"Yangochi, what the hell are you doing?" He started to get angry. "Can't you see I'm doing something?" He quickly realized that the boy was blind. "Whatever…"
Step by step, the Faunus started moving closer to the boy. A familiar voice rang in his ear.
It's not me.
Moved by instinct, Ray grabbed his sword and attacked the thing that looked like his travel companion, but it was already gone. He surveyed his surroundings for anything that seemed off. There was nothing, so he returned to the group and immediately addressed Yangochi.
"What the hell was that?"
"I've heard you use my name, which perplexed me." The boy started to surprise of the rest of the party. "I sensed a Grimm near you, and you just talking to it made me suspicious. The only thing that came to my mind was to inform you that it wasn't me."
"Wait," Vivian was puzzled, "you say that it wasn't an illusion but a real Grimm?"
"It felt like it. It had a physical aspect to it."
The leader of team VNGR sat down to think. "If that's the case, then it can't possibly be a Widowmaker."
"So what is it?" Gran asked, looking the most confused from the group.
Vivian raised her head, glancing at the rest of the group. "I have no idea."
"It has to be that thing I sensed earlier," Yangochi said. "It must've somehow noticed I can feel it and masked its presence."
"So it's quite smart if that's the case," Black was thinking about all the information they had.
"You want to tell us this thing is intelligent?" Gran was shocked.
Vivian sighed. "There are many intelligent Grimm in Remnant. Just because they don't speak – well, not technically – doesn't mean they are incapable of rational thinking."
"I always thought of them as mindless beasts."
"Based on the current behavior of that 'Thing,'" Nina suddenly interjected, "we can assume that it tries to lure someone out of the group."
"Correct," Vivian agreed, still thinking. "It might be looking for the weakest link among us."
"We should get a move on," Ray said. "Even if that thing is on a hunt for us, we still are on a deadline."
The team leader agreed, and they continued the journey. No one experienced any more hallucinations. However, Yangochi was much jumpier than before. Neil always knew him for his calm demeanor, and seeing him this scared made him uneasy as well.
"I keep hearing strange noises," The Faunus suddenly said. "No one hears anything?"
The whole group looked at each other. "No," Amethyst spoke what everyone had on their minds. "But, no one has as good hearing as you do."
She got close to her friend and presented her tail. The boy grabbed it, and that made him much calmer.
The sun started to set. It was getting darker, and they decided to make a camp for the night. They made a small fire and sat around it. Vivian quickly moved to the most essential matter at hand.
"If the 'Thing' wants us divided, we cannot move alone. If we do anything, we need to have an accountabilibuddy."
"A what now?" Raymond almost burst out laughing.
"Someone accountable for the other and vice versa," Vivian looked at Ray irate.
"Sure, sure," he still chuckled at the wordplay. "No one goes anywhere alone."
"Neil, Amethyst, and I will keep the first watch," she continued. "The rest should get a good night's sleep as from now on we do three-man shifts. Also, during the watch, no one ever leaves the other two from their sight range."
"That's more than fair," Neil said, massaging his left arm. He was able to use it properly now, even though it still hurt with more demanding actions.
A strange whistle distracted everyone. The whole group jumped up and prepared their weapons in unison. Raymond proposed to investigate the sound, but Vivian stopped him.
"It has to be the Grimm trying to divide us," she said. "You should rest," she concluded and, together with Neil and Amethyst, started the guard duty.
The night was darker than usual as the moon was covered by the thick trees. The trio of guards moved around, continually being aware of where each of them is at all times. Vivian noticed a shadow strolling from behind one tree to another. I'm not that stupid went through her head. She heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Vivian," it beckoned.
She turned around and before her stood a person she almost had forgotten: Viggo, her brother. The resemblance was unmistakable with the same piercing green eyes and raven black hair. Without hesitation, she activated her semblance and pierced through the person impersonating her dead brother. The creature wailed with a strange, animalistic scream and started to morph. Her eyes could barely comprehend what she was looking at. It seemed like the beast was a mass of horrid, black, twisting flesh that didn't resemble anything she has seen before. It was constantly moving, not ever having a simple consistency. Just gazing upon it made her head spin.
Amethyst quickly jumped in and flashed the Thing with her semblance. With a wild, incomprehensible screech, the beast lobbed behind a nearby tree. The Faunus girl started to race behind it, but Vivian stopped her.
"Don't give chase. It wants to get us split."
"Right," the girl said, being somewhat disappointed in her recklessness.
"What was that thing?" Neil was perplexed at what they just have seen. "Was it even a Grimm? For hell, it didn't look like one."
"Most certainly it was," Black assured them. It can't be anything else, right? She tried to convince herself that what she saw was actually that.
A wild thought came to her mind. "What if there are more of them?"
Neil's eyes almost popped out of his head. "Do you mean…"
"It could be a decoy."
They turned towards the group to ensure everyone is well. Everyone was still sleeping. Everyone but Nina. She was squatting next to snoring Gran, just looking at him.
"Nina?" Neil was first to say while slowly getting closer to her. The girl seemed to ignore the question. The redhead reached out to grab her shoulder. The moment he touched it…
"Hey!" The girl jumped in place, "don't scare me like that!"
"What are you doing awake?" Vivian was concerned.
"I couldn't sleep," she exclaimed, "the vision of Professor Gray…"
"You don't have to say more," Black stopped her.
She looked around the camp, and everything seemed to be the way it was before. But taking their eyes off of them for just a short while had her deeply troubled.
"Neil, wake everyone up and use your semblance to make them say who they are."
The boy froze with shock and fear. "What are you even talking about?"
"We cannot be sure that someone from the group isn't already that 'Thing.'"
"You sound paranoid," Amethyst was looking at her like she was going crazy.
"I'm responsible for all of you, and I'll do everything in my power to ensure your survival."
Neil was befuddled by her behavior as she never acted with such conviction and certainty. Only one thing came to his mind that could trigger that kind of reaction.
"Who was the man that the Thing took the form of?"
Vivian's demeanor changed in an instant. "What?"
"Yeah," Amethyst also started to get on what was going on. "He had to be someone you knew. Nina saw the illusion of our professor while Neil saw his sister."
"Who was that man?" Neil tried to press her for the answer.
"It… It was…" She struggled to say anything. Her fear started to choke her, and the words she tried to say got lost in her throat.
"If you really think that someone of the team is no longer them, I will use my semblance," Neil stated. "But I want to know why you are so adamant about that."
Vivian took a deep breath. "It was my brother, Viggo. He was swallowed by a Blind Worm." After a brief moment of silence, she composed herself again and continued. "No one from our trio was looking at the people in the camp when the Thing showed up. If there is more than one, then there is a certain possibility that someone is possibly dead."
"I highly doubt there is more than one," Yangochi suddenly moved next to them. "I would know."
"And how certain are you?" Vivian was still on high alert, eyeing everyone who was still sleeping.
"I trust my abilities with my life, and if I ever was wrong, I would be dead. Well, most certainly, Raymond wouldn't be with us anymore…"
Vivian's thoughts were rushing through her head like a pack of angry Beowolfs. Her paranoia was quenched, but she still had a creeping suspicion that something was off.
"Ok, just go back to sleep, and Amethyst, Neil, and I will continue the guard duty."
"Sure," Yangochi crawled up into a ball right where he stood and fell asleep.
The rest of the night, Black was tense, continually eyeing her guard companions. Her intuition was kicking into high gear, and the idea of someone not being themselves anymore made her agitated. A few times, someone from the trio saw a suspicious shadow move between the trees, but they held their posts after informing each other. Some strange noises and familiar voices rang through the night that made them uncomfortable. Still, they knew what they meant, and they continued to watch each other and the sleeping teammates.
The sun slowly poked its head above the treetops, and Vivian quickly woke everyone up.
"We move in single file, holding each other's hands," she started. Seeing as Raymond was about to protest, she added: "I do not accept any objections."
They created a line led by the leader of team VNGR. She held Raymond's hand while the rest of the chain was formed by Neil, Nina, Gran, Amethyst, and Yangochi in that order. The bat Faunus, however, was holding his teammates tail instead of her hand.
"We keep marching until we reach the shore," the leader stated. "No one gets distracted by anything, and we will reach our destination." They started to move.
Raymond sighed. "I really think we should just smoke this Thing out and kill it."
"What if it could take the form of any one of us?" Nina started thinking out loud. "Would you attack one of your friends?"
"If everyone would stick to a previously agreed on plan, then I wouldn't have to second guess myself if that's the creature or one of you fools."
All of a sudden, Gran remembered something. "Didn't Nachrichter say something about a shapeshifting Grimm? Do you think it's the Thing that we're dealing with right now?"
"Unfortunately, his story didn't have any actual tips on how to deal with such Grimm," Vivian concluded the remark.
"Did you hear that?" Yangochi exclaimed, letting go of Amethyst's tail.
She tugged on the train, "Hold on."
The girl looked behind and noticed that the boy was enamored with something. "Hey there, little guy. Please don't let go of my tail." She closed in the tip to his hand.
Yangochi looked at her and nodded while grabbing the tail. They continued the march. However, Amethyst could feel that the hand squeezing her behind was holding on tighter. He never held on so firmly to her, almost like it wasn't him…
Tautara pulled her tail, dragging the boy in front of her. She then pinned him to the ground with her right hand. An inhuman hiss came out of him while he started to flail wildly, trying to break free. The commotion broke the chain, and everyone turned around to see what was happening.
The Thing started slowly transforming its limbs to reach the oppressor's head. What were Yangochi's hands were now a mass of fleshy tubes that ended with sharp claws slashing at Amethyst. Raymond, without any hesitation, cut off one of the limbs. The beast cried out with an unpleasant howl that almost froze them in fear. The Faunus girl let go of the Thing to cover her ears. The creature dashed towards the nearest tree, but Nina whipped out her Orchid Flame and wrapped it around its leg. Using the opportunity, Ray spun around with his sword and cut off the head.
With another screech, the monster shook in convulsions and started to morph into its original form. A morbid blob with no concrete shape that shifted in pattern. No one could comprehend what it actually was, and with one last bone-chilling howl, it turned to black smoke.
Ray sheathed his weapon and turned to see the rest of the gang. Amethyst fell to her knees, looking at the huntsman-in-training standing at what seemed the grave of their friend. However, there was no body.
"Yangochi," she said slowly, not knowing how to act. "Yangochi!" She screamed in hopes of hearing him nearby.
Everyone looked around, but there was no response. Silence filling the air was the only reply to the call of the terrified Faunus girl. They all stood in place for quite some time before comprehending what just happened.
"The Thing took over Yangochi?" Neil was the first to break the silence. "But when?"
"Probably at night," Vivian said, looking at the place where the Grimm perished. "We should've used your semblance to make sure everyone is who they are…"
"No," Amethyst interjected, still on her knees. "It was just now when he let go of my tail."
"How can you be so certain?"
"The feeling of his hand on my tail. That's something you cannot replicate."
Neil came closer to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She immediately embraced him with a firm hug. Nina came closer and joined into the hug in hopes of making the two of them feel better.
Ray looked around. "There isn't even a body to bury."
Vivian, in the meanwhile, examined the grounds where the struggle took place. There was nothing unusual, nothing that could give any kind of information on what exactly happened with the boy. No body in nearby bushes or any of his belongings left anywhere. Was he possessed by the Thing? Did it throw him somewhere nearby and took his place while they weren't watching? Or maybe something different happened that she could not even fathom? However, one thing was in the reach of her understanding: she failed to keep everyone alive…
The group continued their journey. The forest was getting less and less dense, with much fewer trees and shrubbery around. The sun shone brighter through the leaves, making the march more bearable. They were all tired, and because of all the distractions during the adventure, there was a possibility they would not make it in time for the Shade Academy's semester start.
Amethyst was walking beside the group, looking down. As much as she respected Scarlet, her death did not hit her as hard as the loss of Yangochi. She was slouched and dragging her tail on the ground, leaving a trail behind them. Neil got closer to check up on her.
"How are you holding up?"
She slowly lifted her head to look at him. "I'll be fine. You don't have to worry." She forced a gentle smile before asking herself: "And how are you?"
Looking aside, he answered: "Seen better days."
"Sorry to pull you out of your conversation," Vivian shouted as she pushed forward faster than them. "But we found a road!"
Neil widened his eyes while Amethyst slammed the ground with her tail.
"You can't be serious," she exclaimed and run towards the black-haired girl.
There indeed was a road they found. After so long, they finally had contact with civilization – no matter how small.
Ray smirked. "We just need to follow it, and we're bound to find a town."
"That's the best information I've heard in a long time," Neil said, smiling.
"And finally, some normal food!" Gran almost jumped in place.
Nina chuckled. "What are we waiting for! Let's go!" She was hurrying everyone.
Granola just smiled, looking at her jumping around, trying to hasten the entire group. He missed this side of her very much. Despite the loss they've endured, he was glad that she still can be so lively. It wasn't long when they finally reached the end of the road, and with it, a town near the shore.
Vivian glanced at the city with relief. She noticed that her hair was slowly getting in her eyes and that it was about time she had a haircut. However, the first order of business was to find an inn so they could properly rest. When they eventually found a place they could stay for the night, Neil started to organize the party.
"I'll pay for the rooms. Nina, Gran, can you buy something to eat? Here's some Lien; it should suffice."
"I'll need to find a barber," Vivian said.
"Oh! That's a great idea!" Amethyst decided to join her.
"So that leaves me with what?" Raymond looked at Neil.
"You can go to the docks and ask around about transport to Vacuo. I think that would be the fastest way to get there. If there's nothing available in a few days, try to check if any other transportation would be accessible."
"Got it," he left, waving at them dismissively.
With the rooms prepared and food cooked, they had the most comfortable night since they left Haven. Despite the events that transpired during their trip, they enjoyed the company they had left. When Raymond returned, he informed everyone that a ship is departing for Scath tomorrow evening. Vivian knew the place and stated that they can reach Shade Academy in about two days by foot from there.
"It's so strange to finally be so close," Neil said, deep in thought.
"Don't be so encouraged," Vivian said somberly. "Don't forget it's Vacuo."
"Let's just get a good night's sleep," Nina interjected. "We all deserve some rest."
They all nodded and went to their rooms. Neil and Amethyst were the last to leave the table.
"Do you think it was all worth it?" Neil suddenly asked. "Continuation of our education at Shade Academy was Scarlet's idea…"
"We trusted her then," Amethyst started, looking at the redheaded boy. "I trust her still."
He looked up to her with widened eyes. He didn't know what to say.
The girl stood up. "We should go to our rooms too. We do deserve some rest."