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: Jasper and Horace Badun

Jasper and Horace Badun are two rogue Huntsmen who are under the employ of Cruella De Ville.

Born into the lowest class of England, the two boys had to struggle to even get the barest amount of food to put on the table. Their parents did manage to enroll them in school for the majority of their childhood years, but the effort put them into poverty. As a result, the boys had to drop out to help their father make ends meet. It was during such days that the two unlocked their Auras and Semblances, granting them the ability to steal things with no one being the wiser.

Jasper was usually the one to infiltrate using Visioncloak, and then Horace was the one who stole the goods using his Semblance of Telekinesis. The boys became very skilled thieves and started to make a mark in London's underworld. Their skills won them some amount of respect, but it only served to get the attention of the more sinister sides of England's ruling elite. One of those happened to be Lady Cruella De Ville herself. She offered them employment, and after some haggling, the two agreed to work for her in exchange for getting their parents out of poverty.

The London Police Department and Scotland Yard are both offering a reward on any information regarding their whereabouts.

Close Files

"When it comes to criminals, sometimes they get into it to try and grant their families a better life. But what they don't realize is that every good intention is lining the road to Hell," TOM lectured as he closed the police report on the Badun brothers. "It takes an awful lot of willpower to keep from straying down the path that could lead to criminal activity or behaviors. Like if you wanted to generate a stream of revenue to supply your family for life with a decent income, how would you go about it?" TOM tented his fingers as he leaned back in his chair, overlooking the world of Earth below. "There are safer, legal ways to do that, but it takes time and effort. To do it the easy, but illegal way would require developing skills that could land you in jail. And if you do go down that particular path, you have to think about who you work with. Because sometimes, those you hang out with could turn on you, or turn you in. So in all honesty, it's better to follow the law. And stay out of trouble."

He reached over and pressed the button on the left armrest of his chair. The monitor pivoted to face the screen as it showed Minato, Glory, and Dracon charging into shadowy woods.

(Scene shows a small shape huddling in terror as light sweeps over the screen, revealing the title of the series.)

START ANGELS FALL (BREAKING BENJAMIN)

I try to face the fight within (The light fades before the camera pans in on a figure huddled into a ball)

But it's over (The figure breaks down into dust as wind blows leaves past to show an old estate covered in vines)

I'm ready for the riot to begin (The vines creep over the camera before fire burns them down, showing Londoners in an uproar)

And surrender (Several of the individuals surrender to a cloaked figure as it steps out of the flames)

I walked the path that led me to the end (The figure lowers its hood to reveal Dracon as he turns, the shadow of Denver in the background)

Remember (Images of his family are shown in the background of Denver)

I'm caught beneath with nothing left to give (Embers swirl before it shows a fight raging as Agunimon stands in front of a burning home, his teeth bared and his sword held at the ready)

Forever (The Warrior of Flame lunges for the camera, fractal coding surrounding his form)

When angels fall with broken wings (The coding engulfs the screen before vanishing, showing Major Glory as he flies overhead, the city of GrimmFall in the background)

I can't give up, I can't give in (The symbol of peace dives down, his fists outstretched to smash them into something, tears running down his masked face)

When all is lost and daylight ends (The hero flashes past Scotty Blake as he wields his claymore, swinging it at a Grimm that threatens to destroy a small community)

I'll carry you and we will live forever (The shockwave generated from his claymore shifts to show a blue energy wave released by the Royal Knight, Omnimon)

Forever (The Digimon lands, his cape fluttering about his frame as he turns to look back at the sky as light begins to dawn beyond the horizon)

Gray skies will chase the light away (Rain is shown lashing at the windows of a hotel as Dracon stands before it, staring at his reflection)

No longer (The Gundam turns away from the window, walking down a street with rain falling around him)

I fought the fight, now only dark remains (Ruins of an estate are shown in the background)

Forever (Two figures in shadow stand before it, a third looming behind them)

Divided, I will stand (The camera pans away to show two women - one blonde and one with a brown braid - standing in front of a shadowy emblem)

And I will let this end (The women turn to face the emblem as it glows, engulfing the screen)

When angels fall with broken wings (The light fades to show Dracon charging out of the sun, wings flared as he fires his beam magnum)

I can't give up, I can't give in (The camera follows the shot to show it impacting a hulking structure)

When all is lost and daylight ends (His psychoframe glows and encompasses his frame as Scotty dashes past, his own Aura shimmering around him)

I'll carry you and we will live forever (Scotty's sword slams into the ground, causing a crack to form as Omnimon scoops up one of the two women)

Forever (The camera pans out to show Denver, then London)

The sun begins to rise (The sun is shown coming up over the Rocky Mountains)

And wash away the sky (Darkness fades in London as the light creeps over the buildings)

The turning of the tide (The old estate is shown as it starts to shake and shudder)

Don't leave it all behind (Dracon stands before a crate in a warehouse, a sick look in his optics)

I will never say goodbye (One of the women aims a gun at a man in a truck with the same contents as in the warehouse)

When angels fall with broken wings (BurningGreymon is shown slide evolving to Aldamon)

I can't give up, I can't give in (Dracon deploys his fin funnels despite damage to his frame)

When all is lost and daylight ends (Scotty hefts his sword as he flares his Aura)

I'll carry you and we will live forever (Major Glory clenches his fists as Omnimon summons his weapons)

Forever (The five stand before a huge shape, two shadowy humanoid shapes behind them, the two women in front of those as the series name appears below them)

GRIMMFALL: DRAGON'S SURGE

ARC I

FEAR OF FURS

CHAPTER VI - HORRIFIC HUNT

I grunted as I stormed down the London streets, my entire form radiating intense anger.

Why was I so angry?

Major Glory

That self-righteous, self-loving, self-indulgent bas-

A whistle stopped my internal rant and I looked around the empty street. I activated my entire sensor suite, scanning for any signs of trouble.

No sign of anything.

I walked forward, stopping near a statue of a plane and two gargoyles perched on it. According to the plaque, these Gargoyles served in World War II and stopped the Nazi Death Crab from trampling all of London.

"Bet they were never show offs," I muttered.

"Dragon…"

My helm snapped up and I spun around, my audio sensors picking up a voice, pulling out my magnum. However there was no one there…

Nothing but snow.

A part of me wondered, was I losing it? But that didn't seem likely, did it? I did a quick self-diagnostic, and it came back in the positive. My processor and my memory banks were all functioning perfectly.

Perhaps my latest fight left me still somewhat dazed and I was just processing it all.

After all, I needed to track down and save Agunimon before-

"Joseph Matthews."

The voice caught my attention and I spun around again, spotting someone leaning against the statue and my processing core nearly stopped when I saw who it was.

"Did you miss me?" Sammael asked calmly, smiling at me as I aimed my weapon and pulled the trigger.

BANG!

My magnum fired and the statue was destroyed.

But not Sammael.

The blast had traveled right through him as he stared down at his torso where the blast should have hit and then looked up at me. "I guess you did."

I growled as my wings twitched.

"Why so bitter?" Sammael asked as he stepped away from the destroyed statue. "It can't be because you just destroyed a historical landmark."

I aimed towards him and was ready to fire again.

"Go ahead. Let's heat things up." Sammael snapped his fingers.

I had a sinking feeling that was not directed at me.

The next thing I knew I was suddenly engulfed by a pillar of lava that exploded from below my feet. I grunted as I staggered back, the lava scorching at my armor and melting my magnum. I was actually surprised the lava didn't melt my cloak; I later learned that Tina had insisted the material be infused with strands of Gundanium to bolster its durability. (I thanked her deeply after that.) Looking up, I spotted a Grimm, tall, imposing and muscular with hand shaped wings sprouting from its back.

"I see you spent time with Glory boy." Sammael remarked casually. "How was that? You tell him about the good old days? You tell him about the little fanboy who idolized and worshiped him?"

I snarled as I boosted forward, aiming back a fist to splatter the Grimm as it held out a hand. There was a flash of purple light and I immediately rebounded off the Grimm when I made contact. I slammed right into the ground as an aura of purple light surrounded my frame and I felt so…heavy.

'Gravity Dust…He's creating a field of gravity around me!' I realized as I struggled to get up.

"You tell him about that day?" I looked up, staring into the red eyes of the person I hated the most outside of Major Glory. "You tell him how that boy believed the great hero was coming for him? To save him? To save his precious family?"

"Shut up..." I growled.

"Your soft-hearted mother," Sammael continued. "Your battle weary grandpa."

"Shut up!" I snarled, straining against the gravity Dust. My psychoframe began to pulse, giving me additional strength.

"Your naïve and heroic worshiping dad."

"SHUT UP!" I bellowed. A surge of pure power erupted off my frame and that pseudo-Aura I knew so well seethed over my frame like so much greenish-white fire.

My wings spread out and I blasted out of the gravity field with all eight of my thrusters, flying right through Sammael's image. "Stop hiding behind your tricks and face me, coward!" I roared.

"Hmm…" Sammael hummed as he turned around. "Coward? That's funny coming from the little boy, hiding in the armor of a giant."

I snarled, my optics glowing a brilliant violet as Sammael vanished, leaving me to face the new Grimm.

A Terra-Claw.

I had heard of these Grimm, and to see one was something I had not expected.

Least of all to fight one.

That alone was bad news, as no one knew what its abilities were. But considering the circumstances, I had no choice but to fight.

From what little I knew of it, it was supposed to have the same abilities as a Seer, which meant it would no doubt be able to transmit messages from Sammael to me. And its strength was something to be worried about, as it was supposedly just as strong as a Beringel Grimm. And when coupled with its flight, that meant it had a lot of power behind its blows. But then there was the matter of its intellect. It was rumored to be smarter than most known Grimm, displaying actual abilities to plan and adapt.

And without my beam magnum, I had to rely on my other weapons.

I swung my beam burst gun forward and rested it over my right hand while I aimed my shield's mega cannon at the creature. The Grimm narrowed its eyes as it hovered there, and then it clenched its fists, flaring those wings and coming right for me. I boosted to the right, aiming my shield at its back as it made to follow me. But the Grimm then thrust a hand out and the next thing I knew, I saw that purple aura covering it. I realized that if it made contact I would be thrown down to the ground. I had to stick to long range.

I fired my shield's mega cannon, the bluish-white beam lancing out from the concealed barrel towards the Terra-Claw.

The Grimm seemed to sneer as it folded its wings and dove down, the shot missing it. I whirled around, my sensors scanning all around me as the snow began to increase. The wind was also beginning to pick up.

"Shit... Not good..." I muttered.

The Terra-Claw's eyes flashed before a second pillar of lava erupted from the ground and I was forced to roll to the right, the air rippling from the sheer surge in temperature. Steam was already beginning to form from the contact between snow and molten rock. My vents opened automatically as the temperature began to climb, letting me keep my frame cool. But that was also a downside as if I didn't have them closed, then dust and other fine particulates could invade my systems and potentially cause my intakes to get clogged.

I started to scan around for my adversary, spotting it as it flew below me, its fist glowing with that purple light. I dashed to the left this time, firing my beam burst gun at full charge to try and keep it at a safe distance. The six shots split off, each one arcing away from the main trajectory. The Terra-Claw flipped and weaved around them, but what it didn't realize was that my attack was just a diversion for another, unexpected assault. I fired off my fin funnels under the cover of the attack from my beam burst gun, directing them to take up positions for assault. The Terra-Claw angled itself to come in for a close-quarters brawl, but I whipped myself to the right and then I let out a mental command to my fin funnels.

The Grimm squawked as eight pinkish lasers lanced out of the darkness, striking its bony armor and making it withdraw.

That gave me some breathing room.

My fin funnels came out of their hiding spots and rejoined with me, hovering around me as I watched the Terra-Claw circle warily.

'Damn! Just as I feared! It's learning and adapting.' I thought. My optics narrowed as the Grimm arced around, coming for me again. But instead of trying to use its gravity Dust abilities on me, this time its red eyes flared, and then lightning came out of its eyes! I gasped and on instinct, I directed my fin funnels into barrier configuration. The beam prism shield solidified within mere seconds as the lightning blast hit it dead center. I cried out as I was sent tumbling from the sky, slamming into the deserted street and bouncing a few times before my shield came to a stop. I groaned to myself, but despite the bouncing I had received from being tossed around like a ball, I was still alive and functional. I staggered to my feet within the barrier and then I dispersed it as the Terra-Claw hovered down, its wings arching as if in amusement.

"Oh, so brave, so cunning and strong. But be warned, there is much to be wrong." The voice coming from the Terra-Claw was enough to make me shudder against my will. It was all too sinister, like that of a demon or other entity with the echoing undertone. I felt my psychoframe pulsing with my fury as my optics shifted from violet to a cool emerald hue. I gripped my shield and shifted into a firing stance, aiming the mega cannon within it. I fired not even a second later.

And this time, the blast was going to hit.

The Terra-Claw merely raised a hand and, much to my surprise, swatted the beam aside like it was nothing! The blast went flying and slammed into the ground, creating a crater and throwing up dust and snow. I took the chance to retreat deeper into the cover. The Terra-Claw's eyes flashed as it scanned around it, using its Grimm senses to try and sniff me out.

But I was not about to let it. I was down low on the ground at this point, crawling as swiftly as I could through the snow, relying on my dark-colored armor and cloak to evade its detection. I had to figure out a way to take this thing down, and fast!

As I crawled, some part of my processor went to work in compiling data on the Terra-Claw.

'Okay. Terra-Claw. Humanoid species Grimm. Wings give it flight, Seer body gives it abilities of said Grimm. Strong and intelligent. Able to generate lava pillars. Can use gravity Dust to pin aerial enemies to ground. Lightning fired from eyes. Can deflect energy blasts with a swing of the arm. Incredibly cunning and adaptive.' I thought.

But as to what other abilities it had, I had no real idea.

My optics flickered as I slowly inched closer to the thing as it hovered overhead. The Seer that made up its lower body caught my attention and I glanced at it as it pulsed once. The thing then swiveled to lock onto my location and I gasped as the Terra-Claw turned its body around to face me directly! My wings arched and I was on the move, scrambling to my feet and running for it. The Terra-Claw's eyes glowed red before lightning beams leapt forth, homing in on my location. I flared my wings and dashed into the air, the lightning beams barely missing my feet. The Grimm flared its wings, and with a mighty flap, gave chase.

I gunned all eight of my thrusters to maximum burn, pushing myself as hard as I could.

Already the wind was beginning to whip my cloak around my frame, and I could sense that the snow was increasing. The Terra-Claw's voice echoed behind me.

"What a lovely day! What a wonderful way! Oh, how I love to play~!" it sang.

I hissed through my vents as I spun around, my fin funnels dashing out of their hiding spots where I had hidden them earlier and reuniting with me. I also aimed my shield's mega cannon and my beam burst gun as I gripped my beam pistols in my hands. I aimed my head Vulcans at the incoming Grimm, and then I let loose with everything I had.

The beams and bullets streaked away from my frame right for the Terra-Claw. It screeched before it held up a hand and then, much to my surprise, summoned forth a concentrated shield of pure air! My optics widened in shock at that tactic. The beams and bullets just struck the shield uselessly and the Grimm lowered its hand, seeming to smile at me directly.

"Nice try~! But only one of us can fry~!" the Terra-Claw taunted me.

I didn't like the implications of that last comment at all.

I narrowed my optics as I reattached my fin funnels to my wings and held up my beam pistols. I fired off several blue energy bullets, causing the Grimm to dodge as I was aiming directly for the Seer on the bottom of the Grimm's body. The Terra-Claw hissed in a sort of amused way, as if mocking me. My sensors were accurate as hell, even more so after my upgrades and repairs following the fight with Sammael. But this thing was mocking me! Making fun of me...

And Sammael was enjoying this. I glared at the Seer on its lower body and spoke directly to it.

"You really know how to get into people's heads, don't you?" I snarled. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but I'm not about to let you get into my head again!" I fired off a few more shots as I said this, forcing the Grimm to block with that air shield again. This time though, my sensors were going full force.

I analyzed the air in front of me, and my optics flickered as I picked up a discrepancy. It wasn't much, but it was all I needed.

I holstered one of my beam pistols and reached into my cloak, my hand finding a pocket and slipping inside. I felt around before my fingertips grazed a small device I knew all too well. I pulled it out, revealing it to be a device not much bigger than five inches long. I gripped the two pull rings and yanked, tugging them out. Once armed, I tensed my frame as the Terra-Claw flew at me, its fingers outstretched to expose clawed tips. I waited a few moments as it drew closer, my processor quickly making the calculations needed. Then, I drew back my arm and chucked that device as hard as I could right for the Terra-Claw's face. The grenade exploded and I turned my head away, muting my audios and throwing my cloak and shield up to protect my optics. I couldn't hear the Grimm, but a quick pulse of my radar indicated that it was there, recoiling. I waited a few moments before I reactivated my audios and then I heard the Grimm screeching.

I tensed my frame and, clenching my free hand, I punched the Terra-Claw as hard as I could, delivering a brutal right cross to its face. I heard the cracking of bone under my full strength and then I retreated from the Grimm, aiming my beam burst gun and firing again. The six shots spread out over the area and while two missed, the rest hit the creature dead on. The explosions were enough to make the thing recoil in pain, or close to it. Hell, no one even knew if these things could even feel pain. But the sounds it made were indicative of that. Or at least as close as it could be.

I took the opportunity to dive down at full speed, passing by the Grimm as I swooped back up, twisting my frame and delivering a brutal upper kick to the thing's jaw. The Terra-Claw was too disoriented by the blow to even counter as I flew up, hard and fast. My wings flared to full width as I launched my fin funnels again, this time firing off their beams into the beam prism barrier. The beams interconnected, creating a cage that kept the Terra-Claw from escaping. The Grimm lay on the bottom of the barrier, and I looked at it critically.

For some odd reason, the design of the Grimm made me feel a bit uneasy.

The upper body did resemble a man, incredibly muscular and covered entirely in that white bone armor. Its helm eerily reminded me of my own, but the horns coming off it were not shaped like a V-fin. Instead of one V-fin, there were two pairs of curved horns spiking upwards. Its eyes were dazed, and the faceplate resembled that of one of the Shinkalions. Its shoulders also had horns on them, and its wings reminded me of my own to some degree. But their design was more like a hand instead of draconic. But it was the Seer at the bottom that really creeped me out.

I inched closer, directing my fin funnels to bring the thing closer to me as well.

Only that was a big mistake.

The Grimm's eyes snapped back to clarity, and then its eyes began to pulse red.

The Terra-Claw's eyes flashed as lightning lanced out, striking my beam prism barrier, and shattering it from the inside.

That was a downside to it. While it couldn't easily be penetrated from the outside, it was on the inside that it was weaker. A sufficient blow could deal some major damage, but it took a significant force to shatter it. "Dammit!" I growled.

I called my fin funnels back and kept them close to me as I aimed my shield's cannon at it again. The Grimm retaliated by clenching a fist and then my sensors spiked. I watched as the temperature gauge measuring the temperature outside dropped around the Grimm's left hand and then my radar picked up a small swirling of cold wind, and I realized what was about to happen. I plunged my hand into my cloak and pulled out a small vial of fire Dust as the Grimm sent a blast of icy wind my way. I tossed the vial of fire Dust and it exploded on contact, generating a thick cloud of steam and allowing me to get in close.

The Terra-Claw didn't even know I was right behind it.

Or so I thought.

The beast spun around, and I gulped.

The Grimm's Seer underbody glimmered and I realized it had a lock on me.

I whipped my frame around, my shield's mega cannon firing right for it. The beam tonfa on my right arm swung into position and I charged in, my thrusters humming loudly in my audios. A roar escaped my vocalizer as the Terra-Claw retaliated, throwing out a hand and summoning a barrier of concentrated air again, causing the shot from my shield's mega cannon to explode against it. My beam tonfa, on the other hand, cut clean through the air shield, disintegrating it and almost lopping off that Seer. The Grimm, much to my shock and disgust, was able to separate its upper and lower bodies, leaving them connected by the black smoke that surged through it like so much blood. The smoke itself was incorporeal, meaning my beam tonfa didn't even cause any damage to it.

The shock I was feeling was enough for the beast to draw back a fist and punch as hard as it could, sending me plummeting to the ground below. I cried out as I fell before slamming hard into the pavement of the deserted road below, generating a crater on impact. I lay there as the smoke and snow started to clear, and my optics flickered a bit with static. I had to do a quick reset to clear the static from my visual sensors, but I was able to recover quickly. All around me snow was swirling, and my fin funnels lay scattered around me. I called them back to me and I reattached them to my wings; I was not about to risk using them again lest this thing find a way to disable them.

I scrambled to my feet and put my beam tonfa back in storage.

'Okay. Guess I gotta fight dirty!' I thought. I put my beam burst gun back in storage against my right forearm before I plunged a hand into my cloak and I pulled out another vial, this time containing a sickly green substance. I tensed as the Terra-Claw dove down towards me at full speed, wings folded back and its Seer aimed right at me. I grunted as I hurled the vial as hard as I could. The vial exploded against the Grimm's armor, splattering it. Although it wasn't slowed down, that was not my intention.

Instead, my intention was something much dirtier.

Literally.

I scooped up some of the surrounding snow and quickly compacted it into a snowball laced with mud. I gripped it in my hands and flared my wings, darting up to meet the Terra-Claw directly. "Hope you like fighting blind!" I quipped.

The Terra-Claw didn't even stop its descent.

I came to a hover in midair and drew back my arm for the throw. I waited for a second, then chucked the snowball as hard as I could. For most others, it would seem like I had gone insane and was trying the same trick from before.

Except the snowball hit not its chest, but the Terra-Claw's Seer.

The sticky substance within the vial I had just hurled at the Grimm acted as an adhesive, keeping the snow and mud attached to its Seer and covering its eye. That was all I needed.

The Terra-Claw spread its wings in shock and flew off, its armored hands trying to wipe off the sticky snow and mud from the Seer on its lower body.

I grinned in my thoughts as I vectored in from the right, my shield's mega cannon fully charged for a shot aimed right for the Grimm's lower body. "Having fun? Because it's about to come to an end!" I shouted.

I fired.

The Grimm whirled around at the sound of my mega cannon firing, and its eyes - the ones on its face - pulsed red before it fired more lightning to counter my shield's mega cannon shot. The twin beams collided with the shot and an explosion resulted, throwing me back with the shockwave along with the Terra-Claw. Both of us came to a hover, and then I slipped my hand onto the hilt of my Hyper Beam Sword. I pulled it free from the sheath inside the shield and then hefted it, pressing the button on the hilt to ignite the cutting edges. Pink beams of light covered the edges of the sword and then I was coming in hard and fast.

I roared as I swung my sword with all my might.

The Terra-Claw looked back...

And then my blade struck home.

At least I thought it did.

My optics widened as I felt the jerk as my blade collided with something all right. The Terra-Claw's hand. Or rather it had caught my sword in its grasp. Its bony fingers curled around my weapon and began to squeeze. But I pushed harder, grunting with the effort.

The Terra-Claw's red eyes flashed as it returned the gesture.

Both of us pushed against the other, one machine, one Grimm. But the Terra-Claw's advantage was that it had other abilities. And one of those was about to become clear. Its wings began to sparkle with lightning, and I gasped as it screeched, flaring its wings wide open and unleashing a brilliant burst of lightning that struck me. I screamed in pain and agony as the electricity struck my frame. My own wings snapped open and I was blown back by the pulse as it erupted off the Terra-Claw's body.

I was thrown flat onto my back, landing in the snow as the Terra-Claw hovered down, its fist becoming covered in earth Dust. The Dust began to form over its hand, shaping into what amounted to a long spear. Ice began to coat it, giving it a glistening sheen. And the lightning from its wings arced over the makeshift weapon.

I groaned as I forced myself back to my senses, driving the pain from my processor and frame. I could feel the sparks dancing over my armor, and every now and then my vision glitched from the sudden pulse. I glanced up, and my reactor hitched in my chest as I saw what the Terra-Claw was doing.

Memory files came back to me.

The memory files of that day all those years ago.

The day I had fought back at Navy Pier.

This was all too similar, except that the Grimm this time was not a Beringel, but a much more dangerous one. And it was much stronger in many ways.

I could still recall the piercing pain in my chest as I was stabbed through the right side. My arm had just fallen limp. My leg refused to move. My right lung had collapsed and I was deafened in my right ear. I remembered the agonizing wait as paramedics rushed to save my life and get me to the hospital.

And although I was now one of the strongest Hunters in the world, I was, right then and there, vulnerable.

Just like I had been after I had been crippled.

And that was something I was not about to let hold me back any longer. I was not about to be crippled again. Not after Glory had abandoned me. I was not about to let myself die or be left in that situation again!

I staggered to my feet, forcing the pain in my servos and joints aside. I was intent on finishing this thing somehow. No matter what it took!

My psychoframe began to pulse with power as my pseudo-Aura started to glow brightly. I looked up, my optics flashing bright emerald. "Okay, bastard! No more holding back!"

I roared as I lunged back into the air with a burst of fire from my thrusters, my Hyper Beam Sword glowing hungrily.

The Terra-Claw's makeshift weapon flashed as it thrust it forward, aiming right for my chest. I ducked it and swiped my sword up, lopping off the tip and earning a surprised squeal as I clipped its left shoulder with my own weapon. The horn on the tip of its shoulder armor went flying, and then its free fist lashed out, backhanding me and sending me flipping back in midair. I righted myself using my thrusters and charged back in, my wings flared wide open. I sheathed my sword back in my shield and plunged a hand into my cloak, pulling out another vial from another pocket. This time it was filled with wind Dust. I hurled it and the Grimm countered by breaking it. But that was just what I needed. I used the distraction to fly around to the right, aiming my beam pistols and firing off a barrage of shots at the Grimm's back. The Grimm turned and this time, it flared its wings to shield itself from my attack. The rounds just bounced off those bony fingers and I hissed through my vents at that. This was not looking so good for me, I mused. I needed to get an edge. But how?

My mind raced as I wracked my processor for any ideas.

But nothing came to mind. In fact, I was so busy I didn't even notice the Terra-Claw coming in with its weapon repaired.

The next thing I knew, there was a sudden pain in my back as I was sent plummeting a second time, and my vision erupted into static from the hit. I slammed headfirst into the ground, generating another crater in the pavement and snow. I groaned as I forced the feeling of being clubbed back to the depths of my processor and rolled over, and that was when I realized it.

The Terra-Claw's entire body was glowing with the purple glow of gravity Dust.

And then I gasped as I felt it.

The intense gravitational field that had pinned me down prior.

Only this time it was all over my frame. I couldn't move a finger, least of all a servo motor.

I was pinned like a butterfly.

The Grimm sneered as it hefted its makeshift spear, the tip forming again and elongating. I struggled to look down at the scar crossing my chest armor, the very same scar that had been welded shut by the Vist Foundation mechanics who repaired me. It was a weak point in my considerable defenses. And if that hairline crack was struck...

Then it was game over for me.

The Grimm reared back its arm.

And then I knew I was finished.

As my life flashed before my optics, however, I had no idea that help was on its way.