Chapter 7

March 5th, Northern Sanus

Raven and Robyn drove through the Sanus wilderness, following the coastline. Callus had said that the Hound had made landfall somewhere in northwestern Sanus, which was populated mainly with beaches. Hopefully, they could find evidence of where she had been, and where she was going.

After a couple hours, they reached the spot where Callus pointed out on the map. Unfortunately, there was no indication that the Hound had made it here.

"If that man led us astray~" Raven began.

"Hey, they weren't keeping track of it," Robyn rebuffed, "It's likely this was his best guess."

Raven didn't respond, instead viewing the area. Robyn then noticed something in the sand. Something black. Getting off her bike, she headed onto the beach, catching Raven's attention. Kneeling into the sand, she discovered a small speck of black liquid.

"Find anything?" Raven inquired, having got off her own bike and was approaching.

"Maybe. Didn't they say that the skin of the Hound was liquid?"

"Liquid-like."

"Yeah." Robyn then noticed several more spots that had the black specks, all leading inland. Jogging, she came to the forest, and noticed a large spot in the grass that had been disturbed. Inspecting the ground, she found plenty of the black liquid, noticeable enough for Raven to see.

"She landed here. The dirt here is disturbed, showing something large impacted the ground. Summer likely landed here quickly, skidding on the ground before continuing her path."

"Any indication on which way she went?"

Before Robyn could reply, they both heard growling from around them. Gripping their weapons, they could see several Beowolves circling them. They were dozens of meters away, but that circle was slowly closing.

"Quickly," Robyn yelled out, "Kill them before they disturb the area!" Like lightning, Raven blasted off towards the nearest Beowolf, decapitating it, while Robyn fired several arrows at other Beowolves. Smirking, she flicked her wrist, the eyes of Sherwood glowing red. The fired another arrow at a Beowolf's forehead. When it impacted, it glowed red, then exploded, taking the Grimm's head off. When another approached, the wings of Sherwood swung upward and she slashed at the Beowolf.

With the last one falling to Omen, the two Huntresses surveyed the area.

"How's the trail?"

Robyn quickly ran back, surveying the damage.

"Minimal. Enough to give me a headache, but not enough to stop me."

Robyn followed the tracks before looking up to see what direction she was taking. She quickly returned to her bike, Raven following closely behind, and pulled a map from a satchel attached to it. Laying it across the bike, she started tracing a path.

"So, Summer will either attempt to reach Beacon Academy or Patch, right?"

"Yes. Patch is obvious, being her home."

"Why Beacon, though? A Grimm, even if they were once human, would try to stay as far away from that so they don't get blasted for no reason."

"That's...for reasons."

Robyn raised a brow. Whatever reasons Summer had for heading to Beacon, it seems Raven won't tell her. Either because it's too personal, or because she's not allowed to know. Growing up in Atlas, she suspected it might be the latter.

"Okay, well, either way, Summer will have to cross Lake Orialus."

At Robyn's words, she pointed to a large body of water in Sanus that looked like a cut wound. Lake Orialus is the largest inland body of water in Sanus. Travelling around it could take weeks, but going across it would only take a day or two.

"So," Raven inquired, "What's the fastest route there?"

"Actually, it should be a straight shot to it. The nearby mountains hinder passages, but there's a tunnel that goes through the mountains. Not far from the opposite side is a town."

Raven shook her head, "Too public. Summer will want to try to stay as far away from towns as possible. Place like that probably has plenty of traffic."

Robyn cupped her chin, "Then she'll take an alternate route."

"Reports said that the Hound can fly."

"Yeah, but a flying Grimm will be easy to spot, especially if you're specifically looking for it. No, she'll have to go around the mountains."

Raven nodded, looking over the map.

"Wait," Robyn restated, "No. There's an old mountain trail. She could take that and cut the trip."

"How do you know that?"

"I did a lot of research before coming to Sanus. If we were tracking something, I wanted to know all the old trails."

"And why isn't the trail used anymore?"

"Too many Grimm attacks. However, a Grimm hybrid~"

"Could easily move past them," Raven pulled out her Scroll, "Qrow, it's Raven."

"Please tell me we won the gold star and Summer's there."

"No, but we've found her trail, you see the nearby mountains?"

"Uuuuuh~"

"Over there." Clover's voice could be heard.

"I know that," Qrow rebuffed him, trying to sound quiet so she couldn't hear, "Yeah, I see them."

"Follow the road through the tunnel and wait for us at the nearby town."

"What about you?"

"We'll be taking an old mountain trail that Summer may have taken. Contact you once we're over." She hung up, not waiting to hear her brother's reply. She and Robyn quickly mounted their bikes and started driving towards the mountain trail.

"Have to say," Robyn called out, "Seeing this side of the Bandit Queen is...kinda amusing."

Raven was silent, as she didn't want to give her the enjoyment of a response.

"Summer must be one hell of a woman to bring this out of you."

"Yes," Raven replied, "She is."

Raven looked to the side briefly.

Raven stood near the edge of the cliff, Summer's gravestone in front of her. The night sky was clear, shining down upon the grave, surrounded by flowers. Kneeling down, she placed a flower, a white rose with a red raven pin on it, unto the gravestone.

Raven looked back to the road. "She's the best of us all." She mumbled to herself before hitting the gas, speeding past Robyn as the two headed towards the mountain.

Back with the Atlesian car, Qrow looked over the map, trying to find the most likely route. Meanwhile, Clover himself was obviously driving the car, occasionally taking a peak at the map.

"Okay," Qrow said, looking over the map, "Over the lake, then south-west."

"Going over possible directions?" Clover inquired.

"Yeah."

"Pretty sure your sister and Robyn have already made similar connections."

"Probably, but they have the luxury of a faster ride. They'll need it to keep up with Summer."

"You think that Summer won't stop until she gets back home."

"Grimm don't get tired. Or, at least, I haven't come across any that do. Summer was a bit of a trailblazer when it came to the outdoors. Seriously, more often than not, we'd go camping, only to find her sleeping in the trees." Qrow pointed upward at the passing trees on the last comment.

Unfortunately, at that moment, the car hit a bump, which caused the map to fly out of his hand. Luckily, the hook of Clover's weapon, Kingfisher, gripped it. Clover immediately slowed the car down. Qrow, after groaning, leaned back and grabbed the map, after which Clover picked up the speed again.

"Well," Clover said, a slight grin to his face, "That was lucky."

"Yeah, the smartest move Jimmy made in his whole career."

"What?"

"Putting you on a team with me. My Semblance is Misfortune."

Clover raised his brow in surprise. "Wait, so you're sister laughing the other night~"

"You got the bad group," Qrow smirked, "While I got lucky."

"Heh. Well, I'm not a believer in destiny, but that's one hell of a coincidence."

"Yeah."

After several hours, they came upon the tunnel, crossing it with no trouble. Upon approaching the village, Qrow called his sister.

"Raven, any updates?"

"Plenty. We came across what seems to be an attack."

"Attack?" Robyn's voice called out, "This is a straight up massacre."

"What happened?" Qrow replied, only for Clover's Scroll to ping. Gesturing to him, Clover handed him his Scroll. On it were several pictures, showing blood and body parts everywhere.

'Dear Brothers. Don't tell me Summer did all this.'

"Anyways, Robyn says she's found more of the black liquid, meaning Summer passed by here. Whether or not the attack happened before she got here is up for debate."

"No, she was here during it. I've found some of the liquid on...body parts. Summer definitely participated in the attack."

"Maybe you can ask around the village, find out if they know anything about it."

"Got it. Keep me posted." Qrow hung up and filled Clover in on the situation. Clover drove to the village, parking the car just at the edge. The two Huntsmen quickly walked into the village, seeing several trucks parked near a large warehouse.

"Hey!" A man called out to them. Stopping, the man ran up to them, allowing them to get a better look. Nothing remarkable, brown hair, aqua colored eyes, looked like he hasn't slept last night. "Oh, thank Gods you've arrived. I can't believe you got here so fast."

"I'm sorry?" Clover replied.

"We weren't sure if any Huntsmen could answer our calls for help."

Qrow and Clover looked to each other, perplexed, before Qrow answered. "And you are?"

"Oh, sorry. Jenshin, I'm the deputy to the sheriff here."

"Well, Jenshin, sorry to burst your bubble, but we aren't the Huntsmen you called for. We're just passing through."

"Oh," Jenshin looked visibly worried, "Well, can you help us, anyways."

"Look~" Clover began.

"Please, we're not sure when that monster will attack us. It only attacked the bandits, but who knows when it'll come after the village."

The two Huntsmen looked at each other, their brows raised.

"Monster?" Clover inquired.

"Yeah, follow me."

With nothing else to go on, the two followed the deputy into a nearby building. Upon entering, the room had a desk, a second door leading to what Qrow guessed were possibly cells.

"Sheriff Nottry, we have some Huntsmen."

Nottry was a red haired woman, her hair flowing down her shoulders. She had a large scar across that went down from left cheek to her collar bone. Looking up, her emerald eyes showed annoyance.

"Jenshin," Nottry replied, "These are not the Huntsmen I called for."

"I know, I know, but they were passing by. We'll need all the help we can get."

"And we're already paying for the three Huntsmen that are coming. We don't need to pay for two more, especially if they end up killing it, then we'll still have to pay the other three."

"Look, Miss Nottry," Clover interjected, "Truth be told, we're currently on our own mission. Your deputy said that there was a Grimm in this area."

"And~" Nottry was interrupted however, when the door bursts open.

"Sheriff, you need to see this!" The man said.

"Kalbrant, what's happening?"

"It's on the news! Come on!"

The group ran outside, into the adjacent house. Upon entering, a couple people who were looking at the TV turned in shock, not expecting such a crowd.

"What's happening?" Nottry inquired. No one replied as they simply looked at the screen. On it was a woman with white hair and amber colored eyes. Lisa Lavender, the top reporter for the Vale News Network.

'Oh boy./Oh great.' Clover and Qrow thought.

"~The creature was originally spotted between the continents of Sanus and the Grimmlands," the woman continued, "On board the Atlesian passenger ship Yakutsk. Reports indicate this new Grimm~" an image appeared next to Lisa, showing the Hound on the deck of a ship, "~Saved the ship from two Blizzard Feilongs. The captain of the Yakutsk, one Tolas Farem, allowed the creature to remain on board the ship. We can only guess as to his reason, but, according to his crew, the most likely reason is that he was unsure if they could remove the Grimm, and did not want to antagonize it. The Grimm, nicknamed the Hound remained on the Yakutsk for several days before departing. Sadly, any news we can acquire from Captain Farem is lost, as, shortly after the Grimm left, the Yakutsk was beset by pirates. While all of the passengers and some of the crew did escape before the attack, Captain Farem and the rest of his crew were lost buying time for them to escape."

'And there goes secrecy,' Qrow grumbled, 'Though, it had to happen eventually. You can't seem to keep yourself out of the spotlight.'

"The appearance of the Hound has already generated mixed responses, some glad that there are Grimm that won't attack humans, while others are saying it should be destroyed. However, the general opinion is one of concern, as no Grimm has shown these traits. While the Pharos Council has yet to comment on it, rumors are circulating in~" the Hound image changed to the Vale sigil, "~that~" Lisa placed a hand to her ear, "We've just been told that the Headmasters of Beacon and Atlas Academy, Opzin and James Ironwood, are collaborating on a joint mission. We take you, live, to Atlas Academy, where Headmaster Ironwood is about to give his announcement."

The screen shifted to show James on a podium, Councilwoman Camilla and Councilman Sleet standing adjacent to him with matching podiums.

"This is a monumental event," James declared, "Never before, in recorded history, has a Grimm not only spoken, but also protected the lives of humans of its own volition. Our understanding of the Grimm grows with every generation. And we must not waste this chance. I have already contacted Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy, and we've sent two Hunters from each of our kingdoms to find this Grimm. Whatever this Grimm, this...Hound, is, it must be found, and the reason for its deviation must be discovered. Any sightings of the Hound must be reported to their respective kingdoms."

"General Ironwood," a reporter offscreen replied, "How does the rest of the Atlas Council feel about this decision."

"While I am disappointed," Camilla answered, "That James made this decision without informing us, I can agree that this Grimm needs to be captured."

"Almost every Grimm," another reporter exclaimed, "Has killed itself when faced with captivity. How will this one be different?"

'Because it isn't just a Grimm you bastard.' Qrow thought. The reporter definitely didn't deserve his anger, but, every second wasted here was another second Salem's forces close in on Summer.

"We don't know if it will be different." Sleet answered.

"However," James added, "As stated, this Grimm is unlike anything in recorded history. Just as it is likely to kill itself when it's imprisoned, it's just as likely that it won't. Any and all sightings of the Hound must be reported immediately."

The screen shifted to Lisa once more. "We have yet to receive a comment from the Vale Council regarding the Hound, however, it seems that the two Huntsmen Academies are sending Hunters to find and capture the Hound. As Headmaster Ironwood said, any and all sightings of the Hound should be reported to the authorities."

Whatever Lisa was saying, the people in the house tuned it out as they started turning towards Qrow and Clover.

"Well," Qrow remarked, smirking, "That simplifies things."

"So," Nottry replied, narrowing her eyes, "You're the team sent to hunt down this...Hound."

"Capture it," Clover retorted, "Not kill it."

"Are you nuts?" Jenshin barked out, "That thing needs to be destroyed!"

"Hey," Qrow snapped, getting up to Jenshin, "I may not be a fan of Atlas, but I can agree that something like this is too good to pass up on. I see no reason why we can't simply capture."

"You didn't see what it did to the caravan!"

"Oh," Qrow barked back, "Then enlighten me!" Qrow eyes narrowed. He knew Summer, and she wouldn't attack a group of civilians.

"Yesterday," Nottry answered, "Jenshin was returning with a caravan full of supplies, when they were beset by bandits. That's when the Hound appeared."

"And, did any of your people get killed?"

"Not by the Hound~" Jenshin started, but Qrow interrupted.

"Then I see no issue!"

"You didn't see, though! The only reason it didn't attack us was because we hid in our trucks! It...it...it tore through them like they were nothing."

'So, Summer did cause that massacre.'

"The only reason we got away was because I stunned it with a rocket!"

Qrow was normally a relaxed individual, or he'd like to think so. But, this kid, bad mouthing Summer? As Jenshin kept on going, Qrow's fist clenched, and Clover looked ready to intervene. Nottry noticed what was about to happen, but didn't say anything. Qrow started to raise his arm to punch him~

Qrow Scroll ringed, catching everyone off guard. Looking at it, the caller was Ozpin. His anger dissipated, he looked to Clover.

"I need to take this."

Clover nodded, taking any chance to get Qrow out of the room before a fight started. Qrow left the building and answered his Scroll.

"Hey, Oz. Tell me, did you know Jimmy was about to do that?"

"Actually, I encouraged him to do it."

"Thought you wanted to keep this quiet."

"Like I told Glynda, that isn't possible anymore. Now, we play it backwards. Make Summer as public as possible, and we'll be able to track her easier."

"So will Salem's people."

"Yes. But, this way, with such a public image of the Hound, Salem won't risk exposing herself. Meaning the only people you'll have to deal with are Her people."

"Fair enough. Although, I'm starting to think Summer may not be mentally sound. Raven and Robyn came across a fight that Summer was in. From the pics they sent me, it seems like she tore them apart like an animal."

"Well, that's to be expected. The decade of torture alone would drive a person mad, let alone being turned into a Grimm."

"You're not kidding. Salem really did a number on her…"

"Something else is on your mind."

"That obvious? Yeah. Before James called, telling me we spotted her, Ruby called me."

"I see. Knowing Tai, he'd want Miss Xiao Long and Rose to reunite with their mother as soon as possible."

"Same thing with me. However, if Summer's mind is too badly damaged…"

"We'll simply have to hope that the darkness of the Grimm hasn't corrupted her too far. And, seeing how she saved the Yakutsk, if only temporarily, I'd say it's likely she hasn't gone too far."

"Yeah. Hey, Oz, quick question: Do you think that, whatever condition she's in, can it be reversed?"

"..."

"Oz?"

"...I can't tell you yes, because something like this has never happened. In all my years against Salem, she has never done something like this. I don't know what state Summer's body is in. Is it her soul placed inside a Grimm, is it a Grimm that's cocooned itself around her. We simply don't know enough. I'll consolt with James about having some of his scientists work on her once we get her back. I'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear."

"No, no. Honestly, it's kinda both terrifying and comforting to know you don't have a plan for everything. Makes you a little more human like the rest of us."

"...Yes, I would say it's comforting to know that even I have flaws."

"Ozpin," a new voice called out, "We've waited long enough."

"In a moment. Forgive me, Qrow, but I must return to the Council meeting here."

Qrow smirked. Seems that the Vale Council didn't like Ozpin sidelining them just like the Atlas Council for James. Well, fuck 'em. They had no concept of what's truly going on.

"Alright, Oz. Talk to ya later." Qrow hung up, hearing a knocking behind him. "I take it you got intel."

"Just what we could get," Clover responded, the two heading back to the car, "All they know is from the sheriff herself. A strange Grimm was spotted heading southward."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Qrow grumbled, "Well, they can't all be gold mines. Let's go."

The two got in their car, Qrow calling Raven to inform them of the news concerning Summer's direction, as well as the news report. They started the car and began moving to~

"Wait!" Nottry called out, running to them. There was another woman with her, wearing the same uniform that Nottry had.

"Anything else?" Qrow snipped at her.

"Apparently, my other deputy had intel. Tell them."

"Okay," the deputy said, "Just the other day, an airship came flying past the town."

'Oh, shit.' "Describe it."

"It looked like a Valian Bullhead. However, instead of two turbine engines, it had four."

'The same as the one Salem's agents are using.' "How far behind the Hound is it?"

"Given the speed it's going...very close."

Miles away, Summer ran southward. However, while she normally sprinted in Wolf form, now she was only running. She had to focus on more...mental aspects. For the uptenth time since the battle, she stopped herself, trying to collect her thoughts.

'Why did I do that? Why? I know I've fought against humans before, but I never would've killed them.'

Summer then realized what she thought, and did a mental double take.

'No. I did kill people before. Bandits, of course. But I always gave them the chance to surrender. Why didn't I~'

'Because it wouldn't have mattered.' A dark and feminine thought replied.

'WHAT THE?! Who are you?!'

'That doesn't matter. What matters is that telling those people to surrender wouldn't have mattered. For all of your life, people are going to look upon you in fear. Their first instinct is to kill you.'

'So you had me murder them!?'

'I only gave you the necessary push. Don't blame me if it's too bloody. Remember, you may be a Grimm, but you're still a Huntress.'

'Regardless of what you tell me, you still haven't told me wh~'

Anticipating the next words, it replied, 'I figured it would've been obvious.'

Summer growled, 'You! You're the Sulfur Fish that made me into this!'

'Oh, please. Don't be so dense. If you can't figure out who~'

No response. The other voice just went silent. 'What? No comeback, Grimm?'

'Shut up! Listen.'

Summer perked her ears up. A whooshing sound could be heard in the distance. Turning upward, she saw an airship.

'Who's…'

'Trouble.'

Said airship fired two missiles at her. Summer quickly started running, dodging the missiles.

'Bullhead's don't contain missile pods! That's not standard issued.'

Two compartments at the top opened up, revealing miniguns.

'Really? What was your first guess!'

The miniguns opened fire, forcing her to swurve through the trees. Everytime she tried making a run for it, a missile would be fired, forcing her to divert her path. Trees were scorched, the ground caught fire as she attempted to flee. Summer then noticed that, while the bullets did occasionally hit her, to minimal effect, the miniguns weren't aiming directly at her.

The airship was trying to corral her.

'Yeah, no thank you.' Summer then sprouted her wings and charged at the airship.

"Oh, shit!" Someone from inside, likely the pilot, called out. Summer recognized it as the voice of the mustache man from Salem's castle. But, before she could contemplate on that, the airship fired several missiles, likely in panic. One of them impacted her directly. Careening into the airship, she impacted the armored glass of the cockpit, co-pilot side, cracking it. She slid against the top of the airship, gripping it tightly as she rebalanced herself. Summer gripped the first minigun, ripping it off after a couple of seconds. The second one quickly turned and fired at her, causing her to stumble backwards. As she fell, she gripped the Bullhead door, draggin her claw against it.

The door opened upward, and Summer swung herself down to meet her assailants...Only for a fist to punch her out of the airship, sending her plummeting to the ground. Using her wings, she turned her fall into a glide just a dozen feet from the ground. Landing with a deafening THUD, water rushed past her as her wings retracted back into the skin.. Summer realized she was in the middle of a river, a waterfall not far from her.

Summer turned, looking at the Bullhead. Surprisingly, it had halted it's assault. Then, two men dropped from the open door Summer ripped open, landing on the ground. A scorpion faunus with purple eyes, and a tall human with golden eyes. These might be Huntsmen who were hired to take her down

"My, oh, my," the Faunus exclaimed, "You led us on quite the merry chase, now, haven't you?"

Summer growled at them, shifting to Werewolf form, and extending her claws slightly.

"Look," the tall man calmly said, taking a step forward, "You~"

Summer snarled at the man, causing him to stop in his tracks. The tall man halted, a small round object hanging from his hip.

"You were created by Salem, you have a responsibility to serve her."

No. These people work for Salem.

'Are they insane?!'

'Of course they are. They serve Her.'

'Not the time.'

'There's no reasoning with these people. Don't hesitate.'

"This doesn't have to end in violence."

"What are you doing?" The Faunus whispered, though Summer's enhanced hearing heard it all.

"If we get into a fight, we may end up permanently damaging it."

They intend to take Summer back to Salem, that was obvious. And, if she got sent back, she'd never leave. She doubted that Salem would even let her live. After all, she now had a reason to capture others born with silver eyes. While Summer did break free and gain control, Salem could always collect more.

Including Ruby.

"Never." Summer answered. The tall man gave a disappointed sigh, while the Faunus looked enraged.

"How DARE YOU," the Faunus roared, "You are our Goddess's greatest creation, her angel of death! And you would so easily~"

'Okay, shutting him up right now.'

Summer sent an arm flying, grabbing the Faunus and throwing him into the river, skipping several times. Charging at the tall man, the two entered a brawl, trading blow for blow. The man soon saw that Summer had an advantage in height. And matched him in strength.

"Hazel," the Bullhead called out, "Move! I can't get a clear shot."

When Summer heard that, she gripped onto the tall man's, now known as Hazel, arms, holding him in place. She then heard a roaring behind her. Glancing, she saw the Faunus running at her, a pair of arm blades, each having two gun barrels. He fired several times into her back before jumping onto said back. She winced in pain as the Faunus started slashing and stinging into her back. Letting go of one of Hazel's hands, she gripped the Faunus, grabbing his leg and slammed him into the ground. Before she could regrip Hazel's free arm, he punched her in the muzzle, recoiling her. The Faunus quickly got up, slashing at her legs, before Hazel uppercutted her into the river.

The Bullhead then fired the miniguns at her, the bullets impacting the skin. Summer ran down the river, attempting to flee. Several more missiles were fired at her, some impacting the riverbed, causing the ground to shift uncomfortably. Summer shifted her back, the wings preparing to unfold~

Summer doubled forward as her entire body was consumed in pain. None of her assailants were attacking her, yet all she could feel was agony.

'WhAt'S hApPeNiNg?!' Summer thought as she screamed in agony.

'I dOn'T kNoW!'

Summer turned, seeing Hazel holding a device, though she couldn't she what the other side of it looked like. Hazel pressed something on the device, causing the pain she was feeling it increase.

"Such a shame," the Faunus taunted, "For one of her Grace's creations to be in such pain. But, this is what happens when you defy your maker!"

'Give me control.' The second voice demanded. Their thoughts were becoming more coherent, luckily.

'Like hell!'

'You can't handle the pain. I can.'

'If I let you have control, you'll simply take me to Salem.'

'ARE YOU STILL ON ABOUT THAT!? Fine, then smash!'

'What?'

'Don't ask, just SMASH!'

Summer, out of options, started smashing her fists into the riverbed.

"What are you doing?" The pilot exclaimed.

"Looks like it's trying to fight through the pain." Tyrian replied, "Won't do it any good."

Then the ground shifted as the bedrock started to break.

"No!" Hazel cried out, "Stop that Grimm!"

Summer then raised a final first. As she swung it downward, she didn't even notice the hand emblazoned with yellow energy. Slamming it into the ground, the area shifted as the ground started collapsing down the waterfall.

"Hazel, Tyrian, move!"

As the ground collapsed, Summer stretched a first towards Hazel, knocking the device out of his hand.

"NO!" Hazel yelled out as the device started plummeting. Summer swore she saw a face on the device, but didn't think about it further. The ground descending, water rushing all around her, she spread her wings and flew up. The airship fired another set of missiles, and Summer, too disoriented from the torture device, could do nothing to dodge them. A large explosion engulfed her as she fell out of the sky and down the waterfall, disappearing into the misty air.

With Salem's agents, Tyrian and Hazel kept on running, trying to outrun the landslide. Arthur lowered the airship.

"Get it!"

The two jumped as the ground below them collapsed.

"That was too close!"

"You almost killed our Goddess's weapon!" Tyrian roared.

"I would rather have failure from killing it than failure by losing it."

"Why you!" Tyrian started walking to the cockpit.

"Enough," Hazel replied, "We have another issue. I've lost the Compass."

"You WHAT!?" Tyrian roared.

"Before any of you fight, we can easily scan for any metallic objects. It will take time to dig it out, but we'll get it back. However, we clearly underestimated that creature."

Tryian grumbled and pouted as he sat down, while Hazel nodded in understanding. Salem had told them that the Compass would torture the Sulfur Fish attached to the creature and, since it was connected to it, would also torture the creature itself. However, the creature recognized that it wasn't going to win, not while the Compass was torturing it. Yet it was coherent enough to know how to escape.

'Just what did Salem create?' Hazel thought.

March 7th

Summer woke up with a jolt. The first thing she noticed was that the sun was rising. She must've passed out. Panicking, she looked around, only to realize something.

She could see in color. She was in what seemed like a bedroom. Summer started rubbing her forehead.

'What madman would put me in their bed~Wait~Rubbing my forehead?!' Summer looked, her eyes widening. Wait, she had eyes!?

Her body...It was human!

Summer stood up, heading to a window, and pushing it open. The sun was rising through a forest, leaves rustling in the wind.

'Where am I?'

Summer then saw two figures approaching. She couldn't get a good look at them, but she could tell that one of them wore light grey, and the other had black and red. As they came closer, Summer's eyes widened in shock.

One was a man with grey clothing, and a red cloak.

The other was a woman in red and black, with an odachi inside a scabbard.

Raven and Qrow.

Looking out the window, she looked at the exterior of the house. It was the abandoned logging house that STRQ had bought back in their Beacon days. After they graduated, it became a permanent home.

'How did~?'

A gust of wind blew through the area, past the Branwens and into the window. Summer's cloak flowing in the wind. Summer was filled with unrelenting joy.

'It doesn't matter how,' Summer thought as she smiled, 'I'm home.'

Author's Notes: Is she?

This chapter was going to end differently, but I think this way is better. Next chapter we'll see how several other parties are currently doing during the two day time jump.

Regarding the fight between Summer and WTCH minus the C, we don't know the upper limits of the Hound, but I would say that, given how it's the ultimate Grimm, if Hazel didn't have the Compass/torture device, Summer would have won eventually. Remember, they aren't allowed to kill it.

With that, leave a review, fav/follow, and I'll see you all next time.