"We need to move back!" Neela yelled at them quietly, shoving all three of them back and they scrambled away a few more feet.

"How do we take it down?" Eren asked.

"Oobleck will want to see it," Titus told him. "Another new Grimm? This is the second in the last year!"

"Second!?" Eren questioned.

"He doesn't know about the Camazotz," Ilia noted.

"Everyone heard about it," Eren corrected. "We just assumed it was an old species that was only recently discovered."

"By all accounts, the doctor thinks the Camazotz is a new species," Titus noted.

"Now would be a good time to bother Harriet, right?" Ilia inquired.

"Probably," Neela agreed as she switched her comms over. "Harriet?"

"Hey kid, what's up?" Harriet asked as she put down another Beowulf that had been split up from the pack.

"You still out in the woods?" Neela questioned.

"Something wrong?" Harriet questioned.

"There's a large Grimm here that we've never seen before," Neela explained.

"I'll be there as fast as I can," Harriet stated. Neela switched her comms back, never taking her eyes off of the large rhino.

"So we wait?" Titus asked.

"Yeah," Neela stated blankly.

"We can take this thing," Eren insisted. They all looked at him.

"No," Neela asserted.

"Why not?" Eren replied.

"Because Neela said so," Ilia stated. "For one."

"And we have no idea what it's capable of, or what its weaknesses are," Titus added.

"Did CBLT know what the weaknesses were for the Camazotz the first time they fought it?" Eren questioned.

"Cobalt made his decision to fight it, and I'm making the decision to stand down until Harriet gets here," Neela stated. Eren grumbled.

"What if it starts heading towards Vale?" Eren questioned

"That's a bridge we'll cross when and if we have to," Titus noted.

"What if it heads towards us?!" Ilia screamed peaking over the wall as it charged towards them.

"Move!" Neela demanded, grabbing Eren and swinging away as Ilia leapt into Titus and he rolled out of its path just in time.

"We might not have an option!" Eren noted. Neela's mind scrambled as she tried to come up with a plan, but they all involved Eliana.

"You have a plan?" Neela asked Eren. Eren stared at her for a long moment.

"Neela?" Titus questioned. The beast angled towards Titus this time. "Ilia, you've got to calm down!"

But it's massive!

"Some Grimm are strong enough to pierce themselves, like a Deathstalker stinger, right?" Eren noted.

"How does that help here?" Neela questioned.

"We break off the horn!" Eren suggested. Titus dodged it again, nearly losing his uniform jacket to the monster as he used Gravity Dust in his kopides to throw himself back from it. It was unnaturally quick.

It could work, and I can play bait.

"I don't know if that's the best idea!" Titus shouted at Ilia who leapt out of him.

"Let's do it!" Ilia agreed. Neela gave a single nod to Eren who stood a little straighter.

"Hey! Big guy!" Eren shouted at the Grimm. It swung its head around away from Titus and Ilia and sniffed again. Maybe Neela was right and it couldn't see well! "Yeah you, come on! Let's fight!"

"At least it hears alright," Neela noted.

"We need a better plan than just letting Eren go ham," Titus yelled past the Grimm.

"We disorientate it. Then you go full Gargoyle and smash the horn off," Eren chuckled as he and Neela narrowly dodged another charge. Titus shook his head.

"Fair play, but don't call me that," Titus smirked.

"Over here!" Ilia called for it.

"It relies on smell the most," Neela surmised. "We might have no choice but to get closer."

"Right," Eren agreed, racing in.

"All together!" Neela corrected herself. The beast roared as it began picking up the multiple scents, but Eren, its provoker, was the closest. It swung its head around unexpectedly, with the same speed as it had shown before, throwing Eren through the air, the initial impact more than enough to shatter Eren's aura.

"Shit!" Eren groaned before hitting the ground hard with a sickly thud. Neela raced by, keeping her distance, and the beast misjudged, missing her as it swung its head back, Titus's stone fist smashing through the base of the horn, doing little more than leaving a crack in its bone. It reared back on two legs, slamming down against the earth and letting out an even more harrowing scream.

"Eren!" Neela shouted.

"I'm sorry," he coughed. "I should have waited."

"No, no," Neela scolded. "It's fine, just hold out for a moment." Neela scanned the tree line. Where was Harriet… "Titus!"

"I think we pissed it off!" Ilia noted.

"I didn't get it..." Titus announced as he noted the swarm of Grimm racing in from the tree line.

"Harriet!" Neela yelled into her scroll. The beast knocked Titus away who kept his aura thanks to the stone covering his body and Ilia rushed to check on him, unsure of her own ability to fight the behemoth.

"I'm almost there! What did you kids do!?" Harriet replied over the comms as she came up quickly on the edge of the woods, Grimm rushing past her.

"Hey!" Eren called for the beast's attention.

"You have no aura!" Neela shouted at him. "Shut up!"

"My turn to be the hero!" Eren managed. "Get out of here while you can!"

"We're not leaving you," Neela answered. The beast was ready to charge again, and Eren clenched his jaw. "You're part of Team NITE." Harriet was at the tree line… maybe the beast would wait a few more seconds… Eren was visibly upset.

"I don't want to die..." Eren confessed, his fear setting off the Grimm with an army moving in behind it. It charged as Neela loomed over him. He closed his eyes before impact… this was what he deserved… failure followed him everywhere, and this time was no different. Who was he to think he could take down this Grimm? Something gripped his body, allowing him to clear the Grimm, and he opened his eyes as the horror unfurled before him.

Ilia knew she had no hope of clearing the space to reach Eren, she knew that he was good as dead and she had huddled over, closing her eyes, feeling the pain of his memories that she'd once lived through and knowing that he was trying to throw it away, but the guttural scream of panic and misery that came next wasn't one that came from Eren's lips, and she was even more terrified of opening her eyes and discovering the outcome of the showdown. She knew that sound… but it couldn't be true! Titus lay on the ground, some of his strength returning, he had tried to yell out before Neela could make her decision, but he had no hope of stopping her in time. He watched on in horror, though the feeling now returned to his body.

Harriet tore across the field as quickly as her legs would take her, the scene happening in slow motion as it normally did when she went all out, but there was no hope of her reaching them in time to intersect the blow, not that she really could have done anything to stop the beast, it was larger and more intimidating than any creature she'd come across. She stopped short for a moment as it happened, shouting out in unison with the rest of the team as the monster crashed through the leader of Team NITE.

"NEELA!" Came a volley of screams that rang in her ears, her body completely lifted from its feet as she soared through the air, her vision and body failing her quickly, unnerving and cold. Her vision filled with blood and gore before she landed and after doing so their shrieks of her voice filled her ears. What had even happened? Why wouldn't she comprehend anything? Why couldn't she move? Was this it? Was this how she died? She only remembered activating her semblance, she knew the boost in speed would be enough to get Eren out of the way… Oh… That's what happened…

It was a cold abyss that swallowed her up, completely unaware of anything that was happening around her, but left with the thought that maybe she'd made the wrong decision. No. As long as Eren lived, then it wasn't in vain, right? That was all that she had left to wonder, perhaps it was the final thought she'd be allowed. It wasn't in vain…

"Neela!" Titus shouted as the beast began a follow-up assault, lifting Neela in its mouth like a rag doll and slamming her playfully against the ground several times. Titus raced past the beast, his fist crashing against its jaw and forcing it to release her as he quickly scooped her up and moved to Harriet. They checked for a pulse "She's alive, but her aura is completely destroyed! We need to get her out of here now! And we need to keep that thing away from her!"

"What were you thinking!?" Harriet shouted at Eren before moving to stand between Titus who held tight to Neela's body.

"It's not his fault," Titus defended.

"Ilia, call Coco," Harriet commanded.

"Call Coco?" Ilia repeated as if she was confused.

"Yes!" Harriet demanded. "Titus, move back with Neela. I can't take this thing down and we need an evac."

"Right," Ilia replied. Harriet watched as the Grimm prepared to surround them.

"Alright then, let's go," Harriet smirked, thumbing her nose.

"Hold on!" Coco shouted at ONYX as they were about to start their second round. "I'm getting a call."

"Come on!" Xavier groaned.

"Like the phone call is more important," Yin replied, shaking his head.

"Ilia! Ilia! Slow down! Ilia! What are you saying? Ilia! Please! Calm down and tell me slowly what happened! Can I talk to Harriet or Neela? What do you mean I can't talk to Neela?!" Coco yelled into her scroll. "No. We're coming."

"What's going on?" Natalia questioned. Orin moved towards Ccoo who was visibly shaken, staring at her scroll for a long moment after the call ended.

"We need to go, now!" Coco screamed at them.

"Do we get to know what happened?" Orin questioned as he ushered his teammates along. Coco held up a finger as she made another call on her scroll.

"Neo, I need you at the dock now. Grab an airship and grab Emerald," Coco instructed. She hung up and dialed Nora.

"Coco?" Xavier tried asking.

"Nora, bring CBLT to NITE's mission location," Coco stated. "I'll fill you in after." She hung up and checked her messages, placing yet another call.

"Coco!" Orin demanded as they continued following her to the docks.

"Then grab May instead!" Coco shouted, hanging up.

"Ma'am, what's going on!?" Natalia questioned.

"Neela is unresponsive!" Coco yelled at them in a panic. "And there's some unidentified Grimm present, according to Harriet's instruction via Ilia." The teammates looked at each other and gave a nod.

"Are you going to contact Blake and Yang?" Orin inquired.

"Not yet," Coco stated nervously. She stared off into the distance for a long moment before placing a final call. "Jaune, grab Ren and meet me at the hospital in Vale. Neela's aura is broken and she won't wake up. Better safe than sorry. Thanks."

"You alright?" Yin asked her. Coco brushed the question off.

"Harriet, May, and I will lay down suppressive fire on this 'thing' once we get there," Coco instructed. "I want the four of you to evacuate Team NITE. According to my scroll, Neela and Eren are without aura right now." Xavier looked at Yin nervously.

"What is this thing?" Xavier questioned.

"We don't know," Coco parroted herself from before. "We'll have to set up a perimeter to keep the public out of the woods for now until we can get Oobleck in there and we can form a team to take it down."

"What if it decides to leave?" Orin pried.

"We might just have to let it," Coco noted. "And maybe it'll take us to its creator if we're lucky." Coco waved to May who was already at the end of the pathway waiting just outside of the airship, motioning for her to board as she did her best to maintain her composure. "Team CBLT will get there ahead of us, but their objective is to take out the rest of the Grimm if it's safe to do so."

"Alright team, let's go!" Orin tried pep-talking them.

"Is Neela going to be okay?" Yin questioned.

"I don't know…" Coco seethed. This was her fault. She should have sent Harriet on that mission and had the kids clean up the stragglers. She stared out the window as they flew towards the woods.

"Grab NITE and run?" Xavier asked again for clarification.

"That's a bit watered down, but yes," Orin concurred.

"Got it," Xavier nodded.

"He'll be grabbing Ilia," Yin chuckled.

"Lay off man," Xavier grumbled.

"Have a little decorum, Neela is down out there," Natalia scolded them.

"Sorry," Yin apologized

"Hey!" May called out to a distanced Coco. "We're here!" Coco nodded, leaping to her feet as Neo brought the ship in low in the clearing, Harriet was using her speed to her advantage and the Rhino's size and poor eyesight to its disadvantage. She gave it several blows on the right with her exo-skeletal assisted arms before scrambling to its left before it could protest, but her punches seemed to be glancing off and she was doing nothing more than wearing herself down. CBLT was already working to hold off the other Grimm, Bái had walled off a decent section to hold them back, and Lykos was using an apparition of the new Grimm to keep the swarm at bay.

"Even the non-plated parts are tough!" Harriet informed them as May fired at the beast and Coco leapt off with her students to help NITE onto the ship.

"What happened, exactly?" Coco asked.

"Can it wait until we're on the ship?" Titus asked, carrying Neela in his arms. Coco's face went pale white as she viewed her unconscious goddaughter. She brushed her hair out of her face.

Can I help you clean your gun, Aunt Coco?

Sure thing kid. Hand me that gun oil.

I love spending time with you and Aunt Velvet.

Makes you want one of our own, doesn't it, Velv?

It does...

"Yeah," Coco agreed.

"Let's go!" Orin barked. Natalia and Yin grabbed Ilia who seemed out of it and upset before Xavier helped a reluctant Eren onto the airship.

"Harriet," Coco pried.

"Not now!" Harriet called back, continuing her routine. "Get those kids out of here!"

"You need to come with," Coco informed her.

"Let me guess, you think this is your fault?" Harriet asked. Coco stared blankly at her as she flipped her purse into its gun form. "Get in line."

"Get on the ship and we'll talk later," Coco demanded. Harriet stopped long enough to look at her before sprinting onto the airship and collapsing in a heap of exhaustion. Coco opened fire on the Rhino, amplifying her shots with her semblance which seemed enough to bother the creature, but she wasn't sure she wanted to completely piss it off.

May continued her assault, one of her shots chipping part of the bone off of its face, enraging it. Its eyes widened, suddenly seeming less blind than it had previously and it let out its most terrifying scream yet, a thundering that rivaled the beast's own filled the air. Coco glanced towards the far end of the field, the Beowulves that had seemed to be circling back around to aid it now ran in fear as the monster charged away from the battle.

"Seriously?" Coco declared. "Follow the beast!"

"We can't," Harriet snapped her out of it. "We have injured kids here!"

"Nora?" Coco requested.

"It's really moving!" Nora replied. "And we've got to finish cleaning up here!" Coco looked around the ship, weighing up her options. They were doing to lose the beast…

"Finish cleaning up then," Coco informed her.

"I haven't seen that many Grimm since Beacon fell!" May yelled. Coco had to admit that May had a point. It felt like that fall didn't it? But there was more then, and this wasn't the school… something else was happening here, right? "Coco!" Several Griffons threatened the ship as well as a few Nevermore.

"Neo, go!" Nora lit the Grimm up with rockets as Coco and May laid into the fliers. "Head towards town, Jaune and Ren are meeting us at the hospital."

"Blood?" Nora's voice came over the comms.

"Most likely," Coco agreed. She looked at Team NITE before her. "What happened?"

"We misjudged the Grimm," Ilia started.

"It's my fault," Eren admitted. May stayed crouched next to Neela. "I rushed in without thinking like always…" Before anyone could blink Coco was already at Eren, pinning him to the wall by his neck.

"Coco!" Harriet shouted, struggling to her feet.

"I've never really liked you, you little shit. Still not sure why Glynda picked you out of those candidates," Coco told him as Harriet managed to pull them apart.

"You need to stand down," Harriet told her, getting into her face.

"You don't understand what Neela means to us!" Coco yelled at her.

"Whether I do or not doesn't matter, you can't strangle that kid!" Harriet informed her. Coco backed off and moved to Neela.

Come on Neela, you have to pull through.

"I appreciate your honesty about how you handled the situation," Glynda told her.

"I'm guessing a suspension is in order for putting my hands on Eren?" Coco questioned. Glynda sighed.

"Perhaps I should, but seeing as everyone is a bit on edge with what happens next, I think you've been punished enough," Glynda pointed out. "How is she doing?" Coco exhaled.

"She's alive," Coco informed her. "But Jaune is having a really hard time reactivating her aura. They're not sure if she'll wake up."

"You mean when?" Glynda corrected.

"That's not the verbiage they used," Coco replied.

Next week, Chapter 36: Coma...