Pinch, for the record, absolutely hated this.

Several humans swarmed around him, pelting him with projectile fire. Every time he tried to attack one of them, every other one would take advantage and enjoy free pot shots. This lead to a hellish situation where Pinch was nearly unable to attack outside of jabs from his tail.

Dawn was doing better. Pinch caught a glimpse of the agile little Nevermore as she ducked under a swing from a yellow haired human and then kicked her in the chest, sending her flying away.

An explosive pink blast suddenly flashed in front of Pinch's eyes. The Deathstalker shrieked as he was temporarily blinded, backpedaling and flailing his claws widely. While he was blinded, Pinch felt something very sharp and painful dig into the joint of his right claw. He tried to close the claw, but it only sent a wave of pain down his arm.

Pinch barely had time to flinch from the pain before some jumpy hunter with two sharp things leapt onto his back and tried to slice his stringer off. Pinch tried to grab him with his claw, but they couldn't quite reach. Unable to shake the hunter, he the only rational thing when a murderous little human was on your back: roll.

Flattening his tail and doing a little hop, Pinch rolled over. The hunter was too absorbed in his efforts to attack Pinch's stringer, and ended up getting flattened. To Pinch's irritation, however. The human got back to their feet. Damn hunters and their flashy glow power, surviving everything he threw at them so easily…

The hunters didn't let up their assault. Pinch turned his attention towards one with a sword that was trying to hack his legs off, ineffectively. He quickly brought his stinger down on the hunter, but another one with a shield got in his way and blocked the strike.

Smashing the tip of his stinger into a chunk of metal didn't exactly feel great. Pinch shook his tail as it flared with pain. Once again, the pesky hunter with the black hair moved to slice his sting off. Pinch grunted in annoyance as he smacked him away with the side of his claw. Did they really not have anything better to do?

An angry yell caught Pinch's attention. "Get away from my Renny!"

Like a demented bird, a hunter with a hammer sailed through the sky towards Pinch.

Oh gods.

…

Despite the threat of the current situation, Dawn was actually enjoying herself quite a lot.

The humans were just slow enough that they struggled to land hits on her, but still fast enough to keep the fight interesting. Dawn smirked as a pale white one fired several spikes of ice towards her from glyphs in the air. Using the spikes as stepping stones, Dawn leapt towards the attacking hunter. They thrust their sword at Dawn's charge to skewer her, but Dawn slid to the left and kicked her aside as they let out a satisfying "Oof!"

Dawn didn't have time to celebrate as another hunter began to shoot at her. Pressing her body low to the ground to avoid bullet fire, Dawn sprinted at the black haired hunter that had pestered her from afar. However, she was intercepted as a ball of red petals appeared suddenly in front of her. In an explosion of rose petals, the silver eyed hunter brought her scythe down.

The Nevermore dug her talons into the ground and came to a halt, stopping inches away from having her head punctured by the large weapon. Before the silver eyed menace could free her weapon from the ground, Dawn body checked the hunter to the ground, sending her sprawling.

Dodging out of the way of more bullets and ice spikes, Dawn noted the crazy yellow hunter had recovered from her flight and was running towards her, eyes smoldering red. With a blast from her gauntlets, the hunter propelled herself towards Dawn. Narrowly sidestepping, Dawn chased after the hunter as the momentum kept carrying her.

Biting into the bushy mane of hair from behind, Dawn used all her neck strength to hoist the hunter off the ground. The crazy yellow hunter screamed bloody murder and fired off randomly as Dawn swung her around by the hair. After building up momentum for a few seconds, Dawn let go.

Off they went. The yellow hunter collided with the irritating black haired one, causing them both to fall together in a pile.

Taking the chance, Dawn looked over to Pinch. The Deathstalker was crumpling under the joint assault of the hunters attacking him. There was that accursed javelin buried in one of his pincers, and one of the humans stood on his back and kept smacking him over the head with a hammer while the others harassed him with other attacks.

Ducking under a scythe swing, Dawn ran over to Pinch. The hunters moved to pursue her, but thankfully the wild Nevermore finally decided to join the fight. The large Grimm shrieked as it dived downwards, firing off a barrage of feathers.

It seemed as if the hunter on Pinch's back had grown bored of simply smacking him over the head, and now was trying to smash his eyes like overripe tomatoes. Pinch shrieked in terror as he flailed around, desperately trying to dislodge his assailant.

"AHHH! GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!"

"Hang in there Pinch! I'm coming!"

Vaulting into the air, Dawn drop kicked the hammer wielding hunter off Pinch's back. She followed up with several slashes from her talons mid air, finishing the combo with a deviating beak strike that spiked her into the ground.

Rolling out of the way of bullet fire, Dawn grabbed the javelin stuck in Pinch's claw. With a wrench, she pulled the thing free.

"OWWW!"

"Sorry!"

Spitting the weapon from her beak, Dawn looked at the hunters. They seemed to be in a state of awe and confusion about what exactly was going on, making no attempts to attack her. Unable to resist the chance to show off, Dawn unfurled her wings to full length.

"Yeah that's right hunters! You mess with the best and you get- AHHHH!"

A sniper shredded into Dawn's right wing, a clean hole through it oozing black smoke. The little Nevermore let out a shriek of pain, tucking the wounded appendage to her body and looking for what hit her. With a scowl, Dawn saw the silver eyed brat had managed to take an opportunity in the middle of her fight with the other Nevermore to take a pot shot at her.

The silver eyed demon grinned and took aim again, but the larger Nevermore dive bombed her group again, forcing her back into the battle. The other hunters, snapped out of their trance by Dawn's wounded state, moved in to attack.

Even hurt in such a serious way, Dawn was no slouch still. Kicking aside a clumsy hunter who swung at Dawn with his sword, Dawn darted backwards towards Pinch.

"Cover me!"

"Ok!"

Pinch smacked aside the black haired hunter who had lunged after Dawn, taking a defensive stance in front of her.

"Stay away from my friend!"

Dawn watched with pride as Pinch began his assault, finally taking a more aggressive role that stopped him from being mercilessly pelted with projectiles. With ranged feather support from Dawn, he managed to drive the hunters into a small retreat as they distanced themselves from him.

The victory was short lived as a wail from across the battlefield drew Dawn's attention. The wild Nevermore had its talons frozen to the ground in a large prison of ice, and was struggling against the combined attack of the other four hunters.

"Hang in there, I'm coming!"

Dawn began to run towards her trapped kin. However, it was already too late. The little Nevermore watched in horror as the silver eyed devil brought her scythe down on the larger Nevermore's neck. The poor Grimm didn't even get a chance to call out as its head was ripped clean from its body, both slowly dissolving away into black smoke. The four hunters let out cheers as the Nevermore faded away.

Something inside Dawn broke.

The way the hunters were cheering… cheering about the killing of another being that could have been just like her. Had its own dreams, ideals, and family, only to die fighting for a cause it never understood. It made Dawn sick to her stomach. Dawn was so wrapped up in her horror, she didn't seem to notice as the humans once again moved to surround her and Pinch.

"Dawn! Dawn! We need to get out of here! The humans are going to come for us next!"

Dawn snapped out of her shock. "Oh! Yeah, let's retreat!"

The little Nevermore leapt onto the back of the Deathstalker as the larger Grimm made a break for it. The hunters gave chase, firing their weapons towards the Grimm. Pinch's exoskeleton blocked most of the stray bullets, while Dawn knocked ice spikes out of the air with her feathers.

Once again, however, the silver eyed hunter proved to be an annoyance. In a familiar ball of rose petals, she weaved through Dawn's feather fire and landed on Pinch's back. Dawn grimaced as she moved out of the way of a scythe swing that nearly took her other wing off. Silver eyes or not, this hunter needed to be taught a lesson.

Leaping over another swing, Dawn slashed downwards with her talons. The hunter was slow to respond, and let out a yelp as the claws raked across her body. For any normal person, this would have been an injury that knocked them out of the fight, but the hunters aura proved to be a nuisance. The light flared across the silver eyed hunter's body as Dawn struck, protecting her.

With an irritated growl, Dawn followed up by headbutting the hunter as hard as she could. While aura protected hunters from damage, it didn't stop them from being knocked around. The force of the blow sent the hunter stumbling backwards.

Unfortunately for her, backwards meant off the side of Pinch's back. With another yelp, the hunter tumbled to the ground in a pile. The pursuing hunters stopped their chase to check on the fallen one, giving Dawn and Pinch a chance to breathe easy.

The pair of Grimm managed to pull some distance away from the humans in the commotion. As Pinch ran, the treeline suddenly opened up, revealing a canyon. Pinch dug his legs into the ground, coming to a halt a few meters from the edge.

Dawn gasped in dismay. "No! What are we gonna do now?!"

"Dawn…" Pinch said quietly.

"What?"

"You… you have to fly away. There's no way for me to escape the hunters."

Dawn looked horrified. "No! We already lost one Grimm, I'm not letting you go too!"

The sound of approaching hunters in the distance became audible.

"Dawn, I know your wing is hurt, but you can make it to the other side."

The little Nevermore remained stubborn. "You don't get it, you big idiot! I won't leave you behind!"

Anger creeped into Pinch's voice. "So what if you don't, we both fight and die here? Keep running until they finally catch us?"

Dawn didn't have a comeback. After several moments, she let out a sigh. He was right, as much as she didn't want to admit it. There was nowhere for the Deathstalker to run, and if Dawn stayed behind, she'd simply be killed too.

It had to be this way.

"Pinch… I only knew you for less than an hour… but thank you. Thank you so much."

Dawn wrapped her wings around one of Pinch's arms. The Deathstalker in turn brought in his other arm, embracing his companion. Meanwhile, the sound of approaching hunters grew louder and louder.

Sprinting and leaping off the edge to gain as much momentum as possible, Dawn took flight.

…

Pinch sighed as Dawn flew away. He felt very bittersweet, watching as she flew up the sheer cliff face, past the edge, and disappeared. The hunters would arrive any second now, and find him here alone.

This was the end.

There would be no escape.

Even so, Pinch didn't feel any regret. Sure, he was going to die, but he had done something good with his life. After spending so long just sitting in a cave, ambushing and killing humans, and then going back into the cave to wait some more in a mindless cycle, it finally felt like he was doing something.

Pinch turned to face the humans as they finally appeared. They surrounded him, weapons aimed and at the ready. Pinch did not show the fear that suddenly bubbled inside him. He would not go down as a coward.

The Deathstalker readied his claws, stinger waving back and forth dangerously. "Alright humans! Give me your best shot."

Pinch let out a triumphant shriek as he charged into battle.

…

With a final killing blow, Ruby's Crescent Rose sliced the Deathstalker. The Grimm stumbled, mortally wounded. As a death rattle escaped it, the Deathstalker turned towards the cliff face with its last breath. Then, the Grimm fell, dissolving away into smoke.

Yang pumped her fists. "Wooo! We did it!"

Nora grinned excitedly. "That was awesome! We kicked some Grimm butt!"

Everyone mingled, happy for their triumph over the creatures of Grimm, exchanging compliments and advice.

A minute or two later, Blake remembered something. "We were supposed to get those artifacts, weren't we?"

Jaune nodded. "Yeah… I guess we kind of got distracted with the whole Grimm thing, huh?"

Ruby leapt up on a rock. "Alright everyone, let's move out!"

The eight of them made their way back to the clearing where everything had begun. Each pair of partners took their own artifacts, except for Ren and Nora, as Nora has already claimed the rook before. Afterwards, they began the trek back to the cliff from which they had been launched.

As they walked, something nagged in the back of Ruby's mind. Several things, actually. First, the Nevermore had disappeared. After it and the Deathstalker had pulled away from them in the forest, the Nevermore vanished. Did it succumb to the wound Ruby had dealt? Ruby didn't think it could have flown very far in that state…

And yet, something inside Ruby told her that the Nevermore was still very much alive and still out there. The way it and the Deathstalker had behaved were stuck in Ruby's head. They seemed so much different from the regular Nevermore, with their white eyes, coordinated attacks attacks, and fleeing from battle.

Ruby realized that the way those two Grimm had acted was a little closer to human then she was comfortable with. The reason hunters prevailed over the Grimm wasn't because of their strength alone (though it helped), it was because of their ability to outsmart and outmaneuver the beasts.

Walking over to Yang, Ruby tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey Yang…"

"What's up Rubes? Something bothering you?"

"Well, it's those Grimm… they acted pretty weird, didn't they?"

Yang thought for a moment, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, they sure were strange. Don't think I've ever heard of Grimm acting or fighting like that before."

"Yeah… I can't quite put my finger on it, but it seemed so wrong, you know?"

"Definitely. Oh well, at least we sent them packing! If that Nevermore knows what's good for it, it won't come back!"

Ruby still looked unsure, not responding to what Yang said. Yang, sensing Ruby's worry, grinned widely and ruffled Ruby's hair.

"Ah, lighten up a bit!"

"Ahhh! Yang, stop that!"

…

The stars shone across the night sky as the shattered moon gazed down upon the darkened world of Remnant.

Dawn kept running. As much as she hated to admit it, she first combat oriented mission alone had ended largely in failure. She'd saved no Grimm, had her wing shot, and didn't do any serious damage to the hunters. Not even really hunters, just a bunch of rookies too. A bunch of rookies that had beaten her and killed Pinch.

There were no illusions in Dawn's mind she'd be able to fly back in this state. Her wing would take some time to heal, and in that time Manslayer would grow worried. Very worried. Who knows what he'd do?

Dawn had to give Manslayer credit though. He wasn't stupid, and had several emergency backups just for cases like this. In case a Grimm ever became isolated in such a way, Manslayer had stationed Seers throughout the world of Remnant. A Grimm could use these to contact Manslayer in a pinch.

On the horizon, the outline of ruined buildings appeared. The closest Seer to Dawn was here, at Mountain Glenn. Manslayer had good relations with the Goliath Tribe there, so stationing a Seer was all but guaranteed. Humans would never find the Seer either, as the threat of wild Grimm warded off even most hunters.

A few more minutes of running brought Dawn into the concrete jungle of Mountain Glenn. A human might find it an unpleasant place to be, but Dawn felt right at home. The large Grimm population, even if they weren't technically on her side, was reassuring. It helped soothe her nerves, and shake off the last clinging bits of mournfulness in her mind.

Dawn entered an abandoned supermarket. All the food there had long since rotted away, leaving nothing but empty packages and shelves. The little Nevermore passed through one of the aisles, over towards a checkout.

"I, friend of the manslayer, humbly call upon your aid."

A Seer slowly floated into view from underneath the checkout, pulsing with white light. Seers had been designed in such a way that deprived them of any will beyond what their master ordered, and as such had no objections to being stationed like this. Dawn felt a twinge guilty thinking of them as more of tools than her fellow Grimm, but even with Manslayer's influence, there wasn't much that could be done for the Seers.

"Patch me through to Manslayer."

…

Manslayer sat in his chair, stargazing. It was a particularly beautiful night. The moon and its trailing shards lit up the sky brilliantly as small flecks of light from the stars themselves competed for space.

"Beautiful, isn't it Sheer?"

The Deathstalker, who had been rigidly standing next to Manslayer, slightly tilted his body upwards. "It's okay, my lord."

Manslayer sighed. "We really need to find you a hobby."

Suddenly, a Seer floated over, the light in its head pulsing rapidly. Manslayer recognized the pattern. It meant that the Seer in Mountain Glenn was contacting them. Interesting. Perhaps the Goliaths had needed assistance?

"Play the call, please."

The light inside the Seer slowly took the shape of Dawn. Sheer instantly moved towards the Seer, concerned. Manslayer too seemed confused."Dawn? Are you alright?"

Dawn moved around inside the Seer, her voice transmitting through it. "Yeah, I'm mostly fine. Just that a human hit my wing and I won't be able to make the fly back on my own."

Manslayer nodded. "Very well then, I'll make sure to send a Nevermore to come pick you up. What of the Emerald Forest Grimm?"

Dawn shifted uncomfortably, guilt overwhelming her expression. "Nothing good… I only managed to free one Grimm, a Deathstalker, and he died as we fought our way out."

Sheer placed his claws on the ground and closed his eyes, tail laying flat. "Gods be with you, brother."

Manslayer also bowed his head in sorrow. "Indeed, this is tragic. Nevertheless, I'm glad you made it out alive. Did you uncover anything else during your mission?"

"Well… there was one other thing… but I don't think you'll like it."

"Oh?"

"There was a silver eyed human among the recruits…"

Sheer rose from his vigil, a sudden anger burning in his eyes. Manslayer's interest was piqued as he leaned in a bit towards the Seer.

"Tell me about this human with silver eyes."

"Well, she had black hair with red highlights, and-"

Manslayer stood up in shock, while Sheer let out an enraged shriek. "That cursed monster! It bred?! This is unthinkable!"

Dawn flinched at the sudden outburst, even though the Seer. Manslayer's face went from shock to worry.

"So it seems that the legacy of our adversary is not entirely gone… This is a troubling development."

Sheer howled with fury again. "My lord, send me to Vale! I'll kill the abomination myself!"

"Now now Sheer. I'm just as concerned with this as you, but please remain calm for a moment. Is there anything else to report Dawn?"

Dawn shook her head. "Nope. That's all."

Manslayer nodded. "Very well then, disregard my previous statement about sending a Nevermore."

Dawn looked shocked. "W-What?! Why?"

A curious expression creeped its way onto Manslayer's face. He looked back at Sheer, and then to Dawn again.

"Because I am coming to Vale to handle this situation. Personally."

Rest in peace Pinch. You were real good, maybe even the best.

Meanwhile, Manslayer decides to forgo all the typical villain scheming and just get his own hands dirty! Ruby better be ready, because this Grimm isn't playing around.

Hopefully you all enjoyed the chapter! I've had a lot of fun reading your reviews, and hope the fight lived up to your expectations. Cya'll in the next chapter of "The Manslayer!"