Hello everyone! How are you all doing? I hope you are as fine as possible!

Chapter 55 is here; I hope you enjoy it!

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See you all next week!

Weiss' eye throbbed and her hands were shaky in pain, but she kept crawling. The ventilation system might had been freezing cold and filled in bloodstains, courtesy of the Valkraghast, but so far this was the only issue they had encountered following Kendrick's plan.

In all honesty, the komodo faunus had pleasantly surprised her so far. His plan was well-organized, making use of the few things Weiss had told him about the Grimm using the airways.

His semblance of cancelling noise not only allowed them to cut their ropes without raising suspicion; it also let them take the guard down quite easily.

Speaking of that, it was the man's idea as well. Carmel would think they ran away, instead of searching in the vents. They would reach the roof and then down in the woods.

Kendrick had also been chivalrous enough to go first as to not look her private places and had his tail tugged to not hit her in the face.

All things considered, he reminded her of Jaune way too much. The fact this man was a criminal once spoke volumes about how wrong some things in Remnant still were.

He was trying his best to do what he could, even after losing all he had as well. He was truly remarkable. Weiss' head hung. This world was filled in strong people; much more than her.

How pathetic I am… she let her thoughts overwhelm her. For a moment, inside there, I really thought of dying to take Sophia down, didn't I? How stupid, reckless… how utterly foolish.

A few more meters remained until they reached the top. 'I refuse to let those people do what they want with me. And I will have them pay for their crimes!' Kendrick's statement still echoed in her mind.

They stopped, still coated in silence. The man checked on her, nodded and started trying to pry the shaft hatch open.

I was thinking the same things not so long ago… what happened to me? She grabbed her still throbbing left eye. Was it truly you? She gritted her teeth, happy the man from above couldn't hear her.

Am I so weak, that I let your loss affect me that much? YOU ARE A FREAKING EYE! I LOST THE LOVE OF MY LIFE! I LOST MY FRIEND! AND THE LAST DAYS I SPENT WITH THEM WAS BROODING OVER YOU!

I EVEN HAD THE CHANCE TO REPLACE YOU! WHY? WHY AM I BEING SUCH A FOOL? WHY AM I? The light that poured from above as Kendrick opened the hatch and cut off her thoughts.

The brown haired man gave her his arm and pulled Weiss up. He shut the hatch and immediately deactivated his semblance. "That went well" he exclaimed.

She turned around to thank him, but her eye fell on something else at once. More specifically, it fell upon the mass of snow covering the area below them and the advancing Grimm Horde.

"I wouldn't say that so half-heartedly" she commented the exact moment the faunus' gaze followed hers. "What is that thing?" he asked, staring at the towering, stag-headed monster.

Weiss was still holding her breath. This thing was…wrong. Her eye throbbed and she fell on her knees. Why… why is this thing here?

Dead wind whispers in the trees, spirit of ancient spite it brings…

Darkness hides but you may not, leave all you have ever been taught…

Dead wind chimes with ice and cold, stag-shaped skulls dark eyes hold…

Impossible….no way this is happening! She started hyperventilating. This thing was wrong. Yet, so familiar! Why was the monster of the nursery rhyme standing before her?

The creature's bony head turned towards them and Kendrick tackled her down in an attempt to hide. "Please, Weiss. Your frustration will act as a beacon for this thing; don't kill us now."

She gulped, forcing her sore throat to cope. Once more, the man was being both reasonable and practical. "Sorry" she exhaled deeply to contain her pain. Come on, Schnee. You are better than this!

They carefully peeked over the edge. The thing had turned away from them, towards the huge warehouse. It raised its arms- and snow started whirling around it!

From the cold sphere, more white Beowolves emerged. A disgusting mimicking of Winter's summoning, Weiss thought. The creature moved, engulfing the warehouse in the freezing aura.

The door immediately started giving in. The sound of metal crashing and shattering filled the area, as the large metal sheets collapsed under the abnormal frost.

"AAAAAAAAAA!" human cries echoed from inside, followed by the newly summoned monsters rushing inside. Then, the sound of gunfire followed them.

Without even paying them any attention, the Grimm turned away and moved towards the main entrance of the facility.

-o-

Wenge was the only one who didn't scream when the door gave in. He also was the first one to pick his weapon when the Beowolves came charging on them.

He shot down two, before they even got closer. His companions shot quite a few of them, while climbing up the inside ladder. "Move faster!" he screamed as they retreated, while still shooting.

The man closer to him nodded while stepping up faster. The other guard did a fatal mistake; he turned around and tried to run.

One of the wolves pounced on his back, throwing him down. Wenge blew its head. But the rest of the pack was fast. "WAI- NO! NOOOO!"

His screams were cut short, as three of them fell upon him and quickly ended his life. Wenge and the final guard ran faster to the end of the ladder, in an attempt to breach the window.

The tanned man reached to the narrow space and pulled the window open. "Come quickly! We have to move!" The other man agreed, as he emptied his clip on the closest ones.

None of them noticed the two Grimm that had climbed from beneath the ladder towards them. The guard got attacked and pushed the Grimm back with the handle. But the wolf was smart.

It opened its jaws and grabbed the weapon, dragging the poor fellow back and tossing him down the ladder. "AAAH! NO! PLEASE! NOOOO-" he screamed as the pack feasted on his still living body.

Wenge started climbing through the opening, the voices of the dying man filling his ears. The other wolf grabbed his leg and pulled him back. "NO! NO DAMN IT!" he tried to escape, but the Grimm was too strong-

Kendrick rushed forward and slammed the wolf's hand, forcing it to release him. The man jumped out and Weiss immediately closed the window behind him, sealing it with a thin layer of ice dust she had grabbed from the guards inside.

They helped him on his feet and Kendrick took the gun off his hands. Then, they ran on the rooftops, away from the hellish warehouse. "Where are we going?" he screamed. "Ms. Sophia is-"

"We know" Kendrick cut him off. "And we are stupid enough to go back and try rescue her along with anyone else we can" Weiss shot the man a deadly glare, making him shut his mouth in shock.

-o—

The Blood Moon Company's camp was positioned deep in the woods, on a convenient pathway. The tunnels starting behind it allowed a quick access to Gloomharrow valley, while the tree-covered slope gave them a distinct advantage in case of an ambush.

As the hundreds or Arachnea made their hundredth circle around the barrier Fenris had erected, Stella Taupe was relieved that her leader didn't only rely on physical defenses to protect their hideout.

"Persistent little bastards" finishing some alcohol, Robert Ink stood watch next to the owl girl. "When will they realize they can't penetrate the magical circle Gray created?"

"When people are always proving themselves to be stupid, how can you expect Grimm to act any better?" Stella asked him, lowering her sunglasses to reveal large, oval grey eyes.

"Dunno. It's just that all that waiting is tiring me. Why did Gray take the idiot trio with him and left us behind, I still wonder" he wiped his drenched tusks.

"Because those three are stupid to the point they may accidentally break the barrier" the taupe-colored woman seriously answered. "He doesn't want their help- he wants to keep an eye on them."

The warthog faunus snorted. "At least, those morons are good hunters- I will give them that. They can smell their prey a continent away."

"Exactly" Stella grinned. "Assuming it wasn't Simon's fault, I would hate to be in Carmel's expensive shoes right now." Her grin deepened "I only hope he brings her to us alive" she licked her lips.

Deeper inside the forest, the hooded figure of Gray Fenris hastily strode towards the meeting point, accompanied by Baz, Sen and Ed.

Arachneas crawled around them, but for some reason didn't even try to bother the four faunus. As long as they moved too close to them, they would get pushed away and ran, as if they were electrocuted.

"Hehehehe…" Baz cackled. "That power of yours is so good, Boss. Teach us!" Sen and Ed groaned. Fenris grabbed his Ursa-head talisman "faith is something you inspire, not teach, you fool."

"…" Baz rearranged the humongous Gatling gun he was holding on his back. "We are getting closer" Sen sniffed, drawing her blade. "Yeah- I can smell blood" Ed licked his lips and drew his kukri.

The place was seriously messed up. Blood, empty casings and torn pieces of flesh and bone were spread all over the place. The two CC vehicles were reduced to mere scraps of metal.

"I think this was Simon" Sen sniffed a mass of gnawed, frozen flesh. "Did the Arachneas get them?" Fenris stared around before replying. "Most unlikely- the spiders are far more subtle in slaying their prey."

The wolf faunus rubbed his chin under his cowl. Did the Morkvind start hunting so soon? That's really unexpected… maybe I was too impatient after all.

He moved towards the other car and checked the barrels. Droplets of frozen water filled the interior. One of them was severely beat from the outside.

Looks like Carmel had no intention of sharing the precious substance he thought. His mouth slightly curved upwards. It's a good thing I only needed it as a pretense to drag her here, to begin with.

"Hey Boss!" Ed got out of the armored vehicle's remains. In his hand he was holding a pair of really fashionable dresses. They were filled in dried blood, but otherwise seemed in a rather good condition.

Gray turned at Sen who took them and started sniffing the fabric. Her semblance was as feral as the hyena girl was; she could identify smells in ways nearly impossible for any other faunus or human.

"A human and a faunus" she told her leader. "The human dress also reeks of machine oil and lavender" she scrunched her nose. "The faunus has a distinct, feline aroma. It reminds me of that lion-"

"Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long" Gray announced, making the siblings' heads turn towards him. "Carlo really brought them to us."

"Hehehehe… the filthy traitor is here? Let me chop her down!" Sen grinned like a maniac. "Yeah, Gray. Let us take care of them!" Baz hissed, pumping his shoulder plate where the gun rested on.

He rubbed his chin. "Ed; use your semblance." The man grinned widely and let out a merry laughter. He tore a piece of fabric from Yang's dress and chewed it down, activating his semblance.

The male hyena's skill was even more primal than his sister's. Devouring something that belonged to an individual allowed the faunus to locate that person if they were within a huge range.

"Hehehehehe… found her!" he licked his lips. "She is moving towards the place you forbade us to visit, Boss!" Under his cowl, Gray laughed. "Let's pay her a visit, then. Get moving."

-o—

"This place looks familiar" Blake announced. "This path does too" Ilia replied looking towards the other side. "And those trees on our left look like we have seen them before" Yang added.

All three girls exchanged stares. "We are lost, aren't we?" the blonde woman finally asked. "Seems like it" the chameleon girl rubbed her face to warm her skin a little.

"Perfect… just perfect…" Blake tried to focus. Her eyes were tired. Everything around her seemed familiar- and that really annoyed her.

Ilia stared upwards. "If we could only see the sky- we could use it to navigate somehow." "It would require the removal of trees and snow clouds for us to do that" Yang replied.

"Being sarcastic isn't helpful" she jabbed. "It's not that daydreaming helps us more anyway; at this point it's the same as panicking" Yang rolled her eyes.

Ilia pouted, but acknowledged the blonde's argument. Now was the time for action, not philosophy. "It all comes to luck, doesn't it" the chameleon faunus finally said.

"Maybe not" both girls' attention turned to Blake who was currently kneeling on the snow, her right cheek softly pressed on the cold blanket.

"Did you find something, Blakey?" Yang asked, hope evident in her voice. "Well, if I am not mistaken, the ground seems to be a little uphill going this way" she pointed towards their left.

"I see…not" Yang merely commented, earning an eye roll from Ilia. "What she means is that unless you remember us going downhill, we have never passed through that path. Isn't that right, Blake?"

The cat girl stood up, brushing snow off her face. "Exactly. I think it's our best bet right now. If we are lucky enough, we may even find a vantage point over there" she proposed.

"That's good enough for me" the brawler agreed and all three of them started walking towards the indicated path.

They hadn't quite grasped how much time had passed when the scenery around them gradually started to change. Blake was the first one to notice.

The trees were thicker, with swirling trunks. Many snow-covered bushes covered the ground. A thin veil seemed to cover all vegetation, as if a see-through curtain had been erected above the plants.

The worst part was the sense of looming dread that filled the place. Even Yang who lacked the superior senses of a faunus felt uneasy; like she was constantly being watched.

"I am not sure this is the right path, Blakey" Yang whispered. She was confused why, but she felt the urge to be as low-key as possible. "Yeah, I think so too. But at this point going back may do things even worse."

"I agree" Ilia commented. "When lost, you have to follow- hm? What is this?" As she voiced her question, a large object came in view- a tall, grey monolith in the middle of their path.

It was considerably tall, easily reaching up to 4-5 meters. It was made of stone and had some weird-looking carvings all over its surface. As they got closer, Blake's eyes narrowed.

"This is a stag's head" she pointed in front of the rock where a skull was neatly placed around a small circle made of polished stones. They were dyed black, possibly from some small fire.

Yang checked the carvings and, to her disgust, realized they were actually drawings made of blood- and reminded her of something. They looked familiar, as if she had seen them before- but where?

"What the actual heck" was the only thing she managed to say, as she realized something else. "This monolith is filled in spider webs!" she knew Arachnea webs stopped being poisonous after a while, but they were also getting harder and more durable.

"This skull too" Blake grabbed her hunting knives; the only weapon left to her. Ilia released her whip, sizzling again with the few lightning dust remaining in her supplies. Yang cracked her fingers.

"Right into the spider's lair- like three pretty little flies" the lavender-eyed girl said. Immediately, her answer came. But it was not from Ilia or Blake.

A heavy thud broke the forest's silence. It echoed around the trees, gradually growing stronger and steadier as its owner slowly came into view from the other side of the path.

Yang and Blake were already aware of its identity, long before it reached the small opening where the monolith stood. They had encountered another one already in Thornwood.

A huge, two-meter tall, spider stood in front of them. Its body was made of crystal-like, pitch-black flesh and was supported in six bladed legs. Powerful-looking fangs protruded from its mouth.

A huge white bone carapace covered its massive body. A pair of additional legs on its front ended in two massive lumps of bone that could put Cardin Winchester's mace to shame. Yang could testify to that.

Six hungry red eyes, protected by the carapace's extension, glared at the three women. "A Behemoth" Blake whispered, slowly moving back to gain some distance.

"Fuck our luck!" Yang shouted. She had been expecting to see one of the larger Arachneas since they met the critters, but deep inside her she really hoped to be proven wrong.

The monster kept moving slowly towards the three women. It was large and bulgy, seemingly easy to avoid or outrun- but the bumblebee couple knew better.

This was the sole reason that made Yang dodge the attack when the Arachnea charged her. The massive arm struck, forcing her to jump to her left, while she rolled on the ground to avoid the second one.

Ilia was left speechless; both due to the thing's speed and the large crater its attacks left on the snow. "Keep constantly moving! It can only go fast in short bursts!" Blake's voice snapped her out of the trance.

Yang jumped forward and used the carapace to gain momentum, moving towards the opposite direction as the Behemoth charged at her. "And whatever happens, don't let those things hit you; trust me!"

The maroon-haired girl immediately shot her whip at the Grimm. She felt the tip of her weapon connect; lightning dust engulfing it- the monster barely reacted and turned around to face her.

Its charge was fast and deadly. But so was Blake's interception. The cat girl jumped between the two of them and used her earth-infused clone to absorb the impact as she took her friend away from the Grimm.

The Blake-like statue got annihilated, barely surviving a few seconds against the Behemoth's double maces. Yang jumped on its back and punched its legs, but it spun around in a rapid movement.

As pain racked her body and she felt being flown away, she concluded this thing hurt exactly as much as she remembered it. Her body skidded on the snow and stopped as soon as the Grimm readied its attack again.

Blake and Ilia jumped on it, trying to give her enough time to get away. They sliced, cut, hacked and diced, but to no avail. Its body was really tough and their weapons too weak to scratch the carapace.

Yang stood up, watching her two companions dance around the monster. She focused, trying to ignore the immense pain this thing had caused her. It broke my aura in one hit, this damn fucker!

She calmed down and reactivated it- thankfully. It seemed she still had a few aura left. She then looked at her dust reserves and made a quick decision.

She didn't have a lot left and had already used that skill more times than her body was comfortable with. But, she decided she would worry about that later, as she pressed a fire crystal through her palm.

Blake felt Yang's semblance activate from the immediate heat eruption from behind her. "Scatter, Ilia!" she screamed, both girls jumping away from the monstrosity that raised its maces to defend.

Yang's semblance-powered flaming punch collided on the bone appendage and completely exploded, creating a huge hole in it. The next hit immediately fell on her, trying to incapacitate the huntress.

Yang's left uppercut punched the other lump away. She pirouetted back, to gain momentum, allowing it to charge again at her.

Without even breaking a sweat, Yang stopped its advance by grabbing the Arachnea's arms. The creature pressed forward, trying to bite her head off with its fangs. But the huntress was no fool.

Yang whirled horizontally, avoiding all the attacks and rolling below is belly. She then gathered her semblance in her arms and gut punched the Grimm, pushing it with all her might. "Get…aaaaRGHHHH… READY!"

Overexerting herself, the brawler flipped the Behemoth over. Before it even managed to land, Ilia had jumped on it and used her whip to entangle its limbs.

Without anything to stand in her way, Blake charged forward and sliced its belly open, leaving a satisfied sigh as the Grimm evaporated beneath her. She stowed her knives away and ran to her partner.

"Yang! Are you ok? That was too reckless!" she screamed in fear as she saw blood running down the blonde's left arm. "I am fine; this thing just took me quite a lot of aura to pull off."

"Well, I am grateful for that" Ilia commented. "You saved us back there." Blake nodded in agreement and turned to the taller girl. "Do you want us to rest? We can-"

"Others will come" the woman rejected her offer. "We should really get going- I will take it easy, but it's better if we keep moving." Both faunus, agreed, albeit reluctantly, and the three women continued forward.

On the trees around them, the thin layers of transparent web moved as the critters transmitted the news of the guardian's demise to the Broodmother.

The colossal Grimm, filled in webs and tended by its hive, opened its mouth and screeched. Its endless hunger commanded only one thing- kill the souls that dared trespass its lair.

The numerous servants heard the call of their master and scattered around the forest, travelling over the trees and crawling upon the huntresses, barely leaving any sounds in their wake.