As the elevator went upward through each floor of Dr. Merlot's laboratory, Grimm Ruby caught glimpse after glimpse of the mad scientist's handiwork through a small crack in the door. There were canisters filled with glowing green serum, captive Grimm held in stasis, computer systems that surely operate the laboratory, and of course, the blood and death that come with having any beneficial association with the Grimm. Despite the sheer scope of this insanity, there didn't appear to be a single assistant or worker aiding Dr. Merlot this time. The people that were here were certainly kept against their own will. The need for freedom that the man beside Grimm Ruby exuded was evidence of that much. There wasn't even a "Merlot Industries" to aid him this time; not a single red or white android in sight. No, all of this resulted from the persistence and drive of one man that simply wouldn't let go of his terrible ambition.
Grimm Ruby withheld a mirthful laugh. The irony of it all wasn't lost on it. To think that a sentient Grimm was the only one that could stop this madness now, and it had alienated itself from its fellow Grimm with its actions. As far as it was aware of, there was only one "traitor" among the Creatures of Grimm. In other words, it was just like Dr. Merlot in both persistence and drive. Perhaps he felt the same way. It may be one more reason why he was so taken with it.
Blocking out the urge to ponder its situation any further, Grimm Ruby uncoiled its scythe and gripped it tightly. It gave a quick glance to the eyeball protruding from the eye of its scythe; its gaze so blinded with anger that it was easy to forget it was once a Revenant set upon both Rubies by the God of Darkness. The instant the elevator door slid open, Grimm Ruby felt a collective sense of unease spike from all around it. Whatever beings that lingered in the shadows nearby did not want it here.
With slow and methodical movements, Grimm Ruby shut the elevator door behind it with a nearby panel. In spite of his best efforts to remain calm, the man inside was still very frightened. There was no truly safe place for him to hide, either. The elevator was just an easy place to keep tabs on him from any floor of the laboratory. Obviously, shutting the elevator door wouldn't actually keep him safe from any Grimm. It was merely a Huntress' courtesy; some people are calmer if they think a layer of metal is sheltering them from danger.
Taking its eyes off the elevator for the time being, Grimm Ruby aimlessly wandered across the hallways until it came across a room with many stone platforms, engraved pillars, and even a catwalk. Many hazards were placed all over the room, such as laser beams, pits with jagged spikes, flaming mines, and hydraulic presses. Claw marks littered the gravel walls underneath many of the platforms and hazards; a clear sign that Grimm lingered here. The most disturbing feature were the bloody corpses unceremoniously strewn across the room. And of course, there were many cameras and sensors wired on the ceiling. All in all, the room looked like a giant arena…or a death trap.
The only real exception to this was the fancy dining room table sitting in one corner of the room. The way it completely clashed with the aesthetic with the rest of the room made it stand out. If that wasn't enough, there was even a bottle of vodka and two champagne glasses. And of course, no Grimm infested welcoming party would be complete without the table having its very own claw marks marring its otherwise pristine surface.
"What kind of—" Grimm Ruby whispered.
"Ah! I see you've discovered the Reapatorium! I named it myself," Dr. Merlot proudly exclaimed. "Think of it as a…playground. After a long day of work, there's nothing quite like inviting one of my guests here with a nice bottle of Six Swans. I find the average guest prefers a more natural flavor than any fancy Atlesian wine."
"Is this man even human?" it asked itself, shaking its head.
"Once my guests are nice and comfortable, I allow them to get acquainted with one of my specimens, get to know them firsthand and…well, I make sure to keep records of the details myself. I seldom get a proper review of my hosp—"
A Mutant Boarbatusk hiding behind one of the platforms caught Grimm Ruby's eye. Compared to a typical one, the mutated version had much longer tusks that dripped with venom, two pairs of glowing green eyes, and its back was completely encased in bone. Finding the idea of exterminating every Grimm it came across infinitely more appealing than Dr. Merlot's rambling, it dashed toward its prey with a vicious fervor. A pained squeal left the boar Grimm's throat, and it curled into a ball to intercept the flaming scythe that would have bisected it otherwise.
"—the value of my work. But now, I'll show them all! The world will finally know the truth! I was right all—"
Despite how effective its scythe has been against even sturdy foes in the past, the Boarbatusk's body was able to withstand the wicked blade to some extent. It may have had to do with the mutations, but rather than slice through it outright, the scythe's blade ended up embedded in the boar Grimm's back. With an irritated grimace, Grimm Ruby turned its attention to the other Grimm it sensed within its immediate vicinity. It couldn't pinpoint what species they were or their exact location, so it resorted to dashing across the platforms to get a better view of its surroundings.
The Boarbatusk was, of course, forced to accompany Grimm Ruby as an "extension" on the end of its scythe. The end of the scythe blistered with flames whenever Grimm Ruby dashed, scalding the shrieking Boarbatusk from the inside out. Leaping from one platform to the next, it spotted more mutated Grimm lurking behind: two Beowolves that were significantly larger and wider than normal ones, with glowing green spikes protruding from their backs and arms. As imposing as these creatures were, something was very unusual about their stance. They were slouched inward with their heads down; a far cry from the intimidating presence that any imposing creature should have.
"—more than the simple souls that Ozpin valued. To truly fulfill any ideal, one needs strength, fortitude, and—"
Aside from the man that continued to incessantly ramble through the speakers in the laboratory, all was silent. This was just like the attack on what was left of Mantle, where the original Ruby and her friends worked to thwart. Like before, Grimm Ruby's silence spoke only of utter contempt for Salem, the God of Darkness, and any that would ruin lives on their behalf…or in this case, ruin lives to sate their own twisted experiments. And like the Megoliaths before them, the Beowolves had personal enmity toward a traitor, but there was something else lingering in their hearts as well. Their gazes shifted toward the Boarbatusk that still hung from the end of the scythe, blistered with flames, yet not granted the mercy of death. From there, Grimm Ruby could make out the rest of their intent. It was a blend of spine-chilling terror and putrid disgust; both of which were associated with a monster that could be so barbarously cruel as to leave its victims to burn alive as fixtures of itself.
The very idea that any soulless, murderous, and mutated monster could actually judge its actions was insane. It took every ounce of self-control for Grimm Ruby not to burst into flames or verbally lash out with human words. Instead, it gripped its scythe tightly, intending to let its next action speak for it. It leaped from the platform toward its prey, striking the ground like a miniature meteor. At first, the Mutant Beowolves backed away slowly. This, in itself, was extremely bizarre behavior. As far as Grimm Ruby was aware, cowardice was a sin deserving worse than death to the Grimm. At least, the silent language it sensed from the pack it fought in the icy fields outside Mantle suggested as much.
It was only after it was abundantly clear that these giant werewolf Grimm couldn't outrun the hate-filled creature pursuing them that they made any attempt to fight back at all. Speaking of which, Grimm Ruby was so clouded by anger that it had forgotten there was still a Boarbatusk stuck to the end of its scythe when it swung at one of the Beowolves. The result was that instead of the blade striking the Grimm's flesh directly, the Boarbatusk's body pummeled it off its feet like a flaming acidic hammer. The remaining Beowolf responded with a heavy slash that, while Grimm Ruby would have tried to counter normally, the added weight of the Boarbatusk threw off its momentum, leaving it vulnerable. The blow knocked Grimm Ruby back several feet, into one of the spike pits that littered the Reapatorium.
"—also use the Reapatorium to measure the endurance of any specimen I choose, using the many lovely embellishments I've—"
Upon impact, one of the spikes ended up impaling the Boarbatusk through the eye, killing it instantly. Grimm Ruby's body was also pierced in multiple places; too many to count. Though its skin was normally very sturdy, its comparatively high mass meant the sheer weight of its body was forced downward. When it opened its eyes, it saw the grisly sight of a human's bloody and limbless body no more than a mere inch from its face. His dead eyes stared back at Grimm Ruby, but neither anguish nor sadness remained. There was nothing in him at all. In that moment, Grimm Ruby's surroundings completely faded away in its mind. Even the pain of being skewered meant so little. Nothing happening now could come close to what this man must have felt in his final moments as he laid there, slowly dying with only the company of the very monsters that surely threw him in there. To make it even crueler, he was dead so long that his negativity, however great it was, had faded completely. His body was just left there to rot, without so much as a proper burial. His friends and family may not even know he's dead.
This was it. Grimm Ruby finally snapped. The burning rage that it kept under control for so long had completely consumed it. The pain of prying itself from the sharp spikes did nothing to slow it down, even as pieces of metal protruded from its back. Even the guilt of being unwittingly responsible for those that fell into hate-induced insanity meant nothing. Only one thing mattered: it all had to burn. This laboratory, these monsters, all of it. No hesitating. No compromising.
But first, it would have to climb out of this pit. It sank the blade of its scythe into the pit's rocky wall, then used the heel as a stepping stool to climb out. Once its claw reached outside of the pit, a line of green crystals coming from the floor penetrated its wrist and loosened its grip. Though it didn't get a good look at what was responsible for the crystals, the green glow gave away the fact that it came from a mutated Grimm. In addition, much of the fear that lingered in its vicinity faded when it was vulnerable to attack.
Once more, it had to pry itself free. As it did, the scythe was pulled loose from the wall, forced back to Grimm Ruby like a metal toward a magnet. It looked back up to find both Beowolves, one of which had burns across its skin, staring down at it. Replacing the fear that once took hold of them was a bitter amusement that the heretic they judged was now enduring the same slow torture. In the time it took to realize that, it felt the presence of other Grimm approaching its position.
"—connected to my holding cells. From here, I can put any number of specimens I choose. I'm actually quite bold to say—"
Judging by the shared sense of bitter amusement, they were likely being drawn to it like spectators witnessing a criminal's execution. Beneath their intent, two specific words could be translated into the human tongue: bury alive. They didn't want to kill it. The probably knew they couldn't. They wanted to contain it, to leave its wounded body trapped under rubble in silent suffering. How exactly they would go about burying it was still unclear. To make things more dire, the inside of the pit was engulfed in dark flames from Grimm Ruby's attempts to free itself, which made the walls difficult to climb on. Seeing more and more mutated Grimm watch it from below, most of which were Creeps and Boarbatusks, Grimm Ruby had the same sick thoughts that went through its mind back at Mantle.
"Kill…them…aaaaalllll."
With renewed fury, it jammed the end of its scythe into the fragile wall once more, then propelled itself up as much as its wounded body would allow. With its left claw clutching the wall, it slowly slid downward and had only enough time to swing its scythe toward one of the Beowolves' legs. Just like with the Boarbatusk before it, the scythe didn't completely slice through its mutated skin, but was embedded into it. With a pained howl, the Beowolf grabbed the burning end of the scythe, trying to wrench itself free, but the weight of Grimm Ruby's body prevented it from doing so. Much of the fear that had previously evaporated filled the vicinity once more, most of which came from the Beowolf. It was not Grimm Ruby's intent of pulling itself out of the pit that terrified it, but the intent of pulling the Beowolf in. Clinging desperately over the edge, it felt all of the horror of a vile demon dragging its helpless victim into a burning hell.
Though some of the mutated Grimm didn't hesitate to fling acidic projectiles at Grimm Ruby from a distance, the others didn't dare to jump in the flames, not even to attack it while it's occupied. Though Grimm often traveled in packs, there was seldom any real camaraderie between them, as the Mutant Deathstalkers from earlier might have attested to. The projectiles were useless. It cared not for itself, only sought out the death of every Grimm it came across. It didn't scream, roar, or even speak as it carried out its reckoning. It only stared into the Beowolf's glowing green eyes without a single hint of emotion on its face. The strength it drew from the Beowolf's desperation only furthered its murderous resolve, regardless of the acid scalding its open wounds.
With a final pull, it kicked off the fragile wall and took the mutant Grimm down with it into the fiery pit. Its anguished roars were quickly muffled by one of the spikes that Grimm Ruby jammed down its gaping throat. Using the rest of the Beowolf's blistered and impaled body as a cushion for the spikes before it completely dissolved, the newly rejuvenated heretic propelled itself much higher, easily climbing out of the pit. One didn't need an ability to sense negativity to hear the squeals and howls all around Grimm Ruby at that moment. The other Beowolf rushed it quickly, clawing and biting on its flesh, only to be met with two burning thumb claws that impaled its eyes.
Any remaining Grimm either attacked full-force with a vicious desperation or fled for their lives. It was difficult for Grimm Ruby to tell which was which in its twisted state. It didn't matter anyway. They all had to die. All the vile monsters that existed only to murder and defile others…it would be better if they were wiped off the face of Remnant. From tearing the leg off a Creep and beating it, to prying a Boarbatusk mouth open to burn its throat from the inside out, to even using some of the traps that Dr. Merlot gleefully brought up; nothing was off limits. Nothing, save the ideals imparted to its mind by the original Ruby; ideals which could never apply to the Creatures of Grimm. And through it all, the cameras placed around the room never took their focus off the silent demon.
Amidst the rampage, one particular Grimm stood out among the others. It was an Alpha Sabyr, mutated like all the others. It was enough to make Grimm Ruby stop and think for a moment. The fact that there was a Grimm native to the icy continent of Solitas all the way over here was unusual enough, but there was something oddly familiar about it. Once both Grimm got a good look at each other, it became apparent as to why. The Sabyr let out a fierce roar, but Grimm Ruby noticed a lingering fright beneath the fury. Upon deciphering the intent beneath the roar, it knew the Sabyr didn't simply fear it like the others did. It remembered the heretic.
It now recognized the Sabyr as the very pack leader involved in the Mantle incident. This Sabyr was able to escape the fate of its pack and hunt another day, but it was somehow captured and experimented on by Dr. Merlot. That's when it all finally made sense. The Grimm that feared it must have learned of its existence from the Sabyr's lingering intent. That might also explain how Dr. Merlot could have learned of it…assuming he could somehow understand the Grimm's language, or lack thereof. Once more, Grimm Ruby seethed with anger. It was this Sabyr's fault that all of this happened…or perhaps it had to blame itself for not being thorough enough to leave a straggler.
Either way, it chased the fleeing Sabyr all across the room, quickly discovering that the latter could actually outrun Grimm Ruby. Furthermore, the Sabyr left behind a trail of acid wherever it ran, much like how it left behind flames from its own swift movements. After a few minutes of this fruitless chase, Grimm Ruby realized it was going nowhere like this. It stopped to think once more, this time about the Sabyr's newfound agility. It was quick back in Mantle, but nothing like this. Were these mutations a coincidence, or did Dr. Merlot try his hand at playing god like Salem did before it was even lured here? The idea that he might actually create more Grimm just like it was more realistic than ever.
Grimm Ruby and the Sabyr stared in each other's eyes once more. Through reading the mutated Grimm's intent, it felt a great resentment come from deep within. It was more than the loathing the rest of its kind had toward any heretic. There was also a longing to be free; to hunt the Flesh with its loyal pack once more. The Sabyr felt itself a prisoner in the Flesh's power fantasy. Its glowing green skin was a testament to everything it lost. Once a proud Alpha that relied solely on its leadership skills and hunting prowess, it was reduced to a pawn in another's twisted game.
"A pawn?" Grimm Ruby's unbridled rage faltered. The similarities it had with this mutated Sabyr ran deeper than it thought. For the first time since it looked into the eyeball of its scythe, it felt conflicted. It couldn't bring itself to destroy its scythe, despite the danger of its existence, primarily because the Grimm it was composed of was made to do another's bidding. The state this Sabyr was now in was no different. Deep down, Grimm Ruby knew this monster was a danger to the people of Remnant, like any other. The Sabyr's actions in Mantle were unforgivable, and it felt the same way toward the heretic that thwarted their hunt for the Flesh, but perhaps there was something…or someone worse.
Both human and Grimm alike were kept here against their own will. To one man, they were all tools to use and discard as he pleased. If only his goals weren't so abhorrent, Dr. Merlot might have been considered someone to admire. He never let anything keep him down, whether they be the alienation of his peers, the liquidation of his company, or even the total destruction of his previous laboratory. No matter the setback, the mad scientist always found a way to begin anew. First was Mountain Glenn, next was his own personal island, and now this place: a stark and empty wilderness where nobody would think to look for him, or anyone else for that matter.
The Sabyr gave one last spiteful howl; a sign of contempt for the Flesh that would sacrifice their own kin to gain. Treachery was a weapon that one should never rely on. For a moment, Grimm Ruby thought to give chase again, knowing it couldn't leave any other Grimm alive…ever. Given the difficulty of even trying to catch it, however, it knew it would take a very long time to kill it; time that would probably be better spent freeing anyone clinging to their lives and what little hope they had left. Reluctantly, it turned away. It chose instead to seek out the mastermind behind this whole nightmare.
Once it passed by the flaming pit, it realized just how monstrous its actions really were against its own kind. Having put thought into it, both the Sabyr and Beowolves actually made a good argument. As far as soulless, murderous monsters go, very few have been truly sadistic in nature. They would typically snuff the life of their victims, yet there was little in the way of actual torture. They would simply shred, break, or devour their prey, and move on. Sadistic tendencies tend to originate from humankind; the kind that would gloat and insult their victims, or even leave them clinging to life in their own agony. The doctor that experimented upon their once blackened bodies was proof of this. Grimm Ruby's own willingness to not only leave one of its own kind in burning agony, but weaponize it, was another example. The only thing that gave it any kind of justification was the hypocrisy toward the creatures that just spent some of the last few minutes of their lives watching it struggle in a burning spike pit with bitter amusement. In the end, they were still monsters, even if it believed itself to be worse.
"Well, I must say I found our little experiment to be very enlightening," Dr. Merlot said through a rotating monitor attached to a wall. His faux affable expression was on the screen. "If you could wait just a few minutes, I'll have another—"
An irritated pair of claws shook the monitor before shoving it into the wall.