O00000O00000O

Chapter 27: Thunderstorm

O00000O00000O

"So do we know where this mystery Conduit is?" General Ironwood asked.

The surface of Professor Ozpin's desk shifted into a holographic map of Remnant.

"More or less," Eugene said, "Thanks to the Ray-Scanner's detection system, we know that they are about a 122 miles north-northeast of us, so about... here."

As he spoke, Eugene used his Video powers to manipulate the map. A line appeared connecting the two points.

"Do we know what's there?" Delsin asked.

"Unfortunately no," Ozpin said.

"Yeah, that's really deep into the Forest of Forever Fall," Yang said, "No one's ever gone that far in before, there are just too many Grimm and not enough safe places."

"I know I never have," George said, away from his husband for the first time in a week.

"Additionally, the topography is treacherous," Glynda added, "A series of ravines begin about here, thirty miles south of where you need to be, and no one knows exactly how far it goes because the tree cover is so dense."

"Well, what if we drop down from a Bullhead?" Jaune posited, "That would get around that problem, wouldn't it?"

Glynda rolled a hand in a gesture of acquiescence.

"Unfortunately, that won't be possible," Ozpin interrupted.

"Why not?" Ruby asked.

"After the attack, the Council saw fit to ground all air traffic in and around Vale," he said.

The assembled Conduits and students groaned.

"Even at my fastest it would take me hours to get there," Delsin said, "And by then I'd be too tired to do anything."

"Me too, and I can fly," Eugene said.

"Well then, it seems this mission must be delayed," Ozpin said.

"No, we can't wait!" Delsin said.

Everyone looked at him in shock.

"Mr. Rowe?" Ozpin said gently.

Delsin sighed.

"Tell him, Eugene."

Eugene nodded and turned to face the group. All of the Conduits both new and old, as well as Ruby, Fox, Nora, and General Ironwood, focused on him. Eugene took a deep breath.

"Based on how this guy interacted with the Ray-Scanner, we believe that he may be able to manipulate electricity. And if that's the case, given his ability to manipulate the circuitry of an object from over 100 miles away, he's got to be a damn powerful Conduit," Eugene said.

At first, all Eugene got was confused looks. George got it first and placed a surprised hand over his mouth.

"You think he can-" George said, his voice catching in his throat.

Eugene nodded. Slowly, realization dawned on everyone.

"I'll see what I can do," Ozpin said, "But you all need to get some sleep. Nothing more will be happening today, no matter what I do."

With a little resistance, the students began to walk out of the room. With a small nod, George led them out. When they were gone, Ozpin turned to the rest of them.

"I can have an airship in the sky to fly them there in five minutes," General Ironwood said.

"There's no need," Ozpin said.

"No need?!" Glynda shouted, "How about ten students in comas! How is that for need!"

"Glynda, maybe you should calm-" General Ironwood started.

"Do NOT tell me to calm down James!" she said, flicking her riding crop at him, "Those are my students and friends down there, and I will not just sit around and wait for them! Not even for one day!"

"Glynda," Ozpin said, his tone forceful.

Glynda looked at him in rage but saw that he was pointing at her hands. Ice crystals were forming on her palms. Some had already shattered on the floor. Glynda closed her hands and forced herself to calm down.

"Sorry," she said quietly, "These... powers are rather difficult to control at times."

Ozpin nodded.

"But Ozpin," James said, "Why do you say there's no need?"

Ozpin smiled knowingly.

"Well, given what we know about them, I'd wager Delsin will be taking an airship soon enough. And it will be easier to sanction an action after the fact rather than risk you being asked to leave for disobeying an order from our Council, won't it James?"

General Ironwood shook his head and smiled.

"Glynda, could you perhaps go and patrol the Airship Docks? I have a feeling someone may try something untoward and I need someone I trust there to make sure everything goes ok."

Glynda nodded, a conspiratory smile on her face.

"I would be happy to, Headmaster."

"Very good."

O00000O00000O

Above them, sitting on a ledge just outside the window, Maria Roman overheard the entire conversation. Bird Faunus may not have the hearing advantages that most Faunus do, but Maria had something better: Mom-hearing.

As soon as Glynda left Ozpin's office, Maria leaped into the air and glided away.

If those kids were going off into danger to find someone who could fix her son, she was going with them.

After all, there is nothing a mother won't do to protect her child.

O00000O00000O

"So we aren't waiting are we?" Eugene asked.

"Not a chance in hell," Delsin said.

"Great," Ruby said, "We'll go get our gear."

"No, you're not coming," Delsin said.

All of the students behind him stopped dead.

"What?" Yang asked flatly.

"I know I did not just hear you say 'No you're not coming,'" Fox said, "Because I know you are not that stupid."

"I can't take you with me," Delsin repeated, "None of you can control your powers yet, and in a fight that makes you liabilities."

Yang bit her tongue when she realized he was right: until they learned to control their new powers, they wouldn't be of much help to anyone.

"What about me?" Eugene asked.

Delsin turned to him.

"I need you here to protect them. All of them. Whoever unleashed the Blast is still out there, and I need you here to make sure the people stay safe," Delsin explained, "I'd do it myself, but you can cover a lot more ground than I can."

Eugene didn't like it, but he nodded.

"But you can't go alone!" Velvet said.

Delsin gave her a solemn look.

"I can. And I will."

"No, you won't."

Delsin turned. Nora had moved to the front of the group and was looking straight at him.

"I don't have any new powers, and if someone out there can get R- can get my friends back on their feet, then I'm going with you," Nora said. Delsin could hear her voice break just a bit in the middle there, but he didn't blame her.

Slowly, he nodded.

"I'm going too!" Jaune shouted.

"No, Jauney," Nora said gently.

"Why not?!" he shouted.

Nora pulled softly him into a close hug. She was on the verge of tears.

"Because, if this doesn't work, I don't want to lose any more friends than I already have," she whispered.

Jaune's anger evaporated as he heard that. He melted into the hug and squeezed his teammate. Eventually, Nora let go and patted Jaune on the shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'll be back," she said with a smile.

Jaune nodded and looked to Delsin.

"You keep her safe," he said.

Delsin nodded, and he and Nora walked off, Nora's weapon already on her back. The other students simply watched them go. When they were gone, the other students walked away, returning to the ballroom/temporary hospital.

Silently, Fox and Ruby slipped away from the group.

O00000O00000O

Delsin and Nora didn't even bother with stealth on their way to the airship docks. They didn't need to really since the place was almost deserted. It didn't take them very long to find an open Bullhead.

"So, do you know how to fly one of these?" Nora asked.

"How hard could it be?" Delsin replied nonchalantly as he placed the Ray-Scanner's crate down on the floor.

"Quite difficult actually," a voice said behind them.

Delsin and Nora's blood ran cold. They slowly turned to see Glynda sitting in one of the passenger's seats, he legs crossed and her riding crop resting in her hand.

"Oh... Hey Professor Goodwitch," Delsin said, standing up and trying to sound innocent, "We were just-"

"Assisting with routine maintenance, I'm sure," Glynda finished for him.

Nora and Delsin were a little surprised by her response.

"Sure," Nora said, "Let's go with that."

"Well then," Glynda said as she strolled forward from her seat, "Let's make sure you do it properly. And just to make sure, I think a test flight is in order."

Nora shrugged and strapped herself in as Glynda took the pilot's seat. Delsin was stunned, and more than a little confused.

"Wait, what exactly is going on here?" he asked.

Glynda rolled her eyes.

"Must I spell it out for you?" she asked, "Surely you can work it out for yourself."

"No, I get why you're here," Delsin replied, "But that just has me more confused."

Glynda turned and looked at him, her face completely serious.

"Because you are going on a suicide mission to save your friends and mine, and I'll be damned if I let you go without experienced help."

Delsin was stunned. Slowly, he nodded and took a seat in the back of the Bullhead.

"Ok then. Let's get going," Glynda said.

She started the engine and the Bullhead lurched into the sky.

O00000O00000O

As he saw the Bullhead fly off, Ozpin smiled. He heard the video-phone on his desk ring. He sighed and answered the call.

"Ozpin! What is going on here?!" Councilman Chambers shouted.

"Councilman? Whatever are you speaking of?" Ozpin asked innocently.

"Don't play games with me! The Council has ordered all air travel grounded!" the Councilman shouted, "So why is a Bullhead flying out of the Kingdom, piloted by one of your faculty?!"

Security footage of Glynda flying the Bullhead took over the screen.

"I'm sorry, Councilman, but I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. Now if you'll excuse me, I have students to look after," Ozpin continued, "Good day."

"Ozpin! Don't you dare h-"

Ozpin pressed the end call button and smiled wider. He knew that would come back to bite him soon, but Councilman Chambers was an idiot whose foresight could barely extend beyond the bridge of his nose. Ozpin enjoyed watching him squirm.

O00000O00000O

"How far out are we?" Delsin asked.

"About 60 miles away," Glynda said, "We'll get there in about five minutes, though we'd make better time if we didn't have to stop to skirmish with the Grimm."

Delsin nodded. They'd had to deal with a whole lot of Nevermore's, both giant and not, since a few miles back. It was one of the many reasons no one had ever gotten this far into the Forest. But, between Nora and Delsin, they had managed to hold it together.

All of a sudden, the Bullhead shook.

"We've got another big one!" Nora shouted.

"On it!" Delsin shouted.

Delsin opened the door once again and leaned out, hanging onto the railing so he could aim. On the other side, Nora did the same, easily hefting Magnhild with one hand.

"Where is it?!" Delsin shouted, his voice barely audible over the roar of the wind.

"I don't know!" Nora replied.

A shadow passed over them, blotting out the sun in its enormity.

"Oh," Delsin said, "There it is."

Delsin readied a Neon bolt, and Nora readied Magnhild. They were about to open fire when the giant Nevermore spontaneously burst into snowflakes.

"Wh-... Wh-... The fuck just happened?" Delsin asked as a gentle snow flurry descended upon them.

Nora shrugged, stupefied. Then, a shape descended towards the open door where Delsin stood.

"Room for one more?" Maria Roman asked floating alongside them, her hair a pale blue.

Still a little confused, Delsin stood aside and welcomed her inside.

"How did you do that?" Nora asked, her eyes wide in child-like wonder.

"Oh, I have quite a few tricks up my sleeve," she said.

"I've never seen Alex do anything like that," Delsin said in amazement.

Maria turned to him, a sly smile on her face.

"I taught him everything he knows," she said, "Not everything I know."

Delsin just nodded, not sure what to make of that.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Maria said, "Let's go!"

Delsin shook his head and reoriented himself.

"Right," he said, "Glynda, you good up there?"

"Naturally," she replied.

"Ok, punch it."

Glynda smiled.

"With pleasure."

O00000O00000O

They landed about five minutes later. Before them was a large structure, seemingly a fortress or maybe even a temple of some kind. It was impossible to tell. The building, whatever it was, was extremely old and most of it had fallen to ruin. The core of it was still there, for the most part, but the outer faces were badly lost to decay.

"Are we sure he's in here?" Glynda asked.

Delsin removed the Ray-Scanner from its crate and swept it over the building. Sure enough, as he did, the device went off. Their target was here.

"Yep, he's exactly 326 feet that way," he said, pointing just left and a little bit down from the entrance.

"Well then, let's go get him," Maria said, forging ahead.

"Hold on," Delsin said with a sigh.

"Hm?"

Delsin jumped back into the Bullhead. He walked over to the cargo bay door and sighed. He opened it, and out fell Ruby and Fox.

"Come on you two," he said, much like a parent dragging along a troublesome child.

Ruby blinked.

"How did you-?" she asked.

"We didn't make a sound! I made sure!" Fox said in amazement.

Delsin smirked.

"The funny thing about being a smart-ass: Smart is still in there. I knew you were there seconds after you got on board," Delsin told them.

Nora started giggling. Ruby looked at him in amazement while Fox found his feet. Delsin grabbed Ruby's arm and helped her to her feet.

"Come on. No sense in you staying here," Delsin said, walking to the structure's entrance, "Everybody follow me."

Delsin strode past them all and walked inside. Maria fell in behind him, as did Nora, and with a single disapproving glare at the two other students, Glynda followed suit. As they shook themselves back to reality, Ruby and Fox readied their weapons and walked inside.

The hallway was straight and dark, evidently as decayed as the rest of the building. Delsin raised a ball of Neon in his hand and set it floating over his shoulder. It was one of the many new talents he'd discovered since the Blast. The walls were intricately carved, that much was evident even in their current state. There were traces of pictographs on them, and though they had been largely lost to time, some were still visible.

They were pictures of Grimm. Intricate and detailed paintings, crafted with such a level of precision one could almost call it loving.

"What is this place?" Nora asked.

"I don't know," Glynda said, her tone curious.

"Back when our kingdom was around there were legends of places like these," Maria said, "Places built by cultists who saw Grimm as a kind of divine entity, sent by the Gods to punish men with hate in their hearts. So they built these places to honor them and placate their wrath."

"Did it work?" Ruby asked.

"Look around and see for yourself," Maria said.

Ruby gulped audibly and gripped Crescent Rose a little tighter.

Fox sighed.

"Wish I could see so I'd know what the fuck you all are talking about," he said.

Perhaps it was something in his jovial and playful tone, but no one could stop themselves from laughing. Even Glynda had a joyful smile on her face. Delsin caught a glimpse of Fox's face and noticed the small smile he wore. Delsin internally applauded his ability to dissolve the tension that had begun to form.

The Auburn Fox strolled forward and the rest followed behind him as they kept walking. But, after about two more minutes he abruptly stopped, holding up a closed fist.

"What is it, Fox?" Delsin asked.

"I hear something," he whispered.

"What?"

At that very moment, a roar like nothing they had ever heard before echoed through the hall. Fox fell to his knees and covered his ears, the cacophony of the roar drowning out his pained cries. The rest of the team were similarly incapacitated as the seemingly unending roar washed over them. But when the hallway began to collapse behind them, they had no choice but to run further into the building. Delsin picked up Fox to carry him over his shoulder.

Eventually, the roar died down and the hallway stopped collapsing. Fox was still pretty out of it, so Delsin set him down by the wall of the room they now found themselves in.

"What the heck was that?!" Nora asked.

"I don't know," Delsin told her.

"Well, it took down our way out," Glynda said, a little out of breath.

"You ok Professor?" Ruby asked.

"I'll be fine Ms. Rose," Glynda replied, "Though I should have probably rethought my footwear."

"I agree," Maria commented, "Heels are very hard to fight in."

"Thank you!" Ruby said, "My partner does it all the time and the rest of my team constantly makes fun of me because I can't walk in them!"

"It takes practice," Maria told her.

As the girl talk continued, Delsin smirked and checked on Fox.

"Hey man, you feeling ok?" Delsin asked.

"What?!" Fox shouted.

"I said, are you feeling ok!" Delsin said, raising his voice a bit.

Fox nodded.

"I'll be fine! Just a little ringing in my ears!"

"Well get over it. We'll need you to find our target in this place."

"Got it," Fox said, his hearing already starting to return.

Over the conversation, Delsin almost missed it: the low growling sound coming from farther in. He shushed the ladies and focused. Whatever was causing the sound was coming closer.

"Everybody ready," he said, "We're gonna have company."

In the dim light, Delsin could barely see the others nod. With a bit of effort, Delsin made a ball of Neon in his hand and lobbed it into the air. It illuminated the domed room in its purple glow and Delsin made it stop right when it reached the apex of the dome. It hung there as if it were suspended by a string and Delsin didn't even need to expend much concentration to keep it there; one of the many new talents he had discovered after the Blast. On the far wall, there was another opening, a hallway, much like the one that had just collapsed. And in it, there were dozens of creatures that could only be described as one thing.

Monsters.

They looked somewhat similar to the Corrupted Grimm Delsin and Team RWBY saw when they went to Rintah, only these were much more diverse and much more grossly mutated. The mutations in the corrupted Beowolves and Widowmaker were controlled, specifically designed for efficiency. With these, the Corruption was rampant. No two were alike, and not just because they were all different Grimm. The mutations had cost them most of their fur (or scales, depending), leaving nothing but the same sickly green-gray skin the others had. Some had lost arms or legs, where others had gained an almost comical amount.

"What are they?"Maria asked.

"Probably prototypes for the Corrupted Grimm. Failures," Delsin said

"Corrupted Grimm?"

"An attempt by someone to make the Grimm more deadly by mixing them with Conduit powers," Delsin explained.

"That doesn't sound good," Maria said.

"Indeed," Glynda said, "Ms. Rose, stay with Mr. Alistair, keep him safe while he recovers."

"But-" Ruby tried to say.

"Do what she says Ruby," Delsin said.

Ruby pouted a bit but did as she was told.

The horde began to charge as Delsin, Maria, Glynda, and Nora moved forward.

"So how do you wanna do this Delsin?" Nora asked.

"Fast. We can't let this drag out, we don't have the resources to take down an army, and that's what this looks like," Delsin said.

"Agreed," Glynda said.

"How you doing Mrs. Roman?" Delsin asked.

"I've got some fuel left in the tank. And I brought a few other crystals just in case," she said.

"Good. Then let's get started."

They met just after that, one Grimm leading the horde and Delsin standing in front. And when they met, Delsin punched it with everything he had, knocking it to the ground and breaking its neck.

As the first fell, many more came in behind it, but Delsin had another trick up his sleeve. See, ever since the Blast, not only could Delsin switch between powers at will, he could have two active at the same time. And that opened a new world of possibilities.

Delsin conjured a Digital Longsword in his right hand and swept the blade in a wide arc, cleaving through another three of the corrupted monstrosities. Two more came and tried to flank him, and Delsin stabbed at the one on the right. When the other tried to swipe at him, it's claws impacted harmlessly against the Stasis Shield on Delsin's other arm.

Nora bashed that one with Magnhild, allowing Delsin to focus on the other enemies. The sparky redhead was practically on fire, jumping from enemy to enemy and using her hammer to propel her across the battlefield and smash everything that got in her way. But eventually, she had to stop and allow Magnhild's chamber's to cycle so it could reload its grenades. So, Nora went to work and started smacking down as many Grimm as she could. But, as she struck down a particularly large mix of Alpha Beowolf and Ravager, she left herself wide open to an attack from a Creep Spiker. Nora readied herself to take the blow, but it never came.

The acid-pellets of the shotgun-like blast stopped over a foot away and dropped to the ground harmlessly. In her peripheral vision, Nora saw Glynda with a hand raised in her direction, a bit of Aura flaring around it. With a smile, Nora felt the chamber's finish cycling, and so, she once again went flying.

Glynda, in turn, had taken the opportunity to use this battle as practice for her powers. Since there was no shortage of enemies and the chance of hitting friendlies was low, she let loose. Over a dozen of the Corrupted Grimm were now frozen statues or shattered fragments of them. In fact, Glynda had gotten rather good at it, and surprisingly she found it fun. It reminded her of when she first discovered her Semblance: the power in her hands, the strength she wielded because of them. It was exhilarating.

Maria watched her freeze the Grimm with ease, and she felt just the slightest twinge of jealousy. But she pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand. She unloaded her Ice crystal, using the shards she fired to make pathways in the battle lines, funneling enemies into groups and limiting their movement, all the while trying to make sure no one was overwhelmed, something she was very good at.

From behind Ruby watched in awe as the battle unfolded.

"Wow," she whispered.

No enemies had even gotten close to her and Fox, so she had just taken to firing on the strays. But to be honest, there weren't many. The team worked together seamlessly, though that was in part due to the low level of intelligence of the enemies they were facing.

But, even still, no team is perfect, and with seemingly no end to the number of monsters, the fight was starting to drag on.

"Fox!" Delsin yelled as the beasts began to push them back, "You ok?!"

"Yeah!" Fox shouted back.

"Find him!" Delsin called, "We can't do this forever!"

"On it!"

Fox closed his eyes. He forced himself to tune out the sounds of battle. Instead, he used the echoes to build a map of the building in his mind. He let the sound flow, focusing harder than he had in a long time until at last, he found something. A heartbeat.

"Got him!" Fox shouted, "He's below us!"

"Great!" Delsin shouted.

With a twirl, Delsin unleashed a flurry of Neon and Video blasts, obliterating many of the enemies near him.

"Go!" Maria shouted, "We can handle things here!"

"Are you sure?" Nora asked.

Glynda flicked her wrist and several of the Grimm closest to her collapsed as their necks snapped.

"Yes, now go!" she said.

The two of them ran off, quickly joined by Ruby and Fox. The four of them broke off from the fight and ran down a side corridor, one of two that were on either side of the room. Glynda and Maria watched as they ran down the right-hand path.

"Well now, now to let loose and show these monsters what we can really do, wouldn't you agree Glynda?" Maria asked.

Glynda smiled.

She flicked her wrist and expelled an ice bolt with her Conduit powers, then enhanced the power of the bolt with her telekinesis. When the icicle collided with an enemy, it punched straight through the first enemy and another six behind it.

"I do indeed," she said.

O00000O00000O

Delsin, Ruby and Nora followed Fox as he ran through the building following his superhuman hearing. Were it under any other circumstances, Delsin would be laughing at the irony of being led around by a blind man, but here in a closed space with tons of echo, Fox was invaluable. There were a few short skirmishes as they ran, but between the four of them, they didn't have much trouble.

After a few minutes of running, the four of them were standing in front of a large ornamental door.

"Is this is?" Delsin asked.

"Yeah, I hear a human heartbeat on the other side of the door. But you could still check, right?" Fox said.

Delsin nodded and pulled out the Ray-Scanner. Sure enough, the device started beeping softly and the display told them the target was only 24 feet away.

"Is it him?" Nora asked.

"Let's hope so," Delsin said.

He pushed open the door.

And his mouth hit the floor. Suspended in a metal barred cage was a man Delsin recognized all too easily. He wore a pair of navy sweatpants with a white asterisk down one leg, and the tattered remains of a white and gray shirt. His head was shaved and there was a scar over his right eye. He was seriously emaciated and looked like he was starving, but there was mistaking it.

The man before him was none other than Cole MacGrath.

"'Bout damn time kid," Cole said, looking up to the sky.

"You knew we were coming?" Ruby asked.

"I wasn't talking to you," he said, his southern accent coloring his voice, "But yeah, I knew you were coming."

Nora felt something off and looked around. Behind her, Delsin was trembling.

"Delsin? What's wrong?" She asked.

Delsin shook his head slowly.

"How?" he asked, "We thought you were dead! Everybody thought you were dead!"

Cole and Delsin locked eyes.

"We can talk about that later," Cole said, "Right now we need to get out of here, right? So, can you help me?"

The rest of the team nodded. Delsin shook his head once again and shelved his feelings of shock.

"Nora, can you get him out?" Delsin asked.

"No problem!" she said, cheerily.

"Ok," he said.

He turned to face the cage and raised a hand to the chain holding the cage in the air.

"Brace yourself," he said. Cole gripped the bars of his cage tightly, and Delsin fired a Neon Bolt. The chain burst and the cage fell. Cole groaned as he hit the ground. With his emaciated and malnourished body, it hurt a lot more than he was used to. Nora strolled up to the cage and gripped the bars. Groaning with the effort, she tried to pull them apart. To Cole's surprise, the bars did actually bend a bit, though not enough to get him out. Nora had to stop and rest for a moment.

"You ok Nora?" Delsin asked.

"Yeah," she panted, "It's harder than it looks."

"Sorry I ain't much help," Cole said, "I'm a little low on power."

Delsin started pacing, trying to think of a way to get him out.

"Wait, you're an electricity Conduit, right?" Ruby said.

Cole looked over Nora's shoulder.

"You brought a kid? Here?" he asked, his voice concerned.

"I'm 15!" Ruby shouted.

Cole's eyes widened a bit, but he just smirked.

"And you didn't answer my question," she continued, pouting a bit.

Cole smiled.

"Yeah, I am."

"Well then, blast Nora," she said.

"Wait, what?" Cole asked, "Are you crazy? I'd kill her!"

"No, you won't kill me," Nora told him as she started to smile, "You'll make me stronger."

Cole shook his head.

"You sure about this kid?" he asked, looking at Delsin.

Delsin nodded.

"Ok," Cole said with a shrug, "Come here."

Nora approached the cage again and Cole placed a hand on her shoulder. Electricity surged into her body, almost too much for her to bear. She roared in pain, but true to her word, she was stronger for it. When Cole turned off the juice, Nora gripped the bars again. This time, they bent like silly putty. In fact, the bars were actually deformed where she had been gripping. She stepped away and Cole just looked at her in mild shock.

"Well alright then," he said, looking at her.

"Yeah, stuff gets weird here," Delsin said, "But right now, we need your help. You ready to go?"

Cole smirked.

"You bet your ass I am."

O00000O00000O

Back at the battle, Glynda and Maria were getting tired. Maria had fallen back to the ground to fight beside the professor and the two did their best, but no matter how many they stopped more always came. Maria's Aura was broken and Glynda's wasn't far behind.

Just as the two of them killed a pair of Creep Spikers, all of their enemies stopped. They were frozen still, so much that Glynda actually wondered if she had somehow done it. But then it came. Another roar like the one earlier, only this one was much louder, and much, much, closer. Glynda and Maria were forced to their knees from the pain.

The monsters moved away from them and walked to the wall. The roar was much shorter this time, and luckily the roof didn't collapse. The two women managed to find their feet, though their ears were ringing. But even through it all, they could hear the approaching enemy's footfalls. They were heavy, so much so that the ground was shaking.

The two of them looked up into the face of the new enemy. Glynda saw parts of an Ursa plainly evident: the bone spikes on the back, the clawed feet, the short black fur, just to name a few. The rest of the creature was alien to her. The six-legged creature was covered in some kind of organic plate-mail, only leaving its joints exposed. Its beady yellow eyes were the only visible part of its face, the rest hidden behind similar plates. That is until it roared again.

The plates on its face rolled away and revealed a mouth that took up most of its face. The teeth were massive, easily a foot and a half long. Suffice it to say, both women were, if only slightly, unnerved.

"What is that thing?" Maria asked.

"I don't know," Glynda said, "But we need to kill it."

Maria shook off the shock and steeled herself. Having since run out of power, she reached into her pocket ate an Air Crystal.

"Well then. Let's do it," she said as her hair turned green.

The two of them squared off with the monster, ready to fight once more.

O00000O00000O

Delsin, Cole and all the rest soon arrived back at the battle to find that Glynda and Maria, while having fought valiantly, the ice around the battlefield a clear indication of that, were unconscious. It only took them a second to find the creature that had done them in, seeing as it was the size of a small house.

"Holy shit," Cole said, "Is that a Devourer?"

"Professor Goodwitch! Mrs. Roman!" Ruby shouted.

She nearly charged in, but Delsin grabbed her before she could.

"What are you doing?! We have to save them!" she shouted.

"Yeah, but we aren't equipped to deal kill something that big and that heavily armored, not to mention all of the other things surrounding it. We need to get them out of here and get away."

"Kid's right," Cole said, "Normally I could kill that thing easy, but I'm about out of juice and I've got no way to recharge. We need to get out of here."

Fox and Nora nodded. Ruby settled down, but only barely.

"Ok, Fox, Ruby, you guys grab the two of them and get keep them safe. Cole," Delsin said, only barely managing to not trip over the name, "You, and me need to hold that thing off while Nora makes an escape route. Everybody got it?"

They all nodded.

"Alright then. Let's get to work."

O00000O00000O

"Hey ugly!"

The Ursa/Devourer turned it's head to look at the source of the shout. It saw Delsin and Cole, side by side, one with smoke, the other with lightning, staring right at it.

"Sup."

The two of them opened fire, drawing the beast's attention. As they did, Ruby and Fox Dashed in with Neon and Smoke respectively. They grabbed the unconscious ladies and got them as far from the battle lines as they could

"You ready for this?" Delsin asked.

"You kidding kid? I've been waiting for something to hit for the last seven years," Cole replied, a smile on his face, "I got the legs, you focus on his head!"

With that, Cole charged into battle for the first time in seven years. He sprang forward, ignoring the screaming pain in his body from years of confinement. Delsin smiled as he kept firing on the beast. With Neon to blind it and Sulfur-infused Smoke to incapacitate it, the beast was very well distracted.

When it roared again, Cole let loose a quick succession of Magnum Bolts into its maw, the only place it was vulnerable. At the same time, Delsin Neon Dashed in on the beast, launched himself into the air and punched it as hard as he could with a concrete covered fist. The rock broke against the creature's armor, but the concussive force was enough to daze it. The Beast stumbled just a bit, it's legs on one side rising only a few feet. But, it was all Cole needed.

Cole spread both hands and threw two Lightning Tethers. One attached to the far wall of the room. The other, right on the monster's still ground bound front foot. The magnetic force of the tethers drew them together hard with Cole at the center. The monster flipped over like a turtle and roared once more as it did. Nevertheless, the beast was down.

"Yeah!" Delsin cheered, "Nice job old timer!"

"Hey, I ain't old yet!" Cole shouted back.

Behind them, the roof exploded just above the wall and sunlight filtered in.

"Guys! We're ready!" Nora shouted.

"We figured that out when the roof exploded!" Delsin shouted, happily.

"Come on! Let's go!" Ruby shouted.

"You got it, Rubes!" Delsin said.

He and Cole ran to the opening, but just as their backs turned the beast roared one more time. IT didn't have the power the previous roars did but it was enough to get their attention. Good thing too, since the roar was accompanied by over a dozen balls of acidic projectiles.

Delsin and Cole hurriedly opened fire, destroying them.

"Damn, this thing just won't quit, will it?" Delsin asked.

"Yeah, they do that," Cole replied.

Cole walked forward at a slow pace.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Delsin asked, shooting down the second volley of acid balls.

"Just something to make sure this guy stays down for a bit. Something I've been saving for a looooong time," Cole said.

When he was no more than thirty feet away, Cole stopped. The beast didn't even see him until it was too late. Cole crossed his arms and a faint purple glow could be seen surrounding him.

"Ionic... STORM!"

A massive bolt of lightning crashed through the ceiling and smashed straight into the monster. The monster shook violently as if it were seizing as the electricity wracked it's body until finally, its limbs fell limp and it was unconscious.

Cole fell over, his body not used to the strain. As the other monsters began to close in after the beast fell, Delsin rushed in and grabbed Cole, a crazy grin on his face.

"You really are a crazy old man," Delsin said.

The two of them made their way quickly out of the building, Delsin sealing the entrance behind them, and a few minutes later they were on their way back to Beacon, their mission complete.

CHAPTER END

And so comes the twist that just about everyone saw coming. Really hoped you all enjoyed Cole's first true appearance and be ready to see more of him. Side note, I was really tempted to turn the reveal on its head and have Zeke in Cole's place just to screw with you guys, but I thought better of it.

Now onto some... less happy news. Now before you start worrying, no I am not stepping away from this story or going on hiatus or anything like that. But, I have come into some financial hardships lately, and my $8/hour job just won't cut it. So, I started an account on a crowd-funding website that is spelled as "patron" with an "e" right after the "r". Just search for pop82 when you arrive at said website to find me. apologies, the FF doc manager won't let me post the actual name.

Currently the only tier is $2 a month, a meager pledge. Now, this will give you access to patron only content, which means from now on I will post each chapter of this fic and all later fics to my the second I finish them, and my Patrons will be able to read them, first. If you have any ideas for other pledge rewards for higher tiers, please PM me and I will look them over.

Donation is in no way mandatory but greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.