Blake peaked her head out around the corner, looking down Beacon's dark, barren halls before gesturing for Scythle to follow her. Getting back to Beacon took hours, not helped by how tired the group felt after everything. They tried to push past it, though they spent more of their time stumbling through the halls than they did sneaking. Ruby was the first to fall asleep, leaving Scythle to carry her sister back to their room. Thankfully, the halls were empty, leaving them an easy path back to their room.

"You Know…" Scythle began as they approached their door, before she yawned once more. "We Should Have Just Bought A Hotel Room Or Something, Stayed There For The Night."

"So you keep saying." Blake said as she pulled out her Scroll. "You find enough money for one?"

"I Would Have, If Glynda Didn't Freeze My Account." Scythle griped. In a moment, the door was opened, allowing the two to stumble back in. "Okay, We're Back, You Guys Can…" Scythle began, before seeing the large lumps in Weiss and Yang's beds in the light cast by the shattered moon. "Go To Sleep Now." Scythle finished slowly, before Blake shrugged and walked over to her bed.

"Let's follow their lead." Blake said, before yawning as she crawled into her own bed. "I forgot how tiring this stuff is."

"I'm Gonna Need To Double The Sugar In My Coffee Tomorrow." Scythle said, looking up at Ruby's bed as she thought over how she would get her sister into it. With a shrug, she dumped the red-haired girl into Blake's bed. "Maybe Triple." Scythle noted as she headed for her hammock. Blake scowled at the girl as she jumped into the hanging sheet, before letting out a sigh and pulling the covers over Ruby. Scythle, meanwhile, didn't even bother removing her clothes for the night, opting instead to sleep in them like Blake and Ruby. The two girls finally let their exhaustion take over them, and they quickly drifted off to sleep.


*THUMP!*

Weiss let out a groan as a loud thump echoed through the room, waking the heiress from what was a peaceful slumber. With a scowl, she cracked an eye open to look through the room, before seeing the large shadow curled up on the floor besides Scythle's empty hammock. The figure rolled back and forth, causing the floorboards to creak, and irritate Weiss more and more. Weiss crawled out of her bed, looking over the curled-up girl before rolling her eyes. "Scythle, it's the middle of the night." Weiss began. "This isn't the time for your stupid little-"

"It Hurts…"

The words got caught in Weiss's throat as she realized she could hear the purple-haired girl weeping, clutching her stump as she rolled over one more time. "It Hurts…" Scythle groaned again, and Weiss stared wide-eyed at the girl at her feet.

"Scythle?" Weiss asked, crouching down and casting a glyph to get a better look at Scythle's leg. In the white light Weiss cast, she couldn't see any kind of new injury along the former criminal's leg. But the way Scythle clutched at her stump, grit her teeth, and cried on the floor clearly indicated pain. Weiss glanced back at the rest of her team, trying to figure out which one would help the most. Her first thought was Ruby, she was the purple girl's sister after all, but she quickly realized Ruby probably wouldn't know anything about this. She then realized that none of the other girls would, and looked back down at Scythle as she tried to figure out what to do.

"It Hurts… So Much…" Scythle continued to groan, before Weiss wrapped her arms around the girl, hoisting her up off the ground.

"Come on, Scythle." Weiss said, casting a few glyphs beneath the girl to help her carry Scythle. "We're getting you to the infirmary."

"N-No, Please…" Scythle mumbled out, gripping onto Weiss's shoulder as the heiress approached the door. "I Don't Want To Be Se-Gah!" Scythle's arm darted back to her stump, almost digging her nails into her skin as Weiss opened the door.

"You're clearly hurt," Weiss said. "You need medical attention."

Scythle wanted to argue against it, but she couldn't think straight. All she could focus on was the feeling of burning needles stabbing into every inch of her stump. Her grip on her leg grew tighter as she felt another shot of pain race up her leg, and Weiss looked down at the girl more worriedly as she carried her to Beacon's medical wing.


Scythle pulled in shallow breaths as the green-haired doctor ran her hands over the girl's stump, coating it in a green aura in an attempt to relieve the pain. In spite of the doctor's attempts, Scythle dug her fingers into the sheets of her bed, silently letting the doctor know it wasn't stopping. "And you haven't done anything to injure your leg recently?" The doctor asked.

"N-No, Of Course Not." Scythle said, unsure if she was lying or not after the night she had. "I Would Never, I've Been A Good Little Girl Since I Got Here-" She clenched her teeth as another shot of pain ran through her, and the doctor removed her hands from Scythle's stump.

The doctor gripped her chin as she thought over the symptoms before she looked up at Scythle's sweating face through her glasses. "Has this ever happened before?" The doctor asked, and Scythle cracked an eye open to look at her.

"A-A Few Times, Maybe." Scythle said. "It Always Goes Away Tho-" She catapulted up to grip her stump, gritting her teeth as she looked down at her knee. "So You Can Go Away Now, Pain! You're Not Wanted Here!"

"As I thought." The doctor commented before reaching into a cupboard, pulling out a bottle of pills. Pouring a few into her hand, the doctor presented the pills to the pained girl. "Take these." She said, and as Scythle wrapped her fingers around them, the doctor began filling up a cup of water for her.

"What Are They?" Scythle asked.

"Pain killers." The doctor said. "It should relieve the pain. It's the best I can do right now."

Scythle looked down at the pills in her hand, scowling at the little capsules before another shot of pain ran through her. With little hesitation, she threw the pills into her mouth. Swallowing them before quickly chugging the water. As the pills began to take effect, the pain made a few last-ditch efforts to ensure Scythle felt her stump being stabbed, before the pain began to fade away. Scythle began to breathe easier, looking down at her stump as it quickly went numb.

"It… It Worked." Scythle sighed, leaning down to hug her stump.

"So what happened?" Weiss asked, looking into the room through the door. "What was that?"

"Best guess, phantom pain." The doctor stated.

"But I've Never Played Metal Gear." Scythle joked.

"Not that." The Doctor said as she looked back at Scythle. "It's a way a body can respond to losing a limb."

"But That Was Years Ago." Scythle stated. "Shouldn't It Have Stopped By Now?"

"It doesn't always work that way." The doctor stated. "It can be different for each amputee."

"This is the first time this has happened since she got here," Weiss noted. "Why is it acting up now?"

"Have you been putting pressure on it recently?" The doctor asked, to which Scythle shook her head. "Then it's more than likely caused by emotional stress." The doctor approached the door, brushing past Weiss with a yawn. "I'll tell Ecrubeige about this and discuss therapeutic treatments in the morning. Can you keep her company for me?"

"Of course." Weiss said, before quickly realizing what she had just agreed to.

"Make sure she gets proper rest." The doctor said, before disappearing around another corner to return to her bed, leaving the heiress alone.

With a sigh, Weiss entered the room and saw Scythle tumble back into bed. It felt odd looking at the former criminal, who just moments ago was rolling in agony, vulnerable for what was probably the first time Weiss knew her. Weiss pulled a chair up to Scythle's bed and sat down next to the girl, glancing down at the purple girl's stump of a leg. "So," Weiss began hesitantly, thinking over what she wanted to say. "What did you guys find?"

"… The Robbers Were Getting Their Drugs From Some Guy Named Lewdly Mare." Scythle said. "He… I Used To Work For Him…" Weiss's eyes widened when she heard those words, and she looked back at the girl in bed to see Scythle scowling at the wall. "He Forced Me To Become What I Am Now… He Almost Made Me Kill Ruby."

"He what?" Weiss asked, trying to understand what she was hearing.

"He… He Could Control Me, Somehow." Scythle said, gritting her teeth. "Had Something To Do With The Drugs He Pumped Me Full Of. Worst Part? He Got Away. Now He's Who Knows Where, Planning Who Knows What, And I'm…" Scythle lifted up her stump, gesturing to the incomplete leg before she fell back into bed, grunting as she did so.

"Easy there, Scythle." Weiss said. "We'll get him next time." Weiss placed her hand on Scythle's shoulder, and the purple-haired girl let out a sigh as Weiss thought over her next words. "Just get some rest. After tonight, you must need it."

"Yeah." Scythle sighed, closing her eyes to catch up on the sleep she's missed. After a moment, though, she cracked an eye open again, looking up at Weiss. "Hey, Do Me A Favor? Keep This Whole Limb Thing Between You And Me."

"What?" Weiss asked. "Why? The others deserve to know what's happening with you, your sister especially."

"I Don't Want Them To See Me Like This." Scythle said, glancing back down at her stump. "So… Weak."

"Scythle, this is a serious-" Weiss began, before Scythle reached for her hand, looking up at the white-haired girl.

"Please?" Scythle asked. Weiss was about to say no, tell her that she would tell the others first thing in the morning. But there was something about the way Scythle looked, so worried and scared, that made her reconsider.

"… Fine." Weiss sighed, deciding it was probably the fasted way to get Scythle to fall asleep. "But if this happens again, I'm telling them whether you like it or not."

"Thanks." Scythle said with a smile, closing her eyes as she drifted off to sleep. With a sigh, Weiss reached up to her head, trying to figure out why she had just agreed to the girl's requests. She ran her fingers along the scar across her eye, before glancing back at Scythle's stump, remembering how badly her eye stung after she fought that suit of armor.

"They might not be the same thing," Weiss muttered to herself as she began drifting off to sleep as well. "But I guess I can relate."


The branches of the trees and bushes in the Emerald Forest scattered the ground, bathed in the morning light before they were crushed beneath the boots of the men who marched through it. Save for the crunching of leaves beneath boots, all was quiet. Not even the Grimm had woken yet, giving the men the chance they needed to move out to fulfill their objective. As the men in white masks and black hoods marched through the forest, all L'eaudmere thought of was how he had gotten roped into this situation. He glanced up at the packs the men carried, jingling with the containers of the Garugoylian Gold he had been saving up. He could have made another great assassin. Now, he was helping the White Fang with their dirty work.

"We've been walking all night." L'eaudmere complained, scowling at the back of the head of the man leading the group. "These wheels aren't built for off road travel, you know."

"Quit complaining." The leader, Adam as he called himself, said before he sliced through another piece of foliage. "We're almost there."

"Can you at least tell me where we're going?" L'eaudmere asked.

"You'll see." Adam said, causing L'eaudmere to scoff. If not for the fact that Adam had managed to kill a man strong enough to impersonate a rhinoceros Faunus, L'eaudmere would have attempted an escape. But instead, he was out numbered, and his eyepiece was badly damaged, leaving him at a tremendous disadvantage.

With another swing, Adam cleared a path through the plant life, allowing himself and his men to walk out into an opened area. The masked man looked up at the cliff-face, as did the rest of his men as they approached. L'eaudmere swatted a bug on his neck as he exited the forest, before looking up at the metal gate the group was approaching. He cocked an eyebrow as he looked back down at Adam. "This is what you needed my Garugoylian Gold for?" L'eaudmere asked, noticing one of the grunts taking out a container. "Opening a gate?"

"This gate connects to an emergency evacuation subway system." Adam explained as the grunt drank the golden liquid. "Leading out from our new base." As the drug began to course through the man's veins, the grunt grabbed the bottom of the door, gritting his teeth as he attempted to lift it. After a moment of struggle, he lifted the metal off the ground, throwing the door open.

The group stared off into the darkness, and the rest of the White Fang reached for their weapons before red eyes lit up the shadows. After a moment of observing their prey, the creatures jumped out, and the White Fang opened fire on the Grimm. Seeing the creatures attacking, L'eaudmere turned to run, only for the back of his collar to be grabbed by one of the grunts. "Oh no ya don't." The grunt said as the rest of the group slaughtered the Grimm. "We still need ya."

"Trust me, wherever that tunnel leads, it's probably completely infested." L'eaudmere attempted to reason.

"That's why we need these drugs." The grunt noted, pointing over his shoulder at his backpack. "Ta clear 'em out."

After a moment, the gun fire died, leaving the corpses of the monsters to fall to the floor, acting as doormats into the tunnel. As the upper half of a sliced Grimm fell to the ground, its mask came loose, pulling tentacles out of its old neck before jumping off the corpse. Its tentacles curled along the ground as everyone's attention was drawn to it. The grunts tried to shoot at it, but it quickly jumped out of the way, disappearing into the trees. Seeing the creature escape, the White Fang shrugged before they entered the darkness of the tunnel, pulling out flashlights to illuminate the darkness.

As L'eaudmere was pushed in, he almost fell down the stares before applying his brakes. He scowled at the grunt behind him, before the man closed the gate behind them.


Weiss let out a soft moan as she groggily opened her eyes, taking in the sight of Beacon's medical wing as she quickly remembered what happened last night. She glanced to her side to see Scythle still sleeping in the bed, spread out in a way that made her wonder how this was the first time the former criminal had tumbled out of her hammock. Getting out of the chair, the heiress stretched out her arms as she looked around the room, trying to find a clock. Upon finding one hanging from the wall, her eyes immediately widened as she saw how late it was, before she spun around and reached for the sleeping girl's shoulder.

"Scythle, wake up." Weiss said in a hurry, shaking the girl back and forth before her silver eyes cracked open. "We need to go, we overslept."

"Over-" Scythle began before letting out a yawn, sitting up as Weiss began pacing around the room. "Overslept? I Thought We Had Classes Off Today?"

"Yes, and do you remember why?" Weiss said, turning back towards the girl as Scythle began scratching her chin.

After a moment, Scythle's eyes widened as well, her face quickly shifting into a panic as she reached her fingers into her hair. "The Mission!" Scythle yelled as Weiss helped her out of bed, recalling brief discussions about Grimm activity in the Emerald Forest. "Gah, I Totally Forgot About That!"

"Come on, they were expecting us an hour ago." Weiss said as she hoisted Scythle onto her shoulder, heading to the door as quickly as she could. "Hopefully they waited for us."


"Where have you two been?" Ruby asked, noticeably annoyed as Weiss and Scythle approached the rest of their team, waiting with Pr. Goodwitch in front of a bullhead.

"Sorry, Sorry." Scythle said before she leaned towards Ruby, placing a hand at the side of her mouth as she whispered, "After Weiss Heard What We Did Last Night, She Was So Impressed She Just Had To Fuck M-"

"Finish that lie," Weiss began, holding Myrtenaster up to the back of the girl's neck. "And it's the last one you'll ever tell."

"Message Received." Scythle said, before quickly spinning around to face the teacher. "So, Glyndy, What Exactly Are We In For Again? The Last Few Chapters Didn't Have Us Talking About This. The Author's Kinda Making This Up As He Goes Along"

"As I have already told you:" Goodwitch began with a sneer, "We've received reports of an increase in Grimm activity at the edge of the Emerald Forest, particularly the presence of four King Taijitus along a mountain range."

"Those Are The Scorpions, Right?" Scythle whispered into her sister's ear.

"Snakes." Ruby corrected.

"Oh Fuck."

"You five were to be sent with Team JNPR to curb this by killing the four Grimm." Goodwitch finished.

"And Where Are Those Four Side Characters?" Scythle asked, smirk plastered across her face as she looked around for the second team. "They Running Late Too? Figures. What, Did Nora Eat Their Alarm Clock Or Something?"

"They got tired of waiting on you two and went ahead of us." Yang said, scowling at the two late girls.

"Because of that, you five will need to join up with them." Goodwitch said, pointing to the Bullhead behind her. "That ship will take you as close as it can get, but you'll need to make the rest of the trek on your own. You'll also need to call it in when your done. Get ready for takeoff, you're leaving now."

"And Why Aren't You Coming With Us?" Scythle asked as Goodwitch walked past the group.

"I have work to do." The teacher stated.

"Come on, guys, let's get going." Ruby said, pulling out the metal cable. Before Ruby could snap it onto Scythle's wrist, however, Weiss stopped her leader.

"Actually, Ruby, I think I should be put in charge of Scythle for this mission." Weiss stated, catching the group by surprise.

"Why?" Ruby asked, handing the restraints to her partner regardless.

"Oh, you know…" Weiss began, trying to think up an excuse as she began locking herself to Scythle. "I just… Figured you'd want a break after last night, that's all."

"Well… Thanks, I guess." Ruby said as she turned towards the ship, boarding it alongside her sister and Blake.

"So Why Are You Actually Doing This?" Scythle asked as Weiss hooked the cuff around Scythle's left wrist.

"Because if you have another episode like last night, I can get you out of the way easier." Weiss whispered to the purple girl.

"Aw, You Do Care." Scythle joked, wrapping her arms around Weiss, pulling her into a quick hug.

"Of-of course not." Weiss stammered, pushing herself out of the girl's arms. "I just have better things to do than attend your funeral."

"Don't Worry, My Sweet Tsundere," Scythle said as she and Weiss climbed into the ship. "I Understand."

"For some reason, I doubt it." Weiss said as the ship began to take off, before she looked back at the girl she was tethered to. "Wait, what's a 'Tsundere?'"


"Hey, Ren!" Jaune called from atop his cliff, ducking behind his shield before the snake head struck against it, streaking off the metal as Jaune was pushed back. "When you said there were four King Taigi-T-Taiga-"

"Taijitus!" The normally silent man finished for his leader, slashing the blades of his guns across another snake's fangs as the creature went in to strike.

"Right, right… Did you mean four counting heads or bodies?!" Jaune asked, glancing back at the snake heads to see another one coming at him. Heart pounding, he quickly dove out of the way of the oncoming serpent, allowing it to bite into the ground before he brought his sword around, attempting to slash its eye out. His swing was too high, though, and his blade simply scraped across the creature's scales.

"Both of the Taijitus heads are counted as one Grimm, Jaune!" Pyrrha called out as she jumped from one snake to another, attempting to dig her own blade into the creature. The scales proved resilient, however, and her attacks left no marks.

"Of course." Jaune sighed as the snake finally pulled its fangs out of the dirt, before he heard a loud snarl from the side. Looking in its direction, he saw a streak of black heading towards him, and quickly dove out of the way before bringing up his shield, knocking the white snake away as it went into strike. He was beginning to wish he had waited on Team RWBYS like Goodwitch advised, instead of heading out in hast. He wanted to prove himself as a capable fighter, and viewed the mission as a chance to get closer to the fame and recognition his family was known for. He thought defeating these Grimm without the assistance of another team would help with that, and completely forgot that he'd be actually fighting the Grimm.

Plus, it was probably a great way to impress Weiss.

He caught what looked to be the flying silhouette of Nora as she was launched into the air, snake heads chasing after her before the snake that had taken interest in him turned for another attack. Jaune ducked to the ground, holding up his sword as the creature flew over him. His blade was knocked to the ground, almost coming out of his grip instead of slicing through the snake, however, and Jaune quickly crawled out from under the white tendril before looking back over the edge of his cliff-face. "Ren, you fought one of these things during initiation!" Jaune called out, before bringing up his shield again as the black head made for another attack. "Got any advice?!"

"Its scales are as thick as its bone plating!" Ren called back, firing at the snake heads circling him. "Aim for their eyes and mouths, but watch out for their fangs!" As one of them lunched at the raven-haired man, he quickly jumped on top of it, running along its back as the other two heads went in. He jumped off the snake again, throwing himself into the air before he began firing at the serpents, striking on of them in the eye.

"Anything more-" Jaune began, before the black snake once again struck his shield, throwing him onto his back. His sword dug itself into the ground just above his shoulder, and Jaune looked between his weapon and the Grimm as it wound up for another attack, almost literally before the head launched at him. Jaune brought up his shield once more, hoping it would protect him from the enormous fangs that would undoubtedly kill him in a single strike.

The impact never came, and Jaune cracked his eye open to see Pyrrha standing in front of him, holding the Grimm's mouth open with her spear. Jaune was about to thank the red-haired girl, before he realized the opportunity before him, and quickly sprang to his feet. He yanked his sword out of the ground, and let out he loudest battle cry he could as he charged at the serpent, intent on running his blade into its mouth. The creature pulled back, easily avoiding Jaune's attack as it lifted Pyrrha into the air. It shook its head in an attempt to dislodge the long weapon, before Jaune heard the snarl of another snake. Seeing it closing in on Pyrrha, Jaune did the first thing that came to mind.

His shield wasn't built to be used as a weapon, much less a throwing one, but it was the best chance he had as he chucked it as hard as he could. It smacked against the serpent, throwing it off course and causing it to bite into the snake holding Pyrrha. The black serpent yelled out in pain, opening its mouth wide enough to allow Pyrrha to fall out. As Jaune quickly picked up his shield, he looked back up at the white serpent as it pulled itself from the black snake. Its fangs were pushed out in odd directions now, but Jaune noticed harsh markings digging into the black end's scales.

"Guys, these things can bite through their scales!" Jaune called out, before the white snake made an attempt for him. Before Jaune could react, he found himself being pushed to the ground, pinned down by Pyrrha as the white snake flew by. The black snake was about to attack the pair, only for pink explosions to knock it to the side. As the duo climbed to their feet, the snake turned its attention to the flying ginger as Nora fired off grenades at the snakes all around her.

"Alright, what's the plan?" Pyrrha asked as the white head spun around to attack her, only to get slashed to the side.

"See if you can trick these things into biting each other." Jaune said, readying his sword and shield for any other attacks. "If that doesn't kill them, aim for the wounds it creates."

"Got it." Pyrrha nodded, jumping after the white head. Jaune began surveying the area, trying to see if there was any other snakes coming at him. As he looked around, he noticed a red light coming from a tree, and immediately turned to face it before realizing it was too small to be another King Taijitu.

The lights wriggled through the branches, and Jaune was able to clearly see it was more of an octopus than a snake. He cocked an eyebrow at the creature, keeping his weapons at the ready just in case. "What the…" he muttered, before the harsh snarl of another snake caught his ear. Both he and the creature looked up to see another Taijitu head coming at him, and he quickly jumped out of the way. It's fangs dug into the ground, and Jaune quickly turned in an attempt to stab it in the eye. It shifted, and he struck the bottom of its jaw instead, before it pulled itself out and attempted to slash at him with its fangs. He backed away far enough to avoid the first attempt, and brought up his shield to block the seconds, seeing sparks fly off it before it knocked the tree the strange octopus was hiding in.

The small octopus jumped out of the tree, wriggling over to the cliff-face to get a better view of the Grimm beneath it. It saw four Taijitus slithering about, trying to kill the four that had disturbed their territory. The sight filled the creature with temptation. Its last host was a small, weak Beowolf, it couldn't offer anything substantial. But these Taijitus were older, stronger than that wolf had ever been.

The creature waited as the battle went on, unnoticed as the young students battled the bigger snakes, before it saw its chance. A point where all four of the Taijitus met, close enough for the creature to take them all. It jumped off the cliff, spreading its tentacles as far as they could stretch before it landed on one of the snakes, wrapping itself around the others.

The new head soured at Jaune fast, mouth as wide as it could open in an attempt to swallow the boy whole. Jaune held up his shield nervously, unsure of whether or not he could defend against its attack, before a long, thin, white tendril shot up over the cliff. It quickly wrapped itself around the Taijitu's neck, pulling the large serpent down towards it. Similar tendrils struck the other heads, pulling in those who were fighting against it. Others simply turned away from the students, and coiled themselves around a central point. The group looked on in confusion, trying to figure out what was happening, before they saw the way the tentacles entered into the Grimm, coiling and stretching through them like veins.

"What's happening?!" Nora yelled, aiming her weapon at the masses.

"They're…" Jaune began, unable to believe what he was seeing. "They're combining…"

Seeing white scales beginning to fall off, Nora began firing at the creatures, only for her grenades to strike harder, thicker black scales that quickly grew to replace the old ones. Bones sprouted out of their backs and stomachs, creating spiked platting that ran down to the central point. Broken teeth were pulled back into place, and more fangs burst out of the serpents' mouths. Their red eyes grew brighter as the heads looked between all of the students.

"Oh Oum…" Jaune gasped as he stared on at the now singular Grimm. "This is bad…"