Chapter 5: The Incident

Part 3: Grimm crystals

The Alpha Beowolf had managed to escape when Weiss had revolved her Myrtenaster with fire Dusts, upset by the flames. It scampered away and crashed through the elevator doors, diving through the shaft and crashing onto the moving transport itself. The wires snapped under its weight that sent it plummeting down towards the ground floor. Sparks flared from the inner walls that produced ear screeching sounds. It did not however, stop there.

Beneath the ground floor to the lobby crashed through what seemed to be the secret basement.

The weight of the Beowolf crushed the metal lift down to its tin form, squeaking metal creaking beneath the creature.

This was another room, another level beneath the company the Heir hid from most people. The place where Hazmats were always worn to protect themselves from the dangers of experiments. The Grimm sneaked its way into the sanctum, bumping over vials of the sorts that released a mist of smoke according to their color like red and green. Its recklessness knocked a few trays of tools that rattled nosily against the floor.

It snapped its head around every corner to find its way out, flipping and shoving away objects that broke the human sized containers shattering to pieces, the bubbles within the waters spilling out while the others gushed through their cracks.

The smell of these fallen vials mixed together with other unexplained solvent flared the Beowolve's senses, making its teeth bear out wider like a smile of an evil Cheshire cat. Limitless drool flooded from its mouth and the coated fur beneath the skin of the soulless Grimm raised a static of hair standing. The Beowolf gnawed and ragingly swung its claws around like there were enemies of its kind forming in front of it that teased to come after them. The Grimm chased at this illusion the smell must have triggered, bashing through these containers and soaking itself horridly wet. Strands of the fur should have been thick and damped, but the water dried in a millisecond and hardened itself like shells. It was tight and the feeling coiled around its body, a sudden hunger of Dusts fueling its murdering intent rising by a percent.

It sniffed long enough for the air to suck in to its nostrils, the scent of magic flowing down its throat to its chest until it worked its way to the veins of the creature.

Ripping off a large wooden box with its claws, Dust fell out of their place and scattered to the floor. Going on fours the Grimm scooped up these magical stones to its mouth, jaws coming down and crunching the stones to smithereens. Gulping down a handful of them down its throat.

Blake heaved in a supply of air. Her lungs gripped tighter from the lack of oxygen coming into her clogged system, her heart bumping the base of the drum furiously. She was tired as hell and she was not exactly sure if she could keep up with her Aura without having it to deplete completely. Yang was the next most drained ball of fire running out of fuel. She tried to shake off the fatigue in a limping state as she came closer to Blake, willing to check out if the Faunus was okay from any further injuries and harm. Her face cringed when a cramp sprung around her leg, causing her to fall forward. Blake caught Yang with what strength she had left and hefted the blondie back to her feet. A dead drop of red fluid dripped down from Yang's right side of the head from previous impacts, her nose getting runny as well with blood from over using her semblance that even the heat affected her own circulation.

Very little survived the siege, the evident massacre of dead bodies mutilated and left bleeding their intestines out. Ones who did come out alive were either missing a part of their body, heavily injured that needed to be amputated or have huge lifelong scars forever carved on their frames.

The whirls of Aircraft engines sounded through the fiber glasses of the building. These large vehicles came into view with an army of Altesian Knights jumping off and landing without a crack of their metal feet, assaulting what Grimms were left outside the area. The ships rolled their Gatling guns and sent a barrage of bullets at these Grimms, missiles shooting out from their holes that wiped out a large amount of these monsters from existence.

It was now a battle between machines and soulless animals. Hex and screws would fly from getting smashed, their clad of armors being ripped apart from their scrapped bodies and chewed like toys.

A squadron of Knights entered the building. They moved with fast feet to secure the parameter and aid those who were barely alive. A pair approached Blake and Yang, scanning with their T shaped visors in identification. Blake at the moment remembers the Altesian Knight 130 as she stared at their faces of the new versions, the friendlier types, as the update had called to them. Polished white armor and black highlights replaced over the original dark grey metal, the presence of the glowing red marks no more. It could convince the citizens for the non-threatening look, but the Faunus knows well enough to be deceived by its outside rather than inside.

Blake opened her mouth to speak, but Yang raced her to it as she shook a hand at the androids for a no.

Their robotic voices had come out plain to try and convince Yang to seek medical help out of the building. But the Blondie strongly refused, saying that she wanted them to help find her teammates. It was expected that the Androids would stick to what order any commander have given to them, responding back over the required assistance they sought help with another paraphrased demand to please come with them, back to safety.

"No." Yang sneered, slipping her arm way from Blake's shoulder to show and tell how much she would put up a fight, a Dragon's breathe slipping from her mouth in warning.

"Yang Xiao Long. Our orders in the Tactical squadron Bravo is to bring any possible survivors back to control point." An AK-200 spoke in the usual monotone voice. It blabbered on about the orders given and Blake can study how Yang's shoulders squared, tensing in annoyance with every face muscle stiffening. The Blondie was trying so hard as to send a message through silent gestures to just get the job done and accept what they needed as they were soldiers serving under citizens.

And that was where she had got impatient. She was going to front kick the machine, but a sudden boom from the lobby's elevator puffed and shook stopped her.

Ruby and Weiss followed the Beast's trails, descending down the same shaft that Weiss could use her glyph to land safely. After a second of whipping air blowing across their faces and landing perfectly in one piece, what comes into view was rather surprising.

The place was completely thrashed; a room that Weiss was not aware that the building has. They cautiously walked into the room, eyeing at the fallen experimentations that broke from the wolf's raid. A weird lingering smell snaked through their nose that stung their senses when they had gone deeper to the corridors. It was actually addicting, but all the while it made them feel as if they wanted to throw up. Their silent walk became plodded steps as each inhale they took became heavier. Like weight dragging them down. Ruby was first that would have dropped to the ground if it weren't for a counter at her side that she caught to support herself. Weiss turned to her partner, staggering backwards when she thought she was going towards the red head, a table catching her near fall.

"Ugh. What is happening?" Ruby uttered. "And what's with the smell?"

It became a headache to even think, but Weiss gathered herself to comprehend the situation. Truthfully, she has never heard of a basement being built in one of the Company's buildings. These things were new to her, but the Dusts were familiar. The way they were being tweaked, mixed and held by the containers were no doubt experiments of prototypes going on. How come Father never told her about this? What could a business man that only has to sale Dust be experimenting with?

"I.. I don't know." Weiss replied with a huff. She cast an eye to a row of dispensers attached to the wall, portable cylindrical canisters where powdered dusts were stored in. Their caps were removed and it seems that every single powder have been cleared clean from their tubes.

After a few controlled breaths and shaky steps, they managed to regain their consciousness just enough to stay alert to their surroundings and move. By an eagle's vision they spotted the massive Beowolf that looked even bigger than they remembered. What's more odd and different is that this Grimm had crystals sprouting from its back like a layer of ice spreading across its already bony armor, spikes protruding from its broad shoulders and arms.

Ruby, after getting a grip of the scent that bellowed in the room, asked quizzically, "are those.. Dusts?"

The Beowolf's ear flicked before shooting a dead look behind, the Dusts it munched completely pulverized into powder. Dense smoke was streaming out from its mouth. The glare made the two step back without their own consent. The teeth it showed were bigger that sent shivering chills of fear trailing down the spines of the two Huntresses.

Greeting the humans with a monstrous roar, the massive wolf charged ahead, startling the two into panicking as they hastily readied themselves to their battle stances.

A ball of static energy has suddenly zipped its way from the crystals towards it chest. Forms of black electricity building through with the combustion of flickering light momentarily blinding the eyes of the humans whilst being unaffected by its own magic. It brought down its clawed fist to their position, the two did managing to dodge, but the sonic boom of electricity whipped the girls crashing through objects that rumbled away to the floors. The pulse of megawatt electrons shocked their nerves that coursed through their being while blunt tools sliced and pierced their skins. More of these vials broke and spilled into their wounds, the burning sensation sending them into pain's demise. It was as if a bucket of alcohol had poured down into their lacerated injuries. The most affected with the shattered glasses stabbing her waist and arms was Ruby. For a fifteen year old child that only bruised herself with scathing scratches of Grimms and other misfit of objects was a mild experience of pain that she can handle. But this was new as it gone further into the 3rd layer of skin that was almost too much to bear. The powder that the Beowolf had scattered on the floor mixed with the liquid and combined with over flowing electricity made the experience even harder to forget and more painful to remember. Ruby shrieked as they felt more than just hot coils of burning stones frying her alive. More than salt rubbing over her wounds.

Weiss, the second victim, had scrapped her lower arms to the edges of desks. Her previous injuries opening wider and welcoming these solvents into her system. She winced painfully, cringed and grunted just as they sizzled menacingly.

Seeing that the Beowolf was aiming at Ruby who was in desperate attempt to fight back despite her ripped energy, Weiss gathered her remaining stamina and used her Glyphs to push herself forward. Twirling around that her Myrtenaster swung across, an ice constructed itself into a giant sword and in unison as she brought her rapier down, the sword bashed the Beowolf.

The ice shattered into blocks of melting pieces, the blow should at least push it away hard enough for it to fall.

But it did not move a hair to its push. But it did divert its attention. Making it all the while worse for Weiss. A swift turn of that monster, it back fisted her away, this time giving her more than just an impact of that boulder size hand, but also a shock of impudent blast of fire that scraped across her body and sending the girl rammed against the stone cold wall. The Grimm followed her fall and picked her up, throwing her like a rifle's bullet across the glass covered floor. She skidded and tumbled and rolled. It could have continued until Ruby had come to catch her in her arms. Her grip around Myrtenaster loosen and she had fallen unconscious, grazed cheeks and bruises left imminent. Her lip had a slit and she looked beaten more than ever. It pained Ruby to see her like this, no matter the situation; she had taken the time to dip her head low and let shameful thoughts insult her own strengths. The next thing she knew with grunts and a shaking head of disagreement, she coiled her fingers around a shard of glass sticking out of her side of the stomach, and with one agonizing pull, she yanked it clean off. She carried Weiss and made sure her weapon was not being left behind and used her drop of semblance to escape the field.

She needed her teammates, she needs backup. Just a little more until she gets there.

The Grimm did not allow it. Ruby's eyes widened when she felt claws that were coated in ice tears her back, falling forward and unfortunately dropping Weiss. Her legs were pulled back, away from escape and away from her partner, the other hand of the Grimm coming to wrap its fingers around her body and lift her to eye's level. She squirmed in its grips, refusing to stop even as it tightened. Its mouth steamed like it just melted the very glaciers, water pouring in between its teeth. The claws were now frozen ice and she can feel the cold creeping from head to toe. Building frostbites stabbing her insides.

There it is. Mouth opening wide with the hideous breath that whiffed the air. The same smell that nauseated them hinted heavily and it racked the back of her head even harder. Her eyes were also starting to get teary as the headache grew worse by the second.

Before these Jaws would end Ruby's life in a horrible way. Weiss forced her consciousness to come back just in time to send magical flurries that restrained the Beowolf's neck, limbs and torso with hoops that circled around, making it release Ruby.

Ruby tried with all her might to stand as she fell and bended her knees for less impact, her movements only opening the wound again to have blood gushing. The restraints should at least hold the wolf for a minute.

Proved wrong again.

It snapped and disappeared to nothingness, once again trying to capture its meal.

Ruby had managed to roll away and run. The accursed thing however tackled Ruby, the one hand holding her down, this time, immediately having its mouth coming down to her.

Ruby screamed just as her right shoulder was being chomped down on, screaming even louder when she felt that her arm were popping out of its sockets.

Munch…

"GET OFF HER."

Yang barked, grabbing it in between its eyes and clutched hard with massive strength that its bone mask even cracked. When the Beowolf let go of Ruby in complete surprise, Yang dragged it away from her sister while her deep shade of crimson red eyes had even colored her pupils and stare down at the wolf's very own. Her teeth clenched and her brow furrowed deeply, digging her fingers through the cracks and into its very flesh. "You piece of shit," she hissed venomously, "I'm going to murder you."

The Alpha growled, its ignorance fueling Yang's inner wrath to unleash itself to the edge of despair she wishes to inflict to this garbage.

He can see it. The Aura that began to overwhelmed the girl, the heated rage steaming from the pores of her skin. The darkened eyes matching his. What a Sin, what a sin!

Its crystals glowed. Mouth opened wide, a spark and a flame bellowed and swept Yang in eternal flames.

Under the crisp fire, Yang spat, "Wrong move, bitch." And threw a fist down its head, simultaneously ripping the bone mask away from its face.

The smokey embers wisped a scent that burned the edges of Yang's clothes, shoving its horrid smell through her nostrils that overlapped her anger with confusion and nausea. She shook her head furiously hoping to overcome the throbbing headache that was appearing out of nowhere. Her hands came to her head and let her fingers wrap themselves tightly around her hair, yanking them desperately as the pain became more of a mental illusion. She grunted, a series of wheezes through air tightly compressing her physical state.

The Beowolf lunged Yang with its shoulder, the crystals piercing her body and ran through what was left of the liquid filled tanks. It pounced her down and a set of claws started to rip her out. Ember Celica had received most of these scratches as Yang covered herself with arms raised to shield herself, her bare arms unfortunately gaining the wounds of skin peeling off the lacerations.

A gunshot and blade whipped through the air. A mere second before the sound would even reach the ears of the Grimm, a deep stab gone through its thick back, a hard yank and the wolf was pulled away from Yang.

Blake stepped in, a combo of heavy slashes from her Gambol Shroud clearing the plates and breaking the crystals. The Armor, dense and hard to penetrate causes her to focus someplace else she could cut through. After making an Illusion take hit and teleporting herself above the wolf's head, she used her gun and blasted bullets into its boneless face that Yang had taken off. She proceeded to do the same maneuver with her semblance, gaining the upperhand as more of her repeated attacks were gaining effect.

That though did not last long enough. The Beowolf managed to study her patterns. And, switching its defensive mode back to the offensive, it sent a shockwave of electricity flowing from its crystals to its claws and wiped both her illusion and true form from hitting him. A moment of body twitching caused the Faunus to fall, difficult to move without struggling, her semblance trapped in the core of paralyzation.

The Grimm would have directly assaulted her, but Yang grabbed a handful of its fur and threw it down to the floor, swinging heavy loads of punches and banging bullets round after round without mercy.

The Faunus was next to smell the stench of the unidentifiable scent lingering in the air. She coughed it out, not wanting it to consume her lungs, only to be failing miserably as she inhaled sharply for air to return. Her vision was getting blurry for some reason. It was eating the corners of her eyes until she knocked it off with her weapon occupied hand. It did not drive the blur away entirely, but it was enough for her to see. Static of electricity still wrapped around her senses when she ordered a limb to move, each muscle being stretched harder to control.

Weiss limped her way towards Ruby, falling to her knees before the bleeding girl who was whimpering in pain.

"I-It's okay Ruby." She breathed, putting a hand over hers where her shoulder is being clearly seen with blood that was getting blacker than red, her ripped clothing hard to identify exactly how many holes and slices were made. But Weiss can tell just by where the trails of blood were flowing. "Your Aura, Ruby. Your Aura. Just hold on for a little while longer."

Ruby was breathing quickly like those hyperventilating; she grunted, wheezed and even made sounds of agony that tore a helpless heart.

Secure parameters, rescue civilians, clear the area.

Orders come and go, obeyed and followed.

Metal clankings of their feet trooped their way to the basement. Weapons at hand.

They followed the Duo who ran when they heard the Elevator crash, one by one they dropped through the shaft, maneuvering their positions with scopes aiming at each corner, not a single rock left unturned.

After sweeping each room, they reached to where Ruby and Weiss were. Medical squads took care of the two while the other tactical teams proceeded to where Yang and Blake had picked off the Beowolf.

It wasn't quite a good greeting. Yang was thrown to these groups and knocked them off like bowling pins. Yang scrambled to her feet, then again being swept off when Blake crashed onto her being.

The Knights opened fire, dispersing one on one to avoid the group being destroyed in one huge sweep. The bullets flicked off the armored plates, one of them sinking where Yang and Blake has ripped and chipped off. The Grimm roared, charging to a Knight and boxing them off. It took one in its hands, its whole mouth ripping off its upper half, a few chews and swallowed. The crystals on its back glimmered in tingling joy to its food, the Dust that was stored in these Knights boosting its energy level. The plates where it was ripped began to regenerate, a shade of red polishing its new pads.

The Knights were being flicked off like flees, one by one, and then by pairs towards the many. It mostly ate them, devouring every inch of their metal voids down to its belly, gaining even more crystals that would spark. It blowed an icy breath and froze the Androids completely, shattering them into pieces that would melt after. It shocked electricity to their core, disabling their conduits and wires from working, afterwards ripping them off and stealing their Dusts.

Yang was constantly swearing in her mind. It was fighting like it had brains. Grimms were supposed to be reckless in such a way they wouldn't even know how to devise their own attack patterns. Not to mention how this Grimm were having Dusts coming out from its hide.

Yang gave out a battle cry before she ran all out and thrusted her shoulder against the thing, shoving it through enough walls to break until she pushed it aside, throwing a fist at it so it could continue crashing itself through concretes. Out the hole she made with the thing, it hopped out in a fast pace and attacked the Blondie again. Every hit that Yang took made her stronger, but as she received it more and more, she became weaker despite the strength she was gaining. Her Aura itself was diminishing and the Beowolf didn't look tired at all.

Blake joined in the fray with a few more AK-200 behind her.

The battle went on and on. The Beowolf still holding its ground. Not until the scene began to flare up in explosions.

Weiss used herself to shield Ruby from the specks rocks that spewed from the ceiling. The building was shaking, thundering from sudden explosions that rocked the tower back and forth.

A Knight synced itself to the radio, shouting into its coms like a human would do. "Report in Alpha."

It received a few statics before the it responded, "Airship bzzt.. Firing. Bzzt.. Evacuate Immi-bbzzt.. ly."

Weiss looked up, "Firing?! Are you Knights actually firing at 'my' company? Who gave you the bloody order to just shoot while we're still here?!" The Heiress shouted. "I demand that you cancel whatever you are doing this instant!"

"Our programs have no such order Ms. Schnee." A Medical Knight admitted, "But it is imperative that we leave now."

Weiss was frowning. She was going to debate until the building shook even furiously that changed her point of view. She looked down at Ruby. "We have to go."

Her shoulder was patched and her Aura began working its way through the wounds, but it was going to be an awful slow process and she barely had her consciousness active to stay awake any longer. "Where's.. Yang.. And Blake?" She manages to ask. Weiss looked at where the two were fighting, hidden by the walls but the sounds imminent to be heard accompanied by shootings and the roar of the Beowolf.

Huge debris crashed from the Elevator shaft, a wall blasting rocks that blocked the entrances.

A Knight voiced in to his radio again, "Communication over to Airships, requesting to hold fire."

No reply.

"I repeat, hold fire."

Dead silence.

The ceiling cracked, a big lump of it falling over the Knight and destroying it completely into metal scraps. It came too quickly. Soon enough it was toppling over the others, the blasts from walls shooting at their heads that knocked off and rolled to the floor. A Knight tried to help the two, only to become unfortunate with the heaps of rocks.

Weiss managed to set a glyph under them, an immediate hand swish to the side that sent it away, and delaying death. "Ruby, can you stand?" She said quickly.

Ruby wanted to reply, but only mumbled breathes came out. Weiss touched her cheek; she was flaring badly like a fever gone mad. There was no choice. She took Ruby's other arm and put it over her shoulders, hefting the girl to her knees. The Red head tried not to scream from the pain that weighed her body and clinged tightly to the Heiress.

"You can do it Ruby." Weiss uttered, supporting her willpower that they can get out of this alive. The rooms blazed with fire, the smokes puffed and the pillars were crumbling. Will they really come out in one piece..?

Weiss shook her head. This can't be it. No way.

The truth was lying before their eyes. The Building was going to fall.

There was something worth trying.

Taking her Myrtenaster and the last drop of her semblance, she stabbed the ground, an ice dome forming over them. Rocks ricocheted, challenging the ice to crack and shatter. Weiss tightened her grasp around the hilt of her rapier, shedding out every last magic she can contribute to keep them alive.

The whole room was suddenly engulfed in fire, glazing the ice to melt. She squeezed her magic, her mind going along with it.

1 block, 2 blocks. 5 blocks of rocks. Pounding and crashing at their shield, the fire licking the tips of the crystal dome.

"If ever we don't get out of this one alive." She muttered, leaning her head down against Ruby's. "At least I hope you and the others will.."

And the dome cracked.

A/N: My heavens this was really the toughest chapter I have ever written. Every day I just sit and stare and I have absolutely no idea how to write this out. It was so complicated and I always have to stay conscious about how much details I have to write out. Finals were also in my way and I continued this right after I was done. I was also conflicted whether to call the Beowolf he or it. But eh, I did both.

Anyway, setting those aside. I think Chapter 6 will be in the present pertaining to some missions they have to deal with, connecting the questions being asked to the answers they will find. It depends. Or, it is still centered in the past so you are able to know how their powers were coming to life. With of course. Destruction. Possible drama and the sorts but not as heavy. I hope.

Going to be off for a bit until January so I have to post this right away before I go. So for now during my absence, I continue to write. Maybe even make a special chapter for Christmas.

Thank you for reading. Comment, review, fave, follow. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!