Chapter 26

Harry marched Pyrrha out of the CPD building onto the front steps of the building. He'd hardly said a word since his sudden appearance, choosing only to glare, grunt, and gesture when he wanted her to do something. The police let her go after he showed up, and returned her equipment. Most of the cops made sure to clear the path of the grumpy six and a half foot tall wizard. Pyrrha mutely followed him out of the building, feeling like a child caught by her parents.

It was still night, but along the horizon, light was beginning to show. In an hour or so, Chicago would awaken again and be as busy as ever. For now though, the streets and sidewalks were relatively empty still.

The Beetle was parked in front of the building, and Murphy leaned against it with her arms crossed. The expression she wore was one half disappointment, one half-exhaustion, and all irritation. Pyrrha winced and ducked her head; this was a night that had spiraled out of hand rather quickly.

Harry walked around to the driver side door and tossed her pack of weapons in the back and grunted, "Get in the car."

"Harry, I can-"

He slammed his staff against the ground once, and Pyrrha felt the faint tingle of power in the air that set lights across the block flickering. Pyrrha gulped, "Yes sir." and meekly sat in the passenger seat with her hands in her lap.

Harry got in, slammed the driverside door shut and took a deep breath. The steering wheel creaked in his grip for a moment, then Harry exhaled a mouthful of frost.

"I thought you were smarter than that Pyrrha. Running off to do lord knows what and getting arrested!? That's crap I'd expect from anyone else but you. Do you have any idea how worried I was when I saw you were gone?! This isn't your world, there are things out there that would kill you without a second thought if you go off alone like that! So unless you want to spend the rest of your time here locked up in the apartment, you'd better make a damn good argument in the next ten seconds."

"The Gatekeeper left a message in my mind telling me to investigate that address, and I know who is behind the Grimm attacks now. I think." Pyrrha said without missing a beat. Harry had a right to his anger, but Pyrrha had her own counter to it.

Harry paused and set his mouth in a firm line. From the backseat, Murphy spoke up, "That's… a pretty good reason."

He glared at her, then sighed, "Alright Pyrrha. I'm listening."

Pyrrha explained the message she saw in her dreams (leaving out the bit about her subconscious and her encounter with Jaune, for now) and how the Gatekeeper had advised her to investigate alone. She briefly explained her encounter with Emerald and Mercury and the ensuing fight that destroyed the Blackstones and the steel mill, and how after she was arrested, Kumori made her appearance and offer that Pyrrha had swiftly refused.

When she finished, Harry's face had grown pale and his grip tightened on the steering wheel again. Murphy was the first to speak, "You still could have told us Pyrrha. We could've hung back or something, acted as backup. Charging off like that alone is a good way to get yourself hurt."

On that last bit, she glared at Harry for a brief moment. If he noticed the expression, he made no sign of it. He let go of the steering wheel and rest his face in his hands where he let out a tired groan of "Oh god, why did it have to be them?"

"It seemed like they knew you." Pyrrha admitted. "And they don't want you getting involved."

"That's because last time I got involved with Cowl, I dropped a truck on him and made his ritual blow up in his face. He's a very powerful Necromancer, and if he's the one behind the Grimm, then the shit hit the fan a long time ago."

Pyrrha frowned, "I don't understand, why does his presence change anything?"

"Because if Cowl is involved, then it means the Black Council is definitely involved in this."

She stared at him blankly. Harry sighed, "It's basically the anti-White Council. They've been causing trouble all over the world for years, and each time their plot is bigger and crazier than the last. I barely stopped them from wiping out the midwestern United States last time. I guess planetary extinction would be the next logical step."

Pyrrha shook her head, "I don't understand how anyone could be like that."

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Murphy spoke up, "What I want to know, is how they learned how to open holes in dimensions in the first place. Bob said these things are way over our heads."

"A lot of things are." Harry said.

"Yes, but if Cowl and Kumori are that smart, why not do this years ago? Or just pull off the big ritual first?"

"Black Magic induced insanity? A need for dramatic tension? All of the above?" Harry suggested.

Murphy shook her head. "I don't think so. Someone else is involved in this that woman Pyrrha mentioned that they were trying to open the portal for. What did you say her name was, Pyrrha?"

It hurt to try and recall the memory, but Pyrrha did, suppressing the pain for the moment. "I… I think they said her name was Cinder. Yes, definitely Cinder."

Murphy looked at Harry; he was already grabbing his keys and struggling to turn the Beetle on, while cursing up a storm. "Shit, shit shit shit!"

"What? What's going on?" Pyrrha asked.

The engine stuttered and almost died again, then clicked and roared to life. Harry flung the Beetle into reverse and spun his tires trying to get out of the parking lot. They all jerked forward from the motion, and when she sat back up, Murphy said, "When Harry stopped at Mac's, he ran into a woman who claimed to know something about the Grimm attacks. Said her name was Cinder, and he gave her his number."

"You did what!?"

"It wouldn't have been a problem if you hadn't gone running off like that!" Harry yelled.

"Yes it would! They were going to summon her at the mill, if I hadn't interrupted it!"

The Beetle went skidding around a corner and down the street, its little engine roaring in protest. Harry grit his teeth as they drove, "I stole a few of her hairs when we were talking, I was going to use it to track her in the morning if she never called."

"Do you think she could track the phone line?" Pyrrha asked.

Harry's knuckles went white, "No idea, but we're about to find out. Do you know anything else about her? Near I could tell, she had a faint talent for magic, but that's it."

Pyrrha thought for a moment, "Um, yes. Mercury and Emerald both mentioned that when she went through the portal the first time, it cut off her most of her power. The way they talked about it, it seems this was right before she ran into you."

Harry cursed, "Son of a bitch."

"I warned you Dresden." Murphy said.

"Not now Murphy!"

The car fell into a rough silence after that, and with Harry breaking every major traffic law in Chicago, they reached his apartment in record time, practically sailing into the parking garage and leaving the Beetle hastily parked in front of the entrance to the complex. The security guard up front was missing, which was not a good sign.

Harry shoved open the doors with a bang, and they ran down the halls to his apartment. He waved a hasty hand over the door and cursed again. "Wards are down. Someone broke in."

"Wards?"

"Not now." Harry hissed, grabbed the handle. He slowly rotated it until it clicked, and eased the door open. The hall lights spilled into the cavernous apartment. Harry reached in and tried to flick on the lights.

No dice, his apartment remained silent.

Grabbing his staff tightly, Harry took a few steps inside, motioning for Pyrrha and Murphy to follow. Pyrrha stepped inside and took a look around. With no windows leading outside, the apartment was eerily dark, practically filled with an unnatural presence. In fact, it almost felt as if someone was breathing down her throat.

She took several steps inside, and felt something roll under her foot. Pyrrha looked down, and all the blood drained from her face.

"Harry!"

The wizard stopped and turned to face her, "What?"

Without a word, Pyrrha pointed at her foot, which was resting on the largest feather he had ever seen, nearly four feet long and pitch black. Harry gulped and turned back around to face the inside of his apartment. That feeling returned and Pyrrha realized it wasn't a result of fried nerves, it was an actual breeze inside his apartment, one that moved in a steady rhythm, like...like, breathing.

Coupled with the feather, Pyrrha immediately realized what it was, and said very softly, "Oh shit."

The darkness before them shifted and groaned, unfolding before their very eyes. Wings brushed against either side of the cavernous apartment walls, feathers drifted to the floor, and gleaming white talons scraped against the tile floor. The beast's head almost seemed to roll into view, given a crude glowing outline from the lights Harry had flicked on. It's beak was as dark as its feathers, but a bone white mask covered its face, and when it turned its head to the side, it revealed two fiery red eyes that glared at them.

Harry took a step back, "Um, Pyrrha…? What is that?"

Pyrrha did the same and swallowed nervously, "That is a very old Nevermore."

"Should we fight it?"

It lowered its beak until it was practically eye level with them, and screeched. Every light in the apartment promptly shattered, and Harry was almost blown off his feet. Pyrrha and Murhpy caught him by the arms and hoisted him back to his feet as the Nevermore shut its beak with an ominous snap.

"No, no we should not."

They were lucky the Nevermore had appeared inside Harry's apartment, the doorway stopped the gigantic raven from pursuing them immediately, as only its beak could fit through. Its thrashing and cries of frustration were strong enough that the entire building shuddered and groaned ominously. The hall lights flickered as Harry and Murphy ran down the hall and out into the garage where they'd left the Beetle parked.

Murphy cursed with every step through clenched teeth until they reached the Beetle, where she leaned over, panting. "I didn't...take my… medication this morning… everything hurts…"

"Don't worry," Harry assured her, "No more running for… hey, where'd Pyrrha go!?"

The building shook again, followed by a an angry cry from inside. They both looked down the hall, right as a blur of red and bronze came careening out of the exit and slammed into the side of the Beetle with enough force to send it skittering sideways through the lot.

"Holy shit!" Murphy cursed.

The Beetle rocked onto two wheels, then crashed back onto all four with a shudder. Pyrrha slumped out of the new dent she'd formed in the side of the car's chassis, and rubbed her head.

"That was... unexpected."

Before Harry or Murphy had time to ask what she meant, their answer came striding through the doorway. The creature that emerged was unlike any Grimm that they'd seen. At first glance, it looked like a giant… ostrich? Yes, an ostrich from the deepest depths of hell. It was over nine feet tall and pitch black, save for a row of razorsharp, bone white quills that ran down its spine, and a collar of bone around its neck. Its leathery neck and legs rippled with muscle, and its razor-sharp talons gleamed. Its entire face was as white as its quills, with a wickedly curved beak that was as long as Harry's forearm. It had a cluster of three eyes on either side of its head, and a singular red eye in the center of its forehead.

"What. The Fuck. Is that?!" Murphy screamed.

The colossal bird was flanked on either side by its identical twins, each as powerful and demonic looking as their brother. Their heads swiveled from Pyrrha to Murphy and Harry, and they shrieked. The sound was nowhere near as deafening as the Nevermores, but it was still effective in its attempt to evacuate the bowels of any and all living creatures present.

"Forzare!"

Harry though, was far from impressed.

A wave of invisible force knocked the three oversized birds across the garage. Two of them fell on their sides, but the third landed on its feet, leaving deep claw marks in the concrete as it ground to a halt and shrieked at Harry again.

From within the depths of the apartment, the Ancient Nevermore shrieked in response and began to thrash once more. Something in the building cracked, and the entire garage shuddered, spilling dust onto the trio.

"Harry!" Pyrrha cried, "We need to get out of here before it drops the whole building on us!"

They didn't spare her a look, instead running for the car as fast as they could. The bird-Grimm squawked and charged after them in its rolling two legged gallop. It easily crossed the distance between them and seconds, only for Pyrrha to pull her shield from the back of the bug and fling it at the bird's neck. It fell onto its side and skid past them into the far wall of the garage and immediately began flopping around in an attempt to right itself.

"What are those things?!" Murphy gasped.

Pyrrha gulped, "No idea, I've never seen them before in my life."

"Wait, what!?" Harry yelped, "How could you not-"

Another tremor shook the building, and sent a chunk of concrete falling between the three of them. Pyrrha sent Harry a look, "Is this really the time?!"

"...Point taken, everyone into the Beetle." Harry ordered.

With the building threatening to come down on them, this was no place for an extended fight. They needed to either lose the Grimm and come back with reinforcements, or at least move to more wide open space without the looming threat of a falling building. These new Grimm were too fast to outrun on foot, so the car was their best option.

Speaking of, the other two that Harry blasted earlier, had returned to their feet and began encircling the trio, heads low to the ground and feet silently padding across the floor. In a more forested environment, they'd never hear them coming. Seeing them however, was easy.

Harry projected his shield in a dome around them and the car, as Murphy pulled at the car door. This was about the time when the Nevermore screeched again and sent another violent quake through the building. The garage ceiling shuddered and groaned as a dozen spiderweb cracks spread through the ceiling. A moment later, an entire section of the garage came crashing down on the trio.

His shield flared under the impact and held for a moment, before the sheer weight broke it and brought the ceiling crashing down. They scattered as it fell, kicking up dirt and dust in the ensuing collapse. Pyrrha brushed shoot out of her eyes as the dust cleared and revealed a wall of concrete that had formed from the rubble, cutting the garage almost in half.

Harry coughed out a lungful of dust and gasped, "Murphy!?"

"I'm okay Harry!" she called from the other side, "Take the Beetle and go, I'll catch up!"

"What!? Are you insane!?"

She coughed, "No, but the Grimm are only on your side, so hurry! I'll be fine, I swear!"

Harry looked at the wall and at the exit where the Grimm waited for them. He looked back at the wall again with reluctance, then grabbed his staff and pushed himself back up. "Alright, but I'll hold you to that promise!"

The third Grimm that had crashed into the far side of the wall finally got its legs under itself and stood up, hissing at Pyrrha and Harry. The wizard hurried into the Beetle and the engine roared to life on the first turn of the key. Pyrrha grabbed the door with her Semblance and peeled the wreckage away.

"Go go!" she yelled before she event hit the seat.

There was no need to tell Harry twice. The whole of the building shook from the Nevermore again, as Harry put the pedal to the metal, and hauled ass out of the garage. The bird-Grimm squawked and loped after them at a disturbing speed. The wooden crossguard at the entrance snapped against the Beetles bumper, and they rocked out onto the main Chicago street in a shower of sparks, with three very angry Grimm on their tales.

Pyrrha hung herself out the side of the Beetle to watch behind them, right as the first two came speeding out of the exit without breaking stride. The third leapt out of the building and crashed through a bus station before joining them. Harry shifted and gunned the Beetle down the street.

Good thing to, because it was at that moment the outer wall of the apartment complex promptly exploded, and the Ancient Nevermore plodded into the street. It looked after the Beetle and screeched again, before finally unfurling its wings to their full length. The Grimm was so large that the tips of its wings brushed against either side of the street, and one flap of its wings sent a whirlwind barreling down the street.

Pyrrha flung herself back in the relative safety of the Beetle as it passed, tearing at her hair as it did. It was only then that Pyrrha noticed they were short one person, "Wait, where's Murphy!?"

Harry cursed as he struggled to keep the Beetle under control, "She stayed behind! Debris separated us, but she should be fine!"

He spared a glance out his window and went pale, "Besides, we've got bigger problems!"

Keeping pace with the Beetle was one of the Grimm, it's pale beak lowered next to the window and glaring at them. The moment Harry noticed it, it shrieked and thrust its head through the window. Harry barely avoided having his arms ripped off, the enchanted leather of his duster protecting them from the Grimm's beak, and let out a surprised yell.

In the cramped quarters of the bug, Pyrrha didn't have any room to maneuver, so she reacted to the Grimm in a simpler manner. She bashed it over the head with her shield until its mask cracked and it retreated with a squawk of indignation, stumbling drunkenly next to the car. They hit a turn just then, and the Grimm barreled into the Beetle and went flying head over heels into the building beyond them. It didn't get up, and began to evaporate.

One down, three to go.

The next made its presence known on Pyrrha's side, practically body slamming the Beetle and knocking it on two wheels. Pyrrha focused her Semblance, as exhausted as it was, and managed to force the Beetle back down onto four with a jarring impact. The Grimm hissed and jabbed its head at Pyrrha several times, but she smacked it away with her shield until it tried to snap its jaws around her arm. She reached into the back of the car with her free hand for Milo

Again, it got a mouthful of shield that forced its jaws open. Pyrrha yelled and pushed hard, and it's jaw snapped. The oversized bird made a confused noise its lower jaw flapped about uselessly with each of its long striding steps, and didn't get to comprehend its injury for long.

A burst of bullets slammed into its flank and upper legs, making it screech in surprise and tumble to the ground in a cloud of black smoke until it was no more. Pyrrha blinked at that, confused by the sudden assistance.

Until she heard the familiar roar of a motorcycle engine, and Karrin Murphy came roaring up alongside the Beetle, a box shaped submachine gun in held tightly in one hand and the other on the handlebars. She smiled at Pyrrha and Harry and gave them a little salute, and despite the situation, Pyrrha smiled back.

That was two Grimm left, another of those odd birds, and the-

The air vibrated an another earth shaking screech filled the air, sending tremors through the entirety of the street. The Ancient Nevermore flew by overhead, a dark shadow against the cloudy sky. Lights were starting to flicker on across Chicago, as people were reasonably wondering what in the hell was making all that racket.

"Um, Pyrrha!?" Harry was looking through his windshield with a dumbstruck expression as the Nevermore easily overtook them and kept on going.

Pyrrha realized what it was going to do moments too late. She only had time to shout a single warning of "Get down!" before the colossal monster seemed to twist around in mid-air with its wings spread to their fullest, and thrusting them forward to unleash a hailstorm of spear-like feathers.

Harry jerked the car wheel to the side, sending the Beetle into a slide that presented its intact side to the feathers. Several scraped off its steel shell, but just as many impaled themselves on the car's chassis. There was a loud pop and the car promptly turned on its side. Pyrrha didn't have her seatbelt on and felt herself lift out of her seat for a moment, until the car hit the ground with a shriek of steel on metal, and she went flying out of it onto the street.

Pyrrha rolled across the floor and barely got her legs under her to stumble to a stop. Her shield, somehow, was still in her hand, and her sword had embedded itself into the ground nearby. That was one piece of good luck. The rest however…

The Beetle had come to a halt, and through the fractured windshield, Harry seemed to be unharmed. He'd likely thrown up a shield at the last second that saved him from the worst of the crash. Murphy, on her motorcycle though…

Pyrrha didn't see how it started, but she could guess.

When the feathers, each as sharp and deadly as a sword, came raining down on them, Murphy had probably tried to maneuver through them, and might have succeeded. But with her injuries to her arm and leg, and seeing the Beetle crash, she hadn't been able to maintain the reaction times she'd need to survive the barrage.

So, Pyrrha never saw the initial loss of control, but she saw the immediate aftermath. By sheer luck, Murphy didn't get caught by the motorcycles crash, instead being flung free of the bike. The landing would've been bad, but she'd have come out okay… But she landed hard and rolled into a parking meter, hitting her midsection on the steel beam.

There was a loud crack, a snap…

And Pyrrha screamed in rage.

All rational thought was gone, replaced with a river of boiling rage that coursed through her veins. Pyrrha screamed and whirled to face the Nevermore. The colossal bird landed in front of Pyrrha and matched her scream with a screech of its own.

Murphy had been the nicest person Pyrrha had met on Earth, a friend to her that had supported her and had offered her shoulder to cry on should Pyrrha need it. There were few people Pyrrha could consider friends in her life, and the few she had were left on Remnant. Murphy had stepped in and filled the void, and now there was a good chance she was dead because of Pyrrha.

No, not her, but the Grimm, the Nevermore, it was to blame, and Pyrrha was going to make it pay!

She felt the instrument of her vengeance everywhere, all around her. Chicago was a city of steel, and in this early morning, the city itself would be her instrument of revenge.

The ground shook and a dozen sewer lines broke from the ground and snaked around the Nevermore faster than the eye could track. It squawked in surprise as its legs and wings were bound by iron and steel and the sheer will of Pyrrha. Once, she had believed herself too exhausted to use her Semblance without hurting herself, but rage was one hell of an anesthetic.

As her body and soul screamed in protest against the strain she put it under, Pyrrha tightened her grip on the Nevermore, until only its head could move. Once she was satisfied that it was secure, she picked up her sword and charged.

Miló transformed into its spear mode, and in three bounding leaps, Pyrrha launched herself at the Nevermore. She was vaguely aware she was screaming, and that there were tears in her eyes.

The Nevermore swiveled its head toward her as Pyrrha leaped at the beast and…

In one smooth motion, whipped forward and snapped its jaws around the furious redheaded warrior, and swallowed her whole.

A/N: I lied. No hiatus for me, I could not keep myself away from this story. All that said, expect some rewriting of this chapter when my editor gets his claws on it, and in the next chapter, we're going over to Dresdens perspective.

Expect copious amounts of fire.

After that though, things are going to settle out until about chapter 30. No action scenes, no huge plot revelations. Things went from bad to worse in the blink of an eye, which was exactly my intent. For those wondering about the Nevermore, this one was older than the one RWBY fought back in volume 1, and as I am a firm hater of the Worf Effect, there is, in Remnant, a distinct difference between those and the kind that Coco slaughtered in that pathetic excuse for a finale we got in volume 2.

Anyway, I'll see when I can crank out chapter 27, as its gonna be an interesting one, as several very big things will unfold, as the world of RWBY finally merges with the Dresdenverse in a way you guys have been begging for months.

Until then!