6-1: Unleashed
The Beowolf Alpha snarled. There was little else the beast of grimm could do.
After all, no amount of experience could've prepared the creature for what had just transpired.
At first, the creature was startled by the sudden appearance of the prey. It certainly didn't expect to find a morsel so close to its Leader's den, pushing past its lesser brethren with blinding speed. What's more, the person before it was one that its Leader had not claimed, an outsider that chosen to dive into the jaws of danger without hesitation, wielding its fiery light in reckless abandon as it charged forward.
The intruder's target was clear, and the Alpha had immediately risen up in defiance, an ominous growl echoing through the room as the grimm fixed its gaze onto the oncoming attacker. No longer hunched over, the beast of grimm stood tall, towering over the smaller intruder as crimson eyes glared downwards. Yet, the grimm did little else, choosing to remain still as it watched the prey's approach, instinct directing the Beowolf's actions. It knew that this particular prey would be more troublesome than any before.
After all, it clearly carried its own Light.
While the Alpha had plenty of experience in dealing with lesser prey and their brittle toys, those battles rarely involved more than simple embers. In these verdant wilds, the grimm had met few prey who could wield light, and those were closer to predator than quarry. And yet, those encounters paled in comparison to the attacker before it, wielding a Light that radiated with a piercing glow, far exceeding anything else the Beowolf had ever witnessed.
It was... a rare sight. One that had no place so far away from the dens of Mankind. But, rare as it may have been, it was a sight that the Beowolf still recognized it. How could it not, for the glow that had been cast was one that no base quarry was capable of wielding.
The Grimm knew immediately that its opponent, rather than simplistic prey, was a hunter.
As a creature of destruction, the Beowolf Alpha was physically incapable of feeling fear. However, it was not exempt from the other bonds of instinct, and the Alpha was just as capable of feeling unease as anything else. After all, Hunters were some of the fiercest opponents that stood against the creatures of destruction. Each hunter wielded a Light, one that never burned the same, and it is this light that had burnt away its pack time and time again. Still, the Alpha couldn't falter, and carried its actions without hesitation, preparing for a costly conflict with the hunter, fully expecting ruinous fire or writhing shadows to strike at it.
Which was why it was completely caught off-guard when the hunter's Light chose to do something else entirely. Within a matter of moments, the Light had bound the Beowolf, locking it in place as the grimm felt the very air halt. It could feel the haze of the Hunter's influence perverting the air, twisting things to its will, binding the Alpha into place as it muffled its senses.
However, the hunter did not stop there; Instead, it pressed its advantage, sending its influence away from the grimm as it arced towards a new target, jumping directly towards the Leader's vessel. And that's when the grimm's shifted away from simple surprise, and learned the meaning of dread.
That single instant, where Light and not-Light bridged their gap, was one that was felt by everything. The ground seemed to quake, releasing a deadly echo that washed over the Leader's den. The air came to life, succumbing to the twisted phenomenon in a brilliant blaze, exploding outward as it ignited all in its path. Even the Light was not unaffected, the accursed glow kneeling to itself, simultaneously ruling and following itself as it warped into something else.
Just as the environment felt the effects of the union, so too did the Alpha. But rather than quake or burn, it was the grimm's instinct that flared, whipping the Beowolf into a primal rampage.
That instinct drove it to move. And that's when it realized that it could move.
That Light had broken more than just the Beowolf's animalistic restraints; it had also destroyed the physical ones that the Hunter had bound it with. And now that that influence was gone, the grimm could react; It did so immediately. The beast brought its attention back to its own renewed senses, trying to drown out the burning sensation of the encroaching Light, unleashing an unbridled roar as it turned its gaze to its surroundings.
Without warning, the Alpha lashed out, its strike guided by instinct as subconscious reflexes fueled the grimm's lethal actions. It strove to tear apart the Light, and disregarded everything else in its mindless pursuit, as the beast of grimm settled on the closest thing that emanated the Light. Its claws shredded through the air, resonating with a sharp whistling sound as it focused itself on its target, its claws driving forward without mercy, fully intent on destroying the nearest source of Light; the Leader's vessel.
Lightning surged. The Alpha was sent flying.
The unexpected flight did little to deter the Beowolf, as the creature twisted itself in the air, trying to shift its weight and body to provide some sort of reprieve when it landed. It succeeded, barely, as its claws scraped against the floor. What truly hastened its stop, however, were the lesser grimm that were its brethren, each ignoring their surroundings as they snapped at more fonts Lights.
... The Light was everywhere. It had taken everything, and lashed out against the Alpha, burning it in its very presence.
Without another thought, the Beowolf retaliated, its focus falling to closest sources of Light. Were the beast truly intelligent, perhaps it would've questioned why the mechanical creations of its Leader shimmered brightest. Perhaps it would've realized that something wrong had occurred, that the Light was something far different from what it knew or understood.
But it was not. And it did not.
Instead, the Alpha, along with the rest of its kin, struck at their Leader's machines.
Her Aura was gone.
That was the first thought that echoed through Winter Schnee's mind. However, more important than that were her next thoughts, confusion rising up as she tried to figure out why her aura was gone. The last thing that she remembered was Dust and Aura, weaving together as she invoked her semblance, manifesting a familiar glyph as she tried to neutralize an Alpha Beowolf.
Wait... Tried?
Her thoughts ceased, and the huntress turned to instinct. With conditioned reflexes, the Atlesian operative reached for her weapon, gripping her blade with renewed vigor as she prepared herself for the Beowolf's counterattack. The fact that she was disorientated, coupled with her sudden loss of aura, could only mean one thing; The grimm had somehow thwarted her attempt. If so, this meant that she was likely in combat at this very moment. And since she wasn't the one attacking...
Winter willed herself to move. The Huntress sprang to her feet, allowing herself only a single glance behind her, just enough to confirm her position in the room. With practiced motion, Winter Schnee kicked her feet off the ground, lunging backwards as she tried to reposition herself. She felt the rush of air as she flew, her actions giving her just enough space to react to her opponent. The moment her feet touched the ground, Winter's fixed her eyes forward, ready to meet whatever attack the grimm was about to throw at her.
Which was why she was confused to find that there was no such attacker.
Instead, the Beowolf in question had somehow found itself on the other side of the room. What was more alarming than that, however, was the fact that it had chosen to ignore her entirely. Instead, the beast of grimm was attacking one of the mechanical grimm, its heavy claws scraping against metal as it tore at the solid limbs of a mechanical Ursa. She wasn't sure what to make of this phenomenon, as she was under the assumption that the machines and the grimm were working together. Of course, that in and of itself was absurd, which only made this mission all the more confusing.
But she was a trained huntress. Confusion was not something she entertained for long, which was why the Atlesian operative was already assessing her situation.
It wasn't just the Alpha Beowolf that had turned on the machines; she could see other beasts of grimm lash out as well, Boarbatusks charging mindlessly at mechanical lizards while Ursai wrestled with their metallic counterparts. What struck her as strange, however, was the fact that the machines did not fight back. Instead, they were passive, merely dodging out of the way of oncoming blows, while choosing to return none of the violence back to the grimm.
Equally curious was the fact that none of her enemies had chosen to pursue her. While she could partially understand the grimm's lack of initiative, due to their newfound lust for betrayal, the Huntress found it odd that the machine constructs ignored her. There was little doubt that her surprise attack had failed, yet none of the mechanical guards had elected to pay her any mind. It was... unnerving.
But it was also an advantage. Already, she could feel her aura returning, its warmth washing over her like a chinook wind, a familiar sensation that reminded her of Atlas. It was subtle, gentle even, as the warm glow of aura seemed to dance around her, mixed with the comforting heat of fiery dust as she felt her reserves fill instant-
Winter's eyes snapped open.
Something was wrong. Something had to be. After all, she had been a huntress long enough to know that Aura did not replenish itself this quickly. While it did accelerate a person's physical recovery, that was merely a positive side effect of having aura; It wasn't the aura that recovered, but rather, the body. When aura itself was completely drained, it needed time to recover, just like everything else. So why was it that hers didn't?
That's when she noticed something else about the room. Something stranger than the rampaging grimm and inert mechanical beasts. The Huntress turned her gaze back to the device that stood at the center of the room, only to find that the energies around it had... changed, in some way. No longer alien, the glow that circled around the device seemed to resemble aura now, though not completely. What was more concerning was that this energy resonated with her, a light sensation touching at her chest, flowing in concert with her, matching every breath she took.
There was no longer any doubt in her mind; this thing was definitely related to someone's semblance. And, through aura, it could somehow attune to a specific individual. That's what had happened, right? Winter couldn't think of any other explanation... After all, it was clear that the atmosphere around the device had changed dramatically, and the only thing that could've facilitated that change was her own Aura.
Perhaps subversion of the device would be easier than she thought.
The woman made her way to the mechanical construct, her motions careful as she kept an eye on her surroundings. It would do her no good if she was ambushed at this juncture, especially now that she had figured out some secret to the device. Yet, nothing came, the grimm fixed on their targets while the machines remained inert, merely staring at her with a familiar light.
A familiar light? Were the machines tied to the device as well? If so, that would explain the grimm's sudden betrayal... But how did the device relate the machines? Did they control them in some way? The mummy clearly did not need to interact with it directly, and she saw no obvious way for the strange construct to do anything except ring a bell. Perhaps it was simply something that sprung from the same source.
Winter shook her head, clearing her mind of such trivial thoughts. There was no point in guessing; She would soon find out.
Closing the distance between herself and the device, the huntress stretched her hand outwards, feeling the warmth of Aura rise as she drew herself closer. Heat intensified the moment her skin had touched the metal, but the sensation remained gentle. Rather than the searing heat of an open flame, she felt the comfort of a gentle bonfire. More than that, she felt... clarity. Something about the device seemed to wash away her unease, pushing away her stress and tension.
Then, the device began to hum, to resonate with her. The aura around gradually shifted, slowly molding itself to match her own aura, feeling closer and closer to an extension of her semblance. Winter wasn't quite sure what to make of it, as this had all occurred independently of her thoughts and intentions. She gave no instruction; It was as though the device itself was reacting to her. Was it alive? Or was this some last vestige of the creator's semblance.
Either way, it didn't matter. What did matter was that she could feel the aura around herself intensify, flaring outwards with a visible glow.
And she wasn't the only one who felt it. Without warning, a nearby Boarbatusk released a snarl, charging towards her without mercy, intent on skewing her with its massive tusks. Its heavy bulk clattered against the ground, giving the woman ample warning, and Winter prepared herself for the beast. With her weapon drawn, the huntress was ready to deflect the blow, already beginning to shift her weight... before she noticed that something else had decided to act.
With neither rhyme nor reason, one of the mechanical beowolves lunged forward, stepping in front of the Boarbatusk to meet its charge. The machine had acted instantly, stepping forth the moment Winter had detected the attack. She wasn't sure why the machine had chosen now to strike back against the grimm, when their previous actions were to simply remain inert, but she didn't question it.
What she did question was something else entirely; the fact that it had chosen to move was surprising in its own right, but not nearly as much as how it had chosen to move. As the huntress watched the machine fight against the grimm, one thought stood out in her mind: The mechanical beast hadn't pounced at the boarbatusk like a craven predator. Nor did the construct charge forward like a weapon of war, hellbent on destruction... Instead, it had leapt with grace, warding off the attack as though it was her guardian. Between blows and steps, the construct danced between its opponents swipes and swings.
Just like her summons.
She... she was confused. But before she could truly comprehend the implications of this new finding, Winter's Scroll vibrated.
She answered, of course. The Atlesian operative wasn't in immediate danger anymore, and as curious as her situation was, it was still a lull in fighting. More important than that, the only people who would even attempt to contact her would either be Rhinestone Industry's private security forces, or Qrow. And while she would prefer not to deal with them under normal circumstances, they were her allies for this mission.
"Yes-"
"Great job, Ice Queen!" Qrow's voice shot through her device, interrupting her without a second thought as he stared at her. What annoyed her was the insufferable smirk on his face, grinning at her for no reason, despite the severity of their situat- "I have no idea what you did, but keep doing it!"
Winter paused at that statement. "... What?"
"You heard me. Whatever you did pissed off the grimm, and now they're fighting with the robots." And to prove his point, Qrow tilted his Scroll to the side, shifting the video feed to the room behind him, just in time to catch the sight of an Elder Boarbatusk as it barrelled through a throng of mechanical crocodiles. The constructs, in turn, leapt back onto the beast of grimm, biting and slashing at its darkened hide. "Makes our job a hell of a lot easier."
"Is... that so?" She was stunned. While she had witnessed the phenomenon in person, she wasn't aware that it had extended beyond this room. Was this in-fighting happening everywhere throughout the compound? The Huntress turned her attention back to Qrow, her tone neutral and professional. "Is this an isolated case?"
Qrow's tone was in stark contrast to her own, almost carefree as he responded. "Nope. Happening everywhere in the building. What exactly did you do?"
"It's less of what I did, and more of what I found..." Winter's voice trailed off as she turned her gaze back to the device.
This was all wrong. Everything was falling apart.
Rage filled the Xelor as he scouted his compound, watching the events unfold through the eyes of his Noxine. The shadow beasts had gone feral, no longer abiding by his influence or control as they lashed out at his machines. Wolves swarmed his mechanical bears, while the small lizard things ate away at his armatures. Not even his assembly lines were safe, as a particularly large shadow boar had found its way into the secure room, and was now thrashing everything without prejudice.
More importantly than that, however, were his machines themselves.
Just as the shadow beasts had lost there minds, so too did his creations snap out of control. He saw his mechanical crocodiles move without direction, charging mindlessly at the shadow beasts against his instruction. His robotic bears ignored his orders entirely, striking out at their shadowy doubles with unrestricted strength, destroying beast and background alike. Even his Noxines weren't without problems, now plagued by momentary glitches of unknown origin.
Every so often, the Noxine he was controlling would snap forward, dashing to a random direction as it dove at a shadow beast for no apparent reason. These orders were easily aborted, of course, but the very fact that they occurred was unsettling to the Xelor. His Noxines... No, his creations were all extensions of himself, built with Wakfu that he had shaped. His Wakfu that he had shaped. Under normal circumstances, there was simply no way that they'd suddenly lose control.
Which meant only one thing.
He directed the Noxine back towards his Dial. It wasn't difficult, so much as tedious, as he had to control every single aspect of the simplistic machine, overriding any irregularities that cropped up. And as he drew closer to his Dial, these errors became more frequent, requiring more of his attention as he steered the construct closer to his destination. And when it finally arrived, Nox lost control.
Not because the device's glitches got out of hand or anything. Nor was it because of some external influence violently wresting the device away from him.
No... What made Nox lose control was simple surprise. For a single moment, the Xelor stood stunned, and that was enough for him to lose his grip on the Noxine. But he could hardly be blamed for such a reaction. After all, something had happened his Dial.
It no longer contained any Wakfu.