Chapter Seven: Beringel's U-Boat

"Looks like the engines are thawed out enough." The first mate looked at the Crusaders and Ilia. "We should be able to hit land. Once again, I wish you all safety in your travels. I hope you put an end to your daughter's illness."

"Thank you so much," Maria shook the first mate's hand. "I couldn't have gotten anywhere without your crew assisting us in getting there."

"Think nothing of it," He waved it off. "You took down that bastard that killed our captain. You have our eternal gratitude. My brother on another ship also seemed to have met quite the weirdos on his final voyage."

"Final voyage?" Maria asked.

"Yeah," The first mate nodded. "It was about four years ago when it happened."

Maria felt a shiver run down her spine. She had a feeling she knew what ship he was on.

"He had written me a letter that I had fortunately received. He had detailed a group of what looked like cultists gathered around a woman with green hair and a man with a sword."

"Adam and Emerald," Blake's breath hitched as her fist clenched.

"I believe I know what they wanted with your brother's crew," Maria's gaze hardened. "It certainly wasn't anything good."

"I've heard the tales of the ship that went down a hundred years ago," The first mate nodded. "The stories ranged from gremlins to monsters to engine malfunction. My brother always talked about finding out what happened."

"Unfortunately for him," Maria stared him dead in the eye. "I believe he found it."

"What was the mystery of the ship?" The first mate asked. "I'm a believer in things that others might not be. What sort of thing was on that boat."

"A demon," Maria looked to the horizon. "The demon that cursed my family."

She stood in front of the silver silhouette, the headless form standing in her way. Her own body was just a head, her orange eye glaring right at the silhouette. She would not be deterred by this last vestige of a defense. She had claimed this body and she would take it. How dare she try to defend against her? She had won. She had defeated her, yet her body once again gave resistance.

This battle was constant, having been waged for a century, locked in combat for the entirety of her oceanic slumber, the battle having extended beyond a simple war of attrition. This was a battle for the fate of the world. She had been naïve then, having thought it a simpler battle, but this silver silhouette represented something more, a battle she knew would echo through time, calling that cursed silver-eyed blood to ring true with the call of battle, standing in her way yet again. Summer had given birth, hadn't she? Would her child be an Aura wielder? Would he be able to summon the power of the sun? Would he be drawn to her with this blood?

The blood in her body coursed through her veins. She could feel it, feel the years of courage built up in this body, something that she knew would be passed down. How many generations would go by before she escaped this oceanic prison? How many generations of Roses would be there to stand in her way? Would they destroy the White Fang, the organization she had refitted from its cultish origins? What was Summer's true strength? The power this body granted her was intoxicating to any but her or Summer. It was with this that she knew there were only two people capable of handling this power. No fool of the Roses would possess the strength that Summer did, and as her blood diluted it would only get weaker.

She took a deep breath, the silver silhouette falling before her. Each drop of blood she drank, the weaker that silhouette became, the closer she was to gaining full control of her new body, gaining the full power she once wielded and then some.

The Grimm sipped the blood from the goblet, looking down at the woman lying dead at her feet. Her silver eye flashed, her orange one smoldering.

"I do so wonder Emerald," She spoke to the woman standing in shadows in the corner, head bowed. "Once my body has healed completely, will my eyes be one color or shall they be still two colors?"

"We shall know when you have unleashed your healed body, Mistress." Cinder spoke obediently. "It is only a matter of time."

"Yes, it is." Cinder looked into the mirror, gazing at her neck and the scar around it and her eye. "What of that fool, Neptune?"

"It would appear he was killed, Mistress," Emerald bowed. "But, I'm sure you knew that already."

"Four different warriors I have sent to combat the Roses have failed." Cinder spoke. "I believe you said that these members of the White Fang, save the two I seduced to our side were capable."

"We had never tested them against a Rose, Mistress Cinder," Emerald bowed deeply. "I had no understanding of how ready they would be to face one of the cursed bloodline. Their power was something we underestimated."

"Better the one who knows that young," Cinder mused, a small smirk revealing a fang. "But, I suppose that does lead me to have less faith in such underprepared troops."

"We could not have predicted Ruby's Semblance's power," Emerald bowed. "Maria we were prepared for, particularly after the destruction of the White Branch. But, I have several more ready to engage them. Eventually, they will be worn down."

"Who did you send?" Cinder's gaze flicked to her.

"Beringel is on the way now." Emerald let a grin of her own come to her lips.

"That experiment?" Cinder scoffed lightly. "I do not believe that he is capable of handling the Roses."

"You wished to see the results of his progress," Emerald bowed again. "Now, we shall."

"I suppose so," Cinder gazed back at the mirror. "And, the others?"

"I have entrusted my brother, the Lieutenant to this job as well as Mercury, Neopolitan, and Lil' Miss," Emerald gave a sly smile.

"I trust one of those," Cinder glanced at her. "The rest are wild cards at best."

Emerald looked upset at this, shock spread across her face. It was almost as if she hadn't expected her mistress to express doubt in her.

"But," Cinder spoke in a softer voice. "I suppose I will put faith in them if you have so diligently trained them. Let us hope my faith is not misplaced."

Cinder turned to the mirror, glancing at a candle nearby.

"How does that other experiment go?" She asked the mint haired woman.

"The Nevermore experiment?" Emerald asked. "It is going at a far better pace than Beringel. It is much more refined than that brute."

"Let us hope that it performs better than its predecessor," Cinder scoffed.

"The Beowolf experiment was an… interesting first try," Emerald looked to the side. "But, I suppose it was far too wild for us to contain."

"See that it does not happen again," Cinder said. "I do not wish to have to intervene again. Now, leave me be. I must draft a letter."

"Yes, mistress," Emerald left the room, the Grimm sitting down and beginning to write.

"My dearest friend," She wrote. "I believe I have obtained a proper candidate for your idea. It will be a matter of time before I can produce results. I do not plan to need your involvement in this, but I do believe that the candidate is suitable. Obviously, this will take years to produce a proper result, but I am sure you will be able to use it to your own ends in the event it is necessary. How is your prison ministry going? I believe you said that you were making excellent progress with the inmates? That is good news. Do let me know in your next letter. Signed, your dearest friend Cinder."

Cinder placed the letter on her desk to be mailed, returning to the goblet of blood.

"What do you see, old lady?" Ruby asked.

"Nothing so far," Maria looked out with binoculars. "The sea is quiet as far as I can see. But, we must be careful not to disturb too many things. I'm not certain when the next enemy will strike, but there is no safe passage for us."

"Perhaps she hadn't sent too many to intercept us at sea," Pyrrha suggested. "I'll wager that very few of the White Fang had the ability to manipulate the ocean like Neptune did."

"What are you guys talking about?" Ilia asked. "Are there more like that blue haired weirdo?"

"Most definitely," Blake narrowed her eyes, her cat ears twitching. "But, we have no idea when they will strike."

"I can feel something odd," Blake glanced around. "I feel there is something coming. There is something that is giving me a chill."

"And me without my armor," Weiss clenched a fist. "I'm more mobile, but my body is a bit frail."

"I'm not sure what could—" Maria started before the entire ship started rocking. It was if a giant had splashed the water next to them, causing them to shake on the waves. The crew ran outside, looking over the ship.

"What the hell was that?!" The first mate demanded. "We saw for an instant something on the radar and then we were struck with something!"

"Was it a rock?" Ilia asked.

"We'd have seen a rock coming from literally a mile away," The first mate continued looking. "Whatever that was came in an instant and was gone."

"Ruby, can you see it?" Maria asked. "Your eyes are best."

"All I see is clear blue water," Ruby looked down. "But, there's something black over there. Looks like something's in the water."

The black shape came closer, everyone noticing it in a moment. An explosion shot out, the explosion rocking the boat again.

"What could that be?!" Maria shouted.

"It could be something attacking us from too deep for us to see it with radar," Weiss spoke up. "If it's a Semblance wielder, then it's definitely possible that they can attack us and disappear."

"A likely idea," Maria looked down. "But, how will we stop them?"

"We could dive underwater?" Ruby suggested. "That way, we can protect the ship at the same time."

"Well, who's going underwater?" Maria asked.

"I'll go," Ruby said. "I can see the farthest and I've got the power to possibly deflect them."

"If you go, I'll go," Pyrrha stood next to her. "You may need some range."

"I don't like that idea," Maria said. "I'm going to save my daughter. I don't want my granddaughter getting herself killed like this."

"Then why the hell'd you bring me along in the first place?" Ruby rolled her eyes, smacking Maria in the back of the head. "Not like you could stop me anyway. Fine, Pyrrha, you and me."

"Alright," Pyrrha smiled. "So, we will need oxygen tanks, masks, and breathing tubes."

"I'll get you some," The first mate said. "Would you like wetsuits?"

"I'll pass," Ruby said. "I'm keepin' the duds on."

"If you do that, I will too," Pyrrha nodded. "I like my uniform anyway."

"Suit yourself," Ruby said. They were brought out their oxygen tanks and masks. The first mate also handed them a flashlight for each of them.

"You never know when it might get real dark."

"Thanks," Ruby nodded, Blake and Weiss assisting her and Pyrrha with setting up the tanks.

"The tanks should give you enough air for an hour," The first mate said. Use it wisely."

Ruby and Pyrrha jumped into the water, beginning to swim downward. After about ten minutes, the water darkened considerably. It was almost like it was nighttime. In fact, it nearly was. In about fifteen minutes, the sun would have set completely.

"Fun fact," Pyrrha said with a chuckle, Milo Akoúo appearing beside her. "Since our Semblances are spirit energy, we can use them to communicate with each other, almost like telepathy. Real handy when you need to be using your breath for something else."

"Good to know," Sundragon appeared beside Ruby, purple eyes focused on the water below them. Ruby peered down into the water, her eyes widening. She pushed Pyrrha out of the way, Sundragon punching downward to his something. An explosion rocked the water, pushing both of them backward.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked, looking Pyrrha over.

"I… I think I'm fine," Pyrrha felt herself up and nodded. "Everything seems to be intact. What was that?"

"It looked like… a torpedo," Ruby looked downward. "But, why is a torpedo here? There doesn't seem to be a submarine here."

"It's getting dark, so there could be anything down here," Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. "Is that a cave over there?"

Ruby looked down where Pyrrha was pointing, noticing that it was in fact a cave. She nodded, pointing to it. The two of them swam downward.

"This pressure is no joke," Pyrrha looked around. "They say every ten meters is another atmosphere's weight on us. I wonder how far down we are."

"Probably a hundred meters or so," Ruby looked up. "The sun is almost set."

"which means we're swimming into enemy territory with even less protection," Pyrrha looked down. "We'll need to be on even higher alert."

"Right," Ruby nodded.

They were silent for a bit before Pyrrha looked back at her.

"So tell me, now that your grandmother isn't around to hear anything," She looked at the silver eyed woman as they touched down on the sea floor. "What's the reason you got so tough? Your mom says you used to be a much sweeter girl, but then you became a delinquent."

"Eh, she's always had rose tinted glasses," Ruby shrugged. "Really, I just don't care for the attention. You saw how annoying those students were."

"Gotta say, I can agree with that," Pyrrha nodded as they looked into what seemed like a cave. "Someone so attractive that both girls and guys chase her like a goddess would probably get tired of it."

"You seem pretty popular with them yourself," Ruby remarked. "And, you seemed okay with it."

"I used to be a loner as a kid," Pyrrha sadly glanced off to the side. "I guess it was because no one understood what it was like to have an invisible friend like I do. No one else could see Milo Akoúo and it sorta made me a loner."

"Well, from one loner to another," Ruby put a hand on her shoulder. "IF we make it out of this, ice cream floats are on me."

"I'll take you up on that," Pyrrha laughed. "Now, what should we do about this cave?"

"Look inside of it, obviously," Ruby began walking in. "It seems like the sun won't reach in here, so this may be where our opponent has decided to hide. A flashlight would give away our position, but we have no choice."

Pyrrha nodded and they switched on their flashlights. The light illuminated the cave, showing a twisted, turning cave. They carefully moved into the cave.

"We'll need to be careful how fast we return to the surface," Ruby said. "We don't want th=o get the bends."

"Affirmative." Pyrrha nodded.

As they moved through the cave, there was a slight rumbling as it seemed like something was moving through the water.

"Does it seem like we're going upward?" Pyrrha asked.

"Now that you mention it…" Ruby muttered. In two minutes, they had breached the surface, standing up in a dark cave. "It seems like we have. You feeling okay?"

"I'm good." Pyrrha nodded. "I think we went slow enough to counteract any pressure problems."

Ruby nodded, looking around at the cave. It was dark save their flashlights, but there seemed to be something in the water. They removed their masks to conserve the oxygen in them, glancing around. The dark object was about twice the size of a large truck, but there could have been more of it under the water.

"What is that thing?" Pyrrha asked, mouth gaping. "IT that… a submarine?"

"I think so," Ruby shined her light around the dark object. "It looks super old too, like one of those ones from the second Remnant War."

"I'm getting a bad feeling. Do you feel like we're being watched?"

"Of course. Stay behind me."

"I can protect myself, but thanks for volunteering to be my knight in shining armor."

"Ha ha. You're more suited for ranged combat, remember? I'll handle the close-up and you nail 'em from a distance. I'm not sure if this is using a Semblance to aim the shots or what."

"Ruby, look over there!" Pyrrha pointed her flashlight toward a dark object. It was shaped like a gorilla, but at least a half size bigger. Even in the light of the flashlight, it was a dark black shape, white bones clinging to it like a child's skeleton costume. Its face was a full skeletal outline, fangs jutting out from the top. Two glowing red eyes glared at the women, the creature giving a roar upon seeing them.

"What the fuck is that thing?!" Ruby's eyes widened, the creature, roaring once again. A croaking screech emerged from its throat, twisting so that it could roar in a different way. This way sounded like it was saying something.

"Be…Rin…Gel" The screeched sounds emerged from its throat repeatedly.

"Is… Is that thing talking?!" Pyrrha gasped.

"Whatever it is, I can see it's definitely not on our side." Ruby narrowed her eyes, Sundragon clenching a fist. It looked straight at the Semblance, roaring once again. The submarine turned toward them, two torpedoes emerging from the holes on the front.

"That's what was hitting the boat!" Pyrrha pointed. "It can fire torpedoes from that submarine. IT must be its Semblance."

"I didn't think animals could have Semblances," Sundragon got into a fighting stance.

"This doesn't seem like a normal animal," Pyrrha shuddered. "Something is off about this creature. An unholy savagery I don't want to think about. I know you're more perceptive about this, but all I can feel is a cold bloodlust, like it's only focused on satisfying a severe thirst. If Cinder can command a creature like this, what else is she capable of?"

"Duck!" Ruby shoved her out of the way as the torpedoes fired, shooting straight for Ruby. Unlike regular torpedoes, which rely on the water, these shot off like rockets toward her. Sundragon punched them both, the explosion lighting up the cave further for an instant.

The creature screamed in rage, rushing toward Ruby. Sundragon punched it in the chest, a sickening crunch coming from the creature's ribs as it hacked up a black substance. It glared and swiped at Ruby. Ruby ducked as Sundragon kicked its arm, snapping it clean and causing it to hang limply.

Sundragon then punched it in the face, sending it flying backward. The crunch of bone could be heard as the creature was punched and then again as it flew into the rocky wall of the cave.

"Thanks," Pyrrha stood up. "I think I've figured out something."

"Oh yeah?" Ruby stared down the creature, which was getting back up.

"I think this thing has a long cooldown for the torpedoes," Pyrrha pointed. "Otherwise, it would have used more."

"You don't say," Ruby mused. "Well, this thing is unnatural. I smashed its face in with that punch and it's still kicking. It doesn't even seem hurt."

"IT seems a little lopsided," Pyrrha said. "Perhaps it's a weak point."

The creature, swung with its broken arm. Ruby dodged, but the impact of the arm hitting the ground sent a small earthquake rumbling through the cave. The rocks where it impacted were shattered, an impact crater evident, like a meteor had dropped.

"Even with a shattered arm," Pyrrha gaped. "What sort of creature is this?!"

"Something we don't need to get hit by," Ruby stood there, Sundragon ready to attack. The creature roared, but this one sounded more like a woozy sort of roar, like it was being knocked out.

"That damage you did to its head must be hurting it more than it let on," Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. "We can win this if we're careful."

"You got it. Cover me. I'll land the blow."

"Roger," Pyrrha nodded. The creature looked at them, one of its red eyes dark, part of its skull dripping off as the black fluid dripped from it.

"Looks like you really don't like headshots," Ruby cracked her knuckles. "Unfortunately for you, that's my specialty."

The creature roared, a deranged shriek that sounded like it was trying to speak. "Be…ring…el…" It spoke again.

"Pyrrha, get ready to cover me," Ruby looked back at her. Pyrrha nodded, Milo Akoúo summoning two spears as it readied its attack. Ruby stepped toward the creature, who roared. Sundragon let out a 'Xiao Long' and then Ruby lunged, her Semblance punching the creature. Ruby gave a yell, her Semblance pushing forward.

The creature punched with its undamaged hand, attempting to counter Sundragon's punch, but the Semblance punched through it, its skin sizzling and popping. It shrieked again, staring at the golden haired ghost with fear in its eyes. For an instant, Sundragon's eyes seemed red, the gorilla like creature falling back, both fists damaged beyond repair.

"R-Rose," It looked at the Semblance, attempting to crawl away.

"Oh no, there's no way I'm letting something like you get away," Ruby stepped on its chest. "I can practically smell the bloodlust in you. I can tell you're beginning to repair the damage I did. I'm not gonna let you get the chance."

The submarine fired two more torpedoes, but the spears in Milo Akoúo's hands destroyed them before they could reach the Rose.

"I don't know what sorta creature you are, but if you're anything like a Grimm, there's no way in hell you're gonna flee this cave." Ruby narrowed her eyes. "Freaks like you don't deserve to live. Those were innocent people up there and they certainly don't deserve you attacking them."

The creature was almost at the wall, but gave one last effort to punch Ruby with its partially healed hands.

"Xiao Long!" Sundragon pummeled it with mighty blows, completely destroying its head. The submarine dissipated, leaving a small toy about three feet long in its place.

"So, its Semblance can be used to turn a small object to a large submarine," Pyrrha's eyes widened. "But, what was this creature? Was it a Grimm like Cinder?"

"Something tells me that Cinder's got more abilities as a Grimm than we first thought," Ruby looked at the creature, who had evaporated, leaving only dust. "I don't think this thing was a Grimm. It went down way too quick to be a Grimm. The old lady said that a Grimm had the strength of a hundred men and could survive being exploded. This thing, whatever it was, couldn't handle much damage and its head seemed to be a weak spot. Likely, Cinder has a similar weakness, but I can't expect it to be so simple."

"You think that she created this thing?" Pyrrha asked.

"Likely," Ruby walked back toward where they came from. "Let's go tell the others it should be fine. Then, we can see our next steps. I'd like to let these clothes dry."

"Agreed," Pyrrha nodded. They exited the cave, swimming back toward the others.

"It seems as if Beringel was a failure," Cinder sipped the blood, looking at Emerald.

"I believe that he wasn't stable enough," Emerald bowed in shame. "We did not have time to make sure that the blood fit well and it did not have time to fully accept its Grimm state. They must have killed it before it could fully become a Grimm. The sun was set where they are now located."

"Well, perhaps that final experiment will go better," Cinder looked at the mint haired woman. "I trust that one will be better."

"Nevermore is much more stable," Emerald nodded. "We are keeping it here so that it can fully attune to its Grimm nature."

"Good," Cinder smirked, one of her fangs poking out on her lips. "I look forward to seeing it in action."

"You fought a what?!" Maria gasped as the two came back up and recounted the tale.

"So, it seems she can make Grimm," Blake looked down. "That one may not have fully transformed."

"Why not send a bunch of Grimm after us then?" Pyrrha asked. "If they're as powerful as you say, they should have no problem killing us if they came after us."

"It's probably too risky," Weiss said. "You said they cannot exist in the sunlight, correct? If that's the case, then it's pointless to send soldiers that can only operate in half of the time. Even if they are faster and stronger than us, it would cripple them to have to pick fights at night."

"It may have been a Ghast," Maria said. "Similar, but can be destroyed by destroying its head. It also can't regenerate."

"This one could," Ruby said. "But, more importantly, we need to get moving. That thing slowed us down, but we can make up for it by hitting a coast and grabbing something fast."

"Right," Maria nodded. "Onward, to the mainland of Sanus."


And here's the next chapter. I wonder what fate will bring their way next? Sorry this took so long, I had stuff going on. The next chapter shouldn't have a long wait though.