(Sorry for taking so long to update, been splitting my time between my job, hanging out with friends, and each of my stories. On top of getting a good night's rest. Basically what I'm trying to say is that I fucking suck at time management)

Chapter 68

A few minutes earlier

Marek

Falling out of bed from a sudden massive bump, Marek let out a sigh. Still chained to the bed, Marek pulled on the cuffs. The Seer, still hovering in the center of the room, stared at Marek.

"What?" Marek growled.

The Seer didn't react as it continued to hover in place.

"You should be nicer to mother's things."

Mist had entered the room, leaning against the door frame as she checked her nails.

"Mist..."

"I was contacted as soon as mother's Hound retrieved you." Mist explained. "I wanted to come see you in person. After all, we're still siblings. As much as I hate to admit it."

"Why are you here, Mist?" Marek sighed.

"Well, I just wanted you to know that we've arrived in Atlas. The Staff will soon be ours."

"Okay?"

"Just reminding you that you've still picked the wrong side." Mist stated. "See you around, brother."

With that, Mist left the room.

Looking down at his chained wrist, Marek yanked it once more, the clanging sound echoing as Marek groaned in frustration.

Liam/Chrome

Carrying Penny into Weiss' room with the help of Whitley and Ruby, Chrome led them over to the bed next to Nora, setting the robot girl down. Looking down at themselves, the green liquid that came out of Penny had stained the trio's clothes.

"Great..." Whitley said, clearly unhappy.

"She lost consciousness." Blake told Klein. "And she's... leaking."

"Can you help her?" Ruby asked.

Klein scans Penny with his scroll, which locates an injury at her waist. His eyes are red as he assesses the damage.

"Even based on what you've told me, I hardly know what she is."

He coughs, and his eyes turn from red to brown.

"Ahem, but, her basic anatomy seems similar enough. I can at least stitch up that wound."

A thundery crash sounds from outside as the power suddenly goes out.

"Oh, that's just rich." Whitley groaned.

Ruby takes out her ringing scroll and answers it. May's voice can be heard coming through.

"Everyone okay back there? Just saw another bombing run light up the kingdom."

Ruby glances out the window.

"Looks like part of the city lost power. We're okay though." Ruby said.

"Sorry I couldn't stick around, but time's running out for everyone in the crater." May said.

"No, we're sorry. Once we know what's wrong with Penny, we'll... we'll do something." Ruby sighed.

"Don't beat yourself up, kid. At this point I don't know how much is left to be done."

As May ends the call, Ruby starts to tear up.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Ruby glanced back, seeing Liam standing behind her.

"You okay?"

Ruby wiped her eyes.

"It's all just... too much. The Grimm, the crater, Nora, Penny... How do we fix all of it?"

"You can't worry about fixing everything, Rubes. Just focus on the here and now." Liam told her.

Klein suddenly sneezed.

"If you'd like some place to start, I'd be able to work faster if you could bring the power back on."

"Well, how would we-"

"We have a generator near the edge of the estate."

Looking to the source of the new voice, Willow stood in the doorway, her arms crossed.

"So kind of you to join us, mother." Whitley said, crossing his arms as well.

"Believe it or not, I am above drinking in the dark. Oh, hello, Klein."

Klein gives his former employer a silent nod.

"SDC executives have their own auxiliary power supplies in case of a city-wide blackout." Weiss explained. "It's extremely unfair, but perhaps now isn't such a bad time for company perks."

Whitley glances out the window and seems to come to an epiphany.

"We don't just have perks. We have the company. The people you mentioned in the crater, they need a way out, right?" Whitley stepped away from the window as he spoke. "There are rows and rows of cargo ships just sitting in the hangars because of the embargo."

"And our own automated drones, like the ones at Snowshoe Shipping." Weiss added.

"We can order as many as we need to pilot our ships down to the crater and get people to safety, while the Grimm are occupied with the general's forces." Whitley finished.

"We can?" Blake asked.

"I can. I just need father's computer."

"Then we definitely need to get the power back on." Ruby stated. "Where is this generator exactly?"

A few minutes later

Liam

Heading outside with Blake and Ruby, the trio made a dash towards the power shed. Blake and Ruby ran inside while Liam decided to stand guard in case of any Grimm.

Weapon drawn and eyes peeled, Liam scanned the area around him every so often. After a minute, Liam leaned against the shed, letting out a sigh as he pushed his hair back and out of his face. Scratching the back of his head, a boiling rage slowly built up within him.

Looking at his mechanical left arm, Liam clenched his fist.

"Goddamnit..."

Liam placed his mechanical hand over his eyes.

"How much more are you going to take?" He asked himself softly. "My school. My arm. Vernal. Almost my own life. And now... Nicci..." Liam leaned his head back against the shed. "I'm fucking done..."

He was doing his best to keep it together, but with this rare moment to reflect on everything, Liam was beginning to crack.

Staring up at the night sky, Liam's eyes began to tear up. He didn't bother fighting them and allowed them to roll down his cheeks.

However, his moment alone was suddenly interrupted.

From the roof of the shed, Salem's Hound pounced onto Liam, catching him entirely off guard. Pinning Liam, the Hound sniffed him before turning away with a snarl.

Once the Hound moved off him, Liam rolled onto his back. Using his weapons gun form, Liam shot the Hound, only for the Grimm to turn to Liam once more.

Inside the shed, Blake and Ruby had activated the generator, restoring power to the Schnee Mansion.

"Did you hear that?" Ruby looked to the window behind her.

Just as she finished that sentence, Liam was thrown through the window. Ruby quickly ducked out of the way. Rolling across the ground and coming to a stop next to Blake, Liam's aura flashed as Blake knelt down to see if he was alright.

Looking to the window, the Hound stood, watching the trio closely.

Ruby quickly cocked her scythe, firing off a round and launching herself towards the Hound. Catching Ruby by the throat, the Hound slammed her into the ground before throwing her away from the shed.

"Take. The. Girl."

Liam and Blake both stared in disbelief at the Grimm while Ruby, using her scythe for support, got to her feet.

"Did it just... speak?" Blake asked.

"What is this thing?!"

Liam shook his head as he rushed the Grimm from behind.

Loading in a fire dust cartridge, Liam's blade was engulfed in flames as he neared the monster. Going in for a swing, the Hound, hearing Liam's footsteps through the snow, spun around, extending its right arm. Liam tried to change the course of his swing to block the attack, but was too slow. The Hound hit Liam, knocking him away.

The force of impact caused the dust in Liam's weapon to activate, sending a wall of fire from his weapon.

After a few seconds, the fire dispersed, leaving behind a trail of melted snow and burn marks over the concrete.

The Hound, still mainly focused on Ruby, hunched down onto all fours.

"Take. The girl."

Pouncing on top of Ruby, who was distracted by what happened to her brother, the Hound knocked her scythe away. Sprouting a new set of wings, the Hound let out a roar before beginning to ascend with Ruby in tow.

Chrome

In Jacques' office, Whitley was on the holo computer while Chrome and Weiss stood guard.

Hearing a roar from outside, Weiss turned to the door.

"You guys hear that?"

"Doesn't sound good." Chrome commented.

Weiss began to approach the door.

"I'll go check it out." Weiss said. "Stay with Whitley."

"I don't need a babysitter."

"Deal with it." Weiss told him. "I'll be back soon."

With that, Weiss left.

Alone with his half-brother, Chrome rocked back and forth on his feet, unsure what to say. Blowing a raspberry, Chrome turned to Whitley.

"So, uh, care to talk?"

"Bit busy." Whitley growled in reply.

"Right." Chrome rubbed the back of his neck. Spotting a chair, the Faunus took a seat.

Liam

Outside, the Hound was tethered to the ground by Blake's weapon, keeping it from flying off with Ruby.

Aiming his weapon at the beast, Liam was about to shoot when it moved Ruby in front of Liam's sights.

Liam quickly lowered his gun, staring at the Grimm in disbelief.

"It's using her as a human shield..?"

Shaking off Blake's weapon, the Grimm flew higher into the air. Quick to react, Weiss began to use her semblance to summon a large Nevermore. However, it was destroyed mid summon by a dozen Centinels that decided to join the fun.

Suddenly, a loud explosion from the mansion went off, getting everyone's attention. With a green light shining from one of the rooms, the Hound suddenly dropped Ruby, its focus on something else entirely.

"Ruby!"

Liam rushed forward to catch her but was cut off by the Centinels.

Blake quickly dispatched the Grimm, turning to Weiss and Liam.

"We can't let that thing get away." Blake said. "I'll help Ruby."

Liam hesitated, unsure what to do until Weiss grabbed his arm.

"C'mon!"

With a nod, Liam turned around and the duo headed back for the mansion.

Chrome

Tapping his leg while Whitley clicked away at the computer, Chrome had no idea what to say to the guy. He wanted to try and strike up some semblance of conversation, but he kept drawing a blank. Without any prior knowledge of Whitley, Chrome had no idea what to talk about.

"Soooo..."

"Just spit it out." Whitley said. "It's obvious you want to say something."

Chrome looked at the Schnee boy.

"That's just it, I don't really know anything about you, Whitley." Chrome replied. "I have no clue what to talk about."

"If it's about you being a Schnee, I already know." Whitley stated.

Chrome stared at Whitley in silent surprise.

"How-?"

"There've been multiple instances of mother spewing on about a 'Chrome'." Whitley replied. "A few bottles, and she's talking about some boy she believed she failed. All of this is usually said when she thinks she's alone, but I've caught on to more than enough to piece together that you're my half-brother."

Chrome remained silent.

"After learning your name, it wasn't difficult to deduce who you really were." Whitley continued.

While he spoke, Whitley's fingers never ceased to type away at the keyboard.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to focus on the task at hand."

Just as Chrome was about to speak, the sound of glass shattering echoed throughout the halls.

Liam

Running into the mansion foyer, Liam and Weiss looked around for the Hound.

"Where is-"

Weiss' scroll suddenly beeped.

"Above you!"

Glancing up, the Hound fell down from the ceiling. Quick to react once more, Liam tackled Weiss out of the way. Shielding her with his body as the Hound swiped at them, Liam took the hit, his aura shimmering but not breaking just yet.

"Liam!"

"I'm fine." Liam told Weiss as he stood up.

Turning to the Hound, Weiss and Liam quickly focused on the task at hand.

Readying a glyph, Weiss shot icicle after icicle at the monster. However, the beast dodged each attack, jumping onto the underside of the balcony of the second floor before climbing over it and retreating further into the mansion.

Pulling out her scroll, Weiss put it to her ear.

"Where is it, mom?"

"I... I can see it. It's outside Winter's old room. I- You can kill it? Can't you?"

"Ask her what it's doing." Liam said.

Weiss put her scroll on speaker.

"I'm not sure. It's acting strange. Why is it here?" Willow asked.

The duo climbed the stairs, weapons at the ready.

"We're not sure. Just keep an eye on it so we can track it down." Weiss replied.

Willow takes a breath to steady herself.

"Right. Right. Okay. It's moving again. Heading towards... Oh dear, no."

Chrome

Getting up from his chair to stretch, Chrome began to walk over to Whitley. Upon approaching him, Whitley's scroll beeped.

"Whitley."

Upon hearing Willow's voice, Whitley groaned before hanging up on her.

"You are the last thing I need right now."

Chrome raised an eyebrow at Whitley.

"Alright." Whitley continued to type away. "All that's left should be..."

Silently, the door to the room opened.

"Almost done?" Chrome asked, not noticing the Hound push its way into the room.

Whitley groaned in frustration before glaring at Chrome. However, his expression soon changed to one of horror.

"What?"

Glancing back at the door, Chrome was suddenly attacked by the Hound. Without a chance to activate his aura, Chrome was knocked unconscious by the attack. Being launched into the bookshelf by the desk, Chrome landed on his stomach, leaving Whitley to defend himself.

As the Hound made its way into the study, Whitley took cover behind the desk. The Grimm sniffed around, its footsteps rattling the pieces of a nearby chess set.

"Credentials verified. Click to proceed." The voice on the computer said.

The Hound's gaze snaps toward the computer. As the Grimm nears the desk, Whitley's eyes widen.

"I know... you're here."

With the monster growing closer to Whitley, its attention was taken as Chrome rose to his feet.

However, a summoned Boarbatusk rammed into the side of the Hound, pinning it to the bookshelf.

"Run!" Willow shouted from the doorway.

The two head for the door, but Whitley turned back for one last keystroke. A window readingORDERS RECEIVEDpops up on the computer screen as the Hound fights Willow's summon.

The trio scramble into the hallway, putting distance between themselves and the room, but the Hound destroys the summoned Boarbatusk and bursts out of the room. With the Hound giving chase, Chrome skid to a halt.

"Keep runnin'!" He shouted while he created a glyph.

Willow paused to look at her son but was pulled away by Whitley.

Alone with the Hound, Chrome focused on his glyph. From it, a large Beowolf Alpha emerged, attacking the Hound and slowing it for Whitley and Willow to run further. Reaching the end of the hall, Whitley slammed the door behind him, the duo not stopping for a moment.

Completely alone with this beast, Chrome readied his blades as the Hound tore right through his summon.

Creating another glyph, Chrome used lightning dust to infuse it. But before he could even absorb his Time Dilation glyph, the Hound pounced.

The Hound would have pinned Chrome to the ground but a wall of ice separated the creature from him. Scratching the wall, a pair of footsteps echoed softly from behind the beast. Looking back, Liam and Weiss rushed it with their weapons drawn.

Taking a swing at Liam, the man suddenly turned into a crow, flying behind the Hound before turning back into his human form. Swinging at the monster whilst Weiss stabbed at it, the two managed to hurt the beast.

Roaring as their blades cut into it, a third arm sudden sprouted from the Hound's back, grabbing Liam and throwing him into Weiss.

Knocked down the hall, the two slowly got to their feet, with Liam checking to make sure Weiss was unharmed.

"You okay?"

He asked as he helped her stand.

"Never better." She replied, taking her stance. "Let's finish this damned thing here!"

Readying themselves once more, the Hound lurched at the duo but suddenly stopped in place as a scream echoed throughout the halls. Looking to the source, the Hound turned and ran passed Weiss and Liam.

Watching it run off, Liam and Weiss stood confused.

"Penny!"

With the ice wall melting, Weiss, Liam and Chrome gave chase after the monster.

Chrome/Liam

Chasing the Hound into the foyer of the mansion, the trio slid to a halt, seeing the Hound holding Penny hostage. Ruby and Blake stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching the Hound.

Raising a claw to her throat, no one dared move a muscle. That was until Liam and Ruby looked to one another.

With a nod from Ruby, Liam understood what she was planning.

Without so much as a word, the siblings activated their Silver Eyed ability in unison, engulfing the foyer in a white light as the Hound howled in pain. Stumbling backwards and out of the window behind it, the Hound had dropped Penny, sending her rolling down the set of stairs.

Ruby, Blake and Weiss rushed to check on her whilst Chrome and Liam ran to the window. Looking down at where the Hound had fallen, Liam and Chrome stood in complete and utter shock as the creature slowly rose to its feet. The Hound's head was now replaced with that of a fox Faunus. Climbing back into the mansion through the broken window, Liam and Chrome slowly backed away at the sigh before them.

"Take. The girl." The Hound repeated, looking to Penny.

The Faunus' right eye was gone, seemingly covered with scars that resembled a burn. Muscle could be seen below his jaw and on his neck. His left eye was dripping the black goo of the Grimm pools as did his left ear. Every movement he made, his joints cracked.

"Take. The. Girl."

Slowly backing away, walking down the stairs cautiously, Liam and Chrome couldn't look away from the sight before them.

The Faunus' remaining eye was the same as Liam and Ruby's. He was a Silver Eyed Warrior.

"Take the girl. Take. The. Girl."

He kept repeating those three words again and again as the Grimm features slowly engulfed the Faunus' head once more.

"Take the girl!"

Reaching the bottom of the stairs and backing away, the Hound grew closer and closer.

"Take! The! Girl!"

Suddenly, one of the armored statues that stood beside the staircase toppled, landing directly on top of the Hound and killing it. Looking up at where the statue once stood, Willow and Whitley were seen leaning over the balcony.

The Hound was crushed entirely except for an outstretched arm.

"What the hell was that?" Chrome looked to the others as Ruby fell to her knees, watching the Grimm slowly turn to dust but leave behind a skeletal arm.

"It... was a person."

End of chapter 68