Chapter 10

A shadow crept alcove to alcove, desperate to avoid being spotted, as he quickly made his way to the meeting spot he and cohorts had agreed on. It was risky. He knew this, but the boss had given his orders, so there was no choice but to obey. Even if being caught meant his death.

"Dove, what the hell are you doing?"

The question that split the air made Dove jump so high his mohawk almost touched the ceiling.

Landing, Dove turned to glare at Sky, who was snickering from where he stood at the window where the noonday sun poured in.

Dove held a finger to his lips to shush Sky.

"We're supposed to be incognito."

Sky rolled his eyes.

"You mean inconspicuous, idiot. Incognito means in disguise."

Dove frowned but reluctantly deferred to Sky's knowledge when it came to grammar. He had gotten a C on their latest test, a higher score than Dove had ever gotten on any test.

"Whatever, we still need to make sure no one sees us."

Sky could only shake his head. He swore he was the only one with a modicum of brains on this entire team like anyone would care if a couple of Beacon students walked through Beacon itself, but he didn't have the patience to argue with Dove.

"Carry on, I guess."

It took the two of them longer than it should have to reach a rarely used classroom that would undoubtedly be abandoned on a Sunday, and Cardin and Russell were already waiting on them.

"Brought time, you two are five minutes late," Russell said against the teacher's desk.

"Don't ask, dude."

Sky liked his team, they were a good group of bros, but they could undoubtedly try his patients.

"Cut the chatter and huddle up," Cardin said, turning from the whiteboard he had been scrawling on.

"As you all know, since the school year began, we've all been treated with nothing but scorn and ridicule."

This was news to Dove, Sky, and Russel, but only Dove was dumb enough to speak up.

"We have been?"

"Of course we have." Cardin slammed his first down on the table hard enough to make it groan dangerously. "We pick on a Faunus, and the teachers immediately get after us, like we did something wrong! And in combat class? You can't tell me Goodwitch doesn't have it rigged and isn't playing favorites. We haven't won a single match!"

Russel and Sky could admit there was some truth to that, not to the bullying, rigging, or favoritism, but no one on Team CRDL had won a fight since combat class started. It wasn't that they were bad per se, but that all the other teams were filled with monsters, plain and simple. Last week Sky was matched against Emiya, and the only thing he remembered about that bout was swords. Lots and lots of swords. Cardin had fared no better against Nikos during his fight with her. Seriously the girl made Cardin look like he was a flailing toddler in comparison. Alas, Dove wasn't quite bright enough to understand this and nodded along thoughtfully with Cardin, his eyes lighting up understandingly. Finally, Dove slapped his fist into a palm.

"We need to get back at them."

Cardin pointed at Dove with a victorious smirk.

"Exactly right. We can not let these slights stand against us, which is why I've come up with a brilliant plan."

Walking to the whiteboard, Cardin wrapped it with a knuckle.

"Boys, this is how we get our own back against Team's SAPR and BRNS."

Sky cocked his head to the side, trying to figure out what he was supposed to be looking at. It didn't help.

"As you all know, our trip to Forever Falls is tomorrow." Cardin pointed to a drawing of a box within a larger container. "We'll be taking bullheads to the forest as a group, and once we offload, we separate by teams. It's here where we spring our trap." Cardin pointed to the next drawing on the board, which looked like a smiley face wielding a needle if you squinted.

"Rapier wasps. We take a box of them I captured yesterday and throw it at Team SAPR and BRNS."

They waited for Cardin to continue talking, but he folded his arms and smiled, almost like he was waiting for them to congratulate him on a well-thought-out plan.

"Rapier wasps?" Sky asked, disbelief clear for all to see.

"Yep."

"And we're going to set them on the two strongest first-year teams."

"I just said that, yes."

Sky sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You realize they have aura, right? So how exactly are rapier wasps going to be anything more than a nuisance?"

Cardin sputtered. He hadn't expected to be challenged, let alone in such a way that proved his idea to be anything less than flawless.

"W-Well, if you'd let me explain the rest of the plan, maybe you would understand."

Bluffing was not Cardin's strong suit, but something he was good at was passing the buck.

"Dove, I can tell you understand. Why don't you explain to Sky and Russell."

Dove puffed out his chest and smiled proudly.

"Well, it's pretty obvious. Rapier wasps aren't dangerous themselves, but the pheromones they release during an attack are like a beacon to nearby Grimm."

Cardin nodded, trying very hard to look like he had known this all along, while Sky and Russel could only stare at Dove in stupefaction. They had witnessed the guy try to eat soup with a fork, but he could confidently discuss obscure Grimm facts like they were common knowledge.

"Exactly right, Dove, the Grimm will attack those uppity punks, and they'll fail the assignment and be knocked down a peg."

Sky and Russell exchanged glances. This 'plan' was simplistic in the extreme, but it would also be nice to see the other teams struggle at least a little bit. They made everything look so easy it was almost disheartening for Team CRDN to watch when they thought about the effort they were putting in every day. Besides, it would be funny to watch them all flail about and, if they were lucky, maybe get some good videos for blackmail. With a sigh, Sky nodded and looked at Cardin.

"You said you already had the wasps."

Cardin smirked.

"This is gonna be sweet."

The smell of teriyaki glazed salmon hung heavy in the air, and Shirou pulled the fish filet from the oven. It was a nostalgic smell, and it made him realize how much he had missed being in the kitchen. There was something peaceful about creating a meal, and the focus it required distracted him from his exhaustion. Setting the fish down, Shirou rubbed at his gritty eyes and moved to finish the side dishes. Laying out everything on the long table set up in the communal dorm area.

Shirou smiled as Ruby leaned in, eyes shining. This was his favorite part.

"Dig in, everyone."

Yang, Ruby, Nora, and Blake immediately dived for the food and began filling their plates, while Pyrhha, Weiss, and Ren took a more modest approach. For a while, the only sounds were forks scraping against plates and the happy sighs of the diners enjoying a good meal.

"I must say, Shirou, you are a talented cook," Weiss said, dabbing her lips delicately with a napkin. "I think you could compete with the Schnee family chefs with the proper ingredients."

Yang leaned back and patted her stomach with a groan.

"What she said, you should definitely cook for us more often, Shirou."

"Maybe a cake or a batch of cookies!"

Ruby's dietary preferences were still something Shirou was working on changing with limited success. And it seemed like Blake disagreed with Ruby's preferences if her glare was any indication.

"I doubt this meal could be improved upon in any way. So, clearly, he should make more fish."

Shirou laughed happily as everyone began to argue playfully about their next meal. Even Blake and Weiss had stopped throwing weird looks at each other and were smiling.

As everyone had finished eating, Shirou got up and began to collect the dishes, content to complete his task while everyone enjoyed their after-meal glow.

"Anyone ever tells you that you work too hard, Shirou?" Yang asked, grabbing a dish towel and drying what Shirou had already washed.

Shirou chucked.

"As a matter of fact, yes."

"And I'm guessing you never once listen to them."

"Sometimes, I did. But when you enjoy doing something, does it really count as work?"

Yang shot a dry look towards the side of Shirou's head before rolling her eyes, recognizing a losing fight when she saw one.

"Are you excited about tomorrow's Forever Falls trip?"

Shirou hummed and scrubbed with extra diligence against a stubborn piece of grime.

"I think so. It'll be good to see more of Vale, and I hear the forest is beautiful."

Yang was quiet for a while after that, and Shirou didn't feel the need to start a further conversation. But the silence wasn't a state Yang was good at maintaining for any length of time, and there were things she had been curious about for a while in regard to Shirou.

"Shirou, you said you're looking forward to seeing more of Vale, so I guess you aren't from here?"

Yang tried to ask without actually asking where he was from. Fortunately for her, Shirou had gotten the hint. And fortunately for Shirou, he had the time in the weeks since he started at Beacon to think of some half-truths he could share.

"No, I grew up in a small village in northern Mistral, close to the Vacou border."

Yang whistled.

"That's about as far away from Vale as you can get. Is your family still there?"

The family question wasn't one Shirou was unfamiliar with, but it wasn't one he liked answering. Not because it was particularly painful but because it always seemed to make people sad.

"It's kind of a sad story." Shirou tried to deflect, but Yang wasn't having any of it.

"A lot of families have tragedy. Ruby and I lost our Mom when I was four. She was a huntress and never came home one day." Yang shrugged. "If you don't want to talk about it, I get it, but I want to get to know you better. We've been partners for a month, and I don't know anything about you before Beacon."

There was a lot of truth in Yang's statement. Shirou had tried to avoid talking about himself whenever possible, partly out of habit but also because he hadn't wanted to incriminate himself in any way. But he supposed Yang, who was expected to trust Shirou to have her back, had a right to know at least an abridged version of his life.

"I don't remember my birth parents or whether I have siblings. A fire where I lived killed almost everyone, but I survived and was found by a man named Kiritsugu Emiya."

Yang stopped her drying, focusing intently on Shirou's every word.

"He took me in and taught me a lot, but he got sick. He died peacefully when I was ten." Yang placed a hand on Shirou's shoulder and squeezed gently. That was undoubtedly worse than she had been expecting. Shirou hadn't just lost his parents. He had lost everyone.

"I'm sorry."

Shirou shook his head.

"It's like you said, a lot of families have trauma, and I had some good friends that helped take care of me until I was old enough."

Shirou did miss Taiga, his neighbor who all but became his sister and old man Fujimura.

He hadn't seen either in over a year. Funny that he only really thought about it when he couldn't even call them to see if they were okay.

"Artoria?" Yang asked. The plate Shirou was holding slipped from his grip and back into the soapy water, and he turned to look at Yang properly.

"How did you...?"

"I heard you talking in your sleep the other night. Though it kind of sounded like a nightmare."

That made some sense. Nightmares had been a recurring theme since initiation and had only worsened. But no one had ever told Shirou he talked in his sleep before.

"Yes and no." Shirou finally admitted. "Artoria and I didn't know each other very long, but she became my closest friend."

"You love her."

It wasn't a question on Yang's part, and she had to ignore the jealous pang in her chest at hearing the gentle longing in Shirou's voice. For a moment, Shirou sounded like Yang's Dad whenever he talked about her Mom.

"Yeah."

Yang's brow furrowed, and her jaw clenched as irrational anger flooded her body.

"Then why did you leave her?"

Shirou shook his head and looked truly sad for the first time since they started talking.

"She's dead."

And that was the harsh truth of Shirou's relationship with Artoria, summoned as a heroic spirit; her soul had no choice but to move on once they had destroyed the Holy Grail.

Yang's anger turned to horror. Did Shirou know anybody who hadn't died?

"I'm sorry, you were talking about her like she was…."

Yang trailed off, staring down at her hands.

Shirou was too tired to recriminate Yang. And Shirou doubted he would have even if he weren't, so he shrugged off her apology and bumped her with his shoulder.

"Keep drying, or we'll never be done."

It took a moment, but Yang popped Shirou's hip with her own.

"I knew you'd need my help.

The following day was heralded by a sleepless night for Shirou, which explained the deep yawns that overcame him every couple of minutes as the bullhead he was on with the other first years sped for Forever Falls.

"I told you we should have stopped for coffee," Yang said from her seat beside Shirou.

"I don't like coffee," Shirou said through another yawn, and it was at that moment he felt the bullhead begin to descend.

"Better than falling asleep on your feet during a mission."

"I'll be fine."

Yang rolled her eyes at the predictable answer but let the subject drop as Professor Goodwitch appeared from the cockpit.

"Attention. We will be landing shortly. Today's assignment is simple but still carries a modicum of risk, as any mission into the wilderness does. You will each work with your team to retrieve four jars of herbal syrup produced by the Crimson Queen trees that make up the Forever Falls forest. Do you have any questions?"

Nora's hand shot up.

"Can the syrup be put on pancakes?"

Ren closed his eyes and shook his head while everyone on the ship twittered at Nora's question.

"I would not recommend it, Ms. Valkyrie. Anyone else?"

Nora slumped in disappointment, and no one else spoke up.

"Very good. Please collect your jars as you exit the bullhead."

Professor Goodwitch's timing was impeccable as the airship gave a shoulder as it settled on the ground.

"Off you go."

Everyone quickly made their way out of the bullhead, and Shirou took in their surroundings with a critical eye. Forever Falls was a forest of crimson. Even the towering tree trunks, had been dyed the color red, to say nothing of the magnificent foliage that Shirou had little doubt would block out the sky if they chose to venture deep enough into the wood.

"Ready, Shirou?" Yang asked, holding up an empty jar for him to take.

"'Yeah, where should we start?'

Yang shrugged and pointed toward where Ruby and Pyrrha had begun wandering after Nora and Ren, with Blake and Weiss trailing behind them.

"Might as well follow Nora. She is the syrup queen, after all."

Shirou couldn't contest that. Nora had proven to have an almost alarming knowledge of all things syrup, which was one of her favorite topics of conversation. Up there with Ren, explosions, and for some reason, sloths.

"Works for me."

Jogging, the pair caught up with everyone in short order and chatted happily while being careful to keep their eyes open for any Grimm.

It wasn't long before Nora led them to a large grove surrounded by towering trees that reminded Shirou of maple trees back home.

Nora gently rapped one of the trunks with her ear pressed against the bark.

Looking satisfied, she turned to the group and smiled.

"This is the perfect spot. So let's get to harvesting!"

They all split off with their partners and worked to tap the trees. It was hard work, and Shirou found it somewhat relaxing even. But, unfortunately, Yang wasn't quite as pleased.

"This is boring," Yang said with a groan while trying to wipe off a bit of sap from her hand. "And sticky. Shouldn't there be Grimm around and all that? I thought they wanted to test us."

Yang had clearly not learned the risks of tempting fate, but before Shirou could open his mouth to educate his partner, the sound of shattering glass drew his attention to Blake, who had opted to work alone on the other side of the glade.

There was a broken jar at her feet, and she, but not her's which was still clutched in her hand and half full of sap.

"You alright, Blake?" Shirou asked, making his way to her.

Blake's eyes were narrowed as she stared off into the trees in the direction Shirou assumed the jar came from.

"Yes, but more than a little annoyed."

"I would be, too," Yang said sympathetically as she saw the layer of sap that covered Blake's back and legs.

It was only because Shirou knew what lay under Blake's bow that he noticed a slight twitch, and he reinforced his ears and noticed a buzzing sound that quickly grew louder.

'Hey, guys!" Ruby ran over to them. "Do you hear that?"

At that moment, a large swarm of insects flew into the clearing, heading straight for Blake.

"Rapier wasps!" Weiss said, drawing her sword but keeping her distance as wasps began to angrily circle Blake, Shirou, Yang, and Ruby.

"Where the hell did these things come from?" Yang said, firing off flaming rounds from Ember Celica to little effect.

"I don't know. I didn't think wasps nested in this area."

Shirou grimaced as he saw the wasps trying to sting his unprotected face and neck. They could do much damage with his reinforcement active, but it was still uncomfortable.

"Weiss, use your fire dust!" Ruby called out. It made sense, none of their weapons were ideal for handling the fast and tiny insects, but a careful application of fire dust around them would thin their numbers substantially.

"Alright, get ready."

Weiss waved Myrtenaster and a series of small red glyphs formed around the insects.

"Now!"

Weiss cry heralded a blast of red-hot fire, leaping from the ground and expanding, burning the bothersome creatures instantly.

Yang waved a hand, dispelling some of the smoke and smell of burning bugs.

"Well, that was stupid."

"Hey!" Weiss said indignantly, nose held high.

"Not you, Weiss-cream. Obviously, someone brought the wasps to hear and tried to set them on Blake. It's stupid."

"Agreed," Blake looked to Shirou and held out her jar. "Do you mind filling this the rest of the way? I want to get back to the bullhead and try to rinse this off."

Shirou nodded and took it from her as Blake walked back the way they came.

"Shouldn't you go with her, Weiss?" Nora asked, in an uncommonly careful manner, well aware of the tension between the two girls.

"I'm sure she can walk back to the bullhead without my help, Nora." Usually, Shirou would agree with that assessment, which is why he became nervous as Blake sprinted back into the clearly looking panicked.

"Ursa!"

Yang just had to tempt fate, Shirou lamented as six massive Ursa Majors stormed into the clearing.

"Now we're talking!" Yang said, her fists together and charging forward with an excited smile.

Shirou was quick to follow, Kanshou and Bakuyo appearing in his hands.

Yang slammed into the lead Ursa like a meteor, a shotgun-powered first knocking the Ursa head over heels until it collided with one of its brethren.

Shirou threw his swords with deadly accuracy, each blade finding a home in the different Ursa that collapsed immediately.

"Kill steal!" Yang complained, but that didn't stop her from moving to the next Grimm, and before long, each Ursa was nothing but an evaporating mass on the ground.

Yang signed happily as her gauntlets retracted back to their condensed form. She hadn't even worked up a sweat.

"That was fun."

Shirou disagreed and looked down at his left hand, flexing it. From his neck to his hand, it felt like his skin was burning and prickling painfully, like he had misapplied his reinforcement, but he knew he hadn't done so.

"There are more coming. I can hear them!" Blake said.

"Form up," Ruby said, stabbing Crescent Rose into the ground and preparing to fire.

Nobody complained, though Yang looked tempted to, the loud crashing everyone could hear was enough to convince her that caution was advised.

With a cry that almost made the group cover their ears, a Grimm the size of a city bus appeared.

It was a Behemoth. Like bulls Shirou was familiar with, it had two great horns growing from its head, powerful muscles capable of propelling the beast up to forty miles an hour, and was almost entirely covered by thick bone plating. They could grow to truly monstrous sizes, with only Goliaths capable of growing larger. It was lucky that the one before them happened to be a smaller specimen.

"Trip it!"

Ruby gave her order as she darted forward and dodged to the side to bring Crescent Rose around to strike at the Behemoth's front leg. However, Ruby was nowhere close to strong enough to stop the creature when it was charging at full speed, and it barreled through her swing, tossing Ruby off her feet as she tried to hold onto her weapon.

Crashing through the hastily erected wall of ice Weiss brought into the world, everyone else had no choice but to throw themselves out of the way of sharp horns and stomping hooves. The Behemoth stopped far faster than any creature its size should have. It spun and pawed at the ground.

"Trace on!"

Swords barraged the Grimm, and Shirou almost cried out as the burning in his arm increased tenfold. Shirou jumped backward as Yang and Nora barreled into the Behemoth with a boom. Nora hit it with a brutal uppercut to the jaw, and Yang followed up by leaping onto its back and slamming her first down onto his neck with reckless abandon.

The Behemoth roared, bucked, and flung Yang high and through the treetops.

"Yang!" Ruby cried out as she used her semblance to get close and began to dance around the thrashing Grimm's hooves, trying to slice at the small gaps in the Behemoth's armor.

"Weiss! Can you trap it?" Blake asked her partner, eyes wide and worried.

"I have the dust, but this Grimm is too strong to hold."

Blake grimaced.

"Then we need to break its ar– Look out!" Blake pulled Wiess at the Grimms path as it began to kick and spin wildly, knocking Ruby and Nora aside.

Even over the pounding in her head and the thundering of the Grimm's hooves, she could still hear the sound of tortured metal.

"Pyrrha," Shirou said, holding his bow at a full draw. "I'm going to lead it into the trees. Gather everyone and follow me."

With a boom, Shirou let his arrow fly. It was moving so fast that Blake couldn't track it, but the Grimm's cries told her he hadn't missed. Unfortunately, the arrow didn't stop the Behemoth, and it turned to focus on the one who hurt it.

Shirou turned and ran with the Behemoth following after him.

The dense trees worked in Shirou's favor as he wove between them. The Grimm had no choice but to crash through them. Shirou formed another arrow while running and winced. Something was wrong with him, costing him way too much energy to trace his weapons, and the burning feeling hadn't lessened. Kicking off a tree, Shirou twisted his body and loosed another shot in the split second he faced the Grimm before completing his spin and continuing to run without breaking stride.

The roars were music to Shirou's ears as the Behemoth leg folded under its weight, sending the Grimm sliding head-first into the ground.

Skidding to a stop, Shirou breathed deeply and concentrated. He needed to end this fight quickly and knew a weapon to do just that. Finding the weapon within his mind, Shirou began the process of bringing one of his least favorite noble phantasms into the world.

A spear the color of freshly spilled blood began to form in Shirou's hands, a weapon filled with so much regret and pain that Shirou almost gagged as he sympathized with its past. By the time the spear had fully taken shape, the Grimm was back on its feet and charging toward Shirou. It didn't matter. Shirou spun Gae Bolg and sank into a crouch and began to feed mana into the cursed weapon in preparation for unleashing its wrath. Crimson light flowed from the spear's tip up its entire length, and the sickening miasma of bloodlust filled the area. The pain in Shirou's body faded into the background as he allowed the strength of Cu Chulainn to flow through him until all that mattered was the death of his opponent.

"Gae Bolg!"

Power exploded outward as Shirou lunged forward and thrust the spear. Gae Bolg howled with savage glee as the magic tore through the Grimm from a dozen angles simultaneously. Though Shirou couldn't see it, he knew each thread of power penetrated Grimm's heart before wrapping around it and digging in like barbed wire. The Behemoth didn't have a chance to cry out. It was dead as soon as Shirou traced Gae Bolg.

Shirou wrenched Gae Bolg skyward with a wordless shout, obliterating the Behemoth's heart and launching the Grimm away from himself. With the Grimm's death, the haze that had fallen over Shirou's mind lifted, and he let the spear fade away. However, the pain he had been suppressing returned strong enough to drive Shirou to his knees. Retching, Shirou fell to his side as he felt something dig into his body, like creeping tendrils lancing into his torso and limbs.

"Shirou!" Ruby arrived in a wave of rose petals, with everyone else following distantly behind her. Ruby waved her hands frantically over Shirou's downed form, unsure what to do.

"Shirou, what's wrong? Where are you hurt?"

Shirou's jaw was clenched so tightly he couldn't speak.

"Yang, Pyrrha!"

"Ruby, what's wrong with him?"

"I don't know!"

Shirou clawed at his chest feebly as his vision began to blur and blacken at the edges.

Yang saw and scrambled to take off his armor, tearing the buckles and hurling the offending metal away before ripping his shirt open down the middle.

"What the…."

Black pulsing veins were visible under Shirou's skin, and even as they watched, the infection seemed to surge up his neck and closer to his heart.

"Get away from him,"

Professor Goodwitch's voice cut through the panic, and everyone turned to watch her stalk forward.

"Professor, something's wrong with him. He needs–!"

Ruby was cut off as Shirou began to thrash, knocking her and Yang onto their butts before his back arched horribly, and he screamed.

Goodwitch reached out with her semblance and yanked the students away from Shirou as the black veins finally reached their target.

"Get your weapons ready. We need to subdue Mr. Emiya."

The students only stared at Goodwitch uncomprehendingly as Shirou went silent before surging to his feet shakily.

"S-Shirou?" Ruby asked, her mouth dry and her eyes wide. Shirou turned to them, and every student felt their breath catch as malevolent red eye's focused on them.

"Mr. Emiya, you need to keep fighting it," Goodwitch said, her stance guarded and ready. "We can help, but only if you come with us."

Shirou took a step forward, his muscles taut and trembling as he fought against whatever was happening to him.

"Listen up. We mustn't let him escape. So begin to fan out, and be prepared to stop him through any means necessary."

"What's happening to him?" Yang asked, her eyes red even as she followed Goodwitch's order.

"He's been possessed by a Nightmare."

At Goodwitch's proclamation, Shirou exploded into motion with a boom of displaced air. Ruby's eye's didn't even have time to widen as Shirou slammed into Goodwitch's hastily erected telekinetic shield. Shirou roared an inhuman cry and leaped straight up, swords forming in the air and launching themselves with deadly intent.

Goodwitch had none of it, and she banished the swords into the distance with another flick. Goodwitch reached out with her semblance and grasped hold of Shirou as he descended to the ground, binding his limbs to his sides.

"Xiao Long, Valkyrie, knock him out while I hold him!"

Both girls began to charge, but Shirou never allowed them to get close as a wave of massive swords materialized, each of them easily twice the size of Crescent Rose. Goodwitch, distracted by trying to hold Shirou, couldn't stop them, and everyone was forced to dodge. Not even the tree's halted the large blades and began to fall with mighty crashes.

Goodwitch cursed as her hold on Shirou failed, and his feet hit the ground. Shirou charged forward again so quickly none of the students could react, and Shirou vanished into the forest.

"Quick, we need to–"

"Ms. Rose, stop."

Goodwitch laid a hand on Ruby's shoulder before she could run after Shirou.

"He's too fast. None of us would be able to keep up with you."

"But–"

"Stop. We need to get back to the bullhead with haste. Time is of the essence now."

Yang exploded, her hair burning gold and her eyes turning red.

"What is happening!"

Goodwitch was unfazed by Yang's anger and began to run back to the bullhead.

"We don't have time for explanations right now. Focus on running. I'll explain during the ride."

The run back to the ship was reckless, and the last hundred meters were taken at a sprint. Team CRDN looked panicked as Goodwitch barked out orders to load up.

"Pilot, emergency takeoff for Beacon."

Turning her attention back to her students, Goodwitch quickly strapped herself into a seat.

"Buckle up. This is going to be rough."

"Not until you tell me what's going on," Yang said, crossing her arms and clenching her jaw.

"Ms. Xiao Long, do as I tell–" The shriek of engines cut Goodwitch off mid-sentence.

The bullhead lurched into the air faster than any of the students had ever experienced, knocking them off their feet and sliding into the rear hatch.

As the bullhead leveled out and the g-forces lessened, the students dropped with a groan.

Goodwitch pulled out her scroll and sent a text to Ozpin before unstrapping her belt and standing.

"Everybody up. When we're over Beacon, we drop in. There isn't time for anything else. But, Ms. Xiao Long, to answer your earlier question, Mr. Emiya has been possessed by a Nightmare, and if we don't catch him soon, it'll be too late."

"Too late for what?" Blake asked, of everyone she was the most intent, pushing her emotions down and focusing on solutions.

"To save his life."

Woohoo! 1000 followers achieved. That's a milestone I set for myself. So thanks to everyone who has read and continues to read this story.

This chapter was speedy, I know, and different from what I originally sat down to write. I went over where the story was and realized things had slowed way down due to some poor setups on my part. As such, here we are; my take on the Nightmare arc. Immediate notice, it's going to be a bit different from the RWBY version, all I'm saying.

In other news, the first chapter of my FSN/Konosuba story is up and running if you want to check it out, fair warning it's a bit crackish and features abridged Shirou.