Chapter 11

"Prepare to jump!"

Goodwitch's order came with the lowering of the bullhead's rear hatch, causing the wind to howl through the cramped space.

Goodwitch led the charge into the open sky, with the students falling rapidly one after the other. Arial drops were not uncommon for Hunter, who spent most, if not all, of their career going places deemed unsafe for human habitation. Most of the time, bullheads weren't even cleared to land before a Hunter had cleared the area. That said, every Hunter had their way of dealing with falls from great heights. Some, like Goodwitch, were quite eloquent. A simple application of her semblance slowed her descent gracefully until she landed on the ground with hardly a whisper.

There were also people like Yang, who used the power of their weapons. First, repeatedly firing into the ground to kill off momentum, then absorbing the rest of the impact with powerful muscles and aura. However, in the end, everybody successfully landed with their personal flair and hurried to Beacon tower, where the Headmaster's office resided.

The tension in the elevator was palatable for team CRDL. They were practically shaking at the knees. They weren't sure what had happened and were more than a little paranoid that Goodwitch knew about their prank.

The ding of the elevator reaching the top floor sounded more like a gunshot to everyone frayed nerves, and the grim face of a waiting Headmaster Ozpin did nothing to help.

"Glynda, I've contacted Shion, and they are on their way, but I have to ask, are you certain that it's a Nightmare?"

Glynda pursed her lips and nodded.

"I've never encountered one myself, but he showed all the signs, I'm completely certain."

"Can someone please explain what a Nightmare is?" Blake asked the question that was on everybody's mind.

Ozpin paused and, in an uncharacteristic way, bit the inside of his cheek. Indecision warred within him, but he nodded all the same.

"Team CRDL, you're dismissed, but I must insist that you keep everything you've heard to this point to yourselves." Ozpin stalked forward and loomed over Cardin while staring directly into the boy's eyes.

"If I hear you've discussed anything of the topics raised in the last hour, you will not like the results. Understood?"

"Y-yeah, I mean yes, Sir," Cardin said, eye wide as a bead of sweat trickled down his temple.

Ozpin stared at him a moment longer before nodding and thrusting his chin toward the elevator.

Team CRDL didn't need a further invitation and hurried onto the elevator and continued to push the lobby button until the doors finally closed.

Ozpin fought the desire to run his hand across his face; it wasn't the time to show weakness. Instead, taking a fortifying sip of coffee Ozpin looked at the group of confused, angry, and frightened faces.

"Nightmares are a species of Grimm that have long been kept classified," Ozpin spoke slowly, carefully picking each word. "Usually, I would not think to inform first-year students of their existence, but fate has forced my hand. Are you all familiar with Gheist's?"

Weiss raised her hand and launched into an explanation without prompting.

"Gheists are a type of Grimm considered highly dangerous due to their ability to possess inanimate objects, using them as a form of golem. They've proven difficult for the Atlesian military because of the drones they employ; it's not uncommon for a Gheist to possess one and wreak havoc."

Ozpin nodded along with Weiss's explanation.

"A good summary Ms. Schnee. Nightmares are not dissimilar to Gheists. However, unlike the latter, a Nightmare can possess living hosts under certain happenstances and permanently possess them if left unchecked."

The reveal was not unexpected, not after what they had seen, but confirming it sent a shiver of fear up the student's spine. A Grimm capable of possessing people was a terrifying prospect. So it made sense that the information was kept quiet; the panic if people found out a Grimm could take over anyone's body would be insane and potentially deadly for those who lived outside of one of the great cities.

"So, you're saying that Shirou is a Grimm now?" Yang asked, her jaw clenched tight.

Ruby took one of Yang's clenched fists in both hands, seeing her sister's distress. She knew that nothing scared Yang more than the idea of losing people.

"No, at least not yet. Nightmares are truly insidious creatures. Once they latch onto a host, they burrow into the mind and soul of the person and begin to feed on that person's trauma to grow in strength, wherein they kill the host. However, in certain cases, a Nightmare can grow strong enough to possess its host and use all of the victim's abilities and skills. This is what has happened to Mr. Emiya. As a rule, once the Nightmare has grown this strong, we have less than twenty-four hours to separate it from the host."

Hope bloomed anew in the student's eyes, and Ozpin could not help but feel a sliver of pride, seeing the resolve of the next generation.

"But before we can do anything, we must first find Mr. Emiya."

"You weren't able to track his scroll?" Glynda asked, needing to be sure.

Ozpin shook his head, moved over to his desk, waving for everyone to follow him, and gazed down at a large map of Vale and the surrounding area.

"I'm not certain if his scroll was lost or damaged, but we can not track him through such means. However, I have an idea of where he will go."

Ozpin was interrupted as the elevator dinged once more.

The first thing everyone noticed as the elevator doors opened was the smell of stale beer and body odor that wafted through the room like a wave. Stumbling out of the elevator was a tall, disheveled man with bloodshot eyes and a scruffy beard wearing stained and wrinkled clothes.

"'Uncle Qrow!" Ruby was the first to recognize the man. In a burst of her semblance, she was wrapped around him and babbling in his ear. "When did you get here? We need help. Our friend is in trouble; you'll help us, right? Right?"

"Ruby, 'm way too drunk to follow right now. Can you slow down?"

Qrow's voice was rusty from disuse and slurred from too much alcohol, but the affection in his tone was still audible.

Pushing Ruby down, Qrow shoved his hands in his pockets and stumbled over to one of two guest chairs Ozpin kept in his office and fell heavily into it.

"That's better. So, Oz got your message. So, there's a Nightmare running around? Nasty stuff. We have the plan to put the poor sucker down?"

Ozpin sighed at Qrow's lack of delicacy, though he had a long time to grow used to it.

"The 'sucker' is one of our first-year students, Shirou Emiya, and Ms. Xiao Long's partner."

Qrow's hazy eye's landed on Yang, and he blinked slowly.

"Sorry, Firecracker."

Yang glared at her uncle, but, like Ozpin, she was familiar enough with the man to know he didn't mean to hurt her, so she accepted his apology.

"The Headmaster was going to explain his idea to find Shirou."

Ozpin took another sip of his coffee before tapping the map with his finger.

"Yes, we have had a stroke of good fortune within this tragedy. Glynda, can you confirm you were in this area when Mr. Emiya escaped heading west?" Ozpin pointed to a hand-drawn circle on the map over a quadrant of Forever Falls.

Goodwich scrutinized the map for several seconds before nodding confirmation.

"Very good. Students, as you are aware, Grimm are drawn most strongly to human negativity, and Nightmares are no different. Which means that Shirou is most certainly headed towards Vale."

Pyrrha frowned, and the skin between her eye crinkled as she scrutinized the map.

"Vale is massive, and I can think of plenty of hotspots for negativity. Hospitals, drug dens, funeral homes, and crime-ridden neighborhoods would all attract a Grimm."

"You are correct, Ms. Nikos. However, here is the reason I asked Qrow to join us." Ozpin dragged his finger from the point of Shirou's disappearance westward, across the channel that led to the ocean to point at the Vale docks.

"The docks." Qrow said, "You want to change up the operation?"

"Exactly right. Students, Qrow has been in Vale at my request for the last few weeks and has been fortunate enough to stumble onto intelligence that the White Fang terrorist organization is going to rob a Schnee transport freighter."

Blake stiffened at the mention of the White Fang, and only years of controlling her emotions allowed her to stay silent and not react to the news, even as Weiss hissed angrily.

"Why haven't you put a stop to it?"

Ozpin's brief glare stopped Weiss from shouting further, and she flushed at the rebuke but refused to break eye contact.

"We had initially planned to use what we know as a set-up to follow them to their bases throughout Vale. However, circumstances have changed, and Mr. Emiya's life is now in jeopardy." Ozpin looked up, his eyes hard. "My suggestion is an assault on the White Fang who will attempt to commit this theft. We make them feel hatred, rage, fear, and despair. Enough negativity to draw any Grimm right to them."

The silence that followed Ozpin's declaration was a heavy one. It was a brutal suggestion, Ozpin knew, and it went against everything a young Hunter learned; to cause negativity intentionally.

"If any of you do not believe you can participate, I fully support that decision. That said, given the timeframe we are working under, it is the best chance to find Mr. Emiya in time to save his life.

"Not a chance!" Yang said. "There's no way I'm not going to do everything possible to help my partner."

"Yeah!" Ruby cheered, and Pyrrha nodded along thoughtfully.

"We shall help as well," Weiss said after getting nods from Blake, Nora, and Ren.

"Very good. Qrow, I believe we have two hours until the theft. Please explain what we can expect to encounter."

"Roman Torchwick is running the whole operation. The exact details are sparse, but I can tell you they're got fifty of the rank and file coming in on bullheads. They aren't a problem. Their commanders are more dangerous. Dropouts from Haven years back and have participated in several high-profile attacks over the last half-decade. They'll have a few tricks up their sleeve. But, if we're going for shock and awe, we wait for them to land and unload, then destroy their bullheads and get in close, maybe even use the snow cone over there to get them really fired up." Qrow jerked his chin towards Weiss, who glowered at the man. "We draw the fight out, and as Oz said, make it brutal."

Yang smacked a fist into her other palm with a feral smile.

"Only way I know how to fight."

Qrow disagreed.

"Not really, Firecracker, this is going to be no holds barred. It doesn't matter how weak they are or if they surrender. You keep punching until they've passed out, or you've broken every bone in their body."

The rare intensity from her usually laid-back uncle was enough to cool some of Yang's fire, but determination still showed clearly in her gaze.

"I think they understand Qrow. Now, I want you all to go and rearm yourselves however you need to. Meet us at the bullhead dock in one hour."

Ozpin's dismissal was heard loud and clear. The students were quick to exit, minds whirring with thoughts of what they would need for their first mission and one with the stake far higher than just killing a few Grimm.

"Do you think they can handle this, Sir?" Glynda asked once the elevator closed.

"No man or woman fights harder than when the life of one they care about is on the line. They will be fine tonight. It's what comes after that concerns me."

Glynda grimaced, understanding what Ozpin was referring to and not liking it one bit for more than one reason.

"No use worrying about that now. First, we get the kid, then deal with the aftermath," Qrow said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a silver flask.

"Worse comes to worst. I'll kill the kid myself if that's what it takes."

Waiting was agony and unlike most pain, and Yang could never ignore its sting. Patients had long alluded Yang, something that drove her Dad insane. Birthdays, holidays, and vacations were all met with sleepless nights and occasionally even mischief as she searched the house top to bottom for presents. Though her new friends at Beacon had only known Yang for a relatively short time, they already understood her constant battle with sitting quietly. This was why they weren't surprised that she was practically vibrating in place and grinding her teeth as they all hid amongst shipping supply crates and heavy dock equipment.

The sun had set twenty minutes ago, and it was getting hard to see as the moon had yet to take its place. It made every shadow seem like a threat, and even Blake, who could see perfectly in the dark due to her heritage, was starting to feel the moment's stress.

It started slowly. So slowly, if Yang had become less keyed up, she wouldn't have noticed it at first. Instead, a quiet hum drew her attention and gradually grew louder until she could see four bullheads strafe around the corner, flying so low that they were almost touching the water. Yang's heart leaped and started thumbing hard and fast against her ribs.

Like Yang's Uncle said, the bullheads were how the White Fang would insert and pack out the dust.

Yang swallowed and felt her hands tremble as the bullheads landed gently on the concrete dock. It was all she could do to force herself to wait as the rear hatches lowered, and sure enough, men and women dressed in the white vests and masks of the White Fang exited quickly and orderly. All of them were carrying either cheap swords or rifles. From what Yang could see, they were not much of a threat to her, but the last few had to be the ones Qrow mentioned. She recognized Torchwick and the small woman with him as the person Ruby described. Both were good fighters, but she doubted they would be able to challenge her Uncle or Goodwitch. However, the two men that exited with Torchwick and the woman screamed high trained to Yang's eye. They moved with Hunter's confidence, carrying a giant axe and a long spear of excellent make. They were the commanders. With their appearance, Goodwitch gave the signal. It was not subtle, but it was effective. Goodwitch used her semblance to throw a large fire dust shard into each bullhead so hard that they detonated with a loud boom. Fire leaped from the bullheads, and several White Fang members dropped to the ground with surprising screams while others looked around wildly for the source of the attack.

Yang didn't hesitate to charge out of her hiding place with a battle cry, followed closely by the rest of her team. Across the way, she could see Team BRNS running forward, boxing the White Fang in while Goodwitch and Qrow leaped from above, going straight for the most dangerous threats.

None of the White Fang could react before Yang crashed into her first would-be opponent. Yang's fist slammed into his chest with the force of a truck, launching him backward to bowl over his compatriots. Yang could make out the tell-tale flicker of a broken aura as he flew, and she smiled savagely. These guys were complete pushovers. Yang's smile didn't fall even as one of the White Fang on the ground fired his rifle at her. Most of his shots went wide, but a few hit her aura like a light rain, not worth noticing. The bullets abruptly stopped as Ruby dashed in, her scythe spinning and slamming into a different opponent with every rotation.

However, the element of surprise only lasted for so long, and two White Fang, both wielding swords, charged at Yang. They were large, with broad shoulders and muscular limbs, but that didn't mean anything against a Beacon Huntress-In-Training. Yang let them get close and weaved around their clumsy strike until she could pull one of the men in front of the other. Now lined up, she unleashed and controlled combo of punches into her opponent, finishing with a brutal uppercut to the jaw, breaking his aura. Yang hesitated momentarily, seeing the flicker, before recalling what Qrow had told her. She couldn't stop because her opponent was tired or because they ran out of aura. Not in this fight, not with what was at stake.

Yang lashed out as quick as a striking snake, grabbed ahold of the Fang member's white jersey, drew him close, and stomped on his ankle. She felt the bone shatter under her boot. However, she still didn't stop even as the man screamed; Yang rabbit punched him in the ribs, fracturing them with a wet crunch.

Yang let the man collapse and writhe on the ground and turned her eyes to the man who had just watched his friend get dismantled. He shook but seemed rooted to the stop as a dark patch grew from his crotch down his leg.

Yang's lip curled in disgust, and as she stepped forward. These faunus weren't innocent, she reminded herself, and if Yang wanted to save Shirou, she would do what her uncle said and make the Grimm look like bunny rabbits. Yang fared her aura, covering herself in yellow fire, and though she should see them, she knew her eyes turned a brilliant red. As Yang stepped forward, she smashed her foot down on the writhing man's elbow, pulverizing the joint without taking her eyes from the trembling faunus.

"Yang! It's Shirou!"

Ruby's cry drew Yang's attention away from the terrified terrorist to where her little sister was pointing. Yang saw Shirou standing on top of three stacked shipping containers.

Yang had only laid her eye's on him when Shirou leaped down with enough force to make the container jump. Landing amid a small group of White Fang, Shirou cackled unnaturally, like his vocal cords didn't know what they were doing, and formed his favorite black and white swords with his semblance.

It was immediate to Yang that it wasn't really Shirou fighting. She spared with him often and had a good grasp on his style with his favored swords. Shirou's style was methodical, clever, and calculated, where one strike turned into two and three, letting Shirou dictate the course of the fight effortlessly. But now, there was none of the technique, only brutal power, speed, and aggression. As a result, the White Fang never stood a chance. In the time it took for the student teams to converge on him, he had already brutalized five Faunus, carving through their aura and into the vulnerable flesh underneath. Yang didn't hesitate as she leaped over a downed body and slammed her fist into Shirou's hastily raised swords. Her momentum was too much for Shirou's head-on defense, and Yang drove her fist through his guard and into his jaw.

Shirou was knocked backward, right into a perfectly timed shield bash from Pyrrha, that sent him spinning into the ground.

"Wiess!"

Ice formed and encased Shirou from the neck down.

"Somebody knock him out before-."

Ruby's call came too late as swords began to fall like deadly rain. Yang cursed as she rolled to the side. It seemed Shirou had been holding back in their spares as swords fell from directly overhead and were shot at them from all angles faster than Yang had ever seen.

The loud crack of breaking ice heralded Shirou's resumed assault. Blitzkrieg into Ren like a berserker, Shirou ignored the bullets that Ren pumped into his torso. Instead, Shirou lunged under Ren's arms when he was close enough and drove his sword into Ren's stomach.

The strength behind the strike was enough to throw Ren back into a shipping container hard enough to dent it.

"Ren!"

Nora's moment of inattention cost her as swords began to slam into her, one clipping her wrist and knocking Magehild from her grip, leaving her vulnerable to the raining steel.

"Hang on!" Ruby said and, using her semblance to appear over Nora, spinning Crescent Rose to bat aside the projectiles that seemed to never end.

Pyrrha grimaced as she danced among the flying blades. She had an idea, but it would require extensive focus.

"Yang, cover me! I have an idea."

Yang grunted and made her way over as Pyrrha took a knee, covering herself as best she could with her shield. Then, focusing inside herself, Pyrrha reached out with her semblance, polarity, or the ability to control ferrous metals. Pyrrha had never used her semblance on such a large scale before, usually only relying on it to redirect a single opponent's weapon away from her. Now she was reaching out to grasp every weapon except hers and her allies.

A nimbus of black energy covered all of Shirou's swords, and Pyrrha asserted control over them. Pyrrha opened her eyes and found Shirou dueling with Weiss and Blake, the girls struggling to match his feral assault. Pyrrha let out a cry of effort and pointed her hand at Shirou, sending dozens of swords hurtling at him. Weiss and Blake saw what was happening and threw themselves out of the way, and had Shirou been in his right mind, Pyrrha had little doubt he would have done the same or even dispel the swords before they could hit him. However, the Grimm controlling him didn't have the same instincts and reactions that Shirou did. The blades struck Shirou, their combined weight throwing him into a shipping container with a bang.

Before Shirou could recover, Ruby was in front of him, slamming the blunt side of her scythe into his head hard enough to finally knock him unconscious.

The sudden end of the fight came as a relief; even though the sounds of Goodwitch and Qrow fighting continued to echo out, they were having little issue taking on the commanders, Torchwick and his accomplice.

Yang looked at the fight for a moment before deciding that she could do nothing with the bullheads all destroyed. Getting involved would throw Goodwitch's and Qrow's rhythm off and give the enemy time to regroup. So instead, she made her way over to Shirou's side and checked him over, hoping he hadn't been hurt from the quick but brutal battle.

"He's ok, sis, well, not ok, but he isn't bleeding or anything," Ruby said as Yang knelt beside her and Shirou.

"What about you?"

Ruby looked up and Yang and forced a smile.

"Barely got touched."

Yang an arm around Ruby and pulled her close, there would be time for more later, but for now, it would have to do.

"Blake, can you tie Shirou's hands and feet in case he wakes up before we get back to Beacon?"

Blake nodded and used her ribbon to hogtie Shirou. Yang was tempted to make a bondage joke but couldn't find the words.

"Firecracker." Qrow's rough voice cut through the tender moment as he walked up, his great sword casually resting on his shoulder. "Any issues?"

Yang looked over to Nora and Ren, who rested against each other; they had taken the worst of it but didn't look badly hurt.

"A couple of White Fang are going to need a doctor. But, except for that, I don't think any of us got hurt."

"I can live with that. Glynda called our transport, and Vale PD are on their way; you'll go with her and your partner to Beacon, and I'll handle the scene." Qrow looked at the tired teenagers and gave them all a nod.

"You did good work tonight."

With those parting words, Qrow ambled over to the first group of downed Fang and began checking them over, occasionally stomping on heads if they were moving around too much for his liking.

Blake winced the first time he did that but seemed to accept the necessity since they didn't have a way to bind so many people.

"Come on, people, let's get to Goodwitch," Weiss said, moving to help Nora and Ren.

Nodding, everyone began to follow, Yang carrying Shirou as she did. The first part of Ozpin's plan was successful. Now, she had to hope that the next stage went as smoothly.

The ride back to Beacon was quiet, and once they landed, Shirou was taken to the infirmary. The nurse strapped him to a bed and hooked him up to numerous machines that monitored his vitals and kept him asleep.

The nurse had just stepped away when Ozpin walked in with another person that none of the students recognized, following closely behind him.

"Students, this is Shion Zaiden, an expert in Nightmares. He will be the one to help you save Mr. Emiya," Ozpin said as he came to stand at Shirou's bedside.

"How long has the Nightmare been in control?" Shion asked, not acknowledging anyone around him, eyes locked on Shirou alone.

"Approximately eight hours."

Shion grimaced slightly and reached out to lift one of Shirou's eyelids, revealing a crimson iris that spun wildly in its socket.

"It's already dug its way deep into him." Shion looked up at Ozpin from under the brim of his large hat, his lavender eyes grim. "The usual extraction methods aren't possible, even though you caught it relatively early."

Ozpin nodded sadly.

"I feared as much, which is why I called you. Your semblance is the only way to save him now."

Shion looked at the students, who shuffled nervously.

"They're very young," Shion spoke softly. "And I doubt he has known them for very long. Isn't there anyone else? Any family? A mentor?"

"They would know better than I would," Ozpin said, indicating Shirou's three teammates with his chin.

"You're his teammates. Do you know anyone he's close to besides yourselves?"

"He doesn't have anybody," Yang said. "His parents died when he was young, and his adopted parents passed away when he was ten, but why does it matter?"

Yang's frustration was evident to everyone. She had officially used up all her patients and was tired of all the pointless questions. Yang turned to Ozpin and glared sullenly.

"You said once we got him here, you knew how to get the Grimm out of Shirou. So, how do we do that?"

Ozpin didn't get offended by Yang's aggressive tone. If anything, he was heartened by how much she cared about Shirou; it would be the key to their ability to save him.

"Shion, this is your area of expertise. Please explain it to them and leave nothing out."

Shion sighed but didn't argue. He, too, could see that Yang cared greatly for Shirou and could only hope the feelings were mutual.

"You all know what a Nightmare is, correct?" Seeing the nods, Shion continued without hesitation. "Then you understand that this Grimm is tied not just to his body but also his soul. The Nightmare is weakening your friend and strengthening itself by forcing him to relive his trauma again and again, breaking his will to completely subjugate his mind. At this point, the only way to save Shirou is to break the Grimm's hold on his mind and expel the Nightmare."

The silence that followed Shion's explanation was a heavy one until Ruby broke it, her voice cracking slightly.

"How can we help?"

"My semblance. It allows me to send link minds, meaning I can send you into Shirou's head where you can look for him and defeat the Nightmare."

"So, you send us into Shirou's head; we kick some Grimm butt, and Shirou's safe? Why didn't you lead with that? Let's get it done!" Yang said, striding forward and plopping herself down onto Shirou's bed.

"It isn't quite that simple. To go into someone's mind requires a bond, Shirou will need to accept your presence at a subconscious level, or his heart and mind will reject you. Only the closest friends and family have a chance to enter the mind successfully. And once you're there, it is not a matter of simply killing the Nightmare but finding it within Shirou's trauma. The Nightmare is going to weaponize your friend's memories to protect itself, and if you die in there, you die out here as well."

That took some wind from Yang's sails, and she bit her lip nervously, glancing at Shirou and back to Shion. Yang didn't think she needed to worry about the fighting part. She could take care of herself, but Shirou was incredibly tight-lipped about himself until recently, and that made her question whether he would accept their presence.

"We have to try!" Ruby quickly pitched in, looking at Shion with her large silver eyes. "Even if he rejects us, we must do that much at least."

"And the risks, are you willing to accept them?"

Everyone nodded, expressions ranging from grim to nervous.

"Very well, then we won't delay any further. I'll send you into Shirou's nightmare."

Damn, it's been a while since I posted. But, unfortunately, December was just a bad month for writing, and I'll leave it that. Also, this is my longest chapter to date, but it could still probably be at least a 1,000 words longer and split into two chapters. However, I wanted to move the story along since the pace has been a bit slow for the last few chapters.

The good news, though, is we're finally at the final third of this story's first arc/book, yay. Finally, we've got to the Nightmare. This will not follow after RWBY, mainly because I've yet to see Icequeendom.

Also, the second chapter of my Konosuba crossover should be up shortly for those interested.

Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.