Chapter 18: An Evolved Grimm

Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum, I only own my OCs.

Team RXDY

The following morning the all faunus team eats a local restaurant sitting at an outdoor patio. Draco eats his meat sandwich while his team mates chatter. Eating his fill the dragon faunus uses the restroom, as he takes care of business he overhears a pair of humans conversing over at the sinks.

The first one said, "Have you heard the news as of late, Chuck?"

Chuck shook his head, "Not really. What's up, Devon?"

Devon answered, "There's been reports of an Ursa wandering in the Forever Fall forest in Vale. According to one eyewitness, it was the same size of your typical Ursa except it was armored, like it literally grew armor underneath its fur. The eyewitness called it Ursa Armis."

Chuck turned on the faucet, wetting his hands with cold water, "Oh yeah, that. I saw it myself one time, had to run for my life. Holy shit, it sounded so demonic."

Devon said, "Thank the gods you didn't become its chew toy."

Chuck laughed, "Hahaha, I know." Draco pulls the flush lever and zips his jeans up again.

He walked over to the free faucet, joining the conversation, "So this Ursa Armis, is it still in Forever Fall?"

Chuck replied, "Probably. It may have claimed that place as its territory. Why? Thinking of go looking for it?"

Draco said, "Possibly." After washing his hands he dried them off with a paper towel and heads for the exit. He returns to his team just as Xavier pays the check.

Yumi queried, "Where to next?"

Draco replied, "Let's head to Vale. When I was in the restroom I overheard Devon telling Chuck about an encounter with an Ursa Armis but he said this variation of the typical Ursa is armored and much older, possibly going back as far as the Great War. Since there was an eyewitness I suggest we go check it out for ourselves. It's probably in Forever Fall."

Xavier said, "Be worth the look."

Yumi nodded in agreement, "What he said."

Draco looked at his leader, "What about you, Rena?" The one-eyed faunus ponders what her team mate just told them.

An Ursa variant that's been around since the Great War and wandering in Forever Fall? And Draco claims an eyewitness saw the monster. Perhaps it is something to look into.

She answered, "We'll head for Forever Fall and confirm this creature's existence ourselves." The team hitches a ride on the next available airship to Vale.

Once there, they use a bullhead to reach the entrance to Forever Fall. The all faunus team ventures into the forest, when they vanish from the pilot's sight he hears a growl coming from his right. The only thing he sees is a dark blur with evil red eyes bolting toward the bullhead, shattering the cockpit window. The pilot screams before the creature pounces on him, staining the console and control column with his blood, torn flesh and muscle with pieces of bone sticking out. The creature stops its gruesome feast staring at the half-eaten corpse that used to be the pilot and roars into the sky. It next tears into the hall of the bullhead leaving deep gashes. When its rage subsided, it sniffs the air picking up Team RXDY's scent and enters Forever Fall, bloody saliva dripping from its jaws at the thought of more flesh to sink its teeth into.

Team RXDY stay close together in case the Ursa Armis shows up. The only audible sound is their own footsteps and red leafs falling off the trees. They move further and further in, anxiety pumping through their veins.

They soon detect voices coming from up ahead and draw their weapons.

One voice said, "Ozpin should have sent a third-year team instead. We're only first-years."

Another voice reasoned, "I'm sure he had a reason for his decision."

A third snorted, "He made a stupid one! This investigation is a waste of time, there are Grimm waiting for me to put down!"

The first voice replied, "There's more to being a team than just killing Grimm, Cassandra." Team RXDY sees the group ahead being Team TEAL, the ones they rescued from Lupine and Feral inside the Death Forest.

Draco said, "Hello there." Team TEAL turns as one to their direction.

Tira beamed, "Draco! It's been a while since we last met."

Emmara greeted, "H-hi, Yumi."

Yumi smiled, "Hello, Emmara. Good to see you again." She suddenly got enveloped in a hug from Tira, "And you as well, Tira."

The fiery redhead replied, "Couldn't stop dreaming about you, Yumi. Felt depressed without you."

Draco sweat dropped, "But you have your teammates."

Tira said, "True but I miss hugging you, Yumi."

The wolf faunus stated, "Can you let go of me, Tira?"

The fiery redhead obeyed, breaking the hug, "Sorry. You're just so cute I can't help it."

Yumi looked at the final two members of TEAL, "How are you two doing, Alexia and Cassandra?"

Alexia gave her a small smile, "I'm doing well, thank you for asking."

Cassandra stated with a cold tone, "I'm fine." Yumi flinches at the scarred girl's attitude and Tira looks at her teammate with disapproval.

She brought her gaze back to the all faunus team, "You four have been growing popular among the students at Beacon Academy. We heard on the Vale News Network that you saved a village called Iremia. Some have even begun wondering if you're graduates of Beacon, considering your skills. Heck, they thought of challenging you once they graduated."

A look of amusement formed on Xavier's face while he told Tira, "It'd only end up with them getting owned by us."

Emmara noticed Yumi's right wolf ear being half-severed, "What happened to your ear, Yumi?"

Draco provided the answered, "We were victims of a retaliation. Someone lured us into a trap, we fought Grimm that aren't in the books." He counted with his fingers, "They were a Minotaur, Ruugon, a sub-species of Feral, a Human-Grimm hybrid named Onryo and a weird looking Grimm called Wraith. We fought hard and prevailed in the end, though not without sustaining injuries. Some worse than others."

Emmara walked over to Yumi, "But you're okay, right?"

Yumi smiled at her, "Of course. We know the risks that come with this line of work."

The shy huntress in training hugged the wolf faunus after placing her tome down, "B-be careful. Don't want to lose a friend."

Yumi blinked but returned the hug, "I will." Tira takes a picture of them with her scroll, saving it.

Alexia queried, "What brings you to Forever Fall?"

Draco replied, "I heard Devon saying there's been sightings of an Ursa Armis wandering this place. Unlike the typical bear Grimm you come across, this one is far older, perhaps going as far as the Great War." That catches Cassandra's attention.

She asked, "Is it still here?"

Draco gestured with his hand, "Don't know. That's why I wanted to investigate, to see if Devon was right. We're here by our own choice, not hired."

Rena looked around, "It'd take too long to investigate as one group. We'll split into duos and cover more ground that way. Yumi, you go with Emmara, Draco you're with Tira, Xavier you're paired with Cassandra and Alexia's with me. We'll meet back here in one hour. Mark your respective trees as the entry point. Let's move." The teams head out, marking the tree of their chosen entry point.

Xavier travels with Cassandra in silence. That is until Cassandra sees the slash marks poking out from Xavier's tank top, for some reason this makes her step in front of him making the ox faunus stop walking.

He asked, "Something wrong?" He watches her come closer, eyes focused on the scars.

Cassandra traces them with her hand, causing goosebumps to form on Xavier's chest. As she does this, it inadvertently triggers memories of Cassandra witnessing her family being murdered by Grimm and herself scarred. She crushes the painful memory out of silent rage.

She asked, "How did you get these?"

Xavier said, "You know that Ruugon Draco mentioned? It was aggressive. It was either I killed him or he killed me. This scar is from that fight. It was fortunate those claws didn't sever any blood vessels."

Cassandra furthered "Weren't you scared at all?"

The ox faunus showed a small smirk, "I'd be fooling myself if I said I wasn't. I refused to let it control me. So, I did what I had to do."

Cassandra asked again, "So you killed it?" Xavier looks away confirming the answer to her question.

Xavier replied, "Can I ask you something?"

Cassandra looked at him, "What?"

The ox faunus steadied his nerves, unsure how the scarred girl would respond but he needed to know, "Do you remember the times I used to come over to play with you when we were kids?" Cassandra lowers her head not answering. This makes Xavier wonder if he made a mistake, he's taking a gamble.

She finally spoke up, "I...have no idea what you're talking about, Xavier."

Xavier queried, "Not even…" The snap of a twig halts the conversation making them look at that direction.

Cassandra loads a clip into her SMG while Xavier deploys Gemini waiting for whatever caused the snapping to come out. A small rodent emerges from the bushes looking at the duo briefly then scurries away.

Xavier said, "Come on, let's resume looking for this Ursa Major." Cassandra stands there gazing at him for a brief moment then joins him, looking for signs of the Grimm.

Elsewhere Yumi talks with Emmara while they conduct their own search.

The wolf faunus asked, "How are things going with your team?"

Emmara replied, "T-things are going well. Or at least as well as they could be."

Yumi titled her head, "Why? Something wrong?"

Emmara explained, "My sister and Cassandra have been arguing more as of late. Cassandra has been questioning me about my refusal to finish a Grimm and Tira coming to my defense. I joined Beacon to be with my sister. Alexia is friendly despite her reserved appearance. She helped me out of predicaments when our team went out on missions."

Yumi asked, "Have you tried making progress with Cassandra?"

The shy huntress in training hugged her tome closer to her body, "I've been trying. Every time I do, she glares at me with those eyes or says cold things."

Yumi encouraged her with a smile, "Keep trying, Emmara. You will succeed. It will time but you can do it." The smile lifts Emmara's spirit.

The shy girl returned it, "Thank you, Yumi." They resume walking, Yumi clasps her hands behind her back.

Draco engages in conversation with Tira.

Tira asked, "What made you join a hot woman like Rena's team?"

Draco said, "To give a simplified explanation, someone wronged me in a big way and thus I swore to exact revenge. But I won't ignore the plight of others."

Tira hummed, "That's a noble thing." She next stared at the scales on Draco's face, "Those look smooth and cool to the touch. Gives you an exotic aura."

Draco replied, "Thanks. So what made you want to become a huntress?"

Tira gave a smile, "Explore the world, meet new people, stomp a few Grimm here and there. But it wouldn't be anywhere near as fun if Emmara wasn't with me."

Draco titled his head in amusement, "You enjoy her company that much?"

Tira nodded enthusiastically, "Uh-huh! I enjoy my sister's presence. She's so shy it's fun to tease her."

Draco stared at Tira's hair, "You don't strike me as someone who dyes their hair."

The fiery redhead nodded in agreement, "Yeah. I tried it one time but it was annoying having to dye every six months so I decided to quit. Although I kept these green streaks for Emmara." They both hear rustling of bushes to their left, soon a pack of Beowolves emerge snarling at them. The two draw their weapons.

Draco gave the bring it gesture, "Come on, fur balls. Hungry? We can deliver a five-star quality ass whipping." The ammo chamber to Perses rotates loading a fire Dust shotgun shell while Tira points Phobos and Deimos at the pack.

At their location, Rena and Alexia are busy mowing down a pair of Ursas. Safe to say the bear Grimm stand no choice against their combined might. When the Ursas evaporate, a Lupine emerges attracted by the battle. It flexes its talons and lips pull back in a snarl. It stomps on the ground with a roar in a display of intimidation.

The Lycanthrope Grimm and the faunus duo charge at the same time.

One hour later, the teams meet up at the rendezvous point asking each other if they spotted the Ursa Armis.

Rena asked, "Any luck?"

Xavier shook his head, "Nope. Cassandra and I didn't locate it."

Yumi said, "Everything was calm for Emmara and I."

Draco told them, "Tira and I engaged a pack of Beowolves. They didn't pose much of a problem."

Alexia reported, "Rena and I fought a Lupine. It was tough but we won. It looks like Lupine isn't limited to just the Death Forest." Her ears twitch, detecting movement and causing them to look at that direction weapons drawn. The creature's red eyes pierce through the darkness of Forever Fall.

Draco said, "That must be the Ursa Armis Devon mentioned. So he wasn't lying." The creature stood around the same height of a regular Ursa but this variant was different in terms of bone-white plating.

It didn't have spikes protruding like a regular Ursa instead it grew armor under its fur, some of it was visible on its shoulders, joints, neck and paws.

Standing on its hind legs, it stands six feet tall. It glares at the duo teams and unleashes a loud, deep, bestial roar that rings through the air, causing them to cover their ears (think of the Godzilla 1984 roar).

Xavier rubbed his ears, "That's not funny."

Rena said, "Watch your backs. There may be more of this creature in Forever Falls." Alexia attacks first using her semblance to attack the Ursa Armis from multiple directions, the attacks have no effect on the bear Grimm who swipes one of its forepaws at her sending her away. Alexia back rolls on the ground until her back collides with a tree. All of the air gets knocked out of her lungs upon impact.

The Ursa Armis roars again daring the others to attack it. Tira fires her rifles the Dust bullets bounce off its armored hide harmlessly it charges at her rearing up onto its hind legs raising one of its forepaws to retaliate. Tira combines her rifles to form her staff swinging it to deflect each of the Grimm's attack grunting at the force behind its strikes. Releasing a growl it swipes Tira away as well. It levels its gaze with Cassandra feeling her rage. She points her SMG at it and releases the whole clip. The Ursa Armis runs at her, its armored hide protecting it. It rams its skull into her chest knocking Cassandra off her feet, opening its mouth to rip open her throat but the scarred girl brings her double-bladed spear to intercept it. She growls at the Ursa Armis feeling her rage grow, the bear Grimm tenses its jaw muscles in an attempt to bite the spear in half. Cassandra hears the weapon groaning under the stress of the bite. The spear escapes the bear Grimm's mouth when it feels someone grabs its hind legs and pulling it away from her. Looking over its shoulder the Ursa Armis discovers it's Xavier lifting it off the ground and spinning around then releases his hold sending the bear Grimm flying into a bunch of trees, bark snapping from the speed. The Ursa Armis slides on the ground before coming to a stop. It gets back up shaking its armored fur then releases a snort of air. Xavier sees it running toward him full-speed he stands his ground catching the monster's forepaws, his shoes dig into the ground. The two enter a contest of strength, the Ursa Armis roaring at him. Unleashing a roar of his own Xavier pushes the beast onto its back, balling his fist in preparing to punch its face in when the bear Grimm places all four of its paws onto his torso and pushes the ox faunus off. It feels its legs get encased in ice. Bringing its gaze to Emmara it snarls at her before pulling its limbs free of the ice and runs at her. Emmara opens her tome, the book glowing bright orange and fireballs are launched. The Ursa Armis continues running toward her powering through the attacks and reaches striking distance when Yumi uses her semblance to save Emmara bringing her out of harm's way and for Rena and Tira to use combination attacks. To the duo's shock the Ursa Armis is able to hold its own against them. Tira jumps onto the bear Grimm's back separating her staff into its gun form and fires at the bone armor, the beast uses its skull like a battering ram repelling Rena before shaking its body to knock Tira off-balance. Soon her right leg is within reach of its jaws, clamping them down on the limb earning a yell of pain from the fiery redhead even with her aura protecting her. It uses its powerful neck to send Tira crashing into Rena. The Ursa Armis roars at them, strings of saliva fling out of its mouth.

The beast blocks a fire Dust round from Draco's shotgun. The dragon faunus jumps back to evade the enemy's counterattack. With a burst of speed it whips around catching Scarlet in its forelimb the bony armor halting the blade's momentum. Another swipe rips the claymore out of Rena's hands. It rams into her pinning the one-eyed faunus' arms then opens its mouth looking to tear her face off. Xavier comes to her rescue wrapping his arms around the Ursa Armis and throws it off of her.

Rena studies the bear Grimm. Its hide was armored and none of their attacks can penetrate it.

The Ursa Armis lifts a paw to protect its face from an ice attack from Emmara.

There, she sees its weak point! The eyes!

A swipe from its paw repels Yumi followed by deflecting arrows from Cassandra's bow. Tira provides supporting fire with her rifles while Alexia uses her semblance to attack the Ursa Armis' blind spot, wrapping her rope spear around its neck hoping to choke it out. With a mighty pull the bear Grimm yanks her forward and over it before slamming its paw onto the rope spear bringing Alexia to an abrupt halt. The half faunus feels the Grimm's jaws clamp down hard on her leg and throws Alexia into a large tree breaking her aura and dislocating her shoulder, feeling it pop out of its socket. She rolls away from a charge attack the tree she crashed into explodes into pieces. The Ursa Armis quickly recovers and swipes her across the cheek with its forepaw Alexia crawls away from her attacker who snaps its jaws at her feet then leaps onto her and rakes its claws across her chest ripping flesh. Alexia grits her teeth to stop herself from screaming she next feels it slam its right forepaw onto her rib cage with all of its weight shattering some ribs. Its jaws open to devour her when Tira uses her staff to knock the bear Grimm off her teammate. Enraged by this the Ursa Armis runs at her, Tira mirrors it. The fiery redhead struggles against its superior strength until the bear Grimm swings its neck hard enough for Tira to lose her grip on the staff and crashing into Cassandra.

She demanded, "Get off me!" She violently pushes Tira off as the Ursa Armis bites the staff in half breaking the weapon into its gun form and denting the metal from its powerful jaws. Spitting the rifles out the monster lets out a deafening roar

Tira swore, "Damn it! I built those! Do you know how long it's going to take to fix those?!" The Ursa Armis roars at her as if telling Tira it doesn't give a shit.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees an arrow glowing. Looking to her left she spots Cassandra about to unleash her semblance at the target.

She told the others, "MOVE!" They follow her warning gaining distance before Cassandra fires her arrow, a huge flash of light covers the area forcing the others to shield their eyes. The sphere of light changes into a mighty fireball as the explosion rocks the ground. A grin dons Cassandra's face thinking that killed it but that turns into shock when a passing breeze clears the smoke revealing the Ursa Armis unharmed.

Cassandra said, "Impossible!" The Ursa Armis lives up to its reputation of being invincible, tanking whatever Team TEAL and RXDY throws at it and is able to injure some of them.

Xavier lays face-first on the ground, his body wrecked with pain from the physical abuse he's been enduring.

'I can't die here!' He thought.

He pushed himself back to his feet and called out, "Hey, fur ball. Want dinner? Come and get it!" The Ursa Armis, who was about to rake its claws across Tira's face, hears the ox faunus bringing its evil red eyes to him. Bellowing loud it charges. Xavier's gauntlets glow white-hot as he charges up his semblance. Hearing his knuckles pop from how tight his fists are clenched Xavier runs at the bear Grimm. Ducking a swipe he throws hooks across the Ursa Armis' mouth and uppercuts it staggering the bear Grimm. It catches the next attack in its mouth.

Xavier said, "Just as I planned." He cocks his free fist back with his semblance active and thrusts it forward with a yell. The fist slams into the Ursa Armis' exposed underbelly sending it flying backward, its teeth grinding against the gauntlet it had in its mouth.

The ox faunus bares his teeth in sweltering anger, his self-restraint gone. This monster dared to kill his friends. It will pay for this!

FINISH HIM!

Slamming his fists together Xavier dashes toward the Ursa Armis and unloads hammering its armored body with punches, he doesn't care if his fists hurt. He ends the barrage with an ax uppercut cracking the bony armor. The bear Grimm wobbles around before shaking its head and roars at him. Xavier punches again knocking a fang out, catching it and jamming the tooth into the Ursa Armis' left eye earning him a roar of pain. Standing on its hind legs it pulls the tooth out blood dripping from the wound. Now enraged it looks to kill Xavier. The ox faunus, with a mighty yell, launches the Ursa Armis into the air via uppercut. A pair of flaming, serrated chains with hooks pierce the bear Grimm's body in different directions, suspending it in the air and roaring in pain. Rena's eyes are aflame signaling her use of her Maiden powers. Storm clouds gather over the trapped Grimm then a single bolt of lightning strikes the Ursa Armis, electrocuting it. After relishing in the light show Rena grips her chains again, setting them on fire save for the handles. She thrusts her arms forward wrapping the weapons around different parts of the target's body. Rounding a couple lengths of the chains around her fists, Rena tenses her arms. With a strong pull the serrated chains rip the Ursa Armis apart in a gory display of minced muscle, fur and bony armor. Draco, despite his injuries, records the whole event and takes a picture of his team leader giving the peace sign and saves it as pieces of the carcass falls to the ground.

Rena said, "We win. Fatality!" Deactivating her Maiden powers the one-eyed faunus retrieves Scarlet, sheathing it. She walks over to her comrades.

She asked, "You guys okay?"

Draco gave her a thumbs-up, "Peachy, boss."

Yumi agreed rubbing her back, "That's going to hurt tomorrow." Alexia's aura heals the damage to her body while Tira retrieves Phobos and Deimos examining them.

She sighed, "Sheesh. I put my blood, sweat and tears into making these. Just hope they can be fixed in time for the Vytal Tournament next month."

Emmara said, "C-can we get out of here, please?" Just then a swarm of Beowolves step into view along with another Ursa Armis much to the group's shock and frustration.

Draco exclaimed, "Two of them?! Devon didn't say anything about there being two of these! We had trouble getting rid of one! Now we have to face another one and Beowolves?!" The Lycanthrope Grimm begin their advance but a second later they turn and run, disappearing into Forever Fall save for the second Ursa Armis.

Tira asked, "What made them retreat?" They get their answer when the ground shakes, the sound had intervals between shakes becoming more prominent the closer they get.

Unfortunately for them, their battle has attracted another type of Grimm, this one bigger. Soon an adult female T-Rex arrives locking eyes with the second Ursa Armis. It roars at the smaller Grimm, who roars back. Team TEAL looks at the new creature with awe.

'A dinosaur Grimm?' Tira thought.

They see the two Grimm roar at each other, seeing if the other backs away. The Ursa Armis holds its ground, in fact it looks ready to attack. The second Ursa Armis sprints forward lifting its forepaw when the T-Rex bull rams it with her skull catapulting the challenger into a boulder. The T-Rex walks over to the disoriented bear Grimm and clamps her giant jaws around the smaller target's torso, lifting it off the ground. She shakes her prey to and fro then kills the Ursa Armis with a bone-crushing bite, breaking its bony armor with bits of fragments littering the forest floor. Team TEAL looks on with disbelief on their faces.

Tira said, "We barely emerged victorious against one of those but this dinosaur killed it like it was nothing!" The T-Rex releases the corpse and using the massive claws on her foot, she disembowels the Ursa Armis with a triumphant roar. When the bear Grimm vaporized, the T-Rex turns its red-orange gaze at the two teams. They prepare to fight despite being injured. The female T-Rex snorts at them and turns around, venturing back into the depths of Forever Fall.

Alexia asked, "What was that about? I've never seen Grimm attack each other."

Tira guessed, "Turf war, maybe?"

Draco told them, "That was a True Grimm."

Tira looked at him, "A True Grimm?"

The dragon faunus explained, "As the name implies, they have been around long before any of us were born, they used to rule every corner of Remnant land, sea and air when they were caught in the middle of the Grimm War. We encountered the surviving members in Senran Village on the outskirts of Akita. There we also met their leader named Venus, queen of the dinosaur Grimm. She calls the Grimm we face pretenders. Abominations. The True Grimm have to the ability to change into humans to blend in and keep up with the passage of time."

Alexia hissed through clenched teeth over her aching ribs, "You're saying they are sentimental Grimm? They don't wish to eradicate humanity?"

Draco confirmed, "Yes, that's correct, Alexia. They're content with living in Senran Village. I'm guessing that T-Rex we just saw was patrolling its territory and saw that second Ursa Armis as a challenger to its domain. It didn't see us as a threat and left us alone."

Xavier told them, "Let's leave this place." The flight to Vale City is civil with Xavier drawing all the Grimm variants his team has encountered including the Ursa Armis they just fought and won, albeit with injuries. Their regenerated auras heal the minor injuries while Tira helps Alexia tape her broken ribs until they can get surgically repaired. After touching down in Vale City and driven to the hospital Alexia is rushed to the ER for surgery her teammates are checked out for injuries their auras couldn't heal.

Xavier sits next to Emmara doing his best to keep the girl's spirits up.

He rubbed Emmara's back, "Alexia will be fine. She's in good hands."

Emmara hugged her tome, "But what if…"

The ox faunus interrupted, "Don't talk like that, Emmara. No more negativity." Cassandra watches him comfort the shy girl, she lowers her gaze to the hospital floor to hide the sad look on her face, feeling more memories of her family rise to the surface no matter how hard she tries to suppress them. Barely audible whimpering escapes her, a noise that's picked up by Xavier's hearing. He moves to her placing a hand on her shoulder gaining her attention, quickly returning to her cold self.

She queried, "What?"

Xavier said, "You okay? You sounded like you were about to cry."

Cassandra scoffed, "You must've been hearing things. I'm fine, Xavier."

Xavier disagreed, "The noise you made tell me otherwise."

The scarred girl's eyes bore into his, "It's none of your business. Get your hand off my shoulder or I'll pry it off by force!" The ox faunus follows her request, removing his hand from its perch. Tira informs Ozpin what happened.

The headmaster hummed, "I see. You encountered a variant of the Ursa in Forever Fall."

Tira nodded, "That's correct, Headmaster. Draco overheard it in a conversation between two humans. This Ursa Armis was far older than any other Grimm we've seen, going as far back as the Great War."

Ozpin said, "That's interesting. What about the T-Rex your team saw afterward?"

The fiery redhead informed, "It was most likely patrolling its territory in Forever Fall. It killed the second Ursa Armis like it was nothing. We, on the other hand, barely won our fight with the first. Draco said the T-Rex was part of the True Grimm, beings that have roamed Remnant long before we appeared. They are sentient, not interested in killing humans. Instead they're content with living in Senran Village. They think of the Grimm we're facing as pretenders. The True Grimm have a queen named Venus." Ozpin falls silent after that, taking in the information.

None of this is mentioned in the history books. He feels the True Grimm need to be studied in the field, seeing them as a goldmine of knowledge and perhaps find an ally in them. Plus the history books need to be updated with the new information.

Tira queried, "Headmaster, you still there?"

Ozpin replied, "Yes, I'm still here, Ms. Cage. You said Xavier has notes about these Grimm variants?"

Tira nodded, "He does. Why do you ask?"

The Beacon Headmaster said, "Because they can provide very much useful information for our Grimm studies class and in general. Could go find him? Tell Xavier I wish to speak with him." Rena speaks with Alexia, who's now recovering after having surgery on her ribs.

She asked, "Why did you attack my camp when I was part of the White Fang?"

Alexia replied, "I was looking for Adam Taurus. He wasn't there but you were. I was surprised someone of your caliber would be part of the White Fang's extremism."

Rena said, "It wasn't always like that, Alexia. The organization originally stood for advocating faunus rights and looking to establish peace between the two races. It wasn't the original leader of the White Fang stepped down that the organization's mindset change to what we see today. Even if you hadn't attacked me that night, I was still planning on leaving the White Fang. Raiding Dust stores or trains, violent riots and attacking people, that isn't what I joined it for. That's why I left. I'll leave you to rest." She exits the ninja faunus' hospital room.

Walking down the hallway she visits Draco.

The dragon faunus spotted her, "Hey, Rena."

His team leader greeted, "Hi, Draco. I came to visit you." She saw Draco look at the night sky, "What's up?"

Draco gazed at her, "I'm thinking about the spike in True Grimm activity we've been seeing as of late. I'm beginning to think it isn't coincidence. I believe the True Grimm are looking to regrow their numbers. As in breeding."

Rena concurred, "Yes, I agree. Anything else on your mind?"

Draco said, "I also wonder if it's possible to change someone into a Grimm or at least some kind of hybrid."

Rena queried, "As in grimmification?"

Draco nodded, "Yes."

Rena shrugged, "It's possible. Rest up, Draco. We all endured a brutal fight and need to recover."

'That woman is something else.' Draco thought as he watched Rena leave his hospital room.

Rena feels her scroll vibrate, fetching it from her pocket Rena sees she has one new message. Opening the message up, it was a video and pictures from Sin Saber along with a title of "impressed yet?"

She watches the video record of Team RUST taking on the Gloom Widow they fought. She also sees Professor Ritter, the Headmaster Eden and teams MAYA and LAVA. The battle is brutal and there are casualties, no doubt about it. She next sees watches RUST, Eden, Ritter and survivors of teams MAYA and LAVA take on and defeat the Gloom Widow, a creature her own team and RUST were able to escape from with their lives. Rena sees Brick finish the spider Grimm off, shoving the cannon centerpiece of his shield into the Gloom Widow's mouth and blowing its brains out.

A slight smile forms on Rena's stoic face as she texted back, "You're either brave or insanely foolish to defeat that Gloom Widow even with help."

Two minutes later Sin replied, "True. Still, are you impressed?"

Rena texted, "I admit that I am but that was still crazy, Sin."

Sin told her, "I laugh at the face of danger."

A slight grin appeared on Rena's face when she told him, "I got a video and pictures of my team taking on an equally dangerous Grimm."

The one-eyed faunus asks Draco to send her the video and pictures of their battle with the Ursa Armis. A minute later she receives them, crafting a new message and adding them as attachment files along with a reply of her own.

It was simply, "That was cute but what about this?" She sends the message to Sin and waits for a response.

10 minutes later Rena gets a response from the human.

Sin texted, "Damn, girl. That's brutal. And sexy." Right next to the message is a laughing so hard I'm crying emoji and a thumbs-up. A giggle escapes Rena, expecting such a response from him.

Draco rests in his bed looking out the window to gaze at the shattered moon of Remnant. He feels that Ursa Armis he and the others faced was a test by the Grimm Queen. He stares at his clawed hand.

'Salem, you left me the last of my kind. Every day is one step closer to finding you, when that happens I will enjoy ripping your flesh with my claws.' Draco thought, forming a fist along with knuckles popping.

A/N: Chapter 18 done.

Here the team reunited with Team TEAL and faced an Ursa Armis, a variant of the regular Ursa. It proved to be a tough opponent, able to injure some of them. In the end, however, Team TEAL and RXDY are victorious.

Finally, Rena received a video and some pictures from Sin about Team RUST taking down the Gloom Widow they escaped from. Rena sent a video recording of her finishing the Ursa Armis in response to Sin's question if her team was impressed yet.

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Stay tuned for chapter 19.

Vader 23A