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Author's Preamble: I LOVE MY FANTASTIC REVIEWERS! (Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!). You make the story better and I Love talking to you all. My door is always open for correspondence (◕ᴗ◕✿)

Please, remember to Follow and Fav, it means the world too me. But most importantly:

Enjoy…


The Black Suit Arc

Last Time on:

What if Ruby was VENOM

"VENOM?!"

I need you!

The horde of Grimm tore down the hill, the Alpha Ursa quickly smashing its way to the front! Its massive paws pancaking spines, uncaring for the dissolving family members left in its wake; all that mattered was sinking its teeth into the alien sensation radiating from the Dustling. Ripping into her flesh until there was nothing left but IT and bloody scraps!

"No, stay back!" She clutched a disintegrating tentacle against her chest, trying to get away on useless legs. "Stay back, or else!"

'It wasn't fair!' she thought, 'Home was right behind that hill. Gods, she could even smell their strawberry garden!'

"I-I'll beat you" she stammered, as her three remaining fingers struggled to dislodge a Nevermore quill in her clavicle.

"I'll beat every one of you!"

The bear beast pounced down, jaw split apart impossibly wide. Rows and rows of foot-long carnivorous tusks spun out, reaching for her throat. Tips already slicing through flesh!

NO!


THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP! The neck vanished from the Ursa's maw! Leaving behind only blue sticky oil.

BA-THA THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP!

A black Symbiote heel slid back as its body caught the 2-ton bear. Monstrously powerful arms wrestled back the creature while hordes of Grimm crashed into an emerging fleshy thicket. They clawed at it in rabid fury, but the midnight dome held firm.

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP! Hideous white long nail hands reached through the cage, grasping for the human at the center. A black snake slithered around the core with a pancreas clamped in its mouth. Smug, self satisfaction oozed from the serpent as it taunts the Grimm with its prize.

BA-THA THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP!

The Ursa Major wails in pain as the Dustling stabs their Nevermore feather into its flesh, driving it in deep. She saws it up through the neck, blood gushing on her pale skin, as her bared teeth grow sharp.

"WE'LL KILL YOU?!"

She lifts the massive bear high above her head. The stupid little thing swiping at thin air as its own weight began to rip its head from its body.

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP!

"WE'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

With a wet snap it careened off! Bouncing off the cage and landing with a *THUD!* on the green earth, the deafening heartbeat still pounding against its skull.

BA-THA THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP!

Inky darkness exploded out from the Dustling's skin! Long interlocking fangs sprung from her throat, suturing the gaping wound closed. They moved through her flesh, cresting upward. Forming a halo around the Dustling's head.

No not a Dustling. That can't be a Dustling!

Unfathomably pure darkness leered beneath the hood of fangs. Hungry. All consuming. Endlesss

And those eyes… Those Horrible White EYES!

A lone Grimm broke through the thicket, tearing its arm off behind. It charged at the black figure, pure rage shining from its eyes, and pounced on empty air?

VENOM spun over it! Ripping out its entire skeleton by the bone mask. It fell in a fleshy heap, brain jiggling back and forth.

*¡ReeEEEeeAAAaaAAAUUUuuRH!*

More and more Grimm ripped their way through. Each ripped apart just as brutally, dyeing the entire clearing black. The dissolving corpse parts piled onto the Ursa's head, its sickly shine barely present in its eyes. That's not a Dustling! That's not…

White eyes crinkled into a sadistic smile. Black taloned hands raised up at the bloodthirsty Grimm, taunting them to 'come and get me'.

Hundreds clawed at the Giger cage. Stupid little red eyes blind with rage, frothing at the mouth. They had to have it! The darkness exuding from that thing was theirs to taste. This cage could only protect it for so long.

And then VENOM reabsorbed the thicket, letting all of Patch's Grimm collapse on it.

*¡ReeEEEeaah…GeGeGeGeGeGeGeGeGe!*


What if…

You know, Gohan, it just occurred to me.

We're *still* on Namek.

-TFS Krillin

Ruby was Venom

Issue 4. Pâro

Part II


Yang wandered through her dark tunnel, bumping against the unstable walls. Her scroll had died sometime in the night (she knew setting it to auto-call would drain the battery!) and now all she could see was the pitch black dark against the pitch black stones. Their jagged edges cut into her unprotected flesh.

She winced as a particularly long rock cut deep into her side. A still smoldering buckshot pellet embedded in its edge brought on a whole new flavor of pain.

She fumbled around as the structure creaked and groaned. The overhanging weight of all the floors above crushing the tunnel, giving way a little more each second.

An accidental bump was all it took. Everything began to shake. Stone groans descended into roars, vibrating through the very ground.

"Oh SHIT!"

"Grab my hand!"

Blake's arm shot out from the exit and Yang snatched it without hesitation. She pulled and Yang wildly kicked, launching herself out of the tight gap just as the floors above pancaked her tunnel flat!

Dust caked their moonlit corridor. "You *HACK* good?" Yang coughed up on the ground.

"Yah, steller," Blake dryly replied. Free arm covering her mouth. She abruptly let go of Yang's hand.

Oh… yah, that's fair.

She let out a heavy sigh and tried to wipe off the blood and grime. Her skin was now an oozing patchwork of gashes. All because they had to save their aura for Patch.

The rampaging Grimm were uncountable, almost endless. Their aura reserves were not. They'd need every drop.

"I know I screwed up back there. If it weren't for your quick thinking- Oum, I would've led the Profs right to us."

She weakly chuckled, leaning back against the rubble.

"They'd hold us here for who knows how long. And Ruby would be–

"Sooooo, after we're done, think we can slip back in without them knowing?"

"…"

"Right, this'll probably be an all nighter. We could show up tomorrow. Claim we missed all the sky-boats".

"…"

"Deny. Deny. Deny."

Blake did not speak.

"Blake, I'm sor-

"It's fine," she bluntly stated. "Let's get going before they find us".

"I'll make it up to you," she quickly rose to Blake's level and stuck out her bruised pinky.

"Xiao Long Promise!"

Blake's hand cupped Yang's and pushed down the pinky.

"You don't need to do anything,". She sighed, "But let's be more careful from now on, ok".

"O-okay".

Blake's hands were clean, fair-skin completely unblemished. There wasn't even a split seam on her clothes. How?!

She was covered head to foot in grime, and chunks of debris were still stuck in her hair! If she'd been wasting Aura, it would've slid off, right?

Yang looked at her outstretched bloody hand and felt it fall to her side worlds away.

*Heh*

She's just better than me

A large lump formed in her throat. Ruby really spent all her time training a waste.

A heavy stone fell from the rubble pile, *klunking* to the ground, and the full ramification of what she'd done hit her all at once. They were going AWOL during a crysis! That could have devastating consequences! Sure, Ruby needed them more; and besides, this was THE Hunters school. A few cave-ins should be nothing to the best warriors on Remnant, right?

But if Blake was right and they threw the book at them…

Arrested. Blacklisted. Never getting the chance to become Huntresses. She would've destroyed Blake's future then and there!

She reached out to apologize, words already on her lips, but what was the point? "Sorry" never gave Ruby back her dreams, so what would it do for Blake?

Her eyes burned crimson as both hands clenched uselessly in the air. 'How did this happen Again?!'. Heavy gauntlets fell back together with a *klaank* one flat sound echoing off the broken stones.

"It'll be alright". Blake was beside her leaning into a violet moonbeam, giving her new friend what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "We'll get to Patch and save your sister". She gave her hand a squeeze. "After that," she shrugged.

"Deny. Deny. Deny". Amber eyes rolled playfully.

Yang chuckled. She couldn't help it. Blake was simply–She wouldn't let anything happen to her!

'Just follow her lead,' she thought. 'Blakey's got a plan. Just stick with it and we can make it there and back again!'. She smiled, and met Blake's eyes-…

There was blood. A large gash cutting across Blake's cheek. Oozing, exactly like all of hers…

The hall was silent after they left. Eerie. Still. Every speck of dust settled. Only the magenta hue of lunar light leaking in from cracks. Light which seemed to grow in intensity?

It grew and grew in saturation. Ethereal Fae-glow soaking everything in deep purple. The rubble began to shake, irradiated with colour. A foot-sized obelisk tilted impossibly upwards, rising to defy gravity, and *Tap* *Tap* *Tap*ping across the floor.

Other debris joined its kin, rolling together as one in the air. Interlocking on a molecular level.

The shattered hallway became erased, leaving behind a pristine corridor. Even the ostentatious light-windows, whose intricately placed mirrors along their long shafts allowed outside light to shine into the basements below, had all been seamlessly repaired. Now their panes send down the stark white glow of Remnant's moon.


The Burning Emerald Forest

The superheated black earth cracked underneath frantic foot falls. A young Beowolf let out a warbled cry as the flames raced up its hyde.

The red-hot tongues ate away flesh, leaving behind burnt, bubbly bite marks whenever they struck. Blistering hot ash forced its way down the throat, but its "lungs", a Giger complex of tubes and heresy, still drew breath. Extracting even the most minute traces of air from the hellscape.

Any living organism would have long since suffocated. But a Grimm was never truly alive. It would continue on, clear conscious of every stimuli. It had to continue on for as long as there were still Dustlings left to kill!

The red sea crashed inwards, incinerating all lines of escape. Save one…

A path rose out of the smoke directly in front, the blaze barely kept at bay by charred earth. The wolf raced towards it. Escape so close!

*¡KtthUNK!* *¡KtthINK!* *¡KtthUNK!* *¡KtthINK!*

Something dashed out of the smoke; a hideous globular thing, skittering on giant chitinous legs. The Grimm had never seen anything like it! Instinctively the wolf reached into its esoteric nature, dark psionic senses frantically reading the creature, stabbing at all its mystery.

Had it been connected to the Dustlings in any way, then it would've detected its ageless negativity, following it down the rabbit hole into the endless abyss of space.

As it was, it felt nothing. The weird living geometry in front of it was devoid of meaning; a no factor in its escape.

So why did all its hair stand on end?

It tackled into the slime being, bursting through its gelatinous body. But there was no sound of tearing flesh. No splattering liquids inside its maw.

The Lasher Symbiote dexterously morphed its physiology around the Beowolf, careful to avoid the still sizzling patches of fur. Tentacles coalesced the young wolf. Forcing themselves down the throat and up every orifice. Slopping around, tasting the insides, before suddenly reforming into the creature and spitting the Grimm out.

What…

The dead lightless eyes of the Beowolf struggled to process the molestation. Exotic drool dripped from its stupid face as it looked back up to the alien-*¡SMACK!*

The Lasher Symbiote punted the dog into the flames. Horrifying shrieks fugue-overlayed with the sickening sound of meat and bones burning. It screamed and screamed, incapable of going into shock. Its cursed body keeping it alive until the very last molecule of gray matter was incinerated.

Lens-like eyes crinkled with enjoyment. Lapping up every agonizing spasmodic. 'Oh! This planet will be so much Fun!'

Leg muscles ballooned 3 times their size. With a single *BOiiiiiinnNG!* the beast leapt into the smoky sky.

As it sailed over the blaze gravity took hold with frightening strength. The monster stretched forward its many legs as it entered the fiery hellscape-

And landed deftly on a tiny island of unburnt grass.

Superior senses parted back the black smoke with ease, separating it from all the other scampering critters in the basin. It knew exactly where every flame danced. Where every ember would fall. The roaring fire chased after the symbiote, but it was long gone.

*BOiiiiiinnNG!* *BOiiiiiinnNG!* *BOiiiiiinnNG!*

It danced from patch to patch, making a mockery of its greatest foe.

*BOiiiiiinnNG!*

An ancient fir shuddered as the spider clung to it. It leered down with a ravenous intent. Hunting for a body to take.

NOTHING!

The tree snapped in half as the creature sprung from it.

Earth quaked as 5 mismatched legs slammed into the ground. The Symbiote wasted no time skittering across the planet.

The Night-Beasts appeared strong, but their bodies were frustratingly empty. Another taxa would have to do.

But everything else it had come across–

A fluffy bunny dragged themselves across the floor, one of their legs liquidated by the flames. They tried to flee as soon as they saw the Klyntar, but the beast promptly stomped down on their chest cavity.

Lacked teeth.

It was infuriating! Honestly, what kind of self respecting meat sacks couldn't survive a little fire? 'Pathetic,' it thought as it hastily jumped away from a sudden shower of sparks.

Somewhere there had to be something worth its time.

*Bark!* *Ar-Arf!* *BARK!* Strong, pain filled bellows yelped out across the inferno!

'Speak of the devil,' its elongated fangs curved up into a carnivorous grin.

◎⃝⃘ ◎⃝⃘ ◎⃝⃘

His leather collar, a worn out little thing he'd long outgrown, named him "Cuj̶~̶". The name tag was a little frayed, but that's ok. His owners knew what to call him. Though, they usually preferred to use one of his many nicknames.

"Worthless Mutt"

"Ugly Shit"

"Kicking-Bag"

And "Target Practice"… All funny sounding words he had no idea what they meant. Maybe his owners could finally tell him when they came back.

He'd be good this time, he swore! Whatever he'd done that's bad he'd never do again!

'Please'.

Long scars stretched by age marred his entire body, with plenty of fresh ones added on top. The most recent would come from the tree impaling him.

The catastrophic blast had toppled many pines, including this hundred foot monstrosity. Broken branches stabbed into the dog's body, feeling up his insides with their wooden digits. Every time the tree's weight shifted its "hand" would grope a new organ.

'His owners would be back' he wined, '…They would find him and he'd show them he was a good boy'.

He barked out into the night, struggling against the stakes scraping his heart. *Arf!* *Ar-Arf!* He had to let them know where he was. They obviously haven't found him yet because he wasn't loud enough. No matter how much it hurt he had to keep barking!

*Bark!* *Ar-Arf!* *BARK!*

*¡KtthUNK!*

A gargantuan weight pressed down driving the tree further into the dog. Agonized shrieking filled the smoky night. Cuj̶~̶ could see it! A red tarsal claw connected to a…

Pure abject terror consumed the Saint Bernard. He feverishly tore at his bindings. Crazed howling, mouth frothing. Blood spurting everywhere.

ESCAPE! He Had To Escape!

The monster chuckled, a deep rumbling sound rippling through its maw. Splashing about the oceans of solvent drool.

It came closer and closer, slowly putting more weight on the tree. Smiling with long serrated yellow teeth dancing like centipede legs.

Cuj̶~̶ snapped wildly at the Thing as hairy vascular tentacles wormed their way out from its bulbous head. Their spray drenching the earth in disgustingly pungent juices.

They slithered closer, dancing just out of the dog's fangs. On all sides, enclosing. Now crawling over him. Tasting his flesh!

Leering from Everywhere!


Cleaner Droid eyes came from every angle, pinning them underneath an overturned desk.

It wasn't fair! They had finally made it out of the sub levels, when one of those fucking droids came shrieking around the corner!

Blake (ofcourse) heard it first and dragged Yang by the collar into a totalled classroom. The pair had just enough time to hide beneath a desk when they came barging in.

Two droids rolled over the debris, transmitting any and all irregularities. The spaced out *Beeps* and *Boops* they made while computing must've meant there were two-

*SKrreekt-chit cit chit*

No Wait. There's a THIRD!

It sat chittering away in the room's only exit. Surveying its others make quick work of the mess. They circled around the room, their radius strangling around the desk with each sweep. Swimming through the debris and leaving nothing behind but stark empty floors.

They were gonna find Blake and ruin her life. Yang had to do something!

She raised her gauntlets, ready to take their heads off, when Blake grabbed her wrists.

'NO!'

The unspoken thought was clear. It was a stupid idea. Those camera eyes were live, all she would do is bring every Hunter down on them.

How long would it take to find them? 30-45 seconds!? Aura experts could grace the sound barrier. And this castle was their home. They knew every inch!

Meanwhile all she could do was fumble around in the dark. 'Gods Damn it!'

A droid was already scraping against their desk. Time had run out!

'BLAKE!'

Blake was turning over a large vent grate that came from who knows where. Something about it tugged at her mind. What could she d—

Suddenly a gargantuan red eye shot over the desk directly above them. They tried to wedge further back but there was no more room left to hide. The last of their Ice Dust was now a puddle. All it had to do was look down…

It swiveled right-

Then drifted left-

It beeped three times and the eye blinked green.

*Sigh*

Tiny creaturesaurus arms picked up the desk! Shoveling the broken wood into its metal maw. The two girls stared in horror as their only cover disappeared rapidly down its gullet.

This was it!

The bionic eye watched bit by bit as the floor beneath it came into view, just as Yang saw inch by inch the ceiling above her be revealed. An air vent hung over them with an opening the same shape as the grate in Blake's hands.

Neurons and spy music shot through her mind as she exploded into action. She tore the grate from Blake and flung it as the last bits of their cover disappeared down the woodchipper. Shrieking sparks blazed as the metal skidded across the room. Crashing into the wall with devastating force.

All cleaners instantly zeroed in on the grate.

'Now!'

Yang threw Blake up into the air. She crashed through the duct with an adorable "Eeep!". Cat-like reflexes barely catching the lip on her way down. Yang leapt in after her, the bionic buzz of whirling cleaners nipping at her heels. Every droid now laser focused on the vent's opening.

The air duct was now dangerously concave, as if something heavy slammed down from within. Hive-comms confirmed they all picked up the same crashing sound originating from the structure. The probability that something was inside the pipes: 99.9979%.

All droids immediately switched to thermal visioning, tracing the odd multi-temp puddle from the floor up to the strangely organic hot spots imprinted on the shaft lips. If the droids had been capable of subjectivity, they might have thought those patches were almost finger shaped.

Wire thin necks continued to crane up. One flagged parmeter would be all it took for them to alert the entire campus. Their optics expanded, trying to pierce the vent's insulated walls.

They could not. And with no visual data to draw from, their code demanded a termination of this query.

After all, it would be quite inconvenient for their human handlers if they raised the alarm over what was almost certainly critters scurrying through the sinking pipes.

The three gave one last survey of the room, marking the structural damage they could not repair, before their treads sputtered to life, leaving the room single file.

*GASP!*

Yang and Blake fell back on the cold hard sheet sucking in deep rapid breaths. Both sharing the same panicked thought.

'That was too close'.

Big purple eyes stared at the ceiling as she struggled to move a body made of lead. This was the third time they'd almost been caught in this nonstop night!

And after all that, you're still stuck at Beacon.

She gazed up at the airbrushed metal work. Looking, but not seeing the various divots, scratches and warped aluminum. The cramped shaft pounding her hyperventilating wheezes back at her.

"Hey…" Blake gently grabbed her right wrist. Was it constricting again? 'No point hiding it now'.

"That was a great plan".

Yang looked befuddled. Gobsmacked! Then scoffed, "Plan's not what I'd call this. It's frantic flailing at best". She tried gesturing with her hands but they remained stuck to the ground. At least it was getting easier to breathe.

"Really? Well your "Frantic Flailing" both saved our butts AND gave us a hidden tunnel leading to anywhere in the castle," she wryly smirked. "If that's what you call that, I guess I've been "frantically flailing" most of my life…" .

"I can hear that raised eyebrow you know".

"If I did.. have to nitpick, and this knocks it down to a respectable B+".

"Oh fuck you," she chuckled.

"Was humming spy music really crucial to your plan's success?".

"...you heard that...?"

"Oh I heard everything". Amber eyes glowed with mirth.

🎵Dooby dooby doo-bah, dooby dooby doo-bah🎵

Yang's face went beet red. "no…"

🎵Dooby dooby doo-bah, dooby dooby doo-bah🎵

"Stoooooooooop!…" Yang groaned as Blake continued chortling the tune. But her lips were already quivering upwards. The fun was infectious and soon she joined in the laughter. They giggled at the absurdity, genuine smiles gracing their faces.

◎⃝⃘

Orange embers danced across Yang's right palm. She made a fist, channeling the flames. Searching her pyre for the soul deep within.

'Ruby'

Dad wouldn't have known what happened at the Skydocks. She'd have been all smiles for him. He'd "know" Ruby was safe & sound in their bunker.

No! It was up to Yang to save Ruby. Her one job as the Big Sister was to protect her. Nothing else mattered.

Protect her! Protect her!

Her aura began to whirl out. Giving her the strength to rise up. She saw Blake drawing out her aura as well. The bloody gash across her face sealing shut.

Protect Her!

Purple and gold light exploded down the narrow shaft. A determined smirk adorned Yang's face.

"Let's Go".

Back behind in the overturned classroom, a pile of structural debris strangely ignored by the Cleaners began to rattle. Fissure cracks along the walls leading out into the dark night sky glowed a deep purple. A light pulse washed over the classroom irradiating the damages. Fractured walls began to heal as the U-bent air duct twisted itself back into shape.

The intense light radiated out beyond the classroom. All over the castle disorder was being erased as if by magic. In the broken stairwell heavy stone slab steps slid precisely back into their places. A beaming Professor Port, radio in hand, took his first steps down the telekinetic marvel.

The color purple didn't relent. It exploded outwards with an all consuming saturation, dyeing the ash clouds with its magnificent glow. Every particle of soot, regardless of size, was arrested (Frozen) in space. The students-to-be, huddled in the amphitheater, stared awestruck at the sight.

One onesie-wearing blonde couldn't help but reach out and touch the incandescent flakes. Their violet glow utterly dazzling in his eyes.

*FWOOOOSH!* By an invisible signal the frozen smoke gained animation, churning together into great amethyst jetstreams. They swept out through the halls, twisting wraiths racing away into the night where they belonged.

*FLICK* Neon purple beads coiled down a riding crop's threads. It's wielder conducting an orchestra of broken glass. With a deft flick, the decameter tall cafeteria windows became whole once more.

Bright green eyes blinked away the downpour of sweat. Glynda Goodwitch let out an exhausted huff as the lunch room swam in and out of focus.

It would be so easy to take a break. Five minutes… She's earned it.

White knuckles clenched the leather. She raised her crop high above her head letting another brilliant pulse ring out.

This was her home!

This was her Duty!

Light soaked into the rats nest of electric wires, blindly fusing split ends together once again in an attempt to bring back power. The continued darkness made it abundantly clear she was NOT an electrician. She could be wasting her Aura until it shattered and not be a single step closer to turning on the lights.

But that didn't matter, because if they couldn't reactivate their defensives—

*HoooooOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLLLL!*

Her gaunt face stretched into a grimace. She raised her whip one more time and cracked it Down!

🚨 OooooooooooouuuuuuuuUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 🚨

Air raid sirens blared to life as power surged back within the castle! Atop the cliff face, ginormous floodlights could finally shine into the dark depth below.

Hundreds and Hundreds of Grimm were clawing their way up the stone face. Their dark flesh scorched by the fires below; their lips wet from the flooding negativity above.

800 caliber cannons fired down at the horde, but for everyone they destroyed, more would always take their place.

On the floor green tendrils twisted their ways into the screaming dog. The way he spasmed and twitched as one eye bulged out tickled the Symbiote. That was, until an ungodly decibel slammed down from above.

The monster twisted back, entrenched tentacles burning, hissing at the noise; searching for the source. Yellow eyes ballooned outside their gooey sockets and their vision telescoped at the far away pandemonium. What it saw was enchanting:

Endless Night Beasts flinging themselves forward in a blind, bloodthirsty rage. All at these… Humans?...Faunus? {A tendril rummaged through the mutt's brain for more context}.

What did the names matter? Prey is prey, on any planet. What's far more important was the clear existential war on full display.

The monster licked their jagged fangs (the dogs' tongue forced to follow in synch) and a twinkle of delight gleamed in its eyes.

It was all so wonderfully Exploitable.


The teens crawled through the duct system as fast as its fragile structure would allow. The warped metal groaned and sank with even the softest press. Below them, the chittering of Cleaner droids continued incessantly through the grates.

"I'm just saying," Yang whispered from the front, her duffle bag smacking around the tight walls, "Inspiration.. it can come from anywhere, you know? Sometimes out of the box thinking is key to victory".

Blake cocked an eyebrow and quickly pulled herself over an open vent grate before a Cleaner could spot her. "A children's cartoon starring a talking platypus is certainly Out-of-the-Box".

"It's not a kids cartoon. It's watched by a wide demographic".

"Ofcourse it is". Yang didn't need to look back to see her 'shit eating smirk'.

*Urghh* Yang sighed, "He's not a talking Platypus! Agent Periwinkle's a highly skilled-...secret agent".

"You're making this too easy". Yang's burning face raised their shaft's temp by 15 degrees.

"Fuck it! It's a good show. I like it, Ruby loves it. Weekly battles of Good against Evil, fighting to protect the Tri-Fiefdom Area. It's an inspiring message".

"For the kids.."

"Shut up, my sis' the one that always picks it for our Rube&Yang Weekend Watch-a-Thon. I mean technically we switch off each week, but I always try to pick stuff she loves, so *yah* we kinda watch it alot.

'That's so Cüüte!'.

"You must really love your sister".

"More than anything!" she said with a smile. "She's the kindest, most thoughtful person. Would give a stranger the cloak off her back, no expectations".

"She sounds wonderful".

"Like you wouldn't believe," Yang beamed.

"I didn't think I could be a Huntress, but *hey* Rubes believed in me. Took what little part of her life wasn't filled with surgeries and doctors, and gave it all to me. Pushed me to train harder, study till the sun rose; Got me 'All A's, girl!'" She instantly cringed at herself.

"Really thought we'd be Signal's valedictorian, but…" her smile faltered. "She would've been the perfect Huntress".

"I bet," Blake bit her lip, mulling over the words, "She's really proud of you".

"Yah… if she's still alive".

"…"

"…"

The shaft became quiet, sans the hectic crawl against time. Questions Yang didn't want to answer ran through her mind.

How long could Ruby survive alone in the cold? She had an active Aura, but they woke it up far too young. Her reserves were nonexistent!

Still, it'd hold against the cold for, maybe an hour. No, she had her cloak. That'd buy her at least 2!

Blake gave Yang a light tap, letting her know to take the right tunnel.

But… if the Grimm found her. 1 maybe 2 seconds is all her Aura could buy.The ducts shook dangerously under their weight.

How many Grimm are on Patch!? Signal estimates what, 700? No wait, it was almost 1000, right? And Patch is small. If 1000+ Grimm are cutting across it in a nonstop rampage, how long before one finds Ruby?

Her hands seized. She didn't like the answer.

Dont– don't think about that. Don't you dare! You're gonna get to Patch, save your sis, and give her the biggest hug Ever!

But lightly, carefully. A soft Big hug.

They cut down another shaft, this one going on an upward incline. That had to mean they were almost at the kitchens, right?

She clenched her teeth.

The fastest flight takes at least 15 minutes. But that's not counting how long it'd take to find her in the forest. And we haven't even reached the Skydocks! That was supposed to be the quickest part!

Yang's chest struggled to expand, heart beating faster and faster, exploding outward! Blood racing, yet everything ran ice cold.

How long has it been since the explosion? 20 minutes? 25? Ruby could be stuck in a Grimm stampede for a whole half-hour before her stupid sister sets foot on Patch!

She's dead!... You killed her.

No-No! No-NO!

"-Yang!? YANG!?" Blake was grabbing, shaking her. She looked around, bewildered.

What happened? The shaft, it was now different, smaller. Gunmetal gray instead of bright silver, and the design felt far less industrial, more residential. What happened?!

Did she… space out again?

Blake looked at her with serious concern, eyes scrutinizing every inch of her.

"Are you ok-

"Blake, what time is it?".

"It's uh–" she fumbled with her scroll, finally pulling up the clock app.

Her face fell and sent Yang's stomach plummeting.

"What time-

"Yang, I need you to be calm {Yang yanked the scroll from her hands!}.

They'd left at 8pm, right when everything went to shit. They should've been long gone, but things kept fucking getting in the way. Cave-ins and Cleaner Bots, the actual professors trying to catch them over some legal-protocol bullshit!

How much time had they lost? Twenty minutes? Thirty? Was it almost 45?! It couldn't be that. Because if it was, then Ruby… she would already be–

Yang strangled her fears down and looked at the clock:

-9:01pm-

"…Blake, please tell me you came from a different time zone or something. This can't be the correct time, right?". Her eyes pleaded for confirmation.

"Yang, please. Calm down".

"Answer my question!" she snarled.

"Yes, But-"

Yang tore through the vent with reckless abandon, ignoring Blake's cries to stop. The structure collapsed, falling on the head of a cleaner. Its cracked eye widened at the metal pipe now looping from the ceiling, down to the floor, and back.

Pulling itself out, it tried to peer through the cracks in the shaft, hellbent on discovering the cause; but the angle was too shallow to see the depths.

The bot quickly flagged this room as unstable, and left before another collapse could damage it further.

Blake held Yang tight, her hand white knuckle gripping Yang's mouth shut.

"Listen to me," she hissed against the struggling [Much Stronger] girl. "Your sister isn't dead! She might have far more time than you think".

Yang bucked her against the walls and Blake knew she needed to give her something concrete quickly!

"How do Grimm act when exposed to negativity?! Think, you must have studied that in school".

Yang responded by chomping down on her hand, yielding a yelp of surprise.

"They go crazy for it, that's the problem!" Yang growled.

"And your sister," Blake said, shaking off the biting pain, "you didn't describe her as a very negative person".

"My sister's alone with a thousand Grimm. She's not having a good time".

"Yes, but is it worse than the entire town's?".

Yang's snarl skidded into befuddlement.

What?…

"You said it yourself, Patch is in pandemonium. Over a thousand panicking hysterical people, all in one spot. Where do you think the Grimm will go?

"Wait! Do you mea-?

Blake sighed, and held up her hand, "I can't promise anything for sure, but Grimm have been known to get complete tunnel vision when the negativity is strong enough. It's been recorded hundreds of times; I really thought school taught this?".

"They did! I j-just," Gods, she felt so stupid. "I remember now, 'Little Timmy' who fell down a well!" Yang exclaimed. "He told the Hunters that there were *like* three Beowolfs glaring down at him. But they left to kill everyone back in his town!" she let out a wheezing laugh, tabling the guilty glee at all those deaths for future Yang to deal with.

'But Little Timmy survived!'

Tears fell on gunmetal gray as Yang struggled to keep it together.

"She's ok," Yang gasped, "You're saying she's still ok". Blake gave her a soft smile, the bite marks already forgotten.

"I can't make any promises, Grimm are unpredictable. But Ruby's best chance is still us making it to her".

"Right… I'm sor-

"So if Ruby is even a tenth as positive as you say…" Blake cut her off.

"Please!" Yang interjected with an almost hysterical laugh, "My little sis' the most positive person on the planet".

"Nothing but love and kindness in her heart".


"HA HA HA HA HA HA! HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

Pure glee glints off her white bulbous eyes watching what could be all of Patch's Grimm rush them through their disappearing thicket. Thousands upon thousands of hateful red eyes riding atop a mass of midnight bodies. A living burial mound collapsing on them both!

Her grin splits ear to ear, stretching the alien fabric taut over sharpened incisors. Twisting tendrils snapped back her severed digits into their nubs. Growing them into razor claws. The alien's skin rippled, feeling the Grimm's bulging muscles coil and flex as if they were their own, launching the beasts towards them! A Beowolf shot to the front, propelled by its own bloodlust as much as the crushing flood of Grimm. Misshapen canines clenched to crack as elongated arms reached for the mortal.

'Ruby' the Symbiote's dark voice called.

RIP & TEAR!

Venom explodes through the Grimm, splattering it to pieces, bursting through the crashing wave. Werewolf limbs go flying in their jetstream as half its face spins around, showing a bulged out eye screaming with shock! The red-yellow peeper can only watch in horror as its killer throws themselves into a blender of teeth and claws.

The living ground wails in agony as Ruby tears through their flesh. Arterial blood sprays from each strike! A Creep head snaps at them with vice-lock jaws, but she quickly Drives her fists through its fangs, down its throat. It uselessly tries to clamp down with as toothless maw as Ruby rips out its stomach.

The moving mound ruptures and a massive Beringel fist looms over them. It smashes down, shattering the earth. Broken Grimm and the alien-girl go flying, its deafening shockwave carving up their sensitive membrane. Blood begins to flow from every pore.

The mosterilla drives its fist back for another strike, but she clings to its hyde, racing up the limb with talons bared.

They cut through its face, slicing out the eyes. It lashes out in blind fury as they dance mockingly behind the strikes.

Out of nowhere a spinning Boarbatusk strikes the pair, buzzsaw body caught inches from their face. They heave it back into the Beringel, bifurcating its chest in a fountain of gore. Black hands crush the still spinning boar, pulling out pig brains and ape spine.

Darkness coils at the edge of their periphery and a sudden strike forces them to leap over the head of a King Taijitu. The white half follows the black, chasing the girl further up into the sky. The Grimm pile on, scaling up the scales, forming a rising tower of teeth!

White attacks again, but Venom swings below the strike and plunges both hands into its throat, ripping it to ribbons as they slide down.

The frenzied stampede crawls over their bodies. Black tries to avenge its other half, but the crushing footfalls of Grimm smash it to paste. Venom scampers beneath an uncountable mess of limbs, dislocating gymnastics keeping them just a hair's breadth from death.

They cling to the underbelly of an Ursa, blood still oozing out from their pores. The Ursa screams out, an ice cold hand is clawing its way to its heart. She rips it out and the bear collapses in a pool of viscera.

They're crawling forth on a ceiling of underbellies, tearing down beasts with childish glee, drenching the living canopy with its black blood. The swarm goes crazy trying to find them. A Beowolf falls, half its chest missing, intestines twisting up in the horde. A drove of Boarbatusk gets pulled one after the others beneath the bodies, coming up only as blood curdling screams. More and more are taken, the dark thing swimming through their chest cavities. Sharp claws cutting away their insides.

A flock of nevermores watch helplessly as the stampeding wave of monsters is ripped to pieces before their eyes. They circle around, flying from one blood geyser to the next, trying to find the 'Dustling'. But the disintegrating Grimm blankets the hills in darkness.

Venom burst from the flesh, slick with blood. Their sharp smile now almost poking holes through their mask. They see a giant Deathstalker breach the waves of Grimm. It launches a claw at her, snapping together with a loud *KRACK!*

The claws hit the ground; a cackling weight on top suddenly forcing it down. She twists over the other attacking claw, white eyes never not mocking the red. The scorpion pulls both claws back, going to attack again, but they can't open. Something's glued them shut!

A black fist smashes into its face plate, shattering the mask. It howls in rage and fires its stinger fast as a bullet! The aculeus strikes into their orbiting teeth, showering them both in sparks.

The stinger snaps back just as fast, intent on trying to skewer her as many times as it took; not noticing the web line connecting it to its fractured face, pull tight.

It tore out its entire head, brain, eyes, everything, in one jerk motion; The Symbiote girl laughed at it with fiendish delight.

"HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

"DIE you Fucking stupid thing!"


"You'd love my sister," Yang said as she climbed through what had to be the last leg of the vents.

"With everything that's happened to her, you'd think she'd hate the world, right? I can't understand why she doesn't," Yang shook her head, "But that girl, I don't think she even knows how to hate".


Ruby jumped on a limping Creep and feels its spine *Snap* between her toes. It wailed in agony and she was suddenly dumbstruck, because that was its pain she was feeling! Somehow, her nervous system reached beyond her body and felt-up the electric impulses running through its spine!

They felt pain? Know one on Remnant had ever known for certain if they felt pain the way we do. There were theories, yes, all untestable. But this pain was exactly like hers. Just as sharp, just as agonizing.

The Grimm felt pain!

Ruby tore into the brutalized horde, ripping them further apart.

"HA HA HA HA!"

"HA HA HA HA!"

"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

'Hey Ruby' the Symbiote called, 'We killed enough to make a break for it'.

"HA HA HA HA!" She smashed another Grimm like a Goomba. "HA HA HA HA!"

'Ruby…Ruby?… 'Well if you're having that much fun—

'Get that one on the left! It has no legs!'

Ruby kicked that Beowolf down and ripped off its arms, savoring each wave of agony.

'Oh look over there! That Alpha's trying to run. What a bitch'.

They pounced on the Grimm, long black talons raking its chest to gore. For funzies, they fed it its own heart.

'Ahhh I knew I liked you. Now, what will we do about those birdies up there?'

She looked up at the furious flock and her grin grew into a malevolent smile…

Each Nevermore's 4 eyes rotated independently in their sockets, searching for any movement in the Grimm cloud. They blind fired dozens of two-feet long serrated quills, eliciting wet howls of agony.

Suddenly the smoke shot out, trailing behind a black mass. The fake birds tried to frantically fly away, but the closest's leg was caught by a tendril. It flapped futilely against the new weight, getting instantly dragged into a tight embrace.

Its eyes looked into those hideous white globes as a tearing pain gripped both of its wings. The monster kicks it down, catapulting into the air. Leaving its wingless body to splatter against the ground.

The flock raced further up, feverishly launching down a bladed storm. They would hit it-safe above. No stopping until that thing was dead.

That dark thing reached out, gargantuan muscles bulging, their siblings' wings still clutched in hand. They came right shy of their elevation, before gravity took hold.

If the Grimm were able to feel elation, it would be at this moment. But!

VENOM thunderclapped "their" wings, unleashing a shockwave that hurled them far above the flock! They fell down on them, the remnants of the broken wings trailing behind. The highest was the first to be disembowel. 100 meters up in the sky she leaped from Grimm to Grimm, eviscerating them and leaving behind thin, but powerful tendril lines.

The final Grimm could only gurgle as its lungs smashed into the ground below.

Venom fell, rapidly approaching terminal velocity, the gory mess below painting a vivid picture of what was in store for them! Pulling the tendril lines taut, the torn-up Grimm above crashed together into a frenzied balloon of desperate flapping, slowing Venom down barely enough beneath critical impact.

They slammed into the ground, a femur stabbing through their thigh, and swung down screaming the wailing mace into the remaining horde. They all died screaming, and Venom just laughed and laughed and laughed!


Yang continued the squeeze through the gunmetal tube, hyper attentive to its every creak. Failure was not an option, especially this close to the goal. She'd have to be careful, precise, and the exact opposite of all night.

Another fork in the path greeted her and she carefully scooted her butt aside for Blake to see.

"We take the right one," she said, consulting her map, "Red marking on the frame, those are the kitchen vents". Yang nodded and they continued down the final shaft.

Her jaw clicked open, ready to say something, before quickly closing. It opened again before shutting faster this time, only to repeat the cycle. Each time letting out a tiny, almost imperceptible *click*.

Blake pretended not to notice

She deserved an apology, but everything Yang could think to say was 'empty'.

Empty promises

Empty amends

All to the person who'd done more to save Ruby than her own sister.

"Um Blake… I-uh" *Gulp* "You're…really amazing you know that? I'm so glad I ran into you!".

"I'm not that special," she quickly said.

"Are You Kidding ME!? Yes! You've been on fire all night. Everytime nailing it! How many times you've saved us now, I think we're up to 6, meanwhile what have I done?" Yang weakly chuckled.

Blake raps against the metal tube with her knuckles.

"That's only one. Rookie numbers. I couldn't even make it through the first bit of trouble without you" she insisted, "Betcha that Prof. would still have me trapped in his bear hug!" [As seen in Issue 3].

"Nope, you'd have kicked him in the balls and escaped".

"See, that's it, right there!" Yang cut back, "You're so cool under pressure. Bang! Bing! Boom! You instantly know what to do and are on top of it. Like a hyper precise, sexy, badass surgeon's knife. Meanwhile, I'm just this dumb little wrecking ball".

"Has anyone ever told you you're overly harsh on yourself?" Blake said, carefully coming up to a grate and peering through.

"I'm accurate. And realistic," Yang countered and let out a sigh. "But by the fucking Gods I'm glad I have you. Because now, Ruby's got a chance".

"…You're giving me too much credit. Hard to go wrong when choosing from a pool of Beacon prospects. I was just your closest flirt".

"I mean yah, I guesHEY WHAT!? No no no no no no. I wasn't flirting with you! Why'd I be flirting with you?! That's not true. No, not at all; I wouldn't do that. Why would I do that? I only liked boys back then!

"So you're saying you like girls now?".

"Yes! I mean- No! I mean-Stop Laughing!" =^-^=

Yang groaned underneath a planet of embarrassment. 'Maybe,' she thought, 'If she's lucky, a Grimm would just eat her on Patch'.

DARK.

"Seriously Blake, thank you. You cleaned up, I don't know how many of my messes. It isn't fair. Even this–" She rapped against the metal tube, "You'd have thought of it if you weren't too busy babysitting me. 'Shoot the live cameras. What a great idea'." she sarcastically drawled. "I mean Fuck, I didn't even know CCTS-less antennas were a thing. But you–". She smacked her fist into her palm, "Gods damn Blakey, you're the real deal".

Blake's hands clenched the fins of the grate. Below, a Cleaner milled about, unaware of its onlooker. Dark wavering eyes tracked the specific spiral pattern the copper wire took down the striped antennae.

She knew how important it was to string it into the groove network, that kept the electric loop tight and stable. Took a lot of practice to get right. Not many on Remnant knew how.

The wire suture job from the antenna to the bot was another story. Frayed, unoptimized, and probably done in a rush. But that wouldn't matter when it was attached to something safe like a Cleaner. For things that weren't… The grate cut deeper, biting into her fingers...

◎⃝⃘ ◎⃝⃘

Another wire cut deep through her skin. Blake internally winced, but knew she couldn't betray any movement. Her eyes narrowed behind her White Fang mask as she dexterously wrapped another wire down into the angry red light.

The unstable Dust Crystal sent tremors through her workbench. Those walking nearby would feel the vibrations strike up through their bones, not that anyone did… She didn't blame them, one tiny infraction and their secret compound would be a glass floor instead of their SDC target.

So she focused only on the bomb, a hyper-precise surgeon's knife weaving wiring in between fractals. Above, the Sun and moon continued their cosmic waltz unnoticed.

She sutured in the last wirework and the crystal finally stabilized into cool black hues. Only its core, vibrating red, hinted at the power restrained. Burning and waning, a pulse in her hand, drenching it dark red.

'It would be an empty building,' she reasoned, 'No one would get hurt'.

She brought the black bomb close to her Grimm mask and twisted its yaw, scanning for any mistakes. Nothing was amiss, the bomb would work perfectly.

'Why couldn't the humans listen to their words?'

She was overthinking this. It's an empty office building after all. Nothing to lose sleep over. Just a message even the deaf could hear.

The bomb continued to "beat" in her hand.

Adam Tarus was waiting with open arms for her. He lauded her efforts, as did the entire compound unprompted. They were really part of something Great.

But before he left, she made him promise that the building would be empty. He gazed into her worried eyes and cupped her face lovingly in his hand.

"No one will get hurt".

◎⃝⃘ ◎⃝⃘

Blood ran down the grate and Blake hastily let go of its fins.

"You're the real deal Blakey," Yang said, breaking her reflection, "A Huntress through and through".

"That's insulting to real Huntresses," she cut back.

"Now who's being too hard on themselves?" Yang said full of mirth, not seeing the expression on her face.

…Blake pulled herself over the blood dripping grate, lucky the droid was long gone and taking the purple-red striped antenna with it.

The sound of kitchen appliances suddenly reverberated out from a grate in the dark. They were here! Yang felt the excitement electrify her, moving her arms before she could even think.

*Crack*

A cut of metal fell to the floor and Yang could only stare at the hole behind her palm.

"You know, I was serious earlier… about almost getting Valedictorian. Went undefeated in my senior year. A+s in theory too". She crept carefully through, conscious of each new groan.

'I should be better than this,' she thought, painfully clenching her spasming wrist and sighed, "What am I doing here?".

"What do you mean?" Blake heard her. Great.

"Be honest, would you be better off without me? Because all I've been doing is getting in the way".

"That's not tru–"

"My "butt" is literally blocking your way! You made the map, you should be in front. But noooo, I got in on the wrong side {Because Ofcourse I did!} and now you can't see where we're going. Can't do anything righ—OW!"

Yang reeled back from Blake's scratch attack.

"You tanked the ceiling for me. Everything went to hell and your first instinct was to save a total stranger. That's a real Huntress".

"Did you just scratch my thigh!?" Yang exclaimed in bewilderment.

"You charged through blind pandemonium at almost 100 km/hr, dancing through roadblocks I could barely see. I trailed you the entire time".

"You Scratched Me!". Blake chose to ignore the accusation.

"You raced away saying you didn't need anyone's help, and almost proved it too".

"But it didn't last!".

"Nobodies good at everything, Yang. All this stealth stuff, I can tell it's not your strength. Not to cover-judge a book but you're a brawler, aren't you".

"How did you-" her yellow gauntlets scraped against the metal walls. Oh..

"I bet you specialize in CQC. Taking hits and punching back twice as hard," {Y: It's actually 3-4x as hard; but not all that impressive}. Blake smirked, "I would love to take a page from your book. Would make fights much easier. Look at me, I'm dressed in black and wield a katana. Take a guess what I'm good at".

"...You're scarily perceptive," she admitted to the discreet twinkle in Blake's eyes.

"Hunteresses work in teams Yang; Up there it was a nice 50:50 split, and while down here the scales may have shifted a bit to me *cough* Carrying you *cough* {Hey!}, I'm willing to bet it'll swing your way soon". She put her hand on Yang's shoulder and gave her a tight hug. It was warm and strong. Yang hugged her back.

"On Patch you'll be a fantastic team lead".

"Wait- why's that?" her heart quickened.

"Well, it's your home, you know it best".

*Twitch-Twitch*

Yang quietly clamped down on her right wrist. "Yah, uh-huh… I've got you covered". She did though! Blake was right, the forests of Patch were her home. She'd trained there (under supervision), fought close to a dozen different subspecies of Grimm (small packs, if not singles). And she'd killed the most Alphas of her entire year (You've never strayed off the path, not since—.

She knew the forest all right. The mixed up scent of mingled trees. All the permafrost creeping up the moment you left civilization; scraping away the wheels of your wagon. The smell of blood coming from everywhere. Wet, meaty chunks of Ruby stuck in her hair for days.

No. She'd never forget the for—

"Hey?" A small hand gripped her shoulder. She followed it back up to a pale face cupped by red-tipped hair. "Yang," she extends her pinky, crinkling silver eyes up into a big grin.

"We're here".

Blake's voice was flat and professional. Yang looked bewildered at her tanned hand- down to the kitchen grate she'd overstepped- then back at the growing concern in Blake's face.

The blonde forced out a smile; the goofier, the better. She looked back down before Blake could say something at a room seemingly empty. Yang took a deep breath and still smells blood.

They bounce to the floor, Blake landing softly, catching her without a sound. It brings them cheek to cheek, once again staring into amber eyes. Something comes off Blake's face, sticking to her own. Blood from her healed gash. Absentmindedly, she touches it.

Gauntlets cocked, Yang's scanning the room as she's running through for any dangers. Blake gets into the dumbwaiter box and extends her hand to Yang. She looks at it, freezing for a moment.

The cramped box accelerates. Yang's forced to lean against the ice-cold steel, the scent of blood still filling her nostrils. Wet and coppery, strong enough to taste in the air.

She scratches it off her face. Doesn't matter! Ruby's safety is the only thing important to her. 'This time,' she promises, squeezing her spasming hand into a fist, 'She won't let her go! She'd make sure everyone comes home!'

A fairy tale…

She bares her teeth. A Level 8 Grimm attack was Hel on Remnant for even experienced Huntresses. A blind search through one was textbook suicide. But so what, should she just leave her sister to die!? Helping people, risking your life, that's what Huntresses do! All that mattered to her was getting her sister home. She could die. Blake could di-

The box shot up, faster and faster; Yang felt its squeezing grip, the walls caving in. 'It's not real,' she told herself, but the blood smell kept getting stronger. Pushed in by the walls.

Ruby's all that matters. Ruby's all that matters. Whatever it take-

The doors to the dumbwaiter burst open up and Yang steps out onto permafrost grass.

Island of Patch:

They were on Patch… The grass crunched beneath her feet, shattering into tiny little pieces. The cold had frozen everything. Her breath shot out in short, shallow gasps, blistering her throat.

How were they on Patch?

"Blake? When did w-". Blake was gone. Yang whirled around, frantically searching the trees for any sign of her.

Moonlight winked through a stifling canopy, showing the shadows dance. They twisted out between roots and up branches; chasing away the light instead of the other way around.

Everything was exactly how she'd left it.

*Kr-Runch!*

Ice cold blood shot through her veins. A wet crack followed by a ravenous sloping; It was unmistakable.

No no no no no no no no no!

Golden light exploded from her body, burning away the dark. She tore through the forest, shotgun blasts catapulting her forward. Every trigger pull slamming her body against the sound barrier, shearing it away!

Not her! Not Ruby!

A gargantuan oak burst into fiery splinters as she rocketed through. The world became a blur of shapes. All she could make out was that horrific crunching sound and the smell of blood.

She blazed into a clearing, cutting through ground caked thick with dissolving Grimm, and saw them! A Beowolf, muzzle deep inside a ravenette sprawled on the ground.

The earth exploded behind Yang as she shot at the pair, howling a guttural roar. The wolf continued gorging on the girl, fangs finally finding the neck. With one swift motion it *Crunched* through bone and tore everything loose above the shoulders.

A 10 lb ball smacked into her shins, bringing her to a dead stop.

The Beowolf wagged its tail, smearing the blood across the floor. It sat hunched over its work, maw stretched in a toothy grin.

Yang slowly brought her eyes down, her blood coming to a frigid crawl, to stare at the lifeless severed head… and Blake's amber eyes looking back into hers.

AAAAAAAAIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Beacon Cafeteria Elevator:

Yang thrashed against the dumbwaiter walls, wrestling away the hands holding her. Blake struggled in vain desperation to keep her still, but the girl was far too strong.

What was going on?! Everything had been quiet before. Then she'd noticed Yang suddenly zone out, becoming completely unresponsive, and suddenly…!

The wall behind her still smoked from the buckshot shot in it.

What the Fuck!?

"Yang, listen! Calm down!". She pulled her face towards her, speaking eye to eye. "Stop! Please!".

Yang's eyes widened and her aura glowed. Gold and purple began fighting in the box. She was screaming, trying to get away as fast as possible. Her elbow struck into the metal wall behind her, smashing through. She quickly rolled back through the hole and found herself outside a corridor wall.

Without a moment to spare she took off.

"Wait, Yang!" Blake jumped after her, leaving behind the mess of an elevator hanging by a steel thread.

Yang raced down the destroyed hallways, leaping over the rubble right and left; the purple moonlight shining through the cracks giving her just enough light to see. Blake chased after the blonde, eyes wincing at the sudden light. There was purple everywhere!

She shut her eyes to the bright lights but soon heard the rumbling of debris. Squinting, she saw hundreds of kilograms of rubble pick itself back up and fly into the holes they came from.

What the Hel? How's this poss-{An Enemy's Semblance} But this powerful!?

"Y-" no names. "Come Back!".

Yang cut up a flight of stairs, dodging the flying steps left and right. Not once paying any a second glance. Blake trailed closely behind, ducking the crisscrossing purple hallway parts. Somewhere an ear splittingly loud alarm was going off.

The stairs raced up to a wide gaping hole leading outside. Blake could see its glowing rim nibble closer in, silhouetting Yang. A darker purple radiated out from her legs and she shot forth, catching Yang.

"You have to stop," she pleaded, struggling to keep her hold, "There's someone here-"

Blake could see out behind Yang into the active warzone. Grimm of all subspecies swarmed hastily erected castle defenses. Nevermore murders weaved between AA fire, launching off volleys of serrated feathers. For each one of theirs felled, five more would rise from beneath the cliffs.

Landbound Grimm with their flesh singed emerged from the pillar of smoke, clawing their way to the Dustlings with pure hate in their eyes. The defenses fired upon the horde, joined by the telekinetic marvel, but it was quickly apparent it was not enough.

"We need to-" Blake's hands clutched empty air.

Down the end of the hall, she could see a mop of blonde hair turn the corner as the hole behind her sealed shut.

Yang stumbled forward, tearing past a sign reading "cafeteria". Her semblance was blazing erratically, giving her only slivers of sight. She slammed into two giant oak doors and threw them off their hinges. They both cluttered to the floor with meaty thuds, dispersing up the purple fog blanketing the floor.

The fog: dust and debris baked in violet radiance, rippled out, drenching the chamber. Emanating at the end from a looming giant. White knuckles strangled their riding crop as Glynda Goodwitch glowered with absolute fury!

Blake screeched in behind Yang and her stomach dropped. That was The Professor! One of the greatest combat potentials on Remnant, A FUBAR mission constraint in the White Fang's Bingo Book of Enemies! The Deputy Headmistress was staring them down with her weapon raised!

With an imperceptible *flick* the doors flew past them and sealed the room shut.

Purple power coalesced into dozens of giant swirling tendrils carrying everything not bolted down. They rushed towards them, vicious hydras nipping on all sides. Yang's erratic breathing skyrocketed, semblance matching pace in strobing flashes. 'Ruby- She needed her NOW!'

*BOOOM!* She blasted off at the final roadblock.

"Yang No!"

"YANG YES!"

Her fist cocked back and drove itself at Goodwitch's face. Metal connected with flesh and she pulled the trigger!


*KA-POW!*

Another cannon shot rang down from the cliff top and a gaggle of dissolving Grimm fell with a thump!

The Saint Bernard weakly stumbled across the black floor, strung this way and that by the crushing weight inside his skull. It was squeezing out his brain. Cuj~ could feel bits slowly be pushed out of his nose. Every cell of him felt rotten. A terrible nauseous agony shook through and the dog fell.

Sick, glowing yellow eyes opened from the not-dog. A once emaciated frame rose up on gargantuan muscles. From underneath the fur thousands of red hairy lice crawled out, dragging with them alien-green strands of silk. They covered the roided creature head-to-toe. Two eyes became three, bulginging lidless monstrosities. Under the new skin jaw bones began to bubble, erupting in rows & rows of anglerfish fangs!

A sloping tongue fell out to the floor, digging a deep groove in the earth with its weight. Lasher ̶S̶y̶m̶b̶i̶o̶t̶e̶ stood tall, body shaking with ecstacy.

Another bullet-riddled corpse fell beside "them". They turned up, focusing on the ongoing siege.

The night beasts continued to throw themselves at the vanguard, determined to slaughter the people inside. It almost admirable {another one bit the dust} if they weren't so fucking stupid.

'Run at the bullets! They'll never see it coming'. Lasher laughed, sidestepping the corpse.

Still….

There should've been enough edgy furries in the forest to kill everyone thrice over. So, why wasn't the castle pouring out blood and guts?!

The firestorm's current twisted through the forest, unpredictable to all but them. A family of night-beasts fled frantically through the blistering waves, running in the wrong direction…

An evil lightbulb clicked on.

The earth cracked beneath an abrupt force and Lasher was nowhere to be seen.

The fleeing pack of Beowolves shrieked in terror when a monster suddenly dropped in on them. Whip tentacles shot out, covering almost all paths of escape. Their bladed tips quickly pushed themselves under the Grimm's throats.

"Hey ya, Gals! Time for'a detour".

…The Grimm had a choice: Fight this terrifying Thing for no good reason; or, run down the only path it conveniently didn't block. They escaped down it in unison, the monster nipping at their heels.

As they continued their mad dash, dodging the lashes everytime the paths branched, they began to taste something pungent in the air. It cut through the smoke and ran straight into their being. Fear...!

They raced towards that delicious scent, never noticing that the monster chasing them was gone.


Patch: Xiao Long-Rose Cabin

Ruby tumbled out of the Grimm cloud, her Symbiote layer beginning to peel back inside. Already she could feel her friend try to slide between her organs, but where before it pressed against her innards, now she couldn't feel a thing.

"Venom, are you ok-?"

Quick instincts barely pulled her head away right as a large caliber round punched out her hood-teeth. Their home defense turret was firing at her, mistaking the partly Venomized Ruby as a Grimm.

She hit the ground just as the last round left the clip. Fully human again, Ruby tentatively looked back up at the turret. Its systems blared with alarm, now realizing its catastrophic mistake, and quickly pulled the barrel as far away from Ruby as possible. The short squeaking its gears made as it tried to simultaneously check on her, but also keep its end pointing down, made the smoking gun have an almost 'bashful' look to it.

Ruby's glare was one of Absolute Murder!

The turret crashed through the door, smashing into smithereens against the floor. Ruby stumbled in after and gave its dislodged eye a good kick.

That was probably a mistake, because as soon as she did the world spun and she found herself flat on her face.

Pain coursed through her body unabated, not just the kind she'd grown familiar to all her life, not even the high extremes of being shattered by a meteorite; This was a rotting sickness eating what's left of her insides.

*Koho-ACK! ~wheeeeze~ Koho-ACK!*

And now her "lungs" were *crunching*. Great…

I'm doing the best I can! But what God designed this nonsense? You've got a second brain in your gut, most of your bones are in your feet, and I still Can't Find Your GLU-BOCK!

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to-" she sighed. No more secrets, that… was a thing. She tried pulling herself up, but found very quickly it wasn't an option. In the metal sheen of a stove door she could see her reflection: Jaundice yellow eyes spread their colour through all her skin, except her lips which were dead blue. Fluid sacs rose underneath her muscles, stretching the tissue fibers until they tore, quickly painting a patchwork of bruises all over her body.

Am I going to die?

*Arf! Arf Arf!*

"Hey Zwei," she puffed up her hair to see her furry friend jumping around her in concern.

What The Fuck Is That?!

"That's Zwei…? My dog".

That's a dog!? I thought you said dogs were made of sunshine and hugs?

Can we eat it?

"When did I-NO!" she yelled, falling into another coughing fit.

But it's attacking us with its tongue!

"Those are kisses," she groaned, "And the fridge is right there, packed with all we need! I just need to get us there and you can use your *space* healing powers on us, right?".

Donezo ( •̀ᴗ•́ )و ̑̑

'Ok good' she thought, and wedged her fingertips between the floorboards, pulling herself over the flat floorwall. Sharp splinters dug in with every push forward, turning her into a porcupine petting zoo.

Inch by inch she dragged them towards the white fridge so far away. The agony was beyond what one could bear. Waves without end, rising higher and higher, burning away every conscious thought until there was only the wailing void.

But to quit would be worse; a trillion times worse! Because that fridge held everything!

Unreal… My Gosh!…

This is Amazing. You're Incredible!

YES! YES! YES! YES! YOU CAN WIN! YOU FEEL GREAT!

"WE! CAN! DO! THIS!"

"KYARAAARGH!"

Ruby screamed as she climbed up the fridge. Gripping the door, she wretched it open as the symbiote slithered out to look inside. Wall to wall it was filled with nutritious goodness: Overflowing drawers of broccoli and brussel sprouts, nut based cheeses wedged between green smoothies, and shelves packed to the brim with every kind of tofu "meat". Tofu burgers, Tofu bacon, Tofu tunafish; it was all here!

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she licked her lips, truly hungry for the first time in her life.

Ruby… where's the meat?

"eeh…?".

Next Time on:

What if Ruby was VENOM

"No Venom! We can't eat Zwei!"

*ARF! ARF! ARF!*

{A DISASTROUSLY DIABOLICAL DINNER IS SET FOR THREE!}

Meanwhile: At Beacon

Thundering out of unknown skies—The most horrifying hell

creature that ever menaced all mankind!

RODAN!

The 'Breach' of Vale Comes 28 Episodes too Early;

And the Curtain Falls Forever on the Age of Hunters.


💞💞💞 Follow & Fav to get all the latest updates! It means more than words could describe 💞💞💞

[Look for this 🚨 if you want to skip past my explanation(rant) of why the chapter took so long.]

Author's Note: Six months… Six Months went into writing this everyday. It's unreal; and I'm sure everyone wants to know why it took so long. I know I would. When my favorite stories don't update, I'd appreciate an item by item record of every bump in the road because 6 months for a chapter is unsustainable! It barely works for Berserk and that's a masterpiece. My chapters need to get out quicker. All I can say in my defense was that Pâro (pt 1 & 2) were monstrously difficult. They're supposed to be one single chapter (so I guess this took closer to 10 months to finish) but then Yang and Blake literally fell in love and I had to figure that out. Spent an additional three months on that alone. They're supposed to just drop in and take off, but then their eyes spontaneously met and the rest is history…

So, now Yang gets another monkey in her mind on top of all the others, each fighting for who can cause her the most stress, turning her POV into a borderline clinical mess… and it's also the primary POV of this chapter. You can see how this was a problem ୧ □ ୨. RWBY's is a character driven story, so it only feels right to let the characters take the reins, but here? Everyday, draft after draft, both she and Blake found new ways to let their inner demons derail the story, which "Yay!" that means their internal stakes have real consequences, but also "No" because by Oum it was like herding cats. In one draft I pushed Yang a little too hard and she punched Blake right in the face. I don't blame her for it, it was my fault, but way to trigger Blake's abusive Ex trauma. Try building a functioning relationship after that. (;´Д`)

And that's not even getting to all the other moving parts I had to intersperse and pace without throwing off the chapter. Lasher overshadowing Cuj̶~̶, teasing and building up Professor Goodwitch, the Grimm incursion (now egged on by Lasher), Blake's past, and so much more. {The Ruby:Venom fight scene, which I thought would take the longest, was written in about a week and a half. Just gave the characters of Ruby and Venom full reign and watched them run with it. They understood the assignment!} All these moving pieces had to come together so they could collide in the next chapter. It was the most stressful to-do list of my life! And I Loved It!

I won't say the next chapter will be easier, because Yang is still struggling with her demons; but there should be a ton of kinetic action that will surely distract her from all the dark clawing thoughts.

Hopefully, she can finally get a win (she deserves it), but she's in quite the pickle now isn't she…?

🚨 [Rant Over] 🚨

But seriously (and I'm writing this in bold so you know it's important) I would not have finished this chapter without the help of my wonderful Editor: Pedro Alonso Buby Huayanay Zamudio! Hats and wigs off to you, you are 🏆 ️AMAZING!? ️🏆 I can't wait to send you my next draft(s)!

If anyone wants early copies of my drafts, shoot me a DM. I love talking about this story with y'all! I respond instantly to every review so leave 'em here!❤️


Reviews: Every response I get (positive, critical, and beyond) lets me know I'm not shouting into the void. I can't understate how much I appreciate each and every review!

Even the "down bad" ones ;)

Kolomte'49: Thanks for appreciating how I handled Blake and Yang independently realizing they were falling for the other. Like I said in the author's notes, that was hard to write. The life or death stakes and ticking clock meant that that was NOT the time for romantic introspection. Which is what made it so funny. I eventually realized I could make their hearts their own independent characters with conflicting wants and needs that Yang and Blake had to wrestle with. It opened the door to a lot of fun &/or dark new avenues.

Glad you liked Lasher, they're shaping up to be a major problem for Remnant. Fun story trivia, the way Lasher's meteor strike followed the initial, bigger strike is a reference to Lasher's fighting style of first sending out tendril strikes to soften their enemies up.

I agree with you that even though the story's currently focusing on Yang, Venom and Ruby needed a bigger role. I hope her donning the Black Suit exceeded your expectations.

Kenny9x3: It does take me to long to update【ȍ_ȍ】. I'm trying to be faster, but Yang's mental break had to be handled with care and worry. Respecting her trauma was paramount for me and I'm glad with how it turned out.

c4 Turok: …I don't know how to break this to you, but Ruby's 15. Not in a 'Tobey Maguire and Co are in their late-twenties going to high school, "What up my fellow Kids?"' way. But in a "I canonically got moved up two years into Anime College and the entire thematic conflict of the series is my childlike viewpoint colliding with the adult's world" way… So no-can-do on the tentacle porn.

Plus, I'm pretty sure Ruby's ACE, because correct me if I'm wrong, has she ever been attracted to anyone in the series? I know she's got a lot on her plate and doesn't have time for relationships, but if her "sexual desires" are so easy to box away, then it's more likely she never had any to begin with. That or she has undiagnosed depression, which may very well be true!

Onto Venom, who is also asexual despite being a hentai monster. Way to break down stereotypes (I high key find it hilarious XD)! I'd bet that human sex likely scares and confuses them, something they'd probably have in common with Ruby.

But fret not, I am entirely certain you can find everything you're looking for online, you just won't get it here.

saitama1155: 'Ah yo' indeed!


🎧Elbphilharmonie-MixTape🎧: First track you can experience is 'D.V.M.N' from Devilman Crybaby. You can hear the music's pounding drums in Venom's beating heart.

Dooms's 'Rip & Tear' probably goes without saying if you knew the track's title.

We have another track from D-man Crybaby, called 'Smells Blood'. The rewindy beat really inspired me to get creative with the flow of time.

Aside from those, I lowkey listened to The Thing's OST for all of Lasher's scenes. There's no real in-text hint alluding to it, but maybe the scene's worth a re-read with it playing "🎧"


Help Wanted:

"AURA LORE EXPERT"

Since pretty soon Venom is going to be fighting Aura wielders, it would be very beneficial to have someone that knows the in and outs of the power system. Questions like:

● Can Symbiotes insta-kill someone by shoving a tentacle down their lungs?

-Would the Aura in this case intrinsically extend past the flesh and into the vacuum space of one's orifices, radiating out what could be entire inches?

-Or would this always take conscious effort/triggering the gag reflex.

●Could a Klyntar give a Hunter terminal cancer through their aura?

-Cancer exists because the body fails to flag the malignant cells as harmful. Would Aura be able to see through the threat?

-How about if the Aura wielder was a cancer researcher or doctor/surgeon?

These questions, and much much more would really benefit by having a skilled lore expert head off any potential catastrophic mistakes way before a chapter becomes live.

DM me if you're interested.