Heyyyy, been a while.
I promise there will be an influx of chapters after this two-parter. We've just been busy with life, finals, jobs and other fun stuff. We're also on the cusp of completing a BIIIIIIG 10-parter story that'll release in the Fall. What is it? I dunno. Look back for hints.
Aside from that, an official link to the Gemstones Discord will be in my profile. Please join!
Winter sighed as she went over the report. Same M.O as the other victims, localized in the Vale area. After the attack on Beacon, no one was keeping track. The chaos was the perfect cover. The latest victim was a 24-year old deer Faunus. The body was found in one of the wrecked buildings, in what was one of the biggest areas of Grimm activity during the Fall. The easy connection was that it was a Beowolf that did this. Only after the coroner took a look at the poor guy did it all click; he'd been hunting Faunus for months, even before the attack. He'd made headlines in local and worldwide Huntsmen newspapers.
"Wolf-Killer Strikes Again! Fifth Dead in Months!" "Authorities No Closer to Catching Wild Faunus Killer!"
This wolf, who'd been raised with a simple, black and white mentality, was responsible for at least ten Faunus murders. Murders that they could pin him on, anyway.
And that's why Winter was headed back to Vale. Ironwood wanted this guy behind bars, and so did what remained of the Vale Council. So, a joint task force was proposed. Specialists from Atlas aided the Vale Police as they tracked this villain and cuffed him.
Winter would make sure of it. This would be the last day Crüjo would see the world outside of a cell.
Ever since the fall, Vale had been on shaky legs. While the rubble was cleared out by the hard determination of one Glynda Goodwitch and a few other Beacon staff, the Grimm problem still lingered. Winter was at least relieved to see that it still had some sense of normalcy as she flew in. People were eating and resting after a long day of restoration.
Still, there was a curfew in place. In an hour, these streets would be closed, all thanks to the nightmarish power that Crujo possessed.
These people had enough to deal with. A serial killer shouldn't be on that list. With that, she and her team of agents made their way to the Vale Police Department, or what was left of it. The building itself hadn't fared well during the attack, walls crumbled, glass shattered. Manpower had been stretched thin as well. Officers had to respond to looting by opportunists or provide back-up to Grimm clearings and evacuating civilians. Winter hoped the people she brought with her would be enough help. Outside of the Ace-Ops, these were some of the best soldiers Atlas had to offer.
Winter entered the police station- the officers inside were busy at work, typing away on faulty computers and overlooking paperwork on the cases. Winter had to look for Glynda if she was around...
"Ah, Specialist Schnee!" a voice called out to her. It obviously wasn't Glynda. For one, the voice was too fast. The person it belonged to was a rather thin man, wearing a long brown greatcoat with a khaki buttoned safari shirt and a yellow tie, dark green pants, and brown boots. In one hand he held a path helmet, no doubt what he was wearing just a few moments ago over his messy dark green hair, and in the other he held a small green thermos.
"Doctor Oobleck," Winter greeted as he walked over to her, "I thought only Glynda and the chief knew I was coming."
"Ah, she told me when she got busy. Despite all our work, the Grimm somehow keep making new nests," the speedy teacher explained. "She's out clearing one of them now. Nothing too difficult, a juvenile Nevermore nest last I heard."
"Understandable. While they are younger, they do have a sense of chaos to them," Winter noted. "Especially given how fast they are."
"Yes, yes, all very irritating," Oobleck said as he downed a mug of coffee- Winter wasn't sure if he was like this because of working overtime, or just because...well, Beacon had some particular characters Weiss would write about.
"Now then, she's brought me up to speed for your visit as well," Oobleck said after he finished. "We're hunting Vale's resident big bad wolf."
"He's gotten away with it for long enough. Ten murders that we know of, countless more that we don't. It's time this wolf learns when you over hunt…" Winter narrowed her eyes. "Sometimes the prey fights back."
"Ah, yes! Splendid!" Oobleck cheered. "Love that determination!" The way he talked reminded Winter of how Weller would get when he got REALLY passionate about something. "Let me grab my things."
"...pardon?"
"My things. Glynda DID say this was a joint effort didn't she?" Oobleck said as he ran off to his impromptu office.
Winter wanted to say something, but the doctor was already gone by the time she opened her mouth. She sighed a little. She wanted to say that this would be interesting but...that would just be redundant. Here she was, in a ruined city, helping local law enforcement hunt down a cannibalistic serial killer. If that didn't sound like a plot to a good book, she didn't know what did.
"Now! Our men have triangulated a certain area from which our culprit acts. They've found the bodies in this area." Oobleck pulled out a map. "At a point that is three points equidistant from Legedore, Vale...and Mt. Glenn."
"Mount Glenn," Winter repeated. She'd heard stories about that place…
"If he's hiding there and he's survived this long? He'll be a difficult opponent to defeat."
"Only the toughest Grimm can survive on Mt. Glenn. I should know, I've dealt with one of the Goliaths out there!" a new voice said.
"Peter! I thought you wouldn't be back for a few hours at least!" Oobleck said, smirking at the return of his colleague and friend.
"That's what happens when you overestimate Creeps. The little bastards tried to charge us down!" Port laughed. "Ah, but you can figure out what happened when they met the firing line!"
Winter had heard the most about Port- Weiss would often write to her and talk about how Port would spend 80% of the class rambling, and 20% teaching. It was a class everyone had trouble keeping up with, especially since you couldn't tell when you had to be focusing or lazing off.
"Now, why are we heading there?" Port asked.
"Crüjo," Winter answered curtly.
"Vale's wolf...a hunt for the ages. Count me in."
"As if you could say no," Ooblecked chuckled, "but back to the matter at hand. The fact he chose Mount Glenn is no coincidence. We have to search two cities now."
"The game is afoot either way!" Port bellowed as he rushed to get his musket. Winter rolled her eyes- this was going to be interesting...
Buzzzz.
Oobleck's ears perked up. "Is that your phone, Miss Schnee?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
He looked gobsmacked. "We're still working on getting communications up. How is yours still-"
She took out her phone and looked at the caller.
"Excuse me for a moment," Winter said, walking away and answering. Oobleck watched her go, but now he had questions. Communications were the biggest hassle for them, given the state the tower was in and the full-blown army of Grimm that swarmed Beacon's grounds. And yet here was Winter Schnee, getting a phone call from… where? Atlas?
The second Winter picked up the phone, she heard: "He's at Mount Glenn. Hurry."
And then the caller hung up.
"Why did that sound like..." Winter began, but she shook her head. Maybe it was just her, but...the caller sounded an awful lot like Ben.
She shook the feeling off before she went back to Oobleck.
"How soon can we get a team together?"
"We're still waiting for Glynda, but if possible I can gather up some people and we can head out in...an hour or so?" Oobleck estimated.
"I think this will be enough. We have enough manpower to outpace and maneuver our target," Winter said. "You forget you have Atlas' best on your side."
"True but we are talking about a man who's spent his whole life out there, in this kingdom's greatest failure, and who's probably memorized the terrain like the back of his hand," the doctor pointed out. "Numbers are of little concern to him out there. The Grimm flocked to that place, even before the Fall."
Winter took that information in. "Then we split up. Local officers and my agents, make it an even division. That way we have people who know the area, and the people with the needed training to turn every forest or every cave into an ambush."
"An excellent idea." Oobleck nodded. "Yes, yes, a pincer operation! What a smart move...you truly are Miss Schnee's sister."
"Something like that, yes." Winter's proud smile betrayed her professional tone.
With that, Oobleck went to gather some officers and Winter went off to brief her men on the plan.
Despite the efficiency of Atlesian aircraft, Winter wasn't the first person hunting Crüjo. Or rather, that's what their goal became after they arrived.
But to tell this story properly, we need to rewind a bit.
A few days before Winter had even been assigned to the Crüjo case, a relief flight from a Mistralian charity was set to fly out to Vale. Drop off some clothes, food, and other supplies for the survivors. The pilot was a greedy sort; he was already being paid to fly out to the kingdom, but he had to be bribed to even consider the job in the first place. So it was easy to slip him a little extra cash for two hidden passengers. It wasn't a luxury flight, but Albedo and Neo couldn't be picky. Vale was their only lead right now.
"Once we land, the first thing we need is a guide," Albedo said.
A guide? I'm from here, remember? I know the city, Neo signed.
"The city, yes. But you've never been to Mount Glenn before, have you?"
Well...no. Ok, yeah, a guide would help.
"I also want to help contribute to the restoration," Albedo admitted quietly. "I've come to regret the role I played in the Battle of Beacon."
...me too. I...might've gone a bit overboard back then. Neo frowned.
"...are you sure you're fine with going back?" he asked, concerned. "Since, well, the last time we were here..."
If I freeze up, you'll be the first to know.
"…right." Albedo nodded before looking out the window. "Let's hope this plane isn't hijacked too."
Did you forget we were the hijackers last time, "Whitley"? Neo joked.
"I'd say we use that cover again, but Jacque Schnee is running for the Atlas seats…" Albedo hummed. "What should our new covers be?"
Could be writers. Fly out to Vale to write a book about Mount Glenn. We wanna see the place for ourselves, not just get people's accounts and stories. Neo suggested.
"That could work… we'd just have to change up our appearances to better fit the picture," Albedo noted.
Easy enough for me. Might need a different outfit for you though. Neo looked around the cargo hold for the boxes with clothes.
Albedo frowned. "Are you sure we should take those? They are for the people."
...I know. I just...probably won't be much to work with when we land...
"You forgot I have the chameleon circuit, didn't you?" Albedo teased holding up the Ultimatrix.
Neo sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. Oh right.
"It's fine, I rarely use it nowadays." Albedo twisted the dial, and he took on a different appearance- a boy with blue eyes, black hair, a white and red shirt, and blue jeans. "There. How's that look? Casual?"
Neo blushed despite herself.
"If nothing else, I at least look unassuming." Albedo switched off his disguise. "So, how's yours gonna look?"
Neo thought about it for a minute. She stood in the hold and spun around, her image shimmering as she formed a new illusory look. It actually resembled her Romana Dewick persona: glasses, librarian-like outfit, but her hair was let down. She fixed that by tying her now purely brown hair into a ponytail.
How's this?
"Another good look for you.'" Albedo nodded. "We'll blend in perfectly. No one will ever suspect a thing."
Walking through the ruined streets was...somber, to say the least. They looked completely normal...and maybe that was what made them stand out the most. Even with all the relief efforts that had taken place, the city was still recovering. It was like walking through a city that had just weathered a tornado- even if the tornado had struck weeks ago, the effects lingered. Some people had lost homes to the Grimm, and some had lost families. For many, they dealt with both.
And Neo and Albedo were partly responsible for all of this.
Neo felt uncomfortable- burn marks were still visible, and even though the air was silent, she swore she could still hear the chaos. Was it guilt? Yes, absolutely. She'd done questionable things but...
There was no excusing what she did here.
Albedo took it all in. All of this was on him.
Albedo was...well, usually he was what you'd call a "lethal protector." This? This was villainy. No mistake about it.
"I made a terrible choice, all that time ago...I was curious. But I can't use that as a crux for what I did here," Albedo said, looking around him. The people's eyes should be looking at him with scorn and hate, not looking right through him...
I...don't mean to sound so casual about this, but...where do we start? Neo asked. They needed a guide for the area, someone who could show them to Mount Glenn.
"I remember hearing Ruby talk about how she had an old mentor on the outskirts of town when I was doing my 'eavesdropping' routine one night," Albedo said. "She'll have to know the area best."
A mentor? Well, it was the best bet for now. If she asks how we know her, say we heard about her from the locals, Neo suggested.
"Good cover story." Albedo walked over to two people running a sidewalk soup kitchen for the volunteers. "Excuse me, do you happen to know where Maria Calavera lives?"
"Maria?" one of the people, a reptile Faunus, said. It was hard to tell just what reptile he was, his animal trait being patches of scales on random parts of his body. "Uh, yeah, I think we've seen her a few times. Not sure where she lives though."
"Do you happen to know where she frequents the most, then?" Albedo asked. "We're looking to ask her something."
"She's usually at the edge of the safe zone. She's a lookout in case the Grimm get too close."
"A lookout, huh? She shouldn't be too hard to miss, then..." he hummed. "Alright, thank you."
"No problem," the Faunus said, getting back to work.
With that, Albedo and Neo headed out. Through the ruined streets, past law enforcement officers who luckily didn't recognize them, until they came across a makeshift look-out post, with Maria casually seated in a chair underneath an umbrella. This was on the edges of the reclaimed territory that Glynda's efforts had managed to reach. Everything beyond this point was free-game for the Grimm.
That her? Neo signed.
"I'd assume so. Now, we have to act casual around her. We don't want to-" Albedo's words were rudely interrupted by a cane hitting the side of his face.
"Just because I'm looking out for Grimm, doesn't mean I can't hear you!" Maria jeered as Albedo rubbed his cheek. "I was wondering if you'd come back, anyway. Atlas is...well it's Atlas. Stay there long enough…"
"Huh?" Albedo asked, totally bewildered. He decided to roll with it. "Oh, right...Sorry, Maria. We meant to visit earlier."
"I'm sure you did- you two were probably enjoying the wealth of Atlas while I had to clean up...I see how it is," Maria guilt-tripped the two.
Neo gave Albedo a look. Okay, guess we're cosplaying as Ben and Ruby now- now, how the hell do I pull off Ruby?! Can't talk!
Keep her rambling. I'll be right back, Albedo signed back. He quietly crept away, before shifting into Fasttrack and running off somewhere.
Neo watched Albedo speed away and tried not to panic. How the hell was she supposed to keep her talking? Well, first she shifted her illusion to be an accurate recreation of Ruby. Even the eyes were a perfect match.
"How is it up there, anyway? I've only ever been to Mantle to get these old things fixed up," Maria wondered, tapping the side of her goggles.
Neo quickly looked to the side, pretending not to hear. She was sweating bullets, sure the old lady would see right through-.
"...shocked silent, aren't you?" Maria sighed. "Yes, I know. Vale has seen better days..."
Neo tried to keep that up. Shocked silence, she could use that, at least for now. She pointed out past the safe zone.
"Still chaos out there. Glynda's making headway, but when the Grimm come in force, it's hard to kick 'em out. There are some Grimm out there that never got close to the city before. Goliaths..."
Maria took a deep breath. "I'll be honest. I was worried about you, Ruby. I heard you did the dumbest thing up on the top of the tower, and yeah, I should scold you for being so reckless, but...I'm proud of you."
Neo had heard about that. She didn't know a lot of the details since the scar was still recent. But 'Ruby' smirked and nodded to Maria in thanks. She quickly looked over her shoulder, just to check if Albedo was any closer to coming back.
She could see a dust cloud fast approaching her, Albedo slowing his pace. He was now holding something, a choker of sorts.
A little special project, he signed. I apologize for the rush job- I was given literal seconds, but I think my Planchaküle sample was able to do a good job. It should stimulate your vocal cords to mimic whoever you're pretending to be.
I...so I could... Neo looked at the choker in shock. She eagerly took it and put it on. She adjusted it and closed her eyes, sighing and steadying herself. "How's this?" Neo whispered in Ruby's voice.
"Perfect." Albedo beamed- he'd never had a full vocal conversation with Neo before. Never even physically said a few words. He looked forward to this.
Neo cleared her throat again before turning back to Maria. "Thank you," she said with a grin.
Maria smiled. "How have you been, Ruby? I can't imagine it's been easy."
Neo beamed at this question- now that she could speak, she could finally info dump EVERYTHING at 100 words per second.
"Oh, you know. Been on a few missions here and there, some of them were easier than others. Got a few scars from the fights, lucky hits though," 'Ruby 'said, trying to humblebrag.
"Hmmm...seems you've become a bit headstrong since the last time we fought," Maria hummed. "Fine by me."
"And of course, Ruby and I have been...dating behind the scenes," 'Ben' butted in.
"Well, at least you have enough time for yourselves," she chuckled.
Neo couldn't help but feel herself blush. At least it sold the disguise better.
"What about your sister? How's she doing?"
Her eyes widened in shock. "Yang? Oh, you know...being...Yang and such." 'Ruby' cleared her throat. "But enough about that. We kinda need your help on something."
"Oh? What might you need from little old me?" Maria teased.
"During one of our missions, we found out that the people responsible for...this," 'Ben' gestured to Vale's miserable state, "still have an operation here. And we need your help finding them."
The older woman tilted her head. "How can I help, exactly?"
"That person is hiding out at Mount Glenn," 'Ruby' said.
Maria sucked in a breath. "And you want me to take you?"
"Please. You know I've never been and Ruby's only told me stories about the place," 'Ben' pleaded.
"Hmmm...well, I suppose it has been a while since I last took my students there," Maria mused. "Oh, alright. I suppose I can go on one adventure."
"Thank you," 'Ruby' beamed and bowed a little to show appreciation.
Maria hummed before standing up. "Now, just let me grab my things and tell my post what's happening. Be back soon." And with that, she left.
Albedo and Neo stood there until she was out of sight. And then Neo squealed and jumped into Albedo's arms. "Holy crap, I can actually talk!"
Albedo grinned. "I'm glad you like it. Given more time I can improve upon it, fine-tune it further." It was so nice to hear Neo speak, every word out of her mouth filled with joy.
"Oh, hell fuckin' yeah!" Neo cheered. "I'm all for speaking! God, if I sound like this...wonder what my real voice sounds like..."
"That...might take a bit more time. But I promise you'll be able to speak with your own voice soon." Knowing Albedo, he'd probably pull several all-nighters with only the occasional coffee and/or chili fry break to get it done. No matter what materials he needed or how long it took, he would get it done
"How long will this voice box thing last?" Neo asked, touching it reverently.
"A few days. So we best use it wisely," Albedo warned.
"A few days, huh…" She thought it over before a smirk stretched across her pretty face. "I'm definitely gonna enjoy this."
Albedo smiled fondly. "Likewise."
There was a familiar tapping echo- Maria's cane on the stone floors.
"Alright, they're working on getting a replacement for me," the elderly woman announced. "So, ready for a hike?"
"How long should it take?" 'Ruby' asked, getting back into character.
"A good few hours. I've still got blood pumping through my veins, though, so let's go!" Maria immediately whirled around to lead the way.
Neo smirked and followed behind the older woman, Albedo close behind. With their guide at the head, the trio made their way off to Vale's greatest failure.
Winter stared out the window, her mind still wondering what that call was about. From what Ironwood said, Ben and Ruby had gone to Bellwood for their break- why he knew this, Winter didn't know. Maybe he overheard it.
So why did she get a call from someone sounding just like Ben?
"Miss Schnee?" Oobleck called out. "We're ready when you are."
Winter shook off her thoughts. "Right," she said quietly, getting out of her shuttle. She grabbed her weapon, and set foot in Vale's greatest mistake.
Mountain Glenn was Vale's first serious attempt at expansion. Oh there were plenty of small Huntsmen settlements all over the world, but Mountain Glenn was to be a city, a massive home for warriors. The kingdom developed an elaborate underground metro system that allowed the settlers to commute to and from the main kingdom and the new territory, thus bypassing the danger of the Grimm entirely. Meanwhile they set up an aggressive perimeter defense that worked for a short period, keeping the thousands of the city's residents safe in their new home.
However, Mountain Glenn did not boast the natural barriers Vale did, and as such Grimm attacks began to increase until, inevitably, they overwhelmed the city's defenses. This was caused by the overwhelming stress of workers at a local company being worked to the bone.
In a last-ditch effort to stave off annihilation, the citizens of Mountain Glenn took refuge in the tunnels they had initially cleared for their subways, converting them into an underground settlement and cutting themselves off from the surface entirely. Unfortunately, this supposed safe haven was eventually compromised when an explosion opened the mouth of another cavern filled with subterranean Grimm. This left the town completely exposed and the remaining citizens beyond saving. With no other recourse, Vale sealed off the tunnels permanently, creating the world's largest tomb.
To the rest of the world, Mountain Glenn had been besieged by a series of horrific natural events that left the future city in ruins. To the Huntsmen community, Mountain Glenn stood as a reminder for history to reflect upon, a horrific shadow of what it was supposed to be.
The defunct city consisted of destroyed and dilapidated buildings. Grimm and creeping plants had begun to retake the landscape. It was like Winter had stepped foot into a young adult adventure novel, one set in a dystopia and had teenagers lead rebellions.
"Quite a sight, isn't it?" Oobleck asked as he joined Winter. "All the history here...all the tragedy. Even after all this time, it's like the Grimm know what happened here."
"A fate I hope Vale avoids," she said quietly.
"A hope we all share."
Winter walked through the city, almost enamored with the strange beauty it held. In wake of Grimm, the vines running up the city walls compared to the tranquil silence was eerie, to say the least. Winter felt like she was breaking some sort of taboo just being here.
Her group, consisting of Oobleck, three officers from Vale, and two Altas specialists, followed closely behind.
"If we keep heading down this street," Oobleck began, looking at his Scroll for a map of the old city, "we'll be arriving in the old market district. A good place to run for supplies, even after all this time."
"Especially when he doesn't need to worry about normal food," Winter added somberly. She didn't need to say who. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small device, handing it to Oobleck. "This will generate a small, personal force field around you if need be. Only use it if the enemy is near."
He looked it over curiously. The device was the usual militaristic white and black color scheme all Atlesian tech proudly wore, but it couldn't be any bigger than a baseball. It was circular and flat, with connectors that would allow Oobleck to easily clip it onto his jacket.
"As much as I appreciate the gesture, what is this for?"
"Atlesian intelligence has reason to believe that Crüjo is connected to the cult that aided in the Fall," Winter explained. "And it has been revealed that the higher-ups of a said cult often have...unique mutations gifted to them."
"Unique?" Oobleck hummed. "Hm. Most alarming, that word. I assume that they are in the same vein as Tennyson's transformations?"
"Something like that. Intel shows that Crüjo was given a sample containing Loboan DNA- a wolf-like alien that can grow metal plates," Winter explained. "This increases his own power by twofold."
"Fascinating...and I'm guessing there's no loss in speed?"
"Not from what we've seen."
"He has his bases covered then."
The group arrived in the market district in short order, checking in with the other teams that were searching the city.
"No sign of him in the park district so far," Glynda said over the radio. Communications were a pain to establish with Scrolls, but at least police radios like these still functioned properly.
"We've been slightly luckier," Port started. "Abandoned apartment in the residential district. It hasn't been used recently, but there are signs someone lived here. Most likely our culprit. Had to fight through a pack of Beowolves outside as well."
"They were drawn to his lingering rage," Winter surmised.
"The man oozes with rage and despair- I've heard of some towns being wiped out by his overwhelming negativity. He would then pick from the corpses and feast..." A soldier muttered. Stone-faced as she was, Winter couldn't conceal her shudder.
They were up against a terrifying individual.
As they walked on, one of the officers noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He turned to it out of instinct and aimed his pistol.
"What is it?" a second officer asked, her hand hovering over her holstered gun.
"Thought I saw something."
"Grimm?"
"Dunno, it looked small."
"Young Nevermore?"
"On two legs? Sure as hell wasn't a Beowolf either."
"Can you describe it?" Winter piped up. "From what little of it you were able to see, of course.
"Not...not really. Two legs, short. And I mean really short, like the size of a kid," the first officer listed off.
"...the size of a kid?" Winter repeated. Curiouser and curiouser. "Port, you're an expert in Grimm. Barring a story, anything that matches the description?"
"I would say a Grendel, but those aren't native to Vale. Grendels usually live in Mistralian forests and swamps," the mustached professor explained over the radio. "Though this would be somewhat of an older specimen. Grendels usually don't even come up to the knee. Could you tell if it was using its arms to walk?"
"Like a gorilla? Uh...no. The thing went by too fast, but it was on two feet. No knuckle-dragging there," the officer said.
Winter raised an eyebrow. "Strange...certainly not our prey either. The reports said he was, what? Late 20s-early 30s and 6'1?"
"An unidentified Grimm, a mass murderer, and a decrepit city...yes, yes! This will make for an EXCELLENT story!" Port announced.
Winter sighed. "That's not the point."
The group was suddenly on guard when they heard a pot shatter against the ground. The officers and agents quickly turned towards the source. Even Winter and Oobleck were on guard, the former drawing her sword and the latter bringing out his thermos, of all things.
Winter was about to ask before the professor pressed a button and the specialist watched as the thermos shifted into a large club. No, not a club. The shape more resembled...a torch?
"Caffeine fueled. A bit strange, I admit," Oobleck muttered. "It just makes me feel cool."
Winter hummed. What an odd character Oobleck was. Weiss just mentioned he was a motormouth. Not like this.
Her attention was quickly brought back to the situation at hand when another pot fell. One of the stalls that were set up in the market district square, one of the few still standing after the Grimm swept through, had been shaken.
No, it WAS shaking. Something was still hiding behind the stall.
Winter held her weapon tightly as she slowly approached the booth. The rest of the group crept closely behind her. Winter inched ever so closer-
When a head popped up.
It was bleach white, which almost made them open fire, but it wasn't bone. It looked more like the kind of material used in a hazmat suit. Its ears were rounded, with black cables snaking down and connecting to its back, giving it the illusion of wearing a headset or headphones. Its blue, rectangular eyes were wide in shock as they darted around from person to person.
"What the hell is that?" the second Vale officer muttered, lowering her weapon.
"A Sonorosian," Winter said. "Don't worry, they're sentient." She lowered her weapon and approached the alien. "Might I ask what you're doing?"
"...Ohhhh no, this is bad, this is bad. Boss is gonna kill me," the Sonorosian said, panic creeping up into its mechanical and echo-y voice. To Oobleck, it sounded like the little guy was speaking through a microphone.
"Calm yourself. We're not here to disrupt your operation, whatever it may be," Winter reassured him. "We're looking for someone dangerous."
"D-dangerous?" The Sonorosian whimpered.
"Yes. A dangerous Faunus criminal. The biggest clue would be the wolf ears, though. He has a pair of them on the top of his head."
"N-no. I haven't seen someone like that. But...but he'd fit in around here," the Sonorosian said as he came out from behind the stall. Around his waist was a toolbelt, lined with all sorts of strange implements.
"Interesting," Oobleck said. "Are you a technician of sorts?"
"Yeah. I'm just repairing the-the radio lines for-" The Sonorosian seemed embarrassed. "Oh, jeez..."
"What's your name?" Winter asked, trying a different tactic.
"It's uh...it's ULF-444.4. Everyone just calls me Fours," the little engineer answered sheepishly.
"You're named after a radio frequency?" Oobleck asked, bewildered.
"Y-yeah. Kinda fitting nowadays."
"...I feel like we should be questioning why an alien is on Earth," a soldier muttered.
"Some aliens have settlements under major cities. I suppose Mount Glenn is one of them," Winter explained.
"W-wait, you know?" Fours asked in shock.
"Yes. We're aware of Undertown in Bellwood," Winter said honestly.
"Oh. Ohhh this is gonna be a tonal whiplash for you then."
"...was that a pun?" Oobleck had to ask.
"...maybe? I dunno. Point is, Igne isn't that friendly," the small engineer said.
"Igne?" Winter furrowed her brow. "Is that your settlement name?"
"Yeah. You know, like an igneous rock."
"Well, that's a horrible name choice. Mountain Glenn doesn't even have any deposits of igneous rock," Oobleck huffed.
"The founder wasn't that smart. He just thought it sounded cool," Fours shrugged.
Winter fought the urge to chuckle, instead allowing herself a small smile. "You mentioned something about a radio. Did something happen with your radio signal?"
"Um, yeah. I uh...me and some friends of mine help run a radio station. We kinda...use some radio cables to ride on other signals. Get human music and things down there. Some of the cables got damaged, so I got sent up to deal with it."
"By yourself? Unguarded? Not the wisest choice on your boss's part," Oobleck commented.
Fours shook his head. "Oh! No, it works out. If the Grimm find me, they won't know which 'me' to go after!"
The doctor blinked. "Come again?"
"He can clone himself. I've seen Ben do it when he shapeshifted into this particular alien," Winter explained.
"You know Ben Tennyson?" Fours asked. That got Winter's attention.
"Yes, actually. Why?"
"He's with us in our base right now."
Winter stared. "What?"
"Yeah! He and the girl with the big scythe!" Fours said excitedly.
"Would you mind showing us the way, then?"
"Not at all. But uh...well...the radio guys are just wary of outsiders. Going beyond the radio station? Not a good idea," the little alien warned.
"Very well. Alright men, follow the Sonorosian," Winter ordered as she followed Fours back to their base.
"Peter, Glynda, you might lose our signal for a bit," Oobleck radioed over.
"Why? Where are you going?" Glynda asked.
"Well, we seem to be headed into an underground secret city with a small, self-replicating alien radio engineer as our guide."
"And you're not letting me come with?!" Port cried out, feeling betrayed that this once-in-a-lifetime story was being kept from him.
Glynda sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Just let go of this one, okay?"
"...fine..." Port sighed. No way he'd get a cool story out of that adventure...
It took about two hours but soon, Winter, Oobleck, and the others were led down an old subway tunnel. They were going deeper and deeper into the mountain itself.
"We follow these tracks, we'll be there in no time," Fours announced at the start of their journey.
"Your settlement...if I may ask, what's it like? This'll be...well for many of us, our first contact with aliens that weren't trying to kill us," Oobleck said.
"Oh, um...about that...Igne's kinda...lawless."
"No democracy?"
"We live in anarchy. If the city's in disarray, so are we," Fours explained as they rounded a corner.
It took them about fifteen more minutes of walking before they started seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Fours motioned the group to follow them and as they exited the tunnel, they looked down into the ruined underground part of Mountain Glenn. Buildings had been repurposed, some repaired, others built from scratch with nothing but scrap. One of the biggest seemed to be a rickety radio tower made from nothing BUT scrap and other discarded electronics. Some buildings had smokestacks that were belching out what seemed to be harmless white smoke, covering the entire place in a permanent industrial fog.
"Welcome to Igne," the Sonorosian announced. "Might not look like much, but it's home."
It reminded Winter of Mantle, in a way. The only difference is that Igne was more lively and colorful, in an odd junkyard fashion.
"What a view," Oobleck said quietly.
"We got lucky too. The Otrovians aren't working overtime!" Fours exclaimed as he led the group down into the city.
"Otrovians?"
"They run the factories down here," he explained. "They're some of the best chemists in the galaxy and our source of medicine, a few types of gaseous fuel, drugs..."
"I'm not familiar with the species, but it does sound like someone I know," Winter said as the group followed Fours all the way down to the radio tower.
"There's also some Burriforar here and there. Perfect place for them so watch your step," Fours warned before they arrived. He knocked on the door to the rtation and a slit in the door opened.
"ID?" a voice asked, different from a Sonorosian's.
"444.4," Fours declared. The slit then closed, and a few locks clicked before the door opened. The one behind the door was...an interesting alien. He was a Baltorpetridean, an alien only about a foot taller than a Sonorosian with purple skin,and gray and blue fish-like scales on his arms and legs. His head resembled the shape of a manta ray, tail included as a tentacle reached down like a tail. Instead of a stinger or tip, the tentacle ended in a large claw that occasionally sparked. The alien was wearing shades (despite the constant fog of the settlement) and had a silver necklace on.
"Fours! How'd the trip g-" the alien started to say before he noticed the group behind the engineer. His voice sounded like he was underwater, though the words were still clear to understand.
"Who're they?"
"They know Tennyson," Fours said happily but quietly.
"Really, now?" The Baltorpetridean said, humming. "Alright..."
"Do you happen to know where Tennyson is, perchance?" Winter asked.
"Yeah, he's in the back," the alien said. "He's helping set up some material."
"Could we see him?"
"Yeah, sure. But uh, considering you all look..."
"We won't mention the radio station," Winter reassured the aquatic alien.
"Oh, thank God," he sighed, and he moved aside so Fours could lead them to the back area. Winter was still confused as to what Ben was doing here of all places.
The inside of the station matched the outside, made up of various different salvaged materials. From what Winter saw, the boss was the only one of his kind here. The other members of the radio crew were mostly Sonorosians ,but the rest were of different species. Each one wore a salvaged junk exosuit, and none of them looked the same as some simply hovered like a typical flying saucer while others had four legs. One creature seemed to be an inky mass but tinted with various colors. They had no nose or mouth but they did have eyes and looked capable of speech.
"Oh, those are just Sanavox," Fours said, noting Winter's confusion. "They all possess the ability to manipulate vibrational frequencies, including the ones that form their bodies, and the ability to understand any language by absorbing soundwaves and converting it into a frequency."
"A living universal translator..." Oobleck was bemused.
"It's great when we get a visitor or a call from someone we've never encountered before. Like that wolf guy from Necropolis."
"Necropolis?" Winter asked, turning to look back at Fours.
"Yeah. It's another settlement in the desert. Got a call from there one time and it was LITERALLY just barking. Turns out it was a wrong number and a Loboan was cursing us out. Fun times," Fours said. If he was being sarcastic, it was hard to tell.
The manta ray-like boss opened up a door to the back and shouted out: "Hey, Tennyson! Some friends of yours are here!"
'Ben' looked behind him- he was busy helping Ruby with some sort of computer. "Ah, yes. Winter. I'm glad you received my message."
"I thought you were supposed to be in Bellwood," Winter said, eyes narrowing.
"Well, Ruby and I took a detour to Beacon, for...a little community service," he lied.
"And then you ended up in Mountain Glenn?" Winter raised a brow at that.
"We heard about a problem the city was having ever since the Fall. Vale's Wolf."
"You mean Crüjo. Yes, he's been a serious issue as of late. I believe the Plumbers were attached to the case at some point..." Oobleck hummed.
Ben nodded. "They were. After...certain incidents, they started to keep a closer eye out for any who could be connected to Zs'Skayr's cult. Given his theme, we can pin Crüjo down as Zs'Skayr's 'werewolf'." He nodded at his partner. "And because of the ongoing investigation into corrodium, Ruby and I decided to see if it was involved in whatever Crüjo was planning."
"And, well, here we are," Ruby smirked.
"I see." Winter couldn't help but feel suspicious. Something was off, but she couldn't place it.
"Well, the help is certainly appreciated," Oobleck said blithely. "And considering you were here before us, I take it you've made some progress?"
"Yes, we were able to use the radio waves to contact you," Ben said, gesturing around him. "It worked out pretty well."
Winter wasn't focused on that. She was more focused on Ben's wrist.
"Is something the matter?" the boy asked, raising an eyebrow. Winter drew her rapier and put it at Ben's throat. "...ah."
"Drop the disguise," she barked.
Oobleck, understandably, was alarmed. "Winter, what-"
"That's not Ben."
"...beg pardon?"
Winter turned back to the imposter, eyes drawn into slits. "Do you want to tell him or shall I?"
'Ruby' already had a hand on her blade. The nearby aliens were about ready to scatter.
Albedo sighed. "Fine, you caught me. Neo, weapons down."
"But-"
"Weapons. Down." He ordered, deactivating the chameleon circuit.
Neo huffed, sheathing Hush and letting her illusion shatter like glass. She raised her hands in surrender once she heard pistols being pointed at her. The room was tense as the two wanted criminals finally found themselves cornered.
Another door opened as Maria started pulling in a new pile of scrap. Oddly enough, it wasn't actually meant for the radio station's repairs, but for something else that the Sonorosians and Sanavox were doing.
"You know, I still don't understand why we need all of this-" Maria said before she saw the current situation. She blinked a few times, looking back and forth between the two parties.
"Yeah, sorry, Miss Maria," Albedo sighed. "I should have never gotten you involved in this."
Maria raised an eyebrow. "In what? Throwing another wrench in the bad guys' plans?"
"Miss..." Winter didn't actually know this woman's name.
"Calavera."
"Miss Calavera, considering who these two are, whatever they told you of their intentions was probably just a ruse. Both are wanted for terrorism and one of them has a list of charges so long we'd be here for hours if we tried listing them all."
"I mean, she's not wrong," Neo said, still speaking in Ruby's voice.
"Be that as it may, they were telling the truth," Maria said.
"Miss Calavera, please, no matter how convinci-" Winter was suddenly interrupted by a swift cane smack to her leg. The suddenness of it actually made Winter recoil, almost dropping her guard. Neo chuckled a little at that.
"I wasn't finished!" Maria scolded. "Now, I've been around a while and heard my fair share of lies. Started to get pretty good at picking them out. These two? While I could figure out they were lying about why they were here in Vale-"
"Knew she'd figure it out," Neo huffed.
"-they weren't lying about wanting to fix the city's little werewolf problem. Now, am I saying you shouldn't arrest them? Hell no, slap the cuffs on them-"
Neo rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks."
"-After you work with 'em to muzzle Crüjo."
"What are you saying?" Winter gasped. "These two are dangerous! They helped destroy Vale!"
"And yet, they came back to this place to help." Maria frowned. "Perhaps their guilt is weighing them down."
"You may not believe it...but she's right," Albedo said quietly.
"So I'm supposed to take your word for it?" Winter accused, before gesturing to Neo. "What about her? After all she's done, now she has a problem with it? Need I remind you: robbery, extortion, murder, smuggling, blackmail-"
"Really, blackmail?" Albedo had to ask.
"Eh, we dabbled in it," his partner admitted.
"Give me one reason why we should even trust you both," Oobleck snarled, crossing his arms.
Neo and Albedo shared a look before he took the plunge. "...because we've defected from Salem. We know things you don't, and we're willing to share."
"And they can prove it by helping the search. We've been here four days longer than you have," Maria said, moving over to stand by Neo.
"...thanks for the defense," she muttered before receiving a cane smack to her shin.
"And that was for using Ruby's face against me," Maria huffed.
"Owwwww..."
"How did you even know we were lying?" Albedo wanted to know.
"In your case, you sound like Ben but your voice is a little deeper. And for this one, she just does a poor Ruby impression. You sound like her, don't get me wrong, but you can't fake her energy," Maria explained.
"Aw." Neo frowned. "Here I was thinking I was nailing her voice."
"If I didn't know Ruby as well as I do, I would've fallen for it."
"That's something at least."
"But...please. Let us help you. We suspect something else is amiss here," Albedo said.
"...such as?" Winter asked, curious despite herself.
"A few weeks back, Neo and I reunited in a shady part of Mistral. While there, her boss asked us to look into a case of gravity Dust being delivered. However, to our shock, it was not gravity Dust. It was corrodium," Albedo explained.
Oobleck furrowed his brow. "I keep hearing that term, but I can't say I've ever heard of it."
"Atlas only recently learned of it. It's a mutagenic mineral with a similar appearance to gravity Dust, though less refined. Humans and Grimm are susceptible to its horrifying effects, not just aliens," Winter explained.
"Yes, and thanks to a...certain rodent...we know that shipment was headed here by order of one of Zs'Skayr's cultists," Albedo added.
"...so that's why you came here," Winter surmised.
"The plan was to contact you, remain as Ben, and eventually reveal myself to you towards the end so I can be arrested. I don't expect any leniency with my sentence," Albedo said stoically.
"I mean, you could probably negotiate something," Neo admitted. "Me? Yeah, no, if I get a light sentence, then that's because of whatever lawyer they give me."
Winter took a deep breath. "Alright, since you seemingly have more info than us...we'll have to take your word for it. But should this be a trick..."
"You can throw us in the next prison transport to Atlas," Neo finished. "Won't even use my Semblance to screw with you. Though uh, you guys wouldn't happen to know sign language, would you?"
"I dabbled," Oobleck piped up. "Why?"
She pointed to her neck. "Because this thing won't last much longer."
Oobleck narrowed his eyes. "Fascinating...given time I know some people who'd love to examine-"
"I'd...rather you didn't. Let's just say it's special and leave it at that," Neo said before she took the choker off. She was a bit disheartened that she wouldn't be able to talk again soon, but as Albedo said, it could be fixed if he had enough time...
Winter watched Neo and Albedo like a hawk the entire time they were walking through the underground city. She didn't even admire the structures the aliens living here had built.
Fours had been appointed their guide for their search- Albedo managed to persuade the engineer's boss. Oobleck, while still distrusting them, was more open to taking his eyes off of them to admire the architecture. He even bumped into a Burriforar on the walk, a large, four-limbed, three-eyed alien that seemed to 'wear' a patch of solid ground on its back like a shell. Probably for camouflage, he presumed.
"Do you have any of these samples in your Omnimatrix device, Albedo?" Oobleck asked.
Albedo didn't bother to correct him on the term. "Yes. I used one of those Burriforar's to blend into the grounds of Khoros while on a stakeout."
"Khoros...Khoros..." the speedy professor mulled over the name.
"Homeworld of the Tetramands."
"Ah, right. Must've been a fascinating trip."
Albedo grimaced. "It was...ok. Aside from the Sand Rippers."
Winter could care less about alien planets right now. Her hand was still clutching the hilt of her sword, just in case the "former villain" duo tried something.
"So, have you faced off with our man of the hour?" Oobleck asked.
"Crüjo? Not yet. He is a very evasive character, which makes him hard to find..." Albedo grumbled.
We know he's got deals down here, but he never actually shows. He always sends a surprisingly stubborn subordinate, Neo signed.
"I see...so, how do we find him, then?" Oobleck wondered aloud. His thoughts were suddenly cut off by the sound of screaming coming from around the corner.
That's how, Neo said, drawing her blade and rushing off ahead, Albedo close behind.
"Uh...I'm just gonna stay back here if that's ok with you," Fours said nervously, taking a few steps back.
"You can be of help, actually. You can be our eyes in the sky." Albedo pointed to the buildings. "Split into four and try to keep an eye on the beast if it escapes."
"O-oh! Uh, alright," the Sonorosian stuttered a bit before cloning himself and racing off. Winter drew her blades and raced after the villain duo, Oobleck readying his torch-like weapon as well.
Albedo twisted the dial on his Ultimatrix- he shifted into the most general, but well adaptable form for the battle. Crystals ran up his arm until they coated his body, bulking him up.
He rounded the corner as Diamondhead, an arm already shifted into a blade. He stopped and stared at the impossible: there were Creeps formed in a curved line around one of the houses, snapping and snarling at any passers-by. And then Albedo saw him.
Vale's Wolf.
He walked out of the house, licking his lips and moving his mouth every so often like he was chewing something. He was a hulking figure, probably about as strong and large as Hazel, if not more. He wore a black shirt with three claw marks cutting their way across the chest and blue, ripped shorts. His wolf ears peaked up from his messy brown hair, twitching a little as he heard the sound of crystals shifting and people approaching. The wolf Faunus turned to face the newcomers and that's when Albedo saw it.
The black shirt was still wet with some kind of blood.
Oobleck shivered. "He's much more nightmarish than I thought."
"Keep your guard up. Something's wrong." Albedo sharpened his fingers into blades. "He would never come out like this."
The wolf Faunus huffed and smirked, his eyes darting between the people in front of him.
"Didn't know I was worth this much attention," Crüjo snarled.
Winter frowned. "You have no reason to kill innocents."
"I have a reason, lady. I'm hungry. And some fat dude's hand ain't gonna tide me over," the Wolf sneered.
"...what?" Oobleck asked, disgusted.
"Some fat man upstairs. Took his hand before that blonde bitch stopped me from finishing the job. Woulda been filling too," Crüjo huffed.
His eyes widened and he quickly reached for his radio. The signal might not be strong enough down here, but the doctor had to try.
"Glynda...Glynda come in!" he muttered into the radio, hoping for a response.
"Worry about that later!" Albedo snapped. "He's trying to mess with us."
"Hmmm...the shapeshifter...my lord mentioned you'd fight me, soon," Crüjo snarled.
Albedo smirked. Zs'Skayr and the others had no idea about his defection, just that he was missing. That meant that the shapeshifter in question was Albedo's green-colored counterpart. He had an advantage then.
"And you thought a warning was all you needed to prepare?"
"No...but it helped."
Albedo frowned. "So be it." He raised his hands and pillars of diamonds rose from the ground, trapping the Faunus.
Crüjo huffed as he saw the pillars spike up around him. But instead of trying to get out, he simply tapped on them, letting a ringing sound echo out.
"How strong do you think these are?" the wolf Faunus smirked.
"Strong enough to hold you, and even stronger to resist most attacks," Albedo said as he shot at the Creeps. "Consider yourself trapped."
But as the shards flew, the Creeps dodged out of the way.
"Really?" Crüjo smirked.
The Creeps closed their eyes as spines suddenly popped out of their backs, glowing a sickly green color. The Grimm screeched out and started shaking as their eyes, spines, and even mouths began to glow. Crüjo ducked into the cage, hands covering his head.
"What the hell?!" Albedo gasped. The others didn't even see it coming-
But they sure as hell felt the screams, loud and violent.
And then they felt the shockwave knock them off their feet. Four plumes of smoke suddenly erupted upwards, shaking the cavern. The loud booming noise of the Creeps exploding was accompanied by the unmistakable sound of shattering crystal.
"What is this?!" Winter demanded, as the predatory Crüjo leaped into action- he started by grabbing Oobleck's head and smashing him into the side of a building- thank God he had an aura, an especially strong one, or else that might have killed him.
One of the Vale officers aimed and took a few shots at Crüjo, but they didn't even phase him. A metallic clang rang out before the wolf Faunus dropped Oobleck to the ground. He turned on his heel and rushed the officer, punching him in the gut with an iron-plated fist. The officer doubled over in pain before Crüjo grabbed the poor man's gun and backhanded him aside. He turned to the nearest person and started shooting.
Unfortunately for him, that person was Neo. Or was it? The bullets tore through her, but on the third shot, Neo shattered. A slash suddenly cut through Crüjo's sleeve, scraping a cut into his arm and causing him to yelp in pain. He retaliated with an open palm strike that would've slammed the silent girl into the ground if it had caught her. Instead, Neo let another illusion take the fall as she leaped up and kicked the mad wolf in the face, bouncing back from the hit with her usual grace.
Neo spun her parasol, gleefully waiting for Crüjo to strike again. He didn't, this time- instead he sniffed the air. "When an animal has one sense fooled, he can rely on the others," he growled. He suddenly spun behind him and lariated Neo, sending her flying.
A barrage of hard-light bolts pelted Crüjo from the side, giving Winter the chance to close the distance. She unleashed a flurry of slashes at the wolf, but each one was expertly blocked by a plated arm. The mad Faunus tried to counter, throwing heavy punches and even attempting to grapple Winter, but the specialist easily dodged or sidestepped the attacks, getting in a few shots of her own at the openings. Crüjo growled in anger as he lunged once again. Winter dodged again, but this time Crüjo stopped himself short and turned on his heel, slashing out at her. Winter quickly brought out her second shorter blade from the hilt of her main weapon. She raised both, letting the metal take the brunt of the blow, but still sending her skidding across the street.
"Yes, yes...good, stressed meat..." Crüjo taunted, saliva dripping from his maw. "More tender..."
Albedo recovered, healing his cracks. He slapped the Omnitrix down, aiming to transform into a creature that could match the mad wolf's brutality with speed- Fasttrack would do the trick. He dashed at Crüjo, smashing into his back at 100 MPH.
The hulking wolf Faunus was sent flying from the impact, stopping himself by digging his now armor-plated hands into the stone, ripping up the street before he came to a stop. He snarled at Albedo before arching his head back and howling. He then charged forth, striking out at his new opponent, but none of the strikes actually connected. Albedo speedily dodged each and every one.
Fasttrack delivered a powerful haymaker, aimed at the murderer's chest- he threw it with quite a bit of speed carrying him...
Only for Crüjo to catch it.
Albedo looked up at the wolf, eyes wide in shock. Instead of meeting eyes with the killer, the Faunus' fist slammed into Albedo's face. But Crüjo didn't let up. He slammed their heads together, forcing his opponent back. At one point, instead of a headbutt, Crüjo opened his mouth and went to bite down on Albedo's neck. But all he tasted was air as the sound of shattering glass filled his ears. He growled, turning to look everywhere for his next victim. Instead he found himself meeting a flurry of slashes from Winter. Were it not for the armor he could bring up, he would have been shredded. His shirt wasn't so lucky, getting sliced apart by each strike. Crüjo roared, armor forming around his arm and fingers, giving him claws. He swiped down at Winter, countering her attack with his own flurry of blows. While the wolf Faunus didn't land that many hits on the Specialist, those that did were painful.
Winter huffed- in just a few hits, Crujo had depleted her of nearly half of her aura. Winter slammed her rapier into the ground, a glyph appearing behind her.
"Arise, wandering soul of yesteryear- heed my command," she ordered as her glyph began to leak a nasty blizzard into the underground arena. A creature suddenly jumped out of her glyph, prancing about before trotting to Winter's side. Crüjo laughed.
"A Deathtrotter." The wolf sneered- the Deathtrotter was a basic Grimm, looking similar to a deer but with bony, white armor on its head and legs. Its horns were sharp and pointed, perfect for skewering.
"A trusty steed, when trained," Winter said as she hopped on the creature. She picked up her rapier and pointed it at Crüjo. "Keep up."
The wolf Faunus smirked, getting ready to charge. "You better give me a better chase than the ones above ground did."
"Oh, I most certainly will." Winter's steed suddenly sprinted off in the opposite direction- Crüjo gave chase, running on all fours.
"What's her plan?" Albedo asked once the wolf was out of earshot.
"If I had to assume, classic misdirection!" Oobleck grinned.
Before they could try to chase after her themselves, one of the clones Fours made came running at them in a panic.
"W-where'd...where'd Miss Winter go?!" he asked.
"After Crujo, why?" Albedo asked.
"I don't...I don't think he's alone!"
Albedo's eyes widened- he ran off, trailing behind Crüjo. What was it, more Creeps? Did he anticipate that Winter would run off? Or someone else?
Despite his size, Crüjo's speed was able to match the Deathtrotter's. Several times he tried pouncing at the summon, tried to get rid of it and knock Winter to the ground, but each time he missed thanks to her quick attacks. The Specialist turned down an alley, hoping to lead the madman to a dead end. As she rounded the corner, a barbed wire was suddenly pulled taught. It caught the summon's ankles and tripped it, sending Winter flying forward. The summoned Grimm tried to get back to its feet, only to be met by three daggers to the side, courtesy of three cultists. The strikes made the deer Grimm turn to white particles and disperse.
Winter groaned, trying to get up. The sudden stop made the Specialist lose her grip on her weapons. She would've reached for them, if not for someone else picking them up. Not a cultist or Crüjo. Someone else.
"Sleep..."
Winter's blood ran cold. She spun around to see a strange mushroom-like creature chattering at her. She drew her sword, ready to cut it down...but her vision almost seemed to blur when she looked at the alien.
The alien pulled on its mushroom cap by the edge like a hat, smirking as he could tell that it was working. From Winter's point of view, the world was distorting, turning wavy and blurry. She tried to get up, shaking her head to clear her senses, but to no avail. Her balance was being affected too- she could barely stand straight right now. It didn't help that she was suddenly struck from behind and forced back to the ground.
"Dosed her?" Crüjo asked, his voice starting to echo.
"Of course. Give her a few more seconds, she'll be out cold," the mushroom alien sneered.
"Good. Hear that, Specialist?" the wolf Faunus knelt down right next to her and snarled. "You get to live for a little longer. Lucky for you, right?"
"I...I will not yield..." Winter slammed her blade into the ground, summoning a huge Glyph beneath her form. A large hand started to reach out, shielding Winter from any harm. Crüjo growled as he jumped back.
"Well that's interesting," the Floris Agaricus mused, tilting his head to the side.
The wolf Faunus huffed and stormed up to the hand, his fingers like claws again as he swiped at the summon, scattering it like ice being shattered.
"Stubborn, huh?" Crüjo snarled. "Hit her again."
The hand quickly reformed, much to the wolf's chagrin. "Oh, you really want to have your arms snapped off, don't you?!" Crüjo roared, almost becoming unhinged at this minor setback.
"Um...I thought you wanted-" the fungus alien dared to say.
"You'll stop right there unless you'd prefer to be SHREDDED IN A FEW MINUTES!" the wolf Faunus screamed at his subordinate.
"Ok...ok..." the Floris Agaricus held up his hands in surrender and took a few steps back.
Winter caught her breath underneath the hand- Crüjo had a short, nasty temper. Perhaps that could be used against him in the future...
"Just dose her again!" Crujo ordered.
So he didn't get his boss even angrier, the Floris Agaricus crossed an arm in front of his chest and let out a stream of spores. Crüjo held his hand over his nose and mouth, the cultists staying far enough back to where they wouldn't inhale any of the spores.
Winter wondered if this would be her last sight- she started to regret not taking Weiss up on her offer to join her and Kylie for dinner...
But, if Winter could power through for one more moment...
"I am genuinely impressed she can stay up for this long," the alien mushroom admitted.
"Don't be," Crüjo growled, before his ears flicked. He turned to see Albedo appear at the end of the alley. The wolf slashed at the summoned hand that protected Winter once more, making it disperse into particles. Before Winter could re-summon her defense, Crüjo slammed down onto her back with both hands, her aura flickering and fading entirely.
Albedo's eyes widened in horror- he rushed over at lightning fast speed, even debating going Ultimate to ultimately stop Crüjo-
Only for one of the cultists to strike out at him. He dodged under the knife swing easily as Crüjo quickly picked Winter up, tossing her over his shoulder.
"NOW!" the wolf Faunus ordered. Again, the alien mushroom lowered his head and let out a stream of thick green smoke lined with spores. The substance flowed out, filling the alleyway. The spores were mostly harmless this go around, though. The cultists made their escape in their usual way as the fungus alien and Crüjo took to the rooftops with their hostage.
Albedo was temporarily blinded by the barrage of spores. When they eventually cleared and he saw the alley was empty, he was less than pleased. The others caught up to him soon after.
"Where's Miss Schnee?" Oobleck demanded to know.
Albedo didn't say a word. "You said your friend was in danger, did you not?"
"I...yes, yes I did..."
"Concern yourself with him. I need to track Crüjo."
So are we just gonna ignore the exploding Grimm? Neo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, but Crujo's our prior-" Albedo stopped himself when he realized.
You see what I'm getting at? she smirked.
"...by showing his hand...he's given us a lead." Albedo grinned, scrolling to his Vulpinmancer sample. "And more importantly, a very notable scent."
In a flash of red, Albedo's Citrakayah form was replaced by his alien bloodhound form. Oobleck and the remaining officer started on their trek back to the surface guided by a Fours clone, the speedy professor trying to contact Port and Glynda over the radio.
Neo and Albedo, accompanied by another Fours duplicate, quickly made their way back to the scene of the detonation. Albedo began to sniff around, trying to lock onto the scent of whatever chemical was used for that explosion.
"S-so, what are you gonna do when you-" Fours paused. "Wait, why am I trying to start a conversation with a Vulpimancer and a mute!?" He slapped his head.
And lemme guess, you don't understand sign language do you? Neo guessed.
Fours stared at her blankly. "...uh..."
...yeah, we were BOTH spoiled by that translator. She sighed, despondent.
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