Nine pairs of footsteps stormed to the front gate of Eclipsis. An accursed town that had sent the nine men into flight. Ragged breathing was all that filled their ears as they ran through the desolate constructs. Eyes flittering back and forth, to and fro, between all dark crevices that exuded the ominous crimson fog that encompassed them.
The shattered moon hung high above, observing their desperate flight. Weapons readied and alert, it did little to comfort the men as they set about escaping. The image of that still in their minds.
"The gate!"
"Be prepared! It's a long way till daylight and even further to Figura!"
Port and his student entourage arrived at the gate. The stout teacher began issuing commands with haste. Team CRLN will cover the left, and Caelum to the rear. Team SSSN the right with Sage at the rear. We will be moving non-stop and with utmost haste. If anyone begins to straggle behind speak up. If you hear anything shoot first. Am I understood?"
The boys all nodded in unison. All except for Caelum who stared out past the stone archway. "It doesn't intend to leave that decision to us, sir."
"What do you-" Port began in confusion as he turned to see what had caught the boy's eye. The professor and students followed his gaze to the red foliage lining the road. There standing amongst the flora with the thinnest veil of moonlight distinguishing its bony, crooked features, a pulsating red glare stood silently. Watching them, as if beckoning them to test their luck on the road.
"How did it?!" squealed Scarlett in fright.
"Quiet boy!" hissed Port extending a hand. Return inside the gate. Keep your eyes steady on it lads."
The boys systematically backtracked to the town. Taking refuge in the tallest building near the wall to find an opportunity to make their escape. As the boys filed in, maintaining eyes on the creature, Caelum turned to Port.
"It's containing us to the town. It knows if we go on the road it can just pick us off."
"What?!" shouted Neptune turning in fright.
"Keep your eyes forward boy!" ordered Port.
"It's gone!" shouted Sun from the second-floor window.
"Blasted!" cursed Port. He turned to Caelum in frustration. "What makes you so sure?"
Caelum thought back to Borealis. The devastation and desecrated bodies strewn about. The realization that the same type of creature must have wiped out the colony town and the other Grimm were only scavengers did little to assist in his thoughts now. How could he answer in a way that they would believe? Child soldier wasn't exactly common in Remnant and would only add to the confusion."
"I've seen this once before. More precisely what that thing can do. It's smart and I'm willing to bet further in town we'll see what it's done to the locals." He then muttered to his Professor. "It wants us to see what it's done."
Throughout the squat building, the other students glanced between the outside and their two conversing with nervous, flitting eyes. The professor himself looked up at Caelum in shocked awe. True to his experience, the terrifying implication was brushed aside as the man devised an evacuation plan.
"It will not have the pleasure" he firmly declared. "Boys! Prepare yourselves! We are going to scour the outskirts of this town for transportation. Anything capable of getting us far from here as fast as possible!"
"Caelum then pulled his teacher's attention as his peers prepared to move once more. "You know my semblance correct? If we can find a mirror large enough, at least three feet by two, we can use that."
Port ruffled his mustache and nodded, adding the object to their search priorities even though team SSSN found it a weird request, they happily obliged to the confident Professor's order. Or so he seemed. Just as Port could see through Caelum, the young boy could see past his teacher's bravado. He was feeling the same fear that pervaded them all.
The nine men set out and began combing the outer neighborhoods. Each student ensured they were next to one another, their eyes frantically searching for any form of landline, any transport, and back to their allies to ease their minds that they were not alone.
Although no one spoke of it, the child's corpse had deeply unsettled many, even Sage's mind was flooded with pessimistic and chilling thoughts. Not only was the creature's image prevalent in their minds as they searched for a means of escape but the ever-pressing what-ifs.
What if we don't find transport?
What if it comes back?
What if we have to fight?
What if I can't fight it?
What if I end up like that girl?
Alone, eviscerated, pain and fear imprinted on her final expression. The looming dread was only kept at bay as hope dredged itself before them as they searched. The search continued onto the hour as night had firmly settled in, its haunting moonlight and crimson fog adorning the streets as they searched in seeming vain.
Several vehicles were found, all fuel-powered or a hybrid of fuel and dust but shockingly, their tanks and electronics were torn out. Even the most basic diesel truck from decades ago had found its hood ripped open and the engine block desecrated with fuel lines ripped. The worry that they would have to go on foot distracted some from what the Professor and others had realized.
Whatever it was, was smart enough to target vehicles and disable them. Caelum couldn't help but recall the generators in Borealis as their search led them further inwards to the city. Most worrying of all, not a single mirror large enough had been found. Or more precisely found intact. They had searched every building as quickly and efficiently as possible only to find any mirror larger than a handheld smashed to pieces.
Was it the madness that seemed to take over those the creature haunted? Did Grimm already pass through the settlement, their animalistic dislike of reflections leading to the unusual coincidence? Or was it something else? Something that Caelum prayed wasn't possible.
Eventually, the group in desperation dared to tread further inward, Port advising them that they would probe the old city quarter before going on foot. Resignment crossed many faces before the teenagers nodded in understanding.
Pushing into the old town and its entirely stone structures, the streets narrowed and the larger buildings shadows darkened their surroundings. Without the moon's light, the streets and its fog took on a bloody appearance shadows seemed to move and silence seemed to speak within their minds.
Pressing out of the street with their weapons at the ready, a short shrill shriek caused all to tense and swing their weapons at the source. At the front of their group stood Scarlett with eyes wide in horror as he stared out past the street's entrance. Sun stood next to him, hands clamped over his teammate's mouth as he averted his eyes, looking back at everyone else.
"What is it boy?" asked Port.
The terror on Sun's face showed he couldn't speak. Instead, he only shook his head. Team CRLN shared concerned looks as they resumed holding the rear. Caelum took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'll take point, sir."
"Allow me to join you lad" insisted Port firmly.
With guns at the ready, both men slowly stepped past Scarlett and Sun into the moonlight. Before them was one of the town's three gathering areas, a small market. Before them, however, was a sight that left Caelum grimacing and Port aghast.
All stalls and tents were rent asunder while the meats and produce were left to rot. But what was most appalling was the scent of decay. Corpses lined the small square. On the remnants of splintered carts and stands lay scattered corpses, propped up like macabre statues, impaled in pieces.
Further away near a stone building was a butcher shop and meathooks within the shattered window. They held shredded corpses with armor and bright clothing. It was almost too much to take in at once for even the experienced huntsman that Port was as Caelum repeated himself in a hushed whisper. "It wants us to see."
Swallowing his initial reaction, Caelum took a step forward to feel a soft squish beneath his boot. Looking down was a bloodied torso. The ever-swirling red fog soon revealed the terrified face of the owner attached to it as he and Port looked over the area. Past the ominous fog, it was nearly impossible to see any of the stone streetway beneath the piles of corpses and viscera it hid just below.
Cautiously the two stepped into the square, dragging their heavy-footed team along, who tried their best to avoid stepping on the flesh and blood beneath them. They crossed the square and stood before the stomach-churning sight of the butchers, a semi-circle defensive perimeter set outside the building.
Neptune let out a strained gasp. "Are those-"
"Huntsmen" affirmed Port as he stared at the hanging corpses. "Eyes on our surroundings Mr. Vasilias. Leave the unsettling work to Mr. Hyalus and I."
Forcing the bile in his mouth down, Neptune complied and stumbled over to Sun, The two kept their backs to the stone walls and looked away.
Port felt sorry for the boys that they all had to witness such dreadful sights at their age. Even he had not seen so much death concentrated in one area, let alone with such suspicious circumstances. A quiet rustling caught his ear and forced his head to spin to its source.
Caelum was rifling through the pockets of the hanging corpses. Seeing his professor and peers sending questioning glances he explained himself. "Looking for I.D. Maybe something to bring clarity to this situation. All I can tell is that they've been dead the longest out of all the bodies we've seen."
"Allow me, young man." offered Port.
"No need, I'll make it fast. Best you watch the others" insisted Caelum. It was clear the teacher was the emotional bedrock for the other students as unease had crept into them all. What's more, an erratic look and sense of paranoia had taken Scarlett and Neptune. Raiden and Lukas seemed to be faring little better, an air of silent despair permeating around them.
True to his word, Caelum's search turned up several dog tags and four holo-I.D's. Presenting them before Port he stepped past the broken glass window and explained his findings. "These are the town's huntsmen and militia. As I've said, it seems they've been dead the longest, judging by the decomposition taking place and fully grown flies.
A loud crack came from the distance followed by the sound of a small nevermore. The group suddenly tensed and shouldered their weapons prepared to engage. As the students were distracted and slowed eased back into their ominous watch, Caelum whispered to Port.
"This thing, made them examples."
"What?!" hissed Port as Caelum raised a finger, shushing him. The two glanced at the other students who were more focused on watching the distant red fog and dark streets than listening in on their hushed conversation.
"They were practically tortured and strung up before dying. None of these lacerations are lethal. Only debilitating. They bled out on those hooks." Port's bushy eyebrows couldn't have been any further ruffled as Caelum added more horrendous news to his observation.
"It cut this town off. Left its communications dark and has been killing them for sport. It killed the guard and then whoever tried to run. And it's been picking the populace off since."
Port seemed horrified and disbelieving. "What makes you think such a thing could occur?"
Caelum threw an arm out and hissed his answer. "Look at this! The town's been silent for nearly two weeks! The bodies, even that viscera on the ground, are all in different stages of decomposition! There's no generators, power, transport! It waited for us on the road and then outside the town like it knew we were going to run! If it is a Grimm, then I think it's feeding on the fear, feasting on the terror it's been striking into these people like livestock. If I had to guess, I'd say it's been savoring their fear."
"How?"
Port and Caelum turned to the question. They saw Sun with prevalent fear in his wide eyes, his ears slightly perked up. Both had forgotten of the Faunus's enhanced senses.
"How do you know so much?" asked Sun, seemingly at a loss. "How could you even come up with something so demented?!" He demanded gesturing at the corpses around them.
Sage grabbed Sun by the wrist and held him back. The others, not having heard what Sun had, sent confused looks as they glanced between the commotion and their surroundings.
Caelum deliberated internally. What could he say? What would they believe? What did he really know? Even with his confidence and experience, this was all just conjecture. Perhaps even driven by his own paranoia. Yet the evidence seemed all too clear.
"I've seen it once before… and it did something very similar." Caelum hesitated, disguising his moment of thinking as painful recollection. "I probably only escaped because it didn't expect me to flee by air. Something we don't have the luxury of here" he grumbled.
"And you didn't tell anyone?!" shouted Sun.
"When would I?" defended Caelum. "When could I have possibly mentioned this" he snapped. "Would you have believed it or just thought of it as some tall tale?"
Sun flared his nostrils in frustration as Sage, still restraining his leader, looked away. The realization that none of them would have taken such claims seriously felt condemning.
Caelum continued. "I reported it to Atlas." He recalled the punishments he suffered once he had, shaking his mind clear of the memories. "They took it half seriously and filed the report away. All I know is that they didn't seem to believe me and named it after some old myth. They classified it as a Wendigo."
Niel seemed to bristle in the back, a chill running down his spine at the familiar title. He remained silent as the others continued speaking, the ghastly name sending terror into his soul as the horror stories of his tribe came to mind.
"So what do we do?" asked Lukas in a grating tone. Despite his attempts at calm, his facade was fracturing.
"How do we get away?!" begged Neptune
"How do we fight it? Atlas must know something!" argued Sun.
"Shut up!" shouted Scarlett clutching his head. "Just- shut. Up!"
As silence returned from the sudden outburst, Caelum gave a disheartening answer. "As I've said. I don't know. I was lucky and we don't have the same luxuries. Whatever we do-" he turned to Port. "Escaping is our only option."
"What?! No! We can't just let that thing run amok here!" snapped Sun. "Look at what it's done here! We're huntsman! If we don't deal with this thing who will?" He turned to Sage, giving a pleading look to his partner who sighed deeply and nodded his head. Inner conflict was apparent as fear and righteousness at his leader's words fought for control.
Scarlett and Neptune were in mild states of delirium, their opinions siding with evacuation as well as Team CRLN who sided with their leader. Sun stared disbelievingly at his peers before looking at Neptune. His partner couldn't even maintain eye contact. Scarlett himself couldn't care less as his breathing started becoming ragged and he held his head in his hands with pained groans.
Sun turned to Port once more, tears threatening the corners of his eyes due to his frustration. "Whatever this thing is, we need to get rid of it. It needs to die. That's what a Huntsman, a real man ought to do, right?"
Port stared somberly at the boy. The appeal to his bravado unclear in its efficacy.
"I'm afraid, there are times when a huntsmen must make a choice and a man must be the one to make it" began Port as Sun's hopeful expression dissipated. "It's time we leave. We have lingered too long already I fear."
The sound of falling debris echoed in the empty streets, causing all to tense. Neptune looked over his shoulder at his teacher when a slight movement caught his eye. Slowly he looked up and his breath hitched.
Port and Caelum followed his gaze to above their heads and froze. There it was. Hanging from the building. Its eyes pulsated down at them with an almost curious appearance.
"Move!" shouted Port as he raised his weapon and a loud blast erupted from its barrel. As the students scattered, the beast released its grasp on the building and propelled itself downward. Port's shot, aimed square at its torso, missed and only clipped its leg. The resulting explosion left a large cloud of smoke in the air that Caelum proceeded to fire a belt of ammo into as the Grimm lunged out from the haze.
The professor and student avoided the crushing claws that shattered the stone where they once stood, smearing the rotten viscera. There was no time for hesitation, Port immediately gave his orders. "Run for the gate boys! I'll hold the rear!"
Letting another shot out, Port charged the Wendigo as Caelum proceeded to let another torrent of gunfire pursue. The beast ignored their fire despite the reverberating ricochets on its body and the penetrations of putrid flesh leaving it almost unphased. The other students were split on their decisions and amid their internal choices, Scarlet was the first to flee.
Following Port's order and with his head in his hands, a nearly tortured expression on his face as he closed his eyes from the mental anguish, he ran. The Wendigo went for him first. With frightening speed, its elongated and whittled limbs drove it easily across the open area and past the students who froze in place from the unexpected speed.
It raised a sickly-shaped hand and swung low. Scarlett didn't even scream as the wind was knocked out of him and he was batted into a wooden stand. Crashing into the structure he groaned as he coughed for air, his aura flickering as he brushed his red hair out of his eyes only to see the fog obstructing his sight.
Then the ominous figure jumped with all four limbs above the disoriented boy. Raising its hand again to strike once more. Everyone began firing furiously at it as it swung down. The cacophony of gunfire distracted it momentarily as its strike deviated and hit short. Scarlett released an excruciating howl of pain as the Wendigo sprawled itself low in the fog and began skittering on all fours.
Despite its size, it was almost completely obscured in the mist along with its unnatural movements. The sound of snapping bone emitting from it was the only giveaway they had. Sun and Sage sprinted to Scarlett and retrieved him from his vulnerable position. The sight was grizzly. Past his white clothing, one could make out the gnarled limbs that he once haughtily stood on. Now drenched in his blood and sticking out at strange angles.
As Team SSSN retrieved their Comrade, the hail of gunfire chased the beast as Raiden fired a piercing blue light from his railgun. The round narrowly missed the creature as it penetrated several buildings and illuminated the area in its hue. The Grimm escaped into another street with a grating groan. The haunting chattering of its teeth was heard in the distance as they took a momentary respite to gather themselves. Adrenaline now pumping, Port ordered the boys to move as he covered the rear.
Sage hoisted up his partner, now sobbing from the pain and mental anguish as the boys began running along the moonlit streets. No caution could be afforded as they ran, hoping solely to gain distance.
An eerie clicking from the side spelled doom for their hopes. Raiden was the first to turn and see the beast hiding in a corner as they ran past. As if time slowed he took in its visage in full. Tucked into a tight alley with its knees brought up to its chest like a child, it had awaited them to pass. The moment of slowed time slipped away as fear consumed Raiden and he watched as the beast lurched forward, its maw open and bloodied, scraped teeth glaring at him.
A harsh crack filled his ears as the rotund figure of Port intercepted the surprise attack and dug his axehead into the creature's side. The blade didn't pierce its thick hide, but the sheer strength behind the impact sent the wendigo careening to the side as Port's weapon cracked in its reinforced stock.
With never before seen fury in his voice, the short teacher charged the beast as it collected itself in the road. "Run boys! Go!" he demanded as he struck again, the axehead chipping against the beast's face as its throat expanded like a lizard's and it screeched.
In such close combat, no supporting fire could be given, and unused to their teachers' fighting capabilities assisting him in the brawl would only be a hindrance, and so Caelum listened to his teacher's order. Moving along the others and forcing them at near gunpoint to move, the column of teens and one injured ran past their teacher.
The beast stared quietly as if trying to intimidate him. Port responded by throwing his weapon. The weapon impacted with a clunk as the creature recoiled and Port retrieved his weapon mid-air. Firing it as he descended the beast dodged and his stock nearly removed itself from the stress of firing.
Undeterred he followed up with a series of swings. Some were dodged by the lithe beast, others cracked against its remarkably strong armor. The combat seemed evenly matched until the beast struck back.
In one swift motion, the Wendigo caught the weapon mid-swing, breaking the stock in half with the sound of a sickening crunch from its forearm. This was followed by a strike from its free appendage that shredded the man's torso and clothing. With fresh blood on its claws, the beast didn't show pain, instead, its pulsating eyes almost seemed to show a taunting glee.
It was quickly removed as a sudden darkness and blow struck its Scarlet right eye. The beast shook its head and looked down to see none other than its prey. The rotund man now shirtless with a wound on his chest, knuckles curled up in a boxing stance, and hopping from side to side.
The brief shock was only a fraction of a second as Port followed his initial jab to the eye with a hefty right hook that impacted the creature's knee. The Grimm was brought low and in a sickening display bent over backward with snapping and crunching sounds accompanying it as it dodged. Port followed with a series of kicks and blows to no avail as the beast proceeded to deliver its own grueling punishment in the form of lacerations to his body.
Caelum looked back in awe at his teacher as his peers ran ahead. Yet as Port bled and drove the beast down the street and away, the creature showed no fear or anger. To him, it almost seemed as if it was enjoying a game.
-Chapter End-