A/N: The entire month. It took the entire month to write this special! It's so long that I had to make it a two-parter! If I hadn't, it would have been a movie! No way am I doing any of those again! Too long to proofread. This guy alone is over 11600 words. Part 2 is over 11700. Yeah, not proofreading 2300 words. Don't have the patience. Doubt you guys have that kind of time or patience either.
Sorry, SilentKnightFan. This isn't the Christmas Special you were hoping for. No Dust Day party here. Just some brand new Grimm!
Surai98- uane slept with many women a few(4) he knocked up, 3 unknowingly. And 2 of his friend's(accidentally?) mothers(kali?).
So by that logic Argent is going to accidentally(?) impregnate Weiss, Harriet, Shiva and Lyra.
Harriet? Don't you mean Elm? Also, you forgot Melody. That's right, people. At ten years old, the kid's already got game! He already surpassed his old man. Jaune had to be all the way in high school to get a top teir waifu like Pyrrha. Too bad she died. . . Oh, I forgot to mention, WEISS IS HIS AUNT, DUDE! By marriage, true, but that still counts as incest! Jaune hasn't committed incest! . . . Unless the theory about Adrian being his bio son is true. Giggidy with a hint of ew.
Reminds me of that Everybody Hates Chris episode where Rochelle ends up on a subway train (I think it was getting robbed), they all have a heart to heart, and one of the passengers confesses to the fact that his nephew is also his son. His wife's sister was that hot, apparently. And considering how hot Terra is... wouldn't blame ya, Jauney boy, especially if you got consent from your sister of all people. It could happen.
Anyway, onto our Two Part special! Honestly, I shouldn't be posting this, since it has some spoilers for future chapters, but think of it as your New Year's gift.
It was snowing in New Mantle. Weiss was in another SDC meeting, Ruby was out on a mission, and Winter was in her office doing paperwork. She had just approved her last report when she took out the most important mission she wanted to be handled today. She then heard a knock on her door. "Enter."
The door opened, revealing her daughter and niece, who both saluted. "Reporting for duty, General," they said in perfect unison, voices full of respect.
"At ease. Come forward, you two."
Shiva and Silber walked up toward the desk before stopping at the steps.
"What are your orders, General," Shiva asked.
"Well, for starters, you can be at ease. This isn't a meeting between a general and her soldiers. This is more of a Councilwoman Shcnee situation."
"We still need to show you respect, mother," Shiva giggled.
Winter giggled as well. "I suppose you do. Alright, then, for now, treat this as a family matter."
"Oh, thanks the gods. No offense, Aunt Winter, but as a general or a councilwoman, you're terrifying," Shiva said as she finally relaxed.
Winter giggled. "I get that a lot. Even your mothers are afraid of me, Silber."
"The only ones who aren't afraid of you are dear father and our beloved uncle," Shiva said.
"Oh, but Jaune had damn well better be afraid of me, ESPECIALLY if he keeps putting Argent in harm's way," Winter growled, activating her powers.
"Eep," Silber went while Shiva just smiled... but she was shaking. Even she can be afraid of her mother when she's angry.
Winter took a deep breath to calm herself. "But that doesn't matter. What does matter is that I have a mission for you two."
Silber was shocked. "Um, auntie, I'm still a student."
"Oh, please. You have more than enough credentials to become a member of my Ace Ops alongside your cousin."
"I mean, as true as that is, I'm still-"
"It's a temporary promotion, sweetheart. After this mission, you can go back to the academy and graduate as normal as your mothers desire."
"Oh, okay."
"This must be very important if YOU of all people are taking ANYONE, let alone my cousin, out of school, mother."
"It is. I've already sent out my Ace Ops to deal with another mission. It seems ever since Jaune defeated that Grand King Thulhu, Grimm activity has increased in parts of Solitas. There are even newly discovered species of Grimm and previous species that weren't native to Solitas, including Wendigo."
The girls looked at each other before looking at Winter.
"Even Uncle Jaune had trouble with Wendigo," Silber said.
"They're Village-Level threats. Is Harriet really equipped to handle monsters like that?"
"As I said, all of my Ace Ops are dealing with them. Hopefully, I'll be sending you two somewhere much safer."
"Hopefully, mother?"
Winter typed onto her keypad, bringing up a holographic map. "You were both present for the Elder Ice Dragon battle, meaning you know about the crevice it opened up."
"The one theorized to hold a new Dust... Oooh," Silber went.
"Weiss should be proud of your intellect," Winter said with a smile. "I'm sending you two on a gathering and reconnaissance mission. The two of you are to explore The Crevice, locate the Dust Vein, and collect as much Dust as you can carry. Any information on the area and the potential dangers are vital."
"Just the two of us," Shiva asked. "Even on simple missions like this, unless under special conditions, New Mantle missions require a minimum of four."
Winter sighed. "I know, and I HATE what I'm about to do. If I wasn't so busy, I'd go with you myself and drag your father with us if he wasn't on a solo mission himself. However, since I can't use either method... I'm going to have to rely on the Science Division."
"Come again," the cousins went in unison.
"Enter," Winter went.
The cousins looked toward the sound of an opening door.
"Dr. Inferno," Shiva asked in confusion.
"Ciao ragazze," he said with a wave.
"Uh, Aunt Winter, are you serious? He's the best scientist in New Mantle, but he's no soldier."
Dante laughed at Silber. "My dear sweet Bambina, I'm not going to join you. He is," he said as he looked at the doorway.
The girls looked to see someone shocking.
"UNCLE JAUNE," Silber yelled in shock.
"B-But you're all the way in Menagerie! How are you here," Shiva went.
Before the girls was the Grimm King himself, in his Ambrosian Ga-
"Wait a minute," Shiva went. "That armor. It has the New Mantle Crest on its breastplate."
"Ah, an astute eye, my dear. As expected of an Ace Op. Silber and Shiva Schnee, I present to you the newest and greatest model of the Atlesian Knight, The Mantle Grimm Champion!"
"You're telling me that the being before us... is an android," Silber asked as she stared at the imposing being that looked JUST like her uncle in his new armor.
"PRECISAMENTE! Ladies of New Mantle, I give you the latest and greatest android technology has to offer to date, Mantle Grimm Champion! Modeled after our dear Jaune Arc himself, with schematics borrowed from the late Dr. Polendina's Penny Project, and a crap ton of research involving data from some of New Mantle's best fighters and, once again, Jaune Arc; I give you the Ultimate Android!"
"The Penny Project," Silber asked. "As in Penny Polendina? One of my mom's best friends who died in front of her once then asked my uncle to kill her the second time? THAT Penny?"
"Well, when you put it that way," Dante went sheepishly.
"Mother, I'm honestly shocked you approved of this. Penny was your friend, too, wasn't she?"
Winter sighed. "She's the reason I have my powers, to begin with. Trust me, my dear, I didn't want to approve of this, but Dante made far too many valid points. The Grimm are becoming stronger. The God of Darkness's influence is growing at a rate we can't calculate. What's worse than that is the fact we have no way of finding Callows and his Cult. Jaune can't be everywhere at once, and we shouldn't have to solely rely on him to solve all of the world's problems. He needs our assistance, and if Penny's legacy can help protect this world, then I know she would happily allow this."
Shiva smiled. "From what you've told me of her, that sounds exactly right, mother."
"Still, an android based on my uncle and Penny," Silber asked as she walked up and analyzed the creation. "Couldn't you see this as Uncle Jaune and Penny's son?"
A slam was heard, everyone looking to see that Winter had slammed her head onto her desk, face first. "I now deeply, deeply, DEEPLY regret approving of this."
Silber laughed nervously. "Sorry, Aunt Winter. So, uh, what can this bad boy do?"
"Ah, many things, my dear. As you know, when Jaune came to New Mantle in hopes of a disguise for his condition, we did extensive research on his new physiology. One of the most intriguing aspects of our dear hero is his preference to use Beowolf claws in hand-to-hand combat." As soon as Dante said that, the android lifted his hand, claws growing out of his fingertips.
"These nanotech claws contain channels that lead to Dust Reserves, meaning he can change his claws to any element he wishes," Dante explained as each of the Champion's claws turned a different color. "And he's also been programmed to perfectly imitate Jaune's fighting style to such a degree that he easily took down a platoon of Atlesian Knights without so much as scuffing his armor," he explained just as the android activated its helm, now covering its face.
"That would make him powerful enough to take down an Atlesian Paladin," Shiva said.
"Please! He tore that poor thing to shreds! I almost felt sorry for it. Though, it did give me great data on how to improve the schematics for the New Mantle Paladin series."
"When exactly did I give permission for that," Winter asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm just making preparations for the eventual project," he answered, making Winter sigh.
"Now, since this is based on Jaune, it wouldn't be complete without its own sword, now would it?" As soon as Dante asked that, a double-edged sword shot out of the android's wrist, the robot expertly spinning the weapon before resting it on his shoulder. "I was even able to install a Hard-Light Dust Shield," Dante said as the robot held up his free arm, the Dust Shield appearing.
"And the best part, it's not just Jaune's fighting style we programmed into him. We programmed the swordsmanship of New Mantle's greatest swordsman," Dante said excitedly.
"Oh, gods," Winter said as she dragged her hand down her face.
As soon as she said that, the hard light shield retracted, a second sword shooting out of the robot's arm before he took a familiar stance.
"My mother?! You programmed him to fight like my mother," Shiva yelled in uncharacteristic surprise. Shiva stared at the android before looking at her mother. "You approved of that?"
Winter sighed. "It seemed like the correct course of action, making sure the Champion knew multiple fighting styles. My dual-wielding style seemed to be one of the most appropriate."
Shiva stared at her mother before looking at the robot still in his stance. She then looked her mother straight in the eyes. Shiva then pointed at herself before pointing at the android. Winter nodded in approval.
Shiva immediately took out her canister and activated it, her White Death appearing out of it. As soon as it was in hand, she rushed at the robot, the two clashing. In the next moment, the two were blurs. Honestly, they looked like Qrow and Winter fighting each other, except it was a Schnee with a scythe.
Their fight lasted merely a minute when the two jumped away from each other, Shiva reverting her scythe back into its portable canister form while the android retracted his swords.
"Mm, nice. Very nice. This is some very useful data," Dante said as he was typing away at his scroll.
"I have to admit, it may not be at my dear uncle's level, but it's still incredibly powerful," Shiva said with an approving smile.
"Of course, it's not at Jaune's level. What do I look like, a miracle worker? It would take even our Science Division YEARS to fully copy that monster of a man at his CURRENT level. Once Jaune himself is complete, I'm not even sure I'll have enough years left in my life to create an android capable of matching him."
"You really think my uncle is going to become that powerful," Silber asked.
"Lady Silber, I'm going to be honest with you, we placed a monitor inside of Jaune."
Winter slammed her hands on her desk as she stood up. "YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO TRACK HIM THIS ENTIRE TIME?!"
"Monitor! Monitor. We can't track him at all. We're just able to study the development of his body and powers. It was able to track him at first, but something happened that took the tracking system out. It's a miracle we can still even analyze his growth in power. The fact of the matter is that he's growing faster than we can manage. His powers are... well, beyond even yours, General."
"I know. I lost to him, remember? It's the only reason he's not one of my Ace Ops right now with Shiva properly training Argent."
"Oh, my. I would have been Arie's mentor? What a waste," she said genuinely.
"Well, the point is, my Grimm Champion wouldn't even be a challenge to Jaune if he got serious. It could possibly beat him if Jaune solely relied on his skills, no magic involved... is what I would have said if he didn't learn the Beast God Styles."
"Beast God Styles," Silber asked.
"THE Beast God Styles," Winter went. "I thought those were myths."
"Nope. They're real, and Jaune seems to have mastered a few of them."
Winter sighed. "That man just keeps getting stronger. So, have you shown us all the capabilities of the Grimm Champion?"
"Well, not all of them."
"Shame. We're running low on time. We need to finish this so they can get on with their mission."
"Well, just know that the Penny Project had much more influence on the Grimm Champion than I care to admit."
Winter looked serious. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I didn't give it Aura as Dr. Polendina did, but I gave him practically everything else. The flight capabilities, the laser fire, and... an upgraded version of Penny's weapon."
"You WHAT?!"
The Grimm Champion's back then opened, and Floating Array then flew around the android.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME, INFERNO?! YOU EVEN WENT THAT FAR?!"
Dante flinched. "I admit, this is wholly inappropriate."
"YOU GAVE MY DECEASED FRIEND'S WEAPON TO SOMEONE ELSE!"
"Not exactly. As you recall, Floating Array had certain flaws. One of which was that they were attached to wires so thin that they were virtually invisible to the naked eye. We upgraded the Array to where the swords are," he began as he swung his arm below the hilt of one of the swords, showing that there was nothing there. "Have no need for something so fatal, meaning the tragedy of the Vytal Festival can never be repeated.
Winter's eyes widened. "How?"
"Magnetism."
"What?"
"And also wireless interface. All of the swords are neurologically linked to the Grimm Knight's CPU processor. They follow his thoughts," Dante explained as the Champion made the swords float around him in ways that would have torn him to shreds if they had wires like Penny's. "Their recorded distance is approximately twenty kilometers, but if the sword somehow gets that far, the special Gravity Dust we installed will have the sword rushing back to him immediately. And thanks to that same Dust's magnetic properties, we can even combine the swords," he explained as two swords indeed combined to make a double-sided blade. Then, a third one. Next, a fourth one to create a sword shuriken. Then, all the swords combined to create a ball of blades.
"Ooh, that's cool," Silber said.
"And without any wires, the swords can even be given away to any disarmed allies," Dante explained as three swords detached and flew to the three women, all of them catching a blade.
"Well, color me impressed," Shiva said as she analyzed the sword.
"I bet even mom would geek out about this and forgive you, Dr. Inferno. You really made Penny's legacy live on."
"Penny's legacy." Everyone looked at Winter, who was staring intently at the sword. "Indeed. This... is Penny's living legacy. Dante... you've done well."
Dante smiled and bowed respectively. "I'm happy you approve, General Winter." After he said that, The Grimm Champion retracted his Floating Array 2.0, the swords safely back inside the android.
"So, it's going to be the Grimm Champion, Silber, and myself," Shiva asked.
"No. As stated, unless under special circumstances, teams of four are a requirement. That's why I pulled some strings... again. Enter."
The doors then opened, and a female student walked through them.
Silber was surprised to see who it was. "Gaia?! Gaia Meiser?!"
"It's been a while, Silber," the grey-eyed beauty said before saluting Winter.
"Well, this is a surprise. I haven't seen you since I was a student," Shiva said.
"You mean before you just skipped ahead to a soldier and left the rest of us in the dust, Gaia asked the younger beauty. "Seriously, I'm supposed to be both of your seniors, yet a fourteen-year-old outranks me?" Gaia sighed.
"I'm sorry, Gaia, but I am quite an impatient woman. Though, if it makes you feel any better, I'll turn fifteen this month."
Gaia groaned. "At least I still have seniority over Argent."
"Mm, and why do you know about my cousin," Silber asked in an annoyed tone.
"The General put him in my class when last he was here."
"NAH?! AUNT WINTER?!"
"The boy needed to learn."
"Well, why didn't you put him in MY classes?!"
"Not the appropriate classes. Anyway, that's enough of that. Gaia, the only reason I'm putting you on this team is that you have the highest grades in your year. Save for my niece, you are the best of the best in the academy. Due to the Huntsman and soldier shortage New Mantle is suffering from, especially after the Elder Grimm War, I've decided to place my faith in you."
"I will not let you down, General."
Winter nodded. "Though Gaia has seniority in age, Shiva's rank makes her the leader of this temporary team. The mission is recon. You will enter The Crevice caused by the Elder Ice Dragon and search for any signs of a potential Dust Vein we can mine. Gather any Dust Ores you may find and map out the new region. Be sure to also document any Grimm you may see."
"Hm? General, you make it sound as if we'll find new species," Shiva said.
"I'm afraid you just might."
"Really? I mean," Silber cleared her throat. "What is your reasoning, General?"
"Previous scouting parties and drones claim to have seen unknown species of Grimm... and one infamous variant, a Wendigo."
"That can't be right," Gaia said. "Wendigo are native to Vale. There should be no way for them to make it here."
"Should, being the keyword," Dante said as he brought up a hologram on his scroll, showing the four blurry images of the supposed Grimm, none of them looking like any Grimm the girls have seen. "But these images are quite concerning. Our drones should be able to take images in even the worst of snow storms, yet they were barely even able to get these silhouettes of photos. It may be that one of the new species of Grimm has electromagnetic abilities."
"Permission to speak, doctor," Gaia said as she raised her hand.
"Granted, bambina."
"That image at the upper left, can you enlarge it?" Dante did just that.
"Antlers," Silber noticed.
"But it's not walking upright," Shiva added.
"Meaning it's not a Wendigo," Winter finished.
"That's one potential new species," Gaia said. "And look at the image next to it. The Grimm is looking right at the camera. It knew it was being watched."
"Meaning it has intelligence. That's never good in a Grimm," Shiva said. "At least the one below it looks less intimidating."
"It honestly looks... tiny," Gaia said.
"It does look rather small, but never let the size of a Grimm fool you," Winter said. "Need I remind you of the Nightmare insodent your mother went through when she was your age, Silber?"
"N-No, ma'am."
"Plus, the Spider Grimm is quite dangerous," Shiva added. "We should keep a lookout for that small Grimm."
"I'm more concerned with the image at the top right," Silber said, the image being enlarged. "It looks just like the Abominable Uncle Jaune fought atop the Elder Ice Dragon."
"You believe so, too," Winter said. She sighed. "That monster nearly killed Jaune. If you can confirm that the Grimm is indeed an Abominable, the mission ends. None of you are prepared to face such a foe."
"Permission to speak," Gaia went.
"Granted."
"What about the Grimm Champion," she asked.
"I'm not satisfied with the tests conducted with it quite yet. The only reason this mission is even being approved is the fact that the sightings are too few and far between. These images are the only existing ones of the potential Grimm in the area, and those drones have been scouting the area for days. Be that as it may, the danger of an Abominable being in the area needs to be discovered and reported immediately. Only the Ace Ops, including Ruby Schnee-Rose, would be qualified to take on the mission. If you find any concrete evidence of an Abominable, collect it and retreat back to New Mantle immediately. Am I clear?"
"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," the girls said in unison.
"Oh, but one last thing, General," Shiva said.
"Speak."
"The final image." Everyone looked at the last image.
The Grimm seemed to be hunched over, had massive horns, and seemed to be holding something. Its head also seemed turned, as if it was looking toward the drone as well.
"It doesn't seem to resemble any Grimm ever recorded. At least the other three had some form of resemblance to other known Grimm, but this one seems to be a complete mystery."
Winter stared at it and sighed. "I agree. I showed that image to your father as well, and Qrow can't think of any Grimm that shares the characteristics of this creature. It's obviously not a Wendigo, since its horns more closely resemble ram horns instead of antlers like a Wendigo. What's more, the size is concerning. From what we've gathered, it's no bigger than the Abominable, if not a tad bit smaller. Yet, there's something... off about it."
"You can feel it, too, mother," Shiva asked.
"I don't know why, but just looking at the picture," Silber began. She then stared intently at it.
The figure then turned to get a better look at her.
"WHOA!"
"Silber?"
She looked at a worried-looking Shiva.
"I-I'm alright." She looked back at the image, seeing it was unchanged. 'What... WAS that,' she thought.
Winter cleared her throat. "Well, that ends the briefing. The mission starts immediately. Your limit is twenty-four hours, not including travel time. If headquarters doesn't receive any reports on the twenty-third hour, reinforcements will be sent. No excuses. Dismissed!"
"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," everyone went in perfect unison, saluting the general.
The team was in the hub of headquarters, making sure they had all the necessary provisions for their twenty-four-hour mission.
"Oh, Dr. Inferno, do we need to worry about the GC's maintenance in any way," Shiva asked.
"What? Of course not. The Grimm Champion model may be far from complete, but he's not so defective that YOU need to maintain him. Many of his components have nanomachines for self-repair, but even then the armor is our strongest yet. The biggest flaw with the Atlesian Knights is that they were too fragile. That even a Beowolf could tear them apart. The Grimm Knight was designed to counteract such flaws. One of the many tests we put it through was going against a squadron of Atlesian Knights. He tore them apart as easily as Jaune did when we put him in the same situation."
"R-Right," Silber went. "But what if these unknown species are stronger than we predicted?"
"I wouldn't worry too much. I'm quite proud of the armor. For example," he began when he took out a gun. He shot the android four times in the chest.
Grimm Knight merely looked down and brush the bullets off his chest like he was brushing off dust, the bullets clinking onto the ground like coins.
"Okay. I'll admit. That was pretty awesome," Silber said.
"I've seen videos and recordings of the old Atlesian Knights," Gaia began. "They were... disappointing. Isn't that why you remodeled the androids from the ground up?"
"Absolutely! Everything in this world needs to be constantly improved. Even when you think you've found the perfect balance, it most likely can be improved. The Mantle Knights are no different. And yes, we tested the Grimm Champion against them as well, and he DESTROYED them. You girls are in good hands. But in the off hand something does go wrong..." Dante dug in his pocket and threw something at Gaia, who easily caught it.
She looked in her hand. "A repair kit." She opened it. "This is some high class material and tools."
"I've seen your reports. You're one of the best mechanics in your year. If anyone can repair the GC, it's you."
Gaia chuckled as she pocketed the kit. "I'll be sure not to disappoint."
"And just in case, we have a remote monitor station at the base to analyze the situation at all times. It will be like having Atlas Tower at your side for the entirety of the mission... hopefully."
"I didn't like that last word," Shiva said. "You're rarely uncertain of situations, doctor."
Dante sighed. "We've sent drones inside the crevice, but they've all gone offline at certain depths. None of them have been recovered or reactivated. The General refused to send any Huntsmen or soldiers to the area until we have more information."
"Will we be going to those depths," Gaia asked.
"Absolutely not. We've measured The Crevice to have three discovered levels of depth. It's the third level the drones have always gone offline. Exploration beyond level three is considered an A-Rank Mission, which obviously only Shiva is qualified for."
"So we're only exploring the first and second level? That's not much," Gaia said.
"Haven't the drones discovered any Dust at those levels?"
Dante shook his head. "As we briefed in the General's Quarters, a strange interference prevented the monitors from showing us anything concrete. That's why we're sending Huntsmen with their scrolls. However, just in case," he began as he dug into his pocket. He then threw something at Shiva, the leader easily catching it.
She looked at what she caught. "Wow. A film camera. I've only seen these things in history books."
"Old tech still has uses," Dante chuckled. "We've tested it. Film cameras won't be damaged by electrical interference like a scroll would be. If your scroll is out of order, rely on the camera. Just be sure to keep it dry. We don't want the film to be damaged.
Silber pocketed the camera. "I'll be sure to keep it safe, Dr. Inferno."
He nodded. "Now then, you'll be taking a New Mantle Tracked Carrier," Dante said as he motioned towards the vehicle. "It will serve as both your transportation, the base of operations, and sleeping quarters. Any extra supplies that may be necessary have already been stored, from ammunition to warmer clothing should The Crevice be even colder than predicted."
"Ooh, nice," Silber said. "Bet mom wishes she was on this mission."
Ruby sneezed. She then looked up to see that the Beowolf Pack she was stalking perked up before looking at her, the Huntress getting ready for a fight. Too bad she would soon find out it would be an easy fight.
"So... who's going to drive," Silber asked, making the group turn silent.
The cousins then looked at Gaia.
"What?"
"Well, you're the oldest among us, right," Silber asked. "Don't you have a license?"
Gaia looked annoyed. "Why yes, I do. Only one problem: It's a license to drive a Rain Stallion, NOT A MILITARY TRACKED CARRIER!"
"That complicated," Silber asked Shiva.
"Oh, absolutely."
"Can you-"
"Mother won't let me get my driver's license until I turn fifteen, let alone teach me how to drive military equipment."
"Uh, just let the Champion drive," Dante went. "He's programmed to drive military vehicles, after all."
"Oh," the girls went in unison.
The team was being driven through the tundra, about ten minutes away from the destination.
"See any Grimm, Gaia," Shiva asked in the shotgun.
"No. Just tundra. Honestly, I'm surprised we haven't seen an Ursa Major."
"Or any Grimm for that matter, with all the reports we've been hearing about," Silber said. "You wouldn't happen to be able to spot any hiding from our human eyes, can you, GC?"
"No."
"WHOA! I didn't know you could talk."
"Affirmative. New Mantle Science Division installed an Artificial Intelligence capable of speech."
"And based it on dear Uncle Jaune's voice," Shiva said.
"Affirmative. Virtually all of this model's features are based off of Huntsman Jaune Arc, including physical characteristics."
"You... wouldn't happen to have a face, would you," Gaia asked.
Grimm Champion was unresponsive for a bit until his helm opened up and retracted into his armor, revealing a face.
"Again, modeled after my uncle," Shiva giggled.
"One of the major complaints about previous Atlesian Knights was the intimidation factor... against civilians. Androids were built to keep the peace and bring a sense of safety. Such objectives can't be achieved if the citizens fear the protector. As such, the division decided to give me a face."
"Based on the man known as the Sexiest Man Alive," Gaia said. "Even gave you his beard. All you're missing is the Wolf Tail."
"I really liked my uncle's wolf tail," Silber said.
"I could do without it," Shiva admitted.
"We have reached the mission objective."
Silber and Gaia popped their heads past the front seats, their eyes widening.
"Wow. It's bigger in person," Silber said.
"Twenty-four hours to explore as much of that as possible without going past the third level? Honestly, I think I prefer that. It looks like it would take months to fully explore that, if not years," Gaia said.
Shiva's eyes narrowed. "GC?"
"Affirmative. We are being watched."
"What," Silber went.
"It was a glimpse, but I saw a pair of eyes watching us from The Crevice. We've been scouted."
"Grimm were watching us," Gaia asked. "But I thought only Jaune's Grimm were that smart."
"The world is changing drastically, Gaia, and not necessarily for the better," Shiva said. "GC, what's the current status of the mission?"
"Unchanged. Danger levels have only increased slightly. The mission rank has not been increased. Extra caution is advised," he said as he parked the truck.
"Noted," Shiva said as her team exited the vehicle.
The four stood in front of The Crevice, looking down the massive, bottomless hole.
"Is that a path," Gaia asked as she pointed at something.
"Well, what can barely pass as one," Silber stated. "Looks a bit unstable, though. GC?"
His helm returned, visor shining for a split second. "Confirmed. It should be able to support the weight of the truck, meaning it can easily support us should nothing happen."
"Should nothing happen," Silber asked.
"Ambush."
"Of course," she sighed. She then took out her scroll. When she activated it, all she got was a static-covered screen. "Shiva?"
"I can hear it. That's unfortunate. Any forms of distant communication we can use, GC?"
"Vocal."
"That's a terrible idea in an area possibly full of Grimm. Alright, under no circumstances are we to separate. Stick close at all times and be ready for an attack in any direction. Understand?"
"Understood," they all went in unison.
Shiva then took out her camera and took a photo of The Crevice, the very first clear picture to date.
As she was doing that, Silber was looking down into the hole when she saw something. "Uh, Shiva?"
"Hm?"
"Look," she pointed, everyone looking with her.
They all saw a shadowy figure in what looked to be a cave before it vanished within.
"Well, that's ominous," Shiva said with a raised eyebrow.
"Current known data suggests that wasn't the Abominable. It's too short."
"Short? Even from here, that thing looked pretty big," Gaia said.
"The fourth image," Silber said. "The Grimm with the ram horns carrying something. Could it have been that?"
"The possibility is high."
Silber looked back at the cave. "Why does that... frighten me?"
"Hey," Shiva said as she placed a reassuring hand on her cousin's shoulder. "No need to fear anything. We're not here to fight. It's a research and gathering mission. Besides, you're part of a team with New Atlas Academy's best student, one of the youngest licensed Huntresses in history, and the most powerful android ever made to date. Besides, I'm not about to let some Grimm hurt my adorable cousin."
Silber smiled before she playfully swatted Shiva's hand away. "Why didn't you mention that I'm pretty powerful myself? We're both Schnees, you know."
Shiva giggled. "Then you have nothing to worry about. Alright," Shiva said as she took out a stopwatch set for twenty-three hours, activating it. "Begin mission."
"Ma'am, yes, ma'am."
Unbeknownst to the team, something was waiting for them. Something hiding within the very walls of The Crevice.
Within one of the many hidden ice caves of The Crevice, an imposing figure stared at an ice wall. On that wall... was the sight of the team walking down into The Crevice. The creature was watching them.
It growled menacingly before it slashed at the magical image, and thorny gashes slashed across the team.
The group was walking down into The Crevice, keeping their eyes peeled for any Grimm or valuables or anything worth photographing.
"Hm? What the-" Gaia went as she knelt down.
"Find something," Silber asked.
"Something unbelievable," she answered as she brushed some snow away.
"Plant life," Shiva asked. "Here in the Solitas tundra? That shouldn't be possible."
"Not the first time we've seen the impossible," Gaia said as she carefully dug the plant out, roots and all, being sure not to damage any of it. "GC? Got a scanner on ya?"
The android didn't answer. Instead, his visor glowed before he scanned the plant. "High levels of heat detected."
"Heat," Silber asked. She then looked at the plant, took off one of her protective gloves, and gently poked one of the leaves. "Huh. Toasty. It feels like a heater."
"More like a warm fire," Gaia said. "It feels like this could keep you safe when your Aura shatters."
"That's valuable," Shiva said as she took a picture of the plant. "This herb could save many lives. Might even prevent the freezing disaster Arthur Watts put Mantle through if we had these. GC, can you find any more?"
The android looked around, scanning the area. "Possible locations detected. Minor Dust Vein detected."
"A Dust Vein? Already," Silber asked. "Wait... GC, can you tell what kind of Dust it is?"
"High heat signature detected. Possibility of Fire Dust being the Dust Vein is highly probable."
"I knew it."
"Care to share, dear cousin," Shiva asked.
"A weird plant that feels like a fire growing over a Red Dust Vein? Seems too much of a coincidence, if you ask me."
"Are you saying the Dust Veins are making new plant life," Gaia asked.
"Can you explain the fire herb in your hand away," Silber asked.
"That's still quite the theory, Silber," Shiva said. "This has never happened before, and Dust Veins have been found in ecosystems as dense as Anima's jungles. None of the plants there were mutated."
"It's just a theory. Besides, most of the Dust Veins were naturally formed as far as we knew. The Crevice was made from Uncle Jaune's fight against the Elder Ice Dragon. He was using magic like crazy. It doesn't help that my mom, great uncle, and the Ace Ops blasted that thing with Silver Dust. Who knows how much of the area that fight caused."
"And Dust is still one of the most mysterious subjects on the planet," GC chimed in. "No one, not even Dr. Dante himself, knows the full capacity and potential of Dust. Plant mutation doesn't seem that far-fetched."
"Be that as it may, we still shouldn't jump to conclusions, but we most definitely need to remember this theory and conversation. Silber, you're good at taking notes. Have you-"
"Been recording everything of importance we've said," she asked as she was typing away at her scroll before putting it away. "Absolutely."
Shiva giggled. "I'd expect no less from you. Still, I want all of us to carry at least one of these 'fire herbs'. Not only will the doctor be able to examine more than one specimen, but it might also help keep us warm in The Crevice, especially if we keep going down."
"Right-o, boss lady," Silber said.
"Of course, ma'am," Gaia said.
Silber nodded as she was about to turn around.
GC's visor gleamed. "ABOVE US," he roared as he looked up.
Everyone looked up to see a giant stalactite falling toward them.
As the stalactite fell toward the team, Shiva and Silber took out their weapons and stabbed them into the ground, creating glyphs. From their glyphs, massive pillars of ice shot out, stabbing into the building-sized ice. However, the ice was still falling. Worse yet, it was causing the ground beneath them to crack.
Gaia then ran towards GC, planning to jump off of him, but she was surprised to see that he already had his hands cupped together, ready for her to jump off them. She followed his lead, the android throwing Gaia toward the ice, the beauty reeling back her fist.
Her gauntlets, Orgí Tis Fýsis (Greek for Nature's Wrath), began to glow from her Semblance, Heaven's Judgement.
The Meiser Siblings all have elemental-like Semblances. Using their Aura, they can supercharge certain systems of the body. For Ice, he supercharges the cooling system of the body, dropping his temperature to the point where his sweat is as cold as liquid nitrogen, freezing anything he touches. For Heat, he supercharged the heating system to the point his blood is literally boiling hot, melting anything in his clutch.
Gaia supercharges the electrical system of the body. She can charge it to such a degree that she can literally hold lightning in the palm of her hand. She can even throw it like a javelin, people call it her secondary weapon. However, she rarely weaponized her Semblance.
She instead uses it to augment her strength, charging her muscles to gain superhuman strength that impressed even the likes of Elm Ederne, often seen as the physically strongest of all Ace Ops.
With her charged gauntlets, Gaia punched the icicle, completely shattering nearly the entire structure. Massive chunks fell around the area, crashing into the walls and falling into the abyss.
The largest piece, the very top of the icicle, fell towards the Schnee cousins. Shiva was preparing to summon an Arma Gigas, a gifted opponent Weiss allowed her to fight for such an occasion, but she was surprised to see no need for it when the structure just stopped.
She looked back to see that GC was easily holding up the ice with just one hand. The structure was about the size of a New Mantle armored transport vehicle, yet the robot was holding it like it was a mere stick.
Gaia landed near her three teammates. "Everyone alright?"
"Yeah. Just fine. That punch was amazing," Silber praised.
Gaia looked at her hand, clenching it into a fist. "No. It wasn't. Something tells me a punch from those two would have turned it to snow."
"Those two," Silber asked.
"The Arcs."
"My uncle and my little cousin? You're trying to compare yourself to them? Arie, I can understand, but Gaia, Jaune is on a totally different level from anyone we know, even my aunt. We shouldn't try to compare ourselves to a man trying to prepare for a possible fight against a god."
"I... suppose you're right. Hm? Something wrong, Shiva?" Silber looked to see that her cousin and GC were analyzing the stalactite.
"Where did this come from," Shiva asked.
"Um, above," Silber answered like it was the most obvious answer.
Shiva then looked up. "Above from where?"
Silber and Gaia looked up, their eyes widening in realization when they saw the open sky.
"We're not at the second level yet. We're deep, true, but still not at the second level."
"The Grimm you and GC saw," Silber deduced.
"Affirmative," GC answered. "The Grimm are hunting us. The threat level has increased, but not to the point where retreat is necessary."
"You heard GC. We press on," Shiva said, but she had an uncharacteristically serious expression. Her usual calm and composed demeanor were replaced by worry and concern. She didn't like the situation at all.
"GC, can't you scan the area for the Grimm?"
"No. Interference is causing my scanners to malfunction. All I can locate are the various small tunnels surrounding us."
"Small tunnels," Gaia asked.
Grimm Champion then held out his hand and shot out a laser from his palm, hitting a point in the wall that crumbled... with a screech. Something fell out of the wall, already turning to black smoke as the hole appeared.
"Was that-" Silber began.
More screeching was then heard as more small Grimm began to rush out of the hole, letting out shrill and angry shrieks as they poured out as a large group.
"What in the- What kind of Grimm are those things," Gaia asked as she looked at the small creatures.
They had the standard black, white, and red colorings of the Grimm. There were about the size of small children, humanoid in stature, and had long and pointed ears, sharpened claws, and sharpened teeth. What was also unique about these creatures is that some were holding make-shift weapons, from holding sharpened icicles like daggers to crudely made stone-head hammers.
"Grimm using weapons? But... but that's never happened before. Not once," Silber said.
Shiva immediately took a picture of the creatures before taking her stance. "Prepare for combat!"
Silber immediately took her stance, Gaia shadowboxing a bit to limber herself up for the actual fight, while GC took the Nikos Stance, sword in one hand and Hard Light Shield in the other.
The small army of Grimm roared as they charged at the Huntresses and android. Three jumped at Shiva, but she easily cleaved them in half with a single swing of her scythe. Silber rushed past her cousin and appeared behind a straight line of the Grimm, the small monsters looking back at her. Before they could do anything, they screeched in pain as they all burst into smoke. When Silber stood up, she saw a Grimm lunge at her but didn't even try to move.
Gaia's fist then rushed over Silber's shoulder and sent the Grimm's head flying clean off. She then proceeded to punch more Grimm lunging at her. One tried to attack her knee with its hammer, but she merely stomped on its head before it had the chance to swing, catching its hammer before throwing it at the head of another Grimm.
One Grimm was preparing to throw its icicle at Gaia like a spear, only to be crushed by GC's shield. The android then proceeded to use Jaune's sword techniques to slaughter a large number of Grimm before throwing his sword. It stabbed into the ground through one of the last two Grimm, the creatures attempting to stab Shiva from behind. Shiva herself finished off the last one by stabbing her trident through it without even looking back at it.
"Well, that was fun," Silber said as she sheathed her sword.
"Should we expect more," Gaia asked.
"Oh, yes," Shiva said as she looked down into The Crevice. "MUCH more."
The team was successful in reaching the second level. They were amazed to find frozen berries near the beginning of the area.
"Are they... edible," Gaia asked.
GC picked one. He retracted his helm and tossed a berry in his mouth.
"You can eat," Silber asked in shock.
"Not for nutritional purposes. My tongue and pallet have sensors that analyze whatever substance I place in my mouth to scan for anything toxic. Since poison has no effect on anything robotic, I'm basically the perfect Food Taster. Not only that, but I can also analyze any beneficial aspects of whatever I find. For example, these berries would give you a brief relief from intense heat while nourishing you, or revitalizing your stamina."
"I see. That's very useful information," Shiva said as she wrote down the information GC provided. "It might not be of much use in Solitas, but these could be invaluable in Vaccuo."
"And Menagerie, too," Silber added. "Especially if they ever explore that desert."
Meanwhile.
"Achoo!"
"You okay, Kaha," a Crocodile Faunus asked.
"Yeah. Just a random sneeze." She then looked out toward the desert's center. "Hard to believe there's a monster tough enough to give Jaune trouble out there."
"Well we're not exploring THAT part of the desert," a Stork Faunus said. "We just need to analyze the area Moana is being built in and return back home."
"I know, I know. Phew. Anyone got something cold? Or frozen?"
"Just bear with it. You're the daughter of Lady Inai and Sir Howl, so you should be able to handle this heat just fine," said an oddly blue Panther Faunus.
Kaha sighed. "Thanks, Professor Coy. Still doesn't mean I don't want something cold every once in a while," she mumbled as her team rode the Devil Dragons to their destination.
"I'm sure my mother will figure out how to properly monopolize these berries," Silber said as she collected as many as she could carry while Shiva took pictures of the bush.
"I guess Dust wouldn't be the only thing of value we'd find on this expedition," Shiva said.
"Speaking of Dust," Gaia called. Everyone looked toward her to see her standing in front of a wall. The group joined her and saw what she found.
"A Dust Vein," Shiva said as she took a picture of it. "It seems to be Ice Dust."
"A pure Ice Dust Vein. Even Great Grandpa Nicholas couldn't find one, and we're in the coldest place in the world," Silber said. "GC, do you have the tools needed to collect a sample?"
GC shook his head. "I'm designed to be a war machine, not a miner or all-purposes. The most I can do is this," he said as he stood in front of the wall, the girls clearing a path for him.
The android held his hand an inch away from the wall, a look of concentration on his face. Then, a whirling was heard, sounding like a revving engine. The girls then noticed that his outstretched hand was shaking. Then it looked like it was vibrating. The vibration increased until it looked like a blur.
Then, Grimm Champion stabbed his hand into the wall and ripped it out, holding a shard of Ice Dust.
"Okay, that was impressive... but incredibly risky," Shiva said. "I'm sure Dante programmed the fact that Dust Veins are very volatile. One misstep could have caused them to combust and freeze all of us to the very marrow of our bones."
"Don't worry. I wasn't programmed to make such mistakes," GC said as he tossed the shard at Shiva, who easily caught it before she began to analyze it. "But what I said still stands. Miners are needed for Dust Veins, not me."
"Well, I guess we shouldn't rely on one robot to do everything," Silber said with her arms crossed.
"Just like we shouldn't rely on one man to do everything, right," Gaia asked.
"And why are you looking at me while asking that," Silber asked in an annoyed tone.
GC's head then turned toward the path they were to travel. "Incoming."
The girls took their stances as they prepared to face what came next. They all then heard a rhythmic clomp. Like hooves walking down a road.
Then, moments later, a pair of white with red line antlers appeared. Then came the rest of the Grimm. At first, it looked like an elk or reindeer, but the creature soon revealed to be twice or even three times the size of any of those beasts. Its horns alone looked like they could carry at least two or three of the animals. In a dark way, the creature was majestic.
"Whoa," Silber said. "What is THAT?!"
"A new Grimm. One of the species the drones caught glimpse of," Silber explained as she took a picture of the beast.
"So... what can it do," Gaia asked.
The Reindeer Grimm hopped onto its hind legs before slamming its front legs onto the ground, sending a wave of ice rushing toward the team.
"Had to ask," Gaia went in annoyance.
GC appeared before the group and activated his Hard Dust shield. He then showed off its expansion capacity, slamming down a shield that protected the three Huntresses, the ice wave harmlessly slamming against it.
As that onslaught occurred, Gaia jumped off of GC's back, flying over the still-rushing ice toward the massive Grimm. With a charged fist, she punched the Grimm right in the face, making it stumble while canceling its attack.
When Gaia landed, the formerly staggering Grimm didn't hesitate to slam its massive antlers into Gaia, the girl feeling the intense heat radiating from the beast before it sent her flying.
Before Gaia could crash into the wall, a Gravity Glyph saved her, the girl looking down to see that Silber had saved her.
As this was happening, Shiva lunged toward the beast and slashed its eye off, making it screech in pain as it staggered toward the ledge of the path. When it got close enough, GC lunged at the beast, dropkicking right into its side. The force of that kick made the beast fall off the edge, its screams echoing as it fell into the darkness.
The team looked over the edge, trying to find any trace of the beast.
"Something tells me that's not the last we've seen of that thing," Silber said.
"What a coincidence. I had that exact same feeling," Shiva said.
The group continued exploring The Crevice, finding different valuables, from exotic crystals that GC examined to be used to create denser ore that Silber named Ice Crystals to actual gold veins. The Crevice was proving to be a veritable treasure trove, and it was just the first two levels of a crevice that no one knew how deep it could go.
The depth of The Crevice was one problem, no one was able to survive a fall from any visible height. The second problem was the strange, small Grimm. They always attacked in packs. They weren't particularly strong, nor did they have any plans besides basic ambushes and used anything besides sharpened icicles and stone hammers and axes, but their numbers were certainly dangerous. The group knew that someone could easily be outnumbered and overpowered by a swarm of these things. It would be foolish to underestimate them due to their size.
It doesn't help that all four teammates felt like they were being watched the entire time. Judging by how often they were attacked, they probably were.
Then, Shiva stopped, the leader looking at the downward path. "This is it. The third level. Once we finish exploring this, we can return to base and report everything to General Schnee."
"Good. The Crevice is... hauntingly beautiful. I'm both amazed and disturbed by this place. Any lower might be too much for us, even with GC," Silber said.
"Never thought I'd feel nervous," Gaia said. "But it feels almost... forbidden to go any lower. We're not ready to go past the third level. That's Ace Ops territory."
"Maybe even Titan," Shiva said.
"You really think a Titan is needed to go further down," Silber asked her cousin.
"Look up," Shiva ordered. Everyone obeyed.
Silber's eyes widened. "What?"
"B-But how," Gaia asked.
"You see? The deeper we go, the more The Crevice expands. You need to remember that The Crevice was formed by a Grimm more than large enough to swallow New Mantle whole."
"Meaning a kingdom could be built within The Crevice," GC stated.
"A team of four wouldn't be enough to fully explore The Crevice," Gaia realized.
"GC, you've analyzed the environment, right," Shiva asked.
"Affirmative."
"The data you've collected, will it be able to help upgrade the Mantle Knights to be able to traverse The Crevice without any interference?"
"Affirmative. Admittedly, many of my own functions have been inhibited by The Crevice for a while, but adaptation technology has allowed my CPU to be able to slowly but surely reprogram my scanners to be able to resist the natural interference of The Crevice. Th Science Division needs only reverse engineer my data and the upgrades to the Knights can be done immediately."
"Alright. In the end, GC is the most valuable asset we have. We need him to be able to return to base so the Knights can be upgraded so they can explore The Crevice. Alright, team, one last level, and we can get back home... and get some hot cocoa."
"Oh, gods, don't tease me like that, Shiva," Silber groaned.
"I know. Finally, someone gives me a reason to vent about the cold," Gaia said as she took out a New Mantle Hot Drink and guzzled it down. "Second to last one," she reported.
"I have three left," Shiva reported.
"Same," Silber replied.
"I'm carrying the full capacity of five. If you need any, don't hesitate to ask me," GC reported.
"That android is incredibly useful," Gaia said as the team walked down to the third level.
As they explored, they found another Dust Vein.
"Lightning Dust. Ow! It's volatile. That's some of the purest Lightning Dust I've ever seen," Silber said as she shook her finger.
Gaia walked up and placed her hand on it, everyone seeing the electricity coursing through her arm. "I've never seen Lightning Dust this powerful before. You're going to need special equipment to get this out," she said as she took her hand off.
"By special equipment, you mean you and Nora Ren, right," Silber asked cutely.
"Ha, ha, ha. Being immune to electricity is only part of the equation, Schnee. You know that," Gaia said.
"Well, we'll let the Science Division deal with that," Shiva said as she took more pictures. "Let's explore the rest of the level. Judging from where we are, we just have a quarter left to explore. GC, how's our time?"
"We've explored the Crevice for approximately seventeen hours."
"That long? I didn't realize how much time has passed," Gaia said.
"Hard to tell without sunlight or a working scroll," Silber said. "I take it you have a built-in timer?"
"Correct."
"Well, after we reach the walkway to the fourth level, we can have GC fly us back up," Shiva said.
"He can fly," Silber asked.
"One of the bases for my creation was the P.E.N.N.Y. Project. Whatever she could do, I can as well."
"Um, can he really carry all three of us all the way to the top," Gaia asked.
"Please. None of you are NEARLY heavy enough to overload me. You might as well be the same weight as newborn kittens."
Gaia blushed. "Um. Wow. That's a weird thing to say about a girl's weight."
"Hey, he said we're light. I'm not complaining about that," Silber said with a shrug.
"Enough about our weight," Shiva went in a bored tone. "We have a mission to complete. Let's go."
"Yes, ma'am," the three went as they followed Shiva further into the third level.
As they walked, they noticed something disturbing.
"Not even a screech," Gaia said as she clenched her fist.
"Forget a screech. Why hasn't so much as a small rock fallen toward us," Silber asked as she gripped the handle of her sword.
"GC," Shiva asked.
"Negative."
Shiva's eyes narrowed as she grabbed her canister, preparing to summon her scythe.
In the entire time, they've explored the third level, they weren't attacked even once.
Then, a small quake occurred, everyone drawing their weapons, GC taking Qrow's sword stance with his own, not summoning his shield.
The team stood still for a few tense moments, waiting for something to appear.
Then, GC's sensors went into red alert, warning him of the intense vibrations occurring in the wall... next to Shiva.
Without warning, GC pushed Shiva out of the way. As soon as she was safe, a massive hand burst out of the wall and grabbed GC by the head, dragging him into the icy wall.
The next thing GC knew, he was being tossed into a tunneled cave, slamming into the cold wall. When he got up, he looked to see it was more than large enough for a proper battle before looking at his opponent.
Before he was the very same monster that nearly killed Jaune in the Battle of the Elder.
An Abominable stood before GC, the Grimm towering over the android. The beast then roared at the robot, ready for battle.
"WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED," Silber yelled as she looked at the cave-in which GC was yanked through.
"An Abominable," Shiva went. "That was the same Grimm Jaune fought in the war."
"That thing nearly killed him, and he had his powers. GC needs our help," Silber said as she stabbed her sword into the ground, creating a glyph. "Shiva, I'm definitely going to need your help."
"Absolutely. This is a precision problem, after all," she said as she summoned her scythe and stabbed the trident end into the ground, creating a glyph. "This may take some time."
"Uh, Shiva, I don't think we have time," Gaia said.
Shiva looked toward her teammate, her eyes widening. "By the gods."
Silber looked, her own eyes widening. "I now wish I WAS Ruby's daughter and had silver eyes like Arie."
Charging at the girls was an entire legion of the small Grimm, the goblin-like creatures giving out war cries and screeches, their weapons raised and ready for battle.
"Wait a minute. Silber, your mom has actually taken you to Dust Production factories, right," Gaia asked.
"Yeah. Why do you- Oh. Yeah, Gaia. They're holding shards of Dust Ore. Looks like Fire Dust."
"Oh, great," Gaia said sarcastically as she took her stance.
Shiva looked at the charging army before looking back at the cave-in. She could hear faint rumbling, muffled roars, and clashes. "I'm sorry, GC," she said before yanking out her scythe, canceling her glyph. "Prepare for combat!"
Silber yanked out her sword, canceling her glyph, before forming a new one to summon the small Grimm she killed earlier to even their odds a bit, Shiva following her cousin's lead. The summoned Grimm roared as they raised their tiny fists, some of the yanking chunks of ice out of the wall, with others already throwing rocks at the enemy, hitting some of them. One of the thrown rocks even made a Grimm fall into the Crevice, The creature screaming as it fell.
"Dangerously clever pukes," Gaia said, she and the others ready to fight.
Then, a roar was heard. A familiar roar. It was followed by a pounding sound. The girls looked over the edge of their path to see something jumping from path to path at great speeds before it jumped onto their path. The creature fell in the middle of the Grimm army, crushing many and sending more over the edge.
Before the team of three was the same massive Reindeer Grimm they had sent falling from earlier, its wounded eye still bleeding. The creature then roared with enough force to make the path crack, the girls now fearing it would crumble at any moment.
"Great! We needed GC to beat that thing last time, and now it's pissed and even tougher than before," Gaia yelled.
"Things are getting worse. Orders, leader," Silber went at Shiva.
"The odds are stacked against us. Our most powerful member is stuck fighting a monster that nearly killed the Grimm King, an army of Grimm is charging at us, our own forces are minuscule in comparison, and a Grimm that seems to be at the same threat level as the Abominable is glaring down at us. We're facing a single Large Town Threat level Grimm surrounded by Farm Level Grimm that constitutes a force of Small Town Level through numbers alone. We might be in trouble. The worst part is that retreat is basically impossible, especially since some of those gremlins have Dust Shards."
"Short answer, boss," Gaia went as she shadowboxed to limber herself up.
Shiva then opened the face of her scythe to reveal a chamber for Dust. She then took out a vial of Lightning Dust, slapped it in, and activated it, surrounding her scythe's blade with electricity. She then flipped her weapon, snapped off the head of her trident to show a chamber, and dropped a vial of Ice Dust in it. When she closed it and activated it, her trident was covered in ice, growing into a longer and more vicious trident of ice.
"KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!"
"MY KIND OF ORDER!"
"FOR NEW MANTLE!"
With Silber's battle cry, the girls and their small army of summoned Grimm charged at the army led by the massive Grimm, beginning their own fight.
Grimm Champion was slammed onto the ground with enough force to make the ice floor crack. His vision was blurred by static, but when it recovered, he saw a massive pillar of ice about to slam into him.
He wasn't able to dodge in time, the ice crushing onto him.
The Abominable lept onto the ceiling, roaring as it lunged at the spot where the android would be, ready to slam into it.
However, the ice began to crack.
When it got close enough to the ice, GC burst out of the ice, landing a powerful uppercut onto the monster's chin. Not letting up, GC grabbed the beast by its long and shaggy hair, spinning around with great force. He was spinning so fast that he made sure to calculate when the monster's hair would tear out of his grip. When it did, the Abominable smashed into the ice with brutal force. It was enough to make the two enemies fall through the floor.
GC landed on his feet, accessing his Nikos Style files, sword, and shield in hand. He immediately charged when the shield was ready.
The Abominable burst out of the ice with a roar of rage, only for GC to slam his shield into its face. GC then jumped off of the monster before throwing his sword, the blade stabbing through the beast's chest all the way down to the hilt. When GC landed, he activated the Gravity Dust in the weapon, his sword rushing back at him.
When GC caught it, he threw his sword back at the monster, the weapon spinning like a sawblade, slicing out one of the monster's eyes, the Grimm roaring in anguish as it stumbled back.
GC held out his hand, expecting his sword to rush back to him, and cut the Abominable once more.
Instead, the android was shocked when he saw the Grimm actually catch the sword, by its hilt, no less.
With its one good eye, the Abominable glared at the powerful robot with enraged, hate-filled eyes. Then, with a roar, it threw his sword back at him like it was a spear.
GC held up his shield in time to block the sword, awestruck by the sheer power of the throw. He was even more shocked when the blade pierced through his shield. Hard-Light Dust was supposed to be close to indestructible, needing power comparable to Salem herself to be damaged.
This was undeniable proof that the Grimm were evolving at terrifying rates to where no normal Huntsman could handle them.
That thought was enough to distract GC long enough for the Abominable to grab him by the head and slam him into the ground. The monster then stomped on the robot hard enough to make even The Crevice quake.
"WHOA," Gaia went as she and the other girls were trying to keep their balance. The small Grimm weren't as lucky, many of them falling to their deaths with a screech.
The quake ended with a stomp from the Reindeer Grimm, the massive beast roaring.
"Did that thing just stop an earthquake with a stomp," Silber asked.
"This just keeps getting better," Shiva said sarcastically.
The Abominable blew freezing breath onto GC, freezing him over nearly instantly. It then raised its massive arms and slammed them down with enough force to shatter the thick ice it created, grabbing GC and throwing him against a far-off wall.
The robot slid down, chest sparking due to the ice shards lodged in it, left shield arm twitching due to the damage from the thrown sword, and strained groaning gears heard due to excessive damage.
WARNING: HULL INTEGRITY AT 45%. BATTERY LIFE AT 20%. DAMAGE LEVEL-CRITICAL. IMMEDIATE REPAIR IS REQUIRED.
"Immediate repair-Impossible."
UNDERSTOOD. SUGGESTION: ENERGY DIVERGENCE TO NECESSARY AREAS.
"Accepted. Supply legs with the necessary energy to stand and take a strong stance."
UNDERSTOOD.
GC felt the power in his legs, the android standing back on his feet, wobbling a bit but was able to stand firmly. As he was doing this, the Abominable was covering its claws with ice, growing it to a more vicious and deadly length before it roared, as if announcing it was ready.
"Diverge all remaining power to the primary battle arm, including Dust Power."
UNDERSTOOD.
GC held up his right hand, his fist beginning to vibrate. It was then surrounded by lightning, fire, ice, hard light, and gravity. It was basically glowing and shaking with power.
"Alright, this is all I have left. Either this punch eviscerates you or you tear me apart. I'LL TAKE THOSE CHANCES!"
The Abominable roared before it charged at GC, lunging at him, claws reeled back as it prepared to rip the android to pieces.
The Grimm Champion then threw his final punch, time seemingly freezing as the two opponents unleashed their final attack.
Shiva slashed a Grimm while one of her summons pounced onto one trying to lunge at her from behind. She looked to see Silber stab one through the head while Gaia uppercut one with enough force to send its head flying. Still, the leader could tell her teammates were getting tired. It didn't help that the Reindeer Grimm was just standing there, looking at them menacingly, waiting for them to be at their weakest.
Then, something unexpected happened. A laser blasted out from below and grazed the Grimm's back, but it was more than enough to make the beats howl in pain. When the beam was gone, the area it seared off of the massive reindeer was a smoldering, smoking wound.
The girls were shocked.
"W-What was that," Gaia went.
Silber looked at the smoldering, melting hole. "That had to be GC! He's alive!"
"I at least hope so," Shiva said in worry before looking at the reindeer, seeing it stumble.
Her eyes then shot open in determination. "SILBER, GUILLOTINE MANUEVOR!"
Silber's eyes widened in determination as she prepared to join her cousin in the combo attack. The Schnees then charged at the reindeer, ready to end the beast once and for all.
Time seemed to move at a crawl as the Abominable's claws scratched into the android's helm, piercing through. The android moved his head, but the claws cut through and began to slash through his face, nearly taking out his right eye. However, the heroic robot was able to move his head, the Abominable only able to rip off his helm to reveal his face.
The Grimm wasn't as lucky as the robot, for his fist connected perfectly with the monster's chest. An explosion of power occurred as all the Dust in the android's fist exploded toward the Grimm.
However, the monster was stubborn. It roared as it powered through toward Grimm Champion, reaching toward his head. In retaliation, GC channeled more Dust and power into his fist, and the android and the Grimm in a power struggle.
During this struggle, GC's fist began to crack. His internal systems were blaring countless warnings to the android:
OVERHEAT IMMINENT
UNIT STRUCTURE AT CRITICAL
DAMAGE TO INTERNAL SYSTEMS DETECTED
RIGHT APPENDAGE AT CRITICAL POINT OF DAMAGE. DESTRUCTION IMMINENT.
As soon as the last warning popped up, Grimm Champion's fist shattered.
The robot's eyes widened before they sharpened with resolve. Stomping forward and roaring in defiance, GC turned his stump of an arm into a cannon, the Dust channeled into it being turned into a powerful laser. The laser at point blank blasted a hole through the Abominable.
The powerful Grimm then roared in anguish as it was engulfed in the laser, the beam blasting out and giving the Schnee cousins the opening they needed against the Reindeer Grimm.
The Abominable gave one last roar before it was completely engulfed in the makeshift laser, the beast is slain. When the laser was gone, not even Grimm smoke remained.
GC's arm was sparking before it fell down limply, the android falling to one knee.
SYSTEM ERROR. UNIT IN IMMEDIATE NEED OF REPAIR. CONTACTING NEW ATLAS TOWER. ERROR. UNABLE TO CONNECT WITH TOWER. REROUTING POWER TO EMERGENCY SURVIVAL MODE.
GC actually groaned as he felt his power being channeled to the more essential parts of his body, meaning his legs and motor components, the robot standing up with a wabble.
"Run diagnostics, full scan."
UNDERSTOOD.
SALUTATIONS!
"Huh?"
HELLO! YOU SEEM TO BE HEAVILY DAMAGED. YOU EVEN LOST YOUR ARM. ARE YOU ALRIGHT, FRIEND?
"What is this?"
HELLO! I AM YOUR DIAGNOSTIC SCANNER A.I.!
"Why are you so... different?"
OH, DR. INFERNO THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BEST TO GIVE YOUR DIAGNOSTIC A.I. A DIFFERENT PERSONALITY. TO SHOW THAT YOU'RE CARED FOR.
"Cared for? I'm an android. I can be remade.
THAT'S NOT A VERY NICE THING TO SAY ABOUT YOURSELF.
GC sighed. "My diagnostics?"
OH, OF COURSE. AS STATED EARLIER, YOUR ARM IS MISSING. YOU ALSO LOST THE HELM PIECE OF YOUR ARMOR. MOST OF YOUR INTERNAL MECHANISMS ARE HEAVILY DAMAGED. FURTHER COMBAT ISN'T ADVISED.
"Advice?"
CORRECT. YOU ARE TECHNICALLY COMBAT-READY, BUT THE PROBABILITY OF IT BEING THE CAUSE OF YOUR TERMINATION IS HIGH. PLEASE, DO NOT ENGAGE IN ANY FURTHER COMBAT.
"No promises."
I SEE. THAT IS UNFORTUNATE.
"Are my thrusters operational?"
AB-SO-LUTELY! AND YOU HAVE ENOUGH FUEL TO BRING ALL THREE GIRLS TO THE SURFACE! BUT AFTER THAT, YOUR POWER RESERVES WILL BE AT TEN PERCENT, MAKING MOST FUNCTIONS DEACTIVATE, SAVE FOR MOVEMENT. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE DUST OR THRUSTERS.
"What about the Floating Array," GC asked as he looked at his back.
DAMAGE TO THE MAIN CPU IS... ACCEPTABLE! YOU WILL BE ABLE TO USE THE ARRAY AND THE SWORD IN YOUR LEFT ARM, BUT THE SWORD ISN'T RECOMMENDED. YOUR MOVEMENT IS TOO LIMITED IN YOUR CURRENT STATE. MINIMAL MOVEMENT IS RECOMMENDED, MEANING THE ARRAY IS PERFECT!
"Good to know. The mission is complete. We've gathered more than enough material and information about The Crevice. Return to New Mantle is now the top priority. Mandatory repairs are placed into temporary suspension. Reroute all power to-"
GC was interrupted by a stomp.
No. It was no stomp. It was just a step. He thought that when he heard the same thing again and again. It was coming from behind him.
He looked to see what was making it. "Oh, come on."
In front of the Grimm Champion Android, something walked forward, holding what looked like black birch rods with crimson thorns, the being holding the menacing plants growling lowly at the badly damaged robot.
A/N: And that's the end of part 1. Hopefully I'll have the next part uploaded soon, but you guys might need to wait until next year.
See you then!