A/N: Happy 2023.
Surai98-When I said impregnate them I mean in the future. When Argent is 17yrs or 18yrs old and by accident!
And isn't Weiss is his like stepmom no blood relation what so ever, she is Ruby's wife solidifying that she is a stepmom for Argent.
And you insinuated Nora&Lei swinging with Juane&Nemue. As for Harriet I thought it would be more funny her getting pregnant rather than Elm.
OH, CRAP SANDWICH! I IMPLIED HE'D DO IT AS A KID, DIDN'T I! I SO DIDN'T MEAN THAT! I SWEAR!
But yeah, he'd be a chip off the ol' block for doing that.
I think it would still be weird for Arie to get his mom's wife preggars. Sounds like a cultured dojin. . . Honestly, I'm surprised that doesn't exist. What would the title be? My Mom's Wife is My Girlfriend? I Got My Mom's Wife Pregnant? My Lover is My Mom's Lover? She's Mommy's Girl, Not Yours, Son!(?) Mom's Wife is Pregnant with My Baby? Take your pick or add to the pile.
I can see it happening, actually. Nora finally gets curious about what her leader's sex life is like to bag a literal goddess and convinces Lie somehow to join her in the "game". One of the best nights either couple has ever had.
And also ironic since Argent has a crush on Elm but only respects Harriet. . . Nah. I'm stickin' with Elm!
SilentKnightFan- No worries dude. Regardless if you can or cant, its not a big deal. I like what you write. Its interesting. So thanks for the fics. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year btw.
Awesome chapter, glad that its a focus on other characters and expanding on them. Those are some creepy grimm but now the Boss has showed up XD WOOOO! PART 2 IS GONNA BE AWESOME! XD
I hope to not disappoint with Part 2. Also, turns out chapters on other characters is pretty fun. There's going to be another special farther down that you might especially like.
Guest- So Jaune knocked up 7 Women... I'm sorry but that's completely irresponsible
If both parties are not taking measures to prevent pregancy then Nothing is accidental.. Either Both or one of them was Careless or One or both of them was deliberate in Attempting to Conceive. This could be subconscious or deliberate on both parts.. If A Woman wants to do it without a Condom, They Should Not Upset or Scared if A Man ejaculates inside her... if yall both agree on children or You 100% know it is safe Day then the Let Man Finish inside of you or You Have him use a Condom
If You are Raw Dogging A Woman then one Sh
Yeah, no defense. Jaune was totally irresponsible. Though, honestly, so far, Ruby was the only one truly addicental. Neo, Raven, Murua, and two other beauties that will be introduced all wanted their children, even if it meant hiding them from the father (for various and honestly pretty selfish reasons), but Ruby was just lustfully drunk. So was Jaune. Still, even though they were stupid drunk, they don't regret what they made. They just decided to take responsibility. . . Well, mostly Jaune, but still.
I give you part 2 and the first chapter of the New Year.
The Schnees ran towards the massive Grimm, dodging or slashing the impish Grimm that tried to attack them. When they got close enough, Shiva began to slide.
She held out the broad end of her scythe, Silber jumping onto it. Shiva Spun around and sent Silber flying toward the head of the Reindeer, slicing its neck, blood gushing out as it shrieked.
Silber was still flying when she saw the needed black glyph, landing on it before pointing her sword at Shiva.
When the black glyph appeared in front of Shiva, she jumped onto it, being shot toward the Reindeer and slicing the other side of its neck, flying toward the new black glyph Silber prepared for her.
When the two Schnees were side by side, they held back their weapons, activating the Ice Dust within them. Shiva's scythe became larger while Silber's saber became wider and curved until it also looked like a scythe. The two then shot toward the neck of the beast, spinning until they looked like saw blades. However, as Gaia looked at the cousins, she blinked. At that moment, when she opened her eyes, she could have sworn she saw a giant guillotine blade falling toward the Grimm before blinking again.
When she opened her eyes, she saw the Schnees slice right through the Grimm's neck, the head pop clean off. It was so fast that the beast was still roaring in pain.
At the sound of the roar, Shiva grabbed Silber's arm, spun her around, and threw her at the roaring head. The head actually spun in time to see Silber flying toward it before she stabbed her blade right through its skull. The Grimm gave out one last roar before it burst into smoke, showing that it was dead.
Shiva looked behind her in time to see the headless corpse fall, already turning into smoke. The body fell onto and crushed some of the tiny Grimm before sliding off and falling into the bottomless Crevice, vanishing into the darkness as smoke rose.
After seeing that, the tiny Grimm seemed terrified, actually shaking in fear. Though Shiva was amazed to see Grimm feeling fear, she wanted to make it even worse for them. "Silber, if you would?"
"With pleasure," she said as she stabbed her sword into the ground.
A massive glyph formed behind Silber. Out of it walked the same Reindeer Grimm the team had a difficult time killing, now snow white with a blue aura to it. The summoned Grimm snorted before roaring at the small army, frightening them even more.
Gaia then walked up next to her leader, taking her stance. "With that thing on our side, how long do you think it will take us to kill these guys?"
"Too long. GC might need our help right now, and we're wasting our time on this small fry."
"Then, we'd better finish them off quick, eh, boss?"
"Agreed. Silber, Gaia, hold nothing back!"
"Ma'am, yes, ma-"
The girls were then interrupted by an explosion.
Out of the ice wall flew something covered in misty frost. It slammed in between the team of girls, all of them looking out of pure curiosity, Silber and Shiva knowing Silber's new summon would protect them.
Still, they were shocked to see what it was.
"GC," Silber cried out.
"W-What happened to him," Gaia went.
"T-This is the worst-case scenario," Shiva went.
Below the girls was the horribly damaged android, eyes hidden by his hair, part of his cheek ripped off to reveal his metal jaw, and his chest sparking dangerously, with even a few tubes leaking the same green "blood" that fueled Penny.
"What could have done this," Shiva asked aloud.
As if to answer her, a howl was heard.
Everyone, even the Grimm, looked toward the hole where the howl came from. Something was coming out of it. Something fast. Another howl was heard before something came out of the hole, landing in the middle of the small Grimm, crushing two of them beneath it.
The girls then felt fear rush down all of their spines at the mere sight of the monster before them.
Though it was a Grimm, there was something otherworldly about this beast. It seemed to be slightly shorter than the Abominable, possibly by a foot, but the girls quickly realize the Grimm was hunched over. It had long, curved horns, viciously long claws, matted fur, and a disturbingly long tongue that stretched out toward the ground. It also carried a long plant with pulsing red thorns... that had green blood on it.
The Grimm then howled at the girls, the sheer volume enough to stun anyone too close to the beast, but the girls were frozen not from being stunned, but by pure fear of the monster. If that wasn't bad enough, the small Grimm around it went from shaking in fear to roaring in confidence, as if the mere arrival of the Grimm gave them a morale boost that strengthened them several times over.
"S-Shiva, what in the name of the gods IS that," Gaia asked.
"I think that's what got GC. Meaning we don't stand a chance against it," Shiva answered.
"I don't think even this Reindeer can beat that thing," Silber said, her teeth chattering in fear.
"It doesn't. We NEED to find a way out of here. Gaia, how badly damaged is GC?"
Gaia looked him over. "Damn! He'd need the Science Division to fix him. I only have the tools needed to help him move."
"That's all we need. Can you handle fixing him on your own," Shiva asked.
"That's an insane request, boss."
"We're in an insane situation."
"Good point. Five minutes! Tops," Gaia promised as she began to try and repair the android as much as she could.
Shiva then took her stance as Silber landed next to her. "Think we can handle this?"
"Honestly... no. . . . But's fight like we can."
The cousins fistbumped before glaring at the approaching army. "LET'S FINISH THIS," they roared in perfect unison.
As the cousins fought the now stronger horde of Grimm, their summons getting torn to shreds, Gaia was trying to repair GC as best as she could. "Come on, come on, come on. OW," she went, shaking her hand after getting a nasty shock. She immediately tried to repair that wire to prevent that from happening again.
Shiva and Silber made sure to stay back to back. The horde was too large to separate from. Unfortunately, more and more kept coming, the horned Grimm watching the entire time. It almost seemed like it was guiding them as well, forcing the cousins to get farther away from each other.
When Shiva realized this, she decided to do something risky. She spun her scythe until it looked like a saw blade and threw it toward Silber. It sliced through every Grimm in its path and looked like it would hit Siber's back. However, Silber did something amazing. Without looking, she caught the scythe before turning toward her cousin and throwing her saber like a spear, the blade cutting through a lunging Grimm. Shiva also caught the weapon.
The cousins then showed off how skilled they were with the other's weapons, Silber actually using Ruby's fighting style. For Shiva, she was using her mother's swordsmanship, while also using the Atlas Self-Defense techniques her mother taught her. She actually took out more Grimm with her legs than with Silber's sword.
"SHIVA, ATLESIAN VOLCANO," Silber called.
Shiva didn't answer. She just backflipped toward Silber's voice, seeing there was more than enough room to use that maneuver. When she landed next to her cousin, they traded back their weapons, prepared a flame-red glyph, and stabbed their weapons into it. Just as a platoon of Grimm lunged at them, a massive pillar of fire exploded, burning the Grimm caught in it away.
"How long do you think it will last," Silber panted, exhausted from the fight and using a good bit of Dust and Aura to use Atlesian Volcano.
"Long enough for Gaia to finish repairing GC so we can escape," Shiva panted, equally exhausted.
Then, both girls were shocked to see their tower of fire freeze over in an instant. It was then shattered. The culprit was the hunched, horned Grimm, its arm still out from the swing, its weapon seemingly glowing demonically.
"T-That's impossible. Only my mother has been able to stop that," Shiva went as she stepped back in fear.
"What... IS that thing," Silber asked.
Shiva immediately took out her camera and took a picture of the creature. Several, to be certain. However, she was then sent flying back after the creature struck her with its branches, the beauty sliding back.
"SHIVA," 'Silber yelled before summoning an Ursa to hopefully buy some time as she ran to her cousin. She heard the summon roar as it fought the smaller Grimm, but her cousin was all that mattered right now. She held up the groaning leader, her Aura sputtering, close to shattering.
"We... can't beat that thing. It's as strong as the Hound. No. It's even stronger," Shiva said.
"Stronger?! My mother and Marrow fought that monster, and they couldn't beat it! In fact, YOU were there to fight with them! Your mom was the only one who could beat it!"
"And she might be the only one who could beat this monster. We're outclassed. But I'll be damned if I just give up and let it kill me without a fight," Shiva went as Silber helped her back on her feet, the Schnees taking their stances once more.
"Our moms are going to be pissed at us, you know that, right," Silber panted with a smile.
"Oh, absolutely furious," Shiva panted with a smile, the two ready for their last fight.
"WHOA!"
The Schnees looked back toward Gaia's voice, only to be surprised when they were also grabbed, especially Shiva.
"WHA?! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE PLACING YOUR HA-" Shiva's eyes widened when she was being carried over the Crevice. "Eh?"
"FULL POWER TO THRUSTERS," GC yelled.
FAIR WARNING, FRIEND. YOU'VE TAKEN SO MUCH DAMAGE THAT FULL POWER WILL MOST LIKELY-
"JUST DO IT!"
VERY WELL. ANYTHING TO SAVE OUR FRIENDS! FLY, FRIEND!
GC's thrusters then roared to life, burning even a few lunging Grimm, the girls screaming and clinging onto the android for dear life as they flew up toward the surface.
Due to the wind pressure, Shiva was barely able to look up, but when she did, she saw the entrance to the Crevice. She could even see the Transport Vehicle. They were so close.
Then...
"GAH!"
Shiva's eyes widened when she saw the green fluid that was GC's blood. She looked to see the black birch rod piercing through his chest, just narrowly missing her face. She looked back to see that it had extended all the way from the third level. 'It's that powerful,' she thought in horror.
GC then gritted his teeth before roaring in defiance, his thrusters still at full power, the rod ripping through him. Then, he tore out of it, large chunks of him being left behind before blasting toward the surface.
As soon as they were flying toward the surface, toward the vehicle, the thrusters sputtered. The girls then fell into the snow, sliding toward the jeep.
They all sat up with a groan, shaking off the snow before looking around.
"W-We're back up top," Silber went.
"We actually escaped," Shiva sighed in relief.
"Wait." The Schnees looked at Gaia, who was looking around frantically. "Where's GC?!"
The cousins' eyes widened in realization as the three girls stood up, looking for their last teammate when a machine whirl was heard. . . A DAMAGED whirl, followed by a sputtering spark.
Gaia ran toward the sound. She then stopped dead in her tracks. "No."
Shiva and Silber followed her, only to be just as shocked as Gaia. On the ground was GC, a massive hole in his chest, wires wriggling while sparking, fluid pouring out, and most of his metal skull exposed.
"I-I can fix this," Gaia said as she knelt down, reaching for her kit. However, before she could grab so much as a wrench, she was surprised when GC grabbed her.
The android rigidly turned his head toward the girl. "Is... everyone... safe," he asked in a slow tone, his voice heavily robotic to show the extent of his damage.
"Y-Yeah. You got us out just fine," Gaia answered in a cracking voice, the usually tomboyish beauty tearing up. "You really saved us back there, big guy."
"Then... that's all that... m-m-m-m-matters. Mis-mis-mis-mission... ac-ac-ac-ac... accomplished." GC's hand then fell into the snow, the light in his exposed robot eye vanishing as his head went limp. Then, the sound of whirling machines and sparking wires stopped. The only sound was the snowy wind of Solitas and the girls holding back their tears at the fallen teammate that saved them from an impossible situation.
The Grimm Champion of New Mantle... is now offline.
The girls then carried what was left of GC, carefully placing him in the back of the car.
"Think Dante can fix him," Gaia asked.
"He was the one who built him. But, I don't think he can repair this much damage. Maybe put him in a new body," Silber guessed.
"More than likely. As far as I can tell, his head is undamaged. That's where the main CPU and Memory Drive should be stored. As long as those are safe and intact, GC can come back," Shiva said.
"Oh, thanks the gods," Silber sighed in relief. "So... who's driving back?"
The Schnees both looked at Gaia, who was closing the trunk. "Hm? . . . Seriously?"
"You're the oldest," they said in unison.
"Are we really doing this again?"
"Well, you're taller than I am," Shiva said.
"And that's important because?"
"Your feet can reach the petals."
". . . Dammit, I can't argue with that. FINE! I'll drive. Just don't expect it to be a smooth ride."
"Come now. You can't be THAT bad of a-"
Shiva was interrupted by a howl. A familiar howl. All three looked back at the Crevice.
"No. No way," Silber went.
"I-Is it-" Gaia began.
"Start the car." They looked at Shiva. "Start the car NOW! WE'RE GETTING OUT OF HERE!"
The three didn't hesitate, Silber getting in the back of the car, looking at the in-vehicle terminal and activating it, typing away like mad. "Come on, come on, come on. Defense systems! Perfect," she cheered as she activated the car's defenses, turrets popping out of its sides. "At least we have a fighting chance," she yelled at her teammates.
Gaia rushed to the driver's seat, about to turn the ignition when she saw there wasn't one. "Code activated. OF COURSE, it's code activated," she went as she saw the terminal and typed in the activation code she learned a few months back in one of her mandatory classes. The car roared to life just as Shiva sat in the passenger seat, already trying to radio in New Mantle.
"MIGHT WANNA HOLD ON," Gaia roared.
However, before she could slam on the accelerator, something landed in front of them. The same Grimm as before, staring at them with terrifying, demonically red eyes.
Silber didn't hesitate to activate the Defense System, the vehicle already shooting waves of bullets at the beast.
The Grimm raised its arm, blocking the bullets, looking more annoyed than hurt.
"HOW TOUGH IS THAT THING'S HIDE," Silber yelled as she tried to see if the vehicle had stronger defenses.
Then, the Grimm appeared in front of the truck, and with one arm, smacked it away.
The vehicle was stumbling through the snow like a stone skipping across the water before it landed on its wheels.
"How STRONG is that thing," Gaia asked.
"Questions later! DRIVE," Shiva ordered.
Gaia didn't need to be told twice. She slammed her foot on the pedal, the car roaring before it rushed through the snow.
As they sped away, Silber pulled up the camera feed of the vehicle to see the Grimm. "Wait, why isn't it moving?"
"It's not chasing us," Gaia asked.
"That's never a good sign," Shiva said.
As if on queue, the hunched Grimm's back began to snap and pop. The monster began to stand at its true height, its limbs growing alongside the height, its claws growing out at a more vicious length, and even its horns began to change to look ready for combat, specifically for ramming. The monster was even taller than the Abominable, and looked even more powerful than said Grimm. It looked like a true war beast ready for battle.
The Grimm then roared before it began to run on all fours.
"Are you kidding me," Silber yelled.
"New Atlas Tower, this is Special Operative Shiva Schnee-Branwen reporting!" The girls quickly glanced at Shiva to see that she was trying to call for help. "Mayday, mayday, we are under attack by a new species of Grimm. Android Grimm Champion is KAI, the culprit is the Grimm chasing after us! Class A to S. Threat level: Village to Small Kingdom. Assistance requi-"
Shiva was interrupted when the car was rammed and on her side no less.
The team looked to see that the Grimm was running side-by-side with the car.
"Strong, dangerous, AND fast?! Shiva, I think this thing is worth ranking as an S-rank Grimm," Gaia said.
"Silber!"
"I'm working on it! But that thing is also smart! It keeps changing its position and speed to keep out of the lock-on.
"PUNCH IT, GAIA," Shiva yelled.
"I'M GOING AS FAST AS THE DAMN THING WILL LET ME!"
Shiva looked to see that Gaia was right. "The ETA is over an hour."
"And if we keep taking nasty hits from that thing, we'll be done in ten minutes," Gaia spat.
Shiva looked down at the comms before looking out at the running Grimm just in time for their eyes to meet. She then sighed. "I'm out of my mind," she muttered. "Silber, concentrate on getting a connection to HQ. Tell them EVERYTHING. Make sure nothing less than the Ace Ops is sent out to deal with this monster. Aunt Ruby, my father, hell, get my mother if you can. Just ensure they have more than enough firepower to KILL this thing."
"Why are you talking like you're not going to help," Silber asks in concern.
Shiva then sighed. "I MUST be crazy. . . Must be my Branwen blood. Good luck, Huntresses." Shiva then opened her door.
"SHIVA, NO," Silber yelled as she tried to grab her cousin.
Too late.
Shiva jumped out of the vehicle, took out her weapon, and hooked the scythe end around the monster's ankle, tripping it.
The beauty and Grimm rolled through the snow. When Shiva's head popped out of the mound of freezing powder, she saw her teammates driving so fast that they became a blur in a matter of seconds. "Alright, Shiva. You only need to survive for about an hour."
The snow mound near her exploded. She looked to see the Grimm walk out of it. Seeing it up close, it was MUCH taller than the Abominable Grimm that have seen so far. The birch rod it carried didn't make it seem any less intimidating, either. The monster absolutely towered over the beauty, looking down at her intensely.
Shiva then spun her White Death before dividing it, scythe in left hand and trident in the right.
"Sounds easy enough," she said just as the Grimm roared at her, ready to fight.
"THAT LUNATIC! WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS?! ARIE?!" Silber jumped into the passenger seat to try and call Atlas Tower. "Come on! Come on! This is the Crevice Recon Team reporting in! Temporary Special Operative Silber Schnee-Rose reporting! We have a Rank 7 emergency that can easily escalate to Rank 8! Come in, Atlas Tower! This is Temporary Special Operative Silber Schnee-Rose! Come in! REPEAT, A SCHNEE IS CALLING, DAMMIT!"
"What the hell is blocking the signal," Gaia yelled. A roar was heard. She looked toward it. "Oooh. Shit."
"Now what," Silber groaned as she looked. "Oh, shit."
Running after the vehicle was ten more Reindeer Grimm, the small Grimm riding on them while holding their makeshift weapons, already some throwing at the car. Most of them bounced off, but one axe hit the window of Gaia's door hard enough to make a crack.
"Silber, where are our defenses?!" As soon as Gaia asked, one of the Reindeer had its leg shot off, falling over and crushing the Grimm on its back. The Grimm wasn't killed, but Gaia looked in her mirror to see it vanish on the horizon. "Good timing."
"Just keep driving," Silber yelled after she finished typing the Defense Protocol in. She then took off the blade of her sword to fully expose the barrel. Next she opened up the door and began shooting at as many Grimm as she could, Fire Balls killing groups of the small Grimm while making Ice Pillars for the Reindeer to slam into. Unfortunately, they were strong enough to burst through them, but it still dazed them. Conveniently enough, by pure luck, Silber found out that shooting their antlers with Lightning Dust stunned them.
However, the Grimm wasn't going down without a fight. One of the Reindeer got close enough to ram into the vehicle, nearly making Silber fall out. If that wasn't bad enough, its riders jumped onto the roof of the car, trying to stab through it. One looked over the edge to see Silber, about to throw its icicle at her, only for Silber to shoot its head.
Silber got back into the car and activated one of its defenses, the roof electrocuting the Grimm off of it.
Silber then checked her ammo. "Running low, here!"
"Didn't want to hear that! WHOA," Gaia went after an axe broke through her window, a Grimm roaring in her face, only for the tomboy to punch it hard enough to crush its face. "This tank's not going to last that much longer, either! Wait, I CAN SEE NEW MANTLE!"
Silber looked. "It looks like a damned speck! It will take half an hour, at least to reach it!"
An ice pillar then shot up in the path of the car, Gaia barely drifting out of its path, scraping by and nearly tearing her door off its hinge. "I don't think we have that much time! Any ideas?!"
Silber then took out her remaining Dust. "Just barely enough."
"FOR WHAT?!"
Silber didn't answer. She began to mix her remaining Dust in a clean vial in a certain order, her eyes sharp with concentration as she was sweating from the nerve-wracking situation. She then loaded the vial, opened the door, and aimed toward the sky, a glyph at the end of her gun. "Hope this works."
BANG
Silber's bullet flew at Mach speeds, going much faster than the car. It then exploded, basically right in between the girls' and New Mantle's distance.
It looked like fireworks, the explosion taking the form of a rose, red at the base with white sprinkling the top before the white began to engulf the rose, turning it white.
"I hope that worked," Silber said as she got back inside.
"What was the point of that," Gaia yelled.
Meanwhile.
"RUBY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! THAT PIECE OF CRAP CAN'T EVEN COMPARE TO THE FINISHED PRODUCT!"
"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I GIVE A DAMN, DANTE?! UPGRADE IT WHEN I GET BACK," Ruby roared as she reeved up the prototype of the King's Glaive, racing out of the Vehicle Division toward the rose in the sky seen through the skylight. Dante immediately slammed his fist on a button to open one of the hangar doors for Ruby to speed out of, the motorcycle roaring through the streets.
"Upgrade it when she gets back? It's not that easy, Mrs. Schnee," Dante said as he rubbed the back of his head.
"IT'S SCHNEE-ROSE," Ruby's yell echoed.
"GET MY SHIP AIRBORNE YESTERDAY," Weiss roared as she pushed the board meeting doors open, every inside (except Whitely) shocked that they didn't just fly off the hinges. "GET ME ENOUGH DUST TO BLOW UP A GOLIATH HERD! SOMETHING IS DYING TODAY," she roared.
Whitley sighed before looking at the rose in the sky. "And someone might be in trouble. Now then, where were we? Something about the donation to my sister's orphanage? Was anyone planning on rejecting the notion?" All of the board members shook their heads in fear. "All in favor of increasing the spending to improve its conditions?"
"AI," all board members went in terror.
Meanwhile, at the top of Atlas Tower... Winter's office exploded, a beam of blue flying out, followed by a crow. The beam came back, revealing to be Winter using her Maiden powers at full throttle. The beautiful General then grabbed her transformed husband. "YOU'RE TOO SLOW," she yelled before speeding toward the rose.
As the Schnee family sped toward the rose, another in need of assistance was sent skidding back, stabbing her trident into the ground to stop herself..
Shiva looked up at the horned Grimm, panting, her long hair flowing freely in the wind, her Aura beginning to spark as her opponent walked toward her menacingly.
"And you said YOU wished you were dear Aunt Ruby's biological daughter, Sil. I could use Silver Eyes myself. Or better yet, Mother's magic." She then activated the Dust within both her scythe and trident, making the ice scythe and ice trident grow. "Actually, I wouldn't mind being able to turn into a bird as Father can right now."
The horned Grimm roared as it swung its weapon at Shiva, the beauty timing it just right to stab her trident into the rod, using her scythe to slice it off.
When the Grimm retracted its rod, it looked at its weapon before growling at Shiva, swinging the rod to make it regrow to its original state.
"Of course. No time to complain, Shiva Schnee-Branwen. All you can do now... IS FIGHT!"
Shiva rushed toward the Grimm, dodging its swings before sliding beneath it, using her scythe to slice through one of its legs. The foot was so thick that she was barely able to cut it, but she still made it spew with black blood.
However, when she got back up to her feet, her back turned to the monster, and it kicked her right in the base of her spine.
The force of the kick sent Shiva flying into a stray mound of ice, shattering it completely. She groaned as she sat on the shattered ice, her Aura breaking soon after, her body aching.
'One hit. It took one hit from that thing to shatter my Aura. I know I was using my Semblance practically nonstop, but a hit? How strong is this thing,' Shiva thought as she got up, jumping out of the way just as the monster tried to land on her with a heavy stomp that blew the snow away, leaving behind an icy, cracked ground.
'It's official,' Shiva thought as she took her stance. 'One hit from that thing, and I'm dead.' Shiva then began to shiver. 'So THAT'S how cold Solitas is without Aura. If I don't keep moving I'll freeze in a matter of minutes. So I can either be killed by a Grimm powerful enough to slaughter a Hound or freeze to death in the middle of a tundra. Am I not such a lucky young lady,' Shiva thought sarcastically with a smirk.
She then charged at the Grimm, the monster stomping on the ground, a wave of spiked ice rushing toward Shiva. She was able to dodge the wave, though ice sliced parts of her uniform, exposing her toned legs. Still, she jumped as high as she could, which was over the Grimm, swinging her scythe at it.
The beast actually blocked her slash with its horns.
'HARD! It feels like dueling with Elm's Timber! This monster's defenses are incredible. . .' Shiva then pulled back her trident. "BUT HOW HARD IS THIS PART?!"
Shiva then stabbed right into the Grimm's eye.
As blood gushed out of its head, Shiva snapped the ice off before stomping it further into the monster's skull and jumping off of it. However, she was surprised when the beast grabbed her leg and slammed her onto the ground face-first. It then slammed her onto her back, Shiva coughing up blood, actually feeling some of her ribs snap and even some vertibrae crack before she was thrown away, the beauty skidding across the snow.
She struggled to so much as get on her hands and knees, actually vomiting blood. She panted heavily before looking up, eyes widening when she saw the monster reel back its arm before slashing down, the whip-like rod rushing toward Shiva.
She jumped back, the rod seemingly missing her completely, yet causing a massive explosion of force.
When the snow cleared, Shiva was standing defiantly, glaring at the one-eyed Grimm, nonchalantly wiping the blood off her face before it reached her eye. For the Grimm did hit her. It nearly blinded her, since it sliced her right eye. The wound was right above her right eyebrow, going down her just above her cheekbone. What's more, the rod also cut just above her breast, the wound leaving a small blood trail on her uniform.
However, Shiva didn't care. In fact, because of the blood on her uniform, she actually tore it off exposing herself even more to the elements. She then looked at her White Death and slammed them together, clearing the ice. She then combined them back together and looked inside the chambers. "Just enough."
She then activated the Dust to make her Ice White Death, her scythe and trident blades now covered with the last of her Dust, now a vicious weapon even taller than its wielder. "Thank you for your patience, Grimm."
The creature actually stared at Shiva. "YOU. STRONG."
Shiva perked up. "It seems powerful Grimm have a habit of being capable of speech."
"BUT. YOU. NOT. ARC."
Shiva then glared at the Grimm. "You were created by Darkness."
"YOU. MAY. LIVE. LEAVE."
"So that you can hunt my uncle and cousin?"
"YES."
"Honest. Commendable. However, absolutely not. You're going to have to kill me to get to either of them."
"THEN. YOU. DIE."
"I. Refuse," Shiva went mockingly, her eyes... glowing.
The horned Grimm then roared at its beautiful opponent before charging.
Shiva then did something uncharacteristic for her. She gave out a battle cry. The Special Operative... no, the Huntress charged at the Grimm, fully prepared to end this battle once and for all, no matter how outmatched she was.
Yet, she had no idea that the blade of her scythe was glowing, the ice growing, actually becoming stronger.
Then, when both enemies were in range, they swung their weapons, Shiva's scythe clashing with the powerful Grimm's glowing birch rod, the rod shining as red as a bloody beacon.
When the two weapon's clashed, a mighty explosion occurred, blowing away the snow around them. Not just the snow, but the very winds of Solitas, and even parted the clouds, and even shattered some nearby ice. Such was the power of the Grimm and the enhanced Shiva, for she did not realize at that moment... that her blood was awakening.
Not the blood of the Schnee family. But the blood of her mother. The blood of her father. The blood blessed with an ancient, sleeping power.
Shiva was slowly awakening the Magic within her in this brutal battle against one of Darkness's Champions.
One of the elvish Grimm was able to cut through the roof of the car, cackling as it stuck its head through the hole. It ended up getting stabbed through the face by Silber.
"THE TANK CAN'T TAKE MUCH MORE," Gaia yelled as she swerved to avoid a charging Reindeer, only for an Elf to grab her by the collar. She punched its head off. Literally.
"I'M OPEN FOR SUGGESTIONS," Silber yelled as she summoned her last Lancer, the others already killed by the Elves and Reindeer.
"Oh, no."
"What?" Silber looked forward. "Oh, no."
Two Reindeer stood in their path, the Grimm standing on their hind legs before slamming down to create an ice wall way too wide for Gaia to avoid.
"Shit, shit, SHIT," the girls went in unison before bracing for impact.
They crashed right through it. It was enough damage to make the car topple over, screeching across the ground, pieces falling apart, glass shattering, and wheels flying.
The girls were hanging from their seats, both groaning before their Auras shattered. They were both able to unbuckle themselves but landed ungracefully on the ground.
Gaia looked up toward the back, seeing GC's face looking toward her. Well, half of his robotic skull and the half that looked disturbingly like a dead Jaune. "Sorry, GC," she said as she grabbed the android's hand.
Silber kicked her door open, dragging herself out. Or tried to before looking around. "Gaia?"
"Let me guess: they've surrounded us?"
"Yup."
Gaia sighed before she pulled herself up next to Silber to see that the Reindeer were standing around them, the Elves laughing at the girls on their backs, brandishing their weapons menacingly.
Silber then looked toward New Mantle. "We only needed maybe ten more minutes."
Gaia looked up. "Heh, we're right below your fancy rose flare. Fat lot of good that did."
"Yeah, yeah. It was a long shot. I hoped it would work," Silber said as she got out of the car, Gaia landing next to her.
Gaia then cracked her knuckles before taking her stance. "It's colder than your mom's stare out here."
"Yup. But hey, at least we won't freeze to death. We'll just get torn apart by a punch of Grimm midgets and one of my uncle Jaune's dishes a few Dustdays ago."
"He cooked reindeer?"
"Freakin' delicious. Good memory to die on."
"Mm. Bet he can't beat my pumpkin pie."
"You can bake?"
"Best pie you'd ever have. Now that's MY memory to die on."
"Bake me a pie in the next life," Silber asked as she took her stance.
"Sure," Gaia said as she looked ready to charge.
One of the Reindeer then roared as it looked ready to charge, the other Grimm roaring with it.
Then-
BANG
One of the Reindeer stumbled, smoke leaving its head. Before anyone could look, a very angry Ruby stabbed her scythe into the Grimm's neck, swinging around it perfectly to cleanly decapitate it. After the head went flying, Ruby landed on the hind of the beast and sliced all the Elves in half with one slash.
Before the other Grimm could react, one of the Reindeer was tripped by a rolling Boarbatusk. It was then torn apart by a pack of summoned Beowolves. One of the Elves jumped out of the way of a lunging Beowolf, preparing its axe to retaliate. However, it was stabbed in the back by an icy-eyed Wiess.
Four more Reindeer were crushed by iceberg-tip-sized ice blocks, Gaia and Silber looking up to see Winter flying down, eyes ignited, both by her powers and her rage. They jumped when they heard the sound of the elves screeching directly behind them, only to see Grimm Smoke. When it cleared, Qrow was standing there, his Harbinger resting on his shoulder.
"You girls alright," Qrow asked.
"You have... AMAZING timing," Gaia went.
"BOOF!" Gaia looked to see why Silber made such an odd sound.
"My SWEET SNOWBALL/SNOWANGEL," Ruby and Weiss went in unison as they squeezed the life out of their daughter.
"I'm sorry! I didn't think the mission would be this dangerous," Ruby wept.
"I swear, I would never have let you go if I knew it was this great of a risk! It was just supposed to be a recon mission," Weiss went.
"Dying! Dying! Dying," Silber choked. She took in a deep breath after her moms released her. "Is THAT what Arie goes through?! I owe my baby brother an apology. He deserves to complain."
"Are you hurt," Ruby asked.
"Of course, she's hurt, you dolt! Just look at her! Her uniform is in tatters! Her Aura is shattered! And look at the state of their vehicle! If we hadn't arrived when we did-"
"DON'T EVEN THINK OF FINISHING THAT, WEISS SCHNEE-ROSE," Ruby yelled in a tone that scared even Weiss.
"Mom, I'm fine. I'm still alive, aren't I?"
Ruby sighed. "That doesn't stop me from worrying, you know," Ruby said with a smile. Silber giggled at her mother.
"Shiva?!" Everyone looked toward Winter, seeing her and Qrow look around desperately. "SHIVA," Winter yelled fearfully.
"SHIVA! WHERE ARE YOU, KID," Qrow yelled, desperation in his eyes. "SILBER, WHERE IS MY KID?!"
"Oh, crap! She's still fighting that thing alone," Gaia yelled.
"SHE'S WHAT," Winter yelled.
BOOM!
Everyone looked towards the explosion to see a massive snowstorm literally exploding into existence far away from them.
"Oh, gods," Winter went with a breaking voice. She didn't hesitate to fly at full speed toward the explosion, Qrow already flying after her.
"Mom, we have to-" Silber couldn't stop herself from shivering due to the intense cold.
"Your aunt and uncle can handle it," Ruby said as she wrapped her cape around her daughter. "We need to get you and Gaia back to New Mantle before the cold gets to you."
"Wait! GC," Gaia yelled as she ran back to the ruined vehicle.
"GC," Ruby asked.
"That's right," Silber went. "We can't leave him behind! Not after everything he went through to protect us!"
"And who is this G- BY THE GODS," Weiss yelled.
Ruby looked at her wife before looking at the car to see Gaia drag out the remains of the android, the Huntress was shocked to see him. "J-JAUNE?!"
"Not exactly, mom." Ruby looked at her daughter. "It's a long story."
Ice was thrown. Explosions occurred. Whips cracked. Scythes sliced through the very air. It was a brutal battle.
Shiva kept dodging and slashing, enraging the horned Grimm throughout their fight. However, Shiva was landing more hits as the fight went on, not realizing her scythe and trident had been growing the entire time. She was too lost in combat to realize what was happening around or to her. She didn't even know that her eyes were glowing brightly, looking almost exactly like a Maiden herself.
Then, her scythe clashed with the Grimm's rod, the force of their attacks completely blowing the snow away from them, leaving behind an arena of frozen stone, and a blizzard surrounding the two.
Then, Shiva's ice scythe shattered.
She didn't care. Instead, she saw it as an opportunity, especially since the birch rod wasn't anywhere near the actual blade of the scythe.
Taking this opportunity, Shiva slid beneath the Grimm and slashed upward behind it. Her swing created a rising pillar of sharpened ice that pierced the back of the Grimm. It roared in agony before the pillar sent it flying into the sky.
Eyes now glowing completely blue, Shiva ran up the pillar before lunging at her enemy, her White Death covered in ice once more.
With a battle cry, Shiva swung her scythe, slicing right through Grimm, the beast roaring in anguish.
Yet, when Shiva spun around to face it, her left shoulder was pierced through by the birch rod. Gritting her teeth, Shiva separated her White Death and used her scythe to slice the rod off. She dove down and stabbed her trident right through the chest of the Grimm before using her scythe to slice its arms off, making it roar even louder.
In a last-ditch effort, the Grimm wrapped its tongue around Shiva's neck, strangling her to the point it almost snapped her neck, but Shiva still struggled as she positioned her scythe behind the monster's neck.
"DAMN! YOU!"
"GIVE THIS MESSAGE TO YOUR MASTER: MY UNCLE ISN'T THE ONLY PROTECTOR OF REMNANT! NEW MANTLE HAS PLENTY OF CHAMPIONS TO STAND IN YOUR WAY! FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, I AM ONE OF THEM! REMEMBER MY NAME, GOD OF DARKNESS! I AM SHIVA SCHNEE-BRANWEN, DAUGHTER OF THE WINTER MAIDEN AND BAD LUCK CHARM! I AM THE NEICE OF THE SPRING MAIDEN AND THE WOMAN WHO DEFEATED ONE OF YOUR PRECIOUS CHAMPION GRIMM! I! AM! THE WHITE REAPER!"
The Grimm then roared one last time as Shiva decapitated it, its head spinning in mid-air as Shiva sliced its tongue off, ripping it off of her neck. Then, with one last battle cry, Shiva swung her scythe down and stabbed it right into the skull of the beast, perfectly in the middle of its forehead between its horns. She then spun around and slammed the head onto the trident end of her White Death when they hit through the ground, perfectly splitting the head in half.
The head and corpse of the Grimm exploded in Grimm Smoke, the black essence spewing into the air. It then took the shape of the God of Darkness's head, the deity roaring in anguish and rage as it vanished into the sky.
Shiva stared at the white sky as snow fell onto her. She couldn't even feel the Solitas air blowing on her at that moment. Instead, she looked down, yanked out her trident, and reconnected her weapon. She looked around to see that she was alone. She had won. She beat a Grimm stronger than a Hound or an Abominable all on her own. She didn't know how and she didn't care. All that mattered is that she won.
Then, she groaned before coughing up blood. It finally donned on her that she was heavily wounded. The wound on her right eye, the wound above her right breast, and the wound on her left shoulder were still bleeding. And NOW she felt the cold.
"Well, that's unfortunate. After all that... this is where I fall?" Shiva then looked up at the sky and gave an accepting smile. "Well... I guess... there are worse places and worse ways to die. At least... I... won." She then fell back, giving out a final exhausted sigh.
She then felt someone catch her, looking up to see who it was. Her vision was blurry, so she couldn't see who it was at first. Then, she felt something wet fall on her face. It somehow cleared her vision a bit. She saw someone beautiful. Then, someone handsome appeared next to the beauty, more tears falling down on her face, clearing her vision a bit more.
"Mother? Father," she muttered as her blurred vision cleared up just a bit to almost see the devastated expression of her crying parents, both of them looking beyond terrified as tears ran down their faces, the two saying something, but all Shiva could hear was a ringing in her ear.
'Ah, I'm hallucinating, am I? Well, if I'm going to see one last thing, it might as well be two of the most important people in my life,' she thought. Then, she closed her eyes, smiling as she drifted away.
"SHIVA," the parents screamed in unison.
Shiva felt warm. Not a hint of cold at all. She also felt comfortable. As if lying on a cloud or something. She also felt covered, something soft on her body. Then, she felt something on her face. It was a bit uncomfortable. Tight even. Also, for some reason, it was just on her right eye. Then, she opened her eye and saw a white ceiling.
A familiar white ceiling.
The young beauty sat up, looking around to see that she was in one of the rooms of Atlas Tower's Medical Wing. She hadn't been in one of those rooms since Argent's fight against the Hound, where she constantly visited him. She hissed in pain before seeing herself in a nearby mirror.
"Heh. My word. I look worse than Arie did," she giggled when she saw herself.
The right side of her head was completely bandaged, as were her chest and her left shoulder. she also had some nasty bruising on her stomach and arms. She also had signs of minor frostbite, and red spots on her otherwise snow-white skin. She DEFINITELY looked like she had been through combat.
She then noticed something in the mirror and looked at the opposite side of her bed. She sighed. "Really, father? Sleeping without so much as a blanket?"
Next to her bed was indeed Qrow Schnee-Branwen, the man fast asleep, legs and arms crossed, not making so much as a snort. A truly quiet sleeper. You'd think he'd be a loud snorer by his looks, but you'd be surprised.
Shiva looked around and saw a blanket at the end of her bed and grabbed it. "Yoisho," she went as she tossed the blanket over her father's shoulders.
However, though Qrow was a quiet sleeper, he was also a light one due to being a Huntsman. He shot up after feeling the blanket wrapped around his shoulders.
"Oops." He looked toward the voice, eyes widening. "I didn't mean to wake you up, father."
"SHIVA," Qrow went after he shot up from his chair, grabbing his daughter's hand as he kneeled by his bed. "Are you alright, Snowbird?"
"A bit sore and uncomfortable due to the bandages, but still alive."
"And that's all that matters." Father and daughter looked to see the mother in the doorway, a relieved and overjoyed smile on her face. Winter then walked up, kissed her daughter's forehead, then gently hugged her so as not to hurt her. "I shouldn't have sent you on that mission. It should have sent more experienced Huntsmen."
"Mother, we have a manpower shortage. You couldn't even if you wanted to. It's why you called me, to begin with. Besides, how were we to know the first three levels of the Crevice alone would be so dangerous?"
Winter sighed. "Even so. You have no idea how relieved I am that you're alright, my little Snowbird," Winter said with tears flowing down her cheeks.
Shiva giggled before she reached for her eye. "How long do I have to keep this one?"
"Well, Shiva, honestly, you've been out for almost four days," Qrow said.
"Oh, my."
"I'd rather wait a bit longer, but the doctors have been using Aura to speed up the healing process."
"Dr. Inferno's Aura Battery?"
"Bingo, kid," Qrow went. "You should be able to take off those bandages with no problem right now."
Shive didn't hesitate. She reached for her head, found the connecting clip of the bandages, and unraveled them. Moments later, she was opening her right eye, letting it adjust to the light.
Winter giggled. "Well, isn't this ironic? My daughter with her own eye scar, just like her aunt."
"Except mine is on the right eye instead of the left like hers," Shiva giggled.
"Still looks pretty cool, if you ask me," Qrow said.
Shiva giggled before looking at the other bandages. "Why do I have the feeling I have more scars," she asked as she began to unravel the bandages. Of course, she was right.
"Huh. The one on your chest kinda looks like a feather," Qrow said.
"And your shoulder. The scar looks almost exactly like the Schnee Snowflake," Winter went as she analyzed the wound.
"Well, what are the odds," Shiva said as she looked at her new scars. "OH! MY TEAM!"
"They're fine, my dear," Winter went in a reassuring tone. "You got the worst out of everyone on that mission."
"Well, not counting the robot, of course. He was torn to shreds," Qrow shrugged.
"Father, don't just call him a robot. His name is GC. He's a friend," Shiva went sternly.
Qrow blinked. "Close to him already, eh?"
"He saved my life." Shiva looked down. "He saved all of our lives. If not for him, we'd probably be..." The parents looked just as melancholic as their daughter. Shiva then sighed. "Will he... will he be able to be fully repaired?"
"My sweet, that isn't something to ask me. I'm not one of the New Mantle scientists. However, from what we can tell, only the body was badly damaged. The head was just fine, save for the disturbing missing skin that exposed his face, of course."
"Seriously, that was incredibly creepy. Seeing Jaune without half his face to see the machine beneath?" Qrow shuttered. "Jimmy had NOTHING on that."
Winter smacked the back of her husband's head. "Show more delicacy! He saved our daughter's life."
"Yeah, yeah," Qrow went as he rubbed the back of his head.
"So, am I to assume he's going to be fixed?"
The parents looked at each other.
"Well, if the doc survives, he will be," Qrow said.
"I'm sorry. Survives," Shiva asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, let's just say that your Aunt Ruby was... less than pleased when she found out about the Grimm Champion Program," Winter said.
"How angry is she," Shiva asked with genuine curiosity.
Meanwhile.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH," Dante screamed as he ran, narrowly avoiding getting shot and slashed.
"GET BACK HERE," Ruby roared.
"MRS. SCHNEE, PLEASE CALM DOWN!"
"IT'S SCHNEE-ROSE, AND LIKE HELL I WILL! YOU TURNED PENNY'S MEMORY INTO A DAMN GUN!"
"BUT THAT WAS THE MAIN POINT OF THE ORIGINAL PE.N.N.Y. PROJECT!"
"SHUT UP! I'LL GUT YOU FOR THIS, YOU LUNATIC DOC!"
"MARIA, HELP ME!"
The beautiful Vice Director sighed heavily as she pinched the bridge of her nose before taking out the Rose Contingency Plan.
Ruby stopped, sniffing the air, before snapping toward Maria to see her hold a plate of freshly made chocolate chip cookies, still nice and gooey. She actually used her Semblance to get to it, stuffing her face before looking up at Maria. "I'm still going to kill him, you know," she said with her mouth full.
"Just enjoy the cookies, Mrs. Schnee-Rose," Maria said as she held out a glass of milk.
Ruby took it and guzzled it down before sighing in relief. "Love you, Maria."
"I know, I know," Maria sighed as Ruby continued to eat.
"MARIA," Dante went as he hugged his second-in-command. "I LOVE YOU SO MUCH," he cried comically.
She sighed heavily with a light blush on her face. 'Sometimes I hate this job,' she thought.
Everyone, except for the all-but-destroyed Grimm Champion unit, was in the Atlas Tower Conference Room. Shiva seemed completely recovered, the only sign of her mission being dangerous was her new visible scar. A scar that Weiss couldn't help but gush over. Silber and Gaia were also in the room, Gaia looking a bit sad that the GC that saved her was beyond repair. Also in the room were Ruby, Weiss, Qrow, Dante, and Maria. Everyone took their seats, ready to begin.
At the front of the room at the head of the table was, of course, Winter herself. "Alright, time to get this meeting underway." Winter typed in on the table's keyboard, and holograms of all the images and videos taken by Shiva and GC were shown.
"We now know that The Crevice is rich with resources but far more dangerous than we could have predicted," Winter began.
"That's an understatement," Qrow said. "It was just the first three levels, and High-Class Grimm already appeared.
"I wouldn't say that," Dante said as he typed on his keyboard on the table, bringing up the image of the small Grimm. "Individually, I would categorize these creatures as a more... C-Class Grimm, and only because they seem to have the necessary intelligence to use weapons. Bare minimum intellect. Alone, a farm boy could possibly take these creatures.
Meanwhile, in Anima.
"Achoo," Oscar went.
"You alright, honey," Emerald asked as she was looking over a loaf of bread.
"Yeah. Just a random sneeze, is all."
"However, in greater numbers, their danger climbs up from B all the way to A-Class."
"What even are those things," Silber asked.
"A brand new species of Grimm," Maria began. "One that we named the Alfar."
"Elves," Gaia asked.
"Is that what that means," Silber asked. "Wait, why do you know that?"
"My dad is an archeologist and mythographer. He thinks studying ancient folktales will help us understand the Grimm a bit more. He's usually right. Many of the Grimm were named due to their work in his field. He actually helped named a few newer ones."
"We decided to call them by that name due to their short, near-childlike statures, their ability to work in groups, and their pointed ears. Their surprising intelligence in weaponry, including the use of Dust of all things, is what made us decide on their name," Maria explained.
"As well as their ability to ride these beauties," Dante said as he pulled up the Reindeer Grimm.
"Oh, man, that thing was a nightmare to fight," Gaia groaned.
"At least we have one on our side now," Silber said as she summoned hers at a reasonable size, the creature between her and Gaia. Silber couldn't help but rub the reindeer's chin, happy to see it enjoy her affection.
"Now that beast alone is at least a B-Class," Dante began. "We've also named in the Hreinn."
"Hreinn, huh? I think I like that. How about you, Hreinn," Silber asked as she scratched the back of the summon's ear. When she finished, it shook its head in an oddly cute way before it began to grunt in an also cute way.
"Do you have any idea how weird this is? You're treating a Hreinn like a pet when we were almost killed by an entire herd of them," Gaia said with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey, we survived."
"Barely," Ruby yelled. "What do you think would have happened if I or your mother hadn't shown up?!"
"We'd probably die," the girls said in unison.
Ruby groaned as she rubbed her head. "Dante, you're customizing that motorcycle for me."
"I'm what?! Ruby, that's the prototype of the King's Glaive itself! It's practically living history! There are others far better than it, true, but-"
"Then customize one of the other ones."
"Well, we could do that, but the necessary funding and designs and details could take weeks to got proper-"
"Winter?"
"I'll authorize it."
Dante blinked. "Oh. Well... Hm."
"Now then, with Ruby's new transportation taken care of, we can now talk about the most dangerous discover," Winter said as she brought up the final Grimm.
"Ah, the Krampus," Maria said.
"That's what you named it," Shiva asked.
"After an old folktale demon, yes," Dante said. "Honestly, it matches the legend to the letter. It seems sinful NOT to name it Krampus."
"So that's the monster that gave my niece her scar," Weiss said. "Are you able to summon it?"
Shiva held out her hand, making her glyph appear. The Krampus then appeared out of it, at its full height, the beast nearly touching the ceiling of the huge room.
"I-It's almost as tall as my Gigas," Weiss said.
"Even when summoned, it looks intimidating," Silber said.
"It was powerful enough to beat even GC," Gaia began. "No offense, Shiva, but how did YOU beat it?"
"Honestly... I have no idea. I think I was on an adrenaline rush when I beat it," she shrugged, telling the truth. She didn't know that she actually used magic to beat the beast.
"The Krampus is undoubtedly the most powerful Grimm that's been discovered in the Crevice thus far," Winter began. "So much so that I'm giving it the S-Classification."
"Which means only Huntsmen of my rank can go after it," Ruby said as she looked at her daughter.
"Don't worry, mom. I don't plan on fighting anything like that anytime soon. Though, I do want to help harvest at least the first level of the Cre-"
"NO," Ruby and Weiss went in perfect unison with a no-nonsense tone, with absolutely no room for argument in their voices. Silber just shrunk in response.
"From now on, only Ace Ops and International 3rd-Class and above Huntsmen will enter The Crevice. No exception," Winter stated.
"Uh-" Dante began as he raised his hand.
"The GC unit is automatically an International 3rd-Class."
"Just that?!"
"He may be based on Jaune and have the P.E.N.N.Y Project schematics, but it's still nowhere close to as powerful as Jaune is. The rank I'm giving is enough."
"Ah, then what if I upgrade it? Maybe get access to the old Watts archives? He may have been a vile man, but his weaponry is brilliant!"
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME," Ruby roared as she slammed her hands on the table.
"EEP," Dante went before glomping onto Maria, the beautiful scientist blushing before she sighed in annoyance.
"IT'S BAD ENOUGH YOU'RE USING PENNY, BUT NOW YOU WANT TO USE ONE OF SALEM'S OLD HENCHMEN'S STUFF?! WHY ARE YOU SO OBSESSED WITH MAKING MY FRIEND INTO A WEAPON?!"
"I-It's technically modeled after Jaune."
"IT'S STILL USING PENNY'S MEMORY! YOU'RE TAKING ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS AND TURNING HER INTO A WAR MACHINE!"
"Actually, a protector," Dante said as he regained his composure.
"Hah?!"
"Mrs. Schnee-Rose, where is Jaune right now?"
"Huh? He's in Menagerie. With my son, who was SUPPOSED to be in Signal!"
"Now he should be here in New Mantle at New Atlas Academy where he belongs," Winter muttered.
"Don't you start," Ruby said as she pointed at Winter.
"But he's not here, is he," Dante asked.
"No. He's with his dad. Though, at this point, I feel like I need to drag bo-"
"I meant Jaune."
"Hm?"
"Ruby, Jaune Arc isn't in New Mantle."
"What's your point," Ruby asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The Grimm Champions are the closest thing we're going to have compared to the real thing."
"ChampionS? Plural?! YOU'RE PLANNING TO MAKE MORE?!"
"Yip! Um, yes. Ruby, The Crevice is far more dangerous than we anticipated. Even the Ace Ops might be over their heads."
"And our android might be the solution to a lower death count," Maria said.
"Mrs. Schnee-Rose?" Ruby looked at Gaia. "I think I get it. Seeing GC get torn apart... sucked. I'm hoping I never have to see something like that again. It was just one mission, but I already considered him a friend. I don't like the idea of more of him being made just for him to be torn apart by whatever is down there, but he saved our lives."
Ruby's gaze remained the same.
"It's true, mom." She looked at Silber. "Without GC, we'd have died. He took on an Abominable by himself, damaged the Hreinn enough for me and Shiva to finish it off, and got us out of the Crevice before that army of Alfar could tear us to shreds. We needed him, and if it gets worse the farther down we go down The Crevice, we might need him even more."
"I hate to admit this, Aunt Ruby," Shiva said, getting everyone's attention. "But you and my mother might be the only ones in this room powerful enough to fight whatever lurks in The Crevice. Your Silver Eyes, my mother's Maiden Powers, we don't have that. It's even too risky for father to use his Titan in that deathtrap if you ask me. GC might be the only one who can go in without any risk."
Ruby stared at her niece before looking down at the table, sitting back in her chair before resting her head on her fingers, thinking about what she was just told. "I still don't like it. Penny was always a real girl to me. My friend. For her memory to be turned into a weapon that just might get torn apart by whatever nightmares are in there? Making it look like Jaune doesn't make it any better either."
"I agree," Winter said. "I don't much approve of the facial details, but the fact still remains that even Penny herself was meant to be a protector. A symbol of safety. Ruby, everyone, literally everyone in the entire world is looking at Jaune for that safety. It's gotten so bad that people are calling him the Protector of Remnant. Some even call him a Savior. Every day more and more burden is being placed on him, and that stubborn man won't deny any of it. He'd take on all the horrors of the world just to keep everyone in this room alone safe."
"And. I. HATE. That," Ruby gritted out. "Why won't that moron rely on us?! Just ask and we'd help in a heartbeat! He thinks he can take everything on alone, but he nearly died too many times to count this year ALONE! I'd do anything to keep... him... Oh, crap."
"So... do I have your-" Dante began.
"Not. Another. Word," Ruby went before she buried her face into her hands. "Fine. If we're actually voting on this..." Ruby raised her hand.
"All others in favor of the continuation of the Grimm Champion Program," Winter went as she raised her hand.
Everyone then raised their hands. "Motion carried. Dante, I'm giving you no restrictions in the GC Program. Any resources you need, any data you require, and any archive you need to access; it's yours."
Dante had a massive grin on his face. "You won't regret it!"
"I'd better not," she said in an icy tone that made Dante shiver. It got worse when he felt Ruby's gaze stabbing into him, the Head Scientist shrinking into his chair.
"Right, we've said and done all that was needed to be accomplished. We may leave the conference room and go about your business. DISMISSED!"
Out of pure habit, as well as respect for their leader, everyone, even Qrow himself, stood up and saluted Winter. "Ma'am, yes, ma'am," they all went in perfect unison before leaving the room.
Winter stayed behind, sighing as she looked out the conference window, in the direction of The Crevice.
"Shot for your thoughts," Qrow went.
"You barely drink anymore," Winter said with a teasing and slightly proud smile.
"Like a Schnee needs a penny for anything," Qrow chuckled.
"Good point."
Qrow then walked up next to his wife, knowing where she was looking, his smile vanishing with hers. "We still have no idea how deep down it goes," he said.
"Nor do we know how far out it travels. Darkness might have just made the creature appear out of thin air for all we know."
"If anything can do it, it's the god that made the Grimm. That thing was big enough to swallow New Mantle whole, and we have no idea how long it was before we killed it. Who knows how that Crevice swirls around beneath the ice."
"Or what hides in it." Winter held up one of the berries Silber brought. "The plant life alone seems to have mutated due to the presence of the Elder Grimm. What else could have changed? The Dust? The resources? . . . The Grimm?"
"Might be even deadlier monsters than what the girls and the robot took on."
"I don't even know who to pray to for that not to be the case," Winter sighed. "All I know is this: New Mantle WILL conquer The Crevice. And whatever monster lies waiting within... we'll be ready," she said as she grabbed her husband's hand, the man squeezing it back reassuringly.
Meanwhile, deep down inside The Crevice, something was indeed waiting. Down in the darkness were Grimm roaming, some killing each other to grow larger, others seemingly carving at the walls. The darkness made it difficult to see any, but none looked like any documented Grimm. There were Grimm slithering on the ground like snakes, Grimm moving at sound-breaking speeds, and Grimm flying around as fast as any New Atlas ship.
Yet, they all avoided a specific area.
For in this darker, colder cave, sat a unique Grimm. A HUMANOID Grimm. An... Armored Grimm. A Grimm with armor that made it look like a dark king, holding a terrifying sword.
As this Grimm sat on its throne, its helm seemed empty. Then... ice-blue orbs shined within the helm. Not red like other Grimm, but deathly ice blue.
The Grimm was awake as if sensing the challenge it had been issued to it and its frozen kingdom.
The Ice King awaits its foes.
A/N: I blame my friend for this. These are the reactions of everyone toward the Grimm Champion, specifically its face. This also contains massive spoilers for future chapters.
Omake:
Jaune-
"Y-You built a robotic copy of me?! Dante, what the hell?!"
Argent-
"So, does this mean I have another dad or an older brother? Also, does this mean Penny could have been my mom if she was still alive?"
Nimueh-
". . . Is it sexually compatible?"
"Not yet. If I had maybe a week or two, he would be."
"WHAT," Jaune and Winter yelled in unison.
"I can wait."
"NIM?!"
"What? You really think I'm not going to have more of you to myself?"
Ruby-
"I-It's based off of Jaune... but with some of Penny's schematics? . . . AND will be able to have sex?"
"That's right."
Ruby began to drool.
"Ruuubbyyy?"
Ruby jumped before looking at her now irritated wife. "W-Weiss! It's not what you think!"
Weiss grabs Ruby by the collar and yanks her toward Weiss's face. "What I THINK is that I need to remind you who your wife is."
"Eh?"
Weiss took out her scroll and made a call. "Clear my schedule for the rest of the day. . . NOW. . . . I don't give a damn. I. Said. NOW." She then hung up. "Bedroom. Now."
Ruby turned bright red, now excited. "Y-Yes, ma'am."
Blake-
Her eyebrow twitched before she sighed and turned toward Jaune. "My mother must NEVER know about this.
"Agreed."
Kali-
"I'll take one."
"Uh, it's not completely fi-" Dante began before Kali smacked him with a stack of lien. He shivered before his eyes were shown, revealed to be lien signs. "We'll have it delivered in two to three business days," he said as she rubbed his hands together.
Raven-
"The train transporting the Mantle Grimm Champions will be moving through Point Sphinx. We'll sneak in and steal one and only A FEW valuables. The Grimm Champion is our top priority. Sparrow, I'll leave retrieval of the android to you."
"AndroidS. I'm taking two."
Raven raised an eyebrow. "Why? We only need one to make the tribe stronger than it i-"
"One to be used as a soldier and the other to stay in your personal tent," Sparrow said as he looked at his mother with a knowing gaze.
Raven stared into her son's eyes before looking down at the map. "You always seem to find a way to make me proud of you, Vice Chieftain."
Sparrow shrugged. "That's my job." The two sighed when one of the twins began to cry. "Hopefully he'll help us take care of the distractions."
"I'm still angry at you for using your own little sister as a decoy," Raven said as she walked over to the crib to see that it was her daughter being fussy, her son sound asleep. She lifted the child and began to breastfeed her, making her calm down.
"Hey, it worked. Harriet didn't know what hit her. Literally."
Raven sighed, holding her daughter in a motherly manner as the child weaned on the beautiful bandit.
Jade and Julie-
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE GOING TO DEAL WITH HIM," Jade yelled.
"I'm the oldest, it was my plan, and I'm stronger than you."
"Oh, bullshit on the last one!"
"I'll take full responsibility and keep an eye on the Grimm Champion. You can have him when Tech thinks he can upgrade it further.
"DON'T BULLSHIT ME, JERK! YOU JUST WANT TO FUCK HIM FOR YOURSELF!"
"Your point?"
"Um, Vito?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake, IT'S JULIE, MCHANGA! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT?!"
The Merekat Faunus jumped. "S-Sorry, but what does this Grimm Champion have to do with getting the Princess back?"
The twins looked at her like she was an idiot.
"Gee, Jade, she makes a good point," Julie said sarcastically. "I mean, a super-powerful android modeled after the strongest man in the world that has the schematics of Penny Polendina? How could that possibly help us against that BITCH Kovu?"
"Oh, no, Julie. I have no idea. I mean, sure, that one robot is strong enough to take on an entire army of Grimm as badass as the Leonidas, and can DEFINITELY help against the Grey Hyenas."
The twins then hugged each other, their breasts pressing against each other, unintentionally looking ridiculously sexy. "Why on Remnant would we possibly want something that powerful?"
"S-Sorry," Mchanga went as she looked down in embarrassment.
The twins looked at her before looking at each other.
"No safeword," Jade asked.
"No safeword," Julie answered.
"EEP," Mchanga went before she tried to run away, only for the twins to grab her shoulders.
"Where do you think you're going," Julie asked with glowing red eyes.
"You need to be punished, cutie," Jade said with glowing red eyes before licking her lips seductively.
The two then dragged the Faunus to their room.
"No, no, no, WAIT! MERCY! MERCY! MAJI, WHERE ARE YOU?! HELP ME!" The door then slammed shut. "NOOOO! Ah~
Neo-
"And that's why I need your help, sweetheart," Neo said as she and Anita were looking over the map.
"Mm, this may be difficult, even for us. . . I'm in."
"I knew you'd be."
"Though, will you be able to do any work after this? Won't you be spending too much time with 'father' alone in your penthouse," Anita asked with a teasing, knowing smile.
"Ah, Anita, darling, you wound me. Your mother isn't THAT frustrated."
". . . One month vacation," Amanda asked with a raised eyebrow.
"At least."
Sun-
"WHY WOULD YOU COME TO ME?!"
"Come on, Jaune. Can't you pull some strings?"
"It's being BASED on me. I can't do anything. And besides, it's not even supposed to be a sex robot."
"But it's capable of being one. Come on, Jaune. Just talk to Dante or Winter. I'll give them all my measurements. Imagine how popular a bot based on my looks could be. They'd be swimming in lien in a week. A monkey tail can be used to do a lot, my friend."
Jaune's eyebrow twitched as he crossed his arms. "You're going to be a terrible influence on Sol."
"Aw, you think I'm gonna be THAT awesome of an uncle?" Sun sniffled as he wiped a stray tear away from his eye. "I'm touched."
"Sometimes I hate you."
A/N: Fun fact, my two little sisters (not really, but I love em like so) who get to read these before anyone else (along with their older brother) HATE GC. They seriously don't like that he's a robot made using Penny's old plans and has an A.I. based on her personality uploaded into his mind.
What do you guys think of him?
Speaking of thoughts, do you think Shiva would make for a good protagonist? It should be common knowledge to Dragon Ball fans that Toriyama tried to make Gohan into the main protag, but felt he just didn't cut it. I don't think Shiva has that problem. Being a Schnee, she's basically royalty, is a skilled Huntress, and now has new superpowers to learn to control. Sounds like the basis to a good protagonist to me. What do you think?
If she was a protagonist, I would have her adventures take place in The Crevice. However, I've state before that I like to think of my stories as basis for video games. The Crevice would be a Soulsborne style game, with GC as the main character. Think about it: a robot dowing down an unexplored cave filled to the brim with monsters and valuables. One robot goes in, collects some loot, fights some mob creatures, gets wrekted by a boss, and the next robot comes in. The new bot finds the previous model, takes the loot back to New Mantle, has Dante upgrade him, then get wrekts the boss that killed the previous model. Rinse and repeat until the final boss and you get the ending. Sounds like a good Soulborne game to me. Actually, that might be Lies of P that MIGHT be coming out this year. I sure hope so.
Anyway, let me know what you guys think. Would you rather have Shiva or GC explore The Crevice? Ooh, or maybe even Ruby or the Ace Ops. If you think you can role with this, go for it. Make it a story and be sure to let me know so I can read it. I don't mind people taking my ideas as long as they let me know.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this two part special. We'll be back to canon next time.
Until then.