Chapter 13: The Beast Prowls the Night

Pyrrha and Qrow made their way down the narrow hallway on the second floor of the Tavern. Pyrrha noticed the portraits lining the walls as they walked toward the room they were staying in. They almost reminded her of the ones she used to see back in the dorms at the Academy. Despite the Tavern's less-than-adequate condition—evidence of the lack of business Roxana had mentioned—she felt a sense of nostalgia from their time living at the Academy. It was still hard to believe that those days were behind them.

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. Like Arthamore, Lothadare had become a second home to her, and she couldn't help but miss it. She missed not just the times she had with Qrow but also the friends she had made along the way: Auron, Keith, Hanako... Blake. She had been forced away from them just as she had been from her parents back home in Arthamore.

Pyrrha heard voices from within as they passed an open doorway, no doubt left ajar by the Troopers' inspections. She paused, turning to peer inside the room. A Faunus family of four was emerging from a secret hiding place beneath the rug. The mother and father embraced their children, who cried fearfully—undoubtedly disturbed by the sudden inspection by the Grimm troopers.

Pyrrha placed one hand on the side of the open doorway and the other over her chest, frowning. The Troopers searching for them had left the entire room in complete ruins. It was fortunate the family had not been discovered.

The father lifted his gaze to her, standing in the doorway. Pyrrha narrowed her eyes.

"I'm... I'm so sorry," she said.

Qrow came up beside her, placing his hand on her shoulder. He then gestured with his head for her to follow him.

"Come on, Kid," he said.

Pyrrha followed after him, taking one last glance back at the Faunus family's room, wishing she could have prevented this from happening—wishing she could help the people suffering under the Grimm's occupation of their town.

Dr. Watts peered through the microscope at the pure, untainted Faunus blood sample. After injecting a small amount of serum into the blood, he observed the sudden changes in the cells. The results further proved that his new adjustments to the serum had not improved it, as it continued to mutate the Faunus's animal genes. The Professor gave an irritated groan, leaning back from the microscope.

"I've made all the necessary modifications to the serum! But the Grimm's blood continues to mutate their genes," he said in frustration. "Why does this keep happening?"

He stroked his black mustache, pondering. Something within the Grimm's DNA was continuing to affect the Faunus, mutating their genes into horrid creatures, which hindered his research. Especially the one that now roamed loose in the town of Asben Hallow.

"Hmm, perhaps the Grimm's genes need further extraction than I anticipated. But I've already removed twenty percent of their code," he theorized. "Any more, and the serum will not have the intended effect on our Faunus soldiers."

Dr. Watts considered the predicament further. He had promised the Empress results that would significantly improve their efforts in the war. Yet, instead, he continued to be hindered by this minor setback. If he couldn't find a solution soon, he would face the unforgiving wrath of the Empress and her apprentice.

As he continued to ponder, he suddenly heard the doorway behind him open with a mechanical thud. He cocked his head back and saw a Seer floating inside his lab. The mad scientist was left uneasy, knowing well what this entailed. Empress Salem or Cinder were no doubt expecting a full report on his efforts with the serum.

Dr. Watts turned to face the Seer, masking any sign that might indicate his experiments were facing such a setback. The Seer paused before him, revealing an image of Cinder within the glass ball, earning a disapproving scowl from the scientist.

"Oh, it's you, Cinder. To what do I owe the honor?" he said coldly.

"Dr. Watts, I trust your little experiments are proceeding as promised. My troops require more of your serum," Cinder insisted.

"If you must know, they are proceeding ahead of schedule. I trust your hunt for the Prodigy is progressing as well as you say?" he asked. "I hear from the council that Empress Salem is growing impatient."

Cinder smirked. "Salem will not have to wait much longer. My years of searching have given me a lead," she proclaimed.

"Is that so? And just what lead are you referring to?" he questioned.

"I may have just discovered who she is and the Knight training her. I am issuing a bounty for them to all of the Empire," Cinder insisted. "I hope I can count on you to inform me if they stumble into your territory."

Dr. Watts raised an eyebrow with interest. Given his apparent disdain for the Empress's apprentice, he couldn't say he expected much from her. Especially since it had taken her all these years to come up with something, let alone the actual whereabouts of Akara's Prodigy.

"Most impressive, Cinder, but simple leads will not please Salem. And if I may, your methods require further thought," Watts proclaimed. "If someone else in the Empire claims the bounty before you, it will not be good for you. Your place at Salem's side may be at stake."

The scientist's claims earned an angered scowl from Cinder. Suddenly, one of the Seer's tentacles lashed at the Doctor, wrapping around his throat. Arthur gasped as the coil tightened around his neck, causing him to fall to his knees.

"But I trust that I can count on your help finding her. I'd hate to be rid of a man of your talents," Cinder proclaimed.

Watts struggled to speak. "Have you lost—your senses? Killing me... will only earn you the wrath of the Empress," Arthur gasped.

Cinder only chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure Salem will be quite understanding. Especially after she hears of your little setbacks with the serum," Cinder proclaimed. "That's right, I know all about what's been happening in that little town of yours. It would be a shame if Salem were to learn that one of your experiments is now causing trouble for the Empire."

The Seer's red tentacle continued to tighten around the Doctor's throat. Desperately, Watts tried to pry it away with his hands to get even a whiff of life-sustaining air. Cinder grinned slyly, knowing she now had his aid in finding the Prodigy.

"So, I trust I have your help finding the Prodigy?" Cinder questioned.

There was no other choice—not with his life and all his work now at stake. Dr. Watts nodded, giving in to the wishes of the Empress's apprentice. Much to his relief, the Seer released its hold on him, allowing him to fall to his knees, gasping for air.

"I will send you the bounty information immediately. Have our troops be on high alert," Cinder ordered. "And Watts... I expect you to get your experiments under control. Are we clear?"

Watts nodded once more. "Yes, Lady Cinder," he said.

"Good," she replied.

With that, the image of Cinder within the clear glass ball dissipated, leaving Watts with an angered scowl.

Qrow peered through the blinds of the room's window, scanning the now-empty street outside. For the most part, it seemed clear. The troop transport parked in front of the Tavern had left some time ago, and there was no sign of any other Grimm patrolling the streets. Only the darkness of the night and a single street lamp beaming over the side of the road below remained. He sighed in relief, shaking his head.

"Looks clear. I don't see any Grimm. It should be safe to spend the night here," Qrow insisted, turning back to Pyrrha. "Tomorrow, we leave for Haven first thing in the morning."

Pyrrha sat on the edge of the bed, facing away from him. She frowned, pondering the Faunus family they had seen in the hallway. The thought of what they might be going through, what all the Faunus must be enduring in this town, continued to haunt her. She glanced down at Gambol Shroud, which lay firmly atop her lap—the one thing she had left to remember her lost friend and her promise.

Qrow sighed. "Come on, Red, buck up. We need to devise a plan for getting to Haven," Qrow insisted.

Pyrrha shook her head, standing up from the bed. "No, we can't leave. The Faunus in Asben Hallow need our help," she insisted. "The rest of this town needs our help."

Qrow shook his head. "Red..." he began.

"They are suffering under the Grimm. We can't just leave them," Pyrrha proclaimed.

"Red, listen to me. It's too dangerous for us to go against the Grimm here," Qrow insisted. "Especially if the Doctor is here as well. The man is sick; he meddles with things beyond our comprehension. Who knows what he's doing at that castle."

Pyrrha stood up, turning to face him. "It doesn't matter how dangerous it is. I can't just turn my back on those who need our help," she insisted, glancing down at Gambol Shroud. "I promised her that."

Qrow paused, then sighed, lowering his head. He understood Pyrrha's plight for the friend she had lost, but that was still no reason to risk their lives to help the people in this town. Let alone for the ones the Doctor used for his inhuman experiments, much as he regretted it inside.

"Red, we can't risk it. It's only a matter of time before the Grimm learn who we are," Qrow insisted. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. You are too important for the Realms to fall into the Empress's hands. Akara would—"

As he spoke her name, there was suddenly a bright blue glow. The two of them turned to the lamp atop the desk at the front of the room. They saw the lamp pulsing there, which meant that Akara wanted to talk to her.

"Akara?" Pyrrha said.

Pyrrha and Qrow exchanged glances. He then gestured his head toward the lamp.

"You better go see what she wants, Red. And quick before we get unwanted attention," Qrow proclaimed, rushing over to the windows.

Pyrrha turned back and walked over to the lamp. She reached out to touch its golden surface, and then there was a bright white flash.

Pyrrha found herself standing at the center of a temple. Taking a moment to get her bearings, she turned forward and saw Akara standing before her.

"Akara?" she said.

Akara greeted her Prodigy with a nod.

"Hello, Pyrrha. I trust you are ready. The time for your first trial is soon," she said.

Pyrrha's eyes shifted downcast, followed by a moment of silence before she spoke up.

"Uh, yes, but..." Pyrrha hesitated.

Akara squinted her eyes at Pyrrha, noting the downcast tone in her voice and her expression of despair. She assumed it was due to leaving behind those she had grown to care about. However, she sensed that something else was troubling her.

"I can see something is weighing on your mind, Pyrrha. Is something wrong?" Akara asked.

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes, there is. The people in Asben Hallow are suffering because of the Grimm," she insisted. "Especially the Faunus. The Grimm have been taking them prisoner for someone called the Doctor."

Akara grimaced at the news. However, she could not say she was surprised by Salem's followers' actions. There was much resentment toward the Faunus in the Grimm Empire. They were seen as nothing more than livestock to be used for experiments, slaves for mining operations, and cannon fodder for their military. It angered Akara deeply to see such crimes committed against the Faunus by Salem's Empire, just as the mistreatment committed against them by all the Kingdoms did.

"I see," Akara said.

"There has to be something we can do to help them. But Qrow thinks we need to focus on the trials," Pyrrha said.

Akara suddenly smiled. "Well, fortunately for you, your first trial may help the Faunus here in Asben Hallow," Akara proclaimed.

Pyrrha looked up at Akara curiously. "Huh?" she asked.

Akara turned back to her with a sly grin. It wasn't long before Pyrrha understood what her mentor was referring to. Her face lit up with hope, and a small gasp of anticipation escaped her lips.

"You mean...?" she asked.

Akara nodded. "Indeed. This is to be your first trial, after all," Akara proclaimed. "However, heed my words, Pyrrha; you must look past what you see. Only then will you see what truly resides within."

Pyrrha shook her head, confused. "I don't understand," she said.

"It will all come together in time, my young Prodigy. For now, it is time you return," Akara insisted. "May the Faiths grant you great prosperity, Pyrrha."

With those last words, Pyrrha was once more engulfed by a bright flash of light.

Pyrrha found herself standing back in the room at the Tavern. She turned to the lamp and saw the blue essence fade from the relic. Pyrrha sighed, left with the words of her mentor and the supposed trial she would soon face. Whatever it was, she was relieved that it entailed helping the people of Asben Hallow against the Grimm suppressing them.

Qrow came up to her. "You're back, that's a relief. We would have been discovered by the Grimm if it took any longer," Qrow insisted. "So, what did Akara want?"

Pyrrha turned back to the lamp before returning her gaze to Qrow. "She said that my first trial has started," Pyrrha insisted.

"First trial? Here, now?" Qrow asked.

Pyrrha nodded. "That's right. And she said it may help the Faunus in Asben Hallow," Pyrrha proclaimed.

Qrow squinted at her. "Wait, what?!" Qrow questioned.

Pyrrha gave a sly, playful smirk, which made Qrow roll his eyes and sigh.

"You women always stick together. Alright, fine, but I'm going with you on this," Qrow insisted. "There's no way I'm letting you do this alone."

Pyrrha uttered an excited gasp before embracing him in a tight hug. "Thank you, Qrow," she said.

Qrow came to embrace her, a sigh of contentment escaping his lips. He couldn't help but have a bad feeling about this. As if avoiding the Grimm wasn't hard enough, they were about to face dangers he knew were waiting for them.

"I got a bad feeling about this," he proclaimed.

The two separated, and Pyrrha smiled up at him.

"Alright, if we're doing this, we need to figure out how to do it without the Grimm noticing," Qrow said.

Pyrrha shifted her gaze to the side, pondering how they could avoid being noticed by the Grimm.

The shadows of the night were all he had come to know; they were the only friends he had left. The cool, concealing darkness, accompanied by the chill of the autumn wind, kept him hidden from the invaders—the invaders he had observed for months since he escaped the walls of that accursed castle. Only to be confronted by the horrid reality of what the only home he had ever known had become.

What they had turned him into.

The darkness also kept him hidden from the people he once loved long ago, safeguarding them from ever having to see him now and the pain they would be forced to endure.

Pain.

It was the only thing he felt since the doctor had injected him with that serum. That horrid concoction flowed agonizingly through his body, burning within his veins like poison—yet without the relief of death to end his suffering.

Only the pain.

The pain.

The sight of the castle overhead, standing tall between the mountains and forest, stirred great anger and hatred within him. It also brought back painful memories of his time on the other side of its great walls, where that mad doctor was keeping others who suffered from being subjected to his inhuman experiments—people he desired to set free. But he was helpless to do anything to help them.

Not on his own, anyway.

The alarms at the front gate went off in the distance. He saw the gates open as a convoy of transports drove across the bridge, heading straight for Asben Hallow—undoubtedly going to collect more Faunus from the town.

Something he could not allow.

He leaped From the cliff, tearing his way through the forest to the town ahead.

Pyrrha darted from rooftop to rooftop, the quiet town sprawled below. A squad of Grimm patrolled an alleyway, oblivious as she leaped silently above them. Overhead, Qrow soared, unseen in his crow form.

Pyrrha paused, glancing back at Qrow, who followed her closely. Passing by a chimney, Qrow returned to his human form, landing beside her. He cocked his head back to the alley below, where the Grimm Troopers continued, seemingly unaware that they were there.

Qrow breathed a sigh of relief. "We're too exposed out here, Kid. Just what exactly are we looking for?" he asked.

"We need to find out what the Grimm are doing with the Faunus," Pyrrha replied.

Qrow shook his head. "It won't be easy, Red. If I know the Doctor, he's as cunning as he is perceptive," he insisted. "He's often given my team and me the slip."

"You know who he is?" Pyrrha asked.

Qrow nodded. "Yeah, I do. His name is Arthur Watts; he's the top scientist in the Grimm Empire and very dangerous," he proclaimed. "The Alliance wants him for crimes he committed against the Faunus people. But he's managed to evade capture each time. He's given my team and me the slip many times."

Pyrrha squinted her eyes. "Crimes against the Faunus?" she asked.

"Info we had on him said he was a former scientist from the Kingdom of Atlas before defecting to the Grimm," Qrow explained. "The man is sick. He's known to use Faunus as his test subjects for his experiments."

"What experiments?" Pyrrha asked.

"Some serum that he's been developing for the Grimm Army. It's meant to give humans the strength of a Grimm," Qrow explained. "Word is that he's testing the serum on the Faunus."

"So what happens to them?" Pyrrha asked.

Qrow shook his head. "I'm not sure, Red. We never got close enough to see what happens to them," he explained. "Watts always managed to destroy the evidence before we could see it. That explains why he's here in Asben Hallow; it has the highest population of Faunus in the Grimm Empire. It's the perfect place for him to gather more test subjects."

Pyrrha didn't like the sound of any of this. It made her fear more for the Faunus suffering in Asben Hallow. They would undoubtedly share the same fate as the ones Watts had experimented on. This must be why her first trial was here in Asben Hallow. Akara must want them to stop this madman from harming any more Faunus in this town.

She looked back over the town, staring out over the horizon—the direction of the supposed castle where Dr. Watts resided and continued committing such crimes against the Faunus.

"Well, maybe this is our chance to catch him. He doesn't know we're here, and he might not even know about us yet," Pyrrha insisted. "We can end all his crimes against the Faunus and this serum he's making."

Qrow lowered his head, pondering. It wasn't as if he didn't want to catch Dr. Watts after all the times he had evaded him. This would be the perfect opportunity to capture and turn over Watts to the Alliance. Not only would they help the people in Asben Hallow, but they could also help the war effort. With Salem's top scientist in the Kingdom's alliance's custody, they could learn more about the serum and other top-secret projects of the Grimm Empire.

He nodded. "This might work, Red. If we can make it to Lyberia-controlled territory, we can turn him over to them," Qrow proclaimed. "It could help turn the tide of the war."

Pyrrha smiled, nodding in anticipation.

"First, we need to find out where this castle is," Qrow said.

The answer to his question came in the sound of a transport engine breaking the silence of the night. They turned their heads, spotting the beaming lights of a convoy making its way through the streets.