Hi everyone, welcome back! I'm glad my last chapter was so well received, particularly with the mutant Grimm as well as the character interactions.
Well, if you thought those monsters were crazy, wait till you see what's going on here.
Though there were a few comments in regard to Knuckles' conversation with Ruby, particularly when it comes to her dad and uncle. I'm not trying to make them bad people. Tai's a good guy and I do like him. And there are times that I like Qrow too, but he can also be a bit of an asshole as well and something of a hypocrite, particularly how he treated the rest of Team JNPR after Pyrrha died and didn't even apologize or offer his condolences. I plan to go a bit more in-depth with the Rose/Xiao Long family history and their dynamic later on and show that while it is a loving family, it does have a great many flaws to them as well, and I feel they weren't properly handled or addressed in the canon. I hope that makes sense.
But don't expect too much of that here, it'll be more when we get to Volumes 3 and 4 here.
I've also been following Volume 9 very closely and it is doing great so far. In my opinion, the recent episode (episode 7), is the best one of the Volume yet and I can't wait to see where it goes. I currently have no major plans for the Ever-After, but that doesn't mean I won't do anything later, if I do, it won't appear for a long while. I need to see how the rest of that storyline goes before I make any solid plans.
With that being said, let's get this chapter started.
End of the Line
The Forever Fall Forest, a massive wood lined with red leafed trees. This was one of the most beautiful parts of Vale, and most of Remnant for that matter. And at this moment, a place of investigation for Teams Sonic, RWBY, Dark, and JNPR, along with their guide, Glynda Goodwitch. Currently, Tails piloted the Cyclone through some cloud cover where they had spotted some train tracks that had been built on pedestals that were slightly above the tree line, and sitting behind him were Yang and Blake with Sonic standing at the base of the plane.
"Alright everyone, we got our eyes set on the train tracks." Sonic said over their comms. "We don't see anything yet."
Tails was able to get a closer look through the zoom feature in his Miles Electric that was plugged into the Cyclone's controls. "These tracks definitely appear to be constructed rather recently and based on what we've seen with those mutant Grimm at Mountain Glenn, I doubt the timing is coincidental."
"Yeah, and those tracks lead to a shipping dock that also looks like it was built recently." Rouge said as she, Nora, Omega, and Ren were at a one end of a fjord with the bat looking through a scope over her right eye that zoomed in at a dock on the other side of the water where she spotted several shipping containers, all of which had a familiar logo on them. "We got some SDC shipping containers here too. Looks like we may expect some company soon."
"This fjord appears to lead out into the ocean." Ren observed looking into the water. "If someone is coming, they're not from Vale."
"Okay. Weiss, Knuckles, Amy and I are at an old temple near you guys." Ruby reported as the four had arrived at a large stone entrance to said temple that was closed off. "We can't see what's inside, but it might be big enough for someone to hide out in."
"Observe with caution." Glynda advised as she, Shadow, Jaune, and Pyrrha walked underneath the train tracks, keeping their weapons on hand as they looked in all directions. "If those mutated Grimm were made intentionally, then there is a chance we may find more here."
"But if they were made intentionally, that means that there is something man-made than can directly affect the Grimm." Tails pointed out. "Maybe if we found out what it is and even get a sample, maybe there's a chance we can use it ourselves for an anti-Grimm weapon."
"Can you really make something like that?" Blake asked.
"Again, if I got a sample of whatever chemical agent Omega detected in the ones we fought before, there is a possibility. But I'm not making any guarantees." Tails answered.
"I'm still wondering how the heck anybody can build a freaking railroad track out here without anybody noticing." Yang commented.
"The Forever Fall Forest is rather large, Miss Xiao Long." Glynda said. "And it's largely uninhabited. Constructing something and avoiding prying eyes is a possibility here, but it is still concerning."
"Well, it's already done." Sonic said. "Let's see what we can find here and maybe it'll lead us to whoever's involved with Eggman this time around."
"You still think Eggman might be involved? Even if we haven't seen him?" Ruby asked.
"I wouldn't put it past him." Sonic answered. "It's not like him to just drop out of sight so suddenly, especially after that big showdown in the city a little bit ago."
Tails' attention was caught by a small ping on his Miles Electric. The screen shifted to a grid-like image of the general area where he spotted a red dot coming from the right side of the screen and coming ever closer.
"We got movement!" The young fox reported. "There's something coming from the tracks from the north-east. We're moving in to get a closer look."
"Report anything you find." Shadow responded. "Everyone else, keep your eyes out for anything. We could be wandering into enemy territory."
"You got it." Ruby signed off.
"Understood." Rouge signed off as well.
Pyrrha felt her hand on one of the metallic pillars that supported the tracks above them. "These tracks do appear to be recently constructed. I'd say it was probably done a few days ago."
"Think you can bring it down with your Semblance?" Jaune asked.
"Nothing this sturdy. If I were to focus on one support structure, possibly. But it would take a great deal of effort." Pyrrha answered.
"It would also result in a great deal of collateral damage." Glynda spoke up. "We don't know specifically what is going on, which is why Professor Ozpin has sent us to investigate. If we must take action here, we will. But for now, our job is simply looking for answers, not causing trouble."
"Yeah, alright." Jaune replied.
"Of course." Pyrrha nodded.
"Does Ozpin have any ideas who may be behind this?" Shadow questioned the Beacon professor, getting her attention. "We told him that this could be connected to Merlot Industries, would that give him any leads?"
"A few, but nothing concrete, hence our investigation." Glynda answered.
"Those Grimm we encountered genetically modified." Shadow began. "It shouldn't be possible as the Grimm don't have any form of biology, at least not when compared to animals or humans, and yet we saw it. One of the main fields of research from Merlot Industries was genetics, correct? What do you know of Doctor Merlot?"
Glynda had the feeling that this was more of an interrogation than an inquiry, but still responded. "He was a brilliant scientist with a strong drive to improve our world. Many of his fields of research have gone into studying the Creatures of Grimm to better understand them, yes. But he has never done anything direct to them such as mutate as you are likely suggesting. But because of his studies, the Atlas military and council were quick to supply his company with some of the most advance technology they could provide if it meant finding a possible solution to the Grimm."
"Until Mountain Glenn collapsed. Taking the company with it." Pyrrha said with remorse.
"Yes… many lives were lost, including those who worked at that company." Glynda said with remorse.
"What about Merlot himself? Was a body ever recovered?" Shadow questioned. "Do you have proof of his demise."
Once again, Glynda felt she was being interrogated, which she didn't like, but still gave an answer. "No, there was no body to be recovered. Regardless, it is unlikely that he survived such a disaster."
"That's only an assumption." Shadow pointed out.
"Wait… Shadow… are you saying that the guy might be alive?" Jaune asked.
"It is possible, but I have no proof." The Ultimate Lifeform replied before turning back to Glynda. "Did Merlot Industries have any sort of connection with the White Fang?"
"No, they did not." Glynda answered. "Mostly because Merlot Industries had some ties with the Schnee Dust Company and while they wouldn't openly state it, many in the White Fang and those who are not in the origination do feel that the SDC are anti-Faunus."
"Well, they're not wrong given what the Faunus go through in those Dust mines." Jaune pointed out, which caused him and Pyrrha to think back to Fifer.
"But if there was a connection between Merlot Industries and the SDC, could whoever's involved here be working alongside Eggman and the White Fang?" Pyrrha asked. "It would explain what we found with the Lost Dust records. Someone could use that connection to supply the White Fang and Eggman with all that Dust."
"They could, yes." Shadow granted. "But these are all theories and assumptions. That said…" Once more, he directed his gaze towards Glynda. "…while I understand if neither you or Ozpin have any concrete evidence as to who else may be involved in all of this, you at least have to have a theory or two. And sharing said theories would be most beneficial to all parties involved."
The black Hedgehog and veteran Huntress both gazed hard at one another. Pyrrha and Jaune both felt the situation become quite tense. They knew that Glynda Goodwitch did answer directly to Ozpin and did act as his right hand, and they also suspected that Ozpin was hiding something from all of them. Was Shadow suspecting that Professor Goodwitch was involved in this as well? It made them feel more than a little uncomfortable as the pair of students exchanged glances with one another.
However, their attention was caught by the sounds of low growls and branches twitching from the bushes and trees on the left side underneath the tracks.
Shadow instinctively grabbed the handle of Arondight, not having it drawn yet, as opposed to Jaune and Pyrrha who both had their respective weapons drawn.
"Stay calm, students." Glynda advised them. "But be ready just in case." She reached for her crop as well, prepared for a fight.
There was no other sound made after that, but Shadow did spot a dark opening in the bushes and narrowed his gaze into it. Even at a distance, his own keen eyesight would be able to pick up anything that may move. That's when he spotted a pair of glowing green eyes.
"Move!" He exclaimed as something rushed out from the bushes. He had ran to the right with Jaune following him, while Pyrrha and Glynda rolled towards the left to surround what had emerged from the bushes.
It was an Ursa. But it wasn't a normal one. No, this Ursa was twice as tall as a regular one, even dwarfing an Ursa Major as it stood over thirty feet tall. But it also had four large arms as opposed to two, as well as two heads. What also stood out about it were the glowing green crystals along its back and its glowing green eyes.
"We have contact!" Shadow reported to the other groups over the comms. "A Mutant Ursa! We…"
More growls were heard around them as two more Mutant Ursai emerged from the foliage to join the one that had already exited and charged at the two pairs. Shadow grabbed Jaune, who gave a slight scream as he used his speed to move closer towards Pyrrha and Glynda, the latter using her Telekinesis Semblance to create a blast to throw the giant monster over herself and her student to land on the ground, though it was quick to get back up as all four of them regrouped together.
"Correction. Three Mutant Ursai." Shadow reported over the comms. "There are likely others. Stay alert!"
"Yeah, we kinda got one of those too!" Sonic replied.
A Few Minutes Earlier
Some distance away from Shadow's group, the Cyclone had managed to catch up to the train that was moving along the newly constructed tracks. The plane was flying particularly close to the top of the train and moving at the same speed.
"Aren't we getting a bit close for the stealth approach?" Yang asked.
"You'd think, but I added a new feature to the Cyclone." Tails explained. "I've installed a special Light Dust projector to act as a form of camouflage. Reconfigured a bit from Hard Light Dust, it bends the light around the Cyclone and everyone inside to give the illusion of invisibility."
It was true, as from an outsider's perspective, nobody would be able to see the Cyclone flying directly over the train. Though if they looked close enough, one could see a slight bend of light almost like a sphere, but only the keenest of eyes would be able to notice something small like that.
"Tails, have I ever mentioned how awesome you are?" Sonic congratulated his buddy.
"You could stand to mention it more." Tails smirked back.
Yang was more than a little impressed herself, but she caught notice of Blake who appeared to be deep in thought and shook her by the shoulder. "Hey, Blake." That got her attention. "You okay? You looked like you zoned out for a second."
"I'm fine… it's just… this whole thing kinda reminds of something a while back." She replied.
"Let me guess, an old White Fang job?" Sonic assumed.
"Yeah… my last job." Blake replied, thinking it was best to get this off her chest now. "My partner… Adam and I… we tried to hijack a Schnee Dust Company train like what we're doing. I thought we were only stealing the Dust, but he was set on killing the human engineers inside, or at least leaving them to die. So… I left after that."
Sonic, Tails, and especially Yang looked towards her in sympathy as they saw the look of regret in her eyes.
"Hey if this is too much for you, you can back out." Yang offered.
"No." Blake stated, trying to steel her resolve. "I'm training to be a Huntress. I can't back out just because I'm thinking too much about my past. I need to move forward and that's what I'm going to do, starting now." She looked to all of them with a determined expression. "I'm with you guys all the way."
That earned an impressed smile from Sonic. "Glad to hear it. Let's find out what we're dealing now. Tails?"
"I'm on it." The young fox activated the scanner built into the Miles Electric and tried to get a read on what's inside. "I'm not picking up any lifeforms, or robot signals. But… it's carrying something. There's something… large in the car in front of us and…" Tails eyes widened in shock at the readings he got. "Uh oh."
"What? What is it?" Yang asked.
"Omega scanned the chemical agent that he found in the mutated Grimm back at Mountain Glenn to see if we can try and use it to track any more that might be out there and… there's one in here! And it's huge!" Tails stated.
Right as he said that, the roof of the train car in front of them began to open. A seam appeared down the middle as both sides began to pull apart. Tails was forced to pull up the Cyclone and dropped the Light Dust projector. All four of them looked to see pitch darkness at first from the opening before something huge shot out of it.
It was a Nevermore. A mutated Nevermore to be specific. It wasn't all that much bigger from the Nevermore they faced in the Emerald Forest. But what stood out about it was that it had four massive wings along its back, the feathers glowing a bright green along with all of its eyes.
Yang, Blake, and Tails looked in genuine horror as it emitted a loud shriek, while Sonic's eyes lowered in annoyance.
"Oh great. It's the attack of the Mutant Tweety."
At the same time, Knuckles had used his own strength to lift open the stone door of the old temple from the ground slightly, enough for Amy, Ruby, and Weiss to all climb underneath before Knuckles lifted it up even more to step inside himself and set the door down to be as quiet as possible. However, they would soon find that stealth may not be an option.
Mostly because of the roars and howls from all the Beowolves they found inside. But not just inside the temple, inside the same kind of cages they found in the Emerald Forests. There were several of these advanced containers stacked on top of one another, and each one of them had a Beowolf locked inside.
"Oh, my gods…" Weiss muttered as she, Ruby, Amy, and Knuckles all looked in surprise. "They've actually captured Grimm!"
"Looks like this temple is being used for storage." Amy guessed.
"Storage…? With Grimm?!" Ruby exclaimed. "How in the heck is this even possible?!"
"Don't know. Somehow, they managed to pull it off." Knuckles said as they walked deeper into the temple, moving past all the caged Grimm that continued to snarl at them. Though Knuckles paid them little mind while Amy looked with concern, she wasn't all that intimidated. Ruby and Weiss however, they both exchanged nervous glances with being this close to so many Grimm, and even if they were held within storage containers, it felt like they could break out and attack at any moment. The two partners already had their respective weapons drawn while keeping close to the red Echidna and pink Hedgehog.
They walked down a flight of steps and into the center of the temple, noticing there were many more storage containers, at least eight total and each one had contained a mutant Beowolf. Just like those at Mountain Glenn, each of them had three heads.
"Three heads…" Weiss said with a pale face. "Why did they have to be given three heads? They were already unsettling before."
"You know, there actually is a creature of myth back home called Cerberus." Amy explained. "It was a giant dog with three heads."
"Like that robot Eggman used when we first met him?" Ruby asked.
"Exactly." Amy confirmed. "Maybe these Grimm were modified using the mythical creature as a reference."
"Which would mean Eggman is involved in this." Knuckles pointed out. "If we have mutated and unmutated Grimm here, it means they're being stored for something. Maybe to be transformed?"
"Maybe, let's call Sonic and see…" Amy's suggestion was interrupted as the lights on all the cages turned on, shining a bright red before they opened up. This freed all the Beowolves that they saw on the way in, as well as all eight of the three-headed mutated variety.
Acting quick, the quartet formed up with their backs to one another as they were quickly surrounded.
"They escape!" Ruby exclaimed as she held Crescent Rose tightly and Weiss pointed Myrtenaster forward.
"More likely they were released!" Knuckles pointed out as he drew Galantine with Amy holding the Piko-Piko. "This whole thing was a trap!"
"Sonic! Rouge! Shadow! Come in!" Amy tried to contact all the other groups. "We got mutant Grimm all over! It's an ambush!"
Meanwhile, back with Rouge's group, she and everyone else had just gotten all the alerts from Sonic, Shadow, and Amy pretty much all at the same time.
"Looks like we just walked right into a trap." Nora pointed out before drawing out Magnhild in its grenade launcher mode and cocked it. "Let's go kill some Grimm!"
"Alert! There is a water bound vessel incoming from the sea!" Omega reported, drawing all their attention.
Rouge used her scope to zoom in out on the water to see a ship incoming. She also happened to spot the familiar emblem on the side. "It's a Merlot Industries ship." She pointed out. She zoomed in at some of the armed individuals who appeared to be on the deck. "We got White Fang on board."
"White Fang? So Eggman is involved." Ren stated.
"No Badnik signals detected." Omega reported as they saw the ship pull up on the other side of the water. "This is likely an extraction of cargo."
"And how much do you wanna bet that cargo is Grimm?" Nora assumed.
Rouge knew they had an opportunity to get a closer look here and they had to take it. She was confident that Shadow and everyone else could handle themselves even against the mutated Grimm. Now it was time for her area of expertise: stealth and espionage.
"We're going in and we're doing it quietly." Rouge told the group, who nodded in agreement before accessing the comms. "Everyone, if you can hear me, we spotted an active Merlot Industries ship coming in for a pick-up at our location. It has a few White Fang goons onboard. We're going to try and get a closer look. Rouge, out."
The minute she signed off, she led Omega, Ren, and Nora down a path that would take them around to the ship on the other side of the water, where they hopefully can find some answers to this little mystery they got going on.
Jaune backed away as the Mutant Ursa charged at him. Though he brought up his shield to protect himself from the slash of the monster's upper right claw, but the force of it still sent him flying and crashing hard into a metal support beam. Though his Aura did protect his body, it still hurt him a great deal. Before the Mutant Ursa could advance further, it felt multiple gunshots along its side and turned towards Pyrrha, who had Milo converted into its rifle mode and fired at it. The Mutant Ursa charged at her even as she continued to fire. When it got close, she converted Milo into its sword mode as she ducked underneath its upper left claw swipes, while using her shield to block the lower right one and lunged her blade right through it, converting it into its javelin mode to completely pierce through. However, it leaned down to try and bite at her, forcing Pyrrha to release her weapon and use Akouo to block the right jaw. Though the left one did graze her, her Aura protected her, and she slid herself under the Mutant Ursa's legs and rolled on the ground before getting back up. She used her Polarity Semblance on Milo as it was still run through the monster, extending her hand to call her weapon back to her. She looked to see that the wounds she had inflicted upon it, including the hole made from Milo's impalement, heal completely.
"They can regenerate the same way those at Mountain Glenn could!" Pyrrha called out to Shadow and Glynda as they continued to fight and hold off their respective mutated foes.
Glynda had heard Pyrrha's claim and made a note of it, using her Telekinesis to create a brief shield as the second Mutant Ursa slashed at her. She then backflipped away to get some distance, making her way towards the foliage. Acting quickly, she aimed her crop at the trees and bushes, breaking them apart with her Semblance and spun them all together, creating something akin to a large spear that rotated and mixed all the broken wood together. The Mutant Ursa charged at her in breakneck speed, prompting Glynda to thrust all her gathered ammunition at it. The two-headed and four-armed creature took the brunt of the attack, the force of it pushed it back somewhat, though much of its armor and black flesh had been broken off as it was brought down to its hands and knees, with plenty of wood sticking into it. However, the monster was quick to stand back up as all its injuries were quickly healed, even the wood stuck in it was pushed out by the regenerating flesh, with the damaged armor being repaired the same way.
The Beacon professor and professional Huntress tisked in annoyance and readied herself for the next assault.
Shadow had leapt back and up in the air, performing a Homing Attack and slashing at the Mutant Ursa that he faced before waving his hand to send a trio of Chaos Spears at it, which pierce and exploded all around the beast. Shadow landed on the ground to see that all the substantial damage that the Mutant Ursa had sustained had quickly healed. Even its upper right arm that had been blown off by one of Shadow's attacks had regenerated.
'This breed is certainly stronger than those we faced at Mountain Glenn.' Shadow thought to himself. 'And just as Pyrrha said, it can regenerate, even from severed limbs. However, if it shares the same strengths as those before, it must also have the same weakness.'
The Ultimate Lifeform had Arondight drawn in one hand and waved his finger in his free hand toward himself, telling the Mutant Ursa to come to him.
The two-headed bear-like monster roared as it charged on all six of its limbs towards Shadow. However, he was more than prepared as he pulled Arondight back and boosted at near-light speed, zooming under and past the Mutant Ursa, slashing at all four of its hands and both its feet during the charge. He appeared behind the beast as all six of its limbs were severed, causing the beast to fall flat on its belly due to its weight. Using this to his advantage, Shadow quickly teleported above the Mutant Ursa, specifically above the neck area of its dual heads, and performed a spin-dash attack with Arondight hanging out and shot downward, slicing at both necks and decapitating the beast completely.
Shadow slid a bit on the ground and turned around to watch the Mutant Ursa explode, a brief flash of green appeared before it all vanished and melted away.
"Don't overpower them! Cut their heads off!" Shadow told his allies.
Glynda heard Shadow's claim and knew exactly what she had to do. The Mutant Ursa rushed her once again, but rather than overpower it as she tried before, she waved her crop to send a wave of her Telekinetic power toward its feet and tripped it up. This caused the beast to fall flat on its belly. Acting quickly, Glynda had used her Telekinesis to gather up all the debris from before and formed it directly over the Mutant Ursa's neck area, shaping it all together into something akin to a guillotine blade and brought her Crop down to bring it down as well and sever both heads in one swoop. She took a few steps back to see the Mutant Ursa explode upon its death.
Jaune and Pyrrha had gathered together to face the only remaining Mutant Ursa as it loomed over them. Jaune tried to think of a way they could cut off both its heads. But its many arms made it hard for them to do so, and then that's when he got an idea.
"Pyrrha, can you use her Polarity on your shield?" Jaune asked as they backed away to gain some distance from their mutant foe. "As in, if you were to throw it, could you control where it goes and have it come back to you?"
"I can." She confirmed.
"Then throw it!" Jaune told her. "Use it to cut off its arms and legs to bring it down, then we'll go for the heads!"
Pyrrha saw where Jaune was going and saw that it was a good plan. "Alright, stand back!" She stepped forward as the Mutant Ursa attempted to advance on them. She threw out Akouo like a frisbee, and though it flew past the monster, she held out her hand to channel her Polarity on her airborne shield and redirected it back to their position. She even used some precision in her Semblance to cause the shield to spin. The mutant's right head turned around to give an alarming roar, but it was too late as its upper right arm was severed at the joint, causing it to roar in pain. Pyrrha then directed Akouo around herself and Jaune and sent it back to sever the upper left arm at the joint as well. She repeated the process to bring the shield around and sever the lower right arm and then back behind her and Jaune to send it forward and cut off the only remaining arm at the lower left. All this moved at such speed that the Mutant Ursa was unable to counter. The final move came as Pyrrha pulled her hand back to call back her shield and towards the back of its legs, severing one and nearly slicing off the other. It wasn't a clean cut at the lower, but it was enough to cause it to tip over and land on its underbelly.
"I'll take the right head; you take the left!" Jaune told his partner as she called her shield back to her.
"You got it!" They ran to their respective sides of the downed beast. They raised their respective swords and brought them down. Pyrrha added a bit of Polarity to push Milo down further with added strength for a clean cut at the left head. Jaune however had to hack and slash several times to break through the thick neck of the right head until Crocea Mors finally broke through to break the final head off.
Both students backed away as they saw the Mutant Ursa explode like its brethren. Jaune breathed an audible sigh of relief and almost fell to his knees in mental exhaustion.
"That was something…"
"It was a great plan. Well done, Jaune." Pyrrha congratulated, causing him to smile.
"Thanks." He smiled back.
"And you've learned another lesson." They heard Shadow speak as he approached them, speaking to Jaune specifically. "You don't need to overpower your enemy to win. Use your wits, outthink them. You don't need overwhelming power to be strong."
Jaune listened to every word Shadow had said and let it all sink in. He still had a long way to go before he could catch up to his more-skilled teammates and friends, and he wouldn't stop training. But maybe he doesn't have to be as strong as them. Maybe it isn't about strength against strength but using your wits. Maybe it was time to focus less on his own skills as a warrior and more of those on his teammates and his own as a commander, and use that combination to win.
"I think I understand." Jaune said with a smile, earning a nod from Shadow.
Glynda herself gave a slight smile, proud to see how Jaune has progressed. But more than that, she could tell that their inter-dimensional visitors were leaving a positive impact on Beacon's students, and it was helping them to grow. And that was something she approved of.
At the same time, Yang and Blake were standing on the moving train as they fired the long-ranged offensives of their respective weapons at the Mutant Nevermore as it was perched at the front car. But it simply tanked the attacks that had little to no effect on them before blowing all four of its wings to send a powerful gust of wind that would have knocked both of them off, but Sonic was quick to run forward and use his super speed to grab them both. He zipped to the caboose of the train before rushing at the Mutant Nevermore, drawing Caliburn before performing a spindash and multiple slashes with his sword at its front, but the Nevermore brought its lower wings forward to act as a shield and block the attacks. It then raised its upper wings, where Sonic looked in shock to see several of its feathers glowing and had a good idea of what was coming.
The blue Hedgehog ran backwards as its upper wings shot multiple glowing green feathers at Sonic, zipping and dodging many of them, while using Caliburn to slice and bat away any that he couldn't dodge while on the train. But then, the feathers that had missed him and stuck to the train all exploded, which sent Sonic flying off the train.
"Sonic!" Blake threw out Gambol Shroud connecting to its ribbon, which he was quick to catch. Yang grabbed Blake around the waist as they held tight, and Sonic used the momentum to swing under the bridge and up and over before letting go to land on the train.
"Whoo. Thanks for the save." Sonic smiled.
"We're even." Blake nodded as she recalled her weapon.
"Did that thing's feathers just explode?!" Yang questioned.
"Yeah." Sonic confirmed. "Someone got creative."
The Mutant Nevermore then felt explosions along its back as the Cyclone flew down behind it before flying over as it got close. Tails looked over to see that the damage he had done had already been undone as the four-winged Nevermore's wounds regenerated.
"The Nevermore type of Grimm has always been stronger than the likes of Beowolves." Tails said to himself. "So, of course the mutant version is more durable. This won't be easy."
The four-winged Nevermore then took to the skies and flew in pursuit of the Cyclone. It flapped its wings to send a series of explosive feathers toward the plane, but Tails was able to spin his plane and avoid them before kicking in the boosters to give an extra boost and gain some distance. Once he was far enough, Tails pulled up to turn the Cyclone around and fly straight at the incoming beast.
"Alright birdy, let's play a game of chicken." Tails said as he fired a series of lightning blasts from the Cyclone while continuing the airborne charge. The Mutant Nevermore maneuvered itself to try and avoid most of the blasts, though it did get skid along the sides and wings, the damage done was minimal at best. The distance as quickly closing between them, just as Tails was hoping for. Right before it looked like they would collide, Tails activated the Hard Light Dust barrier around the Cyclone and rammed straight into the Nevermore's face, causing it to spin out of control as its' head appeared to be partly crushed.
However, it quickly recovered as the damage to the head was repaired and it steadied itself before it fell too far and took to the skies again, flying up and higher than the Cyclone to rain down more explosive feathers. Tails gave a startled yelp and scream as he did his best to avoid the feathers, keeping the Hard Light Dust barrier up to tank whatever projectiles would hit, though it shook up the Cyclone quite a bit with the shield breaking soon after.
"Oh man, Tails is in trouble." Sonic winced as he, Blake, and Yang could see the dog fight from the moving train.
"We gotta help him!" Yang stated.
"How?! Our weapons are useless!" Blake argued.
"It's gotta be like the others we saw before, right?" Yang reminded. "Cut off its head and it'll die!"
"Easier said than done! We can't get that thing to hold still long enough to even get close to its neck!" Blake replied.
"Then we'll go for the wings, first. Bring it down to Earth." Sonic said. "I've got a plan. We'll go for a slingshot. Like what you guys did in the Emerald Forest."
"Are you sure?" Blake asked.
"I'm sure." Sonic confirmed.
"Alright, let's do it." Yang nodded.
Blake then handed one piece of Gambol Shroud towards Yang and they pulled back as far as they could to extend the ribbon as Sonic contacted his friend.
"Tails, get that thing to fly right at us!" Sonic ordered. "I'm gonna try and take out some of its wings to bring it down! It might also take down the train so Blake and Yang might need a pickup!"
"Might?" Blake questioned, not liking the sound of that.
"Alright! I'm coming!" Tails steered the Cyclone straight up toward the sky, prompting the Mutant Nevermore to follow. As he flew up, Tails used the plugged in Miles Electric to track Sonic's current position on the moving train and plot a quick intercept course. Once that was done, Tails cut off the Cyclone's engines, causing it to stop its ascent and fall back down towards the Mutant Nevermore. He saw it prime another attack with its feathers before he turned the engine back on and shot the Cyclone at super speeds past the four-winged Nevermore just as it misfired with its feathers. It was quick to turn around and fly back down and resume its pursuit.
"I see them coming!" Blake stated as her own Faunus eyes caught sight of the Cyclone and the pursuing monster. Tails had pulled up and flew straight towards where Sonic would soon be. Tails had timed it just right on his end, now it was up to Sonic.
"Get ready to jump as soon as I launch!" Sonic told the girls before he leapt backwards, his back to the extended ribbon as it came off the train, with Yang and Blake holding as tightly as they could, maintaining their footing. When Sonic felt the ribbon about to snap back, he quickly spun up for a Spindash and used that and the resulting thrust of the ribbon's recoil to send him straight towards the incoming enemy.
At supersonic speeds, Sonic's launching Spindash had zipped past the Cyclone as Tails turned it a perfect ninety degrees, leading to Sonic to pierce break through both of the Mutant Nevermore's left wings, causing it to derail in the air.
Right as he launched, Yang and Blake both jumped as high as they could in the air. Blake used her Semblance to create a series of shadow-clones for an added boost while Yang fired off Ember Celica for the same effect. Tails had flown forward while both girls were airborne, slowing his speed down perfectly to allow both of them to grab a firm hold of the Cyclone's wings and board it.
With two of its wings gone, the Mutant Nevermore lost control of its flight path and crashed into the train and its tracks, creating a massive derailment as the broken cars of the train and debris from the tracks was sent flying in all directions.
This also happened to take place almost directly above Shadow's group as he, Pyrrha, Jaune, and Glynda looked in clear shock to see what had just happened. Acting on protective instinct, Glynda used her Telekinesis to push the students and black Hedgehog out of the way as it appeared the debris was all about to collapse on her.
"Miss Goodwitch!" Pyrrha exclaimed but Shadow already moved in to try and get her.
A train car had fallen and struck Glynda on the side and would have likely broken through her Aura and crushed much of her body, but Shadow had already caught up to her. He grabbed the woman and used his speed to jump and kick off the broken car, moving upward as more debris fell. With a firm hold on Glynda, Shadow zipped from each piece of falling debris before making it away from the area and closer towards Jaune and Pyrrha where it was safe, landing on his feet and carrying the woman bridal style, who winced in pain as her right arm and leg both appeared seriously injured.
They didn't have much time to dwell on it as the Mutant Nevermore emerged from the woods near them, breaking away from some of the debris and trees around it. Its left wings were gone, while its right ones were broken and bent in all the wrong ways, with much debris and trees piercing throughout various parts of its body. But aside from the severed wings, much of the damage to its body was already beginning to heal. There was even some movement at the stubs where the left wings once were, indicating they might grow back given time.
However, it felt more explosions along its back as Tails flew in with the Cyclone once more, Yang and Blake riding behind him, firing Fire Dust missiles at its back to further distract and damage it, leaving it open for Sonic to come in at the front at his usual speed. One last explosion on its back was powerful enough to push it downward, allowing Sonic to zoom in and leap, drawing Caliburn out to completely cut its head off. He slid past the decapitated Mutant Nevermore as it fell and exploded.
Sonic would have smiled and made a crack at his victory, but then he caught notice of Shadow holding an injured Glynda, with Jaune and Pyrrha nearby. Urgently, Sonic was already at their side.
"What happened?!" He questioned as the Cyclone came in for a landing. Once it touched the ground, Blake and Yang had gotten out with Tails right behind him and joined to check in on Glynda.
"She was caught in the blast." Shadow informed. "Her right arm and leg are both broken." He set her down gently, laying her back up against a rock. "Her Aura held for the most part around her body, but her right side had taken too much damage."
"Ooh geeze." Sonic winced, realizing that he may have had a part to play in that. "I'm sorry… I didn't…"
"It wasn't your fault." Glynda said with a wince as she pushed herself up slightly. "This sort of thing happens."
"We'll get you help." Yang said.
"No." Glynda shook her head. "Your friends said that they found a Merlot Industries ship near the water. The White Fang are there too. That's where you need to go."
"But what about you? We can't just leave you here!" Jaune stated.
"Yes, you can, and you will." Glynda insisted as she used her unbroken hand to pull out her Scroll. "I'll be fine. I'm a Huntress, I can defend myself if there are any more Grimm here. I'll contact Beacon and they can pick me up very soon. But you need to go. Find what's going on, because I believe that ship may be the key to it all."
"She's right." Shadow said, causing many of the students to look at him in shock. "She's not crippled and she's not a helpless citizen who can't defend herself. A pickup shouldn't take long for her. The rest of us still have a job to do."
"B-but…" Yang was about to protest. Even if Glynda was a professional Huntress, the idea of leaving anyone behind put a bad taste in her mouth. However, she felt Blake's hand on her shoulder and looked towards her with partner with a firm yet understanding expression.
"It'll be fine." Blake said. "We need to go. Now."
Though none of them liked it, they all knew they had no choice. They still had a mission to complete, and Glynda has years of experience, she could handle herself. They needed to help the rest of their friends and uncover the truth of this mystery.
"Alright. Just make sure you get back." Sonic told her.
"I will." She nodded. "Now go do what you do best, Sonic the Hedgehog."
With a nod back, Sonic took charge. "Shadow and I will run, everyone else on the plane."
"Understood." Pyrrha responded as she and Blake perched themselves on the Cyclone's wings while Yang and Jaune piled in behind Tails as he sat at the controls. The second the plane was in the air, Sonic and Shadow both ran at their respective speeds in the direction of the water.
Shadow noticed the expression on Sonic's face as they ran. "Her injuries were not your fault." He told him. "You should know by now that some things are outside your control."
"I already know that." Sonic replied. "I also know that she can handle herself, but I still don't like leaving anyone behind."
"Neither do I. But it's the best chance we have." Shadow said. "She can't help with our mission in the state she's in. It's up to us now."
"I know, I get it." Sonic responded. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it." Sonic had already understood that what happened with Glynda wasn't all his fault. He had no control over that. Accidents happen. And he knew that she would be fine on her own for a few minutes before someone from Beacon came in to pick her up and get her medical attention. But the fact that someone was injured on his watch made him quite frustrated. And that also made him all the more determined to find out who was responsible for all of this and take them down.
Knuckles gave a yell as he punched one Beowolf to send it flying and crashing into the wall with enough force that it not only broke through the wall, the Beowolf itself was destroyed upon impact. One Mutant Beowolf then attempted to come at him from his sides, but Knuckles gave an upward slice from one of his Galatine blades to slice off its right claw as it tried to slash at him. The red Echidna then grabbed the three-headed Beowolf by its leg and used it knock back two other normal Beowolves that tried to ambush him. He then lifted the mutated Beowolf into the air and slammed it down hard onto the ground on its back. Knuckles then drew both Galatine blades and made an X-slice to cut off all three of its heads and finish it off.
Amy brought her Piko-Piko down onto the back of one normal Beowolf to crush it and was tackled down by a mutated variety. It tried to snarl at her, but Amy used the pole of her hammer to keep its middle head back, even though the two heads on the side tried to bite and gnaw at her. Amy then pulled back both her feet to kick the Mutant Beowolf off her slightly, which gave her some room to pull back the Piko-Piko and slam it into the side and knock it over. It quickly got up however and snarled at her, but it didn't get that much father as Ruby dashed past it with her Petal Burst and sliced with Crescent Rose's scythe mode to slice off three of its heads in one swoop, killing it.
"Thanks Ruby." Amy smiled.
"No problem." She smiled back before dashing off to provide aid for Weiss who was being stalked by two Mutant Beowolves and two normal ones.
Rotating the revolver in her blade, Weiss pressed Myrtenaster into the ground to create a large cluster of ice in front of her to break off the lunge of the four Beowolves. The force of the sudden appearance of the ice cluster did send the two normal Beowolves back, but the two mutants were able to shatter through and try to rush her. Though Weiss was able to get some distance by conjuring a Glyph directly under her to leap away and land on a pile of empty crates.
"Weiss!" She heard Ruby call to her. "Use a Glyph to keep them down! I got their heads!"
Following her leader and partner's advice, Weiss aimed Myrtenaster to create a large Glyph under the two Beowolves and channeled the Gravity Dust from her blade directly into the Glyph, causing it to turn black as a gravitational force kept the two monsters pinned. They struggled only briefly as Ruby zoomed in and sliced with Crescent Rose. It only took about four slashes total before all six of the heads rolled off, and the mutants exploded shortly after.
"Good call." Weiss said to her.
"We know if we cut their heads off, they'll die." Ruby stated. "So rather than waste effort trying to fight them our usual way, let's just try and decapitate em."
Weiss smiled at her leader's forward thinking and adaptability. "I'll follow your lead. Because here comes another one!" She pointed to one three-headed Beowolf that tried to rush them.
"Same as before! Pin it down!" Ruby ordered.
Using the same tactic, Weiss aimed Myrtenaster to keep the Mutant Beowolf pinned with a Glyph infused with Gravity Dust to halt its charge and keep it still, allowing Ruby to zoom in with her Petal Burst and slice with Crescent Rose to cut off all three of its heads. She zipped past it just before it exploded.
With only three enemies left, Amy backed away as all three of the Mutants seemed to focus more on her. They seemed lined almost in a row, and Amy had her hammer at the ready. But when she glanced towards the side to a stone pillar that Knuckles was behind, he gave her a thumbs up.
She picked up on his signal and noticed how the Beowolves were almost directly across from the large pillar. She smirked as she turned to the three mutants.
"Hey, who wants a treat?" Amy taunted. "Come on! Who wants a treat?! Come here!"
One of the three-headed Beowolves snarled as all three tried to rush her. Fortunately, with his own strength added behind it, Knuckles need only give two or three punches to break off the foundation of the pillar, causing it to tip over and fall, landing and completely crushing all the mutants, as well as breaking a hole in the wall that would lead them outside.
"Decapitation or damage their bodies beyond repair." Knuckles said as he dusted his hands. "I'd say this works."
The pink Hedgehog nodded. "Is that all of them?"
"Yes, that's all of them." Weiss answered as she and Ruby approached.
Amy felt a buzz on her side and took out her scroll. "Got a message from Tails. Sonic, Shadow, and everyone are on their way to the ship. Glynda got hurt, but Beacon will come to pick her up. Looks like it's up to us now."
"I think I see the ship." Ruby said as she looked out the hole that was made by the fallen pillar, showing the ship that was only a small distance away. "Let's see if we can meet up with everyone."
"Alright, but we need to move carefully." Knuckles instructed. "Let's go." With that, all four proceeded out the hole and made their way closer to the ship.
Meanwhile, the group consisting of Rouge, Nora, Omega, and Ren had already made their way quietly towards the ship. They snuck around and stuck close to a nearby cliffside, doing their best to remain out of sight from any White Fang goons that were overlooking the cargo containers that were being loaded up, many of which were empty.
"Omega, scan the containers." Rouge instructed.
The former Badnik did just that and was quick to give his report. "There are no weapons. However, I am detecting movement within many of the containers that are now being loaded onto the ship. There are no bio signatures detected however."
"So they are transporting Grimm." Ren's eyes narrowed.
"I knew it." Nora said in a serious tone of voice.
Rouge was quick to access her comms to contact the other groups. "That ship we found is transporting Grimm."
"To where?" Shadow questioned over the other line.
"I don't know. We may need to get a closer look." Rouge answered.
"Hang on, we're on our way. We can back you up." Ruby replied.
"Wait…!" Ren halted everyone as he got a good look around the rocks to see several of the White Fang agents were already boarding up. "It looks like they're leaving."
"Omega? Can you hear what they're saying?" Rouge asked.
"Affirmative." Omega confirmed. His optics zoomed in on the White Fang grunts as his sensors picked up on their conversations.
"I just got word. We got Huntsmen in the area. They found the storage facility. We're pulling out."
"Alright! You heard em! Load up what we can, we're moving out!"
"They have detected our presence and are preparing to retreat back to their base." Omega told everyone over the comms.
"Not if we stop them first." Yang responded.
"Wait, I have an idea." Rouge spoke up. "You're sure they're heading back to their base?"
"Affirmative." Omega confirmed once more.
"Then let's sneak aboard." Rouge said to everyone. "If we hitch a ride on their ship, they'll take us right to the center of their little operation. We'll find out who's pulling the strings behind these crazy mutants and maybe even get a lead on Eggman."
"That sounds incredibly risky and dangerous." Weiss pointed out.
"But if it gets us a lead on Eggman, isn't it worth it?" Blake responded.
"We don't know for sure if Eggman himself is involved." Pyrrha said. "Though, I do agree that this may be the best course of action as to lead us to the one responsible as those Mutant Grimm are a clear threat to everyone."
"And, we have gotten out of riskier situations, right?" Jaune replied.
"Alright, I say we go for it." Sonic was onboard with Rouge's plan. "Shadow, Tails, Yang, Blake, Pyrrha, Jaune and I should be by the ship in less than a few minutes. Where's everyone else."
"We're right over the rocks by the shipping containers." Ruby replied. "In fact, I can see Rouge and everyone right here."
Rouge and her group looked up towards the cliff across from them to see Ruby, Knuckles, Amy, and Weiss had arrived as well, though they quickly ducked behind some rocks from cover to avoid being spotted.
"How exactly are we going to get onboard without being spotted?" Weiss asked.
"Some of those containers look empty. We can hide inside them as they're loaded up." Knuckles pointed out.
"That sounds like a good idea." Amy agreed.
"It works." Ren also agreed.
"I got no problem with it." Nora said as well.
"It will allow us to infiltrate the enemy stronghold with minimal risk of detection." Omega also said.
"Alright, let's do it." Rouge said. "Did you guys get all that?"
"We got it." Shadow responded. "Sonic and I can follow the ship at a distance with our own speed."
"Ugh, I hate running on water." Sonic groaned.
"I have everyone else onboard the Cyclone." Tails said. "I can activate the Light Dust projector for camo-mode so we can follow from the air."
"We'll have to go under radio silence until we reach the base." Shadow said.
"Sounds like we got a plan." Ruby commented. "We'll hide in one container; you guys hide in the other."
"Rodger. See you all on the other side." Rouge signed off. Raising her hand and giving a silent signal, Rouge motioned for Omega, Ren, and Nora to follow her.
They stuck to the side of one container and spotted a White Fang agent about to close it up. One quick glance towards Omega to quietly ask if it was empty, which he confirmed with a silent nod. Rouge then picked up a pebble from the ground and threw it to the side of the container, creating a loud noise and prompting him to look around the side for the source of the sound.
Acting quickly, Rouge, Nora, Omega, and Ren ran past him and made their way into the empty cargo container, which Omega and Nora were quick to close up, only slightly and left a small opening as they clung to the sides along with their teammates.
The agent shrugged at not finding anything and walked back up front to close the container, leaving the four trapped in darkness as per their plan.
At the same time, Ruby, Knuckles, Weiss, and Amy quietly slid down a hillside and made a dash towards another empty cargo container while a pair of White Fang agents were distracted by their own conversation. Knuckles, just like what Rouge did, was quick to slightly close the doors to keep his group from being spotted. It worked as those doors were closed up.
In a matter of minutes, all the cargo containers were closed shut and loaded up onto the Merlot Industries vessel. Once that was all done, the ship left the port and made its way back to the open water, unaware that the cloaked Cyclone was following them. Tails remained in the pilot seat while Blake and Pyrrha held were perched the sides of the wings as Jaune and Yang sat in the back. At the same time, Sonic and Shadow both watched from different positions, one being close to the water, the other on a cliff on the other side of the fjord as they saw the ship sail out and make a considerable amount of distance already. Once it was far out enough to avoid being spotted themselves, yet still close enough to keep from losing sight, the two Hedgehogs ran along the surface of the water to follow the ship and hopefully discover the source of this mystery.
However, nobody, not even the heroes were aware that something else had hitched a ride on the ship. Perched on the railing on the top deck of the ship was a single bird. A black-feathered raven with red eyes.
The ship in question was currently being shown on a large screen within a dark and secluded room in an unknown location.
The one watching it was an elderly man with disheveled grey hair, with a matching mustache and beard and prominent eyebrows. He wore a white lab coat that bore the Merlot Industries emblem on its side. But what stood out most about this man was how he had a black robotic right arm with red circuits, as well as a red robotic eye in his left socket with claw-shaped scars around it.
"They took the bait." Doctor Merlot said with a chuckle. "Oh this will be most entertaining."
"You seem in rather high spirits." A voice spoke up from the shadows behind him, the individual's physical form currently unseen, but the tone in the voice suggested it was a male. "Especially after they made mince meat over your hard-worked experiments."
"I'll admit, I was not expecting them to adapt to my mutants so quickly." Merlot granted. "But, that just means I have room to improve. And they haven't even seen my greatest experiments, yet. I'm looking forward to see how well this 'Sonic the Hedgehog' and his friends fare against them."
"I suppose it could be an entertaining show. But don't let your guard down, that's why the Doc sent me to help you."
"Speaking of, I know that our esteemed ally, Doctor Eggman, is in contact with someone very special here on Remnant. Someone that Ozpin has been waging a secret war against for a while." Merlot said, turning around on his chair. "I've only been told a few basic details, but I am very intrigued to learn more. You wouldn't happen to have any ideas, would you, my friend?"
"No clue. I only know the basics. I've learned not to press too hard on the Doc, I'd prefer to stay on his good side and keep my head."
"Though I do feel I have to ask." Merlot pondered. "After seeing the blue Hedgehog and his allies defeat my Mutants, how exactly do you plan to catch them off guard? This would be your first real encounter with him, correct?"
"The Doc gave me a few toys to work with. And like you said, it's my first meet with him. And after observing him for some time, I've learned his one weakness. Friendship. What's more, he brought all those delightful and naïve students with him." As the figure slowly began to step out of the shadows, his own figure began to change as well as his voice to sounding something a bit more feminine.
What emerged into the light appeared to be Ruby Rose, with the imposter speaking in her exact same tone of voice. Though for a brief moment, right before the eyes changed to look like the silver ones of the real Ruby, the eyes pale white with black sclera. "And now is the perfect time to make use of that handicap."
Done.
Well, that was a fun and exciting chapter. I hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it.
We got to see more Mutant Grimm with the heroes struggling in their fight against them, but quickly proved capable of adapting and taking advantage of their weakness. They've also appeared to have found a lead and have hitched a ride on the ship that will take them to the source of their current problem.
(And a certain little bird is following them)
However, the very-still alive Doctor Merlot is expecting the heroes to come to his base and has plans for them. Though he is involved with Eggman, he has not yet met Salem, nor does he know much about her other than Eggman giving a few basics (what he knows will be revealed in a later chapter). And Merlot isn't alone, somebody else is with him and they seem very eager to square off against Sonic and his friends, new and old.
Those of you who read the IDW comics should know who it is (the black and white eyes would be a dead giveaway).
The next half of the chapter is going to be one wild ride, I can promise you that as their enemies attack them physically and emotionally. I'm looking forward to writing it and I can't wait for you all to read it.
Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there.