The boys had found temporary shelter in the northern section of town. Still in the old quarter where stone buildings stood stories high and this particular one lay on the corner of an intersection. A home-turned-restaurant with the main floor for catering and the family sleeping quarters above.
Here they caught their breaths, ate whatever rations they had on hand, and attempted their best to nurse their wounded. As Niel kept watch and Raiden observed Port and Sun's vitals, Neptune was all but indisposed. Lukas took the downtime to inspect his weapon. Hammering it with his fist he tried in vain to mecha-shift it only for a grinding sound to emerge before it relented and stayed in its baseball bat form.
"Damn thing won't turn into a gun anymore, damn finicky tech" he muttered to no one in particular.
Raiden somehow found the energy to snicker. "Well, you did give that Grimm a facelift with it."
Lukas chuckled at the quip with Niel joining in from the window. Caelum however sat atop the staircase in eerie silence. His hands felt empty without his weapon. Clenching an empty hand at the unusual absence of it he gazed into a shard of broken mirror within his other gloved hand. Freshly retrieved from his pocket where, just as the rest, all were broken. With it, he knew there was no replenishment of ammo or aid. In it, he saw his brown eyes staring back.
A slight tilt of the wrist and he observed his face. There wasn't any scarring as his aura had healed the shallow cuts. Yet a shiver ran down his spine as he recalled the brief brush with death. How easily its claws sheared through his aura as if he hadn't any in the first place, how fast his blood poured from the wounds on his face before his aura closed them. And despite all they had thrown at it, it would regenerate while they sat.
"It's smart" he muttered under his breath. His hushed words drew all eyes to him. "It's strong. It heals. It even understands us." Suddenly he stood so fast it startled a few. "We need to find a damn mirror or none of us are leaving alive."
The foreboding declaration gave a gaunt expression to all who weren't already suffering. Stepping down the stairs, Caelum listed out his thoughts. "Blades dont work against most of its hide and it heals whatever we cut. Rounds other than Gorms don't penetrate and even then it grows new fuckin limbs."
"That meat can take some tenderizing though" accounted Lukas, pointing out blunt strikes held effect but also were somewhat ineffective as it ignored damage apart from its head. "Beating the damn thing works somewhat."
"But how long can we beat it?" asked Caelum. "How long till we slip up? Till exhaustion, dehydration, and fatigue build and it gets a lucky hit on us. One swipe of those claws and we're dead."
As if to mockingly agree, a haunting howl emanated from outside, echoing through the streets. Everyone's eyes flicked about as the sound chilled their bones. "It's healed" declared Caelum. "It's going to begin hunting soon."
"How- how are you so sure?" asked Sun standing slowly.
The memory of his escape in the bullhead back in Borealis flicked through his mind again, the imposing image of a similar creature watching him leave. Back then it had allowed a pack to hunt him and his team, now this beast, this creature that relished in death, wanted a personal hunt.
"Because I've heard that howl once before. Everyone I was with died and I got away by chance."All gazes widened at the statement, the certainty of the monster's howl and Caelum's experience stirring another unexpected level of fear within them.
"Get ready to move, we're going to search any and every house we can. Two people hold entry points while the rest strip the place top to bottom, no more than three minutes a building. Understood?"
Every gaunt face nodded. "Good, we leave in sixty seconds." As everyone prepared to move Port and gather themselves, Caelum approached Sun. "Will you be able to move on your own?"
Smiling through the pain, Sun nodded. "Just needed to catch my second wind." Willing to accept the tough guy act, Caelum turned to suddenly feel something wrap around his wrist. He turned to see a blonde tail wrapped around it.
Looking at Sun he realized the faunus was using his hands to steady himself. With a tinge of fear, he looked into Caelum's brown irises with his blues. "I didn't ask when the old man told us to search for a mirror, but can you really get us out of here?"
Sun's eyes drifted away as he spoke, leading Caelum to follow his gaze. He was looking with worry at Neptune who was quietly sobbing at the prospect of going out once more, chastising himself for what only he could hear from the Wendigo's strange mental effect.
As the two watched the disheartening scene, Caelum firmly replied. "Without a doubt."
"G-" Sun suddenly coughed for a moment before correcting himself. "Good. Until we're safe, I'll do what I can, what I have to. My team needs me."
Caelum nodded and approached his team members with one pressing thought. Sun was capable of moving and perhaps fighting, but when he said his team… had he unintentionally said that or purposefully chosen to ignore what had befallen his other two teammates? Whatever it was, it was clear the mental state of everyone was at risk along with their lives. They'd have to be fast and lucky if they wanted to live long enough to ponder.
With as little rest as they had gathered and the oppressive warning Caelum had given still lingering in their ears, the boys began searching street by street.
The search dragged on for who knows how long, the only sense of measuring time the boys kept was whoever watched the front door would count to 180 seconds before everyone picked up and repeated the process. There was no time to check scrolls as any averted attention could be their undoing. Breaking into each house and breaking open any door that may hide what they sought, the group soon found a rhythm in which they would breech, clear, search, and possibly destroy some of the interior, before rinsing and repeating.
It wasn't long into the search however before their conditions worsened. Initially, those on watch noticed a shadow within the red mist move unnaturally, drawing alarm as everyone braced for combat. Then nothing.
Neptune's mental state seemed to fluctuate more and more as Sun became the defacto individual responsible for calming and restraining him. Port himself began to writhe in his unconscious state, whatever nightmares he endured tormenting him as the boys desperately scoured the stone buildings.
Everyone had heard something. Claws dragging against weathered stone, bone chittering, clacking, distant high-pitched wails. Caelum himself heard it despite his best attempts at maintaining his sanity. What he was worried about was just who consistently heard it. Who was being plagued with voices as Scarlet had? As Neptune was succumbing to?
No one showed it, but no one was immune, his mind told him so. They were all one lapse in judgment, one blow, one instance away from losing it all. Their minds, their lives, his goal. Caelum persisted with that thought. His goal. His future. It would not, could not be withheld from him no matter the man or creature before him.
In his search of desperation and survival, he felt a shift in his heart. Gradually he came to hate it.
He kept his thoughts and worries to himself, not to further worry and distract the other but it was obvious now. Perhaps the Wendigo hadn't fully healed and was stalking at a distance. But it was certain that it was wearing them down mentally, having them jump at every shadow and brush of wind.
Amid one of their searches, Raiden approached Caelum. He briefly explained his condition and an unusual thought. "I think my semblance may have enhanced."
Kicking a bathroom door in, Caelum turned away from the grizzly scene of a dead man on the ground with shattered glass around him and raised a brow at his partner. "Strange time to celebrate or are you just bragging?"
"I'll never get used to this macabre humor of yours. I'm saying I think it did. It feels like the magnetic field around me has grown."
"How much?"
"I'm not sure. It's not as strong as the one I used accidentally but I can sense things at about thirty-five. Forty meters?"
Kaiser's other eyebrow raised, his expression shifting from suspicion to surprise. Placing a hand on Raidens shoulder he gave a serious look. "You're sure? That's an accurate if not minimal estimation?"
Seeing his partner's look, Raiden retracted somewhat. "V-vaguely, the closer the more accurate but yes. The fog and other factors seem to inhibit it but in the attic and on the rooftops, I could feel it that far."
"Keep it up, no matter what" ordered Caelum. Radien gulped slightly, the sudden pressure placed on him shaking his nerves even more as he nodded in understanding. "Good, for now, let's keep searching. If you so much as think something is coming, you shoot first, got it."
"Is that-"
"Safe? There's nothing alive in this god-forsaken town outside of our arm's reach."
The clear condemnation of Team SSSN's lost members dulled the light in Raiden's eyes somewhat until Kaiser shook him. "Don't dwell on it. We have a mission. See to it that it's done."
"Y-Yeah. Got it Caelum." With an exchange of small nods, the two continued searching.
The nerve-fraying search continued into the night. Their eyes had long since adjusted to the darkness that pervaded the town and the inside of its homes. Each building was now searched in no more than a single minute. Every door was kicked in, every hall ran through. Yet nothing. Only more shattered glass, more blood, more corpses.
The latest to be discovered was by Niel who used the butt of his revolver to break a doorknob off an upstairs bedroom door. Rushing in he saw moonlight shine between the blinds, illuminating the gently floating dust within. A glance around showed no mirrors, only contents that revealed this to be an elderly man's room. Seeing a large ornate standing dresser, Niel approached and swung the doors open to see a dismal sight.
An elderly man, approximately in his sixties, lay within. On the man's lap was a child no more than six. Between their cold, lifeless forms, lay a small bottle. Small, black, and unlabeled, Niel could only tell it was some form of poison. The only form of escape this man could find for himself and his grandchild amidst the plaguing terror.
Unintentionally, he looked into the eyes of the corpses. Tear streaks having long since dried on their unwashed faces as they gazed up at him. Niel looked up and away. He knew his heart could not handle such sights, and at times like this made him wish he was more like his team leader.
As if a haunting reminder of their pressing demise, the creatures howl emanated from outside once more. This time closer than the last. Just as despair had claimed the still figures before him, he could feel it creeping into his own heart. As he was about to close the dresser and leave the bodies in peace, he noticed a glimmer of moonlight within.
There past the clothing within, was an installed mirror. Two feet by three feet, obscured by the hangars and shirts. In his fascination, Niel found himself leaning over the bodies. Again he looked into their eyes. His pity was now nowhere to be found, replaced instead by hope. These two could not be helped any longer as Caelum and Lukas would say. Downstairs, he still had a team and every second counted. Saying a quick prayer as he reached in, Niel removed the bodies, unceremoniously placing them atop the nearby bed and carefully removing the mirror before heading downstairs.
Everyone was at the doorway prepared to leave when their faces turned to shock at the figure of Niel rushing downstairs as carefully as he could with the mirror in both hands. It took everything he had not to shatter it with his grip in excitement.
"Everyone living room now!" ordered Caelum, seeking a wider space than the narrow hallway.
Everyone gathered around the mirror propped against a table. It lay at waist height to make it easier to carry the wounded through rather than drag them and exacerbate their injuries. All eyes fell to Caelum whose brown irises lay fixated on the glass. Everyone watched him stare at his reflection. To him, he saw nothing but their faces looking on in tattered anticipation.
With a short breath, Caelum reached out. His aura, translucent as ever, shimmered as he focused. His gloved fingers caressed the smooth surface as a cool sensation overcame his palm and an image appeared before him. He saw the same stained wooden table from the tavern they had rested at in Figura. Their last shred of safety before arriving at this damned town.
A small laugh of disbelief arose from Caelum's lips as he looked on.
"Is that-" asked Niel
"Figura?" finished Lukas
Caelum snapped over his shoulder, his teammates were staring at the mirror in fascination, seeing what he was seeing. 'How?!' he pondered. They had never been able to see through it before. A shriek of panic and relief arose as Neptune broke from Sun's hold and scrambled towards the glass, nearly falling into it.
In an instant, Caelum kicked him back, his focus returning. "Port first! Let's make this quick." Following his order, niel hoisted up port by the legs as Caelum grabbed his torso. Stepping through first, Caelum appeared on the other side of the mirror to see a crowd of shocked onlookers within the tavern watching him with open jaws.
Niel let go partway through as Port's frame squeezed against the mirror's own. Fighting to not break their only escape, Caelum finally freed Port and placed him atop a table. "This man is a licensed huntsman of Beacon Academy! Call the headmaster and authorities immediately! I will be back!" With his declaration, Caelum was back to the other side, the warm lighting of the tavern's hearth replaced by the chilling cold of the abandoned home's interior once more and a tearful Neptune.
Caelum sneered at him, his expression of disgust labeling the frightened peer as a liability yet Neptune had no time to care for his reputation, fear for his life took precedence. Caelum grasped his shoulder and wrenched him forward when Raiden broke the stifling silence.
"The wall…"
Caelum turned to Raiden with wide eyes as his partner faced him, his cobalt eyes shooting open as his semblance flickered. "It's behind the wall!"
In that instant, Raiden swung his railgun towards a stone wall connected to another building and fired. The moment the flat surface was struck it erupted in a concussive blast of dust and debris inwards as the beast's large body burst through with a sickening cry and slinging a handful of debris at Raiden who was struck in the abdomen and sent reeling.
In a fraction of a second, Raiden had struck the creature, blowing a hole through its pelvis, shattering bone while also being sent into another room from the creature's strike. At the same moment, its body fell toward Caelum and Neptune.
Irate and caught off guard, Caelum's foot moved instantly, kicking Neptune at the mirror that lay in the Grimm's path.
Personally, Caelum himself was unsure what had happened, others could never see what he saw when he used his semblance on a reflection. And he always had to be in contact with another when moving through. Yet here, he felt the familiar cool sensation wash over his exhausted body as if his aura detached itself and drew the feeling to him. With this, he watched Neptune fall into and through the mirror moments before the monster's weight crushed it beneath.
Amidst the high-octane instant, Caelum was bowled over by the flailing beast as it failed to support itself on the shattered pelvis. Its large pulsating eyes flickered around the room, searching for something as the boys scattered for distance.
Another sickening thought crossed Caelum's mind as he spared a pained glance at his teammates and Raiden half-buried under rubble. Just as Raiden sensed its presence, had it sensed its prey disappearing? The alarming thought dissipated as danger took his senses.
The beast's eyes rolled around before it settled on Lukas. The boy in question froze as the red iris stilled on him and the beast animatedly rotated in the tattered room's confines. No longer did the prevailing fear plague their minds nor did the Wendigo have a sickening plastered grin on its jaws.
A skin-crawling silence arose as the creature defied logic and slowly maneuvered itself upright without a sound. Everyone's breaths hitched as the beast's crooked neck brushed the ceiling as it stared down Lukas who watched with wide eyes.
Like a strike of lighting, the Grimm's fist shot forward, smashing through the stone wall behind Lukas and nearly impaling him were it not for Niel exerting everything his semblance could give him in speed. As the two crashed into the adjacent wall, the monster roared and swung its arm wide, shearing through the building as it slashed its long gnarled limb at them.
The boys ducked as Caelum moved. Without his weapon, the best he could do was draw its attention. Propelling himself off the opposite wall, he put all his force behind a dropkick, striking its elbow and dropping its torso forward.
The antlers scraped across the ceiling as the beast turned to regard him as a nuisance. As he rolled away, its jaw split into mandibles as it howled, sputtering saliva. The beast shifted its weight to adjust but found itself falling onto its side, still unable to prop itself with the shattered pelvis.
It then retracted both arms and pulled itself forward at a crawl, intending to pin the boys beneath it. Caelum nearly avoided being pinned by grasping onto a light fixture as Lukas and Niel hopped through the hole it had made behind them.
The creature rolled on its back, the sickening sound of its joints snapping with it as it launched a fist straight at Caelum who narrowly avoided it. As the fist punched a hole into the second floor, Caelum watched as its shoulder snapped backward and the second arm came directly toward him.
Caelum felt a harsh impact in his torso as he struck the far wall and fell. Looking down he saw the gruesome claws had only nicked his trousers, cutting his left leg and opening a large gash in the cloth. Next to him was Lukas who Niel had thrown to intercept him.
Rubbing his head, Lukas gritted a dry quip of "Can't have the only person who can think straight here, dying" as Caelum watched their monstrous adversary break its joints to regain its bearings. It was no longer toying with them as prey, it was trying to kill them outright, a near sense of desperation in its attacks that lacked restraint nor concern for its torturous movement.
The beasts back then snapped three times in concession, ribs, and vertebrae contorting as it bent itself double to face the boys now trapped in a corner. Lukas drew his bat as Caelum fished in his pockets for anything to help.
As the two prepared to dart left and right, a furious scream emerged as Sun appeared above the beast with his staff drawn and two clones at his side. Tears straining his eyes, he and his clones landed atop the monster's head striking it in quick concession.
The Wendigo released a grating wail as the heavy strikes from his staff sent web-like cracks in its skull and numbed Sun's arms. The beast shook its body trying to dislodge him as it curled its arms back, snapping while breaking walls in the process.
Lukas bashed at its Achilles tendon, trying to cripple its limbs to no avail as Caelum ran behind and planted a fragmentation grenade in the hole of its pelvis. Escaping the blast that shook and filled the room with dust, the Wendigo howled as its hip and legs gave out, dropping its chest to the ground. In the first sign of pain they had seen of it, the beast focused on the problem before it. Its two large palms grasped sun's clones and crushed them into dust.
Yet Sun continued attacking, tears flowing amidst cries of anger and despair. His shouts only ceased as one of the antlers pierced his side, a shallow exhale of blood and pain emerging in the moment of shock. Stunned by the numbing sensation taking him, he was unable to avoid the serrated claws that swatted him into the stone fireplace.
The blonde faunus struck the structure with a chilling snap and lay limp at its base as soot and stone cascaded down onto his body. A bright light filled the building as a blue hypersonic flash tore through the Wendigo's shoulder.
From beneath the debris in the next room, a ragged Raiden emerged with a steaming rifle. Again the beast flailed in pain and rage as Caelum grabbed two of his last pieces of equipment. Before the canisters hit the floor, Team CRLN took their retreat. Bursting through the busted door and shattered wall, the four boys turned to see as the red fog seeped within and intertwined with the smoke emanating out of the battle-worn building.
Not long after, they witnessed the Grimm emerge, taking another chunk of wall with its escape as it nursed its arm close to its chest, dragging its leg and floundering its way deeper within the city. Despite its debilitating wounds, it fled with unnatural speed. The boys, mixed bags of terror and adrenaline, ran in the opposite direction until their lungs screamed at them to stop.
-Chapter End-