AN: So, interesting fact. This only took as long as it did because the chapter was originally much longer. But, once I realized that it was getting long-too for long my taste-I decided to break up the chapters. So, we may actually have two chapters close together for a change. We'll see what happens. Until then though, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.
Chapter 74 - Rampage
As the situation worsened in the forests of Thimble, Yang and Taiyang Xiao Long were sprinting through the forest as well. Yang had at first frantically tried to question her dad about why Ruby's power was going out of control. However, when she got no response, she quickly gave up and just focused on getting to that location. Unfortunately, the two were quickly stopped when they heard a scream of terror. While both wanted to help Ruby, neither could ignore that. So, the father-daughter duo ran to the source and were horrified to see a familiar child surrounded by Beowolf and Ursa Grimm.
"Cedric!" Yang yelled in concern, immediately rushing forward. Tai quickly followed close behind. Yang gasped as her dad quickly outpaced her. She then watched as Tai began to decimate the heads of the Beowolves and Ursa with one punch each from his bare hands. No weapons like her own Ember Celica, which she currently lacked. With each blow, Yang noticed the resulting fatal wounds grow in size for each Grimm he struck. In fact, Tai also seemed to grow faster by the moment. Her eyes widened in realization.
This is… she trailed off before remembering Cedric. She immediately ran over to Cedric's side.
"Hey, you okay, Kiddo?" She gently asked, her maternal side from years of basically raising Ruby coming forth. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"I'm…I'm fine…just a little shaken up…" Cedric gasped, recognizing who just saved him. "You're Ruby's sister!"
"Yeah, yeah that's me, Cedric." Yang forced a smile. She knew she should be going to Ruby. However, she could not ignore a little kid who needed help and reassurance. However, much to her surprise, Cedric frantically pointed ahead.
"Please, you've gotta go help Ruby, she's in trouble!" Cedric exclaimed. "Dr. Stein! He's evil! He's a monster! He…he turned my friends into monsters!"
Yang was perplexed by what Cedric was saying. She then turned to her dad to try and get his thoughts on the matter. However, much to her surprise, Taiyang was already gone. She briefly sputtered before remembering a very important detail.
Dad's Semblance, Yang remembered, now that he's started…he can't afford to stop. He has to keep going, blasting through everything along the way. Besides, he doesn't need to know the details…all he needs to know is that his daughter needs him. The question now is…what do I do with Cedric?
Yang looked down at Cedric. He gazed up at Yang with a worried, frightened expression on her face. She heaved a sigh, knowing there was only one answer she could give.
If Grimm are running around the forest now, I can't just leave him alone like this. Dad…I'm leaving Ruby in your hands. Do what you gotta do and save her. Yang took a deep breath. She gave Cedric a reassuring smile.
"Hey," she said to him, in a tone of voice that would have shocked even some of Yang's friends, who were not aware of her maternal side, "let's worry about getting you to safety, okay Kiddo?"
"But…what about Ruby?" Cedric asked worriedly.
"Don't you worry about Ruby, Cedric." Yang said to him. "Someone way stronger than me is going to save her. In that regard…our dad is awesome."
Indeed, Taiyang was sprinting towards Ruby's location. Embers of flame were trailing behind him. He narrowed his eyes as he saw more Grimm approaching. The semi-retired Huntsman did not hesitate. He immediately began to tear his way through each Grimm with powerful punches and kicks that separated body parts from the creatures of darkness and hate.
That flash of silver energy has not shown up. I can't even sense Ruby's Aura anymore. Taiyang noted to himself as he continued to sprint. That can only mean one of two things: the first is that she's out of energy and in even greater danger than before. The second is she's already…
Taiyang trailed off. The second possibility was that Ruby was already dead. A brief look of fear crossed over his face at the thought.
No, I can't think that way, he frantically told himself, focus, Tai. You've gotta believe that Ruby is okay. You sensed two other Auras clashing after that spike of energy earlier. And now there are multiple Aura signatures that have arrived on the scene. She's alright, she has to be.
Tai knew he was only just convincing himself. Even if Ruby was alive, there was no way she was okay. He thought back to all the moments where Summer's powers flared like that.
Until she got a handle on those abilities of hers…such things only happened during moments of pure rage and grief. Moments where she was so overwhelmed by the evil in this world, that she just…lost control and just went scorched earth on the ass of the guilty party. It was…awe-inspiring, but terrifying. Tai remembered. That first moment we all watched her lose control…that was the first time any of us had ever been scared of Summer. Even Raven was afraid of her, and I had never known Raven to be scared of anything until that point.
It almost made Taiyang want to weep. Those moments scared him and the rest of Team STRQ. However, he also understood why those moments happened. Summer was an amazing woman whose only flaw was that she sometimes felt too much for the injustices of the world. Tai always admired her for that. It was also clear that Ruby inherited her mother's strong sense of justice as well. That also made Tai very proud. However, at this moment, it worried him tremendously. He was one of the three people who knew better than anyone how Summer got when she was like this. And it was clear to him that this was a 'like mother like daughter' scenario. As a father, he could not let things get worse for his daughter than they already clearly were.
Ruby, please just hang on, Pumpkin. Daddy's on the way to help. Taiyang frantically. And please…whatever happened, don't let it break you. I know you're stronger than that! Please, be strong Ruby!
Meanwhile, Citrine Gosling was humming to herself, enjoying a nice bottle of hard whiskey and smoking a stogie. She was in a shockingly chipper mood, in spite of the knowledge that children were dead. Of course, being a Gray Jackal agent and infiltrator, she had no such hangups about the lives of others. She especially did not have any hangups about those annoying children dying. All that time spent as a loving caretaker to gather enough research subjects for 2 of Clubs. Whenever he was done, he better be grateful.
The best way he can repay me for all the trouble he put me through, having to put up with those snot-nosed brats, is to put in a good word for me to have a more pleasant assignment next time around. Citrine thought to himself. Maybe a nice vacation in Mistral. Or even a return to Menagerie. Anything with a beach. Please, gods, anything with a beach. Something where I can actually relax after work and not keep up the act 24/7.
Citrine was suddenly cut from her thoughts by a knock at the door. She briefly groaned before putting on her sweet act again. Citrine quickly put her act on. Already she could feel the exhaustion set in. It really was tiring, playing something she was not to such a degree. She got up from her comfy chair and walked towards the front door. She then opened it. Citrine's eyes widened briefly. Her act then dropped as she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh thank goodness. What brings you here?" She asked curiously. "Please tell me it's to get me the hell out of this place."
Meanwhile, back with 2 of Clubs, the monstrous scorpion-man recovered from suddenly being ambushed by two new Huntsmen. He glared at them both.
"That was very unwise, Director Doom, Vice Director LeSouhait!" He exclaimed.
"Okay," Baza muttered, "it talks. That's terrifying. I don't like that. I don't like that at all."
"That voice…" Gardenia muttered.
"It's Dr. Stein!" Ruby exclaimed. "He's behind everything! The weird Grimm attacks! The disappearances! And the children! He got the children killed!"
That made ALL the Thimble Huntsmen freeze. They all trained their eyes on 2 of Clubs in looks of pure disgust. Baza, being a father, looked the most sickened.
"You motherfucker." He snarled.
"Listen to me, all of you!" Hansel called out. "Whoever he was to you people before, it doesn't matter now! When he's like that, he's even stronger!"
"Then it's a good thing we're all here." Baza looked over at Hansel. "You're Hansel Kobalt, right?"
Hansel nodded. Baza grinned.
"You really put yourself at risk to keep her safe. You're alright." He praised the Beacon Professor. "You worry about getting her away from here with the strength you've got left. This thing's threatening our home. So you leave him to us."
I don't want to leave this to them. Hansel admitted. They don't know what they're up against…but I don't have the strength to fight them. Damn it, why did the kid's powers have to scramble my Aura NOW of all times?
"Be careful." Hansel said before holding onto Ruby tightly and managing to start running once more.
"Ms. LeSouhait! Chief Doom!" Ruby yelled, weakly reaching out for them as Hansel fled the area with Ruby in tow. 2 of Clubs shook his head, sighing in irritation.
"Well that won't do. I'm under orders to bring the girl alive." 2 of Clubs scoffed. "Well, that's fine. I'll just tear through all of you and catch her again. Poor Hansel Kobalt tried to warn you all, you know. In this form…well, I'm far beyond any of you."
"Gardenia, you already used up two of your wishes, right?" Baza asked curiously.
"Increased strength and defense, like I always do." Gardenia replied.
"You may want to keep that third wish in your pocket for that particular wish. Pick your moment and then take it." Baza ordered, removing his shirt, fully revealing the tattoos of the crocodile, dog and snake. He then addressed the Huntsmen under his command while he brandished a battle axe with a shotgun attached to it. "Okay, listen up, Huntsmen of Thimble, I don't give a shit if this guy treated an illness for you at some point! He's an asshole, a murderer, and a monster. So don't you dare give him an inch!"
"Yes sir!" The Huntsmen of Thimble all yelled in unison.
"Huntsmen of Thimble, attack!" Baza and Gardenia led the way as they all charged 2 of Clubs in unison. 2 of Clubs rolled his red eyes.
"Well, I guess we're doing this." He scowled, brandishing his tail and clicking his claws threateningly. Gardenia sped ahead of Baza and then threw a powerful roundhouse kick at 2 of Clubs. 2 of Clubs blocked the kick with his claws but kept his tail free so that he could still attack Gardenia. However, the tail is quickly peppered with gunfire infused with Fire Dust. Stopping it from attacking. Gardenia then followed up with a kick that had enough force to push 2 of Clubs backwards several feet. Then, suddenly 2 of Clubs was treated to the sight of three transparent animals rushing past Gardenia towards him: a dog, a snake and a crocodile. Behind Gardenia stood Baza, whose tattoos had all vanished.
"Go forth! My Three Beasts!" Baza commanded.
Baza Doom's Semblance: Three Beasts. His tattoos are not ordinary tattoos. By pouring his Aura into the ink on his skin. The tattoos can come to life and leap from his body. The three tattoos of the crocodile, the snake, and the dog assist Baza in battle with three different specialties: the speed of a dog, the strength of a crocodile, and the mobility and venom of a snake. It is the perfect Semblance to overwhelm the enemy with numbers and strategy.
The snake immediately began by lunging and biting into the blackened leg of 2 of Clubs. 2 of Clubs narrowed his eyes at the attempt.
"What's that supposed to do?" He demanded, raising his claw up in the air to snatch the snake off of him and scissor it in half. The crocodile then bit into the arm connected to the claw, stopping it from moving. Then the dog leapt up and bit into the throat of the 2 of Clubs.
Strong jaw grips for constructs of Aura. 2 of Clubs noted to himself. Then again, a Semblance is a reflection of a Huntsman's true strength. However, I still have my second claw and my tail…
The tail lunged forward, only to be blasted by shotgun shells infused with fire dust, courtesy of Baza. The second claw however, continued to move forward to try and get at least one of the animals off of him. However, Gardenia soon returned, underneath the 2 of Clubs. She threw a kick upwards, demonstrating incredible flexibility. The blow knocked the claw off course. She then called out.
"Huntsmen! Strike now!" Gardenia yelled with 2 of Clubs completely open. At that moment, a dozen Huntsmen appeared, leaping at the scorpion-man and impaling him in multiple areas.
"We got him!" One Huntsman exclaimed. Gardenia narrowed her eyes. Her expression wondering if it really was that easy? Just a matter of numbers? Then she saw it, his body's visible Aura, stopping the attacks from breaking the skin.
He's taken the form of a Grimm and can still access his Aura? Gardenia realized.
"Fall back!" Gardenia exclaimed before the tail twisted itself to look like a fishing hook. 2 of Clubs then instinctively held out its free claw to stop more shotgun shells from Baza. The tail lunged forward repeatedly, at blinding speeds. The Huntsmen of the Thimble Bureau that were stabbing 2 of Clubs all moved to retreat. Most managed to escape. However, one screamed in pain as the tail stabbed right through his Aura, impaling him through the heart.
"Rob, no!" Another Huntsman exclaimed. Baza growled, mentally commanding his Three Beasts to bite down harder, trying to break through the Aura. He quickly realized it was a useless gesture.
Forgive me, Baza thought, commanding the beasts to move away from 2 of Clubs before he destroyed any of them. if I had caught onto the fact that he could use Aura in that state, you'd still be alive, Rob.
2 of Clubs cracked his neck and began advancing once more. He snarled as he brandished his three 'weapons' once more.
It's not that his Aura is nonexistent, it's the fact it's so strong…but so malicious as well. Gardenia realized. Aura can allow us to sense the intentions of our foes. And I've never sensed anything so cruel and so evil. So this is what a Grimm's Aura would be like if it could use Aura. Just what in the world did Dr. Stein get involved with that would allow him to access such a monstrous and unnatural transformation.
"The body of the Grimm, empowered by Aura." 2 of Clubs proclaimed as he continued advancing. "You know, if Aura is a physical manifestation of one's own life force, then it stands to reason that if Grimm could use Aura, they would be unstoppable. After all, they are ageless, eternal beings who only perish when they are slain. So what you see here is an apex predator, the perfect mixture of human Aura and Grimm malice. The strength of both combined into a superior being. The ultimate weapon. Years of research, all leading up to this creation. The next stage of evolution. The next stage of power."
"If you really are the next stage of evolution and power…then maybe humanity and Faunus alike don't have to progress any further." Baza glared at 2 of Clubs. "More importantly, Rob served in this Bureau for ten years. I hoped to get another ten years out of him at least. You're gonna pay in blood for that."
"Pay in blood, eh? Tell me, do you think I have enough blood for all your men, Chief?" 2 of Clubs coldly inquired before tossing Rob's corpse away and vanishing into a slipstream. Baza's eyes widened.
"Scatter!" Baza exclaimed as the 2 of Clubs appeared in the crowd. His claws extended outwards to try and catch one or two Huntsmen. However, this time, Baza was ready and his Three Beasts lunged at 2 of Clubs again. 2 of Clubs growled and swiped his claws outwards, knocking the dog and the crocodile away from him. The tail then pinned the snake to the ground. Gardenia quickly returned and kicked 2 of Clubs in the jaw, knocking his head back.
"Gunmen, fire!" Gardenia yelled, leaping away as the 2 of Clubs' body was suddenly peppered by machine gun fire, enhanced by dust.
Now that we know that Stein somehow has access to Aura in that monstrous form, we have to approach this like we're trying to break our foe's Aura. That means, focus on long-ranged attacks to whittle down the Aura! Gardenia narrowed her eyes.
"Second team, switch to lightning dust!" Baza exclaimed as the gunfire began to wane. The gunfire immediately picked up again as electricity coursed through the body of 2 of Clubs, intent on stunning him into submission.
I must admit, I didn't expect much from a Huntsmen Bureau protecting a damn tourist trap of all things, but Doom and LeSouhait have clearly run a tight ship, turning these Huntsmen into a well-oiled, well-organized fighting machine. 2 of Clubs growled to himself. Damn it, I miscalculated there. I was so focused on my research and experiments I failed to realize how much that fat bastard of a party animal was actually an effective leader.
Baza gazed at 2 of Clubs' shocked body. He studied him closely, intent on figuring out if the lightning Dust was stunning him like he hoped.
Even with Aura, the quantity of lightning can paralyze a victim. A normal Aura can shrug off such things. However, with enough quantity, that doesn't matter.
"Chief! We're gonna run out of ammo! We'll need to reload soon!" One Huntsman exclaimed. Baza quickly thought it over.
"Reload fast! Those with high amounts of Aura, follow my beasts and lead the charge in case he can still counter. We just need one good hit on his vitals and then he'll keel over!" Baza exclaimed. With that, several Huntsmen with large weapons perfect for defense leapt forward. Baza's Three Beasts immediately latched onto 2 of Clubs' different natural weapons. The dog and the crocodile latched onto the claws while the snake lunged and bit down on the tail. Almost immediately, the 2 of Clubs' tail started twitching, trying to thrash about and throw the snake off.
"Attack while you've got the chance!" The Huntsman leading the charge yelled to his compatriots. "Remember, we're all that stands between him and Thimble!"
At that moment, the tail started to thrash around, dragging the snake with it. At first, the Huntsmen moving forward did not falter. They could avoid a tail that was thrashing forward and about. Then, almost immediately, the tail seemed to alter its direction. It turned horizontally once more and the snake attached to the tail actually moved like a whip, sweeping off the Huntsmen from their feet and knocking them away from.
Such incredible body control. Baza praised inwardly before leaping forward, getting above 2 of Clubs and holding his axe above his head. However, you're wide open! One strike will be all I need to cleave you in two, Stein!
The dark legs below 2 of Clubs' waist suddenly rippled as the muscles flexed. Before Baza knew it, 2 of Clubs propelled himself off of the ground, launching his head right into Baza's axe. Baza gasped as the axe managed to break through 2 of Clubs' Aura, but still could not penetrate the skin.
Shit, I messed up. A Deathstalker has a famously strong shell, just like an actual scorpion does. Baza realized. So even if I broke through the Aura, I didn't have enough strength to actually cleave through the shell. He knew that, so he jumped headfirst into my axe to stop my momentum, sacrificing a bit of his Aura to do it. He may be a monster…but Stein's still a smart bastard.
"Help Chief Doom!" Several other Huntsmen leapt into the air to try and cut through 2 of Clubs' Aura and his body. Then, before Baza could do anything else, including warn his subordinates, 2 of Clubs swung the claw the crocodile had attached itself to. The crocodile slammed into him like a baseball bat, sending Baza flying through several trees. The impact jarred the crocodile loose.
"He's open, cut him down!" A Huntsman tried to stab him with a longsword, only for 2 of Clubs to swing his claw with such force that the impact with the Huntsman's neck snapped it, killing him instantly.
"Liam!" Another Huntsman yelled, horrified at another one of their own being killed off in one blow. The snake was finally wrenched free and sent flying from the scorpion tail, allowing it to stab into the head of the dog, wrenching it free from its claws.
"Cut him! Cut him now!" The remaining airborne Huntsmen slashed and stabbed, trying to break through 2 of Clubs' Aura and land a fatal blow. 2 of Clubs just scoffed and drove his stinger right into the throat of another Huntress while his claw scissored forward and decapitated another Huntsman.
"No!" Gardenia frantically, yelled, jumping upwards to try and tackle the scorpion man away from her comrades. The collision did manage to push him away, but 2 of Clubs just laughed from the impact.
"You're not half as scary as you were in the sewers, LeSouhait." 2 of Clubs taunted before whipping his tail into her forehead, knocking her into the ground, creating a large crater in the process. 2 of Clubs landed on the ground and finally glared at the remaining members of the Thimble Bureau that came to fight him. "And as for the rest of you…I've toyed with you long enough. I have a mission to complete."
"Bastard!" Baza immediately leapt from where he had been knocked backwards, gripping his axe. His massive biceps bulged as he glared hatefully at 2 of Clubs for killing several of his men. 2 of Clubs scowled and with a quick movement, swung his claw with a pivot of his legs. The remaining Thimble Huntsmen gasped in shock as Baza's left arm separated from his body. Baza watched as his arm flew away from his body. He himself flew past 2 of Clubs, hitting a tree hard and slumping down, groaning.
"You're bothering me, Chief Doom." 2 of Clubs said coldly before immediately turning back to the Thimble Huntsmen. "Now where was I?"
"S-stand firm!" One Huntsman shouted bravely. "We're the only things between this monster, Ruby, and the people of Thimble! We can't let them down!"
"You're going to throw your lives away for idiots who go about their day, pretending everything's fine so that all your visitors continue to spend lien at your…tourist trap." 2 of Clubs shook his head. "That's fucking stupid. How do you think I was able to operate for so long without issue? This whole town would prefer everything to be happy and perfect, by any means necessary. Even if it means pretending people weren't going missing."
That did not make a single member of the bureau back down in the slightest. They simply all glared at 2 of Clubs in determination. The Gray Jackal agent just sighed and cracked his neck.
"Your funeral." With that, he barreled forward, showing he was indeed more beast than man now.
Meanwhile, a ways away from the chaos, Hansel continued running through the forest with Ruby in his grip, summoning up the strength he had left. His lungs screamed at him to stop. His wounds were practically stabbing him repeatedly with each movement.
"Professor…the others." Ruby said to him. Hansel ignored her. He did not even have the strength to speak at this point. It was taking everything he had just to flee. Ruby's single attack in her berserker rage had scrambled his Aura and left him significantly weakened. In a safer scenario, Hansel would have wondered if this was truly the power Ozpin had wanted him to help Ruby harness. Then, much to his frustration, his body gave out and he fell to one knee. Ruby found the strength to reach out to him. "Professor!"
"Have to keep moving…" Hansel may have had his Aura scrambled, but he could sense how badly things were going for the Thimble Huntsmen. "They don't…know what they're up against. That transformation…it brings you to a completely different level of power…but makes evil even worse in the process."
"Professor…what did Stein do?" Ruby asked as Hansel tried to pull himself to his feet.
"It's Gray Jackal's trump card…it's…" Hansel trailed off as he was interrupted by the crashing of trees. He looked over his shoulder to see 2 of Clubs coming towards him again.
"You can't outrun me, Hansel!" 2 of Clubs screamed at him, covered in the blood of his enemies. Ruby looked at 2 of Clubs in disbelief as his pursuit resumed.
He is a monster! She realized in terror.
Meanwhile, far enough from the battle to stay out of it, but close enough to properly survey everything that was happening, a lone figure in a mask with the number 9 on it sat atop a thick tree branch. Giovanni Scarlatto of Gray Jackal's Spade Division, hummed to himself.
"We'll let the field clear just a bit more." He muttered, noting an Aura signature that was growing increasingly stronger. "Just a bit more. After all…not all the players have entered just yet."
AN: So yeah, what we have here is a bad situation all around. The Grimm transformation that is apparently Gray Jackal's trump card? Kind of overpowered. I mean, really. The strength and physiology of a Grimm combined with Aura...something that was supposed to be impossible, in the hands of an absolute lunatic like Ray Stein. Yeah, that's trouble with a capital 'T'. Between that and the absolute, murderous curb-stomping he dealt out to the Huntsmen of Thimble...yeah, now you know why Hansel is worried to the point of obsession whenever Gray Jackal is in play. And to top it all off, Ace of Spades' loyal lieutenant is here too.
Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you all hopefully sooner rather than later, since again, this chapter ended up getting divided in half because it was getting way too long.