Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Ruby pov .
"At rlot Industries, innovation is our pride. Together, with your help… and a little of your charm, we'll build a better tomorrow! "
"Shut up, rlot!" I exclaid, slightly annoyed, as I killed the next wave of Grimm and guardian robots. They seed to never end. And rlot's laughter and phrases were becoming more and more annoying. The worst part was the traps on the floor! What kind of crazy person would drive nails that would try to impale anyone who passes by on the ground!
"No need to be so… abrasive, Miss Rose, you're the ones destroying my things." rlot laughed in my ear, and I growled.
"Don't let it get to you Ruby, let's keep moving." Mom said next to , I took a deep breath.
"All right! Let's keep going, team!" I said with determination. Mom smiled at , and we started running once more. We quickly passed through several hallways and a few more rooms while looking around us. Mom had tried connecting to so of the consoles and terminals we'd found along the way. But we were only able to recover a little data.
"Ah, you've finally arrived... before you is the second stage processing tanks!" rlot announced happily. We stopped and saw the enormous room in front of us, more than a dozen large tanks filled with the viscous, toxic green substances. And most importantly, surrounded by mutant Grimm.
"It was obvious by this point, but I'm guessing this is where the serum used to mutate the Grimm is processed," Mom said, exaggeratedly moving around so the cara could capture the entire room. "All right, Ruby. Let's take them all out and destroy all the tanks."
"Good!" I took a deep breath and grabbed Crescent Rose tightly. I'd killed so many mutant Grimm by now that I was practically an expert at killing them and getting away. Water Breathing - Third Form: Flowing Dance. I wasn't really a Water Breathing specialist, but I'd fought with and watched Izumi and Taylor practice enough to be able to successfully mimic and modify it for my needs.
I began to move fluidly through the Grimm, slicing through them all without losing montum. Their necks were the most vulnerable spots, where no bone could stop my scythe. With practiced ease, my scythe decapitated all the Grimm. I could hear them exploding behind , but I didn't even flinch, just continuing through the crowd of Grimm like water.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my Mom ignoring most of the Grimm, clearing through only those in her path. Her target was the containers of rlot's serum. She'd already destroyed four of them and was moving towards the next, but she was moving slowly; there were too many Grimm. Nodding ntally, I shifted position and approached Mom, not letting her be attacked. I quickly positioned myself in front of her and cleared a path for her.
She reacted quickly and pressed close to my body to avoid the Grimm' acid blasts. I carried her to the next tank, and she moved quickly, leaping past and smashing the tank to pieces with a powerful blow. She quickly positioned herself behind as I began to move to the next one.
In no ti, the tanks were destroyed, and Mom broke away from and began killing the remaining Grimm. I could feel the sweat running down my forehead, but I took one more breath and kept running.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't break all my things, but anyway, my androids will rebuild them in a mont. Please continue this way," rlot said calmly the mont we killed the last Grimm. A nearby door opened as he finished speaking. I caught my breath, finally starting to feel the strain a little. I guess fighting for hours would do that.
"We destroyed his things, and he's not even upset? It's definitely a trap," I said dryly. Mom humd.
"Definitely, but we should keep going anyway," Mom said with a sigh. I sighed too and nodded in resignation. I took out my water bottle and started taking large gulps.
"All right, I'm ready for combat! One more ti! " I said with a tight smile. Mom smiled tiredly at but also took out her bottle and drank. She took out so small protein bars and handed them to .
"Get so energy back too; we'll need it," Mom said. I nodded and grabbed the protein bar, eating it without complaint, even at the bland taste. I glanced at Mom, who was fiddling with her scroll, before sighing and putting it away.
"I've already given Qrow my regular warning. Let's continue." She said simply. I finished swallowing the bar and threw the wrapper on the floor, let rlot rot, and I nodded.
"Let's go," I said. The short break went much better than I expected. With renewed energy, we began running once more through the facilities.
"Here we have the engineering wing, the-"
" Yes, yes, yes, there were crazy ones like you here, we already know that." Mom interrupted curtly, the connection going silent before I heard a grunt from rlot as it cut off once more. I chuckled as Mom winked at .
There were few Grimm, so we were able to move quickly and steadily. We continued checking all the possible terminals without any success. Until Mom stopped stiffly at one and smiled widely. She imdiately connected her scroll to one of the terminals.
"Wait, did you just... oh no... how could I have been so stupid!?" rlot growled.
"I think he's angry," I said with a smile. Mom gave a thumbs-up with a smile.
"Get ready to die, hunters!!" rlot exclaid as several gates opened and a wave of Grimm and robots imdiately ca out.
"Uh oh, he's really angry!" I exclaid tensely and moved once more.
"We have to hold on, Ruby! Until the data transfer is finished!" Mom exclaid. I grimaced; I guess there was no other option.
I really, really wanted to know how many Grimm and robots rlot had. The amount he was dispatching all this ti was ridiculous. They certainly weren't the strongest there were. They were still the sa Grimm as the ones on the surface. But this amount is abnormal. The amount of ti or resources rlot had to experint and accumulate things without anyone noticing sent chills down my spine.
The fight itself wasn't a problem. At this point, it was more of a routine than anything else. So it was easy to hold the position for a few minutes.
"It's complete!" Mom said as she pulled out her scroll. I walked over to her as she began to manipulate it. "Let see... yes, I have everything and much more! A gold mine! Now... let's see... yes, let's go to the lower levels! ...to the manufacturing wing. Let's get this over with! " Mom said with a smile. I nodded.
The journey to the lower reaches was much easier now that we had a map and a pass to enter classified locations without having to go around the entire facility.
"We're entering the power plant! Let's destroy everything that might be vital to rlot's operation! " Mom said with a grin as she moved forward and began chopping and destroying everything with her axe. I smiled and quickly joined in.
"You're not authorized to be here!" rlot exclaid angrily. We quickly destroyed what appeared to be generators and backup batteries before continuing on, ignoring rlot's complaints.
"According to the plan, this room contains processing equipnt for his serum! Don't hold back! " Mom exclaid.
"Let's destroy everything!!!" I exclaid happily as I began destroying the tanks around us.
" Stop them!" rlot shouted angrily. We didn't know if he was shouting at the Grimm or the robots, but neither made any difference in stopping our destruction of their facilities. "Tch, very well hunters. Fortunately I had already synthesized the perfect combination. You'll see soon." rlot said sinisterly.
"Co on, Ruby, we're almost at the end," Mom said seriously, and I nodded. We quickly continued through the pipe-lined hallways and ca to what looked like a completely barren room with a dirt floor, no equipnt, just screens showing rlot.
"Welco to the testing grounds, hunters. It's ti you familiarized yourselves with my most… promising experintal subjects." I braced myself for the ever-present waves of Grimms, but to my surprise, a massive green stinger popped out of the ground before a massive grimm erged.
"A mutant deathstalker," Mom murmured solemnly. "Don't let your guard down, Ruby!"
"Don't be shy, hunters. Show what you can do with this enhanced specin." rlos laughed evilly. At that, the Deathstalker reacted imdiately, flicking its tail in our direction and starting firing acid arrows.
"They're not supposed to do that!" I exclaid in panic as I jumped to the side. I stomped hard and launched myself. Thunderclap and Flash . I appeared next to the Deathstalker at once. I knew everything there was to know about killing a deathstalker, stories, accounts, and books about Grimms back ho, I knew where to hit. Its joints, its bones were too thick for to punch through unless I was a strength specialist.
So I'd decided on the stinger. Unfortunately for , the grimm seed to react much faster than expected for sothing of its size, and my blow to the joint only left a small cut that made the mutated grimm scream. Tch, it wasn't deep enough. The deathstalker thrashed violently and slamd its pincers into the ground, creating powerful shockwaves. Before firing again with its stinger.
I dodged them once more with ease. Mom appeared above the grimm, her axe hovering over her head as she scread. Her weapon had turned completely black. Armor Haki. She slamd it headfirst without hesitation, completely piercing its defensive bones and piercing the grimm several inches before stopping. Mom was about to thrust once more to finish it off, but the grimm scread in pain again and jerked violently, throwing her away from its body. I seized the opportunity.
Thunderclap and Flash: Six Fold . I bounded across the terrain several tis at high speed and reached the roof of the testing area, just above the Deathstalker, and with my last Thunderclap, I descended at high speed. In the air I quickly turned and placed Crescent Rose above my head. Sound Breathing - First Form: Roar .
With a crack of thunder, I struck exactly where Mom had left the wound. My scythe sank right into the place where there weren't any bones, thanks to her, and it pierced the grimm's head without hesitation. The grimm groaned in pain before stopping and beginning to evaporate.
I sighed in relief. That was awfully easy. Well… thanks to Mom. Without her Haki, it would have taken a lot more effort to kill it.
"You're out of cards, rlot! Give up! " Mom yelled once the deathstalker finally disappeared and I freed my scythe from its body, I approached her still on guard. rlot paused montarily before starting to laugh loudly.
"Oh, my dear hunters, did you think that was my final trump card?" rlot purred. I visibly shuddered and paled slightly. "Now, let show you sothing I've done with a dear companion, the next stage of my experint! I call him Hound." rlot grinned sadistically through the screens.
Sothing fell in front of us. An explosion as a large creature fell in front of us, disorienting us. The creature took advantage of the mont to backhand us with its long arm. Mom and I barely had ti to cover ourselves before we were thrown hard as it separated us. I spun in the air and landed on my feet, wincing. Thankfully, my aura protected from all the damage.
I looked at the creature again, and now It was right there. It looked like a Grimm werewolf straight out of a nightmare. It stood on digitigrade legs with its knee turned outward, its torso was thin, and its arms were abnormally long, asuring almost the entire length of its body. They seed to reach the ground even though it was almost completely upright.
Its head looked like the skull of a nightmarish wolf, and the odd thing was that it didn't have any holes where its eyes should have been. It had green veins all over it, despite having no bones other than its head and the spikes on its back. But the most disconcerting thing was its body. Its body seed to be composed of black tar that constantly dripped. It was unlike the consistent forms of the Grimms. This monster looked... half-baked, if that made any sense.
The grimm, a Hound as rlot called him, scread once more before shapeshifting, turning into a wolf or a dog before exploding into black gas that filled the room. My eyes shot open in full alert, and I took a deep breath before the fog covered . I couldn't see more than about two ters in front of .
"Ruby, watch out!" Mom's shout made react instantly, and I spun around while lifting Crescent Rose in front of . Hound appeared instantly and swiped at , knocking back once more before disappearing into the mist again, knocking the wind out of . I sighed in relief when I took one more breath noticing the air wasn't toxic or worse.
"It's too quiet! I can't hear its footsteps! " I exclaid as I looked around.
"On your right!" Mom's shout stirred in my body again, and I moved. I jumped back just in ti to see the Hound zoom past . I shot at him with Crescent Rose, but the bullet was easily dodged as the Hound fled back into the fog. My ears were on full alert. Mom could see him; she could feel him. Focus on that.
My ears twitched at the clash. Mom collided with the Grimm, and I launched myself at them. I arrived just in ti to see Mom struggling with the monster before kicking him, sending him into the mist once more.
"Stay behind my back! Listen to my instructions and move quickly! " Mom said imdiately without taking her eyes off the fog, as if she could see it. I pressed my back against hers. Observation Haki, Mom was looking at it with Haki, it was sothing Izumi had begun to teach , but it took ti and a lot of effort, sothing I hadn't yet managed to do, and I grimaced strongly.
"From above!" Mom exclaid, both of us jumping in different directions just in ti to avoid the heavy blow of a body falling from the air. He was in his humanoid form once more, his long hands buried in the ground, completely shattered. He was strong, very strong. Don't let him hit you, understood! We imdiately made our move, but Hound had already retreated into the mist once more. Mom clicked her tongue, but we glued our backs together once more.
"Go ahead!" Mom said, just in ti for a huge wolf to appear in front of and leap in my direction, the wolf transforming in midair. Its long limb bent almost unnaturally before it whipped towards . Thunder Breathing - Third Form: Thunder Swarm . I moved quickly enough to leave afterimages of myself and attacked Hound from all angles while dodging its attack.
My attacks barely scratched its skin; it didn't even flinch. Hound twisted its body, its long limb slashing toward . Mom intervened, striking, and with her Haki-enshrouded axe, she severed the offending limb. The grimm scread in pain and retreated into the mist.
"Don't let it get you!" Mom exclaid as she continued to look into the fog following the monster. Her eyes opened. "It's regenerating!" Mom exclaid solemnly. The monster reappeared in its fully healed wolf form and lashed out at Mom. Mom protected herself with her weapon. Thunderclap and Flash. My attack connected with its neck, but it barely made a dent as I pushed it away from her. She started shooting at it with her gun, but the bullets barely scratched it.
Once again in the mist, the grimm began its sneak attacks. Mom was able to read them, but it was fast and slippery. I couldn't inflict any deep wounds, while the wounds Mom inflicted regenerated completely. We were at a stalemate.
"Enough!" exclaid Mom. At the sa ti, a bright light ca out from Mom, enveloping the entire room in its light. The fog that covered the entire place dissipated instantly, and the grimm scread in pain. Silver Eyes. Mom's quirk. Capable of blinding, vaporizing, or turning most gate creatures to stone. This was one of the reasons why Mom was listed as an S-rank hunter with the possibility of rising to national rank.
The bright flash slowly disappeared, and now without any obstruction in our field of vision, we turned to face the Grimm. To our surprise, the grimm had resisted Mom's quirk and was moaning in pain on the ground.
"Stand up, Hound! Kill them! " rlot exclaid.
" kill. Them. "The broken voice cos quickly, and we look towards the grimm "k- kill . Them!" The grimm stood up with difficulty, and we finally saw him. " Kill. Them!!" A human head, where his Grimm head used to be, there was a human head of a woman staring at us. Her face was full of scars, her eyes looked empty, half of her looked completely shattered, and half of her brain was visible. "KILL. THEEEM!!" the grimm/human scread
"W-what, what have you done, rlot?" Mom muttered in horror. rlot started laughing loudly.
"It's the next step in evolution!" rlot exclaid with glee.
"This is not evolution! This is horrible! " I couldn't help but exclaim in horror.
"Hehe, you may not understand now, hunter… but soon… soon you will, and you will be part of them… bring their corpses, Hound." rlot said with a sadistic smile.
"KILL THEEEEEEMM!!!" the grimm/human yelled once more before fully regenerating into his full grimm form and charging at us. I hesitated to attack.
"Don't stay still, Ruby!" Mom exclaid as she intercepted the Grimm in front of . "We have to finish her off, with that! She 's slowly regenerating thanks to my Quirk! We have to take advantage of it! " I hesitated again, but gritted my teeth and started moving. This wasn't ti to hesitate. I wished Izumi were here, or at least Azula's Nichirin sword; its anti-regeneration would do the trick.
Wait… regeneration? Brain discovered? rlot involved? My eyes widened.
"Mom! It's a nomu! Like the monster from the USJ!" I exclaid while dodging an attack from Hound. "It has multiple quirks! Its weak point is its brain! " Izumi had confird it in the USJ, the only reason why he hadn't killed it instantly was because he doubted if it was still a person or not, so he hadn't felt comfortable killing it instantly. "I need a clean hit!" I said to Mom.
"Understood!" Mom said without hesitation. I got into position and waited. She moved quickly. She severed one of the Grimm's hands. Just like Mom said, it took re seconds for the severed limb to regenerate. Mom didn't hold back. She turned her weapon and shot it from close range directly at its face, disorienting the monster slightly.
Hound swung his good hand at Mom, but she only deflected it with her axe and shot him in the face once more. Mist began to rise from the grimm , but Mom moved quickly and severed one of its legs, freezing it in place. She dodged the newly regenerated arm and stomped on it as she leaped on top of it. She swung her axe and swung it down on its head.
Mom clicked her tongue. It wasn't deep enough to kill it. But it was deep enough to tear off this Grimm head and leave its human head unprotected. Gotcha .
First Form: Thunderclap and Flash: Godspeed . The force of my legs shattered the entire ground. Less than a fraction of a second it took to arrive in front of Hound with Godspeed and my quirk working together. My scythe pierced the Hound's human head who couldn't react in any way. I felt nausea arise at how easily my scythe passed through the skull, but I suppressed it with force. I spun in the air and finished slicing the human head in half, releasing my scythe. Mom looked at with wide eyes.
"So Fast," Mom murmured in surprise. We both stared at the human grimm as it fell to the ground. It quickly began to disappear into the mist.
We won.
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