Breathe Chapter 64: Precursor

Passing through the treetops as thunder crackled across the sky, I silently landed on one of the higher branches, giving me a wide view of the forest below. My body at ease, my mind calm and my Aura deactivated so as to prevent the Grimm that dwelled within the forest from sensing me.

Taking a moment to familiarize myself with my surroundings, I turned my gaze towards the ground below as Pyrrha walked by, her shield and spear tightly clasped in her arms, ready for anything that might jump out at her.

Looking around cautiously, she tapped her finger to her ear. “Still all clear on my end… Are you… Still there?”

“Yes,” I hummed softly into my Scroll. “I’m still here… You actually just passed me.”

“I did?” Pyrrha asked, letting out a shaky breath. “I didn’t see you at all. Sorry if I keep talking. It’s just, this whole thing makes me feel rather nervous.”

“It’s fine,” I said evenly. “If you need me, I’ll be here… Even if it’s just to talk.”

Pyrrha shook her head. “No. I… Should probably try and keep quiet. The more I talk to you, the more I risk giving away your position.”

That was somewhat true. Much like the other Grimm Ozpin sent us to kill, this one was unique. It was a hunter that favored hit and run tactics. It was smart and it hid itself exceedingly well… And that wasn’t even getting into that thing it did to the Beowolves on our first day here. I wasn’t even sure what that was.

This wasn’t a Grimm that we could just walk up to and kill. No, it needed to be drawn out first and to do that, it needed bait… And, unfortunately, it seemed to have taken to avoiding me after our first encounter. It had to be someone else.

That, however, didn’t mean that I couldn’t follow close behind. I did still have access to the Selfless State which helped to erase my presence. That, combined with the Paper Arts made me seem like nothing more than a leaf being blown by the wind.

“Don’t worry Pyrrha, you’ve got this!” Ruby’s voice blared over the headset, only to be replaced by Weiss apologized and audibly dragged her away.

Jolting at the unexpected words of encouragement, Pyrrha smiled softly. “Thank you, Ruby. I appreciate your encouragement.”

“You’re welcome… No, wait. Weiss, get off me! She said she appreciated it!” Ruby argued, being dragged away once more. “Yang, help… I meant me, not Weiss! Blake… Not you too!”

The line briefly went silent, only for winter to cough lightly. “Sorry about that. I will ensure that there are no further interruptions on this end.”

Stifling a giggle, Pyrrha continued to walk through the forest, far more relaxed than she had been a little earlier.

Following her, I passed over into another tree a little bit further ahead and once more began to look around before pausing when I caught sight of a long, gangly hand placed against the tree a little further ahead. An antlered head peeked out from behind, its gaze locked onto Pyrrha’s form as she unknowingly walked closer.

“I see it,” I murmured into my Scroll, causing Pyrrha to miss a step and stumble, before looking around. “The third tree on your right. Be careful, it's watching you.”

Slowing her pace, Pyrrha looked up. “I don’t see it.”

That was strange. It was right in front of her. She should have been able to see it. The Grimm, oddly enough, didn’t have that much of a presence. Unlike regular Grimm, it didn’t seem to give off a scent, nor did it make any sound when it moved.

Switching my Scroll to video mode, I pointed it towards the Grimm, catching Pyrrha’s form in the frame.

Looking down at her Scroll, Pyrrha slowly panned her vision back up, her eyes locking on to the area where the Grimm stood.

…
 Ping!

Iron Mind has resisted…
 …

Ignoring the message, I took a hissed breath and launched myself off the tree, appearing in front of Pyrrha a fraction of a second later.

Bringing my blade down, I slashed through the Grimm’s arm, right as it was reaching for her, removing it.

Pulling back with its wounded arm clutched to its chest, the Grimm let out a horrible shriek that sounded throughout the woods. For a moment, everything became quiet, before a soft thumping noise soon came into existence, rapidly growing louder.

“Are you alright, Pyrrha?” I asked, keeping my gaze on the Grimm.

“Coal? I… I’m not sure,” Pyrrha muttered, a hint of panic in her voice. The spear in her grasp audibly trembled. “Where… Where are we? Why’s it so dark? I… I can’t see you!”

“I’m right here,” I hummed, trying to sooth her. “Just follow the sound of my voice.”

“Alright, I… No,” She breathed, covering her mouth in horror. “What have you done?! You… You killed him!”

Feeling a gust of wind push against my back, I shifted to the side, narrowly avoiding being impaled on Pyrrha’s spear.

Watching as the Grimm turned to leave, while a Goliath of all things arrived, I cursed under my breath. The Grimm was far smarter than I gave it credit for.

Drawing my blade, I took a hissed breath, ready to kill both Grimm, only to suddenly have my sword and sheath ripped from my grasp.

Pyrrha, growling, launched herself forward, her blade gripped tightly in her hands.

Ducking under her slash, I found myself facing the large Goliath, mid charge. Lashing out with a kick, a blade of wind collided with the Grimm, splitting it in half.

Turning towards the fleeing Grimm, I took a breath. Tensing my legs, I disappeared in a blur of speed, determined to not let it escape.

“Sun Breathing: Flash, One Step”
 -50AP

“I won’t let you get away!” Pyrrha roared, grabbing onto my leg.

Stumbling and out of options that didn’t involve hurting Pyrrha, I grabbed my Scroll and threw it towards the Grimm, watching in bated breath as it slipped into the leather the Grimm wore on its body.

With that handled, I turned my attention back to Pyrrha, right as she tackled me to the ground.

“Pyrrha, you need to listen to–“

“Shut up,” Pyrrha snapped, pinning me to the ground with her shield, before enforcing it with her Semblance. “I won’t listen to you… Not after what you did!”

Sitting on my chest, she gripped her sword with both hands, pressing it against my neck.

“Your mind, your body and your soul,” I said, causing her to halt. “Those are things that belong to you and you alone. Others may try to assert control over you, to take what is yours and make it theirs, but any hold they have over you is only an illusion. You have the power to revoke it at any moment.”

Pyrrha’s hands shook as she stared down at me. Her eyes flickering with a hint of clarity, before clouding over once more.

“You can do this, Pyrrha,” I pressed on. Slipping my arm out from under her shield, I reached up, placing my hand against her cheek. “You’re strong… Far stronger than you realize. You can fight this… I believe in you.”

“How could… You’re not…” Grunting, she leaned forward. Dropping her blade, she pressed one hand to my chest to keep from falling over, while the other was planted on her forehead. Her eyes shut in concentration. “Wait… Coal?” She asked, her eyes snapping open once more.

“Hey there, welcome back,” I hummed. “How’re you feeling?”

“I have a headache, but… Oh, no,” She breathed. “I let the Grimm get away… I attacked you!”

“It was controlling you.” Sitting up, I helped shift her from my chest to my lap.

“But that doesn’t–” Wincing as a loud electronic shriek sounded, Pyrrha ripped out her earpiece, dropping it onto the ground when it began sparking in her hand.

“Your Scroll,” I said, looking at her pocket as it lit up. “The video call,” I realized.

I never actually ended it. I’d planned to use my Scroll to track the Grimm. This, however, might be just as useful.

Slipping her Scroll into her hand, Pyrrha held it up for both of us to see. The image on it was a little difficult to make out, only randomly becoming clearer as the Grimm moved through the trees, but every so often, we were able to get a clear picture.

At first it was only leaves… The upper body of a dark figure, but then, as the Grimm dropped down, my Scroll shifted, giving an outside view of an open area where nothing seemed to grow, a large amount of closely compacted trees grew around it in a circle.

Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me… That’s where the Grimm stayed? I’d already been there once before… I might have been a little preoccupied in finding Weiss and Blake, but even then, I should have been able to pick up on the Grimm.

Passing through the trees once more, the Grimm stepped down into what appeared to be a hand dug tunnel, before climbing through.

Standing up on the other side that was partially lit up by a few burrowed holes in the ceiling.

Moving around the surprisingly large cavern that was only a few feet beneath the ground, the Grimm moved towards a table filled with scraps of leather. Grabbing a piece, it pressed it against its wounded arm, almost as if it was going to bandage its wound, before pulling it away, coating the leather in its black blood.

Turning to the side, something new was revealed. An old rusted spring bed that had somehow been dragged underground with a figure resting on top, wrapped in a way that almost resembled mummification.

Heading closer, the Grimm placed the leather on the figure, treating it almost reverently, before stepping away. Heading deeper into the cavern, the video once more became blurry as the signal grew weaker.

Glancing back at the figure resting on the bed, it suddenly twitched, the leather wrapped around its form straining to contain it.

“More.”

Pyrrha’s breath hitched as her Scroll suddenly turned blank. The signal finally cut as the Grimm ventured too far out of range.

“Did that thing just… Talk?” She asked worriedly. “It’s not one of Salem’s Grimm, is it?”

Thinking for a moment, I shook my head. “I don’t think so. There’s nothing for her to gain out here… And this place has been abandoned for a while, so it’s not like she sent something like back at that mining camp. This feels different.”

How though, I wasn’t sure.

“If this was Salem’s doing, she’d want to make her presence known,” I continued. “Unless this is something she’s forgotten about, then… Yeah, she could be the one that’s behind this.”

I somehow doubted it though. Salem’s Grimm didn’t usually speak… Unless it was one made using a person with Silver Eyes, and even then, it wouldn’t be commanding Grimm.

If it was, however, I just hope it wasn’t Summer.

“Hey, so,” Yang’s voice suddenly blared from Pyrrha’s Scroll. “I don’t know if you guys know this, but we can still hear everything that you’re saying.”

Well crap. I guess Blake and Weiss heard us talking about Salem. I had actually been meaning to tell them about her, so it’s not like it was that big of a screw up.

“I’ll explain everything when I get back,” I said, staring down at the Scroll. “For now… Is Winter still there?”

I had a pretty good idea of where the Grimm’s hideout was, but it couldn’t hurt to have her trace my Scroll and see exactly where it was. Having a little backup would probably come in handy as well.

The simple fact that this Grimm went after isolated targets was more than enough reason for me to keep it from getting what it wants.

“Ah, yeah… About that,” Yang chuckled awkwardly. “She kinda left after she saw something was wrong with orders to not leave the Airship until she returned.”

Hearing a low growl, I turned to the side as a glowing white Beowolf pressed its snout against my face, Winter, following just behind it with her sword drawn, only to pause when she saw the position Pyrrha and I were in.

…Breathe…

Coming to a stop at the base of a steep hill where the Grimm lives, I stared at the top. We’d been moving at a bit of a slower pace, but now that we were here, we were going to need to be far quicker.

There was no telling when the Grimm would begin to pick up on our Aura or emotions. Normally, that wouldn’t be too big of a problem, but now that there was a completely unknown element thrown in the mix, I didn’t want to take any risks.

Looking back towards Winter, she nodded and unsheathed her blade, ready for what was to come. Pyrrha on the other hand looked a little concerned.

“You doing alright, Pyrrha?” I asked.

“Huh?” She hummed, looking up. “Sorry, I guess I’m just a little–“ Looking between Winter and myself, she sighed. “I guess I’m just a little worried… What if it controls me again?”

“There is no question of if. It will try and control you again,” Winter answered, causing Pyrrha to slump a little. “But that is all it can do… Try… I have no doubt that you will be able to break whatever hold it has over you when you next encounter it.”

Pyrrha perked up a little at that. “Thanks, Winter… I needed that,” She hummed, gripping her sword a little more confidently.

“I only spoke the truth,” Winter smiled softly. “Before we proceed, I would like to ask what the effects felt like. I would like to be prepared, should it try the same thing on me.”

“Oh… Well, I suppose the best way to describe it is like a nightmare, one that the Grimm was in complete control of. It made me think that it killed, well…” Pyrrha shot a glance my way. “After that, all I could see was that thing standing in Coal’s place. Once I heard Coal’s voice, I realized something was wrong and… Reasserted control over myself. I’m sorry, It’s not something I can really describe.”

“That’s more than enough to go on,” Winter hummed. “Was it the same for you, Coal?”

Me? “Uh, not really,” I replied. “Ever since I mastered Total Concentration Constant, I’ve been able to fight off mental and physical effects pretty easily. I guess it’s one of the things my Semblance really excels at.”

The Iron Status Effects had come in handy on more than one occasion.

“I see,” Winter said, rubbing her chin. “But it is something that can be learnt, Pyrrha has proven as much,” She continued, lighting up with interest.

Seeing the look in her eye, I chuckled. “It can,” I answered. “But let’s save that for after we’re done here.” We did still have a job to do after all.

“Of course,” Winter hummed.

Turning back towards the forest, I took a slow, easy breath and unsheathed my sword. Looking for the most direct route to the Grimm’s lair, I launched myself up the hill, clearing a path through the densely grown trees.

Spotting a few splotches of a black tar-like substance on the ground, I followed the path, before stopping directly in front of a pile of old interwoven twigs and leaves that sat on top of a large hole in the ground, blending into the environment almost seamlessly.

Removing the hatch, I ducked into the hole, stepping through into the sunken underground room, the air thick with an earthy, dusty smell.

“That thing’s gone,” Pyrrha noted. Shining her Scroll’s light on the empty bed, she shifted it towards the rest of the room, revealing what seemed to be a table with a large stone sitting on top of it, next to a pile of leather and a few skulls from various animals… A few of them were human.

Splitting up, we each took a section of the room to search.

Catching the distinct smell of Grimm, along with something else, I walked up to the old cot, grabbing something that had been hidden underneath it. An old and rotting bowler hat that broke apart in my hand. It must have been decades old at this point… If not older.

This Grimm certainly liked to take trophies from its victims.

Noticing an object hidden under several scraps of leather, I moved them out of the way, only to find my Scroll staring up at me. Grabbing the device, I slipped it into my Inventory, before continuing my investigation.

“I’ve found something,” Winter called out. Moving a pile of sticks out of the way, she revealed a tunnel that had been deliberately caved in.

The Grimm was smart, I’d give it that.

Creating a set of ethereal Beowolves, she immediately set them to digging, revealing that only a portion of the tunnel had been caved in.

“This was recently done… The dust hasn’t even had time to settle,” Winter remarked. “It can’t have gotten far.”

Winter sent her group of Grimm constructs down first, before the rest of us entered. Passing through a long and somewhat large tunnel, we entered a larger chamber with several tunnels leading off into random directions.

Stepping forward, Pyrrha shifted her weapon into its rifle form, before aiming down one of the tunnels. Taking a shot, the tunnel was lit up by one of her incendiary rounds, revealing that it was a dead end.

Taking another few shots, several more dead ends were revealed, until finally, one round passed through, before suddenly being snuffed out.

Nodding silently to herself, Winter recalled her constructs, gesturing for them to head down the tunnel, before suddenly freezing as a presence washed over us.

The ground began to tremble as something large crashed into the ground on the other side of the tunnel. A small wave of blackened Grimm fluid washed into the chamber where we stood.

…
 Ping!
 …

Ignoring the message, I turned a cautious eye towards the duo, only for Pyrrha to break the hold the Grimm had over her. Her eyes burned brightly.

Winter, however, needed a bit more time. Her eyes glazed over as she looked around, brief bursts of lucidity broke through the haze.

“Winter…”

“I… I’m fine,” Winter answered. “I know this isn’t real. You two go on ahead. I’ll deal with… With this.”

“Not without you,” I said. Sidling up to her, I placed my hand on her shoulder with Pyrrha taking her other side. Refusing to move until Winter overcame this. “No one gets left behind.”

Gripping her blade tightly, Winter focused her breathing, her eyes wide and unfocused. The ground shook once more as a gust of wind hit us, being forced through the tunnel by a wave of Grimm fluid that grew closer.

Just when it seemed that we were about to be hit and that I was going to have to step in, Winter stepped forward. Her breathing evened out, her eyes relaxed and she calmly held her blade in front of her.

To the untrained eye, it would have looked like the blackened wave simply split around her all on its own, but to those fast enough, they would have seen exactly what happened.

Within a single instant, Winter unleashed over a hundred cuts, each one in a calm fluid manner so precise that she barely appeared to move at all.

“Frost Breathing: Dead Calm”

Taking a short breath as the Grimm wave evaporated, Winter turned towards us, the unfocused haze from her eyes completely absent.

Hearing a drowned shriek, our attention was once more focused on the tunnel. There was a Grimm spawning pit on the other side of the tunnel, that much was obvious. The waves, however, were new.

Passing through the tunnel, we walked into the next chamber and came across something… Something strange.

A Grimm spawning pit sat in the center of the chamber, surrounded by land that circled around it in a spiral that seemed to dip into the fluid.

In the center of the spawning pit, however, stood the Grimm. Its body half submerged in the fluid as it struggled to hold both arms under. The blackened, tar like liquid suddenly splashed upward as something fought to break free, only to be forced back underneath by the Grimm.

“Is that Grimm… Drowning the other one?” Pyrrha asked, not really believing what she was seeing.

It did look that way at first glance, but that wasn’t what was happening here. With the distance and the sheer volume of spawning fluid, it was difficult to make out exactly what was being held underneath. One thing I could see, however, was how the body was rapidly absorbing the fluid.

The Grimm wasn’t doing this to kill that thing, it was doing it to make it stronger.

“We need to stop it,” I muttered.

Summoning several ethereal blades, I sent them hurtling towards the Grimm, forcing it to dodge.

Shifting further back through the spawning fluid, the Grimm stared up at us, its lone hand no longer holding the creature’s neck.

Watching as the thick liquid began to churn violently, the spawning pit seemed to inflate, bulging in the center, before exploding, showering the room in black, caustic sludge.

Gripping my blade, I was ready to cut through the incoming fluid, only to stop as Winter created a large Nevermore construct to shield us from the impending wave.

Hearing a loud snap, the summoned Nevermore’s body suddenly became limp. Falling backwards into the Grimm spawning pit, its head flopped back as the deer like Grimm released its neck.

Tilting its head to the side as it observed us, it used the summoned Nevermore’s body as a springboard and launched itself backwards. Hitting the wall, its form blurred as it bound around the room in a seemingly random pattern.

Following its form, I stepped to the side and brought my blade down, cutting a line down its back as it landed nearby, only to immediately have its head bashed in by Pyrrha’s shield.

Turning to leave, a pair of Ursa constructs bit down and clawed at its legs, limiting its movement just enough for winter to nail it to the wall with one of her swords.

Bringing her lone blade up, ready to land the killing blow, the Grimm’s presence suddenly flooded the chamber, causing Winter to pause.

Gripping her blade tightly, Winter’s eyes narrowed in concentration. Bringing her blade down, she slashed through its chest, ending at its waist, nearly cutting the Grimm in half.

Slouching forward, the Grimm’s body began to crumble. Raising its head one last time, the Grimm focused on the spawning pit below.

Reaching towards it with its lone hand, the Grimm let out one final shriek before finally succumbing to its wounds.

That, unfortunately, didn’t mean that we could rest.

Feeling the ground shake violently, I turned my attention towards the spawning pit as the liquid below swirled around in a chaotic maelstrom.

Rapidly building speed, like water circling a drain, the liquid suddenly shot upward, tearing a hole through the chambers roof all the way to the surface, before a hulking figure pulled itself up, leaving the dregs of the pool behind.

“Climb… Hunt… Free...” A deep voice sounded through the cavern as a shadowy figure rapidly climbed through the newly made hole.

“What was that thing?” Pyrrha muttered under her breath.

“What it was doesn’t matter,” Winter replied. “What matters is that we need to get to the surface… Right now.”

That was easier said than done. The tunnels leading to this chamber had caved in on themselves… It was a small miracle that this chamber hadn’t crumbled yet itself.

As it stood, there was currently only one exit… Right behind that thing.

Feeling the ground rumble, I sighed. “This place is about to collapse. We need to go,” I said, gesturing towards the hole.

It wasn’t ideal, but it’d get the job done.

Tensing my legs, I launched myself towards the hole, grabbing on to a nearby root that hung from the ceiling. Dirt and black sludge dripped back into the spawning pit below.

Pyrrha followed shortly behind with Winter pulling up the rear. Unfortunately the hole was too small to fit a Nevermore, but it was easily wide enough for the three of us.

Making our way to the surface, we appeared in the same clearing in the middle of the trees where nothing grew.

Looking around, it was easy to see the path the Grimm went. Bulldozing its way through the forest, the ground was slick with black fluid, giving us a very good idea of where it was heading. The bad news, however… It was heading back to the Airship.

Taking a lower stance, I took a hissed breath and launched myself down the Grimm’s path, disappearing in a blur of speed.

“Sun Breathing: Flash, Ten Steps”
 -500AP

Rapidly passing through the forest, I blurred around a number of trees before finally catching sight of the Grimm. Its body was only partially formed, looking more like a bloated lizard. However, despite its appearance, it moved fairly fast, darting around the forest in a jerking motion.

“Move… Hunt… Silver… Kill…”

Alright, so it was after Ruby then.

Catching up to it, I took a breath and slashed through one of its legs, cutting it off.

“Sun Breathing: Raging Sun”
 -200 AP

Barely noticing the loss of one leg, the Grimm continued forward. Blackened fluid poured from the wound, coating the forest floor.

Jerking forward, the Grimm ripped its way through several trees, toppling them over, but at the same time, doing a not insignificant amount of damage to its body.

This thing… It couldn’t feel its body, could it? It only had one thing on its mind, killing Ruby. Uncaring of what happened to its body on the way.

Taking a quick look through its body, I quickly discovered why that was. The Grimm… Its entire body was nothing more than a construct. Its true body was hidden inside the head.

Following the Grimm as it broke through the treeline, I brought my blade up, ready to decapitate the thing, only to hear a deafening clap.

Using the Transparent World, I caught sight of Pyrrha’s figure as she caught up to me. Passing underneath the Grimm, she brought her blade up and cut through its body effortlessly, before skidding to a stop by the hill near the Airship.

“Flame Breathing: Rengoku”

No longer able to support itself, the Grimm’s body split in half and collapsed to the floor. Its remaining legs moved in a jerking fashion, trying to carry it forward, but failed.

Flicking her blade clean of the Grimm’s blood, Pyrrha smiled brightly. “I thought you could use some help,” She said, her eyes panning over the Grimm. “Why isn’t it dying?”

“Because this isn’t its real body,” I answered, stepping around the twitching Grimm. “Its real body is in here,” I said, tapping the Grimm’s skull.

Using the Transparent world, I was able to get a better look at the Grimm inside it, only to find that it wasn’t actually a Grimm. Sure, it shared a few similarities with one, but it wasn’t made out of the same thing Grimms were… It was different.

“We might need to bring this one back to Beacon for Ozpin to see,” I muttered, turning away from the Grimm.

“Would that be safe? I don’t think that there’s any… Are you alright?” Pyrrha suddenly asked, shifting closer.

“I’m fine, why?”

“Your nose is bleeding,” She replied. Patting herself down, she grabbed a red cloth from her pocket and pressed it against my nose. “Here, let me help you with that.”

“Thank you,” I hummed.

It was strange though. I wasn’t even aware my nose was bleeding. The thing inside the Grimm didn’t seem to have any mental effect. Maybe it was just me? I had been using the Transparent World a lot this past week.

“Silver… Kill… Silver… Kill…”

Bursting from the Grimm’s head, an emaciated humanoid form rushed towards the Airship.

Grabbing my sheath, I switched it into its Kusarigama form, the blade gleaming white as Hard-light Dust extended its reach. Spinning it rapidly, I threw it, wrapping the thread around the creature, slowing its movement.

It struggled for a moment, only to still when a black Glyph formed under it, further restricting its movement.

Exiting the forest, Winter turned a curious eye towards the only now decaying body of the Grimm, before turning back towards the humanoid creature. “Did I miss anything?”

“A little,” I shrugged.

Turning towards the Airship, I found Team RWBY watching from one of the windows. Ruby, looking at my Scythe with great interest, caught my eye and mouthed something to me, before pointing back towards my weapon.

Light Bringer?

I shook my head. Even in a time like this, Ruby was more concerned with naming my weapons than about the thing that was currently tied up on the ground.

…It wasn’t a bad name though.