Chapter 29: Merlot's TwistedGame

You cut down the last Grimm in your sector. Dylan and Ruby are finishing an Android on the other side of the small area you've made into an arena. You sheath your blade and let it fall to your side as you approach your friends. Dior packs his briefcase up and descends from the ledge to the ground floor. Soon enough your group is back together, no worse for wear.

"Looks like Merlot's getting more serious about his security," Dylan comments.

"Mean's he's scared of us. I mean, who wouldn't be scared of yours truly," you proudly say, patting your chest.

"I'm not scared of you."

"You're more of a goof."

"N-Not really scary."

You slouch your shoulders and huff.

"Thanks, guys..." You turn away and walk towards the entrance to Merlot's hideout. "Well, we shouldn't keep Merlot waiting. I'm sure he'll be happy to see us."

"Oh, I am. Powerful, persistent pupils like yourself will make perfect test subjects," Merlot states with pride.

"Ignore him, team. Infiltrate Merlot's hideout and see what you can find," Ozpin instructs.

"Infiltrate? That's such a harsh term, chum. Your students can come in. I wouldn't want them to get the wrong impression of me."

"Think it's too late for that," Ruby says, scratching her nose.

The large metal doors slowly slide open to allow access for your little group. There appears to be a large room with a small door at the other end. Clearly, the first room is to store and deploy Grimm and Androids in case of emergency. An instance would be four Huntsmen-in-Training attempting to breach the facility.

"Well, might as well take up his gracious offer," you say, sliding your foot forward dramatically to start your walking cycle.

"Just be careful, students. We don't what he's planning."

"I know what I'm planning," you roll your shoulder. "A good ol' fashion butt kicking."

You enter through the first door and casually approach the second. It opens itself for your group to reveal the first corridor of the building. The floors and walls are all a dark grey, though you didn't expect bright and vibrant colours for a facility as hidden as this. The walls are blank, but the floors have octagonal tiles making up your walking space. A few T.Vs loom above the doorway you just passed and the one ahead. The only other noteworthy things in this place are a few boxes lined along the sides and a control panel just before the next door.

"Dior, do you want to-"

The console lights up and allows access deeper into the facility.

"Greetings, and welcome to Merlot Industries, where we're building a better tomorrow... today!" He says as if he's pitching a product.

"This just keeps getting weirder," Ruby shivers, examining her surroundings. "This place just gives me the creeps."

"G-G-Goosebumps?" Dior asks, to which Ruby nods. "Me t-too."

You enter the next room and come across half a dozen Androids. You all unsheathe your weapons for a fight, but the robots don't flinch at your presence. They stand at attention, guarding the facility and leading you towards the elevator to the left.

"Please, make yourself at home. I want my guests to feel welcome, so, in good faith, I've registered you as friendlies. Please don't give me reason to revoke that status," Merlot warns with a friendly tone.

"What do you think?" Dylan whispers to you.

"Well... might as well save our strength for now," you respond, sheathing your blade.

"I'm surprised you're choosing not to fight," Dylan remarks, deactivating Zephyr Shale.

"Well... it's more for you three," you say with a toothy grin, then lead the way to the elevator.

The three exchange glances, shrug, then follow you into the elevator. Once everyone's in you click the button and let the elevator bring you down.

"Here at Merlot Industries, we take pride in innovation. Together, with your help... and a little of your special spark, we will build a better tomorrow!"

"For you, Merlot, there won't be any tomorrow to 'restore,'" Ozpin interjects.

The elevator doors open and reveal a massive room that differs from before. Though the walls remain the same, there are pipes hovering a fair height above the ground that connects to tanks filled with the same green goo you saw outside. The terrain is more natural, being an uneven rock floor, and to top it all off, there's a small hoard of Mutated Grimm prowling the area. They look to you as you step out of the elevator and into their domain, but another surprise arises when they decide to gather around the tanks rather than attack you.

One thing you notice right away is the ringing in your ears is much stronger here than its ever been before. You casually rub your temples.

Is it the goo? No, I was around plenty of it outside. Something's causing this ringing... but what.

"Here before you are the stage two processing tanks!" Merlot exclaims.

"The tanks of goo are attracting the mutants!" Ruby points out.

"It might be b-best to destroy the t-t-tanks," Dior advises.

"Now, now, let's not be too hasty," Merlot pleads, but by the time his words reach your scrolls Dylan has already unleashed a pressurized wave of air and shattered one of the tanks. The Mutated Grimm all pounce on the exposed goo, drinking it up as fast as they can. "Well, I did try."

The ringing becomes even louder after the words leave his lips and the Grimm attack.

Could it be..?

"Slater, don't space out!" Dylan shouts as he dodges a Creep then fires his air to redirect a charging Boarbatusk into a steel beam. "Ruby, shoot the tanks!"

Ruby slams her scythe into the ground and aims for the tanks. Dylan has already destroyed two, leaving three for the hooded Huntress-in-Training to destroy. Dior remains behind Ruby, not bothering to activate his briefcase as you three can take care of the small force easily. Dylan has already killed four out of the fifteen Mutated Grimm, after all.

You backflip over a Mutated Beowolf and pierce its back with your blade before slicing up and killing it. You hear an incoming Creep from behind and spin around, sword in hand, and execute a horizontal slice that starts at the open Grimm's mouth and ends at its tail. A clean cut. Another Creep rushes you from the front, which you front flip over, throwing your sword into its spine, then step directly above your sword and land on it, impaling the Grimm further and effectively turning it to dust. You spread your feet for just a moment, allowing yourself to fall ever so slightly, then clamp each side of the hilt with one foot before flipping backward and throwing the blade straight into a Beowolf's stomach. Dylan slips around the Beowolf, grabs your blade with one hand and slices the Beowolf's stomach open. He throws the blade back to you, then turns back to the Beowolf and punches with a surge of air, tearing the Beowolf in two, sending its upper body flying whilst its legs crumble to the floor.

The final tanks shatters to pieces, the goo spilling all over the floor. Ruby reloads Crescent Rose, having used her clip for the tank, then turns her sights to the Grimm you and Dylan are combatting, pulling off some clean headshots.

"So, are you often in the back?" Ruby asks, firing another round.

"I-I-I prefer to stay out of conflict," Dior admits. "But I have m-my uses. I j-just know (Y/N) is okay."

"How do you know?" She raises her brow at him.

"We've b-b-been through a lot. You know, r-r-right? When you feel safe with s-s-someone? He is your boyf-friend."

Ruby fires off another shot without scoping it out, yet it still hits an Ursa in the leg, giving you a momentary advantage.

"I suppose so," she smiles to herself. "But I never thought I'd have a boyfriend."

"I n-never thought there would b-b-be someone who doesn't make me s-s-s-stutter."

"Ring around the rosy! Pockets full of ashes of Grimm I killed because you're all so easy!" You sing, cutting apart a Grimm.

"That doesn't even flow!"

"Shut up, Dylan! You make a better rhyme!"

"Thee who deprives will not survive for fate is dim for these poor Grimm," he recites, dodging a few attacks.

"Damnit! That actually was good!" You frustratedly shout.

Ruby shakes her head in disappointment while Dior merely chuckles.

"He's an in-in-interesting one, for sure."

"That's one way to put it. He kinda reminds me of my uncle, in a way. Huh..."

"These trolls who feast on souls shall be slayed by... marmalade?"

"You're not even trying!" Dylan says with amusement, capturing the last Grimm in a large ball then slamming him into a wall. "A poet nor singer be Slater."

"But to the jokes, I cater!" You proudly respond, pointing at your Faunus friend.

Dylan rolls his eyes.

"Fine, I'll give you that."

"Haha! Nailed it! Speaking of nailing it," you look around the room. "Looks like we made a nice mess."

"The tanks are destroyed and the Grimm dead."

A sigh is heard through your scrolls, one coming from Dr. Merlot.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't break all my things, but alas, my Androids will rebuild it in no time. This way, please."

"One second, Merlot, I got a question for you," you say, looking to the monitors that show a picture of his face.

He's an elderly white man with gray hair resembling Ozpin's, though Merlot has a mustache and beard as well. One thing that stands out is his glowing red left eye. He scratches his beard with his right hand, showing off his black and red robotic limb.

"An inquiry from you? Please, I'd love to hear it," he speaks with excitement.

"You have a signal controlling the Grimm, don't you? Something similar to what the White Fang has. Did you make it for them?"

Dior and Ruby are caught off guard by this question, while Dylan is only curious. He knew about the device that controlled Grimm, but he never knew he manufactured it.

"My, my, what makes you think that?"

"I can hear it."

"What?" Merlot exclaims with genuine surprise.

"Wait, really?" Ruby places her hand on your arm.

"Ever since we got here... remember I said I could hear ringing? I didn't know what it was but... I can hear it. I think it happened when I was trapped in the maze with that Grimm. The signal was ongoing the whole time and I guess I tuned into it," you hypothesize, then look up at Merlot and smile. "You made it. You have it stronger here to stop the Grimm from breaking your tanks. That's why it was so loud and even louder when you wanted them to attack."

Merlot adopts a proud smile when you finish your explanation.

"You know, I was told you weren't the smartest. More of a brawn over brains lad. But... I believe you don't get enough credit, (Y/N) Slater. I'll be sure not to underestimate your intelligence in the future. Now, this way, please," Merlot says as a door across the room opens and his face disappears from the screen.

You snicker at his response and roll your shoulders.

"Well, let's go."

"Wait," Dylan steps in front of you. "You expect us to ignore the fact you might be under Merlot's influence?"

"What are you talking about?" You ask with a lighthearted expression.

"You hear the same signal that controls the Grimm. What if Merlot can control you too?"

"I... I don't think that'll happen," Ruby defends you. "He hasn't acted differently this whole time, which means the signal isn't affecting him, right? I know he wouldn't let himself be controlled!" She declares with complete confidence.

Suddenly two hands grab Ruby's sides and start grazing her.

"Oh no... I can't stop... tickling..." You sarcastically remark.

"No! No, stop!" She squeals, laughter erupting from the young woman.

"I can't... Merlot... is true evil!" You shout, pulling Ruby closer so you can cover more space to tickle Ruby.

Dylan sighs, his resolve crumbling.

"I suppose... I'll trust in you, Slater."

You look up at him, ignoring the almost crying Ruby.

"I'd hope so. You are my partner, after all." You release Ruby and let her fall to the floor, giggling. "Anyway, let's go. I'm sure Merlot's antsy to get his butt kicked. I don't want to keep him waiting."

You walk ahead of your friends while Ruby slowly gets to her feet.

"You're mean!" She shouts, still a little sensitive and giggly. "I'll get you back!"

"I'm looking forward to it!" You shout over your shoulder. "Now come on, guys. If you leave me alone I really will get mind controlled," you chuckle, giving them a casual wave.

The four jog up to your position, Ruby coming beside you and giving you an adorable pout of frustration.

"You... are just the cutest thing in the world," you say with a higher pitched voice, rustling her hair.

"You always do that!" She scolds.

"Cause your reaction is the same every time and I love it."

You all reach the elevator whilst you and Ruby chat. Dior presses the button to start up the machine, and once again you're only brought down one floor. The elevator stops in front of another hallway which, clearly, Merlot wants you to traverse. It takes no time at all to walk down the hallway and enter a new room that nearly resembles all others. The only difference is the computer system on the right.

"Here we have the Engineering wing, the so-called 'brains' of the operation, if you're not counting my own intellect," he chuckles. "Don't be timid, there aren't any traps in here..."

"This seems like a terrible thing to let us access," you remark, cupping your hands behind your head and relaxing.

"Professor Ozpin, we found some computers," Dylan reports.

"Excellent find, team. Do you see any terminals that you can access?"

Three of you look back at Dior, the tech expert of your group. Dior is already studying the hardware from afar, then shakes his head as a response.

"It would b-be best to f-f-find the main hub. It should be nearby."

"Then that's our destination!"

You run forward, traversing the hallway in little time. Once you exit, you take a left which brings you to the edge of the room, make clear by a railed, which overlooks a collection of computers. You hop over a railing and land on a lower level filled with the same hardware as before. Dior, Ruby, and Dylan catch up in no time and are surprisingly shocked.

"Wow... I thought this would be harder," Ruby remarks.

"Honestly, so did I. How convenient. Any terminals here you can access, Dior?"

Dior walks ahead of you all and scans the line of computers. He stops at one, examining it closer than the others. Immediately he opens his briefcase and starts typing away.

"I-I've made the connection. T-T-Transfering data to you, Professor."

"Wait, did you just... oh no... how could I be so stupid?" Merlot scolds himself.

"You did it! Now, can you proxy the signal over to me?" Ozpin speaks.

"D-Doing it now."

The ringing in your ears grows louder, giving you a slight heads-up that danger is approaching.

"Prepare to meet your doom, students!"

"Everyone cover Dior so he can complete the upload!" You order as you attract your sheath to your hand.

"Quite a lot of battle on this mission, huh?" Dylan remarks.

"I'm not complaining," Ruby responds as she loads a clip into her rifle.

The sound of roaring Grimm echoes through the hallways from whence you came. No doubt they'll be pouring over the railing like a black, white, and red waterfall. Something catches your ear from behind you. Without looking you step a few feet back and block an Android's glaive. You're standing just behind Dior, casually holding back the attack. You spot a few more Androids materializing near the back of the room, and of course, the Grimm leap over the railing and attack your friends.

"You good over there?"

"We'll handle it," Dylan shouts back.

You push the glaive to the side and quickly bring down your sword and cut the Android's arm clean off. Wires spark from both the dismembered arm and the place that once held it. With no defenses left you quickly snap your arm to the right and behead the Android, causing it to crumble beside you. Three more approach you, two with glaives of their own and one with a minigun.

On the other side of the room, Ruby and Dylan are keeping the Grimm pinned against the wall with a barrage of gunfire and pressurized air.

"Ruby, lets not dally here!" Dylan shouts as he rests his arms.

Ruby keeps firing to give Dylan some time, but without him putting on the pressure they'll eventually reach the two. Dylan focuses just enough to formulate water from the air around them. He washes up the Grimm, trapping them in a small tornado of water.

"Cut them down!" He shouts, holding his hands forward to keep his creation functioning.

Ruby flips her rifle around and activates its scythe mode. With her semblance active, she follows the stream of water, cutting down Grimm after Grimm at a breakneck speed. Dylan can feel how many Grimm are caught in the water, and how quickly that number is dwindling. Once all he can feel is Ruby, he stops the spinning water and allows it to vapourize. Ruby grinds to a halt, stopping just behind Dylan. All that's left is water and Grimm vapour. With their side cleared, they look back and check how you're doing.

Two Androids are already disabled on the floor, and you're currently falling down on one of them. You pierce its skull with your blade, holding yourself up with one arm much like the training you did with Ms. Goodwitch. The gunner fires his grenades at you, but you step out of the way so he only destroys his partner. You appear behind him, sword in a reversed grip, and stab through the "neck" of the Android. You push down on your hilt and pop the head off the Android as if it was a dandelion. You spin your sword around you a few times then sheathe it. You look towards your allies and smile, signaling you're all good.

"Dior, how's it coming along?"

"I'm d-d-done."

"Indeed, thank you, Dior," Ozpin speaks. "Let me see... yes, I have everything I need. Team, I want you to head to the lower levels... to the Manufacturing wing."

"I'll be waiting," Merlot chimes in with a dark tone.

"Good. Wouldn't want you to go anywhere," you remark, slipping your left hand in your pocket. "The lower levels... good thing there's a shaft right here," you point out, walking towards the opposite end of the room.

Just beside all the computers, there's a large tunnel with no platforms to walk across, instead, there are a plethora of pipes going all directions. You hop onto the edge and look down, spotting a walkway some distance below.

"Looks like we're going down."

Dylan looks to Ruby and Dior as he summons some water beneath them.

"Whoa!" Ruby yelps when she's lifted into the air and brought to Dylan.

"Are you getting on, or..." Dylan offers to you, but you shake your head.

"No way, I'll jump."

"Of course," Dylan rolls his eyes. "We'll meet you down there," he says as his water platform flies past you and descends casually.

You leap off the edge, arms out wide, and then spin forward and dive down. You pass the hovering water as you get closer and closer to the ground. Suddenly you feel something tug on your foot, stopping you completely and holding you midair. Your jacket and shirt follow gravity which blocks your view. You try to push your clothes up but gravity wins your battle.

"How in the..."

You soon hear laughing from above, so push the front of your shirt down and look up. First, you see what's the issue – your foot has been enveloped in a ball of water. The laughter, however, is coming from Ruby.

"H-Hey! Dylan, let me go!" You shout, fumbling around in the air.

"I have to make sure we all arrive together. It's a safety measure," he cheekily responds, completely content with his course of action.

Your body and their platform become in sync as Dylan slowly brings you down the walkway below. You have your arms crossed, completely unamused at your situation. Frankly, you're the only one who's unamused. The trio gracefully lands on the ground. You, however, are unexpectedly dropped on your head.

"Hey!" You moan, pushing off the ground and looking fiercely at Dylan.

Dylan cheekily shrugs.

"Oops, lost my concentration."

You squint at him which forces a smirk.

"Lead the way, fearless leader."

You jump to your feet and brush off dust your jacket has collected from being on the floor.

"I swear, I'll-"

"Good news, team," Ozpin cuts it. "The coordinates of Merlot's secret lab were contained within the data retrieved from the terminal. An airship has been deployed and will rendezvous with you shortly."

You growl at Dylan, pointing at him.

"You're lucky."

"That's debatable," he shrugs. "I am partnered with you, after all."

"I am partnered with you, after all," you mock before passing by Dylan.

You all march along the catwalk. It's at least a small change of pace since the hallways are tubular rather than rectangular. To your surprise, there are no Androids or Grimm attempting to stop you. After Merlot freaked out you'd think he's determined to kill you and not let you waltz around his facility.

"So what're we looking for?" You inquire.

"There should be a power facility up ahead. Get there and destroy anything vital to Merlot's Operation. Keep going and take a left."

"Got it."

You hit the end of the hallway and meet up with three doors. There's only one open, however, which is conveniently the one Ozpin directed you to. So you take a left and follow the short path. It leads you to a relatively small room with a few Androids near the opposite door and glowing blue nodes.

"Those look pretty important," you point to the nodes.

"Destroy everything!" Ruby cheers, taking out her weapon and jumping farther into the room.

You blink twice in bewilderment at your girlfriend's sudden eagerness. Dylan joins the fray immediately when he sees the Androids start attacking Ruby.

"You're not authorized to be here!" Merlot shouts with worry.

"Are those safe to just... attack?" You lean close to Dior.

Lucky for you, Dior was already looking into their potential danger. After a moment he shakes his head.

"They're safe. Quite interesting, in truth. They're the primary power nodes for this half of the facility," Dior responds with a clear voice.

"Perfect. Guess I don't have to save my gung-ho girlfriend," you remark before stepping into the battle and kicking the Android's head.

Ruby sweeps around and cuts the mechanical soldier in half, finishing it off. Seeing you assisting Ruby, Dylan turns his attention to the power nodes. Luckily he already has lightning Dust inside Zephyr Shale, else it would have been destroyed when you teleported him. He collects water from the air and splashes it over each of the nodes. He cocks his weapons and throws a punch at the first node. His lightning filled air connects with the node and fries the node. Its brilliant blue shine dims until there's nothing left. He then turns around and throws three punches at the ones across the room, then jabs to the side and finishes the last one.

"Simple enough."

The final Android falls to Ruby's feet as she puts away her weapon.

"Hehe, get destroyed," she laughs to herself.

"You did it! That will deliver a shock to Merlot's system," Ozpin praises.

"Fine then. If that's how you want to play..."

You gather round once again and prepare for the next obstacle.

"Team, there seems to be a signature coming from the base. You need to investigate it, however... according to my map of the lab, there's a room rather close that contains more processing equipment for his serum. You need to take it out. All of it."

You scratch your neck as you come up with a plan.

"Okay, Ruby, Dylan, you find that serum. Dior and I will look for whatever oddity Ozpin's picking up. We'll regroup afterward."

"I... right! Come on, Dylan! Let's go break more stuff!" Ruby cheers.

"Sure. Be careful, you two," he says, eyes glancing between you and Dior.

"I always am, Dylan. Take care of Ruby for me."

"I'll try."

Ruby and Dylan run through the door and into another hallway. You and Dior remain stationary for instructions.

"Oh, Oz, I believe this is what you're referring to," Merlot proudly says, showing the camera feed of a wide open room with natural flooring.

"Can you get there?" Dior questions.

"I saw it, so... grab my shoulder."

Dior follows your command as you close your eyes and expand your mind. You seemingly fly through the facility as you search for this room. Oddly enough it's closer than you thought. The moment you lock-on you leap to the room.

Four monitors hung at the four corners of the room. There's a catwalk above and a door on the east side, but it's closed.

"Welcome to the testing grounds, students. You know, I've had my eye on you for some time, (Y/N) Slater." The monitors light up with recordings of a fight you participated in. One where the Grimm were fighting Atlas military... one where you dive-bombed from the sky and fought a Goliath. "You handled yourself well... but also interrupted my research. I was testing my new prototypes effects on powerful Grimm like Goliath."

"So it wasn't a random attack," you gather. "You were testing that mind control device. I was wondering why a Goliath was violent."

"Yes, and now, well, I have a new specimen to show you. It's one of my five creations."

The ground begins shaking as if an earthquake ensued. You and Dior get low, one hand on the ground and eyes out for whatever Merlot is planning.

"Don't be shy, don't be scared. You can learn a lot from this one. Things you would never learn about at Beacon."

In a split second the earth your standing on falls apart. Time almost seems to slow down as you gaze towards the crumbling earth. A being of black, white, and green breaks free from the ground, pincers ready. You instinctively grab Dior and step to the other side of the room, avoiding a possibly fatal blow. You look back to your previous location... and your jaw drops. A Deathstalker, one three times as large as any you've seen before, stands before you. It's pincers and body are layered with green spikes, along with its once red eyes now burning with green envy. Its stinger has also adopted a new colour, but it's shining brighter than any other part of its body.

"Nature couldn't make a beast this deadly... so I did," Merlot hisses.

"Dior, corner!" You shout as the Mutated Deathstalker charges your position.

Dior sprints away while you stand your ground, drawing Crimson Blaze and preparing for battle. You kneel down and hold your blade horizontally as the Grimm charges at you, colliding with your blade and pushing you back a few feet. Your muscles shake as you hold back the might of both pincers pushing profusely against you, but this is a mere distraction. Its slippery stinger strikes you, slamming you face first into the ground.

"You're easy prey! Is that all you've got?" Merlot laughs as he watches the battle.

You can feel the pincers rising only to crush you, so you quickly push off the ground towards the Mutated Deathstalker. You run across its hide, slashing away at it, then jump towards the stinger and slice it. Unfortunate for you, your attacks did absolutely nothing to the Deathstalker. You step a short distance away, holding your blade tightly.

Dior is in the corner with his briefcase spread along the ground. He's noting the battle you're having as he readies himself.

"I'm not letting you fight this on your own. I'm not so useless," Dior whispers to himself as you struggle with the Deathstalker.

You leap into the air, dodging his left pincer, and bring your blade onto the Grimm's hide. Its skeleton armour prevents any piercing, leaving you vulnerable to its right pincer circling around to attack you. It smacks you off, but you use that momentum to step onto the other side cut its side. This does nothing, so it retaliates by slamming its pincers down to create a shockwave that pushes you back. You slide across the ground, holding your left hand in front of your face to protect it from any dust and rocks. However, the Deathstalker leaps forwards and collides its face with your body. You slam into the far wall, but you're not deterred. You chuckle, wiping off your jacket.

"Not your average Grimm, huh... That's fine. I've killed special Grimm before!"

You and the Deathstalker rush at the other, meeting a third of the way through the room. The Deathstalker tries to catch you with his pincer, but you slide under him, slicing his belly to test is that's a weak point. You get a few decent cuts in, actually piercing the Deathstalker's hide. You pass under him and flip onto your feet.

The Deathstalker spins around and locks on to you. With a thunderous roar, it flicks it stinger towards, releasing venom that soars through the sky. Not having the chance to turn around, you hop to the left, diagonally back, then straight back to dodge all the venom sent after you.

"Nope, nope, stop, please!" You shout as you scramble.

"(Y/N), I'm ready!" Dior timidly shouts.

His briefcase is dug into the ground, laid out like a technological mat. Each piece has over a dozen different transformations for Dior to use. Though bogged down to one location, he's protected by an automated defensive system he designed to bypass this weakness. Of course, his briefcase can transform without being set up, but this is the best way for him to help you at the moment. You're more of an up close and personal combatant anyway, thus Dior has little risk in hunkering down. Fortunately, the ground is soil and not metal, so he can use his surprise attacks. There's little his briefcase can't become making Dior one of the most flexible combatants you know.

You backflip to avoid the last venom shot then step right in front of the Grimm, bypassing its pincer defense. You quickly slash left and right, cutting the inner layer of its arms, then jump forward, spin, and wound its stinger. You step to a safe distance and watch its reaction.

Grimm usually react in some way to pain, but this one... is it because of the mutations? It's clear he's on a whole other level than the others. Plus he's faster than any Deathstalker I've seen which... great...

You slouch your shoulders as you internally monologue.

"There's gotta be a weak point," you whisper. "Maybe the joints? There's no way it could swing its arms around if its joints were obstructed... Dior! The pincers joints! Lets cut them off from the base!"

"Got it."

Dior grabs the left square and holds it beside him. The square meticulously changes into a windmill shuriken. It spins in his hand as its edges begin to heat up for increased cutting power. He quickly types in a few commands into the central console for its automated targeting. He won't miss as long as the plan goes well.

"You'll need to get me an opening!" Dior informs you.

You strafe to the right, dodging a pincer.

"I can do that!"

The stinger slams onto the ground, barely missing your foot as you dodge. Lucky for you, the stinger sticks into the ground. Without a second thought, you pull back your sword and swing as hard as you can, cutting its stinger right off.

"Haha! Losing your venomous touch, huh?"

The Deathstalker roars at the loss of its stinger. With this advantage, you press your attack even further. You sprint around the dismembered part towards the beast itself.

"I'm ready!"

"Got it!"

The Deathstalker swings its pincers at you. You slide under the first then block the second. You hold it until you hear Dior throw his shuriken. Pushing hard against the pincer, you throw it to the left, then step beside it midair and continuously kick it farther and farther. This pushes the pincer out and exposes the joint. The Deathstalker attempts to smack you with his other pincer, but a sudden mechanical tendril bursts from the ground and holds the limb in place. A surprise function of Calamity that's saved he and his allies multiple times.

The shuriken swings around and seamlessly dismembers the pincer. At the same time, you notice the restrained one behind you. With your last kick, you spring off it and shoot towards the pincer, mimicking Dior's achievement. With all its offensive capabilities gone, all that's left is to finish it off.

"Dior, let's get it on its back!"

Only a second later three tendrils spike from the ground, crashing against the beasts face and lifting it higher into the air. You step across the room and burst off the wall, sword aimed right for the belly of the beast. You pierce through its stomach, the momentum knocking it on its back. Tightly holding your blade, you turn around and run back, dragging the sword through its stomach before jumping off. You sheathe your blade, not bothering to look back at your opponent.

"Looks like we still do well together," you smile at Dior.

He nods, sitting down in his protective area.

"Quite interesting," Merlot comments, his face appearing on the monitors. "But it'll take more than that to beat one of my champions!"

You turn to face the defeated beast. It pushes itself onto its feet once more, but that's the least surprising thing. The wound on his stomach, his lost limbs, they all start to regrow. Your mind flashes back to Harrier when he regrew limbs like they were nothing.

"Tsk..." You grind your teeth. "No way... it can't be the same thing."

"Such marvelous DNA I have collected," Merlot preaches. "You don't know how interesting it was creating Grimm like this. Well, I had help. Perhaps you recognize one of my donors?" He says, turning the camera to show a man attached to the wall by his arms and legs.

Your eyes nearly burst open, your jaw drops, your heart skips a beat. That face... the hair... You can see those features standing in front of you... that body pierced by a Beowolf as he smiles.

"D-Dad..." You clench your fists so tight that, if it weren't for your aura, you'd draw blood. "You bastard... you defile his corpse..." You say under your breath.

"It was a simple exchange! I give them a device that controls Grimm, they provide me with the DNA of both Jet and Harrier Slater. Now the epitome of evolution is complete! My five greatest creations... and you, (Y/N) Slater, will die to this one."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dylan and Ruby finish off the last of the canisters and Android protectors. It was little trouble for the duo and... to their surprise, there was almost no reinforcements or taunting from Merlot.

"Team, I lost contact with (Y/N) and Dior. I'm sending you their last known coordinates. Hurry!"

"What has Slater done this time," Dylan rolls his eyes as he starts sprinting to the nearest door with Ruby close behind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

You glide your hand across the wall as you run along it, venomous blasts mere inches behind. You reach the corner, jumping to the adjacent wall then springing towards the Grimm. It swipes at you, but you manage to roll right over the pincer and land on its hide. The stinger swings around, forcing you to fall onto your back to avoid it, then you hear a rumbling below. You step off its back milliseconds before green crystals erupt from it. You appear a few meters away, briefly sliding across the ground before stepping behind the beast and dashing forward. The beast surprises you with its speed, quickly turning around and slapping you away before you can react. You tumble across the ground while the Deathstalker creeps its way towards your vulnerable body.

Dior grabs a small box which, upon contact, expands into a four-barrel rocket launcher. Each barrel releases three rockets that barrage the hulking Grimm. This turns its attention to the stationary fighter. It flicks its stinger, releasing waves of lethal venom at the young Huntsman-in-Training. Dior's laid out briefcase reacts to the incoming threat by covering Dior's entire area. It resonates a pulse that pushes back the venom before it can even come in contact with his shield. The shield morphs once more, coming together right in front of Dior to create a canon. He grabs the handles and clicks both buttons, charging a blast of condensed Dust, creating a plasma ball that fires out as a beam. It cuts through the right side of the Deathstalker and even comes for you.

"Whoa!" You shout, pushing off your hands and springing towards the other side of the room.

The Deathstalker falls on its right side, struggling to move.

"Holy crap, Dior! I've never seen that!"

Dior timidly smiles at you.

"I'm always upgrading Calamity."

Unfortunately, the Deathstalker regenerates all the damage Dior dealt. The second his legs can move once again it bursts towards the golden boy. Dior's mechanical tentacles burst from the ground and wrap around the Grimm in attempt to slow it down. It doesn't. The Grimm pushes past the tendrils, stretching them beyond their capacity and breaking them in two. Dior used this time to activate a mounted turret. The bullets bounce off the Deathstalkers armour, barely acting as a nuisance for the enormous Grimm. Closing in on its prey, the Deathstalker leaps off its eight legs, threatening to crush the young man where he sits.

Before it can sink its teeth into the man, you step in the way, holding your blade vertically and pushing against it to hold back the Grimm. Your feet drag through the gravel below, unable to match the sheer force of the Mutated Deathstalker. You can feel its tainted breath blow against your body as you do your best to hold it back. Thankfully you manage to redirect it, leaving Dior in the clear, but you're being pushed towards the wall with no way out. You're in direct contact with the Deathstalker so anywhere you step he would come with you. Besides that, using Shadow Transmission on something that large would drain your aura immensely.

You push your body past its limit to fight back against the Grimm, but it's futile. You're close to the wall, and when you get there it'll squish you.

"(Y/N)!" Dior shouts, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind to think of a way to help.

A sudden gust of wind blows against the hulking Grimm, pushing it away from you and slamming it against the far wall. You fall to your knee, taking a breath.

"I believe I mimicked your timing," Dylan says with a smirk, disconnecting Zephyr Shale.

Ruby speeds past him, landing beside you.

"Are you okay?"

You nod, gulping.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But..."

You both look to the Deathstalker as it recovers and lets out an ear-piercing roar.

"A Mutated Deathstalker... wow."

"You say wow now, but... fight it," you snicker.

Dylan hops down into the testing grounds and groups with you and Ruby.

"Any tips?"

"None. It can regenerate itself. I have no idea how to put it down for good."

"What?" Dylan says in disbelief.

"Yeah, we've cut it to pieces and even turned half of it to dust, but it comes back."

"How?" Ruby questions.

"It has Slater genes in it – my dad and uncle. Merlot... he has my dad's body."Ruby and Dylan remain silent at this news. Neither knows how to respond. You push off your knee and roll your shoulders. "But with four of us, we should manage to beat it, somehow."

Ruby smiles and nods before speeding away with her semblance. Dylan runs off as well, making sure to aid the young woman.

"Dior, keep firing at it with the turret. No point in using the big guns when we can't kill it."

"G-G-Got it!" He shouts back.

Dior sets up his turret once more and fires upon the monstrosity. It turns around to face the barrage of bullets but you grab its attention, slashing at its legs with no true effect. The Grimm slams a pincer down on your dissipating shadows. Dylan fires at the ground, launching himself over the Deathstalker so he can rain down air from above. Its stinger slams Dylan onto the ground, his body bouncing twice before going limp. The beast raises both pincers to crush the young Faunus, but in a red flash, he's a gone. The pincers shake the ground on contact, bouncing the shells Dior is releasing. You dash along its stinger, slicing the base, then stepping directly above it and slamming the sword on its shell.

"Just break already!" You complain, jumping off the Grimm.

Ruby slips around the back, dragging her scythe around it to cut a large portion of its back. You follow her example by dashing forward, sliding under a pincer and slashing its mouth. Dylan, now back on his feet, connects Zephyr Shale and fires a massive blast of air that pushes beast on its side and in the air. You step behind it, charge your arm, and hit the Grimm as if it was a baseball. It spins mid-air, belly facing the ceiling for you all to attack. Ruby and Dylan jump into the air, Ruby straightening her blade while Dylan charges a dust powered fist. Dior retracts his entire layout into his right hand to form a bracer as thin as his skin yet still packing every ounce of power. A spike pops out of each knuckle while barrels are in-between. You step beside Dior, taking his free hand and tossing him towards the others, then step with your friends.

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" You all scream as you all slash, stab, punch, shoot, and blast the belly of the beast.

It almost instantly slams into the ground. Its body is flailed, barely holding itself together from the barrage. The four of you land a few feet away, slightly panting after your combined attack.

"Did we kill it?" Ruby asks.

"I h-hope s-"

A stinger shoots out from the cloud, piercing Dior's chest and slamming him to the ground. You feel your heart beat shake your entire body as you watch your close friend fall to the ground, blood sprouting from his mouth and chest. Not even a second later the Deathstalker bursts from the remnants, smashing both Dylan and Ruby with one slap. The two slam against the wall, their aura shaking from the impact. You slide your hand onto your blade, grabbing it harder than necessary to draw your blood. Eyes locked to Dior's body.

The blood takes over the black blade, a crimson tone matching your anger.

"No human can match these Grimm! I've made the ultimate predator!" Merlot proudly laughs.

"Shut up... You want to see a predator..." You look to the Deathstalker who's closing in on Ruby and Dylan. "Hey, beast!" You shout, getting its attention. "I'm right here."

I don't know if my blood will make a difference... but if I don't use everything I have...

You switch to reverse-grip and burst forward. You slash a few times, sending red shockwaves at the beast, actually pushing it back. Shaking off the damage, it charges at you as well. Not even giving it a chance, you step right in front of it and slash its face, step to the left and right, gashing it. You repeat this process, speed blitzing the behemoth with constant attacks. You appear away from it and notice something different. Your attacks that were once healed instantly are now lingering. Each slash is resonating with red electricity, preventing any recovery.

"Can't heal? Why..? No, I'm killing this now!"

You stab the ground and allow a flood of blood to flow out of the sword and surround the wounded Deathstalker. The blood shoots out in miniature blades, tearing the Deathstalker apart piece by piece. In ten seconds the entire thing gone. You sheath your blade and drop to one knee, slightly dizzy after using so much blood.

"No! My precious!" Merlot cries.

"Don't worry, Merlot," you huff. "I'm coming for you... and my dad."

Merlot smiles through the monitor.

"Not if his body is ashes."

An alarm rings through the facility as red lights flash. Ruby rushes to your side while Dylan checks on Dior. You look over to your downed friend, hoping for the best. Dylan puts his ear to Dior's chest and listens.

"He's alive! We have to get him out of here now!"

"Yeah," you nod. "You three get out of here. I'm finding my dad," you look back to the monitor that shows your father strung up in Merlot's contraption. Ruby follows your eyes and sees the man locked up.

"I'm coming with you," she says with determination.

"I..."

"You're not going alone. Dylan can take Dior to the airship that's coming. We have to hurry!"

You huff.

"Fine. Let's go."

Dylan throws Dior over his shoulder and heads for an open door.

"You two hurry. We don't know how long this place has." Ruby nods. Dylan, as a safety measure, creates some water and wraps it around Ruby's ankle. "I can get you out of there just in case."

"Thanks, Dylan, now go!"

Dylan runs towards the door while you still search for your father. Finally, you find him. With Ruby holding your hand, you leap to the room where Merlot and Jet should be. Unfortunately, Merlot is no longer there, but Jet still is locked against the wall. You eagerly jump towards his body, using the shackles to hold yourself onto the wall. Ruby keeps her eyes out just in case Androids or Grimm attack. You rip off the bottom shackles first, then the right and left. Jet's body falls for Ruby to catch. You're still holding onto the shackles, looking down at the Huntress-in-Training.

"We got him. Now let's go-"

The upper shackles wrap around your wrists, slamming you against the wall to temporarily daze you.

"What the- GAH!"

After the lower ones secure your ankles, electricity pulses through the shackles at a lethal rate. If you didn't have an Aura, you'd be dead. However, this is enough to rob you of the Aura you had left. Before Ruby can even react you're pulled into the wall and a hatch closes behind you.

"(Y/N)!" She screams, still holding Jet's body.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"The facility's going... damnit, I feel two bodies. I'm sorry, Slater."

Dylan wraps the two bodies in water and pulls them out of the facility as large chunks of the island explode. The shockwave shakes the airship but it manages to keep stable. A small streak of water bursts from the water and lands in the airship beside Dior, who's laid down. Ruby immediately jumps up and runs towards the edge.

"No..."

"Ruby? What is... who..." Dylan recognizes the body. It's a Slater... just not the right one.

"The team at Beacon... is cheering for you," Ruby repeats Ozpin's words.

"What happened, Ruby? Where's Slater?"

Ruby doesn't answer. Instead, she stares at the exploding island. You're gone... are you dead? Are you captured? What... will happen to you?

And that's it for the game! There's still one chapter left in the Grimm Eclipse Arc but it's no longer part of the game now. It's been interesting writing the game. It's... limiting, to be honest. The game is a lot of fighting with little story, so balancing the fighting, traveling, and exposition was a tad tricky. I hope you guys liked what I did. Hell, I hope you liked the chapter as a whole! The next one will be out in November, so look out for that!

A new story is premiering at the end of the month! It would have been a second Crimson Shadow chapter or a Halloween special but the votes told me differently. Didn't vote? Well, why not follow my Twitter so you get updates on my progress and even get your say when it comes to content! It's worth it!

Anyway, thanks for reading. I'll see you all later!

Want to keep up with me? Know what chapter's coming out next and the progress of them? Follow me on Twitter! Twitter . com (slash) Chinsangan

If you REALLY like me you could consider supporting me on Patreon. You can make a request for any stories you want! Of course it's optional but it helps. Pat reon . com (slash) Chinsangan

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Advice? Send me a message! See ya!

A special thank you to Patreon supporters: Ride The Lightning, Manuel Garcia