Out of the red doorway came rushing several people.

Raven was one of them, of course, but she did not have everyone expected with her.

Yang, Neptune, Winter, Qrow, Weiss, Meridian, Hamish, Oobleck, and, surprisingly, Illea, Joanna, Mai, and Harriet and Elm. They hadn't been on the field for a big mission in a while.

The bandits just stared at them for a full second.

Raven held out her red sword. And without so much as a word, she leapt forward.

The others all rushed into action before the bandits even knew what happened.

Mala was staring in amazement as the hero team rushed upon the people who were torturing the others and knocked them off of them.

Some of the tribe, particularly the 40, began to jump into action also...and some of them ran for it right then.

Mala, recovering from her surprise, yelled at them, "Kill them!"

And the Grimm claws began to crawl out of the corners.

Also, other Grimm, ones that had been waiting in the wings without anyone else knowing they were there but the bandit who'd brought them, charged out of the shadows. A bunch of normal-ish ones, from the look of it. 

They moved to surround the heroes.

Winter stabbed her sword into the ground, and a host of summonings flew out of it and at the Grimm, making them stop and turn in confusion.

Qrow used his scythe spin attack to slice through at least 6 of them in a row, flipping over their heads.

Hazel had charged already, bowling over the Mangler guy before he even knew what hit him and stomping him into the ground. The Mangler attempted to hit back only a few times, with absolutely no effect, before he was crushed.

Weiss summoned two glyphs that sprang onto the assistants trying to run for it. Then Hazel attacked them also, actually using the chain he'd been tied with.

Meridian shot an arrow at one of the people retreating, and they fell over, tripping someone else.

Raven sprang over everyone's heads, running over the rocks like a pro, and then down at Mala, slicing her sword, and fire blazed out of it.

Mala met the sword with one of her own that she'd pulled from under her cloak.

"Raven Branwen," she said, nastily. "We meet again."

"For the last time, I hope," Raven said, narrowing her eyes.

"I was thinking the same thing," Mala said, yanking her hand, and tendrils jumped at Raven from behind.

Then they got blasted aside.

Yang cocked her shotguns at Mala. "Nice try."  

Mala screamed angrily at her, then a Grimm tendril came down, and she grabbed it and it pulled her up out of their reach.

"Striker!" she yelled.

Striker nodded, and suddenly he, Mala, and all of the 8 except for Mangler, disappeared into the shadows.

Hypnosia was included in this.

"Hyp!" Mino moved after her.

"What was that?" Weiss asked.

"Shadowing. Striker's Semblance," Mino explained frantically. "He can travel through shadows. It's pretty freaky, actually. He can go anywhere in here quickly, pretty much unseen. It's why he makes the best guard."

"Just beautiful," Mercury said. "Can anyone untie me?"

"On it." Illea had turned black, in order to hide from the bandits and Grimm who were running around her, and now she was behind him, picking the lock on his chains.

Mercury fell forward once he was done, since he was numb.

"Are you all right?" Mai was helping Emerald up and taking the rope off her hands they'd tied them with. "Here." She handed her a coat.

"Thanks." Emerald shivered.

"I can get the prisoners out of here." Mai looked up, holding up a hand, and the air shimmered around it.

"You okay?" Neptune helped Royal up.

"I'll be fine," Royal said. "Boy, you guys sure like to take your sweet time. Ow." He winced.

"I can't get this!" Weiss was trying to get Cinder's chains off.

"Here--" Royal walked up and stuck a paperclip in the lock, and it clicked open. "Takes adjusting the right movement."

Weiss pulled them off. "Cinder? Are you okay? Talk to me."

Cinder fell to her knees and then began to rub her feet. "I'm fine," she said. "What took you idiots so long?!"

"She's okay," Weiss announced.

"That d-----d woman is running for it," Raven said.

"At this rate, she'll go out the back," Emerald gasped, leaning on Mai.

"Oh...no, she won't," Raven grinned. "You see, we have a little backup plan for that."

* * *

See, Raven was too smart to just come in all at once.

After the distraction plan was underway, and Hypnosia, going in with her crew (who thought they'd been broken out by her and Mino) had confirmed that the scouts were pretty convinced that the Grimm were truly attacking a town, Raven had told Theo to make sure they got the hideout surrounded once he got to it.

Hypnosia had put the scouts to sleep in a direct path to the hideout after Theo had confirmed he could find the others inside it from the outside.

Theo and the decoy squad had then taken care of the Grimm easily, especially with Penny's help and part of the hero team--and also the Faunus from Menagerie who'd joined them.

Also with them were, as a surprising last minute addition, Jasmine Sultan and Taylor.

They had insisted on joining the party in Menagerie, where they'd been taken with the others for their own protection and had witnessed the destruction of the city.

Jasmine would not be talked out of going, no matter how much they told her it was dangerous, and Taylor wouldn't either. Finally Sun and the Belladonnas gave in.

Raven had chosen who she thought would be the best people to just go in for the sneak attack and taken the bandits off guard, and told the others that once they were in, they should move and surround the hideout on all entrances.

The heroes and Faunus team had left while the others were still cleaning up the Grimm, knowing the bandits would likely never notice that some of them left the group if they thought they were just going after Grimm.

Then the backup students and huntsmen would follow them once the Grimm were taken care of. Ruby had stayed behind to help wipe out the last of them, and then she would use her Semblance to catch up and meet Theo and the other half of the hero team at the waterfall.

Theo, once his team was closer, had unexpectedly run into a bunch of bandits already trying to leave, and Hypnosia had already met them going out and explained what was happening. She told Theo to just capture them and make them show him the other exit of the hideout.

She and Mino then took their crew (who heard none of this, since it was a scroll message) inside with Watts, who still thought he was just captured by the tribe.

So basically, Raven had this attack planned out in 3 waves. But she'd gone a step further.

With the newbies on the edge of the force, there were also a handful of the fighter planes of Argus that were available. By the time any bandit got that far, subtlety would not matter. They could just blast them and then take them in if they took prisoners.

But the tricky part, infiltrating the actual hideout that was full of Grimm and traps, still was mainly the hero team's responsibility, and only some people had been bold enough to come with them. 

Robyn's forces, not being anxious to fight bandits, had only come to get the prisoners out. Raven intended to send them back outside to help stop the fleeing bandits as soon as they'd gotten them.

* * *

"So that was basically our plan," Weiss explained as they'd finally gotten Kate and Esmeralda free also.

Esmeralda was a mess.

"What happened to your...eye?" Neptune asked her.

"Mala..." Esmeralda said weakly.

"Oooh..." Neptune winced. "That's horrible."

"You've got it," Mercury said.

He yanked the Grimm goo off his eyes like it was nothing. "Stupid stuff. I could have gotten it off before if I wasn't tied down. Now, I'm feeling a little righteously indignant."

https://youtu.be/aQd1PE7rE4Y

["No Monsters"--Carmen. Cheesy but cool.]

Light shot out of his eyes and fried most of the tendrils that were trying to trip up the heroes, and a lot of the walking Grimm also.

"Yeah, there we go!" Yang fist pumped. "We're back, baby!"

A lot of the bandits that hadn't run yet now did so.

"They're trying to hide and give us the slip," Raven said. "Everyone who can, go after them. I don't want a single one of them left in here. Mai, take the prisoners out."

She held out her sword and another portal opened.

Cinder pulled herself to her feet using the pole. "No," she said. "I'm seeing this through."

"Are you sure you're in any shape to do that?" Weiss asked.

Cinder gave her a look.

"Me too," Mercury said. "Sorry, but..." He went up to Emerald and took her hand. "They've gone too far this time."

"Fall, I understand how you feel," Raven said, "but don't you think you've probably done enough here?"

"You don't know how Mala thinks," Cinder said firmly. "But I think, after 24 hours, I do."

"Give us the 411." Qrow paused.

"Yes," Winter said. "Quickly. What can we expect?"

"The claws are everywhere," Cinder said. "But what you need to watch for is the Mind Grimm. There's this room with the Avarice in it. No one had better go in there. I tried to burn it, but I doubt it's gone. Someone needs to destroy it from the outside. Mala will probably try to leave here. Don't let her, or the shadow guy with her. Also there are other prisoners here, ones they brainwashed. They probably can be snapped out of it. Ali is here."

"Who, Jasmine's husband?" Neptune said.

"Yes," Cinder said.

"Oh crap..." Neptune said. "Did they...?" He made a crazy gesture.

Cinder nodded.

"He's in pretty bad shape," Royal said. "But we've got to help him, guys. It's not natural."

"Of course," Winter said. "But this is troubling... We may need you to identify who we can and cannot trust. In that way we need you to be here, but you can't fight."

"Jaune," Emerald said, "he can boost us enough to fight. We're not too beat up yet."

"You just got flogged," Mercury said, grabbing her shoulders.

"I'm okay," Emerald insisted. "It wasn't too many times... I had a little Aura after all that time, so I tried to protect myself. It just hurt like hell, but I can still move."

"That hurt me as much as you," Mercury said. "That sick, twisted psycho. I should have kept my mouth shut--" 

Emerald kissed him. "It's okay," she said. "It's her fault."

"Cute and all," Yang said, "but we need to make decisions. They're getting away. Who's going?"

"I am," Mai said. "This was as far as I signed up for. This place is creepy."

"Take Kate at least," Cinder said. "And Esmeralda, she'll need medical attention...and she should go to Oscar, right away."

Mai took Kate by the arm.

"All right, let's go," Joanna said, reaching for Esmeralda.

But Esmeralda suddenly screamed.

The shadows in the ground had reached up, and suddenly she was sucked into them.

"No!" Cinder lunged after her and fell to the ground instead.

"That b---h!" Royal swore, which was unusual for him. "She won't let her go...she's too hateful. I hope she doesn't just kill her at once. We have to find her."

"She's one person," Raven began. "I don't know if we should walk into another trap--"

"No!" all the prisoners, even Kate, said.

"That girl is going with us, or I'm not," Cinder said.

"Yeah, we're saving her," Emerald said. "That's not negotiable, if I have to drag Mala by her hair myself."

"Ditto to that," Mercury said. "I'll rip the arms off that witch."

"Whoa..." Qrow said.

"All right, fine." Winter saw there was no arguing. "We'll look for her then. Everyone else should focus on the tribe itself. Kill everyone who refuses to surrender, but if they willingly surrender, we'll capture them and put them on trial. However, I suggest everyone be on their guard and shoot first in this case."

"All right," Harriet said. "Let's just do this."

Elm nodded.

Mai and Joanna took Kate into the portal before it closed.

Royal held out a hand to Cinder. "If you're really up to fighting, we should get moving."

Cinder nodded and took the hand, standing up.

"Oh, take that horrible collar off," Emerald said.

Cinder put her hand on it. Then it shocked her again.

She hissed. "What...?"

"Mala still has the controller, I guess," Mercury said. "Take it off and throw it at her when you see her."

Cinder stopped. "Mala has the controller..." she said.

She turned to Watts, who was trying to slink away.

Weiss moved her hand, and one of the summoned Grimm pounced on him suddenly.

"Ah!" he yelped.

"Arthur..." Cinder said, with a firm look. "Can you trace the signal of this collar?"

"I could," Watts said, grunting. "But aren't you afraid she'll just fry you before that point?"

"I have a feeling she's got another idea," Cinder said. "But might as well use it. Besides...I think it has to be turned off first."

"Hmm...not a bad strategy," Arthur said.

"I don't want to trust him," Winter said, frowning.

"Me neither, but unless you brought Kanap, who else is fast enough?" Cinder asked.

"Hmfp," Watts said, getting up finally. "It's pretty simple to trace those with the right tool..."

He went to the case the bandits had brought and pulled something out. "This is a standard kind of control. I'll just adjust the frequency..."

He zapped Cinder again.

She swore.

"Oops." Watts turned if off quickly. "Sorry about that. Anyone have one of those radio signal disruptors handy?"

"Here." Oobleck held one up. "Though I didn't think we'd need it at this point."

Watts took it and made some adjustments. "There...I'm getting something now... Hmm...it looks as if she's not too far away. I don't suppose anyone knows a place in here she might hide."

"The pit," Mino said suddenly, coming up to them. "The pit is where the Grimm eat the victims...but for Mala, it's pretty safe. If she wanted to hide from all of you, she might go there. She might even be going to feed Esmeralda to it. There's a hole under it, too. It might be an exit. No one ever goes that close. I've only seen it from a distance."

"Aren't you just helpful all of the sudden," Raven said. "Which way is it?"

"From here you have to go to the part of the cave where it slopes down," Mino said. "Past Nirvana."

"I know where that is," Cinder said. She clenched a fist.

"All right, but if we're after Crazy Lady, we're gonna need a lot of people," Qrow said. "Unless some of us should stay behind to hold off the others."

"Just go, we've got this," Harriet said. "They're pushovers."

"We can take care of it," Yang said. "Go get the girl, okay?"

"I have a score to settle with Mala anyway," Raven said. "Let's go. And, Watts, you're coming with us. Not taking any chances."

"Oh...goody..." Watts said flatly.

Hazel glared at him. "If any one of them dies," he said, "you're next."

Watts swallowed.

"I'll go with you," Mino said.

"You will?" Cinder said.

"I've had it," Mino said. "I was on the fence...but what Mala did to Es...and what she'll do to Hypnosia once she finds out she was part of this...well, I can't take it anymore. Might as well die trying."

"Welcome aboard." Qrow was not about to turn down help. 

"Going!" Ravne started running for the tunnels.

They followed.

"Ready to take these guys down?" Yang asked Weiss.

"Born ready." Weiss held up her sword.

"Some of 'em went that way." Meridian pointed from ahead. "Come on."

https://youtu.be/gqavaHqw1TM

["What's Up Danger?"-- AMV by Nayked Pepper.]

* * *

Striker had dragged Esmeralda to a different part of the cavern, but not directly to the pit. He did not know the pit had been emptied and had no wish to risk getting too close to it.

He did not get the meek, docile Esmeralda the bandits were used to.

"Let me go!!!" she yelled at him when she realized where she was.

"Quit squirming!" Striker said, trying to pin her arms down.

She tried to bite him in the hand.

"Where is this coming from? I thought you didn't have teeth," he complained, adjusting to try to keep her away.

But Esmeralda had finally seen the first hope of freedom with the heroes arriving, and was not anxious to lose it after getting this close. She understood the group being here meant the tribe was probably going down, if they were as powerful as everyone said.

And she had no intention of missing it if she could help it.

She was no match for Striker, of course, but as he was trying to drag her along with him towards the pit room, her struggling was not making it easy to move.

"This is the first I've ever seen any of your family in you," he muttered, taking out a knife. "But it ends now. Stop struggling."

Esmeralda froze. She'd rather die than go back to Mala...but if the others could catch up to her... If they even would...but they promised, right?

She didn't know what to do.

Then they heard a sound. It wasn't, unfortunately, close enough to be someone finding them. It was echoing down the halls from the front entrance direction.

"The b-----ds have found the front?" Striker muttered. "How? The portal, I understood, but no way they would know where to find our door...unless...someone told them the password."

He looked at Esmeralda.

"I never told anyone," she said nervously.

"They couldn't have passed it on, not from in here." Striker, of course, was wrong--that could have happened easily--but he underestimated how well the heroes had communicated with each other. "Someone outside... Come to think of it...there's someone who's been acting a little off since yesterday."

Uh oh.

Striker hauled her away much faster, and she couldn't put up a fight.

Esmeralda didn't actually know Hypnosia was on their side, so she had no idea what he meant...until he met up with Mala, who had her other 6 remaining top dogs with her.

The 6 of them looked uneasy. Hypnosia especially, but even Blink was not looking too sure of herself, and the other 4 were looking less sadistic and more nervous than usual.

"I found her," Striker said. "It was close. They might have spirited her away."

He tossed Esmeralda forward ,and Blink grabbed her. No getting away from her.

"Mangler is dead already, huh?" Mala asked tightly.

"The big guy killed him in seconds, I'd say," Striker said. "At least I didn't sense him. There's a bunch of 'em, but I heard more coming in the front. Someone finked and told them our password, it looks like. Someone, I'd say, who arrived right before they did, and hasn't been acting normal since they got captured."

Everyone turned to Hypnosia, though mostly only because of the 'arrived' part. Most of them weren't observant enough to notice if she'd been acting different.

Mala turned to her furiously also. "Is that true?" she said.

Hypnosia glanced at Esmeralda and then at Mala uncertainly. "Why would it be?" she replied. "I did as you said. It's not my fault. Somehow they must have found us after all."

"I wouldn't believe her, milady," Striker said. "She didn't want those shots back. It seems to me she's been talking to some strange people."

"That is true." Mala had a scary glint to her voice again.

Hypnosia must have known it was too late. Mala would kill first and ask questions later anyway.

Suddenly from behind her back she pulled an Aura zapper and threw it on the ground in front of Mala and the two lackeys who were close to her (whose names were Bloodrayne, who fought with a swinging chain mace, and Krusher, who of course used two giant hammers that were also guns). 

They all fell back.

It would take more than that to stop Mala, who only writhed for seconds before getting up, but the other two at least were weakened a lot. Bandits didn't have as much Aura, usually, anyway.

Hypnosia used the time they took falling down to jump back past the other 5, and, drawing a long knife, she blocked one of them trying to stab her.

Then she snapped her fingers, and all of them fell to the ground, asleep.

Striker also.

Hypnosia panted.

Esmeralda pulled out of Blink's grasp.

"It was you?" She was baffled.

"Better run while you can," Hypnosia said. 

Mala was getting up, slowly.

Tendrils began to crawl from the wall towards them.

Hypnosia held up her hand, and the tendrils slowed, sleepily.

She was already starting to sweat.

"They won't stay down for longer than a few minutes..." she said. "If you see Cinder, can you tell her I'm sorry?"

Esmeralda stumbled away. She couldn't have helped her anyway.

But maybe if she could run back and find some of the heroes after all.

Stumbling up the tunnel, she pulled out her grapple. Somehow no one had thought to take it off her before.

With this, maybe she could get some distance.

She swung through the cavern.

Unfortunately, since she'd never been down this way and didn't know which way they'd come, since Striker had shadowed her here, she must have picked the wrong exit tunnel, because it did not take her back towards the Arena, but instead towards the front entrance.

This was still good, because she saw it was bustling with new people.

The bandits who'd run that way were getting the crap kicked out of them by most of heroes.

See, when Theo had gone in using the password so generously provided by Hypnosia, they had found only a few people guarding the entrance, who had not been ready for Theo and his boomerang and grenade supply at all.

After that, the rest of the team had rushed in after him.

Sun, Gira, and Kali had joined this group, and Roman and Neo were in it also. 

Of course, Ren and Nora were there, and Jaune and Pyrrha.

Libby too, and even Robyn, who'd finally gotten back in time to join them.

Additionally, Jasmine and Taylor had insisted on coming with them, against their advice to just guard the outside.

Everyone else was scary enough, but Jaune and Pyrrha had, to the other's surprise, struck a fear in the bandit's hearts that was unparalleled.

The Grimm claws didn't try to grab Jaune, they just ran from him, and Pyrrha yanked the weapons out of most of the bandits' hands she saw and just flung them away before springing into the air and slashing and knocking all of them to their knees. 

"Come on, Arkos," Theo called, "leave some for the rest of us."

"There'll be enough to go around of the Grimm, I have a feeling," Pyrrha called. "Where are our friends?"

"There's people running still," Roman called.

Suddenly Ruby and Oscar appeared in a burst of rose petals.

"What did we miss?" Ruby held out her scythe.

"Nothing much yet," Sun said. "They're all running like a bunch of cowards."

"Eww, look at those Grimm," Ruby ssid.

Her eyes flashed white, and a lot of the Grimm disappeared.

"She was right about this place--it's gross," Oscar said. "Where is everyone else?"

"They're that a-way," Theo said, his Aura glowing. He pointed. "I take it they've found the leaders of this nest of scorpions, since I see no one here who could be it."

Esmeralda wasn't close enough to hear any of them, but she saw they were not bandits, so she continued that way...but...she'd taken quite a lot of beating in the last few hours.

Every step was agony anyway, but now her knees gave out.

She sprawled... No, no...not now...

She lay there for what felt like a long time, but it was only a couple minutes, while the others were spreading out.

Then suddenly people came hurrying out of the passage the other direction and right past her, since it was dark, until one of them tripped on her.

"What? Ow!" Weiss fell on her hands. 

"You all right?" Meridian turned towards her.

"I think so." Weiss peeled a pebble off her hand where it had gotten lodged. 

"Help!" Esmeralda croaked.

"Oh! Oh my, sorry I didn't even see you!" Weiss scrambled to her feet. "I'm sorry--wait, maybe I'm not." She held out her rapier.

"Hold it, Snow Tiger, I think this is the one they snatched away," Meridian said.

"Yes, yes, it's me!" Esmeralda held up her hands.

"Oh, oh, wow." Weiss lowered her sword. "I'm really sorry now, but...what are you doing here?"

"Sand, that way," Esmeralda sputtered incoherently. She wasn't sure how to explain it. "Mala--going to kill her. Not good."

"Sand? Oh, that's the bandit name of Somnus," Weiss said.

"Who is that?" Hamish asked.

"The girl with the sleeping powers," Yang supplied, joining them. "How did you get away from that creepy shadow guy?"

"I think we just got the answer to that, Firepower," Meridian said.

"Firepower? I like that one," Yang said.

"But the others went after them already," Weiss said. "I think we'd better just keep focused. Here." She summoned a Grimm. "Get on, I can take you out of here."

"What is this?" Esmeralda asked.

"It's...a...well, it's a fallen enemy, but it's just my Semblance," Weiss said.

"Your Semblance is making Grimm?" Esmeralda asked.

"It's...no... Nevermind, I'll explain later." Weiss startered to help her get on. "Wow...you're a little heavier than you look."

"Thanks," Esmeralda said.

"You took that as a compliment?" Yang said.

"I'm usually called all skin and bones, so that sounded like a good thing," Esmeralda said meekly.

"You need to get that eye fixed up before it gets infected," Weiss mused. "I'm sure this place is crawling with bacteria."

"With what now?" Hamish said.

"Bacteria...you know, germs?"

"Germs aren't real," Hamish said. "That's just Atlas propaganda."

"Uh...yes they are real," Weiss said in disbelief.

Yang helped Esmeralda get on the Grimm. "Guys, what about that room Cinder said to destroy? The others are going to be too busy to do it. I think we should."

"Nirvana?" Esmeralda asked, trying to balance herself on the summoning shakily. "That room is what clouds everyone's minds. She just wants you to destroy it so that Mala won't put anyone else under her spell."

"That sounds like a good reason to me," Meridian said roundly. "So where is that room?"

"Not far from here, that way." Esmeralda pointed.

"Gosh, how big is this place?" Yang asked.

"Ham, you could destroy that room," Meridian said. "Use a little momentum. It'll be grand."

Hamish nodded.

"And me too," Yang said. "I'll just blow it the heck up. A little fire and we can clear the Grimm out."

"I don't think two of you is enough. Maybe we should all go," Weiss suggested.

"Let's stop standing around," Meridian said. "We're going to miss the real fight at this rate. I want to get a crack at more of those buggers before it's all over."

"You know, your Vauco really comes out at times like this," Yang said. "But I'm with you. Hey, where's Neptune?"

"Wasn't he following us?" Weiss said.

"He was before," Hamish said. "This place is a maze."

"The Grimmlins might have got him." Esmeralda pointed at the claws along the wall.

"But they haven't attacked us so far," Yang said.

"So far..." Esmeralda repeated. 

"I better go get him," Yang decided.

"I'll go with you then," Meridian said. "Just in case. Weiss, better just take this lady to the outside."

"You're a lot more bossy than usual," Weiss muttered.

But they didn't get far.

And that was because Grimm blocked their way even before they'd gotten to the end of this passage.

"Oh no," Esmeralda winced.

The Grimm were small ones, compared to the claws. They were like big dogs.

They snarled at Weiss.

"None of that." Weiss held out her sword. "Go away, all of you."

The Grimm didn't move.

"Well, I'm sure they're nothing," Weiss said. "I can kill them."

"I don't think that they're the real problem." Esmeralda was looking up. "I think they're a distraction."

"What do you mean?" Weiss looked up, then she saw it.

The claws along the wall were growing, but they weren't coming at them now--they were growing across the open passage, essentially making a fence of thorn-like Grimm arms to block their escape.

"She's trapping me in here!" Esmeralda said. "Me and you and everyone else! Then the Grimm will eat us!"

"Calm down," Weiss said, for one of them sniffed and moved toward Esmeralda even as she was speaking. "Let's not panic. That's not nearly finished yet. I'll just cut it aside."

But of course, it wasn't that easy.

As soon as she moved for the claws, the other Grimm jumped at her heels and surrounded her, growling.

"See?" Esmeralda was leaning on the summoning, weakly. "It's no use."

"Just a little more difficult." Weiss held out her hand, and more glyphs appeared with summonings racing out of them to jump onto the Grimm.

Weiss also pulled some ice dust and froze a big chunk of it in the passageway where the vine things were.

They stopped, and then tried to try to pick at it. It wouldn't slow them down forever.

"Guys!" Weiss yelled for the others' help.

Yang, Meridian, and Hamish looked back. 

"What's going on over there?" Meridian asked.

"Something's changed," Yang said. "Wait, look!" There were arms appearing in the opening they were headed for also.

"No you don't!" Yang noticed it and began to blast them away. "We can't get trapped here--we need to clear this place out."

She fired more dust. "Hey! Stop it!"

"Yang?" Qrow suddenly came around the corner. "I thought I heard yelling this way. What are you doing over here?"

"Looking for the other half of the team," Yang said. "But we found more than that. That crippled girl."

"You found her? We thought she was with Mala," Qrow said, trying to cut the vines away.

"Mala's probably going to follow her. I think Sand's cover got blown," Yang said. "These things are trying to trap us in here... I guess this place really is Mala's fortress." She yanked aside more. "Don't think we can get through."

"Let me." Winter was there suddenly.

Two of her summonings came and held the vines at bay.

"Run, now!" Winter said.

"Okay, we're going this way," Weiss told Esmeralda, kicking aside one of the Grimm dogs. "Hang on."

Esmeralda did so.

Weiss jumped on the glyph behind her, and it raced forward.

Meridian shot some of the dogs as they ran after them.

"Mangy mutts," he said. "Go back to your mistress."

Weiss got through the opening, and the other three followed just as Winter's two gave out.

The Grimm covered the space quickly and thickly.

"She'll figure out they aren't there soon," Qrow said. "I'm guessing she can kind of tell where stuff is by those things."

Esmeralda nodded. "She has some kind of connection with the Grimm, unlike anyone else. I believe my sister has become part Grimm herself."

"Lovely," Winter said. "I had hoped to capture her by now. This place twists too much..."

"Here," Raven called to them. "I think Watts finally got the right direction again. All this rock is getting in the way."

"You kids shouldn't be here," Qrow said. "Taking down Mala is going to be hard enough for us."

"We're not kids," Weiss objected.

"Esmeralda?" Cinder had heard them. She came back that way. "You're okay?"

"For now," Esmeralda said. "But Sand...was she working with you the whole time?"

Cinder nodded.

"Whoa...well, that's impressive," Esmeralda said. "And you never said a word... I mean, I see why, but that took some resistance. Mala would be so furious." She laughed nervously. "But she's so dead..."

"Hyp? Is alone with Mala?" Mino charged in.

"Probably." Esmeralda was reaching the point of hysteria from the sound of it. "Maybe we'll never get out."

"Hey, get ahold of yourself." Meridian gave her a shake. "Come now, there's still hope. We got this far."

Esmeralda perked up a little. "I guess that's true."

"Nice save there, Merry." Hamish jostled Meridian.

"Shut up, Hammer," Meridian said.

"I'm guessing she's following you," Winter said to Esmeralda. "That's why the claws are sealing off... Maybe we can use that."

"Do you hear that?" Royal suddenly said.

"What?" Winter went quiet.

They heard whooshing sounds.

"I know what that is," Weiss said suddenly. "Geist!"

Geist had been pretty uncommon in the kingdom of Mistral since the Grimm had started moving more central, but Weiss knew them well. It had been her first Grimm fight.

[That's in the White trailer, btw.]

There was not only one Geist, however. A moment later they saw at least 4 of them flying down the passage, and then they disappeared. One flew into a pile of rocks by the wall, and they rose up into a rock-giant shape.

"Oh, not again," Yang said.

[Guess Mala has a few more tricks up her sleeve. This finale is not quite over yet.]