Author's Note:

The new chapter. Yes, tis here at last.

As usual, leave a review, follow, fave, do whatever you like.

Ren stood in the elevator to Ozpin's office shakily, not sure what to do with his hands. At first he dry washed them in front of him, then put them down flat at his side. Nothing felt comfortable. He crossed them and leaned against the smooth metal wall, feeling the slight vibrations as it slid up the shaft, than pushed off, not finding any comfort in that position either. It felt wrong to be worried about something like this in the face of what he was about to say to the Professor, but he couldn't help it. The posture that he settled into was with his hands behind his back, clasped together tightly as he tried to order his thoughts as best he could.

Nora was sick. She had to be. That was the only thing that could possibly be wrong. She would never do any of the things that she had recently on her own, and obviously there was something wrong with her body, given the thing that had slid down his throat. He shuddered at the thought. He wouldn't forget that feeling as long as he lived, he knew it. It made his skin crawl, but also made him feel something else. He had felt warmth and comfort, even a desire to kiss her back. When she started, he had every intention to fight it, but that resolve had simply dissolved. It scared him that she had been able to do that to him. He tried to keep in control of himself at all times, so that control being taken away was a frightening prospect, especially when it felt so good.

There was still some fragment of his mind that longed for the sensation. That wanted to feel the closeness and the sensation that he had no doubt was love. Yes, he had to admit it to himself, especially now. He loved Nora, or, had loved her, before all of these changes had started. He wanted her to be back to the way she was. The sweet, innocent girl that he had come to know over the years. It seemed, terrifyingly enough, that that girl was almost gone. This, what he was doing now, was a desperate final effort to get that girl back. He would do anything he had to, no matter what the cost was. That was one thing he was sure of.

The elevator slowed and stopped, the doors producing a soft ding before sliding open, and Ozpin's office was revealed with a painful slowness. The grey-haired man was sitting at his desk, looking pensively across the expanse of empty space at Ren. His face was impossible to read.

Ren walked towards him, saying "Sir, I think I have something very important to talk to you about." Ozpin gestured to a seat in front of his desk, and Ren took it. "It's about my partner, Nora. She's…" his voice trailed off, and his gaze fell to the floor as the words refused to come. The full truth of the situation, at least the little that he understood, was impossible for him to speak. He settled for something else. "Nora isn't herself, and I think that she needs help."

Ozpin didn't react for a moment, only staring thoughtfully back at Ren before leaning forward, putting his hands on his desk, and saying "I believe I am aware of the situation."

Confusion shot through Ren like a bolt of lightning, and he said "No, Sir, I don't know what you heard, but-" Ozpin didn't directly cut him off, but Ren stopped talking all the same when he stood from his chair and turned to look out the window. There was silence for a moment, heavy and stifling, before Ozpin spoke again, not even looking at Ren.

"I've always held firm that I've made more mistakes than anyone. Some have tried to dissuade me from that, pointing out all the good things I've accomplished, all the lived changed, or saved, or…" he made a vague gesture with his hand. "But those people don't know the full scope of decisions I've made." He continued, his voice sounding tired. "I'm very much afraid that the matter with your friend may be one of my many mistakes." He turned to Ren, and the boy was surprised to find genuine apology in his eyes, practically overflowing from the half-moon glasses. "I've known about your friend from the beginning, and opted for careful preparation when I should've tried anything I could. I'm sorry."

Ren stood now, immensely confused. "What are you talking about? How could you have known what was happening to her? And what is happening to her?" He looked through every option in his head, and none told him how Ozpin might've come into such knowledge.

Ozpin heaved a sigh and said "The undead, as I'm sure you're aware, know a great deal. I was warned about this, but instead of acting immediately, I opted to wait, and to observe. I was told that there were precious few ways to help your friend, but I decided to wait, figuring that we could find our own way. We, the Huntsmen and Huntresses, who do nothing but protect the innocent, set out mind to the problem. And…" his arms opened, and he said "…we've nothing to show for it."

Ren raised his eyebrows and asked "Wait, the undead told you? How did they know?" Just as the question left his lips, he remembered what had been discussed about Naze, and how he was suspected some kind of spy. He had stood up for him than, but if he had known the whole time…

"Yes" Ozpin said "I've been in contact with them. And as for your second question," he shrugged "they know many things, and I think that they might know the last thing that can save your friend." Ozpin might've continued speaking, but for the first time in as long as he could remember, Ren interrupted. "Ask them! I don't care what it is, I'll do it!"

Ozpin fixed Ren with a gaze that held many things, not the least of which was regret. The two glared at each other for several moments before Ren realized that his fists were clenched, and his teeth bared. He took a deep breath, calming himself as he sat back down, muttering "Sorry." In a low voice. Without another word, Ozpin pushed a button inlaid on his desk, producing a low tone. "Glynda? Bring Naze here, if you please." The teacher's voice came through a hidden speaker, saying "Certainly sir." In an even tone.

With that, Ozpin leaned back in his chair, giving Ren another impossible to place look. He seemed to be measuring something about him, but not in the traditional, physical sense. Ren got the feeling that he was looking for something else. Something far more immaterial. He hoped that he had it. If it could help him help Nora, there was nothing more that he wanted. Ozpin continued this silent scrutiny for several more seconds before saying "Perhaps you can provide me more details on the matter. What has she done recently that worries you?"

Ren hesitated, the laundry list of behavioral changes and worrying obsessions practically coming alive in his head. It would be difficult to isolate just a single instance. "Uh, well, earlier today, just a few minutes ago, actually, she kind of..." he hesitated again. Why was it so hard to say? Embarrassment? Fear? "…kissed me. It was very unlike her, out of the blue and completely unwarranted. I even tried to push her off, but she just held me there somehow." His cheeks were red, but he supposed that that was inconsequential. "And her tongue, it's bizarre. Its long, and it seemed like there were two digits on the end." He supposed that he should give some context to this. "She's been changing a lot recently, and we don't know why. It strange things, like… like…" it only now occurred to him just how awkward it would be to tell a professor about how Nora's appearance had changed to one of the most sexual he had ever seen. His cheeks were bright red now, he could feel it. He didn't try to go on, letting his words taper off into oblivion.

Thankfully, Ozpin held up a hand. "I know what you mean to say. She's changing in ways that she…" he thought for a moment "…might already have done. I promise you, I will do everything in my power to return her to normal. She isn't just your friend, she is my student as well, and it is my duty to ensure all students' wellbeing as best as I can." Ren nodded, feeling slightly better. There was still one thought that was gnawing at his mind, though. "Sir, what will happen if we can't find something to help her? I don't want to think about it myself, but I have to know."

Ozpin took a very deep breath, first in, than out. He had obviously been dreading this question. Ren knew that that didn't bode well for the answer. "I, having very little experience in the field which is concerned, do not think that I could do any explanation justice. Naze was the one who informed me, and I shall leave that duty to him, for fear that I give an incorrect analysis. I hope you can understand that." Ren nodded. He wanted the most accurate information possible, and he appreciated Ozpin being honest about his lack of knowledge.

The next few minutes passed in silence. Horrible, grating silence. When the elevator doors again dinged and slid open, Ren's neck popped with the speed that he turned his head with. Naze was there, stepping out with a neutral expression on his face, the same one that he always wore. Now that Ren knew he was undead for certain, features of this sprang out at him. Naze's skin was too pale, his eyes glazed over in spite of the light behind them, the strange movements, it all made sense as he gazed at what he now knew to be a walking corpse.

Naze came to a stop, saying "You called?" in a voice that was devoid of any inflection. Ozpin looked up at him, a grim expression on his face. "Naze" he said "are you aware of the developments that have taken place concerning Nora?" Naze raised an eyebrow and nodded, saying "Some of them, yes. Why?" Ozpin gestured to Ren and said "Mr. Ren and I were just discussing the possibility of somehow reversing the damage that has been done to her, and returning her to her normal state."

The corpse shook its head in an awkward, jerking motion before saying "I'm afraid, as I have previously stated, that such a possibility does not exist." He looked to Ren, who met his gaze with disbelieving rigidity. "Boy, I'm afraid that I must be the bearer of bad news. That girl you knew is almost entirely gone. Whatever is left now is but a warped countenance of what she was. She's lost almost all of her will, her personality, herself to the demon that infested her."

Ren's sternness broke. "Demon?" he asked "What do you mean by "demon"?" Without pause, Naze explained in a brief manner that Ren could tell was boiled down to the bare essentials. "A demon like the one in your friend is like a parasite that feeds on and warps the soul. Its changed every aspect of Nora, hasn't it? Think hard now; are there any traits that she still has that she did before all this?" Ren did so, and the answer left him pale in the face. "That demon is stuck in, not unlike a barbed fishhook. There's no way to get it out without dealing catastrophic collateral damage."

Ren mulled the news over, repeating the phrase "catastrophic collateral damage" over a few times to himself. "What does that mean? You're just hopeless against this thing? What happened to the talk about "ancient knowledge" and all that? You can't do anything to help her?"

Naze's face grew just a little darker, and he said "I could disentangle the demon from her soul, but I would have to rip it out first. It would be easier if she were dead, of course, but returning a soul to a living body is not anything out of my scope, and the chance of collateral damage would still be astronomically high."

This revelation brought an all new kind of silence into the room. Neither Ren nor Ozpin spoke, hoping that they had misheard the words. Finally, Ozpin asked the question. "You can "rip out" souls?" neither one wanted to know the answer, but both had to hear it. A look of amusement came across Naze's face, and he said "Yes. As you know, Ozpin, I can twist a soul how I like, though I rarely do, but there is no need to wait until death. It's simply a matter of overpowering the opponent, something I find rather distasteful on such a personal level as souls."

Neither Ren nor Ozpin knew exactly what to say. The concept of ripping a soul out of a still living body was little less than unthinkable. Ren's heart almost stopped in his chest. If that was the only way, he didn't know what he would do. He wanted nothing more than to help her, but if it was the only way, he wasn't sure he would let it happen. Surely something had to be better than that. "No, we can't do that. There has to be another way!"

Naze gave Ren a raised eyebrow, than looked to Ozpin and said "Who's to make the decision here? Is it you, or the boy?" Ozpin took another deep breath and looked away. Clearly he hadn't considered the ramifications of the question. His only response was a soft "I don't know." Naze spoke again, offering them his opinion. "Of course I believe that the girl is unfit to make the decision, but consider the following: I perform the procedure, and she is traumatized for life. She goes on to tell people about what happened, providing tangible proof as to what the Paladins have been spewing all along. That would damn near ruin any chances we've got at peace. How could there be, if it gets out that we ripped a girl's soul out and tore it up without reason?"

Ozpin held up a hand, stopping Naze. "Yes, I see your point, but we can't just force something like this on someone. We have to ask her permission, regardless of what we know the answer will be. And…" the words became harder for him to speak "…we will have to respect that decision. I will allow attempts to convince her, but things like blackmail will not be tolerated. She is still a student, and a conscious being. She has rights, even in her altered state."

A heavy silence again settled over the room before Naze gestured towards the elevator and asked "Well, are we going to go ask or not? It seems that now is as good a time as any."

With that, both Ozpin and Ren rose from their seats and started to walk towards the elevator. Naze joined them, interested in what the outcome of all of this would be. It would certainly be an interesting test to ask her if she was alright with this. Even as unlikely as it was, her agreeing to the procedure would provide an interesting bit of information.

The elevator ride went smoothly, no one saying a word at all. The walk to the dorm rooms passed quickly, with Ren leading the way, his quickened pace driven by concern for his friend. Ozpin and Naze walked side by side, neither one wanting to get in his way. When they reached the dorms, they walked up the stairs and found their way to team JNPR's room, which Ren unlocked and motioned for the two to stay outside until he called them. Both obliged, not wanting to interfere where they didn't have to.

Ren slipped through the door and closed it behind him, taking in the room that was before him. It looked like a hurricane had run through the place. In the room, belongings had been scattered all over the place, like they had been thrown from their original places. He heard a distant sound, almost like whimpering, for brief second before it stopped abruptly, making it impossible to place. He took a few more steps into the room, being careful not to disturb anything on the floor.

There were cups, a few jars of food, even the blankets and sheets from a few beds was laying inertly on the floor. He didn't know what could've happened that would throw them so far, but he had no doubt that it had to do with Nora. A few of the posters of the wall had been ripped messily off of the walls, tearing the paper of a several.

He continued walking, feeling somewhat shocked by the sight that greeted him. Every bed was damaged to the point of barely being useable, the material on top being torn open and their innards being spilled out to varying degrees, the worst of which was Nora's. It looked like the stuffing had been very intently torn out, fistful after fistful, in rapid succession. He wondered if he should call for Ozpin and Naze. Whatever had happened, it looked very bad. Again he heard a small whimpering noise, and this time he was able to pinpoint its location. It was coming from the bathroom. Ren took a few tentative steps towards the door, finding it closed. The sound on the other side was clearly Nora, but what she was doing, Ren had no idea. It sounded like crying, but he wasn't sure.

With a slow and cautious movement, he put a hand out towards the door, turning the knob and pushing it open, peaking in through the crack as it appeared. What he found was that the bathroom was about as wrecked as the rest of the lodging, with toothpaste on the walls, water on the floor, and numerous other things out of place. The whimpering stopped again, and he thought he heard a small gasp. He opened the door the rest of the way, stepping in carefully, steeling himself against every possibility as best he could. He didn't know if he would be able to resist her if she tried kissing him again.

He looked around the room, glancing around the door, and found Nora huddled in a corner, the showerhead hanging on the wall above her slowly dripping cold water onto her head. She looked soaked, cold, and like she had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she had wrapped her entire body around a pillow, gripping it like it was her very life. Ren recognized the pillow as his. It seemed to be the only item that was wholly undamaged.

Nora looked up at him, and said in a high pitched voice, dripping with more sorrow than her clothes did with water "R-Ren?" Ren had been prepared for many things. He had been ready to dodge away from a sudden grab, he had been ready to talk his way out of a situation, he had even reconciled the need of limited force to get away, but he hadn't been ready for this. Something inside of him buckled at the sight of his lifelong friend in such a condition, and his guard went down immediately. He was speechless.

Nora hugged his pillow a little tighter, putting her face into it and saying, her voice now muffled "P-p-please go away. I d-don't want you to see me like t-this." He didn't obey. Instead, he took a few more steps towards her, leaning down as he did so and speaking softly. "What's the matter? Why are you in there?"

Nora's limbs constricted around the pillow again, very tightly, and she stayed that way for a few seconds before looking up and saying "I came in here b-because I d-didn't want to make you f-feel bad again." liquid was starting to run down her face, but Ren didn't know if it was from tears or the constant drip of water from the faucet above. He took a few more slow steps forward, and Nora shrank back from him further into her corner, pressing herself against the tiled wall. "P-please" her voice was clearer now, indicating that these words were more important or, at least, easier to say "don't c-come near me! I-I don't want to l-lose control again."

Ren tilted his head and kept his expression soft, hiding the foreboding feeling that the words gave him carefully. "What do you mean by that?" No response came, and he followed quickly "You can tell me. You can tell me anything, and I'll still be your friend." This got Nora to look up, and she said "D-d-do y-you promise?"

Ren nodded, and she took a few hiccupping breaths before saying "A-alright. I lost c-control. I j-just…" her voice faded off, but Ren quickly gestured for her to keep talking, encouraging her. "I j-just w-wanted you… to-to love me so m-much. I couldn't k-keep myself from doing i-it." Her expression changed again, and it was one that conveyed so much pain that Ren thought he felt his heart stop in his chest. "Y-you must b-be furious." Ren was somewhat taken aback by this comment. He had never gotten mad at Nora. Annoyed, maybe, but never any real anger.

He shook his head and said "No, not at all! Nora, I'm worried about you. You haven't been yourself lately, and I want to know why." He already did know, but getting her to say it could only do good. Nora hesitated for a moment before saying "I just l-love you so much, I can't contain it sometimes. When I k-kissed you, and w-when I snuck into y-your bed…" Her voice trailed off again, and her eyes snapped back to Ren. "You forgive me for that, right?" Ren nodded, holding a hand out to her. "Of course I do. Now, do you want to come out of there? There are some people who want to talk to you."

Nora gave him a confused look and asked "Wh-what? Who?" Ren shook his head, a smile coming to his face again as he started to see the misery fade from the girl's eyes. "Nope, I can't tell. It's a surprise." At that, Nora's face lit up. She loved surprises.

Ren reached out a hand again, offering his open palm to Nora, saying "Now, are you sure that you don't want to come out of there?" She actually smiled, a sweet sight to see, and reached for his hand, taking it in hers and pulling herself back to her feet. Water dripped lazily off of her clothes, but Ren didn't care. It wasn't like the mess could be made any worse. Her hand still in his, he led her to the door of the bathroom, back into the bedroom, where she abruptly stopped, a breathless look on her face. Ren thought at first that she might be realizing the wreckage that had become of the room, but he shortly noticed that the light of the sun was shining down from a window onto his face at an odd angle. Nora must've found this attractive, because she simply stared at him, fingers tightening around his reverently. Ren was about to say something when she drew closer, and a strange scent filled his nostrils. It was almost alien, sweet and comforting, setting his worries to rest. He felt his entire body relax again, but this time didn't resist as much. He was only a few feet from the door. If anything happened, help was less than a second away.

Nora pulled him in close, pushing against him and dropping the soggy pillow on the floor, using the arm to wrap around his waist. "You know…" she said in a hushed voice, almost too quiet to hear. Ren leaned in closer, and she continued "…I had that pillow because it reminded me of you." The words tingled in his ear, as if striking some nerve in just the right way. "I really do love you, Ren. Did you-" she cut herself off, face turning red again, but this time not from tears. Ren put a hand on her chin and gently tilted her face towards his, saying "Go on." In a sure, confident tone.

Nora seemed glad to comply, saying "Did you like it when I kissed you? Please, tell me! All I want is for you to feel good!" Ren took a few cautious steps towards the door, but was also careful not to break their embrace. "Yes, I did, but that wasn't the time, nor the place."

An excited look shot across Nora's face, and she said "What about here?" She looked around, prompting Ren to do the same. "There's no one else, and we have all the time in the world! We could do whatever we want!" The excitement in her eyes was innocent, but Ren's mind jumped to the opposite without his consent. In spite of himself, he put his arms around her. It was all he could do to say "No, we shouldn't. There are people wai-"

His voice was cut off as her tongue slid into his mouth like silk, bringing all protest to a dead halt. The thing that surprised Ren was that it seemed so much more intense than it had just half an hour ago, and it completely escaped him why he had ever fought the feeling. It was nothing but bliss. He started to caress her with his hands, but before anything else happened, Nora broke the contact, withdrawing her tongue again and jolting back, stumbling slightly.

Immediately, Ren missed the contact, but felt something strange in his brain. It was like was just waking up, and sections of his mind were just turning on. His senses returned slowly, and he watched as Nora shrank away from him again, drifting back towards the bathroom.

She spoke frantically, in a panicked voice, saying "No, see? I can't help it!" She held her hands up, motioning for Ren to keep his distance "Please, just stay back. I…" tears started to leak from her eyes again "…I don't want to force you to love me. I just want you to love me." The shame in her voice was obvious, and it made Ren feel bad. Why did he have to do this to her? Surely it wouldn't do too much damage if he told her the truth…

"Nora, I love you." He said "I really do! That's why I'm worried about you. I want you to be ok. It would make me very sad if something happened to you." Nora's lips quivered, and her body shook on the verge of a meltdown. Ren tried to scrutinize the expression on her face, the light from the window giving a new depth that he could analyze. She had a look of fear, like things were about to spiral out of her control. Just beneath that, there was something primal. A base urge, barely contained by the rest of her mind, almost overpowering her. He thought he could guess what that primal thing was. He was fighting it as well.

Nora turned from him, back towards the bathroom, and clapped her hands to her head, whispering madly to herself "Yes! I know you tried to stop me! I tried, but I just couldn't stop!" Ren reached out to her, but it seemed that she could almost feel him, and moved out of the way before he could touch her. "No, we can't just do that!" She took a few more staggering steps towards the bathroom. Ren spoke, saying "Uh, Nora, who are you talking to?" It was a strange thing to witness. Nora talked to herself commonly, but now it seemed that she was talking to someone Ren couldn't see, and if he had to make another guess, it would be that the person she was talking to was the demon.

He lunged forward, placing a hand on Nora's shoulder and saying "Nora, you need to come with me. There are people who can help you. I promise, I only want to help you. You just have to trust me."

Nora choked down a hard lump in her throat, than tilted her head as if listening to another voice in the silence. After a few seconds she shook her head, apparently shrugging the other voice off. Her hands came down from her head, and she turned back to Ren, one of the most touching smiles on her face that Ren had ever seen. It was filled with warmth and hope, and he knew from that look that she would trust whatever he had to say. It was a wonderful feeling to know that she had that much faith in him. Gently, he led her towards the door. She followed, hand in his, stepping gingerly. Her fingers twitched around Ren's, and he got the distinct feeling that she was again fighting the urge to pounce on him. This made him speed his pace, if only slightly. They reached the door without further incident, and he opened the door to find Ozpin and Naze still standing outside, Ozpin with a somewhat worried look on his face, and Naze with a knowing grin. Ren couldn't help but feel embarrassed under the gaze of the undead. He felt like he might be judging him in some unfair manner.

He felt Nora recoil when she saw Naze, and cursed himself for not remembering the aversion that she had to him. She pulled against his hand, trying to get back into the dorm room, but Ren stood fast, not letting her go. "Nora, you need to hear this. They can help you, but only if you let them!"

This calmed her down somewhat, but she huddled close to Ren, seeking comfort from whatever it was about Naze that revolted her so much. Ren put a hand around her, trying to keep her as calm as possible. When he had situated both himself and Nora so that she wouldn't try to retreat again, he gave a desperate look to Ozpin. If there was anyone who could convince her that she needed help, it was him.

Ozpin nodded silently, indicating that he understood Ren's meaning. He spoke, his voice a worried tone but still even and carefully controlled. "Now, Nora, It's come to my attention that you have been under the effects of a strange creature recently. Is this true?" Nora looked skittishly at him, her eyes flicking between his face and the floor rapidly and unpredictably. "I-I suppose so." She quickly followed this by saying "But Tiny is my friend! I helped him, and he helps me! If he were to leave me, he would die! I can't let that happen, I'm sorry! And besides, he's done so much good for me! I mean…" she looked desperately at the three staring at her "My grades have never been better, and I feel better than I ever have!"

Naze leaned to the side, looking past her into the room. "Who created that ungodly mess?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and shifting his gaze back to Nora, an almost accusatory edge in his eyes. She shrank away, pushing deeper into Ren, hoping for some protection from the question. She didn't respond, so Naze turned to Ozpin and said "Perhaps I should leave you and the boy to convincing her. I very much doubt that I would be of much use anyways."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow and said "How are we to explain the process of what you plan to do, then?" Naze shrugged, starting to turn away. "Vaguely. In any case, it's clear enough that my presence is hindering you here. I'll take my leave, and trust you two to be able to convince her." He waved over his shoulder as he walked away to the door to his room, opening it, walking in, and shutting it tightly behind him. Ozpin and Ren both sighed, wishing that he hadn't done that. They were sure that his input would've made the process much easier. Nora took a small step away from Ren now, feeling less threatened. This made Ren reconsider having Naze. Maybe he had been right, and Nora would respond better without him.

Ozpin spoke again, saying "Now, Ms. Valkyrie, if it isn't too much trouble, I would like to see you in my office. Ren, you come along as well."

The air sparked and screeched as the rune of translocation inscribed on the ground blazed into life, bringing the catacombs of the ziggurat and the small clearing in the forest together for a brief instant. Naze crossed through the rift, and crossed a vast stretch of space with no more than a single step. The arcane power died down as quickly as it had come, and he now felt the gentle thudding of rain against the wards that protected his body. Over the soft patter of rain hitting the ground, he could also hear tools working to assemble the machine that would pull the mysterious artifact from the ground.

It was rare that he left the safety of the ziggurat, but he felt it necessary now. Whether it was because of the growing emotion that was forcing his mind where it shouldn't be, or a logical step to ensure that the construction went to plan, he didn't know. But he knew that he wanted to be present.

He looked at the apparatus. It was perhaps two stories tall at its maximum, the three pylons that would focus the arcane magic into the ground. The three pylons were spaced evenly around a circular base that would serve not much more of a purpose than to support the pylons. The structure of the frame was made entirely of the grey metal that the undead used almost exclusively, as it was one of the most durable materials that could be accessed on a large scale. The only deviance in material was at the top of the pylons, where they terminated in the last several feet in large crystals, already resonating with the arcane energies in the air.

Undead were working on assembling it, mostly lowly zombies being use for manual labor, without any mind or intelligence of their own. The necromancers controlling them, of which there were a few, perhaps three or four controlling around fifty workers. Progress was coming well, and it would be only a few hours before it was functional. At that point, he was certain that every kingdom on the planet would become aware of the emissions of the machine. This was somewhat unfortunate, but he knew that if he took measures to shield it from their vision, and they found it anyways, it would put him in a very awkward position. It would be better to let their eyes be caught, than tell them at least some of what he was doing. Not the entire truth, of course, but enough to sate their curiosity. Yang had not yet been informed about the project, and he would have to rectify that. He would also have to arrange another broadcasted answer. Perhaps not a press conference, but an answer to the question he already knew they would ask.

He turned his gaze to the line of trees, undead eyes piercing through darkness that knit between the thick trees as the light from the sun that made its way through the clouds was blocked by the numerous limbs, leaves, and needles that stood between the treetops and the ground. In it, he saw shifting movement in the shadows. He thought he recognized the shape of the silhouette as a Beowolf. Those standing guard also saw this, and a few readied their weapons.

It had been a long time since Naze had directly killed anything, and it was a feeling that he found himself missing. Perhaps it was some petty result of the unwanted emotions that were returning to his mind. But he was also able to find a logical reason to slay a few of the beasts. If he were to snuff a few of them out himself, he would be able to see just how resilient they were to magic. Some creatures had certain resistances to magic, and they were usually difficult to predict. If he tested a few of them, his understanding of them would be expanded.

Just as he settled on this action, a loud howl echoed out among the trees, sending several flocks of small black birds squawking from the trees. This seemed to act as a signal, sending its owner's pack to attack these new targets. As the first of the Beowolves came charging out of the forest, Naze set a foot off of the metal and onto the cool, wet grass.

Beneath his heel, it died. Not only did the grass wither and blacken, but the necrotic effect that surrounded Naze seeped deeper than that, killing everything within the soil. Every bacteria and microbe in the ground was suddenly dead, and Naze knew that it would be a long time before anything grew there again. While he knew that the area affected was of miniscule consequence, but the implication was not lost on him. He held a great power, and he had always been careful to not misuse it.

As if he had lit up some kind of target on himself, the Beowolf's gaze shot directly to him, and it started bearing down ravenously. The guards standing between Naze and the Grimm started to move to intercept it, but he signaled for them to stand down. Hesitantly, they did so, and the Grimm bore down on their leader, a pure-minded bloodlust firing its eyes. As it came within feet of him, leaping out, reaching its claws towards him in a frenzied attempt to destroy him. From the end of Naze's staff, a sudden burst of energy, green and purple mixing together in a single blast, struck out in a wave at the creature.

Everywhere the energy touched died in a similar way to the grass, simply ceasing all life in the blink of an eye. Unlike the grass, however, these wounds started to fester and rot instantly, flesh turning spongy and bone turning brittle. A physical force accompanied this blast, bringing the creature to a dead stop midair. It thudded to the wet ground, and true to the things that Naze had heard, it still moved to attack him, pushing itself off of the ground, pouncing again at him and raising its claws in another attempt to maul him. Unfortunately for it, the full scope of the damage that had befallen its body seemed to escape its consideration. Beneath the force it used to bound up at him, its weak legs snapped, frail bone shattering and desiccated flesh tearing easily. Its arms were similarly useless, dead muscles not responding to the commands sent from the brain. And so, in this awkward and undesired way, it gained a few more inches towards the lich.

His staff twitched to the side, and an invisible force batted the Beowolf to the side like a sack of bricks, landing with a shallow yelp. The muscles that still functioned writhed in a desperate attempt to right the Grimm, but it was in vain. Naze turned his attention away from the creature. It was clear that it bore no special resistance to his most valued art. The next thing that would be easy to test would be their resistance to pure arcane energy. This would be exceedingly easy to test, as the results would be rather clear cut.

A pure, brilliant, ball of glittering light about the size of a head formed at the tip of the metal spike at the end of his staff, and be brought it to bear on the next Grimm brave enough to charge him. The ball flew straight and true, far more accurately than any physical projectile could have, and struck the Grimm in the center of the chest. For a brief moment, it appeared that its entire body was engulfed by this same light, before both the light and the Grimm died, the corpse thudding the wet ground and skidding for several feet before coming to a rest. They certainly held to resilience to the pure arcane, either. In fact, it seemed that the missile he had shot had acted far more efficiently than it would have on a human, or otherwise similar being.

It was in this fashion that Naze conducted a study of his own, felling beast after beast with varying methods of attack. The bulk of the pack was slain by guards, though this was just fine by Naze. He didn't need to kill many. He just needed a relatively small number in comparison to the rest of the pack.

When it seemed that the last of the Grimm had fallen, disappearing under a furious gout of flame while howling it's hardest, another distant howl answered. It was far off in the forest, but seemed to be rapidly approaching. Naze took this to mean that the leader of the pack was coming, perhaps to avenge the loss that it had suffered. He took a few more steps forward, readying himself for more of a battle. If the beast would be able to put up more of a fight than its smaller relatives. Trees started to shake some distance away, and the guards again readied themselves. Naze didn't stop them. The more individuals between that thing and the machine that was being assembled, the better.

With an earth-spitting roar, the final line of trees between the Grimm and the clearing was bowled over, sending dirt and grass flying. The Beowolf was indeed as large as its roar would've suggested. It was around the same height as the machine, covered in bulging muscle, tough hide, and white plates of bone armor. Its eyes burned with the same red fire that seemed to inhabit all Grimm, and they fixed on Naze quickly as it searched for its prey. Naze felt a slight amusement at this. The leader of one pack had identified another, and it was clear that they both wanted dominance.

With another roar, the Beowolf bounded forward, kicking up large chunks of the clearing ground as it did so. Its speed was greater than Naze had anticipated, and he knew that he would not be able to get any kind of meaningful attack off before it reached him. He could stop its charge, but that seemed rather anti-climactic. Instead, he allowed the Grimm to approach, great claws reaching out to rip and tear what flesh he had.

In the small instant before the claws dug into the wards that protected Naze, he conjured a huge amount of energy around himself and cast it through the body of the creature, stopping it some distance before the tree line. Like a fish swept up in a wave, his physical body was carried along this projection, briefly disappearing with a sharp crack, almost like a gunshot. The wave dissipated as it reached its conclusion, and Naze appeared again behind the Grimm, who now swiped and struck at empty air.

The blink spell was difficult to learn, as it was dangerous for those inexperienced in its execution, and it was difficult to execute, because it requited the almost instantaneous expulsion of amounts of power most people could only dream of. Naze had plenty of practice, though, and power was little limitation on his arcane capabilities.

After pondering briefly to himself what he should do with the beast, he settled on one course. He would kill it, and then immediately bring it back to be studied. There were people who were starting to foam at the mouth for lack of things to study so far, and until the artifact was retrieved, a Grimm pack leader would have to suffice.

The Grimm growled as it realized that its prey had vanished, and turned its nose up to the air, breathing in in an attempt to locate him. It did, and turned, lips lifting threatening as if to threaten him. He brought his empty hand up, pooling arcane energy for an attack that would end the battle quickly. Grimm didn't seemed to like the pure arcane, so that would be what he used. It started to charge again at him, but he made no plan to move this time. While necrotic magic would have require less energy to do the job, it would also cause extensive tissue damage. Unfortunate, but true.

Naze felt the magic build to a level high enough, and made to release it just as the beast came again within striking range. He stretched his fingers, and in a burst of brilliant light, the space in front of him was flooded with arcane power. The Grimm was engulfed, and didn't have time to so much as growl before it died, body falling limp and sliding through the mud. Naze realized that he had erred as the corpse barreled its way towards him. Given the amount of power he had used to kill the beast, he wouldn't be able to blink again before the body collided with him, and his withered form was not capable of leaping out of the way. All he could do was attempt to strengthen the shields that already surrounded him.

The Grimm's cadaver impacted him like a truck, not stopping in the least on its path of destruction. The shield between him and the monster held, keeping him at a constant few inches away. He was almost swept off of his feet, but with an iron focus, was able to steady himself with his magic. The body came skidding to a stop, and Naze stopped with it, heels digging into the ground as he did.

The clearing settled into silence again, with only the soft patter of rain in the ground and the occasional contact between the machine and the tools. The guards all turned their attention back to the forest, watching the shadows carefully. None had anything to say about what had just happened. Naze called several workers over to him with a wave of his hand, and they immediately began hauling the corpse to the rune of translocation. He walked behind it, looking himself over for damage. Nothing had broken, nothing had scratched, and nothing had really even scuffed. The worst that had happened was that he had gotten his robe slightly muddy.

He continued walking, flicking at the intruding muck with a telekinetic force, removing it from his figure. His mind was already elsewhere, plotting and planning for the near future. Yang needed to be alerted as to what she was about to have to do soon. Something needed to happen to make the rescue of Roman Torchwick impossible, while making it clear who was the reason it didn't work. It would make him a few enemies, but also a few friends. It was a trade he was going to have to live with, and he wouldn't get anywhere in the political world without a few living allies. The air snapped again, and he was back in the ziggurat, his trophy being carried off on the backs of the worker ghouls to those who would want it.

Yang rested on her bed, book in hand but thoughts far away from the subject of necromancy. She was thinking about practice, and how well Ruby had done, now that she had her scythe back. She had fought with a gusto that Yang didn't think that she had seen in a long time. It seemed to bring joy to her sister to be reunited with her instrument of death.

But what about her? She normally tried to be as selfless as possible, but watching everyone get ready for combat like this and not taking part herself was almost painful. It was an itch that she just couldn't scratch, and for good reason. No one had told her that she couldn't participate, that was a self-imposed rule. She thought it best, because she was on a different level than her friends now. There was a good chance that she could seriously injure one of them. She didn't get tired, and her mind had started to work faster than it ever had before, so it was totally possible that she could simply run them into the ground. After causing so much grief already, she wanted to keep everyone as happy as possible for a while.

Still, however, the urge to pick a fight, to feel the rush of a good battle, and to stretch herself to the maximum of her abilities was getting very strong. She wouldn't simply lash out at someone, she was above that, but if anyone presented themselves for a fight, she would have to take it without hesitation. She recalled that they were returning to class tomorrow, and that their team would go to Professor Goodwitch's class. A cocky smile came across her face, and she kicked back a little further in her bed. Yeah, Cardin would get it, if he were there. He and his stupid mace were going down. She would take on his entire team if she had to, and then she would look for whoever was next.

She pulled her left arm up in front of her face, pushing on it with her opposite hand. The flesh connected so seamlessly to the hand, and it was so exact. She was sure that it would give her no problems. Thinking of problems, however, lead her to one of the big ones on her mind. She hadn't tried yet, but what if she couldn't use her aura? What if her semblance really was gone, like Naze had said it would be? She had never liked getting hit, but it would be bad if she couldn't get anything out of it. Without those, was she just some brawler? She shook her head. That couldn't be the case.

Her metal fist tightened, and tendons harder than steel worked in her arm. No, that wouldn't stop her. Even if it was harder to fight, she still had to do it. After all, now she had some perks too. She couldn't tire out, she couldn't feel pain, she was physically stronger, and mentally faster. Cardin wouldn't stand a chance.

It was later in the night that Naze spoke to her, telling her about something he was doing. Apparently a machine had been set up somewhere on Menagerie, and there would be some uproar about it from some of the more paranoid people. It would be her job to address the matter at some point and calm everyone down. She accepted, asking what the machine was for. The response she got was something about some ancient artifact deep in the earth, and that the thing was basically a magical excavator. She thought the idea was kind of cool, but also a bit boring. She agreed to the job without much further thought, than went back to thinking about fighting. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.