Weiss

The sun hung low in the sky as we made our way into the industrial district of Vale. We had an hour left, two if we were fortunate, before the sun set and our quarry became our pursuer. The trail we'd been following, the trail of blood, had been thinning out as we progressed through the city. We were lucky to spot a drop of it on each street we followed. Only Blake's uncanny eyesight kept us on the trail.

Our one piece of good luck was that we'd seen no civilians since the injured man and his sons, so hopefully there was no one around that the beast could attack before we found it. I'd long since given up hope for the woman attacked outside the Dust shop. We hadn't seen any remains while following the creature, but I doubt anyone could have clung to life for as long we'd been chasing after down. It stung me to think that a woman had been attacked and killed when I was so close by. Huntresses were supposed to save people like her, those who couldn't defend themselves.

I grew more determined as we wandered through a labyrinth of warehouses and factories; if I couldn't save that poor woman, then I would avenge her. Despite my determination, a sliver of fear was creeping into my heart. My anxiety grew with the shadows. Once the sun set the beast would have every advantage.

Blake stopped us before a large factory, two stories tall and at least two hundred metres long. She had been leading our team for a while, searching for the trail. She pointed out a puddle of blood on the doorstep of the factory; clearly the beast had come in here. And it was still carrying the woman.

"It's close by." said Blake, her voice a cold whisper; she was just as determined as I was to find this fiend.

"How can you tell?" asked Yang, her voice sounding just as determined as Blake's.

"The blood's fresh," Blake answered, shuddering slightly at her own words. "It hasn't started drying." I could see that she was right, even in the dying light. Blake backed away from the doorway into the middle of the street, taking deep breaths. I turned to Ruby as Yang stepped after Blake. Ruby was examining the façade of the factory thoughtfully, looking the part of a confident leader. But I could see her hands shaking.

"So what's our plan?" I asked her. She looked at me, unease clearly showing in her eyes. "We only have half an hour or so left. The inside of the factory will go dark before the sun sets; the other buildings will block the light."

"I know," Ruby said. "We need to take this thing down quickly. But this building is huge, we could easily run out of time if it's hiding in there."

"So there's no time for dilly dallying," I pronounced, gesturing for Yang and Blake to join us. "We need to make our way in now, so we have as much time as we can get." Everyone nodded: it was the only plan that made sense.

"Okay," Ruby began, setting her shoulders. "Yang, Blake, you two go around the back. Weiss and I will head in the front. We need at least one person per pair that's good at tight, close range combat. My scythe will just start wrecking the factory and Blake's ribbon will get tangled in the machines. So Yang, Weiss, you're our vanguards. Blake, use your katana if you get into combat, but otherwise, leave it to Yang." Despite the danger we were about to face, I had to admire how well Ruby handled the situation; she was definitely becoming a good leader. Yang and Blake quickly made their way down the side of the factory while Ruby and I prepared ourselves to breach the front entrance.

"Should we wait til they get to the back door?" I asked. Ruby nodded.

"Give them til a count of fifteen, that'll bring them close enough."

I began counting slowly in my head. One… Two… Three… I readied myself; we had no idea what was going to happen on the other side of this door. Six… Seven… I took several deep breaths, trying to steady my nerves. I couldn't risk a mistake in here. Nine… Ten… Eleven… I took a step away from the door, focussing on it. I rotated Myrtenaster's cylinder to load a chamber of Burn Dust. Fourteen… Fifteen! Ruby nodded at me, holding her retracted sniper rifle at the ready. I conjured a glyph at me feet, propelling myself at the door. I hit it feet first, smashing it open. I slid across the floor for a metre or two before coming to stop, ready for anything to leap at me. But all I saw was an empty factory, machines off. All I heard was silence.

I cast my eyes around the room, focussing my peripherals to search for any sign of movement. I heard Ruby step up behind me and began moving further into the factory. Shadows were everywhere, cast by the hulking, strangely shaped machines. The blood red light of the setting sun was still shining through the upper windows, the colour only putting me more on edge. I heard a sudden crash from the far end of the factory and spotted Yang rushing in the far door, Blake close behind her.

The shadows lengthened as we made our way around the ground floor, inspecting every corner and studying every shadow. The light was fading from the factory a lot faster than I had anticipated. Half an hour had been an overestimation; we were down to minutes. And with how large this factory was, we'd need to be very lucky to find the beast in that time.

I spun Myrtenaster's cylinder, loading a chamber of Freeze Dust. Ice would be the most effective Dust to use in this scenario. It wouldn't damage any of the machinery, and with the beast frozen in place Yang would be able to finish it off easily. As the chamber clicked into place, I heard a loud clang in the rafters above us. I spun around, scanning the shadows as Ruby began firing in the direction that the sound had come from. I reached out a hand to stop her when I failed to see any signs of the animal. She lowered her rifle slowly, still intently scanning the rafters and upper balconies of the factory.

I released a breath I hadn't noticed I was holding as I lowered Myrtenaster. I tensed as I heard a light footstep behind me. Swinging around as quick as a flash, I raised my rapier, ready to strike. Blake leapt back a step, holding her hands up. Gambol Shroud was held unsheathed in her right hand, its sharpened sheath held in her left. I lowered Myrtenaster, shaking my head at her. She shrugged apologetically. Yang poked her head out from behind Blake and waved at me. I rolled my eyes, turning back to Ruby.

Ruby was staring up at catwalks above us, over at the far end of the factory. I turned back around, following her gaze. I almost dropped Myrtenaster in shock.

"Is that… a… Beowolf?" I whispered.

"Not a normal one," Ruby whispered back. "That thing is enormous." And it was. It really was. We'd fought an Alpha Beowolf in the Emerald Forest, but this one was much bigger than that. I could only just make it out in the darkness, but from where we were, it looked like it was almost twice as tall as Yang, the tallest one on the team. White armour plating was all over its back, and covering most of each arm. Penetrating that armour would be impossible, and there weren't many vulnerable spots.

We collectively took a step back as the massive Beowolf began to growl, glaring down at us from its perch. I tightened my grip on Myrtenaster's hilt, snapping myself out of my fear. You are a Schnee; you have no place being afraid!

The others readied their weapons, preparing themselves for the battle. We need to find a way to kill before we lose the last of light. I glanced around, seeing how much light we had left. What I saw chilled me to the very bone. The Beowolf roared - a loud, terrifying sound - and leapt at us as the last rays of light left the factory, plunging us in darkness.