'Cinder...'

Raven's voice was filled with malice for the person behind the attack.

'I see you've got your bodyguards with you again,' she said, drawing her sword in its purple form, not taking her eyes off Cinder, Mercury and Emerald for a second.

'They provide a little extra firepower,' she proudly stated. 'It's always nice to have that little extra in times like these.'

'Yeah, but when you're working with the Grimm that rule doesn't really apply, now does it?'

'Don't be like that,' Cinder said, her voice still carrying that same condescending tone as they last time they had met, 'I'm helping them because I knew it would lead me to you,' she cockily responded. 'I want to be the one who ends your pitiful life, not some Grimm.'

With that, she immediately launched several fireballs at Raven, her purple blade firing pulses of aura back at her which dissipated the dust on contact, creating a cloud of dust in the process.

Now's my chance! Raven thought to herself, quickly changing the sword to red and creating a portal behind Cinder, before changing to black and raising her blade. Game over, Cinder. Bringing her sword down, the ground cataclysmically ruptured on contact, sending shards of shrapnel and overturned stone all over the courtyard. Amidst the destruction, Raven could not see a trace of Cinder or her allies, but kept her guard up. Sure enough, a few seconds later she was assaulted from both the left and right, the left side flying in with their feet while the right side fired several rounds of ammunition her way. Acrobatically backflipping out of the way of the bullets, she changed her sword to white mid jump before raising it to her left, the foot of Mercury clashing with the shield her white blade provided.

'You're not bad,' Mercury complimented, noting her impressive skill with the blade, as well as her quick thinking.

'Not too shabby yourself,' she shot back, a fiery tone to her voice. 'It's a shame your little plan didn't work, though,' she said as she slashed at him, Mercury dodging out of the way before she changed her sword to Gold and deflected Emerald's bullets with ease. She soon realised that she wouldn't be able to keep it up three on one, however, as Cinder fired several more blasts of dust-enhanced aura towards her, those being blocked by the golden blade as well. It wasn't long after that she found herself focused solely on defence, having no time to attack in between lest she wish to be riddled with holes. Backing into a corner, she had nowhere left to run. She wasn't able to use her white blades defensive properties several times in a row, as it took a heavy toll on her body, and her movements were beginning to get much slower and sluggish from fatigue.

It was then that she received a saving grace, a familiar red blur whizzing by and almost decapitating Emerald had she not ducked at the last second, as well as a man who blocked Mercury's blows as if they were trivial, while retaliating with his own blades.

'Need a hand?' Ruby said, confidently turning to Raven with a smile, receiving one in return.

Where did she get so much confidence from?

Raven admired her spirit. After everything she'd been through and seen, she still retained her happiness and confidence. She never truly lost faith in her friends or her own abilities. She worried about them, but that was just because she cared.

'Thanks,' she muttered, clambering to her feet.

She was going to find Cinder.

She was going to kill her.

Yang and the others hurriedly made their way to the entrance of the city, hearing the commotion at the church behind them. There was one question Yang couldn't get out of her head as she ran though. One that was driving her insane with worry.

Who rang the bell?

Trying to push the question aside, her feet pounding against the pavement with the dozens of other survivors, they could hear the faint sounds of agitated Grimm beginning to die out. They were coming. That was the only conclusion she could find for them to suddenly stop when they were causing such a commotion a few seconds ago. Whoever was up in that tower no longer dwelled in this world, and she silently mourned and thanked her mysterious guardian angel for granting her this chance to escape.

'Not so tough now that it's one on one, huh?' Ruby taunted, Emerald clearly growing frustrated at the futility of her attacks. Ruby had easily managed to dodge each one of her bullets, and along with that she was growing increasingly weary as Ruby's relentless flurry of swings and shots, seamlessly integrating with one another drove her to the height of her skill. The Huntress was far stronger and much more skilful than Emerald. That much she knew.

How do I beat this girl? She must have some kind of weakness...

Lost in her thoughts, she reacted slowly to the redheads sudden appearance in front of her, raising her arms to fire shots at her. It was only when she fired a strangely low amount of bullets that she realised just what her slow reaction had cost her. Looking down at her left arm, it was no longer there. Crying out in pain, she clutched the bleeding mass of flesh where her arm had once connected to her shoulder, the pain forcing her to her knees. Ruby wasted no time in making sure Emerald would never again commit such atrocities, placing the scythe at the green-haired girl's throat.

'Any last words?' Ruby said, her monotone voice telling Emerald that she had no intention of letting her live.

'Only this,' Emerald began, 'I don't regret a single thing that I've done. I did it all for Cinder, and I would gladly do it again.'

With those words, Ruby pulled the trigger on Crescent Rose, the momentum launching the blade straight through Emeralds neck, her head rolling to the floor as her body lifelessly collapsed next to it.

I'd better go help the others, she thought to herself, making her way back to where Fox and Raven were.

Fox was having a little more trouble with his encounter, as he could easily block Mercury's attacks, but he also struggled to land any of his own. Growing frustrated, he began to grow reckless, allowing attacks to graze him or sometimes hit him outright, all for a chance to get a single attack of his own in.

All I need is one hit... one hit and this fight is done!

His recklessness soon began to cost him though, as the injuries he sustained were soon inhibiting his ability, Mercury himself still not taking any hits from the battle. Fox's muscles were groaning under the strain he was exerting on them, but that didn't stop him. He continually pushed himself until his body could take no more. Collapsing under his own weight, every bead of sweat that dripped off him felt like it was falling in slow motion. In fact, when he heard the ear-rattling bang he thought that was it.

It's over.

But the bullet never came. Jostling his senses, he realised that the noise hadn't come from in front of him. It had come from behind him. Turning, his eyes drooping out of exhaustion, he could faintly make out the billowing cape, along with the black and red outfit. And along with that, a trail of smoke coming from the end of a suspiciously similar scythe-shaped gun. That was the last image he saw before he passed out, however, the blood lost from his wounds putting him at serious risk.

When next he woke, the redhead was sitting by his side, always alert in case of any unwanted intruders.

Looking at his wounds, he saw that they had been haphazardly patched up with cloth, and felt a slight stinging from where she had sterilized the cuts.

'You'll be fine,' Ruby said, giving him a heart-warming smile. 'Just get some rest. You're not going anywhere in a hurry.'

'Cinder! Come out right now, or I'll make you regret running from me!'

Her sharp eye noticed the blast of aura hurtling towards her as she turned her golden blade on it, blocking the attack easily.

Except that wasn't her real attack. Another attack had been fired almost at the same time as the first, only on the opposite side of her body. It was an attack that even for Raven was impossible to avoid, and as she felt the searing heat scorching her back she knew that she had been beaten. Ruby had taken Fox and left at her command to go treat his wounds, which meant she was all alone in this encounter. Looking up, she saw Cinder strolling towards her from the direction of her first attack, a cocky swagger to her step.

'How did you...?'

'Oh please,' Cinder replied, 'don't tell me you haven't figured it out?'

Seeing Raven's bewildered expression, she explained what she meant.

'That second attack? That was not me.'

Raven, shocked and confused, turned to see a Grimm walking towards her. An X-Class Grimm. One with fiery wings, and embers adorning his arms.

'No fucking way...'

Raven immediately recognised the male Grimm that commanded those powerful flames.

'Father...?'

'Yes, my dear Raven. And what a woman you've become. Capable of tackling some of the strongest Grimm, and going toe to toe with my partner in destruction here. That's quite the impressive feat you've accomplished.'

Turning to Cinder, he continued talking.

'I still feel a little uneasy about killing my own kin, so I'll let you decide her fate. What will it be?'

Smiling to herself, the next words Cinder said almost mockingly, and Raven couldn't decide whether it was a curse or a blessing.

'I think I'll leave her like that. It's rather enjoyable, watching her in such a pitiful state. Much more fun than simply killing her would be, anyway.'

'As you wish. I've recalled the Grimm that I sent here. We lost a few of them but we annihilated the vast majority of the townsfolk, so I'd say that today was rather a success, wouldn't you agree?'

'Yes. Although I did hope to get more out of those useless buffoons,' she said, distastefully looking towards the corpses of Mercury and Emerald.

'Some things in life are a disappointment,' he added. 'You, on the other hand, are not one of them.'

Forced to watch this sickening scene, the Grimm leaned in and kissed Cinder, the two of them shoving their tongues longingly down each other's throats.

'Let's depart,' the Grimm said. 'We can discuss our next course of action when we get back.'

'Or, we could do something a little more active,' Cinder suggestively said, seductively waggling her hips at him as she began to leave.

'That sounds enjoyable as well. I look forward to it.'

With that, the two of them were gone.

The second she was sure they were completely out of view, she changed her sword to green, bracing herself for the impact as she rolled over and drove the sword into her stomach. Wincing at the shock of her blade penetrating her body, she soon felt the scorched skin on her back begin to drop off, replaced by a fresh new layer of healthy skin. It didn't heal her exhaustion, however, and she passed out right there in the middle of the street. When she woke, she had been carried back inside one of the buildings, where the survivors were all grouped up. They wanted to wait for everyone to recover before leaving, an idea that Ruby proposed. Raven agreed with it, despite the risk of an attack. Even if she was strong, she was still an idealist at heart. She wanted to help everyone.

Yang noticed her sisters bizarre behaviour even though they had barely spent any time together, confronting her about it.

'Was it really that obvious?' Raven responded unconvincingly.

'Yeah, pretty much. What's wrong?'

'I saw him, Yang... I saw the X-Class that co-ordinated this attack... not just that, I knew him. When I saw him... I couldn't believe it. I thought I was having a nightmare. It's him, Yang.'

'Who? It's who?'

The blonde brawler was becoming unnerved by Raven's strange attitude, and she had every right to be, for her next words drove chills down her spine.

'Taiyang Xiao Long.'

The White Fang stared maliciously at Velvet as she froze on her hands and knees, terrified of what these men wanted. Her last encounter with them had been less than desirable.

'Your... brother...?'

'Yeah. He was a rabbit Faunus, just like you and me.'

Just the mention of it immediately told her who this man was talking about.

Why now... I was finally managing to forget about the pain he caused me, so why now...?

'I've gotta say though, you've gotta be one hell of a slut. What kind of bitch goes off the second after killing someone and gets herself knocked up? People like you make me wanna fucking kill something. So, whose the daddy, eh? Maybe I'll kick hell into him, too.'

'Your brother is the father,' Velvet truthfully responded, fearing his reaction. Sure enough, his face contorted out of rage as his boot connected with her face, a sickening crack reverberating through her skull.

'DON'T YOU FUCKING SCREW WITH ME! TELL ME THE FUCKING TRUTH, RIGHT NOW!'

Panicking, she quickly blurted out the first name that came to her mind.

'Perry! A Faunus called Perry! He's the father!'

As tears streamed down her face, she hoped the man's silence indicated he was going to let her go.

No such luck.

'That prick, huh?' the Faunus said, a tinge of hatred in his voice. 'That backstabbing scum fathered that baby?'

'Yes!' Velvet cried out in a mixture of frustration and fear, the pain still sending shivers of fright echoing through her fragile body.

'Where is he?' the man asked, although it felt more like a demand. Velvet didn't answer. She didn't know where he was, but if she said that she knew she would only draw more aggression from him.

'WHERE IS HE?!'

'I DON'T KNOW!' she screamed back, her wavering voice seeming so tiny and insignificant in the face of the intimidating figure that towered over her.

'I see,' he said, his voice containing a gentler edge to it now. 'Pin her,' he commanded to his friends, the group happily complying. Velvet didn't know what they meant until they extended her arms and legs out, holding them in place as the man stood atop her.

'In that case, you're going to feel twice as much pain to make up for his absence.'

As he said that, he revealed a series of daggers sprawled across his chest, and taking one in his hand, he drove it directly into the palm of her right hand, effectively nailing her to the ground, Velvet's shrill shrieks of pain coursing through the midnight air. He did the same to the left, then her left leg and right leg, all the while Velvet screaming bloody murder into the night sky.

'Oh, will you just SHUT UP?!'

Taking one of her ears in his hands, he yanked with all the strength he had, Velvet letting loose blood-curdling screams of agony before he finally snapped, pulling a dagger out and hacking his way through it.

'SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!'

He continued screaming this as he put her through hell, leaving her remaining ear alone. But even in the tremendous amount of pain she was in she felt his boot connect with her body, but she was so shocked she could barely comprehend it, for it wasn't her head the man had kicked.

Did he just...?

Almost as if confirming her horrifying suspicion, he delivered another kick.

A kick that went straight to her stomach.

'NO! PLEASE! ANYTHING BUT THAT!'

Velvet's frantic crying seemed to fuel the man's desire to watch her suffer. Could he really hate her that much? Did he not know of the atrocious acts that his brother had done to her? That was all Velvet could think of as the man continually pounded away at her stomach, five, six, seven times. Ten times. Twenty times. A hundred times. She didn't know. She was too busy incoherently blubbering and babbling mercies and apologies to count. After a few minutes, he grew bored of what he had done to her.

'Let's go,' he commanded his friends, to which they all smugly left, following the monster who had committed such sins right before their eyes.

Please don't leave me...

Please, somebody, help me...

The vile men just left the poor, helpless girl there, crying and in pain, like some sick sacrificial ritual.

She considered using every last bit of strength she had to tear her hands up through the daggers, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. If, by some miracle her child was still alive, she was not about to jeopardize that by causing even more trauma to her body. She waited there for minutes. Hours. The sun rose and fell again, and at least two days passed before she finally heard footsteps through the trees nearby. Thanking the heavens, she looked towards the direction of the sound, only to recoil in terror and horror as what awaited her was not human. It was a Grimm. But not just any Grimm. It was a Grimm without a mask, one with blazing, fiery wings and malevolent, red eyes.

'Some of my allies told me that I could find a poor, lost soul here,' the voice said to her.

'Please... at least let me have my child first...' she knew begging for her life with a Grimm, especially one of this power was out of the question, yet she tried anyway.

'Very well,' he replied, much to her shock. 'I shall let you see your child before you die.'

A wave of relief overcame her, before he continued advancing towards the girl, kneeling by her side. A smile broke out across his face as he bared his fangs at her, Velvet struggling slightly in fear.

'What are you doing!? You said you'd let me see my child...' she responded, her voice wilting pitifully towards the end of her sentence.

'That is correct, I did. And I was not lying. But did I say when you would see your child?'

Velvet's face lost all colour when she realised just what he was implying, before he tore open her stomach, retrieving the unborn child that was resting peacefully in her womb.

'That is a shame,' the Grimm said wistfully, 'it would appear your son did not make it.'

'My son...? It's a boy...?'

That was the only thing she could say as the pain seared through her. The only thing to stop her going completely insane.

'Yes. While I am partial to boys, I do prefer it when they're alive. They taste much better that way.'

With a horrified look, Velvet stared in disbelief, the Grimm cracking a sickening smile as he made eye contact with her.

And then he did it. His fangs sank into her son. That was it for Velvet. At that moment, she completely broke. Somehow remaining conscious despite losing so much blood, the only sounds she could hear were those of his fangs sinking into flesh and soft bone, before it finally stopped and he turned his attention towards her. He ate her as slowly as possible from her feet upwards, before finally meeting her eyes one last time, as his fangs ripped into her skull, ending her life.

'Despair truly is delicious,' he said, wiping his mouth as blood dripped from his teeth. 'Although I do wish they wouldn't make so much of a mess when they die.'

And with that, the fiery winged Grimm left, returning to wherever he had appeared from.