Chapter 2: Run Away

The glass shattered around Ruby's body as she rocketed through the window. Luckily, her aura protected her from the major sources of damage, such as the fall she was experiencing. Ruby rolled as she landed, willing her body to continue toward the locker rooms.

"AHHHHHH!" Weiss' desperate screams could be heard across the campus, the horrible sound piercing the quiet shadows of the night.

Ruby could feel tears in her eyes at the sounds of Weiss' torture, but she shook her head, her mind focused on finding help and obtaining her weapon.

"I'll get Crescent Rose, and I'll find Yang and Blake, and Weiss will be okay… I hope…" Ruby whispered her plan to herself, her voice quiet and faltering at the thought of Weiss in danger. "No, she WILL be okay. I know it."

Ruby felt herself slow, her body not used to the prolonged use of her semblance; especially when her mind was not straight. She willed herself to a stop, her speed coasting her for a short distance before her legs beginning to give out from under her. Ruby took several deep breaths in order to calm her terrified body before beginning the careful walk to the locker room.

She poked her head out from the side of the building she was near, cautiously scanning the environment for any sign of the monsters that had attacked Weiss and her earlier. Nothing stirred in the night filled courtyard, the only sounds being a few crickets and the quiet, but persistent, din of the lamps arranged about the circular courtyard. The center fountain's water continued to pour from the vents in the sides of the simple carving, oblivious to the terror Ruby felt at the moment.

Ruby's eyes continued to scan the area for any objects or people of note. A intermeshing of gold and black hair made the girl's breath catch in her throat, the forms to which they belonged not moving in their spot on the bench where they sat. Ruby's mind raced as she considered all of the possibilities for their not moving. Terrifiedly eager to confirm her suspiscions, the cloaked girl rushed as quietly as she could to the unmoving forms of her teammates.

"C'mon, sleepy-head." A half-awake Yang was draped over Blake's shoulder, intoxicated by the food and drinks she had had at dinner. A smile was plastered on her face, the kind of smile someone who had consumed too much alcohol would wear. Blake sighed and thought back to how they had gotten here.

Yang and Blake had been out in Vale for a night of dinner and debauchery, much like their teammates. Yang had made sure to get reservations at a nice restaurant in the downtown area to show her friend that she really cared about the team and the way they interacted.

That's what she told Blake, at least.

In reality, it was Yang's attempt to start her own relationships. Weiss and Ruby getting together, even if they didn't admit it, was adorable, and Yang wanted to feel the same way about someone as Ruby felt about Weiss. So when Yang had given the other pair her blessing through her puns and playful teasing, she had asked Blake if she would want to have dinner together sometime.

The cat faunus had said yes, not quite realizing Yang's intentions.

The dinner had gone well, for the most part. Blake had ordered the boiled salmon. It had come with a small salad, which she had picked at, but she had admitted to her partner that the fish was indeed delicious. Just the right amount of seasoning and the meat was very tender, nearly falling apart under her fork, but staying very solid for when it was consumed. Yang had ordered a prime rib eye steak, medium-well, with a potato and some trimmings. The chef had done an excellent job, and Yang had convinced Blake of the meat's delicious taste by getting the girl to taste a few bites of the prime cut.

Yang had decided to have a little fun, and had ordered a glass or two of wine for the pair. A Vacuo Malbec was the suggested drink, but Yang had decided to get the local Vale Merlot. Blake barely touched her glass, which bothered Yang a tad. However, the boisterous blonde was not to be deterred by her partner's lack of interest; after all, she had said that this was just a dinner between friends.

The remainder of the dinner became a blur after the third or fourth glass of wine. Yang vaguely remembered doing something with bread, and a man informing her that she needed to leave. She could feel and hear Blake holding onto her, leading her out of the restaurant, speaking softly to help with Yang's intoxicated state.

"Let's get back to the dorm, alright? And remind me to never let you touch alcohol again." Yang nodded in drunken acknowledgement, her head bobbing up and down on Blake's shoulders.

Blake sighed again, much heavier this time, and dragged her drunk partner to the airship docks for a transport back to Beacon. It was late; the moon was high in the sky and the primary sources of light came from the street lamps set along the sidewalks. Not a soul could be seen around, most people having retired to their homes by this hour. Except for one large figure in the middle of the street.

Blake cocked her head at the sight of the figure, its body just outside the range of the street lamps' light. She rolled her eyes, thinking it to be a random drunk wandering the streets. Not wishing them to get hurt, Blake called out to the figure, saying that they should stay off the streets if they don't want to get hit by a car or truck.

The figure didn't move from its spot, but turned its head toward Blake and her partner. Its eyes, Blake noted, were glowing red, seemingly filled with malice. Blake continued walking, mostly ignoring the figure, but as she passed it she noticed it had a strange outfit on. Not many people wore furs and horned helmets like a Viking, and even fewer of those people were female. The Viking woman's head turned and followed the pair as they walked, watching closely. Whatever the woman was, it was creeping out Blake.

The remainder of the walk to the dock was uneventful, aside from a few more drunks stumbling to their homes. No more Viking women were seen, either, a fact that relieved Blake, for some reason. She dropped herself and Yang into the first seats she could find, exhausted after dragging her partner all the way. She glanced out of the window onto the city of Vale as the ship took off. Curiously, a figure was standing stone-still near the air dock, watching the ship fly away.

Probably just another drunk.

Blake felt someone shaking her awake.

She and Yang had managed to make it to one of the many courtyards that dotted the campus. Too tired to continue on to their dorm, Blake had dropped herself and her partner onto the first bench she could find. Yang had been asleep since they had left the restaurant, and Blake had quickly joined her in the land of dreams.

But now she was being shaken, and a voice was calling out to her from across the void between sleep and consciousness. Slowly, Blake blinked herself awake to find Ruby desperately shaking the sleeping pair. Ruby stopped when she saw Blake's eyes open and staring at her teammate.

"Blake! You guys are ok!" Ruby said, her voice revealing the tears she would not shed.

Blake rubbed her eyes. "I know we got home late, Ruby. Yang decided to party a bit too hard." The groggy faunus looked around, noticing just how late it was. Something was off, though. "Where's Weiss?"

Ruby's face blanched and her eyes fell downwards. Blake looked questioningly at her teammate, while her ears twitched at the rustling of some nearby bushes. Ruby jumped at the sound and looked around in fear at the dark area outside the range of the lampposts. When the sound did not recur, Ruby readdressed her faunus teammate.

"We need to get help."

"Help? For what?" Blake sat up, her hand immediately going to Gambol Shroud.

"For…for Weiss." Ruby was visibly trying to choke out the words, her face not willing to face Blake.

Blake looked around as another bush rustled, closer this time. "Why does Weiss need help?"

"Because…because..." Ruby could barely hold her voice steady. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Because some monsters-"

The conversation was cut off by a loud roar, full of fury and malice, emanating from the bushes. Ruby and Blake turned quickly to the source of the sound. Yang was jolted awake by the sudden volume of the situation. She rubbed her eyes and surveyed her teammates.

"Oh, hey Rubes, what are you doing up this early?" Yang groggily said, her head pounding from her hangover. Ruby didn't look at her sister, instead remaining focused on the figure stepping out from the bushes.

A huge woman, dressed like a Viking, wielding an equally huge hammer in a one hand. The Viking woman swung the hammer over her head and continued with her incoherent yelling, slowly advancing toward the three teammates. Blake recognized the woman as the drunkard in the middle of the street back in Vale. Blake drew out her Gambol Shroud for the inevitable fight.

Beside her, Ruby took a sharp breath in. Meanwhile, Yang was stumbling off of the bench, her senses slowly coming back to her. Blake focused on the Viking Woman, tuning out any distractions before the battle. The advancing sight was not for the faint of heart, nor even one of strong heart.

The Viking woman continued her slow advance out of the shadows, and more of her features became clear. What plates of armor she appeared to possess as well as her weapon seemed to be made of a bone-white material, similar to a Grimm's. The parts between the armor plating seemed to be fur blacker than a moonless midnight. But the most terrifying thing was the woman's face, or rather, lack-there-of. Where her face should have been was a mask, not unlike a Grimm's with the markings and all, which showed only two disturbingly focused red orbs that were most likely the eyes of the woman.

Blake felt a nudge at her side as Ruby nearly fell over, barely able to hold onto Blake's waist for support. Her mouth moved, but only mad babblings issued forth. Blake looked worriedly at her team leader and Ruby looked back, and in an instant Ruby's babbling stopped, to be replaced with a single word. A desperate, pleading word, repeated with an equally desperate look in her eyes.

"Weiss… Weiss… Weiss…"

"Ruby!?" Yang finally managed to right herself, just in time to see the other figure approach her teammates from behind. With an arm outstretched, pointing behind her partner, the blonde brawler shouted "Look out Blake!"

"Hu-" Blake began, before being pulled into the second figure's embrace. Ruby fell onto the ground, her body no longer supported by Blake's waist, waking her from her fear induced stupor. She looked as she stood, but remained crouched, seeming ready to dash away at the first chance, like a terrified mouse.

Blake struggled against her captor's slender arms, thrashing about, trying to hit the new enemy with even a single strike of her blade. Despite the figure's slight frame, they had an iron grip on the Faunus girl, ivory arms locked in place. Desperate for help, Blake cried out to her team.

"Yang, get this guy off me!"

"You got it, kitty-cat." Yang eagerly replied, her arms moving to fold out her weapons. Yang dashed toward her captured teammate, readying her weapons for a decisive strike at the strange figure's face.

But she stopped, visibly disturbed by Blake's captor's face, or, like his partner, lack-thereof. A mask, almost like a Grimm's, adorned his slender face, eye-orbs burning red with hate and anger. Bone-white armor covered his body, though much sparser than his female friend.

"Yan-gah!" The thin man tightened his grip around Blake's throat, almost as if he was taunting Yang.

"Blake!" Yang felt her rage rise at the sight of her teammate-her friend-in pain. Cocking the twin barrels of her gauntlets, Yang launched toward the man with her right fist punching out, a yellow and brown blur against the darkness of the night.

Time seemed to slow the closer her fist came to the monster's face. It seemed unnatural, but was quickly rationalized by her addled mind as wanting to enjoy crushing him. But it was unnatural slowness, and Yang could not see that. Her mind filled with rage, her ears filled with the sound of rushing blood, she never heard Ruby's warnings.

Until it was too late.

A/N For those wondering: no, I don't know almost anything about wine. I'd like to thank LeviathanTamer for deciding the ending. More stuff coming soon, but We Looked is going to be a 'when I can' fic. Because I will put out new chapters when I can. Pretty self-explanatory.

Review, Follow, Fave, Potato. See you later!