The Almanac of Omaks. Chapter 2.

Omak 9. The great dream.

The great sleep of the benefactor of Wulfengrad has always been long. Generations had time to laugh until the Great One opened his eyes to grant ordinary mortals his new grace.

But, the thirst to serve and be more useful to the Wolf was strong and in the absence of supervision, everyone worked hard to proudly show the results at the next awakening of the lord. Some have gone too far down this path.

It was known that a pack of Wolves absorbs Dust and is strengthened due to this, but the thought came to mind, what if a person can do the same? Then he will be more useful for the cause of Communism.

The first attempts were... depressing. A person could not eat the Ashes without consequences, at best, when taking an air one, you will suffer from uncontrolled exhaust from the back hole, and those who tried fiery or icy Ashes were less lucky.

This led to the idea of becoming like a Grimm, since they can safely use such substances. The most obvious idea was the consumption of grimm's flesh, but the wild representatives decayed faster than this hypothesis could be tested. Allied werewolves came to the rescue, at the request, they pumped out their black blood, which after consumption slightly strengthened the person. The experimenters' thinking machine was running at full capacity.

Ten years later, trial and error revealed the most effective method — mixing Grimm's blood with ashes and transfusing it into veins directly. This miracle substance with the right proportions of ingredients and some additives could literally put a disabled person on his feet. Injuries, diseases, chronic imperfections of the body left Wulfengrad, giving in return special opportunities to those who participated in the sacred ritual of blood service. Some people got the opportunity to control fire, some accelerated to unimaginable speeds, and some, the lucky ones, blessed by the Wolf, received powers that, except as bestowed by the deity, it was impossible to describe. By coincidence, these girls found a miracle, literally magic, at different times of the year, so they began to be named after the seasons. Virgo of Autumn, Virgo of Winter, Virgo of Spring and Virgo of Summer.

But, some thought, what if we take blood not from the Wolf pack, but from him? It was almost sacrilege, but after much discussion, it was decided to try, replacing everything taken with their own blood. An installation was built that simultaneously took the blood of the Great One and mixed it with the necessary substances, while simultaneously returning the blood of the Wolf who dared to perform the sacred blood service.

These saints literally shared all the hardships of the Wolf, and many could not stand it. The blood of the deity was too strong, but those who survived acquired wolfish features, more bestial than even fauns, and became the most loyal and strongest servants of the Wolf. This is how the Wulfen Order was born.

But surely such a wonderful power cannot be without consequences? Only time will tell where all this will lead. And the Wolf will open his eyes and see what his followers have achieved.

Omak 10. Trenches.

Dirt, blood, swearing and corpses. These were the words that could describe the trenches in the war. A meat grinder that has been going on for more than two years, where neither side can win the final victory.

One has an overwhelming technical advantage and allied grimms, while the other has… The second has an almost incalculable human resource. The confrontation of one State against four has come to a precarious balance mainly due to these factors.

Kilometers of trenches, aviation and artillery support, perfect samples of hand weapons, fearless fighters and Wulfens who, together with Grimm, cut out wagons and rear bases. All this power has been grinding the forces of the kingdoms for months, and it seems that they decided to assemble the strongest attacking fist and kill the ridge of Volcharnia.

The last battle, the great battle, the most terrible of battles, so descendants will christen it, but now, after five hours of fighting in a gigantic territory, only the last forces of both sides of the conflict remain.

A handful, if compared with the initial number, of soldiers under the command of General Makhnovsky, who arrived in the thick of the battle, and only by whose orders the remaining fighters remained in the ranks.

And a crowd of Royal forces, peasants and workers, who were hastily armed and sent into battle under the leadership of the few remaining aristocratic military families, the rest were killed in the previous years of the company. But the most skilled, the most, one might say, noble, Ser Ark was still leading the enemy army.

The situation was stalemate, a plain surrounded by forests, insufficient number of sabotage or motorized forces to enter the flank, and the full realization that the first side that comes out of the trenches and tries to break through the front line is likely to die.

This does not mean that the once picturesque area, loosened by bombs and bullets, stained with liters of blood and where many people found their end, leaving lifeless bodies to rot under the summer sun, was in uncertain silence. No, the rifle shots and the eerie trill of machine guns did not stop for a moment. But rare shots found their target, so that the action that was taking place could rather be interpreted as the incessant, terrible and great defenses of war.

But this cannot go on indefinitely, there were enough cartridges, but not an infinite number. Makhnovsky understood this, clinging to the radio station and trying to get in touch with the rear. The radio operators reported on laying a new communication cable to replace the broken one, which will finally allow them to learn about reinforcements. And in the end, there was news, great news.

Coming out of the dugout into the trenches, to the very edge, the general began to wait for the enemy to find out about this news. Barely audible thunderclaps coming from somewhere in the distance behind him anticipated the whistling sound coming from the sky, which was charming for Makhnovsky. The sound of terror and death. And a moment later, explosions began all along the enemy's line of defense.

Artillery, in the course of the Techno war, the Princess created, under the guidance of the Wolf, a substance that was close to fiery dust in properties, but did not interact with the aura. At first glance, the powder that could not be enhanced with the aura of the fighters was useless, as it greatly reduced the effectiveness of their weapons, but it was still used. Long-range guns that sow destruction from beyond the horizon. An unimaginable power whose charge power was offset by quantity, not quality. That's how the Techno Princess got her second nickname.: "The Goddess of War."

The shells and guns seem to have been let down heartily, judging by the already ten-minute massive shelling producing earth flowers. The consequences of artillery explosions were so named because the earth rose in the form of a bizarre flower, stained red with blood and severed limbs that soared skyward.

The enemy lay down, but for another five or seven minutes, and superiority in combat strength will be obtained and it will be possible to think about an offensive, but suddenly the shelling stopped.

"Is that really it?" But the new communication cable, when the general went to find out what happened, was also cut off, like his unsuccessful predecessor. While thinking about further hostilities, Makheovsky did not notice the messenger who pushed into the dugout, who shouted at the top of his voice in fright:

— Wild, wild Grimm attacked from the rear! Artillery is fucked up! These queen creatures are fucking here and will be here in about five minutes!

The general did not approve of swearing during reports, but the situation was tolerated, so he put the fighter to drink water, and he went out, for the last time before the fateful decision to look at the front line firsthand.

On the way to the front edge of the trenches, he was joined by the patriarch of the Wulfen Order, who also participated in the war with his servants, at the moment not finding a place in the trenches.

"Queen Grimm's forces are behind us. — As if spitting, the general said.

— We'll deal with them. The patriarch replied gloomily but confidently.

— No, you will not be enough to stop everyone, some of you will break through anyway, and bring Chaos to our ranks, then we will not be able to repel the offensive. — From behind the hills, from the rear, the black mass of Grimm began to act, an inexorable wave striving to crush the forces of those who interfere with the plans of their cursed mistress. — We were shaken from two sides, but the nobles don't know about it, as long as they are disoriented and can't understand what is really happening, we can crush one part of the enemies, and then take on the second. Divide and conquer.

Full of awareness of the deplorable situation and the riskiness of the only chance of victory, the general came out of the trench, turning to face his fighters. The bullets that hit him literally bounced off, this part of his strength was widely known and allowed the once private to rise to his current rank.

— FIGHTERS! COMRADES! THE ENEMY IS COMING FROM ALL SIDES, AND THE ONLY THING WE CAN AND MUST DO IS CRUSH THE FOOLS WHO DECIDED TO ATTACK OUR HOMELAND! The scream rang out many meters ahead, amplified by loudspeakers that were connected to a microphone sewn into his collar. — FIX BAYONETS! ATTACK!!!

Makhnovsky turned to the enemy and took out a saber given to him by the commander-in-chief himself. Hundreds of fighters ran forward with a deafening shout of "HOORAY!" and he was in the front ranks. But the Wulfens quickly rushed forward, taking on the main fire of the enemy forces.

Chunks of flesh burst out of their bodies, some fell with their heads torn apart, but they inexorably approached the enemy camp in their bloody rage.

It would seem that a huge distance between the warring armies was covered literally in an instant. A deadly moment that left many lying on the battlefield, add to the lists of the dead. But even more fighters broke through, they attacked the enemy with shooting, knives and shovels.

There were screams and curses everywhere.

— DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!

— EAT THE BITCH!

— FUCK THEM!

— SAVE THEM!

The owners of the tinniest glocks could be made out, but the rest were the ear-splitting noise of people desperately fighting for their lives and for victory.

The only place where the Wolfens had jumped was not the screams of the allies. Tearing apart everyone around with their claws, they turned people into pieces of meat with growls and howls, not even their allies dared to get too close during their rage.

Dirt, blood, swearing and corpses, if there had been a lot of this before, now these words were only a great understatement of what was happening in front of the general. And he did his bit himself, expertly wielding his saber, taking the life of one opponent after another.

But the seemingly endless, in fact barely three-minute skirmish began to come to an end. The enemy faltered, and dozens ran in indescribable terror, trying to save their lives. They were shot in the back, paying no attention to anything but killing. But a general would not be a general if, even in such a situation, he kept his sanity and did not realize what needed to be done to win.

— TROOPS, LISTEN TO MY COMMAND! KRUUGOM! — And the disciplined army obeyed. The shortfalls have become the least of their problems. The large, jet-black wave that had already reached their former positions was terrifying. The swarm of creatures that stepped on each other's paws and wanted to taste their flesh seemed unstoppable, and they had to check it out. — FIRE ON THE WILD ONES!

And it couldn't be called anything but fire. Everyone began firing at the grimm at the maximum of their strength, convulsively, or in professional fatalism, recharging as quickly as possible. The grenades flew without looking, still falling into the deadly mess of monsters disintegrating after death.

They had already traveled more than half the way, stumbling over those who had not had time to disembody, and with each step, the hopes for the survival of the fighters became less and less. Until, in the midst of the black wave, bubbles began to appear, clearly more powerful than from hand grenades.

—GENERAL!" the radio operator shouted. — THE TECHNO PRINCESS HAS SHOWN US A MIRACLE! SELF-PROPELLED ARTILLERY, ITS NEW INVENTION, HURRIED TO US AS BEST THEY COULD AND IT SEEMS THEY MANAGED TO DO IT AT THE LAST MOMENT!

The shelling of the wild did not stop, but now you could hear the cheers. Shooting dumb creatures with the support of the most powerful weapons on the planet? In this case, the fighters felt like a fish in water. They did it, they lived to see the next day, they won.

Omak 11. The true enemy.

The Salem Tower was usually in a calm, phlegmatic state, the dark corridors and countless grimms moving impressively along it created the impression of a gloomy fairy tale, silence and almost sepulchral peace, which at the moment has gone into oblivion.

Fire, screams and explosions filled almost every corner of the Queen's dwelling. War. The war, already during the lifetime of its participants, considered the apotheosis of the military capabilities of the races inhabiting Remnant, ends with the storming of the last fortress of the enemy. Fighters carefully move from the lower floors up, making their way through hordes of wild grimms, aviation tirelessly fights for air superiority, and artillery defends the territory from the grimms, who poured to the aid of the hostess from all over the planet. The mechanism of destruction has long been debugged and abundantly smeared with blood, but the conflict that led to this situation began as a personal one, and as a personal one it was bound to end.

At the very top of the tower, bombed and collapsed, two people met. An immortal woman and an immortal being. Both of them were often called gods, but they had a different opinion of themselves, which did not negate their overwhelming power compared to other intelligent beings on the planet. They could defeat anyone, but what happens when two irresistible forces meet? They won't be able to deal a decisive blow to each other and their fight will last forever? One of them was full of confidence in her own superiority, forcing her to play with, in her opinion, the victim who had come to the slaughter.

"Ho—oh... puppy, do you know that I can subdue you at any moment, but instead of running, you come up to me?" Even after what I did to your state? — The wolf didn't care about her ranting, he just walked forward, hiding the rage burning inside himself.

"I can't hit you, bitch, unless I get closer."

— Ho, ho. Then I will approach you as you wish. — Steely and mocking, with mockery, glances met when the two most powerful forces of the planet slowly approached each other.

The closer they got, the less clothes were left on the Wolfman, his already familiar, humanoid body, emitting fire and ice with the help of dust subordinated to his rage, which he absorbed all his conscious life. When there were less than five meters left, animal ears formed on the Wolf's head, teeth elongated and grinned like an animal, claws were now located on his fingers, terrifying in their effectiveness, and behind his back, having broken through miraculously surviving trousers, a bushy tail was swinging, showing impatience before the battle.

Salem, it seems, looked at the relief torso of Volchara, which the proclaimed head of the Party took advantage of, striking first. That's what he thought. Before his claws reached Salem's neck, he missed a low kick that caused him to twist his leg and almost bow down in front of the queen.

— How slow it is! I, the Queen of Grimm, have an unsurpassed power that surpasses you in everything! I destroyed your country, I killed your friends, I collected relics and became the highest being on the planet!

"You talk too much, Salem! — Another right punch, now it was literally stopped by the seemingly fragile hand of the woman who was actually breaking the bones of the great wolf.

— Did you think you were fighting Salem? But no, it was actually me—Shiz!

— What?

— Every time you got your hands on relics, I, as a part of you, could use them, and gradually, influencing you with internal dialogues, directing you in the direction I needed, I used all the relics to my advantage, getting this body and power!

— It's not possible! You're fooling me, Salem! You're trying to confuse your thoughts, but I won't fall for your tricks! — Punches and kicks, grapples and dirty sports techniques poured out of both opponents with the speed of a rapid-fire machine gun, an outsider who entered the room would have noticed only two whirlwinds, clashing with each other and talking to each other in the process.

— Ho… Don't you believe me? The one who knows you better than anyone in the world? I did it so that you will come to me and become mine! No one but me can be with you, because we are one and I will prove it to you! —

Suddenly, wolf ears also appeared on Salem's head, or still Schizo, and a fluffy tail peeked out from the neckline of the dress at the hip.

— OH MY GOD! — Volchara burst out involuntarily. Almost his whole life appeared to him in a different light. Despair flooded his mind, and his hands dropped. He was already ready to accept defeat, but, from within, from animal instincts, from the far recesses of memory, from the subconscious, a voice appeared, whose utterance, on pure willpower, resisting a psychological attack, shouted Wolfman:

— FOR COMMUNISM!!!

<--- To be continued< p>

Omak 12. With love, with salt.

From the first person of the Wolfman:

Salem came here by herself? Seriously? She's the fucking evil villain of a girly drama, sitting in her dark tower and fucking up the main character with the help of her half-witted henchmen. And so, having broken all the templates, this woman showed up on the threshold of my city and presents something to me?

My brain was jammed by what was happening, so I didn't notice how Mark growled something, and with a grin, like, "let's see, everything will be fine," I took some kind of remote control from the assistant in my paw. My raised eyebrow, or whatever it was above my eyes, showed an interest in an explanation that did not have to wait long. Mark poked his claw somewhere to the side, turning my head, I saw the sign "Caution, guarded perimeter", and, at first, I did not understand, and then, seeing the second, "Attention MINES!", kaaaak understood! Just at the moment of pressing the red button.

It flared up noticeably, then was evacuated, then flattened by gravity, then pierced by thorns growing out of the ground, then fried by lightning, then flooded, then frozen, and finally twisted by grown plants. Anyway, what's left of Queen Grimm. And it was just a handful of incomprehensible masses. Everyone who is in the subject knows that Salem is immortal, but not invulnerable. I was convinced of this by watching the remains begin to bubble with a dark mass, and then a dark silhouette rose from the resulting puddle, from which, after taking shape, a layer of resin flowed down, showing a naked, very attractive woman. Yes, Salem can recover, but her clothes can't.

Ignoring her appearance, she was already trying to start a vicious angry speech, but Mark interrupted her again, growling in a commanding voice. The border guards of Volcharnia had already taken defensive positions, and almost a hundred people opened fire on the Queen in the blink of an eye. Submachine guns and machine guns tearing her flesh to dust, and in the final they polished such a "hot" reception with a couple of grenades.

Well, the light presentation lasted quite a long time, I would even say cliched for a long time, like in action movies of the "G" category. So during the time when the border guards turned Salem into porridge, he somehow managed to give new orders, and when a silhouette began to appear again from a new puddle, a barrel with chemical and biological threat designations was rolled up to it and poured out. My sensitive nose smelled a disgusting, but very familiar smell, and when I looked at the brownish-brown, heterogeneous mass, I finally understood what these hooligans had poured over the main villain of the planet.

— IS THIS WHAT, SHIT?? — Mark looked at me with an expression of a muzzle like "well, why not?"

In general, the next reincarnation through a puddle was not long in coming, when a shit demon immediately rose from the resulting mass, writhing in agony, quickly lost its shape and melted like an evil witch from The Wizard of Oz.

After this, the puddle thought, and shifted a dozen meters to the side, but the tar essence was already waiting for the guys with flamethrowers and napalm. Very good burning napalm. Do you remember that scene from Indiana Jones where the Nazis opened the ark? There was something similar here.

Mark crushed the next incarnation of Salem with a concrete slab dropped from a crane that participated in the construction of a security tower very close to our position. It turns out that bodies crunch so interestingly when flattened.

While searching for a suitable analogy to describe this sound, I almost missed how a military truck wound a new incarnation of the Ancestress of the Grimm on the wheels. The sound was similar, but not so sonorous.

I was already getting tired of this bacchanal, Salem, it seems, too, so in between the inhuman murders (ambiguously, Mark, after all, is not human), she called for help.

Three minutes later, after another flattening of Salem (I asked to repeat it), we heard:

— The Queen! I have arrived to help you, at your call! LEEEEEEROOOOOY JEEEENNNKIIIIIINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

<--To be continued< p>

Omak 13. Evening of Jazz

Few people know, but the Junior Club sometimes hosts themed evenings. Only verified or regular customers can get on them. This was done to preserve the desired atmosphere, and, of course, justify the existence of club cards. But this does not mean that the staff treats such events carelessly, no, on the contrary, the employees give their best, implementing an idea that dilutes the monotony of the usual existence of the club.

This time, a jazz night was planned. Junior invited several famous Jazz bands, his guys replaced the usual white two-piece suits with tailcoats and light coats, adjusted the light to a more natural, subdued lighting, and placed wooden tables on the dance floor with a good view of the stage, which was usually the DJ's place.

Already in the early evening, visitors began to take seats, enjoying relaxing saxophone music and cosplay mafia gathering of the last century. Well, in part, it wasn't far from the truth. At Junior's private events, members of criminal gangs often gathered and discussed "working" moments. But more than that, they were looking for a break from the tense and dangerous outside world, relaxing for a while in the wonderful world of a musical institution.

The calm and melancholic atmosphere was not disturbed today, despite the fact that the reason for the recent renovation of the club, Yang, was present at one of the tables with her team. They were dressed casually and stood out from the crowd of visitors, but it didn't seem to bother the others very much. The girls, of course, were initially stressed by what they saw at the club, as well as the circumstances of their invitation here, because of which they could not refuse, but when it became clear that this was not some kind of trap, they calmed down and sat more comfortably on the chairs. Which turned out to be one more than they were sitting at the table reserved especially for them.

Very soon, Junior himself came up to explain the discrepancy, looking at the young girls with an impartial glance.

— Lady, my <i > special acquaintance asked for your presence, who, at the same time, saved you from problems, Yang. So be polite and reasonable. I don't know why he needed to meet with children, but it's not accepted to argue in our environment, and here you are. Drinks and snacks have already been paid for for you, so have fun, my friend will be here soon.

The owner of the club went behind the counter, where he began to mix cocktails for the distinguished guests, leaving the team of hunters at a loss.

— An acquaintance? "Who was he talking about?" Could it be Torchwick?

— It's unlikely. — Blake shared her thoughts. — If he wanted to tell us something, he would have done it back at the port, given his loose tongue.

— Or maybe this is a meeting of spies and we were chosen for recruitment? Will we work for a secret organization, tell Ozpin about it, and eventually become double agents who, with their heroic actions in the shadows, will decide the fate of the world?

— Ruby! — Weiss stopped the flow of fantasy of her partner. — This only happens in your comics! Most likely it's one of my fans who managed to organize it somehow to impress me.

— Not a bad version. — An unfamiliar male voice interrupted the arguments that had almost begun. — Well, if you look at it from a certain angle, then you may be right. But this can be said about any statement.

The four hunters instantly froze and slowly turned to the once empty chair, on which a strange guy appeared out of nowhere. Shoes, trousers, a white shirt and a vest with a tie. Red eyes with a vertical pupil gave out a sitting fawn, as well as gray wolf ears on top of his head, and if you look closely, you can see a fluffy tail lying near his hip.

— Let's get to know each other. — The guy dispelled the silence at the table, at the same time accepting a strange white cocktail from the waiter. — My name is Mark, I'm here, so to speak, on a business trip, and you can help with my work, as well as I can help you with your problems.

— I suppose you know our men, but in honor of decency, I'll introduce myself — Weiss...

— WAAAAAAAAAAA! Ruby interrupted Weiss. — I'm right — you're a spy!

— Ru-kill! Yang gritted her teeth. Mark just grinned.

— Well, my job is somewhat more complex than that of a spy, but let's just say I belong to a similar type of organization.

— And what did the spy from Vacuo want from us? — Blake was a little aggressive, although there were no "Blake Triggers" like racism.

— From Vacuo? No. — the wolf smiled at Paul. "Maybe only Oz, in Vale, knows where I'm from, because, after all, we're old acquaintances. I even talked to his ex-wife at the time. I wasn't surprised why they split up.

— Did Ozpin have a wife??? — As always, Yang caught the most unimportant thing.

— Oh, and not alone, but only his first one is alive now. Oz is generally a scary person.

— Okay, stop talking us into it. Weiss interjected. — Why did you bring us here?

— Didn't I say that at the very beginning? You can help me, and I can help you.

— Will you give us cool gadgets and send us to infiltrate the secret underground base of white fang? Ruby didn't even bother to pull back, staring into a face literally glowing with anticipation.

— Ahem. Let's just say you'll be sent to Mount Glenn soon. My bloodhounds found a terrorist base there. Your task will be to figure out what they are doing there and prevent it. I will provide you with any amount of ashes and various interesting toys.

— HOORAY! Ruby jumped up, which caused displeased glances, which quickly faded away and literally pressed into the chair.

— Really? Yang casually pointed her finger at Mark. — If your people found them there, then why can't you figure it out yourself, since you're so important?

— People, pf. — the spy snorted with a grin. — Don't pay attention, it's a joke for your own people. And to be honest, my boss is not on very good terms with Oz, there is an ancient misunderstanding, so we try not to interfere much with what is happening in Vale. The old man gets nervous and does stupid things when someone acts deliberately.

— Don't slander him! Director Ozpin is a very responsible and reasonable person. — Weiss could not ignore such an irreverent attitude towards the mentor of all the hunters of the Vale.

"God forbid you say that in front of Glinda. Just a tip. But think about it, throwing youngsters off a cliff into the clutches of angry grimms? And even leave an ancient, most dangerous Stalker in the territory where children roam? It is only a miracle that there have been no deaths during his management. Although yes, a miracle is what he usually hopes for.

— You are too persistent in making the director look bad. Blake came up with a conclusion based on the conversation. — Are you trying to set us against him? And then recruit?

"Recruit him?" No, why? You're going to do what I need anyway, I just want you to do it the best you can.

— A very self-confident point of view. "What if we refuse?—

— You misunderstood me. I won't force you to do anything. You're rushing to where I need you to go. Your gut demands it. Justice, glory, retribution, adventure. Helping the reasonable with the right aspirations is much more profitable than taking just anyone and using them as a tool. Unfortunately, the mentality of the kingdoms does not allow us to realize this simple truth.

— The mentality of the kingdoms? Then where are you from? The blue eyes glared at the red ones.

— Hmm, should I say it or not? Mark mused, playfully tapping his chin. — Oz knows it anyway, we are not hiding much, the kingdoms themselves have classified information about us, although who needs to have found out everything long ago. Consider it a well-known secret. Then why not? The chief did not forbid it. So listen up. Am I from the fifth state on this planet?

— The fifth? The girls blurted out almost simultaneously. — It's impossible!

— Who told you that? Do you think the world is limited to four cities and a dozen other villages? I advise you to get rid of this view of the world, although it will pass by itself when you grow up.

— As if you were an old man here. "

Well, I stopped counting my age after the fifth hundred, so you're really little kids to me.

— This is nonsense. People don't live that long. Blake took hold of the bridge of her nose. Although Ruby's eyes shone in anticipation of an interesting story.

— I agree, but I'm not human. Mark smiled.

— We realized that you are a fawn.

— Oh, I'm not a fawn. — the smile took on some kind of yawn.

"Are you a robot like Penny, too?" Ruby asked enthusiastically.

— Not even close. I'm a grimm. — The atmosphere at the table heated up almost instantly.

— This is a bad joke. Yang's eyes were almost glowing.

— No kidding. Look. Mark stretched out his left hand and ripped it open with a claw that had grown on his right. Jet-black blood poured onto the tabletop, quickly decaying in the air. After a couple of seconds, the cut has already healed.

— How? Weiss croaked in disbelief, but Yagn was always the most persistent of their group.

"Then why don't we kill you right here, bitch?" — She sat up and braced herself for the impact.

— How rude. — Mark was calm, but nothing threatens him. But the gaze turned to the blonde was as heavy as a steel plate. — And now <b >sit.

The girls were pressed into chairs, and several tons of weights were put on their bodies. Any attempts to move were unsuccessful, and it was also impossible to speak or shout.

Mark looked at the hunters, as if enjoying the horror in their eyes.

— This is my manifestation. A commanding voice. If your will is less than mine, then I can make you obey. As you can see, I also have an open aura, which means I have a soul. How can you, those who know nothing about Grimm, judge us? It's kind of racist. Mark grinned at Blake. — <b >Freely.

The girls immediately felt that everything was back to normal and they immediately grabbed their weapons, but they were in no hurry to do anything, because they understood that at any moment they would be neutralized like last time.

—I'm sorry, I can be too harsh sometimes," the humanoid grimm bowed his head. — I try to fight this, the psychologist helps a lot, but by nature I am an aggressive being. These are my personal escapades, not all Grimm's.

— Are you seriously saying that somewhere out there there is a country where the Grimm live? Ruby was tense, but her childish curiosity was strong.

— Yes, but not just the grimm. humans and fauns quite successfully live there as well. I'm surprised they don't tell you about us at all. Although this is all a conspiracy of the top of the Kingdoms, who do not want to lose power.

"What's that got to do with it?" — Weiss was just one of these "tops" and had not heard of any fifth state.

— Despite the fact that at one time my homeland was called the Holy Land. Ideally, a state without racism, poverty, with the richest reserves of ashes. Wild Grimms are few in number, and most of them can be nurtured into responsible members of society. An ideal place to live. If it weren't for the envious ones. How many times have we repelled attacks on us? I can't even count it. The kingdoms seemed to have a tradition of coming once every seventy years and trying to take a bite out of a pie that they couldn't cook themselves. True, in the last few centuries they have abandoned this business, I would like to say that this is for the best, but judging by the armament of the Atlas, they are simply preparing a massive offensive.

— Atlas war machines are designed to protect people from grimm! "Mr. Ironwood is a reasonable man and does not want to start wars.

— As if he can decide how to dispose of military forces... — Mark sighed. — Girls, we can discuss the real structure of the world for a few more hours, the greed of people and how the powerful tops of the world really work, but I'm afraid to break your view of the world, which will greatly affect you, and I was It is strictly forbidden to take such actions. So let's close this topic, okay? Tell me, do you have any questions? It's just that I'm one of the few reasonable people who doesn't want to use you, so there's no point in lying to me.

— Who do you work for?

"That's a very interesting question, Blake. But since Oz uses you in the dark, I don't want to tell you this, the information may cause undesirable reactions when communicating with him, and I was forbidden to put you in danger.

"Are you saying that if you tell us this, Ozpin will hurt us?"

— Just as a child cannot enter an adult institution, so you should not get into this business ahead of time. Gradually, you will learn everything, but be critical in the perception of information. For example, you can ask Ark if he studied the archives of his family, his great-great-great-grandfather was a great man.

— Does Jon's family have archives? —Didn't he tell you?"

He is from a family of great generals, and I can personally confirm this.

— Unexpectedly. — Apparently, upon his return, the Blond will be questioned very harshly.

— Will we have a secret cipher? Yang made a mental note to reduce the number of spy movies Ruby watched.

— No, why? I'm not hiding from anyone. You will be told at most that I am a bad person and that you should not mess with me. But you already know that they are wrong, I am not a human being.

— That is, you don't deny that you are bad. — Weiss has been learning how to negotiate properly for a very long time, so she finally decided to use these skills not only in disputes with her sister.

— It depends on the point of view. For some I am bad, for others I am good. The same applies to you. For Torchwick, for example, you are bad people who get in his way, but does that make you bad people? In any case, we can say that you are not absolutely kind, because you do not mind hurting another person.

— We are doing this for a good cause! Yang snapped.

— If you think that there are good and bad people, actions or events, then you are still too young. But it's not a bad thing, it has its own charm. Youthful maximalism, I used to be like that myself.

— Mr. CHSV. Yang muttered softly under her breath, but she was heard.

— Maybe, I won't argue. I'm above that. The snide grin hurt Yang as much as a knife.

— Ha, sister, he made you! Ruby nudged her.

— What are you ready to offer us? And how much will it cost us? Weiss decided to bring the conversation back to business, where she felt more confident.

— Is it worth it? No, I don't need anything from you. Your very existence is already sufficient payment for all my labors. And offer? What about the best ashes in the world for five combat kits each to start with?

— Did you rob a Schnee train?

— I told you, the best ashes in the world, what does Schnee have to do with it?

— The ashes of the Schni Company are the best in the world!

— Tell me this when you look at mine. By the way, it has already been delivered to your room. You'll need it against paladins.

— Paladins?

— My bloodhounds were following the smell of stolen engine oil, so I think you'll run into them. Okay, it's time for bedtime soon, so let's wrap it up. We'll meet again, but if you need urgent help, just call this number. Mark put a piece of paper with numbers on the table. — The fact of the call is important, so do not hesitate in an emergency situation. Good luck.

The humanoid grimm got up from his chair and nodded, heading towards the back exit of the club. The young hunters had a lot of thoughts to discuss, so the return trip was filled with theories and plans for what to do with all this, which stalled only when they saw military-style boxes by their beds filled with such pure ashes that it seemed that it could even be oversaturated. This is not taking into account previously unknown types of ashes, which it was decided to test in a secluded place at the first opportunity. With these thoughts, they went to bed.

Omak 14. After jazz, they listen to the blues

Mark sauntered out of the club from the back entrance after an interesting conversation with the young hunters. Although, not everything went perfectly, the fault is his long tongue, but much better than it could have been.

The seeds of a critical attitude to reality have been sown, and maybe they will be much more difficult to manage, as well as girls will realize important life lessons more smoothly and painlessly than is usually the case.

This is the maximum he dares to hope for, although the question is what one drunkard hopes for, who is menacingly approaching him down the alley with a scythe slung over his shoulder.

— What kind of people! Mark smiled. — Really, Oz's own personal bird has come to visit the old wolf cub?

— Get as excited as you want, creature. Where are my nieces? The red eyes of the Braven clan conveyed the rage filling Crowe's insides with amazing accuracy.

— Why is it so aggressive? They're at the club, finishing their cocktails and almost heading home.

"Even if you're telling the truth, I can't let you go. — The scythe turned into a fighting position and Crowe took a fighting stance, ready for an instant attack.

— Why is that? Mark didn't seem to care about a possible fight at all. — Is it in the rules of the light forces to attack peaceful people?

— You are not a man, you are a monster pretending to be a man.

— Oh, and you, how did the brave knight decide to slay the monster and save his princesses? What a useless activity.

Crowe couldn't stand it, and his silhouette smeared in the air to materialize right in front of Mark, striking him in the neck with a scythe.

— <b >Stop. — Crowe froze, his blade frozen a millimeter from the pale skin. "Oz, I told you what I did. But, he made a huge mistake. He didn't tell you who I was. <b >Don't resist.

Mark moved closer and undid the buttons on Crowe's casually dressed shirt, exposing his muscular chest and abs. The humanoid grimm's hand playfully ran over the hunter's torso.

— I never understood what my sisters find in men's bodies to adapt to them. Although, to be honest, even some instincts sometimes lead me to find out. — Mark's hand was going down into a very dangerous area.

— Y-you. Are you fucking serious? — from this turn, Crowe lost his way a little. And he couldn't even pull away, his body seemed to crawl under the fingers of this creature.

— Oh, believe me, if I were serious, we wouldn't be talking here. — Mark licked his lips, causing severe compression of some parts of the body in a seasoned hunter — But it's probably lucky that I'm not attracted to this.

Mark patted Crowe's cheek, grinning, and walked down the alley, leaving Crowe standing in a stupor.

— Ozpin. Fuck. — He sounded softly, after a moment of depopulation, leaving the club.

Omak 15. Burn the bridge after crossing it.

*Two months after the fall of the Beacon*

RUBY's team, together with Ozpin, flew in a bullhead after a difficult mission to find and extract a relic, the properties of which, in fact, the girls were not even told. They've been chasing mythical things for weeks now, that somehow they have to get everything back to normal, well, or at least take revenge. But, the confidence that had been on the bottom before had already completely evaporated, injuries and heavy opponents, which, as it turned out, the young hunters were not ready for, knocked down their spirit, and Ozpin did not seem to notice this, all striving for some goal he knew only.

Blake was lying on an uncomfortable air transport couch, holding onto her bandaged side, the bandages on which were already soaked with blood. Schnee could only hold Ruby in her arms at this time, who was trembling in her arms, having been almost killed in a recent fight, but rather more worried about the lives of her teammates. Only Yang, covered in abrasions and cuts, as the older sister maintained her confidence. At least in something. But even this feigned bravado gave way, after all that had happened.

— Ozpin. — she turned her head to the former director. — Why are we here? To suffer? Every night… I can feel my hand. Even my fingers. Not this mechanical prosthesis. A real hand. The body I lost, the comrades I lost. All this does not stop hurting… It's like they're still here. You feel it too, don't you?

Ozpin just stared at her. He didn't say a word. There might have been something in his eyes, but Yang couldn't figure out what. But definitely not what she had hoped for. Yang wanted to punch the bastard in the face, but that wouldn't fix anything, it would only make the situation worse. But when they get to Vale, she knows what needs to be done. The number that a very strange acquaintance gave them. A Grimm in human form. She'll dial it. And come what may. It's all for the team and Ruby. Yang has a duty as an older sister, and she will fulfill it by any means necessary.

Omak 16. Wolves always win

Grimm strolled through the once quiet streets of Vail like at home and ate the townspeople who had not had time to hide, policemen and soldiers with out of bullets. The paladins brought by Ironwood, created to protect people, turned against them and took no less lives. In the midst of all this chaos, she stood—Ruby Rose, a student at the Beacon Hunter Academy. And there was only one question in her head: Why? Why did the fauns from White Fang break through the wall and set the Grimm on innocent residents? There could be other fauns among them, and people without prejudice. Why did Synder Fall and her henchmen frame Ruby—Young's sister? Why did they make Pyrrha kill Penny? Why did they wake up that dragon?

And, most importantly, why did they, the hunters, kill ordinary people?

These questions haunted Rose. There was a crash from behind. The girl turned around and saw...

a gray-haired, red-eyed wolf fawn in an open black coat, black pants, black and white sneakers and a white shirt standing over the defeated Beowulf. The guy turned to her.

— Hey, are you okay?

"I... I don't know…

"What do you mean, you don't know?" He cocked his head to one side, "I think you SHOULD know if you're okay or not." I repeat: are you okay?

For some reason, Ruby felt sick of her words. She's fine here, you see, and somewhere out there people are being eaten by a grimm!

— I see that you're not okay at all. Okay, that's your business. By the way, aren't you a hunter?

— A student of "Beacon"…

— So you'll become a hunter. It's also good. Okay, where's next, Cap? He gave a mock salute. Ruby was embarrassed.

— Probably... — a shout was heard from somewhere, — there! and she, having dispersed the manifestation, rushed to the aid of the unknown.

— That's the speed, — Sanek (and it was him) whistled, — The main thing is that it's not at night, right? — smiling at his joke, the guy ran after the girl.

Ruby, who appeared in the alley, barely managed to shoot Beowulf in the head, who attacked two fauns — a boy and a girl. Both had the same eye color and bear ears. Brother and sister.

— Run! — in a commanding tone (which for some reason does not work for the rest of the RWBY team), she shouted and blocked the passage to the second Beowulf. There were screams and growls from behind.

"No!" flashed through the girl's mind. She turned around and saw how some ursa... was lying with a punctured head, and the same guy was standing on it. Those children were hiding behind him. Turning, Ruby was hit in the face with a clawed paw and flew into the wall. Shaking her head, she rushed into battle again and dodged the next two swings of the grimm. Rose soared into the air and fired, using the recoil to accelerate and spinning the scythe like a fan, chopping Beowulf into small pieces. There were claps.

— Wow. No, really, wow. I'm impressed. By the way, we never met," the guy applauded Ruby.

Ruby Rose," she held out her hand and he shook it vigorously.

— Wolfe. Just Wolfe.

<center >***

"Are you sure about this?" Wolfe followed Ruby with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed, "I think we should head to the Beacon now and help protect him.

- No! I..." Ruby was distracted by the scratching of the scroll, "... Blake! We have to help her!

"And where is this Blake of yours?"

-...I don't know…

— Shopping center. Who is it anyway?

— Oh! She's a fawn cat and a member of my team. And my friend.

Wolfe sniffed the air.

"Um... it smells like fish... and metal." We're going there," he waved his hand in the direction of the main street.

***

Adam Taurus reveled in his revenge on the traitor. Blake stopped going astray a long time ago, and he decided to bring her back.

Even if... in a rather painful way.

The leader of the rebellion wiped the blood from his blade.

— Will you really continue to resist, <i >beloved? — in response, he received an angry glare from cat's eyes, — oh, don't be silent. I haven't touched your tongue yet. Bye, — he decided to continue <i >processing, but he was interrupted.

— Blake!

— Blake!

— Yang?.. R-Ruby.? — the cat stared blankly at her friends.

— Shopping center. It's such a bad time. Well, well, but I..." he did not have time to finish saying that "I", as a blow flew into his solar plexus, piercing the Aura and knocking all the air out of his lungs, "guh—h! — Adam broke through the wall of an abandoned house with his body and fragments of bricks and other debris fell on him.

— Hmm! Wolfe massaged the knuckles of his right hand. Three pairs of eyes stared at him in surprise. He really is a sla... — the Aura charge released by Adam's blade, which got out from under the rubble, did not let him finish. Dodging, Wolfe stared at his opponent — tangled red hair, a grimm mask and a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth - although... not such a weakling, Wolfe struck again, but his fist was blocked by the terrorist's weapon. However, this did not help much — the blow smashed the blade into small pieces and flew over the fawn mask. He flew away again, but already managed to group up and land on his feet. The mask shattered, revealing a blue eye glowing with primal fury. The second one was branded with SDC. Wolfe whistled, "so they really brand fauns?" Wow, man. It sucks," but Adam wasn't listening. With a fragment of the sword, he rushed to Wolfe, but he managed to shift sideways and the blow went into the milk. A violent terrorist got kicked in his face, — hey, man! What the fuck are you so angry about? — in response, Adam loaded the blade into the throat of the opponent, but he moved his hand away and hit the elbow joint, piercing the Aura and crunching broke the attacker's arm, — although ... you definitely look in the mirror at least once every day. Not only do you have a monstrous fucker, you're also a bull, and your hair is red. That's why you're so angry. My advice is to go to a plastic surgeon and dye your hair. It might help," and Wolfe punched Taurus in the rump again, causing him to spit blood again and pass out, "no. Still a weakling," he turned around and saw three even more surprised pairs of eyes, "why are you looking at me like that?

— You defeated Adam, ept, Taurus with your bare hands. Even I couldn't do that," Yang threw up her hands, "and I'm not the least bit tired! Who are you anyway?

Wolfe smiled broadly.

"Call me Wolfe, ladies.

Omak 17. Rip and Tear

Ozpin was very unhappy with the current situation. His academy is stormed by Grimm and White Fang. The connection was hacked, and so were the Atlas robots. Losses among young hunters will begin soon, which would be very undesirable.

Synder, the girl who arranged all this, came here for the power of Virgo. As she thinks, the most powerful force in the world, but she was wrong. He has something else in his basement besides a comatose girl. Ancient, powerful, terrifying. The scourge of Grimm, which is too dangerous to release just like that. But it is he who, having risen up, will turn the situation in favor of Ozpin.

In the basement of the academy, in a secret room inside the secret corridors, the light turned on. At the same time, the servomotors locking the lid of the majestic stone sarcophagus began, on the contrary, to open a giant slab covered with magical symbols. For the first time in many centuries, it came to light, the most terrible weapon that Remnant had seen.

—The Grimm is rage itself. — Ozpin watched the awakening of the creature through the cameras. — Cruel, fearless, unstoppable... merciless. But you, you're going to be even worse. Tear them to shreds until you destroy them all…

The Wolf of Doom got out.

Omak 19. Memento Mori

Absolute darkness. An endless and elusive moment of unity with the universe, where you are aware of everything. A flash of light and a white space without any boundaries.

— Hello. A girl of about twenty in white clothes smiled at me.

— Do you have any gifts? — Suddenly, a lit cigarette appeared right in my hand, which I immediately took a drag on. — Ugh, she's so shitty. My favourite.

— Aren't you afraid to sin right in front of God? — The girl asked, tilting her head.

— Well, firstly, they are judged for the sins they committed during their lifetime, and secondly, now a lot has become clear, considering that God is a woman. — I, without ceremony, turned around and walked towards the stairs, which suspiciously quickly caught my eye, down with a fiery backlight. — OK, I'm off. I've been wanting to see Marilyn Monroe live for a long time, heh.

But something went wrong. As soon as I went down a couple of steps, I immediately found myself at the top, but I did not start the descent. After trying a couple more times, I turned around and spread my arms in a perplexed gesture, and I wanted to say, but the girl beat me to it:

— The next phrase you say will be: "Is that a fucking Jojo reference?"

— Is that a fucking Jojo reference? I exclaimed and immediately slapped my face with my palm, looking at the goddess's malicious grin. — Come on, fuck you ... seriously?

— Well, I get bored too... — And almost shuffles her foot like a schoolgirl.

— Okay, fuck it, so I can't go there, — I pointed to the stairs, — so I should go there?

My finger went up in the Josuke pose from the fourth season, which I adopted. I can do that too, girl.

— Well, as if not. You did a lot of good things, you weren't an asshole, but you weren't good enough to send you to Heaven. So we're in a bit of a dead end here.

— I've done a lot of fucking things in my life, of course I regret some moments, it doesn't happen to anyone, but life definitely didn't prepare me for such bullshit. I'm not even a Christian!

— Well, undecided people are usually assigned to random gods, so you're lucky, Cthulhu, technically also a god.

— Thanks a lot, I'm stuck in the middle of a fucking nowhere — a fucking topic, I advise you from the bottom of my heart!

— Leaving you here really wouldn't be the best idea, what should I do? The goddess began to think actively, propping her chin on her fist. I didn't bother her, deciding to focus on a lengthy trip to nowhere with thoughts about everything.

— I thought of it! This supernatural girl exclaimed after a couple of minutes. — There is one issue that needs to be resolved, and I am not supposed to go there personally, so you will help me.

— And where will I go from the submarine? What is the question?

— I think you'll figure it out on the spot, but I'll warn you, moving a soul through universes is not a very favorable event for it, so maybe anything can happen.

— I comforted the fuck. — I threw the finished cigar on the floor and trampled it with the sole of my shoe. — But fuck it. Che, come on, give us guys hell.

— Good luck then! — She smiled and waved at me as I disappeared into a column of light. It felt strange.

***

In one world filled with creatures of darkness, one Beowulf suddenly had a soul whose desire to change the fate prepared for this world.