21

Chapter 20-Forever Fall part III

Harry and Velvet; Bone Valley, Forever Fall; Vale: 11:45 A.M.

The trip down the cliff wasn't all that difficult.

The two Faunus were able to safely traverse the cliff face in a matter of minutes easily and make their way down to the infamous Bone Valley. Whitley, apparently, had sent one of his drones to Forever Fall earlier in the week for reconnaissance; so now the two hunters in training had a mini Bullhead-shaped drone by their side. Harry landed on a large boulder and placed a hand on his forehead as he observed the foggy expanse before him.

"So this is Bone Valley, eh?" he mused, taking in the outlines of the trees within the mist. The two Faunus and drone were currently located atop an outcropping of rocks and boulders lining the edge of the cliff and stared out into the uncharted territory. "Definitely not what I was expecting."

Velvet took out her camera and snapped a few photos. "It does have a rather alluring look to it," she commented as she looked for something else to photograph. "However…" she frowned. "I've got this bad foreboding feeling right now…"

Whitley's drone flew in-between them, and his face appeared on a holo-screen. "Yeah, I hear that," he said in his usual pleasant tone. "I mean, I'm all the way in Atlas, and even I can feel it. It's kind of unsettling."

"Kind of feels like the Forbidden Forest back home," Harry mumbled, still looking around. "Quite eerie and an unhealthy amount of fog." He mummed lightly. "Truth be told, I'm feeling kind of nostalgic."

"…Are you implying what I think you're implying?" Velvet asked with a deadpan.

"Maybe/Heck yes," Harry and Whitley said simultaneously. They looked at each other and glared. Velvet sighed. Evidently, she could not escape the fact: boys will always be boys.

As if she didn't get enough of that with Fox and Yatsuhashi.

"…Let's just find that cave," she mumbled. "If there's even a cave." She began looking around, twitching at the shadows that seemed to appear in the mist of the forest. Great, the place was already starting to screw with her head.

Harry and Whitley ended their glare-off and began searching as well. Harry turned and smiled as he found what they were looking for. "There!" he called out getting the others' attentions. Just higher on the outcropping was a dark hole, the entrance of a cave.

Velvet and Whitley looked up to where he was pointing. Harry turned a wide grin to Velvet. "You were right!" he told her. "One cave all ready to be explored!" His cheerful demeanor seemed to effect Whitley and Velvet. Harry grinned wider. "So, who's ready to go spelunking in the dark and dreary cave?"

With Adam and Blake

Adam and Blake had moved to a position not far from their meeting spot, and collected their sap rather easily. Now, they were just resting while they had the chance. Blake sat atop of a boulder reading a book while Adam leaned against a tree. Inexplicably, Adam began chuckling.

Blake looked up from her reading. "What's so funny, Adam?"

"Nothing," he said with a shrug. "It's just that this whole scene feels familiar, don't cha think?" he asked with a smirk.

Blake frowned at what he said, trying to figure out what he meant, until she looks around. Her eyes widened slightly. "Oh!" Now she knew what he was talking about…

Adam nodded. "This is almost like all those months ago, when you decided to leave the White Fang," he said. He pushed off the tree and walked towards Blake. "Funny how things work out, huh?" Blake chuckled.

"Yes, it truly is," she admitted. She looked over to him and asked, "What's brought this on all of a sudden?" Adam shrugged.

"Nostalgia, I guess," he said, but Blake could clearly make out his clear attempt to deflect the question. "And then there's that thing concerning our meeting Jacques Schnee at Menagerie over the weekend." With that Blake winced.

Menagerie was the place she had spent most of her childhood at before that fateful day in the Schnee mines, when her parents were killed. She wasn't looking forward to returning to her childhood home.

Blake stayed silent after that, and Adam left her alone, knowing how sensitive the topic was. It was several minutes more when Blake spoke up.

"Why'd you leave the White Fang?" she asked Adam, surprising him. "And no dodging the question, Adam. I want a real answer."

Adam hesitated, a rare thing for him. His reasons actually ran a bit deeper than what he had told Harry months ago. And he certainly didn't want to go into details. Least of all Blake. Not that he didn't trust her, but she was the main reason he left the White Fang and talking about that with her seemed awkward.

He didn't do awkward; that was Blake's thing.

However, before he could say anything, the ground shook under them. They gasped in shock as a second, more powerful quake and the sound of stone breaking filled the area. They looked up to see a massive dust cloud a half mile away. They looked at each other and nodded, taking off towards the area, hoping no one was harmed.

Back with Harry, Whitley, and Velvet, moments earlier

Whitley's drone produced some flashlights for them as they reached the cave. While they were unneeded, it was nice to have a little extra light. So, the two nodded their thanks and proceeded on with the drone following close behind. Whitley was the first to speak when they ventured into the cave.

"So far, so good," he murmured as a mini copter like bot shot out of his drone.

"Whit, what have I said about tempting fate?" Harry glared at the youngest Schnee.

"Sorry."

"Don't do it again."

"What's that about?" Velvet asked, confused.

"Harry's got this complex that fate's trying to kill 'em," Whitley explained. "Of course, most of the time I've found he may be onto something, considering all the bad situations he gets into."

"I thought you said he's good at getting out of bad situations?"

"He is; trouble and him are very good friends, though."

"If you two are done talking about my family's luck," the teen in question muttered. "Watch your step, Velvet. There's an incline here." Velvet nodded her thanks.

"Alright, we should be nearing the anomaly," Whitley spoke as another copter bot shot out of his drone. "Just a few more feet straight ahead."

"Um, Whitley?" Velvet asked hesitantly. "I've been wondering…what are those little robot things coming out of your drone?"

"Signal boosters," Whitley replied. "I wasn't sure if my connection would be affected by several miles of bedrock over my drone, so I've been sending them out so I have a constant connection even miles underground." His holo-screen flickered for a second. "Though it seems going further in will still screw with my signal, looks like."

"Then let's hope our target is close like you estimate and not further down," Harry commented as they trekked further. "I'd hate to take to lose your scientific knowledge on this find."

"I take your compliment and raise it that I'd hate to miss out on your own research regarding this," Whitley sent back.

Velvet smiled at the interaction. The way they were acting was akin to her brothers did on occasion. She was about to comment on it when a loud barking noise sounded out. The three tensed, even Whitley despite being all the way in Atlas. "That sounded like a Beowolf," she whispered.

Harry nodded. "Cover me," he ordered. "I'll take point." Velvet nodded affirmatively. "Whit, keep your drone close to her. I know it's got some pretty nasty self-defenses, but better safe than sorry. Especially since we have limited space."

"Copy that." Whitley's voice was significantly lower, but alert and stony.

Harry nodded again and began moving cautiously, carefully drawing his Zweihander training sword as he moved to a corner. Velvet and Whitley's drone came up to his sides. Harry looked out into the darkened room and saw nothing but crevices in the ground. Satisfied for the moment, he looked to Velvet and made a gesture of pointing to the two of them and then motioning to the room slowly, signaling they enter at a gradual pace. Velvet nodded, and the two, slowly, made their way into the open area.

The room itself was pretty big, with large roots lining the walls and several big pits littering the floor. The two hunters and drone stayed close to the wall as they neared one of the pits. Positioning their flashlights, they discovered…

"…Tar?" Velvet asked, disbelieving. Whitley looked distraught.

"No, no," he muttered. "That's not right…" His holo-screen became a tad distorted as he opened more holo-screens in front of him. "That can't right!" he mumbled as he flickered through several algorithms and programs.

"What do you mean that can't be right?" Velvet asked curiously. Whitley didn't answer, as he was too busy muttering to himself.

Meanwhile, Harry frowned and knelt by the pool. 'I don't know what this stuff is, but it's not tar,' he thought. He frowned deeper when he placed a hand in the pool and hissed when it began to burn his hand. 'This…goop…is Magic. Pure dark magic. Blacker than anything I've ever felt.'

'Even darker than whatever was in your scar,' Padfoot growled within his mind. Harry nodded dreadfully. Just then, a loud warning signal sounded from Whitley's drone.

"W-Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Whitley cried out in nervousness. "Harry, we got a problem! Readings show dangerous levels of black magic rising and rising fast! I think we need to get out of here fast!"

"Whoa, wait! Magic?!" Velvet asked, confused.

"Long story short, magic exists, and we've just stumbled on a cave full of the darkest shit I've ever recorded," Whitley explained rapidly. "Ask more later. Right now, we need to make a quick exit, and stat!"

"Quiet!" Harry hissed as the pit before them…bubbled. The three teens turned to the pit and saw the tar begin to rise up. They tensed up until they saw the tar seep back down, revealing a black furred hand with white bone claws. The trio watched in horrid fascination as a young Beowolf rose out of the murky pit and began walking away from it, heading further into the cave.

The trio was silent for the briefest moments. "A-A-A G-Grimm…" Velvet stuttered.

"…just came out of that tar," Whitley finished for her, his face paler than usual.

Harry stared at the retreating Grimm, still looking horribly fascinated. "So that's how they exist," he whispered. Looking back down at the pit, he knelt to it again. "They're constructs. Magical constructs…Golems! But…that doesn't make any sense! They don't give off a magical signature!"

'It did when it was forming,' Padfoot reminded him. 'Perhaps after it's fully formed, they've stabilized enough that they don't need to expel it normally. However, a more concerning thought is that their 'signature' is ominously similar to…'

'A Dementor's!' Harry thought with wide eyes. A Dementor's presence was oppressive. It seeped through the air like a cold wind and forced one's worse memories. A Grimm's presence was not so much as oppressive, but more like a sense of wrongness hovering in the air. Yet, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He cursed himself for not seeing it.

Meanwhile, Velvet and Whitley had apparently broken into a fitful conversation of their own. "…That still doesn't explain how Grimm come from that goop!" the hare Faunus said a little hysterically.

"I'm trying on figuring that out!" Whitley replied hotly. "This isn't exact science! I don't have anything to go on!"

"You're not helping!"

"Neither are you!"

"We just saw a Grimm being b-born, for Dust's sake! Excuse me for panicking!"

"Shut it! Both of you!" Harry growled authoritatively, making them stop. He quickly conjured a vial and charmed it. He quickly scooped some of the gunk into it and corked it. "Here's a sample, Whitley. It's all we can do right now!" Just as Whitley's drone accepted the vial, a loud scream resounded through the cave.

Without thinking, a sword, a hard light copy of a hammer, and a laser whirled through the air and utterly annihilated a newly born Ursa. The three stared down at the massive bear Grimm as it disintegrated. "Okay, I think we overstayed our welcome," Harry commented. "All for leaving say 'Aye.'"

"Aye,/Aye!" Whitley and Velvet squeaked.

"Aye," Harry said and the two hunters in training and drone turned to leave, only for a large, crude stone axe to embed itself in the wall, baring their exist point. A loud growling sound caught their attention, and, in true horror movie fashion, the three turned ever so slowly in the direction of the growling.

Standing before them, just a few feet away, was the tallest Grimm they had ever seen on two legs. Its feet were bone white hooves connected to beefy black skinned legs. Its midsection was covered in bone armor, like some primal version of a girdle. The torso of the behemoth was covered stark black fur that also covered humanoid arms and hands. Its head was that of a large bull, complete with massive horns pointing up into the air like obelisks. Blood red eyes glared down at the two Faunus and drone from behind a plated bone mask.

The sight was enough to petrify the three.

Oddly, it also put them in an eerie sense of calm.

"Is that what I think it is?" Whitley asked in a whisper.

"I think so," Harry responded, equally quiet.

"A Minator all the way in Forever Fall," Whitley commented. "Rare among rare amongst the Grimm. Only found in Vacuuo. Highly intelligent. Highly dangerous."

"Which is why we are going to move as slowly as possible for the exit, and then haul ass of here," Harry explained.

"Why not Apparition out of here?"

"Your drone holds the most viable Grimm data in forever. I need to know what kind of magic is sustaining them, and I can't risk Apparition destroying your drone and the sample. Now, Velvet, Whit, no sudden movements, and let's carefully make are way to the exit. Now."

Velvet, however, wasn't listening. She was suddenly overcome with the most agonizing temptation she had ever felt. She tried to fight it, she really did, but soon she slowly lifted her camera up to her face and snapped a picture of the massive Grimm.

The camera's flash illuminated the dark room, and the Grimm roared in pained surprise as its massive hands went to shield its eyes from the harsh light.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!" the two males screamed in unison with shark teeth as they comically shook Velvet, with Whitley's drone's wings somehow becoming human-like hands.

"I'M SORRY! I COULDN'T HELP IT!" the Faunus girl wailed, hating herself for her lapse in control.

They were pulled from their panicking by the Minator's loud roaring again. The three looked to it and saw it racing at them, full charge. The three's faces fell.

"Mep," was all they said as the dodged erratically to the right as the Minator Grimm slammed into the wall, horns first and shaking the entire cave. It stay lodged in the wall for long, though, as it ripped itself out of the wall and grabbed its axe, turning to Velvet, who was further away from the other two.

But unfortunately for the Grimm, Harry was faster. "Depulso!" The banishing hex sent the massive Grimm flying away from her, and Harry took the opportunity to pick her up and try heading for the exit.

The key word being try.

The Minator shook its head of debris and roared loudly. Then, in an impressive display of strength and skill, it jumped all the way in front of the group, landing with a loud crash as its massive axe landing against the ground. Harry grabbed Velvet and dodged to the side. Whitley pushed some buttons, and soon his drone was shooting white Dust at the Grimm, making harsh white lights shine around it.

Harry and Velvet recovered and charged the Minator, but it swung its axe in a wide horizontal slash, making them jump over it. Harry grabbed his sword and slashed at the Grimm, but his sword didn't even wound the massive Grimm. It bounced off its massive chest, giving the Minator a chance to try and charge him with its horns at his chest.

The wolf Faunus Apparationed away. He reappeared behind the Minator, as Velvet attempted to land several punches and kicks to the Grimm. None phased it, and the rabbit Faunus had to jump over the giant beast to prevent it from grabbing her. She flipped and landed next to Harry.

"Its skin's like iron!" she shouted.

Suddenly, explosions rocked the cavern, and the Minator roared in annoyance. "And it seems to be immune to fire," Whitley commented as the drone flew next to Harry. Harry gritted his teeth and sought for another course of action.

"What should we do?" Velvet asked as the Minator recovered. It looked at them in fury and readied itself for another leaping strike. Harry looked above them and saw several stalactites hanging above them. He was suddenly struck with a mad, insanity filled idea.

'Pup, you better think this through!' Padfoot growled loudly. 'I'd prefer if you didn't die and make me dishonor my old master's wishes!'

'No time!' Harry mentally shouted at him. To his companions, he ordered, "Duck for cover!" As they complied, the wolf Faunus Apparitioned under the Grimm and pointed his wand at its abdomen.

"Depulso!" he shouted, pouring as much magic energy as he could into the attack. The Grimm roared as it was sent flying into the air. "Alarte Ascendare!" The Minator howled as it was sent flying into the ceiling. It hit several stalactites, shattering them, but two did pierce its shoulders, making it roar in pain as more fell. Harry moved his wand in an intricate pattern, heedless of the falling debris as he prepared his next spell.

"Scindunt Terram!"

With Ragnar and Pyrrha

Ragnar and Pyrrha worked in silence as they collected the sap. After introducing themselves to each other, they quickly got to work, enjoying the comfortable silence. Pyrrha closed the lid on her last jar, and wiped the sweat from brow and exhaled in exhaustion.

"Well, I've got my half," she informed her temporary partner. Ragnar smirked and closed the lid on his last jar.

"And I've got mine!" he said. He chuckled in amusement. Pyrrha looked at him curiously.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Nothing," Ragnar assured. "It's just…I'm just trying to figure you out," he explained. Pyrrha raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry," she spoke. "But, what do you mean?" The hunter in training shrugged.

"Well, when we met at the tournament, I didn't get a full glimpse of what kind of person you were," he admitted. "When I learned you were going to be attending Beacon, I figured I'd be able to learn more about you, but you've been quite the illusive little huntress. I can't seem to catch you and simply chat."

Pyrrha was a bit shocked to learn he had participated in the Mistral Regional Tournament. She also felt her face heat up a bit when he mentioned he had tried to speak with her. However, before she could speak any more, a massive quake shook them from their standing positions as the sound of falling rocks filled the area.

The two looked around and saw that a massive area behind them had fallen into a sinkhole! The two huntsmen in training looked at the sinkhole in shock. "What the hell?!" Ragnar exclaimed.

"A sinkhole, how?!" Pyrrha questioned. She shook her head and turned to Ragnar. "Come on, someone could have been hurt! We need to investigate!"

Ragnar didn't protest. "No arguments from me," he agreed.

With Ruby and Nora

"Well, that's the last of it!" Ruby said with a smile as she turned to Nora…who was drinking all the sap she had collected, again. Ruby sighed. "Nooooorrrrrraaaaaaaaaa!" the silver eyed girl whined.

"I'm sorry, Ruby!" Nora cried back with red sap staining her lips. "But I can't help myself!" She licked the sap off her face and continued, "It's sooooooo goooooood!"

Ruby was about to retort when the ground shook. The two excitable girls yelped and fell to their knees as the sound of rocks falling sounded throughout the area. They looked up to see dust flying up a good distance away from them. Ruby's eyes widened.

"Something's happened! We need to get over there and make sure no one was hurt!" Ruby said authoritatively. Nora snapped in attention and nodded once.

"Right oh!" she shouted and grabbed her weapon. She stopped suddenly and shouted, "Hey look! An Ursa!" She turned to Ruby and said, "Come on, Ruby Ru! We'll catch a ride on this Ursa and get there faster!"

With Isabella and Yang

The two Huntresses-in-training were discussing their training schedules and methods when they felt the ground shake. Suddenly becoming alert, they saw dust climbing into the air. Isabella narrowed her eyes.

"Come on!" she told her temporary partner. "Our friends might be in trouble!"

"Sure hope Ruby ain't involved with that," Yang muttered, hoping her sister wasn't caught in that.

With Summer

"…And she glared at me. GLARED at me, Tai! GLARED at me!" Summer whined to the projection of her husband. Taiyang just sighed.

"Summer, I told you to give her some time," he said to her.

"It doesn't change the fact it HURTS, Tai!" Summer responded a little calmer. "Yang's part of my world, and I want to be her rock like I used to be. Especially now that she's the Summer Maiden. If her powers awaken, she'll be vulnerable without proper training. And she won't get that if she thinks I'm the Devil reborn!"

"Yang doesn't think you're the Devil, Sum," Taiyang said, rolling his eyes at his wife's dramatics.

Summer was about to retort when the ground under her shook violently and the sound of rocks falling filled the area. Looking around abruptly, she noticed a large dust cloud forming. She frowned.

"Tai, I'll call you back," she informed and canceled the call.

With Ren and Weiss

"I believe that should cover it," Ren said as he placed the last of the jars on the ground.

Weiss nodded. "Right. Now we can head back to Professor Rose, and wait for the others," she told him, laying out the next course of action. Ren nodded, but just as they grabbed the jars, the ground shook, throwing them to the ground. They cried out in shock and fell flat, just as the sound of falling rocks reached their ears.

They both stood quickly and noticed a cloud of dust not too far from them. "What the Dust?" Ren wondered aloud.

Weiss, however, frowned deeply. "Harrrrrrry…" she groaned.