Chapter 39: Rebirth

Willow had took Ruby to Winter's room, so she could rest after what happened. Vest was standing in the room with the others as she glances around a little as she let out a sigh, she needed to tell them.

Weiss glanced at Vest, knowing something was up. She cocked an eyebrow up wondering what she was hiding. "Okay, spill it..what are you hiding?"

Vest cocks her head to the side looking at Weiss. "Alright, fine. You got me, I am hiding something. But it's both bad and good news, I was going to say it sooner. But that Grimm showed up."

Nora was still awake as she looks at her. "...What's the bad news?"

"Bad news first? Okay...Krystal's dead." Vest said looking down. "Scarlet killed her." She glances out the window a bit. "After we launched Amity tower into the sky, Scarlet and co showed up to stop us. But...me, Pepper and his team, Penny, Maria, and Krystal fought them. After the signal went through, and Penny fell from the sky. Scarlet left the tower and back to Salem."

Nora looked at Vest still, while Weiss clinched her fist. Blake was silent while listening, Penny was out cold still after what The Hound did to her.

"I'm sure you're wondering what this has to do with the good news?" Vest asked. "Good news is, Krystal infected Scarlet with her semblance...after Krystal died in front of me, I went out on Scarlet with my anger and rage. To add to it, Scarlet had the Fall Maiden powers she stole from Cinder. Luckily I took them from her.." She started to pace back and forth in the room as she looks at them. "I tore Scarlet's body apart, and she started to crystalize into a statue."

Blake cocks an eyebrow up. "Meaning?"

"It's obvious." Klein said. "Scarlet was turned into a crystal statue, am I correct?"

Vest nods her head. "Bingo, so...to sum it up, Scarlet won't be a problem for us anymore, the nightmare's over. We only have to worry about the biggest threat."

"Salem." Deity said crossing her arms. "But let me ask you this, are you sure Scarlet's dead? Did you check her crystal coffin for any cracks?"

"I..." Vest spoke but closed her mouth.

"Didn't think so." Deity said as she walks over to her. "Just because she was turned into a crystalized statue, doesn't mean she's dead for good. For all we know, the statue could be cracking, allowing her to become free of her prison."

Vest bit her lower lip as she looked away. "I didn't think it would need to be checked, Krystal said herself there was no way anything that turned into a crystal would be in it's normal form."

~~~

The crystal statue that was Scarlet was broken, the Grimm girl had broke free. But there was something different about her, half of her body was normal. But as the other half of her body, it was corrupted.

Scarlet looked in a window seeing her reflection, she scoffed seeing how her body was corrupted. She was no longer a Wolf in Sheep's clothing, she was half Grimm, the corrupted side of her body was Grimm. The arm Vest had torn off had regrown to be a Grimm arm, while her side was also Grimm, her leg was also a Grimm leg. "....Kill....them...all..."

Scarlet's dress was torn as well, she only wore half of it while her Grimm half wasn't clothed. She walked the empty streets of Mantle, she sniffed the air for any traces of Vest's smell or anyone close by. She picked up a strong smell of five people who were far away from town, She recognized one of the smells. "Yang....Xiao Long..."

Scarlet had one Grimm wing on her Grimm side as she took flight into the air, despite having one wing and no maiden powers. She was certain to kill everyone who stood in her way this time, no more playing with her prey. She made too many mistakes, she knew Salem would be displeased with her whenever she gets back.

Yang and the others were sitting in the wooden cabin they had found awhile ago, they didn't have any plans on what to do. Not to mention Ren was angry because they couldn't save Oscar from The Hound.

Ren sat outside the cabin as he held his scroll out scanning the area for a signal. Suddenly he noticed something but couldn't make it out, he used his camera to zoom in on what he thought was a in coming Atlas ship. "Guys!"

Jaune rushed out as Derek, Draken and Yang followed. "What's up?"

"We've got company." Ren said. "Get ready...I don't think this is a rescue.."

The group drew out their weapons. Scarlet was nearing as the Grimm girl landed on the snowy ground, she noticed the river of Grimm that was nearby.

"You." Yang said clinching her fist tightly. "What's with the ugly make over? Couldn't handle looking like my sister?"

Scarlet hissed as she glares at Yang and the others. She didn't have Black Rose with her at all, her scythe was rusted to the point of no return. Yang noticed Scarlet didn't have her weapon as she snickered a little.

"This is gonna be a piece of cake." Yang said. "She doesn't even have her weapon."

Derek popped Yang on the head. "Don't jinx us, she's still strong."

Scarlet's Grimm eye glowed with anger, she dashed forward and stretched her Grimm arm out grabbing Jaune.

"Crap." Jaune said.

Scarlet flung Jaune around and threw him into the cabin, Jaune got up and shook his head. "I wasn't ready!"

Scarlet cackled a little, Yang ran at her and punched her in the face sending her flying back. Derek dashed forward as he turned his arm into a gun, he fired at Scarlet with dust bullets causing a mixture of dust to make a explosion.

~~~

"Wait, if she's still alive...then." Weiss said.

"Then it's likely she's going to target Yang and the others." Deity said. "We're unaware of their location however, try to give them a call. If they pick up then warn them."

Blake nodded her head a little. "But what about Ruby, Nora and Penny? We can't just leave them here."

Vest looks at her and then at Nora. "If they don't pick up and answer, half of us will go search. We don't know for sure what plans Scarlet has if she's alive still."

Blake hesitated for a moment but took her scroll out, the first person she called was her brother, the scroll rang, and rang. But no answer, she had a worried look on her face as her ears dropped.

"He...he didn't answer." Blake said.

Weiss bit her nail as she looked like she was thinking of something. "They have to be somewhere...but where?"

Deity thinks for a moment. "It's possible they could be on the outskirts of Mantle and Atlas.." She looked over to Klein. "Klein, is there any places out there? A cabin or anything?"

Klein cocked an eyebrow up. "Just a snowy vast land that stretches out, with a view of Mantle and Atlas..but going out to look for them, is like looking for a needle in a hay stack."

Ruby stumbled into the room, her eyes weren't back to normal. Her body still shook, she collapsed to the floor looking up at the others. Willow walked in as she looked a little worried, she picked Ruby up and supported her as a weight.

"What's going on here? I thought she was resting?" Weiss asked.

"She was, but..." Willow said. "She refuses to stay behind and rest."

Ruby was looking at them still, Vest walked over as she looks at Ruby. "Forgive me." She chopped the back of Ruby's neck, knocking out unconscious. "Take her back to Winter's room, she's going to be rest now. Right now we need a plan of action, to look for Yang and co. And try to warn them, we need a lead on where they would be at most importantly."

Willow took Ruby out of the room and went back to Winter's room, so Ruby could fully rest. Klein thinks for a bit as he looked at Penny who was still out, he glances over to Weiss. "Ms. Schnee, is it possible that Penny would have the location on where they would be at?"

"Possible, she is an android." Weiss said. "But we don't know if Penny would have that info, she's been hacked."

"We can't just sit around and wait!" Blake shouted as it startled everyone. "My brother is out there! I don't want him to die, your brother's dead Weiss. She slipped under our noses, and was a maid here..she's killed our friends, she's Salem's blood and flesh. I know she's a clone of Ruby, but still. regardless of that, she's still related to Salem!" She grabbed Weiss by the collar. "Do you want more of our friends to die at her hands?!?"

Weiss looks away. "Blake....I get it, Scarlet was created to be our doom. The one to end us...but we don't have the information on where Derek and the others are at." She pushed Blake's hands off her. "Salem wants us to go at each other's throats. To make us let our guard down, for the killing blow...but you've seen what that Grimm was, that Grimm was Ruby's mother. Salem is using silver eyed people and silver eyed Faunus' to make intelligent Grimm, Qrow...Ruby, and even Yang had said it. Summer died when Ruby was young.." She walked over to the window and touched it. "Maria even mentioned it too, Ruby's the last silver eyed warrior."

Blake clinches her fist. "No, you're wrong...Ruby isn't the only one." She looked down at the floor. "There is...a Faunus I know who is still part of the White Fang, she has silver eyes."

~~~

Scarlet growls as she threw Yang aside, she had thrown her towards Ren and Jaune. Draken teamed up with Derek to attack Scarlet, but the Grimm girl flew into the air and came slamming down hitting Draken into the ground.

"D-Damnit." Yang said getting up. "She's countering our every attack."

"Not to mention, her semblance is her back up." Ren said shaking his head of snow. "We need to find a opening to push her into the river of Grimm."

"Are you nuts?" Jaune asked. "She's a freaking Grimm girl...it won't do anything."

Draken got up as he shakes his head, Derek had used his semblance to protect himself from the attack. "Everyone, get up...we have to take her down."

Yang scans around the area. "I don't see her...where did she go?"

"....Kill...." Scarlet said as she reached up from under the ground where Derek was standing at, she grabbed his feet with her hands and pulled him under.

"DEREK!" Ren shouted running over.

Yang gritted her teeth as she also ran over, she blasted at Scarlet's hands but was too slow. "Fuck!"

Scarlet came up from under the ground as she threw Derek at Yang, she glared at Draken and ran at him. Draken backed up and jumped over her, Scarlet grinned and grabbed Draken by the leg slamming him down.

"Derek, get up." Yang said helping him up. "Are you okay?"

Derek coughed and gagged, spitting up water. "I-I'm fine..."

Jaune and Ren ran at Scarlet to help Draken, Scarlet snickered as she sweep kicked them knocking them down. She raised her leg up to being it down onto Draken's chest, but Yang shot at her leg.

"You're not going to kill anyone else." Yang said as rushed at Scarlet, and tackled her. "Now Derek!"

Derek rushed over and went to grab Scarlet's wrist. He had a dust bullet ready to go off and into her head, but time came to a stand still.

Scarlet wiggled her way out as she stood up, she grabbed Jaune's sword and looked at it for a moment. She grinned and laughed, she got behind Derek and Yang. Blinking time resume.

"Where did she go?" Draken asked as he looked over. "Behind you!"

Before Yang and Derek could turn around, Scarlet grinned widely as she stabbed Jaune's sword through Derek's chest. She grabbed Yang by the throat and threw her to the side, she deepened the sword into Derek's body as the cat Faunus coughed up blood.

"No..." Jaune said. "We were too slow...she took another life..."

Yang slid across the snowy ground as she coughed, she rubbed her throat as she got up slowly. Her eyes widen as she saw what happened, she clinched her fist tight as her eyes went red. "YOU MONSTER!!!" She exploded with rage as she was on fire, she rushed over to Scarlet and cocked her arm back to throw a punch at her face.

".....No....not this time..." Scarlet said as she used Derek's body a shield.

Yang skidded on her heels to stop herself from going any further. Scarlet licked her lips as she threw Derek's body at Yang, and gut punched Yang hard. She glanced over at Draken, Ren and Jaune before taking off into the air, flying away.

"Quick, stop the bleeding!" Draken said dashing over to Derek and Yang. "Yang, keep the wound covered, Jaune hurry!"

"Draken.." Yang said getting up slowly. "His arura's broken...she killed him...we can't save him....it's already too late.."

Draken shook his head. "No...no, you're lying...Blake put trust in us to make sure Derek came back to her safe and sound.."

"No...she's right." Jaune said. "Scarlet killed him....we can't save him...we're not a group without the others here...we lost this war already." He picked Derek's body up and placed him into the broken cabin. "We have to tell Blake and the others...we need to regroup to be strong...to stop any more of us from dying.."

A/N:[I can't take credit for Draken, Vest, Deity, or Pepper and his team.]