Chapter 10: Home Sweet Home?

It was several hours since Scarlet's rampage in the Neighboring World, and Queen escaping. Lucky Kurumi had stopped Scarlet from harming their daughter. She had brought Scarlet back from her satanic state, but Scarlet had one more job to do. Hunt down White Queen.

Marigold and Kurumi had returned to Tengu City, the small war was over. However the forest seemed to have seen better days, the were sprawled all over the ground and some were burnt to a crisp. Half of the ground was also frozen in ice, which was odd.

Nightmare glanced around wondering what happened, a twig snapped behind the two as Marigold turned around and saw Kotori. Kotori held her arm as blood trickled down her face.

"Y....You're back..." Kotori said as she winched in pain.

Kurumi walked over to the flame spirit as she eased her down against a fallen tree. "What happened here?"

Kotori coughed as she looked Nightmare in the eyes. "S-Sa....." She went silent as she passed out.

"Sa??" Marigold asked curiously. "Who is she talking about mama?"

Nightmare crossed her arms as she ponders. A deep bellowing growl coild be heard as she turned towards the direction of the sound, when she turned around a Ursa stood on it's back legs, the Grimm made eye contact with the two as it roared.

"Crap a Grimm." Nightmare cursed under her breath as she shot at the Ursa with her flintlock.

The Ursa swiped it's paw at the bullet and hit it away, the bullet hit the ground as it bounced off the ice and nicked Nightmare across the cheek. The Grimm started to charge towards the two.

"GET DOWN!" Nightmare pushed Marigold out of the way as she dodged and rolled out of the way.

Marigold fell onto her butt as she saw the Ursa miss, the Grimm slowly turned around and snarled. It towered over the child, before it could attack Tohka came down from the sky as she sliced it in half.

"Tohka." Marigold said as she noticed it wasn't the Tohka she knew.

Nightmare got up as she saw inverse Tohka, she walked over as she helped Marigold up. "What happened here Tohka?"

Tohka scoffed as she turned around. "While you and Scarlet were gone to save Marigold. A spatial quake alarm went off, but there wasn't any new spirits around."

Nightmare pondered as she wondered where the Ursa came from. She knew it wasn't Scarlet's doing, there had to be only one person who could've. But the spatial quake was also confusing. "Where are the others?"

Tohka gritted her teeth as she clinched her fist tightly. "Those things came out of nowhere after the quake alarm stopped. And then everyone was snatched up by them."

"Then how is it that you and Kotori are here?" Marigold asked puzzled.

~~~

Tengu City was in ruins and there was a dark cloud hanging over head. The creatures of darkness roamed around the city. The only safe place was Shido's house, Nightmare crossed her arms as she sat at the table. Tohka told her and Marigold everything, Kotori was on the couch, still unconscious.

"A plae woman, in black... with eyes similar to mommy's?" Marigold asked puzzled as she looked at Tohka and then over at Kurumi.

Nightmare was silent for a bit, she knew who it was. "Salem." Kurumi glanced at her daughter. "You're grandmother, but I know she died I was told."

"Okay then, how is she alive?" Tohka asked. "Clearly she's not dead, unless she's immortal like Scarlet."

Nightmare nods. "That is true, but I am certain she died... I know it."

Tohka slammed her fist against the wall as she glared at Nightmare. "Then how do you expect us to slay her?!"

"If Scarlet was here she'd be of some help." Nia said as she entered the room. "I managed to escape one of those Grimm creatures. I can't say the same for the others."

Nightmare raised an eyebrow up as she looked at Nia. "Do you know where we can find them? I might be able to send my clones out to find them, but we need to know where exactly."

Nia wasn't too sure exactly where they were at, she crossed her arms as she tilted her head to the side. "I wish I knew, but I don't. Even if I did, I'd be there to try and save them. But with this Salem person out there, it's hard to figure things out."

Nightmare held her arm up as the floor below them darkened, her clones started to come up from the floor as they all looked at Nightmare. "Listen up me's, Salem is here in Tengu City. Tohka, Nia and Kotori are the only three who have managed to escape... Shido and the others are captured, it's our job to track them down and find them. Salem is dangerous and will not stop at nothing to get what she wants."

The clones mumbled among themselves as they nodded in agreement with what Kurumi said. Marigold looked at her mother as she tugged on her skirt. "Mama.... what about me? Can I help too?"

Kurumi looked over at her daughter as she knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Not this time, you've already been through hell and back with Queen. Stay here with Tohka and the other two, this is something I need to do." She stood up as she looked at her clones. "Go, spread out through the city, search every inch."

Nia looked at Kurumi as she spoke up. "I'll be sure none of the Grimm will come here to Shido's house and take us or Marigold, the sooner things are set... the sooner everything will be back in order. And then we can come up with a plan to stop Salem." She adjusted her glasses as she sighs. "I wish Scarlet had stayed, she would've been a great model for my newest manga."

~~~

With Nightmares clones out searching Tengu City for Shido and the others, Kurumi stood ontop of the school's roof as she had her angel behind her. Her eyes closed as she was thinking of what to do, she had her musket and flintlock pointed to each side of her. Two bellowing growls were heard as two Griffins shrieked and flew towards the spirit.

Nightmare smirked as she shot at the two Grimm square in between the eyes. "Two down, yet so much more to go.. I wonder how Scarlet is doing with chasing down White Queen?" She turned around as she saw an Alpha Beowulf snarling at her. "Ara, you must've seen what I had done to your friends there. I must say, your kind was so loyal to Scarlet when she killed Salem. Yet, she's back somehow." She pointed her musket at the Grimm as she pulled the hammer back and then pulled the trigger. "Sit and play dead."

The bullet flew out of the musket and straight at the Beowulf, killing it in an instant. The Beowulf disintegrated into dust and ash leaving no traces behind. Nightmare sighed as she sensed an evil presence making its way towards the school, she shivered at this amount of evil she was feeling. She slowly turned around and looked ahead at the oncoming storm of Grimm. "She's coming for me.."

Back at Shido's home, Kotori had regained consciousness. Her fiery red eyes looked up at the ceiling. "Ugh.... my head."

Marigold glanced over as she smiled. "Auntie Kotori, you're awake." The child walked over tothe couch as she helped Kotori sit up.

"Marigold?" Kotori asked as she puts a hand to her forehead feeling a bit of wetness, she pulled her hand away as she saw blood. "Is this my blood?"

Marigold nodded a little bit. "Yeah, me and mama brought you back home. With Tohka's help of course, Nia did try bandaging you up, but I guess it didn't help. Your powers did heal the wounds you had gotten though."

The flame spirit glanced around as she wondered where Nightmare was at now. "And your mother, where is she now? What about Scarlet?"

"Nightmare and her clones are looking for the Shido and the others. Scarlet went chasing White Queen." Nia said as she brought over a bowl of soup for Kotori. "Kurumi is going to try to figure out where the Grimm took them. All while trying to buy sometime for us to think of a plan to kill Salem."

"Wait, she went out there alone? She won't even last fifty seconds." Kotori said as she sat there on the couch. "We need to go help her."

Tohka shook her head as she leaned against the wall. "No, we're staying here. We have to make sure no Grimm come to take us or Marigold. Those creatures hunt in groups, if anyone can deal with a group like that, it's Nightmare and her clones."

Kotori opened her mouth to say something but closed her mouth. "...Fair..." She grabbed the bowl of soup from Nia as she started to eat the soup. "I hope Shido is okay."

The oncoming storm of Grimm were getting closer and closer to the school, Nightmare grinned widely as she saw several Grimm flying towards her. She began shooting at them like a crazy psychopath on a murderous rampage. Each Grimm that came flying towards her got shot several times before turning into dust and ash, but something was wrong about this onslaught of Grimm coming to the school. Salem wasn't anywhere within the storm of Grimm, then where was she?

A black mist was making its way up the flight of stairs of the school as the rooftop door busted opened with a strong gust of wind. Before Nightmare could do anything about it, there was a sudden pause and then a jump scare. From within the black mist, Salem's arm reached out and grabbed the spirit by the throat and then both of them vanished, Nightmare had dropped her musket and flintlock onto the roof as they made a thunk and thud sound. Salem had kidnapped Nightmare for whatever purpose she had in store for the spirit, and no one knew this had happened.

The storm of Grimm died down as they roamed the city once more, searching for any survivors, the question was where had Salem taken Nightmare too? And what did she need the spirit for anyway? Was it for her grudge against her daughter? Or was it the fact that the spirit had something she needed?

"Nightmare, do you remember the first time we met? I remember. I remember the fear you brought to Remnant. But, since that day, you've been extraordinarily brave, not only to show Ozpin and the huntresses and huntsmen what you were capable of. You've shown my daughter love stuck by her side ever since then. But now.... it seems that you've taken things too far." Salem spoke as she looked out a window. "You've not only given her a new meaning to live and a child... but you and these disgusting pigs and spirits showed her compassion, friendship.... and most importantly.... The feeling of what it means to be a caring mother." She gritted her teeth as she clinched her fist tightly. "I cannot allow this to go on, a Grimm being shown love and friendship is something that makes me sick to my stomach!"

Nightmare glared at the woman as her clock eye ticked. "She's more of a mother than you ever were! She's showed our child the love you could never, You only used Scarlet for you sick twisted games!"

Salem turned around as she opened her hand and shot magic at the spirit. "SILENCE!" Her red Grimm eyes glowed with anger and hate.

Nightmare screamed out in pain as she was struck by Salem's powerful magic, she struggled to get herself free and away from the spiral beam of magic coming from the Grimm woman's hand.

"Time was never on your side.... it never will be, it has always been on my side. If you think you and your friends can stop me. Then you're sadly mistaken Kurumi." The magic from Salem's palm died down as she saw smoke come off of the spirit. "And this is one war.... you won't win, with my useless daughter out of the picture. I can do whatever I please to your world." She walked over to Nightmare and cupped her chin in her hand. "You can scream and struggle all you want to, no one will save you in time..."