Qrow walks around the wood. "Qrow?" His attention quickly averted to see you standing in front of a large tree.

"(Y/n)?" A look of relief plastered on his face, he wasted no time to have you in his arms. "I missed you." He plants a kiss on your forehead.

"Wake up." You said, placing your hands on the side of his face. Suddenly, you were ripped from him, and chains took hold of him as Grimm's arms took hold of you. "Qrow! Wake up before you get hurt!" You were trying to fight off the arms when suddenly a white glove covered your mouth, pulling you into darkness. Qrow wakes up, his arm reaching out as if he was still in the dream. He glances at the cells containing Watts and Jacques.

"Yup." Qrow glances at Robyn, "Not getting much sleep here either." Qrow rises and puts a hand to his forehead, "Sounds bad out there. Hopefully, (Y/n) is managing."
"Wait."

The sound of rumbling reaches their ears, "That doesn't sound like-"

Watts glances nervously at a wall seconds before a fiery blast collides with it, "Get down!"

The blast shoots past them, leaving a pile of rubble and small fires in its wake. Robyn lowers the hand, protecting her eyes to the sound of a crow screeching. She glances up, then lowers her head back down as more debris falls toward them.

Meanwhile, Nora opens her eyes, she blinks a few more times before opening to see her arm covered in burn scars and a bed.
"No need to worry, miss. You and your friend are going to be just fine." Klein glances down with friendly brown eyes after adjusting some medical tubes. Nora's vision turns to the sound of a door being opened. Blake opens a door for Ruby, Weiss, and Whitley, who are carrying an unconscious Penny, "She lost consciousness. And she's... leaking."

"Set her down, set her down." Ruby, Weiss and Whitley set Penny on a bed next to Nora's. Whitley is shown grimacing at the green coolant that stains his clothes. Ruby and Weiss do the same.

"Can you help her?" Klein scans Penny with his scroll, which locates an injury at her waist. His eyes are red as he assesses the damage, "Even based on what you've told me, I hardly know what she is."

He coughs, and his eyes turn from red to brown, "Ahem, but, her basic anatomy seems similar enough. I can at least stitch up that wound."

A thundery crash sounds from outside. Everyone present glances in that direction. The power suddenly goes out, "Oh, that's just rich."

Ruby takes out her ringing scroll. May Marigold's voice comes through, "Everyone okay back there? Just saw another bombing run light up the kingdom."

Ruby glances out the window, "Looks like part of the city lost power. We're okay though."

May is shown piloting a Manta through a sky filled with clashing Grimm and Atlesian aircraft, "Sorry I couldn't stick around, but time's running out for everyone in the crater."
"No, we're sorry. Once we know what's wrong with Penny, we'll... we'll do something." As Ruby speaks, May grimly watches a distant Tempest tear apart an Atlesian Airship. "Don't beat yourself up, kid. At this point I don't know how much is left to be done." As May ends the call, Ruby starts to tear up.
"It's all just... too much. The Grimm, the crater, Nora, (Y/n), Penny... How do we fix all of it?"

Weiss puts a reassuring hand on Ruby's shoulder as Klein sneezes, his eyes light blue, "One step at a time, my dear."

He sneezes again, his eyes returning to brown, "You can't worry about fixing everything. Simply focus on what's in front of you. If you'd like some place to start, I'd be able to work faster if you could bring the power back on."

"Well, how would we-"

"We have a generator near the edge of the estate." Willow is leaning on a doorframe, a bottle of alcohol in hand. Whitley huffs, crossing his arms, "So kind of you to join us, mother."
"Believe it or not, I am above drinking in the dark." Willow then notices Klein with them, "Oh, hello, Klein."

Klein gives his former employer a silent nod, "SDC executives have their own auxiliary power supplies in case of a city-wide blackout. It's extremely unfair, but perhaps now isn't such a bad time for company perks."

Whitley glances out the window and seems to come to an epiphany, "We don't just have perks."
"Hm?"

"We have the company. The people you mentioned in the crater, they need a way out, right? There are rows and rows of cargo ships just sitting in the hangars because of the embargo."

"And our own automated drones, like the ones at Snow Shoe Shipping."
"We can order as many as we need to pilot our ships down to the crater and get people to safety, while the Grimm are occupied with the general's forces."

"We can?"
"I can. I just need father's computer." Whitley explains.

"Then we definitely need to get the power back on."

Blake and Ruby sprint to the power shed outside Schnee Manor and push open the gates. Ruby throws a lever on the backup generator, and it hums to life. The words STARTUP SEQUENCE - POWER BACKUP can be seen on its main display, "Oh, come on, come on."

"Don't worry. It'll work."
"Nothing else has."

"I know you don't always know what to do, but that's never stopped you from doing something. I was like that as a girl, but time and... a lot of other things, took their toll on me. Then I wasn't sure if that kind of girl could actually survive in the world... until I met you. It was a little strange at first because you were younger, but I've always looked up to you, Ruby. And I still do."

Ruby tears up again, and seems to be reassured, "Thanks, Blake."

The generator finally reaches operational capacity, and power is restored to Schnee Manor. Whitley, who is waiting in his father's study, practically pounces on the keyboard of the desktop terminal as Weiss looks on. Blake seems satisfied at a job well done, but her ears droop, and her expression turns to one of shock as she regards something behind Ruby, "What?"

The Hound's silhouette appears as a flash of lightning through a window behind Ruby.

Klein and Willow are waiting uneasily in Weiss' bedroom. A distant shatter of glass has them startled, "What was that?"

Another loud crash rings out, and Willow reaches for her bottle.

Weiss answers a transmission from her team on her Scroll, "Ruby! Blake!"
"Weiss! There's a Grimm that- Look out!"

The transmission cuts off, and Weiss turns to her brother, still on the computer, "Can you handle this?"

"Assuming you can handle that." Weiss scoffs, and hurries for the door. "We still need to work on your attitude."

Ruby is thrown through a hole in the wall of the power shed. The Hound roars menacingly at her. Blake tries to land a blow, but her strike is deflected. The Hound lunges forward, and Ruby avoids it using her Semblance, "What is this thing?!"

"It's just a Grimm. Just focus." Blake fires at the Hound as Ruby takes a deep breath in preparation to use her Silver Eyes. Blake leaps off a wall to attack, but is knocked aside, "Take the girl."

The Hound charges, pinning Ruby to the ground. Her Aura shimmers weakly. Blake gets back onto her feet, "Ruby!"

With a roar, the Hound sprouts newly formed wings from its back. It begins to take off, Ruby in tow, but Blake manages to get her weapon around one of its feet, and stabs her sheath into the ground to tether it. Meanwhile, Weiss arrives at the scene, speaking into her Scroll, "Klein!"

In Weiss' bedroom, Klein is tending to Penny as Willow pours herself a drink, "There's a Grimm here and others might be nearby. Keep everyone together and call if there's trouble."

"Of course."

Willow's hands are shaking violently, and she loses her grip on the cup and bottle. They shatter against the floor, which doesn't do her nerves any good, "Madame, please try to calm yourself."

Unbeknownst to either of them, Penny's eyes snap open, her irises an ominous red color. Willow panics, running out the door, "I can't do this. I can't do this!"

"Willow, please come back!" He notices Penny standing, and turns to her.

"Goodness, try not to-" Penny, clearly not in her right mind, throws Klein aside. He falls against a chair, which clatters to the ground. Penny takes a step toward him; then her eyes flicker between red and her usual green. Her Maiden's eye-flames flare-up, and she stumbles back as a whirling air current and a bright green light fills the room, "No, not again!"

At the power shed, Weiss launches a barrage of icy projectiles at the airborne Hound, but misses. She stabs her rapier into the ground, using her Semblance to call forth a Giant Nevermore, but it is destroyed mid-summon as Centinels join the fray. Blake is momentarily distracted as a Centinel tries to attack, and the Hound shakes off its tether, climbing higher into the sky, "No!"

The Hound notices the distant green glow of Penny's Maiden powers from the manor, and Ruby looks at the green coolant staining her clothes, "It's not here for me, it's here for Penny!"

The Hound changes targets, dropping Ruby and taking off for the manor. Weiss notices her falling helplessly, "Ruby!"

The girl hits the ground hard, her Aura dissipating. Blake destroys the last Centinel, then turns to Weiss, "Help the others, I've got her."

Weiss casts one last worried look at Ruby, then heads to the manor herself. Blake crosses the yard to help Ruby, but another Grimm emerges from the ground, barring her path. A Cenitaur drags itself into view and screeches, its body churning with bright green acid.

Back in the manor, Penny struggles to maintain control as Klein watches from outside the storm surrounding her. Whenever her eyes turn red, she takes a step toward Klein, "You're okay. Please!"

Penny's eyes alternate chaotically between red and green, and she appears to be in pain, "I don't want to do it."

A hand reaches out to grab Penny's, "Hey..."
Penny is taken by surprise, her eye-flames vanishing. The storm rages on, "No one's going to make you do anything you don't want to do."

Penny fights against the hack in her system, her words coming out haltingly, "But there is a part of me... It's making me..."
"It's just a part of you. Don't forget about the rest."

The storm in Weiss' bedroom calms, and Nora gives Penny's hand a weak squeeze. Penny seems to have taken control for the moment, and kneels by Nora's bedside. Klein receives a transmission on his Scroll, "Klein, it's coming inside. Stay quiet. I'm on my way."

"Do hurry. Whitley and Willow have yet to return."
"What? Where'd Mom go?"

Willow bursts through the doors of her room, breathing heavily. She reaches for a bottle on a nearby table, but seems to harden her resolve, seeing her Scroll next to it. A distant crash has her yelping in surprise. The Hound has entered the manor's entrance hall, and sniffs around for Penny, stopping at a large puddle of her green coolant on the floor. Nora and Penny look horrified at the Grimm's distant sniffling sounds.

Weiss reaches the manor as well, stepping lightly and looking for the Hound. Suddenly her Scroll beeps.

"Above you!"

Weiss narrowly dodges as the Hound drops from the ceiling, but it swings its' arm, knocking her backward. Her Aura shimmers as she slams into the piano behind her. She fires icy projectiles at the Hound as it leaps onto the second landing, and it roars indignantly before crawling out of sight. Weiss uses her scroll, "Mom?"

In Willow's room, her bottle lies in pieces. She brings up several camera feeds showing the manor's surveillance on her Scroll, "I... I can see it. It's outside Winter's old room. I- You can kill it? Can't you?"

"What is it doing?"

Weiss heads for the stairs as she talks. The Hound is shown prowling the hallway, sniffing, "I'm not sure. It's acting strange. Why is it here?"

Weiss climbs the stairs, her rapier at the ready, "It doesn't matter. Just keep an eye on it so I can track it down." Willow takes a breath to steady herself, "Right. Right. Okay. It's moving again. Heading towards... Oh dear, no."

Meanwhile, Whitley is still working in his father's study, his vest stained with Penny's green coolant, "I can do this."

His Scroll beeps, "Whitley."

Whitley groans, hanging up on his mother, "You are the last thing I need. All that's left should be..." The door creaks open, and Whitley grunts in frustration, turning to the door. His expression turns to one of horror.

As the Hound makes its way into the study, Whitley takes cover behind the desk. The Grimm sniffs around, its footsteps rattling the pieces of a nearby chess set. Whitley risks a look at the Hound.

'Credentials verified. Click to proceed.'

The Hound's head snaps toward the computer, and Whitley goes back behind the desk. As the Grimm nears the desk, Whitley's eyes widen, "I know... you're here."

A summoned Boarbatusk suddenly charges the Hound, pinning it to the wall. Willow is in the doorway, "Run!"

Whitley heads for the door, turning back for one last keystroke. A window reading ORDERS RECEIVED pops up on the computer screen as the Hound fights Willow's summon, "Thank you."

Willow and Whitley scramble into the hallway, putting distance between themselves and the room, but the Hound destroys the summoned Boarbatusk and bursts out of the room. Whitley slams the door behind him at the end of the corridor but it barely slowly the Hound down. As he and his mother sprint, the Hound starts to gain on them, and pounces-

A wall of solid ice stops the Grimm from advancing, and Willow and Whitley turn to see Weiss at the end of the corridor, "I didn't forget you."

Willow and Whitley both smile at her, but their expressions change as the ice wall begins to crack. On the other side, the Hound slashes at the wall with its' claws, "Go!"

Willow lays a concerned hand on her daughter's shoulder as she and Whitley run past. Weiss stabs her weapon into the ground to prepare for a summon.

Blake is doing battle with the Cenitaur, blocking its strikes and leaping out of the way of its acid spit, "Why did it get more disgusting?"

Ruby is still unconscious behind the Grimm, "I don't know if you can hear me, but I need you, Ruby. We all need you."

Blake detonates a fire dust-infused clone in front of the Cenitaur, and goes in for a strike, but it knocks her off her feet. She forms an ice dust-infused clone around the blades on its arms, and tries again, but she is hit with her own solid clone and collides with a wall, her Aura shimmering weakly, "Please, get up."

The Cenitaur grabs her as she tries to recover, its twitching mandibles nearing her neck. It suddenly stiffens and dissipates. Ruby can be seen behind the disintegrating Grimm, having used her weapon to bisect it. She turns to Blake, chuckling, "I could hear you."

Blake lets out a relieved sigh and accepts a helping hand from Ruby to get back on her feet. Then Penny's distant scream has them turning to look back at the manor.

The Hound hears the scream, then abandons its efforts at breaking the ice wall, turning, and heading for Weiss' bedroom. Weiss' Arma Gigas summon fades away behind her as she speaks into her scroll, "It's coming!"

Penny is struggling more than ever to maintain control, "I'm sorry!"

With one last grunt, Watts' hack takes over, and her eyes stay red. Klein tries to stop her, but Penny pushes him away and leaves Weiss' bedroom. Willow and Whitley finally reach the entrance hall, and they grab the bannister of the main staircase, breathing heavily. Penny walks by them, "What are you doing?"

"I must open the Vault, and then self-terminate."

Penny's voice is monotonous. The Hound appears and locks hands with Penny at the landing, forcing them both into a standstill. Then a third arm emerges from its back and slams Penny into the floor repeatedly. It growls out each word of its order every time Penny hits the ground, "Take. The. Girl."

The Hound lifts an unconscious Penny with one hand as Ruby, Weiss, and Blake return to the manor, "Penny!"

The Grimm raises a claw to Penny's throat, causing the girls to stop in their tracks. Willow and Whitley look on, terrified. Ruby's voice turns uncharacteristically low, matching her anger and indignation.

"That's... enough."

Weiss and Blake turn to look at her as a bright light emanates from her Silver Eyes. The Hound drops Penny and stumbles back, falling through the window behind it. Penny tumbles down the staircase, coming to a rest at the three girls' feet. They rush the check on her, but the Hound slowly crawls back into view.

As it drags itself back onto the landing, its inner core is visible: the head of a decrepit Silver-Eyed male fox Faunus with unsightly veins covering his face, dark fluid seeping from his one eye and ear, and exposed musculature by his jaw. As it lumbers down the stairs and its joints crack back into place, the head repeats its orders in a raspy voice. Even Ruby is stunned at the horrific sight, "Take... the girl. Take the girl. Take the girl. Take the girl!"

Whitley studies the giant suit of armor beside him at the landing and gets his mother's attention. Weiss and Blake hurriedly carry Penny to an alcove in the wall before raising their weapons to stand beside Ruby.

"Take the girl!"

Whitley and Willow push as hard as they can against the armor. As the Hound closes in on Ruby and her friends, its' head regenerates, covering the host's face again. It's voice deepens to the feral roar from before.

"TAKE! THE! GIRL!" Just as the half-dead Grimm is ready to make a final lunge, Willow and Whitley manage to tip over the suit of armor. It crashes and clatters on top of the Hound in a cloud of rubble. When the dust finally settles, the Hound has stopped moving beneath the armor. Ruby drops to her knees, staring in shock at the Hound's lone exposed arm as it begins to disintegrate, "What was that?"

"That was... a person." The dark Grimm flesh fades away to reveal the skeletal forearm and hand of its' Faunus host.

Else where you were in an large room that was filled with paintings and scriptures of past heroes. Then you glance at one image, a woman who held a chain in one hand, words were pastured in the bottom, 'May the Saintess with her divine power protect those who fight against the darkness.' You glare at the painting,

"Tamish. Lend me your power to bring back what is mine." You place your hand to your chest, "If that is what you command, I shall grant it, my dear Saint."