Hey guys, this is TyForestWrites, and I'm back to write yet another Halloween special! Well, it's not really horror based, so it's more like a short story I wrote and released on Halloween. But hey, if Die Hard can be a Christmas movie, this can be a Halloween story. Hope you enjoy!
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Right before the events of Team SHDW Volume 2

Finding someone as elusive as Bloodmane was very... difficult to say the least. At least he now knew how it felt to be someone who was tracking him. Frustrating and nigh impossible. But he was Zander Rogue. He had killed over a hundred SDC mercenaries in a single night, survived an experimentation that granted him never before seen abilities, punched his way out of the White Fang HQ, and had defeated/killed anyone who had been sent his way or just flat out wanted a fight. If anyone was gonna track down this mercenary, it was gonna be him.

And he refused to let someone like Bloodmane escape his reach. He knew that the girl had known the former White Fang High Leader, Ghira Belladonna, but that was the extent of his knowledge about her other than the basics. She was always on the move, but seemed to like sticking around in the continent of Sanus, where the "kingdoms" of Vale and Vacuo were located. Zander had always hated the way the world addressed what were clearly countries. Kingdoms weren't kingdoms if they were missing the first half of the word. As if the leaders wanted to hang on to some semblance of royal power.

But Zander's thoughts were going off track. It made sense that Bloodmane would hang out in Vacuo, as it was easily the best place a merc like her could hide, but most of her sightings were placed closer to Vale, close to Mistral even. Personal preference, perhaps? Maybe she was a former Beacon student? If that's the case, it was curious to know how she would be affected by the school's recent crumbling. More recent sightings, after all, showed her venturing into Mistral a bit more often.

But Zander was confident that he would find her in eastern Vale, which was where he found himself, outside of a pub in a town called Higanbana. Because if there was any place to get good information, it was always in places like this. He walked in to hear someone playing a piano and the usual sounds of various conversations, though those were a bit quiet due to the place not being busy. He walked up to the bar and sat down on a stool, a few seats to the right of another patron, a female Faunus with white hair. The bartender was cleaning a shot glass before addressing Zander.

"Hello sir," the bartender greeted, "What can I get ya?"

"Information," Zander simply said, which was enough to halt the man's cleaning.

"...Well, I guess you wouldn't be the first," he sighed, "What do ya need to know?"

"The whereabouts of a certain someone named Bloodmane."

Instantly, all manner of noise ceased at once when that named was uttered. Zander glanced around to notice that everyone's eyes were now on him, even the pianist. It was an eerie feeling, at least until he noticed that there was one person not looking at him: the girl next to him at the bar. She looked too young to be in a pub, and was slurping on some carbonated drink through a straw. Once she was done, she suddenly slammed her drink down on the counter before turning to him.

"Who's asking?"

Akuma's eyes widened a bit. This was Bloodmane? She was certainly not making a good first impression of that were the case. He could feel Corvus actually snickering in his head. It had been a while since he had heard the Grimm utter a sound, and that didn't exactly lighten the mood. Bloodmane may not have looked all that intimidating, but he saw the glint in her eyes. There was a certain fire to them that ironically chilled Zander to his core. Nevertheless, he answered her.

"Akuma," was his simple reply.

The air in the pub turned intense as the customers and employees slowly figured out what was going on. They knew two alpha predators facing off when they saw it. Not to mention how infamous these two were. The bartender was the first to speak up.

"Alright, you two," he spoke in a nervous tone, "If you two are going to go at it, please take it outside?"

Bloodmane smirked, her eyes not leaving Zander's, "Fine by me. Outskirts of the west side of town in five minutes?"

Zander's own eyes narrowed, "See you there."

And with that, Bloodmane... seeped into the ground, turning into a shadow? As Zander watched, his mind began running a hundred miles a second. That kind of Semblance would explain how she'd avoided detection for so long. But how far could that ability go for her? Soon after, he got up and left, leaving everyone he left behind relieved that they hadn't been subjected to collateral damage.
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Sure enough, waiting for him patiently on the western outskirts was Bloodmane. Her arms were crossed and her expression was a wide smirk, but Zander also saw that her twin curved daggers were already drawn. She was ready to fight, so he did the same, grabbing each of his spears, Kakumei and Umareta, with one hand.

"Before we get started," Bloodmane spoke up, "Any particular reason you went out of your way to find little old me, Zander Rogue?"

Zander's eyes widened at the use of his real name before swiftly drawing out his weapons, "And you know my name how?"

"It's kind of hard not to know," she replied, "Anyone who actually researches for more than five minutes can figure it out. But I asked you first."

The multicolored autumn leaves in the forest next to them rustled in the breeze as Zander allowed a small smile to form on his face, "Let's just call it... professional pride."

~You need help with this one, boss?~ Corvus asked, ~She actually seems like she's gonna be a bit of trouble.~

'Not yet,' Zander thought, 'Let's see what she can do first. But stay at the ready...'

Evil on your mind
Trouble at your feet
Living by the gun
The Devil's got you beat

With that, the two Hunters took a stance, getting ready to charge. Bloodmane's blades flashed as Akuma's grip on his spears tightened.

'This may be the fight of our lives.'

Evil on your mind
Trouble at your feet
Living by the gun
The Devil...

And once that thought finished, the two Faunus leapt at each other, weapons leaned back and preparing to strike.

The Devil's got you beat!

Dagger blade met spear tip, and the two mercenaries slid past each other, locking eyes as they moved. They skidded to a stop immediately before swinging again, this time locking their weapons in a clash. Zander was beginning to realize that his main weapons weren't that good of a matchup. While having a longer reach was normally a good thing, spears only dealt true damage at the tip, and if an opponent could get past it, there was little the spearman could do to stop them from closing the distance.

And Bloodmane's size, speed, and choice of weaponry gave her the perfect counter to his spears.

Ya walk alone
The course of sixty six
Ya shoot the hand
E'ya took the flix

The clash ended as Zander leapt back as far as he could before aiming Kakumei at his opponent. The tip split in two as a ball of energy forming between the points before shooting out a laser at Bloodmane, who gracefully dodged out of the way. She merely grinned and dashed forward, preparing to strike again, but hesitated when Zander put away his spears and reached out to his left. Suddenly, a cutlass appeared in that hand in a flash of light as he returned Bloodmane's grin.

Ya was want...
Ya was tall...
Ya was want...

He swung the blade and intercepted her strike, causing the female Faunus to grit her teeth in frustration. But then, her eyes bulged a bit when he reached out with his right hand and pulled a pistol out of thin air in the same manner as the cutlass. Bloodmane grunted as he quickly took aim, but before he could fire, she slipped into the ground as a shadow, causing him to stumble. Zander growled as he look around, not noticing the shadow slowing trailing its way up his back.

Evil on your mind
Trouble at your feet
Living by the gun
The Devil's got you beat

Once it got to his shoulder, Bloodmane jumped out back into the open, preparing to slash his back, and in Akuma's head, his Grimm shouted, ~Boss! Behind you!~

Without even looking back, Zander took aim directly at her with his pistol and fired. Bloodmane gasped and the bullet nailed her in the shoulder. While her Aura did protect her, it still stung like hell and threw her off her rhythm. And as she tumbled through the air, the cutlass and pistol disappeared from Zander's hands as he turned, his hands already in the position as if he was gripping something.

Evil on your mind
Trouble at your feet
Living by the gun
The Devil...

Instantly, an obsidian staff appeared in his hands as he swung, and he slammed the weapon right into Bloodmane's stomach. The hit was enough for her to cough out a bit of saliva before she tumbled across the ground from the hit.

The Devil's got you beat!

She quickly managed to get to her feet, though she was now hunched over. But she still had a grin on her face as she wiped her mouth.

"Seems I underestimated you," she complimented, "I'll have to take this more seriously."

She brandished her daggers before disappearing into the ground again. Zander made sure to follow the shadow's movements, though it was hard to tell, with it being this late in the day. So imagine his surprise when she didn't appear behind him, above him, or even under him. She popped right into range right in front of him.

"Peekaboo!"

Ya cross the line
To taste the Devil's pill
Ya shot the gun
E'ya shot my pill

She swung out with one of her daggers at his neck, causing Akuma to lean back to avoid the hit. In retaliation, he swung his staff, and Bloodmane moved her free arm to intercept. But when the pole hit her forearm, she suddenly morphed into a shadow and slid along the weapon! She appeared again as quickly as she disappeared, positioned perfectly to deliver a hard kick right in Zander's face. He was sent sprawling and he grasped his face in anger as soon as he recovered.

~Is it time, boss?~ came Corvus' voice.

Zander growled as he looked up at Bloodmane's smirking face as she stalked closer to him, his hand not leaving his face. She was definitely stronger than her size let on. He was a fool to underestimate her as she did for him. He took a deep breath before replying.

Ya was wrong...
Ya was tall...
Ya was wrong...

"Let's give her hell."

He pulled down on his face, red and black energy seeping out of his fingertips. Bloodmane halted as she gasped, her smile vanishing as a sudden concussive surge of energy blasted out and a white mask formed on Zander's face. The mask had red markings streaking across it, narrow slits as eyeholes, and the middle of the mask resembled that of the small beak of a bird. Not only that, out of Zander's back sprouted a single black wing of energy similar to that of the energy that had seeped out of his fingers to form the mask. And just behind the eyeholes, Bloodmane saw Akuma's eyes light up red.

"You should feel honored," he said, his voice slightly distorted, "Nobody's ever singlehandedly pushed me this far before. Let's have some fun."

Bloodmane was silent for a moment, soaking in what was going on, before her smirk came back in full force, "Bring it on, asshole!"

Evil on your mind
Trouble at your feet
Living by the gun
The Devil's got you beat

But before she could get any further, Zander zoomed right up to her and grabbed her face with his free left hand. She let out a muffled noise of surprise before he slammed her into the ground. She then grabbed his arm, morphing into a shadow to escape his grasp by snaking up his arm. She leapt out again, her face now inches away from his mask as she swung one of her daggers. But he was already one step ahead of her, his right arm moving back up with shocking speed that blocked her blade with ease. He then somehow flipped while in this position, and slammed down on her head with a kick.

Luckily, she managed to cushion her landing on the ground by turning back into a shadow to gain some distance. But Akuma closed the distance easily, and she raised both of her daggers to block the overhead swing of his staff. The force was so great, it slightly cratered the ground at her feet. Bloodmane quickly realized that she would have to be forced to use her full power much sooner than she thought she would have to. Shadows from the trees in the forest slowly began to shift towards them as she concentrated.

Evil on your mind
Trouble at your feet
Living by the gun
The Devil...

It was at this point that the two noticed that their fight was attracting Grimm to them. Howls pierced through the air, and the two mercs looked over to see a multitude of Grimm dashing towards them, ready to kill. The two gave each other a look of mutual understanding. Take care of Grimm before they attack the town, then go back to killing each other.

The shadows that had been reaching for Bloodmane finally got to her, detaching from the trees and seeping into her body. She let out a relieved sigh as she felt her Aura replenish, and black marks appeared on her limbs and face. And with that, the two flickered out of sight and towards the Grimm. It was relatively easy for both of them. These Grimm were nowhere near their power level at that point. Zander shot balls of Grimm Essence at the larger Grimm, blasting holes through their chests, while shadows acted as extensions for Bloodmane's daggers, slicing everything else in two.

The Devil's got you beat!

Then a loud roar echoed across the landscape that shook the two Faunus to their core. All of the Grimm halted their advance and slowly backed away into the forest. As Zander and Bloodmane became confused, footsteps pounded from the forest and were only getting closer and louder. Then a tall figure stepped out from the tree line. The two Hunters' eyes bulged at the sight.

It was nearly eleven feet tall, had skin as white as the moon, had three glowing red eyes, and a spear blacker than the night sky that seemed to shimmer in its hands. For the first time in a long time, Zander felt legitimate fear crawl through him. After all, who would've thought that the Ogre of Grimm was so close by?

"There's no way..." Bloodmane muttered in disbelief as she stared at the Ogre, "It's... real?!"

Darkness falls across the land...
The midnight hour is close at hand...
Creatures crawl in search of blood...
To terrorize y'all's neighborhood...

The two Faunus mercs eyed each other. This was MUCH more serious than they had first thought. This thing had to be taken down, now. Zander quickly raised his free hand and fired an essence wave at it, only for the Ogre to slice at the attack with its spear, completely nullifying the energy. The two charged at it, and its fanged mouth open to roar in retaliation before charging at them itself.

And whomsoever shall be found...
Without the soul for getting down...
Must stand and face the hounds of hell...
And rot inside a corpse's shell...

Zander put away his staff and switched back to his twin spears, and Umareta crackled with electricity as the Lightning Dust in it activated. The Ogre countered by swinging its own spear, which left a shadowy trail as it moved, and the weapons collided, but the Ogre's strength prevailed, knocking away the Grimmified Faunus. Bloodmane suddenly appeared behind it and slashed it in the back.

The Ogre grunted in pain, but barely appeared shaken. At speeds that shouldn't be possible, it reached out behind it with its free hand and grabbed her by the arm and slamming her body into the ground. But before it could stab her, Zander reentered the fray by flying up and kicking the Ogre straight in the face. This gave Bloodmane the opportunity to turn into a shadow to slip away from its grasp. The two Hunters reconvened at a distance from the monster as it glared at them with pure hatred.

The foulest stench is in the air...
The funk of forty thousand years...
And grisly ghouls from every tomb...
Are closing in to seal your doom...

"Any bright ideas?" Bloodmane quipped.

"We'll have to hit him with everything we got, and hit it at the same time," Zander growled, gathering essence into his palm to form a ball, "Think you can handle that?"

Bloodmane only smirked as shadows seeped out of her hand to form a similar looking ball, "Please. I could've come up with that."

The Ogre let out another roar before beginning to run right at them. The two Faunus let out a similar war cry before letting loose everything they had stored up in two massive waves of essence and shadows. The Ogre swung its spear to intercept them, but severely underestimated the power behind the blasts. They blew right past its spear and right into its torso, blasting it all the way back to the tree line, where it slammed against a tree with a mighty sound before the tree broke in two, the energies dissipating, and the Ogre falling on one knee.

And though you fight to stay alive...
Your body starts to shiver...
For no mere mortal can resist...
The evil of the THRILLER!!!

It slowly got back to its feet before wiping blood off its lips. The Ogre howled into the night at the sight of it, so Zander and Bloodmane readied to continue the fight. But then the Grimm stabbed the ground at its feet and a wave of darkness surrounded it. It dissipated as quickly as it was summoned, revealing nothing. It had gotten away.

Evil on your mind
Trouble at your feet
Living by the gun
The Devil's got you beat

Zander growled, but let out a sigh. At least that was one problem dealt with... for now.

He turned to face his temporary ally, "So, now that that's dealt with, where were we-"

His eyes widened at the sight now in front of him.

Evil on your mind
Trouble at your feet
Living by the gun
The Devil's got you beat

Bloodmane had disappeared. She had taken the Ogre's own disappearance to her advantage, escaping his sight to be on the run again. Zander grit his teeth. He was absolutely livid. She just... left him here?! Like their previous fight was one big joke to her. He didn't even get one of her daggers as spoils of the fight to add to his collection. He might have left her alive if he had won, but now...

Zander took off his mask, and his eye caught a nearby branch on the ground. He growled, but he swiped it up. Even though he was certain he'd never forget Bloodmane, he needed something to remember this by. He looked up at the shattered moon in the sky.

'Be assured, Bloodmane...'

Ahhhhh
Ahhhhh...
The Devil...

'This is far from over.'

The Devil's got you beat!!
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And thus ends that. Probably not my best work, as I kinda rushed the Ogre fight, and probably could've made more, but I was on a time crunch. There was no way I was getting this out on Halloween otherwise. But either way, Happy Halloween! I hope you enjoyed. Till next time guys!