Young Writers Society

Welcome to the World of Remnant! This is a collection of stories from... you guessed it, the world of Remnant. This is a Storybook open to all, but in order to join, there is a Character Template for you complete! Welcome to the World of Remnant.



This is the extended universe of a Storybook called Shattered Moons. That means that every post here is in canon to the other Storybook. Don't worry too much, though! If you have any questions, please post in the Discussion Thread or just pester Omnom. He won't mind. I promise.



The World of Remnant is vast and wondrous and dangerous. There are four main kingdoms in Remnant, with few outlying areas. These Kingdoms are Vale in the west, Vale in the center, Atlas in the north, and Mistral in the east. In this kingdom, there are no militaries (with one exception) but instead there are Husntmen who defend the world against the monstrous and nightmarish Grimm.



































You totally don't have to watch RWBY or read SM to join in on this story! I know there's a lot to read here, and I've barely even touched the surface, but I promise that you will love it. A lot of this is foundational information so you can find a place for a character of yours in the story. I will help you along every step of the way, so don't be hesitant to jump in with both feet. Who knows where you'll land.

Cloud settled outside an inn, leaning against an aged and dusty barrel on the corner of an abandoned shack. With a groan, he shouldered off his soiled jacket. Crusty blood tore away his sleeve into ribbons, but he only winced against the pain. Bandages wrapped his now limp right arm, stained red from his blood. He revealed the gaping wound underneath that slashed through his forearm, revealing muscle underneath.

He gasped out a sigh. A shout of merriment sounded from the inn. Glancing over at it, Cloud grunted in his pain. No, they couldn't hear him, or the wound would be the least of his problems. He was still in Mistral, which was guaranteed to have authorities, or even worse, a Huntsman, snooping around in places they had no business being . Despite him leaving, he still had an honor to uphold within his clanmates in Clan Branwen.

Setting his dead arm down, he reached for the sack on his back. Fishing for the strap on his shoulders suddenly gave him an appreciation for two arms. That gave him a sour chuckle. He would like another arm to, oh, maybe use his weapon? Finally, after much soft cursing and cautious groans, he was able to sling the first strap past his injured arm. The worst part was over. Straining forward, he loosened the pack off of his back, which turned out to be a lot harder than he realized. It stuck to his clothing, and when he finally got it free, he could see a hot liquid on its back. So, his arm wasn't the only thing injured. Good to know.

Rustling through his bag granted him his purchase. A red Dust cartridge for his staff. He opened it, and scooped a handful of the fine powder into his hand.

"This is such a stupid idea, Cloud," he breathed out. "Then again, this day has been has been a whole bunch of stupid ideas." He stared at the warm Dust in his hand, as it took in the heat of his own hand. He'd only be able to hold it for so long before it erupted by his own heat. "Now or never."

He unraveled the loose bandaging again and glanced at the wound. It was terrible looking, but didn't seem to have any infection in it. Well, the Grimm had the decency of not carrying infection. That was one upside to them, at least.

"Okay, no more delays. Let's do this." He closed his eyes and filled the wound with the Dust.

Nothing.

He squinted his eyes open and glanced down at the wound. The Dust floated in the small amount of blood that was pooling there, but it seemed indifferent to the wound. He knew, sooner or later, the Dust would react to the heat, and that wouldn't be a good situation for him or the tavern he rested on. He'd have to try and make it a slow burn. He wanted to cauterize, not a suicide.

He reached into himself, feeling his aura. It was badly damaged, to the point of breaking. He hadn't had that much torture to it in a long time. They avoided the Grimm whenever they could, and it became weaker from disuse. It was at times like this that he wished he followed Midori to Beacon Academy. He was sure Huntsmen had hardened their auras immensely. He could no longer avoid the inadequacies his upbringing wrought.

No matter. The past was in the past.

He focused his aura into a point, and flowed that point into his left hand. It roared to life, a bright silver against the crimson blood splattered on his palm. He raised his hand over the Dust, where they met each other with eager satisfaction. The Dust met his aura, and he could both see and feel it heating up.

"Okay, okay, now don't blow up on me." He clasped his hands around his forearm. The Dust sparked, and Cloud jerked his hand back up. "Dooooon't blow up on me." Oh so reluctantly, he covered the wound again. All of a sudden, the Dust sparked again, shooting coursing pain down his arm. He bit the inside of his mouth to keep from screaming out.

But it was working. And he had not exploded. He snatched a glance at the arm, and could see the Dust melding with skin to cauterize the wound. The slow burn of him feeding aura didn't erupt the Dust. Instead, it seemed to burn the outer coating of the ground crystal, leaving the inner coatings exposed and cutting into his harshly closed wound. That wound be a worry for another day, he decided, but definitely one to be dealt with.

He leaned back against the barrel and finally forced out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Pulling his knees up to his staff and his staff in between them, he collapsed into a fitful sleep that was not truly rest.



"Hey. Hey, get up! Whoa, there's blood on this guy. Someone get Ginger!"

...

"Someone get this lug of meat up onto the table. Get him on his side."

...

"He's not just a nobody. He's got Dust in his bag and weapons. He a Huntsman?"

"He's not a Huntsman I've heard of. No Huntsman from around these parts would willingly go into those woods alone, unless they had a death wish."

"Yeah, yeah, so he's an idiot, but he's an idiot with a weapon and Dust in his arm."

...

Cloud groaned. Well, at least he could speak again. He tried to move his head and pain flooded through his... well, his everywhere. He suddenly felt lightheaded as he regained the senses in his body.

He heard voices and commotion near him, but for the life of him he couldn't move his head until what little that was in his field of vision stopped moving unnecessarily.

"Look who's up," said a feminine voice.

" 'Up' is a relative term," Cloud wheezed out. "If you were the one who dragged me in here, then thanks."

"I don't do dragging. But, I am the one that bandaged your back and that mangled arm of yours. How does someone get Dust in their wound, anyway?"

Cloud deciphered the lady's words. "You were the one I heard in my dreams."

"You probably overheard some of the commotion last night. It's doubtful, but you could have been halfway cognitive during some of that." A pause. "You never answered my question."

"What question? Oh, I was trying... trying to cauterize the wound."

"That's... extremely dangerous. But a smart idea, for someone half dazed from losing too much blood. How did you get these wounds anyway?"

"Well..."

Cloud slammed into the trunk of a thick oak that spanned the sky, and slid down to the ground with a groan as his staff clattered to the side. A lean cat-like Grimm slinked over a boulder, it's long and pointed ears down and it's thin, spiky tail twitching as it twirled around. Its hollow blood-eyes widened as it hissed and snarled, nostrils flaring. Cloud lifted his shoulder and it shot tingling pricks down his arm in protest. He pulled the joint out and shoved it back in and mentally cursed his aura for being so untrained.

Another Grimm, this one a massive scorpion, snuck up behind the feline Grimm, a deep rattling coming from its throat. Its six massive pincer-legs clacked forward, stomping and cracking fallen logs in its path, which it paid no mind.

Cloud stumbled forward and landed on all fours. He glanced up as a deep roar rumbled through the small clearing. A large Grimm thrashed through the trees, clambering over a boulder as its red pearl eyes pinpointed Cloud. It wasn't as large as the scorpion Grimm, but its rippling muscles sure made it intimidating. Although the thought of facing three Grimm didn't sound pleasant, either.

"Okay, wait a minute. You really expect me to believe this?" Ginger interrupted, her arms crossed. It was clear she wasn't taking in any of this as her eyes took him over.

Cloud flashed a cocky grin. "Wait, it gets better."

"Oh, I hope so," she drawled out, topped with an eyeroll.

"Anyway..."

The gorilla Grimm launched first, and Cloud barely managed to roll out of the way as it all but rammed itself into the huge base of the oak Cloud was at moments ago. It was dazed for a moment, and Cloud took this chance to kick the back of its knee. It collapsed and he scrambled to his staff.

The massive scorpion, easily the largest of the three, struck the ground right next to Cloud's leg and the tip of its stinger sunk into the hard dirt with the force. Cloud rolled to the side, and glanced up. The staff was just a few feet out of his reach. He veered his head to the side. The gorilla Grimm stumbled to its feet, but, it looked like its kneecap was dislocated from the kick. It hobbled as it turned around. The scorpion Grimm struggled to pull out its tail from the ground, and the feline Grimm had disappeared from sight. None of those were particularly good signs for Cloud.

He surged for the staff, and as he wrapped his fingers around it, a screeching caw shouted through the canopy. A fourth Grimm crashed through the thicket, folding its wings as it dove into the clearing. Cloud had found himself to be the prime guest to quite a party. But, he had finally found what he came here for.

"You were looking for a Grimm," Ginger surmised.

"That's right."

"What for?" She raised a brow.

Cloud hesitated, and he knew she noted it. He sighed and debated on telling her the truth. But, for all he knew, she was taking care of him just to rob him of any information she could and then make him disappear. He knew he would, if he were in her shoes a year ago. So, he decided to play it safe and danced around the truth without lying. Hopefully she would give him time to trust her later. "I can't give you all the information yet as I don't know everything myself. But, it's for a project of mine." He breathed out, clutching his chest with his injured arm.

Ginger squinted her eyes, possibly letting him reveal more information. But he couldn't, not yet. He screamed in his head for her to trust him, while he knew that he wasn't trusting her. He just needed time.

She seemed to understand this, or if anything she just let the subject go to pester him for later, as she nodded for him to continue.

Cloud rotated the staff, one hand pulling in and the other pushing out, and it clicked. The ends of the staff sprouted out into metal spirals that met at the end. Some Dust was left over from a previous fight, and the hollow orbs on each end sparked to life, yellow lightning filling the orbs. Cloud inched himself backwards until his back touched the bark of a tree. He was at least covered slightly from the back, where he knew the feline Grimm was waiting for him to slip up. The three Grimm in front of him spread out to cover him on all fronts, and he could hear the slight huffs of the feline Grimm behind him.

He clicked the middle of his staff and it opened up, revealing two thin golden blades, shimmering against the cool glow of the shattered moon. It sparked against his touch, and he knew his Semblance was ready.

The Gorilla Grimm and Scorpion Grimm charged simultaneously, and Cloud's eyes lits up a bright gold as he unsheathed his blades. The clearing vibrated as his aura expanded, and time itself held its breath as he slashed. A bright gold arc shockwave burst through the forest, lighting up the night like a brief sun had appeared. As soon as it happened, the light had vanished just as fast.

The Gorilla and Scorpion Grimm's body were instanteously severed in half, and they disapparated in black dust. The bird Grimm and feline Grimm were both knocked back from the blast, the latter launching into a tree, causing it to topple against the impact.

Ginger let out a humph. Cloud stopped at this and glanced at her. She glared and he received it with a shrug. "What? It's the truth."

"I hardly be-- you know what, just cut to the chase already."

Cloud stifled a chuckle and continued.

Cloud kneeled next to the injured bird Grimm. It tried to snap at his arm, but he smacked it with the butt of his blade. It stopped moving, but he knew it was still alive. He reached into his bag and pulled out a vial of Ice Dust. Uncorking the lid, he splashed some on each wing, where it immediately reacted to the living material of the Grimm and froze over, trapping the Grimm to the ground. He recapped the Dust and stuffed it back into the bag, pulling out a large container in its place.

"Stop." Ginger whispered. Cloud looked up, confused at this.

"I thought you wanted me to tell you what happened?"

"Oh, I heard all I needed." She began, walking over to the burning fireplace. "Your story lines up with what my scouts reported to me enough, I was just wondering how truthful you were going to be with me, the person who saved your life." She pulled out his bag from behind a chair, and his heart sunk. She fished out the large container, and held it up for him to see. The vial filled with black, swirling smoke. She rattled it, and something inside clinked.

"So. Now that we trust each other well enough, are you going to explain what this is?"

"So." Ginger moved to lean against a nearby table. "Now that we trust each other well enough, are you going to explain what this is?" She examined the vial carefully, frowning at the swirling black smoke within, waiting for the boy to respond. "Well?"

The man fidgeted in his bandages. Ginger had half a mind to cut them to see how much he would talk after that, but decided to keep that to herself. For now. After a moment, he spoke up. "It's a piece of flesh from a bird Grimm with three feathers attached."

Ginger immediately put the container down on the table. She glanced at it and her hand, not quite understanding and definitely not pleased with her kneejerk reaction. "Huh," she muttered, and glanced up sharply. "Interesting." To cover up her lapse of control in the situation, she picked up her rifle that lay on the edge of the table. The boy's eyes widened a bit at this. She didn't even have to point it in his direction. Interesting.

"I believe you may know my name, but I don't know yours?" She kept her words short and quick, not allowing him to interrupt until she permitted him. She waited a moment for him to respond, but his eyes were fixated on his bag. She took this moment to fish something out of her front pocket. "You see, while I did repair your wounds, it wasn't because I'm just a nice person." She flashed him the Branwen tribe patch that she ripped from one of his spare jackets. Stuffing it back in her jacket, she sighed and raised the rifle a bit more in his direction. It wasn't enough to do much if he ran, but he seemed to respond to it well enough. "I don't like repeating myself, y'know."

He gulped and started slowly. "My name is Cloud Cardinal, and that crest you showed me was from my Branwen jacket."

Ginger narrowed her gaze. "You're from the Branwen tribe?" she asked, and sighed. "Unbelievable." She shook her head and refocused on him, actually training her rifle on him now. "Start talking."

He held his healthy hand up. "I was from the Branwen tribe. I left."

"Why?"

He hesitated, and she waved her gun, which caused him to squint. "Wait, wait! I was never going to stay in that tribe. They wanted me to do things that I just didn't agree with, so I left when I had the chance." He gasped out in pain, suddenly clutching his chest. "That's the truth."

"You swear it?" Ginger demanded, pushing off the table and taking a couple of steps closer, rifle still aimed in his direction.

"Yes, yes, of course. Why? What did the Branwen Tribe ever do to you? Steal a couple of crops? Took some livestock? They're really not more than petty thi..." His words trailed off as Ginger lowered the rifle and rolled up her sleeve, revealing a tattoo.

"They betrayed me," Ginger said softly, tugging the sleeve back down quickly. "Tried to kill me for.... Well, that's a story for another time." She raised the rifle again, glanced at it and then half-turned as if to set it down on the table again. "Either way, I was branded for....well, a lot of reasons--"

Cloud held up a finger. "Speaking of stories, you never let me finish mine."

Ginger raised a brow. "You don't need to finish your story."

"Well, why not? There's a lot left between me getting what I needed and when you found me." He paused, and his attention seemed to be on something else for a moment. Then, he returned to Ginger. "And, I think you'll be interested in hearing what's left."

Ginger raised the rifle again. "I got all the information I needed. Now I want to hear everything you know about the Branwen Tri--"

"I think you'll be interested in hearing a certain part of my story."

She lowered the rifle. "Fine? What?"

"Those weren't the only Grimm I fought."

A large, shrill roar vibrated the floor underneath them. Ginger aimed the rifle back at him. "What. Did. You. Do?" He didn't get a chance to answer her question, as the ground shook again, this time unsettling her. Shouts sounded from the other room, and Ginger growled. She opened the door slightly. "Coal!" She shouted, and a large wall of a man charged to her. "Keep an eye on this door. Do not let our captive escape!" The man nodded briskly and she rushed out to assess the damage.



Ginger skidded to a stop beside Mauve and Lyall, glancing up at the smoke pouring into the sky from the far side of the village. "What's going on?" she asked, turning to Mauve. "It's a Grimm, isn't it? Did anyone see what kind?"

Mauve tossed Heaven's Fury to her, which she caught swiftly, dropping the useless rifle. It probably didn't even have bullets in it, seeing as it was in their spare room. "Not one I've ever seen. It looks to be a human riding a horse Grimm."

"It was tearing through the border easily enough, which is why we retreated." Lyall muttered, gripping his crossbow.

Ginger frowned, her brows furrowing. Could it be? She suddenly rushed down the road and reached a ladder, where she took the rungs two at a time. Once up the watchtower, she split Heaven's Fury into her rifle and looked down the scope. Fire and smoke in the distance mingled with the night time to make it fuzzy, but she could make out the destroyed west border. She squinted as her scanned the fire line.

A shadowy figure burst through the thick smoke, slowly, almost casually making its way through the village. Ginger twisted the scope at the top, and the crystal maneuvered as she zoomed in. It was a horse body, that much she could see clearly. But, the "person" riding it was no person at all...

"Could it be?" Ginger breathed out.

The rest of the figure emerged from the cloak of shadow and smoke, bellowing its shrill screech that sounded like a mixture of death and torture. It scanned the buildings, and then looked up, seemingly fixating straight on Ginger.

She froze. Oh no...

Once Ginger left the room in such a rush, Cloud immediately rose from the bed. He checked his arm wound. They had cleaned it out of Dust but not completely. Fortunately for him, that little bits of leftover Dust had managed to cauterize the wound fairly well. He flexed the wrist of his injured arm. It worked well enough with only so much pain. He then applied pressure to his wound on his chest. The reaction of the pressure forced him to suck in a breath, but he could tell it was healing as well. While he had faked his reactions to the pain during the investigation mostly, there was a part of it that was real.

Hobbling to the table, he first searched his bag, checking to see if they had stolen any more items. They hadn't. He then stuffed the large vial back into it and strapped in on his shoulder. He did a quick search of the room for any weapon he could find, but there really wasn't much there. It looked more like a guest bedroom than a jail cell. But, there was a poker next to the fireplace. He could use that while he finds his weapon and what he came here for.

While, yes, he did want to break into camp, he didn't envision it turning out this way. That last encounter with the curious Grimm that was no doubt endangering the camp right now took him off guard and, well, kinda threw his whole plan out of whack. Oh well. If leading the Branwen Clan taught him anything, it was that plans rarely play out like planned. The merits of a true bandit was how to improvise and adapt to situations that weren't in your favor. And, well, for bandits, situations were rarely in your favor.

Cloud snuck to the door and inched it open. Outside, it was all out chaos, and Cloud realized he had never left the inn he passed outside of who knows how long ago. Although this inn looked more like an extended stay bed and breakfast, from the looks of it. A huge man stood right outside his door, blockading any effort of him to leave inconspicuously. He sighed inwardly. He was gonna have to use force on... whoever these people were.

Cloud closed the door softly, sifting through his options. He did have a poker, which could be a very dangerous weapon. And also an easy stab in the back of that guy. It would most likely put him down and out, but Cloud had vowed long ago not to kill a human. He would only use the poker if absolutely needed.

He inched the door open again. People were evacuating from their lavish rooms, which seemed to be taking quite a while. A lot of maps and scrolls were being rushed out by some grunt looking guys. So, this inn was sort of like their headquarters. Good to know. That means what he's looking for, and his weapon, would most likely be here. Cloud readjusted his pack and shoved the door open. The big guy only had a split second to react, as Cloud kicked the back of his knee, forcing him to fall to his good one. Taking this opportunity, Cloud rushed out through the small opening he was given and tried to merge with the scared and rushed commotion in and out of rooms.

He almost reached the top of the stairs when a meaty fist grabbed his leg. He groaned before losing his balance and slamming into the wood floor. The grunts took one look at what was happening, but decided their assigned task was more important. Twisting to his back, he used his free leg to kick the guy in his face. He just took the first kick, like a champ. The second one, though, and Cloud could feel his nose crack under his heel. The man groaned from this, and Cloud could feel his grip lessen, and kicked the hand two more times before he let go. Cloud scrambled to his feet and straddled the man (which was actually a lot harder to do than Cloud thought. This guy was massive). Cloud struggled to even his breath. "Tell me... where Ginger's office... is."

The guy managed to become more alert and launched a punch at Cloud, but he was much more dazed than Cloud was, and he managed to dodge it, instead grabbing it and forcing one of his fingers back. The man screamed out. "Where is Ginger's office? She's your boss, right?"

The man bit his lip in pain, but nodded. "It's. Downstairs."

"Can I find my weapon and Dust in there?"

Again, the man nodded.

"That's all I needed to know. Thanks." And with that, Cloud stood up, stumbled a bit, and rushed down the stairs.

The situation on the first floor wasn't much better than the second floor, but it was definitely more chaotic. A few teens were stealing beer and ale while the bartender helped haul what looked like a huge safe out the front doors. Cloud could see fire rising above the building's skyline outside. He turned his attention to the right, to the back of the inn, where there resided a closed door. Shadows moved underneath it, which caused Cloud to hesitate for a moment, but upon further inspection --which was Cloud leaning down and peeking underneath the door-- it was just the dancing lights of a fireplace.

He tried the doorknob, and much to his surprise, it opened. He didn't take much of a look inside, but went straight for the desk. Sure enough, his staff was resting on top of it, and with a quick look, he found the Dust cartridges, plus some extra capsules, in the top right drawer. Now for what he came here for. That took a bit more time, but eventually he found it in a hidden drawer underneath the top drawer. Clicking it open, the secret drawer held a mix of silver and leather containers. But he was only there for one. It was long and cylindrical, snugly in between two larger containers that were most likely filled with valuable metals. He gingerly picked up the container and unscrewed it open, inspecting its insides.

"Got it." He whispered, and he slung his backpack to his chest and fit it inside a false back on the bag. He then stuffed the Dust containers in the main part of the bag and headed for the door. He was careful to leave everything else as it was and slowly closed the door back on his way out. As he turned around, his eyes scanned the inn, eventually landing on...

"Ginger." He breathed out unintentionally. As if she heard it, her head swiveled to him and she growled.

"YOU!" She shouted.

"Shit." He muttered, and bolted for the side exit, but boy was she fast for someone her age. She caught him and flung him into the wall, which knocked the breath out of him.

"You brought it here!" she spat at him, practically seething with anger.

"Hey, I warned you about the Grimm, I didn't--" She slammed him against the wall again. "Okay, shutting up." He let out in a course whisper.

"How in the hell did you manage to attract the Nuckelavee?"

"The what?"

"The..." she drew in a shaky breath. "The stupid horse-man Grimm!"

"I did meet it in the woods. It must have followed my pain. I swear to everything out there that I didn't mean for this to happen. I mean, I did fight it before I got here, and it's what injured me, but I swear, not intentional"

"Well, no shit. The only ones who would be stupid enough to try this on the Claw's home base are those who want a death wish." Her voice softened a bit. "There are children here."

Cloud shook his head, putting two and two together. "I would never attack a fellow tribe. Even if we had rough relations in the past."

Two men jogged up behind Ginger. "We managed to evacuate this side of town, but the south is still blocked in by the fire," the one with dark skin and golden hair said. The purple haired man glanced at Cloud. "Is that the idiot who started all this?"

"What-- I didn't start this! Have you been saying I'm an idiot to anyone who passes you on the street?"

Ginger growled out a sigh and let him down. She turned to the men. "Are we working on getting them out of there?"

"Yes, we're using all the forces we can spare from the Nuckelavee." The man paused. "Ginger, Helio and Topaz are still in the camp."

"We'll get them out safely. Don't worry, Mauve." Her face became stern again. "Lyall, you and Mauve take all of our evacuees and get them to our sister location in the south." She turned to Cloud and pointed a finger at him. "You, mister, are going to come with me to get reinforcements."

"Wait, why me? And where are we going?"

She was already walking out the door behind Mauve and Lyall, though. Cloud rushed to meet her and repeated his question.

"Well, Cloud boy, we're going to Atlas. And, as for why, because you managed to fight this Grimm and survive. I've only ever heard of one other person who managed to do that."

"Who?"

"You're gawking at her." Ginger said, and kept on walking.

Mauve glanced over his shoulder to find Lyall slowing down, head turned towards the plume of smoke billowing up over the rooftops in the west. Every now and then, he could hear the Nuckelavee screeching and the distant clatter of collapsing houses.

"Lyall?" he asked, slowing to a stop when his friend and partner stopped completely. "Lyall--"

The shrill scream of the Nuckevalee echoed through the buildings, sending shivers down his back and setting his hair on end. Lyall shuddered, tearing his gaze off the smoke to met Mauve's inquiring gaze.

"What?"

"Nothing, let's..." Mauv glanced away, swallowing. "Let's just keep moving."

"At least it's not the freaking Manticore again," Lyall muttered, tone dangerously quiet.

Mause shivered. "I'd rather not encounter that again, thank you very much."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry. Although Ginger was really freaked out by it. I wonder why--"

The Grimm screamed again, making them both stop short for a few moments. Mauve and Lyall pressed back against the nearest wall until the screaming stopped. It was Lyall who moved first, shifting to peer around the corner.

"Mauve," he hissed, waving him over. They slinked into an alleyway and Lyall covered both of their mouths to silence their breathing. Mauve made to remove it, but just then he heard the click-clacking of hooves over the crackling of the fire. It was a slow saunter, and it made it all the more agonizing to wait for it to cross their path. Lyall slowly removed his hand from his mouth and moved Mauve's to his. Staring into Mauve's eyes, he placed his now free hand to his chest, and Mauve could see his burnt auburn aura glowing around his palm. The familiar touch of both Lyall and Lyall's aura sparked his aura to life. Lyall moved his palm in a half circle, and both of their auras turned dark and still.

It encased Mauve like a shell, which made it hard to see through and hard to breathe. He glanced to the side of the road as well as he could and could barely make out the Nuckelavee, but he could mostly make out the sound of its hooves becoming more distant. Lyall let go of the connection and Mauve realized he was holding his breath. He chuckled softly. "Even after all these years, Lyall, you still manage to take my breath away with a single touch."

"Yeah, because that's what you were thinking about." Lyall said with a wink. "And, good lord, Mauve, stop with the cheesy romance." Even still, he stifled a laugh. Then the seriousness of the situation returned to them both, and Lyall's smile faded. "Let's find our family."

"Yes," Mauve murmured, calming himself a little. "Let's"



There was a fire raging across the covered walkway that crossed the small river. Mauve cursed, watching as people rushed to and fro, trying to put it out. Another, smaller, group had fashioned a make-shift bridge further down, out of range of the fire. On the other side of the river, he could make out a group of people through the billowing smoke. He made straight for it, circling around the people rushing to put out the walkway fire.

"This isn't good," Lyall murmured, catching Mauve's wrist and tugging him aside before they reached the make-shift bridge. "They'll never get enough people across before the fire takes them---or worse, the Grimm."

"Lyall--"

"Let's just get across and find them, okay?"

Mauve sighed. "Fine."

Without another word, he turned and strode towards the makeshift bridge. The people there scattered out of their path as Mauve approached, and stayed out of the way as they crossed it. Past the bridge, several buildings had toppled that were making the path to the other side of the village hard to manage.

Lyall glanced back at Mauve and they both exchanged a look. Then they pushed forward. Thankfully, through their maneuvering of the crumpled buildings, they didn't find any bodies. Mauve groaned as he was able to finally stand fully upright again as they exited the cramped spaces of the buildings. He turned around and held out a hand to Lyall, who accepted it.

Mauve stretched his back out while Lyall climbed some manageable debris to get a vantage point. He squinted at the fire that seemed to be maintained by the fallen buildings. Maybe in a few weeks they could come back to this village. It had been their home ever since Helio was born, and a part of him, the "squishy" part of him, as Lyall put it, wanted Helio to grow up here, too. It would be a shame if this was the last time she'd be able to see where she was born.

"Mauve!" Mauve snapped back to attention and turned to Lyall, who pointed in the distance. "I see them! I see our little girl!" Lyall scrambled down as Mauve took off running in that general direction.

"Toria! Toria!" Mauve shouted as he jogged past dark home by dark home, his head on a swivel. "Toria!"

"Mauve!" He heard distantly. Instantly, he changed his course to the direction of his name. As soon as he saw Toria and his little baby, he didn't slow down until he embraced them both in a deep hug. "Oh, thank the old gods, you're both all right," he said while being smothered in Toria's hair. Suddenly realizing what he said, he stepped back and examined them both. Noticing Toria's bloody blade, he said, "you are both all right, right?"

Toria followed his gaze to her khopesh. "Yeah, we're both fine. It seemed that some of our bandit friends we let in a few months ago were actually spies. They tried to take advantage of the commotion caused by the Grimm and kill those close to Ginger. I think they also started this fire."

Mauve seethed at the thought. "I swear, I would never let them lay a finger on you or our baby."

Lyall finally caught up to them as Mauve and Toria pressed their heads together. "I know you wouldn't, Mauve. But, I can handle myself. And Helio doesn't ever need to worry with three of the best Hunstmen that ever came out of Atlas being her parents."

Lyall embraced them both warmly and took a cooing Helio into his arms. "Remind me to never leave your side again, ever," he babbled to Helio while playing with her arm. Glancing up at Toria, and then the weapon, he raised an eyebrow.

"Took care of it," Toria said with a nod, and Lyall nodded back. But, Mauve wasn't finished.

He turned to Lyall. "There were traitors in our camp, Lyall!"

"Spies," Topaz corrected.

"Spies, whatever!" He pointed in the general direction of the camp. "Cloud must be one of them. That's why he lured the Nuckelavee here!"

"The Nucka-what?" Toria started, but Mauve waved her off.

"Bid bad Grimm of legend." He turned his attention back on Lyall. "Listen, we need to get to Ginger and kill that sonuvabitch before he hurts anyone else close to us."

Lyall laid his free hand on Mauve's shoulder. "Ginger can handle herself, y'know. And besides, they're probably out of the village already and on their way to Atlas. There's no way we're gonna catch up with Ginger."

"Yeah, she's probably wearing whoever Cloud is out with how fast she's going. When that woman sets her mind on something, she will chase it like a dog with a bone."

Mauve exhaled, as his breathing evened. "You're right. I just got worried."

"I know, Mauve. As you do."

Lyall hefted Helio back up to his hip. "We should get out of here."

A howl split through the night air. One that was different than the terrifying shriek of the Nuckelavee. Then another howl. Then another. Soon, the howls overlapped each other and created an unnerving symphony of death.

Toria shuddered. "Beowolves."

Helio babbled as she grabbed at Lyall's chest buckle that held on his weapon. Lyall plopped her up to rest on his arm as he jogged behind Toria and Mauve. The gruesome sounds of flame and feral screams drowned out all of Lyall's inner thoughts as it engulfed him. He wrapped up Helio's ears tighter as she gripped onto his shoulder with her chubby little hands.

Scalding fire licked at his back as he ducked under a fallen pillar.

"Mauve!" He shouted, and saw his boyfriend's head turn to face him. "Take Helio!" And he said no further, tossing Helio in the air in front of him. He heard her giggles as he turned around, kneeling and taking his spear out of his buckle and clicked into a crossbow, all in one fell swoop.

He could hear Mauve catch Helio as their movements became more distant and blended in with the fire and death. He didn't need to see his beloved catch his child; he knew him too well to doubt his decisions or judgment. He focused his attention on the Grimm charging through the burning red and stifling darkness, their glowing eyes setting the night howling and the fire deadening. Their growls and huffs merged into a disorientating harmony of fear and death. Lyall spun his chamber to Burn Dust and aimed down his sights. The shots were quick, calculating, and Grimm after Grimm fell down, joining the flames of the wood encampment. He inched back as the Grimm roared closer, never leaving his eye off his targets. But, with every one he downed, two more appeared in its place.

Finally, he dropped his aim and ran, catching up with Mauve, Toria, and Helio without much effort as they cleared the way for him. He huffed as he slowed to a jog. "These Grimm are coming out of the woodworks."

"Was that supposed to be a joke?" Toria bit out.

"What?"

"Because, there's burning wood all around us?"

"Oh, sis, you really do know how just attack my funny bone." Lyall stashed his spear back onto his strap on his back. "Do we know where we're going?"

"Out of this hellhole," Mauve hissed out.

"That's incredibly informative," Lyall snorted.

"There's a clearing north of the camp that has a ship scheduled to set down there for the next two weeks, presumably for scheduled maintenance. Our standing orders are to reach there or the next location if we were cut off from the rest," Toria stated.

"Do we know where--"

The ram-shack building to their right burst into flames and collapsed, with three Beowolves rampaging through the burnt wood.

"Lyall! Helio!" Mauve snarled and thrust the baby into Lyall's arms. She giggled and grabbed Lyall's nose as he ducked under Mauve's weapons and settled behind a rock.

"Okay, okay, you got my nose. Can I have it back, please." Lyall muttered and handed her a rock. She laughed and bit on the rock. He hesitated, then conceded and let her have the rock. Lyall glanced up past the boulder, noticing Mauve and Toria facing against two of the Beowolves. The houses breaking down opened up a small clearing that revealed thicker, darker logs.

"Toria!"

She shoved the growling Grimm away. "Kinda busy here!"

"I see the wall!"

"Why didn't you say that to begin with?" She growled, but was interrupted as the Grimm charged again.

Lyall shifted Helio to his other arm and struggled to a standing position. A growling stopped him in his tracks. He lifted his eyes to a Beowolf stalking closer to him, rumbling deep in its throat. Helio growled back, batting a stubby hand at the beast. Lyall backed around the boulder. "Toria!"

"I'm going to change my name!"

"Helio!" He launched Helio behind him in the direction of Toria's voice with one arm and pulled out his spear with the other, but the arm dragged, heavy from holding the heavy oddball of little Helio. Nevertheless, he twirled the spear until it felt light and familiar again. The Grimm gave him little chance more than that until it charged. He struck out with his golden spearhead while hopping out of the way. The beast veered to the side, and he just scraped the side of it. However, the amber tip left a sizzling graze. The Grimm limped up, and Lyall faltered, feeling the spear getting heavier in his hand. He glanced behind him to see what the others were doing.

Mauve shoved his rapier through the Grimm, turning it into dust. "Oh good," Toria muttered, "you're free now. Take our child!" She bounced a giggling Helio to Mauve. He sighed and tossed his rapier into Lyall's Grimm before catching Helio.

"Hey there, little spitfire. Just like your daddy." He sauntered over to Lyall and picked up his rapier. "You really should stick to the long range stuff."

Lyall shot him a smug look.

"Will you two stop comparing your swords and focus?" She wiped her khopesh on her pantsleg and pointed to the now smoldering wall. "Thicker wood, slower spreading fire. That's the edge of the camp."

"Whoa, how did you find that out?" Lyall muttered.

"I used my eyes--" Their bickering was stopped when screams shot out in the direction of the camp's edge.

"There are survivors!" The three exchanged a look and rushed towards the edge of the camp, where natural dirt mounds slowed or outrightly halted the fire from reaching the walls. Multiple people: children, families, huddled in against the high walls. They slowed to a stop.

"Any way to get over it?" Mauve panted out.

"Unless one of us has a super jump Semblance that I didn't know about, then probably not." Toria bit out. "Lyall, can you deduce where we're at?"

"Judging from the burning buildings and the high log walls, I'd say we're still in the camp."

"Ha ha, very funny. Where're the exits at?" Toria asked.

The roaring fire was split by the hounding of hound Grimm closing in on them.

"Remind me when we're out of this to run away and change my name." Toria muttered.