ThatKIrcguy

Breathe Chapter 81: Grave Matters

Added 2025-10-06 05:01:05 +0000 UTC

The top of the bell tower had quickly grown silent as Pyrrha and Yang froze, although for different reasons entirely. Likewise, the Grimm that stood in front of them settled for remaining still, taking short, guttural breaths.

Seconds seemed to stretch on forever as the duo remained silent, only for them to suddenly look up as the wooden support beams in the rafters let out a loud crack, bringing them back to reality.

“Mom.” Yang took a cautious step forward. “It’s... It’s Yang, your daughter. You... You remember me, right? I know I look different, but it’s still me. Your sunny little dragon. I know you’re in there somewhere... Please, just... Remember.”

Reaching out, she took a few more steps forward, before Pyrrha grabbed a hold of her, stopping her before she could get any closer.

“Don’t,” Pyrrha muttered.

“But–”

Leaning forward, the Hound looked at them. Taking a deep sniff of the air, a sudden crushing pressure suddenly pressed down on them, making the very air feel thick and syrupy.

Stumbling back until she was pressed against the wall, Yang clutched a hand to her chest. Taking spluttered breaths, she leaned forward, staring at the ground.

Pyrrha’s gaze briefly flickered towards her friend, before snapping back to the Grimm. “You need to get out of here, this is way above your level. Find Winter and Coal, they’ll be able to help.“ Tightening her grip on her spear, she stepped in front of Yang defensively. “I’ll keep it busy.”

Nodding, Yang’s hands shook as she stood up. Shooting one last glance towards the Hound as it stepped forward, further into the light, her blood suddenly froze when she noticed the shredded remains of a little red hood tied around its wrist.

“Ruby.”

Snapping towards Yang, the ground shattered as the Hound suddenly launched itself forward, far faster than the blonde was capable of perceiving.

A loud gong-like sound echoed through the bell tower as Pyrrha met it halfway, blocking its head with her shield, only to immediately be thrown back into Yang and out of the bell tower, leaving a shattered wall in their wake.

Righting herself in the air, Pyrrha took a focused breath that was immediately interrupted when the hound wrapped its claw-like hand around her head, smashing her into the ground as they landed on an abandoned dirt road.

Wrapping a second hand around Pyrrha’s upper body, pinning her arms to her side, the Hound lowered its mouth towards head, wrapping its jaws around her throat.

“Sun Breathing: Dance”

Rearing back as Yang hacked through its face with her gauntlets, the Hounds grip loosened around Pyrrha, just enough for her to plant her feet against its chest and heave, throwing it off her.

Taking a short, spluttered breath, Pyrrha rolled to her feet, tightly gripping her sword as the hound stood a short distance away, circling them like a predator that’s just found its prey.

“Are you okay?”

Nodding, Pyrrha winced. “I’ll live. It just caught me off guard. You should still go... Meet up with the others.” Reaching into her back pocket, she hit a button on her Scroll, causing it to start blinking red. “I’ve sent out an alert that Coal and Winter should pick up.”

“Then there’s really no need for me to go find them, is there?” Yang asked. “Besides, you look like you could use a little help. It’s time I put everything I’ve been learning to the test,” She said, steeling herself.

Hearing a loud gong, both Yang and Pyrrha looked towards the bell tower as the roof caved in, kicking up a small cloud of dust as rubble and debris dropped off the sides and onto some of the nearby buildings.

Noticing the Hound’s legs begin to tense, Pyrrha took a second breath, bringing her sword up as it appeared in front of her.

“Flame Breathing: Rising Scorching Sun”

Blocking the blow with its forearms, Pyrrha’s blade just barely managed to cut through the upper layer muscle, doing almost no damage outside of causing its flesh to burn a little and even that healed over in mere moments.

Ducking under its arms, Yang took a quick, hissed breath before attempting to slash through the Hounds chest, creating small fissures in its skin that seemed to linger a while longer.

“Sun Breathing: Raging Sun”

Taking another breath, Yang was just about to try it again, only to suddenly find herself suddenly dragged away by an invisible force acting on her gauntlets.

Trying to chase after her, the Hound was knocked to the ground as the bell tower’s bell smashed into its side. The metal warped around its frame, only for the Hound to tear one of its arms free, pulling itself out before Pyrrha could close the gap.

That, however, didn’t matter. The bell had already fulfilled its purpose in stalling the Hound for a few moments.

Standing with her sword held over her shoulder, Pyrrha took a focused breath, her gaze one of sheer concentration.

“Flame Breathing: Rengoku”

Moving in an explosive burst of speed, Pyrrha appeared in front of the Hound in a single instant. Bringing her blade down, it tried to defend itself, raising both of its clawed hands, only for her to slash through them almost effortlessly.

Feeling her strength waver as her pulse began to return to normal, Pyrrha gave one final thrust, severing the Hound’s head from the rest of the body.

“PYRRHA!”

Grim faced, Pyrrha flicked her sword to the side as the Grimm collapsed. Turning back towards Yang who was rushing over, she held her head low. “Yang, I’m so sorry, I–“

“IT’S NOT OVER!”

Acting on instinct, Pyrrha just barely raised her shield above her head as something smashed into it, sending her skidding down the road.

The Hound, having quite literally pulled itself together, let out a strangled scream. Its muscles bulged out grotesquely, tearing some of its skin in the process, before shrinking back to their original size.

Its wounds, having healed over, were now covered in spiked plates of bone and flesh, while its head, which had been reattached, not everything was in the right place as its jaw hung limply over its neck.

Having come to a stop, Pyrrha attempted to use the bell again, wrapping it around the Hound as tightly as possible, only for the Grimm to tear it apart... Treating it as if it were made out of cardboard.

“This isn’t good,” Pyrrha muttered under her breath.

Turning to glare at her, the ground beneath the Hound cracked as it clawed its way towards her, moving far faster than it had been only a few moments earlier.

Taking a breath, Pyrrha brought her blade down with as much strength as she could muster, going as far as to use her Semblance to enhance the cut.

“Flame Breathing: Blazing Universe”

Raising its clawed hand to block the blow, Pyrrha’s blade managed to cut through the skin, but failed to do any further damage.

Twisting its body to the side, the Hound rammed its shoulder into Pyrrha.

Crashed through several of the old buildings in Settlers Hill, Pyrrha finally came to a stop when she collided with a street light, nearly ripping it from the ground in the process as bits of debris pelted the buildings behind her.

Hearing a few gasps and seeing a flash of light, she looked up to see herself in the new part of town, several people pausing what they were doing to see what was going on, some having even taken their Scrolls out to record her.

“What’s going on?”

“Hey, isn’t that Pyrrha Nikos?”

“What’s she doing here? I thought she was in Vale.”

Ignoring the whispers, Pyrrha stumbled a little as she stood back up. “Listen to me, you all need to find shelter right now! There’s a dangerous Grimm in the area.”

Some of them listened and immediately began to evacuate, but there were still a few left that lingered on, specifically those that had taken to recording her.

Looking through the hole she’d made through the building's wall, she could just barely make out Yang heading her way, but no Hound.

Instinctually looking up, she jumped to the side as the Hound smashed into the street, exactly where she’d been standing only a moment earlier.

Taking a breath, she brought her blade up in a circular motion, cutting into its unprotected chest.

“Flame Breathing: Blooming Flame Undulation”

Failing to do any lasting damage once more, Pyrrha prepared to put some room between her and the Grimm, only for something to wrap around her leg.

Pulling her towards it, the Hound brought its clawed hand down, landing a direct hit that threw Pyrrha to the ground with enough force to cause a portion of the street to cave in.

Stabbing her sword into the Hound’s head as it snapped at her. Pyrrha grunted as she pushed back the Grimm with her shield, just barely managing to keep it from trying to rip her in half.

“GET OFF OF HER!”

Watching as a blonde blur collided with the Hound, Pyrrha used the brief moment Yang had bought her to her advantage.

Reaching out with her free hand, she took control of the surrounding street lights, wrapping them around the Grimm’s limbs and neck, yanking it off of her for a brief moment.

Grimacing as the Hound’s tail tightened around her ankle, Pyrrha was whipped into the air, before being smashed into the street.

Gritting her teeth as she was pulled up once more, she took a hasty breath and flung her shield, cutting through the softer flesh of the Grimm’s tail just as she was about to reached the peak of her ascent.

Crashing through the window of a nearby cafe, Pyrrha slid to a stop near the back of the building. Her Aura flickering dangerously.

Rolling to her feet, she unconsciously reached for her shield and sword, only to find them missing.

“Mommy… Wake up…”

Blinking, she turned towards a pile of tables that had been thrown to the corner of the room with a little girl sitting next to an unconscious woman who she assumed was her mother.

“Little girl–“

Hearing a howl come outside, accompanied by the sound of metal snapping, Pyrrha snapped towards the broken window just in time to see the Hound tear its way free, swatting Yang to the side as it clawed its way towards her.

“Oh no.”

Quickly making her way outside, Pyrrha took a low stance, her hands shaking from exertion. The Hound was just too strong for her. She wouldn’t be winning this fight, that much was clear, but... She absolutely refused to allow it to do any more harm, even if that meant exhausting all of her Aura.

“Flame Breathing: Rengoku”

Letting out a roar as she smashed the bronze brace on her shield arm into the Hound’s face, Pyrrha burst forward with enough speed and momentum to partially overwhelm the Grimm, tearing up entire chunks of the road in the process.

Leaping forward as it attempted to catch her with its claws, Pyrrha ripped her blade free from its head as she sailed over it.

Landing a short distance away, Pyrrha’s heart thundered in her chest as she levelled her sword at the Hound.

Without enough Aura to even use her Semblance, she would be forced to rely on her skills alone... At least until she could recover a little.

It was odd, though... The Hound seemed to have slowed down significantly... Almost as if it was tiring, but with the way its muscles were twitching, she could see that wasn’t the case.

Watching as it lunged towards her, she rolled underneath it, slashing a line down its body as it sailed overhead.

Not even bothering to look, she lashed out, cutting through its tail before it could even attempt to grab a hold of her.

Turning around slowly as the Hound moved almost sluggishly, Pyrrha noticed that its wounds were healing notably slower.

No... It wasn’t the Grimm. She was just moving significantly faster.

Initially, Pyrrha had thought that all she could do was stall, but with the way she was feeling now... It would be close, but she might just be able to do this.

Letting out a low growl as its wounds finished sealing, the Hound turned its sights towards Pyrrha. Lowering its head, it sniffed the ground, before looking up at the night sky, just moments before a large ethereal Nevermore came crashing down on top of it.

Snarling as it easily tore the summoned Grimm apart, it was suddenly forced to kneel as several black gravity Glyphs materialized underneath it.

Landing a short distance away, Winter snapped her fingers, summoning several more Grimm that charged towards the Hound, climbing on top of it.

Having already been struggling under its own weight, the Hound found itself pinned to the ground, unable to do much other than thrash about weakly.

“Weiss!” Winter ordered.

“On it,” Weiss replied, having understood what her sister was asking of her.

Spinning the cylinder on her rapier, she stabbed it into the ground, encasing the Grimm in a layer of ice, further restraining it.

Waiting for a few moments to ensure that it wouldn’t be able to escape, Winter nodded, satisfied with their work. “That should hold it for now. Are you hurt?”

Nodding, Pyrrha ducked her head forward, her hair draping around her face messily. “There were a few close calls, but nothing that some rest won’t fix.”

She was honestly more concerned about the locals that’d been caught in the crossfire. She’d done her best to keep the Hound’s attention on her, but, with the amount of damage that’d been done, there was bound to be more than a few people wounded.

Or dead.

Already, efforts were being made by the locals, along with the stationed guards, to search for anyone that’d been injured. Pyrrha let out a relieved breath when she saw the woman from the cafe being escorted out alongside her daughter... Both very much alive.

Now, where was...

“Yang–“

“Right over here, P-money.” Yang grinned weakly, limping towards them. “Just had a building fall on top of me... Nothing too serious. Glad you guys could make it. Things were looking a little Grimm for a moment.”

Placing a hand over her pounding heart, Pyrrha let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh, haha,” Weiss laughed mockingly. “Grimm puns... Really?”

“Couldn’t help myself.” Smirking, Yang placed her hands on her hips, before wincing. “I think I might have landed wrong.” Placing a hand on the ice containing the Hound, Yang’s gaze softened a little. “Don’t worry, mom. We’re going to get you the help that you need.”

Smiling, Pyrrha used her Semblance to retrieve her shield, before tying her hair back into its ponytail. Having recovered some Aura, she glanced at the ruined buildings before turning back towards the group.

“Do you think we should help out?” She asked. With the Hound taken care of, there really wasn’t much stopping them from... Why was everyone staring at her? “Is everything alright?”

“Pyrrha,” Winter murmured, snapping out of it. “You have a–“

However, before she could finish, the ground started rumbling as the sound of metal groaning echoed through the storm drains. Small bits of debris shook free from nearby rooftops while some of the less stable buildings looked to be on the verge of collapse.

There was a sudden crack, before the ice containing the Hound shattered. Bursting free, its clawed hand wrapped around Yang’s upper body and face, dragging her with it. Stopping for the barest instant, it levelled a hate filled glare at Pyrrha and Winter, before scaling one of the nearby buildings.

“YANG!”

Taking to the rooftops, the streets below blurred as Pyrrha chased after Yang. Taking breath after breath to forcefully increase her speed, she began to catch up with the Grimm.

Catching sight of her blonde friend who was staring back at her with a desperate look in her eyes, Pyrrha tensed her legs, building up a massive amount of force within an instant.

“Flame Breathing: Unknown Fire”

Briefly surpassing the Grimm, Pyrrha swung her blade in a wide, horizontal arc that severed the limb holding Yang, before slashing her blade through its fingers, freeing her friend who let out a spluttered cough.

Curving around them, the Hound continued on its path, uncaring of the limb it left behind. Hopping down into a large, walled off area that Pyrrha recognized as the newly built water park.

“We should follow her,” Yang muttered.

Not giving Pyrrha a chance to respond, Yang leapt off the roof. Following shortly after, Pyrrha bounded across the rooftop, landing inside the water park.

It was pretty much as she’d expected, being a large maze of concrete, grass and pools, several of which had already been filled. The Hound was decidedly absent, although there was a trail of slowly evaporating black fluid that led further into the park.

Keeping Yang close to here in case this was a trap, Pyrrha kept an eye out for even the faintest bit of movement, ready to cut it down at a moment’s notice.

Hearing a splash, they picked up the pace, reaching a large pool near the center of the park. Shifting her sword into its rifle state, Pyrrha shot an incendiary round straight up, sending a signal to Winter, Weiss and Blake.

Turning her attention back towards the pool, Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. The large spot lights surrounding the area helped light everything up, but they didn’t reveal everything.

Finally spotting the Hound sitting at the bottom of the pool, Pyrrha took a step back when the water began overflowing as the pipe that’d been placed in the side began pumping out an inky black fluid which contaminated the surrounding water.

It didn’t take long before even the Hound was obscured in the mixture.

Feeling more than a little unsettled at the new development, Pyrrha took another step back, this time, pulling Yang with her. Not taking her eyes off the pool for even a second.

Slowly, but surely, the pool began to bulge outward, like a massive cocoon... Although, instead of turning a caterpillar into a butterfly, it was the hound and she wasn’t quite sure what it would turn into.

Spotting Winter arriving on the back of a summoned Nevermore with Weiss and Blake at her side, Pyrrha began waving them over, only for a massive gnarled hand to break free from the cocoon and rip out a chunk of the pool before throwing it at them.

...Breathe...

Sprinting down the long winding tunnel, I shot a quick glance to my side, making sure that I hadn’t accidentally left Ruby behind, before turning back towards the path.

The service tunnels beneath Settlers Hill were a complete mess, appearing more like a complicated maze than anything else.

There were entire branches of tunnels that’d been unaccounted for.

They’d simply been walled off and forgotten about and that wasn’t even counting the fact that this entire settlement seemed to have been built on top of the remains of an even older settlement which, in turn, had been simply abandoned and was accessible from the tunnel system.

“Duck,” Ruby cried as a jet of thick black fluid shot out of an old broken pipe.

Sliding under it as we passed, I looked back to see the pipe corroding even further as a large wave of Grimm spawning fluid mixed with muddy and somewhat rusty water, engulfed the area behind us.

Oh, yes. And then there was that... The foul smelling concoction that was rapidly flooding the tunnel system, making it far more difficult to leave. Annoyingly, it wasn’t something that could be fought. Even if we killed off the Grimm spawning fluid, that didn’t do anything to change how much water there was.

Luckily, with how diluted it currently was, anything that spawned from it would be negligible at best.

Taking a turn down one of the less flooded tunnels, I began to slow down when I saw what looked to be a dead end. We couldn’t go back either because that way was completely flooded.

“What’re we gonna do? There’s no way out. We... Huh, is it just me or is the water kind of decreasing?”

“It is...” But it also wasn’t. The water remained the same, but the spawning fluid was actively draining away, leaving the chamber just a little less full.

Poking his head out of Ruby’s hood, Zwei held his head high and barked. His tail visibly wagging beneath Ruby’s cloak.

Looking up at the spot Zwei was staring at, I found a manhole cover.

“It looks like we’ve found a way out of this place.”

“Yes! Good work Zwei,” Ruby beamed. Unclipping her rifle from her back, she levelled it at the manhole, before taking a shot that blew it wide open, exposing the night air. “Let’s get out of here. Hey, maybe if we hurry, we could see the others fight that weird bat Grimm thing.”

“Maybe,” I shrugged.

Probably not.

Disappearing in a burst of petals, Ruby flew upwards, leaving the service tunnel behind, I followed shortly behind.

Looking around, it seemed that we were back by the town’s entrance. There were a few people nearby, although they left when they caught sight of us, some heading in doors, while others made their way down the street.

“Huh, wonder what their problem is,” Ruby murmured. “It’s like they’ve never seen an awesome Huntsman and Huntress in training climb out of the sewers before.”

Shaking my head as my Scroll suddenly pinged, I began reaching for it, before freezing alongside Zwei as the breeze hit us.

There was the smell of a Grimm in the air, one far more potent than the Grimm that’d made its nest in the sealed off section of the service tunnel.

“It looks like we’re not quite done yet,” I muttered. “Let’s go.”

“Huh, what?” Ruby asked. “Where?”

That much, I still had to find out.

Taking off into a sprint, I tried to follow the scent, but it was pointless... Not because it was that difficult to track. No, it was due to the fact that I could already see what it was.

Sitting right in the middle of the newly built water park was a Grimm twice as large as a Goliath, swatting at a flock of ethereal Nevermore.

It looked strange, like some kind of half formed torso with bone and muscle on full display, but a closer look revealed that it was made up from dozens of smaller Grimm that’d been merged with its form. There was also something else... There was a woman at its center... A very human woman.

“What the heck?” Ruby muttered. “I thought you were talking about that bat Grimm thingy, not this! What even is that thing?”

Shooting her a quick glance, I sighed. “Something Salem made, I’m guessing.”

“...So, then she’s…” Ruby said awkwardly.

Nodding, I clicked my sword open. “Why don’t you wait here with Zwei... I’ll handle this.”

Planting my feet firmly on the ground, I took a breath, before launching myself towards the Grimm’s hulking figure.

Kicking off the air to get a better angle, I gripped my blade tightly before unsheathing it in a crescent arc, hacking through its shoulder.

“Sun Breathing: Clear Blue Sky”
-300AP

Preparing to do the same to the other arm, a flicker of rose petals suddenly appeared there instead as Ruby swung her scythe down into the Grimm’s flesh, cutting three large crevices, each of which began to petrify.

“Moon Breathing: Pearl Flower Moongazing”

Landing on the edge of the pool, I shot a quick glance towards Ruby who grinned sheepishly.

“Technically, you didn’t tell me that I had to stay there,” Ruby hummed. “And even if you did, I never said yes, so–“

Letting out a piercing shriek as its arms dropped into the water below, the Grimm’s mass began to stretch and contort, rebuilding its arms using whatever it had at its disposal. Slowly drawing strength from the black fluid that was being pumped into the pool.

It was almost like a miniature Ancient Grimm.

Glancing back to where the others were, Yang looked exhausted and was currently being supported by Blake, who had an arm wrapped around her waist. If I had to guess, Winter was likely up in the sky, riding one of her Nevermore while she distracted the Grimm.

Weiss looked a little shaken, but otherwise was fine and Pyrrha... She stood protectively in front of the trio despite looking like she’d had it the worst... Knowing how defensive she could be of those she cared about, she probably had. She even looked to have the makings of a black... Eye...

That wasn’t a black eye.

“So, uh... What do we do now?”

“We hit it together,” I replied, turning back towards the Grimm. “So long as it’s in that pool, it’ll keep regenerating, but it does have a weak point. If we can remove it, the Grimm should die.”

“Oh... Where?” Ruby smiled awkwardly.

“It’s chest,” I answered, holding my sword to the side.

Taking a breath, the ground cracked as I launched myself into the air, Ruby following close behind.

Bypassing its newly regrown arms entirely, I brought my blade up in a wide circular motion, burning away large chunks of his chest while Ruby simply slashed her scythe through it once, unleashing a wave of silver crescent moons that petrified everything that they touched.

“Sun Breathing: Burning Bones, Summer Sun.”
-500AP

“Moon Breathing: Dark Moon, Evening Palace”

Gaining a small foothold in the now petrified flesh of the Grimm’s ribcage, I lunged forward, my hand sifting through the pulsing black flesh. Grabbing a hold of a hand in the dark, I pulled back, leveraging my foot against the now crumbling flesh, before giving one final heave that tore her free from the Grimm.

Wrapping my arms around her as the Grimm’s body caved in on itself, I jumped back, landing on a patch of grass as Summer’s body locked up, no longer being kept alive by the Grimm that had trapped her.

I didn’t have much time here.