Aaand we're back with a new update for Chaldea in Remnant, plus the appearance of a, how shall we say, smooth criminal?

Also gave some sort of an explanation as for how Pyrrha qualifies as a Heroic Spirit in Remnant, though I'm pretty sure I may have screwed up in explaining how the whole process of becoming a Heroic Spirit works. To be honest, I'm still a little lost even after reading the wiki, so for anyone reading this who is more Fate savvy in these sorts of things, please point out what I got wrong so I can fix them at a later date.

At any rate, enjoy the new chapter!

A Fate/Grand Order x RWBY Crossover:
"Chaldea in Remnant"

Fate/07: A Teary Reunion, The Blooming Meeting

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha said for the upteenth time.

Kadoc sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "For the last time, Nikos, you're fine. In all honesty, we should have known this would have happened."

"Think we could have Da Vinci try and erase the videos online?" Ritsuka asked hopefully while peering out past the blinds in the room he and Mash rented.

Down below he could see swarms of people waiting outside, all of them wearing starry-eyed expressions and trying to force their way inside. Mash and Asclepius were doing their best to keep the horde back, which was saying a lot considering Servants had above-average strength. Was this the power of a fan-crazy mob?

Ozma shook his head. "Even if she did, it would be a pointless endeavor. The video has no doubt gone viral and is most likely being reposted on various websites. Like it or not, all of Remnant now knows Pyrrha Nikos is alive and well. We should be thankful that Master Kadoc managed to convince them that Pyrrha hadn't so much as died as she did take some serious injuries and had to be nursed back to health."

Though granted that particular excuse warranted an explanation as to why Pyrrha Nikos' survival did not go public. The destruction of the CCT and Kadoc openly admitting they didn't even know who Pyrrha was when they found her seemed to work as plausible, but Ozma could see there were some who doubted their claims.

"Our biggest concern is whether or not we can get out of here without kicking the hornet's nest any worse than we have already." Ritsuke peeled away from the window and turned to Ozma. "I don't suppose you know a spell that will make us invisible so we can escape out the back door?"

Ozma smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Master Ritsuka, but I'm afraid I don't know any spells of the sort. Though we could cause a distraction outside."

"Any ideas?" Kadoc inquired.

"While I don't have any invisibility spells, I do know some illusion spells that I used to distract opponents I faced in the past. I can cast an illusion of Miss Nikos sneaking away, prompting the mob to follow while we make our escape."

"That sounds like th best we can do for the moment."

Ritsuka ran his hand through his hair. "Aside from Pyrrha, we should also probably keep Ozma in Astral form for now. From what Da Vinci told us, "magecraft" and "magic" don't exist in this world. They just have these abilities called semblances, and they're nowhere near as diverse as what Ozma did to that scorpion guy. Speaking of, what happened to him?"

"The local police apprehended him not long after the disturbance was reported," Asclepius told him. "Apparently, that man is a known serial killer, wanted for assault, murder and kidnapping."

Ozma grimaced. "Of course he was."

'Salem really does know how to pick them, doesn't she?' the Ruler thought to himself. He recalled how much of a raving lunatic he was and how he ranted about his 'goddess.' If he saw what Salem was capable of for himself, then his devotion and loyalty were unquestionable. Little wonder why Salem recruited him if he could be so easily manipulated. That, and his skills made him valuable. 'I dread to think who else she's welcomed into her fold.'

"He was also working for Cinder, too." Pyrrha frowned heavily.

The memory of her encounter with her killer was anything but pleasant. She could still remember how it felt as she died, how her insides were burning and being torn apart from the inside out. Remembering the sensation alone was enough to make her reach for the spot where the arrow pierced her body. It throbbed angrily and felt hot. Part of the reason why she wanted to reunite with Jaune, in spite of the complications regarding her being here and the fact that she was bound to Chaldea, was because she was worried that Cinder was still out there and plotting the downfalls of other Kingdoms, just like what she did with Beacon. No doubt either her partner or Ruby realized this also and came to Anima for that reason.

Kadoc turned to Pyrrha curiously. "Who is this Cinder woman anyway? From the sound of it, you and her have a history."

"That's putting it mildly," Pyrrha scowled. "She's the one who killed me, and the one responsible behind the Fall of Beacon Academy."

"You mean that massive attack that ruined the entire city?" Kadoc questioned for clarification.

He had been there with Gudako, and the city certainly had seen better days. The streets were overrun with those Grimm creatures and the infrastructure was utterly damaged. They later learned the specifics regarding the event. How the Fall of Beacon took place started due to tragedies within the Vytal Festival Tournament. One fighter broke another's leg after the match's end, and another sliced their opponent to quarters.

The terror and unease that resulted from these incidents drew in the Grimm in massive droves. In addition, the White Fang smuggled more Grimm into the city and started their killing spree. This resulted in greater panic that drew even more monsters in. The city's defenses couldn't keep up with the increasing enemy numbers. It didn't help that Atlesian forces somehow turned against the civilians. And this was all before the CCT fell and communication was cut off from the rest of the world.

A single woman had been responsible for that disaster?

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes. And the worst part is, I know absolutely nothing about her except for the fact that she was a student from Haven Academy. Having said that, after everything's that happened, I doubt she was a student in the first place."

"And if she was a student, then the headmaster unknowingly had a terrorist in his school," Ozma frowned in concern. 'But Leonardo wouldn't make a mistake like that. Either Cinder covered her tracks very well, or...'

Or something happened to Leonardo, something that would have made him turn a blind eye to Cinder's existence and her activities.

Ritsuka was silent for a good while, absorbing and deliberating this information, before he spoke up. "We can discuss this later when we meet up with Ruby Rose and Pyrrha's team. And on that note, I say it's time we get going." He glanced at the window as he heard the fervent shouts of people clamoring to get a good look at the Invincible Girl who came back from the dead. "From the sounds of it, Mash and Asclepius can't keep the crowd back anymore without seriously hurting them."

"Agreed. Time we split and get the hell out of here," Kadoc nodded in agreement and turned to Ozma. "How long can your decoy last and how good is it?"

At this, Ozma smiled impishly. "They won't be able to tell the difference."

A pair of green-blue eyes opened, followed by the harsh blinding lights of Chaldea's medical bay causing the man to groan and feel the oncomings of a migraine.

"Somebody turn off the lights?" the man requested as he put a hand over his eyes.

Next to him, a familiar voice spoke up. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Pepe."

Scandinavia Peperoncino winced as he turned his head, opening his eyes and blinking rapidly to adjust to the light. Two women stood next to each other, one clad in a rather skimpy outfit that revealed her body in all of its glory, her red eyes dancing with relief while the woman next to her, dressed in a simple suit with a white medical eyepatch over her right eye.

"Hinako? Ophelia?" Pepe asked before he winced. "W-what happened? Last thing I recall was working with one of the technicians in the northern wing, and..."

"It's a long story," Ophelia told him. "How do you feel?"

"My head hurts for starters. I dread to ask, but how long was I out?"

Yu answered, "A few days, maybe a little closer to a week?"

Pepe's eyes widened. "A week?!"

He had been out for a week?! Just what happened?!

"Just-just what happened to me?"

"To make things short, it was one of Da Vinci's shenanigans. She thought it'd be a good idea to test out what she calls an artificial Kaleidoscope. Suffice to say, it did not work out as well as expected."

"For the most part, Chaldea remained intact during the transfer. But some sectors had been damaged. The North Wing was one of them. We found you unconscious next to some of the wreckage." Ophelia added.

"Wait, wait, honeys, slow down. Artificial Kaleidoscope? Transfer? By the way you're describing it, it seems like all of Chaldea transported to a different world."

"That's exactly what happened," Yu deadpanned. Pepe stared. She sighed and shook her head. "It'd probably be easier just to show you instead."

"...my goodness."

Really, what else was he supposed to say to the sight of a broken moon hanging over his head?

"Yep. We're definitely not on Earth anymore." Yu nodded in agreement.

"And we've been here for a week already?" Pepe questioned.

"Yes. When we first arrived, we had no idea what was going on. We sent out Gudako and Kadoc out with Salieri, Tesla, And Edison to scout out the area. They actually found a town under siege."

"So there is defined civilization here?"

"That's right. Although to say that they're on the same level as modern civilization on Earth is a bit tricky to determine." Yu said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well for one thing, their system for long distance communication is flawed. On this world, Remnant, there are four main Kingdoms with several surrounding villages. Each Kingdom has this tower called the Cross-Continental Transmit System, or the CCT. With it, information can be exchanged across land masses."

"So it's similar to the modern internet system on Earth." Pepe nodded in understanding.

"Similar. But one glaring downside is that if one of those towers gets taken down, the entire network goes offline." Yu answered bluntly.

Pepe winced, already imagining the looks on Edison and Tesla's faces when they discovered this. "I take it our resident Servant thinkers were none too happy?"

"Enough so that they and the rest of the more tech-savvy Servants aided them and reworked the CCT system, restoring communications." Ophelia nodded. "We initially thought this could be a parallel version of Earth, but further investigations proved otherwise. The geography of the planet is vastly different compared to Earth, the celestial bodies don't match ours, and there's the fact that the planet's moon is partially shattered. Furthermore, there is a form of demi-human existing in this world known as the Faunus. They're essentially humans with animal-like features, such as a tail, an extra set of ears or scales."

The Russian Lostbelt and its beastmen immediately came to Pepe's mind. "I see. And what about our current situation? Is Da Vinci honey looking for a way to return us back to our world?"

"Yes, but it's going to take a while," Yu told him. "One more thing. It appears this world has its own Heroic Spirits who hail from different eras. Chaldea successfully managed to summon two: A Ruler-class Servant by the name of Ozma, who hails from this world's version of the Age of Gods, and a Lancer-class Servant named Pyrrha Nikos, who hails from the current era. She died a few months ago."

Pepe winced. He could only imagine how the girl must feel, having been summoned in such a short amount of time since her death. Then he paused to think. "...how is that possible? I mean, wouldn't it take years for a person to be officially recognized and enter the Throne of Heroes?"

"That was what we were wondering as well," Ophelia crossed her arms. "Normally, the perception of the general public and the amount of time, as well as the individual's feats are the primary factors as to how someone can become part of the Throne of Heroes. The best example would be Heracles, who performed twelve impossible tasks. His legend propagated and was no doubt exaggerated, and the more and more the people learned of his tales, their perception of him grew grandeur. In the case of Pyrrha Nikos, though, there's a discrepancy."

"From what we know, Pyrrha Nikos was nothing more than a skilled warrior and combatant," Yu continued. "Her skills were impressive, enough so that people called her the Invincible Girl, but that's hardly enough to warrant a spot on the Throne. The only thing I could think of is that her death more or less has the general public thinking of her as a martyr; the symbol of selflessness and self-sacrifice to defend the Kingdom of Vale down to her last breath, but there are just as many figures in our world could qualify for those same reasons."

"However, Holmes brought up a theory." Ophelia finished. "The World."

Pepe raised a brow. "The World?"

"There are two Worlds that exist in our home world. The embodiment of the planet, Gaia, and the embodiment of humanity's instinct to survive, Alaya. Just as the passage of time and people's perception of legends and stories affect how the Heroic Spirit can enter the Throne and become recognized by the Holy Grail System, Alaya and Gaia also play a factor. However, that is in our home world, as well as parallel worlds."

It dawned on him then what she meant. "But this isn't a parallel world," Pepe breathed. "This is an alternate world. Which means this world has a different embodiment."

"Correct. And this World counterpart could be why Pyrrha Nikos, someone who died recently and shouldn't logically match the requirements for the Throne of Heroes, was able to be summoned as a Servant."

The reasoning behind the explanation is rather acceptable to the former Crypter. It was due to this unique World that a relatively unknown, young fighter, Pyrrha Nikos, was able to be summoned. Then Pepe realized something else Yu had said.

"You said this world had an Age of Gods as well. Could you care to elaborate more on that?"

"This was information was learned from Ozma. But apparently during his lifetime there were only two Gods. The God of Light and the God of Darkness. Their characteristics were rather self-explanatory. The God of Life would create life, such as bountiful harvests, while the God of Darkness would induce destruction and famine. It was also due to the latter that humans had been able to cast magic, once upon a time." Ophelia explained.

"Once? I assume those particular events are similar to our own end of the Age of Gods?"

"More like abruptly." Yu snorted. "Due to the actions of a certain human, she was cursed by the Gods not understanding the importance of Death. But instead of learning her lesson, she manipulated and rallied the humans to attack the Gods. The result was not pretty."

"...Oh dear." Pepe paled.

"Long story short, the Gods took back the ability to use magic, and killed off all of humanity save her, as per her curse. They left the world, which soon became known as Remnant. And their departure made their moon into that." Yu pointed to the broken celestial body above their heads.

"But humanity is now alive and thriving, albeit under constant attack from monsters known as the Creatures of Grimm; creations of the God of Darkness." Ophelia said before Pepe could question how humanity was still present. "It's possible not all humans were killed, but rather a vast majority. Or perhaps the Gods recreated humanity. Either way, compared to Ozma's time, the humans of this time cannot use magic. Instead, they've been given an ability known as a semblance, or the strength of one's soul given manifest. It seems a person's semblance varies from person to person. According to Pyrrha, one of her friends could turn into rose petals and move at incredible speeds while another could grow stronger by absorbing electricity. Pyrrha herself possesses a semblance that allows her to manipulate the polarity of metal objects."

Pepe hummed thoughtfully. "Interesting. I'd love to meet this honey for myself."

"Unfortunately for you, she's not here." Yu smiled wryly. "She, Mash, Ozma and Asclepius left with Ritsuka and Kadoc."

"Let me guess, Ritsuka boy is being his usual charming self, saw that our newest addition to Chaldea wanted to see her dearest friends and teammates again, and he couldn't help but meddle?"

Both women blinked. "H-how did you-?"

"You did say she died recently, yes? I would certainly love to know how my loved ones and comrades were doing if I somehow came back from the dead. Well, for a definition of resurrection, given how Servants work." Pepe reasoned.

Having now been caught up to speed on the situation, the former Crypter grew excited and anxious. While it was understandable how many of them wanted to return to their world (and give the Magus Association a piece of their mind with their ridiculous claims of them breaching many of the established laws and rules when they weren't the ones dealing with universal-ending crisis), he couldn't help but wonder what this world, what Remnant had to offer. So many new places to see, sights to take in, experiences to feel for the first time.

'I wonder, how would you feel about this world, Wodime?' Pepe thought sadly as he smiled at the thought of his dearest friend.

His musings were cut short when two familiar faces approached the A-Team. One was Caster Leonardo da Vinci, looking positively thrilled for whatever reason while the other was an irrating-looking woman with snow-white hair, crystal blue eyes with tanned skin, her body almost completely exposed and garbed in white armor that did little to hide her modesty.

"There you assholes are!" the former Servant of Wodime, Caenis barked. "The hell're you doing out here?"

"We were showing Pepe Chaldea's current situation and bringing him up to speed, seeing as how he was out of commission for several days." Ophelia replied coolly, having grown used to Caenis' rough behavior. "Has something occurred?"

"Oh, nothing much!" Da Vinci replied cheerfully. "Just that I've finally made adequate repairs to the Servant Summoning System!"

Pepe cocked his head. "What do you mean by repairs? Didn't Kadoc and our dear Fujimaru siblings summon Servants while I was out?"

"Yes, but at the time, the system was a little wonky and prone to some failures," she admitted. "It wasn't anything too dangerous, like say exploding in their faces if the summoning went awry. If anything, the system would just shut down and go on the fritz. Now, however, we're back-up and running and ready to summon! Which is why I'm asking all current Masters in Chalda if they want to give the repaired system a test drive!"

"To see if it works properly, I assume?" Pepe asked. Da Vinci nodded. Pepe shrugged. "I see nothing wrong with that. Ah, but before that, I'll ask Nightingale honey if I'm cleared. I don't want to die after all."

"Is everything okay, Jaune?"

The blonde looked at Ruby, the silver-eyed girl staring at him in concern. They had left for Shirohana the moment they saw that video and ever since then he had been unusually quiet and tense. They had not run into very many Grimm along the way, and whenever they did, Jaune would rush in attack. He wasn't so bad that he'd fumble and swing blindly, but it was clear he was distracted. Not that Ruby or his team could blame him. The video had shaken them all up, Ruby and Jaune in particular for different and obvious reasons.

Seeing the look his friend and fellow team leader was giving him, Jaune sighed. "I...I'm not sure, Ruby," he confessed. "I mean, what we saw in the video. Part of me wants to deny it, but that girl, she looked just like Pyrrha." There was a small voice in his head, telling him that it wasn't possible. That it was an imposter. But the rest of him ignored those whispers and wanted desperately to believe it. "I don't know if she's just a cosplayer or-or the real thing. I just-" Jaune stopped to inhale and exhale, running an armored hand down his face. "I just want to know if its her. I know we're supposed to get to Haven as fast as possible, but-"

"It's fine, I get it." Ruby smiled dimly at him. "I want to know too. I mean, if it is Pyrrha, I want to know how why she didn't contact us after all this time."

"Still, we shouldn't get our hopes up," Ren advised. As much as he wanted to see Pyrrha as the rest of them, he didn't want them to feel disappointed or hurt if the girl they saw in the video was just an imposter or someone who just happened to bear a strong resemblance to Pyrrha. "Pyrrha aside, did you read the news article the video was attached to?"

"You mean about the serial killer they caught in Shirohana? Yeah, I read it." Jaune grimaced. "That Callows guy is a total psycho. He's got a rap sheet a mile long, and it wasn't until now that people found him! I don't even want to imagine what he could do if he was left alone."

"Me neither. Fortunately it seems like a Huntsman managed to apprehend him." Ren nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it was crazy! That Huntsman guy was uber strong. His semblance let him manipulate the ground so easily and tossed him around like a ragdoll. It was almost like it was magic." Nora exclaimed.

"Well, he must have a pretty strong semblance like Professor Goodwitch and practiced a lot to be that skilled." Their team leader nodded.

"Yeah. Hopefully we can meet him. I have so many questions to ask." Ruby added. She didn't know why, but seeing the man in action reminded her of the fairy tales she read as a kid. Filled with powerful wizards and warriors. She also felt as though she had met the man somewhere before, but she couldn't quite place it.

The group came to an abrupt stop when they heard the sound of the Earth rumbling beneath their feet. In the trees around them the trees cracked and groaned. Recognizing danger was incoming, all four brought out their weapons.

"Sounds pretty big," Ren noted as the thuds drew closer. "What do you think? Another Geist?"

Jaune shook his head. "Can't be. The blacksmith in Shirohana said there was only one in this area. It's gotta be something else!"

The sounds grew closer to them with each passing second. Ruby held Crescent Rose tightly, glaring at the shifting shadows. The Grimm was slowly coming into view as she could see its yellow eyes piercing through the shadows, glaring back at her with hostile intent.

"It's coming!"

The Grimm emerged from the shadows of the forest and out into the open roads, shoving a tree aside as if it was nothing and uprooting it from the ground. It was twice their height, significantly smaller than the Geist possessing the rubble and trees from earlier and was covered in black fur from head to toe. Like all Grimm, it sported a white mask with red tribal markings, white horns curving from the sides of its mask. Two small ones pointed downward while the other two pointed upward and were the length of the average man's arms. It was remarkably thin, its arms and legs disproportionate to its actual torso with its legs being quadrupedal in nature. Bits of ivory were scattered across its legs, bone-like ribs wrapped around its torso. Decorating its back were large white spikes.

Nora appeared to recognize it, if only from Professor Port's lectures when the man was actually teaching on the rare occasion. She paled. "Oh no. Renny, please tell me that's not what I think it is."

"It's exactly what you think it is, Nora." Ren grimaced.

The Grimm opened its jaws-

Jaune stared in dread. "W-Wendigo?!"

-and roared.

"ShhhRrrrAAaaAAaAaAAggGhH!"

Ritsuka, Kadoc and their Servants stopped dead in their tracks when they heard the ear-piercing shrill scream that echoed across the forest, a few miles away from Shirohana.

"What the hell was that?!" Kadoc demanded immediately as he quickly looked around the area in search of danger. "Was that one of the Grimm?!"

"Most likely, and it sounds like it's attacking someone!" Ritsuka said grimly.

"Master," Asclepius turned to him. "Your orders."

"Right. Ozma. Asclepius. You two go ahead and find the source of that noise. If it is attacking someone, defend them from the Grimm. Inform us immediately your location. Pyrrha? You and Mash stay with us while we follow."

"Yes, Master." The four nodded collectively. The Caster and Ruler rushed ahead.

Kadoc looked at Ritsuka. "If we do engage the Grimm, how do we play it? After what happened back at Shirohana and Vale, we can't reveal too much of the Servants' abilities."

"I know," Ritsuka agreed with his fellow Master. "That's why only Mash and Asclepius will take them on. Though I'm a little worried about how strong the Grimm are. On the off chance they're capable of fighting on equal ground with our Servants, we'll have to grab whoever they're attacking and high-tail it."

"That sounds like a good plan," Pyrrha agreed, currently in Astral form. "But what will you do if the people being attacked are Huntsman?"

"That's-"

The voice of Asclepius echoed in his head. "Master, we've found the Grimm. It's attacking children."

By the time Ozma spoke up, Pyrrha had materialized and shot past the two Masters plus Mash in a flurry. A look of fear and anger was present in the brief moment he saw her rush past Ritsuka, kicking up a cloud of dirt in her wake.

"It's not just attacking children. It's attack Ruby and her friends!"

Even among the Creatures of Grimm, the Wendigo was considered to be one of the most hostile and dangerous of its kind. Not only was even more agile than a Beowolf, but its physical strength was comparable to that of a Beringel. But those physical capabilities are not the only factors that contribute to its lethality. It has been said to be a representation of hunger, as it ruthlessly attacks and devours its prey with ravenous glee. Its body was capable of producing a mist that has been said to cause hallucinations, making it tricky to fight head on. It uses these illusions to trap and immobilize its prey before going for the kill.

And to the misfortune of Team RNJR, it was already spreading its mist!

"Don't breathe it the mist!" Ren warned his friends, quickly wrapping cloth around his face. "And keep out of its range!"

The Wendigo let out another shrill cry as it swung its arm at Ruby. The red-hooded girl shot at the ground and used her recoil to evade the swing before taking aim and firing off a few rounds at the Grimm. To her surprise the Grimm backflipped away and swung atop one of the trees, now perched atop its branches. Just as she landed atop a tree of her own, the Wendigo jumped off and went for a ground pound. Nora, who was beneath it just as it attacked, jumped back and evaded its attack before firing off a grenade. The grenade exploded against the Wendigo's face and caused it recoil and rub its face before glowering at its attacker. It opened its maw, more mist spilling out from its mouth while a long tongue slipped out and flicked about.

"Ew, so gross!" Nora whined. "I've seen enough hentai to know where that's going-EEK!"

The Wendigo extended its arm and grabbed Nora just as she attempted to move away. She struggled in its grasp and attempted to wriggle her arm free so she could shoot it in the face, but the Wendigo wouldn't let her and kept a tight grip. Ren shot at the Grimm to grab its attention and to free his teammate and friend. The rounds shot into the Grimm's unprotected back, causing it to growl in pain and irritation before slamming Nora down to the ground. The slam caused her Aura to take a substantial hit before it unceremoniously threw her away and into Ren, knocking them both into the ground.

"Ren! Nora!" Jaune cried out.

The Wendigo leered at him and advanced like a predator stalking its prey. He cursed and rolled into a crouch, narrowly avoiding another swing to grab him. It went in for a backhand, but he stepped aside at the last moment and slashed at its hand, managing to slice off one of its fingers in the process. It let out a scream in the process, one that nearly disorientated him simply because of how loud the scream actually was. Jaune recovered quickly enough to realize the Wendigo was now focusing entirely on him and reared its arm back.

"Oh crap!"

He brought up his shield in time to get block the oncoming fist. The impact knocked him off his feet and sent him flying, smashing through a tree in the process. He landed on his back, which was aching in pain while his Aura was repairing the damage. The Grimm, seeing an opportunity, went in for a swift kill, only to be reminded that Ruby was still present when it heard the sound of a gunshot that was followed by something slicing it across its face. It roared in pain and stumbled back, clutching its face. Black liquid spilled out from the newly-formed crack and gash before it glared hatefully at Ruby, who was tending to Jaune.

"You okay?" the leader of Team RWBY asked.

The blonde groaned as he climbed back up to his feet. "My back hurts, but I'm okay." He glanced over to where Ren and Nora were. To his relief, they were already back on their feet and were ready to pummel the Wendigo into next week. "How long can we fight in the mist before we start going nuts, mask or no mask?"

"I don't know," Ruby confessed. "I never thought I'd say this, but for once I wished I paid attention to Professor Port's class."

"SssHhHhHHHrrRrrRRaaAAaAggGGgggGhH!" the Wendigo screeched once more before it wrapped a claw around one of the trees, effortlessly tearing out from the ground.

Jaune's stomach flipped while Ruby whined. "Oh, that is so not fair-!"

The two scrambled to move when the Wendigo slammed its new weapon down upon them. It immediately swung the tree to the side to strike at least one of the two. Fortunately, Jaune fell flat on his stomach, letting the numerous branches and leaves graze across his back. He immediately stood up once it fell past him and retreated. The Wendigo raised the tree again to slam it into the retreating flurry of rose petals.

Ruby frantically zoomed through the area desperate to avoid taking a direct hit. But as her mind was focused on the tree, she did not expect the Grimm's free arm. It snapped out like a viper and wrapped its claws around the red hooded girl's frame.

"RUBY!" Jaune screamed, only to yelp to dodge another swing of foliage.

The silver eyed girl remained in the monster's tight grasp. It brought her near its face, glaring at her with its lone, functional eye. It then began to tighten its grip to squeeze the life out of her. The only thing keeping her body intact was her Aura, and even then it was being pushed to its limits. In terms of brute strength, the Wendigo Grimm was on par with that of an Elder Beringel. It would take at least a minute to break her aura, and a few seconds to break her bones.

It was fortunate for Ruby that the Wendigo Grimm had a tendency to suffer a case of tunnel vision. Once it had set its sights on a target within its grasp, it would do everything in its power to crush and maim them before moving on to the next. Whether or not this was simply arrogance or confidence, no one could say. Regardless, the fact remained that the beast was so preoccupied in crushing Ruby that it did not notice Jaune reaching his comrades and raising his shield. By the time it heard the sound of Nora's hammer exploding against Jaune's shield and catching the sight of something pink heading its way, it was too late.

"LET GO OF MY FRIEND!" Magnihilde slammed into the Wendigo's face at full speed and at max strength, an explosion going off in tandem with the hammer making contact. The blow had the intended effect and caused the Grimm to release its grip on Ruby and be knocked flat on its backside, disoriented and snarling in pain.

Ruby hit the ground with a thud, landing on her rear. Her body ached painfully from the squeeze she endured from the Grimm. Ren rushed over to her. "You okay?"

"I-I'm fine," she assured him as she stood up. She grimaced when she felt a rush run through her head. Her vision started to turn blurry. So many colors! "W-why are the trees blue?"

Ren cursed. "Damn, you must have inhaled too much. We gotta get away."

"B-but what if it attacks another village?" Ruby tried to reason, not willing to leave a dangerous Grimm like this alone.

The Wendigo climbed back onto its feet, baring its fangs and growling in anger. It slammed its wooden weapon on the ground almost threateningly while leering down at them, orange eyes burning like fire. Its tongue flicked about and licked its teeth.

Jaune raised his sword. "Ruby, you hang back and provide support fire! Ren, make sure she doesn't keel over! Nora, try and knock it down! Aim for its legs or head!"

"Roger doodle!" Nora saluted.

"Let's go!" The blonde and orangette charged forward while the raven haired teen tended to their youngest member.

The Wendigo swung its arms at Nora, but Jaune jumped in to take the blow. His arms and legs buckled, but he stayed upright. It gave Nora ample opportunity to get close and slam her hammer into the Grimm's knee. The beast howled as its foot destabilized. It's head snapped over to the culprit and tried to squash her. But a well aimed sniper bullet flew and struck the extended arm.

Ruby, supported by Ren, cocked the chamber of her weapon to expunge a bullet casing. Her senses were rather blurry, but thanks to Ren's semblance, she was able to obtain a level of clarity necessary to aim in her condition. Jaune lunged, leaning on his leg and ramming his sword as deeply as he could into the Wendigo's neck. The blade only went in halfway before Jaune found himself being pulled up along with the Wendigo's head as it flailed about wildly in an attempt to dislodge the teen from its person. When that failed, it went for the simple solution and grabbed Jaune, slamming his body into the ground and tossing him aside like a wet blanket before turning its attention to Ruby and Ren, who were unloading bullet after bullet into its body.

"SssSShhHrrRRrrRaAAaaaaaAAaAAgGGGgggGgGhH!"

It's screams were bone-chilling. Even more mist exuded from its body. Ruby's vision warped as the Wendigo's form seemed to distort into something from the dark depths of her nightmares. Her grip on Crescent Rose slackened from the sensory overload.

Crouching down, the Grimm shot toward the two.

It leaned and brought its fist down. Nora moved in to block it with her hammer, parrying the oncoming fist and sent it towards the other direction, only to be smacked away by its free arm and the tree in its hand. Nora's body struck a tree and stuck to it for a moment before slumping to the ground in a groaning heap. Before RNJR could properly react, the Wendigo grabbed Ruby once more, squeezing her as tightly as possible before smashing her against Ren repeatedly. Both cried out in pain, their Aura straining to protect them. Ruby's was the first to break just as the Grimm threw her at the recovering blonde knight. Jaune barely caught Ruby in his arms, the force of the throw forcing him to the ground. Ren glared in defiance and raised his guns at the Grimm, firing off as many rounds as he could. One bullet struck the Wendigo in the eye, causing it to scream and flail about while clutching its face. It promptly backed away, giving him enough time to get back on his feet and rush to Nora's side.

"Nora? Nora! Are you alright?!"

"So many colors..." Nora slurred. "I can hear them talking Renny~"

'She's starting to get affected too!' Ren cursed his misfortune before glancing at Jaune. The two shared a look and nodded at one another, realizing they couldn't drag this out any longer. They were down two fighters, and worse still was that Jaune's weapon was still impaled in the Grimm's neck. 'We can't fight it any longer, but we can't just leave without Jaune's weapon. Think, Ren, think. How can I grab Crocea Mars and get us out of here?'

The Wendigo Grimm snarled and howled as it thrashed about, cradling half of its face while black fluids spilled between its spider-like fingers. It leveled a harsh glare down at Team RNJR, now officially angry. Jaune gulped and braced himself for the worst.

Just as it was about to make a move, either at Ren or him, something amazing and beautiful all at once happened.

Without warning, something brown, gold and red slammed into the Wendigo's back like a rocket. Jaune swore he heard its bones crack and shatter as it was unceremoniously flung away, bouncing off the earth and through several trees before coming to a stop, digging its claws into the earth to halt its retreat. It looked up and saw who was responsible, only to tilt its head in confusion when it felt something odd about this new arrival.

Ren and Jaune, meanwhile, stared at their apparent savior in dumbstruck awe and disbelief. The latter was the most affected, his eyes as large as saucers.

She was standing there in front of him, back facing him with her vibrant red hair flowing in the wind. Weapons that shouldn't even be here anymore, all being used as parts for his sword and shield, were in her grasp. They seemed much shinier, more intimidating somehow.

"P..." Jaune's voice came out a small whisper, barely audible. He couldn't even hear himself speak over the sound of his heart beating non-stop against his ribcage. "Pyrrha?"

The woman turned. Tears spilled from his eyes.

His partner smiled. "Sorry I'm late," she apologized before turning to the Wendigo Grimm. "As for you-"

She swung Miló outward, the weapon shifting into a gold-and-red shortsword. Pyrrha's glare burned hotter than the sun as she assumed her combat stance.

"You have no idea what kind of trouble you're in."

"It's been a while since I've set foot in this room," Pepe looked about the FATE room nostalgically. He was accompanied by Holmes and Solomon, the former being present in order to ensure that nothing went wrong with the system and report any bugs that might occur. "Though, just to be clear, this won't blow up in my face, yes?"

Holmes smiled wryly. "I can assure you, it's perfectly safe. At worst, you can expect it to let out a few sparks and whatnot. Speaking of, Da Vinci, how are the readings looking so far?"

"They're within acceptable parameters!" Da Vinci replied on the other end of the room, currently examining a console linked to the contraption in the middle of the room. "Everything is looking good."

"You know, I never noticed it before, but have you made improvements to the FATE System?" Solomon inquired. The last time he had seen the machine during his tenure as Romani, he remembered it being less sophisticated.

Holmes nodded in affirmation. "We made some improvements after Chaldea had to board the Shadow Border during the Lostbelt incidents, on account of the irregular Saint Graphs we discovered. Servants belonging to a failed time, Heroic Spirits who shouldn't theoretically exist, and of course the existence of new Servant classes. Among those we encountered was a Saint Graph who qualified for the Ancient God Extra Class."

"Oh?" Solomon perked up at that. He was always eager to learn about new Servants and classes, especially ones outside the standard seven. "And what does the 'Ancient God' class pertain to?"

"We have remarkably little info, I'm afraid. All we know is that it relates to Divine Spirits and gods, seeing as how the only Saint Graph belonging to that class was an iteration of the Greek God Zeus from the Olympus Lostbelt."

The former Grand Caster stilled. "...I'm sorry. Did you just say we can theoretically summon Zeus?!"

Solomon was surprised, rightfully so. It was impossible to summon Divine Spirits such as Gods as a servant under normal means. There were notable exceptions such as Orion and Artemis with the latter taking over the former's summoning, causing a drop in her divinity. Others included deities such as Ishtar, Ereskigal, and Parvati, Goddesses who were summoned in the form of Pseudo Servants with a host body.

These exceptions made it possible to summon Divine-class entities. But to hear they were capable of summoning a being like Zeus?!

1Pepe whistled. "I'd say that's impressive, though given the Servants you all summoned in the Lostbelts, would you say it's the original Zeus or his Lostbelt counterpart?"

"It could be either or," Da Vinci shrugged. "It's also possible he could be summoned as a Pseudo-Servant like Ishtar and the others. Speaking of Saint Graphs, I noticed we have an unregistered one here in the database. It's very odd. If I didn't know any better, It'd say it's like Holmes and Moriarity's."

"What do you mean?" Ophelia wondered.

"It means we have a new possibility to summon."

Caenis huffed. "What we lookin' at? Another Divine Spirit being forced into some shmoe? Lostbelt? Normie?"

Yu glanced at the former Crypter. "I suppose we'll find out. You sure you're up for this, Pepe?"

"I got signed off by Nightingale, didn't I?" Pepe smiled. "Besides, Gudako honey is busy, right?"

"Wait, stop, hold it, don't touch that dial!" Speak of the devil and she shall appear. As though Pepe summoned her with a Command Seal, the red-haired hyperactive girl burst into the room. "Serioulsy?! Why does nobody tell me this stuff?! How come I'm just now hearing about Pepe waking up?!"

"Well, you were helping Helena with her latest project, yes?" Solomon shrugged. "And you're usually so invested in helping that we didn't want to interrupt your work. She's looking at the petrified dragon, yes?"

Pepe raised a brow. "Petrified dragon?"

"Long story," Gudako deadpanned. "And nevermind that, Pepe, how are you doing? Are you okay?"

"Oh, just fine. Granted I was surprised that I was out for a week when everything happened. But the girls filled me in on the situation." The former Crypter waved it off. "Right now I'm as fit as a fiddle. What about you, dear? How have you been doing all this time?"

Gudako grinned. "I've been doing good, could be worse. So, we getting a new Servant?"

"Indeed we are. Speaking of, we are all good on our end!" Da Vinci looked over the console. "Pepe, if you would be so kind as to start?"

"Of course, Da Vinci honey." The Chaldean master stood before the system and held out a hand. The summoning circle on the floor glowed brightly.

secs agoThe machine hummed as the summoning proceeded. The Command Seals on Pepe's hand lit up and began to burn, warming his skin. He felt the connection start to form. The light expanded and increased, a whirlwind flowing out in tandem. The group watched in anticipation, waiting to see what sort of Servant would be summoned. The winds faded as the light died down, revealing the new Servant.

"Unbelievable..." Gudako looked over at Holmes. The fictional detective's face twisted in displeasure. "Of all the people!"

The Servant in question was a man with bright orange hair and dark green eyes, wearing a bright red jacket with white trims and an overturned collar over a dark dress shirt and white tie, complete with dark slacks and knee-high boots with gold studs and buttons along the sides. In his hand was a black cane with a red tip and silver handle with a silver blade attached to the bottom. Atop his head was a black fedora hat with a white strip and feather on the side.

The man rolled his neck and looked about the room. "Huh. Gotta admit, didn't see I saw this coming," the man remarked before his eyes settled on Pepe. "So, you my boss?"

Pepe nodded. "That I am. Scandinavia Peperoncino of Chaldea, at your service."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Servant Assassin, at your service." He tipped his hat in greeting before he turned and saw Holmes. His grin widened. "Sherly ol' buddy! Long time no see. How've you been livin'?"

"Nice look. Who did you lift it off of?" Holmes questioned, sounding rather annoyed.

"What makes you think I took it? This guy was a man after my own heart!" Assassin laughed.

Caenis raised a brow. "You two know each other, I take it?"

"Unfortunately." Holmes sighed. "Ladies and gents, this hooligan is an old acquaintence. I believe you know him from Maurice Leblanc's works?"

"Leblanc?" Solomon raised a brow, deep in thought. Realization dawned on him and his eyes widened. "Wait, you-you're the legendary Phantom Thief?!"

Assassin grinned as he produced a cigar from his breast pocket. "Please," he drawled as he snapped his fingers. The cigar lit up. "Call me Lupin. Arsène if you're fancy~"

Roman Torchwick. Professional conman, a smooth criminal, and now the host of the grandfather of phantom thieves. What a guy, amirite? And before you ask, yes, eventually ol' Arsy and Neo, which should be pretty interesting all things considered.

The Wendigo Grimm is partially inspired by JBYRD's Wendigo. Just type in 'Wendigo Grimm' into your search engine and you should be able to find it. To be honest, I was a little bit anxious about including it on account of the drama surrounding the fan Grimm contest a while back, but I decided to just say fuck it. The fight scene itself is maaaybe a little out there. The concept was that RNJR would have trouble fighting it, but would have held a good advantage before the hallucagenic mist started to make things harder before Pyrrha steps in.

I feel like me and my co-writer could have done a lot more with the fight, maybe make it a little cleaner. Maybe I could rewrite it when I have the time. Let me know what you guys think, yeah?

Also, the Ancient God Class is an actual thing for anybody wondering. Zeus qualifies for this class, as well as Ruler. Could be interesting to see Zeus as a Servant. Me and Daemon of Wrath think Zeus could be using Wodime as a Pseudo-Servant, but that's just wishful thinking. Daemon's just itching to write an A-Team fanfic right now, let me tell you!

As for whether or not Wodime will appear as a Pseudo-Servant in the fanfic, but I'm waiting until Cosmos in the Lostbelt is over before I make any decisions.

Anyway, that'll be it for now. And for those asking if I'm still writing Seventh Heaven, YES. It is not dead, and if it is dead, I will tell you. Now shut up and stop asking.

Fresh reminder that this story has a TV Tropes page! Please check it out and add to it if you'd be so kind. The Character section in particular looks like it could use some touching up!