Nevin laughed lightly at Aurelia's comment, patting her shoulder lightly. He liked the change he could bring in the girl. It was as if he was seeing her true colors that were hidden behind that wall of anxiety at first. "Well, of course," he stated. "Don't get too ahead of yourself, though. We were fighting Grim pretty low on the food chain..." He offered a shrug and she would feel through their link that there was no real worry to his words. Together, they could be unstoppable. Especially when joined with their last two companions...

At seeing the group gather, he greeted Abel warmly, glad to see the other boy had made it through. It was odd that they didn't find any of the others met during their journey. Booster. Maggie. None of them seemed to have arrived yet. His thoughts were distracted as he noticed Abel pick up one of the stones. A grin split his face. "Well, it seems the four of us will be a team." He showed the black stone to the other two before glancing over to Gwyn. "I don't believe we had the pleasure of meeting yet, though. My name is Nevin." He offered his hand to the girl, his other hand busy with the stone, his fingers moving toying around with it in an absentminded gesture. Though, in reality, he had started to feel the pressure of the anxiety as time built on. He could keep himself relaxed for the moment, but he was starting to wonder to the limits of his Semblance. This was the first time he had the opportunity to use it for long periods of time, after all.

Well, he could figure it out later. Better to experiment now than when they have real missions and his life is in immediate danger. For now, he'd settle with meeting his team fully.

-At the Treasure Cirlce-

Felix hesitantly waved back, the motion done haltingly as he was unsure why he was being waved to again, not that he found it to be a bother. Maybe she thought it was the only way she'd get him to respond. She wasn't entirely wrong. He was a lot more likely to wave back than talk back.

It seemed all the introductions were over now. Enyo, Amalger, Nevin, Aurelia, Gwyn, and Abel. It seemed they had a sizable group now, with the eight of them. They'd be at the end in now time. In fact, Randy was sure that even a pack of Beowolves like they'd seen earlier wouldn't even be a problem anymore. However, that would be the least of their worries.

A loud shriek pierced the ears of everyone in attendance, and then a shadow fell over them. Moments later the sun returned, but a massive nevermore could now be seen circling above them. Weapons were quickly drawn, and Enyo took aim just in case, but paused. She saw something, something that shouldn't have been possible. However, before she could confirm anything, the nevermore banked away and flew into the distance.

"Well, I suppose it decided it wasn't hungry..." Amalger spoke, though his usual calm demeanor had been shaken slightly.

"Don't relax just yet." Randy broke into a cold sweat as she spoke, for within the forest, every shadow now held a pair of glowing red eyes. "Um, I think it's time to leave." The moment she said that, Enyo used her semblance and easily hopped up onto one of the pillars.

"We're not going this way," Enyo reported, the forest in the other direction was just as foreboding. "We need to stay out of the forest!" There was only one direction where the forest began to thin, it seemed they would have to make a break for it. Already the first few grimm could be seen crawling out of the forest. From one direction, a large king taijitu even slithered out. It wasn't a battle they could win. But then, a window opened, however terrifying it might have been.

A loud, echoing roar rocked them, coming from deep within the forest. For a moment, even the grimm froze. Small nevermore could be seen taking flight in the distance as the sound of trees toppling reached them. While the grimm were immobile it was their chance to run... and hopefully stay away from whatever had made that noise.

"That way is clear!" Enyo shouted from her high ground, pointing.

"Then let's go!" Randy shouted and took off, taking the lead. Amalger, Felix, and Enyo needed no further coaxing. They could only hope and assume that the rest would be close behind.

Abel was among the first the point his weapon skyward, but as the colossal Nevermore circled away, he allowed it to return to earth. His muscles were tense, twitching slightly, mirroring the anticipation in his mind. As one of the nearby girls spotted the Grimm approaching through the trees, he readied himself again only to be appalled by the sheer number of the monsters. Though the sunlight shone brightly enough for the shade cast by the trees fringing the clearing to be mitigated, the crimson eyes of the Grimm still flickered menacingly. The idea of a quick retreat sat just fine with him.

As the other team raced off, Abel instinctively took a few steps after, only to hesitate and turn around. Gwyn, Aurelia, and Nevin had yet to get moving. If they really were a team now, he guessed he was obliged to look out for them—or, at the very least, die with them. He switched the Ampere back to blade mode and banged its butt against the stone brick of the dias. Several hundred feet away, the dreadful twin heads of a King Taijitu slithered nearer. “Where to?” Abel shouted.

Gwyn put the names of the others to memory. Aurelia and Nevin. Her hand grasped his and she shook it after he had offered it, releasing it shortly after. It might not be so bad working with the other pair. They seemed pleasant enough initially anyway. She hadn't caught the names of the members belonging to the second group present, but figured there would be time to learn them later. The shrill sound produced by the Nevermore seemed like more of an issue than learning the names of other students.

Rhewlif had been readied, prepared to be put to use if necessary. The creatures that began to infiltrate gave her little need for prompting when Enyo and Randy when they darted forward. She had begun to dart forward when Abel suddenly halted and spun towards them.

“Follow the others,” she sputtered in frustration. She hoped that he hadn't taken it personally, but it sounded like it was the only direction to head in. Gwyn didn't think there was time to waste with talking either.

She pressed forward quickly, pursuing the other group. The Faunus had little doubt that the others would require further provocation to spur them away from the copious amounts of Grimm.

Nevin's eyes darted up, but he didn't ready his weapon, watching as the creature flew off. Wait...what was that? He tried to look closer at it, a small figure coming into view...but it was gone before he could manage it. "Don't panic, but I'm activating my Semblance for you two..." he spoke softly so only his team could hear. As he did, he extended his Semblance, the two new members feeling his overwhelming calm aura as he did so. He could feel their confusion at the turn of events and Gwyn's frustration as things began to look worse. Regardless, the two would suddenly feel not only his calm but what his plan was, knowing he would be moving after them in mere moments. Grimm were approaching from all directions, an even larger one appearing to be in the distance. He couldn't stand and fight alone, no matter the skill he thought he had in battle. He knew that as well as them and had a plan to go along with what came next.

As the first team fled, though, he stood his ground, surveying the surroundings and picking out where the loud roar had come from. They probably shouldn't be fighting it...but he could delay it for the moment. "All of you, go!" he shouted, an authoritative tone that he had heard all too often from his older sister coming into his voice. He reached up to his left hand, pulling the glove on tighter before cocking his fist back. With a quick twist, he punched the wall of the small shrine, an explosion erupting forth and blowing off chunks of stone. It was mostly intact...but only half of it remained standing after that. His other glove's seal glowed before he shot up, landing on one of the larger chunks of stone. With another explosive punch, the rock was sent careening into the King Taijitu's right head, jerking it back into a tree. Another quick movement and another punch had yet another stone fragment being thrown into the forest. He heard the pained cry of two Beowulves and the collapse of another tree. During the whole ordeal, nothing escaped Nevin's aura besides his usual calm, trying to keep the Grimm at bay so his team could make some headway.

With the piece of the stone temple crushing a few of the Grimm and the trees blocking off some of the smaller ones, he turned back in the direction they fled. Hopefully his team had taken his order. Seeing that the Grimm were starting to come out again, trying to encircle him, he punched the air with his right fist, lightning surging across his body as he shot forward like a bullet, piercing straight through their lines and darting off after his team.

Uh oh.

Aurelia was never one to assume things would be easy (as an optimist, she merely thought events would just turn out fine), but as the Grimm closed in, she had to admit that for a split second, she was at a loss. Still, at Nevin's order, she found herself somewhat hesitant. This was her own brain at work; despite being calmed down, she wasn't sure about his order. Maybe it was better to stick together? No, he had an order so she should follow it. Except he couldn't possibly take them all himself. But he wasn't going to take them all by himself. After a few seconds, Aurelia found herself having run as well, though she was halfway between the other two and Nevin. She kept looking back, as if checking on him.

In the next few moments, Able came under the effect of Nevin's semblance. As a sense of security replaced his ebbing fears, he quick realized that while the Grimm were many and approaching, it was nothing the new team couldn't handle. Though he wanted to stay and help, he could see that Nevin was covering their retreat just fine on his own. The guardian was the last to leave, casting a final glance at the other boy despite his command, seeing chunks of stone brick sailing through the air. He turned and dashed away, Ampere at the ready. Even on the run, he doubted that the monsters would leave him alone.

Though Nevin did an excellent job covering them from the rear, Abel quickly found that his suspicions had been spot-on. The the forest was teeming with Grimm. Beowolves and Ursa loomed out from the brilliant green brush, snarling and occasionally swiping at him. Wherever possible he struck back with a deadly thrust, often disorienting or disabling the monsters momentarily. It wasn't long before his greater strides allowed him to catch up to Aurelia and Gwyn. Not far ahead, the fleeing backs of Enyo and Felix could be seen. Abel followed them, dodging around trunks and past monsters.

-The Emerald Forest-

As the group ran, the sound of crashing and trees falling intensified slowly and something large grew closer and closer. Before long the trees began to clear out a little and they saw a large cliff straight ahead. To the right was the forest and to the left the grass gave way to dirt and old ruins and the edge of the other half of the forest before it.

"Come on, this looks like it leads out of the forest!" Randy shouted, waving them forward. She began running, when suddenly they heard the resounding call of a nevermore. The flying grimm had returned, but it didn't even circle them, simply soaring past overhead in a blur of black feathers. They didn't have time to question whether it was going to come back again or not as trees to her left shattered and a deathstalker burst out of the forest. It's insectoid legs dug into the earth and stone as it slid dramatically sideways into their path. Randy nearly fell over trying to come to a halt before accidentally running into range of the grimm's stinger. With a screech, however, it burst back into motion, aiming to move itself into range.

Before it could closer to Randy, Amalger took action. The extractor arm on his right weapon pulled out an explosive puck, and rather than load it into his left weapon, he just whipped it at the Deathstalker. The puck bounced harmlessly off its bony head plate... but then exploded. The explosion didn't exactly accomplish much either, but it stunned th grimm. Another puck was thrown and the deathstalker took a step back, giving them some breathing room.

"OK, with all of us, we can fight this thing!" Randy called out. It was then that they would all realize that the sound of crashing trees was still present. The deathstalker had not been the source. The next thing they would realize was that the sound was growing dangerously close. The last thing they would realize is that whatever the source was -- it was there. Where as the deathstalker had knocked over a tree or two as it charged out of the forest, what came next bowled over a good dozen trees, branches and leaves flying wildly as a large, reptilian creature with bony plates running along its back burst into view.

Even the deathstalker looked surprised, shifting its many eyed gaze toward the beast that was three times its size. It had wicked, hooked claws, dark, scaly skin and bony, ridged plates going down its spine. The largest plate was the huge, bony dome that covered the top of its head, with four slits for its glowing, red eyes. Unlike the deathstalker, it didn't stop to look at them. Rather, as it burst from the forest it never broke its stride, charging right toward the deathstalker. It seemed to be in a frenzy, and it swung its huge claw, swatting the deathstalker and throwing it aside like a rag doll. The scorpion grimm was tossed over the side of the cliff, screeching as it fell to its doom.

The great, reptilian grimm then roared into the air, its long, spiny tail thrashing violently back and forth. It then saw them.

"Um, um, um," Randy's courage fled her instantly as the monster set its gaze upon her. "R-r-r-" She whimpered in terror. Her whole body would fit in its mouth... twice.

"Over here! Hurry!" Enyo shouted, standing at the edge of the cliff, farther back. "There's a path!" Indeed, there was a narrow ridge about three feet wide running down the side of the cliff. It would only fit one person at a time and if they slipped it was a long way down.

"You've got to be kidding," Amalger grumbled. In one direction was certain death and in the other direction was possible death with an unknown destination. Oh, and if they went back the way they'd come there was certain death again courtesy of the hoard they'd been running from in the first place. It was then that Amalger realized that Randy was still paralyzed in fear at the mercy of the behemoth before her. "Got to be kidding me..." he grit his teeth. He'd never make it in time.

The massive maw of the monster opened and it lunged forward. It's jaw shut inches away from Randy, not because it had missed or she had snapped out of her stupor, but because Felix had dived and tackled her knocking her out of the way. It was exactly what she'd needed to not only avoid death, but get her mind working again. Randy and Felix helped each other to their feet and darted away before the monster could correct its aim and try again. They regrouped near Enyo by the narrow path heading down along the canyon wall.

"I don't see any other options..." Amalger said, glancing between the monster that had just appeared, and was eyeing them dangerously, and the huge hoard of grimm that were stalking toward them. Their progress had slowed though, as if they were afraid of getting between the group and the monster.

"What is that?" Randy asked, her voice still a bit shaky.

"I think I've seen it in a book once, it's called a basilisk. Aside from that, I can't say what it's capable of... but it's big," Amalger told her.

"I don't care, I say we keep running! There is literally no reason to stay here!" Enyo shouted, not seeming to desire any kind of explanation. SHe didn't need to know anything more about the basilisk, she just needed to get as far away from it as possible.

"OK, we can only go one at a time. I say melee fighters go first and the ranged fighters try and hold off anything that tries to chase us. It should only take a few seconds to get us all down, but once we turn our backs it'll probably set the grimm off," Randy gave her plan. She then glanced at Nevin's group. "Agreed?" They'd have to mix up the groups at least a little to make her plan work, so she needed their agreement, or a better plan if they had one. That said, aside from running, she couldn't think of any other plans.

Nevin was surprised to see the deathstalker, but even more so at seeing the new behemoth that crashed into view. His eyes widened in shock. Could even both teams take something of this magnitude? For a moment, each of his teammates would feel the waver to his confidence at seeing this creature. His attention was directed to Randy, though, watching as the beast approached. He made his decision quickly and reached out, trying to connect the other group. He felt out all seven people around him, extending to the second team...

...and then there was an intense pain that rushed through his head. His vision narrowed. It was as if the wind was knocked out of him, gasping for breath as he collapsed to one knee, an overwhelming pressure coming over him. He felt Randy's fear in full blast. Felix's latent anxiety topping off Aurelia's. Enyo's annoyance with Felix. It all rushed into him and left him feeling powerless. He had to break off the connection with the other four quickly, letting out a ragged breath as he placed a hand over his face.

He stayed there, unable to move at first as his vision came back to him and he looked up at the scene before him. Felix had saved Randy. He listened to Randy's plan, but shook his head. “Agreed. I go last, though,” Nevin stated, looking to Randy. “I'll...I'll keep it busy. Then I'll follow after you guys. We need to find a place to make our stand. Right now, we're surrounded.” His eyes trailed to the lizard-like Grimm, pulling the gloves over his hands more securely. His confidence had returned in full swing as he stood straight up again. Calmness came over him as his plan settled in his mind. Despite that calmness, it wavered slightly every so often, shaken by the recent effects he felt from his Semblance. He would have to study that a bit more closely.

“Any complaints with that? I'd rather not let our teams fall here because of crappy luck like this.” A grin spread across his face, displaying his confidence here.

At the edge of the civilized world, deathstalkers were not a common occurrence, but they were dreaded ones. From atop the walls, the defenders of Vale were utterly unable to strike at the humongous scorpions' weak underbellies. With no other option, they could only hope their hail of punishment from above could penetrate the deathstalkers' bony carapace before they could inflict too much damage on the defenses. As Abel had become more acquainted with them, he had grown to respect them as well as fear them, and with his friends and family -comrades all- at his side, no deathstalker could breach the kingdom.

A bunch of teens alone in the forest, however, was a far cry from the seasoned coalition that manned Vale's perimeter. Abel's run ended along with the others, all eight coming to an abrupt stop when faced with the colossal arachnid. From the front of the group, one of the kids from the other team opened fire, disorienting the deathstalker with its explosions but not even chipping its ivory exoskeleton. After a few seconds, Abel realized that the mass destruction of trees, indicating the coming of a large Grimm, had not abated after the scorpion's arrival.

He did not have long to ponder what else was inbound. From the treeline exploded a titan the likes of which Abel had never seen. His focus almost scattered merely to see the beast, so powerful was the terror. For a few instants, Abel was paralyzed by the feeling of being the ant facing down the boot. Almost effortlessly, the monstrosity thundered forward and attacked the deathstalker, which now looked like an average bug in comparison. Abel watched, entranced, as the arachnid sailed overhead and plunged over the cliff's edge, wailing like a ghoul.

The words of the other team's members simply didn't register with him, but Abel did manage to get an idea of what Nevin was saying. “Crappy luck?” He intoned, his voice surprisingly dull and depressingly hopeless. “If we fight this thing, we die. Now's not the time for heroes. I'm running.” With that, he took off, following the others toward the cliffside path.

He paused on the edge, analyzing the descent. It was treacherous and narrow, fit for only one person at a time. All it would take would be a good tremor to knock every person on it off into the void to meet the same fate that the deathstalker had found. After a quick look backward to confirm that yes, the basilisk still existed in all its bloodcurdling majesty, he stepped away from the edge and rushed to pursue the others down the path. He sincerely hoped that the Grimm wouldn't try to climb down after them, but by the same token he was pretty sure that it would.

The numerous types of Grimm had surprised Gwyn slightly. She hadn't really expected the Emerald Forest to be teeming with that many types. She tried to remain calm, but Nevin linking with her had helped her to remain placid. Certainly, she had felt her own resolve waver when his had upon sighting the Deathstalker. However, the fluctuations of Nevin's bravado were brief enough that they effects weren't negative enough to cause her to cower.

The appearance of the Basilisk caused her hands to quiver in trepidation when she first acknowledged it. The daunting beast left her with enough motive to pursue after the other group when Enyo indicated the path before her. She followed after the others, using her energy to stay close enough to the group while also trying not to drain herself so that she would be unfit to fight if it came to that.

Randy had mentioned keeping the ranged fighters to the back and the close combat ones towards the front. “I'm versatile,” she informed the members of her group. Her gaze flitted from one to the next as she spoke, seeking out Abel first followed by Nevin and Aurelia. She tried to remain as laconic as possible, keeping her words to a minimum. “I can go to the front or the rear.”

Gwyn fussed with the dial on Rhewlif quickly, extending the weapon to it's full length. The segments of the metal pole clicked into place. There wasn't enough time to discuss their Semblance powers or their weapons which was unfortunate, but she knew that there wouldn't always be ideal situations to know what one's allies were capable of. In a way, it was beneficial that they didn't have much knowledge of their companion's capabilities because it prepared them for future occurrences where such conditions might limit them.

Maybe Abel had the right idea with continuing to try and flee from the Grimm, but how long could they run before they were cornered? What if they backed themselves into a worse position? She didn't really want to think about it. Maybe by continuing to move, they could scope out a more advantageous location for fighting the beasts. Although putting herself in a poor location was definitely preferable than being abandoned for pausing to debate the matter. She continued to head after Abel and the other group. There was certainly strength in numbers anyway.

Uh oh.

The situation quickly turned hairy for the worse. More Grim appeared, but for once the numbers were not the only problem. It was the type that had appeared as well; if the Grim they encountered before could be considered Mooks, then these could be considered Boss types. Aurelia was rather astonished more than anything. Sure, she had read about them and maybe had seen one once or twice very briefly a long time ago, but in those cases she had not engaged them in combat. It certainly looked like one of those do or die moments, but as they group would soon see, perhaps they had not been as ready as they would have hoped. Slight panic ensued, and to her absolute horror and delight (in that order) Randy froze, but Felix managed to save her. She would have cheered if the situation hadn't been so dire. It was then suggested that they flee.

She noticed when Nevin fell to one knee, and she became somewhat alarmed. Before she could ask if he was alright, Nevin got back up, stating he would go last. Again? Perhaps the guy felt a sort of responsibility towards keeping everyone safe. She may have even complied, but seeing the many Grim around them made her hesitate somewhat. None of them could take them all alone, holding them off alone was just dangerous! She wanted to state as such, but once everyone got moving, she found herself hesitating again. That makes me second-to-last, then. Aurelia nodded to herself as Rampion went into Cannon Mode. She eyed the Grim around them, slowly moving towards the path and waiting for everyone to go through. Only when she and Nevin were left would she start going down it herself, though she gripped Rampion, ready to attack at any given moment.

Nevin glanced back towards the teams, watching the others move towards the cliffside. Except Aurelia. She looked like she was ready to battle with him. It made him frown in frustration, but he ignored it, looking back to the Grimm before them. It wasn't a fight they could win on their own. However, they could buy the other teams time to escape. He just had to hope Aurelia was planning to move before it was over. He wasn't budging until his entire team was out of here.

Clenching his right hand into a fist, he jabbed quickly, clearing the distance in an instant to punch the beast in the face. His form distorted immediately after as his lightning kicked in and he shot away again, dodging the swipe of his claw from striking him. He struck its side, but the tail lashed out this time, trying to catch him before he could move. Fortunately for Nevin, his gloves still made him quicker, shooting into the air quickly with his boosted speed and twisting.

He held out his left hand this time, flames sparking to life momentarily...right before he had to abort his attack, seeing the long tongue, as if from a chameleon, lashing out towards him. He swung away, his fist backhanding the appendage away with an explosion before his lightning shot him back to the ground, landing closer to the edge once more.

Glancing around, Nevin found that his team had cleared the cliffside, save for Aurelia, the last of the other team making its way to the path. He smiled a bit at that. “You get going too. I'll be right behind you,” he offered, cocking his fists up for one more exchange. If he could just keep it for a moment or two more, the groups would have a fair distance away from the monstrous Grimm.

-Emeral Forest Cliff Side-

Randy shook her head as Nevin began to face off against the basilisk. He was crazy. He was also somehow still alive after two seconds, so there was that. As she'd predicted though, between Abel running and Nevin fighting the basilisk, the commotion had spurred the rest of the grimm into action.

"I'm the definition of ranged, I'll stay up here for a bit. Everyone else get going!" Enyo shouted, clearly not happy about being in the latter half of the group to be running. IN response, Randy shifted both her gauntlets to cannon mode. That left Felix, Gwyn, and Amalger to hurry after Abel.

"And I'm pretty much the opposite, so I'll be going next I suppose," Amalger replied and followed after Abel. Felix motioned that Gwyn should go next. He really wanted as few people behind him as possible...

As Nevin fought the basilisk, Randy and Enyo faced down the charging grimm swarm. Randy just unloaded, the steady bursts of her cannons ringing out as bullets screamed into the hoard. Grimm after grimm fell, but for every one that fell, two or three charged over its corpse. Enyo fired next, but for some reason it seemed her arrows all fell short. Three times she fired, but only hit the ground before the grimm. However, as the grim reached the arrows, she pressed a button, and electricity arced between the arrows. It was a wall of lightning and the grimm that ran into it writhed and fell. However, it wasn't long before the bodies piled up and the arrows shorted out.

However, between the two, the grimm advance was slowed and the path down the cliffs was clear enough so that Enyo could go down following Felix. As Nevin returned, Randy was making her way down as well, and soon Aurelia would be able to follow.

-The Cliff Path-

The path was narrow, and they had to occasionally press against the cliff face to avoid falling. Every pebble that fell and and echoed as it bounced down sent chills down their spines. Finally though the path began to grow wider and wide until there was just barely room for two at a time. They eventually reached a large rock shelf that was led to a huge, natural stone bridge that led to the other side of the canyon, with similar, narrow paths leading back up. The paths were narrow, so the bulky grimm could not follow. They just needed to cross.

"OK, let's just wait here for the rest," Amalger said. Enyo was just rounding the corner, but Randy, Aurelia, and Nevin still hadn't even come into sight. As long as they could all make it to the bridge, the paths were too narrow for the grimm. At least, that's what Amalger hoped.

Boom. Cool down. Boom again. Cool down again. Rinse and repeat. Rampion's cool down period between cannon mode shots was minimal so long as the amount of Dust used was minimal. Still, Aurelia made a small mental note that she would try to see if she could reduce the cool down period. It was funny, the two groups were probably in danger but all she could think about was that. Maybe it was just a way of coping with the danger around her. Still, she would see Randy begin to go down the path, and that was her cue. Firing off her last shot, she switched Rampion back to its usual staff mode, and she would look at Nevin. Surely he'd notice everyone else was gone. She took the chance and started going down the path.

Heights weren't usually a problem for the blonde, but falling was not something she wanted to do. She made her way through, though admittedly she chose haste over caution for once. The path wasn't too easy to navigate through, though she wondered if it was the narrowness or the fact that she was actually somewhat afraid of actually falling. It wasn't a paralyzing fear but it was prominent enough to make her slightly nervous. Would it be better if she was mauled to death by Grimm or falling and getting every bone crushed? Actually, at least she could combat the Grimm. Gravity was not very nice.

Nevin continued his futile attempt to battle the large Grimm before him. He continued to shoot quickly in for small shots, but none really left much of an impact on it. He didn't have time to use harder hitting blows. Regardless, he found himself getting into a rhythm, able to spot the enemy's attack patterns and figure out how they could beat this should they not be able to find an escape route along that path.

Landing down again after another attack, he glanced back, watching Aurelia disappear down the path and grinned. "Alright. Can't keep playing around here then," he muttered. He shot forward once more, his fist connecting with the beast's face before he shot away, rebounding off a tree and slamming his other fist into it, an explosion erupting from the impact. He shot off again, launching himself into the air and landing in a crouch, left fist placed against the ground. A second explosion erupted, clouding the area in dust. Then he was off, running towards the path, almost not realizing how dangerous it was until his head had descended below the ridge.

At realizing this, he froze, taking a moment to gather himself before slowly starting again at a more careful pace.

-The Bridge-

Finally they were all assembled. The dust cloud left by Nevin rose just high enough to be seen from down on the cliff path. A short while later, he came around the corner, Aurelia having arrived just a few seconds before.

"Good! Now, let's get the hell out of here!" Amalger urged the group. "No idea what's on the other side of this canyon, but it's probably not a basilisk, so... that's enough for me."

"The path doesn't seem to be as bad up ahead other, so we shouldn't have to worry about falling," Randy said, eyeing the bridge. The bridge itself was massive, three people could walk side by side without bumping shoulders. Four, if they didn't mind getting a little cozy. The path that led up the cliff on the other side was much more gradual and wider than the one they'd just come down. As for how they'd get out of the forest once they were there? Well... sometimes you had to live in the moment she supposed.

"Well, let's go then!" Enyo was impatient to get going. It seemed like the grimm couldn't follow them down the cliff, but she didn't want to risk being proved wrong. She made it about two steps.

"Hold up!" Randy's arm shot out and grabbed Enyo, pulling her away from the bridge. A shadow had just blocked out the sun, and the now familiar call of a nevermore was heard. She swore the damn thing was following them. Being out in he open seemed bad with the flying beast around. Moments later, a rain of spear sized, bigger actually, feathers rained down in their path. Anyone who'd been on the bridge would have been dead or knocked off. The feathers mostly bounced off the stony surfaces of the bridge and canyon walls. but one or two found purchase and stuck like dark banners.

"I hate that thing," Enyo growled, looking skyward, but the nevermore had once more flown off. It seemed its only purpose had been to delay them. But why?

"I don't like the way its looking at us..." Amalger suddenly spoke up again.

"What's look-" Randy turned her head and was silenced as she followed his gaze. The great claws of the basilisk were gripping the canyon edge, as its large head poked over, peering down at them with four, hungry red eyes. Then it jumped. For a moment it seemed like the monstrosity had just killed itself, but it's legs spread wide and large folds of skin unfurled, slowing and directing its decent. "IT CAN FLY!?"

"Well... glide... yeah, I forgot about that part," Amalger coughed nervously. Randy just shot him a teary eyed glare. "Sorry?" They didn't have time to argue Amalger's oversight, as the basilisk was gliding in their direction. It landed on the bridge, it's weight shaking the canyon as its claws hit the stone. It let out a furious below as it began to crawl closer. The bridge was the perfect size to accommodate the beast, and there wasn't an inch left for them to even consider trying to slip by.

And behind the hoard lay in wait. This was no longer an escape situation, it was fight or die. Hopefully not and die, Randy thought.

Never in all his life had Abel seen a basilisk. The mere sight of it had sent him running off like a rabbit caught in a flashlight. Subconsciously, he had decided that such a beast was shock enough, and that nothing more unexpected would be happening today.

When the basilisk took flight, he was struck dumb. It was as if reality had simply given up. How could nature conceive of such a creature...and then give it wings? With nowhere to run, however, retreat wasn't an option this time. If he had been thinking straight, Abel might have found the continued pestilence of the nevermore a greater concern, since a casual observer could have noticed that it seemed to be cooperating with the basilisk. As adrenaline began to pump through Abel's veins in anticipation of the fight, however, such observations were beyond him.

The behemoth landed, and the two teams prepared to do battle. Abel, in a minor demonstration of power, let go of the Ampere and allowed it to spin, guided by threads of electricity, through the air. His hands closed around the metal shaft and he leveled its tip at the beast. Given its incredible armor, its eyes seemed like obvious points of weakness, but there were fangs and crushing strength to consider. Another option was to target its skin-flaps with a lightning bolt and sear them beyond use, effectively grounding it. Abel hesitated, legs crouched, not sure what to do other than move to the front of the group and take a defensive potion.

Nevin followed the group silently, keeping his eyes on the cliff above them. The Grimm had looked like a lizard. Many lizards were known to be able to crawl along the walls. It was a troubling prospect, but he didn't believe the group safe just because they had made for the path. It would most likely either be that or...

His thoughts were interrupted by the Nevermore's attack, stopping their advance just before a shadow overcame them, the beast gliding down from the cliff.

Gliding...right. That was the other thing some lizards could do. The boy let out a sigh, stepping ahead of the group as his hands went to his swords, drawing them for the first time during the test. They were an odd shape, a half circle bending near the base before straightening into a point, opposite matches of each other. He would need to take this seriously now. He couldn't afford to hold back against the Basilisk. Lightning crackled up from his fist and along the right blade, a small spark of flame erupting from the small half circle of the left blade.

Taking his position in front of the group of seven other students, he grinned a bit. “There's no real helping it at this point,” he stated, instantly taking charge without even truly realizing it. “I can't extend my Semblance any farther than I already have. It fights using its claws, teeth, tail, and tongue, but there's nothing really special about it besides that.” He let out a small sigh as he realized the flaw he had, despite starting this. “I don't really know your weapon types, but I can get the gist of most of them. Abel, Felix, Randy, Amalger, and I will take the front. We're all mainly close ranged fighters, from what I've seen. Aurelia, Gwyn, and Enyo, give us cover.” Despite Gwyn's halberd, his connection was feeding through what she was capable of. She had more use here at range than she did up close, with this many melee fighters.

“Our goal here should be to overwhelm it with pure numbers. None of us are weak. Together, we can take it. Abel, Aurelia, Gwyn, and I are connected by my Semblance. If one of us sees you the other team in trouble, the other three of us will know and can act accordingly. Try to get around it. If we can take it from various sides, it'll be torn on how to fight us with blows coming from every direction. Just be wary of where it attacks from, particularly the tongue and tail.” Glancing back towards Gwyn, Enyo, and Aurelia, he offered another grin. “Our support should help with the distractions. This thing won't be easy, but I doubt it can take all eight of us.”

With that said, he turned his attention back to the Basilisk, tightening his grip on his swords and waiting for the others to get ready. He couldn't take it alone, but after fighting it briefly, he was sure the eight of them could do it. He just needed an opening and he'd pierce through the bastard.

Gwyn had continued to tail after the first team until she had cross the bridge. When she reached the opposite side, she paused to catch her breath. Not that she was asthmatic or out of shape. Her breathing had become slightly more ragged than usual from the furious beating of her heart upon catching a glimpse of the Basilisk. She prepared to steady herself when the Nevermore appeared and dropped off massive sized feathers. One of them happened to lodge itself into the ground a scant foot away from her. It startled her at first, causing her to jump. She considered comparing her size to the feather afterward, but thought that firing her weapon at the Nevermore might be an even better route to take.

The Faunus was disrupted from such consideration when the Basilisk began moving towards them. There was no way... It took Amalger commenting on it to help her conclude that she wasn't having some kind of hallucination. Gwyn began backing away as the Basilisk moved ever closer to the group.

With Abel's weapon out, and the erratic electricity permeating from it she began to wonder whether it was dust or his Semblance. She had seen the lightning before and knew it was likely him after she discovered his presence, but he hadn't talked to her about it. Albeit, it couldn't really be Dust. Could it? She didn't think Dust would have been capable of producing as much lightning as she saw that first time. However, she also knew a limited amount of information regarding Dust. Perhaps he used Dust with the same properties as his Semblance. That didn't make much sense though. Water might be best... Nevin's voice was a tug away from her observations and thoughts. She cursed herself for allowing her mind to wander in the midst of the situation they were in.

Nevin seemed to take the role of strategist very well, something that she had no problems with when he told her to attack from a distance. Certainly she would have to cope with fighting a beast like a Basilisk up close at some point, but it didn't have to be that very second. After all, if Ozpin had a Basilisk roaming then the grounds then they had to be likely to face creatures of such a degree, or worse, later.

Gwyn positioned herself towards the rear of the group, stepping backwards Rhewlif was held before her. Her hands were adjusted accordingly on the pole as she adapted a fighting stance with the weapon. Nevin had said it was a weak point. She figured that she ought to wait for a signal from one of the others. Was she to act with haste or proceed with caution?