[center][h3]Brewing Storm[/h3]
[@krayzikk][@sho minazuki][@herecomesthesnow][@kaithas][@plank Sinatra][@suku][@narayank][/center]

A symphony of crackling heralded the shattering of the icy wall into an edged hail, and the glistening pieces fell like hail amid the smoky, dissolving corpses of vermin.  Laudable teamwork had proven itself the superior of raw numbers and bestial instinct, and the four members of BASL soon found themselves overlooking a hall empty but for puddles of water and the final few hazy chunks of their prey.  Given the importance of their situation, however, they could not afford to bask in their victory for long.  No doubt intuition drew them toward the double doors through which the horde had poured; beyond that portal lay a cafeteria very much in ruins but now deprived of its deplorably-mannered customers.

An investigation of the room itself, however, would turn up evidence that suggested more than a mere Grimm habitation.  Despite the volume of scavengers previously occupying the cafeteria, its destruction seemed rather incomplete, as if the creatures held a specific goal in mind.  Furthermore, no nests, however crude, lay in any of the corners or piles of debris.  In the silence that followed, a weak but audible pounding could be heard from the walk-in refrigerator.

If the hunters-in-training approached and opened this refrigerator, they would find hidden inside two men.  Both obviously suffering from hypothermia, they sported pale skin, constant shivering, and frost all across their bodies.  The one closest to the door would gasp in equal parts relief and pain to see, even through eyelids nearly frozen shut, that help had come at last.

[center][i]-meanwhile-[/i][/center]

In short order the Grimm were dispatched.  Lesser numbers and workably bright conditions meant that even first-year hunters could dispatch the vicious but diminutive Grimm easily.  As the final Griever breathed its last and began to disintegrate into acrid ash, a smothering calm settled over the room again.  It lasted only a moment, however; there came a sporadic echoing through the vents, betraying some sort of activity in whatever room lay on the other side of the sealed door.  A human well-versed in the talent of auditory reception might even be able to make out decidedly feminine shouts amid shrill shrieks, distinct enough to hint at multiple noise-makers.  The time for Luke, Cian, and Jack to start making real progress toward Priscilla and the safe room seemed nigh.

[center][h3]Defend a Caravan[/h3]
[@write][@ayazi][@herecomesthesnow][/center]

Rather than accept Sarina’s challenge, the Emperor Taijitu chose a different approach.  With the vehicle gaining speed thanks to Estelle, only a few moments remained before it would ram through the wall of lesser Taijitus blocking the way ahead and escape.  Seemingly feeling the significance of the moment, the Emperor stretched its muscles.  A cobra-like hood extended from the sides of its head partway down the body, the inner scales proving to be a near-metallic red coloration that reflected the sun like a thousand tiny mirrors.  The light dazzled Sterling, preventing him from taking action of any sort as his brain reeled, and before Sarina could quit her pose it slammed its head down onto Estelle, nearly depleting the defenseless faunus’s aura in one slam of its crushing weight.  Instantly the caravan vehicle, rocked by the force of the impact, lost momentum.  The very next instant, it collided with the wall of Taijitus, and like a net capturing a bird they held.

The caravan had stopped.

Shrieking in victory, the Emperor set up a clamor that echoed through the whole canyon in the throats of its brethren.  The Taijitus that formed the net quickly dropped and swarmed the vehicle en masse.  With a yell of panic, the caravan driver deserted his seat and disappeared, racing to the emergency land rover to save his own skin.  When the little four-wheeler sped down the ramp and out back the way the group came, however, Lilac could be seen inside; despite his fear the driver had not left her behind.

Left with the choice of fighting a pointless battle or fleeing, the three remaining students chose the latter.  Their radio sparked to life.  [b]”What was that!?  Most of you just stood around like bricks.  Your senior classes haven’t been that exhausting or divisive, have they?  Ah…sorry.  Ozpin won’t be happy to hear that a senior team failed a mission.  There’s a plateau just outside the canyon.  Get there fast before the Grimm catch on.  Ranger-3 out.”[/b]

The fastest way to the plateau would be to scale the side of the canyon, avoiding the various Swiss-cheese holes that pockmarked its surface, and run the rest of the way to the rendezvous point.