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I am making no money from this.
Chapter 15: Ambush Predators
The sound of muted and muffled bass somewhere in the distance was reverberating through the walls and floor of the corridor on which the first year students' dormitories were located, dulled to little more than a quiet rhythmic thumping by the time it reached Team MARZ's dorm; the gift of Faunus hearing however, something which seemed a dubious thing at that moment allowed each of the four teens to make out each low note and the sound of Astra tapping a foot in time to it was currently making one of Athena-Jade's eyes twitch.
It was currently the eve of the first official training mission and the true beginning of Team MARZ and their fellow first year students' careers as Hunters.
Team VNTA had chosen to celebrate this momentous occasion with a party, despite sincere advice, though admittedly not direct orders from several Professors to rest and prepare themselves for what would almost certainly be a taxing and dangerous experience. Once another team of students had learned of this plan the location of the gathering had been moved from the dorms to a nearby common area and invitations had been expected to each of the freshman teams along with several older students form the various upper years who had collectively taken them under their wing. Team MARZ had seemingly been the only team to decline the invitation, with both Wolfram and Astra being visibly dejected when the Deer Faunus had informed the human that they would not be attending, though Wolfram had openly praised Astra's leadership and commitment when it had been explained that they planned to be operating at their full capacity and giving their best performance when the time came and their mission inevitably called for combat. In truth Astra had been the member of Team MARZ least satisfied with the idea of a quiet night of rest and failed attempts at relaxation, the matter was settled however as they had been simply outvoted; both Athena-Jade and Zirconia predictably choosing to be prudent and dutiful whilst Regalia's experience with the monsters that lurked in the wastelands of Menagerie had led to her making the informed decision to seek out what little clarity and peace she could, despite the nerves the four of them shared which currently gave the small room a tense, almost electric atmosphere.
Which Astra chose to exacerbate with a hopeful comment.
"So just to be certain, none of you want to go and-"
"ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW!" Athena-Jade's fist slammed down, the gesture somewhat wasted by the fact that it impacted against her mattress rather than something more solid "How the hell can you even think about going to a party right now?"
"Just as easily as everyone else did, don't make me the weird one here" Astra shot back, the teasing quickly losing its' playful edge in response to Athena's scathing comment.
"In their defence" Zirconia rasped slowly from her bunk above Athena, voice dripping with refined sarcasm "This function is less likely to be attacked by Grimm"
"You're still upset about that?" Astra couldn't help but laugh "Seriously? We made the news….I mean not by name or front page stuff but come on, we came out of that looking cool!" the Deer Faunus was ostensibly correct as the illegal rave that they had briefly attended and whose guests they had defended from the monstrous hippopotamus Grimm until the arrival of Ruby Rose and other veteran Hunters had indeed been reported on by the local press, with Team MARZ being referenced as an unnamed group of young heroes and their actions pushed back several pages by celebrity, political and sporting scandals all deemed to be more important. Athena knew all of this and clearly found the counterargument unconvincing as she inhaled sharply and exhaled slowly through her small, black and bear-like nose in obvious effort to reign in her temper before she spewed uncontrolled vitriol at the team leader she truly did consider a friend, even if they were irresponsible.
"You are such a dumb-ass, you suck" she sighed and shook her head, flopping back onto her bed and ending the conversation by donning a pair of headphones and turning up the music playing on her Scroll.
"Rude" Astra snorted, leaning over their bunk and peering at Regalia who was currently polishing the barrel of Apex Scavenger "What about you?"
"Let it go" she sighed shaking her head "It's better to get some rest".
"But we're not getting any rest" Astra waved their arms dramatically, pointing their combat gear which was currently hanging from a wardrobe door "My clothes are ironed, I've checked my weapons and ammo a dozen times, I've bugged team BASL for info, I've looked for any apps on my Scroll that might be useful in the wasteland….For Oum's sake we've got packed lunches ready; we're just sitting here stressing ourselves now"
"Have you called your parents?" Regalia asked, striped and bushy tail perking as she realised that she interacted very little with her partners' family only for it to droop when Astra shook their head.
"Nah" he admitted "I'm gonna wait until we get back, I don't want 'em to worry about me too much….what about you guys?"
"Likewise, my guardian will want to hear about it but I'd rather give good news than something to fret over" Zirconia answered, still managing to give away nothing about her mysterious guardian whom none of the team had seen or heard her interact with.
"I called the Aiktishaf at lunch" Regalia managed a weak smile "I was making sure Clunker doesn't need any last minute tweaks even though I'm leaving it here….I don't wanna take my bike into something we're going into blind; I've already had to repair it too much lately"
"Fair" Astra nodded before turning his attention back to Athena "What about you?" the comment went unanswered and Regalia peered over at the Bear Faunus whose bunk was directly across from her own
"I don't think she can hear you" Astra debated throwing something at her to get her attention but paused, a warm smile crossing their features as a better idea occurred to them, inspired by the conversation they had been having.
"Hang on a sec, let me try something" their grin widened becoming some what mischievous as they reached down and took their own Scroll from where it was charging and typed out a text message intended for Felix Xiao Long, their half-brother and leader of the famous Team FADE; the same team that Athena-Jade's own older brother was a part of.
'Hey Fluffy how is everything? We haven't spoken for a while and it's my teams' first mission tomorrow….I'll be honest I haven't really spoken about this to them but I'm kinda nervous about it. I know this seems random but you can Arctus to call AJ? She's getting stressed and I think hearing from him might help'. Astra sent the message, taking care to keep the screen hidden from view despite how unlikely it was that any of their team-mates would see what was typed and having to wait only a few short minutes for the device to vibrate in their hand as a reply from the Lion Faunus was received.
'Hey kid, congrats on making it this far. I'm proud of you and you're doing fine….everyone is nervous before a mission, especially the first few so I'll give you the same advice I got: Keep your eyes open, stay focused and follow any instructions the Hunter you're with gives you. I know you won't listen to this but don't try and be the hero too much and put yourself at risk….I'm not with Arctus right now, he's with Diamond somewhere and I don't think disturbing them is a good idea; I'd call myself but I'm in the middle of something but I'll see what I can do about AJ though' Astra read that the text several times, taking a moment to bask in their brothers' praise before rolling their sea-green eyes at the advice and the warning it had come with. The knowledge that Felix wouldn't be able to call them and speak directly was slightly disheartening though not enough to keep them from wondering exactly what their older brother had in mind; only for an answer to come soon enough in the form of Athena flailing briefly on her bunk as her music was interrupted by an incoming call and the Bear Faunus promptly removed her headphones a moment later so that the entire dormitory could hear.
"Hello darling, I was informed that your team has its' first mission tomorrow-" a voice that could only have belonged to Weiss Slate, formerly Schnee came from the Scroll and Astra found their guess proven correct as they saw that it was a video call.
"And you didn't tell me?" Coral Scylla the towering Crab Faunus and Athena-Jade's adopted sibling gasped in mock hurt "You suck, you suck so bad, you're the suckiest!"
"I wanted to go over mission protocol with you" Weiss beamed, knowing that her middle child would worry herself into a frenzy if not given direction "I think Team RWBY have some experience on the subject, your father should be back from final preparations at Atlas Academy soon; I'm sure he would love to share some of his own stories with you as well"
"How did you-" Athena trailed off, blue eyes roving around the dorm and locking onto Astra as she gave a toothy smile "I can't believe you guys! Come on, get over here and say hi to my Mum" with that Team MARZ quickly piled onto the Bear Faunus's bunk; the tension in the dormitory dissipated and their nerves forgotten at least for a few moments and Astra wearing a victorious smile.
It might not have been the most heroic or dramatic of things, but they had succeeded in their duties as a leader and were counting this as a win.
The staffroom was dimly lit, a few small lamps scattered on coffee tables desks and other furniture around the spacious and usually comfortable place casting long shadows and bathing the place in an orange glow that fell short of being warm or inviting; three sat around the central coffee table where the presence of steaming mugs of hot chocolate and the faint, almost imperceptible sound of a party happening somewhere in the campus brought faint smiles to their faces and prevented the atmosphere from becoming too tense.
"You're letting them throw house parties in your house now?" Ruby noted, cybernetic eye whirring faintly as it adjusted to the gloom and adding its' own faint, ghostly blue glow as she and Penny sat opposite Coco; both of had dressed swiftly and brought their weapons upon receiving an emergency call from their employer and friend, needing no specifics and simply assuming the worst yet being relieved, yet pleasantly surprised to see that nothing too far out of the ordinary seemed to be occurring.
"Well I thought you'd appreciate it, especially with how much you love your food fights" Coco managed a weak smile as she delivered the jest yet Ruby and Penny took one look at the older woman and realised that humour, or indeed any level of civility was taking everything she had; her eyes were red, puffy and bloodshot and her usually meticulously maintained attire had clearly been flung on as hastily as Ruby and Penny's own, the boots and coat she wore suggesting that she planned to leave the campus.
"Coco" Penny began gently, knowing that any attempt to soothe her ran the risk of steering her passionate and volatile nature into a reckless course of action "What's happening, what do you need us to do?"
"Are Velvet and Yatsu okay?" Ruby asked, dreading the potential answer "Little Fox-"
"They're fine" Coco breathed out, seeming to take some heart from that fact "I need the two of you to pick up some extra lessons and maybe help Velvet by taking on some management roles; day to day stuff and just for a couple days….I wouldn't ask normally but the first years are shipping out tomorrow and that frees up some time and I'd ask Arslan but her kid is on the island so it's a Team ABRN family reunion and-"
"We'll do it" Ruby assured her, the fact that Coco felt serious enough to explain herself setting off warning bells in her mind and prompting her to ask "What's going on?"
"I just got word about more bodies being found between the settlements, same as the last group….cause of death looks like Grimm but the burial looks like mob; Hunters found in the group" Coco bared her teeth in frustration "I'm calling an emergency meeting of the Council and I'm getting answers, I will force the other settlements to actually start investigating properly and taking this seriously if I have to, I will have their own districts call a vote of no confidence….Yatsu is gonna be heading out to the family of one of the Hunters that was found, he's our Counsellor he's gonna break the news"
That last detail sent waves through Ruby and Penny, the first being one of simple shock, though what followed was cascading, sickening and icy grief as the pieces fell together in their minds.
"It was one of ours?" Ruby's voice trembled, on the verge of cracking "One of our kids….who was it?"
"Ex student" Coco confirmed "Sanda Kumo, Team YUKI….Graduated four years ago. I pulled her records, operating solo as an escort for travellers; her partner just had a baby and hasn't come back to work, the other half of the team were twins, best I can tell they're in Mistral somewhere-"
"I remember her….she was sensational" Penny murmured, just as heartbroken at the news as her wife though managing to find words where Ruby seemed unable to; she remembered as student whilst far from being a standout fighter, tactician or in truth an especially remarkable Hunter had always been cheery, easy to work with, kind and trying to better herself.
A young woman who deserved better than an unmarked shallow grave at the side of a road.
"We need to talk to Qrow!" Ruby's voice came out as a harsh and ragged snarl, she had lost people over her years as a Huntress, such things were inevitable in the life that she had chosen but she would never allow herself to become numb or desensitised to it; such unfeeling coldness was anathema to the dark haired woman as she shook with silent sobs ans her hands balled into white-knuckled fists at the idea of a Hunter whom she had moulded, guided and shaped had met such a pointlessly tragic end.
"We're on the same page, good" Coco growled out, almost feral with its' predatory edge "This is obviously connected to the incident he has Team FADE looking at in New Vale. Hunters are turning up dead on the routes between settlements, buried after being killed by Grimm and someone smuggled a live Grimm off the island and into Neo Vale….We're looking at a well funded and well organised operation that's operating in multiple Kingdoms, we have no idea who they are or what they want. We need answers and we need them now"
"But we're still sending the first years out?" Ruby asked questioningly "Even with this?"
"We can't change the missions, delay or cancel now" Coco shook her head "Besides, even if I could I'm not sure I would-"
"What?" Ruby demanded, incensed by the answer
"There's some things that they can't be eased into….better they see the world for what it is and understand exactly what's waiting for them out there" Coco murmured, words and expression distant as she took on a haunted look which Ruby found herself understanding and appreciating despite her anger as images of her own first mission and the breaching of Vale's defences that had followed and how truly underprepared Team RWBY had been came rushing back to her.
"This….feels wrong somehow" Penny shook her head "The timing makes it feel callous-"
"It is callous" Coco agreed "We're throwing them out there and telling them to survive, right as we're talking about informing the family and team-mates of a dead Hunter….it's callous and ruthless and I hate it, but this is what we do. Those kids have trained for this moment, they've bled to be where they are and the Hunters they'll be working with are some of the best in the business; they have to be sent into the world at some point and can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me that they're not ready?"
"They're combat ready" Penny answered, the painfully human storm of conflicting emotions at her own words leaving her feeling as though she had betrayed someone or some principal.
"They are" Ruby agreed "But I still don't like this….something's going on and we should know what it is before we send people out there-"
"Something's always going on Ruby" Coco breathed out, sagging and suddenly feeling every one of her years "Getting rid of Salem just means all the evil in Remnant has had a few years to reorganise itself and now we don't recognise it so easily"
There was something deeply chilling about that idea.
Team WULF had been awoken at an ungodly hour after a pitiable amount of sleep; Wolfram's response to his own alarm had been to crush his Scroll with an Aura-fuelled blow that embedded its' mangled remains into the wood of the bedside table. Fortunately Laser had provided a spare and after quick, freezing showers the four teens were now trudging through the corridors of Breaktide Academy with all the grim resolve of the condemned.
Though some of the members coped with the unsociable hour better than others.
"Y'all would not have lasted on the farm" Ursinia chuckled, the stinger of her tail rattling as she gave a wide stretch whilst shaking her head with a bemused smile directed to each of her team-mates. Diabla seemed to be alert and functioning, her mysterious and closely guarded background within the Free Cities of Mantle had been clearly preparing her for similarly early morning though her habitual gruff and acerbic nature had been heightened to a dangerous agree and Ursinia took every moment her team-mate was silent and not actively trying to strangle someone as a blessing. Laser, clearly putting some hard-earned lessons from a bleak and traumatic childhood in the makeshift slums of the Vaccuan overspill into practice had managed to wake and prepare himself despite the lack of sleep and effects of the alcohol he was now clearly regretting drinking; his vibrant yellow hair was even more dishevelled than its' usual lank mop and he looked decidedly unwell though he continued onwards, the fact that he had barely spoken all morning could almost be seen as a positive as Wolfram, currently leading the team and walking several paces ahead of them had been snappish and irritable since he had been dragged from his drink-induced stupor with his head pounding and throat left dry and scratchy.
Though his demeanour saw a marked improvement at the exact moment Team MARZ came into view.
"Hey, damn the party was that good?" Astra snorted, sidling over with far too much energy and enthusiasm; as the rest of Team MARZ fell into place behind their leader Athena-Jade couldn't help but give them all a disparaging shake of the head as she sighed
"I think you might still be drunk, the ampitheatre is the other way"
"Can it rich kid" Diabla's voice was a hoarse and ragged snarl, a sound that promised violence at the slightest provocation though the glare etched into her gaunt and scarred face was directed elsewhere when Wolfram turned towards her just long enough to shoot a warning glare of his own, making it clear that he was in no mood to deal with her attitude.
"We got there early, we've got our mission and our Hunter is meeting us in the entrance hall"
"Awesome" Astra replied with clear enthusiasm "You know who it is?"
"Nah, they didn't have it on the paperwork" Wolfram shrugged considering that fact for a moment before adding "I'm guessing whoever it is, they wanna get a first impression of us before we see them….Seems dumb to me, they're stuck with us anyway"
"Don't suppose you saw what we've got?" Astra asked, positively bubbling with the enthusiasm of a child trying to peek at a wrapped gift.
"Nah, didn't think to check" Wolfram shook his head, instantly regretting the motion as his skull thudded once again "You've got this though….and if you run into any more raves….actually no, don't tell me; I'm never drinking again-"
"You're a darned liar is what ya are" Ursinia interjected, clearly amused at her partners' condition "Now come on partner, we can't stay here runnin' our bazoos off all morning or our Hunter's first impression is gonna be that we're a bunch of professional coffee boilers"
"Is it bad that I'm actually starting to understand most of what she says?" Laser grumbled, words slurred by his disorientation.
"Probably, but she's right" Wolfram gave a resigned sigh, shifting the weight of his weapon slung across his back and flashing Astra a weary smile "Stay safe out there and I'll see you when we all get back"
"Yeah you too man" Astra nodded swallowing thickly before opening their arms for a gesture which Wolfram initially interpreted as a friendly shoulder punch or something similar, before realising almost too late that it was a hug and pulling the Deer Faunus into a loose, awkward and fumbling embrace which lasted for a few moments before he reached up and gently cupped one of Astra's cheeks, turning their eyes up to meet his.
"Seriously, be careful" he spoke more firmly "Take it from someone used to this island….between the Cankerlotl, that swarm you fought in the plains and that Grimm at the party you've taken enough risks; you've already proved you're a bad-ass"
"I'll be fine" Astra was clearly trying to appear confident and utterly above such trivial concerns yet the heat rising and colouring their cheeks told an entirely different story; one which Wolfram would have laughed at were it not for his own sudden and inescapable awkwardness.
"I'll catch you later" he cleared his throat before striding onwards, leaving Team MARZ in his wake and Team WULF forced to speed up to keep pace with him as he made his way towards the entrance hall; a deep scowl coming to his face as he heard Laser tittering behind his back
"What the hell was that?" the lithe young man laughed "I've filed serial numbers off with things smoother than you"
"But he has got it bad though" Ursinia added sagely, nodding to herself before turning to Wolfram himself "Honey you need to-"
"You need to shut the fuck up, all of you" Wolfram growled, massaging his temples before adding "We're here, let's find our Hunter and get to work"
"Agreed" it was Diabla's rough voice that came to his aid and Wolfram was unsure whether he should be surprised by that considering the circumstances, he quickly pushed the question from his mind however as it was true enough that the had reached the vast entrance hall of the academy; making their way down a curving staircase onto the ground floor and striding out into the open space Wolfram cast his eyes about until finally he and the rest of Team WULF saw a figure leaning against a wall, cloaked by shade until they stepped out into full view and announced themselves.
"Team WULF right? Mum gave me a look at your transcripts" the Hunter who addressed them was tall enough for their height to be noteworthy, with slight curves and boasted and incredibly athletic physique with well defined arm muscles that were left on display by an outfit in several shades of green and black which appeared to take inspiration from several styles of traditional martial artists' garb, overlain with light armour which appeared more stylised than practical and included what appeared to be some kind of reinforced binder worked into the torso. The outfit was highlighted by the ornate hilt of a weapon rising above one shoulder, bandages wrapped around their knuckles, several necklaces including one made of glistening red beads and another littered with dangling teeth and claws whilst several earrings featuring similar trophies hung from one ear; what caught Team WULF's attention however was the fact that this Hunter had referred to their mother and even a cursory glance at their light brown complexion, sharp, very attractive features and platinum blonde hair that was currently tied into a single braid made it clear that there was only one members of the Breaktide Academy faculty that could be.
"My name is Ranger Altan" their face took on a look that was both mischievous and menacing "And I'm gonna be taking you little punks out into the wasteland to see if you've been paying attention in class"
"But it's so cute to watch you tripping over yourself like that" Athena almost cackled "I can't figure out why at all but every time he talks to you it's like you forget that you're trying to look cool-"
"Okay I get it" Astra hissed
"She's right it is" Regalia chimed in happily, swallowing a mouthful of a ludicrously thickly stuffed bacon sandwich that she had piled together in the student mess hall until it weighed roughly the same as one of the students' many textbooks
"We've been over this, drop it….please" the Deer Faunus sighed, shoulders sagging for a moment before being rolled back as they popped their collar and forced their confident and determined smile back into place, resolving not to let anything distract them from the importance of the moment; especially not the teasing from their friends. Athena-Jade, Regalia and even Zirconia who had largely abstained from the playful jibes shared a look and saw that their jokes could no longer be considered to be in good spirit and promptly stopped; the four of them falling into an easy silence which was broken only when they finally reached the ampitheatre.
"Salutations!" the familiar greeting was delivered the moment they stepped into the room and the presence of Professor Penny Rose quickly brought a smile to all of their faces.
"Good morning Professor" Zirconia inclined her head, showing the same respect that she would to any of the Professors that the first year students regularly interacted with whilst Athena-Jade found herself fighting the urge to lean in for a hug, the usual distinction between school and family suddenly harder to maintain; seeing this Penny gave her niece a bright smile before turning to the leader of Team MARZ and giving a sweeping gesture to the room around them where a series of terminals and large, flickering holographic screens had been set up for the various outgoing students to us; Astra sporting Team LEMN leaving one of them.
"As you can see your missions have been pre-selected and the details you will need are available via the terminals. I've received word from all of your professors that Team MARZ's assignments are all completed and of a sensational standard, meaning that you are eligible for departure; I am sure you will be amazing work over the next few days but I have been asked to remind you to take proper precautions"
"Who asked you to remind us?" Astra asked, uncertain if they should laugh or wince at the comment.
"Several professors" Penny answered brightly "Also Nurse Kitsune asked to me inform each of the outgoing teams that there will be consequences if they find themselves injured….I believe her exact words were 'If anyone loses a limb in the field she will retrieve it herself, just to beat them with soggy end'"
"Why the hell is she allowed to work here?" Athena demanded, her exclamation delivered with a mix of awe and terror whilst Astra merely laughed heartily
"Tell her the message was received and understood" they grinned before turning to their friends "Come on team, let's go find out mission" Regalia almost bounded after them, brimming with eager and excitable energy; hands rubbing together and bushy tail almost vibrating whilst Zirconia trailed close behind with her usual graceful, fluid gait. Athena hung back for a moment, worrying her lip between sharp teeth before throwing appearances to the wind and pulling her Aunt Penny into a tight hug before finally rushing after her friends.
By the time Athena reached them Astra had already reached a nearby terminal and was pulling up details of Team MARZ's mission on the corresponding screen and was scanning the admittedly scant details, though what was there to be read left an unmistakable gleam in their sea-green eyes.
"Should we be concerned?" Zirconia rasped out, folding her arms across her chest as she took in the sight of her leaders' growing enthusiasm
"We're not stuck on perimeter defence" Astra's voice took on an almost sign-song quality "We're going out into the wastes and doing some real Hunter work"
"Excellent" Athena-Jade's own eyes took on a savage gleam of their own whilst Regalia reached over Astra's shoulder and read for herself, letting out a happy little cheer as she did so.
"Oh that's near Shabah Pass" she informed her team-mates, seeing their nonplussed expressions she followed up with "It was originally meant to be a trade route but nothing came of it, Clan Aiktishaf were the ones to map it out-"
"Ah good, one of the natives….perhaps this little foray of ours won't be such a stab in the dark after all then!" a loud, brash and yet still decidedly cultured voice proclaimed cheerily and caused Team MARZ to whip around and see that they had been joined by not one, but two individuals who could only be their assigned professional Hunters.
The first and clearly the one who had spoken was a man whom the teens would have guessed was in his mid to late fifties, boasting a physique that had the appearance of once incredible strength that had withered somewhat over the years; heavily tanned skin reddened, leathery and calloused after years of gruelling work. His features were sharp and his deep violet eyes were cunning and focused though the toll the years had taken on him was clear to see by the white hairs of his immaculately maintained and imperial moustache and the cane he supported himself with; though the ivory and gold lined thing was clearly the collapsed and concealed form of some sort of weapon. His clothes were simple yet gave of the air of one who had hunted more than the Creatures of Grimm over the years, tan boots, beige khaki shorts and a cargo vest lined with countless pockets worn over a dun coloured button down shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbows whilst a plum purple neckerchief adorned the gentleman's neck and a strap of the same colour adorned the brim of the almost domed, off-white traditional safari hat that he wore.
The second man was far younger, vanishing any idea that the pair had been partners since their own academy days. Team MARZ would have guessed that this Hunter was less than a decade older than themselves and could best be described as a tower of a man, easily six and a half feet tall and broader than even Athena-Jade; his skin was an olive colour and bulging muscles rippled beneath it with every minute movement whilst rough, craggy patches of scales in a dusty greenish-brown littered the surface of his skin from his elbows up to his neck and jawline where they were lost beneath a full and carefully groomed, thick black beard, whilst hair of the same colour had been tied into a bun resting on the back of the mans' head; the face of the Komodo Dragon Faunus being a battle for dominance between suave handsomeness and primal brutality as more scales formed an armoured ridge across his nose and teeth far too sharp to be human were paired with hellish red eyes that offset any natural charm he might've had. The younger man's outfit was comprised of simple dusty beige fatigues whose sleeves had been cut away and lightweight black armour, boots and fingerless gloves slung over it; their utilitarian and impersonal feel countered by what appeared to by a tally of kills etched into the chest-plate of the armour and painted a bright red along with a single red bandanna tied around his left bicep. The reptilian Faunus's weapons were held in place by a harness and crossed over their back, one of them being a broad bladed and savage looking thing that appeared to be the fearsome union of a sword and a club, with countless obsidian blades gleaming around its' edge whilst the other was a swept forward, stylised and cruelly serrated kukri machete.
"Team MARZ reporting for duty" Astra introduced, something about the way the older man had referred to Regalia not sitting right with them but the Deer Faunus decided to give the benefit of the doubt, finding it unlikely that Headmistress Adel would employ bigots.
"And a fine bunch you all seem to be, none of you are stumbling around worse for ware like shell-shocked loons after drinking too much like your peers" the elder Hunter harrumphed indignantly "I am Major Grapeshot, formerly attached to the Mistrali air force. This is my associate-"
"Hueso….Carmesi Hueso" the younger man introduced himself with a respectful nod and a low, rough voice that lacked any identifiable trace of a Mistrali accent which further confirmed that the two men had met at some point in their professional careers.
"I'm Astra, these are Athena-Jade, Zirconia and Regalia" Astra gestured to each of their team-mates and studied the faces of the Hunters for anything that might betray some hint of emotion or misgivings, finding nothing until Carmesi let out a deep, rattling chuckle that reverberated in the chests of those nearest to him.
"I think this one's sizing us up to see if they can take us" Grapeshot gave a small, shrewd smile that almost lost beneath their moustache as their eyes darted from Astra to their team and back; flicking from the Deer Faunus to Regalia before they spoke
"As well they should, all knowledge is useful after all….Although I do apologise if I spoke out of turn a moment ago, I do assure you Regalia that no offence was meant"
"None taken" the Racoon Faunus answered, at which point Grapeshot focused on Astra.
"However if you wish to get the measure of us then perhaps it would be better to do in the field" the leathery gentleman's smile widened "In which case, let's be off shall we? Tally ho!"
Team MARZ allowed themselves to be led, their excitement suddenly redoubling and reaching a fever pitch as their first real mission began.
The wasteland which included and surrounded the Shabah Pass was much like a sizeable percentage of the desolate space between Menagerie's cities and villages that were yet to be converted into arable land by the Spring Maiden or any of the other groups working to transform and rebuild the island Kingdom. Brick-red dust and coarse and a layer of coarse gritty detritus hung in the air in a thin haze and covered the cracked, baked and barren land from which the occasional mound of parched and thorn-covered weeds or shrubbery protruded whilst small lizards and other scampering critters darted across the ground from one burrow to the next. The pass itself was a winding pathway located between two mountain ranges towards the centre of the island Kingdom that had once stood far taller than their current height, their summits being reduced to broken and splintered things during the First Great War wherein the armies of Mantle had bombed the city that once lined the steppes of the mountains out of existence; creating a twisted and ruined mass of earth and stone littered with more debris than an exploratory vehicle such as that used by Clan Aiktishaf could hope to avoid. It was rumoured that there were still Dust deposits to be found within the broken mountains though the truth was still uncertain.
Much like the rest of Menagerie's untamed wastelands the Shabah Pass and the area around it were also teeming with the Creatures of Grimm; currently represented by a sizeable pack of Beowolves, numbering in the dozens at even a conservative estimate and as the roar of jet engines tearing the sky to race overhead reached them one of lupine horrors reared up onto its' hindquarters and let out a piercing howl, snarling up at the glaring sun in defiance as its' pack-mates bared their fangs and claws in sudden readiness.
Aboard the approaching transport Major Grapeshot smiled.
"Well, it would appear that we've reached out destination and that the enemy….such as they are, have presented themselves in what passes for a formation for us" the Hunter who had spent much of his career attached to the Mistrali defence forces noted, amusement creeping into his imperious tone as he regarded Team MARZ whilst behind them Carmesi merely draped himself comfortably from the overhead railings that lined the passenger and cargo hold of the transport they had boarded on.
"What's the plan, bombing run, strafe 'em or jump straight in?" Astra enquired, voice rising over the howling of rushing air from the open hatch that Grapeshot was observing the situation from. The transport that they had taken was not one that belonged to either of the Hunters and instead sported the insignia of Breaktide Academy on its' wings, meaning that it's pilot was likely experienced in aerial or air to ground combat but also equally not a Hunter in their own right as many of the academies' pilots had been selected from the Atlesian military with recommendations from Winter Schnee. Grapeshot's smile only widened and Carmesi seemed to have some idea of what was to come as another of his low, rumbling laughs escaped the Komodo Dragon Faunus.
"Well, Mister Hueso and I will take on the grunt work of securing our belongings and necessary equipment for this sortie; I assume Team MARZ can secure the landing zone for us? In my time with the Mistrali Air Force well I can't say how many times I was the first one into the fray, being the only Hunter in the squadron meant I had to lead from the front as it were, with that being said….Impress me"
Team MARZ shared a collective grin before leaping out of the transport and directly into combat.
Regalia almost scrabbled over her partner, using the very hull of the aircraft as a springboard from which to launch herself into the air with an ecstatic yell of 'Geronimo' she went hurtling downwards at terminal velocity; lowering her goggles over her face and wearing a manic smile as Apex Scavenger found its' way to her hands. As she neared the ground she readied the weapon in its' shotgun form and took aim at one of the snarling and howling Beowolves below, firing the under-slung harpoon at one of the monster and hoisting it violently into the air where the Racoon Faunus grappled with and positioned the things' body in such a way that she could use it to break her own fall before levelling the barrel of her weapon against its' snout and firing. With the first Grimm dispatched Regalia's only became more wild as she shifted her weapon into its' pickaxe-headed staff melee form and twirled it with practised eased, the dozen or more Beowolves that came bounding towards her from all sides forced to a skidding and clumsy halt as they avoided the sweeping arc of her blades and from there the former nomad launched her counter-attack with a fierce yell.
Athena-Jade zigzagged through the air with an erratic and unpredictable trajectory that came as naturally to her as breathing after so many years of practice with her glyphs.
The complete lack of airborne monsters left the Bear Faunus free to create an expansive network of the shimmering constructs which she leapt from, brandishing Mould-Breaker in its' enormous hammer form and using the Dust powered booster integrated into its' head to allow her even greater mobility as she sought to force the pack of monsters below off-guard, determined to strike from wherever they least expected.
Eventually Athena came crashing into a group of four of the Grimm, her impact stunning them far long enough to launch her attack and the first of them being felled in an instant as she swung her hammer at its' skull; from there the stout, yet acrobatic young woman used her momentum to carry herself into a leaping and spinning back-kick, immediately followed by something akin to a roundhouse kick to the skull of a second Beowolf, leaving it dazed enough for her to driver her hammer into its' ribs. The remaining pair of monsters came charging at her in tandem and Athena's sapphire eyes flashed with sudden daring as she rushed out to meet them, leaping into the air at the last moment and creating a glyph in the place she had been stood; the Grimm clattered against the ephemeral surface which shattered a moment later as the Bear Faunus swung Mould-Breaker down in an arc that connected with the back of a monsters' skull and smashed it through the glyph before she disposed of the final Beowulf by dropping into a low crouch and sweeping at its' hind legs with her hammer then finishing it with a well placed blow to the torso. Scanning the battlefield Athena let out several ragged breaths and forced herself to remain focused, spotting another group of Beowolves she shifted her weapon into its' laser cannon and prepared to unleash a beam of purging light across the battlefield.
Only for Zirconia to leap into the battle and steal her thunder.
The Grasshopper Faunus had waited, ignoring the expectant gazes of Grapeshot and Carmesi on her as she sought out the perfect moment and opportunity to leap from the transport and unsheathe Sunriser Cain, shifting the weapon directly into its' close combat form which could be described as either a blunted sword or some form of staff whilst the twin rotating Dust chambers aligned themselves and the computerised voice of the weapon announced that each of the weapons' cylinders were loaded with Gravity Dust. Using a similar tactic to the one she had employed against the Purge-Queen over a month ago, a technique inspired by Ruby Rose Zirconia launched herself downwards and forwards and great speed and crashed directly into the midst of of pack of Beowolves that Athena had been attempting to open fire on; the servos of her mechanical legs hissed and whined as they absorbed the nerve-rattling force of an impact that sent a shock-wave out and stunned the Beowolves. Zirconia ended her assault by swinging Sunrise Cain out in a wide, slashing arc whilst the effects of the Gravity Dust continued to leave a rippling contrail of shifting and distorted air in her wake; the screaming wind ripping through the Creatures of Grimm and tearing them asunder in a cloud dust, debris and fading darkness.
"You're lucky I think you're cool" Athena pouted in response to her partners' entrance.
Astra had used the hard-light planes emitted by Buckshot Ares as a hang-glider of sorts much as they had during their initiation to swoop into the midst of battle and whilst the Deer Faunus had elected not to use their Gatling-guns with their team-mates all around them their arm-mounted blades and skill as a fighter were currently proving to be more than adequate.
"I was hoping this might be more of a challenge!" they called out, completely given over to swaggering bravado as the lunged and delivered a leaping, Aura-fuelled knee strike to the underside of a Grimm's jaw as the beast pounced at them, snatching the Grimm from the air and following up by driving the blades into its' torso and ripping their arms out to the sides to cleave the thing in half. From there Astra threw themselves at another Beowolf that came snapping and snarling from the left, a spinning kick and backhand swipe of a shield stunning the monster before a slash of a blade severed its' skull.
"Astra heads up!" they turned just in time to see Regalia aim and fire the harpoon fitted under her shotgun and instantly understood what she intended; grasping the steel shank of the projectile Astra shifted both halves of Buckshot Ares into shield mode and allowed themselves to swung through the air as a wrecking ball; smashing through the Grimm with ease though dozens still remained.
Until the professionals arrived.
"Not bad kid" Carmesi Hueso chuckled as he rose to his full height from the crouch he hand landed in; Astra coming to a stop to avoid crashing into him several feet away though the Komodo Dragon Faunus paid little attention to this and simply discarded the bags that they had carried with them from the transport before drawing the smaller of their weapons, the forward curved machete and hurling it into the mass of snarling monsters. The effects were devastating, as the blade flew through the air it split vertically along its' length and unfurled into a throwing weapon comprised of three curved and equal blades that cleaved and sheared through the flesh and bone of every monster they made contact with, a wide and curving path of destruction that unmade several dozen Grimm in seconds before the weapon came arcing back towards its' owner who caught it single handed and without effort; collapsing the machete and drawing their larger weapon just as a lone Beowolf pounced. Astra and Regalia watched, stunned and silent as Carmesi brought the monstrous blade overhead and crashing down into the neck and chest of the Grimm and buckling its' limbs with the force of the blow only to hoist the monster, still suspended on the weapon into the air and transform the enormous, broad-bladed sword into its' secondary form of a pump action shotgun and fire an explosive round.
The Beowolf was destroyed from point blank range and the deafening report of the weapon made Astra's ears ring.
"Holy shit!" they managed to gasp out, staggering away slightly from the source of the noise until Carmesi seized their upper arm and dragged them to the ground with a snapped warning.
"GET DOWN, THE MAJOR IS FIRING!" Astra took heed and watched as Regalia followed suit, flinging herself into the dust as the leathery old man raised his ornate gold and ivory cane which promptly unfurled itself into some form of oversized hunting rifle. The majority of the remaining Grimm seemed to sense that Major Grapeshot was the problem that they would be most well served by removing and came charging towards the man who gave only a smile in response, the corners of his immaculate moustache turning upwards whilst some faint, barely noticeable purple glow travelled from his eyes to his hands and the tips of his fingers.
Then he fired and each shot tore through a dozen Grimm, cascading waves of violent devastation that left nothing but mist and fading fragments in their wake that left vast, semi-circular chunks of the incoming tide of monsters entirely absent until finally there were nothing but a few handfuls of straggling and disorganised monsters to be picked off at will.
"Jolly good show chaps!" Grapeshot exclaimed, collapsing his weapon and wiping his brow with a hastily produced handkerchief. Astra quickly picked himself off of the ground and powered through his abject awe to gesture at the weapon in his current mentors' hand.
"I think I speak for everyone here when I say; what the hell was that?"
"Ah that nifty little trick has gotten me out of a rum do quite a few times" Grapeshot almost purred in satisfaction "My Semblance allows me to make several, admittedly temporary copies of any small object around me….A vagabond or scoundrel might use such a Semblance for thievery, I however put it to use Hunting Grimm; one bullet becomes several dozen every time I let fly"
"Okay that is a really impressive move" Athena-Jade noted, openly impressed as she and the rest of Team MARZ gathered around Astra and the Hunters leading them.
"You did good, we all did" Carmesi noted gruffly, eyes narrowing as they added "Shame that wasn't what we're here for though, it was stupid to think it'd be that easy"
"If it were that easy we would do a poor job of helping educate these aspiring Hunters" Grapeshot countered, openly jolly and cheerful at the prospect of more encounters with the Grimm.
"Is this the part where you tell us what the mission is?" Astra's words had an edge and unspoken complaint to them which saw Athena swiftly plant her elbow in their ribs whilst Regalia and Zirconia shot them looks of disbelief and mild annoyance respectively. Grapeshot merely nodded.
"Quite, we're here to hunt Grimm….in the most literal sense of the term" he allowed himself a chortle "As you no doubt noticed that pack of Beowolves was a sizeable one and yet there was no Alpha at its' head; there've been reports of several similar packs being spotted all along trade routes, Hammerfall Observation Outpost has identified that it is indeed several groups and it seems likely that these leaderless packs are involved in the recent disappearances. Now, why might that be?"
"I didn't realise that the outpost had that much range" Astra noted before focusing on the question "Maybe a Hunter picked off the Alphas first but couldn't finish off the rest of the packs"
"Grimm on Grimm violence isn't common outside of freshly spawned creatures but it's not completely unheard of, the fractures in their old hive mind post-Salem mean that packs sometimes fight each other" Athena reasoned aloud.
"Both reasonable assumptions, intelligent ones" Grapeshot noted "But no, I believe that we are looking at individual parts of a single, massive pack of Grimm led by a single Alpha that we haven't seen yet-"
"You think it's smart enough to hide and lead from the back while it sends out scouts?" Regalia gasped "My people avoid Grimm like that! It must be ancient-"
"At least a survivor from the battle against Salem that's been wandering this island ever since….I wonder if I fought it when I was here in my youth; oh that would be poetic" Grapeshot caught himself and shook the wistful look away from his face whilst Carmesi delivered the crux of their assignment.
"If it exists at all then it's a clever Grimm, very clever and we're gonna try and find it….Kill it if we can but with you students here our primary focus is recon"
"Indeed" Grapeshot's voice was brimming with carefully measured eagerness "And now our quarry likely knows we're here, the game is afoot."
Team WULF's mission had seen them deployed alongside Ranger Altan to another part of the wasteland, close to one of the many roads between Menagerie's settlements where what could only be assumed to be their prize or objective waited ahead of them.
"We flew out here for a truck" Wolfram sighed as he and his team-mates took in the sight before them.
"Not glamorous enough for ya?" Ranger enquired with an amused note to their voice.
"Barely seems worth five Hunters" the steel grey-eyed young man snorted, his cockiness bordering on supreme arrogance and earning him glares from the rest of Team WULF whilst Ranger merely responded with a snort of his own. Their flight over the island Kingdom had been largely uneventful, with Ranger choosing to use the time to get acquainted with each of their new charges and the weapons and abilities at their disposal, getting to know them at least a little more than the transcripts and other impersonal paperwork they had been given access to had allowed rather than inform the students about the particulars of the mission that they would be engaging in together. The flight had not been entirely without incident however as their transport had been forced to fly through a sizeable flock of Scree and the vulture Grimm, whilst being no real threat to any even moderately capable student were a more unsettling proposition when one was forced to remain in the air and prevented from engaging them directly; the pilot and gunner of the aircraft had managed to overcome the attack though for Wolfram; always headstrong and eager to lead the charge being forced to entrust his well-being to a stranger in such a way was a decidedly unpleasant experience and both his friends and Ranger had a sneaking suspicion that his current attitude was more a reflection of that than the mission itself. Finally they had indeed landed after leaping from the hatches of the hovering aircraft, as the native of Menagerie had observed close to a truck; or rather a land-train of considerable size with a dozen armoured trailers each with an observation platform fitted to their roof whilst the entire exterior of the machine, which was massive when compared to anything other an airship of the dune crawler of Clan Aiktishaf was heavily armoured, tires and windows included. Ranger regarded the vehicle for a moment before deciding to adress Wolfram's observations.
"Not five Hunters" they chuckled "One Hunter, four students and that's only to make things interesting. If my whole team were here then there'd be nothing for you to do"
"So what's the mission?" Diabla asked bluntly something in her burning orange eyes and hard expression seeming to almost ooze determination and a sense of readiness that Ranger clearly appreciated as they strode forwards and gestured to a point at the back of the vehicles cab.
"This rig is carrying medical supplies along with a lot of other stuff, really should have been flown but the situation is what it is. Now the driver found a few technical faults while they were out on the road, including a glitch with the transponder-"
"Shoddy maintenance or sabotage?" Laser asked quickly
"Looks like the first one" Ranger answered before continuing "Procedure is to pull up, radio it in and wait but the problem is the driver spotted Grimm; at that point protocol changes and they did the right thing by taking the dirt-bike that was fitted to the back of the cab and getting the hell out of here after marking the location so it can be recovered even if the transponder goes dark"
"Are the medical supplies still good?" Wolfram asked, suddenly taking the mission far more seriously now that it felt as though there were real stakes.
"Should be" Ranger confirmed "As long as nothing had breached the trailers our mission is honestly gonna be a pretty straightforward one and you'll probably be back at the Academy by tomorrow morning-"
"That's a darn shame, I was hoping for well….a little adventure" Ursinia admitted, looking away mildly shamefaced.
"I get that and there's nothing wrong with it" Ranger assured her "But the work is what's important, getting medicine where it needs to go is what's important. Now I can fix and drive this rig so what I need you little punks to do is sweep the inside and outside of those trailers and make sure we're not carrying any hitch-hiking Grimm" with that they reached into their pockets and produced a series of digital key-cards that would unlock the various trailers of the land train; Wolfram snatched them with a glower.
"You should really stop calling us that"
"Really?" Ranger laughed before making a show of flicking one of spikes adorning the leather collar Wolfram wore over his armours' gorget "Why's that?….punk"
"Come on partner" Ursinia, acting on instinct alone clamped down on Wolfram's upper arm and steered him away from Ranger before he could do something that would see Team WULF collectively expelled.
"Let's get on with this shit" the grey-blue haired young man spat, dispersing the key-cards amongst the team "And Laser don't even think about stealing shit today"
"What has crawled your hump today?" Ursinia demanded.
"It's nothing. Let's just do our job" Wolfram ground out, everything about his demeanour making it clear that a more honest answer would not be forthcoming. With no more to be said the four of them closed the distance between themselves and the land-train, each of them taking responsibility for one of the first set of four trailers and beginning the process of scouring the outside of the vehicle for any sign of the Creatures of Grimm, clambering under the massive steel containers and using the light of their scrolls to peer into any minute cracks between thick armour panels.
Finally something stirred.
"DAMN IT SHIT! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING!" Diabla spat suddenly mildly panicked and utterly furious as a hissing screech filled the air; Wolfram caught sight of her a moment later, the usually fierce young woman forced onto the defensive with her arms in front of her face and using her gauntlets to distract herself from that thrashing attacks of a lone Grimm roughly the size of an average dog.
Despite its' relatively small size however the thing was ferocious.
The monster appeared to have a form resembling some sort of tree dwelling mammal akin to a flying squirrel or sugar glider, though twisted into something utterly nightmarish.
It had a small and rodent-like skull that was completely encased in bone armour with overlarge ears and a pair of dagger like teeth, the skull leading to a spine made of jutting and barbed vertebrae which ran exposed down the length of the things' back and led to a whip like tail, thin and lashing which more than doubled the length of the malicious beast whilst its' underside was more terrible still; the lower jaw of the Grimm was hinged and yawned open into a fang-filled maw which encompassed not only the things' skull but also its' entire throat and torso, allowing it to open wide enough to envelop a victims' entire skull in its' crushing bite and the strangling grip of its' slavering tongue. Beyond this the thing had far too many limbs, boasting eight spindly and segmented limbs that ended in jagged talon-like points whilst folds of pale and translucent pinkish-red skin could be seen, an adaption that allowed the thing to glide like the creatures it was a monstrous parody of.
Diabla's customary fury reasserted itself as she retaliated.
"MOTHER-FUCKER!" with that admittedly ineloquent yell she reached out with her right hand and grabbed the monster by the tail, dragging it away from her face whilst she deployed 'Quiet' the gauntlet mounted over her left fist, complete with a Dust fuelled ultrasonic blade; her fist was engulfed in the burning light of a miniature sun as she plunged her blade, fist and entire forearm into the gaping maw of the monster and tore its' body asunder with a single blow.
Only for the hissing screams to be multiplied a hundredfold.
"Normally I'd laugh 'cos I've never seen you get caught out like that!" Wolfram jeered good naturedly as he readied the sword and shield components of Berserker "But we really don't have time for it-"
"I think I have a new least favourite Grimm!" Laser declared from close by, cleaving two of the things in half with a swing of his katana before shifting Permadeath to its' machine gun form and opening fire with reckless abandon. Movement mere inches away forced Wolfram to pay attention to his own surroundings however and he lashed out with his shield, smashing a shrieking and flailing horror into the side of trailer he had been searching and holding it firmly in place as he brought his axe down on its' skull, cleaving the thing apart with a blow that sent sparks spraying out as his weapon ground against armoured steel.
"Come get some!" Wolfram snarled out, teeth bared and receiving an answer to his challenge a second later as another of the skittering, leaping nightmares came gliding into view with the membrane of flesh between its' limbs allowing to to sail through the air but giving it no means to avoid certain death as he hurled his axe at it, the blade burying itself in the mouth the took much of its' underside. Spinning around and seeing dozens of the screaming beasts spewing out from above and beneath the land-train, attempting to swarm Team WULF and overwhelm them Wolfram held his right hand flat and focused as much as the red haze of battle would allow him to, feeling the familiar freezing and biting winds swirl around his palm as he prepared to use his Semblance.
"GET BACK!" he roared, Ursinia, Laser and Diabla guessed what was coming and either leapt, rolled or simply flung themselves to the ground as he turned the air ahead of him into a single solid plane which extended outwards and sheared through all in its' path like a guillotine blade, cutting down a vast swathe of the roiling cloud of Grimm and leaving the rest disoriented and scattered for his team-mates.
Only for hissing to alert him to another incoming attack.
The side of the truck was to his right now and his dominant arm was still outstretched and unprotected with his axe lying on the ground some distance away as a Grimm came leaping down upon, teeth gnashing and the long tongue that seemed to comprise all of its' innards lashing as much as its' tail in an attempt to ensnare his arm. Wolfram braced himself and prepared for the inevitable waves of agony as he realised that the was no chance he would be able to defend himself in time.
Then the Grimm's head exploded as a Dust round tore through it and ricocheted off of the side of the trailer with an echoing ping.
"Well I preferred my old weapon but this'll definitely do" Ranger Altan noted conversationally as they strode into the midst of the chaos. Their weapon was a curved and narrow but overlong blade of the kind Wolfram had heard called an odachi, currently however the blade lay along the underside of its' owners' arm whilst its' handle had transformed into a silenced pistol and the hand-guard locked around their wrist to form a bracer; Wolfram noted the bracer and that something similar might be useful for the ranged form of Berserker before forcing himself to focus.
"What hell are these things?"
"They call 'em Cuddlers" Ranger answered in a tone that made it clear that they found the entire situation amusing, transforming their weapon into its' sword form to slash through several of the remaining Grimm.
"Who's they and why would they call 'em something so stupid?" Wolfram demanded as he retrieved his axe.
"People who clearly had a sense of humour about it….Look alive Wolfram, we can't move until we're sure we've got all of 'em" Wolfram glowered at that, realising that it was likely going to be a thankless slog of a mission; though he allowed himself to hope that the fact that the Hunter in charge of his team had actually used his name was some kind of omen.
Night had fallen and with it a freezing wind that swept across the wastelands, making the desolate place even more inhospitable and adding a new layer of misery to the arduous and seemingly endless task that Team MARZ's mission had become.
The four students and the pair of professional Hunters that they were shadowing had spent much of the day traipsing across hard and barren land with the hot sun beating down on them, though mercifully not as intensely as it had done during Team MARZ's initiation as they followed tracks, vague trails of destruction and other such hints as to the direction of their quarry; all the while comparing what they found with the locations of Beowolf packs observed by the Hammerfall Observation Outpost and eye witnesses in an effort to triangulate the location of the suspected Alpha Grimm. Thus far they had cut down Beowolves by the hundred along with other monsters of several varieties that had been drawn to the incessant skirmishes and were thoroughly exhausted, yet they were no closer to finding or even truly confirming the existence of their prey.
Major Grapeshot was not so easily swayed from his course of action and as night began to fall he and Carmesi had led Team MARZ higher, climbing one of the broken mountains of Shabah Pass in order to make a camp with a vantage point. Whilst the two of them were preparing the camp itself Team MARZ had been sent out to secure a perimeter and ensure that no monsters came intruding upon them as they recovered.
Which was how the four of them had found themselves staring down at the base of the winding gorge itself in open amazement at the sight of what could only have been the Alpha Beowolf they had spent all day tracking.
"There's no way that's a normal Grimm….look at the damn thing" Astra whispered excitedly, their arms flapping even as they pressed themselves as low to the dusty ground as possible and kept their voice to the merest ghost of a whisper as they and the rest of Team MARZ peered over the stone ridge at the bipedal lupine monster that stood easily head and shoulders above the average specimen of its' kind, even if one discounted the six-feet long bone spikes running it neat, outward curving rows along its' shoulders. Where an average Beowolf would skulk and whine if deprived of its' pack-mates; daring only to attack the most defenceless of opponents this beast prowled and stalked an area of dusty ground littered with rubble and boulders with an oddly human gait and an air of impatience about it.
"It looks like it's waiting for something" Athena mused quietly to Astra's left.
"Maybe the Grimm we killed earlier….if this is the Alpha than it's probably expecting them to come back" Astra reasoned.
"Maybe it's waiting for someone to come through here, this route isn't officially in use but that means less than you'd think" Regalia noted from her place at Astra's right hand side.
"Think we should take a shot at it?" Astra's voice took on a giddy, dangerous edge as the thought of the prestige that Team MARZ could earn flashed through their mind.
"No" it was Zirconia who answered, mismatched eyes concerned "We call it in, message Major Grapeshot and wait for instructions" Astra paused, clearly disliking the answer that they had been given yet realising that it was logically the correct choice and that little good would come of arguing against it. Before the discussion could go any further however Regalia hissed out a warning through clenched teeth.
"I hear an engine, someone's coming"
"Shit" Astra whispered, straining their ears until they heard the same sound carried by the wind; the sound of an expectant snarl from the Alpha Beowolf stalking below them making it clear that the Grimm had heard the approaching vehicle as well.
"Zirconia get ready to put a shot right between that Grimm's eyes on my say so, AJ get ready to throw up as many glyphs as you can….wait for my signal" Astra breathed out, heart hammering in their chest with such intensity that they were certain that the vibration against the ground would alert the Grimm. Seconds ticked by at a torturous crawl until finally the growling of an engine drew close and was accompanied by the glare of headlights whilst the Alpha Beowolf answered it with a growl and wailing howl of their own before bounding forwards; the vehicle itself finally came into view and whatever Team MARZ had been expecting it had not been the sight of a truck with a single trailer, crude armour plates welded over its' entire exterior with a massive, spiked wedge of a plough fitted to the front of its' cab and several heavily armed men and women whose faces were hidden from view by balaclavas clung to various makeshift handholds bolted onto the armour.
What happened next defied all logic.
The truck crashed into the Alpha Grimm, flinging it back before coming to a halt with a screech of tires whilst the armed men and women, clearly not Hunters leapt into action; many of them electing to use stun weapons rather than make any real attempt to kill the monster before them. The situation only grew more bizarre, Astra's intention to act being utterly forgotten as a pair of the unknown newcomers rushed to the rear of the truck and began opening the locked and heavily armoured trailer; allowing Team MARZ a glimpse at what lay inside.
"They've got Grimm locked up in the truck!" Regalia gasped, stunned beyond all comprehension at the sight of several Beowolves with heavy manacles and chains around their claws and jaws, flung into equally heavily armoured cages. The captive Grimm were obscured from view a moment later by movement that came with a cacophony of clanking metal.
"Those are Atlesian robots" Zirconia noted dispassionately.
"They're old models, really old" Athena answered "Look at those shoulder cannons, nothing that has one of those is still in service" the point was quickly rendered irrelevant as the small squad of repurposed robots, regardless of whose orders they were acting on began marching towards the Alpha Beowolf which howled and thrashed, giving into a bestial rage which saw several of the automatons torn apart before they began opening fire with the shoulder mounted weapons, revealing them to be loaded with Ice Dust shells which began to freeze the libs of the Grimm solid and combined with the assault of the stun-batons and riot shields being used by the unknown attackers allowed for several more masked men and women to begin fastening the chains and shackles that would hold the lupine terror in place.
The sight of Ice Dust stirred something in Astra's mind however and at that moment a single impulse took hold of them.
"We need to get the fuck out of here" they urged, slipping away from the edge of the rocky outcropping that they had been watching from as fast as they dared and pausing only to ensure that their friends were following them.
"What-what the hell did we just watch?" Athena demanded, the total yet inexplicable wrongness of what had transpired being unnerving to even consider.
"I don't know" Regalia shook her head "I don't even know if I want to-"
"Hueso, put the Major on; we have a situation here" Astra's words revealed that they had already palmed their scroll and contacted the Komodo Dragon Faunus, their next words confirming that Major Grapeshot was present
"Major listen, we found the Alpha-No I'm certain, this thing as absolutely the Alpha. It was just kidnapped….Grimm-napped I dunno"
"Someone abducted a Grimm you say?" Grapeshot's voice could be heard clearly by all of Team MARZ and each of the considered it telling that he seemed merely thoughtful rather than suspicious or dismissive of the outlandish claim.
"I mean a truck full of guys with old Atlas military robots just crashed into it, froze it, tied it up and they're loading it into their truck right now. There's other Grimm in there as well so yeah abducted is a good word" Astra answered hurriedly, words falling over one another as they rushed to get to the crux of the argument; swallowing thickly and taking a risk that they ultimately felt was justified as they added
"Major, this is classified information and I only know it because my brother is one of the Hunters involved in the operation in New Vale….There's reason to believe that someone is smuggling live Grimm from Menagerie to other Kingdoms and that containing them with Ice Dust is part of their usual MO; I think we've just stumbled into something bigger than we were planning"
The silence that hung in the air at those words was profound.
"Smugglers you say" Major Grapeshot spoke the words slowly as though he were testing them out and each of Team MARZ shared nervous looks, privately fearful of what would come next; both pursuing this new criminal element and leaving them to do as they pleased with their captured monsters seeming utterly terrifying prospects.
"Smugglers" Astra confirmed, forcing themselves to ignore the slight tremble that passed through them.
"Indeed….well, that simply won't do at all now will it" Grapeshot murmured, his tone becoming cold and unforgiving with the threat of righteous retribution "It seems we will be getting the true measure of one another after all; we will of course be testing ourselves against this new foe"
Author's Notes:
Ahem….20,000 HITS ON FF NET ALREADY? THANK YOU GUYS!
So, three chapters left of Vol.1; missions are now underway and things just got cracking.
I feel like the pacing jumped a bit at the end there and I could be a little Goblin and say "Well that's just RWBY finales" but nah.
Put it this way, what you've seen now is nothing and what you think you know….you don't.
As far as the title goes…..Am I talking about the Grimm, the guys who bagged the Grimm or someone else?
Also just a heads up, I already had this chapter written just after I posted the last one and I mentioned this in the notes of the latest chapter of PPG: Reckoning but my writing schedule might be off-kilter for a few weeks….I don't wanna get too personal in here but I lost my Grandad over the weekend so things are a bit of a mess.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Okay so we're here, we made it to the mission and of course some of the students decided to throw a little party before they left.
Let's be honest, Astra is not the responsible one here; AJ is the common sense in this equation.
So they got some credit for that mission, just not as much as they would have liked.
So no jetbike on the mission, you'll understand why in a chapter or two.
If there's anyone Astra can be honest with it's their big brother and I promise Team FADE will appear in this story.
Trying to get Athena-Jade's big brother to call her and help with her nerves was a nice touch and definitely appreciated.
Have a Weiss though….and a Coral.
Can you imagine Goodwitch letting the students at Beacon throw a party outside of a scheduled one like the Beacon Dance?
So the Coco, Ruby and Penny scene is mainly to keep the threat of what's been happening fresh in everyone's mind; someone tried to smuggle Grimm and someone, possibly the same someone is burying the bodies of Hunters in the wasteland….also yeah, if you kill enough Hunters on Menagerie then eventually you're gonna get to people Ruby taught.
Of course the missions are still happening, writing this I was reminded of that one line in Men In Black about "There is always a death ray, or an invasion or a plague" or something like that.
Now if you read the Epilogue of FADE then you have some idea of how things are really organised.
And Team WULF's current condition is exactly why you don't drink when you've got work in the morning.
AJ….you might be a Bear Faunus but hungover Diabla is a bear you don't poke.
Yes I do have a list of 'Cowboy slang' open whenever I write Ursinia, why do you ask?
Oh my god the TENSION between these two fucking dweebs.
Meet Ranger Altan, non-binary child of Arslan Altan, raised by Team ABRN as a whole; notable for their appearance in FADE Legacy where they fought against Corvid Xiao Long in the Vytal Tournament.
Of course both Wolfram and Astra are getting shit from their friends.
Look, sometimes you just need to eat a bacon sandwich that's basically an entire pig.
Penny is there because as tough as she is AJ need to give and receive a hug before leaving.
Also "Rip your arm off and beat you with the soggy end" was a threat I heard a lot growing up, one of my Aunties' favourites.
So, here's our Hunters….two of them, the fact there's two of them is significant.
Major Grapeshot….he's the very model of a modern Major General (Also, thank you to the people who sent my Ironwood parody of that song to Ironwood's VA a while ago) basically I just wanted an older gentleman with that classic Safari/Van Pelt from Jumanji aesthetic.
Carmesi Hueso was originally based on the character model for Manny from the Last of Us 2 but I obviously took some liberties and made him bigger and buffer; he also wasn't gonna be a Faunus but the idea of a Komodo Dragon Faunus occurred to me as I was writing and I liked it….It's probably to do with his big sword being something the Lizard-Men from Warhammer use.
Carmesi's big sword is based on an Aztec Macuahuitl and his smaller one is a Kukri Machete….Based specifically on the blade Leon used at the end of episode 6 of a British show called Drillin'.
I actually don't have names for either Grapeshot or Carmesi's weapons yet but I will do because they're gonna be recurring characters.
All Knowledge is useful after all…..I hope someone is picking up the hints I'm dropping.
I needed a way to make the transition from one scene to the next work and focusing on the critters/monsters on the ground then panning up felt suitably cinematic.
Oh and Shabah is "Ghost" in Arabic according to Google Translate, basically if I give something an Arabic name it was founded by Vaccuans, German for Atlas/Mantle, English or maybe French for Vale, Chinese or sometimes Japanese for Mistral and Greek for the Anima tribes.
Grapeshot has spent most of his career as basically a paratrooper, he's the one who gets dropped in before soldiers who aren't qualified Hunters.
Not really a lot to add for the bulk of this scene, just enjoy the spectacle of Team MARZ doing their thing with style.
I don't write the names of the individual Capoeira moves that Athena pulls of because I feel like sometimes adding something like that breaks immersion a little.
Of course Zirconia steals kills with the most bad-ass hero landing.
I hope you all remembered that Astra's weapons could actually let them glide.
It's funny that Astra was taught by Yang and their trademark move with Regalia is basically a variation of the Bumbleby move.
Team MARZ are good….but this is what the pros can do.
Would you believe that Grapeshot's Semblance came after his name….Also yeah, his weapon is basically an elephant gun.
Grapeshot is a few years older than Team RWBY and my original OCs Team GRAP; which means he would have already been a graduated and qualified Hunter for at least a couple years at the time of the battle for Menagerie at the end of Downward Spiral, meaning that this Grimm could well be one he's met before.
See mission descriptions like this make a good excuse for world-building because nothing I said there feels out of place or like needless exposition but it still gives a greater picture of this a world filled with man-eating monsters functions.
Yeah if you remember Ranger from FADE….They're still a bit of a prick.
Also, I didn't plan this when writing it but Wolfram is on a mission with the non-binary Hunter everyone thought was hot who would look more than a little like Astra if they had a Mohawk and Astra is on a mission with the buff bad-ass with his hair tied back; basically an older, Faunus Wolfram with a beard.
I made a joke about a Sugar Glider Grimm that's basically a Facehugger on Tumblr, well now it's not a joke; behold the Cuddlers.
I actually couldn't remember what Ranger's weapon was, I think it might've been a staff but I had the odachi gun idea and liked it; so Ranger has a new weapon now...Also it's an excuse for Wolfram to see a way to improve Berserker and stop nearly breaking his own arm every time he fires.
It's gonna be a long day for Team WULF.
Team MARZ being giving the shit jobs, being treated like apprentices on a building site.
Come on, an Alpha Grimm got smoked in the Initiation and I had an intelligent Alpha Grimm in the first year of FADE Legacy….you didn't think I'd do the same thing again?
Think the Atlas Robots from the Black Trailer.
So, there's a look at what looks like our smugglers….But remember our unseen villains making a comment about having competitors at their little campfire chat.
And so the plot thickens.
Thank you to OrcPaladinArthur, SumoSnipe, Funlander and MajorBrony95 for their reviews on the last chapter.
Astra has so many layers, they're practically an Onion Faunus.
Oh yeah they're 80s as hell, Astra is so 80s they don't have brainwaves, they have Synthwave.
Remember folks, the tears of my readers are the best lubricant for this writing machine.
Hippos should scare you, they are dinosaur-mammals, a Hippo is natures attempt at creating an amphibious tank with teeth that runs on pure, concentrated fuck off.
The last chapter was slightly shorter, but at the same time average chapter length has actually incresed from FADE.
Oh trust me, I have personal experience that I shouldn't speak about but any authority, especially security can be bought off for less than you'd think.
God Felix and Helios would laugh for a good half an hour if they saw Astra and Wolfram interacting.
Bits of Zirconia's backstory are being held back because of how big they will be for the plot.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.