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Chapter 36: Bloody Evolution
The destruction of the Dread-Hulk had been a carefully controlled and yet still cataclysmic event.
With the living tide of claws, fangs and manifest hatred and death that poured from the sea and sky onto the walls and defences of Port Alistair being held at bay and steadily beaten back by its' hardened and dedicated defenders and the Hunters deployed aboard the monstrous Dread-Hulk around which the lesser Creatures of Grimm had gathered completing their daring rescue mission Carcharodon Gore had finally been given permission to engage the colossal beast more fiercely, the Shark Faunus's own actions acting in tandem with the destruction being wrought by Felix Xiao Long's sabotaging of the recently sunk cargo ship upon the monsters' back and priming of its' fuel supplies for self-destruction.
Carcharodon had waited, each moment feeling like an age as anticipation became a savage and almost addictive lust for battle; black eyes narrowing beneath the mask of his crown and grey-skinned fingers drumming against the controls of the Nemesis Kharybdis as he watched Penny Rose's own personal aircraft swoop into place with other, less obviously modified transports in tow to receive Teams MARZ and FADE as they clambered free of the Dread-Hulk, bringing a gaggle of plainly terrified and bedraggled sailors with them and, unexpectedly a prisoner with whom the Shark Faunus was unfamiliar.
Once the Hunters and those they had sought to save were free however Carcharodon had acted with all the ferocity and masterful control of the waters that his people had once been known and feared for; driving the Nemesis Kharybdis forward and full speed, broadside guns unleashing endless volleys of distracting fire whilst the ships' ornate mast and flags were lowered to ensure that it could slip beneath the enormous bulk of the Grimm to pass under its' barnacle-ridden belly and upon emerging from behind it the Shark Faunus continued to race out to sea, features a fang-filled smile of wrathful glee as the Dread-Hulk, wounded and enraged as it was began to give chase until the Nemesis Kharybdis, its' engines screaming in protest at the exertion whirled around to face the monster before promptly dropping anchor and firing its' primary weapon.
Directly into the unguarded hull of the cargo ship.
The primed Dust reserves had ignited, sparking a chain reaction that had torn its' way downwards through countless meters of reinforced and armoured hull to cause similar detonations in each of the other ships mounted like grisly trophies on the Dread-Hulk's shell; resulting in an instantaneous and indescribable firestorm that had both flash-boiled thousands upon thousands of litres of seawater and utterly destroyed every trace of the Dread-Hulk itself, the pungent smog of its' demise being dispersed over several miles of open sea by the concussive wall of force that the explosion unleashed.
Ruby was certain that she could still faintly hear its' echoes even now, several hours later.
"Where's everyone else?" Coco asked as Ruby entered her office, every syllable straining with a yawn that she refused to allow herself to give; the removal of her signature sunglasses and beret leaving her appearing haggard and weary in a way that the dark rings around her eyes failed to fully encapsulate, as though the exhaustion had seeped into every fibre of her being.
"Felix is still here helping Velvet out with debriefings, the rest of Team FADE returned to the Nemesis Kharybdis" Ruby made her way across the office to take a seat beside her old friend where she would be able to see the screen of Coco's computer, limping slightly as she went due to a minor injury she had sustained during the defence of the city.
"The ship took some notable damage when the Dread-Hulk was blown up" Ruby continued, her remaining silver eye apologetic as she delivered more unwelcome news to Coco "Team FADE are obviously upset about that but willing to let it go….Carcharodon wants payment or blood, his words. That ship is more than a home to him, you know that….Besides his pet cat was onboard at-"
"Alright, I'll speak with the rest of the city council about it….It'll come out of the budget, have you ever known me to be cheap?" Coco grumbled, leaning back in her seat and tipping her head back to let out a long, slow sigh before continuing "I'm assuming Penny is still in the field….Do we have any good news?"
"No civilian casualties, survivors were rescued from the Dread-Hulk and Rowan Oralie is now in police custody where she's being watched closely; is that a start?" Ruby answered readily, though the smile she wore as she spoke was weak and brittle.
"Honestly….barely" Coco lamented with a mournful shake of the head, glancing up at the sky beyond the stained-glass and domed ceiling of the academies' largest spire, seeing that it had not yet begun to lighten as night gave way to early morning.
"I've gotta pass this on to Qrow" she added "Are you staying or do you have family stuff to attend to-"
"Penny has already spoken with the twins, I've texted them that everyone is okay; I think they've spoken to some of their cousins….I'll stay and talk with Uncle Qrow"
"Okay" with no more to be said Coco entered a series of commands into her computer and hidden buttons fitted into the desk it was mounted on which made her office utterly impenetrable to any would be listeners before beginning a video call on a highly encrypted and equally secretive CCT back-channel which, after only a few rings was answered by a grey haired, bleary crimson-eyed and bearded figure sat upon a mobile chair with several scuttling mechanical limbs; surrounded by a room which resembled some compacted command centre with all of its' various screens, readouts and endless supply of manilla folders and paperwork.
"What the hell is going on over there Coco?" Qrow Branwen, head of the shadowy group of figures keeping watch over Remnant croaked out, turning to his youngest niece with a familiar and welcome smile "Hey squirt"
"Hey….Well, Grimm showed up and, well I guess that's the obvious part huh?" Ruby replied with a wry smile, her once customary awkwardness tempered with decades of experience in her chosen field.
"And at this point it's the least of our worries" Coco intoned firmly, the admission causing Qrow to sit upright and pay more attention "Do you have any intel on who's behind the smuggling operation, or the fight club….We need answers now Qrow?"
"I'm working on it but...well to hack into Neo Vale's infrastructure without a trail for me to follow like they did; that takes skill….this isn't just a file I can steal from somewhere with lousy protection or a window I can perch in" the elder, retired veteran admitted with a regretful shake of the head "I've been keeping tabs on who has been buying up the assets of the people implicated in the smuggling through that robot battle-suit they used….It's the same guy as before, Damascus Nero but he's the head of a conglomerate that specialises in businesses like those; it doesn't seem out of place, I've got no leads to work with….I need whoever this is to make a mistake that I can use against them"
"We might not have time Qrow" Coco said softly, her tone one of utter defeat.
"How bad is it?" Qrow's words were filled with apprehensive dread and the Headmistress of Breaktide Academy took a moment to choose her words carefully as she summed up the situation.
"Major Grapeshot and Carmesi Hueso are rogue Hunters, warrants are being issued for their arrest all across Remnant….More importantly they escaped an altercation with Team FADE today and took with them what we believe to be a newer, possibly more powerful model of the containment device that we took from Rowan Oralie some months ago"
"Oh" Ruby gasped "That's…."
"It gets worse" Coco continued "Hammerfall Observation Outpost was attacked yesterday at around the same time as Port Alistair, by the same Alpha Geist that escaped from the fight club; the Grimm that Grapeshot and Hueso were tracking, the one we've been calling the Hell-Hound….It's sentient"
"You're certain of that?" Qrow demanded with sudden urgency, the weight of such a claim impossible to overstate.
"Yatsuhashi and a team of students heard it speak, watched it analyse it's surroundings and exploit weaknesses in structures before making a tactical retreat" Coco nodded "From what we can discern the Alpha Geist is still the dominant part of it, it's been consuming other Grimm along with whatever hardware it can get it's claws on, including a fighter craft assigned to the outpost….Which is, as far as we can tell how it figured out how to combat the outposts' defences and why it attacked it in the first place"
"It wants more information" Ruby mouthed out in disbelief "It's forcing itself to evolve until….I've got to go after it!"
"No. Sit down" Coco reached out and firmly grasped Ruby's shoulder, the two locking eyes for what promised to be an unrelenting battle of wills until the older woman simply continued speaking "The outpost had files on you, you helped them with operations before, you've filed reports with them….You have a cybernetic implant….I cannot risk sending you after this thing; right now it's gone to ground and it was already smart enough to set traps"
"Then what do we do?" Ruby demanded, years spent as a leader causing the idea of inaction to be anathema to her.
"We prepare for the worst and train our students for things I hope never come" Coco answered ominously "We put pressure on Rowan Oralie and we make her talk and tell us who she was working for and what they're planning because right now, as much as I hope they kill each other trying….That Grimm is what Grapeshot and Carmesi want, today they got the means to capture it; all they need now is an opportunity. They are one move away from winning whatever game they're playing" silence reigned within Coco's office for an indeterminate amount of time as Ruby and Qrow took in the severity of what had befallen the Island Kingdom in an almost silent and masterful shift in the balance of power which would go unseen by its' populace as the more obvious threat of the Grimm tide seemed to have been defeated. Finally it was Ruby who spoke, turning to her uncle and imparting a simple truth that could be denied no longer.
"Things are bad, really bad"
Upon their return, premature as it was from their training mission Team MARZ along with other students whose assignments had been forced to conclude early by the unforeseen circumstances were subjected, in due course to the often maligned yet ultimately necessary rigmarole of a full medical check courtesy of Nurse Kitsune and a debriefing from Deputy Headmistress Velvet Scarlatina, though the offer of counsel from Yatsuhashi Daichi was currently deferred; a sign that seemed oddly foreboding given the giant man's usual policy of being available at any time.
It had been several hours before Team MARZ had been free to leave, the sun which had been slowly sinking towards the horizon when the Dread-Hulk had first emerged only a few short hours away from rising again and, as was to be expected the four teens were exhausted beyond their ability to describe with words; their bodies aching and littered with countless bruises and minor injuries that their ordeal had left them with though it seemed that even then there were still urgent matters to be attended to and that peace would not come.
Athena-Jade had been the first to break away from her team as they trudged in state of foggy disarray through darkened hallways towards their dorm, the Bear Faunus stating that she needed to call home as news of the Grimm attack on Port Alistair had reached her cousins, her Aunt Ruby and Penny's twin children who were in clear need of consolation and that the news reports had also likely been seen by her own younger, adoptive sister and that Coral, despite her occasionally blasé attitude would certainly be awake and waiting for Athena to send word. Only a short while later Zirconia had departed, offering a far less verbose explanation that she too needed to speak with her guardian before slinking into the shadows before her team-mates could answer and simply disappearing for parts unknown. From there Astra and Regalia, both limping and shuffling forwards on legs that remained jellied and wavering after being so thoroughly pummelled in their respective bouts had continued onward in silence; both wanting to offer words of comfort to their partner but simply having none, their own respective thoughts darkening to a degree that robbed them of any lingering optimism or good humour.
Astra had found their voice however, in a fit of curse-strewn vitriol upon receiving a message from the administration staff of the academy and, upon reaching Team MARZ's dormitory and ensuring that the bruised, bandaged and dazed Regalia made it safely inside the Deer Faunus had turned and sprinted back the way he had come, revitalised by fiery anger that caused their sea-green eyes to stand out against his bruised flesh and smeared make up with a striking harshness.
It had taken them no time at all to track down Felix.
"YOU FUCKING FAILED US?" the Deer Faunus bellowed, voice left hoarse and ragged by the exertion of the day and simple tiredness echoing painfully loudly within the classroom that the Lion Faunus had ushered his younger sibling into, seeing Astra approaching as he prepared to leave the academy and sensing that the coming discussion was one best held in away from a public forum such as the entrance hall of the campus. Astra's signature short-sleeved red leather jacket was removed to reveal the lean and athletic muscle beneath it along with countless marks adorning their light brown, almost beige skin and as they glared at their brother, the height difference between the pair negligible enough that they could lock eyes and face one another down Felix noticed that the younger team leader was trembling, shoulders shaking with deep shuddering breaths that highlighted just how fraught Astra's nerves truly were; if he had been given the choice Felix would have this very conversation with his sibling later that morning once they had both slept however since the choice had been taken from him, one glance at Astra making it clear that they had no intention of walking away until their questions were answered the blonde man crossed his arms over his chest and gave an answer that, no matter how truthful it was would still be hurtful.
"Not your team….Just you"
WHAT THE FUCK BRO?" Astra exploded, both the volume and rage within his voice reaching a level that dwarfed all that had come before "After what we did on that ship? Are you fucking serious-"
"What is it that you think you did?" Felix spoke slowly, hoping despite the almost self-evident hopelessness of it that his younger sibling could calm themselves enough to reason the matter out within their own mind and accept what had to be done
"Are we really doing this? Really?" Astra's mouth open in apparent disbelief for a moment before they let out a mocking bout of fake laughter "Okay fine let's have this conversation Fluffy; YOU, YOUR TEAM, THE PROFESSORS HAD NOTHING! YOU HAD NOTHING ON THE GRIMM SMUGGLERS UNTIL MY TEAM HANDED IT TO YOU!….I fought the Alpha Geist the first time, I took on Persian Green's people and Rowan Oralie! My team handed you the Grimm capture device so you knew what was even going on, we looked for answers and today my team helped you get survivors off of that ship and kept fully qualified Hunters at bay while I HELPED YOU CAPTURE ROWAN!"
"Are you done?" Felix asked simply, wishing he had a way to make the question sound less condescending than it did whilst Astra, chest heaving with shallow breaths and a fury that made them want to punch their brother in the mouth for speaking to them so flippantly silently seethed.
"Your team were excellent today, despite Grapeshot and Hueso escaping and you're right; all of you have provided useful information to us despite being repeatedly told to leave this to more experienced people" Felix continued, running his mechanical hand through dirty blonde curls as he added "But the fact that you push your team to disregard orders like that is a red flag-"
"You fucking hypocrite!"
"You're absolutely right" Felix admitted, making no effort to deny the actions of his own teenage years "But I only had my team do our own thing when we were on own time, what I did NOT do Astra is ignore a direct order from the Hunters I was shadowing and encourage my team-mates to do the same by constantly undermining them-"
"So you're getting upset about it and failing me because I didn't do as I was told-"
"I'M FAILING YOU BECAUSE YOU ALMOST GOT YOURSELF KILLED FOR NO GOOD REASON!" Felix roared, suddenly no longer able to contain his anger and easily matching his younger siblings' ire before forcing his emotions back down with a thick swallow and a shaky breath "You rushed in, you ignored orders, you let yourself be drawn into obvious traps and be used as leverage against me so that a criminal could try to escape….Damn it Astra we needed those consoles operational to get useful intel and you were firing your weapons like it was training simulation-"
"I had her, I could have taken her if you'd just worked with me!" Astra shot back, their voice losing some of its' anger and dropping to a defeated sound that was almost a whine as their expression became one pained betrayal.
"I was trying to, but you were a danger to yourself and everyone around you today Astra….Damn it kid, if we'd swapped assignment and been two of the people in the cargo hold fighting Hueso; think about what would have happened if you'd acted like that in there" Felix took a single step forwards and placed his hands on his siblings' shoulders "Look at me….You're good, you were made a leader for a reason, you think, you plan on the move and make it work by analysing the situation and using everything you've got. That was the Astra I needed out there with me today, whatever today was….It's not good enough kid, I can't tell Coco that it was in good conscious 'cos you need to learn-"
"You need to get the fuck off me" Astra's voice lowered, each syllable laced with raw, trembling emotion as they shrugged Felix's hands off of their shoulders "I'm not the problem here, you keep me in the dark and then expect me to trust your judgement, you take the intel my team bring you but don't give us anything back, I give you the opening to take down Oralie and you stand there acting like you did it without me….Fuck this, everyone knows who the smugglers are now Felix; go home, go back to New Vale….Nobody needs you here any more, I definitely don't"
"If that's how you feel" Felix's voice cracked, betraying emotions that the older Faunus refused to let spill out; eyes screwing shut for the briefest moment "I'm sure the academy will notify you about how you can make up the credits you need….Dismissed"
"Fine" Astra's voice lingered at the very verge of betraying them as they continued to hold their brother's gaze a moment longer before finally looking away, the sight of tears welling up in Felix's deep blue eyes and the expression of unspeakable hurt on his face enough to break something in the younger Faunus and with nothing left to be said Astra turned and almost fled from the classroom, only for it's door to creak open a fraction before the Deer Faunus could open it.
"Hey" the bruised and battered Wolfram Ironside whispered through cracked and bloodied lips "Regalia said you left the dorm….I came looking and kinda followed the shouting" Astra had no words, instead they simply pushed their way out of the classroom, shutting the door behind them so that they could at least afford themselves the dignity of privacy as they sunk into Wolfram's arms and sobbed; rage giving over to instant regret that left them bawling as they realised that they might have irrevocably damaged their relationship with their brother in a fit of pride-fuelled anger that had robbed them of their senses.
And despite how badly they needed to fix things, even with Felix no more than a few dozen feet away Astra could still not find the words to apologise.
As bleak, unforgiving and frankly hellish as the city of Blackwater Cove; Menagerie's second largest settlement and underbelly of the Island Kingdom where it's most lawless denizens dwelt truly was, especially in the hours of darkness there was no denying that for Major Grapeshot and Carmesi Hueso the city was now the last safe haven available to them beyond the anonymity of the wastelands themselves and so, knowing that the freedoms and luxuries they had enjoyed as Hunters of good standing and reputation would be lost to them in a matter of hours now that their betrayals had come to light it was to Blackwater Cove that they had retreated to lick their wounds; their nominal successes going some way to ease the sting of what it had cost to achieve them.
Taking the same vehicle, stolen and wiped from, or more accurately dropped through the gaps within official records by one of many experts in the dubious field that the two of them, along with Rowan had ventured to Port Alistair in Carmesi and Grapeshot had fled and powered through the desolate expanses between Menagerie's settlements; gunning down Grimm as they went without pausing or slowing until finally, after several hours and with the horizon beginning to lighten with the first hints of pre-dawn gloom the pair had made it to the dingy apartment that served as their base of operations with Blackwater Cove.
Even here however peace or respite had not come as there had been logistical matters such as the disposal of their vehicle and the tending of their wounds to deal with, a debacle that left Major Grapeshot grumbling and cursing beneath his breath; the older man's usually commanding and debonair manner falling away as he lamented the strength, speed and endurance that were beginning to betray and desert him and the fact that he was undeniably no longer the man he had been twenty or even thirty years ago.
Eventually however, as the sting of salves and ointments faded and brandy of a quality that he would find offensive in any setting other than this drab and unwelcoming city began to work on his rattled nerves the veteran Hunter found himself muttering more good naturedly, even raising his voice enough for his companion to hear.
"I say Old Chap, we always knew that Team MARZ would be a promising bunch considering their membership but I'll admit I was pleasantly surprised by the native….uncouth little rascal she might be but she very nearly gave me a jolly good thrashing" the Major scoffed in disbelief as he downed another glass of the burning liquid whilst pacing the apartment in excitable agitation "Between her and Craven Arc's eldest Grandchild our little fracas almost cost me a tooth"
"And leaving Rowan alive nearly cost us everything….Next time maybe you'll trust me enough to make the decision" Carmesi rumbled.
"Not still sour about that are you? Buck up man" the older man huffed, twirling his moustache lazily as he turned to face the Komodo Dragon Faunus only to pause as he took in the sight of him. Carmesi's shirt had been removed to reveal the chiselled physique that lay beneath it, heavily tanned skin covered with small patches of craggy green-brown scales whilst both flesh and reptilian sales alike were torn open and left with a ragged tear that the younger man had elected not to bandage despite the fact that his Aura had not yet properly sealed the wound which reached across almost the entire width of his upper torso and would certainly leave a scar. Beyond the injury which looked as though it must be painful Carmesi's current position was concerning to the Major as he sat hunched over on the threadbare and sagging sofa within the cramped living area of the apartment as he studied the prize they had fought so hard to obtain.
The Grimm Containment Unit, designed and provided by their shadowy benefactor.
"Should you be playing with that contraption in here?" the older man asked hesitantly, studying it as well as Carmesi and seeing that the device could expand to become far larger than the crate it had bee stored within. At the present moment the containment unit comprised of a central control node which featured a touch screen and several analogue controls, the hexagonal centrepiece being almost the same size as the coffee table it was currently resting on in a bizarre contrast and featuring what appeared to be sizeable Dust reserves, not all of which seemed to be laden with Hard-Light Dust. Suspended in the air roughly above a foot above this control node and rotating slowly as they hovered was a series of metallic panels arranged in concentric circles which each included a dozen panels; lightning crackled between each panel in each floating ring and filled the air with a dull thrumming sound whilst glowing, translucent cyan light emanated from the space at the centre of the arrangement, indicating that this would be where the hard-light cage would be deployed from.
"I'm not playing with it, I'm checking it for damage" Carmesi growled, annoyed at the attitude of the older man whom he truly no longer considered his superior "This is the internal containment system...There's an exterior layer to house it once the target it secured that will ensure the thing stays put this time"
"I don't doubt your knowledge, I just don't believe that our Benefactor would appreciate you tinkering with his work before due time" Grapeshot waved a hand dismissively as he made to take a seat close by; Grapeshot's deep scarlet eyes, currently framed by bruised narrowed though before he could bite out a retort the Major's Scroll, the second and more secretive device in his possession began to vibrate as the Benefactor chose that moment to contact them as though he had somehow been summoned.
"Major, Carmesi" the shadowy figure which appeared with its' customary modulated tones and ominous presence greeted the men warmly albeit with an air of tension as he inclined what was most likely his head in recognition "I require a status update, there have been….Developments"
"A report it gives me great pleasure to deliver sir" Grapeshot's chest puffed up as his wide smile caused his moustache to twitch "Mission accomplished, we have the containment unit in our possession"
"A welcome and timely development….Carmesi if you're satisfied that the device is functioning then disable it and return it to storage, it isn't a toy" the reptilian simply nodded in silent compliance and for a moment Grapeshot was left flabbergasted, once again wondering at the relationship between this unknown man and the fiery young Faunus beside him though before he could muster the temerity to ask any probing questions Carmesi, in the midst of deactivating the containment unit interjected with a query of his own.
"You said that there were developments?"
"Indeed, our escaped Alpha Geist has proven itself to be more intelligent and more dangerous that you anticipated….It launched an attack on Hammerfall Observation Outpost. I don't have the full details in my possession yet but it seems that the creature managed to inflict heavy damage on the outpost itself which will hamper its' operational capabilities before being forced to flee"
"Indeed!" Grapeshot exclaimed, eyes positively alight with indignation and feral glee at the knowledge he would have the opportunity to hunt such a monster "How do we proceed sir?"
"With extreme caution" the Benefactor answered without hesitation "I lack your experience in such matters but I would consider remaining hidden and not engaging unless necessary for the time being….with the outpost disabled the flow of information is disrupted and Hunters will be scouring the wasteland more persistently; I am aware that your covers were blown in the retrieval operation"
"We could lure the Grimm out" Carmesi noted, words filling with a sudden hope and conviction "You know my plan, we can bring the Grimm to us if we-"
"I will not discuss this further Carmesi, the answer is no!" the Benefactor snapped, modulated voice echoing and distorting menacingly "I will not have you sacrifice innocent people in the name of the plan, the bright new future I hope to build for Remnant cannot be based on the same skulduggery as the system and order I hope to replace; do I make myself clear?"
"Perfectly" Carmesi muttered as he looked away in a display that stunned Grapeshot more than anything he had yet seen, it simply beggared belief that the younger man, so filled with fire and passion had been so easily reduced to looking anywhere other than where the Benefactor's eyes might be as if he were a scolded schoolchild.
"Now, onto other developments….As I said, I am aware that your cover was blown; that you used the emergence of a large Grimm outside of Port Alistair to make your move" whilst not phrased as a question the demand for an explanation was clear and so, clearing his throat Major Grapeshot rose to their feet and stood at attention as he delivered.
"Indeed sir...It would seem that the reason the vessel our containment unit was being transported on was entangled within the Grimm itself and, despite our best efforts to avoid them we were spotted by Hunters searching for survivors as we searched for it-"
"That and the fact that we were double-crossed" Carmesi snarled, his low and furious voice felt as much as it was heard.
"Go on?" the Benefactor implored.
"Rowan Oralie, sir" Grapeshot spoke before Carmesi's vitriol could be allowed to build momentum "Our chief liaison with the dregs of the Kingdom-"
"Has been arrested and is currently being detained awaiting trial for various crimes" the Benefactor interrupted "Her loyalty is clearly even more fluid than I had understood, my plans to have her legal matters attended to will have to be halted; though other plans can be easily made"
"If she talks-"
"She knows nothing of value" Carmesi was cut off by the Benefactor's assertion "And the criminals of Menagerie may once again prove to be useful in this matter"
"You want us to rally the scum?" the Komodo Dragon Faunus spat, visibly bristling at the notion.
"Quite the opposite, your operations will no longer require the manpower they provide" the Benefactor's modulated voice oozed with a calm malice, more unnerving than anger by far "Use tips to the Kingdom's police and Hunters to dispose of any elements whose capture will not negatively affect your own goals; the authorities and the criminals will be too preoccupied with one another to be a concern….With so many criminals flooding the local prison system the matter of Rowan Oralie almost solves itself; I understand she has made quite a few enemies and well, I was already planning on paying legal fees, a little incentive will not be hard to provide"
Carmesi let out a deep, barking laugh at that; the manner in which justice would be delivered ironic enough that he almost didn't mind being denied that chance to kill Rowan himself.
"Now" the Benefactor's voice, as best could be discerned filled with faint amusement "I must bid you gentlemen goodnight….I have other, pressing matters to attend to" with that the shadowy, formless figure vanished from view like the spectre they impersonated as the video call ended leaving Carmesi and Grapeshot to celebrate their victory with well-earned rest.
The dimly lit corridors of Breaktide Academies' campus, far from the corridors where it's students dormitories were housed were still and silent, save for the brief flitting motion of a shadow; a layer of deeper darkness against the existing gloom which slipped furtively in an out of view as though the person casting it were trying putting a great deal of effort into remaining unseen and keeping their actions secret, leaving no trace and making no sound beyond the faintest, almost imperceptible rustle of fabric or whine of cybernetics before vanishing so swiftly that had anyone been present to hear the noise they would have quickly dismissed it as a product of their own imagination or simply the pipes and electrical works of the campus.
This was Zirconia Shadowmoon actively seeking privacy, rather than the usual air of effortless mystery which permeated her very presence.
The Grasshopper Faunus had, as she had told her team-mates broke away from the group only a few minutes after Athena-Jade in order to contact her guardian though she had, ostensibly and if she were challenged about her activities by any wandering professors simply to clear her head. Foregoing the usual solitude of the place on the roof of the dormitory tower which she shared with her partner, owing both to the fact that her privacy there could be intruded upon with relative ease and also that the night air was frankly too cold for her to tolerate after everything else she had suffered already the most reserved member of Team MARZ had prowled through the campus, stopping briefly outside the staffroom only to venture onwards upon finding it empty and make her way into the parts of the campus which more resembled a museum to Hunters of legend, where details of their exploits stood alongside portraits, diagrams of the Grimm they had slain and their weapons as well as replicas or in some cases the salvaged and restored remains of said implements of war.
It was here, with the faint glow of the display cases casting a hazy, blue-tinged light around her to give her already roguish appearance an almost ethereal and dreamlike quality that Zirconia had tried to contact her guardian; finding that Chairman Damascus Nero was otherwise preoccupied and instead of returning to her team simply waiting and trying again every few minutes until finally she was rewarded.
"My apologies for keeping you waiting, I did attempt to keep my schedule clear but business is a relentless thing" the familiar and indescribably welcome voice of the man who had raised Zirconia since her parents' passing greeted her.
"I'm sorry for calling so late" Zirconia murmured quietly "It's good to see you again"
"It's good to have the opportunity to speak with you face to face, home is certainly missing something without you….As important as your work is I do wish you were here" the fact that Damascus had elected to activate his Scrolls' camera and engage in a video call meant that Zirconia was able to see her guardian's warm smile as he spoke. Damascus Nero's physical form was as far removed from his status as the head of the Clara-Die-Novum Conglomerate, one of the fastest growing business empires in Remnant as his faintly accented voice with its' subdued stammer; the man was tall with a physique that a simple glance would suggest had once been far more robust that in its' current slightly hunched and drawn condition, as though injury, age and time removed from the physical and industries work to which he had once been accustomed had weakened the Chairman; though the suit he wore, an expense black shirt and slacks with a silvery, silken waistcoat finished with black peal buttons and a charcoal grey time highlighted the best remnants of his former strength. Whilst the man's outfit, subdued colours specked with glistening highlights and trinkets in the form of an expensive pocket-watch and gleaming cufflinks, drawing some attention to a right hand enclosed in a black silk glove spoke of a refined opulence Damascus Nero himself, beyond his notable height of roughly six and a half feet could have blended into a crowd with his inconspicuous appearance; dark hair that had been allowed to grow into cascading waves more from a lack of time to care for it more fully fell to frame a thin face with a crooked nose and sharp, dark eyes that gleamed like quartz whilst his skin was leathery and callous in a way that implied he had worked with his hands a great deal, though pale in a way that implied that he no longer had the luxury of doing so. The only truly distinguishing mark came in the form of a scar, one which marred the right side of his face but was rarely seen as in his few public appearances in the pages tabloids and other publications the chairman endeavoured to be photographed from the left; the faintly discoloured patch of skin reaching up from his clean-shaven jaw to his cheekbone where it stopped short of his eye, having a pattern reminiscent of splashed liquid and disappearing below the collar of his shirt; its' overall appearance suggesting that something corrosive or scalding had sprayed or spattered the man at some point in the past.
"And how is business?" Zirconia asked, lowering the cloak-like scarf to reveal the smile tugging at her high cheek-boned features whilst her uneven eyes seemed to light up with happiness and faint mischief.
"More than adequate….And I suppose I have you to thank for that" Damascus matched his ward's almost playful tone before dropping into a voice and cadence evidently used for delivering presentations and speeches "With the continuing investigations into those suspected of running that despicable affair involving Grimm bloodsports on Menagerie there have been several important figures who have been ousted from vital roles in major corporations with assets across multiple Kingdoms; along with these removals several arrests and the freezing of assets have allowed me make some acquisitions that will expedite my long term goals-"
"Soon your face will be on every article aimed at convincing fast-food workers that they can be millionaires by working through lunch" Zirconia stated in a flat and even deadpan, the delivery which would have left her peers choking on air and sputtering in disbelief simply causing Damascus Nero to snort fondly.
"And I will suffer that indignity if only to create a better Remnant for those workers along with everyone else" as his words lost their teasing, good natured edge a note of conviction and sudden intensity took its' place "Whilst I might not be a Hunter I can still do my part in the great work to protect Remnant….Several of the businesses under my direction were involved in the initial construction of the Hammerfall Observation Outpost keeping watch over Menagerie, along with the SDC, Poly-Tech, a host of others companies and some help from Atlas of course but now, with these latest acquisitions I find that whilst the Kingdom of Menagerie is the official owner of the facility, the lions' share of its' running is now in my hands to some degree or another….The first task will of course be to begin repairs, it was attacked by a Grimm with some noteworthy qualities earlier today from what the initial reports I've received tell me"
"Then Menagerie and Remnant will be in good hands" Zirconia murmured, a kind and loving expression overtaking her features.
"Too kind, the task is only just beginning….Far too many variables to be giving out praise already; although it is welcome and I may have need of your skills at some point in the near future" Damascus's words began with a stern note to them, a sharpness of mind and exacting nature presenting itself for a moment before the usual affection he treated the young woman he considered to be his daughter in all but blood returned.
"However, on the subject of Grimm….Some other news from Menagerie reached me during the day" he continued "I suppose congratulations are in order?"
"Don't congratulate me for sloppy work, it's condescending at best" Zirconia gave a smirk as she repeated words that she had heard from Chairman Nero himself, causing him to let out the faintest chuckle before pushing on.
"Your second training mission involved taking on that….Thing that approached the city?"
"It wasn't supposed to...Another case of the scenario changing whilst in progress" Zirconia sighed and shook her head, as though annoyed at the unpredictability of life as a Hunter "Team MARZ were initially deployed alongside Team FADE to assist with the repairs of several of the Kingdoms' coastal shields; I did get to spend some time aboard the bridge of the Nemesis Kharybdis"
"Well, that is certainly something few people can boast….Interesting information indeed" Damascus noted, shrewd features displaying only the merest hint of surprise at the mention of the vessel whose name was clearly familiar to him.
"The Dread-Hulk arrived unannounced, carrying the wreckage of a recently lost cargo ship and both Team FADE and MARZ were deployed to search for survivors and any information"
"And were you successful?" Damascus asked, arching a thin eyebrow.
"I don't know if anything was recovered from the bridge, survivors were found however….The Dread-Hulk barely knew that we had boarded it, nothing remarkable about the Grimm other than its' sheer size"
"I see" the Chairman nodded in understand, clearly picking up on layers of conversation that were implied and unspoken within the conversation before returning to a fatherly and chiding tone "Now go, sleep….It's an unsociable hour and you're clearly exhausted from more than the regular antics of student life; you need rest and I'm sure your friends are missing you"
"You are insufferable" Zirconia sighed, brushing her sweeping fringe clear of her eyes so that her smile could be seen more openly "Goodnight"
"Goodnight" the Damascus repeated and the video call promptly ended, leaving the Grasshopper Faunus blinking in the reasserted darkness as her keen eyes adjusted to the lack of light once again before she set off back towards her teams' dormitory.
To any outsider it would seem almost absurd that the conversation had passed without any mention of Grapeshot or Carmesi Hueso and the treachery of the rogue Huntsmen whom Team MARZ had been familiar with however raising the issue had never crossed Zirconia's mind.
After all, she hold told the Chairman what he needed to know.
"It said pro-gamer move, like an actual Creature of Grimm spoke to us and of all the things it could have said it said pro-gamer move! Are you guys seriously done talking about that? 'cos I am absolutely not done talking about that!" Laser Greenback exclaimed, almost hysterically as he flopped backwards with his typical overstated theatricality, giving himself over to fits of maniacal laughter as he slumped down and sunk to the ground; removing the now-cracked visor he had placed back upon his head immediately after exiting the much needed shower so that the back of his head rested more comfortably against the wooden frame of the bunks as he nestled himself into the right angle created where the two stacked bunk-beds met.
As entertaining as the antics of the blonde teen, whose hyperactive and boisterous demeanour was now a clear attempt to draw attention away from his skittish nerves might have been they were unsuccessful and neither Diabla not Ursinia were dissuaded or distracted.
Team WULF had returned to Breaktide Academy after a brief, yet fraught relieving of duty wherein they told the Hunters and other personnel assuming control of Hammerfall Observation Outpost of what they had seen, only for the students and those lifting the burden from their shoulders to be sworn to secrecy as the matter of what they had encountered upon the floating platform was declared classified until further investigation could be conducted. Once it had been deemed clear that no other flying Creatures of Grimm had managed to secrete themselves on the base and that the flying abomination that had once been the Alpha Geist had not, as far as could be seen managed to infect or otherwise compromise the outpost Student Counsellor and veteran Huntsman of Team CFVY Yatsuhashi Daichi had loaded the Freshman students in his care onto a transport and instructed the pilot to return them to safety with all haste.
Arrival at the campus they called home had brought little in the way of clarity or peace of mind as Team WULF, along with their peers had been forced to undergo the same barrage of medical checks and the tedious yet somehow stressful ordeal that was a standard debriefing all added to be an additional round of psychological assessments required for students whose training brought them into contact with the highly classified side of a Hunters' duties, conducted by the admittedly compromised Yatsuhashi as none of his aides and understudies were currently qualified to approach such matters. All of this had been done concurrently with other returning teams of students and yet somehow Team WULF and Team MARZ had managed to go without seeing one another, a situation which prompted Wolfram to, upon learning of the scale of the Grimm assault on the city beyond the campus to seek out Astra; nominally merely to find his partner and ensure that they were unharmed but also so that he could clear his own mind enough to be able to conduct himself as a team leader when the unspoken questions that had lingered between the four of them on their journey back to Breaktide Academy could be ignored no longer and would have to be addressed, something which his team-mates understood and respected.
Which was how Laser had come to be alone with Diabla and Ursinia, the three of them taking turns and rationing the available hot water so that it might relax their sore and aching muscles before gathering in the dormitory itself.
"Yeah the Grimm talked" Diabla noted gruffly, suppressing a wince as she tugged at a strained muscle by simply folding her arms across her chest "And somehow that wasn't the weirdest thing that happened to us"
"Varmint" Ursinia began, her tone softening to a warm and reassuring one as she saw the way that Laser looked anywhere but at the two young women, appearing almost like a trapped animal cowering in the corner "Laser….You know good and well we can't just put out heads in the sand and pretend that nothing happened today"
"You used my Semblance!" Diabla exclaimed fiercely, fists glowing with a volcanic light as she tapped into her destructive powers with what little Aura she had managed to recover though the way she held her hands up for her partner to see was more to highlight the point than an attempt at a threat.
"I'm not mad" she muttered, Semblance fading as she rubbed at her close-cropped hair in an apparent need to do something with her hands "I'm just really freaked out and I'm not gonna act like I'm not….You used my Semblance, how the hell did you do that?"
"Analogue Jacking….It's my Semblance" Laser mumbled, words barely above a whisper yet still enunciated clearly for his team-mates to hear as he continued to refuse to meet their gazes.
"And…." Diabla urged, fighting every instinct that pushed her to be more direct in her search for answers; knowing that it would be harmful to a friendship she had allowed to remain far too fragile for far too long.
"I mean it's complicated, there's conditions for how and when I can use it" Laser shrugged in mild agitation before finally meeting his partners' gaze, sickly greenish-yellow eyes wary as they bored into blazing orange "But...I mean you know what happened; basically if I touch you I can borrow your Semblance, or at least sort of….What I can do is never as good as the original, I don't have the practice either and it eats through my Aura faster; some people in the Overspill said when I use my Semblance it's like I'm using two Semblances at once and paying for it….Most I've ever managed is a couple of minutes and then I lose focus, you get your Semblance back and I have to start over again"
"And that's what you've been keeping from us this whole time?" Diabla asked cocking her head as a mind raised on the simple dispassionate pragmatism of the Free Cities of Mantle and then the Atlesian Military tried to fathom what could possibly lead her partner to neglect such a powerful tool, other than perhaps a desire to hold it in reserve for when it would be most useful. Ursinia wore a similarly confused expression, though her reasoning was likely less militaristic owing to her own upbringing and after a moment the Scorpion Faunus once again proved herself to be the glue that bonded Team WULF as she decided that she would not allow the questioning silence to grow into something oppressive and instead simply asked the question on her mind.
"Why in tarnation would you keep that a secret?" she asked, bright gap-toothed smile spreading across her bruised and slightly swollen features "It was a bag of nails back there and we were getting a lambasting until you saved our hides darlin' seems to be you could've saved us all some misery by uncorking that Semblance of yours and saving Diabla the trouble of trying to die standing up"
"I did what I had to" Diabla shot the taller woman a brief glower, only for her mild annoyance to fizzle out as it became obvious that the criticism came from a place of genuine concern which left the Mantle-born teen confused; they were all Hunters after all and she had simply been prepared to do what was required of them all.
"I keep it a secret because I don't want people knowing about it" Laser muttered as he rose to his feet, leaving the circular reasoning to linger in the air for a moment before expanding upon it "The Overspill is a dangerous place, hell most of Vaccuo is a dangerous place and there is a market for skills like mine...Most people have never had to fight their own Semblance, there's a lot of jobs I'd be forced into doing back there that I don't want to do….Besides, who are we kidding; my Semblance makes me a freak-"
"Who in the Dickens told you that?" Ursinia demanded, the stinger of her tail rattling in a display of disgusted fury whilst Diabla's ire was silent yet just as extreme, her fists clenching into a crushing grip whilst her Semblance flickered faintly.
"Our Semblance is an extension of our soul….part of us" Laser shrugged, body seeming to collapse in upon itself with the motion "Ursinia you're always trying to help everyone, Diabla you're always trying to more and all you've been taught to do is hurt people-"
"Okay that's-" Diabla was waved off and silenced before she could object to the stinging analysis.
"And what am I?" Laser gave a bitter laugh "A thieving scumbag down to the core, my Semblance….My soul is literally built on stealing pieces of other people"
"Borrowing" Diabla growled, grasping Laser by the shoulders and forcing her partner to look at her "Borrowing, you didn't take my Semblance you just used it for a few seconds because you needed it….Besides, if you need to touch me to take it then it's not stealing because you could never touch me without me letting you, we've sparred before"
"That….Might actually be the kindest thing I've ever heard you say" Ursinia noted, whatever advice or assurances she had been trying to formulate being momentarily forgotten by the sudden and unexpectedly helpful comment from Team WULF's most historically belligerent member. Laser let out a weak, painfully watery chuckle at that whilst Diabla shuffled awkwardly with no frame of reference for how to act in such circumstances; leading to a silence that went on until the sound of a throat being cleared caused the three teens to whirl around with lightning reflexes.
"How long have you been there?" Laser demanded as he caught sight of Wolfram who had slipped silently into the dorm and was now unfastening his armour, his sleeveless jacket already shed and his smokey blue-grey locks falling over his shoulders as they were released from the high wolf-tail they were worn in.
"Long enough for you to not have to repeat yourself" Wolfram shrugged with an obviously feigned air of nonchalance "And look, I promise I didn't just make excuses so that the problem fixed itself….I know I don't like talking about things like this, that I'm not good at it but I promise I would have talked it out with you in the morning. I've been with Astra, they had a fight with Felix….They're not doing great but Zirconia is taking them back to their dorm now"
"It's fine, I get it….I didn't really want to talk about it" Laser shrugged, leaning against the bunks yet still filled with too much nervous and electric energy to want to sit down again "But y'know needs must, can't have any deep dark secrets right?"
"Not since mine got showed to the entire class, at least you get some privacy with your problems" Diabla snorted, still disgruntled at her personal life being made so public even despite the good that had ultimately come of it; before the conversation could be sidetracked however Wolfram spoke again.
"Look, for what it's worth I think your Semblance is great….I mean I know people have tried to use for shady business before, but think of all the ways we could use it to make Team WULF stronger, all the ways you could help us cover each others' backs" Wolfram's steely grey eyes were bright with rare enthusiasm at the notion "Seriously, you might just be our new star player"
"And somehow you'll still get goal of the season" Laser flashed a sly grin as he responded with a reference to the sport Wolfram, like many natives of Menagerie seemed to love so much "But can we not talk about this any more tonight?"
"Sure" Wolfram nodded, prompting Laser to reach over to and make to place a hand on Wolfram's shoulder only for his vibrant, oddly poisonous coloured eyes to be filled with a deep sadness as exactly what the Vaccuan scavenger suspected to be inevitable happened.
Wolfram stopped him.
It was a subtle motion, one that could be passed of as the taller boy making to mirror the gesture yet the fleeting expression of guilt of Wolfram's face betrayed him as he and Laser locked eyes and in that moment the truth was known; Wolfram had deliberately stopped his team-mate from touching him now that he knew what Laser was capable of.
Laser had shown his friends his soul and they would never see him the same way again.
Athena-Jade Slate had endured an extended scroll-call, wherein the device was passed between various members of her immediate and extended family and she had reassured each of those she spoke to in turn that both she and Arctus were alive and well following footage of the Dread-Hulk and the Nemesis Kharybdis locked in battle being broadcast across Remnant and now; after several highly emotional conversations which had only added to the state of utter exhaustion the Bear Faunus had already been struggling to endure Athena was glad to finally return to Team MARZ's dormitory where she had hoped to find sleep and a degree of comfort amongst her friends.
The sight that greeted her upon opening the door left bile rising in her throat as terror and a frantic, desperate panic welled up within her upon the realisation of what she was seeing.
"Regalia, no….Please no, don't" she gasped, throwing the door closed behind her as crossed the dormitory in a single leaping stride that may have been subconsciously aided by her Semblance without her noticing in order to reach out to the taller Faunus and gently turn her so that she was facing Athena and forced to halt her current course of action.
She had been packing.
"Please don't" Athena-Jade repeated, pale blue eyes wide at the sight of the taller and darker of them standing in front of her closet which had been thrown open whilst the small collection of cases and other luggage which had been haphazardly secured to the back of Clunker upon her arrival lay open at her feet with various articles of clothing, tools and other supplies and trinkets thrown into them in a messy and disorganised fashion which hinted at how truly hasty and impulsive Regalia's decisions currently were. Regalia herself looked to be an almost greater state of disarray than her belonging, the signature leather jacket she had inherited from her mother and her goggles were absent whilst a baggy t-shirt emblazoned with the emblem of the academy replaced her usual choice of faded, oil-stained and cropped tank-top which displayed her sculpted abs; bandages wrapped peeking from beneath the garment showing where muscles had been injured and she had suffered several cracked ribs during her fall in the battle against Major Grapeshot, her hair was released from its' tightly bound lions' tail leaving her grey-brown locks to cascade over her shoulders and down her back with stray strands shooting off in all directions is a dishevelled display.
Yet despite all of this the most worrying part of her current appearance was her eyes, their pale amethyst colour seeming dull and lifeless; framed by dark rings and the puffy redness of someone who had been recently crying as she met Athena's gaze, wiping her nose with the back of her hand and letting out a sniffle before finally speaking.
"I was wrong….About Hunters, about everything" Regalia's voice wavered and trembled yet ultimately held, strong jaw and chin jutting out as she attempted to speak with an air of certainty and finality even as her eyes filled with fresh tears.
"No" Athena mouthed again, her own eyes beginning to sting as she tried desperately to stop her friend from making a terrible mistake "You weren't, I promise-"
"Ever since I first found out what a Hunter is, since I was a kid" Regalia's voice cracked now "It's all I've wanted to be….But I was wrong, all the movies and all the stories; they're just fairy tales and I'm an idiot for believing them. Today I saw what Hunters really are-"
"Hunters were the people who saved lives today!" Athena exclaimed "Hunters were the people who went onto that ship to save people, Hunters were the ones who held the line when the shields failed and kept the Grimm from getting over the city walls!"
"So then what are Grapeshot and Carmesi?" Regalia demanded, her white-hot fury giving her words an air of something close to grief "They're Hunters too and they're working for the same people we were supposed to be trying to stop!"
"I know….I mean, I don't know, I don't know why they did what they did or how long it's been going on or anything else but….Please Regalia, please don't quit now"
"I….I don't know if I can stay" Regalia lost all of her anger in an instant, the single pained admission reducing her to a pained whimper yet before Athena-Jade could offer any words of comfort, words she desperately scrambled to find the door of Team MARZ's dormitory creaked open once again.
Allowing Zirconia to lead a clearly emotionally drained Astra, who had also been crying into the room and see the situation for what it was.
"So you're going?" the Deer Faunus's tone was utterly dead, whatever they had been doing whilst away from the dorm had left their dark make up smudged and smeared across their face with tracks indicating clearly where tears had fallen and it was plain from the blunt delivery of the question that they had no more left to give, even as their team crumbled around them.
"I don't know, I just….I don't know" Regalia mumbled, amethyst eyes downcast as she found herself unable to meet her partners' gaze as she realised that for all of her private complaints about feeling forgotten by Astra she had in fact been preparing to leave without a word to them.
The sound of wood splintering as the Deer Faunus's fist collided with it caused the rest of Team MARZ to jump and flinch.
"Astra what are you-" Zirconia's question trailed off as Astra simply marched across the dorm, idly picking splinters from the now damaged bed-frame from their bleeding knuckles until they reached their own closet and pulled it open.
"Okay then fuck it, everyone start packing. We tell Professor Adel in the morning, we can all be heading home by lunch-"
"Astra what the hell?" Athena-Jade demanded, the anger in her words at odds with the sickening, hollow and empty feeling spreading out from her gut which left her mind buzzing and numb whilst her knees shook with unrestrained dread "You can't, we can't just-".
"You don't have to-" Regalia began nervously, only for Astra to wave her off.
"Yes I do….We're partners, we're a team" they gave a bitter laugh which quickly cracked and was reduced to a strangled sob "There's no Team MARZ without you Regalia so if you're going then we all may as well throw the towel in now….Fuck it why not, it's not like tonight can get any worse anyway right so-"
"There's no Team MARZ without me?….You mean that?" Regalia asked, tentative and hesitant as she reached across to gently halt Astra in a similar motion to how Athena-Jade had held her back only moments ago, her mind whirling as she tried to make sense of the turn of events and her own maelstrom of emotions.
"Of course I mean it!" Astra snapped, far more forcefully than they had intended as they turned to face their partner, giving a sweeping gesture as they continued "We're a team….If any one of us leaves it isn't Team MARZ any more, we need each other….We need you here"
"I'm sorry" tears spilled from Regalia's eyes "I just….This is what I've wanted for so long, to be a Hunter and to feel like I fit somewhere and can just be me but Hunters doing what Grapeshot and Carmesi have done….It made me think that maybe, I don't know…..I just felt like maybe I don't belong here any more and-"
"Of course you do" Astra pulled their partner into a crushing hug, the two of them breaking down into tears even as Athena-Jade gently wrapped her arms around them both.
"We're okay….We're all okay, it's been a long day and we're all hurting but we're gonna come back better than ever. Right?" she looked helplessly over at Zirconia who had been standing quietly near the door and watching the conversation unfold; the Grasshopper Faunus remained silent for several painfully long seconds as though choosing her words carefully before finally giving her partner a reassuring nod.
"Exactly" she said simply before loping across the dorm and joining the group-hug and allowing herself to melt into the embrace; realising as she did so exactly how emotionally and physically exhausted she truly was.
Team MARZ remained like that for some time, even as the sun rose and shone through their window until they finally sank to the floor and fell asleep in a huddled pile of tangled limbs taking what comfort they could from one another's presence. Their mission had been a success yet the victory felt like a hollow mockery in light of the treachery that had come to light and each of the teens silently battled with their own thoughts and insecurities until sleep claimed them.
A chance to be better would come, but at that moment they were spent.
The sun had risen over the blasted wasteland of Menagerie and steadily reached its' apex before the monstrous amalgamation of flesh and metal that had once been an Alpha Geist and then subsequently the creature known as the Hell-Hound was fully recovered.
It's mind had continued to expand and refine itself, streams of information shaped into new pathways and honing the monsters' psyche to such a degree that any question as to whether it was truly aware was answered beyond doubt; allowing the aberrant thing to truly examine itself as its' form was stitched back together, the Creature of Grimm marvelling that seemed to now be capable of metabolising inorganic matter to such a degree that it's mechanical parts could be regrown as easily as its' obsidian flesh and bony carapace, as it discovered when the shattered remains of its' visor were restored and the light from its' singular optic was once again diffused to a faint, regularly oscillating glow.
Once healed the Creature of Grimm that had once been the Hell-Hound had sent a mental command out through the fragment of the shattered Grimm Hive-Mind which connected it to the dozens of smaller packs of Beowolves which it had united into a single horde, compelling them to make their way to where it had landed after fleeing from the Kingdom's fighter craft. Information pulled from the various sources that made up the Grimm's psyche informed it that it's current location was far enough from the effective ranger of Hammerfall Observation Outpost to avoid being targeted by air-strikes even if those that it had fought were to deviate from the protocol that demanded a degree of caution after an attack such as that it had inflicted; time for the prey to lick their wounds and repair what had been done to their base.
As it waited for their arrival the monster had begun to think, truly pondering its' actions in a way that few of its' kind found themselves capable of.
It had failed, that much was undeniable as despite the damage inflicted upon it Hammerfall Observation Outpost still functioned and more importantly the sentient Grimm had not merged its' own form into the floating marvel of the Kingdoms' ingenuity to transcend itself into something truly beyond the scope of a mere monster; a self-sustained and endless Grimm entity using a connection to the network of rage and grief and vitriol that they prey had made in order to power not only itself but the Grimm under its' command and drive them forwards, making them a new and nightmarish specimen.
The Grimm were destruction incarnate, this would be destruction through endless creation; this would be the next step in the evolution of the Creatures of Grimm.
With that goal in mind the former Hell-Hound opened its' single eye behind its' protective visor and rose to its' feet, rearing up to its' full height whilst its' tail uncoiled behind its and metallic wings unfurled behind it like those of a bird with a shriek of twisted metal. The Monster saw that it's packs had come, powerless to ignore the force of its' will and that their gathered numbers were now sat like obedient hounds before it; causing the hybrid Alpha Grimm to feel dismay, a new and interesting concept to the creature which was studied like a rare and interesting trinket before being acted upon, the Grimm before it were simply not enough for the plans that now hastened to solidify themselves in its' mind and the beast let out a rumble that tore at the air around it.
Grand concepts of evolution, identity and the future; alien things to the Creatures of Grimm were put aside in favour of more direct and easily comprehensible things which would in turn aid the greater goal. The hybrid Alpha looked inwards and saw that it's role was now far more than a simple dominant beast and that it would need what all leader hoping to wage a campaign did; information, resources and a steady supply of expendable bodies to be thrown into the jaws of the enemy.
But firstly it needed a name, an identity to differentiate itself from the endless tide of voices both Grimm and digital that filled its' mind.
The monster delved deep into the troves of information at its' disposal, vast but not without limit owing to the failure of its' attack on Hammerfall Outpost meaning that it could only recall what it had pilfered from previous linkings with CCT rather than simply plunder the entirety of Remnant's collective information. Eventually the Grimm splayed its' claws wide and rose slowly and dramatically from the ground, its' packs looking up at it with the nearest thing to wonder their lesser minds could provide; the twin plumes of fire and acrid, choking smoke spilling from its' wing-mounted thrusters giving an additional layer of theatricality and intensity to the display and casting the monster, in its' own mind as some dark and Messianic figure.
"LADIES, GENTLEMEN AND OTHERS!" it addressed its' minions, each of whom stared up at it with ears slicked back against their skulls with whimpering whines escaping them as the shrieking declaration was projected forcefully into their minds as much as it was heard.
"I am Gestalt-Prime, author of the metamorphic code in which the future is written….The main event begins now"
The air was filled with a chorus of howls that approximated cheers as even though the concepts Gestalt-Prime, for that was what the Grimm had named itself discussed were entirely beyond the lesser monsters they could still understood that a great change had been heralded and hunt of proportions not seen since Salem herself walked amongst them and the Hive-Mind was whole was upon them.
The Grimm did understand why they should cheer, only that they should and for Gestalt-Prime that was enough.
Author's Notes:
So, that's the end of Vol.02
I wanted to give this chapter the feel of "Yeah we won, but we still got absolutely thrashed" this is a pyrrhic victory at best and pretty much everyone is coming out of it worse than they were when they went in.
Also, kinda the way canon Vol.02 should have ended in my opinion, I know the show was saving its' tone shift for Vol.03 but after the Breach the ending of just chilling and watching the sunset talking about "I could sleep for a week" does feel a little odd in retrospect.
That being said, there may be a small hiatus of a week or two whilst I start work on Vol.03, which will be the finale of the First Year arc….I don't know how long I'm going to keep the "3 Volumes = 1 school year" formula from FADE: Legacy, but it will definitely be until second year.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Okay so the actual destruction of the Dread-Hulk happened off-screen, when I was writing it I was thinking back to Ironwood watching the destruction of Monstra from his window in Vol.08 because the two giant sea-monster Grimm were both kinda fake-outs.
….But also Carcharodon gets man of the match for an off-screen kill.
So the Nemesis Kharybdis is going to be limited moving forward because of 'Notable damage'.
It's been too long since we actually had Qrow involved.
Zirconia's legal guardian is just snapping up all the assets of the people involved in running the fight club, basically Rowan's old backers.
The Benefactor was always especially interested in the idea of an Alpha Geist from the moment he heard about it, but his goal was to capture an intelligent Grimm….Well, this one is very intelligent and now his people have everything they need.
Yeah, I can't imagine a Geist coming into contact with person who has cybernetics will end well.
So, Rowan is going to be very important to someone.
Team MARZ going their separate ways as soon as they get back should always be taken as a bad omen.
AJ is definitely one of the cousins that Ruby and Penny's twins spoke to, they're studying in Atlas.
Oh Astra is beyond pissed but I think we all knew that there was gonna be a confrontation like this.
"Just you" might have been the worst possible think Felix could have said.
Notice the way Astra put themselves front and centre of all of Team MARZ's achievements, even the ones they weren't really a part of, they are getting a serious case of main character syndrome.
You can go back and check FADE: Legacy, Team FADE did their own investigations but they never went against orders on a mission where lives were at risk the way Astra does; we saw signs of this earlier on in the story with the training simulation where they went for the Alpha instead of getting civilians out.
There are ways to handle a tense emotional situation….What Astra said there was absolutely not one of those ways.
Astra and Wolfram's relationship makes Wolfram want to be better but at the same time it is actually making Astra worse as they hone in on and mimic Wolfram's negative traits.
So the rogue Hunters are hiding out in Blackwater Cove because that place is so shady that it will literally not make a difference that they have warrants out.
Sometimes you just need to get moderately drunk to take the edge of.
"Considering their membership" we keep getting comments like that from Carmesi and Grapeshot about Team MARZ and the question remains, who're they talking about?
So Carmesi has a new scar and I'm thinking about giving him a new outfit in Vol.03 to show it off.
And now we see our Grimm containment unit in action….Sorta.
There is definitely more to the relationship between Carmesi and the Benefactor.
The Benefactor gave orders that basically buy the heroes a little bit more time.
Carmesi is still pushing the idea of using a settlement as bait and the Benefactor's refusal continues to be a mystery.
Oh he snitched on Rowan without hesitation.
And there's your reminder that the Benefactor is absolutely a villain, he was going to get Rowan out on bail….Now he's basically gonna auction bail money and a lawyer off to whoever kills her in prison, all whilst using the influx of prisoners to distract Hunters from what Carmesi and Grapeshot are doing.
Zirconia doing her best Blake impression….Wonder why she stopped by the staffroom first though.
It's been a while since I mentioned that Breaktide is also basically a private museum as well.
I was actually hold back on revealing Damascus Nero's face until next volume but doing it now means something will flow more smoothly later on.
Basically what I was thinking about his appearance is someone who has access to the best of everything, but it just never looks right on them, like they would be much more comfortable in something more down to earth….He didn't start out as a chairman or CEO, also Zirconia lost her legs and her parents in a Grimm attack on Vale, her guardian has acid burns on his body that reach up to his face….
I will never stop finding articles promoting "Grind culture" to be the most exploitative kind of filth.
So, some of the Grimm Smugglers backers had access to Hammerfall Outpost, which is likely how they picked out Grimm for Rowan's people to collect; now Chairman Nero has taken over pretty much all of their stocks and shares and influence.
"Don't congratulate me for sloppy work, it's condescending at best" something Nero said to Zirconia at the start of the volume, honestly the relationship between these two really is fun to write.
So….was certainly a lightning round of oddities there at the end of the conversation, why didn't Zirconia mention Grapeshot and Carmesi? Why was Nero so interested in the fact she'd been onto the bridge of the Nemesis Kharybdis? Why did Zirconia phrase her comment about the Dread-Hulk's size and intelligence like that?
I mean can you blame Laser for being a little bit hysterical?
But also never forget that he is absolutely overdoing it to distract people and catch them off-guard.
Diabla has every right to be freaked out.
The name Analogue Jacking is a holdover from a very early version of Laser….So early in fact that Laser and Regalia were the same character; all of the Cyber-Punk aspects, including that Semblance name went to Laser.
There's more rules and balances to Laser's Semblance but we'll get into those net volume because it will actually be part of something that moves the plot forward.
Ursinia is allowed to talk Cowboy when she's stressed okay.
You get why Laser kept it hidden now? I mean aside from just the practicalities of how he would be press-ganged into using his Semblance, in a setting where your superpower is a manifestation of something so deep and innate a power like that is….yeah.
See what I mean about Astra making Wolfram want to be better? It might be slow progress but he's trying.
I mean if you were in Diabla's position would you be okay with it?
And there it is, the first thing Wolfram did was try to figure out how to weaponise Laser even if he was trying to be reassuring, the second thing he did was try to stop Laser from touching him….Exactly what Laser was expecting.
Oof, AJ walked in Regalia mid-way through her crisis of faith….And once again, where was Regalia's partner?
Poor girl, she basically found out that Santa isn't real.
And now we get our Team MARZ reunion for the end of the volume, it wouldn't be right if there wasn't a scene with everyone together this chapter.
"So you're going?" they really were ready to just say fuck it and go home there, if Regalia had left Astra would have quit on the spot.
Beyond wanting to be a Hunter what Regalia has wanted has been a sense of belonging, she's always been the oddball of her own people and "There is no Team MARZ without you" hit a nerve….I'd say it was manipulative, if Astra was in any fit state to think that far ahead and not just reacting.
So, if this were an episode the Team MARZ cuddle pile of tears and therapy would be the end of the episode and the Grimm scene would be a post credits scene.
A Grimm gathering at night is one thing, the fact they can do it in broad daylight like this because the Outpost is damaged and the Alpha Grimm is smart enough to gauge where it's safe….That's a different kind of scary.
It can regenerate its' metal parts now, as long as it has access to more metal; meaning that its' form is probably going to stay largely constant, as if being self aware and having self-image affects its' ability to alter its' image.
The Grimm were destruction incarnate, this would be destruction through endless creation; this would be the next step in the evolution of the Creatures of Grimm….And this is why the chapter title is a reference to "This will be the day", but fun fact that all the FADE readers will remember, Pantheon is still out there.
I could've hammed it up a little more with the dialogue here but I decided not to.
Gestalt-Prime, it was originally going to just be Gestalt but that was the Jacana Bird Grimm in FADE, Gestalt-Alpha wouldn't actually be a name it's just a literal description of what the thing is….So we get Gestalt Prime.
I did actually toy with other name ideas, with one of them being Gilgamesh.
Metamorphic Code….As in an evolving computer virus.
And so, with Vol.02 ending we are heading into a three way conflict between the Hunters, the Benefactor and his rogues and Gestalt-Prime's Grimm; all with Team MARZ's personal lives and growth as Hunters and people at the forefront.
Thank you to SumoSnipe, Lurkweed and MajorBrony95 for their reviews on the last chapter.
Astra is 17/18 attending superhero school of course they're an adrenaline head, they're main problem is that they've started to believe their own hype….Which is understandable when you consider their track record up to this point is actually pretty solid.
FADE would have gone after the renegades, but on their own time….They wouldn't have risked the passengers.
With all those options for Rowan why would I pick just one.
See, taking the Hell-Hound/Gestalt Prime alive would definitely be a bad idea if the containment unit sent by the Benefactor wasn't based on the same technology that the poachers used to bag it in the first place, as we've seen it can't merge itself with Hard-light, so a Hard-light shield keeps it at bay.
I honestly love how easy it is to hate these villians.
And at this point the heroes won the round but the game is still very much in the villains' favour.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.