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Chapter 155: Plain Sailing
Carcharodon's hooded cloak flapped around him in the breeze and he lowered his hood so that he could feel the wind on his pallid and greyish skin as he breathed in the salty sea air. He, along with his current shipmates of Team FADE, NEON and as always Onyx and Hellion had left New Vale a little over four days ago and were expecting to reach their destination of Jinxing and the island chain that it was part of late that evening and thus far the journey itself had been an unexpectedly smooth one; the Nemesis Kharybdis was originally an experimental vessel designed by the Atlesians to be almost entirely automated and yet had been all but completely destroyed by the Grimm that prowled the icy seas around the Kingdom before it had come into Team GORE's possession and this was the first time it had been brought beyond New' Vale's waters since then yet it had fallen victim to none of the mechanical or technical failures that might have plagued it, the Grimm more active all across Remnant than they had been for quite some time had by some good fortune not troubled the vessel during the voyage and the weather and seas had been more than adequate as they gave Carcharodon and his fellow members of the Frost River Tribe nothing to be concerned by.
If only life aboard the ship had progressed so smoothly.
Carcharodon supposed that it was to be expected and that having two full teams of Hunters aboard his ship, staying in his home was always going to cause problems no matter how long he stayed at the Academy and allowed himself to grow accustomed to them. The first issue had been the sleeping arrangements, the Frost River Tribe and especially the Shadow Cadre which Carcharodon and his team-mates had been apart of had almost always slept communally, keeping each other warm in the cold of their territory and watching over one another in case of attack; the Kingdoms had no need for such things and slept alone or with a single partner, Eagle joining Hellion and Onyx fussing over some infernal mechanism or component or other at all hours had left the Shark Faunus sleeping alone, something he was unaccustomed to which had left him slightly paranoid and in turn poorly rested and highly irritable. This irritability had unfortunately coincided with a subtle shift in his frame of mind as Carcharodon began to wear the crown of his station on a continuous basis and revert from seeing himself as a leader of a team of Hunters to the Captain of a ship, this was not to say that he was considering a life of piracy and banditry on the high seas; simply that he was becoming more demanding and less tolerant of the complaints or inadequacies of those aboard his ship and if he had been stern and demanding as a Team Leader it was nothing in comparison to his standards as a Captain.
Carcharodon finished his current task, that of repainting several of the tribal markings and glyphs that adorned the hull of the Nemesis Kharybdis where they had been stained, scratched or otherwise blemished and obscured and set the paint aside before taking a moment to admire his work; the task was far from busywork or menial as for the Frost River Tribe ones' ship was both home and also the closest thing they had to a shrine or temple to the spiritual beliefs they held, a vessel and its' crew were bound together and for it to be allowed to remain damaged was a sin.
Carcharodon had already lost one ship in his short life and would not allow himself to be disgraced again.
After ensuring that his work was of the standard that his ship deserved and muttering a small prayer and blessing in the language of the tribes he moved on, pacing around the upper deck of the ship and casting a watchful eye down at the sea, looking for any trace of glowing crimson eyes or dark shapes prowling beneath the surface until eventually he reached the prow and his obsidian eyes narrowed beneath the helmet that served as his crown.
Hellion and Felix were both present, as he had instructed and therefore expected them to be yet whilst the Dragonfly Faunus should have been using her Semblance to scour the skies for any incoming threats and the Lion Faunus had been ordered to scrub the deck simply so that Carcharodon could find a use for him; what he found instead was that the two had abandoned their posts in favour of a sparring match, which Felix was undoubtedly losing as his admittedly superior strength was rendered useless against Hellion's greater agility and he was left skidding across the partially cleaned and still wet floor with each movement of the ship whilst his opponent suffered from no such hindrances, Hellion was part of the Frost River Tribe after all and had been taught to fight in such conditions since she was five years old by a Tribal Elder and master at arms who had terrified them all. The Shark Faunus watched and waited, neither of them had noticed his presence yet and he chose not to announce himself until the bought had ended, though he did not have to wait long as Felix attempted an impressive aerial spinning kick that would certainly have earned him applause if it had been used in a tournament however Hellion merely dropped into a crouch and allowed the attack to sail over her before sweeping her opponents' feet out from under him the moment he landed with a dull thud; before the blonde Faunus could rise Hellion had seized his arm and held it firmly behind his back, twisting his wrist painfully until he yielded by tapping against the deck.
"Enough" Carcharodon rasped as he finally stepped out onto the prow and into full view, Hellion springing to her feet and looking sheepish at being caught ignoring her duties whilst Felix merely pulled himself into a sitting position.
"We were just-"
"You were just training, a valuable use of time" Carcharodon interjected delicately, his voice slowly growing more visibly angry as he continued "But hardly justification to disobey my orders and abandon your post; I assume it was under provocation of this imbecile-"
"Mind how you're talking" Felix was suddenly on his feet and stepping into Carcharodon's personal space, incensed by the Shark Faunus's attitude
"You are on my ship and-"
"And we're working together ass-hole, you're not my Captain….keep this up and Team FADE will deal with the mission alone and make our own way back" the challenge was enough for a low hiss to escape Carcharodon, his hands flexing as he prepared to deploy his weapons with a flick of the wrist and Felix, seeing this widened his own stance and braced himself with his own hands clearly ready to fly towards his weapons at a moments' notice; it would be a brief fight and almost certainly a bloody one and the air felt charged as the two of them stared one another down, waiting for the other to make the first move.
"Enough!" Hellion snapped as she placed herself between the two of them "Felix find somewhere else to be" the blonde glowered but finally relented and stormed past Carcharodon, taking care to drive his shoulder into the shoulder mans' chest as he did so which only served to make gutting the islander seem even more appealing
"I'm not, nor will I ever be in the habit of being challenged on my own ship" Carcharodon snarled, the unspoken demand for an explanation obvious
"The old way doesn't work any more Car" Hellion stated bluntly "I'm happy that everyone is here, they're our friends….but they're not our tribe. Do you really think he was challenging your right to lead?"
"He was challenging my authority whether he did it formally or not"
"If anyone spoke to you the way you just did to him you'd scar their face for the disrespect" Hellion pointed out, clearly exasperated by the entire situation "Compose yourself….or is butting heads with him really worth the amount of Grimm it will draw to us?" Hellion's words were enough to make him pause, sleep deprived and agitated he may have been but he was still no fool and understood perfectly just how defenceless and frail any vessel on the open ocean truly was, completely at the mercy of whatever nightmares lurked in the depths that the stretched as far as the eye could see.
"Wise as always" he murmured
"Get some sleep, you clearly need it" Hellion sighed, her tone more gentle "After you scrub the deck….he would've done it eventually" with that she departed in search of a quieter place from which to scout ahead, Marauder's shrieking from overhead sounding almost like mocking laughter.
So far life after the Academy had not been what Carcharodon had expected, though he supposed he had been a fool for having expectations at all at this point; as he began to clean he noted that he, like his people would have to adapt if he wished to survive and flourish.
The cargo hold of the Nemesis Kharybdis was filled with the sounds of power tools and heavy metal components being moved and some cases simply dropped, the cacophony of shrieking and clanking metal being redoubled as it reverberated off of the metal walls though Onyx and Eagle were still perfectly able to communicate as they worked.
The Puma Faunus had been eager to improve the ship and push it beyond being simply seaworthy into something awe-inspiring to celebrate the fact that it was now voyaging out into the open ocean, one of the first issues to fall under his scrutiny were the mechanical limbs within the cargo hold that were intended to be operated by an AI as they loaded and unloaded supplies; unfortunately these limbs had been cannibalised for parts during the initial repairs Team GORE had made and largely forgotten about, Onyx had decided that it was time to change that and that Eagle was the perfect person to assist him. For her part Eagle had been happy to help, not least of all because the Lightning Bug was secured in the cargo hold and she wanted to ensure that her car was not damaged during the course of the repairs but also because it had been far too long since she had worked on any robotics, even if she did find her self suffering with semi-regular pangs of sadness as she worked every time she was painfully reminded of Sentinel whose animated bleeps and chirps she missed a great deal.
After a while she noticed that Onyx had stopped working, the angle grinder in his hands no longer spraying sparks everywhere as it chewed through a damaged mechanical limb and Eagle carefully downed her own tools before turning to him and silently questioning
"Slamming and arguing" he noted "I was making sure it didn't become a fight I had to intervene in"
"Is Car being a jerk to someone again, already?" Eagle demanded, unable to comprehend how the normally stoic tribal leader had become some short tempered in just a few days, Onyx merely snorted
"He wouldn't be so irritable if people weren't so irritating" letting out a sigh of what could only be utter disbelief "Felix and Nyanza were raised on an island and have no idea how a ship works….that level of wilful ignorance is almost insulting" Eagle remained silent at that, understanding where the Puma Faunus was coming from but at the same time not wanting to concede the point and feel as though she speaking ill of a friend behind their back; she was spared having to answer by Onyx speaking again letting out a hearty laugh as he did so
"Now your mother on the other hand-"
"Is this something I really want to hear?" Eagle asked, bracing herself mentally for whatever filth the typically unrestrained former bandit was about to spew
"Your mother was fun to work with, her mind worked in ways I still struggle to understand….vicious little thing too, I honestly thought that if she'd stayed with us a few months longer she would have been wearing tribal marking and learning the language" Onyx's smile faltered "Of course she was playing us for fools all along and tried to kill me with a faulty weapon"
"You kidnapped her" Eagle pointed out bluntly and Onyx stiffened, this conversation was not one she truly wanted to have; it had been forgiven and they had all moved forwards and bringing it up now would serve no purpose so instead Eagle managed a sly smile and a teasing tone as she spoke again "So you've always liked older women from the Kingdoms….Does Corey know there's competition?"
"There is no competing with what Corvid means to me" Onyx's voice was somehow both gentle and utterly adoring yet at the same time filled with a low, rumbling growl that served as a warning that Eagle was close to crossing a line with her insinuation.
"Although if we're being entirely honest with each other" Onyx continued with a slight smile "The Frost River Tribe have always….enjoyed the company of those in the settlements willing to trade with us and outsiders have always been curious about us, there could never have been a Shadow Cadre if they weren't" Eagle listened and was on the verge of making a comment about his use of vague euphemisms rather than his usual blunt and crude language, the sort of joke she would never have dreamed of making before meeting Hellion yet before she could speak a thought occurred to her and her eyes promptly widened as the colour drained from her face and her mouth hung open.
"What is it?" Onyx asked a moment later as he saw the utterly stunned expression on the blonde woman's face.
"What if there are more of you out there?" Onyx came to a halt, frozen in place as Eagle continued "Pyrrha Nikos, related to Helios….you've heard of her? Well she was like you, one of her parents was a member of the tribes but she was raised in the Kingdoms. What if-"
"There are Frost Tribe children scattered across the coast of Anima that don't know who they are" Onyx finished the thought for her, the words leaving him as a hushed whisper "They might hate us, hate themselves, might have been lied to by the Kingdoms their whole lives….but we could have a family out there" the towering Faunus marvelled at the idea, realising that were the majority of the tribe still alive and following the orders of the elders whom Carcharodon had succeeded this knowledge would likely be used to gain power and control; they would likely push these newfound children of the tribe into positions of important and then lay claim to vast swathes of the coast and demand tribute; Onyx however cared about none of this and was simply concerned with the fact he might have kin and that the Frost River Tribe might yet live on in some fashion.
"We should tell Carcharodon" Eagle murmured "He'd want to know"
"We should" Onyx agreed, sure that he was damning himself with his next words "But not yet….wait until we've finished the mission. Car never abandoned hope that we might find more of our people who survived what was done to us, if we tell him that he was looking in the wrong place and that there may be others still out there he will abandon the mission without question"
"You're right" Eagle nodded, remaining silent and stationary for a while before trying to focus her mind and return to the task at hand; she picked up a blowtorch and prepared continue working only for Onyx to offer a stern warning
"Be careful where you point that….there are things in here that will not react well to fire"
"I know you've got Eco-Dust on board" she carefully set the blowtorch down and gestured towards several crates of Dust which gave off a faint, eerie green glow which identified them as the synthetic substance
"I was talking about the supply of Fracture we have tucked behind it" Onyx chucked darkly and left Eagle sputtering in confusion
"What? How? Where did-"
"The Atlesians delivered a test batch to New Vale, Qrow decided that we would likely have some use of it at some point and gave us a portion….he called it a going away present" Onyx fell silent as he saw Eagle turn towards him with her hands on her hips and treating him to a truly impressive glare
"Did you try and shake down my Dad?" Onyx's response to this was a fit of booming laughter
"Oh I'm flattered that you think we could do such a thing….Shake down Qrow Branwen, Carcharodon has done a great many things that will pass into legend but that might even be beyond him" he chuckled before adding, in a more serious tone "I remember when Raffia and I tried to fight him, that man scares me"
Eagle was left utterly stunned by that revelation.
The bunk creaked beneath them and the sound of bodies colliding against one another filled the small, cramped cabin interspersed with grunts, gasps and throaty moans of pleasure. Diamond's hands were pinned above her head as Arctus grasped her wrists whilst her legs were held aloft and draped over Arctus's shoulders as she looked up at him with half-lidded eyes and mouth open in a ragged moan, his name on her lips until she deftly freed her legs and locked them around his waist before rolling so that she was the one on top; her hands' tangled in her fiancée's hair as he sat up and held her hips whilst kissing her neck, collarbone, breasts and any other part of her he could reach until finally, with a strangled cry Diamond reached her climax, cupping Arctus's cheeks and kissing hungrily him until he followed her only moments later. She pushed him back onto the too-small and uncomfortable bunk, a much easier task now that he was limp and utterly spent and kissed him more gently as she made herself comfortable on his chest, the two of them needing a moment to catch their breath before they could speak.
"Well that settles it dude" Diamond laughed eventually "Doesn't look like any amount of breaking these bunks in is gonna make 'em less crappy"
"I mean are you sure we've tested it thoroughly, maybe another try?" Arctus suggested with a sly wink as his hands continued to gently trail over Diamond's naked body
"Dork" she answered simply, rolling her cherry red eyes and brushing away strands of silver hair that sweat had left plastered to her forehead before rolling off of the Bear Faunus and making herself comfortable beside him despite the limited space available.
The two of them had naturally elected to share a cabin aboard the Nemesis Kharybdis, despite being warned of how small the bunk and the room in general were and whilst Arctus's time aboard his fathers' ship several years ago had allowed him to acquire some skills that could be applied to the maintenance of their current transport and Diamond was happy to apply herself to any task required of her, the two of them had spent a great deal of time in the confined space as the admittedly breathtaking views that could be seen from the highest parts of the ship seemed hardly worth the hassle of dealing with the steadily rising tempers and fraying nerves of their friends; right now each of the Hunters knew that they were potentially surrounded by monsters that could attack them at any moment and lacked the protections or armaments of an airship and the knowledge of their relative helplessness combined with their inability to truly avoid one another was beginning to cause some friction, Diamond knew that they would all have to find a way to cope with these dilemmas if they were to continue working together but in the meantime she, along with everyone else aboard simply wanted to reach their island destination so that they could begin their mission and was looking for ways to keep occupied.
She and Arctus had distracted themselves by having regular and frankly amazing sex; the two of them unable to get enough of one another after being separated across the multiverse.
"You okay big guy?" Diamond asked as saw Arctus's expression shift slightly, she gently traced one of the two sizeable scars that marred the pale flesh of his torso; namely the slash that ran from his shoulder to hip that he had received in battle against Phobos the evolved Alpha Beowolf. In response Arctus laced his fingers through those of her mechanical left hand and nuzzled into her
"Yeah, just thinking about stuff"
"The mission?"
"Nah, honestly I can't wait to get started with that" he replied with a small smile, kissing her briefly and almost out of habit before continuing "I'm just worried about Team FADE"
"Oh" Diamond breathed out, realising exactly what the issue was "Team NEON are probably gonna disband when we're done here….you think we'd go the same way?"
"I don't want us to" Arctus answered "I'm just worried that we might, aren't you?" Diamond paused to consider for a moment, thinking being a little more difficult than it would otherwise have been owing to Arctus's free hand still trailing idly along her skin
"Honestly I think we'll be fine" Diamond assured him "Team GORE have got this ship and Eagle's got a house big enough for all of us, if Team NEON do split up then let's be realistic Helios is gonna be like a fifth member for us and we'll have to readjust some of our strategies and techniques but things are gonna be fine….we might take missions that only need a couple of us but I don't think we're ever gonna be apart on a long term basis" whilst nothing about the future was certain she thought that her assessment of how things stood was a reasonable one, in her mind Team FADE would be a stable core of both their friend group and a larger formation of Hunters that members of Team GORE and NEON worked alongside as needed.
"Thanks" Arctus murmured against her skin "I know I'm probably worrying about nothing and-"
"Dude no" Diamond shook her head as she cut him off before cupping his cheeks and gently pulling his head up to meet her gaze "You're worried about losing everyone and after what you and Eagle went through I get it, I almost wish we'd stayed at the Academy so you could see Neptune….In fact, when we finish this mission and get back to New Vale-"
"You want me to see a professional" Arctus guessed what her request would be and nodded "Okay yeah, I'll do it" Diamond wordlessly melted him to him again, neither of them wanting to mention the nightmares that the other suffered from; certain at this point that every student from their graduating class had experienced enough to ensure that they would be haunted in their dreams for the rest of their lives.
"What time is is?" Diamond mumbled against Arctus's skin as she draped a toned leg over him, the Bear Faunus reached for his Scroll which was beside the bunk along with the clothes they had all but torn off of one another and quickly checked the time
"We've got hours before we're supposed to dock at Jinxing" he answered, understanding what Diamond had really meant
"Plenty of time huh?" she noted, somewhat sleepily as legs that were still shaky wrapped around the Bear Faunus pulled him closer and she made herself comfortable nuzzling into and gently nipping at his neck; she had orgasmed several times already and would be more than happy with simply falling asleep yet it was clear by his reaction that Arctus had interpreted her actions differently and she found that she had no desire to stop him as he positioned himself on top of her, kissing her slowly before moving downwards and leaving Diamond breathless again with practised ease as he kissed and teased a trail from her neck, between her breasts and down her toned stomach before nipping at her hipbones and grazing her inner thighs with his teeth
"Oh fuck" Diamond's back arched as his tongue pressed against her and at that moment, in act of unbelievable cruelty by whatever fate or deity ruled the seas the Nemesis Kharybdis was rocked violently and Arctus's slipped off the bunk.
The sound of Diamond howling with laughter filled the cabin and Arctus had to admit that the mood was ruined; at least for a few minutes.
"Thank Oum, they've finally stopped fucking" Nyanza cried with a comically overblown gesture in the direction of Arctus and Diamond's cabin. He, along with the rest of Team NEON were above deck yet despite the sounds of the wind and sea that should have drowned them out the sound of flesh on flesh and groans of pleasure were still clearly identifiable to the busy tailed Faunus's superhuman hearing. His team-mates laughed at the outburst and for a moment Nyanza felt at peace and could at least allow himself to pretend that things were as they should be, they were situated towards the rear of the Nemesis Kharybdis where Old Unreliable had been tethered and firmly secured, watching the wake that the ship left behind it where they had found themselves after looking for privacy and not wanting to disturb Carcharodon who had finished cleaning the deck and had been meditating on the prow when they had last seen him, unbothered by the rocking of the ship. Olivine and Ether leaned against the railings that ran around the edge of the deck whilst Helios sat in the shade beneath one of the wings of Team CLIR's Bull-Head and once the laughter had died out and silence had reigned for a few moments the redhead spoke up
"We should talk" he declared simply and Nyanza was both relieved that he had been the one to broach the topic and at the same time deeply nervous that this conversation was finally happening.
"Yeah, I guess we should" Olivine lamented, stepping away from the railings and closer to Helios and Nyanza "I can guess what this is about….so come on, get it off your chest"
"I understand your decisions" Helios assured her quietly
"I don't!" Nyanza snapped, voice cracking more the feline was happy with "Four years! Four years we've been a team and the second you two graduate you wanna split the team up I don't get it….did we do something-"
"Nyanza calm down man" Ether's voice was gentle but still had the unmistakable air of a warning about it as a swift use of his Semblance brought him beside Olivine in an instant "It's not like that" Nyanza remained silent and merely glowered, yet beside his obvious anger at the situation both Olivine and Ether could see the hurt in his pale green eyes.
"Okay we should have brought this up a long time ago" Olivine sighed before placing her hands on Nyanza's shoulders "We let this become an issue by not talking about and hoping things would just fix themselves, now we've gotta have this conversation after you were in a coma for months and believe me I don't want this to hurt either….We just wanna defend New Vale right now, there's nothing saying that we'll never work together again and this is not us saying our goodbyes. You're our best friends and when Ether and I have kids they're gonna have the coolest uncles"
"Children?" Helios enquired, he had been content to listen to Olivine's explanation and had been quietly reassured by it after managing to convince himself that this may be the result of some failing on his part as a leader but the mention of being an uncle to Ether and Helios's children was something that he couldn't simply overlook.
"Relax, I'm not pregnant" Olivine snorted "Ether and I started dating in first year….we've had these discussions"
"So how long have you known that you didn't want the same kind of career as me and Heely?" Nyanza asked, he was still clearly irked by the idea of the separation of Team NEON, though he was less visibly angry now
"On some level….Before I even enrolled at Halo" it was Ether who spoke up and he gave a slight shrug before continuing "I was a kid when I first saw Hunters at work; I begged and pestered my folks to let me come with them while they had to deal with a family crisis out of town instead of staying in New Vale with my sister and on the way home a pack of Beowolves caught up with our car about three miles outside of New Vale. One of the Hunters stationed on the wall saved us….I think it might actually have been one of the Arcs on a training assignment shadowing the actual Hunters, but yeah I saw someone just striding out of the darkness carrying a giant flamethrower and slapping Grimm away with a shield and I just knew that's what I want to be, the Hunter on the wall that keeps the everyone safe"
"Does Eagle know this story?" Olivine asked with a playful smile
"That I may or may not have been a fanboy for one of her Aunts and that it low-key made me the man I am today….oddly it never came up in conversation"
"My Mum dated a Hunter for a couple of years when I was growing up" Olivine sighed "He worked with the engineering crews that work on the power grid and sewer system, occasionally took jobs out at other settlements….he used to bring me into the office and tell me stories about the Grimm he'd seen, I knew most of the guys he worked with, he showed me how his weapons worked; one of his work buddies bought me my first toolkit"
"What happened to him?" Nyanza asked cautiously, he knew better than anyone just how perilous the maze that existed between New Vale could be
"Exactly what you'd think" the diminutive girl replied "Broke Mum's heart…..a Sobek, Crocodile Grimm pulled him under in the sewers and he never came back up"
"He died a hero, protecting his people" Helios intoned solemnly as he bowed his head
"Yeah he did" Olivine nodded "And that's what being a Hunter is to me, when I was little I used to think it was like pest control but bigger and cooler….The whole rock-star, superhero gig is just an extra"
"I get it" Nyanza finally nodded before reaching out and pulling both Olivine and Ether into a loose hug "I can't lie to you and say that I don't wish things were different but I get it"
"Like Ollie said man, we're always gonna be friends" Ether promised him
"Yeah yeah, just don't forget our invites to the wedding" the Faunus replied before cocking his head and adding "I mean that's assuming you two get married at some point and-"
"We've spoken about it" Olivine nodded, the diminutive woman wearing a bright smile "We definitely want to get married at some point-"
"She asked me a while ago" Ether clarified with a grin
"We're just not wearing rings or making anything official yet" she continued "We just wanna wait until we're financially stable y'know….we're still at our parents places, sleeping on Eagle's sofa or Team GORE's boat; we need to get somewhere of our own before start building a future and besides weddings are expensive"
"They don't have to be" Helios noted, his tone that of someone who was clearly wondering aloud and exploring an idea that had just occurred to them
"What're you thinking?" Ether asked
"The tribes do not have marriages in the way the Kingdoms think of them" the redhead reminded them "But Carcharodon is the leader of his people and should rightfully be considered a foreign ambassador or dignitary by the Kingdoms, he's also the captain of a ship….If he were to perform the ceremony it would be legally binding unless New Vale chose not to recognise his authority and suffer the anger of the entire diaspora of Anima" Helios's idea may have been a sound one with certain undeniable merits yet none of that made a difference and both Ether and Olivine found themselves erupting into laughter, doubled over and almost collapsing at the notion
"Heely I love you bro, but that's either crazy or just dumb" Ether managed to gasp out
"Oh my Oum, Car officiating a wedding….imagine it, I mean actually take step back and imagine how that would go"
"I see your point" Helios grinned ruefully, seeing the inherent flaws in his plan the moment he considered the Shark Faunus's personality. Team NEON found the awkwardness between them wash away in that moment and thing once again felt as they should, with no need for pretence until several moments later the entirety of the Nemesis Kharybdis rocked and jolted, the force involved making it clear that this was more than simply the tides at work.
"What the- oh no" Olivine's face fell as she looked beyond the ship
"Okay I can categorically say that I am not taking the blame for attracting this" Nyanza exclaimed as behind the ship a vast dark shape could be seen rapidly rising from the depths of the ocean, the water seeming to bulge as though it were a single solid surface in the moments before the thing breached the surface.
Whilst the Nemesis Kharybdis boasted an impressively powerful Dust engine to propel itself across the waves it also sported a large mast and sails that had been added to the ship by Team GORE as part of their repairs and restoration, in truth the sail served no practical purpose and was simply a large canvas for the last remaining members of the seafaring Frost River Tribe to proudly display their livery and iconography to all of Remnant, in each of their minds a ship whose sails were not used as flags to declare loyalties and intent was a ship crewed by cowards and the Nemesis Kharybdis currently wore the only flag at its' disposal; a bloody red that made it clear that no quarter or mercy would be shown.
At the top of this mast was a small crows' nest and it was here that Hellion had retreated to in order scout ahead without distractions, she sat cross legged in the small space with her eyes entirely milky white and glowing faintly as if lit from behind as she used her Semblance; whilst her body was currently still aboard the ship her mind was far above it, inhabiting Marauder's body as the bird of prey wheeled around in mid-air to soar towards the aft of the ship and let out a shriek as he went.
A moment later Hellion was back in her own body, eyes returning to their natural jade green and narrowing as she let out a string of venomous curses, ceasing only when Marauder swooped down onto her armoured forearm
"Find Carcharodon" she ordered simply before launching herself over the side of the crows' nest and landing in a crouch on the deck with a warning cry on her lips "GRIMM TO THE REAR OF THE SHIP!"
Carcharodon was beside her in an instant, having likely been close by and in a matter of seconds the sound of Eagle's letting out a piercing shriek in her avian form announced that both she and Onyx had heard the warning and rushed up from the bowels of the ship.
"What're we looking at?" the blonde demanded, drawing her black bladed sword the moment she shifted back to her natural state and instinctively reaching for a shield that was no longer there.
"No time for talk" Carcharodon snapped "Onyx, to the bridge. Take control of the ship, bring our weapons to bare!" the Puma Faunus nodded silently and bolted away to act on his orders; with Raffia's passing he had taken up the Axolotl Faunus's duties and Carcharodon would never trust an AI above one of his tribe in the heat of battle. With nothing more to be gained from standing idle Hellion, Eagle and Carcharodon sprinted towards the rear of the ship with Felix, Arctus and Diamond joining them as they went and the entirety of Team NEON already waiting for them at the rear of the deck.
The ten Hunters drew their weapons and looked up at the monstrous Grimm that had risen from the depths and wondered how exactly they would go about destroying it.
The thing was huge to say the least, what was visible of its' body was as tall as the Nemesis Kharybdis was tall.
It's appearance could best be described as some sot of titanic and monstrous bipedal turtle with a wide-set torso whose vastness somehow managed to make the beast seem squat despite its' size, whilst it lacked the armoured ribcage that one might expect there chunks of bony armour bursting from its' leathery black hide almost at random in jagged ridges almost as tall as a person; its' lower limbs were hidden beneath the water although its' upper limbs were broad and flat with an oddly rubbery and boneless appearance with the exception of what passed as hands, in truth the beasts' front flippers were merely encased in thick slabs of bone and chitin, each of which sported five monstrous skewers intended to breach the hull of a ship that were arranged like fingers. The Grimm's head was small in proportion to the rest of its' body, rounded and sloping with oddly large and bulging eyes in the usual shade of fiery red, its' maw was filled with countless rows of sharp teeth along with a pair of tusks that reached beyond its' snout and behind the towering monster the tip of its' tail could be seen rising from the water, covered in rows of spikes. The most notable part of the enormous Grimm however was its' shell which, rather than a single slab of bone as one might expect was in fact formed dozens of swept back, jagged bone growths each of which was larger than an average sized car and seemed able to move independently whilst a burning orange glow radiated from within the things' back and steam issued from the water where its' shell touched it, the Hunters quickly realising that the glow was some sort of internal combustion which acted as the things' means of propulsion
"Dude….is that Gamera?" Diamond demanded, almost affronted by the mere existence of this particular Creature of Grimm
"I don't know what that means" Carcharodon rasped, bracing himself and sizing up the beast "But I do know that this battle will be a challenge….if it dives below the waves again it will likely ram us, at full speed it will tear through the hull with ease" as if sensing it were being discussed the Grimm chose that moment to let out a roar of challenge, the sound a ghostly wail that carried for miles and sounded oddly like tires screeching on a wet road.
"I can't use my Semblance on something that size" Helios warned, pre-empting the idea to bend gravity and simply lift the gigantic monster out of the water before it could attack
"I don't think I've got a construct big enough for it" Arctus added, the largest beast in his repertoire of defeated Grimm was the single head of the Hydrakken that had attacked New Vale the year before
"The Bull-Head?" Nyanza suggested "Distract it and draw it away from the ship
"Can you fly it?" Carcharodon asked pointedly and Nyanza along with the others realised that Onyx was the only member of the group capable of flying the transport and he was currently pre-occupied
"Distracting it is a good idea though" Eagle noted before hoisting herself onto the railings around the edge of the deck "I'm on it!" with that she leapt into action and took to her avian form in a flash of Aura, soaring towards the head of the amphibious monstrosity, yet as daring as her actions were the flaw in her plan soon became obvious
"She's too small, she can't do enough damage as a bird" Olivine noted, the moment the words left her mouth the Grimm proved how little the attempt at distraction was working as it opened its' short and stubby snout wide and vomited forth a ball of flames aimed directly at the ship
"DOWN!" Ether called out and the various Hunters leapt aside or used their Semblances to evade whilst Arctus conjured a wall of Glyphs around the aft of the ship and Felix prepared to absorb any flames that made it through the barrier with his own Semblance. It was all for nought however as Onyx, in an impressive display of helmsmanship managed to move the Nemesis Kharybdis a few degrees so that the flames left a scorched and blackened streak the side of the hull rather that striking Team CLIR's Bull-Head and igniting its' fuel supply.
"That Grimm dies!" Carcharodon spat, more animatedly furious that Felix could remember hearing him "Nothing fires on my ship and survives!" Felix turned his attention towards the Grimm, which Eagle was still trying her best to turn away from the ship an in a sudden stroke of inspiration he felt as though he had found the missing pieces of the puzzle his partner was attempting to solve
"I'VE GOT A PLAN!" he called out, loud enough to ensure he caught everyone's attention
"We're listening" the Shark Faunus rasped
"Arctus I need you to set up Glyphs there, there and there, angle them so that we can ricochet shots" Felix pointed to several spaces between themselves and the Grimm which would likely fire on them again at any moment "Nyanza we're gonna need some luck for this, Ollie, Dee if you've got explosive rounds handy then fire everything at the Glyphs"
"Got it Arctus" nodded and promptly set up the glowing surfaces in the desired places and Felix turned to watch Carcharodon's reaction as Olivine deployed Buster Bravo and Diamond loaded explosive rounds into Lex Talionis and the two fired at the first Glyph, their shots bouncing from one surface to the next before finally striking the giant Grimm in the shoulder from the side and causing it to turn to face this supposed new threat
"Oh you are clever" Carcharodon rasped, an undeniably pleased note to his voice as the Grimm shrieked and howled at the assault.
"It's going for the Glyphs!" Arctus warned, though his words were interrupted by a piercing avian shriek. The Grimm drew close to one of the Bear Faunus's Glyphs and prepared to crush it in mighty jaws yet at that moment Eagle swooped towards the angled, glowing surface and reverted back to her human form in order to drive her sword up into the roof of its' mouth; the Grimm responded by blasting her with a gigantic ball of flames that smashed her through the surface of the Glyph and sent her careening towards the waves with smoke trailing from her armour
"No!" Hellion yelled eyes changing to milky white as she activated her Semblance and through the inexplicable bond the two women shared controlled Eagle's body enough to activate the blondes' own Semblance and bring her swooping back towards the Nemesis Kharybdis.
"Okay, time for the big guns!" Felix snarled "Arctus, gimme some more Glyphs; hot ones" with that the Lion Faunus leapt towards the first of his cousins' floating platforms and began jump from one Glyph to the next as Arctus created more of them, this time using Fire Dust to change their surfaces to a glowing red which allowed Felix to charge his Semblance with each Glyph he touched until finally he was leaping into the air directly above the Grimm's skull as it glanced up at him and opened its' jaws wide, flames spewing from the corners of its' mouth
"Go ahead" Felix taunted, preparing to use his Semblance and shift into his Balrog state yet a sudden wooshing of air indicated that something was amiss and there was very little he would be able to do to prevent it as he fell. The spiked bone cudgel that rested on the end of the monsters' rubbery flipper was hurtling towards him and the impact would likely be devastating yet before the blow could land the Grimm let out a pained and confused squawking sound and Felix saw the darkness of Helios's Semblance enveloping the chitinous spikes that resembled fingers; it seemed that the redhead, whilst unable to lift the entire Grimm could at least use his Semblance to warp gravity around a small part of it.
And then Felix fell.
His body became like molten stone and his hair and eyes shone with golden fire as he absorbed the flames from the Grimm's own mouth and plummeted downwards, his Semblance making him an unstoppable force and allowing to rip through the body of the beast like a meteor until finally he felt himself be submerged in freezing waters and lose all sense of direction as he flailed for a moment before attempting to swim in what he at least hoped was upwards.
He was spared the struggle however as a dark shape washed over him, the previous cold nothing compared to this fresh iciness that forced the air from his lungs and robbed him of his senses; yet it was over and a moment later Felix found himself on the deck of the Nemesis Kharybdis once again, gasping for breath and surrounded by his friends.
"Thanks" he managed to choke out as he looked up at Carcharodon, the Shark Faunus having obviously used his Semblance to pluck him from the water.
"You're an insufferable worm whose tongue I would cut out if you were one of my people and your lack of knowledge of the sea is disgusting in an islander" Carcharodon noted before treating Felix to a smile filled with teeth "But you fight almost well enough to make up for it" with that he held out hand which the Lion Faunus accepted and pulled him to his feet before turning and silently departing, likely to speak with Onyx.
Felix looked around and saw that Hellion was tending to a dizzy and disoriented but thankfully unhurt Eagle whilst Team NEON were checking one another over for any injuries they may not have noticed, though Helios gave him an approving nod and a smile. Arctus and Diamond were close by and the Bear Faunus laid a hand on Felix's shoulder
"One day we're gonna need a plan that isn't just throwing you at something" Felix paused and cocked his head slightly as he considered several possible retorts before instead simply giving Arctus and Diamond a knowing smirk and whispering
"Your shirt's on backwards….I take it you got dressed in a hurry?"
"Oh you foolish child" Salem murmured, her voice barely audible to even most acute senses as she watched Pantheon leave her vast throne room from her position upon a throne of wrought bone upon a pulsing dais of writhing muscle of tendrils; the sentient horror stalked along the wide bridge that hung suspended above a lake of roiling, primordial and protean Grimm tissue until finally disappearing out of sight through an enormous pair of doors which moved with a mind of their own and once they were out of sight Salem's ghostly pale lips twisted into a sneer.
Pantheon was a useful commander for her legions of Grimm and a killing machine beyond comparison but they were an unconvincing actor and Salem had known that her attempts to bend them to her will once again had somehow been unsuccessful with a matter of days; they had been obedient yes, following every order without question but it had not been the blind unfeeling loyalty she had intended, Pantheon was still very much a being in their own right rather than a tool and the fractions of a second where they decided to comply rather than simply acting betrayed them. Salem also understood that this act of defiance was proof that Pantheon's questioning had grown into open defiance since New Vale and that whilst they may be biding their time treachery was an inevitability that the Queen of the Grimm would have to prepare for.
"And now to more important matters" Salem mused to herself as she reclined on her throne, with Pantheon's rebellion only a matter of time it had become clear that she would need to find new recruits and disciples to serve as her Generals in the coming struggle against the Kingdoms. Pantheon themselves could be replaced easily enough, with the power to manipulate time at her disposal she could condense the decades that the sentient horror had been allowed to gestate and evolve in a subterranean cavern down into a matter of days; the Bandit Queen Pyrrha Nikos, the iteration of Adam Taurus and her Chimera, Yang Branwen would all be far more difficult to replace however and Salem mentally prepared herself and focused the power of the Wizard into her clawed fingertips as she rose from her throne; with her scythe sacrificed in the fight against the insufferable machine Nickel Polendina she instead prepared to tear open the fabric of reality with her bare hands so that she could step into the realm beyond space and time and roam the multiverse.
Except something was wrong.
"What! How?" she demanded of the empty throne room as she attempted to step into the bleeding gash she had ripped into the air only to find herself unable to do so. The doorway she had created hung in front of her, a glowing and pulsing red wound where reality had been sundered with only darkness beyond it yet rather than the endless and eternal void where every moment felt like eternity which Salem had been lost within until her mind shattered the darkness was a barrier, intangible and yet entirely solid in a contradiction that infuriated the Queen of the Grimm as much as the denial itself. It had felt like a door was being held closed from the other side as someone far more powerful than herself leaned against it. Flexing her clawed fingers and baring her teeth Salem focused all of her arcane might and tried once again to step into the void and this time she felt the barrier that had been put in place waver and give a little before she was forced back once again.
Salem's scream of rage warped and distorted the air around her and the walls of the throne room grew claws and spikes of bone in response to her fury.
It had been brief, barely a fraction of an instant and yet it had been enough for Salem's eyes to first widen in utter shock before narrowing again in pure hatred as she saw what lay beyond the doorway she had opened; Wizards, scores of them each hailing from another timeline standing united against her and rallying behind a figure she would recognise anywhere, even older than he had been when she had killed him with white hair and a right arm of necrotic and dessicated flesh the sight of Oscar Pine giving her a defiant smile as he held Salem at bay was enough to both enrage and terrify Salem as she remembered how he and Ruby Rose together had left her adrift in the nothingness.
"I'll kill them" she hissed "I'll kill them all" she slumped back onto her throne and realised that this development had changed things; she was still the Wizard and could still bend time to her will within the confines of this reality but the wider multiverse and all of the options it afforded were denied to her which in conjunction with Pantheon plotting to overthrow her and the fact that the Kingdoms would surely seek to retaliate to her attacks meant that she may be forced on the defensive.
"No" she snarled, she was destruction incarnate and time was and always would be on her side; she just had to use it more decisively now. With that she entered a meditative state upon her throne and allowed herself to dream and ponder; even the alliance of Wizards that sought to contain her could be overpowered and once she had cast this reality into oblivion she would be sure to inflict her wrath upon each of theirs in turn.
She was the end of all things and there would be nothing but silent darkness in her wake.
Night had fallen by the time the Nemesis Kharybdis arrived at the docks of Jinxing island meaning that the first impression Teams FADE, NEON and GORE had of both the island and the resort that dominated it had been a glistening a spectacle of multicoloured lights against the darkness which would otherwise only have been illuminated by the stars and broken moon. The Hunters had gathered on the deck as the ships' AI handled their final approach and took in the sight, with even Carcharodon's mutterings that the place was so gaudy and so poorly protected that it was a wonder it hadn't been ravaged by raiders falling silent as they drew close enough to fully take in the sight.
It was truly grand.
The island had been cultivated and in such a way that it appeared to have a distinct front and rear side, the front half of the island housed the docks that the Nemesis Kharybdis would be dropping anchor at; vast enough to house several cruise ships or vessels ferrying supplies, to one side of the docks was a small airship terminal to be used by those guests whose jet-setting lifestyle might require them to leave at a moments' notice or in the worst case scenario if the resort needed to be evacuated whilst to the other side of the docks stretched a sizeable expanse of white gold sand, the beach front dotted with the light of several fires which indicated that there were still guests present despite the Grimm sightings. All of this seemed to lead to the resort itself, a towering complex of coloured glass, marble and steel surrounded by lights which gradually shifted in colour; the magnificent structure could comfortably be called a village in its' own right and doubtlessly boasted more features than any of the Hunters nearing it could hope to image whilst to the rear of it the dense jungle that filled the rear of the island almost appeared as though it had been tamed and was nothing more than a fitting garden for the resort, though the high walls and hard-light Dust powered shield generators that could be seen keeping whatever lurked within the trees at bay soon broke the illusion.
Finally the Nemesis Kharybdis docked and the Hunters decided to forego the use of a ramp and exited the ship in a more dramatic fashion; Ether, Carcharodon, Arctus, Eagle and Diamond all using their Semblances to land on the wooden walkways below whilst Helios merely negated gravity around himself to slow his descent and Felix along with those whose Semblances were not as conducive to dramatic entrances simply leapt and landed in a crouch with the Lion Faunus at the head of the group.
As empty as the docks appeared the display was not for naught and their arrival had not gone
unnoticed, the group of eleven Hunters each turning their attention towards the sound of clapping as they heard it.
"Oh good show" a wheezing, somewhat breathless voice cheered playfully as its' owner stepped into view. The speaker was a wizened old man whose leathery and weather-beaten skin had the complexion and appearance of someone who had spent much of their life outdoors; he was notably short and would have stood at a little under five and a half feet if old age had not bowed his back and made him appear smaller still whilst his hair was an untamed mess of silver-grey curls and a short beard of the same colour covered his chin. His clothes were simple, a reliable pair of boots and tan coloured khaki shorts with several pockets, a lightweight sleeveless jacket of the same colour featuring yet more pockets was worn over a faded polo shirt bearing the name and emblem of the resort and he jangled as he walked owing to the dozens of keys he wore on a chain around his neck. He was not what the young Hunters had been expecting to say the least, with the only clue that he had once been a Hunter being the cane that he used to walk, astute eyes seeing a trigger mechanism built into its' curved head and a partially collapsed and compacted barrel towards the base.
"You must be Blanca?" Felix offered the man a smile and extended a hand "We're-"
"The kids Qrow recommended, well let's get you set up with rooms for the night" Blanca chattered away happily, his truth of his feeble appearance being called into question when he shook Felix's hand and the Lion Faunus felt the strength of his grip.
"Rooms?" Carcharodon questioned "We came to hunt Grimm not sit idle, tell us what you know of the Grimm and we'll get to work right away"
"Is that wise?" Helios countered "Hunting an unknown Grimm in unfamiliar territory in the dark is not the most efficient way to work"
"Seriously Dude?" Diamond grumbled "It's the middle of the night and we literally just got here-"
"There are eleven of us, seven Faunus….darkness shouldn't be a hindrance" the Shark Faunus replied, the point was a fair one and scuppered any argument until Blanca turned and faced the gaunt and imposing man and simply let out an amused chuckle
"Sonny you've got gumption, you're fresh out of school and want to make a name for yourself" the look that Blanca gave Carcharodon could only be described as grandfatherly, before his voice became stern as he added "But you've been at sea for days and your ship looks like you've already done some fighting. Don't be stupid just to prove a point"
There was a single tense moment where each of the Hunters drew in a collective breath and waited for Carcharodon's reaction to the comment, entirely certain that it would be unpleasant in the extreme yet each of them were surprised when the Shark Faunus merely inclined his head slightly and answered politely; some vestige of lessons about decorum and respect for ones' elders that had been drilled into him as a child rising to the surface
"As you wish, we are yours to command whilst we are on this island"
"No need to be so formal sonny" Blanca laughed before turning and beginning to trudge slowly towards the resort itself, speaking again as he led the way "Besides, Hunting down the Grimm is only part of the mission. The other part is something you'll have an easier time with tomorrow anyway"
"What's the other part of the mission?" Felix asked cautiously, nothing other than disposing of the as yet unidentified Grimm had been mentioned in the contracts that they had signed and he was wary of being taken advantage of on his teams' first real mission though he doubted that a friend of Qrow's would do such a thing.
"Being seen" Blanca answered simply, turning to flash them a winning smile as he did so
"As you can see, the resort is still open for business despite us having no Hunters on site….not my decision I promise, the owners refuse to be seen as incapable of controlling the situation and your job is to be that control and be seen doing it; on top of looking for the Grimm you'll be patrolling the grounds and making yourself very visible doing so….as compensation the facilities are all yours to use while you're here so make yourselves at home" Teams FADE, NEON and GORE each took a moment to process the information before finally sharing excited glances as they realised they were being offered a free stay at resort frequented by countless famous movie stars, musicians and other celebrities.
The sound of Nyanza cackling with laughter carried far and wide and could likely be heard out at sea.
Author's Notes:
So a couple of things before we discuss the chapter.
A) THE VOL.8 TEASER! Yang has a Hover-Bike….She's gonna paint it gold, it's gonna be the Bumblebee Mark 2 and now that Hover-Bikes are a thing I cannot wait to use them in a story (Possibly the spin off to FADE).
B) We have a date for the Vol.7 soundtrack and after wanting Caleb Hyles to work with RT for so long I finally get to hear the full version of Hero.
C) A friend, reader and regular reviewer Funlander has created another stunning piece of artwork based on this story; this time it's their rendition of Pantheon and you can find that on my Twitter and Tumblr with links to where to find more of their art.
Also little spoiler, the next chapter…..156 chapters in and we're finally breaking out the anime cliché trope; it's a beach episode and I'm literally calling it "Omake".
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Carcharodon is a dramatic bitch and it works for him, give that man a cape and a breeze and he's good.
Remember, only the island that the resort is on has been terraformed, the rest are barren…..or are they?
Seriously, you really think those personalities can be confined to a small ship without getting on each others' tits? This was always gonna take some getting used to.
Car not sleeping because he's got nobody watching his back….that is the most vulnerable he's ever sounded right?
He's a hard-ass but he's definitely the hardest on himself.
Fluffy should not have tried to fight a pirate on their own boat, that was dumb as fuck.
And there's the problem Car is gonna have to deal with from now, he's inviting people onto his ship and into his life but he doesn't know how to lead outside of the context of the tribe where his word would be absolute; Heely had to deal with it but Car was never really challenged on it.
Have some Sentinel feels, I'm not done twisting that knife yet.
"He wouldn't be so irritable if people weren't so irritating" we've all been there.
That callback to First Year and the Shadow Cadre kidnapping Eagle's mum….look how far everyone's come.
Well there's something for Car to do in the epilogue, track down some Frost River Tribe kids, which is actually bringing his arc full circle.
There's Fracture on the ship, it'll come in handy later..
Diamond was getting a good deep dicking and yes I was horny on main when I wrote it, fight me.
Seriously the ocean is scary enough as it is….add Grimm that have gone undetected for decades or longer to that mix and it's just uncalled for.
Out of Team FADE's graduating class, they were basically on a blacklist, Team AQUA are doing okay but Team PSTL are dead, Team GORE lost a member and Team NEON are disbanding; add the trauma of being thrown across the multiverse to that and you can understand why Arctus is worried about the future.
One last cock-block of the story, 'cos fuck it why not.
The Team NEON talk, because it needed to happen….and also, finally giving Ether and Olivine a little backstory; they were honestly always placeholder characters that never really got fleshed out in the same way some of the others did.
Ether saw Aunt Hell, the problem child, resident bad-ass and pyromaniac of the Arc family who's also Eagle's favourite.
Crocodile in the sewer, because of course.
Add another possible wedding for the epilogue if everyone survives this volume.
Winter has married people by virtue of being the Captain of an Atlesian ship (Epilogue of the Downward Spiral) so the tribes don't have marriages but Carcharodon could still perform a legally binding wedding….but just imagine it.
Four chapters into the final volume and things felt too peaceful, so have a Grimm attack.
Yep, a Gamera Grimm….because I was honestly struggling for ideas, I've done sharks, whales, crabs, turtles, squids and coral reefs already.
Nope, no aerial combat for this one because there were enough moving parts and Semblances to figure out what to do with already.
Come on a bird isn't gonna distract a Kaiju is it.
The trick shots were definitely a nice touch and even Car had to admit it.
And there's something we haven't seen since the end of third year; the source of that bond that Eagle and Hellion have that lets them find each other through the Multiverse.
Nice save from Car and finally someone called out that the time honoured tradition of 'Throw Felix at it' isn't gonna work forever.
Of course they got dressed in a hurry.
So Salem knows Pantheon is planning something.
She hasn't made a new scythe and her wings are gone….I have another upgrade in mind.
And now Salem can't go pulling new allies out from the endless pit of plot convenience that is the multiverse, this won't become a plot point in this story it was just done to tie up some loose ends and explain why doesn't do the obvious thing….Also, alternate Oscar is still alive and well.
Salem is beyond pissed, now she wants to destroy every Remnant instead of just this one but she still needs a new plan.
So the island and resort are pretty swanky….I had an image from a certain anime in my head but honestly I can't think which one or even be certain my mind hasn't invented it completely.
Ah the dramatic entrance…..for an audience of one old guy.
In my head Blanca looks like Gran Torino from MHA but dressed as a Remnant version of Muldoon from Jurassic Park.
You know as well as I do that Blanca is gonna do something cool.
Hunters inspire hope, it's not enough to just kill the Grimm; they've gotta be seen doing all the superhero stuff….Which is a) why things like the Vytal Tournament make sense in universe and b) the pretext for the next chapter, enjoy.
Thank you to SumoSnipe for their reply on the last chapter.
Well damn, if Qrow's monologue feels like the end then I've gotta work extra hard to make sure the actual end lives up to expectations and the story doesn't feel like it's overstaying it's welcome.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review