Had issues logging in last week, so here's last week's chapter, and hopefully, I'll have this week's ready within an hour or so! Enjoy!
Titus sat at his laptop and began constructing the report for Winter that he had dreaded writing for the past couple of days since the incident had happened. A custom report, different from any other that he had to write up to that point, asking for the most minute details about the Grimm itself, the nature of the beast, its appearance, any attributes and behaviors that he could confirm with absolute certainty, and any weaknesses of the monster that they had managed to discover. There was a separate page for him to explain what they could have done better to keep Neela from ending up the way that she had, but he was unsure there was anything he could write down as a confident answer. Sure, he could blame Eren, but it didn't answer the question, and he was already taking the mistake harder than Titus expected he would.
He stared at the screen for a long time, loathing the questions before him, knowing that it never should have gotten to this point. Were they all just having a bad day, or was there more to it? Were they really just not ready to take on a beast of that magnitude? They'd had bad days before, but none of them had ended like this, and paired with the fact that the previous number one student of the second years was now in a coma… Titus sighed and placed his fingers on the keyboard, at least filling in what he knew about the Grimm. He'd come up with a reason that they had failed later. His mind wandered, however, replaying the events over and over, stewing with potential different decisions, ones that might have kept Neela from being rendered unconscious, but all of them failed. Had they not been trying their hardest? Did they need to try harder?
"You should try and get some sleep," Ilia told Titus, the light of her scroll illuminating her face in the darkroom as Titus turned back slightly to look at her.
"I could say the same to you," Titus stated, drawing an ire glare from the girl before it melted into a smile and she chuckled.
"I wish I could," Ilia sighed. She looked up at the ceiling and shook her head. "But…"
"Neela?" Titus questioned. Ilia nodded.
"She's going to wake up, right?" Ilia pondered.
"Of course she is," Eliana cut in from the bunk beneath her. Titus and Ilia exchanged a look.
"Sorry, Elli. I didn't mean…" Ilia began.
"I know you didn't mean anything by it," Eliana replied. "But she is going to wake up." She has to.
"Guess we need to get stronger," Ilia noted, reaching her hand out in front of her. "I mean, what does it say for the rest of us if Neela was hit so hard. None of us are on her level."
"Lies," Eren mumbled, turning away from all of them. "Sure she was better, but you all act like she was some kind of sage."
"You've seen her speed," Titus defended.
"And? You don't think you all have your strengths? That's the problem with how your school ranks all of you. You view those numbers as absolute, but I can tell you the distance between tenth and first is probably just the matter of a good day versus a bad one," Eren offered. "I'm not saying that Neela isn't amazing, but I think you guys put too much faith in her and not enough in yourselves."
"She deserves our trust!" Ilia shouted.
"That's not what he's saying," Eliana pointed out. "He's saying our mistake was assuming Neela was untouchable in the first place."
"Elli…" Titus softly spoke.
"But we still need to get stronger," Eliana agreed. The four of them remained in silence for some time before a notification on Titus's laptop cut through the void, causing him to turn back to the device and squint at the screen. It wasn't charging? He double-checked the connection between the cord and the computer before groaning, leaving his seat, and getting on all fours to view the outlet beneath the desk. It was still connected. He shook his head, almost nailing his skull on the edge of the furniture as he stood back up and placed his hands on his hips. What was wrong with this thing? He reached for the light switch and flipped it on, but nothing happened. A power outage? That rarely happened, especially when it wasn't storming outside…
"Anyone else just lose signal?" Ilia asked, tapping violently on her scroll as if something would change.
"Looks like the power is out," Titus noted. Eliana shot up in bed.
"What?" She asked.
"I'm sure it'll come back on in a moment," Titus assured her. "Neela's fine. Weiss has enough doctors watching her down there to run a small triage, and they brought enough Dust for an emergency like this to blow the school off of the face of Remnant if they wanted to." Eliana looked at her hands.
"Right," she replied nervously.
"CCT is back up," Ilia noted. Titus smiled at Eliana and Ilia as his own scroll went off in his pocket. He removed it and unlocked it, noting the message from Natalia.
We've got a problem.
Isn't the power back on now?
The backup generators have the tower running again, but power is still out technically.
Just here, right?
In town too.
You're not saying what I think you're saying, are you?
Scenario Eleven, Subsection B.
Guess we'll see you down there then.
"We need to go," Titus informed them, turning the flashlight on the back of his scroll and laying it on the desk pointing up so that it illuminated the room.
"Go where?" Ilia questioned.
"Down to Vale," Titus replied.
"What?" Ilia asked.
"The power is out down there and people are panicking," Titus offered. "Eliana?"
"Yeah, I'm coming," Eliana stated.
"Eren?" Titus pried. There was no reply, Titus brushed him off, shaking his head as he pulled on his cape and opened the door.
"Eren, we could use your help," Eliana pleaded as she approached him.
"Leave him, Elli," Titus asserted. "It's no use."
"You're the one that Neela saved, right?" Eliana continued. "You're the one that wanted to convince her that you were strong. Don't let what she did be in vain." Eliana waited a long moment, there was still no reply.
"Elli…" Ilia softly called.
"Please help us! If you want Neela to acknowledge you, this is your chance!" Eliana screamed on the verge of tears. Ilia moved to approach Eliana but Titus stopped her. "You already know you can trust us… we need you to save Vale. Please…"
"I'll be there in a moment," Eren replied without looking at them.
"Thank you!" Eliana exhaled. She wiped her eyes and moved to the door, her expression different than Titus had ever seen. This wasn't carefree and happy Eliana. This was a determined and intense Eliana.
"What happened while you were gone?" Titus inquired.
"I figured out what I wanted from life," Eliana stated, leaving ahead of them.
"Computer, run the scenario one more time. Let's go with half of the Lightning Dust of last time," Cobalt stated as he took another bite of his sandwich and stared at the laptop screen before him as the simulation ran the numbers for him.
**SUCCESS RATE IS 70%**
"Not good enough," Cobalt sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "What… Hm… What's the strongest factor in the failure?"
**LIGHTNING DUST IGNITING ON IMPACT**
"I figured as much," he grumbled, spinning in his chair and staring straight up. "I can make the secondary compartment smaller, but that would significantly lessen the amount of Lightning Dust that we could use and wouldn't be as effective. Alternatively, I could make the barrier out of something more resistant to the explosion, but if it's too resistant the Lightning Dust won't ignite… unless I have the shaft act as a plunger!"
"You've been at that all day," Tawney informed him. "Give it up until tomorrow."
"As if," Cobalt stated, typing at lightspeed on his keyboard before confidently slamming the enter button and letting the scenario run again.
**SUCCESS RATE IS 96.3%**
"Haha, yes!" Cobalt declared. "A few minor tweaks and they'll be good to go!"
"Can you keep it down, some of us are trying to sleep," Lykos groggily called out.
"Why don't the two of you do the normal teenage thing and have sex every now and then instead?" Cobalt offered with a shrug. Lykos stared at him blankly.
"While you two are in here?" Bái asked.
"No!" Tawney shouted.
"I don't mind," Cobalt chuckled.
"Pervert," Lykos stated, rolling back over.
"Cobalt…" Tawney seethed.
"Joking! Joking!" Cobalt defended. His computer chimed behind him and he ignored it, instead focusing on Tawney. "You bummed about Neela?"
"Aren't we all?" Tawney asked. Tawney stared out the window and nodded. "Besides, I can't fight her if she's in a coma." Cobalt chuckled.
"There it is," Cobalt noted.
"What?!" She shouted.
"Sleeping!" Lykos barked.
"Sorry," Tawney offered.
"Proof that you care," Cobalt smirked. Tawney pulled her beanie down over her eyes.
"Sure, whatever," she told him. Suddenly the thundering of footsteps filled the hall and Cobalt opened the door, peering out.
"What's going on?" Cobalt pried.
"Grimm invasion in town," Eren informed him.
"And you guys are going to take all the glory?! I don't think so!" Tawney yelled standing right behind her leader.
"Still sleeping!" Lykos growled again.
"Well get up, we've got a city to defend!" Tawney called back.
"Can't we let NITE handle it?" Bái begged.
"Like hell we can!" Tawney thundered. "We're going to pass them fair and square, now get up and get ready for a fight!"
"Does anyone need described to them again what's going on?" Coco asked as the students began to amass at the cliffside and load onto airships.
"I could use a refresher," Cobalt claimed as Tawney smacked him in the back of the head.
"No he doesn't," Tawney answered for him.
"Have they breached the city yet?" Eliana questioned.
"No," Coco replied as she looked her scroll over. She sighed. "I wish the Grimm was the most of our problems."
"Something else going on?" Titus inquired.
"Sounds like we've got a crisis happening at the prison too," Coco noted.
"It's gonna be a long night, isn't it," Eren asked as he arrived. Coco smirked slightly looking at Team NITE before her. She nodded.
"Probably," Coco agreed.
"We need the next airship!" Stratford shouted, sprinting towards them with Siobhan hot on his heels, looking more out of breath than her boss.
"What exactly happened?" Coco demanded.
"Aurora used Dread with her Semblance," Stratford informed her, sounding slightly annoyed. "They stole the bullet out from under our noses. I intend to go into town and find them before they make off with it completely."
"Without any leads?" Coco furrowed her brow as the two of them boarded the ship with Emerald.
"Aurora made off in the dark with Mercury, but once we get close enough to him, the Gravity Dust in his legs should activate," Emerald noted, holding up with prosthetics. Coco rubbed her temples as the ship took off and was replaced by another.
"Still going to require a lot of guesswork to find," Coco groaned. She entered the airship with Team NITE and they headed for the woods closest to the power plant. She made another call on her scroll. "What can you tell me? A micro EMP? Why wouldn't they fry the whole city? I am grateful, I just don't understand the play. Alright. Call me back if you find anything else."
"Anything we can help with there?" Ilia asked. Coco shook her head.
"I still need you kids on Grimm duty," Coco informed her.
"We can handle the Grimm," Eliana nodded, staring off out the open door. Coco looked at Eliana, the girl seemed far more serious than usual.
"What kind of Grimm are we dealing with?" Titus inquired.
"Unsure," Coco answered. "The sensors in the woods that Oobleck set up only tell us that they're coming, not what type they are."
"Beggars can't be choosers," Eren stated.
"I'm guessing the police are busy with the prison," Eliana mused.
"Yep," Coco shot back. The airship let them out with a short drop, not fully landing as it was once more headed back to the cliffside to pick up more students that were willing to help out.
"What's the plan?" Eren asked.
"How many Grimm are we dealing with?" Titus pried. Coco rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"I can't say an exact number, but the sensors have been going off for some time," Coco explained.
"We funnel them," Eliana offered as she looked into the woods, hundreds of red, smoking, searing eyes bobbing too and fro, heading directly for them. "Titus, build a stone wall in each direction with your kopides in a 'V' shape of sorts. Ilia, stay back and prepare for whatever decides to go over the walls. Eren, you can make just about anything explode, right?"
"More mass is more difficult, but yeah," he answered.
"It won't be much mass. Reach out and when you feel tension, activate your semblance," Eliana explained as Titus got to work without so much as a rebuttal. Eren did as he was told, unsure of exactly just what he'd set to explode, but trusting this new teammate of his. "A forcefield so thin that it's naked to the eye, but I know where it is. It's going to cap off the funnel. It won't take too much for the Grimm to break through it, but the ensuing carnage is going to leave them beyond confused. That's when we strike."
"You're sure this will work?" Eren asked.
"Grimm will often take the path of least resistance," Eliana detailed as she pointed towards the mass. "And they'll always follow their Alpha." Beowolves, and just as Coco had surmised, a lot of them. Eliana's plan was solid and she seemed confident in it. Titus felt at ease as he looked at Ilia and she nodded back at him. Their missing puzzle piece had returned.
"They're coming in fast!" Eren shouted.
"Not yet," Eliana replied, removing her pistols. She missed the ones Neela had given her, but still felt like she had made the right choice giving them back.
"They're filing in as expected," Titus noted.
"They'll breach in a few seconds!" Eren claimed.
"Not yet!" Eliana repeated, knowing how much her forcefield could take. The Alpha hit the transparent wall hard, shaking it off as he planted and roared, offering a second blow that still didn't take it down. Coco was impressed with the strength of a forcefield that couldn't even be seen. How hard had Eliana trained while she was away? The Alpha raged, preparing a third attack, one that shattered the barrier. "Now!" With that, an explosion filled the walls, crumbling them easily but they served their purpose and the blast was driven back, taking out a significant amount of Grimm, leaving the Alpha enraged, albeit smoldering.
"Go!" Titus cried, rushing in and covering himself in stone, battering into the Alpha and driving it back to make room for his teammates to join him and attack the stragglers. Several quick blade attacks from the Gargoyle made quick work of the pack's leader, and Eliana created a set of platforms for Eren to climb for a birds-eye view.
"Go crazy!" Eliana called up to him. Ilia leapt out of his body, into the middle of the mass which stirred even more confusion in the beasts, quickly swiping through a few of them as she opened fire, explosive shots raining from above and rushing the ones in from the back. Coco watched them in amazement, wondering if this was even the same team as the Krygore fight, double-taking Eliana as she swore for a brief moment that she had instead seen Alex.
"Your father would be proud of you," Coco admitted softly for no one to hear. To think she believed that they'd be lost without Neela was narrow-minded of her. She watched as they effortlessly took out the wave, acting as one in a supernatural manner, and admiring their work after they'd finished.
"We did it!" Ilia declared.
"For now," Titus added.
"Come on, you can celebrate every now and then," Ilia insisted.
"Are there more coming?" Titus questioned. Coco broke free from her trance and checked her scroll, nodding to him.
"Looks like I was right about it being a long night," Eren noted.
"You can go if you need to," Eliana assured her.
"As well as you're doing, I probably could, but after the Krygore…" Coco began before she was cut off by a tap on the shoulder.
"You can go," Harriet insisted with a smirk. Coco smiled back and nodded.
"Thanks," Coco replied, jogging towards town.
Looks like Team NITE is pulling themselves back together. Next week, Chapter 41: Power!
A big thank you to AG_Nonsuch, Helihi, Cadhla182, Carlomontie, Nliast, Y8ay8a, Sa-Dui, Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. The artwork can be found at Deviantart, you can search Silent-Celica and under my favorites tab, I have a collection for NITE.
Until next week, stay classy!