AN/ ok so update time folks, Hey guys *waves nervously,* so some of you may have been wondering Where I have been at. And I will tell you. That addiction to the Worm series i mentioned. Yeah well, it moved onto worm fanfic (crying cause i was about a month sober. I fell off the wagon sorry guys.) God, there was so much content. On that note that oneshot I wrote and posted well unlike the one for code geass I actually managed to get out a second chapter. And I Am officially going to be releasing it under the title legacy of the maelstrom. Look for it coming at you guys soon, On another note i also held back on posting because of spending time with family for the holidays. COVID is a real thing and I feel that until the pandemic is over staying healthy and spending time with loved ones is a priority. I was also busy writing a backstory for a particular character. i have found to be one of my favorites. it will be added to the story soon. But that is all for updates on to the show.

Chapter 27 Lower Cairn pt. 2

It was only minutes since the crash, worse only a scant few hours until nightfall. And to make matters worse. They were not prepared for this and low on supplies. They were trapped in what they could only describe as hell. The grimm where endless. When they took down one another, two would spring up in their place. And it would likely take them an hour just to get to Lower cairn on foot from here. Wading through grimm even longer.

"Ren, Duck!" Nora cried.

Without questioning her Ren immediately ducked the blow, her hammer pulverising a lunging Beowulf. Preempting an attract that would have in all likelihood maimed her partner. Ren knew it was something to be grateful for. Even as he spun to take aim at four more Beowolfs. He saw out of the corner of his eye. Said unfortunate Beowolf was sent careening into a pack of rather unfortunate Boarbatusk's. Bowling them over.

Before any of the unfortunate grimm got the chance to right themselves, the Beowolf exploded. Taking them with it in the blast. Truly, there was never a time that Ren was more grateful to have met Nora. She had taken to Naruto's training rather well. Given her new ability to impart an explosive charge to an enemy.

Even as Yatsuhashi swung his sword taking out one, two, and three Ursa. all with one massive swing of his blade. He watched on as Ren devastated one Beowulf after another with his fists. One blow after another delt killing if not crippling injuries to the grimm that surrounded them. Crushing skulls and caving in armor meant to protect the foul beasts. Like it was tissue paper. Making it abundantly clear to Yatsuhashi that the problem Ren had was with holding back rather than with any lack of power on his part. Also, rather grateful Ren had not hit him directly.

Yatsuhashi found it odd the way the grimm were acting considering the horde they were amid. They should have been overwhelmed, yet they were not. It was only the youngest of the grimm that were attacking in slap dash packs with no real rime or reason. Yet all the same, he was grateful it was the only reason they were still alive.

"Roooaaarrr,"

His blood ran cold as he heard the triumphant roar of what seemed like an elder Goliath. Even now he could see the disturbance and destruction its travel caused. He knew it spelled their doom. Yet all the same, he could not believe the way Kurama was acting. Hissing and growling in what seemed like anticipation. Pacing back and forth, eager for the battle to come. Any Grimm that were foolish enough to approach the now horse sized fox. were summarily obliterated with an arrant swipe of one of his tails. Done with such casual ease. It was as if the lesser grimm were not worthy of his notice. It was apparent to him now that this too was another reason they still lived.

The rumbling increased.

'Grrrr', Yatsuhashi could see the way Kurama stilled, lowering his form ready to pounce.

The glinting of red eyes and thick scarred carapace was the only thing they saw before Kurama pounced. He was on top of the foul beast in a flurry of claws and teeth. Slamming into the goliath with force enough to force it back into the woods beyond.

There was the sound of crunching bone and tearing of flesh. A sound like thunder as the ground trembled with the force of the fight.

Yatsuhashi could swear he heard the chittering hiss of a death stalker. And caw of a nevermore. And now that he had the chance to look around. He noticed that the remaining grimm were suspiciously absent, In all likelihood they had taken the chance to beat a hasty retreat.

Never was it said that grimm where stupid. It was likely that they had taken this chance to escape lest they be trodden under foot.

Soon the rumbling and sounds of harsh impacts had died down. Then stop all together, save for the eerie sounds of crunching bones.

It was a serious disconnect from moments ago. Yet all the same they waited on guard and wary. Not one of them dared to speak a word. Letting the silence creep in and remain.

There was a rustling in the bushes. A rather triumphant looking Kurama came trotting into the clearing. Now about the size of a rather small Chihuahua. Save for his once more single long bushy tail. And long fluffy ears. Trotting up to Nora, he waited for the girl to bend down. He lept into her arms and scurried up her frame to draping himself around her neck. Looking even more smug as he let out a yawn and went to sleep. Content in his fill of ultra violence for the day.

Yatsuhashi looked to resting form of Kurama. Glanced back to the thicket of trees that hid his handy work. Then back to the rather disconcerting, peaceful tableau of the resting Kurama. Then back again to the thicket. It was the sudden chill down his back that made up his mind. There were just some things that man was not meant to see. At that moment he had decided that whatever was beyond those bushes was something world altering not meant for mortal eyes.

"Come on, we need to make it to the city gates," he said with haste in his tone. And If he walked faster to get away from the clearing neither, Nora nor Ren said a thing. Merely picking up their pace to match his.

]|[

For crash landings Velvet knew she would rate this one in the category of top ten worst crash landings best not spoken of. Their ride was currently a smoking wreck not more than a quarter mile away. Their pilots were… well, the less said about how cadaverific they were, the better. The words shoebox and hamburger came to mind. And what was worse was the grimm. They were everywhere.

She knew that had the grimm not been acting unusual, more focused on running away from the city than attacking. She knew without a doubt that part of their survival rested in the hands of Pyrrha (made it to the top ten people Velvet swore she would not fuck with) Nikos. It was her supreme control of the very iron sands that made landing survivable from terminal velocity at least a thousand feet up. That even now was preventing the grimm from even coming close, acting like razor sharp threads eviscerating any that approached. As they made their way to the city gates.

Velvet's ears twitched as she heard rustling in the bushes just beyond the barrier of iron sand, "there is something coming straight at us. And it's big." Velvet sent.

Pyrrha wordlessly nodded, "right". It took some getting used to the telepathic semblance of Fox but it did aid in their coordination. Simultaneously, she formed in front of them ultra fine wisps of iron thread nanometers thin. Each individual strand is weak. But strong as a whole. Flaying any grimm that dared to approach.

Like it had been since they landed, there was the meaty thump of something impacting the barrier of threads. Then the sounds of shearing flesh and bone. A sound velvet swore she would hear in her nightmares.

They hurried forward to the gates of Lower cairn. They could see them in the distance even now.

]|[

Naruto knew from the moment they landed they were in for a long fight. It was the opposite. They had landed right in the center of the horde. Yet only the weakest, the youngest of the grimm, dared even approach. Even they were brought to heel when it was shown that both he and Coco would not fall so easily.

"Roarrr,"

The grimm that surrounded them stiffened at the massive roar that echoed throughout the forest. There was a rumbling growl that followed. The horde that encircled them responded immediately. Fading back into the foliage and trees that surrounded them. Retreating, called back by their elder.

"Well, that was utterly terrifying and anticlimactic," Coco couldn't help but mutter. Kicking a small rock into the brush.

"Yeah, let's not look a gift horse in the mouth though, right?" Naruto agreed. "Let's get going before it gets dark."

"Yea, ok."

The pair took off towards the village. They made the trek all the faster by the noticeable lack of grimm. Only the occasional few stragglers. That was taken out with ease, by the time the pair made it to the close gates. Coco had finally gotten in contact with Fox. thanks to his telepathic semblance.

"Coco, can you hear me?"

"Fox, where are you guys!" she sent.

"We're about thirty minutes out if we keep up this pace," he sent back.

"Ok, that's good. Have you met up with Yatsuhashi's group yet?" Coco sent.

"Yes, we found them about ten minutes ago." fox sent.

"Can you link him in?" she asked.

"No, you're at the very edge of my range. It's hard to even talk to you now. It's taking a lot of focus just to connect to you."

Coco bit off her knee jerk response instead she asked, "Right, we're at the village gates now. How soon do you think you can get here?"

It only took a moment for Fox to respond, "we're about thirty minutes out at our current pace. Gotta go, See you soon, Coco."

"You to Fox," Coco said in response. Then the link went dead.

It was at this point the pair reached the gates. A gate that should have been manned at all times. Now absent of guards. While there were signs of combat and even some damage to the gate and walls. But it was old and showed signs of repair.

Fresh Plaster covered pockmarked sections of the wall where the damage was only cosmetic. Scorch marks dotted the walls expanse, entire sections burned black. But fading, giving way to primarily fresh coats of cement. The tell-tale claw marks and even pitted and dented the metal graced the sturdy and formidable gate house. Even so, the gatekeep and walls by extension stood strong, showing no true signs of failing.

"Hey is there anyone there?" Coco yelled. Her voice echoing through the empty air. With no response. "Odd, even in villages like this there usually at least one person on guard at all times."

"Yeah, you're right." Naruto agreed with her voiced concerns.

"Perhaps they fell back to the keep when they saw the horde and left things to the automated defences." she offered, even if she knew it was the flimsiest of excuses. It was better to have some hope rather than the all too common truth. That it was likely that the grimm found some other way in. Or that the point defenses were not enough to ward off the flyers. If that was the case, then… she grimaced at the thought. "Well, there's no point in idling around here let's try to get these gates open."

"Right, no point and standing here in the open with the grim at our backs." Naruto couldn't help but agree. Even for someone with his power being pressed in with the wall and it's arsenal on one side and the grimm on the other was no position he wanted to be caught in. Even if it was a position, he could ignore because of his power. He still had no desire to be caught in that crossfire. A situation that would prove to be less than pleasant for sure.

The pair cautiously took positions at the counsels on either side of the personnel entrance. All the while the point defences tracked them every step of the way. Something that did not go unnoticed by the pair. Even as they entered their provisional hunter registrations.

"Uzumaki Naruto, ID: BA-01-529-2950, pass phrase: Maelstrom," he announced while pressing his hand to the reader while channeling a bit of chakra.

'user ID confirmed, waiting for dual user verification', a digital voice sounded. Soon after they were greeted with, '-Access granted-,' as Coco input her own verification. "Coco Adel, ID: BA-02-265-8073, pass phrase Chocolatino,'

With a whirl and a hiss of hydraulics, the sturdy bulkhead panels that made up the doors split apart. Revealing a long corridor with several more bulkheads already sliding back into their recessed positions in the walls.

The pair walked down the corridor, very aware of the automated defences tracking their every movement. From the mounted gun ports in the walls. To the over head murder holes in the ceiling primed with god knew what. Probably a corrosive, highly flammable acid. The kind that would denature proteins in a hurry, stripping flesh from bone. Yea, best not think about that. No, sir.

Once they made it past the gatekeep and the nerve-wracking point defences that were clearly set to target humans and the grimm. what they walked into was not a bustling city of nearly fifty thousand people. Nor the huddled masses of a barely surviving city. But a ghost town.

Barren streets without a soul in sight. Every home they had checked so far on their trek to the castle was empty. As if collectively the entire town had got up and left. Leaving all their belongings behind, even half finished plates from the night before still sat on abandoned tables. Nether knew of a grimm in this region that killed like this without some sign of a struggle on the victim's part. Putting the two on guard as they proceeded with caution.

]|[

-one Hour earlier-

"Uggg, it's sooo boring!"

"Hah, you know if you're bored why don't you take a look outside and go for a walk, Stinger," his fellow commander stated. "Unlike you, some of us actually have work to do."

Stinger stilled, his eyes narrowing in a quickly mastered anger. A grin breaking out over his face as he looked at his partner. Fingers twitching with his need for murder. A violent and messy murder. He inhaled through his nose, held it, and then exhaled the breath through his mouth. Quickly mastering himself as a manic grin formed. "Ah, Yes I think you're quite right Arrow. I'll go do just that. After all, idle hands are the devils' playthings."

He spun on his feet and left her on the walkway overlooking the crown square. And the subject of their current mission: the cursed mud. Laruam and Intrygant had infiltrated the city, an honestly straightforward task for the pair. They left himself, Charon and his apprentice Arrow in command.

"Oh, how I wish I had gotten here first," he internally thought, "it would have been such fun. It would have even been a treat to see Laruam in action."

In fact, by the time he and the other members of his squad had gotten here the experiment was already underway, using her shadows Laruam had effectively infected the entire city with the cursed mud.

Unlike any other grimm, its existence spread from person to person like a virus, unlike a simple common cold, this acted like a parasite. It's only goal is to gather biomass to move on the second stage of its life cycle. That in fact was what they were tasked in watching over. The roiling mass of flesh both grimm and not, a mass of the living and not. Currently gestating in the crown square. Currently amid its second life cycle. Soon it would give way to the third and final part of its life. And while they were not told much about the third phase. They assured Stinger that at the very least it would be entertaining.

"ah yes, such fun." Thinking about it positively brought a smile to his face, "but I am getting distracted now aren't I."

He let out a manic giggle as he headed for the tallest building in the castle, Eidyn's point, while not the tallest building in the city it however was the perfect vantage to see the entire city from.

He watched the skyline from his vantage. Watching as the grimm continued to flee from the city in mass. Slowly, as a gray speck grew on the horizon, his grin grew. "Ooh, I spy with my little eye." His anticipation exploding as he watched the survivors bailing out of the ship before it went down. He chuckled, practically vibrating with glee as he saw the craft go down in a glorious explosion. "Oh my, how pretty."

"Well, if they survived that crash then they would at least put up a decent fight," he idly thought. And if they can make it to the city, then all the better. "Then they would truly be worth hunting."

It took nearly an hour before he spotted them from his vantage. He almost let out a squeal of excitement when he saw them. They had made it; they had made it here. Come to him. Like pigs ready for the slaughter, no, no, no, not a slaughter but a hunt. Further, they were not pigs, but the rabbits to his fox. "Oh, how glorious." he exclaimed, in his excitement he all but leapt off the tower in his haste to be the first to make contact with the enemy. For his hunt.

"Brother would have loved this." he thought as he ran full tilt for the castle's esplanade. They were perfect together. Their abilities let them carve a bloody swath across Anima. It was only by luck that their rampage ended. They had been separated in a conflict with the joint task force sent to apprehend the pair. When he next met his brother nearly a year later, the man had changed. He was no longer Tyrion Callows, the manic serial killer that struck fear into the hearts of many. But Slagter the butcher, no! The blade of lady Salem. He was driven, more focused than he had ever been before. The madness that Stinger had loved so much was sharpened into a weapon against those who opposed his ladyship's goals. Slagter had found what he was missing. And it had made him even more lethal, deadly, and proficient at what he did best.

Stinger wanted that, he wanted that so badly. That power, that dedication, that devotion. How could he not follow his brother and join the Order. And so he gave up his name. After all, without Tyrion there was no Klein Callows of the Callows brothers. So he became Stinger, at least for now. Soon though, he knew it was only a matter of time before he became one of her lady's Blessed. And become named.

As he turned a corner and ran to the gatehouse, he could see a rather sizable group of both his squamates and Arow's squad ready at the gates. He slowed from a sprint to a jog. As he idly thought to himself on his approach. "Surely some of the men had to have been sent into the city. Readying an ambush for the huntsmen who have come to this corner of hell. At the very least are positioned to keep watch."

His men noticed his approach. One even gave a wave, "what's up chief?" one of his squad asked.

"Shipman, what is going on here?" he asked, eyes narrowed.

"All we know is that they ordered us to keep guard here and under no circumstances to enter the city. We've been on guard here since the crash." Shipman responded. "So chief what do ya, Wanna to do?"

Ah, and there it was. That eagerness he so loved. Degenerates the lot of them. It almost brought tears to his eyes, almost. Men after his own heart. Truly, they were all men after his own wicked heart. Dan 'Steely' Shipman, Harold 'cioccolata' Holmes, Theodore 'secco' Giens, and Ben, Andy and Wayne Gacy of the mad spree triplets, killers, thieves and terrorists all. His men, members of his hounds.

"Gentlemen," he declared, "we're going on a walk!" knowing that his men were all too eager for the hunt. Even better than that, he knew that because of his rank neither Arrow nor Charon could truly give him or his squad orders.

Grins that matched his own, as he and his men flouted orders. Heading off into the depths of the city below.

"Perhaps there were even survivors to silence," he idly thought, "now it's time for the hunt!"

]|[

In the scant time that she had in the past three days since giving up the intoxicating power of a maiden. Cinder trained and trained, willing to do what it took to regain some level of power. That she once had as a maiden. She knew it was there, her power beyond that, even what a maiden could hope to wield. She felt like she could grasp it. Yet at others it was all the more fleeting and fickle as the wind.

The temptation was there, it would always be there, to go out and seek once more for herself the power of a maiden. She likened the emptiness she felt at the loss to that of an addiction. One she could only take one day at a time. It was a struggle between her addiction and the nightmares she was having for the past few days, while much of the content of the dreams were vague at best. Of the few things that stayed with her that made her want to give up and die where, the taste of blood, red hair, a woman's voice, brown eyes, violet eyes, red eyes, a glint of something silver, the tolling of a bell, and unrelenting rage. Then she would awake to the sense of emptiness, vast and deep despair with a sense of deep loss. The bulk of her dreams fading from her mind. No matter how hard she tried to remember, to keep some part of whatever she could. It was like sand, even with all your effort you could only hold on to so much. And even then that too was ephemeral.

So she put all of her effort into her training. Of those she would have contemplated spares with. Neo, the feisty minx, had scarpered off to god knows where after only one all out spar siting that it was hazardous for her continued existence to attempt such an endeavor. The hell that ever meant. Then there was Roman, who was currently suffering under the rather amusing effects of some kind of spell. Who had responded much the same as Neo despite his... Ahem, infirmities as it were. Though he added a parting comment about clearly being too sober for this. She thought it punishment enough for the rapscallion. It was not like he would die after all. What was a little maiming and third-degree burns between friends, after all. Sweet, sweet, Emerald, as strong as she was. Cinder knew she'd undoubtedly crush the poor girl. And that was simply something she couldn't bare. Then there was Mercury, the traitor, the lair, the deceiver. Honestly, Cinder had no idea how to handle his betrayal. Such that she categorically refused to even consider sparing with the boy. Lest, he meets a gory end. It was already a struggle to put up with the indignity of the regular 'doses' she knew where to keep the maiden power from ripping her apart. A power she no longer had. A power she knew she was better off without. Lastly there was Adam, Adam the dedicated, the leader, the revolutionary, the mad dog, the unhinged. She would rather not fight a man like him. In her current state, it would be more trouble than it was worth. And to make matters worse, Naruto was off on a mission right now. Putting him far out of her reach. Even if she wished to reach out for training.

Her only recourse for the moment was to meditate like Polaris suggested. Yet the inner piece needed to maintain focus escaped her beset on all sides. By the dreams she was coming to realise were in fact fleeting memories. Difficult to grasp even harder to focus on.

Frustrated with her lack of progress, she stood up and headed to the changing rooms for a change of clothes. She desperately needed to work off some stress.

Changing out of her dress and into a pair of spats a crimson tank and black sports bra. With her hair bound in a ponytail to keep it out of her face. She checked over the bindings on her wrists as she squared up with the heavy bag in the corner.

She let out a sigh, focused in on her target. And dealt the bag a devastating right hook. Even with no aura enhancing her blows. The bag still rocked back and forth with each blow.

"stupid-,"

She spun, dealing a roundhouse kick that nearly had the whole bag stand rocking.

"blonde bastard," she grunted. With each blow.

A flash of an elegant hotel flashed across her mind's eye. Filling her with an indescribable rage. She put all that rage into her next strike. She punched a hole through the heavy bag. Biting back a curse at the pain that flared up her arm from her wrist. As she tucked her arm close to her chest. Held back her tears, grit her teeth, even as another image flashed in her mind. This one of a huntsman with long silver- gray hair. She did not know why it filled her with sadness. It too faded like the rest, only leaving her with a profound sense of emptiness, of loss.

"Ooh, that looked like it hurt."

Cinder spun to face the unfamiliar voice. Coming face to face with a rather familiar visage hidden partly by his hoodie. "Naruto?" she asked

Grinning, "yo," he waved. Taking off the hood to reveal his black hair and fox ears, "that a yes and no, while I am like this call me Menma."

"What are you doing here and like this," she asked, gesturing to his new to her Faunus features.

Menma scratched his cheek idly, "ah, well that, right so officially as Menma Namikaze the crimson flash of the fang and official Huntsman." he even did the air quotes thing. "I am here to monitor Adam Taurus. And see why the Vale chapter of the Fang has gotten so aggressive as of late. The men I was with are about another day out. I ran ahead to get a lay of the land before I confronted Taurus." it did not need to be said he already knew why. "Unofficially, I am here to train you. The Boss asked me to do this."

"don't tell Adam," he muttered in a conspiratorial tone. His humor evident.

She snorted, "So you're one of his copies," she asked. Amused by the lighter tone.

"Yea, but I Am a lot more durable than a normal shadow clone. It would take a crippling or fatal blow to pop me, oh and that should fix your hand."

"When did you?" she said with a start. How had she even failed to notice that he had taken her hand? Better yet, how had he healed her hand?

"Now on to your first lesson. I take it you have been meditating like Polaris suggested, right?" at her nod he continued. "Close your eyes. Focus on that inner fire feel the two energies that make it up one physical and the other spiritual. Feel how the two mix. Focus on that."

The world fell away, cinder only focused on two things: the sound of his voice and that small flame she could feel at the core of her being. "Now focus on your breathing. Feel the ebbs and flow of the flame with each breath. That is your chakra." he stepped up to her while drawing a leaf from his pouch, all while continuing his speech, "chakra is the foundation of the Shinobi Arts. but in order to use it effectively you need chakra control."

"Focus your chakra on to this leaf and get it to stick for as long as you can. The longer the better." he explained, affixing a leaf to her forehead. "This is the leaf concentration exercise. Too little and the leaf will not stick. Too much and it will fly off as well."

This marked the beginning of a new page in her life, her first steps in finding out who she really was.

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