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Chapter 30: Survival Horror
Felix Xiao Long and his partner and best friend since their own time as students at the Halo Academy of New Vale had remained stationed outside of the abandoned and unfinished manor house, purported to have once belonged to one 'Old Man Marble' whilst the group of teens that it had been their pleasure to take under their wing had ventured inside, neither the students or their more experienced elders aware of what lurked within.
The two had initially attempted to retain an air of dutiful professionalism so that their lessons might be received with the proper studious diligence that the two blondes thought that their level had expertise had earned them and so both Felix and Eagle had, for a time at least stood sentry-like close by the entrance to the decrepit old mansion, alert and with weapons drawn.
A change had come over their demeanour once Felix's stomach had begun to rumble.
Once a hunger caused by the Lion Faunus neglecting a proper breakfast in favour of surprising his sibling and their team had begun to set in Felix's attempts at a stoic and guarded demeanour, hardly passable at the best of times had begun to crumble and Eagle; ever the caring friend and practical mind in such matter had allowed a smile to dimple her freckled cheeks as she assured her partner that she had indeed packed lunch for all of them.
From there the two blondes had, in the absence of any impressionable young eyes upon them reverted to form and set Sentinel about the task of keeping watch for any incoming Grimm from the air whilst they retreated to the comfort of the Killer-Bee, though Felix would still not allow his muscle car to suffer the ignoble fate of being littered with crumbs even after so many years; the two of them agreeing that any pretence of professionalism they attempted to keep up could be shattered in moments by simple honesty from two members of Team MARZ in any case, even if Felix had not already bribed them. As the two shared the lunch that Eagle had prepared however if quickly became apparent that there were matters that they could not find common ground on, namely the wisdom of turning on the muscle car's radio which Eagle had initially pointed out would likely draw unwanted attention and predations to which Felix had responded that they were in no real danger only for Eagle to point out that there were very radio stations on the island of Menagerie anyway, owing to the poor signal reception which would certainly hamper the Lion Faunus's efforts.
Before Felix could point out that he was more than prepared to listen to music in the digital age the discussion had been rendered moot by a large detonation within the manor.
"What the hell was that?" Felix demanded, hefting the chainsaw-bladed broadsword which had replaced the smaller, paired weapons which he once carried and adjusting his stance to weather the small shock-wave which sent tremors through the cracked and dusty ground.
"It came from inside!" Eagle exclaimed, deep crimson eyes widening with worry upon catching sight of a light shining from somewhere within the building whose structural integrity was questionable at best a fraction of a second before the force of the blast had seemed to force several sections of walls and likely support struts behind them to bow outwards almost to the point of collapse.
"Astra's weapon can't do that" Felix's expression darkened, that condition redoubling as a notion came to him "But AJ's can if its' at full power….She wouldn't use it on Car like that, try and contact Regalia!" without waiting for a response Felix drew his scroll and hastily attempted to dial Astra, biting out a furious curse as three successive attempts failed due to reception so poor that a connection could not be established, from there the Lion Faunus attempted to contact his cousin and was given a fleeting moment of hope as it seemed that Athena-Jade seemed to do business with a more reliable service provider only for it to be dashed as the Bear Faunus failed to answer. Turning to his partner Felix felt the knot of ice and dread that worked its' way into his stomach tighten.
"Nothing" Eagle informed him, the word ringing hollow and prompting Felix to let out a low, primal growl which peeled lips back to reveal overlong canine teeth; yet before he could bring the chainsaw blade of Overkill screaming into life and charge into the building with reckless abandon and righteous fury tempered by over a decade of experience the two blondes were brought to a halt once again, staring with hopeful eyes and bated breath at the scroll in Eagle's hand as it began to vibrate.
"It's Carcharodon" she whispered "He might be with the others-"
"Answer it and find out" Felix urged, his partner did so and an instant later hope seemed to fade away once more, a distant memory in the face of the static interference, shrieking of some hellish avian monstrosities and the familiar sounds of the Shark Faunus's weapons tearing through flesh and bone.
"Would either of you Kingdom born land-lovers care to inform me as to what I am fighting?" Carcharodon rasped as his outline flitted across screen as the video call finally began in earnest, grainy and lagging though it was and Eagle and Felix, even with his superior vision struggled to make out any pertinent details against the blackness despite the night vision settings of the camera clearly being active. Carcharodon had set his Scroll off to one side so that he could use his Semblance to outflank his quarry several times in quick succession, all whilst allowing Felix and Eagle to observe the proceedings and as the fiery blood-red glow cast by the eyes of a Grimm lurched into view, only to be snuffed out by the Shark Faunus cleaving through its' neck a moment later the two Hunters got their first real chance to examine the Creatures of Grimm whose resemblance to something as harmless as a flamingo some how made them all the more unnerving.
"They have a form of camouflage" Carcharodon informed them, contempt dripping from every syllable despite him panting with exertion as he weaved around a taloned claw aimed at his neck "They can disguise themselves as statues, their bodies turn into stone….This building is littered with the things, I don't know how many or how intelligent they are; I have never encountered these Grimm before"
"Neither have we" Eagle admitted, under normal circumstances this would be thrilling news; a chance to not only be the first to catalogue and subsequently destroy a new Creature of Grimm but then to have the opportunity to share that discovery with both her Aunt Velvet and Ruby Rose herself the very same day would have been something to celebrate, however the presence of first year students whose condition was currently unknown soured the experience and left Eagle bracing herself for action whilst also trembling with sudden fear that even the comforting feeling of Sentinel returning to her arm and shifting into shield mode did not assuage.
"Car break off and find the kids!" Felix snapped out
"Do you not listen" Carcharodon shot back harshly "These beasts are intelligent enough to lay traps, they're certainly capable of following….No doubt that blast was the whelp facing off against monsters of her own, would you have me draw more towards her?"
"Damn it!" the Lion Faunus fought the urge to hurl his Scroll at that before mastering himself and remembering just how many monsters he had slain; even as the fact that Team MARZ and Wolfram Ironside might at that very moment be fighting for their lives whispered itself into the back of his mind.
"Nothing for it!" he declared, activating Overkill with a scream of whirring blades and a shower of sparks that were quickly absorbed by his Semblance "We're going in!"
The first pair of the as yet unnamed and unidentified Flamingo Grimm had fallen quickly, proving themselves to be ambush predators and rank opportunists more than anything else which had allowed Astra and Wolfram to ascend the stairs that had initially led them down into the kitchen area of the abandoned manor house and progress in turn into depths of the maze its' treacherous confines seemed to form in an effort to conspire against the teens as they searched for their friends.
The following flock of several dozen Grimm that followed proved themselves to be more capable.
"COME GET SOME!" the fierce bellow left Astra's lips and rose above the cacophony of gunfire that filled the air as they charged, Buckshot Ares aimed directly forwards with min-guns deployed and firing, bullets tearing through wood, stone and plaster along with the obsidian flesh of every avian nightmare that they struck which in turn reduced visibility to nothing; the black smog that the Creatures of Grimm left with their passing billowing outwards and forwards in the confines of the corridor and swallowing even the sparking muzzle-flashes of the discharging weapons. As they continued to charge Astra became aware, a needle of worry in the back of their mind that it had been several seconds since they had last felt or heard the deafening report of Berserker in its ranged form as the leader of Team WULF fired the oversized hand-cannon of the Deer Faunus's shoulder and that spike of concern caused Astra to slow their charge and rob some of their momentum a moment before the point was rendered moot by Wolfram barking out a harsh command with his usual commanding presence
"GET DOWN! I NEED A CLEAR SHOT!" Astra almost considered questioning or debating before hearing the telltale sound of their boyfriend sprinting close behind them somewhere in the darkness and, realising that there was no time to do anything except act they ducked into a crouch on a single knee, muscles remaining coiled and tense so that they could spring forward at a moments' notice and continue their assault. Wolfram's ploy became apparent only a fraction of a second later as he leapt forward and used Astra's shoulder as a springboard to vault himself further along the corridor and, in the same instant activate his Semblance; the cloud of darkness was forcibly parted and walls were sheared apart by the plane of solidified air that cleaved through everything in its' path like a guillotine blade, claimed several more Grimm in the process.
Several remained however, one of which had slipped under Wolfram as he leapt.
"Shit!" Astra cursed, bending their arms at the elbows and deploying the rose-tinted Hard-Light shields of Buckshot Ares to block a kick from the overlong and oddly disjointed limb of the Grimm, its' talon being blunted somewhat by the impact.
"We've got no room to move and shoot in here!" they declared irritably to Wolfram "Gonna have to do this up close!" with that the Deer Faunus partially collapsed their weapons with a flick of the wrist, leaving only forearm mounted blades that extended beyond their knuckles deployed as they sprung upwards and backwards to avoid another blow, this one coming in the form of the creatures' long neck lashing and swinging its' hooked and jagged beak like a flail.
In response Astra shifted their weight to their right leg and brought it backwards, allowing their left leg to sweep inwards before arcing upwards and out in a high crescent kick that struck the monster in the skull with a resounding and sickening crack followed by several smaller, yet equally uncomfortable to listen to crunches as the force of the kick whipped the beasts' neck around in such a way that many of the skeletal segments that comprised it ground against one another and, wasting no time the Deer Faunus dove at the reeling Grimm and plunged one of their blades into its' loose, rubbery leather hide whilst the other was jammed forcefully between two of the bones of its' neck to sever its' display of excessive but arguably justifiable violence.
With their breath coming in ragged pants Astra took the briefest moment to centre themselves and watched through fresh wisps of smoky darkness that permeated the already gloomy winding corridor as Wolfram ploughed through several of the flightless avian Grimm without hesitation; fighting like the name of his weapon suggested and using its' shield component to bodily slam one monster through a wall and into the adjacent room where it promptly collapsed and disintegrated, its' demise adding to the explosion of dust and debris that had preceded it whilst the Hunter's steel grey eyes were filled with a wild fury that seemed to border on crazed as he switched to a fresh target without a second glance, promptly splitting the skull of another Grimm open with a downward swing of his axe.
However Wolfram was slowly being surrounded.
The Grimm, showing the same primal cunning that had allowed them to lie in wait for their victims were beginning to slip through the various demolished sections of the hallways' walls and use the rooms that it led to as a path to outflank their assailant which, in a matter of only moments began to turn the tide and shift Wolfram's unrelenting rampage into the beginnings of a last stand which Astra would not allow to come to fruition.
"Heads up!" they yelled, launching themselves into motion, blades still deployed and lashing out in short, sharp and efficient motions that tore open flanks and cleaved through necks and limbs as they hurriedly closed the distance between themselves and their boyfriends, sea-green eyes honing in on the broad, largely flat surface of Berserker's shield component as the beginning of a plan began to form in their mind; they had seen countless pairs of Hunters use one another's weapons as a springboard as part of an attack before, Felix regularly did so with both Eagle and his own boyfriend Helios's shields, Diamond did so with the flat edge of Arctus's sword and even within Team MARZ Zirconia routinely perched on the shaft of Athena-Jade's hammer.
With that in mind he leapt into the air without another word.
Wolfram, to his credit sensed in a broad and vague way what the Deer Faunus intended at the last moment and braced himself as best he could; the move was, in the strictest sense of the term a success as Astra did use the surface of the shield to hurtled forwards and send the blades of Buckshot Ares tearing through every shrieking and squawking monster in their path however the angle and momentum were off in such a way that Astra's landing saw their left shoulder and more importantly their antler collide with a wall in a way that would certainly cause a headache, the sudden thumping impact jarring their right knee and as they staggered forward several steps they hissed in pain as their ankle rolled in a particularly painful way.
To add insult to injury some of the Flamingo Grimm remained.
"Leave 'em to me, I've got this!" Wolfram expression morphed into one of pure unchecked savagery as he hefted his axe and shield in preparation for a more final and gratuitously chaotic charge; the moment never came however as a familiar, warping and thrumming bass note began to fill the air and permeate it with a faint tang of ozone, reaching Astra's senses with just enough time for a warning to be given.
"GET DOWN!" the pair threw themselves to the ground an instant before the remaining Grimm were simply unmade as Athena-Jade Slate announced her presence, firing Mould-Breaker in its' laser cannon form from the waist whilst Zirconia strode gracefully alongside her with Sunriser Cain at the ready to defend her partner.
"You know I wasn't gonna fire until you were out of the way right?" the Bear Faunus asked pointedly as she rested her weapon over one shoulder and used her free hand to wave away the dust and smog that once again filled the air.
"We had that" Wolfram growled as he helped Astra to their feet.
"Sounded like it" Athena noted with a roll of her eyes "We could hear you fighting from a couple" floors away"
"We heard you from down in the basement" Astra pointed out, shaking their head to clear their ears of the ringing sound "You okay?"
"We were unsure of exactly how capable these Grimm were" it was Zirconia that answered, in the usual refined but rasping tone "It seemed prudent to assume that they were highly dangerous and respond accordingly-"
"So we blinded 'em and blew 'em half way to Vaccuo" Athena added with a confident and beaming smile which quickly faltered as she added "Where's Regalia?"
"I-" Astra looked around their reconvened group as though they expected the Racoon Faunus to appear at any moment only to feel bile rise in their throat as the brief moment of levity came crashing down around them with the realisation that they had, once again failed as a friend, leader and partner and that they had no idea where Regalia Russet was, other than that she was somewhere in this Grimm infested building and that she was alone because Astra had chosen not to accompany her.
"We've gotta find her!" their voice cracked as they surged forwards, unsure of exactly where they were heading but needing, on the most base level to do something.
Far from the rapidly ensuing chaos and terror of the wasteland Arctus and Diamond Slate had encountered their own problem.
Namely a heavily armed robotic battle-suit of unknown origin.
Unbeknownst to the pair of Hunters the machine was being controlled remotely by none other than Rowan Oralie who had the advantage of several vantage points, being able to watch the proceedings from the perspective of the war machine that she had been supplied with, along with feeds from several nearby security cameras or, if she strained her eyes and truly wanted to test her abilities the criminal could have simply seen the coming battle unfold from where she had secreted herself in one of the cranes that rose up and over the docks.
What Arctus and Diamond did know however was that the machine before them was a threat
Whilst its' ownership and the specifics of its' origin were unknown to the Hunters what the two of them could surmise that it was, like many of the battle-suits and other mecha employed by organised criminals, an outdated Atlesian military model that had been recovered from some battleground or another and heavily modified.
This particular machine had the unusual quality of being distinctly inhuman in design and seemingly far older than many of its' contemporaries; boasting a central torso unit that was vaguely similar to that of an Atlesian Paladin albeit set somewhat off-centre with a single almost comically large cannon forcing a cockpit or control node which was littered with various sensor arrays to be set to the left whilst a pair of small missile pods were positioned on its' back and angled forwards. This oddly headless upper body was carried by a quartet of limbs that, like the Atlesian haulage crawlers that had been claimed by Vaccuan nomad clans following the first Great War had seen their adaptions intended for traversing the tundra of Solitas improved further still to allow the mecha to cross any terrain; each leg being a mass of pistons and joints intended to give a wide range of motion with thick armour plates of dull gunmetal placed where they would not be restrictive whilst, in lieu of a foot each limb ended in a wheel roughly the size of a person encased in a thick and impressively damage-resistant tire.
The upper limbs of the mecha were, as to be expected equipped with weapons though it was clear that these were not the original arms that it had been manufactured with Its' left arm was painted in a dull olive green where paint still remained and adorned in black and yellow hazard stripes which were centred around a three fingered claw, this limb which had likely been taken from a construction or haulage machine had been further modified as could be seen by the vast array of enormous cables which ran from a secondary power supply welded crudely to the things' shoulder down to an equally slapdash and haphazardly sparking Hard-Light shield which thrummed and crackled ominously; its' right arm was an apparently hastily made addition judging by its' unadorned and skeletal appearance though even here the machine was armed as the limb seemed to have been formed from some manner of mining equipment, ending in a vast drill whose screaming din filled the air whilst giving the entire mecha the appearance of some horrific knight ready to joust with its' foes.
"The Scavenger Guild really needs to be shut down for selling stuff like this!" Diamond called to her husband as she leapt from her latest position atop a tower of shipping containers, her hopes of making a well placed shot that would disable the mechas' primary or secondary power supply being thwarted as the machine pivoted at the waist and used its' enormous pane of crackling hard-light as a cudgel, sending burned and compacted steel flying out in all directions with electricity crackling across their surfaces.
"I know right" Arctus called back as he conjured a glyph in the path of the mechas' shield arm to force it into an odd form of grapple "This was an old Atlas Wheeler, from right after the war, it even predates the spider designs that the Paladin replaced….Aunt Winter would love to see this put in a museum, but look at it….They may as well have put spinning rims on the wheels and neon lights under the chassis-"
"Big guy" Diamond quipped "I love you but for the love of everything, focus and get me an opening!"
"Got it" the Bear Faunus grinned, sapphire blue eyes hardening yet losing none of their brightness which served to give him an almost menacingly gleeful keenness at odds with his actual personality.
Arctus released his glyph without warning, the sudden lack of pressure or resistance causing the mecha to pivot and lurch off balance and allow him charge forwards unhindered, readying both his weapon and a series of glyphs as he went; the impromptu arena for their showdown was an area of the freight docks and as such was littered with an incomprehensible amount of shipping containers that had previously been in a vast maze but were now simply strewn and crushed in the immediate vicinity and it was this debris and detritus that Arctus used as cover whilst he zigzagged forwards, winching and greeting his teeth with each report of the Wheeler's main cannon as it spat a glowing beam of crackling cyan light which shook the ground and reduced steel to glowing slag. As the Bear Faunus neared he first palmed a sizeable slab of Fire Dust and fed it into his glyphs, turning their surfaces a deep crimson before summoning a small pack of a dozen Beowolves which surged out ahead of him, jaws snapping in silent howls and snarls.
The scavenged mecha charged forwards on its' wheeled limbs exactly as expected.
Arctus continued his forward charge though made sure to keep a safe distance between himself and his dust infused summons, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike and grinning as it was delivered to him when the Wheeler stabbed with its' drill and obliterated one of the faux Beowolves, only for the construct to detonate as the Fire Dust that permeated it ignited, doing substantial damage to its' arm and more importantly blinding it for a moment as flames engulfed it.
The Wheeler fired its' main cannon again, directly at Arctus only for the shot to destroy more containers as the Bear Faunus had vanished.
A lance of glowing light and crackling energy surged downwards and burned a glowing trench of superheated metal into the armoured hull of the machine, alerting its' pilot to Arctus's new whereabouts as the Bear Faunus hurtled down towards it; the Bear Faunus having used a staircase of glyphs to take to the air and open fire from above. The Wheeler rocked back and readied its' cannon, which the Hunter was prepared for; summoning another Grimm construct, this one a Nevermore which he straddled and rode Arctus not only avoided the far larger laser beam that was spat in his direction but also returned fire by having the construct unleash a volley of quills which the Wheeler blocked with its' shield arm.
Giving Diamond her opening.
The entire time that her husband had been duelling with the towering machine the sniper had been carefully closing in on it whilst remaining out of sight and hoping that whatever intelligence guided it, be that a pilot or an artificial intelligence was too distracted to properly check their surroundings until finally she had drawn close enough to leap up onto the armour plates covering one of the Wheeler's four legs and use her Semblance to almost effortlessly clamber up the exterior of the machine, shifting her sniper rifle into its' glaive form and, at the precise moment the Wheeler lifted its' shield, begin slashing away at the cables which powered it.
The shield vanished with a final sputtering buzz and the entire machine rocked under the force of several incorporeal quills tearing into its' armour.
Despite this apparent victory the Wheeler was not finished and clearly nor was its' pilot, the tenacity of their unknown aggressor becoming plain to see as the legs of the machine splayed wide and its' upper body began to rotate in a complete circle, increasing in speed until Diamond's current position was reduced to a deeply concerning blur of motion whilst at the same time Arctus found himself pinned and unable to help as the Wheeler began to fire its' cannon at random, beams of searing destruction lancing out in all directions and reducing everything in the immediate area to a blazing inferno and desolate expanse of twisted metal until finally Diamond's Semblance was overwhelmed by forces it could not counter and redirect and she was flung through the air towards one of the blazing pyres that had moments ago been a container filled with something evidently flammable.
"DEE!" Arctus was in motion without thought or hesitation, flinging up a series of glyphs to slow his wife's momentum safely whilst at the same time hurling a mass of Ice Dust directly into the fire like a grenade in an effort to quell it all whilst bolting towards and rushing towards Diamond and taking his eyes and focus off of the still rampaging mecha.
Exactly as Rowan had planned.
The air was filled with the screeching of twisting metal once again mere seconds after Arctus had reached Diamond and assured that she was safe, the Wheeler causing the uproar as it used its' still operational drill to smash aside what little obstacles still remained in its' path or else show just how disturbingly agile and manoeuvrable it was as it began to simply clamber over the wreckage with its' many-jointed legs and begin its' escape from the docks.
Heading directly for Port Alistair itself.
"Dude what the hell?" Diamond demanded, the question largely open ended as she gestured after the rogue mecha with her black-painted cybernetic arm.
"It's trying to distract us from something" Arctus growled, eyes darting around suspiciously "It came to where we were dealing with those guys and now it's drawing us away-"
"Yeah but we've gotta go after it" Diamond countered bluntly, cherry red eyes filled with worry "I know Port Alistair has its' own Hunters but we can't just leave it to attack people until they get there"
"I know….I'm calling Aunt Penny, I don't think she has a class right now" her husband nodded I agreement, the two of them already sprinting in the direction that the machine was leading them; abandoning whatever evidence or clues in regards to the Grimm smuggling operation that they may have been able to find in favour of halting the rampaging Wheeler.
"Aunt Penny!" Arctus called, relief washing over him the moment the call connected "You're about to start hearing about a rogue mecha attacking the city, Diamond and I are already dealing with it, it's connected to the case-"
"I can be combat ready within minutes" the copper haired android assured him.
"No" Arctus countered thoughtfully "We don't know if there's more to this….Would you be able to coordinate an evacuation and cordon of the immediate area, don't let the authorities bring this thing down, we need it as evidence"
"Sensational thinking" Penny answered, equally thoughtful "I'll contact the local authorities and inform that I'm taking command of the response" that the comment came with an unspoken certainty that command would be granted to her without question might have been alarming however, as a native of Atlas Arctus understood well how such matters worked and saw no need to question it. Instead the call was ended and Arctus and Diamond continued to hurry after the Wheeler, the Bear managing a tight smile as he did so.
"Remember when we were in school and the criminals we chased down were just selling drugs?"
"And you telling me you're nostalgic for Rhodium Torchwick?" Diamond almost managed a laugh despite her muscles burning with every movement.
"No….But his Semblance might be useful right now" Arctus countered "But he'd probably charge us to use it"
"Babe, you're a dork"
Regalia had fired her shotgun until the booming reports fell silent as she ran out of ammunition yet still the avian nightmares had kept coming, her attempts to gun them down doing nothing more than draw scores of their number to her location.
At which point the Racoon Faunus had turned and fled.
Far from an act of cowardice her retreat had been a tactical one, eyes glowing with the faint light of her Semblance Regalia had used Look-See to seek out a more defensible position and had been rewarded in short order with the room that she had now found herself in. After slamming the door behind her and using the various construction supplies that had been left behind as a makeshift barricade the nomad had spun and searched her new surroundings frantically, lions' tail of hair whipping out behind her, bushy tail erect and fingers twitching sporadically as she took in the sight of an empty, bare space which left her stomach plummeting with the realisation that the only safe haven her Semblance had been able to direct her to had been a wall to place her back against so that she could at least fight to the end without being surrounded and attacked from behind again.
As the first jagged claw had ripped through the rotting wood of the door Regalia had shifted Apex Scavenger into its' melee form; that had been almost a minute ago.
The door finally gave way with an echoing, splintering crunch and the first avian horror barrelled into the room, its' unwieldy appearance sitting at odds with the unsettling range of motion its' oddly jointed limbs granted it and allowing it to scuttle and pour itself over its' preys' attempt at a barricade; Regalia responded with a wordless yell as she charged forward, the sight of more claws bursting through the door frame and nearby sections of slowly crumbling wall spurring her onwards as it became clear that there was no other option, swinging her quarterstaff sized pickaxe she felled the ghoulish creature with a single attack as a blade punctured a glowing eye and pierced the skull of the Grimm.
"You shall not pass!" Regalia yelled, voice wavering even as she attempted to overcome her nerves however she continued to fight and spun out of the path of a second Grimm before promptly thrusting the base of her weapon out like a spear, the harpoon component being buried in a leathery torso and unmaking the monster in an instant. It was proven to be for nought a moment later as the sound of collapsing stone filled the dank and dusty air, the Grimm using the hole they had already created as a starting point to break away a section of wall large enough for several of their number to enter at once, leaving Regalia overwhelmed in a matter of seconds and letting out murderous shrieks as they came. Avoiding a slew of slashing, clawing and rending attacks from beaks and talons that continued to close in and never give an inch of respite the Faunus twirled her weapon in both hands and kept the monsters at bay even as she was forced steadily back into a corner where pale purple eyes closed, the realisation that it would take more Aura than she currently had to power through the tide of blackness leaving a lump in her throat that was quickly swallowed as she braced herself.
If this was where it ended then she would at least make her last words something memorable even if there was nobody else to hear them, she was after all a Huntress.
"Yippee-Ki-Yay motherfuckers!" almost a dozen Grimm were torn asunder in Regalia's first swing as she surged forwards with all of her might and twirled Apex Scavenger with a fluid speed and grace that, if she were able to see it would have left Ruby Rose impressed as it filled the room with the acrid smoke and fading fragments of dying monsters whilst ripping gouges into the walls and floor. Eventually however Regalia was forced to one knee, Aura rippling as one too many of the glancing blows she was forced to accept struck home and found its' mark in her gut; her Aura ultimately held and she remained uninjured however the blow had hurt and more importantly it had brought her to a halt that would allow the remaining Grimm to pounce.
Before that untimely end could come the cavalry, as it did in all good such tales of heroism and dramatic lasts stands arrived and did so with style.
"IN HERE!" Carcharodon Gore's rasping voice announced his presence before his body had even fully formed, the Shark Faunus's liquid and shadowy form rising from the ground like a tidal wave of pure, unfettered violence as his blades eviscerated everything in their path; where Regalia's display had expert Carcharodon's was masterful. In response to Carcharodon's declaration the world seemed to explode into chaotic motion around Regalia as first the remaining Grimm charged as a single, terrifying mass only for the remains of the wall that they had breached to be blasted apart by a blazing golden figure wreathed in flames, revealed to be Felix Xiao Long using his Semblance in full force as he charged headlong into the oncoming tide of Grimm and simply obliterated their bodies on contact.
"Everyone get down!" the yell came from Eagle Arc as she entered the room and the fray, being accompanied by a flash of Aura as she shifted from her avian form and promptly began cutting down Grimm in a display of swordplay that bordered on the supernatural; her warning however had been about Sentinel, her shield had detached itself from her back and not only taken to its' own winged and robotic form but had deployed a pair of weapons not unlike those fitted to Astra's bladed shields; promptly opening fire and unleashing a maelstrom of gunfire.
After mere seconds that had felt like an eternity the fighting came to an end and Regalia, ears ringing, hands trembling and heart thundering in her chest used her weapon as a crutch to pull herself to her feet despite the unwillingness of her legs to support her. As the echoing of weapons and shrieking monsters began to fade away, leaving only an oppressive silence in their wake the three veteran Hunters glanced from one another before finally turning to Regalia.
"I am so sorry about this" Eagle gasped, hurrying over to examine the Faunus for injuries "Are you okay? 'cos if you're not Coco is gonna kill us, we made so many mistakes planning this, we should have-"
"We should've brought an extra person" Felix sighed "Shouldn't have let you go alone, should've told Astra-"
"They're coming right now" Carcharodon interrupted quietly, prompting Regalia who was still not entirely capable of replying due to the adrenaline coursing through her and filled her body with an electric buzz to listen and focus, finding that the imposing Shark Faunus was correct and there several sets of rapidly approaching footsteps drawing closer"
"Holy shit Regalia!" Astra yelled the moment they burst into the room, Athena, Zirconia and Wolfram close behind.
"Are you okay?" they demanded as they rushed over to her, almost knocking Eagle aside and clearly intending to throw their arms around their partner only to be given pause by the look that Regalia gave them.
"It was close, it wouldn't have been if you were here….But you weren't" an almost visible ripple passed through the room at that, Athena-Jade visibly wincing at the comment whilst Carcharodon shook his head in something close to disgust; Astra themselves seemed to sag and crumple under the weight of the accusation.
"Yeah….Yeah I know and I'm sorry, I messed up" rather than expand upon that apology Astra quickly reared up to their full height and rounded on their brother "And maybe next time don't send us in blind ass-hole!"
"Y'know what?" Felix, body now returned to its' natural state rolled his shoulders back with an audible pop as he stepped closer enough to Astra that the two were almost touching "You kids are all on edge right now and I'm big enough to admit I could've done more so I'm gonna let you talk to me like that this once….But only this once"
"Fluffy I'm not part of Team FADE and you're not really a teacher" Astra's retort was low and quiet, filled with an unspoken danger that matched their brother's tone and left the air charged with an electric and sudden tension that had both Carcharodon and Wolfram taking a single step closer only for the entire situation to be forcibly ended as Eagle and Athena-Jade locked eyes and gave a nod of understanding before throwing themselves between the siblings and pushing them apart.
"Nope, we're not doing this here" Athena insisted.
"Everyone's okay, there's no need for an argument" Eagle added quickly "Especially when we're still in the creepy house"
"Okay, okay you're right" Felix breathed out slowly, forcing himself to take slow breaths and reign in his temper before addressing the students "Regalia you're sure you're not hurt? Okay, this is where I'd like to give recaps on how things went so maybe next time look for a room with a window you can jump out of-"
"Heh, that's fair"
"Astra….Don't abandon your partner to make out" Astra's expression was a mess of conflicting emotions at that, torn between obvious guilt and at the same time a scowl at Felix's attitude. The Lion Faunus turned away from his sibling to face Athena and Zirconia, at which point the Grasshopper Faunus spoke up.
"Can you really give an adequate recap if the objective was never completed?" the question hung in the air and felt as though it reverberated with the effect it had on those present as each of the teenagers turned as one and realised that Carcharodon Gore was indeed present and had not yet been captured as per the parameters of the training exercise.
"I got dibs-!" Regalia yelled as the room exploded into motion once again, albeit with far less dangerous stakes; the Shark Faunus gave a smile full of fangs in return and shifted his weight whilst making a 'come' gesture only for his midnight black eyes to narrow as time seemed to slow to a crawl, allowing both Carcharodon and Regalia to watch as a cuff locked into place around the older man's wrist; robbing Regalia of the small victory that she had felt for a split second that was assured and that she had certainly earned.
"Mine" Wolfram grinned savagely holding up his own wrist and showing that he had cuffed himself to Carcharodon as he turned to Felix "One hundred lien, pay up" the entire gathered crowd looked at one another, trying once again to process the sudden flow of events and predict what might happen next, the silence being broken by Eagle Arc who shook her head and stunned those who knew her the most with her choice of words.
"Dick move"
"Babe….she's kinda right" Astra chimed in "I mean the look on Car's face was priceless but still….maybe give half the lien to Regalia?" the Deer Faunus turned to their partner with imploring eyes, visibly seeking to be absolved of their own feelings of failure and the Raccoon Faunus, deciding that she had given enough today and that her generosity was taken advantage of simply shrugged.
"Heh keep it, I was gonna give it to you guys for your date anyway" a fresh round of winces and mutterings passed through the ground in response to that, estimations of Wolfram's actions and character being lowered further still and the various expressions on her team-mates' promised that much of the weekend would likely be spent trying to overcome a persisting sense of awkwardness. Eventually Carcharodon let out a low and guttural snarl before tearing the cuff from his own wrist with an impossible fast motion.
"It's time for us to leave" he grumbled "I tire of these juvenile antics" with that he stalked away and much of the remaining tension flooded out of the room with him, Athena-Jade and Zirconia following close behind as it was clear that the Shark Faunus had some idea of the fastest route to the exit, Eagle leaving shortly after left Regalia in the room that she had first intended to be a defensible position with Wolfram, Astra and Felix; the Lion Faunus shaking his head as he produced the lien he had wagered but presented it to Astra rather than Wolfram, offering some choice words as he did so.
"Your boyfriend is an ass-hole, don't let it rub off on you. Start making better choices"
The fact that the screams of fleeing civilians had faded away to nothing was, in the mind of Arctus and Diamond Slate a good thing, it meant that the evacuation of the immediate area was complete and that the cordon and perimeter they had requested had been put in place.
Leaving them free to handle the matter of the Atlesian Wheeler without restraint or interference.
The salvaged and repurposed war-machine had carved a severe but mercifully brief path of destruction away from the docks and towards the city of Port Alistair itself before it had been halted by the pair of veteran Hunters who had caught it on an open stretch of road, not quite a highway but still large and well travelled enough to be filled with vehicles whose owners had abandoned them when the wheeled monstrosity had come thundering into view and lined with businesses including several fuel stations, a precarious state of affairs given how much of the vicinity had currently been ripped apart by the machine's advance.
"Whoever's piloting this thing has spent too much damn time in the arcade dude!" Diamond yelled as her latest attempt to disable the Wheeler was denied in spectacular fashion; the silver haired sniper had leapt from a series of her husband's glyphs with her glaive held at the ready with the intent of landing on the mecha once again and disabling its' remaining power supply, or at the very least one of its' weapons, however to avoid this the many limbed mechanical juggernaut had flung itself into a motion that was almost acrobatic, using the clawed arm that had previously supported its' hard-light shield to take its' weight as it cartwheeled out of Diamond's path and settled on its' four wheeled legs with a deafening metallic impact whilst at the same time bringing its' drill arm ripping upwards for an underhanded strike.
"DEE!" Arctus frantically created more glyphs, filling them with Gravity Dust so that he could redirect his wife out of the path of the attack, he was successful in this however it was not without consequence as Diamond landed with a painful sounding thud and rolled to a stop whilst the Wheeler, rather than press the advantage turned its' attention to Arctus himself and promptly fired at the Bear Faunus with its' primary weapon. With a gasp of surprise and no time for anything more the snowy haired man flung up a series of Glyphs directly in the path of the beam of cyan light whose circumference was comparable in size to his entire torso yet it was to no avail, his shimmering and ephemeral barriers were shattered and disintegrated in turn and Arctus was blasted from his feet, sent hurtling backwards into the roof of an upturned vehicle which crumpled with the force of the blow and left with his pristine white Aura flickering around him.
Yet the wheeler, or it's ruthless pilot were not quite finished.
"BIG GUY HEADS UP!" Diamond's voice was filled with rare panic as she yelled out, words rising above but not hiding the tell-tale hollow and wooshing thuds of multiple rockets being fired from the twin pods mounted on the machines' back, dozens of small warheads streaked into the sky with fiery contrails that stood out against even the brightness of the afternoon before revealing that the Wheeler had been fitted with some manner of homing rockets as the twin barrages each honed in on one of the two Hunters.
Muffled cracks filled the air as Diamond shifted Lex Talionis into its' sniper rifle formation and took a knee, the realisation that each and every hasty and yet expertly timed shot that she was taking was plucking a warhead aimed for Arctus out the sky in a premature detonation forced the jarred and rattled senses of the Faunus into sharp focus, the knowledge that there were missiles heading directly for Diamond that she was yet to do anything about sending him to his feet.
"DOWN!" he called out in warning before hastily conjuring almost a dozen glyphs between his palms and hurling them into the air with all the tremendous force that he could muster, their shimmering surfaces rotating until their outer edges began to glow with a faint but ominous light moments before they caused a fresh wave of fiery explosions but colliding with the incoming rockets and sawing through them as though they were nothing.
However Arctus was not finished either.
"It can't run or dodge if it isn't on the ground!" he declared, confident that Diamond would understand what needed to be done before he shifted the intent and focus of his glyphs; blood began to slowly trickle from his nose with the strain his Semblance was beginning to take on him and his entire body sagged with exhaustion yet still the shimmering sigils froze in place, hovering in mid-air and from each of their surfaces the glowing and translucent form of a King-Taijitu emerged, slithering through the air with no regard for the laws of nature and swiftly seizing one of the Wheeler's limbs in their fanged maws, rupturing inner workings in showers of sparks and spilled fluids before hoisting the mecha several dozen feet into the air where it began to struggle, its' pilot preparing to turn the machines' drill arm against its' captured legs to free it when attacking the ethereal constructs themselves proved fruitless.
Only for Diamond to intervene.
"Not today" she spat, equal parts venom and confidence as she aimed and fired a Gravity Dust round, not at the machine but at a sizeable chunk of the unidentifiable wreckage and debris that its' attack had left in its' wake; sprinting forward Diamond leapt onto this wreckage as it was hurled into the air and towards her target whilst in the same motion loading her next Dust round, this one filled with a mix of gravity altering and magnetic field generating minerals which the peerless sniper aimed and fired into the exposed inner workings of the Wheelers' massive drill arm, bringing the repurposed industrial equipment grinding to a halt even as she leapt once again, this time onto the first of a fresh batch of glyphs Arctus had begun to create for her.
Shifting Lex Talionis into its' glaive mode she began to completely dismember the mecha, each athletic leap from one glyph to the next aided by her Semblance and culminating in a series of wide, arcing slashes that tore through pistons, cables and support struts connecting the legs and then the arms to the main body of the machine before finally leaping onto its' back and driving her weapon into its' power supply.
At which point Arctus released his glyphs and allowed the machine to fall, drawing his own laser weapon and placing a single beam of searing light directly through the central controls of the Wheeler, both confirming that the machine was being remotely piloted and at the same time preventing its' owner from remotely detonating it.
"Nice shot" Diamond beamed with breathless and exhilarated energy as she leapt free of the wreckage and sidled over, collapsing her weapon and rolling her left shoulder where flesh met metal as she went.
"Not sure Menagerie's council….Or anyone who just lost their car or business is gonna see that way" Arctus noted ruefully, sheathing his own weapon and glancing around at the unmitigated destruction that their fight had caused.
"True" Diamond sighed, conceding that there would definitely be lives changed for the worse by what had transpired but quickly deciding to focus instead on the positives "But nobody got hurt and this time we're gonna get our answers….That mecha is basically unique right?"
"Really old and rare base frame and then heavily modified" Arctus confirmed.
"And whoever was piloting it can't detonate it to destroy evidence this time" Diamond's eyes shone with a righteous fury "They don't get to run and hide any more. Call Coco, tell her we're gonna need a clean up crew….But we've got something for Eagle and Velvet to take a look at"
When it was phrased like that Arctus couldn't help but feel at least a little heroic.
The television exploded under the force of its' remote control being at, and ultimately through its' screen.
"Pull yourself together man!" Major Grapeshot spat in furious admonishment and open disgust at the sight of Carmesi's outburst only for the Komodo Dragon to round on him, rising from a threadbare sofa in their dingy hovel of a base of operations as he did so.
"I told you we should have gotten rid of her! She can't be trusted, whether that's because of incompetence or backstabbing doesn't matter any more! What matters is that you allowed this!" the subject of Carmesi's unbridled rage and the cause for the televisions' destruction had been a breaking local news article detailing events that had happened only hours prior in the city of Port Alistair that a gleeful tip-off from one of the many criminals now reporting to the rogue Hunters had suggested they watch.
After deciding that the information from the giggling and seemingly inebriated imbecile was at least worth some investigation Carmesi had turned on the television, something that he rarely concerned himself with and quickly found the news story that was still airing just in time to gather the essential information from it. A great deal was either unknown or being withheld from the public for security reasons however what was undeniable that a pair of Hunters, identified on shaky scroll-camera footage as being Arctus and Diamond Slate due to the unmistakable Schnee family Semblance and the effortless synchronisation with which they fought had apprehended a group of criminals at the freight docks in what at first appeared to be a routine matter, from there things had quickly escalated as a heavily armed battle robot had been deployed into the docks and then made an attempt to escape into the city itself only to be destroyed by the famous Hunters before it could reach any densely populated areas. The official reports were yet to name any suspects, although they had gone to great lengths to assure the public that there was no danger and that the docks, both freight and commercial would be receiving support from additional Hunters and other defences to combat both organised crime and any Grimm that might have been drawn to the chaos.
Both Carmesi and Grapeshot knew the truth however and the Major's unwillingness to take decisive action was beginning to test his young companions' patience.
"It's not your decision to make" Grapeshot stated bluntly, leaning on Magnificent Ivory in its' cane form as his body sagged as though the man suddenly felt his age "And not just because of our benefactors' wishes, but because we are Hunters old chap, not….whatever it is we're becoming in this place"
"More effective" Carmesi snarled "What we're becoming is the change and the new beginning that Remnant needs; which includes getting rid of scum like Oralie and her people"
"What you're talking about isn't justice, it's murder"
"It's protection for the people that deserve it" hellish crimson eyes framed by rugged scales narrowed whilst Grapeshot's mouth worked silently, moustache twitching with the motions until the heated debate was cut short by the sound of a scroll vibrating, announcing that an inevitable conversation was upon them,
"It's him" Grapeshot declared, not needed to specify that he was talking about their benefactor as the shadowy figure seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere and had certainly known about events on the island Kingdom before the news had reached the two of them in Blackwater Cove on its' opposite coast.
"It would appear that certain events need to be discussed and explained" the modulated voice of their unseen backer declared, distant as always albeit with a seething anger bubbling beneath the surface; what caught the attention of both Grapeshot and Carmesi however was that another participant had been added to the call, though they remained absent from the video feed to keep their location private.
"Oralie, would you care to tell us how you managed to misunderstand a simple instruction so severely?" the Major harrumphed upon recognising her contact details.
"And then tell us who to deliver your body to, or should we leave you in the wastelands like you did with the Hunters you disposed of?" Carmesi added with a feral snarl.
"Both of you can fuck off" the currently unseen redhead spat back venomously, bristling with a direct antagonism that went beyond her usual conniving and subtle barbs.
"Enough, all of you. The mission is more important than soothing any bruised egos or personal grudges" their benefactor boomed, his voice that of a disappointed parent or teacher before quickly being lowered and brought back under control "I am to understand Major that you and Carmesi were unaware of the incident at the docks?"
"We learned of it from the local news" Grapeshot huffed indignantly "A jolly poor state of affairs overall"
"I see" the benefactor said simply "Oralie, the three of you were instructed to not interfere with Team FADE-"
"They interfered with us!" the criminal ringleader shot back vehemently "They knew enough to come to the docks and round up my people which means they knew enough to start getting search warrants; I made an executive decision-"
"To deploy a war-machine on civilians?" the benefactor's anger and distaste was palpable, something which gave the Major a faint sense of relief and the Faunus zealot beside him the faintest hope that he may be allowed to finally dispense the justice that was obviously required.
"To use a little sleight of hand" the criminal countered with what was clearly practised ease "They knew that my people were there for a reason, better to let them think they've found the reason than let them keep looking-"
"And where exactly did you get that machine?" Grapeshot asked, curious and suspicious in equal measure.
"I worked for Persian Green, I never asked who his backers were but they occasionally supplied some heavy duty equipment to bring in bigger attractions. I was saving that for a rainy day"
"I see, well better it be dealt with now than one of your people try and deploy it against out target" Grapeshot noted sighing and shaking his head as he added "Capital"
"I trust your location is secure Miss Oralie?" the benefactor asked
"It is and I'll be keeping my little bolt-holes to myself to make sure they stay that way. Just know that I'm not in Port Alistair right now, used the robot to cover my escape" Rowan replied with a defiant and gloating edge to her voice that was quickly stripped away by the follow up comment from the shadowy figure who purveyed over the trio of rogues and criminals.
"Good, the three of you are to cease all operations and remain hidden until further notice….Rowan your previous financial backers continue to make themselves something of a nuisance to my plans, however my own sources tell me that the robot they supplied you with has been taken into the custody of Breaktide Academy, perhaps there is a chance our problems will solve themselves but I feel that things will become….interesting in the coming weeks. Await further instructions"
"Understood" the word was uttered by Grapeshot, Carmesi and Rowan in tandem and upon their acquiescence the benefactor ended the call, dismissing the trio at once which allowed the Komodo Dragon Faunus to whirl around and face his ally with an ugly, sneering grimace that displayed both vindication and unspeakable rage etched into his bearded features.
"Do you believe me now?" he demanded "That Oralie needs to be removed?"
"Damnation old chap what is it now?" Grapeshot retorted with equal fire, growing tired of the younger man's reckless behaviour
"Think!" Carmesi demanded "The benefactor was testing her with comment about her previous backers, some of them are still at large and no doubt want to take back their former operations and what did Rowan tell us herself? That 'We' are the only ones who ship illegal goods through the Capital! So then why was that robot there and not here in Blackwater Cove? She's planning to stab us all in the back!"
"I see your point" Grapeshot breathed out slowly "Blast"
"Then when do we act?"
"When given the order to do so and not before old chap" the former military man answered almost reflexively, once again feeling his age as he added "Perhaps our benefactor was putting on a show with his talk about problems solving themselves"
"Perhaps you're getting soft in your old age and don't have the stomach for this any more" Carmesi scoffed, voice lowering to something far more gentle as he stroked his beard and regarded the older man "I hope that's not the case, I really do….I want you to be there at the end to see what it is we're building, to see that it was all worth it"
At that point Major Grapeshot was not entirely sure that he could be convinced, but resigned himself to the fact that his honour had already been sold.
The sun had been low in the sky over Port Alistair when Team MARZ had been returned to the city by the older Hunters, though that had not hidden the trails of smoke rising into the air from view and upon seeing the acrid and pungent black set upon the blue streaked with pink and gold there had been something of a rush to investigate.
Carcharodon Gore, riding a motorbike that had been hidden out of view at Marble Manor had understandably and predictably sped off in the direction of the docks to ensure that the Nemesis Kharybdis was undamaged, unwilling to accept anything than the evidence of his own eyes as proof.
Team FADE had reconvened when Felix had brought the Killer-Bee tearing through the streets of Port Alistair to where the disturbance had taken place, finding Arctus and Diamond standing over the remains of a disabled robot which had clearly been the source of the trouble; the pair being joined by Penny who was in the process of leading a team of workers in the employment of Breaktide Academy as they loaded the machine onto a flatbed truck which the copper haired android volunteered to provide an escort to and ensure that it reached the academy untouched.
Astra and Regalia had reached the scene a few moments later as the Racoon Faunus was forced, despite her grumblings to at least pay lip service to the concept of traffic laws when riding Clunker within city limits. Astra themselves had given their space in Felix's car to Eagle, the Lion Faunus's partner claiming shotgun without hesitation; this allowed Astra to firstly put some distance between themselves and their brother and prevent strained tempers from flaring out of control and secondly, undeniably more importantly to the Deer Faunus it gave them a chance to apologise profusely to Regalia and explain away their shortcomings as a leader, partner and friend; going so far as to offer to rearrange their date with Wolfram which Regalia seemed to consider for a moment before shaking her head in response to.
A decision that Astra was ultimately thankful for upon seeing Wolfram's expression as he exited the Killer-Bee; they were uncertain exactly what had been said during the journey but it was obvious that Eagle, Athena-Jade and Zirconia had all been forced to play peacekeeper between Astra's brother and boyfriend. Peace had been maintained between all parties present however as the explanation of exactly what Diamond and Arctus had encountered kept their attention, along with those of dozens of onlookers that had begun to trickle back into the area now that it was safe to do so and as the sun began to dip below the cities' skyline and cast long shadows before darkness finally washed over Port Alistair the Slate siblings became uncomfortably aware of the amount of cameras being pointed in their direction which prompted Team FADE as a whole to make their way to Breaktide Academy for a proper debriefing and report, with Athena, Zirconia and Regalia in tow; the latter struggling to hide her enthusiasm at the idea of spending time with such famous and well travelled Hunters in a more relaxed setting.
Which allowed Astra and Wolfram to finally spend some time alone, as they had intended to do all along.
"So….I'm gonna say it, today didn't go the way either of us hoped or planned" Wolfram sighed, slouching slightly as he reached over the table of the fast food establishment they had found themselves in to steal one of Astra's fries; he had been subdued since the two had departed, as close to morose as his gruff yet bombastic demeanour would allow and Astra sensed that there was something in his words that he could not quite bring himself to say, though the Deer Faunus surmised what it was all the same.
"Yeah well, things not going to plan is the norm for us at this point; we make it work though" they reached over and stole a sip of Wolfram's drink before resting a hand on his "You wanna talk about it?"
"When do I ever wanna talk about it?" he snorted, though he managed a small smile that reached his steel grey eyes before letting out a sigh "Were we the ass-holes today? 'cos I'm not sure and I really hate the uncertainty"
"If anybody was then it was me" Astra breathed out, slumping back in their seat with an overblown gesture "Let's be honest….we were thinking with our dicks. We should have brought Regalia with us or asked Fluffy to change the rules of the mission. I'm an ass-hole for letting her go alone like that"
"And me getting the lien before she could?"
"Okay, that wasn't against the rules….I mean was literally the whole point of the thing" Astra tried to measure their words but ultimately shrugged "But it was probably a little bit of a dick move….You don't mind me hanging out with Regalia for the rest of the weekend right? I feel like I need to make things up to her"
"It's fine, I might take a trip home anyway" Wolfram shrugged, though there something uncharacteristic in his voice; something that Astra could quickly guess at as the topic moved in the general direction of home and family.
"Fluffy was out of line" they said simply, making no attempt to hide how they felt about their brother's behaviour.
"I don't wanna cause any problems with you and your family….it's the only reason I didn't rock his jaw" Wolfram mumbled the last part, his usual bravado giving way to petulant sulking which Astra couldn't help but grin at.
"There's no problems" Astra assured their boyfriend, only for Wolfram to cock his head slightly.
"So how come you haven't mentioned me to your parents? It seems like a big deal the way your brother keeps brining it up"
"That son of a-" Astra trailed off, knuckles popping in anger that was quickly reigned in before they took a moment to choose their words carefully "Okay first of all I want you to know that I was always going to tell Mum and Dad about us, I'm not hiding anything I just don't call home as much as I probably should….I don't come from a family of Hunters, sometimes it's better to just not tell them stuff to stop them from worrying about it-"
"That's….Not something my Mum would let slide" Wolfram noted, Astra gave a non-committal gesture in response before pressing on.
"Look my parents accept me for who I am, I've told you that….My Dad….He didn't always….I mean" they paused to massage their temples, below where their antlers met their skull and continued "He was never an extremist, he was definitely never a White Fang supporter but back when I was a kid, like before I'd met Felix my Dad was a bit of a Faunus separatist….He didn't like the idea of mixed relationships"
"So….it's not because I'm a guy, it's because I'm human?" Wolfram asked slowly.
"There is no it" Astra insisted "My Dad works with Blake Xiao Long now, Blake 'married to a human with a human adopted daughter' Xiao Long….I mean he might say some ignorant shit about human settlers on Menagerie and he might not understand certain things but he tries….Just, trust me on this please?"
"I trust you, no question" Wolfram assured them, squeezing Astra's hand in return before giving a lop-sided smile, more uncertain than their usual expressions "Honestly I'm just not used to wanting or needing approval from anyone
"And it's cute that you're so invested in it" Astra lifted Wolfram's hand and kissed his knuckles "The big bad Wolfram talking about feelings and stuff….Your secrets are safe with me"
"Nobody would believe you" he gave a conspiratorial wink before checking the time "And I'm putting a daily limit on it for my own sanity, come on it's time to go" with that Wolfram rose to his feet and held out an arm which Astra happily looped their own arm through as the pair left for their date.
On such short notice Wolfram had been forced to make do with the cliché of a meal and a movie, however after the day the two of them had endured to together he couldn't quite bring himself to complain about it.
Author's Notes:
So that's the first attempt at a training mission with Team FADE….Wonder what it was setting up for.
On an important note - TODAY IS OCTOBER 6TH, WHICH MEANS IT'S ONE YEAR TO THE DAY SINCE THE EPILOGUE OF FADE: LEGACY WAS POSTED.
Also, I'll admit I'm not sure on the pacing around the middle third or so of this chapter but at the same time I wanted parts of it to feel frantic and disjointed, a lot of the characters' choices being influenced by the fact that there was just too much happening.
Also, it won't be a major plot point but yeah Astra's Dad was a little bit closed minded in FADE: Legacy and Felix absolutely remembers that, however when Wolfram was talking date ideas he did mention a Faunus culture festival on Menagerie that was coming up….
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
As someone who has worked with their little brother it is really hard to remain professional, especially when the bickering starts.
As someone who works in engineering and manufacturing you will not believe how often the radio becomes the source of arguments that end up needing union intervention.
There's probably really not many radio stations on Menagerie outside of local ones limited to the cities they broadcast in, although Felix would have had a point about the digital age.
Felix's first thought was Astra but Regalia was on her own and that makes getting to her the priority.
Carcharodon only has bad-ass introductions and entrances, always with perfect delivery, it is a rule of writing him.
Also, I was going to have the Flamingo Grimm be something rare but not unheard of but I decided against it for two reasons A) I've already stated in this story that Menagerie is 'off' and Salem's lingering influence affects the wildlife, so of course there are different Grimm here and B) I couldn't think of a name for them.
Of course there were more than two of them for Astra and Wolfram to deal with.
Killing Grimm in a corridor fight really would give you limited visibility.
Wolfram and Astra, both great on the all-out offensive but not working as seamlessly together as you'd think there.
Astra's Cobra Kai crescent kicks to start off combos are basically a signature move at this point….Also a reminder that ever since Chapter 01 Astra has had a tendency to go a little overboard once he gets going.
Ah the old weapon leapfrog….Shippers, don't pay too much attention to the fact that it was mistimed, nothing to see here.
Enter AJ and Zirconia, because blowing the Grimm to atoms doesn't need a full fight scene.
Cue Astra realising that they're fucking up.
Arctus and Diamond obviously don't know that it's controlled by Rowan, in fact none of the heroes; even the ones who've seen her face actually know her name yet.
The Atlas Wheeler, because with all the Wizard of Oz references in RWBY the fact that RWBY didn't do a nod to the Wheelers from Return To Oz is odd; though honestly I would have had them be something much smaller and lighter than this mecha.
Basically this an old predecessor to both the Paladin and the Spider Droid from the black trailer with an arm from the loader hat Maria used (Funny thing, according the Wiki it had a designation that made it sound like an old Paladin model) a mining drill and a hard-light shield all added to it.
The Scavenger Guild, one of many callbacks to FADE: Legacy.
Arctus and Diamond working together, bringing out all the old moves with another decade of experience was an absolute pleasure to write; FADE readers how're we feeling?
In my head the Wheeler escaping reminded me of the beginning of Transformers Revenge of the Fallen.
Sometimes you win by not blowing the target up, this is one of those times.
Rhodium Torchwick, you will be missed.
This is the scene where the pacing was all over, but breaking it into two scenes feels like it wouldn't work as well either.
Look-See gives Regalia an answer, not necessarily the one that she was hoping for; a window she could jump out of might have been more helpful but what is actually gave her was a line she could hold that was also on Car's route.
In my head the Flamingo Grimm are creepy as fuck when they move, they almost pour themselves over the terrain.
Regalia honey….No, you don't get the action movie ending at seventeen, you have so much more to do.
Just a further example of how much Team MARZ have to learn, that elimination took Fluffy, Eagle and Car literal seconds.
Oof, Regalia is demanding better and it's about time too….However Astra seems to be picking up Wolfram's habit of no apologies.
I mean did Astra lie though? Felix isn't his leader or his teacher and it wasn't an official mission.
See in most shows it would have been a nice end of the episode moment for Regalia to be the one to cuff Carcharodon, get the hundred lien and a sense of catharsis and vindication after everything….Here however, we have Wolfram to contend with and that boy has main character syndrome.
Okay that last line from Fluffy was uncalled for.
Yes, the old, jerry-rigged six legged robot with wheel-feet can dodge.
As great as they are Diamond and Arctus can still get hit….But them covering each other like that with the rockets just sums up their partnership, literally right down to when they first became partners in the early chapters of FADE.
….So, which anime soundtrack was playing in your head during that finishing move?
And now the mecha that the last remaining backers of the Desert Claw supplied is being taken in for examination, so how much trouble is Rowan in?
So we basically get two Rowan scenes back to back if we include the robot as her since it was under her control, that's because I changed the order of scenes slightly.
Oh Carmesi is beyond pissed….Especially at finding out what's going on from a criminal who was laughing at him.
I'm not being subtle about the inevitable Carmesi Vs Rowan showdown at all, it's a matter of when not if.
Note that the benefactor was pissed at Rowan for moral reasons as well as strategic ones, much like when Carmesi suggested using 'live bait' to draw out the Hell-Hound he's showing that whoever he is and whatever he's planning he's got some standards.
Naturally Rowan is lying, but we already knew that.
So, the last of the Desert Claw backers are in trouble and Rowan is a loose end to be cut off, on top of that the people she was planning on double crossing are getting wise….I think we have our first dead redhead of the book.
So Team MARZ know about the mech, they've seen it first hand.
Astra managed to get their shit together and be a partner to some extent.
Regalia is absolutely gonna be a fangirl over Hunters in general….maybe even to Vol.01 of canon Ruby levels.
Wolfram you emotionally stunted imbecile.
The fact he thinks he would actually land a punch on Felix unless Felix specifically allowed it is hilarious.
Yeah Redwood, Astra's Dad used to a Faunus separatist to an extent in FADE: Legacy.
I imagine that there are plenty of Faunus who have feelings about the amount of humans currently living on Menagerie.
Dinner and a movie is the most cliché and overrated shit of a date ever….But he was too bust fighting flamingoes to plan anything else and that excuse wins just for the novelty of it.
Thank you to SumoSnipe and MajorBrony95 for their review on the last chapter.
Final girl rules cannot apply in a RWBY story, RWBY relies on deconstructing and subverting things too much.
I don't know about wealthy but I know about 'hood-rich' and stupid.
Geese are a law unto themselves, a law which they still break.
If the goons were really smart they would have realised that when the crime-boss has you working a 9-5 it's time to just be a law abiding citizen and give up crime.
….Tiger is one of the names I have short-listed for a tournament arc fodder character (Because yes, you need a list of those) and you may have just given me the idea for the character with that name.
Yeah, about a decade of time passing will do that. There's a ten year age gap between me and my little brother, we don't have the same relationship that we did when he was ten.
God Damn It, I should've gone for the ghost busters line.
Just because Arctus doesn't want all the fame that comes with the family name doesn't mean that him acting like a dick to fans wouldn't cause bad PR.
Astra and Wolfram kissed at the mid-season finale? After the training exercise.
Do not tempt me with Peacock Grimm, I played Mortal Kombat as a kid and I will turn those tails into Princess Kitana fans.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.
