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Chapter 40: Midpoint

It was utter carnage, exactly as planned.

The Creatures of Grimm had struck their target with deliberate precision and a concentration of effort uncommon to their feral nature with the will of Gestalt-Prime, the hybrid Alpha guiding and directing them from above.

A tide of claws, fangs and animal ferocity, formed of lesser monsters such as Beowolves, Ursas, Deathstalkers and the fire-ant Grimm capable of combing their individual bodies into larger and more complex forms known to the Kingdoms as 'Infernal Devices' bolstered by a small number of larger beasts such as Goliaths and things more ancient and fearsome still had surged and thundered into the perimeter wall of their target and utterly obliterated those buildings which had been placed beyond the walls' protection owing to the settlements' expansion and whilst the Goliaths and other similar juggernauts of colossal size had failed to breach the preys' defences this had been of little concern to Gestalt-Prime; they had been nothing more than a distraction and had served their purpose admirably.

With the isolated factory town and trading posts' defenders focusing all of their might on the largest and most immediately threatening of their targets the tide of smaller Grimm had been able to draw perilously close, allowing the monsters to tear at gates or in many cases scale walls with scuttling, clambering motion; some of the murderous rabble managing to secrete themselves within the settlement where the sound of screams finally alerted the pitifully small number of trained Hunters present and the equally woefully unprepared garrison that assisted them that what had begun as a single hammer blow against a fixed point in their walls had splintered into several writhing tendrils, stalking and ripping through their midst.

And then the true attack had begun.

Gestalt-Prime had waited, displaying a patience that the monstrous amalgamations' every instinct raged and screamed against in order to prowl and circle overhead until the perfect opportunity arose. With the towns' defences turned inward as Hunters were forced to abandon perimeter walls to tackle the threat that had pierced into its' heart and artillery guns steadily falling silent with each group of terrified and broken garrison soldiers who were either overrun and consumed by the mass of monsters or else sent fleeing, in desperate routes disguised as efforts to protect civilians who had likewise begun to evacuate in the face of the utter hopelessness of the situation the hybrid Alpha let out a piercing shriek that seemed to make the air itself tremble and shudder before hurtling downwards, propelled on twin contrails of raging fire and flanked by their freshly-spawned creations, the bat-winged Beowolves who quickly proved that they had been worth the time and effort that had been invested in them as each of the horrific beasts tore away in a different direction and began searching for anything that could be deemed a priority target of their own volition.

Gestalt-Prime had already located their own prize, rising high above the roughly made mishmash of stone, steel and other, more easily fabricated and replaceable materials was a single large tower whose far greater size would have made it appear of importance even without the dozens of blinking lights adorning its' surface. The hybrid Alpha had examined the building from the air the instant their Cyclopean gaze had fallen upon it, the stolen information forced into their psyche displaying itself across the visor that had grown over their single hateful eye; readouts and raw data confirming that this was in fact an air traffic control tower which also served as the towns' primary CCT uplink, connecting its' population to the rest of Menagerie and Remnant as a whole.

Making it a prize that the bloodied and beleaguered defenders were willing to fight to their last breaths to keep from Gestalt-Prime's grasp.

A wordless roar of rage, coalesced and focused into a single, white-hot point of fury tore through the night and the hybrid Alpha quickly sought out its' source, still hurtling through the air in the midst of another attempt to get close to that which they sought and begin consuming it the abominable creature caught sight of a lone figure who could only be a Huntsman charging towards him by sprinting and leaping from one rooftop to the next at an impressive speed; a bearded, scarred likely middle-aged man who carried a double-bladed axe in one hand and a savage looking maul in the other whilst their body was encased in a suit of armour which, upon closer inspection was revealed to by comprised of several cybernetic components serving as an exoskeleton.

This was the glorious last stand of a faded hero, eager to ensure that if these were their final moments and that if this settlement could not be saved then at the very least a measure of justice could be meted out.

Gestalt-Prime and their pack denied them this.

With a shrieking sound like that of tortured metal forged into a cruel and demented cackle, adjusting their flightpath only slightly whilst at the same time aiming their own weapon, the anti-aircraft weapon sprouting from the Alpha's spine firing out a single shell of jagged bone whose surface was lined with ominously glowing crimson details which promptly exploded on contact with the roof that the Hunter was bounding across; inflicting catastrophic damage on the building itself whilst at the same time launching the armoured man high into the air.

Even here the Hunter continued to fight, preparing to give their last moments over to slaying monsters as they raised their weapons high; face morphing into a bellowing and defiant challenge despite the fact their Aura flickered and waned around them in the aftermath of the explosion.

And then the man ceased to exist.

One of the winged Beowolves tore through the air with a howl which sounded as if a jet engine had been given the ability to speak and imbued with an unending hatred, striking the falling form of the Hunter with claws extended and fangs bared and the man, whose Aura had already failed him was powerless to resist and unable to even scream as his end came; the monster striking him with such force that all that remained was a crimson shower of gore and viscera which rained down onto the ground below.

With the immediate problem attended to Gestalt-Prime returned to their prize without a second thought, their own monstrous and animal nature becoming more difficult with each passing second as the hybrid Alpha corrected their trajectory, returning to their original flight path and hurtling forwards and upwards; their gaze recognising nothing but the tower and the blinking lights littering it which, to the Creature of Grimm may as well have been intended to show exactly where the thing should be struck so that their needs and plans could be fulfilled.

In their eagerness however they failed to register the presence of another Hunter until it was far too late.

"Evasive manoeuvrers!" the frantic scream was torn from Gestalt-Prime's throat almost without their permission as proximity sensors left over from a machine they had consumed gave the beast the merest of warnings which was quickly heeded; the hybrid Alpha tucking its' entire body, metallic wings included into itself and rolling to avoid an attack which had come from behind. With time seeming to slow Gestalt-Prime first looked behind them, single eye narrowing with hate behind their visor at the sight of a broad-shouldered woman in an outfit whose gaudiness identified her as a Huntress with a missile launcher slung over one shoulder; recognising the weapon for what it was the monster turned their attention back towards the tower in a fit of panic.

Just in time to watch the air traffic control tower be consumed in a Dust-fuelled fireball which exploded outwards and left nothing in its' wake.

"NO!" Gestalt-Prime's scream split the night sky and the monster wheeled around in mid-air, aiming their weapon at the now-retreating Huntress and unleashing a volley which laid waste to much of the street the woman was weaving and zig-zagging across in a chain of much smaller explosions until finally the Alpha's higher intelligence was forcefully reasserted over their base instincts, prompting them to let out a shrieked order which was bolstered with a mental command forced through the Hive-Mind bond that the lesser Creatures of Grimm under the Alpha's command shared.

"RETREAT! MISSION FAILURE! FALL BACK!" With that Gestalt-Prime wheeled through the air and prepared to abandon the ruined remains of the settlement, gunfire, rockets and other, more esoteric projectiles lancing through the darkness towards them as the explosion of the CCT uplink which had been the Grimm's objective along with their own frightening speech had marked them out as the truly terrifying monster amongst their kin that they were; the entire affair suddenly having the feeling have been sent fleeing in defeat and disgrace.

With the CCT tower gone the battle, despite the damage inflicted by the Grimm tide, had been a total and unmitigated loss on both sides.


Astra had been the first member of Team MARZ to wake that morning, rising early as they often did so that they could have uninterrupted access to the dormitories bathroom for the admittedly impractical amount of time it took the deer Faunus to shower, apply their make up and style their hair into its' signature Mohawk of swept-forward spikes.

It was during this early morning routine, with the sun still barely cresting the horizon that they had thought to check their scroll and found, with a bright smile crossing their still tired features that Team MARZ along with seemingly the majority of the student body had been given a leave of absence as classes had been cancelled for at least the remainder of the week. Astra's elation had been brief and the sense of shame toward it that followed left a bitter taste in their mouth as they took in more than the header of the message that had been addressed to them as team leader and saw that the reason for their impromptu long weekend was an utter tragedy; a small town by the name of Midpoint had been beset by the Creatures of Grimm during the night and many of the academies' most senior staff, including Coco Adel, Ruby and Penny Rose and Arslan Altan along with the rest of Team ABRN were making their way out to what remained of the settlement in order to aid and give protection to the initial response and salvage teams.

The message had clearly been written by an administrator within the academy who had attempted to maintain a tone of factual neutrality, simply delivering relevant information to whom it may concern; though the effort had been unsuccessful as Astra, through a combination of reading between the lines and simply projecting their own fears which had begun to swim and lurk in the pit of their stomach easily inferred that the destruction of Midpoint was near total and that casualties would be high.

Which had prompted them to act.

The Deer Faunus had given serious consideration to waking all of Team MARZ but had ultimately decided against it, their need for a swift and decisive course of action demanding that the Deer Faunus depart from the campus and begin enacting the ideas that were still forming in their hazy and suddenly overactive and charged mind as soon as possible and so, to that end Astra had instead forwarded the message they had received to Athena-Jade's scroll and followed it with an additional text message saying that they would be in touch soon; from there they had quietly and carefully awoken Regalia in order to ask for her company and a favour.

The Raccoon Faunus had been bleary and disoriented before instincts honed in the wasteland took hold and her senses quickly sharpened themselves, bringing the former nomad to her feet with a focused alertness as Astra explained to the best of their abilities what had happened and what they intended to do about it; objections had been on the tip of her tongue, pale purple eyes wide with surprise and disgruntled annoyance despite the dark rings still present around them from the instant her partner explained that they wanted to help those who had been displaced or otherwise traumatised and uprooted by the attack. Seeing Regalia's reaction Astra, quickly realising what their partner had assumed and sensing there had been a miscommunication had soon clarified that they were not asking her to ride out into the wastelands so that they could track down the Grimm responsible for the attack themselves; instead they had simply found themselves overcome with a mighty need to help in whatever way they could even if it did not involve the heroism one would expect of a Hunter.

Which was how the pair had found themselves at the docks.

"Heh, well the ship is still here" Regalia noted as Clunker came to a halt, the jetbikes' screaming engine dulling to an idling growl as she raised her goggles to gaze upon the Nemesis Kharybdis "You're sure that your brother is gonna be one of the people heading to Midpoint?"

"Even if he isn't he'll be involved in the relief effort somehow" Astra answered as they unwrapped their arms from around their partners' waist and slid from the back of the jetbike, standing beside Regalia and following her gaze up towards the ship which Team FADE called home and letting out a shaky breath as they fought to keep their hands from trembling with anticipation.

Astra had not spoken to their brother in the weeks that had followed Team MARZ's last, ill-fated mission and with the bad blood between the siblings they would almost have preferred to keep that distance a little longer, simply for fear of how they might be received even if they would never allow themselves to admit such a thing aloud; Astra's duty as a Hunter was more important to them than mere personal feelings however and they had simply gritted their teeth and braced themselves to do what they must.

Namely approach their brother, or better still any other member of Team FADE in order to offer their services to the relief of Midpoint in whatever capacity they could.

"So….Do we knock on the hull, try and throw a message onto the deck; how do we get aboard with the ramps up?" Regalia asked, stifling a yawn as she spoke and shivered slightly, pulling her jacket around herself to fend off the last lingering chill of night air as the sun continued to slowly creep above the horizon.

"I know Carcharodon makes people climb the anchor if they wanna come aboard without being invited beforehand" Astra murmured, the faint ghost of a smile tugging at their lips for only a moment before being scrubbed away as they caught sight of movement above "Looks like we won't need to though"

"Oh….It's your brother" regalia noted, to which Astra responded with a wordless grunt; mind racing and devoted entirely to what they would actually say to their brother as they watched the blonde Lion Faunus leap from the deck of the Nemesis Kharybdis down onto wooden planks of the harbour with an impact that made both Astra and Regalia wince at the shock that passed through them, landing in a crouch Felix Xiao Long sprung up to his full height, shorter than Astra by an inch at most and closed the distance between them in long, purposeful strides with a stern look etched into his tanned and browned features and his deep blue eyes hard. Astra let out another slow breath in another vain attempt to calm themselves before beginning.

"Hey Fluffy-Felix….Look I wanted to-" Astra's stumbling attempt to clear the air went unspoken as they were forcibly silenced and sent crashing to the wooden floor below, left cheek exploding into hot, throbbing and stinging pain with the sound of metal thudding against flesh ringing out through the salty sea-air as Felix reared back his gold-painted cybernetic right arm and punched his sibling in the face.

"COME HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!" the Lion Faunus barked, grasping Astra by the scruff of the neck and dragging them back to their feet though it was Felix's strength that supported their weight as their own legs had been reduced to jelly by the force of the blow which would almost certainly reduce the Deer Faunus's face to a mass of swollen bruising in short order.

"I-"

"OUR MUM CALLED ME LAST NIGHT, CRYING OVER YOU AFTER SHE TRIED TO TALK SENSE INTO YOU!" Felix hefted Astra into the air and it became clear that he was giving very serious consideration to throwing his sibling into the seawater "YOU WANNA ACT THE TOUGH GUY OKAY-"

The sound of a shotgun being cocked filled the air and silenced Felix's anger, even as it caused a silence more heavy and threatening that the Lion Faunus's fury had been to settle over the docks.

"This is my boom-stick" Regalia managed to keep her tone almost jovial as she levelled Apex Scavenger at the back of the man currently accosting her partner, her words wavering with uncertainty as she added "And I really don't wanna use it on you….you're cool, I like you"

"Okay" Felix growled out, the word rumbling in his chest as he set Astra down reasonably gently before turning to ensure Regalia's weapon had been lowered, then turning his focus back towards the sibling who had managed to regain their footing and was now massaging their face gingerly "You, explain"

"I didn't come here to fight, you dickhead" Astra's words were slurred as they worked their jaw slowly to ensure nothing had been broken or fractured, taking a moment before continuing "I came here to help….I was up early, I know about Midpoint, I know you're gonna be-"

"And you think what, that I'm suddenly gonna be okay with you refusing to listen and putting yourself and everyone around you at risk? Or that I'm in any mood to deal with your shit right now?"

"No!" the Deer Faunus exclaimed, throwing their hands up in the air in a dramatic display of impatient exasperation "I get it okay, I've been hard to work with, fine….I'm not asking you to bring me along. Look, if you're still here then it means you weren't one of the people to fly out with the Professors; so you're involved in the relief effort….I need to help Fluffy, if I'm gonna sit around and do nothing then I may as well just go home and do nothing in Vale because I'm not a Hunter….If we can't help then what are we even wasting our time here for?"

"Fine" Felix breathed out slowly.

"Fine?" Astra repeated, blinking sea-green eyes in stunned disbelief that convincing their brother had been so easy; the punch in the face they had taken not withstanding. Felix merely ran a hand through messy golden locks in his own display of stress, his gaze shifting from Astra to Regalia who fidgeted nervously under the scrutiny and hastily collapsed her weapon before tucking it beneath her jacket.

"Dee and Arctus are gonna be contacting pretty much every charity in Port Alistair and then the rest of Menagerie's major cities, there's gonna be relocation efforts for the people that got out….Those people are probably gonna have nothing but what they were wearing when they ran and maybe their cars if they're lucky; co-ordinating that is gonna keep them busy, they're gonna need more people to do some grunt-work"

"Heh, we don't mind the hard work" Regalia beamed happily, still visibly glad that her particular method of reigning Felix's anger in had not backfired spectacularly as it might've done.

"Yeah….We'll try and get more people involved as well" Astra nodded in agreement, waiting with bated breath as Felix regarded the two of them; an unmistakable coldness in his gaze as he regarded his half-sibling that Astra could not recall ever seeing before and found themselves entirely uncomfortable with.

"We need all the hands we can get….Come aboard and I'll get an ice pack for your face while I tell Diamond you're working with her today. Regalia I know you're dying to ask me if we're okay after you pulled a gun on me….We're fine, just don't make a habit of it" Felix rattled off the sentences as though he were reading bullet points from a memo, though Astra caught the briefest glimpse of a smirk as their brother turned and began walking back towards the Nemesis Kharybdis "And Astra, this isn't an apology….but it might be a step in the right direction; that's your choice to make"

With those words, feeling like an ultimatum ringing in their admittedly sore and pulsing head Astra followed after their brother, taking the opportunity to give Regalia a fist bump before helping their partner bundle Clunker towards a lowering ramp and feeling, for the first time in weeks as though things might be heading in the right direction.


Coco was thankful that she had been wearing her customary Sunglasses despite the pre-dawn gloom upon her arrival to what remained of the town of Midpoint, the heavily tinted lenses had kept the firefighters, paramedics, surviving garrison fighters and other first responders who had greeted her from seeing the tears that filled her deep brown eyes at the sight of the utter devastation that had greeted her.

The Headmistress of Breaktide Academy had been joined by her most trusted and capable allies and was currently flanked by both Ruby and Penny Rose as she strode through rubble and debris strewn streets, the silver-eyed warriors' remaining eye narrowed with a silent fury that sent waves of power crackling out all around her to give her the feeling of being something altogether more than a mere Huntress whilst Penny remained calm and detached, not out of any ability to distance herself from the tragedy and horror but rather the opposite; the copper-haired android was currently using an internal communications system to interact with the AI of her personal transport which circled overhead as it both assisted and provided cover to aircraft used by the firefighters, pouring gallons of oxygen-smothering foam down onto infernos which still raging and sent pillars of choking black smoke up to obscure the sun.

Elsewhere Velvet was making herself useful in the way she knew best, the rabbit Faunus was the daughter of an engineer and gifted with an affinity of her own for all things mechanical that had seen her take off in search of a chief firefighter, with Breaktide Academies' grizzled old chief engineer and its' resident Professor of Dust Studies, Reese Chloris in tow with a plan to begin fighting fires and halting explosions that would otherwise cause havoc on what little remained of Midpoint, all whilst gauging which structures could be saved and which would need to be torn down. Somewhere in the distance the rest of Team ABRN were present, Arslan Altan having given Coco a silent nod and expression of grim resolution before taking Nadir and Bolin with her towards the edge of Midpoints' tattered perimeter.

The effort to save Midpoint was a mammoth undertaking, showing the very best of what people could aspire to be when they worked together and despite it all Coco was left wondering if it was worth it, grief and a crushing, defeated sadness spilling into her words as she asked an inevitable question.

"Is there enough left for a salvage job….Is there even a point to this?"

"Midpoint was of logistical and strategic importance" Penny noted dully, emerald green eyes unfocused as the trio continued to trudge through the destruction, her mind focused on several tasks as once "Though not vital in that regard; the loss could be compensated for by Langerweg, Tayir-Albahr or Prosperity….I'm also certain that Blackwater Cove would be more than willing to lend more aid if it were presented to them as an opportunity, though that would present political dangers of its' own. All of this is secondary of course….Personal feelings aside it is worth it, it is always worth it when people's lives are at stake"

"Penny's right" Ruby nodded firmly, everything about her seeming rigid and tense to the point that it felt as though she might crack like buckling steel at any moment.

"You're right….Of course you're right" Coco let out a trembling breath before reaching up to remove her signature beret and raise her sunglasses, letting her friends see the unfathomable grief in her eyes before she spoke again

"But after all these years it never gets easier, I don't want it to get easier….If I can ever look at something like this and not want to be sick then it's time for me to retire" the veteran Huntress shook her head "Do we have an estimated-no don't tell me, it won't help right now….We need to rebuild, because the people who lost everything deserve that much from us, because the Hunters who fought and died here had every right to expect us to honour that sacrifice, because we live on a Grimm infested island that Salem herself used to stroll around and we cannot afford to let hope die out and damn it all to hell and back because we cannot afford to let the bitch the represents Blackwater Cove have any political capital!"

"She's still not cooperating with the attempts to find Grapeshot and Carmesi?" Ruby surmised, knuckles audibly cracking in a way that she had likely subconsciously picked up from Yang during their childhoods; the knowledge that Hunters whom the caped Huntress had respected despite the professional disagreements they shared had betrayed everything their calling stood for and were now working with the unseen enemy who pulled the strings of seemingly every major crime or atrocity currently befalling Remnant was enraging by itself, but to know that they were being aided by at least one corrupt politician simply because the woman in question wanted to cover up her own misdeeds was simply maddening; in no small part due to how predictable it was.

"She assures me that she's had her cities' police turn over every stone to find them and there was nothing to report" contempt filled Coco's every sneering syllable before being replaced by a white-hot vitriol "I expected this, that's why I sent contracted Hunters to go to Blackwater Cove and look for those two bastards….I know they're there, I know because none of those Hunters have come back or made contact"

"That is….Deeply troubling" Penny gave the conversation her full attention for a moment at that, the living skin grafted over her mechanical frame creasing into a deep frown.

"Yeah, I don't know if the Counsellor for Blackwater Cove is actually working directly with whoever it is we're looking for, although considering they ran their Grimm smuggling through Port Alistair instead of there it's most likely just a matter of convenience….That's hardly an improvement though" Coco gave a deep, heartfelt sigh "That's not all though, it gets worse"

"How?" Ruby fought to keep the disbelief out of her voice.

"This attack….It was the Grimm that attacked Hammerfall, the one that both us and Grapeshot and Carmesi are looking for; the one they have a containment unit to capture"

"You're certain?" Ruby demanded, her very profile seeming to become hazy and indistinct as she positively vibrated with barely contained power, the workings of her cybernetic eye whirring as it narrowed and seemed to glow brighter.

"Positive" Coco nodded, gritting her teeth and tackling the matter as she did all else "We have video footage, which means that the press have it now-"

"Though the press can spread word of how dangerous the target is without worrying the public by informing them that it may or may not be sentient" Penny noted, struggling to find any possible glimmer of hope in the barrage of problems.

"Possibly, although then we run the risk of sending young Hunters with something to prove out looking for this monster half-cocked, we've lost too many people already" Coco murmured.

"And it's getting smarter" Ruby pulled her hood over her head, expression darkening into something of concentration which only grew bleaker with each new realisation, her mind racing as the knowledge that had earned her a position as Grimm Studies Professor came into play "If the thing is….absorbing machines and it took out one of the fighters stationed at Hammerfall right before attacking the outpost….I think we have to work under the assumption that the Grimm came here knowing that Hammerfall is still under repair and knowing that it would be too far away for us to immediately respond to"

"That's….Holy shit" Coco breathed out, jaw slackening as the realisation came to her "Then that means we can expect continued attacks-"

"The Grimm fled when the CCT uplink was destroyed….Hammerfall has it's own uplink" Penny murmured "Perhaps we suggest that as a last ditch effort-"

"The settlements take out their own towers to make the Grimm break off" Coco finished the thought for her, visibly wincing at the implications "It won't go over well….But it might just save lives, Ruby do you think you could beat this thing in a one on one fight?"

"If it suddenly gets dumb enough to let me close enough" Ruby shrugged "So far it's had a pretty strong survival in- Penny what is it?" she trailed off as she watched the way her wife's head cocked slightly to the side and her freckled features once again took on a faintly unfocused look which was quickly recovered from.

"Long range sensors aboard the Peal" she answered, referring to her personal transport "We have an aerial stampede of inbound Winged Buffalo….Numerous but not a severe-"

"I'm on it" Ruby said simply, giving Penny a quick peck on the cheek and a simple nod to Coco as a goodbye before hurtling away in a flash of crimson movement and flurry of falling petals; her need to contribute and do something meaningful powering her forwards and leaving Penny and Coco standing in silence for a moment.

"Go on, carry on co-ordinating with the firefighters….Show the people that were to stubborn and brave to run that you're here; the people of Menagerie adore you" Coco gave a grin that did nothing but show how utterly exhausted and drained by the ordeal she was as she placed a hand on Penny's shoulder.

"They feel the same way about you" Penny pointed out.

"I'm a politician now, they barely tolerate me" Coco snorted back as she prepared to depart "Besides, I need to start being the one to tell every outlying settlement that they've gotta be prepared to cut themselves off if they're attacked by a flying Grimm with a cannon on its' back….They're about to hate my guts" with that both Coco and Penny left, setting off through the ruins of Midpoint to take up the various tasks required of them; both women so focused on the matter at hand that neither saw or paid any mind to a pair of figures lurking in the shadows cast by a pair of burned buildings, the darkness of the alleyway and the smoke filling the air doing as much to mask their presence as the carefully orchestrated chaos unfolding all around them.

Two men, one tall and broad shouldered with a pair of blades slung across his back and the other wearing a safari hat and walking with a cane.


Zirconia had felt sick, a physical and almost overwhelming sensation that she had managed to overcome only by making her way up onto her usual haunt atop the roof of the dormitories' tower where the fresh air had done painfully little to steady her nerves and reeling mind.

To say the news that an entire town had been simply unmade had shaken her was a vast understatement and after pacing for several minutes, sucking in shallow and frantic breaths whilst her mechanical limbs clanked and crunched against the slate below as her movements found themselves lacking in their usual fluid grace had eventually given way to burying her face in her hands; the Grasshopper Faunus having sunk into a crouch and allowing herself to choke out bitter sobs at the senseless loss of life and scale of the utter devastation which had left tears spilling from her mismatched eyes as agonising memories shaken loose after her curiosity had seen her searching, almost frantically for any news regarding the Grimm attack on Midpoint she could find only to floored by the truly harrowing images and videos being published by those who had witnessed it first-hand as the refugees came within range of other CCT uplinks. Eventually Zirconia had found the confines of her own thoughts to much to stomach alone and had found herself doing the only thing which seemed natural.

She had called home.

"This….Will never happen again. You have my word on that" Damascus Nero's voice trembled with a fury which seemed almost out of place coming from the largely unassuming tycoon and philanthropist behind the Clara-Die-Novum Conglomerate suddenly gathering a forceful and commanding air about himself both at odds with his hunched and drawn condition yet amplified by both his leathery and calloused form and the discoloured burn scar, left by some unknown chemical or toxin marring the right side of his jawline.

"Can you really promise that?" Zirconia rasped out, wiping pink and orange eyes which seemed to shine as the sunlight met them, a faint sniffle escaping her as she did so "Is it your place to promise that?….I'm the one training to be a Huntress, I'm the one who was right here on the island-"

"It's my place to promise that because I took stewardship of the Hammerfall Observation Outpost….From the initial reports I've received it's already clear that this was only allowed to happen because the outpost is still under repair after it was attacked, seemingly by the same Creature of Grimm-"

"The Alpha Geist, the one my team fought that keeps improving itself is what attacked Midpoint?" Zirconia gasped, a fresh wave of revulsion and dread mingling with her pity for those who had suffered as she had been unaware of that particular detail; only that there had been creatures resembling winged Beowolves visible in the periphery of the shaking and indistinct video footage captured by a fleeing survivor.

"Indeed" Nero's expression darkened still "And it is my place to promise that the beast is captured or destroyed and it is my duty to ensure that I keep that promise….I may not be a Hunter, but I did make a promise to build a bright new tomorrow and a better Remnant when I helped found this company and it is not the sole responsibility of Hunters to safeguard us against every problem….Especially when the Hunter in question is a student, as proud as I am of you for being so committed to saving every person you can Zirconia this was not something you could have prevented-"

"It doesn't make it any less painful" Zirconia's voice cracked, the pain offset by an unmissable pouting and sulking edge which was quickly pushed aside as her mismatched eyes narrowed and her expression became briefly suspicious.

"Something's wrong?" Nero asked cautiously, a faint mechanical whirring coming from within his gloved right hand as his digits flexed gently.

"One of my team-mates has returned to the dorm" Zirconia answered simply, taking a moment to try and guess which of them it was and surmising that it was Athena-Jade upon hearing the window open below "I have to go"

"Ah….Your partner" Nero beamed with a knowing smile as the situation, terrible as it was, was granted some levity "I'll leave you to it, it was good to hear from you….Even in these circumstances"

Zirconia found herself wanting to curse at the man who had raised her, not that she would ever do something so unseemly; though the urge was rendered moot anyway as the video call promptly ended, allowing Chairman Damascus Nero to return to whatever highly important and no doubt extremely busy schedule Zirconia had diverted his attention from whilst also leaving the Grasshopper Faunus floundering for a moment as Athena clambered up onto the roof, instinctively knowing that she would find her partner there by this point.

"Hey….Wait have you been crying? What's wrong" Athena's words became more urgent with each syllable as her blue eyes widened at the sight of Zirconia's tear-stained face

"It's nothing" Zirconia's cultured and refined tones did nothing to prevent her from sounding bashful and mildly defensive as she wiped her eyes again; the display only serving to make the shorter but far more muscular Bear Faunus hurry across the roof towards her and drop down to meet her gaze.

"Like hell it's nothing, what's wrong?" Athena growled, suddenly ready to defend against whatever perceived threat had caused such a reaction; the snowy-haired girl for her part forcing herself not to consider the reasoning behind her sudden change in tone too deeply.

"It's…." Zirconia trailed off, her initial desire to repeat that it was nothing or that it was stupid faltering under her partners' intent gaze "It's the news about Midpoint….So many people, I let it upset me"

"It's upsetting" Athena answered earnestly, her own fiery and gung-ho disposition wavering in the face of such a catastrophe "That's nothing to be ashamed of Hops-"

"It reminded me of…." Zirconia trailed off again, annoyed at herself for her sudden lack of eloquence and simply gesturing to her mechanical legs, allowing her partner to infer what she would.

"Oh" Athena breathed out, a muscular arm snaking around Zirconia's shoulders and positioning her with the gentlest possible touch so that her head was resting against Athena's own shoulder in a motion that left the bear Faunus wondering what exactly she was doing and with her heart hammering in response to her own impulsiveness whilst Zirconia merely stiffened reflexively for the briefest fraction of a second as she often did before allowing herself to lean and almost melt into the touch, which only left Athena's mind in a greater state of chaotic scrabbling as keen senses were left unwilling to focus on anything outside of the feeling of her partners' touch, the way her hair brushed against Athena's cheek or the faint scent of flowers and oil that came from her.

"You wanna talk about it?" Athena-Jade finally managed to ask, swallowing thickly and commanding herself to do better before adding "You listened to me when I had nightmares about….stuff"

"I…." Zirconia paused, giving serious consideration to the idea; debating telling Athena exactly how she had lost her legs and her parents in Salem's siege of New Vale but ultimately shaking her head slowly "No, but thank you for offering….Were you looking for me?"

"Yeah I was" Athena confirmed, taking a moment to enjoy the feeling of having Zirconia leaning into her just a little longer "Astra called, they're with Regalia and Team FADE….Looks like they've managed to patch things up with Felix enough to find out how we can help"

"How?" Zirconia demanded quickly, the last traces of her outburst of tearful grief and anger being subsumed beneath a sudden burst of determined energy which she noted she had almost certainly adopted from the same partner whom she was now clinging to, a realisation that was soon followed by her wondering of when exactly she had looped her own arm around Athena-Jade's waist.

"Not heading into the field, which Astra is obviously annoyed at" Athena answered, smiling albeit with some distraction "But they're helping with the logistics and the heavy lifting for the relief effort….why waste time looking for a spare forklift when you've got a few people with Aura who can lift half a ton right? I was guessing you'd want to help"

"You guessed right" Zirconia's features morphed into a faint smile which she couldn't bring herself to hide beneath her signature cloak, the desire to be doing something meaningful to combat the darkness Remnant faced wavering just enough to allow her to bury her face in the crook of Athena's shoulder with a shuddering sigh, forcing away the last of her woes.

"But, not yet" she murmured out, voice barely audible "Can we stay like this for a while"

"I, uh-Yeah I'd…..Sure" Athena choked out, sapphire blue eyes wide as every thought in her mind seemed to collide with one another and produce a fug of total blankness; rending the stocky girl all but inert for several moments before she gently patted Zirconia's back and pulled her into a hug only to find herself cursing her own inability to function in a way that was suitable for the tone of the conversation.

'Damn it AJ' Athena's internal monologue felt like a defeated whine to her as she lamented being unable to act or comment on just how good it felt to have her partner pressed against her 'Stop being a pervert, we've got people to save….we said we weren't gonna do this'.

Even with this mental chiding her commitment to simply let the crush on Zirconia run its' course and pass from the previous day was much less certain.


The ground shook under the force of Gestalt-Prime's landing, blackened sand rippling outwards with a thudding tremor whilst the viscous, roiling surface of the Spawning Pit the hybrid Alpha had claimed as their own seemed to retreat away from them as though flinching in response to rage that cascaded from the abomination in palpable waves.

They had miscalculated and their errors had cost them.

With the order to retreat given the remains, such as they were of the horde of monsters that had accompanied Gestalt-Prime to the settlement known to the prey as Midpoint had scattered and broken; the hybrid Alpha's commands intermingling and corroborating with their most basic instincts to cause what those Hunters and other defenders of the razed and decimated town might consider a route, if they could allow themselves to be so naive after the blow they had been dealt. Gestalt-Prime had ordered the packs, herds and other groupings of Grimm they had enlisted for their assault, through the mental bond they shared with the Alpha to split up and flee in all directions; spreading themselves far and wide for the twin purposes of simply throwing any who might dare to follow off of their scent and also to ensure that whatever plans Gestalt-Prime sought to enact following their failure there would already been pawns in place.

The only Grimm to follow the thinking monster back to their new base of operations, as loose a term as it currently was, were the winged Beowolves which had spawned from their subjugated Pit.

Even here there were losses and inadequacies, a point proven by several empty spaces in the ranks of the swooping horrors as they impacted against the ground in a vague formation around their master, each of them falling into a position that was somewhere between a kneeling bow and abject, craven cowering until finally one of their number; chief amongst equals reared up to its' full height and stepped forward, nominating itself to be subjected to an inquisition at the hands of Gestalt-Prime. The tendrils of the hybrid Alpha lashed out and seized their purpose-made creation by the skull, claws rending flesh and burrowing through bone with a series of sickening wet snaps until the abomination could begin pulling the thoughts and memories from the mind of its' underling which, in return for its' service began to grow larger and more muscular as Gestalt-Prime's own make-up was instilled into it.

The extracted memories at first filled Gestalt-Prime with a great mirth and satisfaction, something far closer than a sense of happiness or contentment that a Grimm had any right to feel as they studied the way their minions had hunted and butchered even the Hunters yet that satisfaction was quickly tainted as they saw image after image of the prey rallying despite their catastrophic losses, overwhelming tides of monsters and even in several cases cutting down the winged Beowolves; proving that their creation was not the great evolution Gestalt-Prime sought and that their work was still as incomplete and unacceptable as they had feared.

With a grating, sawing shriek they released the captured Beowolf from their grasp and turned away, stalking agitatedly with their tail thrashing, mechanical wings shuddering and tendrils drawn close around them as they contemplated how they had failed.

The CCT uplink had been destroyed, by Hunters no less in a direct contravention of everything the hybrid Alpha's stolen intelligence taught them.

The deviations from expectations would have to be studied, tested and accounted for however Gestalt-Prime, with a pang of something that Creatures of Grimm were never intended to feel or comprehend found themselves worrying; slowly processing that worry into something more palatable the abominable creature came to the realisation that in the final stages of executing its' great plan it had acted rashly, over-exposed itself and shown its' hand to the prey. Now, if they had before the prey knew what it was Gestalt-Prime sought and of their ability to modify their minions to suit their needs; the information the hybrid Alpha had obtained was no longer valid as plans would be remade specifically to counter the thinking monster and frustrate its' goals.

Gestalt-Prime had behaved like a freshly spawned Beowolf, all hunger and primal urges.

The admission caused them to let out a furious scream, lashing out and tearing savagely at the nearest creature of Grimm to hand and neatly bisecting one of the winged horrors at the waist with a single terrible swipe that sent the beasts' severed upper half sailing into the midst of its' pack-mates who skulked and whimpered with wings drawn around themselves. The gesture of submission went some way to calming the Alpha and allowed them to think with some degree of clarity once again.

Eventually they reconciled their understanding with their need for carnage, rationalising the nights' failure as a simple testing of the waters, a chance to properly blood their newest creations all whilst putting practical application to previously theoretical and abstract knowledge. The prey may now know of their goals but it would not be enough to halt or dissuade them; there were other cities and other CCT uplinks and the means to create enough monsters to overrun any opposition was still firmly within the Alpha's grasp; it was only a matter of time and patience. Gestalt-Prime would simply gather their forces once more and begin the search for another suitable target; one which they would overwhelm before its' inhabitants could deny them.

With this in mind the hybrid Alpha turned and regarded its' winged Beowolves with a menacing glow emanating from the visor covering it' Cyclopean eye.

"Beta testing complete, updating patch-notes. Stand by for our next thrilling spectacle ladies and gentlemen! It will be….Poggers"


Carmesi Hueso had made slight changes to their usual attire which, in the mind of Major Grapeshot served only to make the Komodo Dragon Faunus appear all the more frightening; savage and almost feral in a display that was most uncouth and unbefitting of their former status if truth be told.

Following the struggle against Team FADE and the younger but spirited Team MARZ aboard the Dread-Hulk the younger man had managed to clean the blood from his dusty beige-brown and sleeveless coloured fatigues after they had been stained by his escape from Athena-Jade Slate's grasp; though whilst the fabric had been mended it had been done haphazardly and Carmesi no longer wore their lightweight armour or any article of clothing at all under the jacket with its' cut away sleeves, instead leaving their muscular chest and core on display as it hung open though both their olive coloured skin and the patches of greenish-brown, craggy scales that littered it were marred by a single jagged and ugly scar that ran horizontally across his chest where he had cut into his own ribs to break free of Schnee glyphs; the wound was severe yet had long since ceased to cause pain and instead simply served as reminder to Carmesi that any price must and could be paid to achieve victory.

Further feeding into the single-minded brutality and ruthlessness which had gradually taken hold of the man of late; a sense of urgency which currently saw the Komodo Dragon Faunus pacing the living room, if it could be called such of the apartment in the city of Blackwater Cove which he and Grapeshot continued to operate from whilst Grapeshot himself was simply reduced to drinking at a far earlier hour than he was accustomed to.

"I suppose you think we should simply have disposed of Adel and Rose there and then?" he demanded agitatedly, causing Carmesi to halt "Settle the matter at the source once and for all….Seems to be just your cup of tea lately old chap"

"No" Carmesi rumbled out, the word forcing its' way through sharp teeth almost unwillingly as the man's chiselled and handsome features morphed into something monstrous as they grimaced, red eyes and scales adding to his fearsome aspect.

"I've made no secret of the fact I'll do what's necessary" he continued with a glare at the older man "But only when it's needed and because it's needed….Killing the people fighting against the Grimm does nothing for our goals, it's just unfortunate that they're currently working against us"

"And that Miss Adel placed a bounty on us" Grapeshot huffed, indignant at the notion of being a wanted man with a price placed on his head; though that indignation was swallowed whole by the mounting unease that came the reality of that situation. During his career Grapeshot had done very little Hunting of other people though he had associates who had partaken in such work and now, effectively in hiding in a bleak cesspool of a city where he was forced to fend off against a stream of young and eager Hunters who seemed to care little for whether he was brought in dead or a live the debonair gentleman was forced to admit that bounty hunting was less glamorous than first thought from this perspective.

The fact that the latest Hunter to test their luck against Grapeshot and Carmesi had done so mere feet away from their apartment, coupled with the fact that the young man's body was currently in the next room; waiting to be disposed of was what had driven the former Major to his bottle of brandy.

"Be that as it may" he grumbled as he regarded Carmesi's words "It's hardly sporting….just because Rose insists on using a sniper rifle and Adel's hired Hunters try to bushwhack us from behind doesn't mean we should all stoop to such pedestrian business….It's unsightly"

"You worry about the wrong things….old chap" Carmesi's sneered, causing Grapeshot's blood to rise in an instant; cheeks already flushed by alcohol reddening as he rose to his feet, brandishing Magnificent Ivory in its' cane form at the younger man whilst his voice raised.

"Do not!" he barked "Presume to lecture me boy! What happened to Midpoint was a tragedy-"

"It was a failure on our part!" Carmesi snarled back "One that we could have prevented if we actually acted instead of lurking in alleys and waiting for permission!"

"I don't know where out benefactor found you old boy but I am a military man!" the former major harrumphed "Insubordination and desertion were not things to be taken lightly….If you wish to be the one to question our orders then-"

Grapeshot fell silent as his scroll, a secondary device used specifically for communications with the shadowy figure he answered to began to vibrate.

"Well, now's your chance" there was an unmistakably mean-spirited edge to his words until his answered the incoming video call and gave a habitual salute "Sir!"

"Major, Carmesi….I'm glad to see you're both well, comfortable" the featureless shadowy facsimile of a man spoke in its' usual heavily modulated and computerised voice, though now a fiery anger further distorted each word into something almost dangerous "Enjoying drinks at what I can only presume you mean to tell me is a staff meeting of sorts? Perhaps one of you could then begin by telling me WHAT IN THE DAMN HELL HAPPENED AT MIDPOINT!"

"Yes sir!" Grapeshot snapped off another salute, back hunched by age suddenly straightening as he felt a flicker of his youth returning to him "We lost track of the targets movements sir, between laying low as requested, the lack of intelligence regarding attacks in the wastelands given to us now that we're wanted men and the lack of new intelligence in general caused by the attack on Hammerfall Outpost….well, the target is a slippery one sir and-"

"And we could have settled the matter if you'd listen to reason!" Carmesi snapped, striding into view before seizing the scroll from Grapeshot and ranting with all of the pent-up anger one might expect of a particularly moody teenager "Midpoint didn't need to fall! That is the result of indecisive leadership, we have the means to apprehend the target and I gave you a plan-"

"A plan that includes sacrificing civilians-"

"A plan that risks them I'll admit!" Carmesi countered before returning to the offensive "But at least offers something in return. Midpoint was sacrificed for the sake of our low profile and stealthy operations….How many more settlements, how many more lives are you willing to trade-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH CARMESI!" the distortion around the benefactor's voice peaked and threatened to damage the speaker of the scroll permanently whilst Grapeshot, for the briefest moment thought they heard the true, unassuming voice of the man beneath the facade.

"The answer is no" the benefactor continued "The answer will continue to be no, I cannot in good conscience allow you to use living people as bait"

"Understood sir" Grapeshot reclaimed the scroll, adjusting his safari hat and giving the younger man a warning glare "What are our orders?"

"My sources tell me work on Hammerfall Outpost will be accelerated in response to this….It's time for the two of you to return to the field; track down the target and deploy the containment device. It must be brought down, both for the immediate safety of the people of Remnant and the bright new future I plan to build for them"

"Understood sir" Grapeshot nodded, pleased to be receiving orders that meshed with his own rationale "And what of keeping a low profile? The bounty placed on us by Miss Adel is rather a sticky wicket and I dare say if she's so eager to bring us in that she used taxpayer lien to do so then she's almost certainly spoken to our former friend miss Oralie-"

"The matter of Rowan Oralie was attended to last night, I'm awaiting confirmation from those tasked with carrying out the work" the benefactor paused, seemingly to consider "As for stealth….continue to avoid drawing attention to yourselves. Securing the sentient Grimm is of paramount importance, however we can't allow our work to become sloppy. Report back to me when you have news about the targets' whereabouts"

With that the call ended and Grapeshot and Carmesi were left sharing a pointed look.

"Old chap there is a time and a place" Carmesi merely waved the older man' concerns aside with a jerky motion, limbs twitching with barely contained anger at being denied once again.

"I'm going to prepare the body for disposal….It would make sense to leave it in the wasteland; I'll be scouting ahead for a few days. We need to find the target again" with that Carmesi stalked out of view, unsheathing the larger of his two blades from across his back as he did so; a low and guttural snarl quickly followed by a thudding impact and the unsettling sounds of flesh and bone being rendered down to grisly components confirming that they had begun the task at hand.

Whilst also causing Grapeshot to pour himself another glass of brandy, thoughts darkening as he was forced to contemplate just how far his partner was willing to go in pursuit of the ideals that he and the benefactor were yet to share and, more troubling still, how long it would be until Grapeshot himself became a victim of the reptilian Faunus's slowly deteriorating self control and undeniable bloodlust.


By early afternoon the relief efforts were well underway within Port Alistair.

The various communities of the island Kingdom, despite their often contentious relationships with one another stemming from largely superficial or cultural differences had various protocols and contingencies in place to give aid to one another should it ever be needed and had, over the short history of the Kingdom continued to uphold the ideals that had seen such plans be formed; it was after all understood by all of Menagerie's people that on the barren and Grimm infested island they intended to make their home survival and prosperity depended on teamwork.

An ethos that could be seen within the Kingdoms' Capital more so than anywhere else.

Within hours of news of Midpoints' destruction being received the people of Port Alistair, almost entirely of their own volition but still coordinated and directed by those given license to do so by the cities' Council had sprung into action. Even as Coco Adel and her initial response team of veteran Hunters returned entire teams of less experienced Hunters had begun making their way out to the settlements where refugees would be housed, bolstering the local defences in preparation for the inevitable Grimm incursions that would come as the grief and sorrow of those who had fled Midpoint drew the monsters; more Hunters and other, less legitimate mercenaries made up of groups which even included the criminal underbelly of Menagerie had spread themselves across the few roads through the wastelands which convoys of goods would be travelling in order to see that no food, medicine or other necessities were kept from their destination by Grimm, the hyper-aggressive native wildlife of Menagerie or other opportunistic thieves, be they nomad clans or simple raiding bandits.

As all of this was happening the civilian populace also began to play their role with diligence and urgency, hundreds of doctors and nurses preparing to travel to where they were needed whilst skilled tradesmen, engineers and construction workers across the city began petitioning the companies they worked for to begin sending them either to Midpoint itself or those places where refugees were now residing in order to put their skilled hands to use. Whilst this was happening dozens of companies across the island Kingdom had begun donating what they could, an example that was quickly followed by the general public leading to the massive plaza which formed Port Alistair's largest open air market being emptied of its' usual stalls so that it could serve as a staging area for the mammoth task.

Which was where Team MARZ had found themselves.

Astra let out a grunt of exertion as the reared up from a crouching position, lifting with their legs as the hefted a pallet laden with several boxes of valves other important components needed to provide adequate plumbing to the newly displaced, a logistical matter that the Deer Faunus was annoyed at themselves for not considering before that moment. Once they had lifted they carried the pallet several places and lifted it higher still, with clear effort so that it could be loaded onto the back of a waiting truck at which point it was moved, far more carefully into position and dutifully secured by Regalia who then hopped down from where she had been working to give her partner a nod of confirmation, at this Astra gave the side of the vehicle a resounding slap which indicated to the driver that the shipment was ready to be transported.

"It's not always like the movies" Regalia gave a warm smile and gestured to the activity around them "But sometimes it can be….Heh, even if it is the lifetime movies where everyone gets along"

"Yeah" Astra nodded, waiting a moment as they sound of the truck they had finished loading rumbling into life drowned out their words before continuing "All we need now is a city girl who really hates the nondescript winter holiday-"

"Wouldn't that just be Diabla?" Zirconia's quiet, rasping quip delivered with her usual deadpan tones announced the arrival of both the Grasshopper Faunus and her partner, with Athena-Jade giggling at the joke for a moment before clearing her throat.

"Okay so I've just spoken to Arctus and he's double checking with Diamond but it looks like this shipment is ready to roll out….it's all heading to Prosperity, tomorrow there's another shipment heading somewhere else if you wanna-"

"Keep helping?" Astra asked "Yeah….We don't have class, hell we may as well come after classes next week if we can-"

"I thought you'd be busy trying to unlock your Semblance" Regalia's comment silenced the Deer Faunus and a tangible shift in the air silenced the entire group for a moment as Astra regarded their partner for a moment; brow furrowing as they tried to find words for their sudden discomfort.

"I'm not an ass-hole Regalia….Am I?" they shook their head, idly fiddling with one of the points of their Mohawk before continuing before any of their friends could answer "I need to unlock my Semblance, but the whole point of that is to be a better Hunter so I can actually help when it counts….This right here, it's not glamorous or anything but it's helping; I can take a break from training for this….Besides, it's not like we have to do the grunt work forever"

"Astra what does that mean?" Athena-Jade asked, voice filled with an exasperation that was shared by each of her friends towards Team MARZ's leader "Please tell us you're not planning on doing some thing stupid?"

"What? No!" Astra at least had the decency to look mildly abashed as they realised how reasonable the accusation seemed in light of their recent and continued single-minded dedication. After a moment the Deer Faunus looked around the open plaza and took in the sight of hundreds, if not thousands of people sorting, packing and loading all manner of goods to be shipped out before speaking again.

"I'm just saying there's other ways to help than heavy lifting" they shrugged, popping the collar of their bright red leather jacket "I haven't had a chance to talk about it to Felix yet because well…."

"He gave you a black eye" Athena interjected pointedly, nodding towards the bruise which Aura was yet to fully heal which darkened her team leaders' cheek. Astra merely scowled and continued as though they had not been interrupted.

"I'm-we're still not exactly on great terms….But I was planning on trying to talk to him once we're done here; I wanna head out to one of the settlements where the people from Midpoint are being-"

"For the love of-" Athena-Jade's voice was filled with open annoyance and disdain which only made Astra's subsequent interjection more forceful.

"AJ listen to me!"

"No you listen!" Athena shot back "This is not about you!"

"I'm not making it about me!"

"Uh Astra" Regalia gently tugged on her partner's sleeve

"What?" their tone was harsh, Astra clearly expecting Regalia to begin siding against them and inadvertently leaving the Raccoon Faunus visibly flinching away from their tone before pointing at something across the plaza.

"It doesn't matter anyway….Felix is leaving" Astra followed their partners' gaze and spat out a curse as, almost the moment they saw the black muscle car that could belong to nobody other than their brother the Killer-Bee's engine let out a roaring sound which caused the crowd gathered around it to fall back several paces; allowing the vehicle to lurch into motion and begin to leave as part of the convoy heading to the settlement of Prosperity, Felix and most likely Eagle acting as protection for the various trucks.

"So" Athena-Jade fixed the leader and friend she was both worried for, but also growing tired of with a stern glare "Decision time, do you wanna help people….Or do you wanna go back to the academy and work on your Semblance?"

"Fuck off AJ-"

"Don't talk to her like that" Zirconia's voice was quiet but carried with it the hint of a warning which served to halt Astra before they could build any momentum.

"I already said I want to help….I just want to help as much as I can, that means figuring out my Semblance" Astra huffed dramatically before sighing "But whatever, we're here now….Let's go find out which trucks need loading next; forget about heading out"

"Good choice" Athena gave an approving nod as she and Zirconia turned to leave, leaving Astra alone with their partner again and after a while Regalia gave them a light punch on the shoulder to get their attention. Purple eyes filled with concern as she tried once again to convey the message of their conversation the previous evening.

"You're a good leader Astra….really, you're doing great" she beamed "But you don't have to be the one to do everything, not on your own….you're not I don't know Dijon Mango, or Dijon Wicker or Dijon Mc-Huh, why are they always called Dijon"

"Not a clue" Astra grumbled before allowing themselves to relax "And thanks Regalia….But it still feels like I'm not doing enough"

With that the two of them followed after their team-mates, falling into a silence that was not as easy as they had once been; Astra's sea-green eyes becoming focused as the Deer Faunus continued to allow thoughts and ideas to running rampant through their mind as they went, their thoughts about the tragedy of Midpoint mingling with their own feelings of inadequacy with the monstrous Grimm which had attacked the town forming a through-line between them.

Until finally Astra reached an epiphany and realised what they needed to do.

Author's Notes:

HAPPY NON DENOMINATIONAL WINTER HOLIDAY!….I hope everyone is enjoying themselves responsibly and anyone interacting with people who have to work over the holidays had better be treating those workers well.
Despite the name this clearly not the midpoint of Vol.03….not even a quarter of the way through.
Also, next week's chapter may also be a little off-schedule as well.

Anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
And we're starting off with a direct follow up to the last chapter's ending….I originally just planned to show the aftermath rather than the attack itself, but it was too good of a thing to pass up on.
The Infernal Devices and later on the Winged Buffalo are Grimm that haven't really shown up since Team MARZ's initiation but I wanna bring them back again at some point.
Gestalt-Prime showing that they understand stander Hunter team practices and can work around them….With the winged Beowolves basically being Hunter-Killers, I might actually just name them that.
Every volume of RWBY has that one background character who becomes unmistakable….The old Hunter in the exoskeleton is that character for Vol.03 of MARZ.
The winged wolf did what I like to call the "Evil Superman" tackle….Y'know exactly what I'm talking about.
So the CCT tower for the town was downed with friendly fire, which prompted a retreat and; unintentionally gave everyone trying to stop Gestalt-Prime some idea of what its' specific targets are.
Astra has always been the first one to wake up, their morning routine, hair and make up are important to them….This is also straight off the back of last chapter, so you know they're not getting enough sleep.
That moment when you get a few days off….And then find out why.
As nice as it is that Astra brought Regalia along let's be real; it was because they have Clunker….That main character syndrome is what had Astra decide against waking everyone up.
Regalia can sleep anywhere and wake up quickly.
Well at least Astra wasn't a total idiot and trying to drive out into the wastes.
Yeah Astra swallowing their pride is never gonna be an easy thing, even when they know they're in the wrong.
Now we can all agree that Felix's action were not productive, but they were understandable and at a certain point Astra's attitude is gonna have consequences because people are gonna run out of patience.
Regalia, still ready to do some action movie shit at a moment's notice and just hope for the best.
And there's the thing….As much of a prick as Astra's asking, it comes from a good place; they're just dumb and letting their own feelings get the better of them.
Diamond and Arctus organising the relief and charity stuff, if you read FADE you'll get it.
Well someone finally called Astra out on their lack of apologies.
I don't care how bad-ass Hunters like Coco, Velvet, Ruby or Arslan are….seeing an entire town levelled like that is gonna have an effect every time.
Yay politics, turning disasters into point-scoring.
So those Hunters Coco sent into Blackwater Cove...Yeah they're gone.
Ruby is smart, she didn't just become the Grimm Studies Professor because she's got Silver Eyes.
So the people of Menagerie are now going to have some idea of how capable Gestalt-Prime is, although obviously Coco wants to keep certain information back to stop panic spreading and they'll also know that it's coming for CCT towers, which they can destroy themselves as a last resort.
Told you we'd see Carmesi and Grapeshot.
Yeah I think we've all established that Zirconia has a lot going on under the quiet rogue routine….I promise I'm not just stringing you along, we'll get there eventually.
Y'know, Zirconia and Nero's interactions give me Jinx and Silco vibes to some extent….Although that obviously what I was aiming for when I started writing them.
Chairman Damascus Nero is not just another Billionaire and definitely takes his promises to make a better Remnant very seriously.
Once again, even when calling home on the verge of a breakdown Zirconia ends a call home before her team can interact with her legal guardian.
So I've said in Author's notes that Zirconia lost her legs in Salem's siege of New Vale but that's the closest she's come to actually telling anyone.
AJ really thought 'Just powering through' a crush was gonna be that easy….Oh honey no.
Zirconia picking up things from AJ's attitude as well is cute.
Zirconia went from stiffening up at physical contact to having her chest pressed up against her partner and making the poor girl short circuit.
Even on the retreat Gestalt-Prime is smart enough to make sure they don't get followed.
They could probably get the information without using the Goo-SB connection of clawing into brain matter but Grimm will be Grimm.
So the Hunters are planning but Gestalt-Prime is planning around their plans.
And yes it said Poggers.
First time we see these two in Vol.03 and yeah, slightly updated look for Carmesi….He hacked his own chest open, that left a mark.
"Killing the people fighting against the Grimm does nothing for our goals, it's just unfortunate that they're currently working against us" - We're still some way away from the big reveal but that is important.
Carmesi and Grapeshot are absolutely done with each others' shit.
Also yeah, that's one of the hunters Coco sent after them that tried to grab them outside their apartment and who is currently dead in the next room.
Enjoying drinks at what I can only presume you mean to tell me is a staff meeting of sorts? May or may not be me venting about a little something in British Politics.
Also, the Benefactor is absolute furious; we've never seen him this angry before.
So Carmesi is still willing to use a settlement as bait, with the logic being to let one town risk being Grimm-food so nobody else as to.
So the Benefactor has sources on Hammerfall outpost, I'm giving you hints about who he is and nobody is picking up on it.
The attack on Rowan was the previous night and obviously with everything else happening he hasn't had chance to hear that she's still alive.
So now Carmesi and Grapeshot are going to be more active, orders to lay low have been rescinded.
Hacking up a body, an unorthodox way to calm down….But it works.
RWBY is Hope-Punk so yes, in my stories when a town is hit by a disaster the rest of the Kingdom gets their collective shit together and helps regardless of anything.
Lift with your damn legs.
Also, the kind of stuff Astra was moving a pallet of is the kind of thing I build for a living.
Even the nomad girl takes a shot at Lifetime movies.
"City girl gets taught the meaning of the Nondescript Winter Holiday….and the city girl is Diabla Fuego" MARZ Chibi.
And of course AJ was reduced to giggling, the pretty girl made a joke about the person she doesn't like.
And in one comment Regalia managed to make Astra actually look at themselves.
AJ being the one to call Astra out here makes sense, because Astra is on a similar vibe to what she was doing at the start of the story.
One day Astra is going to push Regalia away too and it's going to end badly.
Regalia still trying to get through to Astra….Also the names were obvious nods to John Rambo, John Wick and John McLane, mainly because I was the Epic Rap Battles of history video between those three right before writing the scene.
And now Astra has an idea, let's see what happens when Astra's intelligence and their stupidity collide.

Thank you to SumoSnipe and MajorBrony95 for their reviews on the last chapter:
Yeah I think you got unlucky last week, I got the email for your review literally right I was I posted the chapter.
Coral doesn't bet….She's the umpire, so technically her game her rules (Thank you Al Murray).
See AJ might have realised that she has a thing for Hops, but she's still not ready to act on it...Gotta have some pining first.
I'm not even sure if AJ's hammer is big enough to adjust Astra's attitude at this point….The problem is that almost any attempt to physically disuade them from their current stupidity is only going to prove to them that they do need to get stronger and unlock their Semblance by any means.
They do indeed have Baseball, Summer-Pyrrha Rose; Ruby and Penny's athlete daughter is at college on a baseball scholarship...I actually made her a baseball player as an homage to one of Bionic-Jedi's fics.
Yeah the Benefactor decided to cut his losses after she back-stabbed on the Dread-Hulk and Rowan and Persian's former backers have been dealt with so she really is out of options...Almost.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.