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Chapter 51: The Edge
Major Grapeshot, formerly attached to the Mistrali Air force, disgraced Hunter of some former standing and renown had found himself atop the rolling fortress and homestead that was the Aiktishaf Dune Crawler and its' attendant land-train carriages of mind boggling size and it was here that the man considered his recent actions, weighing them against what he had stood for in his life.
A difficult task given that small children were currently scurrying around him nervously, urging one another to approach through a determined exchange of whispers.
He found himself sat within what resembled a large greenhouse, one of many which lined the uppermost sections of several of the enormous vehicles' carriages and produced crops and medicinal herbs for the clan yet had somehow, despite this and the materials from which almost everything in sight was made, managed to garner an appearance that was homely rather than industrial or bleakly utilitarian. After a night of fitful and restless sleep owing to the cramped and stifling conditions within the Aiktishaf and the ravages of his own guilty conscience which provided a sickening sense of dreadful apprehension as the final moments where a choice could be made drew close Grapeshot had been allowed to wander, largely freely and with only light supervision which had kept a respectful distance for the remainder of the voyage across the wastelands which, if his estimates were correct would soon be coming to its' conclusion until he had found the greenhouses and done what he could to make himself comfortable; respectful and distant as the judicial arbiters of Clan Aiktishaf who served as his guards might have been however there was no accounting for the curiosity of children and as the late morning sun was magnified by the greenhouse roof, leaving the disgraced military man no choice but to remove his customary safari hat and dab at his sweating brow with a plum coloured neckerchief a rustling from the midst of the grains being grown around him caught his attention and a moment later Grapeshot was confronted by a lean, tanned and bold-looking example of a child of Clan Aiktishaf in the form of a small girl with a missing front tooth and highly expressive bat-like ears sprouting from a head of hair whose colour seemed at odds with the Faunus attribute. Looking passed this newcomer Grapeshot saw that she was the obvious delegate from her group of excited and nervous whisperers who looked on from nearby, he noted that they in fact have been some of the same children that he had seen clambering across the Aiktishaf the previous day.
"What's the biggest Grimm you've ever seen?" the girl enquired without preamble, eyes bright with wonder and ambition which Grapeshot couldn't help but respect despite her uncouth grubbiness and lack of manners; chortling softly he took a moment to consider, though the answer to her question was a simple one it was a matter of how many details he should give to a little girl, he didn't want to give her nightmares after all.
"Imagine a spider, with too many legs….It was the size of a mountain and could move faster than airships; the things' rear end had armour plates that moved and looked like little islands drifting over it"
"Wow" the bat Faunus gasped, eyes wide whilst her compatriots shared in her reaction as they inched slowly closer "And you got it?"
"Alas no, I was busy with a stampede of blasted Goliath but I could see the thing from several miles away. It was certainly gotten though"
"Was that in the-uh the Kingdom?" one of the other children asked and Grapeshot could only harrumph in a way that made his greying and imperial moustache shudder at that, heroes deserved glory after all and what glory could there be if good deeds went unremembered or misattributed.
"My dear boy that had happened here, on this very island" he answered "Before the cities and towns were built"
"What was Menagerie like before the cities?" another child asked, clearly trying to imagine the wasteland reaching from coast to coast; Grapeshot paused for a moment, brows furrowing and features darkening as the sights, sounds and smells of the battle for Menagerie flashed momentarily through his mind; a brief campaign which had been a foray into hell on Remnant where his team-mates and closest friends had been amongst the countless lost, each of them a proud Mistrali warrior to the end. Deciding that he could not give an honest answer he chose to sugar coat the reality as much as possible.
"It was full of monsters….good Hunting" the smile he forced himself to wear at that almost pained him and he found himself stiffening briskly in a way that seemed to alert the children it would be preferable if they did not intrude upon his thinking; as the rabble backed away, chattering amongst themselves in hushed and suitably awed whispers Grapeshot allowed himself to retreat back into his own thoughts once more, recalling the names and faces of his dear friends who had given their lives for all of Remnants' people of the shores of this damnable island and, as he forced himself to relieve the final moments of each of those whose ends he had been close enough to witness first hand, each an act of bravery and heroism he demanded an answer of himself to a single question which could no longer be avoided.
Even with all of the justifications and promises of a better Remnant, would those heroes be proud of what he was doing. A single tear rolled down a wrinkling and leathery cheek as Major Grapeshot answered himself honestly at the precise moment Swarf Russet stormed into view, flinging the door of the greenhouse aside.
"Good morning ma'am" the Major rose to his feet and snapped off a salute, voice thick as he made a decision which could no longer be delayed in good conscience "I regret to inform you that there is treachery afoot and that-"
"I know that" Swarf strode to within striking distance, her remaining arm flying to her bandolier and pulling a large hunting knife from one of the many sheaths and pouches on its' strap whilst behind her a group of armed members of Clan Aiktishaf, each wearing expressions of righteous fury and disgust fanned out to both surround Grapeshot and place themselves between him and the children, as though the believed his treachery would stretch to such despicable means.
"My daughter is a student of Breaktide Academy and I spoke with her moments ago" Swarf spat, pale grey eyes shining with rage "She tells me that you and Hueso are no longer Hunters, that your people exiled you….she tells me that you mean to kill us all"
"I mean no such thing" Grapeshot harrumphed, chest puffing out in response only for his entire body to deflate and crumple "Not so directly at least"
"Explain yourself" the tip of Swarf's knife pressed against his neck yet Grapeshot made no effort to resist.
"I am a Hunter and everything I have done has been for noble goals, I see now that that was no excuse at all and if you permit me I would assist you in correcting my own mistakes" he began, seeing no change in the Aiktishaf elders' features or posture he continued
"Hueso has been in contact for some time with a man, I know him only as the Benefactor, who believes that he can use an intelligent, self aware Grimm as part of some kind of plan to make a better Remnant, something to combat the monsters on a larger scale by the sounds of it….the two of us were tasked with capturing such a Grimm and taking it back to him for study, the Grimm which attacked the settlements of Midpoint and Maiden-Gate as well as Hammerfall Observation Outpost and I believe several of your fellow nomads is such a Grimm; the thing is highly dangerous however we believe we have the means to contain it….What we didn't have was the means to track or lure it, until we found that for reasons I daresay I can't fathom the thing has a fondness for targets with a CCT connection-"
Swarf Russet was blindly fast, she pulled her knife back and tossed it upwards so that her hand was free to deliver a slap to the face which left Grapeshot's Aura visibly rippling before catching the knife and resuming her threatening position all faster than the eye could see.
"You used my people as bait and for that I should kill you where you stand….It is fortunate that my people are not bandits or savages"
"Quite so" Grapeshot risked the words as he massaged his stinging face "However if I may be so bold us to offer my services in the coming fight?….I know that I have lost all trust, respectability and common decency as an officer and a gentleman but I will not sit back and watch the innocent suffer, I opposed this plan from the outset-"
"My own people are capable of dealing with your friend" the Racoon Faunus snarled.
"With respect ma'am I'm not certain they are and you're rather going to need every able fighter you have to defend against the coming Grimm attack-"
"When does Carmesi plan to begin calling this Grimm?"
"It has already been done I'm afraid" Grapeshot answered, Swarf suddenly becoming rigid at the realisation "Your rearguard will likely have visual within minutes and they will reach us before we can make it to Port Alistair"
"I see" Swarf's voice was flat and toneless, yet a moment later she was a whirling blur of activity as she began pointing individuals out and giving orders, the children the first to be addressed "You, all of you retreat to the innermost reaches and demand the other children, those with newborns, the sick and our healers to do the same, speak with respect to your elders but tell that you speak on behalf of a helms-woman and an elder. You three, across the bridges and handholds, send word to our gunners and the outriders, you alert the other judiciary guards and have every weapon in our arsenal readied to defend key areas of the Aiktishaf, tracks, entry points, bridges, these greenhouses. The rest of you are to find and guard the Council of Aiktishaf, protect our wisest as they guide us" the was a chorus of assent as the orders were acted upon, with many of the children forgetting decorum enough to refer to Swarf Russet simply as Auntie in the way Aiktishaf children did all women who were not their mothers, neglecting to use proper titles as the warriors did.
"And what of the two of us?" Grapeshot asked, readying his cane as subtly as he dared.
"There is no us, you are a coward and a swine and when this is over you will face Aiktishaf justice, rest assured the Grimm will not be the ones to kill you today" Swarf glared for a moment before relenting, sheathing her knife and drawing one of her many javelins "Before that can happen however….your friend Carmesi is going to be dealt with, handsome face be damned he will know pain. Are you willing to kill a friend?"
"The Carmesi Hueso I knew has been gone for some time ma'am" Grapeshot answered simply as the two of them departed for whatever uncertainty would follow.
At the edge of the city of Port Alistair closest to the wastelands of, passed its' commercial hub and residential areas, its' suburbs and the outer industrial hubs with close transport links to other cities settlements the monolithic defensive wall of the island Kingdoms' capital rose above the surrounding buildings, weapons batteries of terrifying size mounted at regular intervals providing a sense of security. Yet any cursory glance of the scene, filled with an electric atmosphere as a swarm of people bustled around the wall without passing through it and a steady stream of low flying aircraft, composed primarily of Bull-Head fighters and transports whose wing-emblems identified them as part of the cities' defences would all point any astute observer towards a single conclusion.
Something was wrong.
Regalia's amethyst coloured eyes panned her surroundings in both cautious suspicion and a level of restless expectation as she marched onto the final street of Port Alistair, a circular row of houses surrounded by a ring-road comprising of several lanes, a tram track with a small platform close by and finally an open stretch of barren, yet paved land to create the smallest buffer between the wall and the city with roads branching out in the direction the gates. Behind the nomad were factories, warehouses and several high-rise apartment blocks along with a multi-story garage where she had deposited Clunker as some sense of foreboding, far less inexplicable than it might normally had suggested was prudent. After scanning the area a little longer she finally found what she sought in the form of two figures rushing toward her with all haste after exiting the tram at the nearest stop and breaking into a run.
Regalia gestured to them and made her way towards the nearest member of Port Alistair's perimeter defence, whose armour and weapon seemed more ominous than usual whilst at the same time paltry and woefully insufficient; a few steps before she could reach the middle aged man Athena-Jade and Zirconia reached her, panting and trying to compose herself.
"Regalia are you sure about-"
"I'm sure" she said simply without breaking stride, the Bear and Grasshopper Faunus sharing a look before finding themselves falling into step behind her, compelled to do so by a sudden sense of presence and authority which, whilst not precisely the same quality Astra possessed was certainly close enough to serve in the absence of Team MARZ's leader.
"I need to speak with the person in charge, immediately. It's important business" Regalia stated bluntly and firmly, pre-empting the questions of the nearest guard as they drew close enough to converse "It's about an incoming attack"
"Don't you worry yourselves about that kid" the guard laughed, lifting his weapon as he postured "We got word from Councilwoman Adel, Hammerfall is back online and there's a few Grimm coming; we've got it under control look around" Regalia saw the way he gestured to the preparations taking place around them in the form of assorted hurrying and bustling and the transports moving into position, she also saw the deep concern which masked unrestrained panic brewing beneath the mans' fake smile yet neither of those facts were of as much important as one single detail.
"Grimm?" she repeated "There's been a misunderstanding, I need to talk to whoever's in charge!"
"We're students of Breaktide" Athena-Jade chimed in from behind her, clearly hoping it would help.
"Students eh?" the guard chuckled "I get wanting to help and be heroes….But this one's a job for qualified fighters, head back to-"
"We don't have time for this!" Regalia surged forward, making to barge passed the security guard only for him to attempt to seize her which resulted in the Racoon Faunus kicking his legs out from beneath him with blinding speed, in turn prompting a group of nearby soldiers to level their own weapons whilst more came marching from the very entrance to the defences which the trio had been attempting to access in what would have promised to be a thoroughly unpleasant scuffle were it not for the sight of familiar figures amongst those emerging.
"ENOUGH!" Headmistress, Councilwoman and veteran Hunter Coco Adel barked in a thundering command; Velvet Scarlatina and Yatsuhashi Daichi flanking her and each of the trio wearing stern expression and Coco's by far the most unwelcoming as she closed the distance between herself and her students, removing her sunglasses and offering another lone word "Explain"
"The attack that's coming, it's not Grimm….Or there's more to it than that!" Regalia began frantically, preparing to explain in detail what she had only been able to briefly outline to her friends as time had been limited.
"We have visual confirmation of an incoming-"
"WILL YOU JUST LISTEN! WHY DOES NOBODY LISTEN WHEN I TALK?" Regalia's vehemence stunned Velvet, who had interjected into silence and Regalia took a deep, trembling breath before continuing before any retaliation to her outburst could begin "I spoke to my Mum a while ago, she's an elder and Helms-Woman of Clan Aiktishaf; my people are heading to Port Alistair right now and will be here….Maybe less than an hour, what's important is that Major Grapeshot and Carmesi Hueso, the people you've been looking for are with her; they managed to trick their way aboard by hiding the fact that they're no longer Hunters and helping my people deal with a Grimm problem in the wastes, they provided my people with a CCT uplink-"
"That's their plan" Coco interrupted, giving Regalia a look which plainly said that no further yelling would be tolerated from her; taking another moment to parse her immediate thoughts she found them distilling themselves down to a bleakly simple and logical series of conclusions
"The hybrid Alpha we've been struggling to capture since your first mission, it's been showing a preference for attacking things like CCT uplinks and other vital sources of information; using its' existing mechanical components to process the information. If Carmesi and Grapeshot have given your people an uplink….then that's what the incoming Grimm are honing in on, they're not storming Port Alistair, they're chasing Clan Aiktishaf-"
"Who are heading this way" Yatsuhashi noted.
"They're going to force a collision course and force us to engage the Grimm in battle, allowing them to slip through in the process with a captured sentient Grimm….they have the means to do so after the incident with the Dread Hulk" Velvet added, quickly piecing together the remaining aspects of the enemies' plan; it was ruthless and potentially risked a catastrophic loss of life however there was an undeniable chance that it could succeed if it were not directly challenged and halted.
"Sweet mother of FUCKING-" Coco let her curse trail of as she gesticulated wildly, the scale of what would occur in a matter of time beginning to dawn on her.
"What do we do?" Zirconia asked, speaking up finally and eyeing those around her with expectant hope only to be greeted with a question rather than an answer as another familiar voice called out to Team MARZ.
"What's going on, did you guys find Astra? We checked our scrolls and saw that you were all bunching together so we thought you'd found…." Wolfram trailed off as Regalia stepped aside and brought Coco into view for him, the rest of Team WULF were a step behind their leader and the four of them came skidding to a halt at the sight of their headmistress glaring at them.
"All of you were confined to campus without my express permission on threat of immediate expulsion" Coco growled out "However, given the severity of the current situation we will discuss that at a later date….As things stand you have two choices, return to campus immediately and without detours or join the perimeter defences-"
"Coco you can't-" Yatsuhashi began to object
"These teams were being prepared for extra training, despite their behavioural issues they've shown consistent commitment and ability….Besides, if we forced them they wouldn't listen. Decision time"
Each member of Team MARZ and Team WULF gave their Professor a look which needed no words, one which made it perfectly clear that there could only be one answer, to which Coco nodded in approval before raising her voice to a thundering bellow.
"THE SITUATION HAS BEEN CHANGED! THE INCOMING GRIMM IS BEING HEADED BY A PRIORITY ONE LEVEL THREAT, WE ARE TO TREAT THIS ATTACK AS AN INVASION FORCE!" that alone sent mutterings through the guards who heard it "SEND WORD TO BREAKTIDE ACADEMY, FULL DEFENSIVE MEASURES, FIRST THROUGH THIRD YEARS ARE TO REMAIN ON SITE TO ASSIST AND RECEIVE EVACUEES, FOURTH YEARS ARE TO REPORT TO PROFESSORS FOR DEPLOYMENT! SEND WORD TO THE COUNCIL, ISSUE A FULL ALERT! I WANT ALL DEFENSIVE MEASURES AND EVERY HUNTER IN THIS CITY MOBILISED AND ALL CIVILIANS IN SHELTERS IN THE NEXT TEN MINUTES! GET THOSE SIRENS MAKING NOISE, MOVE!"
"This" Zirconia breathed out "Is an additional problem we didn't need" in response to this Athena-Jade reached out, entirely instinctively and squeezed her partner's hand despite how clammy her own palm had suddenly become though she thanked her own good sense and instinct for the fact she had brought her weapon with her out of habit. A moment later Velvet Scarlatina spoke, voice far more stern than the tone she often used in class, syllables snapped out with force as she addressed Team MARZ
"You three, follow me!" her tone softened and deep brown eyes regarded the trio for a moment before she added "Ironside said that you were looking for Astra, where's your partner Russet?"
"They'll be here any minute now" Regalia answered, forcing a smile onto her face and committed to it no matter how much the expression wavered; forcing herself to believe her own words as the alternative was unthinkable.
Carmesi Hueso surveyed both his own handiwork and the vast expanse of the wastelands of Menagerie which stretched out in all directions except for one beyond them and found the sight beautiful in a terrible way.
The sun was steadily nearing its' zenith and even accumulated to harsh conditions and climates as he was the reptilian Faunus could still feel sweat trickling down from softer, yet leathery skin onto the rough and craggy scales which littered it as glaring heat shone down on him, causing the gargantuan form of the Aiktishaf to cast long and even more massive shadows and the cracked and dusty earth upon which little could grow, in the far distance of the receding horizon however something gathered and emerged into view; a single mass with a roiling and impossible to define shape which was almost poetic in its' sheer darkness and upon seeing it Carmesi gave a smile of sharp teeth.
The Grimm were coming.
Despite the eagerness etched into his features the increasingly fanatical and dangerous rogue Hunter took a moment to steady himself and clear his mind as he reminded himself of his goals and his duties whilst continuing to study what he realised must be a truly obscene tide of monsters headed by the hybrid Alpha he sought to capture from his position at the rear of the Aiktishaf. He stood mere feet away from the CCT uplink he had dutifully installed into the titanic vehicle, creating a tower which rose from the upper hull of the rearmost carriage of the land-train in an effort to draw and divert the inevitable Grimm attack away from the foremost and vital parts of the Aiktishaf and as he listened closely to low, vibrating thrum and crackle of the largely improvised array within whose workings he had secreted the compacted form of the containment device his Benefactor had entrusted him with the Komodo Dragon Faunus assured himself that his means were noble; he intended to assist in the creation of a better Remnant and so his means were just even if that righteousness could not be seen and was obfuscated by the costs and tolls it required, though he once again reminded himself that he was a Hunter of Grimm no matter what might be said of him and so he would do what he could to spare the Aiktishaf any undue suffering; being beset by Grimm drawn to them by strangers as they travelled between settlements was after all a fate he could empathise with far too much.
Such reflections almost distracted him from a sound behind him.
At the last possible moment however the sound of whistling air as something tore through it at frightening speed seemed to register on his senses and Carmesi whirled around, foregoing his weapons entirely and simply lashing out with both hands to seize the shaft of a handmade and ornately carved javelin at the exact moment its' point pressed against his chest to cause a faint rippling of arterial red Aura and, as he glanced ahead with narrowed eyes and bared fangs to see Swarf Russet already preparing another javelin and more worryingly, Major Grapeshot stood beside her with Magnificent Ivory in its' rifle form the younger Faunus noted that if he had not turned around the spear would have pierced his back and punctured his heart in a single killing blow.
"Impressive" he rumbled out "But questionable"
"There are no questions here" Swarf spat, voice laden with white hot rage "But I will still have answers before you are properly punished….Answer me this, how dare you!"
"So he's told you of the plan then" Carmesi cocked his head towards the Major, who regarded him with a sickened expression; without thinking he extended a hand to his accusers and continued
"The deception and the means were distasteful, I admit and I apologise….However the Grimm are already approaching; Helms-Woman Russet I would advise you to ready your tribes' fighters and prepare for what's about to happen. If we stand side by side now you and your people can help be part of the beginning of a new-"
The air rang with the force of a single rifle blast, magnified a thousandfold as Major Grapeshot aimed and fired, using his Semblance to create an instant salvo of devastating proportions.
"Enough talk man! Do you hear yourself, you sound like a jabbering fool!"
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" Carmesi roared, voice cracking with a ragged and hoarse note as he took in the resulting damage; the Major's attack had missed him entirely and had instead struck the CCT uplink array in countless places in order to utterly misshape and wither the metal struts which held it aloft as well as tear the array itself apart and leave the battered and crumpled mass of steel buckling under its' own weight, a large portion of it falling over the edge of the moving crawler as the tower listed to the side and exploding as it struck the ground below. Only the sight of the metallic case which held the dormant containment unit remaining atop the hull, ready to be used stayed Carmesi's hand yet still he found himself drawing Vindication and Retribution as Swarf and Grapeshot advanced on him with cautious but unshakeable intent.
"I've done what's good and decent old chap….now drop those weapons and give yourself up; this has gone on quite long enough I say-"
"Long enough?" Carmesi's voice wavered in disbelief, cracking even further as tears filled his crimson eyes at the realisation of what he would soon be forced to do "We're almost there Major….look behind me and see the Grimm coming damn it, this is the moment we prepared for! You're turning away now?"
"There will be no grand plans or bright new tomorrows" Swarf twirled a javelin "The only tomorrow for my people is the one that they are alive to see….We are headed to Port Alistair, we will fight alongside the Kingdom to be rid of these Grimm and then, either by the Kingdom's justice or our own we will be rid of you as well"
"Drop the weapons Carmesi, you know what you need to do" Grapeshot urged quietly, words filled with an electric tension.
"I know what I need to do" Carmesi nodded in agreement before bursting into motion and hurling vindication through the air, the machete morphing into its' triple-bladed and rotating form as it went; sawing through the air as an unavoidable distraction with which to cover the Faunus's charging advance as he ran towards his foe, Retribution in its' shotgun form and fired endlessly from the hip, its' own booming report joining its' owner wordless roar.
Whilst Grapeshot avoided the incoming whirling blades Swarf responded by hurling her javelin at Carmesi and quickly making to draw another, years in the wasteland fighting Grimm, bandits who had fled the Kingdoms to prey upon their highways and occasionally even other nomad tribes having rendered her largely immune to bellows and other attempts to frighten or disorient. The reptilian Faunus was far from easy to attack however as, instead of attempting to block or evade Carmesi simply triggered his Semblance and Swarf watched as the javelin was shattered in mid-air as spikes of solidified, jagged Aura ripped into it and from there the man caught his smaller blade as it returned to him, shifting his shotgun back into its' spike-edged broadsword form and launching himself at both Swarf and Grapeshot, forcing the two to leap aside in opposite directions.
"I'm sorry that it comes to this old chap" the Major harrumphed, moustache twitching as he shouldered his rifle and took aim again.
"So am I" Carmesi spat, eyes darting wildly between his two opponents "But I told you once and I've proved it several times already….I don't want to kill Hunters, least of all you old friend; but I will. The goal is too important"
With that the three fighters rushed at one another again and the battle atop the Aiktishaf began to rage, with the Creatures of Grimm drawing ever closer in the distance.
Athena-Jade Slate had taken to holding Mould-Breaker in its' laser cannon form in both hands, reassuring thrum of the primed weapon filling her ears and its' barrel resting on the lip of Port Alistair's perimeter wall as she looked out into the heat-hazed distance.
She found that it stopped her from visibly trembling so much, as even in a situation such as this her pride would not allow her to show her lack of confidence so openly in front of such illustrious and well-respected company.
Those members of Team MARZ who were present, namely all except for their still absent leader had, as they had been tasked to what already felt like an age ago joined Professor Velvet Scarlatina as she took up a defensive position on the cities' outer wall whilst Team WULF had been placed close to where Coco herself was stationed, though not strictly part of her immediate company and Yatsuhashi had been deployed further still along the wall to create another hard point in the defences between the massive weapons batteries, groups of Hunters tasked with holding locations where the Creatures of Grimm would likely be funnelled as they sought to avoid being torn to nothingness by massed artillery. Between each grouping of Hunters, ranging from a lone fighter to clusters of several fully fledged team there were groups of not only gunnery crews and snipers but a sizeable amount of other soldiers who smoked, chatted, primed their weapons and played cards in a desperate attempt to stave off their own nerves.
The nerves were something Athena-Jade could understand, merely glancing at those around her reminded her once again that despite all of her eagerness to prove herself to be more than the family name she was now at the front-line and preparing to defend her new home from a threat she was not sure she was prepared to face. Behind her however there were far more of Menagerie's defenders making their own preparations, evacuations were beginning in earnest with streets being cleared by patrols of robotic automatons whose capabilities rendered them better suited to a rearguard action, joined by yet more soldiers and reservists using personnel carriers which poured from bases in regions of the city none of Team MARZ had ever explored and various coaches and buses with Team ABRN being the ones to marshal the whole affair and Arslan Altan at the head of it all, amongst these various troop movements Athena knew that there were more Hunters, elements of heavy armour such as battle-suits and larger robots and other students, far closer to their graduation than her own team making their way to join the defence of the city; a thought which prompted the Bear Faunus to quickly glance at the friends standing on either side of her.
She really wished Regalia would stop talking.
"This feels like a scene in a movie….Y'know like the battle of Deep Helmet or something like that?" the Racoon Faunus noted, clearly attempting to mask the fear which showed plainly on her features with a mask of excitable energy with little success whilst Zirconia made no sound at all, simply staring dead ahead with Sunriser Cain in hand as she peered out at the horizon which the Aiktishaf was expected to emerge upon at any moment. Whilst Athena could fully understand Regalia's need to distract herself she could not help but think that now was neither the time nor the place for discussing movies; the last thing Team MARZ needed now was to look unprofessional in front of Velvet Scarlatina.
"I always thought Deep Helmet sounded dirty to be honest" the Rabbit Faunus with a ragged ear noted conversationally as she leaned against the edge of the wall Athena was bracing against, the quip leaving the trip of students sputtering with its' unexpectedness not leas of all Athena herself, the pale girl had heard from her parents stories of a much younger Velvet during her own time as a student and the wicked sense of humour she possessed though hearing it first hand was something entirely different and prompted a question which demanded to be asked.
"How are you not worried?"Athena demanded pointedly, drawing a slight intake of breath from Zirconia who seemed caught of guard by the sheer gall whilst Breaktide Academy's Professor merely gave a slight shrug.
"Oh I'm worried, I'm scared as hell….But; and I feel like there's something wrong with me when I say things like this….I've done this before" Velvet stared dead ahead and her eyes hardened "I was at the Fall of Vale, the siege of lower Atlas, I fought in a breach of Central Vaccuo and I was part of the initial landing during the battle of Menagerie, my team were some of the first Hunters to return to the island as part of the efforts to make it habitable again. This is gonna be a tough fight, but I've seen worse"
"Does it….get easier?" Zirconia murmured the words in quiet disbelief and Velvet shook her head.
"No, I do this to stop people from getting hurt….but there's a very real chance any of us could get hurt or worse today, or see things that stay with us for the rest of our lives. We choose to face this so the people behind us don't have to" Velvet turned back to face her students and regarded them carefully "If any of you want to jump on a transport and head back to the academy, protect the people sheltering there I wouldn't-"
"I would" Athena interjected, knowing what the question would be and finding her blue eyes blazing with sudden conviction "My parents were at those same battles Professor and my brother Arctus is here, defending Port Alistair as well….If I didn't do everything I could then I'd hold it against myself"
"Likewise" Zirconia nodded
"Heh, I'll have what she's having" Regalia chuckled, wringing her hands together nervously. Whilst Athena and Zirconia rolled their eyes at this, sharing a fond smile as they did so and the Bear Faunus gave her nomadic and well-meaning friend a friendly punch of the shoulder, keeping one hand firmly on her weapon Velvet couldn't help but regard the Bear Faunus more closely.
"You're so like your parents it's unbelievable" she chuckled "And I have to say Slate, if your leader doesn't arrive….Well, I can see a lot of potential and leadership qualities in you" the comment silenced Athena, leaving her unable to contemplate anything other than the idea of something she had once craved so badly finally being bestowed upon her and realising as she did so that the idea not only lacked its' former appeal but actively made her uncomfortable.
"Thank you Professor" she nodded her head respectfully "But Astra's the leader of Team MARZ and I don't want that to change"
Whatever reply Velvet wished to give was cut off by the roaring sound of jet engines and a rush of air as a pair of Manta type fighter craft of the latest model soared overhead and hurtled towards the horizon.
"That's the Aiktishaf!" Regalia exclaimed, lowering her goggles and drawing Apex Scavenger before pointing at a vast and angular shape on the edge of the Faunus's field of vision, only for that shape to be soon joined and cast in relief against the backdrop of another, far larger shape comprised of countless bodies.
"We're not sending anything bigger?" Athena enquired, eyeing the pair of fighters with worry and vague suspicion as she compared them to the overwhelming scale of the oncoming horde.
"No" Velvet shook her head "If that Grimm wants a CCT array then we can't afford to risk any of our airships….it seems that hard-light shields can hold it but at the same time it managed to merge itself with an entire landing and fuelling depot during your initial encounter with it; if that thing was ever to get aboard one of our airships-"
"Yikes" Regalia noted, whilst Athena remained silent and shaken by the idea presented to her. Zirconia, turning Velvet's words over in her mind noted something else which bore consideration
"Professor, does the perimeter defence have shields?"
"At the coastal defences yes" Velvet sighed "Around the wall, no….The Kingdom just doesn't have the resources for that. We have shields and blast doors at every gate, every shelter including the academy is shielded and guarded, key locations like hospitals have extra personnel covering them but can't be effectively shielded due to the amount of people heading to and from them….Any airships currently docked will also be acting as makeshift shelters and raising their shields"
"Besides" Athena forced a fierce smile onto her face as she spoke with a confident growl "If we're behind shields then we can't shoot at the Grimm"
"Exactly" Velvet gave an approving nod before raising her voice for soldiers all along the immediate section of the wall to hear "ENEMY SIGHTED, READY YOUR WEAPONS AND AWAIT THE SIGNAL TO ENGAGE!"
"Let's do this" Athena breathed out slowly, taking a moment to make a mental checklist of everything she could possibly have done to prepare herself for the coming battle and almost palmed her own face as she realised that one of her pre-combat rituals had been neglected in the chaos of the day, with one hand she quickly rummaged through her pockets and found a band-aid with a colourful and cartoonish pattern adorning it which she promptly and haphazardly applied over the bridge of her nose as if to pre-empt any injury which might come.
She just hoped that Astra was indeed planning to arrive soon, Team MARZ were preparing for the fight of their lives and each of them knew that they would need their leader beside them.
Gestalt-Prime had positioned themselves with a level of cunning even those familiar with their nature and abilities would not expect.
The approach had been measured and calculated, the hybrid Alpha restraining both their bottomless and malevolent hunger along with that of their gathering tide of nightmares, keeping the Creatures of Grimm in their immediate company moving at a pace intended to both give the bulk of their arriving reinforcements, broken into smaller packs and swarms and scattered across a broad band of the island Kingdom time to arrive and join the growing formation and also to keep the coming attack just outside of what Gestalt-Prime assumed, based on what limited details they could find regarding the kind of vehicle the vast Dune Crawler was based on their prey's field of vision.
With nothing to suggest that the blinded condition of Hammerfall Outpost had changed Gestalt-Prime expected to be able to strike without warning, gorging themselves and their forces whilst; more importantly seizing the CCT uplink attached to the titanic, yet ramshackle vehicle in the distance in a single fell swoop and with little resistance at all. They had not however, despite every primal instinct they possessed screaming within their psyche in protest led from the front of the horde; instead the sentient monster had carefully considered and analysed what they knew of strategy and estimated the actions their target would take, based on experiences earned in their previous engagements and given the role of being the tip of the spear to their remaining Winged Beowolves which had been compelled to fly in a formation which suggested that they were acting as a protective shield or escort for something which was not there whilst Gestalt-Prime themselves soared through the air at an almost randomly selected point on the left flank of the tide of airborne Grimm, hidden behind other monsters and dimming the flames which spewed from their mechanical wings as much as possible while still remaining airborne.
The horde of Grimm itself was, if Gestalt-Prime allowed their more advanced and developed consciousness to wander enough to truly consider the notion, truly a work of art and a terrible sight to behold. Beyond its' simple massive size the structure of the force was far beyond the ravenous and disorganised rabble one might expect, with an aerial force which spread out to form a triangular delta spanning several miles in total, its' forward point aimed at the enemy being joined by an equally gargantuan ground force which was comprised of dozens of larger Grimm, primarily Goliaths intended to deliver crushing and crippling blows which were each joined by contingents of fast moving monsters capable of rapidly exploiting the openings their larger allies created with the bulk of the force being made up of beasts which had been arranged into groupings with specified roles and all the while Gestalt-Prime's secret weapon, the colossal Land-Shark measuring one hundred meters from tip to tip lurked below the surface of the dry ground and trailed behind the main force ready to surge forward and deliver a single killing blow if the situation called for it.
And yet despite all of this Gestalt-Prime realised that things were not going as planned.
The first indication that something was amiss came when the hybrid Alpha realised that the nomad clan and their land-train were headed in the direction of Port Alistair, a departure from all available intelligence though they had chosen to stay the course as too many resources had been committed and their own insatiable appetites could not be denied with the prize so close at hand. Final proof that things had gone awry however came in the form of screaming jet engines as the first pair of fighter craft from the Capital City came soaring into view, followed by several more in a steadily increasing formation which raced over the Dune Crawler's position on what could only be an interception course, which meant that Gestalt-Prime's attempts to launch a large scale surprise attack had not only failed but were about to be countered and, as the Alpha examined the incoming fighters they quickly realised that these aircraft of the latest model and highest specification; an advantage of the Kingdom of Menagerie being so relatively new was that much of its' fleet and armaments were similarly pristine.
Psychic feedback caused by the destruction of several dozen Grimm with whom they shared a connection to the Hive-Mind spurred the Alpha into action as the first volleys of missiles thumped into the ground and explosions erupted outwards with fire and concussive force consuming all in their path whilst nose mounted laser weapons lanced forward and seared through the bodies of winged horrors with ruthless precision.
"ATTACK!" they shrieked, voice like sundered metal filling the air "FIRE AT WILL!"
The Grimm force moved like a great river bursting a damn, a tide of living darkness interspersed with bone and glowing red pouring across the ground and sky as Gestalt-Prime's own fury seeped into their collective psyche and gave license to more animal rage; careful planning was sacrificed as unit and strike forces of monsters began to blend into one another, their objectives forgotten in the frenzied rush and yet the Alpha did not care. For a brief moment Gestalt-Prime considered firing their back-mounted artillery piece directly into the wing-mounted thruster of one of the incoming fighters, yet they forced themselves back from the edge of the unfettered fury they were about to fly into and forced themselves to consider their options; directly engaging the enemy in such a manner would surely give their position away and at present their were enough monsters in the air to keep the Kingdoms' weapons busy for some time and so, despite it being anathema to their very being the Grimm avoided the carnage and bloodshed.
Justifying it to themselves with the knowledge it would serve a greater plan.
Gestalt-Prime swooped low and powered onwards, their own wings igniting with pillars of dark fire as they scythed through the midday sky in a low, sweeping arc that carried them under the raging battle and beneath the radar of the fighter craft before surging out of the fray with the knowledge that their horde would be close behind them soon enough and within a matter of moments the true prize, the vastly modified and expanded Dune Crawler that they had been stalking came into view.
Only for Gestalt-Prime to realise immediately that something was wrong.
"WHAT!" they screamed as the visor fitted over their singular optic allowed their vision to amplify and focus its' sight to the point where a clear picture of the upper hull of the land-train could be seen and that picture showed clearly that the CCT uplink array that this entire endeavour had been in pursuit of was entirely absent, with only the angled remains of the scaffold it had been attached to indicating it had ever existed. Whether the Alpha had been lured into a trap of other circumstances had robbed them of their goal they did not know, all the enraged monster could understand at that moment was that they had made their gambit and they had lost.
Until an idea, desperate and yet still viable occurred to them.
Gestalt-Prime, with the knowledge available to them through the integration of the Kingdom's machines into their own form had, knowledge of the defences of Port Alistair and with the forces available to them at that moment and their own understand of battle could, if not overrun the Island Kingdom's Capital then at least drive a crushing blow deep enough into its' heart that the hybrid Alpha themselves could seek out the CCT uplink within the city.
Sending a mental impulse out across every inch of the shattered remains of the Hive-Mind that they held sway over Gestalt-Prime screamed an order for every Grimm that they could influence to heed, from the monsters which their Spawning Pit had birthed into oceans which now lurked at the coastline to the most meagre creep or emaciated and underfed Beowolf that could approach by land.
Ignore all other prey and attack Port Alistair.
Carmesi Hueso let out a wordless roar of frustrated effort as his fight against Major Grapeshot and Swarf Russet continued atop the still moving form of the Aiktishaf Dune Crawler.
"For the love of everything that is decent man, stand down and stop this madness!" the Komodo Dragon Faunus's former comrade yelled in desperation as Carmesi's relentless assault pushed him back several paces with such speed and ferocity that the older man, lacking the grace and agility of his younger years was left stumbling over his feet. The enraged Faunus came in to close the distance again with his machete in his left hand and oversized, broad cleaver in his right yet he began the attack with a leaping elbow strike from his right arm which was aimed at Grapeshot's face and only prevented from connecting by the older man using his own elbow left to block. The Major winced as his Aura rippled a violet colour and he was sent staggering back again by the pain of the blow, becoming painfully aware of how close he had come to the edge of the Aiktishaf as he was forced to duck under his opponents' follow up blow, a back-handed slash which ripped his customary safari hat with a purple band around its' middle clean from his head and sent sailing through the air and out of sight as it fell from the hull; Carmesi immediately followed up with wild slash of his curved forward and claw-like machete which Grapeshot countered by bringing Magnificent Ivory up in his right hand to block though in response the Faunus simply shifted his larger weapon into its' shotgun form and aimed at the Major's gut.
"Damn and blast!" Grapeshot huffed as, with a laboured grunt and the dexterity of much younger man he planted his booted foot on the flat edge of the ranged weapon and used it to vault himself up and over his former friend, positioning his cane under the reptilian Faunus's chin and using it to lift Carmesi off of the ground, the two of them rolling in mid-air before the younger man was thrown back across the hull of the Aiktishaf.
Right into the path of a waiting Swarf Russet.
"YOU BASTARD!" the greying Racoon Faunus spat, voice filled with venom and righteous hatred as she attacked from the air; Carmesi having only a moment to regather his senses as he lay on the sun-warmed steel of the crawlers' hull before the silhouette of the one-armed woman blocked out the sun as she launched another javelin down at his chest. With a ragged, panting snarl Carmesi rolled aside and flung himself to his feet just in time to avoid being fatally skewered to the roof and as Swarf landed, perched upon the shaft of her javelin with her arm already reaching behind her to draw another and foot raised to deliver a lunging, flying kick to her enemies' teeth the rogue Hunter unleashed his Semblance again, crimson eyes wild as his similarly coloured Aura became visible around him, casting him in an ominous and bloody glow before exploding out in all directions to send Swarf hurtling back through the air with her own, dull gunmetal coloured Aura flickering around her with strain as she struck the hull of her home and rolled to a stop whilst the armoured hull of the Aiktishaf all around Carmesi's feet was torn asunder and creaked ominously.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Grapeshot declared, announcing his return to the fight before charging with his eyes glowing with a purple light as each step forward coincided with a Semblance-enhanced blast of his rifle, leaving Carmesi struggling to deflect what he could with the flat edges of his blades as he twirled them in a blindly fast display of skill whilst his Aura rippled and flickered with each shot from the endless barrage of multiplied blasts that slipped through his guard and eventually forced him to one knee, sweat trickling down his face and into his beard whilst his chest heaved and sharp teeth were bared in naked anger.
"ENOUGH!" he bellowed as he struggled to rise to his feet and be heard over the continued shooting "THERE IS NO ENOUGH MAJOR, EITHER WE FINISH THE JOB OR ALL OF IT, EVERYTHING WE HAVE DONE AND EVERY SACRIFICE MADE WILL BE FOR NOTHING! HOW DO YOU NOT SEE THAT-"
"Enough talking!" It was Swarf Russet's voice that cut across Carmesi's tirade as the Racoon Faunus charged across the open hull of her peoples' home with a final javelin in hand, held in a way which suggested she planned to use it in close combat rather than as a projectile, taking advantage of her enemies' pinned position to deliver a single decisive blow and privately swearing to herself that when she drove her weapon through Carmesi' Hueso's body she would hoist it up where the CCT array he had used to summon the Creatures of Grimm once stood as whilst her people were far from barbaric Swarf believed in justice and could understand the importance of symbolism.
However Major Grapeshot saw the error in her judgement a moment to late.
"NO DON'T-" Swarf rushed in heedlessly and Carmesi reacted with expert precision and reflexes honed to a preternatural edge; sheathing his larger blade across his back and first unleashing his Semblance in a focused blast, a mound of semi-solid spikes comprised of raw Aura erupting from a single point at his now empty palm to halt Swarf's advance and from there he swept at her ankles with his claw-like machete; rising to his feet and in the same motion wresting her javelin from her grasp as she fell. Swarf struck the heavily damaged hull of the Aiktishaf with a worrying impact, the groaning of tortured metal signifying what was to come a moment before the reptilian Faunus drove his booted foot down onto the older Faunus's chest, buckling the hull and sending her tumbling down into the interior of the land-trains' rear carriage and the maze of gangways and support struts which filled it. Waiting until Swarf's painful and clattering, ricocheting descent had ended with her Aura flickering and ultimately shattering around her Carmesi saw to it that she could cause no further problems by taking her own javelin and hurling it down after her, a scream of pain echoing up from the metallic depths as its' point pierced her leg and was embedded in the surface of the walkway she had found herself sprawled upon.
Grapeshot's perverse satisfaction was brought to an end by a gunshot blasting him from his feet.
"A DOWNED ENEMY? HAVE YOU NO SHAME OLD CHAP?" Grapeshot barked, voice laden with open disgust as he advanced on a reeling Carmesi who sucked in painful lungfuls of air, certain that ribs had been bruised at the very least even as he dragged himself to his feet once more and offered a low, rumbling answer that was chilling in its' sudden calmness.
"Not any more, not when everything I do is for a better Remnant"
"You disgust me boy" Grapeshot spat, breaking into a full charge and shifting his weapon into its' staff form as he did so to prepare for close quarters combat; snarling Carmesi hurled Vindication at his former partner and watched as the machete morphed into its' triple bladed configuration in mid-air, the rotating blades leaving purple Aura rippling visibly as the weapon sailed by the older man's reddened and sweat-covered face and brushed his cheek lightly. The two met a moment later with Carmesi unsheathing his larger weapon again and swinging with all of his might only for Grapeshot to respond in kind and leave the hull beneath them warped and twisted as the force of their connecting blows exploded outwards; the two grappled and vied for dominance of the struggle for several seconds with the Komodo Dragon Faunus slowly gaining ground as the teeth of Retribution began to grind and tear into the workings of Magnificent Ivory, prompting Major Grapeshot to make a last-ditch and underhanded effort he would have considered beneath him in other circumstances, he broke free of the entanglement and swung his weapon low at Carmesi's groin and managed to strike the younger man's inner thigh to leave him doubled over and disoriented before swinging his cane like a club to strike him squarely in the mouth and from there the disgraced Hunter shifted his weapon into its' rifle form, sparks spraying from damaged mechanisms and began to shoot, each shot striking Carmesi in the chest and forcing the Faunus back toward the edge of the Aiktishaf and the great drop at the edge of its' hull one step at a time.
Then Vindication returned.
The rotating blades came sawing back through the air towards the owners' hand and Carmesi, in his own fit of desperation sprung forwards to first knock the Major's weapon aside and then grasp him roughly by the torso and turn his body to the side and into the path of the oncoming weapon.
Blood sprayed across Carmesi's face and clothes, dark and warm before it began to spill onto the metallic floor as his weapon tore through the Major's throat and left him hanging limp in his former comrade's grasp, flushed face suddenly deathly pale as his weapon slipped from his grasp and twitching, feeble hands tried to grasp at his opened neck in a futile attempt to stop the spurting flow of blood and a sickening gurgle filled the air as he tried to speak only for Carmesi to shake his head and silence him.
"You were supposed to be here at the end Old Chap" the Faunus's voice cracked and broke with grief "At the new beginning….you wanted to build a legacy bigger than yourself, you were supposed to see what we're going to build" with that he gave a single, trembling sob before he turned and hurled the Major's dying form over the edge of the Aiktishaf with a roar before retrieving the machete which had embedded itself in the steel at his feet and making his way towards where the Grimm containment unit had been deposited, forcing himself to focus on the goal and nothing else as he went.
A moment later he was rewarded with a shriek like sheared metal and dark shapes rushing into view at terrifying speed, one with flaming contrails erupting from its' wings which Carmesi realised could only be the hybrid Alpha which he had sought for so long.
"Here it is" he breathed out, his rage and grief suddenly overwhelmed entirely by an almost serene and euphoric giddiness as he realised that the key to his Benefactor's goals and the prize which so much had been sacrificed for was literally within his sight, that his plans had worked and all that was now required was for him to outsmart or overpower the monster for long enough to bring it to heel when it inevitably fell upon the Aiktishaf; Carmesi considered that when this battle ended the people of this nomad clan might even see the reason for his skulduggery and understand that there was no malice in it, that they too would benefit from the better Remnant that would come.
All of those thoughts vanished as Gestalt-Prime soared overhead and ignored the Aiktishaf completely.
"WHAT? HOW?….NO!" the exclamations left Carmesi in quick succession as he first struggled to comprehend or even believe and accept what he had seen and then, with a racing mind and a plummeting stomach as he rushed back to the edge of the hull and saw that even the land based Grimm were ignoring the Dune Crawler he began to understand what had happened and be left utterly terrified by that realisation.
With the CCT uplink array aboard the Aiktishaf destroyed the Alpha Grimm had turned its' search towards the nearest alternative and planned to loose its' tide of monsters upon Port Alistair in order to seize the communications tower within the heart of the Capital.
He had inadvertently unleashed thousands upon thousands of monsters upon a city full of innocent people he had tried to spare by having the Grimm attack something outside of the cities' walls but still in range of its' guns and the sound that left Carmesi in the moment that fact impressed itself upon him was indescribable, a tortured scream that split the air apart as the Faunus readied his weapons and secured the containment unit to his back before sprinting across the hull of the Aiktishaf, hoping that the crawler would still reach Port Alistair in time to be of some use.
Even now his plan could still work if he was swift and decisive.
With Astra's future still uncertain, even to the young Faunus themselves as the wounds to their self belief simply refused to heal in even the most basic capacity they had chosen to remain alongside their brother and Felix Xiao Long, respecting this decision and yet at the same time understanding that time was not on Astra's side and that their sibling would soon have to face the consequences of their choices, whatever they may be had decided that it was his duty as an older brother to help the struggling leader regain the spark and belief that had carried him so far by whatever means available.
With the Lion Faunus's first idea being a training session, the kind he had given Astra since they had been a child; in an effort to help them centre themselves.
The Killer-Bee had carried the pair through the morning traffic of central Port Alistair, engine growling as Felix searched for a suitable location in which to begin and after longer than he would have liked he had simply turned his car around and driven back in the direction of a park the pair had passed earlier in the morning when Astra had been explaining their predicament, a commemorative place; one of the first locations to be terraformed on the island and one of startlingly few truly green places on compared to the blonde Lion Faunus's native island of Patch. Upon their return the park had been far more crowded as children played amongst themselves or with family pets and those families enjoyed picnic brunches to make the most of the early summer warmth and the fact that it was a Saturday. Seeing this had some of the desired effect upon Astra as the Deer Faunus could not help but comment on the similarities between this park and the artificial grass and lighting of the much smaller park they had trained in within the bowels of a Neo Vale Hive-Tower block and from their, allowing himself a small smile which displayed overlarge canine teeth Felix had begun a training session with the younger Faunus; first going over basics step by step until a pace and rhythm had been established at which point the Lion Faunus offered something that would certainly appeal to Astra's wounded sense of pride and self image.
Namely a sparring match.
Felix had no intention of going so easy on his younger sibling that it was obvious that Astra was being simply allowed to win, largely because doing so would only further degrade the younger team leaders' spirit when they realised what was happening but also because the children who had been playing quickly realised that two Hunters were training and gathered to watch and Felix had his own self respect to consider.
Though Astra had certainly improved.
"See this is what I'm talking about!" Felix cheered as he narrowly avoided a spinning hook kick from Astra's right leg by weaving around it, only to be forced to remain on the defensive as the younger fighter followed up with a roundhouse kick from the same leg from a position so far inside their older brother's guard that the blow would have struck them in the back of the head and neck were it not for a hasty pivot at the waist and block.
"Really? 'cos I still can't hit you!"Astra answered, exhilarated but uncertain as they leapt over the spinning low sweep which Felix answered with, so similar to their own usual opening gambit and following seamlessly into the subsequent spinning elbow strike as he rose to his feet and leaping knee aimed at Astra's chest, both of which the Deer Faunus managed to redirect and push aside even though the effort left their palms stinging.
"I've got about a decades' worth of experience over you and I've managed to beat you combat instructor in a fight once" Felix retorted as he caught Astra's hasty front heel kick, forcing them to use an acrobatic motion to free themselves that their older brother noted with a start was not something he had taught them, though as Astra righted themselves again and cautiously measured the distance between them they dropped into a familiar tight boxing stance which was one of the fundamental lesson the Lion had given their sibling.
"No way have you beaten Professor Altan, who was helping you?" Astra snorted, half taunting and half genuinely curious before pre-empting any answer that might come by launching themselves forward and unleashing a flurry of experimental jabs in an effort to test Felix's guard. Felix himself blocked the first several blows with practised speed and precision however as the exchange continued on the Lion Faunus found himself distracted by a sound reaching his ears, namely that of what could only be a large vehicle rumbling closer.
That distraction led to him being punched in the mouth.
"Oh shi-Are you okay….wait what the heck is that?" Astra's halting and stammering comments first came from the presence of children whom they did not wish to swear in front of and then from their own sudden awareness of the nearing rumble which had distracted their brother mere moments before the source of the din made itself known by rounding a corner close to where Felix had parked his muscle car on the edge of where the commemorative park was fenced off.
"Military personnel carrier" Felix answered tonelessly as surprise, confusion and a sudden bad feeling began competing with one another for prominence.
The vehicle was perhaps the length of the average cargo trailer and sported ten wheels each reaching to Felix's shoulder which supported an angular and heavily armoured wedge of a body, boasting a small turret towards' its' front upon which a small laser and high calibre machine gun were both attached. It was from this turret that a man in the garb of the cities' perimeter defence force arose, wearing an expression of urgency and controlled panic whilst clutching at a megaphone for dear life.
"PEOPLE OF PORT ALISTAIR!" the magnified voice boomed "YOU ARE REQUIRED, BY ORDER OF ELECTED COUNCILWOMAN COCO ADEL TO MAKE YOUR WAY TOWARDS THE NEAREST SHELTER! CREATURES OF GRIMM HAVE BEEN DETECTED CLOSE TO THE CITIES' WALLS AND WE ARE PREPARING TO ENGAGE. THIS IS IS STRICTLY A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE HOWEVER YOUR COMPLIANCE IS MANDATORY, AS SUCH TRANSPORT HAS BEEN PROVIDED FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE THEIR OWN MEANS" Felix and Astra both peered around the lumbering form of the personnel carrier and saw that it was indeed followed by several coaches and buses commandeered from several services running throughout the city, which were being driven by soldiers who had presumably originally been deployed in the carrier. The two Faunus both cast their eyes around the park and saw several looks of confusion before the beginnings of panic began to set in and bodies began to press towards the gathered vehicles; as they turned towards each other however both Astra and Felix noted that this was perhaps better than the alternative, that the public chose to remain vulnerable in the open however before either of them could voice this opinion a sound rang out through the air which Astra had hoped to never hear again in their lives.
Sirens signifying a breach.
"No" the single word left them in a hoarse whisper as childhood memories of huddling in New Vale's shelters with their parents on more than one occasion as their home was overrun by monsters came rushing back to them, threatening to leave the Deer Faunus slack-jawed and immobile until Felix seized them by the shoulder and barked out a command of his own.
"Come on! Get it in the car, we're getting these people to the shelter so the soldiers can carry on spreading the word! Let's go!" hearing this brought Astra back to their senses and filled the young leader with a sense of resolute purpose, responding to their brothers' instruction with a single nod they broke out into a full run towards the parked Killer-Bee with Felix barely a single step ahead.
Both of them had lived through a breach before and whilst only Felix had actively participated in the defence of a breached city both of the siblings could understand perfectly how bad the situation was.
Author's Notes:
And now we're in the thick of it.
Four chapters left, one four closing off the volume and first year arc; tying up loose ends whilst setting up for second year….Which means three chapters of pure adrenaline for a finale.
Get ready.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
I imagine that the greenhouses are probably one of the most important parts of the Aiktishaf, up there with the engines and given that they've been nomadic for centuries, even before they had the crawler they've almost certainly got some superstitions and practices in place.
The Grimm Grapeshot is talking about is actually a callback to the ending of The Downward Spiral, first story in this series where Salem revealed that the entire mountain her fortress was built into was a single organism….Grapeshot was pretty fresh out of Haven when he and his team were deployed as part of the landing force and thrown into the meat grinder.
Did anyone start getting death flags for Grapeshot the moment he started talking to those kids?
Yeah he was gonna try and be noble….Fuck that Regalia already told her Mum, he doesn't get a moment.
Okay that slap from Mama Russet was beautiful.
"When will he call the Grimm" "It's already been done"….Big Ozymandias in the Watchmen energy.
Well Swarf was kinda right, it wasn't the Grimm.
I described Port Alistair's centre as being pretty haphazardly built in the initial description but I feel like by the time it got to be the size of a full city the developments had gotten organised as proper infrastructure was put in place rather than individual settlers building whatever wherever.
Clunker had been set off to one side, called that a concealed carry permit for my Chekhov's gun.
Coco only knew about the Grimm, Regalia only knew about Carmesi and Grapeshot so when she tried to talk to the guard there was a crossed wire.
Regalia is done with everyone's shit today and it's not even noon.
And there it is, that's Carmesi's plan in full; use the Aiktishaf as bait, catch Gestalt-Prime and use the Grimm following it as a distraction so he can slip into Port Alistair though as you can tell be his reaction nearer to the end of the chapter he never intended for the Grimm to go all out on the city.
And that's Team WULF on scene with a fairly simple explanation, Team MARZ were sharing their location and they thought everyone being in the same place meant Astra had been found.
The fact Regalia still has any amount of belief in Astra is impressive.
Oh Carmesi is having an absolute moment here.
Yeah he's even aware of his own hypocrisy, he just doesn't care at this point it's a sunk cost.
Okay admit it, catching the javelin was cool.
The sheer gall of this mother fucker, he actually tried to offer Swarf a chance to be part of the Benefactor's vision whilst in the middle of his plan.
Okay the whole conversation between the three of them after the tower was wrecked is honestly great, everyone said some memorable stuff.
And now we get another villain fight.
The scene on the wall was honestly originally just a bit of filler but as I was writing it I felt like it took on a character of its' own.
So there's a brief look at the defences that are in place to stop the incoming attack and also the notable detail that Team MARZ and WULF are deployed in different parts of the wall but are still close enough to get to each other if needs be.
Yes that's a Lord of the Rings joke….Deep Helmet is obviously a play on Helms Deep, but also a good opportunity to bring back something from the earliest part of Downward Spiral, back when I first started writing and got into RWBY in 2016; namely that Velvet has a great sense of humour.
When she says it like that it does sound like she's gotten a little too desensitised to chaos but at the same time, Team CFVY really have seen some shit and lost a member in the process; they know exactly what's at stake.
"Astra's the leader of Team MARZ and I don't want that to change" and now we come full circle.
Yeah the defenders aren't going to have an easy time, things like the limited amount of shielding on the walls facing the wasteland and the fact they can't risk bigger airships against something like Gestalt-Prime just make sense.
The AJ band-aid is just iconic.
Gestalt-Prime pulling some 40k Alpha Legion shit, disguising themselves as a member of the rank and file whilst having a fake escort detachment set up to fool any resistance.
So there's everything from air support, wall breaking Grimm, fast attack, tons of fodder, shock troops and the big special weapon at the back all coming.
The whole plan was based on Hammerfall Observation Outpost still being out of commission, they did not have an immediate answer for Port Alistair getting involved and getting the first hit.
So now that the tower on the Aiktishaf is gone they're reworking the plan….Which is great news for Clan Aiktishaf because they would have been utterly overwhelmed within minutes no matter how good they are.
Also….There is naval support coming, which means the Kingdom will be attacked on all sides.
The fight on the Aiktishaf and the Felix and Astra scene were originally the other way around, I didn't initially want to wait until the end of the chapter for Astra to be present but this way just felt like it flowed better.
Oh it was over for Grapeshot the moment he lost his hat.
Okay come on, how many of you thought I was gonna kill off Regalia's Mum?
Carmesi just did the thing from Mortal Kombat where you knock your opponent into different stage.
Yep, lost his hat and his weapon is starting to break; we all saw the fight with Rowan we know where this is going.
But Grapeshot tried to hit him in the balls there at the end.
And there it is….Grapeshot gets taken out right when it looked like he had a chance; complete with a memorable line from Carmesi, who is now two for two in villain fights.
But Carmesi doesn't get his moment either, he was ready with a sword and the containment unit and about to shout "Witness me!" only for the Alpha to completely ignore him….But he's still going after Gestalt-Prime.
I started writing the driving at the start of the scene and then remembered that I had actually mentioned the commemorative park last chapter so I had to backtrack a little.
Well here's Felix and Astra working through some of Astra's issues in a way that they understand...Compare this to the "Sparring match" in the mission during Vol.02 where Felix was just rag-dolling Astra because they could.
The kick that would have caught Felix in the back of the head….Search for "Jowad Mahmoudi Ghost Kick".
Astra started learning to fight with boxing, which is what I would suggest anyone interested in learning to fight does.
That punch in the mouth doesn't count, Fluffy was distracted.
Well at least the cities' defences are mobilised here, it's not like the Fall of Beacon where everyone just got blind-sided; if Hammerfall hadn't gone online when it did this would be a slaughter.
Yeah AJ was present for a New White Fang attack on the Vytal Tournament when she was a kid but Astra and Zirconia, being from Vale have both spent some time in anti Grimm shelters.
Thank you to Lurkweed and MajorBrony95 for their reviews on the last chapter.
Oh god, being well know but unsociable is hell...Too many people just randomly approaching me in public.
Yeah Carmesi's plans don't really account for variables like Gestalt-Prime having a spawning Pit and a full understanding of strategy.
Welp...Grape the mobile Flak turret is gone.
Oh Vol.01 Diabla would absolutely have stayed on campus and left her team to it.
Yeah, we're finally gonna get to AJ stop being so dense...Maybe...Hopefully, kinda.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.
