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Chapter 16: Gladiator
Any and all plans to make camp and hunker down for the night had been cast aside from the moment Team MARZ had discovered the Alpha Beowolf that their training mission was centred around, only for the Creature of Grimm to attacked by what could best be described as Grimm Poachers who had managed to subdue and abduct the monster for their own unknown, but undoubtedly nefarious purposes.
Major Grapeshot and Carmesi Hueso had arrived promptly on the scene, reaching the rocky outcropping that Team MARZ had been scouting the area from before the six of them made their way down into Shabah Pass itself quickly but with incredible caution; searching the area not only for any sign of lurking monsters but also for any traps that might have been left behind by the poachers before finally reaching the dusty, cracked and boulder strewn base of the winding pass itself and examining the scene of the events that, whilst strange Astra had mused may in fact not be a crime in of themselves. After treating the Deer Faunus to a somewhat confused glance in response to the irksome comment the two veteran Hunters had begun examining the area in search of clues. Whilst the night air, as bitingly cold as it often as in stark contrast to Menagerie's daytime climate was filled with a howling wind that whipped through the wastelands however within the Shabah pass itself it was not so keenly felt as the partially destroyed mountain range that the route ran between granted a measure of protection; a side effect of which was that the tracks left by the armoured truck had remained fresh and untouched for at least some distance and gave the Hunters a starting point in their attempts to track down the unknown group.
Through a combination of enhanced Faunus senses, Regalia's Semblance acting as a rough guide and Carmesi's apparently noteworthy tracking skills the six of them had steadily pursued their quarry through the night for several hours, with only limited interference from the Creatures of Grimm which had been put down swiftly and with as little noise as possible until finally they began to discover he first traces of something that did not belong. Team MARZ and their more experienced guides had allowed themselves to be led away from the pass itself and in a direction where no known settlements lay, with Regalia confirming that Clan Aiktishaf had no knowledge of any trading posts or plans to establish one; yet the multitude of tracks that Carmesi found, many of them faded to varying degrees told a different story and one that was soon corroborated by the sound of something loud and energetic occurring in the distance.
Which had caused the six Hunters to press on until they reached a sight which left them stood in open shock.
"I thought you said there weren't any settlements in this direction?" Zirconia rasped out quietly, servos in the insectoid Faunus's mechanical legs making only the faintest noise as she shifted her weight in a subtle display of unease; her covered face giving away as little as ever.
"I didn't think there were….it must have been one of the other nomad clans that helped found this place" Regalia answered, lifting her goggles from her eyes just in time for her team-mates to see the faint glow of her Semblance fading from them as she added in a nervous whisper "But this is definitely the place"
"It's not really a settlement" Athena-Jade noted, brow furrowing as she scanned her surroundings intently "I can see logos for a few SDC subsidiaries here….maybe a failed prospecting dig or something?"
"Perhaps, but rather a moot point at the moment" Major Grapeshot noted pointedly as he strode ahead of the students and allowed his cane to take his weight for a moment as he took in the sight. The six of them had found themselves at what could not rightly could be called a settlement, or even truly the beginnings of one and instead it was a collection of pre-fabricated buildings and converted shipping containers that were clearly intended to be temporary and in several instances had been stacked on top of one another, interspersed with floodlights and weapons turrets which, interestingly had all been turned towards the central building that this outpost had been constructed around; a massive and roughly circular structure made of high quality Atlesian steel that had been dulled and worn by sandstorms and oddly had the feel of some kind of stadium or arena about it.
Though that was likely a product of the cheers and yells coming from within.
"Do we have any idea what the hell we're looking at here?" Carmesi rumbled, the Komodo Dragon Faunus's hands instinctively twitching towards the blades slung across his back whilst he bared his sharp teeth in the general direction of the incongruous scene before them. He was answered only by silence for a few seconds as ideas about it being some sort of illegal rave or meeting of criminal gangs flitting through Team MARZ's minds only to be quickly dismissed as they both failed to fit the limited evidence they had and simply felt insufficient, however Astra eventually volunteered an idea, clearing their throat and speaking quietly and nervously whilst checking the various defences for any sign of activity.
"Wolfram….a friend of ours from the academy, he's from Menagerie and he's told me about groups of weirdos who worship the Grimm, y'know cults and stuff. Maybe that's what this is, some kind of Grimm lover church?"
"Maybe" Carmesi rumbled, deferring to Grapeshot for a moment but continuing when the older man remained silent "I can see it, bring a Grimm here and what….human sacrifice maybe? Doesn't feel right though; if they were as well equipped as you say and they grabbed an Alpha that doesn't sound like some misfit nut-jobs that sounds professional and-"
Whatever else the reptilian Hunter wished to add was lost beneath the sound of cheering which suddenly exploded out from the circular building, the din far surpassing what they had heard thus far and causing Major Grapeshot's expression to darken into one of abject loathing and disgust
"No...not a church at all, something far more despicable"
"What're you thinking?" Carmesi asked, his own unease and eagerness to inflict some form of righteous punishment visibly rising in equal measure as his hellish red eyes flashed.
"I had heard rumours….I dismissed them as hogwash, I thought they couldn't possibly be true; no one would attempt such folly. Apparently I was wrong" Grapeshot gestures to several vehicles parked outside of the main building, some watched over by armed guards "Look at those cars, expensive things, classics even and they're being watched over by armed thugs acting as valets and footmen out here in the wastes of menagerie….with that racket from inside I daresay we've wandered into an event catering to an exclusive audience; those with the capital and disgusting appetite to fund a bloodsport"
"Bloodsport….like a tournament?" Athena-Jade arched a snowy eyebrow before her eyes widened in frightful revulsion "You mean they poached a Grimm for someone to fight it?"
"And Hunters have been turning up dead at the side of the road" Astra whispered, bile rising in the back of their throat as comprehension dawned on them.
"That's….I don't have words for what that is" Zirconia's mismatched eyes were wide as she tried and failed to make sense of the revelation whilst beside her Regalia fought the urge to spit on the ground to convey her feelings towards those who would do such a thing.
"Indeed" Grapeshot nodded solemnly "There are people on Remnant who find that tournament matches between Hunters are not enough to satisfy their urges and instead they want nothing less than the most deadly game, a fight to the death between Huntsman and Creature of Grimm for their own entertainment. This is likely a very well connected and protected organisation and I would wager that those Hunters who were found buried in the wastes like common thugs had either fallen on hard times and were desperate enough to fight in such death-matches or stumbled upon it and were thrown to the monsters to be silenced"
A chilling silence hung in the air for a few moments, cold forming on each of Team MARZ's skin and making the frigid air feel even more uncomfortable until finally Carmesi unsheathed his weapons and broke the silence with a growl.
"They're protected from the law, not what I'm willing to do here and now-"
"No" Grapeshot, rapped his cane against his partners' chest to halt him and shook his head "They're attention is directed entirely towards keeping all of the monsters in and away from their clients; look at their turrets and lights….We have the better of them, there's no sense in being hasty"
"What do you need us to do?" it was Astra hat spoke up, Team MARZ forming up behind them and whilst was clear that each of the teens were repulsed and horrified by what lay ahead they had all braced themselves for the unthinkable. Grapeshot paused and mused for a moment before locking eyes with the Deer Faunus.
"I think it would be best to send in a scout"
To those who knew of and frequented it the unfinished outpost in Menagerie's wastelands was called the 'The Desert Claw' and whilst its' owner and founder had initially debated adding a word such as colosseum to that moniker to give the place a sense of gravitas it had ultimately been decided against. The sizeable circular structure had initially been envisioned as a well protected airship terminal and shipping depot which would form the beginnings of a new Atlesian settlement only for it to be abandoned by the Schnee Dust Company when Dust reserves in the area had proven to be too small to warrant the effort and Menagerie had become a Kingdom in of itself, capable of imposing its' own regulations, taxes and tariffs on corporations from other Kingdoms.
In its' current capacity the interior of the building resembled a sports arena even more than its' outside, with rows of seating and myriad creature comforts catering to those moneyed patrons who chose to watch the festivities in person interspersed with cameras which sent the footage to those watching elsewhere on secure, heavily encrypted and secret CCT channels all arranged around a single, barren, blasted and bullet-scarred circular patch of land several dozen feet in diameter which was currently being cleaned; a troupe of robots and well paid employees dispatching of the Beowolf that snapped and howled whilst others picked the mangled and bloodied form of the individual who had tried and failed to best the monster in single combat, leaving only a crimson smear of the ground where their belly had been opened behind. Rising above the entire affair was a tower than had initially intended to function as ait traffic control but now served as both an office and the best seat in the house, a seat from which the owner of the Desert Claw looked down on his venture; smiling as he calculated the vast sums of Lien that had been generated during a fight that had barely lasted a minute.
His name was Persian Green and he was first and foremost a businessman.
Persian was of an unremarkable height and whilst slender his build was that of someone who had lived a comfortable life, far from the horrors of the battle against the Creatures of Grimm or any particularly taxing form a physical labour. His complexion was fair, his features sharp and his golden blond hair was styled with an immaculate side parting and comb over with a few strands falling almost artistically in front of green eyes that shone in even the faintest light. His attire was largely what one would expect from a man in his position, an expensive an ostentatious three piece suit in an emerald green velvety material, paired with a black shirt, a tie with a mother of pearl finish and white loafers heavy and gaudy gold rings, littered with countless diamonds adorned his fingers. Despite his current wealth Persian had not always been so affluent, though he had been intelligent and industrious to work himself into a position where he had been able to make connections and, upon realising that life had no obligation or intention of fairness towards himself or anybody else had quickly began to establish himself as a broker and middleman, bridging the gap between the upper echelons of high society and the various vices they enjoyed in private; all of which had culminated in his setting up the Desert Claw and taking on his current role.
That of a salesman of dreams.
Grimm Hunters were renowned all across Remnant and the monsters they fought, whilst terrifying on a primal and visceral level inspired a certain fascination in those fortunate to know that they would never have to encounter one and after helping grease the wheels of the professional tournament scene for some time, ensuring that matches were conducted in thematically pleasing ways for his paying customers rather than being settled by simple skill alone the idea to allow the obscenely wealthy to see what a Hunter was truly capable of, in the most brutal and genuine kind of spectacle that could not be witnessed elsewhere had seemed obvious and Persian had never regretted his decision; even on nights like tonight where a rising star had to be snuffed out. Such thoughts were quickly pushed from the businessman's mind however by a knock at the door of his office and he turned away from the heavily armoured panes of glass that gave him a near panoramic view of the arena and the small compound around it.
"Mister Green, we've got someone to see you here"
"Then bring them in" Persian sighed, checking his reflection in the glass and adjusting his jacket slightly; he had not been expecting visitors and experience dictated that it was likely one of the patrons of his establishment wishing to make their opinions or suggestions known.
What Persian had not been expecting was for one of his employees, a broad shouldered slab of muscle whose identity was hidden by fatigues, armour and a balaclava to march a Deer Faunus who could not be more than a teen into the office; they sported a fiery red Mohawk of swept forward spikes framed by their antlers and wore a short-sleeved jacket of red leather with a popped collar over a black, sleeveless gi held up by a red belt along with ripped and faded pair of jeans and white sneakers; their uncouth, if admittedly fearsome and somewhat impressive appearance was ruffled and yet oddly enhanced by the presence of a split lip and a thin trickle of blood running from their nose.
"And who exactly is this?" Persian asked, regarding the newcomer with a mix of suspicion and calculating opportunism.
"My name's Astra Mars and-" they were silenced by the armoured thug who quickly interjected
"They want to compete tonight, said they were given the location by one of our other fighters"
"Really now?" Persian chuckled striding across his office to regard the Faunus "And who might that have been?"
"You don't seriously think I'd give you a name?" Astra scoffed "They gave me the location and let me hitch a ride some of the way; told me I'd get to fight some Grim for money-"
"And why would you want to do that?" Persian asked, genuinely intrigued by the new possibility before him "It's a messy business, there's no referee down there….either you win or you don't come out"
"Wouldn't be the first time I've fought Grimm" Astra answered with a bitter laugh "I'm from New Vale, came to Menagerie because I was offered a place at Breaktide….I didn't make it passed initiation; my weapons were scrapped and I've been trying to work enough odd jobs to get a flight home, maybe a little extra Lien as well y'know, so it doesn't feel like the last few months have been a total waste"
"Well not everyone can be a Hunter" Persian mused conversationally, circled the Deer Faunus and examining every inch of them whilst deciding whether he believed the story they had given before finally nodding to himself "But everyone can dream and I consider myself a salesman of dreams….I assume you checked the kids' credentials before letting me interview them"
"Oh yeah, we checked" the armoured thug laughed "We jumped 'em in" at that the masked individual opened the door of the office wider to reveal half a dozen of their comrades in the hallway outside, all of whom were holding ice-packs to their heads or clutching at other bruised and bloodied body parts, which in turn explained Astra's nose and lip.
"Not bad at all" Persian chuckled "Well kid, you might have a future in this business if you choose to stay on the island after all, if not we can certainly offer you a little temp work starting tonight"
"You want me to go tell the handlers that we're changing the schedule a little?" the masked thug asked.
"Yeah" Persian nodded "Let Astra here take on one of tonight's catches….Astra, I hope for your sake you didn't fail that initiation by too wide of a margin; you're on in ten minutes. You'll make a fun warm up act for the main event"
"Thank you Mister Green sir, I won't disappoint" Astra beamed happily, sea-green eyes bright and hard as they held out a hand for a firm and reassuring shake, clasping the businessman's palm with both of theirs and conveying an almost overwhelming sense of gratitude that Persian remembered from when he himself had been desperate for someone to take a chance on him; prompting the faintest pangs of guilt as he watched the young Faunus be led away to where they would prepare for their showdown with a monster for an audience of sadists to watch and realised that they would most likely die without their weapons.
The gratitude was in fact so overwhelming and the brief emotional response so distracting that Persian Green utterly failed to notice the small tracking device that Astra had magnetically fixed to his cufflink during the handshake.
Sparks filled the air as a pair of Atlesian robots were dismantled with ruthless efficiency.
The pair of machines had been guarding a small and dimly lit entrance into the repurposed airship terminal and depot, one that likely was still used for something akin to its' original purpose rather than the arrival and departure of the guests of the abhorrent bloodsports taking place ahead. The first was set upon by Athena-Jade and Zirconia, the Bear Faunus using one of her glyphs to block the barrel of the ramshackle and likely decommissioned machines' shoulder mounted weapon; waiting until her partner had attacked from behind kicked its' legs out from beneath it before using Sunriser Cain to deliver a crippling amount of Lightning Dust to straddle the machine and tear its' armoured cranium away with simple brute force.
The second robot was deactivated just brutally, with Regalia using the harpoon of Apex Scavenger to impale the automaton from behind and drag it to the ground; disorienting it quietly and for long enough for Carmesi to thunder its' prone form and cleave the machine in half with a single swing of his large, broad and obsidian bladed weapon.
"Jolly good show" Grapeshot murmured appreciatively as he trudged into view, leaning on his cane as he surveyed the work of his fellow Hunters, absently stroking and twirling his imperial moustache "Tempting as it certainly is to let fly at these beasts and their tin-men we must keep the element of surprise, we are on the hunt after all"
"So what now?" Athena asked hotly, finding herself subconsciously slipping into a more commanding role in Astra's absence even though she had long since come to terms with the Deer Faunus's position as team leader.
"We need to hide these" Carmesi growled, a smile full of cruel fangs splitting his face as he gestured at the mangled remains of the two robots "Hopefully the oil and coolant spilling from the one I split in half doesn't draw too much attention"
"I don't like this" the simple admission was delivered in a voice that still no more than a whisper but at the same time filled with a conviction which caused all present to turn towards Regalia who had spoken; the Regalia Faunus had lowered her own weapon and was currently staring at the fully collapsed forms of Buckshot Ares strapped over the forearms of her old and cracked leather jackets' sleeves.
"I don't like this" she repeated seeing everyone's gaze on her "Astra's heading in there alone and unarmed, it's too dangerous….I could have used my Semblance-"
"I appreciate your concerns Russet" Major Grapeshot interrupted firmly, expression softening a fraction as he added "Your loyalty to your commanding officer and friend is both commendable for a Hunter and a sign of a good friend but you said yourself that your Semblance is not entirely reliable"
"It gives me the general idea" the Racoon Faunus answered, rubbing her hands together in nervous irritation, not entirely sure she appreciated the comment.
"Precisely" Grapeshot continued "Which means we need someone on the inside, this is too important for vagaries and general ideas. Miss Slate it too well known, she would be recognised instantly, especially by the likely clientele of this repulsive business. Miss Zirconia, I hope she doesn't mind my saying so has a baring that's all wrong; her prosthetic legs are too well kept and everything about her indicates class. Miss Russet you are a member of the local Clans and I cannot in good conscience send you into the midst of the enemy alone until we know who our quarry is; I could be ordering you to your certain death if I did….It had to be Astra, they were the only one of you who's both inconspicuous and has the look of someone who might compete in this kind of bloodsport"
"And their weapons would give them away" Zirconia rasped out, sensing the reasoning that the Deer Faunus had been asked to relinquish their weapons "They're too well maintained, something that only a Hunter would have"
"I get it….I just don't like it" Regalia grumbled, still visibly uncomfortable but ultimately conceding the point.
"Nor do I, however needs must I'm afraid" the Major answered simply, unable to say more before Carmesi silently caught his attention.
"They're still cleaning the stadium up between fights….the sick bastards" the Komodo Dragon Faunus snarled "Doesn't look like they'll need much longer, I can see a way for us to move into position though….look here"
"Ah, good work old chap" Grapeshot almost purred in satisfaction as he and the members of Team MARZ who were present followed Carmesi's gaze to see that the tunnel-like corridor that they had found themselves in not only led towards the patch of land that was being used as a battleground, creating an effect not unlike that of a sports stadium where teams would march out at the beginning of a match; but as the structure had originally been intended for more practical purposes there were also side exits which it was most reasonable to assume would lead to a network of corridors leading through the backs of the makeshift, if comfortable stands and bleachers.
"We can find vantage points and I'll hide the scrapped robots" Carmesi rumbled "But that side exit is a little close to the edge of the tunnel, we might be spotted"
"I can handle that" Zirconia answered "My Semblance will keep us out of view.
"Capital" Grapeshot beamed "Now, let's be about our business shall we?" Zirconia slipped passed them without hesitation, the Grasshopper Faunus quickly using the veil of impassible darkness that her Semblance of Phantasmagoria created to obscure anything beyond the mouth of the tunnel from view. Athena-Jade followed after her without hesitation and using her weapon to cover both her partner and the side exit that Carmesi had found whilst the professional Hunter ripped said door open and promptly flung the ruined robots through it to keep them being found by any patrolling guards. Finally Grapeshot locked eyes with Regalia, silently willing her onwards and after only a moment of flickering uncertainty the former nomad followed her team-mates, shifting Apex Scavenger into its' close quarters form; the combination of staff, pickaxe and harpoon tip at the base of the weapon was admittedly not the most suitable thing for the cramped confines that they had found themselves in but it was still better than drawing unwanted attention by firing a shotgun; there was little to worry about the matter however as a moment later Zirconia and Athena-Jade slipped into dark and narrow walkway behind her.
"Okay we're in" the Bear Faunus whispered "Now what?"
"These little rat runs will lead us to somewhere we can set up and get evidence; we get names and faces of the crowd, help Astra deal with the Grimm and get 'em out of there. At that point we just hand the evidence over to the right people" Carmesi explained "Russet, take point; this might be a job for your Semblance"
"Got it" she squeezed through the unpleasantly narrow gaps between her allies; more constricted even than than the inner working of the Aiktishaf dune crawler yet before she could lower her goggles and engage her Semblance a shrill and quickly silenced beeping sound pierced the darkness
"What the hell was that?" Athena-Jade demanded.
"That was the sound of the tracker that I gave to Astra, they've played their part and identified the ringleader of this business" Grapeshot explained, voice filled with sudden vigorous urgency "Now it's up to us to identify those funding it; hurry now, the game is afoot!"
"I wanna play a game" Regalia's voice took on a low and dangerous edge as she lowered her goggles and silently promised that there would be hell to pay if this plan backfired.
For Team WULF the mission had proceeded largely as expected, that was not to say that it had been smooth or easy progress; rather simply that the grinding and repetitive slog had offered no real surprises for better or worse.
After the debacle that the Cuddlers had been Wolfram would begrudgingly admit that it might be for the better.
The five of them had overcome the seemingly endless horde of shrieking and leaping monsters and after a thorough and lengthy process of checking every inch of he vehicle they had declared the truck and its' various trailers safe and clear. Repairing the truck had taken longer than initially expected, both Laser and Ursinia offering to lend Ranger Altan their skills only to be declined as the Mistrali Hunter had wanted all four of the students to scan the perimeter for any signs of more Creatures of Grimm that might be drawn by their initial skirmish, an order that had been proven justified by the first flock of Scree to circle ominously over the vehicle before being ripped from the sky by Team WULF's weapons. From there the slog had only continued as, once the truck was finally moving again Team WULF had been instructed to position themselves in the watch-points fitted to the roof of each trailer to fend off against any more monsters that may attack, of which there had been several. Packs of Beowolves and Boarbatusks had been fired on as they drew close and forced to break off, fading into to distance whilst a lone Goliath; a massive and likely ancient thing had given the students a fright only for them collectively let out a sigh of relief. Their progress had been halted however by a swarm of the fire-ant Grimm known as Infernal Devices, an almost nostalgic affair for Team WULF as the insectoid terrors that formed living and thrashing constructs to block the road ahead were the same kind of Grimm that the four of them had first fought against together during their initiation.
Eventually night had fallen, the road ahead lit only by the lights of the truck that Ranger continued to drive and the broken moon shining down on them. Wolfram had decided that Team WULF would split into pairs and take turns taking watch several hours ago and now, as they neared their final destination from whence they would be flown back to Breaktide Academy it was he and Ursinia who sat upon the roof of the truck, picking at the last remaining scraps of a rabbit that he and his partner had caught, prepared and cooked themselves; something that Diabla had seemed mildly disgusted by whilst Laser had been completely unbothered, likely having had to scavenge his own food in much worse conditions before. The air was cold but to Wolfram it was familiar and comfortable, enough so that he almost considered letting his hair down and allowing to blow freely in the wind; the journey itself would likely have been peaceful were it not for the incessant rattling and thudding of the truck and the constant threat of attack, though the latter was simply a fact of life on Menagerie.
"Y'know there's a point where being the strong silent type just makes you bad company" Ursinia drawled, letting out a yawn and shifting her weight.
"I was just thinking to myself" Wolfram grunted out, the answer being an explanation rather than an apology; apologies from the grey-eyed teen were, as his team-mates had noticed in very short supply.
"Thinking about what?" Ursinia asked, sounding genuinely interested as she pushed the cowboy hat she wore a little further back on her head; though Wolfram merely gave a non-committal shrug.
"Nothing important, what's bothering you?"
"Nothing much" Ursinia gave a shrug of her own, before sighing and deciding to be honest "Just thinking about the mission….I don't wanna sound ungrateful or like I'm bellyaching about it-"
"But you wanted something more exciting" Wolfram chuckled "I get that"
"I mean I named my sword the Adventurer darlin' I'm not keeping any secrets" the Scorpion Faunus gave a muffled laugh before continuing "I was just hoping for something to write home about y'know…..My family supported me becoming a Hunter, they really did but I know deep down that they'd rather I stayed on the farm, did something safe and sensible, met a nice country boy and settled down and all that, do the expected thing; if I'm to acknowledge the corn about it I think I might've gone crazy by the time I was twenty one of I did that. I was hoping that our first mission would be something I could yarn the hours away about, make everyone at home get why I'm risking ending up in bone orchard"
"Well we're sending medicine out to a small settlement that's probably not too different to where you're from" Wolfram noted bluntly "Honestly if they don't get it at that point then I don't know what to say….you could show 'em a picture of that Goliath from earlier, or tell 'em about the damn Cuddlers"
"I never wanna think about those thing ginning' about like that ever again" Ursinia snorted "And Altan is a yellow bellied varmint for sending us in to deal with that first and not warning us-"
"Ranger is fine" Wolfram interjected "You don't get warnings when you're a Hunter"
"They're fine" Ursinia drawled, flashing her partner a sly smile "Is that a bet….I'm guessing that's why you've been staring after 'em like you do with Astra"
"Is this the conversation you wanted to start all along, about my dating life?" Wolfram grumbled "Why don't we focus on yours?"
"That dog won't hunt….aint no man at the academy that won't get busted off and chew gravel" the Scorpion Faunus snorted, chitinous tail rattling with her laughter "Now stop bein' such an odd stick about it all; there aint a darn thing wrong with Astra and everyone can see that you like 'em so why in tarnation are you spinning your wheels about this when you're the first person to act the rest of the time?"
"It's just….I mean, well…." Wolfram, deciding that his partner had made a solid point tried and failed to offer some sort answer only for the words to fizzle out on the end of his tongue and leaving him explaining his inability to communicate instead "I don't have the words for this okay, I've damn sure never had these talks with Mum, I never got to have 'em with Dad and the older Hunters who taught me to fight aren't people I can really talk to about this….I just need the words"
"Oh" Ursinia breathed out slowly, shuffling closer as she found herself understanding "Oh darlin' did you think you were straight?"
"I mean I knew I wasn't into any of the guys from Stalwart, I was into some of the girls but it never really went anywhere….My Mum would get it if I told her, I think but….I don't like that I'm not sure about something about myself"
"Now I'm not the most well read or learned but I've got some aunts and uncles and distant cousins, hell if you wanted to learn then you could talk to Counsellor Daichi-"
"I will jump off of this truck and fight every single Grimm on menagerie before I ask a teacher to explain my sexuality to me" Wolfram answered flatly.
"Darlin' you'd do that just to say that you'd done it" Ursinia answered with a roll of her eyes "But for what it's worth, I say give things with Astra a try; figure things out as you go….I don' know everything but I think I know you well enough to know you'll kick yourself if someone snaps 'em up first"
"I see lights up ahead" Wolfram grunted, making it clear that the topic of conversation would be changing one way or another; Ursinia turned and focused her own, keener eyes in the same direction and gave a nod.
"I think that's our stop….still some distance out though, we'll be here a while" she noted before reaching into one of her pockets and producing a deck of cards "Think we might be slowing down enough that we won't loose these; you wanna play? I need someone who isn't Laser, that boy's a chiseller"
"Sure" Wolfram nodded, making himself comfortable as he privately wondered what Astra was doing that moment; if the lack of communication from he Deer Faunus was because Team MARZ's mission was a more noteworthy one or simply an equally thankless exercise in monotony.
Astra hissed out a curse under their breath as the very same Alpha Beowolf that Team MARZ had been sent to identify and eliminate in the first place was ushered into the arena by a series of violent prods from sparking cattle-prods; revealing that the monster was to be their opponent.
At that point Astra saw that there had been a miscalculation in their plans.
Raucous cheers and jeers from the crowd, whose faces were obscured from view by the harsh and glaring lights that lined the arenas' edge filled the air whilst an armoured and heavily reinforced cage separated that same crowd from Astra and the monster he was expected to fight, though the Deer Faunus forced themselves to pay no mind to the din and focus on the task before them. Their limbs were already sore and leaden after a full day of battling the Creatures of Grimm and trudging across the barren wasteland with little respire, their head throbbed with dull pain that refused to fade away and demanded attention after the scuffle with several of the masked criminals whose organisation that they had infiltrated, the process of gaining enough trust to be allowed to participate in their sickening gladiatorial combat had been a decidedly unwelcome one and they felt utterly naked without Buckshot Ares in its' customary place on their forearms; Astra's explanation for their lack of a weapon had garnered them a small measure of sympathy from one of Persian Green's masked associates and they had slipped them a bowie knife whilst leading them to what had been ominously dubbed 'the pit', in the face of the current danger however the simple blade seemed utterly laughable.
The Alpha Beowulf by contrast seemed to be suffering from no adverse effects of the rough treatment it had endured and almost entirely in its' element now that had been thawed out of the Ice Dust encasing it despite the absence of its' pack-mates around it; which Astra could only assume were either being held back for the main event that had been mentioned or had already been destroyed. Now that they could see it up close Astra noted that the apex monster was even larger than it had seemed when viewed from above, its' skeletal and lupine form stretched to unnatural proportions with the Faunus painfully aware that the highest tips of their Mohawk failed to reach the underside of the Grimm's jaw even as it skulked around the perimeter of the arena on all fours, walking on the knuckles of its' overlarge forelimbs in a manner that was more gorilla-like than wolfish; the twin rows of bony spires rising from its' neck, back and shoulders making it seem even more massive. It regarded Astra with glowing, blood red eyes whilst it sniffed the air, ears pricked and fangs bared with a low, rumbling growl escaping it which the young Hunter could feel in their chest even as the crackle of static as a speaker came to life muffled the sound.
"Ladies, gentlemen and esteemed others; valued patrons and sponsors of the Desert Claw!" the voice of Persian Green filled the air, the man clearly making a deliberate effort to put on a show "Our next even is a far larger and stronger Beowulf than our usual fare, brought here for your viewing pleasure with no small risk to my employees! Facing this prime specimen of a Creature of Grimm is a new challenger, making their first….but hopefully not last appearance at the Desert Claw, I give you Astra Mars!"
The crowd, refined and sophisticated as they no doubt believed themselves to be gave in to the base appetites that had brought them to this ghoulish place and erupted into cheers and yells; the sudden outpouring of emotion spurring the Alpha Beowolf into motion, a haunting wail of a howl issuing from its' saliva-spattered jaws.
And then the two combatants charged at one another.
"My, my….what big claws you have!" Astra allowed themselves a small smirk as they drew close to the Grimm and promptly weaved under its' first, wild and savage pouncing slash; the bulging muscles between its' rippling obsidian flesh. Slipping under the left forelimb of the Alpha Beowolf they launched their own counteroffensive by leaping into the air and delivering a knee strike directly to its' second rib; the skeletal armour of the monster allowed Astra to strike with precision and the bone snapped with an audible impact. The Grimm retaliated with a pained yowling as it lashed out with a backhand swipe of its' left and feral, yet unbelievably powerful overhand slash from its' right which cracked the ground beneath it on impact, the beasts' clawed digits tearing shallow scars into the earth whilst Astra leapt back, twirling the knife in their palm and steadying their nerved with another quip that was wasted on the Alpha even as it snarled and stalked towards them.
"What big teeth you have" they flashed a cocky grin "All the better to kick 'em in!" Astra charged again and the Alpha responded in kind, dropping to all fours and bounding towards the Faunus, tongue lolling from its' jaws as it snapped and howled. The distance between them vanished in an instant and at the very edges of their awareness Astra noted that the crowd had let out another round of cheers as they stopped and flung their momentum and Aura fuelled strength into a spinning heel kick which struck the Alpha and sent hairline fractures along the length of its' bone-armoured snout, halting the Grimm completely before completing their rotation and snapping their adversaries' skull to the sides with a turning kick from the waist which was followed up expertly with a hook kick to the eye socket of the Beowulf. From there Astra saw that its' neck was exposed and, with a sudden burst of hope made to thrust the knife they had been given into the vital area.
Which was where things went wrong.
The Alpha Grimm's fanged maw whipped around at blinding speed and Astra was consumed by fear and pain as their fiery red Aura flickered and wavered around their right arm as the jaws of the monster closed around it, subjecting the limb to a crushing pressure focused around the points of its' fangs which would certainly become a more visceral rending and tearing if their Aura were to fail. Astra's flank and shoulder exploded into pain as the Grimm swiped at them with their claws, knocking them off balance before rearing up to its' full height and hoisting the Faunus into the air by their trapped arm. The knife clattered to the ground and Astra kicked and flailed desperately, panic setting in as they realised that being maimed or killed for the amusement of a group of sadists was now entirely within the realm of possibility; after striking the monster in its' chest and throat with all their might the Alpha responded by grabbing Astra's shoulders and relinquishing their arm so that it could open its' jaws wide for a killing, ravaging blow to the throat. Flashes of barely discernable memories flitted before Astra's eyes until, for reasons they could not fathom their fight with the burglars at the Dust shop in Neo Vale on the eve of their departure for Breaktide Academy came to them and they acted entirely on instinct; delivering a vicious headbutt to the Alpha Beowolf but in such a way that their own antlers slid into the jaws and throat of the monster and gagged it.
The Grimm responded by hurling Astra across the arena, his back striking the armoured bars of the cage they fought in before he dropped several feet to the ground. Fuelled by adrenaline and desperation Astra flung themselves to their feet in an instant only to sway as they did so. The crowd roared and booed as the Alpha Beowolf let out several final hacking, sputtering sounds before finally shaking its' head with a snarl and beginning to stalk towards its' prey once more. Astra raised their fists and dropped into a familiar fighting stance, painfully aware that they were alone, trapped, completely unarmed and possibly outmatched.
They had every faith in Athena-Jade, Regalia and Zirconia; but couldn't help but hope that help would arrive soon.
The first masked grunt to encroach upon the vantage point the rest of Team MARZ along with the Professional Hunters they were shadowing had found for themselves now lay unconscious at their feet, Regalia having wrapped the cable of her harpoon around the thugs neck and choked him into silence whilst Athena-Jade knocked him unconscious with a single well placed blow to the face; Regalia had also shifted Apex Scavenger back into its' melee form and swatted the man about the head with the flat of her weapons' narrow blades, though the Racoon Faunus would be the first to admit that blow had been entirely for her own gratification.
It had been with no small amount of surprise that Athena, Regalia and Zirconia had learned that the aim of taking up said vantage point was not, in fact to find the perfect position from which to come to Astra's aid and was more a matter of gathering evidence that could not be easily stolen or destroyed. Grapeshot had explained, face flushed scarlet with righteous and indignant fury that was almost certainly unhealthy in a man of his age that whilst there were several cameras lining the perimeter of the gladiatorial arena simply seizing one of them and taking the footage it had recorded would not be enough; the base of this underground but upmarket fight club had been an airship terminal of sorts and the footage of the death-matches was likely being broadcast digitally trough the CCT connection of the control tower, the very same location that the tracking beacon that Astra had placed was still located. The teens had been uncomfortable and visibly angry at the news but had found themselves unable to argue with the logic of the more experienced Hunters who assured them that caution was the way to success and that Astra would be able to stand their ground against the Grimm for as long as it took for the rest of them to first use their own cameras to identify as many of the people present in the crowd as possible and then slip through the security of the fight club to apprehend the individual operating it, hopefully before they could destroy any and all records of their outgoing transmissions or give warnings to their benefactors.
Confidence in that plan was shaken when Carmesi let out an audible hiss of sympathy and winced.
"What's going on?" Athena demanded in a harsh whisper, turning away from where she had been using her Scroll to zoom in on several older Atlesian robots that had been repurposed, modified and seemingly repaired dozens of times, trying her best to find any serial numbers that had not been filed away so that she could send them to her Aunt Winter and have whoever had bought the decommissioned machines tracked down.
"Astra took a nasty hit, they're still fighting though" Carmesi's attempt to reassure the students did not work as well as the Komodo Dragon Faunus had hoped and without a moment of hesitation Athena-Jade, along with Regalia and after a few more seconds of reconnaissance, Zirconia left the various safe and secluded niches within the shadows and hidden spaces in the crevices of the makeshift stands around the arena; the three of them gathering around Carmesi who had been keeping watch just in time to see Astra delivery a punishing crescent kick to the jaw of the Alpha Beowolf which they followed up with a knee strike which sent broken fangs skittering across the ground only for the Grimm to lunge forwards and drive its' armoured skull into Astra's chest and lift them from the ground with the force of the blow, leaving the Deer Faunus crumpled on the floor and frantically rolling to avoid several swipes of hooked and lethal claws as they scrabbled for the knife that they had dropped.
"We've gotta help them" Regalia hissed through clenched teeth.
"Utter tosh, the plan remains unchanged" Grapeshot declared simply as he fell into place beside the students and Carmesi "Astra can hold the line a while longer, look at them, they're being a sport and giving these scoundrels what they came for; putting a show on to avoid suspicion by not using their Semblance"
The night air was nothing compared to the chill that passed through Team MARZ upon hearing that.
"Major, sir….Astra doesn't have a Semblance" Athena informed him.
"We've never seen them use it, I'm sure they haven't unlocked it" Regalia added; this caused Grapeshot and Carmesi to exchange glances, several concerned and steadily darkening looks passing between them until the older man cleared his throat and looked both furious and utterly ashamed.
"My sincerest apologies….I saw their transcripts didn't list a Semblance but I simply assumed that there had been a delay in updating the information, a misfiling or that Astra had wished to keep their abilities a secret" Grapeshot looked at the ground, unable to meet the students eyes "It's more common than one might expect, certainly more common than becoming a team leader without ones' Semblance-"
"So what do we do now?" Zirconia rasped out, readying Sunriser Cain; Major Grapeshot had the distinct impression that there was only one answer he could give at that moment that would prevent a total mutiny of Team MARZ, something that the veteran could certainly appreciate and sympathise with but nonetheless felt compelled to prevent.
"Any attempt to intervene directly will lead to all of the ruffians and their machines firing into the arena and putting Astra at even greater risk" he murmured, hefting his cane and shifting it into its' oversized an ornate hunting rifle form "I will instruct these beastly, lesser men in proper soldiery and the conduct of an officer and a gentleman. Carmesi, I trust that you can find your way to that tracking beacon; the evidence that we have now will have to be enough, it certainly will be if you can capture the ringleader of this whole affair and compel them to talk"
"With pleasure" the Komodo Dragon Faunus slipped away into the shadows, unsheathing his two monstrous blades as he went. A moment later Grapeshot stepped out of the shadows which he had, in truth grown tired of skulking about in and gestured for Team MARZ to be ready as he took aim at the top of armoured cage around the arena whilst preparing his Semblance.
"Time for us to throw caution to the wind, tally ho!" with that he opened fire and the barrage of impacts, the single shot multiplied a hundredfold tore a chunk from the reinforced steel large enough for a body to fit through.
The Desert Claw erupted into utter havoc, yet Team MARZ paid it no mind as they were already on the move.
Regalia was the first to land on the outer surface of the cage, Athena and Zirconia close behind her as she zigzagged across its' surface is a series of frantic and almost random leaps to avoid hailstorms of gunfire that came ripping through the air around them almost an instant later; a few bullets pattered almost harmlessly off of her Aura before finally the Racoon Faunus reached the gap that had been created and flung herself through it; landing on the hard ground in a crouch and springing to her feet just as the Alpha Beowolf leapt at her. A glyph appeared between them and halted the monster with a jarring impact, announcing that Athena had arrived behind her and from there Regalia pressed her sudden advantage by swinging Apex Scavenger at the chest of the Grimm, tearing a ragged gash into its' torso before Zirconia, likely with the aid of another glyph vaulted to the front of the skirmish and delivered an immensely powerful flying kick which sent the Alpha hurtling across the arena.
The temptation to press the advantage further was vastly outweighed by the need to help Astra.
"Hey….we aint got time to bleed" Regalia managed a weak smile as she crossed the arena, vaguely aware that the sound of gunfire was now being directed elsewhere and pulled Astra to their feet. The Deer Faunus spat out a mouthful of blood and fixed their friends with a savage rictus of a smile as Team MARZ closed ranks around them, weapons at the ready.
"I'm gonna need my weapons back" their gin widened "I wanna had my resignation to Mister Green before I leave"
"Well" Persian Green's voice trembled with unspeakable fury kept behind the thinnest possible veneer of calm "I think it's safe to say that we have been well and truly FUCKED tonight!"
A gunshot with a far more powerful impact and far reaching impact than it should have had ripping into the armoured cage that kept his paying customers safe from the monsters they came to see had marked the beginning of absolute pandemonium setting in amongst the guests and staff of the Desert Claw alike.
Guests had began fleeing and trampling over one another in a frenzied panic, all pretence of culture or nobility that their wealth and social status afforded them cast aside now that the safety that they had been promised was threatened whilst in response to this well trained guards whose criminal nature and outward personas belied the professional competence they had been hired for quickly sought to flush out and exterminate the source of the interference; only for them and the robots that followed them to be gunned down by an older man who could only be a Hunter who had managed to seize one of the weapon turrets protecting the venue from airborne Grimm, turning it against the other emplacements and Persian's employees in a devastating firefight that the criminal entrepreneur could only would not see any of his customers killed in the crossfire.
The chaos had been proven to be caused by treachery, which Persian would likely have suspected in any case, when a group of Hunters, or more likely students considering their apparent ages leapt into arena and helped the struggling Astra Mars fend off the Alpha Beowulf that they had been locked in combat with. Persian's green eyes narrowed in simple hatred as her watched the quartet of Hunters not only keep the injured monster at bay but also force it to use some of its' clearly greater than average animal cunning and intellect to break free of its' own bloodlust and assess the situation; at which point the lupine horror let out one final howl before turning away from its' quarry and bounding back into the heavily modified loading bay that it had been unleashed from, likely mauling or outright killing several of the criminals' employees in the process and possibly freeing its' pack-mates before fleeing and costing Persian an amount of Lien that made him physically ill to even consider.
Persian peered down into the arena just in time to lock eyes with Astra Mars as the Deer Faunus unfurled what could only have been their weapons, a pair angled forwards shields with forearm mounted blades and under-slung mini-guns incorporated into them; a mixture of instinct and common sense caused Persian fling himself to the ground a moment before Astra opened fire and sent bullets ripping through the windows of the control room which served as an office.
"What do we do?" one of the few thugs close at hand demanded in a worried yell as the pulled Persian to his feet.
"Literally anything at all, but maybe start with oh I don't know YOUR FUCKING JOBS!" he bellowed directly into the balaclava wearing individuals' face, his voice dropping to something low and calculating as he forced himself to focus "This base is a bust. I'll fry all of these hard-drives and make sure there's no records, you take all the guys outside and round up the paying customers….getting them out is what's important, tell the people fighting those Hunters that they don't let 'em get near the customers-"
"It's Hunters though, what if-"
"Tell them I will pay double!" Persian snapped "We have Lien, we will only continue to have Lien if we continue to have customers; it's not a complicated equation"
"You got it boss" his associate finally nodded, though it was clear that they were still deeply and understandably concerned about the situation as they added "What about the Hunters in the arena?"
"Well I think we probably just lost all of our Beowolves so I'll have to think of something else….Well since tonight's a bust I may as well, it's a shame the customers won't see it" Persian's expression slowly morphed into something truly twisted as he began entering a series of commands that would remotely unleash one of the captive monsters in his possession.
"Boss….what're you doing?" Persian's associate asked nervously, those nerves only increasing as the businessman turned and treated them to a truly unhinged stare as he spread his arms wide and announced.
"It's time for the main event!"
On the ground below Team MARZ found themselves instinctively bracing themselves and preparing for the worst as a chill filled the air and a roiling black fog began to spill out into the arena from one of the access tunnels; announcing the arrival of a Grimm unlike anything the four of of them had encountered before.
Author's Notes:
First of all I want to thank everyone who offered condolences about my Grandad, it's greatly appreciated.
So, two chapters left to go for this volume; including the big reveal of exactly what it was Persian unleashed, which is something that's going to be important for a while.
The next two chapters are going to really set things up for the next two volumes at least and give shape and context to things that have happened thus far.
I know this chapter wasn't as action packed as it could be, but don't worry what's coming will make up for it.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?
I'm still not completely settled on Carmesi's Semblance, I don't know if I want to make his tracking abilities part of that or just a skill he has.
Remember, Regalia's people aren't the only people scouring the waste and it's been less than ten years that Menagerie has actually had a centralised government, before that it was basically free real estate.
Also SDC subsidiaries should all have cute nickname, like "Snowshoe shipping" in canon….fuck it, I'm calling this prospecting operation "Gopher Gold" and it was run by a Gopher Faunus.
Funny thing is that a Grimm worshipping cult is actually an early idea that I had for the villains of first year but ended deciding against as they wouldn't work as well with the overarching story as what I'm going to eventually reveal.
So, now we have the truth about how those Hunters have been getting killed; they've been competing here and losing….The idea for a Grimm fight club was inspired partly on the rich people purging in the second Purge film and the fight club with kidnapped aliens in Torchwood….notice that there's no mention of the Grimm that was sent to Vale though.
Yeah the stadium was built after the original building had been abandoned by the SDC, Weiss and Whitley have nothing to do with this.
Encrypted and secret CCT channels…..basically the Remnant equivalent to the deep-web.
Well R.I.P whoever that Hunter was.
Persian Green is actually a shade of green, but also reminds me of the Pokemon Persian which is fitting for this character….As far as his design, I honestly wanted him to give off the vibes of the Remnant version of a trust-fund kid or Wall Street exec.
Look at all the statues of Grimm in Atlesian décor in canon and tell me these fuckers wouldn't love to watch someone fight a Grimm to the death whilst being completely safe from any consequences.
I gave Astra's appearance a recap just because the scene was more from Green's perspective and they've never met Astra before.
First rule of fight club is you do not talk about fight club.
Sad as it is the story Astra gave probably isn't that unbelievable; if you remember a few people backed out before initiation started, there's probably a few cases like that or people who don't complete the mission every year.
Persian's whole internal monologue was "They're a nice kid….shame I'm gonna stand here and watch 'em get torn in half".
Of course they put a tracker on him, that was the whole point of sending a scout in.
Team MARZ is an all Faunus team, they've got something of a natural advantage in terms of stealth.
Look Regalia's concerns were more than warranted, also her being the one to hold onto Astra's weapons was nice, but Grapeshot did make several good points; out of Team MARZ Astra is the one you'd believe would actually go to a fight club.
Once again, not the intended use of Zirconia's Semblance but at the same time its' effective…..The funny thing is I gave her Phantasmagoria before I watched Jujutsu Kaisen, but her Semblance does work very much like a Domain.
Yes Regalia made a Saw reference….she is only seventeen years old, that movie was not age appropriate when she watched it.
And now for a commercial break, over to Team WULF.
The job was an absolute slog, but somehow still managed to be boring and by the numbers.
Diabla is the only member of Team WULF who gets squeamish about hunting and butchering her own food, something that sits at odds with the rest of her personality and how gruff she is.
We've already covered Ursinia's background but it's nice to refresh and there's no way Wolfram would open up if she didn't first; her family are kinda similar to Astra's and maybe Regalia's Mum, which is probably a common thing for any Hunter who doesn't come from a line of Hunters.
"Aint no man at the academy that won't get busted off and chew gravel"….Enjoy that mental image.
So yeah there you go, Wolfram is just now realising that his bi/pan and possibly demisexual….that last part being a word he has absolutely never heard before in his life.
The only downside to Wolfram figuring this out is gonna be how damn cocky Astra gets when they figure out they were his gay awakening.
Laser absolutely cheats at cards, he probably has his own deck full of aces tucked up his sleeve at all time.
So the Alpha was the warm up, not the main event….which means I gave you a two chapter long fake out, just because I can.
Knife to a gunfight doesn't even begin to describe how little use that knife is.
The attempt to throw one-liners at the Beowolf was actually a callback to pre-initiation where Astra and Wolfram were talking about needing to fight people sometimes because Grimm don't appreciate witty banter.
Also without Buckshot Ares I can focus more on Astra's hand to hand abilities, which is nice because Hawk from Cobra Kai was one of their influences.
The antler headbutt makes a comeback.
Regalia and AJ took all of their worries and problems out on nameless grunt #4324.
Once again Grapeshot makes solid points, they need irrefutable evidence that they can keep the original copies of because whoever is paying to be at this kind of event has the money to pay for really good lawyers and those broadcasts to people watching elsewhere will stop, with any record of them being destroyed the moment they make a move.
AJ had a good idea, find a serial number on the robots and have General Winter Schnee lean on whoever it was originally sold to until they explain how it ended up at a Grimm fight club.
Okay Grapeshot made a dumb assumption, but not an entirely unreasonable one….I mean who knows exactly what was on Jaune's fake transcripts.
"I will instruct these beastly, lesser men in proper soldiery and the conduct of an officer and a gentleman" Major Grapeshot is Professor Port for a new generation.
A three person combo from Team MARZ….Astra gets a pass on not joining in at this point.
"I wanna had my resignation to Mister Green before I leave" there's the one liner they've wanted to deliver all night.
Yep, Grapeshot took over one of the turrets and started gunning down the rest of the fight clubs' defences.
So the Alpha is on the retreat and is likely gonna free any of its' pack that haven't been killed in the arena yet; we will actually see it again later on.
One of the influences for Persian that started creeping into they way I wrote him towards the end of the chapter is Machine Head from Invincible.
And yes the title of next weeks chapter will be "The Main Event"
Thank you to SumoSnipe, Funlander and MajorBrony95 for their reviews on the last chapter.
I will make no comments about secret identities, subterfuge or any lack thereof….for the time being.
At forty-eight years old Weiss has mellowed out enough to allow improper grammar such as "The suckiest" slide.
Cuddlers are one of these silly ideas I had that became something genuinely fun.
Oh AJ is definitely considering it.
Cliffhangers are something of a speciality of mine.
I mean Zirconia is originally from Vale so she definitely knows about Team RWBY to some extent and did even before she came to the academy.
If you think that the mystery of the villains has been paid off...Just wait.
I mean in this universe Team ABRN are a poly-ship, Arslan and Reese work at Breaktide, Bolin and Nadir are working in and around Port Alistair; they also still own Reese's old club in Mistral, they just have someone else running it. Ranger considers all four of the team to be their parents but if we're talking biologically then they're Arslan and Bolin's kid.
Interesting Hunters...Indeed.
many, many sugar glider Grimm...And I have more plans for equally messed up but hilarious monsters.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.