MARZ Rising

by FandomPariah

It's been thirty years since Ruby Rose saved Remnant from Salem and almost a decade since it was saved again. Salem is gone yet the Creatures of Grimm remain and now a new generation of Hunters are ready to begin their story... By enrolling at the Breaktide Academy of Menagerie where they'll be trained by legends including Team CFVY and Ruby Rose herself. Part 5 of the Spiral-Verse

33. Plain Sailing

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Chapter 33: Plain Sailing

The sky above the island Kingdom of Menagerie, more specifically a vast and untouched swathe of it's brick-red wastelands inhabited only by nomads, monsters and wildlife of an equal ferocity or those simply unfit to life amongst civilised people was almost pitch black; the darkness illuminated by the glow of countless stars and the broken moon which loomed large overhead to create a view that those who dwelt within the cities or smaller settlements would never see the equal of, a sight that could be described as tranquil and serene.

Were it not for the monstrous hissing shrieks, punctuated by staccato bursts of gunfire and thundering explosions that echoed out through the barren wasteland.

A lone aircraft, small and agile with light armour and armaments of the sleek and predatory looking 'Stingray' model, recently commissioned and assigned to the Hammerfall Observation Outpost had been deployed from the hovering platform which stood as a sentry and bastion to watch over a sizeable portion of the desolate space beyond the immediate reach of Menagerie's capital. The craft had been deployed in a departure from the usual series of sweeping patrols and observations conducted by the outpost in order to respond to a series of relatively small, but incongruous and suspicious seismic readings coming from an area of the wasteland that was not within the canyon which had been artificially created with massed weapons' fire to annex a portion of the island but instead from close by, on the very edge of where Hammerfall Observation Outposts' sensor range was reported to be and upon arriving at the scene the pilot and gunner had found themselves confronted with an Imperator-Taijitu, a two-headed and serpentine colossus indistinguishable from its' smaller kin in all aspects other than sheer size; with the Imperator being a truly massive beast with a gullet wide enough to swallow an average car whole and measuring several stories in height when rearing up to attack with one of its' fanged maws.

The lone fighter craft and serpentine horror had recognised each other as foes in an instant and had swiftly begun a swooping and spiralling dance as each sought to utterly destroy the other, the Imperator-Taijitu lashing out with each of its' heads in quick succession whilst its' vast form coiled and contracted before whipping around at impossible speeds, proving itself to have reflexes far beyond what its' unwieldy form might suggest, all whilst touching the blasted ground with no more than a few portions of its' body at a time in a manner that resembled a more natural desert snake. The crew of the fighter craft, for their part fought with a skill and tenacity more suited to tale of heroism than a simple skirmish in the dark; their craft being scorched and damaged by flecks of sizzling acid in the process yet still they persisted, weaving between lightning fast attacks to stitch the scaly hide of the Grimm with bullets and rockets until finally a well- placed missile struck the beast in the centre of its' spine at just the right angle to ensure that the explosion tore the monster into two ragged and undeniably separate halves; leaving the fighter craft the victor of the impromptu duel.

Yet both parties were unaware that they were being observed and studied for weakness.

The hybrid Alpha Grimm known as the Hell-Hound, abhorrent union of nightmarish flesh and stolen, corrupted metal and leader of a vast pack of Beowolves comprised of smaller groups forced into subservience by the will of the apex monster itself had continued to grow and nurture the hateful, gluttonous and vile intelligence that it fostered with each act of cannibalism and destruction that it inflicted upon its' surroundings or fellow monster and now that frightening cunning which clawed at the precipice of something altogether more dangerous had reached some unknown tipping point that the Hell-Hound was not yet capable of introspection on, yet knew that it must act upon.

And so it had formed a plan.

It knew from the memories, hazy and disjointed though they were, of the Alpha Beowolf it had consumed into itself that the prey had laid traps and baited snares of a sort and that the territories closest to the great scar in the ground that had been made with fire and rage was not safe, that any large congregation of Grimm to draw close to it or the thing which flew without wings above it would be cut down by death from above; with this knowledge the Hell-Hound had taken a small pack of its' largest and most aggressive subservient beasts and used them to find and locate a larger Grimm which they could then use as bait for a trap of its' own. Many of the lesser Grimm had been felled in the attempt yet to the Hell-Hound the losses were acceptable and worthwhile, even as each lupine beast to crushed or swallowed whole sent waves of pain through the bond of their hive-mind and eventually the gambit had proven successful as one of the preys' flying-things appeared.

The Hell-Hound had previously come to the realisation that it needed to consume more Grimm tissue and bolster its' own native mass in order to feed the addictive desire to partake in the machines of the prey, particularly those which were connected to the strange, ephemeral faux hive-mind they had created for themselves, that bottomless well of emotional turmoil on which the hybrid Alpha could gorge itself and here, with a pair of weakened opponents in its' grasp the Hell-Hound could have its' fill of both.

And so it pounced.

Using the vestigial tendrils that resembled rags which hung from its' skeletal ribcage for grip the still largely lupine monstrosity burst from the shadows it had taken cover in and leapt onto one of the two severed halves of the Imperator-Taijitu and began to scale the collapsing and steadily fading carcass, both tearing obsidian flesh from it in hefty chunks to be immediately consumed and also, more importantly to reach the skull of the larger beast and use it as vantage point from which to open fire. The Hell-Hound felt a wave of fear and confusion, almost tangible in their severity ripple out from the cockpit of the Stingray class fighter craft and, taking them as a final and decisive sign the Grimm unleashed its' back-mounted artillery piece, the anti-aircraft gun being used for its' intended purpose yet in the most twisted parody of it imaginable as it shattered the craft completely. The hybrid alpha was not yet satisfied however and its' four arms sank into the skull of the Imperator-Taijitu whilst its' tendril lashed out once again, this time to ensnare the burning and mangled remains of the aircraft and pull them towards the vast fading vestiges of the fading serpent for a final blossom of flames that shook the wasteland around them.

For several moments it seemed as though the devastation had been total, until finally something stirred within the fire and debris and strode forth.

What emerged was undeniably the Hell-Hound, yet its' form had changed once again as the Alpha Geist that it had once been continued to consume to adapt and improve itself.

It stood larger now, and whilst the overall configuration of its' body remained the same it was comfortably larger than a person, with the elbows of its' lower arms resting at roughly the height of an average man whilst its' tail, previously a mass of obsolete tendrils lashed and tangled into the loose approximation of something more lupine had melted and blurred into a single appendage, this new tail being far longer and more dextrous whilst also being covered in obsidian scales, a serpentine tail resembling what the Imperator-Taijitu might have had were it not for its' own second head. The skull of the Hell-Hound had undergone some minor changes, whilst still encased in the ragged, fleshy hood of the Alpha Geist its' Cyclopean and hateful eye was now given a measure of protection by what appeared to be a visor of something akin to bulletproof glass which diffused the glow from its' singular eye.

The most obvious difference however was that the Grimm now had wings; the arcing bone spires rising on either side of its' back-mounted cannon had been removed entirely and in their place were twisted and gunmetal pinions clearly taken from the fighter craft, bone implements bursting and jutting from the metal whilst masses of muscle and dark veins bulged and etched their way across their surfaces to make the wings seem truly alive, now twitching and flapping as joints that had not previously been present were forced into existence whilst contracting and shuddering tissue that had grown within the thrusters mounted at the tip of each wing now belched smog and fire as the hybrid horror tested its' new form before letting out an echoing shriek of triumph.

The first part of its' plan had been a success, now the true target could be gorged upon.

---

Wolfram Ironside had allowed himself to become momentarily distracted, steel grey eyes curious and focused yet the object of said concentration remained unseen to any onlooker who might happen to take notice of him; in reality the leader of Team WULF was simply flexing the wrist and fingers of their left hand which was once again bound in bandages and wrappings which both added to the appearance of a fearsome fighter and also helped brace the limb against the recoil of his own weapon, ensuring that his hand was indeed fully healed and mobile following the Aura supplements and other ministrations that he had received from Nurse Kitsune.

Eventually he was brought back to his senses by one of many loud and jarring sounds currently filling his surroundings which grated against his raw nerves, a condition that he could do more than growl in wordless annoyance at as his problems were entirely of his own making; he, along with many other freshman students and those who wished to accompany them, including a particularly brazen Fox Scarlatina had enjoyed several drinks and an impromptu party of sorts the night before in an effort to mentally brace themselves for what was to come and Wolfram, having partaken in far too much was now suffering the consequences. The grizzled old sentries who had known his father that Wolfram had been taught by had always endorsed the virtues of drinking the night before a battle to calm the nerves however now, with the second training mission of the year upon them the young fighter found himself cursing those old men with every breath.

"You still with us there partner?" Ursinia enquired with a smirk as she loomed over her team-mates and tapped Wolfram's shoulder gently with her tail, the Scorpion Faunus had once again proven herself to be more than capable of handling her liquor the previous evening, however had also proven herself to have more sense than her partner and retired far earlier. Scowling at her fresh-faced and collected demeanour Wolfram managed to grumble out an answer whilst blinking in the harsh lights of the amphitheatre in which missions were being disseminated through a series of portable hard-light screens and terminals.

"I'm fine….Do we have any idea where we need to be?" that last comment betrayed a level of disorientation that made Ursinia shake her head with a bemused sigh.

"I keep saying it, y'all wouldn't last on the farm" she adjusted her wide-brimmed hat with her tail before adding "Laser and Diabla found it on the screens, they're going to check something with the admin department….Apparently the name of the Hunter we're supposed to be working with had been changed, it's saying new details were pending confirmation"

"Why does shit like that keep happening to us" Wolfram muttered, mildly annoyed at the fact that Team WULF had no embarked on two consecutive missions without the proper information "And how the hell is Diabla so on point today?"

"She didn't drink last night" Ursinia answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world "Said something about remembering what the punishment for reporting for duty whilst intoxicated was back in Atlas"

"I can imagine"

"I'll bet it wasn't pretty" the dark-skinned woman nodded sagely before peering over Wolfram's shoulder and giving him a warning in the form of an offhanded comment "Oh and you've got company"

Wolfram turned around just for Astra to pull him into a hug and nuzzle into the larger teens' neck as best as armour, antlers and the Deer Faunus's Mohawk would allow.

"Stay safe out there" Astra murmured before kissing Wolfram's neck just forcefully enough to halt any bravado-filled comment he might have intended to retort with by making his mind go entirely blank and instead his hand gripped Astra's hip tightly as he purred in their ear.

"You are a fucking tease"

"I'll make it up to you when we get back" Astra whispered seductively, trailing kisses up Wolfram's neck and along his jaw; only for the moment to be utterly ruined by a disgusted exclamation.

"We are stood right here!" Athena-Jade gasped, causing the two team leaders to break apart and seemingly remember that Ursinia and the rest of Team MARZ were indeed present.

"Seriously, right in front of my salad?" Regalia added with a smirk.

"Okay firstly, no" Astra snorted, unable to keep an amused grin from their face at that "Secondly, who is teaching you these memes?"

"I see that you've honed in on what's truly important here" it was Zirconia who delivered the observation, each syllable laden with her usual dry sarcasm as her mismatched eyes seemed to be straining to not roll at the antics that she was witnessing on instinct and habit alone; the Grasshopper Faunus's jab at Astra's current conduct naturally being swiftly followed up by Athena-Jade

"Right, can we please focus on the job here please" her muscular arms crossed over her chest as she visibly struggled against the urge to pout "We're already running late because you had to get your hair and make up right"

"Hey, it's a morale thing. I wouldn't tell you to forget the band-aids" Astra shot back, though they at least had the decency to look somewhat abashed before turning to Wolfram and asking "But she's right, we've gotta find our mission….Do you know what Team WULF are doing?"

"Kinda, details are hazy...Again" with an irritable sigh at that the armoured teen turned and sought out Diabla before raising his voice to a klaxon call in his team-mates' direction "Hey, do you know where we're heading yet?"

"Landing pads!" Diabla called back before setting off in that direction with Laser in tow "We're heading to Hammerfall Outpost!"

"Now that sounds fun" Wolfram mused, fondly remembering the adrenaline fuelled madness that had led to the formation of his team before turning back to Astra and pulling them into a hug that was tighter and yet far more gentle that their previous interactions.

"Like I said, stay safe" the Deer Faunus murmured.

"I'll be fine" Wolfram murmured back "And so will you, take care of your team….I'll see you when I get back" with that he delivered one final kiss to Astra's cheek and the pair broke apart, with Wolfram setting off after Diabla and Laser at a brisk pace that would have lent him an imposing air along with his stature and appearance were it not for Ursinia easily keeping pace beside him and obviously giving her partner some gentle ribbing.

Leaving Team MARZ to concentrate on the matter of their own mission.

"Okay, let's do this" Astra breathed out, earning himself a round of excitable hand-wringing and shuffling in place from Regalia, whose enthusiasm for the idea of being back out in the desolation that she had been raised in and tackling the monsters that roamed was enough to make her forget her annoyance at not being able to bring her beloved jetbike along for the mission whilst Zirconia merely gave a silent nod of the head, gathering all of her intrigue and mystery about herself like a cloak and Athena-Jade bristled in agitated over-eagerness that demanded release. With a final mental check that each of them had brought everything that they could possibly require for a mission, an utter redundancy as such checks had been conducted well over a dozen times by now the four of them set off in the direction of the nearest terminal and screen from which they could learn the details of their upcoming mission, Athena-Jade quietly keeping an eye out for Professors Ruby or Penny Rose in the quiet hope that one of them might have come to see Team MARZ off once again and it was this hopeful curiosity that caused her to freeze in place, eyes wide in something akin to wonder as she caught sight of an instantly recognisable figure a fraction of a second before she called out to Team MARZ as a whole.

"Hey dudes!" Diamond Slate, formerly Sustrai-Black made no effort to hide the proud, slightly smug grin that formed on her face as she saw the way that the freshman students parted around her in awe

"Team MARZ are heading out with us today" Diamond continued, needing no explanation of who 'us' referred to "We don't have our Bull-Head with us right now but Arctus has got us a ride back to the ship. Come on let's go"

There were a few moments of stunned silence as each of Team MARZ struggled to process the information that they had been given and then several more to convince themselves that they had heard it correctly; unofficial training and informal lessons from an older sibling were one thing but for Team MARZ being granted the opportunity to work alongside, not only family of friends thereof but also the living legends that Team FADE were and hopefully see them in action in all their glory was something else entirely. Finally, as seconds dragged on to an extent that would have been laughable were it not for the presence that Diamond carried herself with affecting the crowded amphitheatre as a whole it was Athena-Jade who breached the silence, blurting out thoughts that were likely shared by each of her friends.

"THIS IS GONNA BE THE BEST MISSION EVER!"

---

Rowan Oralie's deep green eyes seemed to shine with the boiling and festering anger welling up within her even as she fought to keep her pinched and almost malnourished features as close to neutral and unreadable as physically possible whilst being all but physically marched through the streets of Menagerie's Capital by Major Grapeshot and Carmesi Hueso who flanked her and kept watchful eyes on her movements', with the latter bristling visibly at anything he deemed too sudden in an obvious attempt to justify the violence he wished to dispense. Her current silent inscrutability was a product of the time she had spent within a labour camp for Vaccuan criminals deemed too young for a regular prison during her teenage years, a place where she had learned many invaluable skills though this in particular, enforced silence in the face of certain punishment was one that she had promised herself that she would never need to use again once she had been freed.

Rowan swore that for making her break faith with herself and more generally for reducing her to anything that resembled a prisoner she would make the two rogue Hunters currently escorting her suffer.

Though currently she lacked the means to do so and her jailers paid her no mind beyond their own immediate concerns.

"Things would go at smoother for us all if you told us what you know, scum" Carmesi growled, low and dangerous voice reverberating in Rowan's chest as he regarded her with hateful red eyes.

"I have, I know nothing. I haven't been in contact with any of my people whilst I've been….In your care" Rowan sneered the last words out, dripping with derision that at least in her mind managed to make up for the fact her answer was closer to pleading and grovelling than she would ever allowed from herself before she had found herself dragged into the machinations of the two Hunters and their benefactor.

Her answer was almost entirely honest however, since escaping from her dubiously successful efforts to remove a rival gang during Faunus Pride so that her shadowy benefactor could continue to use the docks for his own ends Rowan had remained within Blackwater Cove; either in or close to Grapeshot and Carmesi's base of operations and under no illusions about having any privacy or freedom from the overzealous Komodo Dragon Faunus which left her unable to truly return to her duties as leader of the criminal organisation that she had been slowly coalescing around herself up until that point, with her only contact from the well-trained and heavily armed thugs she worked alongside coming in the form of a warning that a sizeable bounty had been placed, a combined pot added to by members of several of the largest gangs in the city on not only Rowan's own head but those of any of the black-clad 'Boiler Crew' who had violated the sanctity and neutrality of the festival, the name being one that neither Rowan nor her fellow criminals had ever used for themselves but simply a moniker given due to their choice of attire and the acid that they had used to disguise the nature of their attack.

Rowan found that she liked the name and would most likely continue to use it, as soon as she was free of the shackles that currently limited her.

"Perhaps you didn't learn from having your arm broken" Carmesi snarled, incensed at the lies he perceived "Maybe I should break a leg this time and see if it makes you any more manageable-"

"Get a hold of yourself man" Grapeshot barked indignantly, gesturing to their surroundings "We are in a city, one filled with people we swore to protect. Conduct yourself accordingly"

"Protecting them means getting the benefactor's work done….that means finding out what she's hiding and what she's planning" Carmesi's response would almost seem reasonable and logically sound were it not for the quivering rage that permeated his entire being to give the man a bestial appearance far removed from his well-kept bun of dark hair and immaculate beard and far more in line with the savage nature of the weapons slung across his back. With an irritable rumble that transcended the need for words Carmesi peered around them and took in the sight of early morning Port Alistair whose streets were currently far less busy than they might normally have been; as it was the trio had timed their arrival into the city so that they would miss both the initial rush of workers whose jobs required them to be awake at unconscionable hours and the later rush hour caused by travelling students and office workers. Faunus Pride had passed, the celebrations marred by the actions of Rowan and her thugs not putting an end to the annual festivities yet certainly dampening the spirits of those in attendance as they were forcibly reminded of how precarious the peace and stability that Remnant was currently enjoying truly was; consequently the streets were currently largely empty, with only a few other pedestrians around who paid no mind to what would outwardly seem to be a trio of Hunters though this would likely change in only a few short hours.

"That was an order, not a suggestion old chap" Grapeshot retorted bluntly, using his seniority in a way that Rowan was frankly surprised had remained effective for so long after the pair had chosen to break the oaths they had sworn has Hunters.

"Then what do you recommend" Carmesi demanded taking his focus away from the redhead, at least for a moment.

"That we do what was asked of us, we were asked to return to the Capital to investigate; not to cause carnage" the older man answered evenly, yet the cracks in his calm facade were beginning to show as he grew steadily more tired of the ever-increasing fanatical bloodlust of the younger man he had once though of as something of a successor. The request that the Major was referring to had come late the previous evening when the rogue Hunters and their unwilling guest had been contacted, by a video call inhabited by a lone and indescribable figure as always wherein the unknown figure who funded and controlled their operations had informed them that the ship carrying the latest iteration of the device intended to contain the monstrous amalgamation of Grimm and machine that the escaped Alpha Geist had become was en route to Port Alistair, or rather that it had been and that the current whereabouts of the vessel were unknown as contact had been lost.

A state of affairs which Carmesi predictably suspected Rowan had a hand in.

"My people don't have control of the docks" the redhead stated simply, continuing to keep her words as toneless as possible as her former love of antagonising the reptilian Faunus beside her was now replaced by a healthy concern for the fact that her life might depend on his ability to see reason "But I can get us inside and we can check the records from there, find out if the people on this end know more than us….If it was attacked by some clan-rats with a boat or the Grimm sunk it then somebody working the docks will know, they'll be keeping an eye open for anything with selling that washes up-"

"And why don't your people have control of the docks?" Carmesi demanded suspiciously "They've had enough time to retake them since the attack on the other gang-"

"Because they're all laying low, they'll be shot on sight if they set up anywhere right now" Rowan laughed bitterly, unable to maintain her detached demeanour in the face of such a question "You've spent too long out in the dust and mud, this business isn't like the movies….After that stunt we pulled I'm now the most wanted woman in this city and other Hunters seeing me with you is the least of your worries"

"Well, that's just capital" Grapeshot huffed in open annoyance whilst Carmesi tensed, hands twitching towards his swords as the thought that they were being led into a trap of some kind began to from in his mind, before he could act however Grapeshot interjected by speaking again.

"Then we'll have to act quickly….Once again the game is afoot" with that he subtly shifted Magnificent Ivory from its' cane form into its' heavy rifle configuration in an unmistakable threat "I do so hope that you were planning on being sporting Miss Oralie, we wouldn't want anything unseemly to happen would we?"

"Of course not" the redhead sneered, setting off and leading the way as the trio continued towards where they hoped answers might be.

---

Team MARZ had, once the initial wave of shock had worn off, followed Diamond out into the grounds of Breaktide Academy where the sunlight, which was harsh and bright yet provided less warmth than it had in previous months managed to hurt the eyes of the teens though they suspected not as much as it would their friends who had remained at the previous evenings' party for far longer. Making their way through the grounds they were brought to a rarely used and often overlooked, even by students hoping to sneak in or out of the academy for reasons that were likely more embarrassing than nefarious side entrance where they found Arctus Slate waiting in the drivers' seat of a small and compact van large enough for the six of them which the older Faunus had then driven across the city towards the port for which the city was named, where the Nemesis Kharybdis was currently docked.

Team MARZ had, perhaps understandably plagued their elders with questions for the entirety of the journey yet to their dismay had received little in the way of answers.

Clearly seeking to keep a sense of mystery about the affair rather than feeling that there was any risk of classified information being leaked both Arctus and Diamond had remained tight-lipped and said simply that Team MARZ would be given a full briefing of the upcoming mission and their roles and duties within it once they arrived on the ship as neither of them were technically the one heading the operation and both of the now veteran Hunters wished to set a good example of proper conduct, which neglecting chain of command and giving out intelligence before due time was obviously incompatible with.

This sense of secrecy had only fuelled the excitement brewing within each of Team MARZ, with Astra in particular growing more and more eager to arrive and set about the matter at hand, whatever it may be with each passing moment; laughing along with each quote from a famous spy or action movie that Regalia offered until finally the van had arrived at the docks and the students had disembarked, staring up at the battle-scarred and glyph-covered hull of the heavily modified vessel that Team FADE and their closest allies called home. Diamond had instructed the teens to board, she and Arctus would return the rented van and then join them in due course and the teens had done as they were told without hesitation; with Astra pushing their way to the front of the ground and marching several paces ahead in a display of eagerness that managed to irk their team-mates though in the moment no issues were raised and so the Deer Faunus failed to spot them as their mind was fixed entirely on other matters.

This was the day that they would work alongside their brother as a fellow Hunter, something that they two had spoken about often for a decade. Today, Astra was convinced, was the day that Felix would learn to see them as a leader and a Hunter rather than a child who needed to be coddled.

The fact that it had been Carcharodon Gore to greet the students on the deck of his ship had done little to dampen the mood.

"This ship is awesome" Regalia exclaimed, voice a hushed whisper as she trailed close behind her partner who in turn stayed close on the heels of the Shark Faunus currently guiding Team MARZ through the bowels of the Nemesis Kharybdis, remaining silent and giving his charges no real time to stop and properly take in their surroundings as they were led through metallic corridors whose dim lighting would have been limiting for human eyes; not that such things would keep the Racoon Faunus from trying.

"It's like home" she continued, waving animatedly at the narrow confines "But hunter-y and….well, a boat; you never told me it was this cool"

"I've only been on the ship a handful of times" Astra admitted with a shrug they hoped came across as nonchalant "Usually Felix would come to my place or we'd meet on Patch….I'm guessing he wanted to get back on dry land when he wasn't working"

"Honestly I've probably not been aboard much more than you" Athena-Jade chimed in, turning her attention towards her own partner and speaking more to Zirconia as she continued "I don't actually think I've been on this deck before….I know where the quarters and the kitchen are and the hold but-"

"Because you never needed to know whelp; I may allow your brother to live aboard my vessel but I am not fond of having children scurrying about" the Shark Faunus came to a halt before gesturing to a simple and unadorned metal door which was sunken into the surface of the wall "In here"

"Y'know the super bad-ass routine doesn't work with me, she does it better" Athena puffed out her chest in pride and defiance as she pointed to Zirconia who quickly looked anywhere but at the gaunt and tattooed grey-skinned Faunus now glaring at them both "Besides, you love having kids around really; I heard some of the kids at Halo Academy call you Uncle-"

"Your brother isn't here to stop me from taking your teeth as jewellery" Carcharodon's rasp was low and dangerous though his bottomless black eyes seemed to lose some of their menace as the corners of his fang-filled mouth tugged into the merest ghost of a smile before he opened the door and gestured for Team MARZ to enter, which they did with Astra leading the way. Upon entering the teens found themselves in a conference or meeting room of sorts, spacious enough to allow for several tables to be arranged in a loose facsimile of a horseshoe shape and enough seats to allow for several full teams of Hunters taking up the centre of the room whilst a projector was mounted on the ceiling and pointed in the direction of a wall which had been lined with sheets which would likely improve the quality of the images on display.

Most important to Astra and their team-mates was that Felix and Eagle were already present.

"Took you long enough" Felix noted by way of greeting, those his features were a bright and toothy smile at the sight of the younger students "I'm guessing Arctus drove like he always does?"
"Like he can actually read stop signs and knows what a speed limit is? Yeah" Astra snorted, being all to familiar with their brothers' particular interpretations of many traffic laws.

"Like we don't have places to be and things to do" Felix nodded sagely, as if the two estimations were one and the same; the antics between the half-siblings being enough to prompt Eagle Arc to step forward upon seeing Athena-Jade begin to tap her foot.

"Do the four of you want your briefing now or do you wanna get lunch first?"

"BRIEFING" the answer came from all four members of Team MARZ, their speaking in unison adding gusto to the reply which caused the three adult Hunters present to share mildly bemused looks before Felix gave a silent nod in Carcharodon's direction; the Shark Faunus turning off the already dim lights whilst Eagle began to fire up the projector, the flickering and unmistakably digital image that it displayed being recognised by the students as a birds' eye view of Port Alistair's coast or a rendition thereof.

"I'm going to assume" Felix began, with the slightest of smirks "That since none of you are idiots you've figured out that since we're having our briefing on the ship that means we're going to be working at sea….Anyone wanna take a guess at what the job is?"

"Taking out smugglers?" Astra gave their brother a knowing wink, suddenly certain that this mission had been hand picked for them as part of the unofficial training that it was plain to see that Team MARZ were being given in addition to their regular studies; that surety vanished an instant later when Felix made a sound clearly meant to imitate something from a game-show the younger Faunus was unfamiliar with.

"Our survey says; not a chance….Any other guesses?"

"Amphibious Grimm" Zirconia mused quietly, almost to herself "Stopping them from making landfall"

"Like that Hippo Grimm we fought at the beach party a few months ago" Athena-Jade chimed in, suddenly reminded of the illegal and poorly thought out gathering that Fox Scarlatina had convinced the students to attend.

"Closer, but not quite" Eagle answered before Felix could give a less charitable answer, gesturing to her partner as she added "Show 'em"

"Okay so as I'm sure you can imagine what happened at Faunus Pride caused an up-tick in Grimm attacks" Felix began, playful demeanour vanishing as his fists balled at the thought of Rowan Oralie and her escape "Nothing that Port Alistair's defences haven't been able to handle as of yet though"

"Although additional Hunters have been called in from across Menagerie to set up temporary garrisons along the perimeter wall" Eagle picked up where her partner left of as Felix began highlighting several points on the projected image "These are the points Hunters are currently stationed, alongside other defences on the coastal wall itself….these markings here are the hard-light shield generators and coastal defence batteries"

"The call went out but not every Hunter answered it" Felix grumbled, scorn creeping into his voice as he continued "Maybe half of what was asked for turned up, some people had understandable reasons, they were on jobs….a few people didn't answer, honestly I thought Grapeshot was better than that"

"Seriously?" Astra could do nothing to mask the shock in their voice at the revelation that the Hunter who had taken Team MARZ on their first ever mission had failed to answer a call to arms, it seemed to run counter to everything they knew of the man and judging by the expressions on their faces the rest of the team of students felt the shame.

"Yeah, but anyway; business" Felix shook his head and focused himself "Because of the Grimm attacks Menagerie has been using its' coastal hard-light shields more regularly….Normally they're only used in emergencies because obviously putting a forcefield around a port is gonna close off some shipping lanes; the problem is that because they were so rarely used politicians have done what they always do and moved funds somewhere else, so now a couple of the towers that generate the shields are in need of repairs-"

"And we're gonna fix 'em?" regalia's eyes were wide with wonder at the prospect.

"Not quite" Eagle smiled at the enthusiasm that so like a younger version of herself "There's already a team of engineers assigned to that, our mission is going to be solely preventative; we move the ship into position to cover the tower and take out any Grimm that get close enough to become a problem….Although we'll be close enough to get a better look at the workings of the shields than most people"

"Any questions?" Felix added, hands clasping behind his back as he spoke with a sense of finality and taking on air about himself that was oddly reminiscent of the professors Team MARZ dealt with in their daily lives.

"Nope" Athena-Jade shook her head, popping the P of the work.

"Nothing right now, or at least nothing about what you just said, heh" Regalia shrugged, Astra however made a show of raising their hand slowly and locked eyes with Felix, sea-green eyes boring into deep blue.

"Yeah" the Deer Faunus gave a cocky smirk "What's the real mission?"

"What're you talking about kid?" Felix cocked his head in apparent confusion.

"Come on Fluffy, be honest with us….there's more going on here" Astra's voice was insistent "You came to Menagerie to stop the Grimm smugglers and now you're covering coastal defences, at the docks near where the smugglers were working, with some of the only people who've actually seen and fought their leader"

"Okay….I'll admit that it looks like more than it is" Felix sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose "But you're reading too much into this; your mission has nothing to do with the search for Rowan Oralie"

"Team FADE answered the call to protect Menagerie while we were here, same as everyone else" Eagle added.

"Our mission" Astra sneered dismissively "But what's your mission, come on you're not telling us something….Just let us in on it-"

"Astra there is no secret mission" Felix insisted, bemused exasperation grappling with mild annoyance in his tone

"Bullshit" Astra retorted bluntly, body language becoming more aggressive by the moment until Athena-Jade and Regalia both placed a hand on their shoulders in an effort to calm them, with the Bear Faunus forcing them to look at her.

"I think they're telling us the truth Astra"

"It's Team FADE, there's obviously more going on!" Astra exclaimed in frustration as they brushed their friends hands away from them "Come on, you guys really think the team that fought Salem is just gonna be one of the teams guarding the coast with nothing else going on?….Fluffy, what's the deal? Come on I'm not a fucking kid any more just-"

"You will learn your place on my vessel, whelp" Astra's tirade was silenced in an instant by the hand of Carcharodon Gore closing around their windpipe as the Shark Faunus crossed the briefing room in a single stride and grasped the leader of Team MARZ by the neck to lift them several inches from the floor; prompting a cacophony of metallic clanging and whirring that filled the room as weapons were drawn.

"EVERYONE STAND DOWN!" Felix barked "Car, put 'em down; now! Everyone else drop 'em….We'll forget this happened" the Lion Faunus's golden Aura had rippled into life around his body as he gazed around the room which now suddenly seemed far smaller and more airless than it had a moment before.

"In my people mutiny was punishable in ways you could not imagine" Carcharodon's voice was a low, sibilant hiss as he lowered Astra to the ground "You children, make no mistake about what you are, have been far too coddled….Aboard my ship you will adhere to the laws of the Frost River Tribe of Anima; the word of a Captain or Elder is unquestioned, those who wish to challenge it may do so in single combat"

"Car, enough….Don't do this" Eagle, tall and broad shouldered as she was and also having the distinct advantage of being the wife of one of the last survivors of Carcharodon's tribe stepped in front of the Shark Faunus, sensing that Astra Mars seemed willing to accept the offer of single combat there and then which would spark a chain of events that could not be undone. As this was happening Felix flitted around the periphery of the room and began forcefully ushering Team MARZ as a whole back into the corridors, his expression furious.

"Okay kids, new assignment" the Lion Faunus ground out through clenched teeth, the gears of his mechanical right fist audibly groaning in protest as Felix's entire body quivered with tension.

"They didn't mean-" Athena-Jade's attempt to cover for the Deer Faunus with the practices ease of a sibling was shut down with a simple warning glance from her cousin.

"Astra since you're so eager to be involved in the mission and the operation of this ship I'm going to let you"

"Really-" it was a foolish hope that Astra was quickly disabused of.

"I'm gonna get you all buckets and mops" Felix answered bluntly "Until you're needed for active duty you and your team will be cleaning the Nemesis Kharybdis from top to bottom. Well done"

Team MARZ collectively gave their leader cold glances, making it clear that not even Regalia's boundless enthusiasm stretched this far.

---

Student Counsellor Yatsuhashi Daichi did not often return to the role of an active Huntsman, finding that he could be of more help and use by providing his care and services to both his students and any other Hunters who sought him out; the mental care provided to those who fought against the Creatures of Grimm was, by necessity an entirely different matter to that which was offered to the uninitiated and Yatsuhashi was both glad that the era of Hunters suffering in silence as they slowly collapsed under the weight of their own demons and proud to be on the forefront of the profession which had been revolutionised by the efforts of Neptune Vasilias several years ago.

Though after spending so long in peaceful and comfortable surroundings the giant of a man could not help but wonder if he still had the edge that had made him such an integral part of Team CFVY.

Such thoughts were what filled Yatsuhashi's mind as he stood upon the very edge of Hammerfall Observation Outpost, taking care to avoid the catapults from which prospective students were launched into the canyon below despite assurances from the staff of the facility that they were currently disabled and that there was no chance of him being unceremoniously flung overboard. The protective shields that could be brought to bare against any airborne attackers were also currently inactive as there were expected to be flights departing from and arriving at the vast hovering platform whose circular structure house a single domed building lined with radars and other similar equipment and in the absence of the shielding the wind howled and whipped around Yatsuhashi, though with far from enough force to move him. The veteran and semi-retired Hunter allowed himself a small smile at a private joke at his own expense as her noted that the scene would look far more dramatic if he had enough hair to let down and leaving flowing in the breeze; although it could not be said that he looked unimpressive as, in addition to his imposing stature and his equally massive sword slung across his back he wore a new set of armour, forged with love and care by Velvet and Coco after it had become clear that his once signature attire had suffered in its' disuse and was also frankly a little tighter around the middle that Yatsuhashi was comfortable with; his current armour largely resembled the previous suit though its' edges seemed more rounded and sleek, with additional plates to cover areas that had previously been left exposed and its' colouration was a simple gunmetal with a deep golden trim which matched the blade of his weapon.

The rare moment of vanity, something Yatsuhashi noted with a wry smile was something that both he and his son had likely picked up from Coco, came to a swift halt as he caught sight of a shape in the distance, rapidly coming into focus as it neared and revealing itself to be one of the Manta pattern transports that the gravity-defying outpost used alongside its' Stingray fighters.

His students had arrived.

It was only a few sort moments before the aircraft docked on one of the many landing pads lining the outer ring of the aerial platform, the process of handling permissions and clearances being expedited by an automated system which had been integrated into the aircraft themselves and, barely an instant after the hiss of compressed air announced the hatches of the Manta unlocking four, eager and exuberant bodies came bursting forth, ready to present themselves to their assigned Hunter and no doubt begin the business of heroism and derring-do that they still believed their chosen career to be.

Skidding to a halt the moment they caught sight of the familiar figure before them.

"Professor….Counsellor, no not when we're on the job-" Wolfram scrambled for the appropriate form of address as his team-mates gathered behind him "Hunter Daichi, Team WULF reporting for duty"

"I see that" Yatsuhashi's mouth tugged into a faint smile "And Yatsuhashi will suffice whilst e are away from the academy-"

"Yeah….about that" the gruffness of the voice indicated that it could only have been Diabla Fuego who spoke and upon turning his attention to her and finding the teen who had been assigned to his care against her own wishes it was clear from everything about the way she held herself that something had troubled her.

"If there is an issue then you may speak freely Miss Fuego" he assured her.

"Diabla….we've spent enough time with each other" her grumbling was at least good natured at that observation, a definite improvement from the fury she had once carried herself with "It's just….Me being on a mission with you and then having counselling sessions after; does this affect….I dunno integrity or confidentiality or something?"

"An astute observation but no" Yatsuhashi shook his head "Nothing from your sessions will be discussed here unless it becomes an immediate matter of safety for yourself or your team"

"Am I the reason you were given the mission?" that comment caught Yatsuhashi off guard and as he struggled to process it Diabla continued, fiery orange eyes narrowing and features darkening as she spoke "The information was being updated for the mission when we saw it….You weren't originally taking this mission; am I the reason you did? I don't want to be a liability to-"

"Diabla, professional opinions notwithstanding it is my personal opinion that your pessimism undermines so much of your hard work" Yatsuhashi sighed, seeing that the teens' understanding of the situation was not unjustified but was certainly the most angst-ridden and uncharitable reading of things available.

"There was indeed a change to the mission and who would be heading it" the giant of a man continued "Up until the early hours of this morning it was understood that you would be working alongside Bolin Hori as part of a routine surveillance program, thinning Grimm numbers so that they don't get out of hand"

"You got a way of making things sound mighty ominous there Mister Daichi" Ursinia noted, picking up on at least some of what was going unsaid.

"So things changed" Wolfram interjected, rolling his shoulders back confidently "What's the deal?"

"A fighter craft was dispatched to tackle a single, but dangerously large Grimm last night" Yatsuhashi began "The pilot radioed in to report a confirmed kill, visual confirmation….contact with the aircraft was lost shortly after and there has been no word from the crew since"

"It wasn't as dead as they thought?" Laser noted, features twisting in a way that suggested that he was wincing in sympathy beneath his opaque visor.

"We're not certain at this point" Yatsuhashi shook his head, wanting the students to enter the field with an open mind "The craft was already damaged in the skirmish, what is known is that preliminary scouting parties have been unable to locate any wreckage and that the entirety of the area which the craft is believed to have landed somewhere in is Grimm infested"

"So it's a search and rescue?" Wolfram nodded in understanding.

"Hopefully" the solemn way Yatsuhashi answered the question was enough to cause each of Team WULF to stiffen, the seriousness of the situation suddenly becoming painfully apparent "Breaktide Academy and the Kingdom of Menagerie owe it to those who aid us in the fight against the Grimm to search tirelessly and rescue those we can; however there is a very real chance that this will be a recovery mission….which is part of why I, as student Counsellor was chosen to lead students for this operation; do you understand"

"Holy shit" Wolfram breathed out before turning and examining the faces of his team; Wolfram himself had been painfully and tragically aware of the risks of fighting the Grimm since childhood and judging by what little could be seen of Laser's features the Vaccuan scavenger was similarly mentally prepared, Diabla wore an expression of grim resolve which went beyond her usual scowl whilst Ursinia took a moment to prepare herself, swallowing thickly before nodding in understanding at which point Wolfram turned back to Yatsuhashi and gave the more experienced Hunter a silent nod to confirm that Team WULF did indeed understand and were ready to perform their duties as Hunters.

"Time may be of the essence" Yatsuhashi murmured "Let's begin"

---

Perhaps fortunately for Astra, as it might have saved them an inordinate amount of complaints and retribution in the form of pranks Team MARZ had been released from the monotony of swabbing the decks of the Nemesis Kharybdis after a little over an hour by Eagle who decided that collective punishment was unfair, even if teams were expected to work in unison and also that there were more effective ways to educate the headstrong and admittedly annoying Deer Faunus.

Once relieved of their duties Team MARZ had separated, with Athena-Jade needing no assistance to find her way to the ships' kitchens where she had stated that her goal was to eat any and all available chicken as maintained a physique as brawny as hers required a substantial amount of protein. Regalia had also left shortly after, enamoured by the complexities of Eagle's autonomous weapon and following the leather and armour clad blonde down into the depths of the ship towards its' workshop, firing of questions at an impressive rate the entire way. Astra themselves had likewise found a way to occupy their time, though it was obvious that the Deer Faunus was enjoying their current situation far less than their team-mates.

Felix had found them and challenged their younger sibling to a sparring match.

Rather than an act of malice or bullying between siblings the affair had started as a genuine attempt from the Lion Faunus to allow Astra to work through the issues that were so obviously troubling them and yet despite his good intentions it was clear that Felix had made an error in judgement somewhere as his younger half-sibling had launched himself into the fight with impressive vigour and a worrying display of aggression; Astra's cocky exuberance that had only increased upon their first few successful blows quickly turning into something more belligerent, with the Mohawk and leather jacket sporting teen growing almost desperate in their attacks as Felix began to block and counter every assault that came his way, as if the younger Faunus's desire to prove themselves to their brother were becoming too overwhelming to contain.

Finally, in both an attempt to remind Astra that their sparring match was intended to be a light-hearted exercise and also as good-naturedly brotherly teasing Felix had managed to weave around blows and antlers to wrangle Astra into a headlock before reaching out and seizing the tips of one the fiery red dyed and swept forward spikes that formed their Mohawk to bend it ever so slightly out of place.

As Astra reacted with explosive ferocity accompanied by a suddenly restored focus both they and Felix were unaware that they were being watched.

"And these are our leaders" Zirconia muttered to herself as she lurked in the shadows of a dimly lit doorway leading from the deck into the corridors of the Nemesis Kharybdis, mismatched eyes glinted faintly in the gloom as she pulled her cloak like scarf over the lower half of her face and turned away from the ongoing farce that the attempt at training had become; just Astra's brazen attempt to tackle Felix to the ground was met with a leg sweep that sent them crashing to the ground.

Slowly Zirconia began to make her way into the depths of the vessel, proceeding cautiously so that the clang of metal on metal that each of her footsteps caused was muffled as much as possible, senses straining and heightened whilst her nerves were on edge and almost electrified in a way that kept her breath bated.

Yet Carcharodon Gore still managed to sneak up on her unannounced.

"I presume you got lost looking for your partner" the Shark Faunus rasped out, the savage and metallic sound sounding notably more bestial than Zirconia's own voice and reminding her of the comparisons that had been made between the two of them, something which the Grasshopper Faunus now considered to be nothing more than asinine and surface level readings of their characters; though rather than utter any of these thoughts aloud she simply shook her head in a quiet and demure display.

"The tasks we were given are finished….Or at least we were told to stop" she answered simply, turning her focus away from the fearsome appearance of Carcharodon Gore himself when something gleaming in the limited light caught her attention and she found herself staring and a rather rotund, midnight black cat which had curled itself around the Faunus's shoulders and into the layers of his hooded cloak; a sight whose sheer unexpectedness threw Zirconia for a moment as she was forced to confront the reality that there was a depth and warmth beneath the charnal ferocity that the Captain of the Nemesis Kharybdis displayed outwardly.

"Eagle" Carcharodon muttered under his breath "Far too lenient….the whelp should have been thrown overboard for their behaviour"

"I don't actually have any work to do at the moment" Zirconia noted, fighting the sudden urge to defend Astra no matter how much she might disagree with them; the sensation of having friends to defend being one she was still unaccustomed to though she quickly managed to push it aside "Is there anything that you need me to do?"

"Well, a Kingdom-born that's willing to learn and make themselves useful….a rare thing" Carcharodon mused, giving a smile more genuine that the usual display of fangs he used solely for the way it intimidated those unfamiliar with him whilst absently reaching up to stroke the cat still draped over him as he spoke "Do you believe there is anything I would need you to do, what skills do you bring outside of being a competent fighter?"

"Thank you" Zirconia inclined her head slightly, recognising that the grey-skinned Faunus before her was a consummate warrior and did not give out praise freely when martial prowess was being discussed "I'm certain I could handle any other menial tasks that need to be taken care of….I also built and maintain my own weapon, so I feel that I could assist with any repairs that need to be undertaken; I was taught to code and operate several computer programs and systems and have some knowledge in-"

"I will assume that no offence was meant" Carcharodon raised a hand to silence Zirconia "However, I am of the Frost River Tribe, my ship is as much a temple to my ancestors as it a home or means of transport; the last such shrine….It will not be repaired by an outsider, there are very few not born into the tribe I trust with such things. Computers though….how you Kingdom-born love your toys, come, I may have use of your abilities child"

"You're having technical difficulties?" Zirconia asked quietly, finding the idea of the tribal leader and Hunter who was renowned despite his obvious preference for the shadows suffering from such a mundane dilemma almost unfathomable; as he led the way upwards through the Nemesis Kharybdis in a direction that would undoubtedly bring them both to the control tower rising from the ship, accompanied by masts and banners added for the sake of tradition Carcharodon growled.

"The ships' AI is functioning correctly" he bared his fangs and shook his head "I just prefer to entrust certain matters to people….The people I trust most did not join us on Menagerie; however Team FADE are allies, family of a sort and they trust you, therefore I shall as well"

"Thank you" Zirconia answered happily as she remained a few paces behind the Shark Faunus, eyes gleaming in the dim overhead lightning whilst beneath her scarf she found herself wearing a smirk that she was glad Carcharodon could not see.

---

The sun had risen high above the wastelands of Menagerie and had reached its' zenith some time ago, its' harsh light glaring down upon the cracked and dusty ground, creating dazzling displays as it struck mineral deposits yet providing little in the way of warmth as it began to slowly slip back towards the horizon and yet, despite the violence that had occurred in desolation on the outermost edges of Hammerfall Observation Outposts' reach there was still on odd sense of tense, yet lasting peace hanging about the place.

The Hell-Hound had not yet attacked.

The monstrous hybrid-alpha Grimm, freshly invigorated by its' latest transformation had taken to the air before the sun rose, its' wings, a hideous amalgamation of corrupted metal and obsidian flesh quivering in a crude facsimile of flapping even as they spewed acrid smog and flames that left contrails of falling embers in its' wake; however before the nightmarish beast could soar into the night and rejoin the bulk of its' horde of subservient monsters a wave of agony had overcome it, disorienting the Hell-Hound and sending it crashing into the ground several miles away from where it had consumed the aircraft and part of the Imperator-Taijitu; tearing a shallow furrow into the cracked and blasted earth where it had lain for several hours with its' body racked by convulsions.

The physical aspects of the Grimm's transformation had been immediate and unmissable however the mental changes that had begun to take hold, causing its' body to temporarily betray it were truly the key to its' ascendancy.

As the Hell-Hound shuddered and thrashed, its' new serpentine tail smashing small craters into the dirt with each slamming impact its' mind began to entirely reform itself into something far beyond its' already terrifying animal cunning; the added bulk and strengthened connection to the tattered fragments of the hive mind that all Grimm had once shared that it had taken into itself by consuming the Imperator-Taijitu formed as an anchor of sorts, keeping the abomination of flesh and metal from being rendered catatonic by the deluge of incoming information as well as adding the experience of countless battles against the prey, dating back to the before-times, when the hive-mind had been whole and the Queen of Grimm had walked amongst them. It was the remains of the aircraft that had provided the most important components to the changes the Hell-Hound was currently undergoing, the expected wave of euphoria had not come as the vehicle had not been connected to the strange hive-mind of anger and vitriol and sadness that the prey had fashioned for themselves and name 'The CCT' though it had provided something else; the Hell-Hound had first gorged itself on the residual and second-hand hate found in the logs of its' various missions before the a tidal wave of data had threatened to wipe away the monsters' identity as it seeped into every crevice of its' mind. Gifting the Hell-Hound with an understanding of military tactics and doctrine, a fuller understanding of the layout of Menagerie, including the size and location of settlements far beyond where its' packs had roamed before and more importantly a wealth of information regarding its' objective; the floating prize that culled Grimm, the thing that the prey called an outpost including its' layout and the nature of its' defences and capabilities along with information that was currently of no interest to the beast such as its' ownership, the nature of the information it gathered and where it was sent along other technicalities.

When the singular eye of the Grimm opened again, hateful blood-red light diffusing as it spilled from the visor that now covered part of its' skull it was clear that the beast had changed again; so profoundly in fact that it was now no longer truly the Hell-Hound, the designation was one given to it by those observing a target rather than a name chosen by a sentient being; a threshold that the hybrid Alpha Grimm had now truly crossed.

It would name itself in due course, there were more immediate matters to be dealt with.

Scanning the wealth of data that it now had access to the Grimm began to search, absently in the back of its' mind for a suitable moniker whilst rising to its' feet and flexing its' many limbs; its' wings and cannon stretching out as if they were made of the same tissue as its' arms, tail and tendrils; as its' mind raced with countless thoughts far beyond the previous scope of its' abilities sounds spilled from the gaping maw of the beast, not yet true speech and closer to disjointed fragments and syllables yet still unmistakably more than its' previous howls and shrieks. Eventually, with a gust of wind and blast of flames the monster took to the air again as it prepared its' plan of attack on Hammerfall Observation Outpost.

Secure in the knowledge that the prey's defences could not harm them.

---

Athena-Jade Slate had found herself at a loose end, something that the Bear Faunus had not expected to have to worry about whilst on a mission as a Hunter.

After being released from the monotony of swabbing decks and polishing handrails that Team MARZ had suffered due to Astra's inability to hold their tongue and act professionally when dealing with their brother Athena had first ventured into the ships' kitchens, one of the areas of the Nemesis Kharybdis which she could easily find her way to and was apparently still allowed in as she was allowed to proceed unchallenged; something that could not be said for much of the ship though this was something which Athena could understand and did not begrudge, it was after all as much of a base of operations as it was a home to Team FADE and their various allies. Once she had eaten, something which vastly improved her mood the snowy haired girl returned to the open deck and fresh sea air to find that both Zirconia and Regalia had ventured off in search of other tasks to occupy their time whilst Astra was currently being held at bay by Felix in a sparring match that had seemingly been going for some time if how visibly exhausted and sweat soaked the pair were, Astra having shed the signature short-sleeved red leather jacket bearing their emblem on its' back whilst the black, sleeveless gi they wore under it was skewed and dishevelled after the Deer Faunus had been bodily thrown to the ground so many times.

Deciding that she was not particularly in the mood to be called into intercede and have to spar with her cousin Athena had quickly found somewhere else to be.

Peace and solitude had come in the form of the crows' nest mounted atop the enormous and entirely decorative mast rising from the Nemesis Kharybdis, a surprisingly spacious affair that was filled with blankets and pillows although the comfort it provided was diminished somewhat by the small bones that Athena had found and unmistakably musty smell; both of which she was almost certain were connected to the flock of birds circling above her, large things that let out shrieking cries that pierced the air at random intervals.

"I'm guessing Eagle didn't warn you about the mess up here?" the sound of her brothers' voice startled Athena and caused her to turn just in time to see Arctus hop off of a glyph he had used to bring himself to the height of the crows' nest and clamber inside, sitting on its' outer lip beside his sister.

"Those birds up there are some of Hellion's flock, the rest are with her" he added, Athena nodding in understanding as she knew that Eagle Arc's wife had a Semblance which made keeping animals close at hand particularly useful "And I'm pretty sure they come up here for some privacy sometimes"

"Well that's….romantic and definitely hygienic" Athena-Jade rolled her sapphire blue eyes as her voice swiftly morphed into a flat and monotone deadpan not far removed from Zirconia's usual rasping whilst Arctus fond himself choking on air before breaking down into fits of laughter as he responded.

"Where the hell did that come from?" he demanded, gesturing wildly at the younger Faunus.

"I don't know" Athena-Jade admitted, collapsing into her own fit of giggles as her brothers' amusement became contagious "I guess I've just kinda picked up on Hops's sense of humour"

"Aww it's sweet that you've got cute nicknames for each other" Arctus cooed in a sickly sweet tone of voice, only to be immediately forced onto the defensive with a litany of curses escaping him as Athena used a glyph to almost fling him over the edge of the crows' nest.

"Pest!" he eventually exclaimed as he managed to overcome the Semblance-fuelled attack and clamber wholly inside the blanket filled bucket, fish bones audibly crunching beneath his weight "All I said was-"

"We're not a thing!" Athena gasped, hands waving frantically in a comical display of objection "Why does everyone think we're a thing? Nobody believed the rumours the press made up about you!"

"And then I married my partner" Arctus noted with a snort and a meaningful glance which Athena retaliated to by sticking out her tongue "And yeah the tabloids are vultures who love to twist everything so they can write whatever sells….But I mean, you two are basically inseparable from what I hear-"

"She's my partner!" Athena huffed as she collapsed into an overly dramatic pout, her uncertainty at why the assumptions irked her so much being pushed aside by the annoyance itself "We hang out, it's not that big of a deal! She's really funny once she opens up a little, dorky in the fun way and she gets stuff that other people don't; I like spending time with her outside of class I don't get why that's weird to say about somebody I share a dorm with….she's just cool"

"Uh huh, sure" Arctus nodded slowly, making no effort to discuss Athena's defensiveness or her the soft and fond smile that had dimpled her round cheeks as she spoke; though it was clear that he didn't need to as his thoughts were written just as plainly on his own place for the sister that knew him so well to read.

"Ugh, you suck" Athena huffed, the sense of drama that she often used when interacting with her siblings remaining in place "Did you need something or…."

"Not right now" Arctus shrugged "Diamond and I got back, I thought I'd get some pictures of us on a mission together for Mum, Dad and Coral….But turns out you'd already finished swabbing the decks, what happened there?"

"That idiot" Athena-Jade gestured over the edge of the crows' nest, down to where Astra was almost certainly still trying to best their older, stronger and more experienced brother in combat; some of the annoyance that she had held towards her team leader during Team MARZ's early days rising to the surface where it was quickly clamped down upon.

"Yeah….Seems like they've got some of Felix's mouth and attitude, but ratcheted up to eleven so I'm not sure if he's the guy to get through to 'em" Arctus observed before shrugging and returning his focus to his sister "But I actually did want to talk to you about something"

"Go ahead?"

"What happened at pride" Arctus began cautiously "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Not especially" Athena mumbled, her demeanour shifting drastically as she folded in on herself "I mean, I've spoken to Counsellor Daichi about what happened and I've spoken to Zirconia….well to all of the team about it, but she already knew about some of it"

"Okay" Arctus nodded, squeezing her shoulder gently and thinking better of adding any light teasing "Just as long as you're okay and not bottling everything up….you know you can talk to me anytime, hell any of the team"

"I know, and thanks but I just wanna solve the problem and move forwards y'know?" the younger of the Slate siblings sighed

"I get that" Arctus nodded, ruffling her hair slightly as he added "But you can't just put your head in the snow and avoid your feelings….Do you still have nightmares?"

"Not often" Athena answered "A few after what happened, a couple on the first week here but that was just 'cos of stress….I'm fine, or I will be"

"Okay" Arctus said simply, taking her at her word and knowing that either his sister was being truthful or that she was prepared to be stubborn enough to render any further discussion impossible.

"How're things with you anyway?" Athena asked "We never really talk about what's going on in your life….Which is weird 'cos your life is cool, even if you personally suck"

"One day the fact that you're adorable isn't gonna be enough to stop me from freezing you solid" Arctus snorted as he shifted his weight to make himself more comfortable "But yeah, things are going well; I mean mainly Team FADE just travel from place to place and take jobs, some for Qrow, some that aren't and give speeches to snot-nosed punks like you….But uh, Diamond and I have been talking about it for some time and we're seriously thinking about starting a family soon-"

"Wait is she…." Athena-Jade's eyes widened to an almost ludicrous degree whilst her mouth hung agape until her brother shook his head.

"No, we're still just talking about it" Arctus gave a bright smile "But you and Coral would be Aunts-"

"Yeah buy EWW!" Athena exclaimed with a mortified expression.

"Huh?"

"Don't just tell me that you're thinking about having kids for no reason like that" Athena's arms flailed widely as she continued to look utterly aghast "You're basically just telling me how much sex the two of you are having and I don't need to know that, damn it at least I know where the cleaning supplies are now 'cos I need some brain-bleach for-"

"AJ" Arctus attempted to interrupt only for his sister to continue her ranting.

"Nope! I don't wanna hear anything about it, tell me that again and I'll tell Mum you're planning on making her a Grandma and-"

"AJ!"

"You can be the one to have to-"

"AJ!" Arctus barked her nickname out this time, physically reaching over to shake her broad shoulders and force her be silent and listen, upon listening she quickly realised what had caused the change in her brothers' tone and demeanour; somewhere in the distance, likely several miles further along the coastline of Port Alistair and further out to sea a single, shrieking note was being played at a frightening volume to produce a warning klaxon.

"That's not the usual Grimm alarm" Athena noted, being well aware of what the cities' call to arms for its' Hunters should sound like "What is that?"

"One of the coastal defence systems, it's an early warning alarm!" Arctus answered as he leapt out of the crows' nest and onto a waiting glyph with a tense but stern and ready expression etched into his features whilst also drawing his sword "It means something big is coming"

"Where?" Athena demanded frantically as she leapt onto a glyph beside her brother, mirroring his actions by unfurling Mould-Breaker in its' hammer form and standing ready as she scanned the open sea beyond Port Alistair's defences until; in answer to her question a truly vast portion of the largely calm surface began to bulge upwards until the surface tension of the water was broken and waves crashed and cascaded downwards to reveal the threat.

The attack had come from the depths of the ocean and Arctus's description of 'big' failed to do it justice.

Author's Notes:

Well then ladies gentlemen and esteemed others, we have entered the finale of Vol.02.
There are three chapters left of this volume and two of them, like this one will be slightly longer than average (Insert dick joke here).
That being said I will probably take a week or two off of writing to plan Vol.03….Also I haven't worked out exactly what's gonna happen over Christmas but there will likely be some changes to the posting schedule around December.
Also, I commented recently about getting my spark and Mojo back….I'm glad to see that I've still got it and now we're going to get into something I enjoy writing as much as criminal underworld stuff; the truly horrific monsters.

But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
This opening scene was actually going to be the ending of the last chapter, but I feel like it works better hear as it means that the Hell-Hound took out the aircraft the night before the training missions rather than an indeterminate amount of time that was at least a week.
Also, considering the people say my dialogue is one the better parts of my writing making an entire scene without any can be a struggle sometimes.
It actually took me a little time to figure out whose perspective I wanted to start this scene with, I debated having it start inside the cockpit from the pilot's point of view.
"Atlas Stingray" the Manta from Vol.6 onwards, except more of a fighter than a transport craft.
"The very edge of where Hammerfall Observation Outposts' sensor range was reported to be" is not the first time I've made allusions to the fact that there's more going on with Hammerfall….
We need more King-Taijitu or other snake Grimm.
The Hell-Hound has been at the very edge of self awareness for so long now that it was time to do something about it.
Writing from the Grimm's perspective is definitely interesting since it doesn't (Or didn't) have any context for anything it was experiencing outside of hunger and violence.
Quick and efficient double take-down, the advantage of letting them fight each other first.
And now it's had another upgrade….It can fly.
Wolfram has been hurting his arm the entire time he's had that weapon but he's probably never broken the bones like that before.
Suddenly I imagine the people who taught Wolfram being very much like Fed Dibnah in how old school they were, and if you're from the UK you'll understand that….However, I do not endorse drinking before an important job.
We really do need to see Ursinia back on the farm….Perhaps Vol.04.
Diabla, despite her tough attitude is also the biggest lightweight of her team by virtue of being almost teetotal.
They were indeed being heterosexual right in front of Regalia's salad.
AJ will always be uptight about missions and things like punctuality, come on this is Weiss's daughter and her Dad can literally teleport; of course she's on time.
If you weren't certain that the Hell-Hound was making a move on the outpost beforehand then you must've known when I said that Team WULF were going there.
Surely you knew that this was gonna happen? That the whole point of bringing Team FADE to Menagerie was so that Team FADE and Team MARZ could go on a proper mission together.
Yeah Rowan is absolutely pissed and for good reason; prison flashbacks.
"Almost true" the best you're gonna get from Rowan.
So Rowan and her entire crew are now wanted dead by everyone, because to quote Omar in the Wire "Never on no Sunday".
Yeah Carmesi's fire and brimstone is definitely manifesting as the "Ends justify the means" type of thinking; interesting that despite their differences both he and Grapeshot still seem to agree that the Benefactor's aims are a good thing for Remnant.
So, Rowan was first introduced trying to get a containment device for the Alpha Geist/Hell-Hound to the rogue Hunters; a new one has finally been made and shipped but the ship it was on seems to have vanished, Rowan and co are on route to investigate and naturally Carmesi thinks she had something to do with it.
Team MARZ, Arctus and Diamond in a mini-van was basically the "We get there when we get there" scene from the Incredibles.
Enough hints dropped early on that Astra was gonna be a dumb-ass this chapter, along with more signs that they're picking up Wolfram's worst traits.
Of course Regalia sees similarities between the Nemesis Kharybdis and the Aiktishaf.
It's not really that unreasonable for Astra and AJ to have not spent a great deal of time on the ship.
Car and AJ absolutely adore each other really, they've probably accepted each other as distant cousins by now.
Felix drives the way people think Yang drives.
The smuggler idea was a pipe-dream and Astra should've known it, they've been let down gently about going after Rowan themselves already.
The stuff with the defences and calling back Hunters was just a chance to do a fun bit of world building to make Port Alistair feel like it has working infrastructure, but also as a chance to make sure Team MARZ know that Grapeshot and Carmesi shouldn't be in the city….Which means it's gonna become relevant.
Of course they skimped on the upkeep, complacency breeds stupidity.
Astra is really starting to get a case of main character syndrome that being a main character won't protect them from the consequences of.
Okay so a lot of people Felix has turned into a bit of a dick in this story, I'll come out and say it Astra was the dick here.
Carcharodon was harsh but no more harsh than he's always been, questioning orders on his ship was never gonna end well.
Oof the collective grunt-work punishment, oh Astra's gonna have some apologising to do after that.
Yatsuhashi is leading Team WULF on their mission, he's got slightly updated armour….and he's got a little squishy in middle-age.
Despite being the gruff no-nonsense bad ass Diabla continues to have so damn many feelings and most of them stem back to a sense of inadequacy and probably some trust and abandonment issues.
So the working theory on the outpost is probably what Laser said, they think that the other head of the Imperator-Taijitu took out the aircraft; they know about the Hell-Hound but likely don't know exactly where it is as it's been smart enough to avoid being tailed and pinned down for long.
Yeah, there's a very real chance that these kids are gonna be finding some mangled bodies and given how Grimm operate having the student Counsellor be present and the one to decide if and when to pull them out just makes sense.
Eagle decided that they'd suffered enough.
Felix decided to be nice about it and try and get through Astra's issues with a little sparring session, something they've done before, something Yang did with Felix; but let's be honest when Carcharodon said "Challenge authority through single combat" Astra was always gonna be on some bullshit for a whole day afterwards.
Astra may not be a Xiao Long/Branwen, but they have inherited one idiosyncrasy by proxy….you do not touch the hair.
Zirconia's first line was oddly catty.
Zirconia and Carcharodon basically having the "Can I help?" "I dunno, can you?" moment from Aliens.
Hops has been noted for abilities, Coco noticed that she had literally reprogrammed some of the automated systems at the shooting range in Vol.01, that's been building to something.
Now why would Hops be smirking….the mystery continues.
Yeah the Hell-Hound had to have a time out to make the timing of things line up, so I put it in a coma for a day.
Okay, so I've alluded to it before but I hadn't said it so directly before this chapter although a few readers got it anyway; when the Alpha Geist plugged into the Desert Claw fight club it actually connected itself to the CCT through the deep-web streams that the fights were being broadcast on, that's what the "Faux Hive-Mind full of emotions" it's been feeding on was….It's basically an ultra-violent junkie craving a hit at this point.
So it took out the aircraft hoping for the high that it would have gotten, but instead it now has memories dating back to the battle for Menagerie along with details of Hammerfall Outpost and all of Menagerie's settlements along with how Hunters fight….And a massive intelligence boost.
It can't quite talk yet but that's clearly gonna change soon, also it's gonna get a new name that's an actual identity since it has a sense of self now.
AJ needs to learn to chill, sometimes there's a quiet day at work and when your job involves fighting monsters that's a good thing.
Hellion and Eagle's raptor flock, a little homage to the epilogue of FADE.
AJ and Arctus's sibling relationship is honestly just as much fun to right as AJ and Zirconia's interactions.
"And then I married my partner" yeah, Arctus was a bad example.
….Oh AJ, honey….Do you hear yourself right now?
I mean Arctus makes a point, maybe Felix isn't the guy to get through to Astra since considering how much Astra has tried to reinvent himself all of the bad habits that aren't from Wolfram are probably things he learned from Felix himself.
"Put your head in the snow" because Atlas doesn't have sand, Vaccuo has sand and those two Kingdoms historically do not like each other.
AJ's repressed trauma isn't gonna take centre stage, however it isn't gonna go away and is likely going to influence decisions she makes for some time.
Arctus and Diamond starting a family was something they discussed in the epilogue of FADE but yeah, AJ's reaction here was funny….But also understandable in a way.
Oh come on you knew a big Grimm was coming, it's a volume finale.
Also if you didn't expect a cliffhanger here then I don't know what to tell you.
But to recap we have Team WULF out in the wastelands somewhere, whilst stationing themselves a the same outpost a newly upgraded Hell-Hound/New name pending is about to attack, Rowan, Grapeshot and Carmesi are about to look for a missing ship somewhere along the same coast that Team MARZ and Team FADE were stationed at and to top it all off a big Grimm, whose appearance I'm saving just burst out from under the water.

Thank you to SumoSnipe, Lurkweed and MajorBrony95 for their reviews on the last chapter and also an apology to MajorBrony95 for overlooking their last review, FF Net didn't send me an email.
The lack of restraint may not be surprising but it is still a problem, in FADE first year students weren't deployed into the city to deal with the general populace until their third mission of the year, at Breaktide the curriculum has been altered for this year specifically and that has caused problems like what we saw last chapter, it's an oversight more than a moral failing but it needs to be fixed.
I might have to go back and reread the early chapters because I might have actually given the impression there that Yatsu does indeed have other counsellors working under him, it's just that he's a head counsellor….And also prefers to be directly involved.
Hops had a "Get away from her" moment before they've even realised that there's anything going on between them, the Bees will be so proud when Aunt Blake and Aunt Yang find out.
….Star-Wolf….They didn't have a ship name and you just dropped one like that, thank you very much.
See where I grew up sharpened screwdrivers are literally kid stuff, by which I mean we were doing that in Design Technology classes with a lathe when the teacher wasn't looking at age 12/13...Which is one of those things that highlights how fucked up my formative years were; on a related note, machetes are literally something you pick up for £10-£15 where I am, cheap and easy to get hold of, you want a nasty knife get a "ZK"
Well, not a cobra but could almost pass as a sidewinder with the way it moved since that's kinda what I was envisioning when I wrote it; hope you enjoyed the big snake.
Oh Grimm were definitely drawn to the fight, it's just that Port Alistair, like all major settlements on Menagerie is very well defended.
Astra and Rowan have indeed finally met and oh yeah...There's some fun stuff coming with them.
Also Astra and Felix, they're definetely due for a major blow-out to get it all of their chests.

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