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Chapter 57: Expecting Turbulence
The sun had barely begun to crest the horizon and bathe the island Kingdom of Menagerie in its' fiery golden glow when it began.
Whilst elsewhere the denizens of the young Kingdoms' cities raised a din that to those who were part of it seemed little more than an ambient buzz as they went about the routine of their lives with commutes and work and in smaller settlements roosters created a nigh-incomprehensible racket as though issuing challenges to the sun itself whilst flying birds, be they the carrion eating opportunists which lurked and soared across the open wastes of Menagerie or equally tenacious gulls wheeling around its' ports and coastline shrieked and squawked to announce the beginning of another new dawn there was once place on Menagerie which remained silent as the sun rose.
A single place where life did not venture.
Hammerfall Canyon whilst undoubtedly serving, as it would once again in just a few short hours, as the proving ground in which prospective students of Breaktide Academy were tested had initially been carved into the landscape by force with a much more severe intent; even once Salem herself, Queen of the Grimm and manifestation of the higher consciousness of the Hive-Mind had been defeated and the largest masses of her forces swept away in the subsequent, years-long reclamation efforts there had been areas deemed by the fledging governance of the islands' first re-settlers where the corrupting influence of the Grimm had simply reached too deep and Hammerfall Canyon had been created, through a sustained barrage of lasers and missile-fire delivered from a fleet of airships to annex one such area and keep what dwelt within it at bay, a Spawning Pit whose size ensured that any attempts to attack it directly would result in an eruption of freshly birthed monsters so numerous, ravenous and potentially of such sheer size and power that they could simply overrun whatever defences were arrayed before them which, given the location of the pit in relation to several major routes and settlements had been deemed to great of a risk to allow.
What those who had made these decisions and set Hammerfall Observation Outpost into the air to stand as a sentinel against the tide of Grimm which had, over the years slowed to a steady trickle suitable for testing students were unaware of, even now that their outpost was once again fully functional, was that this Spawning Pit had changed and that under the influence of the monstrous Alpha Grimm calling itself Gestalt-Prime it was this Spawning Pit which had produced a sizeable amount of the forces the Alpha had deployed in their war against the Capital City of Port Alistair.
A war which the primordial intelligence which powered the Spawning Pit believed was still being waged.
It began with crashing waves, the Spawning Pit was situated at the bottom of a cliff-face whose chalky and craggy surface had been scored by the claws of battling monsters; a vast roiling and bubbling darkness lined with monolithic stalagmites of jagged bone and the deep violet of crystallised, ancient Grimm tissue which had once belonged to part of Salem's defences around the island and part of the pit was submerged beneath water which became brackish and sluggish upon contact with the obsidian ooze, water whose motion created the only sounds in the area other than the snarls and chittering of the pits' freshly made creations. As the sunlight streamed over the Spawning Pit the waves washing over it slowly began to increase in their violent intensity in such a distinct and localised way a to be clearly unrelated to the natural activity of the tides, the grey-tinged water swirling and thrashing as though living under the effects of the abominable darkness beneath it until finally it parted, a whirlpool forming at the coastline with the roiling liquid surface of the Spawning Pit allowing the water to continue over where dry land should have halted it. From there bubbles began to rise to the surface of the Spawning Pits' centre, each of them bursting to release a small cloud of noxious and searing smog with the bubbling rising to a crescendo which was followed by a series of ripples travelling outwards from the epicentre of the darkness; each ripple being accompanied by a thudding, seismic impact in a steady rhythm like some enormous, dreadful heartbeat.
Gestalt-Prime had, before their command of the attacking Grimm horde had been cut short given the order for their forces to encircle the city of Port Alistair, with the aquatic beasts under their control being compelled to unleash themselves upon the cities' docks and coastal defences however the Alpha had been defeated before this plan could come to full fruition, orders for reinforcements had gone unanswered as the psychic backlash of the thinking monsters' critical wounds leaving the tide of lesser Grimm disoriented and forced to rely on base instinct.
Until now.
The entire surface of the Spawning Pits' abyssal depths began to rise and bulge as what was being formed beneath it strained the surface tension of the viscous darkness; ebony sludge been pulled taut and translucent until it more resembled some hideous, discoloured embryonic sac before finally erupting in a spattering of liquid darkness which trickled and slithered its' way back towards the whole as though alive.
What emerged from Spawning Pit was monstrous and massive, Gestalt-Prime's will had been acted upon and their base of operations had provided the now absent Alpha with the means to win their war regardless of the fact the battle of Port Alistair had concluded over a month prior, the reflexive spawning producing a single, colossal nightmare made flesh capable of unleashing havoc upon the port cities' sea and skies, its' mass great enough to overwhelm even the most formidable of shields. The thing was largely avian in nature, albeit of a scale and proportion that made its' ability to fly a mockery to the concept of aviation and physics at large and as it spread its' enormous wings vast deluges of the primordial ooze from which it had come rained downwards, the liquid covering much of the things form to give it the appearance of some unfortunate seabird which had fallen foul of an oil spill or similar pollution. After several moments of rustling and preening as it became truly aware of its' own form and purpose the Grimm reared its' skull back and let out a deafening, reverberating call before wading out to sea on uncertain limbs; the sound somewhere between the scream of a saw-blade on metal and a thundering, honking and oddly strangled squawk.
Birdsong had come to this silent part of the island and it was terrible to behold.
The reassuring snarl of the Killer-Bee's engine dulled to a low, thrumming and comfortingly familiar vibration which went some way to setting Astra's nerves at ease as the heavily modified muscle car slowed to a halt outside one of the entrances to Neo Vale's primary Cross Kingdom Airship Terminal.
The Deer Faunus themselves had spent the slow and leisurely drive in silence as their brother drove them first from the house on the suburban outskirts of the city where they had spent the previous night with Felix and his friends, first stopping at their childhood home in order to collect their belongings and say their goodbyes to their parents, assuring their mother than they would be in regular contact. Astra had used the silence to enjoy the admittedly unhealthy but still delicious breakfast that Felix had bought for them, using the flawed but often cited rationale that only something so greasy could properly cure a lingering hangover as well as mentally gather and prepare themselves for the day ahead; Astra had little opportunity to speak with any of their team-mates over the summer and no chance at all to talk to the partner with whom they had parted on worse terms than they would have liked owing to the nature of Regalia's upbringing and now that a reunion was upon them thoughts of what might come were unavoidable, with every possible negative outcome whispering itself into the teens' thoughts where the brief intrusions upon their musings as Felix pointed out several landmarks they passed and recounted the times they had spent in any given place or the ways that the Capital of New Vale had changed over the years did little to comfort them.
Astra's inner thoughts were once again interrupted as the engine of the Killer-Bee fell silent and the sound of a car door opening startled the Deer Faunus, though they caught themselves before they could fidget wildly enough for their antlers, damaged as the left might have been to brush against anything.
"Come on, we're here" Felix intoned as he unfastened his seatbelt and in a single fluid motion slipped from the driver's seat in order to walk to the back of his car where Astra's luggage was stored in the trunk. With a sense of foreboding but without any hesitation Astra followed suit and exited the car, gratefully taking a rucksack and slinging it over one shoulder before extending the handle of their suitcase as their brother passed it to them.
"Thanks for the ride….Maybe one day soon I'll actually be able to drive myself somewhere and not keep bothering you and Dad for favours" they noted wistfully, knowing that their finances were somewhat unlikely to improve under the gruelling training regimen and crushing weight of the studying required by their professors at Breaktide Academy and therefore that their chances of being able to buy a vehicle of their own and put the driving license they had possessed for over a year to use were laughably slim.
"I don't mind giving you a ride" Felix shrugged, giving his sibling a warm smile "You got everything?"
"Yeah, documents are in my pocket or on my Scroll, Dust and ammo are stored separate and my weapons are…" Astra gestured to their own forearms where Buckshot Ares lay dormant and collapsed over the bandages they wore where, counter-intuitively they would cause the least alarm; a teen with the distinctively outlandish weapons of a Hunter displayed openly who could provide proper paperwork to transport them was after all less frightening or suspicious than someone trying to conceal those same weapons.
Felix nodded in response to this before stepping closer and reaching around Astra's luggage to pull the younger Faunus into a loose, one armed hug which Astra returned to the best of their ability given how full their hands were before their brother pulled back and gently placed a hand on their shoulder.
"Hey….Stay safe over there kid"
"Will do" Astra nodded, suddenly unwilling to offer the bravado filled responses that might once have come so easily only for Felix to sense the doubts already beginning to take shape from those two words alone and quickly heading them off with a stern look.
"You know I'm proud of you right?" he asked, making sure that Astra met his gaze "You're gonna be fine, everything's gonna work out….Vytal Tournament in Neo Vale this year, you're gonna be back home in a couple months anyway"
"I'm not some fresh meat who needs babysitting" Astra scoffed, their confidence beginning to reignite "Besides it's not the tournament that's bothering me"
"Still a rookie to me kid" the Lion Faunus snorted before nodding sagely in understanding "Right, right….Personal problems. Things will work out, but you know I'm always here if you ever need to call and talk about stuff right?"
"Yeah" Astra breathed "Thanks Fluffy"
"Now go get 'em kid" the blonde winked and Astra managed a weak chuckle before leaning back into a second hug from their brother and finally turning away to depart, stepping through a set of automatic doors and feeling the gust of artificially cooled air washing over them as they finally entered the airship terminal and left their brother behind as they began their return to Port Alistair, Breaktide Academy and their life as the leader of Team MARZ in earnest. Quickly the Deer Faunus found themselves distracted by both their internal debates and monologues and the external diversions of both their own Scroll as they tried to determine the whereabouts of the few friends they expected to be taking the same flight as themselves and also the various electronic and holographic notice boards scattered around the clean and modern space offering information, including directions to the specific terminal which Astra would to need to present themselves to however these displays were situated high above the normal eye level ensuring that the teens' eyes were taken away from the bustling crowds around them.
As such they quickly found themselves part of a small collision.
"My bad, really sorry about that" the Deer Faunus quickly began scrambling to retrieve both their own dropped luggage and the belongings of the person with whom they had collided.
"No problem, it is what it….Wait, I know I've seen you on TV before?" the words were delivered as a question yet delivered with a sense of utter certainty and Astra, in response found themselves staring at the speaker and finally seeing them properly for the first time; a young man with dark skin whose hints of bright blue hair and the obvious form of a collapsed weapon slung over one shoulder making the suggestion that this was a fellow student Hunter which was confirmed to be correct when Astra saw that the hoodie and sweatpants the teen was wearing bore the emblem of the Halo Academy of New Vale, prompting Astra to first wonder why they had not thought to wear more comfortable clothes for their own flight and secondly to finally answer the question they had been asked.
"Uh yeah….I'm a Breaktide student, I think I'm in some of the footage the news showed about what happened to Port Alistair" Astra realised that they might once have bragged about their part in saving the city in which they lived and studied in the midst of such fierce fighting however, whether it be a sign of growth or something else entirely they found themselves feeling that it would not be proper or respectful to those who had suffered to speak so brashly.
"Damn….Sorry to hear what happened to that place man" the teen, whose name Astra had not yet learned murmured with the due respect before offering a winning smile and adding "Still, nice to meet another academies students though….It's a shame I might have to beat you on your home turf if you come back here for the tournament"
"Yeah and if Hunting doesn't work out you can always go and find a comedy club" Astra shot back without hesitation, finding themselves slipping easily into the casual back and forth of competitive banter and rivalry with this unknown student who had presumably travelled to Neo Vale much as Astra was preparing to depart from it.
"Nah but seriously though….You Menagerie Hunters looked like you were capable, it's gonna be fun to see if you're as good as people think you are"
"We're better" Astra answered calmly rolling back their shoulders and, preparing to properly enter the battle of wits with a wicked smirk forming on their face as their previous doubts slipped away only for them to come to a halt, their thoughts and half-formed retorts tripping over one another as a familiar face, partially hidden behind a black shawl yet still recognisable owing to a pair of mismatched pink and orange eyes became visible to them in the crowd.
"You just worry about qualifying wise guy" Astra chuckled before turning their attention away from their brief companion "I've gotta go, just found a friend"
"See you around maybe" the blue haired and dark skinned student of Halo Academy waved Astra aside whilst the Deer Faunus themselves made their way towards what could only be the most taciturn and mysterious member of their own team and announced themselves to her with a cheery and confident yell.
"Hey Zirconia, where have you been all summer?" as the Grasshopper Faunus turned, the look in her eyes promising a dry and biting answer to the question the moment Astra was close enough to hear it spoken at an acceptable volume Astra themselves felt a sense of peace, temporary though it might have been settle into their chest.
There would be challenges ahead and Astra could admit they had worries and doubts however none of that could compare to how right it suddenly felt to be alongside another member of Team MARZ.
Athena-Jade Slate had almost managed to forget just how much she hated the climate of Menagerie and was being given a brutal reintroduction to that opinion.
In the icy Kingdom she called home the weather was often inhospitable to the point of lethality, summers on the continent of Solitas were considered uncommonly pleasant if the temperature ventured above single digits for any noteworthy amount of time, though this in turn threatened to melt just enough of the snow that coated the desolate and foreboding place to risk dire consequences; in the subterranean Hive Cities which made up the vast bulk of the Atlesian citizenry there was the possibility of flooding as meltwater poured into the ventilation systems necessary to keep those who dwelt within and below the hollowed out mountains from suffocating whilst in the Mantle Freeholds, no longer considered a part of Atlas after declaring their independence there was the more severe threat of avalanches or possibly mudslides. Atlesian winters were more terrifying still as the cold grew so punishing that to be caught beyond the warmth and safety of a settlement during a blizzard would mean death and that the bodies of those stranded would likely not be recovered unless they were chanced upon at some point in the future.
Despite all of this however Athena-Jade preferred the weather of her native Atlas to Menagerie for the simple fact that it was at least terrible in a way that was predictable.
Menagerie offered a cornucopia of misery to those unacquainted with its' climate as nights were often freezing once the desert sun fell and taken over by a howling wind which, beyond the safety of the settlements could carry particles or larger debris capable of lacerating unwary travellers. During the day Menagerie's weather tended to come in two uncomfortable varieties; either moist, humid heat or a dry airless heat and it was the second variety which currently made Athena's head pound uncomfortably whilst the sawing, droning buzz of insects exacerbated the problem as it punctuated the ambient sounds around her.
She had departed from Atlas early that morning, leaving Schnee Manor before the sun rose and boarding one of the flights which were once again entering the Capital of the island Kingdom with some regularity now that it's airspace had been reopened; this early departure and the fact she had rested less than she might have hoped to during the several hours that she had been in the air owing to both other passengers around her and her own racing thoughts had subsequently left the Bear Faunus with a slight headache, which the heat had made its' intention to worsen known from the very instant she set foot on solid ground once again, inadvertently burning a hand as she grasped at a metal railing much as she had done on her first flight to Menagerie and being left feeling a fool for it.
That had been several hours ago and since then Athena-Jade had slowly made her way through the streets of Port Alistair, refamiliarising herself with the city and taking in, with a sense of awe the sheer scale of the repairs that had been enacted and the speed with which it had been done as scaffolding seemed to be a now ever-present feature, as though Port Alistair had developed some kind of metallic exoskeleton.
Her meanderings had been largely aimless given that she was currently unable to return to the academy itself, the administration of the campus had sent Athena-Jade and presumably her fellow students a message explaining that whilst they were free to make their own way to the campus or use the transports provided they would still be prohibited from entering until such a time as the ongoing initiation of the latest class of students was completed so that the student body at large could attend the ceremony where teams would be formed. Athena had therefore spent some time lingering around the airship terminal before catching sight of her reflection and privately questioning what exactly it was she was doing there; true enough she was eager to see her team once again after a summer apart, she had spoken and texted briefly with Astra however Regalia had been unreachable due to the lack of CCT communication available to clan Aiktishaf whilst she and Zirconia would clearly need to speak in person; given that she had kissed the partner to whom she was deeply attracted there could be no doubt that Athena desperately wanted to see her again however upon realising that to any outsider she would likely look more than a little desperate or needy by waiting like a lovesick puppy for their flight to arrive she had made the decision to take herself elsewhere.
Dragging her luggage behind her as she ventured out into the blistering sun.
"Why the hell did I wear a jacket with metal plating?" she groaned to nobody in particular as she lounged in a comfortable chair under the shade provided by a small canopy.
Athena's wanderings had taken her first through the areas of the city which were usually filled with tourists and though the city might still be less crowded and clamorous than usual there were still plenty of vendors hoping to take advantage of the sun and whatever potential patrons presented themselves, it was here that the Bear Faunus had purchased a cheap and frankly tacky sombrero which proclaimed, in bold and gaudy letters a love for the city of Port Alistair which she could not bring herself to feel as sweat trickled down her flushed form and left her clammy and uncomfortable, it was however useful as she tipped it forward to obstruct her features from view in case any members of the press were lurking around and opportunistic enough to snatch a photograph of her unaware and sell it to some gossip peddling rag or other. Making her way through the tourist traps Athena had found herself flitting through a series of side-streets she was largely unfamiliar with primarily for the shade the offered until she had found her current retreat, a small and dingy bar whose architecture, name and overall styling made it clear that its' owners were of Vaccuan descent though despite the often tense and heated rivalry between the icy and desert Kingdoms and the vast difference between this particular bar and the kind of establishments she more regularly frequented the dive bar offered outdoor seating, a sense of peaceful anonymity and a place to rest even before she ordered something to drink.
Presently Athena was given a slight distraction from the insufferable airless heat which made her itch by the vibration of her scroll as she received a message.
"Probably Astra" she mumbled herself, a habit she was not normally given to and attributed once again to the scorching sun having an effect on her after she had been spared from it for much of the summer, unfurling her scroll revealed that she was right however and that Astra had indeed sent her message whose text revealed that both they and Zirconia were currently in the air and rapidly nearing Menagerie's airspace.
Though it was the picture attached to the message which caught her attention more.
"Why is she always so...ugh" Athena-Jade mouthed the words out as she studied a picture that Astra had taken of themselves and the Grasshopper Faunus, apparently without Zirconia's knowledge or perhaps more likely that she had simply chosen not to acknowledge in an effortless display of aloof coolness. The Bear Faunus could only gawp for a moment out how alluring her partner was and soon enough felt the familiar heat entirely unconnected to the weather beginning to creep across her cheeks and down to her chest where her heart promptly skipped a beat as she noticed, with a rush of giddy excitement she would likely chide herself for later that her partner, as part of a very flattering new look was wearing the very same bandanna that Athena-Jade had given to her before they had parted.
"Ready to order something miss?" the question, from an announced voice behind her left the Bear Faunus letting out a startled yelp that was entirely unfitting for someone of her background and she quickly struggled to recover, turning to face a young man perhaps her own age who, whilst unlikely to be the proprietor of the establishment seemed as though he might be a relation of the owner. Clearing her throat Athena nodded quickly before realising that she had not yet taken the opportunity to study the menu.
"Yes thank you….Uh, do you have anything non-alcoholic?" she enquired hesitantly before gesturing towards her luggage and the collapsed form of Mould-Breaker "I don't want to get to the campus tipsy, it wouldn't be polite"
"I understand completely" the waiter and bartender nodded with a bright, oddly mischievous grin gracing his features as he noted the refined elements of an Upper Atlesian accent "May I suggest the cactus juice….It'll quench ya"
"Thank you very much" Athena made to pay for the drink, eyes darting back to her scroll where the picture still displayed on the screen left her swallowing thickly and reminded her that she was in fact, very thirsty.
Given her love of the movies the Kingdoms produced, particular those packed with action and adventure which revolved around the kind of heroes she one day wished to be Regalia Russet felt that it was only right her departure from Clan Aiktishaf and return to Breaktide Academy should begin with a moment which, in her mind felt suitably dramatic and cinematic for the occasion.
The afternoon sun shone high overhead as she stood atop the roaming titan that was the Aiktishaf, her newly modified outfit rustling around her in the breeze the motion of the vehicle caused as she stood, arms folded across her chest and peered out into the dusty expanse which she had spent her childhood traversing along with her people.
Her new outfit consisted of heavy, yet practical motorcycle boots, tan brown in colour with a dulled gunmetal for the armour adorning the heel and toe along with each of buckles fastening a trio of straps which were a contrasting shade of deep purple; tucked into these boots were a pair of faded pants whose colour might once have been black but was now closer to a charcoal grey which had a slightly puffy, almost billowing look about them owing to the layers of padding and light armour fitted into them however this practicality was hampered somewhat by the addition of several golden zips scattered at odd intervals across each leg of the pants which had been opened to reveal an inner layer which was purple in some places and the black and yellow of hazard stripes in others whilst the entire affair was held firm by a thick and hefty belt worn around Regalia's hips at a slanting angle to allow her striped and bushy tail to protrude from a hole in their rear, one side of the belt lined with small pouches whilst the other was taken up with a small bandolier of Dust-filled shells.
Regalia's upper body was clad first in her habitual cut-down tank-top in an off-white colour, the severed garment going some way to leave generous amounts of the Racoon Faunus's exceedingly well-defined and sculpted, abs and hips whilst her shoulders and lean but muscular arms would have been equally prominently displayed were it not for the additional layers she wore. Being well accustomed to the burning heat of Menagerie allowed the nomad to wear more than others might consider sensible and the possibility of travelling away from the island for the first time in her life made doing so seem like a just precaution and so Regalia had first donned a simple grey hoodie with the palest of purple tint to it and paired it with another jacket, the fur-collared leather aviator she had previously worn had been returned to her mother and replaced with a deep yet muted and faded purple hooded trench coat, it's colour like that of a looming storm-cloud whose surface was littered with patches of black and brown attached with heavy stitching and whose long profile was split at the rear into a pair of tails to allow for her tail to move and also for easy access to her weapon which would be tucked beneath it. Regalia's shoulders and forearms were protected by heavy, dull metal armour plates of a rigid and bulky albeit mismatched and ramshackle design fastened with heavy tan brown bracers, with her left shoulder bearing her personal emblem of a racoons' head laid over a crossed hammer and wrench displayed on her left shoulder whilst her hands were covered by motorcycle gloves that were fingerless but featured armour plated knuckles.
She could not help but think that the look would feel more complete and suitably dramatic if she wore her hoods up however they were currently lowered at that moment, allowing the sun to gleam as it was reflected on the purple lenses of her new goggles whilst her hair blew in the wind; she had cut her distinctive lions' tail away the previous evening and now her dusty grey-brown locks were sheared down at the sides whilst a single tight, much shortened braid fastened with black band reached to her shoulders and the rest of her shaggy hair fell about her face in twin bangs that might have obscured her eyes were it not for her goggles resting atop her head keeping them at bay.
Yet for all of her impressive appearance Regalia had doubts.
Going the entire summer without contact from her partner, team-mates or any of the friends she had made during her first year in Port Alistair had allowed worries to take root and fester in her mind no matter how much she had tried to use the ceaseless and bustling activity within the Aiktishaf to distract herself and now that her departure was at hand she found herself unable to ignore the disquieting thoughts any longer. What if she had ruined her friendships by interfering irrevocably, her last conversation with Astra had replayed itself countless times in her mind in the moments where she had managed to forget the ferocity of the battle which had preceded it and how close she and her friends had come to meeting their ends, which in itself had given her fresh worries; what if she were simply unable to keep up with the demands that were placed on her a Hunter, what if she was unable to measure up to the students of the other, older academies.
The sound of her mother clearing her throat behind her dragged Regalia's thoughts begrudgingly back to the present moment,
"You're worried" Swarf wheezed out, wearing the jacket Regalia had returned to her as she limped into place beside her daughter who noted that the question was not phrased as such.
"Heh, yeah; about a few things….But no more than I should be" Regalia answered with a shrug to which her mother nodded sagely.
"If it's some boy from the city I will have them towed behind us for a month"
"How do you manage to sound like such a cliché when you've never even lived in the Kingdoms or spent any time with parents from them?" Regalia asked lightly to which her mother simply offered a wordless scoff before turning her focus to the latter half of her previous comment.
"You're right of course, you should be worried" Swarf breathed out "If you travel across the sea for this tournament you will be beyond your peoples' ability to reach you….You will always face dangers as a Hunter Regalia, but this is the first time you will truly be alone-"
"I won't be alone" Regalia set her jaw "I'll have my team"
"That you will" Swarf nodded, low and smoky voice taking on a gentle note "So perhaps then you can afford to stop worrying yourself over that at least, you'll make yourself ill….And take this, I made it for your journey"
"Heh, thanks Mum" Regalia mumbled, lowering her eyes in slight abashment as she took a thermos which Swarf had produced from seemingly nowhere; a quick smell of its' contents revealing it to be a broth of coyote bones and a variety of herbs and spices that the nomad clans alone were brave enough to stomach, as the Faunus had learned to her amusement from her friends reactions to them. The talk of journeys tugged Regalia's mind in another direction however and she noted that the Aiktishaf was no longer snaking its' way around the perimeter of Port Alistair and had in fact changed course at some point during the night.
"Where are you headed?" she asked her mother
"The Eastern Fringe" Swarf answered "A small matter of arbitration between two of our fellow clans and the Kingdom settlements in the area presents an opportunity for us to better our relations, there are picking to be had and we were invited to share of them"
"Good luck" Regalia offered a weak smile before throwing any lingering pretence of decorum aside and throwing her arms around her mother for a hug as she prepared to depart.
"And you too….Your bike is prepared I take it?"
"Right over there" Regalia nodded, bushy tail twitching with barely contained excitement as she gestured over the edge of the massive Dune Crawlers' hull to where Clunker, with her luggage already strapped to it had been secured to a series of support struts which Swarf leaned over and examined, a slightly clucking noise escaping the older Racoon Faunus as Regalia slowly clambered onto her beloved jetbike.
"The outriders disapprove of this" Swarf noted, tone making it clear that she cared very little "They tell me constantly riding from this height will do long term damage….They tell me that having such easy access to new parts has made you clumsy and wasteful"
"Tell 'em I do things with style" Regalia shot back, mildly aggravated by the comments but simply writing them off as another instance of her own views and desires not quite meshing with the accepted wisdom of her people, another instance among many.
"That you do" Swarf chuckled fondly "But be careful nonetheless, it could be dangerous"
"It could be a lot things, could be systemic, hydromatic, ultramatic" Regalia grinned before deploying the mask fitted into her new goggles, a series of thin metal sheets vaguely resembling a shutter sculpted to fit her lower face sliding downwards as she added "Why it could be grease lightning!"
With that Regalia kicked Clunker into life and peeled away from the Aiktishaf, the sound of her mothers' laughter at her antics drowned out by the roaring of the absurdly powerful Dust engine fitted to the jetbike even as her own whoop for joy joined it.
She was going back to Breaktide Academy and her problems seemed much less severe when she was racing at them at such breakneck speeds.
Zirconia had once again found herself within her own thoughts, treacherous and unforgiving as that particular maze was.
Once she had been joined by Astra at the Cross Kingdom terminals in Neo Vale the two of them had found themselves aboard the airship to Menagerie in short order and searched out a spot in which to settle themselves for the duration, the ship was of an older model, Zirconia had noted its' mobile wing sections and nacelles at the rear which lacked the telltale eerie green glow of eco-friendly synthetic Dust which many vessels of this size now boasted and it was entirely possible that this very airship had once carried students arriving in Vale to Beacon Academy. The interior of the vessel sported an observation deck situated towards its' lower prow, forward facing but below the command bridge and more refined first class areas which she might have expected to travel in under other circumstances and Astra had, somewhat predictably led her towards the loosely pack throng of people inhabiting the open space whose expansive canopy looked out on the aerial view from three sides where the Deer Faunus had allowed their own obvious nerves to manifest themselves as a frantic chattering reminiscent of their own partner as the two representatives of Team MARZ encountered a handful of people they knew aboard the flight, though Zirconia noted that Astra had been visibly uncomfortable talking to Ursinia and Diabla who had joined them shortly before take-off, their desire to ask about Wolfram clearly etched onto their features as it battled against their need to retain a measure of self-respect and an image that was in-keeping with their new, more fearsome appearance.
A choice Zirconia could understand and appreciate, she leaned hard into her own aesthetic after all.
The Grasshopper Faunus's own worries were less straightforward than bruised pride and hurt feelings however; she was very much attracted to her partner and only a fool would try to deny it however, whilst Damascus had given her his praise and blessing to act as she saw fit their remained certain inescapable realities and uncertainties to contend with.
Zirconia was more than just a student, she had been sent to Breaktide Academy to act as her Guardian's agent and ensure that those who worked in the shadows, declaring themselves the arbiters of Remnant's future could not interfere with Nero's great work and plans to make a better Remnant for everyone. Athena-Jade Slate was so deeply connected to this shadowy cabal of Hunters that pulled the strings of the nominally free world that the idea that the two of them becoming partners would be almost comically absurd, were it not for the fact that Zirconia had engineered things to be such; taking care to study the pattern of deployment during their initiation a year ago and place herself close enough to where the Bear Faunus had landed to close in on her. Since then things had gotten more complicated as feelings she had not been prepared for had reared their head and left her wondering if Athena, kind, generous, honourable Athena might understand what she was a part of and what it was Nero was hoping to create.
Her attempts to fathom an answer to her conundrum were once again thwarted, this time by the muted thud of Astra flopping down onto their own luggage beside her.
"You okay?….You seem like something's bothering you?"
"No more than usual" she rasped out in a dull monotone which she realised had been the wrong response when she felt Astra wince beside her, a hand coming up to fiddle with dyed-black points of their Mohawk as they let out a slow sigh and tried again.
"Okay….are we okay?" there was a pause here, filled all of the self-consciousness and uncertainty which Astra sought to bury beneath their bravado "'cos I know I made mistakes last year and I know I need to do better-"
"I just didn't want to sit too close to another window like this….It reminds me of the CCT" Zirconia cut them off, the answer was a lie and whilst plausible it was one which she hoped Astra would forget about before it could be questioned.
"Oh" the Deer Faunus gasped, half-way to their feet and ready to move elsewhere a moment later "Do you want to-"
"I will manage" she breathed out, fighting the urge to grit her teeth and narrow her mismatched eyes as she tried to focus on her own thoughts, instead taking a moment to truly study her team leader and allow her features to soften as she realised that they were likely in very similar places mentally albeit for different reasons.
"You did make mistakes Astra, but I have no interest in holding them against you" she added "And for what it's worth….I'm sorry about your antler, I know what loosing a Faunus attribute can feel like"
"I….yeah, yeah thanks" Astra idly thumbed at the Faunus pride pin fitted to their clothes and spoke in a hushed mutter "My brother lost his tail in Atlas, he talked to me over the summer….At least this will grow back though….You wanna talk about what's bothering you? I can't promise I'll be any use but I'll listen"
Zirconia paused, a polite refusal already half formed before she decided that if Astra were going to remain present for the duration of the flight which, judging by the expanse of ocean below them would continue for some time yet then this might be a productive use of their time, the Deer Faunus did after all have something of a knack for suitably dramatic plans which she felt could be of some help.
"Athena kissed me before she left for Atlas"
"Oh" the revelation wiped all tone and expression from Astra's features as though restoring their face to its' default settings before a sly smirk slowly settled over it "So you two are finally gonna-"
"We're not finally anything" Zirconia huffed, tone more forceful than she intended as was becoming a recurring theme when her partner was discussed "I don't know what's going on….I've been trying to think things over, I thought you might be able to plan something?"
"I mean, flashy and dramatic plans I can do but uh….Is my love life really what you're going for here?" Astra gave a self-deprecating laugh "I can't believe AJ texted me all summer and didn't mention this….What does she want to happen with you two?"
"I….I don't know" Zirconia admitted, suddenly feeling foolish "I haven't spoken to her-"
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me!"Astra buried their face in their palms to muffle a cackle "She kissed you and you ghosted her?"
"She kissed me and ran off!" Zirconia countered stiffly, privately wishing that she could afford to be as amused by the situation as her friend, for that was what she considered Astra no matter the differences they might have had and the shortcomings they professed to be working on.
"Wow, I thought I was pathetic" Astra continued to laugh into their hands, every attempt to meet Zirconia's eyes only sending them further into hysterics until the Grasshopper Faunus decided that she had tolerated enough and made to interrupt.
Only for an alarm blaring throughout the observation deck to silence them both.
"What's going on?" Zirconia demanded, springing to her feet and reaching beneath the sweeping tails of her sleeveless jacket to close her fingers around Sunriser Cain instinctively whilst Astra followed suit, taking up a wide stance whilst their sea-green eyes darted around the area and the sudden, palpable panic of passengers who now seemed urgent to be anywhere else seeming to fuel the leader of Team MARZ and spur them to action.
"There!" Zirconia followed Astra's gaze and pointed finger to find that they were gesturing to something outside of the airship entirely, an enormous shadow cast upon the surface of the waters below; the maker of the shadow even whilst unseen managing to make their presence felt with a single booming and distinctly avian squawk which felt as though it made the entire superstructure of the airship rattle and vibrate. Astra and Zirconia shared a look of panic and realisation in the same instant as it became clear to them both that they and their fellow passengers had drawn the unwanted attentions of a Creature of Grimm, a particularly large one at that judging by the evidence at hand and without hesitation Astra sprinted along the length of the observation deck, eyes darting and peering until finally Zirconia saw the exact moment where they caught sight of what it was that had caused the alarms which continued to blare even now; their face falling and draining of colour as they did so in a way which was highly informative to the roguish Hunter even if the information it offered was deeply unpleasant.
"Good news is I've found the Grimm" Astra breathed out "Bad news is that we are fucked!"
Wolfram Ironside was beginning to hate the Albatross Sky-Bus serving as a shuttle from Blackwater Cove to Port Alistair with a passion.
It was not his worst encounter with such forms of transport of course, that dubious honour went to the time when he and Astra had been shot out of the sky by the ranged, breath-based attacks of a saurian variety of Grimm on what had been intended to be their first date, though until recently that particular ignominy had rankled his sense of pride less than one might expect as it was a memory he had and to some extent still did regard fondly. This particular Albatross shuttle however was unsettling in a much more mundane way, in lieu of any real peril it was an old and cumbersome beast whose jolting and lurching interior seemed determined to zealously remind Wolfram of the consequences of his own misjudged actions.
Simply put Wolfram and Laser had enjoyed themselves far too much the previous evening and were now paying for it with interest.
Their venture into the reputably bleak, crime-ridden and dangerous city of Blackwater Cove to watch a football match had involved Wolfram's favoured team winning a resounding victory and the torrential outpouring of energy and enthusiasm at that fact had, predictably carried the two members of Team WULF along with Wolfram's childhood friends to several bars and clubs where, after encountering only a few smatterings of trouble in the forms of altercations with rival fans, locals who made their low opinions of outsiders and tourists well known and generally obnoxious and thick-headed security guards the partying had continued until the early hours of the morning before the group had trudged back to their hotel barely more than an hour before the sun began to rise in order to get what little rest they could before starting the next day.
Currently Wolfram and Laser were sat side by side in one cramped aisle of the aircraft whose interior arrangement more resembled a bus or train and whose level of crowding, or more particularly the noise, smells and general feeling of unwelcome closeness in the stifling heat that it brought had left Wolfram regretting his attempts to eat a sizeable enough breakfast to counteract the effects of his drinking, privately he was almost sure he could feel the oil the eggs had been fried in rising to the top of his stomach and bubbling worryingly. In an effort to turn his thoughts elsewhere Wolfram had begun to peer out at the view below, having taken the window seat through a combination of reaching it first and threatening to simply leave Laser tied up and gagged in the overhead luggage racking if needs be however this soon began to sour the armoured fighters' mood as the flight drew close to Port Alistair and the damage that had been wrought on the Capital became visible even from its' skyline and the gaping wound in its' perimeter wall which was yet to be fully repaired, prompting Wolfram to ponder dubiously about what he might find in the city he had come to love for all of its' cosmopolitan variety and flourishing positive atmosphere when he finally landed and was able to explore at least a little of it until he was finally granted a distraction in the form of Laser's latest shenanigans.
The blonde Vaccuan was lounging in the small and cramped seat with a total disregard for the concept of personal space as he draped his slender and spidery frame back against Wolfram's broad shoulder whilst at the same time resting his feet on the headrest of the seat in front in a display that Wolfram was about to chastise him for, hesitating only when he realised that the scathing rhetorical question about who exactly had raised Laser would be inadvertently cruel; this brief pause allowing the larger teen to note that scroll which Laser was currently fiddling idly with was not his own as Laser's own device could be easily identified by the translucent green cowling through which circuitry could be seen which had replaced the standard white and allowed the device to share an aesthetic similar to that of a vintage games console with Laser's weapon, Permadeath.
"Where did you get that?" Wolfram asked, already knowing what the broad strokes of the answer would be and letting out a resigned sigh before they could come.
"Remember that burger place we stopped off at between the third bar and the first club?" Laser's voice was sickly sweet and filled with a faux innocence which sent a chill down Wolfram's spine until his sluggish mind managed to retrace its' steps and recall the specifics of the night before.
"You mean where Wheatley left his scroll and car keys on the table?"
"Yeah….He didn't leave them" Laser shrugged nonchalantly "The two kids behind us picked his pocket while we were waiting, so I picked theirs….Got the scroll and keys back, took this scroll and a wallet as well"
"And you didn't think to say something at the time" Wolfram massaged his temples as his existing headache was bolstered by this new information.
"Nah, no point causing an argument or having police bother us when you end up headbutting one of 'em"
"Fair" Wolfram shrugged, voice mildly gruff with indignant annoyance as he was forced to concede that Laser's appraisal was likely accurate "Thanks for that"
"No problem" Laser flashed a bright, but vaguely menacing smile which reminded Wolfram intimately of just how different the morals of the teen beside him were in some regards, though before he could ponder it further the Vaccuan added "Any idea how long it's gonna be until we land….I've gotta go"
"You should've gone before….Hold on" Wolfram's words stopped short as he peered casually out of the airbus window once again only to note something strange and frantically scan the scene below him, mind racing as he added "We're flying the wrong way….We're still headed towards the city but it looks like we're heading to the other side of it to the terminal we're supposed to land at"
"Rerouted because of a closed terminal somewhere clogging things up?" Laser offered half-heartedly "Think we'll be able to make it to the academy on time?"
"Shouldn't be a problem, let me message Ursinia though so her and Diabla know we're gonna be late meeting them….She should have a signal by now" with that the leader of Team WULF fumbled around in his pockets, hampered by the lack of space until finally managed to free his own scroll only to find upon opening it that his partner had already sent him a message mere minutes ago; opening that message however left Wolfram's face ashen and his expression stony for a single fleeting moment before he flung himself out of his seat, almost throwing Laser aside as he hurtled down the central aisle of the airbus and sped towards the emergency hatches and drawing Berserker in its' axe and shield form in the same motion.
"What the hell?" Laser demanded
"There's a Grimm attack, that's why we're being diverted; all aircraft are being grounded!" Wolfram yelled, realising a moment too late the effect his words would have on the crowd.
"The city?" Laser demanded in sudden shock
"No" Wolfram shook his head, though his tone implied that the reality was even worse even before his next words confirmed it "The airship that Ursinia and Diabla were on"
Arslan Altan, Combat Instructor of Breaktide Academy and Leader of Haven alumni Team ABRN had been given the a task which might, outwardly have seemed like something of an honour or privilege however after serving at the academy since even before its' grand opening and inaugural class of students the Mistrali prizefighter had come to see as just another task to be undertaken, one that was in truth almost entirely routine; specifically she had been placed in charge of overseeing final preparations for the students' return to the campus.
Coco and Velvet were of course overseeing the current batch of new students as they undertook the trials of their initiation in Hammerfall Canyon and whilst one might assume that Yatsuhashi would be the next logical choice for the task the giant of a man had elected to spend the time familiarising himself with the transcripts and other available documentation relating to new students as well as prepare for a potential influx of work as returning students who had been present for the Grimm attack on the city sought out his services; there was also the fact that Fox Scarlatina, the child raised by all of Team CFVY had left for college some days prior which had left the towering student counsellor undoubtedly melancholy.
Ruby and Penny were currently positioned on standby at the outer edge of Port Alistair's territory, beyond the still damaged perimeter wall to respond to any incoming attacks from the wasteland that might follow returning prospective students, following the psychic wake of their fraught emotions which left Arslan amongst the most senior of Coco's trusted confidants present; the campus administrators and any number of other Professors could have handled the task to be sure however Headmistress and Councilwoman Adel, like many other Hunters tended to prefer if matters were entrusted to those with whom she had served and seen action.
On the positive side of things however, Arslan had been allowed to choose how she delegated tasks without restriction.
Two members of Team ABRN had taken positions at Breaktide Academy when Coco had declared her intentions to found the school and convinced the four of them to leave a comfortable but stagnant life of semi-retirement in Mistral's Capital where the four of them, like Team CFVY had raised their own child as a family together and owned nightclub of all things, herself and Reese Chloris whose Dust-powered hover-board and the dizzying array of pyrotechnics and light-shows she had engineered at her nightclub had helped her earn the position of resident Professor of Dust implementation. Bolin Hori and Nadir Shiko had, in a burst reinvigorated energy taken up more active roles in protecting the new settlement that they had made their home as it expanded outwards and grew into the thriving metropolis that it was now, stepping back into the role of active duty Hunter entirely and with a gusto that made them a source of admiration for the general populace and any student Hunter placed under their supervision and as such Coco, despite lowering her sunglasses and giving a knowing look had seen no issue with Arslan and Reese enlisting their partners into the effort to ensure that every inch of the campus looked pristine before its' reopening.
All of which was why Arslan raised a platinum blonde eyebrow and set down a trophy she had been polishing in her own office as her trio of team-mates came bursting into the room.
"What is it?" she demanded, noting that Reese had used her hover-board to get to her as fast as possible and hopped off of the still floating appliance with a frantic urgency that Arslan had not seen on her face for several years; clearly the situation was dire and given the current state of the cities' defences Arslan could make educated guesses at what she was about to hear however she forced her expression to mean neutral and calm, there was nothing to be gained in giving the enemy the fear they craved after all.
"Just received word from the garrison" Nadir answered, running one hand through pink locks while producing a large digital tablet with the other "We have incoming Grimm-"
"Too big for the shields….The mass of this thing will buckle them in a localised area" Bolin added, hands clenching into white-knuckled fists whilst gold coloured eyes narrowed in frustration.
"And Ruby is too busy guarding the other side of the perimeter" Arslan muttered, not begrudging her fellow Huntress but finding the situation irksome nonetheless "What's the situation, where is the Grimm expected to hit?"
"It isn't coming straight at us, not any more" Reese answered, explaining her apparent unease with the following words "It looks like it was distracted by an inbound airship….Older model, its' shields don't have a chance; the pilot is in radio contact with the defences and trying to shake the Grimm off but it's no good. They're gonna have to evacuate the airship before the Grimm tears it open, we need to start rescue ops"
"I understand" Arslan nodded, rolling her shoulders with a satisfying pop and taking the tablet Nadir proffered in search of more information "What are we looking at here?"
The answer was frankly hideous.
The Creature of Grimm was a single entity yet its' lone number made it no less threatening.
The things' body was roughly avian in form though its' size was such that the fact it could fly at all was an affront to common sense as the monster was roughly half the size of the airship it stalked and managed to propel itself through the blue skies through the power of its' vast wings alone.
The Grimm was the expected shade of midnight black, littered with skeletal armour plates and jutting spires of bone however the obsidian darkness of the thing seemed to swirl and roil with its' every movement as if the body of the beast were not quite set; its' massive wings were lined with long quills like double edged swords of monstrous proportions along which this liquid darkness ran in thin, viscous streams to gather at the ends of these bladed feathers like poison at the tip of a knife only to flung outwards and dissipate a moment later, shrouding the avian monster in a miasma of shifting midnight. The legs of the Grimm were largely unremarkable if only by comparison to the rest of its' foul appearance however its' head and neck were truly unsettling; the Grimm's neck was comprised of a thick, impossibly articulated spinal column surrounded by thick tubes of visibly tensed and pressurised muscle which had an appearance closer to fleshy piping and gave the neck of the monster an oddly industrial feel whilst its' skull gave away something of its' nature; the glowing red eyes and bony carapace were to be expected however instead of the hooked weapon of a beak that adorned many avian Grimm this particular nightmare made flesh boasted a long, wide and deep bill whose shape could almost be said to resemble the lower hull of a ship and the edges where its' jaws met were lined with oddly protruding spikes of bone erupting out at odd angles to resemble girders or rock formations more than teeth though it was what filled this gaping maw that spoke volumes. Inside the mouth of the flying monster was a rippling, oily reserve of liquid darkness topped with a sickeningly congealed flotsam which spilled over to coat much of the Grimm's underside, the protean sludge taking shape briefly before fading away in a display which allowed understanding to crystallise in Arslan's mind.
This was a troop carrier intended to breach the coastal defences and unleash a fresh wave of horrors into the city.
This was a Greater Dredge, a Pelican Grimm.
Author's Notes:
Well two chapters in and I'm already back on my bullshit….I want you to know, before I even get into the recap that it took everything I had to not called the Greater Dredge an 'Expelican', like I literally typed it, thought about it and then went back and deleted it.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Y'know considering how many people have told me that my dialogue is one the best parts of my writing every time I write a scene that doesn't have any it feels kinda weird, but this kinda worked as a cold open for the chapter.
I wanted to give a menacing and foreboding feel to Gestalt-Prime's Spawning Pit even without the Alpha being there and I hope I pulled it off….A lot of the visual imagery I was trying to get across for the Pelican Grimm emerging was based on those pictures you see of seagulls and stuff when they've been caught in an oil spill or something like that in climate change adverts.
I'm English, we invented the full English and it exists because we're a nation of people who will go to the pub 5-7 nights a week; we need a hangover cure.
Astra's a worry, always will be no matter how cocky they try and act.
I feel like in Remnant open carry is considered a lot more respectable than concealed carry, all the Hunters tend to keep their weapons visible even when they're collapsed.
Two things here, one footage of the battle of Port Alistair has been shown all over Remnant so whilst Felix hadn't seen Astra's Semblance first hand plenty of other people have seen it on TV and secondly….Come on, a student of another academy with blue hair is definitely important character vibes; I gave you a sneak preview of someone important there….Wait until you see them in actual Hunter gear.
AJ does not deal with Menagerie's heat at all, which I can entirely relate to.
Also yeah, the version of Atlas that I wrote before we got to see canon Atlas has its' own health risks, mainly those caused by it being a Hive City based on Warhammer 40K.
Y'know when you touch a car door or the seatbelt presses against you in the summer….Yeah that's every surface in Menagerie and it's also a little callback to First Year.
Also a little glimpse at what Port Alistair looks like at the moment.
Practical fashion choices as a Hunter? Not even once.
AJ with cheap tourist tat sombrero, enjoy.
Enjoy the mental image of her going from 'Damn she's hot' to complete mental shutdown when she sees Zirconia still wearing that bandanna.
Cactus Juice, it'll quench ya.
Regalia is always cinematic, all the time.
Her new look took some time for me to figure out, I ended up taking inspiration from Yang's various outfits, Cyberpunk aesthetic, Warhammer 40K techno-barbarians and things of that nature.
Abs, for you thirsty motherfuckers.
If you want an idea for Regalia's new haircut, I used Jim from Treasure Planet as a reference because I've heard that look described by quite a few people as "Very gender".
Swarf is great and you know it.
Clan Aiktishaf will eat the things that nobody else will touch, hence Regalia's love of food and experimenting with it.
Seriously jetbike or hover-car controls are an interesting thing, if they're supposed to hover at a set height then does dropping down to that height from mid air bust the suspension?
A grease lightning quote, because honestly my sister loves that film and the songs are on the radio at work every single day so I can sing them from memory at this point.
Of course Astra wanted to ask after Wolfram but didn't.
Okay Astra and Hops need to hang out and bond over their commitment to being extra.
But of course there is the whole 'Double agent thing to consider'….Interestingly Zirconia deliberately made sure she was AJ's partner and didn't mean to catch feelings, the plot thickens and exactly what it is that Nero is planning and gotten her involved in remains to be seen.
Losing a Faunus attribute is a big psychological trauma and losing a limb is potentially life changing….Zirconia suffered both of them when she wasn't even ten years old along with losing her parents.
"I mean, flashy and dramatic plans I can do but uh….Is my love life really what you're going for here?" that self awareness though.
Astra is all of us at this point.
Yes I deliberately held back on the description of the Grimm in both the Astra and Zirconia and the Wolfram and Laser scenes.
The Albatross sky-bus is a call back to the fight with the 'Boomers' from Vol.02.
Those nights out in another city that can only be described as "The fun kind of chaos" had a few of those.
Laser's scroll and the cowling for Permadeath have that 90s Gameboy look about them.
Every friend group needs a Laser.
You knew how this was gonna go the moment Wolfram said he was gonna message Ursinia, that was the whole point of having her be on the same flight as Astra and Zirconia.
I had Arslan and Team ABRN be the initial responders to the incoming Grimm because Coco and Velvet are bound to be at Hammerfall right now because of the initiation that's going on and I didn't want it to be Ruby, she would wipe that Grimm out in a few seconds; so it was a good chance to do a little fleshing out and stuff instead.
Reese's club made a little appearance in FADE Legacy and it helps explain why Reese is the Dust Professor at Breaktide.
So yeah, here it is….a Pelican Grimm that's a troop carrier; because pelicans are messed up enough as it is, take primordial Grimm sludge and combine it with oil-soaked seabird imagery and play the weird folding neck and deep-dish beak for horror and viola.
So, now the question is who's gonna come to Astra, Zirconia, Ursinia and Diabla's help first and will they be able to take the Greater Dredge out before it changes its' attack from the airship to the city.
Thank you to Lurkweed and MajorBrony95 for their reviews on the last chapter.
Yeah Aura can stop alot, but not everything so for example if you get hit with a machine gun you're gonna be sore...Also yeah it's not 100% impermeable, like the shields in Dune where if it was then you'd actually suffocate inside it because there's no air coming in.
Of course he's theatrical...he's a Shark Faunus with a 'Liquid body' Semblance which he uses to appear menacingly whilst wearing a hooded cloak.
Oh you think we've seen the last of Prime? that's cute, this isn't even their final form.
The techno Grimm is definitely an added bonus, given that Nero has been supplying people with modified battle-suits...Which means he has a supply of battle-suits; but the second part of your comment is closer to the mark, though notn quite on it yet.
Playing Ursinia and Diabla off each other was fun because it gives a look at what Diabla might have been like before her entire life went sideways pre-Vol.01
Oh yeah, Ursinia absolutely gave Diabla a stern talking to on the flight over to the effect of "Talk to my Mum the way you spoke to Wolfram's the first time you met and you won't have a jaw to do it a second time".
The outfits are a lot trickier than you'd think, especially now that the site I used to use for rough ideas doesn't work without flash-player.
I actually never gave a description of the Faunus Pride flag.
Oh yeah, Nero might be a villain or set up as one but he's definitely a person who believes he's doing bad things for a good enough reason and he absolutely does love Zirconia like a daughter.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.