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Chapter 63: Aefen

Athena-Jade Slate viewed the world immediately ahead of her through the faintly shimmering and frosty field of distortion created by her glyphs as she held one of the slowly rotating lattices of solidified Dust and Aura ahead of her like a shield, the Bear Faunus keeping a stern and focused expression as she clutched her oversized hammer tighter in a single large and powerful hand whilst continuing to charge alongside her friends and team-mates and inwardly considering herself fortunate for the Semblance she had inherited, though at that moment it was more the distortion and shimmering haze across her vision than the utility or protection that she was thankful for. Viewing the battlefield through a glyph mitigated the otherwise harrowing effect of running into the impromptu killing field that the precipice of the Crater had become from the moment the Sleipnir had emerged and thrown itself at the devoted members of the Path of The Apex Being.

It was carnage.

Forcing herself to focus on the matter at hand and pushing down bile that fought to rise even as she ran the Bear Faunus ignored the ragged lumps of cloth-wrapped flesh that were, almost mercifully no longer identifiable as bodies, or the shredded portions thereof along with the pools of deep crimson which surrounded them and had already begun to soak into the cracked and thirsty ground of the wastes. Instead Athena focused on nothing beyond the path between herself and the Creature of Grimm whose form was rendered almost indescribable through its' fusion of equine, serpentine and arachnid qualities, flitting about at terrifying speed upon its eight scythe-like limbs which, along with the barbs littering its' mane of tendrils were coated with blood and gore; though this was less urgent to the snowy haired, and currently more pale than usual girl than the fact that the Sleipnir had singled out another cultist and was only moments away from brutally ending them. Whether through terror, misplaced worship or simple loss of any greater function in the face of the Grimm the masked and robed figure had sunk to their knees in a gesture of what could equally be grovelling or reverent supplication whilst the malformed Grimm itself had skidded to a halt and pivoted on the point of one of its' forelimbs, bringing its' eight bladed hindlimbs to bear and preparing to kick out with them just as any horse might.

Fortunately Astra had seen it as well.

"Cover the civilian, distractions from all angles!" those instructions were all the Deer Faunus needed to utter for Team MARZ to switch from a simple sprinting into action to a more decisive and direct plan of attack, with Athena playing her part by swinging her hammer around a wide arc and needing to cast no more than a cursory glance in the direction of her partner before she felt the familiar weight of Zirconia leaping on the head of her weapon; with practised ease that spoke of unquestioned trust Athena activated the rocket booster fitted into Mould-Breaker and used the motion to launch Zirconia high into the air, with the second part of the manoeuvre being to create a series of glyphs above the Sleipnir so that the insectoid Faunus could leap from one to the next whilst firing her weapon down to the monster from multiple vantage points. As this happened Astra and Regalia also performed a familiar technique of their own, with Regalia using her harpoon to launch the leader of Team MARZ into the most dangerous part of the fray, the space between the Grimm and its' target, where they landed in a crouch and used their hard-light shield to absorb the worst of the stabbing blow; though they were still sent sliding back several feet across the ground.

With the Sleipnir now somewhat distracted Athena-Jade pushed onward.

Mould-Breaker shifted into its' laser cannon form with a familiar whirring and clanking of shifting components, followed by the reassuring, vibrating thrum and whine of the weapon priming as she took aim and prepared to fire from the hip; only to be caught off-guard and forced to weave aside as she saw something come sailing towards her from her flank with trigger discipline being the only thing to keep her from misfiring with deadly consequences.

Blue eyes widened in dumbfounded disbelief as she realised that the item to have so narrowly missed her was a mundane claw hammer, likely taken from a personal toolbox, thrown at her with more intent than actual aim or strength by one of the very people she was trying to save, driving home the lunacy of the entire situation.

"THOU SHALT NOT!" the one responsible declared, a slim figure whose voice suggested the feminine who was almost lost within the folds of their ragged black cloak, with only a tool belt carrying more impromptu projectiles and her mask, bone coloured and avian in design; its' wide dust-goggle lenses and narrow, curving beak giving it a vaguely owlish appearance standing out. Athena fought to keep some choice insults at bay and fought harder to still to keep herself from crossing the distance between them and shaking sense into the devout lunatic. Instead the Bear Faunus scanned her surroundings hurriedly and saw that her team-mates were still attending to the Sleipnir whilst what few members of the Path of the Apex Being remained were in the process of gathering dropped wooden crates and more ornate travel cases, moving to form a protective perimeter around a figure in their midst which suggested that they were more concerned by the presence of Hunters than that of the eight-legged monster which had cut through so many of their own. With her breathing ragged and palms sweating as memories of the last time she had seen bodies mauled and strewn about to lay bleeding on the floor with men and women clad in Grimm-like masks at the centre of it all Athena swallowed thickly and maintained eye contact with the waif who had thrown a hammer, painfully aware that she was allowing the true battle to go on without her as she contacted her Aunt on an already open channel.

"Prof-Aunt Penny….They're trying to stop us form bringing the Grimm down even as it attacks them. Casualties confirmed. What's your status?" despite the brief slip into familiarity Athena was proud of the way she had managed to contain herself and keep to the strictly necessary and was rewarded with a single beat of silence before the familiar and immensely welcome voice of her Aunt Penny responded.

"Craft will be airborne and combat ready in minutes. Coordinating with both Velvet's team and Hammerfall Outpost; aiming to eliminate Grimm and disorient the targets enough to scatter them so that a leader can be identified and brought in for questioning. Situation has changed now that they're hostile-"

"Shake 'em up so they run….Well the Grimm didn't do it, but I think I know what will work" Athena answered in a tone that was far more confident than she truly felt, turning her focus towards the gathering mass of worshippers in black and addressing them with a booming clarity that she filled with a false bravado that she hoped even Astra might appreciate for its' brazenness "CIVILIANS, REST ASSURED THAT FURTHER REINFORCEMENTS ARE ON THE WAY! YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR FROM THE GRIMM, HUNTERS WILL BE ESCORTING YOU BACK TO PORT ALISTAIR FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY!"

"IT IS TIME FOR US TO ABSCOND FROM THIS PLACE LOYAL FOLLOWERS!" another voice, artificially magnified and emanating from within the midst of the protective barrier of bodies yelled back, in response if not truly in answer and without a moments' pause the Path of the Apex Being began to flee, their black-clad forms breaking away from one another and dispersing that was akin to the shattering end of a Creature of Grimm writ large and within seconds the group were far away enough that they were no longer an immediate concern and spread wide enough that at least some of their number would follow within the range of the arriving aid.

In that moment Athena felt herself undergo a fundamental change in her outlook, paradigm shifting as the battle became far closer to what she considered her comfort zone and as she once again turned her gaze towards the Sleipnir, now with a clearer head and fresh vigour there was only the briefest moments' pause between her seeing Zirconia escape a flurry of stabs and slashes from the monsters' flailing chitinous limbs, the roguish Faunus flipping and leaping from each deadly implement in turn whilst landing glancing hits of her own and Athena rushing back into the fray to join her partner, a half-crazed laugh bubbling from her lips as she let out an exclamation; an open challenge to the Creature of Grimm despite the knowledge that it would neither understand nor care.

"Unlucky for you, I was never one of the rich girls who likes horses!" with that Athena attacked, the method being a stroke of inspiration that came unbidden to her mind; she leapt upwards and continued to travel in that direction as she manifested a series of glyphs one after another in a shimmering staircase until she was positioned above the Grimm and then, unsure as to why, prepared to utilise a technique that both her mother and brother had made a staple of their fighting styles; namely conjuring a Grimm close to her hand and preparing to throw it into the attacking monster as a projectile with a sawing edge.

The Sleipnir was faster.

She had been so focused on its' bladed limbs, albeit for good reason that Athena was caught of guard when the whinnying, baying skull of the beast turned towards her and its' mane of barbed tendrils lashed out, a single tendril managing to strike at her ankles and though it failed to ensnare her the force of the blow was enough to send the Bear Faunus toppling to the ground from a height which, whilst considerable was still far from critical, especially given that Athena's recent experience with falling had made her more vigilant in her landings.

Though she was still sent crashing into Zirconia and the two landed in a crumpled heap on the ground.

"Hey…." Athena trailed off, words guttering out in a throat rendered dry by dust and circumstance as she and her partner remained silent for a single moment that seemed to stretch for far longer than it ought, until the two came to their senses and realised that this was neither the time nor the place for an intimate or private moment and the Bear Faunus leapt up from where she had been left sprawled scandalously close to her partners' chest; helping Zirconia up a moment later.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll live" Zirconia rasped, arching an eyebrow "Was that horse girl joke really your best witty banter?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Athena demanded playfully, an answer being cut off by the shrieking and thrashing of the Sleipnir as Astra and Regalia continued to combat it with limited success.

Neither the time nor the place indeed and with that the two young women rushed back into the fray.

The Grimm which Team WULF had encountered, or rather ambushed by were thankfully a disorganised and riotous rabble of bodies which were each smaller and more emaciated looking than one might expect. The small group of Deathstalkers and King-Taijitu, interspersed lightly with more esoteric and uncommon beasts had first erupted from the ground close to where Diabla had been keeping watch and from there emerged in a loose semi-circle in a failed attempt to ensnare and surround the group; were there more time to consider the circumstances rather than simply react either Velvet or her students might have noted that neither species of monster currently present were known for their subterranean lairs, though from there another might have suggested that the various sinkholes and other collapsed tunnel networks left abandoned as either mining companies or nomad clans had moved on could have housed the Grimm for any amount of time. In the ensuing chaos and with their eyes fixed firmly on the ground and certainly venturing no higher than eye-level what none of those combating the mismatched collection of horrors what none of the defenders had noticed was that the original push of the Grimm's ambush had been decidedly more coherent than what followed and its' timing had allowed for a lone avian Grimm to soar overhead with a sizeable rock clutched between its' talons, leaving its' fellow monsters to revert to primal instinct in its' wake.

Such things were moot however as the avian Grimm had since reached its' destination and Team WULF were helping their professor overcome the threat.

"Wolfram any time you'd like to take charge? Professor Scarlatina is a little busy!" Diabla barked out, words coloured by a huff of exertion as she brought her Semblance to life a flash of volcanic light that spilled from her eyes and glowed within her fists, punctuating the sentence by driving both of her fists down onto the upper cranium of a Deathstalker the size of a small car, its' many eyes bulging and mandibles splaying comically wide for a split second before its' entire head was reduced to fragments with the rest of its' body following close behind. Wolfram let out a wordless growl of annoyance at her tone before venting the mild frustration on the nearest monster, familiar thrill singing in his veins as he batted the clacking pincer on another, smaller Deathstalker aside with a backhanded swipe of his shield, the axe component of Berserker in his right hand sailing downwards to rend through flesh and chitin and relieve the scorpion Grimm on the offending limb. A flash of motion saw Wolfram leap and roll to the side, landing in a crouch as the instinct to evade took hold before the idea of using his Semblance and he avoided the stinging tail of the Grimm, its' point ploughing into the hard earth in an explosion of dust and grit only for the monster to remain momentarily stuck as it rooted itself to the ground.

Allowing Ursinia to take explosive action.

"Sorry partner, I stake my claim on the scorpion Grimm….It's a matter of principal" the Scorpion Faunus called out to her partner and though Wolfram's ears rung with the aftermath of the grenade she had fired from The Adventurer the leader of Team WULF was at least sensate enough to hone in on the direction from which the yell had come and find the towering and dark skinned young woman in a firing position on the roof of the transport they had arrived in, weapon clutched in one hand and tipping her hat to him with the other whilst her tail rattled behind her in the only outward sign of concern as she kept the aircraft free from the attentions of the Grimm.

Ursinia's grenades were not the only source of trembling to send tremors through the ground, though they were perhaps less continuos and more forceful in their reports however another vibrating impact was enough to bring Wolfram's stormy grey eyes towards Professor Velvet Scarlatina and leave the armoured teen fighting the urge to stand slack jawed in awe.

"Now she's just taking the piss" he breathed out, an acceptable compromise between heroism and inaction.

The Rabbit Faunus had engaged several of the largest of the King-Taijitu, serpentine beasts that whilst lacking in the expected mass were still large enough overall and certainly ferocious enough to pose a severe threat and the method she had chosen to do so was one which very few enemies could be deemed worthy of, an approach wherein she not only used her cameras' hard-light generator to create a full-sized construct resembling of of several Atlesian mechs in her arsenal but then combined that with a scaled up replica of Yatsuhashi's sword which she had infused with what must have been a dangerous amount of Fire Dust.

Meaning that she now cleaved through Grimm in the form of a towering, cyan-hued robot wielding a flaming broadsword.

The final member of the group was laser and Wolfram found the Vaccuan fighting with his usual chaotic unpredictability and using it to great effect as he leapt and flipped from the scaled hide of one King-Taijitu to another, picking of the smaller serpents before they could trouble Professor Scarlatina with Permadeath in its' katana form, slashing out and in more than one instance bisecting a Grimm neatly. Wolfram watched for a moment before arachnid chittering brought him back to his senses and reminded him that he needed to formulate a plan, with one coming to mind in short order that the leader of Team WULF would admit was crude yet still workable.

"Diabla, pull back to the transports' hatches and cover them! Ursinia I need you to cover me and Laser!"

"You got it darlin'!" Diabla's response was not so vocal as Ursinia's, though it was undeniable that she had heard as she turned and began to wade through the snapping and biting bodies around her in a swathe of destruction.

"Laser!" Wolfram called out, seeing that the swordsman had extricated himself from the writhing mass upon hearing his name "I need a few seconds of cover, throw all of your smoke bombs and get clear!"

"No problem!" the confirmation came quickly and Laser shifted his weapon into its' machine-gun form, shouldering it before throwing several metallic canisters of differing sizes secreted in various hidden pockets onto the baked ground in a loose grouping before rushing back towards the transport, evading and slipping between Grimm where his partner would have simply crushed and bludgeoned until finally the visor-wearing boy reached his destination and then promptly turned and opened fire on each of his smoke bombs.

Wolfram's world was reduced to acrid darkness in an instant.

Without hesitation he dropped into a crouch and used the momentary distraction that he could hear overtaking the Creatures of Grimm in the form of their savage hissing and chittering as an opportunity to focus his Semblance with all of his might, bracing a booted foot against the wall of solidified air and force and aiming low to the ground as he used the same technique that had served well in his recent sparring match with Athena-Jade; a forceful kick sent the still-expanding shield travelling across the surface of the ground in an unrelenting progression that flattened and swept aside everything in its' path and reduced the mounds of earth that the Grimm had emerged from to flat and featureless holes in the landscape whilst the monsters themselves were simply destroyed on contact with the travelling shield; the entire scene unfolding and becoming slowly visible as Laser's smoke was pushed around the edges of the barrier until eventually nothing remained and the shield stopped only scant feet away from where Velvet Scarlatina stood.

Her construct abandoned and mid Scroll call as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Good work team, Ironside that was an impressive move; keeping working on it but be sure not overexert yourself for the sake of one attack" Velvet advised as Team WULF grew close, offering praise and guidance as her role of teacher dictated before focusing on more immediate matters "Penny and Team MARZ have found the Path, they slipped passed us and made it to the Crater"

"Shit!" Laser spat.

"Language, but precisely" Velvet nodded "They broke off upon seeing Hunters and are fleeing, spreading out as they go. Penny wants me to help coordinate incoming reinforcements in an effort to apprehend them as the parameters of this mission have changed. Team MARZ are currently engaging the Grimm that the Path managed to provoke before they left-"

"Shit" Wolfram growled the word out, earning himself a stern glare from his teacher.

"Language, but precisely" she repeated "Can I rely on the four of you to assist Team MARZ….Head towards the Crater, do not interact with anything other than immediately hostile Grimm and be wary of your surroundings"

"Absolutely Professor!" Wolfram stood stiffly to attention for only a moment before addressing his team whilst already breaking into a run "Come on, Team WULF we've got a job to do!"

Astra brought the two halves of Buckshot Ares together and braced themselves as the Sleipnir anticipated and retaliated to their latest assault before it could land, the monsters' barbed mane whipping about wildly in a way that disguised a more intelligent use of the fleshy tendrils yet the Deer Faunus was not so easily outplayed and, in the same instant they halted their planned attack activated the hard-light Dust generator within their linked shields to send a convex pane of rose-tinted and semi-solid hexagonal planes which batted aside many of the incoming tendrils that had curled around with lightning speed in an attempt to seize Astra by the arms and legs, with the appendages closest to the hard-light being seared, slashed and in some cases severed by the sudden proximity and from there the leader of Team MARZ pressed on, springing forward to deliver a roundhouse kick to the elongated and equine skull of the Sleipnir with enough force to stagger it, if only for a moment before it retaliated by thrashing its' entire forequarters with a baying scream; the elongated and disjointed spine of the creature moving like a cracked whip as four of its' eight scythed limbs lashed and swept at the air and ground where Astra had been, only for the Deer Faunus to already have thrown themselves clear.

Yet still the fight pressed on.

"COWABUNGA!" Regalia's triumphant cheer might have been a little too exuberant given the circumstances yet Astra could not help but chuckle at their partners' enthusiasm as they pulled themselves into a crouch, watching as the Racoon Faunus used a variation on the common theme of their combined attacks intended for herself alone, taking advantage of the brief opening Astra had created in order to fire their harpoon into the back of the Grimm's skull, allowing the Sleipnir to hurl her into the air at which point Regalia retracted her harpoon and shifted Apex Scavenger into its' pickaxe-headed staff form, bringing the weapon down in a punishing arc as she fell and managing to carve a furrow into the bony skull of the Sleipnir before its' thrashing form sent her hurtling away, landing in a staggering and stumbling crouch close to Astra.

"Heh, nearly had it" her voice was muffled somewhat by her mask "Can you use your Semblance?"

"I wish" Astra grumbled through gritted teeth as they watched Athena-Jade and Zirconia try their hand at breaching the defences of the monster with too many limbs before continuing "We're too close to the Crater, I don't want to do anything that might spawn more Grimm….We need to be smart about this. On that note, Professor Rose do we have an ETA?"

"Salutations" Penny's voice in Astra's earpiece was somewhat strained as she responded through a comm channel that they had chosen to leave open for the sake of efficiency "Attempts to track the Path are proving more difficult than expected, air support is delayed however Team WULF are currently on their way"

"Okay, we can work with that, we'll have to" Astra answered, taking a deep breath in an effort to steady themselves before being left stumbling in a way that saw Regalia reach out to support them by the discharge of Athena-Jade's weapon in its' laser cannon form, though the beam of ethereal green light was mercifully pointed upwards so that it could not strike anything within the Crater which the four of them had been slowly trying to draw the Sleipnir from. Seeing the interplay between Athena and her partner, one providing a distraction whilst the other moved into position to attack seemed to cause something in Astra's mind to slot in place and it was only a moment later that they found themselves calling out.

"Guys I think I've got a plan!….Athena, are you carrying Lightning Dust?"
"I'm always carrying Dust Astra!" the Bear Faunus shot back, which Astra privately supposed was a fair response.

"Zirconia, Gravity Dust?"

"I have some in my weapons chambers" her voice was not raised even now as the Sleipnir continued to thrash between them, taking wild and savage attacks at each student in turn.

"Athena, you and Regalia split up and create enough space for the Grimm to get between you, Regalia I want you to fire your harpoon to Athena" Astra began to explain, keeping sea-green eyes wary and focused as they did so "Athena, Lightning Dust on the harpoon without hurting Regalia and create a platform for Zirconia"

"Where am I going to be positioned?" the Grasshopper Faunus asked cautiously.

"Above and behind it, Gravity Dust to the back of the head when it hits the cable; bring it down and I'll handle the rest" Astra's expression managed to become a confident grin despite the situation "Let's do this!" Team MARZ sprung into action without need for further discussion and Astra enabled them to do so by aiming the underslung compact Mini-guns of Buckshot Ares directly at the Sleipnir and tearing away chunks of obsidian flesh with short, controlled bursts of rapid, sawing gunfire which served the dual purposes of drawing the attention of the monster away from their team-mates and also convincing the Grimm to break into a full, scuttling run.

Straight into the waiting trap.

Astra ceased their barrage and once again shifted Buckshot Ares into its' shield forms, the two halves combining to send the hard-light pane out ahead of them a moment before the first of Sleipnir's myriad bladed limbs collided with a taunt cable which crackled and thrummed with a dangerous amount of electricity which left Regalia's Aura faintly rippling on contact with it; from their the monster shuddered and convulsed, only worsening its' own situation as its' limbs buckled and gave way beneath it to send it toppling slowly forward, the process then being accelerated to dangerous speeds as Zirconia, with her weapon declaring its' intent in its' own synthetic voice firing a Gravity Dust round which pushed rather than pierced and send the skull of the monster rushing towards Astra's waiting forcefield, the anvil against which the beast would be hammered.

Only to be denied as a familiar, low and warping note tore through the air and reduced the twisting, elongated neck of the Sleipnir to a ragged stump; leaving the headless remains of the Grimm to slump to the ground with an unsatisfying thud before fading away.

Team WULF had arrived.

"Fucking seriously? I had that!" Astra spat, wheeling towards Wolfram and gesturing furiously to where the Grimm had been as their fellow team leader and ex-boyfriend separated the two components of Berserker, flexing the stiff fingers of the hand that had held the weapon as they did so.

"Wasn't trying to steal your thunder" Wolfram shrugged as he crossed the distance between them, Team WULF in tow and Team MARZ already regrouping "Professors said the situation changed and you needed backup"

"So you came running" Astra fought to keep a sneer out of their tone, their best efforts to keep their temper under control and stop themselves from undoing all the good that the previous evenings' conversation had done not being enough to keep them silent as they added "Y'know considering we broke up 'cos you wanted us both to go find ourselves, would it kill you to actually let me try?"

"If that's what you want" Wolfram answered quietly, words lightly choked by unexpected from reaction; though he was not alone in this and a momentary silence, stunned and awkward hung over the group until finally Ursinia cleared her throat and addressed Astra.

"Honey I aint one to interfere but that feels mighty uncalled for-"

"Ursinia-"

"No, she's right" Astra cut Wolfram off and paced away a short distance, massaging the points there antlers met flesh and rubbing at their bleary and reddened eyes with the heels of their palms before continuing in a strained voice "Sorry….Just….shit; I couldn't use my Semblance, this whole this has gone sideways, none of us are at our best right now….I shouldn't have snapped"

"We can talk about it later" Athena spoke up, gesturing for Astra to return to the group and, against her wishes managing to catch sight of the remains of members of the Path who had not, in some cases due to a lack of attempts, escaped the Sleipnir "We've got other things to deal with right now"

"Right" Laser noted, expression largely unreadable due to his visor though his voice and body language were unusually sullen and withdrawn "Mission was supposed to be about dealing with hostile or uncooperative civilians; the Grimm worshipping bastards got to the Crater, made it spawn a Grimm and then escaped….Except for the ones who didn't. We stopped the Grimm, but we still lost"

"But stopping the Grimm still counts for something right?" Regalia asked, voice hopeful as she retracted her mask and raised her goggles; expression faltering somewhat as only silence and awkward shuffling answered her for several moments until the telltale sound of an approaching aircraft alerted them all to the fact that either Penny or Velvet would soon be joining them.

"We're not done yet, someone's gonna have to help get rid of the bodies" Diabla noted with a grimace, it being almost poetic that of the eight students it was she and Athena-Jade who looked the most visibly nauseous at the idea; which she quickly moved away from by adding

"And debriefing after this is gonna be hell"

Mid-afternoon had slipped towards evening with the late summer sun slowly losing its' warmth as it began its' lingering but inexorable descent below the vast and cluttered skyline of Neo Vale by the time Chairman Damascus Nero had been able to extricate himself of other matters and make his way to the Chamber, the base of operations away from his home and professional office in which Gestalt-Prime was contained and the man's far-reaching conspiracy was conducted. Nero had been joined by Carmesi Hueso, the Komodo Dragon managing once again to make a dapper and well-tailored suit appear far more rakish through the weapons adorning his person, the fact that the crimson shirt was worn half unbuttoned to reveal his scarred and scaled chest as well as the simple presence and threat of violence he exuded.

The Chamber was already occupied as they arrived however and Albion Herringbone turned to greet the pair, albeit offering a far warmer acknowledgement to Nero.

"Good Afternoon….I would have made, or at least bought coffee but there was a small situation. The subject showed signs of activity; a small, almost underlining current of neural activity, barely above the normal readings and fluctuations that culminated in a smaller example of the previous spiking we observed" the remaining half of the founders of Houndstooth and Herringbone Bio-Labs adjusted gold rimmed glasses and gave Nero a piercing stare "That culmination being only a few minutes before you contacted me….Which leads me to believe that you were expecting something"

"Not my intention to leave you out of the loop Albion, however you understand that security is of utmost importance; we can't allow nerves to make us sloppy"

"Easy to say when you're not the one sitting in front of the Grimm" Herringbone managed a huff that was both indignant and jovial, a sign of the long friendship between the two men as he adjusted the lab-coat worn over his cream coloured suit and added "What happened, what are we dealing with here?"

"Certainties elude us I'm afraid, however we have reference points that allow us to draw conclusions and we would be fools not to do so" Nero took a seat and drummed the fingers of his gloved hand against the surface of Albion's expansive workstation, casting a meaningful glance at where Gestalt-Prime's ruined form hung suspended in a tank of fluid

"The specimens' previous burst of mental activity coincided perfectly with the destruction of a Spawning Pit on Menagerie, records from the Hammerfall Observation Outpost confirm as much. I received texts from Zirconia shortly before I contacted you, she informs me that she and her team encountered another large Grimm….Whilst visiting the site of Salem's base of operations of all places-"

"Is she okay?" Albion asked, personal concern for the child of one old friend, adopted by another overrode his clinical professionalism.

"Unharmed, she managed to message me whilst her friends and Professors were occupied moving some bodies" Damascus nodded, though a slight frown crossed his features at the mention of deaths "I don't have exact details given that it wasn't our pilots and the outposts' aircraft were some distance away at the time….But I think it would be safe to assume that this recent bout of activity from our specimen culminates with the Grimm activity Zirconia encountered, the spike of activity lining up with its' destruction"

"I see, that would be…..Suggestive" Albion's brow furrowed "It would suggest that our specimen may not in fact have been as badly wounded as Carmesi believed when it captured it-"

"Be careful what-"

"But what on Remnant was Zirconia doing so close to that place? It's not something that students should be exposed to?" Albion demanded, silencing Carmesi's rumbling retort with a dismissive wave.

"Ordinarily it isn't" Nero shook his head "It was a convergence of a few chains of events, unexpected but certainly productive….It seems that Zirconia and her team were shadowing a Professor, Penny Rose I believe as they made to intercept the same individuals I had you redirect towards Port Alistair yesterday"

"The fanatics?" Carmesi snarled the word, his voice vibrating with menacing fury as he cast an accusatory glare in the Chairman's direction, hellish red eyes narrowing "I was of the understanding that we weren't allying ourselves with the scum….Or should I prepare to return to Menagerie and begin hunting them down?"

"I see the knucklehead is predictable as always" Albion breathed out, giving Nero what might have been a sympathetic look whilst the Chairman himself merely exhaled slowly before answering.

"Your tenacity is remarkable but it makes your approaches decidedly linear I'm afraid Carmesi" he noted delicately "Nothing so blunt or direct will be needed and we will not need to overtly ally ourselves with the Path of the Apex Being or the leader of this particular sect, rest assured"

"I assume that a message has already been sent?" Albion arched an eyebrow, trying to fathom his friend and co-conspirators' angle and see how this latest ploy would factor into the overall goal of the bright new tomorrow he intended to fashion for all of Remnant.

"Of a sort" Nero nodded, casting Carmesi a disapproving look as the younger man snorted "There are still a few, largely unimportant members of the various gangs that operated as patsies in Menagerie that can be called upon for small services; it took only a small amount of bribery to have one of them leave a message, which they did not have the opportunity to read onto one of the buses that the Path would be using to travel from Port Alistair, giving them details of the checkpoints that would likely be set up on the most easily crossed routes to their destination and how they could best avoid them"

"Easy enough, given that we have access to Hammerfall Outposts' procedures and protocols, along with their logs" Nero noted "And your next move?"

"Will be to use that, along with another show of goodwill to establish contact and ascertain if the leadership of this group is as valuable to our cause as I believe they might be-"

"And if not?" Carmesi snarled

"Then their current location is passed onto the authorities, the fact that they used force to resist Hunters and physically attacked students of Breaktide Academy has earned them the ire of Coco Adel" Carmesi seemed as satisfied with that answer as it was possible for him to be with any solution short of removing the Grimm worshippers from existence entirely, in the reptilian Faunus's world view the Grimm were merely a symptom of a sick and damaged world, those who actively attracted them and brought them upon others were the true enemy and he felt that the Path of the Apex Being and those like them were perhaps one of the few things worse than the brand of perry criminals that had ruined so many lives, his own included. Nero left his young follower to his own introspections and turned back to Albion Herringbone.

"It's clear that the specimen is conscious to some degree, however their mind is not limited to this body" he gestured to the unhealed and wretched form of Gestalt-Prime "Continue studying the specimen and cross-reference any changes you find with large scale Grimm activity in or around Menagerie"

"You want me to see if I can find away to lure it back into its' own body" Albion hummed "It would likely be a benefit to the people of Menagerie"

Nero nodded silently before pausing a moment to consider his wording and then uttering, with utter sincerity and calmness a single sentence which would likely chill any who were not currently within the confined of the secretive Chamber who heard it to their core.

"I would very much like a conversation with that Grimm"

It was early evening by the time Team WULF were free of the ordeal that had followed the initial battle at the Crater's edge. The Path of the Apex Being, their leader amongst them had escaped with the only traces of their presence being the bloodstains and bodies still littering the ground when both Penny and Velvet had arrived on the scene; the two professors apologising to their respective teams' of students for allowing them to be sent into such a situation without proper preparation or assistance and from there the act of cordoning off the scene and securing it for investigations, laying sheets carefully over the bodies rather than moving them had been carried out in a hushed silence until another of the aircraft belonging to Hammerfall Observation Outpost had arrived on the scene, those aboard it informing the qualified Hunters on the scene and by association Teams MARZ and WULF that the attempt to create a net in which to catch the fleeing Grimm worshippers had failed, suggesting a level or organisation beyond what had been expected though the teens were offered the smallest of silver linings in the fact that they were being relieved and that the area would be overseen by more experienced and qualified adults until forensic investigators could arrive, the act of notifying any families the fallen fanatics might have as important as searching for any possible clues regarding their motive.

And yet even then there was more to be done.

Team WULF, along with their friends had been escorted back to Breaktide Academy where they were beset by the expected post-deployment barrage of activity that each of them had come to expect and spent their return flight mentally preparing themselves for, Wolfram deeming it an acceptable use of the lingering and oppressive silence that it had seemed somehow untoward to breach. The physical examination from Nurse Kintsugi had been mercifully brief though the Fox Faunus had been as thorough as ever in her ministrations, the lack of serious injuries leaving no cause for further complications though upon hearing some of the specifics of what had occurred the Nurse did see fit to impress upon each of the students that Counsellor Daichi and his aides were available if they felt the need to reach out or discuss anything regarding what had transpired. Discussions of the mission were unavoidable, though delivered in a more cynical form as the debriefing process, in accordance with the mission being somewhat covert or unofficial in nature was handled by Headmistress Coco Adel herself and though she had been exacting and focused Wolfram could not help but feel as though there were an oddly perfunctory quality to the proceedings, as though Coco expected to receive the information from a more trustworthy source which, given her relationship with Professor Scarlatina the leader of Team WULF supposed might be a fair assessment.

Eventually however they had been allowed to go and enjoy what little remained of their weekend.

The four of them had made their way to one of the students' common areas, a decision made when Ursinia had said that she would rather be around other people for the time being so that her mind could have some distance from all that had happened and a sense of distance and removal from it before she inevitably took the time to process everything. Wolfram spotted her in a seat that would likely be comfortable for someone with a less massive stature or who did not have a chitinous tail arcing up and over her shoulders, the Scorpion Faunus's hat tipped low over her face as she lounged in a state where her partner was unsure as to whether she was still clinging to consciousness or had allowed fatigue to take hold and fallen asleep and so, with a long yawn muffled by a hand the armoured teen, those his armour had been discarded for the time being cast his eyes around the dorm in search of his other friends and team-mates before trudging over to her, his own weariness becoming more pronounced with every step.

Team MARZ were nowhere to be found though at the moment Wolfram did not allow himself to be particular troubled by that fact and decided that he and Astra would continue their attempts to make attempts and establish some sense of normality another time. Diabla too was absent though Wolfram was already aware of this fact, she had been texting Ursinia's cousin Huckleberry with whom it was clear she was becoming steadily more smitten and had over the course of the evening received a message with an attached image; nothing less than entirely wholesome though another student with Diabla was not well acquainted enough to accept such comments had caught a glimpse and attempt to make what they considered to be friendly conversation. A stern glare from both Diabla and Wolfram at once served as warning and swift education though Diabla had departed shortly after, stating that she needed to hit something however Wolfram privately suspected that she had simply gone in search of privacy and would likely be in Team WULF's dormitory when her friends returned. Laser was found as an uproar spilled out from the television which formed the focal point and took root amongst those watching it, the din being enough to stir Ursinia and have her jolt awake with a fairly entertaining slew of incoherent slurring as Wolfram perched on the arm of her chair.

"If you'd stayed like that for much longer someone would have pranked you eventually anyway" he noted conversationally "You know the one with shaving foam in someone's hand where you make 'em slap themselves"

"What in the gosh darn…." Ursinia mumbled sleepily, removing her hat and adjusting her scarlet dreadlocks for a moment "What in tarnation was that noise"

"Cross-Kingdom match, Vulture bay from Vaccuo are playing one of the Atlesian teams….And that was definitely a foul, should have been a yellow card" Wolfram considered thoughtfully as he watched the replay of the event before adding "Laser's watching, keeps him from doing something dumb like hunting down the people we were looking for today….I knew getting him into the sport was a good idea"

"Now listen here darlin'" Ursinia yawned, sitting a little straighter as a wicked grin that showed slightly gap-teeth crossed her face "First of all, that's the kind of dunderhead idea that you'd have and second of all if you mean to tell me that getting the varmint to follow football was something you planned out for the sake of his mental health and well-being beforehand….I'm gonna have to call you a liar to your face and I don't wanna do that"

"Couldn't let me have that one no?" Wolfram laughed, playfully adjusting Ursinia's hat and retracting his hand before she could use her tail to bat it aside "You doing okay….You were out cold?"

"It's been a long day darlin'" she sighed simply "It was a bit of a bad box out there and it's gonna be on my mind….Worshipping Grimm and whatnot, I can't set with that"

"No, me neither. There's some weird people out there" her partner nodded, flexing a wrist that was sore and stiff, fingers audibly cracking as he moved them until Ursinia reached out and gently took his hand in hers, the familiar warmth and numbness of her Semblance passing between them.

"Darn it that noise gets on my nerves, ask and I'll fix it….Or at least numb it so it's not bothering you so much" the Scorpion Faunus mumbled "But if we're here yarning the hours away, are you okay? Not my place to be involved but Astra said some things that crawled my hump and it wasn't like you to stand for it"

"Say less about your humps" Wolfram snorted, earning himself a slightly painful twist of his wrist from his partner which prompted him to answer more seriously "Yeah, it stung a little won't lie about it but it is what it is….We spoke last night, everything is still fresh and we're trying to work things out; it got a little rough out there"

"Well, if you're willing to let bygones be bygones and nothing else needs fixing that wrist should be okay until it heals properly, I'm gonna go on and get some sleep….We've got class in the morning unless you feel like been namby-pamby about it?"

"Okay goodnight then" Wolfram bumped his knuckles against hers as she made to stand, before allowing himself a smirk worthy of Laser and made an addition that suggested that the Vaccuan had rubbed off on him as much as the other way around "You might wanna knock first when you get to the dorm though….Might end up seeing of hearing things about your cousin that you didn't wanna know-"

"Jackass" Ursinia said bluntly as she showed Wolfram off of the chair arm and left him slumped on the ground, the sound of him hitting the floor causing an outburst of laughter from the gathered teens and Wolfram quickly found himself amongst them, allowing himself to remain floored for a few moments as an unbidden urge to contemplate things came over him despite the situation.

Team WULF were doing okay and he seemed to have found his rhythm as a leader in a way that he never expected to, even if did occasionally lead to him being the one made a fool of in ways he would never have tolerated before.

Team MARZ, despite everything that already transpired during the day had somehow found themselves at a party.

The four of them had, as with Team WULF returned to the academy and been subjected to the debriefing and medical examination process before being cleared to make the most of what remained of their weekend; returning to their dormitories had provided little respite as the four teens were left restless in a way which they each sensed that attempting to talk, either about the preceding events or else any other subject in an attempt to pointedly ignore them would do little to mitigate and from there it had seemed almost serendipitous that an invitation to be elsewhere and occupy themselves with something of admittedly little consequence had been offered.

A student with whom the members of Team MARZ were not particularly well acquainted, a third year they knew through mutual acquaintances Team BASL had reached out to Astra and by the same token the rest of the team to invite them, seemingly apropos of nothing to an a party, or rave of sorts of questionable legality in the city. The party was to celebrate the birthday of the cousin of this Third Year student, the cousin in question attending one of the colleges in the city who was determined to celebrate on the actual day of their birthday even if a party on Friday or Saturday might have been more practical, a level of stubbornness Astra had found they could appreciate. The cause for concern, however mild that might be came from the choice of venues as, whilst far from being as risky as the illegal rave on an unprotected stretch of beach which Astra had used to introduce Regalia to the joys of life in the Kingdoms and being a student was still questionable; much of Port Alistair's nightlife had survived the assault by the Creatures of Grimm as it was located further towards the central hub of the city than the monsters had managed to reach however many stretches of vacant land, or gutted and emptied buildings similar to the one which Astra and Regalia had visited the previous afternoon had found themselves being used to host gatherings which the authorities, with enough to contend with already had largely chosen to ignore as long as all remained peaceful with the reasoning that the citizens needed an opportunity to release their tensions lest they build and draw the Creatures of Grimm again.

All of this was of course decidedly less important than the fact that Astra was recently single and, to the agreement of many members of Breaktide Academies' student body very attractive; factors which had almost certainly been what influenced the decision to invite them, an observation which Athena-Jade had made without hesitation as they made their towards the venue on the outer periphery of the cities' industrial sector.

Which made the fact that Astra was yet to speak to anyone outside of their team somewhat notable.

"Did you really drag us all to a party just to lurk in a corner and not socialise at all?" The Bear Faunus asked pointedly as she and her partner felt their friend shuffle and shift their weight with unusual hesitance somewhere close to them. The party was on the premises of what had been some kind of factory, though had been set up more in the outer areas such as its' yard than within the partially burned and possibly unstable building itself despite the approaching cold of Menagerie's nights; fire pits had been set up to combat the expected chill whilst more smoke still rose from several grills that had been set up as more than one group of students from the college or native to Port Alistair had decided to bring food whilst more still had brought other things deemed necessary such as an impossible amount of alcohol and ice to keep it chilled, speakers which seemed far too expensive to be left in such an environment and were in turn connected to a makeshift DJ booth located in a small lean-to that had likely been originally intended for workers to smoke in, though there was some talk of a band formed of local teens taking over the festivities later in the evening. Other party-goers had acquired furniture in the form of chairs and sofas which had been scattered in various shady and secluded areas of the venue which cast their purpose in much suspicion as their origins, though Athena-Jade had forced such doubts from her mind as she had claimed a sofa, inviting Zirconia to join her.

"Didn't drag you….We all needed some air, I just don't really know anyone here" Astra noted with a sigh, prompting Athena and Zirconia to share a brief look before the snowy haired girl turned to face her team leader again as she sensed the general direction that the Deer Faunus's troubled thoughts would be travelling in.

"Are you okay? I know you and Wolfie got into it earlier….Next thing you get invited to a party by someone who thinks you're cute but you're lurking in a corner"

"That was just me being an idiot and ruining things….Again" Astra's eyes, freshly surrounded by a fresh coat of the dark make-up they jokingly called their warpaint drifted closed for a moment "We spoke yesterday, we managed to finally get somewhere and it felt like I had an idea of what was going on with us; then I let my temper and ego get the better of me, 'cos I'm an idiot"

"Beating yourself up isn't helping" Zirconia rasped, voice quietly but firm "Be better when the opportunity arises….In the meantime, we earned the right relax a little; even here at this….An illegal party full of people who have no reason to not just go to a more reputable venue"

"Doing something on the edge of legal is half the fun" Astra rolled their eyes, pouting and slouching dramatically as they stuffed their hands in the pockets of their jacket and found themselves suddenly invested in the conversations "Besides, it feels like home….Not everyone is rich enough to be in the upmarket fancy clubs every weekend like you two; block parties were a thing back home; I'll have to take you guys to a few when we get to Neo Vale"

"In the meantime have some fun at this one" Zirconia murmured gently, Athena following up as her partners' goal became obvious.

"So, even if it's just to say hi go find….what was their name, Brooke?" she ventured, eyes scanning the crowd of bodies made harder to parse by smoke and roving lights "I think...Yeah they're over there with Regalia, go let 'em know that you actually turned up. They've probably been waiting"

"I see 'em" Astra nodded slowly, patting Athena-Jade's shoulder as they wandered away "Okay fine I get the hint, I'll give you two lovebirds some space"

"You suck" Athena intoned in a singsong voice as she watched them leave, her friend flitting casually through the mass of people with an ease and social deftness that their attitudes of only moments ago would not have suggested and making their way across the open space towards a grill where Regalia was chatting animatedly with a group of teens which included a mix of students of Breaktide Academy and those attending colleges within the city, presumably including the cousin whose birthday was being celebrated. Upon arriving Astra leaned close to the Third Year who had provided the invitation, whose name Athena would admit she had only guessed and whispered something in their ear which made the older student laugh and followed it up with a series of surreptitious gestures in Regalia's direction which Athena-Jade, more socially adroit than Zirconia with her sheltered childhood did not need to hear the conversation to understand.

"I think they just tired play wing-person for Regalia, asked Brooke if they've got a friend for her?"

"Will that work….Do we even know if Regalia likes men, women….Both?"

"Huh….Now you mention it I'm actually not sure" Athena mused, pondering for several moments before realising that she was actually uncertain if she had ever heard the Racoon Faunus mention the subject of dating or attraction outside of references to movies of the most vague and simple terms, which she supposed was understandable given that she had been raised within a clan where everyone in her immediate vicinity was considered some form of extended family. She quickly pushed the thought aside however and focused on a more immediate matter, namely that she was sequestered away in a quiet corner of a party with a young woman to whom she was very attractive and had slowly been trying to progress their as yet undefined, tentatively evolving relationship and so, with utmost caution and her heart hammering against her ribs the short but powerfully built girl attempted the time honoured technique of a fake yawn wherein her arm draped across her partners' shoulders.

"Athena I may be inexperienced, but even I know that one" Zirconia's comment left the Bear Faunus blushing and sputtering indignantly, which quickly gave way to chuckles.

"Yeah well, Astra left and probably tried to hook Regalia up just so we've got some space after seeing us holding hands all day….Felt like it was worth a shot"

"Oh I think you misunderstand me, it's a classic and I approve" Zirconia answered smoothly, brushing her wavy black hair aside so that it would not inconvenience Athena as she leaned into the shorter girl and laced her fingers through those of the hand now resting on her shoulder, bringing the two of them closer and leaving Athena blushing a shade of hot pink though a quick glimpse at the Grasshopper Faunus revealed that she too was flustered by her own display of brazenness.

"So earlier today….On our mission" Zirconia paused, gauging the look in Athena's sapphire blue eyes and seeing that she looked less wary than might be expected before continuing "You used a move I haven't seen you try before, with your Glyphs….It looked like one of your brothers'"

"Oh that, it's actually a technique my Mum created but Arctus made it part of his repertoire early on in his training and its' become one of his signatures" the pale and snowy haired girly visibly relaxing and making herself more comfortable, allowing Zirconia to nestle closer to her as she continued "I think you asked about it when you saw him do it when we worked together that time? Basically the Schnee family Semblance is such a massive part of my families' brand at this point that when I decided that I wanted to strike out on my own I tried to come up with a style that worked for me that didn't rely on the Semblance so much, or at least used it in ways that my family don't….I haven't come up with something that's really mine yet though"

"I have no doubt that you will and that when you do it will be something incredible" Zirconia assured her, seeing the momentarily disheartened look on Athena-Jade's face and swiftly resolving to replace it with a toothy smile that dimpled her round cheeks.

"Flatterer" the Bear Faunus mumbled, looking away in moment of sudden awkward shyness "That's not where I thought a talk about what happened today was going to lead"

"I have got enough tact not to mention the….more dire aspects of the mission" Zirconia noted.

"I didn't mean that" Athena still looked away "I mean the fact that I uh….I very nearly copped a feel by accident"

"Oh that….Rest assured I never considered anything so crass" Zirconia laughed, recalling the moment which had truthfully been forgotten in the jumbled and chaotic swirl of all that had followed, seeing that Athena was clearly not entirely convinced she took a deep breath and took a moment to marshal all of the confidence she could muster into action as she acted on thoughts which had been flitting through her mind ever since the two had parted ways at the end of their First Year, even more so after the previous evenings' discussion about their feelings; Zirconia turned and placed hand gently on Athena-Jade's broad and muscular shoulder and used it to angle her partner ever so slightly in order to reach over, their current positions meaning that she did not have to lean down as she otherwise would and turned the tables on the Bear Faunus.

By being the one to kiss Athena on the cheek.

It was gentle, it was tender and it was brief and then, in a single fleeting moment Zirconia pulled back and smiled fondly as she saw that Athena-Jade was too shocked to reply coherently.

High Speaker Aefen Cruor was among the members of the Path of the Apex Being to escape and survive the wastelands of Menagerie.

Her loyal congregation of worshippers more devout than herself, diminished though their number had been had been quick to take her orders and fleet from the approaching Hunters before the nature of the instruments and thus the nature of Aefen's own research could be determined upon their inevitable arrest. Their escape had been facilitated by the same convenient and frankly suspicious means as the Path's initial approach towards the Crater, the sealed envelope that had been left aboard one of the buses that her congregation had rented and subsequently lost to the Grimm having not only included the most likely responses that Menagerie's Hunter would take to her arrival, with assurances that they would already know of it before she could hope to prevent her own discovery, along with approximate locations of checkpoints that would be set up to waylay her but also enough details of the surrounding area to provide a means of escape and somewhere to hide until the matter was resolved to some extent.

Aefen was naturally suspicious of the freely given help, it was so rare that she was met with a sympathetic ear after all yet given the circumstances she had little choice but to trust the kindness of her unknown benefactor.

Jidhir town was a small and ultimately failed settlement of Vaccuan origin located far enough away from the Crater to avoid being overrun by the Creatures of Grimm and yet close enough that the Path of the Apex Being had managed to reach its' perimeter before nightfall brought its' chilling grip to the island. The ghost town had been abandoned not because of superstition of practical concerns owing to the proximity of monsters but rather mundane economics and practicality; Jidhir town had been built around a moderately sized underground reservoir of clean water which provided sustenance for a variety of fish and crustaceans of varieties not seen anywhere else on Remnant and also a noteworthy amount of trees for the largely barren island in an effect similar to that which had produced the Yonghen plains which students of Breaktide Academy visited annually and it had originally been hoped that the fledgling settlement would be able to support itself with a small logging and fishing industry, along with other raw materials including stone quarried nearby in order to build the houses and other structures of the village in the sturdy Vaccuan style. All of these hopes had been dashed however as other settlements had sprung up across the island, providing similar wares and positioning themselves closer to potential trading partners and, more importantly to some further away from the Crater which had eventually led to the Vaccuan settlers who had founded Jidhir town abandoning it, with the majority filtering outward to other towns and cities whilst others either returned to their native desert Kingdom or else found themselves integrated into the Nomad Clans who shared their origin and considered these newly lost Vaccuans to be distant cousins of a sort.

It was here that Aefen and her flock had been directed and had set up what the High Speaker of the Path hoped would be a temporary base of operations.

Her people were out amongst the buildings of the ghost town, searching them for any non-perishable foods that might have been left behind and, by some good fortune survived the punishing climate to remain edible, others were setting up watch on the admittedly crumbling and unrepaired wall, a notion which gave the High Speaker some comfort even if the Path would be far less concerned by the Creatures of Grimm than an approaching vehicle or visitor of any kind with those who remained being unconscious, either due to exhaustion-fuelled sleep or having slipped away due to the blood lost from injuries which were tended to by those nearest with whatever makeshift equipment was on hand, many of the injured would die and those that remained would bear horrific scars and yet both would be celebrated by the Path.

Aefen for her part sat alone in what had once been a sitting room, as evidenced by furniture which had remained in relatively good condition all things considered. The many ornate cases carrying the instruments and implements that her followers had handled so reverently were set up around her in a loose and haphazardly arranged semi circle as Aefen herself treated the cases and their contents with a far more blunt and direct approach; the contents of one case including a laptop which was currently placed atop another of the cases as the High Speaker sat cross legged in a leather chair that had once been far more luxurious than it was at that moment, her mask amongst the many devices to be plugged into the computer. With her mask removed any who saw her would notice that she was perhaps younger than her status might suggest and yet older than the youthful, in a posturing sense appearance that her deliberately overwrought attire presented; certainly she was no older than thirty although frown lines which were deepened but her current pensive and thoughtful expression along with her pale and drawn features did little to lend her a sense of lingering youthful energy, nor did the dark rings around eyes who bright, forest green colour seemed at odds with everything else about her.

"Damn it all….So much wasted time and effort" she rasped under her breath as she watched the footage of the days' events once again, her mask having recorded them for just such an occasion only for her to be denied the vital data she desired and instead be treated the latest escapes of foolhardy teenagers with dreams of heroism, all before she could even truly begin her studies. A dissatisfied sigh bubbled its' way to her lips yet before it could escape the door to the sitting room was flung open and one of her two heavily armed and burly bodyguards, the one whose mask resembled a roaring Sea Feilong burst into the room with a sense of urgency.

"High speaker!" they declared, voice denied its' usual commanding boom by their strained panting "Transport craft belonging to the Outpost dedicated to studying the Apex Beings flew overhead moments ago….They send us gifts?"

"Gifts?" Aefen demanded, closing the laptop and donning her mask in a gesture that allowed some of her sense of control over her surroundings to seep back into her being, especially as her follower sunk into a bow upon seeing her do so.

"A container was deployed with parachutes, we opened it and medicine, food, water, blankets, tools and seeds" the larger man explained, expression unseen beneath his mask though Aefen could easily imagine it as one of bewilderment "What does it mean?"

"Either that we have a friend we are unacquainted with, or that our foes enjoy toying with us" Aefen rose to her feet and managed to affect a convincing sense of self-importance as she clutched at her skull-headed staff "See that everything is thoroughly searched before it is used; anyone who found us so easily would not need to use trackers hidden on gifts, though I wouldn't rule out a covert attack….Was there anything else?"

"There was High Speaker" the guard gulped, ruined whatever illusion of ferocity they might otherwise have conveyed before reaching into the folds of their black attire "This was in the gift, with a note stating that it was for your use only"

I see" Aefen almost purred as she took the device that was withdrawn and studied it, a scroll of an older and yet durable model that may have been capable of functioning even despite the questionable reception in the wastes; without a further glance towards her underling she turned and waved him aside "Leave me"

The cultist stepped away and in the same moment that his booted footsteps were out of earshot Aefen opened the Scroll, finding only one number within its' contacts list which she dialled without hesitation.

"Hello there Doctor Shirley Aefen" a distorted and heavily modulated voice greeted her, sending a palpable shudder through the woman as she suddenly realised that she was speaking someone far more adept at her own game of managing image and expectations than she, who used the ability well. Regardless she managed a modicum of imperiousness as she replied.

"My doctorate is null and void and I do not use that name any more" she sniffed "I am to understand of course that I am speaking to the one who has provided me with considerable aid over the last twenty four hours?"

"That is correct and you will understand that like you I prefer not to use my given name when conducting this kind of business" the modulated voice chuckled, oddly good natured "For now the title of Benefactor will suffice"

"And this is where you lay out the terms for your continued support for my mission?" Aefen, currently using her former surname as a given name noted, bracing herself for an attempt at extortion of coercion, only to be left off balance by the note of warmth and commiseration in the altered voice that responded.

"I spared a small amount of resources and time to ensure your input and cooperation at a later date yes, but also in no small part because I believe that your work has merit on its' own" the admission was frank, which Aefen found that she could appreciate "The Creatures of Grimm were your field of study were they not?….Talks of not only combating them but implementing them, naturally so soon after the war with Salem, with New Vale in ruins the criticisms you drew included comparisons to Merlot-"

"Small minds, small visions and small people" Aefen hissed through gritted teeth, incensed at the mere memory "Grimm biology….There's still so much that we don't understand but we know enough to know that it doesn't abided by any of the normal rules, yet it can be grafted onto human tissue, there should be research and experimentation….The things we could achieve-"

"Were deemed unconscionable by people who did not see, who were made comfortable by their position within the status quo" Aefen had the distinct feeling that her new Benefactor was nodding sympathetic "And now you lead a religious sect"

"They're useful" Aefen could not help but cringe, everyday she spent amongst the Path further eroded at her sensibilities as a woman of science "I agree with the sprit of their ideas rather than kowtow to their theology"

"Quite so" the Benefactor murmured "However, despite the fact that your followers are far less immediately useful to me than you yourself are I am willing to provide the means for your followers to practice their beliefs without persecution as a show of…Good faith"

"Spare me" Aefen sneered at the attempt at a joke "What would I be paying in return for this kindness"

"Consider it a chance to broaden your horizons and expand your knowledge" the voice of the Benefactor crackled "I have a project of my own underway, one which involves a contained Grimm subject which I would very much like your assistance with and input on….The matter is something of a time sensitive one"

"You have my attention, give mes specifics" Shirley Aefen, now Aefen Cruor answered smoothly; her mind already made up and her decision being reinforced with every word that followed regarding the immobilised Gestalt-Prime.

Author's Notes:

Well another chapter done and things are starting to take shape in a way, whilst at the same time leaving plenty of big stuff to be revealed….All whilst having some fun action scenes.
Also, it completely slipped my notice but we're actually nearing the mid-season finale for Vol.04, which I'll spoil a little by saying includes the Vytal Tournament qualifiers; allowing the back half of Vol.04 to set up a whole paradigm shift.
Chapter 66 is the mid-point, I'm actually a little bit ahead in my writing as I type this notes but at the same time I do need to properly plan out the whole second half of the volume, so there may be a gap of a week or so in posting; rest assured there's gonna be a lot more coming.
Also I might use the break from writing MARZ for a week to write something else, though I say that every time I plan to take a break….

Anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Yeah, can't blame AJ for not wanting to look directly at this shit for example.
First full Team MARZ vs Grimm fight we've gotten in Vol.4 and we're starting it off with both sets of partners using their signature moves.
Thou Shalt Not….Whilst throwing any random shit they had on their person, these people are idiots.
And that's where Penny is, Penny and Velvet are two of those characters where you have to put an obstacle between them and the goal or the students become moot, like Ruby or Nickel but to a lesser extent.
AJ basically just shouted that the cops are coming.
Now there's no idiots in Goth-White Fang costumes making food of themselves Team MARZ can focus on their job of dealing with Grimm….And this isn't the first time AJ has tried to lead with a one-liner, see initiation.
Oh there's a lot there….AJ trying one of her brothers' signature moves, followed by the anime cliché landing on top of each other, followed by "What's that supposed to mean?" it was a whole moment.
So the Grimm that Team WULF were fighting were basically serving as a distraction for the avian Grimm that Gestalt-Prime was inhabiting, I alluded to it with the way I wrote things but just confirming it here.
I wonder, do Faunus have personal feelings about the Grimm that are the same kind of animal as them?
And this is why you hold Velvet back if you want any narrative tension, because she was absolutely OP when she was eighteen and she hasn't lost her touch at all.
That was the same trick Wolfram used on Athena-Jade, just scaled all the way up.
Astra roundhouse kicked a Horse in the face while Regalia used a harpoon to yeet herself….These kids are extra.
Yeah, no giant Astra in this fight.
They really just asked one of the heirs to the SDC if she's carrying Dust.
Astra's plan relied on two things, firstly the rule of cool and secondly the fact that horses are so poorly put together they should be sold on Wish….And it almost worked.
"Y'know considering we broke up 'cos you wanted us both to go find ourselves, would it kill you to actually let me try?" okay….they're not wrong, but still uncalled for. These two are gonna continue to have issues.
At least they apologised.
So, is this gonna count as a success or a failure on balance?
And this is just one big reminder that our villains aren't just sneaky and well informed, they're clever….They've managed to get access to information like the goings on at Hammerfall and used that to make educated guesses and theories about what's going on with Gestalt-Prime.
Nero basically told Carmesi, in eloquent terms to suck it up and stop being an idiot.
And here we have proof that Nero is the one to tip of Aefen and her people, but also that he's preparing to effectively strong-arm the Path into service like he had Carmesi do with Rowan.
"I would very much like a conversation with that Grimm" now there's a terrifying series of words, a real hint of some of what Nero is planning.
The Team WULF post-debrief scene was honestly a placeholder just to space out some of the other stuff but it was still fun to write and these filler scenes give the characters some life.
Yeah, Ursinia even though she lives out in the sticks has probably had the least experience of what it really is like out there before coming to the academy and even after a year there's times when she just needs to process it all.
Yeah the idiot who leaned over Diabla's shoulder and made a "She's hot" type comment, probably went missing the next day.
Ursinia is right, Wolfram got Laser into football because there was no way he was gonna share a house with someone who didn't follow football over the summer….Everything else is fringe benefits.
We haven't actually seen Ursinia's Semblance for a while.
"Say less about your humps" oh come on he's an eighteen year old Bi guy, you know he's checked her out at least once.
Early Wolfram would never have let himself be the butt of a joke like that.
So Astra drank on Saturday, woke up first thing on Sunday, did a whole day of Grimm fighting, then went to a party on Sunday night whilst knowing full well they've got a class first thing Monday morning….College students be like.
I do seem to work these parties that are in clearly illegal venues into my stories and it's been noted that I write them in a way that suggests I have first hand experience….To which I say, yes.
Also, even though its' not a direct match up by any means reading Parahumans has got me comparing post Gestalt-Prime Port Alistair to post Leviathan Brockton Bay.
Okay from someone who's done the college party shit….If you find yourself going to parties you don't even want to be at, not even trying to socialise and you're basically just there to drink and avoid things it's time for you to talk to someone.
But yeah, Astra getting invited to parties by random students makes sense….They're hot and recently single.
Astra is right on both points of their counterargument to Zirconia.
Yes Zirconia just basically told Astra to shoo and yes Astra just styled it out by being a wing-person for Regalia, 'cos Astra is a real one like that….Although Zirconia is right, I haven't actually explicitly mentioned Regalia's sexuality yet.
And now to the cute shit that this scene was really for….yes AJ just tried the least smooth thing ever, which is funny 'cos in FADE Arctus did the exact same thing.
"I haven't come up with something that's really mine yet though" Oh the foreshadowing.
Another cheek kiss….I cannot, I'm the one writing this and even I just cannot.
Of course Aefen got away.
Jidhir = Root in Arabic, which with the naming conventions I use means its' Vaccuan origin.
Ghost towns and new settlements, especially things like their industries are a good source of world-building, another little detail I slipped in is that Vaccuan settlers sometimes worked their way into the Nomad clans, sometimes on a temporary basis….Wonder why we haven't met Regalia's Dad.
Aefen with her mask off both literally and metaphorically, all those ornate cases she had people carrying….Full of research equipment, she doesn't worship Grimm, she studies them.
And so we have Nero's move, he has people at Hammerfall, he has resources and so he can easily send a little care package in return for a favour.
Shirley means Bright Meadow in Old English, I felt like giving her an Old English first name to match "Aefen" yet one that contradicted it….Also, we probably won't hear that name used too much, she's Aefen Cruor now; she left her old life behind.
And that's why she's disgraced and not part of academia or polite society….And once again, points in the direction of what Nero is doing.
He made a fucking Dad joke, it was neither the time not the place to make a fucking Dad joke.

Thank you to Lurkweed and MajorBrony95 for their reviews on the last chapter.
Oh everyone's got a plan, Aefen has a plan, Nero has a plan...We're basically seeing too masterminds who think they might be on the same page interacting with one another.
Yeah Gesalt-Prime is a tough one, only really limited by their inability to create themselves a new body without losing their sense of self.
The Norse new how to make a good monster...Shame I had to get rid of the Sleipnir, but don't worry I've got more beasties in the chamber.
Part QAnon, part Scientology.
Ruby wouldn't dream of telling Weiss.
I haven't watched the TMNT movies because I refuse to let Micheal Bay keep doing that to my childhood.

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