MARZ Rising

by FandomPariah

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

73. On All Fronts

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

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

I am making no money from this.

Chapter 73: On All Fronts

The Chamber was permeated by a palpable and oppressively heavy sense of apprehension and a nervous energy which the two men currently occupying the hidden laboratory and base of operations were not prone to, somewhat foolish in their belief that they were beyond such juvenile and amateurish displays of emotional instability.

Albion gave Nero a piercing sidelong glance, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses fractionally as he studied his long time friend and the architect of their shared conspiracy; noting the way the contrast of bright utilitarian lighting reflected from pristine surfaces and the shadowy recesses of the chamber cast deep lines into his frowning features and transformed the glint in his quartz coloured eyes into something almost unnatural in its' intensity which was only highlighted by his pallor and dark clothing. Albion knew that Damascus was taking a calculated risk by being present at this juncture, by cancelling a meeting with some important figure within the conglomerate or another and depriving himself of the advantage of having an unquestionable alibi in the unlikely event that suspicion was cast in his way after the attack on Cosmo-Guild was carried out and instead appearing at his hidden lair where Albion had expected to operate alone, the deviation from the plan spoke volumes and the white-haired and dark-skinned man nodded sagely in understanding of some unspoken point that he felt was being made.

"This truly is it then, the moment of no return" Albion had hoped to sound profound, or at the very least intelligent yet the faint titter of laugher; barely contained and betraying more of Nero's original mannerisms from before he went to such great lengths to bury them than the Chairman would like soon put that idea to rest.

"Albion my friend the point of no return was the moment we took our first steps….And if it wasn't then it was certainly a long time ago, before I gave Carmesi and Grapeshot the go ahead to use innocent people as bait; we're committed now and all we can do is know that we are right, strive to make sure our plans succeed and hope"

"Then if not worries about the plan then what….There have been developments?" Albion's tone became accusatory as the realisation hit him "Then why the hell have you been sitting there waxing poetic? What's happened and how does it affect our plans going forward?"

"Do we have privacy?" Nero asked bluntly, a question and an explanation for his reticence all in one.

"I'm not connected with Carmesi, Petrol or Aefen at present….though we will need to speak with her sooner rather than later" Albion answered with some distaste etching itself into his features at the thought of his fellow scientist who had taken on the role of posturing cult leader in order to further her studies whilst in exile yet despite his obvious displeasure at the thought he knew that the path forward was inevitable, Aefen Cruor was an undisputed master of her field and her skills would be needed in the coming phases of the plan.

"Good, we will have need of Aefen and have to provide her with more information was this stage of the operation is complete" Nero echoed Albion's private thoughts before adding "What of the specimen?"

"Gestalt-Prime is….Resting" Albion answered tentatively, entering a series of commands into the terminal he sat at and using a small drone to enter the fluid-filled containment tube in which the sentient Grimm was held, still suspending themselves upside-down; confirming that the monstrous mass of tissue and chitin was once again dormant, yet in a far more fleeting and transitory way that their previous fugue state before retreating back before it could be detected and inadvertently rouse the hybrid Grimm which had chosen to slumber.

"Resting….Biding their time its what they're doing, preparing" Nero muttered as he studied the brief video feet and plethora of readings the small drone delivered in its' short foray. The Chairman understood the Grimm's intentions well enough as they were a result of their previous conversations in which plans had been outlined; Gestalt-Prime had turned their psyche and mental capacity in upon itself and Albion had, upon instruction injected the remaining samples of vaporised Grimm which had initially been used to transition their ruined form into its' current malignant, bloated state whilst the Alpha themselves, rather than allow their consciousness to extend out into the wider reaches of the fragmented Hive-Mind of the Grimm instead began to work on their own flesh, tissue which both Albion and Nero could see had expanded in preparation for the next stage of the plans; growing dense and more bulbous in its' heavy, rancid musculature in places whilst other bands of articulated maggot-like bulk had grown and distended to the point of stretched translucence which threatened to burst and were made all the more sickening by the presence of writhing, serpentine forms writhing blind and aimlessly within the cramped confines of their cloudy, festering sacs.

"On the subject of preparations, what am I supposed to be preparing for? Out with it!" Albion was more firm than he might normally allow himself to dare with his old friend, the nausea of studying Gestalt-Prime's current state combining with the severity of the current situation pushing the scientist and prompting Nero to deliver a single pointed glance his way before answering.

"Cosmo-Guild is being used as a staging ground for Hunters taking part in the search and rescue efforts for the group of missing travellers near their facility" Nero began.

"We anticipated as much" Albion noted "We put plans into motion"

"We did" Nero nodded, a look of twisted amusement tinged with deep-seated fear colouring his words and features "We didn't expect the academy to use this as chance to give their students some real-world experience….I received a message from Zirconia a short while ago, apparently the robots we had Cosmo-Guild attach to the Hunters as a show of solidarity and good will have been the topic of several jokes amongst her friends"

"Oh" Albion's face fell as he began to understand the source of his friends' sudden terror and sympathise with the twisting, wrenching feeling in his gut as it became obvious that the Grasshopper Faunus whom Nero considered his daughter in all but blood had been placed in the firing line by his own actions.

"We have to trust in Zirconia to look after herself now" Nero breathed the words out shakily even as he beamed with pride "I will always worry but I do believe she will manage, especially with her team at her side; they seem a tenacious bunch"

"Except she's in a location that's about to be attacked by a group armed with weapons intended to face Hunters, she and every other Hunter present will be tired and caught off-guard and the robots that would have been able to help in the defence have been deliberately sent out into the forests to be systematically disabled by the Grimm….All of which is made worse by the fact that agent leading the attack is dead set on revenge against the leader of Zirconia's team" Nero rattled the points of which frightening precision and painted a more bleak picture with each word before adding, almost hopefully "Does she know what's coming?"

"No" Nero shook his head "I don't want to risk raising any suspicions, not at a time like this….Zirconia has not failed us yet but her presence alone will draw more attention to the attack on Cosmo-Guild through her connection to me, if she were to do anything that might suggest that she knew something was amiss-"

"Catastrophe" Albion nodded, the word barely audible though Nero seemed suddenly invigorated; the act of discussing the matter with his old ally giving him some inspiration.

"Contact Carmesi" he said simply "You have access to the plants' camera feeds?"

"Of course" Albion seemed affronted at the suggestion he might have neglected something so simple "I planned to edit the footage to ensure none of our people could be identified, a layer of protection should the evidence not be as thoroughly destroyed as we might like"

"Good" Nero grinned "I have no reason to doubt that Carmesi will operate independently of Petrol and his gang, we can use that. Contact Carmesi and direct him toward Zirconia, the two of them having a chance to convene and share information could be invaluable"

"I can do that" Albion nodded, already in the beginning stages of enacting the changes to the plan before his brow creased "What if the Knucklehead does have a few of Petrol's goons with him?"

"Then at the risk of sounding too much like Carmesi myself….I will do everything I can to keep the innocent from being harmed; those are not innocents and I would happily have any of them incapacitated for the sake of Zirconia's safety"

"I can't fault that" Albion nodded "But every person taken down is a person we don't have working for us at a crucial moment….We're caught in a balancing act"

"Aren't we always Albion?" Nero managed a faint chortle at that before centring himself and flexing the fingers of his gloved hand.

With or without Zirconia's presence the attack would commence at any moment and its' success would herald the beginnings of everything he had sought to build being realised.

---

By the time Team MARZ had been deemed rested and recuperated enough to take to the field once more the chill in the air had intensified to a degree which was uncomfortable in a numbing, pressing and damp cold way rather than the biting and freezing cold which swept across the wastes of Menagerie every night and the iron-grey sky had already begun to darken as the sun, still cloaked by clouds began its' too-early descent, causing the limited light it had managed to offer for the duration of the day to be bolstered before being entirely replaced by sweeping, glaring beams of harsh illumination courtesy of an array of powerful spotlights arranged around the production plant which had the unintended effect of granting it a more militaristic atmosphere, the people busy with their usual work within the production facility being interspersed with machines and people dedicated to the ongoing search and rescue effort creating a sense of urgency through the sheer volume of bustling activity alone.

It was against this backdrop that Sun Wukong led Team MARZ out towards a waiting transport once again.

"Looks like we've got rain coming" the Monkey Faunus noted, a dispassionate sigh creeping into his words as he noted the pending change in the weather that he had sensed by qualities of the air alone.

"That changes things for us?" Athena-Jade asked, she and her team-mates only a step behind the experienced and qualified Hunter. Astra, who had been paying an almost impressively studious amount of attention to Sun's words which their team-mates had privately snickered at amongst themselves, ascribing it more to the Deer Faunus's tastes than their admittedly remarkable drive and desire to impress took the opportunity to offer the Bear Faunus a look which shifted from mild annoyance at a question with such an obvious answer to a confident smile as they realised they could use the, likely entirely intentional opportunity.

"Yeah it changes things" Astra nodded, answering on Sun's behalf and at the same time casting a furtive glance in the blonde man's direction "Heavy rain will muffle sounds, puts us at a disadvantage. If things get muddy then if the people we're looking for head out of a bunker or wherever they've taken cover they'll leave prints but so will we….We might end up with Grimm tailing us"

"Then we can stay off of the ground" Zirconia offered, dismissive yet not flippant "All of us are agile enough to move through the trees without disturbing our surroundings too much even without using AJ's glyphs"

"Those are good points and some nice ideas, good to see you're planning ahead and really considering your options rather than just running in blind….I've made that mistake a few too many times" Sun nodded with clear approval.

"So have we" Astra grinned.

"But honestly….I'm Vaccuan, after growing up with the Vaccuan wet season I just really don't like being out in the rain for hours"

"You couldn't find someone who makes shirts with hoods….Or buttons?" Regalia asked, an acid edge to her sickly sweet words leaving Astra both sputtering and flailing incoherently as they shot their partner as series of desperate and questioning looks in a silent attempt to understand what exactly she was doing, with the moment being prevented from becoming truly awkward by Sun letting out a burst of laugher.

"It's habit….Besides I earn it, you don't keep abs this good for this long and cover 'em up"

"Right" Astra nodded enthusiastically, though making a conscious decision to say no more than that for the sake of professionalism and maintaining any sense of credibility Team MARZ might have earned themselves; the Deer Faunus most certainly appreciated the older Faunus's abs but was under no delusions about how acting on that notion in any way would end, the Monkey Faunus was far too old even if he were not effectively their teacher. Regalia, apparently understanding exactly the kind of direction her partners' thoughts were travelling repositioning the braid of grey-brown hair which had been kept at its' shortened length and tucked it into the two jackets she wore, adjusting the garments which currently kept her own sculpted abs from view and pulling them closer for warmth with a roll of her eyes, the gesture which had almost certainly been based on similar displays from Athena being paired with an uncommonly sour expression which Astra resolved to ask her about at a more suitable moment.

They were almost at their transport after all and the mission would require their full attention.

"Everyone got everything?" Sun asked "I'm not asking the pilot robot to turn back around because someone left a scroll on the canteen table….I'm not even sure if it would listen anyway"

"Wait" that it was Zirconia who murmured the word out was more surprising to the rest of Team MARZ than the interjection itself and left Astra sagging in annoyance and defeat at the sensation of their image in the eyes of an experienced Hunter being ruined.

"Seriously?" they demanded with an exasperated vehemence which in turn prompted Athena to step forward, far shorter than Astra but provably the stronger of the two and clearly intending to give her team leader a piece of her mind until Zirconia raised a hand up to stop her and bid for silence in the same gesture.

"Listen!" she rasped out from behind her shawl "Can any of you hear that?"

"Wait" Sun cocked his head, the rest of the students following his lead and straining the keen senses that they had been blessed with as Faunus until each of them caught what Zirconia had noticed first, eyes wide with sudden panic and frank disbelief at the whistling sound of rushing air and the unmistakable sound of a projectile rushing closer.

It was Sun who reacted first, his Semblance flaring into life and allowing him to tackle all of Team MARZ to the ground at once as he let out a frantic yell.

"EVERYONE GET DOWN! TAKE COVER!" his words were partially drowned out by the incoming missile exploding on impact as it struck the transport Team MARZ had been making their way towards.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Athena-Jade almost screamed, her Semblance flying up in an interconnected wall of glyphs to provide an additional layer of protection to not only Team MARZ and Sun but also the workers nearest to them, many of whom were likely civilians without an Aura to call upon.

"Someone is attacking the factory!" Zirconia answered, springing to her feet with a mechanical hiss of pistons forcing out additional ounces of power, one hand helping Athena to her feet whilst the other fluidly drew her weapon which whirred to life as Astra and Sun sprung to their feet, the Deer Faunus deploying Buckshot Ares and using the shield component of the weapons to protect Regalia who had pulled herself into a crouch, her posture indicating a use of her Semblance even though her goggles had been pulled over her eyes to mask its' glow, a metal face plate extending down to offer additional protection.

"Regalia, anything?" Astra asked, hopeful, panicked and furious all in equal measure.

"They're up there" Regalia answered as she returned to full awareness "In the hills….Whatever they are their bigger than people and there's more than one of them"

"Some of the gangs in Neo Vale use mech-suits to fight Hunters. This is a factory, it's…..Oh shit" Astra's words trailed off, replaced by naked panic and galled disbelief at the sheer nerve of the attackers as comprehension dawned on them, only for them to be snapped back to focus as another attack, this time in the form of a lance of burning light seared through a part of Cosmo-Guild Industries' perimeter wall.

"Astra, we need a plan!" Regalia demanded, raising her goggles so that her pale purple eyes could be seen; filled with expectant hope and admiration as she turned to her partner; seeing the look Astra swallowed and braced themselves with their mind racing as they took in their surroundings in an attempt to inspire one of their signature hastily-devised and brilliantly executed plans.

The shapes of several large and lumbering figures could be seen shifting in the mist which cloaked the hills as a result of the Dust within them whilst closer at hand there was simply fire, smoke and chaos as the attack continued in earnest with a series of probing and explosive barrages; the landing pads were located toward the side of the plant nearest to the glass ridge hills and mercifully located some distance away from the main bulk of the factory where loaders, drivers and other staff were currently fleeing to and furthermore they were located close enough to the perimeter that Astra could see strategic points in the defences of the plant which was never truly intended to weather such an assault being torn asunder, the plants' walls were reinforced and boasted ramparts large enough to install weapon emplacements and spotlights yet were still a pale imitation of what could be expected to surround a settlement of major city and at present laser-fire and rockets were clearing the way for the attackers to breach several points in quick succession with devastating accuracy and ground-shaking impacts, with another aircraft being reduced to twisted and burning metal before it could venture more than few feet above the ground.

"It's not just the battle-suits, they've got other people with them!" Astra exclaimed "They're gonna hit the wall and gates at multiple points, try and rush us. What we need to do is-"

"I'm the Hunter here kid" Sun chimed in, a hand on Astra's shoulder silencing the younger Faunus "We pick the point they're most likely to focus a push on, I'd say the main loading gate on this side just because it's a big and easy target; we get on the wall and guard that. We break their momentum and see if we can force them to pull people away from other parts of their plan just to free up what we bog down"

Astra could sense intuitively that it would be a messy slog of a battle, though the plan was workable and they forced themselves to accept that in comparison to the sheer scale of the Land-shark which had breached Port Alistair's defences the approaching war machines were paltry; even if they had the advantage of ranged weapons and pilots capable of thinking.

"Okay Team MARZ!" Astra's voice roused their friends and spurred them forward "Let's go put these guys on the scrapheap!"

---

Team TRQS had continued on with their mission, Artemis's experience and wealth of knowledge being reinforced by the wilful determination to succeed of Tiger Santara and allowing the students to treat every dead end they found and every Grimm-infested area devoid of clues or bodies they encountered as if it were a positive thing, if only because it limited the amount of places that the people they sought to rescue could still be through a process of elimination.

The only other option was to accept defeat, something neither Artemis nor Team TRQS could countenance with lives at stake.

It had been a slog, hours spent in gradually worsening conditions, the five of them venturing deeper into the forests where bunkers had been situated at what had been originally intended as strategic points or places where prospectors, surveyors and preliminary logging and construction teams had been based, enduring mud, cold, hunger, exhaustion and the mild but lingering pain of minor injuries accrued over a series of skirmishes with the Grimm which their taxed and strained Auras did not heal as rapidly as they otherwise might have in their relentless pursuit. Thus far the each of the students had cut down a number of the Creatures of Grimm which would haven allowed them a sense of pride and contentment were it not balanced against the fact that they knew that they had truthfully done little to scratch the surface of what lurked in the dark and forbidding wilderness where paths that did not appear on their maps, crudely carved and little more than dirt trails gave an idea of the size of some of the monsters they might encounter; further to this the few bunkers they had managed to find thus far had been either abandoned and vacant entirely or else savaged by the attentions of the Grimm, with deep gouges left by monstrous claws that formed the majority of the damage they saw interspersed with the occasional trace of the same warping corrosion and deformity that had been inflicted upon the first bunker they had located.

However now it seemed that their luck had changed.

"There, this is the one" Artemis's voice betrayed a level of relief that the professional demeanour and sense of unreachable calm she had forced herself to affect whilst dealing with students could not entirely mask as she, with Team TRQS close behind her entered another clearing forcefully inserted into the forest in the centre of which the crudely disguised entrance to a bunker could be seen with a notable distinction between this location and those before it being that several trees had been bent at unnatural angles yet not cracked or shattered at their trunk, instead it were as though their nature had been changed to allow them to bend with the process likely being the cause of both the rotten, blackened patches that extended across those same trees and stripped their leaves away and also damaged the surrounding area, with patches of the mud underfoot containing chalky, hardened yet brittle matter.

"You're sure this is it?" Tiger asked, her hesitance more the product of being unwilling to so openly question the Huntress she had been assigned to than any fear of doing what might be needed; around her Stygian, Rye and Amaya showed similar signs of doubt which they managed to hide to various degrees.

"This is it" Artemis repeated with surety "I'm close enough for my Semblance….I can see Auras below us….Weak, but they're still alive"

"I don't get it" Stygian arched an eyebrow "Why did they duck and hide for this long? Why not try and make a break for it?"

"Not everyone has the same mentality that you do" Rye offered calmly, keeping any judgement or opinion he might have about the traits so fundamental to the Mouse Faunus to himself whilst beside him is partner and girlfriend, as mismatched as the pair often seemed frowned and considered.

"They might not have had the option to leave" Amaya pointed at the entrance to the bunker "Look….It's the same as some of the others"

"Damn it all, we're gonna need to damage it to get it" Artemis hissed through gritted teeth as she strode close with only a cursory glance around her to watch for any lurking Grimm; studying the domed and raised entrance hatch to find that it to had been scorched, twisted and partially melted to leave the coverings which kept it from view partially eaten away and more importantly that the hatch itself had been effectively welded shut.

"I can fix that; give me the word" Stygian announced his drawing closer and readied his sword, a Fire Dust crystal already primed and ready to be channelled through the highly conductive blade of Sharp Cheese whist his partner discreetly instructed her team-mates to provide cover. Artemis considered for a moment, feline ears pricking as she strained her senses to search for any sign of Grimm which could, by their soulless nature evade her Semblance before finally raising her weapon and using the butt of its' shaft to bang against the metal covering with a sound that would certainly carry down to the civilians within.

"We're Hunters!" Artemis called, bringing her mouth level with a particular ravaged and misshapen area of metal where she hoped her voice would travel more easily "We're part of a rescue operation and will be with you momentarily. Do not be alarmed, we will be cutting open the damaged hatch above you; the situation is under control"

With that she gave a nod to Stygian and the boy swiftly twirled his katana with a needless flourish, the Dust fed into its' internal mechanisms turning the blade to a glowing, superheated red that sacrificed none of its' sharpness or strength and allowed the Mouse Faunus to cleave through the armoured hatch at the point where its' two halves met, following the warped seam and opening the hatch in a single slash.

"Anticlimactic" Tiger noted as she took a position behind her partner "Though that tends to mean things are going to plan"

"Then we need plans with more flair" Stygian countered before turning to Artemis "All yours boss, take the lead"

"Thank you" Artemis nodded, forcing not to consider exactly which of her old friends from her own time as a student Stygian reminded of before taking care to avoid the still glowing edges of the heated and severed metal as she flung herself casually down into the bunker below, Team TRQS close behind though their own descents were more controlled as they used the ladder provided. In short order the five of them entered the main body of the bunker and were promptly greeted by a sea of ashen faces, the haunted, gaunt and drawn looks upon each of them speaking volumes as to what they had survived, with further testament being given by used medical supplies kept neatly separated from the clearly dwindling food and water, the distinctly medical scent pungent as it mingled with the stench of blood from the injuries the supplies had been used to tend to, along with other equally unpleasant smells. The first person to rise and address the Hunters, seemingly willing to accept that they were in fact real and not the subject of a group fantasy brought about by delirium was teenager only slightly younger than Team TRQS themselves; a dark-skinned fish Faunus of some variety with a finned tail trailing stiffly behind her and sporting a slightly oversized cowboy hat atop her head which was tilted back to reveal a wild look in her eyes.

"You're Hunters? You're actually Hunters, you actually came to rescue us?" her voice had a distinct twang which to a native of New Vale would suggest which of the outlying territories she hailed from "Oh my goodness thank you, thank you so much….I am such a dunderhead coming out here on my own, even if Ma and Pa agreed to it; Diabla and Ursinia told me to be careful and darn it all to heck they're gonna be so disappointed-"

"Easy" Artemis's voice was softer than the students in her care had heard it, the ease with which she began to handle the situation indicating that this was a look at her more natural, unguarded self "What's your name?"

"Huck….Huckleberry Red"

"Okay Huck, are you hurt? Are….Ursinia and Diabla, are they people who were travelling with you?" the idea of their being others stranded elsewhere in the forest without any means of communicating or supplies brought a dark look to Artemis's face which was washed away as Huckleberry spoke.

"Yes Ma'am I'm okay….As okay as I can be" the teenager stood with her hands clutched in front of her almost defensively, tilting her head to hide her face as she added "And no Ma'am they're student Hunters on Menagerie, Ursinia is a cousin of mine and Diabla is her team-mate and she's my….my special someone. I came out here to take an interview for an apprenticeship, I would have been able to save, it was connected to one of the colleges so I could dorm in the city and commute; I'd be able to fly to Menagerie from the airship terminal every once in a while and….And I'm sorry I'm rambling ma'am, there's other people here needing more attention than me"

"You're reacting normally to a stressful situation. Now let's get you back home safe so you can tell you're special someone that they don't have to worry about you" Artemis managed a gentle, almost teasing tone that was reassuring in its' normalcy; the feline Faunus deciding that as shaken as the girl was if she could manage feelings such as embarrassment over romance then she would manage for now.

Tiger was less tactful in her approach.

"We need details of what happened to relay to the emergency transport. Condition of the wounded, nature of the injuries, any deceased whose bodies were left behind-"

"Santara" Artemis uttered the girls' name in warning, a stern glare from mismatched green and yellow eyes with slitted cat-like pupils silencing Tiger in an instant, shuffling back to rejoin the rest of Team TRQS in a rare show of shame; though one of the other survivors of the ill-fated coach journey rose and staggered forward on a leg that was clearly injured, a stocky and burly man whose rugged and sturdy bearing complete with a scruffy bush of beard painted him as a local.

"Aye we've got a couple missing" he grunted out "Driver and a lad who said he went to a prep school for Hunters but never made the academy….Brave bastards the pair of 'em; when that Grimm came out of the trees they gave me the map, showed me the bunkers even I didn't know of and told me to keep these folk moving while they distracted the Grimm, let it chase the bus"

"We found what was left of the coach" Artemis admitted, seeing no sense in hiding or sugar coating the truth "There were no bodies"

The burly man took that as a final confirmation rather than a possibility and gave a savage curse at the situation, with another of civilians, a greying and weary looking woman explaining further with a sickened expression and eyes that watered even as her gaze became distant.

"Then it got them….that thing" she swallowed thickly to keep the contents of her stomach before gesturing at a pair of clearly wounded individuals hidden beneath sheets "Those poor boys…..their poor mothers' there'll be nothing for you to find, look at what the monster does"

"I can imagine" Artemis answered, taking a single glance at the burned, abraded and necrotised flesh visible in small patches not covered by sheets and bandages soaked in medicine and other fluids and understand with a sudden, nausea-inducing clarity that they had been struck by whatever means the Grimm that had hunted them used to wreak havoc upon its' surroundings and exactly why no bodies or trace of the driver and his fellow hero had been found. A hiss of sympathy and muffled gasp from various members of Team TRQS made it clear that the students also understood what was at play.

All of which served as a precursor for a single haunting sound.

"IT'S HERE! IT'S BACK!" one of the civilians screamed, inducing the beginnings of a frantic panic in the crowd as the sound of wet, squelching thud; like that of a viscous liquid being dropped against a hard floor yet amplified to a worrying intensity reached them, followed a moment later by a snuffling, phlegm-laced sound of something prowling at the edge of the bunkers' opening.

Artemis raised a hand to silence the crowd and in a miniscule show of relative fortune they complied, those who were able to do so staring hopefully, reverently at the woman who had come to save them whilst Artemis herself turned to Team TRQS.

"I have medical training that you don't and somebody needs to contact our base of operations; there's already aircraft in the area….We'll need at least two for this many people-"

"And you need someone to hold the line until they get here" Tiger surmised, readying her trident.

"I would never put students in a position like this if-"

"There is nothing to apologise for" Tiger lowered her protective veil from her decorative headdress, any lingering vestiges of emotion vanishing as she did so "Stygian, prepare to use your Semblance and take point the second you can. Rye, I want you to fire your weapons straight up at the hatch; if the Grimm is waiting for us at the opening we might get lucky. Amaya, you and I are heading up to help Stygian the moment Rye fires"

With that Team TRQS collectively began to move into position, proving once again that it was moments such as this where they shone.

---

Team MARZ had, as per Sun's orders made their way onto the largely still intact defensive wall that encased Cosmo-Guild's production facility and from their current position upon it could see the rapidly approaching enemy, a force which threatened to close the distance at any moment and unleashed a torrent of violence upon them as they did so.

"I was expecting more people!" Astra called out over the sound of their own weapons, the twin compact mini-guns attached to Buckshot Ares letting out a sawing cacophony as their bullets ripped into the lower body of a large mech-suit whose design could be described simply as a Spider-Centaur; its' lower body a mass of segmented limbs which clawed into the softened earth whilst its' headless upper section was comprised of an armoured cockpit and power supply to which a pair of arms ending in ranged weapons had been grafted.

"Yeah but they're making what they've got count" Sun Wukong commented as he aimed and fired one of his twin shotguns down into a hooded and armoured individual as they made a final run towards the entrance to the plant, the Faunus wincing as his target crumpled in explosion of pink-red mist "And some of them either don't have Aura or they've burned through it just getting this close…..Try not to kill if you can help it; we want to question these guys"

"Can do" Astra nodded, allowing the rotating barrels of their weapons to slow and gradually fall silent; the Deer Faunus taking a moment to peer our and see what awaited them. The attack had expertly timed and executed with an undeniable skill, with few aircraft available to the Cosmo-Guild plant which were not either committed to the search efforts or else otherwise occupied with their usual work being either reduced to ruin in the opening moments of the assault or limited to the point of ineffectiveness as the Dust-laden hills the enemy had approached from prevented a proper counterattack and allowed the battle-suits the opportunity to fire on the aircraft attempting to strafe the no man's land between them. The final result was a seemingly motley and ramshackle collection of war-machines providing cover for a group clad in black hoodies with tactical armour slung over them, their identities hidden by simple ski-masks, scarves and balaclavas with each of the attackers armed and carrying a small collection of other tool and implements; the group splitting up and fanning out as they neared in order to exploit as many potential entry points as possible and divert the limited attention of the defenders who numbered far too few to adequately protect the entire area, the Cosmo-Guild robots aiding the Hunters and regular security detail being picked off with almost laughable ease.

"Stand back I've got this one!" it was Athena-Jade who made the assertive declaration, using a glyph to raise herself perhaps half a foot above the ground as she transformed Mould Breaker into its' laser cannon form and resting the barrel of the weapon on the lip of the wall as she aimed and fired, the beam of crackling and ethereal green light lancing forward to strike the arm of the Spider-Centaur battle-suit, reducing a sizeable portion of the metal to glowing, molten slag before the Bear Faunus raised the glyph she stood on and used the lip of the wall to sharply shift the angle of her firing downward, dragging the beam of her laser down to sever the arm entirely and tear through several legs at once with a hiss of superheated coolant and hydraulic fluids being accompanied by a clanging, shrieking din as the battle-suit collapsed.

The sense of victory was short lived however as explosion ripped through the air and left the floor beneath Team MARZ's feet trembling as the walls were assaulted once again.

"A MACHINE JUST CRASHED INTO THE WALL AS IT WAS TAKEN DOWN!" Regalia gestured to a point to the left of the group where the pilot of a mech-suit clearly intended for large scale mining or similar operations, fitted with after-market weapons had abandoned their machine and now stood atop burning wreckage, clearly pointing and yelling for their comrades to make use of the hole in the wall created by the suits' drill-tipped arm and the temporary cover provided by the slumped form of the machine as its' dormant and battered shape leaned against the steadily crumbling defences even as it continued to be torn into by withering gunfire.

"We have other problems incoming!" Zirconia's voice raised above its' signature rasp; her weapon punctuating her statement as she raised it and unleashed a combined burst of Hard-light and Lightning Dust into the lumbering form of a mech-suit with oversized gorilla-like arms and large artillery piece mounted upon its' back; the attack sending arcs of electricity dancing across the hull of the machine and producing a gout of acrid black smoke from the innards of its' main weapon, slowing its' rate of fire and damaging something vital to such a degree that every shot clearly brought the weapon closer to an eventual total failure.

"We need to split up, spread out to cover more ground!" Sun called out, his usual jolly and good-natured demeanour slipping in the face of the devolving situation.

"I can cover that breach with my Semblance!" Athena-Jade declared, already shouldering her weapon and preparing to move.

"Go with her!" Sun pointed to Zirconia "Hold the line if you can, if they get through then go after them; make it as hard for them to get what they came for as possible. Mars, Russet both of you try and bring down the suit Shadowmoon just shot! If its' gun is damaged it might try and rush the wall like the other one!"

"On it!" Astra called back, springing into motion without hesitation and reaching out to tap at Regalia's shoulder and ensure that their partner was alongside them as they went. Time was an uncertain thing to measure in such circumstances, measurable only by the thundering heartbeats which Astra could feel pounding in their ears as they sprinted with all of their Aura-fuelled might which became ever more fervent as they began to realise that the incoming mech-suit, which still periodically shot at the wall as if to soften it for a greater blow would reach its' destination for the two students reached it.

"Regalia, no time to use your Semblance but you know more about these kind of machines than me….Where's a weak point? I've got enough for one good burst before I have to reload!" they gasped out between ragged breathes as they continued to run, guns cycling up once more to unload the last of the ammunition that had been steadily depleted by the days' battles.

"We were supposed to be careful about killing the attackers" Regalia noted cautiously even as she readied her own weapon.

"Their lives against the lives of the people that work here, innocent people?" Astra tried to sound certain, something entirely at odds with the leaden weight in their gut as they forced themselves to utter their next words "Fuck 'em. We do what we need to"

"Aim for joints!" Regalia called back "The bit that looks like a head is just sensors, try and get into moving parts"

"Right" Astra yelled, leaping up onto the edge of the wall and throwing themselves into a forward rolling leap; expertly angling and aiming before unleashing a final, pitifully brief burst of gunfire which guttered out in barely a second but was ultimately rewarded with groaning, lurching collapse as the machine began to stagger and finally crumple beneath its' own weight as the internal workings of its' oversized arms were shredded and the accumulated damage spelled the end of the battle-suit.

"Damn it I wish I had a good one-liner for that….We earned one" Astra managed to pant, managing a faint laugh as they skidded to a halt; their elation at the victory being stolen from them in the next instant as Regalia frantically pointed over her partner to gesture at the ruined machine which had come to a stop mere feet away from the wall.

"We're not done yet!" she yelled in warning, Astra drawing his weapons' arm-mounted blades in response as they whirled around. They had expected to see the mech-suit struggling to stand in order to deliver one final attack however they were instead met with the sight of a lone figure leaping from the back of the battle-suit onto the section of wall which Astra and Regalia had halted on and sprinting towards them with an almost palpable wave of cold, menacing fury rolling off them in waves as they drew a knife from where it was sheathed at the back of their waist.

"I've got this!" Astra assured Regalia, the Deer Faunus planting themselves between their partner and the incoming attacker and raising their shields, slamming the two halves of Buckshot Ares together so that a convex wall of rose-tinted Hard-light expanded outward. The attacker made no effort to change course or even slow themselves, instead reaching up to pull the fabric mask covering their face away with their free hand; hood falling away in the same motion to reveal feathers of an oil-stained, dirty grey colour in place of hair and eyes of a grey-green shade reminiscent of something diseased and putrid.

Astra's eyes widened in stunned recognition as the attack came.

"How the fuck did you get-" they were silenced as Petrol leaped into the air and in a single fluid motion reared back and hawked up a sizeable wad of the viscous, corrosive and vaguely adhesive substance that his Semblance allowed him to vomit forth whilst also preparing for a leaping front kick with the result being that the faintly glowing sludge struck Astra's hard-light shield and began to eat away it with such rapidity that it was already flickering and failing by the time Petrol's kick landed, shattering the barrier and striking the surface of Buckshot Ares beneath with enough force to send Astra skidding back into a crouch. Wasting no time Astra recovered and lunged forward with their arm mounted blades ready to stab at the avian Faunus to which Petrol responded with all of the brute strength he hand possessed in their previous encounter and a degree of skill which suggested whatever prison he hand spent time in had been nothing more than a learning experience for him; blocking and catching the first left-handed stab and switching his knife to the other hand so that he could more easily redirect and twist Astra's arm whilst the blades were locked before delivering a punch directly under the arm to the younger Faunus's chest which left them gasping and wheezing for air, following up with a kick to the back of the knee as he reached out to seize Astra by the antler and drive an elbow into the back of their head, slamming their face against the wall.

Astra was left seeing stars and was only distantly aware of Petrol seizing their legs and hurling them until the sensation of falling was replaced by a fresh wave of pain as they were left in a crumpled and agonised heap on the floor on the opposite side of the perimeter wall.

"Get the fuck up" Petrol spat, yellowed teeth bared in a feral snarl as he leapt down into the production facility's premises after them "I lost a fucking year of my life because of you, I already cut your little friend but you...You I'm gonna burn"

"If you hurt her I'll fucking kill you" Astra managed to slur the words out despite the pain of being thrown from a height that amounted to at least two stories as they struggled to their feet and readied their weapons despite the way the swayed. Petrol merely flipped his knife in his hand lazily as he began to circle his injured opponent, predatory in his efforts to seek out an angle of attack whilst Astra was reduced to watching warily and sucking in one painful lungful of air after the next, fighting off the dizziness borne of exhaustion and having their face slammed against a wall.

Just at it seemed Petrol would lunge at Astra a harpoon attached to a retractable cable plunged into the ground as his feet and forced both combatants to look up.

"ON YOUR LEFT!" the unmistakable voice of Regalia Russet yelled and Astra felt the weight and weariness pressing upon them lighten by the slightest amount at the sight of the Racoon Faunus leaping into the air and retracting the cable of Apex Scavenger so that rather than fall or travel in a predictable arc towards the ground she was instead winched and dragged directly down towards Petrol with frightening velocity which equated with crushing force as she delivered a punch to his left cheek which sent him staggering back several paces; though in a testament to his strength and willpower the slightly older Faunus managed to remain upright even as he rubbed gingerly at the affected area.

"Are you okay?" Astra managed to ask between pants, fearing the answer until Regalia shifted her weapon into its' pickaxe-headed staff form with one hand and tapped at her mask with the other, allowing her partner to see where the blade of Petrol's knife had scratched the lens of her right goggle and bitten a shallow gouge into the metal faceplate below.

"Are you?" she asked, concern filling her words though Astra nodded in response despite their obvious injuries and pain.

"I'll live"

"No the fuck you won't" Petrol laughed, spitting on the ground to produce a thick cloud of rancid gas as the ground began to dissolve, leaving both Astra and Regalia wary of both a suspire attack or the idea that he might attempt to run and make his way deeper into the facility and aid his comrades; the second concern being alleviated a moment later as his voice issued out of the cloud, from a different position to where he had been stood.

"I gave you a chance to walk away before you little prick….Now nobody walks away"

And then the attack came.

---

Team TRQS had made their way up to the surface and into the clearing with ease to face the Creature of Grimm which waited for them there, however upon confronting the monstrous beast it had become painfully clear that victory would not be so easy or straightforward.

The Creature of Grimm that confronted the team was roughly equal in size to the coach it had destroyed, a gargantuan and oddly cylindrical mass of tissue which appeared both spongy and immensely dense and muscular all of which was coated with a shimmering film which gave the obsidian flesh of the monster a wet, slimy appearance and only added to the sense of sickness and rot which pervaded it. The body of the Grimm bore almost none of the expected bone armour plating and was instead comprised of rippling segments which were rounded and vaguely conical in shape with the way that they sloped back, the bulk of the things' mass being in its' centre as both its' front end and short, blunted and stubby tail tapered towards its' sturdy middle; all of this being interspersed with a brief and utterly random of gnarled and twisted bone spikes which twisted and curled out at off angles as they erupted from the flesh of the Grimm, their surfaces covered in the same slime as its' hide which left them both pitted and partly eroded as well as giving them a slight sickly green cast.

It supported itself on eight trunk-like legs equally spaced between its' segments and these limbs were encased in more of the usual bone armour which formed jagged, serrated shovel-like claws at the tips of its' squat limbs and, though here too the bone was stained and pitted. The front of the monster was a truly nauseating sight as the thing could barely be said to have any of what might normally be considered a face, or even a neck or head and instead sported a flattened mass of flesh at the end of its' segmented form upon which blinking, bulbous eyes of hateful, glowing red had been set at random intervals as though sight were an afterthought to whatever processes had produced the abhorrent thing and from this fleshy slab of nightmarish black extended a stubby, hollowed tube of prehensile tube which could only generously be considered a mouth or trunk, the thing flaring with a choked, snuffling and wet sound to reveal spikes of bone that might be some ghastly attempt at teeth lining it and waving implements that might have been some crude approximation of either tendril, proboscis or a sensory organ.

It was a Tardigrade Grimm and though Team TRQS were ignorant of this fact, having never encountered the like of it before its' kind had been dubbed simply 'Degradation' by those with the spurious honour of having engaged the foul things and reporting on them.

Thus far it had proven itself to be gifted with both immense strength and a stubborn resilience against every attack levelled against it.

"KEEP ATTACKING IT!" Tiger yelled as she used her Aura to leap higher than would have otherwise been possible and twirl Fearful Symmetry in her hand so that the points of her trident faced downward, stabbing into the flesh of the Degradation with all of her might before reaching out to grasp one of the twisted bone spikes bursting from within it; the slick and filmy surface of the pitted bone provided less purchase than she would have liked and bringing a scowl to her veiled face which only deepened as she ripped her trident free and attempted to stab the Grimm again, finding that both actions took more effort than they should as the torn flesh sucked and grasped at the blades of her weapon as she sought to free it and then by contrast proved harder to pierce than expected, her follow up attacks failing to sink even the entire length of her blades into their mark.

"This isn't working Tiger!" it was Amaya Quasar who called up to her, words punctuated by the sound of her pistol staccato report as they tore small, shallow gouges into the flesh of the Degradation rather than the ragged holes that they should have. A moment later took the her weapons by the adjustable cable between them and hurled one pistol into one of the nearby trees at the edge of the clearing where the sickle blade at the pistols' grip sunk into bark and pulp with ease whilst the other was thrown up to Tiger who caught it deftly; pleased that her allies were capable enough to form plans and act without her constant supervision and instruction and trusting them, despite Team TRQS's ongoing personal matters to deliver what was expected of them.

A moment later Amaya, with more strength then her appearance would suggest hurled Tiger free of the Grimm.

In the same instant Stygian appeared, perched on the trunk of the Degradation and waved as its' many eyes fixed on him.

Tiger understood that the Mouse Faunus was created an obvious distraction but even still could not help but consider shouting a warning or some words of caution to her partner as she recovered from the crouch she had landed in and watched Stygian first simply grasp at the dense flesh he was balanced on, beating the Grimm's thrashing attempts to throw him free before taking Sharp Cheese, it's blade unaffected by any Dust and stabbing at one of the many eyes of the monster before back-flipping away and running for cover.

The sound that escaped the monster revealed that this at least had wounded it and caused severe pain; providing Rye the opportunity he needed to step out of cover with Chivalry in its' rail-gun form.

Firing a roughly hewn chunk of crystallised and unprocessed Gravity Dust.

The effects were immediate and devastating, the Degradation was flung from the clearing and into the trees, their already weakened state meaning that they were reduced to splintered fragments by the impact which in turn left the Grimm laid at the furthest end of a furrow in the ground and trail of destruction several feet long; the warping and fluctuating gravity well of the exploding and unstable Dust having ripped away the second leg on the right side of the Degradation entirely, revealing nothing more than a continuation of the spongy muscle and tissue beneath.

And still it rose to its' remaining feet.

"Oh come on!" Stygian yelled, gesturing furiously with the blade of his sword.

"Stay calm, stay focused" Tiger demanded as her team regrouped, striding to the front of their loose formation and planting herself beside her partner; allowing herself a rare breach in her stoic and unflappable facade as she reached out to gently squeeze Stygian's shoulder reassuringly which he was evidently caught off-guard by but seemed to appreciate.

In short order the Degradation was mobile again, entirely unhindered by the loss of a leg and an eye as it not only walked but in fact seemed to gallop with an odd shifting gait back into the clearing, its' tendril and fang filled trunk flaring wider as it let out snuffling sounds of what each of Team TRQS suspected was anger rather than pain at this point.

And then it attacked.

"GET CLEAR!" Tiger screamed out as it began. She, along with each of her team had studied the damage caused by the Grimm on its' surroundings and had believed, based on its' slimy hide and overall unhealthy appearance that the thing was in some way toxic with the most likely source of its' melting, warping attacks being its' maw; this was soon proven to be a mistake however as the film of glistening slime which coated it began to sizzle and steam, evaporating in a noxious cloud as the entire bulk of the Degradation began to glow with a steadily increasing light; a frightening shade of green in colour which began at the central point of its' sloped mass and extended out until the thing had a pulsating outline of light which appeared almost as a twisted parody of their own Auras until finally the light bust out in a spherical wave.

The mud sizzled and the ground nearest to the Grimm began chalky and brittle, trees which had not been uprooted or snapped in the previous exchange began to rot and wither as the effects radiated out and Team TRQS themselves each saw their own Auras visibly ripple as they were buffeted by the unstoppable assault which left each of them staggering further back in retreat, almost blinded by a sudden dizzying, nauseating sickness which left skin burning and knees trembling.

"Tiger I can get near with my Semblance but I don't know if I'll even be able to do anything before I collapse if it keeps that up" Stygian managed to inform his leader, each word a clear struggle against his own rising gorge "How do we fight that thing?"

"I don't know how, but I know we don't have a choice" Tiger answered, mustering every ounce of self control and determination that she could before straightening her back and squaring her shoulders in what she hoped was a picture of defiant strength.

"I can take the rest of its' legs" Rye offered "But it might just end up laying somewhere like that"

"The pilots for the evacuation would crash….Either that or the transports will fall apart before they can even land"

"Stygian" Tiger turned to her partner, raising her veil so that it was easier to breathe in her current state "This is what you get for complaining about things being anticlimactic. Are you happy?"

"That depends" the Mouse Faunus grinned, brushing his dreadlocks aside "Have you got a plan with some flair?"

"I'm working on it"

---

Athena and Zirconia had first reached the breach in the wall that Sun had sent them to, caused by the attacks and subsequent collapse of a mech-suit originally intended for mining and set about the seemingly insurmountable task of trying to hold a defensive line. Fortunately it was a task that the two of them were well suited to and their instinctive, almost preternatural ability to read one another's intentions from the slightest movement and gesture, paired with quick thinking and skill had allowed them to transform the ordeal into something that they could make short work of. Zirconia had leapt onto the head of Mould Breaker's hammer form and allowed herself to be flung forwards into the breach created by the modified mining-suit with the force of Athena-Jade's Dust-boosted hammer and swiftly brought up her Semblance in a sphere of darkness which filled the space, serving a deterrent to keep others from following after those who had already slipped through the plants' defences; from there Athena-Jade had raised a series of Ice-Dust infused glyphs to create a wall of densely packed ice and effectively seal the breach with the final touch being for the two girls to level their weapons at the remains of the damaged war-machine and obliterate it, targeting vital components to ensure that it could not be used and leaving its' strewn debris across the area closest to the wall to ensure that any who followed after it would have to contend with hazardous terrain.

That had been the first part.

Even as they caught their breath after the full-tilt run which had brought them to the breach, the latest in a string of demanding tasks the pair had been approached by a member of the plants' security team of some authority, uniform stained and charred whilst the small contingent of Cosmo-Guild battle robots that accompanied them were in a comparable state of disrepair; the fact that they had been of a newer issue than those which had accompanied Team MARZ into the forests meaning little in the face of their dented or entirely removed armour panels, leaking fluids or in some cases mangled limbs which left the automata moving with oddly organic limps. The security officer had taken charge of defending the breach, explaining to Athena and Zirconia that whilst the large scale threat of the enemy mech-suits had been largely overcome through their efforts and the ramshackle, patchwork level of repair of the shambling machines which had crumbled under the weight of their own modifications the issue now was apprehending those who had already managed to enter the facility and keeping a watchful eye for any incoming reinforcements or getaway vehicles that the group, who were now obviously little more than notably well prepared thieves might have laying in wait.

Seeing the concern on the security officers' face in regards for the weapons that the thieves might have Athena and Zirconia had been the ones to enter the vast, labyrinthine complex.

"Are we sure that all of the employees are safe?" Athena murmured as she and her partner prowled deeper into one of the factory buildings, emergency lighting casting the place in an ominous red ambient glow which gleamed against metallic surfaces with an irregularity which had made both girls aim their weapons at empty space on more than one occasion.

"Everyone not part of the security teams should be following protocol and in their designated shelter….Medical first responders and fire wardens can leave and set up elsewhere if needed but the majority of people are hiding behind blast doors like that one"

"What if they've got something that can cut through it?….I don't want to put these guys in a position where they consider taking hostages if I can help it" Athena's burly shoulders rolled forward as she clutched her hammer in both hands, giving her a savage and predatory appearance amplified further by the way the claws of her black-nailed fingers had extended and the fierce look upon her features, far removed from the expressions Zirconia was used to seeing as she strained all of her senses; Zirconia knowing her partner and girlfriend well enough to know that the enclosed space and nature of the attack had managed to if not open, then at least pick at wound left by childhood trauma from encountering the White Fang.

"They won't be able to cut it" Zirconia assured her, shifting Sunriser Cain to her other hand so that she could reach out and touch Athena, gently and briefly but hopefully conveying some reassurance as she spoke "Think about what Cosmo-Guild build here, the safety measures have to be able to withstand a catastrophe involving several of the same machines that these people are most likely trying to steal….If the blast doors close then the only option is to go around"

"Well, let's just hope that Cosmo-Guild didn't cut corners" Athena managed to breathe out through gritted, pointed teeth and flashed Zirconia a brief look a grateful relief before returning to her state of sharp focus as the two of them continued onwards. Following the strips of emergency lighting the pair studied the signs posted around the facility which gave some details and understanding of its' layout which, with their deductions and inferences about the aims of those they sought allowed them to begin seeking out areas that would likely be of interest to the thieves. Upon leaving the previous area they had been making their way through, a stone-floored hangar with a quality which suggested it had been more of a glorified and oversized storage closet than a true warehouse, laden as it had been with broken or obsolete machines the two entered an area which looked much more well maintained; the glow of emergency lights reflecting harshly from pristine surfaces.

"Assembly lines for small components….they look like parts of a sensor array" Zirconia noted as she paced over to one of several benches where tools had been set down and work abandoned, their neatly arranged lines allowing the Grasshopper Faunus to peer between them and study the contents with ease.

"Definitely something they might want if they've got mech-suits to throw away" Athena noted, shifting her weight and stance as she peered "This stuff is something that can probably be pawned or sold really easily….My Dad used to tell me about how younger gang members make extra money by looting anything they can carry easily even when it's not the thing they came for"

"We'll double back if we don't them somewhere else" Zirconia nodded in agreement with the point her partner was making before nodding at a sign hanging close to the opening between the assembly beds and the next unit of the factory, the shutter between them raised.

"Fitting?" she cocked her head and considered what she knew of such operations from listening to various discussions Damascus Nero had been a part of over the years "I think that might be where they install the sensor arrays….Which means they need to be connected to weapon systems"

"Then let's go" Athena's voice came out as a growl, the two girls stalking forward with Zirconia taking the lead simply by virtue of being stood closer to the entrance and the length of her stride. She entered the next area and cast her eyes around a workshop which was more jumbled and chaotic yet clearly organised by some logic which she was yet to discern, of more importance to her was the humanoid outlines in the red-tinged gloom of various Cosmo-Guild robots which failed to entirely disguise the shape of a lone figure slipping between them.

Zirconia made to raise her weapon and call out to Athena-Jade but it was already too late.

"LOOK OUT!" Athena was the one to yell and Zirconia whipped around, weapon half-raised to see her partner being ambushed by a group of attackers bearing a plethora of heavy weapons as they emerged from hidden nooks and crannies around and under the assembly lines; one of them taking aim and firing a searing laser beam at something close to Zirconia, which the roguish Hunter realised with sudden shock and dread was a control or alarm system which brought a blast door impervious as any other within the facility crashing down between them to cut Athena and Zirconia off from one another.

"Well….we'll never be the happy family and foster siblings that Nero wanted us to be; but it is nice to catch up"

"You bastard!" Zirconia hissed as she wheeled around as saw that the lone figure slinking through the machines had been none other than Carmesi Hueso, the Komodo Dragon Faunus now standing before us with a cold, yet faintly amused look whilst the ambient red of the emergency lights served to make his own fierce crimson stare seem all the more imposing.

"Is this the thanks I get for helping you?" he let out a low rumbling chuckle "You were never supposed to be part of this, the missing people in the forest changed the situation but this entire attack is going according to plan….Nero simply wanted me find you and ensure that you knew where we stood, there are developments to discuss"

"Athena-"

"Is irritatingly capable" Carmesi snarled, gesturing towards the scar that he himself had carved into his scaled chest by escaping her glyphs "Either she removes a few scumbags who know nothing of importance or….Well, I try to limit how many Hunters have to suffer but-"

"I am going to kill you!" Zirconia's voice wavered with incandescent fury as her mismatched eyes flashed yet Carmesi only smiled wider in response, more worryingly still he drew Vindication and Retribution.

"I'll allow you to try" he sneered, brandish the larger of his swords in her direction "The camera feeds are being edited but the room itself needs to show some signs of a struggle…..As Nero would say it would be sloppy to have an unconvincing getaway. So, let's see if you're in fighting shape for the Vytal Tournament"

And with that Carmesi and Zirconia rushed at one another.

---

Sun Wukong had found himself, without his knowledge mirroring the students in his care by abandoning the defences and the wall and venturing a little deeper into Cosmo-Guild's facility.

The Monkey Faunus, upon seeing that the considerable bulk of the enemies' heavy armour had crashed and been broken against the wall had turned his attentions to more immediate concerns. There were still a few scattered points of fighting which would ultimately prove futile where would be raiders and thieves found that their role in this heist was less enviable than first thought, taking cover behind ruined and burning machines as they fired weapons that were admittedly frightening in their calibre from the cover of smoke, the laser cannons, heavy machine guns and rocket launchers producing a cavalcade of explosions which had begun to steadily thin and become more disparate as each successive assailant fell and was collected by venturing teams of security, attendant robots and the few other Hunters still present at the factory, most of whom were in various states of fatigue but continued to prove themselves capable. With the initial threat in hand Sun had chosen to leap from the perimeter wall back into the landing pads littered with mangled and gutted husks of aircraft picked off by the attacks' opening salvos, including that which he and Team MARZ had attempted to board and from there he had begun searching for various groups of attackers who managed to enter and broken off into smaller splinter groups, each of which seemed to have a distinct purpose and goal in mind which spoke to a degree of organisation which matched their equipment and put them above the usual criminals the Monkey Faunus had grown accustomed to confronting on Patch.

One such group had been spotted and engaged as they hurried across a gangway between two parts of the facility, one evidently intended only for pedestrian use rather than the forklifts, cranes or any other similarly large and cumbersome means of transporting goods and parts and as such the progress of the group had been hampered as they were forced to carefully manoeuvre a pallet truck laden with their spoils which allowed Sun an opportunity to use his Semblance and natural acrobatic athleticism in tandem to reach them, sprinting leaping and running partway up the nearest wall before sending out glowing golden facsimiles of himself in order to catch his own hand and literally throw himself onto the gangway.

There had been five attackers, three currently remained with the other two having been left unconscious and injured but ultimately alive after being thrown over the gangway.

"Fuck fighting this guy! Let's go!" one of the remaining trio exclaimed, words accompanied by the worrying sound of a ricocheting bullet and sparks as their attempt to shoot at the Hunter resulted in them hitting the railings of the gangway before frantically holstering the gun and attempting to flee in the direction he had already been travelling. Sun, in the midst of the group watched for a fraction of a second as whatever discipline and organisation the trio previously possessed finally began to come undone as their plans were dashed against the harsh reality of an unrelenting enemy; the one who had yelled was already in motion and out of Sun's immediate reach however the remaining pair were closer at hand and bolted in opposite directions with one attempting a fighting retreat as he followed the man who had given the order to run and the other foolishly attempt to slip around the Faunus and reclaim the pallet of stolen components. The blonde man acted with all of the expert timing, precision and finesse of his experience and none of the limitations of his years as he first twirled his staff behind his back and in the same motion detached the weapon into its' two halves; firing his shotguns at the retreating opponent as they stepped backwards until their Aura flickered around them and they dropped their own weapon as their shoulder jerked back painfully; from there Sun dropped low and sprung forwards, closing the distance and using the nunchuck aspect of his weapon to ensnare the legs of his quarry as he flung himself into a rolling dive which forcefully threw his foe from their feet like a rag-doll. The disarmed gunman was struck again before they could even fall to the floor as a Sun's Aura manifested in a glowing clone positioned mid-leap above him, its' foot coming crashing down into a masked face to leave them sprawled and unmoving on the ground, the thief who had initially yelled for the trio to run was next to fall as Sun leapt to his feet and conjured another clone between the man and his target, this clone wrapping its' tail around a wrist before performing a back-flip to force the man off balance, driving a glowing shoulder into his stomach before lifting the criminal into the air and bodily slamming him, back-first into a railing.

Leaving a single opponent.

"Who do you work for?" Sun's voice was conversational as he recombined his weapons into their staff mode, the ease and nonchalance of his tone making it all the more terrifying for the lone criminal whose panicked whimpering could be heard even beneath the balaclava covering their face.

"Come on talk to me kid, who're you stealing parts for...a smash and grab on something like this? Big order for a gang from the Capital with a few scraped together mechs. Who's the buyer?" Sun continued, putting the understanding of crime acquired through his own misspent youth in a poor and crime-ridden area in the hear of Vaccuo to use as he advanced, not truly expecting the thief to break the code of silence imposed on gangs such as the one they were clearly a part of but offering up his own surmised conclusions all the same in what was a primarily an attempt to keep his opponent fixated on his words rather than the fact that he was drawing steadily closer with his staff at the ready. Eventually he was close enough to spring forward and did so with no further consideration for any answers that might be offered, a knee swung around in a tight arc and slammed into an unguarded kidney with devastating force which left the masked attacker crumpling and retching, their face falling directly into the path of an oncoming elbow strike which Sun followed up by pressing the shaft of his weapon under their chin and forcing them back against the railings; becoming instantly more assured of the likelihood of a successful questioning now that he had taken away any lingering hopes of escape his opponent might have harboured.

An instant later the air was split by the sound of screeching.

"Oh….Fuck me" the blonde man mouthed the words out slowly as his eyes turned skyward, inadvertently relaxing his grip on the pinned thief as he sought out the source of the sound; finding it a moment later in the form of scores upon scores of dark shapes rising up from the canopy of the forest around the plant, leaving the defenders and all else present caught between the jaws of both the attempt to storm the facility which had come from the hills and this new threat now hurtling towards them from the opposite side, no doubt drawn by noise and emotional outpouring of the battle which had been magnified by the strain the defenders had already been under in their attempts to find missing people.

Sun realised with sudden bleakness that it was inevitable that the Creatures of Grimm would come.

Author's Notes:

Now we're in the thick of it!
Two chapters of Vol.04 left, the big crescendo and then a wind down chapter.
Also, I'm writing this whilst a tiny bit ahead of my usual schedule and the way things work out I'll be writing Chapter 75, the last chapter of the volume whilst I have a week off of work….Now I do have some plans for the week and an idea for another fic I want to try and write in that time, but that means I should also have a chance to plan out the start of Vol.05.
If I don't get that done then there's a chance that there's a delay of a week or so between Vol.04 and Vol.05….But let's be honest, how many times have I said there's going to be a break and then dropped a chapter anyway?

But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
"The Chamber" it's such a great place to set tension even when the actual action is happening elsewhere.
Albion gets to call this his personal moment of no return since he wasn't directly involved in things like using Clan Aiktishaf as bait and the attack on Port Alistair….That was Carmesi doing his thing, this is Albion being directly involved in putting lives on the line.
Oh so we're just starting with absolute fuckery and treating it like a throwaway….Yeah you read that right Gestalt-Prime is mutating further and becoming an incubator.
Oops, they prepared for what they could prepare….They had no reason to expect Zirconia to be at the place they're about to stage an attack on; honestly it gives me the vibe of that one scene in "Northern Lights" by Philip Pullman.
Diverting the plan a little to give Zirconia a slight heads up….Because he's a villain with standards, also his little Dad mode speech was fun.
I dragged the banter out in scene specifically to build tension, you knew that the attack was coming but I wanted to make you doubt.
Astra is hot for teacher….This is going to go absolutely nowhere because common decency, but while everyone else at Halo Academy is a Ren-sexual Astra is thirsty for the Dilf with his pecs and abs out.
Regalia, honey….You're gonna have to unpack those feelings before you make an idiot of yourself.
And there it is; have to wonder if Petrol actually used a scope to pick that transport out specifically on the off chance he could get Astra in the blast.
The plant is well protected enough to deal with the usual Grimm, an armed group of coordinated attackers with a plan is something else.
Laying it on thick and really stressing the attrition here, because a big problem is one thing, a big problem at the end of a long day full of little to mid problems is a pain in the arse.
You really should have known that something fucked up was coming when I mentioned the details of the corrosion and corruption around the clearing.
If things are working then there doesn't need to be a big flashy ending….I can appreciate Tiger's thinking here.
Yeah I wanted it to be bleak in that bunker….Nothing needlessly graphic or over the top, but a simple pervading sense that they were broken, traumatised and at their wits' end.
Honestly, having Huckleberry show up isn't gonna be a plot point but I wanted a way to drive the emotional gut punch home, so I decided to have someone we've met be there….She was planning on moving from the village her and Ursinia are from, she's got herself an apprenticeship that involves commuting out to another village but actually living in the city; you travel that much in Remnant you're gonna run into Grimm just on law of averages.
Yeah, this Grimm managed to get some casualties under its' belt.
And now we have our Grimm….And a fair, reasonable reason why it's just Team TRQS up against it.
Any big fight that starts with a team of Hunters on the wall is going to end with the group getting split up and someone getting thrown off of it.
Not don't kill, just try not to if you can help it….Sun is explicitly telling the students to do whatever they can stomach, the gloves are off now.
Well Athena got a really nice hit on the first battle-suit, but you've gotta hand it to Petrol; he's learned a lot during the year he was away and put that knowledge to use really quickly, the increase in the threat he poses between his appearance in the first chapter and now is astronomical.
Astra has a habit of being a little heavy handed sometimes, hitting people when they're down and playing dirty when there's no need….I feel like they would be able to pull the trigger on someone, but they'd be fucked up afterwards.
Oh come on, I made sure to describe the suit the same was as the last chapter so you all knew it was the one Petrol was riding on; you knew he was gonna turn up.
Astra didn't actually know Petrol was out of jail….That was a definite record scratch moment; followed by an absolutely brilliant opening from Petrol.
Aww, Astra and Regalia are ride or die….Unpack it later.
Of course that was the movie quote she went for.
So, Astra and Regalia vs Petrol; that's gonna be fun.
A fucking Tardigrade Grimm….Do you know how long I've been waiting for a suitable place to use this thing?
Yeah it's a tank, Team TRQS could take turns hitting this thing all day and get almost nowhere….Although a rail gun firing a gravity bending round at it will definitely start things off.
That shoulder squeeze….What you just saw there was the first sign of actual camaraderie and support in over a year from Tiger; desperate times, desperate measures.
Surprise! You saw the description of the terrain and the injuries the missing people had; the Tardigrade Grimm has fantasy radiation poisoning as an area of effect attack….Because why would I ever make things easy.
So AJ and Hops did what they went to do, they held the line with a creative bit of tag-team work and then went after the rogues.
I was using the factory I've worked in for a little over a year now as a basis for the plant….That factory is over a hundred years old and I am completely serious when I saw we've got entire areas of the factory that exist just to store old and obsolete machines just in-case we ever need something sturdier than the robotic stuff.
AJ's fears are reasonable and something that's been touched on before….These are not the kind of scenarios she likes working in because of personal reasons; but it was also a nice set up for the blast door/barrier thing, meaning that she's gonna have to find another way to get to Zirconia next chapter.
Was anyone surprised by the Carmesi ambush?….He does make a good entrance though.
Oh the whole confrontation between Zirconia and Carmesi was fun and messy….They're supposed to be enemies, but they're on the same side and Nero would honestly have loved if the two could see each other as family so they're actually supposed to be allies….But really they can't stand each other.
Sun can take five guys…..Oh, in a fight? Yeah sure that as well.
Okay generic henchman number 42 listen, never be the one to shout run, that person never gets away.
Trying to figure out how the fuck to actually write Sun's action scenes with that weapon and that Semblance is tricky….But I think the take-downs were suitably crunchy; like Sun is acrobatic and likes showing off, but I always see him as someone who can and will throw in a nasty sucker punch, double leg take down or kick to the mouth if he gets an opening just out of Vaccuan survivalism.
Also, notice that Sun isn't in the loop enough to know the things that someone like Qrow or Ren would have asked the henchman and he doesn't know the specifics of what's going on with gangs in Neo Vale because he lives on Patch….He's making inferences based on experience and managing to be somewhere in the ballpark of accurate but not quite.
But more importantly….You can't have a full scale attack on a factory at the edge of a Grimm infested forest without drawing in the Grimm.
So….Next chapter is gonna be utter chaos.

Thank you to OrcPaladinArthur for their review on the last chapter.
Stygian's Semblance is just him getting right into the thick of it, basically "The best defence is a good offense" cranked up.
I feel like Team MARZ should be something of a positive influence on Team TRQS, provided they don't pick up Team MARZ's bad habits as well.
Yeah...Sword railguns are fun, actually in FADE "Beta" from the Cult of Taurus had two Katana's that formed a greatsword or a railgun.
Astra Vs Petrol...Heh, see I'm mostly finished with Chapter 74 while I'm writing this and...Oh boy.

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