Grimmfall: Eclipse

I do not own Grimmfall, Gargoyles, OK K.O, Powerpuff Girls or any other franchises with characters or ideas that appear in this story.

A new threat emerges, heralded by Goliath's former love. As Point Prep's own Foxtail goes on the hunt, Sebben brings Melissa Hunter into the field to stop events from spiralling into chaos.

Xxx

Chapter One: The Auramancer

Grimmfall, Farren Fury Dojo

A class of almost twenty, most of them humans and Faunus in their late teens to mid twenties, were transfixed by the spectacle going on before them. Several meters away, set in the middle of the sparring mats, their teacher was stirring a cup of tea with the use of a spoon. To both sides of her there was another student, winded but circling her in preparation for another attempt.

Lifting the spoon from the tea, the teacher tapped it twice against the rim of her cup. Both students launched themselves at her as one, synchronizing their attacks to compliment one another and maximize their chances of overwhelming her defences.

Faster than any of the class could observe, the teaspoon struck the aura of one of the attackers. His aura shattered and he was knocked back onto the mats. The second attacker's outstretched fist was struck by the utensil next, making her yelp and withdraw her attack to cradle her hand. Quickly recovering, she tried to attack again, making her teacher halt in lifting the tea cup towards her lips.

"Too brash."

Two taps of the teaspoon later and the pupil's aura shattered. They barely hit the mat before their would-be ally was on his feet and taking one shaky step forward, arm raised…only to find the sea spoon resting against his nose.

"Dead." Melissa took a sip of her tea. "Your aura was broken first, Randal. You'd be dead if I was a Grimm right now." She tapped his nose lightly and turned to address the rest of the class. "Can anyone point out the most critical mistake that Randal and Celeste made?"

A beaver Faunus raised her hand. "They weren't really working together but were just working off of one another." She said. "They were attacking together, but they didn't have a plan or coordination. They were jut hoping to get a hit in while the other distracted you."

"Correct." Melissa smiled and took another sip from her cup. "What is the first rule of fighting as a team?"

As one, the entire class- including the defeated Randal and Celeste, responded. "No team is better than a team that won't work together."

"But only if that team refuses to improve together."

Every head turned towards the door. Murmurs filled the room as they beheld the Mayor of Grimmfall and Headmaster of Nevernest standing in the opening. Callie Briggs stood at his side, suitcase in hand.

"I taught her that." Phil Ken Sebben added.

Melissa set her tea down on her desk and clapped her hands twice. "Class dismissed. I want every pairing to go over the chapter on martial harmony and prepare a tactic for Scenario 8E on the portal site." She instructed, and hurried her students to pack their belongings and go.

Once the dojo was emptied and Melissa had the door locked, she exhaled softly and looked towards her old teacher, who had taken a seat in front of her desk alongside Briggs. "I take it you aren't here about my husband."

"Unfortunately, no." Sebben confirmed her fears as Briggs opened her suitcase. "I'm here about you, Melissa. I'm sorry to ask this of you, but I need you to return to the field."

Melissa sat across from him and reached for her tea pot, giving him an inquisitive look and proceeding to fill a second cup after he nodded. "Who's the target?"

"Not that kind of mission." Sebben accepted the cup and saucer, laying his cane across his lap. "Demona has been released from captivity. The culprits were gargoyles packing modern weapons."

"I'm sensing another detail that I'm not going to like." Melissa sighed, setting her cup down in disappointment.

"Foxtail is after them and is on a warpath."

Briggs laid out several files showing previous encounters between Fotail and this rogue clan.

"Where this clan goes, Fox has been behind them." Sebben explained as Callie showed Melissa a map that corresponded to these skirmishes. "And it seems she doesn't mind leaving a mess in her path."

The cup and saucer clattered against the table. Melissa slowly breathed in and counted down from ten silently. "…and I should care about her involvement…why?"

"Don't be coy Melissa." Phil chastised gently. "You know better than most what she will resort to."

"You mean going after Demona's old clan on the paranoid, snake-fuckingly crazy delusion that Goliath haas actually been in cahoots with her from the start and the years of animosity and murder attempts has been an elaborate cover for a Gargoyle conspiracy?" Melissa deadpanned. "Yes, I know what she'll do when the leads dry up. That you're here now tells me we're either there or close enough to it to be concerned."

"Option B." Phil nodded. "I'm not asking you to fight her, Melissa. I'm asking you to stop her from putting us on a path to another war when we already have too any enemies on our hands."

Melissa rubbed the bridge of her nose. "…Same old Fox. Give me her next predicted location and I'll run her down before she can start a war. In the meantime…I need to make a call."

Xxx

Grimmfall, Hunter Residence

"The kids will love having their cousins over." Sarah Malcolm, present by way of Melissa's tablet as it lay on the kitchen island, said while watching Melissa finish in packing bags for all three of her children- who were not yet home from school. "And…Gob only knows I could do with a little more sound in this house."

Melissa wasn't the only one who could legitimately claim to have a husband who was abducted by aliens.

"I'll come by and stay after I'm done." She zipped up Robert's back pack and added it to the lineup of luggage. "I think we could all do with a little more company until the boys get home."

There was a shared optimism among the Hunter and Malcolm families that Team RGCK (or Team RLCK as Leslie's involvement implied) would return to Earth, one way or another.

"…why do you need to go?" Sarah asked, the question having festered in her since the news was broken "Why not literally any of the other thousand elite Huntsmen he could call in?"

"A lot of them have their own things to deal with, and none of them have what I have with old Foxtail." Melissa returned to the island and picked up the tablet. "History."

"I'm pretty sure most of them-"

"Actual history." Melissa interrupted. "Childhood history.

"You mean…?"

"Point Prep." Melissa sighed.

"You're kidding me! How?!"

"Well I like to think it was because I was very diligent-"

"Not that! How do you go from that place to Nevernest?"

"The simple way." Melissa shrugged. "I transferred. Last year. Sebben gave me credit for my years at Point."

"Wow…and I never knew all this time." Sarah muttered. "Not that I'm not glad that you transferred, that is. But…why?"

Melissa took a deep breath and closed her eyes, recalling the conversation that had sealed the deal. Her standing in the rain, tablet in hand, shouting over the thunder.

'You have to choose!'

'Screw that and screw you for making me! I'm out!'

"…Fox gave me a choice." Melissa finally said.

"A choice?"

"A choice." Melissa nodded. "…and I chose your brother."

Xxx

Cargo Vessel Hsi Wu, Atlantic Ocean

What have I- have they done?!

No…it's always us. Always.

No! The humans-

Cannot hold back the tide of your own decisions.

Damona's eyes snapped open and saw red. She tried to draw breath but inhaled liquid. Gagging and coughing, she shot upwards from the solid ground beneath her and broke through the surface of a red pool, splattering droplets all across her surroundings in her haste. She collapsed to her knees and vomited the red liquid out, clearing the way for a deep breath of air.

"Rise and shin, daughter of mine."

Demona looked up and any fury she felt evaporated at the sight of the winged silhouette and glowing red eyes looming over her. She instinctually bowed her head until a clawed digit ever so gently tilted her head back up by the chin.

"I knew that you would take well to my gift." Vorador crooned. "Others were not so lucky, but you didn't even struggle to embrace it."

"Embrace…gift…?" Demona's head spun as she tried to remember how she'd come to be submerged in… "Is that- blood?!"

"My blood to be precise." Vorador confirmed, gathering her into one arm and leading her over to a table with a waiting towel. "The process requires a physical link between myself and those I imbue with my power. So too does it need a link for…amendments to what I give."

He wrapped the towel around Demona and took the time to clean her off with tender care that she couldn't remember anyone- save Goliath, using in her long life. "What do you mean, father?"

Vorador's lips slowly curled into a smirk. "Let me show you."

Then he tore away a nearby curtain and sunlight flooded into what Demona would later realize was a modified shower room. But that detail was lost on her presently as she gasped and threw up her hands to shield her eyes, expecting to be struck with the agony of her transformation to human…only to be surprised when nothing happened.

Slowly she opened her eyes and looked at her hands…her clawed, powerful gargoyle hands. "I'm…not changing?" Her heart raced as the realization sank in. "The sun is out…and I remain a gargoyle! And-"

"-not a helpless target for pigeons?" Vorador guessed. "Yes, my daughter. That is my gift to you and your clan: freedom." He grinned. "Freedom from the dominion of the sun."

Xxx

After dressing, Demona followed Vorador out onto the deck. Here she could see gargoyles…dozens of them gliding freely, perched on storage containers or the ship's superstructure. Others were sparring in open areas, or playing games- actual human sports. The sun was warm against Demona's skin, for the first time in her life she felt it as a Gargoyle instead of as a human…and it felt all the warmer and sweeter.

Daemon glided down and landed before them, dropping down to one knee. "Father. Lady Demona." He looked up to her with a genuine smile. "The daylight suits you, my lady."

Demona did her best to make her expression appear dismissive as she looked up to Vorador. "How is this possible?"

"I made gargoyles, dear." Vorador shrugged, hands folded behind him as he slowly walked over to a nearby railing overlooking the sea. "I was not being dramatic when I said that. And just as I can make them, I can change them. Long ago I changed them to turn to stone in the light of day, and so too have I chosen to undo that."

"But why did you ever afflict us with that?" Demona asked. "For every gargoyle that died in battle with weapon in hand there are a hundred who died helpless as statues."

"Yes. That was…short sighted of me." Vorador admitted, surprising Demona- who had for a moment thought that she'd spoken too boldly. "Dear child, long ago…I was a god in all but name. Before there was Sammael, there was myself and my brethren. Sorcerers born of humanity who had mastered the mystic arts and transformed ourselves to become something…more."

He unfurled his wings to their full length. "I chose this shape to embody the power of the skies which I had come to dominate. And overtime, other humans saw my greatness and came to revere me. Among those who served most loyally, I rewarded by bestowing a small portion of my own power upon them. They could fly, wield the strength of ten men, see in the dark and turn to stone to heal from wounds that would kill or cripple others."

"And thus the Gargoyle race was born." Daemon said, radiating pride.

"And flourished." Vorador continued. "Through them, my empire grew stronger. Humans came to serve gargoyle. Instead of gargoyles toiling endlessly to protect thankless monkeys, they ruled under my supervision. All was well…" His smile faded. "And then a serpent entered my garden and ruined it all. Whispered into the ears of my vassals, tempted them with promises of greater power…and turned them against me."

One of his hand closed around the railing and twisted it out of shape like crumpling paper.

"They were able to imprison me, and in my final moments I inflicted a curse upon all of Gargoyle kind, believing that all of my children had betrayed me. In doing so, I caused the deaths of countless gargoyles who plummeted from the sky as statues, or sank into the depths of the sea…or were struck down on the field of battle" Vorador confessed. "When I eventually awoke and freed myself and saw what my children had sunken to, I knew that in my haste I had punished guilty and innocent alike. But I cannot simply undo this change across all of gargoyle kind…because most gargoyles are beyond saving today, set in their ways of serving humans like dogs begging for scraps from the table."

Demona growled at the reminder, having seen too many of her kind willingly submit themselves to humans who would gladly see them dead. "They deserve this curse as much as those who betrayed you."

"Perhaps." Vorador conceded. "But they will be given the chance to repent. I am a forgiving father, after all. But first comes our great work."

"I was wondering when you would get around to that."

Sammael, atop a nearby crate and watching the Gargoyles spar, turned and clapped his hands together. "She's going to find out one way or another, so we might as well come out with it." He said. "That serpent he so affectionately mentioned? You're looking at him."

Demona bared her fangs at him. "Why dos that not surprise me?"

"Peace, child." Vorador laid a hand on her shoulder. "Though his crimes against me are severe, one benefit to being timeless is that the grudges of yesterday are meaningless. We are allies of convenience now, as our aims align. Our enemies are one and the same."

"The enemy of my enemy is only my enemy's enemy." Demona insisted. "This one will find a way to betray you again, father."

"Not when his plans benefit from our success." Vorador shook his head. "But I am not naïve enough to completely trust him so much that he would have another opportunity to depose me. He and I know to be watchful of one another."

"Friends in mutual paranoia, you might say." Sammael joked. "But what he says is true. I do stand to benefit greatly from what he has planned. That is why I helped arrange your release, dear Demona. Because I know that you more than anyone else would give anything to see it done."

"And what is it that would see you both work together?" Demona asked.

"Gargoyle-kind reclaiming its rightful place in this world, beginning with a kingdom to call its own." Vorador answered. "But I will not simply claim an empty lot of land or occupy some ruin. No…I intend to take from the humans, the Faunus and the Mobians what they have stolen from my children so many times before: their home. And those who remain will know their place in it or die, just as in the old days."

A gargoyle kingdom. Demona could envision it already from looking at the deck of Hsi Wu. Gargoyles flying freely, fearless of the light of dawn, able to live without submitting to the rule of lesser beings or risking themselves fighting to defend those same vermin.

A place she could call home…at long last.

But it won't be home…you left home behind long ago.

"…I have one request for this plan." Demona said before she could stop herself. "My daughter, Angela. I want her to be brought into this kingdom."

"Surprise, surprise." Sammael drawled. "Not the rest of your old clan, though?"

"They can die with the rest." Demona forced herself to say.

"Even if Angela hates you for their deaths?"

"You leave educating her to me." Demona snapped at the Fallen. "She will come to see things my way. Our way."

"And she will be given every opportunity to join us." Vorador promised. "But first we must focus o the first step of our great work. Since my time the lesser races have armed themselves with powers that put them on par with gargoyles. I intend to see to the improvement of the powers I gifted my children, but first we must work to declaw those who would threaten our new kingdom." He handed Demona a tablet from a pocket of his robes. "It will be all on here. You will lead the clan in acquiring it."

Demona opened the tablet and stared at the only file on it. "Project…Titanomachy." She opened it and felt a surge of exhilaration rush through her. "Oh yes…this will be invaluable."

Xxx

Empire City, Manhattan Clan Rookery

Seeing Elisa waiting for them when they awoke from their stone forms was normally reason for joy among the Manhattan Clan.

But the concern and alarm on her face put paid to those thoughts as the Manhattan Clan assembled, climbing down from their perches outside the rookery.

"Guys!" Elisa cried out as soon as they entered her view, her heavy breathing and slight hint of sweat on her brow implying she'd just run up from the station below.

"Elisa." Goliath hurried to his mate, leaping down to her level. "What is wrong? Has something happened?"

"You've got to look at the news." She told him immediately. "You won't believe what happened today!"

"Alright, las, easy." Hudson said, already settling into his favourite chair and reaching for the remote. "You look like you've just run from the Cu-Sith."

"Gnash, take your sister and go fix her some breakfast." Brooklyn said, handing a yawning Queens (once known as Egwardo) off to Nashville.

"Hai, father." Gnash took his younger sibling and hurried off, knowing better than to question why the adults would want the children out of the room. Fu-Dog and Bronx followed behind, more interested in the prospect of food than television.

The rest of the clan assembled around the television. Angela and her mate Broadway, Brooklyn and his mate Katana, Lexington, Goliath and Elisa all stood to either side of Hudson's seat as he turned on the television and set it to the nearest news channel.

"There!" Elisa pointed as the screen showed a news anchor reporting…on a winged silhouette illuminated in clear sunlight, revealing it to be a gargoyle.

But not just any gargoyle…

"Demona!" Lexington growled at the sight of Demona perched atop the Emperor's Statue in the harbour of Empire City.

She was staring directly at the camera, her signature smirk present. But she was clad in more modern attire: dark clothing and tactical armour tailored to her gargoyle physique to not impeded her wings, tail or claws. And other shots were revealed of more gargoyles circling the Emperor's Statue.

"…made no aggressive actions to tourists or staff but otherwise refused to respond to commands to vacate the statue until Empire City Police-"

Hudson muted the television. "Gargoyles. In daylight?"

"Led by Demona no less!" Goliath rumbled.

"No way…" Brooklyn growled. "That's impossible!"

"And yet it's happened, lad." Hudson said grimly.

"Sebben contacted me earlier." Elisa explained. "He said that late last night Demona was rescued from her prison by those gargoyles. They disappeared until earlier today when they launched a raid on a lab and then just flew around the Emperor's Statue before vanishing again."

"It would appear that the traitor wishes to get our attention." Katana commented. "I can imagine little else that she would show off her newfound…immunity to."

"But Demona knows where the rookery is. Why wouldn't she just attack us during the day?" Lexington asked.

"It wouldn't satisfy her to defeat us as statues." Goliath said. "She wants our attention. She has it. Elisa, I need two things from you. Shelter for the children until the rookery is no longer at risk…and the location of this lab that she attacked."

Xxx

A short time later, the majority of the Manhattan Clan landed on a roof top that gave them a perfect vantage point of the lab facility. It was a branch of a corporation called Pierpont Programming, a software company according to Elisa's background checks…

But after seeing military vehicles parked around or hovering over it, it was Lexington whose work was vindicated.

"Point Prep." He said, sighting the logo on one of the airships. "See? Basic anagram."

"Nobody said you were wrong." Brooklyn lightly elbowed the smaller gargoyle.

"But this leaves the question of why Demona would wish to antagonize one of the foremost institutes of Huntsmen training." Katana pointed out. "And why Point Prep would bother hiding behind a fake software company."

"They talk a big game about being more open and transparent , but so does everybody else." Brooklyn replied. "Xanatos still has plenty of hidden labs under different names to keep the work from being traced back to him."

"Then we need to know the purpose behind this particular lab." Goliath decided. "But I doubt that we would be greeted warmly if we asked."

Suddenly a spotlight was aimed directly at the clan, causing them to cover their eyes as a Point Prep gunship swooped in.

"Gargoyles sighted! Gargoyles sighted!" A side gunner shouted before letting loose with a spray of bullets as the Manhattan Clan scattered, diving off the side of the building and unfurling their wings, gliding between the nearby buildings for cover.

"Check your fire! Nearby buildings are occupied. Targets are considered mixed with civilians!"

Katana landed in an alleyway and glared up at the gunship as it swept past in pursuit of Lexington. Her hand travelled to the hilt of her sword, but Brooklyn stopped her.

"We engage and they have even more reason to think we're with Demona." He warned her with a shake of his head. "Lex will shake them. Goliath wats us to meet back up at the rookery."

Katana sighed but relented. "So be it."

As they moved to the nearest manhole, the couple were being watched. Not by some camera or drone hovering close enough for their sharp eyes or keen hearing to pick up, but by two figures hovering hundreds of feet over the alley.

One of the watchers swallowed. "We can see them."

"Good. Follow them back to their hole and await further orders."

"Yes ma'am." The first watcher said, maintaining a façade of calm while her companion was doing everything she could to not begin crying. "Come on…we have to do this."

Xxx

The Manhattan Clan were no strangers to evading pursuit. They had mastered vanishing into the concrete jungle that was Empire City and navigating it to make their way home while eluding the best of hunters in the process. Goliath and Hudson were the first to return, followed by Angela and Broadway, then the rest of the clan altogether.

"We'd best get Elisa back up here." Hudson advised. "We unfortunately lack the anonymity for inquiring discreetly about this lab."

"Already on it." Lexington hopped on his computer and began typing Elisa a message.

"What do we do after?" Angela asked. "Even if we find out what was going on in there it won't tell us where she is."

"But it'll tell us where she might go next." Broadway pointed out. "Classic detective rule: everything a perp does is a clue about what they'll do next. It's called an M.O. Or a Modusi-thing."

"Pretty sure that's not how an actual detective outside the movies would say it, but he's right." Lexington agreed as the message was sent. "She wanted something from that lab. If we find out what it was, like a weapon or some computer, it could tell us what her game plan is this time. It won't tell us where she is, but it'll narrow down where we can- who unplugged the wifi?"

"Who unplugged my satellite?" Hudson demanded, getting static on his television.

"We did." A soft, almost timid voice admitted from above.

The entire clan looked up to see two figures floating down from the shadows of the rookery's upper reaches. Both appeared to be young human girls with large eyes, one with pink and the other with blue. They wore matching, colour coded dresses and were looking at the clan with remorseful stares.

"We're sorry." The brunette said before her eyes began to glow red alongside her companion's. "For that…and for this."

Xxx

Less than an hour later, Elisa returned to the rookery only to find it to be trashed on the inside. Shattered glass, broken Le torn is and splintered wood riddled the room. Lengths of scorched material decorated several surfaces while others were coated in frost. And there was not a sign of any of the Manhattan Clan to be found.

"Goliath?!" She called out. "Angela!"

"They aren't here, detective."

Elisa looked at the upper landing of the rookery to see David Xanatos crouched and examining something, several of his drones hovering nearby and sweeping the floor with Lin's of light emitted from their camera lens eyes.

"Xanatos?" Elisa hurried up the steps towards him. "What happened?"

"Goliath and the clan were followed back and attacked." Xanatos answered simply. "I became aware of it when my drones picked up Point Prep forces moving in on this location. I still keep tabs on the clan in case of something like this."

He still felt indebted to them for rescuing his son long ago. Try as he might, even David Xanatos couldn't hide that he felt he could never fully repay them. That alone was why Elisa didn't react as she once would have by thinking he was involved.

"Why would Point Prep attack them?" Elisa asked.

"Probably because one of their facilities was attacked by gargoyles earlier today and their Professor Foxtail isn't known for making sound, rational decisions when she's been slighted." Xanatos answered. "She had two very powerful fighters move in and attack the clan first, then brought in the cavalry while setting up a shield that, judging by the lack of a response from your colleagues downstairs, muffled the sounds of the battle. Those two fighters flew around, shooting lasers from their eyes and apparently blowing super cooled air to keep the clan off balance. I could barely believe it and I'd recorded it in HD. Then Foxtail's troops moved in with capture equipment and…" He shook his head. "By the time I'd gotten my armour on to fly over, it was already done. They took the clan away with some teleporter."

Elisa looked around. "There has to be some clue they left behind. Something to point to where they took them!"

"I imagine there is, but I think you're a little late on finding it." Xanatos motioned with his head. "She's already on the case. Got here before I did."

She?

Elisa looked to where Xanatos had indicated and saw someone crouched at another part of the destroyed rookery. They were wearing a long dark coat and had a head of blonde hair which was tied back into a braid.

"Who are you?" Elisa called out.

The woman stood up and smoothed out her overcoat. "Melissa Hunter. Phil Ken Sebben sent me after Demona broke out." She explained. "And judging from what happened tonight, it's a good thing too. I already had a date with Foxtail in the works, this just made me move up my timetable."

"Then I'm coming with you." Elisa stated. "If she took my family, she and I have beef."

Melissa cracked a smile and nodded. "I can respect that." She said. "But you better get in line, because after I finish reopening the portal her precious teleporter left behind I have dibs on kicking her ass first."

Elisa noticed that Melissa had one hand outstretched, aura flaring as the space several feet in front of it began to shift and shimmer as if being viewed through a filter of rippling water. "What's your deal with her?"

"Besides that I know her?" Melissa scoffed. "She finally achieved what she'd been threatening to do since she got it in her head that the ends justify the means: conscripted child soldiers. And as a mother of three, I take some serious umbrage with that. So give me a minute and we'll go get your clan and show Old Fox why reunions are a bitch."

Xxx

End of Chapter