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Chapter 140: Blood In The Snow
"We have the prey" Gestalt-Prime's voice, for a single fleeting moment returned to what it had been before they had been remade into their current form; losing the eloquence and articulation they had gained and instead giving into to a barely restrained, gleeful snarl composed of several voice speaking in unison as their anticipation for the coming violence struggled to be contained. The Alpha Cyber-Grimm rolling and flexing their powerful muscles and their various mechanical components in tandem to unfurl and reveal their axe-bladed wings from their compacted resting place within cavities at their shoulder-blades; preparing to use them either for flight or as weapons with which to carve a bloody path through their foes. The Hunters they had been sent into the tundra to apprehend had been a source of misery for Gestalt-Prime for some time, indeed since the hybrid Alpha had ever become a hybrid and when the Alpha Geist of their humble beginnings had lacked any sense of self awareness.
Damascus Nero wanted them alive and that the human wanted it so dearly was simply another reason for Gestalt-Prime to plan for a situation in which they would be permitted and indeed forced to kill at least one of the Hunters.
"No, no we don't" the rumbling voice of Carmesi Hueso managed to contain an unfeasible amount of sneering derision for such a quiet utterance as the Komodo Dragon Faunus moved into position close by, using his surroundings as cover to such an extensive and admittedly impressive degree that he seemed to disappear into the snow which accumulated at the side of the road close the building that the search party had found despite his large stature; it was an ultimately pointless exercise however and one carried out likely due to habit and nothing more as whilst the Man-Eater variants were certainly capable of stalking their prey with silent effectiveness Gestalt-Prime and the standard model Cyber-Grimm were simply not meant for such tactics, with the Alpha Cyber-Grimm particularly having neither the capability not the intention of a quiet approach in that moment.
"Are they not surrounded?" they snarled testily, gesturing to the abandoned truck-stop which Carmesi had asserted would have a small amount of resources for any stranded humans to make use of, an assertion which Gestalt-Prime, with the vast amount of data and protocol at their disposal owing to the amount of computers and machines that had been forcibly integrated into their being had been able to verify for themselves. At present the building was, as Gestalt-Prime suggested in the process of being surrounded albeit subtly so as standard issue Cyber-Grimm lumbered and trudged their way into position with a wide formation wherein each of them were able to command a broad area with the threat of their weapons and effectively ensure that wherever the Hunters made their appearance would subjected to withering salvos; if they chose to hide indefinitely the Man-Eaters would be sent into the building to force them out, with the slinking and slithering, segmented monsters already positioning themselves to assault various windows and the main entrance of the truck-stop in such a way that their targets would be surrounded and overwhelmed with ease.
"The building is surrounded" Carmesi stated flatly, hellish red eyes flashing with a deep suspicion as his scowl deepened "And Zirconia and her friends aren't shooting at us or rushing out to fight us….Which means they've already left"
"And fled where?" Gestalt-Prime demanded angrily as they rounded on the Faunus, their tactical visor retracting so they could glare at him with a singular optic "You said yourself that there is nowhere for them to go in the tundra!"
"That won't stop them from trying something" Carmesi answered, a hint of begrudging respect in his voice "I've worked with and against those kids and I can promise you that they're stubborn, determined and tricky in a way that makes them dangerous; especially that leader of theirs….One thing they're not is cowards. If they haven't tried anything yet it's because they're not here"
Gestalt-Prime let out a wordless, furious snarl in response before lowering their tactical visor in order to shift through several visual modes; desperate to prove Carmesi wrong and equally hungry for the release of violence even as a more logical part of their mind, one easy to ignore as their emotions boiled over and demanded release in the wake of their injuries at Jidhir Town, their confrontation with Pantheon in the Hive-Mind and the whetting of their bloodthirsty appetite on the traitors from Pikesreach, accepted the ultimate truth of the rogue Hunter's assessment; that this particular prey was notable for its' refusal to be cowed.
Thermal imaging revealed something however and the Alpha-Cyber Grimm let out a triumphant roar as they engaged their propulsion system and adjusted their wings slightly to launch themselves onto the roof of the building in a single leap.
"They're hiding!" they bellowed out, stalking across the roof with their tail lashing behind them and wings morphing to encase their arms and provide the Alpha Cyber-Grimm with bulky, oversized limbs with bladed appendages to cleave through flesh and bone as they honed in on the prize they had found. Making their way to the furthest end of the building they came to a halt and gestured downwards with their tail so that Carmesi could see, Gestalt-Prime had found, through the heat it emitted the main power source of the building and nestled close to its' warmth both for comfort and to mask their own heat signatures a collection of indistinct smaller shapes.
Gestalt-Prime, already relishing their victory believed them to be Zirconia Shadowmoon and her former team-mates; all of them trying to go unnoticed and hide from their attempting doom in the hope that the Alpha Cyber-Grimm might leave.
They moved into position, continuing to gesture silently to Carmesi whom they expected would ready his own weapons and storm the front door of the building; signalling the beginning of the violence in which Gestalt-Prime planned to rid themselves of at least one of their foes for good; instead the Komodo Dragon Faunus both disappointed and infuriated them by shaking his head and nodding to one of the Man-Eater variants and making a series of hand gestures to silently convey his meaning.
He planned to send a scout in first.
Gestalt-Prime seethed, the thought of being denied first blood in the coming fight enraging them enough for the hybrid Alpha to consider simply ignoring the developing plan and tearing their way into the building through the roof so that they might decapitate and slaughter the Hunters only for all such thoughts to be thrust completely from their mind mere moments after the first Man-Eater slithered its' way into the building through a shattered window.
The room it had entered blossoming into flames.
With their keen senses and tactical analysis Gestalt-Prime experienced the moment in slow motion and was made painfully aware of how correct Carmesi's assumptions were being proven with each successive blast of concussive force and flames. The Hunters had indeed fled, but before doing so though they had taken care deliberately tamper with the buildings' electricals and create trip-wires and other triggers which had provided a spark to the caches of Fire Dust and sabotaged gas cannisters hidden throughout the truck-stop in a cascading series of explosions which tore though the place in moments; progressing directly towards Gestalt-Prime's position above the generator powering it all.
They managed to take to the air before the largest explosion of all tore through the walls of the building with a wave of heat and force that might have been able to inflict considerable damage on them had they remained in place; instead however Gestalt-Prime was sent careening through the air with warnings flashing across their vision as they forced from their flight path. Correcting their course the hybrid Alpha let loose a scream of unrestrained hate and allowed the various armour panels and superstructure which resembled bones making up their chest to unfurl and slide apart and reveal their primary weapon before unleashing a single searing beam of destructive crimson light which raked through the burning remains of the building from end to end ensuring that nothing remained.
An act of useless and impotent fury made only worse by the amused look the Alpha Cyber-Grimm received from Carmesi Hueso as they returned to the ground with a thundering impact; the reptilian Faunus stroking his beard for a moment before having the sheer gall to look up at the towering monster before him and laugh.
"Not to say I told you so, but I did-"
Gestalt-Prime refused to hear the mockery and instead took to the air with a wordless scream of rage.
Plans and excuses became irrelevant and killing the Hunters brutally became the only acceptable recourse.
Across the tundra, far enough away that their foes could not easily spot them in the distance the five fleeing Hunters trudged desperately onwards, hurrying as much as they could through the deep snow which had accumulated so thoroughly on the road that its' surface was little better than deep snow-banks to either side of it though their progress was reduced to a halting and stumbling advance, further limited by Athena-Jade's wounded and weary condition and her team-mates' need to ensure that the Bear Faunus could keep up with them, a task made difficult by her physical strength and Aura alike being sapped by the potentially lethal climate at an accelerated rate.
"AJ, how're you holding up?" Astra asked, the latest example of their halting and turning to check in with the snowy-haired Bear Faunus who, at that precise moment resembled an indistinct blob of layered fabrics after each of her friends had chosen to force themselves to endure the cold without jackets or outerwear of any kind and had instead opted to drape Athena in as much warm clothing as they could whilst also taking one of the blankets that had been found in the truck-stop with them. The result was that only the faint glimpses of her face and the breath misting out from beneath the hood of Stygian's coat gave any sign that there was in fact a person beneath the bundle.
"I'm sweating under all this" Athena panted out softly "You didn't have to-"
"Yes we did" Stygian interrupted bluntly, moving closer so that he could take his partners' hand and help her along more physically if it seemed that the cold was taking its' toll on her too much; an action mirrored by Zirconia Shadowmoon on the Bear Faunus's opposite side with Athena's former and current partners' having seemingly set aside the feud that had led to Athena's injuries in the first place; at least for the moment.
"Any word from your Mum?….Or anyone?" Astra asked, their veneer of optimism wavering and the rising panic and sense of desperation that the Deer Faunus was suffering from becoming more plain to see.
"I kept sending messages and trying to call people until we were out of range of the signal booster" Athena answered, a brief glimpse of her face revealing that her sapphire blue eyes were downcast as she added "A lot of them were still pending, I don't know if anything actually went out or if anybody got the messages….But I haven't had any answers yet….But she's coming, my Mum said she's coming"
"Fuck" Astra hissed out, the word forming a faint haze before them as they reached up to instead of toying with the points of the spiked Mohawk as they often did, reach out and pluck away an icicle forming on one of their antlers before turning to Regalia "Babe….Can you use your Semblance, see if anything is coming?"
"Heh, sure" Regalia's teeth chattered as she answered, her hands constantly wringing whilst the Racoon Faunus's shivering saw a steady snowfall from where it was cast from her bushy tail. She lowered her goggles for a moment before finding them once again too icy to be of any use and instead simply used Look-See on its' own to scour the night sky and everything in the direction of the mountain in the distance within which a city had been built. After several moments' Regalia's eyes lost their faint, backlit glow and she became more fully aware of her circumstances once again only to give a faint shake of her head whilst apology and nervousness etched themselves into her expression.
"Nothing" The single word saw Astra pause, their shoulders sagging as though they might give in to despair at any moment only for the Deer Faunus to glare at the expanse of snow around them, as though their surroundings might somehow understand the ire being directed at them before squaring their shoulders and taking a few determined strides few the deep snow.
Until the sound of Zirconia's rasping voice being raised in a startled outcry halted them again.
"AJ, what're you doing? You can't-"
"We need to clear a path, we're not covering enough ground" the Bear Faunus wheezed out as she hobbled and limped her way laboriously to the front of the group, pausing to give Astra a confident but tired smile from beneath the hood of her partners' coat. A moment later glyphs swirled at her back and from them emerged a quartet of overlong Beowolf limbs in a display of the partial summoning technique that Athena had developed; she quickly sank the phantom limbs into the snow and used their claws as anchors before creating another glyph which she angled and then, with all the force she could muster thrust forward to create a glowing, makeshift plough which shunted its' way through several dozen feet of snow before flickering away and leaving Athena wobbling on her feet, gasping for breath until her team-mates held her steady.
"That was clever and if you weren't hurt I'd say go for it" Astra told her "But don't do it again"
"I might have an idea, something similar" Zirconia offered, drawing Sunriser Cain in its' pistol form and taking point as the team made their way along the now cleared stretch of road at much more respectable pace until they came the place where snow was once again piled deep enough to hinder their movement; at which point the Grasshopper Faunus dropped into a crouch and fired a shot of Fire and Gravity Dust into the snow which bored a deep trench into the obstacle before them as snow was evaporated in an instant.
Before they could make use of this progress however, or the first concerns about clouds of steam giving away their position could be voiced a booming explosion in the distance behind them rang out; with each of the five Hunters turning to see the results of their work as one explosion was followed by more in a chain reaction which culminated in a fireball erupting outwards as the truck-stop was destroyed from within by the traps they had set.
"Heh, hasta la vista baby" Regalia chuckled faintly, grin widening as a thought occurred to her "It's like a trap from Home Alone".
"There's no why that killed Gestalt-Prime" Zirconia muttered, undercutting the small but welcome victory whilst Astra, agreeing with her assessment of the situation nodded before speaking up.
"And now there's nothing else to distract them. We've gotta-oh SHIT!" the team leaders' words were cut off and replaced with simple, indescribable fear as a lone shape soared up into the sky with a bellowing scream of rage reverberating across the tundra; its' distinct shape and the lone, hateful red optic which twinkled like an ominous star in the darkness giving away its' identity.
Gestalt-Prime had taken to the air to better hunt the Hunters and as more red stars formed by glowing optics rose up around them it became obvious that every Cyber-Grimm capable of flight was joining their alpha in search of a better vantage point.
Astra realised that they would be found in seconds regardless of any efforts to hide and their was now only one thing to do.
"COME ON!" they yelled, their body being engulfed in a fiery red glow of its' own as the Deer Faunus activated their Semblance and simply scooped up their friends with their Aura-construct form and began to flee, understanding perfectly that their lives depended on it
There was no plan any more and Astra simply bounded through the tundra in the desperate hope that help might come from somewhere in the next few moments.
Weiss Slate, formerly Schnee had truthfully spent a large portion of her life away from the battlefield or the hunt for Creatures of Grimm; choosing to serve the good of Remnant and rebuild her families' name in the eyes of the Kingdoms by instead devoting herself to her position as joint head of the Schnee Dust Company in the years following the first defeat of Salem.
It had been a largely peaceful life, one interrupted only briefly by the part she had played in relieving the siege of New Vale during Salem's second war against Remnant and a small handful of missions she had undertaken through the years; many of them involving helping Ruby and Penny whilst former partner and team leader had lived an almost nomadic life in Atlas for some time. The middle child of the Schnee family had never allowed her skills to dull however, having trained regularly and with strict regimens intended to ensure that she was capable of training her own children when Arctus and Athena-Jade had expressed their desire to become Hunters as well as for the sake of her own pride and ego; the idea of Weiss allowing herself to fall short of her expectations was utterly unbearable to her.
As she drummed her fingers against her lap, her other hand clasped firmly around Myrtenaster to secure it against the faint shuddering of an aircraft being pushed beyond its' usual limits Weiss truly began to appreciate that she might well soon find out just how her continued training had paid off.
If Damascus Nero or any of his followers were in sight when she landed they would learn just how much Weiss Slate loved her family and just how dangerously misguided they had been to threaten her daughter.
"How far out are we?" it was Diamond who spoke up, breaking the tense and heavy silence that had come to hang in the air. The transport that they were currently using was of a much more recent and advanced model than Weiss had ever used before, allegedly a recent addition to her sisters' arsenal and it took Weiss only a moment to realise that she had no answer to give her daughter in law.
"Let me check" Arctus murmured, the towering and snowy-haired Bear Faunus unfastening the harness securing him in place to turn and peer from one of the few, small windows around the rear of of the transport only to frown deeply after a moment "Honestly I can't see any landmarks from here….With the speed we're moving at though we've gotta be getting close right?"
"We'll find her. We'll all of them" Weiss breathed the words out, as much an oath to herself as a reassurance for her oldest child before she unfastened her own harness and rose to her feet; a subtle trail of glyphs being summoned directly beneath her feet to ensure that she retained perfect balance and was unbothered by the crafts' movement as she strode purposefully towards the armoured door separating the passenger and cargo section from the cockpit.
With a series of swiftly punched keys and a hiss of air as the door slid open Weiss entered the cockpit and immediately found it cramped as she added herself to the trio of bodies already within.
Both Winter and Gangrel were capable of flying the transport with ease however both of them, being former heads of the Specialist Branch and Hunters with a wealth of experience on the battlefield had insisted that their place would be on the ground if the situation demanded it and so; with neither of them being willing to relegate themselves to the role of pilot when their were lives to be saved an autonomous Atlas Knight, one of a similarly modern design which had been augmented with several additional features had been brought aboard to fly the aircraft.
Winter had taken the co-pilots' seat and wore an expression of total focus as her eyes scoured countless readouts and updates which pertained to more than the immediate situation whilst Gangrel had been stood behind the two seats; the hulking behemoth of a man moving aside and pressing himself into a corner as much as his stature would allow to allow his wife entrance.
"How're Arctus and Dee holding up back there?….How're you holding up?" Gangrel asked his amber eyes tired and filled with a worry that was balanced perfectly against a silent, building fury that would be unleashed without pause if any member of Team MARS had been harmed.
"Scared, even if they won't admit it. We all are" Weiss answered, including herself in that assessment "What's our status, how far out are we?"
"Our ETA is thirty four minutes" Winter informed her, looking up from the streams of endlessly updating information afforded to her only briefly "Weapons are primed and I have confirmation from forces stationed at each of the Hive-Cities that they are standing ready in case this is another diversion and Nero's forces try to attack us elsewhere. Reports of Grimm activity suggest small build ups around the cities but minimal complications. I'm currently trying to make the council see reason and allow me to bring a small force of warships in behind us to the edge of Freehold airspace so that we have reinforcements in case of-"
"Winter" Weiss breathed out reaching out to her older sister and gently placing a hand on her shoulder "You're doing everything you can. Thank you"
"Of course" the eldest of the Schnee siblings nodded, throat dry as she blinked rapidly and forced herself through the haze of tiredness that had set in after going without rest and with little food since the failed attempt to halt Nero's entry to Atlas at the Kingdoms' borders. After a moment she turned her attention back to her work and her the sound of her cybernetic foot tapping against the floor at a steady pace became the most prominent sound within the cockpit until Gangrel's low, guttural voice intruded on Weiss's thoughts as he reached out and gently took her hand.
"They're gonna be okay….I'm gonna go and talk to Arctus and Diamond" after a moment and as an afterthought he added "Have the kids been in touch again? I know you said that their connection wasn't stable but they might have tried to reach us while we were on the ship"
"I'll check" Weiss gasped, silently cursing herself for overlooking that possibility as she rummaged for her scroll and hastily opened the device only for a single glance at its' digital screen to drain what little colour her famously pale complexion held.
"What is it?" Gangrel asked, the sight of his wife so visibly unnerved sending a chill down his own spine. Weiss remained silent for a few moments, growing steadily more visibly upset as she first saw the multiple missed calls from her daughters' scroll and then the various messages detailing the developing situation as Damascus Nero's promised search party drew close and the student Hunters were forced to take drastic action. Without thinking she tried to call Athena back and held the scroll to her ears only to be confronted with an automated voice telling her that the contact details she was trying to reach were currently unavailable.
"Damn it!"
"Weiss, what's happening?" Gangrel insisted.
"Athena-Jade and her team are on the move, following the road southbound toward Eisenstadt Sechste. Nero has sent Carmesi Hueso and Gestalt-Prime along with Cyber-Grimm to find them and they're having to abandon their position" Weiss allowed herself to shudder at the thought before continuing "They say that if we can see fires where the truck-stop they were in should be then they're plans worked and that we should be looking for them on the ground"
The revelation left the cockpit filled with a deafening silence until Winter rose to her feet and gritted her teeth, readying herself to give orders as though she were once again aboard the command bridge of a full-sized warship.
"Then thirty-four minutes is not enough" she turned to Atlas Knight currently piloting "I want us on site within twenty minutes! Tear this aircraft apart to do it if you have to, engines got and full power!"
The machine complied and the sudden force of acceleration felt as though the transport was shaking as nervously as its' passengers.
The fiery red glow of Astra Mars's Semblance served as a beacon in the darkness as the Deer Faunus used the towering form of their Semblance-self to lengthen their stride, allowing them to move far more quickly as they made their escape and carried their team-mates with them. That same light and increased size had stripped away any last remnants of hope that the five of them might somehow be able to avoid being found by the search party of Cyber-Grimm that hunted them through the snow; a possibility so slim that even in their blind and desperate panic Astra had deemed it to not be worth the risk and that simply fleeing even if it gave away their position was the only real option available to them.
Though Gestalt-Prime had found them and given chase immediately.
"GOT ONE!" Athena managed a faintly victorious cheer despite both her own injuries and the severity of the situation she and her friends had found themselves in; the Bear Faunus having clambered up onto the shoulder of Astra's glowing construct form and readied Heartbreaker in its' laser cannon form, its' beam of ethereal jade light striking one of the airborne Cyber-Grimm of the standard variety that had followed its' Alpha and destroying the mechanical horror entirely with a well placed shot which tore through one of its' thin, angular wings and slipped beneath an opened wing casing to strike at its' blazing propulsion system as it tried to swoop around to attack at Astra's flanks.
Return fire snatched away the moment of relief and satisfaction in an instant.
Gestalt-Prime had been followed by a small swarm of Cyber-Grimm and upon seeing one of their kin be utterly obliterated, or perhaps in response to some unseen command or protocol the shrieking and chittering beasts unleashed a volley of laser fire of their own, beams of the same blood-red that filled their glowing optics fired from the thorax mounted weapons of the Cyber-Grimm to strike at Astra's Semblance. The Deer Faunus did not fall and carried on running even as the fiery red glow of their Semblance-form was pierced in a dozen or more places and littered with cracks and fissures of brilliant white, the assault continuing until a laser beam tore through the right knee of the glowing body.
And then Athena-Jade was falling.
"HANG ON!" Athena reacted on instinct at the sound of Regalia's voice and adjusted her grasp on her weapon, changing it into its' hammer form so that she could catch the incoming harpoon of Apex Scavenger. In the same moment several things happened at once which the Bear Faunus was left struggling to process and comprehend; a Cyber-Grimm changed course and made to pluck her from the sky by impaling her with the thorax mounted horn which arced up and over its' cranium only for it to be halted by Zirconia.
'Hard-Light! Lightning!' the sound of Sunriser Cain filled the night sky as the Grasshopper Faunus created a crackling, coruscating barrier between her former partner and the Cyber-Grimm which the mechanical horror promptly crashed into and was left sparking and thrashing but ultimately still airborne. It was at this point that Regalia, from her position in one of the glowing hands of Astra's Semblance began to pull Athena up which Athena herself aided with the use of her glyphs. At the same time, seeing that the Cyber-Grimm attacking her had not been destroyed Stygian leapt into the fray and used his Semblance to teleport directly in front of the thing so that he could drive his sword through its' skull.
"STITCH!" Athena yelled in a desperate panic, realising that as he fell the Mouse Faunus would have way of getting back to the rest of the team and that his Semblance would only allow him to teleport between their various pursuers. Astra had realised the same thing however and as more of the Cyber-Grimm rushed towards the falling figure the Deer Faunus spun their Aura-construct around, using the hand in which Athena-Jade, Regalia and Zirconia were gathered to catch Stygian and the other to deliver a backhand slap which utterly destroyed another Cyber-Grimm; the size of Astra's Semblance rendering the blow akin to simply swatting a fly.
It was then that Gestalt-Prime made their move.
Athena-Jade realised with sudden horror that the Alpha Cyber-Grimm had simply been biding their time until they had a clear shot and in the moment at that Astra had turned to face them, their guard open enough to reveal the centre of their constructs' chest; where Astra's true body was situated Gestalt-Prime unfurled the components of their own chest to unleash their own larger, far more destructive main weapon. Astra moved their Semblance self to avoid them blow as best they could, their reflexes undoubtedly saving their life but being unable to keep their Aura-construct from being destroyed as the beam of blood red tore through the right side of the glowing Semblance-self's chest and then severed its' right arm at the bicep before being swept upwards to cleave through skull and antler until the glowing body shattered into glowing, dissipating fragments and embers.
Suddenly Athena-Jade was falling again and this time there was nobody to catch her.
She tried, with all of her might to conjure enough glyphs, sturdy enough glyphs to halt the fall and keep herself and her friends from crashing to the ground. She was met with limited success, thin and flickering, unsteady glyphs which taxed her greatly managed to slow the descent only to be struck by hails of bullets from the Cyber-Grimm as they opened fire with the machine guns fitted to the antenna-like assemblies atop each of their heads.
The air was knocked form Athena's lungs as she struck the snow hard enough to leave an impression in the powdery surface and as she clawed and dragged herself free, gasping for air even as the muscles of her chest seized and refused to comply the Bear Faunus was overcome with terror as she saw her own Aura flickering visibly around her body; so overtaxed that it might fail her at any moment and heard a series of thumping impact as Cyber-Grimm dove downwards to surround the trapped Hunters and aim their weapons at them.
"ASTRA!" Regalia's voice once again caught Athena-Jade's attention though this time it was a scream which escaped the Racoon Faunus; it's cause easy enough to identify. Regalia, like Athena herself along with Stygian and Zirconia had fallen to the ground and was in the process of pulling herself out the snow whilst Astra, having been apart from their team-mates had been plucked from the air by Gestalt-Prime as their Semblance had failed and was now in the midst of a frantic, grappling struggle with the Alpha Cyber-Grimm in mid air as they tried to bring the guns of Buckshot Ares to bear or use their shields to lever themselves free.
The struggle ended when Gestalt-Prime dived.
"We've gotta-" Zirconia's attempt to rush in and help was halted before it could truly begin as a laser beam tore through the path she intended to take; one of the Cyber-Grimm issued a stark warning as Gestalt-Prime slammed Astra back first into the snow with an impact which sent a cloud of powder flying out in every direction before following up by snaking their tail around the still struggling Deer Faunus's neck and choking them for several seconds before hauling Astra over head and slamming them down again.
Then Gestalt-Prime transformed their wings and prepared their axes.
"Now you die!" the monster held Astra in place and loomed over them, their sadistic assertion almost lost beneath the sound of the screams and furious, grief-stricken pleas and threats; Athena barely recognising her own voice in the cacophony or being aware of her own words as the blade was brought up for a killing blow.
Only for a shotgun blast to ring out and send Gestalt-Prime back a single place, a snarl escaping them as they did.
"Our orders were to capture" the familiar, rumbling tones of Carmesi Hueso stated almost conversationally as the Komodo Dragon strode into view after trailing behind Gestalt-Prime for the duration of the chase through the tundra. Athena-Jade's fear only intensified and reach new, chilling depths as she saw several of the Cyber-Grimm variant Zirconia had called Man-Eaters slinking into view and moving to surround them, filling in gaps in ranks of the standard models.
"Mister Nero wants you alive" Carmesi addressed the Hunters "But alive is a broad category with room for interpretation….You don't need your hands to be alive, or the ability to walk. This is going to be as bloody as you make it, I suggest you surrender while I'm giving you the chance to"
Gestalt-Prime let out a low, seething hiss at being denied the chance to finally slaughter their foes and was this; the distraction of glaring at Carmesi which allowed Astra to strike. The moment the Alpha Cyber-Grimm loosened their tail from the Deer Faunus's neck one of the blade of Buckshot Ares was plunged into Gestalt-Prime's flank, finding a point between armour panels; several more stabbing blows followed until Astra aimed and fired their guns into their attackers' face and forced the monster back for long enough for them to rise to their feet and give a defiant but weary smile.
"Not a chance!" Carmesi merely chuckled as he unsheathed his second weapon and rolled his shoulders back.
"I hoped you'd say that"
Damascus Nero had, for an amount of time which he was certain he would look back on with shame, been willing to allow the search mission to find and retrieve Zirconia and her former team-mates and now fellow conspirators and escapees to proceed without his oversight; to simply wallow in his own misery and entrust the matter to Carmesi in his entirety before he had remembered exactly who he was and why it was he did the things he did.
He was the man who had lost so much and become more through his grief, the man who had picked up the pieces of the shattered lives around them and forged them into something new and stronger, who had seen through the lies and conspiracies of the Hunters who lorded their power over Remnant and used the threat of monsters to exert their will to find the truth a the heart of it all and risen to the challenge of creating a better Remnant and a brighter tomorrow for all of the Kingdoms not because it was easier than accepting the loss of his old, mundane life and not out of a bitter thirst for vengeance but because it was right and just and because he and those who followed him were the only people willing and capable of doing what was needed.
And so Damascus had forced himself to be willing and capable once again.
It was with that in mind that the former chairman had steeled himself both mentally and physically, wiping away every last trace of the grief and dejection of his daughters' treachery and presenting himself in the way he knew that those whole followed him would need him to appear to them; accumulated stubble shaved away and lank, messy hair which had come to hang about his face in greasy waves arranged into something more acceptable and clad in a fresh three-piece black suit with its' silver fastenings and adornments freshly polished. Once prepared he had strode onto command bridge of the Megalodon with his back straight, shoulders back and hands clasped behind him to convey an aura of silent control, dignity and unwavering purpose in the hope that the crew of the Aircraft Cyber-Grimm which was even now being repaired might share it.
Quartz-coloured eyes that had been bloodshot and puffy only a short while ago roamed over his domain for a few moments before he finally spoke.
"What's the progress of the status of the Spawning Pit intake and processing?" he addressed the question to the bridge as a whole and simply waited, taking care to remain aloof and unbothered no matter what the answer might be and certain of the fact that it would be delivered swiftly.
"The process is stable and ongoing despite the….Um complications" a figure, younger than Nero might have expected perched at a station at the periphery of the bridge informed him "At present we've taken on an estimated forty-seven percent of the total mass of the Spawning Pit for processing and recycling….Although we predict a drop in output efficiency of anywhere between eighteen to thirty-seven percent due to the need for repairs to-"
"Very good" Nero cut the young bridge crewman off unceremoniously whilst keeping his facade of calm firmly in place. In truth the numbers were uncomfortable to consider and represented a further hindrance of his plans, with so many such small cuts and blows being delivered in such quick succession they might soon reach a point where his plans became untenable. He had largely lost the element of surprise, Winter Schnee knew what he sought in her domain and had used it to force his hand, he had lost assets and followers in Jidhir Town, lost more due to the need for a distraction and more still to treachery once the very prisoners had attempted to use as leverage had escaped and now he was being told that his efforts to recuperate his losses were performing worse than anticipated.
It was like the worst of the boardroom meetings he had been forced to endure whilst heading the conglomerate.
"Contact Mister Hueso" Nero instructed, taking care to address the belligerent but thankfully loyal man who had become his trusted right hand by more professional terms when speaking to the less involved of his followers "I want a report on his search parties' progress"
"Aye sir" another member of the bridge crew, this time a woman who wore clothes that were decidedly not a military uniform but which bore the distinctions and markings to display rank that she had earned in her previous life on them; easily identifying her as someone capable and experienced. Nero gave her a small and respectful nod, indicating that she should proceed and within only a few moments Carmesi's voice could be heard.
"When we bring that girl of yours back" his deep and rumbling voice was ragged in a way that suggested he was running, perhaps to keep pace with the Cyber-Grimm "One of us is going to have a serious talk about her new penchant for explosions-"
"Carmesi" Nero interrupted, painfully aware of the looks being exchanged by his crew "Report. What's your situation; I take it the targets have been found?"
"Targets were tracked and followed to an abandoned truck-stop in the tundra. We investigated and lost a Man-Eater when it was sent into scout ahead; they'd rigged the entire place to blow….Gestalt-Prime's reading would suggest that they used decoy heat signatures to lure us in. They knew we were coming"
"They would be fools not to expect us, whatever they are they are not fools" Nero answered, swallowing bile at the thought that Zirconia had resorted to such desperation and ruthlessness in order to escape before forcing himself to push onwards and ignore the cold, leaden weight in his heart "What's your current situation? Do you have visual?"
"I have visual" Carmesi confirmed with a gruff chuckle "Gestalt-Prime scouted from the air when it became clear that stealth was no longer viable. Targets are on the run using Mars's Semblance to escape, Gestalt-Prime and airborne Cyber-Grimm are already engaging whilst I move to-"
An explosion could be heard in the distance, the sound rendered crackly and distorted as it issued through the bridge.
"What was that?" Nero demanded, voice raised in surprise and sudden panic at the idea of another unexpected complication.
"That was us losing another Cyber-Grimm. They're putting up a-" Carmesi trailed off, the faint amusement that had worked its' way into his tone vanishing in an instant "DAMN IT NO!"
"Carmesi!"
"The Hunters are down Mister Nero, but I might have to intervene….Gestalt Prime and Mars are continuing to fight and this could end badly. Unless you're willing to accept limited casualties-"
"I need them alive!" Nero urged "All of them, do what you-"
His orders were cut off by another booming sound on Carmesi's end of the call, a transmission made possible by the Komodo Dragon Faunus's connection to the Megalodon and its' various systems; this time a duller, thumping sound like that of a heavy impact rather than something exploding.
A moment later the contact was cut off and Nero was left reeling as silence as he realised that Carmesi Hueso had likely been forced to intervene before the Alpha Cyber-Grimm could rampage their way through their foes and do something irrevocable.
The memory of the bag of shredded body parts that had been presented to him courtesy of the monster and the fact that Zirconia was amongst those facing them left Damascus with only one possible option.
"Disengage the Megalodon's feeding system"
"Sir?"
"Leave the damn Spawning Pit behind, we can come back for it later or target another one if needs be!" Nero yelled, even the vaguest questioning of such a clear and obviously necessary ordering vexing him "Prime weapons and shields-"
"Stealth systems sir?" a new voice enquired, this question at least a sensible one.
"No" Nero murmured, eyes flashing fiercely "We're going to have to act as a deterrent it seems. How long until we can close in on Mister Hueso's location"
"Sir, it will take us ten minutes at least to fully disengage from the Spawning Pit and safely-"
"Do its faster, do it less safely!" Nero barked "Get us there, I don't care how!"
Any thoughts about quiet composure or appearing in charge of the situation vanished from Damascus Nero's mind in an instant; what mattered in that moment was protecting his plans and saving his daughter from the monster that he had unleashed.
The Hunters fought bravely but it was becoming more hauntingly obvious with every passing moment that within moments each of them would be forced to choose between surrender and death.
With many of them seemingly ready to choose the latter unless the option was forcefully denied to them.
The Cyber-Grimm had been unleashing lasers, both the main weapons of the standard model and the smaller cutting lasers of the Man-Eater variants searing their way through the cold air until the night reeked of ozone and burning flesh; each shot staggering a Hunter or forcing them to halt and evade so that another monster could take advantage of their momentary distraction and further harry them until Athena-Jade intervened.
The Bear Faunus stood with several ruined Cyber-Grimm laying the snow around her, their husks burning and torn open by the effects of their own weapons as she used glyphs to redirect each of their attacks in turn despite the toll it was steadily extracting from her. Athena's entire body ached, her vision swimming and head thumping whilst each breath felt as though her lungs were being filled with glass and embers; another redirected laser sent a Cyber-Grimm careening to the ground damaged but not destroyed and with a deep, burning trench carved into its' armoured hide yet Athena's Semblance failed her a moment later and the snowy-haired young woman sank forwards onto one knee with blood dripping from her nose, a side effect of the strain she was placing on herself as much as the sight of her Aura wavering and fluctuating unsteadily around her.
"Come….Come get some!" she choked out, lurching and swaying as she used Heartbreaker in its' hammer mode as a crutch with which to pull herself to her feet before springing forwards and hauling her weapon up overhead before bringing in down on the cranium of the downed Cyber-Grimm; the mechanical horrors' singular optic blinking out of existence as its' head was collapsed under the force of the blow.
Athena-Jade was left sagging over the downed Cyber-Grimm, panting and gasping for air as she tried to both steady herself to a degree where she might be useful and at the same time take in the sight of her friends being steadily, violently overwhelmed in ways she could do nothing to prevent.
Until the sound of an impact in the snow behind her forced her to whirl around.
Gestalt-Prime had singled her out, clearly identifying her as a defensive element which needed to be removed and Athena, in her current state was powerless to do anything to stop the coming onslaught. Glyphs began to form in the air around her and yet before she could act the Alpha Cyber-Grimm simply lashed out with their tail and struck the Bear Faunus in the chest to send her hurtling backwards to land in the snow; she struggled to rise only for the shadow of the monster to fall over her and from there Athena's world exploded into agony as Gestalt-Prime raised a foot and stamped down her chest, leaving Athena coughing up blood which spattered across her pale skin as her Aura was forced to its' breaking point and her ribs cracked.
She let out a pained, wheezing scream but realised that it would make little difference; none of her friends were in a position to help her.
Athena-Jade's scream of pain was indeed heard, particularly by Stygian Blue who had taken a more directly offensive approach to fighting the Cyber-Grimm and as such had found himself too far away to directly intervene, though not so far away that he could not be distracted.
"Somebody help AJ!" he bellowed out, the momentary pause in his ceaseless slashing and stabbing attacks allowing one of the Man-Eater variants to come bounding towards him; a laser cutter leaving Stygian's Aura rippling as it flicked across his chest. As the Mouse Faunus staggered back the segmented and slithering Cyber-Grimm came bounding forwards and drove its' full body into him with a crushing impact before beginning to coil its' overlong, grasping tongue around Stygian to hold him in place.
At which point the blade of Sharp Cheese was ignited, glowing a molten orange as it was imbued with Fire Dust and promptly brought down on the tongue of the Man-Eater.
Stygian felled the shrieking Cyber-Grimm with relative ease and righteous fury at that point, leaping forwards to drive his Katana down into and through its' neck before attempting to use his Semblance to teleport. Confusion filled lightning blue eyes as the Mouse Faunus appeared in an unintended part of the chaotic struggle and was sent reeling as another laser struck his Aura; realising that it had been the attack of another Man-Eater that had drawn him away from his goal of aiding Athena-Jade Stygian frantically stabbed the Cyber-Grimm until it stopped moving with a single-minded focus which saw him completely miss the way that the rest of the Man-Eaters within the search party shared looks amongst themselves and moved into position.
The Man-Eater variant was intended to target Hunters and they had prepared a countermeasure for this particular opponent.
Stygian attempted to teleport to Gestalt-Prime and Athena once again only to, again be kept from his partner as his Semblance brought him back into the same place he had sought to leave; the Man-Eaters having acted in unison and all simply fired their weapons into the same place to create a kill-zone which the Mouse Faunus's Semblance recognised as the most dangerous thing in sight. Lasers cut into Aura until it flickered and threatened to shatter at any moment and once they were assured that their prey could not easily resist the Man-Eater variants began piling upon him; Stygian fought and thrashed in futility even as powerful clawed limbs and prehensile tongues grasped at his limbs, his still-glowing blade cutting burning scars and slashing through the limbs of the Cyber-Grimm until finally one of their number, in another display of cruel efficiency sought to solve that particular problem at its' source.
Using its' hold on Stygian's right arm, which held his katana to stretch the limb out before bringing its' cutting lasers to bear on the limb; leaving the Mouse Faunus screaming in pain and terror as the beams seared through his Aura and continued down into the flesh and bone of his arm, cauterising as it cut.
The sound of screaming reached Zirconia and shattered what resolve she still had, reducing her efforts to fight to blind desperation; leaping up, onto and over the standard model Cyber-Grimm she had been in the midst of engaging by weaving around it and driving Sunriser Cain into vulnerable components and instead simply shifting her weapon into its' pistol form and shooting it twice in the head; heedless to the results of her attack as she sprinted through the snow and carnage towards Athena-Jade whilst raising her pistol and opening fire, the synthetic voice of the weapon letting out a constant stream of announcements and declarations as shot at both Gestalt-Prime and the Man-Eater variants who swarming over and brutalising Stygian Blue.
Zirconia faltered, aghast at the sight of the Mouse Faunus clutching at the severed stump of his right arm; bile rising in her throat and her body leaden.
Leaving her completely open to attack.
Another of the Cyber-Grimm struck her like a rocket and whilst Zirconia's Aura held fast as the things' carapace-horn ploughed into and kept her from being impaled she had no strength left to fight as grasped her in its' powerful claws and engaged its' propulsion systems; thrusting downwards and driving the Grasshopper Faunus into the snow and the ground below to tear a deep trench which left Zirconia's Aura at the edge of collapse, her sweatshirt in tatters and outer layers of covering from her cybernetic legs stripped and abraded away until the limbs themselves were reduced to mangled, sparking wrecks.
Astra and Regalia had managed to remain close enough together to fight as a pair against Carmesi Hueso, a fact which Astra quickly put to good use as they slammed the shield components of Buckshot Ares into the Komodo Dragon Faunus's arms and chest and sent him staggering back into the path of their partner, the Racoon Faunus using the shaft of Apex Scavenger to sweep at his legs. Carmesi answered by leaping over the attack and kicking at Regalia only for Astra to launch their own flying kick and send the older Faunus crashing to the ground.
"Hold him off, I'm gonna help the others!" the Deer Faunus yelled, already sprinting into position and readying their weapons' guns. A maelstrom of bullets colliding with the armoured hides of Cyber-Grimm and forcing them back to reveal the various states of injury that Astra's team-mates were in; a series of horrific and rage inducing sights. In the corner of their eye however Astra caught sight of movement as Carmesi made to charge at them before being halted by Regalia's harpoon as she attempted to drag him to the ground once more, only for her to be blind-sided in turn by an incoming attack.
"LOOK OUT!" Astra's warning came a moment to late and a Cyber-Grimm shot Regalia square in the chest with its' main weapon; casting her to the ground and closing the distance between them before it could rise. She tried to rise but the Racoon Faunus was rendered motionless when the hulking machine-thing loomed over her and reared a single massive claw back to deliver a single powerful swipe which destroyed Regalia's customary goggles and sent trickles of blood across the snow as debris cut into her face.
All whilst Carmesi lunged at Astra.
The two met in an explosion of force, too engulfed in their rage for artful technique. Astra slashed with the blade at their right arm and threw a spinning backhand with their left only for both of them to evaded and Carmesi to slip below their guard to deliver a punishing blow to the kidney.
Refusing to be beaten Astra forced themselves to carry despite the nausea inducing pain and tried to tackle the Komodo Dragon Faunus to ground by seizing him by the waist and legs; a challenge which Carmesi answered with expected brutality.
He used his Semblance.
Sea-green eyes widened in panic but Astra was unable to escape quickly enough as spears and jagged blades of solid Aura erupted up from the ground; not skewering them but still painful and enough to lift them into the air, from whence Carmesi seized the Deer Faunus by one of their antlers and dragged them to their ground and chose to forego the use of their weapon entirely.
Simply raining blows down on Astra's skull until his own knuckles were as bloody as the younger Faunus's face.
"You have been a consistent pain….And I can respect the efforts, I still wish you'd joined us" Carmesi panted as they finally drew their machete "But now I'm going to make sure that you don't cause any more problems"
Carmesi prepared to maim his foe but the blow never came, instead Astra was left struggling against his grasp as the older Faunus paused and cocked his head; seemingly forgetting the situation and his place in it for a moment as he raised his hand and shushed his captured foe, going further a moment later and casting Astra to the ground so that he could ready his other weapon
It was then, as they tried to struggle to their feet that Astra understood.
The sound of roars and countless footsteps, hurtling towards them carried through the night air and even with their own blood obscuring their vision Astra could see the first glinting red eyes of the Creatures of Grimm in the distance.
Through their control of and connections to vast swathes of the Grimm Hive-Mind Pantheon watched events unfolding in the tundra.
Observing as though from a distance the Grimm General's awareness and understanding was a mosaic made up of streams of information from the senses of every member of their advancing war-host in a near-panoramic display which allowed Pantheon to see from both ground level and from above, with both vantage points offering a plethora of angles whilst at the same time being aware of the vibrations through the ground as the subterranean element of their forces burrowed and tunnelled their way forwards.
It had been the latter to first alert Pantheon that something was not as they had expected.
The Grimm General had expected the Hunters to remain safely nestled within the building they had laid claim to by killing the Sabyrs already within it and yet the effects of an earthshaking explosion emanating from with that building had proven that something was indeed afoot. With their curiosity piqued Pantheon had compelled their forces to advance more rapidly and follow the road through the tundra towards their goal until the sight of flames in the distance and searing beams of destructive light lancing through the night sky had given the Grimm General a moment of pause.
A moment to consider their options before committing to their course of action.
Thus liberated and encouraged the Sabyrs had been the first to slip the mental leash that had been restraining them, surging forwards with claws and fangs bared and their entire beings radiating a palpable bloodlust that was mirrored within the Manticore and Chimera Grimm which tore through the air and followed close behind them and the Ursa's which lumbered behind to provide a sort of monstrous honour guard to the Spear, the Narwhal Grimm which Pantheon had hoped would keep the Hunters occupied and force them to struggle desperately enough that they called on Gestalt-Prime and their human master for aid so that a message might be delivered to the upstart Grimm.
And yet as the Grimm horde drew closer to their quarry Pantheon was confronted with a sight, seen by countless eyes that confused them.
The Hunters were not alone.
Gestalt-Prime and their blasphemous, abominable minions which disrupted the natural order of things with their very being were not only already present but were fighting against the very people
Pantheon had been counting on them coming to the aid of, with extreme success if the stench of blood in the air currently pushing their war-host to an even greater frenzy were indication. The Grimm General drew their consciousness back from the scene and into the wider Hive-Mind for a moment whilst still keeping a loose mental reign on their war-host, if only to keep the tide of Grimm in something approaching a formation so that they would strike with single decisive hammer-blow rather than a disjointed collection of packs and straggling less beasts; after a few moments of contemplation Pantheon came to a reasonable and somewhat obvious conclusion.
The Hunters were not scouts, they had betrayed Gestalt-Prime and were fleeing from them.
Such a betrayal might signal a return to the natural and proper way of things, it was after all the inevitable conclusion of attempts for the Grimm to deal and parlay with their natural prey as though the two could be equal. To Pantheon it mattered little, what was far more important was that the enemy they faced was not a unified force and had already inflicted grievous wounds upon themselves by fighting one another; the advantage this presented being further enhanced by the fact that the monstrous airborne Grimm-vessel that had been unleashed upon Pantheon's forces on Menagerie, the beast which consumed Grimm was nowhere to be found.
And so Pantheon reached back into the Hive-Mind to observe the battle closely and wait for the perfect moment to deliver their message. The war-host of Grimm charge, spreading out to cut off their prey from the flanks and above whilst burrowing monsters prepared to work their way beneath them and reduce everything in their sight to ruined flesh and metal.
With an animal roar that came from a thousand sources and a rumbling of the ground the attack began.
Author's Notes:
So….How's everyone feeling?
A little traumatised? Good, I felt like I hadn't fully driven home how serious this was for everyone yet.
So, two more chapters to go; the second half of this and then the lead into the penultimate volume of the story.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Of course Gestalt-Prime wants to try and kill one of the Hunters just to send a message to Nero that they can still kill whoever they want.
Carmesi first line and intro in this chapter was low-key based on Robert Muldoon in Jurassic Park, the "No, we can't….We're being hunted" right before the iconic "Clever girl".
An entirely accurate summary of Team MARZ/MARS.
Did anyone really think that it was actually their heat signatures?
Between Regalia and Zirconia they can definitely rig up some pretty nasty sabotage.
Yeah, getting an "I told you so" at that point is definitely cause to go a bit nuts.
Of course Zirconia takes AJ's hand the moment Stygian does.
So being on an Atlas warship limited Weiss's ability to receive messages and calls and now the CCT signal in the area is gone again.
The different snow-ploughing techniques were a nice little touch.
Regalia's movie references were allowed and earned….She deserves something nice today given the absolute battering she and her friends get by the end.
Yeah the second Gestalt-Prime went for a birds' eye view it was time to run.
Out of Team RWBY Weiss has the least combat experience in this timeline.
It's gotta be hard to figure out where exactly you are when you're travelling at Mach Jesus but everything still looks the same.
Yeah neither Winter or Gangrel are ever going to sit a mission like this out and wait on the transport.
The whole point of this scene was for Weiss and co to see that AJ and the others are about to be attacked and then build up the tension by having them be unable to contact each other, turning the rest of the chapter into a game of "How bad is it gonna get before help gets here".
Okay but the mental image of Gestalt-Prime chasing Astra's Semblance-form through the tundra with a laser fight going on between them and Athena-Jade really is cinematic in my head.
Stygian was point again with the eye shots to the Cyber-Grimm.
In any other setting the fall into the snow would be some Looney Tunes business, left impressions in it and everything, it's cartoonish.
Oh yeah, Gestalt-Prime was gonna go for the decapitation there.
Carmesi was just stacking cliches on top of each other there, also with a nod to Victor Szaz in Gotham.
My apologies to anybody who thought that this was gonna be an epic boss-fight with the Hunters kick ass based on this exchange.
Of course Nero is on the bridge, he is guided by the principle of "If you want something doing properly then do it yourself".
Sometimes everyone needs to remember who the fuck they are.
One of the interesting things about this is story is how it's worked out with every faction feeling like they're on the defensive; compared to canon where Salem constantly has the upper hand….Nero knows his limitations and knows that a few bad plays will ruin him.
So obviously this call with Carmesi is right before Gestalt-Prime took down Astra.
Yeah Zirconia using explosives to get away, on top of the goodbye message….That's gonna hurt.
That dull thump Nero heard was Astra getting slammed into the ground.
Oh boy, the Megalodon is inbound.
Okay so one of my main inspirations for this scene was actually X-Men Days of Future Past, specifically the point near the end where the Sentinels attack in the future and start adapting themselves and taking on new powers to combat the mutants.
AJ was off to a good start, running interference and taking Cyber-Grimm out by making them shoot each other but in her injured state it was always gonna go wrong.
Oh yeah, broken ribs on top of an existing injury.
See the way the Man-Eaters handled Stygian is the kind adaption to the Hunter they're fighting I'm talking about; they literally chose his teleport point and turned his Semblance against him.
….Followed by what might just be the nastiest amputation I've written.
Okay so Zirconia, to her credit did try to help Stygian as well there but unfortunately she got distracted by it and that left her open….She got a quick take-down in the form of Flash's Special Move from Injustice/Kabal's Fatality from Mortal Kombat X.
There was really no chance of Astra and Regalia maintaining a two on one advantage when the enemy outnumbered them by that much.
Rip Regalia's goggles.
Astra got the shit beaten out of them and it was still the least painful thing this chapter.
But now, the main course….Pantheon has entered the chat.
So Pantheon has finally figured out that the Hunters are not working with Nero/Gestalt Prime….Good for them.
In the short term however it makes very little difference and if anything makes their job easier.
Current situation is: Plenty of Cyber-Grimm got taken down, Team MARS + Zirconia just got absolutely stomped to a traumatic degree and both sides are going to have to team up to avoid getting eaten by Grimm; with things getting even more complicated when factoring in the fact that both the Schnee family and Nero/The Megalodon are inbound.
Thank you to Kyran_Kandosa and Major Brony95 for their review on the last chapter.
Funny you should mention Home Alone, we got there in the end lol.
Never say never on things.
This isn't a Pyyrha Nikos analogy lol, there's not exactly a shield to match the spear...But there is something else Pantheon has in reserve.
Enjoy your con.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.
