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Chapter 23: Plans and Problems
Friday morning had come once again with all of its' frightening regularity and rapidity which left one wondering where exactly the time had disappeared to and with it, as was becoming a far more regular occurrence than those involved were entirely comfortable with, a meeting in the staff room of Breaktide Academy of Menagerie which would precede the official start of the day and the proper staff meeting, this first and most likely unpaid gathering being reserved only for Headmistress Coco Adel's most trusted, senior and experienced confidants which at present included Velvet, Ruby and Arslan; with the two women who did not call the campus their home looking mildly displeased at being present so much earlier than intended.
Though Coco had made breakfast, which admittedly counted for something.
"I'll admit I had matters I wished to raise with you at the first opportunity, though preferably not at this time in the morning….I presume this is important" a small hint of testiness crept into Arslan's tone, her air of stern stoicism being marred ever so slightly by mere grumpiness.
"It is" Coco assured them all, running her hands through hair that was immaculately styled despite her early rising and obvious weariness before taking a sip of coffee so strong that it would have made a lesser person physically ill.
"We received word from Carmesi Hueso late last night" Velvet carried on in Coco's stead upon seeing her exhaustion "He encountered the ringleader of the group that our students tried to apprehend, the biker carrying the hard-light containment unit. He intervened as our students tried to take her on again"
"Team WULF" Ruby's palm met her face with a dull thwack "Penny and I found Team MARZ preparing to setup a stakeout after our last meeting, so our assumptions that they were involving themselves in things that should be left to the professionals were right….Of course they've involved Team WULF, they were already there at the docks; we really should have seen that coming"
"Agreed" Arslan nodded, quietly pleased at the bravery and determination of her youngest students as well as how this new development would play into her own ideas when she came to voice them.
"The more important matter here is the ongoing investigation into the Grimm smuggling operation, as well as bringing the people responsible for the deaths of several Hunters to justice" Coco's expression darkened with every word "The suspect escaped, the same way she did from her fight with our students; Hueso claims he didn't get a good look at it but it was most likely a Semblance of some kind"
"And the criminals that were taken into custody are still remaining silent I presume?" Arslan asked with a resigned sigh.
"Most of them are convinced that they'll be killed if they talk, a running theme is that their employer or benefactor has a right hand man who can find anyone anywhere that will kill them if they talk"
"That's….disheartening" Ruby admitted, such refrains were common amongst organised criminals as whilst respect, reputation and lien might have touted as the goals of those involved it was undeniable that fear was the true currency of the underworld; her remaining silver eye narrowing a fraction whilst her cybernetic whirred and adjusted as a thought occurred to her.
"What was Carmesi Hueso doing in a bar in Port Alistair?" she asked "I didn't realise he and Grapeshot were still on the island?"
"From what I understand after they took on some smaller missions after they tracked down Persian Green…..if only they'd managed to bring him in alive" Velvet lamented "Most likely Grapeshot wanted to track down that Alpha Beowolf, apparently he swears that it was the same one he fought at the Battle of Menagerie when he was fresh out of Haven Academy….I can understand why Carmesi might want a break from him"
"There's nothing wrong with a Hunter having a proper nemesis" Arslan huffed, almost indignant at her colleagues disregard for proper Mistrali zeal.
"I guess" Ruby murmured, something about the fact that both Persian Green and now this new criminal ringleader had both encountered the Komodo Dragon Faunus and promptly, albeit for vastly different reasons become unreachable by the authorities sticking in her mind for a moment before she cast the thought aside; chastising her self as she did so as, whatever her differences of opinion with his mentor might be Carmesi Hueso was still a valiant and upstanding Hunter.
"The point is we had an opportunity and it slipped through our fingers before we even saw it was there" Coco growled, downing the rest of her coffee and grimacing at the bitter aftertaste "The Alpha Geist is still out there, we still don't know who runs the smuggling operation or who the rest of the backers of the Grimm fight club were, we still only have low level goons in custody and none of them are going to talk….right now we have nothing"
"Well, we do have some very determined first years" Velvet noted with a wry smile as she leaned down to kiss Coco's cheek.
"Have any of you given any thought to how we're going to handle Team MARZ….and I suppose it would be sensible to include Team WULF in this discussions now, seeing as the two are practically one and the same" the headmistress enquired.
"Penny gave them some pointers" Ruby admitted "Nothing that made it sound as though we were condoning what they were doing, but maybe enough to get them interested in her subject and even though its' an elective still try and learn enough to not get themselves hurt"
"Well if they're studying then they're not fighting the mob" Velvet noted with a slight snort of amusement "Have we tried just burying them under a mountain of assignments?"
"I did have a suggestion, that's what I wanted to discuss with you" Arslan declared, fierce yellowish eyes shining with something akin to pride as she explained "Right now the education that the first years have received has been largely geared towards combat against the Grimm, however we can simply tell the entire first year class, without going into specifics or giving names that due to recent developments we are going to restructure the curriculum slightly-"
"You're going to give them extra assignments" Velvet noted bluntly
"No" Arslan shook her head "I'm suggesting that we move the yearly head to head training exercise forward and use the training for that to give Team MARZ the additional education and experience that you seem to want them to have"
"And Team MARZ in the head to head would mean…." Ruby trailed off as her face morphed into the exact giddy grin that Arslan had expected "Oh that's devious, Arslan you're a genius….you need to record the entire thing, the drama will be-"
Coco cleared her throat.
"Arslan I'm on board with the idea, although this is obviously going to require some time to prepare"
"The engineering team could most likely have the venue primed and ready within a few weeks" Velvet assured her, a frown lining her face before she added "Depending on the level of Grimm infestation that we have to clear our first, although there's no reason that it should be more than any other year"
"Well that might just be the closest thing to good news we've had all morning" Coco chuckled "Ars, Velv; make it happen" almost the moment the words left her mouth the staffroom door creaked open, announcing the arrival of other members of staff who, whilst valued and cherished by Coco were simply not privy to the details of the current meeting and therefore signalling its' ending though said conclusion came with little fanfare and offered no respite as it would only be followed by another, larger and more arduous meeting in short order.
Signalling the official beginning of the working day.
Combat Class was the first lesson of a Friday morning for first year students of Breaktide Academy and despite the demanding nature of the lesson and the equally demanding nature of the woman who taught it the approach of the weekend often led to an atmosphere that was more relaxed, though only in certain regards as the student body both let out a collective sigh of relief and waited with baited breath for their chance to unwind and the parties that would inevitably come with it to begin. It was this electric atmosphere, coupled with the unusual tardiness, though only by a few moments of Professor Altan that had created a dull ambient buzz throughout the arena like lecture hall which the former prizefighter presided over which Teams MARZ and WULF were, in turn using as cover to hold their own, more serious conversation.
Seven of the eight teens were currently in Team MARZ's usual spot, sequestering themselves away towards the back of the lecture hall in the, often futile hope that their discussions and other antics would go unnoticed whilst Diabla was situated where Team WULF often positioned themselves closer to the front of the class, sitting alone and interacting with her team-mates solely through a series of brief, vitriol-filled glares. Currently neither her own team-mates nor Team MARZ were paying her any mind however and Astra and Regalia were practically leaning into the row of seats I front of them as Team WULF recalled the previous evenings' events.
"She called Ursinia that?" the Racoon Faunus mouthed out in disgusted disbelief "There's a name for that lady but it isn't used in high society….outside of a kennel"
"Thanks darlin'" Ursinia chuckled, recognising the comment from some old movie as she tipped the hat she was currently wearing due to combat classes not requiring uniforms.
"Absolute scumbag" Wolfram nodded, his once low estimations of Regalia rising every time she at her readiness to defend his partner.
"Yeah….but the important thing is Carmesi caught her right?" Astra noted "So why hasn't it been reported yet? Surely if this chick is involved in the Grimm smuggling operation they'd want to make arresting her breaking news?"
"Carmesi might not have left anything to arrest" Zirconia murmured quietly from behind her customary ragged and faded cape that both stood in contrast with the quality of the rest of her attire and at the same time complemented her roguish persona.
"You think he'd kill her?" Astra asked, face scrunching into an odd expression as they tried to process the idea.
"You didn't see the way he was fighting when you were inside the Desert Claw" Athena informed them quietly "He's definitely a little bit crazy….I don't know if he'd kill her though"
"Either way" Wolfram sighed focusing the conversation, steely grey eyes meeting Astra's sea green "What's the plan?….The professors know what we're doing now, so how're we handling it?"
"It's a Friday night" Laser interjected before Astra could answer "I'm just saying, nobody is gonna miss us if we're not here….we can search a few places-"
"And you can steal anything isn't bolted down while we're at it, aint that right varmint?" Ursinia drawled.
"Are we seriously discussing this?" Athena-Jade risked rising her voice a little as she interrupted "Aunt Ruby and Aunt Penny told us to stop, it's done"
"They're not my Aunties" Wolfram scoffed flippantly.
"Actually I did want to check a couple more places" Astra admitted, their body language a contradiction as they both attempted to appear contrite and apologetic to Athena whilst also appearing confident and capable in front of Wolfram.
"Are you sure that's wise?" Zirconia rasped out in a tone that suggested that she was bracing herself for some variety of nonsense.
"I just wanna have a little look around the places that supply Ice Dust and coolant to the big airships-
"Seriously?" Athena-Jade demanded incredulously her small but well-muscled form flopping back in her seat as she threw her arms up in apparent despair.
"They clearly want us to do it" Astra countered, the observation causing their friends to fall silent and ponder it for a few moments.
"Heh, that's pretty much the exact opposite of what they said" Regalia noted, her bushy tail twitching at the implications of her partners' suggestion.
"What they said yeah….but the implication was there" Astra frowned "All I'm saying is if Penny didn't want us to keep looking into the smugglers then she wouldn't have given us ideas about where to look for them"
"Okay, I can see what you're saying" Athena admitted reluctantly "And I do want something to be done about the smugglers, I was with you when you suggested it….but I don't know, besides Aunt Penny was right, I can't really go undercover anywhere"
"That's fair" Astra sighed, willing to at least be diplomatic on the subject
"So are we going out looking for the smugglers tonight?" Wolfram asked.
"Not tonight" Astra sighed with a shake of their head "Let's wait and see what happens first….besides, after a run in with Carmesi they've probably all gone to ground anyway, we'd be wasting our time"
"And getting absolutely soaked again" Laser muttered "I thought I'd escaped the Vaccuan wet-season by coming here" that comment earned the reedy boy a series of well meaning and teasing comments from his friends though before the conversation could properly resume the sound of a door opening and heavy footsteps striding out onto the stage below announcing the arrival of Professor Altan.
"My apologies for my tardiness….My only excuse is that there were official matters to attend to"
"Oh she looks like she's in a good mood" Laser noted "That's usually bad for us" Astra, along with the rest of the group of friends rolled their eyes at the comment before peering down at the imposing professor to see that she was in fact wearing the fierce, slightly worrisome smile that usually accompanied her instructing her students on some new application of Aura or particularly devastating aspect of physical combat what would almost certainly be physically painful and taxing to learn. After only a few moments the dull buzz of conversation died down and Professor Altan peered up at her assembled students, with Astra unable to shake the feeling that she was staring directly at them as she began to explain.
"As some of you are no doubt aware there has been an increase in organised crime within Port Alistair and across Menagerie as a whole and their have been instances of this leading to altercations with students of this academy" Astra was entirely certain now and swallowed thickly whilst Arslan continued "This is not and should not be misinterpreted as permission for any of you to deliberately seek out crime or excuses to involve yourself in potential violence under the guise of helping, however it Headmistress Adel's belief that whilst all of you are more than capable of defending yourselves it would be prudent if the syllabus was rescheduled in a way that familiarised you with combat against rogue elements sooner rather than later….To that end, in three weeks time you will all be expected to compete in an activity that is usually scheduled for the end of the year; the head to head training exercise….Yes Slate?"
"What does the training exercise entail Professor?" Athena asked, after having raised her hand dutifully, the Bear Faunus genuinely curious about the vaguely ominous sounding training.
"That will be more thoroughly disclosed at a later date" Professor Altan answered simply "However what I will say is that it is intended to give each of you an understanding of what combat against criminals entails by removing the expectations of fair play and tournament style rules that I usually pace upon you and that each of you would do well to study your classmates strengths and weaknesses"
"Oh shit" Astra whispered, something about that explanation setting their nerves on edge, a sentiment that was shared by their classmates if the sudden murmurings were any indication though those whispered conversations were quickly silenced once again as Arslan cleared her throat.
"Now, onto the lesson at hand. Team MARZ make your way to the stage, I will need assistance" Astra quickly shed their short-sleeved, red leather jacket with its' perpetually popped collar to reveal the sleeveless black gi beneath it as they made their way towards the Professor, each of Team MARZ suppressing matching grimaces as they did so as they were certain that their selection was no coincidence.
Arslan had rescheduled her classes because of them and now she was going to make an example of them.
For Diabla Fuego the day had passed in a blur of the kind of dull, grinding anger that coalesced itself into a headache which drummed and throbbed beneath her temples and drove her even deeper into her own festering bad mood until it was all she could do to not simply walk out of classes and write the entire day off as a loss.
That that she would ever truly consider such an idea was a sure sign of how bad things had gotten, her education at this academy was after all her only route to the life she had wanted for herself since childhood; even if it was a poor substitute for Atlas Academy in her mind.
Ever since leaving the rest of Team WULF behind in the dingy rats' nest of a bar that Wolfram had insisted that the four of them explore she had made no effort to communicate or interact with any of her team, she had naturally felt an unavoidable pang of guilt upon hearing that they had been attacked shortly after her hasty decision to leave them to their own devices but had ultimately forced those feelings as deep down within herself as she could manage by reasoning that Wolfram, Laser and Ursinia were all unharmed and that consequences for following Team MARZ into whatever stupidity they chose to involve themselves in were an inevitability that they would simply have to deal with. Instead of allowing herself to worry further Diabla simply chose to do what she had come to this second-rate academy in a scorched and intolerable Kingdom for in the first place and focus on her own goals.
A decision that had been made easier by Professor Altan's announcement.
After engrossing herself in her classes with her usual zeal and single-minded focus Diabla had been left with the decision of how to spend her Friday evening and, as she had little social life to speak of after garnering a reputation of unapproachable antisociality that she was largely ambivalent towards and no real hobbies after spending so much of her formative years focusing on a single goal she reasoned that it would be a decision between training her mind or her body, a choice that had been easy to make as her pent up frustrations demanded release.
All of which was how Diabla had found herself in the campus gym, which was surprisingly well attended given that it was the beginning of the weekend, though the gruff Mantle-born fighter saw that many of those around her were her fellow first years and assumed that Professor Altan's announcement, which had in truth felt more like a warning had been enough to finally instil a sense of proper dedication to duty and something close to the work ethic found in those native to the Mantle Freeholds in her peers.
Despite this she had still managed to find space to train and was currently working on a heavy punchbag which she unleashed a volley of strong, perfectly timed and fluid blows upon in a display that was, to Diabla herself immensely therapeutic; her usual attire of slightly outdated but sleek and lightweight Atlesian tactical vest worn over a button down shirt with rolled up sleeves and combat-pants held up by bright orange braces had been foregone in favour of a pair of a simple tank-top and shorts that were more comfortable and breathable, though her light, almost golden brown skin still shone with sweat with the exertion as she continued to exercise and practice combinations until the movements were ingrained within her.
Breathing heavily and painfully aware that she was beginning to grow dizzy after once again failing to eat before visiting the gym she pushed herself onwards with the same grim resolve that she always had and delivered a left jab to the punchbag, imagining it to be a much more personal opponent as she did so, following with a right elbow disguised as a hook, left and right hooks aimed and imagined kidneys came with blinding speed and then a quick readjustment of her grip and posture allowed a leaping knee-strike to where an opponents' face would be before she finally delivered a heel kick as she landed with the intention of damaging a diaphragm so severely that whatever opponent she faced would be instantly immobilised. The punchbag swung under the force and Diabla was momentarily surprised when it failed to pendulum back towards her, the tunnel vision that had set in receding just enough for to realise that someone had caught it a moment later.
"You skipped dinner, you ignored me when I tried to ask if you wanted anything….So I brought you chicken and rice, may as well get some protein if you're gonna live in the gym" the nasal, slightly whining tone could only belong to Laser Greenback and Diabla gave a slight nod of acknowledgement, noting that she had completely missed her partners' attempt to talk to her by being so completely absorbed in her own frustrations and spending the day communicating with her classmates and Professors almost as little as her own team, either through grunts, gestures or short bursts of no more than four words at a time; not that she would have taken him up on the offer. Reaching into the folds of a hoodie which bore the academy logo Laser produced a small styrofoam container of food whose presence in the gym was almost certainly against the rules.
"Gym on a Friday night….you sure you're okay?" Laser asked, uncertainty filling his every word as his eyes darted around nervously, looking anywhere but at his partner whose reaction he could not gauge.
"Professor Atlan told us to study our fellow first years" Diabla gestured around the gym, her sharp-featured and scarred face twisting into a sneer "I thought intelligence gathering would appeal to you, all things considered"
"Okay, so we're doing this" Laser sighed, body seeming to both sag with exhaustion and yet stiffen in the same moment as he gathered his resolve "Look maybe avoiding everyone today was for the best….you can't keep it up though, eventually you're gonna have to talk to Wolfram and Ursinia because they are beyond pissed at you, Ursinia was genuinely upset y'know?-"
"I don't care, move" Diabla stated bluntly, setting the food that Laser had given her aside, reasoning that it was likely cold by now anyway and adjusting her stance as she prepared to unleash another series of blows on the punchbag. Laser said nothing and the two locked eyes for a moment, blazing orange boring into sickly, vivid greenish-yellow until Laser's expression darkened and in a rare display of open defiance he simply hopped up and grasped the hook which held the heavy punchbag in place, disconnecting it and using a quick burst of Aura fuelled strength to hurl it aside.
"Damn it I have tried with you, I really have!" Laser's voice rose and, unless Diabla was mistaken grew perilously close to cracking "Why do I keep trying Diabla, why do I keep helping you when all you do is throw it back in everyone's faces? We could have gotten killed last night and you just left us there!"
"I never asked you for anything" Diabla answered, stunned into little more than a whisper by her partners' sudden righteous fury though she quickly rediscovered her own anger "And I never asked to be dragged into your mistakes either. You chose to put yourselves at risk, to follow Wolfram when he proved he was unfit for command and had us all running errands for Team MARZ….make your choices and deal with the consequences, I had to!"
"You had to….What the hell does that even mean?" Laser demanded and Diabla's jaw snapped shut, muscles working silently as she clenched her fists until her nails threatened to tear the skin of her palms whilst cursing her own stupidity and lack of self control, that simple slip of the tongue had almost given away a history that she had no intention of sharing no matter how many people insisted that it would be better for her to open up; her rage was her own and deeply personal.
"It doesn't matter" she ground out forcefully.
"Well clearly it does" Laser snapped "Because whatever you've got going on, that you refuse to let anybody help you with is bigger than you now. I've tried to be your friend Diabla and that means telling you things you don't wanna hear starting with the fact that it's time you grow up!"
"Excuse-"
"I don't care if you're just naturally an angry, impossible to deal with person okay, I wish you weren't but fine" Laser gestured wildly as he spoke "But you're actively putting your own team at risk now and-"
"Then tell Professor Adel that you think I'm a danger to you, that I'm a liability as a partner and that you want me off the team. Wolfram will support you"
"No he wouldn't….I would never….Diabla what the fuck are you saying?" Laser' choked out, his anger smashed away by the sheer uncaring bluntness of his partners' suggestion and replaced only with a deep sadness that left the blonde teens' eyes stinging uncomfortably.
"Then if you won't do it officially it can be unofficial" Diabla's hands crossed over her chest and she stared at her partner with a cold detachment as she continued "I can move my things out of the dorm if it makes things easier for everyone, I'll work with you for official missions and handle any part of an assignment delegated to me but beyond that Team WULF does not include me. I don't know how I can make it any clearer to you than I already have, several times over; I was supposed to go to Atlas. I don't care about this academy, this Kingdom or this team; a partner was always just a formality….we were never going to be friends Laser"
"Fine" Laser's voice finally cracked now and he looked away as he wiped his eyes, refusing to let Diabla see the effect that her words had on him even as trembling shiver passed through his body.
"Y'know, I know you wouldn't get it, how much having people you can trust and rely on means to somebody who comes from where I can from; just how rare it is to be able to actually sleep around people and not worry about if they're gonna make sure you never wake up" the wiry and haunted looking teen continued, forcing back sniffling tears with each word "And it's fine that you don't understand….but you're my partner and would die for you, like actually die; I just wish I understood what I did that makes you hate me so much….But fine, you wanna fight the whole world alone then you do that, go ahead. We're done" with his tirade complete Laser pushed passed Diabla, though he didn't take the opportunity to drive his shoulder into her the way that she had expected and been tensed in anticipation of. The same stress and anger fuelled headache that she had been trying to ignore now thundered against her skull, intensified a hundredfold as she watched her partner leave.
In the absence of a punchbag her fist impacted against the wall with a booming impact and a sharp sting as the skin of her knuckles was torn open.
"Damn it all" she hissed out through clenched teeth, shoulders shaking and blood rushing in her ears as she pointedly refused to look up from the floor and see her classmates and fellow students staring and whispering about her.
She was liar and she hated herself for it.
Only a fool would believe the feeble excuses about duty and obligation that she had scathingly offered to her team-mates when they had questioned the haste and ferocity she had shown when confronting the biker and ringleader of the criminals when she learned that Laser and Ursinia had been dragged into Team MARZ's crime-fighting escapades. The simple truth of the matter was that she cared deeply for each of her friends, no matter how often she butted heads with Wolfram and his bombastic, reckless style of leadership, Ursinia's sometimes overbearing henpecking of her team-mates or even Laser's underhanded and kleptomaniac tendencies but the tough, resilient by necessity Mantle-born teen was distrustful of that closeness, unable to see it as more than a temporary false hope that would only be taken from her in the future and ultimately incompatible with her own goals. Breaktide Academy, as unideal as it was to her was her only pathway to becoming a Huntress and with it the only real way for Diabla to achieve vindication against a world that had spat on her at every turn and whilst allowing herself to be hurt again was unsettling, allowing herself to have the last thing that truly mattered to her taken away was unthinkable.
Team WULF had worked their way into the deepest crevices in her heart but ultimately Diabla had no room for them there, her fury and determination left no space for them.
Astra, much like Diabla had decided to engage in extracurricular training for sake of stress relief and mental clarity, albeit with a vastly different outcome.
Primarily for the fact that the Deer Faunus was not alone.
Keeping their word to Athena-Jade and discarding their earlier plans to venture out in search of possible Dust suppliers to the Grimm smugglers armed with the information that Penny Rose had given them, regardless of her intentions the Deer Faunus had instead come to the conclusion that a productive use of their time would be to spar with someone, as despite their attempts not to sound egotistical it had been all but outright stated that Team MARZ were part of the reason for Professor Altan's new upcoming challenge and it was therefore reasonable to assume that they would be amongst the most thoroughly tested students. Another factor to be considered was that if the challenge was to defeat a team of fellow first years in some manner than sparring in full view of those who would soon be their opponents would be giving them an unfair advantage and as such
Astra had convinced Regalia to help though, though in truth their partner was eager to please and it had required little effort.
Which was how the two of them came to be circling one another in the larger, outdoor training arena beneath a stormy grey sky whilst thunder boomed and a fine, misty rain fell around them to soak them to the bone.
"What are you waiting for?" Regalia murmured, a playful grin standing at odds with the serious tone as she quoted a movie that Astra was familiar with "You're faster than this. Don't think you are, know you are"
"Okay" Astra said simply before bursting forwards in a blur of motion, zigzagging as they closed the distance, forcing Regalia to guess the angle of attack and then second guess her own judgement before finally they leapt high into the air and let their momentum carry them forwards, delivering three bicycling front kicks in rapid succession and though the Racoon Faunus managed to block each of them with her forearms she was still forced backwards and left wincing in pain at the force of the impacts which sent waves of tingling numbness travelling down to her fingertips. The moment Astra landed they followed up with a spinning heel kick aimed squarely at their partner and current opponents' midsection, though here Regalia countered by simply seizing their ankle and rotating the joint in a way forced Astra to throw themselves to the ground to avoid having their ankle broken.
"Come on! Stop trying to hit me and hit me!" Regalia taunted, smiling as she followed up her earlier reference to popular and causing an annoyed grunt to escape Astra as their fists balled and expression darkened; witty banter was far less fun when one was on the receiving end it would seem. The Deer Faunus reacted swiftly and gave their partner what she asked for without hesitation, launching themselves back to their feet with a spiralling motion which culminated in a left-legged crescent kick which Regalia was forced to weave under, thus allowing Astra to resume their sparring in earnest with a flurry of hastily parried and redirected attacks; a narrowly dodged right cross followed by an opportunistic elbow strike to the nose which Regalia barely avoided, only for the subsequent spinning reverse elbow from the opposite arm to rip through the air a fraction of an inch away from her face yet Astra, for all their speed and power was growing frantic and throwing attacks with little consideration or strategy which was quickly used against them as they leapt into the air to deliver a knee-strike to Regalia's face, only for the Racoon Faunus to put the years she had spent learning to fight from older members of Clan Aiktishaf to good use and take her partner by the waist, snatching Astra out of the air and throwing them across the rain-soaked arena. Regalia, with muscles that were perhaps smaller than Athena-Jade's but more sharply defined, including enviable abs that were left on display by the deliberately shortened tank-top which now clung to her body was far stronger than Astra.
And Astra would be lying if they said that fact didn't annoy them.
"Ironically the racoon is about to get trashed!" they yelled, deciding to entertain their partners' joking as they rushed back into the fray, veering off to the right and leaping into the air at the last moment to deliver an impossibly fast and powerful hurricane kick
"Dude what the heck?" Regalia almost yelped as she leaned back to avoid the attack that would certainly have broken her jaw and cheekbone had it connected, a wave of rainwater whipping out as her long lions' tail of hair flew around her. Astra wasted no words and simply carried on their attack the moment they landed, completing their spin and landing with their back toward her they lashed out and delivered a snapping kick to the inside of her knee, using the motion to turn and deliver a left elbow to her kidney and as the two attacks together left her sinking to one knee the Deer Faunus used their momentum to deliver a leaping, downward palm-strike to her forehead which left Regalia momentarily cross-eyed as it sent her sliding back across the wet ground.
Regalia may have been stronger, but Astra's technique was undeniably impeccable.
Letting out a wordless sound of annoyance, at both the blow itself and how suddenly unsporting her partner had chosen to act Regalia returned to her feet and shook away the momentary dizziness of the last blow. The two circled each other once again and Astra allowed some of the swaggering bravado that had slowly morphed from an aspirational ruse to a genuine part of their personality with each of Team MARZ's exploits to rise to the surface, shifting their weight and flourishing unnecessarily in an attempt to throw their opponent off and create openings in her defences only to be forced to quickly themselves as Regalia came thundering at them without warning, eyes faintly glowing with the effects of Look-See.
Before Astra could leap or roll aside Regalia had flung herself downwards and used the wetness of the floor to carry herself forwards in a sliding tackle more at home in a football match which smashed the Deer Faunus's feet out from under them, catching Astra as they sailed overhead and slamming them down, back-first onto the ground. The Deer Faunus fumed at the indignity of and their eyes gleamed with sudden anger and defiance which was swiftly knocked back out of them a moment later, along with their breath as Regalia's forearm collided with the throat.
Astra's technique was superior but Regalia always had her Semblance to give her an edge.
"Oh crap, oh heck, oh….are you okay?" the Racoon Faunus asked frantically, scrabbling to her feet and helping Astra to theirs as the Deer Faunus continued to gasp and heave with each failed attempt to take in air until finally, staggering out of the arena, with watering eyes and red in the face they managed to choke out a reply.
"What the hell Regalia?"
"Heh….I uh guess I got carried away" Regalia grinned nervously as she wrung her hands "But hey, you kept going for kidney punches and you were trying to really hurt me with some of those"
"Yeah….Yeah you're right, sorry about that" Astra sighed, eyes downcast as their anger at being beaten was forced to compete with their shame at the way they had reacted; with rain still falling lightly but persistently around them they gestured for Regalia to follow and quickly sought solace under the ascending layers of bleacher-like seating where a few moments of silence passed as the pair took a moment to gather their thoughts and catch their breath before Regalia finally broke the silence.
"Wanna talk about what's bothering you?….I mean I might not always get it, but I'll always listen"
"Thanks" Astra managed to chuckle despite the soreness of their throat "I mean I wish I had a cool Semblance that I could fall back on-"
"You'll find yours when it's the right time" Regalia assured them, nodding with all the certainty of an experience sage amongst her people.
"Yeah but that's not all though" Astra sighed "It's this whole training mission that Professor Altan has announced….I mean she'll never say it directly but we all know it's something she'd doing in response to us trying to go after the smugglers"
"You think she's trying to give us extra training?" the Racoon Asked, remembering that her partner had espoused the opinion the Penny Rose had been trying to discreetly offer Team MARZ guidance, though the idea of the far more fierce Professor Alan doing the same was far harder to swallow.
"I don't know" Astra admitted with a grimace "And I don't like not knowing….Is she trying to teach us something, punish us and make an example or just distract use with extra work? I don't know, I just know that we need to get ready for whatever is coming but we can't even do that because we've got nothing to work with; none of the older students will tell us anything.
"We'll be okay….you'll make sure of that" Regalia beamed happily, giving her most reassuring smile before voicing a thought the moment it came to her "Have you spoken to Wolfram about this….I mean Team WULF are involved now?"
"Nah" Astra admitted, letting out a groan as their face coloured which only made them gruffer in an attempt to offset it "Things are….I dunno awkward, we tried to go on a date, got attacked by Grimm which led to a crash and a visit to medical and now we don't know where we stand with each other, we're just walking on eggshells"
"Well you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggshells" Regalia nodded, wearing an expression that was a little too earnest to be believable.
"That's not what that….no, I'm not even touching that one" Astra grumbled, slouching against the wall with an expression that they would deny was a pout if challenged.
"You two should try again" Regalia insisted "You both want to, you're just way more shy about this than you are about literally anything else"
"I bow before your years of experience" Astra scoffed irritably "Remind me who you're dating again?….Okay I'm sorry, that was out of line-"
"Yeah it kinda was" Regalia grumbled, beginning to tire of Astra's sudden sullenness "There's nobody I even want to try dating with right now but if there was do you really think you wouldn't be the first person I tell?"
"Wait, seriously?" Astra cocked their head in mild confusion at that, massaging the point where antler met flesh.
"Astra you're my best friend" Regalia nodded in mild exasperation "At least I thought-"
"Yeah, we're best friends….and I'm sorry I haven't been much of one" Astra managed to sigh, the realisation coming as something of a shock as they realised that whilst they had been trying form and repair other relationships almost their entire time at Breaktide Academy, Regalia had been at their side with nothing but consistent companionship and kindness. The understanding of how much they had taken for granted was enough to extinguish the anger that had been building up in Astra over the last few days in an instant.
They needed to be a better person before they could be a better Hunter.
Rain pattered gently but incessantly against the window of Team MARZ's dormitory and by the time late afternoon began to fade into evening and the iron-grey sky began to darken the downpour had formed the soundtrack for much of Athena-Jade and Zirconia's day since the end of classes.
The air in the room was still and perhaps marginally too warm to be comfortable for those native to cooler climates which was, whilst Zirconia seemed to be able to focus through an act of willpower that her partner was currently unable to equal Athena-Jade was restless and, at that moment sprawled across her bunk whilst clad in a simple tank-top and denim shorts that displayed a generous portion of her thick and immensely strong thighs as she checked her scroll idly every few moments in the hope that one of her old friends from the private school she had attended in Atlas would reply to her messages.
Whilst Astra and Regalia had elected to train after classes had ended despite the weather the remaining half of Team MAR had declined, with Zirconia stating that she had some minor errands and other issues to attend to such as placing orders for the considerable amount of Dust that her weapon relied on, citing sources that she had quoted in several recent assignments and several other, equally seemingly mundane tasks that her partner was unaware of. Athena herself had, in an exceedingly rare turn of events tried to study and failed to find the focus or motivation within herself; under normal circumstances the Bear Faunus was the driving force behind Team MARZ's academic efforts as she was equal to Zirconia in terms of determination and vocal enough about it to spur Astra and Regalia onwards, a product of being raised by who loved her unconditionally but still expected their children's best efforts in anything that they set their mind to, a mindset that was certainly a product of their own upbringings. Today however her textbooks, papers that were in various states of completion and other similar tasks had only been given a cursory glance one she had left the shower before being disregarded, yet the short, if powerfully built teen was unable to find anything else to occupy her thoughts or, more precisely to wrest them away from what currently bothered her.
"What's wrong?" Zirconia finally asked quietly, her rasping tone quiet and gentle but frank
"Nothing" Athena answered after being caught unaware by the sudden and unexpected question for a moment, though the disgruntled huff she uttered the word in enough to leave Zirconia unconvinced if the Grasshopper Faunus's response was any indication, setting her pen down and rising from the writing desk she had been situated at with a faint whirring of cybernetic limbs and a huff of her own as she made her way over to her partners bunk.
"Something is bothering you, when things bother you it invariably makes you angry eventually. I don't like….you're not yourself when you're angry, you make choices that you regret later. So talk to me" the blunt delivery of the words, which made it clear that no argument would be brooked was enough to irk Athena-Jade for the briefest moment until she considered her own actions in the shorts months that the pair had been partners, specifically the period during and immediately after initiation and found herself forced to accept that her partner had a point and, almost certainly asking from a place of genuine concern.
"Okay fine" she sighed, sapphire blue eyes meeting mismatched pale pink and orange as Athena pulled herself into a sitting position, making room for Zirconia to join her "It's just….Do you think we're doing the right thing?"
"In regards to the smugglers?" Zirconia surmised.
"Yeah" Athena breathed out "I was so sure that I was doing the right thing and I roped you into it….twice if you include us both helping Regalia and as soon as Aunt Ruby and Aunt Penny said no I fell in line, I feel like I'm trying to have my cake and eat it and I don't like it but I don't know what to do….I was always taught to stand up and do what's right, that's what being a Hunter is but….damn it, why is this so hard?"
"Because you don't want to disappoint your family" Zirconia answered quietly and with little hesitation.
"Yeah" Athena sighed yet again, pausing a beat before adding "Hey….do you need to talk about something, I don't want to monopolise this conversation if you need-"
"I'm fine, I promise" her partner murmured, looking away before adding "I just know what it feels like to have expectations placed on you. My guardian may be overprotective but that doesn't mean that he let's me take things easy, the opposite in fact; I had to prove to him that I was ready for this….But he was right to do it, he's right when he says that being a Hunter is dangerous and that what we're doing here is an important undertaking"
"More important than those smugglers?" Athena asked with a smile that didn't manage to entirely mask her slight bitterness.
"More important to who?" Zirconia asked bluntly, causing the Bear Faunus beside her to gasp audibly.
"That's-"
"You misunderstand me" Zirconia interrupted with a rasp, sensing that her partner thought her callous "The smugglers and everything they have done and plan to do are important matters but there are already Hunters, some of the best Hunters on Remnant working on it. We're students, our goals should be training and studying and doing whatever we need to in order to reach a level where we able to help people more effectively and on a wider scale….we can't do that if we get ourselves expelled so, for now at least operating within the framework given to us is for the best"
"That is…." Athena trailed off as she considered, as she often did exactly what had happened in her partners' life that she was unaware of to produce such a gentle and soft-spoken yet unmistakably imposing individual
"Mysterious as ever" she finally snorted, which the insect Faunus beside her merely grinned in response to.
"You have no idea" she answered, with only the faintest hint of gloating; allowing a few peaceful moments of silence to pass between them until finally Athena-Jade spoke again
"It's just….and I know how this is going to sound, really selfish" she lamented "But there's so many great Hunters in my family, people who've changed the world and I came here, instead of one of the academies my parents or my brother went to so I could try and figure out who and what I am outside of the family name and so I could make a difference"
"I can promise you that you have already made a difference to me" Zirconia stated flatly, a simple statement of objective fact in her mind without any need for embellishment and upon hearing it Athena was left with her mind stunned into total disarray as she tried to find an adequate response.
"Thank you, I really needed that" was what the Bear Faunus finally settled on as she pulled her partner into a hug as she tried to convey just how earnest her words were, only to release Zirconia a moment later as she stiffened at the sudden contact which was far more intense that anything that usually shared. Athena noted that her partner was evidently not much of a hugger, however nobody was perfect and the mysterious Grasshopper Faunus could always be educated on the error of her ways.
"Get changed" Zirconia said simply, already rising from the bed
"Why?" Athena asked "You want to go out in that?"
"I want to get dinner and I know that you will overthink and stress yourself until you forget to eat if you're left to your own devices" the taller girl, despite the unique structure of her legs answered "There are some more….upmarket restaurants we can try, I took the liberty of checking ahead by email and finding out which of them are capable of being discreet after the last incident with the press; anywhere that bragged to me about their famous guests when I claimed to be a journalism student was discarded"
Athena sat in stunned silence once again, surprised not only that her partner had something so underhanded and, seemingly directly in front of Athena whilst pretending to be handling simple paperwork no less; but also that her partner, whom she realised now had gone far too long with far too few close friends had done something so kind and considerate for her without prompting. As much as the snowy haired Faunus wanted to gush and heap her thanks and praise upon Zirconia the words would not come, instead alabaster coloured and slightly plump cheeks were given an unwelcome rosy tint as a thought occurred to her.
"This!" she exclaimed "This is why they always think that we're on a date whenever we hang out!"
Zirconia merely brushed a curtain of ebony hair from her face and rolled her vibrant but mismatched eyes before proceeding in silence.
The life of a criminal mastermind, or at least a field commander in service of a greater genius was something that Major Grapeshot, Alumni of Haven Academy of Mistral and former officer of the Mistrali air-force had never truly considered and if he had been told as a younger man that it was how he would spend a significant portion of the closing years of his Grimm Hunting career then his younger self would almost certainly have found the idea abhorrent.
However situations changed and new needs arose.
The dingy apartment that he procured as a base of operations for Carmesi and himself was dimly lit, the sound of the steadily abating storm seeming oddly distant as the four walls of the dining room with their chipped, stained and flaking paint began to feel as though they were closing in around him; the measure of what passed form bourbon in this bleak, downtrodden and consummately vile city he had found himself in offering little solace as the veteran Hunter wondered, not for the first time how exactly he had gotten here and what those he had once called team-mates, friends and family would think of his choices. Grapeshot, before he had been the Major or any other such rank had been like many newly graduated Hunters, especially those hailing from Haven, filled with dreams of glory and fame that came with slaying Creatures of Grimm that rivalled myths and legends.
Then the first war against Salem had come.
Haven Academy had been attacked, its' headmaster killed in combat and the Capital of Mistral all but sacked and in the aftermath of that tragedy a still reeling Grapeshot had been deployed to Menagerie, the island had been Salem's fortress at the time and Grapeshot, still in his early twenties at the time had watched more than half of his graduating class die in the mud and filth; too far from where Ruby Rose and her closest allies had been fighting to even truly claim that their deaths had helped.
From there his desire to improve Remnant and leave his mark upon it had been merged into one and the same and twisted in some subtle way that even he had not fully realised until his new benefactor had reached out to him, after initially making contact through Carmesi and offered him a chance to do more than vainglorious glory-chasing by facing off against one nightmarish beast after another. It was a chance to help forge a bright new future for all of Remnant, a chance to leave a real and lasting legacy behind yet still Major Grapeshot found himself with doubts each time his moral compass was left skewed by his own actions.
"Pull yourself together man" he harrumphed to the empty room, downing the bourbon in a single gulp before continuing in a tense whisper. "It's for the greater good"
A distraction from his own thoughts came shortly after, a welcome and needed one at that.
"I'm back" Carmesi's rumbling declaration was preceded by his own heavy footfalls against the ill-kept floor of the apartment.
"Good grief old chap, you look positively wretched" Grapeshot noted in mild alarm, corners of his imperial moustache twitching at the sight of his younger companion, the Komodo Dragon Faunus had forgone any additional layers of clothing and his usual sleeveless outfit provided no protection at all from the rainwater that now coursed between his thick, ridged scales in streams that left tracks of discolouration in their wake, such was the pollution in Blackwater Cove whilst his hair had been freed from its' customary bun and allowed to plaster itself to his face which only served to give him a more fearsome aspect, making his sharp teeth and hellish red eyes seem all the more prominent and pronounced.
"A welcome back would have been enough….and you've finished the bottle" the younger man huffed, the almost jovial tone seeming out of place in comparison to his usual snarling ferocity; though its' reason was soon given "I found Rowan, found out what happened to our missing package from our benefactor-"
"I am painfully aware of that reality" Grapeshot's expression immediately became stern as the comment from his ally focused his disparate thoughts to more immediate and practical matters, namely the response Carmesi's actions had garnered.
"The other scum don't approve?" Carmesi's low voice became a contemptuous sneer at the thought of the criminals that the two of the were currently forced to endure.
"You broke Rowan Oralie's arm whilst questioning her" Grapeshot stated flatly.
"I had to make it convincing, otherwise people would question how she got away so easily-"
"Do not lie to me Hueso, I won't abide insubordination like that!" the older man barked, collecting himself quickly as he continued "I'm a military man and a Hunter, I appreciate the occasional use of a jolly good thrashing to instil some discipline in the ranks every now and then but these people are not like us! Word has already spread and what loyalty these scoundrels have for anything beyond their own pockets extends to one of their own far more than it ever will to us; I've been contacted by several of our associates, both our footsoldiers such as they are and others, all of whom have expressed their displeasure at your actions, with several going so far as to threaten desertion if you can't be brought to heel-"
"Then I was right, we should just kill them, take their resources and be about our business" Carmesi snarled, temper rising "We only sought these people out in order to remove competition and find out what they knew about suitable Grimm subjects for our benefactors' needs….we don't need them"
"Your impatience will be the death of us both" Grapeshot lamented "And your dedication to your own morals is admirable, but you go too far too easily….I wonder if you were to vent your wrath on everyone you feel deserving of it, would there be anybody left to enjoy this new Remnant that our benefactor plans to make?"
"The people that deserve to see it" Carmesi rumbled, something manic and unhinged gleaming in his crimson eyes.
"I won't debate politics or philosophy with you old chap, I simply won't" Grapeshot sighed.
"More practical matters then" the younger Hunter, if he could still be called that nodded "Have the scum managed to do anything other than complain"
"Rowan Oralie is still laying low and awaiting further instructions whilst the criminals gangs she employs continue business as usual, until either we or our benefactor give them other instructions-"
"Let's hope she can avoid being seen by Team MARZ or their friends; it would complicate things" Carmesi noted with open disdain for the redhead woman who was allegedly respected within the criminal underbelly of the island Kingdom, yet seemed routinely unable to fend for herself against first year students.
"The fresh recruits have some spirit and gumption do they? Well bravo for them" Grapeshot smiled, seemingly genuinely amused by the information
"They're also the reason that Breaktide Academy have the containment unit we were supposed to use to capture the Alpha Geist….or whatever it is now" Carmesi noted.
"Which is a jolly rum do" Grapeshot admitted "Especially considering that one of the mercenary teams that Persian Green used to employ to capture Grimm for that wretched fight club of his are moving into position as we speak, I sent them out on the hunt after we received the footage that was captured by the nomad clan our target attacked"
"Is it wise to send them?" Carmesi asked cautiously "They're expendable but we don't know exactly how intelligent this Grimm is….or what it's capable at this point"
"Which is why they were sent, we need information and their role will be to observe the target until we can receive a replacement containment unit" Grapeshot answered "Loathe as I am to admit it old chap, I daresay that this beast might be a little too clever for us to simply chase down and overpower, it seems we'll have to have our wits about us and try to out-think it"
"You want to set a trap" Carmesi nodded, a low growl burbling from the back of his throat as he considered the idea before finally passing judgement "It could work….It depends what you, or our benefactor are willing to sacrifice as bait"
The Hell-Hound, for such a moniker was still the closest thing to an identity or given name that the hybrid Alpha Grimm possessed was filled with a violent, storming hatred that went far beyond simple, animal fury and in that hatred it had become a destructive force of nature.
It was death made flesh and the blasted ground beneath it was soaked with the blood of its' prey.
Its' packs had been spread across the barren swathe of the centre of Menagerie that they laid claim to, the horde of Beowolves subsuming any errant Creatures of Grimm they encountered; butchering them and adding them as raw sustenance and biomass, or what the ghoulish creatures had in place of biological matter rather than as potential new pack-mates and kin linked through a shared fragment of the shattered hive-mind. The sun had not fully set when the Hell-Hound had first become aware of the approach of its' enemies, yet it had allowed them to draw close as some burgeoning intelligence that went beyond animal cunning allowed them to understand to some degree what its' foe sought and prepare a well-baited trap.
Members of several small branches of the massive super-pack were assaulted and picked off by the approaching prey and whilst the Hell-Hound could not extend what little consciousness it possessed beyond its' own physical form through the interconnecting tendrils of the gestalt mind and see through the eyes of its' underling it could still feel the passing of each that was slain, a sharp, white-hot poker to the recesses of the mind until, finally those who hunted the Grimm had come too close to escape or turn away.
The Hell-Hound had a massive degree of control over the Beowolves under its' sway yet in truth it was something more akin to a charismatic and psychological dominance rather than the utter and complete dominion which would have allowed it to simply puppet the bodies of its' pack; however with the singular purpose shared by each individual and the bloodlust that coursed through every fibre of their beings, redoubling and feeding off itself until it reached a fever pitch, springing the trap and having the Beowolves that prowled the wastes alongside the hybrid Alpha itself charger forward whilst other monsters cut off any chance of retreat had been as easy for the Cyclopean abomination as flexing a muscle.
The murderous rage had intensified a thousandfold when the Hell-Hound had realised that these were people it remembered.
Both of the Alpha Grimm that made its' up its' twisted and composite psyche, the Geist and the Beowolf had been been captured by those who operated the Desert Claw and forced to compete in sickening gladiatorial combat, blood and violence were as needed and welcome to the Creatures of Grimm as air was to living beings however, like any living thing the monsters would protect themselves against any threat and it was this base, primal and uncontrollable hatred that spurred the Hell-Hound and thus its' pack along with it on to acts of unspeakable violence; fuelled by every memory of being hunted, attacked with lightning-filled batons, frozen, trapped and set upon.
The lines and formation of the group that Major Grapeshot had sent to observe the Hell-Hound were shattered the moment their quarry began to unload its' back-mounted artillery piece into their vehicles with devastating results; they were simple criminals, thieves and bandits unsuited to combat with any opponent capable of offering any real resistance and the reality of their situation had been revealed to them with horrifying clarity as the Hell-Hound had closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, its' four arms tipped with sharp claws tearing through armoured doors and hulls whilst vestigial tendrils disguised as rags lined with suckers and writhing claws snaked into the various sundered vehicles and tore at those within; before any real or meaningful attempt at a counter-attack could be mustered the rest of the Beowolves had swarmed the convoy and set about slaughtering its' members to a man; leaving nothing but eviscerated meat, destroyed vehicles and screams that echoed through the night in their wake.
Screams that were finally silenced as the Hell-Hound itself dispatched the last remaining members.
A man clutched in two of its' four arms let out a final, incoherent and whimpering plea which was overshadowed by a fleshy tearing sound that would have cost any who heard it the contents of their stomach before being pulled apart in an explosion of gore whilst another finally fell limp, body ghostly pale and lifeless after the hybrid Alphas' various clawed tendrils and ripped through flesh and left a bloodless and ragged husk behind, finally the Hell-Hound turned its' fanged, rictus grin and single hateful eye in the direction of a pair that were attempting to flee and aimed its' ranged weapon; the artillery shell that it fired blasting the humans several dozen feet into the air and leaving their bodies to strike the ground with unsettlingly wet splats.
Even lost in the midst of the red haze that had overcome it the Hell-Hound, whilst not truly a sentient or thinking being had lingering traces of purpose and drive and it was this which caused the abomination to halt its' demented rampage, leaving it content to allow its' pack to gorge themselves and fight over scraps while its' own hooded and Cyclopean, yet distinctly lupine skull cocked to the side in the manner of a confused dog as it saw something small and rectangular glinting in the moonlight. Overcome with a sudden curiosity the Hell-Hound stalked over to the dropped item, something that many of the prey used, though the Grimm itself had no true understanding of beyond some odd, unidentifiable imperative that gave the device a sense of importance; growling at the thing in uncertainty the Hell-Hound draped a flattened vestigial tendril over it and began to slowly, cautiously merge itself into the device, the tip of the atrophied limb splitting into vines and capillaries that worked and writhed their way into various ports and openings.
A sense of clarity came almost instantly.
The device was a scroll and the Hell-Hound let out a shuddering, whimpering whine as it felt a presence that was at once everywhere and nowhere, a being with a million voices and yet not a being at all scream into its' psyche. Terror, rage, hatred and all manner of other things which the Creatures of Grimm could draw sustenance from poured into the hybrid Alpha and with them a sense of connection that, whilst fundamentally and entirely different to the presence of the Grimm hive-mind and yet, was familiar to the beast. This presence, whatever it may be was the same thing that it had felt whilst merged with the entirety of the decommissioned airship terminal that had been repurposed as an arena, the very same thing that had begun the apotheosis and evolution of the Alpha Geist into its' current form.
The Hell-Hound felt its' mind begin to accelerate again, previously unattainable levels of thought becoming possible to it as its' inner self began to transform, though its' exterior remained unchanged yet; just what felt like a crucial moment, as the hybrid Alpha stood on the precipice of truly developing a sense of self the process was halted. The Hell-Hound stared down and the mangled and sparking remains of the scroll in its' grasp, overheated to the point of melting as its' small and relatively simple components failed to handle the stresses being placed upon them and in response the monster let out a screaming howl of rage that sent its' pack fleeing in fear as the very air itself shuddered in response.
It had been denied, but now the Hell-Hound knew, on some level what it was that it sought.
Author's Notes:
So, I said that last week's chapter was supposed to be sort of a filler chapter but ended up feeling more important….this is the filler chapter, although it still definitely has its' moments
Also, I'm planning on taking a week off of writing at some point although I don't know exactly when and the fact that I'm always at least one week ahead of my posting schedule means that when I take a break won't necessarily line up with when you see the gap in the schedule.
The next chapter will be the start of the mini-arc of a few chapters which makes up what we can consider the Vol.02 mid-season finale….A mid point of the first year.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Lamenting the loss of a weekend….you can tell I wrote this on a week where I was going back onto the day shift.
I mean Team RWBY didn't involve Team JNPR in their nonsense, Team MARZ love to bring friends along though.
Rowan "Escaped" of course the teachers believe that because Grapeshot and Carmesi are still in good standing as Hunters.
The irony is the Carmesi is the right hand man who will kill them if they talk.
Ruby was frustratingly close to being on the right track, just for a second.
The whole point of the scene was really just to broach the idea of Arslan's head to head training and make it official.
So Diabla is still basically going solo.
Regalia's comment to Ursinia is another movie quote.
Astra kinda reminds me of Anakin in Episode 02 here "Two Jedi to guard one senator, it's overkill….doing more is implied".
I can imagine that the students are genuinely worried whenever Arslan starts smiling too much.
You didn't really think I was gonna give the entire game away did you? All I'll say is that the head to head training exercise is something that people who read/watch MHA will recognise.
Angry so long it gives you a headache, god I remember having a temper like that.
So that's how Diabla's doing, I think it's pretty clear to see that mentally she hasn't been in a good place for a while.
Do not work out on an empty stomach, you will fuck yourself up if you faint.
Laser is a good kid….but him throwing the punchbag aside was overdue.
So close to getting Diabla's backstory, it's just a matter of how manages to needle her and push the right button.
Okay firstly damn, Diabla's whole tirade here was honestly just heartbreaking for me to write, but secondly….note that Laser does not believe for even a second that even Wolfram would request Diabla's removal from the team.
I honestly think "Team WULF had worked their way into the deepest crevices in her heart but ultimately Diabla had no room for them there, her fury and determination left no space for them" might actually be one of the saddest things I've ever wrote.
Astra is cocky….but they're right.
Regalia obviously quoting the Matrix, because in my opinion the training program scene is one of the best pieces of fight choreography in cinema….also, Astra started with the three kicks in mid-air for the same reason.
I'm sure there is a portion of my readership that loves hearing about Regalia's abs….especially in a soaked, cut off tank-top.
I hope people are picking up the subtle changes in Astra's behaviour; they were always a little too heavy handed in fights and it's starting to get slightly more noticeable.
Yay for continued awkwardness between the two dorks; however I will give you catharsis in due time.
"Well you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggshells" come on that was funny.
Astra and Regalia's friendship is honestly always fun to write.
Weiss and Gangrel absolutely expect their children's best efforts in anything they try.
Zirconia being the one to get someone else to speak up, what cruel irony is this.
Athena-Jade's moral conundrum felt believable to me.
See, on the surface Zirconia's advice seems entirely understandable, but if it feels like there's more to it….well.
"I can promise you that you have already made a difference to me" Moonbeam/Buggy With The Bear shippers, come get y'all juice.
Just casually ordering a table for two at the fancy restaurant, totally platonic.
Not exactly a full backstory, but definitely an insight into Grapeshot.
The benefactor came to Carmesi first, note that down.
So there's trouble amongst the ranks of the villains; Carmesi roughed Rowan up for losing the containment unit and her people aren't happy about it.
Carmesi really is fire and brimstone incarnate, which begs the question of why is he doing all of this?
I like the idea that as much trouble as it's going to cause in the long run Grapeshot really does like Team MARZ.
Of course you all knew that the mercenaries were all going to die.
Enjoy a little bit of foreshadowing at the end of the scene.
Well, hello and goodbye to the latest batch of nameless grunts.
So the Hell-Hound is definitely getting some more cognitive function.
I make no apologies for the brutality of this scene, it was supposed to be an absolute massacre, although I tried to avoid spilling over into it being gratuitous.
So, the Grimm connected to the scroll and got smarter; remembering something from when it took over the building….I'm giving pretty solid hints but not saying exactly what's happening yet.
Thank you to SumoSnipe and Funlander for their reviews on the last chapter.
Yep, Penny has all the tactical knowledge of the Atlesian military including countermeasures for basically anyone she's seen fight….remember in Downward Spiral where she used to copy attack patterns, and also had the Specialist rank for a while.
I mean Astra isn't a public figure like AJ is, but yeah they definitely attract attention.
Yeah but the house uses the word 'Cheating' the same way Microsoft uses the word 'Updates'
Rowan isn't dead, she just had to go through 'disciplinary procedures courtesy of Carmesi after fucking up.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.