MARZ Rising

by FandomPariah

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

56. Cruel Summer (Vol04)

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

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

I am making no money from this.

Chapter 56: Cruel Summer

Felix Xiao Long walked beside his boyfriend of over a decade Helios Nikos, former heir to the Nikosi tribe of Anima and leader of Team NEON who was red-headed and green eyed, his deep scarlet hair worn in swept back spikes and complemented by a full beard which failed to hide an old scar running the length of one cheek whilst his tall and muscular form was clad in heavy and intricately made golden armour which left enough of his flesh visible to reveal the intersecting networks of ritual tattoos and battle-scars that adorned him; all in all Helios cut a striking figure, doubly so with the dirty blonde Lion Faunus whose golden cybernetic prosthetics gleamed in the afternoon sun at his side and the two men found eyes drawn naturally towards them as they walked through surroundings whose unremarkable nature only made their presence more noteworthy by contrast.

The two had found themselves entering a sizeable scrapyard located towards the fringes of the industrial districts of Neo Vale, Capital city of the Kingdom of New Vale and among the people paying attention to the arrival of two recognisable Hunters, a far from commonplace occurrence in the largely reputable premises was a Deer Faunus older than either man who wore faded and stained overalls as he strode over, wiping calloused and dirtied hands on an old oil rag and muttering brief exchanges to his fellow blue collar workers as he passed them in the process before giving a nod of recognition to Helios Nikos and addressing Felix

"So, you're calling in favours on my days off now?" Redshank Mars, father to Felix's half-sibling and husband to the birth mother he had gone far too long without knowing; though Felix could never bring himself to openly call the man his step father noted, though the comment was delivered without malice and the conversational tone was returned as the Lion Faunus answered.

"So you've got my car in a scrapyard now?"

"You think I keep that kind of armour plating just lying around in my shop?" Redshank retorted with a snort before holding out a hand which Felix shook readily. The relationship between the two men was not in truth a familial one and had been strained and fraught on numerous occasions over the years that they had known each other however it had improved steadily to such a degree that favours such as the current arrangement could be offered between them without issue; the Killer-Bee, Felix's prized muscle car had been brought from Port Alistair in Menagerie in a pitiful state and presented to Redshank Mars in the hopes that it could be repaired over a month ago and during that time the older man had spent no small amount of his time between other jobs at the garage he owned with both Felix and Astra working on the car until it had been clear that parts not readily be available would be needed, at which point it had been brought here, to a scrapyard which Redshank had many dealings with in both his capacities as the owner of a garage and also as a member of the Faunus and workers rights group which Blake Xiao Long was a founding and leading member of.

"Thanks for this" Felix murmured "I'm taking local jobs for a while and Eagle's got a car but I hate not being able to drive myself….What do I owe you for the plating?"

"Atlesian steel like that is coming in at about three hundred a ton" Redshank shrugged in a way that indicated he would be able to supply a more detailed and definite answer in short order before adding "Astra sprayed it last night, should be dry be now and I asked the guys here to keep some place out of the way….Had to tell Astra to keep the extra touches they wanted to add until they cleared it with you; there's a lot of rare hardware here and they said they could add a shield generator to the front of your car, give a battering ram"

"Nice….as long as it doesn't kill the battery" Felix noted before focusing on a more important matter at hand "Where is Astra anyway?"

"You hear that?" Redshank gestured off to something in the distance, a heavy metallic creak and groan somewhere behind the aisles and corridors of heaped vehicles and industrial detritus which Felix had simply assumed was the sound of a crane or similar vehicle at work.

"What the hell?" he muttered.

"Oh you've gotta see this" Redshank chuckled making a gesture for the younger man to follow, whilst at the same time fishing the keys for the Killer-Bee out of his pocket and throwing them to Felix who promptly passed them to Helios and leaned over to kiss the armoured redhead on the cheek

"Can you go pick the car up?"

"No problem" Helios allowed himself to be led away by one of the men who worked at the yard and as Felix allowed himself to be similarly led by Redshank he could not help but notice that as the two of them drew nearer to the source of the metallic din, which had a regular and rhythmic pace there were many more blue-collar workers standing by and leaving their jobs unattended as they clambered to the tops of various heaps as if seeking vantage points to watch some unfolding spectacle.

"Where're you taking me?" Felix asked with a bemused note, having no reason to expect treachery from his siblings' father but being confused all the same; Redshank for his part did not answer immediately and instead paused to adjust his overalls and clear his throat as he prepared to speak with a frankness that did not come easily about a subject which he understood less than he supposed he should.

"Look, I wanted to say thank you Felix….and uh, to apologise for all the times I've doubted you, the times I've said maybe Astra shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket about being a Hunter-" the Deer Faunus held up a hand to silence the younger man when it became clear Felix planned to assure him no such apology was needed "Let me finish….Astra's my kid, my only kid and you've gotta understand that the life you lead, the life they wanna lead, it scares the crap out of me; you fight monsters that can level entire towns and then come home and fight the mob. No parent wants to see their kid hurt and I mean…..damn it you saw what they looked like when they came home, you told me yourself they almost didn't make it but somehow, I don't claim to understand it but I still think I get it now; watching Astra train this summer now he can do his spirit magic thing-"

"Semblance" Felix hissed through gritted teeth, the son of a Hunter turned teacher not willing to let that particular feat of ignorance slide.

"Yeah that one" Redshank nodded "I get it y'know, this is what Astra is mean to be doing….I mean how do you even explain this?"

"Explain wha- Holy shit" the words left Felix in a hushed, almost reverent whisper as he realised what Redshank had brought him to see and why it was that the labourers had chosen to simply watch. They had made their way into an open clearing within the scrapyard, likely where workers congregated to avoid management and busywork only for the entire area to be bathed in the fiery red glow of Astra Mars's Aura; Felix, given that he had been fighting in another part of the city during the battle for Port Alistair had not yet seen his siblings' Semblance in action and the descriptions given to him by those who had witnessed the feat did not adequately prepare him for the sight of an Aura construct resembling an antler and Mohawk-sporting humanoid of solid light two dozen feet tall laid on the ground as the Deer Faunus, whose true form could not currently be seen exerted themselves in a way that caused the clanking and trembling of metal which filled the air.

"They're benching a fucking train" Felix mouthed out in open disbelief.

"Yeah" Redshank shook his head and leaned against a heap of rusted and mangled cars "I thought at my age I'd seen everything I was gonna see, I damn near had to start smoking again the first time Astra did that….HEY KID, YOUR BROTHER'S HERE!"

The sight of an entire train carriage being manhandled as though it were a barbell and casually set aside was enough to leave Felix struggling to recalculate his estimations of what his sibling was truly capable of, only for his thoughts to be brought screeching to a halt and be replaced by the need for brotherly teasing as Astra themselves came into view; their Aura self shattering into a blizzard of fragments which faded away into nothingness in a matter of moments, the teen within them springing to their feet.

"Oh so you're having a phase now?….Listening to My Biological Shojo lately?"

"Fluffy….shut the hell up man" Astra managed a weak, wavering chuckle as they trudged over in a state of clear exhaustion after their exercise, allowing Felix time to properly take in their new attire and aesthetic. Instead of the well worn sneakers they had once favoured they now wore a pair of black ankle boots boasting a slight platform and whose strappy fastenings were finished in a contrasting bright red; above these were a pair of highly faded to the point of almost being grey and artistically ripped slim-fitting jeans, beneath which a pair of black fishnet tights were worn whilst whatever belts secured the jeans were hidden beneath a bright red sash worn around Astra's hips like a skirt which flowed in the slight breeze and was fastened in place by a set of striped pride pins denoting their sexuality, gender identity and Faunus heritage. Tucked into their jeans and hanging slightly open to reveal lean and toned light brown skin beneath it was Astra's old gi, sleeveless and black with a red trim though now without the belt that had often accompanied it as the Deer Faunus felt that the sash and the small silk fastening within the garment would suffice and over this was a particularly noteworthy item of clothing. Astra's once signature red leather jacket had been torn to shreds as they defended Port Alistair, though it was obvious that they had refused to part with it and had instead salvaged as much of it as possible, the sleeves were now missing entirely whilst black leather had been added to both the trim around the edges, pockets and fastenings along with the collar which was popped as always as well as Astra's own personal emblem on the back which took the form of a star with twin antler-shaped contrails of fire and, mildly disconcertingly a patch of heart-shaped black leather on the left breast whilst the entire garment was now shorter, its' lowest point barely reaching the edge of Astra's bottom rib. This outfit was completed with a black, fingerless leather glove with silver studs lining the knuckles on Astra's left hand whilst both forearms were wrapped in supportive bandages over which their weapons would be laid, reminiscent of their now ex-boyfriend.

All of this attire was complemented by Astra's customary dark make up, black eyeliner framing sea-green eyes set in an angular face and accompanied by lipstick of the same colour though Felix's eyes were drawn instantly and naturally to their siblings' antlers, the left of which had been shattered during the defence of Menagerie's Capital and had not yet fully regrown; to compensate for this however the teen had fashioned a brace which fit around the remaining stump made of some lightweight, pale silvery metal which seemed to serve as a mould to ensure that the new antler grew into the original shape. To accompany this addition and make it seem more of a deliberate thing Felix noted that Astra now boasted a gleaming silver stud in the left side of their nose whilst several small hoops of silver, many with dangling black ornaments decorated the shell of their left ear however the most striking detail of all was Astra's hair. Where once the Mohawk of swept forward spikes which added several inches to their height had been the fiery red of their Aura with its' natural auburn colour often visible at the roots it was now a deep, shimmering and glossy midnight black, the same auburn tinge at the base of each spike fading to an indistinct peach fuzz where their hair was cropped away at the back and sides giving the overall appearance of smoke rising from a fire being taken and solidified into something to make a statement.

"They look like a tart" Redshank snorted with a shake of the head, shrugging as he added "Still, at least going out and buying that got 'em out of the house….The loud music and moping as been-"

"Dad….Come on" Astra splayed their hands wide, not quite willing to exchange in the brutal bout of bickering that Felix would likely have been subjected to but still eager to keep their pride from being wounded any further, something the older Deer Faunus conceded with a silent gesture as he made his way back towards the scrapyard proper, where he could busy himself with things in a realm of possibility he understood better than the world the two Hunters before him inhabited.

"So" Felix noted, studying Astra's new appearance "The new look is certainly something….Date tonight or something?"

"With who?" Astra clearly fought the urge to spit the word out with venom, eyes narrowing a fraction and Felix saw the foolishness of his words a moment after he uttered them; crossing the distance between them he slung a muscular arm over his siblings shoulders which it seemed for a moment that Astra would throw off but instead decided to allow and trudged sullenly as their brother began to lead them.

"Okay yeah that was dumb" Felix admitted "But your first breakup isn't the end of the world-

"Isn't Helios the only guy you've ever dated-"

"besides the point" Felix moved his arm enough to swat Astra lightly about the back of the head as he continued to speak "I'm just saying you're eighteen, a good looking kid and your training to be a Hunter….It's a Saturday and you're flying back out to Menagerie tomorrow; I just thought you'd be doing something tonight, party, catch up with old friends-"

"Just haven't been feeling it" Astra shrugged with a sigh that belied more of their deep woes than their next words would allow "I've just been busy y'know, trying to test out my Semblance and get the hang of that, helping Mum at the diner and Dad at the garage with a few shifts to try and make little Lien….Helping fix your car-"

"That you broke, after you stole it" Felix noted "No sympathy there"

"Technically the Grimm broke it, which makes me wonder why you're wasting money on armour plating that does nothing" Astra shot back, prompting Felix to give a toothy grin; happy that his sibling was now acting a little more like the Astra they recognised even if that did involve them being overly cocky.

"Oh that's why you made some plans to modify my car?" Felix countered with and arched eyebrow "You think you can improve my work?"

"Give me your tools and budget and absolutely" Astra nodded with an utter earnestness which Felix was forced to admit was not undeserving given the complexity of Astra's weapon, Buckshot Ares which itself had been redesigned several times and made from primarily repurposed materials.

"Okay kid" the Lion Faunus leaned back, appraising them "Well if you're already packed and not doing anything tonight how about we take the car for a spin, test your work out and pick some food up and then will head over to Eagle's place and we'll throw you a little leaving party….get a few of the other tech nerds over so they can poke holes in your ideas. I'll give you a ride to the airship tomorrow?"

"I….Yeah, I'd like that" Astra beamed, the idea of being able to associate with not only the older brother they loved and respected dearly but also several other qualified and experienced Hunters and not only be tolerated and accepted, but to be welcomed and seen as a voice worthy of recognition amongst peers was the sort of prospect which made reservations fade away in an instant.

"Cool, just don't ask if you can drive….You're lucky I even let you ride shotgun, the fact you've got a licence baffles me" Felix teased.

"Dick" Astra shot back bluntly and without hesitation, the familiar exchange and plans for their final evening in their home town being enough to; at least for the moment allow the leader of Team MARZ forget their worries about what would await them upon their return to Breaktide Academy.

---

Athena-Jade Slate, daughter of Weiss Slate nee Schnee, joint head of the Schnee Dust Company and Gangrel Slate, former self-proclaimed revolutionary turned Special Operative and currently Combat instructor of Atlas Academy had decided that her final day in her childhood home would not be complete without a training session.

The young Bear Faunus currently wore, as was her habit a pair of stylish hi-top sneakers whose laces were a pale jade green whilst the pristine whiteness of the shoes themselves suggested that they had only recently been removed from their box; another continuation from her previous combat gear was the combination of denim shorts held up by several stylish belts with many of them being worn at odd angles however these jeans were a pale shade of baby blue with frayed edges where they hugged powerful thighs, the belts were a mixture of black and white with Athena-Jade's emblem, the Schnee family crest displayed in two halves and split vertically forming the buckle of the largest belt and cast in silver. In place of her former body armour which had been damaged in the fighting in Menagerie Athena-Jade wore a simple t-shirt in the same pale shade of green as her laces, close fitting in order to cling to broad shoulders and muscular upper arms which the young woman was immensely proud of whilst on top of this a black sleeveless jacket had been donned, its' puffy and padded surface lined with twin columns of armour plating in a dulled, pale silver colour though the effectiveness of this armour was questionable given that the garment was worn unfastened to expose Athena's vital areas. More armour adorned her right shoulder in the form of a rounded and sleek silver plate clearly inspired by the stylised item her partner often wore whilst further, smaller stylish affectations adorned her wrists with several beaded bracelets of jade green and marbled white rattling above her left hand whilst at her right was a thick band of black fastened with a silver clasp, colours that an astute onlooker would associate with her partner. Athena-Jade's hair had also undergone a slight change, her snowy locks were still worn in an undercut style though rather than a mass of spikes she now wore her shaggy white hair in an asymmetrical and messy bob reached to just above her shoulders as it fell about her rounded features.

All in all Athena-Jade Slate would have looked impressive, were it not for the fact she was currently being thrashed.

"Winner stays on, I've got next!" her brother called out as another exchange ended, Arctus and Diamond had travelled to Atlas with the intention of enjoying some well-deserved time off after their mission in Port Alistair had gone on for longer than intended and the two of them would likely be departing for Mistral in short order to spend time with Diamond's parents and old friends; at that moment however Athena jade could not afford to wonder where in the manor her sister in law might be or offer Arctus a biting retort for the open amusement he watched her struggles with, her focus was instead devoted entirely to simply standing her ground against an opponent whom few could hope to withstand.

Her mother.

"Good to see that you haven't been relying on brute muscle, your footwork and timing are as impressive as ever" Weiss noted with a voice full of pride and warmth in the eyes which her children had inherited standing totally at odds with the way she used a Gravity Dust infused glyph to close the distance between them in an instant and deliver a pirouetting high kick to Athena-Jade's face which was avoided only by her flinging herself into cartwheeling leap which she followed by carrying herself into a spinning kick of her own.

"Watch your surroundings" Weiss chided, the words followed by a burst of biting numbing coldness turning her eyes downward just in time to see an Ice Dust glyph burst into existence beneath her, Athena's own kick leaving her exposed as the foot on which she balanced was frozen to the ground.

"I've got glyphs too!" she challenged, conjuring a glyph of her own directly beneath her mothers' and charging it with a hastily palmed chunk of Fire Dust, the reaction being immediate and allowing Athena to rip herself free of the ground with a dramatic backflip which sent steam and mist billowing out across the training area. Any thoughts of triumph or even feelings of simple relief at buying herself time to reposition herself were stripped from her mind by the glowing, ghostly blue of Weiss's summoned constructs as the far more experienced wielder of the family Semblance sent an ephemeral Nevermore shrieking through the haze to slam directly into Athena-Jade and tear her from the sky, as she was sent bouncing and rolling across the painfully hard surface of the manors' training the young Faunus managed to reorient herself and pull herself into a kneeling crouch, even as she continued to slide and throw up a glyph of her own in order to deflect a follow up attack which she knew her mother well enough to expect the moment the summoned Creature of Grimm dissipated.

"There's still plenty of room for improvement with those glyphs though" Weiss noted, albeit without any malice or ill-will as she hurled a rotating glyph directly into her daughters' shield, the saw-blade glyph which Arctus had taken as a staple of his own style producing a spray of flickering Aura in both Weiss's blue and Athena's pale green at the point of contacts until Athena-Jade realised as a shadow fell over her that she had fallen for a ruse.

"You put a lot of power behind you glyphs….but you're not using them effectively" Athena managed a half turn before her mother, the towering form of her Knight Armour summon wrapped her own body to function as an extension of it, reached out and grasped the younger combatant by the scruff of the neck.

"Oh no" Athena managed to, in an impressive feat of willpower maintain some level of dignity and self-respect as she uttered the words before being hoisted into the air and slammed down onto the ground, back-first with a jarring thud which was likely felt several stories above them.

"Not bad for a light sparring session" Weiss noted, her construct fading away as she strode over to her middle child and extended a hand to help her up.

"I think I'm just gonna stay here for a while" Athena wheezed the words out, clearly exaggerating the severity of her condition, prompting her brother to snicker at her expense whilst Weiss merely rolled her eyes before pulling back and studying her daughter, hands on hips.

"You're strong, gifted, you've mastered the basics of your Semblance….I just find it odd how you don't use any of the more advanced techniques, Arctus tells me you never use constructs even when he's been present to teach you-"

"Hey leave me out of this" Arctus interjected, stopping Weiss's genuine concern for her daughter before it could inadvertently build the momentum needed to become a lecture or inquisition despite her best intentions.

"I just…." Athena trailed off, remembering how her conversations about leaving home without ever applying for Atlas Academy had gone and the way it had unintentionally hurt her fathers' feelings; she struggled for the words to explain how and why she wanted to make something for herself that was truly her own and hoped that of all people her mother would understand but the words would simply not come and instead she was left floundering until Arctus, seeing his sisters' discomfort took pity on her and chimed in again.

"She's just preoccupied now; she's heading back to Menagerie tomorrow" Athena finally rose to her feet, ready to give a silent thank you only for her brother to give her a sly smirk and add "She's distracted, thinking about seeing her partner again"

"Oh you suck so bad you absolute ass-"

"Language Athena, I don't care what Coco allows in her home I have standards in mine" Weiss cut her off firmly before the familiar exchange of loving insults could commence before adding with a gentle smile "You still haven't spoken to her?"
"I knew she was gonna be busy" Athena sighed "Was hoping I could figure out what to say….I kissed her and ran off, I am such an idiot-"

"A romantic with problems when it comes to planning" Weiss snorted as she gave her daughter a hug, Athena-Jade had told her mother about how she had kissed her partners' cheek before leaving Breaktide Academy shortly after her return home and about how she now feared the consequences of her actions even if she could not bring herself to regret them; Weiss had been supportive and tactful about the issue and spared Athena's feelings as much as possible whilst her siblings had simply howled with laughter at the comical ineptitude, even whilst proclaiming it to be cute and that kindness continued as her mother spoke again.

"I'm sure things will work out, one way or another but hopefully in a way that makes you happy….Just call me, I know you're eighteen and living away from home but I'd like to know who my daughter is dating before the media does"

"I'd like the media out of my business" Athena grumbled, a sliver of hope filling her and allowing her features to perk up as she added "But thanks mum and I'll try and call more often….Maybe get Hops in a few of the calls if she's still talking to me"

"Good" Weiss smiled "Now on the subject of dates and such, Arctus I know you wanted to train but I promised Coral I'd help with her hair. She and Henry are going out tonight and he'll be here soon"

"Really now" Athena's smile turned wicked as she considered that her former school friend had been dating her adoptive sister for some time and whilst, by all accounts the pair were the picture of wholesomeness and whilst she trusted Henry Marigold the third implicitly after knowing him for much of her life the fact remained that there was an essential duty and ritual all elder siblings felt the need to undertake which had thus far been neglected whilst Athena-Jade and Arctus had been on the island Kingdom of Menagerie.

Without thinking Athena paced over to where Mould-Breaker had been stored whilst she sparred and unfurled the weapon in its' oversized hammer form whilst a faint grating of metal announced that her brother had unsheathed his own equally massive sword and the two locked eyes with matching, feral gleams about them.

"I mean we've gotta do it right?" Athena jokingly enquired "It's the law"

"Older sibling duty" Arctus nodded sagely "He's gotta know that the snow's deep out in the tundra and we'll bury him in it"

"Oh please this is ridiculous" Weiss huffed, reminding both of her children that she was present and prompting them to hastily stow their weapons "Henry is a good boy, not at all like his father and has been nothing short of a gentleman, furthermore Coral is more than capable of looking after herself without either of you interfering in her business uninvited"

"Fine" Athena gave an overblown huff of her own, the kind of gesture that Arctus had often noted during their childhoods was one that only she could get away with giving to their parents, the kind of sigh which held a dozen or more unspoken insults or complaints only for Weiss to offer a roll of her eyes before turning on her heel and marching away, ponytail whipping out behind her.

"Besides" she added with open amusement at her children's misjudgement "Do you honestly think I haven't already given him warnings of my own?"

That was a notion which left both Athena-Jade and Arctus blinking in surprise as they followed after her.

---

Clan Aiktishaf were nomadic, motion was a fundamental part of their being and as such the idea of being stationary for any extended period of time was as foreign to them and in many cases as detrimental to their psyche as it was to the enormous Dune Crawler they inhabited and held sacred.

This was not to say that the clan had broken faith with the Kingdom of Menagerie or reneged upon their promises to aid the people of Port Alistair, indeed for several weeks the scouts and fighters of Clan Aiktishaf had made their way through battle-scarred streets alongside Hunters, ferreting out lurking packs of Grimm with a fervour and instinct that went beyond the average member of the cities' garrison whilst at the same time the nomad clan had used the pause in their questing across the island in search of resources in order to put several factories worth of machinery buried deep within the bowels of the Aiktishaf to use, equipment whose delicate nature rendered it almost unusable whilst travelling and not only repair the damage to the crawler but also supply temporary solutions to damaged infrastructure such as water pipes. As all of this occurred the Elders of Aiktishaf had spoken with the Council of Port Alistair on several occasions in an effort to ensure that this newfound spirit of cooperation lasted beyond the tribes' inevitable departure; efforts that were marred only infrequently by news of conflict between the two populations, largely spawned by stress and alcohol combining in unfortunate ways.

After more than a month Helms-woman and Elder of Clan Aiktishaf Swarf Russet had declared that it was necessary for the crawler to begin moving once again in order to ensure that vital systems intended for perpetual motion did not degrade, yet the task had not been completed and so a compromise had been reached wherein the crawler and its' titanic land-train of building sized trailers had moved roughly a mile away from the outer perimeter of Port Alistair and began to slowly snake its' way around the circumference of the Kingdoms' Capital whilst envoys travelled to and from the colossal vehicle and watchers perched on both the perimeter wall of the city and the vast network of bridges and scaffolds draped across the Aiktishaf exchanged messages through signals observed with binoculars or radio transmissions.

Currently either group of watchers, if they so chose would have been able to watch Regalia Russet, daughter of the Helms-woman who had encouraged this new alliance as she went about her daily workout routine on the outer hull of the Dune Crawler she had been born and raised aboard.

For the Kingdom it was a frightening sight.

Regalia hung, suspended over the edge of the Aiktishaf and supported by nothing more than her own grip and strength as she grasped a sturdy steel bar which formed part of a vantage point and protruded several feet over the edge of the vehicle towards its' upper reaches, the Racoon Faunus was clad in grey, faded sweatpants bearing the logo of the academy she attended and a similarly well-worn tank top which left enough of her brown skin on display to show off her well-defined abs and lean, wiry but powerful arms on display as her muscles coiled and a sheen of sweat shone in the sun whilst around her waist was a sturdy belt to which several sizeable weights had been fastened; making the act of performing pull-ups on the bar even more difficult.

"I know you can climb as well as any of us, but I've never understood this idea of making things needlessly difficult for yourself" a familiar, smoky and faintly wheezing voice noted and in the process cost Regalia her focus, though not to the extent that she risked falling and instead causing the Faunus to simply relax and hang for several seconds, adjusting her grip minutely before answering.

"Heh, hey Mum….Gimme a sec" with that she huffed and hoisted herself upwards, albeit with more difficulty than was proper for any member of the clan owing to the weights managing to find themselves exactly where she wanted to place her feet and the burning ache which left her arms feeling hollowed out. Eventually, panting heavily and visibly drained Regalia found herself stood on one of the somewhat rickety walkways that had been added to the Aiktishaf at some point in its' long history, unfastening the weight and remaining doubled over for a moment before pulling herself into a standing position to see her mother, noting that Swarf Russet appeared to have aged since the ordeal of the Grimm horde that had been lured towards them, an engraved wooden crutch secured under the stump of her left shoulder and her body hunched and stooped a little more than it had been before though this did little to subtract from the sheer power and presence her massive frame exuded. Regalia also noted that the two of them were not alone, a young girl whose head was topped with a pair of rabbit ears which were currently drooped forwards in a display of nerves was hiding behind Swarf's legs and trying to make herself smaller as she clutched at something.

"I didn't realise that we had company with us" Regalia noted, realising that she had spoken more freely than she otherwise would have; Swarf was her mother and there was nothing that Regalia could not discuss with her in private, the fact remained however that her mother was a respected elder and certain forms were expected to be followed amongst the clan at large.

"No matter" Swarf waved the concern aside with a small gesture of her remaining hand "Turab here wanted to thank you"

"Thank me?" Regalia cocked her head in mild confusion at this, she was familiar with the girl before her of course; though the Rabbit Faunus had grown remarkably in the year Regalia had been away from her people, only for her life to be marred by tragedy as her parents had been amongst those to fall defending their home from the Grimm. Turab looked uncertain for several moments, hesitating until Swarf nodded down at her, scarred features warm and the girl stepped forwards, none denied the elders of the clan after all.

"The people say that you and your Hunters….the real Hunters, they went after that-that bad man, that fake Hunter who came to us and brought Grimm" Turab swallowed thickly "I-I tried to stop him but I couldn't, I was scared….But I-I made you something so that you can keep fighting"

"Turab has been in the care of the engineers, her mother's blood cousin is amongst them and they say this little one has the makings of a tinkerer" Swarf noted and Regalia nodded in silent understanding, Clan Aiktishaf were a large family and even those who did not share blood saw each other as such and no member of the clan would see another, especially a child of the tribe go without care which meant that the task of raising those who had been orphaned or whose parents were unable to care for them for any reason would quickly find themselves surrounded by friendly faces.

Regalia set this thought aside for a moment and knelt down to the child's level, meeting her gaze with a look that was gentle yet serious; she had no desire at all to inadvertently understate what Turab had been through or deny it its' full scope.

"Not everyone has to be a fighter Turab" she stated firmly "All of us have our own paths to forge and destinies to find, I found mine in Port Alistair fighting Grimm but yours can be as far away from that as you want….But I'm sure you fought as hard as you could"

"Thank you Aunt-"

"None of the Aunt stuff, heh it makes me feel old" Regalia interjected, the title was one which all children of the tribe offered to adults regardless of relation though for the eighteen year old finding herself referred to as such upon her return had been a strange thing. Managing a toothy smile at this Turab produced what it was she had been clutching close to herself and presented it for Regalia to take.

"I made these, your old ones were broken"

"New goggles" Regalia carefully took the accessories, noting that the heavy and rounded lenses were tinted purple as her previous par had been whilst the frames were a sturdy gunmetal which managed to preserve a sense of sleekness and appear almost stylish despite being far heavier than one might expect.

"Her new guardians added a retractable mask to cover your nose mouth" Swarf noted nonchalantly, prompting the child now standing between them to speak again.

"The people in the city were talking about a fight between Hunters somewhere far away, they say its' in a city so big that there are buildings in the sky….If the city is that big you won't be able to breathe in it, so we made you a mask"

"And I'll be sure to wear it when Team MARZ enter the Vytal Tournament" Regalia beamed, giddy excitement welling up in her; an honest emotion unrestrained by thoughts of her eventual reunion with her partner that had plagued her of late "Thank you Turab"

"So….you're ready to go?" Swarf asked, unable to keep a hint of sadness from her voice; she knew and accepted that her daughter would be departing at the summers' end however the knowledge did little to stop the stabbing ache that came with it. Seeming to sense the workings of her mother's mind Regalia rose to her feet and gave her a gentle hug as she answered.

"Almost….A little packing left to do….Heh, probably gonna tweak my gear a little"

"You Hunters and your showmanship" Swarf chuckled.

"Y'know the difference between you and me? I make this look good" Regalia answered, quoting a science fiction movie she had seen during her childhood whilst privately wondering how she could work the gifted goggles into new attire and also if the lions' tail of hair whipping dramatically behind her in the breeze had grown just a little too long.

---

In the city of Neo Vale, albeit far from the decidedly working class part of the sprawling and many-times-rebuilt Hive City where her team leader resided Zirconia Shadowmoon was in the midst of enthusiastically playing her violin in the penthouse apartment in an exclusive and wealthy, yet largely unknown area of the Kingdoms' Capital for those like her legal guardian who had little interest in flaunting their wealth.

Her current attire was something of a variation on the themes of the clothing she had worn in her guise as a first year student which suited the Grasshopper Faunus well; her cybernetic legs had been tuned to the highest calibre and their silver exteriors polished whilst Zirconia once again wore a pair of black shorts which covered the points where metal met scarred flesh which were in turn held up by a heavy belt which also housed the holster for her weapon. Her upper body was clothed in more layers than might be deemed sensible considering her imminent return to Menagerie however Zirconia had reasoned that she had accustomed herself to the islands' climate and would likely only be there a short while anyway; most notable of these layers was a black sleeveless jacket with a silvery trim boasting twin tails which hung down behind Zirconia's back to give the faint illusion of insectoid wing casings, the stylised Z of her emblem which resembled the emblem of her guardians' company displayed on the left side. Beneath this was a simple black hoodie with sleeves shortened to reach her elbows and this hung open, half fastened to reveal an equally unremarkable white button down shirt beneath it with the merest traces of a corset becoming visible as she moved; the overall effect allowing Zirconia to either direct attention to or away from her figure as she pleased. The insectoid Faunus no longer wore her stylised Grimm-face shoulder armour however her penchant for slight asymmetry had continued as she wore the leather gauntlet adorned with silver armour plates from her previous outfit but only on her left hand, deliberately leaving her right free to feel unrestrained whilst her right forearm was covered by a more sturdy armour plate fastened with an intricate white ribbon. Her signature cloak like scarf had been deemed to ragged to continue wearing in public and so she had acquired a new silky black shawl with which to cover her face when the need arose however it was currently not being worn as doing so in her own home seemed pretentious.

The largest overall difference to Zirconia's appearance was her hair which had been transformed dramatically from its' previous mass of spikes to something softer, albeit equally voluminous and eye-catching; her was once again tied back though it flowed from the back of her skull where it was held by gleaming accessories in a mane which seemed to form several distinct tails which moved of their own accord whilst a pair of wavy black wisps fell over her left eye like stylised bangs where they were held aloft somewhat by the lone splash of colour amongst the monochrome blacks and greys of this new look; namely the jade green bandanna her partner had tied around her forehead upon their parting which Zirconia had worn since, removing it only to bathe. The wound beneath the bandanna had healed to leave only a thin line of discoloured scarring behind which, in Zirconia's humble opinion made her look quite fearsome and impressive on the rare occasions it could be seen.

At that moment however she was far too distracted to worry about such things.

The penthouse apartment, or to call it rightly the entire floor of the luxury apartment complex sported acoustics which Zirconia had come to appreciate more and more with age for both the effect the effect they had on music she was listening to or her own recitals, the current performance however could be considered both as the teen had taken up her violin whilst perched on the sofa and begun playing along to the closing theme of a show she had been enjoying, from here launching into several impromptu arrangements with an energy and enthusiasm which saw her carrying herself away from where she had been seated; a downside of such a spacious apartment however was that it was largely open plan and as a result of this Zirconia had just enough time for a wave of embarrassment to wash over her between realising that the music had been turned down and turning around to find the familiar, tall, lean and well dressed form of her guardian Chairman Damascus Nero standing next to the sofa and wearing a lopsided grin as he clapped slowly.

"Oh bravo, I feel inspired" eyes like gleaming minerals in stone twinkled with the faint teasing and Zirconia found herself wishing that she had given in to the urge to be pretentious so that she could hide her face behind a shawl.

"I didn't expect you home so soon" she rasped out quietly.

"I made my excuses to leave, I detest business meetings over food and drinks with cretins who inherited their positions; nobody works well when drunk and they invariably fail to achieve anything productive….With what they have the potential to help build it's infuriating" Damascus allowed the faint accent and traces of a stutter to creep into his words, relaxing as he complained to one of very few people he would allow to see this side of himself before adding "I was expecting you to still be training"

"I got distracted" Zirconia answered honestly, though finding the way Nero studied her in response a little disconcerting.

"That's been happening a lot lately, sloppy work isn't like you….You're worried about something"

"Should I not be, given everything that we're a part of?" Zirconia knew instinctively that the deflection would fail and was proven correct when Nero crossed the distance in a few long, yet slightly limping strides and gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You know you can tell me anything, any concerns you have; anything at all" Zirconia swallowed and considered her next words, searching for several seconds for a nonchalant way to voice what had been troubling her more and more the closer her return to Menagerie loomed until finally the words finally left her of their own accord, filled with equal parts apprehension and nervous, giddy excitement.

"Athena-Jade Slate….My partner on Team MARZ….She kissed me and I don't know what it means"

"Well normally it's safe to assume it means that the person likes you" Nero answered with a blunt and deadpan expression clearly similar to Zirconia's own, which the teen met with a roll of her mismatched eyes, prompting Nero to speak again though this time more seriously but gently.

"I sent you to Menagerie to act as my eyes and ears in places I could never reach otherwise and you performed excellently, I can't say how proud I am of you" he beamed, allowing his lopsided smirk to return as he delivered a fresh bout of the teasing that defined their relationship in private "However, despite the many things the Schnee family will hopefully one day answer for….Seducing their daughter, that's a cruel form of punishment I wouldn't expect from-"

"It's not like that!" Zirconia exclaimed, far more forcefully than intended and with such emotion that it brought Damascus to an immediate halt.

"Ah" he breathed out "I see"

"I don't know what to do" Zirconia murmured, looking away until the Chairman gently cupped her cheek and turned her gaze back towards him so that she could see the myriad emotions battling across his features, warmth, concern and caution chief amongst them.

"You must be careful, now is not the time for sloppy work no matter our feelings" he warned "There is too much at stake, we have come to far and risked too much for the bright new tomorrow we plan to build….However, I trust your judgement; the Slate girl would make an exceptional asset and even beyond that, your happiness is important to me"

"You're not gonna tell me not to be an idiot?" Zirconia asked, the tacit approval in his words surprising her.

"How could I ever tell you not to trust your heart and conscience?" Nero shook his head gently.

"I love you….I know I don't say it often, or that I don't call you my-"

"I know, it's understood" Nero assured her "All of it"

"Are you working late tonight?" Zirconia asked, filled with vague apprehension as she gave the chairman a brief hug, careful not to ruffle his suit; the tone of her words making it abundantly clear that the work being discussed was of a more illicit nature than the day to day running of a wealthy conglomerate.

"Most likely" he sighed "I'll be receiving a progress report in person at the chamber….You are of course welcome to join me, though I should warn you that Carmesi will be present-"

"I think I'll catch up on my studies" Zirconia answered, wrinkling her nose at the mention of the Komodo Dragon Faunus which only prompted her guardian to chuckle faintly.

"Don't worry I'm not so naive as to think of this as a sibling rivalry between the two of you….Though for what it's worth he is sorry about having to give you that scar, even if he won't tell you that"

"I know you respect him and see something valuable in him….But I just find everything about him intolerable; especially since he tried to kill my partner" Zirconia's answer made Nero nod in understanding, brow creasing in a way which suggested that the contents of Carmesi Hueso's briefings to the Chairman would soon be rechecked and discussed at length; Zirconia however found that of all the things she could focus her thoughts on such pettiness was the least appealing and instead she gave Nero a hopeful smile.

"Do you have time for us to go out for a meal….It is my last night in the city"

"For you I always have time" Nero smiled "I suppose it might be nice for you to greet the paparazzi without having them interrupt your dates"

Zirconia's response to that was the kind of language she had certainly not learned from her private tutors.

---

On the island Kingdom of Menagerie, far from its' Capital City and towards its' opposite coast was the small settlement of Stalwart, just outside of which lay vast stretches of open wastelands where roads only sparsely broke up the dusty brick-red expanse and though these wastelands were largely regarded as empty space on maps of the Kingdom, their lack of anything resources and development leaving them of little use to either those within the settlements or the various groups who lived beyond any walls and so denoted only by warning signs proclaiming the danger of Grimm possibly inhabiting the area the natives of places such as Stalwart still knew the wastelands for at least several miles beyond the borders of their rural home in any direction, creating their own landmarks if no natural features existed and referring to their surroundings by names that did not appear on any map or census.

One such place lay roughly half a mile to the south of the village and had been dubbed 'Horseshoe Ridge' by the locals due to the shape of the wide plateau of craggy rock whose shade had served as a frequent haunt for the youth of Stalwart for years.

Currently it was serving as a makeshift training arena.

Wolfram and Laser had both made changes to their appearance, with the former having foregone some of the more deliberately overblown elements of his aesthetic such as spiked shoulder pads and as studded collar around the sloped gorget of his armour. He still wore the same armoured chest plate which reached up to protect his neck with a thin scarf in the colours of his favoured soccer team held in place as it hung over his shoulders, however though now his upper arms lay bare to display their sturdy strength whilst his forearms were encased in gauntlets of a dull silver rather than mere bandages. His pants were a deep blue which had faded to a greyish tinge and were held up by a heavy belt which once again bore the wolfs' head he had made his emblem, its' silver surface set on deep blue whilst more belts were fastened around his right thigh to hold Dust and other supplies whilst he once again wore heavy and practical boots. Smoky blue-grey hair which had previously been worn in a wolfs' tail style was now longer and somewhat more free and messy tied back into a loose ponytail which reached between his shoulders whilst a single bang fell in front of his face in a small effort to frame his raptorial nose and stormy grey eyes.

Laser's transformation seemed outwardly more distinct however this appearance failed to account for just how much had been reused, the child of the Vaccuan Overspill loathe to part with anything that could be salvaged and repurposed without a good reason. Most notably, whilst he still retained a hunched and skulking posture and his whipcord leanness he no longer looked quite so emaciated and his pale skin lacked its' initial deathly pallor of unhealthiness as a summer spent living of the Ironside family home had seen him well fed and spending a respectable amount of time in the sun and this had left Laser Greenback with visibly more muscle mass on his slender frame. As a result of this he had needed to adjust his clothes, most of all the jacket with a seemingly endless amount of pockets filled with tools and trinkets for every occasion and now he wore black cargo pants and a matching tank top with a harness of jarringly neon bright hazard striped weaved from his torso down to the side pockets of his pants upon which countless pouches had been hung whilst his old outwardly unassuming black sneakers, complete with hidden climbing equipment had been given a thorough cleaning and now gleamed in the sun and sported neon green laces. Over his tank top Laser wore the cannibalised remains of his jacket which now resembled a mass of thin tubes and cables fashioned into the shape of a tactical vest, overall it appeared silver with black accents though close study would see that various lights flickered as hidden features such as the garments own internal cooling system acted, all whilst retaining several hidden compartments. Much of the removed innards of the jacket had been integrated into a pair of black gloves which now covered Laser's hands, the backs of his fists bearing his emblem which resembled a biohazard warning and placed an amount of trickery Wolfram was unwilling to consider quite literally at the tricksters' fingertips. Aside from this Laser's signature opaque green visor remained and had been painstakingly maintained whilst their spidery chemical blonde hair was just as unkempt as ever, if a little longer.

The excess muscle mass borne of a hearty diet and plenty of exercise did little in the face of Wolfram's sheer power however.

"Motherfu-" Laser's exclamation was cut short in the same moment as his failed attack, nasal and whining voice replaced with an indignant squawk as his efforts to deliver a leaping and downward elbow strike with his right arm was intercepted by Wolfram, the larger boys' left fist slipping below the attack and slamming into Laser's kidney to leave him staggering and off balance whilst Wolfram used his friends' still extended arm to loop his own right arm around as he positioned himself behind the blonde, trapping him in a restraining move which held both of his arms in place.

Only for Laser to react with his usual sneakiness.

"Oh son of a-" Wolfram spat a moment before his mouth was filled with dust as Laser, with his new strength managed to throw himself in an uncoordinated roll that dragged them both to the ground but more importantly allowed him to free one of his hands just enough to press a hidden person somewhere on his person which engaged one of the many features of his tactical vest, namely a secondary Dust supply, filled with Lightning Dust and connected to bundles of cables running parallel to the cooling system which sent crackling arc across his person with a dull buzzing.

Turning Laser's entire outfit into a taser and forcing Wolfram to release him.

"Oh so we're doing this now?" the armoured teen demanded.

"Why would you assume I wasn't?" Laser answered with a hysterical cackle before flinging himself from the ground and into a wild and barely describable series of acrobatic leaps and spinning kicks which Wolfram avoided whilst carefully watching Laser's hands and waiting for the sneak attack that his telegraphed blows could only serve to disguise; finding it a moment later as a palm strike to the face flashed out.

"You tried" Wolfram snorted as he sidestepped the attack, kicking Laser's legs out as his momentum sent him staggering forwards to send him sprawling onto the hard ground where he thrashed and launched himself away into a crouch, hand instinctively flying to his back where Permadeath was stored in its' collapsed form.

"You sure?" Wolfram asked, voice suddenly like steel as his own hands reached to his broad back where Berserker was similarly collapsed. The sparring match had started as strictly hand to hand combat only, though if Laser wanted to draw his weapon Wolfram would happily oblige him and with that knowledge and understanding passing between them the shade of Horseshoe Ridge suddenly fell deathly silent a faint breeze echoing down as the pair sized one another up and considered their options.

Until a new voice called down to them from the top of the ridge.

"Hey! You two done fucking around, our ride is in two hours lads!" hearing that Wolfram and Laser both released their grip on their respective weapons and turned their attention upwards to whence the yell had come to find a pair of teens roughly their own age peering down at them; both having the sturdy frames of those who had worked outside and were familiar with hard labour, though without the powerful presence of a Hunter, instead they were merely locals from the village of Stalwart and one of them wore a shirt in the same colours as Wolfram's scarf, identifying them as fans of the same team and hinting at the reason for the urgency of their interruption.

It was match day.

"That's plenty of time, stop bleating" Wolfram called up to his childhood friends "I still think Wheatley's an idiot anyway; we should have gotten a coach or something"

"Yeah but he just passed his driving test and his Dad's letting him borrow the car" the second teen called back, discussing the currently absent fifth member of their group. Today was the final day of the summer vacation and this had coincided with Wolfram's favoured team playing at Blackwater Stadium in the nearby city of Blackwater Cove which had prompted a decision for he, Laser and a trio of old friends to travel to the city to watch the game, likely visit several bars afterwards and spend the night at a hotel so that Wolfram and Laser could travel to Port Alistair from there the following morning; Blackwater Cove was however a place whose dreadful reputation preceded it and caused Wolfram to snort as he answered the explanation with a counterargument he considered to be entirely reasonable.

"He's gonna get that car stolen and I haven't got time to look for it in the Cove so Laser can steal it back"

"You wouldn't do shit anyway, you'd get shot" one of the pair on the ridge laughed.

"If they shoot like the team does there's nothing to worry about" Wolfram answered before turning to Laser "Come on, let's go get cleaned up and get some food….Five of us in the car is gonna be cramped as well. You're packed right?"

"Yeah everything's packed and ready to go" Laser nodded before pausing and removing his visor to reveal a slight concern in his sickly greenish-yellow eyes "Is Blackwater Cove that bad?"

"Absolute shithole" Wolfram answered without missing a beat "Probably not as bad as where you're from but we're still gonna be giving 'em banter the whole time we're there….Most of it's exaggeration….Just have that taser jacket ready in case anybody tries to pick your pockets"

"Sounds like home" Laser snorted, well accustomed to a background level of petty crime in daily life which often reached violent crescendos.

"Maybe, but at home you don't have the art-form that is football chants"

"Chanting about how the referee's a wanker, the whole common room at the academy has heard" Laser noted, smirking as he remembering some of the more inventively vicious taunts he had heard Wolfram fire in the direction of an opposing team.

"Oh that's beginner shit" Wolfram answered with a devilish grin "For Blackwater Cove we've got chants about how the meat pies they serve in the stands are made with witnesses"

"Eh, still not the worst thing I've eaten" Laser shrugged before trudging away, leaving his team leader struggling to discern if he was joking or not.

---

Far beyond the sprawling metropolis hive of Neo Vale was a farming village barely coherent enough to be described in such generous terms; instead it was little more than a collection of farms and homesteads situated out beyond what many considered the furthest reaches of Vale's territories, closer in fact to the Kingdom of Vaccuo's borders despite the arbitrarily drawn lines on any maps with each of these homesteads being populated by folk who developed a kinship through shared hardship regardless of any differences and whose disparate properties which reared cattle and grew crops were connected in a more physical sense by a main street which consisted of little more than a farmers' market, tavern and post office along with an office which amounted to an embassy for the Kingdom at large which featured a small, often unreliable CCT connection and was connected to a landing pad for use in case of an evacuation or rare special occasions. The other thing the village shared was the protection of a Hunter who had retired to the rural backwoods, though this protection was seldom tested and instead the retired Hunter spent their time offering what small medical experience they had acquired in their life, giving advice and directions to younger Hunters passing through on their way to some place more glamorous and keeping the youth of the village entertained with stories of their former glory.

Amongst the homesteads of this sleepy village was Anthill Farm, a name that might once have been rooted in sneering bigotry given that it was the home of the only Faunus family for some distance however to those who currently inhabited both the farm and the village around it the name was simply what the place had always been called and given the haphazard, continuously updated construction of the property which had grown to accommodate new additions to the family or anyone else who might need shelter the name 'Anthill' could not be said to be unfitting.

This was the home of Ursinia Red, where Diabla Fuego had spent the summer and found herself choking back thick, emotional lumps in her throat on an almost daily basis as she realised that this was the sense of family and community she had been missing. A realisation which had, naturally seen her head out to woods near the edge of the village to break trees down to firewood after uprooting those same trees by hand.

There was only so much counselling could do to combat her gruff and acerbic nature after all.

Diabla's clothing had become markedly less openly militaristic during her stay at the farm, a combination in equal parts of the Mantle-born brawler finally allowing herself to grow beyond what had defined her for so long and the simple fact that the natives of this forgotten edge of a Kingdom placed little trust or value in such establishments. She still wore heavy and reliable boots with armour plating and fiery orange laces along with a pair of combat pants and over her white tank-top she still wore an older model of surplus Atlesian body armour out of simple habit and what she felt was common sense however over this she now wore an unfastened chequered shirt of the kind preferred by lumberjacks in black and orange, its' sleeves rolled up to the elbows where they were held in place by heavy leather bracers whose buckles bore her emblem of a horned and fanged skull engulfed in flames, a pair of bright orange braces reaching from her waist over the shirt to which several pouches were fastened. Her hair was still kept short around the back and sides though it was no longer the buzz-cut it had previously been and the orange streak she had dyed in it seemed larger and more prominent in this new swept back style which complimented her volcanic orange eyes, the right of which was underlined as ever by the scar tracing her cheek.

She would have appeared imposing even if she were not making the ground shake.

"Okay" she panted out, using the unfastened shirt to wipe sweat away even as her legs trembled slightly beneath her under simple exhaustion and the force of the tremor passing through the ground where the power of her Semblance had allowed her to increase the damage she inflicted on the tree, taking the trunk in her hands and snapping it with a violent, wrenching motion so that it collapsed to the ground. From there Diabla trudged slowly along the length of the tree and appraised the size and condition of it, admitting to herself that she was entirely out of her depth as she had spent much of her life surrounded by snow and industry and had no frame of reference for many of the daily tasks involved in the lifestyle her friend had been born into, brute force however was something she had in abundance and she was more than willing to supply it in return for the kindness she had been shown, it was the least she could do and still seemed almost insultingly insufficient as repayment.

Once again her eyes stung slightly with gratitude that words seemed entirely incapable of capturing, though the sound of heavy treads nearby caused her to focus and whip round on instinct, Peace and Quiet already forming their gauntlet configurations around her fists as she sought out the source of the noise and prepared to break whatever errant Grimm had strayed this close to the farms in half.

It was Ursinia and one of her many cousins.

"Howdy" the Scorpion Faunus slipped out of the saddle of the large black horse she had been riding, passing the reins over to her cousin whose own horse pulled a cart behind it and was larger still whilst the teen riding it was a willowy slip of a girl whose waif like build and finned tail of a Faunus trait had led to many of the family joking that she was something of a fish out of water, the girls' face was currently hidden by a cowboy hat similar to Ursinia's own and Diabla had no opportunity to study her expression before her team-mate drew close.

The Scorpion Faunus, now that she was home had an air about her that shifted from utter calm and relaxation to restless energy on a regular basis as merely recounting her experiences and impressing her extended family with what she had seen thus far as a Hunter left her eager to return to Menagerie and continue her training, something Diabla could understand. Ursinia still wore her cowboy hat though the twin pigtails of scarlet hair it rested upon had been exchanged for a series of twisted braids which spilled over her back and shoulders to frame her smiling face whilst the rest of her attire was largely similar to her previous outfits, with the addition of a scarlet poncho which her brown leather waistcoat could be seen beneath and the replacing of her single leather gauntlet for a pair of armoured, fingerless gloves of the same material, albeit plated with heavy steel trimmed with the same golden material which made up the sword still slung across her back. She still wore shorts paired with side-skirts to prevent her tail from making more traditional skits impractical, thought the frills between the multiple layers had been replaced with a single white and red skirt on each side and the spurs on her cowboy boots were freshly polished, jangling with each step whilst a single scarlet knee-sock was visible rising above the top of her left boot.

"Still not used to seeing you ride horses" Diabla muttered.

"Darlin' did you rightly imagine that I walked everywhere I needed to be when we got a few acres of land apiece in these parts?" Ursinia laughed "I was hoping you might've picked up a little something by now but honey I've never seen someone so tough so yellow around animals, even the dead ones"

"Just not used to butchering my own food" Diabla grumbled, the admission a sore spot which Ursinia quickly decided that nothing good would come of pressuring, though she couldn't but be faintly amused by the thought. Instead she looked at the latest tree to be torn free of the dirt by her friend and gestured to it.

"So, this here tree do anything in particular to deserve that?"

"Your cousins said you needed firewood?" Diabla answered, the fact that she had referred to cousins in plural seemed to make it clear to Ursinia precisely which pair of twin cousins had seen Diabla's eagerness to help in any way she could as an opportunity to let her make a fool of herself.

"Gosh darn it, what in tarnation are Rhu and Barb thinking, see if I don't give 'em both a good thrashing for this we've got enough firewood to last until winter and they didn't even think to give you an axe for the job….pair of dunderheads" Ursinia let out a slow sigh, giving a gap-toothed smile as she caught sight of Diabla's expression "Well the work's done now, might as well go on ahead and break it up and throw it on that cart, let Huckleberry take it back to the farm; Grandma wants us all back there before sundown and it won't do to have her waiting"

Diabla turned briefly back to Ursinia's aquatic Faunus cousin who tipped her hat slightly in Diabla's direction before looking anywhere but at her, the vaguest traces of a furious blush visible on what could be seen of her face; Diabla had noted many such expressions and gestures from the girl during her stay and thought nothing of it however her curiosity had now gotten the better of her, prompting her to nod in the direction of her friends' cousin and ask.

"Why does she keep doing that?"

Ursinia stared at her team-mate in wide eyed disbelief for several seconds before clasping a large and powerful hand down on Diabla's shoulder.

"You really didn't get out none in Atlas did you darlin'?" without waiting for an answer, or for the now irritated look on Diabla's scarred face to worsen she continued "Honey we don't get too many new faces in these here parts and well you're mighty impressive even if you've got a mean streak longer than a King-Taijitu….Beats me how ya aint heard little Huckleberry there getting a good lambasting over it but she thinks you're the prettiest darn thing to wander into this village….Apparently she's been trying to pluck up the courage to bring you flowers for the last few weeks, still aint found it yet though"

"Oh….Oh!" Diabla managed to almost choke on thin air at the realisation as words slotted into place in her mind and found meaning.

"Yup" Ursinia chortled, voice lowering a touch as added "I thought you might be trying to spare her feelings by just not acknowledging the corn at all, let her down gentle like and save any awkward conversations; turns out you're just none too bright-"

"No, I mean….We haven't really spoken that much but I'd like-"

"Let me just stop you right there darlin', before you get any silly ideas, tellin' me what you'd like with my baby cousin and whatnot" Ursinia's voice was as venomous as the tip of her stinger which rattled in faint warning as her hand moved from Diabla's shoulder to the front of her shirt and left the mantle-born fighter with the sudden, but startlingly chilling realisation that her kind and often motherly friend could, if she so chose possibly fight her to a standstill.

"I-"

"Now lookie here Huckleberry is a sweet little thing, turned sixteen a while back and she's seen less of Remnant than she'd like….got plans to go to the big city one day soon, big dreams and big ideas and well, you look like those ideas in person. We're gonna have a big family shindig tonight before the two of us leave for the island and if you ask her to dance I won't be mad at it" Ursinia leaned in close "But partner you better have good and honest intentions….I don't know how things were done in those army barracks of yours but there's a lot of soft dirt round these parts and I don't mind the digging"

"Anyone ever tell you you're scary as fuck when you want to be?" Diabla asked in a low murmur, not daring to raise her voice above it, to which Ursinia responded with a belly laugh and a playful slap to Diabla's back.

"Well shoot honey, sharing a dorm with you and Wolfie I was bound to learn a thing or two, now come on are we gonna break this tree up for wood or just leave it?….I aint too scared about no Grimm in these woods, but if we're late back for dinner now that's a different story"

Diabla found herself trailing a few steps behind Ursinia, casting a quick glance over towards where Huckleberry still seemed to intimidated by her presence to come any closer and offered the girl a friendly wave whilst privately her mind raced as she tried to make sense of an afternoon that had, in the space of a few minutes managed to veer entirely out of her comfort zone and experience.

The confusion left her more eager to return to the familiarity and rigidity of Breaktide Academy, though not before she at least spoke to the poor girl whose summer she had inadvertently been a key feature of.

---

As night fell over the city of Neo Vale Chairman Damascus Nero had made his way across the strobe-lit neon landscape whose towers reached up like colossal metallic fingers to grasp at the various anti-gravity platforms suspended above the Kingdoms' sprawling capital. His destination had been a facility those trusted enough to learn of its' existence had taken to calling simply 'The Chamber' though whilst such an arguably ominous name for such a secretive location might seem unwise in its' ominous overtones or at the very least somewhat cliché Damascus managed to avoid scrutiny by simply being intensely private in all things and allowing those in the employ of the various companies he owned to give similarly fanciful names to other sites; giving the business mogul and air of eccentricity which his wealth rendered largely unquestioned.

The Chamber itself was built beneath a warehouse which belonged to Nero through a confusing web of proxies and shell companies in one of the post-war expansions of one the industrial sectors of the city, mapped out during the transition from New Vale to Neo Vale and whilst relatively small; outwardly appearing to be little more than a metal shed of reasonable size, perhaps large enough to house a small fleet of vehicles the site was invaluable for the fact that it existed in a small nook which lay outside of the various networks of tunnels running beneath the city which housed its' plumbing and power grid and this absence of anything below the warehouse had allowed Damascus Nero to have a research and development facility installed some distance beneath it, a place whose contents were so dangerous that the warehouse itself had been lined with hidden explosives, shield generators and automated weapons systems which had all been trained upon a single elevator shaft leading down into the Chamber itself.

An elevator which Nero was now riding with Carmesi Hueso at his side.

"Oh stop sulking Carmesi, it's in the past….I just expect better from you and you know that. Your performance in Port Alistair was sloppy" Nero chided, growing weary at the scowling in his direction that Carmesi had been engaged in from his position at the older man's right hand since they had met and the Chairman had proceeded to give stern warnings about unacceptable conduct and needless risks.

"Yes Mister Nero" the reptilian Faunus answered tonelessly before betraying a hint of emotion as he rubbed at his chin and jawline where his beard had been trimmed. Returning to a city so thoroughly spied upon by the likes of Qrow Branwen, something Nero and his allies were well aware of had meant that Carmesi had been forced to alter his appearance and the most logical starting point of this had been to trim his full beard down to a dark stubble that was still immaculately maintained and release his dark hair from the tight bun it had been kept in, allowing to fall over his shoulders in waves which bore some resemblance to Nero himself though when combined with his sharp teeth, hellish red eyes and the ridge of craggy scales across his cheeks and nose gave Carmesi and almost feral look. His combat gear had been abandoned and replaced with more suitable day to day clothing in the form of a black two piece suit which accentuated his hulking and burly form and had been paired with practical shoes and a silken, crimson shirt which might have given him a dapper air were it not currently being worn almost completely unfastened to display the horrific scar across his chest where flesh and scales alike had been torn open. The overall affect was instead one of roguish intimidation and was completed by a pair of red leather gloves on the man's hands which contrasted with his suit and bore armour plating on the backs of the hands and knuckles which resembled his own scales, cast in silver whilst on his back a harness had been added to the suit jacket in order to allow Retribution and Vindication to lay crossed over one another.

"Don't give me attitude Hueso, you're not my son"

"And did your daughter get a similar talk about-"

"What conversations I have with Zirconia are not your concern Carmesi" Nero raised his voice, the younger man's petulance grating on him as he brought the absent Grasshopper Faunus into the discussion; he quickly calmed himself however "Focus on the mission, on what we're trying to build….Are operations running smoothly?"

"The scum you're having me herd are doing their jobs" Carmesi answered with open scorn for the sizeable portion of the cities' criminal element which were now, whether they knew it or not under Nero's employ and had been given various duties in exchange for substantial amounts of equipment needed to evade Hunters, including various repurposed military battle-suits which had become something of a problem for the authorities of Neo Vale. Nero made no comment, the distaste and barely restrained hatred Carmesi held for the kind of people he was now once again forced to work alongside was understandable however it changed nothing, more importantly however the elevator had reached its' destination and the door slid open with a faint hiss of compressed air.

Revealing the Chamber.

A brightly lit laboratory whose walls were lined with a vast array of complex displays and equipment whose function an outsider could likely never guess at arranged in such a way that the place had the feel of being some bizarre hybrid of scientific research facility and a command centre of sorts, with all of its' intricate equipment being centred around a single point, an array of massive blast doors forming a wall of shielding at the opposite end of the Chamber, around which yet more controls and terminals were arranged and attended to by the occupant of a single, comfortable and well-worn office chair.

"Damascus, took you long enough….I see you brought the knucklehead, no Zirconia tonight?" a voice whose joviality felt at odds with the sinister air of the place enquired; both the tone and the words themselves suggesting a familiarity with the Chairman few could claim

"Not tonight, Zirconia will be returning to Menagerie tomorrow; it wouldn't do for her to be preoccupied" Damascus answered as she crossed the Chamber and positioned himself beside his trusted confidant. Albion Herringbone, formerly of Houndstooth and Herringbone Bio-Labs was a man of average height and build whose dark skin was contrasted by pale blue eyes framed by golden spectacles and prematurely white hair which conflicted with his boyish features; the man wore a cream coloured suit and blue gloves with a lab-coat thrown over it detracting from the sophistication he might have hoped for.

"They grow up so fast, I remember when you went to her first…." Herringbone trailed off, sensing that such reminiscing was currently unhelpful and unproductive and as such unlikely to be entertained.

"Indeed, but right now I'm concerned about our current status and operations" Damascus answered bluntly, confirming Albion's thoughts "Has there been any progress with the subject?"

"See for yourself" the scientist answered, entering a series of commands into the control panel at his fingertips which in turn elicited a series of mechanical sounds from the blast doors and shielding ahead; the sheets of thick, armoured metal parting and retracting whilst Carmesi visibly braced himself to reveal a clear cylinder running from the floor to the ceiling within which countless cables and sensors were attached to a single subject around which several highly mobile hard-light generators were stationed in preparation for defensive actions.

The subject was Gestalt-Prime.

"I see" Damascus murmured as he studied the monster which he had been assured was a thinking Grimm, though he was yet to see any proof of this claim first hand as the hybrid Alpha had remained in dormant since being extracted from the containment unit Zirconia had delivered it to him in; the monster's body was still in a state of ruination after the battle it had been apart of and limbs that Herringbone had expected to regrow in full had instead been replaced by twisted, almost tumorous lumps of malformed flesh with teeth and claws bursting from them at off angles in almost random attempts to form coherent anatomy whilst the things' lone eye socket remained woefully dim and devoid of life, indeed were it not for the fact that the Creature of Grimm did not remain corporeal in death Albion would have proclaimed Gestalt-Prime dead on arrival.

"No changes thus far" he explained "No responses to any of the stimulus I've tried"

"A pity" Nero sighed, folding slender arms across his chest as he studied the prize he had risked so much to attain "Keep working….I would very much like a conversation with that Grimm"

Author's Notes:

So….Welcome to second year and volume four; how're we feeling?
The chapter title….Enjoy having that song in your head all day.
I feel like a good chunk of this chapter was just new outfits...But then again that's what the Vol.04 short was for canon, just a chance to show the new engine and Ruby's new look.
In other news, the laptop I write on was on it's last legs during the writing of this chapter….This is the laptop I've had sine 2014, which means every piece of fiction I have on this site was written and saved on it….Don't worry though, I'll be carrying them over, with my plans for this story to the new laptop because this time I'm replacing it before the thing bricks
I also wrote a good chunk of this chapter whilst ill and severely sleep deprived.

It's always some new shit though right?
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Honestly I'm not planning on having Team FADE in second year as much, I don't want to detract from the fact that this is the story of a new generation but at the same time this seemed like the best way to open….Also not that I showed Team MARZ in order.
Felix and Redshank have a relationship that's kinda like me and my stepdad since he married my Mum when I'd already left home….Although I've never broken his nose before, as much as he's tempted fate.
Would you believe I actually checked what the price of steel is and didn't just pluck that number out of the air.
The fact that the Killer-Bee is fixed and Astra wanted to add extra parts is the perfect way to segue into Astra's new reveal.
Every scrapyard or factory has a spot like that where we dodge work….Hell at the Irish Mob owned scrapyard I used to work at we'd come in on Saturdays for overtime and if it didn't get busy in the first two hours we'd set a BBQ up in the little spot in the back and start day drinking.
Felix never did see Astra's Semblance.
Of course Astra's been practising all summer.
And also, they just had a breakup, got their ass whooped and had a slight fallout with their best friend….This is a character who was partly inspired by Hawk from Cobra Kai so of course they gave themselves an even edgier makeover and dyed their Mohawk black.
My Biological Shojo = My Chemical Romance, I'm not even slightly sorry.
"They look like a tart" is pretty standard Northern English Dad behaviour, pretty sure my Dad said that when he first saw me wearing jewellery and it's with absolutely no malice considering he's got a ring on every finger and the spare room in his house is a walk in wardrobe.
I've had to have the big brother talks like Felix as well, there's no seminar on that you're just assumed to be qualified.
AJ absolutely has a few pairs of the same trainers, the kinda rich where she throws out her Nike AF1s if they get a crease in the middle.
Oh god, the shoulder armour and the black wristband she's got it bad.
She took the bisexual bob and made it cooler.
It's good to write Weiss kicking ass again.
Oh yeah, we all know that AJ doesn't use her Semblance to anything near full effect….But having the comparison be that stark is something else.
Weiss would definitely understand.
Of course her parents knew about everything with Zirconia, Schnee Manor is a much healthier environment now and the family talk to each other and offer support.
Older sibling duties are sacrosanct and the code is to be honoured at all times….Dates will get G-Checked on first meetings.
Regalia's scene was the best place to give an overview of what's going on with repairs to Port Alistair.
Okay so Regalia's getting her obligatory new look next chapter but in the meantime have her doing weighted pull-ups in a tank-top….All of you thirsty fucks who like back muscles and shoulders, you're cultured and you're welcome.
Swarf is back on her feet, albeit she's not quite as scary as she was between her injuries and just being tired and a little old.
If you didn't realise Turab is the little girl that tried to stop Carmesi in the finale.
Regalia being somewhere between older sibling and respected elder to the children of her clan….But still not being called Auntie cos it makes her sound old.
"The people in the city were talking about a fight between Hunters somewhere far away, they say its' in a city so big that there are buildings in the sky….If the city is that big you won't be able to breathe in it, so we made you a mask" obvious Vytal Tournament foreshadowing and a mask is exactly the kind of thing that the Aiktishaf would give to someone heading into a Hive City, they've never seen anything like it before.
"Y'know the difference between you and me? I make this look good" in honour of Will Smith, whose actions I support and whose banning from the Oscars is nonsense of the highest order.
Regalia's symbolic hair cutting imminent, everyone else's has gotten a little longer if anything with their new looks.
Most people get a little hyped when a good song comes on, maybe air-guitar a little….Hops gets the violin out.
Figuring out Zirconia's new look took the longest because I wanted to keep the rogue look but wasn't sure if I wanted to keep the Aizawa scarf….Eventually I settled for a new shawl, I was gonna give her a cloak or cape she could throw as well but it was too much.
Her hair used to be a mix of Momo from MHA, Ryoko from Tenchi Muyo and Mega Pidgeot….Now her hair is basically if Hisuian Zoroark tied their mane back.
She's still wearing the bandanna AJ gave her.
I planned Nero out before Arcane came out but still, Silco had the perfect vibes for him; he's ruthless, believes in his cause and will do anything for it, but he has a code and he loves his adopted daughter.
The banter between the two was fun as well, they definitely tease each other on a regular basis.
The shift from thinking Zirconia was planning to twist the knife, to concern straight into warnings and trusting reassurance should tell you a lot about the relationship they have.
So Carmesi and Zirconia largely don't speak to or especially like each other even when they're not undercover.
Wolfram's a little less edgy and his hair is closer to Arlo from Pokemon Go now.
Laser looks like he actually knows what food is now.
I was originally gonna have these two do something other than spar but honestly why the hell not.
Of course Laser still has plenty of tricks….Things might've gotten a little heated there if that had carried on.
Wolfram being a Football (Real football, with feet and a ball) fan is a great excuse to add some British Flavour, especially regarding the chants….I'm sure I've said it before but to all of my American readers I implore you, just listen to a compilation of English football chants; your sports fans do not have the same level of banter.
Y'know I've never actually named the village Ursinia is from, but her family farm is called Anthill Farm now.
Feelings? Fuck no, I'm gonna go pull some trees down – Diabla Fuego.
Her new look included a god damn plaid lumberjack shirt, you knew damn well she was gonna have a Lesbian moment….Which is actually the first time Diabla's orientation has been mentioned; getting away from training for a while really was good for her.
Ursinia's new look is pretty similar to her old one, just gave her natural locs.
Diabla cannot ride horses and gets squeamish when the rest of Team WULF catch and kill their own food on missions….She is from an industrial settlement in Mantle and never had the opportunity to get used to things like that.
Rhu and Barb, two of Ursinia's endless supply of cousins on the farm and a pun I am not sorry for at all, in fact I made them a pair of jokers specifically so we can make the Rooster Teeth joke of "Damn it Barb".
Diabla being absolutely oblivious to the fact that she has this little baby gay cowboy crushing on her, despite the whole hat-tipping and blushing for weeks on end is honestly hilarious to me….Equally funny is the immediate dynamic shift where Ursinia becomes the scary one.
So yeah, Diabla is eighteen, Ursinia's cousin Huckleberry is sixteen and not a Hunter so it won't be a massive thing but I just wanted to give Diabla something positive in her life….I also considered making Huckleberry a guy, I thought about having the GNC/Butch woman be attracted and attractive to men because that's something we don't see enough of either but honestly both options felt right.
Of course the secret base is called "The Chamber" he's rich, when you're rich you're not edgy, you're just eccentric.
If you read FADE then you'll remember the Rat-Runs and sewer tunnels under the city.
Carmesi's new look….Let's be real, he'd have apologists on Tumblr because of his sex appeal and we all know it.
"Don't give me attitude Hueso, you're not my son" okay ouch, considering he's an orphan and Nero considers Zirconia, also an orphan his daughter….That's a little harsh.
And once again he's working with criminals, whom he hates….As if he's any better.
Well well well, our first new character with a speaking role; he's the brains to Carmesi's brawn because Nero can't do everything on his own and just the fact that he was introduced as 'Formerly of Houndstooth and Herringbone Bio-Labs' suggests a history and background.
So Gestalt-Prime is still captive, unresponsive and wounded….When I wrote what their current condition looks like I was thinking of Lilith in Evangelion.
"I would very much like a conversation with that Grimm" well, that's ominous.

Thank you to OrcPaladinArthur and MajorBrony95 for their reviews on the last chapter.
Oh the angst is gonna be delicious
Yeah, basically Wolfram's grown up and Astra is kinda trailing behind them in that regard.
Astra and Regalia need to talk, but first they need some space.
….And let's be honest, I out did myself with that reveal right? 'cos I genuinely feel like that might be the biggest WTF plot twist I've ever pulled in my writing.
Honestly I'm loving both that people saw it coming, but also the shock from people who didn't see it coming.
Nero as the new Salem...Not quite, I have plans for Nero and how they're going to function as a villain and it's going to be really fun to put them into practice and see how people respond to it.

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