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Chapter 70: To Me It Was Tuesday
Chairman Damascus Nero had found himself, on a grey and inclement Tuesday morning in a state of affairs that presented something of an irksome logistical problem whilst at the same time being something that might have brought a faintly bemused smile to his lips were matters not so serious, especially if Zirconia were present to share the moment.
Namely the chairman had found himself wanting for a second lair.
Prior to events that had begun hours ago Nero had considered his hidden chamber to be a begrudging necessity for his plans to come to fruition and one which he would dispose of in due course, now however the wealthy businessman turned master architect and schemer found himself with a shortage of acceptable meeting places for his closest confidants; whilst Albion Herringbone was a known employee and acquaintance who could safely approach Nero's office in the conglomerate's headquarters Carmesi on the other hand was a more complicated matter, the fact that the younger man was wanted by the authorities all across Remnant that his appearance in Nero's presence or that of his closest allies simply could not be allowed and at the same time using a private location to rent out for clandestine meetings as many whose corruption was more base in nature would run the risk of drawing the attention of Qrow Branwen, the man whom Nero was steadily coming to see as a nemesis without them ever having met.
With a lack of other available options Nero faced Albion and Carmesi in his own penthouse apartment, the home he had tried to keep separate from his grand plan so that Zirconia might enjoy some brief semblance of normalcy when she had been a child; it had been with a heavy heart that Nero had allowed the last vestiges of that illusion to fall away and accepted that his home was private and secure enough to keep all prying eyes away from his secrets.
"Not going to offer us a drink old friend?" Albion was spared a forceful rebuke for his comment only by the fact he looked as though the drink might do him good as whilst Carmesi appeared ready for whatever might come despite the evident lack of sleep the scientist still bore the evidence of the fright and shock he had endured, ice blue eyes darting and unfocused behind gold-rimmed glasses and hands trembling as they clutched at an empty glass. As it was Nero merely shook his head.
"Too early in the day for brandy and far too early to consider celebrating….Let's not get sloppy"
"Easy for you to say, you didn't just have a Grimm start up a conversation with you and sound like a damn car salesman when they did it" Albion muttered bitterly under his breath, a reality of the nature of the plans he had thought himself ready to confront despite a life spent without ever engaging with the monsters directly making itself known to him in ways that shook him to his core, only for Carmesi to take the opportunity to lord his own superior expertise on the subject of Grimm over the scientist and letting out a low, rumbling chuckle as he spoke.
"Albion did I ever tell you about the Cheetah Grimm my late partner and I encountered on Menagerie; it mimicked the voices of the children it had eaten-"
"Damn it all Carmesi now is not the time for you to be trading war stories" Nero interrupted firmly, his voice betraying him with the faint traces of a stammer and overall humanity that was far removed from the Benefactor persona he used; abruptly he turned his focus towards Albion once again and gave more consideration to getting him a drink "Is the Chamber secure?"
"Everything that the subject might have tried to touch and merge with has been removed from their containment tube" Albion began, visibly flinching and taking several shaky breaths at the memory of his miscalculation before steadying himself "The thing seemed content to wait, which I cannot stress enough is a strange thing to be saying about a Creature of Grimm; but to be safe all defensive protocols are in place, hard-light shielding around the entire interior of the tube, reinforced armour and a second shield on the exterior and all automated weapons are primed and ready-"
"And the self destruct sequence?" Carmesi added.
"Primed and can be armed remotely" Albion answered, tapping at a pocket which held the means to do so.
"Good" the rogue Hunter nodded, stroking his beard "If that thing did manage to break containment it would integrate the weapons and the automation into itself, it's done similar before….There's nothing you would've been able to do from inside the Chamber"
"It almost sounds like you'd miss me" Albion managed a faint smirk, the ghost of his usual self flashing across his features for long enough to assure Nero that it was safe to push a little harder.
"You are entirely sure of what you saw and heard?" his quartz coloured eyes gleamed in the lighting as he stared at his old friend with a frightening intensity "I understand that it was a moment that you weren't truly prepared for in the way other are old friend but we cannot afford any miscalculations or missteps now, not even the smallest"
"I know what I saw and heard" Albion answered "The Grimm absorbed one of my robots, modified itself and tapped against the containment tube before asking to speak with you….the human Alpha"
"It wasn't so wordy before" Carmesi snorted before allowing his expression to darken and his hellish red eyes to harden "It's learning again, adapting and improving itself….We should be doubly careful"
"Agreed" Nero nodded.
"Should we contact Aefen Cruor?" Albion offered, expression suggesting the words left a vile taste in his mouth "She is our expert on the Grimm themselves"
"Not yet" Nero shook his head, discarding the idea "She might not subscribe to the beliefs of her congregation but she's a fanatic in her own way and an opportunist to boot….We keep her information limited until she needs to know more"
"She knows that we made an attempt to awaken the subject, if we don't contact her then she'll make assumptions" Albion noted pointedly, Nero's subsequent gesture making it clear that Aefen was free to do as she pleased in that regard and was not, at present a major concern.
"Things will begin to move more quickly now" he murmured eventually, eyes seeking out Carmesi "Are our operatives ready to begin earning the funding and equipment we grant them in earnest?"
"They will be shortly, they're currently in the midst of some….Restructuring" Carmesi offered the word delicately and with a faint amusement that was evidently not appreciated, Nero's glare leaving him to scowl as he explained "The boy Petrol was under the impression that we would make similar offers to the leaders of other criminal gangs and factions-"
"Not entirely unreasonable" Nero admitted, sighing as he pinched his nose.
"And considering that some of those factions were likely already planning on having him killed, he's decided to make sure that he's our only supplier of cheap muscle by removing any competing offers"
"He does have some usable and almost respectable qualities about him" Nero managed a smirk "Such as shame his thinking is so small and so limited….Still, our plans will see that he gets what he wants, or at least part of it in the near future; have him prepare his people for a staged raid on the Cosmo-Guild Industries production facility outside of the city. The adjustments to our plan that having a Geist at our disposal allowed will require us to 'lose' and then 'find' certain equipment and gives Petrol a chance to equip his outfit with whatever he feels they need. In the meantime we take a few hours to gather out senses"
"We're going to leave the subject-"
"Of course" Nero cut across Albion's abjection with an almost playful grin "The thing referred to me as Human Alpha….It sees me as someone with a measure of authority or power, Aefen might know the Grimm, but I know how to conduct these kind of talks; we shouldn't rush to answer the Grimm's summons as if we were part of its' pack….We let it sit and wait for my arrival, arrive refreshed and prepared and conduct ourselves from a position of power"
"There are days when I think that you really have snapped old friend, you understand that?" Albion breathed out.
"Of course" Nero beamed "Now, about that drink?"
The now more numerous students of Halo Academy of New Vale were, much like the children who called the shared campus home were currently within their various classes which for Team MARZ and their fellow Second Year students meant that they were listening to a lecture on recent history and how it related to the Creatures of Grimm and other things pertinent to their chosen field.
Students from Breaktide who had been used to subjects which did not require an arena like lecture hall setting such as history and general studies being taught in a more general purpose classroom had been mildly surprised to see that Halo Academy, limited for space as its' position aboard a floating platform might be still used spacious lecture halls for almost every lesson though each of them found themselves feeling that it was in keeping with the sense of gravitas that everything about Halo Academy seemed designed to convey; this sense of gravitas and importance was unceremoniously dashed however almost the moment the history Professor had begun to speak in a dull, buzzing and monotone drone which seemed somehow calculated to push attention away from the content of their words, rendering a theoretically capable teacher struggling against a monumental disadvantage which was made all the more unfair in the eyes of Astra Mars by the fact that the position of history Professor had previously belonged to Lie Ren who, according to his honorary niece Eagle Arc was gifted in a way that few were at teaching the subject.
All of which had naturally resulted in Astra paying decidedly less attention than they should have been.
"So I'm thinking-"
"No you're not, don't kid yourself" Athena-Jade cut off the Deer Faunus's opening words with the swiftness and feigned innocence that only a younger sibling could manage which in turn left Zirconia and Regalia smirking and struggling to contain their laugher lest it disrupt the class, though Astra's partner at least had the decency to hide the expression behind her hands. In response Astra merely rolled their eyes and gave Athena a particularly evocative hand gesture before beginning again.
"So I'm thinking" they paused, waiting for a fresh interruption which never came "And tell me if it sounds like I'm getting back into my old bad habits and focusing on one thing way too much again….But I think we should pull an after hours training session tonight, get a few hours in"
"You're so focused on training that you're ignoring the fact we are literally in a lesson right now, which you aren't taking notes for" Zirconia noted, normally reserved tones filled with a biting sarcasm and animation that had once been much harder to coax from her, her partnership and relationship with Athena having made her increasingly vocal in her objections.
"She's kinda got a point" Regalia winced as she sided with Zirconia "Sorry Astra, but it does sound like a little bit of obsession with training"
"Okay maybe" the Deer Faunus admitted with faint shrug "But hear me out, we've got missions in less than a week that were dropped on us without most of the usual prep time….I think we should get back into a Grimm hunting mindset, not a tournament fighting mindset and practice as much as possible this week, relax over the weekend and be ready for the mission when it starts"
"That's actually….A pretty sensible idea, who are you and what have you done with Astra?" Athena demanded, taking care to keep her voice low enough to avoid attracting the professors' attention or disturbing any other students whilst at the same time finally giving up the pretence of having any real interest.
"I have sensible ideas" Astra countered indignantly.
"Astra most of your plans involve literally throwing you at the problem-"
"And the problem promptly goes away. Perfectly sensible" Astra retorted without hesitation, holding a palm out flat for Regalia give them a high-five which she obliged and delivered upon a moment later with a broad smile.
"Like I said" Athena sighed, clawed fingernails drumming against the wood of the desk "Sensible idea-"
"But?" Astra sighed faintly, sensing the objection before it could come.
"I kind of already had my own training plan for tonight….Kind of a solo thing that I'm working on, sorry" she shrugged her broad shoulders in a way that strained the seams of her uniforms' jacket whilst Astra merely nodded in silent understanding before answering.
"Cool, sounds fun and totally not like it's a euphemism at all….But seriously, get some training in" they turned their focus elsewhere before either Athena or Zirconia could offer more cutting responses "Regalia, you in?"
"I would" she fidgeted uncomfortably, hands rubbing together like the animal she shared traits with as she added "But I've actually gotta go to the admin department after class and I don't know when I'll be finished"
"My condolences" Astra chuckled, allowing the conversation to taper off for a moment so that the Deer Faunus could take in a little more of the ongoing lecture, taking the opportunity to jot down a few notes which they bolstered by taking several quick glances in Zirconia's direction to study the Grasshopper Faunus's notes which were thorough and well-formed as always before Astra's focus inevitably drifted and their sea-green eyes roved across their immediate surroundings until they spotted the now familiar faces of Team TRQS.
"Hey, hey Tiger" they leaned over and gently tapped their fellow team leader on a shoulder that was now clad in uniform rather than flowing garments and gold-lined armour.
"What is it?" she hissed the words out through clenched teeth, Astra catching the looks that her team-mates were shooting them, replete with frantic hand gestures quickly removed their hand for fear they might otherwise find themselves with several broken fingers before composing themselves and speaking again.
"I'm looking for training buddies for a session tonight, something to make sure I'm in the zone before the missions next week; you in?" hearing that Tiger, in an almost fundamental contradiction of everything Astra had seen from her thus far managed a small smile.
"Hear that?" she gestured between Astra and her own team "That's another team leader who actually understands the importance of hard work and applying yourself if you want results-"
"Not cool man" Stygian shook his head, his mouse tail twitching behind him whilst Rye and Amaya shared annoyed looks and Tiger casually dismissed them all and focused her attention back on the Deer Faunus.
"You spoke with Honey Scarlatina yesterday?" it was a demand for answers thinly veiled as a question and whilst Tiger had not been present in the gym at the time Astra could easily accept that she had heard about the brief exchange, what little they could discern about Tiger giving the impression that Honey was somebody whose drive and ability she would respect.
"Yeah, we kinda know each other; I sparred with her in an exhibition match a few years ago" Tiger took a moment to process that information before setting her features into so something so fiercely determined that it almost felt for a moment that something critical was truly at stake.
"Training session, tonight" she confirmed; though Astra could not quite find the same eagerness they had enjoyed only moments ago in the face of such powerful intensity.
Qrow Branwen had hoped that he might at least make it until lunch before a crisis of some description demanded his attention.
It had thus far been one of the rare days wherein the veteran Hunter allowed himself to feel his age to its' fullest extent yet in a way that troubled him less than it might have as the tiredness and the various discomforts that came with the life changing injuries he doubted he would ever fully make peace with were offset by a sense of pride in his students; Tuesday mornings were a double period of one of the elective subjects that Fourth Year students had chosen to study and Qrow, with his usual level of demanding ruthlessness had informed those who would be attending his class late the previous evening that he expected them to present themselves two hours early for an impromptu examination. After several hours of pushing students who would soon be taking their final exams and making their way out into Remnant as fully fledged Hunters to their physical, emotional and mental breaking points to ensure that they were up to the challenge and then helping each of them recover in turn Qrow had planned to visit the orphanage which shared space the academy and enjoy lunch with the children, finding their presence a welcome respite from the drudgery of work after which he had planned to use what little free time he had available to contact his daughter and nephew, using the pretext of discussing Team FADE's participation in any future student training missions to enjoy small talk with Eagle and Felix.
This had been denied to him by word of the latest developments in the city below.
"It's a complete fucking mess down there right now, tell me you've got something?" the voice that spoke was strained with barely contained anger and weariness which Qrow could wholeheartedly appreciate and belonged to Scarlet David-Vasilias, a Hunter who worked closely with local law enforcement yet often came to Qrow for additional resources owing simply to the fact that Qrow was closer at hand with Scarlet's marriage to student Counsellor Neptune David-Vasilias meaning that he lived on Halo Academy's campus despite not being a member of staff.
"What exactly are we looking at?" Qrow found his voice slipping back into its' customary gruffness as he turned his crimson-eyed glare away from the multiple screens of the personal computer system within his home, the dimly lit and fan-cooled 'lair' from which he handled the task of attempting to oversee Remnant and keep it from harm and studied the agitated form of the younger but still middle-aged man who had requested that they meet at Qrow's apartment within the academy rather than his office. Scarlet had remained lean throughout his life though what had once been willowy slenderness had developed into wiry muscle which spoke of efficient strength, his pale complexion contrasting with tattoos that had been added to incrementally and small scars that had been added to at a much more appreciable rate with the most severe of his injuries being the cybernetic left hand to replace the appendage he had lost as a teenager, fighting to keep the Grimm away from civilians as Beacon Academy fell even after the hand had been torn away. His hair, the shade of red for which he had been named had grown longer and though much of its' volume was tied back into a practical bun there were enough long, waving strands falling around his shoulders and in front of one eye to give him a dramatic appearance which was only enhanced by the presence of his signature cutlass and pistol at his hips. Hearing Qrow's question Scarlet's hawkish features darkened even further and vivid green eyes flashed with anger as he spoke, betraying a level of frustration Qrow had not seen from the younger man since Hei Xiong's niece and the bastard son of Roman Torchwick had gone to war to stake their claim over various territories within the city.
"The crews with the mech-suits that have been giving us problems" Scarlet ground the words out and Qrow felt his stomach lurch at that alone as an idea of where the conversation might be heading began to form.
"They've gone to war with each other?" he asked, breath bated.
"Didn't get the chance" Scarlet shook his head, seeing Qrow's questioning expression and giving an answer that chilled him further still "The crews that are left are getting ready to fight or run and the police are asking for extra Hunters to try and bring them in but….Fuck, someone went from crew to crew last night, the attack where they pulled a mech-suit apart with cars and chains was only the first one; people have been getting killed in their beds"
"Coordinated attacks, the same people?" Qrow demanded, fingers flying across the keyboard of his computer as he began bringing up the needed software and incomings streams of information.
"We'd be idiots to think it isn't" Scarlet answered "Somebody going after every gang with heavy weapons in the city….I'd be happy about this Qrow, I would love to call this a win on our part-"
"Except we didn't do the winning and not all of the mech-suits are accounted for; some burned buildings were clearly being used to store things that weren't there when the fires were put out" Qrow finished, finding information that was being kept from the statements the police were releasing to the general public and seeing Scarlet nod in pained agreement.
"Do you have anything?" Scarlet asked, his tone making it clear that he couldn't quite bring himself to be hopeful "You've been working under the assumption that all of these suits are coming from the same supplier….Does this mean that someone has competition now or-"
"Unlikely" Qrow shook his head "The Benefactor, whoever they are has reach and power that would let them get rid of any competition before it became an issue….this happened because they allowed it to"
"Why would they want their people to get hit like this?"
"Either they want a steady supply of customers and created a threat in order to create a demand that they can supply" Qrow mused, pondering each word out slowly as he stroked his beard "Or….they no longer need the separate gangs playing off of one another, this was some sort of consolidation and restructuring"
"That….Honestly terrifies me Qrow" Scarlet admitted.
"It should" the older Hunter breathed out "Because we still don't know it is this bastard wants"
"Do you have anyone on the ground dealing with this?" Scarlet asked, desperation becoming evident with words which Qrow might have slapped him for were he a younger man as he added "I know your students can't spare the time to infiltrate-"
"We're not using my students for this" he grunted out, firm and cold as he gave Scarlet a glare that made it clear that any further discussion would see him reach for Harbinger and that his confinement to a mechanical chair would mean less than expected.
"It's too much of a risk" he continued "Especially when we don't know what the endgame scenario is here….my nieces and their friends tried to stop the fall of Beacon, my daughter and her team-"
"Team FADE's antics will be burned into my mind forever" Scarlet interjected with a faint smile to lighten the mood, remembering well the various altercations those particular students had gotten into with New Vale's organised criminals.
"We're not taking risks like that without a damn good reason and a concrete goal….And not without Ren's approval; remember that I do work for him"
"Technically" Scarlet muttered, though the nervous shuffling was an admission in itself that this overture and request to send students with experience in infiltration and covert operations into the thick of the growing conspiracy and violence in the city had been made without the knowledge or support of the Headmaster.
"Go" Qrow said simply "I'll help you as much as I can, but I'll find another way"
As Scarlet left Qrow was left to ponder and found himself unsettled as he realised that it was likely only a matter of time before some of the students who had been earmarked for additional training precisely because of their proactive, if reckless and intuitive approaches to tackling any problem they encountered, combined with their undeniable skill and potential learned the true extent of the problems within Neo Vale and attempted to take matters into their own hands.
Qrow realised with a wordless groan that he already guess which team would be first to do something stupid.
The after hours training session which Astra had managed to convince Tiger Santara and, through her commanding drive the rest of Team TRQS to join them for had been a thoroughly rewarding and largely enjoyable experience for the Deer Faunus which had also provided Astra with some surprising insights into how Team TRQS operated on a battlefield.
They four of them, despite the outwardly fractured appearance of their team were devastating when working in tandem.
Astra had chosen, upon arriving at one of the campus's regularly upgraded and redesigned training areas to run a training program of Hard-light Dust and nanotech forming constructed enemies, firing paintballs capable of ruining outfits and leaving welts and bruises that would linger for days in an effort to simulate being set upon by Grimm which swarmed in number, without falling back on any specific varieties of monster which they had already fought off. Seeing what Astra was aiming to achieve, namely a clearly distinction from fighting a single opponent in a tournament or duel-like scenario and instead try to ensure that the instincts and reactions needed for fieldwork were as sharp as ever Tiger had offered a seemingly rare sign of praise in the form of nod before barking out orders for her team to take position and begin; leaving Astra feeling almost out of place as the four of them began to move with practices ease.
Rye Fairfax and Amaya Quasar were partners in every sense of the word and though their combined attacks lacked the grace, fluidity and sheer sense of spectacle which Astra associated with Athena-Jade and Zirconia's efforts the comparisons between the two pairs were not entirely undeserved. Tiger and Stygian meanwhile were something else entirely, where Tiger had been furious and relentless in her fight against Snapdragon the day before it was clear now that this had been an exception to her usual methods which were precise and calculating, every blow measured and placed for maximum effect with Stygian, for all the friction between the pair serving to provide cover through a series of diversionary tactics that were delivered so fast Astra barely saw them; the Mouse Faunus simply appeared where there was danger and removed it.
Eventually however the five of them had decided that enough was enough, though even now Tiger seemed adamant that more could be done in the name of progress.
"Stygian, when we get back to the dorm let me see your notes for Professor-"
"Are you fucking serious right now? Can we not get a break, we literally just finished training" the Mouse Faunus demanded, running a hand through dreadlocks that had fallen in front of his face over the course of the training exercise whilst his tail lashed behind him in annoyance. In response to what seemed like another inevitable argument Rye and Amaya simply sped up and put several paces between themselves and their team-mates as they headed towards the campus canteen where there would likely only be a handful of students present at this hour.
Seeing the dynamics between Team TRQS and frowning Astra decided to intervene, reasoning that whilst it was arguably not their business it was still their evening that was being affected and so, with a false cheeriness they slipped themselves into the gap between Stygian and Tiger just as the leader of Team TRQS scowled and prepared to snap out a response.
"Hey Stitch" Astra riddled with the points of their Mohawk idly as they spoke "You did say something about a study group right?"
"Yeah I did" the young man chuckled, lightning blue eyes rolling at a memory which he was self-aware enough to shake his head disdainfully at "But….Yeah I'm pretty sure Zirconia wants to strangle me after that-"
"You'll be fine, just stop flirting with girlfriend….That was a dick move" seeing Stygian was willing to laugh at his own expense over the matter Astra turned to Tiger with some caution "So, study group….Tomorrow or later in the week, we've got notes from our classes at Breaktide; might have some things you didn't cover here and vice versa"
"It sounds like an interesting idea" Tiger answered tonelessly, eyes narrowing a fraction as she glared passed Astra to her partner "If you can find a way to make that one study then I'll be impressed"
"Whatever Tiger, we do more than enough. You're not impressing anybody by trying to work yourself to death" Astra's eyes, framed as ever by dark make up darted from one of their new friends to the other and they quickly decided that polite methods had tried and failed and that something more heavy handed and shocking was called for in order to bring an end to bickering that had none of the friendliness of Team MARZ's antics about it.
"So is this just how you two flirt with each other or what?"
The shell-shocked looks on both of their faces were, in Astra's mind worth the slight risk that either or both of them might actually punch them in the mouth for the sheer audacity of the comment; as it was Tiger simply remained dumbfounded and sputtering for words whilst Stygian, upon seeing this doubled over in laughter to the point of almost collapsing.
"Holy shit, warn me before you drop a bomb like that" the tattooed Mouse Faunus managed to wheeze out after several aborted attempts to speak.
"I see why you two like each other" Tiger grumbled, though her harshness was offset by a slight smile she tried to hide "No survival instincts or self preservation at all"
"Yeah Regalia has definitely mentioned that before" Astra smiled, the expression flickering as the trio continued to make their way down the hallway toward the canteen and the Deer Faunus saw Stygian silently ponder to himself before speaking.
"Your partner….She's nomad clan right?"
"Clan Aiktishaf….Problem with that?" Astra matched the boys' tone, but kept a definite and unmistakable steel to his words; the realisation that Stygian might, as a native of the island Kingdom of Menagerie hold some of the bigoted beliefs towards the nomad clans which held some prominence there.
"No problem" Stygian raised his hands defensively "Fuck I am making a bad impression with your team….I just lived on Menagerie my whole life and never met any of 'em, they don't pass through my village"
"Regalia's cool, one of the coolest people I've ever met" Astra answered without hesitation, pausing for a moment before adding "If you travelled from a small village all the way to Neo Vale then you'll probably get along with her on some level….Just be careful with the food she offers you; she seasons stuff in ways that are….a little unique"
"I heard some of the clans actually eat acid-root, that stuff is poisonous"
"Yep" Astra nodded sagely before turning to Tiger who seemed almost annoyingly content to be left out of the conversation "Hey, where're you from….I don't think you're from New Vale or we'd have met and-"
"Atlesian parents, moved to Mistral when I was a child" Tiger answered and Astra considered for a moment, seeing that the answer put at least some of the young woman's character in context; from what they knew of Atlas through Athena-Jade and the tournament fighting scene and culture in Mistral the combination of the two seemed likely to produce someone as driven as Tiger seemed to be, though it still felt like there was more to discover about her.
"So what's Vale like for people who aren't from here?" Astra asked, pride in the city that had raised them colouring their words and giving them a small swagger.
"No point asking Tiger, she doesn't get out much" Stygian shrugged "Basically only leaves for Dust and missions"
"Had any fun missions?" Astra pressed on, the three of them were almost at the canteen now and the Deer Faunus felt as though a window of opportunity to learn something fundamental about Team TRQS or at least open Tiger to the possibility of being a more sociable and well-rounded leader was closing; Stygian for his part at least allowed his partner to answer without interruption.
"First mission was minesweeping" Tiger suppressed a shudder and Astra could already sense that things had gone awry before she continued "We weren't ready, we weren't on the same page….Information was faulty, we thought the mine was tapped when we started shooting"
"Oh damn" the Deer Faunus breathed out, understanding the scale of what could have gone wrong.
"It made us smarter, made work harder and be better" Tiger pushed her own discomfort aside "Second mission was to deal with a Grimm that had been troubling a small logging settlement; third mission for First Year students is always perimeter defence"
"Kinda like Team MARZ then" Astra managed a bitter chuckle "First mission we stumbled onto some lunatics running a Grimm fight club, second mission was actually with my brother and we ended up boarding a giant Grimm wearing boats like armour….We didn't actually get a third mission because of the breach; but we still ended up doing some perimeter defence"
"I still can't believe that happened to the Capital" Stygian murmured, suddenly sombre at the thought whilst Tiger simply gave a quizzical look before galling Astra with the sheer temerity of her question.
"So Breaktide Academy just let its' students be a mission behind? You're all effectively remedial class students compared to the other academies?"
"Wow" Stygian breathed out, so stunned couldn't find the mental space to be properly angered by his partners' comments though Astra, as the Mouse Faunus quickly realised was on the verge of becoming more than angry enough to compensate.
"I think you should apologise" Astra heard their knuckles pop as though the sound were somewhere distant
"She doesn't people well….ask her brother sometime" Stygian noted coldly as he seemed to appear from nowhere between Astra and Tiger to separate them, using a little more force than was needed to shove Tiger back with his shoulder as if he hoped he might be able to jolt sense into her.
It was a tense moment, one that could easily have devolved into any number of confrontations or conflicts with serious repercussions for those involved and then, in the next moment it was ended by a new voice joining the conversation.
"Hey, Mohawk-Kid….Astra right?" the Deer Faunus gave Tiger one last scathing glare before turning their attention towards the approaching form of Honey Scarlatina, the golden haired rabbit Faunus clad in her school uniform despite the fact classes had ended several hours ago and devoid of the entourage that had accompanied her the previous day, a development which Honey herself seemed rather relieved by, though her partner could be seen a short distance away where she leaned in the doorway of the canteen holding what appeared to be both of their belongings. Seeing the older, gifted student approach Astra stiffened almost to attention, with Tiger offering a similar response beside them, Stygian offering little more than a cursory nod of recognition as though he believed he could simply play it cool.
"Oh and you, you're a team leader as well right?" Honey asked as she noted Tiger's presence, speaking again without waiting for an answer yet without any trace of rudeness "So listen, I know the second years are getting sent on a mission next week and third years are going at the end of next week as well, which is gonna drag because I just got back from a mission with my Dad but….basically I'm throwing a private party on Saturday, only for students who're going on missions; so you're invited"
"I'll be there!" Astra almost yelped the words out in their eagerness, regretting their tone a moment later and quickly trying to push passed their embarrassment "Where's the party, it's gotta be a big house right?"
"Well that's one of the fun things about having a family like mine, where everyone knows at least of us" Honey grinned, shuffling uncomfortably at even this imagined scrutiny "Y'know the old floating, abandoned theme-park, well I've got a cousin who knows a guy who knows a guy-"
"The parties on there are real?" Astra almost choked on thin air "I thought they were just like an urban legend or something"
"I mean it might get pretty legendary, depending what we can get working" Honey laughed "Bring your own drinks and don't get so drunk you fall off the edge….And like I said, Second and Third Years only, we deserve a chance to relax a little"
"See now that's the kinda thinking I can get behind" Stygian chimed in, the comment taken as an understanding that he would be present; Honey beamed happily under the praise before turning back towards her partner and giving a thumbs up.
"Okay, I've gotta go….All those extra missions leave me behind on assignments, I need to catch up" with that the golden eared rabbit retreated back the way she had come, leaving Astra, Stygian and Tiger to slowly return their attention to where it had been prior to her arrival.
The three of them quickly remembering that things had been about to turn sour.
"I'm gonna go" Astra breathed out.
"You sure?" Stygian asked whilst Tiger remained silent, her lack of an apology for the implications she had made being enough to confirm to Astra that their choice was the right one.
"Yeah, gonna grab some lunch to go….Should probably pick some up for Regalia as well actually if she's been busy with paperwork" with that Astra moved ahead of the two members of Team TRQS they had been talking to, running into Rye and Amaya who had gone ahead in the process and saying their goodbyes. Remaining in the hallway Stygian focused on his partner who had allowed her defiant and firm stare to fade into an expression of mild discomfort and something almost resembling confusion, though the idea of something so uncertain on the face of Tiger Santara was almost laughable; after a moment of tense silence the Mouse Faunus let out a sigh.
"For a leader….You are really bad at dealing with people" he finally said, more gently that Tiger had been expecting, the gentleness conversely leaving her shoulders sagging as though they had been struck by crushing force.
"I know" she muttered.
Zirconia watched the scene before unfolding and felt that it was almost poetic in its' imagery.
Though she could admit that she was biased were Athena-Jade Slate was concerned.
The Bear Faunus had, as she had planned to had made her way out into the grounds of the academy to train and found her way into a spacious outdoor arena of a training area which might have been the inspiration for Breaktide Academy's own similar installation, though she had chosen to make little use of its' adaptive and customisable settings beyond a series of holographic targets which renewed themselves as each was destroyed in turn. The glow of the translucent images, each shaped to resemble Creatures of Grimm joined the light of full, shattered moon hanging low overhead and both were reflected in a sparkling array across frost that coated every surface whilst the scene remained silent save for the faint sound of Athena's own breath misting before her as she rose from a crouch and focused herself once more, her weapon collapsed and stowed at the side of the arena and a sheen of sweat coating her pale skin despite the seasonal chill in the air doing nothing to shake or dissuade her as she shifted her weight, bulging muscles rippling and flexing as she readied herself for another burst of explosive power and motion.
Watching this alone was enough for Zirconia's cheeks to redden, though mercifully much of her face was hidden by the shawl she wore as she perched atop the wall surrounding the arena, to the rear of its' rows of of raised seating with her violin resting beside her in its' case, temporarily forgotten in the wake of Athena-Jade's display.
Zirconia watched as her partner burst into motion once more.
The small, but immensely powerful and capable young woman charged forwards as a projection of a Goliath Grimm came into existence directly ahead of her; smaller than expected for a Grimm of its' kind and entirely stationary as though it were merely an aid in visualisation rather than a real foe to engage which lent further credence to the idea that the Bear Faunus's mysterious plans to train alone were more than they seemed. With a wordless yell of exertion and challenging defiance against some unknown obstacle she saw before herself Athena leapt into the air, glowing and shimmering glyphs appearing as a staircase before her with distances between them which still required her to leap, steadily ascending until she was several dozen feet above the surface of the floating platform the academy was based upon which, no matter the fact that landing strategies were a well practised thing left Zirconia's heart missing a beat as she watched Athena fling herself downward and into a somersault as she fell.
Hurtling downwards the snowy haired girl conjured a glyph between her palms, unfurling her body and hurling the thing downwards with an almighty effort which saw the edges of the construct of Dust and Aura blur, yet even as they did so Zirconia noted that the colour of the Glyph seemed off and realised that it was a consequence of the Dust which had gone into the glyphs' construction a moment before the effects of this variation became apparent. Athena-Jade had employed a mixture of Ice and Gravity Dust in a way her partner had never seen her use before, the attack itself was much like one that her brother Arctus had made a staple part of his fighting style where the Glyph was thrown as a cutting projectile, in this case cleaving through the illusionary Grimm without issue before it then delivered its' payload; sending a max of freezing spears expanding out at a frightening rate in an area of effect attack that would have destroyed any nearby Grimm whilst at the same time emitting a subtle warping of gravity which served to brake Athena's fall and still allow her to strike the ground with enough force to shatter the ice she had created.
Several more Grimm holograms came into existence and Athena-Jade was on them in an instant, multiple glyphs appearing under the shattering ice from her previous attack and projecting the torso-sized chunks out in all directions to rip through the training area whilst the Bear Faunus herself leapt and flipped from one frozen piece of debris to the next, zigzagging through the battlefield on an indirect course towards the largest of the Grimm projections, eyes wild and yet focused as she leapt again, fist rearing back with a fierce yell on her lips and glyphs appearing at her back and encasing her right fist in preparation for whatever devastating new technique it was the Bear Faunus had developed.
Only for her to be denied once again.
Whatever it was Athena had planned failed to come to fruition and she failed to close the gap between herself and the final hologram, falling short by mere feet and missing her wild swing to instead be sent off balance and rolling to stop in a painful looking tangle of limbs which, despite her knowledge of exactly how tough her partner and girlfriend was drew a gasp of concern from Zirconia.
Who promptly blushed even more furiously and sought to bury herself within her hood and shawl as Athena-Jade waved up at her, dragging herself to her feet and leaping from glyph to glyph until she closed the distance between them,
"How long have you been watching?" she asked, sounding exhausted as she buried her face in the crook of Zirconia's neck and shoulder, arms looping around her waist.
"How long have you known I was here?" Zirconia countered.
"Obviously not until you wanted me to….I wouldn't dream of screwing with your ninja bad-ass routine or your brooding"
"But of course" Zirconia managed to maintain a stiff and aloof facade for a moment before bursting into faint, gentle laughter as she wrapped her arms around Athena's broad shoulders and pulled her closer; enjoying the heat that radiated from her even she still shook from the effort it took to get her breathing back under control.
"That looked incredible" the Grasshopper Faunus murmured into Athena's ear, brimming with pride "I've never seen those moves before?"
"I landed on my ass" Athena noted pointedly.
"Well….Before that" Zirconia fought the urge to gesticulate awkwardly in an effort to defend herself and Athena answered by leaning up to gently plant a kiss against the bandanna that had once been her own which was currently tied around the taller girls' forehead to hide a small scar above her eye.
"The saw glyph is one of my brothers', you saw me use that one or something like it when we were fighting Grimm in the Crater" Athena reminded her
"I remember that" Zirconia nodded, the effort to stop the Grimm worshipping fanatics from tampering with things beyond their ken seeming so long ago already "But it didn't look like that?"
"Well, my Mum drilled it into me over the summer that I don't use the family Semblance as much or as well as I could, that trying to forge my own path doesn't mean I should refuse to use half of my tools" Athena sagged, visibly fighting the urge to pout so valiantly that Zirconia wisely chose not to comment on it "And I guess she's right….There's so many things that the glyphs can do, but I don't just want to copy everyone else's moves, I already have a fighting style that's different to my Mum or my brother so I've gotta figure out ways to make the glyphs work for me, make something that's completely mine….and even with the summoning too"
"Is that what that last thing you tried was?" Zirconia asked hesitantly.
"It was supposed to be a surprise, I was gonna wow you when I've got it right" Athena did pout this time, playfully so with her sapphire blue eyes bright as she added "As for the area of effect stuff...Wonder what kind of combos we could do with that and your Semblance"
"You always wow me" Zirconia assured her before pondering how Phantasmagoria, especially in its' more advanced state where she could shape the darkness she cast around herself could be combined with the ice, or other elemental warping of Dust based attacks Athena was capable of and realising that the potential was almost limitless.
"Naturally" Athena-Jade turned Zirconia's earlier stiff tone against her and the Grasshopper, beyond the playful smile this brought to her lips was overcome by the urge to kiss her girlfriend; the two of them drinking one another in for several seconds before the Grasshopper Faunus whispered
"How about I provide a little moral support?"
"Oh?" Athena's eyebrows disappeared beneath her hair, only for her cheeks to flush as she realised that her own thoughts and assumptions that were perhaps a little too hopeful were wildly off the mark when Zirconia first handed her a fresh water bottle which had been brought on the assumption that Athena would work too hard and then opened her violin case.
"If you're going to do something so dramatic, then it needs a suitable accompaniment….I'm fairly certain I improvise something"
"Improvise?" Athena's mind raced a mile a minute for several seconds before her lips twisted into a toothy smile that could only be described as goofy, but in the most lovestruck and tender way as she asked "You mean you're gonna give me my own, personal theme music?"
"I will record it and set it as my ringtone for when you call me" Zirconia answered earnestly and Athena was on her in an instant, reaching up to capture the taller girls' lips with her own; a glyph appearing beneath Athena's feet to make the angle more easy to manage, hands cupping Zirconia's cheeks as she tried to convey just how much the gesture had meant to her without the limitation of mere words before the two broke apart and Athena prepared to return to the training area, a spring in her step as she leapt from glyph to glyph with fresh determination and set herself up to try again.
She was going to impress her girlfriend, as such failure could not be allowed.
Regalia had finally overcome the goliath ordeal that was paperwork, more specifically the ponderous, unrelenting and faced monstrosity of paperwork and tedium incarnate which was the legal system of the Kingdom of New Vale, especially as it pertained to imported vehicles and the personal transports belonging to Hunters for use in the line of work.
It had been challenging in ways she had never expected, more challenging perhaps than even her initial application to Breaktide Academy, yet ultimately it had been worth every minute of mind-numbing boredom and frustration at the senseless inflexibility she had been forced to contend with every step of the way in pursuit of her goals. Without wasting a moment Regalia had departed from the lecture hall the instant her final class of the day had ended, venturing into the bowels of the academy and then, with the use of a map and several small uses of her Semblance making her way up into the highest reaches of its' largest tower to find the administration department in what might have felt more like a proper quest of sorts were it not for the mundane and inoffensively minimalist nature of her surroundings and once there she had been joined by Professor Nora Ren, the presence of the diminutive and always energetic woman, who had nominally been on the way to her husbands' office at the highest point of the academy going some way to brace the Racoon Faunus, with the redhead giving the transfer student some idea of what to expect along with some much needed assurances.
Once the administration staff had been available however things became more serious and Regalia had been asked to complete several questionaries, multiple choices exams and worksheets whose contents she had thankfully been briefed on by Astra beforehand, a series of hand-eye coordination tests which she had passed without incident along with demands to see the blueprints for Clunker which she had initially balked at before finally relenting, the revelation that her jetbike was built from scratch with salvaged materials leading to another round of paperwork and questioning until finally, just as her hope had been beginning to grow dim Regalia had been given the answer she wanted.
An answer which had seen her make her way back to Team MARZ's dorm with something between a bounding run and an overjoyed skip before bursting through the door, a comically large smile on her face as she declared.
"My bike is now road legal!….Provisionally at least"
"Nice! Oh and I got dinner, chicken rice and vegetables; it's in the microwave" it was Astra's voice which answered her and Regalia's smiled widened further as it was her partner she had been most eager to share the good news with though as she scanned the dorm she quickly looked away, shielding her eyes upon realising that whilst Athena-Jade and Zirconia were elsewhere Astra had been lounging on their bunk without their shirt; lean and athletic muscles on full display, along with the faint marking and discolouration of skin around the right shoulder and collarbone where injuries received in their own ill-conceived plan to take out Gestalt-Prime had failed to completely heal.
"Put a shirt on!" Regalia exclaimed, sounding almost aghast
"Really? I thought with living somewhere like the Aiktishaf you would have seen everything by now" Astra countered, whilst nevertheless reaching over the edge of their bunk and into their closet for a short sleeve button down shirt as they tended to favour anything that did need to be worked around their antlers to be worn.
"That's different" Regalia insisted, keeping her eyes averted for a few more seconds for good measure before slipping her uniform jacket off and flopping onto the bunk below with a satisfying thud, only to need to shift her weight to keep from crushing her tail uncomfortably.
"I was just looking in a mirror and thinking about tattoos or something-"
"Because you've been hanging out with Stygian?" Regalia noted, remembering the hypnotic and abstract swirls which decorated the dark-skinned Mouse Faunus's form.
"I mean kinda, but my brother pulls tattoos off really well as well" she could hear Astra's shrug above her as it shifted bed springs "Kinda decided against it though, I feel like I wouldn't be able to make a decision and then stick to it, I'd regret the ink….Besides I still wanna save Lien for a car"
"Which you don't need to be shirtless to drive"
"My hypothetical car, I'll have my hypothetical pecs out if I want to" Astra snorted before audibly rolling over before their head and antlers came dangling into view "But since you mentioned Stitch and Team TRQS by extension….Tiger is an ass-hat and I think if AJ had been there she might have thrown her over the edge of the campus"
"What did she say….And how come you didn't do it?" Regalia questioned, partially teasing but also genuinely curious as to what had kept Astra from giving into their least helpful instincts.
"Oh apparently since Breaktide students didn't actually get their last mission last year we're all basically remedial class kids compared to everyone else"
"She actually said that?" Regalia gasped, pale purple eye wide in abject shock "That's….Wow, I thought she was nice; a little hard to talk to, but maybe like Zirconia before she started dating AJ-"
"Yeah, on the bright side thought Stitch, Stygian; he's from Menagerie, knows that you're from one of the clans and he's completely cool about it so we know at least one person here who's not an idiot" Astra, even inverted must have clearly saw the apprehension on their partners' face give way to warm happiness "Well two actually….Honey broke it up before me and Tiger could really get into it, she's throwing a party on Saturday and we're invited"
"I thought you wanted to visit your parents this weekend?" Regalia asked, unable to find words to explain or even properly describe the sudden sense of discomfort that came with the thought of Honey Scarlatina despite the fact that the Rabbit Faunus had done nothing to earn such feelings and was on some level greatly respected by her partner for her famed skill.
"Oh yeah, we can definitely do that first my folks are still gonna adore you guys...We'll head to the party after" Astra nodded, a strange looking gesture when upside down and Regalia couldn't help but grin to herself at that before being once again beset by the feelings she would have to examine and unpack at a more suitable time; at present she merely let out a slow sigh and answered.
"If you want to go to Honey's party I'll come with you….Just to make sure you don't do anything too crazy"
"Wouldn't dream of it" Astra chuckled before suddenly becoming more serious; only for their smirk to once again split their face as they went on and prodded at what the saw as the source of their partners' strange mood "Hey you're not….Oh my, you're actually scared of Honey aren't you?"
"I-Huh?" Regalia's bushy tail bounced upright behind her like a spring as her head cocked to the side in abject confusion.
"I get it, I get it….You watched all those high-school movies and Honey is the coolest girl in school, with the well connected family and everything and then I told you about how she threw me through a wall one time and how she's probably the best fighter here….You think she's gonna be a mean girl or a bully and she's really not"
"Heh, I didn't think you knew her well enough to say" Regalia tried desperately to look as though she were not sulking as she pondered Astra's idea.
"I mean I don't really, but she just seems to cool for that….I mean you can tell she doesn't like having that crowd around her, a little bit like AJ; but she still organised a party for the students with missions next week….And also stopped me from doing or saying something stupid to Tiger so, gotta be at least kinda cool right?"
"Heh, I guess" Regalia mumbled, flopping back onto her bunk again and forcing herself to be content with the answer and the explanation behind it even if she wasn't entirely certain that Astra's implications were at the root of the matter.
The Racoon Faunus stared up at her partners' bunk and pondered, realising that she was likely in need of the sort of direction that would not come from her Semblance.
Despite everything he had said about negotiating from a position of power Damascus Nero could feel his heart thundering in his chest as he entered the Chamber, his base of operations and lair that had been temporarily ceded over to the sentient Alpha Grimm within it which had finally awoken in the truest sense. Even in this moment, with his pulse and sweat that clung to the palm of his un-gloved hand threatening to betray him Nero was aware that this moment was one where he would be scrutinised in a way that went beyond anything the prying vultures of the media and the countless number of the faceless masses who read the vapid drivel those in the media provided them with could never hope to achieve; this was beyond simply being observed and studied for weakness by other person, this was being subjected to the attention of a Creature of Grimm, a beast which fed upon fear and misery and destruction as its' primary source of sustenance and moreover an intelligent monster capable of planning and executing large scale attacks.
Nero was terrified, yet knew better than to show it and instead made a show of appearing calm, collected and authoritative as he strode into his base of operations..
"Fans, the running machinery in here makes in insufferable….Albion, give the specimen a clear view if you would be so kind" he spoke as he often did, words measured and tone refined and distinguished in a way that had been difficult to master with his stammer and accent native to a working class region of Vale, an accent which Albion still used proudly being buried entirely. As he entered his Chamber Carmesi and Albion were a handful of paces behind him, carefully measuring their distance to show deference without weakness and at the same time allowing the rogue Hunter to remain close enough to be useful should the situation call for action; the former not yet drawing his weapons even as every motion made it painfully obvious that he desired the comfort they would bring him whilst the latter, Albion the unarmed scientist remotely controlled several aspects of the Chamber in order to create the theatrical effect that Nero had sought, one where the armour plating between shields rotated aside to reveal the Grimm and the trio of people to one another while at the same time several weapon emplacements cycled and adjusted themselves in an open display of force and power. The charade lasted several moments, with Albion taking up a position in his usual place at the Chambers' controls whilst Nero made a slow and deliberate display of setting a chair up directly in front of Gestalt-Prime's containment tube with Carmesi positioned behind him.
It was Gestalt-Prime who broke the silence, using a shrieking, chittering raw which warped the viscous fluid that surrounded the monster and shook the room despite the sludge limiting how the sound could travel.
"YOU!" the hybrid Alpha screamed, gesturing wildly with a mantis-limb at Carmesi Hueso and ignoring the 'Human Alpha' they had agreed to meet with entirely for the moment.
"Me" Carmesi rumbled the word out calmly, rolling his neck and shoulders back with audible pops in an effort to maintain a level of calm despite the unbidden memories that came rushing back to him of the battle in Port Alistair and just how close he had come to being killed by the monster before him in its' previous incarnation; memories that became easier to put aside as Gestalt-Prime continued to speak, its' voice more human and words more coherent and deliberate despite the terrible rage the Grimm exuded, all combined with how greatly reduced the beast had been.
"I WILL BREAK YOU! I WILL TAKE YOUR WEAPONS INTO MYSELF AND MAKE THEM NEW CLAWS WITH WHICH TO REND THE FLESH FROM YOUR BONES AND-"
"You will keep a civil tongue in your head whilst we discuss business or I will conclude this meeting and decide that you have nothing of value to offer me" Nero's voice cut through the rage and fury without ever needing to be raised, the statement delivered with a sense of total conviction which redirected all of Gestalt-Prime's focus onto the more slender and less hardy of the two men, the mechanical workings of their mandibles, which up until a day ago had been robotic legs chittering and scraping as they worked and the various red lights, somewhere between blinking LEDs and the glowing eyes of the Grimm which surrounded their singular hateful optic in loose formations flickering and pulsing as though regarding Nero before finally the bloated and malformed hybrid Alpha Grimm spoke again.
"Human Alpha" it drawled the words out it with oily slickness and clear amusement which was conveyed in its' entirety despite the fluids the Grimm was held in "Elevated heart-rate, dilated pupils, involuntary muscle activity…..You fear me, what Alpha feels fear?"
"Missing legs" Nero replied, swallowing a dry and uncomfortable lump in his throat before finding his stride and continuing "Wings and main weapon torn away, regenerative properties slowed to the point of stopping, subservient Grimm reduced to acting on instinct with no new orders or information and higher intelligence entirely absent….What Alpha allows themselves to be so thoroughly….Disassembled; fortunately for you I interfered with the Hunters' efforts to destroy you entirely, I affected their ability to accurately aim the weapon that so grievously wounded you so let us see if you were worth that effort"
Gestalt-Prime answered with a low and sibilant hiss which bubbled through the fluids as though they were air.
"Shields are holding steady" Albion chose the moment to announce, likely as much for his own peace of mind as anything else which allowed Nero to nod and gesture in almost uninterested, yet carefully calculated motion before turning his gleaming quartz stare back upon the Alpha Grimm, Carmesi still at his back struggling to keep his itching trigger finger disciplined.
"Tell me Alpha Grimm….it's Gestalt-Prime you call yourself yes?" Nero's tone was conversational, verging dangerously close to being bored as he rested one leg atop the other as he made himself more comfortable in his chair "What it is it you want?"
"Your innards laying across-"
"No, no, no….don't be less than you are, the threats are crass, unbecoming and frankly sloppy" Nero sighed with a mild disappointment which left Albion's eyes wide once he realised that it was the same tone that his old friend had used to correct Zirconia as a child when had only deigned to make half an effort at something.
"You caused carnage and destruction on Menagerie to be sure" Nero continued "But there was an intellect behind it, specific targets chosen, decoys and diversions, adapting strategies all in pursuit of a single goal….You attacked Hammerfall Outpost over travellers, you attacked Midpoint, Maiden-Gate and Port Alistair and each time you focused on their communications arrays….Why, what is it you were planning?"
Gestalt-Prime shifted, the roots which supported their suspended weight flexing as the Grimm twitched and shifted its' cancerous and larval mass, LEDs blinking across its' skull and the bloated extension of rubbery flesh that could generously be called a neck. Nero of course had his own suspicions as to the Grimm's motivations, suspicions which he was almost certain were correct however he still wanted to hear them uttered by the specimen first hand; a prize which Gestalt-Prime made the man wait several tense moment before finally delivering.
"To make the Grimm….More" the Alpha spoke slowly and cautiously, lone eye narrowing as they regarded the human before them and the scowling Faunus behind him "I want Grimm to….evolve"
"I see" Nero steepled his fingers and regarded the Grimm with rapt attention now "What if I told you that I suspected as much….What if I told you that I am interested in helping you accomplish your goals?"
"Why would a human Alpha want that?"
"Because I think in doing I would be enlisting your help in my own goals" Nero answered readily "You see Gestalt-Prime, I want my people, human and Faunus….the Kingdoms to be able to evolve beyond what as defined and confined us for too long now as well and I think that only by working together can we succeed. The question is simple then, do we form an alliance and an arrangement that serves us both?"
Gestalt-Prime's mandibles shifted and unfurled before clacking against one another in a vibrating, sawing motion as the Grimm studied the human before finally moving their bulbous and bloated head in an approximation of a nod.
"We have an alliance….explain your plans to me Human Alpha"
Authors Notes:
And so we have another chapter done, Chapter 75 is gonna be the end of Vol.04, which means next week's chapter is gonna be the last piece of scene setting before we get into the finale proper; I've dropped a few hints here and there for what that will involve and I'll drop more hints in the finale itself about what comes after.
I initially thought I was gonna miss an upload for the first time in 2022 because it really was a struggle to write for a couple of days, it's been literal record breaking heat in the UK and I've been dealing with heat exhaustion, exhaustion from work and a lingering cold…..Sunburn and a cold at the same time is basically radiation sickness.
Also….I hope some of you know what this chapter title is a reference to.
On an unrelated note, I finally finished reading Ward over the weekend and I definitely plan writing a couple more stories in the Parahumans universe…..I did make a start on Pact but I'll be completely honest, I might end up setting it off to one side or giving it a miss; the fact is I'm just not much of an Urban Fantasy guy, I like my fantasy high and between Wildbow and Terry Pratchett, Discworld is gonna win every time.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Needing a second lair, first world problems.
It might be too early for day drinking but Albion has been awake for two days at this point.
Carmesi just casually fucking with the non-Hunter.
Discussing the safety protocols in place around Gestalt-Prime definitely gave me Robert Muldoon in Jurassic Park vibes.
Cosmo-Guild Industries….The subsidiary of the Conglomerate which made anti-Grimm drones that we saw a couple chapters ago, Petrol is going to be sent to stage a robbery there, for a plan involving a Geist.
The sheer brass balls of Nero cannot be overstated, the man is going to try business power plays on a Grimm.
Any Professor who isn't Ren suffers from the sin of not being Ren.
"So I'm thinking-" "No you're not, don't kid yourself" they're best friends your honour.
"And the problem promptly goes away. Perfectly sensible" Are they wrong though?
So, the others were busy….Hence some more time with Team TRQS.
Tiger just pointing at Astra like "Look see, other team leaders organise training too! I'm not the crazy one here!".
Sorry Qrow, but you were never getting an uninterrupted day.
Scarlet David-Vasilias, yay for bringing back canon characters.
So, since Carmesi basically gave Petrol permission to take over the other gangs or run 'em out of permission as long as he does it quickly Petrol has effectively gone to war, hitting one crew after the other….He's upgraded to murder now as well, so far we've never actually seen Petrol go that hard.
All that talk about not using students to do reconnaissance, but he knows damn well that Team MARZ are gonna take it on themselves….And he doesn't even know about Petrol yet.
Some more of Team TRQS allegedly being highly capable when fighting together despite them being dysfunctional the rest of the time, which we'll see in person soon enough….With some more implications about Stygian's mobility.
Sometimes you've just gotta pull an Astra on people that won't stop bickering, ask 'em if this is their kind of foreplay.
"Regalia's cool, one of the coolest people I've ever met" awww.
Yeah that explains a little bit of Tiger's drive and attitude, Atlas and Mistral upbringing but obviously there's more there….Including the whole mess that is her brother being the partner of Snapdragon Majus.
Gotta trade war stories.
Wow….Tiger managed to put her whole foot in her mouth, sad part is that she really didn't mean to be offensive about it.
And have some Honey Scarlatina….She really is a darling, diffusing a whole mess of a situation and throwing a party for the teams with upcoming missions just because; I also did mention the parties on the anti-gravity platform that has an abandoned theme-park on it.
Zirconia and Athena-Jade simping for each other is always fun to write.
So now we get to see AJ testing some new moves, first off we have a variation on Arctus's buzz-saw glyph that works as an area of effect, followed by a move that turns the area into projectiles, which she then uses as platforms.
And the tease of something else that she's gonna pull off at a critical time….Funnily enough, we haven't seen AJ use any kind of summoning yet, even if it's been mentioned.
The whole "How long have you known I was there" thing was cute.
The "Oh?" at moral support…..Look, AJ wants to rail and get railed by her girl; it is what it is.
But seriously though, get you someone who will literally give you a theme song.
The beast of paperwork has been slain, all hail mighty Regalia and her at least sort of legal jetbike.
"My hypothetical car, I'll have my hypothetical pecs out if I want to" is a motto to live by.
Gotta love the fact that Astra just immediately goes to gossip mode.
"You watched all those high-school movies and Honey is the coolest girl in school, with the well connected family and everything and then I told you about how she threw me through a wall one time and how she's probably the best fighter here….You think she's gonna be a mean girl or a bully and she's really not"….See that reading of things is pretty damn sensible when you think about Regalia as a person, but at the same time, nope.
And now we get to watch Nero try and have a business meeting with a Grimm.
"Fans, the running machinery in here makes in insufferable" is just the real world creeping into my writing.
Of course Gestalt-Prime wants to fight Carmesi, they were literally fighting the last time the Grimm was conscious.
So the LEDs on Gestalt-Prime's skull do actually serve a purpose, the Grimm can now see things like heartbeats which is gonna make hiding difficult….But also, Nero's counterpoint, again I say look at the brass balls on this man.
And now it's official, Nero has literally made an alliance with a sentient Grimm….Welcome to a new level of fucked up.
No their reviews on the last chapter, seriously? Where is everyone?.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.