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Chapter 75: The Reveal
The scowl adorning Qrow Branwen's face was of such intensity that the lines of his weathered features looked as though they had been hewn into it with a primitive stone implement as the aged Hunter made his appearance; using the foremost limbs of his mechanical chair to open the door to Headmaster Lie Ren's office as had become his custom despite the fine but noticeable scratches the action left in the woodwork, something Qrow would never have dared were the academy still under the stewardship of Glynda Goodwitch.
"Rough night or an early morning?….You look like death" it was Nora's voice which greeted him, loud and clear as always and with an energy and positivity which had been undiminished and possibly even bolstered by spending years caring for children more exuberant than herself alongside her own students; each of whom she considered her own.
"Both" Qrow grunted out simply as his chair brought him to the desk where Nora, acting in her role as deputy had apparently taken on Ren's responsibilities whilst he in turn was called away from Halo Academy to report to the Council of New Vale; inwardly Qrow found himself lamenting that Antonia Arc, mother of his child and undisputed mechanical genius had done such a good job with the mobility aid systems that were connected to his own body and acted as an extension of it inadvertently gave away precisely how weary the bearded and grey Hunter was, mechanical limbs moving with a natural fluidity which gave them a body language all of their own and sagging under more than simple physical weight.
"Damn, get some rest….Have something arranged for your students. I have someone covering mine for today" Nora advised to which Qrow could only nod, knowing that he was likely in no fit state to teach given the more advanced nature and possible risks involved in his classes yet still loathe to provide his students with anything less than his best efforts.
"The Council aren't trying to make this Ren's problem are they?….I know they need to play politics which means having a scapegoat, but Cosmo-Guild isn't a settlement" Qrow decided to change the subject in a way that would make it far easier to parlay the conversation in the direction he wanted it to go, Nora's smile fading slightly at the merest suggestion that her husband, the academy or its' students being the ones to shoulder the blame until he shook her head and offered the details Ren had given her as he understood them before his departure.
"Right now there's barely any blame to go around….The story is being reported as Hunters who were in the area responding to a distress call at Cosmo-Guild right after rescuing a bus full of missing people"
"Which is what happened, but missing some context….And not considering the fact that a company which supplied equipment to the perimeter defences of several major settlements was raided and subjected to an arson attack"
"Very true" Nora admitted, the intelligence behind her usual buoyancy becoming apparent in the calculating look she gave "The press have been talking to the people rescued by Artemis Tan and some of our students, Team TRQS; right now it's making for a….well, not a feel good story but it's not bad news and we're not lying or really manipulating anything"
"A fire at a factory somewhere where you don't live is abstract, it's not your job on the line" Qrow noted dispassionately "Something more human, a rescue….That gets viewers. Good, as long as the press don't harass anyone then it's not a problem"
"The press can wait until the Vytal Tournament promotional materials and interviews to talk to Team TRQS; they're a Halo team and it's a good chance to hype up the home crowd" Nora couldn't help but chuckle at that, knowing how openly biased Qrow was liable to be in regards to his own commentaries "But you're thinking something….What kept you up all night?"
"This was clearly the work of the Benefactor, it can't be anything else….The fact that Petrol was confirmed to be present and leading the attack confirms it; it's too big of an escalation from his usual methods to be anything other than assignment given to him" Qrow paused, likely for effect before sighing "But I think I made a mistake"
"Go on" Nora nodded slowly, the fact that she had refrained from any witty or sarcastic comments a sign of how intently she was now listening.
"Petrol has a previous connection with Astra Mars….the younger sibling of Felix Xiao Long, in turn connecting them to several high profile Hunters. It seemed to make sense that the Benefactor was playing into that animosity" Qrow began, gesturing as he spoke and seeing that Nora was following his train of thought "But consider….Astra is on a team with Zirconia Shadowmoon who is fostered by Chairman Damascus Nero, who ultimately owns Cosmo-Guild Industries through his conglomerate"
"In their debriefing early this morning" Nora spoke slowly, turquoise eyes filling with sudden comprehension and deep worry in turn "Team MARZ reported that Zirconia Shadowmoon was singled out and targeted by the attackers, one of them told her partner that someone wanted to 'talk to' Zirconia and she was later found encased in ice after a Dust Grenade was used"
"I think the connection to Astra Mars was used as a deliberate misdirection….The Benefactor is anticipating our efforts to identify him and countering them" Qrow surmised
"And also seems to be targeting Chairman Damascus Nero, one of the biggest philanthropists on Remnant….Targeting his family" Nora added, concern giving way to righteous anger that would have seen her break her foe with Magnhild were it possible "Do we have any idea what the Benefactor wanted at Cosmo-Guild?"
"Weapons, they already had access to some high-end guns but they wanted the latest and most intimidating stuff they could find; primarily new Mech-Suits, replacements for the patch jobs that gangs have been using for the last few years" Qrow answered readily "I spent most of the night information gathering and putting things in order….The Benefactor went from smuggling live Grimm and dealing with individual gangs and criminal organisations to uniting their various factions and assets under one person, then storming Cosmo-Guild to have them better armed and equipped….I don't have a full inventory of what was taken, it would already have been hard to get hold of given how sensitive the subject is but the fires the attackers started made things complicated"
"We need to contact the others" Nora said simply, Qrow understanding that she meant the other members of their shadowy cabal including the heads of the academies and other trusted people in positions of importance dedicated to protecting Remnant.
"We should" he agreed "I can't shake the feeling something big is coming, that the losses we thought the Benefactor has taken have done far less than we thought"
"Do you have a plan?"
"Nothing concrete" Qrow admitted "We should talk with the others….But given that he was seemingly targeted and that we've discussed the possibility before, I think it's time for us to approach Damascus Nero and offer him a seat at the table"
Astra hissed as they shifted their weight and pulled uncomfortably at the stab wound in their right thigh, the flesh closed and their healing accelerated but the skin still raw and tender; the sound prompting Regalia to rouse from where she had been dozing, half-awake close by as the two of them shared her bunk as Astra's injury had made climbing onto their own a difficult ordeal.
"What time is it?" she mumbled, rubbing bloodshot and bleary eyes before gingerly rubbing at the spot where goggles had bitten in the skin of her nose to leave her with notable bruising which Aura would attend to in short order. Evening had given way to night by the time Team MARZ had been returned to Halo Academy with several more hours being spent in the campus's medical wing where Astra and Zirconia had been given a more rigorous treatment that the already thorough standard checks; the latter being released without incident after suffering no lasting damage to herself or her mechanical limbs after being frozen briefly and the former needing a blood transfusion along with a course of Aura stimulants and several other medicines to ensure that the Dust used in their impromptu field-surgery caused no lasting tissue damage and even this had not been the conclusion of their troubles, the four of them being led to the office of Professor Nora Ren as soon as they were able for their debriefings meaning that night had passed into early morning where students deciding to work out before the days classes were already awake and passing Team MARZ in the halls as they trudged back to their dorms. Unable to sleep, events replaying themselves in their mind and yet too exhausted to talk the teens had collectively attempted to make themselves as comfortable as possible, with Regalia offering her bunk to her partner and simply trying to avoid their antlers as she sat against the wall next to them.
"It's….Uh, let me check" Astra mumbled with an equal amount of weariness seeping into each syllable, despite the sharp return to wakefulness caused by moving their leg; after several seconds of rummaging around looking for their Scroll, only to realise that it was likely still in their jacket pocket an answer came from the opposite side of the dormitory where Athena and Zirconia had shared the Bear Faunus's bunk, any lingering cold Zirconia might have felt following the use of an Ice Dust grenade being mitigated by both the den of heavy blankets her partner slept buried beneath and also Athena-Jade herself who had wrapped her muscular arms around her girlfriend the moment they had been given enough relative privacy to do so and had been unwilling to let go since.
"It's a little after noon….you guys have been drifting in and out for hours"
"Damn" Astra mumbled as they noted that much of a day away from obligations and classes had been wasted and that they felt no better for it whilst Athena-Jade by contrast seemed considerably more well-rested if the brightness of her eyes as she peered out from beneath her heap of sheets, propped up by multiple comfortably pillows as she leaned over the shoulder of a sleeping Zirconia and idly stroked her girlfriends shimmering black hair which had been let out of its' usual immense and voluminous ponytail to cascade over her slender form.
"Did you two get any sleep?" Regalia asked, stifling a jaw cracking yawn behind her hand to keep from inadvertently waking Zirconia.
"A little" Athena murmured, eyes drifting down to her girlfriend for a moment before adding "I know I'm being overprotective and that Hops is more than capable of protecting herself, protecting me as well but….I couldn't sleep until I was sure she was okay, just watched her sleep for a while"
"Not as creepy as that could have sounded" Astra noted off-handedly, taking advantage of the sympathy granted by their injured status and the fact that Athena couldn't throw anything at them without waking her partner but still receiving a glare for their comment.
"I watched the news this morning as well, you might have some messages from Wolfram….or any of Team WULF when you check your Scroll" Athena paused for a moment, seeing Astra's lack of reaction to their ex-boyfriends' name as a good sign before adding "We didn't get a chance to talk to Team TRQS on the flight back and you were pretty out of it when my Aunt Missy spoke to you but the missing people were found and you're not gonna believe this but one of them was Ursinia's cousin?"
"Seriously?" Astra arched an eyebrow, suddenly invested in something much more akin to the gossip the Deer Faunus considered a guilty pleasure.
"Yeah" Athena gave a weak smile "Ursinia's cousin and dating Diabla….The poor girl, she was actually interviewed from the hospital; she's being treated for possible lasting effects of exposure to some kind of poisonous Grimm but it sounds like she's gonna be okay"
"That's good news" Astra nodded slowly, mind still far too frazzled by everything they had endured within the last twenty four hours to properly process the information "I might message one of Team WULF later and see if they know any more"
"Heh, so we won then….we did what we were sent out there to do" Regalia couldn't help but falter in her dazed and sleepy enthusiasm as she felt the eyes of Astra and Athena on her and quickly explained herself whilst wringing her hands
"I mean heh, putting aside everything that ended up happening….Our mission was search and destroy, clear out the Grimm so that the search and rescue teams like Team TRQS could find the missing people. They found the people and the Grimm looking for us, we win, we did what we were sent out to do….Mission completed right?"
"Does it feel like we won?" Astra's expression darkened and Regalia couldn't help but lean away a fraction as the sudden snarl in their voice caught her by surprise, even Athena being visibly startled.
"No, not really" Regalia mumbled "The people who attacked Cosmo-Guild got away….And you got hurt"
"You okay Astra?" Athena asked with evident concern, recognising that there was far more at work than simple anger at being injured and defeated at play.
"The guy who stabbed me" the Deer Faunus began, toying with the tips of a black-dyed Mohawk in need of some upkeep in order to keep from clenching their fists until their palms bled "I've told you guys the story about how I stopped a burglary right before I left home for Menagerie right?….That guy, the guy leading the people attacking the plant; that was him. He's out of prison somehow, he's a lot more dangerous….Guys, my parents still live in the city"
"Oh" Athena paled beyond her usual alabaster complexion, sympathy mingling with a genuine fear and understanding of the very real threat Astra now faced; the realities of being the child of famous people with enemies having led to her being taught how to respond if she was caught in such circumstances since childhood, however Astra and their family had none of the resources that the Slates had at their disposal.
"We can help" Regalia assured her partner, leaning over to give their hand a tentative squeeze in a gesture which drew Athena's eye for a brief moment though Astra was too absorbed in their own predicament to pay attention.
"I know you're probably gonna talk to Fluffy, but I can talk to my brother as well" Athena added "And I know Team FADE can't hang around your parents' jobs all the time….But hey, I've got Lien; I can probably fund some private security?"
"Rich girl solutions for the win" Astra managed a snort at that, a small sign that they weren't given over entirely to panic "I can mention it to my parents but I'm not sure how they'll take it….I can see it being an issue with my Dad"
"Wanna call him now?" Regalia offered her Scroll so that Astra wouldn't have to search for theirs.
"No" they shook their head "Dad actually asked me to drop in while he's at work as soon as we're back from the mission….I can't see Petrol being out on the streets right now, he's gotta lay low after what he's just done, that buys some time"
"Want us to come with?" Athena asked, already carefully extricating herself from her blankets and slipping the arm trapped beneath Zirconia free without waking the taller girl, even as she leaned down to plant a kiss on her cheek as she slept.
"Nah….but thanks" Astra gave their friends a look of utmost gratitude "Seriously, but none of us are in any shape to do anything….I'm not expecting trouble; I don't know what my Dad's got planned either and I don't want you guys to get stuck hanging around for hours for no reason"
"Well in that case I'm gonna and freshen up then get some lunch, Regalia do you want me to get you anything?"
"Just a sandwich….everything on it, extra hot-sauce please" the Racoon Faunus answered absently, pale purple eyes still on her partner "You're sure you're okay on your own?"
"Yeah my leg isn't too bad and it's not like I'll be walking far" Astra nodded "But actually….If you wanted to help, there is something?"
"Sure" Regalia almost chirped the word out in her eagerness.
"I know your weapon is gonna need a tune up, some of the panels of Buckshot Ares got hit with Petrol's Semblance; if I let you borrow my toolkit would you be able to get some of the scuffed parts off?"
"Oh sure" Regalia's eyes were wide and neither she nor Astra caught the mildly startled look Athena-Jade gave them both at that; tampering with another Hunters' weapon was something only done by those with the closest of bonds, the Bear Faunus knew that her parents or her brother and his wife could maintain one another's weapons but could think of very few other cases.
"Thanks, you're the only other person I'd trust with it honestly" Astra offered casually before slipping off of Regalia's bunk, making their way to the bathroom and stealing the use of the shower from under Athena's nose before she could react, leaving the Bear Faunus gesticulating in the silent frustration common to everyone with siblings.
Regalia for her part made no effort to hide the proud smile on her face, though she was still reluctant to begin earnestly examining the swooping feeling which accompanied it.
"Does the food feel like it's vibrating in your mouth for you too?" Stygian asked, face scrunching into something unpleasant and yet oddly fitting for a Mouse Faunus as he regarded his fork, as though the utensil were responsible for the quality of his food.
"Everything just tastes sour….tastes like I just threw up in my mouth" Tiger managed to answer between mouthfuls of food that seemed to take a determined and concentrated effort to consume and a series of disparaging glances cast between her own meal and Stygian, whose constant reminders and commentary about the situation was making the matter harder to ignore, which Tiger herself would much rather have done.
"Oh, that's….nice" Stygian grimaced "Damn; I wouldn't eat that and I'm a mouse Faunus basically vermin….Also, don't make that joke; it's only cool when Faunus say shit like that"
"You were told what the side-effects were going to be. Either eat or don't, but stop complaining" Tiger answered bluntly, her customary inability to soften blows or deal with nuances of interpersonal interactions reasserting herself as her recent attempts to improve herself and be the leader that her team-mates deserved, efforts helped greatly by the insistence and tenacity of Stygian himself were worn down her current condition.
Team TRQS had, upon their return to Halo Academy been frantically escorted and all but thrown into a sealed airlock with themselves and everything they might have touched, along with their entire route towards the medical wing being thoroughly sprayed with a specially made concoction upon explaining to the doctor responsible for them the exact nature of the Grimm they had fought. Once the cloying, stinging vapours had been extracted from the airlock and the four teens had managed to overcome the coughing fits it had brought about it had been explained to them that the radiating attacks of the Degradation could have lasting effects if not treated with a regimen of medicines and that they would likely suffer some side-effects for the next few days; a prognosis which had been proven correct in short order as each of Team TRQS began to feel ill, cold sweat clinging to trembling forms as they coughed up lungfuls of something sludgy and wretched with Tiger and Stygian who had fought the repulsive monster at the closest range faring the worst. Eventually however they had been declared well enough to depart, the medical staff informing that whilst they would still need to take the provided medication there was no risk of Team TRQS contaminating the people around them; upon asking Tiger had been assured that the civilians they had rescued had fared better owing to the protections of the bunker they taken shelter in and that the hospital they had been taken to would have similar measures in place.
Once freed there had been a further ordeal to endure in the form of a debriefing, which Tiger was as meticulous as ever in, despite being visibly unwell before the four of them were free to rest.
Amaya had declared frankly that she and Rye were heading to the teams' dorm in order to sleep and it was a mark of how exhausted Stygian was that the blue-haired and tattooed young man had not bothered to make any suggestive or inappropriate comments. Tiger for her part had simply nodded in understanding and quietly taken Stygian elsewhere for however long it would take her team-mates to either fall asleep or complete other activities she honestly had no interest in contemplating as her way of providing an apology she couldn't help but feel she owed; she had not known that Rye and Amaya were dating until she had seen them waking up next to each other and yet there had been no effort to hide the fact, indeed Stygian had known and seemed it to be common and readily available knowledge which required no discussion. That she had been so disconnected and absent smacked of failure on her part to Tiger and was another reason she had decided to take steps to be a better leader; even if she had very little idea how to go about it.
It was fortunate then that she was partnered with Stygian Blue, arguably the most determined and aggressively personable person she had ever been subjected to.
"Hey, hey over here!" he called out, following with a sharp whistle to get the attention of someone Tiger had not paid much attention to as he proceeded to prove her thoughts about him correct.
Lunch break for the students not still on missions was concluding, though the canteen would remain open and Tiger was privately welcoming the coming peace and quiet as along with her taste-buds malfunctioning the effects of the Degradation had left her with a truly foul headache; the figure Stygian had called out to upon spotting in the crowd, despite the fact that most of the people around her were several inches taller at least was notable for the fact that she was seemingly just entering the canteen rather than exiting.
Athena-Jade Slate.
The Bear Faunus faltered, several vaguely comedic seconds passing as she visibly wavered and struggled to make a decision between making a small diversion over to the table in a corner of the canteen which Stygian and Tiger had claimed or simply grabbing food for herself and presumably her team-mates, which would in turn mean that she had to depart before said food could grow cold. Eventually however some inspiration struck her and Athena quickly plucked a napkin from a table close her and began writing a note before crumpling the napkin into a ball and hurling it towards Stygian, her glyphs making minor course corrections allowing him to catch it deftly.
"So….She says thank you to all of us for the assist yesterday and congrats on the rescue job, says we did good work" Stygian gave a broad smile and pushed back dreadlocks that had fallen in front of his face in a way Tiger was almost certain she could fairly describe as preening "Oh and she's asking if we all want to hang out sometime while we don't have classes, I'm down….Are you?"
"Stygian" Tiger let out a slow breath and forced herself to muster something resembling decorum and gentleness "I know that you like her….I don't know how I can say this without hurting your feelings but she is not interested; let those hopes go"
"Oh I know that, you know I know that" Stygian stared after Athena for a moment, unsubtle in the way his eyes wandered for a moment "I mean I'll be honest, she's hot….like really hot and she's cool; but she's dating someone and told me she's not interested and I'm okay with that. At the same time though, she thinks we're cool….You need to learn how to make friends because you're just scary and I'm okay being friends; I get called cool and complimented less than you think….I know, I'm shocked too it's a travesty"
Tiger could only sigh in exasperation.
"Stygian….You are a nuisance and have been the bane of my existence for a year now. You can be a lazy, obnoxious, cocky, reckless and self-absorbed-"
"I don't think you get how compliments work" the Mouse Faunus noted, cocking his head and wrinkling his nose in response to his partners' assessment.
"But" she held up a hand to silence him "You are also brave, kind, heroic and it's because of you that I'm able to make even the small steps with this team and my brother that I am. You're cool, never doubt it"
"Aww shucks" Stygian's words dripped with sarcasm yet there was no way to hide the smile which lit up his lightning blue eyes even as he averted his gaze awkwardly before changing the subject "So, speaking of your brother….You and Ravi spoke before we left, how did it go-"
"We're going to talk more when Team SHMR return" Tiger answered, clearly fighting the habitual urge to cast aspersions about the leadership of Snapdragon Majus "I don't want to distract him while he's got a job to do….But I am looking forward to speaking with him again"
"And in the meantime we can hang out with Team MARZ for a few days, maybe the rest of the week….We're on medical leave and a movie marathon or something sounds like a good idea" Stygian offered tentatively, clearly probing to see just how far these new efforts to be a more approachable, personable and frankly tolerable leader on Tiger's part could be pushed; Tiger herself would rather spend her free time in pursuit of self improvement but Stygian was correct that Team TRQS were officially on medical leave and there was no denying that she was not currently up to the task of a physical training session.
"You can be the one to wake Rye and Amaya to invite them" she finally answered.
"Sure thing" the Mouse Faunus snorted "Hey….If their bedsheets glow in the dark we'll know why"
"Stitch" she used his nickname even as she reached across the table to swat him "You are disgusting"
"I thought I was heroic? No take backs Tee" and with that Stygian slipped out of her reach and sauntered away as though victorious.
Both Stygian and Tiger both wearing contented smiles as they briefly went their separate ways, each of them feeling certain that things had taken a step in the right direction and that ultimately even their shared sickness was a hardship that would bring Team TRQS closer together and forge them into the team that each of them had always wanted to be.
Zirconia fought to keep a glower from lingering on her features as her Scroll continued to display a 'calling' screen whilst her attempts to reach her guardian, the architect behind the schemes that had led to her current predicament went unanswered for the fourth consecutive call in a row; Zirconia understood that Damascus Nero was a busy man even if one were to only consider the publicly known facets of his work and she had admittedly not checked ahead to ensure that he would be available, instead simply pressing the issue until she was successful in a display of obstinate stubbornness. Eventually she let out a sound of pure annoyance, mismatched eyes narrowing further as the sound of her scroll ringing reverberating from the tiled walls of the dormitories' bathroom which were still wet with the condensation from her preceding shower began to annoy her whilst the only form of distraction came in something still more aggravating.
Namely the mild damage Carmesi had done to her legs.
Zirconia was far from ashamed of her mechanical limbs, though she did not often share the specifics of how she had come to need them; with even Athena-Jade not knowing but likely suspecting that the incident was one and the same as the tragedy that had taken the Grasshopper Faunus's parents however despite this lack of shame she did still prefer to work in private when maintaining them whenever possible, especially when exposing the connection points would involve showing far more leg than she was willing to display in the campus workshop for example.
"Zirconia? Zirconia is everything okay?" Nero's voice, laden with the faintest traces of his hidden stutter which revealed the sudden urgency which the unexpected and insistent attempts to reach him had caused; fighting back the urge to curse aloud and knowing that it would be chided Zirconia instead set aside the tools she had been using to make small adjustments to her mechanical limbs and flung on an oversized t-shirt that she had intended to wear as she spent the remainder of the day lounging and recovering in the dorm; thoroughly covered she finally picked her Scroll up from the side of the sink where she had set it down and activated its' front-facing camera.
"I'm okay….We need to talk about what happened yesterday" she answered bluntly, unable to keep the lingering sourness from her words and features.
"Naturally, one moment if you please" Zirconia realised that Nero was in his office at the conglomerates' building as she followed the movements of his scroll, getting a sense of bearing as he moved to the door, exchanged words briefly with a secretary before locking it and returning to his desk.
"Now we can talk" he breathed out as he sat in his leather chair "I understand Carmesi explained the situation when he sought you out?"
"Did he tell you that?" Zirconia rasped out, her usual demure and reserved rasp transformed into something ferocious and bordering on a snarl in her sudden burst of anger "Did that bastard tell everything else he did as well?"
"Zirconia" Damascus said her name slowly and with emphasis, gentle and yet still a warning all the same "I don't like seeing you angry like this….Primarily because seeing you upset is never something I would want, but anger makes us irrational, sloppy; our plans are not about anger no matter what will inevitably be said about us by our enemies. Please calm down and explain to me what has managed to upset you?"
Zirconia complied, forcing several slow and rhythmic breaths in through her nose and out of her mouth all whilst holding a small screwdriver that it had been remarkably, if somewhat worryingly soothing to imagine stabbing Carmesi Hueso in the eye with before finally she found her voice again, this time in a more familiar tone.
"Where do I start?" the rhetorical question was swiftly answered "The fact that he let one of the minions you gave him off of their leash and it led to the leader of my team being stabbed and needing a blood transfusion? A student Hunter was nearly killed! Did you really have someone freed from prison just to serve as a misdirection?"
"I see" Nero's quartz coloured eyes hardened at that, revealing to Zirconia that the information had no doubt been presented differently to him initially "I appreciate your concern Zirconia and rest assured that I will speak with Carmesi about the free reign he gives to those assigned to him in future operations….However Petrol was chosen to serve as a patsy and scapegoat before any of us knew that you and your team-mates would be at the facility. Carmesi cannot be entirely blamed for this….Petrol bares responsibility for his own actions-"
"And what about Carmesi's attacks!" Zirconia once again struggled to keep her temper in check, snapping the words out far more than she had intended; knowing that it was not Damascus who was to blame but relishing the chance to vent her frustrations to someone who would listen rather than simply sneer as the Komodo Dragon Faunus himself certainly would.
"I understand he used an Ice Dust grenade" the chairman sighed "He says he didn't consider your prosthetics and that he was merely mirroring the tactics of the assets we used….hiding his own presence and making it seem more believable that you were caught by surprise. Is there any damage?"
"Nothing lasting, some minor recalibrations that I've been working on" Zirconia sighed, her calm only a fleeting and momentary thing before she added "But he left Athena to be outnumbered and surrounded; there were other ways to force us to split up. He chose to indulge a personal vendetta and I don't care what excuses he gives"
"I see….So that's the real issue here" Zirconia's anger was undercut in an instant by her cheeks flushing at the smile her guardian, the man who had done his best to raise her as his own child gave her.
"I was scared" Zirconia admitted, voice faint and mismatched eyes cast downwards and away from the video feed "I was worried about what would happen to my partner, my girlfriend because I couldn't trust or predict someone who is supposed to be our ally….I can't work like that"
"I see, I understand. I will speak with Carmesi and ensure that there are no repeat performances and I will endeavour to communicate better" Damascus assured her and Zirconia nodded slowly, taking heart in the fact that she could still wholeheartedly trust the chairman to carry out his promises to the best of his considerable ability before choosing to move the subject away from her own anger and towards the great work that Nero had started which her distance had allowed her to become temporarily detached from.
"Carmesi tells me that the Grimm is awake and compliant, that being the reason for the plans moving forwards so rapidly"
"Indeed" Nero nodded, beaming with a mixture of pride and nervous energy as he considered the accomplishment and the crossing of the boundaries he could still not quite believe had been possible.
"So acquiring Cosmo-Guild just to have it burned to the ground was worth it?" Zirconia dead-panned.
"Hardly to the ground, production will be delayed over the next few years however we already have enough assets manning the defences of various major settlements across Remnant to maintain a good standing; through various other companies under conglomerates umbrella creating vacancies and the various charitable institutions I have founded I can ensure that anybody who loses their job as a result of our actions will be cared for and Cosmo-Guilds' hardware, as well as our assets within the cities' criminal element have been properly field tested in a way that would otherwise difficult to simulate" Nero rattled off the points as though he had been expecting them, likely a product of having similar conversations with others in his confidence already "So yes, the mitigating factors of the losses mean that what we acquired today was certainly worth it"
"The plans?"
"The plans….And they are everything I could have hoped for" Nero's grin took on an almost catlike quality "When the Conglomerate first acquired Cosmo-Guild I had several teams and subdivisions of the company begin work on several projects under various ruses, none of which ever saw the light of day and were conducted without my input, oversight or officially my knowledge before being scrapped. The plan was always to revive and ready those secret weapons for use in our plan once we had the aid of a sentient Grimm, Gestalt-Prime allows the plan to be altered and taken to a further extent and with the aid of Albion and Aefen Cruor we will be able to secure a better, more just and equal, peaceful Remnant for all"
"Our bright new tomorrow" Zirconia intoned, an amused lilt to her rasping voice which Nero picked up on and answered with a small, ironic smile as he surmised the reason behind it.
"Look at me….Monologuing like a cartoon villain; I'm not even in the Chamber" he chuckled "My first proper conversation with you in too long and I'm talking to you about work when you clearly wanted to talk about your girlfriend"
"I tolerate this only because I'm tired" Zirconia feigned an aloof and commanding tone which only left Nero chuckled more openly.
"I trust you to make your own choices Zirconia and you clearly care about and trust her….But I feel like I must remind you to be careful" his words suddenly became more serious.
"I know" Zirconia murmured "I haven't discussed anything involving our work with her….Although I am still confidant that she will understand if it is properly explained to her; that she will agree with what it is we plan to do"
"With our plans accelerating you may have less time to broach the subject than you would like Zirconia" Nero warned "Although, if I may I would still like to meet your partner before you discuss the family secrets with her"
"We have discussed meeting one another's families in person recently" Zirconia answered pensively.
"Well then, I'll have to get the good china and silverware ready, I'll dust everything just to be-"
"Ass" Zirconia laughed playfully, to which Nero raised a gloved hand to his mouth in mock horror.
"Such crude language, you were raised better than this….She's a bad influence on you" seeing that Zirconia's spirits were sufficiently lifted, the roll of pink and orange eyes and familiar grin on her features a comfort to him Nero let out a slow breath and spoke again "Unfortunately I have matters to attend to….Though speaking with has managed to fortify me somewhat for an unavoidable conversation with Aefen Cruor, thank you for that"
"Go...and don't forget to eat, drink water and rest when you can" Zirconia laughed "I love you"
"I love you too" Nero replied before ending the call, leaving Zirconia to return to the task of making minute modifications and recalibrations to her mechanical limbs to correct things that had been left out of proper alignment by expanding ice and moisture all whilst her mind raced with such severity that she threatened to do more damage to the workings of her legs in her distraction until finally the last of the outer coverings were replaced.
The plan was moving forwards, she would have to speak with Athena-Jade about it sooner rather than later and yet when the Bear Faunus herself arrived Zirconia could not find the mental strength to do more than step out into the dormitory and lazily bury herself in the nape and chest of the more solidly built woman, the two of them returning to Athena's bunk and promptly dozing off once again as they wrapped themselves around one another.
Things would change soon enough, in the meantime Zirconia felt that she had earned a rest.
Regalia had quickly realised that she would need more tools than either she or Astra had readily available and would likely require more space than could be provided by simply throwing a sheet down over the dormitory floor and as such had departed for the campus workshop, finding them thankfully empty despite classes still being in session; the absence of several teams of students going some way to clear an otherwise hectic schedule.
Currently the Racoon Faunus was a single pace away from the workbench she had positioned herself at and in the midst of taking several moments to survey the tasks in front of her so that she might find a more efficient and effective way to prioritise them; a matter that her Semblance was in no way suited to providing an answer to and instead the nomad instead fell back on over a decade of practical knowledge which had become second nature to her as it had to many of her clans' children; the education of the Aiktishaf being centred more around methods Regalia found far more interesting than sitting in lectures for hours at a time.
The harpoon component of Apex Scavenger was damaged to the point where it would be easier to simply replace it entirely which, given the facilities available to her was something she could likely do before classes reconvened with the return of the rest of the Second Year students whilst the cowling of the weapon and the length of its' extended shaft both bore signs of wear and tear that would require repair rather than replacements which, combined with a general servicing and rechecking the various moving parts involved in the weapons' transformation would likely amount to at least a day spent in the workshop. Laid beside Regalia's own weapon however were the two halves of Buckshot Ares, expanded out to their full size and with the damaged outer layer painstakingly and delicately removed whilst ensuring none of the intricate components below the armoured but burned and corroded surface were jostled; Regalia had spent several minutes simply staring at the innards of the weapons and familiarising herself with them as much as possible, studying its' complex working and quickly realising that every element that was not built in the most efficient way possible was a product of either several iterations of redesign and reiterations or a consequence of overcoming limitations Astra had been subjected to in making the weapons, overall Regalia had seen looking inside her partners' weapons in the light that all Hunters tended to view such things, namely as seeing their history and sense of self writ large in a way that few things outside of perhaps an understanding of a Semblance could measure up to.
Only for the profound moment to be ruined by the sound of her stomach growling.
"Heh, dinner is served….Be our guest" Regalia said to herself, words giving way to simple humming as the tune to a song performed by dancing cutlery in a movie she remembered from childhood, it's remake leaving a lot to be desired found itself stuck in her head. Disregarding the task of working on the partly disassembled weapons before her she instead focused on the sandwich Athena-Jade, being as good as her word had brought from the canteen and left on another nearby workbench before returning to the dorm; unwrapping the sandwich revealed that it had gone cold and whilst it was still perfectly edible Regalia found herself casting a mischievous glance towards the nearest blowtorch and scooping the tool up in the next instant, still scratched goggles lowered in front of her eyes and a gleeful grin on her face as a blue flame came whooshing to life.
At which point Regalia was caught in the act, the sound of the door to the workshop opening preceding a familiar voice.
"Oh sorry I thought it was empty, I didn't….I don't think we're really supposed to eat in here, but don't worry I won't say anything" Regalia sagged in mild disappointment at being denied a freshly reheated lunch and raised her goggles as she turned to face Honey Scarlatina, the golden haired Rabbit Faunus wearing her usual bright and cheerful grin and the Halo Academy uniform as she wandered casually into the workshop and gave Regalia a brief wave of recognition.
"Can I help you?" Regalia asked cautiously, setting down the blowtorch yet still regarding Honey with an inexplicable wariness which had abated somewhat since the party at Castle Vertigo, which now seemed much longer ago than the few days that had actually passed but was yet to entirely subside.
"Third Years ship out for our missions tomorrow, I've got almost everything for my field repair kit packed but I was gonna come and pick up a few things that I always need more of" Honey answered happily, almost skipping with an easy and natural joviality as she made her way over to racks and shelves where smaller and more frequently used items such as sealant, various oils and coolants as well as parts such as nuts and bolts could be signed out and taken in larger quantities "I heard some of the Second Years were back….You found those people who went missing in the forest right?"
"That wasn't us" Regalia answered bluntly, tiredness and distraction keeping her from offering a more verbose response to the girl whom, if she were entirely honest with herself the Racoon Faunus felt she should have liked, yet could not help but feel a little on edge around despite Honey having done nothing to warrant such a reaction. Seemingly picking up on this the older girl turned away from the shelves, still leaning against the slightly as she regarded Regalia with mild confusion before very clearly choosing her words carefully.
"You don't like me much do you?" she watched Regalia falter and sputter without forming words for a moment before adding "I wasn't sure if you were just shy or didn't talk much, but you only seem to clam up when I'm around….Did I say something offensive or rude about people from Menagerie without meaning to? I promise I didn't mean to….I don't like having problems with people-"
"Half of the students here are scared of you" Regalia noted idly, surprised at her own tone and entirely unsure of where the barbed comment had come from.
"I know" Honey visibly sagged "And it sucks….I mean, I'm good at what I do; I don't want to brag but I am really good, I was trained by some great people and I worked hard at it but I want to be a Hunter, to help people and be a hero, I hate the fact that because I've won some tournaments and been on few more missions than most students and my whole team are super cool….Especially Yuki, she is amazing, everyone expects me to be this super mean bully who stuffs people in lockers or flushes their heads down the toilet just because I can-"
Regalia couldn't help but snort at the mental image, noting that it did indeed seem at odds with the Honey Scarlatina she had dealt with thus far.
"Wait….I think I get it" Honey's eyes widened, darting from the exposed innards of Buckshot Ares to Regalia "Are you mad at me because I beat your partner at an expo a few years back?"
"No, no" Regalia insisted, hands wringing together and sandwich forgotten as she suddenly found herself invested in the conversation "Astra's not mad, if anything they think you're really cool….they will probably buy your teams' merch if you make any before the Vytal Tournament. It's just….I've watched them lose focus before and I don't want them to lose focus now"
"Oh" Honey's hands flew to her mouth "Oh….You've got it bad; that's so cute. Okay listen, I need you to listen. I'm sure that Mohawk is cool and all but no, not interested, not at all. Yuki and I are a thing and…."
The wordless sound of contentment Honey let out at then thought of her own partner almost failed to penetrate Regalia's senses, the Racoon Faunus being left numbed and staring into space as she contemplated the Rabbit Faunus's accusation and realised that she could no longer put off the task of unpacking her feelings in good conscience. In all fairness she had precious little to compare them to and use as a frame of reference; the identities and labels she was currently using and testing out the feeling of were ones which she had only known of for a short while after Astra themselves had explained them to her and the lasting, solid connection of friendship prior to anything romantic even being a consideration or possibility had largely precluded her from any navigation or exploration of such feelings during her time with Clan Aiktishaf where her options were limited to fellow clan members she largely saw as extended family and brief interactions with people her own age as the clan passed through settlements which gave no real chance for such connections to form. The movies she enjoyed so much offered little guidance to her now as concepts such as demisexuality were not ones which could easily be conveyed in an explosive blockbuster but now, as she was forced to honestly confront the way she felt about her partner and best friend and the reaction to Honey Scarlatina which she would only begrudgingly admit had been rooted in jealousy she could see that there was only one sensible explanation; one which left her feeling oddly lonely as she realised that she had very little notion of how to proceed without threatening a treasured friendship and that her mother was entirely out of her reach and ability to contact whilst the person she would most have liked to talk about the subject with the one person she felt unable to talk to.
Regalia couldn't help but feel that it was a cruel joke that she had developed feelings for Astra.
"Aww nuts" she dragged the words out with a slow groan which was answered with a burst of laughter from Honey Arc, reminding the Racoon Faunus of the older girls' presence.
Astra's sea-green eyes were sharp and darted periodically around their surroundings despite the tiredness leaving them reddened and itching, the brief dozing they had managed since returning from Team MARZ's mission doing little if anything to lessen their exhaustion.
In truth were they not so on edge the Deer Faunus might have unintentionally drifted off to sleep during either the flight from Halo Academies' campus to one of the many smaller landing pads situated across central Neo Vale or the subsequent series of monorail rides using the system which Astra was so familiar with that traversing the city-spanning network throughout the hive-towers was second nature however they were glad they had not, missing their stop would after all have wasted time and lien they were loathe to waste. Instead the occasional bouts of throbbing pain from their wounded right leg which was, even now uncomfortably stiff and unwilling to support Astra's weight combined with a growing sense of uneasy paranoia that kept them casting suspicious glances at every hooded figure despite the fine and misty drizzle falling from skies that threatened to unleash a more torrential downpour at any moment had given them the focus and motivation to stay awake until finally they had reached the closest station to their destination and began the short trek to their fathers' place of work.
If they were entirely honest with themselves Astra could admit that they were likely overreacting and would probably be left feeling a little foolish if they spoke to Felix on the subject, they had after all given their honest appraisal of the situation to the rest of Team MARZ when they had said that they expected Petrol and his band of now heavily-armed thugs to keep a relatively low profile for some time; however Astra could also appreciate the viciousness and vindictive vengefulness of the avian Faunus and in a city as vast as Neo Vale crime was an inevitably commonplace occurrence and as such the stabbing of an unassuming mechanic or waitress would raise eyebrows and be decried as a sign of troubled times but was ultimately something that might go unsolved.
The idea of their parents being at risk made Astra sick to their stomach.
"Kid you look like shit….When I said come to the garage when you get back I didn't mean straight off the flight" the distraction from such bleak thoughts came from a booming voice, left harsh by years of fighting to be heard over the din of machinery and engines belonged to Redwood Mars; the sight of the older Deer Faunus with his leathery and weather-beaten complexion a shade or so lighter than their own and sturdy, calloused form clad in worn and faded overalls which hung open despite the cold as he sat outside of the business he had started before his only child was born and kept afloat through everything the city had endured being enough to bring a tired and fond smile to Astra's face.
"Hey Dad….Would you believe me if I said the paperwork wears me out more than the missions do?" they chuckled weakly, taking a moment to notice that the shutters of the garage were down which was odd given that they could not hear any of the screeching of metal on metal which might indicate another employee performing a task which would otherwise send sparks spraying out into the street if it were raised.
"No, I wouldn't believe it for a second" Redwood surveyed Astra for a moment "Mainly 'cos I saw you limping halfway down the street….Does your mother know you went and got yourself hurt again?"
"Nah….Should fix in a day or two, I heal fast" Astra answered with a shrug and a commitment not to comment on the way their fathers' expression crinkled into a brief frown at the idea of recovering from serious injuries in such a brief time; even after watching them recover shattered bones and torn muscles in an inhuman amount of time with marked improvements over the course of individual days the realities of just what those training to fight the Creatures of Grimm could do was unnerving to the lifelong blue collar worker.
"Right….So, gonna tell me the war stories and show off?" Redwood gave a gruff chuckle "Or do I not want to know?"
"I got stabbed….And I think you need to know"
"Damn it all Astra what the hell did you get yourself into now?" Astra might have argued if they weren't so tired, or else they might have simply laughed and enjoyed the familiarity of the words which had been something of a hallmark of the formative years where they had grown from a weak and pudgy child often the victim of school-yard bullies into someone capable of commanding respect, only for them to abuse that power in several displays of adolescent bone-headedness. As it was Astra simply fought the urge to yawn before saying what needed to be said.
"Remember when I stopped that burglary last year?" Redwood nodded in confirmation "Yeah, that guy is out now and he's got his gang working with some bigger, more organised people….We ran into each other while Team MARZ were on a mission and it's safe to say he holds a grudge"
"Never a dull fucking moment is it" Redwood noted, the curse which his wife would have admonished being accompanied by a heavy sigh and a concerned look at his child which Astra simply mirrored as they nodded in agreement.
"I don't know if this guy is gonna take this further" they whispered, letting their father take a moment to appreciate exactly what was being said "But I'll talk to Felix about coming around when he can, not many people are crazy enough to pick a fight with him and two of my team are….well they're filthy rich and they said they'll pay for security-"
"No" Redwood shook his head "Your brother sure, absolutely. I don't want random strangers who're basically hired guns looking after my family-"
"Dad this guy has taken over the gangs that had the Mech-Suits that we've been seeing on the news for the last few years" Redwood blanched at that for a moment before crossing his arms over his chest and arching an eyebrow as he tried his best to adopt the image of a gruff and grizzled blue-collar 'tough guy'.
"And you think your old man is soft?" he snorted "I'll give you your dues kid, you've got some skills but I grew up when being a Faunus could get your ass kicked on the wrong street, back when if you were Faunus and working then you were stealing somebodies' job….I worked the docks then started my own business and I didn't take help from Blake Xiao Long and her people to do it. Some jumped up little punk whose gotta pull knives out because he can't box wants to come around here let him….In fact you tell him your old man is with the union-"
"You're self employed what union?" Astra couldn't help but laugh at the faux bravado; realising in an instant that this was where he had inherited the behaviour from. Redwood for his part merely made a face and waved the question aside with a laugh of his own before changing the subject.
"Anyway, I didn't call you down here for you to tell more stuff that's gonna have you mother nervous and upset when she hears about it" he gave his child a pointed look at that "I told you I got you something for your birthday, it's a little late but it's worth it"
"You didn't have to-"
"You're only eighteen once and I don't work this hard for no reason. Now open the shutters, I wanna see your face" Astra caught the key that was thrown at them and reached down, favouring their wounded leg to unlock the shutters from where they were chained to the ground and lifted them to reveal what took up the interior of the garage.
"No way….no fucking way"
"Yeah, I thought you'd like it….Used to belong to a Hunter who decided to sell it off and buy something a little bit more sensible when they retired, being in the business as long as I have and knowing some of the people I do I managed to save this thing from the scrapheap and I've spent the few months you were away patching it up. The previous owner did not leave this thing in good condition let me tell ya" Redwood noted with an air of disapproval "You can say something kid"
"It's….Holy shit Dad….Holy fucking shit; thank you!" Redwood managed a half-hearted and playful tug at Astra's antlers in response to the foul language even as he laughed in response.
Astra's eyes were wide and their previous concerns briefly forgotten as they stared at the restored, modified and thoroughly imposing pickup truck in front of them. The thing was raised to an almost arrogant height, its' heavily improved suspension paired with thick tires with treads deep enough to loose a hand in wrapped around wheels that were a matte black colour rather than any gaudy and impractical chrome; its' entire body a perfect blend of streamlined sleekness and blunt, defiant and resilient surfaces from the massive grill which Astra saw had been fitted with a gleaming copy of their own emblem in place of the manufactures' badge to a cab large enough for all of Team MARZ to sit comfortably and carry most of the belongings they would have with them at any given time and a flatbed with armoured panels which could be raised or lowered as needed and would easily be able to carry Regalia's beloved jetbike Clunker. At present the entirety of the trucks' body was an unadorned metal colour, marked with lingering traces of the previous owners' own choice in aesthetic and the occasional patches were welding had bruised metal that Astra was, upon further inspection beginning to think was armoured and bulletproof in its' entirety from end to end.
"It's not a toy, it's not the cheapest thing to run but its' fiddled with to make it a lot more fuel efficient than it should be; some tricks I've never seen and don't want try messing with done to the engine and it's noisy as all hell, might even be louder than your brothers' car and he deliberately made that thing loud enough to wake up half of Patch when he visits home" Redwood noted idly, thoroughly enjoying the awestruck look on Astra's face as the younger Deer Faunus paced slowly around the truck to take in every detail of it; pausing only to glance back in their fathers' direction with a giddy expression.
"It's perfect!"
"Well….Not yet, not quite" their father noted "I'm guessing you're gonna wanna tint those windows since you've got enemies and such now and its' gonna want some paint but we'll handle that after you've come home gotten some food and slept for more than five minutes, your mother will kill me if she hears I let you drive anywhere looking that tired"
"That sounds great" Astra could only beam wider at thought of visiting home and putting the troubles of the previous day even further behind them if only for a few hours.
"So, what colour do you want it?" Redwood asked, guessing what the answer would be even before Astra gestured to themselves and specifically their black-dyed Mohawk with their auburn routes peeking through and the leather jacket with its' popped collar which was now sleeveless and featured red and black leather after being remade.
"Bright red with black trim….Come on this is basic stuff" Astra laughed, already envisioning how the finished article would fit their chosen style and tastes.
The silence that filled the Chamber was almost profound in its' electric tension as the various minds involved in what would, should they succeed amount to a total restructuring of the way Remnant existed regarded one another; the simple task of introducing the two members who Nero had thus far kept from meeting one another out of a practical and still justified sense of caution leaving what would no doubt be a lasting impression, as well as revealing his own identity in full under the assurance that with her tarnished reputation it would be largely disbelieved if Aefen were to attempt to reveal the Chairman's identity. It had been a risk which Nero and Albion had debated for some time before ultimately coming to an agreement that it was time for Aefen Cruor to be brought more fully into the fold, the risks of her own designs and ambitions being outweighed by a simple need to move the plan forward more swiftly in time for the grand reveal which the Chairman intended.
"This is what you had me working on with such limited information….You should have shown me sooner, this specimen….they're incredible, the things I could do" Aefen's words were hushed and reverent as she regarded Gestalt-Prime's bloated and mutated form; Nero's identity plainly of little consequence to her in comparison to the sight of the sentient Grimm, constantly evolving and currently boasting a mass of eel-like and featureless shapes writhing their serpentine bodies within the liquid filled sacs that had been expanded to translucence along their distended and maggoty form which still hung inverted from the roof of the containment cylinder within the Chamber. Whilst Aefen the disgraced doctor and High-Speaker, leader of a cult of Grimm worshipping fanatics was a far more rational and reasonable mind than she outwardly portrayed to her followers Nero could not help but be somewhat concerned by the sense of awe that she had exuded since being introduced to Gestalt-Prime, the results of the hard work and the chairman and Albion has exchanged several meaningful glances thus far; with both of them privately admitting to themselves that the cult leader would not be so unnerving if she did not insist on wearing her stylised mask and costume even in situations such as this.
"And you are the reason I was tortured into awakening….I will be sure to show you my gratitude in detail should we meet" Gestalt-Prime answered coldly, showing that for their part the presence of another rogue scientist of questionable stability was little more than a source of aggravation. The mutated and malformed hybrid Alpha had emerged from the brief period of trance-like distance and detachment which had accompanied the latest of their grotesque physical changes over the course of the previous evening which, along with the work of Carmesi who was currently attending to the spoils of his victory had prompted Nero call for this gathering.
Now that the Chairman heard the sentient monster with whom he had formed an alliance however he noted that Gestalt-Primes' voice sounded different somehow, still a product of monstrous physiology augmented by the robotic and mechanical components it had merged with, their speech a series of discordant sounds entirely unconnected to the mandible apparatus formed by chittering and segmented appendages that had once been legs and yet Nero could not help but think that Gestalt-Prime sounded more refined in a sense, more than simple alertness and willingness to communicate it was as though the monster was developing beyond their previous limitations with each new change they underwent.
Where that fact would have terrified another man Nero was simply excited at the prospect of what the changes would bring.
"I'll be as polite as possible, we do not have the time for bickering and as much as I'm sure both of you enjoy your posturing there is work to do" it was Albion who spoke, piercing the chilling atmosphere which had lingered in the wake of Gestalt-Prime's thinly veiled threat and turning the attention of both the Grimm and the woman who styled herself as one towards the man with the gold-rimmed glasses and lab-coat over his cream coloured suit; Albion's ice-blue eyes betraying only the faintest reaction at managing to garner the attention of the two beings present who held him in a remarkably low regard.
"Albion is of course correct, we have much to discuss" Nero interjected before turning to his old friend "If you would display our new schematics"
"Of course" with the touch of a few keys the screen of the computer on which the video call was taking place was filled with various images that were cycled through at a steady pace, allowing both Gestalt-Prime and Aefen Cruor still in her current meagre base of operations in an abandoned Menagerie settlement to see the designs which had been taken from Cosmo-Guild to which Aefen reacted with slowly growing comprehension and a sense of wonder whilst Gestalt-Prime's features, simply by their nature were inscrutable though if Nero had to ascribe anything to the Grimm it would likely be a simple, naked hunger.
"These plans are the next stage in our work" he began "These designs were made under false pretexts and written off as failures, however their original intention was always to serve the ends we will be putting them to….It was deemed more sensible and efficient to make the final few corrections on an existing work than build each and every one of our tools from scratch. Aefen, you will be working alongside Albion to make the necessary alterations to these designs to facilitate our alliance with Gestalt-Prime"
"And I will bring about the new age of the Grimm species" the Alpha Grimm intoned, almost solemnly; the sentence hanging in the air for a moment before Aefen let out a piercing and demented cackle.
"Oh I knew I understood you, better than you understand yourself even!" she crowed from behind her mask "All your talk about bright new tomorrows and not wanting power for yourself….What is it you're building if not an army?"
"Not an army" Albion shook his head "Not in the sense you're thinking"
"Oh?" Aefen kept her attention firmly on Nero until he was forced to respond.
"What we are building is a means to a fairer and more equal Remnant….The means to liberate ourselves from the Hunters" he let the statement hang in the air for a moment before continuing
"We are in agreement that the likes of Qrow Branwen and his cohort rule us from the shadows….Every Kingdom has a Hunter Academy at its' heart leveraging political power whilst they work their way into other positions and keep Remnant at their mercy; they claim to keep us safe but their constant failures and lack of results beg the question of if they're really trying….After all, if the battle ends then what do we need them for? Our entire society is built on a foundation of blackmail and extortion; they police their own, they have more power than we can imagine and have complete autonomy to answer any calls for aid….I plan to create an alternative"
"Through scrapped robot designs" Aefen noted delicately, daring to hope that her suspicions about what was to come were correct and desperately wanting to hear Nero say that he planned to push science further than those who had cast her out would ever have dared.
"I am bolstering the defences of each major settlement. Slowly taking control of assets such as CCT networks where I can to enable us to protect our society when we force the hand of the Hunters" Nero paused, shuddering at the idea of the war that could follow "I am forming the beginnings of a fighting force not tied to the Hunters, a force equipped with weapons and armour that can stand against Creatures of Grimm and Hunters alike….Most importantly however, I have taken steps to end the conflict once and for all"
He gestured towards Gestalt-Prime's tank and then toward the screen on which Aefen's face was displayed, just as the schematics shifted to show a new design.
"Steps that the two of you will see to their conclusion by creating the first of the new breed which will usher in our bright new tomorrow, the symbol of an alliance; hunting dogs and beasts of burden to work alongside our forces and ensure that Remnant is protected, truly protected from all who wish to cause us harm" Nero paused, chest heaving with the emotion that poured into his words.
"The first of the Cyber-Grimm"
Author's Notes:
God I love cliffhangers.
So, that's the end of Vol.04
Might be a little break between this and the start of Vol.05….Then again there might not, given that I'm actually writing this a little bit ahead of when I'll be posting it; though I do still have to plan out the start of Vol.05.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Yeah, being part of a shadowy cabal does tend to cut into your time off.
Nora in a professional role is always an interesting idea and yeah, it makes sense that Ren is busy with Council stuff given just how many Hunters were involved in the search and rescue mission.
I feel like news reporting in Remnant would have to put a positive spin on things just given the nature of the Grimm, it's irresponsible to promote doom-scrolling but at the same time it does leave the door open to manipulation and propaganda.
See I like that Qrow and the others are shown to be thinking and trying to understand their enemies' goals and plans, but ultimately miss them even when they're thinking in something close to the right direction because they're missing one key piece of information (Nero is the Benefactor) which leaves them working from a faulty premise.
It's been spoken about before….Now we're going to see Qrow and Nero interact face to face.
Yeah it's been a day for Team MARZ….One of those ones that just fucks up your schedule for a week.
Blood transfusion, because getting stabbed is a serious injury and especially so if you're not actually near a hospital when it happens.
AJ is definitely a little bit shaken up after that.
So Huckleberry is safe, no Grimm-Radiation poisoning and Team WULF know that she's okay now….Which will probably stop Diabla from strangling anybody who looks at her funny.
I mean Regalia is technically right….But so is Astra, it doesn't feel like a win.
Athena would absolutely call her parents and ask if they know any good mercenaries/bodyguards working in Vale.
Astra and Regalia….the density is off the charts.
Astra being a shit and hogging the bathroom is just a trend.
Team TRQS were a little less lucky with the Grimm-Radiation just because they were actually fighting the thing, but it's treatable.
Faunus jokes that are definitely only cool if a Faunus makes them are definitely a thing.
Yeah Tiger was so focused on training and pushing her team to their limits that she didn't even notice that two of her team have been dating for a while….Downside to improving on that front is that she now knows just how much fucking is going on in the dorm.
It's not often Athena looks clumsy, but Stygian managed to do it by making it a choice between food or hanging out.
Well Tiger is trying to be a better friend and leader….Sometimes you've just gotta pull a friend off to one side and tell them nope.
Honestly Stygian having a little crush on Athena-Jade "Pretty face, kinda thicc and thighs that crush a boulder" Slate is the most normal and uncomplicated thing happening between these characters.
And that ladies, gents and esteemed others is some real character development from Tiger….But old habits die hard, even if 'I'm not gonna distract my brother while he's on a mission' does honestly make perfect sense.
And with that and the promise of a hangout it's settled, Team TRQS are the new secondary team and can be expected to be roped into some insanity.
Think about Zirconia's calls with Nero, they've all been pre-arranged….For her to be pressuring him to answer, oh she's pissed.
We still don't have the full story behind Zirconia's legs, but we'll get it.
Nero was absolutely caught off-guard here, how often have we actually seen Zirconia loose her temper; especially in a situation that wasn't an immediate threat.
Petrol wants revenge as much as money and power, but it's kinda clear that Nero and co were planning to just string him along, they were never actually going to give him what he wanted.
Hops was just as worried about AJ.
"Enough assets manning the defences of various major settlements across Remnant to maintain a good standing" is a chilling statement all things considered.
I had Nero give some info about the plans that Carmesi retrieved here because putting it all in the last scene would have been too much, but yeah the gist was that he bought a company and had it make something under false pretences before scrapping it, so now that the plant has been raided he has plausible deniability and the groundwork for the next stage of the plan has already been done.
AJ and Hops meet the family scenes coming soon.
A Hunters' weapon is an extension of themselves and Astra let Regalia take the armour plating off of theirs and take a look inside….And it really is a story, with the various redesigns there to be seen in the form of repurposed and redundant parts.
Did I take a shot at the live action Beauty and the Beast and all of Disney's soulless live action cash grabs by proxy….Yes, yes I did.
Honestly I'm just enjoying Honey as a character, she's an absolute darling and the complete opposite of what everyone expects from someone as scary as she can be….Also, points for anyone noticing that I have deliberately kept her combat gear and weapon out of view.
Okay, the fact that Honey as an objective outsider heard Regalia talk about Astra once and immediately got it was just funny to me….Also, Honey is a dork just like Eagle Arc before her and will gush over her girl at any opportunity; probably gonna have more Honey and Yuki in Vol.05 just for the fun of it.
In Regalia's defence this is her first actual crush….Now I'm not Demisexual but I imagine being demisexual/demiromantic and spending most of your life constantly on the move and never really having long lasting friendships and connections outside of your family is gonna mean no crushes? She's got nothing to work with here….And yeah the fact it's Astra does kinda suck, because Astra is normally the first person she'd tell about something like this.
But hey, Scrap-metal is official….At least a one-sided pining version of it is.
Oh yeah, Astra is paranoid and jumpy as fuck right now.
The talks with Redwood are always fun, it's a way to show what people outside of the Hunter community, who grew up in relative safety think of Hunters….And yeah they're cool on TV and from a distance, but up close when you actually see someone lift a train carriage or tell you they can shake of getting stabbed in ways that should have been, shit's scary.
Props to Redwood for handling the news that a villain who spits acid might come looking for his family with some panache though.
And now the birthday present and look….Astra has been looking for a car they can afford, they're Dad is a mechanic; you should have guessed where this was going and besides, we need away for Team MARZ to get around that doesn't involve half of them having to surf on a Glyph.
The truck is, in my head a Remnant and Sci-fi aesthetic monster that's halfway between a Dodge Ram and a GMC Sierra….Which naturally Astra is gonna paint bright red and put black trim/decals on.
Of course we're ending with a villain get together.
So Aefen and Gestalt-Prime have been introduced...Basically it was gonna get to a point where it was stupid to have them unaware of each other, they're working on the same project.
As always, the problem that the villains struggle with is that evil eats itself.
So, the overall gist of Nero is that he's planning on building a canon Atlas style alternative to Hunters, except he's coming from a position of seeing Hunters not as inefficient but as power hungry and untrustworthy, seeing them as an oppressive ruling class because they can effectively use their power and protection to hold the Kingdoms to ransom….Also another difference is that well, Nero's alternative to Hunters is going to work.
In aid of changing the status quo he's effectively building cadres of trained fighters in mech suits and carrying heavy weapons, bolstered by robot drones and, thanks to the alliances with Aefen and Gestalt-Prime, who is currently incubating smaller Grimm….Hunting dogs that are, like Gestalt-Prime Grimm capable of being merged with machinery.
So we're doing Pacific Rim 2; except better….Because that's a low bar.
Thank you to OrcPaladinArthur for their review on the last chapter.
I mean a radioactive cockroach would have just been too obvious.
There's definitely a round three coming in Vol.05; it's gonna be a spectacle.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.