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I am making no money from this.

Chapter 79: Good News And Bad News

The disagreement had started out as the closest thing to a reasonable discussion and impassioned debate as could be had between members of rival gangs who had been forced to work alongside one another under the leadership of a demanding, yet unknown figure though it had quickly spiralled out of control and into something far more volatile and dangerous which threatened to spell disaster.

"Hey it's not that deep man! Hierro, don't be crazy bro just calm down!" this and other urgent cries like it filled the air as a group of teens and young adults fled out of a dingy and ramshackle building which might once have been a part of larger factory which had since been destroyed to allow for a newer industrial estate to be constructed, the estate in question having been abandoned in turn as work dried up or was relocated elsewhere. The small group, no more than a dozen were each clad in dirty and stained overalls though traces of a more profitable field of work could be seen in the form of heavy and gaudy items of jewellery that several of them sported along with the quality of several of the cars parked around the dilapidated and largely ignored area though the most notable thing about them at present was the way the group, despite their panic acted with a determined coordination to keep a figure in their midst from rushing back into the building despite the way the young man splayed his arms wide in a defiant gesture of challenge, pistol in one hand and wrench in the other as he bellowed threats and challenges until his voice was hoarse.

"NAH DON'T HOLD ME! LET HIM COME, HIERRO YOU WANT PROBLEMS THEN COME GET SOME BOY!" The ground shook as Hierro responded to the challenge by emerging from the factory which had served as a hangar and base of operations, though he did not do so the gang member, younger and with a less restrained temper than even the armed man who challenged him had leapt into the cockpit of a Mech-Suit that he had become valuable and almost notorious in a short space of time for his ability to pilot effectively. The machine lumbered out into the cold air and reared up to its' full height of easily a dozen or more feet tall with its' limbs splaying wide and bracing the machines' weight with a natural ease and grace that it should not have been able to manage given that before its' extensive remodelling the mech-suit had been intended for construction and haulage; an angular lump of torso made hollow by the fact that it consisted largely of an armoured roll-cage which revealed the slim and meagre Hierro inside with a wild look upon his face and blood streaking from one nostril as he used a series of interfaces to control the machine whose legs were digitigrade masses of pistons built for raw, sturdy power. The mech-suits' primary modifications had been to its' power supply which now emitted a worryingly fluctuating green light and its' arms, of which it now boasted four; each of which was a skeletal mass of steel and cables ending in laser weapons which thrummed threateningly as light coalesced at their barrels.

Overall a gratuitous overreaction of the younger criminals' part.

It had begun with frustrations at the sense of stagnation and weighed down things entirely beyond their own interest, feelings that were growing at a steady pace amongst the disparate ranks of Petrol's assembled forces; with a difference of opinion towards simply taking the resources currently at hand and disregarding the instructions to stand down and lay low that they had been given leading, with predictable swiftness to an argument that had only grown more heated as an audience of their peers was drawn to commotion and each side cast aspersions about the loyalty, capabilities and courage of the other, with a comment implying that the older and more experienced criminal arguing for caution was likely to work with law enforcement being what had finally pushed things to violence as Hierro had received a punch in the face for his claims. Now that the hot-headed young man had seized his preferred weapon and with it the initiative, all who had doubted or questioned him currently fleeing it seemed that violence of the most direct and overwhelming sort was an inevitability.

Until a single avian screech pierced the air.

"OH SHIT! HUNTERS!" one of the overall-clad gang members screamed out, suddenly frantic as some deeply ingrained instinct set off alarm bells in the mind and were vindicated in the next instant as the source of the shriek became known; a bird of prey with white and golden brown feathers came diving out of the air with unnatural speed only to vanish in a flash of brilliant white Aura, revealing the armoured form of Eagle Arc, freckled face set in a determined scowl and crimson eyes hard as she slashed out with her black-bladed sword to carve a deep trench into the armour and power-supply of the mech-suit, leaving the machine staggering and jerking erratically as she reached the ground and from there raised her shield arm, her trusty automaton Sentinel firmly in place as she fired a pair of claw-tipped cables into the legs of the mech-suits and unleashed a surge of electricity which not only left the mech-suit functionally immobilised with its' weapons losing power and its' frame creaking as it began to sag but also trapped its' pilot within it as their attempts to escape were met with painful electrical surges from their metallic surroundings.

The criminals tried to flee but it was already far too late, Team FADE were upon then.

"RUN!" the panicked imperative came from a multitude of directions, underscored by curses and other yells as the dozen or so people who had fled from the repository for the gangs' Mech-Suits began to break into a sprint and head off in various directions to no avail, finding their way barred first by a black muscle car coming skidding around a corner at such dangerous speed that smoke billowed from its' tires whilst flames spewed from its' exhaust; the Killer-Beer drifting around the periphery of the group and effectively herding them back into place before finally Felix Xiao Long leapt out of the still moving car and into action.

From the opposite side Arctus and Diamond Slate entered the fray through the means of a shimmering construct in the shape of a Nevermore, the Bear Faunus depositing his wife on the roof of the building so that she could operate from a suitable vantage point before releasing his construct and instead using his Semblance to create a steadily contracting wall of glyphs around his teams' quarry which in turn allowed Felix to deliver a final, decisive blow to mech-suit by activating his own Semblance and using Fire Dust hidden with a repository built into his cybernetic tail to transform himself into a figure of golden light and volcanic texture before driving a now unstoppable fist through each of the legs of the machine.

"Fuck, it destroy the evidence. Nobody talks everybody walks!" the older and seemingly more organised criminal who had been preparing to try and face off against Hierro and his battle-suit with utterly inadequate weapons declared.

"Y'know, sometimes you've almost gotta admire the optimism" Felix chuckled as he strode over to his partner, giving Eagle a high five before watching as the desperate gang member throw the wrench he had been wielding aside and produced an impromptu fire-bomb that he had been carrying on his person from a hidden, interior pocket and lighting the projectile; only for it to be shot out of the air at the apex of the arc of his throw by Diamond, the silver haired sniper as well practised as ever and having positioned herself in anticipation of such a ploy.

The young man let out a growl of annoyance and aimed his pistol at Diamond, only to be sent crashing to the floor as Arctus tackled into him with an unexpected amount of force and ferocity; retaliating to the threat against his wife's safety by slamming bodily into him; a muscular shoulder driving into ribs and sending the man crashing to the ground where he was promptly left prone and defeated by a barrage of kicks, punches and stamps that rained down as Arctus chose to forego the use of this weapon in favour of simply bludgeoning the younger man until he was pulled away by Felix and Eagle, the two blondes' shooting him deeply worried and shocked glances though it was Eagle alone who voiced her opinion.

"What the heck was that about?" she demanded quietly whilst Felix, determined to keep the situation in hand turned his focus towards the captured and largely defeated rabble of criminals before him; utterly unthreatening now that they had been divested of the weapon that might have allowed them to fight Hunters, had Team FADE not become so adept at countering the mech-suits.

"Let's make this very clear….You all know who we are?" the Lion Faunus's voice boomed out with utter confidence and clarity borne of over a decade of leadership "We are Team FADE and you are all under arrest; if you choose not to come quietly then you should know that Team NEON are already on standby, waiting with the police to transport you and that Team GORE are close enough that they will be able to respond. Do I make myself clear?"

Hearing the certainty was enough to break whatever resolve the would be fighters had left and reduce them to a lost and forlorn state of compliance, with gang members who had been at odds moments prior content to simply glare at one another as they were placed in handcuffs.

Qrow Branwen entered the office of Headmaster Lie Ren and brought with him a wafting scent of chicken stew, a bowl of which currently rested on the arm of his mechanical chair, balancing precariously yet remaining undisturbed as fluid and precise motions carried him across the room to where both Lie and Nora Ren were present and waiting for him to arrive, the slight frown on the face of bespectacled and lightly scarred man giving some suggestion of how long that wait had been.

"You're late" Ren noted bluntly, soft voice turning an accusation into a mild observation which still left the old man running a hand through his hair and turning his gaze elsewhere out of habit; Ren had, over his time as something of a father figure to the children of the orphanage which shared the academies' grounds and a teacher and before that as an honorary uncle to a generation of Arc children developed something of a gift for inspiring genuine regret.

"Lesson plan and clean up from the last lesson ran a little later than expected….And I didn't want to skip lunch" Qrow answered honestly, gesturing to the door behind him as he shrugged slightly and added "I didn't want to cut in front of the kids, they need feeding….And I can't help but feel like a school bully if I push them out of the way"

"But you didn't think to bring me anything? I've gotta teach combat classes on an empty stomach!" Nora interrupted with a bout of wild gesticulation, putting smirks on the faces of both Qrow and her husband; though the conversation was cut short by the sound of a throat clearing in a way that was intended to make a point which revealed that the meeting Qrow had been late to attend had begun without him and was followed by the sound of a familiar voice, measured firm and enunciated clearly.

"Not to question the importance of your lunches and any discussion thereof but we were in the midst of something. Hearing this Qrow shook his head faintly, though the smile remained in place until he began to eat the stew that had delayed him whilst moving around Ren's desk so that he was positioned alongside the married couple and able to see the screen of his computer which currently displayed two video feeds, one of which showed Coco Adel in her office at Breaktide Academy with Ruby leaning on the desk beside her with the caped woman giving her uncle a small wave which was happily returned. In the other video feed, in full uniform and standing as though the idea of fully relaxing was alien to her even within her own office, which was aboard her personal airship rather than within the academy she presided over was the person who had spoken out.

"Winter" Qrow flashed a smile that bordered on dangerous in its' casual mockery, old habits clearly dying hard as he added "We'll keep this brief then, I wouldn't dream of delaying your militaries' campaign against the Penguins; you can't allow them time to dig in and fortify"

"I won't dignify that with an insult or a reply" Winter huffed imperiously, though a smile crept across her own face at the thought of some much needed verbal sparring and mental exercise which all present were aware would have to wait for the moment; with Ruby being the one to halt the back and forth before it could gain momentum and bring focus back to the matter at hand, informing Qrow of just what the matter in question was.

"We were keeping each other updated on developments, primarily the situation with the Benefactor and his or their actions, although there were some other minor issues to discuss" the mechanical eye whirred faintly whilst her remaining silver eye seemed to shine with a burst of pride "We just received word from Team FADE, they might have made a breakthrough"

"I might have something of note to discuss as well" Qrow nodded, his tone sombre enough to serve as an implied warning before the mention of his daughter's team went some way to easing the moroseness he seemed to carry with him for a moment "What did they find?"

"They got word of a disturbance at a largely abandoned industrial estate in the lowest reaches of the city" Ren began "They had a gut feeling and so they informed police that they would take point and that the police should prepare to form a response team with a second wave of Hunters….When they reached the scene they found one of the mech-suits that the Benefactor has been supplying to the local gangs-"

"Right as it was coming out of the warehouse they were keeping it in" Nora gloated "Which means we've got a whole buildings' worth of evidence and an intact robot that we can search for every last clue and use as evidence"

"From my understanding it was not one of the machines stolen from Cosmo-Guild, instead it was another of the older and less capable weapons made of scavenged parts that was captured?" Winter noted somewhat pointedly, her usual perfectionism and high standards becoming known as her brow furrowed and she added "This is not the victory it could have been"

"It's enough of one to celebrate" Coco retorted, glaring over her glasses "Every one of those suits that gets taken down is another one they don't have, force them to use their newer stuff sooner than they wanted to or play other cards, force the Benefactor to push his people until someone makes a mistake he can't recover from….Carmesi Hueso being forced to reveal himself and intervene was a sign that there's pressure building under the surface"

"Where are Team FADE now?" Qrow asked, interjecting before Coco and Winter could enter a debate about strategy and the merits of attrition versus overwhelming and decisive force which would no doubt turn heated.

"Currently securing the area and attending to necessary matters on the ground" Ren answered "Though Felix assures me that he and his team will likely be present before the end of the day and that they will likely have guests with them"

"Excellent" Qrow smiled, the idea of the coming meeting allowing him to relax briefly in a way that was utterly unrelated to victory that the legendary team of Hunters had secured, though that moment of peace was short-lived.

"It is a step in the right direction, though I'd feel more comfortable about the possibility of the machines that were stolen from Cosmo-Guild turning up in the hands of criminals if we had access to a full list of what was stolen from the factory….Although it seems our chances of Chairman Nero providing us with such a list are rather slim" Ren noted, ending the observation with a defeated sigh.

"We could always send someone undercover to get a list?" Nora suggested thoughtfully, though Qrow put a stop to that line of thinking without hesitation.

"No" he shook his head firmly "If we do that then we're exactly the sort of people he accused us of being, we're not tyrants. We are on the same side in this….We just disagree about how we do things"

"And besides, if Cosmo-Guild has lawyers anything like the SDC or other big companies they'd eat you alive" Ruby noted "Nero is probably gonna be keeping an eye out now he knows we were interested in him for any reason"

"Perhaps we might fare better if I were to speak with the man….Atlesian doctrine and the integration of Hunters into a larger force might serve as a starting point-"

"I doubt it" Qrow cut across her bluntly, to which the General glared however it was Ren who spoke.

"Qrow you said you had something of note to discuss with us?"

"I did….And I might be wrong but if this is anything at all it's bad news" deep crimson eyes hardened a fraction as the grey and grizzled veteran took a moment to prepare himself for what was to follow

"I managed to acquire a list of what was stolen from the CCT when the Benefactors' people attacked their shipment of parts they needed for repairs; the fact that Hueso came out of hiding for it made me think that this mission was more important" Qrow let the idea linger in the air for a moment, lacing his fingers together as he continued

"The list gave me a bad feeling but I couldn't pin down why so I provided it to Antonia Arc and the two of us began comparing it against previous criminal activity, when that didn't get any results we branched out, thinking that the Benefactor might have some other people working with him that we don't know about. That was where we got results….A lot of the parts that the Benefactor's people have been stealing in their recent jobs are a variation on the work of one Doctor Shirley Aefen, currently operating under the name Aefen Cruor-"

"The Grimm worshipping nut-job?" Coco demanded furiously "Damn it we should have just shelled her from the air while she was on Menagerie"

"Is this a situation comparable to Doctor Merlot?" Winter demanded, suddenly focused and businesslike though her voice wavered as she added "Or something larger, a Project Hexxus scale threat?"

"Honestly I'm not sure" Qrow growled, the admission frustrating him "There are too many variables….But I think considering what the Benefactor and Carmesi and the late Grapeshot's goals were on Menagerie-"

"Oh my gosh!" Ruby exclaimed as she managed to connect the dots and see what her Uncle saw.

"A sentient Grimm" Coco hissed through gritted teeth.

"Exactly" Qrow nodded "We are looking at an enemy who has a history of trying to smuggle Creatures of Grimm, with a specific focus on intelligent specimens and has stolen state of the art weapons systems who has, if our guesses are correct allied himself with a discredited scientist turned cult leader who was removed from mainstream academia for research related to weaponising the Creatures of Grimm"

"She was written off as a hack right?" Nora's expression was almost fearful of the notion of what their enemies might now be capable of "But now….Was that why she was on Menagerie? Looking for another Grimm specimen-"

"Are we certain she doesn't have one?" Winter's question silenced them all "Nobody saw the sentient Grimm which attacked Port Alistair die. It was shot with a heavy weapon and no trace was found, but we believed Carmesi Hueso to be dead"

"We need to act" Coco whispered "We need to do something"

"Agreed" Winter nodded "I'll begin readying my Specialists to deploy to-"

"Wait" Ren raised a hand to quieten the discussion "Wait….We just spoke about forcing our opponent to misstep and panic, we can't afford to fall for that trap ourselves. We need information before we do anything"

"We wait and see if we can gain anything useful from the warehouse that Team FADE secured, or at the very least the information they can provide for us when they arrive"

The bell signalling the end of lunch break rang the moment Qrow finished speaking, effectively ending the conversation as Professors of three academies' across Remnant were reminded of their duties.

"We'll reconvene at the nearest opportunities" Winter stated flatly before leaving the video call, her brusque exit borne of a tension now felt by all present as they were forced to confront the possible nature of the threat now facing Remnant, the Benefactor now changed in their minds from an organised and capable criminal to a raging lunatic, a storm in human form with the resources and willpower to tamper with things far beyond their understanding and risk the lives of millions. The idea of simply returning to classes and continuing as though all was well seemed ludicrous and yet each of them knew that it was required of them, with Nora breaking the tense silence which hung in her husbands' office after several moments.

"Do you ever just wish we could have a Vytal Tournament year where the biggest problem is the Vytal Tournament?"

Team MARZ's final lesson of the day was a Grimm Studies class which the four of them had found adequate reason to

concentrate on despite the tiredness from their earlier classes, many of which had been physically demanding in nature and the warmth of the setting as the lecture halls' heating had been set to a level that could fend off the seasonal chill. The Grimm Studies Professor of Breaktide Academy was, according to Team FADE something of an improvement from their predecessor though given that Professor Dove Bronzewing had died defending the Kingdom speaking too negatively of him had been deemed unfair, especially by people who knew the man's children however the current teacher was, in the minds of Team MARZ who could at least admit to their own biases a pale imitation at best of Ruby Rose however despite all of this the lesson had been made interesting as it had forced the students to think and consider variables in ways that they might otherwise not have.

"What have you come up with?" Astra asked, leaning over to into the row ahead to study the work of Team TRQS whilst secure in the knowledge that in this particular instance it could not be considered cheating. The lesson had involved the professor showing footage of a specific variety of insectoid Creature of Grimm, videos of their behaviour and methods of attack being joined by diagrams of the monsters' body which displayed various weak points and note-worthy segments and from here they had ushered in a small group of older students, mostly those in their final year though with the Third Year Honey Scarlatina amongst them; producing a small hard-light projector the Professor had produced a facsimile of the Creature of Grimm in question and had each of the older students who were presumably working for extra credit proceed to disable and defeat the projected foe in a wide variety of methods which showcased the different approaches made available by specific weapons and Semblances. Once the display had concluded the Professor had informed the Second Year students that their assignment for the remainder of the lesson and to be completed by the end of the week was to write a small paper on how they would tackle the Grimm in question both alone and as part of a team and explain both the rationale behind their plans, along with how the tools at their disposal in the field would either aid or hinder the workability of these plans with a conclusion describing what they would improve if their own plans were suggested to them by another student.

"I have multiple options" Tiger answered flatly and despite the bluntness of her tone Astra's interest was piqued; the Deer Faunus knew well enough how their own team operated and could likely surmise the contents of their own papers without needing to read them and was instead curious about how the team with whom they had become solid friends and would almost certainly be working alongside if Qrow was willing to continue providing additional training would address the issue. Rye and Amaya seemed to have hesitated at first, each having taken some time to work out a plan of attack which did not involve the other whilst Tiger was almost the opposite in just how vigorously she had taken to the task at hand, with diagrams of her own already sketched in rough and several pages of notes already written.

"Damn" the Deer Faunus murmured, finding themselves comparing Tiger Santara to their former classmate Diabla Fuego for the almost frightening intensity and commitment she often displayed. A moment later Astra turned to Stygian and saw that the Mouse Faunus's work was currently centred around what the leader of Team MARZ first took to be a chart or graph of some kind but saw the truth of upon studying further.

"Is that a prediction of where your Semblance would teleport you?"

"Yeah" Stygian nodded, lighting blue eyes focused in a way which seemed to please Tiger before he added "Normally I can make it work, I can guess what the biggest threat would be but with bug Grimm that move in swarms and can scale walls I have to make some guesses"

"Shit" Astra hissed and sharply returned to their own assignment and began frantically re-reading what they had penned so far only to furiously scratch out several sections with the tip of their pin and begin annotating the margins of the page with corrections.

"What did you do?" Regalia asked curiously, her own pen twirling between her fingers.

"Focused on one Grimm after watching the upper class-men take on the projections of just one but we saw in the video that these things attack in groups" Astra shook their head slowly "Dumb mistake"

"Rookie mistake" Athena sighed from Astra's opposite side, she and Zirconia shooting them looks that were disappointed and disbelieving yet the Deer Faunus took no offence and instead understood them for the playful teasing that they were and quickly dismissed the two partners with a wave and returned to the matter of correcting and re-thinking their work, stealing a handful of glimpses at Regalia's writings as they did so and allowing themselves a proud smile despite their frustrations as they saw that their partner had progressed by leaps and bounds in her studying.

Before Astra could make any noteworthy progress however a fresh distraction came in the form of their Professor clearing their throat into the microphone to get the attention of the students.

"With this lesson ending shortly and this being the last lesson of the day I would would like to pass on announcement from the Headmaster. Can I have everyone's full attention for a moment please and thank you!" the Professor, who wore old and battle scarred armour almost as a badge of honour and sign of qualification over the more mundane and professional clothing they had chosen for life as a teacher waited for several moments before continuing

"With the student dance which precedes the Vytal Festival itself fast approaching there are paid opportunities for several students to aid in the organisation, full details will be available on noticeboards in various common areas by the end of tomorrow; further to this-"

"Yeah we can ignore that" Astra shook their head and allowed the Professors' words to fade to a dull buzz in the background of their awareness "Or I can at least….Between assignments, training, extra training; honestly I'm not gonna have time to help out….Shame though, I could have used the Lien from that to buy an outfit"

"I'll cover it for you" Athena raised a hand to silence the protestations she knew would follow "You've been giving everyone rides ever since you got your pickup, I owe you a few favours….You're going to the dance alone?"

"Yeah why, who're you going with?" Astra taunted, earning themselves a causal shove to the shoulder.

"Pest" Athena grumbled before widening her attention out to the group of friends that included teams MARZ and TRQS as a whole "What about everyone else, anybody other than Hops and I or Amaya and Rye got a date lined up?"

"I'm sure my looks and charming personality will work wonders on the night" Stygian winked and flashed a roguish smile only to be subjected to a barrage or remorseless teasing from his friends which was halted only by Tiger's nonchalant shrug and admission.

"I was honestly wasn't planning on attending. Why would I pass up a night when the gym, hard-light arenas and shooting range are all bound to be free"

"What, no! You gotta…." Astra' found themselves grinning at the force and simple earnestness of Regalia's response as the Racoon Faunus prepared to launch into what promised to become a tirade however Astra once again found their focus drawn elsewhere as their scroll began to vibrate in their pocket. Quickly checking to ensure that the Professor was still speaking and thus distracted they produced the device and found their spirits lifting the instant that they saw that they had received a message from their brother, reading the contents of the message however left them grinning from ear to ear as the all but shoved the scroll under Athena-Jade's nose whilst summarising the contents of the message.

"Team FADE are gonna be here in a few hours, they wanna hang out after class"

With that thought firmly in mind Astra took one look at the assignment they had begun correcting and decided that the end of the week was far enough away that there was no need to be troubled by it tonight.

Petrol, the avian Faunus thief, arsonist, mercenary and all round villain of steadily increasing renown had been busy in his efforts to salvage the latest explosive consequence of his gangs' restlessness and the short tempers it engendered reaching their zenith.

Hours that might have been spent more productively or at least more enjoyably given the limits that had been placed on the illicit activities that could be partaken in by the agreement with the Benefactor had instead been devoted to finding out exactly what had happened at the warehouse the famous Team FADE had attacked and then relocating several other valuable assets and ordering his own gang and the various other factions he had forced into compliance to begin making subtle changes to their routes and habits that could be explained away if questioned but might shake off any undercover officers or Hunters tailing them and allow them to avoid any traps that might have been set. As he orchestrated all of this Petrol had also been taking stock of exactly who and what had been lost and more importantly in the immediate sense, what would be done to those responsible as punishment. Finding specifics and details of what had transpired was difficult given that all of his cohorts present at the time had been taken into custody which left second hand information from people those at the warehouse had been texting and simple deduction and extrapolation his most useful tools. From there Petrol decided that blood would have to be spilled in retaliation for this and as he privately raged and cursed at the actions of the promising, but hot-headed gang member named Hierro he found himself plotting how best to make an example and drive home the point to any others that might wish to question his control; his intimate knowledge of his own posse and how best to persuade each of them being replaced by a naked bloodlust which left him considering abducting one of the young mech-pilot's parents or simply killing the remaining members of the heavily armed street gang he had been a member of.

Petrol knew however that the blame did not lay solely with his own underlings and that it was the Hunters who had cost him the use of valuable assets, the ability to even entertain the notion of retaliating against Hunters being something of a novelty to which the crook was steadily growing more accustomed; his mental state pushed to darker places and even more ferocious edges as he remembered the fact that the leader of Team FADE and Astra Mars were in fact siblings and found himself idly fantasising about stabbing the Deer Faunus again, somewhere more vital this time so that it might send a message.

He forced himself to push such thoughts aside as he entered his home, kicking of his shoes and turning on lights as he went; allowing himself to relax in the midst of the small refuge he had managed to carve out for himself.

The astronomical amounts of Lien which the Benefactor was willing to supply in his arrangement with Petrol and his gangs had been used to cover the costs of conducting business and having the necessary amount of funds squirrelled away in case of emergencies, with Petrol being disciplined in that regard though the Avian Faunus had also managed to ensure that his workers were well paid enough to stay loyal, with those he had fought and stolen alongside for years being the most well rewarded and Petrol himself taking a large enough share to escape from the dingy, hovel-like dwellings he had been allowing himself to fester in since his release from prison and into a spacious and comfortable apartment in a much more affluent area of the Hive-Towers. The primary risk here came not from a shooting or stabbing in some random alleyway but instead that his appearance would provoke some busybody neighbour or other to disguise bigotry as suspicion and good intent and call the authorities with complaints about a suspicious Faunus in the area; though thus far this had been averted by the fairly regular, if unsociable hours Petrol kept giving the impression that he simply worked a demanded but well-paid job.

Once within the living room he allowed himself to flop down onto a leather sofa more comfortable than any of the many he had slept on in his life, with plastic coverings still draped over it and begin fishing for a remote for his home entertainment system which had likely fallen behind a cushion. Finding it he pointed it and clicked a few buttons in order to dim the lights and bring speakers crackling faintly to life, music playing at a volume which sent bass thrumming pleasantly through the ground but was quite so loud that it would draw unwanted attention from his neighbours; at the same time the room was lit from a new source, real fireplaces were not a feature installed in the Hive-Towers for a variety of plainly apparent reasons though the Avian Faunus had always appreciated the idea of having one and though his current apartment was far from the mansion he had envisioned to house such a luxury he had made do by placing a replica fireplace beneath his wide-screen television, a Dust-powered affair which generated heat and threw up imitation flames with a pulsing strobe effect in time to the music and in a variety of neon colours.

"Not quite as tacky as I expected….But still tacky" Petrol barely had a moment to register the low, rumbling voice or the ominous chuckle the words were delivered with before a shadow moved somewhere in the periphery of his vision and a fist collided with his face and tipped over his sofa to send him crashing painfully to the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" his usually mucus-ridden and throaty voice was made more so by the blood down dripping from his nose and seeping from between cracked and crooked teeth whose enamel had been eaten by both his Semblance and poor upkeep. Throwing himself into a crouch Petrol sprung forward towards his assailant, knife appearing in his hand in a flash of movement before it was plunged towards a broad and muscular chest covered in scales which had been torn and scarred.

"Pathetic" Carmesi Hueso taunted, knocking the blow aside by striking at Petrol's wrist with enough force to send the weapon flying from his grip as his hand became numb and from there the Komodo Dragon Faunus seized the younger man by his arm and pulled him close so that his free hand could deliver a punch to Petrol's solar-plexus which forced the air from the Avian Faunus's lungs, following up with a knee strike to the same spot which left his opponent gasping and wheezing in agony before delivering an almost dismissive blow to the back of the head which left Petrol strewn on the carpeted floor in a shaking heap for several moments as he struggled to regain some control of his limbs and breathing.

Carmesi simply loomed over him and waited.

"What the fuck is it with you and breaking into my place and ruining my shit?" Petrol eventually managed to choke out as he dragged himself upright for long enough to reposition hi sofa before promptly collapsing back on to it, the demand having no force behind it as his attention was focused solely on the mind-numbing pain which burned its' way outwards though his torso.

"The Benefactor is displeased, he sent me to ensure that you understand that fact and to get answers about your peoples' actions today" Carmesi rumbled, ending with a smile that bared sharp teeth whilst his hands twitched almost instinctively towards weapons in away which would have left Petrol terrified if the younger man's head were not ringing so severely.

"That….that was an argument between a couple of people who used to be in different crews that got out of hand" Petrol was fully aware, even in his dazed state of exactly how pitiful the excuse sounded and was unsurprised when Carmesi reacted unfavourably, yet he was still to slow to prevent the older man from crossing the distance between them and driving his heel into Petrol's already wounded chest and pressing down with all of his weight as he spoke.

"A misunderstanding…..Understand that plans are moving ahead and can do so with or without you; the Benefactor doesn't especially want to kill you after you completed important work for us but if you can't control the rest of the scum, well things might have to change-"

"What the fuck do you want me to do?" Petrol wheezed out with as much fury as he could manage in his current predicament, forcing himself to continue even as he lungs felt as though they might fail him at any moment and hoping to forestall any mocking reply from Carmesi "We took all the turf and you won't let my people run down any of the crews that skipped town….We've got all the turf now, there's nothing left to fight over; except because you won't let us actually act like we control the turf. I don't think you get how important image is in this line of work, if we're not seen to be the ones running the show then we're not credible; there's already some new kids starting to take a couple of the spots that the crews I run used to handle-"

"You think I care that your people are bored and can't be kept under-"

"Bored?" Petrol wheezed out incredulously "Actually think and listen man! You're supposed to be a Hunter, even if you're a bad one or whatever how the fuck would you feel if you were told to sit and watch when Grimm ripped through town? This gang shit is what these crews do and now they're being kept on a leash doing jobs for people they don't know while their blocks are getting taken over by people we don't know….Unless you let me people handle business, at least a little then we're gonna keep having problems 'cos they're gonna keep getting restless; especially the ones I had to beat into submission 'cos I look weak if I'm not doing something!"

Carmesi found himself once again surprised at the odd ability Petrol had to make him actually consider the criminals whom he would forever consider a blight on all of Remnant as actual, breathing people rather than simply a faceless scourge to be cut away. These realisations bought the assortment of thieves, drug dealers and guns for hire no mercy as in the Reptilian Faunus's mind the gangsters had chosen their path and would pay for it in blood all the same however it granted him enough of an understanding of the heart of the issue to let out wordless growl before removing his foot from Petrol's chest and glaring at him with hellish red eyes as he spoke.

"Purpose. Your people having themselves wanting for a sense of purpose"

"Yeah, yeah I guess that's-"

"What the Benefactor is promising is a greater purpose than you could ever hope to achieve without him. Remember that and act accordingly" Carmesi's arms folded across his mostly exposed chest "These new gangs that you say are moving into territories you should control, how would you handle them?"

"Take 'em out in one big hit, make an example and remind everyone who I am and how I took out the competition. Everyone can work with me or get run out of town" Petrol's crooked smile lasted only a moment before he grimaced "Then I'd give that turf back to the gangs you were giving mech-suits to. They still work for me and I'll have them take any jobs you need them to, they pay me a percentage of everything and nobody steps on anybody else's….But they get to hustle and make Lien. Everyone's happy and with the Vytal Festival coming up hopefully everyone comes out of this better off"

"I'll discuss the matter with the Benefactor" Carmesi said simply, hand flashing out to close around Petrol's throat in the next instant "But if there are more mistakes that risk the Benefactor's plans I will devote the entirety of whatever time I have to tracking you down and making you suffer….And I do not let my targets escape me boy"

With that Carmesi stalked away, exiting the apartment without the use of a key and leaving a stunned, agonised and frightened Petrol in his wake; the Avian Faunus rubbing the heels of his palms against his face and inadvertently smearing himself with his own blood as he pondered, without truly regretting it exactly what his quest for Lien, power and more importantly revenge had gotten him into. He allowed himself to marinate in his misery for only a short while before staggering to his feet and into his kitchen in search of an ice pack and alcohol which would serve as a painkiller, debating the risks of having one of his younger accomplices deliver a large bag of cannabis to his door in such a respectable neighbourhood at this hour all whilst considering more practical and immediate matters.

Such as what he planned to tell his busybody neighbours when they inevitably asked about the commotion of his sofa being flipped.

Felix Xiao Long had arrived at Halo Academy and brought with him his fellow team leader and long-term boyfriend Helios Nikos.

In truth the two had been part of a larger group which had needed two vehicles to transport to the aerial platform though at present they were the only two members of said group present as Arctus and Diamond had sought out Athena-Jade elsewhere on the campus whilst Eagle Arc had understandably taken the opportunity to visit both her father Qrow Branwen and her honorary Aunt and Uncle Nora and Lie Ren with her wife Hellion, the Dragonfly Faunus whose unique Semblance had allowed her to survive a critical blow in the final assault on Salem's fortress, though at the cost of her body being transferred into a mechanical body not unlike that of Penny Polendina. The final members of the entourage had been the ever stoic and imposing Shark Faunus Carcharodon Gore and his lifelong friend and fellow member of Team GORE Onyx Ursabane, the behemoth Puma Faunus serving as an uplifting yet uncouth and rowdy counterpoint to Carcharodon, something of a beloved uncle figure to the children of the academy who told stories of far off places and taught them jokes of the rudest and filthiest kind until Eagle inevitably presented herself and shooed him away before wowing the children with some display of skill or genius.

The Lion Faunus however had found his way to Team MARZ's dormitory and was in the midst of giving his younger sibling some brotherly tormenting.

"Does our mother know you live like this? Was there an accident, did the Grimm attack you here of all places?" Astra could only roll their eyes as Felix spoke in a comically exaggerated stage whisper whilst making a show of searching for somewhere suitable to sit, gasping at a small amount of cutlery which were yet to be returned to the canteen and a single pair of sweatpants of uncertain ownership which were the sole pieces of detritus or mess to be found. Finally Felix decided to fling himself with more force than was needed into a sitting position directly between Astra and Regalia who had positioned themselves on the Racoon Faunus's lower bunk and with the hand of his golden cybernetic arm he reached out to fiddle with the tips of Astra's Mohawk; Felix's marginally smaller stature and lack of reach being countered by the lack of mobility the Deer Faunus was forced to contend with as their antlers made it difficult to escape.

"Fluffy….will you please, kindly fuck off. And you, you wound me Regalia I expected you to help" Astra's tone was as exaggerated as their brother's as they treated their partner to a pleading look which quickly gave way to a devilish grin and a wink; the Deer Faunus turning away before they could notice the momentarily distant expression on their Regalia's face as she chewed at her lip and wrung her hands together before pouncing on Felix from behind to subdue him.

"Hey Heely, how've you been?" Astra greeted Felix boyfriend, the two of them watching with obvious amusement as Felix and Regalia tried to wrestle one another into submission in the extremely limited space available before the Deer Faunus nodded toward the ornate, masterfully crafted and heavy armour the bearded red-head wore "You wanna take that off and set it down somewhere? It's not as messy as Fluffy makes out"

"Thank you, but I'm not sure we'll be staying long" Helios replied warmly though he did stretch out heavily tattooed and scarred arms as if to make himself comfortable as he added "I've been well, spending some time amongst my friends has been refreshing….Though I admit I find myself wanting for the Hunt or adventure instead of being part of the reinforcements that weren't needed"

"You guys aren't getting action?" Astra asked, pausing when a disgruntled sputtering from behind them and an abrupt halt to Felix and Regalia's rough-housing forced the Deer Faunus to realise how the question could be interpreted and quickly correct themselves "I mean, I didn't get a chance to read the article properly but some people in the canteen were showing a news story about a Mech-Suit getting brought down in the city on their scrolls; I thought that was you?"

"It was, it's why we're here" Felix answered, to which Regalia responded by releasing the blonde man and allowing him to extricate himself and concentrate more on the discussion, though she was under no illusions about how easily the Lion Faunus could have bested her if he had truly been trying.

"Did you find anything, did you get a lead?" she asked enthusiastically, hoping that this news would bring about the arrest of Petrol sooner rather than later so that her partner would be able to put their mind at ease with the ordeal concluded.

"Tell me we're gonna be able to put Petrol back in a cell and that he'll stay there this time" Astra's suddenly lowered voice and strained tone betrayed how much the situation was truly stressing them before their brother and partner saw the way their fists clenched until their knuckles were white "Another attack this soon after the thing at the bridge? He's getting more active again, he's decided he doesn't have to lay low any more….What if he goes after-"

"It wasn't another attack" Felix gently interrupted, cutting off the bleak line of thinking before it could build momentum and surreptitiously gesturing for Helios to put a comforting hand on Astra's shoulder before pressing on

"Some of his people are getting pissed off at having to lay low for so long and they're starting to argue amongst themselves, especially after what happened at the bridge….I think they thought that robbery was gonna be an easy target but you two and that other team did good work"

"Heh, everything is awesome" Regalia pumped the air with her fist enthusiastically.

"I wouldn't go that far" Astra grumbled, still managing to give their partner a smile before turning back to Felix "So Petrol's people are starting to lose faith, which means he's gonna have to do something….We should be worried"

"Relax" Felix shook his head "I get it, he got you good the last time you fought-"

"And he can probably find where my parents live or work" Astra added incredulously.

"Yeah but I called in a few favours and so did Blake and Yang" Felix countered "Your Dad didn't want any obvious security around, I've got a couple of people I trust keeping an eye on things. As for Petrol….What you're not considering is that he's not the one calling the shots any more and that's probably why part of his people are getting agitated; he's gotten some extra resources from the Benefactor but he has to follow someone else's plan now instead of just hitting the targets he wants to-"

"And today will be seen as a show of weakness, following so soon after your work in destroying another of his peoples' machines and forcing Carmesi Hueso to reveal himself" Helios cut in, giving a smile that was almost predatory "I think Petrol will be too preoccupied with proving himself worthy in the eyes of both his people and his leader to trouble you or your family"

"And if he tries we'll kick his ass this time" Regalia chimed in, nodding as she spoke with a sense of hopefulness that was not quite certainty but raised Astra's spirits nonetheless.

"Okay….But the thing that happened today, did Team FADE find out anything, get hold of anybodies' scrolls or find something on a laptop?"

"We've got a group of people in custody and a literal warehouse full of evidence that's gonna need to be picked through, along with the mech-suit that was in that warehouse" Felix chuckled, his smile showing sabre-like canine teeth "Most likely any messages or calls were sent to untraceable burner scrolls and the people we've got won't talk; none of the Benefactor's people ever do but with the amount of evidence we've got we might be able to shake someone. We came here to effectively hand the reigns over to Uncle Qrow and let him handle things for a while, if he's been giving you extra training then you might get to hear some of what's happening but don't count on it"

"Why….What's going on?" Astra asked carefully, not liking the way Felix had trailed off towards the end of the explanation or the implication that Team FADE's continued involvement was not a certain thing.

"Helios and I, maybe Eagle and Hellion as well have got a job to do out of the city" the Lion Faunus looked apologetic and pressed on before his half-sibling could make their obvious feelings known "I know, I know what it sounds like okay but I'm a Grimm Hunter and let's be honest kid my face is too well known to take covert jobs….I've been doing this, putting Petrol on the defensive for months now but I can't stay in Neo Vale indefinitely; I've gotta answer other people when they call for help"

"I get it" Astra sighed "It sucks but I get it, Any idea how long you'll be gone?"

"For this job?" Felix paused and considered "Might be a couple weeks or so….Maybe more"

"A settlement some distance away fears they might have a Spawning Pitt producing Grimm, an increase in sightings and attacks gives that some credence" Helios intoned "However the local Hunters stationed there haven't been able to locate the pit and don't want to venture further afield as it would leave the settlement defenceless"

"So they called in the best people for the job" Felix gave another toothy smile and finger-gunned in Astra's direction, brimming with a more complete and genuine version of the same effortless confidence Astra themselves regularly tried to convey. Seeing the smile on their brother's face about to give way to laugher at their nonplussed reaction the Deer Faunus simply let out a slow sigh before turning to their partner.

"Regalia, tackle him again and hold him still. I wanna hit him"

Zirconia Shadowmoon watched with rapt attention as Athena-Jade, in her element on the snow-dusted outdoor training area of Halo Academies' campus trained with total and utter focus which left her partner and girlfriend staring at her with unabashed want.

The ground seemed to shake under the impact of Athena setting down Mould-Breaker in its' hammer form, shoulders rising and falling with each ragged breath as the diminutive but incredibly powerful young woman completed the latest series of exercises and routines, both armed and unarmed whose intensity had steadily increased to a crescendo of explosive force. From her position in the steadily rising stands of the coliseum like structure located to the rear of Halo Academy which, whilst older than Breaktide Academies' equivalent and suffering slightly in terms of capabilities for it was still a marvel of architecture and a suitable for venue for the spectacles that took place within it Zirconia could look down at her girlfriend and see the muscles of her arms flex and tense as Athena worked her hands in preparation for the next part of her training regimen, muscles of her back and shoulders standing out in almost ludicrous detail as her tank-top was left plastered to her by sweat that would likely cool and cause an uncomfortable chill in the night air.

If Zirconia were a more crude woman she might be openly salivating at the sight.

Aware of the fact she was being watched yet with her attention dedicated solely on the task at hand Athena burst into motion once more, sapphire eyes shining bright in the snowy darkness, features contorted into a fierce snarl of concentrated effort and singular focus as the Bear Faunus launched into a sprint, building momentum before creating a glyph directly ahead of herself and using the glowing platform to hurl herself directly upwards. Once airborne Athena's Aura visibly rippled around her, straining as she curled tightly in upon herself and surrounded her body with an interlocking array of glyphs which seemed to pulse and shift in a way that Zirconia had not seen from her partners' Semblance before; mismatched pale pink and orange eyes grew intent as the insectoid Faunus watched events unfold. As Athena-Jade reached the apex of her leap and began to fall a number of the glyphs, a random assortment without rhyme or reason erupted outward with masses of skeletal limbs which each resembled those of a Creature of Grimm, their surfaces flickering and exuded incandescent embers of pearly white as they rapidly began to lose cohesion. Zirconia's mouth formed a silent O shape as she began to understand that what she was seeing was almost certainly another of the new techniques her partner had been privately developing, one which was rooted in the Schnee family Semblances' ability to summon defeated foes.

And then the illusion shattered.

Zirconia's rapt attention, which by this point had become a roughly equal parts mix of silently cheering the woman she loved on, curious anticipation of something that would doubtlessly be astonishing to see and simple, naked attraction to the Bear Faunus was shattered in the same instant as Athena's attempted summons which exploded outwards with an appearance not unlike a firework. Athena fell and Zirconia was in motion before her partner reached the ground, another glyph forming at her palm and diffusing the force of her impact enough to send a ripple through the snow around the arena and fling it up into the air, bringing Zirconia skidding to a halt with her mechanical limbs hissing faintly as they adjusted and giving her a moment to see what might well have been the source of Athena-Jade's distraction before they spoke.

"Y'know every time me and the big guy run into the press lately they ask us questions about you two….I can definitely see why" Athena's focused was turned towards the voice and in the same instant she saw Diamond and Arctus approaching, her sister in law leaning against her brothers' side whilst his arm was wrapped firmly, almost protectively around her shoulders she was in motion; Zirconia trailing a few steps behind and watching as Athena made to throw herself at Diamond for a crushing hug.

"Easy there pest, the floor's icy you're gonna knock people over" Arctus played off the protective gesture of gently keeping his sister at bay before she could collide with Diamond as something less serious than he clearly felt that it was; piquing Zirconia's interest as she drew close and laced her fingers through Athena's and enjoying her warmth before Arctus spoke again, picking up where Diamond had left off.

"But yeah the press absolutely adore you two, they think it's some kind of fairy tale romance and they want us to give them all the gossip….Vultures" the older Bear Faunus shook his head before giving a wicked smile and reaching out to ruffle his sisters' hair "But the 'heartfelt moment' at the museum that someone took photos off, they're having a field day with-"

"Ugh, you suuuuck" Athena dragged the word out for emphasis to a laughable degree whilst Zirconia simply showed her displeasure in silence; feeling that giving any comment about just how and why that particular moment being made public offended her so much would only lead to more questions she was unwilling to answer. Diamond saw the look on Zirconia's face in full given that her customary shawl was lowered from around her nose and mouth which prompted her gently nudge Arctus with the metallic surface of her matte black painted prosthetic left arm in a clear message that the topic should be dropped and changed, though Arctus continued to ruffle his sister's hair for a moment longer until she simply pounced, which was transformed into Athena-Jade being held aloft in some hybrid of a hug and a choke-hold which Zirconia guessed was a skill which all older siblings learned somehow.

"So what're you two doing here?" Athena asked, evidently unbothered by the forearm under her chin holding her aloft as she braced herself with a foot against her brother's torso "Not that I don't wanna hang out with Diamond….And you're okay too I suppose"

Arctus dropped Athena without warning.

"I think that might have been deserved" Zirconia noted playfully as she pulled Athena to her feet, taking the opportunity to slider her arms around her partners' waist and enjoy the feeling of the bear Faunus leaning against her and nuzzling as close as she felt comfortable with in her brother's presence.

"We wanted to report to Ren and Qrow in person after a thing in the city earlier" Diamond answered "We heard you were training out here and thought we'd come and say hi"

"Yeah" Arctus's expression became a touch more serious "That move you were trying, is that something you're working on? I don't recognise it"

"It's a surprise" Athena beamed, maintaining a level of pride and confidence which suggested that despite her failure she remained undeterred "It's gonna be awesome, you're gonna love it….I'm hoping to be able to pull it off in the Vytal Tournament when Team MARZ steam-roll whoever we go up against"

"Yeah" Arctus shuffled in a nervous way that seemed strange for someone of his stature and reputation "About that…."

"What, what is it?" Athena-Jade's voice wavered and Zirconia's hold tightened reassuringly on instinct alone as the Bear Faunus looked between her brother and his wife that was steadily becoming accusatory until Diamond, likely feeling that Athena would be less likely to react badly to hearing it from her delivered the blow

"We'll be watching, I promise you we're gonna watch your teams' matches….But we'll be watching them with Coral and your parents at the Manor-"

"No" Athena-Jade said simply, voice cracking with that single syllable before her arms folded across her chest "What the hell? Why?"

The moment of silence that lingered between the four of them threatened to grow heavy and yet Arctus, despite Athena-Jade's crushed and devastated expression seemed to be steadily growing more excited, his shuffling continuing until he leaned down and whispered in Diamond's ear, though his voice was still loud enough to be heard by the younger Faunus present.

"Are you telling her or am I….Can I tell her, please?" Diamond's cherry red eyes rolled in a well-practised expression before she reached up to kiss her husband's cheek just above the line of the beard he had taken to keeping in recent years, a gesture which Arctus took as permission which in turn prompted Athena to splay her arms wide in what could be interpreted in a bitter and mocking demand for him to simply get on with it.

"Okay, Felix and Eagle are probably gonna be away for a little while but they're staying based in the city. Diamond and I are heading to Mistral first and then we're gonna be at home in Atlas for a while because we wanna tell Diamond's parents and Mum and Dad in person….I'm telling you this now because I know how much having us here for the tournament meant to you; I need you to promise that you will not talk about this to anybody outside of your team. Not even our parents or Coral, okay?"

"Okay?" Athena's had raised her eyebrows at that, caught off-guard by the demand for secrecy of such a degree; Arctus and Diamond shared a lingering, meaningful look before the older Bear Faunus turned to his sister with a bright smile that stretched from almost ear to ear.

"How do you like the sound of being called Auntie AJ?"

There was a single, fleeting second in which Athena's mind seemed to falter and turn over as she processed what she had heard and then she was in motion.

"YOU'RE SERIOUS?" she demanded as threw herself forward, breaking from Zirconia's grip and flinging her arms around both Arctus and Diamond "OH WOW, CONGRATS YOU GUYS THAT'S AMAZING"

"I know right?" Arctus managed to match and exceed his sisters' enthusiasm, restraint leaving him and his entire being becoming more at ease and yet more lively now that he could speak freely.

"Congratulations" Zirconia added, the comment genuine if somewhat stilted as she struggled to find where she might fit in what was clearly a private, family moment; a situation remedied when Athena reached back to take her girlfriends' hand and pull her into the press of bodies that the group had become.

"So those photos that were taken of you?" Diamond murmured in Zirconia's ear as she took advantage of the closeness "It looked like a 'meet the family' moment….I just wanna say, as someone with experience; you're doing great. Just keeping looking after AJ, she's been happier since you two finally started dating"

"Dee come on Dude!" Athena buried her face in Zirconia's shoulder, certain that her cheeks were a rosy shade of pink that was entirely unrelated to the cold. Zirconia herself was about to offer an answer to that but before she could do so Arctus slapped a meaty hand down on her shoulder with enough force that her knees might have buckled were she not prepared for it.

"Diamond and I were almost as bad, dancing around each other for way too long before we did what we both wanted to do in the first place….I'm glad you two figured it out" he pulled back and added "But seriously, our parents and our other sister can't wait to meet you in person. Come to Atlas over the summer and meet the family, we should have our new addition to it by then as well"

"I would enjoy that" Zirconia murmured, feigning bashfulness whilst privately she found herself regretting that the meeting would likely never come to pass and if she did meet Athena's parents at some point in the future it would likely be in far less welcoming circumstances.

Nero's plans were progressing onwards and would only hasten now that some of the most capable and renowned Hunters on Remnant, whose mere presence could dissuade the average criminal were leaving Neo Vale effectively unguarded.

The time was once again upon them.

Chairman Damascus Nero watched, carefully measuring his breaths as he took in his surroundings and scrutinised them with severity and intent in search of any weakness, error or miscalculation and relaxing by only the most imperceptible fractions upon finding none.

Within the Chamber he was flanked on one side by Albion, who had taken some time between his arrangements for the coming spectacle to reach out to the assets, all unknowing to various extents that the small group of conspirators had placed in other settlements. Be they gang members who had fled from the rampant bloodshed of Petrol's ruthless rise to power and sought to establish themselves away from the Capital of New Vale or simply well placed officials within various companies under the auspice of Nero's conglomerate. The thrust of this communication had been to ensure that the attention of as many of Hunters stationed within the city was diverted elsewhere at this critical moment and the effort had been rewarded beyond measure by the news that a genuine, verified report of a growing and festering Grimm presence had drawn the attention of Team FADE and their closest allies. To Nero's other hand, standing ready with the larger of his two weapons in its' shotgun form and held firmly in both hands; a scowl of unwavering focus and determination lining his features and contorting his deep crimson eyes framed by the scales running across the bridge of his nose into something intimidating. The Komodo Dragon Faunus having returned to the Chamber a short while ago to provide an additional level of security in the coming moments and bringing with him word of the recent developments within the gangs had been employed to form the beginnings of Nero's new forces.

Nero's trusted confidants were not the only ones gathered to witness the latest testing of the Cyber-Grimm Initiative however, watching from a thoroughly secured and encrypted video-feed was Aefen Cruor, the woman's masked visage being visible on one of the many screens which made up Albion's workstation and though her face remained hidden as ever her eagerness and apprehension was plainly visible in her animated body language as she waited to see her contributions to Nero's great work come to fruition. Elsewhere in the Chamber, watching from the containment tube in which they had taken root and now seemed incapable of leaving without a destruction and subsequent remaking of their body was Gestalt-Prime, the body of the monstrous hybrid Alpha bloated and distended to the point of translucence by the roiling mass of lesser abominations which currently lurked within them.

All eyes were locked firmly on the latest iteration of the testing ground for the project, a newly made and more resilient docking bay arrangement around which multiple automated weapons were arrayed, each and every one of them aimed at the machine which currently hung lifelessly within the makeshift hangar it was shackled to; the same largely humanoid, four-armed assembly as that from the initial failed experiment with portions of its' chest cavity and cranium removed and connected through various pipes and cables to Gestalt-Prime's containment tube. An additional layer of security had been provided in the form of a hard-light shield whose hexagonal panels thrummed faintly to produce a haunting reverberation throughout the secret base of operations until finally Nero could withstand the tension no longer and turned to Albion, giving the dark-skinned scientist a single curt nod.

"Commencing test zero-zero-two of the Cyber-Grimm initiative"

At those painfully inadequate and detached words it began, Gestalt-Prime letting out a keening sound with a note of metal grating against metal as they disgorged one of the Creatures of Grimm spawned within themselves in an expulsion of cloudy ichor and fluids. The newly released Grimm was as serpentine and eel-like as its' predecessor with a single eye in its' sleek tapering skull though in place of malformed fins the thing's lower body was littered with the twitching and unfinished beginnings of segmented limbs which scrabbled and skittered without co-ordination as the thing propelled itself towards its' intended host, downwards and forward through the mass of heavily armoured piping until it finally emerged at the spinal array of the modified Cosmo-Guild Robot and began the process of snaking and coiling around the machinery all whilst beginning to melt away into a less distinct form in a process that could only have been agonising.

"Things are progressing further than before" Nero noted, words strained by tension

"The moment of truth then" Albion whispered as he, along with the rest of the group watched the now primordial, sludgy mass of Grimm tissue which had taken root within the gutted core of a machine began to branch outwards with tendrils that were a sickening hybrid of prehensile limb and vine-like plant matter laced with shards of thorn-like bone to form anchors began growing and burrowing into the workings of their host as they expanded.

Until the creaking of metal being dragged inwards and collapsing on itself sent a wave of chilling terror through the Chamber.

"WAIT!" Nero barked, throwing his cybernetic arm in front of Carmesi's weapon before the younger man could open fire "Aefen, Gestalt-Prime what's happening?"

"The process continues" the sentient monster replied simply, their four skeletal and almost vestigial mantis-like limbs folded in a manner which suggested concentration and interest without worry.

"The Grimm tissue has reached and begun interfacing with the modified AI we created from the parts you provided" Aefen explained, breathless in her awe at the scene playing out before her "Given the nature of the test subject it may be able to corrupt the AI to some extent, but the AI will be a part of it….Whatever form that takes"

"Then we have to wait and see" Albion murmured, adjusting his glasses and making a few small adjustments on his controls "Weapons ready"

The statement was punctuated by the sound of metal being torn asunder as the thrashing and trembling form of the host robot was ripped entirely free of the docking bay, along with sizeable chunks of raw material from the surrounding hangar though Nero was given a small glimmer of hope and relief upon seeing that the Grimm had not elected to try rooting itself into the Chamber as a whole this time and was instead beginning what appeared to be a process of digestion, albeit twisted into something monstrous.

Metal, wiring, all manner of fluids and obsidian flesh writhing and shifted as it was pulled into a distorting, amorphous mass which produced a deafening cacophony of mechanical grinding, sawing and unsettlingly fleshy sucking and squelching noises until finally, from somewhere within a single baleful red light began to shine as though the eye of the Grimm had reformed itself.

And then tendrils formed of masses of interwoven sinew lashed out.

"WAIT, HOLD YOUR FIRE!" Aefen screamed, voice crackling through the computers' speakers as Carmesi Albion lowered the shielding to such a degree that Carmesi's first shot would tear through it and end the nascent Cyber-Grimm.

"What's happening?" Nero demanded furiously, flinching reflexively at the sound of gunfire as the tendrils reached out and began winding around some of the various weapons arrayed around the test-area; prompting the defensive systems to open fire as they were pulled free.

"It's arming itself….The AI is active" Aefen breathed out, openly giddy despite her usual imperious and commanding aura she attempted to convey "It's working!"

"Albion, stop those guns" the scientist looked at Nero as though he had lost his mind for a single moment before complying with a frantic flurry of typing and Nero watched, heart thundering in his chest as a small collection of weapons were dragged down into the still roiling mass where a machine had once stood until, after several moments of violent thrashing the thing began to coalesce and process the materials that it into a more useful, viable form in keeping with the purpose it had been given.

"It worked….The next stage in Grimm evolution" Gestalt-Prime's mandibles, formed of segmented mechanical limbs chittered as the sentient monster spoke yet Nero could not spare the effort to answer them as their attention remained fixed solely on the being taking shape before them which finally, after several moments became truly solid and complete and strode forward a single pace with an unsteady, faltering step before halting and stretching, moving its' limbs experimentally as it became accustomed to their existence.

"The first of the Cyber-Grimm….We did it" Nero mouthed the words out in disbelief.

The Cyber-Grimm would have measured a full twelve feet tall were it capable of standing upright however it was instead an oddly proportioned and arranged thing, built as though someone had attempted to make a beetle walk on its' rear legs and hunched forward so severely that its' body was almost at a right angle and its' head was brought to that of the average man's eye level.

The legs which supported the things' weight were thick and sturdy, its' calf were encased wholly within an armoured carapace which resembled the bone armour of the Creatures of Grimm but was comprised of a dull, greyish metal which was stained by slick and oily fluids. Each leg ended in a pair of toes splayed and segmented which connected directly to where an ankle should have been in place of a proper foot and a spiked heel protrusion which itself seemed to be an atrophied digit whilst above the armoured calves were much narrower, black and skeletal thighs with masses of sinew of wiring running along their surfaces before connecting finally to a surprisingly narrow waist. It was at this point that the body of the Cyber-Grimm was twisted forward, its' ribcage a mass of fused and armoured ribs comprised of the same metallic bone composite with a collection of twitching, segmented legs resembling those of the original beast that had been used for the experiment grafted to the metal with a lattice of thinly stretched inky black flesh whilst the four arms of the original robot had been warped and twisted beyond recognition. Where before their had been two arms mounted on either side of the robot there now a single pair of monstrously bulky and oversized limbs; spikes of bone and steel formed crude armour around shoulders from which the fused remains of each pair of robotic limbs sprouted, tendon, sinew and wiring stretched grotesquely between them to create the illusion of a living thing which had been flayed until one reached the elbows and saw fresh masses of the same dull grey metallic armour encasing forearms which were wider around than a man's torso, studded and ridged with spikes at odd angles before ending in a three-fingered claw, each segmented and obsidian coloured digit ending in a jagged metal tip which threatened to tear anything it touched asunder.

What was intended to be the back of the Cyber-Grimm could, given its' posture be more aptly described as its' uppermost surface and now bore little resemblance to its' original form. An insectoid carapace complete with wing-casing hewn from smoothed and sloped masses of metallic composite now graced the things' back, with the abdominal casings flexing and twitching irregularly to reveal what lay within; in place of gossamer wings it appeared that the Cyber-Grimm housed some sort of belching, shuddering propulsion system of monstrously amalgamated muscle tissue and metal which vaguely resembled the wings Gestalt-Prime had once possessed. The upper thorax of the Cyber-Grimm was similarly heavily armoured and featured a single protruding mass which served as both a crest and immobile, inflexible turret with an arcing, curved mass of metal rising up overhead and forward like a horn whilst below it a heavy-duty laser weapon faced directly forward with fleshy growths of nightmarish tissue spread across its' surface.

The head of the Cyber-Grimm was no less horrific than the rest of it; Grimm tissue had filled the hollowed cranial cavity to produce a metallic and armoured skull that had appeared to have been caved in the some blunt violence, a single unreadable and gleaming red optic now dwelling within the cavity, surrounded by pulsing nerve and muscle whilst more metal had been grown or grafted to what remained of the forehead; taking weapons and sensory arrays the thing had ripped free in its' formation and using them to create was resembled a pair of insectoid antennae, each moving independently of the other and consisting of a spindly mechanical armature lined with fibrous black hairs and tipped with various blinking lights strewn around the barrel of what had once been a machine gun.

"It's beautiful" Aefen's voice broke the silence that had taken hold over the Chamber; with Carmesi's eyes darting from the creature before him to the screen which showed the cult leaders' masked face and he found himself unable to keep a wordless snarl from escaping him, yet before he could launch into a vitriolic tirade and question the sanity of the woman Nero answered her; his voice hushed and faintly trembling with barely contained excitement and joy.

"The first of the Cyber-Grimm" he repeated "Our bright new tomorrow, everything we've worked to build…..It is beautiful"

It was clear to all who were present that things had changed forever and that their plans were now truly underway.

Author's Notes:

Okay so four chapters into Vol.05, we're a quarter of the way through this volume or thereabouts and well….I've heard of a mid-season finale before but never a quarter season finale but can you really deny that this was one hell of a way to end a chapter?

But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
I've been teasing and suggesting the idea that Petrol's control over his people isn't that strong really and it makes sense given how he got that control in the first place.
I named the mech-pilot Hierro because honestly I didn't want to write that much of a scene without using any actual names, but now he's got a name and given how well paid the lawyers Nero is providing for the gang members are we could have the little shit turn up again if I need a semi-important gang member to do something.
Surprise motherfuckers, Team FADE are still in town!
"Nobody talks everybody walks" is sound advice, but they still got caught red-handed.
Arctus's overreaction there was meant to be the first hint that something was going on with him and Diamond.
It's always fun to have Winter sit in on the meetings.
The whole Cabal were rightly feeling like they were on a bit of a roll with the minor victories back to back; constantly taking out mech-suits even if the pilot from the bridge got away….Let's see how long that lasts.
So Nero's firm dismissal to join the team didn't make them suspicious, his reasons seemed understandable enough all things considered….Honestly one of the trickier parts of writing this multi-layered conspiracies and interplays between factions that have so many resources is figuring out how the can misinterpret the information they have so they can reasonably not see the answer to their problems without looking like idiots.
Also Winter's comment was a fun one, take the Cyber-Grimm away and Nero is basically thinking of something similar to Atlesian military doctrine on steroids.
So, this is a point where Qrow managed to find just enough information to put some pieces together and make educated guesses; the Cabal don't know for sure but they can make assumptions that the Benefactor is thinking of merging Grimm with technology in some way.
Nora's last line is one of those almost fourth wall break moments I like doing.
Okay I'll be completely honest the Grimm studies lesson itself wasn't that important, I just wanted to show more of the students actually being students.
Keep throwing in references to the dance to build up the idea that something is obviously gonna happen; students helping organise it is canon as well.
Regalia "Trying to live an actual movie" Russet is not gonna let Tiger miss the dance because she wants to study, not happening.
Petrol is getting to be more and more bloodthirsty, which is something considering he was a bastard to start with.
There's also a definite show of the disparity here between how he interacts with his own crew and with the other gangs that were basically told to join or die, which makes perfect sense.
He got out the hood five minutes ago and all his money is dirty, of course his apartment is tacky as hell.
Carmesi is an absolute motherfucker really, he just enjoys beating people up in their own house….I mean the reveal that he was a villain came with him shooting someone in the head in their own apartment as well.
Petrol explained it perfectly and managed to convey something that people not used to that kind of lifestyle don't get; image is a currency, if you believably present the image of someone not to be messed with then that is how you will be handled and maintaining that is essential.
Yeah Petrol's response at the end there was spot on, getting absolutely wrecked and knowing there's nothing you can do about it….Gonna need a drink and a smoke to settle the nerves after that.
Okay so I spent some time explaining where the other members of Team FADE and GORE were and realised that I've mentioned Onyx and Hellion but they've never actually appeared on screen in this story.
Let me find one abandoned plate in my brothers' room and see if I don't give him shit for it; that wouldn't have flown when I was younger….Also, are you even siblings if you don't grapple?
Regalia chewing her lip and being thirsty as fuck just from getting winked at was a fun detail.
"You guys aren't getting action?" 'tis what she proclaimed.
Regalia grew up rough-housing but she's in no way capable of fighting or wrestling Felix.
Okay some fun set up and explanations there, Petrol isn't gonna go and try to murder Myrtle and Redwood Mars and if he did it would end badly.
But there's the rub….Team FADE are gonna be out of the picture; which means it's time for the main characters to start main character-ing.
Thirst all round today, Zirconia was enjoying watching AJ flex.
So I've teased AJ having a new move that she's working on a little bit and that area of effect move she did before wasn't it….We haven't seen her do the trademark Schnee summons yet because she wanted to be unique; get ready.
And enter two of my favourites from my vast list of Ocs, Arctus and Diamond….With Arctus once again keeping people at bay where Diamond is concerned.
Of course someone got a photo of the meet the parents moment from the last chapter.
Oof, for all of her wanting to be different AJ has always really looked up to her brother and the news that he isn't gonna be in the crowd at her first tournament was always gonna suck.
So did anybody guess where this was going when Arctus insisted on total secrecy?….I mean he did mention to AJ in Vol.02 that he and Diamond were thinking about it.
Yeah, Zirconia's head is pretty much a constant mess of feelings and doubts….Which is what happens when you dig yourself into a series of lies.
And now, for the big reveal.
Okay so the people in gangs who ran from Petrol are still on Nero's payroll and Albion used to create distractions for Hunters; Team FADE weren't specifically intended and the call they're responding to is genuine and there's no trap there….But it's still a diversion.
Forcefields, because Gestalt-Prime can't actually get around them….Or at least can't merge them like they do everything else so it's a fair assumption that the Cyber-Grimm wouldn't be able to expand passed one either.
Slight variation in the slinky Grimm just for fun.
And now we're doing some….Well, would it really count as body horror? Fuck it, I'm calling it body horror.
I had to throw in a moment or two where it looked like it was gonna go wrong again just for fun.
And here he is, our big ugly boy; the Cyber-Grimm….For the appearance I took some ideas from Medabee from Medabots (The head-mounted guns) Hardshell from Transformers Prime and the Imperial and Chaos Knights from Warhammer 40k as well as general Grimm aesthetic.
So now we've got a big robot Grimm with a laser weapon similar to AJ's, a couple of machine guns, some sort of rocket propulsion in its' back and a whole heap of armour and muscle but most importantly….It's programmable and controllable at least to some extent and it's manufactured.

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