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Chapter 120: Helplessness

Zirconia Shadowmoon was an accomplice in the conspiracy which had produced the Cyber-Grimm and it was with her help that Damascus Nero had managed to effectively target Hunters in Neo Vale, using the Vytal Tournament as his platform to declare war on the established order of society and claim the first casualties in that war as his mechanical horrors were unleashed upon a packed city, with Stygian Blue counting some of the fallen and injured amongst his friends.

Worse still was that the Grasshopper Faunus had been a treacherous spy and a liar of the worst kind, Stygian had countered her as a friend as well; being willing to believe even as Damascus Nero had made his announcement to the people of Remnant that Zirconia might somehow be innocent and ignorant of what her foster father had wrought, only to be left disgusted and enraged by the truth.

And only a few short hours ago he had found out where she was hiding.

The knowledge that Zirconia had not only continued her activities as part of Nero's campaign of terror and subversion but had done so more openly, becoming one of the people the former businessman had leading the attacks rather than skulking in the shadows was made all the more appalling by the fact that her latest conquest had been Pikesreach, Stygian's childhood home and that the former member of Team MARZ was still there, overseeing the same unspeakable acts and cruelty that had forced his mother to flee across the wasteland.

Such knowledge demanded a response and Stygian had hatched a plan which had begun to form from almost the moment he had learned the truth; all whilst he had been reconnecting with his mother the idea had been growing in the back of his mind and after several hours of catching up with her Stygian had forced himself to depart, sending a text message to Astra as he went that informed the Deer Faunus that he would be making his own way back to the academy. Upon his return the dark-skinned young man had made a point of prowling through several corridors and hallways in areas of the academy he would normally have no reason to frequent outside of lessons, electric blue eyes narrowing into a hateful expression as he realised that these were actions that Zirconia herself must have performed countless times; finally he had returned to Team MARS's dormitory, doing so at roughly the same time Astra and Regalia arrived from their impromptu date and using his team-mates' distraction to make keeping up appearances and behaving as though nothing was troubling him more manageable, though Athena-Jade had been unrelenting in her questions, wanting to know every minute detail about how Stygian and his mother had reconciled with an earnest kindness that the Mouse Faunus would have greatly appreciated any other time.

With the facade maintained Stygian had waited, pushing through his own tiredness with a grim determination until his team-mates were sound asleep before slipping out of the dormitory, taking his weapon with him and making his way back through the campus until he came to Dust labs and, more importantly the adjacent storerooms; which he had been squinting at for several minutes now in a desperate but futile attempt to figure out how he could open them in a way that would not alert the members of the faculty who lived on the campus or worse still risk damaging the Dust within.

His thoughts were interrupted when a glyph appeared between himself and the storeroom door, the sudden brightness leaving him blinking spots out of his vision even as he whipped around to see the familiar form of Athena-Jade Slate only a short distance away, leaning nonchalantly against a wall as she spoke to him.

"You should have spoken to Laser beforehand, he's probably known how to bypass the locks since his first week here" the mention of the Vaccuan scrounger of Team WULF seemed so entirely random and unconnected to Stygian's current plight that it forced the Mouse Faunus to take a mental step back and try to grasp the situation.

"Where are Astra and Regalia?" he asked.

"In the garage making sure you don't steal Astra's truck or Clunker….Regalia will share anything but she might actually hurt you if you steal her bike" Athena's answer made Stygian bristle though if he were entirely honest with himself it was a fair accusation, he had indeed contemplated taking one of his team-mates' vehicles only to relent and decide that there was no reason that it be one of those two specifically that he took out into the wastes.

"How did you sneak up on me?" the words seemed to leave him of their own accord, simply filling silence in an effort to buy time for his racing mind to produce answers.

"Glyphs, kept 'em a few inches off the floor so there was no sound" Athena answered, the unexpected use of her Semblance catching Stygian by surprise and forcing him to admire the snowy-haired Bear Faunus even as she pressed on, her expression becoming concerned as she spoke "Nobody said anything because we guessed you wanted some space to think about it, but we all knew that you were keeping something from us when you got back from seeing your mum, we could all tell that something was wrong….What's going on Stitch, what're you doing here?"

"It's Pikesreach" Stygian answered, forcing the words out through gritted teeth "It wasn't just attacked, it's being occupied. That's why my Mum ran….People there are still dying"

"Oh" Athena-Jade's expression morphed into one of sudden shock and understanding as she stepped closer and put her hands on her partners' shoulders "Stitch I understand that you want, no need to help, to feel like you're doing something but you can't do this-"

"I can, I just need the Dust….If I've got enough Dust to make makeshift charges then I can use my Semblance to get to the perimeter guns when they start firing at me, once everything's on fire and I'm already inside I can pick off their leaders while they're too disorganised to fight back"

"That's" Athena took a moment to breath in through her nose "I wanted to say that it's crazy but it's not, it's a good plan….But you're one person, you can't do this alone-"
"Then come with me!" Stygian pleaded.

"I….No, we need to talk to the Professors and organise-"

"AJ, it's Zirconia. She's there" the words left Stygian in a jumbled blur that left Athena in a numb silence "Zirconia and Carmesi Hueso led the attack on Pikesreach a few weeks ago, they've got people and Cyber-Grimm with them. Damascus Nero has been there in person….If we go we can find Zirconia"

"I…" Athena-Jade trailed off, taking a step back and running her hands through snowy hair that Stygian now realised was untied and had grown long enough to reach her shoulders, a choked sob escaping her as she spoke again "Damn it, almost every part of me wants to go back to the dorm and take Heartbreaker then head to Pikesreach with you….But I can't"

"Why not?" Stygian demanded.

"Because it won't work" she shook her head and let out a bitter laugh "Zirconia is too smart for that….Nero is too smart for that. They must know your Mum has gotten away by now-"

"We can't do nothing!" Stygian spat.

"I'm not saying that!" Athena's voice rose defensively "Just listen! We need to talk to the Professors, we need to have a plan….They have Cyber-Grimm, that's what you said….They've already killed all of the Hunters at Pikesreach and they're already killing people-"
"We can-"

"What if they use them as hostages Stitch?" Athena demanded "The two of us, hell the four of us aren't trained for that….We need more people, we need people with experience and we need information"

"Damn it!" Stygian struck a wall as the futility and hopelessness of the situation seemed to crash down upon him like a wave, leaving him slumped against the nearest wall "Damn it….I just, I need to help them AJ, this is why I became a Hunter….And Zirconia needs to pay for what she did, for what she did to you"

"I know" Athena subconsciously looked down at her legs and particularly the scars Carmesi Hueso had given her before throwing her powerful arms around her partner and pulling him close "But listen to me….she-they win by forcing us to react to their plans and do what they want, don't do it"

The only sound to escape Stygian was one of pure and simple frustration with no discernable words in it.

"I know" Athena repeated "Come on….We'll call the others and we'll talk to Professor Adel as soon as we can-"

"What about now?"

"Stitch" Athena sighed "It's almost three in the morning….I don't think anybody is gonna be ready to plan an attack right now"

Zirconia had found herself active once again only a little while after sunrise, with the expected and ever-present heat of the island Kingdom still just beginning to make its' presence felt as the last sputtering gusts of the nights' screaming winds whipped at the defensive walls, carrying clouds of dust and small detritus up to threaten the eyes of anyone present atop the battlements and ramparts of Pikesreach.

Those ramparts were currently surprisingly busy given the hour and Zirconia had found herself almost entirely caught up in the moment as she watched it, feeling for a single fleeting moment as though she were not an outsider only for the moment to pass as the people around her continued on with their business and acknowledged her presence as little as possible without running the risk of being challenged for their rudeness. There had been a shift change only a short while ago, which the Grasshopper Faunus had used as an opportunity to further integrate the reinforcements Nero had sent at her request into the ranks of Aefen's followers and Pikesreach's remaining defenders and once that new guards, lookouts and weapon teams had settled themselves into position the days' activity had truly begun. Ahead of Zirconia were a group of youths who were being trained to defend their home, much as she supposed her former peer Stygian Blue had once been but had been deemed too young to depart for Jidhir Town who were already starting what promised to be a long and demanding day of training which Zirconia could not help but compare to her own schooling and find both wanting and needlessly harsh, as though the guards and fighters in charge of their training enjoying lording their power over those less capable just as much as Pikesreach's Hunters once had; the group were currently starting their day with a brisk jog along the walls and so Zirconia had allowed them pass, such an exercise would be much less useful to her given that her legs were mechanical below the knee and so instead she continued at a more leisurely pace and paid more close attention to the various young children and partners of various people working on the wall who were delivering messages and treats such as a cooked breakfast for weapons crews before disappearing once again.

Everything seemed to be running smoothly and from what Zirconia could ascertain neither Aefen not Gestalt-Prime, who was once again roosting atop of the scientists' lair with their last remaining Shroud Variant skulking around them had done anything that warranted attention through the night; allowing Zirconia to feel more confidant, albeit not truly relaxed as she strode with purpose but at a leisurely pace towards one of the parapets which formed one of the heavily protected and fortified corners of Pikesreach's walls and whose protective canopy served as an unofficial meeting point or refuge when the weather grew truly inhospitable.

At present the parapet in question was playing host to a small group of people which included the specific Faunus she had been hoping to see.

"Nugget" she intoned bluntly, her rasping voice as quiet as ever and yet still carrying enough authority to ensure that the chatter between Team NUGT, particularly their leader and the teams' small collection of hangers' on, many of whom of whom could fairly be described as groupies fell silent in an instant, with the Chicken Faunus turning and giving a lazy nod of recognition.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he enquired.

"Shouldn't you be working?" the answer drew a smattering of titters from the collection of fans that had flocked to Team NUGT whilst the rest of the team visibly scowled until Nugget made a show of turning and giving them a small, silent gesture over his shoulder which saw his team-mates and their associates depart without comment; as though the idea that the Chicken Faunus could command such people without a word was supposed to impress or intimidate the Grasshopper Faunus.

"Y'know, I really don't like the feeling that you're trying to deliberately undermine me Hops-"

"First of all don't ever call me that. You don't get to call me that" even the small, heavily scarred portion of Zirconia's face that was visible beneath her modified gas-mask was enough for the sudden flash of anger across her features to be easily seen and Nugget, for all his bravado knew better than to push the issue.

"Whatever" he grumbled "What do you want?"

"Firstly I want you to stop acting exactly the same as the people we freed Pikesreach from. The movement does not exist to feed your ego" Zirconia glowered from beneath her mask "We're here because there's work to be done, not so you can disappoint every woman who looks at you for more than a few seconds"

"Hey, it's not my fault if-"

"Stop" Zirconia sighed, rolling her eyes in a way that she had certainly picked up from Athena "Whatever crude and frankly embarrassing joke about 'cock' or 'stuffing' want to make is beneath me"

"Under you isn't a bad place to be" Nugget sneered, leaving Zirconia fighting an instinctual urge to slap him across the face and instead stepping closer, drawing close enough to lean forward and speak directly into the Chicken Faunus's ear.

"That's an experience you will never have" she forced as much distaste into the words as she could muster, whilst still keeping her tone aloof and detached "But if you'd like to live long enough to try then maybe you should start listening….Damascus knows about the escapee"

"Shit….I'm listening" Nugget's bravado wavered at both the reminder of his failure to properly perform his duties and also the casual use of Nero's first name from Zirconia, a reminder that she was in fact far more closely connected to power than Nugget himself could ever hope to climb through his opportunistic tendencies and certainly not through his efforts.

"Well, he certainly isn't happy about the risks….If that farmer had managed to make it to a settlement, or even a road where Hunters were patrolling we would be under attack right now" Zirconia reminded him once again of the possibility and paused for a moment to drive the point home before pressing on "But considering that we aren't being attacked by Hunters, or just being taken out from the air with missiles it's likely that we're safe….Which means that you're going to be given a chance to redeem yourself and that you'll be answering to me rather than Carmesi, so long as you're willing to listen and follow instructions without making things more difficult. Do we have a deal?"

"Sure, what do you need?" Nugget fidgeted awkwardly on the spot, visibly uncomfortable with the situation he had found himself in.

"Right now I don't need anything, but I'm sure I can find something for you to do" Zirconia forced something, almost the hint of a smile into her tone, loathing herself and every second of the experience but pressing on "But in the long run, I need people I can rely on….Is that going to be you?"

"Yeah!" Nugget answered a little too quickly to maintain his facade of composure, slouching and grimacing as he amended the answer "I mean sure….But why are you doing this, why are you helping me?"

"Do you know what Carmesi would do to you if he thought you had abused your position here?" Zirconia asked, keeping her tone light and casual and pausing for a moment to allow a mental image to set in before speaking again "You get a chance to correct your mistakes and do better because like I said, I need people I can rely on….We were students together, we weren't close Nugget but I think I'd rather trust you than Aefen's circus clowns"

"That's fair" Nugget managed a small chuckle at the rare hint of sneering mockery from Zirconia at the mention of the Path of the Apex Being, the sound all the proof she needed that her plan was working and that playing on the ego and self-interest of the Chicken Faunus would be her best option.

"And who knows" she rolled her eyes once again, still finding everything about what she was doing utterly stomach churning "Maybe one day, if you're really lucky there might even be a chance of you getting to experience the 'Three piece chicken combo meal'"

"That was terrible" Nugget cackled, doubled over with laughter and wiping tears from his eyes in an instant "But fuck it was funny to hear you say it-"

"Nugget?"

"Yeah?"

"Leave" Zirconia's bluntness was all the dismissal that was needed and she watched for a few moments as the leader of Team NUGT scurried away to rejoin his team, likely already planning on twisting the events in his own retelling of them to be a tale of his own charisma and sexual magnetism. Zirconia ripped her mask off once the young man was out of sight and fought the urge to violently retch or scream out loud at what she had been forced to do in pursuit of her goals; she had already decided that she needed more information about exactly what Aefen was doing and what Nero was, by whatever degrees allowing himself to be party to and upon further consideration she had decided that Nugget could provide the means to do so, given that the young man was such an obvious social-climber and already made a habit to court favour wherever he could any interest in the actions of Aefen Cruor could be easily explained as the Chicken Faunus having simply chosen to commit to what he saw as the winning side. The only reason Zirconia had not immediately set him to work as her patsy was because she both wanted to ensure his trustworthiness as an agent and because she needed time to allow him to become used to the idea of following her orders. It sickened her to her core that she was acting like the very worst of what Athena had seen in her and a moment later she had sunk into a sitting position against the wall of the parapet, taking in shaky breaths and drawing her scroll from a pocket with trembling fingers; once again looking at old pictures in an effort to find some inner peace.

Now however looking at a picture of her and Athena-Jade together simply made her feel dirty as the stabbing pain of loss became unbearable.

Cornflower Blue had spent the better part of the morning working up the courage and mental and emotional fortitude to leave the small refuge apartment which had become her sanctuary from the world beyond.

The previous evenings' conversation with her son, particularly the realisation that Stygian himself had already personally run afoul of the same monsters that had stormed their home and the people who controlled them had been the final push that she had needed in order to put her feeling towards Coco Adel, or more fairly the inactive establishment that she represented aside and take action for the good of everyone. It was to that end that she had awoken that morning and immediately began preparing herself, writing down details and trying to remember every last detail of what had transpired since Pikesreach had been attacked; both what she had seen personally and what she had heard in passing and keeping the sequence of events in tact in her mind; all whilst building up the nerve to finally venture out into the city of Port Alistair for the first time.

Breaktide Academy had been a relatively short walk away and even this had been enough for Cornflower to be almost overwhelmed by the sheer intensity and variety of the sounds and smells suddenly assaulting her from all angles but also to be left dazed and starting into space, remembering fondly as some half-caught sensation thrust her into a memory of her previous life as an ordinary young woman with dreams of leaving normalcy behind to seek out something more exciting. The entire experience, a journey lasting less than half an hour on foot had been undercut and soured by the sense of fear that had pervaded it as fears that now felt even more vindicated of just how far Damascus Nero and his followers could extend their shadowy grasp saw her veering away from every darkened side-street and warily eyeing every car that slowed down or came to a halt in her presence.

Though she had taken precautions, in the form of a kitchen knife carried in such a way that she could clutch it as she walked without the blade being visible.

Cornflower Blue refused to be a victim again and that determination had seen her power through her fears and stride with resolve and a commanding aura onto the grounds of Breaktide Academy where she had asked an uncertain looking student who seemed too young to be more than a First Year for directions to the nearest administrator who could put her in contact with Headmistress Adel.

And now the two women were sat opposite one another in Coco's office.

"You're certain?" the Headmistress asked slowly, seeming to hold her breath even as she spoke and slowly removed the sunglasses that she had been wearing indoors for reasons Cornflower couldn't fathom, setting them down on the desk and allowing her head to sink into her hands for a moment.

"Well I haven't been in the Kingdoms for some time so I don't know who all the celebrities and such like are" the Mouse Faunus admitted "But the man who came to Pikesreach and called himself Damascus Nero looked and sounded exactly like the person in those videos you just showed me….It would be a convincing body double"

"I can think of at least two people whose Semblances could create a convincing image, although one of them is dead and the other is retired and was on our side" Coco murmured, clearly thinking aloud for a moment "I can't see any direct benefits to him sending a body double even if he had someone we don't know about, he would have been better off just using a recorded message or another transmission-"

"He came, gave a speech, rounded up the people he wanted and left" Cornflower repeated, feeling a need to to contribute something to the other woman's monologue as she subconsciously fell victim to something of the design of Coco's office and experienced the same imposing air of control and authority which had seen many reprimanded students confessing their guilt and apologising profusely before the Headmistress had even begun to speak.

"As you said" Coco nodded "Do you have any idea where he departed for, or even if it was the same place that he came to you from, or if he has one other base of operations or several? Any information we can use to build a picture of his movements and intentions is useful"

"I don't, I'm sorry" Cornflower shook her head "But when he took people from Pikesreach it was to train them to fight and to use his Cyber-Grimm, he spoke openly about 'liberating' other places the way he did to us….So maybe the places that Cyber-Grimm have been seen in the wastes and around settlements are places he's sending people in advance?"

"The bastard" Coco growled before seeming to catch herself and giving Cornflower an apologetic look, though the tattooed Mouse Faunus was entirely unbothered and frankly saw the outburst as something refreshingly honest and more reassuring than any amount of polite platitudes.

"Those people he took….They're kids, most of them have never seen or experienced anything beyond Pikesreach, they don't know what they're being sent out to do"

"We won't use any more force handling them than we need to" Coco nodded, sensing the direction Cornflower's concerned words were heading "Though if they're being trained to fight that's going to take some time….This is why we need more information Miss Blue, the best option is to capture Nero and his closest allies before they can do what they did to Pikesreach anywhere else"

"I understand that!" Cornflower fought to keep her cool as she felt pressure mounting on her in ways she was entirely unprepared for "I'm not a Hunter like you….This is not my world Miss Adel"

"I know and I am sorry for the situation you're being put in" Coco sighed "But the more help you can provide, the more help I can provide to others"

"He said that Pikesreach is a research facility now" Cornflower massaged her temples, mouse-tail coiling and uncoiling reflexively behind her "I don't know what it is that his scientist, Doctor Cruor is researching there but it must be important for the amount of protection it has"

"What kinds of protection?"

"Hunters, a whole team….plus a girl who works on her own, Zirconia Shadowmoon" Coco's hateful expression at the name of her former student spoke volumes but Cornflower pressed on "And Cyber-Grimm, different kinds...With one of them that can talk"

"Gestalt-Prime" Coco murmured "That complicates things….But also gives us some potential opportunities"

"Just work quickly, please" Cornflower fought to keep a pleading, desperate edge from her words "People are dying"

"I understand" Coco nodded, speaking solemnly "And rest assured that-"

Whatever else the Headmistress wanted to say was cut short by the sound of the door to her office being opened and awkward, hurried footsteps as a familiar pair of students came into view with the determination in their approach clearly struggling against sudden nerves.

"Professor Adel, I'm sorry for the interruption but we have important information that could….Mum?"

"Mister Blue. Miss Slate" Coco gave the pair a pointed look, doing so as she donned her glasses once again solely to be able to peer at her students over their rim before turning her attention to Cornflower "Miss Blue, I assume that your son is aware of the things that we have been discussing here"

"He is" Cornflower nodded.
"Well" Coco sighed "This complicates things"

After the events of the early morning Astra Mars had given serious consideration to simply forgoing classes for the day entirely; an option that the Deer Faunus had only managed to convince themselves to overlook after several rounds of chiding, cajoling, urging and simple straightforward nagging from Athena-Jade whose dedication to Team MARS's studies, especially combined with a desire to be doing anything at all in order to feel useful was a truly formidable force. In fall fairness Astra could concede that the snowy-haired Bear Faunus had raised several valid points, not least of which being that they were now third year students, their workload was far greater and far more challenging than it had ever been before and Team MARS were collectively missing far too many of their classes; the risk of falling behind was not one that they should be willing to take when the stakes were so much higher.

Although Astra maintained that Athena's threat of calling their older brother and letting Felix be the one to talk sense to them was a bridge to far.

By the time lunch had begun however Astra, despite their agreement with Athena's opinion in principle had found their resolve and commitment wavering as their exhaustion caught up with them, the lack of sleep affecting their focus in more academic classes and their performance in physical subjects to an embarrassing degree.

As a compromise Athena-Jade had accompanied Stygian up to Professor Adel's office within the main central spire of the academy in order to relay the information that the Mouse Faunus learned the previous evening and Astra, arguing that there was a chance that the whole team might need to be at least somewhat prepared for action had chosen to return to the dormitory for an hour where they had intended to rest, albeit without actually sleeping before making a final decision on whether or not they returned to classes for the latter half of the day. Regalia had chosen to accompany her partner and was currently ensuring that Astra did not inadvertently fall asleep, her chosen method of doing so being one that was now almost entirely predictable.

Though if Astra had any complaints they were muffled by Regalia's mouth on their own.

"Heh, this is….really nice" the Racoon Faunus murmured as she straddled Astra's waist whilst the two of them shared their bunk, her face hovering only a few inches above theirs.

"Yeah" Astra answered slowly, thumb lazily tracing her cheek as they stared into her eyes for a few seconds "You are ridiculously pretty and I don't say it enough"

Regalia's response to that was a contented sigh as she allowed herself to sink down on top of her partner, stealing a few more quick kisses as the two of them draped themselves over one another in a tangle of limbs which left their uniforms ruffled to a degree that would no doubt lead to snickering and lewd comments from their classmates soon enough. The moment of peace lasted only a brief while as Astra sense of responsibility finally made itself known and the Deer Faunus reluctantly checked their scroll.

"What time is it?" Regalia asked, her voice revealing her own sleepiness which was being made more pronounced by the way Astra absently played with her hair with their free hand, threatening to lull her to sleep in short order.

"Lunch is gonna be over soon" they admitted ruefully "And no word from AJ or Stitch, they should be-"

Astra was interrupted by the dormitory door being flung open with such force that for a fraction of a second the Deer Faunus thought it had been kicked from its' hinges and both Astra Regalia leapt up and prepared themselves for an imminent assault only to halted by the scowling and clearly displeased expressions of their team-mates.

"The fuck?" Astra demanded, the words both a question and declaration of annoyance at Athena and Stygian's entrance.

"Sorry" Stygian snapped the word out harshly, a tone that did more harm than good until the Mouse Faunus took a moment to breath and correct himself in a more gentle tone "Sorry….I, just….Damn it all!"

"What happened, you wanna talk about it?" Astra asked, Regalia making room for them to slip down from their bunk.

"Professor Adel had already heard everything I wanted to tell her" Stygian gave a bitter laugh "My mum was there….She decided to talk to the Professor herself, told her everything; even some of the details she didn't tell me last night-"

"It sounds horrible" Athena's fists clenched, knuckles audibly popping within her gloves whilst the anger was undercut by the sudden waver in her voice "And it's her, it's Zirconia there in the middle of all of it….How could she do this, did we ever really know her? After everything we, everything I…."

She trailed off as Stygian gently patted her shoulder.

"She'll get what she deserves" Stygian's voice was a growl, the soft gesture and harsh words a mirror of Athena's current state.

"I don't think she can" Athena grimaced "I don't think any of us could hurt her that much"

"Let me try" Astra's voice was low and dangerous, their fury bubbling to the surface at the thought of the friend who had betrayed them all but Athena most unforgivably.

"This isn't helping" Regalia noted, hands wringing and bushy tail tucking against her leg as she shook her head "I mean I'm angry with her too, so angry….But sitting here talking about how we're going to hurt someone when we catch them, is that the kind of people we are?"

"Fuck" Stygian hissed the word through clenched teeth, succinctly conveying his feelings despite how inarticulate it might be whilst Astra reached out and gently took Regalia's hand.

"Regalia's right" they breathed out "So what did Professor Adel say?"

"That naturally we don't get to do anything and if we try to do anything there will be very real consequences, our expulsion being the least of our problems-"

"That tracks" Astra snorted as they heard Athena's answer "Guess she hasn't forgotten our first year"

"She needs time to plan" Stygian's expression soured "I hate it, there're plenty of good people in Pikesreach but the Headmistress says she needs time to organise and prepare a proper response….There's a good chance that if they know my mum escaped that Zirconia, Gestalt-Prime and the others might not even be there any more. I need to do something"

"Then we'll do something else" Astra offered, the idea still forming in their mind even as they spoke; all of the wit which served them well as a team leader making itself known "You need a distraction and your mum needs a lot of stuff right? We'll help her decorate or at least pick up things she needs to get settled….Hell if we talk to Laser we can probably get it for cheap"

"That….Yeah, yeah that's a good idea man" Stygian nodded, letting out a slow breath and visibly relaxing a fraction "Thanks man, she'll appreciate that"

"And if you have a room at your mums' new place we can get you a blanket and some teddy bears for it" Athena-Jade teased, managing to put Zirconia and everything the woman that a part of her still loved out of her mind enough to affect the sing-song voice used by all siblings.

"You suck" Stygian snorted, turning his new partners' signature complaint against her and being rewarded with a look of utmost scandalised disbelief before Athena, seeing the snickers being kept at bay gave a huff and turned on her heel.

"You all suck….And lunch is almost over, we have class" the chorus of groans that followed her made it clear that she earned no favour with that parting shot.

Coco Adel had called an emergency meeting of her trusted confidants within the shadowy cabal she was a part of at her earliest convenience, the limitations of her allies' schedules and the various responsibilities which bound them resulting in a delay of several hours wherein classes had concluded for the day and Coco had managed to speak first with Velvet and Yatsuhashi so that she could inform her former team-mates and partners in all things of the latest developments and hear their thoughts and counsel on the matter. From there she had spoken to those amongst her faculty who were either a part of the group or adjacent to it and aware of enough to be informed, a list which included Arslan Alan and both Penny and Ruby Rose.

It was the latter who sat beside Coco as the Headmistress finished recounting the information she had been given by Cornflower and, to a lesser degree Stygian Blue.

The two women were sole occupants of the office, though each knew that the other would relay any pertinent information and decisions that had been made to their partner and any other relevant parties once the meeting was concluded whilst on the screen of Coco's thoroughly secured computer there were two video feeds which showed a trio of figures; Ren and Nora in Neo Vale, with the diminutive and now-scarred redheads' cybernetic eyes glowing in a way that might seem ominous were it not for the way she draped herself over her husbands' shoulders rendering the owlish display somewhat cartoonish in a stark contrast to Ren's stoic and reserved unreadability and finally General Winter Schnee, currently aboard her flagship rather than residing in Atlas Academy and allowing her own emotions to seep into every ounce of her being and yet remaining so controlled they manifested as no more than a contorted expression and the sound of her Cybernetic leg, lost when her airship had been destroyed in the battle of Menagerie tapping against the floor erratically until she finally spoke.

"I believe that we're all thinking it" she finally growled "But it seems that nobody else is willing to say it….So then it falls to me-"

"You want to launch an all out assault on Pikesreach, take it by force and do as much damage as we have to?" Nora surmised, trying to hide the giddiness and utter delight at the idea of finally taking the fight to the enemy and putting Damascus Nero, the Benefactor who had eluded them for so long on the defensive which she tried to weigh against more measured and pragmatic responses. Coco and Ruby shared a brief look without speaking, the Silver-Eyed Warrior's own cybernetic whirring slightly as her grimace matched Coco's feelings about both Nora and Winter being of the same mind.

"No" Winter shook her head, surprising everyone present "It's not a suggestion I make lightly, not one I would ever want to make….But I think we should give serious consideration to simply destroying Pikesreach completely. I can have airships sent to-"

"No" Coco answered firmly, her voice dangerous in its' coldness "Categorically. We are not discussing it, we are not entertaining the idea"

"Agreed" Nora nodded, clearly regarding Winter with some shock "I was suggesting we go kick ass and save people….Not wipe an entire settlement off the map; there are innocent people there"

"Indeed" Winter nodded "And there are plenty more innocent people at risk, potentially all across Remnant if we don't act decisively….This could be our best chance to strike, take out several of Nero's most valuable allies; possibly even Gestalt-Prime. Doing so with an aerial bombardment is more strategically sound than throwing several teams of Hunters into a meat-grinder against Cyber-Grimm, especially with their Alpha present-"

"No" Coco repeated, her tone this time something which would have threatened almost any other person and one which left Ruby shuffling uncomfortably as the temperature in the room seemed to plummet.

"I can't condone this kind of conduct Winter" Ren shook his head, coming to Coco's side "We won't start trading some lives for others"

"Besides" the heavy and expressive brows of Nora's cybernetic eyes adjusted as she spoke "From what Coco said it sounds like Nero's people probably know or at least suspect that we know about Pikesreach; they've probably run back to his main base of operations….which we still don't have any idea how to find"

"Unless this new research project he had Cruor working on is too dangerous to move" Winter countered "Something I would argue is the case, given that he has taken care to locate it away from his own position and also to defend it so thoroughly-"

"Which is another reason that we shouldn't destroy all traces of it; beyond the fact we're not monsters" Coco noted, a sneer slipping into her voice at the last words "We need information, anything we can salvage or learn about Nero's future plans would be invaluable; if he's making more Grimm-based weapons we could have a chance to reverse engineer them instead of just taking out one of his rough drafts"

"A solid argument" Winter admitted "Which takes us back to Nora's suggestion of a frontal assault….Against a fortified enemy, using weaponised Grimm, whose exact capabilities are unknown and who have the advantage of having civilians they are able to use as hostages if they need to"

"I can go" Ruby offered, breaking her silence "Penny and I….a surgical strike, I rush in and use my Silver Eyes to take out the Cyber-Grimm; Penny covers my back and then we grab Doctor Cruor, Zirconia Shadowmoon and anybody else we can-"

"Negative" Winter shook her head "You haven't fought Cyber-Grimm before so we have no way to test the theory….But I think given everything we know about Damascus Nero and his motivations it would be foolish to think that he hasn't accounted for your presence and put some sort of countermeasure in place"

"I know it's not what you want to hear but she's right" Coco sighed "We could be sending you into a trap, Nero's new weapon could be something specifically meant to counter you and that's why he's based it on Menagerie"

"Do you have any suggestions?" Ren asked, reserved and thoughtful "You've had this information for longer than the rest of us"

"Some" Coco nodded "The first thing we need to do is convince the Council of Menagerie to act and the idea of losing our Kingdom to Nero is scary enough that they can be convinced. Now that we know, with proof from multiple sources what his approach to expanding outwards is we can act against it by deploying Hunters to places that have been overlooked-"

"Your people are stretched thin, you'll need more Hunters" Winter noted "I have some recent graduates and some Specialists I'd be willing to encourage to travel into your jurisdiction"

"We'll take them" Coco nodded gratefully before adding "But I want to know who they are beforehand….We don't need an international incident because an Atlesian said something stupid in an old Vaccuan settlement or forgot that Faunus aren't a minority here-"

"I assure those sorts of people have been expunged from my military" Winter gave a distasteful look at the memory of just what she had inherited from General Ironwood.

"But what about Pikesreach?" Ruby asked.

"I propose a reconnaissance mission before we do anything else" Coco answered carefully "There are too many variables that we need answers to, we can't win this fight if we're constantly chasing after Nero whilst blindfolded….We need to do it in a way that won't play our hand though; if Nero's people are still there then we let him think we're busy elsewhere"

"I agree" Ren nodded, his expression becoming an odd one as a fond smile tugging at his lips contrasted against the worry in his eyes "Though given that this information was brought to us by the mother of Stygian Blue I have to wonder if we have another problem….Liberating Pikesreach was his main reason for becoming a Hunter"

"And AJ was in pieces after what Zirconia did" Ruby noted "The idea of going after her is something that will tempt her whole team-"

"If my niece were ever to consider such a-"

"Team MARS have been warned of the consequences and will be quietly observed to ensure they don't do anything reckless" Coco interjected, cutting off that particular topic of conversation before exhaling tiredly and adding "I have a plan….Or at least some ideas"

"Sometimes when you say things like that it gives me the opposite of confidence" Ruby managed a wry smile which was shared by those joining the conversation from other Kingdoms, Coco for her part simply slumped back in her seat and nodded.

"I'm not confident either" she admitted "We can't afford to be"

For Aefen Cruor it was a rare pleasure, something truly unheard of for her to have a willing test subject offering themselves up as wet clay to be sculpted into something beautiful, something better and beyond the limitations of human flesh.

The twisted scientist only hoped that she could make the most of the opportunity before her.

She watched from within the control room of her secret, innermost lab within the lair she had made for herself within one of Pikesreach's larger buildings; starting at the test subject who had volunteered themselves and silently wondering if she should remove her customary mask and offer a smile or some theatrical words about purpose and sacrifice to show her appreciation and let her follower be more at ease in what would likely be their last moments as the meagre, but ultimately coherent and self aware being they currently existed as.

Ultimately Aefen decided against it and simply continued with her work.

Strapped to the recently cleaned and several-times decontaminated metallic slab was a member of the Path of the Apex Being; if Aefen recalled the man was someone who had worked many low-paying and simple jobs which had been made dangerous by the fact that they took place outside of a Kingdoms' walls, a large and burly man littered with scars and tattoos who had spent his life alternating between unrewarding and unsatisfying work and subsisting in a haze of squalor and poor company lingering around dive bars filled with rough crowds until eventually his life had been given a purpose when the truth and beauty of the Creatures of Grimm had been revealed to him by the Path of the Apex Being and he had made a name for himself as one of the most physically capable amongst them and someone who did not waver in the face of violence where those plucked from more peaceful walks of life otherwise might. In truth Aefen cared little for those specifics, only for a single fact about the man which made him significant to her; namely that somewhere in the course of his chequered past either evading the Grimm as he worked out in the wilderness or simply in a particularly brutal bar-fight the man had unlocked his Aura.

Which, if Aefen's calculations and formulas were correct meant that the her willing subject had a better chance of survival.

"All vital signs are normal" she murmured to herself, a statement that was not strictly true however her subjects' raised heart-rate and other signs of emotional unsteadiness were all expected, within acceptable parameters and frankly unimportant to the proceedings. Aefen gave the man a final glance and studied the bearish form which had been stripped of clothing to reveal masses of practical muscle covered with a layer of padding and weather-beaten, tanned and ruddy skin; if she had been capable of regarding him as more than a means to an end Aefen would have noted that as far as the human form went he was certainly a specimen that could be appreciated and enjoyed.

"And now" she breathed out, pushing such vulgar ideas out of her mind and instead allowing herself to grow giddy with anticipation "The moment of truth, for science"

A final series of commands saw a single metal armature slide into place, there was no need to gag a willing participant and so the means to remove such a restraint were equally pointless which left only means to affix the gas mask which would serve as a delivery system and which was in turn connected to the roiling, shifting and gaseous basis of the symbiotic micro-Grimm Aefen had engineered. She had concluded that her choice of delivery system was superior to other alternatives, having the subject inhale her specimen rather than having it injected into the bloodstream or simply graft itself to a hosts' flesh allowed the subjects' Aura to be bypassed but maintained rather than forcibly depleted.

Her willing test subject took only a few deep gulps of the shifting, living thundercloud which seemed to react and plunge deeper into the man's gullet and from there it became obvious that things were beginning to take effect in a way that was different to her previous experiments.

Aefen paid no mind to the suddenly spiking and fluctuating readings, those were being recorded and could be studied at length at a later date; of paramount importance to the twisted scientist was the transformation currently taking place before her.

The man's Aura began to ripple and stutter in a twisted nexus of light almost immediately whilst any delusions of grandeur or some role of importance in the divine was quickly stripped from him; his expression contorting into terrified agony only able to be expressed in a choking and mewling whimper which seemed even more pitiable coming from such a large figure. Aefen watched as her test subject began to convulse and spasm violently within the restraints holding him in place whilst his skin began to lose colour, becoming a ghoulish corpse-grey in a matter of moments as dark veins entirely unconnected with his own circulatory system began to etch themselves across its' surface. Hair fell in clumps and dark, bubbling blood ran from his nose, ears and eyes until the latter were reduced to featureless scarlet orbs.

It was there that the transformation became truly horrific.

With his attempts at screaming reduced further until they were a waterlogging gurgling wretch the man's mouth and throat exploded outwards; jaw, teeth and tongue becoming a lashing and whipping array of tendrils each adorned with fang-ringed suction cups like those of an octopus whose appearance was made all the more gruesome by the fact that the sundered maw they sprouted from was still part of a distinctly human head. Such traces of humanity began to fade as the now pallid and chalky, vein-etched skin began to slough off in rough and uneven patches to reveal dripping obsidian muscle and viscera beneath; the thing which could no longer rightly be considered the test subject continued to shift and contort as its' skeleton began to morph and erupt through its' skinless and jet black flesh, spears of bone puncturing through fingertips extended the reach of the monstrosity whilst its' ribs seemed to bubble to the surface and irregular spikes and jutting nubs of bone punctured its' body in almost random clusters which focused themselves around joins and in doing so severed enough of the restraints binding the thing to the metallic surgical slab for it to sag forward under its' own weight and the altering of its' spine.

Finally the things' skull began to enlarge, bone erupting out in multiple places and spearing the tattered and bloodless remains of a man's skin so that the last vestiges of the test subject remained affixed to what he had become, worn like some sickening cloak by the thing which now scratched at the ground and cocked its' bloated and misshapen head with the tendrils spewing from its' mangled jaw twitching and moving rhythmically as though it were scenting the air with them. All whilst a dimly pulsing, bloody red bioluminescence began to glow from within the shadowy recesses of the skin cloak; a light which Aefen soon saw was being cast by the withered and foul caps of dozens of fungal and mushroom like growth sprouting from every shrouded part of the new specimens' body. Most importantly of all the thing remained stationary, making no moves to attack or indeed do anything else yet.

"Lo and behold….The path has led to you, my apex being" Aefen's voice wavered, in truth she could have wept. Standing before her separated by defensive precautions was the culmination of her life's work and an unyielding belief that she was right; those who had scorned and censured her and their small-minded lack of vision be damned.

She had created a living, seemingly stable hybridisation of Grimm and human flesh.

If she could improve her design to perfection then there would be a new age on Remnant; one where humans were free of the predations of the Creatures of Grimm, an age without conflict as a Hive-Mind could be established between all of humanity in order to reach unprecedented levels of understanding and cooperation, an age without sickness, fear or weakness.

Nero's vaunted bright new tomorrow was nothing but a precursor to the brilliance Aefen Cruor had in mind for the people of Remnant.

Athena-Jade Slate was currently suffering from a sleep schedule which was utterly ruined by the activity of recent days, with her lack of sleep that very morning and the reasons behind it being a chief culprit.

When classes had finally concluded for the day Team MARS had collectively and with no need for discussion on the matter decided to retreat to their dormitory in search of rest, the four of them spending a few hours between afternoon and evening either browsing their scrolls idly in an unfocused haze or else making a small and ultimately dismissible effort at one or other of their various assignments and any number of small tasks that required their attention if only to be doing anything at all; it had been Stygian who had kept up these admirable efforts the longest, with the Mouse Faunus clearly being powered more by an inability to sit still than any genuine desire to study or clean as the current constraints upon him and the knowledge of what had befallen his childhood home had continued to rankle.

Eventually however exhaustion could be ignored no further and the four of them had, once again without any need to discuss the matter between themselves elected to go to bed early and try to recover the sleep they had lost, so early in fact that the sun had not yet fully set outside of their window when they did so.

Athena-Jade had managed a few hours of fitful dozing which had allowed her to recover at least a little before her body had jolted itself back into a wakefulness which it would not relinquish and after several failed attempts to drift off once more the Bear Faunus had chosen keep herself amused in a way which would not risk waking her friends; specifically by texting her adopted younger sister with whom she had spoken far too little in recent weeks.

With Coral's latest reply causing the screen of Athena-Jade's scroll to illuminate the now darkened dormitory.

'Glad to hear you're doing better…..You didn't hear it from me but Ruby was worried enough to talk to Weiss about it'Athena frowned at the message, which the Crab Faunus had chosen to end with a small collection of emojis; wishing once again that her adopted sister would finally refer to Weiss and Gangrel as parents after all they had done for her but understanding her position and reasoning. The knowledge that her Aunt Ruby had contacted her parents without letting her know also irking her a little; though Athena could once again understand the decision that had been made given her behaviour during the first week of classes.

'Yeah things were rough. Me and my new partner didn't exactly gel straight away….My fault' Athena sent the text and muffled a yawn as she waited for the next message, rubbing at tired and itching eyes with a calloused hand whilst idly wondering, not for the first time just how Coral managed to type text messages so quickly with pincers in place of hands; the thought seeming to herald the arrival of the latest reply which came in short order.

'You were having a bad time, totally understandable. If they're a jerk about it let me know and I'll get Uncle Whitley to arrange something suitably mean-spirited….But in the meantime, got a pic?' Athena cracked a toothy smile as she read that; Coral had a mischievous streak about her which was frankly frightening when turned to the task of righteous justice and she had no doubts that if Uncle Whitely were involved the two of them would concoct something harmless and yet utterly unspeakable. Shaking her head gently the Bear Faunus opened her scrolls' image gallery and began searching for something suitable, she had very few recent photographs however there was one new picture of the team which Astra had insisted on taking at the walls of Maiden-Gate which Athena quickly attached.

'Stygian, we call him Stitch. His old team were at the tournament last year' with that she sent the message, having to wait only a moment for a reply whose swiftness caused Athena to raise a snowy eyebrow.

'Oh so do they just keep ALL the hot people in storage in case you need a spare?' the appalled squawk which left Athena upon reading the message saw her covering her mouth with her hands; nervously glancing around the dorm to see if she had accidentally woken anybody but letting out a sigh of relief at the sight of Astra and Regalia who had fallen asleep in an uncomfortable looking tangle of limbs wherein they were quite possibly drooling on one another after sharing a bunk and innocently cuddling and the sound of Stygian's regular breathing above her from a bunk which Athena no longer found herself thinking of as Zirconia's quite so often. Eventually, certain that a rosy blush was colouring her alabaster cheeks the Bear Faunus typed out the only response she could think of.

'You suck, you suck so bad, you are the suckiest!' she once again had only a few moment to wait for a reply before her scroll illuminated the dormitory.

'It's not just me that think it. Oh and Henry says hi by the way' Athena's eyes passed over the words several times, her mind churning and sputtering as something seemed to remain just out of reach of her comprehension before the realisation came and she was left typing furiously.

'How is your boyfriend saying hi to me right now young lady? WHERE ARE YOU SLEEPING?' in truth it was largely a response meant to elicit a laugh from her sibling and Henry, who had been Athena's friend at one of Atlas's premier private schools for as long as she could remember; a young man she trusted implicitly. Almost a full minute ticked by before Coral's reply arrived and Athena was once again left shaking her head at the response she had received.

'I'm sorry, if you are looking to arrange a meeting with a spokesperson for the Schnee Dust Company then please contact you nearest regional office during normal business hours' Athena took a moment to compose herself, features forming a smirk as she began typing a retort she hoped would get a blush from either Coral or Henry, who was presumably reading the messages from over Coral's shoulder or other similar positions which Athena chose not to think too closely about.

Only to find herself interrupted by a thundering knock on the door.

"WHAT THE….Shit, fuck damn it" Astra had awoken with a start and their initial bellowed, automatic and barely aware question was cut short by the way both they and Regalia struggled to extricate themselves from one another in a display that Athena was certain would have been funny in other circumstances. By contrast Stygian was awake and hyper-alert with a suddenness and a wariness in his electric blue eyes and his tail coiling and twitching as he leapt to the ground which suggested he might have been in the midst of a nightmare which his waking mind had not fully discarded yet.

Leaving Athena herself to be the voice of reason.

"Uh, who is it?" she asked as she slipped from beneath the many layers of sheets she slept beneath yawning and stretching as she padded across the dormitory to the dorm.

"Professor Adel" the answer and the familiar voice giving it saw each of the team instantly stand a little straighter as Athena flipped the light switch and opened the door to reveal Coco Adel herself.

"My apologies for waking you, I honestly tend to assume that my students are awake and somehow not studying until the early hours of the morning" a faint smile tugged at the corners of the older woman's mouth whilst behind her Athena heard Astra grumbling.

"I think she just called us lame?"

"A decision has been made regarding Pikesreach" Coco pushed on, immediately more serious "And given your connection the subject I felt it only right to keep you informed of the developing situation, though I hope it goes without saying that this conversation is not to be repeated; to anybody"

"Yes professor" Athena nodded, her team-mates making sound of agreement behind her until Stygian spoke up.

"Are you launching a counterattack on Nero's people? We'll help, I'm ready to go right now-"

"Whilst I commend your enthusiasm Mister Blue you are currently not even wearing pants" Coco retorted tonelessly, an answer which left Athena-Jade fighting the urge to both turn around to confirm it and also to laugh out loud despite the seriousness of the situation.

"How can we help?" Astra asked, now sounding much more like their usual selves after having a moment to wake up more fully.

"It has been decided that a recon mission to Pikesreach is the most viable path forwards….We simply do not have enough information for anything else at present" Coco paused, seeming to take a moment to steel herself for what she planned to say next "However, that mission will not be taking place immediately-"

"WHAT?"

"BECAUSE, Mister Blue" she powered through Stygian's indigence "At present, given the loss of Hammerfall Outpost and the obvious scale of Damascus Nero's own intelligence network we have to assume that any actions we take to apprehend him or his allies will be seen before they can become an immediate threat; meaning that we need a suitable cover story"

"Heh, student training missions" Regalia chimed in sleepily, putting the pieces together before her friends.

"Precisely Miss Russet" Coco nodded "A task which I believe will be easier with your own Semblance, Mister Blue's knowledge of the area and the overall power and versatility Team MARS have at their disposal to bolster a more senior and qualified Hunter….The only question I need you to answer is this, do you believe that you are prepared, truly prepared for what this mission might entail"

Team MARS gave their answers in a heartbeat and it was the only possible response to such a question.

Author's Notes:

Okay boom, another chapter down and this one was fun to write for several reasons.
We also now have a pretty solid idea of how the Vol.07 finale is gonna go, so I hope you're looking forward to that.
That being said, Vol.07 lasts until 126 and we've actually got a couple more chapters to go before we get into the finale, there's a few more things to move into place….It's gonna be great.

But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Oh yeah Stygian is absolutely pissed after the end of the last chapter.
I think we all understand that no matter how ill-advised Stygian's plan to load up on supplies 'borrow' a car and then head out might be, it's still completely understandable.
Even on no sleep AJ makes an entrance.
I mean Stitch at least had a plan of how to use the Dust he was stealing to get into Pikesreach, better than nothing but still dumb.
And now AJ knows where Hops is.
A few weeks ago AJ would absolutely have said fuck it and gone after Zirconia without a thought, but she's right here; running face first into a heavily fortified position against an unknown but definitely higher than you're prepared for number of enemies who have hostages is just dumb.
Honestly things like the kids training to be fighters being sent to run laps around the perimeter walls whilst there's a shift change and people starting their day getting their breakfast delivered just makes Pikesreach feel a little bit more lived in, as though there's things beyond the plot going on there.
Nugget really is just existing to be a dick at this point, only AJ gets to call her Hops.
He's a chicken Faunus who named his weapons Cluck-shot and Cluck-stick….You know damn well he makes cock and stuffing related innuendos.
It's a good thing Zirconia wears that mask now, it hides how much she wanted to throw up in her mouth throughout the entire conversation.
The carrot she's dangling is a chance for Nugget to further his own position and the stick is the threat of Carmesi, pretty effective.
"The three piece chicken combo"….Given the other innuendos, I'll leave this one up to your imagination.
But, at great personal cost to her self-respect Zirconia has got what she needed….Nugget is always trying to worm his way into peoples' good graces and she can use him to get more info without raising suspicions.
So Cornflower has finally plucked up the courage to go outside.
More importantly however, she's now told Coco about Pikesreach which means have no choice but to progress forwards.
Things like Semblance-created body doubles do have to be considered but Coco is right, it wouldn't be Emerald and Neo has been dead for about thirty years at this point.
Honestly Coco doesn't need to apologise for the outburst, I'd trust that more than politician talk.
Of course Stitch and AJ turned up then, when else would they turn up.
Astra is having one of those days where your alarm for school/work goes off and your first thought is "Fuck this".
AJ was absolutely out of pocket for threatening to call they're brother.
These two dorks are so into each other it's sickening.
Okay so now all of Team MARS are on the same page about who knows what and everyone is rightly and understandably upset….But Regalia is right, if you've reached a point where you're sitting around devising ways to make someone suffer when you catch them then you're not the hero any more.
Helping Cornflower get settled into a new place is a great team building exercise.
Velvet and/or Yatsu and Penny should probably have been a part of the meeting but there were five people there already.
Nora really misjudged just how far Winter was willing to take things….And whilst I'm certainly not condoning deliberate civilian casualties, you can't tell me it's not something that wouldn't be considered by modern militaries, canon Atlas or Atlas within this series.
See this kind of debate and discussion is key to highlighting why the heroes seem to be inactive, there's just too much to consider and not enough information to make an informed decision: Is the enemy still there? How well defended are they? Should we attempt to salvage their equipment for study? Are they willing to use hostages? Does our usual anti-Grimm weapon still work here? Is this a trap?
But on the bright side, knowing what Nero's wider approach in regards to settlements on the island is allows him to be countered, which in turn allows for his people to be captured.
So, recon mission….At least that's the plan, but no plan ever survives contact with the enemy.
Oh boy brace yourself for some body horror….Honestly this might be my favourite horror-flavoured transformation I've ever written.
So instead of using beaten prisoners with no Aura she's going to use one of her own people, willing, healthier, stronger and with an Aura in place in order to give the Grimm tissue a chance to take root and form a symbiosis.
Aefen 'Monster fucker supreme' Cruor looked at that man's cock and thought "Not a tentacle but not bad".
Inhaling the Grimm specimen and having it work from the inside out works as a way of bypassing the Aura without breaking it, at least for this particular specimen.
I won't say too much about the transformation, but the end result is a mostly humanoid Grimm, with spiked fingers, a tendril mouth and distended skull which is wearing the skin of its' previous human self as a cloak and has bioluminescent mushrooms growing in the dark spots.
The transformation took some inspirations from the Necron Flayed Ones from Warhammer 40k, The Last of Us Cordyceps virus and a cinematic trailer for….I think it was Baldur's Gate.
And the crazy part is that Aefen's actual goals, a world without conflict or sickness where humanity doesn't have to worry about the Grimm is actually pretty noble….The problem is everything she did to get there.
RIP AJ's sleep schedule, she can't do mornings but can't sleep either.
The texting session with Coral was just to have some more of Coral since people seem to enjoy her as a character and her interactions with Athena.
'Oh so do they just keep ALL the hot people in storage in case you need a spare?' I mean, is she wrong?
Followed by mild heart attack that the baby sister is currently not alone in her bed; RIP AJ.
I'm sure you all guessed exactly where it was going as soon as you read that it was Coco at the door.
"I think she just called us lame?" I mean, we're all lame compared to Coco.
"Whilst I commend your enthusiasm Mister Blue you are currently not even wearing pants" Can you tell that I was enjoying writing Coco in this scene?
So student missions, which are usually where I end a volume anyway are going to serve as cover for Team MARS to accompany certain more qualified Hunters to Pikesreach for a 'Recon' mission.
So, the question is just how wrong can it go? Are we gonna get a Hops Vs AJ rematch?

Thank you to MajorBrony95 for their review on the last chapter.
Good to see your feedback again, it's been missed.
Yep, Aefen is monster fucker supreme.
However grisly you think this is gonna get...It's gonna get worse, trust me.
Yeah Zirconia's life is a complicated mess of her own making at this point.

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