MARZ Rising

by FandomPariah

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

126. Into The Unknown

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

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

I am making no money from this.

Chapter 126: Into The Unknown

It took every ounce of the patience and self control that Pantheon possessed in order to maintain their composure and not send the lesser Creatures of Grimm under their immediate influence into a murderous rage that would be, at least for the moment counterproductive.

The Grimm General had once again been thwarted and denied.

Hunters arriving to bolster existing forces at settlements all across Menagerie had threatened to draw Pantheon's forces into a seemingly deliberately orchestrated three-sided conflict between their own Creatures of Grimm, the Kingdom and its' Hunters and finally the Cyber-Grimm and other forces of Gestalt-Prime and their human allies with Pantheon's own forces being the most likely to suffer sizeable and continuous losses. As a response Pantheon had chosen to consolidate their position, allowing the hunting of Gestalt-Prime and the ongoing campaign against the would-be usurper to stall somewhat as packs and swarms of monsters were pulled back to defend Spawning Pits and fresh pools of primordial darkness were forced into being so that when the time came to strike Pantheon would be ready.

Gestalt-Prime however had clearly been unwilling to respect such a decision or allow the creation of any force that might be mustered against them and as such Cyber-Grimm, in addition to trained fighters who were less trained than Hunters but still heavily armed and equipped with various machines had been loosed upon one of Pantheon's Spawning Pits which they had destroyed entirely.

Both military strategy and the violent, base nature of the Grimm had been in agreement following this and the Grimm General found that swift and brutal retaliation could be the only acceptable path forwards and yet their efforts to inflict such violence had been hampered at seemingly every turn. Hunters had been active all across the island and its' wastelands in surprising numbers and at the same time various packs, herds, swarms and flocks of monsters had been venturing across the wastelands in order to converge on Pikesreach, the place where Pantheon knew that their enemy held something of importance so that the settlement could be surrounded and overrun with every living thing within its' walls being exterminated in a blow that the would-be usurper Grimm would be punished by even if they were not halted entirely; Pantheon had been infuriated with each new loss as the multiple groups encountered one another and time and time again the Creatures of Grimm were destroyed before they could reach their destinations. Another blow had come when their scouting parties, already position much closer to Pikesreach had been cut down; temporarily blinding Pantheon to events surrounded the settlement.

That alone should have served as an omen and a warning that things were afoot.

It had taken some time for Pantheon to rally and position new forces around Pikesreach and by the time they could use the eyes of the lesser monsters the Grimm General had been baffled, but more importantly outraged to see that the settlement had been almost destroyed entirely but not by their hand.

Night had fallen over the wastelands and the shattered moon was still partially blotted out by pillars of smoke that rose from ruined buildings, yet still the pale light could be seen gleaming against the hull of an airship which was no doubt heavily protected and was hanging motionless over the ruins as a silent sentinel.

Various protections and black and yellow striped tape had been set up all around the edges of Pikesreach's territory along with checkpoints which did seem to correspond to the settlements' own defences in any meaningful way, a detail that was somewhat instructive to Pantheon and these positions were staffed by metallic, soulless machines that resembled humans only vaguely; things which the Kingdom of Atlas favoured more than most and who were accompanied by living humans and Faunus clad in white suits so oddly-fitting that none of their wearers' features could be discerned.

Pantheon had compelled the pack of Beowolves, intelligent things each of which were at the cusp of becoming an Alpha in their own right to ignore the easy prey and skulk through unobserved weak points to make their way into Pikesreach itself, only for the Grimm General to be further enraged and disgusted by what they found.

Carnage and dead bodies were nothing unusual to Pantheon, nor anything that they particularly cared for under normal circumstances however one of the Beowolves had scented something strange and begun examining, tugging at the white sheets which had been laid over one of the many cadavers lining the streets and revealed its' mutated and twisted form.

Whilst their was no Grimm tissue left to be seen Pantheon could understand easily enough what had happened and deduce that Gestalt-Prime and their human allies were no longer content with grafting machinery and Grimm together and were instead taking their perversion of the natural order of creation and destruction further by trying to fuse the two and meld them into one abhorrent whole by making fusions of humanity and Grimm. From there Pantheon directed the Grimm onwards through a collection of impulses to scavenge and prowl, sending them through the rubble and into what few buildings still stood in a single-minded effort to seek out any of the tools by which the upstart Gestalt-Prime had achieved this new blasphemy; halting only to pick out one of the humans' computers connected to some manner of communications equipment hidden within a partially collapsed building where its' presence seemed at odds with the surroundings and then promptly destroy the device as much as the Beowolves' teeth and claws could manage.

Such activity quickly drew attention however and Pantheon, even within the disembodied confines of the Hive-Mind found themselves snarling in agitation as several pairs of eyes through which they viewed the situation were snatched away in quick succession; the sound of gunfire being magnified to a deafening cacophony as each staccato flurry of bullets was picked by multiple keen pairs of ears, with further aggravation coming in an explosion of stone as much of the wall closest to the Beowolf to find the computer was destroyed in a single blast with the Grimm itself being destroyed by the still-travelling projectile before stone fragments could begin to carve through.

Pantheon took some small amount of satisfaction from the knowledge that the communications equipment and whatever other useful computers and devices had been present were almost certainly lost before turning their attention to the source of the assault.

"SPREAD OUT! BUILDING TO BUILDING! WE DON'T LEAVE ANYTHING UNCHECKED….I WANNA KNOW HOW THE GRIMM GOT IN AND THEN I WANNA KNOW WHY THAT HOLE WASN'T PLUGGED WHEN WE SET UP!" it was the voice of a Huntress, a single whose presence commanded such immediate attention that the other fighters, a collection of Hunters, soldiers and autonomous machines fanning out around her were of no consequence at all.

The woman stood on the ground and yet she wore armour that was winged, with three pairs of mechanical wings at her back attached to moving armatures and joined by a pair of rail-guns mounted over her shoulders which were all part of a lightly armoured battle-suit worn over an Atlesian Specialists' uniform which had been modified to function as a flight-suit and sported a fur collar. Her face was hidden beneath a featureless helmet whose opaque visor spanned the entire facial area and in one hand she carried and oversized and spiked mace.

It was a Huntress Pantheon recognised, one whom they had fought numerous times in Salem's service before assuming the mantle of rightful leader of the Grimm and the two of them had inflicted grievous wounds on one another, with Pantheon knowing for certain that beneath her visor the woman sported a trio of scars and a cybernetic eye after Pantheon had slashed at her face with a living trident. furthermore the mace she carried belonging to a fallen comrade, none other than the same Huntress who had sent Pantheon down to the depths of the ocean where they still resided in the hopes that it might serve as a watery grave.

Seeing that this particular old foe had returned Pantheon allowed their consciousness to recede back into their physical form, consigning the Beowolves to a fate that was entirely inevitable now and rolling their monstrous limbs and flexing the living cape to be free of the throne formed from the wreckage of their last confrontation with Corvid Xiao Long and her team and letting out a low, guttural rumble as they strode into deeper reaches of their seabed fortress.

Gestalt-Prime's latest creations and attempts to upset the natural cycle demanded a response and yet somewhere in a part of their mind that had evolved far beyond the baseline that Creatures of Grimm operated on Pantheon found themselves wondering if simply allowing Corvid Xiao Long and Gestalt-Prime to kill one another might be a valid strategy.

A plan that was quickly dismissed as the Grimm General realised that they could not give up the satisfaction of either conquest.

---

The people of Jidhir Town were already frantically scrabbling to prepare themselves as Gestalt-Prime and small, scattered and admittedly lacklustre contingent of Cyber-Grimm and loyal human acolytes that accompanied them began their final approach on the settlement; an almost palpable wave of uncertainty radiating outwards from the place confirming to the sentient monster that their supposed ally and benefactor had already surmised that something was wrong and was preparing for any eventuality.

Something which Gestalt-Prime could only bare their fangs at, after so many defeats they would relish the chance to carve through flesh and wade through the blood and gore of their felled enemies.

The Alpha Cyber-Grimm forced such thoughts aside however and focused themselves, adjusting their grasp on both the equipment and computers that they had managed to loot and salvage from the ruins of Aefen's laboratory and also Zirconia Shadowmoon; the Grasshopper had thrashed and struggled against their grasp at first only for Gestalt-Prime to respond by tightening their tail around her chest to such a degree that it threatened to crack bones and cut off her air supply and then lashing the tail out threateningly, with the implication that Zirconia would be simply dashed against the hard ground below if she continued to struggle being obvious.

Shortly the Alpha Cyber-Grimm and their followers arrived and though Gestalt-Prime gave no verbal commands the few remaining Cyber-Grimm under their command needed little encouragement and the human handlers and other members of Aefen's cult who had managed to escape Pikesreach were at least alert enough to follow the lead and example being set by the monster they followed. Gestalt-Prime soared over the perimeter wall and defences of Pikesreach, disregarding the weapons already being trained on them and instead landed on a roof a short distance into the settlement where they let out a single, piercing, howling note which rang out through the entirety of the place and left no doubt about what it was they were preparing to engage if the situation called for it; with their presence announced and a measure of fear and uncertainty sown the Alpha Cyber Grimm then swooped through the air once more and landed on the ground with a dull thud squarely in the centre of Jidhir Town.

Where a contingent was already being gathered to meet them.

"Put my daughter down!" Damascus Nero strode into full view, hands clasped behind his back as he strode forwards with a dignified and deliberate air whilst around him weapons were drawn by dozens of fighters who made no effort to hide their sudden nervousness as they took aim at Gestalt-Prime and the Cyber-Grimm whilst beside the former chairman Carmesi Hueso made a show of rolling back his shoulders and working out a crick in his neck, appearing primal, savage and entirely in his element as he drew Vindication and Retribution. Gestalt-Prime was not so easily intimidated however and in fact was more than willing to meet the Komodo Dragon Faunus on the field of battle once again so that they might repay them for previous injuries and as such the Alpha Cyber-Grimm made no effort to release their captive and instead merely placed the equipment they had made of with on the ground and placed a clawed foot on top of it, finally allowing the wings to begin retracting but keeping the limbs in a semi-unfurled state from which they could easily be shifted into their axe configuration.

"Carmesi if you would be so kind" Nero raised his chin defiantly and maintained a level of unwavering calm that served has is own show of strength and in the next moment Carmesi had become a blur of motion, his smaller blade leaving his hand and transforming into its' triple-bladed and rotating form as it tore through the air. Gestalt-Prime noted that they would likely not have been able to avoid such a blow if it had aimed at them, even with the various alerts scrawled along the visor mounted over their optic; that visor did however inform that them that the attack was a feint of sorts and as such they remained still and allowed the attack to decapitate one of the Cyber-Grimm in a single strike.

"Do you truly believe that I cannot create more Grimm?" Gestalt-Prime challenged coldly, pointedly refusing to so much as look at where the beheaded monster had fallen behind them and to their right, or at any of Aefen's former acolytes who were now fidgeting nervously as they began to realise that whilst the being the followed was of an altogether higher calibre they were still susceptible to the guns being pointed at them.

"Oh I am well aware that you can interact with the Forge in ways that you did not disclose to me and that's why, in your absence I have instructed the scientists working under me to ensure that it will self destruct if you attempt to tamper with it in any way that I do not authorise" the smirk Nero gave was weary and rendered lopsided by the scar tissue tugging at one side of his jaw but victorious all the same "That is why I had a Cyber-Grimm destroyed and not one of the operators….I can replace tools and assets which is, make no mistake what you are. People are another matter-"

"And yet you've replaced the scientist and I broke them in half in the skies over Neo Vale and let their innards rain down on the city" Gestalt-Prime answered, anger and venom rising up within them in a way demanded that they twist the knife in any way possible even if it were not immediate and direct violence; it was something that the Alpha Grimm was note entirely familiar with but they embraced it all the same and saw the value of in the effect it had, Nero tried to remain aloof and detached but the pain and barely controlled but ultimately impotent fury in his quartz coloured eyes was plain to see whilst Carmesi, who had outwardly never cared for the late Albion Herringbone bristled and shifted his larger weapon into its' shotgun form as his features became something ugly and murderous. The most volatile reaction however came from the normally taciturn, reserved and composed Zirconia.

"YOU KILLED ALBION! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, I'LL RIP YOU APART YOU BASTARD!" the Grasshopper Faunus screamed and thrashed, trying desperately to free herself or reach her weapon even as she sobbed; working herself into a frenzy in a matter of seconds only to be forced into submission equally quickly as Gestalt-Prime reduced her to a choked, strangled gasp by constricted their tail. From there things threatened to descend into hellish chaos as Carmesi fired without warning, his shotgun blast being partially deflected by one of the sentient monsters' bladed wings though Gestalt-Prime still felt the impact glance and patter harmlessly against their metallic, lupine skull.

"Enough!" Nero barked, voice filled with just enough of the anger clearly coursing through him to give it purpose and power "Everyone stand down….Zirconia, please, I know this is difficult but please"

Gestalt-Prime allowed their grip to loosen enough for the Grasshopper Faunus to breathe, though even when her struggling ceased they refused to give up their most valuable leverage entirely; a fact which Nero noted and scowled at as he addressed the monster he presumed himself equal to.

"I am to presume that her absence here is because Doctor Cruor is no longer with us?" he asked, waiting for a moment before continuing upon seeing that he would receive no answer

"With Aefen dead and Pikesreach's resources, once again presumably owing to the fact you have part of them at your feet, no longer available to you it's clear that you want to do business, it is also clear that you are of the understanding that using Zirconia as a hostage will make me more amenable to your terms….I must stress to you Gestalt-Prime that you could not be further from the truth and that if you do not set my daughter down this instant I will find ways to conduct my operations using no more than what little of you remains in the scrap metal that we sweep off the ground after we're done"

To punctuate the former chairman's claim several new Cyber-Grimm, ones that had never seen Pikesreach stepped into view and amongst their number Gestalt-Prime counted several Shroud Variants scuttling across rooftops and more importantly two Bug-Bear Variants whose primary weapons caused the air to shimmer around them as they took aim.

Reluctantly Gestalt-Prime uncoiled their tail and threw Zirconia to the ground, from which she quickly leapt to her feet and drew her weapon.

"Zirconia! No!" Nero yelled.

"That thing killed Albion!" the young woman screamed, her features red and puffy where limited oxygen had met with sheer grief and hatred within someone whose emotional state had already been pushed beyond its' limits "He was your friend! Why are you letting them get away with this!"

"Because the future was never about revenge my dear" Nero shook his head sadly "Carmesi, take the men and women who arrived with Gestalt-Prime prisoner. You have my authorisation to use whatever force you deem necessary if and only if they resist. The science and engineering teams will begin work on the Cyber-Grimm….Take Zirconia with you and see that she gets food, rest and medical attention"

It was a testament to how strained and dire the situation had become that Zirconia allowed herself to be led away by Carmesi Hueso of all people and even more so that the reptilian Faunus did so gently, with a callused hand on her shoulder and an attempt at reassuring words in her shoulder. Soon enough the town square of Jidhir Town was occupied only by Damascus Nero, Gestalt-Prime and dozen of Cyber-Grimm over which their supposed Alpha was disgusted to realise that they had no control.

"So" the businessman began, making an effort of adjusting his suit and hair "Your attempt at an independent endeavour has clearly failed….This, I believe is the part where we renegotiate terms"

"Do not-" Gestalt-Prime found themselves galled at the sheer temerity of the human before them as Nero waved their gloved and mechanical hand dismissively to silence them before gesturing at the prize the Alpha Cyber-Grimm had kept firmly beneath a taloned claw.

"What exactly was it that was of so much value that you had to steal it from Aefen?"

"The results of her work" Gestalt-Prime answered honestly, realising that as much as they loathed the reality they did still require some form of alliance with the human "You had the girl spying on us, you knew what Aefen was working on….Grimm and human hybridisation"

"Indeed" Nero almost managed to mask his distaste, though not entirely and for a moment Gestalt-Prime wondered if they had misjudged their ploy but then the spindly man continued "And was the project fully completed?"

"Almost" Gestalt-Prime admitted "To such a degree that live specimens were created….Aefen's death was caused by her specimens escaping when Hunters attacked us. The work is sound enough that your new scientists should be able to turn it to your purposes"

"And in return for such a gift what would you be seeking from me?" Nero asked before giving a pointed sneer "Besides of course my overlooking of your attempts to double-deal, your treatment of Zirconia and my continued support of your ambitions for the evolution of Grimm species?"

Gestalt-Prime paused, considering their options for several seconds before realising that the most logical course of action was one that came so rarely to humans and even more rarely to a being such as themselves; they would have to be honest and trusting.

"A war is coming and I will need an army….Not the wars that you intended to fight, though the Hunters will no doubt cause problems"

"A war amongst the Grimm?" Nero surmised.

"Yes" Gestalt-Prime nodded, segments of their metallics frame twitching in agitation "Another intelligent Grimm, one whose reach far exceeds my own….Older, larger. My mind brushed against theirs as I unknowingly tried to take a Spawning Pit under their sway; they have hunted me since and they will not rest"

"Then it would please you to know that this is within the scope of my plans" Nero gave a smile that was at once warm and fatherly, though Gestalt-Prime could not comprehend such a thing and at the same time predatory

"My plan was always for you to take over larger portions of the Hive-mind that your species share. The Cyber-Grimm as a defence against other Grimm was only ever a stopgap. Imagine a world where all Grimm are united again, all Grimm could be Cyber-Grimm and with your vision for the evolution of the species realised there would be no need for violence….Peace across Remnant; human, Faunus and Grimm in harmony and with an alliance between us to keep that peace. A bright new tomorrow"

Gestalt-Prime considered the notion, weighing it in their mind an effort to see the trick that was being kept from them and ultimately failing; finding themselves almost willing to believe that the future Damascus Nero envisioned might actually be a possibility, that with the Grimm united and freed from the limitations of their nature there could actually be a form of coexistence.

And then a beam of searing light tore into the Alpha Cyber-Grimm's form, reducing their armoured hide to a near molten state and obsidian flesh to a steaming sludge that left their right arm, wing and upper torso barely attached or even recognisable.

When the pain subsided enough for the world to become coherent again and the countless warning flashing across their visor could be forced aside Gestalt-Prime tried to rise, instinct demanding that they seek out whichever of the Bug-Bear Variant Cyber-Grimm had fired its' primary weapon at them.

Instead they found Damascus Nero waiting for them.

"Albion Herringbone was dear to me, he was a good friend, a good man….Know that I am not a vengeful man but if you ever speak of what you did to him again, if you ever try to betray me or threaten people I care for again then I will be forced to inflict….Circumstances upon you"

With that Nero took the portions of Aefen's computer systems that Gestalt-Prime had salvaged and strode away, leaving the Alpha Cyber-Grimm to drag themselves towards help with a single perversely savage thought crossing their mind as they did so.

That in the coming war between the Grimm, Damascus Nero might be the only human worthy of some consideration.

---

The debriefing process following a student training mission had always been one that the students subjected to it found taxing and unpleasant for a multitude of reasons, however for Team MARS the various procedures that had awaited them upon returning from Pikesreach had been particularly hellish.

They, the four students along with Coco and Ruby had initially been kept from returning to civilisation. The specifics of the situation allowed for Coco's authority to be overridden for fear that she might be compromised and once further reinforcements had arrived and been appraised of the situation the decision had been made for everyone leaving Pikesreach to undergo a decontamination and screening process. Once it had become clear that they were not in fact carriers for some Grimm-virus that would mutate all who were exposed to it and lay waste to Menagerie's Capital city and that Ruby's abilities had eradicated every trace of Grimm-tissue Team MARS had then been checked for injuries and given medical treatment by the medic of an airship that was almost certainly an Atlesian vessel that had been sent to Menagerie to support the efforts against Nero and the Cyber-Grimm, a prickly and leathery old individual with none of the rapport or bedside manner of Breaktide Academies' Nurse Kintsugi; once the physical aspect of their health had been attended to the four students had expected to be subjected to a psychological evaluation but were instead informed that this would be done at a later date by a member of the campus faculty who was qualified to do so and had access to their records, the expression on the medics' face making their opinion of such procedures all to clear.

Then and only then had Team MARS been allowed to return to Breaktide Academy, where their ordeal simply refused to end.

Evening was beginning to blur into night and the four students who had been awake since early morning and had spent the day fighting for their lives and being taxed physically, mentally and emotionally in ways that defied description were asked, admittedly by caring and familiar faces to recount their experiences, being pushed to clarify and expand upon the most painful and traumatic details in a debriefing that proved almost as heartbreaking and traumatic for them as the mission itself and had seen all four of the teens reduced to tears at least once, particularly Stygian whose grief at seeing his childhood home in ruins was beyond words.

By the time they had been able to depart and return to their dormitory they had been drained on every level and yet as they had changed and dragged themselves into their respective bunks it had become clear that none of them would be able to find any meaningful kind of rest and would likely not have an uninterrupted or peaceful nights' sleep for some time.

"I know we just had to talk about it….But does anyone want to talk about it? No judgement, no nothing just get it all of your chest?" Astra offered, any immediate answers they might have received being halted as the Deer Faunus dragged themselves out of the sprawled laying position they had been in and swung their upper body over the edge of their bunk so that they could glance down at Regalia. The Racoon Faunus gave them a single eager nod and a moment later Astra had clambered down onto their partners' bunk and spent a few seconds making themselves comfortable beneath her sheets and pulling her into a tight, needy hug which was immediately returned; the two of them clutching at one another and drinking in the others' presence as though they feared it might be snatched away. The moment finally passed and Astra, still holding Regalia's hand looked over to Athena-Jade and Stygian; finding that the Bear Faunus was currently barely visible and had pulled her countless blankets and sheets around herself like an impromptu fortress as she sat huddled at their centre with only the faintest glimpse of bright blue eyes and pale but bruised skin being left visible.

"Stitch?" Astra offered, turning away from Athena and instead looking up at her partner and finding the Mouse Faunus staring up at the ceiling with his electric blue eyes unfocused for several seconds, giving no indication that he'd heard Astra until they made the faintest signs of getting ready to clamber back out of Regalia's bed to check on him.

"Don't bother, I'm good" every strained syllable was proof that he was lying even before he rolled onto his side and treated his team-mates to a truly haunted and distant expression before running a hand over his face and trying to compose himself to a point where his friends didn't worry about him so much; though Astra did notice the way his eyes drifted downwards towards Athena's bunk the Deer Faunus quickly decided that it would be unhelpful to comment on it.

"You sure?" they asked instead.

"Yeah it's just…." Stygian trailed off, pulling himself into a sitting position and burying his face in his hands again for a moment before continuing "A lot of mixed feelings y'know? I mean Pikesreach was never a great place, after what they did to my Mum and everything that happened growing up there….But I still grew up there and now it's gone, so many people I've known my whole life are gone"

"But we still saved more people; it could have been everyone but it wasn't" Athena's voice was a hoarse and cracking whisper as she ventured out from beneath her blankets, snowy hair dishevelled after being pulled free from its' ponytail and her eyes red-rimmed "Thanks to Zirconia….Which is a lot to think about"

"Yeah" Stygian nodded, features forming a slight frown as he tried to parse exactly how he felt about that whilst the comment prompted Regalia to extricate herself from where she and Astra had wrapped themselves around one another.

"What do you think is going to happen to her? You said Gestalt-Prime snatched her"

"Probably taking her back to wherever their people were retreating to" Athena mumbled "They've got another base somewhere and nobody knows where it is-"

"Pikesreach was just their test bed….I hope they learned enough to know that whatever they were hoping to achieve is completely fucking insane" there was an anger in his voice but also a fear and an unease which quickly permeated the dorm and spread to the rest of the team as each of them were forced to confront the very real idea that Nero could take the plague-spreading Abomination that Aefen Cruor had become and make a more functional, reliable iteration of it to use in his quest impose his vision for the future on Remnant.

"Does Miss Blue know what happened at Pikesreach?" Athena asked, breaking the tense silence and causing Stygian to cock his head in silent consideration before answering.

"I don't know, I guess so?" he mused "I mean surely someone must have told her….Should we make sure?"

"It's not a conversation we can have over the scroll" Stygian noted "And she's probably asleep….She wakes up early out of habit but right now?"

"Do you wanna go?" Athena asked.

"I….Yeah" Stygian nodded, a reply that left Astra conflicted as they were more than willing to help their team-mate but the reality was that they were simply too tired to drive at that moment and had just gotten comfortable; Athena seemed to sense her team leaders' unvoiced thoughts and quickly made the issue moot.

"Okay cool….Let's get changed and head to the canteen or find an all night diner in the city. I need air, I need to clear my head and none of us are gonna get any sleep. We'll head to your Mum's place as soon as she's awake" Stygian nodded in agreement and slipped down from his bunk, Astra noting that the dark-skinned and tattooed young man cast his partner a look that was almost adoring before they turned their gaze away and instead focused on pulling themselves closer to Regalia who was similarly averting her gaze.

Before long however Athena and Stygian had departed, trudging out of the dorm to leave Astra and Regalia alone with one another and their thoughts.

"Hey" Astra finally murmured, bringing their lips to Regalia's forehead as they adjusted their position to be more comfortable on their antlers "Are you okay?"

"Heh….I mean we all made it back right?" Regalia's eyes darted away from Astra for a moment before she pressed themselves into her partner, wrapping her arms around them more tightly and wrapping a leg around the Deer Faunus and draping her bushy tail over them both to be as close as physically possible.

"But I don't think I've ever been so scared of a Grimm before" she continued "And Gestalt-Prime is still out there, with Nero and Cyber-Grimm and whatever else they make and I keep thinking….What if my Clan find them, heh what if any of the clans do; what if the Aiktishaf is just a giant, rolling Grimm-fusion….It'd be worse than any horror movie"

"I know….For a while there I didn't think we were gonna make it" Astra admitted, the words becoming easier as they began speaking "I'm supposed to have plans, I'm supposed to be the one who comes up with some crazy way to win and pull it off but there was nothing we could do to it, nothing we could do to save people….But there has to be something, we need to do something-"

"Astra, Astra it's over" Regalia whispered against their lips, gently bringing her hands to their antlers to her their forehead against hers "It's over-"

"Is it?" Astra asked, their voice weak and fearful "Ruby….Damn it, Professor Rose stopped it today but she can't be everywhere at once. If that thing we fought can be spread like a disease then what's stopping Nero from putting it in the water? Or dropping it one settlement at a time all across Remnant until he gets what he wants?"

"The Hunters…." Regalia trailed off, realising that she could scarcely believe the answer she was providing; her faith in the idea that Nero and his creations could be so easily tackled having been shaken by the former chairman's successes and the failure of the Kingdoms to bring him to justice, to say nothing of that fact that were it not for Zirconia, the teams' own traitorous former member they would likely have been unaware of exactly what the Abomination was capable of until it was too late.

"We need to do something" Astra repeated, expression becoming one of apprehensive concern "And I know it's gonna sound stupid, I know that it sounds like I'm getting bad again….But I keep asking myself, what would brother have done if he was on the island. He fought Salem one on one y'know; if there's anyone who could do something it would have been him"

"It's not stupid, you look up to him" Regalia smiled "So what would Felix do?"

"I've got an answer" Astra breathed out, matching her smile but clearly still nervous "But it's probably more than a little crazy….Do you trust me?"

"To infinity and beyond" Regalia answered without hesitation.

"Then let's hope the others do as well" Astra beamed before beginning to explain.

---

It was early on Saturday morning, the sun having only recently creeping above the horizon on the day after the fall of Pikesreach when Coco Adel found herself once again slumped in her chair, almost lifelessly within her office.

The space had been designed and furnished to ensure that any student who found themselves brought before her was subjected to the full extent of Coco's intimidating charisma and yet if they were to see her now the veteran Hunter suspected that the teens in the academy below would find her somewhat pitiful. Coco Adel, one of the most famous style icons across Remnant and certainly amongst Hunters was currently clad in baggy sweats and a tank top after disposing of the outfit she had worn to Pikesreach; her sunglasses had been broken, her beret lost and she had chosen to burn everything else upon her return and leave her weapon sealed in an airtight container for at least the next few days before beginning repairs on it; Coco herself appeared beaten and bloodied with every ounce of the tiredness she felt expressed plainly in hair that been allowed to remain plastered to her scalp after a scalding shower in the campus gyms' facilities rather than her home above the office, the dark rings around her eyes and way she could barely keep herself upright and alert despite the latest of several cups of coffee steaming away close at hand.

All of this was to say nothing of her injuries; even after a course of Aura stimulants Nurse Kintsugi, the Fox Faunus to whom Coco entrusted the health and welfare of all within her academy had chosen to place the headmistresses' left arm in a sling to ensure that there was no further strain placed on the arm that had been dislocated whilst Coco sported countless bruises which left much of her body a mottled mass of purple and sickly yellow, along with a sizeable and messy looking gash above her right eye which would likely heal without incident, but was also the source of the concussion which was one of several things preventing her from sleep.

Another of the myriad reasons that Coco was not currently in bed made its' presence known in short order; namely the beginning of a conference call with a few of her trusted confidants which the drained and bruised Headmistress hoped would be quick.

"Coco?" It was Ren's soft tones that caught her attention and drew her bleary eyes to the first of two video feeds that had opened "You look-"

"Like death" Coco interrupted with a weary chuckle "Don't bother sparing my feelings. I'm awake because I can't sleep….Besides, I know I went through decontamination but I don't want to sleep in the same bed as Velvet and Yatsu for another day or two. I feel dirty just thinking about what we saw"

"I'm glad you're at least functionally well, we can't afford any more blows" this comment came from the other member of the call and Coco would have recognised General Winter Schnee's bluntness even if she had chosen to keep her eyes closed "What about the students you were with….I know I should be professional at a time like this but-"

"Your niece is okay, physically at least" Coco assured her "It looks like Ruby purged the Grimm out of the air on a microscopic level….But it took a lot out of her"

"Is she okay?" Ren asked, a hint of emotion betraying his usual calm whilst Winter visibly sighed with relief.

"She didn't pass out straight away but as soon as she was cleared to leave she pretty much told me straight she needed to take a few days to recover after a move like that….Said it was the most she's had to use her Silver Eyes in one go since Salem"

The admission hung in the air for a few moments, driving home just how severe what had happened at Pikesreach was before Winter cleared her throat and broke the silence.

"The airship that relieved you was, as you know one of mine….Corvid Xiao Long is one of my Specialists and also Ruby's niece-"

"Always one of Nora's favourite students" Ren noted, remembering the oldest of Blake and Yang's adopted children well enough.

"Indeed" Winter nodded "I sent her over to Menagerie as part of the reinforcements you requested and in addition to the preliminary reports and debriefing you sent I have some additional data from the people under Specialist Xiao Long's command which I will, naturally make available to yourselves and Antonia when she is available….I will also consider sending them to the head of Shade Academy on the chance that there is anything in their library that might be of use"

The rivalry between Atlas and Vaccuo had run deep for generations, almost especially so between their academies and yet still it could not be disputed that Shade Academy held the largest and most expansive library on Remnant. Winter's grudging concession of that fact was enough for Ren and Coco to share a brief, knowing smile before Coco's expression fell once more into abject exhaustion as she let out a long sigh.

"Long story short….Quick prognosis, how fucked are we?"

"Potentially, very" Winter answered, the calm admission with nothing immediately following it being enough to leave both Coco and Ren alike gawping like fish on dry land for a few seconds as they searched for some positive outlook and found none.

"To clarify" Ren breathed out "Aefen Cruor, formerly Doctor Shirley Aefen….Is Dead?"

"Confirmed, we have her body….Or what's left of it waiting to be autopsied" Coco answered, allowing Winter to follow up and explain in more detail.

"It seems that she was killed by her own work, either through accidentally or deliberately exposing herself to it. It would seem that the person most able to answer our questions is Zirconia Shadowmoon; however she was taken from Pikesreach by Gestalt-Prime during their escape" Winter paused for a moment, visibly steeling herself before adding

"The nature of the work was that of an infectious Grimm, something presumably with fungal and viral components though naturally Ruby's abilities left no samples for study….Coco and Team MARS's reports indicate that Aefen finally succeeded in the work that saw her censured from the scientific community; creating fusions of Grimm and human"

"And if that can be replicated by another scientist in Damascus Nero's employee…." Coco trailed off, allowing the true weight of the statement to sink in.

"The Battle-suit" Ren breathed out, eyes widening "The mecha that Nora and Team MARZ fought last year….The one infected with Grimm, eating away at its' pilot-"

"It would seem that both it and the Cyber-Grimm themselves were merely preludes to something larger" Winter noted "The ability to create Cyber-Grimm monsters and then integrate them directly with a human pilot….Potentially with the ability to mass produce them"

"We need to act" Coco huffed, righteous anger already welling up within her to such a degree that even in her current state she become fierce and imposing "Immediately, every Hunter we can mobilise….We tear this island apart from coast to coast if we have to-"

"No" Winter interjected bluntly.

"No?" Coco scoffed, arching an eyebrow so suddenly in threatened to open the stitches holding ruined skin together.

"We had the chance for a decapitation strike at Pikesreach, when I suggested razing the place. That window has passed unless and until we can find Damascus Nero himself and his main base of operations….Until then we are forced, by circumstances and our duty to act with caution"

"Nero has people in other settlements" Ren noted.

"Precisely" Winter nodded, brows knitting together with her own obvious distaste for the course of action they were forced to take "Specialist Xiao Long and the other Hunters sent to assist your own forces will do everything in their power to root out our enemies; but until we can be certain that another attack isn't coming….That Nero isn't preparing to unleash a Grimm virus across multiple settlements-"

"We have to wait" Coco ground the words out almost violently.

"To what possible end?" Ren asked thoughtfully, rubbing at the scar running along his right cheek "His broadcast suggested that sees himself as the leader of some new, enlightened age. What would he gain from such a horrific weapon being used on the very people he's trying to convince?"

"Leverage" Coco answered simply "The Cyber-Grimm were one thing, we pushed them back but this….If he acted the way we're preparing for then he could force the Kingdoms to abandon their support for Hunters"

"Then what's he waiting for?" Coco demanded through gritted teeth "If he has an airborne Grimm virus why hasn't he just thrown it to the wind"

"He's planning something bigger" Winter answered calmly "Given that his cyber attacks against Atlas have continued it is clear that he is still looking for something, some final piece to put his plans into motion….Which means that we still have time to counter him"

"It's not much" Coco huffed "But it's the only silver lining we've got"

Saying it aloud only seemed to lay bare how desperate the situation had become and as each of three Heads of various Hunter academies continued to suggest additional plans and precautions it was with a steadily building sense of dread towards whatever might come next.

---

Athena-Jade and Stygian had ventured into the city of Port Alistair and spent several hours wandering its' streets in search of a peace of mind that simply would not come, finding much needed food but agreeing without the need for discussion to ignore the late night bars that were still open, both understanding that alcohol was not the release that either of them needed and instead simply continuing onwards without any particular destination and only brief bursts of conversation between the two partners as they each tried to sense of the last twenty-four hours.

Eventually the sun had begun to rise, with the freezing chill of Menagerie's night being replaced with a freshness that rapidly threatened to become the beginnings of an unpleasantly warm and stiflingly airless day as the sky lightened and the air was filled with the sounds of chirping birds and the first trams and cars as people unfortunate enough to be working on a Saturday morning. It was then that Stygian had taken the lead and set of in the direction of his mothers' temporary housing at the secure, low-rise apartments that were in fact much closer to Breaktide Academy than he and Athena had allowed themselves to wander; the Mouse Faunus had sent a message to alert her of their pending arrival and, as expecting Cornflower Blue had been awake and waiting for the two of them as years spent at Pikesreach had made her a habitual early riser.

What Stygian had not expected however was for his mother to have already heard about the destruction of their former home and be more well informed in certain aspects than he and Athena were themselves.

"So you're telling me that after everything that they did to you at Pikesreach….You're going to help them?" Stygian asked with faint incredulity as he and Athena sat opposite Cornflower, gathered around the coffee table in the living roof on which breakfast had been served owing to the lack of a proper dining room anywhere in the apartment. The older of the two Mouse Faunus took a moment to gently nudge at her sons' plate, silently urging him to eat a good meal that even a cursory glance at the boy told him she needed whilst at the same time she ignored the way his electric blue eyes darted to her hair which had finally grown enough to obscure most of the spider-web of tattoos that marked her out as untrustworthy amongst the people of Pikesreach from view.

"Those that want help and those that need it, there's a time to be angry and a time to do the right thing" she said simply; taking a bite of her own food before continuing

"Once everyone went through some kind of decontamination the Hunters and people with them seemed to realise that there was nowhere for a lot of those people to go….They're gonna find temporary accommodation for them in the city, I got a call in the dead of night; few hours before you messaged me and some officials with fancy titles explained things to me and asked if I would be able to be a liaison"

"Will the people from Pikesreach accept help from you though?" Stygian asked suspiciously, wanting to be kinder but finding his feelings towards his former neighbours far too mixed for any clear answers; too many of them had been too eager to take part in his mothers' mistreatment for the sake of their own comfort and peace of mind.

"I don't see that they have a choice" Cornflower noted simply, a frown tugging at the corners of her mouth as her own memories of the life she had endured made themselves known "Anyhow, I'm going to be helping those that are willing to reintegrate into the Kingdoms go through the paperwork involved in all of that and then when the kids start getting schooling; proper schooling where they get to be more than whatever job is assigned to them….I'm gonna assisting with that in some way-"

"That's great news" Athena-Jade visibly perked up and Cornflower couldn't help but smile fondly; the Bear Faunus whom her son clearly cared for a great deal had been picking at her food unenthusiastically and she had been beginning to grow worried.

"I hope it is, I really do….I can't fight monsters but I'll be damned if I sit here doing nothing, Pikesreach doesn't tolerate the idle and neither do I" Cornflower puffed her chest out with a sense of pride and grandiosity which was quickly replaced by something almost conspiratorial as she leaned forward and added "Besides, I know that everything's a damn sight more expensive than it used to be but what they're offering to pay me will get me an apartment of my own….Which means I can move out of here and leave it to someone more needy; it means I can actually do something with that furniture I bought"

"Awesome" Stygian smiled, genuine enthusiasm managing to outshine the tiredness which refused to be sated by sleep "We'll tell Astra; I'm sure they'll be happy to help you move"

"You've got some good friends around you now Stitch, it's good to see it" Cornflower noted "But what are you kids gonna do now?"

There was a moment of silence after that question as both Stygian and Athena struggled to find an answer for it and both of them found the official response that was expected of them to be entirely unsatisfactory.

"I think that the academy is going to give us psych evaluations as soon as possible and they're almost certainly gonna say we need counselling" it was Athena who began "Team MARS are still students, so even though we were brought along for the recon mission as part of additional training and because Professor Adel knew how important it was to us….I don't think that we're gonna be allowed to be a part of whatever comes next"

"They're gonna want us to go back to class and pretend that everything's okay, that nothing's changed" Stygian added bitterly.

"Maybe that's for the best" Cornflower suggested in a warm and motherly tone "I'm sure none of your families want you putting yourself in danger more than you have to, no matter how good the reasons are. Maybe carrying on with your schooling is for the best"

"I don't know if I can" Athena found herself whispering, unsure of why she was making such an admission to her new partners' mother of all people "But at the same time I don't know what else I can do"

"Zirconia?" Stygian asked, expression darkening in way that was harder to read than simple anger at the thought of the Grasshopper Faunus. Athena caught sight of Cornflower shooting a curious look between the two of them and suddenly felt a need to explain.

"She helped us. She was gonna surrender Stitch….You saw it right?" the snowy-haired Bale Faunus took a slow steadying breath, sapphire eyes downcast as she looked anywhere but at her new partner "We've seen what Nero's people are capable of now, we've seen what they do to people that get in their way….No matter what she's done, no matter how much she hurt us-"

"You think that Nero would turn her into one of those things?" Stygian asked, hairless mouse-tail visibly coiling as his entire body seemed to cringe and curl in upon itself with discomfort at the thought.

"I don't know" Athena admitted "But we're Hunters, that means we save people….Not just the people we like. Could you honestly say you'd be okay if we found out that Gestalt-Prime or Carmesi Hueso or even Nero himself decided that she was too much of a liability and hurt her and we could have done something about it?"

"But what can we do about it?" Stygian asked pointedly, shuffling uncomfortably in his seat and realising first that he had not directly answered the question and then secondly, almost immediately that there was a definite answer; that no matter the harshness Pikesreach had tried to instil into him he could not knowingly turn his back on someone in need.

He would not run and leave someone behind the way he had done to his mother, never again.

"You kids sound like you're planning things that I really should not be hearing about" Cornflower noted sternly as she cleared her throat and yet, despite both Stygian and Athena shared worried looks between themselves and then turned their gazes upon the older Mouse Faunus Cornflower herself gave no further admonishment, clearly trusting her son and his partner to make their own choices based on what they thought was right.

The silence that hung in the air of the apartment was broken my both Athena and Stygian receiving a text message at the exact same time.

"It's from Astra" Stygian noted, eyes widening in surprise as he scanned the content of the message "And it looks like they've got a plan….I'm in if you are?"

Athena took a moment to consider, as fully as possible what it was that Astra was suggesting; her families' inevitable reaction to it and the effect that it would have on her future only to find that none of those things mattered as much to her as the fact that the Deer Faunus she was proud to call her team-leader had provided an answer to the questions that had been plaguing them all and found a path forwards for them to take.

"This is crazy" she sighed, flashing Stygian a bright and toothy smile "But I'm in"

---

Zirconia had been forced to rest, against her own wishes after being medicated and sedated by one of the doctors who now called themselves part of Nero's faction after Carmesi had taken her to be treated and checked for injuries.

That was just one of many injustices which fuelled her righteous anger now that she was awake once again.

She had awoken, groggily and upon fumbling for her mask and finding it absent had been left in the chilling grip of a panic attack; unable to breathe or think and with only the sound of her own ragged gasps and hammering heart for company, those sounds rendered distant and indistinct by the phantoms of Pikesreach intruding upon all of her senses as the memory of everything that had happened came crashing down on her like an icy wave.

After retching and emptying what little contents of her stomach there were and taking no small amount of time to compose herself, at least to some degree Zirconia had forced herself to dwell upon the last forty-eight hours and organise everything she could remember into the correct order, with each jumbled and chaotic facet leading to a steadily building and anguished fury that had finally compelled her to take action. She had awoken in her quarters on the airship that remained hidden where it had landed within Jidhir Town, still covered by countless sheets along with more advanced and reliable methods of keeping the entire settlement safe from attack and before she had even begun to contemplate what she would do or say when arrived there the Grasshopper Faunus stormed out the small cabin and through metallic corridors with a clear destination in mind.

The command bridge, Nero's base of operations.

Her hands had balled into fists and her shoulders were raised as though she expected a fight however she had deliberately left Sunrise Cain behind; a small concession to common sense and a commitment to the coming exchange peaceful even if it were not civilised or pleasant, a state of affairs she had never considered between herself and Damascus, the man who had called her his daughter when faced with Gestalt-Prime. Her familiarity and genuine care for the man did little against the anger and betrayal she felt however and soon enough she was approaching the doorway leading to the bridge that served as the former chairman's office only for it to hiss open upon her arrival, indicating that corridor was being monitored or that Nero was expecting her.

"YOU BASTARD!" she yelled as she strode into the room, the words flying from her lips with a volume and ferocity which surprised even herself and yet once she had started she found it harder to silence herself "YOU KNEW! YOU KNEW ABOUT ALL OF IT AND YOU LET IT CARRY ON! DID YOU KNOW THAT THAT GESTALT-PRIME KILLED ALBION? DID YOU TELL YOUR DOCTORS TO PUT ME TO SLEEP?-"

"Well, sounds like her jaw wasn't as fractured as they thought it might be" the familiar guttural, rumbling chortle that accompanied the words saw Zirconia's mismatched eyes narrow at the sight of Carmesi Hueso, sitting comfortably but not quite lounging as he sat beside Nero himself; the sneering and condescending edge to the Komodo Dragon Faunus's words being enough to prompt Zirconia to stride forwards, fully prepared to lunge at him and drive a cybernetic foot squarely into his scarred and scaly chest.

"That's enough!" Nero did not yell as he rose from seat and adjusted a suit that was far less rumpled and worn then every other aspect of him "Zirconia darling I can assure you that you were not sedated at my request-"

"It was mine" Carmesi interjected, bearded chin raised defiantly "Mister Nero told you to rest, you refused to listen….If you want to act like a child then you can be sent to bed like one-"

"That's quite enough from you as well" Nero's mechanical right hand audibly whined within his silken glove as he visibly caught to keep his own stress and temper from boiling over "Leave us Carmesi, Zirconia and I have things to discuss; we will discuss why you think interfering with medical staff is appropriate later"

It was a sign of the esteem Carmesi held the former chairman, the man who had given the reptilian Faunus's life a sense of purpose and direction after the death of his entire family that despite his towering, burly frame and ferocious nature Carmesi still ducked his head and slunk out of the bridge as though her were a scolded schoolboy; hellish red eyes meeting Zirconia's only fleetingly as he passed her. Zirconia herself locked eyes with the older rogue Hunter as she desperately tried to cling to the anger that had led her to this point, finding it slipping away rapidly after her initial outburst had been answered with kindness and concern; with her efforts being further hampered as Nero spoke again.

"So….I believe the word you used was bastard" Nero noted as the door slid closed again, the sadness in his quartz coloured eyes being offset by the attempt at establishing a sense of normality between them, the slight teasing note to his voice and the pretence that they could enjoy their usual exchanges in spite of everything being enough for Zirconia to rally some of her anger and swallow a lump in her throat.

"Albion" she croaked out the name of the man she had seen as something like a favourite uncle, a friend of her parents who might well have raised her himself were it not the fact his own partner had perished along with them "Gestalt-Prime….That monster…..And you knew!"

"I didn't know" Nero's words were promised, voice wavering with his own grief at his last living friend and equals' demise in a way which was enough to give Zirconia pause and have her listen as he continued

"On some level I should have suspected, I failed to keep someone dear to me safe; I failed to keep you safe as well and I will always be sorry….I can only promise that Gestalt-Prime has suffered, not enough. I can also assure them that no matter what promises I have made, publicly or in private that the….creature is nothing more than a tool that will be disposed of as soon as possible. But right now Zirconia, not matter how difficult it we need them-"

"For what?" Zirconia bellowed, hand slamming against a console with a dangerous sounding impact as her anger once again expressed itself in ways she was unaccustomed to allowing from herself "So you can take the plans that Aefen and Gestalt-Prime were working on in secret and add them to your own? How can you even stomach to think about things like that?….She killed Team NUGT! I-they-Damascus I went to school with them and she made them less than human, it wasn't even death, it was worse and she was going to do that to me!"

Zirconia's shoulders shook and her breathing grew rapid and unsteady as the rotting stench of Aefen Cruor's abattoir of a laboratory came rushing back to her; the sudden pressure on her shoulders making her head jerk up painfully until she realised that it was Nero's hands and not rubbery tendrils of bloated, fungal Grimm-flesh.

"I am so sorry that I asked so much of you" he murmured, resting his forehead against hers and gently moving his hands to her forearms "I know that this has been hard on you, there are things that you've had to see that I would have preferred you had not, things I would have avoided if there were any other way….I am sorry about Team NUGT. Your old team attacked Pikesreach didn't they; there are reports that Athena-Jade was there-"

"Don't make this about that!" Zirconia yelled, stepping back from Nero and in the same instant physically shoving him away to be free of his grasp; panting as she looked at the man and then down at her own hands in shock for long enough for the tall and slender man to compose himself, straightening his suit jacket and adjusting his cufflinks before speaking in a much colder and less expressive voice.

"I can tolerate a lot and I can understand more but I did not raise you to be a brute or a bully; is using your strength against a man without Aura what the Hunters taught you?"

"THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME! IT'S NOT ABOUT ATHENA OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT HAPPENED AT PIKESREACH!" Zirconia screamed "THIS IS ABOUT AEFEN AND THE FACT YOU KNEW WHAT SHE WAS DOING AND LET IT CONTINUE BECAUSE YOU WANT TO USE HER WORK!….You lied to me"

"I have never lied to you" Nero countered, at once agitated by the accusation and caught off guard by the small, defeated voice it had been made in. Zirconia for her part met his gaze, pink and orange eyes narrowing in a silent challenge to the assertion; a scowl locking her jaw which was still bruised and swollen after her fight with Athena which she had actively kept herself from dwelling on since waking up again. Eventually though she managed to find her words.

"Petrol" she hissed the name out "The Battle-suit infested with Grimm, you told me that it was a failed design, something that you scrapped and had no intention of taking further but it wasn't was it?….Aefen's research to fuse people with Grimm, you want it so you can create Cyber-Grimm that don't need Gestalt-Prime or another Grimm to make them or control them. You wanted Aefen's work so that you can make weaponised Grimm that fuse with a pilot and can be mass-produced"

Nero listened to her, cocking his head and clearly giving genuine consideration to her words which continued for a moment after Zirconia herself had fallen silent, her chest heaving and eyes wide with an electric and urgent energy that kept her on edge until finally Damascus responded in a way that the Grasshopper Faunus had been entirely unprepared for.

He laughed softly.

"Oh I am sorry, no truly forgive me darling" he waved off her obviously impending tirade with his gloved hand "It just surprises me how you can make me so proud and then disappoint me like that in the same sentence….The bright new tomorrow that we're building will be better for having you in it my dear, you really do care and want justice for everybody, even the worst of the villains that Carmesi would prefer we simply rid ourselves of, even the ones that have done you wrong and it's to your credit. But then you say things like this and show me that you're still THINKING SO DAMN SMALL!"

Nero slammed his prosthetic hand down on the back of his chair with enough force to topple and partially deform it and Zirconia yelped in sudden surprise; she had never seen the man who had raised her express his anger physically before, much less had it directed at herself and yet a moment later it was gone, forced back beneath the surface and smothered as he took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry, I am sorry I didn't mean to yell" he sighed "But mass-produced weapons Zirconia? Really?….Do you think I have done all of this to be some petty arms dealer or warlord? Tell me do you know why I've been cooped up in this airship months in an effort to pierce the Atlesians' security, or why we remained in Neo Vale when that city is a monument to everything we have both lost?….Do you think I wouldn't have preferred for us to live somewhere in the sun away from anything that might hurt or trouble you?"

"Why?" Zirconia asked, forcing the single word to betray none of the conflicting emotions that had torn away any lingering scraps of certainty that she still had.

"Because Qrow and those before him, under the instruction of the late Ozpin and the Atlesians created a machine to transfer an Aura from one living being to another, or even to something that is not truly alive. I remained in Neo Vale because I was determined to see if the one buried in the rubble of Beacon Academy could be located and repurposed….It could not, which means I need the Aura transfer machine that the Atlesians still have"

"I don't see-"

"You don't see because you're thinking small, looking at pieces and not the whole or the way they connect!" Nero snapped, the sudden agitation seemingly unwilling on his part but inescapable "Think Zirconia, please.

I don't want to merely replace the Hunters and wage a war against the Grimm, I want to end the conflict entirely and bring about peace; to that end I have made an alliance with a thinking, sentient monster who wishes to have dominion over the Grimm species and created the Cyber-Grimm, giving them and more importantly us the tools to overcome the Grimm and unify them. Combine that with the work of the late Doctor Cruor, or its' basis at least and an Aura transfer machine….Do you see it now? Do you see how I plan to bring about peace on Remnant?"

"I do" the words left Zirconia in a hushed whisper as she found herself clutching at Nero's desk for support, certain that if her legs had been anything other than her own specially designed cybernetics that she would have collapsed. She felt faint and dizzy as the sheer scope of what Damascus intended began to sink in and she realised that her worries that the man she had loved, respected and idolised was beginning to slip were a sign that she had been, as Nero said thinking to small; the former chairman was truly mad in a way that defied description and his ambitions were incalculable in their vastness.

And yet, she realised, the fact remained that he had been successful thus far and Zirconia could not, with any degree of certainty say that would fail in his ultimate goal.

It was humbling, awe-inspiring and terrible in visceral way all at once and she wished she knew how to stop it.

---

Athena-Jade and Stygian had returned to Team MARS's dormitory, meeting with Astra and Regalia there and the plans that the Deer Faunus had suggested were discussed and finalised before being ultimately decided on.

With a direction decided on the four teens had spent a respectable portion of their day attempting to get what rest they could in preparation for what was to come and then, once they were awake preparing the more practical affairs; making good use of the fact that their fellow Third Year students were elsewhere and that none of their peers seeming eager to make use of the campus's workshop and other resources late on a Saturday afternoon. The sun had already begun to set over the city of Port Alistair once again and activity was beginning to pick up for the evening in a way which promised to allow Team MARS to act with less scrutiny, blending in amongst their peers as the four of them reconvened in the student parking lot.

"So….This is it" Astra noted, nervous and yet with clear gravitas as their team gathered around their fiery red pickup truck and began to load up their weapons, tools and other belongings as well as the Dust and other equipment they had taken from the campus into the bed of the vehicle; with Athena-Jade having insisted upon seeing to it that the thefts were compensated for by lien taken from the Schnee Dust Companies' seemingly bottomless wealth.

"Yeah, yeah it is" Athena murmured, taking a moment to first adjust the layered skirts that hung at her hips like capes and then her hair which had once again been pulled into a short ponytail, though the Bear Faunus seemed mildly distracted by its' presence; as though she were contemplating being rid of it.

"If anybody is having second thoughts, this is the time to say something….I'll understand if anybody is" Astra tone grew tense and tight as they waited for an objection or admission that one of their friends was beginning to have doubts towards a hastily made and half-formed plan that would no doubt have tremendous consequences for the four of them even if they were successful, not least of which would be an end to their time as students of Breaktide Academy. Astra had considered for some time what their brother Felix would do and also what other heroes such as Coco Adel or Ruby Rose would have done in their position and the Deer Faunus, after much deliberation had come to the decision that whilst it was unfair to say that any of the Hunters they had idolised for so long were a spent force or that they were no longer what they had once been, it was undeniable that none of them were acting the way they would have in their prime; that when they were Astra's age and they did not have duties and other responsibilities and concerns to weight them down Team RWBY, Team CFVY or Team FADE would certainly have gone boldly out into the wastelands to find Nero and bring the man to justice personally, just as Ruby Rose and her friends had given chase when Cinder Fall had attacked Beacon.

And upon realising that nobody else was willing or able to Astra had decided that it would be Team MARS who took responsibility.

"The only thing to fear is fear itself….And running out of team building activities. Heh, this is gonna be one heck of a team building activity" Regalia' offered the quip with a faltering, nervous smile and the moment she had finished checking that her jetbike was fastened securely in place Astra reached out and took her hand; knowing that their partner had their back and would be with them for whatever came next made the task seem less daunting and gave the Deer Faunus some hope that their efforts would not be doomed to failure.

"We have to do this. We have to stop them, so let's go find 'em…..Zirconia, Nero, Gestalt-Prime. All of 'em" Athena's expression was determined even as she grappled with her own clearly jumbled thoughts and emotions; the small but stocky young woman setting her jaw and rolling her shoulders back whilst beside her Stygian reached over to place a hand on his partners' shoulder, supporting Athena even as he grappled with his own thoughts.

"Next stop, Pikesreach" he almost succeeded in making the comment sound light and casual but it was still not enough to fool his friends, each of whom knew that seeing the gutted and charred remains of his childhood home would be hard for him and yet also knowing that the Mouse Faunus would see it as his responsibility to do so. The plan, such as it was would involve Team MARS making their way to whatever remained of the settlement that Nero's forces had taken over and searching it for any clues that might prove useful and then, with Regalia's Semblance combined with both her and Stygian's knowledge of the wastelands of Menagerie the four of them would scour every inch of island Kingdom until they found Damascus Nero and his base of operations before he could try to unleash something like the Abomination of Pikesreach on anybody else.

"And then whatever comes next….'cos we're Team MARS and we're Hunters; for real now" Astra answered Stygian with a solemn nodded. With nothing else left to add the four of them clambered into Astra's pick up truck and, with nothing to draw suspicion to their activities or their movements they set off on their way; heading for the edge of Port Alistair and the open road beyond it which they would soon veer away from.

Leaving Breaktide Academy in the distance behind them.

Author's Notes:

And that, ladies, gentlemen and esteemed others is the end of Vol.07.
Three volumes left before the end this story and the ending of the entire Spiral-Verse which I've been writing since 2016.
Also, given that I'm writing this chapter at the end of June it's very likely, almost certain in fact that I'll get Vol.08 finished by the end of the year and that mid/late 2024 will be when this story ends.
But in the meantime I'm probably gonna need a week or so to plan out the first half of Vol.08 but, given that I am writing this literally two months before anybody will read it there's no problem and it won't impact the schedule.

But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Gotta catch up with Pantheon, since they spent the whole 'Doom of Pikesreach' getting cock-blocked in the background by students out on training missions.
On the one hand Pikesreach is gone, on the other hand Pantheon had clearly called dibs, they're allowed to be a little upset.
And now we can see that the reinforcements Winter promised to send are in place and making themselves useful.
The fact that the new defences didn't match up with or incorporate the old ones tells Pantheon that these are different people who are not from Pikesreach.
Even Pantheon looking at Aefen's plans like "Damn, that's really messed up"
So that compute that Pantheon broke, it was the communications system that Zirconia was using to contact Nero….Basically tying up a loose end to show why it wasn't salvaged by the Hunters.
SURPRISE! If you listen closely you can hear everyone who read FADE: Legacy cheering...Corvid Xiao Long is here.
Honestly I'm not sure how big of a role she'll play in Vol.08 but this seemed like the perfect place to have her show up.
Gotta respect that Pantheon took one look at the Hunter who put them in a coma by shoving the rear axel of a personnel carrier through their skull and decided to nope out.
And now we cut to our other Sentient Grimm, who has been a very naughty boy.
Yeah Zirconia might have been able to wriggle free if she had time, but even if Gestalt-Prime didn't just crush her ribs/neck where was she gonna go? Straight downwards with a terminal case of ouch if they're flying to low for a proper landing strategy, or she's just getting shot otherwise.
Gestalt-Prime's arrival was cinematic as hell in my head.
Okay, so Zirconia never calls Nero her Dad….But he's always thought of her as his kid since he agreed to take care of her.
Gotta admit, Nero had balls of steel throughout this scene because that man does not even have an Aura.
So Nero flexed the "Yeah I've known you were fucking with me the whole time" and Gestalt-Prime answered with "Didn't stop me from killing your friend though" because Albion's death had to get brought up sooner or later.
Oh Zirconia was ready to do some damage there.
"If you do not set my daughter down this instant I will find ways to conduct my operations using no more than what little of you remains in the scrap metal that we sweep off the ground after we're done" because evil geniuses that don't trust or love their kids are shit; Nero for all his flaws has some class and some standards.
"Because the future was never about revenge my dear" is another thing that differentiates Nero from a lot of villains, he truly isn't doing this to get back at people.
Remember how Carmesi said Zirconia had earned his respect a little bit after Neo Vale, he remember that he's lost his whole family as well….He definitely appreciates how pissed off she is.
So I need you to read the interaction between Gestalt-Prime and Nero and realise that when I say Nero is smart I mean it….He plans around inevitable backstabbings and works them into his plans to such a degree that when Gestalt-Prime says "There's another sentient Grimm that controls a massive slice of the Hive-Mind and the two of us are basically gonna have to fight" Nero's answer is "Yeah, I guessed that was gonna happen"
"With your vision realised" is not the same thing as "With you leading the Grimm" just saying.
Oh did you think Nero was gonna be calm the whole story? Did you think his patience has no limits and just because he anticipated being fucked over that he was gonna let it slide?...Nah.
Yeah there was definitely a decontamination process, even if Ruby did fry Grimm on the atomic level.
There is no sleeping after shit like that, everyone tries and just stares at the ceiling.
Yeah, a lot of mixed and complicated feelings all round.
See a lot of the heroes have motivations this chapter that aren't actually based on Nero's real plan; because they saw Aefen's work and immediately thought "Oh shit, what if he turned that into a bomb" which, let's be real is something that Aefen absolutely would have done.
AJ's a real one.
Can you imagine of Regalia's fears were real….Take what happened to Petrol, but then make it the entirety of her clan; merged into the Aiktishaf itself.
Astra is absolutely on the verge of freaking out here but honestly, it's freak out worthy stuff and if protagonists went to therapy and acted rationally all the time then there wouldn't be any stories.
Okay so Astra never said what Felix would do, but it was the first seed I sowed this chapter for how the chapter was gonna end.
Coco got absolutely fucked up.
Seriously, after being exposed to Grimm-Zombie virus spores would you share a bed with your loved ones?
Winter tried to be professional, but AJ is still her niece.
Okay Ruby is out of it for a couple days, because she had to clear an entire settlement with only one Silver Eye….She doesn't usually use her power to the point of passing out any more but that'll do it.
I actually debated having Aefen survive what happened to her and end up as Winter's prisoner, a reversal of what happened to Gestalt-Prime but it would have taken things in a direction I don't really wanna go.
So a lot of this chapter was there to set up that the established heroes, Qrow's old cabal are once again being forced to be reactive in the face of what they think is doing….But I also deliberately ended it with the comment about Nero's continued attacks against Atlas's cyber-security and him having something bigger in mind to prepare for his reveal to Zirconia.
So yeah Cornflower already knew, I'm wrapping up the Pikesreach stuff by having her be Menagerie's liaison for people returning to the Kingdoms from Pikesreach and then helping to integrate the kids that were born there into wider society….It gives Cornflower a future that's better than what she had.
"I don't think we're gonna be allowed to part of what comes next" and at that moment you should have already known where this was going, because it's no longer a matter of being allowed.
And there's those complicated feelings again.
"You kids sound like you're planning things that I really should not be hearing about" seriously, AJ Stitch….Your OpSec is horrendous.
And the text from Astra, with when it was timed should really have given it away.
This scene is legitimately the most pissed we have seen Zirconia, she never usually lets herself actually express her anger like this.
….And then Carmesi undercut it with a joke.
Oh he got told off like a child, damn near sent to his room.
So Nero is outright saying he's gonna get rid of Gestalt-Prime as soon as he doesn't need them any more.
"Is using your strength against a man without Aura what the Hunters taught you?" the fucking gall of this man.
So Zirconia voiced the concerns that everyone else is having and Nero literally laughed, that's when you know you're about to see some villain shit.
So this is actually the second time we've seen Nero lose his temper and the first time was when he was face to face with Qrow; so you can see that he even surprised himself with the yelling….When I was writing the scene my mind kept going to Omni-Man when he was absolutely schooling Mark.
Okay so Zirconia didn't need it spelled out for her, but I made it pretty clear what Nero's planning without spelling it out….That being said, it will be spelled out fully at some point, probably in Vol.08 confrontation; but yeah Nero is thinking LARGE scale.
This is indeed it, we're heading out and leaving the academy setting behind for the final three volumes.
And yeah if they get caught they are fucked, they're definitely getting expelled in their absence for this.
"The only thing to fear is fear itself….And running out of team building activities" always time for a Bill Murray quote.
Zirconia is once again at the forefront of AJ's mind.
So that's the plan….Basically "If nobody else is gonna just go and look for Nero then fuck it, we'll do it ourselves"
See you all next volume.

Thank you to MajorBrony95 for their review on the last chapter.
Remember, as heartwrenching as the fight was...Rule of threes.
The Cyber-Grimm are less useful to Gestalt-Prime than they'd like, as we saw they're not under their control by default and you underestimated how well prepared for inevitable backstabbing Nero was; he literally built parts of his plan around it.
Oh yeah, Gestalt-Prime could easily have killed Coco if they'd stopped fucking around and just done it and that's what would have happened if it had been allowed to carry on.
Having Aefen stay alive to say that was honestly just a cliche villain moment.

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