Marrow knew well how the ebb and flow of battle went, especially when a force of largely inexperienced Academy hunters were involved. It wasn't just about good leadership, coordination, and reading the field correctly- though few would admit it, some of it was about spectacle. There was little more motivating to the downtrodden and fearful than a swift, decisive, and bombastic blow to the enemy forces… and that was exactly what he planned to orchestrate as he sprinted out across the park toward the incoming pack of goliaths. Each stood as tall as a single-story building, and each was more than capable of killing even an experienced hunter… but Marrow was no simple huntsman. He was an Ace, and about to make a show of taking down the first one to inspire all those charging along after him.

"Elm, ready as many rockets as you can," Marrow ordered as he chose a target from the edge of the herd. He could see drop pods rapidly falling from the obscured city of Atlas above, containing the dust he would need to put on a proper show. "Once I trigger my Semblance, hit it in the side with as much firepower as you can manage!"

"Got it," came Elm's voice over the earpiece. "Planning something special?"

"You could say that," Marrow answered as he came to a stop a good twenty feet from his target and raised his assault rifle. "Hey, you!"

Several bullets ricocheted off the grimm elephant's faceplate, drawing its attention toward Marrow as the faunus's rifle began to transform. Seconds later, the resulting boomerang collided with the golitah's left eye before Marrow called it back with the gravity dust embedded in his glove, drawing a furious trumpeting from the beast. Elm circled around to the grimm's side as the goliath began to charge and a drop pod landed heavily in the grass near her.

"Get me that dust!" Marrow instructed as he wound up and hurled his weapon once again, letting it curve in midair to hit the side of the goliath's head mid-charge. The faunus himself began to run at a diagonal, taking advantage of the beast's difficulty turning as it ran forward. "And be ready!"

"On it!" Elm called as she scrambled for the drop pod. "You sure you're alright?"

"Just fine!" Marrow answered as his weapon returned to him once again. He was well aware that he was running closer and closer to the rest of the pack, but there was still enough distance to remain safe as the other hunters behind him began to engage the grimm. "Toss it on over the goliath!"

Marrow came to a stop in a position putting Elm directly opposite himself and leaving the goliath between them as it finally managed to fully turn his way. The grimm let out another furious trumpet as it picked up speed, and Marrow raised a hand in waiting. The faunus stared down the twisted animal as it grew ever closer, choosing to wait and trust in his partner. Finally, and with only seconds to spare, a glittering grey crystal flew toward him in a high arc, and Marrow caught it in his hand before pointing it directly at the grimm.

"Stay!"

Time slowed in the localized area, rendering the goliath's deadly charge as nothing more than a slow trot. Elm's missiles quickly began to fly for the beast's side, each of the projectiles slowing as it got within a few feet of the monster. Marrow kept his gaze locked on the area to keep his Semblance going as he dived to the side and rolled, ending up on one knee down in the snow and ash covered grass. He slammed the dust crystal into the side of his weapon as more and more rockets began to collect in midair next to the goliath's side. Taking careful aim at the ground on the opposite side of his target, he finally blinked to release his Semblance. Quicker than anyone around could process what was going on, he pulled the trigger and swept his assault rifle in a wide arc, scattering dust-infused bullets into the grass as the missiles hit.

Each of the impacts occurred within the span of a single second, triggering forceful explosions and knocking the goliath clear off its feet. The force was enough to send it toppling sideways as bits of bone and flesh were blown off its side… though that wasn't where the majority of the damage came from. Where Marrow's dust-infused bullets had scattered into the earth, gigantic, jagged lances of stone sprang up at a diagonal and thrust forth with great speed. The toppling goliath fell directly into the bed of monolithic spikes, letting out one last, angry wail of anguish as the lances pierced clean through it. For a moment, the giant grimm was impaled and suspended on several spikes, its legs twitching morbidly before it fell limp. Within seconds, the beast exploded into a cloud of raining ash to the cheers of many hunters that had just arrived on the battlefield.

"…not bad, rookie," Elm encouraged, earning a smirk from Marrow as the faunus got back up to his feet. "That should do something to inspire the masses. Something's coming overhead."

Marrow looked up as several of the remaining goliaths turned their attention toward him. Up in the air was a set of green streaks that he recognized immediately.

"…speaking of giving the people Hope…"

"Penny for your thoughts?" Elm asked, not quite following.

"…exactly."

"…what…?"

Before Marrow had a chance to explain, the flying shape stopped in midair and the green propulsions behind it aimed downward. A circular pulse of neon began to gather around the figure before a precision laser fired off at an angle, searing straight through the faceplate of another goliath and bringing it to the ground to burst into ashes.

"…ah. I get it, now," Elm proclaimed. "Reinforcements have arrived."

Another voice came across Marrow's earpiece as he chose a new target and began to run toward it.

"Hey- you guys need help at the home base? We're pretty far out," Coco asked. "Should we hurry back, or head out for our quadrant? By the time we reach you, we might not be of much help."

"We're good," Marrow reassured as he flipped a switch on the side of his weapon and eyed up another goliath. "You and Neptune head out. We've got this!"

The faunus once again aimed at the ground at an angle and fired, causing a stone ramp wider than the spikes he had used before to manifest from the grass. With another tweaked switch on the rifle, he ran up the structure and fired for the next goliath, once again doing no damage and merely angering the beast. Predictably, it began to charge… but so did another beside it.

"Shit," the faunus cursed, standing a good fifteen feet in the air atop his tilted stone block. Marrow frantically began altering his weapon's settings, and the crystal within it began to glow brightly. "Alright, fine. Both of you come and get some. Stay!"

In the few moments Marrow had bought himself, he aimed straight down and fired into the ground once again. A straight, thick sheet of stone began to peek up from the ground, and Marrow adjusted his aim slightly forward in response before pulling the trigger again. The process repeated twice more until he let loose one final bullet mere feet from the pair of goliaths and unfroze time with a blink. Both of the grimm resumed charging with great speed… only for several stone walls to rise up directly in their paths. Where both could have easily toppled Marrow's slanted structure at first, they instead found only a series of sickening cracks followed by a rain of large stones as they collided with the rapidly rising barriers. Where the goliaths had hit the first wall, a series of fissures had formed large enough to bring the entire thing down upon them. Marrow caught sight of Elm waiting off to the side, her launcher aimed directly for the remaining barriers of stone.

"Now!"

Marrow leapt off the slanted wall as he gave the command, and a pair of rockets soon collided with the remaining structures. Each exploded into a rain of boulders, effectively burying the goliaths and causing several plumes of ash to spray out from between the gaps in the rubble. Marrow landed cleanly on his feet and ejected the spent dust crystal from the chamber on the side of his rifle as Elm approached and offered him a quick sweeping gesture with her hand, into which he clapped his own and squeezed.

"Again, nice work," the older woman praised as she held the grip for a moment. "Really nice."

"We've got this," Marrow encouraged as Penny came to a soft landing nearby, setting Cardin down carefully before she made contact with the earth herself. "Let's wipe out the rest of the stragglers."

Tyrian stared into the grimm orb hovering before him with a mixture of annoyance and apprehension. They weren't feelings he was used to, and especially not when looking at his leader… but something about the way she was talking to him felt off. Though he couldn't put his finger on it, he didn't quite believe that he was being told everything… and that was a feeling he liked even less than the worry.

"…but I do not understand," the faunus said, his discomfort clear in his voice. The statement echoed around the confines of the small cave lit only by the small fire he had constructed in the slightly larger chamber at the back of the tunnel. There was something about the dark and dour atmosphere that seemed almost fitting as he was delivered the news, and he wasn't sure if it was that or what he was hearing that caused him to shiver. "You wish me to simply… do nothing?"

"Correct," Salem answered. "And I have little time or patience left before I will become… unavailable for an extended duration. This will be the last time we speak before our victory, Tyrian. In the aftermath… there will be more for you to do. Until then, lay low. If you really are incapable of doing such a thing, then cause trouble in and around Beacon Academy. Distract Glynda and keep her busy while I prepare for the final assault. It won't matter what they do in the interim, so long as they do not find me. In all honesty, even if they somehow did… I doubt that they could stop what's about to begin. Now, go. Do as you see fit, and do not try to contact me again. I need every grimm in Sanus to return to my citadel, including this little one. Goodbye, Tyrian. Your services have been… appreciated."

"Goddess…" Tyrian began. "But what do I… don't…!"

The orb went suddenly dark without another word from the witch, and then, to Tyrian's horror, it began to float toward and the past him, heading for the mouth of the cave. He turned to follow it with his eyes, watching it as it lazily exited the tunnel and emerged out into the gloomy stretch of plains outside, leaving him alone. Or at least, he thought he was alone.

"All done? Finally."

The familiar voice behind Tyrian made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. As he turned his head to face its owner, his entire body was consumed by pain. Tyrian never got to bring his attention all the way around to Astrid. It instead diverted to the lance of bone that had erupted from the center of his chest and began to lift him off the floor as a spray of blood flew from his mouth.

"W-what are you… doing…?" the faunus asked through strained breaths as several twisted hooks of bone started to pierce through him. He could feel his ribcage twisting within his chest and poking out through his skin, ripping apart his flesh as he was betrayed by his own body. "She… she needs me to…"

"Don't you get it?" the Maiden asked as Tyrian let out another cry of agony. "She doesn't need you anymore, and quite frankly, neither do I. Soon, all that will be left will be the two of us and The Beast. There won't be any room for anyone else."

Suddenly, the fire extinguished. In his last few moments alive, Tyrian almost thought himself lucky that he could no longer see what was happening to him.

Author's Note:

The Beast, of course, being the beloved British game show trivia icon. Salem just wants to make Remnant smarter.

-RD