The aftermath of what the locals referred to as "The grand defense" was filled with uncertainty. Though their lives, loved ones, and possessions were intact, many people simply felt unnerved after the latest commotions.

At the drop of a hat everyone had stopped their lives and for two weeks built up their town's defenses. Nonstop work then rest, rinsed, and repeated. Then they were medicated into sleep unaware of what was taking place just past locked doors. When they awoke and it was all over, it was as if a harrowing lottery was drawn and some had to find their loved ones deceased and wrestle with the sudden regret and loss. Word quickly spread around town that it was a horde of an estimated seven hundred Grimm. Of which four to five hundred were culled.

It just seemed too sudden to pick up where they had left off. Yet what else was there for them to do? There was work as always, and as their children resumed playing in the soot-stained streets and past the trodden terrain around the walls, the adults followed their lead and sought to reinstall enough joy in everyday life for all. Including their few neighbors who were now short a loved one.

That was how the town of Vicus resumed their lives after a large Grimm incursion. A story like many other settlements and unlike far many more that did not see another day. For team CRLN however, they maintained their cover in the town. With consistent contact with the Nyx, they received constant reports and updates. So far the ship's retrofitting with the onboard supplies was progressing smoothly, they were ahead of schedule and now short on material. If it was to continue to completion, they would need to establish a route back to Vale.

That was easily achieved with CRLN's newfound popularity amongst the populace. Those who had dissented or blamed them for the deaths slowly simmered out until cooler heads prevailed while the rest hailed them as young heroes. Naturally, those in the MIlitia were living it up as well. Parents and siblings told stories of their own acts bravery to the elderly and youth alike but surprisingly had even more to say for the four young huntsman that had guided their defenses.

Raiden was hailed as an angel on the battlefield. Polite, knowledgable in battlefield first aid, calm, and eliminating Grimm across any distance with a beam of blue light at his disposal. Children dropped their jaws at the stories, chattering and arguing over what his blue light was. A semblance? A technique? Laser eyes? They would all giggle and rush him with questions whenever they caught sight of him. On the receiving end, however, Raiden was dying of embarrassment. Being hailed as an angel and praised for feats he found to be easy left him burning at the eartips

Lukas partook in the praise and thanks of the locals without hesitation. The adult men, some single women whom he had grown acquainted with during construction, and those from the Militia he had guided, frequently they asked him to share a drink whenever he was sighted. He made it known well how he liked a drink, especially if free. Soon he began treating Vicus as he had the night side of Vale but with a newfound humility to his charisma and audience.

It was Niel who was on cloud nine. While the rest of his team had dispatched their assigned Alpha in secret or with ease, he received immense popularity as word of his battle spread. Those who had seen it, preached it as if doctrine. Word for word, they spared no detail in how he had brawled hand to hand with a large beowolf like Grimm. Bigger than an Ursa, faster than a Beowolf, fiercer than a boarbatusk. It made a great bedtime story for the kids, compliments from the adults, and to his bewilderment, much interest from women.

For Niel, it seemed all that advice from Lukas had paid off. It had been close to a dozen separate invitations for picnics, meals, or to simply speak with one another. At first, he had been thickheaded and not realized their intents so accepted, thinking they were simply thanks. It was when some parents had even come with their daughters asking if he would consider joining their family that he finally understood. He soon took a more tactful approach and was considerate to those who sought more than he thought he could provide considering the true extent of he and his team's circumstances. But it didn't mean he would shoo away the attention of a handful of pining girls either…

Then there was Caelum. He still wore his gas mask, ever paranoid. It had been weeks since the last notice with his face was torn down, the CCT hardly reached out this far so most news was by mouth or with the trading bullheads. It was unlikely anyone would recognize him lest he spouted his name and announced he was wanted. He was only ever seen in town when he was leaving his team's lodgings to watch the gates and when he returned.

To some, he seemed like a ghost. Tales of his heroics were told as well but in hushed tones as if he were a ghost or the townsfolk believed he would somehow hear them. They spoke of his strength, his culling of the Grimm but also of the fear he struck in the Militia too. Ironically, as opposed to his teammates, his appearance and tale were more of a scary story for the local children.

The kids instead would

peer around corners to watch him, running away with gleeful screams if he glanced their way. To them, it was as if they had seen an urban legend. The adults however tended to avoid him, fearing he may have been a dangerous fellow with a deranged face underneath his mask. It was surprisingly the elderly who warmed up to his unusual appearance and for a rather unassuming reason.

He always politely nodded his head in greeting towards them. No words, no expression past a blank gas mask as he silently strode past them. Eventually, all the older folk would greet him heartily as if he were a neighbor or expected sight.

Then there came one day.

The town of Vicus had grown used to the four boys in those ensuing days of peace. Caelum was standing watch on a section of broken wall by himself when a creak of wood announced another approaching him on the ramparts. Turning, Caelum saw a somewhat familiar face past the lenses of his mask.

It was the man he had shown his face to. The brother of a deceased militiamen under Caelum's charge. Expecting an unpleasant talk, Caelum readied himself when the man outstretched a hand with a box.

"My name is David. David Fuller. It may not mean much to a Huntsman like you but, I wanted to say… thank you. I'm sure my brother would have too. Sonia, that is his wife, the woman who tried to slap you… She's come to terms with it though she is still hurting. She says she understands but can't muster the strength to speak to others. So I'm here to apologize on her behalf as well. I-"

The man, David, stopped and looked up from his outstretched hand. The huntsman across from him had not taken it and instead cocked his head curiously as he eyed the box. "O-oh! This, this is just some dried and seasoned meats. Like I said, as thanks. It isn't much I know but it is the best I could do on short notice-"

His words stopped as Caelum reached out and took the gift. "Food is much more than many know. It is a great gift. Thank you" said Caelum, his words slightly muffled.

The man held his breath. He watched every movement from the huntsman across from him with interest. It was this intense stare that caused Caelum to stare back. David caught himself and averted his eyes, beginning to ramble. "I remember what you said that night. And your face too. You seemed my age if not younger. I wanted to ask. How old are you?"

With a flat tone and disinterest in his voice, Caelum replied with his own question. "Will it change anything if I tell you?"

David seemed to be stunned for a moment as he thought over the question. The two mask lenses of the statue-still boy bore into him as he struggled to justify his question. "No. But, may I at least know your name?"

Again, Caelum stayed silent. To David, it seemed as if that very silence was his answer. In reality, Caelum hesitated. As disappointment was about to set in on the man's face, Caelum said a single word.

"Cae."

Funnily enough, David seemed even more surprised by the response. His expression softened as he gave a deep bow of his head. "Thank you, Cae. For everything."

Raising his head again, David brought a smile onto his face. "You know, you'd be welcomed a lot more around town if you took off that mask. I heard from the mayor that your friends said you have some kind of complex about your looks? If that's the case, I'm willing to bet you're worrying over nothing." David turned to take his leave, intending to depart with his jest in tow.

Caelum glanced down at the box of meat in his hand. His mind ruminating over variables and possibilities at the suggestion. The damn thing was stuffy anyways.

"I'll be eighteen this summer" called out Caelum.

The man stopped in his tracks and slowly turned as Caelum added a fib to his statement to cover his tracks.

"I was an early graduate."

David turned and saw with now widened eyes, Caelum's face. A calm expression of serenity on it as he took a bite of the jerky he had been given.

David smiled. "Then I'll see you around Cae."

Caelum watched the man leave as he took another bite of the tender meat. It wasn't a sound choice or so his paranoia would tell him. The man was forgettable. An average Joe in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Caelum probably wouldn't even remember him a year from now. If his plans advanced, then even sooner. Yet as he ran the risks and rewards in his head at improving local perception, he held it as a staunch reminder that it was not the world after him. It was his enemies and he would see that he dealt with them eventually.

He had helped these people. He had played the role of Huntsman and at no other discretion nor volition than his own. He had saved lives and lost some. As he had before. But here in this small gesture of perishable nutrition, as the sun's rays warmed his skin and a cool autumn wind brushed his hair. It felt… good to be a hero. Even if he knew he was merely pretending.

Caelum's treatment around Vicus abruptly changed once he began going without his mask. True his face always held his usual expression and he hardly spoke to the locals but that didn't stop them from turning to gawk at him and his team whenever they passed through.

"You're handling the stares well, considering you know. Being wanted," snickered Raiden as he waved at a couple of passing locals.

"It was the same at Beacon. He knows how to play aloof," snarked Lukas with his hands behind his head. "Everyone here thought he'd be some ugly mug with a deformed face or scars. Now they just think he's self-conscious and shy~" Lukas' tone took a sarcastic shift as he glanced at Caelum, who shrugged it off.

Niel chuckled at the antic. "Lukas is just upset some of the local girls have stopped asking me to invite him and instead want to know more about you. They said you are, and I quote, 'mysterious."

Lukas elbowed his partner in the ribs at the accusation. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. I oughta tell them how much an awkward brat you were at Beacon."

"Brat? Coming from you?" snickered Niel.

"Just cause you got a mouth on you too now…" grumbled Lukas.

"Get inside" demanded Caelum with a roll of his eyes. The two partners stopped to see they had arrived at their destination. A local restaurant that mimicked a saloon. To be precise it was an old saloon turned restaurant. The owners had made regulars of the four boys as thanks for helping the town and ensuring their son came back alive from the battle. Despite telling them they had only done their duty, and they didn't take special care just for their son, they would want none of it and insisted that the results mattered. They kept their boy and livelihood so they would show their hospitality.

At first, they only managed to get Niel to come. Then, Lukas hopped aboard and soon dragged Raiden along. With Caelum finally showing his melancholic expression around town, the couple felt comfortable enough to ask for his presence too.

While Niel and Lukas had been bickering, Raiden had requested the table, the usual orders, and a private corner for them to discuss important matters. Without missing a beat the waitress obliged it all. Soo,n the very same son they had 'rescued' served their food and left them to speak in peace.

The food was as good as his team professed. Caelum felt a tinge of guilt that the men aboard the Nyx weren't able to enjoy such commodities any longer and so left a mental note that he would have to somehow enhance the crew's diet.

"Stop thinking and eat, or give that to me" demanded Lukas as he reached for Caelum's plate. In an instant, Caelum whipped out a dagger and stabbed it into the corner of the table. Lukas reeled his hand back in surprise at the reaction to his joke.

"Sorry… it's a reflex."

"To what? A damn Ursa steal your dinner once?" asked Lukas bewildered.

Caelum coughed awkwardly as he avoided Raiden and Niels's eyes while he put the dagger back in its sheath and covered the new blemish on the table with a napkin. "We have our food so let's discuss the matter at hand. We are all in agreement that this incursion was unusual, to say the least. Correct?"

Raiden nodded as lowered his cutlery. "If they were truly migrating or chased out of their habitats by larger predators, they wouldn't have dispersed after the alphas died. It was unnatural behavior. I read our textbooks up to sophomore year's required literature and there was no record of any similar events. If there was, Port or Oobleck would have certainly told us. It all seemed unnervingly sentient in coordination."

"Sentient's a good way to put it," remarked Lukas, stabbing a fork into the meat on his plate. It wasn't like the Alpha at initiation. They broke into smaller groups and moved at each roar as if it were an order. When I tripped my target up and it fell on that mine, it tried to crawl away to safety. I don't know about you but it seemed to fear for its life and that wasn't in any lecture we were given.

"I have to agree with Lukas" added Niel. "At initiation, they worked as one large pack, a hierarchy of the strongest with whatever was weaker being disposable. Wave tactics as they circled and charged. But here they attacked weak spots in the defenses. Spread themselves out and attacked simultaneously. If we had not been here and sounded a warning it would've been a bloodbath."

"Could it be a mutation? Adaptations over prolonged contact with humanity?" Theorized Raiden. "What if this is the start of something worse for the world as a whole?"

"Whatever it is" gruffly interrupted Caelum. "It means humanity will be in for an even rougher time and soon. That and the fact it is not our issue. Not yet at least."

Right… we aren't huntsman." agreed Raiden with a downcast expression.

"Not yet" assured Niel. "we must clear our names first."

Lukas let a laugh escape him. "I've seen it all too many times. Criminals sinking into ever deeper debauchery and sin. When will you two learn?"

"We're not criminals!" defended Raiden and Niel simultaneously.

Lukas crossed his arms and placed his head atop them on the table with a smug grin. "Really now?" He pointed at Raiden. "You made a battleship for none other than this man here knowing his goals."

Raiden clicked his tongue and looked away, not willing to deny what was a major point of pride in his life even if its ending intent was dubious. Lukas then raised an eyebrow and looked at Niel. "And you."

"What?" asked Niel confidently.

"You've been talking to underage girls."

"I'm underage!" hissed Niel as he stood to his feet in indignation.

Lukas barely restrained his laughter as the table rocked from Niels reactions. "Not officially here you're not. The people here think we're graduates remember?" Tears began forming at the ends of Lukas' eyes from watching his partner's reaction.

Niel went silent and slowly sat down with horror on his face as realization struck. "Do they… do they think I'm. You know?"

"A pedophile?" asked Lukas, slowly shaking his head yes, savoring Niel's despair.

Niel went deathly silent as Lukas began punching his own leg trying to retain his laughter."

Caelum shook his head as he took a bite of steak. "Stop torturing him. Niel, snap out of it. At most, they think you're no more than five years older than those girls. No one's worried about you around their kids. Now please, back to the topic."

"Which is?" asked Lukas, his fun being spoiled.

"I think we should begin our own private R and D on how to eradicate Grimm en masse. Crowd control should be our foremost worry. Taking care of the large amounts of smaller Grimm that can tear an army apart. I noticed how with my MG the rounds will start to be caught by the piling bodies and even those disintegrating still catch them or slow their power. We'll focus on small projectiles like ballistics and hopefully, if not too many inconveniences arise, move onto large-scale horde eradication."

His team looked at him with mixtures of disbelief and curious gazes. It all sounded beyond them, what four seventeen-year-olds could do. But Caelum didn't see them as such, he saw the opportunities behind his unusually prospective teammates.

"We'll take ideas from the crew with the pretext of surveys as well as our own and begin testing them in private on a small scale. I want Raiden to be head of this department with you two as test subject procurement."

"You saying I have to capture Grimm?" asked Lukas in astonishment he had to do more work rather than the task itself.

"Niel knows how. He did so in his tribe and even helped Port for class. And you're his partner. So yes."

Lukas turned to Niel who gave him a look with narrowed eyes that said he had no room to complain after his most recent taunt.

"Good" acknowledged Caelum as Raiden nodded consent. "This will begin sooner than later but not just yet. Foremost, let's finish here then wrap up the clearing of the unexploded ordnance around town."

"You just had to put those mines out there" groaned Lukas as he resumed eating.

"They helped didn't they?" responded Caelum blandly.

"We've already cleared three gates. I'm just glad no children or travelers will be hurt," commented Niel.

"I'm just glad Caelum had the foresight to record where they were all placed," laughed Raiden.

-Chapter End-