[b]Sand Vespa – Capture the Fort[/b] 

It took Sand some time to get back to a watchtower on the outer limits of the fort. 

Had she been detected by a large group of Grimm, or seen by the birds perched on the solar arrays, they would have raised enough of a ruckus that she might have needed to fight off a horde of monsters or relocate farther away from her objective. She did not need to make things even more complicated for herself, so she returned using a roundabout route, using the fortifications that dotted the outpost’s surroundings for cover.

The small structure she had taken over was one such building. A small pair of towers connected by a mostly collapsed wall that formed a convenient ramp into the two towers. A cannon was set up on what remained of the wall, rusted beyond use. Upon arriving, Sand warily took in her surroundings, waiting and listening for any sign that Grimm had come back while she had been out exploring.

Once she was satisfied that no monsters would jump out at her, she let out a sigh and climbed into the nearest tower. 

After being out in the open in Grimm-infested territory, the cool shade and stone walls surrounding her inside the watchtower were an appreciated comfort. The inside was completely empty, and the only features in the walls were large holes one could look out of.

Sand leaned against the tower wall and looked out through one of the openings, much as a guard would have done in this post. Instead of looking for outside threats to the fortress, however, her gaze was fixed on the looming form of Outpost Jeager in the distance.

If she was going to get inside the fortress with minimum hardships, she needed to consider her options.

There were two main entrances that she had seen, leading in and out of the outpost. Large gates that still held strong after all those years. They had likely been closed by the fort’s previous inhabitants and the Grimm had not been able to break them down. She had to praise the builders in that regard. Those doors were made to stand up to hordes of monsters, and stand they had. Because of that, she doubted she would be able to pry those doors open herself, never mind doing so without bringing an army of Grimm down on her.

The land walls might have been in various states of disrepair, but they were still solid enough to ward off land bound intruders. With her particular set of skills, she was sure she would be able to climb them if it came to that, but that would leave her completely exposed to the Grimm roosting in the solar array towers. If she alarmed those birds, the other Grimm in the area would probably grow agitated as well.

The coastal wall however, as she had observed earlier, had almost completely collapsed. On her way to the cliff side, she had seen a group of Beowolves march into the complex from a hole in that wall, accessible through a small footpath. In truth, that could be her best way in, but she had no way of knowing what she would find until she went in. For all she knew, the entrance could lead directly to a Beowolf den.

That left the ship entrance, but she was already convinced that place was a Grimm nest. The only difference from the hole in the wall and that was that she would have a better view of what was ahead as she went in. But that did not account for whatever that noise she had heard had been. It gave her a bad feeling. The idea that someone was living in a place like that was unthinkable, so it could not have been a person singing. Perhaps a Grimm had brushed against a machine inside and some recording had started playing. She had no way of knowing unless she investigated. It seemed more and more likely that she would need to. It was simply too suspicious to be left alone.

She examined her options from several angles before concluding she was simply stalling. It seemed more and more likely that things would go wrong at some point or another, and she would have to face the Grimm of Oupost Jeager. Even if she made it in undetected, she lacked much information regarding the fort’s interior, how many Grimm were inside, or how long it would take her to find what she needed. Eventually, things were bound to go south on her. 

And then what? 

This was not the first time field work as a student research assistant in Atlas had sent her to a dangerous place. She could hold her own in a fight. This was, however, the most dangerous place she had been sent to without any backup. If she got into a tight spot, she had no leeway for screw-ups.

[i]And whose fault is that?[/i] Sand reprimanded herself. The truth was, her team would have helped her had she asked, but she had chosen against it. This was supposed to be the last mission she took at Atlas, and as such it felt fitting that she do it on her own. A sort of severing act.

[i]Though now that I’m actually here, whatever I was trying to prove escapes me. [/i]

Alas, bravery and recklessness came hand in hand. Hunters were expected to overcome adversity, even when said adversity was created by themselves. [i]Particularly then[/i], she thought.  

A piercing howl interrupted her musings. Her eyes narrowed on the looming structure as shadows began appearing on the fort’s walls, their answering cries echoing throughout the ruins. Moments after the first howl, a faint tremor began to spread under her feet as a horde of Grimm set out towards the forest. Sand retreated from the opening and pressed herself against the wall, her body tensing as foot-stomps and snarling grew nearer, then faded away, over and over with each passing monster.

It did not take long for the main body of Grimm to pass by, the tremor fading with them. Sand let out a breath she had not realized she had been holding, then approached the window once more. The fortress still stood in the distance, as intimidating as ever. Now, however, a large group of its inhabitants had left.

It was almost too good to be true. If she was planning on infiltrating the building, she could not hope for a better opportunity.

Still, she hesitated. There were few things a Grimm would have reacted to in the manner she had just witnessed. She had a hard time picturing Grimm rushing out like that in response to a territorial scuffle with animals. 

[i]Grimm exist for the sole purpose of killing us. [/i]

People, then. Though whatever someone could be doing this far out into the wilderness she did not know.

Hunters out in a mission, like her? Perhaps. Was it safe to make that assumption? Could she assume whoever was out there could handle what was coming for them?

[i]Can I afford not to? This will be my best chance. If I try to see what caused the commotion and it's nothing, it might might mean completely scrubbing the mission. Hunters are expected to carry out their objectives. Hunters are expected to overcome adversity. Hunters are expected…[/i]

The lone figure crept out of the watchtower and paused, staring in the direction of Outpost Jeager. Then turned and followed after the Grimm.