Chapter 39…

"Well?" Nyx Penumbra asked aloud, her golden eyes fixated on the massive throng of people below. She swung down her hacking blade to the point at the object of her malevolence. "What say you, Honey Aurum? Will you submit and die easily? Or will those you care about die in my quest to bring about the inevitable?"

Dozens of eyes all turned to observe the blonde girl, who looked petrified.

"I- I don't understand?" Honey gasped out. Her gaze flicked between the assassin on the rooftops and the man Vermillion still had pinned down. "What's going on? This has to be some sort of mistake…"

"Honey!" Teal muttered under her breath, gently reaching forwards to grasp the blonde girl's hand. "Back away towards me…"

"There is no error!" Nyx Penumbra called from the rooftop, crouching down in place like a tiger preparing for an ambush. "Powerful forces have ordered your death! Not even I know what you have done to merit this… I am merely their instrument of destruction!"

"Well go somewhere else then!" Vermillion yelled, releasing Simmons and getting to her feet. A defiant look was etched onto the regal features of the red haired girl's face. "I don't know who you are! I don't know what the hell is going on here… but I'll be damned if someone is going to hurt my teammate in my hometown."

"Then you have chosen to fight back," Nyx Penumbra chuckled. A large smile stretched the sallow skin of her ruined face, a spectacle that was rather horrifying to look at. "I was hoping that would be your choice…"

High above the tundra…

Rust grimaced as he stood in the cargo bay of the aircraft. He moved his brawny hands to his chest to fiddle with the straps of his newly acquired bandolier. It was adorned with several boxes worth of shotgun slugs and shells, from non-lethal birdshot to very lethal incendiary shells.

"Rust!" Mauve called out from below him, grabbing the hulking boys attention.

Rust craned his neck down to meet the stern amber eyes of his leader. Mauve had a look of pure determination on her face, her brow was creased and her upper lip stiff. "What is it?"

"Root around in the cargo bin up there! Are there any hollow points?"

"Uh…" Rust muttered, maneuvering his hands around in the cargo bay that rested above the seats. "I don't know…" The hulking boy turned his head and tilted his body so that he could peer into the cockpit. "Hey fellas! Are there any boxes of hollow points?"

"What caliber?" One of the pilots shouted back.

"Nine millimeter!"

"Other side of the cargo bay! Left hand side above the seats!"

"Thanks!" Rust spun around and carefully walked to the other side of the cargo bay. He reached up and moved the sliding panel, finding several neatly arranged boxes of handgun ammunition. Rust reached his hands around inside and came up with several boxes of hollow points. "Here we go…"

Mauve set down her pistols and deftly caught the boxes in her hands. She ripped them open and began fumbling rounds into her spare magazines, which she then clipped to her catsuits integrated ammunition belt.

"No thank you?" Rust joked.

Mauve rolled her eyes as she pulled back the slide of Static. "Thanks…"

"You're welcome…" Rust chuckled, grabbing Ruination off its seat and checking the internal magazine over again. "Are you ready for this?"

"This is only going to end up one way…" Mauve sneered, transforming her pistols into blades and then leaning forwards to slide them into their respective sheathes.

"Verdant Bulwark being arrested?"

"Assuming there's enough left of him to arrest…"

Back in Haven…

It happened suddenly and without warning, a masterful use of acrobatics and cunning that no one saw coming. In an aura infused jump Nyx Penumbra blasted off the tiled roof of the town hall, sailing through the air high above the crowds below her.

The dozens of civilians in the crowd below screamed and ran once it became clear violence was about to transpire; the stampeding of feet on the cobblestones shook the ground and buildings.

Simmons scrambled hastily to his feet as the assassin began her rapid descent. The man yelped when his vision suddenly turned a bright shade of purple. He felt small and unfamiliar hands on his arm and in a moment of confusion found himself standing far away from the impact zone.

"Stay still and die!" Nyx roared, her feet finally making contact with the stones of the ground. The rest of Team VHLT scattered in multiple directions as an aura infused shockwave blasted the town square to pieces. Inky black tendrils of aura shot from the impact zone, snaking into the ground and obliterating the walls of several nearby buildings.

Simmons watched in absolute horror as one of these tendrils lashed out to level the bell tower atop the town hall. The brick structure slid off its support and crashed to the ground in a pile of rubble, flinging dust and debris into the air.

"Where's your radio!?" A female voice roared into his face.

Simmons adjusted his vision, meeting the purple eyes of the girl who saved his life. Lavender jumped from foot to foot nervously, her eyes marked with a terrified expression.

"Your friend took it!" Simmons gasped out, peering up at the massive cloud of smoke that hid the center of the town square; from his place grunts and sounds of exertion could be heard… as well as the slashing crash of a hacking blade impacting against stone. "Oh no! She still has it!"

"Crapbaskets…" Lavender squeezed her eyes shut before snapping them back open. "I need to go get my team's weapons… can you go help them?"

Simmons peered into the debris cloud, his eyes widening when a plume of flame shot up from the cloud and then disappeared. "Yeah… you can count on me!"

The purple themed girl teleported away in a blast of purple light.

Back in the bullhead…

"We've got a problem!" One of the pilots roared over the intercom. Rust and Mauve instantly snapped up to attention.

"Whats going on!" Mauve demanded, shooting up out of her seat and into a standing position. "Tell us!"

"Get back on your seats!" The pilot on the right hand control console roared out. "Our radar just lit up and the guys ahead of us are taking fire! Were taking evasive maneuvers!"

"What do you mean!?" Rust shouted, hastily obeying the pilots orders and strapping himself in. "Grimm?"

"NO! MISSILES!" The first pilot roared over the intercom as the control consoles began flashing red. "WERE GONNA ROLL THE CRAFT! GET IN YOUR SEATS!"

Haven village…

Teal squinted through the dust and debris and slammed her hand on the ground. She tried to focus on the silhouettes ahead of her, namely the one dressed in black. The blue haired girl called forth her semblance, feeling the tiny debris that littered the ground of the town square.

Slowly these small chunks of rock and brick began to vibrate at increasing levels of intensity.

"Heads up!" Teal roared out to know one in particular. "The floor is made of lava!"

It was a creative little code word… the two silhouettes of Teal's teammates quickly scattered as a pained scream punctuated the dusty air. The target of Teal's attack writhed in pain and kicked her feet as thousands of tiny pebbles bit at her legs and lower body.

A blade swooshed through the air three times in succession and Teal suddenly found herself sprawled on her back; the serrated edge of a hacking blade nearly clipping her aura.

"That hurt!" The scarred woman roared, raising her blade to sink it deep into Teal's flesh. She was interrupted when a plume of flame crashed into her side, prompting her midnight black aura to flare up proactively.

Vermillion and Honey skittered into frame, the latter helping Teal up to her feet.

Their red haired leader didn't look all that worse for wear, but Honey was a different story. The blonde girl's right arm had a long gash that trailed from her elbow to her wrist; her pupils were also dilated, indicating that she was using her semblance to pump herself full of adrenaline.

Nyx Penumbra was standing ten feet away, a smirk on her face and her blade held low. She suddenly swished the blade through the air a few more times, clearing away the last of the dust that hung in the town square.

"Shes fucking fast…" Vermillion growled, her hands held aloft and glowing from her semblance. "Smart too… it was a neat trick… trying to blind us…"

"Her blade," Honey choked out, a wad of emotion stuck inher throat. "It went right past my aura…"

"What?" Teal snarled in shock.

"I don't know how… but it did…"

"Wait!" Teal sputtered, frantically searching around. "Where's Lavender?"

"Getting you three your weapons," a male voice spoke. "Simons" came out from… somewhere, a long telescoping baton was clenched in his hand. "She teleported? I think?"

"Friend or foe?" Vermillion sneered, splitting her vision between the brown haired man and the patient assassin.

"Friend! My actual name is 'Simmons' by the way!" Simmon's beamed. "Teal… do you still have my radio!?"

"No…" Teal blinked. "I lost it…"

"Not good…" Simmons huffed with a look of disappointment. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out another telescoping baton, flicking his wrist to extend it. "Ms. Aurum… I suggest that you hang back, she's after you…"

"We'll protect you…" Vermillion nodded. "Be careful!"

Honey nodded and took a few steps back.

It appeared as if Nyx Penumbra had tired of waiting… she kicked off her spot with inhuman speed, her hacking blade held high.

In the bullhead…

This was not the first time Rust and Mauve had been in a crashing bullhead. The first time was during the Fall of Beacon, when Team MARS commandeered a White Fang gunship for a quick ride to the city.

That particular bullhead had been worthy of the scrapyard by the time they got in it though… Rust hoped that the fully operational one they were riding in had better safety measures…

"FUCK! WERE HIT!" One of the pilots roared from the cockpit as the ship shook violently. Alarm klaxons blared and red lights flashed as the bullhead entered a death spiral; unsecured boxes of ammunition whipped around the room.

Rust could hear the rush of blood in his ears and the bile rising in his throat. The pilots were screaming and hollering in the distance as his vision became a blur. Suddenly, he felt something he could recognize… a gloved hand pressed into his own. Rust weakly turned his gaze, shakily meeting the amber eyes of his leader.

There was no fear in Mauve's eyes… only determination. Franky, that gave Rust a little bit of hope… which was comforting.

Now the pilots were yelling "BRACE" over and over again… talk about deja vu...

Rust's world spun violently when the bullhead finally made contact with the snowy ground.

In Haven village…

"Your situation is quite hopeless," Nyx chuckled, ducking under a jet of flame that was more than hot enough to melt skin. "I continue this only because I find it amusing… once I am sated I will slaughter my target and leave…"

"Fuck you!" Vermillion roared, contorting her body to avoid a strike that would have disemboweled her. "You don't scare me!"

"Hmmph," Nyx chuckled. "You have already witnessed my blade's ability… all I need is one quick strike…"

The black haired assassin ducked low to avoid a swinging baton that would have left her sprawled out on the floor. She twisted her elbow and angled her blade to catch the leg of the man responsible.

Simmons hissed in pain when the tip of the blade glanced off his shin, cutting straight through his healthy reserves of aura; it hurt like a bitch but it wasn't fatal.

Teal hung back from a distance, hurling rocks with her bare hands and using her semblance to enhance her strikes. Most of these rocks missed, but it at least forced Nyx to duck and weave, giving Vermillion and Simmons some breathing room.

"Idiots!" Nyx hissed as she jumped up into a twirl, extending her legs in a double kick. Her right foot made contact with Vermillion's jaw, forcing the redhead back and making her falter. Her left foot missed Simmons, who took the chance to drop his baton and grab her ankle.

The brown haired man roared in agony and pulled his hand away as soon as he placed it; the palm of his hand was bubbling in a similar manner to a second degree burn. Nyx cackled and ducked low to throw sand in his face and blind him, spinning again to slice a rock Teal had thrown clean in half.

"Do you see?" Nyx laughed. "This is pitiful!"

Her laugh stopped dead when a butter knife sailed through the air, scratching the assassin's left cheek and causing her black aura to flare up. The golden eyed woman spun to find her target, who had a whole fan of butter knives in her palms.

Nyx contorted her body as Honey began her assault. The blonde girl having secured a whole heap of knives from the nearby cafe; while they weren't designed to be thrown, they could be spun with a level of accuracy if she adjusted for their uneven weight.

Her would-be assassin contorted with impressive speed to avoid the first volley and swept her blade through the hair to slice away the second one. She kicked off in an aura-infused blast, her blade held high to cut apart Honey… like a scythe through wheat.

Nyx gasped in surprise when Honey disappeared in a flash of bright purple, her blade slicing through empty air as she skittered to a stop.

"Come get your weapons!" An airy voice called, making Nyx spin around in disbelief.

Lavender had her garrote wire hanging from her hip and had the rest of her team's weapons in her hands. She wheezed from the weight of the equipment and the weapons clattered to the ground. Her teammates rushed forwards, Vermillion grabbed her sword and Teal snatched her shotgun and bandolier.

Nyx watched patiently from a distance as they armed themselves. She smirked as Simmons shakily got to his feet, the aura around his hand glowing to close the wound her essence had made.

How interesting… the man healed with impressive speed! Normally her essence caused wounds that were much harder for aura to heal…

Nyx wondered if that was his semblance… advanced healing… it would be a useful addition to her library...

In the ruins of a bullhead…

Rust blinked his eyes open, wincing slightly at the sound of the wind slamming against the hull of the bullhead. He weakly turned his gaze to his right, finding Mauve also stirring in her seat.

"How long was I out?" Rust muttered, seeing his leader turn to face him.

"We just crashed," Mauve growled, tearing off the last of her safety restraints and shooting up to her feet. Rust felt a sudden burst of energy as his mind began to clear, he too began tugging on the belts that confined him to his seat.

After some tugging and struggling Mauve helped him, finally freeing him from his bondage. Rust clamped his hand down on his leader's shoulder as she led them towards the cockpit.

Strange noise could be heard all around the bullhead now… it didn't sound like just the wind…

Rust averted his eyes away from the blinking red emergency lights as he and Mauve crept into the cockpit. At first glance he feared the pilots were dead, but the gentle movements of their chests indicated that they were very much alive.

"Hey…" Rust called out to the two men, who were as still as statues. "Whats our sta- umph!" Rust was silenced when his team leader thrust her hand up to clamp her hand over his mouth.

Brown eyes turned upwards to face the cracked glass of the cockpit viewscreen, two red eyes stared right back at him.

"Grimm…" Mauve whispered, taking her hand away from Rust's mouth and clamping hers shut. Mauve closed her eyes in concentration… Rust recognized that she was trying to meditate and clear her mind.

Rust did his best to follow her lead… but meditation had never been his strong suit.

Finally, for whatever reason… the large beowulf perched on their aircraft decided to leave. It's massive paw cracked the already damaged glass of the viewscreen and the entire craft rattled as it jumped away.

Everyone in the cockpit let out a breath of relief. Rust suddenly realised what the strange noises outside the bullhead were… it was the pattering of paws.

"We're seeing lots of grimm outside," one of the pilots muttered, doing his best to dust off the damaged control apparatus of the aircraft. "This birds done for… you two might as well stick around…"

"No," Mauve shook her head. "We have an important mission to complete… we'll be fine."

Rust nodded in affirmation and tapped each pilot on the shoulder. "Can you two stay here for the time being?"

"We'll send out a distress call," the other pilot nodded. "Something tells me we weren't the only bird shot down though… I know you two have the aura and the training… but be careful out there! Up here… only the toughest grimm survive…"

"I've heard some stories," Mauve clicked her tongue, tilting her body to peer out the viewscreen. "But my friend and I haven't had the pleasure of facing any of them down…"

"Something tells me that's about to change!" Rust chuckled, turning back to the cargo bay. Before he and Mauve worked together to pry open the cargo door, Rust made sure to snatch Sage's grenade launcher out of the storage

At the same time in Haven…

Nyx Penumbra hadn't been lying when she said she was toying around. It was like the moment Vermillion and her friends found an advantage, Nyx would simply get stronger to counter it.

Was it possible she was still holding back?

The black haired woman avoided a baton strike from Simmons and leapt over his head to engage Lavender, who was trying desperately to tie her up in garrote wire. Nyx spun her hacking blade to dispel a blast of buckshot from Teal and swung her blade to force Vermillion away. In a blur of black and gold she sliced straight through Lavender's thread of garrote wire, sending one strand flying back to whip the purple haired girl in the face, making her aura shimmer.

"I grow tired of this!" The assassin cackled, spinning and whirling her blade to block a rifle round from Honey. The blonde girl was still hanging back, nursing her injured arm and using her rifle to help.

Nyx kicked away Teal and shot an arm out behind her, catching Vermillion's flaming blade in the palm of her hand and clenching tightly. Black tendrils of aura snaked down the blade, extinguishing the flames that ran down its length. The tendrils reached the hilt and latched onto Vermillion's hands; the redhead began screaming in agony as her aura began to flare brightly.

"Lend me your strength!" Nyx chuckled, tilting her head and giving Vermillion a sickeningly sweet smile.

The assassin was forced away when Simmons came spinning out of nowhere, screaming like a banshee and landing two vicious strikes against Nyx's chest. The assassin faltered and released Vermillion, who collapsed from the pain.

Nyx frowned and slashed her blade in a lazy motion… a spurt of blood and viscera watered the smashed cobblestones below.

Time seemed to stop as Simmons collapsed, weakly clasping his hands around his torn stomach; his batons clattered to the ground. Nyx stepped forwards and lay her hand against his shoulder, the fabric of his jacket burning at the touch. All of sudden Simmons roared as a new wave of pain crashed over him… his aura flared as it was ripped from his body, swirling up Nyx's arm and joining the black mass that was her own.

"NO!" Vermillion roared, weakly trying to stand up by using her sword as a crutch.

Teal and Lavender reacted immediately, springing forwards to try and help the situation in any way they could. Teal leapt into a forwards lunge, firing her large shotgun in the direction of the violent assassin. Nyx twirled her blade to blast the buckshot, a lazy look in her eyes as spun around and caught Teal with a vicious roundhouse kick that sent the blue haired girl flying.

Lavender didn't even attempt to fight now that her weapon was broken, she rushed to Simmons' side instead. She clenched his hand with hers, feeling how slick it was with blood… and in a blast of purple light she teleported away.

Nyx willingly let them leave…she had what she wanted.

"BITCH!" A new voice roared out- a sloppy maneuver. Nyx swung her blade up to rest on her shoulder as a golden gladius came crashing down on the joint. Her defence was successful and the golden weapon was deflected.

The black haired assassin spun on her heel, smiling and stalking in a circle as she observed her prey. Honey Aurum had a blazing look in her eye, she was still nursing her arm but had her blade held high.

"Honey!" Vermillion weakly gasped. "Get back! Let us handle this!"

"Yes… let your friends handle this," Nyx chuckled. "They are doing such a wonderful job!"

The dark haired woman swept her hand lazily to gesture to Honey's remaining teammates. Vermillion was still trying in vain to get up, her face was beaded with sweat. Teal was a groaning heap on the ground nearby, her forehead dotted with a nasty looking burn.

"Damn you!" Honey hissed, her green eyes narrowing. "How dare you hurt my friends! How dare you hurt that man who was trying to help! What's wrong with you?'

"What's wrong with me?" Nyx chuckled darkly, her voice low. "What a wonderful question… with a myriad of answers."

"Care to share!?" Honey spat in disgust

"How could I put this in the most simple of terms?" Nyx tapped her chin and wiggled her nose. "How about this… your pleas for morality and compassion are meaningless to me, I have long since risen above such silly limitations."

"What?" Honey snarled, taking a cautious step back.

"That's enough philosophy for now…" Nyx chuckled, crouching low. "Entertain me…"

Honey struck first, reaching into her knife pouch and spinning around to flick a knife in Nyx's direction. The woman huffed in surprise as she parried the golden blade away, contorting her body sideways to dodge the hail of bullets Honey followed up with.

Nyx moved with inhuman speed to close the distance, slicing her blade through the air in a horizontal pattern. Honey transformed her rifle back into a gladius at the last moment, angling her blade to glance away Nyx's strike.

Honey howled in pain when Nyx struck her fist into the blonde girl's stomach. There was a large burn mark on Honey's shirt once the black haired woman pulled away.

"Honey!" Vermillion howled, springing up from the ground and holding her blade high. The length of the weapon ignited into flames as she swung it down towards Nyx's head, using her weight to complete the strike. Nyx cackled and contorted her body like a professional acrobat, maneuvering around the falling weapon and jumping over its length. She swung her blade as she moved, slicing Vermillion on the shoulder, her blade completely bypassing the red haired girls aura.

Vermillion stumbled back and fell, gasping for breath and clutching her wounded arm.

"NO!" Honey roared as her friend fell, her blade dropped for a moment.

It was a small but fatal error, one Nyx wouldn't waste time capitalizing on…

Honey screamed in pure agony when the long end of Nyx's hacking blade slashed the side of her face, right overtop her left eye. The blonde girl fell onto her back and wailed, her hands clutching the wounded area. She began to hyperventilate when she realized she could only open her right eye, her hands were slick with her own blood.

"How terrible!" Nyx mocked from her position above Honey. "Such a pretty face… and beautiful eyes too! It's a shame I had to ruin both in one fell swoop…"

"How c- could…" Honey gasped, her hands still grasping weakly at her ruined eye socket.

"Hush, this will be over soon…" Nyx soothed, raising her hacking blade high above her head.

"STOP RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!" Roared a new voice, deep and authoritative.

All attention was now centered on a tall, well built man as he strode forwards, a diverse team of strangers standing behind him. The man in front observed the carnage and violence with bright green eyes.

"This has gone on long enough…" Clover Ebi growled as he pulled King Fisher from his jacket pocket, unfurling the weapon to its standing length. "I don't know who you are… but you will stop at once and submit to arrest!"

Nyx stayed silent for a long moment, her blade lowering. She suddenly burst out laughing, her scarred face creasing as she gasped for air- it was a sight as equally unpleasant as her smile. "Very cute! Did you practice that line in the mirror every morning in the hope that you might be able to use it?"

Clover narrowed his eyes and whistled, his team standing at rapt attention. "This is your last chance before we retaliate!"

"Oh please!" Nyx snorted, flicking her wrist to dispel the blood off her blade. "I was waiting for you children to show up… it's not every day I get to fight the Ace operatives!"

"Ace operatives?" Vermillion mumbled, her sharp blue eyes flicking back and forth between the two parties.

Nyx turned to glare at Honey, who was still writhing in pain. "Stay down… be good prey and don't run… I like to savor my kills." She departed Honey's side with a swift kick to the ribs that left the blonde girl shrieking.

The black haired assassin brazenly stalked forwards in the direction of Atlas' best. "Oh, Ace operatives!? Are you going to keep me waiting?"