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 06: FADE In
Felix and Eagle made their way through the long since abandoned streets of what had once been a fairly well off residential area while Sentinel's weapon system swept across the buildings, the droid letting loose the occasional bleep or chirp as it did so, the lens of its' singular mechanical eye narrowed in concentration impressing Felix with just how expressive it could be without a face. The annexed part of Old Vale was a small fraction of the original Kingdom as much of it had been reclaimed and rebuilt following the war, rather the reinforced walls, countless artillery emplacements and Hunter presence on standby at all times contained what had been the inner city and extended out to the beyond remains of Beacon, this however still left a considerable amount of ground to be covered
"Up ahead" Felix growled as he slowed to a stop, tail swishing in anticipation as he rechecked his weapons
"How can you tell?" Eagle asked with a raised eyebrow "Sentinel didn't spot anything"
"My hearing is probably better than his, they're a few streets away. Wanna walk around or see what's attracted 'em?"
"Well we've been walking around aimlessly for over an hour" she grinned "Let's go make some friends"
"I'm going to hope you were being sarcastic and there is actually a limit to your optimism" the Lion Faunus snorted. The pair sped up slightly, swords drawn as Felix led the way towards the still unseen Grimm; as they drew closer the sound of growling and claws scratching against metal could be heard around the next corner. Felix pressed himself flat against the wall and motioned for Eagle to follow suit before he carefully peered around the corner to assess the situation. The Grimm in question were pawing against a dull gunmetal grey container, six feet tall with rounded edges and made of reinforced Atlesian steel
"Well fuck" he whispered "A couple dozen Beowolves, there's an Alpha leading them"
"We can cut through that" Eagle whispered back, only to receive a shake of the head
"Slight complication there's a drop pod with Halo's logo painted on it-"
"What like the old rocket lockers?" Eagle interrupted
"They were real? Weird I always thought my Mums were joking about those, they just seem dumb. Anyway I think that's where the items we need to grab are so all guns blazing might not be the best idea" he fixed Sentinel with a disparaging glare. The droid pressed its' clawed hydraulic limbs against the point where its' treads met its' body and cocked its' head sideways while bleeping
"Okay did this little fucker just put his hands on his hips and cuss me out?" Felix demanded
"Don't call him that…..and they heard you" Eagle sighed as the tone of the nearby Grimm's snarling amongst themselves changed; she crouched and extended her left hand out to Sentinel who latched onto her armoured forearm and reverted back to his shield form with a series of loud mechanical sounds. Barely a moment later the first Grimm rounded the corner and found itself struck across the face with Eagles' shield quickly followed by her sword being plunged through its' gut. Felix charged into the horde, the blades of Hack and Slash whirring into life as they ripped through Grimm
"I want the Alpha!" he called over his shoulder as he finally reached the Grimm in question, larger than its' pack-mates with thicker armour that sported long spines along its' back and haunches. The Alpha lunged forwards, claws extended while Felix ducked and span, the blades of his swords cutting through Grimm flesh before his second attack glanced off of the bony carapace in a shower of sparks and Felix had a brief glimpse of twin gouges carved into the beasts' back before it whipped round and lunged at him again, clawed digits closing around Felix's wrists as its' fanged maw shot forwards, Felix ducked under the attempt to bite out his throat before slamming the back of his head into the unguarded part of the Grimm where its' neck met lower jaw and dragging his swords' across its' gut as it staggered back. The Alpha rolled away from his follow up slash and let out a shrieking howl before turning and fleeing, Felix turned his attention to Eagle who had been putting on an admirable display against the rest of the pack and was surprised to see that they had begun to turn tail and retreat. Shifting Hack and Slash to their machine pistol forms he let loose a few shots at the backs of Grimm as they ran
"Since when do Grimm run away?" Felix demanded irritably
"I heard some were actually capable of basic strategy in the war" his partner answered, a concerned expression on her face "But that was only ever the really big ones" there were a few moments of silence while the pair caught their breath. Eventually Felix sheathed his weapons and stepped towards the drop pod from the Academy, finding a release lever and pulling
"This is gonna be so awesome" Eagle muttered excitedly behind him as the smoke billowed from the opening pod
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me" Felix spat, utterly outraged and disgusted
"What?"
"The items, that decide what team we're on for the next four years and that we just fought a pack of Grimm for" he turned around holding up the items in question "Are playing cards"
"What?" Eagle's expression morphed into one of utter confusion as she looked at the King, Queen, Ace and Jack of Spades in her partners' hand eventually a giggle escaped her, slowly giving way to a full blown fit of laughter
"Whatever" Felix grumbled as he pocketed all four cards "We're taking all four, let's go find Arctus"
"Hold on" Eagle reached into the pod and withdrew a small tablet, eyes widening as she examined the device "It's military grade, it can bypass the signal jamming. It's also got directions to the extraction point….That way" Felix looked in the direction she pointed and saw the remains of a broken tower in the distance that looked as though something had crashed into it.
"Of course it'd be there" he breathed out "They want us to go to the ruins of Beacon"
Diamond and Arctus made their way through ruined streets, Arctus a few steps behind her fighting a losing battle against the urge to allow his eyes to wander downwards. The pair had been dropped into what had been an inner city, high rise tower blocks surrounded them each bearing the wounds battle and time had inflicted on them, several of them partially collapsed. In the time since they'd become partners they hadn't come across anything that could point them in the direction of the items they sought; no other initiates, helpful clues left by Professor Goodwitch or even Grimm
"Hey" Arctus's eyes snapped upwards at the sound of Diamond's voice "I think there was a fight here"
"Uh yeah….the whole 'Battle of Vale' was a thing, my parents were there for it"
"Dude don't be a smart-ass" Diamond rolled her eyes but at the same time gave him a faint smile "I meant recently, there's bullets all over the floor"
"I honestly didn't notice" Arctus admitted, though he refrained from adding what exactly had been distracting him. Inhaling deeply his sensitive sense of smell detected an easily identifiable smell "Yeah, somebody was definitely using Dust rounds here" Diamond picked a handful of expended casings from the ground and examined them
"These are still shiny, no deterioration at all. We're not the first people to come through here, look around" the Bear Faunus nodded silently and drew Gefroren-Erbe, converting it to its' plasma pistol form as he turned down a side street. Eventually his eyes were drawn to an alleyway between a pair of tower blocks, widening when he saw something sitting amidst the wreckage
"DIAMOND I THINK I'VE FOUND IT!" he made his way towards the drop pod which lay on its' side; looking again at the damaged tower blocks it seemed that the pod had crashed through one and into the other, only to be pulled free and excavated. Reaching the pod his stomach plummeted when he made to pull the release lever and found it had already been activated
"A drop pod?" Diamond's breathless voice alerted him to the fact she had sprinted to his position
"Yeah, good news is now we know what we're looking for" the Faunus sighed before stepping aside to reveal the pod had been emptied of its' contents "Bad news is someone beat us to this one"
"Shit!" Diamond hissed out, running her hands though her silvery hair as she slouched against a wall
"Hey, we'll find another one" Arctus tried to assure her
"Hang on, let me think for a sec" she chewed her lip for a few moments while concentrating before activating her Semblance and using it to jog vertically up the wall of the building she had been leaning against, leaving Arctus on the ground wearing a confused expression. A few moments later Diamond returned, dropping to the ground with a determined expression
"Okay I just needed higher ground, I wanted to get a look around. I think I've got an idea"
"Go on"
"I can see where Beacon used to be from up there" Diamond explained, motioning towards the roof she had just returned from "I've got a sneaking suspicion that it's important, I mean they didn't drop is in Old Vale of all places for no reason. We could have done something like this in a forest somewhere"
"So you wanna head to Beacon?" Arctus asked with some scepticism
"Got a better idea dude?" his partner sighed "Look I'm not saying we'll find anything, I'm just saying that we're walking around with no real objective here"
"Agreed" Arctus conceded, pausing for a moment and thinking to himself that it really was the closest thing to a plan they had "Okay, lead the way"
"So, know any good jokes?" Nyanza asked, the mischievous smirk on his face making it painfully apparent that he knew how much he was annoying his new partner
"Well I'm currently walking with one, I know it more than I'd like to" Helios ground out through clenched teeth while internally weighing up the pros and cons of leaving the imbecile he'd been partnered with for dead in these ruins. Nyanza's only response was a gleeful cackle
"That's actually the funniest of the handful of things you've said. Got any more?" the golden armoured teen gripped his weapon 'Olympus Enforcer' which was currently in its' Tommy gun form a little tighter
"I am giving serious consideration to stabbing you through the liver and throwing your body in one of these buildings" when the feline Faunus merely gave another fit of his demented laughter in response and Helios couldn't help but wonder which side of the line between confidence and stupidity his new partner fell on. His musings were halted by a sudden cacophony erupting nearby, the sounds of massed gunfire mingling inexplicably what sounded like a guitar solo assaulted his ears
"We're going to see what that is aren't we?" Nyanza sighed, resigned but unenthusiastic "Of course we are" he muttered to himself as Helios simply sprinted towards the uproar, weapon at the ready. The pair reached the source of the gunfire at the moment it seemed to be ending, both of their attentions being drawn to the pair of initiates stood in the remains of a street that was thoroughly ruined even by the bleak standards of Old Vale; one was Olivine DeGrasse whose weapon had just finished collapsing back into the cylindrical container slung over her shoulder, Helios remembered her due to her being the first to be launched, the second wore spiked boots, torn black jeans, a dark grey hoodie with an insignia covered sleeveless leather jacket and armoured pads adorning his knees and elbows as well as several chains hanging from his hips, his dark green tinged hair was tied back and his narrow eyes were so dark it was difficult to tell where the pupil ended and iris began, an electric guitar currently hung from a strap over his left shoulder. Despite his appearance the teen greeted the newcomers with a smile and indicated to his partner
"Okay, she….she is all kinds of bad ass"
"Did pretty good yourself" Olivine noted with a wink as she removed the green tinted goggles from her face, pushing them back onto her afro
"Okay….what in Oum's name did we miss?" Nyanza demanded, the guitar carrying Hunter answered
"Grimm showed up, Grimm got messed up. Name's Ether by the way, Ether Arashi"
"I'm Olivine" his partner added
"I remember you from your launch, I'm Helios…..and this is going to be the bane of my existence, his name's Nyanza" the crimson haired teen introduced himself and his partner
"Well we were just about to open that up" Olivine gestured to something that neither of the newcomers had paid notice to, a single drop pod that looked as though it had ploughed into the wreckage of a car as it landed. A dark shape was visible for a brief moment behind the remains of the vehicle before Nyanza discreetly triggered his Semblance and raised one of his pistols. The shot ricocheted off of the edge of the cars' chassis sending the Grimm scurrying before the same bullet ricocheted again off of the drop pod, striking the lone Creep in the base of its' spine
"Okay did you seriously just shoot the drop pod?" Olivine demanded incredulously
"Do not attempt to understand this one's thought process, that way lies madness" Helios warned her with a sombre shake of the head "If there are no other Grimm then we open the pod"
"Let me double check" Ether smirked before pulling a single glimmering black crystal from his pocket, Gravity Dust. Using the crystal as a pick he brought it down on the strings of his weapon 'Ghost Reverie' the crystal shattered and with a single screeching note a wave of concussive force was sent outwards, shattering any windows that had somehow remained unbroken over the years
"Nope, no Grimm" Ether shrugged after waiting a few seconds to see if his attack caused a reaction. Helios merely nodded and pulled the lever on the pod, waiting until the mist dispersed to reach inside
"Cards? They had us searching for fucking cards!" Nyanza spat as he took the Jack of Diamonds from his partners' hand. Olivine took the Queen and Ace, handing the Ace took Ether before reaching into the pod and withdrawing the tablet from the pod
"You know what this device is?" Helios asked indicating to the tablet "I'm not the greatest with technology"
"It shows us where we need to go and gives us a way to contact Halo Academy when we get there" Olivine answered, surprisingly accepted of the fact that a seventeen year old didn't recognise a tablet when they saw one.
"Then let's-" Helios was cut off by an ear splitting screech
"What was-"
"Nevermore" Nyanza cut Ether off "Giant one, up there" he pointed at a black shape in the sky
"Why isn't it attacking us? They can dive-bomb and they have a ranged attack" Olivia murmured, realisation struck Helios
"It's gathering more Grimm" he snarled as he shifted Olympus Enforcer to its' melee form, the ammo drum of the Tommy gun flattening and expanding outwards into an ornate shield while the barrel collapsed into the butt to be enclosed in the blade of a xiphos sword
"So are we fighting then?" Ether asked as he slung Ghost Reverie from his shoulder, the body of the guitar collapsing and changing shape, curved and serrated blades sliding into place forming a weapon that could best be described with a sword with an axe headed tip
"Are you feeling lucky, punk?" Nyanza grinned as shifted the Pharaoh Mafdet back to their tonfa forms
"No" Helios shook his head "Olivine lead the way, we'll cover you"
"With Grimm on our tails?" Ether asked
"This is the Grimm's territory and we have no supply lines, it would be foolish to get bogged down fighting here. We head to our extraction point and fight them there if we have to. Be willing to sacrifice but not overeager" his new team-mates saw the logic in the statement and collectively carried out his instructions, covering Olivine as she read the map and led them towards safety.
"I swear if Arctus was on that I will actually lose it" Felix grumbled as he and Eagle came into view of the ruins of Beacon Academy, from the tower of which a single Bull-Head could be seen taking off. Eagle didn't respond, instead crouching and planting her shield on the ground where Sentinel proceeded to unfold itself with a chirp, head tilting sideways in a motion that seemed to mirror cricking ones' neck
"You know that place is gonna be full of Grimm" Eagle snorted "I mean I'd be disappointed if it wasn't" Felix merely chuckled in agreement, twirling his swords in anticipation
"As much as I'm up for a good fight I'm saying we wait. This part of initiation was clearly meant to be a four person job at least for a reason"
"Yeah that makes-LOOK OUT" Felix instinctively leapt to the side at Eagle's voice; the space he had previously occupied being cratered as the forelimbs of a Beringrel impacted against it in a double-fisted punch as it let lose a bestial roar; Felix answered with a snarl of his own before lunging at the gorilla Grimm, the Beringrel reared up to its' full height and beat its' chest in a display of power only for its' back to be riddled with bullets courtesy of Sentinel. Felix pressed the advantage, ducking low and slashing at the Grimm's gut as he weaved behind it burying one sword between its' shoulder-blades and the other in its' hip, leaving the Grimm fading into black mist as it died
"Nicely done" a new voice interrupted, Felix and Eagle turned to see a group of four students one of whom the Lion Faunus recognised
"So someone took you off my hands?" he smirked at Nyanza
"Love you too Fluffy" the pale feline snorted
"You know this ingrate? I pity you" the initiate in golden armour whom Felix assumed was his old friends' new partner huffed
"Yeah I do, I'm Felix that's Eagle"
"I'm Olivine, these are Ether and Helios" the diminutive Huntress introduced
"I don't suppose any of you have seen a Bear Faunus around? Really pale, white hair, stupidly tall?" the group shook their heads
"I don't think we're gonna have time to wait for 'em" Ether pointed out
"We leave no-one behind" Helios growled, Felix found the redhead rising in his estimations
"Why would we not have….oh" Eagle found herself cut off as she saw the lone black shape approaching from the air "I mean Sentinel could take that down"
"Your weapon would be better employed on the ground" Helios countered "That Nevermore is acting as eyes and ears but there is still a small horde coming our way"
"And Eagle and I are pretty sure that as soon as we get inside Beacon we're going to get attacked by something" Felix noted
"Agreed" Helios grimaced "We can hold the line here"
"Okay, tank girl….Eagle right?" Olivine asked
"Yeah, Eagle Arc" she failed to notice Helios perform a sudden double take before Olivine continued
"We're the heavy artillery. Take a side each and we can clear most of 'em out before they get too close" with that she dropped the cylindrical case from her shoulder and as it fell it split open and began to reform itself in a flurry of whirring gears and armatures, connecting itself with the cybernetic augmentation that she had rigged around her right arm. Those present who had not yet seen Olivine's weapon 'Buster Bravo' were left in slack jawed silence as the weapons array came online, incorporating a photon cannon being wielded as a pistol which was connected to a mini-gun, a twin barrelled laser battery mounted along the forearm and a targeting system mounted on the shoulder which interfaced with her goggles.
"Told you she's bad-ass" Ether reminded them with a smug grin before returning his attention to the direction the Grimm would soon be approaching from "Okay I can get in and out of their ranks, I'll pick off any that try and get around the sides"
"Nyanza help Ether, Felix and I will cover the four of you from the Nevermore" there were a few tense moments as the six Hunters prepared themselves before the first Grimm came into view; mostly Creeps and Beowolves with a few Ursa lumbering along between them. The Ursa were the first to fall as Olivine's firepower sheared through them, the Beowolves sped forwards jaws snapping as the sought to close the distance only to be cut down by Sentinel's Gatling gun; Eagle stood between the smaller Huntress and her own automaton with her sword at the ready in case any Grimm escaped the killing field.
"Try not to hit me" Ether pleaded before his entire body seemed to disintegrate, a pale grey mist making its' way across the battlefield and reforming at the rear of the horde of Grimm where he swiftly brought his blade around in a wide slash that cleaved through half a dozen monsters with ease before evaporating once more
"GERONIMO MOTHERFUCKERS!" Nyanza's battle cry accompanied him leaping over Sentinel, Semblance in full effect to avoid his Aura and being depleted in seconds by the storm of bullets as he raced towards the Grimm. The large number of enemies presented an equally large number of opportunities for his Semblance of good luck to wreak havoc, Grimm tripped over themselves and were momentarily turned against each other while his twin pistols punched holes through the bodies of multiple Grimm with each shot
SCREECH!
"Incoming!" Felix warned as the Nevermore spread its' wings wide, countless feathers being flung forwards followed by the monster itself as it tucked its' wings in and dived; Helios being its' clear target. Several feathers embedded themselves in the ground around the golden armoured Hunter as he crouched and took cover beneath his shield, another projectile clattering harmlessly against itself as Felix rushed towards him. Leaping onto the shield and using it as a springboard he brought Hack and Slash to bear as the Nevermore swooped low, talons extended
SKREEEE!
"It's pulling back!" Helios called out. Felix noticed a thin trail of mist billowing from behind the Nevermore and allowed himself a smirk
"I managed to take the claws off its' right foot"
"So it can't grab us as easily….I have an idea, can you block its' feathers on its' next pass?" Helios asked as he readied his weapon once more, Felix nodded silently
"It's coming back around!" Eagle warned then from her position ahead of them, combating the thinning horde of Grimm. The dark shape in the air wheeled around to face them once more, rapidly picking up speed as it dived
"GET DOWN!" a voice familiar to Felix roared and he instinctively leapt aside as a glowing white Glyph soared through the air, what baffled him was the fact that someone seemed to be riding said Glyph, Felix recognised the rider as Diamond as she jumped from her impromptu mount and drew her weapon moments before the Glyph sawed through the right wing of the nevermore, a well placed shot from her sniper rifle shattered the joint of the left a moment later
"Perfect" Helios murmured with a feral smile. Felix turned to see him triggering his Semblance, a rippling darkness seemed to swirl around Helios, sucking light from everything around him as he held his arm out towards the now falling Nevermore
"Bow!" with that the force of gravity was magnified for the Grimm and it crashed to the ground with a boom, writhing in pain, bone armour cracked and shattered in several places. Helios ran forwards letting loose a primal roar as his quarry attempted to struggle to its' feet, his blade found its' mark in the Grimm's eye, sticking for a few brief moments before it began to fade away. Ahead he could see his comrades dispatching the few remaining Grimm with ruthless efficiency
"So" Felix gave Arctus a disbelieving look "You took your time"
The pair resumed their usual good natured bickering as if they hadn't just fought a monster with a wingspan as wide as a street.
The Eight soon to be Hunters stood at what remained of Beacon Academy's once gleaming main gates; twisted metal set into a crumbling and moss ridden wall; everything ahead of them a nightmarish parody of the Academy above that was to be their home
"So Goodwitch really doesn't do subtle then?" Arctus sighed
"Her outfit's got a titty-window, what do you think?" Nyanza snorted
"Dude!" Diamond looked aghast and disturbed by the comment
"Come on" Felix grunted as he stepped forwards "We're almost done" with the end of their initiation in sight they stepped forwards, each of them casting their eyes around warily
"No empty casings here" Arctus murmured the comment intended for his partner, it was his cousin that answered
"So that other team must have approached from the other side"
"Um, hey guys? Can I ask a favour please?" Eagle turned to Felix with a somewhat embarrassed expression
"'Sup?" the taller blonde blushed before answering
"Okay, so you see that kinda broken looking statue….that guy was an Arc. I know we're busy here but can one of you take a picture of me with the statue? It'd mean a lot to my Grandpa to see that it's still standing"
"Pass me your Scroll" Felix held his hand out with a grin, it was no problem at all for him to accommodate the request
"Thanks, come on Sentinel"
"Do-woot" the droid trundled along after the armoured Huntress as she almost skipped towards the monument to her ancestor. The first sign that something was amiss was when the paving slabs in front of the statue began to crack, followed by a low rumbling
"EAGLE GET BACK!" Felix's worried yell proved to be deserved then several pairs of chitinous limbs burst from beneath the ground, each of them larger than the Hunters and tipped in a jagged point. The moment Eagle turned and began sprinting back towards the group the limbs disappeared below the ground once more and the courtyard began to collapse, pulled downwards into a cavernous crater
"Holy-"
BOOM Felix's curse was drowned out by the sound of what had taken up residence in the basement of the old academy bursting forth. The monstrosity had a bulbous abdomen, roughly four meters long and two meters across, coated in several overlapping plates of bone armour. Connected to it was a skull like head with eight eyes and distended mandibles filled with fangs connected to pulsating venom sacs, the chitinous limbs that had speared through the ground supported the weight of the trapdoor spider Grimm with ease as it scuttled out of its' nest at a speed one would not assume it possessed
"Dungeon-master" Ether hissed dispassionately. Without warning the Grimm raised itself up on and slung its' abdomen forward beneath its head and limbs, firing a stream of a black webbing like substance that struck Eagle in the lower back; the Grimm's fangs visibly twitched in anticipation as it began to drag her back towards its' lair
"Nope, nope, nope nope" Eagle's constant stream of panicked muttering ended when sentinel reached her. Rather than open fire the droid reverted to its' shield form around her arm before its' hydraulic claws deployed and fired on cables, burying themselves into the ground allowing Eagle to pull back with all of her Aura enhanced strength
"I've got ya!" Felix had rushed into action the moment the Dungeon-master had shot its' webbing, reaching his partner he brought his swords down against the substance, whirring blades screaming as they tore through it. The Dungeon-master let loose an ear-splitting scream of equal parts pain and rage before bringing one of its' monstrous limbs down in a stabbing motion. Felix crossed his blades in front of himself and braced for the attack which never came, parried instead by Ether who had used his Semblance to appear between the Grimm and the two blondes, Felix was further surprised when he taken to the ground by a slide tackle from behind courtesy of Nyanza which allowed another of the jagged limbs to pass over him harmlessly. The four of them readied their weapons and leapt into the fray once more.
"I can't get a clear shot, if I start shooting I'm gonna hit one of them" Olivine informed her allies nervously as she watched Eagle, Felix and her own partner Ether occupy the limbs of the Dungeon-master while Nyanza flitted around, weapons firing ceaselessly; his Semblance allowing him to make some truly spectacular shots and dodges.
"Neither can I, the damn thing's too fast" Diamond spat as she lowered the scope of Lex Talionis from her eye. The four Hunters not actively taking part in the fight looked on in horror when one of the many jointed chitinous limbs lashed out and struck Felix across the chest and hurling him back, the Dungeon-master instantly followed up by launching a stream of webbing at the Lion Faunus's chest. Eagle responded by deploying Sentinel, the automaton rolling into place between the downed Hunter and the Grimm as it opened fire; only to be swept aside
"I'm going in!" Arctus snapped as he sprinted forward, charging the plasma cell of Gefroren-Erbe before shifting the weapon into its' sword mode. At the same time he cast a series of ascending Glyphs ahead of himself forming a makeshift stairway. Diamond watched as he reached the final Glyph and leapt into the air, the blade of his weapon glowing with a pale blue light as he buried it into the abdomen of the Dungeon-master, eliciting a horrific shriek from the monster.
"It can't shoot webbing any more" Helios deduced as the beast thrashed in agony, trying to throw Arctus free
"I still can't risk hitting them though" Olivia informed them. Diamond's eyes widened as an idea struck her, she knew Helios's Semblance having met him before the initiation
"Can you use your Semblance on the Grimm?" the Crimson haired fighter stared at her, expression cautious
"What are you planning?"
"Got an idea for a combo, no time to explain" with that she set off, sprinting around the edge of the remains of the courtyard in an attempt to catch the Dungeon-master from the side
"Get clear!" her yelled instruction was apparently heard as Ether, Nyanza and Eagle began to pull back and Arctus leapt from the Grimm's carapace. Felix had dropped his swords and was unable to pull himself free
"NOW!" on her mark Helios activated his Semblance and increased the effects of Gravity on the Dungeon-master to crushing levels, bringing it to the ground. Diamond rushed forward and leapt into the air while activating her own Semblance, her feet connected with the Grimm and the manipulation of physics she used to walk along vertical surfaces came into effect, the Dungeon-master reached terminal velocity almost instantly as it fell sideways rather than downwards. From the outside it appeared as if Diamond had simply drop-kicked the monster directly into the perimeter wall of Beacon's courtyard.
"Sweet Oum you are needlessly bad-ass" Arctus gushed as he reached her
"Needlessly?" Felix demanded as he returned to his feet, the webbing attached to his chest having been snapped in the attack "I'd say there was a need!"
"IT'A NOT DOWN!" Olivine's voice warned them moments before Buster Bravo was unleashed on the Dungeon-master as it rushed from the wreckage of the wall, screeching in defiance, the onslaught removed two legs but still the thing fought on
"That's it" Felix growled as he stalked over to where he'd dropped Hack and Slash "I'm done" without explanation he shifted one of the chainsaw bladed swords into its' machine pistol form and removed the clip, replacing it with one of the magazines Aunt Ruby had given to him and triggering his Semblance while emptying the Nanobot rounds into the floor in a circle around himself
"Helios!" he called out "You seem to know what you're doing, if this doesn't work then you're in charge!"
"What are you-"
BOOM!
The ground was shattered as each of the Nanobots unleashed their explosive payload, a wave of heat and flames surged outwards from the blast only to inexplicably fizzle out; followed by the sound of snarling. When the smoke cleared what was stood in Felix's place drew a serious of stunned gasps, it looked like Felix except for his mane of hair and the fur of his tail seemingly being comprised of golden fire, golden light shining from his eyes and that his skin had taken of the appearance of molten rock, complete with veins of glowing lava criss crossing its' surface. Felix had entered his Balrog form. The Dungeon-master screeched at the seemingly new threat and Felix let loose a primal roar in retaliation before bursting forwards, the ground glowing where he tread and planting both hands on either side of the Grimm's skull. The fangs of the Dungeon-master shattered against the temporarily invulnerable Faunus and its' hissing and shrieking took on a terrified note before it was silenced. With a roar of exertion Felix turned and tore the head of the Dungeon-master free, hurling it across the courtyard where it lay for a brief moment before the severed parts of the Grimm began to fade away. Felix dropped to his knees as his body reverted to his natural state, sweat dripping from his skin and breathing heavily
"It's almost a shame they fade when they die" Felix looked up to see who had made the observation, Helios gave a wry smile "That head would have made a good trophy for you to return to Halo with" Felix looked at the armoured Hunter for a moment before a weak chuckle escaped his lips, slowly becoming a full blown fit of laughter
"So we did it then?" Arctus asked, weapon still drawn as he looked around "Surely they can't have another test for us after that?"
"If they have I'm flunking it" Felix snorted "I'm not even climbing the stairs on that tower, they can pick me up from here….Hey Eagle"
"Yeah?" Felix devolved into another laughing fit
"The statue is still standing, make sure you tell your Granddad how much ass we had to kick to get this photo for him"
They had done it, the Bull-Head from the Academy had picked the eight Hunters up from the remains of Beacon and after long showers and well earned meals they stood upon the stage of an auditorium, surrounded by the returning students who had arrived during their initiation. Felix scanned the crowd, hoping to make out his sisters' face. Eventually he found her, wearing a proud smile that his own face slowly mirrored.
"The third team this year" Goodwitch's voice dragged his attention back to the ceremony, Teams' AQUA and PSTL had already been named "Retrieved the Diamond cards. Nyanza Angora, Olivia DeGrasse, Ether Arashi you will form Team NEON, led by Helios Nikos" the crowd cheered as did the other students, Felix noted that Diamond was one of the loudest by far. Eventually the applause died down and he was part of the only as-yet unnamed team; then Goodwitch spoke again
"And the fourth and final team to complete this years' imitation process, retrieving the spade cards are Eagle Arc, Diamond Sustrai-Black, Arctus Slate" Felix's head was buzzing with excitement, surely that couldn't mean- "You will form Team FADE, led by Felix Xiao Long" the crowd erupted for the fourth time that night and Felix found himself being congratulated by his new team-mates, Eagle pulling him into a hug while Arctus ruffled his hair in a gesture few outside of his immediate family could get away with. He was too absorbed in the moment to notice the way Helios's eyes had narrowed when he had learned the Lion Faunus's full name.
Authors Notes:
AND THERE WE GO, Team FADE is up and running. Let's get this show started properly
Sorry about slow updates, overtime at work is eating my life.
Now let's summarise:
Felix was wrong, Eagle's optimism has no limit.
Rocket Lockers - so stupid they've passed into myth.
Sentinel is 200% sass.
If you don't that the Alpha that knew to call a retreat will be a plot point later then you don't know how I do things.
Playing Cards: Even more of a fuck you than Chess Pieces.
Arctus totall wasn't checking out his...Okay yeah he was checking out her ass.
Diamond Sustrai Black - So smart she can almost break the fourth wall.
Nyanza Angora is an unrepentant dick.
Helios's weapon 'Olympus Enforcer' is a sword shield combo that resembled Milo & Akuo that combine into a Tommy Gun.
Ether Arashi and Olive DeGrasse are both equally bad-ass (I've said that Olivine is black, I imagine Ether as Japanese)
Nyanza as Felix said isn't great in a straight fight, but having a Semblance of good luck means he can pull some cool stuff off when he needs to; like trick-shots without aiming.
Ether's weapon 'Ghost Reverie' named after an Opeth album, it's Sword mode is based on Megatron's weapon in Transformers: The Last Knight (Do not spend your money on watching that atrocity) it doesn't have a ranged mode Per Se, but it can be used as an area of effect attack in guitar mode; doing so uses up a full Dust crystal with every attack.
Helios's double take.
Olivine's weapon 'Buster Bravo' is roughly based on Sqweeks's weapon from Transformers: The Last Knight.
Ether's Semblance isn't exactly teleportation, it's closer to what the Death Eaters' did in the Harry Potter films.
And the award for best entrance goes to Arctus and Diamond.
Helios's Semblance is Gravity Manipulation, primarily increasing it. He can lower gravity around himself for a limited time though (Which is actually his landing strategy).
Goodwitch's titty-window is eternal.
A Trapdoor Spider Grimm called a Dungeon-master; not even in my top three for "Most fucked up ideas I've had"….Botfly Grimm anyone?
Nyanza performed the Full Metal Alchemist "Slide tackle save".
Arctus's weapon is a sword/antique plasma weapon; he can also use it as a plasma sword for a limited time.
Diamond + Helios Semblance combo = 'Vertigo Sidewinder'.
Nanobot rounds, they weren't for no reason. Felix still has another magazine.
Balrog form, imagine Blake picking a bedtime story for her kids and going with Lord of the Rings.
Also Felix's Semblance as I've said is basically being able to channel heat the way Nora channel electricity; when he absorbs a certain amount he can enter his Balrog form for a limited time, he's stronger, faster, invulnerable but also berserk. It also drains him to use.
And now our teams are officially formed.
Helios's expression will be explained (Spoiler warning its' something that will make more sense if you've read Downward Spiral.
Thank you to Shadowalex2000, ferrous and MarianTheLibrarian22 for their reviews on the last chapter.
There's actually only one pairing that I'm planning on pursuing being followed up.
Long live Arctus's crush; it's perfectly understandable.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.