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Chapter 26: Capture
Antonia Arc yawned deeply as she subjected her reflection to a meticulous inspection in the mirror of her her hotel room, followed by turning her neck allowing it to a satisfying crack. At forty four years old and being an individual who routinely prioritised completing tasks above such trivialities as food and sleep, she was beginning to show signs of her age.
"No time for coffee" she grumbled under her breath as she made her way to the door. Her flight had arrived in New Vale from Atlas during the early hours of the morning, allowing her only a few hours sleep before her first appointment of the day; she was required in person at the primary production facility of a company that Poly-Tech was in the process of acquiring. Personally she hoped that the tour of the site might actually refresh her; she'd found herself stagnant of late, a mind that previously had been a continuous wellspring of ideas had been dulled and preoccupied by both the monotony of running a corporation rather than being in a laboratory and on the front lines of science, pushing technology to new limits; and recently an almost perpetual feeling of dread regarding what would happen when she told her daughter that Qrow Branwen was her father.
As she made her way through the corridor of the admittedly luxurious hotel towards an elevator Eagle occupied her thoughts and she found herself fishing her scroll from the pocket of her business suit, her display picture was one of her holding her daughter when they both much younger; from before Antonia had sent her to live with her grandparents.
"Please don't hate me" she sighed to herself, before idly wondering to herself which of her lab assistant she'd picked up the bad habit of talking to herself from. She debated sending Eagle a text message letting her know that she was in New Vale before eventually deciding against it; it was Tuesday and her daughter was most likely in class, Antonia would simply visit Halo Academy in person later and have a much needed talk. She intended to keep her promise to Qrow and be the one to tell Eagle the truth, she only hoped that her only child wouldn't sever what painfully few ties they had afterwards.
She exited the elevator and stepped into the reception area of the hotel, eyes scanning the faces of the individuals milling about before finally spotting the person she sought
"Blanche" hearing her name called Antonia's personal aide turned to face her
"Good morning Miss Arc" the young woman clearly fought the urge to curtsey, apparently she was a member of one of Atlas's upper class families and had spent her childhood being instructed to act as such; Antonia found the gestures off putting.
"I got you a coffee, six sugars and milk as usual" Blanche was disgustingly cheery for someone who didn't drink coffee, Antonia herself occasionally experimented by replacing milk with energy drinks; Blanche continued "After our meeting at Novus incorporated we'll have an hour for lunch and then-"
"Clear my schedule" Antonia cut across her bluntly before chugging the still burning liquid
"I, erm….Miss Arc are you feeling okay?" in the few years Blanche had been employed by Poly-Tech she'd never known the woman before her to take a day off without being expressly ordered to do so by a medical doctor; and even then it was after a discussion wherein Antonia would point out she held more doctorates.
"I'm feeling fine Blanche, it's just rare that I get to come home. I have family that I haven't seen in….Oum it's been too long" Antonia's expression betrayed her sadness at the realisation for a brief moment before she masked it "We're here on Novus Incorporated Lien, but after we're done with them I'm going to go and pay my daughter a visit. She's a student at Halo Academy and I still haven't met her team, my parents tell me they're good kids; Oum I want to see my parents before we leave here"
"I'll take care of that now Miss Arc" Blanche nodded "Shall I have any issues that require immediate input forwarded to Professor Eldritch?" her assistant, despite the usual air of professionalism she tried to maintain gave Antonia a knowing smile. Whenever Antonia Arc was working on her latest marvel of technology it was a safe bet that Professor Ozymandias Eldritch would be nearby helping, he was the closest thing to regular social interaction Antonia seemed to have and if Blanche were to hazard a guess, her employer may just take the professor up on his offer to 'Call me Oz' one day.
"Thank you Blanche, remind me to give you a raise. Are Novus's representatives en route?"
"No, we're meeting them at their site just outside of the capital. They sent some….individuals to form a security detail, they'll be escorting us there"
"Then where are they?" Antonia took note of the suddenly distasteful expression on the younger woman's face
"The receptionist had one of them wait outside, they didn't fit the decorum. The rest told the receptionist in the most profane terms imaginable what they though of this establishment" Antonia raised an eyebrow at that before heading towards the frosted glass double doors of the entrance. Stepping out into the winter cold she spotted a black limousine on the curb, the group of people stood around it were clearly the aforementioned security detail. Antonia instantly realised what the problem had been
"The receptionist took issue with the Faunus"
"Quite rightly so, I mean look at-"
"None of that" Antonia's tone became harsh "I am a woman of science and I have no time for ignorance and scaremongering, racism is the product of both. You're not in Atlas now Blanche. No doubt this establishment will hear from Blake Xiao Long before the end of the week" the young woman nodded, head down in silent shame as she did so
"Miss Arc?" a gruff voice enquired, Blanche gulped. It was the Faunus and she found herself wondering if their hearing was as good as she'd been told. Then she realised just how young he seemed to be, certainly younger than herself. He stood at six foot six with messy black hair and a poor attempt at a beard, his fur lined clothes and the tribal tattoos adorning his forearms painted a picture of primal savagery in her mind, only worsened by the monstrous double bladed axe slung over his back. Antonia however seemed unperturbed
"Indeed, good morning. To whom am I speaking?" the Faunus grinned and held out a hand which Antonia promptly shook, Antonia noticed that his fingers were adorned with cat like pads, as well as unusually sharp nails
"Onyx Ursabane Ma'am"
Halo Academy's on site medical facilities were equipped specifically cater to those with an unlocked Aura and the rather unique combinations of injuries those individuals acquired while combating the creatures of Grimm or facing off against each other. That is to say it was well stocked with painkillers and mild Aura stimulants, the general consensus among medical professionals being that as long as the injured body part remained attached then it could be healed by Aura eventually, although scarring was still common.
"I'm sorry" Helios hung his head in shame, he'd heard one of the nurses complain about it being unhygienic for him to be with his team right now but the glower he'd given in response had seen the woman off. He'd made his way to where Nyanza and Olivine were the moment Goodwitch had allowed it, the fact he was still covered in grime, dust and dried blood and clad in his armour was unimportant
"Sorry? Helios you put yourself on the line to get me out" Olivine's pale lilac eyes were concerned as she tried to make herself comfortable, repositioning herself to accommodate her right arm which had been set and was now in a cast and sling
"He's gonna be like this all day" Nyanza rolled his eyes "He's just pissed he didn't get to have an honour duel with the big bad Alpha-" Helios watched as his partner's chuckles devolved into pained coughing as he clutched at his broken ribs
"Helios" Olivine sighed "In the politest way possible, stop being a dumb ass. I got bitten by a Grimm; we're Hunters. Shit happens man. Ether, babe, tell him" Helios turned to the only other member of Team NEON not currently hospitalised. Ether looked utterly drained, both physical and mental exhaustion written plainly on his face. Ether was spared having to answer by the sound of someone else entering the room
"Ollie! Oh my Oum what happened to you child?
"Mission didn't go exactly to plan, it'll heal" the woman, whom one could easily have assumed was Olivine's mother by her appearance alone hurried over to her, fussing for a few moments before rounding on Ether
"What foolishness did you kids get yourself into?"
"Beowolves, over a hundred of 'em. Caught us while we were sleeping and ran right over us. I didn't get to Ollie fast enough Miss DeGrasse I'm-"
"Nonsense boy, I'm sure all of you did what you could. And I've told you to call me Fern"
"We did" Olivine sighed, accepting her Mothers' concern as good naturedly as she did everything else "Ether and Professor Ren got me to a medical evac while Helios and Nyanza led the Grimm away. In fact this is the first time you've met these two right?"
"Bless your hearts" Helios looked thoroughly uncomfortable at the gratitude and couldn't force himself to meet Fern DeGrasse's gaze; seeing this Ether decided to step in
"Miss….Fern, I think me and Helios need to head back to the dorm; we need showers at the very least. Ollie I'll be back later" he leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead
"Don't I get one?" Nyanza mocked
"Nah, I don't know where you've been" without waiting for the inevitable comeback he placed a firm hand on Helios's armoured shoulder and led his team leader out of the medical facilities and into a deserted hallway; classes were in session for the day and unless a sparring match went awry they would have a few moments of privacy
"What's wrong?" he demanded "And don't try and put the emotionless bad-ass act on with me Helios, my sister does it better when promoters try ripping us off" It was a testament to both how exhausted the Mistrali felt and how much his temperament had mellowed while away from his people that he didn't merely backhand Ether for his tone. What escaped Helios was a single choked sob
"You all could've died today and I should have done better" the scarlet haired teen wiped his eyes and forced his composure into place "If the Nikosi sent a scout party and they returned with fifty percent injuries and failed to kill the Grimm they were hunting, the leader of that scout party would be considered a disgrace to our people….I should leave, I'm not fit to-"
"You're not going anywhere man" Helios stiffened awkwardly as his team-mate pulled him into a hug, clearly holding back tears of his own "Ollie doesn't blame you for the way things went. Nobody does"
"You should-"
"But I swear to Oum" Ether's tone darkened as he stream-rolled over Helios objection "That if you ever lie to our faces about regrouping so you can head out on a suicide mission-"
"It was my decision to make!" Helios snapped "If I have to lead then I have to be the one to make sacrifices. I will not be sacrificing any of your lives"
"AND YOU THINK WE WANT TO GO TO ANIMA AND EXPLAIN TO YOUR PEOPLE THAT WE LET YOU GET YOURSELF KILLED!" Ether barked. Helios was frankly stunned, he'd never heard Ether angry before, his next words were disjointed and hurried as he tried to control his temper "Fuck man, sorry I didn't mean to snap….I love Ollie and seeing her hurt; I'm just not-"
"I understand, no offence taken" Helios answered calmly
"Come on, let's head back to the dorm. We both look and smell like death" he led the way while Helios was seemingly lost in thought behind him; eventually mumbling out
"I mean so much to you that you'd find the Nikos tribe if something happened?"
"Bro, are you fucking serious right now? Of course we would" Ether's tone was beyond exasperated "You're a fucking hard-ass sometimes….I mean seriously who wakes up at five am on a weekend to train in the cold; but you're our friend. Hell I'm sure Team FADE would say the same" Helios needed to take several moments to compose himself, not trusting his voice not to waver
"I….I really needed to hear that, I didn't realise just how much. Thank you"
"You're welcome man" Helios paused, deciding that he needed a less emotional conversation and searching for a topic; one easily presented itself
"How do you think Team FADE are faring on their mission?" he missed the eye roll and smirk Ether responded with.
"Can't believe they made us eat outside" Arctus snorted as he sunk into the seat beside Felix. After hours of logging damage and picking off what small Grimm remained after their battle with the Minotaur Penny had led Team FADE to an access point, much smaller than the one that they had entered the power grid through; they had resurfaced in what had appeared to be a disused and cordoned off shed located in a small town on the outskirts of the city. Penny had decided that they had more than earned a break and so a late breakfast was on her; the cafe they'd arrived at had been a welcome sight. The relief had been short lived when the owner point blank refused to have the Hunters inside, through Team FADE had begrudgingly accepted the argument that they literally smelled like a sewer and it was going to drive out the other customers.
"Nice to have some fresh air though" Felix replied through a mouthful of food, he had predictably ordered a truly monstrous creation; bacon, sausages, cheese and eggs in the same sandwich with at least two different sauces that Arctus could see. The Bear Faunus watched his cousin take another bite and realised something else, Felix's hands were still shaking
"You okay man?" after a few moments of chewing, buying time to think of a response he answered
"A little shaky, I'll be fine"
"Dude, I think we all are….that was insane" Diamond interjected as she, Eagle and Penny returned with their own orders; taking empty seats at the benches outside the cafe
"It was….memorable" Penny nodded, earning herself a series of small smiles; there was just something about the way the copper haired Huntress phrased things that made it hard not to chuckle. Felix's Scroll vibrated in his pocket, his fit of laughter at whatever message he'd received got everyone else's attention
"Team NEON are back at Halo" he explained, showing them the message which consisted of a picture of Nyanza in a hospital gown giving the camera a rude hand gesture, beneath the image was the caption 'I lived bitch'
"Why is he like that?" Eagle gasped from behind her hands "Seriously, why?"
"I don't think medical science has figured it out yet" Felix shrugged, he'd long since given up trying to understand his long time friends' personality quirks
"What about you guys?" Felix asked "You all okay?"
"Head's pounding, should be fine though" Arctus grunted as he swallowed his current mouthful, the side of his head was indeed a mess of bruises and dried blood.
"Poor baby" Diamond teased while leaning up and kissing the gash running along his temple "Yeah I should be okay, just pretty sore everywhere"
"I'm fine" Eagle shrugged "Honestly Sentinel did more work….again"
"Hey" both Felix and Penny answered at the same time, Felix let his Aunt continue
"You did everything that was required of you. You are just as valuable to you're team as everyone else"
"She's right" Felix gently punched her shoulder. The five of them enjoyed their breakfast for a while, simply glad to be out of the claustrophobic and rancid gloom below their feet
"How much work do you think is left to do?" Diamond asked as she finished her meal, Penny looked thoughtful
"Potentially we could be finished by-hold on" she was interrupted by her Scroll, withdrawing the device her eyes widened at the caller I.D. A pre-recorded S.O.S, answering it she put the call on loudspeaker
"All available Hunters, this is a code red! I repeat code red! Novus Incorporated is being attacked, unknown assailants; armed and dangerous! Guards and defences are being over-run, we can't evacuate!" Penny closed her Scroll, a wave of guilt washing over her as she saw how exhausted the teens looked and realised the order she needed to give
"Code red's aren't optional. Novus manufacture technology that can't be allowed to fall into the wrong hands…."
"So we're back to kicking ass then!" Felix growled as he leapt to his feet, the remains of his breakfast forgotten
"Can we get there in time?" Eagle seemed unsure
"A site like theirs will have it's own connection to the power grid, if we go back underground we might be able to get into the building undetected" Penny explained. The four students shared determined looks and readied their weapons, Felix turned to his Aunt
"Let's go"
"Pathetic" Carcharodon snarled, his voice a hoarse and haunting whisper as the Red Waves sheared an automaton apart. He and Hellion had prowled through the tunnels beneath New Vale, Hellion's Semblance allowing her to see through the rats that scurried around them eventually leading the to a ladder which their maps confirmed would lead them to their prize. They'd burst into the facility with blades drawn only to be disoriented by the alarms that were already blaring, obviously Onyx had started without them. The two Faunus had split up to find their comrade, learning in their search that this factory produced the mechanical sentries Onyx was so fond of ridiculing. These particular automatons seemed less durable than the ones they'd seen in Atlas.
The distinctive booming report of Jotun Fang sounded out nearby and Carcharodon set off in the direction of the gunfire, blades relieving two more machines of their heads as he weaved between them. Sprinting through brightly lit, minimalist corridors of the offices away from the factory floor he eventually found Onyx. The Puma Faunus had shifted Jotun Fang back into its' axe form and was currently facing off against a trio of living opponents; nowhere near skilled enough to be Hunters yet not dressed as security guards, sell-swords if Carcharodon had to guess
"Took your time" Onyx noted, his cheery tone in stark contrast to the carnage he was wreaking upon his opponents and surroundings
"Who the fuck are-" one of the hired guns tried to demand of Carcharodon, the lapse in concentration costing him dearly; Onyx's axe colliding with the man's Aura between his shoulders and sending him smashing through the nearest wall. Carcharodon sprinted towards one the remaining fighters, they levelled their shotgun at his chest and hit nothing but air as the Shark Faunus sank into the floor with the use of his Semblance. The scant few seconds the hired gun spent looking around in confusion was enough for Carcharodon to re-emerge from a shadow on the ground behind him and put his victim in a choke hold.
"This is insulting" Onyx grumbled as he picked the final mercenary up, a single paw around his head and slammed him into the ground with a sickening crunch "More metal men, more cowards, more weaklings"
"I don't know how you stomach them" Carcharodon rasped softly as he dropped his now still opponent, the Puma Faunus shook his head in disgust
"No matter how much time I spend with them, I'll never understand them" their brief discussion was brought to a close by the sound of metal on metal as several pairs of mechanical feet marched towards them. A squad of a dozen of the machines Novus Incorporated was producing stepped into view. Their bodies a dull cream colour, except for in places that hadn't yet been painted revealing just how new and untested these creations were. They were humanoid and spindly, each with a small backpack like device attached to their rear with an antennae protruding upwards, their heads were odd sloping shapes and when they raised their weapons, clutching the laser rifles in three fingered hands the lead machine spoke, its' synthetic tones providing final proof that it was nothing more than preprogrammed commands
"Targets located. Lower your weapons and stand down. Roger Roger" Onyx and Carcharodon spared each other a look, each of them obviously affronted at the calibre of their latest challengers
"I think this one is already broken" Onyx snorted before unleashing his Semblance, he bellowed and the air itself seemed to warp and distort with the force of the shock wave he produced. The lead machine was left sparking feebly on the ground. As the others struggled to rise, their thin legs kicking weakly, a blizzard of knives filled the air
"We don't have time for this" Hellion sighed as she strode into view from behind the robots, which were now motionless save for the odd random twitching. Carcharodon nodded in agreement before turning to Onyx
"Where are their weapon smiths?"
"Hiding in a 'Panic room'" he spat the word with venom, the idea of running scared from a fight anathema to him.
"Do you know where?"
"On the other side of the factory floor" Onyx growled "They intend for us to have to fight their toys until we're spent. They know how to burrow into their nests if nothing else"
"Nothing stays hidden from me" Carcharodon assured his ally "I need you and Hellion to create a distraction" the Puma and Dragonfly Faunus shared savage grins
"Gladly"
Antonia Arc was one of the many scientists crammed into the panic room Novus Incorporated had on their premises in case of an attack such as what had taken place. A small group of security guards, obviously woefully unprepared were positioned near the sole entrance; their weapons trained on the reinforced Atlesian steel door. When the Puma Faunus among Antonia's security detail had without warning turned on his colleagues then proceeded to start blasting anything that moved to shreds with the obscenely large artillery weapon that his axe doubled as, spewing threats and profanities the whole time; Blanche had taken her employers hand and ran.
"The prototypes are getting annihilated!" one of the scientists exclaimed as they monitored events outside through a tablet, they couldn't see the battle taking place but the steady stream of 'Contact lost' notifications as machine after machine fell to the attackers was all the evidence needed.
"We're gonna die in here, we're all gonna die in here" Blanche whimpered
"No. We're not" Antonia stated firmly "We managed to send an S.O.S, Hunters are already en route. As abysmal as Novus Incorporated defence robots clearly are, there's at least enough of them to hold a defensive line. Now stop panicking, we're outside of New Vale's walls and we don't need Grimm on top of everything else"
"Maybe the Grimm will eat the Faunus?" Blanche looked disturbingly hopeful at that prospect
"Don't be ridiculous" Antonia forced herself to remain as calm as understanding as possible; several more tense minutes went on, the air filled with the frantic mutterings of cliques of workers huddled together, the sounds of combat drawing steadily closer outside, growing from dull thuds of weapons discharging to actually being able to hear the demented laughter of their attackers and the sound of steel being torn asunder.
"They're in the automated section of the factory floor" the scientist monitoring the streams of information from the one side battle informed the security guards
"Are there any more 'bots you can let loose?"
"Unfortunately not" the scientist answered with a shake of the head "Most of what's out there right now doesn't even have a power supply fitted. It's just empty shells" the guards shared nervous glances, the obvious head of the security team letting out a slow wavering breath
"Okay team, we defend the civvies. Looks like we're gonna have to head out there. Set the door to relock ten seconds after opening and-"
"That won't be necessary" the panic room was filled with terrified screams and bodies pressing together as the mass of people recoiled in unison. Standing in their midst was a living shadow that was swiftly forming a being; liquid darkness oozed from the minute spaces between the panels of the rear wall, pooling on the floor and rising up. Antonia watched in detached horror as the shadow solidified; forming a six foot three figure she assumed to be male, clad in hooded black robes obscuring the majority of the intruders' face, leaving nothing but rows of jagged fangs on display. Attached to the mans' forearms were a pair of double edged blades, curved and serrated with points that reached beyond their owners' elbows and fists. There was a moment, barely a few seconds while the newcomer surveyed the huddled scientists, technicians and admin clerks from behind his hood, what little of his face could be seen remaining inscrutable. Then one of the security guards charged, Antonia would never know what convinced the young man to try and bring the stock of his rifle against his adversary's face rather than simply shoot, what followed was a series of sickening wet snapping sounds, drowned out by screams of pain as the guard was disarmed and three of his four limbs were broken; the screaming stopped when his head was smashed into the rear wall of the panic room with devastating force, thin trails of blood trickling from the point of impact
"Oh my Oum, oh my Oum we're gonna die" Blanche whimpered as tears streamed down her face, Antonia's heart went out to her; it was clear that a sheltered life in Upper Atlas had given her no clue how to react to such a confrontation
"He's still breathing" the older woman murmured, both to Blanche and the chief of security who had visibly paled at the sight of their colleague being so brutally and casually dispatched. The intruder stepped forwards and spoke, their voice a menacing rasp
"I am Carcharodon Gore, Captain of the Shadow Cadre of the Frost River. I will say this once, all of you can die here today but none of you need to" another brave soul stepped forwards, Antonia recognised the woman as somebody who had spoken during one of the earlier presentations; she faltered when Carcharodon Gore's blade found it's way under her chin
"What do you twisted sons of bitches want?" she demanded, Antonia could of swore she saw his razor filled maw twist into a small smile
"I need one of you" a small pause, seemingly for effect to allow the information to sink in "You make weapons, regardless of how little fight your metal men put up. One of you will be leaving with me as I have need of your skills. I'll allow you to choose amongst yourselves" it was less than a second before pandemonium started, Antonia inwardly realised that she shouldn't have been surprised; but the cacophony of people willing to offer each other up in sacrifice to save themselves was appalling to her
"Him! Take him, he's the guy who builds the lasers the robots use"
"Take her she designed the new prototypes!"
"I just work in an office, I can't actually build-"
"Take the assembly line workers!"
"Please, I've got kids at home!"
"ENOUGH!" Antonia's bellow cut through the noise and all eyes turned to face her, including, she presumed those of Carcharodon
"Miss Arc what are you doing?" Blanche sniffled, Antonia stepped forwards without answering and spoke directly to the hooded man
"I am Antonia Arc, head of Poly-Tech and the new owner of Novus Incorporated. These men and women are under my employment"
"So you wish to choose one of them?" Carcharodon drawled. Antonia's eyes narrowed
"You misunderstand me. These people are under my employment and my protection" she took a deep breath to steady herself "Arcs protect what's important. I nominate myself" her hands trembled as Carcharodon stepped forwards, reaching into the folds of his robe, a moment later she was blinded by a dark sack being placed over her head. Though she still heard the words her captor whispered to her
"You are by far the bravest person I've encountered in this Kingdom. I promise you that no harm will come to you"
"They went that way!" were the only words Team FADE and Penny needed to hear. They had made their way through tunnels at a frantic sprint. Upon reaching the ladder that would have led them to their target they were greeted by the sight of a wounded and bleeding security guard who was unable to stand but still struggling to pull a comrade from the putrid sewer water they'd been cast into. The guard had pointed the Hunters in the direction of the assailants and Team FADE had barrelled after them, a warning echoing behind them
"They have a hostage!" this only urged the five of them onwards faster. After what seemed like an eternity they reached an exit point, dim light from the overcast sky outside visible in the mouth of a small cave. What drew their attention was the small boat harboured at the edge of the narrow path they were racing down and the people in and around the boat. A figure they guessed to be a woman, a sack concealing her face was on the boat, hands bound behind her back with a familiar Puma Faunus guarding her. The three remaining members of the Shadow Cadre were already rushing to meet them in battle
"Three against five, we can win this!" Felix asserted, trying to keep his nerve. Raffia must have caught sight of Diamond, the Axolotl Faunus weaved between his comrades with Hydra Macabre at the ready and a truly insane glint in his eye
"I WANT THE BITCH WITH THE GLAIVE!"
"Cover me!" called to Arctus as she rushed forwards, Lex Talionis is it's close combat form in her hands. Arctus nodded and created a Glyph between the two groups while Diamond's Semblance allowed her to propel herself along the wall and ceiling, landing behind Raffia and forcing him against the glowing barrier as the pair of them exchanged blows. The second figure to reach them was the Shark Faunus Arctus hadn't actually faced off against in their previous encounter with the Shadow Cadre, Carcharodon seemed to merge with the wall and Arctus instinctively flung his arms in front of his face in expectation of a surprise attack; his opponent reappeared beside him, his almost liquid body reforming as he tackled the Bear Faunus into the filthy water of sewers, Arctus saw his Glyph flicker and fail as he fell.
Frigid, murky and stinking water enveloped Arctus, Carcharodon's left arm finding it's way around his throat while his right arm was drawn back to deliver a lethal slash, Arctus had mercifully managed to keep his grip on his sword and managed to lock their blades together while fumbling with his free hand in one of his many pockets. The Shark Faunus clutching at him wore a cruel smirk, inky black eyes seemingly unhindered by the dirty water, those same eyes widened in shock as Arctus managed to draw an Ice Dust crystal and crush it beside his head, the water was frozen solid and Arctus kicked Carcharodon away, his head encased in ice. Breaching the surface of the sewer water and taking a gulp of air he saw that while his team-mates were indeed pushing Raffia and Hellion back it wasn't enough. The small boat that Onyx was piloting had begun to move, their prisoner still aboard. The water was breached once more a Carcharodon burst from it's surface, evidently having escaped his icy prison
"FALL BACK! WE HAVE WHAT WE CAME FOR!" the moment the order left his lips the Shark Faunus dived below the surface, vanishing from view entirely
"Another time!" Raffia cackled as he leapt into the air, his first kick catching Diamond square in the chest and slamming her against the wall, the second connecting with her chin and being used to propel himself backwards into the water. Arctus wasted no time on futile attempts to track the smaller Faunus and instead climbed back onto dry land and rushed to his partner's side, she was bleeding from gashes in her left side and right shoulder
"You okay?" Diamond spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground
"Nothing too deep, he's good though"
"GRAB HER!" Felix roared as he rushed at the last remaining member of the Shadow Cadre; Hellion was sprinting after the boat, clearly not as proficient in the water as her allies who had already managed to catch up and were climbing aboard. Hearing the demand for her capture the Dragonfly Faunus withdrew several of her throwing knives and turned to hurl them; smoke billowed from the handles of the projectiles as they sunk into the ground and Hellion allowed herself a confident grin; they'd accomplished their goal, the Shadow Cadre would soon set sail once more and justice would be done. The her world became nothing but pain as a flash of searing green light lanced from the smoke, passing over her left shoulder and burning through her upper left wing. Hellion screamed in agony as burning gossamer fluttered to the ground before her. The owner of the laser pistol that had cleaved one of her Faunus attributes in half strode forward, the copper haired woman whose green eyes were currently filled with cold fury. Hellion's feeble attempt to stand was met by a firm kick to the chest and a laser pistol pressed against the back of her head.
"Felix, I have an Aura collar in my pack in case of emergency. Find it" Penny ordered as Team FADE reached her
"Got it it" Penny loomed over her prisoner with malice that seemed horrifically out of place to those who knew her
"Your hostage, who were they?" Felix returned and quickly locked the Aura dampening collar in place and as the final vestiges of her Aura's protection were denied to her Hellion let out a low hiss of pain against her will
"Answer me" Penny demanded
"We needed someone who understands your technology. Her name was Antonia Arc" the air seemed to leave the tunnel in an instant, Felix's eyes widened in shock as he turned and sought out his partner. There was a metallic clang as Eagle dropped her sword and sank to her knees, her expression blank as there was no one emotion that could convey the feeling of her entire world collapsing around her.
Authors Notes:
And that, ladies and gents, is how you fuck with people.
Next chapter is the end of Vol.2 bearing in mind I have a one shot to write for a challenge….I may not start Vol.3 until the new year; also Vol.1 was 15 chapters and Vol.2 will be 12….that is exactly the same as The Downward Spiral, weird.
So if this the second part of the trilogy that is the first year, and the protagonists just took an L...is this the "Empire Strikes Back" Arc?
Anyway, let's summarise:
Giving Antonia Arc a little character, so she's something other than "Eagle's Mum who didn't tell Qrow that they had a daughter".
Antonia Arc needs more coffee than Ruby to function.
When a Doctor tells Antonia she needs a rest her response is "But are you sure though, 'cos I've got more doctorates" let that sink in.
Professor Ozymandias "Call me Oz" Eldritch. Yes that's foreshadowing; for stuff that'll be happening in Third Year. I play the long game and no it won't happen the way you think.
Two things of note, firstly no amount of time in Atlas will make Antonia turn in a racist douche, secondly Blake is well known because while she may be the head of The Coalition in New Vale, she doesn't send lawyers or representatives to deal with companies that pull some dumb shit; she goes in person.
Toe beans is back people.
Oh look we're meeting another Mum….In my head Fern DeGrasse looks and sounds like one of my old friend's Mum.
So Helios actually has some seriously deep seated doubts in his abilities….I wonder if we know another first year Team Leader who's actually insecure behind their bad-ass image….
Also "I wonder how Team FADE are faring" yes that is a direct parallel to Felix's comment about Team NEON last chapter, 'cos I know how all the Battle Cat shipper are gonna love that.
I have actually made and eaten Felix's sandwich and I regret nothing.
Yeah Felix is probably gonna want to talk to Neptune about the Minotaur.
"I lived bitch" that is all.
I think that even if most Hunters are Freelance there has to be an understanding with the Kingdom's government that there are some jobs that they're legally required to take if called upon.
For Novus's robots, think Star Wars Battle Droids "Roger roger!"
Carcharodon's entrances are always needlessly extra, because while he might be the current leader of a group of hardened veteran raiders, he's still 18/19.
Let's be honest you know that most people are actually cowards when it comes down to it, they'd sell each other out in a second.
Admit it, Antonia Arc might not be a Huntress but she's still pretty damn bad-ass. That scene was actually inspired by Morgan Freeman in The Dark Knight Rises.
Also, Carcharodon fully intends to keep his word, the Shadow Cadre do have some standards.
Oh yeah, Raffia wants payback on Arctus for the arm he had to regrow and Diamond for impaling him and shooting him in the back of the head.
Kinda feel like I copped out with most of the fight happening off screen while Arctus was underwater, at the same time it was five on thee in what was effectively a narrow corridor; it would have been less epic fight scene and more just them ploughing into each other.
Nice save from Penny….Hellion's wing will regrow eventually but damn that hurt like fuck.
Poor Eagle, her Mum was right there and she didn't know until it was too late.
Thank you to SumoSnipe, Araniladin, Arkanes Shippou, ShadowAlex2000, FleetOfWarships and Ferrous for their reviews on the last chapter.
No, Sentinel is just from the south. Shoot first and ask questions never.
Nora is indeed Nora.
Getting the pacing right when you have different storylines running in tandem is a lot harder than it looks.
I love how much people love Eagle, she originally started out as something of a filler character when I was planning the first few chapters but she evolved into something so much more.
Erm. Eagle actually met Ruby when Team FADE were heading to their mission, she flew the Bull-Head and gave Eagle a cookie, which caused her to fangirl.
Okay just from that description the Russian Night Witches deserve their own film. Hell make a couple of them lesbians as a middle finger to Vladimir Putin.
My friend, I have been part of the RWBY community and writing again for less than a year and a half, there is no way you could have been reading my work for three years.
Ridiculously unlikely you say? Hear that? that's the sound of regret….they also met each other at the end of Vol.1 remember, Raffia skewered Arctus's leg.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.