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Chapter 43: Brief Reunions

The mission to destroy the spawning pit was already underway, the superior vision granted to Faunus allowing Arctus to pierce the pre-dawn darkness without the aid of the night-vision goggles that many of the elite team of Hunters around him were wearing; as such he'd been partnered with Chiffon and instructed to cover the veteran while he rigged an explosive charge at the edge of the pit itself. To say Arctus was nervous would be an understatement, Grimm were still being birthed from the roiling mass of viscous tar like substance which filled a crater of unnaturally eroded rock roughly quarter of a mile in diameter and he had been given strict orders to dispatch them without disturbing the spawning pit itself. The surface of the semi-congealed liquid was breached by a pair of snouts as two Beowolves dragged themselves into the freezing air and snow; snapping and clawing it each other savagely as their limited understanding of the world around them formed. The first died before it could react, Arctus bringing the blade of Gefroren-Erbe down on its' neck; the second turned and reared up on its' hind legs only for its' skull to explode as a shell tore through it, as its' body faded away into mist Arctus caught sight of Gangrel holding 'Breaker' the weapon that had belonged to his late partner, the older Faunus covering another member of his strike team in the distance.

"Okay kid, pretty much done here" Chiffon informed him, notably less gruff now he'd seen first hand that Arctus could be relied on. A series of lights on the charge shone green and the scarred and grizzled Specialist grinned in satisfaction before calling over to Gangrel "We're ready to go!"

"Pull back, we'll be behind you!" Arctus followed his fathers' order, switching his weapon to its' newly restored plasma gun form and retreating backwards as Chiffon readied his weapon and did the same; the weapon in question being a rifle that Arctus had heard of but never seen before, its' barrel ending not with a muzzle but rather a narrow rod with a bulbous tip and a trio of metallic coils surrounding it; a weapon know colloquially as a death-ray. Arctus had a moment to cast his eyes around the strike team who had collectively fallen back and were now re-checking their weapons, all of which seemed to be some of the most exotic and in some cases over the top he'd ever seen; his surreptitious inspection ended when Donner, the Specialist with the electric blue Mohawk who had been rigging charges with Gangrel appeared through the snow, riding a hover-board which glided silently until she hopped to the ground and transformed it into a pair of oversized swords with curved blades; moments later Arctus saw his father follow her while keeping his weapon trained on the spawning pit.

"Okay, remember what I told you" Gangrel instructed Arctus as he reached him "When we blow these charges the pit is gonna make sure the last thing it spits out can kill us. Don't panic, don't freeze up and don't get separated"

"Okay yeah, yeah I can do that"

"First pit is always rough kid" Chiffon noted from Arctus's other side while Gangrel gave the order for his strike team to fan out and prepare to surround their target "It's gonna feel like you're just wasting ammo and the fucking thing won't die….upside is that whatever comes it is gonna be big but not too fast-"

"READY!" Gangrel barked out as he gripped the detonator for the various explosives rigged around the pit "THREE! TWO! ONE! FIRE IN THE HOLE!" he quickly the red button in the centre of the detonator before quickly casting it aside and drawing the huge blade that looked like the unholy union of a hook-sword and a machete from its' sheath on his back. Then the explosions rocked the surrounding area and set the gloom on fire for an instant, then there was a tense moment that seemed to stretch for an eternity before the results of the attack became clear; a the silhouette of a single monster rising from the remains of the now destroyed pit, illuminated by the glowing of its' own eyes and the contrast of the snow around it

"Ah shit" Chiffon sighed as recognition dawned on him

"Had to to tempt fate didn't ya?" Gangrel growled irritably

"What is that?" Arctus asked, trying to keep his sudden panic hidden; anything that could concern his father was almost certainly going to be difficult to fight

"That" Gangrel huffed "Is a Valknjoggr. OPEN FIRE!" before Arctus could ask for any kind of clarification the Specialist strike team began their onslaught, the countless flashes of various weapons lighting up segments of the monster for a split second before he regained his senses and began firing, the low warping sound of his plasma gun a comfortingly familiar.

"Kid be ready to duck" Chiffon warned him "Forget what I said, these things are fast" Arctus saw how true those words were when the Valknjoggr lunged forwards into their lines, sending seasoned veterans scattering before it turned and seemingly stared directly at Arctus who finally got a clear look at the beast. From its feet to the top of its' skull it stood at perhaps five times the height of a man and supported itself on four limbs; its' body was the same pitch black of all Grimm and appeared to be covered in a coat of shaggy fur which formed a mane around its' shoulders from which several long spines protruded. Its' limbs were birdlike, bone white and ending in three toed claws tipped with talons longer than Arctus's arm. The Valknjoggr had two tails which thrashed independently of each other, each covered in the more shaggy fur that seemed to have countless hooks and spines hidden with the tangled mass. It's neck was long and slender, completely encased in a layer of bone armour and leading to a similarly protected skull; the Grimm's head was reptilian in appearance like that of monitor lizard but with the addition of a pair of swept back elk like antlers. Time seemed to stand still as Arctus and the Valknjoggr regarded each other, then the Grimm reared its' head back and the Faunus felt his fathers' hand clamp down on his shoulder

"KID MOVE!" Arctus was surprised by the sensation of weightlessness while being pulled backwards, his surrounds shifting inexplicably around him, the sight of Gangrel staggering a couple steps dizzily allowed him to piece the events together; his father had teleported him. The next thing Arctus noticed was the sound filling the air, a sound like gale force winds mixed with high pitched shrieking coming from the Valknjoggr; Arctus had half expected the Grimm to be able to breathe fire, instead it had unleashed a blast of freezing air and shards of ice

"GET THAT FUCKING THING BOXED IN!" Gangrel bellowed as he began firing at the Grimm as he charged back into the fray with Arctus close behind him, the younger Faunus shocked to realise that the Specialists hadn't stopped firing and were moving to ensure that the Valknjoggr did not move out of what they had designated to theatre of operations; its' back buckled and the beast staggered aside howling in rage as a mortar shell exploded between its' shoulders. The small victory was short lived as the Valknjoggr whipped around and swept the weapon and its' user aside with its' tails before unleashing another blast of freezing air, Arctus saw Donner be ripped from her hover-board as she was caught in the attack

"Where's Chiffon?" Arctus demanded "He was with us!"

"He knows what he's doing, focus on on the mission!" Gangrel barked as the drew close to the Valknjoggr "Can you hold it in place for me?"

"For a few seconds"

"That's all I need. Stay safe" with that the two of them split up, Arctus rushing under the Valknjoggr and between its' legs, focusing his Semblance as he emerged between its' forelimbs. The Glyph Arctus created shone with pale white light and reached the Grimm's shoulders, bullets and energy weapons battering its' flanks the whole while. Arctus saw his father holster Breaker and ready his sword before teleporting

"Arctus go!" Gangrels' voice bellowed down from the back of the Grimm's neck where he was frantically trying to tear away its' armour plating. Arctus's Glyph shattered as he rolled aside, another freezing blast ripping through where he'd been stood. Instinctively he raised Gefroren-Erbe and began firing bursts of plasma into the side of the Valknjoggr, causing to thrash and lash out at anyone who drew close

"KID GET DOWN!" Arctus followed the instruction without hesitation, dropping to the ground just as a taloned forelimb passed over his head only to be reduced to a burning stump in a flash of light; revealing that Chiffon had rejoined the battle, his Death-Ray tearing chunks from the Grimm as he weaved around its' attacks

"YOUR OLD MAN COULD USE A HAND UP THERE KID!" Arctus looked up and saw that Gangrel was indeed still trying to find a weak spot in the Grimm's defences, the course of action he needed to take became clear

"COVER ME!" Arctus sprinted after the Valknjoggr which had turned and advanced on the still fighting strike team, as he drew close he cast a series of Glyphs, forming a staircase which drew level with the beasts neck. Arctus bounded from Glyph to Glyph before leaping into the air, hand clasping around one of the Grimm's antlers

"What are you doing?" Gangrel demanded

"Finishing it off!" Arctus answered calmly as he pressed the barrel of his weapon against the surface of the armoured carapace, Gefroren-Erbe hummed as it charged to its' full capacity and Arctus shielded his eyes as he squeezed the trigger. Within moments he was falling, the body of the Grimm unable to support him as it faded away into wisps of darkness. Gangrel and Arctus both lay in the snow for a few moments catching their breath before catching each others' eye and bursting into fits of almost hysterical laughter

"That's my boy" Gangrel chuckled as he ruffled Arctus's hair before helping him to his feet and gave his Strike Team an annoyed glance "And where the fuck were the rest of you?"

"Not bad kid, the beasties eyes turned blue for a second there before it went" Chiffon panted out as he and the other Specialists joined them, many of whom sported minor injuries

"You know the drill!" Gangrel barked as he produced a handful of Fire Dust crystals "Whichever one of you got floored first is cooking breakfast for us" a chorus of laughter and cheers filled the air as the Hunter unfortunate to have been the first subject of the Grimm's wrath was identified

"Hey Dad" Arctus nudged Gangrel to get his attention "I'm just gonna-"

"Yeah no problem, I'll save you a plate" Gangrel nodded understanding why his son wanted a little privacy. Arctus withdrew his Scroll and made to call Diamond; pausing when he saw that it was still early morning and sun would most likely not have risen in Mistral yet either. Instead he typed out a text message

'Hey, I got off the ship for a while for a mission. Happy birthday, wish I could spend it with you. I love you'.

Felix hit the floor with a thud that knocked the air from his lungs and stayed motionless on the ground clutching his side for a few seconds

"Get back up we're not done" the instruction came from Yang and Felix quickly complied, forcing himself to stand and raise his hands once again

"You okay?" his mother asked, seeing Felix nod she put her own guard up "You've only got yourself to blame Fluffy, you've barely trained all summer and now you're out of practice" Felix fought the urge to mutter complaints, he knew that she was right and that he sorely needed to rectify that; however he had drunk perhaps a little too much while partying with Nyanza the night before and was now suffering for it. Without warning he rushed forwards, telegraphing a right hook only to stop short and sweep at his mothers' legs; Yang responded by turning as she leapt over the attack and making to drive her knee into his ribs, Felix blocked and lashed out with a backhanded left which Yang weaved under; the first of an impossibly fast exchange of thunderous blows which ended as Felix leaned back to allow Yang's spinning heel kick to sail over his head but failed to react in time to prevent her dropping into a crouch and delivering a punishing palm strike which buckled his knee, then following up with an uppercut to his jaw as he fell forwards

"Come on stop Lion on the ground" Yang teased as Felix rolled to a stop and stayed down, the pun caused him to let out a groan of frustration "Fine we'll call it a day for now, we've got visitors" Felix let out a sigh of relief as he stood up and wiped sweat from his brow. Looking up he caught sight of the visitor Yang has mentioned, a Bull-Head descending as it approached clearly intending to land in the small clearing made beyond the limits of the Xiao Long households' property specifically for that purpose. Felix brushed some of the dust from his clothes and followed after Yang, casually hopping over the fence around the backyard and reaching the clearing just as the transport of a relatively old model landed; a few moments later the rear of the Bull-Head opened and a familiar face stepped out

"Salutations!"

"Hey Aunt Penny" Felix wrapped an arm arm around her shoulders in a loose hug "This a rental?" he indicated to the Bull-Head that was clearly not the Pearl

"Unfortunately not" Penny lamented "The Pearl was beyond repair, Ruby and I have been stripping whatever salvageable upgrades we can from it and Ruby has been working on some designs but until they're combat ready I have this….I actually had to refuel it on the way here"

"Ouch" Felix winced "I feel your pain" Penny merely smiled and stepped over to Yang, producing a steel case with an embossed Poly-Tech emblem from her jacket as she did so
"I noticed your arm was suffering from some wear and tear when I was last here so I acquired some replacement parts while I was in Atlas"

"Gotta 'hand' it to ya that's pretty thoughtful, thanks Penny" Yang paused for a moment, thinking to herself before continuing "Hey do you have to rush back home? Corey should be back soon and she'd love to see her favourite aunt"

"That would be sensational" Penny beamed while simultaneously shuffling uncomfortably "Although I currently have to-"

"It's okay I can make my own way home from here" a new voice interrupted and Felix whipped around so fast he almost pulled a muscle; exiting the Bull-Head with her armour gleaming in the early afternoon sun was Eagle Arc. Clearly sensing the awkwardness between her son and his partner, whom Yang realised was biologically her cousin she decided to do something to help

"Hey Penny, can you help me out with these new parts? I'm gonna need an extra pair of hands to install them" Felix heard this and immediately knew it was a flagrant lie, Yang could perform almost any task she set her mind to one handed; nevertheless he watched his mother lead Penny towards the house and realised that he was being given some privacy. He turned to Eagle and the two of them stared at each other in awkward silence before he found words tumbling out of him seemingly of their own accord

"Eagle I'm so sorry and I get it if you hate me but I swear I never wanted to keep secrets from you, I just-"

"I get it" Eagle sighed "I get it, My….Qrow's your uncle. Arguing with family sucks" Felix could tell there was a lot that wasn't being said and could make an educated guess at what some of it was

"Things didn't work out in Atlas?"

"Not really" Eagle mumbled still "I don't wanna talk about it right now"

"Sure okay, I'm here if you need anything….I mean if you want?" Eagle nodded, her familiar smile finally forming on her face

"I want my best friend back" Felix gave a wide smile that displayed his oversized canine teeth, he had sorely needed to hear that

"Same….the summer's kinda sucked without you" he admitted "But hey at least your Mum doesn't uppercut you for not training right?"

"Oh my gosh" Eagle covered her mouth as a small giggle escaped her "Did she actually go all out on you?"

"Nah, just a no Semblances match….wouldn't quite call it 'friendly' though" Felix saw Eagle pout on him with her hands on her hips and knew he would get no sympathy

"Well you should have been training" she admonished him as sternly as she could manage "I mean you know that our training is only going to get more intense"

"I know, I know" Felix sighed "I've just been busy putting my car back together….it's got some upgrades"

"Oh that sounds awesome, can I see?" Eagle's signature bubbly enthusiasm rose to the surface and Felix couldn't help but smile

"Sure….I mean, it still needs a little work and testing….and I think it needs jump-starting"

"Oh don't worry about that, Sentinel can help out" Eagle beamed happily as she removed her shield, the droid beeping and chirping with enthusiasm as it unfolded "I made a few little modifications while I was rebuilding his arms; you're not the only one who's been busy. Come on I'll show you" Eagle almost skipped towards the garage where the Killer-Bee was still being worked on and Felix knew that the results of his partners' tinkering would either be amazing or explosive and he found himself far less concerned with that than he probably should have been.

The Nikosi encampment was situated within a large swathe of open ground, granting them lines of sight and plenty of warning should the creatures of Grimm venture out of the nearby woods. The perimeter was marked by countless wooden stakes planted into the ground swerving as a makeshift barrier, several emplacements could be seen between these stakes, heavy weapons the tribe had acquired by trading with the city dwellers though many of the sentries currently guarding the encampment eschewed the gun emplacements in favour of their own swords, spears and axes; choosing to fight any attackers be they Grimm or another tribe at close quarters, as honour demanded. Within these makeshift walls the encampment itself was the size of a small town and though many of its' dwellings were in the form of tents there were perhaps half a dozen buildings made of wood and stone whose presence seemed to indicate that this was more than a temporary base of operations, rather that this was somewhere that the nomadic Nikosi returned to. Within and between the tents and buildings the tribe went about their lives; weapons and armour were forged, crates of fresh fruit and vegetables, courtesy of the latest outsiders to do business with them were unloaded from carts while horses and the tribes limited supply of vehicles were attended to; the evening air was filled with noise and smoke as meat was cooked on open grills and fire pits, hunting dogs and children with faces painted to evoke the iconography of the tribe ran between the adults. In the centre of the camp a crowd had formed around a circle of land that had been marked off in ways that clearly indicated that it was significant to the tribes' culture, part of the circumference of the circle was lined by wooden tables and chairs, upon which sat the eldest and highest ranking members of the Nikosi. Within the circle a pair of men sized each other up, searching for any sign of weakness before the next exchange of blows; ritual combat was traditionally performed barefoot and shirtless, both fighters in this case had chosen to settle their dispute without weapons, though that was not always the case. One of the men was in his mid thirties and wore several scars and tattoos with pride, his skin a tapestry telling the story of his own victory over any who stood against him; the other was Helios Nikos. The older man lunged forward with a roar as he attempted to tackle his younger opponent to the ground, in turn Helios braced himself and delivered a crushing blow between the mans' shoulder blades as he came close and brought him to his knees; rather knee his opponent in the face and press the advantage he stepped back and allowed him to rise to his feet

"Never let it be said you haven't grown strong little prince" the older man taunted as he gasped for air; Helios simply shot forwards at blinding speed throwing two left jabs and a right hook that sent his opponent crashing to the ground with blood dripping from his nose and split lips; rather than get up the man simply tapped the ground three times

"I yield" cheers and chants filled the air as Helios helped his opponent to his feet before exiting the arena, earning himself several laughs and amused snorts from the wizened and leathery skinned tribal elders as he made his way to the largest of the chairs assembled at its' edge and bowed

"Don't be foolish" the woman occupying the seat scolded him, though clearly smiling herself as she handed him a plate of food "Now eat boy you've been looking unwell since you returned" Helios took the plate and sat at his customary place at his mothers' right hand while the elders left to give the two some privacy. His mother was Kataigida Nikos, current chieftain of their people and had been such since her father had fallen in battle against the last of the tribes who had followed the warlord Tyrian before Helios was born. Kataigida was an imposing sight, well over six feet tall and sporting the physique of someone who had spent their whole life fighting, working with their hands and trekking several miles every day, her clothing was a mixture practical and ornate which left her thighs and torso covered in stylised and engraved armour while her arms were bare, displaying some of her own tattoos while shoulder pauldrons made of a silvery metal had been fashioned to resemble the skulls of Grimm's with rubies set into the eyes adorned her shoulders, her face was lean and Helios had inherited both his eye and hair colour from her, Kataigida's crimson locks were beginning to show the first traces of grey and were braided and tied back, reaching to just below her shoulders while her brow was adorned with a three horned crown which made her station clear to even the least observant outsiders.

"It's New Vale's climate, I'm fine" Helios assured her as he ate

"Well enough to pick fights at least" she noted "I suppose I should ask why you felt a need to challenge one of our pathfinders even if it is your right to do so"

"The pathfinders have been denying Syneffo her right to join them-"

"Hypocrisy is a poor trait in a leader Helios" Kataigida sighed "Syneffo could have spoken to me or challenged any of the pathfinders herself. You can't act in her stead and coddle her and then demand that others treat her as capable"

"She's my little sister" Helios said simply as though it explained everything

"I know and you both performed well yesterday but she has grown while you've been away, you have to let her continue to do so or you'll do more harm than good" she paused and gave her son a reassuring smile "You're the pride of our people Helios but not every battle is yours to fight" casting his eyes around the encampment he could find no sign of the sibling being discussed

"Where is Syneffo anyway?"

"Working on The Harpy's Claws with her father" Helios merely nodded silently, he and his sister had different fathers and while there was no marriage ceremony within the Nikosi tribe Syneffo's father was the only man he had ever seen his mother show affection towards and he had done his best to help raise Helios. The man was a blacksmith and while far from a capable fighter he had managed to reverse engineer what little technology the tribe had acquired and create weapons that rivalled those carried by Hunters "I believe he's finished fixing your armour as well, you should go and thank him….We march on the capital tomorrow" the news took Helios by surprise

"March? Are you expecting something?"

"I expect we'll find someone in need of our services" Kataigida nodded with a bemused grin "But you are sorely mistaken if you think I'm sending my eldest child away to New Vale without seeing them off….am I right in understanding that there is a tournament of sorts this year?"

"There is" Helios fidgeted awkwardly in his seat for a moment "I intend to enter with my team, though it will be in Atlas"

"Further North than I've ever travelled" his mother admitted "Though with the Frost River tribe no longer plaguing the sea perhaps the Nikosi should send an envoy" Helios found a broad smile creeping across his face as he considered the idea of the Nikosi being present for the Vytal Tournament and introducing his mother to Teams NEON and FADE

"I'll make you proud"

"You always have" Kataigida assured him "Now go, ready your things" Helios rose to his feet and began making his way across the camp to the small forge where he would no doubt find his sister, the sound of his mother chiding him as he threw the scraps from his plate to the dogs.

Diamond was forced to agree that her friend had been right, this nightclub was something else. Club Chloris had been set up by the Huntress after whom it was named and seemed to have a mixture of local and established bands, artists and DJs playing every night if the fliers were to be believed; its' dark and spacious interior was illuminated by a plethora of pulsing lasers that shifted between turquoise and vibrant neon green reflecting from the countless chromed surfaces while screens mounted at the back of the main stage displayed the logo of the act currently playing and proclaimed where to find their latest releases and merchandise, namely the various stands situated around the edge of the venue. Diamond made her way out of the crowd, the entirety of the dance floor having seemingly formed a single moshpit comprised of over a thousand bodies going wild to the heavy bass reverberating in their diaphragms; wiping sweat from her brow she thought to herself that perhaps wearing the new band T-shirt she'd purchased over her existing outfit was not the best idea, her thoughts were soon derailed as an arm was slung around her shoulder and she found herself being guided towards the bar by the owner of said arm

"I told you this place was awesome!" Razzmatazz struggled to be heard over the sound of music; she had been one of the first friends Diamond had made upon moving from Doupeng-He Bishou to Mistral's capital of Anquan-Jia, the two naturally seeming to gravitate towards each other up on being placed in the same class at Sanctum Academy. Razzmatazz stood at five foot six with tanned skin and eyes of an impossibly bright shade of pink currently made even more noticeable by the dark make up around them, her unimpressive stature being increased somewhat by hair styled into wild spikes arching out in every direction and heavy knee high boots she wore. Diamond had been glad to see that Razzmatazz was happy and was clearly flourishing at Haven, privately she had been a little apprehensive; Razzmatazz freely admitted Diamond acted as a large part of her impulse control, something made apparent as the spiky haired girl reached the bar

"WE'RE DOING SHOTS!"

"Razz how many have you had?" Diamond asked, genuinely unsure and a little concerned with the rate at which her friend was downing drinks

"It's fine, it's fine. Besides you're only eighteen once" Razzmatazz laughed as she pressed a shot glass into her hand, Diamond noted that her question hadn't been answered as she sniffed the drink cautiously; almost recoiling at the smell which could best be compared to cheap air freshener attempting to mask the smell of bleach.

"Just down it!" Razzmatazz urged her before swallowing her own drink in a single mouthful, Diamond followed suit and nearly crushed the glass in her hand as the taste made her recoil

"Okay, okay I'm done for the night" she told her friend bluntly before fishing her Scroll out of her pocket, stopping as she realised that this was the Scroll she'd received at Halo Academy and not the one she'd originally taken with her and some of her contacts hadn't been transferred "Hey Razz can you call us a taxi?"

"Yeah no problem, if we wait another hour or so prices drop though"

"Okay fine" Diamond relented, remembering that her friend was correct; Razzmatazz however reached over a made to pluck Diamond's scroll from her hand as her eyes honed in on the background image

"Well hello there, who is that?" Diamond casually swatted her hand away while a smile formed on her face

"That's Arctus. My partner at Halo….he's my dumb-ass"

"Knew it! Oh my Oum you two look adorable together you've gotta tell me everything!"

"Not much to tell" Diamond shrugged "The heads of the SDC are his Mum and Uncle, I choked him out the first time we met and we ended up running into each other in our initiation; we just kinda clicked"

"Not much to tell?" Razzmatazz sputtered "Are you kidding me, you choked out a guy whose family own like all the Dust ever and then hooked up with him?"

"Don't say it like that" Diamond gave her friend an annoyed sigh "He's not like you're probably thinking, he's cute….even if he is a little unaware sometimes. So what about you? Anyone caught your interest lately?"

"Nah, we're not all as lucky as you" Razzmatazz snorted "I got lumbered with some island Hick from somewhere called Patch for a partner. Team GRAY still kick ass though"

"Dude you should've brought your team out with you" Diamond exclaimed before her slightly inebriated mind caught up with her "Wait, wait, wait Patch?"

"Yeah….Grease Thunderbird, with more hair than sense and I wear it in a style that died before my grandparents" Diamond was reduced to propping herself up on the bar as she doubled over laughing at her friends' impression of an accent that immediately made her think of Felix

"Dude that is exactly what people from Patch sound like….and why do they have hair like that? Seriously my team leader spends more time on his than the rest of Team FADE put together"

"We'll have to meet each others' teams in Atlas….wait, you are trying out for the Vytal Tournament right?"

"Of course, Team FADE are gonna clean up" Diamond snorted confidently

"You say that but Team GRAY are coming for everyone's heads….wait, oh my Oum Dee what happens if we end up having to fight each other?"

"Then I promise not to ruin your hair when I kick your tiny ass" Razzmatazz feigned disbelief at the retort, the two of them only managing to maintain eye contact for a moment before collapsing into fits of laughter, which trailed off as Razzmatazz caught sight of something and tried to frantically gesture to Diamond who turned and came with face to face with someone she certainly not been planning to run into tonight

"Oh, hey Sin" Cinnabar Blaine, known to most by his nickname of Sin was the leader of Team CNBR; Haven students who would soon be starting their third year. He stood at roughly six and a half feet tall with jet black hair that was cut short at the sides while the hair atop his head had been tied back into a tight bun; he had a noticeable physique that managed to not appear overly muscular, tattoos depicting skulls on the backs of his hands and eyes of an amber colour that seemed to draw people to them. The only flaw one could point to would be the small amount of acne scars on his cheeks. Overall he was considered an attractive young man; he was also Diamond's ex boyfriend

"Hey Dee, I didn't realise you were here….happy birthday"

"Thanks" she answered quickly, turning briefly to Razzmatazz whose expression assured her that this encounter was not something she had planned

"How've you been Dee? it's been weird not having you around since you left for Vale"

"Since we broke up" Diamond corrected, something that Cinnabar seemed to casually brush aside

"Yeah well, mistakes happen….hey how about I buy you a drink"

"Nah we're good" Razzmatazz interjected "We've got a taxi booked, we actually need to go"

"You sure? I can give you a ride"

"Dude stay here enjoy your night" Diamond waved him off, trying to mask her sudden uneasiness as Razzmatazz led her away from the bar and out of the venue, as she breathed in the fresh night air she turned to her friend

"Okay so it's not just me that was a little creeped out by that?"

"Dee I swear I didn't tell him you were gonna be out tonight" Razzmatazz assured her "Sin's been acting different since you dumped him, he was hitting on everything all last year"

"I mean rebounds are a thing" Diamond noted with a shrug "But that was just weird, he just happens to run into me the one night I go clubbing all summer; and when does Sin go anywhere on his own?" Razzmatazz paused as she processed the idea as much as her drunken state would allow, Cinnabar was indeed well known and generally well liked locally and had something of a following amongst followers of Mistral's tournament scene having done fairly well in a few bouts and fought in a Vytal Tournament before. Seeing him without any of his usual entourage at the bar that his ex girlfriend happened to be at on her birthday suddenly seemed suspicious

"Okay you're right….Wanna call your Dad?"

"If my Dad thought my ex was stalking me he'd kill the guy; not worth the trouble" Diamond answered with a shake of her head "Let's just get a taxi and find some food on the way"

Arctus leaned against the interior of the Bull-Head and forced his eyes to stay open; it was late and he hadn't had any chance to sleep following the mission. The Gespenst had been slowly making it's way back to the gargantuan hangar it was housed in, built onto the outside of the gargantuan mountain that Eisenstadt Prime, the capital of Atlas was built into and Schnee Manor was situated at the peak of.

"So what're we looking at?" a birdlike Faunus, one of the specialists strike team Arctus was sharing the Bull-Head with asked Gangrel, the younger Faunus noting how things like rank and protocol was disregarded casually

"I finally got a lead on the weapons shipment that was hit last year" Gangrel explained, his sons' ears seeming to perk up at that news "I had one of the Freelancers go deep cover to see what she could find. The Gespenst picked her emergency beacon up in the middle of nowhere"

"So we're picking up after Freelancers now?" Donner noted with a derisive snort

"If you'd like to tell Neon Katt your opinion of Freelancers to her face then be my guest" Gangrel answered disinterestedly, instantly silencing any objections. While the Freelancers and Specialists had a mutual disdain for each other Neon Katt was rightly regarded by both groups as one of the best Hunters Atlas had ever produced alongside Penny Polendina; despite the toll the various tragedies in her life had taken on her.

"We're gonna meet the Neon Katt?" Arctus interjected, only to receive a round of jeering from the Specialists before Gangrel answered

"Yeah, I haven't seen her face to face in years" the older Faunus sighed, Neon had been dating Gangrel's partner Perdu 'Squish' Callow when the reptilian Faunus had died in the battle of Vale; this had been followed by the death of her parents when the warship they served aboard had been destroyed in the battle of Menagerie and Neon had never been the same since.

"Gang!" Chiffon called back from the cockpit where he seated beside the pilot of their transport "We're coming up on the drop zone and we've got nothing on thermal, no sign of anyone" Gangrel frowned at that, taking a moment to consider the possibilities

"Might be that armour she wears" he reasoned "Modifying it to mask a her heat signature sounds like something a Freelancer would do" Arctus silently agreed, having spent a mission shadowing a former Freelancer he was well acquainted with the unconventional and frankly underhanded tactics they employed.

"Bring us in and be ready to strafe the area" Gangrel finally decided before turning to the soldiers under his command "Be ready for anything for people. Might just be that Katt wanted to deliver intel in person but take no chances. Arctus, Chiffon is last to deploy and you're immediately before him"

"Got it" Arctus tried to mentally prepare himself for the unknown

"Gang!" Chiffon bellowed from the cockpit "Some kind of makeshift structure down there, can't make it out through the snow!"

"Okay people, let's move!" Gangrel snapped, drawing his weapon as the rear hatch of the craft opened before leaping into the wind that howled around them and vanishing with a dull cracking sound and an explosion of smoke as he activated his Semblance. Arctus watched as the Strike Team leapt from the craft one after the other with practised ease, vanishing into the darkness.

"Time to go kid" Chiffon instructed as he stepped into the rear bay of the Bull-Head, weapon at the ready. Arctus silently nodded and flung himself out of the craft without hesitation, breathing in freezing air as the snow covered ground rushed up to meet him until he created a Glyph beneath his feet and rode the glowing construct, dissipating it as he reached the surface where he sunk into the powdery substance up to his calves. Moments later Chiffon landed in a crouch nearby, brushing the snow off of himself as he rose to his feet

"Spread out and surround the beacon" Gangrel ordered, the Specialists quickly moved to obey. Arctus drew his sword out of nerves, the inexplicable feeling that something was wrong sinking into his stomach as he moved cautiously through the snow; eventually the small structure that had been spotted from the air though he struggled to make sense of what he was seeing until he heard his fathers' voice filled with more terror and rage than he could ever remember

"NO NO NO! FUCK!"

"GANG DON'T BE STUPID IT COULD BE A TRAP!" Chiffon's warning went unheeded and was mercifully proven incorrect; without thinking Arctus sprinted after his father and came to an abrupt halt, eyes wide with terror and bile rising in his throat that the structure was a crudely assembled collection of steel bars acting as a makeshift gallows from which the lifeless body of a woman was suspended

"Oh my Oum" Arctus whispered, horrified beyond comprehension

"TURN AROUND" Gangrel barked, clearly choking back tears as he frantically tried to untie the body of Neon Katt. She was bruised and bloody, though the blueish tinge to her flesh indicated she had passed on long before they arrived, her body had been stripped to nothing but her underwear and the glossy back featureless armoured helmet she'd worn as a Freelancer; whoever was responsible for the heinous act clearly intent on taking her dignity as well as he life. Gangrel removed the helmet and cast it aside, shaking with tears and fury as he closed the eyes of the deceased Faunus. Arctus caught sight of the auburn fur around her neck, dusted with a layer of snow and as the realisation that she'd been hanged with her own severed tail hit him he finally lost his composure and doubled over retching violently

"GET HIM OUT OF HERE! HE DOESN'T NEED TO SEE THIS!" Gangrel demanded, Chiffon placed a hand on his shoulder and gently led him away; the grizzled veteran wearing a haunted expression that made it clear that whatever horrors of war he'd seen over the years hadn't entirely desensitised him

"FIND THEIR FUCKING TRACKS AND FOLLOW THEM!" Gangrel rose to his feet and unsheathed his sword as he snarled the order, voice shaking "FIND 'EM AND PUT A ROUND IN THEIR LEGS. I WANT 'EM ALIVE!"

"Sir….there are no tracks" Donner murmured, clearly stunned and disgusted by the scene they'd arrived on as she removed her jacket despite the freezing weather and laid it over Neon's body "Whoever did this didn't want to be found, they wanted to sent a message. They killed her and found her beacon" the news that the woman had been killed simply to send a message caused Arctus to keel over and eject the contents of his stomach yet again; the avian Faunus who'd asked questions on the transport picked up the helmet that Gangrel had thrown aside, biting out a curse as he inspected it before turning to Gangrel and uttering words that filled all present with a mixture of fear and hatred

"Sir….Gang, look at the marking cut into the helmet. We both know what that means, everyone does" he gestured with a taloned hand into a trio a gouges cut diagonally into the faceplate like stylised claw marks that every Faunus born in Atlas before the war knew the significance of "It's a White Fang marking"

Authors Notes:

Okay firstly, I wanted to have this up yesterday but honestly we're having a heatwave in the UK and it is literally too hot and humid to concentrate.

Secondly this went to a dark place at the end and while I want to apologise for that I also want to warn you that this kind of brutality is going to become a hallmark of the 'Cult of Taurus' I'll leave some things to the imagination but if anyone decides they don't want to carry on with the story I sully understand; that being said I will give you my word that sexual abuse of any kind will not be taking place in any of my writing.

Thirdly and on a lighter note another artist (OwleryBlue on Tumblr) is making more fan-art of Team FADE, Specifically a gender-bent version of Felix and that is something I find amazing; I think if your readers are making an AU of your Fan-Fiction you're probably a notable part of your Fandom.

Finally a fair warning that the next chapter will have a scene unsuitable for younger audiences.

Now let's summarise:
Blowing up spawning pits with high explosive around the edge and making sure you DO NOT touch the liquid; callback to Team CFVY's mission in The Downward Spiral.
Downward Spiral readers still getting emotional every time they see Gang using Squish's old gun, I see you.
Yes, Neo's Death-Ray lives on in spirit.
Chiffon accidentally invoked Murphy's law or something similar.
The Valknjoggr is from Norse mythology, it was a guard of the gates of Valhalla but I'm pretty sure it didn't have the freezing breath weapon, that's on me.
Gang and Arctus working together, I've wanted to write this for a while.
Yeah Arctus's Plasma Gun has more Dakka now due to the new plasma cell.
Yang is a teacher at Signal, there is no way that her kids get to slack on training over the summer.
Having to spar with a world class fighter while suffering from a hangover, poor kid.
Penny has a new Bull-Head and she is not happy with it, I seriously imagine her treating her ride the way Ruby treats Crescent Rose; the fact she actually had to stop and refuel is a clear sign of how inferior this thing is.
So remember in Vol.1 when Yang just vanished and forced Ruby to socialise, yeah she just did that to Felix.
I realised something writing this scene; Felix and Eagle love each other. Obviously not in a romantic sense (Don't worry I'm J.K Rowling I won't retcon or conveniently ignore LGBT characters) but as friends those two blondes really do love each other.
There was something I slipped in, Sentinel can help jump start a car after his arms have been rebuilt, he couldn't do that before; Sentinel has been improved (The upgrade is also in retaliation to Carcharodon cutting his arms off before).
You wanted Nikosi so I gave you Nikosi and I think I've made them pretty distinct from what we know of the Frost River Tribe/Shadow Cadre.
So the Nikosi are nomadic but they have at least one semi-permanent settlement that most likely has someone present at all times.
They're not averse to technology but they're certainly not reliant on it, the vehicles I'm imagining are old battered pickup trucks and maybe a few dirt-bikes and quads to draw Grimm away from convoys.
Helios has mentioned before that the Nikosi settle disputes by combat.
Meet Mama Nikos; ruler of the Nikosi.
So yeah, Helios found one of the Pathfinders that Syneffo mentioned last chapter and beat the crap out of them; angry big brother style.
I tried to capture the idea that Kataigida loves Helios but is also trying to prepare him to be her successor one day...and also get him to stop feeding his leftovers to the dogs.
Club Chloris….Yes I'm a fucking Reese Chloris fan, sue me.
So Razzmatazz has scene kid hair, just jot that down.
Cheap air freshener and bleach….we've all had a drink like that, you know exactly the kind of shit I mean.
So yeah Diamond's friend is on a team with someone who would have been in Felix's class at Signal, remember when Nyanza said last chapter that he was going out with some of the old Signal crew…..
Also yes, people from Patch are Remnant Hicks.
Meet Diamond's ex….he has a man-bun so you know he's a twat.
If you got creepy vibes from that encounter, good.
Also yeah, the guy used to compete in the tournament circuit. He was no Pyrrha Nikos but he was okay; Diamond went from a kinda famous cage fighter to the son of a CEO.
And yes Merc would actually kill him.
I don't really have anything to say about the last scene that I haven't already said. This was the clearest way I could make the point that the villains of the second year story arc are nothing like the Shadow Cadre, the Cadre had a personal code and reasons that could be seen as sympathetic. These people are just evil.
Something that should stand out beyond the obvious White Fang logo and the fact First Year ended on a "Cult of Taurus" cliffhanger is; Neon's armour from "Our Happy Ever After" was based partially on Tex from Red Vs Blue and everything but the helmet is still unaccounted for.

Thank you to SumoSnipe, Araniladin, ShadowAlex2000, FleetOfWarships, Arkanes Shippou, TigerRose, FluffyFirefly, Unstoppable Cyborg and Ferrous for their review on the last chapter.
Siblings pick up straight away.
I've actually never seen a ridge-back up close, I kept Helios's dogs to a breed I know and Rottweilers' are big old reliable beasties.
The Killer-Bee has an improvement don't you worry about that.
"Stardust 2.0" well you're half right.
Indeed the whole Nikosi tribe (Which is easily over a hundred people) is one big family.
All parents should have that talk with their kids.
There is no stopping the shipping.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.