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Chapter 45: Team GORE

Team FADE looked as though they had slept little as they ate breakfast and perused their new class schedules, Arctus suffering the most by far from his exhaustion and seemingly struggling to keep his eyes open and only giving a wordless grunt in response to his team-mates' complaints about the perceived brutality of the second year timetable. Even Eagle's usually inexhaustible cheer and enthusiasm seemed muted and she was unable to bring herself to dispute Felix and Diamond's grumblings until they found themselves joined by Team NEON

"Mind if we sit here?" Nyanza asked, the answer clearly superfluous as the feline was already making himself comfortable at the long table Team FADE had claimed the far end of and piling food onto his plate "Why in Oum's name does all the bacon always seem to end up in this one spot?"

"You are aware you don't need bacon to survive?" Helios asked his partner as he took a seat, causing Felix to turn and face him as their shoulders brushed; the redhead had obviously overslept a little his hair being more messy than its' usual spikes and the beginnings of stubble along his jaw making it clear that he hadn't groomed himself as thoroughly as he usually did. Felix thought the look rather worked for him and the scar along Helios's cheek only added to the effect, the Lion Faunus soon cut those thoughts off as he realised he was being spoken to

"Hey Fluffy you awake over there?"

"Huh?"

"I was asking you to back me up" Nyanza huffed "These heathens think starting a day without bacon is acceptable"

"You're gonna have a heart attack at thirty man" Felix yawned in response, Nyanza's only answer was a disparaging shake of the head before returning to his breakfast. Thankfully everyone seemed to write off Felix's distraction as simply being tired, he did not feel mentally prepared to start a Monday morning with teasing; a sentiment that was only increased by another familiar voice

"CLIR a path peasants!" Felix grinned before turning and whistling to get his sisters' attention, Corvid whispered something to Lux most likely telling her partner to get her breakfast for her before she made a beeline towards the table Teams FADE and NEON were occupying, as she did so Felix noted that she was not wearing her school uniform and was instead dressed in her all black, fur collared flight-suit complete with the armband which controlled the Omega Wing and the bright yellow scarf which had once belonged to Yang, an accessory Corvid considered a lucky charm

"Hey bro….this looks cosy" her grey eyes filled with mischief as she wrapped an arm around both Felix and Helios's shoulders. Helios had been the subject of Corvid's ire once before and only briefly considered moving her arm or objecting before dismissing the idea, Felix had managed to build some immunity to his sisters' antics

"Fuck off Corey" he laughed as he slung her arm off him

"Love you too Fluffy" she snorted as she ruffled his hair "I can't really stay too long Team CLIR have got a mission"

"Already?" Eagle asked

"Yep, Goodwitch wants to clean up the edges of the Emerald Forest and make sure that nothing the first years stirred up gets any ideas"

"They sent you to do a cleaning job?…..Have they seen your room?" Felix's joke earned a chorus of laughter

"Don't show off Fluffy or you trying to impress someone?" she gave him a wink that reduced him to sputtering denials and he quickly realised that the tables had been turned and he was now the object of his friends' amusement

"Anyway" Corvid patted his shoulder "I'm getting my breakfast to go, I only came over to say hi. I'll catch up with you later though. Oh and a little advice, get a lot of energy drinks. You look like death and trust me second year is a lot harder than first year, you need to be awake for it"

"Thanks for the warning" Felix replied as his sister turned and left, rejoining her team mates who had ordered their breakfast to go and were already leaving the cafeteria, presumably for the Bull-Head terminals.

"We should probably go" Felix noted, Eagle, Diamond and Arctus all gave silent nods of agreement and rose to leave

"We've still got plenty of time to get to class?" Nyanza noted with a raised eyebrow

"Yeah but we've gotta pick our weapons and combat gear up" Diamond answered, Helios was the first to understand and quickly leapt from his seat; Nyanza took a few more seconds before his eyes widened and he checked the new timetable that had been sent to his Scroll

"OH COME ON!" he cried out in shock as he learned that the first lesson on a Monday was a double combat training class with Professor Nora Ren.

The brief panic as Team FADE quickly changed and rushed towards the coliseum like lecture hall in which Nora taught her lessons had thankfully managed to dispel some of the lingering grogginess Felix was suffering from, and as he took his seat towards the back of the hall, a position that would give him a good vantage point to watch sparring matches from whilst keeping out of his teachers' field of vision he felt fairly confident; he hadn't trained as much as he perhaps could have but then again this was one of his best subjects. His private evaluation of the situation ended as Team NEON arrived and seated themselves in the row in front and slightly below, repositioning himself so that he could sit more comfortably with his weapons slung over his back in their harness he turned to Eagle and stated something that was plainly obvious to everyone present

"She's not here"

"If she's not here in fifteen minutes we're legally allowed to leave" Diamond noted, her tone heavy with sarcasm

"Well if that happens I'm going back to bed" Arctus growled

"Aunt Nora has never missed a class" Eagle assured them "She probably just wants to make an entrance"

"Oh hell no" Nyanza was the one to voice what several people were thinking, everyone remembered the first combat lesson on First Year wherein Nora had chosen to introduce herself to her new students by way of a barrage of grenades. After a few more moments the door behind the raised area which served as the sparring ring and a stage from which Nora taught opened, revealing the energetic woman herself who skipped into full view of her students with her customary wide smile and enthusiasm; traits that Eagle had doubtlessly mimicked from her honorary aunt intentionally or not. Nora ended the buzz of excited chattering between the students that her arrival had caused by clearing her throat

"I hope everyone enjoyed their summer, because from now on the danger you will be facing will be a lot greater and there is a very real chance it's the last summer you'll experience" Nora paused allowing a moment for her words to sink in before doubling over with laughter "I'm just kidding you'll be fine; I've missed having a room fall of gullible people as a captive audience"

"Can you believe this-" Nyanza didn't get to finish his sentence, whatever derogatory term he'd intended to use was cut off by Helios casually cuffing his partner around the back of the head the way he would have done to any member of the Nikosi that spoke out of turn; Nora ignored the activity at the back of her classroom and continued

"Before we begin with today's lesson I have a few announcements. Firstly this year is a Vytal Tournament" once again Nora paused for effect before continuing "Normally second year commences with a joint assignment from myself and professor Bronzewing, however this year it's been agreed that this class will be used to focus on tournament style combat until qualifying students leave for Atlas where they will be undertaking missions and lessons alongside students of Atlas Academy while the rest of you continue your lessons with me"

"I'm gonna miss Aunt Nora's lessons" Eagle noted, though her team-mates couldn't help but grin with the infectious confidence the blonde possessed; the idea that Team FADE would not qualify was utterly alien to them

"Can you imagine Nora and Bronzewing teaching a joint lesson?" Diamond snorted, the extremely low regard Nora held the Grimm Studies Professor in was well known amongst the students.

"The second point I need to make you aware of is something that should have been covered last night after the team naming ceremony but we were short on time" Nora continued "Repairs to the city following The Breach are still underway and several construction crews are still hiring students to work alongside them, Professor Goodwitch will allow you to do so at her discretion; also students planning on competing in the Vytal Tournament with part time will obviously need to make their own arrangements, Halo Academy takes no responsibility for you getting yourselves fired"

"Oh shit, I didn't even think" Diamond gasped, clearly thinking of the volunteer work she and Arctus both did at the Mercy Foundation

"The final announcement, which will lead nicely into the actual lesson today; is that we have some new students in this class" that got everyone's attention, an entire team transferring or being allowed to take more advanced classes was almost unheard of; Nora reopened the door to her office and gestured for whoever was waiting inside to make themselves known "So second years, give a Halo Academy welcome to Team GORE!" four figures stepped into view and Team FADE's mouths hung open in silent shock which rapidly began to blur into seething anger; they looked far more well cared for than they had previously but there was no mistaking the Shadow Cadre. Team NEON turned to face them seeming to realise something was amiss though Felix paid them no mind, his world had narrowed into the straight line of attack between himself and the group of Faunus below; as Nora introduced Carcharodon Gore, Onyx Ursabane, Hellion Eudialyte and Raffia Dirge the Axolotl Faunus seemed to catch sight of him and simply winked as he tapped the sheaths of a weapon that clearly not his old sword, a pair of blades one larger than the other hanging from his hip. At the moment Felix saw red and simply lunged forwards and drawing his swords as he made to leap over rows of seats; Arctus failed to react in time and Eagle couldn't get purchase but the Lion Faunus found himself brought to an abrupt halt nonetheless as a golden arm wrapped around his waist and forced him into a seat at the same moment a metallic sound rang through the classroom; the sound of Carcharodon Gore deploying the Red Waves.

"ENOUGH! EVERYONE BACK IN YOUR SEATS!" Nora bellowed, her students freezing with fright at the sight of her hand flying towards Magnhild "Felix speak to me before you leave….now, I want to test our new students' abilities in a tournament setting; so does anyone, excluding Team FADE, want to step up?" deathly silence reigned as the teens before processed the situation; anyone could see that there was a lot being kept from them regarding Team GORE if Felix's reaction hadn't proven as much then the fact that he hadn't been reprimanded had, there was also the matter of the absurdly fast reaction time the Shark Faunus leading the new team had. While none of the students were cowards by any stretch of the imagination, none of them were eager to be the first into this particular fray

"Really, nobody?" Nora asked with a raised eyebrow, a moment later she received an answer

"I will!" a confident voiced boomed from near the back of the lecture hall and Nora didn't even have to look up to know who the voice belonged to.

"A Nikosi lapdog" Raffia hissed as the golden armoured teen with tattoos proudly declaring his heritage strode towards them, his voice while quiet was laden with scorn

"Interesting" Hellion noted, fingering the hilts of her many knives as something she'd heard from Eagle while captive in this very academy came back to her "I think that may be the first son of the Nikosi"

"They say he's good" Onyx grunted gruffly "Those scars say different" Carcharodon had remained silent, his pure obsidian eyes sizing up Helios Nikos as he stepped onto the raised platform and into his personal space, clearly hoping to intimidate the Shark Faunus despite being a few inches shorter and a full half a foot shorter than Onyx

"Your people were raiding in this Kingdom last year" Helios noted, his tone making it clear that it was a statement of fact rather than a question "I don't know what lies you've told and deals you've made to escape justice but understand that I act with the authority of my people and you will-"

"Let me clarify something for you Nikosi" Carcharodon rasped out, paying no mind to the woman who presumed to teach him the art of combat growing impatient "I am the Captain of the Shadow Cadre and the rightful leader of what remains of my people. You have no authority other than what you've borrowed; if I choose to entertain terms from any member of your tribe full of traitors then it will be your mother and nobody else" Helios visibly bristled in response prompting Nora to intervene

"Team GORE if you would kindly nominate someone to face off against Mister Nikos we can begin"

"Onyx, have your fun" Carcharodon gave Helios a grin which displayed his many rows of fangs before leading Hellion and Raffia away, leaving him alone with the towering Puma Faunus who was currently cracking his knuckles in anticipation

"Mister Ursabane you're new here so I'll explain to you how this works. The match will go on until one of your Aura's are knocked into the red as shown by the monitor on the screen, someone forfeits or I decide that the match needs to be called off. Do you understand?"

"To the death would be more fun, but fine" he chuckled. Nora merely scowled before stepping back and activating the protective dome shaped forcefield which encased the sparring area

"Begin!" Onyx moved with a speed belied by his hulking frame, swinging Jotun Fang from its' position on his back and shifting it into artillery mode with a single movement and snapping off a trio of shots with deafening reports, the Puma Faunus quickly re-evaluated his assessment of his opponent as Helios managed to deflect the first shell with a backhanded swipe of his shield which he followed through into a spin which allowed him to sidestep the others, a feral grin formed on Onyx's face as he returned his weapon to its' double bladed axe form with a single thought on his mind 'This is going to be fun'

With a primal roar Onyx lunged forwards and brought his weapon down in an arc only to realise something was wrong as his swing failed to build any momentum; Helios was wreathed in the darkness of his Semblance as he launched his counter attack, opening with a kick to the ribs which left Onyx doubled over followed by bringing the edge of his shield down on the back of his skull, magnifying gravity as he did so and causing the Faunus's head to collide with the ground with a sickening crack

"Not bad" Onyx spat before hooking one of the blades of his axe behind Helios and using it to drag him closer while simultaneously rushing forwards to drive his skull into the bridge of the armoured teens' nose, promptly using his free hand to grab Helios by the neck and prepare to bring his axe to bare; Helios responded by managing to bring his shield up to block the blow and use its' surface to force the two of them apart and launch a spinning kick which Onyx avoided. The pair circled each other, each looking for an opening in the others' defences for several moments until Helios saw Onyx fish something from his pocket, a raw and crudely hewn Dust crystal of a deep blue colour with countless pearly flecks decorating its' surface

"You won't get chance to load it" Helios warned, sensing that the Puma Faunus intended to fire the crystal from his weapon; an assumption that was proven incorrect when Onyx chuckled before placing the crystal between his teeth and activated his Semblance. Helios's eyes widened and he quickly flung his shield in front of his face as the attack washed over him; the combination of Onyx's sonic roar and the Ice Dust resulted in what could best be described as a localised blizzard which left the entirety of the arena floor and Helios's golden armour coated in frost while flinging him back into the protective shielding and forcing him to grit his teeth against the sensation

"Clever" Helios growled attempting to counter but finding himself unable as Onyx threw himself at him once again, buckling the redheads' knees with the force of the two handed swing of his axe; while Helios managed to raise his shield in time his chest was left unguarded and quickly found itself assaulted by a booted foot. Realising that this match would end in his defeat if he didn't take charge soon he drew his sword and slashed Onyx's other foot, the one keeping him on the ground; while the attack slid harmlessly off of his Aura it did force the giant off balance which Helios capitalised on and threw Onyx to the ground. Helios gave no quarter and delivered a vicious kick to his opponents' face as he tried to rise, the sound of the crowd barely audible above the rush of his own blood in his ears. Onyx grabbed his leg and hurled him into the air only to slam him back first onto the floor, Helios countered by managing to wrap his legs around the Puma Faunus's arm and attempt to break his elbow, Onyx in turn managed to free himself and the two of them returned to their feet, weapons cast aside and gasping for breath

"It's rare I get to face someone who puts up a fight" Onyx laughed as he rolled his shoulders back and raised his fists "It's been entertaining"

"It has" Helios admitted before rushing in for another exchange of blows, ducking under a wild swing and punching Onyx in the gut with enough force to leave him doubled over, Onyx managed to block the knee aimed at his fist but not the overhand delivered to the back of his head or the spinning heel kick to the jaw as Helios backed away

"I see attacking civilians like a coward has done nothing for your stamina" Helios taunted, he needed Onyx angry and distracted, he needed him to make mistakes as a quick glance at the screen displaying their Auras showed that he could not continue this fight for much longer

"Coward?" Onyx demanded his voice a low rumble as his greenish yellow eyes narrowed, incensed at the insult to his martial pride. Without waiting for an answer he charged and managed to deliver three earth-shattering punches to the head which left Helios's vision swimming before the redhead weaved under the fourth and took the wind out of the Faunus with a well place kidney punch before springing back to his full height and delivering an elbow strike to Onyx's jaw; then using his Semblance to magnify gravity as much as possible as he fell; the ground cracked beneath the Faunus as he collapsed

"Onyx Ursabane's Aura is in the red! The match goes to Helios Nikos!" Nora's voice thundered out and Helios allowed himself a moment to catch his breath before retrieving his sword and shield and limping away from the arena, a deep growling chuckle from behind him alerted him to Onyx rising to his feet

"I haven't had fun like that in a long time" with that he slung his axe over his shoulder and returned to his own team-mates

"Now!" Nora silenced the chatter the match had caused "Today's lesson was going to involve going over several notable tournament fighters and common winning strategies starting with Pyrrha Nikos….but before that, who wants to be next to take on one of our new students?" This time the class was far more responsive.

Eagle was alone, though she was content with the situation as it had been her choice. Felix had decided to visit the gym and she had declined the offer to join him, her partner would most likely be taking out his anger towards the Shadow Cadre or Team GORE as they were now being called on several punchbags. While she was happy to be on speaking terms with the Lion Faunus again she needed to process her own feelings towards her mothers' kidnappers and Felix's attitude, however well meaning would most likely not help matters. Team GORE themselves had already made it painfully clear that whatever they were here for studying played no part in it, whilst they had proven themselves capable in combat class and Onyx seemed to be genuinely interested in Professor Peach's lecture in Dust handling class none of them had made any effort to actually work, nor were they making any effort to integrate themselves with the other students if the rumours of their open hostility towards any attempt to friendliness were anything to go by.

Eagle came to a stop, she'd been jogging around the perimeter of the campus and had managed to work up quite a sweat in the later summer evening air; she'd brought herself to a halt not far from the outdoor training area situated at the rear of the academy, a highly advanced system which incorporated several nano-bot deposits and hard-light construct generators which could be used to run simulations of countless scenarios that a Hunter may find themselves in. Taking a few moments to make a decision she decided to enter the coliseum like structure which was far larger than the combat training classroom, she intended to peruse the various settings and find something suitable for a light training session in order to clear her head; that thought left her mind as she approached the controls and caught sight of a large bird of prey circling overhead, a bird she recognised.

"Well hello again little canary" Eagle whipped around at the sound of Hellion Eudialyte's voice; the bird of prey swooping passed the blonde and landing on its' masters' waiting forearm, with the exception of the armoured gauntlet adorning her left arm the Dragonfly Faunus wore an approximation of Halo Academy's school uniform, her sweater and tie had been discarded and slits had obviously been cut into the back of her shirt to accommodate her wings; her sleeves were rolled up and several buttons had been unfastened revealing more of her light brown skin

"Um, hey" Eagle cast her eyes around suspiciously looking for any sign of the other members of the group

"I did tell you I'd escape the cage I was in" Hellion noted conversationally as she fed some kind of raw meat to Marauder "Though I suppose I haven't really escaped if I'm still stuck here-"

"Why are you here?" Eagle demanded

"I've spent too much time confined lately, I wanted to use my Semblance and enjoy some fresh air-"

"No" Eagle interrupted "Why are you at Halo. You're not interested in becoming Hunters, you kidnapped my Mum" Hellion hesitated before she answered, seemingly giving serious thought to her response

"There are things I can't tell you, we were captured and deals were made….The Shadow Cadre's cause hasn't changed but our approach has had to" her jade eyes lowered as she looked away from Eagle "And kidnapping was an act of desperation. I'm not sorry that we did what we felt had to be done, but I understand if you hold a grudge"

"I didn't hold a grudge when I kept visiting you in your cell" Eagle reminded her "But I can't promise that my team won't"

"Oh I think the one with the hair made his feelings perfectly clear" Hellion laughed, clearly referring to the way Felix had lunged at The Shadow Cadre the moment he saw them "It would probably be for the best if we keep some of our team-mates away from each other"

"Definitely" Eagle agreed, still not entirely sure how to act around the Dragonfly Faunus; the fact that Hellion was no longer a prisoner and there was no cage between them presented a change in the dynamic

"It's good to see you again little canary" Hellion murmured as she stepped a little closer "Can I ask you for a favour?"

"A favour?" Eagle was confused and if she were being entirely honest with herself, a little distracted "Just promise me it's nothing that will risk anyone's safety or interfere with the Academy in any way and I'll think about it"

"Nothing like that" Hellion assured here "You told me before that you were going to teach me to read….does that offer still stand? Onyx can read of your language but not enough, Carcharodon and Raffia can't read it at all. We won't be able to act like students if we can't understand anything written in our textbooks but they're all too proud to ask"

"Oh" Eagle mouthed, she wasn't sure what she'd expected but that was not it "I mean I could teach them as well?"

"Does Raffia strike you as someone who would make a good student?"

"The small one….not really" she admitted with a soft giggle

"So you'll teach me?" Hellion's jade eyes seemed to light up as a smile crossed her face and Eagle lost any will to resist that she may have had

"Fine, I did make a promise"

"Thank you" Hellion gave a small nod of the head before turning to leave "Now I'm going to head back to my dormitory and make sure that Onyx hasn't eaten all the food we have"

"You know that the canteen is open twenty four hours on a weekday right?" Hellion seemed utterly floored by the idea and promptly set off towards the academy and Eagle let out a long sigh as she watched her leave

"Why?" she groaned out the single word as she buried her face in her hands, encapsulating several questions at once. 'Why did she have to be so utterly helpless when a pretty girl spoke to her? Why did said pretty girl have to be one of her mothers' kidnappers? Why did literally everything about her family life have to be complicated? And why on Remnant did Hellion Eudialyte have to look amazing in school uniform?'

Eagle's guesses about Felix letting off steam were proven correct as he unleashed a maelstrom of furious blows against a punchbag, making a conscious effort not to allow his Aura to bleed into the blows but still it swung with each attack; sweat trickled down his brow and he was becoming more and more angry at him self as he realised just how much his laziness over the summer had affected him

"You're gonna break it" a bemused sigh noted from behind it, Felix caught the punchbag and turned to face Nyanza who just arrived

"I wish, I feel weak as hell" he growled in response as he rolled his shoulders back "Still, it's either this or make start on that Grimm studies assignment"

"Oum no, not on the first day" Nyanza made a disgusted face before indicating to something behind him "Anyway, I should probably spot for Heely" Felix looked over Nyanza's shoulder was left with his mouth hanging open, utterly missing his friends' eye roll as he watched Helios on the pull-up bar, he crimson haired teen had discarded his armour and was training in a pair of sweatpants and a tight fitting vest that displayed several of his scars, tattoos and muscles that seemed even larger and more defined than they had been previously

"Yeah sure I'll come with" Felix eventually croaked out, throat suddenly dry

"Of course you will" Nyanza snorted, sidling over to his partner he called out "Heely doing pull-ups when your Semblance turns gravity off doesn't count, stop showing off"

"One day you'll something that actually offends me" Helios grunted out before dropping to the ground "In the mean time, get up there. I highly doubt you trained over the summer" Nyanza gave a mock offended pout before taking his partners' place and beginning his own set

"Did you seriously train all summer?" Felix asked somewhat incredulously

"The summer is one of the busiest time for the Nikosi, more tourists, more people moving between the cities and villages while children aren't at school, means there's more demand for guides and guards….but I got to take my sister out Hunting Grimm"

"Sounds nice" Felix grinned, he was the youngest child of his immediate family but the idea of taking one his younger cousins, the twins being more likely candidates than Arctus's sister on a Grimm hunt one day was a pleasing one "Honestly I spent most of the summer either on security jobs with Corvid or working on fixing my car….got a nice little upgrade to test out on some Grimm though"

"Being able to relax for that long must be nice" Helios noted "My mother leads my people so I have to be an example for a lot of the younger members, it's like they're all my younger siblings sometimes"

"You love it really" Felix chuckled, earning himself a small grin from Helios whom the Lion Faunus noticed was sporting a rather impressive bruise around his left eye which almost reached the scar along his left cheek "Hey thanks for stepping up for that sparring match with the Shadow Cadre, or Team GORE or whatever the fuck they're calling themselves. The big guy and the one with the teeth pack a punch but it's the little one you need to watch out for"

"I could almost smell the crazy on that one" Helios agreed, having watched the complete disregard Raffia showed when handling Dust in class earlier that day as well as something less quantifiable that just seemed off about the Axolotl Faunus "But I saw their tribal markings and knew who they were, these are the people who took Eagle's mother yes?"

"Yeah" Felix nodded

"Then the bruise was a small price to pay" Helios gave savage grin that left no doubt in Felix's mind that he would indeed face off against any of their new classmates without hesitation

"Yeah well, try not to get your face messed up too often even if you make the scar work for you-" Felix shut his mouth before he embarrassed himself further, he was unsure of what had made him say that and he could already feel his cheeks colouring which Helios may have been kind enough to ignore but Nyanza however was not

"So that's how it is? You're gonna have me over here doing infinite pull-ups while you flirt? If you wanted some space you could have asked?"

"I mean if you're feeling left out we can go a few rounds?" Felix shot back, instantly silencing the feline who knew well how a sparring match between them would end "Anyway, I'm gonna call it a day and see what everyone else is doing, I didn't get to see any of Team FADE over the summer" Felix made the excuse quickly, suddenly feeling the urge to leave a situation that turned awkward

"See you in lessons then Fluffy" Felix was already moving towards the exit before he realised that Helios had gotten into something of a habit of using a nickname usually reserved for Felix's family, how comfortable he was with it spoke volumes and as he muttered under his breath in lieu of talking things out with another person the Faunus was forced to accept the reality of the situation

"One day I'm gonna break Nyanza's nose I swear, okay so Helios is buff as hell doesn't mean I've got a thing for him. I just missed the guy after not seeing him all summer and I'm glad her didn't get his face ripped off by the Grimm….Ah fuck, who am I kidding" the truth hit Felix like a wave of freezing water; he felt something for Helios Nikos that was decidedly not platonic. That left only two questions, what to do about the situation and would asking his sister for advice be worth the constant teasing it would no doubt result in.

Arctus had been the only member of Team FADE to make a start on the assignments the second year students had received on their first day of class, he didn't think of himself as exceptionally bookish but the study habits Weiss had spent years instilling into her son were not easily broken, something his team-mates would no doubt be thankful for when he inevitably let them borrow or copy his notes. Finally putting his textbook and rough draft of an essay aside he let out a long sigh, it had been a long day, the lack of sleep, lessons which were already noticeably more advanced and the additional task of keeping Felix from seeking a fight with their new classmates whom Arctus himself had several suspicions towards had been both physically and mentally draining and the Bear Faunus could easily understand his team-mates' reluctance to immediately start the assignments they had. From the open window he could hear Diamond practising on the bass guitar he'd bought her on the roof, something she assured him she did often in Mistral and a toothy smile crossed his face; he considered joining her but decided against it as another thought occurred to him. Pulling his Scroll out of his pocket he called his father and hoped he would be available to answer, the arrival of Team GORE demanded an explanation and Gangrel Slate would most certainly be able to give one

"Hey kid what's up?" Gangrel's voice rumbled over the speaker a moment before the video flickered into life

"I've got some new classmates, thought you might know something about it" Arctus raised an eyebrow and waited for an answer

"You know just because you were on my ship over the summer I can't give you classified information" Gangrel pointed out

"They're dangerous and they're in a school after they were captured by your people" Arctus countered

"Alright fine" Gangrel conceded with a growl "But understand that this needs to be kept quiet, I know you'll tell your team but it goes no further"

"Fine"

"The other group that attacked the same weapons shipment as the Shadow Cadre last summer, I'm positive that they're connected to what happened to Neon. They killed several members of the Shadow Cadre-"

"So you're using them as bait" Arctus surmised

"Effectively" Gangrel admitted with a frown "I couldn't insert them into Atlas Academy at the start of the year, it would raise too many questions and if this group are copying White Fang tactics they might have someone inside the school. Goodwitch is the only other Head I trust with this….Trust me I'm not exactly happy about this but I don't want to condemn a bunch of kids to death and that's what would happen if I put them in front of an Atlesian judge. No more dead kids on my conscience, not after Jade" Arctus paused, the mention of the late Spring Maiden after whom his sister Athena-Jade was named robbing much of the fight from him, his reply came out as a mumble rather than the biting retort he'd intended

"Because putting them against whoever did….that, yeah that'll work out so much better" Gangrel gave Arctus a concerned glance as he noted the way his son shuddered at the mention of the fate of Neon Katt

"It's a calculated risk" Gangrel sighed "I promised Carcharodon a chance to face his sisters' killer but realistically if I can have them killed by a sniper from two miles away I'd rather do that. All I need is for these Cult of Taurus sickos to see the people they didn't manage to kill on the coverage of the Vytal Tournament and decide they wanna tie up loose ends"

"Holy Oum Dad, you're gonna turn the tournament into a setup?" Arctus seemed aghast at the idea

"Yes, because the amount of security I can put there and not look suspicious would stand out anywhere else" Arctus took a moment to process that information before Gangrel followed it up "Besides, I've had one of my people contact the Freelancers. I can't give them orders like the Specialists but they all know who killed Neo and they can do things I can't be seen to" the words sent a chill down Arctus's spine, he couldn't remember ever hearing his father say something so casually ruthless. The sinister edge vanished when Gangrel seemed to peer at his son more closely through the screen

"You okay kid? You look like you haven't slept" Arctus paused before letting out a sigh, he had promised to Diamond that he would talk to someone after all.

"I haven't" he admitted, looking away "Neon….what we found….what they did to her, Dad I've been having nightmares….I don't know if I'm cut out for this"

"Look at me" Gangrel's tone was firm but the concern behind it was evident, Arctus turned his blue eyes towards his fathers' amber "There is nothing to be ashamed of, nothing. I am so sorry for putting you in that position, I never wanted you to see something like that-"

"I know Dad" Arctus assured him "But this is what being a Hunter is and-"

"And it gets easier" Gangrel answered "As messed up as it sounds it gets easier, you'll see people who couldn't get away from the Grimm and it's always gonna have an effect on you, there are always gonna be bad days but you learn to focus on the lives you've saved….What happened to Neon, that was different, that was intentional, someone wanted to horrify people. You're not weak for admitting you need help, it's better than getting dependant on something to cope"

"Thanks" Arctus murmured, suddenly struggling to ignore a lump in his throat; his fathers' opinion of him meant a lot to the teen regardless of how nonchalant he sometimes acted "Diamond says I should talk to the student counsellor but I don't know if I can Dad, how much of what happened can I talk about it?"

"Sounds like you've got yourself a good partner there kid" Gangrel noted "I know the student counsellor at Halo. You can tell him as much as you need to, he won't breach confidence"

"Thanks, I'll schedule an appointment. How is everyone?"

"Athena's still upset that her big brother left again so soon. Your Mum and Uncle Whitley have been busy, the breach in New Vale is keeping the SDC busy….I've contacted Neon's old partner about funeral arrangements she didn't really have anyone else"

"You okay Dad?"

"I will be" Gangrel sighed "I've spoken to Goodwitch, we're gonna send her ashes to Halo so she can at least be near Squish" Arctus nodded silently, unsure of how to feel. What had happened to Neon was viscerally horrifying but he lacked the emotional connection his father had; eventually he decided to search for a less bleak topic

"Hey is Mum home? I'll give her a call"

"She will be in about an hour" Gangrel noted "I'll let you go, get some sleep if you can"

"Thanks" a moment later the call ended leaving Arctus to simply sprawl out on his bunk. His team-mates returned to the dormitory soon after to find him asleep.

Authors Notes:

I don't know why but this whole chapter felt like a slog to get through, I hope you still enjoy it but the magic was just not with me this week.

Not much to say for this chapter, so let's summarise:
That first day back tiredness is special, you can go on a four day bender and go to class on no sleep the rest of the year but the first day back will break you.
Bless Felix's gay little heart.
Older sibling teasing gives me life.
Can you imagine having to spend a double lesson with Nora first thing on a Monday morning.
"If she's not here in fifteen minutes we're legally allowed to leave" someone had to say it.
Nora as a teacher would be a human shit-post and we all know it.
Helios just casually slapping Nyanza around the head, I imagine that kind of thing is pretty common in the Nikos tribe and it takes Helios a while to remember that it's not exactly acceptable in most places.
Of course Team FADE are gonna qualify, they're protagonists.
Team GORE are the Shadow Cadre, I've made no secret about the fact that they were coming back.
Also Raffia has a new weapon made up of two swords because his old weapon was melted….Who had a pair of swords in Vol.3 that won't be using them for the foreseeable?
Felix didn't hesitate even slightly….also nice save Helios.
Nora's fixed Magnhild over the summer.
The idea of Carcharodon putting Helios in place was interesting to me because we haven't really seen anyone completely disregard his authority before….also Carcharodon versus Helios is something that would be great in the tournament (I haven't decided all the match-ups for that yet).
The Helios vs Onyx fight was honestly a lot of fun for me to write.
Onyx using Dust with his Semblance is probably going to become more common now the Cadre/Team GORE are at an Academy and they have a more steady supply.
Team GORE are going to be fun to write, Helios had some trouble adjusting from living with the Nikos Tribe but this is gonna be so much worse.
Flustered Eagle is fun to write, Eagle who now actually has to deal with the idea of having a thing for one of the Shadow Cadre is gonna be interesting.
So how much of Raffia fucking about in class is because he was genuinely interested but didn't want to admit he cant' read?
The Shadow Cadre thought a food bank was amazing, they are gonna love living somewhere with twenty four hour food.
Also bless Eagle's gay little heart, you knew she was going to be unable to cope with Hellion in a school uniform.
Felix finally, finally admits he's caught feelings; he's gay and the more I write him the more I feel like Demisexual is also an applicable label for him.
Also the idea of him muttering to himself about having a crush is funny to me.
You know damn well that Weiss is a parent who will 112% make sure her kids do their homework, Eagle is probably smarter (I mean look at Sentinel) but Arctus's work ethic is just relentless.
Yeah I pretty much spelled it out there. The cult of Taurus killed Neon, Gangrel is going to use the coverage of Team GORE/The Shadow Cadre at the Vytal Tournament to draw them out….but when has a plan ever survived first contact with the enemy.
Gangrel being a supportive dad, because Arctus needed it….also I know a lot of people want more Weiss in this and I promise when we get to Atlas I will deliver.

Thank you to SumoSnipe, Araniladin, Arkanes Shippou, TigerRose, Unstoppable Cyborg, LoneDragon, FluffyFirefly, FleetOfWarships, Ferrous and ShadowAlex2000 for their reviews on the last chapter.
Nah, Arctus and Diamond have at least enough respect for Felix to not use his back seat.
Oh I have some big events for second year….I love the tournament arc trope and getting to write another one is gonna be fun.
Have more Battle Cat cuteness.
I like how cute Diamond Dust can be, the fact they can transition easily from lewd to soft snuggling and emotional support makes them great.
Yeah in The Downward Spiral I mentioned Qrow and Raven having a granddad called Ninox which is genus Owls belong to; Eagle has a name that fits Branwen tradition which is something that Antonia most likely did intentionally (Also, Eagle Green is apparently a colour….so you know how long it took me to find a name that would fit with Team FADE, the colour naming rule AND the Branwen naming convention?)
You wanted a sparring match, you got one….just not the one you were expecting. We have plenty of time for Team FADE and Team GORE to thoroughly piss each other off.
There will indeed be more Diamond Dust content as well as the other ships, I'm gonna try and find a balance to where if it works with the scene I'll show it but it won't be a constant thing.

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