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Chapter 47: In Sheep's Clothing.
Antonia Arc was situated in an observation deck with an area of the gargantuan Poly-Tech research facility dedicated to the application of their robotics within the medical field, the windows were one way hiding anyone monitoring tests from view and the test area below was designed to withstand an attack from some of the most powerful weapons Atlas's military had at their disposal; some would consider the shielding and reinforced armour encasing the testing facility overkill but Antonia had seen the ways Dust, Aura and experimental equipment could interact with each other and would be taking no chances. The sole test subject currently occupying the room below looked almost pitiably small and incongruous in comparison to the banks of terminals and swarm of scientists around her; she was a small young woman, petite and with a slender build that combined with her unnaturally pale complexion gave her a somewhat sickly appearance, currently she was facing away from the observation deck giving Antonia a clear view of the work her surgeons had performed through the slit in the back of her hospital gown, from the base of her neck to her pelvis a series of cybernetic components had been worked directly into the woman's spine leaving the flesh an angry and swollen red as her Aura worked to heal the injury. It was frankly nauseating to look at but as the young woman took another careful step forwards Antonia reminded herself that was worth it, this however was not a procedure she could take credit for and so she turned to Ozymandias Eldritch who was currently adjusting his spectacles as he studied the scene below
"Give me specifics" many of her employees would have panicked at Antonia's demanding tone, Ozymandias however had worked alongside her and was well accustomed to his employers' mannerisms; she was far from annoyed, she was simply curious at the new advancement and wished to understand everything about it; with that in mind he simply turned to face her and began to reel off information
"Celeste Lupus, female, age 27, Faunus-" Antonia hadn't known that and quickly glanced down again and realised that there were indeed ram like horns growing from the skull of the test subject which curled back around her temples, while Antonia considered herself a woman of science and bigotry assumptions and superstition had no place in her life her time as a prisoner of the Shadow Cadre had obviously shaken her more than she cared to admit as she took a single step back before realising the impotency of the action
"Carry on" she breathed out seeing the concern flicker across her employees face
"She was crippled at age seven" Ozymandias explained, causing Antonia's self loathing at her own cowardice to rise "She was born in Eisenstadt Siebte her parents were apparently low ranking White Fang members who were killed by Atlesian forces during the re-taking"
"Stray shot?" Antonia asked with trepidation
"Worse" Ozymandias sighed "The building her family had hidden her in was hit by a rocket, it took recovery crews a day to find her in the wreckage; her Aura had unlocked but she was barely clinging to life, she was told at seven years old that she was never going to walk again" Antonia suppressed a gasp and simply shook her head
"Such a waste" the whole affair of retaking Eisenstadt Siebte had been a series of horrors and atrocities; first the lower reaches of the Hive city had been separated and declared the capital of Adam Taurus's 'New Menagerie' only to be attacked by a renegade faction of hard liners within the Atlesian military who filled the city with Grimm resulting in the battle in which the Bull Faunus met his demise and her own brother Jaune had fought Cinder Fall to the death; the retaking of the stronghold had been a protracted guerilla war which in a final insult proved to be fruitless as the city was finally sealed and declared uninhabitable by the Council due to the severe damage to its' infrastructure and Grimm infestation; Eisenstadt Siebte now stood as a frozen tomb within a hollow mountain, a stark reminder of Atlas's troubled history.
"One person's waste is another's opportunity" Ozymandias noted with a slight smile "What we've developed here is a breakthrough on two fronts"
"A long term candidate" Antonia noted to which he nodded, Cybernetics worked best if they could be integrated into the patients body as soon as possible, it was generally believed that there was a sixth month window outside of which the implant would cause complications for the users, this cybernetic spine which if Antonia was correct was partially based on a design she herself had made for one Professor Oobleck promised to be the first of a new kind of augmentation
"It's also designed specially with Faunus in mind" Ozymandias added "There have been a lot of reports of the standard templates causing more feedback and in some cases not quite having the fine muscle control owing to slight differences in Faunus nervous systems, if successful this could be the start of a new product line"
"This is impressive" Antonia noted "You've managed to develop a new product line, keep the media at bay and not only continue to keep the company running in my absence but manage to improve our overall efficiency. I have to ask….did you sleep at any point while I was….away" her tone had been friendly and bordering on teasing until the end, then it wavered
"None of us were sleeping soundly knowing that you were missing" Ozymandias answered quietly "As for my handling of company matters….let's just say I know how to manage time effectively" there was something being left unsaid in that statement and Antonia was sure of it but before she could enquire further a furious outburst from below made her jump, something that she was certain would not have happened before. Ozymandias, in a rare breach of professionalism reached out and grasped at her hand while reassuring her
"Its' okay, she's reached her limit for today. The implant may repair the damage to her spine but she hasn't been able to walk for twenty years, her legs gave way" Antonia peered down and saw that was indeed the case, Celeste had sunk to her hands and knees and was currently swatting away the Poly-Tech employees trying to help her up, clearly desperate to rise under her own strength. Pressing a button which activated an intercom Antonia made sure her brief panic didn't carry into her voice
"That will be all today Miss Lupus. Testing will recommence at your convenience if you would be so kind as to complete the relevant paperwork with a member of staff"
"Are you okay?" Antonia turned to face Ozymandias whose question had been barely above a whisper, every syllable laced with obvious concern "You seem stressed, if you need to take some time off after….after everything I can hold the fort. I'm sorry for prying it's just-"
"It's fine" Antonia sighed "I just have a lot on my mind. A few weeks ago Eagle told me she was planning on meeting her father properly for the first time, she sent me a message earlier today telling me that they're finally meeting tomorrow" she was unsure of what made her tell him, frankly Antonia Arc was unsure of a lot of things regarding social interactions and relationships of any kind
"You'd rather that she didn't?" Antonia thought to herself for a moment before shaking her head
"I still think that having Qrow be present for her childhood would have been for the worse, I sent her to live with her grandparents because I couldn't be the mother she needed….everything I've done has been with the best intentions and now I'm worried that I may have ruined what little relationship I had with my daughter….I'm worried I'm going to lose her"
"All you wanted was the best for her, she might not see it now but eventually she will" Ozymandias assured her, squeezing a hand that Antonia was a little shocked to realise he was still holding "And if you wanted a better relationship with her, well the Vytal Tournament is being hosted by Atlas this year….a friendly face cheering on a foreign team will mean a lot to her" Antonia smiled at the idea, there was no doubt in her mind that her daughter would qualify for the tournament; from what she knew she had inherited her mothers' ingenuity, her grandfathers' unwavering resolve and been trained by almost every member of the Arc family, she only regretted not being present to see her grow into the young woman that had returned from New Vale.
"It most certainly would" Antonia answered finally, squeezing Ozymandias's hand gently in return she gave him something she knew he would appreciate "Well it's late no doubt we'll have a bust schedule tomorrow….Goodnight Oz"
Ruby felt Penny's hands against her flesh and let out a groan of pleasure
"Right there" the copper haired android straddled her, and with an audible popping sound continued the deep tissue massage she was administering. With the twins returning to school Ruby had been forced to let her children out of her sight since the revelation that they had inherited the powers that came with their silver eyes, she and Penny tended to take turns at taking on missions while Tai-Jaune and Summer-Pyrrha were at school and Ruby had decided she needed a distraction. They were quite frankly in no need of money, the sales of Penny's shares of her fathers' company combined with the money they had amassed over their careers as Atlesian Freelancers and royalty cheques from advertisers using Ruby's likeness had lest them with enough Lien to live comfortably without working but Ruby would be the first to admit she couldn't imagine herself retiring from hunting any time soon; the first mission to reach her had been in Vaccuo courtesy of Qrow, the current Winter Maiden had relatives in a small settlement beyond the arid Kingdom's walls which was being tormented by a particularly large pack of Grimm and she was not proficient enough with her powers to handle the task alone without raising suspicions, it had only taken a few days but Ruby had returned sore and exhausted leading to Penny's current position atop her, Ruby's waist between her thighs
"How does this feel?" Penny asked as she activated a subroutine that Ruby had made her swear to never let Yang know about for fear of the endless teasing that would ensue, her entire hands and forearms seemed to blur as they began to vibrate
"Sensational" Ruby sighed blissfully as Penny worked, after a few moments she slowed allowing Ruby to stretch, her joint s giving several resounding cracks before she sprawled out on the bed with her dark hair cascading over her shoulders and obscuring most of her face. Penny merely took in the sight of her; Ruby had changed greatly since they had first met, her back, arms and shoulders were muscular and her entire back had been used as the canvas for a tattoo depicting the rose emblem she had inherited from her late mother, one of many tattoos she'd acquired over the years. Penny frowned slightly as she brushed some of her wife's hair away to reveal a pale and discoloured scar marking her right shoulder Penny knew that a similar scar was visible on her collarbone, a wound received at the hands of Salem herself when the Mother of Grimm had attempted to impale her. Penny lay flat against Ruby's back and gently kissed the scar, trailing soft kisses along her shoulder until she reached her neck while at the same time wrapping her arms' around Ruby's waist
"Missed you too" Ruby mumbled into the pillow, lacing her fingers through Penny's and bringing her hands higher; the two of them hadn't had any alone time in a while and while the twins were taking advantage of the good weather and playing outside with water pistols both Huntresses realised they could take advantage of the fact their children were currently elsewhere
"Sensational" Penny purred as she gently nibbled at her earlobe, before it could truly begin the moment ended with the sound of the backdoor of their home being flung open and the sound of small feet frantically hurrying up the stairs
"MUM! MUM!" the words served as a prelude to the bedroom door being flung open, Penny sliding off the bed and allowing Ruby to pull the sheets over herself just in time
"What's wrong?" Penny paused and realised that both Tai-Jaune and Summer-Pyrrha in addition to being thoroughly soaked and dirty, signs that their water fight had been going well both of them were in possession of chocolate chip cookies which unless she was mistaken were not the brand she'd bought for Ruby
"Uncle Qrow's coming!" they chanted in unison before Summer explained "We told him Mama Ruby was still in bed and he gave us cookies to come and wake you up"
"Did he now" Ruby tried and failed to sound menacing, her face cracking into a broad smile before she patted the space beside her on the bed "Come here and gimme a hug I've missed you" the twins moved with almost blinding speed, their mothers' unsure of where childhood exuberance ended and freshly unlocked Aura began
"Are you going away again?" Tai-Jaune asked with a worried look on his freckled face
"Nope" Ruby assured him, popping the P as she pulled the twins into in her arms with no concern for the trail of crumbs in their wake "What makes you say that"
"Uncle Qrow says you've got plans" Summer answered. Penny and Ruby both glanced to each other in confusion for a moment before something clicked in the scythe wielders' mind
"Oh crap, that's today?"
Eagle sat in the passengers' seat of the Killer-Bee, fidgeting nervously as she had been the whole ride thus far. It had been several weeks since she had initially asked Felix if he could arrange a meeting with Qrow seeing as she had never exchanged contact details with the man, the reason behind the delay was simply due to conflicting schedules; while Qrow had officially retired from Hunting Felix noted that he often seemed to be busy and the Team FADE had been forced to dedicate more than one weekend to the seemingly endless tide of assignments as the second year workload continued to increase in addition to the frankly brutal training regimen Felix was putting them through in preparation for the Vytal Tournament qualifiers, the Lion Faunus was far from alone in this however as every team leader seemed to share his increased motivation
"He lives here?" Eagle peered out of the windows as the muscle car moved through the unremarkable streets. They were far from the sprawling hive city of New Vale itself having driven out to a decidedly middle class suburb whose houses were picturesque in a generic sort of way, identically trimmed front lawns and picket fences visible to the front, pristine brickwork and spacious back yards to the rear; it seemed odd from what little she knew of the man that Qrow Branwen would choose to live in such a place
"Near enough" Felix shrugged "We're actually stopping at Aunt Ruby and Penny's though, Corvid was gonna come but apparently Team CLIR have taken on some extra classes this year"
"Extra classes?" Eagle asked genuinely interested in the subject which also helped her ignore her own nerves
"Think she's dropped history" Felix forced him self not laugh at the affronted expression on his partners' face "But Team CLIR are taking medical training, Bull-Head operations and I think they took a course on legislation….next year is their final year so they're thinking long term"
"Oh that makes sense" Eagle said simply, as much she loved her honorary uncle the classes Team CLIR had taken would be more useful to them than advanced history. The momentary lull in conversation allowed her to realise another detail she'd overlooked "Wait why aren't we going to Qrow's place"
"I thought it might be less awkward if there's a couple more people there and I haven't seen the twins since the start of the summer. Besides, Aunt Penny and Aunt Ruby's place is cool you're gonna love it"
"Okay" Eagle audibly gulped "So now I'm meeting my Dad and THE Ruby Rose?"
"You've met her before" Felix protested "Remember, our second mission she flew us there….didn't she give you a cookie as well?" The Lion Faunus had honestly forgotten the fact that his partner was an ardent fan of his aunt, though he was certain that things would be fine. It wasn't long before they turned a corner and approached a house at the bottom of the street which could only be their destination
"They have a Bull-Head landing pad in their back yard?" Eagle gasped as she caught a brief glimpse of the drop-ship before they pulled up in front of the house
"Yeah, this is the last row of houses. It's just fields and woods at the back so they've got a clear landing and the kids around here have got somewhere to play" Felix explained as he removed the key from the ignition and clambered out of the car, opening the rear door so that Eagle could retrieve Sentinel, the droid having been stored in shield mode for the drive
"You okay?" Felix asked, catching the way Eagle stared at the house before them with some apprehension; Eagle took a deep breath and willed her hands to stop trembling
"I'll be fine, come on" Eagle slung her shield over her back and followed Felix through the gate and along the pathway to the front door which Eagle realised with a start was not made of wood as one would expect, the paint failing to hide the material below
"Is that Atlesian steel?"
"Yeah" Felix chuckled "Nano-bot caches fitted on all the doors and windows as well to seal them shut, and you see those garden gnomes?"
"Yeah?" Eagle replied slowly, equal parts confused and impressed
"Force Field generators" Felix told her in a nonchalant way that suggested that this was perfectly normal in his mind, the Lion Faunus rather than ringing the door bell removed a metallic cover from a panel beneath it and pressed his palm against the surface at which point the synthetic voice of an AI spoke, though Eagle was unsure of where exactly the speaker was
"Welcome back Fluffy"
"They are never gonna change that" Felix sighed as he opened the now unlocked door, holding it open for Eagle he saw the wonder written plainly on her face as she stepped inside and quickly explained
"Pearl, its' the AI that was on Aunt Penny's old Bull-Head she runs the utilities, security system, some of the workshop in the basement and the super roombas" before Eagle could ask one of the many questions she suddenly had, what precisely made the roombas 'Super' chief amongst them the sound of small feet rushing towards them from elsewhere in the house with the speed and urgency of a stampede alerted them to the twins
"FELIX!" they shouted in unison as they leapt directly into his arms
"Oh my Oum you're even bigger, with more freckles!" he gasped in feigned shock before planting them on the ground and pointing to Eagle "You remember Eagle right?" Tai-Jaune clearly did
"You're the girl with the pet tank!"
"Kids, let them actually get inside first" a kind voice instructed "Hey Fluffy how are you?" Ruby Rose asked as she came into view, appearing from a door further down the hallway they were stood in and pulling her nephew into a brief hug
"I'm good" Felix assured her before turning to the twins and crouching to their level "You're so big now there's nowhere you can hide, I bet I can find you both in five minutes if we play hide and seek
"Bet you can't!" Summer-Pyrrha insisted
"Game on" Felix chuckled, allowing himself to be led through the house by his cousins while calling back over his shoulder "Be back soon!" Eagle chuckled at the sight only to realise that she had been left alone with a Huntress that she'd been told bedtime stories about as a child and the laughter quickly died
"Yeah he gets that from Yang" Ruby dead-panned before giving Eagle a reassuring smile "Come on Uncle Qrow's already here, I think he's still going over something with Penny; I love your armour by the way it reminds me of Jaune's….and what did TJ mean when he said you have a pet tank?" Eagle struggled to find words, sure she was already blushing at the compliment to her armour from her childhood idol; realising that Ruby had never actually seen Sentinel in action she simply unslung her shield and activated the droid
"Doot doot, da doot doot!" Sentinel chirped, the singular optic mounted in his cranium expressive as always
"Hostile detected"
"Pearl stand down" Ruby ordered quickly, though not before Eagle had seen several wall panels sliding away, revealing something hidden within "Okay that is super, super cool!" Eagle blushed deeper as Ruby led her through her home and the blonde was silently captivated by the house which seemed to have combined the most comfortable elements of a family home like the one she was raised in with technology that would not have looked out of place at a Poly-Tech research facility. Eagle almost gasped when she saw a coat-rack from which an iconic red cape was hung, the living room was almost unassuming if one overlooked the somewhat futuristic feel and the several small cleaning robots scouring the floor, walls and dusting the curtains. The kitchen and dining room however were another story, here the futuristic aspect of the house had been fully committed to with the head, upper torso and spindly arms of a robot body folded up along ceiling where a series of unobtrusive rails would allow it to move around, its' position clear that it was intended to handle the cooking and cleaning of dishes
"So cool" Eagle mouthed out before catching sight of the dining room table, or more specifically its' occupants; sat at the table where they had been poring over maps in relation to something that would potentially need to be investigated were Penny and Qrow
"Salutations"
"Uh Hi" Eagle stammered
"Hey" Qrow murmured, folding the map away and offering her an empty seat "Felix, vanished on you the second you got here didn't he….of course he did"
"It's fine, he's playing hide and seek with the twins" Eagle explained as she took a seat, Sentinel trundling in to place behind her
"I see you fixed the tin man" Qrow noted, remembering that it had been damaged in the fight against the leader of the Shadow Cadre
"Oh yeah, gave him a tune up over the summer and worked on some upgrades that are gonna be useful for any missions Team FADE are sent on, I'm actually hoping to show it off in the Vytal Tournament as well. It took me a while to figure out how to install it without interfering with the existing power supply and I'm rambling aren't I?" Eagle asked, realising that words had been tumbling out of her at an impossible speed; the enthusiasm she had for talking about Sentinel temporarily overpowering her nerves
"Heh don't worry" Ruby assured her, taking a free seat "You've gotta like the things you think are cool wholeheartedly or what's the point, and having a shield that's a robot is cool"
"Yeah it is" Qrow agreed "I wish we'd had equipment like this when Team STRQ were active, wouldn't have needed to give Tai cover fire all the time if he had one"
"You would totally have used it for pranks" Ruby snickered
"When we competed in the Vytal Tournament in Atlas? Definitely. Those kids needed to lighten up" Eagle couldn't help but giggle at both Ruby's long suffering groan and the mental image of Sentinel and a much younger Qrow engaging in shenanigans
"Team STRQ competed? I mean I know Team RWBY did but everyone knows that because of…." she trailed off, Qrow answered quickly before any awkwardness could set in
"Atlas in our first year, Shade in our third. Got beaten in the doubles by Team IRON the first time around but Raven took third place overall on our second crack at it"
"That's awesome" Eagle gushed "I hope Team FADE can at least get into the one on one rounds, I know we could be up against people with twice as much experience as us but I think we've got a shot"
"You fought in the breach" Qrow pointed out "Experience isn't just the amount of time it's what you did and you did well kid"
"Besides you've got the Schnee Semblance on your side" Ruby added "That's always handy, as Arctus about Weiss dropping a glacier on Scarlet David in the first round" Eagle frowned and her head sunk a little
"I really need to figure out what my Semblance is soon or I'm not gonna be able to contribute much to the team"
"A team is always going to need heavy weapons and you're more than capable as a Huntress" Penny pointed out, what Eagle failed to notice was the way Qrow stoked his beard thoughtfully and furrowed his brow deep in thought. An offhanded comment from Ruby continued the conversation and almost half an hour later when Felix returned with the twins after several rounds of hide and seek Eagle, Qrow, Ruby and Penny were laughing together and interacting as though they had known each other for years. Just as planned.
Team GORE entered the gym, loathe as he was to admit it Carcharodon knew that the academy would be a good place to train and all of his team, himself included needed would need to improve if they were to survive their promised confrontation with the Cult of Taurus and those who followed them. As the four Faunus entered Carcharodon cast his eyes around and was confused for a moment, there was sparring but it was clearly restrained and many of the machines that the students were using baffled him; his people were strong because they did meaningful work these weights and treadmills seemed to be a pale imitation. Before he could voice his opinion Raffia snorted and made his own distaste known
"Imaginary work to give them imaginary strength. No risk, no reward, no point"
"Will you quit your whining" Onyx growled "If you're so sure of your abilities then find someone to test them against" with that the Puma Faunus simply departed, sauntering over to a group of students that Carcharodon didn't recognise, though that was hardly surprising considering how little he interacted with his newfound peers; the Shark Faunus did notice however that before his friend could position himself on a nearby weight bench a noticeable portion of the girls in the group had become interested in Onyx's Faunus attribute of feline pads adorning his palms and fingertips which were widely described as 'toe beans' by people outside of their tribe. Carcharodon saw this and shook his head with a resigned sigh, Onyx had always been far more outgoing and had a knack for interacting with outsiders that had often been exploited by the Shadow Cadre while Onyx himself used his charm for more personal gains. Raffia saw his leaders' expression and gave one his usual somewhat deranged sounding laughs
"Did you really expect anything else?" with that the Axolotl Faunus skulked off in the direction of one of several sparring areas interspersed between the equipment, this particular ring had a small crowd forming around it most likely composed of both combatants teams and friends which Carcharodon assumed Raffia was going to find a way to inject himself into, most likely by outright challenging the first person to make eye contact with him. With only himself and Hellion still standing by the entrance to the gym he turned to the Dragonfly Faunus and gave her a questioning glance, to which she simply shrugged
"We're here now, we may as well just ask" with that said she made her way towards one of the many implements currently being used by another student, tying her hair back and tucking her wings flat against her body as she did so leaving Carcharodon to navigate the environment alone. For the first time in the few weeks they'd been attending the academy he wished he'd paid at least a modicum of attention to his lessons or the orientation he'd been given upon his arrival. Prowling silently around the perimeter of the gym he caught sight of a group of vaguely familiar faces, first year students whom the Shark Faunus was only aware of due to them being the team selected in a ritual the academy had wherein a First Year team would be pitted against older students in single combat to display in the most undeniable terms how much they still had to learn; it was frankly the first thing Carcharodon had seen at the academy that gave him a sense of familiarity. Drawing close he saw the way that two of the first years were sparring against each other and was overcome by a wave of irritable disdain, punches were pulled, clear openings were ignored, it was as if they had learned nothing from their defeat. Rolling his shoulders back and baring his rows of sharp teeth Carcharodon strode into the midst of the fledgling team, dark eyes narrowing as he spoke
"You will never win fighting like that. Either train properly or leave"
"Who the hell are you?" hearing the question Carcharodon's smile widened into something that should have served as warning, he noticed that the two students who had been sparring including a teen called Shine, the leader of Team SNST had stopped are were eyeing him closely. Carcharodon stepped into the ring and motioned for the entire team to join him
"Apparently today I'm your teacher. All four of you against me, defeat me by any means necessary" the first year team shared a series of confused glances between themselves but deciding to simply go with it and rushing him. Carcharodon sprung into ruthless and decisive action, the first attacker to reach him threw a wild haymaker which was rendered useless as the Shark Faunus activated his Semblance and allowed the blow to pass through his rippling form as he sidestepped; the retaliation was swift and brutal Carcharodon kicked out at his opponents' knee causing the joint to buckle with a sickening crack before bringing driving his elbow into the teens' face as he fell, leaving good trickling from a clearly broken nose. The remaining members of Team SNST made to protest, Carcharodon simply threw himself into the next nearest member of the team, a tall but slim young woman who folded almost in half under the force of the punch to her gut he delivered and was left on the ground clutching her face after the follow up kick connected. The remaining half of the team finally seemed to grasp that if they wanted the Shark Faunus's rampage to stop then they would have to be the ones to make him, the third member sprinted around the edge of the ring while Shine ran directly at him and launched a flying kick which was easily sidestepped, causing Carcharodon to turn his back and allow his other opponent to leap onto his back and attempt to wrap an arm around his neck, smiling at the fact that they were at least fighting back now he swung his head back and reached over his shoulder and hurled the Huntress clinging to him at the nearest wall. Shine ran back into the fray and let loose a flurry of attacks which Carcharodon blocked before knocking the smaller teens arms aside and leaping into the air to deliver a knee to the face and an over-handed right that left his opponent on the ground struggling to rise. Carcharodon stamped on his back then reached down to haul him to his feet only to be sent crashing to the ground as somebody landed a powerful kick to the side of his head
"That's enough!" rising to his feet he was confronted by an older student who he had seen talking to Team FADE on several occasions, almost half a foot shorter than himself, slender with defined muscles, tied back dark hair and steely grey eyes glaring at him while her team fanned out behind her, all movement in the gym having seemingly stopped.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Corvid Xiao Long demanded furiously.
"I was teaching" Carcharodon rasped back
"That wasn't teaching that was just a beating!"
"EXACTLY!" The Shark Faunus bellowed "I look around this Academy and all I see is weakness. Losses here have no consequences and you people need to learn the truth, that the world beyond the Kingdom's walls will not coddle you!"
"So you just-"
"So I taught them the lesson that your professors refuse to!" Carcharodon interrupted before gesturing to Team SNST who were all clearly injured "Anywhere other than here they would all be dead! Sterilized sparring matches with rules and safe environments are not training, they're crutches for people who have no business fighting Grimm!" Corvid scowled, seemingly processing his furious tirade before glancing over her shoulder to her team
"Get these kids to the medical wing, be careful with that guy's leg" Carcharodon looked and saw that one of Team SNST was indeed struggling with a seemingly broken limb, the realization only confirmed to him how necessary the thorough beating had been. As the rest of Team CLIR led the first years away the activity and dull buzz of conversation slowly returned to the gym and out of the corner of his eye Carcharodon saw Onyx drop a dumb-bell he had clearly being meaning to use as an improvised weapon. Corvid stepped directly into his personal space and glared intently at him
"I spent most of my first year in Mistral, I've taken missions in Anima. You're right those kids weren't ready and they needed a wake up call; but that wasn't how to go about it" Carcharodon was surprised at the concession, though nowhere near as surprised as he was when Corvid landed an uppercut square on his chin that sent him staggering back before continuing "The thing is, I know exactly who you are. I don't know why you're people are here but you caused a lot of trouble for my family; so let me make it CLIR why that was a bad idea" Carcharodon let out a low rasping chuckle before raising his fists, it seemed there were people here who could at least challenge him after all.
Arctus and Diamond made their way through the streets of one of the poorest parts of New Vale, located within one of the larger hive complexes only a handful of levels away from the ground this particular slum was familiar to the pair as it was the route towards the Mercy Foundation; however the changes to the already somewhat bleak landscape were glaring and ever present, the legacy of the Breach visible in the form of several small businesses which had remained closed many of which being all but destroyed, in several places the ceiling and floor of the hive level had been hastily repaired to prevent access to things such as the power grid and there were even instances of the superstructure being reinforced.
"Well at least its' being fixed" Arctus shrugged, searching for some sort of positive outlook
"Well yeah dude, they can't just leave it like this" Diamond chuckled, her amusement quickly fading when she saw the look on her partners' face
"There was a whole city that was destroyed in Atlas. All the refugees that didn't move to Mistral were living in re-purposed military bases and shanty towns for so long that they grew into actual towns and cities; Eisenstadt Siebte is actually still abandoned"
"Holy Oum" her cherry red eyes widened at the information, she understood that all politicians were primarily interested in their own agendas but there seemed to be a special brand of ruthless efficiency and disregard for the lives of their people reserved for Atlesians if the stories Arctus told her were anything to go by. After a walking hand in hand towards their destination a little longer the homeless shelter and soup kitchen operated by the Mercy Foundation came into view, though Arctus and Diamond were both forced to halt, silenced by shock. The building looked pristine compared to the poverty and desolation around it, better in fact than either of them had ever seen it the entire exterior having been repainted and new signs having been added. After a few moments they caught sight of someone familiar sat on the steps leading to the main entrance, taking a long drag on a cigarette; Hickory Pardus, the manager they had both answered to while volunteering at the shelter and the very person they were here to see.
"Miss Pardus" Arctus greeted her
"I'm on a break you can call me Hickory" she gave them the widest smile the prominent scars marring her dark skin would allow before standing to her admittedly unimpressive height "Honestly I didn't think I'd be seeing you two again, school started up a few weeks ago"
"We're sorry about that" Diamond told her as both she and Arctus shuffled guiltily "We both agreed that we should have this conversation with you in person but honestly we haven't had a lot of time"
"I get it" Hickory assured them "Schoolwork?"
"Yeah" Diamond admitted "Between the assignments and training for the Vytal Tournament we honestly haven't had chance"
"Oh you're planning on competing?" Hickory grinned and pointed a finger at them "You give 'em hell kids y'hear me?"
"Loud and clear" Diamond laughed
"And we're sorry we can't volunteer while we're still in Vale" Arctus added "Hopefully you'll be able to get some new people soon" Hickory's eyes widened and her expression took on an almost giddy edge
"Oh you haven't heard? Bless your hearts" she gestured over her shoulder to the building itself "The new paint is just the start, Counselor Xiong has been getting emergency funding to the worst hit parts of the city all summer, the interior has been completely refurbished and we've got an actual budget now"
"Dude that's awesome" Diamond gasped, the middle aged woman seemed unable to contain her childlike exuberance as she continued
"They were talking about giving me a medal for helping seal up one of the Grimm holes, I told them I'd just pawn it in and buy something more useful with the money. The best part though is that there's a new security firm that's opened up since the Breach; the people running it are actually putting people through training and are actually gonna give some of the people here jobs. I actually don't think we're gonna need volunteer security any more"
"That's really good to hear" Arctus beamed, he'd never truly understood his own privilege until he'd seen the abject poverty the people seeking shelter at the Mercy Foundation lived in, the idea that there was an employer seeking to give them training and long term meaningful employment was frankly inspiring
"Well if you've got time to be down here talking to little old me I suppose I can give you one last job as your manager" Hickory chuckled "Scram, get out of here and enjoy your Saturday night. I'll tell everyone you stopped by, we'll all be rooting for you in the tournament"
"You got it boss" Diamond gave her a salute "And thank you" as the two of them left Diamond leading Arctus by the hand as they decided how to spend their evening, both of them agreeing that it would be a waste to simply return to the academy now that they were already in the city; what neither of them noticed was the black sports car parked further down the street, a vehicle whose obvious luxury made it look out of place in such surroundings. More importantly they failed to see that behind the heavily tinted windows, eyes narrowing in recognition and clenching the steering wheel in a white knuckled grip was Rhodium Torchwick. He'd spent the majority of the summer bringing Cain Security Personnel into existence while evading the law at every turn, the organization was still a front and a recruiting ground but the redheaded mobster did indeed believe in the aims of his new company and wanted to give some of the residents of New Vale who were down on their luck a chance to improve their situation. Those beliefs were almost forgotten when he saw two members of the team of students who had proven to be a consistent foil to his plans and were personally responsible for his former incarceration. The only thing keeping him from bringing the engine roaring into life and giving chase was the memory of the last time he'd attempted to do so. Gritting his teeth Rhodium watched as Diamond and Arctus left his field of vision and muttered under his breath
"I'll get 'em next time….It's not worth wasting another car"
Celeste Lupus moved through the settlement outside of the Atlesian Hive Cities that she called home with a sense of purpose, while the new cybernetic implants graciously given to her by Professor Eldritch of Poly-Tech allowed her to walk she had been unable to do so for the majority of her life and the journey from Atlas's capital of Eisenstadt Prime had only exhausted her further. Currently she was bound to a Dust powered wheelchair. She was a little over five and a half feet tall on the now more common occasions she was stood at her full height and her thin frame and sickly pale skin belied an inner strength one could sense if they stared into her eyes which were a vibrant shade of magenta and glared at the world from a stern face with thin lips hollowed cheeks and prominent brows. Her hair had lost its' colour prematurely, fading from the glossy dark locks that she had been born with to strands of pure white which had been cropped close to the sides of her skull while the hair atop her head had been tied into a single bun from which a small amount of curly hair flowed; the style seemed to have been chosen to highlight her Faunus heritage, leaving the ram horns which grew from her forehead and curled around her temples completely unobstructed from view. Her wheelchair, its' pristine white utilitarian design in stark contrast with the faded and well worn clothes she wore propelled her forwards near silently. Her home, while not within one one of Atlas's hive cities was not exposed to the freezing and inhospitable climate of the Kingdom meaning that as Celeste roamed through spartan corridors whose flickering lights cast dancing shadows on the walls whose paint had long since chipped away she occasionally came into contact with others who called this desolate ruin home; a casual observer would note that all who crossed her path were Faunus while a more astute viewer would notice the way that few if any of those around her would meet Celeste Lupus's eye or the way that small children pointed and whispered among themselves only to be silenced by their parents; Celeste gave them no response other than a single nod of acknowledgment. Eventually she reached her destination, her own quarters which were located far from those of the people who answered to her. Opening the door and wheeling herself inside she allowed herself a sigh of contentment, relieved to finally be back in familiar settings; the walls were devoid of any photographs of friends of family, instead adorned with maps of the continent of Solitas with several locations marked and annotated as well as faded photographs of a Bull Faunus she remembered being told stories of by her parents and had actually been fortunate enough to have seen in person before the destruction of her home. Her fireplace was nothing but decoration, something to place a mantle above and said mantle housed her pride and joy, a single blade constructed of a crimson alloy. Her sofa was comfortable dark leather and the coffee table positioned nearby was littered in a mountain of papers, the hand written rough draft of what would become her manifesto; far more importantly however was the man sat on said sofa and the large steel container stood beside it
"High Commander" the man hastily rose to his feet only to stoop into a low bow. He was Kuro, a Tarantula Faunus old enough to have served White Fang at their zenith; his Faunus heritage manifested itself in the form of thick wiry hairs covering much of his arms and back giving him an unrivaled sense of touch which allowed the scientist to work with delicacy and finesse others could only dream of
"Rise" Celeste instructed, he did so and gave her a concerned glance that would have earned many others her ire
"Your trip to the capital, was it….successful?"
"I have been touched by more human filth than I care to consider and I am still confined to this chair because my own body betrays me" she saw the look of utter defeat on Kuro's face and paused for effects, knowing that a sense of theatrics aided in keeping followers loyal "But I overcome" with those words she forced herself from the wheelchair, aching muscles screaming in protest as she rose to her feet and forced herself to stand straight before continuing the conversation
"What of your assignment? You assured me it would be ready when I returned" Kuro seemed to be in a stunned daze for several seconds before answering
"Yes High Commander, I've had my team resize it and update the software with a more up to date version; reworking it to work with your….erm treatment before I'd actually seen the results was difficult but I'm sure it will work. Although without the helmet the weapons that were originally integrated into it are unusable-"
"No matter" Celeste interrupted "I assume you had it cleaned of that traitors' filth?"
"Of course" Kuro nodded before finally opening the steel case which stood at roughly the height of the average man with a hiss of decompressing air, revealing a suit of body armour, matte black fibers with glossy black armoured plates covering the chest, limbs and back
"The propulsion system on the back still works" Kuro indicated to a pair of pylons extending from the shoulder blades "And we sealed the tail hole" Celeste gave a truly evil smile at the memory of what had become of Neon Katt and her tail before stepping forwards and removing her shirt, causing Kuro to promptly look away as she exposed the still raw wound left by the grafting of Cybernetic implants onto her spine, the implants themselves glinting as they caught the light.
"And now the moment of truth" Celeste breathed out before rotating the suit of power armor within its' storage case causing the back panels to open and shift to the side, allowing her to step into the suit, taking a few moments to adjust her limbs and make herself as comfortable as possible before rolling her shoulders back, causing the armor to activate and seal itself around her. The air was forced from her lungs and there were no words to describe the sudden sensation of power flowing through her. Her nerves buzzed as the suit and her own cybernetics interacted with each other and the fatigue was washed away from her atrophied muscles
"High Commander?"
"It works" she assured Kuro breathless and almost giddy with newfound energy "It works….my mask?"
"I have it here" Kuro quickly reached into the lab coat he wore and presented her with and ornate mask made in the image of those worn by the White Fang, though rather than white or gunmetal it was finished in the same glossy black as the armour and designed to emulate the mask worn by Adam Taurus himself. Celeste donned the mask and took a slow breath to steady herself. She was the High Commander of the White Fang, several Faunus Supremacist factions scattered throughout the Kingdom looked to her for leadership, the Crimson Fang, the Republic of Menagerie, the Faunus Liberation Front, and the White Shirts to name but a few and while the Council saw them as nothing but disparate groups of poorly organized malcontents the reality was that for years each of them had been acting in unison with a single goal and a single mind behind them; slowly forming the beginnings of what would become the army of the White Fang. It would not do to lose control now.
"Leave me" Celeste ordered, her tone emotionless as she forced the rush of her new mobility aside "And send word to the Cult. I learned of many traitors to our race while in the capital; they must be punished" Kuro nodded silently, making a valiant attempt to hide his shudder at the thought of the people he had been ordered to summon. The Cult of Taurus, a quartet of Celeste's most capable and devoted who were entrusted with seeking out those who wished to destroy the Faunus from the inside and making an example, they had been the ones to uncover the truth about Neon Katt and dispense their own kind of justice as well as being the ones to deal with the barbarians from Anima who dared to imply that they were the children of the White Fang when their families had fled when the cause needed them the most. Turning and walking across the room she managed to get a feel for the suit and after a few awkward stumbling steps she found herself able to move freely before taking the crimson blade from her mantle. This blade alone was worth more to her than everything else she owned, including the power armor she was currently wearing; this was Wilt the sword that had once belonged to Adam Taurus. Taking the blade Celeste whispered a mantra that she repeated to herself since embarking on her mission
"I am justice, I am vengeance, I am Taurus reborn"
Authors Notes:
I don't know if you could tell, but I have been wanting to write certain scenes in this chapter for a while.
Also, I know the pacing might feel a bit off this volume but we're actually around the half way mark (Vol.4 is gonna be around twelve chapters and span up to just after we arrive in Atlas)
Next chapter is probably gonna be more character development, I wanted to to put the chapter including the qualification matches next but it didn't feel like it would flow right as I wanted to have the Teams Qualify and then leave pretty much straight after.
Anyway let's summarise:
Whenever I write the words observation deck I think of the one Gendo Ikari was stood in in the first episode of Evangelion.
Robot spines are a thing now, at the end of The Downward Spiral Oobleck had one but this is obviously a more experimental model.
Being kidnapped by the Shadow Cadre is still taking its' toll on Antonia.
I know a Ram is a male sheep and a female sheep Faunus probably shouldn't have horns or at least not as prominent as hers but if Vol.2 can have a female Deer Faunus with antlers I'm going with it.
Also if anyone is wondering why a Ram Faunus has the last name Lupus it's quite simple….it's because she's a wolf in sheep's clothing. Get it.
If you read The Downward Spiral then you'll remember that Eisenstadt Siebte is where a lot of Adam's forces were concentrated after he took Lower Atlas. The battle for Eisenstadt Siebte was actually one of the biggest battles in the story.
"I know how to manage time effectively" Oz is not even trying to be subtle at this point.
Antonia is human after all, she's got feelings….she just isn't sure what to do with them.
She finally called him Oz.
I'm just gonna come out and say it, that whole Penny and Ruby scene exists for no other reason that the fact I am self indulgent.
You thought it was going to be smut didn't you.
Yeah it was briefly mentioned in Vol.1 but Qrow knows where at least two of the Maidens are and has sent Ruby and Penny to make contact.
We were all too busy asking if Yang's arm has a vibrate function that we forgot to ask the question staring us in the face, does Penny have a vibrate function?
Older Ruby has quite a few Tats, in "Our Happy ever After she had the Rose family emblem on her back, another rose on her left thigh, the names of everyone who died in The Downward Spiral on her upper left arm, the word 'Reaper' across her collarbones and Penny's emblem on the inside of her right wrist….since then she's probably got the twins names tattooed somewhere close to her heart.
Every parent has had that moment. I'm not even a parent but enough of my friends are.
Yeah activating their silver eyes unlocked the twins Aura so those kids are fast now; not Ruby fast but faster than most normal people.
A little world building there, I'll have to earmark that conversation about extra classes for when I'm writing third year….also Team CLIR are learning to fly a Bull-Head.
Seriously though if Hunters are taking on human/Faunus criminals as well as fighting Grimm then surely there must be a course surrounding the legalities.
Eagle is a Ruby Rose fangirl and Corvid is a Penny fangirl.
Okay so we've been inside Penny and Ruby's house before but I never really described it, I decided to rectify that; it's got that Dexter's Lab effect to it where it looks normal from the outside but the inside is a completely different story.
Forcefield generator garden gnomes.
Super Roombas.
Yeah Yang's whole "I'm gonna throw in you in the deep end so you've got no choice but to swim" approach to making Ruby socialise, that she also did to Felix a couple chapters ago….Felix just pulled the same trick.
So tempted to have Sentinel and the Pearl AI have an ongoing rivalry in the background.
Yes Ruby and Penny's house has weapons systems hidden inside and yes Eagle nearly went full fangirl when she saw THE cape….I honestly loved writing this scene.
The ceiling robots in the kitchen, I'm imagining them as looking like a domestic GLaDOS that also serves as a physical reference point for talking to Pearl, it's an AI and can hear you from anywhere in the house but talking to disembodied voices is still weird.
Eagle geeking out is the only thing that can overpower nervousness, also another reminder that Sentinel has a cool trick we haven't seen yet.
Qrow and Sentinel would be the best buddy cop movie ever.
Team IRON beat Team STRQ….You know damn well that was Ironwood's team back in the day.
Qrow is thinking about Eagle's Semblance now….you can probably guess what that means.
Seriously though, do you think any of Team GORE have ever been in a gym before?
And here we have another example of Team GORE/The Shadow Cadre's personalities shining through: Onyx is the people person and just goes directly over to a group of people, Raffia looks for somebody to mess with, Hellion wants to improve but knows she needs help and Carcharodon lurks in the background then starts leading by example.
Also return of the toe beans, girls love them and he loves the attention.
Remember the beating Team CLIR gave Team FADE in Vol.1, Team SNST (Sunset) are the team that got that dubious honour this year.
Yeah Carcharodon went over there and made a point, by kicking the absolute shit out of them.
I mean, he's not wrong in anything he said in that rant.
Yes Onyx was going to beat someone's ass with the weights.
I was actually going to have a conversation between Carcharodon and Hellion at the end of this scene but I think it might work better later on and ending with Carcharodon and Corey about to go at it seemed like a good place to tie up that scene.
More talk about Eisenstadt Siebte, it's almost as if I'm foreshadowing something.
So Arctus and Diamond aren't doing volunteer work but the Mercy Foundation is doing fine and Junior is actually a somewhat decent person as a politician.
Of course the security firm is Rhodium's business, of course it is.
Celeste has the "Warrior's Wolf Tail" hair style, I know a few people might be thinking Sokka from Avatar but I was actually basing a fair bit of her design on Ivar the Boneless from Vikings who is beautifully unhinged.
I'll let you all have a guess exactly where the settlement that Celeste lives in is.
You know exactly who the Bull Faunus in those photos is.
High Commander/High Leader, you know exactly which organisation uses that title.
Yes, that's Neon's power armour from "Our Happy Ever After" she was found with the helmet but they kept the rest of it.
Okay so the New White Fang is organised into several smaller branches which all have their own names and probably don't actually refer to themselves as "The White Fang" the Cult of Taurus is not a separate branch, they're Celeste's enforcers based on the Decepticon Justice Division.
Yes she is crazy and yes that is actually Adam's sword, which is interesting because in Downward Spiral Blake actually ended up with it, obviously she got rid of it after she retired from hunting.
Thank you to SumoSnipe, Ferrous, TigerRose, FluffyFirefly, Unstoppable Cyborg and FleetOfWarships for their reviews on the last chapter.
Just remember when I give you fluff it's so you can use it as a shock absorber later.
Hellion meeting Qrow is gonna be bad, but can you imagine Hellion meeting Eagle's Aunts?
I may have to give you that pining.
I do indeed have plans for Team CFVY.
Marauder and Sentinel are best pet/weapons.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.