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I am making no money from this.

Chapter 55: Nemesis

They had finally made it. The journey back to Atlas Academy following the completion of their joint mission and the unexpected battle against the monstrous Scytheback had taken several hours and late night was rapidly fading into evening, the sun already setting as the Killer-Bee rolled to a stop in the parking lot situated beneath the academy itself; fortunately Felix had been able to refuel the car on the flight from the extraction point and the damage the use of 'The Stinger' had wrought on the inner workings had turned out to be minimal, though the Lion Faunus still winced at the jarring sounds coming from the engine as he removed his keys from the ignition and climbed out of the vehicle, his team-mates following suit.

"It's good to be….well it's not even home, it'll do though" he yawned as he stretched his arms wide. Beside them the Nashorn-N2 APC came to a halt, having taken a little longer to navigate the narrower route into the parking lot; no sooner had the rumbling growl of its' engine subsided than the rear door was flung open and Team GORE all but leapt free of the vehicle

"We have things to attend to" Carcharodon offered as explanation to Velvet and Coco whose eyebrow's were raised at the sudden eagerness to be elsewhere; the Rabbit Faunus having decided to ride with her lover now that her mission had concluded.

"Suit yourselves" Coco shrugged after their retreating backs, privately annoyed at herself for hoping that her first students would be easier to like than Team GORE had been; a moment later both Coco and Velvet turned their attention to Team FADE

"Looks like we're done here" the fashionista gave them a nod of approval "You did good kids….Things could obviously have gone better, those Scavenger Guild treasure hunters could have made it home safely but that's out of your hands, you did what you could"

"Exactly" Velvet agreed "No doubt you'll have to go through paperwork and a full debriefing at some point but there's no need for it to be right now, you can go and get some rest, Coco and I will will go and give our report to General Schnee or Professor Soleil"

"Do you think you'll stop off in New Vale before you head back to Port Alistair?" Eagle asked, Coco turned to Velvet and saw an almost hopeful expression on her face, Coco's own parents had retired to a small island off the coast of Vaccuo several years ago but there was still plenty for them to go home for

"We've gotta give the APC back and handle some business first but we can. You want me to stop by Flax's place and say hi for you?" Velvet smiled

"Give Honey a hug for me" Eagle beamed back, thinking of her younger cousin

"We should see if Yatsu can jump on a flight, it's been forever since my folks saw Fox" the rabbit Faunus suggested to Coco

"I'll call him when we leave here" Coco replied before offering out her arm for Velvet to take as they made their way out of the parking lot towards' the Headmistresses' office, Velvet waving to them as they went.

"So….now what?" Eagle asked, turning to her team "Felix, wanna see if Corvid's around?"

"Maybe later" Felix answered with a shake of the head "I wanna have a lie down"

"Same" added with a yawn, the lethargy he routinely suffered during the winter beginning to rear its' head

"Sounds like a plan" Diamond agreed, taking her partners' hand as the four of them made their way out of the parking lot and upwards into the academy itself, needing several moments to reorient themselves to the still unfamiliar layout before setting off towards the dormitory that still lacked the homey quality that their room at Halo Academy had. For several minutes they made their way through the hallways in near silence, too exhausted for their usual banter, until they found their path blocked by a familiar face in an otherwise empty corridor.

"Hey Dee-Dee, heard Team CLIR talking about how you guys were on the way back" Cinnabar Blaine moved from his position leaned against a wall, stepping into the centre of the corridor and effectively barring the way as he swaggered towards them. Felix instinctively tensed at the mere thought of Cinnabar being anywhere near his sister and Arctus's fists clenched as he let out a quiet growl, though it was Diamond that gave the most noticeable reaction

"Oh my fucking Oum dude!" she gave an exaggerated groan "We broke up over a year ago, stop following me around it's creepy. What did you even want?" Cinnabar gave a smirk, his amused expression suggesting that he felt Diamond's vehement rebuking of his advances and her current relationship were nothing but minor obstacles to be overcome.

"I mean I was gonna ask if you wanted to hang about sometime before the big dance, maybe come with?….sounds like that mission took it out of you though, how about I give you a massage and-"

"That's it!" Arctus closed the distance between them in a single step, grabbing Cinnabar by the front of the shirt and hoisting him from the ground before forcibly slamming him back first into a wall and leaning close

"She's not interested, she's told you she's not interested. Now fuck off and stay away from her" the Bear Faunus was furious, his voice almost a roar and it was currently taking every ounce of self control he had not to punch the older student in the face. Cinnabar had no such compunctions, Arctus hit the floor in a crumpled heap with a thud, his Aura which had yet to recover from the amount of Glyphs he had cast in a short space of time visibly shattering under a single punch to the temple which left his head spinning and vision blurry for several seconds in which he could hear everything around him erupt into pandemonium.

"OKAY EVERYONE CALM DOWN RIGHT NOW!" Diamond bellowed furiously, Arctus shook his head as he dragged himself back to his feet using a wall for support; Cinnabar had a hand around Felix's windpipe while the Lion Faunus had already bruised his knuckles with several punches to the taller mans' face, Diamond was both trying to place herself between the two of them and stop Eagle from tackling Cinnabar to the ground.

"Come on let's go" Diamond spat, giving Arctus a concerned glance "You okay babe?"

"I barely touched him" Cinnabar sneered as he threw Felix back, releasing him but ensuring he was safe from attack. As the rest of Team FADE passed him Arctus saw Diamond give him a wink; with her back to him Cinnabar had no time to raise his guard or step aside as she delivered a blindly fast spinning heel kick to his face, leaving her ex sprawled on the ground wiping his bloody nose she took Arctus's hand once again and led him towards their dorm; Cinnabar spewing obscenities and threats behind them

"Babe" Arctus gave a weary smile, speech slurred enough after the punch to the head to concern Diamond "I really love you y'know"

"Love you too big guy" she assured him "Now come, let's find an ice pack for that"

Antonia Arc had long since lost track of time. Currently she was working on a project which Poly-Tech had been contracted to design by one of the more secretive branches of the Atlesian Military, most likely connected to the Specialist Branch in some form or another as she couldn't think of anyone else who would have need of the ideas she was making a reality. She was alone in the laboratory save for one person, Ozymandias Eldritch who was at this point her default lab partner

"Ready when you are" the bespectacled man informed her, still hunched over an exposed panel and adjusting the inner workings of the prototype containment unit

"Commencing testing of prototype zero one" Antonia intoned blankly, rubbing her stinging eyes before stepping over to a bank of computers and entering several commands. A moment later the prototype gave a low whine as power began to course through it, though Antonia frowned as several signs that the machine was working failed to present themselves; she picked up on the scent of burning with barely enough time to shout a warning

"OZ get back!"

BOOM

The laboratory was filled with thick acrid smoke for mere seconds before sprinklers and extractor fans cleaned the atmosphere, as the smoke cleared Antonia was left blinking in surprise and questioning exactly how tired she was; Ozymandias had somehow managed to move himself far enough out of harms' way to be at the other side of the room completely, yet she had neither seen or heard him move.

"Testing suspended….perhaps we'll leave prototype zero two for tomorrow?" he noted, thin lips twitching upwards at their corners almost hidden by his moustache and goatee. Were she working with anyone else Antonia would have made a monumental effort to maintain her professionalism; as it was Ozymandias was probably the only person with whom she had regular human interaction, her former assistant having resigned following her kidnapping, she was tired, she frustrated and now to make matters worse both she and her laboratory were wet; she gave a groan of pure annoyance before beginning what promised to become a rant if left unchecked

"And this is why I tell the liaisons that General Schnee sends that they need to tell us what it is they need me to make for them, in detail and explain what it's needed for; they keep having us work blind and it slows production down. I mean what on Remnant are they aiming for here? It's a containment unit for what exactly-"

"Antonia" Ozymandias interrupted gently "Pause, breathe, focus. You'll think your way around this" her lips tugged upwards despite her irritation and the room suddenly felt a little warmer

"Thank you Oz" she sighed, the use of the more familiar term rather than simply Doctor Eldritch was something that had become gradually more common and Ozymandias never failed to smile upon hearing it

"But thinking your way around it is a job for another time, neither of us are at our best….care to tell me what's bothering you?" Antonia paused, noticing once again how far removed her interactions with Eldritch were from how she was normally regarded by her employees; it was often as if they were friends who merely happened to work at the same place and Antonia with her habit of isolating herself was a little unsure of what to do with friends. After a moment she decided a professional working relationship had long since been compromised and there was little point holding back now, reaching into her lab-coat she withdrew her personal Scroll and opened an image which she showed to Ozymandias

"Eagle returned to Atlas Academy from a mission"

"Are those her team-mates?" Ozymandias asked conversationally, Antonia's expression darkened a little

"I assume so….I don't know, I've never met them" she gazed at the photo a while longer "She looks exhausted"

"She most likely throws herself into any task in front of her and doesn't eat or sleep until she's beaten it….and if she does then she gets it from her mother" Ozymandias noted with a soft smile before adding "Seriously when was the last time you ate a proper meal"

"There hasn't been time, it's felt like we're close to a breakthrough" Antonia answered a little defensively.

"One day" Ozymandias snorted "I will resort to taking you out to dinner just to ensure you stop working yourself to exhaustion"

"I'd like that"

"Excuse me?"

"I said I'd like that" Antonia repeated "I think I'd like to see you outside of work"

"Oh, I-I see" Ozymandias cleared his throat "Then perhaps I can take you out to dinner tomorrow evening"

"You could get reservations on short notice"

"I'm sure I'll have enough time to work something out" Ozymandias assured her, though Antonia felt as though there was something being left unsaid with that statement; she had no chance to probe further though as Ozymandias spoke again "Although, if it's okay with you I may have to conclude things early tonight….I have something I need to attend to"

"Early?" Antonia raised an eyebrow in a mixture of confusion and amusement as she checked the time on her Scroll "Oz you've been on overtime for the last four and a half hours"

While Team GORE's dormitory at Halo Academy had been Spartan and minimalist in its' decoration the raiders' living space at Atlas was positively barren; the only concessions to the personality of its' occupants coming in the form of the beds that were pushed together so that the Faunus who slept in them may huddle together for warmth and the weapons kept close by as if they expected to be called to battle at a moments' notice. While the occupants personalities may have been absent from the rooms appearance, they nonetheless filled it with noise as they clashed

"WHY ARE WE EVEN DISCUSSING THIS?" Raffia demanded furiously, the Axolotl's somewhat pinkish complexion enhanced by the redness of his skin which was still healing from being doused in acid, the tattoos on the left side of skull had been burned away by the attack and his red-faced anger

"THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE COURSE OF ACTION!" the diminutive Faunus bellowed, caudal fins slicked back along the sides of his skull "WE FIND EVERY BRANCH OF THE SCAVENGER GUILD AND WE BURN THEM TO THE GROUND, KILL THEM ALL!" Carcharodon remained silent, pure black eyes inscrutable as he weathered the brunt of Raffia's tirade.

"What say you?" the Shark Faunus rasped, turning to Onyx and Hellion who had thus far been content to let their small comrade rage as much as he needed to

"I'm with Raffia" Onyx grunted out as his greenish yellow eyes narrowed, their pupils little more than slits "These vermin had our fleet sunk while there were children on the ships, they murdered our elders….I only wish I'd known in New Vale so I could have butchered them there" Carcharodon nodded silently, still keeping his own thoughts private

"And you?" Hellion's gossamer wings buzzed, becoming little more than blurs of motion before she gave her answer

"We came here with a mission" she started, Raffia immediately rounding on her with a disbelieving expression "The plan was to draw the Cult of Taurus out into the open and have justice-"

"The plan was to use ourselves as bait to get their attention" Onyx growled "We can do that just as easily by leaving a trail of Scavenger Guild corpses to follow" Raffia's eyes shone with manic glee at the Puma Faunus's words

"We acted out of anger and desperation in New Vale and we paid for it, I was captured and we lost our ship" Hellion reasoned "We know our enemies have no honour and no mercy. Rash decisions will cost us"

"She makes a fair point" Carcharodon breathed out, the words barely out of his fang filled mouth before Raffia interjected

"You know what I think Hellion?" He demanded as he stalked towards her "I think you've forgotten who you are in captivity, all this pretending to be like the Kingdom-born and chasing after the blonde Huntress has cost you your nerve; I think you're a coward and a weakling-" he found himself silenced by Hellion's hand closing around his throat, Onyx made to separate them only to be halted by a gesture from Carcharodon; she slowly forced Raffia back several steps despite his berserk thrashing which landed several hits against her, when his back hit the wall she leaned in close; her voice oddly soft

"Raffia you are my crew and my family; the four of us are all we have left and I love you….I need you to understand that, but if you can't control yourself I will kill you. You will not cost us our justice"

"Justice for our people is all I want" he managed to gasp out, Hellion's vice-like grip on his neck was unrelenting "But you don't have the heart for it"

"Enough" Carcharodon ordered tonelessly; Hellion turned on her heel and stepped away as she released the smaller Faunus "You're all overlooking the fact that we are in Atlas now, in an Academy controlled by people we gave our word to"

"A word they coerced us to give" Raffia spat

"It makes no difference" Carcharodon countered bluntly "We gave our word and we will honour it….besides, the Scavenger Guild in Atlas are not our enemies; they aren't the ones who ordered the massacre of our people"

"What're you suggesting?" Onyx growled, his own rage and hatred while not as explosive and all-consuming as Raffia's was still apparent.

"I lead as long as you're willing to follow" Carcharodon took a deep breath "I've only ever been a captain in name only, if you decide to follow your own paths there will be no judgement….but I plan to stay the course" Hellion nodded and gave him a weak smile, Onyx balled his fists and took a deep breath to calm himself before finally managing to accept the situation; Raffia merely glared

"Why?" the demand came in a tone that was both accusatory and pained, the feeling of betrayal unmissable

"Because there's no reason we should only have vengeance against one of our enemies" Carcharodon's face morphed into a smile that was equal parts hopeful and terrifying, the smile of a fanatic "There must be more of our people left, there must have been survivors"

"Car-"

"THERE MUST BE!" he cut across Onyx's gentle tone without hesitation "So we will honour our terms with Atlas, compete in their tournament and draw the Cult of Taurus out into the open. Then after we kill them we abandon this farce and return to Anima with whatever weapons and equipment we can take, the way we always planned to and we find our people. With a list of Hunters we've defeated, Atlesian weapons and the heads of our enemies on display we'll be hailed as the new leaders of the Frost River Tribe….then we turn our sights on the Scavenger Guild"

"I'm sorry I ever doubted you" Raffia whispered, a truly evil expression on his burned face

"There will be no violence against the Atlas branch" Carcharodon stated bluntly, his decision final; though as Raffia looked ready to begin a fresh wave of objections the Shark Faunus brushed them aside

"Torment them, steal from them, burn their wares; do what you must but there will be no spilling of blood" he then turned to Onyx, the Puma Faunus seeming to sense what would be asked of him "I may have need of your people skills"

Coco and Velvet had returned the Nashorn-N2 APC to its' rightful owner after refuelling it as was common courtesy; said owner had been found in a dive bar nestled in a backstreet in the lower reaches of Eisenstadt Prime, Atlas's capital whose blinking neon lights read Fandango's. Flax Scarlatina's old friend and contact had been easy to find, they were the proprietor of the establishment which behind the cheery if somewhat dingy atmosphere served as one of the Atlesian Freelancers many boltholes and rallying points within the Kingdom; if one was a member of the elite but controversial group of Hunters or could find one that was willing to vouch for them a person could find almost anything they would ever require for a mission at a price including weapons and ammunition, vehicles, tactical clothing and armour, a steady supply of dangerous but well paying work and information on almost anyone and anything within Atlas's boundaries. After returning the vehicle and enquiring about a place to stay for the night Fandango, the barkeeper who seemed as though they were charisma made flesh led them into the back of the establishment and pointed them in the direction of a guest room not currently taken by one of the Freelancers; upon learning that they would be charged for neither the room of the rental of the APC Coco and Velvet shared a stunned look, neither of them willing to ask exactly what Flax Scarlatina had done to earn such friendliness.

"Not bad for a hole in the wall" Coco noted as she kicked off her boots and sprawled on a surprisingly comfortable bed, her cincher, cardigan and beret having already been cast aside.

"My baby brother has his uses" Velvet chuckled as she connected her Scroll to a screen mounted on the wall before joining Coco, the older woman's arm sliding around her waist as she left a trail of gentle kisses along the Rabbit Faunus's neck and shoulder

"Tease" Velvet grinned as she shivered a little under the treatment, lacing her fingers through Coco's "You know he'll call us any minute now"

"Later then" Coco purred in her ear before, as predicted the Scroll Velvet had connected to the wall mounted screen began to vibrate, pressing a button on the bedside table caused the screen to flicker into life as the Scroll's video call was sent to it

"Coco, Velvet" the tired, greying and bearded from of Qrow Branwen greeted them with a nod; the shaft and part of the blade of Harbinger visible as the weapon which acted in lieu of a cane rested against the chair he sat in.

"Qrow" Coco replied "You're lucky we're in private, we just managed to get a room"

"Fandango's?" Qrow enquired after peering past them for a moment, taking in their surroundings "Good, that place isn't bugged. How did the mission go?"

"The mission or….'The mission?'" Coco asked with a raised eyebrow

"Both" Qrow answered before pausing "And thank you for taking this on short notice"

"No problem" the fashionista assured him; as well as the resident Hunters within Menagerie's city of Port Alistair the surviving members of Team CFVY had been acting as Qrow's eyes, ears and hands in the region for years; the grizzled veteran approaching them after suspecting that he had found one of the Maidens nearby; alongside Ruby and Penny they had become some of his most trusted agents in the battle against things better left unsaid

"Well first thing's first" Velvet started "Whatever cover-up Atlas's council tries to put on it is bullshit, that Scavenger Guild crew was murdered"

"Hopefully they'll be the last people to try getting in there….there's no way of blocking that giant Grimm hole without collapsing the whole mountain though" Coco added

"Atlas won't do it" Qrow sighed "All the Hives are connected"

"We know" Velvet reminded him, during Adam Taurus siege of Lower Atlas she had lived and fought within the hive cities, the Councils' fear that collapsing the entire mountain in which Eisenstadt Siebte was housed lest the resulting wave of Grimm burst into the other cities was reasonable, if frustrating

"On the bright side though" Velvet's expression became an almost playful smile "Your daughter's a good kid"

"Sweet weapon" Coco grinned devilishly

"I take it your heard from Flax"

"Everyone's related to an Arc somehow" Velvet chuckled, Qrow allowed the brief moment of casual conversation before pressing onwards

"And what about the real mission. Any traces?"

"None" Coco shook her head "Some real nasty critters down there but none of 'em were sentient"

"Just means we couldn't find one" Qrow scowled "Salem hid in plain sight for a generation"

"Are you sure about this?" Velvet asked, her remaining Rabbit ear twitching with concern

"I suspect and I've seen nothing to convince me otherwise" Qrow told her, rubbing his eyes due to his own tiredness before continuing "Look at the way those Grimm attacked New Vale, tell me it wasn't intelligent….Eagle said afterwards that her team fought an Alpha Beowolf that could talk"

"So this is serious" Coco breathed out; she had admittedly taken both Qrow's assignment and the missions' Winter had given them as a cover as a means to an end but what he was suggesting, that the resurgence of the Grimm as an organised force with a creature like Salem at the helm was staggering and chilled her to the bone.

"I've been having sites of large scale battles searched, it's where the Grimm congregate" Qrow explained "Eisenstadt Siebte was the focal point of the fighting in Atlas, the capitals of all the other Kingdoms were hit in the war-"

"Menagerie is one giant war memorial" Coco pointed out

"And I'm going to need you to search some key places" Qrow answered

"Got it" there were several moments of heavy silence as the three of them considered the information they were privy to until Qrow spoke up, his tone a little lighter

"So you're serious about building an Academy on Menagerie?"

"It needs to be done so we're doing it" Coco answered

"Can't imagine better hands for the island to be in, you two and the big guy will make it something special" Qrow nodded, the ghost of a smile on his tired face "That being said Winter and I keep our promises; she'll have some of the best architects in Atlas start drawing up plans….just make sure you explain to them that your place will need air conditioning. I'll drum up some interest for the idea, my seal of approval carries some weight and I'll be able to get you some funding….maybe coax a few people out of retirement to help you run the place"

"Who've you got in mind?" Velvet asked, part optimistic part cautious; the company Qrow Branwen was reputed to keep were people she wasn't sure she wanted working in the school she was envisioning

"I can talk to Barty and Pete, Barty would love being near so much history and Pete won't admit it but he hates retirement, he literally wrote the book on killing Grimm for Oum's sake" both women smiled at the thought of meeting their old teachers again before Qrow continued "Tai's talking about retiring again, already named Yang as a successor. I can try talking to him but it's a long shot….he'll never move that far away from his girls without a fight"

"What about you?" Coco suggested

"No" Qrow answered bluntly and without hesitation "Keeping an eye on Remnant is a full time job, I'm not Ozpin"

"Was worth a try"

"Let me know when you get to Menagerie, I'll send you the list of places that need to be searched"

"Want us to say hi to Fandango for you before we leave?" Velvet offered

"Oum no" Qrow scoffed "I've been barred from the place for nearly thirty years"

Team FADE had delayed their planned rest briefly, opting to first rearrange their new dormitory a little and give themselves more space; converting their individual beds into bunk beds much like they had at Halo Academy. Now though, they were free to relax a little; something made all the more enjoyable by the knowledge that they would not have to attend scheduled lessons until more of their fellow second years returned from missions.

"You okay big guy?" Diamond asked as she cuddled into Arctus a little closer, fresh out of the shower she was clad in one of his T-shirts that she wore to bed

"Just tired" the Bear Faunus grunted out, playing with her hair absently with one hand while he pressed a bag of frozen peas against his face with the other; he didn't know where Felix had found the peas and he wasn't sure he wanted to

"Same" Diamond assured him "But don't fall asleep if you might have a concussion….you're sure you don't want to get that looked at?" she regarded the ugly purple bruise which spread from his left temple to his cheek bone and jaw, her cherry red eyes concerned

"It's fine babe" Arctus assured her, eliciting an annoyed huff from Felix who was reading on his bunk and absently scratching at skin that was left dry and flaky after the use of his Semblance as if it had been sunburned from the inside. Below him Eagle was already dozing off on her own bed, one arm wrapped around the three foot tall stuffed Ursa her Aunt Nora had given to her; Sentinel was dormant and recharging in a corner of the room

"It's not fine, I'm gonna break his fucking jaw for that" the Lion Faunus growled angrily, his decision to take one of his weapons with him while searching for an ice pack suddenly making a lot more sense

"Dude….just not tonight" Diamond sighed wearily as she leaned her head against her partners' shoulder; Felix relented with another huff while Arctus planted a soft kiss on her forehead and leaned down a little to murmur close to her ear

"Hey I'm sorry if you didn't want me to react earlier; I just couldn't stand there and not do something while that guy was bothering you….I know you don't need to be protected but-" he found himself silenced by Diamond's lips against his for a brief moment

"You're sweet big guy, don't worry about it you weren't possessive or anything like that if that's what you're worried about….Honestly I was already thinking about hitting him before you grabbed him"

"Wish I could have got that on camera" Arctus chuckled, obviously referring to the way Diamond had kicked her ex boyfriend in the face, Diamond joined in his laughter

"Yeah I honestly don't know how he didn't see that coming….he knows my dad started teaching me basic self defence when I was five"

"Your dad honestly scares the crap out of me" Arctus admitted, prompting Diamond to land a playful slap on his shoulder

"You dork" she rolled her eyes "You'll be fine….hell he hated Cinnabar, he'll probably like you just for grabbing him"

"Uh-huh" Arctus remained thoroughly unconvinced, pausing to consider something while mildly distracted by the throbbing pain in his skull "Speaking of parents, we're in Atlas now….if you want to meet my parents I can call them and see when they're both free"

"Definitely, but I'm still a little nervous about it to be honest….I mean come on your Mum is Weiss Slate dude"

"They'll love you" Arctus assured her

"I'm gonna try and meet my Mum one weekend and try and patch things up" Eagle interjected, evidently having been a little more awake than the had seemed "Do you guys wanna come with me?"

"Hell yeah" Felix assured her "I'm guessing her place is in the capital?"

"Yeah" Eagle nodded "She actually has an apartment right above the main Poly-Tech building"

"So we can all go for a trip into the capital then, try and meet everyone on the same day" the Lion Faunus suggested

"I think we need a shopping trip" Diamond added, expanding on the idea as she saw her friends' eyes on her "Come on I can't be the only one that's freezing right? The first thing I'm doing if we head into one of the cities is buy some warmer clothes"

"Fair" Felix managed to choke out between fits of laughter, Diamond's inability to deal with climates harsher than the cities she had lived in was well known.

"Want me to lend you a jacket?" Arctus offered as he wrapped his arms around her a little tighter, sharing his body heat; Diamond merely extricated herself and laid flat on their shared bunk before turning and giving him a wink

"No, but I'm still sore from earlier….can I get a back rub?"

"Anytime" Arctus flashed her a toothy smile as he positioned himself above her and setting himself to the task, after a few moments Diamond gave a low groan of pleasure, only to be left blinking on confusion when something soft and cuddly collided with her; sitting up she realised it was Eagle's stuffed Ursa

"Stop it" the blonde pointed an accusatory finger at them, freckled cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment

"Did you just…." Diamond trailed off

"She did and I cant believe neither of us did that sooner" Felix cackled, draping an arm over his bunk for his partner to fist bump. A moment later the good natured jokes and teasing that were common amongst Team FADE returned in full force and everything that had happened in the last few days; from the bodies they had found and the Grimm they had fought to their personal issues seemed to melt away.

The darkness of the clear night sky from which a light snow fell was little obstacle to the heightened senses of a Faunus, especially not one who had spent years living in the frozen landscape beyond the reach of Atlas's authority; likewise the inhospitable climate meant little to Celeste Lupus, clad as she was in the her power armour whose glossy black surfaces caught what little light the broken moon provided. Behind her mask her magenta eyes narrowed and her thin lipped with formed a scowl as she processed the information that her domain was under attack. She stood on the snow coated mountain which was home to the settlement of Tartarus that she ruled over; said settlement had once been one of the many military installations around the mountain whose hollowed shell had housed the upper reaches of Eisenstadt Siebte; in the distance she could see the wound that the Grimm the human attackers had unleashed against the White Fang had inflicted on the surroundings as it burrowed its' way out of the subterranean reaches of the hive city.

"Kuro" the single word served as a greeting for the Tarantula Faunus who had managed to approach almost silently from behind, her long time advisor, took his place beside her and peered downward following her gaze.

"What news?" Celeste demanded, while her tone may have been even her fury was all too apparent "Should we prepare for war?"

"It would seem not" Kuro answered "Our scouts infiltrated the ruins of Eisenstadt-"

"New Menagerie" Celeste corrected forcefully "This was the capital city of Adam Taurus's empire"

"Our scouts infiltrated the ruins of New Menagerie through a series of hidden ventilation shafts and found that the entrance to the city near the freight docks has been destroyed, as well as several other buildings"

"The explosions we heard" Celeste nodded in understanding

"Precisely….I think it's safe to assume it was in response to our previous actions" Kuro offered, a cruel smile coming to Celeste's lips at his words

"The invaders" she noted; weeks prior her people had spied a group of humans lowering themselves down into the ruins; in her mind desecrating sacred ground. The response had been swift and brutal, she had sent a team of younger recruits who were not yet blooded down into the ruins through what had once been maintenance and ventilation shafts and they had sought out the human invaders encampment; upon finding it they had taken their weapons and supplies as the spoils of while having the humans executed for their crimes and the crimes of their species.

"Shall I have our scouts recalled?" Kuro asked, absently brushing snow from the wiry hairs that grew from his body while making a conscious effort not to display any discomfort in front of the high commander.

"Yes" Celeste nodded "The only thing down there now is the Grimm….was there anything else?"

"I um….yes" Kuro swallowed, unsure if he would be punished for not informing her immediately of this particular development "They've arrived"

It took Celeste only minutes to return to Tartarus itself, the propulsion system of her power armour hastening her progress and despite the burning ache of her muscles the Ram Faunus refused to discard the suit in favour of her wheelchair as she stalked towards the meeting room she knew she would find her guests in; Kuro had not followed her here, while he was undoubtedly a loyal follower he like many within the New White Fang was left uneasy at the mere thought of her most favoured and had no desire to be within their reach for any reason. Celeste made her way through the myriad corridors before reaching her destination, closing the door of the meeting room behind her before turning on the lights which flickered into life, tinting the room with a sickly yellowish hue and revealing four Faunus who had dropped to one knee, showing their deference to the high commander of the White Fang in unison.

The Cult of Taurus

"Stand" Celeste intoned, studying them as they rose and smiling to herself. The fall of Adam Taurus had been preceded by desertions and treachery, Celeste would allow her own reign to be brought to an end from within; she commanded the Cult and they in turn commanded fear, with them at her right hand she would ensure loyalty from her less devout followers.

Each member of the Cult of Taurus had a name once but each of them had given it up in favour of the alias by which they were now known, they were implements of judgement and nothing more. The first of them Celeste's eyes passed over was known simply as Gamma, the Pangolin Faunus stood at a little under six feet tall with a broad chest and muscular arms, the physique of a man who could move mountains. He was clad in black boots and pants, his bone white mask covering the lower half of his face, leaving his shaven skull and grey eyes visible; the mouth of the mask being comprised of an angled forward grill which gave the appearance of a cage or muzzle. Gamma's chest was completely bare despite the inhospitality of the Atlesian climate, a deliberate choice made to ensure that as much of what had been done to him was on display as physically possible, his chest, arms and face were a mess of hideous scarring and ink where various quotes from Adam Taurus and White Fang emblems had been tattooed, branded and in some cases crudely carved into his red raw flesh. The truly horrifying aspect of his appearance was his Faunus attribute, as a Pangolin Faunus Gamma sported dozens of overlapping angular keratin plates along his back, shoulders and the outsides of his forearms; these plates had since been sharpened into deadly blades and at the deranged killers' insistence coated in Atlesian steel which had been molten at the time of application. Gamma did not carry a weapon, he simply was one and his Semblance only served to make him a greater threat.

The second member of the quartet Celeste appraised from behind her mask was Delta, they were an androgynous Spider Faunus, barely five feet tall with a slender physique that belied impressive strength and reflexes as well as a cruelty few could imagine. They wore mostly black with the exceptions of the white Vambraces and gauntlets they wore which were bore several notches where Delta had tallied their kills and a single shoulder guard on the right shoulder to absorb the recoil of their weapon. Their mask covered their entire face leaving no skin visible but exposing their Faunus attribute, Delta had eight eyes, eight dull waxy brown orbs peering out from behind an elliptical and unadorned mask. Their weapon was slung across their back, a high powered sniper rifle named 'Prae Dolore' that had been modified to dispense death in the form of three feet long steel spikes which could be used as harpoons and retracted, dragging the Cult's targets towards their fate. The taciturn Faunus served as the Cult of Taurus's infiltrator, their Semblance forcing those who saw them to immediately forget doing so.

The third member of the team was Beta, a Snow Leopard Faunus who stood at six foot four and boasted a powerful and athletic frame that promised both strength and agility, he wore a uniform that greatly resembled the rank and file of the White Fang, black boots, pants and a flak vest with a white jacket worn over it leaving his forearms bare and displaying his dark skin. His Faunus attribute was a tail coated in thick fur of a dirty white colour with several black spots, a colouration which carried to the hair on his head shaven close the skull at the back and sides. Icy blue eyes peered out from beneath a mask which covered much of his face, his mouth left visible and framed by twin protrusions which reached below his jaw and were intended to imitate the fangs of some ancient sabre toothed cat. Beta wore his weapon across his back, a pair of katanas whose blades were sheathed parallel to each other known as 'The Indominus' these swords could either combine into a single broadsword or a rail gun, the false edges of the blade acting as the rail; this was the weapon that had been used to dispose of a human driver before the Cult dealt with the blasphemer Harry Regal.

The final member of the cult was Alpha, their leader; a woman whose Semblance twisted and limited the perceptions of those who heard her voice, making it seem as if she were the only thing in the world. She stood at a hair above six feet tall with a slender build and like her team-mates wore an outfit of mostly black, the exceptions being a sleeveless white tailcoat whose tails reached to below her knees and her mask, sharp and angular covering her entire face with little to distinguish it save for a trio of vents located on each cheek and a crimson tinted visor in place of eyeholes. Alpha was a Lionfish Faunus and her trait became apparent when one looked at her hair, the hair itself was silky black and cascaded down to her lower back but clearly visible interwoven with the hair and also angled backwards, trailing behind her were countless faintly luminescent and highly toxic spines which ranged in colour from deep crimson to vivid pink and pastel orange, growing paler towards the tips. Alpha's weapons were known simply as 'Judgement' a pair of gauntlets covering her hands and forearms comprised of pale silver metal and pristine white plating; once activated the gauntlets encased Alpha's hands in a multitude of torture devices, each finger being tipped with a drill while saw-blades sat beneath her palms, the whole monstrous device crackling with electricity. The sound of these weapons being unfurled was a death sentence and Alpha used her Semblance to prevent the Cult's targets from focusing on anything besides herself and the pain she inflicted, ensuring that they suffered for their crimes against the White Fang.

"You were successful?" Celeste asked, it was a given that they would return with their task completed but their assignment had relied on the resolve and abilities of others

"As suspected the cell in Machen-Rustung were led by a coward" Alpha answered, nodding to Gamma who placed a black bag on the meeting room table with a wet thud before she continued "He failed in his mission, we succeeded in punishing him for it"

"Exactly as I thought" Celeste breathed out as she reached into the bag and withdrew the severed and mutilated head of the Squirrel Faunus known as Chestnut.

"The rest of the body's been dealt with" Gamma gave a cruel chuckle

"I only wish he could have suffered more" Alpha sighed regretfully "He cost us so much"

"Oh?" Celeste raised an eyebrow, barely visible above her mask "How so?" the leader of the Cult looked confused for a moment before reciting the crimes Chestnut had been executed for

"Dozens of our number dead or captured, constant defiance, failure to secure the Dust shipment, weapons were lost when we have need of them-"
"Alpha my friend" Celeste soothed while removing her mask so that her most devout followers could see the glee in her expression "Have faith"

"Of course High Commander" Alpha apologised, bowing her head and remembering her place; Celeste continued

"The deaths of our people were regrettable but they will be avenged in time. The mission was never about the Dust, it was about weeding out the unbelievers; the captured members of the Machen-Rustung cell have been taken to prisons inside the Kingdom, those that prove loyal will be given a chance to strike at the heart of the enemy when the time comes, those that do not will be dealt with" she allowed her words to sink in for a moment, an almost visible ripple of excitement passing through the Cult of Taurus at the thought of further opportunities to serve "The weapons they lost were merely what was taken from a group of humans who dared desecrate the ruins below. We will soon have far greater weapons at our disposal" to highlight the point she activated an overhead projector with her Scroll, its' image being displayed on the wall, the blank screen flickering into life moments later

"Punctual as always" Celeste noted as the figure on the other end of the video call adjusted their glasses

"Greetings High Commander" the man bowed slightly

"Alpha, this man is based within the Kingdom of Atlas and shares our belief that it should be brought to its' knees; he is also in a position to help us realise that goal, with his help we will soon have all the weapons and Dust we need" the Ram Faunus explained, the Cult peered at the man from behind their masks with obvious curiosity "Isn't that right Doctor Eldritch"

"Please" the man smiled, eyes seeming to glow with a poisonous green light behind his glasses "Call me Oz"

Authors Notes:

And that's the end of Vol.4, that little plot twist and the reveals and little details I worked into this chapter set us up for not only the remainder of the second year arc (Vol.5 & 6) but the overarching plot of the story which will become more apparent as we get into the third year arc….I play the long game, trust me.
There may not be an upload next week, just due to me needed to take some time out and plan out how things are going to go scene by scene for a few chapters; I have the idea of how plots and arcs are going to happen I just need to fill in the gaps.

That being said let's summarise:
So yeah this chapter is set the same day as the last one.
I imagine Coco wants to be a good teacher but she's going to struggle with any student that has an attitude problem.
Just domestic team C_VY for no reason other than its' nice to see.
'Diamond's vehement rebuking of his advances and her current relationship were nothing but minor obstacles to be overcome' - That is probably the most important thing about Cinnabar, he's toxic masculinity cranked up to eleven; think Jaune pestering Weiss in Vol.1 but with Adam's obsessive and aggressive tendencies.
Yeah remember, Cinnabar went through the same tournament circuit as Pyrrha; he wasn't as successful but he's good. Moreover he's just plain strong.
Anyone who expected less from Diamond has sorely misread her character for the last four volumes, damsel in distress she is not.
Antonia back to her old ways, she pulls all nighters and goes for days without eating when she's had an idea that she wants to work on.
We all know who and what Oz is, we know exactly how he flashed stepped away from that.
Remember Antonia's assistant? The one that was with her before she got kidnapped, honestly I can't imagine her staying around after that and I don't have much use for her in the story anyway.
What if I told you I'm burying a lead, what if I told you that the 'Containment unit' and Ozymandias's involvement with it are actually going to tie into the third year plot and the grand overarching plot that actually started in first year.
Antonia wants to be a better parent.
Antonia and Ozymandias…..don't ship it, I beg of you people don't ship it.
Yeah Raffia and Carcharodon actually have facial tats, just a little detail I feel like reminding people of; they also probably have more that are hidden by clothing. Hellion's tats are on her left arm and reach onto her back and chest, Onyx's are on both forearms (But you just know he has a full back tat).
You can't really blame them for wanting the Scavenger Guild dead.
I feel like Raffia needed to hear that, someone needs to reign him in or he will get a lot of people killed because of his own vendettas….but it doesn't mean that the rest of Team GORE love him any less.
And here we can see that despite all appearances Carcharodon is honestly struggling to keep it together, the hope that there are more of his people left out there is all that's keeping him going.
How long do you think it's going to take for Raffia's self control to crack.
Okay imagine the dive bar as the hotel from John Wick but seedier.
I could probably give Flax a mini-series.
Plot twist, Team C_VY work for Qrow.
Kinda had to answer the obvious question of why the mountain can't just be blown up to fix the problem entirely.
Qrow's having Remnant scoured for Sentient Grimm, Atlas's military is having a containment unit designed, Oz is the Wizard….are you seeing where this is going yet?
Qrow has celebrity status whether he wants it or not, he occasionally uses his power for a good cause.
"Fantastic Grimm and how to kill them" by Professor Port is the standard which all other textbooks are held to.
Damn, Arctus got roughed up.
Felix may have had anger management counselling but come on, he wouldn't be Felix if he didn't want to fight Cinnabar.
We do still need to have a proper conversation between Merc and Arctus at some point.
Yes, new outfits are coming in Vol.5.
Proof that Eagle is not quite as shy as she was when we first met her.
We knew that Tartarus was housed in an abandoned Atlesian Military base somewhere that Atlas had no real control any more….I deliberately kept the fact it was near Eisenstadt Siebte back as surprise.
I think little things like correcting her underlings and forcing them to call it New Menagerie gives an insight into how Celeste thinks and how she attracts followers; she reframes reality to suit her narrative.
And that's how Chestnut's crew had Scavenger Guild weapons.
Wearing the suit still takes a physical toll on Celeste.
And now after a volume of teasing them we get to actually see the Cult.
Note that while Celeste is a fanatic she still accurately identified one of Adam's main problems and took steps to fix it; she's not stupid.
The whole giving up their names thing was based on the Decepticon Justice Division.
So Gamma is a fucking maniac, he's the one that stopped the car Harry was in….and when I say his Semblance only makes him worse oh boy am I not joking.
Delta is Non-Binary.
Prae Dolore = Agony.
Delta was the one who was actually at the comedy show, nobody noticed them though….obviously.
Beta's a pretty good all rounder, he hasn't spoken yet but I'm thinking of making him the 'refined' sounding one that all these kinds of groups have.
Alpha's character design was actually one of the first things I came up with for this whole story and I've been waiting to finally be able to get her on screen.
And that's how Celeste operates, this is why she leads the New White Fang; she's always a step ahead.
Bet you didn't see that plot twist coming.
So that's the end of Vol.4 and now pretty much everyone has a character arc (Some people have two) to be dealing with for the next two volumes.

Thank you to SumoSnipe, Araniladin, ShadowAlex2000, TigerRose, Funlander, Bulletproof Vanguard, Svette117, FleetOfWarships anf FluffyFirefly for their reviews on the last chapter.
Raffia is indeed a dick lol.
To be fair Coco's APC could have used the Stinger, it originally had a turret but it had been removed, Felix just needs to make it more fuel efficient or set up a secondary power source.
Yeah Chestnut waved a death flag in every scene he was in.
I've been waiting all volume to fire the fricking laser.
Exactly you get it, you don't fire the big gun straight away; it's not anime enough.
I would love fan art of the Scytheback.
HEY….I make the puns here.
Sweet I love giving other writers ideas, send me your story when you have your monstrous Grimm creation ready.
Yeah I try not to make my characters feel two dimensional
Well that was a laser weapon not a plasma one like Arctus's...But Felix has used molten plasma as a heat source for his Semblance before (Vol.2) so quite possibly.

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