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Chapter 77: Mission Critical
The settlement of Freiheit, home to the largest population outside of the Hive Cities was currently alive with the indescribable atmosphere of the Vytal Festival which reached out though the streets and spread like roots from its' focal point of the purpose built 'Legacy Stadium'. Those enjoying the spectacle were aware enough of a security presence in the form of armed soldiers in addition to the amount of Hunters who had converged on the settlement to feel safe and secure in the knowledge that the Kingdom of Atlas was not taking the terrorist threat lying down. What the public was unaware of however was the true extent of the military presence. Far above the stadium, cloaked from view and all but the most advanced means of detection with its' crew prepared for action at a moments' notice, was the Gespenst. Gangrel Slate sat at the head of the table in his briefing room with his First Mate, the grizzled and scarred Specialist Chiffon stood beside him; the greying Bear Faunus drummed against the desk with the clawed fingers of his cybernetic left arm as they waited for a scheduled report which was currently late, if only by a matter of minutes
"If something had happened we'd know about it" Chiffon noted calmly, sensing his captain and old friend since the Specialist training programs' tension; though he paused an added "Are you sure it was a good idea to send her back into the field so soon after-"
"It was at her own insistence" Gangrel countered "Psych and medical both say she's good to go….but still, I'm a little concerned myself" the point was rendered moot a moment later when the expected transmission finally came through, a screen flickering into life with crackling static as even the state of the art Scroll capable of punching through the jamming signal that the Gespenst projected took a moment to connect; eventually Gangrel and Chiffon were greeted with the sight of Specialist Donner, her electric blue Mohawk and short cropped sides seeming at odds with her stern and dour expression; a far cry from the bright if somewhat cocky smile her colleagues were used to seeing from her. The most noticeable difference however was the black eyepatch she wore to cover the space where the left eye she had lost to the sadism of the Cult of Taurus, Beta in particular, had once been.
"Sir, sorry for the delay sir" Donner's words were clipped and snappish
"Any issues?" Gangrel demanded, a ghost of Donner's old smile returned to her face as she gave her answer "Negative sir, a brief altercation between some students and I couldn't find anywhere to call from….horny teenagers in every corner"
"Some things never change" Gangrel chuckled softly before deciding that he needed to get to the point "Report Donner, any activity?"
"Negative" Donner answered with a slight shake of the head "No suspicious activity. Patrols outside the settlement report nothing out of the ordinary"
"I see" Gangrel growled as he took a moment to let the information sink in "Keep me posted, stay alert"
"Wasn't planning on taking my last working eye off the ball….sir" Donner almost snarled
"Donner" Gangrel's tone held a gentle warning before soothing her "We'll get 'em"
"Understood sir" Donner growled before the transmission ended. Gangrel and Chiffon shared a moment of silence before the First Mate stroked the stubble on his chin
"You're worried?"
"Yeah" Gangrel admitted "We put operatives posing as students into the tournament, people that the White Fang wouldn't pass up a chance to take out….So where are they?"
"You think they'd make a move on the tournament with that many Hunters present?"
"These people have killed Specialists and Freelancers Chiffon" Gangrel reminded him "Winter has personally taken over the job of dealing with their arms dealer but that doesn't change how well prepared they already are….hell I had Matte Skye lend us a few of the Baba-Jaegers just in case they decide to really copy Adam Taurus and show up with tanks"
"You're right Chiffon" murmured "Something isn't right….when are your operatives going to be competing" Gangrel paused and checked the time
"Any minute now" his amber eyes filled with concern "So if they're gonna make a move this is it"
Since his and Diamond's victory in the opening bout of the doubles round, and following a medical examination, Felix Xiao Long had found himself surrounded by warriors of the Nikos tribe, the Nikosi contingent having taken over a small section of the stands close to the front. The Lion Faunus had found himself thoroughly accepted into his boyfriends' people, his aching back and shoulders had been slapped more times that he could count, Nikosi brew which burned the throat had been thrust into his hands and he's been carried overhead and generally treated as a returning hero as the next few tournament matches took place.
"Do you and Helios have an attack like that?" Syneffo asked as she downed a glass of something Felix was sure she wasn't old enough to be drinking, her voice a little hoarse from all the shouting and cheering she had done thus far, Felix didn't need her to specify that she meant the team attack that he and Diamond had won their match with and shook his head
"Not yet….Helios and Diamond do though funnily enough, they used it in our initiation in first year"
"AND NOW!" Qrow's amplified voice boomed "WE HAVE A MATCH THAT PROMISES TO BE LIVELY, A VALE ON VALE, HALO ACADEMY VERSUS HALO ACADEMY SPECIAL!" the crowd went wild at this and the announcers let them work themselves into a fervour for a few moments before Oobleck took over
"AFTER THEIR UTTER DOMINATION IN THE FIRST ROUND, MAKE SOME NOISE FOR CARCHARODON GORE AND ONYX URSABANE!" the cheering redoubled in intensity, whatever distaste and negativity the former raiders had eared themselves in their previous battle seemed to have been momentarily forgotten as the two Faunus strode out into the arena to thunderous applause
"AND THEIR OPPONENTS!" Qrow chimed in "HELIOS NIKOS AND NYANZA ANGORA!" as the pair strode out, Helios's rich gold armour shining in the floodlit arena the Nikosi contingent burst into cheers and war-chants that Felix couldn't understand. Syneffo hurled herself up onto the shoulders of one of her mothers' bodyguards and pointed at Helios while proudly declaring
"THAT'S MY BIG BROTHER!" Felix laughed along with the others at her exuberant display, knowing deep down that had he been in the crowd for Corvid's first time in the tournament he would have most likely reacted exactly the same. He turned and caught sight of Kataigida and noted that her expression seemed to slowly harden as she stared out into the arena, even through the slight daze which was mercifully more alcohol fuelled than a product of his injuries Felix noted that the leader of the Nikosi looked concerned
"Silence" at her command the Nikosi fell silent and looked to her for leadership, she gestured to what had caught her attention and spoke "That is the crown of the Frost River tribe" a murmur passed through the Nikosi warriors as they each contemplated the consequences of the heir to their tribe being forced to face off against the leader of another tribe, one who were noted for their violence
"Will it be war?" Syneffo asked, hands flying to the handles of The Harpies Claws as she prepared to unsheathe the pair of axes; Felix clamped a hand firmly on her shoulder
"Easy kid, it's not gonna be a war"
"Oh?" Kataigida raised a scarlet eyebrow "You speak for them?"
"I know why they're here and who they're answering to" the Lion Faunus shrugged, keeping eye contact with Helios's mother despite the scrutiny he found himself under from the rest of the Nikosi "Besides Helios has beaten Onyx, the one without the crown, already" Kataigida nodded in understanding before addressing her people as a whole
"Their people are all but wiped out and they're here due to some alliance with this Kingdom….be ready but let the fight proceed; do not interfere unless they give us provocation" a murmur of compliance rippled through the warriors and Felix tried to convince himself that the problem had been solved; the tension lingered however, at least until Syneffo drew close and whispered
"How likely are they to provoke a war with us?" Felix considered for a moment and shrugged
"Depends how much Nyanza annoys them" Syneffo couldn't help but laugh at that
"Peace is in the hands of the idiot cat….so we'll be cleaning blood off of our blades within the hour"
"Most likely" Felix laughed whilst at the same time sincerely hoping that the jokes were just that.
While the crowds made the air itself tremble with their enthusiasm and the announcers added to the cacophony with their magnified voices recounting the battles that had led each team to this point Helios stared across the as yet unformed arena to his opposite number; though the Shark Faunus held himself in a stance that many would call 'at ease' every muscle of Carcharodon Gore's body was unmistakably coiled as the raider stood ready to launch into action. The hooded and ragged black cloak that Carcharodon customarily wore had been discarded, leaving his toned muscles and weapons which had clearly been recently polished on display, his distinctive tribal tattoos, a stylised and ornate shark like design taking up much of the left side of his skull was obscured by the crown he wore; his liquid black eyes peered from a freshly polished silver faceplate which covered all but his mouth and was adorned with five shark like, swept back fins, the whole thing being engraved in unmistakable tribal markings. Helios may never have seen the ancestral crown of the Frost River tribe but there was no way he could mistake what it was or its' significance. He cleared his throat and spoke clearly, loud enough for his voice to carry across the arena
"Endechetai O-Laos'sou evimero me'tin igesia-sas; Megalos-Karcharias" Carcharodon nodded solemnly before replying as custom dictated
"Kai dikos-sou enkairos, protos-gios" Nyanza, being the sole person on the battlefield who had not been raised within the culture of the tribes knew nothing of what had been said, only that both Helios and Carcharodon spoke the same language despite having markedly different accents and dialects; as such he joined the conversation the only way he could
"Huh?"
"Merely congratulating Carcharodon on his rise to power among his people" Helios explained, deciding that Nyanza would fail to see the difference it made or the cultural nuances considering that the remaining members of the Frost River tribe could be counted on one hand he simply added "This is formal combat, custom dictates it" Nyanza nodded in understanding, and bounced on the balls of his feet as he mentally prepared himself for the coming battle. The bushy tailed feline wore an outfit that was a stark departure from his usual; a black tracksuit with white sleeves and golden-brown detailing bearing the logo of the Adi-Dazzler sports brand, a backwards brown baseball cap with the same logo, his wispy white hair protruding from beneath it and white hi-top trainers; over his lightweight jacket an almost effervescent white harness had been thrown, reaching from his shoulders to his hips it held the Pharaoh Mafdet in their pistol forms and several extra magazines, including countless Dust based rounds. Helios noted that the new look suited his partner, the concerned look in his pale green eyes however, did not.
"AND THE STADIUM IS FORMING!" Oobleck called out, why he felt a need to describe what anyone watching the match could see was beyond Helios; but sure enough the unadorned white tiles of the stadium floor receded out of view to be replaced by the arena in which the bout would take place.
"So I take it you want a one on one with Car?" Nyanza observed, knowing his friends' personality if not his customs enough to make a guess "So that leaves me and Onyx….might need a little more than luck for that one"
"You have one advantage that he isn't truly prepared for" Helios answered calmly, upon seeing Nyanza's questioning expression he continued "You can make him lose focus. He is a product of Anima, the same as myself. Remember when we first met…..you were insufferable, use that" Nyanza stared at the redhead in open mouthed shock for a moment before asking in hushed tones
"Did you just make a joke? Heely I'm so proud" Helios's soft chuckle was lost beneath the din of the two halves of the stadium rising into place followed by the announcers echoing voices
"AND WE HAVE A SMALL VILLAGE ON TEAM GORE'S SIDE OF THE FIELD….IT LOOKS VAGUELY MISTRALI IN DESIGN" Bartholomew explained for those unfamiliar with the design of the stone and wooden houses filling a clearing flanked on either side by trees which Helios instantly recognised as native to his homeland
"AND TEAM NEON HAVE ENDED UP WITH A TAR-PIT" Qrow's amusement seeped into his voice as he added "Nasty, looks like Nikos's armour is gonna need cleaning again after this" Nyanza stared out at the bubbling, viscous black liquid whose depth he had no way to be certain of; several routes towards the opposite side of the arena could be seen, formed from boulders and floating debris
"We're not gonna see Carcharodon coming" he noted, an astute observation which caught Helios off guard coming from his partner
"Indeed" he nodded, pursing his lips and adding with a scowl "Team GORE seem to have gotten oddly lucky with the arenas they've fought in" before either of them could discuss their sudden suspicions further Qrow's voice boomed out again
"THREE, TWO, ONE! BEGIN!"
"Throw me my shield" Helios instructed simply before throwing the golden disc into the air and leaping up after it with his Aura rippling around him as he gathered his Semblance; by some manipulation of gravity when he planted his feet on the shield and kicked off he was sent sailing, weightlessly through the air. Nyanza wasted no time in engaging his own Semblance, pale green eyes glowing as if lit from behind as he caught the falling shield and hurtled it after his team-mate who by a stroke of artificially created good fortune caught it one handed as he landed on Team GORE's side of the battlefield and used it to deflect Carcharodon's first strike; though Nyanza was stunned to see that Helios still slid back several inches under the force of the blow. The crowd watched with baited breath as the first exchange of blows between the two team leaders shook the ground beneath them with its' ferocity; Helios leapt and made to stab downwards with his Semblance increasing his velocity, Carcharodon's Semblance meant that the redhead simply passed harmlessly through him, Helios recovered with a backhanded swipe with the edge of his shield prompting Carcharodon to weave under his arm and drag the forearm mounted blade on his left arm across Helios's now exposed chest before following up with a spinning kick to the chin and a backhanded right as he carried his momentum into a spinning leap, Helios's avoiding the blow aimed at his eyes by leaping aside.
"LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE DECIDIED TO GIVE NIKOS AN ACTUAL CHALLENGE!" Qrow noted in his typical drawling voice. Nyanza decided that Qrow had given a generous description of the situation and as the Shark Faunus continued to rain blows from all angles it seemed that Helios was, in the frighteningly rare condition of being the underdog.
"We're not here to watch!" Onyx's booming challenge was the only warning Nyanza needed before the Puma Faunus he found himself facing made his first move; namely tearing a wall free from one of the buildings littering Team GORE's half of the stadium and throwing it directly at him in an absurd show of force. Nyanza ran directly towards the projectile and leapt into the air, drawing his pistols as he sprinted across the crumbling stone surface and opening fire; the muffled cough utterly lost in the uproar of the crowd as Onyx's arm and freshly drawn axe were frozen solid against a tree when and Ice Dust round connected against them
"Well you've got some fight in you" Onyx chuckled gruffly as Nyanza landed several feet away "I take it you're showing off for someone?" with that the hulking fighter simply shoulder barged the frozen trunk hard enough for it to shatter and free his arm. The two of them circled each other for a moment, Nyanza allowing himself a cruel smirk as Helios's suggestion seemed ever more appealing.
"So what's the axe compensating for? Is it a sex thing, I'm guessing it's a sex thing" seeing greenish yellow eyes narrow and hearing the annoyed growl that escaped Onyx the smaller Faunus decided to push on "Because let's be honest, if gossip is anything to go by then chicks only like you for your toe-beans….you get all the foreplay and none of the sex, congrats you're every sheltered Huntresses' fetish" Onyx cocked his head and twirled his axe as his own smirk formed
"I understand you; more than you realise….You're a talker. Like me" Nyanza paused at that, unsure how to react and inadvertently giving Onyx the opening he needed; he shifted Jotun Fang into its' artillery piece form and fired from the hip, the explosive round tearing the ground asunder where it impacted and forcing Nyanza to roll aside; the pale Faunus leapt back to his feet and made to aim his pistols only for Onyx to appear suddenly in front of him wearing a wide smile of manic glee as he swung his axe into Nyanza's stomach. Nyanza's Aura rippled under the assault and was lifted from his feet, flying across the battlefield until he collided with the nearest house to decorate the battleground, the simple structure collapsing as he did so. Onyx chuckled gruffly as murmured under his breath
"Like me….Just smaller and weaker"
In the outskirts of New Vale, on an assuming street much like any of those in the decidedly upper middle class suburb was the house which retired Huntsman, occasional lecturer at Academies, part-time sports announcer and surprisingly good neighbour by all accounts Qrow Branwen called home; or rather the house which served as a front and entrance to the underground lair which he considered to be his true home. Despite Qrow's absence for an extended period of time and undeniable presence in the Kingdom of Atlas the house was far from abandoned, his neighbours having noticed comings and goings soon after he left and at first wondering who would be so bold as to burgle the house of the legendary Huntsman; a little investigation silenced all but the most scandalous of neighbourhood gossips when it became apparent that it was simply Qrow's niece, the arguably even more famous Ruby Rose and her wife Penny minding the old mans' house as they had promised that they would. Currently both Ruby and Penny were present whilst the twins Tai-Jaune and Summer-Pyrrha were watching the Vytal Tournament at a friends' house after school and following Felix's impressive victory were most likely driving the parents of said friend to desperation as they each attempted to emulate their cousins' soon to be iconic attack.
"Ooh that's a big hit" Ruby winced as she watched her nephews' school friend, the Feline Faunus with the bushy tail and smart mouth receive a punch in the mouth that brought him rolling to a stop, dazed and over a dozen feet away from where his opponent stood; only the sound of keys clacking at a pace that seemed a fraction too fast to be normal answered her and Ruby paused, the next cookie to be plucked from the well stacked plate behind her halfway to her mouth as a thought occurred to her with enough urgency for her to turn away from the tournament and face her wife
"Are you okay?" her words were gentle and tinged with concern as she reached over ans squeezed Penny's hand, halting her typing "I can turn it off if it's bothering you"
"It isn't" Penny assured her before kissing the back of her wife's hand "But thank you" the copper haired android had been built for the purpose of becoming a Huntress and was equal to Ruby in terms of enthusiasm when it came to fighting the creatures of Grimm or developing new weapons and equipment to help others do so, the Nano-bot rounds marketed by Poly-Tech being one such example, but she found herself unable to share Ruby's joy when watching the Vytal Tournament. She hoped that all of her friends' children did well but her own experience of dying at a tournament had soured her on them a little.
"Found anything?" Ruby enquired peering over Penny's shoulder and using it as an excuse to wrap her arms around the slightly shorter woman and kiss her freckled cheeks, Penny happily leaned into the contact as she answered, voice becoming somewhat businesslike and clipped as she did so; something Penny herself suspected was owed to some obscure subroutine in her own systems
"Negative. No traces of either the Wizard or the unaccounted for Maidens have been detected. No word from any of Qrow's other operatives, indicating either nothing to report or their termination….with the former being drastically more likely. Radio chatter between Vaccuo and Menagerie indicates a sudden spike in Grimm activity congruent with a recently formed Spawning Pool, as yet unconfirmed" at the mention of a possible birthing site for the monsters she fought Ruby scowled, she would have liked to be able to fly there and deal with the problem herself, especially now that the latest iteration of the heavily modified Bull-Head known as 'The Pearl' that she and Penny owned was airworthy; however the mention of Qrow's other operatives brought a small smile to her face. Everyone who had been a part of Winter Schnee's Black Ops unit during the war had been contacted by Qrow Branwen since he took over Ozpin's mantle of Remnant's hidden protector; the few that had accepted alongside the two Maidens they had found in the years since and a handful of alumni of Halo and Atlas Academies that Professor Goodwitch and Winter Schnee had recommended formed the bulk of Qrow's nameless organisation, guided by a network of contacts decades in the making
"Well if it's on Menagerie's side of the water we can call Team CFVY in the morning; they won't want anything swimming to close to Port Alistair….and it'll be a good chance to give 'Spring' some training"
"Agreed" Penny nodded
"Cool" Ruby beamed "In the meantime, I wanna see how this one goes; it looks like it's gonna be close" Penny couldn't prevent the smile that formed on her face as she watched Ruby engross herself in the sole screen dedicated to the Vytal Tournament; the rest of the several dozen monitors connected to Qrow's supercomputer were presenting the vast stream of information Penny was parsing. The android found herself just as unable to prevent the way her mouth hung open as the crowd panned to a particularly lively segment of the crowd
"Freeze frame. Magnify" the computer, clearly voice controlled at least to an extent complied with the command
"What?" Ruby turned to her in confusion
"Her" Penny pointed to a teenage girl in the crowd, a girl with long scarlet locks who was clad in ornate armour with a pair of axes hanging from her hips, none of that was what Penny was pointing to
"Oh" Ruby mouthed in understanding
"We need to contact Qrow as soon as possible, he'll want to know about this" Penny suggested, Ruby nodded in silence as she stared at the image of the girl whose eyes were identical to those that greeted her in the mirror each morning; stunned by the revelation that there were other Silver Eyed Warriors in existence on Remnant.
Nyanza crouched under another swing of Jotun Fang, before promptly leaping into the air and planting his hands of the blade of Onyx's axe as the Puma Faunus followed up with a backhanded slash, the smaller Faunus used the flat surface as a springboard to put some distance between them; lashing out with a frantic kick which found its' mark on Onyx's stubble covered chin as he did so.
"ANGORA IS STILL FIGHTING BUT ONYX CLEARLY HAS THE UPPER HAND" Oobleck announced, taking his attention from the admittedly far more dynamic and exhilarating battle taking place between Helios and Carcharodon.
"I wouldn't call what you're doing fighting….flailing like a dying salmon maybe" Onyx chuckled cruelly as rolled his shoulders back and cricked his neck; a display clearly intended to convey that Nyanza's lucky hit had done little to actually phase the Puma Faunus. Nyanza grit his teeth and silently accepted that it was the truth, Onyx was vastly stronger, more experienced and had a ruthless edge to him that Nyanza simply lacked; the bushy tailed feline had managed to last this long through luck and tenacity alone and with his Aura being rapidly depleted by Onyx's thunderous blow his Semblance was in danger of becoming a scare commodity.
"Your witty banter is disappointing" Nyanza noted dryly
"I didn't come to play games….and I have better uses for my mouth"
"Innuendos, really?" Nyanza sighed in mock disgust, trying to distract his opponent from the fact he was rapidly forming the rough outline of a plan. He slowed his breathing and forced himself to focus as he ejected the magazines currently loaded in the Pharaoh Mafdet and quickly replaced them with a pair filled with Dust rounds, a luxury he had until recently never been able to afford in bulk
"Going to make a move?" Onyx taunted "There's no shame in losing to a stronger opponent, don't be a coward about it" Nyanza didn't respond with words, instead he charged forwards and engaged his Semblance in preparation and as Onyx readied his axe and charged to meet him he fired one shot from each pistol, the round from the right was a high explosive round which narrowly missed Onyx and passed over his shoulder; only for the second round to collide with the flat of Jotun Fang as the Puma Faunus made to block. The Magnetic Dust payload was discharged and Onyx was first thrown off balance as his weapon and various pieces of armour both attracted and repelled each other, then the explosive round was pulled back by the magnetic field and detonated as it impacted between his shoulder blades
"OH THAT WAS CLEVER, I LIKE IT!" Qrow called out over the sound of cheering; Nyanza was too focused for the commentary to register as he charged forward, shifting his weapons into their tonfa form as Onyx staggered forwards and dropped to one knee. The crowd erupted into a roaring frenzy as the smaller and previously outclassed Faunus landed a punishing running kick into his opponents' mouth; Onyx recoiled and attempted to retaliate only to be forced back into his prone position by Nyanza's left tonfa colliding with his right knee, the then the right tonfa smashing against the side of his skull only for Nyanza to follow up by rolling over the former raiders' broad back and perform a two footed drop kick as a way of putting some distance between them. Nyanza's heart pounded in his head as he frantically shifted his weapons back to their ranged form and loaded them with Lighting Dust, opening fire and leaving Onyx's body coursing with arcs of electricity as he retreated and ducked behind one of the buildings of the small Mistrali settlement forming Team GORE's side of the arena.
"ANGORA SEEMS TO BE CHOOSING HIS BATTLES CAREFULLY THERE" Oobleck noted, Nyanza himself simply sucked in gulps of air as he tried to formulate his next hit and run attack, in his mind it was his best chance against someone who overpowered by as much of a margin as Onyx did.
"URSABANE WON'T TAKE THAT LYING DOWN THOUGH" Qrow countered and while Nyanza may not have been able to see the Puma Faunus every instinct he had told him to move; the building was reduced to nothing but falling and smouldering debris the moment Nyanza leapt aside; obliterated by Onyx's own explosive round, one of a much higher calibre.
"YOU MISSED!" Nyanza bellowed as he raised his weapons, hoping some sound of irritation would give away Onyx's location despite the ringing in his own ears; instead the only warning the feline received was a blur of movement to his left and then he felt Onyx's meaty paw with his padded palms and fingertips close around his windpipe; any resistance was pre-emptively halted by the Puma Faunus bringing his skull crashing against Nyanza's nose with enough force to leave everything blurry and the blinding pain the only sensation that could be focused on
"I told you I have better uses for my mouth" Nyanza shook his head and forced his swimming vision to comply, just in time to watch Onyx clamp a Fire Dust crystal between his teeth with a wicked grin before unleashing his Semblance; there was nothing Nyanza could do to be prevent the wave of agony that washed over him as the Puma held him place and subjected him to an almost solid wall of noise, concussive force and flames
"HOLY OUM, HE CAN BREATHE FIRE?" Qrow demanded; Onyx however wasn't finished. Nyanza felt himself be hurled into the air whilst below him Onyx planted Jotun Fang on the ground and discharged an explosive round, allowing the weapon to fly free from his grasp and directly upwards; the base of its' shaft smashing into Nyanza's spine as he fell.
"AND NYANZA ANGORA'S AURA HAS BEEN TOTALLY DEPLETED BY ONYX URSABANE" Oobleck announced with a clear lack of enthusiasm
"THAT WAS JUST DIRTY" Qrow spat
"VERY UNSPORTSMANLIKE" Oobleck agreed. Onyx gave a derisive snort at their quibbling and simply loomed over Nyanza who was still clearly unable to stand
"I live by different rules….It would've been disrespectful to hold back, you fought well Nyanza"
"Fuck….you" was the pained reply he received, delivered through gritted teeth
"I'm sure someone will….Now, honour dictates I let Car handle the Nikosi; however our mission-" whatever else he intended to say was silenced as a golden blur collided with his face at terrifying velocity. The crowd were first stunned into silence, then burst into roars of applause as it became apparent that Onyx Ursabane had been knocked unconscious by the thrown shield of Helios Nikos from across the arena.
"AND THAT WAS AN UNBELIEVABLE SHOT!" Oobleck sounded as though he were on the edge of his seat
"NIKOS IS GONNA REGRET THAT IN A SECOND" Qrow noted with a sigh. Helios himself silently agreed that his anger fuelled assault on Onyx from range had hardly been well thought out and would most likely cost him in a battle that he was already under no illusions about the seriousness of. Since their initial exchange Carcharodon had managed to use his Semblance to dictate the pace and direction of the battle and had been steadily forcing him back towards the tar-pits of Team NEON's side of the arena; Helios intuitively knowing that the advantage that Carcharodon would have in those surroundings would be disastrous.
"Face me coward!" Helios barked out as he readied his sword, hoping to provoke a head-on assault from the Shark Faunus. The attack came but Carcharodon burst from the ground that he had been moving along close enough step inside Helios's guard his Semblance giving a form best described as a living shadow
"Talk less, fight better" was the cold reply as the Shark Faunus's right fist drove into Helios's gut, finding its' way beneath his armour and knocking the air from his lungs; Carcharodon lashed out with his left and threw his right elbow forward in a series of punishing slashes, Helios's Aura rippled as the Red Waves collided with it. Seeing that his opponent was on the verge of bracing himself and launching a counter-attack Carcharodon simply used the protean body afforded to him by his Semblance to ooze around Helios and reform behind him, promptly striking him in the back and hurling him into the bubbling tar-pits
"THIS COULD BE IT, THIS COULD BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST UPSETS OF THE TOURNAMENT!" Helios heard the announcers praising Carcharodon's skill as he breached the surface of the darkness and hoisted himself onto one of the many boulders littering it, a furious snarl escaped him only to be replaced by the rare sensation of fear as he and Carcharodon locked eyes for a brief moment before the Shark Faunus used his Semblance to sink into the ground, his insubstantial form slithering towards the tar-pit, where he would be free to launch attacks without giving the redhead any warning. The first blow came, almost predictably from behind; a wild slash which glanced off of Helios's armour but almost sent him tumbling into the tar once again. Before he could steady himself the second blow came, Carcharodon launching himself into the air and landing a roundhouse kick and treating viewers to the unpleasant sight of blood spraying from Helios's mouth as he collapsed.
"No" the scarlet haired warrior growled as he spat out another mouthful of blood, the coppery tang refusing to leave his mouth "Not here and not like this" he planted his feet and firmly grasped the sword component of Olympus Enforcer, adamant that he would not be bested by a glorified pirate who refused to duel him with honour; not in front of this crowd, not in front of his mother and most certainly not in front of Felix. Carcharodon's next attack came from the right, clearly intending to disable his dominant arm. Helios crouched low and slashed at the Faunus's gut sending him crashing back into the tar with none of his previous predatory grace or agility
"NOW FACE ME!" Helios roared as he activated his Semblance, a wave of dizziness and nausea washing over him as he inverted his control of gravity; within seconds the contents of the tar-pit began to rise, spheres of the viscous mass connected by dripping black strands hovering in mid-air until Carcharodon was revealed
"WHAT A PERFORMANCE" Helios didn't know which announcer had spoken and at that moment he didn't care, he simply sank his blade into the boulder he stood on before reaching out and grabbing the forcefully levitated Carcharodon by the scruff of the neck; then Helios reversed his Semblance and hurled the shark Faunus away from the tar-pits while a the same time magnifying gravity to horrendous proportions, the result being that his opponent came to a stop at the end of a gouge several feet deep and dozens of feet long that his landing had carved into the ground. Helios ripped his sword free and went on the offensive with a primal war-cry. Carcharodon leapt to his feet and responded in kind, the two of them meeting in a storm of clashing blades and lighting fast blows
"You are a credit to your people Nikosi" Carcharodon spat "I almost wish your people had chosen to act on Mistral's behalf against mine; it would be a worthy and honourable death for one of us" Helios refused to give a response, heeding the Faunus's own advice of talking less and fighting better he ducked under a pincer like move that would have seen the Red Waves brought to bear against his throat and simply talked Carcharodon to the ground before holding his sword over the downed Faunus's neck
"Were this to the death I would urge you to yield" he admitted "Your people have lost enough"
"But not our will to fight on" Carcharodon countered before activating his Semblance once more and sinking into the ground he was currently laid upon. Helios caught a glimpse of the moving shadow slinking towards one of the Mistrali buildings yet to be destroyed by the violence on Team GORE's side of the arena.
"No" Helios said simply as he wiped away a fresh trickle of blood from his mouth; his patience had been pushed beyond its' limit and the golden armoured warrior decided that if Carcharodon wished to remain unseen then he could stay below the ground. His body became almost impossible to see as his Aura swirled around him, hiding him behind its' all-encompassing darkness
"NIKOS LOOK LIKE HE'S GETTING READY FOR A BIG HIT" Oobleck announced
"AGAINST WHAT?" Qrow demanded, then it became apparent; the entire arena groaned and shook as whatever mechanisms brought each of the battlefields into place was strained almost to the point of collapse when Helios simply used his Semblance arena in its' entirety
"NOW THAT'S IMPRESSIVE" Qrow admitted "BUT WHERE'S GORE?"
"I DO BELIEVE" Oobleck mused "THAT HE'S ACTUALLY TRAPPED IN THE GROUND DUE TO NIKOS'S SEMBLANCE-"
"WHERE DO THE RULES STAND ON THAT?"
"A TIMER HAS BEEN STARTED" the former Professor clarified "IF CARCHARODON GORE DOES NOT RE-APPEAR THE ARENA IN FIFTEEN SECONDS THEN IT WILL BE DECLARED AS A RING OUT" Helios almost allowed himself a sigh of relief before redoubling his efforts as the crowd began to count down along with the announcers, both of whom were clearly greatly enjoying the show.
"FIVE!" Helios's vision swam and his breathing was laboured, he could feel Carcharodon's Aura struggling against his own.
"FOUR!" his heart hammered in his chest, each beat sending a fresh wave of burning pain through him.
"THREE" the ground began to crater around Helios's feet, support struts below the battlefield screeched in protest.
"TWO" Helios collapsed to his hands and knees, blood pouring from his nose under the strain.
"ONE!" he couldn't breathe, he was sure his Aura would break at any moment
"ZERO! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THAT'S THE MATCH! CARCHARODON GORE HAS BEEN DECLARED RING-OUT BY TECHNICALITY MEANING THAT HELIOS NIKOS AND TEAM NEON PROGRESS TO THE NEXT ROUND!" the crowd erupted into a deafening cacophony as Helios finally released his Semblance and simply collapsed flat on the broken ground, struggling to breath and too exhausted to move. The first things Carcharodon became aware of when he managed to resurface were both the medical staff rushing to get Helios onto a stretcher and the uproar of the audience. Reading the scoreboard brought the Faunus sinking to his knees, removing the crown of his people from his head and staring at it in silent defeat; he had sold his soul and his pride to the Atlesians for a chance to avenge his people, everything he had done in the last two years had led to the moment he stood in this arena, his presence an undeniable challenge to his enemies. Instead he had failed at the final moment and the knowledge that he had done so broke something inside him.
Whilst the Vytal Tournament took place the streets leading to the stadium were flooded with market stalls, parades and street performers each contributing their talents to the festivities they were not the only people to do so. It seemed as though every bar in the city, regardless of whom their usual clientele were, was showing the tournament matches happening close by to those locals whom were simply unable to afford tickets. Far from the city centre, situated in a distinctly working class part of the city whose streets were lined with small terraced houses belonging to those who worked in the nearby factories and warehouses was once such bar; a small and dimly lit establishment with a lively atmosphere known as 'The Anvil' the atmosphere of the place giving anyone present who simply wished to mind their own business and blend into the background ample opportunity to do so, which was exactly why Raffia Dirge had chosen to position himself here and wait for the right moment to strike. In the weeks since his exile on pain of death the minute Axolotl Faunus had first wandered through the tundra, his own continued existence of little consequence to him. When he wandered onto one of the many roads leading between the Hive Cities and the settlements the first vehicle to cross his path had not been the expected Atlesian soldiers and police, arriving to deliver him a swift death; instead it had been a gargantuan land-train whose individual carriages were the size of small buildings. Secreting himself aboard and gorging himself on the food within Raffia had eventually found himself in the city of Eisenstadt Dritte where he had contemplated his future; eventually deciding that while Carcharodon may have exiled him he had never relieved his follower from duty. Raffia therefore decided that he would continue with the mission to revenge himself upon the White Fang and seek his redemption, in death if needs be.
"HUNTSMAN! BAG YOUR SHIT UP PEOPLE" a brash but cheerful voice boomed over the ambient buzz of chatter filling the bar, the tone clearly indicating that the warning was meant more as a teasing jibe at the Hunter in question though Raffia noted that several people hastily stashed wads of Lien and what was most likely bags of narcotics; the Axolotl Faunus then glanced over to the entrance, his body coiling as he prepared to attack if the need arose
"Evening Raff, thought that you would've been at the stadium with your mates?" Raffia almost cursed out loud, the dull buzzing of panic slowly setting in has the familiar form of Iskald Grey, the Huntsmen whose dog-tags he had returned to the Scavenger Guild made his way over, causing the eyes of everyone present to turn his way for a moment
"Not looking for me I hope?" Raffia hissed, his tone as close to jovial as he could manage while also hiding the white knuckled grip on his swords.
"Nah" Iskald shrugged "Got stuck on patrol tonight, technically shouldn't be stopping in here for a pint to watch the match but I'll write it up as chasing leads….So how come you're sat here on your lonesome?" Raffia's fins lay flat against his skull in a sign of pure irritation but he knew he needed to give an answer of some sort to avoid suspicion
"My team and I….we aren't on speaking teams at the moment, I still wanted to see them win though" the older man gave him a knowing look before proceeding to come to entirely the wrong conclusion
"Right, who fucked whose girlfriend….student life never changes I see"
"It's not-"
"As for seeing 'em win" Iskald continued with an exaggerated wince "I dunno mate, the lad in the gold armour is doing alright" Raffia made a non-committal noise before taking the excuse to return his attention to the screen mounted in a corner of the somewhat seedy bar. His eyes widened as Helios Nikos showed the true extent of his Semblance's power, a moment later he watched in stunned silence as Carcharodon was declared forfeit
"Ah that's a shit way to lose….anywhere outside of tournament rules he'd have had that" Iskald gave him a pat on the shoulder in commiseration while Raffia kept his eyes fixed on the screen; silently noting that Iskald's presence may be of some benefit after all, the man drove and would be able to get him to the stadium within minutes of the attack starting. The Axolotl Faunus watched and waited, hands trembling in fear and anticipation; the Cult of Taurus must be aware of his peoples' presence in Atlas and the Vytal Tournament by now, Carcharodon and Onyx were both exposed with their Auras depleted and were being broadcast to the whole of Remnant, there was no way that the White Fang would overlook such an opportunity to correct their earlier failure to kill every member of the Shadow Cadre and in doing so send a stark and violent message to any who would oppose them. And yet that was precisely what happened, minutes ticked by and as the next match of the evening began Raffia was forced to accept that the White Fang seemed to have no interest in continuing their hostilities.
"I'll be back in a second….it's my round" Raffia mumbled out in a daze, leaving Iskald behind as he slunk across the bar and ordered the older man a drink before leaving the building; vanishing into the crowds and darkness as he sought somewhere to stay for the night where he could process the most crippling uncertainty of his life.
Carcharodon was numb as he made his way into the locker rooms with his held high, he refused to bow before these people. Onyx walked a pace or two behind him, a meaty paw clutching at his face which was already mottling with a mass of ugly purple and yellowish bruises courtesy of Helios's shield. As the pair made their way into the clean, yet odd smelling room lined with pristine white panels and filled with more lockers than would ever be used at one time, they were met by Hellion who had obviously managed to sneak past the abysmal security; her wings buzzed in panic and her jade eyes were wide as she spoke frantically, a sign of weakness that Carcharodon was sure she had never shown before meeting Eagle Arc
"Are you okay? Why hasn't the White Fang attacked? What do we do now?"
"What we do now" Carcharodon rasped out, silencing her "Is we leave. We have to leave immediately and kill any who try to stop us"
"Car-" Onyx's voice was uncharacteristically nervous as the Puma Faunus picked up on his old friends' desperation
"We were only allowed to live because the Atlesians wanted to use us for a plan that has now failed….They're going to kill us. They have no honour and I will not see the last of our people taken out into a frozen wasteland and shot in the back while bound and blindfolded" the chilling statement seemed almost prophetic as almost the moment the words left Carcharodon's lips the door leading from the locker room into the long corridor that in turn led to the competitor and staff entrance to the stadium was opened revealing the stoic form of General Winter Schnee, flanked on either side by the latest model of Atlesian Knight; the automatons weapons held at the ready. Winter took a single step into the locker room, the robots remaining on the other side of the entrance and Team GORE collectively bristled
"Go" Carcharodon ordered "Run, I'll buy you some time"
"Don't be stupid Car" Onyx spat "You're almost out of Aura, she'll kill you in a single hit"
"They mean to kill us all. NOW GO!" Onyx made it clear he had no intention of following that order as he unslung Jotun Fang, muscles burning and aching with fatigue as he hefted the weapon and braced himself
"If we die then we die together" Hellion made it clear that she shared the sentiment as she drew a pair of knives and readied herself for a fight that she had no false hopes of surviving.
"At ease soldiers" Winter's voice cut through the rapidly rising tensions as she took several steps closer "It seems there is some confusion about what is happening here...explain to me what you think is happening and I will happily enlighten you as to your mistakes"
"We know you're going to have us killed" Carcharodon hissed, blades at the ready "We've outlived our usefulness to you….that's how you Atlesians work"
"While I can see your reasoning and can admit that there are those within my Kingdom who would act as you fear" Winter lamented "I will give you my word that no harm will come to you tonight….my presence here was to respond to the White Fang threat in person, our mission remains the same, only our plans need to change. I came to escort you back to Atlas Academy"
"Do you believe her?" Onyx growled, the possibility that they may live to see another day seeming to loom just out of reach. When Carcharodon failed to respond Winter slowly unsheathed her sword and placed it on the ground between them before stepping away from it
"I'm unarmed"
"I don't believe for a second that you're defenceless" Carcharodon rasped "But I respect the gesture….stand down" he collapsed his own weapons as his team-mates sheathed theirs
"Thank you" Winter gave him a nod, privately she respected the Shark Faunus as a leader whatever else she thought of him "And in the interest of openness in our continuing partnership-"
"We're not partners, we're lackeys" Onyx observed with a grunt, Winter chose not to entertain the complaint
"I've received word that a Huntsman within the settlement has seen Raffia Dirge. The sighting is as yet unconfirmed….Gore, do you have any idea what he's doing here?"
"None" he admitted "I exiled him on pain of death….but if I had to hazard a guess then I would say that he came here to face the White Fang and forfeit his own life"
"I see" Winter's expression hardened "Nevertheless I can't allow a rogue operative to interfere with military operations, a unit has been despatched to apprehend him" Carcharodon would not have cared if he had been told this in the days following his exiling of the diminutive berserker, or more accurately he would have swallowed his feelings and forced himself not to care; now with Team GORE having made the decision to continue studying and training as Hunters if they lived long enough to leave the frozen Kingdom and realising the necessity of reuniting with Raffia the Shark Faunus had been forced to confront his own feelings and admit that the decision had been made in anger and benefited no-one, least of all himself. He heard Winter's words and did the only reasonable thing
"Then as leader of the Frost River tribe I wish to beg for mercy on my followers behalf"
Authors Notes:
Wow, I almost didn't get this one out on time; work has been kicking my arse with overtime this week. Got a week off over Christmas though so I've got time to get some writing done (Hopefully not just for FADE)
Also, now that we're wrapping up the second round (One notable battle still needs to happen obviously) it's safe to say we're in the endgame for Vol.6 and second year as a whole.
Also this will be my last upload before Christmas so, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, have a good whatever you're celebrating.
Anyway, let's summarise:
Legacy Stadium was pointed out in Vol.5, foreshadowing.
Donner's back….I honestly toyed with the idea of Arctus seeing her in the crowd and finding out she'd resigned but I think that would be a disservice to the character.
Can you imagine the horrors that Celeste would inflict with a tank division, also I had the idea for the Baba-Jaegers then never really did anything with them….I have an idea for a third year villain who will make better use of them (The character was already planned and has been since the conception of the story).
The Nikosi breed warriors, they adore Felix after that stunt last chapter.
Diamond and Helios's combo attack in initiation, seems like a lifetime ago to be honest.
Is Syneffo slightly tipsy in this scene….probably, is she a loving and supportive little sister, hell yes.
Felix wisely not mentioning that one time Carcharodon said he'd rather fight Helios's mother, leader to leader.
"The idiot cat" you know deep down she probably thinks he's cute.
He wore the crown to battle, you know he meant business.
The conversation in broken Greek (What I'm using for Anima Tribal language) was:
Helios: May your people prosper with your leadership; Great shark.
Carcharodon: And yours in time, first son.
Nyanza's new outfit was low-key based on a Gucci tracksuit I saw in a designer menswear place recently.
Helios has come so far….the line was based on something from Transformers Animated, if I remember rightly it was "You have a special skill….you're obnoxious"
I'm not saying that Winter has been tipping the scales for Team GORE a little, but I'm not saying that she hasn't either.
I hope I captured the cinematic feel of Nyanza and Helios's opening moves because in my head it looked epic.
Damn Nyanza, those were some low blows….and inaccurate ones at that.
Onyx was originally based loosely on Tormund Giantsbane from Game of Thrones but a couple of his lines in this chapter "You're a talker" and "Like me just smaller and weaker" are homages to The Hound.
Have some Nuts & Dolts, just because I've missed writing these two.
Yeah I can imagine Penny never wants to go to another Vytal Tournament again, the irrationality is a part of being human that she wasn't prepared for.
Qrow has a pretty impressive network of people there….also I haven't mentioned it since Vol.1 but the Winter Maiden is in Vaccuo, the Spring Maiden is basically terraforming the ruins of Menagerie piece by piece and the other two are unaccounted for.
And now Qrow is gonna find out about Syneffo.
Magnetic Dust was inspired by Maria's weapons.
Also Nyanza has never really had access to these kinds of options before, now he's got money through his sponsorships he can do these kinds of tricks more often.
Shouting "You Missed" is invoking Murphy's law.
Onyx handing out some Mortal Kombat fatality shit right there.
Let that sink in, Helios….Helios mother-fucking Nikos, was scared of Carcharodon for a second there.
And certainly not with Felix watching indeed.
Okay so you know that scene in Avatar where Katara stops the rain….basically imagine that but with a tar-pit.
Carcharodon's praise for Helios was genuine, he honestly wouldn't mind being killed in combat against someone that talented.
If the ending of the fight seems somewhat anticlimactic it's because it was supposed to, that was the moment where the last of Carcharodon's dreams of revenge were crushed.
So that's what Raffia's been up to.
I bet nobody thought we'd see Iskald again.
And so Celeste shows a level of restraint and planning that Adam Taurus lacked, obviously she used the tournament as a distraction for the attack on "The Toybox" but we'll find out what else she did next chapter.
Let's be honest, with everything he's been through Carcharodon's fears were justified.
Team GORE are ride or die to the end.
Winter proving that she's better than that.
Yes the Hunter who reported Raffia was Iskald, note that he didn't bother trying to detain him though.
Thank you to SumoSnipe, iSassenach, Bankerrtx01, FleetOfWarships, Ferrous, Funlander and Garthraxxus for their reviews on the last chapter; also a massive shout out to Garth for leaving the 500th review on this story on FF Net.
Hand puns….Yang probably approves.
Merc and Em make surprisingly great parents, they be the person they needed to be their for them and have made a home environment where anything can be discussed without judgement.
Not only did the Cult of Taurus fail, they walked into a military ambush….neither Oz or Celeste is gonna be happy with each other after that.
I honestly didn't think of the Z Move lol.
I can relate to life blind-siding you.
Lux vs Delta was a great match up for Lux, Delta's Semblance makes them impossible to target, Lux's Semblance is an area of effect attack, he doesn't need to aim.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.