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Chapter 84: The Fang Draws Blood
Gangrel and Weiss had left the V.I.P box to search for Athena-Jade and Coral before the bout between their niece and nephew had concluded; leaving Arctus and Diamond alone in the reserved seating to wait in case the girls returned, Arctus frantically texting and calling his sister in an attempt to find out where she'd managed to sneak herself away to. This had resulted in the two members of Team FADE still being alone and watching in terrified horror as a single gunshot rang out and a moment later Felix collapsed forwards. The pair acted in unison without needing to speak or give each other any form of signal; Arctus, his face drained of what little colour it naturally held, created a Glyph and with it blasted the windows away from the V.I.P box, Diamond leaping out of the now vacant hole in the wall and engaging her Semblance to hop rapidly from one shard of falling glass to the next; making her way frantically down to the arena itself whilst Arctus rode another of his glowing Glyphs beside her. They reached their fallen team-mate at the same moment as a snowy white bird of prey swooped low and with a flash of Aura revealed themselves to be Eagle Arc in her avian form, the armoured blonde staggering to a stop and crouching beside her partner whilst Corvid was at his other side, clearly panicked beyond her ability to think rationally
"FLUFFY! FLUFFY TALK TO ME, COME ON STAY AWAKE!" Diamond rushed over to his side, she had lived in the most impoverished city with Mistral's territory as well as the capital, working alongside Emerald Sustrai in the soup kitchens, homeless shelters and other charities that her mother was involved with; leaving the sniper with enough experience to attend to a gunshot wound until a professional could take over
"Roll him over!" she ordered, trying to keep herself from panicking; Eagle and Corvid hastily did as they were instructed, eliciting a hiss of pain from the wounded Lion Faunus as he was moved onto his back. Diamond took one look at the injury and felt bile rise in her throat
"What are you waiting for?" Corvid snapped "Help him!"
"I don't think I can" Diamond mouthed, the steel spike protruding from Felix's chest being far beyond anything she'd had to try and stabilise before "If I try and take that out he'll bleed out" Felix attempted to pull himself into a sitting position only to let out a groan of pain, clutching at the spike as he collapsed backwards and lay flat on the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he attempted to speak
"Leave me, get people out" his words were a pained and breathless croak
"Shut up Fluffy, we're not leaving!" Corvid snapped, turning to Diamond with tears streaming from her steely grey eyes and adding "Do something!"
"Where are all the medics?" Eagle demanded, clearly terrified as she scanned their surroundings; the air was filled with the sounds of panicked and screaming civilians desperately attempting to escape for fear of being the shooters' next victim whilst the security forces seemed to be disturbingly lacking. Arctus looked at the same sights and came to a bleak conclusion
"They're not coming….they're scared of getting shot the second they get close to him" Diamond let out a slew of whispered, barely intelligible curses as she realised that the only possible culprit for this attack, given the choice of weapon, could be the Cult of Taurus who would almost certainly attempt to gun down anyone attempting to aid their victims and that moving Felix would be risky in the extreme. Taking a deep shuddering breath she managed to master herself and achieve a level of detached calm before giving out orders
"Arctus I need Glyphs, get us some cover! Corvid, I know you're Aura's down but get those medics out here and cover them as best you can!"
"On it!" the Bear Faunus replied, springing into action and bringing a series of glowing constructs into existence; enough of them that he would be able to position them into a functional shield at a moments' notice without completely draining himself by enveloping them all entirely. Corvid wiped her eyes and nodded before rushing towards the damaged and stationary form of the Omega Wing, quickly activating it and wrapping the battle-suit around herself and taking it's severed wing with her as she made her way towards the opposite end of the stadium
"What about me?" Eagle asked, voice trembling
"Drop Sentinel and have him be ready to shoot back" the blonde hastily complied, the droid unfurling and sweeping the emptying stands with its' mini-gun whilst bleeping and chirping incessantly
"Sorry about this" Diamond said by way of warning as she applied pressure to Felix's wound, blood spilling over her hands as he twitched and shuddered in pain, the Mistrali turned saw that her friends' eyes were taking on a glassy and unfocused quality and quickly turned her attention back to Eagle
"I need Ice Dust, I'm trying to limit the blood loss and I can't cauterise it with the spike still in him….and talk to him Eagle, keep him awake"
"Okay, right yeah I can do that" Eagle stammered out, her usual hyperactive chattering taking on an unmistakably frantic and almost hysterical edge as she rummaged through her pockets in search of the dust in question, Arctus quickly coming to her aid
"I've got some, bottom left jacket pocket….I can't get it out without dropping these Glyphs"
"Hang in there Felix" Eagle all but begged as she made her way to Arctus "Hang in there we're gonna get you out of-" she was brought to a sudden halt by what at first appeared to be an explosion; a deafening boom that ripped a portion of the stands asunder and sent wreckage and debris flying into the air, whole seats and sections of floor clattering off of Arctus's Glyphs. As the dust settled Eagle realised that she had been wrong in her initial assumption. The source of the destruction had not been an explosion, but rather a collision and now, parked in the gaping wound torn into the structure of the stadium was one of the gargantuan haulage vehicles Atlesian companies used to ship goods to the above ground settlements in the tundra; the cargo of this particular Ansturm soon being revealed as hundreds of armed and masked Faunus burst from the various trailers the truck was towing, turning their weapons on civilians, security teams and students of the Hunter Academies alike as they leapt into the breach.
"WHITE FANG ATTACK!" She called out to her team-mates, further confirmation coming when the wind-shield of the Ansturm was blown out from the inside of the cab, allowing a white haired figure clad in black armour with horns curling around her temples to leap out on the vehicle. High Commander Lupus Celeste drew the sword which had once belonged to Adam Taurus and pointed it downwards whilst barking out a command, her voice carrying over the din of battle
"LAY WASTE TO ATLAS! SLAY THE HUMAN OPPRESSORS AND ANY WHO FIGHT ALONSIDE THEM!" she pointed wilt dramatically at where Team FADE stood, crouched and lay in the now abandoned arena "BUT LEAVE THE CHILDREN OF TRAITORS, I WILL DELIVER JUSTICE PERSONALLY!"
"No, no, no please no-" the human security guards' terrified pleas for mercy were brought to an end as Beta brought the Indominus, the twin katanas combined into their great-sword form down on the mans' skull; cleaving through armour flesh and bone with little resistance and leaving the now bisected halves of the man strewn on the ground with blood, organs and other viscera flooding from them as the Snow Leopard Faunus continued fulfilling his sole reason for being, humming the haunting melody of a piece of classical music composed in Menagerie only months before its' destruction in the Great War as he went. The Cult of Taurus had been given a simple but undeniably important task by the High Commander, having been tasked to enter the stadium and dismantle it's security in a way that wouldn't raise suspicion or alarm. They had been successful, Alpha having sent Delta in ahead of them to use their Semblance and hide in plain sight in the control room and massacre those working there when the time came, allowing Alpha, Gamma and Beta himself to stalk and hunt the rest of the security forces without fear of interference whilst the Spider Faunus moved themselves into position to open fire when the time came. The quartet of killers had still been separated when the High Commander had arrived with the bulk of the force that would be used to cull those within the stadium, the rest of the force that had followed her breaking off and spilling into the rest of the festival, cutting down any who attempted to flee. Delta was no doubt taking the opportunity to indulge in their cruelty as they picked off civilians, almost exclusively targeting those who were parts of a group so that each victims' friends and families could see their fate. Gamma had surmised several points where the Hunters and security teams would attempt to muster their forces and counter attack and informed his allies that he would position himself at one of them in order to engage the best the enemy had, Beta was unsure of precisely where Alpha was, knowing that the Lionfish Faunus had her own goals. His musings were interrupted by a primal roar of fury as a group of less than half a dozen security guards rushed at him, emptying their weapons as they charged. Beta was unharmed, his Semblance combined with speed and agility honed over years of brutal training allowing to deflect each and every bullet with his weapon, now in its' twin katana form, without giving an inch of ground. The counter-attack was predictably brutal, the first guard the reach him finding her throat opened, the second having their belly opened and gutted; the horror and comprehension that dawned on the rest prompted to try and fall back to no avail and within seconds they lay dead at Beta's feet.
"Simply disappointing" he mused to himself before stalking onwards in search of a more promising opponent, one whose death he would have to earn; a distraction from this task coming in the form of a group of Faunus clearly attempting to escape, Beta made his way towards them in slow deliberate steps, a feral smile visible beneath his mask as he held his open as if offering an embrace whilst fully aware of the blood of his previous kills dripping from him and staining his clothes
"Brothers and sisters rejoice!" he called out to the group of Faunus, now huddling closer to each other and sharing terrified expressions "Rejoice for you have been given an opportunity to see our race forged in fire and rebuilt, come! Join us and slay the humans and the Faunus will never be subjugated again!" the Faunus backed away until they hit a wall, exactly as Beta had anticipated; they were either cowards or traitors which in the Snow Leopard Faunus's mind was a meaningless distinction, either one was willing to butcher the enemies of the cause or one was an enemy of the cause. He prepared to combine Indominus into their rail-gun form and execute the group of Faunus in a single attack, finding them so far beneath his contempt that he couldn't even bring himself to engage them in proper combat, though before he could do so something collided with him and in a manner that defied all he knew of science and common sense Beta felt himself vanish. A wave of cold washed numbness washed over him and he was sure he would be shivering uncontrollably were it not for the fact that his body seemed to be utterly absent and disconnected from his consciousness, rendering him blind, deaf and panicking until the sensation came to an end just as abruptly as it had started, Beta's first sensations upon regaining feeling and control of his body were falling and the thud of his back connecting with the ground. Quickly righting himself and readying his weapons he noted with some surprise that he was clearly nowhere near the stadium or the body of the White Fang forces, finding himself on a bridge somewhere in what was clearly lower Atlas, a cursory glance revealing that the distance between the bridge and the eventual bottom of the subterranean city was so vast that the ground below couldn't be seen.
"Show yourself!" Beta demanded, searching for any sign of whoever had transported him through the floor of the stadium and several levels down into the depths of Eisenstadt Zweite; his eyes honing in on an unnatural shadow which moved of its' own accord before rising out of the ground and solidifying into a robed and hooded figure who treated Beta to a smile filled with jagged fangs
"You!"
"Me" Carcharodon Gore replied, shedding the cloak he wore and deploying the Crimson Waves along his forearms
"Well boy" Beta sneered, readying his katanas "You've evidently improved somewhat since your band of filth tucked their tails and ran; I do hope it's enough to make your death entertaining" Carcharodon didn't rise to the taunt and rush in the way Beta had hoped he would, simply bowing his head and solemnly intoning
"You have been found guilty of the murder of Mizu Gore, Captain of the Despoiler Kraken and head of the Shadow Cadre of the Frost River Tribe….My sister; I sentence you to death" he fixed Beta with a cold stare before adding "Would you prefer to fall upon your own sword, or face me in single combat?"
"Oh bravo boy!" Beta applauded "If only there were an audience here for that….I'll humour you, combat it is" Carcharodon strode forwards slowly
"I have all the audience I need, my ancestors are smiling on me today. Perhaps yours are as well, you'll meet them soon enough" the Shark Faunus gave a slight bow of the head, enough to satisfy custom before launching himself at Beta and preparing to enact retribution or die in the attempt.
When the White Fang force had begun spilling from their vehicles into the crowd in dozens of places, including close to the tavern in which Kataigida had been speaking with Qrow Branwen, their weapons being turned on anyone who was not wearing a Grimm mask regardless of species or heritage. Kataigida had been quick to act, gathering up the Nikosi fighters and launching herself headlong into the fray and cutting a bloody swathe towards the stadium itself, intending to give those fleeing a clear line of retreat where they would not be harried by the attackers. As she drove her spear through the skull of a tusked Boar Faunus who had been attempting to piece her armour with a kitchen knife, her people fighting furiously around her, she noted that it was certainly odd but not exactly unpleasant to have a member of the Frost River Tribe fighting alongside her. Onyx Ursabane had been drinking nearby and the moment the fighting had started he had become a rampaging force of nature against the White Fang, currently the Puma Faunus was perhaps two dozen feet a way from Kataigida herself and was ploughing through enemies with brutality that, even to a seasoned warrior such as herself was a little unnerving to watch
"FIGHT BACK YOU BASTARDS!" the furious roar escaped him as he swung Jotun fang in a wide arc, blood spraying across walls and leaving the crimson fluid pooling on the ground around him as he cleaved a trio of masked Faunus in half in a single swing before shifting his battleaxe into its' artillery piece mode and firing at a White Fang fighter taking aim with some kind of Dust based energy weapon, no doubt obtained through their alliance with Ozymandias Eldritch. Onyx fired and the weapon exploded, reducing the user and those stood around them to a fine red mist; another rushed at him at the Puma Faunus easily sidestepped and dragged the blade of his weapon across the back of their legs in a single fluid motion before grasping their neck in a single meaty paw and proceeding to squeeze and twist until they went limp as a sickening crunch sounded from between his fingers. Two more Faunus charged him, whoever was commanding this particular cell having identified Onyx as a key threat to be neutralised; the first hit the ground gurgling and choking on their own blood as Jotun Fang was buried in their neck and chest; Onyx let the weapon fall as he took the other attacker by the scruff of the neck whilst placing a fiery red Dust crystal between his teeth; their begging and calls for help were soon replaced with screams that would haunt all who heard them as Onyx engaged his Semblance, using the Dust to transform his concussive sonic roar into a raging inferno spewing from his mouth. He dropped the charred skeleton of his latest kill to the ground and ripped his weapon free of the chest it was lodged in, a manic look in his eyes as he searched for another White Fang fighter to unleash himself upon.
"Control yourself!" Kataigida snapped, delivering quick and comparatively merciful deaths to a pair of Faunus taking aim at one of her people; slashing a throat and piercing a heart with fluid grace "You're behaving like an animal; remain composed even in war!"
"THEY KILLED MY FAMILY!" Onyx roared back, clearly too consumed by rage and grief to listen to anything outside of his own bloodlust. Turning away from the leader of the Nikosi without a second thought he hurled Jotun Fang across the impromptu battlefield the street filled with stalls and vendors had become where it ripped through the skull of a Faunus readying a Gatling gun for use on fleeing crowds. As Onyx waded through the violence to retrieve his axe he plucked a small Faunus off of the ground and paused to hold them overhead so that the entirety of the White Fang force could see as well as hear when Onyx shattered their spine with a horrifying snapping sound. Kataigida couldn't concern herself with that at the moment, she followed the flight of the Puma Faunus's weapon and seen that protecting the fleeing civilians nearby was her daughter. Syneffo fought valiantly, the blades of the Harpies Claws stained crimson though it was still seemingly not enough as the teen was being forced back, deflecting attacks with her axes while another Nikosi warrior fell close by, their sword and shield being little threat to an enemy armed with a laser weapon
"NO!" Kataigida shouted desperately, hurling her spear across the battlefield she impaled a winged Bat Faunus before drawing a sword and making her way towards Syneffo, slaughtering any who stood between them with ruthless efficiency, though as her blade burst through the back of a cat-eared feline Faunus who fell limp against the hilt of the weapon she saw another masked Faunus positioned on the open bed of a pickup truck hoisted a rocket launcher onto their shoulder and took aim at the group of civilians that Syneffo was attempting to see to safety and knew that she wouldn't make it in time to prevent her daughter being consumed in the blast.
"CAW!"
A red eyed crow swooped low and in a flash of crimson Aura the Faunus wielding the heavy weapon was hoisted from their feet with the blade of Harbinger protruding from their chest, Qrow Branwen hurled them aside and shifted his weapon into its' ranged mode, returning fire while directing civilians to safety
"Now would be I good time to tell me the secrets to my powers Branwen!" Syneffo noted pointedly
"Not really, they're not Grimm" Qrow answered "Oh Oum damn it I'm getting too old for this" he noted with some annoyance as he hopped off of the pickup truck and straightened out his back with noticeable discomfort; the surviving Nikosi fighters and a blood-soaked Onyx forming up around them
"We have to make our way into stadium" Kataigida stated bluntly
"Agreed, there are bound to be people who can't get out and the White Fang aren't taking prisoners" Qrow nodded, shifting Harbinger into its' sword form as he spoke
"Precisely" the redhead nodded before quietly adding "Besides, that's where my son will be"
The White Fang were everywhere and the claustrophobic environment in which the battle within the stadium was taking place was the antithesis of what Helios Nikos knew; yet he still led Team NEON on a determined counter-attack through the cramped space beneath the ascending rows of seating, which many of the tournament attendees had flocked towards upon realising that there were several fire exits located around the stadium that would allow them to escape faster. Helios had still been recovering from his tournament bout when the attack had commenced but had quickly led his team into the thick of the fighting. Nyanza, Ether and Olivine fought calmly and efficiently but were clearly only seeking to wound and incapacitate; Nyanza breaking arms, crushing hands that held weapons and knocking White Fang fighters unconscious with his tonfa, Olivine found herself unable to activate Buster Bravo in such a confined space without risking their own lives and those of any civilians yet to escape; instead she made do with using the cybernetic brace around her right arm which allowed her to wield her weapon to deliver superhuman punches which shattered ribs with ease whilst Ether used his Semblance to find openings and punish the Faunus attackers harshly. Helios himself was another matter entirely, he was a warrior and this was war; he fought to kill and did so without hesitation, driving the edge of his shield into an avian Faunus's throat with enough force to pin them against a wall, desperately gasping for air until their eyes widened and then dimmed as the redheads' sword found its' mark. Helios wasted no time in pulling his sword free and combining it with the shield component of Olympus Enforcer to form his Tommy gun and open fire into the White Fang still bearing down on them. An insectoid Faunus whose mask had been modified to account for their compound eyes managed to avoid being riddled with bullets at close range like her allies by scuttling along walls and support pillars only to be simply ripped apart and reduced to a crimson stain adorning the nearest wall; Helios pressed this newfound advantage whilst turning and noting that it was Corvid Xiao Long who had killed his attacker. His blood felt as though it had frozen in his veins when she spoke, voice trembling with fright far beyond anything he had ever heard from her
"Fluffy's hurt; I can't find a medic!" Helios's first response was a furious roar as he separated his weapon, ploughing his sword into the thigh of one of the few remaining members of this group of attackers and leaving them vulnerable to his follow up slash at their neck; then he turned to Nyanza
"The civilians?"
"All out….not that it's any safer out there!" he called back
"With me!" without waiting to see that his orders were followed, simply trusting that they would be he turned and sprinted towards Corvid, noting that the Omega Wing was heavily damaged as he silently conveyed that she should take him to Felix immediately. The five of them were soon rushing out into the stadium itself, only to find it an open war zone; a gargantuan truck whose design Team NEON were familiar with had been ploughed through the stadium wall and soldiers, security guards and students did battle with White Fang wherever the two groups encountered each other; their attention however was drawn to the arena where a severely injured Felix lay motionless and bleeding whilst Arctus, Diamond and Eagle did their best to slow the advance of a Ram Faunus clad in black armour which was clearly augmenting their abilities to unnatural levels. High Commander Celeste Lupus was a force of nature, deflecting the storm of bullets that Sentinel unleashed without breaking her stride and simply breaking through the Glyphs Arctus created one after another in a war of attrition that it was clear the Bear Faunus would lose; Diamond aimed Lex Talionis in its' sniper rifle form and shot at the Faunus's face with every intent to kill her, Celeste caught the Dust fuelled armour piercing round and crushed it in her palm with enough force for the volatile substance to ignite and leave smoke trailing from her grip. Helios's fists trembled with silent rage as he took in the sight before giving out orders
"ETHER, ASSIST ARCTUS! NYANZA FOLLOW ME IN AND USE YOUR SEMBLANCE FOR ANYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF! OLLIE….INCINERATE THAT WOMAN!" Team NEON launched into action, Ether's Semblance bringing him to Arctus's side within seconds where he proceeded to ready Ghost Reverie in its' guitar with its' solid Dust crystal picks to bolster the defence the Faunus was mounting. Using Celeste's distraction as an opening Olivine unfurled Buster Bravo and unleashed everything that compact weapons' battery had to offer with terrifying precision. Helios rushed towards the arena itself with Corvid and Nyanza beside him; skidding to a halt beside Team FADE
"Felix! Felix can you hear me?" Helios pleaded as dropped to a crouch beside him, gently taking the Lion Faunus's hand and squeezing
"Help me up" Felix ground out, blood flecking his gritted teeth as he rolled onto his hands and knees despite the steel spike still stuck in his abdomen.
"Fluffy no!" Corvid insisted "Just stay down, we've got-" she found herself halting, standing in slack jawed disbelief behind her visored helmet as Celeste strode out of the smoke filled crater that Olivine's attack had ripped into the stadium, her armour burned, warped, sparking and stripped of its' outer layer in several places; revealing the dull gunmetal and advanced mechanical components below. In a snap decision Corvid decided that she would rain death on this monster from above; even damaged the Omega Wing would still fly so long as she didn't attempt any form of manoeuvring. Readying her weapons she made to leap into the air only to find herself pulled back down to the ground by Felix who had clamped his hand around her ankle and resolutely refused to let go
"Heely, hold her in place I've got a plan!"
"FLUFFY WHAT ARE YOU-" Corvid was cut off by Helios wrapping his arms around hers, pinning them to her sides as he pulled her free of the arena; the whole time Celeste Lupus made her inexorable advance towards them, cutting through every defence mustered against her with cold determination
"Arctus" Felix ground out as he dropped to one knee and readied his swords despite the clear pain every movement he made caused him "Let her come" it was a testament to their trust in his leadership that none of Team FADE questioned the order, despite the concerned looks they shared.
"This was inevitable Xiao Long!" Celeste announced as she made her way onto the raised arena, Wilt at the ready "From the moment your mother betrayed Adam Taurus and the moment Slate's father laid with a Schnee your deaths were promised"
"You dumb bitch" Felix wheezed out, wishing that he could have responded with something more poignant before bringing Hack and Slash screaming into life and reaching over the edge of the arena to destroy one of the control panels for the arenas' forcefield; bringing it flickering into life and trapped both Team FADE and Celeste inside
"FLUFFY NO!" Corvid screamed as she realised what her brother had done, beside her Helios stood in mortified silence before dropping his sword and pressing his hand against the surface of the intangible barrier despite the pain it caused him; Felix saw this and with fear evident in his deep blue eyes silently mouthed
"I love you"
"I love you too" Helios managed to croak back. Within the arena Arctus, Diamond and Eagle took up position around Felix; protecting their injured friend as Celeste prepared herself for an attack. Outside of the arena the stunned silence was intruded upon by the sound of Corvid's Scroll cutting over the din of battle which seemed distant to those Felix had attempted to spare Celeste's wrath.
"Corey answer it!" Nyanza snapped, shaking her by the shoulder when she didn't answer "Corey it could be your team!" that thought pierced the fog she been losing herself in and she quickly answered her Scroll though the comms system of the Omega Wing which was mercifully still intact
"COULD REALLY USE SOME HELP OVER HERE FEARLESS LEADER!" Lux's voice greeted her, snapping Corvid back into the moment and the mantle of commander that the situation demanded she be
"I've got your location, what's your situation Lux?"
"A few of the student Teams formed up and tried to make a big push back; one of the psychos from our last mission showed up and cut us off" Corvid's eyes widened in horror at the news, only for her blood to run cold at her partners' addition "It's the big one with the arm and the spikes!" Corvid screwed her eyes shut and forced herself to make a decision that she would hate herself for
"Helios, Team CLIR need reinforcements; you're with me!"
"Understood" Helios nodded, taking up his sword once again as the five Hunters rushed into the thick of the fighting once more; Helios noting that for reasons unknown Nyanza had paused to retrieve the forcefield generator Corvid had ejected from the Omega Wing whilst Corvid propelling herself one faltering leap of her damaged battle-suit at a time while silently vowing that when she saw Felix again she was going to hug him until his eyes popped, because the alternative was too much for to consider.
Antonia Arc was cornered and the sickening terror that came with the realisation was only intensified by the knowledge that she only had herself to blame for the predicament. When Felix Xiao Long had been so brutally gunned down in the middle of the stadium in front of the audience Eagle had launched herself into action seemingly on instinct, were she in any frame of mind to do so Antonia would have commended her daughters' decisiveness and swift action. As it was Eagle had frantically ordered Antonia to stay near Hellion before using the Semblance she had inherited from her father to fly to her partners' side. As the panic had set into the crowd and mob mentality took over, thousands of people forming a fearful stampede towards every available exit, Antonia had felt her hard fought and tightly maintained self control wavering only to utterly shatter the moment the Ansturm haulage vehicle had been used as a battering ram to breach the stadiums' walls, killing an untold amount of civilians. These were the White Fang, they had taken part in the razing of Vale and she had lost her brother in their occupation of Lower Atlas during the war and the only person between herself and the attackers was a member of another group of violent Faunus, a group whom she had previously been a prisoner of; Antonia made the only choice that seemed sensible in her terror addled mind, she turned and ran. Her panic had carried her away from the bloodthirsty mass of Faunus swarming over the crowd and murdering all they came across, she had sought to get away from the civilians who were obviously being targeted and made her way down a side corridor that had been overlooked, upon seeking for somewhere to hide herself until the fighting was over she realised that the corridor led to nothing that could help her with many of the rooms it led to being locked.
"Well look at who we found" the voice of someone obviously attempting to sound sinister hissed out prompting Antonia to turn in wide-eyed fear and come face to face with a pair of masked and armed Faunus, one sporting antlers atop their head and the other with a long serpentine tail flexing and coiling behind them
"The C.E.O of Poly-Tech" the Deer Faunus noted as they cocked the shotgun they held "Think she'd be good as a hostage?" a sibilant noise that conveyed pure unfettered hatred escaped their companion
"My whole family have been laid off because of Poly-Tech automating everything they can get their hands on….I say we just solve the problem right now" as the Rattlesnake Faunus spoke they reached into their jacket and produced a box cutter, deploying the blade as they stalked closer to Antonia who retreated until her back collided with the wall of the corridor
"Come on, beg!" the reptilian Faunus snapped as they drew closer "Beg, tell me you'll pay me and give me anything not to kill you! That's what you rich fucks-" the tirade came to a stop with only gurgling escaping from them as their weapon fell from their grasp and they fell to the ground, blood gushing from the exit wound in their throat where the tip of the blade of a throwing knife protruded, the rest of the blade being lodged in a now severed spine.
"WHO THE-" the Deer Faunus turned and fired their shotgun only to hit nothing but air as Hellion Eudialyte ducked low to the ground, gossamer wing flat along her back before rushing close and tackling the remaining White Fang grunt and slamming them into the wall and weaving around the butt of the shotgun being swung at her skull whilst drawing another pair of her seemingly limitless supply of knives. The fight that followed was bloody and brutal in a visceral and primal way with the Dragonfly Faunus stabbing and slashing at her adversary until they finally fell to the ground limp and lifeless, staining the ground with blood that leaked from dozens of wounds to their limbs, face and chest.
"Miss Arc" Hellion's tone was firm, businesslike as she stepped close to Antonia who was now cowering
"Antonia" her voice softened as she sheathed her knives, though she kept her hands on them for a quick retrieval "Eagle wouldn't let anything to happen to you and for her sake neither will I"
Athena-Jade had just wanted to be a good big sister. She and Coral had been watching Felix and Corvid face off against each other in the tournament when the younger girl had casually mentioned to her that she had never tried cotton candy before; Athena-Jade with some spare Lien in her pocket had decided that this was an injustice she could not allow to stand and had managed to sneak out of the V.I.P seating without her parents, Arctus or Diamond noticing and taking Coral with her towards the food stalls, planning on treating her.
Then the screaming had started and in a moment of quick thinking she had laid on the floor and slipped under a nearby mobile food stall, pulling the Crab Faunus with her before either of them could be crushed underfoot or separated by the stampede caused by the fleeing crowds. The moment Athena had heard the sound of gunfire the calm and collected facade she was trying to portray to keep Coral calm came crashing down around her and she bolted from her hiding place, clutching onto one of the smaller girls' pincers and pulling her along behind her as she ran back towards the V.I.P seating as fast as she could, in her mind the place where her parents and older brother were most likely to be was the safest place on Remnant, even if it was in the same direction that the ear-splitting crashing sound had come from
"Come on, just a little further and it'll all be okay!" the Bear Faunus insisted, voice trembling as she pulled Coral after her, desperately trying to urge her to move faster; one of the entrances to the stadium was in view and almost within reach, as they drew closer to it Athena realised with a surge of hope that there was no fighting taking place in the area and that she would hopefully be able to sneak both herself and her new adopted sister to safety. Those hopes died as the pair stepped within a few feet of the entrance only to be halted by a lone woman appearing in the doorway; tall and slender and clad in an outfit that was predominantly black but featuring a sleeveless tailcoat that had once been white but was now spattered with blood, her face was hidden behind a pristine white and angular but streamlined mask with a red-tinted visor over her eyes, a pair of mechanical gauntlets adorning her forearms and raven black hair with the toxic spines of a lionfish interwoven with it.
"Hello Omega" Alpha cooed in a musical voice that forced both girls to direct their attention towards her as she stepped out of the doorway and towards the pair "I never imagined seeing you here; we've missed you" upon hearing this Coral took a step backwards, tugging on Athena-Jade's arm as she let out a low whimpering whine of fear. Athena-Jade, despite her heart hammering in her chest and the fact that her legs were shaking to such a degree that they felt as though they would give out at any moment, saw the way the Crab Faunus reacted to the presence of the newcomer, saw that they were dressed like one of the White Fang whom her parents had warned her about and proceeded to do the only thing she could.
"Get away from her, she isn't going anywhere with you!" she barked with as much ferocity as she could muster whilst planting herself firmly between Coral and Alpha who now loomed over her. The Lionfish Faunus stepped closer and regarded Athena-Jade in silence from behind her blood red visor before speaking again in the same hypnotic voice
"The youngest child of the Schnee and the traitor….you've done very well Omega" Alpha paused, seemingly considering something before continuing "You should be rewarded….you were gifted with weapons, use them and strike the first blow against this abomination; the High Commander will praise you Omega" Athena turned, eyes wide with shock and fear until she saw the younger girl brace herself firmly on the ground and hold her head high, clearly emulating Athena herself before gently grasping the Bear Faunus's hand with her pincer as she addressed Alpha
"My name is Coral Scylla" Alpha understood the statement for what it was, a rejection of the Cult of Taurus, the White Fang and the ideology they stood for in the most succinct terms the six year old could give
"You disappoint me" Alpha sighed before simply flexing her fingers and activating her weapons, Judgement unfurled around her hands and deployed its' many drills, blades and saws which each came whirring and buzzing into life as the murderous fanatic made to lunge at both Athena and Coral; before she could do so her advance was brought to an abrupt and graceless halt as she collided with a barrier of glowing white light. The two young girls turned with awed expressions as Weiss Slate, formerly Schnee strode between them with Myrtenaster drawn and held in her extended arm and a fierce expression on her face. Alpha made to readjust her balance and make another attempt only for Weiss to shift the revolving Dust chamber of her rapier and fuel her Glyph with the Gravity Dust she selected; allowing her to send the would be attacker crashing into the stadium wall with a blast of concussive force. A berserk scream of hatred escaped the normally composed Faunus as she leapt back to her feet and made to charge back into battle, finding herself halted once again; this time by a dull booming crack which reverberated unnaturally and served as just enough warning for her to avoid a wide swing of a blade that could best be described as the unholy union of a hook-sword and a machete. Gangrel Slate wasted no time in positioning himself between the murderer and his family; amber eyes never leaving Alpha whilst he spoke to his wife
"Weiss, get the girls out of here. Help my people clear a path out; I'll find Arctus"
"Are you sure you don't need my help for her?" Gangrel bared his teeth at Alpha in a feral snarl before answering
"I've been looking forward to this"
Eagle and Celeste fought at blinding speed, their blades clashing against each other faster than the eye could see and sending sparks flying with each connection; with Sentinel's ranged weapon being depleted the battle had soon moved into closer quarters and whilst Eagle was a prodigy with a sword, trained by the many world renowned Hunters her family had produced in various styles the simple fact was that with her armour aiding her Celeste was simply too strong; a fact that the Ram Faunus made apparent as she blocked the downward slash Eagle had aimed at her her snowy haired skull, holding Wilt in a single hand before throwing her opponent of balance with an almost casual flick of the wrist and aiming a spinning, leaping kick at Eagle's chest; the Huntress thankfully managed to raise her Shield though she still found herself sliding backwards across the stadium floor. She had a brief moment to take in the fact that Sentinel had been notably dented by the force of the attack despite the droid being well within the confines of her own impressive Aura, a fact that seemed to serve as an omen.
"This is manifest destiny human" Celeste sneered "It cannot be prevented" with that she lunged forwards, crossing the distance between them in a moment only to be forced back before she could reach Eagle by a fiery red and glowing construct
"EAGLE GET CLEAR!" Eagle did so with haste and watched as the summoned Minotaur Grimm, over a dozen feet in height scooped Celeste up in a crushing embrace; the Ram Faunus forced its' arms wide enough apart that she could stab upwards with Wilt and send the blade through its' intangible skull, exactly as planned. The Minotaur, summoned from a Fire Dust infused Glyph exploded a booming flash followed by roaring flames that washed over much of the arena.
"Thanks" Eagle panted out as she readied her sword and shield once again, entirely unconvinced that the fight would be over so easily. Arctus and Diamond stood behind her with their weapons at the ready, protecting Felix who was still unable to stand and currently sporting a worryingly pallid complexion as he continued to lose blood. Eventually the thick, pungent smoke began to clear and Team FADE were not surprised, yet still filled with an inescapable sense of dread as the silhouette of the katana wielding fanatic became visible; Celeste Lupus striding back into full view a moment later with armour that was now clearly damaged, having lost most of its' original black colouring and a mask that had been cracked and broken around her right eye which left the manic determination in the magenta orbs on full display
"Arctus, cover Felix" Diamond intoned as she shifted Lex Talionis from its' rifle form into its' two handed glaive move; her tone detached and unusually cold as she prepared to rush into the battle
"No!" Eagle snapped "Both of you cover Felix, if she wants to hurt any of you she's gotta go through me!" Celeste let out a deranged cackle at this and raised her crimson blade
"Gladly human" she shot forwards at incredible speed though Eagle was ready for her, the Ram Faunus leapt onto the blondes' raised shield and flipped off of its' surface as she kicked Eagle backwards with as much force as she could muster
"LIGHTNING CLAWS!" at Eagle's command Sentinel, while still in shield form launched pincer like appendages on retractable cables which sunk into Celeste's armour before unleashing a surge of electricity that arced across the surface of the battered battle-suit and sent sparks showering from it in several places. The moment the claws retracted, dragging Celeste back down to the ground with an unceremonious crash Eagle pressed the advantage by triggering her Semblance and soaring overhead before swooping low and shifting back into her true form behind her opponent, stabbing at her with incredible momentum. Celeste however had seen Eagle fight at Gerat-Handlung and had been prepared for such an attack; time seemed to move in slow motion for Eagle as she found herself unable to prevent what happened next, Celeste turned and in a single motion whose fluidity was testament to her skill considering the condition of her armour, hurled Wilt into the blondes' left arm tearing though flesh but more importantly to the Faunus damaging the stabilising system built into Eagles' own armour which allowed her to hoist Sentinel with ease; in the same graceful arc Celeste grabbed the blade of Eagle's sword in her left hand before bringing her right palm down on its' blade and shattering the steel with a single devastating blow before spinning and slamming her elbow upwards into her nose. Eagle hit the floor with blurry vision which regaining its' clarity the moment Celeste pressed a foot down on her chest and ripped Wilt free of her arm, sending a fresh wave of agony through the limb
"A human with convictions….I'll tell them that your last words were something heroic" the Ram Faunus informed her solemnly as she readied her blade for a killing blow only to be forced back on the defensive as an entire pack of summoned Beowolves lunged at her; no sooner had she dismembered the last of them than Arctus and Diamond leapt into the fray; the former sporting a trickle of blood from his nose caused by the strain of overusing his Semblance, the latter using one of the Bear Faunus's Glyphs as a means to position herself behind their adversary. Arctus and Diamond were each incredibly gifted fighters in their own right and worked with the co-ordination that only those with total implicit trust in one another could have; but Celeste was a force of nature powered by unshakeable belief and a bottomless well of hatred and bitterness and countered every attack they levelled against her, eventually catching Diamond's ankle midway through an aerial assault that would have seen her glaive buried in Celeste's back; she slammed the silver haired Mistrali into the ground with enough force to make the arena tremble before sidestepping Arctus as he made to tackle her away from his partner, following up by kicking his legs out from beneath him and ploughing him face first into the surface of the forcefield; the smell of burning flesh reaching her nostrils whilst pained hisses through clenched teeth reached her ears as she exerted her augmented strength and pressed his face into the protective barrier harder whilst preparing Wilt in her free hand
"This is the sword of the great Adam Taurus; how fitting that it should be what kills an abomination such as yourself" Arctus struggled in vain, desperately attempting to get free before Celeste could impale him from behind; he was given a stay of execution in the form of a spray of bullets colliding with the arm she held him in place with, coolant and other vital fluids spraying from her scorched and damaged battle-suit. As Arctus put some distance between them he saw that Celeste's left arm hung limp and twitched periodically as she struggled to wrest control back from its' now critically damaged systems; the Faunus herself wore an unhinged expression which was equal parts murderous and euphoric as she stared passed the Bear Faunus
"So you chose to die on your feet?" Arctus found himself turning, much like Eagle and Diamond who were rising to their own feet and feeling a wash of both hope and icy fear at the sight of Felix Xiao Long who had returned to his feet; smoking machine pistols in hand whilst his Aura which had been recovered somewhat by the heat of Arctus's exploding construct glowed and stemmed the tide of blood from his wound
"Aim for the joints in her armour, I doubt she can fight without it" he growled out, clearly pained but remaining defiant
"Team FADE" he shifted Hack and Slash to their sword modes "Let's break some...Fangs"
Authors Notes:
BOOM! Finale is officially underway, two chapters left of this Volume/Arc to write then we move onto third year (After my hiatus due to being in London with my girlfriend for a few weeks)
It's been an eventful week for me, I thought I might have to delay this chapter
Work has been mental, but (as of Thursday) I'm no longer on my six month probationary period; full time, salaried, well paid and stable work.
And...the one I've been saving til last, as of Wednesday morning I am now "Uncle Warren" to an adorable niece; those of you who follow me on social media, if you haven't seen posts yet then trust me you will soon enough.
Still deciding what to write in the week between finishing Vol.6 and going to London, I've got a few ideas though.
Anyway let's summarise:
Yes the chapter title is a reference to Celeste's slogan/motto/war-cry that she's used a few times.
So Gang, Weiss and Qrow weren't present when the attack started….Oobleck was but he's also retired and probably decided to help the unarmed civilians instead armed and trained students; bad choice to have to make but needs must.\
In my head Diamond using individual fragments of glass as platforms for her Semblance was cinematic as hell.
Diamond has seen some shit and learned useful skills from it.
Every injured hero has to have a "Leave me behind" moment.
To be fair to those medics that were scared to help Felix, they weren't military medics in any sense, they were there for a sporting event and nothing more.
Diamond taking charge, I'm probably gonna give you more of this.
You didn't really think it was gonna be easy did you?
Celeste has got the theatrical bad-ass shit mastered, I mean if you're going to make that kind of speech then there's not much better of a position to be in for it than where she was.
I had the guard begging at the start of the scene because I felt like it played into what the Cult of Taurus are for; they don't fight people, they hunt people down and make an example.
Also, Alpha & Beta; classical music buddies because why not be classy when butchering people (Also it's an homage to their basis in the Decepticon Justice Division from the IDW Transformers comics).
Delta is a sick fuck.
Okay now that everyone has seen the Blake & Yang Vs Adam fight; that after image thing that Adam did was exactly how I imagined Beta's Semblance looking when I first wrote it.
The Cult of Taurus can be a stand in for pretty much any extremist ideology in the way they attack their "Own" for not falling in line with their doctrine.
Nice save from Carcharodon.
Car's dialogue seemed to write itself in this scene and for some reason I feel like I can see him become more devout in whatever the tribes' religious beliefs were; something for me to consider for later.
So Car Vs Beta in a one on one….or is it.
Kataigida does this shit for a living, she knows how to get panicking civilians to safety under fire.
There's something visceral about the White Fang as well as having the military grade gear Oz gave them, also just using literally whatever they could scavenge the night before.
I wanted the Onyx was fighting to be horrifying, easily in par with the Cult of Taurus; hate for the White Fang was what kept him going for pretty much the entirety of the first year arc and he's always been a little heavy handed….He needed this.
Also the difference between the Frost River Tribe and the Nikosi is pretty clear to see here.
The Nikosi aren't playing, even Syneffo is a trained killer if the situation calls for it.
Kataigida knows her boy well.
Surely you didn't think I'd leave Team NEON out of this did you?
Also none of Team NEON saw the Xiao Longs' match due to being with Helios while he was being checked over.
Looks like Celeste has had her armour upgraded since the Vol.5 finale.
Diamond was ready to kill, that is definitely a new development.
Felix without a doubt saved Corvid's life there; if she'd attacked Celeste directly Celeste would have seen an Aura-less daughter of Blake Belladonna using a broken weapon….that's not a fight that would have ended well.
Locked inside the Forcefield…..Does anyone remember the fight with Darth Maul in Episode One?
So Team NEON + CLIR Vs Gamma….and Nyanza picked up a forcefield generator.
Antonia Arc should probably see a therapist if we're honest.
Could it really be anyone other than Hellion who did that?
Athena-Jade was trying so hard.
Alpha was most likely looking for Weiss and Gangrel.
Omega….that is all.
Athena-Jade is most definitely her parents' child.
And Coral Scylla backing up her new big sister would be heart-warming if it wasn't so terrifying.
Weiss's entrance would definitely be in slow motion and cinematic as hell.
Boom, Gang Vs Alpha….Neon will be avenged.
Eagle is beyond just good with a sword, she is genuinely a prodigy and I felt like I needed to remind everyone of that.
Also we haven't seen Arctus's remote detonating constructs for a while.
Haven't seen Sentinel use the claws for a while either.
Celeste might be a maniac but she's far from stupid; she knew who she wanted to target, she knew who would come to their aid and she knew how those people fight well in advance.
Eagle's gonna need a new sword….Now if only there was a Dragonfly Faunus with a fondness for making her own knives.
What if I told you that the fact Celeste's armours' coolant system was damaged is actually vitally important?
Also come on, we all knew Felix was going to have that heroic moment where he gets up and saves someone.
I suppose that last line could be considered something of a pun; he's coming around to them slowly.
Thank you to SumoSnipe, iSassenach, Funlander, DizzyDwarf, FluffyFirefly, FleetOfWarships and Garthraxxus for their reviews on the last chapter.
I suppose I deserved the insults.
The amount of Key-smashing I received was hilarious.
Well the "Anyone in a straight line between Helios and Felix" comment was pretty spot on, red does not hold back.
A few hundred competing students at most, a few thousand unarmed civilians at least.
I keep making taller cliffs and eventually one of my readers is going to throw me off of one one them.
It's Team FADE's story; think of it less as Corey losing and more of a passing of the torch.
I can now add "Stunned my readers into silence for two solid days" to my achievements, right under "Made them cry over characters they don't even like".
Your concerns about Onyx were misplaced.
We'll see just how well this scenario fits Delta next chapter.
Re-reading Downward Spiral as well? You must be a sucker for punishment.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.