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I am making no money from this.
Chapter 88: Together Again
"This has kinda lost it's appeal now I'm old enough to just go to a bar" Felix noted with a gentle sigh as he made himself leaning against a cliff face; Nyanza, who had arrived back on the island from Mistral's capital, merely shrugged before speaking in a voice that was clearly intended to parody some wise and ancient teacher from a trashy movie
"But the ancient traditions must be honoured, oh grumpy one" Felix snorted at this and conceded the point. The pair had made their way down to a spot along Patch's coastline far away from the cliffs beyond the forests where the creatures of Grimm roamed; an alcove of sorts with a sandy beach which was somewhat shielded from the elements by cliff faces on three sides that could only be reached by making ones' way from the islands' harbour. The place had been used for underage drinking, camping out, barbecues and all manner of other activities legal and otherwise by the teenagers of Patch for generations and was currently the venue for a small impromptu party being thrown for the students of Signal Academy who had graduated to either Halo or one of the other Hunter Academies, Felix and Nyanza had been invited to the gathering by Amethyst Wukong who had naturally been the one to provide the alcohol, which she seemed to have drunk a little too much of if her current state was any indication
"Is she wasted or just showing off?" Felix enquired
"Yes" Nyanza snickered before finishing his own drink. Amethyst Wukong had gotten taller and her muscles even more toned since the last time Felix had spent any amount of time on his island home, the ebony haired Monkey Faunus with mint green eyes now easily rivalled his admittedly unimpressive height and looked every part the Huntress she aspired to be; currently she wore a pair off cut off denim shorts which reached to just above her knees and were held up by several black belts which sported several pouches presumably filled with Dust crystals. Black shin guards were tucked behind the tongues of a pair of scuffed white high topped sneakers with bright purple laces and she wore a white tank top which left her midriff bare and showed off her impressive abs, with a purple shirt unbuttoned over it whilst her wavy and glossy black hair cascaded down her back and her tail flexed and curled behind her as she moved. Her hands were wrapped in several layers of tape and what Felix assumed was the collapsed form of her weapons adorned her wrists, a pair of thick and obviously heavy bangles comprised of a black material that seemed have a purple sheen when the firelight struck it and a light silvery metal as well as glimpses of various Dust crystals currently loaded into them shining in various colours. Amethyst had been one of Yang Xiao Long's best and brightest students, a fact that was easy to understand as the girl played up for the small crowd around her and showcased her skills despite her inebriation, performing several acrobatic manoeuvres whilst the purple glow of her Aura crackled and shimmered around her
"Oh shit, she's got her Semblance figured out?" Nyanza noted, suddenly paying a little more attention
"Either that or she thinks cranking her Aura up might burn through the alcohol quicker" Felix joked, Amethyst's Semblance had always been something of a sore spot for her as she knew in rough terms how her abilities worked but could never quite seem to master them completely; that she had seemingly overcome this obstacle was good news and explained some of Amethyst's exuberance. After watching her show off for a while Felix gave a wide stretch and yawn before calling over to her
"Hey Ammi, I'm heading home!" he received a few waves and drunkenly mumbled goodbyes before Amethyst herself all but leapt over to him
"Really? It's not even midnight yet?" she pouted a little as she pointed this out
"Yeah, yeah I'm getting old" Felix chuckled "Besides, you should probably be heading home soon yourself….you don't want a hangover when you get to Halo for orientation; then there's the initiation itself" by this point he was already walking away from the party, making his way along the coastline back to the harbour and Amethyst barely needed a moment to consider before following along behind him, a mischievous smile on her face
"Well how about you hook a girl up and tell me about the initiation?" she gently nudged him to make sure he was listening "Come on Felix your mum wouldn't tell us anything, she went to Beacon and Halo is run by the same teachers….it won't hurt"
"I'm not gonna tell you how the initiation process works" Felix asserted "Besides I don't actually know, they've changed it since my first year because of the breaches….they can't use the exclusion zone as a testing ground"
"Holy shit" Amethyst breathed out, apparently the fact that the ruins of Beacon Academy and old Vale were where the final test before one became a student of Halo Academy took place was not common knowledge; seeing the stunned look on her face was enough for Felix decide to give her something, not enough to give her any clear advantage, but something nonetheless
"Yeah and teams are randomly selected" he informed her "First person you see when your in the testing area is your partner for four years…..so use those Faunus senses and if you see anyone you wanna team up with try and work it so you get deployed near 'em. That's all I'm giving you"
"Awesome, thanks" Amethyst beamed, the crafty smile of someone privy to secrets and the two of them made their way towards the harbour from which they would make their way home in peaceful silence until their destination came into view
"Want me to walk you home?" Felix offered "It's a Friday night and you live in a bar" Amethyst merely laughed at the implications
"I can look after myself" she assured him "Besides between everyone on Patch knowing my folks and everyone on the mainland knowing my Aunt Mel we don't get any trouble"
"I can imagine" Felix growled, his own meetings with Melanie Malachite were more than enough to make him understand exactly why nobody would willingly cross her
"Yeah, we haven't had any trouble in….wow it must be a couple years now, not since I got this" she pointed to a scar along her left eyebrow which she had acquired when a pint glass was thrown in a bar fight that Felix realised with a start that Onyx Ursabane of Team GORE had started.
"Okay cool" he shrugged, quickly pushing the possible issue aside "I'll see you at Halo….provided you survive" the last words were spoken in a faux dramatic tone that got a laugh from Amethyst and the two went their separate ways, Felix grumbling to himself as he went when the realisation of just how much packing he still had to do hit him.
"Hey Big Guy….wake up dude" Arctus was denied the opportunity to progress from quietly dozing to full, blissful sleep by Diamond adjusting her weight as she leaned against him and gently nudging him until his sapphire eyes opened.
"I'm fine, I wasn't sleeping" he slurred, words barely coherent as he removed the arm that had been around Diamond's shoulders and rubbed his bleary eyes
"Uh huh" she gave him a pointed look, utterly unconvinced. The two of them had met at the Cross-Continental Airship terminal on the outskirts of New Vale's capital in the early hours of the morning and rather than book a hotel for the sake of a few hours rest had agreed to simply make their way across the sprawling hive city on foot towards the much smaller airship terminal dealing with local flights, mostly to settlements on the fringes of New Vales' territory but also handled the task of ferrying students to and from Halo Academy. To say Arctus was tired at this point was an understatement, he'd been awake over twenty four hours and was emotionally exhausted after having to say goodbye to a tearful Athena-Jade and Coral the day before.
"What time is it?" Arctus eventually asked
"Too late for you to get any sleep" Diamond chuckled, sensing what the Bear Faunus was thinking; Arctus gave a sigh before a thought occurred to him and a soft smile crossed his face
"Hey….you know what this reminds me of?" Diamond cocked her head for a moment before her cherry red eyes seemed to light up when the realisation hit
"Oh my Oum, this is where we first met!" she exclaimed before adding with a giggle "Except this time you're the one that's barely awake"
"And I promise not to put you in a choke-hold" Arctus promised earnestly, Diamond merely gave him the finger before leaning close and gently brushing her lips against his
"Such a dork" there was a tender moment between them, Arctus gently brushing strands of silvery hair away from Diamond's face as she leaned into him, neither of them paying any attention at all to their surroundings until those surroundings forced them to do so when a loud, impossibly cheery and immediately recognisable voice called out to them
"HEY GUYS!" both Arctus and Diamond had just enough time to rise to their feet and brace themselves for the inevitable before Eagle Arc barrelled into them with enthusiasm that translated into incredible force and pulled them both into a crushing hug "How have you guys been, I've missed you, I mean I know we've been calling and texting and stuff but it's just not the same and I've wanted to hang out with you"
"I know what you mean" Diamond agreed before giving the blonde a once over "Damn, you're looking good"
"Aww thanks" Eagle's cheeks coloured a little at the compliment "You guys wanna wait outside? Our flight is gonna be ready soon"
"Sure" Arctus shrugged as he glanced upwards at the digital displays overhead and saw that Eagle was correct and thus sleep was truly out of the realm of possibility
"Sentinel come on" Eagle motioned happily to her automaton which chirped and bleeped happily in response and both Arctus and Diamond noticed that Sentinel, which had been trailing behind Eagle was actually the one carrying her luggage. They made their way out into the waiting area for departing fights soon enough, a massive and dusty open space surrounded by fences and security cameras where half a dozen or so gargantuan airships were currently docked and in various stages of resupply and refuelling; one such vessel was clearly their destination as it's idling engines cast an eerie green glow on the ground beneath them and teens and young adults carrying luggage and an assortment of unique weaponry milled around it.
"Now we've just gotta find Fluffy" Arctus noted
"We'll hear him before we see him" Diamond pointed out in what turned out to be an accurate prediction; before much longer the sound of thumping bass and a growling, powerful engine caused heads to turn as the Killer-Bee rolled into view through a rear entrance to the terminal and stopped for just long enough to allow Corvid Xiao Long to climb out and grab her belongings, before continuing on its' path towards Team FADE
"Hey guys" Felix greeted his friends with a cocky smile as he rolled the window down, clearly no matter what problems the Lion Faunus faced the effect his car had on any crowd it drove passed would always be enough to cheer him up.
"Had to make an entrance?" Diamond asked as she rolled her eyes, catching sight of Nyanza in the back of the car as she did so "Hey Dude"
"Hey, thought you'd be with Heely….he's already onboard, managed to get a monorail from one terminal to the other this morning"
"Why in Oum's name didn't we do that?" Arctus lamented
"More importantly, what're we waiting for?" Eagle asked, much to her friends' amusement
"I'll catch up" Felix's expression darkened and wavered a little as Nyanza climbed out of the car "I've gotta get the Killer-Bee docked first, just wait around somewhere I can find you"
"You sure, we can wait with you?" Eagle offered, suddenly acutely aware that Felix looked nervous for some reason
"Nah it's cool, I'll be with you soon"
"Okay" Eagle accepted before turning and making her way towards the entrance to the airship the would be taking, Diamond, Arctus and Nyanza alongside her
"Where's Helios?" she asked the bushy tailed feline
"He said he'd be in or near the canteen which this ship is not big enough to actually need; he needed to charge his Scroll" satisfied with the answer the group made their way towards their new destination and were not disappointed when they reached it; Helios's golden armour gleamed beneath the overhead lights and beside him sat Ether Arashi and Olivine DeGrasse, Ether seemed to have put on a notable amount of muscle over the summer whilst Olivine's weapon had clearly been modified to some degree, she wore a new set of camouflage overalls and her customary afro had been braided into dreadlocks which reached to her shoulders. The trio waved the newcomers over and pleasantries were exchanged between the now complete Team NEON for a few moments before Helios turned to the members of Team FADE that were present
"Where's Felix?"
"Parking his car, he'll be here soon" Diamond assured him before leading Arctus towards food and coffee in an attempt to stop him from simply falling asleep where he stood
"Good summer?" Eagle asked
"A busy one" Helios answered
"I figured, I was visiting some of my Aunts in Mistral; it's a shame we couldn't meet up"
"Indeed it is" the low and husky voice came not from Helios, but from behind and Eagle found herself instinctively biting her lip before turning and being confronted with the forms of Team GORE who had obviously been lured with the promise of food after a long journey
"H-Hey" Eagle croaked out, throat suddenly dry
"Hello little canary" Hellion Eudialyte cooed, there was a brief moment where the two stared at each other which seemed to stretch out, shattering when the Dragonfly Faunus lunged forwards and scooped a flustered and blushing Eagle into a tight embrace, Marauder flying from her forearm and landing on Marauders' cranium whilst the two young women shared a public display of affection that led to several mutterings and looks being cast their way. Their friends and team-mates, obviously in search of a distraction shared glances amongst each other until Carcharodon caught Helios's eye; the fact that beside the Shark Faunus Raffia Dirge wore a maniacal smirk a clear indication that something was wrong
"Nikosi" Carcharodon rasped out, lowering his hood as he stalked closer "My people had to travel the plains….we heard some interesting stories from one of your peoples' scouts we crossed paths with"
"Oh?" Helios raised an eyebrow, utterly unimpressed and privately certain that if there had been any confrontation between the Shadow Cadre of the Frost River Tribe and the Elite Pathfinders of the Nikosi then Carcharodon Gore would not be here talking to him
"Ones that paint you as the worst kind of deserter" the grey skinned Faunus continued, mouth splitting into a wide smile and display of fangs whilst Helios visibly tensed
"Be careful what you accuse me of bandit" Helios snarled back "I may have abdicated my position but I am still a Nikosi"
"You gave up your birthright and turned your back on your family all for a pretty face….You're an insult to every orphan on Remnant" Carcharodon hissed "You disgust me" in a blur of motion Helios had vaulted the table at which he sat and made to grab Carcharodon by the throat only to find his way barred by the towering form of Onyx Ursabane who, like almost everyone else present, had reached for his weapon
"Okay no" Olivine snapped, fingers drumming on the collapsed form of Buster Bravo "We're not doing this here. Just go" Raffia seemed to consider pitting his own weapons' destructive abilities against hers', fortunately Carcharodon was not willing to sacrifice an airship to his team-mates' aggression and simply turned to leave, gesturing for the rest of Team GORE to follow.
"I'll see you at the academy little canary" Hellion murmured as she nibbled on the shell of Eagle's ear
"You can stay-"
"I think it's been made clear that I can't" the Dragonfly Faunus made to extricate herself, pausing only to whisper in the blondes' ear "Meet me in the workshop….I have something for you" with that Hellion slunk off, Marauder flying to her arm as she did do; leaving Eagle staring after her in amazed silence at just how easily her girlfriend could turn her into a flustered or excited mess.
"Your concerns are noted Mister Vasilias"
"Which is just a polite way of telling me to shut up and remember my place isn't it!" the temperature in the headmistresses office of Halo Academy seemed to drop suddenly by several degrees as student counsellor Neptune David-Vasilias and Glynda Goodwitch stared intently at one another from opposite sides of Goodwitch's desk in a silent battle of wills which after a few moments Neptune lost, but still refused to concede the argument.
"Glynda I mean no disrespect but surely you can appreciate my concerns" Neptune found himself pacing as he spoke
"I can appreciate them" Goodwitch admitted, hands clasping behind her back as she exhaled slowly "I just don't find them to be severe enough to call off a necessary mission and fulfil part of our duties to the Kingdom of Vale" Neptune forced himself to remain composed, a talent he'd honed over many years, as he considered the severity of the mission into the Emerald Forest that Goodwitch was proposing
"These aren't normal circumstances Glynda" he finally breathed out "Yes we have a routine sweep of our initiation staging ground every year but you must no that this is different, we don't even know the full scale of what's in the Forest any more-"
"There are prospective First Years in that forest as we speak" Glynda countered "Surely you don't believe them to be more capable than our own second, third and fourth years?"
"They have oversight" Neptune shot back, the initiation was closely monitored with Ren and Nora, Professor Peach, his own husband Scarlet, Professor Bronzewing and half a dozen other Hunters which may or may not have included Qrow Branwen or Ruby Rose herself among their number any given year
"And that's not the point" Neptune continued, refusing to allow himself to be derailed "This year is different; you know as well as I do that those students returning from Atlas will draw Grimm to them like a magnet"
"And I am confident that they will be more than adequate to deal with any enemy that presents itself" Goodwitch asserted calmly
"You're putting our students at risk needlessly Glynda!" Neptune snapped "They should be given a psych evaluation before they're allowed anywhere near a combat situation!" Goodwitch readjusted her glasses before slowly and deliberately making her way around the desk
"Mister Vasilias" she breathed out "The Grimm cannot be allowed to go unchecked and build their numbers so close to our Kingdoms' walls ever again and our students are not children or civilians; they are Hunters, the first line of defence against our destruction….however if you have ever seriously thought I would willingly put those in my care at undue risk then I'm forced to ask you why you are still working at this academy?"
"Are….are you threatening me?" Neptune gasped, disbelieving
"No, merely questioning" Goodwitch answered calmly "It's odd to me that you've decided to paint me as the monster after so many years, simply for continuing to do what we all must-"
"This. Is. Different" Neptune reasserted "Those students are likely traumatised-"
"Every Hunter is traumatised" Goodwitch snapped, finally irate enough to lose her own cool "If you'd completed your own training you'd understand that!" there were a few moments of tense silence where their eyes bored into each other before Glynda cleared her throat
"That was uncalled for, forgive me. I had no right to get personal"
"No offence taken" Neptune growled through clenched teeth
"However" she sighed "The fact remains, as tragic as what happened in Atlas was it cannot be allowed to define us or prevent us from fulfilling our duties to the Kingdom. The students will be sent into the Emerald Forest tomorrow morning"
"Will you at least put some sort of safety measures in place?" Neptune demanded as Glynda made her way passed him; hearing his request she turned and gave him a quizzical expression
"Mister Vasilias what on Remnant gave you the impression that they wouldn't be?"
"I-"
"As I said, your concerns are noted….now if you'll excuse me I have some final preparations for are new incoming students to attend to"
The third year students were among the crowds filling the many rows of seats within Halo Academies amphitheatre, Team FADE sitting in the row behind Team NEON and just close enough to them to be able to hold brief and hushed conversations whilst Team GORE could be seen several rows away, unique in their lack of interest in the proceedings which the other gathered students watched with rapt attention. The team formation ceremony was something that every Hunter had been through regardless of which Academy they attended and over the last century the affair had become a rite of passage for the fledgeling students and something of a ritual within the subculture and community that Hunters across Remnant formed, one that the older students considered themselves honoured and privileged to be able to see each year. Thus far the first two teams of First Year students had been formed, the first being Team BLAQ which Diamond had cheered impressively loud for and jokingly stated that she would make them all under her protective wing; the second being the somewhat unfortunately named Team MUCK, led by a shifty eyed individual named Moss who had seemed thoroughly uncomfortable with the amount of attention that was suddenly directed at them.
"The third team this year, who retrieved the clubs cards" Glynda Goodwitch continued the speech, following the familiar formula "Are Wisteria Plum, Obsidian Bone-"
"Definitely named after Blake's boss" Felix muttered, the fact that the first year student was a Faunus seemed to lend some credence to the theory that they'd been named for the famous Faunus and workers rights' activist"
"Light Mocha" Goodwitch continued, the team being formed turning to their fourth and final member as they realised what was about to be said before it did "And their leader Gaudy Vibrancy"
"What a fucking name" Diamond snorted, just loud enough for not only Team FADE to hear but for several students sat around them to be forced to hastily muffle their laughter; fortunately none of this was noticed by either the First Year students or more importantly, Goodwitch herself, who cut just an imposing figure as always despite her advanced age and whatever trials the students had faced in their time at the Academy.
"Okay everyone shut up, I've got a friend on this team" Felix insisted with some urgency as the last remaining team of new students made their way to the forefront of the stage from which Goodwitch was conducting the ceremony, directly into the centre of the spotlights where all eyes naturally gravitated towards them; Felix was happy to see that Amethyst looked like she belonged, clearly worn and exhausted but equally triumphant and defiant as she stood flanked by her new team-mates
"The fourth and final team to complete the initiation process and be formed this, retrieving the heart cards are; Nova Violette" at Goodwitch's announcement a young black teen with light brown skin and curly, vibrant orange hair seemed to puff up with pride; Felix frowned as he tried to place the familiar surname, he was almost certain that Yang had introduced him to a Huntress by the name of Violette before.
"Iridescence Lustrous"
"Now that's a name" Arctus muttered playfully nudging Diamond before joining with the cheers and applause offered to the petite and prim looking young woman who curtsied to the crowd
"Redshank Bronzewing"
"Holy shit, Professor Bronzewing fucks?" Diamond demanded
"And their leader" Felix had already begun cheering at this point "Amethyst Wukong" Amethyst herself was clearly stunned as the entirety of the amphitheatre erupted into cheers, hands covering her mouth before Redshank Bronzewing who was presumably her partner simply lifted her into the air and onto his shoulders. Professor Bronzewing's eldest child was far from what the students would have expected, sporting a deep scarlet Mohawk comprised of a series of swept forwards spikes, visible tattoos and a weapon slung over his back that toed the line between fearsome and preposterous. Redshank was clearly ecstatic for his new friend and Felix watched Amethyst almost unconsciously wrap her slender tail around his forearm, indicating that she was immensely pleased with both her new partner and position as a team leader; Felix's rapidly forming plans to find the First Year dorms and congratulate his fellow native of Patch were cut off as the cacophony suddenly died down when the headmistress raised a hand, politely indicating to her students that she still wished to speak.
"To our new students and perhaps to those who have been away from this Academy for some time I would like to issue a reminder that classes begin at nine o'clock tomorrow morning and tardiness will be frowned upon; breakfast is served from five o'clock; your new schedules will be sent to the Scrolls you were issued with" she paused for a moment allowing the information to sink in before continuing "For our returning students I also have an announcement, I would like to speak with the leaders of Teams SNST, and VYLT from Second Year, NEON and FADE from Third Year and SMKE and CAMO from Fourth Year please report to my office before returning to your dormitories for the evening. That will be all, I suggest you all sleep well" seeing this as the dismissal that it clearly was the assembled crowd began to rise from their seats and file out of the amphitheatre, the dull buzz of conversation filling the air
"Want me to take this?" Diamond offered, seeing Felix's suddenly apprehensive expression; the Lion Faunus considered for a moment then caught sight of Helios waiting expectantly for him to follow and simply shook his head
"Nah, but thanks" with that he hopped over a row of seats and fell into step beside the armoured redhead whose hand he instinctively reached out for, some of the weight that Felix carried with him dissipating as he felt Helios brushing his thumb over the back of his hand
"Fluffy….Felix" Helios's tone was laced with concern, enough to make Felix turn and face his boyfriend "Are you okay? You seemed bothered by something the whole flight?"
"It's nothing" Felix replied automatically, a little too fast to do anything more than fuel Helios's concerns and so the Faunus gave a nonchalant shrug and continued "I was worrying about some stuff….It's dumb, it'll be fine, don't worry"
"You know I'll be here for you, whatever it is that's bothering you?"
"I know" Felix nodded, the offer of being able to just let out everything that was troubling, let all the doubts and worries that had been allowed to fester in the back of his mind all summer see the harsh light of day was undeniably tempting, almost tempting enough to risk it
"It's just-"
"Hey Fluffy!"
"For Oum's sake" Felix hissed, the furious syllables more felt than heard as Corvid sidled over to him from where she'd been sat, evidently having waited for brother to pass
"Just wanted to give you a heads up" she offered by way of an explanation "Goodwitch is probably gonna put you on cleaning duty, a little test run to see how Team FADE function after being away"
"Great" Felix growled
"Yeah yeah, I know it sucks…..could be worse though, could be a Monday morning lesson with Professor Peach"
"She makes a point" Helios admitted
"Anyway, see you two lovebirds later. Fluffy make sure you bring Helios to Patch soon….Yang is just gonna badger me if you don't" with that Corvid slipped passed them, taking care to playfully ruffle her brothers' hair as she did so, something which would have sparked a lifelong feud with almost anyone else if they dared attempt it.
"So, what were you about to say?" Helios asked as the two continued on their way towards the Headmistresses' office, seeing many of the other students whose presence was requested ahead of them; Felix paused for a moment before reconsidering
"It's nothing Heely, don't worry about it"
"I find myself compelled to" he sighed.
Rhodium Torchwick watched operations from an overhead gangway in the repurposed warehouse he had obtained through a convoluted series of proxies and fake identities with a satisfied smirk on his face; however the smirk didn't last long, they never did. As addicted to drugs as his customers were Rhodium was equally addicted to the drug trade in of itself and the money, power and prestigious infamy that it brought. He made his way down rusting and rickety stairs from the gangway which had originally been intended to operate an overhead crane, the machine itself sitting idle at the far end of the warehouse. Making his way across the vast ground floor Rhodium was lit from beneath and all sides as he made his way through between several opened crates and containers which glowed with the eerie green light of the synthetic Eco-Dust
"I thought you said we'd be running low on this stuff?" the mobster demanded of the only other occupant of the warehouse floor who amounted to anything more than a drug mule.
"We will be, which is why I plan to use what we have in an effort to reverse engineer the compound" Doctor Ozymandias Eldritch explained with a grandfatherly smile that Rhodium knew better than to trust for an instant, the doctor had a brilliant mind but it was undeniably twisted
"In the meantime I've made several batches with various ratios of the Schnee's synthetic Dust to the genuine article….trial and error with different varieties of Dust naturally"
"Trial and error?" Rhodium demanded, tone low and dangerous
"Of course, the majority of science comes down to testing" Ozymandias beamed, grin turning somewhat maniacal as he did so.
"How many testers did you kill this time?" Rhodium breathed out, the redhead was possessed of a ruthless streak of his own and had no qualms and cutting the drugs he sold with questionable substances, nor did he oppose his workers from using the most down and out of the customers, those who had spent every Lien to their name and still craved more, as test subjects for each batch; though the practice had began to accrue casualties at an alarming rate ever since Ozymandias had joined the operation. Scores of dead junkies were bad for business after all and the only reason Rhodium hadn't reigned in the mad scientist was that the sheer volume of product he seemed to be able to produce at short notice more than made up for it.
"Enough to ensure the product is viable" Ozymandias answered somewhat cryptically, giving Rhodium an idea of just how high the mortality rate for this batch was.
"For fuck's sake, I know they're only junkies but eventually someone is gonna start caring….or pretending to and use it to put us all in jail" the redhead spat furiously, gripping the weaponised cane that had once been his fathers' and taking several breaths to compose himself before continuing "Classes at Halo Academy started today, the next few weeks are gonna be important. Within a month business will slow down to normal and then we can worry about making our own Eco-Dust and new ways to cut the product down….right now we need to focus on the plan" Rhodium allowed himself a small grin at the thought of the next stage of his plan to wrest control of New Vale's criminal underworld away from Melanie Malachite and her Black Bear Syndicate; starting his own security firm had provided an opportunity to scatter the various street gangs that answered to him across the capital city whilst also allowing him to recruit former militia fighters and washed up Hunters and soldiers from the war, now he wanted to recruit the next generation of Hunters to form the elite of the criminal enterprise that was slowly coming to resemble an army; he already had a man on the inside
"Rhodey!" his thoughts were interrupted by the panicked voice of Vert, the thug turned rapper whose record label Rhodium happened to own, more known by his alias of 'Uzi'
"What is-" he trailed off as he turned and caught sight of his accomplice, whilst Uzi seemed unharmed his clothes were soaked in what was unmistakably blood, his breathing was ragged and he was clearly panicked
"Who got hit? What happened?" the mobsters' tone was cold, his fury balanced out with a calculating ruthlessness that his ventures into legal businesses had forced him to foster
"The Syndicate" Uzi gasped out, still breathing heavily "Two guys on a motorbike rolled up to the corner of Tower forty-four; by the Mistrali place; one of 'em pulled a semi-auto out and emptied it on Ash and Silky"
"Fuck" Rhodey spat, barely aware of the fact that he'd begun pacing and that his knuckles were now white as he clenched the shaft of Melodic Cudgel "That's Moss's usual corner….they still alive?"
"Intensive care, no one knows if they're gonna make it" Uzi answered and Rhodium seemed to consider for a moment before stalking over to the latest batch of the narcotic known as Booster and palming a sizeable amount, more than enough for several people.
"Get your people together and drive out to that upmarket place Melanie runs a few levels up in block nineteen…..make a fucking a mess of everyone there"
"You got it" Uzi snarled savagely, growing up in the poorest parts of the city had given both young men a keen appetite for revenge and a clear understanding of what would happen if they allowed this attack on their worker, and therefore their own reputations to stand, though Uzi still paused "But what's the Booster for?"
"In case your boys can't fight as well as you think they can" the redhead shot back dismissively before turning his attention back to Ozymandias who had been listening with some interest
"And you!" Rhodium barked "Where the fuck is this heavy hitter contact of yours? You told me you had someone who would love a war, that was about two months ago!"
"They are….somewhat waylaid in Atlas at the moment" Ozymandias admitted "Though I have no doubts that they'll be able to join us soon enough"
"They're in a fucking Atlas jail….fucking great" Rhodium forced himself not to give in to the sudden urge to hit something and simply allowed himself to feel powerful and in charge in another way, by continuing to give orders "Get a hold of Tricky, usual routine. Tell him I want this batch packed up and on the street by tomorrow night….We got a fucking war to win and the bitch Malachite just decided to start it on her terms"
The darkness was little hindrance to Onyx Ursabane as his vibrant greenish yellow eyes quickly grew accustomed, slitted pupils dilating as he greedily took in the sight of his prize. Beyond the wall that constituted the end of Halo Academies' campus proper was the airship docks which students used to travel back to the Kingdom itself, a little beyond them at the edge of the gargantuan aerial platform whose sheer size and mass still baffled the Puma Faunus was a small hangar housing a dozen or so Bull-Head transports intended to teach those students who wished to learn to maintain and fly the craft as well as providing a more reliable means of rapid response than the gyroscopic cannon Onyx had heard stories about. It had taken him far longer to convince his team-mates than he had anticipated and taken all of his wit, charm and guile but eventually Onyx had managed to bring Carcharodon and in turn Hellion and Raffia around to the idea of learning to fly; they were the vanguard of their people and it was only right that they be able to strike at a time and place of their choosing, even if it was from the air rather than by sea.
"I wouldn't recommend joyriding one of those" a voice from behind him advised with a hint of laughter in the feminine voice.
"And yet you're here?" Onyx snorted back as he easily recognised the familiar voice of Corvid Xiao Long; in his mind the woman was a genius as well as an extremely skilled and daring fighter with a penchant for showmanship and the Puma Faunus had found his thoughts idly wandering to Corvid on several occasions whilst in Anima, the fact that she was undoubtedly attractive with a wicked sense of humour no doubt having some influence.
"My mother was one of the tribe but my father was a metal worker in Atlas before he joined the White Fang" he admitted as Corvid made her way to his side "He used to tell me about the technology the Kingdoms have and when he realised I thought it was magic and fairy-tales he showed me how to make it or break it apart myself"
"Sorry toe-beans but I can't really bring myself to have any warm fuzzy feelings for the White Fang" Corvid growled
"That's fair" Onyx accepted "Although I want to point out that he was killed by the same people who attacked your brother"
"Onyx-ly I really don't wanna talk about this right now" she sighed, quickly changing the subject "So I take it you're taking Bull-Head lessons?….I've got some bad news for you"
"Oh?" Onyx raised an eyebrow as the two of them continued to draw closer to the nearest Bull-Head, the one that he had been examining with something akin to hunger "I suppose you're going to tell me that they spend weeks going through paperwork before they let us learn to fly?"
"Well there is that" Corvid admitted as she leaned against the hull of the craft, standing almost under its' wing "But the main problem is that this is Team CLIR's crate, we've called dibs"
"I don't think that's how this works" Onyx purred with a grin, deciding to humour her
"Gonna have to disagree" Corvid answered, voice turning silky "This was the one we picked out last year before we went to Atlas; Team CLIR reserved it….You're gonna have to fight me for it" her steely grey eyes were mischievous until they widened as she found herself pinned against the exterior of the craft, Onyx's large and strong hands around her wrists while his stubble brushed against her skin as he leaned down and growled in her ear
"I like that idea" a whispered curse escaped the brunette whilst a shiver travelled down her spine before she wrapped her arms around the back of Onyx's neck, meaning to pull the Puma Faunus into a kiss but struggling with the fact that he was roughly a foot taller than her and instead pulling herself up and wrapping her legs around his waist, throwing her head back and gasping his name as he kissed and nipped at her neck whilst she allowed him to support her weight and pin her against the exterior of the Bull-Head, her hips slowly grinding against him
"I've missed you" Onyx murmured into her neck between kisses, his words coming in a far softer tone than either of them had anticipated
"I've missed this too" Corvid panted out as she returned to the ground, though standing on legs that trembled a little as she began unfastening her customary flight suit "Especially missed those toe-beans" Onyx simply renewed his attention on her neck whilst sliding one hand beneath her tank top and the other below the waist band of her pants, both seeking sensitive flesh upon which to put his talented hands and the padded fingers that Corvid enjoyed so much to good use.
"Oh, oh fuck….right there, Onyx….wait, hold on a sec" words tumbled out of Corvid between moans and gasps whilst Onyx brought her closer and closer to release with two fingers, stopping the moment he heard the request to wait
"What is it?"
"Might be cameras" Corvid admitted with far less shame than most would have had in such a situation, instead she simply reached out to the panel beside the hatch beneath the Bull-Heads' wing and treated Onyx to a cocky smirk as the hatch slid open once her fingerprints were recognised
"Told you I had dibs on this one" she stuck her tongue out and Onyx wasted a moment resisting the urge to reply with a lewd comment about exactly what she could do with that tongue; in that wasted moment however Corvid had decided that she would much rather be the one to set the pace and wasted no time in dragging the Faunus inside the Bull-Head and promptly pulling him down onto its' cold metal floor, pinning his wrists down in a reversal of their earlier roles as she straddled his waist
"Now, where were we"
Eagle found herself unable to help walking on tiptoes as she made her way into Halo Academies' workshop; she was no stranger to the place and had worked late into the night or the early hours of the morning on several occasions, but this felt unmistakably different somehow; as though being here before classes had even begun made the activity illicit and sneaky somehow
"Little Canary" Eagle almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of Hellion's low and husky voice somewhere close by.
"Hey" Eagle attempted to sound confident and in control even as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, she and Hellion had been dating for months but the fact remained that they had been apart for far too long in Eagle's mind and the fact the Dragonfly Faunus seemed to be making an effort to seem as seductive as possible was leaving her flustered and barely able to form coherent thoughts or words.
"Why are we in the dark?" Eagle asked as she heard Hellion move somewhere behind her "Are we technically sneaking and breaking in?"
"I have no idea, but I can see in the dark" Hellion's amused answer came from much closer and Hellion whirled around to face the source of the noise only to be no closer to actually seeing her girlfriend
"And besides" Hellion breathed in her ear, hands gripping Eagle's hips just enough to be considered forceful "I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy teasing you"
"Not fair" Eagle managed to whine, grateful at least that she hadn't been reduced to wordless whimpering by nothing more than her girlfriends' charisma and the memory of their earlier make out session on a secluded corner of the airship to the academy.
"But I did say I had a surprise for you" Hellion's voice took on a playful edge before suddenly turning commanding "Close your eyes"
"I-"
"Close your eyes" she repeated and Eagle complied, though she kept one eye open just a crack
"You're peeking" Hellion chided and with a huff the blonde did as she was asked, deep crimson eyes closing and a moment later she sensed that the lights of the workshop had been turned on, their glare visible even through her eyelids
"You can open them now" Hellion told her after a moment and when she did so she was treated to the sight of the Faunus with her wings fluttering gently behind her and wearing a soft smile that almost distracted Eagle from the item in her girlfriends' hands
"I hope you like it" Eagle's mouth hung open as she took in the sight of the sword Hellion held and had obviously crafted herself
"It's beautiful" the blonde breathed out as she gently took the blade and examined it in the light, the handle and guard of the weapon were an almost perfect replica for the sword that had been broken by Celeste Lupus in Atlas, save for what appeared to be sizeable emerald set into the pommel of the weapon; the blade appeared to be the exact same size and shape of her previous sword and Eagle suspected that if she were to try then the sword would easily fit into the empty sheath that hung at her waist; though the blade was something different entirely, it was constructed of a pitch black metal with a glossy and a sheen that appeared jade green one moment and violet the next as Eagle inspected its' surface. After staring at the weapon for an indeterminate amount of time she gripped it and gave a few experimental swings, stunned to find that the sword handled arguably better than her old weapon
"It's an alloy made from Atlesian Steel and Agrios-Akri….the tribe that mines it in the mountains infuse their metal with trace amounts of Dust, they say it makes every slash more powerful" Hellion's words became hurried as she explained, not realising that this particular way of showing her enthusiasm was one she had picked up from Eagle herself
"I love it" the freckled blonde said simply, slashing and stabbing at the air a few more times before sheathing the weapon with a satisfying sound "And I love you"
"I love you too" Hellion whispered as she leaned up to kiss Eagle's lips, tenderly at first though as her calloused hands cupped freckled cheeks both women grew bolder and within moments were panting for breath as the Faunus ran her hands along Eagle's sides, trailing down to the armour of her thighs and simply hoisting her onto a nearby workbench before distractedly attempting to unfasten the armour whilst still teasing the blondes' lower lip between her teeth.
"What if someone comes down here?" Eagle gasped, breaking away from Hellion for a moment
"They won't, they have no reason to" Eagle considered the answer for a moment before deciding that as risky as it was, what she thought was about to happen was something she wanted very much and in response simply unfastened the armour of her arms which allowed her to slide her leather jacket off of her shoulders and brace herself against the workbench. Hellion's response was immediate; her wings lay flat across her back as she hungrily kissed and bit at every inch of Eagle's neck and collarbones she could reach and ran her hands over the blondes' body, cupping her breasts through her hoodie before pulling both it and the t-shirt beneath it up to trail soft kisses along a flat and toned stomach as she busied herself unfastening her girlfriends' belt and removing the armour from her legs before slowly pulling the jeans she wore down and reduced the blonde to whimpering gasps of pleasure with a single slow and deliberate kiss to the inner thigh
"Tell me you want this" Hellion purred "I need to hear you say it" words were utterly outside of Eagle's capabilities at that moment and in a display that surprised even her she ran her hands through Hellion's hair and desperately tried to return her to her previous task with a pleading look; mercifully Hellion took this as the answer she wanted and kissed, nipped and teased along Eagle's thighs until the blonde threw her head back and was forced to lie flat on the bench, no longer able to support her own weight and needing her hands to muffle her moans. She felt her breath catch in her throat as Hellion pushed her underwear aside, a moment of anticipation that was rewarded with sensations that left Eagle writhing in ecstasy as she was teased with fingers lips and tongue until the tension building within her demanded release
"I'm, Hellion I'm gonna-" her words were cut short by a groan of pleasure as her thighs trembled and her back arched off the workbench, her fingers digging into its' surface as stars and colours exploded beneath her screwed shut eyelids. After a few seconds Eagle lay still and Hellion planted gentle kisses on her soft skin as she caught her breath, eventually speaking with a voice that dripped with smugness
"I suppose I don't need to ask if you enjoyed that?" she crowed, a satisfied smirk stretching from ear to ear only to falter when she received no response "Eagle….Eagle?" the Faunus's hands flew to her mouth whilst a giggle that few would have believed could have come from the former raider escaped her as she realised what had happened; Eagle had passed out from the intense stimulation and Hellion took in the sight for a few moments before a thought occurred to her
"Well….getting her back to a dorm, armour and all is going to be challenging"
Authors Notes:
So we're back at Atlas.
And I feel I have to say this after every chapter that gets a little steamy but, this is not smut nor will it ever become smut; I will space these scenes out sparsely when I think they fit.
However Cyberpet shippers….you're welcome.
Not much to say here so let's summarise:
Seriously, hanging around the old drinking spot when you're old enough to just drink legally has none of the appeal from when you were younger….be suspicious of people that do that.
Amethyst definitely gets her fashion sense from Sun.
You don't tell newbies what the initiation entails, it's tradition.
So, Amethyst is obviously gonna see Onyx at Halo….how do you think that's gonna go?
Let Arctus sleep.
Of course Eagle gets Sentinel to pull her suitcase around for her.
And so Team FADE are reunited, if only briefly.
Ether and Ollie spent the whole damn summer toughening up.
Shy flustered Eagle….look at her now, she's come so far.
Considering Team GORE have collectively lost their families I can imagine they all find Helios giving up his position within his tribe effectively leaving the Nikosi for good as especially galling; he had everything they want and just gave it away.
In the argument between Glynda and Neptune they both had valid points, Neptune is right that sending students who were in Atlas and may be traumatised into the Emerald Forest is dangerous, Glynda is also right in pointing out that every single mission the students will ever take is dangerous and potentially lethal….I also imagine the old guard like Goodwitch, Tai and Qrow to be part of a generation that had a "Just get on with it" mentality in regards to mental health, which would explain a lot about the older characters in canon.
The comment about Neptune being a washout was below the belt though.
The new teams are BLAQ, MOSS, GLOW and RAIN.
Remember that Halo uses cards rather than chess pieces.
Nova Violette is the adopted child of Nebula Violette of Team NDGO and her wife; it will probably be mentioned but won't be a plot point, they're also non-binary.
Professor Bronzewing canonically fucks.
If you have a Tumblr account then you've most likely heard of a different Team RAIN before, the user Neopoliitan has their own OCs who star in their own web-comic which I highly recommend reading.
Of course FADE and NEON are both going into the forest, it gives Felix time to finally talk to Helios about whatever it is that's bothering him.
You wanted Oz and Rhodey, you got 'em.
Letting junkies test a batch to make sure it's cut right is a thing that happens….never let your life get so bad that you're the guy being given testers.
Rhodey hasn't given up on his dreams of being the boss of all bosses, the security firm at the end of first year was just the start of the army he's building….which is of course why Oz went to him, he's a replacement supply of grunts now that the White Fang are gone.
Moss's corner, as in Moss of Team MUCK.
Tit for tat attacks are just part of gang culture, because if you let a violation slide once then you're just inviting everyone else to do it.
We know that Oz's 'contact' isn't in jail but Rhodey doesn't need to.
Hope y'all air-raid shippers liked that…..also, it wasn't just for the sake of it; Onyx and Corvid being 'something' will actually help move the plot forward in a couple chapters.
But everyone loves the toe-beans though.
Agrios-Akri = Fierce Edge. It won't be a plot point but for the sake of world building, I'll say that one of the other tribes on Anima has an ancient art of infusing their weapons with a mix of magnetic and gravity Dust that they mine from the mountain they live on, really small amounts but enough to alter the way a sword balances making it really easy to handle and feel lighter than it should.
It's also a really nice sword and Hellion worked hard on it.
Yes, Eagle's first time ended with her orgasming so hard she passed out….because of course it did.
You're welcome shippers.
Thank you to SumoSnipe, Ferrous, Jmiff, Dizzydwarf, Funlander and CanadianCavalier for their reviews on the last chapter.
At this point I don't know if I want to show an honour duel between Yang and Mama Nikos or just let it be a running joke.
I'm giving serious thought to paying comissions of Team FADE Fanart.
I have plans for Felix's prosthetic.
I have delivered Dr. McEvil and Ginger Hat Man.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.