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Chapter 90: Become The Teacher

The first week of classes seemed to have flown by in an instant for First Year students Team RAIN who seemed to have collectively made themselves feel quite at home at the academy, already involving themselves in the social life of the campus; any doubts or concerns Amethyst Wukong may have had upon being named the leader of her team seemingly proven to be unfounded. Such was the Monkey Faunus's state of mind as she made herself comfortable in her seat before the first lesson began on Friday morning began. The first year students had been a little confused when they had arrived at the hybrid of lecture hall and arena in which Nora Ren taught combat classes only to find a handwritten note affixed to the door informing them that today's lesson would be taught in the larger coliseum like training area located to the rear of the campus. Amethyst had already decided on the first day of classes that the diminutive, hammer wielding professor was going to be her favourite teacher for the next few years, partially due to Nora's apparent devil may care attitude and dislike of homework and partly because combat classes were something she had excelled at whilst attending Signal Academy where she had been one of Yang Xiao Long's star students; it was then in her mind almost guaranteed to be a great lesson if Nora had something special planned. This opinion was apparently not shared by everyone, as was made clear as she took a seat beside her partner and made herself comfortable a little closer to him than was strictly necessary.

"Is it just me that thinks it's gonna be a long day if we're starting it with surprises from Nora?" Amethyst half turned in her seat to respond to the speaker, a fellow first year by the name of Moss; she noted that he wasn't precisely unpleasant in appearance, he had a face that could have been attractive were it not for the slightly malnourished quality it had and the way his perpetually narrowed eyes darted around as if expecting an attack at any moment; his physique was tall with a notable amount of muscle which was somewhat wasted by his bad posture, a constant slouch which bordered on hunching over to appear smaller.

"Yeah, it's just you" Amethyst replied with a roll of her mint green eyes "What's the matter, think you're gonna get your ass handed to you….again?" those students near enough to hear the comment collectively sniggered, Amethyst counted the fact that her partner was among them as a small victory. Moss made a sound of annoyance but took care to keep his expression one of calm and aloof smugness

"Oh please, I didn't get my ass handed to me" he replied with a shrug, referencing his sparring match with the leader of Team GLOW on the first day of term "I lost yeah but I didn't get clowned, it's two different things"

"Sure Moss" she snorted, she may have privately agreed with his assessment of the match but that was currently besides the point

"Besides" he continued "I don't really wanna deal with surprises. I've got things to do tonight, I'm heading to a party in Block Twenty Four….wanna come?"

"We've got a load of assignments to work on" Redshank reminded her, turning in his own seat to join the conversation

"Fucking nerd" Moss laughed "Come on Ammi, first Friday as a Halo student and you're gonna spend it doing homework with a teachers' kid, you're better than that….it'll be an experience" Amethyst's face morphed into a scowl, pale green eyes suddenly piercing; Moss had crossed the line between playful banter and outright hostility the moment he had chosen to insult her partner, there was also the matter of the invite to the party; it was no secret that Moss was a relatively small time drug dealer within the hive tower was being held in and that, when combined with his general attitude was enough to tell her exactly what kind of 'experiences' he was hoping to have with her. Her smile was one that somehow managed to be sweet yet utterly predatory at the same time as she delivered her rebuttal

"Or you could hang out with me; you wanna party I'll take you to meet my Aunt, Melanie Malachite….you've heard of her right?" Moss's face paled instantly as he realised that if reputations were to be believed his attempt at flirting could have cost him his life, or certain body parts whose removal he firmly refused to think about. He was freed by the sudden awkwardness by an explosion below, Nora had arrived

"Good morning class!" their professor began, turquoise eyes promising mischief as she spoke, twirling Magnhild in its' grenade launcher form whilst the bubblegum pink mist from the round she'd fired to get their attention dispersed "Well done, you've all completed your first week as Halo students; you should all be proud of yourselves…..but, now I have something special planned for today's lesson. Today one team is going to be serving as an example of just how far you all have to go as Hunters and how fast you need to get there, helping make sure that none of you ever get overconfident in the field where it could cost you. How will that team be doing this you ask?….by getting the crap kicked out of them!" the were a few bursts of laughter around the coliseum like training area which quickly trailed off as it became very clear that the professor wasn't joking

"Besides" Nora added with a bright smile "It's tradition"

"She's enjoying milking this way too much" Arctus noted as Team FADE shared amused glances between themselves as they took in the spectacle that was Nora putting on a show for a captive audience

"Ammi's team" Felix noted as Team RAIN were selected to be the students thrown to the proverbial wolves; the Lion Faunus's face betraying a modicum of concern which was quickly brushed aside as he told himself that things would be fine

"Go time" Diamond noted as it became apparent that the signal Nora would give for them to make their entrance would be coming at any moment; beside her Eagle almost bounced with excitement as she shifted her weight nervously from one foot to the other, it wasn't the match that concerned her but rather the prospect of putting on a convincing performance for the lesson that was an integral part of the Halo Academy experience

"AND THEIR OPPONENTS WILL BE!" Nora's voice carried to where they hid out of view, behind pillars of the coliseum like training area "TEAM FADE!"

"Now" Felix breathed before stepping out into view and marching towards Nora, stopping half a pace behind her and at her right hand side with his team behind him; each of them stood to attention and wearing neutral expressions, trying to radiate silent menace and authority; if the ripple of mutterings that passed through the audience were any indication they had succeeded in their goal.

"They look like they're gonna try running for it" Felix murmured, doing his best to keep a smirk from his face

"Oh please, I remember our first year when Team CLIR stepped out; you looked like you were gonna cry" Diamond countered, to which Felix had no response

"TEAM RAIN!" Nora called up to her students "MAKE YOUR WAY DOWN TO THE ARENA AND CHOOSE YOUR FIRST REPRESENTATIVE!" to their credit they did so, Amethyst leading the way and holding her head high as her team followed her into what would could be considered their first real test since their formation.

"This should be fun" she noted to her fellow patch native with a wink and a confident wink

"For half of us" Felix agreed as he popped his knuckles, Nora stepped away to begin preparing the arena forcefield for use to prevent any injuries to those observing which allowed Amethyst to whisper conspiratorially

"Come on Fluffy, we know each other….you're good but Professor Nora can't really use you to scare me" Team FADE turned to their leader expectantly, utterly refusing to believe that Felix would ever let such a comment stand

"Then pick one of your people" the remains of the Lion Faunus's tail swished from side to side as he squared his shoulders. Amethyst's expression faltered for a moment before she turned to her partner

"Red, wanna go first?"

"Uh, yeah….yeah sure" despite some clear misgivings and uncertainty Redshank Bronzewing stepped into the area and Felix turned to his cousin

"Arctus….make an example" with a silent nod the towering Bear Faunus stepped into the area, rolling his shoulders back and reaching back to grasp the hilt of his weapon; an action that Redshank mimicked.

"Just so you know kid" Arctus muttered "This is bad for everyone, don't take it personally" the first year nodded in understanding and Arctus sized him up whilst tuning out Nora's explanation of the rules of the battle, he'd heard them enough times. Redshank Bronzewing stood at a little under six feet tall if one neglected to include his swept forward Mohawk of deep crimson spiked hair, sheared down to nothing at the back and sides which easily added at least an additional half a foot to his height; he had an athletic and somewhat wiry build and lightly tanned skin and a face that was perhaps just a little too thin, with bright golden brown eyes and a plaster across his nose presumably from an injury he'd sustained during initiation; his outfit consisted of a white t-shirt sporting the blood red and garish logo of a band that Arctus was sure Diamond listened to, a sleeveless tan jacket which featured a plethora of pockets and a cream coloured fur collar, the jacket left his arms bare to display the tattoos that appeared to depict stylised birds on both of his upper arms; ripped black jeans were tucked into heavy brown combat boots with red laces and leather gloves with studded knuckles covered his hands whilst the boys' knees, shoulders and forearms were covered with armour plating that had been hastily painted red if the visible gunmetal where it had flaked and chipped were any indication. Slung over his back was a sword that seemed frankly ridiculous, even when Arctus compared it to his own weapon which incorporated a double barrelled laser cannon; the weapon featured an extended grip suggesting that it may be intended for two-handed use, which also included the trigger and stock of its' ranged form above a wide cross-guard were two blades, the first a somewhat traditional double edged sabre which tapered outwards towards a roughly diamond shaped tip, running alongside the outer edge of the weapon was a curved scimitar blade

"Has that sword ever killed a Grimm is it just for show?" Arctus knew it was a needlessly rude comment but after being taught the art of swordplay by Weiss since he was a child the design irked him on a personal level; before Redshank could reply the forcefield crackled into view around them and Nora's voice boomed out

"BEGIN!" Arctus wasted no time, hurling a glowing and rapidly rotating Glyph towards his opponents' face with one hand whilst drawing Grimmiger-Henker with the other. To Arctus's mild surprise Redshank Bronzewing had remarkable reflexes and managed to draw his own sword from his back and slash the Glyph, reducing it to countless rapidly fading fragments

"Redeemer Scion is definitely not just for show!" he assured the Faunus as he carried his momentum into a downward swing that coincided with the weapons' transformation, the sabre blade folding back along its' side whilst a barrel emerged and the scimitar blade collapsed in on itself to form the pump of the shotgun that Redshank now wielded and wasted no time in firing half a dozen times in quick succession; a small smile crossing his face as the explosive rounds he'd loaded the weapon with reduced his opponents' side of the battlefield to a shower of debris.

"Not bad kid" Redshank's face fell as Arctus marched from the smoke in slow and deliberate steps, a large Glyph hovering above his left forearm like a shield clearly unaffected by the attack "My turn" Redshank barely had time to widen his eyes in stunned disbelief as Arctus retaliated in brutal fashion; an Ursa comprised of solidified light crawling out of the Glyph at his arm before barrelling towards the younger student with a roar. Redshank saw the Grimm construct rush to attack him and began unloading his weapon into its' incorporeal hide, shimmering fragments being blown away to no discernable effect until it had closed the distance and he was forced to aside from monstrous paws and a crushing bite; he was far from done however as rose back to his feet and shot the construct in one of its' rear legs, blowing away a knee which he followed up by shifting Redeemer Scion back into its' sword mode and slashing at the Ursa's gut in a single motion; the construct made to clamp his skull between its' jaws, Redshank spun aside and stabbed blindly over his shoulder; the cheering of his team-mates assuring him that his blade had found its' mark in the summoned Grimms' skull. He then turned his attention back to Arctus just in time to see the older student create a Glyph with a surface of shimmering darkness, fuelled by Gravity Dust which he then proceeded to use as a platform to launch himself forwards. Their swords met with an echoing clang and Redshank was forced back several feet as Arctus bore down on him, seemingly with little effort as he held the younger students' blade in place and pushed him closer and closer towards the edge of the arena and the crackling forcefield that encased it. As the dull buzzing of the forcefield crackled in his ears Redshank let out a slow breath as he made a daring play and simply released his grip on his weapon, allowing it to fall and himself to slip passed Arctus as the Faunus staggered forwards a step, whirling aside he managed to catch his weapon before it hit the ground and let out a primal roar as he made to swing at his opponent; only to be brought to a halt as Arctus caught his wrist and twisted it before pressing the barrels of the now transformed Grimmiger-Henker against his chest and forcing Redshank back against the forcefield before firing.

"Mister Bronzewing's Aura is in the red, match goes to Arctus Slate" Nora's voice seemed distant and the fact that she was working her way through a large tub of popcorn was lost on Redshank as he crawled out of the arena until Arctus pulled him to his feet and handed him over to a now ashen faced Amethyst Wukong whose tail reflexively wrapped around her partners' wrist

"Red? Red, you okay?"

"Chest hurts, can't breathe" he managed to gasp out

"Heat from the laser" Arctus explained "Chest muscles are too tight….he'll be fine, put some Ice Dust on it" the gentle tone did nothing to help calm Amethyst who was torn between panic and an all consuming, fiery rage.

"Ammi" Felix's voice demanded her attention and as she looked up at her childhood friend she found that she didn't recognise him any more and a chill went down her spine as he spoke again, in the same calm and detached tone

"So….who's next?"

The audience of their fellow first years were beginning to mutter restlessly between themselves and Professor Nora was giving their team a questioning look as Amethyst Wukong failed to make a decision as she glanced indecisively from the beaten Redshank to her opposite number on the Third Year team. Seeing this the remaining two members of Team RAIN, partners Iridescence Lustrous and Nova Violette glanced to each other

"Is our esteemed leader is planning on attending to her duties at some point in the foreseeable future?" Iridescence demanded, her desire to appear above such trivialities betrayed by the annoyed edge to her voice which would have made it clear, had she not already done so, that she would be a more suitable candidate for team leader.

"Relax" Nova drawled, their Vaccuan accent enough to make Iridescence's nose wrinkle; Nova paid her no mind and simply stepped forwards whispering in Amethyst's ear as they did so

"I've got next, looks like it's gonna be interesting" they entered the arena and found Diamond Sustrai-Black waiting them "Caught your tournament matches ma'am, can't even say there's any shame in losing if you beat me"

"Depends how bad I beat you, but I thanks for the compliment" Diamond chuckled as she took stock of her opponent. Nova was perhaps an inch taller than Arctus and boasted a well muscled physique though their shoulders were noticeably narrower than the Bear Faunus; with light brown skin and a curly loose afro of striking coppery orange hair. They wore a simple black shirt with several buttons unfastened and what appeared to be a hybrid of waistcoat and bulletproof vest worn over it, light grey pants tucked into black boots that reached up to the calves; over their shirt was a long and billowing pale grey coat with several decorations in shades of orange and purple; the whole thing made Diamond think of some kind of pirate or captain of the seas, the mystique was promptly shattered when they reached into the folds of their coat and produced a pair of short swords, held in place by an ornate and decorated pair of holsters and harness which Diamond snorted upon recognising

"Didn't you lose one of those in the Emerald Forest?" she gestured to the weapons, one of which Nyanza Angora had recovered during their mission.

"Didn't lose it, I knew exactly where I dropped it" Nova beamed in response

"So you have a history of reckless behaviour and bad choices" the sniper dead-panned, blowing strands of her hair away from her eyes and readying Lex Talionis as she spoke. Nora seemed to decide that there had been enough talk and in a booming, yet still distinctly nasal voice she declared the match had started. There was a whooshing of air around Nova which served as Diamond's only warning and allowed her to promptly bury the blade of her glaive in the ground and engage her Semblance, leaping onto the very tip of the blade and balancing as with booming rush, as if something had broken the sound barrier Nova appeared in the space she had occupied with their elbow extended and streaks of incandescent light trailing from their body in a clear attempt to smash into her face.

"Missed" was Diamond's only retort before she leapt from her weapon, tearing it out of the ground and launching herself forwards with a maelstrom of blows and slashes which Nova could only offer a token defence against. After a particular heavy blow across the face which caused their Aura to ripple Nova decided to change tactics, ducking under Diamond's next swing they shifted their short swords, named 'The Rip-tides' into their heavy duty pistol modes and firing, the Gravity Dust rounds currently loaded propelling them straight up into the air where Nova became wreathed in light as air gathered around them in preparation for their Semblance; the First Year had the ability to manipulate the air around them though had thus far never managed to use it with the finesse of his adopted mother Nebula Violette's former team-mate Dew Gayl; who could create whirlwinds at will, Nova merely built air pressure around themselves until they were fired like a cork from a bottle with destructive effects. Releasing their Semblance Nova broke the sound barrier with a dull booming noise as they were launched back towards the ground, a shock wave rippling across the battlefield which they saw with some satisfaction managed to knock Diamond from her feet, though Nova was somewhat disappointed when she managed to stand before them.

"Thanks, that's all I needed to know" Diamond informed them tonelessly as she shifted Lex Talionis into its' Sniper Rifle mode and took aim

"What that I hit like a truck?" Nova joked, before being blasted back several feet and left clutching their chest in pain on the ground, arcs of electricity crackling over their body courtesy of Diamond's Lighting Dust round

"No, I just needed to get an idea of your reflexes" another shot as Nova tried to stand, this one to the leg

"See if you had a Semblance that could counter me" the next shot hit them in the gut

"Once I saw you launch yourself the first time" another shot "I needed to see how long it took you to charge up and recover" Diamond stalked towards them and calmly pressed the barrel of her rifle under their chin

"Tap out and I don't have to shoot you in the head" Nova promptly slapped their palm against the ground three times and Nora declared that Diamond was the victor by default, at which point Diamond's demeanour swiftly changed

"Dude, you good? Sorry about all that but it's tradition y'know"

"Hey it's cool I get it" Nova laughed "The balancing act on your own blade was sweet, we've gotta have a rematch sometime" Diamond found herself smiling as Nova limped out of the arena; deciding that the kid would probably be okay and might just be the kind of dumb that manages to survive.

Amethyst found herself trembling slightly as Iridescence stepped into the arena, her usually aloof features marred by an irritated scowl. The Monkey Faunus may have found the daughter of millionaire socialites hard to deal with in the limited time they had been acquainted, but the fact remained that Iridescence was her team-mate and Amethyst had no desire to watch her receive what would most likely be an utterly one sided beating in front of their peers, yet there seemed to be no way to halt or even dely the inevitable and so she consigned herself to her fate of having to watch, refusing to look away out of respect if nothing else.

Inside the ring Eagle Arc, waved across the arena at Iridescence Lustrous until it became apparent that the younger student had no interest in reciprocating or even acknowledging the gesture; ignoring it as deliberately as she was her team leaders' obvious concern

"Um….are you okay?" Eagle asked gently "It's fine to be nervous, just-"

"I want to get this over as quickly as possible. It's bad enough that I was lumbered with a team of imbeciles, being made a fool of in some primitive ritual for this buffoon of a teachers' amusement is an insult too far" the younger woman's words were snapped out in rapid succession, almost a twisted mirror image of Eagle's signature nervous rambling. Eagle herself scowled at the insult to her honorary Aunt.

"I was going to offer to go easy on you but, if that's how you want to act" she let the implication hang in the air as she drummed her fingers against the pommel of the sword Hellion had crafted for her and sized up her opponent as she did so. Iridescence Lustrous stood at a little less than five and a half feet tall, her size complemented by a slender and petite frame that could have made her seem younger than her age were it not for the make up she wore, dark and bold colours which stood out against her pale skin and highlighted a pair of vibrant aquamarine eyes; what Eagle could see of her hair was a blueish light grey colour with a sheen to it that made it seem like some precious metal and reached down her back to beneath her shoulder blades in a pair of pigtails. Iridescence wore clothes that seemed to have been designed with style in mind rather than functionality in combat, with several necklaces adorned with beads and pearls left visible by a low cut sundress which ended a little above her knees and whose colour could either be described as pale blue or green depending on the lighting, black knee height socks and black gloves that reached back to her elbows with countless jewel encrusted bracelets, bangles and wrings adorning her hands and forearms whilst her shoes were a pair of stylish white flats, Iridescence at least having enough sense to not wear heels into battle. Atop her head was a wide brimmed felt hat of the same colour as her dress, decorated with blue and green bows and Eagle's eyes caught the glint of metal beneath the brim in the morning sun, revealing where Iridescence hid her weapons.

"Oh do save the bravado for a more receptive audience" Iridescence huffed, reaching beneath her hat and unfolding her weapons; a pair of small khopesh swords whose arcing blades reflected every ray of light that struck their brilliant platinum coloured surfaces.

"BEGIN!" Nora's voice barked out, unhindered by a mouthful of popcorn and both women launched themselves forwards; Iridescence flipping her weapons, named the 'Precious Fury' in her hands and shifted them into another of their three modes, the blades repositioning themselves and forming guards for her hands as the pommels broke away, revealing the tightly coiled Atlesian steel wire within; allowing the weapons to function as whips. The Dust filled tips of the weapons ripped through the space Eagle had occupied but hit nothing but empty air, Eagle herself having used her Semblance to draw close to her adversary with an avian shriek; returning to her true form with a flash of Aura and bringing her shield crashing into the side of the first year students' skull with a powerful backhand. Iridescence let out a wordless howl of fury as she launched into a series of wide sweeping attacks with her whips which, while Eagle managed to avoid easily with the use of her Semblance, succeeded in creating some distance between them before she retracted the lashing weapons and combined them into their third form, the handles rotating at the blades and connecting to create a single, circular bladed projectile which she proceeded to hurl at the older student, the Gravity Dust within propelling it to incredible velocity.

"You just saw Arctus's Glyphs!" Eagle exclaimed as she used the flat of her shield to deflect the attack, the circular blade ricocheting off of the forcefield and back towards its' owner, who caught it deftly

"Like literally only a few minutes ago; did you think I've never sparred with my team-mate?" Eagle continued, not wanting to seem as though she was bullying the girl but inescapably baffled nonetheless. Iridescence simply returned her weapon to its' paired sword form and rushed forwards; only to find herself outmatched by Eagle who found the close quarters exchange so devoid of challenge that it was almost saddening, the first year was clearly trying so hard to restore her teams' shattered pride and it simply wasn't going to be enough.

"Okay, that's enough" Eagle sighed as she parried Iridescence's latest attack and used her own far greater size and muscle mass to all but hurl her aside. The blonde had decided that she couldn't in good conscience let this farce continue any longer

"Sentinel" she spoke softly to her droid as she deposited her shield "Let's make this quick" she was treated to the sight of Iridescence's expression cycling from scornful to shock and blind panic as the automaton unfolded itself with a series of chirpy and enthusiastic bleeps, the compact mini-gun mounted on the droids' shoulder homing in on the first year. Eagle pursed her lips and decided that since Team FADE had been specifically instructed to make an example of their opponents there was no reason not to make her displeasure at the girls' comment regarding Nora known.

"Sentinel use Ice Dust rounds, fire at will"

Felix stepped into the arena, Amethyst following suit across the arena with a petrified expression on her face; the sight of Iridescence's frozen body needing to be rapidly thawed out by Nora before any permanent damaged could be done, followed by the first year being promptly sent to receive medical attention had shaken the Monkey Faunus to her core in a way that even Redshank and Nova's losses had failed to, the fact it had been delivered by such a warm and likeable Huntress making it worse in some hard to define way.

"You good?" Felix asked with genuine concern "We're still friends after this right?" the Lion Faunus had concerns of his own which had been steadily clawing their way forwards from the back of his mind as the exhibition matches between the first years and his own team progressed; stomach tightening each time the scent of ionised air reached his nostrils with the activation of the forcefield. His friendship with Amethyst, he was ashamed to admit, less of a priority than it could have been but it was something he could control to an extent.

"Yeah, yeah we're good" she assured him as she exhaled slowly and bounced on the balls of her feet; Felix's own discomfort with the situation evidently lessening the fearsome presence Team FADE had been projecting since their arrival.

"READY YOUR WEAPONS!" Nora instructed and the two students readily complied, Hack and Slash finding their way to Felix's hands in an instant; the Lion Faunus twirling the blades several times in a display of nervous agitation. Amethyst's weapons were already in place and were brought to life as she bumped the knuckles of both fists against each other in a display that she had subconsciously learned from her previous combat instructor, Yang Xiao Long; she wielded a pair of gauntlets known as the 'Gemini Kong' their glossy black surfaces reaching back to her elbows as they formed rough cylinders around her forearms with a rotating outer cylinder fitted over them, each gauntlet sporting several chambers filled with Dust whilst a thick plate of a silver coloured metal slid over the knuckles of each fist

"Did Mum give you a better grade when she saw that design?" Felix taunted playfully; whatever retort Amethyst replied with went unheard as the sound and smell of the forcefield assaulted his senses once more, closer this time and Felix found his deep blue eyes widening uncontrollably as the flickering and rippling dome of light formed; his hands falling to his sides limp as his breaths quickened and he desperately told himself that everything was fine.

The first blow struck Felix and the immediate spike in heart rate and cold sweat that accompanied forced him to concede that he was far from fine as he staggered away from the perimeter of the arena, having been knocked back several paces and had the air forced from his lungs by a blow he had been too distracted to see coming

"Wakey wakey" Amethyst teased, seemingly unaware of her old friends' sudden panic as she launched another attack, this time however Felix saw what it was and discovered the nature of her Semblance; in an interesting variation of her fathers' abilities Amethyst could conjure a single copy of herself comprised of deep purple Aura, that copy while quick to fade away and lacking any real ability to act independently, was capable of delivering a single devastating blow from a considerable distance at blinding speed, as Felix learned when he failed to side step in time and found himself reeling from a punch in the mouth. A growl escaped him as he shifted Hack and Slash into their machine pistol forms and simply unloaded Fire Dust rounds into the entire half of the arena that Amethyst had occupied and swiftly absorbed the heat of the flames to fuel his own Semblance, the younger Faunus displaying why she had been one of Yang Xiao Long's star students when she used Gravity Dust stored within her gauntlets to launch herself above the salvo, striking the ground and being sent in a wide arc overhead before coming crashing down in a two handed blow that sent cracks along the floor and whose booming impact echoed throughout the arena; Felix rolled aside and launched himself wildly into close quarters combat, landing a series of heavy blows and vicious slashes in quick succession which forced Amethyst to give more and more ground until, in a display of quick thinking the younger Faunus chambered Lightning Dust in both of her Gauntlets and simply struck the blades of Felix's swords. Her counter attack started the moment he dropped his weapons in surprise, her Semblance delivering a punishing heel kick to his chest which sent him sliding back several feet followed by her using the Gravity Dust now loaded in her left gauntlet to accelerate a spinning backhand to lethal velocity and a right hook from a fist that was wreathed in flames.

Time stood still and despite the cheers of her classmates Amethyst's blood ran cold and she knew that she'd made a mistake; Felix's transition into his Balrog state was not its' usual somewhat gradual affair and seemed to happen instantly instead of taking a few moments. One second she was standing over a recoiling opponent, the next she was staggering back blinded by pain as Felix's skull collided with hers and then a moment later she felt her feet leave the ground and a crushing grip tighten around her throat

"Okay, you win" she croaked out, Felix's only response was primal snarling as he maintained his grip around her neck "Felix, Fluffy please" something seemed to breach the fog of rage and desperation clouding Felix's mind and his eyes seemed to revert to their natural colour before the rest of his blazing body returned to normal. Forcing himself to stand despite the coughing fit and wave of exhaustion that plagued him he swiftly made his way to where Nora had been watching events unfold, her hand on Magnhild in case things got out of control

"Get me out of here!" he demanded, voice trembling "I forfeit, drop this forcefield and let me the fuck out of here right now!" the professor complied and before she could question her student as to what exactly was wrong Felix had bolted, all but fleeing the outdoor training area and returning to the campus, leaving the rest of Team FADE in his wake trying to piece together what had just happened.

It was a subdued and introspective Amethyst that made her way out of Halo Academies' main entrance early that evening, the news of the losses her team had taken spreading all the faster due to the conclusion of her own fight against Felix and the pitying looks she had been subjected to for the remainder of the day had enough to drive the young woman from the gravity defying campus. Iridescence had been confined to the medical wing for the remainder of the day after being frozen solid by Eagle Arc and despite how difficult and abrasive she could be each of her team-mates had offered to stay with her; eventually Nova had promised Amethyst and Redshank that they would ensure Iridescence knew they had made the offer and convinced them both to go and get some fresh air that they clearly desperately needed. Amethyst had at first decided against leaving the academy, instead badgering older students until someone told her where she could find the third year students' dormitories at which point she had deduced, through a process of elimination which dorm belonged to Team FADE, only for her efforts to be for naught when Felix wasn't there; nor was he in the library or the canteen and after searching the campus for a while her partner had finally convinced her to wait until tomorrow, arguing that a bit of time to process what had happened would be better for everyone.

"You okay?" Redshank intruded on her thoughts with a murmur, his voice still raw and chest still stinging with every movement courtesy of Arctus Slate.

"I will be" she assured him, a genuine smile tugging at the corners of her lips before the urge to fake one could even fully form. She wrapped her tail loosely around his wrist as they made their way towards the airship terminals at a comfortable pace; she liked her partner a lot although whether he was someone she could see her self dating and forming a romantic relationship with or just regard as a friend with an admittedly very attractive face remained to be seen, they had only known each other a week after all, hence both of them were privately adamant that the two of them spending their first Friday night as students of Halo Academy alone together did not qualify as a date.

"So if we get the next airship we've probably got time to grab some food before the movie starts?" Redshank offered "Normally I'd say Mistrali but I'm already kinda spicy on the outside" Amethyst laughed softly as he indicated to his chest

"I mean my Aunt Mel owns a lot of the businesses my Great Uncle Hei had to get rid of when he became a member of the council; there's a few places we can eat for free at" she gave him a mischievous wink with the offer

"Your Aunt Mel….As in Melanie Malachite?" his apprehension was plain to see and Amethyst found herself smiling again; despite how streetwise and rough around the edges one might assume Redshank Bronzewing to be based on his appearance, the boy had a surprising lack of experience with many things that teenagers and young adults often experienced and experimented with; she frankly found his openness about his own innocence far more charming and enjoyable than, for instance the advances of a small time drug dealer like Moss, whose party she hadn't given a second thought.

"Don't worry it's not like Aunt Mel serves up what's left of people who snitched on her to get rid of evidence….there's a pig farm outside the city for that" she watched his eyes bulge for a moment before bursting out laughing "I'm kidding! Oh my Oum you're adorable"

"Um thanks" Redshank's cheeks slowly turned the same rosy colour as the shortest parts of his deep scarlet hair where it had been sheared almost to nothing; quickly overcoming the awkwardness he added "So what's it like having a family that's just everywhere? I mean you live in a bar, your Dad's a Hunter, your Great Uncle is on the council….I mean my Dad's a teacher but he never really brings his work home with him y'know"

"It's not crazy like you're probably thinking" she assured him "I'm not a local celebrity or anything, I just kinda know everyone….like that guy over there, used to be on the island every summer since her parents split up; the girl with the glasses over there lived a few streets away- Oh is that Corey?"

"Corey?" Redshank asked, perplexed. The two of them had finally reached the airship terminal where the sight of young woman in a flight suit stood beside a towering behemoth of a Faunus had clearly excited Amethyst

"Felix's sister, biggest bad-ass on Patch, you've gotta meet her" Amethyst informed him eagerly "Who's that she's-" her words came to a sudden halt and she stood frozen in place with her eyes wide
"Ammi?" Redshank asked, Amethyst paid no attention; her focus utterly consumed by the Puma Faunus with tribal tattoos adorning his forearms and a monstrous double bladed axe slung across his back. She instantly recognised the man responsible for the scar above her eye, the man who had hurled a pint glass into her face in order to start a bar fight two years ago; she had seen Onyx Ursabane and learned his name whilst watching the Vytal Tournament and had privately promised herself that she would have her retribution when she saw him in person.

Now that the time had come she saw nothing but red and wasn't even consciously aware of sprinting towards him; a war cry and bellowed challenge alerting Onyx to her presence a moment before she leapt into the air and brought her knee crashing into his chest and her fist slamming into his cheek. Her weapons had been left in her dorm and in her fury all thoughts of strategy and caution were abandoned, after a few more wild swings and kicks Amethyst found herself paying for her recklessness as Onyx simply reached out and grabbed her tail, pulling forward and down with one hand while driving the elbow of the other arm squarely into her chin.

"ONYX STOP!" Corvid interceded, placing herself between the evidently furious and slightly bloodied Faunus and Amethyst who quickly scrabbled back to her feet and spat out a mouthful of blood before making to lunge at Onyx again

"No" Corvid said simply, placing a hand high on the Monkey Faunus's chest; just below the collarbones and high enough to become strangulation at a moments' notice.

"DO YOU KNOW WHO THIS GUY IS?" Amethyst demanded "HE BROKE A GLASS ON-"

"I DON'T CARE!" Corvid's assertion, delivered with firm finality was enough to stun Amethyst

"I don't care" she repeated "You're not gonna jump him in front of me and expect me to be cool with it. If there's a problem you can explain it to Professor Nora and organise a sparring match"

"But-"

"You're not hearing me" Corvid's tone grew dangerous, whilst behind her Onyx bristled in anticipation of another fight "This isn't happening. Now go" her protest died on the tip of her tongue as she felt Redshank's hand gently close around hers as he pulled her away from a pair of people that he knew they would be utterly unable to defend themselves from and a situation that would not end well. Amethyst turned and delivered a parting comment and while it went ignored by the older students the seething rage etched into her face made it clear that she was serious

"THIS ISN'T OVER! WATCH YOUR BACKS, BOTH OF YOU!"

Felix had missed classes for the rest of the day; having hidden himself away in his dormitory for several hours immediately following the incident in the arena and answered no attempts from his friends and team-mates to communicate with him except for with a single text message stating that he would be fine. He had failed to convince even himself with the lie and as a result, when he had steadied himself enough to do so he made his way to student counsellor Neptune David-Vasilias for an unscheduled appointment. The blue haired therapist had mercifully been available at the time and had been as welcoming and eager to help as always; after a long and frank discussion Neptune had stated an opinion so obvious that Felix felt a fool for not considering it sooner; he was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and one of its' manifestations was general claustrophobia, or more specifically a fear of being trapped inside of a forcefield. Neptune had asked for Felix's permission to share this information with Nora so that she could adjust her lessons accordingly, which the Lion Faunus had gratefully given, having no desire to be placed in another situation like the one he had fund himself in.

Currently Felix sat on the roof of Halo Academy above his dorm, musing to himself that he had truly missed this relatively secluded part of the campus that none of the limited nooks and crannies to be found within Atlas Academies' pristine and minimalist campus had compared to.

He found his much needed time to relax just as the sun began to dip below the horizon as a few feet away from where Felix lay, earphones drowning out his surroundings, a viscous black liquid that rippled as it moved began to ooze itself from between the slates of the roof. Felix caught sight of this and once his initial surprise had subsided removed his earphones and paused the current song on his Scroll whilst raising an eyebrow

"I'm not even gonna question the mechanics of that….but, how many peoples' dorms did you just pass through?" he asked

"Enough to question how the Kingdoms haven't been laid low by plague" Carcharodon Gore answered once the liquid state that his Semblance allowed him to take and risen and reshaped itself, solidifying into the tall and imposing Shark Faunus who promptly lowered the hood of his ragged black cloak, revealing his tattooed and grey-tinged skin, rows of sharp teeth and emotionless eyes. Felix regarded him for a moment before taking a guess at why Carcharodon was here

"If you're looking for Hellion-"

"She's with your partner….and I believe Onyx is with your sister"

"Oum damn it Corey" was the only response Felix could muster to that revelation, delivered in a resigned sigh

"I came to speak with you" Carcharodon rasped out, despite the natural harshness of his voice there seemed to be no ill intent behind the statement; which only left Felix more confused

"What's up?"

"There is a rumour that you broke in battle and fled from a first year-"

"You wanna make something of it?" Felix snarled as he sprung to his feet "I've knocked your ass out before and-"

"I mean no offence" Carcharodon assured him, hands held out in a rare apologetic gesture "After Atlas your team are allies, if not exactly friends"

"So what then?" any witty or sarcastic comments about Eagle and Hellion not exactly being friends that Felix could have made going unsaid as he continued to watch the former raider warily

"There is a man here who helps those whose resolve has broken yes? You speak with him?" a low growl escaped Felix at Carcharodon's choice of words; the Shark Faunus displaying the exact kind of thinking that he had been worried would cause a rift between himself and Helios.

"My people speak more plainly than yours" Carcharodon rasped as he noted Felix's clear irritation "Bodies scar, why should minds be any different-"

"Is this going somewhere?" Felix demanded, his patience wearing thin

"Tell me; this….Counsellor" Carcharodon seemed unused to the word, which Felix realised was probably accurate "Would they be able to heal my people? I worry that all of us are injured in ways we can't see after running and fighting for so long"

"Wait" Felix spoke slowly, making sure he understood correctly "You're asking me about therapy and counselling because you think you might need help?" Carcharodon grimaced, apparently still not entirely comfortable with the notion of requiring or accepting help from outsiders, Hunters and their allies especially so

"In essence yes" he finally hissed out

"Yeah man, go for a chat with Neptune….I can point you to his office but this is something your team have to decide for themselves, you can't order them to do this" Felix forced himself to be serious; accepting that this was neither the time or the place to make jokes about the fact that Raffia Dirge was obviously unhinged in some way, regardless of how funny it would be. This feat apparently required enough focus and mental discipline to leave Felix unaware of his surrounding as he didn't realise that Helios had joined them on the roof until Carcharodon bared his teeth at the sight of him

"Bandit" Helios greeted the Shark Faunus coldly as he subtly placed his body between Carcharodon and Felix

"Deserter" he snarled back, the word dripping with contempt

"Car you've got what you came here for, fuck off" Felix snapped; whatever uneasy tolerance he had for his classmate would not extend to allowing him to insult Helios. With a final disparaging shake of the head Carcharodon activated his Semblance and sank through the minute gaps in the roof, his liquid form presumably seeping through the walls and back into the academy

"What did he want?" Helios asked, his tone making it clear that the question was only due to curiosity and not suspicion

"He wanted to ask about Counsellor Vasilias" Felix explained "Sorry I can't really say any more than that, it's not my place to"

"I understand" Helios nodded as he sat and gestured for Felix to do the same "Which reminds me of why I came looking for you….I heard about your exhibition match" a long and theatrical groan escaped Felix at this and whilst Helios chuckled in amusement the Faunus sensed that his boyfriend was waiting for some kind of explanation

"I freaked out" he finally sighed, deciding that there would be no secrets "That forcefield came up around me and suddenly I was back in Atlas" there was a moment of heavy silence before Helios gently wrapped an arm around the smaller mans' shoulders and pulled him close

"Some battles don't end Fluffy, there's no shame in the fact that you're still fighting part of it" Felix made to kiss his boyfriends' cheek but found himself pausing, more than a little impressed and shocked by Helios's way with words

"I was raised to be a leader Felix" Helios reminded him with a grin, evidently guessing what the blonde was thinking "And nightmares after battles are not uncommon for the Nikosi….it's why are brews are as strong as they are" the casual admission spoke volumes and prompted Felix to nuzzle into him a little closer.

"I was thinking" he breathed out as he made himself comfortable "I'm gonna head back to Patch for the weekend and clear my head a little….how about you come and meet my Mum; Yang's been dying to meet you since Blake told her about you" Helios leaned down and kissed Felix's forehead, positively radiating happiness as he did so.

"I would be honoured"

Authors Notes:

And so, the students became the teacher; this chapter was a callback to Team FADE vs Team CLIR in Vol.1 (Which was in turn also a callback to Team RWBY vs Team GRAP in The Downward Spiral)
This chapter also subtly lines up some pieces for the conflict of the volume in a way which will become more apparent next chapter.
Other than that, not much to talk about.
But I did make a Discord Server for anyone with RWBY OCS, I can't post links here but message me if you want an invite.

Anyway let's summarise:
Okay I'll clear this up here; Amethyst is the leader of Team RAIN and not Redshank despite naming convention for no reason other than the fact I forgot; that being said I'll be correcting my mistake without having to retcon anything.
Rhodium's worker Moss keeps cropping up, it's not for no reason.
Losing and getting beaten are definitely two different things.
It was at that moment, Moss knew he'd fucked up.
Surely you knew exactly where I was going with this from a mile away?
Felix isn't being a dick here, well he is but it's something that was specifically requested by Nora….remember these matches are specifically supposed to be overkill.
Redshank's weapon is based on something from one the Japanese Transformers' series; one of the swords that one of the components of Road-Caesar uses.
Seriously Arctus hates badly made swords and the people who use them.
Redshank literally did not land a single hit on Arctus.
Iridescence Lustrous is basically Vol.1 Weiss levels of bitchy.
Told you that sword Nyanza found would turn up again.
Bottle rocket Semblance….but hey, Dew Gayl was shown to be an Airship commander in New Vale's defence force in First Year; so Nova can probably learn how to use their Semblance more effectively from her.
Diamond was ruthless in that match, played Nova for a fool the whole time.
People think Eagle is a cinnamon roll, but she can legit go nuts and kick asses.
I liked the idea of Iridescence looking like a "Prim and proper young lady" and having the snooty attitude to go with it but then having really primal and nasty weapons to juxtapose against it.
The saw blade move was dumb though, as Eagle said she'd just seen one of Team FADE use something similar.
Yes, Eagle literally had Sentinel freeze her solid and encase her in ice.
Amethyst's weapons are a basically a mix of Ember Celica, Myrtenaster and Sun's arm guards.
Her Semblance is also related to Sun's but the way I imagine it looking in my head is kinda like Johnny Cage from Mortal Kombat using his special moves.
Say what you want, Amethyst can brawl.
Yeah, Felix definitely has PTSD and is definitely triggered by forcefields after Atlas.
There's a pair of hopelessly adorable dorks in every batch of students; Amethyst and Redshank are that pair this year.
You knew that Amethyst and Onyx had to run into each other at some point and the fact Corvid was there was probably all that stopped Onyx from dangling her over the edge of the campus.
Of course Amethyst starting a vendetta against Corvid of all people is going to have consequences.
Well on the bright side Felix is making sure he gets the help he needs.
Sarcastic and deadpan Felix is something I should write more of; initially when I began planning this story out he was supposed to have a lot more back and forth with Diamond but writing it in always felt like it interrupted the flow of the chapter at the time.
Yes, Carcharodon is genuinely considering having Team GORE go to therapy; that's progress.
And have some Battle-Cat to end on, I feel like treating you.

Thank you to SumoSnipe, iSassenach, CanadianCavalier and one unnamed guest for their reviews on the last chapter.
Would Nora kill a Sloth Grimm or just try to tame it though?
I leave Goose Grimm to you, have fun with the monsters you've created.
Not resurrection….and not Cinder.
"Project Lingerie" would be a very different story….although with the way RWBY fans are, I'm not certain that it doesn't exist.
Only Battle-Cat and Nyanza? So what you're saying is everyone else is fair game?

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