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Chapter 93: Ungentlemanly Warfare

Team FADE were among the minority of third students, truthfully only themselves and Team PSTL who had elected to study an advanced subject described as 'Unconventional tactics and ungentlemanly warfare' this decision had put them at the mercy of the rarely seen or discussed outside of hushed whispers Professor Jasper Cimmerian. The third years, prior to their introduction to their new teacher had collectively formed a mental image of the professor based on what little information they had, something of a combination of Professor Nora and the former professor who had wrote their Grimm Studies textbook and occasionally gave lectures during Professor Ren's history classes, Peter Port. They had been proven terrifyingly wrong when, during their first lesson Professor Cimmerian had surreptitiously sealed and begun filling the room with gas to both gauge their reactions and hopefully instil a sense of constant vigilance in her charges. Professor Jasper Cimmerian herself was an imposing woman, standing at over six feet tall with a broad shouldered and athletic build that the fact her entire right arm had been replaced with a cybernetic limb whose stripped down armour gave it a skeletal appearance only seemed to enhance, messy locks of greying hair the colour of cigarette smoke fell around a face whose pale complexion only served to highlight the horrific scarring that marred it and whilst her left eye had been replaced with an unblinking cybernetic whose pale cyan light had been purposefully dulled, her right eye was a vivid electric blue that roamed about her classroom as she sternly and silently ensured that her lesson was being given the attention it warranted; only to swiftly turn towards Felix Xiao Long who currently stood beside her at the head of the class when a buzzing sound filled the room, a hiss of slight pain and annoyance escaping the Lion Faunus as an electric shock passed through his body

"Were this the real world that shock would be strong enough to incapacitate or kill you depending on the model….there are also models that are fitted with an explosive to deter tampering"

"I know" Felix ground out as his teacher removed the slightly modified Aura Dampening collar that he had been attempting to disarm from his neck, holding it up for her students to see as she reiterated the principles and methodology of escaping such a device safely. Felix folded his arms across his chest and slouched in a gesture that both Blake and Yang would have described as sulking if they had been present to see it, determined to achieve the required level of finesse he waited at the front of the class with as much patience as he could muster whilst the lesson was interrupted by a question by the Skunk Faunus Pepe Le-Puce, leader of Team PSTL who raised his hand bashfully after realising that he'd simply voiced his concerns for all to hear

"Okay but is it actually legal for you to be teaching us this? These collars are what the police use"

"That is correct" Professor Cimmerian answered calmly, dispelling the sudden hushed tension that had fallen over the classroom with the question. "Practically this is an invaluable skill to learn for any Hunter or law enforcement official; even those of you who intend to specialise solely in facing the creatures of Grimm. Just because you do not seek trouble out does not mean you will fail to find it and I can assure you that any weapon or tool that the police have can and will be used by criminals….as to the legality, this is one of those matters where Hunters exist within a grey area of the law" the answer was in some ways more chilling than the Professor telling them she had simply ignored the law would have been but Felix pushed his concerns aside and returned to the task at hand

"Mind if I take another shot at it?"

"We have a few minutes of class remaining" the professor noted as she returned the collar "If you're sure" a concerned expression forming on her heavily scarred face as she silently conveyed a question that Felix managed to answer equally silently. Professor Cimmerian had approached Felix following the first lesson of the year in an attempt to make sure that he was mentally prepared for a syllabus that would tackle several subjects many people found hard to stomach. Felix took a slow deep breath and took up the small metal tool he had been provided, no larger than a car key and began trying to prise open part of the collar; another electric shock passing through his body a moment later as he tripped a fail-safe of some kind

"Oum damn it" he grumbled before addressing the professor "Mind if I borrow this? It's gonna bother me until I get it right"

"Just be sure to return it" Professor Cimmerian answered, her words being immediately followed by the bell that signalled the end of the class. Felix swiftly made for the exit along with the other students, catching the book bag that Arctus threw at him

"You have an assignment!" Professor Cimmerian barked, effectively halting the class in its' entirety "Following our discussion on today I want each of you to write a thesis on the most effective lethal and non-lethal methods of evading and escaping capture, including possible countermeasures you would take against your own plans. I expect a first draft within two weeks"

"Oum they are just not letting up this year" Diamond grumbled as Team FADE left the classroom

"We'll be fine" Arctus shrugged, the ludicrously high standards he'd been help to at the private school he'd attended in Atlas having prepared him for a larger workload

"I don't like that she's asking us specifically for plans that involve killing people" Felix admitted "It just feels wrong"

"Right?" Eagle agreed enthusiastically "We're Hunters, not murderers"

"What happens in battle is one thing, pre-meditating it like this is definitely different" Arctus added, the hypothetical situation alone irking him

"Just 'cos we don't like it doesn't mean we won't have to at some point" Diamond sighed, nodding towards Felix's tail "Some people can't be reasoned with….what if the Fang had decided they wanted you as a prisoner-"

"And we're just gonna cut that conversation off right there" Felix snapped, irritable at the mere mention of his tail

"Felix, y'know if you wanted I could talk to my Mum about making a-"

"Eagle, please….just drop it" the conversation petered out at that point, a slight awkwardness forming as they made their way towards their next lesson which only ended when they saw that Team NEON were in the corridor seemingly waiting for them

"We've got news" Nyanza informed them, speaking before Helios got a chance; the bushy tailed feline wore an unusually serious expression

"Yeah" Ether breathed out before looking Felix in the eye "It took a couple weeks but we've been asking around….pretty sure we know how to get to Torchwick"

Gangrel Slate had barely slept in days, his head pounded and his eyes burned; truthfully he was kept awake and functional primarily by a mixture of caffeine, willpower and the faint irritation where his Cybernetic right arm met his flesh, the replaced and upgraded prosthetic having a different texture to its' predecessor that he was still unused to. After an amount of time that the greying Bear Faunus thought better than to keep track of he was distracted from his monumental workload by the presence of someone outside his office aboard the Gespenst, the ship itself lurking cloaked in Atlesian airspace.

"Enter" Gangrel said simply, the voice activated locks sealing the door being released allowing the guest, whom the head of the Specialist Branch had been expecting, to step inside

"Commander Slate" Fleet Commander Matte Skye intoned with a curt nod as the door closed with a whooshing hiss behind them.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Gangrel asked in a tired growl, privately being all but certain of the topic of the upcoming discussion. There were very few projects so secretive that Matte would seek to board the Gespenst and discuss the matter face to face within its' well protected confines rather than simply contact him from their own vessel.

"Project Snare" Matte confirmed his suspicions "My people haven't been able to locate the target"

"Did you recover-"

"The wreckage? Yes….and what was left of the bodies"

"I've read the reports" Gangrel admitted, not needing to explain how he had managed to do so as Matte understood that the Faunus's position meant that nothing was a secret from him "I've got serious concerns about this whole operation"

"You mean besides a seemingly sentient, or at least intelligent Grimm?"

"Yes" Gangrel answered bluntly, wiping the wry smile from Matte's face in an instant

"Go on"

"Ozymandias Eldritch is still at large. He worked on Project Snare and it would stupid to pretend that Project Legacy going rogue isn't connected to his break in at the Toy-Box….Project Snare failing is connected, I can't see how Matte but I'm going to advise Winter to shelve the project until Eldritch is dealt with. Something's going on and we're not seeing it"

"Winter won't pause the project without a solid reason" Matte warned

"I know, but I'm gonna do my job and tell her anyway"

"On the bright side at least the White Fang are dealt with; whatever Eldritch is planning he doesn't have their support" Gangrel made a noise of agreement; personally he had been taking a great, if bitter satisfaction in watching those White Fang members who had survived the attack on the Vytal Tournament be tried and sentenced to either life in prison or death. He had been sure to keep Celeste Lupus, who still resided in the bowels of the Gespenst informed of the proceeding trials

"Thank Oum none of the students had to testify in court; no sense in putting them through more trouble"

"Do I have your help?" Matte asked, determined to get the conversation back on track "You know Vale better than I do and have resources more suited to this" Gangrel buried his face in his hands and rubbed his tired eyes for a moment before relenting, realising that in truth if General Winter Schnee wished to stay the course then he had no choice in the matter

"I looked at the ships' logs and judging by the co-ordinates and the time of the incident, the Krankes-Shicksal was here when Project Snare was jettisoned" as Gangrel spoke he produced a mp of the continent of Vytal with both New Vale and Vaccuan territories being detailed, indicating to where he believed the events to have taken place he waited for Matte to confirm before continuing

"Very close to the Jagged Mountains. If the target survived at all and it went North, over the mountain, then it's gone….Hunters occasionally tag large targets for air-strikes but beyond that everything north of the mountains is a wasteland and we could search for years without finding anything"

"Winter isn't going to like that"

"I know….if it goes any other direction though, we might just have a chance" Gangrel saw curiosity and hope light up Matte's face; even after so many years they were eager to please wherever Winter was concerned "There's a group of military installations called 'The Front Line' that exist to form a buffer zone between Vale's outer settlements and no mans' land….obviously some Grimm will always slip through but it's better than nothing"

"And you think that our target might attack these installations?"

"It's possible" Gangrel noted "But it's more likely that we'll have to find it. I have contacts in New Vale that I can use to scout the area and report back to you if they find anything"

"Excellent" Matte beamed "I'll have the Baba-Jaegers prepped and their pilots on stand-by….I'm not sacrificing any more soldiers or Hunters to capture this thing"

"I'll keep you posted" Gangrel assured her, which Matte took as their cue to leave. As they did so the Bear Faunus slumped in his seat and allowed himself a brief moments pause, privately wondering just how he was going to explain the situation to Artemis. His old team-mate was after all, one half of the best search and recovery team in Vale.

"Will you stop playing with that thing, we're studying" Diamond huffed in annoyance, blowing strands of hair from her eyes as she spoke. Felix rolled his eyes before finally complying and setting down the Aura dampening collar that he'd been distractedly fiddling with all afternoon since lessons had finished for the day. Three quarters of Team FADE were currently studying the library in a departure from custom, the amount of different assignments and the resources they would need to complete them having made working in their dormitory impractical. Felix was supposedly making a start on the paper that Professor Cimmerian had assigned them earlier that day, but was yet to make any real headway with it however; his mind still racing with the information that Nyanza and Ether had uncovered. Felix was not superstitious but the Aura dampening collar that he had asked to borrow from his professor now felt as if it were an omen of sorts, a clear sign that he would be bringing Rhodium Torchwick to justice soon.

"Hey" as if summoned by his thoughts Olivine DeGrasse announced her presence, Helios moved from beside her and slipped into an empty seat beside Felix

"Where're-"

"They had to go back into the city, they've gotta keep up appearances" Olivine snorted, guessing what question Diamond was about to ask before following up with one of her own "Where's Eagle"

"Helping Team GORE….well Hellion specifically with their assignments"

"So we're definitely doing this then?" Felix asked in a hushed but urgent whisper, clearly agitated and both worried and excited in equal measure at what the following evening would bring.

"Ether's in so I'm in" Olivine nodded as she toyed with her dreadlocks idly "The barmaid that Ether and Nyanza were talking to said that her baby brothers' gonna be part of a crew taking drugs out to Resurgence; it's a pretty nice settlement that was built after the war-"

"Middle class kids playing with drugs….police are gonna show up in seconds if we do anything there" Diamond noted

"We can't blow up another factory either" Arctus pointed out

"We've stopped a drug shipment before" Felix reminded his team-mates "We'll do it again. We know the route, we know when they're leaving so all we've gotta do is find somewhere quiet we can cut 'em off"

"And then what?" Diamond asked "Torchwick isn't paying small time any more, he won't deliver anything in person"

"Then we make him show up in person" Felix snarled "If we've got his drugs and his people then he'll come….Let the police know we've got him and they'll show up even faster"

"Fluffy" Helios's tone was shocked, almost aghast as peered at his boyfriend intently "You sound like Team GORE….you sound like a raider"

"What?" Felix demanded, utterly stunned at the accusation "I'm just doing what's gotta be done….If we don't take Torchwick off the street then people are gonna keep taking his drugs and getting hurt or killed, the shootings between his crew and Malachite's are gonna go on and people are gonna get killed in the crossfire"

"I know that and I understand that Torchwick has broken more of the Kingdoms' laws than I care to count" Helios assured him "But what we're discussing here is taking hostages….I'm just asking you to be careful about what you justify to yourself Felix"

"Thanks" Felix murmured, still reeling with uncertainty as he was forced to look at his plans in a new light

"We do this one and that's it" Diamond interjected firmly "We hit Torchwick and hand him over to the police and then we stay the hell out of this gang shit"

"Agreed" Arctus nodded

"You're with me on this right?" Felix asked Helios, the taller man resting his forehead against his

"Always"

"Then we hit Torchwick's drug shipment tomorrow night and use it to draw him out into the open"

"After that I think you should take some time to rest" Helios noted pointedly "Felix, we spend every day together. Third Year students will be getting the mission briefings to choose our own mission very soon and I haven't heard you mention it once….you're not yourself"

"Shit" Felix muttered "You're right….you're right Heely it's just with classes, and Ammi, the letters and Corvid….not sleeping as much after Atlas….fuck I'm a mess"

"I have money" Helios noted as he pulled Felix close to him, forgetting that there were others' present for a moment "My people trade with Mistral and my mother gave me….a considerable amount of Lien when I left. This weekend I'm going to take you somewhere where we can relax, just the two of us"

"I, um….yeah….that would actually be great" Felix mumbled, fully aware of his cheeks flushing scarlet but utterly unable to prevent it "Mind if we stop off at Patch on Friday night or just on the way though? I need to talk to my parents and I don't wanna put it off"

"Of course" Helios nodded, understanding what it was that needed to be discussed "I'll be there with you"

"Awww look at how cute they are?" Diamond cooed, getting a laugh from Arctus

"Fuck off Dee-Dee" Felix shot back with a toothy grin, only to be shushed by the librarian.

Whilst her team-mates were attending to their many assignments Eagle, who had made a small start one of the larger projects during her lunch break, had been helping Team GORE with their Bull-Head maintenance and operations assignments which provided her with an admittedly unnecessary excuse to spend time with Hellion. As she helped them with both the technical aspect of their work, owing to the fact that the inner workings of an aircraft suitable for Hunters were far more complex than the ships that formed their peoples' fleet and also the simple reading and writing, as even Hellion's steadily progressing abilities were not quite up to the task of technical jargon yet; Eagle realised just how much she had come to like the team which could rightfully be considered Hellion's only family. Onyx, while crude and brash in the extreme was also an extremely good natured man with an insatiable desire to learn which came to the fore whenever he was presented with machinery he didn't yet understand and Eagle could only imagine how his potential would have gone to waste if he had spent his whole life as a raider; Carcharodon may have been considered brooding and antisocial by their classmates but Eagle saw the way he trained younger students and attempted to lead them by example, acting as a role model in the only way he knew how; Eagle was sure that she'd find some morsel of goodness, likeability or decency within Raffia sooner or later but currently she was at a loss

"Does he have to eat them raw?" she asked in an appalled whisper as she watched the Axolotl Faunus devour fish that he had stolen from the kitchens before they could be cooked in a display that was almost sickening. Beside her Hellion let out a soft laugh before reaching for a heavy textbook and throwing it at her lifelong friend and crew-mate

"Eat like people or I'll give your food to Marauder" the Dragonfly Faunus gestured to her bird of prey which was perched in the corner of the dormitory, seemingly staring in anticipation at Raffia's fish.

"You'll do no such thing" Raffia hissed from the edge of Team GORE's shared bed, formed by pushing each of their individual beds together and covering the resulting space in furs rather than the bedding provided; Hellion merely rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the book that she and Eagle were reading together as they cuddled beneath the furs. The sound of slow and rhythmic metallic scraping filling the room as Onyx sharpened the blades of Jotun Fang whilst Carcharodon sat crossed legged on the floor deep in meditation.

"Something's bothering you" Hellion stated, sliding an arm around Eagle's waist and gently manoeuvring the blonde so that they were facing one another

"It's nothing" Eagle attempted to assure her, only to find herself utterly unable to meet her girlfriends' intense jade green eyes without blushing

"Little Canary you are a great many things but a capable liar will never be one of them" Hellion's smokey voice teased as she trailed a hand along the blondes' thigh and hip beneath the covers, Eagle's face only reddened further as she thought of the hickies Hellion had left on her inner thighs the last time they had managed to find some time alone together; that particular encounter having taken place on the Bull-Head Team GORE had been assigned for their classes. The blonde was forced to wonder exactly when she had gone from being painfully shy and awkward to having sex almost exclusively in semi-public places due to a lack of privacy in her girlfriends' dorm.

"Eagle" Hellion's seemed to be on the verge of laughter as she leaned forwards and gently nipped at Eagle's earlobe with no concern for the fact her team-mates were present; the contact brought the blonde firmly back to the present moment

"Okay" she breathed out, trying to hide just how easily Hellion could leave her flustered and squirming "Team FADE have got a mission coming up….this one's kinda unofficial though"

"Oh" Hellion's eyes seemed to light up "It sounds to me like that's your way of saying you're looking for some trouble?"

"I'm only looking for trouble so I can put a stop to it" Eagle answered a little louder than she'd intended; resulting in Raffia giving a muttered reply about that being no fun at all

"Go on?" Hellion urged, suddenly intrigued

"You know about a guy called Rhodium Torchwick right?" the change that came over Hellion was immediate, her eyes hardened and teeth were bared as her face became a furious grimace; the wings adorning her back buzzed incessantly as she pulled the furs covering her away so that she could point at the scar that ran along her upper chest, just below her collarbones

"He had his people try to kill me whilst I was imprisoned" this was enough to bring a furious expression to Eagle's face that was terrifying partially due to how out of place it seemed

"Amethyst Wukong….the girl that attacked Onyx" Eagle began, having heard about the altercation through the campus rumour mill even before Amethyst had hospitalised herself "One of Torchwick's people sold her the drugs that nearly killed her. Team FADE are gonna try and bring him down, we found out where we might be able to find-"

"We will be joining you" Carcharodon's rasping voice sounded somehow more sinister than usual as he used his Semblance to slither across the floor and reform himself directly in front of Hellion and Eagle, rather than simply walk

"The Wukong girl fought like a coward, but I will happily tear Torchwick's spine out" Onyx growled, his voice low enough to shake the room

"Um….I can ask Felix-"

"You won't ask" Raffia snapped "You will tell. We may have allowed you into our lives and our home but you are not one of us and you do not have a voice in this. We WILL be hunting down this vermin" Eagle stared at the diminutive berserker for a moment and decided that there was something likeable about Raffia after all, despite his many faults the man was fiercely loyal to those he cared about and would do anything to protect them; she could understand and respect that

"Hold your tongue or lose it" Hellion demanded, incensed at the tone Raffia had used when speaking to Eagle.

"Enough" Carcharodon silenced them both without raising his own voice, pitch black eyes falling on Eagle "Raffia is right, Rhodium Torchwick tried to have one of us killed….tell Felix that I will seek him out and discuss our plan of attack" Eagle considered objecting but stopped short, finding herself unable to think of a reason to do so; they were going to need all the help they could get if they wanted to bring down an entire criminal organisation

"I'll let him know"

The following day had come far too soon for Onyx Ursabane, the Puma Faunus being far too eager at the prospect of an upcoming battle to be able to get a proper nights' sleep. A very welcome distraction had come in the form of a message from Corvid which had informed him that she would be in Team CLIR's dormitory during her lunch break and that he was more than welcome to join her if he wanted to relieve some stress.

"I know I shouldn't but I'm seriously considering skipping classes for the rest of the day" Corvid purred out as the two of them caught their breath, her voice almost as shaky as her legs which were still wrapped around the massive Puma Faunus's waist.

"You're a terrible influence on me" he chuckled as he rolled over, Corvid promptly making herself comfortable sprawled on his chest as stroked his beard which was mercifully beginning to grow beyond scraggly patchiness

"Well that's just cat-astrophic"

"You will be the death of me….Odd, considering I expected to fall in battle some day" Onyx mused as he gently ran his large hands through her hair, which had been let down.

"You adore me" Corvid laughed, trailing off as she caught sight of the wistful expression Onyx was wearing "What's wrong?"

"Nothing at all….but I really do adore you" Onyx purred, chest rumbling against Corvid as he pulled her closer "And not just because of….this. I would honestly enjoy your company anywhere" he waited for a moment, hoping that his message and intention had been clear enough despite his lack of experience of this aspect of life within the Kingdoms. Eventually Corvid's steely grey eyes widened a fraction

"Are you asking me out on a date?" her voice was filled surprise and faint amusement in equal measure, a sign that Onyx noted did not bode well for him but he continued nonetheless.

"I….think so" he replied with uncharacteristic uncertainty; Corvid lay flat on his powerfully muscled chest and buried her face in his neck as she let out a slow exhale

"Why did you have to go and make this awkward-"

"I'm-"

"No, shush I'm talking" Corvid brought a finger to his lips "Onyx I don't wanna date you, but it's nothing personal I don't really wanna date anyone right now. This is my last year as a student, in a few months Team CLIR are gonna graduate and honestly I'm planning on taking the first mission out of New Vale I can get and I've got no idea how often or when I'll be coming home; I wanna travel and see Remnant and focus on my career, which means despite what I said about skipping class I need to focus on studying for the licensing exam and my last few missions….I'm not in any position to start dating someone. Sorry"

"I understand" Onyx nodded, swallowing a small lump that had formed in his throat and accepting the reality of the situation. Corvid had set herself a goal and she simply would not be Corvid if she let anything hinder her

"Hey cheer up" she swatted his chest as playfully as she could manage now that the mood had been distinctly changed "We can still do this….we were never dating, we're just friends who have great sex with each other sometimes. We can head to a bar tonight, as friends?" that piqued the Faunus's interest, though not for the reason Corvid had expected

"You're not joining Team FADE tonight?"

"Why would I be" Corvid's expression darkened and though Onyx didn't know the specifics it was clear that something had happened; he decided that he didn't care and that Corvid needed to know regardless

"Your brother seems to have a blood feud of sorts with Rhodium Torchwick. Felix has a plan to draw him out into the open….his people scarred Hellion so naturally Team GORE will be joining; I assumed that Team CLIR would be-"
"Felix can make whatever mistakes he wants, I'm not involved" Corvid growled and Onyx noted as she rolled off of him that she wasn't using the nickname 'Fluffy' when she spoke of her brother.

"He's your brother, you're already involved" Onyx answered, taken aback and in truth concerned for several reasons.

"No. I'm not" Corvid insisted flatly "He made his choices, he can deal with them on his own"

"Then would you consider fighting beside me?" Onyx offered "We know this Torchwick swine has no concept of fair or honourable combat….I think I'd rest easier knowing that you were watching from the air"

"You've got Hellion's Semblance, you'll be fine" Corvid kissed his cheek, though there was an unmistakably worried look upon her face which she quickly hid by turning away

"Hey, I think I'm gonna go to class after all….you mind letting me freshen up"

"Not going to ask me to join you in the shower"

"No because then we'll never make it to class" Corvid laughed despite herself.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow….provided things go well tonight"

"We'll go for that drink" Corvid promised him, watching in silent thought as the Puma Faunus dressed himself. Her thoughts were almost exclusively focused on Felix and exactly just how harshly she was prepared to punish her adoptive brother for what she still considered to be a betrayal; as Onyx left without another word the silence and solitude of the dorm felt like something of an omen.

The stretch of road that Teams FADE, NEON and GORE had selected for their ambush of Torchwick's drug supply line was at least an hours' drive from the Capital City of New Vale and at least another twenty minutes away from the settlement of Resurgence that the narcotics were being transported to; the students had no idea how the mobster was making so much money in such an idyllic area nor did they care. The road was silent and winding as it snaked through a valley formed by two small mountains and the location they had chosen for their ambush was pitch black due to the students cutting the power to the lights that lined the road and the absence of the broken moon that night. Whilst Team FADE had arrived in Felix's car Teams NEON and GORE had been forced to share a van loaned to Ether by one of his bandmates; both the van and the Killer-Bee were currently parked out of what would become their targets' line of sight, though Felix noted with some irritation that the bickering between Teams NEON and GORE which had apparently gone without pause the entire journey here would most likely alert Torchwick's convoy at its' current rate

"Will you shut the fuck up" Felix snarled, his ire directed at Raffia before he turned to Carcharodon, whom he expected to at least have a modicum of practicality "I thought you guys were meant to be feared raiders and all that jazz….with Raffia running his mouth I'm surprised you ever caught anyone"

"Silence Raffia" Carcharodon cut across the scathing and furious retort that the red-faced Axolotl Faunus was on the verge of delivering.

"You worry too much" Onyx snorted "These are far from the hardest prey we've tracked and Hellion will warn us when they're close"

"It's always gonna be a little concerning when you call people things like 'prey'" Diamond noted from nearby and whilst Felix personally agreed he chose not to dwell on the fact and simply focused on the task at hand. The Lion Faunus cast his eyes over to Hellion, the Dragonfly Faunus standing motionless with her eyes a milky white colour that glowed faintly as if lit from behind whilst she used her Semblance, named 'Warg' to see through the eyes of Marauder who was currently soaring overhead. Eagle was casting furtive glances at Hellion from nearby whilst Arctus and Diamond and Team NEON as a whole re-checked their weapons out of a mixture of habit and nervousness.

"Everyone know the plan?" Felix asked, eager for something to fill the tense silence

"Two trucks, two cars" Ether affirmed, hefting Ghost Reverie in its' blade form

"And our contacts' little brother is gonna be driving the front car" Nyanza added "Apparently Torchwick isn't sending out any of his shipments without an escort any more….Malachite has had too many people kidnapped and killed"

"Remember, cripple the vehicles and take 'em down with as little force as possible" Felix breathed out, trying to to make it too obvious who he was directing the reminder at "Some of these guys might just be kids, they might not have unlocked Auras….we're not trying to kill anyone"

"Would the Kingdom really miss them?" Raffia noted with a malicious smile. Any further talk was prevented by a sharp intake of breath from Hellion as her eyes returned to their natural pale jade green

"Two cars and two trucks, exactly as expected" she informed the group as a pair of knives found their way to her hands "We have less than a minute"

"Ether, Carcharodon you've got the trucks" Felix spoke quietly, every syllable filled with tension which only abated slightly when he met Helios's eyes and the redhead gave a warm smile despite the situation before speaking up

"Diamond, Nyanza and myself will attend to the cars"

"And I'm a wall" Arctus noted. Seconds later the glow of headlights became visible and seconds seem to drag on for an eternity as they waited for the convoy to come into view. Finally and inevitably they did, a small and cheap car of the kind many teens and young adults bought as their first vehicle was followed by two small trucks, behind which was a jeep of medium size.

"NOW!" Felix roared and at his command several things happened in unison.

Arctus took his place at the rear of the group and cast a Glyph that was large enough to block the road in its' entirety; Felix knew that creating something of that size would tax his cousin and it would be far less sturdy than its' smaller and more concentrated counterparts, but he hoped that none of the gang members would be willing to test their vehicles against Arctus's Semblance.

The first truck was brought to a halt by a combined effort from Hellion and Ether; the guitarist using his Semblance to appear inside the cab of the vehicle where the moment his body solidified from its' mist like state he left the driver unconscious with a swift blow to the head. Those gang members riding in the trailer of the vehicle were left trapped and presumably frightened as Hellion hurled a dozen of her throwing knives into the side of the trailer, their payloads of Ice Dust crystals freezing the section of the trailer closest to their exit completely solid; effectively neutralising the threat without the risk of detonating the explosive cargo within.

Not to be outdone Carcharodon took hold of Raffia and used his own Semblance to travel along the ground as a viscous living shadow before bursting up into the second truck, which had been forced to a halt. The Shark Faunus's arm mounted blades tearing the workings of the vehicles' underside apart from below before he deposited raffia inside the trailed and attended to the driver himself. Carcharodon noted that the sounds of cackling and dull thuds would suggest that Raffia was having entirely too much fun with his task.

The driver of the jeep bringing up the rear of the convey took stock of the situation and decided that their best course of action would be to remove the array of Hunters before them in the most direct means possible; speeding out from behind the trucks and car they hurtled towards Arctus in a brazen and obvious attempt to run the Faunus over. Diamond soon put a halt to that notion with a single well placed round from Lex Talionis which ripped through a tire and shattered a wheel; Nyanza quickly adding a trio of shots which his Semblance allowed to find their way to the vehicles' remaining wheels and leave it crippled and motionless in the road. The driver and their fellow gang members, all of whom seemed to be young men barely older than the students themselves burst out of the jeep with a collection of knives and handguns being promptly drawn from various pockets and pouches. Their bravado quickly vanished as they were treated to the sight of Helios Nikos striding towards them, armour glinting in what little light the stars provided until it was hidden from view by his dark Aura swirling about him; Helios held out a hand in a theatrical display which served no purpose other than to break his opponents' will to fight, then he activated his Semblance and amplified gravity around the jeep to such an extent that the vehicle was crushed into an unidentifiable mass of twisted and broken steel.

Felix watched with an expression of faint surprise as events progressed around him at impressive speed, Onyx, Eagle and Olivine moved in with their heavy weapons at the ready in a display that would hopefully dissuade any notions of resistance. Just as the Lion Faunus allowed himself to believe that things would proceed as planned and without incident the driver of the first car, their contacts younger brother, either mustered enough bravery to act or simply gave into blind panic and while it was impossible to tell which the results were plain to see; the car screeched passed the students with smoke billowing from its' tires faster than Helios could use his Semblance to force it to a halt; Nyanza having to frantically leap aside to avoid being mowed down. Felix saw the car speed towards Arctus's Glyph and knew immediately what he needed to do; he sprinted after the car as fast as his Aura fuelled muscles would allow but was still too late to stop it from ploughing through Arctus's Glyph, though not without sustaining notable damage in the process. The Lion Faunus raced around the corner and hurled himself into the drivers' seat of the Killer-Bee, which had been left with its' keys in the ignition as a precaution and a moment later he was tearing after the car along the otherwise empty road. The drug dealers' car had no hope of outrunning Felix's muscle car for any amount of time and in barely more than a minute the Lion Faunus had drawn level and lowered the drivers' side window

"PULL OVER!" he roared, the only response he received was the sight of the man in the passengers' seat of the car producing a shotgun. Rather than wait to be fired on Felix drew one of his swords and brought the chainsaw blade screaming into life, then swung down at the cars' front wheel. Seconds later the sound of screeching tires was brought a conclusion by a cacophony of smashing metal as the smaller car came rolling to a stop on its' roof. Felix leapt out of the Killer-Bee and began dragging the gang members out of the ruined vehicle, checking that each of them was alive despite being barely, if at all conscious.

"Fuck you" the driver managed to groan out as the feeling of Felix rummaging through his pockets allowed him to focus for a moment.

"Hey Indica" Felix spoke softly, using the seventeen year old boy's name "This is why your sister wants you to get out of this gangster shit, you're not good at it….Luckily we're gonna tell the police you were in on this" with that he knocked the teen out with a swift punch and began searching through the Scroll he had found in his pockets; taking a moment to find the text messages from an unsaved number that were clearly discussing the, now failed convoy. Felix wore a wide and cocky smile as he called the number, after a few rings the call was answered and he spoke quickly, cutting off any questions

"I have two trucks worth of Torchwick's Booster and about twenty of his crew. If he wants either of them back then he needs to come alone and unarmed to the location I specify within an hour of me specifying it. Do not test my patience" with that Felix hung up and prepared to move into the second stage of his plan.

Vert had been filled with white hot, murderous rage upon receiving the call from someone claiming to have intercepted a convoy, the claim given a chilling amount of credence by the fact that the call had been made from a Scroll belonging to one of the people involved in said convoy. Further calls to the rest of gang members ensuring that the goods were delivered unhindered had gone unanswered which had prompted Vert to act, desperate to take the initiative and settle this matter on his own terms rather than be dictated to; the fact that Rhodium was yet to return to the Kingdom playing no small part in that decision.

Currently he was making his way towards the destination that had been specified by the unknown speaker; though he was far from compliant and intended to give them several nasty surprises followed by a painful death upon meeting them face to face. The meeting between the two parties would be taking place in an open field that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere; Vert was honestly unsure about its' ownership but assumed it belonged to some ageing farmer or another who would make no effort to intervene in what was to come. While it was clear that whoever had attacked the convoy was intending to make use of the open space and clear lines of sight in all directions to make sure that there were no attempts at a sneak attack from behind Vert had swiftly turned the situation to his advantage. The small crew he had started his criminal career alongside, which had included the now incarcerated Moss had taken severe losses of late but were still capable of assisting him, as were several of the other gangs from New Vale who had been rivals squabbling over territory that amounted to a few city blocks apiece until the Lien and power Torchwick had offered united them. Vert had also contacted select members of the security firm that Rhodium had founded, 'Cain Security Personnel' had served its' purpose well and recruiting from the homeless former militia fighters from the war and the occasional failed Hunter who frequented the Mercy Foundation had supplied Torchwick's expanding organisation with considerable muscle and firepower; a liberal amount of Booster shared between his closest friends also helped tip the scales the gang members favour, allowing him enough confidence to wear a cruel smirk as he brought his car screeching to a halt and leap out to face his adversaries

"We got people behind us!" an alarmed voice barked out

"Ah fuck, we're surrounded!" another noted dispassionately

"Then there's more of them to kill" a reedy voice cackled somewhat unnervingly. Vert took stock of the sight in front of him and felt his confidence waver at the sight of a dozen Hunters, all of whom he could easily identify as having competed in the ill-fated Vytal Tournament; there was a rumour that the Lion Faunus who had been shot in the gut with a harpoon had knocked out several of Rhodium Torchwick's teeth. Vert's bravado was restored as over a dozen cars, jeeps and vans drove into place and their occupants leapt out with weapons at the ready; cutting off all escape routes

"So….where's Torchwick" the Lion Faunus, Felix if Vert remembered rightly, demanded in his own display of bravado

"Where're our people, and the Booster?"

"Well that depends" Felix grinned; Vert knew he was being goaded but found himself unable to resist

"On?"

"On how many people the police sent; they're either still lying out cold in the street or they're already being taken to jail….the Booster's gone, made a pretty decent bonfire; didn't want your clowns catching a cold" Vert felt his stomach drop and bile rise in his throat upon hearing that but forced himself to keep his composure; Rhodium would be livid when he learned of the losses and his life may depend on how he handled the next few moments

"So what you're saying is you've delivered yourselves with a neat little bow and absolutely nothing to bargain with….wanna tell me why I shouldn't put a bullet in your chest right now?"

"Because Torchwick's sending you all out to die for him fighting Malachite while he makes all the Lien and you all know it" Felix shot back, his intention to stir dissent obvious "So where is Rhodey anyway, I'll be a little more gentle with him this time" as he spoke he produced the Aura dampening collar he had borrowed from Professor Cimmerian

"He's out of town" Vert shrugged in an effort to give away as little as possible. Hearing this one of the other Hunters stepped forwards, a tall and muscular man with grey-tinged skin and pitch black eyes who spoke in a haunting rasp

"Then you have nothing to bargain with and my people came here for blood. Enough talk" Vert snorted and drew the same knife that he had wielded against Melanie Malachite before addressing the forces at his disposal

"Smoke these fools"

"Um Vert…..I didn't sign up to shoot kids or Hunters" the admission came from one of the people Torchwick had hired through his security firm and caused all present to pause for a moment before one of the Hunters, a silver haired young woman spoke up, voice laden with disgusted outrage

"This is what you're doing now Shamrock? Being hired muscle for drug dealers?" Diamond Sustrai-Black's eyes seemed to blaze as she scoured the gang that surrounded them "Forest? Gem? Tiger?….what are you doing?" there were several moments where those among Vert's assembled posse who had spent time at the Mercy Foundation shuffled with a mixture of nerves and guilt under Diamond's furious stare and Arctus's look of silent disappointment before finally seeming to reach a consensus without a word being exchanged between them

"Tell Mister Torchwick to take my name off the books, I can't take these jobs" the speaker was Tiger, a young woman in her mid-thirties who turned and began making her way out of the crowd surrounding the Hunters, several people choosing to follow her lead.

"Nah bitch, it's ride or die in this crew" Vert spat before reaching into the back of his jeans and drawing a handgun which he proceeded to aim at the back of Tiger's head; only to drop as his left hand was torn apart by a bullet fired by Diamond Sustrai-Black.

Then the pandemonium began.

The gang members opened fire on the Hunters only to find themselves attacked by those in their midst who had been uncertain about the act, the former Hunters and soldiers as well as those who had been present at the Mercy Foundation when Arctus and Diamond were volunteers or simply had an ethical issue with idea of attacking the Kingdoms' defenders.

Team GORE lunged into action with unrestrained fury and Vert was terrified to see that whatever promises Felix had made about being gentle these particular students had no interest in keeping; realising that he may be out of his depth when he watched Carcharodon Gore leap from the ground using his Semblance and tear open the chests of a pair of teenage boys with his blades, Onyx Ursabane ripping through anyone he could reach nearby; clearly aiming to maim or kill each of his opponents.

Felix watched the situation deteriorate rapidly and acted quickly

"Nyanza make the call!" he hoped that the bushy tailed felines' Semblance would somehow get the police to the second location faster if he were the one to contact them; around him he saw that the open field was quickly becoming a bloodbath as things escalated far beyond his control or expectations and eventually his eyes narrowed as he caught sigh of Vert who, along with another gang member was kicking a deserter who had fallen to the ground until their face was a bloody and unrecognisable mess. The Lion Faunus charged, weapons remaining sheathed as he simply poured his Aura into his muscles and drove his elbow into the unknown thugs' cheek, shattering bone and sending an arc of blood spewing from their mouth before turning his attention to Vert and simply tackling him to the ground

"Boy Torchwick is gonna kill you even if I don't" he snarled out as he tired desperately to aim the knife in his still functioning hand at the Lion Faunus's face; Felix however was far stronger and rained punches down on his face before attempting to fasten the Aura dampening collar around the gangsters' neck; reasoning that if he couldn't stop Torchwick tonight then one of his lieutenants would have to do. Vert frantically scrabbled and grasped at Felix's arm and used all of his strength to prevent him, whilst also screaming out for help

"USE THE FUCKING BOOSTER, WIPE THESE BITCHES OUT!" within seconds of the frenzied order being given the darkness began to be lit by beacons of eerie green light and filled by crazed battle cries of those gang members who had taken the Aura enhancing drugs. Felix had no time to react before a boot to the ribs sent him rolling across the ground, his attacker rushing afterwards and giving no quarter. Vert scrabbled to his feet and wiped blood from his face only to turn around as he felt a hand on his shoulder, confusion engulfing him as he was confronted by a familiar beaked mask

"Mister Torchwick will not be happy with this" Doctor Ozymandias Eldritch "The police are on the way, it's time for us to go" with that he seized Vert by the shoulder and the gang member was made uncomfortably aware of the nauseating effects of time being bent and warped around him as the pair made their escape.

Felix was too preoccupied to notice Vert's departure, distracted as he was by a Booster fuelled berserker bearing down on him with a deluge of earth shattering blows. The Lion Faunus desperately cast his eyes around for someone he could call for assistance only to find no one, Arctus and Diamond and Ether and Olivine were both fighting as pairs and Eagle was using Sentinel in shield form both offensively and defensively to knock attackers unconscious rather than simply impale them, Nyanza was putting his Semblance to stunning effect as he fought roughly half a dozen opponents, the civil war between the gang and those who had abandoned it continued in earnest whilst Team GORE rampaged through them without hesitation; Onyx and Carcharodon working in tandem to face one of the Booster fuelled attackers. Just as Felix expected to find his ribs crushed by an incoming fist his opponent staggered forwards, dropping to one knee as gravity forced them downwards despite their best efforts to fight it; then Helios came rushing into view and brought his shield crashing down into the Booster junkies' knee with a sickening crack before smashing its' surface against their face

"Don't rush in alone next time" Felix made to reply, the words never left his lips however and instead his mouth hung open in surprise as the booster junkie simply rose to their feet, their broken leg snapping itself back into place and healing in seconds as their enhanced Aura attended to it. Faster than either of them could react Helios was knocked aside with enough force to dent his armour, Felix's response was a furious roar as he grabbed his opponents' head and drove his knee into it several times with little discernable effect beyond enraging them further until their hands closed around the Faunus's throat and lifted him into the air.

Then everything exploded and Felix needed several moments to make sense of things, primarily the voice above him shouting

"PUT MY BROTHER DOWN ASS-HOLE!" Felix, whilst unable to stand at the moment managed to roll himself into a position from which he could see Corvid unleash a devastating salvo from the Omega Wing's rail-guns whilst still in the air, targeting the Booster junkies before dropping to the ground and dragging Felix to his feet

"Hey Corey" he managed a weak smile

"I see you found yourself in another hairy situation….or a Fluffy one" Corvid noted dispassionately from behind her armoured visor. Felix had no time for a witty comeback as one of the people Vert had brought with him called out to their allies

"WE GOT COPS! SCRAMBLE!" with that the field was quickly filled with people trying flee in every direction as red and blue flashing lights became visible, approaching from several angles. Whilst Team FADE and Team NEON were content to let the police do their duty, taking a moment to search for their own team-mates, Team GORE delighted in running down their fleeing adversaries; their past once again becoming apparent as Carcharodon buried a blade in the gut of someone who tried to escape passed him and Raffia smashed the face of another gang member through the window of a car that had been riddled with bullets in the skirmish, leaving a lacerated mess of torn flesh in his wake whilst Onyx almost gleeful war cries echoed through the night, despite the blood flowing freely from the Puma Faunus's face

"ENOUGH!" Corvid roared, focusing on Felix "Was this little stunt worth it?" the Faunus gestured to the plethora of downed gang members, several of whom were critically injured

"Not a total failure"

"You or the mission?" Felix flinched under his sisters' acidic tone; Corvid seemed to relent a little "Get the fuck out of here Fluffy I'll deal with the police" Felix promptly complied, jogging as fast as his sore and aching body would allow to round up his friends and team-mates; a small smile forming on his face as he realised that whatever had been said between himself and his sister, Corvid had still been there when he needed her.

The idea gave him hope that perhaps things might just work out after all.

Authors' Notes:

Okay so, another chapter down and seven chapters into Vol.7; the next chapter is going to be slower paced and then we're actually going to be moving into the finale phase of this volume.
I'm going to be honest Vol.7 has felt awkward for me to write and pace because it comes after everything in Atlas and lines up the pieces for not just third year but what will actually be the main antagonist of the entire story which will tie the entire thing together (And you thought I was just making this up as I go along)
That being said this chapter honestly felt difficult to write, I just hope it doesn't come across as too clunky.
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Anyway, let's summarise:
I had to have at least a cameo from the "Unconventional tactics and Ungentlemanly Warfare" Professor ever since I decided that the subject was a thing; I was originally thinking of Professor Moody from Harry Potter but she slowly became something of her own even if she is just a throwaway background character at the moment….I'm sure I can find a way to use her later on.
What if I told you that the whole thing with Felix learning to break out of an Aura Dampening collar is foreshadowing?
Team FADE are still trying to avoid the use of lethal force wherever possible….and Diamond was probably out of order with that question.
"I took a couple of weeks" just had to give some sort of indication of how much time is passing.
Staying awake due to caffeine, willpower and irritation….we've all been Gangrel.
Gangrel's on the right track….
I felt like I had to mention what was going on in regards to the captured White Fang; and yes Gang still has Celeste on his ship.
The Jagged Mountains and the occasional mission to tag a target for an air-strike; a callback to Volume one.
So Artemis mentioned that she'll be taking students on a mission, the question is who do you think it will be that meets our new Sentient Grimm?
Team NEON got the intel from a barmaid who resorted to desperate measures to get her brother to stop associating with Torchwick's crew; namely talking to Hunters in the hopes that they'd scare him.
Fluffy is kinda making choices that sound like something Car would say.
A romantic Battle-Cat weekend? You're welcome.
Also Team GORE learning to fly is not for no reason; it all plays into the plot.
Eagle is trying her best okay, but Raffia actively works at being unlikeable….it's a defence mechanism.
Hellion and Eagle are pretty much fucking anytime they're left unattended for five minutes at this point.
You all remember Hellion's Vol.3 prison fight right? Team GORE never did get to settle up for that.
Sorry Air-Raid shippers, but hey….it's not so much of a no as a 'Not right now'.
It's been a few weeks and Felix and Corvid are still not talking.
Can you imagine Helios, Nyanza and Raffia confined to the back of a van together for any amount of time?
I love getting to use Hellion's Semblance, I honestly thought it would be more prominent in the story when I decided on it.
They way they took out the trucks was great and you know it.
Helios just casually being a bad-ass, must be a Tuesday.
If Felix tells the police that Indica was a snitch then he's pretty much immediately out of any gang crime….he might just have time to get himself to safety before Torchwick has his neck broken considering the amount of other problems Rhodey has to deal with at the moment.
Vert trying to get some status back after Rhodey put Oz in charge of things; not going to plan.
Felix had them meet out in an open space so that nobody could sneak behind them, Vert just brought enough people to completely surround the Hunters and turn the lack of cover against them.
We all know that the "Then there's more of them to kill" came from Raffia.
Felix almost certainly destroyed the drugs, especially considering that the last time he handed them over to the police Melanie Malachite said that she'd be taking them.
Y'all forgot that a lot of the people Rhodium hired when he started looking for muscle were from the homeless shelter Arctus and Diamond volunteered at?
You remember the way Onyx was fighting against the White Fang in Atlas?….well it wasn't as personal and not quite as violent, but this time the whole of Team GORE was at it.
Okay so after watching Endgame and Game of Thrones S08 Ep03 I'm hoping that the hectic, disorienting nature of these dog-pile fights came across.
Of course Ozymandias knew about things going tits up, he could probably have told Vert in advance but chose not to.
Of course Helios came in clutch and saved Felix's ass.
Booster enhances Aura which means increased rate of healing as well as more power.
Of course Corvid showed up, was it ever really in doubt?
"You or the mission?" Ouch, just ouch.

Thank you to SumoSnipe, Funlander, DizzyDwarf and iSassenach for their reviews on the last chapter.
Yeah Felix was out of order, people do and say dumb shit when worried.
Corey definitely needs to get some help, but considering she is literally an immovable object and stubbornness personified there's little chance of it happening.
Yeah, I name characters just because it makes having a conversation between two of them easier….besides if I didn't give them names it would make the death far too obvious.
Felix's nose is the only thing that gets broken more than the fourth wall.
I can honestly see her point of view though, it wasn't "I'm strong so I do what I want" it was "You're expecting me to put my troops life at risk to guard this thing, it already seriously injured several people; honesty and clear communication is the least we deserve"
Oh my sweet summer child, there's plenty more to come.

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