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Chapter 104: The Departure
The morning air was cold and a brisk breeze whipped about the Airship terminal of Halo Academy, blowing what little debris and litter had managed to be tracked onto the aerial platform by visitors from the Kingdom below along its' surface and was only exacerbated by the idling propulsion systems of the various Bull-Heads scattered around the various landing pads; whilst in the distance a larger passenger ship capable of holding any vehicles that a student may wish to take off campus waited at the very edge of the platform for its' designated departure time. The Airship terminal was crowded, far more so than it had any right to be mid-morning on a Monday but the sudden influx of guests to the Academy had been anticipated and expected by the staff; today was the day that the Final Year students departed for their last mission as students and whilst it was not as momentous an occasion as their official graduation ceremony for the Teams themselves it was a common custom for the families of the departing students to gather at the academy and wish their children luck; this assignment would be undertaken without the oversight of any teachers or other Hunters outside of those that the mission required them to interact with and as such represented the end of their time as students. There was an unmistakable tension from those families who had been Hunters for more than one generation as they all understood that this was essentially the parents being given time to say goodbye; In the long history of the Hunter academies there had been more than one team of students who had been seen as highly capable in their previous assignments who had then fallen apart without guidance and been overwhelmed by the Creatures of Grimm, never to be seen again.
Corvid Xiao Long knew all of this but simply refused to allow herself to dwell on it; focusing instead on what was important, that her friends and family were here and she would soon embark on one of the final obstacles between herself and the life she had dreamed of since she had been a child sat on Ruby Rose's knee listening to stories and insisting that she was going to fight monsters as well. Her team were currently scattered loosely around the landing pad upon which their transport sat, its' gleaming hull repainted and polished in anticipation for its' final tour of duty before being handed over to another team of students; Iris' father had managed to travel to New Vale from Menagerie and both he and her mother had managed to put their differences aside for the moment; the Lumière family had arrived to see of both Lux and Rusty whose own mother had made no effort to contact the gunslinger since he had left home, not even after the White Fang attack in Atlas. Corvid's eyes roamed around the open space, taking it in before she stopped and her steely eyes widened a fraction before her expression softened; Onyx Ursabane stood in the distance and whilst he made no effort to intrude in a family moment it was obvious that he hadn't been able to stop himself from seeing Corvid for what may be one last time.
"You look nervous" Yang stated, the hand of her cybernetic limb resting on her daughters' shoulder "You're gonna do great Corey, I promise" Corvid needed a moment to come to her senses and she simply stared at the golden mechanical limb, Blake's emblem painted onto the back of the hand and its' paint chipped in several places for a second before answering
"I know, I've got a great team backing me up" she exhaled, despite all of the usual bravado she usually carried herself Corvid was nervous and the presence of Yang, Blake, Qrow, Felix and Eagle greatly helped; her brother and his partner were currently skipping a lesson though Corvid was certain that their professor would understand.
"It's gonna suck not seeing you for so long" Felix sighed, lazily pulling Corvid into a one-armed hug which she gratefully returned
"It's only a month" Corvid replied with a small grin "Think you can stay out of trouble for that long?"
"Right right, I'll try not to go after any more wanted criminals when they're in the middle of a crime" Felix rolled his eyes before flashing a toothy grin "Remind me how Aunt Ruby got into Beacon early again?"
"It's only a month on paper" Qrow noted "Depends what the mission is"
"Reinforcements for perimeter defences and Grimm patrol while something more permanent gets worked out" Corvid answered causally, the mundane description of the mission making her feel more comfortable about it "We're gonna be based out ofin Arcadia, apparently they've tried to hire some more Hunters but they just ghosted"
"That's odd" Qrow noted in a gruff murmur
"I'm guessing they got better job offers" Corvid shrugged "Still rude though" Qrow nodded silently whilst his mind raced; the settlement of Arcadia was a large one that was home to tens of thousands of people and had been built around several large Dust deposits which continued to be mined by nearby villages, protecting the settlements' walls usually paid relatively well for the amount of actual work involved and the fact several Hunters had seemingly declined to take it seemed odd; something was amiss and the grizzled Huntsman privately vowed to get to the bottom of it.
"Seems like a quiet mission for you" Blake teased gently, pulling her daughter into a hug "Stay safe"
"Will do" Corvid promised "Honestly I just want a quiet mission so can study a little more the exam-"
"You'll do fine" Blake assured her "I read your Grimm mass migration thesis, it's great work….I think even Port was impressed. We're all so proud of you Corey" Corvid merely wrapped her arms around Blake's shoulders, momentarily overcome by her feelings. When she stepped away she quickly checked the time and gave her family an apologetic glance
"Sorry but it's almost time to go and I wanna say hi to Mister and Missus Lumière and Iris's folks….I haven't actually met her Dad before" her expression took on a concerned edge as she once again felt the weight of her responsibilities "I know my team are great Hunters but I need their families' to know that they'll come home safe; I'm the one calling the shots"
"Go kick ass Corey" Felix grinned
"You'll do great" Eagle added, Corvid simply pulled them both into a brief hug before she went to her team-mates; taking a moment to appreciate just how much the two blondes had grown since they had started out as First Year students.
"She'll be fine" Yang murmured in Blake's ear as the two proud parents watched their daughter walk away
"I know she will" Blake wiped her eyes "But where did all the years go….our babies are all grown up" Qrow decided that this was a moment for Blake and Yang to share with one another and promptly turned to Eagle
"Hey kid, since you're already skipping classes today you wanna come and get something to eat; you can help with Syneffo's training later, she needs someone new to spar with"
"Sure" Eagle beamed happily "Felix can I-"
"I'll take notes for you, sure" the Lion Faunus promised. Felix watched as she and Qrow departed for the airship; the Lion Faunus exchanging a simple nod with his Great-Uncle before turning to both of his mothers
"Hey, sorry I haven't been home as much" he apologised, shuffling nervously "I don't want you to think that just because I've met….y'know"
"Fluffy we promise you that we never thought that" Blake assured him
"But we heard from Corey that you've got a brother" Yang beamed, her love of small children immediately writing to the surface "Please tell me you've got a picture"
"I actually haven't" Felix lamented "He's a cute kid….I'm just not sure if his Dad is cool with me yet"
"Redwood Forest, the mechanic?" Blake asked, her brow furrowing; she had quietly used what information that she had learned from Felix and Corvid to look into her son's biological family; if only out of motherly concern
"Yeah, you know him?" Felix raised an eyebrow
"Not personally" Blake admitted "I just remember that he was one a few Faunus who were unfairly dismissed from the shipyards a few years ago, If it's the same guy he didn't want the Coalition's help for some reason"
"Huh, weird" Felix shrugged "I'll ask him later….and don't worry I'll pics of me and Astra"
"Can't wait to see 'em" Yang smiled brightly before pulling her son into one last hug before her inner teacher took over "Now go on, get to class….or your grades will suffer Atra-nomically" Felix merely gave some half-hearted grumbling in protest before turning and leaving
"We love you!" Blake called after him
"Love you too" Felix called back before vanishing out of view and leaving two incredibly proud parents behind him.
The swamplands in which Pantheon had wrested control of the Spawning Pit from the monstrous crustacean Grimm known as the White Spectre had undergone a great and horrific change. The artificial island upon which the former inhabitants of the swamp had built their homes no longer floated freely, instead the recovering Spawning Pit had first grown downwards and anchored it to the ground, twisted and pulsating roots burrowing into the soft ground and poisoning the water, killing any foliage that had somehow clung to life until that moment; once the Spawning Pit was secured in place its' roots grew outwards and began to grow towering and slightly curved towers of bone, each of them almost two dozen feet tall and ending in a tapered point to give the appearance of the desolate swamp growing claws; several other less developed protrusions rose from the murky surface of the water whilst between them barbed and jagged tentacle like appendages whipped back and forth, eager to drag anything that drew close down towards an agonising demise. The Spawning Pit no longer sat passively as it birthed monsters, it had evolved and now actively defended itself against attack.
The spawning Pit had also grown larger, it's roiling and viscous surface expanding over the edges of the artificial island and reaching out towards the various towers of jagged chitin, to which it grasped and adhered to with thick cords of obsidian webbing that had a texture not unlike muscle and sinew, thin films of stretched tissue grew between each instance of the webbing and formed a series of great bowls or vats in which the terrible primordial soup of which the Creatures of Grimm were made bubbled and rippled, each of them intermittently being torn asunder and swiftly healing as a monster violently ripped its' way into the world; only to be held down by larger and stronger Grimm until its' connection the Hive Mind cemented itself and the newly formed horror found its' own primal will subverted and consumed by a far more powerful presence within the shared consciousness of the monsters.
At the centre of it all, in what remained of the original Spawning Pit that had grown outwards into this sprawling an abhorrent hell-scape where nightmares were farmed sat a single throne comprised of solid bone, the throne sported several spires and gnarled claws upon its' back and was raised several feet in the air, situated upon a palpitating mass of black tissue, thin enough to be translucent and whose innards, in a truly unsettling revelation, could be seen to resemble a brain of some sort. Several thin tendrils sprouted from the mass, snaking up and around the throne to bury themselves within its' inhabitant.
Pantheon.
The sentient Grimm gave a single wavering snarl as they slowly returned their consciousness to its' own rightful body; eyes that had been lifeless in the sentient monsters' comatose state regaining their fiery and hateful glow and tendrils that had slithered around the armour of Pantheon's skull and buried themselves in been secured directly in their brain began to retract. Their digitigrade legs were unsteady as they took their first few steps; Pantheon had been away from their own body for too long it seemed and the first few rattling breaths caused tremendous pain. Then they mastered themselves and stared out at what they had created with the help of the voice of their mother guiding them; dozens of interlinked Spawning Pits whose base and limited awareness was slaved to Pantheon's own will, giving the intelligent Grimm control over the beasts that were spawned from them and a position that could be defended from the ground based attacks preferred by Hunters; the true source of pride for Pantheon however came in the form of thousands of pair of glowing eyes peering from between the husks of dead trees as Creatures of Grimm peered obediently at their master; abominations of all sizes and shapes had assembled themselves into loose approximations of formations, organised by species with far larger Grimm rising from masses like terrifying obsidian monoliths whilst overhead scores upon scores of airborne Grimm perched and circled, eager for commands like their land based cousins. Pantheon's pack could no longer be considered a horde; in truth it was now an army, guided by a single terrible and indomitable will.
Pantheon gazed at what they had accomplished for a moment longer before their clawed and powerful tail reached out and plunged into the surface of the initial Spawning Pit from which all the monster surveyed had come; causing two reactions within their domain; the first was instantly visible as a shuddering ripple seemed to pass through the network of Spawning Pits, slowing their activity whilst a plethora of bony claws rose up to envelop Pantheon's throne, weaving themselves around it in a gruesome parody of a rosebud. Pantheon expected to not return to their throne for some time but there was no sense in leaving it unguarded, the pits would continue to produce Grimm, which would guard their masters' seat of power until called. The second reaction was far more subtle, happening solely beneath the surface of the vile ichor the Pantheon's tail was submerged in; when they removed their tail they help something within its' clawed digits which was quickly transferred to their lower and more humanoid pair of arms to be inspected; the shaft of the weapon was roughly a dozen feet long, making it taller than Pantheon themselves before one counted the jagged spike at its' base and the trio of curved and serrated blades sprouting from its' head that flexed and twitched with a mind of their own like the talons of some great beast; at the centre of the three blades sat a single malevolent blood red eye which roved about in search of prey. Pantheon had forged themselves a trident and after regarding the weapon in silence for a moment they named it 'Flesh-Seeker'
"WE MARCH!" Pantheon bellowed as they unfurled their wings and took to the air "WE MARCH TO MOTHER!" and below them thousands of Grimm roared and shrieked in assent as they followed their pack leader in search of blood and destruction.
Nickel Polendina was bored, a condition that normally posed a high risk of death to anyone unfortunate enough to be in her immediate vicinity; today however she had her orders and the importance of carrying them out to the letter had been impressed upon her by Ozymandias before she had left to take up her position. The android had made her way out of the walls of the Capital City and ventured far enough away from both its' sprawling confines and vast roads between the major settlements of Vale's territory that would be filled with traffic at this time of day that she could hear nothing but the sounds of nature, birds chirping as they flew overhead in their migration south and the trickling of a nearby stream.
"About fucking time" she grumbled as her Scroll vibrated, Nickel quickly opened the device and saw that Doctor Eldritch had elected to contact her via video call
"You're in position?" the treacherous scientist enquired
"Paddle faster I hear banjos" Nickel snorted in response, continuing when Ozymandias remained silent "Yes I'm here….wherever here is, why does nowhere you send me have a Starbucks?" Ozymandias seemed to struggle to muster his usual grandfatherly tone, a look of irritation upon his face which only prompted Nickel to continue antagonising him further; though before she could do so the ageing and scarred Wizard began to convulse and spasm, blood leaking from his nose and behind his remaining, a tar-like black substance mingling with it as the burned and ruined flesh of the left side of his face blackened and peeled away revealing charred bone beneath; the violent convulsions reached a crescendo and culminated in Ozymandias vomiting forth a stream of the same viscous and bubbling liquid which began to dissolve whatever it had come into contact with if the steam filling the screen were any indication.
"Uh chief?" nickel gave a rare show of concern, however the poisonous green light of the Wizards' Aura engulfed him and his body began to restore itself as best it could
"Ah I'm sorry you to see that my dear girl" though the warm and pleasant tone that most associated with Ozymandias had returned it was offset by the distortion and unnatural echoing that accompanied his powers "This body isn't long for this world I'm afraid; all the more reason to be about our business"
"Is the target inbound?" Nickel asked, emerald eyes narrowing
"Yes although there are some slight complications" Ozymandias sighed, before taking a moment to give into a sickeningly wet sounding coughing fit "It would appear that the latest Hunters tasked with bolstering Arcadia's defences are approaching the settlement by the air"
"That's not a problem" Nickel grinned savagely, slipping out of her sleeveless and unbuttoned shirt and allowing panels on her shoulder blades to open, her gleaming chrome coloured wings just missing her vest as they unfurled
"Stand down and wait" Ozymandias ordered firmly
"Hol' up" Nickel scowled "This was your idea"
"These Hunters are a team of soon to graduate students" Ozymandias informed her "Meaning that if they were to simply vanish, or suffer an unfortunate accident questions would be asked. Operating from the shadows is key at this juncture Nickel….however this does mean that you will be present when our target reaches Arcadia"
"Sweet" Nickel beamed, eager for an uninterrupted duel with the Grimm which called itself Pantheon; her hopes were soon dashed
"You are not to engage directly"
"Weird flex but okay" Nickel bit out irritably
"I want you to follow this Hunters to Arcadia and create chaos at the moment of our targets' arrival; make their passage through the settlement easier-"
"Do I get to kill some more Hunters?"
"Any that present a direct threat to our interests are to be targeted….I suspect our student Hunters may present a problem, they've been proven to be highly capable in even the most overwhelming circumstances"
"Send me the deets, I'm on it chief" Nickel sighed, rolling her eyes at the idea that any student could present a problem for her.
"You will have them momentarily" Ozymandias assured her before ending the call
"Let's get this bread" Nickel sighed as she tore her roughly made and chimeric sword from the ground where she had sunk into the earth, wings twitching as she waited impatiently to receive the promised information. A few moments later it came, the flightpath that her intended targets would take towards the settlement and pictures of each of the teams' four members; Nickel was taken aback at the sight of Corvid Xiao Long whose tournament matches she had watched whilst board and whose weapon was truly a work of art.
"Oh we Stan" the android chuckled to herself, before resolving to steal the Omega Wing and dismantle it for reverse engineering if the opportunity presented itself; with that she kicked off of the ground and shot through the air at incredible speeds as she tried to catch up with Team CLIR's Bull-Head.
Felix had attended the rest of his classes for the day at Halo Academy but had left the airborne campus soon after lessons had ended, making a deal with Eagle that in return for taking notes for her during the lessons she would help with his first drafts of the assignments that they needed to work on. With the agreement made the Lion Faunus had promptly departed for the city below, driving the Killer-Bee through streets that were now a little more familiar to him until he had reached the small park and play area within the district that Myrtle, Redwood and Astra called home. The fact that he was once again meeting his birth family away from their home undeniably stung a little but Felix quickly pushed his feelings aside, simply reminding himself that their relationship was still a new one and it would be rude to say the least if her were to force the issue of who they allowed in their own house.
Upon arriving at the park he had played catch and several rounds of hide and seek and tag with Astra, sharing jokes from his own childhood and regaling his half-brother with highly sanitised accounts of Team FADE's many missions and exploits. Eventually taking a break to catch his breath, Astra having a seemingly limitless amount of energy and enthusiasm, Felix had sat on a bench beside Myrtle and Redwood; taking some time to get to know his mother and her long term boyfriend a little better whilst watching Astra play with his friends from school as they each made their way to the play area. A few hours passed like this before an ice cream van pulled up at the edge of the park, the enclosed nature and relatively consistent climate and temperature within the Hive City meaning that such businesses suffered less losses in the winter than one would expect. Myrtle made her way across the park, the children flocking around the Crocodile Faunus as she bought each of them ice cream
"Does she always pay for everyone?" Felix asked, a little taken aback
"Yeah, but so do the other kids' parents" Redwood explained "There's always at least one parent at the park while the kids are out, we take it in turns. We don't want gangs and drug dealers setting up shop around here like that Torchwick guy that everyone's always talking about" Felix was impressed with the sense of community that this small area of the Hive Tower seemed to have, it reminded him very much of Patch
"I've put Torchwick in prison once….helped put one of his main people away recently as well" the Lion Faunus bragged, hoping that the news would give himself and Redwood some common ground
"Nice" the Deer Faunus grunted "Let's hope he stays put away this time"
"Yeah"
"He probably won't though" Redwood lamented "Anyone involved in that much crime can pretty much buy the law….I mean hell, look at Councillor Xiong"
"Definitely true" Felix agreed, though he decided that mentioning that he had also had run-ins with the Black Bear crime syndicate would be unwise; another idea quickly occurred to him "Speaking of buying the law, my Mum mentioned something about your old job….sorry to hear that man"
"I'm not" Redwood shrugged "I own my own business now, letting me go was the best place the shipyard could have done for me"
"Is that why you turned down the Coalition when they offered legal aid?" Redwood immediately grimaced; letting out a slow breath and making sure that Myrtle was still preoccupied by the children before deciding to broach this particular topic of conversation
"I just don't trust the Coalition, never have"
"What?" Felix was baffled
"Kid" Redwood sighed "You've gotta remember the history and the context, you weren't there for it. Now I'm no history major but what happened was that the White Fang led the attack on Vale and Atlas knew that they were gonna be next; so right before Adam Taurus kills Jacques Schnee and takes over half of the Kingdom….the half with all the Dust mind you, this new group sets itself up. A group made up of White Fang deserters and old leaders who nobody has seen in years, suddenly Atlas wants to do business with this group despite how they set their robots on the Fang for years….It's just never sat right with me is all, even back then I said that there was something off about it"
"So when the White Fang marched on Vale were you one of the guys shooting civilians or did you just turn the other way for 'em?" Felix's tone was acidic and his expression was furious, his knuckles audibly cracking
"Woah!" Redwood snapped before holding his hands up apologetically "I never supported the White Fang, let's get that clear right now! I know how they messed up your Mum, both of 'em in fact and listen kid….I lived through the fall of Vale; it was hell. I just think that the Coalition are a useful tool and that they're way too friendly with the humans"
"The humans?" Felix growled, his attempts to keep his temper in check gradually failing despite his best efforts
"I'm not a supremacist, I don't want Humans gone or subservient or anything like that" Redwood attempt to justify himself "I just think they shouldn't be on Menagerie, not after they were the ones to bomb it. I think the Faunus homeland should be for us; there's been too much bad blood between the species and we should go our own ways" Felix trembled with anger, but still tried to offer the man one last chance
"So you'd split up families like mine?" his words were a low growl, yet Redwood seemed too eager to espouse his own beliefs to heed to unspoken warning
"I just don't think Faunus and humans should be in relationships, honestly it's not natural it's-" whatever redwood wished to add was left unsaid and the only sound that escaped him was an exclamation of pain and surprise as his nose was broken under Felix's fist, the Lion Faunus leaping to his feet and dragging Redwood from the bench, delivering another punch to the mans' face as he did so
"FELIX WHAT'RE YOU DOING!" Myrtle had rushed over, and promptly flung herself between the two of them; grabbing Felix's arms and forcing him to release Redwood
"We had a disagreement over politics" Redwood groaned, wiping blood away from his nose and mouth "Hunters myrtle, they're not right in the head"
"A disagreement?" Felix demanded disbelievingly, trying to sidestep around Myrtle in an effort to hit the man again. Myrtle held fast, a disgusted look upon her face
"I think you should go!" she exclaimed
"Not until he-"
"YOU NEED TO LEAVE!" Myrtle screamed in his face "You are making a scene in front of children for Oum's sake" Felix immediately froze, deep blue eyes widening as he saw that Astra and his friends did indeed like horrified by what had transpired and several curtains nearby could be seen twitching, making it clear to the Lion Faunus that the police would be called within moments if they hadn't already.
"Fine" with no more to be said Felix turned and stalked away in the direction of his car; silently mouthing an apology to Astra as he passed the child and desperately trying to reign in his temper so that he could try and figure out how exactly things had gone so wrong.
"-Released a statement following the explosion of a car in the South Sycamore District of Hive Tower twelve last night that claimed the lives of two police officers, New Vale Police Department are treating the incident as a homicide-" Rhodium was paying little attention to the news that was currently being shown on Corona's television, although the anchorwoman's did have the effect of bringing a truly evil smile to his face
"Holy fucking Oum what did you do?" the stunned demand announced Corona's arrival into the living room; the Mantis Shrimp Faunus was dressed in a way that indicated that she was planning on going out, her remaining hand covered by a glove, a thick coat with a fur lined hood and a scarf which would hide the scarring caused by the plasma spewing Grimm but more importantly hide her identity from anyone who may be monitoring security cameras; she was after all a wanted criminal. Rhodium's smile flickered and he collapsed back onto the sofa wearing an expression that was equal parts angry and worried, muting the television as he did so
"Vert's missing" he told her, prefacing his explanation with some much needed context "His whole crew got set up, they were meant to be grabbing a snitch and they walked into about a dozen Hunters and police were waiting around the corner. I've heard from a few guys inside that nobody has seen Vert anywhere, no stations, not North Vale Correctional, not the hospitals; hell not even getting marched down to solitary….I've had to tell people that his music took off with that last song and he's in Vaccuo working on some collaborations and shit but I don't know how long that's gonna hold up for"
"Holy shit" Corona breathed out "You think the cops whacked him?"
"I did some digging" the mobster growled, rising from the sofa and beginning to pace as he spoke "It's the same few groups of cops everywhere, all the raids, the arrests, backing up the health inspectors when they served me papers, the fucking parking tickets, all of it! It's the same people, something's going on here and I'll bet Lien that it's those Hunters who trashed the club that are running this circus….just didn't think I'd have to fight another war right after I'd won one"
"Heavy is the head that wears the crown" Corona smirked, planting a soft kiss on his cheek "So you're hitting back against cops and Hunters?….it's a risky game Rhodey"
"It always was" the redhead shrugged, far too desensitised to the possibility of death that came with his chosen lifestyle for it to really affect him any more "Besides, Vert's one of the crew and it's ride or die; this was how it was always gonna play out the second they tried to make a move. If I can't find the Hunters then I'll just keep hitting the cops….I fucking hate cops" Corona pursed her lips, clearly deep in thought yet she said nothing, though Rhodium could still see that something was clearly bothering her
"You okay with this, or is killing cops a step too far?" the question lacked any of the threatening malice it would surely have held were it directed at anyone else; primarily because he knew that Corona was anything but a coward and her decision would be a practical one rather than the result of a simple lack of conviction
"I don't suppose I've got a right to be, all things considered" she sighed, giving a slight shrug; Rhodium knew that she had some regrets about betraying her old partner and the redhead almost regretted contracting her services and ruining her life when he could have used any number of other mercenaries
"It sounds stupid but this feels different" she continued "Team FADE made a habit of coming after you and your business for years, they had to go….when we set Foggy up; there was still a chance he could have….fuck who am I kidding. It's just a Hunter thing Rhodey, we don't wanna have to go after our own"
"I hear that" Rhodium nodded solemnly "And if it makes you feel any better, these Hunters have forced my hand; if they just stuck to Hunting Grimm I would never have a problem with 'em, hell I'd donate to charities for injured Hunters right now if that was all they did. But don't worry, I'm not gonna ask you to do anything….it's about time Nickel earned the damned rent on that place we gave her"
Oz's back up?" Corona raised a quizzical eyebrow before adding "I might meet her today"
"Pray that you don't, she's a little bitch" Rhodium snorted "So you're definitely sure about this then?" the Mantis Shrimp Faunus nodded
"Yeah I am, I can't sit around in the apartment forever and I can't be a Huntress or a mob enforcer or whatever else with only one hand"
"Okay I'll catch up with you later, I've got some business to handle" Rhodium paused for a moment before adding "Stay safe out there babe"
"Babe?" Corona smirked, which in turn caused Rhodium to shuffle awkwardly in a way that she found utterly adorable. The two of them had come to some sort of understanding that they were moving beyond casual sex although exactly what their current relationship was remained undefined and undiscussed
"Uh, yeah- I mean unless…." he trailed off, still fidgeting
"You too red" she chuckled before draping her remaining arm around his shoulders and pulling him into a slow kiss before flashing him a wicked smile and wink before she left the apartment; Rhodium needing several moments to pull himself together and refocus
"What a woman" he muttered under his breath before turning his attention to the defence of his criminal empire.
To say Helios Nikos was concerned as he made his way through the darkened corridors of Halo Academy would be a severe understatement; the armoured warrior had been in the library with Olivine, his diminutive team-mate explaining mechanical and engineering principals to him as she pored over schematics for Helios's own weapon with an eager glint in her eye that bordered on maniacal when Arctus and Diamond had interrupted and explained that something was wrong with Felix.
The mere possibility of his boyfriend being in some kind of danger had been enough for Helios to leap to his feet, orders for Olivine to contact Ether and Nyanza and have them meet him at the airship terminal armed and prepared for combat on the tip of his tongue until the two members of Team FADE had managed to calm him down enough to explain that they had been in their dormitory when Felix had stormed in with bloodshot eyes and bloody knuckles, promptly grabbing his gym bag and stomping back out without saying a word. Arctus had been in favour of following the Lion Faunus but Diamond had suggested that instead they come to Helios as she sensed that their company would be frankly unwelcome at that moment. Helios had thanked them and hastily departed; now as he drew close to the gym the sound of thunderous impacts reached his other, one dull, booming thud after another in quick session until he reached the entrance to the gym and stepped inside
"Felix?" he called out, taking care to keep his tone gentle as he took in the sight that greeted him. The entire side of the Gym that the Lion Faunus occupied lay in ruins, the gutted carcasses of the heaviest punchbags the academy had hung limply with their contents piling beneath them where they has spit under the force of Felix's blows and several training dummies had been subjected to what could only have been lethal force, their blank expressions almost comical in a macabre way as their crumpled heads lolled against bodies that they were barely still attached to. In the centre of the destruction stood Felix, facing away from Helios and shoulders heaving with his ragged gasps whilst blood trickled down the length his fingers, whatever blood had stained his hands before had been added to by the blonde shredding the skin of his own knuckles.
"Fluffy?" Helios called him again, still more gently as he stepped closer
"Just go Helios….Leave me alone" Helios stopped, he had never heard him sound so utterly defeated
"I can't do that….you're clearly not okay" Helios stepped in front of the Faunus and saw that he had obviously been crying recently "What happened Fluffy?"
"This?" Felix gestured bitterly at his surroundings "I just ruined shit, apparently that's all I'm good at anyway" he let out a single choked sob and Helios swiftly wrapped his arms around the Faunus and pulled him close, gently stoking Felix's curly mane as he buried his face Helios's shoulder
"Talk to me" Helios murmured
"I was with Myrtle and Astra….so apparently my half brother's Dad is a massive fucking racist"
"What?" Helios hissed, confusion almost overwhelmed by a sudden flash of anger
"Yeah" Felix gave a dejected sigh "Not only does he think Hunters a menace to society, he thinks that mixed couples like my parents, or Arctus's parents….or us; we shouldn't be a thing"
"You struck him?" Helios surmised, finding himself utterly unable to see this as a negative
"Beat his ass while my birth family were right there" Felix gave a bitter laugh "Because all that anger management counselling, all the effort I've put into being better was just a fucking joke right; I'm always just gonna be the mean kid from Patch who knocked people out for talking back-"
"Given an opportunity I would have taught him to hold his tongue myself" Helios assured Felix "This is….unfortunate, I won't lie to you about that Felix but it doesn't need to be a failure-"
"Myrtle and Redwood are never gonna let me near Astra again" Felix countered, tone turning fearful for a moment as he added "Shit what if he presses charges" Helios fell silent, his knowledge of the Kingdoms' laws was far from perfect though he knew enough to know that Felix could potentially be in serious trouble; eventually he sighed
"This would be simpler in the tribe; by my peoples' laws you would be within your rights to demand an honour duel for such insults" Helios pulled back and planted a gentle kiss on Felix's forehead "Though I don't think that you should concern yourself too much with the law"
"Why not?"
"If the police had been contacted then Goodwitch would know of it by now and would have come looking for you herself"
"Okay fair point" Felix chuckled, his laughter taking on a hysterical edge as he slumped against the nearest wall and sunk to the ground letting out a wavering and shaky breath that threatened to devolve into crying
"What am I gonna do Heely?" he demanded "I finally meet my biological Mum, after all these years and I managed to ruin everything"
"You'll do what you always do" Helios assured him, sitting beside the Faunus "Power through any obstacle and overcome it….you're amazing like that" despite himself Felix couldn't help but blush a little at the praise
"Thanks" he mumbled "I just don't know how I'm gonna handle Redwood from now on….I mean the guy is clearly an ass-hole, but he's my brother's dad"
"Then your brother needs a better role model on which to base himself" Helios noted "Fortunately there is one available….he wanted to be a Hunter one day did he not?"
"Okay I'm not saying that this is a bad idea….because I definitely like the sound of it" Felix found himself grinning, overlong canines visible "But I can't see either of his parents going for that right now; I can't exactly just call Myrtle and say 'Hi, you had a kid with a moron so I'm gonna teach him some life lessons'" Helios wore an expression that Felix had rarely seen on the scarlet haired man before, it was mischievous and his vibrant green eyes were alight
"Perhaps I've been in the Kingdoms for too long, but I believe you have an expression….what they don't know can't hurt us?" Felix stared in shock for a moment before leaning into Helios's shoulder
"Oum I love you Heely"
The days were drawing shorter and by the time that Team CLIR had drawn close to the settlement of Arcadia, having made a slight detour to eliminate a small herd of lumbering Goliaths that had been heading in the direction of New Vale itself, the sun was already far past its' zenith and was barely visible above the horizon; doing little more than add streaks of vibrant colour to the darkening skyline.
"This is Arcadian air-space defence, please state your name and business, over" the voice that came through the Bull-Heads' comms was garbled by static, indicating that some components of the settlement's infrastructure had been allowed to degrade despite its' size and supposed importance; Corvid turned to her team-mates and allowed herself a proud smile before answering, they were here and this was it, their last mission as students
"This is Corvid Xiao Long of Team CLIR requesting permission to land, over" there were a few moments filled with papers being rustled and conversation in the background as verification was sought followed by the same static ridden voice gratefully answering
"The Hunters, thank Oum we were beginning to think we'd never get anyone….We'll patch you the co-ordinates through now and someone will meet you on site, over"
"Thank you, co-ordinates received over" Corvid confirmed as the details became visible on a small screen on the crafts' controls. As the comms went dead Lux gave in to the fit of giggles he'd been struggling to contain
"When did we start ending everything with over?….Over"
"Fuck off I'm trying to be professional here" Corvid grumbled "We've gotta do everything by the book, no questions, no mistakes"
"Hey guys" Iris raised her voice just enough to get her teams' attention without taking an ounce of her focus away from her position as pilot, cybernetic arm freshly polished and gleaming under the cockpit lights as it gripped the controls "We're coming up on Arcadia now, wanna get your first look at it?" Team CLIR fell silent as their Bull-Head descended and crossed into Arcadia itself; the walls that they passed over were constructed by several meter thick stone blocks and atop them the miniscule forms of guards could be seen scurrying between spotlights and gargantuan weapons arrays
"It's….honestly nicer than the capital" Corvid admitted
"Yeah" Lux agreed "Apparently this is what Old Vale used to look like, New Vale used a lot of Atlesian designs to save space" Arcadia, simply put was a beautiful city; with wide open streets, plenty of greenery, architecture that was both elegant and yet clearly sturdy most of which was comprised of some unknown white stone and all of it seemed to be lit by glowing streamers interwoven between the buildings that slowly shifted colours from pale yet to a rosy pink
"Okay….I know when we graduate we're gonna be on the move a lot, but can we have I don't know an office here or something?" Iris asked as she took in the sight below
"Maybe when we've saved a lot of Lien" Corvid answered, clearly taking the half-joking comment somewhat seriously
"What are people doing out here that makes enough money to live like this?" Rusty asked in disbelief
"Dust refinery" Lux answered, his families' involvement in large scale construction having given him an insight into various other industries "There're a lot of mines that have sprung up over the last twenty years or so….Atlas helped rebuild the capital and now the SDC gets to mine in Vale; a lot of the raw Dust comes here for processing"
"And because of people like my Mum the workers are actually getting some decent wages" Corvid added with clear pride in Blake's work. Iris would have contributed more to the conversation but she was preoccupied by the task of bringing their Bull-Head down softly onto their designated landing pad, having carried them over the main body of the settlement and towards the small airship terminal and hangars that resided close to its' perimeter.
"Well…..we're here" she announced as they touched down with a slight thud
"Yeah" Corvid's face grew solemn "Hey guys, I'm proud of you and I want you all to know that….seriously, these last four years it's been a privilege to train with you and you're the best friends I could ever ask for-"
"Wait for it" Lux smirked
"Which is why we've CLIR-ly got this in the bag" she finger-gunned and made her way towards the exit hatches of their transport, using her arm mounted controls to have the Omega Wing hover behind her as she stepped out into the chilly air and dusty airship terminal; her friends close behind her.
"Team CLIR?" a voice called out, preceding the arrival of a short and tired looking woman with a crew-cut and powerful shoulders which were highlighted by the flak jacket she wore over her fatigues, whose white and grey snow camouflage pattern was admittedly of no real use in their current surroundings; she took a moment to size the students up, her face illuminated by the cigarette she took slow drags on before speaking again
"I'm Captain Frost of the Arcadian Garrison, I've heard good things about you" she seemed to cut herself off short, as if making a conscious effort not to call them kids, which Team CLIR appreciated "So how in Oum's name did you get sent out here?"
"We've got a pilot, experience in shoring up fortifications and under-defended positions and honestly….this is the kind of work we prefer" Corvid answered simply
"Well we're definitely under-staffed" Frost admitted bitterly "Over a dozen Hunters didn't come….I heard a couple died on the same stretch of road; Oum I shouldn't be mad, but everyone here is pulling double shifts"
"Heavy Grimm activity?" Iris asked
"Out here, always" the Captain assured her "I was told by Professor Goodwitch that this is your final mission and that you're expected to take part in the co-ordination as well as actual legwork"
"Aye Captain" Corvid grinned, eager to get to work and prove just how capable her team were once again
"At ease Xiao Long" Frost chuckled, sensing her readiness "I've got a shift change at oh nine hundred, right after the traffic dies down; briefings for the morning shift are oh eight thirty; there's a driver out front waiting to take you to the hotel you'll be staying at, they'll give you directions to Garrison headquarters. You come in for briefing and myself and some of the other officers will bring you up to speed and we'll see what you can do for us. That okay?"
"That's more than okay" Corvid promised "Eight thirty, see you then" Captain Frost gave Team CLIR a salute, disregarding rank as many military and law enforcement personnel tended to do in the presence of Hunters and the students swiftly returned the gesture before gathering up their bags and departing towards the main entrance to the Airship terminal in search of their driver
"Hey guys" Lux beamed
"Darlin' no" Rusty groaned, seeming to sense what would come next
"It's our first night in a new city….and this place is cool" he continued unabated
"Seriously man, on a Monday?" Iris laughed
"Wanna find a club?" Corvid came to a halt and stared at her partner in mock disgust
"Lux, you will be the death of me" she sighed, before giving a feral grin "And I hate how well you know me"
Authors Notes:
So, another chapter down and yeah this one's a little short but don't worry it's setting up the action that's gonna be filling the back half of Vol.8….Seriously, take my usual end of Volume tomfoolery and then double it, that's what I've got planned.
I needed this, writing has kept me sane this week; I'm looking for a new job….I haven't quit or been fired but I've put my notice in, the constant cutting corners and risk taking that the management insists on is getting too much.
Anyway, enough about my bullshit; let's summarise:
Team CLIR's last ever mission as students, serious business is upon us….also I had to work "Time to say goodbye" into that paragraph somewhere, because homages.
Corey has been a Ruby and Penny fangirl since day one.
Iris isn't Faunus, her parents just moved to Menagerie for a while when she was a kid to focus on the rebuilding efforts, which is where she lost her arm...it hasn't been covered since first year.
Fuck Rusty's Mum.
Awww Onyx.
"Remind me how Aunt Ruby got into Beacon early again?" let's be honest, that has to be the excuse that every would be hero Hunter uses when questioned; it's like telling kids in the Marvel Universe not to throw things at Nazi's; it's just unamerican.
And so now Qrow knows that the missing Hunters are missing.
Corey got what she wanted, Blake thinking her research paper was great.
Blake and Yang are getting the pleasure of growing old together and I can promise that I will do nothing that changes that.
Of course Yang wants to see pictures of Felix and Astra.
I really wanted the description of Pantheon's new Spawning Pit to be just a little unsettling, pretty sure I succeeded.
So remember back in First Year how Phobos had the Steed, the Triceratops Grimm with a throne; and in Downward Spiral Salem's throne allowed her to control Grimm in larger numbers directly….yeah, Pantheon has something similar now.
Flesh-Seeker….I don't even know where it came from, I had no plans to give Pantheon a weapon but then after the fight with the White Spectre it just demanded to be written.
I'm sure you can guess where 'Mother is'….I'll give you a hint, it isn't Arcadia; that's just in the way.
"Paddle faster I here banjos" Nickel is honestly a pleasure to write.
So yeah, just a casual reminder that the voice in Oz's head whenever he uses the Wizards' powers is slowly killing him; and I'm not even trying to be subtle about whose voice it is at this point.
Remember that Nickel's mission has been to weaken Arcadia's defences by killing any Hunters heading there, because Pantheon's horde/army will have to come through Arcadia.
Of course she wants the Omega Wing.
Hunters have literally weaponised their own souls, but that is nothing in the face of the pure unfiltered energy that a small child has.
The community around the park that Astra plays in is great and their intentions are good….But if Torchwick really wanted to set up shop there he would do.
And things were going so well….
Redwood's attitude and viewpoints are based on actual people I've met, black people who don't believe in interracial relationships and call for what honestly amounts to self imposed segregation….except it isn't "Self" imposed when you want to make everyone else to do it as well, but that's way too political for right now.
Rhodey strikes back; he was never gonna let the attacks on his people slide.
"I fucking hate cops"….he hasn't used his slogan in a while, I feel like they're gonna be his last words.
Corona being a little conflicted just seemed right.
So, Rhodey is gonna send Nickel after Kafsi, Rover, Artemis and Scarlet.
Helios doesn't play, the second he heard Felix needed help he was ready to ride out.
Oh Goodwitch is gonna have things to say about the amount of damage Fluffy just did to academy property.
Helios was great in this scene and you can't tell me otherwise.
The reaction Corvid got when she was trying to be professional was basically what my work mates gave me when they heard me on the phone looking for a new job.
A little bit of world building, because New Vale isn't just the capital and Patch.
I feel like Corey let her guard down a little bit more than we usually see from her this chapter.
So, the question is who do Team CLIR run into first; Pantheon or Nickel.
Thank you to SumoSnipe, Funlander, DizzyDwarf and Ferrous for their reviews on the last chapter.
I'm gonna come out and say that Kafsi didn't use Team FADE as bait, she just got tunnel vision and focused on the target to the exclusion of all else.
As for how things don't get locked down, I'm using the rule of "I need to keep this story moving forwards" combined with the "Hunters are basically superheroes, the laws that affect them are different"
Cute to Oof…..ah that was me during puberty.
At least one person on your list is dying this volume.
Yeah I was into some madness growing up.
I love making my readers tear up.
Well, we saw how pissed Rhodey was.
Oh we'll get a little look into why Nickel is like she is before I'm done with her.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.