RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)
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I am making no money from this.
Chapter 109: The Decoys
Team FADE had been based at Elysium Hills for three, largely uneventful days in which they had performed an impressive amount of patrols around the immediate perimeter of the large but poor settlement as well as escorting the miners to and from the SDC Dust mines in order to ensure their safety, and spending what time they could putting the various skills and considerable sheer superhuman strength and endurance to work in the effort to make Elysium Hills a home for the refugees who had elected to stay in New Vale rather than evacuate and rebuild their lives entirely in a new Kingdom. Each member of the team as well as Hellebores Arc had come to an agreement that the Hunters needed to be seen making a difference, in doing so they would boost morale which would in turn have a tangible effect in reducing the amount of Grimm drawn to the settlement; though in all honesty the nightmares made flesh had been far less numerous than Team FADE had expected, with only a small pack of barely a dozen lesser monsters turning their attention towards Elysium Hills.
"Despite the fact he hasn't ceased his grumbling, I can assure you that your Uncle Whitley is just as proud of you as your Father and I"
"Thanks Mum, it means a lot" Arctus smiled weakly; Team FADE were currently off duty as the sun set outside, the four of them taking the few available moments to relax and decompress in the admittedly small and cramped hotel room that they had been granted for the duration of their time in the settlement. Arctus had received a much welcomed Scroll call from home to inform him that news of his impromptu speech to the protesters outside of the Dust mines had made its' way to Atlas where the Bear Faunus had been lauded as a paragon of the virtues that the icy Kingdom wished to display itself as embodying. Whitley Schnee had swiftly followed up on Arctus's pledges by having funds and resources reallocated as well as astronomical amounts of Lien being donated to various charities, some of which Emerald Sustrai was closely involved with; though his pride in Arctus and the beliefs that the two of them shared had not quite been enough to stop the billionaire philanthropist from jokingly noting that his nephew had effectively wrested control of the company from him for a few moments.
"People are saying you were super cool, I wish someone had recorded it" Athena-Jade declared bluntly from the background of the video call where she and Coral could be seen; the younger Bear Faunus sporting a band-aid across the bridge of her nose, seemingly from a minor accident in her training
"I just said what needed to be said" Arctus shrugged "But hey, at least nobody else is throwing eggs and bottles at me; even if I do still get dirty looks every time I go out-"
"THEY DID WHAT?" Weiss demanded, instantly incensed
"Why?" Athena demanded, stunned and confused by the idea of anyone seeing a Hunter as the enemy
"A lot of people lost their homes, they needed someone to be angry at" Arctus shrugged trying to make sense of the situation for the child
"Like Tartarus" Coral's voice was quite yet her words silenced everything else "When Tartarus burned down I was really angry" the Crab Faunus's admission changed the tone of the entire conversation and both Diamond and Felix who had been present in the main room of their hotel suite decided to join the conversation and either bring some levity or offer moral support to the child whose upbringing had undoubtedly left several mental scars; Felix finally abandoning his efforts to contact his own biological mother who had been ignoring his messages recently. Eagle simply watched from the background, fully intending to join her friends' efforts until she felt her own Scroll vibrating in her pocket and found herself biting her lip with uncertainty before making her decision and slipping into the tiny bedroom fitted with a pair of single beds which she and Felix had been sharing, whilst Diamond and Arctus had been given a room with a double bed; much to their unfortunately vocal pleasure.
"I've missed those pretty eyes of yours little canary" Hellion's low and sultry voice purred as their own video call began; Eagle promptly locking the door behind her to ensure at least a modicum of privacy.
"Oh my Oum stop" Eagle gasped, barely muffling a giggle "Everyone is in the next room talking to Arctus's Mum and sister….but I've missed you too" the now blushing, freckled blonde made herself as comfortable as possible on the bed that was too small for her tall and muscular frame, whilst Hellion herself occupied quarters on the ship that Team GORE had been assigned to that were dimly lit, though just enough light filtered in for Eagle to watch, mouthing drying and heart hammering as the Dragonfly Faunus slipped out of the shoulder straps of her sleeveless top, revealing more of her toned and light brown skin
"I can tell….your eyes are pretty, but they wander" Hellion's tone was teasing in more ways than one and Eagle found herself biting at her lower lip as the girlfriend eyed her with a satisfied smile that was almost predatory
"Should I stop little canary?" Eagle bit back a wordless groan of equal parts pleasure and frustration before whimpering out an answer as she slipped a hand beneath her own hoodie and shirt, pushing her bra away to caress her own small breasts; sure that her cheeks had reached a hitherto unknown shade of scarlet
"Don't stop" having heard the answer that she wanted Hellion removed her own top entirely, her composure and controlling slipping for a moment as her breath hitched and a whine of ecstasy escaped her whilst she teased her own dark nipple between experienced fingers before she returned to her chosen task of bringing Eagle to brink of orgasm despite their distance with fresh determination
"I love that face you're wearing little canary, especially seeing it when I'm between your thighs….perhaps when we next see each other I should leave bite mar- WHAT ON REMNANT!" Eagle came to an abrupt halt as she heard Hellion's cry of discomfort, the Faunus being flung from her bunk as an impact rocked the entirety of the vessel she was aboard; both women knew that the source of such an impact would almost certainly be a malign one and Eagle's face quickly morphed into an expression of deepest concern whilst Hellion's was, for a brief second, the picture of murderous fury before she calmed herself for a moment, donning the discarded sleeveless top and readying dozens of her throwing knives as she rose to her feet
"I need to go above deck and see that that was….Hopefully we can finish this 'conversation' later"
"I love you"
"I love you too" with that the video call ended and Eagle took a moment to readjust her clothes before burying her still blushing face in her pillow; fighting the urge to scream at the injustice of the situation. The condition was short-lived however as she had only a few minutes to catch her breath, listening to the continuing conversation between Arctus and his family which Diamond and Felix had joined, privately relived that her absence hadn't been noted yet before the peace was shattered by the door to the hotel suite being flung open and Hellebores Arc bursting inside, voice urgent yet maintaining an unnervingly steely calm
"EVERYONE LOCK AND LOAD! INBOUND GRIMM HAVE BEEN SIGHTED….IT LOOKS LIKE THIS IS THE BIG ONE WE'VE BEEN EXPECTING!"
The panic was quick to set in, the first impact of something colliding against the hull of the ship drawing screams of terror from refugees above deck which were quickly followed by the sounds of crying children and mass hysteria bubbling close to the surface.
"Of course you understand that I blame you two imbeciles for this?" Raffia noted scornfully, twirling his swords in anticipation as he glared at Onyx and Arslan. Prior to the commotion the two had been nose to nose in the midst of a confrontation that had all but promised to come to blows which had started when Arslan mentioned in passing that Team GORE may have met her own child at the Vytal Tournament and Onyx, remembering Ranger Altan and more specifically their refusal to see their match with Corvid through to its' conclusion, had coldly and bluntly informed Arslan that she had birthed a gutless whore and a coward without honour; the situation had only devolved from that point.
"Enough" Carcharodon rasped as he deployed the Red Waves, the familiar mechanical sound of the arm mounted blades unfurling calming him a little
"No point being in being reasonable now" Raffia cackled "The Grimm are already here, may as well just air all of our grievances while we're at it" the Axolotl Faunus's caudal fins twitched as he stalked the prow of the ship; eager for the bloodshed to start
"Enough!" a new voice demanded, Team GORE turned to see that their missing member had arrived; Marauder took to the skies immediately and Hellion herself held a blade in each hand
"What hit us?" she demanded furiously
"We don't know yet" Carcharodon admitted, clearly irked by the idea that something unknown had the audacity to lurk in oceans he considered his domain
"Do we have a plan?" Arslan found it hard not to be a little annoyed at the way the students seemed to completely disregard her and operate independently, though considering what they were she supposed it was to be expected; Carcharodon turned to her
"Get any stragglers below deck, use force if you have to. Have the captain ready the ships guns" understanding that her own weaponry was not suited to this kind of battle and that Team GORE had superior senses and more experience in fighting on water than she, Arslan nodded silently and departed to do as requested.
"Raffia, Onyx ready your own weapons; I have no doubt you can aim faster than the ships crew. Hellion, find the Grimm" Carcharodon watched with distinct pride as his team moved into action; Onyx and Raffia deploying Jotun Fang and Blazing Avenger whilst positioning themselves to leave as few angles of attack available to their prey as possible; the last thing Hellion saw before her consciousness left her body was Carcharodon moving to cover her prone body. As her jade eyes faded to a faintly glowing and milky white Hellion found herself peering through the eyes of Marauder, the raptor currently circled overhead and its' keen eyesight allowed her to pick out details that would be lost to her whilst surveying the area from above. Their ship had already sustained damage, whatever had struck them having dented and torn the hull superficially in its' initial attack. After searching for barely a minute she saw it, a rising darkness like a shadow between the waves; vast, streamlined and almost serpentine
"STARBOARD SIDE!" she bellowed out in warning as she returned to her own body; Onyx and Raffia quickly turning and firing as something breached the surface of the icy water, the burning lance of the laser weapon and the thunderous impact of artillery drawing a shriek of pain from the Grimm. The things' body was an elongated almost oval shape perhaps twenty feet long adorned with a single row of bone spines growing from its' back like swept back armoured fins whilst it propelled itself with four wide, flat flippers each larger than a person. The bulk of its' body however was made of a neck and tail, each longer than its' body and each encased in bone coloured armour; the neck leading to a small arrowhead shaped skull, sporting jaws filled with countless jagged fangs
"Pleisodon" Carcharodon noted dispassionately; the Frost Rive Tribe elders had told stories of killing these beasts with sword, axe and trident, though it was reputably never an easy feat to accomplish. Before he could give any orders whoever crewed the ships guns made their presence known as heavy machine guns stitched a line of bullets along the Grimm's winding neck only for it to hiss and shriek in defiance before diving below the waves once more.
"HELLION!" Carcharodon called, his trusted scout already activating her Semblance once again and swiftly returning to her team in spirit as well as body to call out another warning
"STERN!" Carcharodon watched as Raffia all but flung himself over the railings of the deck, clutching them at the last moment in order to fire his weapon single handed towards the rear of the ship; the beam of light scorching everything in its' path before cutting a gouge into the Grimm's armour before its' skull dipped below the water once again, the ship lurching violently again as it did so.
"We stopped moving!" Onyx announced, the realisation of what that most likely meant was confirmed when the Pleisodon burst upwards directly in front of the ship, clutching the vessels' main propellor in its' jaws before whipping its' neck and hurling its' prize directly at the Hunters. Onyx unleashed his Semblance and reduced the projectile to falling debris as a wave of concussive force struck it with his roar
"DISTRACT IT!" Carcharodon demanded as the ships' weapons opened fire again, doing little but alert the Grimm to their presence. Onyx and Raffia began adding their own firepower to the onslaught whilst Hellion first hurled throwing knives fitted with small smoke bombs towards the Grimm's eyes and then blades with Lightning Dust handles into the water; leaving the Pleisodon blind and thrashing in agony as arcs of electricity crackled across its' body. Carcharodon leapt into action, simply sprinting forwards and vaulting the railings of the prow with a single minded determination to see his own name added to great sagas of his people. His right blade sunk into the neck of the Grimm and the left soon followed as he swung himself onto its' spine and began scaling the bony surface towards its' skull; the Pleisodon for the most part seemed unaware of its' passenger until the final moment when the Red Waves found a weak point at the base of its' spine and suddenly the Grimm's shrieks came to an abrupt halt, its' head lolling forward limply before the Grimm began to fade into nothingness. Carcharodon fell; closing his eyes and centring himself as he did so, righting himself and activating his Semblance at the last possible moment. Opening his pitch black eyes he stared up at the ship to see his team-mates staring at him in awe as his altered density allowed him to simply walk across the waters' surface toward the vessel before melting into its' hull and travelling upwards onto the deck. By the time he had rejoined Team GORE Arslan Altan was already hurrying back into view
"Holy Oum, you were impressive!" she declared, any previous anger forgotten
"You really were" Raffia agreed, bowing his head in reverence to the leader of the Frost River Tribe. Carcharodon privately considered the new tribal markings his feat had assuredly earned him the right to wear before turning his mind to more immediate matters
"The ship is crippled, this isn't a time to celebrate"
"Tug boats are already on the way….it'll probably just take you a day or two longer to get back to New Vale after the mission ends"
"DAMN IT ALL!" Hellion's outburst and the reason her friends suspected was behind it was enough to break the tension with a round of laughter.
"Eagle, leave Sentinel with me" Hellebores Arc demanded, seeing that her niece was about to object she followed with "I have a heavy flamethrower, give me Sentinels' rapid firing and we can cut through chaff; that leaves you four to focus on the Rampager" Team FADE and Hellebores had made their way to the perimeter wall of Elysium Hills and were currently stood atop it, each of them taking in the sight of the approaching mass of Grimm which, whilst not enough to be considered a horde in the truest sense certainly represented a sizeable threat. Several dozen Beowolves stalked inexorably towards the settlement which had been placed in a state of emergency, its' entrances sealed whist its' own militia were sent to ensure that no Grimm had broken off from the main attack to target the mines or simply attack them from behind; several Ursas waded through the smaller monsters, their lumbering forms rising above the mass of obsidian flesh and sharpened bone whilst the true threat towered above them all. The Rampager appeared as some prehistoric beast; standing at a little over ten feet in height even with its' angled forward posture and supported itself on a pair of powerful and muscular hind legs that ended in three toed avian feet whose claws churned and tore the earth that the thing walked on. Its' forelimbs had atrophied but had still retained a use of sorts, becoming angular wedges of solid bone matter which could lock around the Grimm's collarbone both protecting its' chest and reinforcing its' neck as it charged; a long and powerful tail ending in a bone cudgel swung behind the Rampager acting as a counterweight for the bulk of its' armoured cranium where countless layers of bone armour had interlaced and twisted around each other, leaving the eyes and short snout of the Grimm peering out from a reinforced helmet of sorts, adorned with a crown of horns interspersed around a blunt ugly mass of bone atop its' head whilst along its' back a series of sweeping fins of angular bone were constantly adjusting themselves to make the Rampager more aerodynamic as it charged.
The Pachycephalosuarus Grimm was, to put it simply, a living battering ram engineered by a dreadful and malicious intelligence.
"You got it" Felix nodded, accepting the task that Hellebores had entrusted Team FADE with without complaint and promptly turning to his team
"That thing's gonna be fast, the Stinger won't be able to hit it; looks like we're gonna have to go out there and deal with it up close….sounds like fun"
"Okay" Diamond nodded, stepping into her unofficial role as Felix's second in command and tactical advisor with ease "We need to move further along the wall, Hellebores when you make a start on the smaller Grimm I'll use a Dust round as a flare to try and draw it away; it'll have a harder time against solid wall than a gate"
"It's still gonna get through" Arctus noted "I'll play defence and hold it still"
"Okay, Aunt Hell if you're taking Sentinel then I'm gonna have to rely on my Semblance and get up close….Felix while Arctus is keeping it busy I'm gonna get on its' back and give you an opening"
"I'll blind it if I can" Diamond offered
"Good, once we've stopped its' momentum I'll go in and handle it" Felix stated, pleased that simple and direct plan seemed to be the most effective route "Let's do this" Team FADE leapt into action, Eagle only taking a moment to deploy Sentinel and pat the droids' cranium for luck before pulling her Aunt into a brief hug. Sprinting along the ramparts of the settlement's defences they heard both the collective howl of murderous intent from the Grimm and the war-cry from Hellebores that answered it as she leapt from the wall and charged towards the Grimm with Sentinel laying down suppressing fire from the above.
"DIAMOND, NOW!" Felix ordered, the sniper had already chambered one of her highly explosive Dust rounds and leapt onto the outer surface of the wall, her Semblance holding her steady as she aimed and fired; throwing down the proverbial gauntlet to the Rampager when the round detonated against its' armoured skull, doing little in the way damage but turning the saurian monsters' attention firmly in the direction of Team FADE
"Here it comes!" Felix warned as the Grimm's upper limbs locked in place around its' neck and torso and the Rampager thundered towards them, grunting and snorting as it picked up speed at a terrifying rate
"I've got it" Arctus assured them, though his voice belied his uncertainty as he clutched a fist-sized chunk of black and glassy Gravity Dust, crushing it and feeding the power it unleashed into a Glyph the size of the Rampager.
And then another, and another
The Stampeding Grimm shattered the first Glyph with ease and the second and third soon after, though after another half a dozen more obstacles its' momentum had been spent enough that Arctus felt safe in launching his true counter-attack; gritting his teeth and taking a knee under the strain of summoning a pearly white and glowing Ursa of comparable size to the Rampager itself. The Bear Grimm rose onto its' hind legs and the two towering monsters grappled, ephemeral claws and bone spikes tearing into each other as all the while, Diamond harassed the beast, sparks flying from its' armoured skull as armour piercing rounds ricocheted with each failed attempt to put out its' eyes as it thrashed in combat.
"Eagle go!" Felix demanded as he crushed as much Fire Dust as he could, quickly absorbing the heat into himself with his Semblance to grant himself as much of an advantage as possible. Eagle nodded and leapt from the wall, a white and gold feathered bird of prey soaring overhead in her place. The Rampager however seemed to sense that a co-ordinated attack was imminent and simply allowed the Ursa construct to hurl it aside, promptly planting a taloned foot on the ground and using the momentum to swing its' club like tail along the ramparts of the wall in a shower of broken stone and steel. Seeing the surface on which Diamond stood about to be ripped away Arctus abandoned all other goals in order to pull her to safety, causing his summoned Ursa to vanish as he lost focus Arctus himself to be caught unawares as the tail cudgel of the Rampager struck him in the back and shoulder, sending him flying over the defences and into Elysium Hills itself; Diamond's panicked scream ringing in his ears.
"No time to wait….Dee get to Arctus" Felix noted with grim determination, leaping from the wall with his golden Aura blazing around him as he charged, desperate to salvage the plan as much as possible. Eagle dove downwards in her avian form, transforming back to her true state in a flash of pure white Aura and making to drive her sword into the neck of the Grimm
The Rampager looked upwards and her sword flew from Eagle's hand as a resounding clang echoed across the battlefield. Felix charged after the Grimm as it loped away from the wall, thrashing as it went and making a clear attempt to give itself as much of a run up as possible for its' next charge. Eagle held on valiantly, simply pummelling away at the Grimm's skull with her bare fists and Aura fuelled strength before simply being flung aside and trampled underfoot as the Rampager turned and charged.
"Oh you're gonna pay for that" Felix snarled to himself as he saw his partner fall; rushing at the Grimm as it barrelled towards both himself and the settlement behind him. With a roar that echoed unnaturally Felix's body took on the appearance of blackened stone with veins of magma criss-crossing its' surface whilst his hair, eyes and the fur of his tail glowed with golden light as he entered his Balrog state and leapt at the protected chest of the Grimm. One unstoppable force struck another and the Rampager collapsed to the ground, skidding to a stop as Felix landed; having crushed the armour of its' upper limbs and torn through its' torso entirely.
The Lion Faunus wasted no time on admiring his handiwork and forced himself to overcome the coughing fit that racked his body, simply rushing over to where Eagle was pulling herself to her feet and recover her sword; Aura flickering around her as even her considerable reserves had their limits, the two of them sharing only a brief glance and nod of understanding before rushing back into the settlement, having been given an access code to bypass its' imposed lock-down and searching for Arctus and Diamond. They soon found them, Diamond was at the Bear Faunus's side and hastily wiping a gash that was spilling blood across his face and into his snowy white hair; around them stood countless citizens of Elysium Hills, one of whom stood a little straighter as Felix and Eagle approached
"We've already called a doctor, we don't wanna move him….he hit a roof then went face first through a wind-shield" Felix saw the car in question, its' roof partially collapsed and its' wind-shield broken and flecked with blood; he winced before stepping closer and crouching down beside Diamond
"Hey, still got your face?"
"Yeah" Arctus managed to slur out, blood trickling from between his lips
"Oh thank Oum, Diamond would be heartbroken….how's your back? Arm? Ribs?"
"Bruised, dislocated and almost definitely broken" Arctus managed to answer
"Just stay still Big Guy, help is coming" Diamond assured him before turning to Felix "You kill that thing?"
"Yeah" he nodded turning to Eagle even as the fatigue of using his full power began to set in "Come on, we should go help your Aunt" the people of Elysium Hills watched in stunned awe as the two blondes readied their swords and prepared to enter the battle for their home once again.
Specialist Kafsi Asteri looked out of place and found herself hating the eyes that followed her through the streets of a notably working class part of one of New Vale's many Hive Towers. Before her injuries she had once been amongst, if not outright the best of the icy Kingdoms' forward operatives and specialists in covert missions with a success rate of one hundred percent, including scores of prevented assassinations, capture of high profile drugs and arms dealers and the elimination of dozens of domestic terrorists. Then she had been maimed in the line of duty by a teenage bandit from a tribe of backwards savages wielding an axe; Kafsi had found the loss of her arm miniscule in comparison to the loss of her freedom to move without notice, her state of the art cybernetics and respirator marked her out as important or at the very least different to all that saw her and her now distorted voice ensured that all who heard her speak turned their attention towards her.
Not one to beaten by circumstances Kafsi had improvised and adapted; the glory of Atlas demanded it after all. Her overall philosophy of hiding in plain sight had remained unchanged though it was now accompanied by a certain brazen daring that had been absent in her previous operations; whilst in New Vale for the second time Kafsi had forgone her old use of fake identification, disguises and an impressive acting ability that allowed her to assume any number of invented characters at a moments' notice, instead she had gathered her contacts around her and acted openly. The small group of Hunters and police officers moving against Rhodium Torchwick's criminal empire that Specialist Commander Gangrel Slate had pointed her in the direction of had certainly been useful in terms of the insight, resources and sheer muscle that they offered but their true value, Kafsi believed, came from the ability to use them as a smokescreen; it was understood that Hunters were something of an exclusive if not exactly insular subculture within Remnant and seeing groups of former comrades from some mission or another out in public together was far from uncommon and being surrounded by the likes of Rover Tan with his Aura regulator grafted into his chest and Scarlet David with his own Cybernetic left hand allowed Kafsi to act without drawing attention, as most criminals would never expect their enemies to discuss plans to act against them so publicly.
This brazen attitude was what had led Kafsi to her current destination, a bell rang out somewhere in the unremarkable cafe that she had entered, barely audible above the buzz of conversation.
"Take a seat dear, I'll be with you in a moment" a waitress greeted her warmly, the reptilian Faunus whose deeply tanned skin was adorned with scales along her cheeks and arms gestured towards her a secluded table to the rear corner of the establishment. Kafsi sat and made herself comfortable as possible whilst examining the location; it was in close proximity to gang territory yet its' clientele were almost exclusively those who earned a legitimate living, security and monitoring was minimal and the building afforded lines of sight in several directions with its' large windows; Kafsi and her allies never used the same cafe or restaurant for their meetings more than once and the Specialist quickly decided that this place would be suitable for their next rendezvous, wherein she intended to put forward a new strategy that had occurred to her after examining the vast amount of paperwork that Team GORE had stolen on her behalf.
"Would you like to order?" the same waitress had returned and Kafsi leaned close, voice conspiratorial
"As you have no doubt guessed I am a Huntress, tomorrow I will be returning with other Hunters as part of a stakeout to bring several members of a cross-Kingdom drug cartel to justice; I'm telling you this as a courtesy and also so that you do not inadvertently draw undue attention to myself or my colleagues. Neither you or your fellow employees are suspects in any capacity and the chance of an altercation taking place within the premises themselves is negligible and you should go about your business….and I'll take a black coffee, no sugar. Thank you for you cooperation" Kafsi watched as the waitress wore a shell-shocked expression for a few moments before mastering herself and nodding in understanding and leaving Kafsi to her own devices whilst attending to her order. The Specialist marvelled at just how easy it was to achieve compliance from the average civilian, one could simply tell them almost any conspiracy and be regarded as nothing more than a particularly odd stranger. Myrtle Marrs for her part was merely annoyed at the presumptions of Hunters and wished that trouble didn't trail after them as often as it did; her relationship with her first born son might be easier that way.
The battle against the Rampager and its' attendant swarm of Grimm had been declared a resounding success, with only minimal damage to the perimeter defences of Elysium Hills and no civilian injuries or casualties to speak of; a fact that pleased Arctus greatly even as he lay in a distinctly uncomfortable bed within the settlements' small but mercifully well equipped hospital. His face bore ugly bruises and several cuts which seemed thankfully unlikely to scar and his arm had been put back into its' socket whilst his broken ribs and shoulder blade were being treated with a cocktail of the Aura stimulants medical professionals across Remnant used to bring Hunters back to health at impossible speeds and recover from injuries that would kill or cripple a regular human or Faunus; though the sheer amount of the drugs he had been given had admittedly left the Bear Faunus a little worse for wear
"You….are really pretty" he murmured to Diamond, staring at her as if seeing her for the first time
"Big Guy you are such a dumb-ass" Diamond laughed as she squeezed his hand "But you're my dumb-ass" the sniper had refused to leave her partners' side since he had been admitted to the hospital; a brief message from Felix having assured her that he and Eagle were in no need of backup, Hellebores Arc having personally cut down the majority of the smaller Grimm.
"Yay" the addled Faunus beamed, prompting Diamond to lean down and kiss his forehead whilst giggling softly
"You sure he hasn't got a concussion?" Felix chuckled good naturedly as he and Eagle entered the hospital room, swaggering with the confidence of the recent victory despite the Lion Faunus's clear exhaustion and the soot covering the surface of Sentinel's shield form and the dented and misshapen surface of Eagle's armoured chest-plate and the minor cuts and bruises both blondes' wore
"He'll be fine" Diamond assured them "Where's Hellebores?"
"Handling his discharge paperwork, we're all still technically in her care" Eagle answered before looking at Arctus and sighing "Maybe he should wear some armour"
"Maybe he should stop being an idiot" Felix snorted, continuing before Diamond protest "He knew you would've got out of there….Arctus I love you man but come on, you dropped a construct and threw the plan out the window"
"Sorry Fluffy" he muttered forlornly
"Nobody is complaining" Hellebores Arc assured him confidently as she joined them, the smell of smoke accompanying her "No plan survives contact with the enemy. What's important is that the enemy didn't survive contact with us. You did well"
"Exactly" Eagle beamed, happy to have earned the praise of her favourite aunt
"Anyway" Hellebores continued "You're all cleared to go. There're seats on the late night flight to the Capital booked for you, so you should be back at the academy by tomorrow morning Goodwitch and I agree that today's attack is the biggest we're going to see for a while"
"Stay in touch?" Eagle pouted "It's been fun….like the stories you used to tell me when I was a kid
"It has" Hellebores agreed "We'll have to go on a real adventure sometime, I distinctly remember promising a seven year old Eagle that we'd fight a dragon together one day" the revelation was a source of much amusement for Eagle's team-mates which the freckled blonde simply grinned and bore as she helped Arctus out of his bed and slung his arm over her shoulders to help him balance, Hellebores quickly taking the other.
"Come on, you've got a few hours to get some rest before you go; dinner is on me tonight" the older Arc announced before her smile turned mischievous "Besides the locals saw you take out the big one, you might have made some new fans" she refused to answer any questions from the thoroughly confused students, stating only that they should follow her. Gathering their belongings and doing so they allowed themselves to be led towards the main entrance of the hospital where they could see a sizeable crowd gathered outside, taking care not to block the entrance
"Come on" Hellebores beamed, leading them outside whilst she and Eagle continued to support the staggering and disoriented Arctus. The moment the Hunters exited the hospital they were left stood in abject shock on its' steps as the noise of hundred of cheering citizens of Elysium Hills buffeted them like a wall of concussive force and sound. After a few dazed moments Team FADE seemed to realise that they were being given a true heroes' send off, the realisation hitting them just as the first and boldest child within the crowd ran up to them and asked if they could have their picture taken with them.
"This is what being a Hunter is about" Diamond noted to her friends, as awed by the adoration of the masses as the crowd were by Team FADE's actions "Not the crowd and the cheering….hope, this is how we beat the Grimm; we starve 'em by giving people heroes to believe in" they remained there for a while longer, each of them feeling as though their place in the world was clearer than it ever had been before.
Night had fallen over New Vale and business was in full swing inside Club Corona; in the hidden bunker below however the events above translated into nothing more than a dull humming and thumping of deep bass. Rhodium Torchwick, whilst normally enjoying such lively surroundings and the business opportunities that they inevitably afforded him the mobster was forced to admit that it was nevertheless not conducive to one's concentration and found himself wondering just how Doctor Eldritch managed to focus, or indeed if the scientist ever left the confines of the bunker. Putting the question out of his mind and focused on the matter at hand
"Look at this" he instructed as he opened the laptop which through bribery and blackmail had been connected to New Vale's various security camera feeds, the obvious subject of Torchwick's interest was the woman he had identified as being involved with the clandestine war being waged against his criminal empire; based on her appearance it would be foolish to assume she was anything other than a Huntress of some description and as far as Rhodium could tell her uniform was Atlesian in origin.
"So she's going into a cafe?" Nickel noted irritably as she continued to sketch what appeared to be rough blueprints, hand moving at impressive speed as she did so
"I admit I'm yet to see the importance" Ozymandias added in a gentle tone; the fiery haired mobster frowned and paused the video and decided to simply explain
"This is the sixth cafe she's been in today and it was the last one; every time she went into one she was only for a few minutes and took a back corner seat….she's been casing joints"
"Get to the point chief" Nickel groaned in exasperation
"The point is" Rhodium growled through clenched teeth "That I want you to go to this cafe and wait out of sight; I'm almost sure she's been scoping out locations for a meeting with her people. When they turn you take 'em all out" his face had morphed into a savage grin at the prospect at finally being rid of the thorns in his side that had plagued him and allowed to simply enjoy and expand his dominance of New Vale's criminal underworld; the smile quickly faltered as he saw Nickel and Ozymandias exchange a glance before the copper haired sadist shrugged
"Tomorrow aint the one chief, I'm busy"
"What?" Rhodium demanded, incensed by the flippant disregard
"Plans, we have them" Nickel said, speaking slowly as if to a child and mocking him with every syllable
"What Nickel is trying to say" Ozymandias sighed "Is that a vital piece of research required for my own personal….endeavours shall we say will most likely come to fruition tomorrow and I will almost certainly need Nickel's abilities in order to-"
"Then pack your shit and get out, leave the money and the Dust" Rhodium's blunt tone brooked no argument yet neither Nickel and Ozymandias were willing to let such terms be offered without comment
"The fuck?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me" Rhodium spat "You work for me and I pay you well Oz, so when I tell you I need your heavy hitter to go shut down the people trying to put us all in prison then I expect it done; you can't do that then fuck off. I've got my own trap-houses set up all over the city anyway" the tension in the air was thick and eventually Ozymandias removed his avian mask to reveal his grandfatherly, yet horrifically wounded face and let out a sigh of simple exhaustion
"Very well….Nickel, how quickly do you think you could deal with this Huntress and her companions?" Nickel stared at the woman on the screen and took a few second to consider what she knew of Torchwick's other enemies
"Shouldn't take too long" she shrugged "If I go all out then we should be good for time"
"Go all out" Rhodium ordered fiercely "Make an example of these fucks….Oz, hurry up with Corona's arm for Oum's sake" with that the gangster turned and stalked out of the bunker, still affronted at the sheer gall of someone who was nominally his employee so casually refusing to follow an order. Ozymandias and Nickel watched him go, the treacherous and deranged scientist with a faint amusement and the murderous android with unfettered scorn
"I say you should put a bomb in his girls' arm and set it off the next time she gives him a hand job"
"There's no need to be crude" Ozymandias sighed "Besides it wouldn't do to upset our 'employer' whilst we still have need of his people and resources"
"Whatever" Nickel huffed "That cafe won't be open until the morning but I suppose you expect me to go and sit there overnight in case they meet up after hours" without waiting for a reply she made her way out of the bunker to attend to the task she had been given. Ozymandias merely sat in silence whilst within his mind the feminine voice whose whisperings and screamed impulses drove him onwards and his own consciousness, forever warped and corrupted by the powers of the Wizard both contemplated the development; coming as close to a peaceful and reasoned debate as possible before reaching an accord.
It was undeniable that Atlas's representative needed to be laid low, the threat that she presented to the plan was far too great to be left unchecked; the problem was simply a matter of timing.
It seemed that things were going to be a little more complicated than expected.
"I've got the big one!" Olivine's warning shout came a moment before the might of Buster Bravo was unleashed on a particularly large Deathstalker, each of the scuttling horrors' pincers being of roughly the same size and weight of a small car.
"Thank you" Helios, who had seen the Deathstalker heading his way nodded before continuing to wade through a small tide of Creeps with sword and shield in hand, his manipulation of gravity keeping the small and nimble Grimm from building any real momentum. Ether could be seen using his Semblance to flit around the battlefield and provide support where it was needed in the form of either a Dust fuelled area of effect attack or a simple decapitation of an enemy. Doctor Oobleck seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself as he swung the flaming business end of his weapon, dubbed 'Cambrian Explosion' into the face of any Grimm foolish enough to draw close with an impressive blend of reckless abandon and artistic finesse; the flames of his weapon lighting the night.
As he continued to cut through Grimm after Grimm Helios saw Nyanza towards the rear of the horde of monsters; his weapons shifting between their tonfa and long barrelled pistol forms with such regularity that Helios feared that they may break as the bushy tailed feline weaved around the attacks of the Grimm, responding with precise blows to joints which immobilised the monsters before they were promptly dispatched in a display that after years of the brutal training that Helios subjected Team NEON to was as much a product of skill as it was Aura fuelled luck.
"HEELY, SHIELD!" Nyanza called out, trust born of experience allowed Helios to move without questioning and simply protect his face and torso with his shield, from the corners of his now limited field of vision he saw the paired heads of King-Taijitu surging towards him in a pincer movement only for the attack to be unceremoniously halted as Nyanza aimed his pistols at Helios's shield and fired; the rounds ricocheting from its' gleaming surface and piercing the eyes of the Grimm's heads, destroying both brains simultaneously. Helios wasted no time and rushed back into action immediately, hurling his shield into the neck of a Creep that had pounced at Nyanza's back and allowing himself a satisfied smirk as it cleaved through the throat of the Grimm
"My shield!" Helios called out and watched as Nyanza, in a display of utter showmanship drove one half of the Pharaoh Mafdet into the skull of a Grimm before catching the shield component of Olympus Enforce and hurling it back towards the redhead; swiftly recovering his own weapon and continuing to fight. Helios's body became wreathed in the darkness of his Aura as he reduced gravity around his shield and caused it to hover weightlessly in the air, then leapt onto its' surface and used it as a platform from which to leap down and impale a snapping Creep through the maw. Recovering his shield he weaved around several more monsters and slashed at their flanks as he fell into place beside his partner, the two of them covering each others' blind spots as they tore through the rapidly thinning horde.
"THERE'S A LARGER GRIMM COMING!" Oobleck warned as the round beneath them began to shake
"Because of course there is" Nyanza grumbled, breaking the snout of a snarling Grimm with the butt of one of his pistols before reloading. Then the ground was torn asunder and eight bloody red orbs lit the night sky as a Deathstalker larger than any they had encountered thus far emerged from below; loose earth cascading from armour plates that had been stained greenish brown by the passage of time below ground; the things snapping claws were each large enough tear down a house with a single swing and its' tail had morphed into something designed to simply spray acid as a stinger would be of no use at such a scale.
"Hey Doc?" Ether called out "I don't suppose you could just drive your ride into that one as well?"
"Unfortunately it would be unlikely to work" Oobleck noted with a resigned sigh "It would most likely be able to catch it and do considerable damage. I for one do not plan on hiking for the rest of this mission"
"I've got it" Olivine declared as she took advantage of the fact that the gigantic Deathstalker was still making up its' mind about which ground of Hunters to attack first and levelling Buster Bravo directly at its' head"
"Don't" Helios warned "We won't have chance to resupply, you'll be fighting without ammunition from now on"
"Actually if I may offer a suggestion" Oobleck gave a grin that spoke of confidence earned through decades of experience "Miss DeGrasse, Mister Angora if you would be so kind as to distract it. Mister Arashi, Mister Nikos if you could engage your Semblances please" Helios readied himself as Nyanza opened fire beside him, his opening salvo putting out fully half of the Deathstalkers eyes and causing it to turn towards the two of them, mandibles clacking with rage and agony as it charged; allowing their allies to act. Olivine opened fire on the Grimm's tail, even without using Buster Bravo to its' fullest extent she was able to destroy its; tail and leave acid raining down onto the Grimm's back where it proceeded to melt and burn its' own armoured carapace. Ether grabbed Oobleck and used the mist-like state that his Semblance morphed his body into to carry them both above the arachnid monster, sensing what Oobleck intended he magnified gravity a hundredfold which served to both hold the Deathstalker in place, its' legs collapsing under the force and send Oobleck hurtling downwards into the Grimm like a meteor; his weapon struck the Deathstalkers' weakened carapace and the monster simply exploded under the impact.
"And that, as they say" Oobleck panted out "Is that"
"That has gotta be the last one for tonight, right?" Nyanza all but begged as the five of them regrouped
"Until further notice" Oobleck confirmed "A lot of the Grimm activity seems to be in the form of larger specimens; the majority of which are appearing close to where Ruby Rose is operating"
"What was that thing if not a larger specimen?" Ether joked as he returned Ghost Reverie to its' customary place, slung across his back in its' guitar form.
"They were heading south" Helios stated flatly, voicing concerns that had been bothering him more and more for the last few days "The Grimm we find to the west of here are moving south-east, to the east we find Grimm moving south-west"
"What're you saying?" Olivine asked, the look of concern in her eyes as she removed her goggles making it clear that she had already formed her own conclusion
"I think that these packs are all fragments of the same horde that attacked Arcadia and now they're all moving in the same direction….they're regrouping somewhere"
"That sounds too smart for Grimm" Nyanza noted, before shuddering as he added "Well, normal Grimm….you think this is another situation like first year; like Phobos?" Helios remained silent for a moment, stroking the scar that the sentient Alpha Beowolf had given him as he considered his answer
"I think we should follow them and find out what they're planning to attack….although I can make an educated guess"
"As can I" Oobleck nodded "Agreed, our remit has expanded beyond simple recon and search destroy. We head south and locate the Grimm's mustering point" with that he drew his Scroll and remotely activated the autopilot of his armoured transport which had been parked nearby, as they waited for it to arrive Team NEON shared an unshakeable feeling that something was not right.
It was the early hours of the morning and the sun had yet to pierce the darkness, though its' eventual rising would be of little use to Corvid who sat in Qrow's seat within his basement lair as she worked diligently and without rest.
Her Great Uncle has made good on his promise to tell her the truth about the nature of the war that Hunters were embroiled in, even though the majority of Hunters were unaware of it and the revelations had come in rapid succession leaving Corvid reeling as she struggled to comprehend first the new realities which seemed to change everything; that the Hive Mind which all Grimm shared was conscious to an extent and that Salem, whom the great war had been waged against had in fact been a manifestation of that consciousness. That said Hive Mind seemed to be healing, or worse yet, evolving and producing new sentient Grimm such as the Alpha Beowolf dubbed Phobos or the monster Pantheon which had taken Corvid's eye and scarred her face. That children's stories were real and the fantastical beings known as the Maidens had been and still were real, a quartet of demigods whose combined powers could reshape Remnant; or that an incarnation of the ancient Wizard from the same fable had fought alongside her Aunt Ruby in the final battle in Salem's living fortress on the ruins of Menagerie.
The earth-shattering revelations had been left feeling somehow distant, as if they were too large to comprehend by other truths that hit far closer to home; Corvid had idolised her Aunt Ruby and Aunt Penny ever since she had first met them as a recently adopted child and Qrow had hesitated despite his promises before telling her that neither of them were exactly what they seemed. Penny did not, as was widely believe have several cybernetics implanted into her body following Cinder Fall's schemes being put into practice and was in fact an android whose Aura and soul were the product of Atlesian experimentation whilst Ruby Rose was a Silver Eyed Warrior, a legendary warrior capable of laying waste to hordes of Grimm with no more than a glance.
After this she had been told the current situation as Qrow understood it, that being that an Atlesian scientist suspected to be an incarnation of the wizard was using a supply of the Aura enhancing drug Booster to effectively control the criminal underworld through a proxy and was, for reasons currently unknown, attempting to capture Pantheon. Such an upheaval of ones' world-view could have broken the will of many Hunters; Corvid Xiao Long however was the embodiment of implacability and had simply refused to allow herself to be beaten, dissuaded or disheartened and had promptly begun mentally breaking the unspeakably vast problem before her down into smaller constituent parts that could be managed more easily.
She was almost certain that Qrow knew she was flagrantly disregarding her promise to prioritise her own studies and preparations for her final exam. There was nothing that could be done, in Corvid's mind if she didn't devote herself to this task then she had no business calling herself a Huntress anyway; so she had studied diligently during the day and had made her way into Qrow's base of operations at night and used the constantly updating map of Remnant with locations of Grimm attacks being displayed in real time and the additional knowledge at her disposal to refine her Grimm mass migration theory in an attempt to plot the course of action Pantheon would take.
After days with little to no sleep Corvid's remaining eye burned and her head pounded incessantly but she had finally reached a conclusion, though there was no joy to be found in the results and instead cold dread seeping into every fibre of her being
"Holy Oum" she mouthed silently as the true scale of Pantheon's intelligence was revealed to her. Without wasting a moment she rushed out of the basement and to the upper floor of Qrow's home, banging against his bedroom door urgently
"WAKE UP, UNCLE QROW WAKE UP!" without waiting for an answer she simply barged into the bedroom where the ageing man, jolted awake by the thunderous knocking was dragging himself into an upright position
"Corey what the-"
"There's a Grimm attack coming!" she all but bellowed, taking a moment to calm herself and explaining with no shame in her admission "I was working on my thesis again, I looked at the way the Grimm from Arcadia are moving; Pantheon is coming for the Capital"
"We surmised as much" Qrow grunted, still not fully awake though still capable of chuckling at the news "The bastard's a little late actually, we half expected the attack last night. Goodwitch has had the council deploy troops, airship and battle-suit regiments along with about a dozen Hunter teams-"
"To the north wall" Corvid finished, interrupting and delivering a blow that made the veterans' face fall and crimson eyes widen "That's what I'm trying to tell you, the attack isn't late; it just isn't coming from the north! All the larger Grimm attacks that Aunt Ruby and the other Hunters have been seeing around Arcadia were a diversion, the packs are going to hit us from the sides"
"You're sure?" Qrow demanded though his expression made it clear that he knew the truth as well as Corvid herself
"I'm sure….the west wall, probably near the docks and the east wall most likely from the mountains where there's a bigger gate are going to be attacked by thousands of Grimm in-" Corvid paused as she looked at the clock on Qrow's bedside table to see the time "Roughly two hours"
Authors Notes:
I believe I speak for everyone when I say: Oh shit!
Three chapters left of Vol.8, the real finale starts next volume and I have a cliffhanger planned for it that's going to get me called a bastard and a mother-fucker.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we:
Team FADE just want to be the heroes and all round good-guys and I think they're largely succeeding.
Yeah if it's been days since a catastrophe and the Grimm haven't shown up yet something is wrong.
This is not the old SDC, Whitley is the kid who at fourteen years old took over and announced that he had also joined a Faunus rights organisation; right in front of Jacques's face.
Oh you know that Weiss was about to go full mama bear on that whole settlement; she wants to help people and cares but at the same time….touch her kids and the whole damn city can get burned to the ground.
Coral is probably always gonna have nightmares about the Cult of Taurus and her old home being burned down by the person she'd raised to believe was basically the Messiah.
So Myrtle hasn't been answering Felix's messages; dick move but then again turning up to her kids' school wasn't the brightest idea so maybe a little space for everyone is best.
Diamond and Arctus's sex life is the bane of anyone in the room next to them….still not as bad as Ether and Olivine.
So, Cyberpet Shippers….you're welcome; also remember when Eagle used to be cripplingly shy?
So, the distractions are here.
For some reason I imagine Raffia's opening line having the exact same tone, energy and delivery as Bugs Bunny's famous "Of course, you know this means war"
Onyx pulled no punches.
Seriously Team GORE we born and raised at sea, their first response to an aquatic Grimm is pretty much "How dare?"
Here you go, have a Plesiosaurs Grimm.
So the Frost Rive Tribe didn't just raid and steal; they've obviously had to fight Grimm before and I imagine that their elders who had taken on bigger Grimm would be like folk heroes who eventually fade into legend.
All hail Carcharodon, master of the sea, leader of the Frost River Tribe and slayer of monsters.
Been on a 40k binge lately, Autocannon and heavy flamer is the preferred anti-swarm gear; hence Hellebores using Sentinel...also a sign of how close the Arc family are.
A Pachycephalosuarus Grimm, yes I was a dinosaur kid…. Why do you ask?
The Killer-Bee and the stinger are being saved for the actual finale.
Arctus is getting pretty damn OP; I have to make him a dumb-ass to balance it out.
Just how hard does its' head have to be for Eagle to drop her sword like that.
I feel like the battles that the various teams had in this chapter showed how far they've come; Vol.1-3 FADE would have struggled a lot more with the Rampager.
Lol, Felix and Arctus have seen each other get put in the hospital so many times that at this point they give no fucks about anything short of an actual kill-shot.
It was refreshing to actually give some insight into the way Kafsi thinks; she is unmistakably a cold and detached bitch, but she's not emotionless.
So; Kafsi is calling a meeting at the cafe Myrtle works at.
There is no amount of drugs you can feed Arctus that will stop him from an utter dork who is completely head over heels in love with Diamond.
So Team FADE are going to be en route when the shit hits the fan.
The Eagle and Hellebores interaction was fun to write.
That's the reception they should have gotten when they arrived.
Also Diamond's comment is something that's been a headcanon and belief of mine for a while: People think that the antithesis of the Grimm is love, I think canon said something to that effect but to me its' hope. The Hunters use melee weapons have the whole superhero act perfected because it inspires hope.
Rhodium is a lot of things, stupid isn't one of them.
Ozymandias needed Nickel available, because he knows that Pantheon is coming.
And the first seeds of Torchwick and Oz's eventual parting of ways has been sown.
So, Nickel is going to kill Kafsi, at Myrtle's place of work, Myrtle has been avoiding Felix, Felix is en route to the capital….see where this is going.
I promise you next volume we will meet the source of the voice in both Oz and Pantheon's heads, although if you haven't figured it out yet I'm a little disappointed.
Helios and Nyanza's tag team attacks are always cinematic.
Oobleck + full Team NEON combo attack.
The little side comment from Oobleck means that there have been a lot more distraction Grimm and a lot of them have been specifically to keep Ruby busy.
So, Team GORE might be available for the finale but Team NEON are on the way.
Corey had all the intel dropped on her in one big payload...because apparently her headache wasn't big enough already.
Pantheon remembered how Arcadia was defended and feinted, faking out the defenders at New Vale so that they could hit an unprotected part of the defences.
So if it was the early hours of the morning when Corvid figured out what was coming and the attack was coming in about two hours, while Team FADE were taking a night flight that would get them to the academy for early the next morning….they should be just in time.
As I said earlier I've been on a bit of a 40k kick lately, including listening to lore video which perfectly capture the Gothic vibe that 40k written material has; I feel like some of that may have bled into my writing this chapter although I'm not complaining.
Thank you to SumoSnipe, Funlander and DizzyDwarf for their reviews on the last chapter.
Arctus could never be an emperor, he just wants to do good.
Nope, no trap….they just need safe havens; besides Mistral's ports are hotbeds of crime and the Frost River Tribe usually have a lot of really nice stolen goods that they can trade or sell.
Well, it looks like Pantheon had enough bodies to throw at Ruby for a while.
Penny vs Nickel is a fight for Vol.9
Of course I had to bring back a couple of old minor characters for missions.
Of course Corvid is feeling better already, she's stubbornness incarnate….she could probably see out of that empty eye socket if she tried hard enough.
If it was a finale then something unexpected would have happened and the Grimm would have gotten into Elysium Hills; the finale is what comes next.
By the end of this I feel like you think the opposite, "Rhodium's a dick, but at least he hates Nickel"
Well if they weren't spitting out distractions then they'd probably just be churning out cannon fodder.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.