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Chapter 129: Overwhelmed
The lecture hall which Dove Bronzewing, Professor of Grimm Studies presided over was dimly lit as the professor, who had as usual discarded the heavy armour he wore a Huntsman in favour of something more comfortable and suitable, was currently dimly lit with the lighting that was present focused towards the massive screen that stood behind him and was several times his own size; which his Fourth Year students knew from experience indicated that a presentation of some sort would be taking place
"Normally I do not accommodate tardiness in my classes, as you well know" Dove intoned "However given the nature of the presentation I feel it's unavoidable"
"Oh don't we know it" Felix muttered under his breath, much to the amusement of his friends. Team FADE had taken their usual seats towards the back of the lecture hall with Team NEON in their own customary place in the row in front and therefore slightly below, so that notes could be passed between the two team; Team GORE sat some distance away as Carcharodon refused to be distracted by his fellow students antics or allow Raffia any opportunities to antagonise people, though Hellion often sat with the group that included Eagle. As the dull buzz of murmured conversation continued Felix scanned the rows of seats ahead of him to see who was actually missing and watched Professor Bronzewing doing the same just as the older man seemed to realise that the entire class was present, the Lion Faunus realised with a pang of sadness that immediately managed to ruin his mood that Dove had most likely been subconsciously waiting for Team PSTL. Eventually the Professor spoke again, words appearing on the screen as he did so.
"For your final year as students you will be planning and conducting your own missions with far less oversight than in previous years" with that the lecture hall fell deathly silent and Dove paused, allowing the tension to last for just long enough for the first excited mutterings to begin before he continued
"You will find yourself receiving less assignments this year, in fact if you'll forgive us I must admit that many of your professors gave you such extensive assignments during your first work simply to ensure that you returned to classes with the right mindset" Dove paused again and allowed himself a small smirk "However this is not to say that your classes will be easy; you will be preparing for your final exams, working on your theses and planning out your own missions" when Dove stopped speaking again he stepped away from the screen and students watched as various companies' logos were displayed; Felix recognised New Vale's military beneath which was a list of several sites around the entire Kingdom rather than the capital itself, Poly-Tech and several of its' subsidiaries including Novus Incorporated, the Schnee Dust Company along with several construction, mining and similar firms which required guards as well as several companies whose entire reason for being took them into Grimm infested territories.
"This is not an exhaustive list, merely an example to give you an idea of the breadth of work available to you" Bronzewing noted "You have all, in another of your classes been taught how to write job applications, resumes and conduct yourselves in an interview; furthermore the Academy has records of every mission you have taken thus far and the Hunters you shadowed will provide references upon request. Each of the companies listed here, along with others which I will provide to you momentarily are looking for Hunters for short term work and you will be applying for and taking those roles. It is, naturally, not that simple however as in addition to this you will also be using the missions you undertake this year as information gathering exercises and testing grounds for the theses you present at the end of the year; as such a large part of your classwork will focus on the planning aspect of your missions and the application of your findings-Yes Miss Tsuyu" Dove paused as the leader of Team AQUA's hand shot into the air
"How long do we have to plan out our first mission?"
"Owing to the arrival of the students from other academies and the need to integrate them you will have roughly two months before your first mission, though naturally you will need to have a 'client' arranged before then….Any other questions, yes Mister Gore?" Felix was taken aback by the Shark Faunus being the one to speak up, even more so by a note of slight concern in his voice as his rasping voice filled the lecture hall
"What happens if none of these people wish to employ us?" the question was enough for other students to exchange worried looks between each other until Bronzewing answered
"There are measures in place to overcome that obstacle, though I can assure that in all my years of teaching I have never known a team that required them….as to your specific situation Mister Gore there are several companies with shipping concerns who may find your teams' expertise invaluable; how you choose to integrate this into your written work is entirely up to you" Carcharodon nodded in understanding, visibly satisfied with the answer and Professor Bronzewing turned his attention to Arctus who had raised a hand beside Felix
"Yes Mister Slate?" he asked patiently
"Would we be able to streamline our workload by using each mission to gather evidence for more one thesis and cover multiple subjects?"
"A good question and it is certainly possible" Dove nodded with a smile "Although I would caution that you be careful as the priority during any mission involving Grimm is naturally to destroy the Grimm with your studies being a secondary objective, you run the risk of being unable to gather enough data" Arctus nodded in understanding and hastily scribbled some notes and Bronzewing saw that their were no further questions.
"I will allow you the rest of this lesson to work on what exactly it is you will be crafting a thesis on and discuss amongst your teams which potential mission will offer you the most suitable opportunities; the full mission listings will be transferred to your Scrolls any moment now" as the Professor fell silent the lecture hall was filled with the flashing lights and sound of the devices vibrating as the information was received, a moment later it was filled with the sound of conversations
"This is gonna be a hell of a lot of work" Felix noted "I mean we all decided that we're going into Hunting Grimm directly as a speciality, but that's just 'cos none of us wanna kill people for a living….what do we even start with as a thesis"
"I think we should take a look at what's been written by previous students to get an idea" Arctus noted
"We could actually build on an existing thesis….I think that's what Team GORE might be doing" Eagle added "Onyx was showing off Corvid's thesis on Grimm migration, even Carcharodon says it's good but it doesn't really take aquatic or amphibious Grimm into account and that's kinda their thing so…." she trailed off and Felix nodded in understanding, mildly amused at the thought that Onyx was so proud of Corvid and her work he shared her findings with his team-mates; he also took a mental note to call his sister at the earliest possible opportunity for help and also simply to catch up.
"Well we've got plenty of options to choose from….honestly enough that it might make things harder" Diamond mused out loud as she scrolled through the dozens of options available to them before turning to Helios "Hey Heely, you grew up on Anima if anyone here is an expert on the kind of work Team FADE wanna do it'd be you; any ideas?"
"Honestly" Helios gave an apologetic look and a defeated sigh "Not at the moment….I'm a little distracted"
"Still thinking about the weekend?" Felix asked
"That was Nikosi armour" the redhead muttered "I've spent my whole life looking at that armour, I know it when I see it….It doesn't make sense" Team FADE and NEON shared looks as each of them had been made aware of what had happened on Saturday evening, the fact that one of his people was seemingly lurking within the city unbeknownst to anyone and had seemingly attacked him was unsettling.
"Might not have been what it looked like" Diamond offered, her own mothers' Semblance coming to mind "You pissed off anyone with an illusionist Semblance lately?"
"Not that I'm aware of"
"We'll get to the bottom of it" Felix assured him reaching over and squeezing Helios's hand reassuringly "It's weird but….come on, compared to what we've dealt with one person taking a shot at us isn't really a problem. In the mean time though let's make a start on this work; because I did not go through the last three years just to fail here" the Faunus's sentiments were quickly echoed by his friends and they turned their attention to the task at hand.
Pyrrha Nikos and Adam Taurus made their way through the streets of a leafy and peaceful suburb of New Vale far from the gargantuan metropolis that was the Hive City as they made their way towards their second target of the day. The blue skies and late summer sun above them were both a welcome departure from the bleak winter of the timeline that Pyrrha had been plucked from, whilst also feeling oddly out of place considering their intentions and the Queen of the Nikosi found herself feeling similarly out of place in her current choice of garments after wearing nothing but her armour and ceremonial tribal dress for several years; she wore a deep crimson business suit with prominent shoulders which fit her surprisingly well considering that it had been stolen by Yang Branwen on short notice the day before, with the only indications of anything out of the ordinary being the bulges around her forearms where she had refused to remove the armour from the limbs that were cybernetic from below the elbow and the leather gloves which covered her hands. Beside her Adam Taurus wore a simple black suit and long coat which covered the sheathed weapon at his waist while an angled forward fedora covered his horns and the scarring that marred much of the left side of his face; all in all the pair appeared to all onlookers to be professionals of some sort and their presence would raise no questions.
"This looks even less promising than the last place" Adam's deep, oily voice noted from beside her and Pyrrha was forced to concede that he may have a point. With their mission from Salem being to locate and kill any members of what had once been Ozpin's inner circle so that the Queen of Grimm could work freely from the shadows Adam had suggested simply using a phone book to find home addresses for their targets and despite Yang's scornful dismissal of the idea he had found two such addresses in close proximity to each other, one registered to Qrow Branwen and the other to Ruby Rose. It seemed however, that things would not be so simple as Qrow's home had been abandoned and whilst most of the furniture had been left behind, the empty closets and lack of food in the freezer suggested that he would not be coming back. Ruby Rose's home sported a 'For Sale' sign in its' front yard which all but dashed whatever hopes of a quick and simple victory may have remained.
"No matter, we still look inside" Pyrrha stated flatly as they reached the front gate and allowed themselves in, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings as they neared the front door
"There used to be nanobot caches under the windows….this place must have been a fortress" Adam noted distastefully; Poly-Tech nanobots had been the bane of his existence in the latter years of his war after they had been weaponised and reports of his fighters being beset by enemies who were shielded by something they described as a flesh-eating smoke had begun to reach him.
"Come on" Pyrrha's voice returned his attention to the present and was quickly followed by the sound of the front doors' lock being opened with the use of the red-head's Semblance and as she pushed it open, seeming to anyone who saw them to be an estate agent showing the house to a customer; both Pyrrha and Adam noted just how heavily armoured the door was with some surprise.
"Well, that raises some questions" Pyrrha observed quietly, her voice echoing through the hallway
"The place is empty" Adam noted bluntly and the two of them made their way first into what had been a living room and then the kitchen and dining area before Pyrrha conceded that it would be futile to continue, the home was vacant.
They had stood in silence in the space where a dining room table had been for a mere moment when a crash from an upstairs window sent Adam's hand to his weapon; seconds later the pair were treated to the sight of a streak of moving darkness tearing through the house, whizzing passed them and down into the basement and leaving a shower of black rose petals in its' wake before returning
"See, nothing here" Yang Branwen noted in a bored tone whilst directing a smug grin at Adam
"You were told to cover us" Pyrrha's voice betrayed a hint of anger that she kept firmly under control; she was not used to her orders being disobeyed
"From what?" Yang countered "There's nobody here….It's a shame, I already have one Ruby Rose's Semblance I wanted to see what happens if I get two from the same person"
"Your wants are not the objective" Pyrrha growled flexing her cybernetic hands and causing the piping within the walls of the home to creak and rattle, only to find herself slightly concerned by the look of raw and undisguised hunger on the blonde woman's face that the display of her power elicited.
"We need to focus" Pyrrha stated in a tone that would brook no argument "We know that there was a battle within this city mere months ago-"
"But it's unlikely that either Ruby Rose, Qrow Branwen or Glynda Goodwitch were casualties" Adam noted "Their deaths would have been reported on and their homes would most likely have been preserved….This New Vale, this world it isn't ours; we need to learn more if we're to work effectively-"
"You just want to know what became of your glorious Faunus Empire in this version of events" Yang accused with an amused snort
"I wouldn't exactly call New Menagerie glorious" Adam admitted quietly "But I would be lying if I said you were entirely wrong….can either of you tell me that you're not interested-"
"I couldn't care less about my counterpart" Yang spat "She isn't me"
"I have questions" Pyrrha admitted in a hushed tone "When I was securing our lodgings I looked out of the window and saw a young man in Nikosi armour-"
"If you blew our cover-" Pyrrha held up a hand to silence Yang's interruption
"It was my cousins' child; Helios….far older than when I last saw him. I had to be sure that it was him, he's grown to be strong but his tribal markings were covered so I know nothing of his personal saga. He never saw my face and we never spoke but for him to be here and clearly close to those outside of the tribes means things are very different" Yang looked from Pyrrha to Adam and a primal snarl of irritation escaped her lips as she realised that she would be forced to wait before she could unleash herself upon her Queen's enemies; she felt the Grimm tissue intertwined with her own body coil and tighten as she spoke
"Fine, we learn and we study….but you can be the ones to explain the delay to Salem"
Eagle frantically found herself trying to convince herself that what she was seeing wasn't real in an effort to control her panic as a low rumbling noise filled the small and unfurnished room she had found herself in to announce the fact that the roof was steadily descending towards her with no apparent way to stop it.
She immediately turned to retreat back out of the door that had led her here only to find it sealed with a thick blast door comprised of what appeared to be Atlesian Steel which she knew instinctively that even Sentinel's high explosive rounds would fail to penetrate in time. Glancing around the room she saw that her intended exit was similarly sealed and her heart began to hammer uncontrollably in her chest, fear and adrenaline seeking to cloud her thoughts
"Okay, plan, plan I need a plan" her words came out in a hushed and frantic chatter as she looked at the chalky off-white stone of the walls and quickly deployed Sentinel, the droid unfurling with a series of highly concerned bleeps and chirps
"Blast the walls, there must a mechanism for that ceiling somewhere!" Eagle yelled voice beginning to crack as she looked up and saw that she had only moments before the lowering ceiling reached her; she quickly realised that her Semblance would make her smaller but that would only cause Sentinel to take the brunt of the oncoming object so instead the armoured Huntress planted her feet and gathered her Aura about herself as she reached upwards in an attempt to slow the ceiling.
It was no use and she felt her knees buckle after only a few moments and struggled to adjust her weight as the ceiling continued to push downwards, bending her back.
'SIMULATION ENDED' the pressure abruptly ceased and the entirety of the room was washed away as the holograms were deactivated and swarms of nanobots were recalled, leaving only a grid-like and skeletal rendition of the room in the room in the form of a hard-light projection.
"And that's unfortunately all we have time for today….We'll pick this up next time and I'll be using footage of each of your efforts to show how you could have handled things differently" the gruff and drawling voice of her father, whom she still had to remind herself to call Professor Branwen whilst in class informed her as the hard-light projection vanished.
"Doot doot, da doot doot?" Sentinel chirped questioningly leaning over Eagle and examining her with a single expressive optic and Eagle promptly lay flat on her back and took several moments to simply take in deep grateful lungfuls of air whilst also getting her shaking hands under her control; fortunately it was the last class of the day and she had time to compose herself.
Professor Branwen's assault courses were gruelling and he had prefaced the lesson with a warning that any students who took part would be given a psychological evaluation afterwards.
Her father had specifically designed a series of rooms filled with traps that featured automated defences including armed robots, explosives, Dust based security measures, chemical weapons and in one instance an attempt to simply drown the participant, with the objective being to simply make their way through as many of the rooms as possible before being defeated by using the principles that they had learned in their 'Unconventional Tactics and Ungentlemanly Warfare' classes thus far.
"You okay?" Qrow asked her gently, a moment before she felt the presence of his six-legged mobility chair looming over her. With her eyes closed Eagle nodded, though she was almost certain that her already naturally pale face betrayed her as it lost what little colour it held and was covered in a sheen of cold sweat Eventually she opened her eyes and saw that her team-mates were stood beside her father; Felix favouring his left leg due to his Aura not being to withstand the entirety of a Gravitational Dust mines' explosive force. Diamond had used her Semblance to simply avoid the mines by running along the ceiling and now her clothes were soaked and her hair plastered to her face after the next room had filled with water; Arctus had preceded her and was currently wide-eyed and fidgeting nervously as she shook of the last lingering effects of inhaling a hallucinogenic compound.
"You did great….four rooms is better than most peoples' first run and I was iffy about using that set-up straight away" Qrow admitted whilst Felix, despite his own injury reached down to pull Eagle to her feet and once stood Eagle found herself unable to keep a slight accusation out of her tone as she regarded her father, one pair of crimson eyes boring into another
"Because it was rigged" she folded her arms "There was no way I could have gotten out of that room was there? It's designed to be unbeatable" Qrow met her annoyed huff with one of his own.
"It's hard to beat but you could have done it, you got overconfident and tried to rush things-"
"I-"
"Eagle you didn't attempt to examine it from the outside, you just rushed in head first….I expect that from Felix" Eagle felt her cheeks flush and heard an offended sound escape her partner, though the Lion Faunus knew that he truthfully would not win the argument given how many examples Qrow could draw upon.
The tension was mercifully broken by Arctus blinking and shaking his eyes several times before announcing
"Okay, either I'm still tripping or Uncle Rover's here" Qrow along with Team FADE as a whole turned to see that the dark-skinned Husky Faunus with a full beard and short afro who had been a member of Team GRAP alongside Gangrel Slate was indeed approaching them; clad in his full combat gear with his weapon slung over his shoulder and his customary featureless gunmetal grey mask hanging around his neck whilst also holding the hand of a small child
"Aww he brought Tuscan" Diamond beamed happily, always happy to see the interactions between her partner and his youngest cousin. Tuscan Tan was now two years old with light brown skin and a thick curly hair framing a face which currently wore an expression of delighted wonder, mismatched eyes bright and wide whilst a mouth hung open; the girl had been officially diagnosed as having developmental problems regarding her speech and would likely remain a mute though it seemed to be little hindrance in conveyed exactly what she meant or felt.
Arctus practically skidded to a halt in front of her on his knees and hoisted the child into the air
"Well hello there" he grinned as Tuscan gave him an amused clap "Hey Uncle Rover" the older Faunus took a moment to examine his honorary nephews' face and grinned
"Goodwitch told me I'd find Qrow back here, I take it he put you through the meat grinder test then?"
"Yeah, they didn't do too bad" Qrow chuckled as he made his way over; Arctus continued to play with his cousin with Diamond joining him with a look of utter loving adoration on her face at the sight whilst Eagle, Felix and Qrow shared bemused glances until Qrow cleared his throat
"So not that I don't enjoy seeing you and the kid but what's up Rover but what's wrong" Rover nodded slowly and made sure to ensure that his daughter was thoroughly distracted before producing his Scroll and opening a series of photographs taken from a crime scene
"Another one was found and cleared out this morning….this makes four in the last few weeks"
"Holy shit what the hell is that?" Felix demanded as he peered over Qrow's shoulder and took in the sight of the carnage being displayed; Eagle in her already shaken state simply retched.
"Nothing you need to worry-"
"Bullshit" Felix retorted "If that's in New Vale then everyone needs to know about it" Qrow considered for a moment, his expression changing as he visibly considered lying a shutting the students out almost out of habit before giving an answer
"Maggot Grimm" he eventually breathed out "We've seen a few homes like this lately and I don't like it; I'll be entirely honest with you Felix I feel like it's connected to Pantheon but I don't know how and I can't prove it"
"I just came to give you the case notes" Rover gave a tired sigh "I was kinda hoping you might have something for me"
"I'm working on it Rover" Qrow assured him "As soon as I can give you an estimate on where these things are gonna turn up next or some kind of logic to their nests I'll let you know"
"No problem, I'll be in touch" Rover paused for a moment before regarding Team FADE as a whole and grinning "And I suppose since it's you four I've gotta point out; this is entirely under control and doesn't need your unofficial help. Got it?"
"Got it" Felix snorted "Not like we're gonna have chance….we're actually too busy with work to save the world" the Lion Faunus gave a toothy smile that made it clear that his various efforts to stop the various threats that Team FADE had encountered were something he felt no regret for. Rover merely rolled his eyes; the kids it seemed, were okay.
The mid-afternoon heat in Menagerie was stifling, fortunately however Ruby and Penny's new home on Menagerie featured what was quite possibly the most powerful air conditioning system Lien could buy. Penny was currently situated in the new workshop she shared with Ruby which was located in an attic rather than the basement and as such featured sizeable windows; the copper haired android made her way over to one such window and simply took in the view
"Sensational" she breathed out slowly. Port Alistair was a thriving city and yet had the air of a small town or large village in that there was an unmistakable feeling of community forged between those who had chosen to leave the Kingdoms and set out to retake the island which had once been home to nothing beyond numberless hordes of Grimm which guarded Salem herself. The architecture of the city was an utterly delightful blend of cultures, wide streets which resembled Old Vale lined with Atlesian utilitarianism standing shoulder to shoulder with ornate glass-roofed Vaccuan buildings whilst in the distance the beginnings of a vast structure could be seen being built, its' skeletal form rising above the buildings around it.
The new Academy that Coco, Velvet and Yatsuhashi intended to build and that Penny and Ruby would take jobs it once it was completed, though that would not be for several more years.
Currently Ruby and Penny would take jobs as Huntresses that required their expertise as and when they arose whilst also training to become the teachers that they intended to be as well as monitoring and training the current Spring Maiden, who had moved to Menagerie several years ago at Qrow's recommendation and used her powers to create several hundred hectares of arable land but largely Penny expected that she and Ruby would be able to live relatively peacefully for the next few years, the Lien that they had made from the use of their likeness and the endorsements of products allowing them to live comfortably whilst they watched their children grow.
Ruby was undertaking one such mission at present, a large number of Grimm had been located close to where Team CLIR were operating and Corvid had contacted her Aunt; swallowing her pride after realising that a spawning pit was likely located in the area and whilst her team were more than capable of handling the threat the presence of non-combatants complicated matters, though Ruby had assured her wife that she would likely be home within a day or two.
The children, who were both nine years old and nearing their tenth birthday were also currently away from the house and the fact that they were seemingly flourishing in their new environment made Penny happy in ways she struggled to put into words.
Tai-Jaune had become immediate friends with Fox Scarlatina upon being reunited with Team CFVY's child and was currently at their house only a few streets away whilst his twin sister was taking part in after school activities,
Summer Pyrrha had found her steadily growing competitive streak well catered to by her new school, the girl loved sports and had been becoming steadily more frustrated at her old school where she had to limit herself as the fact that she and her brother had their Auras unlocked at such a young age made them outliers and could potentially lead to them injuring another child; on Menagerie the inherent nature of living outside of the Kingdoms combined with the personalities of the people who chose to do so had led to many children having unlocked Auras younger than expected and Summer had been delighted to be offered a place on the baseball team after hitting a ball with enough force to almost break the sound barrier, only to be caught out by an equally capable child.
Penny's current solitude also allowed her to work on her personal project which was, she was pleased to say making faster progress than she had ever expected and after taking a brief break the android turned away from the window and returned her attention to the task at hand.
Laying motionless, lifeless and still restrained with the thickest Atlesian steel shackles Penny could acquire was Nickel Polendina.
"Time to say Salutations" Penny sighed, bracing herself as she returned to her workstation. Currently Nickel's weapons were deactivated in such a way that they would be impossible to reactivate via the rogue androids' own internal command, her chest cavity had been opened and her Aura generating system rested beside her on the bench she had been shackled to simply as a last resort measure that Penny was almost certain that she wouldn't have to use but at the same time refused to take any chances and finally thick cables trailed from a series of open ports at the base of Nickel's spine, the other ends being connected to a unique and custom built computer system which had been built with the help of Antonia Arc. Penny looked from the lifeless form of the android who she could see as nothing other than her sister, to the computer and took a moment to consider her next actions as she knew that there would be no going back from this point; she decided that she was certain of her choices and opened a purpose built piece of software, entering a series of commands before taking a reflexive step back.
The sound of whirring fans filled the air as the computers' processing power was pushed to its' limits before the screen went black and Penny worried that she had failed for a moment that she had failed before a familiar voice spoke, made somewhat tinny by the speakers
"Salutations buddy"
A few moments of tense silence passed before the black screen was revealed to be a single window which was shrunk as an image of Nickel's face flickered into view whilst several other windows opened in tandem, showing the disabled androids' attempts to sift through the various files.
"You won't find a way out Nickel" Penny asserted calmly "You won't be able to return to your consciousness to your body and you won't be able to transfer your files into Poly-Tech databases to have a backup of yourself made if that's what you're thinking" Nickel's face morphed into an irritable scowl and Penny noted for the first time that her dyed platinum hair and the fact that one of her eyes was a lighter shade of green had carried over to this projection, as if her own image of herself had changed with her desire to be her own entity
"For an obsolete model you're pretty good" Nickel eventually growled
"I'm sensational" Penny retorted
"So what then, is this my sentencing?" Nickel's voice took on a mocking edge "I'm gonna be a screen saver for twenty five to life or-"
"Nickel shut up" Penny's bluntness was unexpected even to herself and the sound of confused sputtering issued from the speakers for a moment which Penny quickly capitalised on.
"You can see the workshop, I know you can….now look at what's behind me" she stepped away and allowed Nickel to use the computers' camera to take in the sight of her own body which, despite its' current condition had obviously been repaired; her attention was immediately drawn exactly where Penny had expected it to be.
"You rebuilt my wings?….why?"
"Because they were broken" Penny answered simply "I asked Ruby to save you in New Vale, Ozymandias is dead and only a handful of people know that you're still alive….the life of your own that you wanted is in front of you-"
"And here's where the terms and conditions start"
"Of course" Penny's tone hardened "You killed several Hunters and have a predisposition to violence. I could simply modify your programming or reformat you entirely but I won't, I would never….we're people" Nickel's face flickered for a moment until she spoke again, when she did her voice was softer and seemed almost vulnerable, a far cry from her usual sneering tones
"Okay, lets talk"
After taking an hour or so to recover from the rigours of Qrow's obstacle course it had become apparent to each member of Team FADE that despite the gargantuan workload which seemed to be steadily increasing in size that they would make no progress that evening. Arctus was suffering from after effects of the hallucinogens he had been sprayed with and whilst his eyes were no longer deceiving him, his head had pounded and waves of nausea had accompanied every movement until the Bear Faunus had finally admitted defeat and departed for the medical wing in search of an antidote, reasoning that as brutal as Qrow was he surely wouldn't have used anything that the academy didn't have a cure for on hand. Eagle had been listless and silent, clinging onto the three foot tall stuffed Ursa she had named Mister Pancakes until Felix had privately broached the subject of her concerns with her; she was clearly struggling with what had happened in her fathers' class and had, after some encouragement decided to go and speak to him directly about it, stopping at Team GORE's dormitory and taking Hellion with her for moral support.
Felix and Diamond had, almost predictably found themselves in the gym soon after.
Diamond had initially joked and made excuses, noting that considering the way Nora was pushing the Fourth Year students in her combat classes sparring matches in the gym could be considered studying but in all truth she simply had an undeniable urge to hit something after the day they'd had and the idea of a trip to the firing range didn't seem to scratch that particular itch.
Felix had laughed and assured her that he understood perfectly however he would not be able to help as he had no intention of sparring with her whilst he was already limping as his Aura recovered and worked on healing his leg; upon arriving at the gym the Lion Faunus had found a free punchbag and after a brief warm-up had promptly gone to work on it, unloading a maelstrom of punches whilst also trying his hardest not to be distracted by a shirtless Helios using a weight bench close by and lifting what must have amounted to the weight of a small car.
Naturally Felix's efforts failed.
Before long however another distraction presented itself as the sound of cheers and jeers signalled the fact that Diamond had found a sparring partner and was, if the crowds' reactions were any indication, thoroughly wiping the floor with the unfortunate soul
"What the hell?" Felix chuckled with a brief shake of his head, making eye contact with Helios as he and Olivine who had been spotting for him realised that something noteworthy was happening
"It sounds like the Kingdoms have finally discovered the art of the honour duel" Helios noted with a wry smile
"I remember when you didn't make jokes" Felix noted as his fingers laced through the red-heads' out of habit "This is definitely an improvement"
"Uh guys…." Olivine trailed off gesturing to the sparring area as the three of them weaved their way to the front of the crowd; the concern in her voice was enough to convince Felix that the tide had turned and that Diamond was struggling with her current opponent, he was not quite prepared for the sight that greeted him.
Diamond was beating Redshank Bronzewing to the point of almost unconsciousness, blood dripping onto the mats as she held him in a choke-hold with her right arm whilst her metallic left made a series of dull clangs and thuds as it collided with his face; immediately alarmed Felix sought out Amethyst in the crowd and pushed his way over to the Monkey Faunus whose face was mostly hidden behind her hands, eyes widening further as he saw tears in her eyes
"What the hell's going on?"
"He didn't mean it, I promise he didn't mean anything by it; he just wanted the free weights" Felix's confusion was brief, clarity coming to him as he saw the way that Amethyst's eyes had darted to his own cybernetic tail
"He said something about her arm" Felix snarled, a cold fury setting in with the realisation "Then this is happening, I'm not breaking it up" the Lion Faunus turned back to the bludgeoning that could in no way be considered a sparring match just in time to watch Redshank struggle free of Diamond's grasp only to find himself on the ground gasping for air and spattering the floor with flecks of blood with each pained wheeze as she drove her knee into his gut.
"It's over" Felix noted calmly, though privately he was honestly terrified; Diamond had always been the calm and collected member of Team FADE and to see her lose herself in a berserk rage was simply stunning. His shock was increased exponentially as he saw Diamond step back and shift her weight
Surely she wouldn't
Her leg came back and Felix sprinted without even being aware of making the decision, at the edge of his field of vision he saw that Helios had done the same; the Lion Faunus reached her a fraction of a second sooner simply by virtue of the fact that he had been nearer and he tackled her to the ground with what was in all likelihood excessive force before the kick she had aimed at her beaten opponents' face could land.
The crowd that had gathered around them erupted into a panic which Felix paid no mind to, he and Helios silently communicating and the redhead nodding in understanding before taking Olivine and helping Amethyst pick Redshank's pulverised form off of the floor and get him to the medical wing. The Lion Faunus himself pulled his team-mate to her feet and all but dragged the silver haired sniper out the gym, rounding on her the moment they were in an empty corridor; abject shock in his voice
"Dee what the fuck was that? Ammi told me what he said but since when have we stomped out a kid who's on the floor? Not to mention that is Professor Bronzewing's son, is this really what you wanna risk getting expelled for?" running his hands through his dirty blonde curls he found himself compelled to ask a question that Blake had levelled at him after each of his childhood fistfights on Patch "Was it worth it?"
He had bee prepared for Diamond's rage to be turned on him, for her to give a biting and sarcastic response and point out his open hypocrisy; what he had not been prepared for was her eyes to focus on the blood now smeared across her metallic knuckles and an expression of utter revulsion to form on her face before she slumped against the wall and slid down in until she was sat hunched on the floor
"What the fuck is wrong with me?" Felix's anger at the situation vanished in an instant and he found himself sat beside her, his cybernetic tail swishing into view as it wrapped around his waist
"Want me to go and get Arctus?" he offered gently, Diamond shook her head and screwed her eyes shut
"He's been great, he's been there for me all summer-"
"And he'll do it now"
"I don't want him to see me like this" Diamond gestured to herself, clearly indicating to the red stains that littered her gym clothes "What the hell is wrong with me, I've never- I mean I don't" she struggled to find words yet Felix nodded in understanding all the same
"You've never just seen red and lost it like that?" he guessed "I get it, trust me with my Semblance I get it….you saw what I was like after losing my tail" Diamond nodded silently, continuing to stare at her bloodstained cybernetic hand in horror and looking as though she might be sick.
"I really hate that I've got to do this Dee, but I'm team leader and decisions have to be made" Felix's voice was enough for Diamond to believe his regret was sincere "I'm booking you more sessions with Counsellor Vasilias, this is something you need to work through and you know you're one of my best friends and I'd do anything for you but I am not qualified for this"
"Thank you" Diamond whispered
"Damage limitation….Dee from now I don't want you in the gym without another member of Team FADE and I'm gonna have to limit who you spar with; I'm gonna work something out with Team RAIN and try and talk to Professor Bronzewing, I'm hoping he gets that his kid was out of line and doesn't come down on you too hard" Felix let out a slow sigh as his eyes drifted to a notice that had been nailed to the wall by a gleeful Nora who had used Magnhild to do so, one of many scattered around the campus informing students who wished to enter the Vytal Tournament of how to register for qualification matches and when said matches would be held with the diminutive ginger presiding over them.
"And I know I asked you this before" he breathed out almost mournfully "But do you think you're up for the Vytal Tournament, because what just happened cannot under any circumstances happen again, especially not on live TV" Diamond turned to him, cherry red eyes watery and voice more hollow and shaky that Felix could remember hearing it as she asked
"Do you think I'm ever gonna let that happen again?"
"No" Felix answered honestly, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that Diamond would work to ensure that her self control was absolute in the future. Felix rose to his feet and pulled Diamond up, gently resting a hand on her shoulder as he led her back towards Team FADE's dormitory
"Come on, let's go get you cleaned up….then we'll go find your big dorky teddy bear"
"Hey, he's my dorky teddy bear; only I get to call him that" Diamond's watery chuckle was enough to convince Felix that, for now at least things would be okay.
Late afternoon had long since faded into evening by the time Qrow Branwen had found himself in the office of Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch, whom he admittedly still found hard to reconcile was now his employer after spending so long working with her as an equal.
"Something's bothering you" Goodwitch noted as she peered over glasses, surveying him striking green eyes; it was delivered as a statement rather than a question and Qrow saw no sense in denying it.
"A couple things" he admitted, leaning forwards in his mobility chair as much as his back would allow and letting out a sigh which managed to convey countless unspoken doubts and insecurities "Are you sure you made the right choice in hiring me?" Goodwitch paused for a moment, her initial urge to jokingly reply that she was never sure of anything where he was concerned flickering out as she took in the worried expression on his heavily lined face
"I don't know of anyone more qualified for the position"
"Gangrel Slate's a teacher now" Qrow countered
"He wouldn't leave Atlas and we both know it" Glynda grinned before becoming serious again "What's happened"
"I accidentally traumatised my daughter….She came to me after class and told me that she was genuinely afraid during a simulation and hadn't been able to get it out of her head" Glynda forced herself not to wince at the admission
"I did express my concerns that your proposed assault course designs were perhaps a little excessive….maybe you should consider removing some of the most difficult elements for the moment"
"Yeah, yeah I'll do that" Qrow nodded
"Don't take this as an indictment of your abilities as a teacher or a father" Glynda chided sternly, refusing allow the man to fall into his time honoured tradition of blaming himself
"If your classes are potentially traumatising then it's out of necessity; the subject you teach is the most gruelling within our curriculum and if you taught it any other way you would be failing your students in a far more unforgivable way….If we're being frank then many fathers have traumatised their children without the excuse of having your job" the last comment was enough to make Qrow let out a single barking laugh
"Thanks Glynda, I needed that" he sighed "I knew I count on you to give me the unfiltered truth….I know Eagle's tough but I'm scared of ruining my relationship with her, I was absent for so long"
"If Eagle Arc is anything it's loyal to a fault" Glynda noted "Are there any other matters you needed to bring to my attention, Rover Tan was enquiring after you earlier this afternoon?"
"Just one" Qrow fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat as his expression darkened and he drew his Scroll and prepared to broach the main subject that had brought him here "Rover came to let me know that there's been another house….more maggot Grim"
"I see" Glynda took the proffered Scroll and gave a cursory glance at the images on display before looking away, revolted at the scenes of horror.
"That's four Glynda….I'm telling you something is going on" Glynda remained silent as she pondered the facts of the situation, fully aware of Qrow's expectant gaze on her until she finally gave an answer
"I've never doubted your concerns or your reasoning….but what is it exactly you think is going on?"
"I don't know" Qrow replied with an agitated growl
"And that's exactly the problem" Glynda sighed "Qrow this city has suffered, Arcadia is still a long way from healed and New Vale is about to have the eyes of Remnant on it….I can't supersede the Councils' wishes and have entire swathes of the cities' infrastructure at a time closed and searched based on your suspicions alone"
"Damn it Glynda we know that the Grimm are-"
"Inside the city yes, but the Council believes that the threat ended with Eldritch's death and doesn't know about Pantheon, we were in agreement that secrecy is still the best policy in regards to Grimm evolution and sentience" Qrow gave a defeated sigh
"That and the Council is full of rich bastards who don't care as long as it's only the lower levels being attacked….Oum it's enough to make me miss Junior; he at least believed in something"
"Agreed" Goodwitch nodded solemnly, unable to dispute that she missed the influence that the monster had "Give me something concrete to act on Qrow and I promise you that it will be"
"That's what I'm working on Glynda, it'll take time….I just hope that's something we've got enough of" with that he turned his mobility chair away and made his way out of the headmistresses office feeling as though he were being crushed beneath the weight of his responsibilities and realising that even with the loss of the use of his legs and so many of his must trusted allies being too far away to offer any assistance it was the lack of information and feeling of being in the dark that truly left him feeling powerless.
Night had fallen over New Vale and many miles beyond the armed and defended walls of the Kingdoms' Capital City a lone and nondescript car that would soon be reported as stolen had been parked on a stretch of poorly lit winding road which weaved through the untouched land which existed between the smaller towns and settlements which New Vale considered part of its' territory.
The vehicle had been left at point where the road snaked around the edge of a mountain, a sheer rock face to one side and a dense treeline to the other with warning signs spaced at regular intervals informing any drivers of how many days had passed wince the forests had last been patrolled by Hunters.
Pyrrha Nikos, Adam Taurus and Yang Branwen had naturally paid no mind to these signs; they were here to see a Grimm after all.
"Where is it?" Adam demanded with a glower, angry red eyes scanning what could be seen of the sky as the trio waited in a clearing "That thing is too damn big to sneak up on us"
"They'll be here" Yang answered, her voice conveying nothing but utter boredom and disinterest for the Faunus's concerns. The Chimera it seemed had some connection to the Grimm Hive Mind through her arm made of Grimm tissue and the parasitic organism within her which somehow worked just as well in this timeline as it had in the one she was native to, as if all Grimm across the multiverse operated on the same frequency; it was far from a powerful connection and Yang had no control over Creatures of Grimm, only vague mental impulses that informed her that she was being summoned and in which direction she should travel, one such impulse having compelled her to lead Pyrrha and Adam to this clearing.
"There they are" Pyrrha intoned, stepping forward and taking a position at the head of the trio as her companions focused their gaze in the direction that she indicated; the glow cast by several pairs of blazing red eyes could be seen growing steadily closer as what could only be Pantheon approached, the flock of Nevermore that followed them flying in formation at the sentient Grimm's sides. This far from any settlements there no perimeter defences to open fire upon them and flying so low there was little chance of them being detected by any airships that many have passed over them.
Within minutes Pantheon had reached the clearing and dove downwards, landing in a crouch before rising to their full, towering height and regarding Salem's new allies as their tail coiled behind them and the fingers or scythe like claws at the ends of each of their four arms twitched in agitation whilst the flock of monstrous avian horrors shook the nearby trees as they landed, observing the potential prey below with hungry intent for a moment before deciding simply preen themselves as a mental command from Pantheon subdued their more base instincts.
"Our Queen sends word?" Pyrrha asked, choosing one of Pantheon's three pairs of eyes and meeting it unflinchingly; deciding that whatever monster Salem had spawned to take the fourth seat at her table she would show no fear or deference to it.
"My Queen wishes to speak with you" Pantheon confirmed sinking their spear, which Pantheon noted was a Grimm in its' own right into the ground before widening their stance as a series of tremors and spasms shook their body, their neck and limbs jerking into severely unnatural and painful looking positions before the Grimm spoke again, yet when they did it was not the plethora of snarling voices speaking in unison which formed Pantheon's voice that came from the monsters' maw.
"We will have to implement a more expedient way of communicating, but for now this will do" Salem's voice mused conversationally
"My Queen" Salem bowed her head and dropped to one knee instinctively despite her surprise at the display of an ability that the Salem she had known in her own time had never used; behind her she heard Adam and Yang follow suit "How may we serve you?"
"You should have arrived in New Vale by now. Tell me, how is the task I assigned you progressing" Pyrrha tried to push her sudden nerves aside; whilst Salem having an underling put to the sword for a failure was not a common occurrence it was not unheard of either.
"We've established a base of operations, there are enough empty and derelict properties within the city that we will be able to avoid detection provided we stay on the move" she began, presenting the positives first "We also located the homes of Ruby Rose and Qrow Branwen"
"I'm sensing that you're withholding something from me" Salem mused, her tone utterly at odds with the body which she was currently speaking through
"Neither Branwen or Rose live in those homes any more" Pyrrha admitted "None of us know the history of this Remnant….by your leave my Queen we wish to study and learn of our new surroundings so we may serve you better" Pantheon's body remained silent as Salem considered the information and Pyrrha found herself forcing her expression to remain stoic and neutral as she gathered her Aura about the moment she heard Yang's weight adjusting; clearly preparing to take draw her axe if the command was given.
"Your proposition is a reasonable one" Salem finally answered "Go, learn of this Remnant and see what became of each of your counterparts and your people" Pyrrha's heart felt as though it had frozen in her chest and she was aware of Adam stiffening behind her, Salem had seen through her excuses and to the heart of the matter without effort
"Th-thank you my Queen-"
"But know this" Salem continued "Another of my pockets of Grimm within the city was destroyed today; my plans hinge on us being able to operate without interference from those who know of my existence, those spawning pits are of utmost importance to me and I will not tolerate failure. You are to see to it that I suffer no more losses and continue to seek out our enemies. Am I understood?"
"Yes my Queen" three voices answered in unison.
"Good, now go" Salem spat before Pantheon's body jerked and twitched once again and the monsters' body language reverted to what it naturally was; a moment later the winged horror ripped Flesh-Seeker free of the ground and took to the air without a word, their attendant flock of Nevermore following them.
"I would have killed any man or woman that showed me such disrespect!" Pyrrha spat as she glared after the retreating monster; Yang merely gave a bemused snort
"Likewise" Adam growled, the light of Wilts' glowing blade beginning to shine through its' sheathe as the Faunus wondered exactly when it was he'd allowed himself to be placed lower in the pecking order than the Grimm and for exactly how long he intended to let the situation continue.
Authors Notes:
Okay so as I was writing this chapter I had a few ideas and thoughts that mean I might have to change how Vol.10 plans out….Which in turn means I might actually end up taking that week or so break while I re-plan things; but at this point who knows.
Also, I have a feeling that Vol.10 is going to be longer than the average volume, but since Vol.9 was shorter that's all good.
Not much else to say here so let's summarise:
Carcharodon knows that nothing good will come of Raffia interact with people in a classroom environment.
Oof those dead student feels.
I wanted Fourth Year to have a different feel in terms of the way the students were forced to approach things, basically give it a "This is crunch time and things just became real" vibe.
Come on you were shocked that Car had a question as well…..especially one that boils down to "What if nobody wants us?"
Onyx is super proud of Corey and I think that's adorable.
Heely is understandably freaked out.
Diamond making a fair point….and hey, one of Salem's new hired help does have an illusionist Semblance remember.
Pyrrha in a business suit…..you're welcome.
Of course Adam wore a fedora.
Come on it was never gonna be as simple as making house calls was it, that's just sloppy.
Also, Qrow still owns his house so the question is how long will it be until he finds out.
The thing about weaponised Nanobots in Adam's timeline was actually a reference to GEN: Lock, the 'Smoke' that the Union uses.
Pyrrha's Semblance is pretty damn useful one, not just for throwing things around.
The interactions between Yang and Adam are honestly fun to write.
And that's why Pyrrha was dicking about with the cans last chapter, she saw Helios and had to see if it was him….she was raising him herself in her own timeline remember.
I know it can be jarring but I really do like that thing where I start a scene off and then pull back to show it's a training session or something similar.
Qrow does not hold back, his assault courses are basically designed to make the point that running in head first and being heroic will get you killed.
"I expect that from Felix"…..is he wrong?
Okay so Tuscan is officially mute; I won't lie it was partially because I could never figure out what stage she should be at developmentally so I'm just putting her at the 'Babbling' phase, but also she's a mute with mismatched eyes….Neo Politan lives again.
Seeing Arctus with kids will always melt Diamond.
Okay so, more Maggot/Botfly Grimm attacks and now Team FADE officially know about them; the threads are slowly tying together.
"And I suppose since it's you four I've gotta point out; this is entirely under control and doesn't need your unofficial help. Got it?" I mean he kinda does have to say it.
You didn't really think the people who went to Menagerie would be gone forever did you?
I just really wanted to show how Ruby and Penny were doing, living their own lives on Menagerie and planning out a future.
But of course Nickel is there.
So a heart to heart between the robot sisters?
And now Eagle can have some PTSD as well, just to round out the whole damn set.
Felix is buff…..but Helios is BUFF.
Okay this scene was originally going to play out very differently, Felix was going to be having a friendly sparring match with Redshank when Nora came and nailed up the sign for tournament registration; then I wrote the offhanded detail about him busting his leg in Qrow's lesson and it morphed into a chance to show that Diamond is still definitely struggling after losing her arm.
Oh she was definitely gonna wreck his shit.
"Was it worth it?"….Yes is always the wrong answer, even when it totally was.
Felix gets it, his Balrog State is basically a berserker rage, he's always been hotheaded and he's had anger management sessions; he gets just turning round and swinging when you're pushed and not thinking about what happens next….Dee has been pretty much unflappable up to this point, hell Merc and Em probably drilled it into her that "If you're gonna get even you should plan it out first".
Everything else aside….just imagine Nora gleefully using Magnhild to nail notices to the wall.
Seriously Qrow has not had a boss since Ozpin died and now he's gotta answer to people, that's always gonna be jarring.
"If we're being frank then many fathers have traumatised their children without the excuse of having your job" no punches pulled at all.
Politics getting in the way of saving the world again, let's see what Qrow does to get out of this.
So Yang's got a Grimm locator sense.
Remember when Salem and Pantheon spoke to each other whilst using Ozymandias's body as a go between, yeah same thing.
Tiny little hints about Salem's plan.
So, Pyrrha, Yang and Adam are gonna see what became of them in this timeline….Who wants a Yang vs Yang fight….or that Yang vs Kataigida fight that's been mentioned.
And are those the first signs of doubt that Adam is beginning to show.
Thank you to SumoSnipe for his review on the last chapter.
It isn't bad timing when the pointless and noticeable thing you're doing gets the attention of the person you want...It just wasn't following Salem's plan; but when have henchmen ever been loyal.
Besides would someone dicking around with a Semblance even be that weird?
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.