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Chapter 130: Statement Of Intent
The sun glared down on the grounded campus of Halo Academy and the anti-gravity platform which had kept it aloft, whilst small groups of students milled about outside and groups of workers scurried busily across almost every available surface which remained surrounded by towering cranes and construction equipment as they continued the gargantuan task of making the massive structure, which was in no way designed for flight, airworthy again.
"Lunch breaks really do not feel long enough" Diamond noted as she gave a yawn and an almost catlike stretch before laying beside Arctus and making herself comfortable on the roof of the Academy, the spot above Team FADE's window which had once been a regular meeting place for them and their friends but had steadily fallen out of favour. Arctus nodded in agreement before adding
"You sure you don't wanna grab some food….I can't get you something if you don't wanna see-"
"I'm good Big Guy just stay here" Diamond assured the Bear Faunus as she scooted a little closer to him.
Professor Bronzewing had been understandably furious with Diamond upon learning about her altercation with his son in the gym but had fortunately been professional enough about the situation to insist that the matter be resolved by another Professor; Ren with his seemingly limitless capacity for patient calmness had understood the Redshank's recent behaviour had been as much the result of recent trauma as Diamond's own violent display and had insisted that both students undertake psychological evaluations and counsellings, he had however also stated agreed with Felix's suggested limitations with the addition of putting an effective restraining order in place mandating that the sniper remain a reasonable distance from the younger student and his team.
Team FADE had made their way into the mess hall at the start of their break and spotted Team RAIN which had prompted Diamond to turn on her heel and march back the way they had come whilst proclaiming that she wasn't hungry, which was far from a lie as the reminder of her loss of control and what she had done made her sick to her stomach every time she thought about it, robbing her of any appetite she may have worked up.
"There's nowhere else I'd rather be" Arctus murmured
"You are such a dork, you know that?" Diamond laughed, cybernetic arm whirring beneath her uniform as she used it to manoeuvrer herself so that she was straddling his waist before leaning down resting her forehead against his; the coldness of his snout-like nose brushing against her.
"But I love you" she added quickly, smiling against his lips as she gently kissed him.
Her partner had followed her without hesitation the moment she had left, sensing that she would appreciate the company to stop her from letting her mind run in circles; upon reaching Team FADE's dorm Diamond had, almost jokingly noted that she hoped he wasn't hoping for anything sexual as they wouldn't have time to clean up afterwards before their next class and in response Arctus had suggested their current position of merely taking a break and enjoying the last of the summer even as the sun seemed to struggle to muster the warmth to accompany its' brightness.
"Love you too" Arctus grinned, arms wrapping around her lower back "How much time have we got?" Diamond quickly reached for her Scroll and made a sound of vague annoyance
"About ten minutes" she fiddled with one of her piercings absently before adding "It doesn't even feel like a break, it's just been non-stop since we got here"
"Yeah but I suppose we should enjoy it while it lasts….a few more months and we're done here, then it's onto whatever comes next"
"You got any ideas what comes next for us?" Diamond added, unaware of the fact she had made Arctus's heart lurch and his mind immediately turn to the ring which was still tucked away "I mean we've gotta come up with our thesis soon and that's gonna affect what missions we take and the kind of job offers we'll get in the future….unless you just wanna go work for the SDC?"
"Oum no" the Bear Faunus chuckled even as he wrinkled his nose as the idea "I stand to inherit it but I'd give my share to AJ right now if I thought she actually wanted it, I can't stand the idea of spending my life in boardrooms trying to convince those vultures that lives are worth more than profits….I don't know exactly what comes next, I just know I wanna help people"
"Definitely" Diamond nodded in agreement, making herself comfortable resting on Arctus's chest and shoulder "There's so much good we can do and so many lives we can improve by doing what we do, every expansion or new settlement needs Hunters, every field research team for every big breakthrough needs us….It's not all just killing Grimm, even if that is the fun part"
"Well whatever comes next I know who I wanna spend it with" Arctus smiled, kissing her cheek
"Ugh you are on a roll with the corny line today Big Guy" she rolled her cherry red eyes adding "Let me guess, Felix? I mean you two were trying to partnered up in First Year"
"Nah, I'm thinking I'm gonna spend them rest of my life with that crazy chick that choked me out for waking her up" the retort and the deadpan tone it was delivered in left Diamond laughing into her partners' shirt for a while, when she finally caught her breath she pulled back and her expression became more serious yet at the same time softer as she gazed down at him
"So….rest of your life huh?"
"Absolutely" Arctus nodded without pause or a trace of doubt "I love you Dee and the one thing that's certain is when I we leave this academy it's gonna be together….I mean if-"
"The rest of our lives sounds great Big Guy" Diamond all but flung herself downwards and held onto him as tightly as she could and the Bear Faunus ran his hands through her hair and let out a slow breath as he felt his entire chest unclench, he had no doubts or reservations about asking Diamond to marry him, all he had now was nerves that refused to be silenced and a distinct lack of a plan for how to make things as perfect as he felt his partner deserved
"Just one thing" Diamond added quietly as he fingers trailing along his shirt and traced where she knew his scars to be "I want 'the rest of your life' to be a long time so can you please stop getting stabbed?"
"I'm making an effort" he nodded earnestly, leaving her laughing once again as they decided that they really did have to get to class.
The hair stood on end upon the back of Yang Branwen's neck as she prowled through mahogany shelves lined with more books than an individual could ever hope to read in a single lifetime; her pace slowing to a leisurely stroll with her booted feet making almost no sound against the softly carpeted floor whilst fiery red eyes seemed to dim, yet never quite revert back to the pale lilac that they had once been as she read the titles written upon the spines of the countless books before her and occasionally pulled one from the shelf to scan its' cover and perhaps a page or two before dismissing it.
Libraries had always had a calming effect on the Chimera, it had been the only thing keeping her from eviscerating the students of Beacon Academy when she had infiltrated it during her own timeline.
Currently however she had made her way to the 'Kingdom of New Vale Public Library' the primary library within the city and easily the largest on the entire continent of Vytal, which was both funded by the Kingdom itself and considered to be a cultural heritage site, purporting to house a copy of every single book, research or academic paper, news article or film on Remnant and once inside Yang Branwen had soon conceded that the place had the sheer size and grandeur to support that claim; spanning the entirety of several levels of the upper reaches of one of the cities' Hive Towers and easily dwarfing even the library of Shade Academy, which had been considered unrivalled in her own timeline.
The problem was that it was so vast that she had no idea where to start.
Following Salem granting her new allies permission to take the time they needed to look into the lives and eventual fates of their counterparts on this version of Remnant whilst also familiarising themselves with its' history the trio had made their way to the largest library they could find, with Pyrrha making the observation that if they didn't want to be noticed then they shouldn't act as though they were hiding something and that they would likely draw more attention and be more noticeable in a smaller business; Yang had agreed but had insisted on entering the library alone, noting with utter contempt that Pyrrha or Adam would spend too long reading about themselves and would be recognised whether they were supposed to be dead or not.
"Missus Xiao Long, can I help you?" a bright and friendly voice rose above the dull and soothing buzz of hushed conversations and the air of indescribable stillness that made up the ambience of the library; it took a repetition of the question for Yang to realise that she was the one being addressed and several facts immediately stood out to the Chimera, firstly that in this timeline she was alive, secondly that she went by another name and thirdly that she was recognisable enough that the librarian speaking to her knew her name and yet was not familiar enough with her to be on first name terms. The Chimera fought the urge to let out a primitive snarl of annoyance upon realising that she had made an error in her judgement, the kind of primal and guttural vocalisation she had learned by been raised alongside the Creatures of Grimm.
"Just looking for some books on recent history….anything from the war and the events that led up to it right up to the present" Yang decided to simply hope for the best and adapt to the situation, though beneath the illusion creating Semblance she had stolen from Neo Politan her Grimm arm tensed and coiled with a mind of its' own.
"Ah, I can see why that would be uncomfortable for you Miss Xiao Long" the librarian nodded as if understanding something that Yang herself did not "However if you bare with me a moment I can certainly bring up a good selection of titles and a few research papers, I take it this is for your students?….Oh and I like the new look"
"Thank you and it is" Yang nodded, hoping that her answers would keep any form of suspicion off of her whilst also being unable to shake the feeling of suddenly being on the defensive; even as the librarians' comment about students gave the Chimera her first pangs of curiosity towards this timelines' iteration of herself.
"And here we are, will these be enough?" the cheerful young woman handed her Scroll over to Yang, displaying a list of titles that she had drawn from the libraries database
"It will, I'll take them all. Thank you"
"Absolutely no problem Miss Xiao Long, if you want to wait at that desk over there and I'll just get them all and check them out for you"
After silently nodding and making her way to the desk that been indicated, made from the same expensive wood as the bookshelves and seeming just as out of place and time in a city as advanced as New Vale clearly was Yang found herself pushing aside thoughts about her counterpart as quickly as the could arise.
Whoever they were they were less than her, if this Yang Xiao Long were capable then Salem would never have needed to come to her in search of a general or even a possible Maiden candidate. No sooner did that particularly pleasing idea come to her than Yang saw the librarian approach carrying a small stack of books
"Just a slight problem" she sighed, acting skills that she had not needed to use since her teens coming to fore "I was in a rush to get out of the house this morning and I don't have my library card or my Scroll-"
"Oh that's no problem" the librarian assured her "Our database is linked to Patch's library, you can use a fingerprint"
"Thank you" Yang replied with a more genuine smile, it seemed that whoever her counterpart was that she would be useful for something; even if it was only their shared fingerprints. In a matter of moments the process of checking the various titles had been completed and Yang Branwen left the library carrying several books and the librarian was none the wiser. The fact that Yang Xiao Long's public appearance was often airbrushed in the same manner as any other celebrity by those who wished to use her likeness and her apparent change in hairstyle could all be blamed for the fact that the librarian, who had truthfully never met the famous Huntress in person before failing to realise that the Yang she had spoken to was roughly fifteen years younger than she should have been.
It was however, a spectacular like of observational skills that has caused her to utterly miss the fact that Yang's right hand; illusion though it was, was not a cybernetic limb.
"You took your time" Adam noted as Yang returned to the stolen car that they'd used for the trip, another entry in the ever expanding litany of many such vehicles that the scarred Faunus had procured for the group
"It was a big library, it had a lot of stories" the blonde woman countered, baring her teeth with smile that she gave along with her pun "What you want me to Dewey about it?" both Adam and Pyrrha let out groans of utter despair at their companions' humour
"Did you at least get something useful so that we can…." the rest of Pyrrha's question went unheard by Yang and a moment later the armoured woman noticed the distant and unfocused look in the Chimera's eyes whilst Yang was distracted by everything occurring around her as the Grimm tissue within her body seemed to pulse and throb before a sudden imperative to move overtook her along with the knowledge of which way to go.
"One of Salem's Grimm strongholds within the city is being attacked" Yang's voice was businesslike as she returned to her senses, yet it still held an unmistakably savage quality to it
"We should-"
"No we. I" Yang interrupted, throwing the books she had collected into the back of the stolen car before opening the trunk and withdrawing her axe which doubled as a shotgun that she had named 'End-times'
"Don't move our base until I return" Yang instructed, superseding whatever authority Pyrrha believed herself to have and smirking as she added "I'm going to hunt some Hunters"
Classes had ended for the day, although as was becoming customary work for Team FADE seemed likely to continue for several hours or possibly until each of the four of them reached the limits of their willpower and mental endurance.
Felix sat upon his bunk staring at the same page that had vexed him for several minutes at this point; a series of formulae and calculations related to Dust compounds that he was sure Arctus would have been able to help him with quite easily; however the Bear Faunus was currently checking over Diamond's notes and both correcting them whilst making additions to his own as they went over what had been shown in a lecture on battlefield medicine and surgery, whilst below Felix Eagle was absent-mindedly polishing sentinel's gleaming cranium with one hand and annotating several diagrams and blueprints with the other, the android letting out a series of contented sounding chirps and bleeps as she did so. Eventually Felix set the work aside and decided that it was time for a break, he was achieving little at this point and furthermore there was something important that needed to be discussed
"Dee, what time is your meeting with Councillor Vasilias tonight?" Diamond looked up from her notes at the question and quickly glanced to her Scroll
"About an hour" she answered
"Okay cool, Arctus I take it you're going with her?" the Bear Faunus nodded as Felix had expected, whilst it had not been strictly mandated Professor Ren had suggested that Diamond be accompanied by someone at all times, a condition which she had understood and agreed to; there was also the matter of Arctus's not infrequent nightmares which it would be foolish to deny were the result of his own trauma.
"Sweet, I'm saying we should take a break until you two get back….And can you do me a favour and check my notes on this Dust work? I'm sure I'm going wrong somewhere" the Lion Faunus continued, before sliding off of his bunk and taking a seat on Eagle's beside his partner "In the mean time we need to talk"
"What's wrong?" Eagle asked, Felix's tone shifting into something far more serious causing her eyes to widen a fraction
"Grimm studies" Felix's cybernetic tail swished animatedly behind him as he spoke, even as the rest of his team gave reactions that made it clear that his answer was something of an anticlimax
"Listen we all agreed that we want to specialise in anti-Grimm work, none of us want to go into bounty Hunting or security jobs….So this is important, this is crunch time people, this thesis is what makes or breaks our careers" Felix added, the frank and open way the facts were stated was enough to make Diamond, Arctus and Eagle sit up a little straighter and pay attention
"You're right" Diamond nodded, removing the bandanna from around her forehead and brushing her hair out of her eyes "Me and Arctus were talking about something kinda similar earlier"
"So I take it you've got some ideas?" Arctus asked, sapphire blue eyes lighting up with sudden interest; whilst he was often left exhausted by the training regimen and studying he imposed upon himself it would be unfair to confuse his tiredness with a lack of enthusiasm
"Yeah, I think I have" Felix nodded slowly "But this isn't a choice I can make on my own, I need to know you're with me"
"Always" Eagle assured him
"What's the plan?" Arctus added and Felix took a deep breath and visibly braced himself, as though troubled by the consequences of what would come with his next words
"So we all know that Corey and the rest of Team CLIR's thesis on Grimm migration patterns has been published; there's talk about it actually being required reading for students in the future. We know that Team GORE are planning on adding to it, if any students here know about fighting and predicting Grimm in the water it's them" Felix paused to ensure that his team-mates were all following thus far before adding "But we all know that intelligent Grimm exist and that they can affect migration patterns, turn 'em into a focused army….we know it, Qrow knows it, Atlas's higher ups know it, some of the other Professors must have figured out that something isn't right about these last few attacks but still nobody is researching it"
"I thought Pantheon was one of the things my Dad wanted to keep secret?" Eagle murmured
"Pantheon isn't the only one" Felix countered "We know they aren't, we faced Phobos in First Year and nearly died because we weren't ready! How many more are out there? How many Hunters are gonna get caught unaware? How many settlements are gonna get overrun? How the fuck is keeping that secret helping anyone?"
"You're right" Diamond chimed in "If we research sentient, or more intelligent Grimm then the information can be given to other Hunters and that information could save lives"
"And do it without causing any panic that attracts mote Grimm" Arctus noted thoroughly "Telling people 'Sentient Grimm exist and they're coming for us all' is one thing but 'A recent study shows that the average intelligence of Alpha Grimm is on the increase'….that's academic, it won't scare anyone outside of Hunters and insurance companies" Felix snorted at the phrasing but was glad to see that his cousin and Diamond both saw the reasoning behind his idea
"What about you?" he asked quietly as he turned his focus to Eagle "I'm asking you if you wanna go hunting the most intelligent Grimm we can find and learn about them before they wipe cities off the map….this is a unanimous decision or it doesn't happen" Eagle paused for a moment, her expression becoming nervous as for a moment she felt as though she had reverted to the anxious and lonely girl hiding behind bright smiles and chattering bravado that she had been when she had first arrived at Halo Academy. A moment later that was all washed away and a genuine smile that seemed to radiate unshakeable bravery and determination spread across her freckled face
"I'm an Arc, Arcs defend what's important" she answered simply and hearing her answer Felix felt the odd urge to cheer, as though she had given them all a rallying cry.
"So it's settled then, next step is a mission….and I was looking again at the different contractors the Bronzewing gave us over lunch"
"You've got something in mind?" Diamond surmised
"Check this out" Felix nodded as he opened his Scroll and brought up a job listing "There's an untapped Dust deposit that's been discovered way out of the way….it's gonna take years but Arctus look at these numbers man, it looks like this place could be a new Arcadia one day"
"Damn" the Bear Faunus breathed out
"Yeah, but the nearest water supply is the river that runs through all the swampland over here" he pointed to another point on the map that had come with the job listing "So basically the company that put the listing in wants to set up a water treatment plant-"
"But they need Hunters to go with their survey teams" Diamond nodded in understanding "And you think we'll find some intelligent Grimm in there?"
"I think that only hermits and weirdos have lived out there for years….Who knows what's in there"
"I'm in" the sniper nodded
"Me too" Arctus added
"Yeah" Eagle breathed out "All we need to do is apply and write a mission statement for Professor Bronzewing….maybe apply for a few more jobs as well though, just so all of our eggs aren't in one basket"
"Definitely" Felix nodded in agreement, unable to keep a smile that showed his overlong canine teeth from forming on his face "We've got an idea for our thesis, we've got a mission in mind and we're gonna do work that matters….and the Vytal Tournament qualifiers are coming up soon so we get to be superstars again" Team FADE laughed as a whole at that, each of them feeling some of the tension that had been prevalent since the start of their Fourth Year at Halo Academy lifting.
They finally felt as though they were moving forwards again.
Mere meters away, in Team NEON's dormitory a similar situation was unfolding. Helios was sat cross-legged on his bunk currently re-reading a chapter in one of his textbooks, pausing to rub bleary eyes that had begun to burn after focusing on the pages in front of him for so long yet he pushed on anyway and ignored the urge to stop and find something more relaxing to do, such as polish his armour and weapons. Nyanza was sat on the floor close by, leaning against the bunk and working on a rough draft of and essay they were expected to write; the bushy-tailed feline Faunus wearing a pair of headphones which Helios had learned a long time ago not to question, the seeming distraction did in fact allow his partner to concentrate more effectively. Opposite them sat Ether and Olivine, the diminutive woman was finishing the process of checking her personal toolkit; a selection of tools and equipment that was quite possibly the most extensive to be owned by any student and had easily rivalled Corvid Xiao Long's before her graduation, as such Olivine naturally refused to leave her tools in the workshop where they could be easily stolen or 'borrowed' without her consent. Beside her Ether tuning the strings of Ghost Reverie, a sizeable container filled with guitar picks made from Dust crystals resting against his thigh; the activity was calming and came as a much needed break from coursework but it was also a necessary and routine part of his weapon maintenance, if the guitar was allowed to degrade in any way it would have a negative effect of the area of effect attacks that he could unleash.
The silence was peaceful until Ether and Olivine caught each others' eye, the pair who had been a couple for almost as long as they had been partners needed to be exchange no words for the two to know what the other was thinking and silently agree that it was time to broach an important subject; Olivine removed the heavy goggles from their customary resting place atop her head and set them down on the nearby pillow before turning her attention to her team leader
"Hey Heely, can we talk?"
"Of course" the redhead answered, the nickname had stopped irking him years ago and he was truthfully glad of a distraction; though he noted that he may soon change his opinion on that if the worried looks that his friends wore was any indication
"What's wrong?" he asked, gently nudging Nyanza in order to get him to remove his headphones and join the conversation.
"We've been thinking about our thesis and what we wanna do when we graduate" Olivine answered, Ether taking her hand as he added; in a tense whisper
"We're just kinda worried it might not be the same as what you two want"
"Oh" the simple reply was the most that Helios could currently manage, the admission had left him somewhat taken aback
"Look, I'm guessing you wanna be out in the thick of things and taking the fight to the Grimm; doing all that heroic stuff" Olivine sighed
"I mean when you make it sound like that…." Nyanza's sarcastic comment died on the tip of his tongue as he saw the seriousness in friends' expressions
"We don't" the words hung in the air and the atmosphere in Team NEON's dormitory suddenly felt claustrophobic and Ether quickly made to dispel the sudden tension with an explanation
"Look, you know Ollie and I are from new Vale, our families live here and well….my folks aren't exactly well off, they're near the ground" he began, relieved to see Helios nodding in understanding and Nyanza seemingly appreciating their concerns "Hunters never used to respond to calls in the lower parts of the Hive Towers and the police were always underfunded, it's how people like Torchwick got so powerful, the only people really trying to stop the criminals are other criminals. And now the Exclusion Zone is gone, we've had Grimm breaking down the perimeter walls and tunnelling their way into the city; we've all seen the news Heely….there's still Grimm in the city right now and things are only gonna get worse because people don't care" the utterly lost look in his dark eyes as he trailed off was simply heartbreaking and Olivine picked up where he left off, this was a topic they had obviously discussed at some length
"We became Hunters so we could protect the parts of New Vale that nobody else wants to….we can't leave now Heely; not when things are so bad that and we've seen that people aren't safe" Helios remained silent and utterly still for a moment, before closing his eyes and absently reaching up to stroke the scar that ran along his left cheek which had been left by Phobos in the first breach of New Vale's defences Team NEON had combated; though the wound was now almost hidden beneath the stubble covering his jaw. He took a moment to consider what Ether and Olivine's decisions meant for Team NEON as a whole and their future, privately weighing his own plans and expectations against theirs and the undeniably valid issues that they had raised
"Nyanza, how do you feel about this?"
"I get it man, I really do" the Faunus sighed, unable to avoid feeling as though he were betraying his partner somehow "I know that my folks would be the last people to get saved if anything happened on Patch….all these Grimm attacks on the city, Hunters shouldn't be going off into the wilderness man"
"Then it's settled" Helios breathed
"Wait, you're okay with this?" Olivine asked
"I came to this academy to prepare myself for a future that is no longer open to me. I'm no longer the heir to the Nikosi and it's hard to imagine that the Kingdoms would ever employ me specifically to serve as an ambassador to my sister" he couldn't help a small grin at the idea, far-fetched as it was "And you're right….I had envisioned our future involving, as you put it 'heroic stuff' but our duty comes first, vanity and ego are the least of our worries"
"Besides" Nyanza shrugged "Eventually New Vale will be cleaned out and we can take our city defending skills to other settlements….I hear Arcadia was nice before it got levelled"
"Maybe" Ether murmured and Helios sensed that it was an option that he and Olivine were less enthusiastic about and whilst he understood that plenty of teams went their separate ways after graduation it was not a thought he was willing to entertain at the moment
"We'll worry about the far future in the near future and the near future now" he said simply, swallowing a lump in his throat before adding "I presume that you have some ideas for to apply your intentions"
"Arctus said something about streamlining multiple subjects into one thesis in class, remember?" Olivine nodded
"Yeah and then Bronzewing said that it's difficult as all hell" Nyanza countered with a grumble
"I'm thinking we mix our Grimm studies knowledge and engineering class into one thesis" Olivine splayed her hands wide and gave a bright smile at the idea "A study on Grimm incursions and infestations of metropolitan areas and defensive strategies against them"
"Because let's be honest it's a talk we're gonna have to have sooner or later" Ether added "The military can't just lock down whole areas and air-strike the city every time a Grimm shows up inside the walls"
"So we're gonna be taking a mission inside the city, surveying defences and seeing what attacks them and how?" Nyanza added, unable to hide is interest in this idea and the applications that it had
"Something like that" Olivine nodded.
"Your ideas are certainly sound and will almost certainly save lives" Helios gave his friends a proud smile "We'll outline our thesis and submit our ideas tomorrow" privately the redhead was unable to shake a sudden sense of dread; he had been raised to be a leader of his people but the conversation had shown cracks and fractures in his team that he hadn't even been aware of, leaving with unshakeable questions as to whether he would be fit or able to continue leading Team NEON after their graduation.
A glass of something strong that burned on the way down was swallowed in a single mouthful and the empty glass was set down next to the bottle which had already been drained of more than half its' contents on a cheap coffee table placed in front of a sofa.
Officer Fawn Bordeaux gave serious consideration to pouring herself yet another glass.
There had been another home infested with maggot and botfly Grimm, only days since the last and the Mastiff Faunus was currently drinking to forget but it seemed that no matter how much alcohol she used to muddle and cloud her senses the sights that she had seen in each of those houses and apartments would continue to haunt her; the thought of the rotting, dessicated and utterly destroyed bodies that she had seen, their entrails scattered around their burst forms by the force of the Grimm tearing their way free of them and the walls painted red, blood soaked carpets that squelched underfoot and the indescribable smell that accompanied each scene of horror all conspired with the drink to leave her lurching out of her sofa, hands flying to her mouth as bile rose up in her throat.
Fawn swallowed and took several deep, rattling and gasping breaths; swaying on her feet as she steadied herself. No sooner had she made the decision that she should probably drink water and actually eat something, noting that it would probably be safer to order food than attempt to cook at the moment than she heard a thundering knock that shook her front door on its' hinges.
"What the hell?" Fawn drunkenly slurred; another heavy impact against the front door of her home was enough for her survival instincts, training and general paranoia to bring her mind lurching into gear and allow her to conclude that this was almost certainly an attacker.
"Be with you in a minute!" she called to her assailant in response to another knock, a drunken titter escaping her as she did so; even as she privately scolded herself for not realising that she had obviously been tailed on her way home. She had executed the former head of the Black Bear Syndicate and Rhodium Torchwick personally, along with more small time gangsters than she cared to count, to say nothing of those she had imprisoned and those officers whose corruption she had exposed; it was only slight hyperbole to say that if one discounted the Grimm that Officer Fawn Bordeaux and her task force were one of the leading causes of orphaned children in the lower reaches of the city, she had known that eventually an attempt on her life would be made.
She just hadn't expected them to be so sloppy about it.
Her signature shotgun was currently at the precinct under lock and key as protocol dictated but Aegis Thunder, the weapon which she had taken from Junior who had in turn had it looted from the body of an Atlesian Specialist found its' way to her hand as she made her way into the hallway; its' heft reassuring to her though she noted even through her drunken haze that there were very few shots remaining.
She aimed at her front door and fired.
The door was ripped from the hinges and flung back by the force of the blast, the forcefield expanding from the slug reducing it to nothingness before continuing across the street and doing considerable damage to a nearby car yet failing to hit the assailant; a flickering light alerted Fawn to the presence of a glowing figure which the drunken Faunus realised with a start was made of pure Aura, a construct manifested by a Semblance; then the figure vanished and she saw a streak of movement heading upwards, followed by a shattering of glass and a shower of falling black rose petals.
"Damn it!" Fawn ran out of the hallway and back into her home with her weapon at the ready, too overcome by alcohol and adrenaline to realise the apparent impossibility of a single attacker using two distinct Semblances.
"Knock knock!" a voice called from her bedroom and the Mastiff Faunus let out a growl as she sprinted up the stairs, realising that the construct at her front door had been a diversion so that she could be attacked from behind. She reached the reached the landing and aimed at her still closed bedroom door, a trio of shots ripped through the door and wall, forcefields obliterating everything in their path indiscriminately
"Someone destroyed your bed….I guess they didn't come quietly" a bored and mocking voice intoned, Fawn whirled around and realised that she only had two shots remaining in the same moment that a shower of shimmering particles of yellow lights rippled across a section of the wall to reveal her attackers grinning face. Fawn fired once and was left in open mouthed shock as she failed to hit her target from mere feet away; with blonde woman with fiery red eyes lunged forwards, black petals trailing behind her as she weaved around the expanding forcefield faster than should have been possible before barrelling into her and slamming her into a wall with enough force to send cracks along its' surface and waves of pain through Fawn's body as she felt bones break
"Who sent you?" Fawn demanded in a furious scream that left blood flecking the other woman's face, she hoped that her adversary would pause for at least a faction of a second to decide whether they would answer or not and she used that slight opening to aim Aegis Thunder and fire at point blank range.
The shot went wide.
"What?" Fawn's eyes widened as she saw a copy of the woman she was facing made of pure Aura which had grabbed her arm and pulled it away from the woman herself and the Mastiff Faunus finally seemed to comprehend that something was deeply amiss and that her opponent was using multiple Semblances in quick succession
"How-" her question went unfinished as she was hoisted from the ground and thrown down the stairs, landing in a crumpled and struggling to rise; she dragged herself to her feet and coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.
Then a booming gunshot rang out and she collapsed to the ground again, clutching at her now ruined leg as she glared up at the woman who was in the process of shifting her shotgun into a large executioners' axe.
"My name is Yang Branwen, but you can call me the Chimera" the woman offered as she strode down the stairs, her tone darkening with each word "And I'm here to deal with the pest who keeps attacking things that matter to my Queen and slowing her plans to rewrite the natural order of things….and on top of meddling in things you have no concept of, you don't even have a Semblance or a soul worth taking in return for the trouble you've caused"
"What are you talking about?" Fawn demanded through clenched teeth, looking hatefully up at Yang Branwen and realising for the first time that her right arm from the elbow downwards was something entirely not human
"You might be wondering why I'm telling you all of this" the Chimera added with an amused note to her voice "And it's simple really….you won't live to tell anyone"
She raised and swung End-Times in a blur of motion, cleaving Fawn's head from her body before the Faunus could even scream.
Yang allowed herself a satisfied smile as she cleaned the blade of her axe before slinging it over her shoulder and took a moment to collect her thoughts. She quickly forced herself to focus, her target had been a police officer and her face was seemingly well known in this version of Remnant meaning that being seen would almost certainly have unintended consequences and that the authorities were likely already on their way; she hadn't left prints anywhere however and her use of various Semblances would confuse viewers of any footage that may exist.
Deciding that her work here was done the Chimera produced a large chunk of Fire Dust and crushed it, setting the house and body of her victim ablaze just to be certain that no traces of her presence remained and as she strode out of the house she used the Semblance she had taken from Neo Politan to assume the appearance of a Huntsman who had been so irrelevant in her own timeline that she couldn't fathom their presence raising suspicion anywhere.
"You're looking good, I'm really happy that things are working out on Menagerie" Yang's voice was thick with emotion and she felt Blake shift her weight and nuzzle a little closer to her as the two of them took in the sight of their daughter. Her employers had provided Team CLIR and the rest of the architects, engineers, scientists and other assorted experts with a powerful signal booster so that those with loved ones who had not made the journey to Menagerie would be able to call home in their free time; the resulting video feed from Corvid's Scroll was a little grainer and occasionally lagged but it was still more than clear enough for her mothers to see that her normally pale skin had become quite tanned and although this had the effect of making the scars across her face more noticeable she overall looked healthy and happy which was by far the most important thing to Blake and Yang.
"Yeah….it's hard to believe this place used to be y'know; 'Fort evil genius', I mean there's Grimm here now but it's nothing we can't handle"
"Is there anything you can't handle?" Blake noted with a slight teasing edge to her voice which was vastly outshone by her obvious pride
"If there is I haven't met it yet" Corvid countered without hesitation "Oh and Aunt Ruby says hi, she was here lending a hand with a Spawning Pit but she's gone back to Port Alistair now"
"I'll have to call her and see how she's doing" Yang noted with a soft smile "But how're you doing, enjoying being out in the world?"
"Definitely" Corvid nodded with a grin "The work's hard and being out in the middle of nowhere is different y'know….I'm used to having a city to come home to but this is home for the next few months; but we're all enjoying it, everyone here is cool and it feels like we're doing something important"
"Having a job where you feel like you're making a difference is definitely a good thing" Blake murmured, understanding her daughters' feelings perfectly "Think you might go into this kind of work permanently?"
"We were talking about it earlier actually" Corvid admitted "We're probably gonna alternate for the next few years, do a job like this for a few months then come home and work locally for a while. Helping survey work and construction teams is great Lien, especially on Menagerie but how many new settlements are really gonna get built….even if y'know Qrow's friend helps out with the irrigation; besides Lux and Rusty both wanna get married in New Vale" both Yang and Blake understood that she was referring to the current Spring Maiden
"You missing Onyx?" Yang asked, since the topic of romantic partners had been raised she felt it was fair "I remember when I was doing field work after the war; being away from home, away from Blake was the worst part"
"Yeah" Corvid admitted with a small sigh, her steely grey eye being downcast for a moment "We both knew what being long distance meant and we talk almost every day even if it is just texts but not being able to…." she trailed off, not sure exactly how much information she was willing to give; Blake it seemed decided to show mercy and intercede before Yang's teasing could start
"Waking up alone is one of the worst parts of working away from home"
"I'm sure he'll be happy to see you when you come back to New Vale though" Yang waggled her eyebrows
"Mum….No" Corvid replied bluntly, though she was unable to prevent an amused snort; though whatever else she wished to add was cut off by a dull metallic thud and both Blake and Yang realised to the first time that Corvid was calling them from on top of what appeared to be a stack of shipping containers, the thud being the sound of Iris using her telekinetic Semblance to propel herself onto them
"Corey we've gotta suit up"
"Ah damn it, what're we looking at?"
"Deathstalker nest, big ones and their chasing Doctor Rivers and his team this way"
"I told those idiots not to-" Corvid quickly brought herself under control and turned to the Scroll in her hand "Sorry I've gotta go, duty call and all that"
"Go get 'em honey" Yang beamed "Show you're hardcore-vid"
"That's my line" she grinned fiercely before turning the tables as she called out to her team-mates and any other security personnel that they were operated with "OKAY LET'S GO START WITH PARTY WITH A YANG!"
Blake and Yang were left staring at each other in silence for a few moments after the video call ended, both of them sharing the same thoughts but neither willing to voice them until Blake finally broke the silence
"Think she'll be okay?" hearing the question aloud was enough to bring a bright smile, brimming with pride to Yang's face
"I think those Deathstalkers aren't gonna know what hit 'em" seeing Blake nod uncertainly Yang added "Corvid fights from the air remember, they won't even get close"
"You're right I suppose" Blake was forced to accept, difficult as it was that her first child was now a grown woman and a Huntress capable of facing down the worst threats Remnant had to offer
"I'm gonna make some tea" the Faunus eventually decided, kissing Yang briefly as she rose from the sofa "I know she's gonna be fine, I just need to keep my hands busy" Yang understood her wife's concerns and despite her calmer demeanour shared them; intellectually she knew that Corvid would be fine but being in the midst of a call and seeing her daughter shift into her role as a warrior and a leader as an attack was announced was something else. To keep her own hands busy Yang began browsing through notifications on her Scroll that had gone ignored all day and quickly found a message that caused her to cock her head in confusion for a few moments before calling into the kitchen
"Baby did you check some books out of the library in my name?"
"So what you're saying is you want to let people know that the Grimm are evolving, becoming more intelligent and even sentient….but do it in a way that you think will limit the fallout?" Qrow asked, scratching as his bearded chin
"Exactly" Eagle nodded "It's gonna save lives….Dad the information is gonna get out one way or another, secrets always do"
The freckled blonde had made her way to Qrow's apartment within the campus shortly after Team FADE had collectively decided to relax and call it a night in terms of assignments, informing Felix that whilst she agreed with his ideas regarding their thesis and plans to introduce the idea of more intelligent monsters such as Pantheon or Phobos to Remnant at large she also wanted to keep those who had been monitoring and combating the threats thus far informed and seek their opinions of the matter; her reasoning that secrets had done more than enough damage already had been hard for Felix to argue with, even if he was fully aware of the fact that Eagle was referring to personal matters as much as anything else.
"I think you're gonna have a hard time finding anything to study and if you do find something then you're gonna be more occupied with just trying to make it to safety" Qrow admitted with a sigh, everything he had learned of Pantheon left him terrified at the idea of his only child facing such a creature
"But I think you might have the right idea" he finally assured her with a sigh "Because Ozymandias is gone but we're still seeing things that don't fit….there was another infested house today. This doesn't match anything we've seen from Pantheon or any other suspected intelligent Grimm; there's something going on and I think having every Hunter who could come into contact with this mess be ready for it is gonna be the best call, working in the background hasn't been getting us results"
"Thank you" Eagle found herself smiling despite the seriousness and bleak nature of conversation; she had half expected to be told that Team FADE were not to attempt their plans for the sake of secrecy or because they weren't ready, being given a simple, practical warning along with explicit approval from a Huntsman who was not just her father, but one of the most respected people in their shared profession meant a lot to her and prompted her to speak up
"Want me to take a look at some of these attacks?" she offered hopefully "I might help to have another pair of eyes"
"Eagle as much as I appreciate the offer….you really don't want to look at this; not so soon after everything that happened, not with everything else you've got on your plate"
"Okay, if you're sure" she sighed, sensing that this conversation could go no further she changed the topic "So are you gonna be announcing at the Vytal Tournament?"
"Absolutely and I have no plans to be impartial" Qrow's crimson eyes seemed to shine with mischief which caused an amused snort to escape from Eagle until they were both distracted by the sound of his Scroll.
"Rover" he grunted upon seeing his daughters' puzzled expression "Please not another house….Rover what's up, hold on what? Slow down a- WHAT?" Eagle watched her fathers' face go through countless emotions in a matter of seconds before ending the call with a blank stare and a ghostly pale face as he brought his six-legged chair around and had it scurry towards the massive computer system that had been brought from his home and allowed him to access almost any security camera feed
"Dad what's going on?" Eagle demanded nervously as she watched him bring up footage of emergency services at work somewhere that was clearly inside New Vale, firefighters lingering behind whilst police kept onlookers at bay and paramedics carried what was clearly a body bag into the back of a waiting ambulance
"What the hell" Qrow growled, his voice barely audible as he began remotely accessing the memory of wherever the cameras' footage was sent to; rewinding it backwards until the blaze had first started and feeling a cold sinking dread at the sight of the individual leaving the house
"Is that Felix's mum?" Eagle gasped, hands flying to her mouth in utter shock
"No, look at her right arm" Qrow instructed and Eagle did so, another sound of disbelief escaping her as she saw that instead of a gleaming golden cybernetic there was a clawed limb made of what was unmistakably Grimm tissue.
"Now watch this" Qrow added before allowing the video to play for a few seconds, enough to show the culprit visibly morph and take on the appearance of Sky Lark
"Why turn into a dead man of all people" Qrow murmured before pausing the footage again and deciding that there was a more important matter to attend to, he quickly grabbed his Scroll again and dialled before speaking frantically the moment the call was answered
"Yang, listen we don't have time to talk….first off I need to know where you've been tonight?" Qrow paused for a moment whilst Yang answered his question and then continued "Okay listen to me very carefully, you're gonna go to Sun and Miltia's bar and your gonna convince them to cover for you and give you an alibi; either you've been there all night or you were working with Sun….Listen to me Yang, someone just killed a cop and used their Semblance to look like you. They did a bad job of it and we've got them using their Semblance on camera but I don't like this. I want you and Blake to find somewhere safe; go on a vacation and call it an extended anniversary gift or something….Keep Ember Celica on your wrists tonight just in case" Qrow ended the call and Eagle saw a look that could only be described as thinly veiled terror on his face
"Dad, is she okay?"
"Yeah, but she's only got Blake and Corey as alibis and Yang's been set up before….when she was seventeen, if we didn't have this footage she'd be in some serious trouble" the ageing Hunter let out a slow breath "She'll be fine, her and Blake can probably go visit Weiss and Gang or something; they'll be safe there….now let's take a look at the rest of this footage" Eagle nodded silently and watched as Qrow began to rewind the camera feed a little further showing how this seeming imposter had gained entrance to Fawn Bordeaux's home
"Wait!" Eagle cried "That's Ruby's Semblance"
"Yeah….and I counted three different Semblances used in just those little pieces of footage" Qrow's voice was hoarse and Eagle turned to him, openly scared by what she had seen
"Have you ever seen anything like this before?"
"I have" Qrow confirmed "I think that Grimm arm on this fake Yang is the key; it looks like what Cinder Fall used to steal the powers of the Maidens….This proves that I was right?"
"What?"
"We didn't have any solid proof that there was anything intelligent behind those Grimm nests we've been finding; now we do….Officer Fawn Bordeaux and her task force were the ones to find most of them and she was just assassinated" Qrow explained "The problem is that I'm not sure Eldritch was ever the man in charge; I think there might have been someone above him"
Authors Notes:
Okay so this might look like a filler chapter but trust me when I say that this sets up the rest of this volume which will naturally, in turn set up the last two.
I re-worked some plans but I'm now pretty solid about what's gonna happen and who has to deal with what in the finale of Vol.10….I'm just working out some final details of how to get from one point to another.
I haven't got anything to say here, but I feel like it's worth noting that Vol.7 of RWBY has been great thus far and I can't wait to see how the final two episodes play out.
Anyway, let's summarise:
Yeah Halo's still grounded for the foreseeable future.
I think the professors response to Diamond kicking the stuffing out of Redshank was as fair as it was going to get; you can't tell a student with a prosthetic arm "Stop hogging all the weights, you only need half as many" but at the same time she can't kick him in the face while he's on the floor and expect no fallout. Props to Bronzewing for knowing that he couldn't handle the situation objectively and passing it on to someone else.
Arctus tries to be sweet, he really does….but in his heart of hearts he's a total dork.
I don't feel like I mention it enough but as well as his clawed fingers Arctus has a kinda snout-like face and bear nose.
Seriously, don't go to class smelling of fresh sex it's just inconsiderate lol.
So yeah because Whitley doesn't have any kids Arctus is next in line for both Whitley and Weiss's halves of the SDC; he just doesn't want them, the most work he wants to do for the family business is Hunter work protecting their staff….I'm pretty sure you can guess who's gonna be end up being the next in line for it.
"Let me guess, Felix? I mean you two were trying to partnered up in First Year" "Nah, I'm thinking I'm gonna spend them rest of my life with that crazy chick that choked me out for waking her up" it was cute and you know it.
Don't worry I'm not stalling for time, I know exactly when and where the big guy is gonna pop the question.
"I want 'the rest of your life' to be a long time so can you please stop getting stabbed?" seriously, he's nearly been gutted twice and had his leg impaled.
Anybody else get that library ASMR?
Send Yang to do that intel gathering, 'cos she can look like someone else if needs be; she just didn't know that it would be a good idea here.
And Pyrrha is right, you wanna steal something then don't sneak….wear a hi-vis jacket and just grab it and leave; nobody questions people who look like they belong.
Yang is famous enough that this Librarian knew her face and understood what Yang with red eyes means; this Yang hasn't actually had purple eyes in years but the librarian just thought that looking for stuff relating to the war was upsetting her.
Also yes, Yang Branwen snarls like a damn Beowulf because she was raised in Salem's castle.
Lol Yang Branwen thinks she's gonna be a maiden….nah.
Remember, this Yang infiltrated Beacon instead of Cinder; she can act.
Evil Yang is lucky she pulled that off, she hasn't seen Yang Xiao Long yet so she can't take her appearance; anyone that's met Yang Xiao Long is immediately gonna know that Yang Branwen is someone else.
Evil Yang making puns is great.
So yeah Yang Branwen's weapon is now officially named 'End-Times'
Final year students, I feel your pain.
Seriously, PTSD for everyone; Diamond lost an arm, Arctus got opened up again, Eagle nearly feel to her death and Felix watched it all happen.
Felix out here getting ready to change the game and tell the world that Grimm aren't just mindless monsters.
Felix questions about how keeping the secret helps anyone at this point are valid.
As are Arctus's ideas about releasing the information in a way that makes it seem like less of a threat and almost a natural progression.
"I'm an Arc, Arcs defend what's important" boom.
"Yeah, but the nearest water supply is the river that runs through all the swampland over here"….Now quick question, where is Salem's base.
Always work in a "Keep Moving Forwards" nod when you can.
Nyanza just feels like he'd have a short attention span and need something to help him focus.
I wanted Olivine to be the one to raise the issue; her and Ether have always been background, almost filler characters but it feels like I never use Ollie for anything unless something needs to get blown up.
They read Heely and you know it; this guy tried to sacrifice himself during his second mission of his first year and only didn't because Nyanza stopped him.
Ether and Olivine are in a similar mental space to the Happy Huntresses and you can't tell me that you blame them.
I had to remind myself that Helios has been keeping that five o'clock shadow.
With everything I've said about Nyanza's childhood you knew he was gonna side with Ether and Ollie.
Oof, that realisation that you and your friends might end up going your separate ways after you graduate, that stings.
Olivine and Ether's idea for a thesis was a good one; three major attacks on the same city in three years tell you that whatever defences you had clearly weren't working and that's not including small scale stuff like the Rat-King and Minotaur in the power grid that Team FADE dealt with in their First Year.
You knew Fawn was going to die from the moment this scene started? Surely?
Also yeah, those Grimm maggots really do turn a home into a slaughterhouse; now imagine having a dog's sense of smell and walking into it a few times.
'Her task force were one of the leading causes of orphaned children' just take a moment to allow that line to sink in.
Yang used Sun's Semblance to have a clone knock on the door then used Ruby's to go in through a window while Fawn was distracted; also it's worth noting that she can only use one stolen Semblance at a time….and we haven't actually seen her use her own.
"Someone destroyed your bed….I guess they didn't come quietly" I'm not sorry, as much as you want me to be.
Yeah Fawn was way too drunk to be able to get her Aura up properly, so Yang definitely broke some bones with that hit considering she was using Ruby's speed.
Kneecapped with a shotgun after being thrown down the stairs, she isn't going anywhere.
And that's the end of Fawn….honestly, that's good news for a lot of people.
You didn't really think I'd forget about Corvid entirely right? I know how much you guys love her.
I've said before that in some ways Corvid is Blake if she never had a cause to devote herself to, it looks like Corey's found her calling.
Qrow's got the Spring Maiden basically terraforming Menagerie.
Corvid very nearly admitted to both of her mothers that she wants get fucking railed.
Corey and Yang using each others names for puns was a moment and I enjoyed it.
I feel like Yang was always the more maternal of the two when the kids were at home but now they're out in the world Blake's definitely the one that's more worried.
Yang realised that something wasn't quite right a moment before things went to shit.
Team FADE are basically pulling an equivalent of Ironwood's plan to tell the world about Salem….just without the whole dictatorship thing.
"Secrets always do" big oof, that might be a low blow but be fair, Qrow knows what he's done over the years and Antonia isn't much better.
Qrow doesn't even have to tell the world about the Wizard and the Maidens, just that smarter Grimm that can lead other Grimm and make plans are a thing and that Salem was one such example and she even managed to recruit people.
Of course Rover and Artemis were the ones to tell Qrow about Fawn, they know or at the very least suspect that she killed Torchwick.
Qrow spotting what the Librarian missed.
Yang turned into someone utterly irrelevant….a member of Team CRDL, but because she doesn't know about this timeline she didn't know that he died.
Qrow remembers Yang vs Mercury in the Vytal Tournament and he isn't letting anyone else set his niece up for a fall.
So now Qrow knows at least some of what's going on….he doesn't have any clue that Salem is back but he's definitely smart enough to realise that things are very serious.
Thank you to SumoSnipe and Funlander for their replies on the last chapter and a big shout out to Funlander for leaving the 700th review of this story on FF Net.
I took your comments regarding Redshank under consideration and as you can see, agreed with them.
Technically, with her being on a PC….Nickel is a Neo-Pet.
Not just Blake, what about Gangrel….and hell if Blake and Yang do get stay with Weiss for a bit then he's got Blake, Gangrel and the Schnees all in one place.
There is someone else Adam is gonna absolutely go off on though but that's a surprise.
Yeah that's evil Pyrrha's thing, she leaned into being put on a pedestal and believes it; even after losing both of her arms….which will totally become a plot point.
Shenanigans are ensuing, but it would seem that our heroes have finally managed to find a blend of 'proper channels' and 'let's actually fucking achieve something today' that works for them.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review