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Chapter 135: An Honest Days' Work
The air was cold at the unsociably early hour of the morning which Team FADE had found themselves awake at, with the students' breath misting in front of them which each exhalation whilst the chilly air bit at any exposed flesh.
Whilst Arctus had been born and raised in the far colder climate of Upper Atlas where the altitude only added to the already inhospitable weather Diamond found herself grumbling as she nuzzled into her partner, who was also now her fiancée; lamenting that she would never get used to how much colder New Vale's winters were to those in Mistral. Felix, despite what many people seemed to assume was not rendered immune to the cold by his Semblance and shifted his weight constantly, fidgeting in an effort to keep moving and fight the cold as he checked his Scroll constantly, checking the time and counting down the minutes until their flight arrived whilst Eagle had simply deployed Sentinel both to carry her supplies and so that she could use the heat generated by the automatons' power supply to keep warm.
The time had come for the Fourth Year students to depart for their first mission of the year.
Somehow the event seemed to be both more and less special, to the students it was undeniably an event as these were missions that they had chosen themselves where they would be working without official oversight from another Hunter and treated as equals; however there was undeniably less fanfare and the Fourth Years were in fact not even leaving in unison, Team AQUA having already departed the night before as their mission would take them several hours away from the city limits.
"Fluffy" a familiar voice dragged the Lion Faunus from his thoughts and Felix all but threw himself at Helios, wrapping his arms around the taller mans' waist
"I thought you didn't have to leave just yet?" he asked
"Team NEON aren't leaving for a few hours" Helios confirmed before kissing Felix's forehead "But I woke up early, I wanted to say goodbye"
"Disgustingly sweet" a familiar reedy voice snorted "You'd think someone was actually going to die on one of these missions with how dramatic you Hunters are" Team FADE and Helios collectively turned to see Team GORE approaching them carrying their own supplies; Marauder flew from her customary place on Hellion's shoulder to perch on Sentinel who chirped animatedly whilst the Dragonfly Faunus pulled Eagle down into a searing kiss
"Ignore this imbecile" she gestured to the Axolotl Faunus before resting her forehead against Eagle's "Be safe and be victorious"
"Of course, I've got my head-cracking ring on" Eagle replied with a soft laugh as she pulled Hellion from the ground and twirled her for a moment before Carcharodon's expression which was more dour than usual served to sober everyone up
"We can't stay and talk….our transport to the docks is here" the Shark Faunus pointed to a small and rather decrepit looking old airship which had been docked at the academies' terminal rather than Team GORE's own Bull-Head which was oddly absent before turning to both Felix and Helios and offering what he supposed were now his fellow Hunters a small amount of camaraderie "Good Hunting" With that Team GORE departed, Raffia weaving between FADE with swaggering confidence and Onyx slapping Felix's back with a massive and padded paw of a hand whilst Hellion and Eagle exchanged a few more brief kisses and murmured assurances to one another before the Dragonfly Faunus finally followed her team-mates, Marauder returning to her arm with a piercing shriek.
"Think there's ever gonna be a day when Raffia isn't an ass-hole?" Felix asked, breaking the silence that reigned between them for a few moments after their fellow Fourth Years' departure
"Nope" Arctus shook his head and chuckled at the notion before he felt Diamond shift her weight and looked down to see her peering over his shoulder
"Something's coming in for a landing" the sniper announced "Not ours though….in fact, Eagle I think that's your Uncle"
"Wait really?" Eagle's face which had worn a slightly crestfallen and almost sulking expression after her goodbye with Hellion had been cut short seemed to light up and shine with delight as the instantly recognisable and heavily modified Bull-Head transport dubbed 'The Jackrabbit' by her Uncle Flax Scarlatina swooped low and hovered above a landing pad before finally landing, allowing Flax himself to step into view
"UNCLE FLAX!" Eagle exclaimed happily as she rushed over to him and pulled him into a crushing hug, her team-mates and Helios in tow and each wearing small smiles at the display, with Sentinel trundling along behind them; Eagle's inner child it seemed was indomitable.
"Hey kid" he grinned "Waiting for a pick up?….Fourth Year missions are where life gets interesting and careers get made"
"I know and I can't wait, it's gonna be awesome" Eagle seemed to be fighting the urge to squeal with delight as words escaped her at an impossible rate "And I can't believe you're here, you took us on our first mission together!"
"And if you keep working like you did back then you'll be fine" Flax assured the students before a mischievous smile crossed his face "That's actually kinda why I'm here, First Years are shipping out for their first mission and I've gotta go fill some last minute paperwork in before I go tenderise the fresh meat"
"Gonna wake this batch up with firecrackers to test their reaction times as well?" Arctus asked dryly, remembering a prank that Flax had played on Team FADE
"Absolutely" Flax smirked with no hint of remorse at all, though his expression changed into a more genuine smile as he nodded to the engagement ring on the Bear Faunus's finger, as Diamond's own matching ring was currently hidden beneath a glove "Congrats by the way….I saw the press are having as much fun as you are celebrating"
"Dude they are fucking vultures" Diamond snarled at the mere thought of the reporters desperately trying to find new angles to cover the story of her engagement to the heir to the Schnee Dust Company. Fortunately Arctus and Diamond had both managed to tell their families before the news had gone public, leading to much cheering from Arctus's sisters, a surprisingly emotional Mercury and a Weiss who had been almost delirious with excitement whilst Blake and Yang watched on as though relieving some unsettling event from their memories. The newly engaged couple had received constant requests for interviews or television appearances and had finally caved in to the requests, following Whitley Schnee's advice and would be giving an exclusive interview to one outlet upon their return from their mission; realising that with the Vytal Tournament approaching that it was unlikely that they would be given any peace or privacy otherwise.
Flax merely chuckled at the comment and ruffled Eagle's hair before wishing them all good luck and departing, leaving Team FADE and Helios alone for a few minutes until the sound of another Bull-Head approaching reached their ears
"Logo on the wings" Felix breathed out as he saw the craft make its' final approach "That's us. First stop Styx and Stones industrial-"
"Second stop middle of Grimm infested nowhere" Diamond chuckled
"It's gonna be great" Eagle agreed; Felix gave her a weak smile but couldn't help the sudden anxiousness that overtook him until Helios cupped his chin and pulled him into a slow kiss
"Go….be the Huntsman the Kingdoms need. I love you"
"You and your heroic speeches….I love you too" Felix chuckled before kissing him back; once they broke apart the Lion Faunus grabbed his supplies and marched towards the waiting transport with Team FADE at his side and feeling as though there was nothing on Remnant that could threaten them.
A lone Nevermore died with a gagging, choked squawk mid-dive; its' body dissipating into wisps of darkness and rapidly dissolving fragments as the tip of a spear pierced through the back of its neck, the shaft of the weapon being lodged in the monsters' beak until its' final moments.
"I doubt our Queen will take kindly to you killing her children" Yang Branwen growled irritably, flexing her own Grimm flesh appendage in apparent agitation; Pyrrha's expression remained unchanging as she gave a calm and disinterested reply
"Then she should have Pantheon instruct these monsters to avoid us" the Chimera merely let out a wordless snarl at this before returning her focus to the task at hand and feasting her fiery red eyes upon the prize in the distance and allowing herself to accept and indulge in her deep annoyance at the fact that it would be Pyrrha that attacked Halo Academy and not her.
The two of them had departed from their current hideout close to the docks and the coast before the sun had risen and made their way into the ruins of the Exclusion Zone once again, the two of them searching for an ideal vantage point from which they could monitor the comings and goings of transports from the campus; eventually positioning themselves on the roof of a building that had almost miraculously escaped the various blows inflicted on the area of the decades relatively unscathed and as the sun rose bringing painfully little warmth with it, the first scheduled airships, Bull-Heads and convoys of trucks escorted by armoured vehicles bringing the supplies that the academy needed in order to function had begun to arrive; along with several deviations from the schedule that the two of them had observed which only cemented in their minds that their assumptions were correct
"That's definitely a Hunters' transport" Yang noted as she indicated to a heavily modified Bull-Head with a particularly ostentatious paint-job as it soared overhead, Pyrrha merely gave a wordless hum of agreement.
"So are you planning on actually attacking?" the Chimera demanded, eyes blazing with anger and some deep, primal hunger "Branwen and Goodwitch are there and the students are leaving! We have our orders and if Taurus brings the heads of those our Queen has marked for death to her feet before us I will-"
"You will learn patience Chimera" Pyrrha answered coldly
"I think you're a coward" Yang snarled, the accusation hanging in the air as the abomination rose to her feet with her eyes blazing "I think-" suddenly she fell silent, grasping at her throat as the spiked collar she wore around her neck began to tighten and choke her, the darkness of Pyrrha's magnetic Semblance enveloping it. Pyrrha rose to her feet from the crouched position she'd been in and with a further tug of her Semblance and a simple wave she dragged the blonde woman closer until they were mere inches apart and eye to eye, with Yang kicking and struggling as she was hoisted a few inches into the air to meet Pyrrha's gaze.
"Apologise" the Bandit Queen demanded simply and after several more seconds of pained, pitiful choking her victim was forced to comply
"I'm sorry" Yang forced out through gritted teeth, being dropped the moment the words left her lips
"I could've killed you" the Chimera snarled "Wukong's Semblance would have worked"
"But you didn't. Whatever pleasure you get from being strangled is none of my concern at the moment" before Yang could make any kind of comment regarding those last few words Pyrrha continued "You're a Hunter Yang….and not in the way the Academies' mean, you Hunt people; I expect you to understand the importance of timing"
"The students are leaving" Yang choked out, massaging her neck
"Not all of them" Pyrrha countered "And not the Professors. You want to please our Queen but understand this, if we strike and fail then we will do more harm than good, they will know of our intentions….The missions will take days, we must be prepared to strike at the perfect time"
"So you want us to wait here on a roof for the next few days?" Yang demanded
"Not us, me" the Bandit Queen countered before producing a Scroll and handing it to her accomplice "Return to our hiding place and wait for my signal; I'll still require your skills and penchant for carnage to create a distraction"
"Flatterer" Yang smirked before stretching and making her way to edge of the roof and looking over her shoulder "Don't worry, just let me know when I should start things off with a Yang"
Pyrrha watched her leave before turning back to academy and focusing, the Chimera was a unique thing to be sure and the Bandit Queen found that she had an abundance of spirit that she would enjoy bending to her will; but in the meantime she had far more pressing matters to concern herself with.
Her reckoning with those who had taken her arms was close and as agonising as waiting for the right moment was, she was sure it would be worth it.
Qrow Branwen was the Professor of Unusual Tactics and Ungentlemanly Warfare which was an elective class taken only by Third and Fourth Year students who wished to study such controversial approaches to their work, with the Fourth Year students departing for their missions and the First Years following suit shortly afterwards many of the Professors would be enjoying a reduced workload for at least the next few days and Qrow was one of those left with the most free time to mark paperwork and devise new ways to both test and educate his remaining students.
In the meantime however he had another task to attend to.
"Qrow" Goodwitch gave him a small nod as he entered her office "I take it there were no complications?"
"None, everything's going as expected; our students and the exchange students have left for missions and the kids that are left are in class….except for the ones that are skipping class to get high and hook up, but students are always gonna be students"
"I would rather not think about those things taking place in my academy thank you very much" Glynda answered stiffly, Qrow gave a wordless grunt and shrug as his six-legged walking chair scuttled around her desk and brought him next to her
"Be that as it may, it's time to let the others know about our theories"
"Agreed" Glynda nodded, outwardly far less concerned with the notion than she was in reality; the idea that Salem herself may have not only survived her supposed defeat at the hands of Ruby Rose but was also the shadowy architect of everything that had befallen her Kingdom in recent years was not an easy one to stomach. With the push of a few hidden buttons however her office had been locked down and made impervious to even the most dedicated of spies and secure channels to both Atlas Academy and the island of Menagerie had been opened.
"Qrow, Glynda" Winter's lips pursed as her face became visible on Glynda's computer screen "This is unexpected" the unspoken understanding that unscheduled contact was usually a sign of bad news hung in the air and before any of the trio of veteran Hunters could speak they were joined by Ruby and Penny, no sooner had they joined the conference call than a third person announced their presence
"'Sup bitches" Nickel greeted them in her typical mocking way, causing Mercy to screw her eyes shut and audibly count backwards from ten under her breath in an effort to keep her composure.
"We may have some working theories and hypotheses on the Maggot Grimm infestations we've been seeing and possibly how it connects with out other concerns-"
"Like whoever it was pretending to be Yang?" Ruby asked
"Precisely" Glynda nodded "Although this may sound hard to believe….and if it is the truth-"
"Dealing with the harsh realities is our job" Winter interjected sternly, visibly bracing herself "We do it so nobody else has to" hearing this Qrow nodded in silent understanding and spoke up.
"First of all I don't think that this fake Yang and the fake Pyrrha Nikos that Felix and Helios fought are the same person" he began "I'm basing that on the fact that in what little footage we got from outside of Officer Bordeaux's house shows her clearly only using one Semblance at a time; the fake Pyrrha was using Pyrrha's Semblance meaning that her appearance likely wasn't the result of a second illusionary Semblance"
"Logically sound" Penny noted
"Now here's where things get a little out there" Qrow growled, stroking his bearded chin as he spoke "Nickel you told us that Ozymandias heard voices and that a feminine voice occasionally spoke through him, as if he was possessed by something. The fake Yang we've seen has an arm made of Grimm tissue and has the ability to use other peoples' Semblances….the only explanation I can find is that her arm functions the same way as the parasitic Grimm used by Cinder Fall"
"Really not liking where this is going Uncle Qrow" Ruby noted apprehensively
"Neither am I" Qrow admitted "But I have to ask….how certain are you that Salem actually died at the battle of Menagerie?"
"Qrow this is preposterous!" Winter snapped "She's gone-"
"I don't like it either but I don't have a better explanation"
"She's gone" Ruby insisted "Oscar pulled her out of the flow of time so she couldn't use the Grimm matter around her to regenerate and I destroyed her entire fortress….there was nothing left"
"The Wizard" Qrow murmured "Oscar was the Wizard like Ozymandias was….Ozymandias who heard voices and was looking for a Grimm with a fossilised Grimm tissue heart"
"Like what Salem's fortress was made from" Ruby breathed out, Silver Eyes widening in abject terror as pieces seemed to fall into place in her mind creating a terrible masterpiece
"This is all conjecture" Winter stated firmly, though her voice wavered at the thought "We have no proof"
"Not at present" Goodwitch acknowledged "But we think we may have the beginnings of….something"
"There's no way that the Maggot Grimm aren't connected to everything else, not at this point" Qrow sighed "And I have my suspicions about how they're spreading into the city….I have a team preparing to investigate, document and if needs be destroy any evidence they find and a cover story is already in place"
"What are you expecting to find?" Penny asked
"Honestly" Qrow sighed gruffly "I don't know….it feels like even after all these years Salem or whoever it is that's pulling the strings is still two steps ahead of us; I don't know if we're playing into someone's hands by acting but I know that we can't let people continue to die in the city"
"Qrow I sincerely hope you're wrong" Winter breathed out "But I'll begin having some of my best ships and people prepared and put on standby in case of….well anything unforeseen"
"Thank you" Qrow nodded before turning to Ruby "Guard the Spring Maiden with your life. If we work under the assumption that this is the worst case scenario and Salem is back somehow all of this could be a misdirection"
"You've got it chief" Nickel snapped to attention, before her bright green eyes widened in surprise at both her response and the nickname she had given Qrow, the same one she had once called Ozymandias Eldritch.
"Good….I can promise that whatever the hell is going on, I'm going to get to the bottom of it" with that the conference call ended and both Qrow and Glynda remained silent for an indeterminate amount of time, each considering what the implications of their theories could be and finding nothing but darkness ahead of them.
Team FADE hopped off the transport that had brought them to Styx and Stones Industrial an energised and invigorated team; the trip having given the four of them time to dispel their remaining doubts and concerns about what lay ahead of them.
"Okay where're we heading?" Eagle asked, almost bouncing with each step she took due to her uncontainable enthusiasm which Felix couldn't help but smile at as he answered
"Looks like they've got two sets of landing pads-"
"One for corporate and the tradesman's entrance" Diamond snorted, Felix merely shrugged and privately admitted that she was probably right
"But we wanna be over at the other set of pads, over that way" he gestured in the direction of some of the sprawling warehouse units in the distance and the four of them made their way towards them, realising as they went just how vast the industrial estate Styx and Stones operated here truly was; the place was comfortably the size of a town in its' own right and they each supposed that surveying it all from the upper floors of the head office gave the directors of the company whom none of them had yet encountered a profound sense of power.
"Yeah this is definitely the place" Arctus murmured as they reached a collection of landing pads and an airship terminal that the company operated solely for freight purposes; the entire place was a hive of activity and the dull buzz of noise seemed to reach a crescendo as they neared with workers shouting instructions to one another and struggling to be heard of the roar of machinery and the engines of countless forklifts and cranes that were in operation as what looked like a delivery of raw materials was unloaded from a truly gargantuan airship close by and supplies were loaded on to a fleet of much smaller transports which each of Team FADE realised instinctively would be what carried them out into the wilderness where their mission would take place.
There was also the small crowd of perhaps a little more than a dozen men and women wearing armour and carrying weapons milling about one of the transports reading the mornings' newspaper, eating breakfast or using a crate as a table at which to play cards for some seemingly impressive stakes whilst around them several Atlesian Knights attended to the heavy lifting and grunt work; the robots were of an older model but had seemingly been immaculately maintained and repainted a charcoal grey with sections of their limbs and torso picked out in a faded and dull crimson in a way that almost emulated armour.
"Well there's the hired guns we'll be working with" Felix noted, trying to keep the distaste out of his voice at the idea of working with sell swords with dubious qualifications and abilities "We need to find the head of their operation and the project manager of the Survey Team, Doctor Loam"
It seemed however that Team FADE would be found first
"Oi!" the four of them turned towards the brash voice and were greeted by a trio of individuals who could only be members of the private security detail walking towards them; the leader of the group was a man Felix guessed to be a little younger than his own parents, perhaps in his early to mid thirties; powerfully built and burly with a tanned complexion and the leathery weather-beaten appearance of someone who had spent much of their life out in the elements. The man wore a heavy duty armoured vest and presumably a tank-top beneath it was his upper arms were left bare to display tattoos and scars whilst his forearms and hands were wrapped in bandages; his face was a blunt and angular thing and the smile he wore somehow managed to be entirely uninviting, he wore a pair of goggles which currently rested atop his head and performed the impressive feat of not interfering with his brick red, undercut and slicked back hair; smoke grey eyes surveyed Team FADE as they responded in kind and came to conclusion that the most striking thing about the man was the amount of weapons he carried, all of which were simple and practical things rather than the personalised statements that Hunters constructed; bandoliers filled with grenades and ammunition strapped across his broad chest, two large guns slung over his back, a pair of pistols at his hips and an absurdly large knife strapped to his boot.
To the man's right was another Atlesian Knight, thought there was something unmistakably odd about this particular unit; it could have been that rather than the blank and featureless visor forming the entire front of its' cranium the thing sported a what appeared to be armour plating over the lower half of a face along with a pair of eyes and even mechanical eyebrows which moved to give an approximation of human expression; it could have been the sizeable backpack grafted to the machine, replete with several antenna or it could have been the fact that the Knight seemed to have clear and deliberate body language, resting a heavy duty shotgun over its' shoulder in a way that was altogether too human.
To the left however was a more welcoming face, if a thin and gaunt one; the woman was the oldest of the group, easily being in her forties and having a lined and weary face. She was also plainly some kid of reptilian Faunus, her dark skin highlighted by patches of scales along her arms, shoulders, neck and cheeks which transitioned from a lurid shade of green to a warm and vibrant orange the higher they reached whilst a small crest of spikes protruded from her tied back and braided hair; she wore practical armour that seemed to have been patched together with whatever was available in several places and carried her own weapon in its' collapsed form at her back.
All in all she looked much better than she had the last time Arctus and Diamond had seen her
"Violet?" Diamond's eyebrows raised as she recognised the older woman "Oh my Oum Dude, how've you been?"
"A lot better now I'm not at the Mercy Foundation or sleeping in doorways" the formerly homeless woman answered with a smile which revealed that the teeth she had been missing had regrown due to Faunus biology "I always knew Torchwick's security company was shady but it got my foot in the door and got me back out here making a living" the happy reunion was quickly cut short by the man who was plainly the leader of the group clearing his throat loudly
"Great so we know that these kids we're taking with us have got hearts of gold….but Vee since you know 'em can they actually fight? 'cos I don't trust anything the office-"
"Let me stop you there" Felix interrupted, instantly annoyed by the man's tone "'cos you're not actually taking us anywhere, we're just working on the same job"
"Listen Munchkin" the man made the mistake of using his height to his advantage and looking down at Felix, only serving to aggravate him more "My firm call the shots on this job"
"Funny 'cos I didn't see you in the interview when we got it" the Lion Faunus shot back, aware of both his own team-mates bristling and exchanging nervous looks whilst Violet and the Atlesian Knight seemed to brace themselves for the inevitable
"Pretty sure if I tell you to pull your license out right now it's still gonna say 'Student' little man" the mercenary gave a wide smirk as if he'd made a decisive argument only for Felix to retort
"Pretty sure yours is gonna say 'revoked'….if you've got one at all" the was a chorus of cheers and expletives from the group of hired guns that had been watching the situation from a distance and the man's grin faltered for a moment before he simply erupted into laugher and called over to his colleagues
"Oh they're good, especially this little one; did not fucking flinch at all!" more cheers and raucous laughter came from the group before the man turned his attention to Team FADE "Had to see if you were gonna piss your pants under the slightest pressure; name's Brick and those are my little team, officially we're Vytal-Solitas Defence Personnel but amongst ourselves we're 'The Inedibles'"
"Why the Inedibles?" Diamond asked with an exasperated sigh, already sure that working with this group was going to be an interesting experience
"Because none of us have ever been eaten by Grimm that's why, we're inedible" Brick laughed before seemingly that there were still some final introductions to be made "Y'know Vee and this here is Cogs"
"Good morning, pleased to meet your acquaintance" the Atlesian Knight's eyes flickered as it spoke and its' voice was that of some stereotypical butler serving a wealthy family; all of which was rendered by secondary to a single fact
"That thing talks?" Felix demanded
"Yeah Cogs is a one of a kind" Brick nodded "Older Knight models had squad leaders with these relay backpacks; basically means that our tin-cans can carry on working without needing all the equipment from an Atlesian warship; I give orders to Cogs and he relays 'em to the others….I just had some changes made like giving him a face so I'm not talking to a blank screen"
"The loading is ninety four percent complete Mister Brick" the robot chimed in
"And he's running a seriously upgraded AI, what did you use as the base?" Eagle asked, unable to help herself as strolled around the robot and examined it from all angles; the mind that created Sentinel kicking into overdrive as she thought of the various challenges that created such a machine would pose
"The old CCT hologram interface AI if you can believe that" Brick replied "Took me and the team a while to-"
"THERE YOU ARE!" the conversation was halted by a woman of roughly the same age as Brick, perhaps a few years younger with fiery orange hair, thick glasses and a long white coat which resembled a lab-coat though seemed to be far heavier and more practical stomping towards the group.
"Brick I have told you a thousand times that as clever as Cogs is you can't have an Atlesian Knight sign your requisition forms you utter-" she caught sight of Team FADE who were shared amused glances between themselves at this point and quickly cleared her throat before changing track "Oh you must be the students who're coming with us to work on your thesis, I'm Doctor Loam"
"Or Doc" Brick nodded sagely "Whatever you do, never forget that she's a doctor"
"Twenty grand a year in tuition to get my doctorate, you can stop calling me doctor when those student debts are paid" she ground out through clenched teeth
"And before you ask" Violet who'd been quiet for a while interjected, giving Team FADE a serious look and a thousand yard stare "Yes it is always like this working with these guys….all the damn time" the four students had no response to that other than laughter before Doctor Loam let out a sigh
"Brick go tell your rabble to get themselves loaded and ready, Cogs go make sure everything we need is on board; I want wheels up in the next ten minutes" she turned to Team FADE "You four are in that transport with me and Brick, we'll discuss how this operation is gonna work on the way….we've got a busy day ahead of us" Team FADE nodded and made their to transport in question, silently deciding that despite the misgivings they may have had things seemed to be going quite well.
Things had devolved before Team GORE had even made it to the offshore Dust mining rig at which they would be stationed.
The Bull-Head which the four Faunus called their own was aboard the Nemesis Kharybdis but was not currently airworthy owing to some unforeseen maintenance issues of the kind that routinely seemed to occur with such older craft; the thing might have been able to fly but it was by no means nimble enough to undertake the task currently required of it; Team GORE had left New Vale's docks and set out towards their mission only for the mining rig to contact them with a grave warning that something very strange was afoot, a new island seemed to have formed close by and many shipping routes were currently affected.
Being raised on the seas and having a lifestyle which brought them into contact with the Creatures of Grimm on a regular basis Team GORE had immediately been suspicious of the development and had ordered Raffia to steer their ship closer to the newly appeared landmark. It had been a small thing, a mound of chalky white sand perhaps a few dozen feet in diameter with what appeared to be trees upon its' surface, bare and gnarled things with branches like hooked claws made of a brittle bone-white material. Hellion had used her Semblance and Marauders eyes to take a cursory examination from above and Carcharodon had given a single nod of acknowledgement before ordering Onyx to open fire.
His suspicions had been proven correct.
From the depths a Grimm had emerged, wide and squat with the appearance of having a low slung body as the freezing salty waves lapped at its' underside; its' back was a single sheet of chitinous armour with imitations of islands or ruined ships and debris growing from it which seemed to inflate and collapse in turn whilst its' underside was a mass of pulpy black flesh and ridged, jagged bones which connected to the six multi-jointed and widely splayed legs the thing carried itself upon. The Grimm had no face, merely a pair of hateful red eyes mounted on stalks and layers of mandibles which worked independently of each other whilst its' most prominent feature was a pair of monstrous claws clearly intended to sink and destroy ships; the first was a thin narrow implement which seemed almost underdeveloped, the two parts of the pincer having almost fused together into a single scythe-like protrusion intended to pierce the hulls of ships whilst the other was a monstrous mass of bone at the end of a bulging mass of muscular tissue, the scoop like claw opening to reveal countless moving claws and blades inside of it, like some horrific parody of a piece of industrial machinery.
The Scuttler was a particularly large example of its' kind and Carcharodon was beginning to grow a little concerned as yet another salvo of his ships' guns blasted chunks out of the things carapace without inconveniencing the crablike Grimm in any noticeable way.
"We'll run out of ammunition before it runs out of muscle" Onyx noted as Team GORE stared out at the thing from the bridge of their ship
"If it closes the distance we go under" Raffia added, a rare note of concerned tension in his words "I can't steer us away from those claws"
"We need it to stand still" Carcharodon rasped, eyes narrowing as the Scuttler lived up to its; name and side stepped a missile aimed at its stalk eyes.
A moment later an idea that balanced on the razors' edge between daring and absurd occurred to him.
"Raffia drop anchor. Onyx prepare our main gun….Hellion, use your Semblance to see what lurks in these waters beyond the Grimm. I have a plan but a distraction would be appreciated" there were a few confused and worried glances which were quickly halted as Team GORE steeled themselves; their unshakeable faith in their leader far greater than whatever doubts they may have had
"Aye Captain" the reply was given in unison and Hellion followed the Shark Faunus from the bridge down onto the open deck of the Nemesis Kharybdis; she stepped forwards and took a thick rope which she began to use to secure herself to the railings
"I don't plan on going overboard" she noticed "And I can't keep my balance if I'm in another body" Carcharodon merely nodded and shed the cloak he wore
"I need some of your knives" Hellion made a sound of pure annoyance but complied nonetheless before finally bracing herself and using her Semblance to find any beasts that may be below the surface of the water and allow her consciousness to flow into their body; once he saw her eyes take on a milky white colour and a faint glow Carcharodon sprinted towards the prow of the Nemesis Kharybdis and dove over the edge, plummeting down into the water and triggering his Semblance a moment before striking it.
In his liquid state the Shark Faunus was still aware of his surroundings despite being formless and protean and as he streaked through the water far faster than he would have been able to by simply swimming he saw that Hellion had been successful; it seemed that the denizens of New Vale's sea included several species of large shark, one of which the Dragonfly Faunus had taken control of and was currently biting at a part of one of the Scuttler's legs where its' armour failed to entirely cover the flesh beneath it, admittedly it was doing little in terms of actual damage but the Scuttler seemed to have slowed its' movements and the sight of its' scythe-like claw dipping into the water proved that it had been distracted.
Carcharodon's goal however was another of the Grimm's legs and as he reached it he released his Semblance and allowed his body to reform and solidify before beginning to scale the spindly limb, using the pits and ridges in the surface of its' armour as handholds until finally he had managed to reach the things underside where he hung on for dear life whilst deploying the Red Waves and beginning to slash at the point where the monsters' limbs and torso met, a fang filled smile crossing his face as he heard the Grimm hiss and shriek in pain. Not wasting a moment the Shark Faunus quickly drew the collection of knives that he had taken from Hellion, each of them incorporating a Dust crystal into their handles and began stabbing them into the wound he had created.
He then let go and allowed himself to fall a moment before the Dust crystals ignited and detonated, ripping two of the things' legs away from its' body and hoped that Raffia and Onyx understood the signal that they had just been given before activating his Semblance once again.
Seconds later he had reappeared on the deck of the Nemesis Kharybdis where Hellion was waiting for him, her eyes returned to their natural jade colour as she nodded to where the Grimm had been; Carcharodon chuckled as he saw that nothing but a cloud of darkness remained and was rapidly dispersing into the mist. Team GORE's ship boasted an absurdly powerful rail gun along with missiles and laser weapons and it was clear from the shape of the Grimm's remains that the main gun of the Nemesis Kharybdis had punched a hole through the entirety of its' body.
"If you want a tattoo of it-" Hellion began, already plotting how she could convey the events that had just transpired in the form of tribal markings
"Onyx landed the killing blow" the Shark Faunus rasped out simply before gesturing for Hellion to follow him back onto the ships' bridge. When they reached it Raffia turned to face them and gave Carcharodon a meaningful look
"We've been hailed" he explained "The head of the mining rig"
"Good morning!" a heavily accented voice announced, hoarse as if the speaker had been barking orders for much of their life and putting Carcharodon in mind of a large, if rotund and unhealthy man though he knew that this assumption was all but meaningless
"This is Carcharodon Gore, leader of Team GORE….We were scheduled to arrive at your mining rig; if you'll excuse the lateness"
"Oh you're gonna be a treat to work with aren't ya?" the operations manager on the mining rig laughed, assuming that Carcharodon had made some kind of joke "That was some real nice work you just did, real gutsy. Reason we called is we might be interested in making some changes to your contract"
"Our contract has already been signed" Carcharodon rasped dangerously "We do not appreciate being misled"
"Oh I understand that entirely" the man rushed to assure them, sensing that his offer may not go over as well as expected and speaking more hastily "It's just that well, some of the crew for the next run back to the docks are a bit iffy now that there's Grimm in the water and well, you have got a cargo ship even if it has been repurposed-"
"You want us to be to be a freight ship rather than an escort" Carcharodon surmised, holding up a hand to silence both Raffia and Onyx who had wrinkled their noses at the idea and seemed eager to argue against it
"That's the long and short of it aye-"
"Fifteen percent of all takings" Carcharodon stated bluntly "Your sailors should have known there were Grimm in the water, and if they think so little of our ability to protect them that we need to do their work we'll take their wages as well….Fifteen percent of the value of anything shipped in our vessel"
"Sweet fucking Oum that's daylight robbery" the man gasped
"Oh you have no idea" Carcharodon chuckled darkly "I prefer to negotiate face to face, we'll be aboard your mining rig soon….I'm looking forward to it" with a gesture from Carcharodon Raffia ended the communication between them and found a twisted smirk forming on his face which Carcharodon couldn't help but mirror.
They were still the undisputed masters of the sea.
"It reeks down here….Holy shit how did Felix and Arctus not throw up when Team FADE came down here man?" Nyanza demanded only to receive silence in response, his complaints had been a constant since the moment Team NEON had begun their mission at which point he began to retch in disgust and everyone around the feline Faunus had long since become deaf to his griping.
"Someone get the lad a mask, he's gonna piss and moan all day otherwise!" a rough sounding voice called out, the words echoing in the tunnels that they found themselves in and after a few moments of rummaging another member of the group of engineers, electricians and other tradesmen and experts that comprised the maintenance team that Team NEON were working alongside handed Nyanza a gas mask which covered the lower half of his face and featured heavy filters and air purifiers
"Should deal with the worst of it" the young man, a canine Faunus wearing a similar mask whose age suggested he was barely more than an apprentice himself noted before returning to the task at hand.
Helios watched all of this unfold and raised an eyebrow, silently asking his partner if he would be able to continue their mission and receiving an equally silent nod in return. The redhead was eager to complete the task that they had been given, especially given that it may uncover the truth behind the woman who wore the face of Pyrrha Nikos along with potentially saving lives within the New Vale but he would not risk the health of his team-mates simply because of a lack of proper equipment. With Nyanza assuring him that he would be able to manage Helios turned his attention to Ether and Olivine
"Are you making progress?" Olivine looked up from her current task and nodded
"The motion sensors we took from the academy are just about set up" Olivine nodded before pursing her lips and adding "Thinking about it I don't wanna set any of these traps"
"Too risky" Ether added as an explanation "Either we hit a wall and do some damage or someone is gonna trip over 'em going to the bathroom in the middle of the night"
"Agreed" Helios nodded and searched his surroundings for the chief engineer who was leading the team to inform them that the perimeter of their base camp had been set up.
New Vale's power grid was, as Team FADE had warned them was combined with its' sewer system as the vast amounts of water were used to create hydroelectricity which bolstered the power generated by the massive quantities of Dust and overall made the sprawling Hive City more efficient. As such Team NEON had entered the city through an access point located close to a power station and water purification facility and had made their way deeper into the city along walkways wide enough for several people to stand shoulder to shoulder with rivers of filthy water flowing beside them; using rapidly inflated dingies whenever they needed to cross the sewer -water which Felix had warned each of Team NEON not to swallow under any circumstances. As they had gone Team NEON had cut down the few Grimm they had encountered with ease, a motley collection of skulking and belligerent things with nothing more than animal fury guiding them; they had also managed to get themselves acquainted with the maintenance team that they were providing security for, trading banter which the workers seemed to be particularly merciless in their dispensing of talking about things such as the upcoming Vytal Tournament and attending to their jobs which involved Team NEON ensuring the safety of the various workers as they examined and repaired the various pieces of the cities' infrastructure they came across.
Eventually they had reached a junction point where the chief engineer had ordered them to stop and build a base of operations, they would likely be below ground for several days but the task would be made quicker by splitting into groups and covering more ground; Helios quickly found that chief engineer and approached him. The man was more soft spoken than his gruff appearance would have led one to believe, a wiry figure in his fifties with a deeply lined face and calloused hands whose hair had long since faded to a fine silvery grey and begun to thin and whose boiler-suit was worn, faded and stained with oil; his name was Alexandrite Soot; or as he had said to the students 'Al' to his husband and 'Sooty' at work, Helios couldn't help but notice the way that he stiffened at the Hunters' approach and fell silent, he had been eating a sandwich and explaining something to an apprentice now he simply wore an apprehensive expression
"Sooty, the perimeter is set up….although I'd be wary of adding any extra lighting beyond what's already in place or using any loud equipment until my team have had chance to venture ahead"
"Good lad" Sooty nodded, seeming to debate saying something before finally making a decision and gesturing for Helios to follow him
"Right, I know Qrow's put you up to some sort of antics….of course he has, don't bother lying to me; it's Qrow. Besides he told us to bring thermal charges 'just in case' thermal fucking charges inside the rat runs in the city" the older man trailed off before fixing Helios with a stern look "I don't need specifics, I just need to know roughly how likely it is than I'm gonna have to tell someone's family that they're dead or in hospital missing a limb" Helios nodded silently and thought for a moment about how to answer before finally speaking
"I'm sure you've heard stories about their still being Grimm in the lower reaches of the city ever since last summer….Stories about insect like Grimm in peoples' homes" Sooty nodded and Helios continued "Qrow thinks that the recent power failures may be related to that"
"Fuck me running, this is gonna be bad" Sooty breathed out, this time Helios gave him a stern look and replied with a steely voice
"But I can assure you that none of your people will be harmed. Not whilst Team NEON are here" the redhead wasn't sure if he imagined it but he could've sworn that the man stood up just a little straighter and carried himself with more confidence after hearing that.
Team FADE, along with the Inedibles, their admittedly impressive amount of Atlesian Knights and the Survey Team from Styx and Stones Industrial had landed and were in the process of setting up their own base camp in the middle of a desolate wasteland that was the nearest solid ground to the river that they wished to redirect towards the settlement that the company planned to build, the vast amount of swamp and marshlands between the two locations already giving Doctor Loam and her team much to talk about amongst themselves.
Whilst the Survey Team began what would undoubtedly be the extensive process of unloading and setting up their equipment, using what at first appeared to be reinforced shipping containers which had been attached to the underside of several of their airborne transports as makeshift laboratories and efficient but admittedly crowded shelters along with facilities such as a kitchen and showers, the hired guns had begun their own preparations with their contingent of repurposed Atlesian Knights taking the majority of the grunt work under the direction of Cogs who instructed his fellow robots to set up fences, floodlights and barricades along with a small buffer zone of traps whilst the flesh and blood members of the party began pitching tents and setting up a small but impressive collection of weapon emplacements that the Inedibles owned around the perimeter.
Team FADE had each found ways to put some distance between themselves Cogs after independently coming to the conclusion that robot was odd and frankly a little unsettling in some hard to articulate way; whilst Sentinel was a robot controlled by an AI designed to give the droid a more amenable pattern of behaviour, Eagle's robotic companion was roughly of the same intelligence as a well trained dog and many more advanced systems such as Pearl who operated Ruby and Penny's personal transport and home appliances, or the CCT AI which Cogs had initially been derived from existed largely as disembodied voices or holographic faces which placed them firmly in the category of machine. Cogs was something altogether different and had distinctive mannerisms and clear intelligence; though Felix still seemed to realise that he was looking at something that was nothing like his Aunt Penny or either Nickel Polendina, there was simply no soul or Aura there to speak of, only an empty imitation.
In their efforts to avoid the machine Arctus and Diamond were working with Violet to co-ordinate the sell-swords' efforts and Eagle was currently speaking with Doctor Loam and poring over maps as they planned out the next few days worth of expeditions and work; Felix however had found himself performing a preliminary sweep of the surrounding area alongside Brick, whom the Lion Faunus was still not quite sure how he felt about
"Come on spit it out" Brick sighed in annoyance as he caught the look on Felix's face and readjusted heavy assault carbine he was carrying, one of the two weapons that had been slung over his back "Whatever it is that's got you looking like you're sucking lemons"
"Just wondering what kinda guy has a robot butler with a shotgun as his partner" the Faunus snorted dismissively. Brick came to a halt and let out a slow exhale before turning to Felix and shaking his head
"Y'know considering you're Blake Belladonna's kid you're a judgemental little fucker"
"What?" Felix demanded hotly, feet squelching in the mud as he came to a halt and rounded on the older man
"Course you are" Brick sneered "Last year of being a student and you fucking know it all don't ya? Looking down your nose at people who don't have Huntsman licenses"
"I'm not judging" Felix snapped "I've had a Hunter go bad on a mission with my Team, left a whole settlement to die 'cos she was gun-running for the mob. I just wanna know I can trust the people I'm on a mission with"
"And because my people are bunch or hired guns who couldn't make it in the academies or the armies we're obviously gonna be the next people to let you down" Brick spat venomously "Listen sunshine I've been killing Grimm since you were wearing Velcro shoes and built an Oum-damned business out of it, if I was half the idiot you seem to think I am I'd be dead out in the woods somewhere by now so don't judge me 'cos I didn't finish my damn training"
"Alright man" Felix breathed out "I'm sorry, I'm just looking out for my team….wait, finished? You were at one of the academies?"
"I get that, I look out for my people too. Just don't be a dick about it" the older man shrugged before adding "Yeah, Shade Academy Team CRBN back before Halo was built so everyone from Vale had to move out to one of the other Kingdoms after the war"
"So why did you drop out?"
"My partner got pregnant over the summer before our fourth year, she was dating another member of the team and they both dropped out….They're still happily married but the two of us that wanted to finish training were left shit outta luck. Say what you want about Cogs but that robot is never gonna have baby momma drama" Felix couldn't help but laugh at that comment
"You'd be surprised how many people don't make it kid….Or how many graduate and then have life go completely off the rails as soon as they do" Brick sighed again "Hell if aint really my place to say it by Vee's team, Team VOID….they should've been legends y'know; they graduated Beacon a few years before the war started, two good showings in the Vytal Tournament, immaculate mission records and they were the first all Faunus team to graduate the academy in Oum knows how long"
"What happened?"
"People were racist as fuck" Brick shrugged "Nobody hired 'em, then the war happened and half her team got wiped out in the battle of Menagerie. Vee ended up on the streets because despite what your Mum was doing there was still a lot of anti-White Fang feelings that got directed at any Faunus nearby….That's why I started the company with a couple of old Atlas washouts I met in a bar; we used to be called the 'Last Chancers'"
"Oh that's edgy" Felix chuckled
"Fuck off we were drunk and depressed" Brick scoffed "Besides, last chance is better than the no chance that everyone thought we had"
"Fair" Felix admitted with a shrug as the two of them began walking again, eyes scanning the treeline in the distance for any sign of movement. The Lion Faunus found himself feeling a little better at the situation even if the realisation that he'd been carrying some unconscious prejudices had stung a little and he privately resolved to examine those beliefs at a more suitable time
"So the big guy on your team and the chick with the rifle" Brick began, interrupting Felix's thoughts "The power couple that the rags can't shut up about….what's sharing a dorm with a freshly engaged couple like?"
"What's tripping over your own feet because of your thing for Doctor Loam like?" Felix shot back, leaving the older man sputtering and choking on air as he struggled to form a response and wondered how he had been so easily read; Felix debated actually answering the question as he had plenty of feelings to get off of his chest after walking in on the newly engaged couple in various states of undress several times over the course of a single weekend but found himself silenced by faint movement and rustling in the treeline
"Up ahead"
"I see it" Brick answered, voice dropping to barely more than a whisper; Felix highly doubted that claim as whatever monster lurked in the trees was entirely out of view, he remained silent however and brought his hand over his shoulder to grab the handle of one of his chainsaw blades swords.
It was over before he'd drawn his weapon.
A lone Boarbatusk came lurching into view, pawing at the ground as it prepared to charge only for a pair of shots to ring out and tear chunks from the Grimm's skull and flank. Smoke rose from the barrel of Brick's weapon whilst Felix was left holding a half-drawn sword and wearing a dumbfounded expression.
"Years of practice kid" Brick assured him with a smug expression though in his confidence he failed to see what Felix did, a wide shadow with a distinctive shape passing over them both. Without hesitation the younger grabbed the mercenary and dragged him aside whilst unsheathing his sword and shifting the weapon into its' ranged mode. The quills of a Nevermore ripped through the space they had stood whilst Felix aimed and fired with frightening accuracy, the first burst of shots sending the avian monster crashing to the ground with wisps of black smoke trailing from its' bullet-riddled form.
"Well I'll be damned" Brick chuckled "The student might actually know what he's talking about after all"
Felix merely rolled his eyes at that comment.
Pantheon let out a low rumbling snarl of anger as they felt the Nevermore die and had to actively fight to rest of the flock of winged beasts that flanked them like an honour guard from taking wing and indulging in their base and predatory instincts.
Things were worse than they had thought.
The sentient Grimm had been tasked with observing the humans that had been coming and going around the edges of their Queen's domain and disposing of any that dared draw too close; they had been perched high in the trees whilst the Grimm that they controlled spread out and stalked the wilderness which Salem's influence was slowly corrupting for sign of fresh trespassers when the air had been sundered by the cacophony of roaring engines overhead and Pantheon had watched as several machines from the Kingdoms landed in the distance before sending one of their flock of Nevermore to investigate.
Pantheon had seen enough before the beast had died; the enemy had not just returned in force, they had begun to dig in and plant their roots in Salem's domain.
This would not stand.
Pantheon slipped down from the trees, wings folded across their back and Flesh-Seeker in hand, they dared not take to the air less they be gunned down by the humans' weapons but once they reached the ground the sentient Grimm broke into a full sprint and slipped between the trees with ease as they made their way towards the river that ran through the swamplands.
They had to reach Salem, the Queen must be told of this invasion.
Authors Notes:
Well ladies and gents, the countdown to Vol.10 finale starts here.
Four more chapters and then we'll be in the penultimate volume….the beginning of the end really does start here.
I don't want to say too much but brace yourselves, because trust me I've still got some tricks left in the bag.
That being said, let's summarise shall we:
Just little things like showing how the different characters deal with the cold makes them and the world the live in feel more real.
Did you really think I was gonna pass up a Battle-Car moment, even a small one?
"You'd think someone was actually going to die on one of these missions with how dramatic you Hunters are" Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
And a Cyberpet moment, enjoy these moments while they last.
Being fully honest I actually forgot Team GORE had their own ride as well as their own ship and had to write it back in afterwards.
Flax turning up this is fitting because SPOILER ALERT this is gonna be the last "Official Student Mission" that Team FADE take together, it ends how it started.
Flax is still an ass-hat to new recruits.
Of course the press were all over Arctus and Diamond getting engaged.
Happy AJ and Coral, Merc is definitely gonna cry at the wedding and Weiss definitely tried to micromanage Blake and Yang's wedding.
Bandit Queen Pyrrha gives no fucks, you don't want your shit taking then don't leave it around her.
Bandit Pyrrha and Grimm-Hybrid Yang….the Hellfire ship really is just a hate-fuck waiting to happen.
Oh boy, Pyrrha Vs Someone is coming.
Don't take Glynda that her students drink, smoke and fuck….she doesn't need to know that.
Nickel is and will always be a pleasure.
Qrow's smart, he's the first person to put two and two together and realise Pyrrha and Yang aren't the same person; Yang using Neo's Semblance has confused a lot of people.
Boom, they've figured it out now. They don't KNOW but they definitely SUSPECT because look, we're heading into the last couple of volumes of this story; I can't have the villain hiding in the shadows forever.
"You've got it chief" Nickel's got a purpose again.
I love how hyped Eagle was this chapter, she's got the same early chapters Eagle energy and is just raring to go.
The tradesmen's entrance; partly because nobody wants you dragging mud, paint, dust and plaster through their house and partly because you really are just "The help".
Mercenaries, because not everyone fighting Grimm is a Hunter and let's be honest….a dozen or so mercenaries plus their robots and equipment is probably gonna be cheaper than some Hunter teams; imagine what Team RWBY would be able to charge for jobs.
Violet or 'Vee' is a common green forest lizard Faunus, google those things they look cool.
Again little things like background characters having history like that makes the world you're writing feel more lived in.
Oh he brought Felix's height into it, dick move.
Banter like that is definitely common, especially in any kind of industrial work; you're gonna get terrorised on your first day just to see if you've got the minerals for it.
'The Inedibles' is obviously a play on the Expendables.
I watched the Mandolorian and have wanted to have a robot character since IG88, look AI's exist within RWBY canon and this story and so do robots; so why not make a robot with some personality….although Cogs is nothing like Penny, Cogs isn't a real boy.
In my head Doctor Loam looks kinda like Sonia from Pokemon.
And the legacy of DOCTOR Oobleck lives on.
Notice how Team FADE aren't being told how the job is gonna work, they're being brought in and asked to advise.
Scuttler, a giant crab Grimm….also the second time I've used the whole "Fake island" design, Team NEON dealt with the Krakatoa turtle Grimm in second year; it's just something I think is cool.
Okay Hellion didn't strictly need to provide a distraction by jumping into a sharks' body and biting the things' legs but I wanted her to do something with her Semblance other than scout ahead.
Carcharodon want full action movie and loved every second of it.
"Oh you have no idea" you know Team GORE all had at least a moment of considering just robbing the place….besides, never left someone change the terms after you've signed without paying for it; let that slide once and they'll be ripping you off forever.
Enhanced senses in a sewer, it's gonna be bad.
That junction point where they're building a base camp could well be where Team FADE fought the Minotaur.
Let's be honest, everyone owes Qrow favours but everyone also knows that when Qrow calls it there's a good chance it's gonna be dangerous and they're rightly worried about it.
Styx and Stones Industrial and the Inedibles are not messing around, they came prepared with the tools to do the job.
Yeah Cogs is some uncanny valley bullshit and people feel uncomfortable around him.
I mean Felix kinda has been judgemental here, the whole idea of "Hired guns" hasn't sat well with him since he heard it and someone needed to call him on it.
The Academies are a college/university for learning to kill Grimm….how many people drop out of school because of things like life getting in the way?
Okay get ready because I've just pulled a deep cut reference from my own writing: Team VOID who graduated before Team RWBY enrolled were actually mentioned way back in Chapter 01 of the Downward Spiral, Gangrel mentioned them to Velvet.
Y'know damn well Arctus and Diamond have been fucking like rabbits since he popped the question.
I'm sure you realised that it was gonna be one of Pantheon's Nevermore the moment Felix shot it.
Does that count as a cliffhanger ending?
Thank you to SumoSnipe and Funlander for their reviews on the last chapter.
Well he didn't just inherit his white hair and blue eyes from Weiss.
Eh, one engagement…..The tribes don't marry, but it's definitely a commitment on Hellion's part.
Wait….I thought Ruby had the best day ever binder?
Nah, Adam is definitely listening to something edgier.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review