Chapter 1: Is This Truly Worth It?
Mercury Black had always been a peculiar sort of fellow.
Abandoned by his mother and raised by an overbearing, abusive assassin father, the silver-haired man had always believed in one quality; strength.
He hasn't survived this far by being weak. His father had always been somewhat of a prick, frequently blowing what money he made from his assassination jobs on alcohol and coming back to their hideout in the mountains raging drunk.
Marcus Black believed sternly that only the strong survive, and was determined to pass this belief onto his son. If Mercury even showed a hint of weakness, he was mercilessly beaten by his father, who was often in one of his drunken rages. The first few beatings Mercury had taken in stride, hoping that his father would change for the better.
Alas, that was not to be.
The fateful night Marcus had stormed back after a failed assassination attempt on one of Vale's high-ranking officials, Mercury had just finished a ferocious training regimen, hoping to make his father proud of him. When he had proudly shown Marcus the results of his training, his father had not reacted the way Mercury thought he would.
When Marcus attacked him, however, Mercury responded with all the pain and anger he had held in the past couple years. Even to this day, Mercury could still remember the snap of his father's bones and his bellows of pain as he effortlessly broke his legs with a powerful kick.
Nevertheless, when Cinder Fall and her associate Emerald arrived to recruit his father for their cause, they were greeted with a nasty surprise. To his shock, they then turned and invited him to join them, promising riches and fame for his efforts. Just by Cinder's looks Mercury would have already been convinced. With the extra promises it wasn't even a choice anymore.
And so he joined the army of Salem.
Currently, he was a "exchange student" at Beacon Academy, one of the most prestigious academies in all of Remnant. He and Emerald had been tasked by Cinder to infiltrate the academy and report their findings back to her, especially when the Vytal Festival came around.
Beacon wasn't a bad place though, Mercury had to admit. Besides the excellent food, the academy also had wide, spacious rooms and great sparring sessions with the attractive Glynda Goodwitch. Mercury had to admit though, most of these students didn't present a challenge, despite being "elite" among the hunter/huntress community.
He and Emerald were currently in one of these sparring sessions, having just watched a red-haired girl named Pyrrha Nikos effortlessly dispatch an entire team (namely those hog-headed buffoons, CRDL).
"I have to admit, at least some students in this 'prestigious academy' are worthy of their reputations." Mercury said to Emerald, who merely nodded. "Not very talkative today, are you?" He teased. She threw a glare back at him in response. He raised his hands in defense. "Eesh, no need to be angry." He said.
"Congrats, Mrs. Nikos. You truly deserve your title. Take notes class! It's not every day you get to see such skill and power." Mrs. Goodwitch told the class. Pyrrha nodded in response. "Now, we have time for one more spar before our class ends. Any volunteers?" She called, looking around the classroom.
Mercury looked around, seeing that no one had raised their hands, not even Team RWBY, one of the few teams at the academy that had shown potential in his eyes. "Surprising…" He thought, but slowly raised his own hand. He needed to find out what this girl was capable of. Cinder Fall could be in use of such information.
"Yes, Mercury Black, was it?" Mrs. Goodwitch said, turning to him. "Yes, Mrs. Goodwitch. I would like to volunteer for our last session." He said. She nodded in response, looking down at her clipboard before scratching in a few words. "Who would you like to spar, Mr. Black?" She asked.
"I'd like to fight the 'Invincible Girl' and see how she stands up to her reputation." Mercury said, standing up and pointing at the surprised Pyrrha. "Mr. Black, Mrs. Nikos has recently fought an entire team! You can't expect her to…" Goodwitch was silenced when Pyrrha stepped up. "I accept his challenge, Mrs. Goodwitch." She said, looking up at Mercury, who grinned cockily in response.
"Alright then, come down Mr. Black. We have around ten minutes' left." Goodwitch spoke. Mercury slowly rotated his neck before tensing his legs and leaping down. With an echoing boom, he landed in the middle of the sparring hall before taking a fighting stance. Pyrrha raised her lance and shield, narrowing her emerald eyes.
"You may begin." Goodwitch spoke. Mercury lunged forward, lashing out at Pyrrha with a barrage of powerful kicks. Pyrrha blocked them with her shield, bracing her legs against the ground to steady herself. She countered with a downward swipe with her lance, aiming for Mercury's legs.
The silver-haired man jumped above the swing, his heels clicking as Dust bullets locked into position. He then leaped backwards, kicking into the air as he twirled on his heels. Pyrrha charged him, her lance extended to impale him.
Mercury countered the attack with a low sweep, causing Pyrrha to stumble before aiming a roundhouse at her head. She reached out with a glowing hand, Mercury's boot moving upwards by itself, narrowly missing Pyrrha. Mercury's eyes widened as he struggled to right himself, before Pyrrha barreled into his chest with her shield extended.
Mercury grunted as he was sent flying backwards, digging his legs into the ground and stopping himself. "How is she so powerful?" Mercury thought as he steadied himself as Pyrrha advanced on him, shield raised.
Mercury merely pointed a finger upwards. Pyrrha narrowed her eyes, but looked upwards in shock to see a massive cloud of gray Dust bullets floating above her. "What the…?!" She whispered before the bullets came crashing down on her, covering the arena in smoke.
Team RWBY and the other members of JNPR watched in anxiety, hoping that Pyrrha wasn't hurt by the sudden impact. To their great relief, she shot out of the smoke, having blocked most of the damage with Akouo. She slowly lowered her shield to look a shocked Mercury straight in the eye, before charging at him once more, determined to finish the fight.
"I forfeit!" Mercury said, causing Pyrrha to gasp and narrowly barrel past him. "Pyrrha Nikos is the winner of this bout. May I suggest next time to choose another to spar against, Mr. Black." Goodwitch said.
Mercury shrugged in response, before turning to stalk off the arena, hands in his pocket. "The class is over! I hope you enjoy your weekend!" Goodwitch called out, the entirety of the class shouting in elation before running toward the entrance. Casting a quick glance behind him, Mercury could see that RWBY and the other members of JNPR had surrounded Pyrrha, congratulating her.
The silver-haired man was joined by Emerald near the entrance, but could not focus on her or the questions she was asking. His thoughts were with the red-haired, emerald-eyed girl he had just fought. He had to admit, Pyrrha Nikos was beautiful. The way she carried herself, her figure, the way she fought, she was a rarity.
Normally fights against him lasted a couple of minutes at most, with his ferocious speed and attacks overwhelming the unprepared opponent. Pyrrha was one of the only ones who actually represented a challenge to him, although he wasn't using his full strength.
"The name Nikos is somewhat familiar… Do I know her?" Mercury wondered as he and an annoyed Emerald left the sparring hall.
Cinder Fall would have to be alerted of this potential obstacle.
Hey guys! I fell in love with the RWBY series after watching a few episodes, and suddenly my creative spark came back (at least for this story). Mercury Black is a very interesting character, and I wish they explored him more. I can't wait for Volume 4 to come out, but this story is my tribute to the brilliance of the late Monty Oum! I actually think the "falling for the enemy" idea works with Mercury and Pyrrha… so I will try my best, although Mercury will be a little OOC, but love does that to you I guess!
Until the next chapter!