Hey faithful. Kept you waiting, huh?
— Saulderon
"'Silver Song' in the Boreale language. Named for the epic poem recounting the legend of Saylabhrea, Mhornathair, and the crusade of the Four Sons. Key moments of the epic have been etched out on the panels of the shield.
Arming swords and heater shields are the iconic arms of the Boreale Knights, going as far as being incorporated into the ancient order's seal. Per their design, the sword and shield combine and correct to make a wide-bladed longsword that handles easily despite its added weight. For offensive needs at a ballistic level, Silferließe morphs into a configured assault rifle based on a popular civilian model.
Tyrus Boreale proved his proficiency with this weapon during the Initiation, when he and what would become Team BRSS achieved victory over a wolfish, flame-wreathed monstrosity deep below Beacon Academy."
— Silferließe
...
So This Is The Big Fight
It only took a few seconds for Ty to pick out Yang and Pyrrha from the collection of their classmates. He had just emerged from the hallway that connected the student lockers to the EES arena, after having secured the crowning piece of his arms around his waist, when an ear-splitting whistle beaconed him into the lecture theatre. Ty swept his gray eyes up the bleachers and caught Yang waving her arm at him from where she was sitting. He waved back to her and followed down a steady current of their classmates between them, and a frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. Goodwitch's doing, most likely, the Deputy Headmistress must have been gathering them to announce the start of Semblance use in matches.
Ty's frown shifted to a puzzled scowl. Did the class always have so many people in it? EES was a large class from the get-go, but Ty's gut told him the size had bloated just for today. It seemed like it was purposely trying to slow him down as he made his way towards Yang. The young Hunter put the thought out of his mind and focused on maneuvering through the crowd of armored bodies, sparing the occasional glance to count the rows where the girls were sitting and apologizing when the object chained to Ty's hip inevitably collided with someone else's. There was a moment where he chuckled at Yang, a look of laser focus on her face as she thumbed through her Scroll. Browsing Duster or inCrowd, probably, or whatever was the hot social site of the minute. Anything to keep her attention stimulated, Ty smirked. Not that he was deriding her at all. Throughout their friendship, the young Hunter had come to realize Yang was the kind of girl that had two phases of being: canter and full gallop. Yang didn't have a 'stop,' and she definitely did not 'idle.' Ty liked that about her, among other things on the extensively long list of things he liked about Yang Xiao Long.
Pyrrha's eyes connected with Ty's at one point, and she sent a happy little wave at him, but something pulled her attention away before Ty could wave back.
Again Ty gave his head a shake and readjusted his focus. Ty kept moving through the crowded auditorium, doing his best to be polite and not knock anyone over. He didn't know what it was that had come over him. There was a weird weightless feeling in his chest that seemed to move and rumble. He couldn't put a word to it, but it told Ty to get to Yang as fast as he could. It ordered Ty to move, and he obeyed by taking the steps up to the girls two or three at a time in long lunges, dodging between his other classmates, and finally dropping into place in the empty seat between them.
"Afternoon, ladies," Ty said with a grin, slightly out of breath. "Did I keep you waiting?"
"Nah." Yang leaned her shoulder against his.
"Not at all," Pyrrha said, looking approvingly between the two of them and giving Ty a wink. "You are most poignant, Tyrus."
Yang chuckled and wrapped her hand around Ty's. "Glad you could make it."
"Me, too," again Ty felt the expanding weightlessness in his chest. He couldn't stop smiling. "What'd I miss?"
"Not much. Pyrrha says Goodwitch is gonna announce Semblance uses. She wants everyone in one place for it," Yang said, resting her head on Ty's shoulder.
"She also wants to go over the alterations to the rules of engagement," Pyrrha added. "I suspect class won't be as cut and dry as being allowed to spar with each other without some implement to test us."
"Ahh," Ty said, drawing the word out several syllables. "Sounds like a Goodwitch thing to do."
"I wish she'd hurry up; I'm itching to get started."
"Oh, my poor girl," Ty planted a quick peck on Yang's crown and grinned at her dismissive snort. Her head shifted and she poked the helmet that rested itself on Ty's lap. "What's this?"
"That, my dear, is a sparring helm. It came with the armor," Ty replied. Yang pushed a little more and tipped the helmet so she could look inside at the gel padding that lined the interior.
"Hmmh."
"What?"
"I dunno. I guess I was expecting something more jaw-dropping from Boreale-pattern armor."
Ty scowled. "Sparring armor, Yang. It's for fight training. An actual suit is a lot techier. This just protects me from getting busted in half with a wild haymaker."
"Which is important, too," Yang knocked her elbow against Ty's arm and lifted the helmet up to inspect it properly.
Much like his suit, Ty's helmet was admittedly not much to look at. The training helmet was utilitarian in form, a bright and silvery metal molded into an armet design tailored to accommodate the measurements of Ty's head. The faceplate was dotted with small vents to let in air, but what likely caught Yang's eye was the visor that actually let him see out of the helmet. A narrow slit that started at the bridge of Ty's nose and gently curved off to his temples, creating something of a beak that poked just past the brow of the helm. Only the struts of the impact cage interrupted the sharply cut eyelet that would spill light into the dark interior. It was a design choice that allowed the young Hunter to maintain his peripheral vision without compromising the helmet's integrity. That tiny slit, narrower than a mailslot, could let in so much of the world outside. That was why Ty forever be impressed by an armorer's craft.
"I guess it's still pretty dashing," Yang said with a ho-hum expression and let the helmet drop back into Ty's lap. "I'll just have to wait and see, huh?"
"You won't be disappointed. Promise," Ty grinned and nuzzled his cheek against Yang's crown.
The auditorium filled up over the next few minutes, and just as last of the students found their seats, Goodwitch appeared at the lectern pulpit with her crop raised. She struck the podium several times and raised her voice just loud enough to make it through the chatter. "Students, your attention please."
In a matter of seconds, the rumbling din descended to a gentle murmur, and in the next moment, every student stopped talking altogether.
Yang whistled, straightening up. "I wish I could do that."
Ty nodded. He was hard-pressed to think of anyone that didn't at least begrudgingly respect Professor Goodwitch. The Deputy Headmistress' stern demeanor made her a hard professor to like, but the woman commanded dignity from everyone present. Regardless, Ty genuinely admired Professor Goodwitch. She was dedicated to developing her students to the best of their ability, often using her watchful eye to spot their strengths and weaknesses. She didn't bother wasting time coddling or holding hands every step of the way. Instead, Goodwitch gave praise and critiques in equal measure, often followed by advice for improvement. It was simple, but it was useful.
"Those of you who are keeping up with the course schedule know this already, but for the record and the uninformed, starting today the arena's Aura limiters will be reduced. All matches will proceed with your Semblances able and encouraged to use, at a one-third of their full ability."
The class gave a collective gasp before exploding into a chorus of quiet side chatter. Goodwitch made no move to control the classwide outburst, opting instead to glance at her watch and let the class settle itself down. Like she had anticipated it in the first place. Ty leaned back and crossed his arms.
Yang whistled. "Well, I was not expecting that."
"Yes. It's quite a turn of events," Pyrrha said, her lips pursing together as she thought. "I can't imagine why. Should I ask?"
Ty made a limp halt gesture with his free hand. "Wait on it a minute. Let's see where this is going."
Goodwitch didn't so much as clear her throat or clap her riding crop to harangue the gossip that spilled out in her lecture. Again, the auditorium fell silent when the Deputy raised her hand. "I know and understand that this exception is not the news you expected, but I must ask that interruptions be kept minimal. I am more than happy to answer any questions after I've finished announcing the changes to the class paradigm."
She paused for a moment and continued after a glance across the seats. "Semblances, regardless of limitation, carry risks to both the users and their surroundings. To counter the safety concerns using your Semblances present, there will be a limit to their overall strength during class. A limit that will vary as the term goes on."
Of course, there would be a limit to how much of their Semblances the class could use. Ty grunted softly and shook his head. Anyone as intelligent as Goodwitch would never let anything as potentially devastating as a building full of Huntsmen use their Semblances at full bore four hours of the day, even if they were just juniors. Ty would adapt. It wouldn't be hard.
"All matches will be supervised by three of our volunteer and visiting instructors," Goodwitch went on. "Further, the match time and round limits will also be reduced. Going forward, all engagements will be three rounds per match, with three minutes per round."
Ty leaned forward. That was an exciting change. EES more or less followed the Queensbury ruleset; bouts ran nine rounds for six minutes, the instructors gave advice and criticism, then the students changed rings, and the process started over again. It made the fights fast-paced and gave everyone time to gauge an opponent's abilities and put a plan of attack together. Going as far as literally halving the fight clock and the round limit would create a blistering pace. Was Goodwitch factoring in everyone's fighting experience to hasten the round time? Or were Ty's classmates hiding devastatingly powerful Semblances he would need to watch out for? Could it be both? Ty's eyes slid towards Yang with suspicion for a moment, but he quickly shook his head and focused his gaze on Goodwitch. Either way, it was proving to be an exciting term.
"With that out of the way," Goodwitch swept her eyes over her audience of students with a tight grin on her lips. "Are there any questions?"
A hand immediately whipped up, and Ty traced the arm back to Lilly Verdant. Or at least he was pretty sure that was her. From where he was sitting the young Hunter could only see the back of the green haired girl's head.
Goodwitch confirmed his guess a moment later. "Yes, Miss Verdant?"
"Professor, it was my understanding that we would use our full Semblance. Why are we to use only the one third?"
"An excellent question, Miss Verdant," the blonde Deputy nodded and swept her eyes over the students. "Application of your Semblance will be the focus of this unit. There will be a variety of limitation levels put on and taken off as the year continues. Part of Engagement Etiquette theory is to challenge yourselves as warriors in your philosophies of combat, not just your skill and ability."
Goodwitch thrust her riding crop out and weaved the head between Ty and Pyrrha indicatively. "Master Boreale and Miss Nykos, for example, are the four-time finalists of the Mystral Regional Circuit. Miss Nikos secured her championship each year, of course, and garnered the moniker of the Invincible Girl for her trouble. Quite commendable."
"Thank you, Professor," Pyrrha said. Ty coughed pointedly, and Yang snorted. Pyrrha rolled her eyes at both of them.
"You're welcome, Miss Nikos. However, I am of the opinion that Master Boreale is the more capable warrior." Goodwitch looked the young Hunter in the eye. Ty made a despondent groan in the pit of his throat. "Aside from the tournament finals against Miss Nykos, Master Tyrus not only claimed victory against every opponent in his roster, but also the contestants who attempted to retake their position after being ousted by Mistral's reigning champion, effectively doubling his per-match scoring. As I recall, he bested them all with excellent tactical efficiency, a handful he defeated flawlessly, and garnered a circuit title for himself as well."
"The Dragon of Boreale," Pyrrha said quietly with a knowing glance, and it was Ty's turn to roll his eyes.
"The Dragon of Boreale," Goodwitch echoed a moment later. This time Yang's ears perked up. "A gatekeeper protecting the title of Mistral. A penultimate challenge, where only the worthy are granted a chance at the greatest glory."
Another chorus of side chatter flared up in the auditorium, drawing a sigh out of Ty as he squeezed the bridge of his nose. Because of course that ridiculous moniker had been picked up by Beacon's staff. What the hell had he expected? A miracle, Ty concluded with a snort. He had anticipated a goddamn miracle. The young Hunter had hoped that the most overzealous tabloid nickname of half a continent wouldn't have made the jump across the world. He didn't think the Deputy Headmistress of Beacon Academy would bark it up in front of dozens of his classmates. And he absolutely did not expect his first girlfriend to be there when it got out.
"Huh, wow," Yang said, looking at Ty. "Is that true?"
"Nnnnngh…yeah?" Ty said with an embarrassed smile, squirming uncomfortably in his seat. "Some reporter connected my name with an old Mistral legend and plastered it on his headline. It's stupid."
"Aww, does widdle Tywus not wike his siwwy nickname?"
Ty groaned. An action he immediately regretted when he caught Yang sporting a poorly contained grin.
"Oh, what? I can't be upset at some headline out of a third-rate newspaper?"
"I don't know, I think it's kind of dashing," Yang said, tapping her finger against her lips. "I can't bring myself to drag on about it."
Ty clapped his free hand over his eyes. "Please stop."
"Stop what, Il Dracul?"
"I'll have you know, I find it rather poetic. Prophetic, even, given your family's crest," Pyrrha said, crossing her arms. "At the very least it's more dignified than Invincible Girl. A hundred thousand things that the educated minds of Mistral could come up with, and something as generic as 'Invincible Girl' is the one they stick with."
That's an interesting tone. Ty scowled. Pyrrha's dislike of her fame had never been lost on Ty, but this was the first he had ever heard her actively criticizing it. When had she started doing that?
"You don't need to be so draconian, Pyrrha."
"I hate you," Ty said, pressing his face into his palms to the amusement of the women on either side of him. "Both of you."
...
Goodwitch answered another handful of questions for ten minutes, most were about as impressive as the cushion of Ty's seat. It was essential topics to be sure, but nothing that Ty couldn't find in the course syllabus. Ty had tuned most of it out and opted to talk between Yang and Pyrrha about their predictions for their classmates' Semblances. Ty pitied anyone opposing Pyrrha and found themselves on the business end of her Polarity. Well, anyone that wasn't him, Ty thought with a smirk. While his and Yang's record were one-sided, Ty and Pyrrha were on a one-to-one bracket.
It didn't surprise the young Hunter much. In a straight fight, he and Pyrrha had always been about equal on a pure skill level. Ty knew how to hold his own against his honorary sister, he gave himself a little credit for that. Even without her affinity for Polarity, Pyrrha was a lithe and cunning warrior. She hit hard and surgically and used her momentum to carry one unrelenting assault into the next. A one-woman pack of wolves—or what was it they had in Parthenon? Ty wracked his memory. Cave lions. Pyrrha was definitely one of those. A big prowling cat biting chunks out her opponent's defenses before going for the throat.
Yang was a different sort of opponent altogether. She was fast and light but packed a monster of a wallop, and she knew it. Yang was smart, too. It was never long before she stepped through Ty's defense and knocked him on his ass. Aptly enough, Yang reminded Ty of the wiry old dragons from Mistralan myth. It didn't take much of a jump in logic when her name literally meant Young Sunshine Dragon. Ty had no issue picturing Yang as one of the towering and majestic creatures. She was caring, even playful when she was in a good mood, but a powerful and terrifying force of nature when she was provoked.
Ty wrinkled his brow as a thought occurred to him. What if Yang and Pyrrha fought each other? That would be a fight Ty would pay to see. The showcase of hell-hath-no power and fury would be more than worth it. If she closed up her guard and learned to faint correctly, Yang could probably take Pyrrha straight on. Probably. Somehow the two warrior women had managed to avoid standing in the same ring for six weeks. An impressive feat that persisted throughout the term. Ty doubted it was unintentional. Professor Goodwitch arranged bouts sometimes, pairing the students with one another if she found they needed to build on a specific strategy or if she thought they were unfairly matched.
Ty wholeheartedly believed Goodwitch arranged a few fights to keep Pyrrha and Yang from facing off against each other. Not that he would ever say that out loud and expect to survive the consequences. Ty's thinking was the three of them equaled each other out in a level fight, ideally. But with their Semblances, Ty could only guess. What would Yang and Pyrrha be like fighting with their Semblances? Yang would probably catch on to Pyrrha's Polarity, then she would just dump her Ember Celica and go with whatever strategy she cooked up with her Semblance as her ace in the whole. Would Pyrrha be able to adapt? More than likely. She could just manage Ty's Aura Surge by the skin of her teeth, so she could probably handle anything Yang threw Pyrrha's way. Ty amusingly wondered whether or not there would be anything left of the unfortunate and undeserving ring. If Yang had half a mind to, she and Pyrrha could be the next hot rivalry plastered on headlines from the four corners of Remnant. Ty chuckled quietly at himself at the thought. More than anyone he knew, Yang could do anything she had half a mind to. Clear out a Grimm hive, knock over a skyscraper, maybe even swoop around to suplex an Atlas mech on her way to arm wrestle a cruise liner. Ty wondered if, during her charge of destruction, Yang would take a moment to check her makeup.
Something squeezed his hand. Ty glanced down at Yang's hand in his and then up to Yang herself, expecting something. But she was just grinning at him. Ty shook his head with a curious brow as if to ask, What?
Yang winked and squeezed again, and Ty gave a squeeze back, making her grin even more prominent. Ty had thought Yang had a beautiful smile. Her smirk was cute. Her grin was pretty. But Ty could think of a dozen gorgeous things that weren't nearly as spectacular than Yang when she was smiling. It reminded him of the sunrise over the Atlassian Sea, looking out of his room at Boreale Manor as a child. Yang's honey-gold curls and bright lilac-blue eyes helped the image. It was another little thing on a very long list of things Ty liked most about her. Whenever Yang smiled, Ty felt like he was home.
The class rose in unison, and Ty snapped out of his head. Yang yanked him up with enough force to dislodge his shoulder. "Rise and shine, day tripper!"
"Ow! Hey!"
"Oh, walk it off, pansy," Yang teased and pulled Ty into the mad shuffle down to the waiting fighting rings in the arena of the EES building.
Ty wondered if 'ring' was the correct term. Engagement Etiquette and Structure didn't have one single fighting ring like the vanilla sparring classes. Instead, there were dozens of smaller raised platforms, about three-quarters the size of regulation boxing rings. The logic being that the smaller sizes allow for more students to be pitted against one another at once, and still be enough room to implement their weapons and fighting styles. The stages were also placed in a way that there was enough space for the sparring pairs of students to fight at once with the instructors to observe or intercede in case a match went pear-shaped. With a school as big as Beacon, there were more than just a few dozen stages. Of course, hundreds of them were stockpiled and stored below the building, lifted via elevator through portals in the arena floor itself. Ready to accommodate the class size or replace the ones inevitably destroyed by the students. Whichever happened first.
Goodwitch had flexed her design muscles more laboriously than usual for this afternoon's class. There were a little over forty stages arranged into a pair of fat bottomed figure eights connected at the joints of the loops. Like clover leaves. Without the cleft at the peak of the curve.
He and Yang were about a dozen steps from the end of the stairs when Yang craned her neck up and swept her gaze from one end of the arena to the other a few times. Ty was about to ask her what she was doing when they cleared the last step, and Yang tugged his arm with a course set for one of the interior stages where, sure enough, Ty's and Yang's names were bracketed together on the slowly spinning headline above the stage. Professor Goodwitch waited by the short steps, her riding crop bouncing behind her back.
"Ms. Xiao Long, Mr. Boreale," she said, tilting her head up inquisitively. "I hope that this development in your relationship won't affect your classroom performances."
Ty followed the point of the professor's chin with his eyes. A dotted line connected to his and Yang's hands laced together, Ty gave a sheepish laugh. "Yeah, don't worry, Professor. The class is neutral ground, we'll keep a lid on it."
"Right on," Yang confirmed. "Besides. It's too much fun knocking Ty on his ass."
Ty buzzed his lips incredulously, and Yang met him with a toothy smile that threatened to overtake her face.
"Indeed." Goodwitch looked between them again, and Ty caught a distinctly approving gleam in her light green eyes. "I assume I needn't remind either of you of the rules of engagement, or the alteration to the time limit."
"No, Professor." Ty and Yang answered in unison.
"Very well." Professor Goodwitch pushed her glasses up her nose and indicated the short flight of steps up to the sparring platform. "Shall we?"
Ty took a deep breath, counting from ten on the exhale. "Here we go."
"Hey." Yang struck her elbow against his shoulder and winked. "Ease up, 'kay? The competition's over. We're having fun now."
"Yeah, I know," Ty said, rolling his shoulders. He just needed to relax for a second and not take himself so seriously. "Just don't fold on me when you see how good I look in my armor."
"You look plenty good in it already," Yang grinned slyly, her tongue peeking out between her teeth.
"Wait until we're in the fight," Ty said after a snort.
Yang's eyes flashed excitedly when Ty cleared the stairs in the Deputy's wake, headed for the painted frames that marked starting positions for sparrers. Yang was already at hers when Ty had stepped into the boxed-out square, stretching her arms and shoulders out and rolling her neck. She was limbering up a few last minute kinks while she bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet. It had an… interesting effect on her anatomy. Ty quickly looked to Professor Goodwitch and hoped the blush wasn't as apparent as it felt.
"Professor?"
"Just a moment," the Deputy raised a finger from her tablet and typed out the last of her commands in rapid succession. "Fighters ready?"
"Ready!" Yang affirmed, pulling her foot back and raising her fists.
"Mr. Boreale?"
Ty glanced down and unclipped his helmet from his belt with a quick yank. He flipped the helm over in his hands before lifting it over his head and brought it back down over his scalp. The world went black for a moment before the helmet's V-shaped visor slid into place and the world spilled back into view. Yang sent a sharp, wolfish whistle, coupled with a wink. Ty shook his head at her and drew his sword.
"Ready."
The Professor raised her crop and thrust her arm out in a chopping motion. "En garde!"
Yang lunged forward with a shout, arm curled back to strike. Ty had just enough time to plant his feet and raise his shield in the half second it took Yang to careen across the stage. Her fist surged out and struck the shield's face with a hard metallic blast that rattled Ty's teeth. Yang took the opportunity to pair a smirk with a haughty chuckle; she was goading him. Ty grinned behind his helmet and grunted low in his throat. Yang's cocky expression screwed into confused surprise as Ty pivoted on his back foot and dropped his shield. The brunt of Yang's weight combined with her forward momentum sent Ty into a spin, giving him time to whip his sword across her midriff as he whirled. Yang yelped when the blade connected, and she fired her Ember Celica at the floor, jettisoning across the ring and putting some distance between her and Ty.
When she landed Yang lifted her arm to inspect the damage and, sure enough, a thick red mark appeared on Yang's side, just below the bottom of her jacket, standing out starkly against the palette of her clothing and her alabaster skin. Yang whistled and cocked her hip to inspect it closer, offering a conceited but altogether impressed nod.
"Not bad," she said. Despite her casual tone, her eyes shifted to red when she looked back up. Ty was more than man enough to admit the sharp scarlet intensity dropped his stomach into his boots. Instinctively his hand squeezed tighter around Silferließe's grip, garnering a quiet growl from the leather binding. He swallowed hard.
Ty had that look coming. He knew it the second he and Yang stepped onto the stage, and even though Ty was ready for Yang's furious red glare, it shook him nonetheless. The young Hunter took a breath to settle himself and wrapped the flat of his blade against the rim of his shield.
The corners of Yang's mouth quirked up and she rolled her neck and shoulders. "Alright."
The blonde brawler threw her arms down to either side and her fountain of hair lifted up and began to glow like dancing flames. The sight of the billowing mane caught him off guard and before Ty could blink, Yang dipped her knees, fired her gauntlets, and vanished into a tremendous yellow blur trailing wisps of golden flame. The inferno streaked across the ring with Ty squarely centered in its flight path. Ty summoned enough reflex to swipe at the conflagration with his sword, but Yang's trajectory tucked her under the blade as it passed over her head. Ty tried to dodge right, but the brilliant fireball swerved ahead of him, hooked back in, and slammed into him with a crash of metal and shotgun blasts. Yang's knee hit Ty in the gut, folding him in half and lifting him off his feet. A dozen fists assailed him into his back before a pair of burning hands seized his ankles and flung him against the floor. Her flaming fist slammed into his sternum an instant later, and a final strike coupled with a blast from Yang's Ember Celica hit Ty between the shoulders. The combo sent Ty spiraling through the air, nearly out of the limit of the ring until he pulled his senses together. With some quick thinking, he arrested his trajectory enough that he was able to plant his feet against the ring's energy barriers with a blare of buzzes.
Ty snapped his head up and surged off the hard light panels with a boom, cannoning back across the stage in a spiral, Silerliße scraping the floor and sending up sparks as he went. A shocked look flashed and vanished on Yang's face in the same instant. Her lilac eyes danced a moment before she raised a shoulder and dashed in to meet Ty across the ring. Behind his visor, Ty smirked.
There's my girl.
Ty brought his left arm back and slammed the base of his shield into the floor of the fighting stage just before he and Yang collided. The force of the impact and Ty's forward propulsion combined, letting Ty vault over Yang as her haymaker arced through the empty space he had been. Corkscrewing as he passed over Yang's head, Ty clamped his sword into a cleft along the right flange of his shield. The combined arms hummed and whirred, with the clamps holding the shield to Ty's arm retracting and the grip of his sword doubling in length. The shield contracted in, turning flush with the crossguard and flattening into a long, broad blade.
Ty reached the height of his leap and twisted in the air, rotating so he would land on his feet and Silferließe raised up over his head. The silverite blade flashed the moment Ty touched the ground, and the sword gave a metallic rushing sound as it came down. Yang spun on her heel with her gauntlets crossed in a block, only just catching the sword between her wrists. Sparks danced and leaped where the metals ground against each other.
"Mph; gotta say, neat trick," Yang hissed through gritted teeth. The corners of her mouth curved up in a barely restrained grin. "You try that on every girl you're with?"
"No, actually, you're the first," Ty said with a bark of laughter, the innuendo not lost on him.
"I find that hard to believe." Yang blew a raspberry at him, dropped her block, and sidestepped the falling blade to jab into his sword arm and gut. Stunned for a moment, Ty paid for his remark when Yang put her foot against his ankle and a left hook into his side.
Ty caught his stumble, dipped his knees and dropped his shoulder forward into a roll, less-than-gracefully putting some ground between him and Yang. Just missing the haymaker aimed at his head, Ty quickly came up on his feet to thrust Silferließe into Yang's unguarded ribs. Her Aura caught the brunt of the strike but Yang no less recoiled from the impact, as Ty stepped to his left and swung a horizontal slash from left to right, hitting Yang's shoulder and breaking her block. Ty stepped towards her and finished the combo with an upward sweep from the ground on his right, connecting the blade to Yang's left leg and sweeping her off her feet. Yang retaliated with several successive shots from her gauntlets, a pair of which slipped past Ty's shield and slammed him in the chest. Mimicking Ty's maneuver from earlier, Yang pinwheeled onto her feet and settled at the opposite side of the stage, her shoulders heaved as she forced breath into her lungs.
"I mean, really? What about Pyrrha?"
Ty scoffed. "She's like a sister to me."
"Hmm. I guess that's a relief. Here I thought I was picking up after her."
Ty scowled. "What?"
"Oh, nothing," Yang chimed and lunged at him. Ty dodged back but instead of swinging, Yang landed grinning and lunged at him again, her back foot coming around to strike him in the shoulder and throw off his footing. Ty dropped back and used the breadth of his blade to block Yang's follow-ups, shoving her back across the ring for some breathing room. He spared a glance at the fight clock at the edge of the ring and the readouts for his and Yang's Auras. Much to his surprise, Ty discovered that the round was nearly over and that he and Yang had depleted half their Auras between the two of them.
"What's the matter?" Yang called. "Keeping score?"
Ty scoffed and broke Silferließe's transformation with a yank-twist of the pommel. "I thought we weren't being competitive anymore."
"You, maybe." Yang's grin broke into a devilish smile. "You're not the one fighting to protect your chastity."
Heat flared in Ty's face. Yang spared him a wink and dropped into a dead sprint across the stage, firing her gauntlets rapidly. Ty made quick work of his feet, barely dodging over and between the balls of Dust infused projectiles as they splashed against the stage.
Thrown off balance, Ty dropped to his knee and blocked Yang's follow up roundhouse kick with the shield. Whirling on her heel Yang fired her gauntlets in succession, shots striking into the ornate face and exploding like artillery rounds, causing a concussive force that nudged Ty back. He ducked right, off his back foot and threw his weight forward, slamming into Yang shield first and whipping his sword across her side for his trouble. Yang recoiled but broke Ty's guard with a right jab into his knee and connected a left hook with his head as she fell, getting off one more shot from her gauntlet to drive the punch home.
The end-of-round buzzer sounded just as Ty dropped to favor his knee and Yang landed on the stage. The low-pitch drone seized him the instant it sounded, and a ripple echoed through his entire being like he had been struck by an audible stun rod.
I hate that sound. Ty thought and shook his head free of the syrupy sensation the buzzer inflicted. Ty recalled Goodwitch saying that the EES fight bells were originally designed by Atlas as a riot countermeasure. As he had to experience it firsthand in varying degrees in the past six weeks, Ty would gladly vouch for its effectiveness.
The disorienting feeling passed and his vision focused onto Yang looking up at him from the floor. Her hands were clasped together over her abdomen and she wore a bright grin on her face.
"Hey, handsome," her brows bounced with the same flirty energy of her voice. "You come here often?"
Ty snorted. A few inches from her temple was the draw line of Silferließe's shield firmly planted in the ground, centering him in a three-point landing positioned over Yang protectively.
"I'm gonna hazard a guess that Jerry Lee Lewis showcase was your Semblance?"
"Ah-huh." Yang winked quickly. "Whacha think?"
Realizing that Yang couldn't see his face under his helmet, Ty tipped his head pointedly. "It suits you."
A soft but rapid patting sound reached his ears and he lifted his head towards Professor Goodwitch at the edge of the ring. Her crop holstered at her waist, she applauded quietly with her tablet tucked under her arm.
"Bravo, the both of you. Splendidly done."
Ty stabbed his sword into the stone ground and pushed himself to his feet, leaving his hand out for Yang to grab and hoist herself up.
"You okay?"
"Thanks, and yeah. Little thrown from that last payback combo. You're good with that thing."
"Only after years of practice," Ty rolled a bit of strain from his shoulders. Yang did the same in Ty's periphery, sparing a moment to dust herself off and smooth out her skirt before they both turned to Professor Goodwitch. The Deputy Headmistress composed herself and pulled up her tablet and flipped through her notes.
"Master Boreale? You need to keep your footing adjusted through your backswing. You left your guard open multiple times for Ms. Xiao Long to exploit, some of which she took advantage of, whether intentionally or unintentionally. In the field, your opposition, Grimm or otherwise, will exploit it for the former. Keep that in mind."
Ty blew out a breath and nodded. Watch his footing, alright. A little vague but he could roll with it. "Yes, Professor. Thank you."
Goodwitch flickered her eyes to Yang next. Her fingers danced across the screen of her tablet and pushed her glasses up her nose after. "Ms. Xiao Long."
"Yes'm?"
"Your form has improved greatly since the previous session, congratulations."
Yang's hand rose to her hips and she beamed out of the corner of Ty's eye. "Well, than—"
"That being said, you're still rushing into engagement before assessing the situation laterally." The professor pointed a finger at Ty's sword. "Your first dodge under Master Boreale's blade was an impeccable example, keep in mind your prowess is useless to an opponent at medium range. But you should have capitalized on the openings his shift in posture presented. As for that maneuver with the shield?"
The Deputy tapped her heel against the floor, her brows pulling together contemplatively, her lower lip thrust out while the top curled up her teeth. It was a rare event that Glynda Goodwitch was at a creditable loss for words. Ty had seen it happen twice when he was watching other fights but he had never thought he would be the catalyst to it. The expression didn't last much more than a few moments, and her expression turned a more neutral but pursed scowl.
"For now, be sure to keep your feet spaced far enough apart to negate the force of the impact."
Yang blinked twice and shook her head. "Okay. Will do?"
"Indeed." The Deputy adjusted her spectacles and indicated the starting positions with a wave of her hand. "Take your positions again, both of you. The second round will commence shortly."
Yang took her turn to look at Ty and shrug incredulously. Ty shared the sentiment and jerked his head, indicating the starting lines. They made to their sides of the stage and limbered up while Professor Goodwitch pulled up the systems interface on her tablet and went through the steps to reset the stage for the next row. Ty pulled a Dust crystal from a pouch on his belt, sparing a moment to wave it at Yang.
She waved her hand dismissively. "It's cool, I got it covered," she said, pulling one of her own from her jacket.
Yang spun the mustard colored crystal on her palm and turned it onto its side, letting the crystal roll onto her finger. To finish the stunt, Yang balanced it on her fingertip a moment and tossed it in the air with a flick of her wrist; it arched up and she crushed it between her palms when it came back down. A burst of crackling yellow energy sizzled in the air and Yang's figure began to glow with her Aura. The air around her hummed gently and the cloud of Dust rushed towards her as her Aura absorbed the agitated Dust energy and replenished itself. Ty did the same with less flourish, holding it in his fist and crushing it with a sudden tightening of his fist. The crystal shattered with a crack and disintegrated into a cloud of pale gray Dust sprouted in that air around him. His Aura hummed to life and consumed the refined energy in seconds. Ty looked up to the fight clock above the ring and watched the Aura gauge next to his name slowly crawl forward as it was replenishing just as Yang's came to a stop. Ty's crystal was less refined than Yang's, and his meter stopped short of full, maybe four-ish fifths of the way. Popping another would be a waste of Dust, so Ty put it out of his mind, certain his Semblance would make up the difference in soon enough.
The caveat to that strategy, of course, being that Ty was assuming he could match the ferocity that Yang brought when she engaged her Semblance—which Ty still only had the barest understanding of, even after taking the brunt Yang's augmented might for the better part of the last round. Ty didn't have any illusions about Yang's might, she could hit like a truck at her weakest. The wailing she dumped on Ty that first time felt like he had been shot in succession by several tanks. Wearing his armor had turned out to be an excellent decision right out of the gate, he didn't know if he would have been able to weather that hurricane and still be conscious afterward. An instance that further proved discretion was the better part of valor.
That venerable adage in mind, Ty opted to combine Silferließe in her great form and set her tip against the floor. Finished with the preparations, Goodwitch looked up from her tablet and cleared her throat.
"Fighters ready?"
Yang dropped back into her boxer's stance. She gave a quick roll of her fists, punching at the air and finished with a jumping uppercut for good measure. "Ready!"
Show off. Ty thought and chuckled. Yang sent him a wink like she had read his mind.
Goodwitch cast her curious brow Ty's way then. "Master Boreale?"
"Ready," Ty said, clasping Silferließe's grip with both hands.
This is going to happen quickly. Ty grunted, that thought wasn't much of a consideration. Everything that happened with Aura Surge happened quickly. And violently. Ty didn't have much of a choice, as it turned out constant aggressive momentum was the cornerstone of Ty's Semblance, tactically counterintuitive as it sounded, and he had trained himself to get the most out of it. Aura Surge operated something like adrenaline, in a fight, Ty could manipulate his Aura to heighten his reflexes and increase his strength and speed at the cost of sacrificing a determinable portion of his overall Aura. That ability to control his Aura at will was the reason he took up oplomancy when the time for him to learn about Dust weaving. Literally translated from the Parthenon dialect of Mistrali, Weapon Divination had been utilized by Hunters since the trade with the Kingdoms had been established—even in times of war, merchants wasted little time with patriotism when there were markets to exploit.
The practice was easy to explain. Through Dust weaving, an oplomancer could partition a fragment of his Aura into a weapon of his or her choice, creating a living bond between the two. For Ty, the practice made absolute sense; his weapons became a literal extension of himself and halved the time it took to master them. Oplomancy and Aura Surge went hand in hand. The more familiar he was with his weapons, the more Aura Surge benefited him, tilting the odds further in his favor the better he did in a fight. It was almost like poetry. He still had to be careful, even at a fraction of its strength Ty's Semblance could do a lot of damage to both Yang and himself if he got careless.
Ty relaxed his shoulders and leaned forward slightly, just enough to curl the balls of his feet firmly against the ground and pooled his Aura at the points of contact. Let's see how six weeks of prep pays off.
"Begin." Goodwitch declared, again bringing her crop with a swift chop, and Ty stepped forward.
Whew! FINALLY. SOME PROGRESS.
God damn.
Y'know I've probably written and rewritten that opening scene coming through the locker rooms, I don't know, at least three times a month for the past two years? What the fuck is wrong with me?
Ugh. Anyway. I've got a Twitter now that I post on occasionally. Come follow me saulderon and we'll talk nerd stuff, I'll post updates so you folks know I'm not fell over dead. Or whatever.
