A/N So this chapter was a little more difficult to write. A lot of original characters were designed and that took more time and effort than I had anticipated. Never-the-less, here we are, I hope you enjoy!
…Perverts and Duels!
The arena hall was like Alex's second home. Since students spent most of their day in classes, the arena was relatively free, except for the odd time when Goodwitch would host duels pitting students against one another to gauge their abilities and progression. As it stood the arena was mostly free during the weekdays. Alex would train alone during the morning classes, train with Jaune during lunch, and then alone again during the evening classes. Alex didn't have much in the way of hobbies, and training was paramount to his profession. The look on Razlov's face should he return with dulled abilities caused the hunter to shudder.
His second home was packed to the walls with students eager to see the afternoon's fight. The large circular arena was crowded as hundreds of students eagerly discussed the approaching duel. From the few snippets of chatter Alex could discern as he made his way to a free seat, Nathaniel was the clear favourite to win, another second year that was steadily climbing the ranks of Beacon. With Jaune's reputation of being one of the worst hunters of the year, Alex couldn't exactly blame them for their comments. As he took a seat half way down the rows however, he grinned knowingly.
"I can't wait to see your reactions in a few minutes." His excitement radiated through his body, and he had to stop himself from shuddering with anticipation. "I'm so excited and I'm not even the one about to duel!" he exclaimed to his partner.
"Even I can't help but be a little giddy; our boy is all grown up."
A quick scan told Alex that Yang and the others hadn't arrived yet, he impatiently checked his scroll. Only fifteen minutes until the duel began.
"Where are they?"
"If you're that lonely why not see if SHE is here?" Arras suggested.
Alex picked up at his comment, given Alex's unofficial mission to seek out new recruits for Foresight he found himself watching more duels than the average hunter, however there was always one other person silently watching as well. He first noticed the girl, when he caught her doodling in her scroll rather than watching the fight. Since then he had been noticing her more and more. The one thing that struck him odd was that she always sat alone, not that he could say anything, he was no different, but where he knew his reasoning, he was curious about hers.
"I've pinged her, on your left, three rows back."
Sure enough as Alex turned he spotted her, sat alone, three rows back.
"Well, let's find out what she's up to." Slapping his knees he pushed himself to his feet and made his way to her. She was a small girl with a tiny frame; his first thoughts were that she didn't seem very intimidating; however he knew that hunters and huntresses took very different forms. Ability is what matters, not appearance. Her medium length brown hair grazed her shoulders, with it kept neatly in a ponytail at the back, tied in a red ribbon. Her fringe was kept out of her eyes by a bright green hairclip above her left eye. She gently tugged at the skirt of her uniform before resuming her sketch on her scroll.
"Hey there, mind if I sit here?" he called out as he approached. With a calm look and delicate movements, the young girl closed her scroll and gently set it on her lap.
"I do not mind at all." Her voice sounded elegant and sweet, she lightly gestured to the seat next to her, which Alex promptly took.
'Wow, this girl is polite, think she's upper class like Weiss?' he quickly asked his partner.
"Urgh, another stuck up rich kid is not what I was hoping for, you deal with her, I'm going to sleep." And with an annoyed response, Arras went quiet.
"I've seen you here a few times sitting alone and drawing in your scroll, I have to say, you made me curious." he admitted, flashing the girl a smile.
The huntress tilted her head in confusion, "Drawing? Oh no I was not drawing in my scroll but merely reading."
"Reading? My bad, I figured from the way you were always tapping your scroll with the stylus that you were drawing."
"Oh that? I was simply highlighting the important parts, should I ever feel the need to read it again." The girl spoke in a sweet voice, smiling back at the hunter.
"Sounds…confusing. What is it exactly you're reading?" he asked, moving the conversation along.
"An erotic novel."
If Alex had taken a swig of a drink, this is where he'd spit it out in astonishment.
"An erotic novel!" his surprised yell caused a few hunters to look his way. "You read those in public!" his voice a harsh whisper now.
Almost shocked at her own admission the girl quickly covered her mouth with a free hand. "Oh my, I'm so sorry, Professor Ozpin told me not to speak of my hobbies, and he told me others would not take it so kindly. I do again apologise." To almost affirm her words, the girl slightly bowed her head. The gentle movement caused her hair to fall forward and Alex quickly noticed a small set of brown mouse ears tucked away underneath.
"A Faunus…a dirty, erotic novel reading Faunus, ASK HER WHAT SHE WAS HIGHLIGHTING?!" Arras was far too excited.
'Hey! I thought you said you were going silent?' Alex reprimanded.
"Right, like I'm gonna keep silent about this, now are you gonna ask her or not?"
'Of course not, you pervert!'
"I bet it's all the dirty sex scenes that get her going, you know what I mean?"
Choosing the safer option of ignoring Arras, Alex gently shook his head. "No need for apologies, you just took me by surprise is all." He kindly admitted.
"Then…you don't find my hobby repulsive?" she asked curiously, a small tinge in her voice sounded hopeful. Once again the hunter shook his head.
"Trust me, at Foresight; there are a lot of…colourful characters, a girl who a favours erotic novels is hardly going to repulse me." He confessed, flashing the girl a smile.
She watched him curiously for a few moments, "Then, would you care to read it?" she asked calmly
"You show it to people!" he exclaimed, his outburst garnered another round of disapproving stares, to which Alex quickly shrunk down in embarrassment.
"Only to those who don't mind, most people refuse and then never speak to me again, but you said you didn't mind so…" taking a hold of her scroll she held it out to him, "Would you care for a read?" she asked the question so nonchalantly that Alex's head began to spin.
"Take it! Find out what kind of freaky stuff this girl is into! Is it that vanilla crap, or is it two girls and a dude? *Gasp* or is it two dudes and one girl!" Alex began to rub his temples at Arras's ramblings.
"If you are wondering what genre of novel it is, it's a romance story about two people who fall madly in love, however their love is forbidden and they fight against the world for what they truly want. It is such a sweet and passionate story, that I cannot put down. The two men in it are invigorating." The small girl was now blushing heavily and squirmed in her seat as she no doubt remembered certain scenes.
However, upon hearing of the two male lovers Alex gave a cheeky smile, 'Hey Arras, you still wanna read that story?' he asked knowingly.
"Nah man, I'm…good" The excitement now clearly gone from his voice.
"I'm not really that interested, thanks for the offer though…err." Alex trailed off as he suddenly remembered he had no idea what this girls name was.
"Bell, my name is Bell Rizumi." She gave another slight bow at her greeting.
"Alexander Cross, pleasure, though I suppose if you watch enough duels you probably saw me go up against Yang." After all it was the most talked about thing for a good week after.
"I apologise, but I did not witness your duel." She admitted outright.
"You didn't? But why…" Alex froze mid-sentence as every memory of him seeing her came rushing back. Every duel he spotted her, both combatants, were male.
'You have got to be kidding me, just how far does this girls fetish run?' he mused to himself.
"Ask her why she loves dudes so much. Is it the penis, it's got to be the penis, it's the penis."
Alex once again began rubbing his temple, "Dear god, I've got a pervert in front of me and a pervert in here."
"You have similar thoughts to me?" the small girl quickly asked, her eyes glistening.
"What? No, I wasn't…that's not what I meant." At Alex's firm denial, Bell shrank back into her seat.
"Oh…for a moment I thought we could be friends." The girl's sweet angelic voice was gone, only a dejected tone remained.
"No, that's not what I meant at all!" feeling a little overwhelmed, Alex took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "What I want to say is that I'll gladly be your friend." He confessed in a much calmer voice.
"In that case would you-" a small claxon signalled the imminent start to the duel.
"Damn it, where are they?!" complained Alex through gritted teeth.
"You are expecting company?" asked the young Faunus.
"Just some friends, they're supposed to be here by now." Alex couldn't hide his displeasure. Bell thought for a moment to herself.
"But you are with a friend are you not?" she pointed out, giving him a sweet smile. The smile was infectious and Alex returned it with his own.
"You're right, I'm with a friend and that's all that matters." His displeasure gone, Alex settled back into his seat, much to Bell's delight.
"There you are!" came an Angry bark, Alex turned to see Yang and the rest of team RWBY quickly take up seats next to him. Yang on his right, followed by Blake, Ruby and then Weiss. "Looks like we got here just in time." She added settling into her seat.
"Oh, so your friends are…all girls." Bell quietly muttered in a disapproving tone.
"Oh that pause can't be good." Arras quietly commented.
"You're here and that's all that matters." Alex was about to introduce the girls to Bell who was sat on his left, however Goodwitch's voice boomed through the arena silencing everyone.
Break One
"Good afternoon everyone, the duel between Nathaniel Sasaki and Jaune Arc is about to commence." The heavily packed arena hall was practically electrified with suspense.
"There are so many people here, is Nathaniel really that popular?" he asked turning to Yang.
"Well, I may have let slip that you were training Jaune." She confessed with a mischievous smile. Alex merely shook his head. Meanwhile Bell glared at Yang disapprovingly, not that the huntress noticed.
Goodwitch tapped her scroll and a large blue field slowly encompassed the combat field, the barrier which turned invisible once set was supposed to protect the audience from any stray bullets or explosions.
"Shame the barrier doesn't cover the arena wall, could have saved you from some embarrassment against Yang."
"Hello all!" bellowed a familiar orange haired girl.
"Nora! You guys made it." Ruby cheered, spotting the rest of team JNPR. Once the greetings were done, the team made for the seats in the row in front of them; however, before Pyrrah took her seat she turned to look at Alex.
"I look forward to seeing how Jaune will perform." Alex could feel a certain tension in her voice.
"Trust me, you won't be disappointed." He affirmed. With that she took her seat.
Once the stage was set a young man strode proud onto the arena hall, immediately the tension snapped as students bellowed out in a chorus of joy. Screams, whistles and shouts of encouragement rang out. Students jumped to their feet as the hall was deafened. Amidst the chaos team JNPR, RWBY, Alex and Bell sat silently, and all along, Alex was smiling.
Once the excitement died down and students returned to their seats Alex was now able to get a good look at Nathaniel. His face was hard set with stone like features, a constant look of disapproval etched onto his face; he had long shoulder length brown hair which he tied at the back into a ponytail. His body was tall and slender; his height was hard to judge from Alex's position, though he pegged him at over six foot tall. He wore a loose black jacket, which seemed several sizes too big for him; the front unbuttoned exposing his bare, chiselled chest. There was a satisfied gurgle from Alex's left; Bell was very much enjoying the show. He wore baggy black trousers, with what appeared to be a pair of sandals on his feet.
"Didn't anyone tell this guy that they make clothes to fit, just looking at him pisses me off!"
'Most likely it's for ease of movement, but you're right, there's baggy like my trousers and then there's just ridiculous' he couldn't help but mock the man.
Next the familiar looking Jaune Arc strode out, in his usual dark blue hoodie and light blue denim jeans. A few pieces of white metal armour covered his chest, back and biceps. The reaction was far more subdued, but there were still a few cheers and some clapping but nothing near Nathaniel's level. However, what Jaune's entrance lacked in numbers, team RWBY and JNPR more than made up for in noise.
"You got this Jaune!" Ruby screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Smash that dress wearing freak into the ground!" Yang bellowed, rising from her seat.
"Do your best!" Pyrrah cheered, cupping her hands around her mouth.
"Kill him!" Nora added much to the shock of a few students.
With a boyish grin and a gentle wave, Jaune waved to them all. His eyes rested on Alex, who merely nodded to him, Jaune nodded back before turning to face his opponent.
"Quite the boisterous friends you have there, shame they have come to watch another of your pitiful defeats." Nathaniel's voice was gruff with distaste; not even bothering to look at Jaune.
"Oh, are we going to fight? I was waiting for you to put a shirt on, or do you really plan on losing whilst wearing that?" Jaune's voice was light and playful; his mockery caught his opponent off guard, who snapped his head forward with a malicious glare.
"How dare you speak to a member of the Sasaki family like that, my family are known as renowned hunters and-"
"Cross dressing men?" Jaune finished the man's sentence for him. His opponent's anger bubbled within him, distorting his hard features into malice. "Sorry," the knight quickly apologised, "My new trainer is a bit harsh with his verbal beat downs, I've learned to keep up." Jaune's admission drew everyone's attention to Alex, who quickly looked at the accusing stares.
"What? My trainer did the same thing to me!" he adamantly confessed.
With all eyes back on the duel, Goodwitch stood between the two men. "You know the rules by now, the first to place their opponents Aura into the red will be declared the viktor. You have fifteen minutes. Any questions?" A moment of pause as the professor eyed the two combatants before gently pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Good." With an almost militaristic spin on her heel, Goodwitch walked to the side of the arena, opened up her scroll and yelled,
"Begin!"
Nathaniel charged forward with deceptive speed, till he was in striking distance. With powerful, quick swings, the raven haired man lashed out with his katana, the folded steel blade, almost as long as Nathaniel was tall slashed at Jaune's shield, sparks flew as metal bit into metal. Jaune disengaged putting a few paces between him and his opponent.
Nathaniel's weapon outmatched Jaune's in length, putting the knight at a severe disadvantage. However fighting an opponent with superior reach was something Jaune was used to, having fought Alex who wielded a duel blade staff. Eyeing his opponent with his deep blue eyes, Jaune raised his shield, and locked himself into a defensive stance. Nathaniel took the bait and lashed forward again, his anger at being ridiculed by an opponent considered his weaker, drove him into frenzy. With almost monster like slashes, Nathaniel cut at the shield with no mercy. Rings of metal on metal rang through the arena; Jaune began to feel the force as each attack sent shivers of pain through his shield arm. Pivoting his body, he angled his shield to deflect the blows away from him rather than take the impact head on, allowing him to mitigate the impact as to lessen the strain on his arm and Aura. Each blow Jaune deflected was slowly knocking Nathaniel off balance, until Jaune ducked under a wide slash at his left side, off balance and still carried by the momentum of his swing, Nathaniel was now exposed. The knight stepped forward, closing the distance. Slamming his shield into the samurai's right shoulder, he spun his body clockwise bringing his blade square into the back of Nathaniel's head, his Aura sparked defending him from an otherwise lethal strike. He was sent stumbling.
Shaking his head to clear the disorientation, he glared in twisted anger at his opponent only to blink in surprise as Jaune's shield flew through the air, connecting with his over exposed chest. Jaune bolted forward, leapt through the air catching his shield on the rebound before spinning to deliver a flying kick to his opponents head. This time Nathaniel was sent sprawling across the arena floor.
The crowd burst into a mixture of cheers and gasps of surprise. Pyrrah turned to Alex, and noticed a large smile on the young man's face.
"A clever trick throwing your shield!" Spat Nathaniel, as he rose to his feet.
"If it caught a Foresight member off guard I figured it would work on you too." Jaune added with a smile.
"Do not take me so lightly, boy!"
Nathaniel slowly sheathed his katana, a smile slowly painting his lips. With an elegant flourish the samurai brandished his blade and set it into the ground. The arena shook as a fissure carved its way through the arena floor towards the startled knight. Jaune rolled to his left, reacting on instinct alone. Re-sheathing his blade, Nathaniel slashed horizontally at his opponent; an arc of fire flew at the knight's head. Jaune ducked the assault, only to notice that Nathaniel had sent a column of ice his way, with only a single slash. Jaune was about to combat roll to the side, however a wall of earth erupted around him, sealing him in.
"He's got him in a box!" Nora bellowed in anger more than worry.
Boxed in by walls of earth on his sides and behind him, with an arc of fire at his head and ice coming straight on Jaune took the less of the two evils. Ducking low to avoid the fire, the knight readied his shield. With a roar, the fire connected with the walls, detonating them in a beautiful explosion around the young leader. At the same time the ice column connected, sealing his lower half, shield and all.
Nathaniel eyed his half-finished sculpture with twisted glee, "I underestimated you, and I'll admit that, however, the result of this battle is still the same!" With a roar of finality, the samurai charged forward. The suspense built as the crowd awaited the final blow.
Jaune raised his sword high, spun it in hand to face downwards and plunged it into his ice prison. As Nathaniel reached striking distance, the ice exploded in a mixture of shards and mist, covering the two opponents from the viewers expecting eyes. As the crowd erupted in whispers and chatter, the sound of battle could be heard from within the mist cloud. A gasp of surprise rang out as the familiar, loosely dressed man was sent across the arena floor scrambling to his feet, and quickly wiping his face to clear the cold vapour of the ice, temporarily blinding him.
As the mist cleared, Jaune could be seen, standing with shield in one hand and his trusty sword, coated in orange fire, in the other.
"When did he get THAT?" Ruby exclaimed, almost jumping out of her seat in excitement.
"When you went into town with him last month, you wouldn't tell us what you three did." Blake answered glancing at both Weiss and Alex. Weiss didn't respond, instead choosing to avoid eye contact, whilst Alex tapped his nose.
Sheathing his samurai blade once more Nathaniel stood straight and tall, now facing Jaune and maintaining eye contact. "It seems that once again I have underestimated you."
"You could say it's a nasty habit you have there." Mocked the knight. With only a slight twitch of annoyance in his left eye Nathaniel continued.
"So it would seem, never-the-less I must learn from my mistakes. I'm disgusted at myself that I must go all out against the likes of you, but, if it is the price I must pay to ensure victory, then so be it." Nathaniel shuddered slightly, his breathing became rapid and he swayed slightly. Colour drained from his face and visible beads of sweat began to litter his pale flesh. Jaune blinked in confusion, his guard relaxing slightly.
"Hey man, are you okay?" Jaune asked with genuine concern. Nathaniel merely shook his head, though even that motion seemed too much effort for the samurai.
"If you are so concerned…why not come take a closer look…" he gasped between strained breaths.
"Nah, I think I'm good right here." Jaune affirmed, tensing his body as he raised his guard.
Murmurs of worry began to ripple through the students.
"Is he okay, he looks like he's about to collapse." Alex voiced his concern, though from a quick inspection, everyone looked just as puzzled as him.
"Could it be some form of Semblance?" Blake added, only causing everyone to look more confused.
"A Semblance that causes exhaustion?" added Ruby.
"I never got to see Nathaniel's Semblance for myself." Spoke Yang thinking back to her duel with the Samurai.
"I've witnessed many of his duels but not once did he ever showcase his Semblance, so it may be possible." This time Pyrrah spoke up.
"If so, there must be an end game." Ren pointed out in his gentle tone.
Minutes ticked by as Jaune and the rest of the students watched the ill-looking hunter with anticipation.
There was a subtle change, almost unnoticeable, and Alex would have missed it if he had not been scrutinising Nathaniel with his trained vision.
"He's becoming strong again." Spoke Alex, rousing the group to their senses. Sure enough, Nathaniel's colour began to return to his skin, his balance steadied, and his beleaguered breaths return to normal. "I wonder what that was all about?" he added in confusion.
"Wait! Look at Jaune!" yelled Ruby.
Jaune never wavered from his spot. Rooted to the ground he fixed the samurai with his glare. The ill-looking hunter looked ready to collapse. That, and with Jaune's defensive capabilities, the young knight saw no reason to advance, rather, he would wait out his opponent. After a few minutes however, something changed. Jaune felt his breathing getting strained; each breath a trial, his shield and Dust Blade began to feel heavier, keeping them upright began to feel impossible. Meanwhile he watched in horror as Nathaniel grew healthier, with each second he grew weaker his opponent seemed to recover. With a loud clang his shield and blade slipped from his grasp, his strength abandoning him in an instant. Confusion and horror began to grip Jaune's heart. What's happening to me? His clothing felt like lead weights, even the small pieces of armour that adored his body seemed too much. Grasping at the straps he ripped the armour loose, tossing it aside, but it did nothin to help. Eventually the young man collapsed onto his hands and knees, as he struggled to keep himself from collapsing completely.
"It's a horrendous feeling is it not?" Nathaniel queried as he flicked some loose threads of hair from his face, looking stronger than ever. He fixed the knight with a malicious glare. "Behold my Semblance and crush under the weight of Gaia's Burden." Ripples of chatter spread through the crowd yet again. "A unique Semblance if there ever was one, once I trigger it all my strength and Aura leave my body, instead becoming like an invisible gas that permeates around me. It leeches into the bodies of any that get too close, sapping their strength and returning it to me. I knew you'd wait like a good dog, and give my Semblance time to undo you from within." The man's voice dripped with condescension.
Alex slammed his fist on his armrest, "That little punk, he used Jaune's own tactic against him!"
"He knew Jaune was the defensive type, he knew he'd wait for him to strike first." Blake calmly stated, Alex glanced at her; her tone gave him the impression that she thought the duel was already decided.
"Still a Semblance like that has great boons as well as terrible drawbacks." Weiss began to inform them, "If he's attacked whilst he's weak I doubt there would be much he could do to defend himself, still, if he was surrounded by multiple opponents, given some time he could neutralise all of them at once." Weiss almost sounded impressed.
"Sounds like he'd make a great Hanta-Kira." Added Arras.
Nathaniel looked down on his opponent with a look of triumph and pity. The knight desperately tried to keep himself on all fours. Jaune, his strength all but sapped, surprised Nathaniel yet again. He raised his head and smiled. "Ahh…this isn't so bad…feels the same…after I train with Alex...Ha-ha." The man's laugh was pitiful, yet it burned the look off of the samurai's face. With a blink of surprise, his face contorted with anger, before switching back to one of confidence.
"I wonder what's it's like to lose again and again, to be such a pitiful hunter that your own friends have to carry you. All of your failings and shortcomings, shouldered by those close to you. It seems you plan on dragging them down with you, too pathetic to support yourself. The burden you place on your friends is greater than that of my own Semblance." The arena fell silent; Nathaniel's words lingered in the air. The hunter went to speak again.
"Shut up!" before he spoke a word the knight cut him off with a shout that surprised everyone. "I am not a burden; I refuse to be a burden!" His head hung low, his blonde bangs shielding his features. "You want to know what it's like to be a loser of a hunter!? I despise it, I despise being weak, of being dead weight to a team who'd be far better off without me! All I wanted was to prove everyone wrong, to show them that I can do this, but they look at me, look at me with those eyes of pity! Pyrrah tried so hard to train me, yet every time I failed I could see it in her eyes, even though she tried so hard to hide it, I could see the pity!"
Pyrrah's hands cupped her mouth. "No Jaune," she whispered, "That's not true…"
"During my first year I was bullied, unable to stand up for myself, preyed on because I was weak, pathetic! When I went to get my dust blade Weiss didn't think I could master it, she thought I was useless, just stupid old Jaune, trying things he couldn't possibly comprehend!"
The heiress closed her eyes, biting her lip.
Arras watched through Alex's eyes, his senses tingled. To Arras he could almost see every Aura in the arena, each pulsed and shimmered with its own unique style. Yet right now Arras was blinded. In the centre arena an Aura so bright dwarfed the rest.
"What is Jaune doing?" asked Alex, bewildered at the sudden outburst.
'His Aura is beginning to peak, it must be burning at his senses, the pain, coupled with disappointment, regret and anger...'
"He's breaking down?" Alex asked, confused.
'No, he's burning up; our little Jaune isn't out of the fight just yet.'
Nathaniel stared bewildered at Jaune, he remembered back at his family estate, when he was only thirteen years old, when his Semblance first manifested itself in him. His instructors were left paralyzed on the ground, unable to move let alone yell and rant. 'This has gone on long enough, time to end this'
Raising his blade, he lashed forward with grace and speed. Thrusting his weapon directly at Jaune's head. The crowd snapped silent as Nathaniel's blade smashed against a gold light.
"He triggered it!" yelled Alex in disbelief. A pulsing hexagonal shield, no bigger than a person flashed a gold hue as it deflected the samurai's blade. Nathaniel stumbled back, unsure of what was happening. Jaune still struggled on all fours, yet it was clear that this shield must have been his doing. Quickly overcoming the moment of surprise, Nathaniel lashed around Jaune's right, thrusting the blade for his ribs. Yet again a second shield sparked to life in an instant absorbing the blow and sending the hunter reeling. Again and again Nathaniel struck for his opponent only to be blocked by more and more golden shields until Jaune himself was surrounded by them.
Feeling exhaustion overcoming him, the samurai retreated a few paces to catch his breath. "So what is this, your Semblance? Do you plan on hiding behind your shields like a coward!?" the hunter bellowed, anger overcoming his features, furious that his victory had been snatched away. "Or are you just going to wait out the timer settling for a draw, pathetic, you won't even attempt to take a victory, you're not even a real hunter! Why don't you just do everyone here a favour and quit!" Nathaniel voice boomed through the silent arena, everyone watched in a mixture of shock and anticipation.
Pyrrah turned to Alex, "Is what he saying true, has Jaune mastered his Semblance?" she asked, though sounding sceptical.
Alex sighed and folded his arms across his chest, "Over a week ago, Jaune and I were in the same position. We were training one day, I was about to best him when a similar gold shield blocked my attack. However, when Jaune tried to call up the shield himself he couldn't do it. He told me it was a spur of the moment feeling, that he wished not to lose, and suddenly the shield appeared to protect him." He explained. Everyone around him listened intently.
"What do you mean he can't call it up at will?" asked Blake curiously.
Alex responded with a shrug, "Jaune isn't a normal hunter; his semblance isn't like yours or mine. Though whilst his is very powerful, it's also very taxing on not just his Aura, but also his body. I'm worried he's pushing himself too hard, whatever he's planning down there; he needs to do it quick. I'm not looking forward to what'll happen if he burns up."
A loud grunt drew everyone's attention back to the fight, "Give up huh?" answered Jaune through strained breathes, "Yeah, I've definitely thought about doing that once or twice." He admitted, "But, too many people have tried too hard to see me quit. Even though they doubted me, they still tried to make me a better hunter. Pyrrah taught me the basics of being a hunter; Ruby showed me how to be a good leader. Ren and Nora were always there for me. Yang once told me she trusted me and Blake said that even though I wasn't strong like everyone else, that she admired my courage for trying. Weiss doubted me from mastering my Dust Blade but she still gave me the chance. And Alex, he pushed me harder than anyone ever has. So that's why," Jaune began to struggle, "Why!" he began to push himself onto his feet, "Why I won't let them down!" he bellowed standing tall.
"Ho-how is this possible, you should be a mess on the ground? How are you standing?!" Nathaniel stammered, unable to believe what he was witnessing.
"I'm only standing thanks to my friends; each and every one of them helped me get here. So I won't disappoint them. I'll show them, show you, that I'm Jaune Arc, and I AM a real hunter." Jaune raised a clenched fist, pointing it at Nathaniel, who took a step back. The golden shields began to pulse and move, floating in the air they hovered in front of Jaune. "Alex told me yesterday that he learned something valuable, he learned that a real hunter never stops pushing themselves. That a hunter that settles isn't a real hunter at all. That we should strive to become better, and once we've reached our limit, we should push even further. So you're right Nathaniel, I won't hide behind my shields like a coward." The golden shields began to tilt, till they pointed their razor sharp edges at the samurai, and one by one, they began to spin rapidly.
"Wait what are you doing!?" bellowed his opponent, terrified as he stared down over a dozen make shift saw blades.
"I'm proving a point!" he bellowed back.
"Wait, he's not going to-?!" Alex yelled, jumping to his feet.
"Hey, you're blocking my view!" yelled a nameless student, behind Alex.
"All shields, successive fire!" With a final yell Jaune opened his clenched fist. The shields burst forth, with a ripple that sounded like a machine gun. The first three projectiles slammed into the ground where the samurai was standing a split second ago, the hunter's reflexes saving him from being pummelled. As Nathaniel leapt away, two more fired in his direction, with perfect timing, he slashed at the two projectiles, sending them veering off course before detonating brilliantly against the arena barrier, causing the students behind it to yelp in surprise.
Before the samurai had time to react, another two struck from above, leaping away, the two shields crashed into the ground with such force that the whole arena shook.
"This is mad! What kind of Semblance is this!" barked Nathaniel, fear clutching at his heart. His eyes widened in fear, as several golden shields surrounded him.
"Imprison!" yelled Jaune; the shields slammed together forming a large bubble around the samurai, sealing him in. Panicked and afraid, the hunter began to lash out at his prison. His katana cut against the golden, paper-thin walls to no avail.
Jaune lunged forward, creating a sliver of a gap in the prison wall, he plunged his blade through it. Nathaniel backed against the far wall, just out of reach of the blades tip.
"Ha-hahaha, seems you can't quite get me." Stammered the hunter with a nervous disposition, before watching Jaune carefully place his finger on a trigger on his swords handle. "No, wait, what do you think you are doing!?" he screamed.
"As you said, Nathe, a real hunter always goes for the victory." With a simple press of his finger, the Dust blade ignited in brilliant orange fire, which immediately consumed the inside of the prison. Nathaniel's screams rang out as his Aura depleted in seconds, protecting him from the raging inferno. The claxon blared overhead, and Jaune immediately retracted the blade, extinguishing its flames, before dissipating the shields. Black smoke billowed out, until everyone watched Nathaniel slump to his knees, before falling over, unconscious.
There were a few moments of stunned silence, Goodwitch snapped to her senses, she too was so enraptured what she witnessed, she momentarily forgot to announce the victor.
"Well after that startling performance from both hunters, it would appear that Jaune Arc has seized victory over a far more experienced opponent, thanks to hard work and dedication." Like a snapping rubber band, the crowd erupted into cheers and screams of delight.
"Would you look at that?" Spoke Yang, "Seems we all underestimated Alex's training." She added jokingly.
"For a minute there I forgot that was Jaune fighting, he seems so much more…capable." Added Weiss.
"What are we waiting for lets go congratulate him!" bellowed their young leader. Everyone including Alex and Bell followed them down to the arena rooms to meet the winner.
"Are you not coming Pyrrah?" Asked Nora, turning to her friend. Ren stopped as well, whilst everyone else went on ahead. Pyrrah still remained seated.
"You heard Weiss, she didn't even recognise Jaune. He's changing." She added, her tone held sadness.
"But that's a good thing right?" cheered Nora in her usual chipper voice, "A strong Jaune is a good Jaune!"
"Is that what we really want?" she asked, turning to her friends. Both of their faces fell grave when they noticed the wetness in Pyrrah's eyes.
"What is wrong Pyrrah?" asked Ren in his usual calm tone.
"What we witnessed wasn't Jaune, he would never imprison someone, and then…then burn them into submission. No, that is something only a heartless hunter would do!" she spat, her sadness turning to anger.
"Pyrrah, do you think there is something wrong with Jaune?" Nora's voice was quiet and uneasy.
"I think that he's becoming too much like him! He's becoming too much like Alex, and I won't let that happen!"
Break Two
The Eternity Forest, Remnants largest woodland, teemed with life and Grimm. Its usual thick moisture stuck in the air, wrapping itself around everything. The air was thick and humid, and a burning sun bathed the forest in swathes of light. The trees acting like a natural sunblock for the creatures that lurked on its wet soil.
"Now isn't this place something special?" boomed a jolly voice, a large round man gave a chortle at his own words, listening to his laughter echo through the trees. He wore plain black suit trousers with a white button up shirt, the top few buttons were left undone exposing the top half of his hairy chest as well as having his sleeves rolled up. He ran his fingers through his grey, well kempt hair.
"Oh yeah it sure is!" complained another man behind him, as he swatted his neck, killing his umpteenth mosquito. Fixing his bowler hat, he gently brushed his bright orange hair over his right eye.
"Come now Torchwick," boomed the larger man turning to face his companion. "A little expedition is good for you every once in a while."
Torchwick straightened his jacket, "We wouldn't even be here if you're little monsters did their job like you said they would!"
The rotund man's jolly stature vanished in an instant, "If I recall it was you who came grovelling to me needing help to take care of a few measly students. I wonder what Cinder see's in such a useless lieutenant?" His voice was firm and left no room for argument.
"Albec, sir!" Two men in onyx black suits approached the large man, "We have retrieved an ocular device." Explained the henchman holding out what appeared to be a metallic ball.
"Ocular device? Is this why we're here?" Asked Torchwick, curious to get a better look at the small contraption. The larger man took a hold of the device before holding it up to the sunlight.
"This marvellous piece of technology was gifted to me from the Harpy." He spoke, as he observed the device.
"The Harpy? You mean the Harpy of Mistral, another Lord." Torchwick asked.
"What is the matter Torchwick, you seem confused?" Albec asked, turning to face the man with a knowing grin.
"I was under the impression Lords weren't supposed to be all chummy with one another?" he pointed out.
"And why is that, aiding a Lord means they owe you, and the debt of a Lord is a powerful thing to hold." Albec spoke as a matter of fact.
"You're talking about Cinder aren't you, you think helping me means she owes you?"
"Not at all, you owe me; I don't need anything from that stuck up little bitch!" Albec spat, refusing to even speak Cinders name. Torchwick twitched a little, hearing his Lord being mocked in front of him, but choose to stay his tongue.
"Now as I was saying, I had these ocular devices installed in my beauties," Torchwick flinched hearing the man call Grimm 'beauties' "It records everything they see, it should tell us how they were defeated."
"Especially after you boldly claimed they were invincible." Torchwick mocked with a shrug. Albec whirled on the young man.
"My creations were the pinnacle of artificial Grimm! Primary, Secondary and tertiary organs were implanted, with cellular regeneration so advanced it practically negated death!" the man spat, his eyes bulging whilst his jowls shook. Torchwick looked away, unamused. Taking a step back and a deep breath he ran his finger through his thinning silver hair. "Show me what's on the device!" he barked at his henchmen. The second man removed a small laptop from a bag before holding it open for Albec and Torchwick to see. The first henchman placed the ocular device into a small opening on the laptop, after a few soft murmurs the screen flickered to life. The two men peered curiously at the screen, footage of the monster viewpoint, running through the dense forest, occasionally stopping to scan its surroundings before bounding off again at full speed.
"Fast Forward." Ordered Albec. The suited man pushed a button for a few seconds.
"Wait!" barked Torchwick; the man immediately released the button. The footage was now of a golden dome, the creatures view was pacing back and forth, its gaze fixated on a blonde girl inside.
"What am I looking at Torchwick?"
"That's Yang Xiao Long, one of the students I need disposed of." He answered staring intently at the screen. Noticing her ripped clothing Albec gave a short chortle.
"Looks like my pets are taking care of her just fine." He added with pride. The men watched as the golden dome burst and the creatures lash forward, they both blinked in surprise as an explosion sent the creatures flying. After a few moments the monsters were back on their feet; however a young man clad in green stood before them.
"And who is this, another student?" asked Albec. Torchwick's eyes widened in surprise.
"The demon?" he quietly muttered.
The two men quietly watched as the green hunter fought ferociously against the two monsters, both took glee in watching the creature sink its teeth into the young man's shoulder blade, and both sighed in anger when Yang saved the man from certain death. Now the two men watched as the monster fought against the golden haired huntress, and were now watching its blurry vision as it was swung about like a rag doll.
"Mighty fine job your 'beauty' is doing." Mocked Torchwick. Albec's face merely scrunched in anger.
"Yang! Restrain it!" yelled the young man's voice. The men now watched as the two hunters pinned the monster, the girl held its jaws open and both stood over it, glaring into its eyes. For the first time Albec got a good look at the two hunters. The young man's arm set alight with green fire, "You want something to eat? Eat this!" the man's arm vanished into the creature mouth. The creatures dying screams echoed from the laptop as Albec watched his precious creation devoured in green flames, whilst the two hunters glared into its eyes. And with sudden finality, the screen went black.
"Fascinating…absolutely fascinating!" Bellowed the jovial man.
"Fascinating? He killed your experiments." Torchwick pointed out, confused why the man was in such high spirits.
"Don't you understand, every experiment is never a failure. Today I have learned something valuable, that young man possesses the key to the next stage of my creations! You called him Demon, why?"
"He's been a nightmare to our operations. Killing men, raiding our products, he's placed my men in a state of fear and panic." Torchwick turned to the darkened screen of the laptop, "Though, his eyes were silver." He muttered quietly.
"Were you not expecting him to be there?"
"Actually I was hoping he would be, I've seen him with blondie before, if luck was on my side he would have joined them on their mission and be Grimm food like the rest of them." Torchwick shrugged, "Shame luck wasn't kind to me, looks like he's still alive and he killed your pets. It seems I'll have to find another way for him to go on a permanent vacation." He finally explained.
"Then capture him and bring him to me alive." Albec ordered turning and walking away.
"Sorry there, but I don't do 'alive' besides when did I start taking orders from you?"
Albec stopped in his tracks before slowly turning to face the cocky man. "I have been tasked by the Patriarch himself with discovering how the Grimm evolution process works. Through years of study and technological breakthroughs, we have learnt how to capture Grimm, how to prevent their bodies from dissipating into mist after death. We have unlocked the very foundations of their DNA and can now play God with their genetic structure. The best minds on Remnant, and a monetary expense that could buy out entire nations has been spent on making this dream, my dream, the Patriarch's vision come to bear fruit. And a snot nosed little shit in a bowler hat is going to defy me, defy our masters will!" Albec's voice rose with each word till he was screaming in Torchwick's face, spittle flying; his eyes bulged from his rotund head. "Restrain him!"
Without second thoughts, two henchmen gripped the man's arms, delivering swift kicks to the back of both of his legs, dropping him to his knees.
"Hey! Watch the suit!" barked Torchwick as he found himself subdued, he tried to wriggle free but the men held his arms like a vice.
"I think I've tolerated your insolent tongue long enough, if Cinder won't teach her lieutenants how to respect those above them, then it seems the job falls to me." A third henchman approached the Lord, snapping open a small briefcase. Albec reached inside, removing a small syringe gun, it's menacingly thin needle glistened in the sunlight. A thick black liquid swirled inside the syringe. "Harpy wasn't the only Lord to gift me something for my aid. This curious fluid is capable of so much, or, so I'm told. Now, I'm not much of a fan of mixing human DNA with Grimm essence, but it is one of our Master's will, so I'll let it go. Besides, Piper has made some extraordinary advances in his field."
Torchwick began to struggle beneath the men's grasp, suddenly getting a good idea of exactly what that fluid was.
"Apparently injecting this serum directly into a human's veins is all it takes to begin the process, does that not sound incredibly efficient." Albec now stood over the poor man, his bulging eyes glaring at him. "Of course I'm told the results are rather hit and miss. If you are fortunate, the Grimm essence will merge perfectly with your body, and you will become stronger, faster, you might even transform, unlocking some unique Grimm ability of your own. That said, if you are unfortunate, your body will be consumed with pain, every fiber of your being will beg for release, your howls will be heard throughout this entire forest, as you tear and claw at your own flesh. Blood will pour from your eyes and out your ears, as you rip your own body apart driven mad by pain. A most excruciating death. Now tell me…" One of the henchmen tossed the man's bowler hat away, pulling his ginger hair to the right in order to expose the man's neck. With a deft hand movement, Albec plunged the needle into his soft flesh. Torchwick's whole body froze in terror, his body began to sweat, and if it had not been for the men gripping him tightly, he would be shaking uncontrollably. "…which one do you think you'll be?" Albec threatened, all that stood between Roman and certain death, was the single squeeze of a trigger. Torchwick could feel the foreign entity inside his own neck, the thought of even a drop of that fluid entering his system, caused his heart to violently beat in his chest.
The seconds ticked by painfully slow, Roman didn't make a single sound, he knew now more than ever that speaking out of place would bring him a painful death, something he would very much like to avoid. Suddenly the sweet relief of the needle being extracted rushed his senses. The henchmen released him at the same time. Torchwick collapsed on all fours, panting heavily. Droplets of sweat ran down his face, dripping from the tip of his nose.
"Of course, I only have one of these, and I have no intention of wasting it on a rat like you. You were saved, by only how insignificant you are. However, you speak to me with such disrespect again, well…" Albec patted the case with the now sealed syringe. He didn't have to say anymore.
"I will be sending one of my lieutenants to capture the hunter. I expect you to give her everything she needs to complete her mission. You know what will happen to you if she reports otherwise. My men will take you back to Vale." Albec glared at the man a second longer, before turning to walk away.
"Can I ask who exactly your lieutenant is?" Spoke Roman as he gingerly got back to his feet.
Albec turned to the man once more, "Her name is Blanc; you will find her to be most…efficient."
Break Three
Atlas could be considered by most to be the prominent continent in all of Remnant. Its lands unusually rich with Dust minerals, it soon became the centre for the Schnee Dust Company, helping to boost its economy to heights the other kingdoms could only dream of. Atlesian military was also second to none. In order to protect the many Dust facilities and shipments that sourced most of the world, Atlesian military advance at a staggering rate. Brilliant minds also flocked to Atlas to join the renowned Cera Academy, a school for the gifted geniuses of the world, their ideas helped shape the world, from the Cross Continental Transmit System to allow the four kingdoms to communicate with one another, to the handheld scrolls that almost every person on Remnant possesses. Though if you ask most people from the other kingdoms what they think of first when someone mentions Atlas, it would be the cold. Snowstorms and temperature rarely above 10 degrees centigrade was native to the northern most continent.
On a long deserted road, its sides hugged by the snow-covered treetops all around and bathed in the light of a clouded moon. Three stark black SUV's roared along its frozen top, their headlights cutting swathes through the murky darkness.
In stark contrast to the cold, unforgiving weather outside, the SUV interiors were warm and comforting. Their rich leather seats adding luxury whilst the internal heating kept Atlas's chill at bay. In each SUV, four men in black suits drove along the desolate road in silence. However the vehicle in the middle was kept a buzz by one man sat in the centre back seat flanked by two bodyguards. Dressed in a white neatly pressed suit he sat with a small laptop opened on his lap, his fingers whirled across its keys typing at a rate of someone with practice. The bodyguard in the front passenger seat looked back at his charge, before pulling up his radio.
"Homestead this is Valkyrie, come in over." The man's voice was steady and firm. The radio quickly buzzed to life.
"Valkyrie this is Homestead, we read you, over." spoke a similar militaristic voice.
"We've just entered the backwoods now, if the weather holds our E.T.A. should be twenty minutes, over." He informed the man on the radio.
"Copy that Valkyrie, Homestead awaits your return." With confirmation, the guard placed the radio into a small bank located between him and the driver.
Five minutes passed in silence, as the man fidgeted more and more. He watched the same stark white scenery flash by his window and watched as snowdrops began to lazily fall to the ground. The looming clouds blanketed out the moons glow, leaving the headlights of each SUV as their only source of light. The man glanced at the vehicles dashboard.
20MPH
"Seriously can't we go a little faster?" he asked, finally growing impatient.
"You know the rules, Damon drives the first car, so he decides the speed, and we follow suit." pointed out the driver. Despite their professions, the driver spoke to the young man in a familiar tone, as if he was like an older brother trying to keep an agitated younger brother who couldn't keep still on a family trip, in check.
"Uuuuurgh, can't we just tell him to go faster?" he pleaded, locking eyes with the driver. The larger man sighed in resignation, before picking up the radio.
"Damon, this is Marek, Taren here needs to go to the bathroom, any chance we could pick up the pace a little?"
"The snows starting to get heavy and we're not sure how icy this road is." Another man's voice crackled over the radio.
"We're driving in a straight line Damon." Marek pointed out giving a sly grin to his friend. There was an audible sigh over the radio.
"Fine, all vehicles, increase speed by ten miles per hour and stay clo-" The first car detonated into a ball of flames, the snapping explosion shattered the silence they had enjoyed for so long.
"What the-!" Gripping the steering wheel, Marek, spun the car around the wreckage, drifting as he passed.
"Sir, get down!" the two men in the back pushed the white suited man onto the vehicles floor, one of them pressing their body on top of him.
"Cameron you still with us!?" this time Taren had grabbed the radio as he looked out the rear window to the SUV behind them. He watched as it pulled the same maneuver they did around the wreckage.
"Cameron here, we're still good, what the hell happened!?" he barked, tension in his voice.
"No idea, Damon's car just went up in a fireball, keep your heads on a swivel!" Taren ordered, his voice wavering as he desperately tried to keep the fear in his heart from leaking out in his voice.
"Copy tha-" Taren watched in horror as the vehicle behind them exploded brilliantly, its bright light blinding the young man. He could only watch as the flaming wreckage of his friends tumbled along the icy road.
"No, Cameron's gone…" the man mumbled.
"Hey!" barked the larger man, shaking him from his stupor. "Focus, we still have a job to do! Pat, get on the gun, I need eyes out there!"
"Roger!" the man in the back seat, who was not shielding the VIP, pressed a button on the roof. A small panel slid back, exposing the warm interior to the harsh could outside. Pushing himself up the man was assaulted by the freezing cold and high winds, but he didn't care. His training and adrenaline had put such worries to the back of his mind. Gripping the roof mounted minigun on top he swivelled it around 360 degrees, scanning their surroundings.
"You see anything!?" Marek yelled over the sound of high wind.
"Nothing yet, I…" Patrick's voice faltered as his trained vision spotted something distant down the road. "…I think, I think I see a young woman on the road!?" he yelled back.
"We're under attack; the VIP's safety is our top priority, shoot first, answers later!" Marek ordered.
"Roger!" without hesitation, Patrick squeezed the two triggers located on each of the gun's handles. The minigun whirled into life, before discharging 6,000 rounds a minute. The gun drowned out all noise, as bullet casings were spat out onto the road. Two large disk like weapons spun rapidly in front of the young woman, shielding her from certain death.
"It looks like we have our assailant!" the man roared, trying to be heard over the sound of the minigun.
"Keep her pinned!" Marek yelled back, "You can stop bullets, but just try and stop me." He muttered to himself.
"Wait, you're going to hit her?!" Taren blurted out in dis-belief.
"Everyone, brace!" Marek slammed on the acceleration pedal, as the SUV hit high speeds. All the while, Patrick held the trigger, raining bullets down on their attacker.
Just as the vehicle was about to make contact, the minigun overheated, its raining death came to an abrupt halt. In that moment, the woman struck. A single circular blade shot forward at incredible speed. It effortlessly cut though the cabin of the vehicle. Marek and Taren were the first to die, the blade cut through at perfect neck height, decapitating them both. Then Patrick, stood upright in the vehicle his body was sawn in two. The SUV skidded out of control as the top half of the cabin slid off the vehicle turning it into a make-shift convertible; it slammed into an embankment off to the side of the road, throwing up snow as it did. After a few seconds, everything fell silent again.
The final bodyguard was still lying over the VIP; his low posture saved him and his charge from the blade. He slowly looked up, his body shaking; two headless bodies sat in the front seats, whilst a lower body was slumped over him. Trying to keep his fear and nausea in check, the man slowly pushed the set of legs off of him. His black suit stained in blood. Reaching down, he gently unholsterd his sidearm.
"Are you mad!?" the white suited man whispered harshly. "You'll be killed, our only hope now is to try and negotiate!"
"Sorry sir, we don't negotiate with terrorists. Besides, this bitch killed my friends; with any luck she might think we're all dead. I'll take her by surprise." He whispered back. Both men fell silent as the sound of snow crunching under footsteps could be heard approaching. The guard pinpointed her location before throwing himself up, pistol drawn. He hadn't even been able to squeeze the trigger, when a circular blade cut the man's head clean off.
The VIP screamed in terror as the headless body fell on top of him, splashing his pristine white suit in deep red. Despite there being no top half to the vehicle the man still frantically opened the passenger door on the opposite side, crawling out as he did. He scurried desperately away through the grass and snow.
"And where do you think you are going?" came a soft gentle, womanly voice. The man spun in horror, scurrying back against a tree trunk, hands waving frantically in front of him.
"Oh god no, please don't kill me!" he screamed in desperation, "I-I'll give you whatever you want! M-money? Power? I can give you it all just please I'm begging you I don't want to die!" the man's pleas descended into drivel as tears began to flow down from his face.
"You really are pathetic aren't you?" the woman's insult caught the man by surprise, through wet eyes he looked up to his assailant.
The girl looked no older than her teens, with soft delicate features that were accentuated by her bright magenta eyes and stark white hair that flowed down to her legs. Her outfit looked ridiculously out of place for Atlas's climate. She wore a long sleeved crop top that left her midriff exposed with a sleeveless, unbuttoned jacket over the top. Her hands, forearms, shoulders and legs were all covered with dark steel plated armour. She wore leggings and black high heeled boots and a revealing short skirt that exposed her upper thighs. A small cap sat on top her head. Her entire outfit was dark blue, with silver accents on her jacket, and on the frills of her skirt.
The man would have been taken aback by her striking beauty had it not been for her devilish look. "How ignorantly pathetic you are." The young girl spat. "Do you even know why I attacked you?"
The man, heart froze in fear began to mumble an answer. "You probably know I'm from the SDC, y-you want something from me, right?"
The girl nodded in satisfaction, "Well you're not wrong, still, I was hoping the guards of an SDC director would be far more entertaining. I have to say I'm very unimpressed." The girl shrugged, bored.
The man could only blink in dis-belief. She had killed twelve men, yet looked like a child who was unimpressed by her birthday gift. "I-it's not all a waste, if you let me live, I can give you whatever you want." The man stammered, a small semblance of himself returning.
"Anything I want you say?" the girl mused as she tapped her chin, "Then I'll take…your life."
"Wha-" a large circular blade fell from the sky, slamming into the helpless man. The blade spun rapidly sawing through the VIP. His blood splashed the white snow, and the young girl.
Raising a hand she gently wiped the blood from her face. "A pleasure doing business with you." She spoke as she politely curtsied the corpse. A small chime, notified her of a new message. "A new assignment already, how exciting." Quickly retrieving her scroll from a pocket she opened the new message, her face turned sour at the subject heading.
Blanc: Detain and capture
She puffed her cheeks disapprovingly. "Capture mission? How tedious." She complained as she began to scroll through the message. As she read her face began to light up. "Detain and capture a hunter? I've never done that before, I wonder who it is." She added excitedly as she quickly skimmed the message contents getting to the details below. A name popped up along with a picture that looked like it was captured from a recording, it showed a young man clad in green wielding two blades. The girls smile widened as her eyes began to glisten.
"Alexander Cross? My, what a handsome young man you are." She spoke as she dragged a blood stained glove over the picture.
"I sure do hope you prove to be far more entertaining." Snapping her scroll shut, Blanc set of for Vale.
A/N So it seems that Alex's carefree life at Beacon will soon come to an end. Forces are starting to make their move. Alex will have to decide soon, will he go it alone, or will he drag his new friends into hell with him.
But before that Arras has been feeling a little cooped up, sounds like he could do with stretching his legs.
Thank you for reading this, I know I say that at the end of every chapter but I mean it.
Feel free to leave a review or follow for more, thanks again! :)