SO, I'm pretty happy xD The training I had Weiss do from Qrow turned out to be a canon method of improving her semblance :P Hi five me!
. . . No seriously, put your hand to the monitor right now.
You know what, fuck you then. I'm happy and you don't want to hi five me x.x
Anyway! Here's Chapter 25, it's an outside POV and is more of a brain teaser chapter. People who enjoy reading how people outsmart others will really enjoy this in my opinion.
Also o.o I thought writing a racist character would be easy . . . since I can make a crapton of racist jokes (I'm not racist though!) but . . . damn, I made myself cringe at some point. Even did research on the Faunus Civil War to make sure everything I said was accurate.
Final note, this is just for people who read my Ninjas of Love story:
The third and final chapter is up. Only saying this since FF likes to be a dick and not notify you. Now, here's chapter 25!
Chapter 25 - The ScareQrow with a Brain
(Flashback – Yesterday, Late Night)
"Alright. Focus mitt training." I sigh. It's been roughly an hour after what happened with Will and Qrow. Needless to say, the encounter ended in a less-than-pleasing manner. I was hoping that there would be no harsh feelings after everything was said and done, but everything took a turn when Qrow showed up in a clearly agitated mood.
"But . . . I've already been doing focus mitt training with Yang. What's the point of doing it now?" Weiss questions with impatience and annoyance in her voice. I can't blame her for being agitated after what just happened and Qrow jumping into a bet that he shouldn't have made. I should have given him a bottle of whiskey. At least it would have kept him quiet and a little calmer when he showed up.
"Weiss, do you even understand the point of using your semblance in a method you've rarely used it before?" I ask her.
"To increase its functions and uses pretty much." She answers without taking a moment to think about it.
"Weiss . . . You're a Schnee. What's the one thing every Schnee is capable of doing with their glyphs? It's barely a secret to anyone my age." She gives me a questioning glare about what one thing has to do with the other.
"If you're referring to summoning, then-"
"Exactly, using your semblance in different ways can mature it. It's a muscle. If you do the same workout over and over again, then you'll just plateau. We're going to do Qrow's focus mitt training, but this time you have someone that can punch harder . . . and with better aura control." I stare at Weiss who appears somewhat shocked at what Qrow's training was meant for. "You learned a new glyph and he has you learning how to strengthen it. I'm sure your father or sister are more capable in teaching you, but I have no idea where your sister is and your father is certainly out of the question."
While I have knowledge of what a Schnee's glyphs are capable of I'm still no expert in how to train one, and I'm sure that Qrow has little to no knowledge of what it takes to master a new glyph. While the semblances are different, there's still the same concept of improving it, and that's straining it in different ways until it matures and evolves. Blake's improvement to her semblance is a prime example of what can be obtained by using your aura with more concentration.
That same concept is something Yang has learned with her semblance. I've seen Yang channel her aura from her semblance into her hand for a punch that can rival a small supernova. Ruby's semblance can practically manipulate the wind around her if she moves fast enough and adds a rotation to her body. I remember reading a letter from her where she practically gloated about sending her friends into a wall and turning that wall into a giant mosaic
Weiss on the other hand doesn't truly need to strain her semblance that much. As a Schnee she has access to an unlimited supply of dust. She can change the element of her semblance and use it in sync with Myrtenaster to get several different effects. The point of Qrow's training is to focus more on the original function of her semblance and take the use of dust out of the equation. I'm sure her summoning will be a lot stronger if she's able to train herself in this manner.
"I understand, but why are we on the roof? There's a room we can use for training purposes." Weiss debates.
"Right . . . be in a completely comfortable room with perfect silence and a perfect temperature to give you the ideal scenario to train and concentrate." I say with clear sarcasm. "You're never going to be in a perfect environment. You're never going to be in complete silence where concentration is easy. Even in learning stages I don't believe in 'optimal environments'. You're a Huntress in Training; if you can't learn something on a calm night where the only distractions are the sounds of insects and the slight nip of the cold air, then you're a lost cause."
My words have a visible effect on her based on her facial expression. The readiness and determination now replaced with a look of mild depression after I practically scold her for wanting to train indoors instead. While Qrow is more relaxed and can be forgiving, I am harsher in my methods. Although I will admit that – like my daughter – I am the type of person to throw someone in water to teach them how to swim.
"Hands up. I'll be using my left hand for now." I tell her.
At my command she raises her hands half-heartedly. I shake my head and without the slightest warning or entering of a stance I throw my left hand between hers and stop it centimeters from her face. The surprise she gets from the sudden feint makes her jump back and fall onto the floor.
"I'm not going to be targeting your hands like Yang does. This is reverse focus mitt training . . . You'll be defending from my attacks. There's nobody here to assist you. There's no Yang to pull you away from a ground-shattering axe kick. There's no Blake to distract your targets. There's no Ruby to offer covering fire. You're on your own, and in the field you need to fight as if you can only rely on your own abilities while also knowing you have support should things go wrong. On the other hand, there's nobody you need to look out for. You don't need to cast a glyph across the area to protect someone else. You're by yourself. That means forget about Yang and Blake. Most of all forget about Ruby." My tone is firm and harsh. As expected I have her attention immediately and without me having to tell her, she raises her hands immediately.
Without giving any signal that I'm going to punch I step in with my left foot and aim straight for her kidney, only putting enough aura into my hand to guard against her glyph. Her reaction time is good, allowing her to guard the attack without having to step away to grant her a split-second of extra reaction time which impresses me.
I pull my hand back and go for the exact same punch, applying much more aura into it than I did earlier. However, I don't exert my aura until the moment my hand makes contact with her glyph. Her semblance holds strong against my attack, but I also notice a slight crack that forms in it before it disappears.
It's stronger than I thought . . . but Yang could probably get through this if a fight prolongs.
"Weiss . . . Do you think you could outlast Yang in a fight?" The question brings a confused look to her face.
"I'm certain I can. There's no question about it." She answers with complete confidence.
"Even if she blindsides you? Or if her semblance is supercharged from a previous fight? I never said it was a fair fight. There's conditions you may be under that will drastically affect the outcome, and there's nothing you can do about it." I take a few steps back and take a loud, deep breath. "I'll be expecting you to guard with everything you've got . . . My nickname isn't the Sun Dragon for nothing."
(Present)
"Looks like Qrow's pet made it away from your daughter, Taiyang." I look to my right to see Will smirking. He's looking down at his scroll, shifting through some of the cameras scattered throughout the forest to see what progress is being made. I'm currently doing the same thing after getting one of his personal scrolls that is already pre-programed with the camera feeds.
"She's not a pet . . . She's a person, and she has a name." I say to him while looking down at the scroll.
"As animalistic as her weapon is, you can still call that a person? It's getting little in the form of acknowledgement from me. I wish I would've known that Qrow brought a filthy Faunus into my home."
"She showers on a regular basis, actually." A familiar voice calls out from behind the two of us.
We're currently in Will's study. A fireplace sits in front of the two of us, and behind us are several books that decorate the shelves of the walls. On top of that, the large, wooden door that leads out of the room is also directly behind us. Standing in the doorway right now is none other than Qrow.
"Also, I'd appreciate if you not badmouth my family. Sure, she can be a little bitchy. She has some bad attitude problems . . . daddy issues for sure . . . not to mention she used to date-"
"QROW." I call out to stop him. It's none of Will's business who Shun, or Yang have gone out with. When I call his name he slowly raises his hands and nods his head in an apologetic manner.
"Anyway . . . camera 24 . . . the one overlooking a clearing. I saw Weiss heading over there from one of the other feeds . . . Valerie's over there too."
"VALKYRIE. For Remnant's sake her name is Nora Valkyrie, Qrow."
"Yeah. Let's go with that. Now, important information: Camera 24. Y'know . . . where I said Valerie and Rice are?" Qrow gives me a look of stupidity, dismissing my earlier correction of Nora's name and instead pushing the fact that a second battle will be beginning.
"Alright . . . 24." I sigh and change the camera my scroll is displaying before Qrow gets even more antsy. "By the way, Shun lost to Yang. She's still in, but she had to retreat. It looked like she had an advantage, but . . . I don't know, Yang activated her semblance and Shun just . . . she looked freaked out and disoriented. I doubt Yang's semblance was charged up enough to put fear in Shun . . . especially when she has to deal with your stupidity."
"Very funny, Tai. It's her semblance by the way. I told you . . . she sacrifices her sight to see things differently. She saw Yang's aura . . . Yang's uncontrollable aura. It's like being near-sighted and trying to look at someone's hand from a long distance . . . you know it's there, but you can't outline it clearly. Except for her . . . it's Yang's entire body. Yang's aura is like a fire . . . uncontrollable . . . untamed . . . It's unorthodox." Qrow's explanation sheds light on the situation. It makes me question just how effective Shun's semblance is when she's facing someone aside from Yang.
I look back at the scroll. The camera angle is pretty high up, probably propped against a nearby structure, but the vantage point it gives to the giant clearing trees makes it the perfect view what may be happening.
"Hm . . . Let's put this on the big screen. I'm curious to see how Beacon's trained my youngest."
Will reaches to the side of his recliner to grasp the nearby remote. He presses a single button on the remote that causes a loud, startling sound to occur near the fireplace. I watch on as the wooden wall behind stone fireplace starts to spread apart like a doorway. The stone fireplace is then slid into the opening in the wall, only to have the wooden walls close again and provide a giant, flat surface that is then covered by the brightening display of a projector that I didn't even think was near.
"Oh, so you put your daughter on the big screen but not my niece? I smell a hate crime." Qrow comments after making a sniffing sound.
"That's because you didn't shower last night." I snap at him.
"I don't smell that bad. My natural scent makes me quite the lady killer I'll have you know."
"Lady Killer is right . . . within ten feet and that scent becomes lethal." Will joins in, causing a series of snickers to erupt between him and I.
"Real funny. How about we see how your daughter deals with Valerie?"
Either he's had a few drinks or he's seriously attempting to piss me off . . . and it's working like a charm unfortunately.
I take a deep breath and turn my eyes back to the projection ahead of me. It's a while longer before I see someone come into view. The first figure I see is the white and pink clad girl. The hyper figure practically skips in the open area with several pauses and what appears to be a giddy admiration for the surrounding area. That is of course, until a red glyph appears below her and concludes with a debris spreading eruption of dirt and grass.
She's using her dust to start things off?
"Typical of her to start with something basic." Her father sighs with disappointment.
She has been using very basic glyphs from what I've seen . . . Don't tell me that she can't . . .
"Will, how good is Weiss' summoning?" My question earns a hearty laugh from the owner of the Schnee Dust Company.
"I hope you're kidding. I haven't heard of her doing it successfully. Then again she rarely talks to me to begin with. You're better off asking her sister."
So the strongest ability within the Schnee bloodline is still a no-show for her. That's an embarrassing situation to be in.
"Well . . . her chances of beating Shun just collapsed immensely." Qrow's voice is much closer now. I look to my right to see him standing slightly behind Will and I to get a better look at the projection. "Speaking of which . . . that obstacle you added is cruel."
"What obstacle?" Will turns his head and squints his eyes.
"You know exactly what obstacle I'm talking about. That riddle was a joke."
"That wasn't for you to know about." Will snaps at Qrow.
I sit there and sigh. It's unlike those two to get along, even when one of them has a daughter who's currently evading the heavy impacts of Nora's hammer.
I watch on, seeing Weiss turn the open field into her own tree line with the several glyphs she forms to strike and evade. Unlike the glyph I've seen her defend with, she's capable of making well over 8 of her basic one.
Each of her attacks starts off with her pushing off of a glyph and dashing past her target, making sure to slash or feint on each pass. In my right ear I am getting the annoying bickering between the two of them, but one of Qrow's sentences causes me to tune in when I've been making a point of ignoring them.
"Shun's not a Huntress, and for good reason."
"And how is that my fault? She's in a match with 4 . . . no, 5 huntresses in training. I won't give her any special treatment. She'll just have to deal with it like everybody else. Besides, one of our agreements was to allow you the chance to communicate with her. The only condition is you can't monitor anybody else while doing so." Will practically screams. "If your little pet can't handle an obstacle so basic, then perhaps she needs to tune into that animalistic, insatiable, and unsophisticated side of her; which I guarantee she has. I haven't met a Faunus that had any form of manners, and I am certain there won't be one! The filthy creatures should be put in pens. Nein, they should be put in my mines to provide some sort of good deed to the people that make the clothes on their backs!"
Now I remember why I don't come here.
"Ooo. Big words from someone who's already using Faunus as a cheap labor force." Qrow spits in his most sarcastic manner. "How about we just exclude all the good the Faunus have done? I know, let's start massacring every last one of them . . . Because it's soooo apparent that if you're a Faunus, then you're in the White Fang, and if you're in the White Fang, then you're a thorn in the ass of the almighty Schnee. Y'know . . . I think you're just worried about our bet."
"It's 5 against 1, Qrow. I don't need to worry about our bet."
"Or is it, Will?"
You're going to tell him already?
"Don't you try to bluff me, Qrow. There's 5 humans, and 1 animal out there. What were your words? If the Faunus in the match can outnumber the body count of the other humans defeated, then you win"
"That's right . . . now . . . what happens if there's 2 Faunus in the match . . . and 4 humans? What happens if one of them only needs to beat 2 people to tie it up . . . of course, if they beat each other it doesn't increase the count . . . but the fact of the matter is . . . If they beat two people . . . the last person only has 1 human to beat. Let me put this in perspective . . . If Shun beats two
Humans . . . and let's say Nora, Yang, and Blake are left-"
"Yang can easily take out two and tie it up." Will cuts in.
"Oh, but that's the beauty of it . . . what happens if one of the people Yang beats is a Faunus? Her score only goes up to 1, not 2. Or . . . what happens if Yang's a Faunus . . . oh, no . . . that's 4-0."
"You're trying to bluff me, Qrow, and it's not working. Your little pet needs to beat 3 people to win . . . there's no way around it."
"Unless one of the other people is a Faunus~" Qrow sings with a cheek to cheek grin on his face.
"Then it has to be the Valkyrie girl . . . my daughter wouldn't associate with that filthy specie."
As amusing as it is that Will's hesitant on the fact that Qrow outsmarted him, I'm still amazed that Qrow was capable of thinking of a bet that practically gives him the advantage. I was given the task of deciding who goes in, and when. It came down to concealing Blake in the middle of the deployments to mask the fact that she's the hidden Faunus. Making Nora go in last gives Shun and Blake time to engage. Those two probably butt heads, but they're also adept at fighting in forests because of their abilities. Ruby should be isolated herself, making her a clear contender late game . . . but Yang and Weiss are both targets for Team Faunus.
In that situation it turns everything into a 3 on 3 situation. Weiss knows the bet . . . she knows who the two Faunus are . . . Although there is a second half to the bet that they haven't gone through yet.
The Faunus in the match need to outnumber the body count for the other humans in the match. That leaves four targets for Shun and Blake to take out. Ideally they only need to take out two for Qrow to win the bet.
However, to avoid Weiss intentionally assisting, it was said that she can't assist SHUN in any way. Qrow made the point of using her name while the two wrote down the arrangements. With the amount of technicalities that Qrow has in place . . . it's impossible for him to lose.
"Do you ever take time to listen to yourself, Will?" I finally jump into their argument. "Next thing you're going to want is to have every Faunus wear a tag stating what type they are . . . or you'll want to send them back to Menagerie."
"They were better off on that island. Everything was peaceful without them roaming free."
"The Faunus Rights Revolution exists, Will. That got them out of Menagerie. I'm sure that day's circled in your calendar as a day of infamy." I take a slow, deep breath to relax myself before I end up sharing in Qrow's hot blood. It's bad enough that he has a precious student that's a Faunus . . . but at the same time I also consider Shun a distant family member, and of course Blake is family without a second thought.
"Faunus Rights . . . you sound like an unconvincing politician."
"You would know better than anyone." I murmur in retaliation before focusing back on the screen.
While watching the exchange with a backtracking Weiss and a swing-happy Nora I notice Weiss hasn't stepped anywhere near the center of the open area. Instead she's remained near the trees and the shadows of the trees for the time being. Considering the fact that she has a semblance that can easily allow her to outmaneuver anyone I can't help but notice the small detail.
"That girl's scared to get a tan." Qrow comments, taking notice of the same thing as me. "Either that . . . or she's trying to line up for something special.
Suddenly Weiss vaults over Nora and moves to the very center of the area. I watch on as Nora takes the initiative and jumps into the air with the oversized mallet extended far above her head to bring it down with a ruthless impact. Weiss simply stands there and starts to extend her right hand in a manner that I deem far too calm.
She's going to block it? Why waste the aura on that?
However, I don't see Nora make an impact, or even follow through with her attack. A split-second before impact I see Weiss spawn her glyph while Nora immediately moves her left hand over her eyes and does a half-hearted, blind swing of the hammer with her right hand.
What did she do?
"Now that's a resourceful girl. I like it." Qrow starts to chuckle.
Before I pay Qrow any mind, I focus on the screen to see what happens next, but with Nora's unknown disorientation Weiss starts to attack in blinding succession. The several strikes appear to hit their mark, but all I take note of is Nora's ability to take each hit and attempt to counter-attack.
"What did she do?" I finally question while tearing my eyes from the screen.
"You didn't see it? She used her glyph as a mirror . . . Focused sunlight straight in the eyes."
Resourceful . . . but a pretty dirty move. Smart too.
"Seems she's improved . . ." Her father comments. I peek at him out the very corner of my eye. Perhaps my peripheral vision is not too reliable, but I am certain that I can see him starting to smile while he watches his daughter continue to dominate the battle for the most part.
However, things take a sudden turn when Nora makes a wild spin with her hammer and manages to smack Weiss away to give herself a little bit of breathing room. Out of desperation Nora reaches into her pocket, pulling out a small, purple vial of some sort. It takes me no more than a second to realize what it is.
When I called Ren and Nora, and Weiss over to talk for a moment, I wanted to spice things up a bit for my own entertainment. With Weiss' permission and Ren's advice I asked for a single vial of purple dust. When it's set to explode it'll release a heavy amount of lightning in the immediate vicinity.
. . . or it'll trigger Nora's semblance, which was my first question when I pulled her aside.
"Didn't think she'd be using it on Weiss . . . This'll be entertaining." I lean back against the chair and fold my arms.
"Tai? What the hell did you do?" Qrow questions me, but with a tone of interest and amusement when he sees the lightning spark around Nora's body while certain parts of her outfit begin to light and cackle.
"Apparently her semblance allows her to harness and channel electricity through her muscles . . . All I did was give her a vial of purple dust."
I continue to watch the battle, smirking when Nora brings down her hammer and causes the open plains to sink into a crater. My smile shifts to a smirk, and finally to an unrestrainable chuckle at the sheer destructive power she has with each swing of her weapon. The battle takes a sloppy turn. Nora's sudden power-up forces Weiss to take cover in the trees to avoid getting caught in any blast radius.
It's then that I see the second form of her weapon: a rather hefty grenade launcher that shoots well over 6 explosives at once. Nora takes the time to aim her shot in a high arc, causing it to rainbow through the air and come down around the area Weiss disappeared in with an explosion that can almost be heard from the mansion.
"That little brat's going to set the entire place on fire!" Will inches to the edge of his chair after yelling into my ear.
"It's not like you can't replace the trees. Besides, these are Huntresses in Training like you said . . . Should have expected explosions a long time ago." Qrow counters with venomous sarcasm dripping from his mouth.
From deep within the smoke and rising flames I see a few light blue beams shoot out in a random, scattering pattern before converging on Nora. It's safe to assume Weiss is in a safe place in the ring of fire. For now the smoke will act as cover for her, but it also limits her movement until she clears an exit or jumps above the trees to get away.
Nora shows extreme impatience and recklessness. Instead of waiting for Weiss to emerge after she dodged the projectiles, she chooses to jump wildly into the air with assistance from her hammer and appears to be using the long handle of her weapon as a seat while she rises up to roughly 4 stories in the air.
As her descent begins, I expect her to change her posture to place herself in a better position to attack, but when gravity makes itself known a surprising sneak attack occurs.
The attack itself can't be pinpointed from the angle we have, but within seconds Nora's hands and legs are bound to the weapon when a minor explosion causes ice crystals to form around her limbs and weapon, locking her in that position.
When the explosions occurred there were no signs of Weiss' semblance or projectiles being launched. On the other camera feeds that surround the area there aren't any traces of someone in hiding. Knowing that whoever it is isn't within the immediate area of the battle makes it possible that only one person could have done something like that.
"Welp . . . there goes the special bullets I made for her." Qrow starts to laugh. "Kid's a good shot . . . and a smart shot too."
Ruby . . . Where are you hiding?
For the time being, Ruby's managed to evade the cameras set up around the area. She's possibly using her semblance to pass through the cones of vision before anybody can make out her silhouette or the temporary traces she leaves behind each time she uses her semblance.
Nora's icy bindings prove to be her final downfall. Without hesitation, Weiss forms a glyph below Nora that speeds up her already accelerating descent until the poor girl causes a crater-creating explosion.
"Well . . . looks like the kid's trying to win her bet after all. I'll start heading out." Qrow calls while he begins to walk out the door.
She's trying to win her bet instead of help Qrow's? She either pissed off . . . or overconfident.
While Qrow and Will placed their bets . . . Weiss had her own opinion on the matter. She was less than pleased that there was a bet that revolved around her that didn't even involve her in any of the winning conditions. To fix that she jumped in with her own bet with conditions set by both Qrow and Will to assure maximum difficulty.
There are three conditions that Weiss needs to meet in order to win. Surprisingly being the last one standing is not one of them.
Condition 1: She needs to defeat either Ruby or Shun
Condition 2: She needs to hold the most victories (To secure it for sure, she needs to beat 3 people.)
Condition 3: She can't retreat from any opponent she comes across.
However, with Weiss taking out Nora, it now evens out the bet between Qrow and Will. With Weiss entering the gamble, it forced them to exclude her victories in Will's count. This means that it is still 0 – 0 between the two scoreboards, but now there's only 3 humans in the match, and for Qrow to win he needs Shun or Blake to beat any two of the other three.
"Hm . . ." I hear a mumble from my right. I turn my head and see a notepad being written on. When Will is done writing on it he passes it to me for inspection. It simply has Weiss' name written on it and a single tally mark underneath her name to mark her victory.
As explained, Weiss proceeds to indicate where her victory took place, However, instead of using the flare gun that was supplied, she chooses to use her semblance in unison with red dust to fire a blast into the air, getting the exact same result.
She then moves into the forest and gets out of sight. I check the other cameras in the area to see where she went but can't find a trace of her anywhere, leaving me under the assumption that she's hiding nearby to make sure Nora is taken out safely.
It's just shy of a minute before Qrow makes it to Nora's location and picks up the hammer-wielding ginger with little to no effort. Just before he can begin making his way back however, Weiss exits her hiding place in the forest and steps up to Qrow for a moment.
Their exchange in words lasts less than 10 seconds, and in an instant Qrow starts to walk back to the mansion with the deadweight held securely.
"Weiss is pretty strong . . . She should do well in the tournament." I whisper before turning my head to Will.
"I hear the tournament will have dust scattered along the battlegrounds . . . it will definitely give her a 'home field' advantage."
"Definitely makes it easier for her to use her semblance with an unlimited source surrounding her . . . but I wouldn't say that she needs to rely on a battlefield sprinkled in dust to win a fight."
"Of course she doesn't . . . it does give her a massive advantage. Her sister is prominent in manipulating an environment if she has the dust at her disposal."
I pause a moment and start to wonder. There's no dust surrounding her right now, but what would happen if she stockpiled her ammunition and sprinkled it into the dirt? If Weiss can manage to set up a single area that will turn into her own advantage spot, then she could easily dispose of anybody should they get lured in. The uses for her semblance are practically endless.
. . . We need to talk about this . . . at least while Qrow is still outside.
"Will, you can't keep making decisions for her." I state rather bluntly without turning my head. He turns to look at me, taking a moment to realize where I am coming from.
"I refuse to have my daughter dating the same gender, Tai. It's that simple. It's not good for her, and I will not allow it."
" . . . You're worried about her public image, aren't you?" I begin to smirk.
"I'm worried about her decision-making and ability to think clearly when emotions will interfere with simple choices." He practically shouts after seeing my cheeky grin.
"Oh? Not over the fact that she's dating a woman? Or the fact that she's a . . . quote-unquote: Carpet Muncher?" I question him with a sarcastic tone that would make Qrow proud.
"I don't have anything else to say on the matter, Tai. My daughter made her bet, if she's capable of maintain it is now in her hands. If she wants to bring herself 6 feet under, then so be it." Will quietly stands up from his chair and begins to walk away. I take a long, deep breath and sigh while his footsteps grow faint until the mild squeak of the door is caught in my ear.
"You're quite the indecisive one, Will. I'm not sure if you're a concerned parent or a homophobe."