XSRA's Flame Chapter 29: The Coliseum
Xera POV
The rest of the week passed by without a second thought, as if it was blown away by some sort of autumn breeze. Which it kind of was, considering the tournament was putting students on edge. It approached quickly and now it's literally tomorrow.
Teams RWBY, JNPR, SNAR and my team were all sitting around in the library. Skyla, Yang, Allix, and Ruby were all playing some sort of game centered around the kingdoms of Remnant and waging war on one another. Ren and Nora were sitting together, Ren was reading and Nora was watching YouTube videos on her scroll. Pyrrha was running over some defense tactics with Jaune at another one of the tables. Talking about how he can utilize his shield to cover more of himself instead of just casually holding it in front of himself. Rex was strumming his guitar on a nearby couch, and Weiss was looking through the roster of who's in the tournament. How she got her hands on that list, nobody knows. Sun and Neptune were watching the game being played by the four girls with interest. Rideat and Anna were also finding who was in the tournament. Although Anna had to relay everything she read over Weiss's shoulder to him each time.
"Hey, Blake?" I asked, gaining her attention.
"Yeah?" She asked in a tired voice, enjoying her spot next to me on the couch.
"Do you want to head into town for a bit, just you and me?"
Blake opened her eyes and looked around, seeing who was doing what. Lastly she cast her glance at me, immediately causing me to get lost in her eyes.
"Just you and me, huh?" There was a certain softness in her voice. Maybe it was how comfortable she was or just her being her quiet self, but it was still as mesmerizing as ever.
I nodded, getting a small smile in return.
"Sure."
We got up and headed out of the library, taking the next bullhead out of Beacon.
Skyla POV
"What do you mean you have a trap card?!" I asked, or rather, yelled.
Yang looked as smug as ever, "It means that all you're armies just perished and I can take over all of Vacuo."
"Awwwwwwww, No fair! I liked hat city!" I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest childishly.
She chuckled and shook her head, "Face it, Skyla. You just lost to the master."
"I refuse to believe that until I see actual proof!" I shot back.
She casually flipped a card my direction and watched it flutter infront of me clearly showing the trap card she had used against my precious army.
"This is," I paused for dramatic effect making the others roll their eyes, "MAADDNEESSS!" I shouted at the top of my lungs causing them to jump and the librarian to shush me.
I blushed and giggled before sliding back into my seat.
She had pin point glasses and reminded me of that slug lady in Monsters Inc. Or was that just me?
I laughed out loud just imagining that monotonous slug walking around in the library. Ruby and Allix glanced up at me curiously.
"What's so funny?" Ruby asked, setting her deck of cards down on the desk.
I laughed harder. "The librarian reminds me…of…of-" I couldn't finish before I burst into a louder fit of giggles. The other girls giggled slightly seeming to be infected by my laughter.
The librarian wasn't as amused. She glared darkly my way, shushing as loud as she could.
Which, evidently, made me laugh even harder.
I forgot what made me laugh so much until it came back to me and now I was at the point where I could feel a six pack coming on.
"Skyla! What's so funny?" Allix asked.
"The Sluggg!" I choked out, face planting onto the table.
Yang leaned over close towards her red and black sister and whispered, "Do you think if we give her carrots she'll calm down?"
Ruby shrugged.
Yang nodded and reached down under the table and reappearing with a small bag of carrots and swiftly place it down in front of me, successfully stopping my endless laughter.
"Carrots!" I exclaimed pulling it close to me.
I set it down in front of me and place my elbows on top of it, facing the girls.
"Okay, so before you eat the carrots, you must massage them." I said pushing into the cards with all my strength 'massaging' them with my elbows.
After a few massages, two carrots suddenly burst through the bag and shot like a rocket out and off the table hitting Rideat square in the forehead.
He looked around confused and turned back to Anna who was currently covering her mouth in shock.
"What was that?" he asked.
I covered my mouth in shock as the other girls burst into laughter at the carrot rocket launcher.
After Anna calmed down, she said as calmly as she could, "A carrot."
"How did a carrot hit me in the forehead?" He asked looking around.
I laughed again even harder than before thinking back at how the carrots just rocketed out from the bag and hit Rideat in the forehead and poor Rideat was confused as heck!
Allix held up the carrot bag laughing her head off showing me the bottom of the bag all torn open by the carrots.
"How did you do this!?" She asked, amusement dancing on her face.
I shrugged, my face red from laughing. My cheeks were hurting from all the laughter but it didn't seem to stop.
"Hey, Hey wanna see something cool?" I asked.
"Cooler than a carrot rocket launcher?" Yang asked.
I nodded and took two strings from my sweatshirt and tied it to the round of the chair.
I yanked at it making sure it was firm before exclaiming, "It's a knot. I shall now escape magically!"
I then tried to stand expecting the knot to fall apart but instead I fell backwards yanked back by the knot.
"Glug!" I shouted in surprise landing onto chair.
I looked at the knot confused and yanked at it again but it stayed knotted.
I tried to unknot it but it was as if glued together.
"I can't get it untied! Help, I'm stuck!" I said pulling at the strings.
"I tied myself to the chair by mistake! Hallppp!" I said pulling with all my might at the strings.
Yang, Ruby, and Allix laughed before standing up and walking towards the door.
"Wait! Don't leave me here to die!" I said reaching out to them dramatically.
I tried pulling at the knot and then standing. I watched it come undone as I leaped up in joy.
"Tada! Magically escaped!" I said shooting my arms up. But of course, nobody saw it and were still doing whatever they were doing.
I sighed in annoyance, "Really? Nobody saw my awesome escape?"
"Shhhhh!" The librarian slug said once again with a mean glare.
"Shhhh yourself." I mumbled to myself.
"Exccusseee me?" She asked sassily.
I smiled innocently and ran off.
"Oopsie. Didn't mean to say that out loud!"
Xera POV
We were laughing as we walked away from the crowd. It's not everyday that comedians do shows in the middle of Vale.
"So, you wanna grab a bite to eat?" I asked.
We're on our way down one of the streets and our path should take us past a café.
"Alright, where do you want to go for food?" She asked as we turned the corner.
Right…about…here.
We stopped in front of a newly opened café. There was outdoor seating in its front patio and inside was quite small.
Blake read the small sign above the café doors, "How about here?"
"Works for me." I stated knowingly.
Entering the front door, we ordered a small amount of desserts and sat down at one of the outdoor tables. I bought us some cheese cake and a small chocolate cake drenched in some sort of chocolate sauce. We decided to share considering the calories.
"Okay, so I've been wondering…may I ask about what you've been doing in the forge room?" Blake asked after a few bites.
I looked at her and she seemed oddly trying really hard to be extra cute, making me struggle to hold in that information. "Well, it's a weapon modification…for Annivia's Talons…that'll be very helpful." I said vaguely.
She frowned at my response, immediately killing me on the inside. "So, in that case…can I ask three yes or no questions? And you have to be honest."
"Oh, she's good. And three questions too, in my mind that's a lot of information. Maybe she'll be able to figure it out, let's give it a shot." I thought and smirked a little.
"Alright, shoot." I said.
We've finished off the small cakes and she looked to be contemplating what to ask first. Eventually she stared me down and asked her first question.
"Does it have to do with a more concentrated control of fire?" She asked.
I looked her over in disbelief. That was right on the money. "Yes." I said, a little hesitant to hear the next two questions.
She smirked to herself and immediately asked her next question. "Is it a new transformation?"
My god she's good.
"Maybe."
"That's cheating." She glared at me, confident in her information gathering.
I sighed. "Okay fine, yes. How are you so good at this?"
Then it dawned on me, how well can Ruby keep a secret. It's not that she's bad at keeping to herself, but I'm sure Blake would have ways to get her to talk. Especially if Yang backs her up, they are sisters after all.
"You talked to Ruby didn't you?"
She looked away a bit, breaking eye contact for just a second before she returned to my eyes, "Nope." I could tell she was lying. "Now, for my last question." This time though, she smirked and her eyes turned slightly devious.
"Do you hide wings under that sweatshirt?"
I was a little taken aback by this, no one in Beacon knows about me except for Ozpin and Rideat. "Is it finally time to tell her, to tell my friends? I know they won't see me any differently, but that doesn't make it any easier."
"I can't answer that." I responded, keeping a monotone voice and a straight face.
She frowned again, hoping that I would give off any hint as to what I am. I did tell her that my mother was a faunus, and she's definitely not clueless as to what that infers. So she know what I am, just not what kind.
"Well, you'll tell me when you're ready, only when you feel you can talk about it. Right?" She asked, kindness taking over in her amber eyes.
I smiled and nodded my head, but this brings me to my ulterior motive for getting Blake alone. I'm hoping for a positive response but I can't be sure, hopefully she'll understand.
"Blake?" I spoke, almost inaudible but her ears picked it up with ease.
"Hmm?" She responded.
I gave a cautious glance around, noticing all the people walking back and forth on the nearby side walk and the few people sitting at the other tables outside the café.
Standing up, I took her hand and pulled her back into the café. We approached the woman we bought our food from and I asked if we could get onto the roof. She was kind enough to show us the way up and give us some privacy. After stepping out into the brisk air, I looked out over the streets below then turned to her. She seemed a little worried.
"There's something I need to tell you before I tell the others. It does actually involve what you were asking earlier."
She took my hands in hers and gazed into my eyes, "Only if you want to tell me."
"I do."
Black smiled, something that doesn't occur often but is well worth its rarity. "Alright then."
"Well, it's about the tournament." I started.
She nodded and waited for me to continue.
The wind died down as if the world knew something was going on and wanted to listen in on our conversation. I could no longer hear the people below as everything grew quiet.
"And, well." I hesitated but continued, "It's also about my brother…"
3rd Person
(Time Skip, that scene was important but will be revealed at another time)
A new day dawned and Beacon Academy was bustling with energy. Students were already up and preparing for what was to come. My team being one of the first up, then we quickly gathered the other teams in our little circle of friends.
Teams RWBY and JNPR were up in no time. Apparently Ruby already had a plan to wake her teammates with the use of a little red whistle. "Ouch, I feel bad for Blake."
Jaune got his team up much more sensibly, and finally team SNAR, across the hall from us, was the last ones up and ready to go. We made our way out of Beacon and headed into Vale by airship. Landing and stepping out, we noticed something drastically different.
The entirety of Vale was nearly vacant. No one was on the street, the sidewalks were barren except for one or two people. But there was a certain anxiousness hanging in the air, enough so that it drew everyone's attention to the coliseum that towered over the buildings. The arena located deep in the center of Vale city.
"Eeeeek, isn't this exciting!" Ruby squealed, hugging her crescent rose as she jumped in her place.
"No kidding, we get to fight all kinds of people in the competition!" Yang exclaimed, also as excited as her younger sister.
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Skyla yelled. Then Nora instinctively followed up with, "TO WAR!"
The two energetic girls charged off towards the coliseum, soon followed closely by Ruby and Yang, then a reluctant Weiss. "Hey, slow down or you won't be prepared for the Vale Champion Tournament!" She called out as she chased down her young leader.
Allix shrugged and started running as well, she was then followed by Anna and Rex, then also Sun and Neptune. Jaune and Pyrrha followed them and easily caught up to Rex and the others.
Rideat, Blake, and Xera exchanged glances. Well, if Rideat could even do that.
"I'm not running." Xera stated flatly.
Blake smirked and nudged his shoulder, "How about a race. That'll give you a reason to run."
Xera stood there, completely motionless but a smirk across his face. Rideat chuckled and shook his head before taking off. Three seconds passed before Blake realized what happened and cursed under her breath, taking off towards the distant group.
Xera still stood there, motionless for another 2 seconds before vanishing. The hologram expending its time. Xera smirked to himself as he was running well ahead of Blake and Rideat, almost able to trick them with his Deception ability.
Soon enough, they all made it to the coliseum in record time. Bursting through the large open doors and columns, they approached the front desk. Inside was an extremely tall room that was supported by numerous decorative columns. The floor was made of marble and the ceiling gave a magnificent arc in its shape.
"Hello, welcome to the Vale's Champion Tournament. I assume you're all here to participate?" The woman behind the front desk asked.
"Heck yeah, we're here to participate! What kind of group of pedestrians would run through those doors like idiots and geared with weaponry?" Xera stated, earning a couple giggle and chuckles from the group.
Even the woman behind the desk chuckled to herself as she showed the group to the competitor's room. There were refreshments set up and food available to everyone in the room. They were able to get the large room to themselves as there were multiple others for the other people who signed up. Vending machines were placed against the wall as well, along with a balcony that over-looked the stadium.
"Woah, guys check this out!" Skyla said in awe, looking out into the coliseum from the balcony.
The coliseum was huge, the stands that circled the central arena were filled to the brim with Vale citizens and the atmosphere was tense. People were still finding their seats and moving around, gathering food and drinks in preparation for the tournament. The center of the coliseum was a huge circular arena. The ground was covered in sand and columns stood around the edges of the arena floor. The sun was just peaking over the top of the tall walls and pillars, shining into the huge building and creating a beautiful sight to take in.
*Knock Knock Knock*
Xera turned to see Ruby dash over and open the door. Outside in the hall stood four other teens our age. One of them I recognized but the others were strangers to me.
"Oh, hey guys!" Skyla called from behind me, waving them in.
The four walked in, the Irish guy Ruby and I met earlier this week walked behind a white haired teen. He had purple eyes and was just as tall as the Irish one. He had a scar over his eye and a halberd strapped to his back, resembling a dragon. He wore black pants and a red shirt beneath a black vest.
Behind those two walked in another teen with short, brown hair. It was kind of parted on the right and slightly messy. He had green eyes with silver flecks in the colors. He also stood at around 6 feet tall, much like the two before him but slightly shorter, about an inch or so.
The green haired teen wore a grey zip-up hoodie over a green shirt and washed out jeans, along with green tennis shoes. On his back was a two-tone green and grey back pack with all kinds of pockets and compartments. Strapped to his backpack was some sort of double barreled rifle, with the dual barrels one over the other, not side by side.
Lastly walked in another guy but he wore a black and silver rove and hood. He had dirty blond hair and interesting eyes. One was blue and the other green. He was shorter than the rest but not by much, standing at around 5'9".
All of the guys were obviously human.
"Hey, we're in the room next door. We just wanted to meet some of the competition and it appears we are definitely in for a fight." The white haired teen spoke smoothly.
"Yup, there's Daemon for you." The guy in the hood spoke.
"Right, where are my manners. My name is Daemon Rasputin." He gave a bow and then turned to the Irish guy.
"My name's Patrick O'Harry, and did you guys know they don't have these rooms stocked with mead." He ended in a disappointed tone, turning his wooden mug upside down and watching as nothing fell out of it.
The boy in the robe spoke up next, "I'm Melvin Longfellow, and I was the one who hid the mead." He smiled, gaining a confused look from Patrick which quickly turned into a shocked glare.
Lastly was the green haired teen, "Hi, my name's Green Tsukayoshi."
"As in the color?" Nora asked.
He looked at her, then to Skyla for some reason then back to Nora. "Sure." He responded.
And there we go, we're here. The tournament is being held in a magnificent Coliseum. I've always wanted to do that. Next chapter is where we start the battles and start our journey through the brackets I made for all the competitors. Officially, and off the record because things can always go wrong, there are 36 competitors. 10 of which are canon characters, the other 26 are all OC. Now that I just wrote that, man am I hyped for this! I never actually thought about it that way. Anyway, I seriously hope you guys will enjoy what we'll be putting out for this tournament. I can't even fathom how I'm able to remember all these OC's but it will undoubtedly be tons of fun to write. This has been Xera, Favorite…Follow…REVIEW…have a good one guys!
Cya :D
