A/N: Hello Interwebz, ZEN is back and we just had a special treat come in yesterday. The first trailer for Vol 5 has finally been released, and it features everyone's favorite Ice Queen. It's absolutely stunning to see how far RT has come over the years in their animation, and while many fans were left disappointed in that regard for Vol 4, I think Vol 5 won't have that problem. Monty would be proud to see his dream grow and continue. If you haven't checked it out already, go over to RT or Youtube and give that video a click. It's well worth the watch.
Also, to anyone who wants to send me a PM, please make sure your profile is set to receive PMs in return. I can't reply to you otherwise. As always, thank you to everybody for their continued support. Now, back to the show!
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and RT.
The four warriors launched into action at Professor Port's announcement. Emerald opened fire with her revolvers while Mercury surged forward with an aura enhanced flying side-kick. Cyan stepped backwards and deftly caught the armored boot with his gauntlet-clad hand, the blow sending him skidding backwards several meters. Raine rushed through the hailstorm of gunfire, parrying with Tempest as he closed the distance and lashed out, forcing Emerald to swap to her sickles. They collided with a shower of sparks. A wordless agreement was shared between them; this was a match for blood.
Mercury gave a cocky smirk as he fired a round from his caught heel, the young man blasting out of his opponent's grip with a flip. He landed deftly on his feet and pressed forward in his assault, attacking in a barrage of blows with his cybernetically enhanced legs. Cyan kept decent pace, Baal sparking against the armored faces of Mercury's boots. He raised his gauntlet high when the steel teen jumped and swung his leg around in an arc, his heel coming crashing down like an ax upon Cyan's guard. The ground splintered beneath the giant's feet.
Angered that he was forced into the defensive, Cyan reached up and gripped Mercury's leg with his left hand. The mercenary's eyes widened at the action as he was suddenly swung about like a rag doll, Cyan pummeling him against the arena floor in a brutal display. The larger fighter then reared back and hurled Mercury into the urban zone of the arena, sending the mercenary's form spinning. Whether by skill or dumb luck, Mercury stabilized his flight just in time to land against the wall of a ruined building in a deep stance, his right leg stretched to the side and his body leaning forward to balance himself with his hand. That cocky smile remained as he lifted his head to stare down his opponent.
"Whoa, he's good," commented Sun with awe.
"His aura barely dropped after taking hits like that," Sage muttered. "That Mercury guy must be tough."
Cinder crossed her legs as she watched the match from the front row with a critical eye. That brute Gideon was of little concern to her, especially when paired against an opponent like Mercury. The talkative mercenary wasn't just empty bluster. His father molded him into a weapon, a true killing machine, and she had perfected his abilities by gifting him with his prosthetic legs. Whatever tricks Gideon had planned, she remained confident that Mercury would adapt and overcome. Rather, her attention was focused far more on her protege crossing blades with the offspring of an extinct warrior caste. Today she hoped to gauge the full extent of Raine Zaffre's abilities, and whether or not his eyes would pose a danger to her coming ascension.
The young man in question clashed furiously against the agile jadette, the pair twisting and spinning around each other in a dizzying storm of steel. He parried, she countered. Back and forth they went as they kicked up a cloud of dust amongst their feet. Steadily, he pushed her towards the savanna section of the arena, but that wasn't to say her giving ground was a sign of loss. She crouched low underneath an overhead swing from Raine, lunging forward with her kusarigama and grazing the hook across his chest. His eyes widened at the connection while his aura took a slight hit, surprised that she managed to get within his guard. His eyes narrowed, his free hand grasping her wrist before she could retreat.
Taking a page out of his partner's book, Raine pulled her forward and drove his knee into her abdomen, the blow forcing the wind from her lungs and returning their aura levels to even ground. He capitalized on her stunned form, pummeling her with a series of kicks that battered against her defenses, and launched her airborne with a hard strike to her chin.
"C'mon Raine! Get her!" cheered Yang as she watched him take control of the duel.
"Show her who's boss!" added Ruby.
Emerald grit her teeth as her jaw throbbed with pain. Zaffre was good, very good, and she'd be hard pressed to keep up if they fought on even ground. As if to prove her point, Raine appeared in front of her with a flash step, Tempest brought back as he swung powerfully into her hastily raised guard. The strike sent her rocketing into the forest section below. Spinning with her momentum, Emerald vaulted from branch to branch, drawing out her landing to put her deeper into the forest. The cover of the foliage was an advantage she intended to use fully. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a blade hurtling out of the canopy, its chain jingling in a trail.
Raine landed deftly with light feet, blade raised as he turned to help Cyan with his fight, only to stop when Emerald's kusarigama wrapped around his midsection.
"Oh... crapbaskets," he muttered to himself, grunting as he was unceremoniously pulled into the treeline.
"Raine!" Ruby cried out in alarm as she watched him get reeled in like a fish by the elder huntress.
"He'll be fine," chided Weiss. "He's fought much worse before."
"I know that much, but I still want him to win," Ruby replied with a pout as she crossed her arms.
Cyan wasn't faring much better. He roared as he swung heavily, but his opponent was far more agile than the desert-borne brute. Mercury smirked as he ducked underneath a bladed swipe from Baal, the smaller man launching himself into the air with a gunshot assisted back-flip, his heel catching Cyan on the chin. Cyan stumbled backward from the blow, groaning in pain as Mercury landed, the steel themed mercenary jumping forward and planting both feet into Cyan's chest with a drop-kick. Another pair of blasts from his gunboots sent the larger warrior crashing into a ruined building. Mercury smiled as he skid to a stop with his landing; this guy seemed all brawn and no brains. To think he actually seemed threatening when they met in that alleyway.
"Oh c'mon," Mercury drawled in his taunt. "A champion from the Kingdom of Vacuo has to be stronger than this. Or does Raine wear the pants in the relationship?"
Cyan growled at the taunting as he picked himself out of the rubble, the various fragments of concrete that littered his form falling aside. He wanted a champion? He'd show him a champion. Lowering his stance, he channeled his aura into Baal's inner workings, the gauntlet sparking and crackling with power as its claws retracted back into their sheathes. He reared back as if preparing a mighty punch, when the energy discharged and he shot forward like a cannonball. Mercury was unprepared for the sudden attack and took the punch in its entirety, the steel-themed teen sent crashing into a building behind him. The force of the attack shook the mock apartment block to its foundations, its entire form collapsing in on itself. Mercury's aura responded appropriately, dropping to 50% in one shot.
"Ahhhh... bitch please," Cyan snarled back with a sneer, his left hand massaging his stinging right.
Baal hissed as it expelled all the built up heat, its plates splitting open with a rush of steam.
"Whoa mama... I think I'm in love," swooned Yang as she fanned herself. "He literally just punched Mercury through a building. That was just smashing!"
"Shut up!" chorused her friends, leaving the sunny dragon to sulk.
Mercury let out a gasp of pain as he picked himself up from the ruined asphalt. He watched with wide eyes as the apartment block was reduced to rubble, the collapse kicking up a massive cloud of dust that completely obscured his vision. He wiped at his mouth with a fist, the back of his hand stained red; the big guy busted his lip open. He only smiled wider; oh this was going to be fun. It was time for payback for that embarrassment he was handed in the alley.
Bouncing on his toes to loosen out the kinks that blow gave him, Mercury soon took off through the cloudy streets, taking full advantage of the musty fog his opponent had just handed to him. Cyan seemed to realize his position as well, as he tensed himself amongst the haze that saturated this portion of the arena. He could really use Raine's wind right now. It was at that moment that the giant from Vacuo was forced back on the defensive as Mercury struck out from within the shroud with a flying sidekick. The blow landed solidly against a cross guard hastily raised in defense. Mercury then vaulted backwards with an assist from his gunboots. As quickly as he came, he disappeared back into the fog of war.
"Coward," Cyan yelled into the haze. "Come out and fight like a real man."
A silvery blast from the kickboxer's boot rocketed towards Cyan in response, forcing the brawler to duck to the side. A second followed, then a third as Mercury assaulted his burly opponent from afar. Unable to dodge the sudden barrage of blasts, Cyan was forced to hunker down and take the hits, his aura dwindling away with each passing attack. This flurry of new activity blew away the dust steadily and surely, until Mercury's spinning form was revealed, the teen rolling on his shoulders and hands as he fired a swarm of blasts into the air.
Cyan watched with awe as a literal storm of dust rounds circled around him like a cyclone. With a roar, Mercury sent the flurry plummeting down on his target, the blasts detonating with the force of grenades and scattering a white mist amongst the battlefield. Cyan grit his teeth as he endured the assault. Each blast felt like an aura enhanced punch, and he was on the receiving end for the entire salvo. Capitalizing on Cyan's helplessness, Mercury leaped forward with a shotgun enhanced jump, gaining superior altitude on his opponent and charging up his aura for his finisher. He descended with a fury reminiscent of a fallen God.
"Olympian's Wrath!" he announced on his descent, his form spinning with a corkscrew kick and wreathed with a dark silver aura.
The blow came with a crack, Cyan's form rocked with whiplash as Mercury's steel-plated boot connected with his jaw. The force from the strike sent him tumbling across the street and landing in a heap up against a ruined staircase; his aura dropped to 30%.
"Jeez, I hope the big guy is still alive after that," commented Sun as he leaned forward.
"After a hit like that to the face? Somehow I doubt it," grumbled Sage, still sore from the manhandling he was given in their own fight.
"It doesn't matter; his aura meter is still ok," pointed out Scarlet.
Mercury ran a hand through his hair as he landed with a smile. The brute actually survived that attack. No matter; the money for this win was already in the bag. He waited expectantly for the next overcharged punch, this time bracing himself in preparation. What he did not expect was an eruption of light blue aura exploding from Cyan's form.
"What's this? It appears Mr. Gideon is activating his Semblance!" announced Port, his normally squinted eyes widening with shock.
"And just what kind of Semblance would that be, Professor?" queried Oobleck.
"Something rare, powerful, but most importantly, primal! Ladies and gentlemen... feast your eyes on the Lion of Vacuo!"
Down in the arena, Cyan roared with bestial rage, his form convulsing and radiating a light blue aura. He shuddered as he stood upright, before collapsing forward onto his hands and knees. Baal popped off of his wrist as his skeletal structure reshaped itself, his hands and fingers thickening into digitigrade paws and his nails enlarging into razor sharp claws. His nose extended into muzzle and his light blue hair rapidly grew out into a mane, bushy and wild. His sea green irises lengthened into slits reminiscent of a feline and faded into a golden amber color, and his muscles grew beneath the body suit, the synthetic leather stretching to accommodate his new form. Fur of the same shade of his mane emerged from within the suit, until his entire form was completely coated. Finally, a long feline tail in the same shade as his mane and with a bushy tip extended out into the air. His transformation was complete; a massive lion 6 meters in length, double the natural counterpart, and standing as tall as a grown man. True to form, the youth let out an earth-shattering roar that shook the very foundations of the Colosseum, and for the first time in years, Mercury felt true fear as he stared down the apex predator that began to circle him like prey.
"What the hell is this?!" shrieked a shocked Weiss. "Blake! Explain!"
"Don't look at me, I'm as lost as you are," the feline girl responded with awe. "I didn't think he was a Faunus to begin with, but something like this is..."
"Cyan is different from the rest of us," explained Arianna with her arms crossed, a hard expression on her face. "He hails from a group of Faunus nomads called Changelings whose auras became intimately connected with the natural world of Remnant. As their name implies, each Changeling is able to take upon the forms of certain animals they resonate with, and gain all the perks that comes with that animal. In Cyan's case, it was the apex predators that roam the rolling savannas between Vale and Vacuo. It's why he is always so brutal in his fights, and so merciless with his opponents. It's his primal side fighting to take over his human side, and violence always brings it out."
"Changelings... I always thought they were just a myth," Ren mused out-loud. "I would never have believed it had I not been here to see this in person."
"Break his legs, Simba!" cheered Nora.
"Mama likey..." growled Yang.
"Oh of course you would look at it like that," ground out Weiss as she clenched her hands in irritation. "So if he's a Faunus, then where's his Faunus trait?"
Arianna looked at the Heiress with confusion.
"You've never noticed the fangs?" she asked with bewilderment.
Weiss, and by extension her team, stopped themselves from retorting. Saving their dignity on that matter, they returned their attention to the battle at hand.
Back in the forests, Raine grit his teeth as the branches pricked at his skin, the chain that had hooked him pulled taut by his attacker. He unceremoniously crumpled against a thick tree, collapsing to his feet as the kusarigama pulled free from his form. Raine straightened himself as he rose to his feet, wary of his surroundings and feeling an odd sense of deja vu. Silver irises scanned the canopy for his quarry as he sheathed Tempest and drew Hurricane from his belt.
"Come out come out wherever you are..." he said quietly to himself as he raised Hurricane at the ready, until a flash of movement caught his eye.
Emerald was crouched low, her revolvers drawn as she opened fire on the Caelesti. Raine took off in a run, Hurricane raised in his right hand as he returned fire. He took to the trees as well as the pair vaulted from branch to branch, a storm of bullets erupting between them. A ringing of ricochets echoed throughout the trees, accompanied by rustling branches and controlled breaths. The clicks of empty chambers signaled the end of the firefight, but the duel was far from over as they moved in on each other again, blades once more clashing with an explosion of sparks.
Emerald swung mightily with her kusarigama, doing her best to keep Raine at bay and regain the advantage of distance. The scythes crashed against Tempest with a ring of steel, the two combatants perched upon the wide form of a branch, but she wasn't done with her assault. She spun on her heel and sent a spinning side kick into his chest. The blow knocked the wind from his lungs and flung him back down upon the forest floor. Grasping forward, his hand made a pulling motion as a sudden gust of wind yanked Emerald down with him. She yelped as she fell, the pair hitting the ground with as graceful of landings as they could muster.
Raine closed the distance quickly, intent on keeping her under pressure and in his sights. Emerald met his assault with a deft parry, the pair falling into a deadly dance now that they once again had solid ground beneath their feet. With equal parts grace and ferocity, the pair twisted around each other, lashing out with agile spins and deadly thrusts. Emerald's perception seemed to slow as Tempest's tip came dangerously close to her eyes, the razor sharp blade carving a few strands of hair in two. Growling and gritting her teeth, she spun and hopped backwards, flicking a blade at her opponent which Raine quickly parried with a swipe of his own. She smirked as she grasped the chain and, with a quick downward yank, pulled the spinning kusarigama whirling towards his head.
Raine seemed to anticipate her feint and crouched as swiftly as he could, the scythe's fine edge taking a few strands of hair of its own as it passed over his crown. Legs coiled, he leaped forward once more, Tempest raised as the two combatants crashed into each other, neither willing to give ground.
"You've got some skill, that's for sure," Raine complimented through clenched teeth.
"Don't think you can flatter your way out of this," Emerald bit back.
"What? You think I'm coming on to you? Sorry, but I already have a girl!"
They wrestled back and forth with their blades, a test of agility and finesse reduced to a contest of sheer strength and will. Desperate to regain her distance, Emerald forced the lock to and fro, until finally she seized an opportunity when she forced their blades high. His chest now open to attack, she lashed out with a snap kick, sending him stumbling back. Now free of his presence, Emerald jumped backwards and drew upon her Semblance, disappearing from his sight. By the time Raine had righted himself, she was long gone.
Huffing with frustration, Raine held Tempest at the ready as he watched and waited for her to strike again, but it never came. Confused, he began walking through the forest with his guard raised. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end at this game of cat and mouse she had reeled him into.
"Where are you...?" he whispered to himself, his senses extending out to cover the entirety of the arena.
"Raine!" came a sudden and familiar voice.
Raine looked over his shoulder to find Cyan approaching him casually, claws extended and body fairly weathered.
"Cyan? What are you doing here? Nevermind, just be careful. She's taken cover up in the trees."
"Oh! A heavy blow from Cyan Gideon! That punch sent Mercury clear through solid concrete!" came Port's booming voice.
"Hold on, what?" Raine said, suddenly confused.
He glanced up at the megascreen as the cameras did an action replay of Cyan's supercharged punch. Bewildered, Raine swung his head back to where his partner was supposed to be standing, only to find an empty clearing greeting him. His eyes narrowed as he focused his senses, searching for a tell-tale sign of his elusive opponent. Tempest raised, he proceeded more cautiously through the brush.
Little did he know that Emerald had been stalking him from behind, kusarigama raised as she moved in for the kill. She smirked to herself. Guardian or not, he was still a human man with clear weaknesses. She almost lamented on how easily she had ensnared him in her trap. Poised to strike, she lunged forward, intent on slicing into his back. The strike came with no forewarning, Raine stumbling forward from the blow as his aura took a heavy hit.
He spun on his heel as he regained his balance, but rather than finding her, he was met with an empty treeline and the low rumble of the audience. How could she possibly...? Phasing in and out of sight, seeing his best friend in two places at once... until realization dawned upon him; she was using illusions. No wonder his eyes seemed to itch all of a sudden. A frown marring his features, he pondered on how to proceed next.
"She's going to keep striking out at me until she chips my aura down to nothing," he thought to himself. "My eyes probably could see right through her, but I don't want to broadcast that to the entire world. Maybe I could... no, mother wouldn't approve. She'd tear me a new one if I had tried that here, and even if I did, I'd have to be careful. If I lose control of it, it'll engulf the entire arena, not just this forest."
"Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on the Lion of Vacuo!" Port's voice once again announced and broke Raine from his internal dilemma.
"Caution to the wind, then!" he declared to himself as he pulled a fire dust crystal from his belt pouch. "If Cyan went Primal, that means we're on borrowed time."
He deftly slid the crystal into Tempest's pommel, the blade becoming wreathed in orange flames.
"Clever bit of business you've got going on here, Emerald," he spoke out into the trees. "You almost had me for a moment with your illusions."
Emerald froze on the branch she was perched upon, staring at his back with a sudden bout of anxiety. He figured it out that quickly? How was that even possible? She resisted the urge to fire back at him with her own diatribe. Regardless if he managed to guess at her Semblance, he was still at the mercy of her conjurings. She wasn't going to give him any other hints as to where she actually was by speaking and giving herself away.
"I wonder though," he continued as he began to focus his own Semblance. "Have you ever spent any time in Vacuo? It's actually rather nice this time of year. Can't say I'm much of a fan of the heat though. It really tears apart my concentration."
"Does he really think a little heat is going to stop me?" she wondered with an internal scoff as she watched him raise his ignited blade.
Raine grinned as the flames circled him, much like they did in his duel with Adam. She couldn't hide forever, especially if he forced her out with a flamethrower. The flames grew in intensity, swirling about like a cocoon. He drew upon his amulet, augmenting his inferno's strength further, his form burning even brighter and in ways that would make Yang proud. No Caelesti powers would be needed here. A storm of fire had now engulfed him, the cyclone scorching the ground black with ashes, the embers quickly spreading to the surrounding trees and igniting them by proximity. Emerald's concentration broke as the smoke rolled over her, her eyes burning and coughs wracking at her throat. The illusion fell, leaving her out in the open. Raine turned towards the sound and smiled, his quarry finally revealed.
"Now... burn," he said with a whisper.
With a swing of his sword, Raine unleashed Hell and the roiling flames exploded from his form, their tendrils reaching out to grasp at the alarmed illusionist. Entire swaths of forest were set ablaze by his inferno as he swung Tempest in large circles over his head. His Semblance directed the flames, fanning them towards Emerald's fleeing form. An extra strong push of wind helped his attack catch up, and Emerald screamed as the fire engulfed her, the searing assault almost as strong as Cinder's, her aura quickly draining away down to 12%. The fiery gust picked her up from her feet and tossed her out into the arena's center, thankfully free of the now blazing forest. She let out a gasp of pain as she hit the floor, her skin blistered by enhanced ignition.
She weakly tried to lean up, but was stopped when Raine flash stepped in front of her, Tempest held to her throat.
"Yield," he said simply. "Get back up again, and I'm knocking you down to the ground."
Emerald weakly held out a hand in front of her in a feeble defense, her protective skin of aura drained away. Mentally, she berated herself for not using her Semblance to begin with; Cinder wasn't going to be happy about this. Either way, she still had appearances to keep up, and acting like a sore loser wasn't going to gain anyone's trust.
"I forfeit," she said tiredly, her hand and head dropping in defeat as a buzzer rang out.
She pointedly ignored Port's humiliating announcement. With a smile, Raine sheathed his sword and held out a hand, offering to pull her to her feet.
"That was pretty fun. We should spar again sometime," he suggested amiably.
Emerald watched him with suspicion and confusion, wondering what kind of game he was playing now. Just moments ago, he was ready to kill her. Hesitantly, she reached forward to accept his help, until a savage growling drew their attention.
Mercury backpedaled hastily as the transformed Cyan chased after him, razor sharp claws and massive teeth hacking and gnashing away at the mercenary's retreating form. A rip down the front of his jacket showed that Cyan already had gotten a good hit on him, and despite his aura taking most of the attack, those claws still hurt. What was worse is that his boots had run out of ammo, taking away most of his mobility. The final straw of his misfortune came when he had backed up into a wall, finally cornered by the snarling predator.
"Eheheh, I guess we can't talk about this?" he chuckled nervously as he raised his hands up.
"Cmon you big, dumb animal. Take the bait," he thought hopefully.
Cyan prowled around back and forth as a perpetual rumbling bubbled out of his throat, his prey finally out of options. The beast inside him egged him forward, demanding that he kill, that he slaughter, that he feast. His human side fought back, arguing that this was just a sporting match and not to fall for Mercury's obvious ruse; the beast won out. With a roar, Cyan leaped forward, maw wide open and claws outstretched. Mercury was banking on this, and when he felt the disgustingly humid breath of his opponent, he ducked down below Cyan's biting range. Pushing forward, he sent a powerful side kick into the beast's chest, sending the overgrown feline tumbling backwards with a whimper. Despite this, Cyan was able to roll back to his feet, only more enraged than before, and while his aura was low, it wasn't low enough to constitute a disqualification.
He charged again, muscling through Mercury's desperate punches and sank his teeth into the mercenary's hips and abdomen. Mercury bit back a scream as the fangs pierced through his aura, the warm trickle of blood seeping through his clothing. His only saving grace was the fact that his aura was still strong enough to repair most of the damage. Desperately, he beat his fists against Cyan's head as he struggled to get free, but the beast refused to let go. Like a ragdoll, Mercury was swung around savagely by the primal Huntsman, his aura quickly draining away to nothing as it simultaneously held his hips in place, stitched together his ripping flesh, and weathered against the vicious beat-down against concrete, until at long last the predator seemed satisfied with its work.
With one last swing of his neck, Cyan tossed Mercury into the center of the ring, the now mauled mercenary landing in a crumpled heap next to a shocked Emerald. Knowing the match was over, Raine focused his attention on Cyan, watching and waiting for his human side to regain control while his professors called the match.
Emerald, in a rare show of genuine worry, looked over Mercury's battered form. The young man's clothing was ripped to tatters, but thankfully the tears weren't low enough to reveal his prosthetics. Raw, tender, pink flesh was exposed through the rips as his aura set to work repairing the damage. Had he not been trained as a Huntsman, her less-than-favorable partner would've been torn apart. She figured Raine's team would be strong, but this was ridiculous. Mercury Black, a man she thought was too strong and cocky for his own good, was reduced to a placated child by something more bestial than any Faunus they had ever met in the White Fang.
Mercury sat there panting, his form shuddering in pain, a pain he hadn't felt since he killed his old man. Not even that damn maiden caused him this much misery. While she had definitely done a number on his body, that savage Cyan had not once but twice made a fool out of him. It was downright insulting. Worse still, he made Mercury feel fear, genuine fear, as the predator lurked towards him in those ruins. He was Mercury Black, he didn't fear anything; not Cinder, not the Grimm, and certainly not any Huntsman, yet here he was at the mercy of a mindless animal. Now it was personal. He was going to go out of his way to find and murder that bastard once Cinder released him from his employment, but for now, he would play the good boy and victim.
"Merc... you alright?" Emerald asked carefully.
"Shut up," he growled back.
She scoffed at his answer. Yeah, he was fine. Warily, she returned her attention to Raine and his teammate, or at least what was left of his teammate.
"Ok Cyan, you can back down now," Raine reasoned as he approached his still growling friend. "Time to come back out. I know you're still in there, big guy."
Cyan tensed as Raine approached him, his form lowering as if to pounce. The beast bared its fangs at its team leader, as if he were just another victim waiting to get torn apart. Claws extended from within their sheathes, and a low, loud growl rumbled out from his throat.
"Cyan," Raine repeated more forcefully, his eyes wary of the Atlas soldiers that were getting ready to move in from the sidelines. "Wake up."
Panting from the activity, Cyan remained tense until something in his mind gave him clarity. Muscles relaxing, the beast backed down, its form reverting back to its human state. Claws retracted, fur disappeared, the tail shrank back to nothing as it receded away. The popping of joints echoed out as his body reshaped itself once more, until finally the beast was gone, replaced by a man, an exhausted man with a pounding headache.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Cyan grumbled.
"How long has it been?" Raine asked.
"Over a year," Cyan answered.
Despite the sharp migraine and the feeling of fire in his joints, Cyan still managed a smirk as he looked upon the conquered forms of Emerald and Mercury, the former disturbed by the transformation he took and the latter livid. With difficulty, the pair climbed to their feet and made to leave, giving the two men from Team ARC a wide berth.
"This isn't over. You better watch your back, Gideon," snarled Mercury as he held his marred side.
"Is that a threat?" Cyan growled back.
"It's a promise," replied the mercenary as he turned to leave, Emerald hastily following after him, eager to get away from the Changeling.
Cyan stepped forward to confront the kick-boxer, but Raine stopped him with a hand to his chest.
"Let it go," his leader ordered, to which Cyan reluctantly complied.
Up in the stands, Ruby, Yang, Arianna, Jaune, and Nora cheered happily for the victorious duo, while Pyrrha and Ren politely clapped with wide smiles. The only ones not fully taking part in the celebrations were Weiss and Blake, though for two different reasons.
Blake was left to ponder over everything she was taught about her people. Her entire life she thought they simply shared some traits with the other animals of the world, along with some enhanced senses to help them survive, but it was clear it ran much deeper than that. There was only so much her parents could teach her, and after her father left the White Fang, she had cut herself off from them, angered at what she perceived as cowardice. She felt like she should reach out to them, ask them about these Changelings, but after years of ignoring their attempts to reach her, she wasn't sure if she could. A group of Faunus had learned to take on the forms of the animals they resembled? That seemed like something out of a fairy tale. She remained in her seat, her expression troubled.
Weiss ignored the ecstatic cheering of her leader and partner, her hands gripping angrily at the armrests of her chair as she watched Raine and Cyan leave the arena to join them. While visibly disturbed at Cyan's transformation, she felt she could work past it since he demonstrated some level of control over the form. He hadn't killed Mercury, and though it took a few more words than she was comfortable with, the man obeyed and backed down at Raine's command. Raine... it was all coming back around to him. Her frustrations were bubbling up once more, not just with missing out on her chance with him, but at how he seemed to be out pacing her so easily in training. Despite all of her hard work, her dedication, and her unwavering devotion to Winter's teachings, she still felt she was miles behind the wayward swordsman. Her long overdue training session with her older sister had rudely reminded her how much further she had to go, but watching the leader of Team ARC walk away from the stage barely winded only grated at her insecurities even further.
With a small growl of her own, Weiss all but jumped out of her seat, startling her teammates.
"Weiss? What's wrong?" Ruby asked worriedly. "Don't you want to congratulate our friends?"
"No," the Heiress replied stiffly. "I'm going to go take a walk, clear my head."
Re-adopting her Ice Queen exterior, she quickly left her team and disappeared into the crowd.
"What's up with her...?" questioned Yang.
"I dunno..." said Ruby apprehensively. "Maybe I should go talk to her."
She tried to follow after her bestie, but Arianna stopped her with a firm hand on her wrist.
"Let her have some space. She probably needs to remind herself that not all of us Faunus are mindless animals, especially after Cyan pulled out his trump card," the monkey girl reasoned.
"I thought she had gotten past that?" remarked Yang with a frown.
"Old habits always die the hardest," murmured Blake.
On the opposite end of the arena, Cinder sat in silent contemplation. She hadn't expected her two charges to lose their battle that easily, especially in Emerald's case. It seemed she had given the thief a bit too much credit in her skills, given that the girl couldn't force Raine to draw out his eyes. Mercury was going to be another issue altogether. She doubted the mercenary would be receptive to her commands unless it involved Gideon in some capacity. Granted, there was no small amount of amusement in Cinder's mind when she witnessed him being stalked like a helpless dog, but the boy would hold a grudge against anyone that made a fool out of him. It made him careless and sloppy, a pair of traits they couldn't afford in these last, critical moments. All the same, a gift had been dropped into her lap with this match; Cyan's Semblance.
Fortune smiled upon her once again. The disquieted whispers amongst the human attendees was all the evidence she needed. While the more enlightened of individuals accepted the Faunus fully, they were a drastically outnumbered minority, and the entire world had essentially witnessed a Faunus go savage. It didn't matter to the simple minds that Raine had demonstrated command over Cyan in his beast form, only that a Faunus was able to turn into a beast in the first place. Changelings kept themselves hidden for a reason, Faunus changelings doubly so, yet this one announced his faulty control to the world. Once again the plan needed adjusting, but this time it was for the better. Everything was going exactly as how she needed it to go.
She clapped silently with a knowing smile as the victorious duo returned to their teams.
"Bravo to the both of you," she whispered. "To the victor... goes the spoils."
Yes indeed; to the victor goes the spoils.
A/N: Another doubles match is finally out of the way. I have to admit I've been looking forward to writing this fight since I finished Breach, and yet when I finally got here, Writer's Block had decided to rear its ugly head. Regardless, it's here now in all of its glory.
I got the idea of Changelings after RT showed that Qrow's shape-shifting wasn't his Semblance. Despite being a learned technique, the specifics of a Changeling's Beast Form still meet the criteria of a Semblance in that the forms are unique to the individual. The transformation matches the species that person connects with the most. In Cyan's case, it's a lion due to his ferocity in battle, his great strength and size, and his love of naps. Also, I couldn't resist the chance of mauling Mercury, or punching him through a building. Brownie points to anyone who can guess where I got that move from. He needed to be taken down a peg or two.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed what you've read. If you haven't already, show your support by hitting the follow and favorite buttons, and if you want to share your thoughts on the chapter, feel free to leave me a review. Till next time!