Saria may have never seen a duel before assisting Link, but she knew the basics. She'd heard Link talk about them before. Standing on opposite sides, preparing to fight someone, but not to the death, using all your abilities to your advantage, and often to the entertainment of the crowd.
While she was just overjoyed to see Link smile as he talked about his victories and how he struggled through tougher opponents, she never forgot how he always described the other soldiers, generals, or even the Queen watch them. They always cheered, always roused the fighters, and always enjoyed it when the strongest among them showed why they were the best.
With the match starting, Saria was beginning to see why that was.
Glyphs and runes appeared out of thin air around Winter, exploding much like the domes of ice she could craft with her magic. So quickly did they appear and then disintegrate that she thought them objects thrown in the air, and the Forest Sage would have sworn by such, were it not for having seen the Knight fight before.
She could see her swinging her sword, directing and cutting through glyphs that she created, giant emblems of power growing from them with such speed and precision, the uninterested or informed may think it natural. But as one who grew up among forest spirits and other creatures of magic, she knew the importance of every glyph, curve, and stride.
So, Saria was impressed as those runes exploded much like Link's bombs, but left not fire and ruin, but creatures. Giant pale creatures that looked so much like monsters.
"Beowolves, Ursa, Loliths, a Grammite, no, several," Ozpin listed next to her. His cane topped as she noted them. "Her amount of control and memory for them must be grand to be able to conjure them."
"She is the most skilled of her siblings, and I'd be the first to argue of her family line." Saria had no point of reference to contend with the General's words. "But aside from her skill and talent, I believe her focus also deserves rewards."
"How so?"
"How easy would you find it to control your full strength beneath a thunder cloud?" Under threat of being struck, perhaps. Saria hummed at the idea.
"Do not let Glynda hear me, but with her around, I am constantly under one." Saria had to giggle at that. "But your Specialist's talent aside, I believe Carmine is also preparing herself." She was lucky to have heard the Headmaster to say such.
Looking back at the field of grass, the one the colorfully dressed woman was hidden in, an arc started to form. It reminded her of watching a deku scrub run through the tall grass in the Lost woods, until she realized the grass wasn't just parting, it was falling. Falling in a long-curved pattern, arching around the inside of the field she had been set up. It began to leave empty patches of the terrain. Then it reminded her of something else entirely.
"I would almost think it was Link in there, did I not see him finding perch on the trees." She let out a long sigh, putting a hand to the window. "Especially not when they sound so eager to assist him."
"I think if they start to bend and wave to allow Link to fight from them, it will raise a great many questions from the crowd." Saria shook her head.
"Have you ever seen the trees bend without breaking? Have you seen them offer more than perch to fire from?" Ozpin rolled his eyes at her question. "You offered an answer, and I'm giving you a more proper question."
"And I want to watch the fight," Ironwood spoke up. "At least what Carmine is intending to do with all that cut grass." Saria had little doubt they would soon find out. Link shredded them to find the secrets the Minish may leave behind, those small precious spirits. The colorful woman, whom she had been told hailed from a desert, likely had not interacted with them. The tangent aside, it only made her curious what this Carmine was going to do with them. "If I recall, Theodore said that she was a lot like Glynda."
"Port said the same thing," Ironwood spoke back, and I believe we're about to see why. Saria was already beginning to understand.
The first clues came when the grass that had been cut didn't settle on the ground. The blades continued to churn in the air, moving around as the 'path' was cut through the plain grass. They turned from spread out particles of dust, the wisps of the wood, to a light fog trailing behind the path. A growing storm even, one that seemed comparable to the cloud hovering over Winter Schnee.
The cloud grew, and size of it immense, until the field was lost in the middle of a giant billowing artifact of cut grass and tanned lined. Saria wasn't impressed, but she understood the logic.
"Moving cover," so did the General. "I suppose when you lack the strength of a hero or training of a soldier, you make up for it with craftiness."
"Indeed so, and she is known to use those abilities well in Vacou, enough to make her the champion here." Ozpin hummed. "Though I feel as if Winter and her are thinking the same thing."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing, just that I can't see Carmine in that giant cloud of grass," Ozpin pointed out the window with his cane. "The same way I can no longer see Winter between all those Grimm and the storm clouds above her." Saria made an 'ah' sound.
Sure enough, for all that Saria's emerald eyes scanned the rocky ground, she couldn't see the white coat of the Schnee. Hidden in the midst of the many monsters she summoned or not, it didn't matter. She was no longer an easy target.
"That is smart, is it not? Hiding to strike?"
"Like I said, she and Carmine are thinking much alike." Ozpin rolled his shoulders. "Which now only makes me wonder what it is that Link and Volga will do. Unless I'm missing another ability of Link's I do not believe he has suddenly gained or had the power to create such cover." Not like those two, no.
"He does not, but why would he need to?"
"True, the trees are all the cover he needs." Ironwood agreed. "And I saw him with that bow before, during the training with the students. I'd dare to say he's more deadly than your average gunman."
"Average? I believe he's far better than even the peak marksman," Ozpin offered in return. "Unless you are about to inform me the Atlas Military has devised small arms capable of creating infernos, glaciers, or storms with their ammunition." The comment made the general snap his fingers.
"Ah yes, I forgot about that." Saria doubted he truly did. "But such aside, I believe they're in a stalemate." He was right about that at least. The commentators agreed.
"Early into the match and so far, all the champions have made their ground secure! An excellent first move, building up your home field. Why it would be foolish to run into hostile territory, and these Hunters are showing their intelligence with their skill, putting up walls before laying down bridges."
"Intelligent, but a stopgap, temporary, necessary, but not permanent. Action must be taken, swiftly, or else measures will decay." Saria was sure he was correct, but she doubted the monsters, storm of blades, let alone the forest, would decay so fast.
"Link hiding in the woods, Winter amongst her pack of monsters, Carmine in the field of grass, and Volga atop his mountain. Who is the most exposed?" The answer would be obvious to Link, even before he left the Lost Woods.
"The only one you can see, I'd wager," Ozpin humorously offered back. "I suppose that means he'll be the first to strike." The Headmaster proved his worth as an instructor with those words.
No sooner was the comment made than did the Dragon Knight rise up from his perch on the mountain top, wings unfolding behind him and with the lance at his side. Even if he was too far away for her to see his eyes, she could tell he was surveying his opponents, much Link must be doing as well. Link, however, was the fighter who listened the woods, and struck only when it was time.
Volga, as demonstrated, was like a dragon. And no dragon in all of Hyrule's history was patient.
Especially when he jumped from his small mountain, bounding down its rocky slope with almost practiced ease.
"And it looks as if Volga is the first to act!" Professor Port spoke up. "Such agility for such an armored Hunter. One has to wonder who he will strike at first!" Saria did not.
Not when quickly tore down the mountain, running towards the cut grass storm that hid Carmine.
"Here we go," Ironwood announced.
The dragon knight tore into the billowing mass of bladed grass so much like a rock thrown into a pond. It punctured a hole into the veritable storm, blowing a non-insignificant number of the grass away. But much like a rock into spring water, he was quickly swallowed by it.
Saria could easily make out the man's red-tinted armor in the tan grass, watching him swing his lance inside of the storm, beating at the storm. It would have been impressive, if it did not remind her of Link or his daughter in their early years, fighting against the water as if capable of quelling a storm.
"Odd tactic, nonsensical. Swinging in a storm of blades." The doctor agreed with her. "Purpose? Meaning? Simply no thought to charge?" The crowd seemed to agree, seeing as the few that weren't cheering for the display of Carmine's power were laughing. Saria could hear them, because Link was among their number.
"That is… not what I expected." Ironwood spoke, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Though I have no qualms about another school making a fool of themselves, I was hoping for more of a… show, I suppose." Saria understood, and she didn't.
"You presume that is all he is doing? Swinging wildly?" She asked as the Dragon Knight, again, was barely swinging hurling and slicing with his long lance. He effectively cut the grass and air in front of him, but much like with any weapon, the void was quickly filled. "There is no other purpose to his tactics?"
"Were the storm dying down or Carmine losing Aura, I'd agree with you. However, it looks as if the famed Hunter of Mistral is the one being chipped away at." He pointed towards their Aura, the measurement of their defenses, and Saria could see what he meant.
Though all four fighters had their 'Aura's' still in the green, Volga was the only one slowly losing his advantage. Slow, however, was the operative word. The day she had watched sap seep from the drunk of a maple tree to its roots seemed to be a faster show than this. Saria was impressed, if only for one reason.
"How powerful must the powers of Carmine be to make the blades of grass strike at an armored for effectively?" She truly did not know, for she always used the weight of timber to help her.
"Fairly so, and it shows. For one who was supposed to be more thoughtful with the few means she has, this makes sense. She hardly has the backing, tools, or experience of the others. So, she makes do with what she has." Ozpin hummed in agreement. "Though it does leave question what Volga is still doing."
Saria agreed, though not because she thought him a fool. She couldn't.
Even if it was only by the similarity of names, she heard Link tell tales of a Dragon of Death Mountain. She had never seen it, witnessed it, or bore hatred for it, but she knew he described a Goron Eating beast that was resurrected by Ganondorf. This man… he had a name so similar, was a dragon, and appeared at home with fire and mountains. It was too odd to ignore.
Just as odd as him suddenly mounting the end of his lance into the ground. BOOM! With tremendous force. Enough for to make the storm of blades billow away from him, giving him a temporary visage to the crowd. It earned cheers, if only because it was impressively loud.
"Oh? It appears he's about to do something new." Ozpin observed again. "What will this be?" His hands rapped against the end of his cane.
Whether than speculate, Saria watched. Then, she listened. Her eyes widened when she did.
Because the forest Link was in was whimpering. She recognized such a sound.
"I believe there is about to be a storm," she cryptically spoke, in turn with Volga turning his head down, till the horns of his helm curled toward the ground. "A bright one at that."
"There already is a storm above Winter. You think it is going to strike at Volga from so far away?" She shook her head, squinted her eyes, and watched.
"RAAAAGH!" As Volga lifted his head and screamed.
Then fire blew from his mouth, charring and cindering all the grass in the air.
Saria had seen many brush fires before. The decayed leaves being taken by heat and an unfortunate spark, Link being too loose with his fire arrows, or travelers being less than cautious with their campfires. She had seen them burn over then burn out, usually with some level of control. That did not compare to this.
With a single gout of flame, Volga screaming it into the air like a waterfall of fire, he consumed all the grass in a single bright flash. The crowd screamed with it, as did cheers and sounds of awe. Saria winced at the sight and sounds.
Especially when the Dragon Knight stopped his attack, and the fire as well, and left nothing in his wake but a field of shaved grass and a colorfully dressed woman some distance from him.
"That didn't seem fair." Saria had to agree.
"What an attack!" Professor Port, however, roused the crowd. "Be it a ruse to put Carmine in a false sense of security or not, Volga has managed to ruin her cover with a single blast of his fire! Such an amazing display of power and control, turning all the grass into so much ash! Why he could very well make short work of a forest with a bit lack of control." The idea was not unfounded.
"Effective, but vulnerable. Likely enticed her to keep distance, attacked, and did not risk self. Safe, and now leaves Carmine unsafe. Curious what will happen next." It was a fair question, if an obvious one.
Especially as Carmine crouched across from the false plains now, holding up her hands in some manner of position for battle. It reminded Saria of Impa, if only how she looked before she used her knives.
Volga, on the other hand, looked like a true general. Knighted, colored, and holding a weapon that looked ready to rend the flesh from a monster before burning its remains to ash and embers. The fight looked far from fair. The very idea of that mattering didn't seem to occur to either fighter.
Not when Volga charged, with the speed of the wind.
In one moment, he was as far away from Carmine as the height of a forest giant. Then in the next, he was in front of her, lance reared back and prepared to strike. It was an impressive speed. Just as impressive was the speed at which the colorful woman reacted.
Volga's lance sailed for her head, and she ducked with a raised hand. That same hand hitting, in some manner, the staff, and directing it away from her. Far be it from exposed, the Dragon Knight kicked forward at her crouched form, only to have the woman pounce like a cat, grabbing at his armor and pulling herself over him. The motion put he in a vulnerable spot, Volga capitalizing on it by bringing down his lance once again. But the same as before, Carmine threw out her hands and directed the rending tool away from her.
She spun, almost so much on her head given her orientation, and thick kicking out towards him. It was her first attack against him, and it did little good. The crux of her angle hitting the staff of his lance, brought up to guard himself. Volga's swing swung out to hit her, likely believing her caught, but the desert Huntress moved with the same surprising grace.
Pulling herself in with her heels, spinning her body around to avoid the blow, and twirling some modest distance away, sliding on her heels, arms raised and ready for the continued assault.
"My word," Ironwood offered. "She is much more dexterous than I thought to give her credit for."
"Indeed, though Volga is equally faster than I thought an armored man could be." Ozpin offered in thought. "Here we normally see armor as a crux for someone who anticipates prolonged combat, so they can weather more blows even after their Aura fails."
"Fast as he is, he doesn't appear to be able to catch Carmine. She is almost dancing around him." And not out of mockery, as Saria had heard the terms used before. "I suppose that puts her above him in some way."
She was bending forward and back, spinning on her heels and lifting legs to avoid the jump and avoid the whips and pulls of Volga's lance. He was always in hairs breadth of her, so close that the Forest Sage almost thought her hit, but she never reacted with anything more than a grimace and reaction of attack of her own.
Just as Volga spun his lance around his body, aiming to strike at the woman with both the sharp pronged head and the heavy dull end, she ducked and jumped both attacks, always keeping a palm facing towards him. Her feet hit the ground only to push off in a direction tangent to where he was aiming, keeping herself far enough away to not be struck at.
Though not a fighter herself, Saria knew why such a strategy was not good.
"She cannot strike him."
"What was that?"
"Carmine is only dodging, because she cannot get close to him." She hummed the answer just as Volga planted the pronged end of the lance on one side of the tanned woman, kicking out with an armored boot. She jumped up onto his leg, kicking off of it with enough force to sail away. "Whenever she gets close, she runs. Why would she do that?"
"Because she cannot trust herself to strike hard enough to escape," Ozpin correctly answered. "If she can jump off of his legs, and he is unperturbed by it, then it is unlikely she'll be able to strike hard enough to put him in a vulnerable position. And if he strikes her…"
"It is unlikely her Aura will hold for long," Ironwood concluded. "Not surprising, but a bit unfortunate. I almost think he realized that as well, which was why he removed her one advantage over him."
"She is still making use of her Semblance, pushing away his lance whenever it gets close." Ah, so that was it. Saria was wondering why she kept putting her palms up.
Such as when the Dragon Knight let out a powerful yell, stabbing forward towards the still airborne woman. Her hands swung down as if to catch the lance, only to succeed in making her spin faster in the air, curling to avoid the dangerous point of the lance, and slide off of it. Looking at it now, it was obvious.
"Her control is not great, but it is enough. Or is she purposefully underutilizing it?" It was a thought she didn't have the answer to.
"Considering the storm before, the latter I'd say." Ironwood answered. "Though it looks like Volga is starting to realize it." That was just as true.
Seeing as the man was starting to use the long end of his lance less and less. His grip had shifted to the end closest to the head, shortening his reach dramatically, but just as extremely upping his speed. It was something that made his motions a blur. Something Carmine was struggling with.
His steps and jumps forward were matched by him pivoting on his heels, blows looking more like paths of fire as he swung out, barely missing Carmine as she continued to dodge, jump, and bend away from his blows, all the while hands out to keep herself from being the victim of even a nick. But her retreat was far from successful now.
She was longer putting distance from Volga, but only a few feet at best something the speedy Dragon Knight was more than capable of covering with quick leaps or lunged, assisted by beats of his wings. Every time Carmine put a foot to his armor and jumped off, Volga let his wings push him closer, refusing to give the tanned woman an out. And it was getting worse,
"I was going to ask if this match would be a battle of attrition, but now I think the conclusion obvious." Ozpin hummed. "You can only dodge so much before you are fatigue, and when you are dealing with a man as experienced as Volga, I cannot say he will be the first to tire."
"And I think the same." Saria agreed with Ironwood and Ozpin. Not that she had to say it.
TWACK! Not when Volga finally got a hit in. One loud enough to be heard, if not felt.
It sent Carmine tumbling away from him, lacking all the finesse she had displayed before. Head over heels and fingers grasping at the ground for something to latch onto, but failing to find anything. Her body stopped only when she was laying on her back, vulnerable, exposed, and apparently out of breath.
"My word! What a strike from Volga! Finally taking advantage of Carmine's dodging to put her in a no-chance situation! It appears that she is not the only one thinking ahead of her fight!"
"Indeed, obvious all Hunters must. Volga no exception." They were right, he wasn't.
Because the Dragon Knight had only just struck Carmine with the short end of his staff, lacking the full power of a blow, and he appeared to know it. With the same speed he had demonstrated before, he lunged for the prone woman, rearing his lance back to hit her on the ground. Saria didn't need a clear view of the tanned woman to know she looked panicked.
WHACK! Not when she was hit by a blow that so much exploded over her body.
Saria blinked as the eruption was not unlike one of Link's bombs going off, and with just as much impact. She could see Carmine sprawling across the arena floor again, this time without the strength or motion to grasp at the ground. It wasn't meters she was sent flying, but near the length of the stage.
The desert warrior had been sent from her cut area of the arena, scorched and timbered, into Volga's mountain region, her body stopping only when it harshly impacted the stone. The Forest Sage winced at the sight, her body slumping with little control.
Saria expected cheers from the people in the stands, not gasps and hisses. Cheers were present, to be sure, but the mix was almost as jarring as the blow.
"That was an intelligent use of his strength, taking advantage of a downed opponent. A shame the audience does not agree."
"Now now, they just have their own ideas of Hunters and heroics, they don't understand how appropriate such a tactic is. Especially for a Hunter who claims to be as old as Volga." That caught her attention, more so than the Dragon Knight standing tall amidst the crowd's turn.
"You think he is jesting about his age?"
"Not so much that as I am unaware of anyone as old as he is moving like that." Saria looked up at him just in time to see the Headmaster adjust his glasses, smile apparent as he gazed down at her. "Few exceptions notwithstanding."
"If you two are done, I believe we are about to see our first casualty of the match." She didn't doubt the general's words.
Carmine was hurt, her Aura having been tittered into the orange by the combination of blows and explosions. The jarring impact of hitting stone couldn't have helped either. Volga, however, had barely more than a tick to his Aura. He drew back his lance from where he stood, putting his weight on his back foot and facing the distance between him and his target.
Saria recognized the position, if only because Link had used it before with his daughter.
"This is going to hurt." Ironwood noted again, in time with a scream from the Dragon Knight.
"TooYEAAAH!" He yelled out, all but tearing through the ground with his armored boot, launching himself at Carmine. Lance jutting out, going for a downed opponent, and likely too injured to quickly dodge or throw up defense. In most cases, Saria would think the duel over.
But this was not most cases.
TWANG! She knew it wasn't when she heard the bow string, whispered by the trees.
CHING! Then she saw the block of ice form around Volga, ensnaring him like a prison.
The crowd, caught unawares, screamed in surprise and exhilaration.
"It looks as if Volga is… frozen solid! What on earth could have caused this?!" Professor Port was either unaware of Link's abilities or playing it for the crowd. Like a good story, she knew the necessity of it.
"Volga has been momentarily restricted. Frozen, imprisoned, sealed, stalled out! Perfect opportunity for attack, retreat, action!" Carmine took Oobleck's words like direction.
The tanned woman picked herself up as best she could, panting and with a hand to her side. Though she wasn't injured to a degree considered maiming, Saria could tell her Aura was badly hurt, enough that she didn't have any of the dexterity she demonstrated before. She hadn't lost her intelligence, making herself scarce in the mountains rather than trying to take advantage of Volga's position.
"Smart move," Ironwood noted. Saria hummed in agreement. Maybe he saw it too, maybe he just knew better.
CRASHSHS! Either way, the ice block surrounding Volga, being blown apart much like the grass storm from before, certainly showed why approaching him now was a bad idea. If not, the fiery expression the Dragon Knight bore as he turned towards the woods certainly helped. Even with only his jaw showing, the scowl was deep enough to clearly see his rage.
Saria could imagine he was preparing to scream something at Link, perhaps charge towards the woods himself. TWANG! But Link was smart enough to not give him the option.
CHING! Just as Volga was fast enough to beat the arrows out of the air. CHING! And let their magic flourish some safe distance away. Safe for him at least.
"Even more impressive." Ozpin returned. "I wouldn't think it possible to deflect those arrows like that." He may have thought that, but Volga was proving it was no fluke.
TWANG-CHINK! TWANK-CHINK! Two more arrows were loosened and beaten away by Volga, the Dragon Knight easily repelling them. His horned helm ever turned to see where they landed. FWOOOSH! CHINK! Even as one burst into an inferno and the other a column of ice.
"Perhaps as impressive as his focus."
"A good trait for a Hunter to have. I'm curious if Link intends to wear him out, or soften him up." That was a good wonder to have, but it wasn't one that Saria had.
She knew Link, and she knew how this fight would end.
Carmine only barely survived being slammed into by a bomb on that lance, and it was all Coco Adel needed to see to lose her ever so meticulously crafted cool.
"No! Dammit, no!"
"Sh-She's okay Coco! She just-"
"Almost got that ten thousand Lien designer top burned to cinders, and put hundreds of dollars of damage on those boots! I was looking for those boots! Oh, and then that dick had to spit literal fire at her! The nerve!"
"I'm glad to see you have your priorities straight."
"It's an exhibition match, of course I'm focused on what they're wearing!" The bob-cut leader of CFVY pointed towards the stage angrily, where a quarter of it was burning, another storming, and the rest almost silhouetting the action. "That dude is wearing some kind of heavy customized armor, probably given a flame-retardant patching on the inside to keep himself insulated, and definitely heat treated, but Carmine was wearing freaking Melsma. MELSMA!"
"I… don't know what that is." Coco glared at Fox. Almost two years on a team, and he still didn't know. The nerve of men.
"It's the designer choice clothing. It's top of the line stuff!" He nodded like he got it. He didn't. "Wearing something like that is expected when you're showing off how good you are! Why do you think I walk around wearing my best outfits?"
"Because you look appealing in them?"
"You got yourself an out from training with that one Fox." The boy pumped his arm. "But it's because it shows everyone just how good I am! Who's more intimidating, the girl who dresses like me, or someone who dresses like Velvet?"
"W-Wait, why-"
"You, obviously."
"Exactly! Me! But that freak down there just went and burned the best gear a girl can buy because he's too bloodthirsty!" She screeched it like a banshee.
And it was still swallowed up by the roar of the crowd, matched by Volga looking up and screaming into the air. They were jumping up and down, pumping hands, cheering, and making it sound like the four kingdoms had just announced the eradication of all Grimm. Instead, they were cheering on a madman who just about burned a girl's best features off. Her clothing.
"Did she not wear clothing ill-suited for this match?"
"She wore what she does on every hunt she goes on," Coco replied to Yatsu. "Every screen cap she does, phot shoot, or tag-along with other pro-hunter groups, and she's always looking her best. Puts her center stage and shows she is not someone you can just mess around with."
"I think Volga did just that."
"That's why I want his head! If he had actually burned those pants off, I would've unloaded my baby onto him from up here!"
"And then we'd be dragged out of the arena, possibly for disrupting the match."
"And it'd be worth it!"
"And it looks as if Volga is doing a stupendous job at keeping Link's volley at bay!" Professor Port's announcement dragged her team back to the arena, watching the man she now loathed as he was successfully batting away the arrows that Link fired.
Arrows that were exploding into either pillar of ice or lightning, crackling across the ground leaving behind veritable room sized ice-blocks behind it. Half-strength is what Ruby called them when he started using them on the teams in practice, but none of them had been able to break out of the ice blocks or get over being shocked by what amounted to a literal lightning strike.
And this red-armored madman was just batting them away with a lance that had to weigh as much as her mini-gun. Ode to joy.
"After that fine display of Dust and archery, it is exciting to see the Dragon Knight following suit with kinetic vision akin to that of dragons of old! Why I would have to surmise that this man is seeing those arrows coming before they even exit the cover of Link's forest! Such an amazing ability can only come through sheer discipline and rigorous training, atop of the many years of being a Hunter!"
Either agreeing to him or in spite of him, the crowd continued to yell. Coco hated the man for literally burning tens of thousands of dollars, but even she knew better than to discount what he was doing.
And what the Faunus was doing was leaning his body away from his strikes, making his lance swing faster as he pulled it in, only to immediately jerk it in the opposite direction and bat away another arrow coming flying at him. Sure, she knew arrows were like bullets, in that they flew straight and had only one path to them, but being able to knock them out of the air, while wearing all that armor, with a weapon, and knowing that any one of them would freeze you solid and light you up like Christmas almost impossible.
There was a reason why shields were so popular, at least with infantry.
"You think Link's going to try and tire him out." Could work, except for one problem.
"Unless you think he's carving the arrows in those woods, he's going to run out of arrows before that dude runs out of steam." Or fire, whatever was more appropriate. Sure, as heck was burning as hot as coal. "But I wouldn't mind seeing him get hit a few more times, before Link jumps out and takes him out in a heartbeat."
"You think Link can do that?"
"If anyone can."
"That's the issue you are assuming. That there is someone who can." Yatsu's wise words were starting to sound awfully smart to Coco. "Volga is the Dragon Knight of Mistral, a man that my father and his father said saved many villages from untold threats."
"W-Weren't the threats Grimm?" Coco grinned at Velvet.
"Yes, but of size and nature unfounded. Before the Kingdoms had their systems in place, before the CCTV was as developed as it now stands, he was the man who flew across the mountainous land of the Mistral and bring fire upon the Grimm, only to slay those who withstood him with his lance. His title was earned through others heralding him, more than him declaring it himself."
"Then he's got a heck of a hurdle in front of him," Coco waved her hand, maybe only a quarter as fast as Volga was flipping that lance through the air. She could almost hear the TWANG of him hitting the bolts out of the air. And what show it was, watching his body move that fast. If only he was getting hit as much. "Cause you just described him as an old man."
"As he should be, so I cannot say how he is able to move in such a manner. He was supposed to have retired long ago, too old to fly, let alone raise his lance."
"Trust me, he's got both of those covered." Fox spoke up for Coco, rolling his head back and forth. "My eye-sight ain't the best, but even I can see the size of the thing he's hitting those arrows with."
"Whatever," Coco dismissed. "I just want to see him-" She didn't even get to finish her wish, but it looked like whatever God was watching was about to answer her.
RAAAAWR! Namely when a giant white Ursa burst up forth from the torment of storm clouds, lunging at the Dragon Knight. Coco's grin grew, watching the behemoth of a creature, a king of the forests, barreling down at the much smaller man.
Until with a twist on his heel, impressive twirl of his lance, then a jump forward, he skewered the beast like paper. It was as apt she could get.
Because she watched the pronged head of the lance tear through the head of the Ursa like it was nothing, sending Volga sailing high above the stadium below. High enough that it would have set records for vaulting, and he did it wearing probably hundreds of pounds of armor. Semblances, what amazing things they were.
"I think he's found a new target." Fox couldn't have said it any better.
Coco watched as the wings of Volga unfurled from his back, making his already tall form look massive. The beat in the air, leaving him hanging above the stadium below, horned helm twisting.
"Correction, he's looking for his target," Coco added on. "He can't see Link through the trees, Carmine his hiding around the mountain outcroppings, and Winter is covered by her Grimm and the storm." She didn't know if that made Volga intimidatingly strong, or just ballsy. Considering that he was a world-class hunter… over sixty years ago, probably both.
That point came to a head as he angled his lance down, pointing at the crowd of Grimm beneath him. Even from so far away, she swore he was snarling.
"It looks as if Volga is setting his sights on Winter Schnee!" After attacking him with the Ursa, no kidding. "And the specialist is preparing herself accordingly!" She already was, but Coco could tell what their professor meant.
She could see the glyphs, larger and appearing faster than anything Weiss had made up, that Schnee from the younger classes. They were practically popping around the storm drawn arena, more than a few coming up underneath Volga, where he beat his wings in the 'sky' at least. It was one thing to say that numbers could turn the tide of battle, but it was something else to literally make them pop up from nothing.
"One dozen, two dozen, change to spar," Coco counted out. "Loliths, Ursa, Beowolves, and plenty of others." She looked at them all, like white ghosts hanging around the rock covered floor. Pale as snow and lurking through the edges of the
"You think her little sister knows that trick?" Good question.
"Haven't seen her use it, but I wanna see how her big sister optimizes it." Because numbers only mattered if they were used right.
"RAAAGH!" But with a single battle cry from Volga, it didn't sound like any number would be good enough.
Not when he flipped upside, down, holding his spear towards the ground, beat his wings, and plummeted towards the stadium. Coco swore she saw him grow a tail when he started it.
FWOOOM~~! But there was no missing the pillar of fire that erupted when he hit.
Pillar or ball, it was hard to put it to either. But what the fashionista of CFVY did know was that it wasn't just for show. Not by a long shot. Not when the platoon's worth of Grimm that the Schnee had conjured up were all but swallowed by the heat. Enough to make even the storm clouds above the arena bristle and move.
And when the burst of flames settled, Volga was still standing, pulling his lance from the steel and swinging it in front of him, taking a stance before the few other white beasts the Specialist had conjured.
"What a display of Dust and Semblance! With a single blow Volga has managed to reduce to Cinders all of Winter Schnee's Glyph-based soldiers!"
"Grimm, not soldiers. Effect more monumental. Monsters resistant, large, imposing, led by a tactician, blown away." The duel commentary from Port and Oobleck continued.
And they weren't joking.
"I think he just took out all the outcroppings on Winter's side with that attack." Fox noted. "Probably a miracle he didn't blow away the storm."
"Despite their airy nature, it is much more difficult to disperse a cloud may think. It is no easier than dispelling a rumor."
"Wise words aside, does anyone actually see Winter?" Coco put the focus back on them.
"Honestly, I-I'm just waiting to see if I can see where Link is attacking from." The team leader couldn't fault Velvet a moment for it. "Because Volga couldn't find him either."
That was true, seeing as the dragon knight was looking around himself, the storm above him brewing like the one in his mind. Even if all that could be made out reasonably from him was a scowl, it was a scowl that was impossible to miss. If anything, the CFVY team leader wouldn't be surprised to hear him cussing. His lance, something had to weight more than it looked, was swung around him easily.
"It looks as if with her battalion, Winter Schnee is trying to keep herself scarce! Her and the rest of the contestants. Why it reminds me of trips to the plains outside of Vale, where the Beowolves would hide from Hunters. Scurrying about before the sight and feeling of a warrior marching about looking for a challenge." Verbose as ever, Coco couldn't call him wrong.
"Ineffective strategy alone, a part to a greater plan. Recovery, preparation, planning, all possible. Volga at the advantage now."
"Guess that means Link is losing?"
"No, more like he is feeling out Volga. The dude's an unknown for our generation, and Link isn't exactly from around her. So, the more he watches, the better he knows him." Fox wasn't wrong, but this wasn't just a test, it was an exhibition match. As in, they were supposed to exhibit what they were capable of.
And it looked like Volga was the only one doing that.
"Speaking of the big guy," Coco noted as she saw the man crouching once more.
Grabbing his lance with both hands, pushing his weight around. He looked as if he were ready to lunge with a moment's notice, sensing something maybe. That could be it, though she couldn't see anything from the stands.
The, again, jumping. Spear thrusting outwards. It hit the stony surface of one of the many pillars that had formed on Winter's side. Stone, as in solid stone, the kind of things that were mean to simulate mountains and other rocky terrain for them, places that a lot of the more climatically durable Grimm nested at.
BOOOM! The Dragon Knight blew through it. As in, blew it up. With one powerful thrust.
Breaking stone was impressive. But the Dragon Knight might as well have decimated it.
"WHOA!" Coco let out, in a cacophonous cry that was echoed by the rest of the crowd. "I knew he was strong but damn!"
"He has no reason to limit himself," Yatsu spoke on. "Those his attacks are not for the benefit of the crowd's eyes, but for his own." She got it faster than he was letting on.
"Winter is hiding. So maybe he's trying to get her to come out of it?" That was possible.
"More akin to laying down flour to track a rat." Coco just managed to turn her eyes from the crowd and stare at Yatsu. Whether he knew she was or not, he didn't show or change anything. "Blowing apart stone leaves dust behind. Like the bark of a tree once sawed." Sawdust, it was called sawdust. "And blowing apart a stone as effectively as that. Leaves a trail of heavy dust behind."
Coco's eyes widened as she got it.
"There." Instead he spoke.
BAM! And Coco looked back just in time to see Volga swinging his lance through a cloud of dust.
Out of it tumbled Winter Schnee, rolling over the ground in a mad twirl desperate to regain her footing.
"And what a hit from Volga against Winter Schnee! It looked as it was so sudden that the Specialist didn't have time to defend herself fully! A tragedy indeed to be struck near unawares but such a powerful Hunter!" The commentators and crowd being cheering for the hit completely missed what Coco was focused on.
"What the… when did she-"
"A glyph, probably," Fox spoke up. "Maybe she took advantage of being in a low-light area, maybe the Schnee Semblance is a lot more diverse than I thought, but she basically bent the light around her to hide herself."
"But that made it obvious when dust was thrown about, like watching a stream change course without a bank to shift across." Coco kept herself from biting her thumb. It made sense, but dammit.
"It appears that the dragon has sniffed out the Specialist, blowing up her bunker and throwing her into the fray! Being cajoled into the heat of battle much like a private being put on the border on the Badlands for his first station. A dangerous place to be against an experienced Hunter like Volga!" That it was, Coco was starting to realize.
When the dust quickly settled, Winter was clearer to see. The Atlesian woman who was fashionable, just not to the level of Carmine. Plus, she was sporting an unusual burn to her clothing, something that really shouldn't happen with her Aura still up, at least not that much.
"You see that, right?" Velvet asked her.
"Yeah, I do," she affirmed. "Guess we're gonna be hearing jokes all week about how Volga is too hot to handle." Because while it wasn't like Aura could protect you from a smelter pouring over you, it did mean that a basic housefire would just be annoying. So, figures Volga was throwing around something on his Lance that was comparable to the former. "And seeing as he did that to Carmine's clothing, it just pisses me off all the more."
Pissed off as she was that Volga didn't get the trashing she was hoping for, it didn't keep the Atlas Huntress from showing off.
Not when about another half dozens of those glyphs blew up around the area. Then a small one beneath the Specialist herself. She'd seen Weiss duel before, so she knew what those wore.
Giant white glyphs that could be comparable to the broad side of a barn, five of them, lighting up above and all around her, trapping the very storm and Volga inside with her. It was almost like containment field by appearance, especially with the glow. The hum Coco was sure they were giving off was impossible to hear with the crowd oohing and awing at it.
They were the ones missing out on the golden Glyph underneath her feet.
"It appears that Specialist Schnee has prepared another trap!"
"Incorrect, tactic! Means to even playing field against superior muscle and speed." Oobleck got it in one.
The rest of the crowd got it a moment later.
When Volga was rearing back his lance to strike overhead Winter, but it was coming down like a parent playing with their child. Slow, exaggerated, and looking like a movie. It gave Winter all the time in the world to step out of the way, letting his lance push into the metal where she'd been just before.
Coco was unsurprised, if a little impressed, to see it tear up in just as slow a motion as before.
"Quite a reduction in speed there! It appears that those glyphs that Winter Schnee has put up has put everything else inside those walls in a sort of time bubble."
"Foolish conclusion! Extension of time more accurate. Loss of efficiency if direct. More seconds to accomplish singular task." None of them were making sense.
"She's just making him slower." Fox pointed out, correctly. "Except herself." He caught that, too.
"Of course, because hastened her own actions, while making everyone pause. When exercising a hasty patience, she has put herself equal to all others." Coco did her best not to drop her head at the 'wise' words.
"Everything in there is slowed, but she's moving normal to the rest of us." She pointed out the clouds with a manicured nail. "You'd think watching the clouds roll around at quarter speed would have spelled it out for most of them."
Namely the way the clouds were looking more like a fog machine than storm cloud, or the fact that she could trace the lightning crackling through the air. That wasn't normal, so figures that a Schnee with the experience of a Pro Hunter could pull it off.
Then she took it up a notch.
BING! BING! BING! BING! By unleashing holy heck on Volga.
"Now the Atlesian Specialist has begun to assault the Mistralian Dragon Knight!" Port screamed with the rest of the crowd. Coco watched on, grinning from ear to hear.
Watching Winter take off so much like a spear thrown in the air, jumping around and slashing Volga as he worked uselessly to try and catch her. Her sword tearing through his back as he tried to rip his lance backward, only to spin ahead of him and slash up his chest, making him curl back to try and grab her. When that failed, she struck out at his side, attempting to clip his wings. Smart, especially because his lance was still moving as it churning molasses.
"Effective strategy, piece by piece. Lowered efficiency, but safety priority. Multiple contestants in arena, so using safe measures against largest threats." Oobleck's assessment was right on the money. Figures a teacher would know how to sum it up. "Slow, methodical, and time-consuming, but a single mistake mean disaster. Wise to focus upon operative measures guaranteeing safety over reckless and inconvenient action."
Whittling down was the word for it, seeing as she was hitting and running from Volga. Against a spear like that though, Coco couldn't blame her. She'd being telling her team to run from that as well.
Still, watching her duck under the swings, just to get more of a chance at vulnerable areas, was smart. Rather that following a head of it, she was getting around it. When he curled his arm fully, failing to hit her with an overhand strike, she struck at his shoulder blade, where it was unable to hit back effectively. Then when Volga kicked out with his leg, those spikes greaves with it, she hit the back of his knees.
"Fight smart, fight long, win the fight." Felt like a motto for something. "Least she made the arena glow for it to work."
"Is that her doing?" Velvet asked, which only confused Coco more. "Because… Volga looks like he's glowing too." He did?
The CFVY team leader looked back at the armored man, watching him miss another two swings at Winter, the Specialist striking at his back before rolling over and swinging up his front, before she realized Velvet was right. He was glowing… faintly… but that was changing.
"Is he… getting hotter?" Fox asked.
"Yeah, looks like it." Coco broke all conventions to say that. Look hotter, and not in the attractive sense. Like she could see a guy who burned fashion as 'hot'. "And if he is then…" Her mind connected it as second later.
Dragon, explosions, Semblances, charging.
"Shut your eyes!" She yelled out. Her team followed her lead per her orders. The rest of the crowd didn't.
"RAAAAAAGH!" Too bad for them.
BOOOOOM! A Dust bomb may as well have gone off in the arena.
Met by the crowd screaming, and a blinding flash of light. This time, Coco felt that. Hundreds of meters away from it, and still making it shake her bones. Thankfully, it was over as quickly as it had come. At least that was still like a bomb.
Coco looked up quickly, over the groaning crowd to assess the damage. It wasn't good.
Because Winter was Winter was blown far away from Volga, the wall of Glyphs she had shattered so much like glass, and the Dragon Knight standing proudly with lance in hand and wings extended along his back. Like a man towering over his defeated foe.
And if that wasn't obvious, the Aura levels showed it all.
Volga was still in the green. Winter was scratching at the red.
"My word! What an explosion of power! Volga has effortlessly destroyed the time dilating barrier Winter Schnee has created, and with hardly more than a tenth of his Aura at a loss for it!" It was pretty disturbing how accurate Port was.
"Effective counter measure! Releasing a built-up portion of his Semblance, not unlike popping a high-compressive chamber, and subjugating all nearby elements with high pressure! Winter Schnee's glyphs too fragile to bear combined force of pressure and heat! Natural, obvious, as volcanoes form from such destructive combination." He couldn't help it with the science lesson.
"The Dragon Knight is not one who plays lightly," Yatsu observed. "And he appears to have saved his best for this match." And it almost felt unfair that he was.
"Too bad it means that Winter is gonna be knocked out for it." Coco wanted to damn Fox for saying that, but she knew he was right. Especially when Volga quickly jumped at the crouched woman. She had just enough time to look up at him.
TWANG! The watch as he beat off an arrow shot at him. FWOOOOSH! And have it explode into flames where it hit off to the side. Coco stared at the new inferno.
"OH! It appears that Link has once more continued his aeronautical assault on Volga!" Port cheered. TWANG! Even as Volga beat off another arrow shot out from the tree-line. "This makes his second attempt to assist a fallen Hunter! Is this the beginning of a team-effort against the Mistral Champion?"
"Unlikely, not preposterous, statistically insignificant probability," Dr. Oobleck shot it down. TWANG! Even as Volga adjusted his posture and beat another arrow from the air. CHING! This wone became another ice cube on the edge of the arena. "Highest likelihood for reasoning observed actions? Prioritizing openings in opponents."
"And he's dang good at it, too," Coco nodded.
"I-I didn't even see it." Velvet's ears lowered as she admitted it. "I-I usually can catch things like that, but he just shot it out."
"You were not thinking about the Faunus amongst the trees, but Volga has." Yatsu took in a deep sigh, made in time with Volga spinning on a heel, smacking an arrow with so much force, Coco thought it a bomb. BOOM! Probably because one was strapped to it, judging by the explosion. "But the Dragon Knight has forgotten no one who has struck at him, least of all someone as capable as Sir Link."
"You think he's admiring him?"
"COWARD!" Volga screamed, loud enough that Coco couldn't even make out the impact his lance made against the next arrow. "WILL YOU KEEP LETTING OTHERS FIGHT FOR YOU! DESCEND FROM THOSE TREES AND FACE ME IF YOU HAVE THE SPIRIT OF A HERO IN YOU!"
"Take that as a no." She would have cracked more of a joke, except Volga was doing something weird again. The weird that had hm doing something crazy like all the times before this. Then again, Link was matching him.
TWANG-TWANG-TWANG-TWANGTWANG! Because the arrows started to fly so much like they were attached to a gatling revolver, and Volga was beating them out of the air like flies. Maybe Link really did have a near infinite supply of arrows, considering how many of them he was letting lose.
Too bad Volga wasn't impressed.
"Enough of you!" Volga shouted, loud enough to be heard. That was impressive, but it meant nothing compared to what he did.
TWANG! Planting his lance head down into the steel, turning away from Winter, and rearing his head back. Though he was wearing heavy armor, it looked as if it was billowing out as he puffed out his chest. That was just freaky.
FWOOOOOOSH~~! But the stream of fire he all but spat out, like a spit-take of destructive purposes, was far more than that. It was almost unholy.
It flew from his crowned head, rushing towards and slamming into the forest not unlike an avalanche. Coco felt it from up in the stands, the force and the heat it gave off. Not that she needed to feel it. She could tell anyone watching from any Scroll in Remnant would get the same feeling.
Because in a moment the forest went from a wall of trees to a veritable pyre of smoke and flames, roaring into the air as the Dragon Knight continued to spit fire at it.
The crowd roared with the appeal of the show, jumping up and down and loving every moment of it. No confusion as to why, this was a show. Just one that Coco was having a tougher and tougher time believing was all real, even speaking as a Huntress.
"Effective blast! Temperatures great enough to cause flash over! More difficult with living bark, tremendously, exponentially, but inconsequential!" Dr. Oobleck narrated, somewhat, just how ridiculous what Volga was doing was.
"And it appears it is not only the crowd that is feeling the heat. It appears that Link truly is enduring the temperatures of that inferno!" Like it was the instruction to turn a few pages in their books, Coco looked over at the leaderboards.
Sure enough, the green bar next to Link's confident image was sinking. Only a few pixels at a time on a screen that had the highest image resolution she believed was available in all of Remnant, Vale at least, but still sinking. Bit by bit.
"More than just blistering environment, hazard as well." Volga stopped his torrent of flames as Dr. Oobleck continued on. "High temperatures cause mirages in air, improper assessment of distance a trajectory, ability to hide far off objects, many other difficulties."
"What's he saying?" Velvet asked. Coco knew the answer.
"He's saying that Link's not going to be able to shoot accurately form in between those burning trees anymore." It was too clear why. "You can't fire accurately when you have the air literally moving in front of you like that. Trying to swim through oil."
"What was once clear is now shaded, and what was simple now complex." Yatsu added on. "Against a man who was capable of defending before, Link will be turned from threat to nuisance."
"That's not good," Fox spoke the obvious.
"No, it's not. There's no way he can stand to stay in there for long. His Aura can't take it."
"And once he's out, then he's going to have to fight Volga one on one." Wait, what?
"Why one on… oh." She realized it as soon as she focused on it. So did the rest of the crowd.
"And it appears that Specialist Schnee has taken advantage of the distraction!" Like a warning, Volga whirled on wear the Specialist previous lay, only to see the Schnee was gone. He didn't make a sound, but it was more than evident that Volga was pissed. "Perhaps not courageous, but a wise move! Down on Aura and unable to contend with a beast as ferocious as a Dragon!"
"Recuperation necessary, but precious little space left in arena to allot for such an ability." In so many words, Dr. Oobleck was right.
"COWARDS!" About as right as Coco was that Volga was pissed off. "Where is the fight I was promised!? Where are the teeth to match your barbs!? Will I have to burn down everything before you face me!?"
The crowd, for probably no other reason than excitement, cheered at the idea. She saw a smirk on Yatsu's face, he was getting into it!
"Will you face me now!? Or will you continue to cower like the fools that you are!" Coco didn't have much sympathy for the Dragon Knight, fashion burner that he was, but she couldn't deny what she was seeing.
That being he was literally laying waste to the competition. Or more appropriately, ash.
"Now there's a terrifying thought." Coco muttered, even as she watched the man who was supposed to be older than her grandparents screaming in the middle of what amounted to a burning field. The roaring helped.
"Yeah, and there's a terrifying sight." Fox pointed out.
"Not hard to see that."
"No, not Volga." Coco looked over at Fox. "I don't need 20/20 to know that's a terrifying sight." He was pointing down at the arena, not at the screaming Dragon Knight though. No, it was a little more obvious now just what he was pointing at.
Especially when said thing was walking out of a burning forest. Yes, walking.
With slow strides as the fire was burning behind him, an inferno that would have made any fire department scramble for control, and had to be beating at his Aura, but Link was walking out of it like it was nothing. It was bright enough that his outfit looked red, but he still just kept walking, bow in hand like he was going to keep shooting it out in the open. Coco knew, she just did, that he had to have a scowl on his face. But it was hard to see with the shadow covering his face.
In fact, he looked like a shadow, silhouetted in red, with the fire burning behind him, and a damn powerful one at that.
"And it appears that Link has finally entered the scene!" Professor Port cheered himself from the commentator stand. "After several minutes of peppering and preparing his opponents with marksmanship skills equivalent to a professional level, the Chosen Champion of Beacon has made his way into the arena proper! Do my eyes deceive me, faulted by my old age, or am I catching the sights of him wearing something new?" Coco had to blink at that.
"Indeed, positive assessment, correct deduction. Wearing attire different than previous green garb. Similar cut, different texture, off color." Coco blinked. Then rubbed her eyes. Then took her glasses off. Then, finally stared at Link again.
They were right, he didn't look red, he was wearing red.
From cape to tunic, and even his boots, they were all tinted the same fiery red as the fire behind him and Volga in front of him. It blended so naturally with his normal attire that she had missed it. It really didn't help that those golden gauntlets of his, something she'd die to have, looked like they belonged with his new garb.
A red tunic, with golden gauntlets, and a bow that fired everything from fire, to lightning, then to ice.
"Point to Fox, that'd make me reconsider a fight," she quipped. "Then another to Link, for remembering to look good before he fights."
"Coco…" the team leader hushed her team member.
"I'm glad he's prepared to fight, but I believe he will need more than curved wood and taut string to face a Hunter like Volga." Yatsu hummed. "Their Aura's are comparable as well, though both far above Winter and Carmine." Damn him for reminding her though.
"Yeah, yeah, they're both pretty much out of the game for now," Winter waved off. "Let's just hope that Link lays a bit of smack down on Volga. Else, it's gonna be real hard to take him seriously during lessons again." The quip came as Volga attacked.
Link, unlike Carmine and Winter, ran forward to match him.
His bow vanishing, like everything he used, as he jumped at Volga. Coco was sure he was about to pull out his blade and swing up with it. It was a common tactic when you had a one-handed sword, especially if you were dealing with someone as fast as Volga. Oh, how wrong she was. Link didn't pull out his blade, even when he dodged Volga's lance. Even as he literally flipped over it. No, instead, he did something almost more ridiculous.
BONG! He kicked Volga. Right in the back of the head.
"OH! It appears that Link has delivered a blow to Volga's helm! Hard enough to send the famed Dragon Knight reeling!"
"Disorientation important objective against intimidating opponents! Disorientation leads to loss of accuracy and awareness which leads to vulnerability. Victory!"
The crowd roared as Link finished acrobatic motion, hitting the ground in a crouch, spinning on a heel to face Volga. Farther from the fire, it was obvious know he really was wearing a red tunic now. Coco was still right though; he wore it nice.
Issue was, not Volga was in front of the fire.
And damn if a dude with horns on his helm, wings like a dragon, holding a lance longer than he was tall, didn't look like an outright demon in front of that fire.
"I think I know what this is," Fox muttered.
"What's that?"
"Where the fun begins."
He's fast, strong, and skilled.
Link realized all three of those traits were true of the man, and with minimal contact at that. A dodge, a sweep, a blow from his iron boots, and he had sized up what Volga was capable of. Perhaps not everything he could do, but enough to know he was beyond even the average knights of Remnant, certainly above that of Qrow or Tai.
Those two relied upon teamwork, tactics, or planning. Volga, on the other hand, had strength and speed to act recklessly, but clearly still struck with an intent and purpose. He didn't make a wild motion when he tried to deliver his lance before, he had aimed for Link's torso. Largest area, hardest to move, less likely to dodge. He was only unlucky that Link had faced taller and stronger foes before.
But those were fights. This was a duel. That made it a challenge.
"You've lost your bow. Have you finished flicking stones at me?" The man's voice rumbled like the fire behind him. "I grew tired of your tactics the moment you began to use them. Freezing me was not an intelligent move." At that, Link had to smile, because it actually was.
Volga stood to his tallest then, land gripped tightly at his side, but without his legs bent to charge. He wasn't surrendering… but he wasn't opening himself up. Cautiously, Link did the same, raising a hand to the sword on his back.
"You've also changed your clothes. I can only wonder on the reason for that." It wasn't humor on his voice, but a sneer. "If the reason relates to appearance, I'll have lost the little respect I had." Link shook his head. Of all the reasons he may alter his attire in a battle, appearances and image were not among them. It was something Zelda often harped on him for… "Good… better than the woman from Vacou. So much more than the Schnee."
His shoulders rolled, and Link tensed, unsure if he was going to witness another gout of flame or pillar of fire. The man appeared to be able to summon them easily. A trick of the Fire Crystals, like Goodwitch had told him, or a Semblance, those more 'apparent' of abilities.
"I wonder if you will be the same as those before, and turn your tail the moment you are struck." At that, Link had to frown. He wasn't about to run from a duel, let alone a thing as small as injury. "Draw your blade before I charge. It is the only allowance I'll offer you this fight." It was more than Link would give someone in a fight of his own.
He sighed, staring at Volga, watching him. The more he looked at him, gazed at him, the harder it was to ignore the similarities with Volvagia. They were too many to name, and imagining the Death Mountain Dragon speaking, he could just pretend that it would speak like this man. He wasn't sure what that meant, what connection the two had if any. He only made note of it for later.
For now, there was a duel to focus on, and audience watching, and his granddaughter among their number.
He would not do something so shameless as lose now.
His hand tightened on the hilt of the Master Sword, ready to draw in in the time took to blink. He was ready to, but he did not.
"Are you going to draw your weapon?" Volga asked from across the stadium, muted slightly by the flames. "Do you think yourself so above me you may face me without a weapon of your own!" That roared above the fire. And it wasn't correct.
Link would face him, but he couldn't use the Master Sword. Not in a duel. If he did, it wouldn't be fair. And using anything else would make his students wonder if held back during this fight. If that happened, it would only make it harder to teach them later. All of that… and Ruby would be bothered by it as well.
Link smiled, sure that he had to do something to impress her. If only to spoil her for all those missed years.
He kept his hand on his blade, gripping it tightly. Then… he added his other hand to the hilt. Link calmed his breathing as he dragged the sword handle, moving it from his left shoulder to his right. The belt tightened around his torso as he made the motion, but he did not relent. He stared at Volga with a furrowed brow, watching him carefully.
SHINK! It made watching the armored man raise his head in surprise all the easier to see.
Why wouldn't he be shocked to see Link holding a different blade than the Master Sword?
"My word! It appears that Link has drawn a new sword form his sheath! Why I thought he had only the one, but clearly my eyes are failing my more mature years. Yet what a sight that blade is!" The audience and professors were just as surprised. This would be something to entertain Ruby.
If not just because he had pulled out another blade aside from the sterling silver of the Master Sword, then because of just what kind of weapon he pulled out. It was one he had received some many years ago, after assisting a Great Fairy with the curse of Majora. A weapon that was far longer than most others he'd handled, far stronger, far lighter, and even still, far easier to handle. He could still make out the awe of the audience as he held it. He wasn't surprised.
Whenever anyone gazed upon the Great Fairy Sword, they tended to let their guard down.
"I see… a longer blade to match my reach." Volga, however, sounded only contemplative at best. "The purple of that blade suits the cool red of flames, but it will do no good against me." The Dragon Knight held up his lance towards Link, the vicious prongs on the end of it. He was confident in his answer, so Link only had to prove him wrong.
Words done, he charged.
As soon as he was close enough, he swung low, aiming for the heavy greaves of the Dragon Knight. Link didn't expect a hit, but he did expect the knight to react expectedly. Volga did.
He jumped into air, wings beating and aiming the lance down at Link. The Hylian grinned as he recognized the position. That meant he knew how to react.
His reaction was lifting the Great Fairy Sword until it the flat of the blade was covering his body hid most of his body. Link grit the hilt tightly. CHING! It shook as the head of Volga's lance clashed against it. It was good, but not good enough.
Link pivoted on his heel, pushing his strength into the great blade as he swung it about his body in a quick swing, he aimed for the tip to slash at the armor of the knight. For the heavier opponents it would work. But Volga wasn't just heavy. CHING! He was smart.
Link's sword hit the staff portion of Volga's lance, stopping it in its swing. The man resisted Link's attack with both hands, but glared at him through the slits of his helm. Link grinned back. It wasn't the first time he had an attack blocked. It just meant he shouldn't swing.
He pulled the blade back quickly, putting his weight on his back legs and dragging the steel off of the lance. It forces Volga to hold still, bearing the weight of it. That was god, because Link drew back his shoulders, holding the Great Sword parallel to them. It was time to attack again.
Not swing, thrust.
The purple tip of the blade flew out towards Volga, and the Knight let out a sound between aggravation and effort. CHING! He swung his lance, catching Link's thrust and pushing it away. But the Hero of Time was not done. He pulled it back again, pulling back more sparks as their metal clashed, before stabbing forward again. The Knight proved his mettle once more by deflecting with another heavy twist of the lance. Link proved his skill by not opening himself up.
And so, the dance continued. Link stabbing forward thrusting with all the effort years of training could provide, and Volga proving the skill of his lance and strength of body, deflecting and dodging the heavy tip of the blade as it sailed over and passed him over and over again.
Sparks flew between them, but Link did not blink. Volga grunted, but he didn't scream. They were both too focused to mind the sights. Link unleashing his Phantom Strikes, and Volga spinning his lance like a baton.
"My word! What a show these two are putting together! Link's unrelenting assault with that new blade of his is giving Volga a run for his Lien. It looks as if the Dragon Knight is unable to maintain his position under such a vicious attack. Why it would be little different than when a pack of Nevermores swarmed the Mistral docks before! All defense!" The Professor was not wrong.
Link he was gaining ground as well. Each time he took a step forward, and Volga one back. Their bodies dancing across the steel floor, marching back towards the fire he had started. Link was thankful she had on the Goron Tunic, or else the sweltering heat would have severely hurt him.
But he couldn't win this with just pain. He needed to attack.
CHING! So, when his blade was caught again, he decided to capitalize. Not by pulling back, but swinging down. It successfully did what he was hoping.
Hitting the heat of Volga's lance, and rocking the man's posture. Link never let a chance to attack past him. Raising his foot, he did just that.
BOOM! And planted the heel of the Iron Boots into the torso of the Dragon Knight, kicking off of him a moment later and flipping back. Link's feet hit the ground the same time Volga's back hit the steel, grunting with effort. They were too far away to make a decisive blow, but close enough to not let up the attack.
Link jumped this time, raising his blade to bring it down with a heavy swing. He regretted the choice a moment after he made it.
When Volga beat his wings against the ground, rising far faster than expected, and swinging the lance so much like a mace instead. It flew at Link with inhuman speeds. The Hero of Time was fast enough to lower the Great Fairy Sword to his side, making another shield out of it, but with far less support in the air.
BANG! It made the impact vibrate through Link's body, so much like being struck by a Darknut. And without a foothold beneath him, he flew as if hit by one all the same.
Tumbling head over heels, and keeping his arms tucked to minimize the chance of fracture. Link twisted and spun the Great Fairy Sword to keep it from impaling him. Instead, when the opportunity presented itself, he stuck it into the ground. And with the sound of grinding steel, he stopped his tumble, ending in a kneeled position with his blade in front of him.
"GRAAAH!" He didn't have time to catch his breath. Link looked up to see Volga charging at him again, pushing off the ground with his tail, digging in with his talons, and so much as launching at Link with the lance in hand. Link wrenched the Great Fairy Sword out of the ground, taking a step back to gain his footing. He would need it.
TWANG! In order to bear the brunt of another swing from the lance. A swing too high… to slow… Link saw it coming.
He let go of the Great Fairy Sword with one hand. It let him catch the draconic arm swinging at him. Catching it with the strength of his Golden Gauntlets, mid swing up to ripping a hole out of his torso. He was strong enough to lift boulders a thousand times his weight, throw them across the battlefield like trebuchets, then deal with mountain giants as if they were pawns.
Yet Volga, with but a lance, made him slide.
"Now it appears Volga has once again swiftly turned the tables on Link!" He wasn't wrong.
TWANG! TWANG! TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!
The blows started raining down so much like five men were attacking Link at once. Were he using the Master Sword still, e would have needed to pull out a shield, and even then, he was uncertain he could stop them all. His hands tired just from swinging and angling the blade to misdirect the lance swinging down at him. It hit the center of the purple steel, racing towards him, only for Link to twist his wrists, angle it, and send it screaming away.
But before he could step forward and deliver a blow of his own, the Dragon Knight would let out a cry and swing back, with the ferocity to his name. Link endured, but he was only defending. And a good defense never lasted against a strong opponent. Not forever.
CLANG! The sound of the pronged head hitting his blade echoed across the arena, nearly making the flames of the burning trees billow with the effort. Link let out an air of effort to hold Volga back, the edge of his blade hovering in front of him. Volga leaned into it, gripping his lance to tear into him.
"You are strong," the knight admitted. "Far more so than the other two, who dealt only with tricks. You may have methods of deceit for attacks yourself, but when someone lunges for you, you at least can retaliate." His words were hot as he hovered closer to Link, clearly taller, and using that for an advantage.
Pushing against a strong opponent was difficult, but pushing up against both the pull of the earth and the man himself was even more so. Link grit his teeth, back bending, as he kept his stance as firm as he could.
"But you are not as strong as me. I am the one who has dealt with the Ancient Grimm prowling the mountains of Mistral. I am the one who kept others safe without question. You may be strong, but you are not my equal." Link couldn't argue with that.
Not when he knew he was better. And it was time to prove it.
He let go of the hilt with one hand, quickly sliding it up until his palm was holding the sharp tip of his blade. The Great Fairy Sword used more as a defensive plank against the burning tip of Volga's spear. He glared into the slit masks of Volga's helm, the Dragon Knight breathing steam out of his.
"Hoo-YEAH!" Link screamed through it, as he twisted the blade, wrenching his body with it. Volga was strong, but Link had a fulcrum.
"GRR!" The Dragon Knight let out as the lance was pulled backwards, forcing him to give up his footing, or else lose the lance. It was a mistake on his part, one of the first. Losing the weapon would have been better.
Because now he was exposed in front of Link.
A cry ripped from his throat as he lifted his feet off the ground, using the partial grip Volga had on his lance as a point of balance. He used it, and then gravity to swing his legs up then hammer them down. BOOOM! Delivering a crushing blow to the man's gut.
His body folded with the blow, armor sounding as if it were dented and jaw opening as air was slammed out of him. He hit the ground, hard, bouncing once as Link righted himself. But he wasn't too far away this time. Now, Link had another chance.
He pushed off the ground and swung up with his sword, hitting the arm holding Volga's Lance. The Dragon Knight let out a yell as the blow hammered at his health, flickering over him and armor barely able to resist the rest of the blow. Not content, Link dragged it across his chest, a vicious slash that would have permanently marred anyone not wearing heavy armor.
But a man so much like Volvagia wouldn't be defeated by anything else. Or anything less. Link needed to do more.
While the man was still screaming, Link pivoted on his heel, swinging the purple blade around his body, preparing to hammer it over the man's helm. The Dragon Knight was injured, but he was smart. His wings beat at the air and sent him scurrying back. It would have been smart against anyone else. But Link had faced many cowardly opponents before.
Lighting up the Great Fairy Sword with his spirit, making it glow once more, he swung down his blade regardless. A wave of light flew at Volga, and the look of shock on the main was visible.
SLAM! "GHAAA!" Just as loud as his cry of pain.
"Finally, a decisive blow against the Dragon Knight! Enough to send the man into some position of exploiting his natural talents. It appears that Link is more than capable of matching the famed Hunter of Mistral." The compliments flew from the commentators as the crowd roared around them. There was only one voice among them that truly mattered to him, more than anyone else, but he couldn't listen for her.
Volga had been bested, but not beaten. The battle wasn't done.
"FINALLY!" The man screamed this time, Link lifting his blade once more. "You have strength and you have skill! You have deceit and honor! Face me then! Face me with all that you have!" Though it sounded as if the heat of battle was starting to overwhelm him.
That was proven when the man reared his head back, lifted his lance into the air, and screamed upon it.
It lit on fire a moment later, to the adoration of the crowd. With wings spread and tail out, Link saw something else. He saw the ancient Dragon of Death Mountain, screaming down upon him with the heat of the magma and a thirst for flesh and bones.
If the grin Volga was sporting said anything, it was that.
"Come hero! Come and face me!" Even with such a command, it was the Dragon Knight who charged.
TWAANG!But Link met him regardless, with Great Fairy Sword clashing against the burning lance. Hard enough to make the air explode, the fire billow, and the cut grass disperse. It was a strong blow, not unlike a Lynel trying to make mush out of prey. But it was but one blow.
And neither Link nor Volga were satisfied with it.
TWANG! TWANG! TWANG! TWAAAANG!Beat for beat, blow for blow, they struck at one another with their heaviest swings. Fast enough that Link sensed more than saw them coming, feeling the force before the fire against his skin. The glow from the Great Fairy Sword protecting him, but only barely against the ferocious heat.
His feet danced around Volga's greaves, boots slamming into the ground as she swung forward, only to back off when the knight did the same. Both knew that if either of them lost footing, they would be done, but neither were willing to forgo the offense in light of the revelation.
"What an exchange of blows! Explosives of air imply high velocity, igniting air with force!" Link heard the words, but didn't give them any notice. "Endurance of Auras, weapons, spirits, bodies, arena, armor impressive, exhilarating, amazing, superb!" Of that he knew.
No other weapon but the Master Sword could compare evenly with the Great Fairy Sword. It was designed for foes of immense strength, and Volga was very much that. A great tool against the Darknuts, Ancient Kings, and Dodongos, it was made to fight the strongest and most enduring of spirits.
TWAAANG~~!And Volga was matching it hit for hit.
They clashed once more, both of them pushing against one another, leaning forward with weapons out to pierce the first to fall. If Volga slipped, Link would slide down his armored chest. If Link failed, then Volga would pierce his shoulder. They held still, grunting with equal effort.
At the same time, the air rushed back to fill the vacuum they had beaten into existence, making Link suck in the air greedily. It was hot, humid, almost putrid, but far better than the non-existent cooling nature of empty space. Plus, it let him witness the steam rising off the man's armor.
"You are not just good, but great," Volga almost hissed at Link. "But can you stand the heat of a mountain's core?" Easily, with this tunic.
But when Volga reared his head back, sucking in the air, he lost a bit of his confidence.
FWOOOOOOSH! Especially when the fire was unleashed upon him.
The force of the air and the intensity of the heat forced Link to fall back, dealing with the fire licking and scratching at him like a feral animal. It blinded him, deafened him, and made it impossible to breath. His lungs felt full of steam and smoke, breathing out without being able to breath in. The only benefit was that Volga was not attacking, likely because he could not. That did not protect Link. It only gave him a window to act. He had to take it.
Through the fire and flames, he lifted his blade into the air, grimacing through the fires licking at him like the tongues of a Bokoblin, forcing his spirit into it. He channeled it, as he had in Death Mountain before, and when he journeyed through the Sacred Realm. He focused his spirit, held it strong. SHIIING! Then swung down.
FWooosh! And the fire was cut with the blow.
The immediate action, despite the relief he cut for himself, was to look for Volga. The Dragon Knight was not far away, sucking in his breath again after the blow. Link aimed the Great Fairy Sword at him, even as he saw him rear his lance back.
"Impressive! Very impressive!" He heaped the praise onto the Hylian. "Continue to show me the strength of Beacon! Continue on hero!" He charged again, and Link could hear the faint sound of laughter through the beating wings and roaring flames. Were this on the field of battle, with lives on the line and the future at stake, Link would have pulled his sword back and looked for a surer way to fight.
But this wasn't a fight, it was a duel. A duel that would have a victor without death, and merriment despite who won. That meant it wasn't time to strike to kill.
For now… it was time to smile.
CLAAANG!Even as he and Volga matched blows again.
"Stay away from the arena Qrow. We can't afford to have your Semblance interfere with the matches."
The wise words of Ozpin spilled from a drunkard's mouth, hung over the bar and watching the screen in the corner of the facility. He tapped his empty glass against the surface, earning a sigh from the nearby bartender. Qrow didn't offer him even a chuckle. He had Lien to burn and no place to be. No where he wanted to be at least.
"First time I get to see Summer's dad go all out on a fighter who can take it, and I'm told to sit beyond the bleachers, otherwise I might spoil everything." He debating spitting, before he guessed that'd get him kicked out, again. "Not like I wanna be here anyways." That wasn't a lie.
Only place he wanted to be he was barred from.
And judging by the way the screen was shaking from the sounds alone, that was probably for the best. He could only imagine how much worse it would get if he was there.
Qrow watched, eyes narrowed, as Link started to use that fancy purple sword of his. Not his personal first choice in color, but given what he was seeing it do, he'd forgive it. Especially when it was hammering at the staff of that absolutely demonic lance Volga was swinging around. That wasn't even just for show.
Sparks were flying across the screen, bright enough to blur the fighters as they went at it. It made Qrow snarl, being held back by technology. He couldn't make out how fast their footwork was, how effective Link's draws and parries were, or how effective Volga was at pulling, ripping, and tearing with that lance of his. He could only tell that every time they hit one another, sparks like grinding metal lit up the vid, and it made the onlookers gasp and cheer.
"Course they'd do that if one of them broke a tooth, too." Regular folk didn't get how serious that was. "Draw sparks in a battle, and that's a sure sign they ain't holding back." Not to mention what else was going on.
If it wasn't the fact, he had seen literal sonic booms being echoed across the stadium, matched by the shaking of the camera, then it was the fact that the whole arena was basically returned to neutral ground because the pair of Faunuses were going at it so hard. The forest was burned, the plain grass cut and charred, the storm cloud basically dissipated, and even if the mountain was there, he didn't even entertain the thought of that lasting three seconds with the fighters right now.
"Here I thought you were gonna sweep the match, too." He laughed into his glass, lowering it as he drained the last of the liquid from it. It burned just right. "Not as hot as that fire I bet."
And true to his word, Volga jumped back with a beat of his wings, letting Link swing at empty air. The camera was just fast enough to catch the single frame of the red garbed man's panic. Not a good look.
Especially when the next few seconds were filled with more of that fire breathing nonsense. The pillar of it so hot Qrow had to watch the Camera zoom out so it wasn't just showing a white screen. Gave a great view of the crowd roaring and cheering for destruction. And here he was, cheering every time he drained his glass.
"Link is being swallowed by the fires again! The threat of the Dragon Knight is not a light one to bear, but the Hero appears to be enduring such an assault with grand bravado! Even as he is consumed by said fire, his Aura is remaining constant!" Hand it to Port for noticing the smaller details, even if he dragged them through bigger ones.
But low and behold, bottom right of the screen, Link's Aura was holding yellow, still a whole finger's width beneath Volga's green though. Least they pair had the Ice Queen and fashionista beat, seeing as the pair of them were hanging out in the high orange.
"Fires subduing! Opportunity approaches! Haste necessary, much of it!" And Oobleck sounded almost as fast as the fight itself. Almost being the key word.
Especially as the next few frames following Volga stopping his spit-fire-take were of Link jumping into the air, sword raised above his head like an axe, and slamming it down on top of the armor of the man, or at least an attempt of it. Qrow gave the mad spearman a lot of credit already, but he was fast on top of all of it.
"Oh! A blow narrowly blocked by Volga! Keeping his defenses up even as he uses the molten blasts of his Semblance. A true hunter he is, never being less than wary towards threats before him!"
"Don't count the little guy out yet~." Kind of a weird thing to say to a dude who took on Ancient Grimm and a monster of a man who was basically king of them. Not to mention the same guy who 'put to bed' their literal queen.
Even if no one heard him, Link proved Qrow right.
Still stuck in mid-air above Volga, the Hylian, Faunus… whatever, kicked his legs and spun himself. It made him twirl like a fan blade on top of Volga's staff. Qrow knew what he was trying to do. Make his that sappy purple blade parallel with Volga's lance, that way it'd slip right off. Too bad the other Hunter had the same idea.
Given that he was spinning his lance a moment later.
"It looks as if Volga is preventing Link's counter by matching the spins of the Beacon Champion! Twirling that massive lance of his to keep it perpendicular to that awesome blade, not letting the man get a whiff of blood from him. Such determination, such strength! What a sight this is!"
"Correct! Stupendous sigh, display of power, agility, wisdom, unfounded in most Hunters!"
"Might be laying the praise on too heavily there," Qrow spoke, even as he watched the dance go on. Only thing he could really call it now.
Seeing as Link was spinning around with kicking legs, keeping himself balanced above Volga, all the while the Dragon Knight was twirling his lance between his hands, keeping it balance and altering his stance to never let his posture jeopardize him. His boots scratched and pulled at the metal beneath him, all the while Link's Great sword sliding up and down his red spear continued to make sparks fly. No question why Summer's dad was doing that, seeing as all he had to do was catch one of the dude's fingers.
Too bad Volga was as fast as he was, even if he was twice as armored.
"Look at Link go! Shifting his weight without every setting foot on the ground! To be able to keep Volga on edge while still in the air, such a maneuver takes more time and training than many can imagine! Why I'd dare to say that this shows the shear level of skill in a Hunter such as this, being able to match blows with a mountain crushing knight like Volga while still keeping his every move precise and deadly!"
"Link's the knight, Volga's the Hunter." Qrow knew it was a weird day when he was correcting a Professor on something, without it being about booze at least. "Still, ain't wrong though. Bet this'll go on for a bit longer."
He might have been dozens of miles away, but his Qrow's Semblance still seemed to find a way.
CHANG~! The odd sound of dull metal colliding was the first hint that the balance was shifted.
The next was Link whipping his body around like some kind of dancer. Qrow didn't even know how he was doing it, until he saw what the source of the sound was.
"Oh! It looks as if Link has finally caught Volga's hand against his lance! He's pinned him!" And given himself leverage to boot. Boot, funny.
WHAM! Because Link put his boots to Volga's helm, making a jarring impact that sent the Dragon Knight flying across the stadium.
His read armor rolled across the metal surface of the arena center, echoing with every hit. His limbs tumbled in a way that made him lucky nothing was broken, par to that his lance going flying away from him as well. Probably thrown, to keep it from tangling a limb and doing some serious damage. Smart move. Too bad he was hit by a smarter man.
Said man landing flat on his feet, but crouched low enough that he could be mistaken for trying to scoot under a bar in a game of limbo. Add to that his giant sword held out behind him, and it made for a hell of a pose. The roar of the crowd seemed to agree.
"A marvelous reversal, exploiting openings, unrelenting in attack. Preferable to tactical retreat against enemy with superior range, possibly speed." And there goes the commentary. "Advisable to continue assault, reduce enemy's ability to rise." But he wouldn't Qrow knew that much.
After counting the number of chances, he gave the kids during their spars, it was kind of obvious.
"Heh, always knew your dad had to be a badass Summer." The comment came as Link adjusted his blade, pulling back one of his shoulders until it the tip of the purple great sword was aimed at Volga, the knight picking himself up some meters away. "Good to see I was right about that much." He tilted his head and drained another glass.
"His daughter was strong, wasn't she?"
Qrow spat at his drink.
Then his fist beat against his chest, beating out the coughs that were racked his throat.
"Be careful there, I would hate to see you injured." The voice spoke again, loud enough to remind Qrow he hadn't imagined it in a drunken stupor. "Least before something truly bad happens."
He kept his hand tight on his chest, taking deep breaths as he got his voice back. Even after he did, his other hand grabbed at the bar counter, looking up to see where the bartender was. On the other side of the bench it looked like, which was good. Still didn't do much to help his nerves.
"I hope I can at least speak to me. It isn't often I'm the one speaking and the other listening." Well that was a lie.
"I thought you were the head of the Guard, or something like that." Qrow spoke up. He refused to turn around. If she spoke first, then she was waiting for him to do that. He knew how ambushes like this worked, where words were offered instead of swords or bullets. "I thought all they did was listen to you."
"When I taught, you are correct," she offered again. "But when speaking to another knight, another Hunter, I believed it more appropriate to listen. You gain much more from listening than speaking, but you know this." He sure did.
"Probably just as well as you know you gotta speak in order to get someone else to talk." He was sobering fast, and that was already a negative to his day, not that this wasn't already grinding him against rock bottom. "Mind telling me what you're doing here? Least like this?"
"I wished to ask you the same question." No, she didn't, not initially. "I would think one as important as you would be around the Sages, guarding them."
"Only an idiot puts all their knights on one side of the board." Dammit Ozpin, Qrow loathed that the chess lessons were coming up now. He cursed under his breath. "You gotta be thinking the same thing. Afterall, you're here, and not with the big bad of this story."
That might have been a word too far. Seeing as the woman's next action was to walk closer to him.
Now that he was listening, he could hear her feet come closer. Still quiet though, like cat walking across the floor, instead of a full-grown woman. The metaphor was only more appropriate as she perched herself on the bar next to him, back to the glasses and looking down at him, tall as she was. Qrow knew who it was, but it was still hard to look at her.
A woman who looked down at him with red eyes and alabaster hair, red marks dotting her features, and the outright unmistakable large sword on her back.
"From what her majesty has told me, you are most likely here because your powers are like a river."
"They are?" First time he heard that one. "How's that?"
"You cannot stop the flow without a damn, and doing such would only threaten a torrent." Huh, funny that. "You are best here where you can stem any threat, then among the prizes you are guarding."
"Heh, just as smart as the girl said you'd be," Qrow worked his jaw. "Then again, the brats were saying you were smart, too."
"Children think the one can name the stars wise, and those who tell them of their past stupid." If it weren't the fact, he was looking at the palest placid face after his sister's, he'd have laughed at that.
"I said you were smart, no reason you gotta talk smart."
She smiled at him, and Qrow had to remind himself that she was not interested or playing with him. Not her. Not here. Not now.
"But if you are so intelligent, why don't you name for me ways you benefit them for being here? Would children not wish for their loves ones to witness them?"
"That's sick game."
"Humor me. Unless you wish to hurry this meeting forward." She got him there. He sighed, already having thought of many of the reasons beforehand.
"Barrier could drop, one of them could swing to far and hit the stands, someone shouts the wrong thing, or they stop caring about their Aura." He'd seen it all before. A cold glass was put in front of him, already sweating and cool to his lips. He drank half of it before he even realized he picked it up. It joined the half a liter of it already in his gut. "Given what I'm seeing, I'm gonna bet worst case scenario." Not that he'd be able to cash in on it.
"You are intelligent." He never claimed to be. He just knew how to read the landscape. Kinda like right now. "I suppose it is good I found you before anyone else."
"That so? Why's that? Easier mess to clean up?"
"No so. I think you would be one of the few to listen to me and hear what I have to say." Got him again. Figures the Royal fucking Guard would be able to exploit openings. Too bad his gut didn't have one already, least then it'd serve as a good warning for everyone else to run the hell away.
As if sensing his thoughts, the woman pushed off from the bar. He twisted to watch her, hair almost clinging to his forehead as she walked calmly towards the door.
"You know, most bar owners would think something was wrong with their place, beautiful woman like you walking in and out."
"Most stall owners are pleased to see a woman of my age leaving as fast as they come."
"What did I say about speaking smart?" He swallowed, for the first time wishing he was less drunk. Maybe then he'd sound a bit smarter.
"When did I say I cared?" Then again, she looked to be joining in just fine. Pity it was her he was talking to. "Come Qrow. Do you not wish to hear what Salem has forgotten to caution me against?"
"I'm not sure how much I can trust a child-killer, Impa."
She frowned at him over her shoulder, but he continued to scowl.
"You can't honestly think we wouldn't know." How couldn't they? It wasn't like Cardin was going to keep quiet about not being able to get in contact with his friend.
Let alone Link not recognizing the way the building was torn up and burned down. The room the news had been delivered in was still torn to hell.
"I didn't mind the thought of you discovering it or conjuring the truth from deduction and reason, but then hiding myself now wasn't the point. If my presence was to be concealed, it wouldn't have been me that Salem would send to kill Sky."
His fist clenched, ready to attack. He wanted to, he could. Course, then he'd be splattered across the wall. He knew a threat when he saw one, or a mountain he couldn't fly over. Too bad it was this woman.
"Got a good reason for it?" Qrow had to ask, carefully. "C'mon, if you want me to follow you into a dark alley, you gotta give me something. Honesty right now is great, but you're just showin' off your teeth. Makes me nervous about your bite."
"My reason for killing was to conceal what he saw me capable of in the Nightmare's realm. Something I will still not show you." That didn't make things better. That made them worse.
Dammit. Dammit all. The robot was right!
"Not the reason I thought it was." He spoke instead, hoping his poker face was working out for him. Damn hard when you were dealing with someone who'd give Oz a run for his money in age, and was living it all up on one body. "The girls thought it was someone trying to frame you. Actually, agreed with them this time."
"Then I suppose that was an example of your power working against you." Damn the world if it wasn't. "I suppose if they can be offered any relief, it is that I did not enjoy it. But what her majesty requests from me, I will always deliver."
"Whatever lets you sleep at night." The barb fell out of his mouth, but it glided over her so much like she was made of stone. Might as well have been. "You know the big guy was broken up about it." Qrow offered. "Cardin's been putting on a good front, but between me and the others, kinda hard to miss it."
"He'd be much less of a man than I thought were he alright with it." Oh, sympathy? "He showed much growth before, I hope that this has not sent him back."
"Weren't for the brats A through L, might just have." It was affecting her, he had to keep pushing. "Don't suppose you can call them up an apologize. Maybe give him a reason to not kill you on sight."
"I cannot. For there is no reason I can offer that would satisfy." Damn the smart ones, it made their sympathy harder to exploit. "But we are getting off topic, at least I am."
She pushed upon the door, showing the light outside. She must have been either awfully confident no one would recognize her… or prepared for what to do if they did… That hit Qrow like a ton of bricks.
"I came her to find someone to speak to, and I wish to offer those words now. Do you desire to follow me?" Qrow was stupid, but he wasn't foolish. He knew what would happen if he said no.
Because speech or not, no one who saw her was going to leave alive.
Including everyone who even glanced at her.
He looked at them, taking maybe a second or two too long to be considered thought. He saw every damn one of them, all the people that thought the biggest threat in the world were some beasts in the wild, who didn't even go to sleep thinking about ancient queens and kings.
They didn't know they were glancing at death when they looked into the bar, or at the reaper herself.
Impa the Shiekah, baring the expression of a dead woman serving a corrupt queen, and honor bound through it all. Oh yeah, Qrow recognized it.
He was pretty sure he had the same look.
"I'm up for a chat," the old Hunter finally agreed. "Glad a place in mind, or is it the guy's job to get your approval?"
"There is a place I have prepared. Do not worry, it is near no one else." That was exactly his worry, figured she'd get it first. She was a Knight like Link… and the one that apparently had beaten him in every duel they'd ever been in. How stupid was it all? Too stupid.
"Hee hee, kidna funny, actually," Qrow quipped, laughing through it. "Came here to keep the trouble away, and I think it worked out pretty well. One's gotta wonder if I have good or bad luck."
"It all depends on what you do with what I tell you," Impa returned, as if she wasn't going to maim him after this. "Do not fear. I have no orders to kill you, unlike Sky and his family." What a way to deliver a threat.
"Don't worry, I'm coming." Qrow followed her out of the war, turning to match pace with her as she walked down the street. He matched her step for step. "I'm coming…" He had to.
What was there to lose otherwise? Only his life. With his brats and the rest of the gang away from here, it'd be a good thing to offer up. He walked out behind Impa, hoping he'd be able to mess with his nieces one more time after this. Qrow could only settle for counting on Link and Tai to do their jobs.
Here he was, marching off to do his.
"Don't worry Oz, I'm not going near the Arena."
Author's Note:
This whole chapter just proves I can't write a fight to save my life. Damn it all.
Also, sorry for being a week later. The MagicalChineseWhatWereYouThinking Virus basically kept me homebound which, surprisingly, actually makes me less capable to write.
That all said, hope this was fun, hope the hangover was suitable, and I hope this leads to a greater chapter to come. That, and that you forgive me for atrocious writing.
