"Sapphron, if you would." Jaune's father requested.
His sister was wearing her combat gear. Full plate mail from shoulder to toe with a tower shield and a lance the length of her body.
She was a perfect picture of a knight and Jaune's inspiration growing up. She was why he wanted to wear armor like he did, unlike his parents who focused on mobility rather than defense.
"Ready," Sapphron replied, holding her shield ready.
Nicholas slammed into her shield with a one-handed swing of his sword that sounded like a gong being hit. Her shield hadn't even budged an inch.
"Jaune, when it comes to your aura, you have to remember not to force it. Understanding is important. Knowing precisely how you want it to move, what shape you want it, and what properties it needs to have helps. But aura is not a muscle or a tool that we use. It is a part of us that acts according to our desires." His older sister explained.
Jaune nodded in understanding, he had been taught as much on his very first day with Pyrrha.
"When I use my Semblance, I don't think about pushing my aura. I don't think about muffling the force of Dad's strike. I just let it happen. I want to stop his blow without getting hurt in the process." Sapphron continued.
A shockwave exploded from her shield and crashed into a tree, leaving a dent at least 10cm deep.
"When I want to release the energy I don't think about separating my aura and directing the force. I just want to get some payback. How it feels for you is most important. Especially without the system to help you." She added.
"I get that, but what am I supposed to 'want' to do that?" Jaune asked.
"Maybe 'want' is a bit too literal. Just try to cut me with your aura." She replied.
Jaune took a step toward her and began to draw his sword.
"Ah-ah! Try to cut me with your aura... from right there." She corrected. "Jade, hold his legs for us will you?"
His younger sister ran up and placed a hand on his thigh.
"Sorry." She quickly apologized before running back.
It had been quick, taking only the second of her hand being on his leg to pull it off. His entire lower body was encased in a thick coating of green crystal.
"You've gotten faster at that." Jaune complimented.
When she had been younger, covering her finger in crystal had been a dramatic event. One that involved a lot of panicking and crying and a lot of time to resolve.
His sister nodded once before pulling her knees up into her chest and tucking them into her hoodie.
Still as shy as ever though.
"Okay so now I just... cut you I guess?" Jaune asked.
"Yep. And you're staying there until you do." Sapphron responded, leaning on her shield and pulling out her scroll.
Jaune drew his sword, which fortunately been left unsealed.
I've just got to want it. Charge up the aura and swing.
Jaune did exactly that. He packed more aura than he could ever need into his blade and swung hard enough to make an audible 'swish'.
"Not like that. You need more 'oomph', put some more 'kapow' into it." His father advised.
"No, he doesn't need 'kapow', he needs to make the blade go 'Brrr'." His mother corrected.
"It's more of a 'pow!' isn't it?" Sapphron asked.
Jaune had no idea what they were saying. Was it a foreign language? They all certainly seemed to understand exactly what they each meant, leaving him the odd one out.
Jaune tried to ignore them and swung again.
/-/
Minutes turned to hours, and it turned out that they hadn't been kidding when they said he wasn't moving from his spot.
Sapphron had gotten bored waiting for him to work it out after half an hour. She entertained herself by poking Jaune with her lance. Taunting him by saying 'if you want me to stop then just cut me already'.
Now though, his whole family just sat eating their dinner right in front of him. Worse still was the fire they used to cook with.
"Could you guys do that somewhere else?" Jaune begged.
"We're just eating. If you want some you can-"
"Yeah yeah, 'from right here'. I don't care about the food, I meant that!" Jaune pointed at the fire with his sword, interrupting his sister.
His father nodded understandingly.
"You did say you had some sort of issue with fire, didn't you. Unfortunately, it's a very cold night tonight. I don't think any of us could be convinced to put it out. Though if you wanted to..." His father trailed off.
Jaune realized it was entirely intentional. His family had even left a perfect gap for him to aim for where none of his family was in the road. Sapphron and Nicholas both took the vanguard, ready to field off any wayward attacks.
"Kind of heartless isn't it?" Jaune tried to appeal to his father's emotions.
Nicholas took a bite of his dinner. "I prefer pragmatic."
Damn it.
Jaune's stomach rumbled and he gave a frustrated sigh and released all tension in his body. He could hardly move with his legs locked up. As a result going slack merely resulted in his back and neck rolling backward, pointing his gaze to the sky.
The moon was in its partial phase. Half of the shattered side and half of its clean unbroken side showed in even amounts. The combination displayed a crescent shape, not unlike his family crest.
The Arc family shared a lot of symbolism with the moon, though not by intention. Supposedly the Arcs were supposed to represent rainbows. Jaune always thought their crest looked like the slashes of a blade that was moving fast enough to blur.
Jaune soon grew bored with looking at the sky. It wasn't exactly comfortable in his current position. He stood back up at retook his 'stance' if it could be called that without legs.
He charged his aura up once more and swung again.
Unlike all the other times a thin streak of white trailed behind the tip of his blade.
In his surprise, he nearly missed the way his father flicked his attention towards him.
Was that... it?
Jaune swung again but nothing happened.
Shit, what was I doing differently?
I charged my aura, I swung... I was picturing the moon, the arc of a blade! I wanted my blade to leave a trail and my aura must have filled the blanks.
Jaune tried again, keeping that image in the forefront of his mind and swung once more. The thin trail generated from the entire back edge of his sword this time. It stayed in place, where the blade had been until the end of the swing, where it slowly followed its trajectory. The aura didn't re-enter his body or blade though, instead, it just faded away.
That's it! It was separate from my aura, disconnected.
This time for sure then... I'll swing...
Jaune swung his sword once more, the aura shining behind his blade.
Then release!
Jaune threw his sword.
He hadn't meant to throw his sword, but in trying to trick his aura he had gotten his wires crossed.
Crocea Mors and its white aura tail spun through the air until it landed point first in the campfire.
Coral openly laughed in his face while his father sighed.
"That doesn't count and you know it," said Nicholas as he pulled the blade out and tossed it back at him.
Jaune barely managed to catch it with his body trapped like it was.
"I know! It wasn't on purpose." Jaune replied.
I'll get it this time. It's not 'release'. It's more a... It's like...
It's like a whip. You swing the handle and the rest lags. The length of my blade is a few feet, but my aura reaches much further. A 'swish' and a 'crack'.
...
Oh no, I sound just like them.
Jaune shook himself off and lifted his sword. He could process the fact that his family wasn't as insane as he'd thought later.
Swish.
He swung.
And crack.
He pulled back on his aura like you would pull back on a whip.
The trail of aura behind his sword separated from what he held in the blade. With nothing attached to it, it followed the path it had already been set on.
Shaped like a bright white crescent moon, Jaune's aura sped forwards. It grew taller and thinner as it traveled before finally dissipating as it ran out of steam.
You have unlocked the [Aura Emission] Skill.
[Aura Emission: Level 0]
Disconnect your aura from its source and project it outwards.
Aura Emission techniques cost 100% more aura.
Aura Emission techniques weaken over distance. 10% reduction over 1(1.5) meters.
"Alright!" Jaune shouted. "Now get me out of here, I'm starving."
His father got up, as did Jade, but Nicholas held her back.
"One more time, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke." Nicholas requested.
Forget one time, I want out of this cage.
Jaune swung twice in quick succession, emitting his aura with each. A cross-shaped aura attack flew toward his father before fizzling out before his feet. Connecting with the system as a real skill had merged his aura emission with his aura control skill. Instantly, five meters was added to its maximum range.
"Want to let me out now?" Jaune asked impatiently.
His father nodded and gave Jade a little push. She waved her hands and the crystal cracked right down the middle. Two separate pieces fell either side of his legs.
She was barely any older than Jaune, not even a full year, but already had such good control over her Semblance. Frankly, it was impressive, especially for the girl who had decided she didn't want to be a huntress. There were students at Beacon who didn't even have their Semblance, Jaune being a perfect example.
Too hungry to spare time on a compliment though, Jaune raced in to grab his share of the food.
He got 3 paces away before he realized that it was still sitting on the grill above the campfire. The campfire that was now much closer and larger than any fire he'd tried to train with in a while.
"Lavender honey, would you help Jaune calm down, please? Try the one you use when you go to sleep." His mother softly requested from his peripheral. His heavy breathing and the sudden stop had given away his internal struggle.
His sister got up and covered his mouth and nose with her hand.
"What are you doing?" he mumbled.
"Breathe in please." Lavender politely requested.
Jaune did as instructed, the scent of chamomile and lavender filled his nostrils. An intense feeling of calm washed over his body, his entire being. At least for now, the sight of the fire was not an issue. Any trace of tension in his body just faded away.
"Any emotions I related to a scent, I can simulate in others by making them smell it. You wouldn't believe how much tea I've had to drink and how many flowers I've had to sniff to get it this good. I've got a bouquet of this stuff in every pillow I own back home." His sister added.
"It's… It's good. Normally only my partner can calm me down when I start to… react." Jaune responded.
"How does she do that? Is her Semblance some kind of emotion control too? No one knows what her Semblance is since she never uses it in a fight." His sister Hazel asked. She did always share an interest in huntsmen as he did.
"No she doesn't use a Semblance, she just usually-" Jaune stopped himself a second too late. He'd said it now and they all noticed his reaction, they wouldn't leave him alone if he didn't say it now. "She usually just kisses me."
"Oh my little boy is growing up!" his mother cooed.
"Gross, Yuck!" Amber squealed.
"Does she taste as good as she looks?" Coral asked with a lecherous smirk.
"Coral!" his mother chastised.
"Does she though?" Sapphron also asked, less lecherously and more genuinely interested.
"I'm not answering that," Jaune replied, ignoring his sister's visible disappointment. "But it does usually do the trick of taking my mind off things. It brings me back to reality long enough for me to get control of myself again."
"That's a yes." Coral jeered.
Jaune just sighed and focused on his meal. He'd forgotten how exhausting it could be to hang out with his sisters.
After dinner, his family headed to sleep. Despite the day of training, he wasn't that tired just yet.
When he was certain everybody was asleep, he snuck out into the forest to continue his training.
As excited as he had been when he had finally pulled off the technique, he had noticed one fairly obvious flaw. While it was able to travel over a distance, its actual stopping power was weak. He couldn't even recall if his aura had displaced the dirt it made contact with. Instead, he was pretty sure it dissipated upon contact.
He had the technique, but no strength behind it.
That changed now.
Jaune propped himself up into a handstand, something he didn't know he could do until he tried it. His bodyweight would have to do for resistance for now. Pushing around other objects would be too loud.
With a fraction of his aura, half a point at most, he tried to push himself away from the ground.
He didn't even leave the ground.
After several hours of training and recovering his aura, Jaune finally went to bed. He had managed to earn himself an inch from his training. In terms of cutting power, it was probably equal to a toddler with a stick. But it was still better than the stiff breeze he had started with.
/-/
"Get up!" His father shouted, waking Jaune up. "You've gotten too used to sleeping in. You're wasting daylight when you could be training!"
Jaune blamed Ren for that. The boy enjoyed his sleep and as the resident chef, he got what he wanted. Naturally, if Ren was sleeping in, they all were.
"I'm up. I'm up..." Jaune mumbled as he unzipped the sleeping bag.
"Good. Go do 10 laps around the campsite and then drill your sword kata 20 times. The faster you get it done, the faster you can eat breakfast. Oh, and wear your armor. No point otherwise." His father ordered.
Jaune grumbled but complied.
The laps brought him through a variety of terrains some less stable than others. Gravel and mud were particularly annoying to navigate. The hills too were frustrating. How his father had managed to pick such a difficult track on his first attempt, Jaune didn't know.
When he finished his 9th lap his father was standing nearby with a stopwatch observing.
"Finish this lap in under 2 minutes or you're doing 10 more." His father loudly declared.
Jaune upped the pace. It was almost fifty percent faster than what he'd achieved on his first lap.
Suddenly the mud and gravel were much more dangerous than simply 'annoying'. His feet gave way occasionally, sending him rolling through the muck. By the time he finished, he was caked from head to toe in mud and leaves. For all his efforts he had still been 15 seconds too slow.
Ten punishing laps later, Jaune went through the motions of his sword training. He forced himself to ignore the growing ache in his stomach that was his hunger.
"Jaune! You're covered in filth, you can't train like that! Go clean yourself up and start over!"
Cursing under his breath he headed to the small river and washed out his clothes and cleaned his armor. Of course, his father had chosen the last set to make him start over.
When he came back, his mother was waiting for him.
"Your father said you were complaining about your sword being too light."
I wasn't but whatever, I already know where this is going.
"So I'm just going to help you add a bit of weight. He said 'just a little more than uncomfortable'." His mother explained.
Jaune pumped aura until the blade had doubled from its initial weight. With a few practice swings, he could tell that his swings would be slightly slower to accelerate. Due to only being able to apply so much force to his sword, his damage would probably remain the same. The peak momentum of his swings would be greater though. This was likely the secret behind the previous owners of Crocea Mors being able to blow through their enemy's defense.
With his sword finally meeting his father's conditions, Jaune completed his set tasks. The entire ordeal had taken nearly three hours instead of the barely one it would have taken.
After his well-earned meal, his mother took him aside to drill his aura emission. It was simple repetition to improve the efficiency of the aura slash. Using as little aura as possible he had to generate enough cutting force to break through a tree branch. When he ran out of aura, he would return to his mother who would give him a refill. Only when both he and his mother had both run out of aura would he finally be allowed to stop. With the huge reserve of aura available, it was well over 400 swings and half an hour of training before he was done. The training served to further abuse his muscles as well as train his aura control.
To Jaune's surprise, after the aura training, it was right back to running. When his legs felt like jelly he was sent back to practicing his kata. And whenever his mother's aura had recharged, it was another half hour of aura training.
And that was the only training he was allowed to do.
"Good job today Jaune. Tomorrow let's see if you can't beat those times." Was all his father said.
And the next day, he had been forced to beat 2 minutes before he was allowed to eat breakfast.
His father had appeared on the 9th lap as before. This time though, he joined him, setting the pace he needed to match by running it himself.
As they ran, Jaune searched for some trick that his father was using to run as quickly and effortlessly as he was. He refused to believe this was just dexterity and fortitude training.
Jaune activated his aura vision. Sure enough, his father was coating the soles of his feet with aura just like his sister had.
Since he wasn't planning on making any sudden turns, Jaune emulated the technique once more. His aura compacted the soil under his footsteps, giving him a firmer surface to kick off of. Additionally, the aura seeped into the ground when his foot made contact. His aura seemed to create a deeper connection and increased friction.
The two in combination made it easier to generate more speed by kicking off of the ground with more force. Jaune almost instantly managed to catch up to his father.
"Took you long enough to work it out. You already tried it once with your sister, I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about it." His father said with a smile. "Your aura increases the amount of time you make contact with the ground, stabilizing you. With sufficient control, you can run on any surface. Even ice or vertical walls can become useable terrain."
His father slightly increased the pace.
"Now that you've got the technique, all you need is to practice it on a variety of terrains. Over time you can increase the speed and difficulty of your route. For speed, don't think of it as lifting your leg away from the ground while staying in contact with the other. Kick the earth with all your strength." His father instructed.
Jaune didn't use all his strength, but he did try to kick off with every step. Instantly he saw a vast improvement in his speed. His stride length increased the harder that he kicked. It got to the point where he was covering two meters with every step. The rush that came with moving at that sort of speed was exhilarating.
Right up until he hit a gravel patch and his footing gave way.
"Different terrain, different levels of aura." His father laughed. "Use too much aura and you'll crush your footing and make it more uneven. Not enough aura and you just won't generate enough grip to maintain your pace."
You have unlocked the [Aura Step] Skill.
[Aura Step: Level 0]
Channel aura into a surface to generate increased friction and force.
Error margin: 10%
Jaune pulled himself back up to his feet and brushed off the dirt that covered him.
"That's what this training is about. Developing aura control to maintain stability on any surface. Training the motor skills to optimize your center of gravity at all times. And of course, increasing the speed at which you can move. If you master this, it's an invaluable tool in combat." His father explained.
Jaune nodded and began to get back to running. Unlike how he felt earlier, he was suddenly very motivated to make the most of this training.
Over the next few days, his skill and speed increased. As it did, Jaune soon found his running track littered with obstacles. Jaune was forced to get used to lateral and vertical movement or miss out on meals. Markers were set up like a miniature slalom course. Hurdles of differing heights were put out that he had to go over and under. Small stumps were placed around as stepping stones. With each day, the frequency and difficulty of obstacles grew. At the same time, the time he had to complete his laps in shrunk.
By training both his aura step and aura emission day in and day out, his aura control had grown with it. His aura slashes were no longer just crescent-shaped discharges of force with a blunted edge. They had been refined and transformed into sickles. Their edge constantly moved, like a razor-sharp chainsaw. They were capable of cutting through firewood cleanly even at a distance.
His base stats had also grown substantially from the focused efforts. 13 days of sprinting and weightlifting was a hardcore training regimen after all.
The only thing that remained was to put his new skills to use in real combat to cement them into his fighting style.
Which is why his father's suggestion on the 14th day had only come as a partial surprise.
"No laps today. Get your gear on and come join us for breakfast."
Jaune quickly got ready and ran out to find his whole family in combat gear.
"Have as much as you want to eat, but I wouldn't recommend having too much. You're only going to lose it anyway." His father stated.
Jaune grabbed a few pieces of bacon and some eggs and placed them on his plate.
"Why is everyone in their combat gear?" Jaune asked.
"Because we'll all be fighting today." He held a hand up to cut off Jaune's next question. "We'll all be fighting you."
"Is that necessary?" Jaune asked, putting down his still full plate of food. He was beginning to see why he shouldn't bother eating.
"Necessary? Probably not. But it's happening anyway. That partner of yours is going to be stronger than all of your sisters minus perhaps Sapphron. Combined. If you can't beat them now, you should know that rather than go out and embarrass yourself on camera in front of the world." His father explained.
Jaune frowned. He didn't like how this sounded like an ultimatum of sorts. 'Defeat your sisters or give up the tournament'. He knew exactly how strong his partner was, but a 7 on 1 fight being the minimum requirements seemed a bit steep. That he would then have to fight three trained professionals after was just a rotten cherry on top.
"Fine. Let's get this out of the road then." Jaune said, letting his frustration at how his family viewed his chances be made apparent.
"You heard him, girls. Amber, you're up first." His father ordered.
It made sense to send up his sisters in reverse order of age. What suddenly didn't make sense was that he would be fighting his ten-year-old sister.
He didn't have much of a chance to consider the situation before his father gave the command to start.
Jaune quickly decided he didn't want to hurt her. He was bound to be stronger and faster than her despite any training she might have received. Getting her to concede would be enough.
Jaune didn't even draw his sword to deal with the small knives that his sister was wielding. Instead, he let his armor take the sharp edge and he grabbed her wrists. Using one of the moves Pyrrha had taught him, he pulled her into a hammerlock and gently threw his sister to the ground. As she fell he switched into a simple wrist lock, which he tightened until she squealed and tapped out. He instantly let her go.
"Lavender, go." His father ordered.
His other younger sister had neither Semblance nor Class that was suited for combat. Still, as a seventeen-year-old with enough time to actually train, she'd have enough skill to pose a threat. He still didn't plan on drawing his weapon on her though.
With her twin sickles, she was a little bit more dangerous than her sister due to the added reach. It took a few attempts to properly grasp the hand that was wielding her lead weapon. When he did he gave her arm a strong pull, spinning his body as he did to step on the outside of her elbow. With a stomp he took out one of her knees, allowing him to drag her a few meters across the ground, stretching her out flat. With a hand on her wrist and a foot on the back of her neck, he had complete control over her.
These grappling techniques are great for dealing with non-lethal threats. I'll have to remember that if I ever find myself in this position against someone without aura.
His sister put up a struggle and tried to roll out of the grapple. With a twist and some extra force on her neck, she tapped.
Next came his sister Hazel. She was the only member of the family who wound up with a spell caster class. His parents had given her the best training they could and had been more than happy to fund her dust supply.
In truth, Hazel would be the first real challenge. While he had considered it a seven on one earlier, it was going to be more like a five on one, starting now.
Her Semblance, Bubble, allowed her to generate bubbles made from her aura. When he was younger, he had watched her train with it without telling anyone. It was one of his guilty pleasures when he needed a break from training. Her Semblance was particularly well suited for dust use too. It allowed her to create a minefield of dust practically at will.
Knowing that his older sisters were not to be underestimated, he finally drew his sword.
He could see his sister had several dust spells prepared and ready to fire. The more time he gave her, the more complicated she would be to deal with. So Jaune dashed straight toward the field of red, yellow, and blue bubbles.
He loosed an aura slash which collided with a strip of the bubbles. They ignited on contact, clearing a path. Jaune leaped through the multi-colored smoke that had been created. He dodged a spear of ice that he barely saw due to the aura that was stored within it. Jaune ducked a stream of fire and rolled away from the stalagmites that she created beneath him. Finally, he had managed to make it into his sister's range.
For half a second he was in awe in how easily his new movement had allowed him to navigate that exchange. He'd watched Weiss fight many times before. She never spammed dust the way his sister does, even though she would be able to easily afford it. Despite that, he hadn't ever dreamed of performing as well against her as he was right now.
When his sister landed a bolt of lightning to his chest, his thoughts were dragged back to the present.
It had stung and stunned him for an instant, but the actual quantity of dust used and the total damage was limited. Like Weiss' rapier or Ms. Goodwitch's riding crop, his sister had a focus to channel her usage of dust in the form of a staff. To avoid dealing with more strikes like that, Jaune would have to deal with it. Fortunately, its length made it much easier to apply leverage and wrench it out of his sister's hands.
A move that Hazel seemed more than prepared for.
While Jaune had successfully disarmed his sister, he had done so at the expense of taking a direct blow. A handful of primed gravity dust was forced into his ribcage by hand. The resulting explosion nearly knocked him back into the minefield.
That small trade had cost him a valuable chunk of his aura that he wouldn't be getting back. Jaune decided it was time to stop avoiding it and start fighting his sisters with his sword properly.
Jaune tossed her staff like a javelin through the minefield behind him and took her out with a quick slash. Without her staff, she had no way to defend herself.
If the pattern was to remain consistent, his sister Jade was next. He remembered her Semblance was the creation of crystal out of aura, both hers and others. She had used it to lock up his lower body in a thick enough coating that he couldn't move nor break out.
As a monk, she moved and fought similarly to Ren, and Jaune treated her no differently. Her ideal range was to be in such close-quarters that she was practically on top of him. Without a weapon like Ren's Stormflower and with her smaller frame, that was too close for his sword.
The bulge of her muscles showed that she knew the muscle augmentation technique. She was using it to break her limits and exceed Jaune's unboosted stats. With a set of steel bracers, she skillfully redirected Jaune's sword and slipped into range. Before he could reposition and reset, she landed a glancing palm strike on his left shoulder.
Jaune tried to push her back as he retreated, only to realize he couldn't move his arm more than a few inches. Jaune soon saw that she had turned the aura that he shielded her attack with into jade, locking up the joint. Without wasting any time, he cracked and removed the crystal with a strike from his sword's pommel. She used the action to step back in and launch another attack, on target this time.
If she is going to convert my aura, I just won't use any. Her last attack was weak enough that I can tank it and then counter.
Jaune lifted his sword above his head, ready to bring it down atop hers when she committed to the strike.
A sharp pain shot through his abdomen like a hot knife was being dragged through his stomach.
Jade had already disengaged by the time he reacted. He was too distracted by the pain to maintain his regular speed and stop her. She had coated her fingers in jade and pierced his auraless torso. If the pain when he moved was any sign, she had likely transformed them after insertion. He could feel barbs that held them in place and ripped nearby tissue.
"It's your turn to give up Jaune. You can't fight with those inside you, it'll tear you up." His sister explained, dropping her stance.
"Who said anything about fighting with them inside?" Jaune loudly asked.
Grabbing the four jade crystals by the tips, Jaune pulled each of them free. The spikes turned the four wounds into one large tear in his abdomen that began freely bleeding.
He focused his aura recovery to speed it up, despite knowing that it would burn through his aura faster. A few minutes of healing and he could stem the bleeding if nothing else. A full recovery would require an hour at least.
His sister was slow to process the fact that he had just opened a gaping wound in his gut. During her stasis, Jaune activated his aura augmentation. With his full strength, he drove his shoulder into her chest, forcing the wind from her lungs. He followed up with a leaping slash that caught her on her way to the ground. From his position, he couldn't force her to tap out. But with his sword pointed at her chest and her aura having taken a beating, she submitted.
An arrow whizzed past his head, causing Jaune to duck and hide behind a tree. He couldn't have hoped for a better opponent right now.
He had seen and heard of Sabel's Semblance a few times during his family's extended camping trip. Several plates and bowls served too hot to eat with had prompted his sister to use hers in a fairly docile fashion.
She can transmute thermal, kinetic, and electrical energy that she was in contact with. Turning it into any of the other two types. It made her a great counter against blunt force and two of the major dust types. Against bladed weapons though, she could still take damage. A sharp edge with applied pressure didn't need speed. Additionally, as an archer, she would prefer to stay at a distance. So long as she wasn't able to curve her shots somehow, Jaune could run and hide behind cover until his wound was healed.
For a few minutes, Jaune played this game of cat and mouse. But it was brought to an end by his father.
"Coral, get out there and help your sister."
"Two at once?!" Jaune shouted.
"Ready or not, here I come little brother!" his sister jeered.
And then she was gone. No trace of her aura for him to keep track of and certainly no visual. She had simply disappeared.
Another arrow slammed into the tree bark beside him as he sprinted for new cover.
Jaune checked his wound to see that it had stopped bleeding save for the tiniest trickle.
Or at least it 'had' stopped.
His sister materialized in front of him out of nowhere, her fist planted in his wound, reopening it once more.
"You weren't ready, were you?" she mocked.
Lifting her free hand to his head, she fired a wrist-mounted crossbow, scoring a clean blow on his temple. The impact sent him reeling.
Jaune slashed out at her to get her away from him, only to hit empty air.
Jaune scowled. His sister was hunting him down like it was nothing more than a game to her. Perhaps appropriately, since she had taken after his father in class.
That personality was all her though.
When an arrow found its mark in his leg, Jaune realized he couldn't afford to fight two opponents at once like this. Especially when he was unsure of how to deal with his sister's Semblance. Even worse was trying to do it while distracted.
Jaune, while continuing to try and heal his wound, sprinted at his top pace toward Sabel. Like Hazel before her, she would have difficulties if he got into her range.
Jaune struck the first arrow out of the sky, refusing to sacrifice his speed to dodge it. The second arrow was fired in a panic when Sabel realized he would be on her too soon. It went wide enough for him to duck it with ease. Jaune landed a full-power strike against his sister which she attempted to block with her bow. Her guard collapsed and her aura shattered from his blow but luckily she didn't seem to be too injured.
"I don't suppose you want to come out and fight me without being invisible? Up close and personal?" Jaune asked the forest around him.
Something struck him hard in the chin. What felt like a shin brought itself on the backs of his knees and a hand gripped his face. The visibility of the hand that was grabbing him was a relief. Up until when she dug her nails into his face and eyes and pulled his head to the ground.
Sprawled out on the dirt and blurry-eyed, he could barely process his sister step into view above him.
"Here I am, visible, and within reach." She taunted before planting a kick into his still-open wound.
Jaune tried to roll over onto his stomach, both to shield his injury and to push himself onto his feet. His sister kicked his arms out from under him. To add insult to injury she kicked him in the guts as he fell, sending him several meters away.
Individually his sisters seemed to lack the raw power to get through his aura. But Jade had opened the way for his sisters' to inflict a lot of pain and sap his stamina. She had created a weak spot, unrelated to his aura. While his aura was still sitting safely at fifty percent, his heart rate and breathing were erratic. The pain and exposure to several dust explosions from Sabel hadn't helped either.
Jaune flipped himself back up, ready to intercept his sister's next attack.
Unfortunately, his sister had once again disappeared.
He knew his sister didn't have a warping power. She was the type who would abuse it in daily life if she had it. So Jaune knew she was either becoming invisible or messing with his perception. It was like the stealth Semblance the White Fang sniper used. Ren's comments from how to deal with it replayed in his head.
'No Semblance is unbeatable. They all have a weak spot. If they're invisible, inaudible, scentless, and undetectable by machines, try aura. In failing that, don't look for them, look for indirect signs of their existence.'
Jaune raced away to a section of his running track that he knew like the back of his hand.
"Running away?" Coral asked, suddenly appearing behind him, hot on his heels.
"Maybe I'm luring you into a trap?" Jaune fired back.
"Please. I'm the hunter here. You're prey." She viciously remarked.
It seemed that speed was one of her specialties where brute strength wasn't. She easily outpaced him and got close enough to fire a point-blank shot into his thigh. Jaune just gritted his teeth and bared it while maintaining his pace.
She laughed as she reloaded her crossbow with another bolt. She always had been a bit sadistic with her teasing, but it seemed combat really brought it out of her. He loved his sister, and he knew she would never go out of her way to hurt someone. But it seemed that training was fair game.
Jaune instantly turned on her, trying and make use of the opportunity of her visibility. Once again, she vanished into thin air.
It seemed like every time Jaune tried to fight her she would disappear. When he tried to run, she'd reappear. There was no apparent time limit between uses, nor was there a time limit to how long she could last. Or at least, if there was, it was several minutes long or more.
Finally, Jaune made it to the location he had picked for battle. His feet kicked up the dust as he ran into the center of a dusty clearing. Behind him, he spotted the incredibly subtle imprint of footprints in the fine loose dirt. Jaune immediately launched an attack at that position.
His sword collided with something solid. Instantly his sister appeared in front of him. Already blocking his strike with a buckler that rested atop her crossbow like a cover.
"Found you." Jaune taunted back, finally getting some revenge.
One of her fingers twitched and her arm slightly shuffled under his attack. Jaune dodged the crossbow bolt before it had even broken contact with the string.
Coral tried to hit him again in the torso, but visible like she was, he had no trouble reading her intentions. He grabbed the back of her neck with his spar hand and clinched, pressing his hips into her groin. From there he slipped his hand onto her collar and attempted to throw her over his shoulder onto the ground.
In an impressive display of technical skill, she managed to slip out of her shirt in the middle of the fight.
Unfortunately for her, the buckler was too large to slip through her sleeve and she was bound by her right hand.
Physically weaker than Jaune as a dexterity focused fighter, she was unable to pull away. Instead, Jaune pulled her into a clean hit with his sword. The damage he dealt was enough to shatter her aura.
Letting her drop, he drew his shield and turned to face his next opponent.
"You know Jaune…" His sister said as she slowly marched into the clearing. "You can feel proud of getting this far. Hell, forget what Dad said. If you can pull this much off, you might just get lucky and beat your partner."
"Is there a reason why you and Dad seem so certain I'm going to lose?" Jaune frustratedly asked.
"It's nothing personal. You're a quick learner, some might even call you a prodigy in some ways. I'm certain you started the school year with nothing more than the absolute basics. But that girl was beating competitors your age when she was thirteen. Not once in the four years of tournaments has she ever even fallen below half of her aura. Half the time, she doesn't breach ninety percent. There's a reason why she is called the 'Invincible Girl'." Sapphron explained.
She stepped into range with her spear tip pointed to the ground, a sign that she wasn't about to attack.
"You lack the raw power needed for someone like her. Mom told us everything you might be facing so that Dad could work out the optimal training plan for you, you know? I'm willing to bet her base stats are all higher than yours, even if you boosted them. You don't even have a Semblance to even the odds. How do you expect to win?"
She wasn't wrong. The last time he'd seen her stats, she was in the 120-130 range for her combat stats, even more than that for dexterity. Not to mention her adrenaline burst skill. With a Semblance on top, she had every advantage where he had none.
"I made a promise," Jaune stated bluntly.
"A promise? Do you think that means anything? You can't overcome everything just because you want to Jaune. Thinking like that will get you hurt, or killed." His sister reasoned.
"That's where you're wrong. Desire? Willpower? How often do we talk about these being exactly the things that give our aura strength? It's the promise I made that will give me the edge I need."
Jaune channeled his aura into his blade. All of it. Power was welling up from his chest that he didn't even realize he had. Without the time to check his scroll meter, he simply kept drawing until he felt like he'd exhausted all of it.
His blade was singing. The vibrations from the sheer magnitude of energy held within it was turning his hand numb.
"I promised her I'd take that title of invincible away from her. That I'd give her a fight like never before." He raised his sword above his head and his sister instantly raised her guard and braced herself. A thin layer of sweat had formed on her brow in the seconds that he had prepared this attack. "And an Arc never goes back on their word!"
Jaune's attack extended far beyond the scope of anything he had thrown before. Easily 5 feet thick and twice as tall the arc of aura crashed into his sister's shield.
Her Semblance, Bastion, allowed her to completely nullify the force of an attack. She could absorb it into her aura to be release later like a Yang-like counter-attack.
Thus, when her feet began to slide back from the force of his attack, he knew something was going on.
Sapphron's shield began to glow a pale yellow and slowly transitioned into a brilliant gold. Streaks of lightning escaped her as she failed to condense the aura that she was absorbing.
Finally, she stopped as the strength of his strike began to dwindle. With one final shove, she shattered his strike.
If she so chose, her counter-attack would utterly destroy him. His aura was a speck away from utter depletion. With his wound recovering, even that would last less than a minute.
But the counter-attack never came. Jaune had thought it sympathy from his sister who wouldn't be so cruel as to attack him when he couldn't defend himself. He soon realized it wasn't just that.
Sapphron's tower shield, several inches of quality, Grimm-handling steel, had been cut.
Right down the middle, a slash had been ground into the surface. At the very center, it had been deep enough to cut his sister's arm.
She couldn't counter-attack because she needed a shield to use her Semblance. What she had was no longer a shield.
She dropped to one knee and removed the shield to grab at her arm. She was bleeding almost as much as Jaune's body wound had.
"And now you have to fight me!" his father stated.
Shocked, Jaune turned to face his father, only to see the shit-eating grin he wore.
"I'm kidding. You did well Jaune. Now how about we get those wounds seen to?" he asked both Jaune and Sapphron.
Jaune's response, after all the blood loss and exertion, was to collapse on the spot.
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Jaune Arc
Level 14
Novice
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Strength: 30 (75) [+18]
Fortitude: 35 (88) [+23]
Dexterity: 23 (57) [+17]
Aura: 30/30
Base Aura Regeneration Rate: ~4/hour
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Known Skills
[Observe]
Focus on an item or willing creature to glean information about them.
[Construction: Level 0]
Reduced mistakes when performing construction or repair jobs.
An innate understanding of structures comes with skill level.
[Dedication] (Passive) (Class)
Double all base attributes.
Able to unlock all skills through training.
No benefits from leveling.
?
Increase the effect of aura skills.
Secondary pool of aura.
[Aura Control: Level 6]
Able to feel and manipulate aura.
All stats increased by 26%
All Aura abilities are 60% more efficient.
[Aura Shielding: Level 4]
While active, aura will be absorbed to mitigate damage. 10 Aura: 14(22) Damage
[Aura Channelling: Level 4]
Aura can enhance weapon attacks. 1 Aura/minute: 14(22) % Increased weapon damage.
[Aura Healing: Level Max]
Passively siphon up to 50% of aura regeneration to heal injuries or recover stamina.
Active use of skill can siphon 200% faster.
Recovery speed is equal to +150(240)% per aura/hr drained.
[Aura Awareness: Level 4]
You can feel the shape and movement of anything within the area covered by your aura. Additionally, within the same radius, you can observe aura in all creatures that have it.
Precision: Low.
Maximum Radius: 100(160) cm.
Drains 1 Aura/minute/meter when using aura.
[Aura Emission: Level 5]
Disconnect your aura from its source and project it outwards.
Aura Emission techniques cost 50% more aura.
Aura Emission techniques weaken over distance. 5% reduction over 1(1.6) meters.
Aura Slash: For each 1(1.5) points of aura used in this technique, deal base attack damage + base aura spent x0.6
[Aura Step: Level 5]
Channel aura through your feet into a surface to generate increased friction and force.
Error margin : 5%
[Muscle Augmentation: Level 5]
Strength and/or Dexterity increased by 15(22) % per aura point used.
Aura depletes at 1 aura/minute while active.
If Strength and/or Dexterity exceed 2xFortitude, injury can occur.
[Meditation: Level 8]
Aura Recovery Rate +180% while meditating.
Base Aura Recovery Rate +20%
[Footwork: Level 9] (Passive)
Affects hit and dodge rate.
[Sword Skill: Level 9] (Passive)
Increase damage with all sword-type weapons by 90%
Increase hit rate with all sword-type weapons by 9%
Increase parry efficiency with swords by 45%
[Shield Skill: Level 7] (Passive)
Increase damage reduction of blocked strikes by 70%
Increase damage with all shield attacks by 35%
[Hand to Hand Skill: Level 4] (Passive)
Increase damage with all unarmed attacks by 20%
Increase hit rate with all unarmed attacks by 4%
Increase unarmed defense efficiency by 20%
[Willpower: Level 1]
Force your will onto others through your aura.
Can simulate emotion or even cause a variety of mental conditions in the target.
Use of this skill is also the defense against this skill.
[Heavy Strike]
Increase the force of your blows by using the full potential of your weapon's weight.
Deal 10% extra weapon damage per pound of your weapon's weight.
Cooldown 1 second.
Recharge 3 seconds.
[Leap Slam]
Jump and Strike! Put the weight of gravity behind your swings.
Leap a horizontal distance of up to 10% of your strength.
Upon landing, attack with increased damage. Damage increase is based on your weight.
Current damage increase: 20%
Current distance: 9 meters.
Cooldown 1 second.
[Coup de grâce!]
A finishing blow to an injured opponent.
Deal 2% bonus damage (max 50%) with a strike for every point of damage a target has taken.
Deal 100% bonus damage if target has an injury.
Cooldown 3 seconds.
Recharge 60 seconds.
