Ash walked quietly through the halls of the abandoned castle that he and his allies call their home. The only thing emanating down the halls only sound was the soft taps of his footsteps as it reverberated down the stone hallway; amplifying his steps and made it sound louder than it truly was.
However, today there were no signs of life anywhere in the castle. The sconces that lined the walls were dark, as the torches were not lit. The torches had not burned out, implying that they were deliberately put out.
Ash continued down the halls towards his master's studies and upon reaching it, discovered that it was unlocked. He opened it slowly and saw that it was empty and he began to examine the empty room: as usual, books were strewn about and many were left half-open. As if someone had begun to read it and quickly got bored with it. Understandable, as he had time to read all the books in the room several times over.
Ash began to hypothesize where his master may be and narrowed it down to two choices as there was no way that he could have been captured. He could be visiting the town of Shion once more, or he was out hunting Grimm. If it was the latter, Ash knew that his master normally kept his weapon in the far corner of the room, a naginata with a gun barrel built into the handle and ran down the mune of the blade.
He glanced towards the corner to find that it was gone, concluding that he indeed was out hunting the Grimm.
Just then, Ash heard the sound of footfall as it echoed through the castle. He calmly left his master's study and pulled out his bow, summoning forth an arrow of fire as he drew back on an imagined bowstring; aiming it just above the sconces down the hall before releasing as the arrow was propelled forward by magnets on the bow, igniting the torches as it flew by. In an instant, the hallway was illuminated and immediately revealed the guest: none other than his master, Umbra, who strode down the hallways calmly and unflinching as the arrow flew past his head.
The arrow began to dissipate on its own as it continued to fly, before sizzling into nothing.
"How was your hunt?" Ash asked, lowering his bow before breaking it into two separate khopeshs and sheathed them in a cross behind his back.
"We shall see," Umbra replied as he glared at Ash; as he got closer, Ash could see his naginata strapped to his back. "The incessant shrieks and howls of the Grimm during the night angered me. Hopefully, this can afford me some peace and quiet. I don't understand how you can manipulate them how you do, without wanting to slay them where they stand."
"Once they served their purpose then slaying them is easy," Ash answered.
Umbra then beckoned for Ash to follow him to his study.
"I assume you have made some headway in Vale," Umbra said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be here."
"We have ensured the White Fangs cooperation on our coming attack on Ozpin," Ash said as he entered the study, drawing upon his Semblance once more to launch a ball of fire towards the fireplace, illuminating the room.
"I'm impressed, but I would like to know how you managed to achieve that," Umbra said.
"I had been working with several White Fang cells during my banishment, seeing them as potential useful idiots," Ash continued, all the while, Umbra sat in his armchair and listened intently. "One cell, in particular, was in Mistral."
"I had heard about a White Fang group that was recently arrested during one of my few visits to the neighboring villages and towns," Umbra said with a nod. "I assume that was one of the cells you worked with, and their arrest was your doing?"
"Only partly," Ash admitted. "I simply left an anonymous tip to Mistral Intelligence about their base of operations. Officially, Headmaster Ozpin was requested to deal with the threat due to his role as security during the Vytal Festival. While in reality, they requested Ozpin due to Headmaster Lionheart's reluctance to get involved in the conflict."
"Lionheart has always been conservative," Umbra commented. "I admit, I admire his dedication to his beliefs."
Ash simply nodded and then continued.
"I then made way to Vale to meet up with the White Fang's newest leader, Adam Taurus," Ash said.
"New leader?" Umbra asked, perplexed and even concerned.
"Within the last couple years, there was a change in leadership within the White Fang," Ash answered. "As the White Fang became more radical and Adam gained more prominence, Ghira relinquished control to him."
Umbra shook his head.
"That is a shame indeed," Umbra interrupted, lowering his eyes as he then bowed his head. "However, there was no saving the White Fang from the direction that it was obviously headed in. But I do wonder how different things would have been if he had simply stayed."
"Trust me, he would not have been able to save them," Ash said with a slight shake of his head as he kept eye contact with Umbra. "Stepping down was the more dignified option. From what I have seen, they would have ousted him for being seemingly weak."
"I see," Umbra replied. "And now this blind fanaticism has made them easy targets for you to use. Continue."
"Initially, he was reluctant to believe that Ozpin would actively work against them," Ash said. "So, I decided to use his dedication to the Faunus against him. I staged a rescue attempt to release the White Fang prisoners in Mistral, only to find their bodies after an alleged field execution and delivered them to him personally."
"That was enough to have him join our side?" Umbra asked.
"Not just yet, but I was heading in the right direction," Ash continued. "His anger was now on Mistral but I need to show him that the Huntsmen were truly being weaponized against them. I had discovered that several students from Beacon had been investigating the White Fang through their Dust supplier: Roman Torchwick."
"A couple of strategic clues left here and there and they were led to Mt. Glenn, where one of the White Fang bases was situated. These student's intervention was enough to force the White Fang into action to attack Vale earlier than planned. They had managed to breach the walls and let the Grimm in but due to lack of preparation, they were quickly defeated by a few teams of Huntsmen."
Ash continued, "It didn't matter though that their plan failed in the end. The intervention from the Huntsmen in Mt. Glenn was the final nail to force Adam to agree to cooperate with us."
"I am impressed, Ash," Umbra complimented. "I can imagine that it must have been difficult to play nice with them."
"There have been some arguments here and there, I will admit," Ash said with a shrug. "I have more news, however."
"Continue, then," Umbra replied as he leaned to the side of his chair and propped his chin on his fist as he continued to listen, intently.
"The resulting breach has had some unintended and yet possibly desirable consequences," Ash continued. "The Council of Vale blames Ozpin for not foreseeing the breach and has stripped him of his title as head of security. That honor goes to General Ironwood now."
Umbra then sat up, all the while remaining silent as he processed this new information.
"That could prove to our advantage but also comes with its own set of risks," Umbra thought out loud, nodding his head. "Atlas has an immense army and extraordinary technology to boot, but General Ironwood has always been brash. Preferring to use a show of strength rather than tactfulness. How large would you say their forces are?"
"Larger than even the White Fang could handle," Ash replied. "A frontal assault would be suicide."
"That hasn't stopped us before," Umbra pointed out.
"And won't stop us now," Ash agreed. "I have made contact with a scientist within Atlas' R&D department. He may be able to help us with General Ironwood."
Umbra took a moment to think and then cocked his brow.
"Why would he help us? What does he have to gain?" Umbra asked.
"Simple, he wants to take down a rival," Ash continued. "Remember that file I showed you about Project Penny?"
Umbra grimaced and spat at the mention of the name.
"Borderline blasphemy, that is what that abomination is," Umbra said in disgust.
"His rival was the one who developed automatized warfare," Ash continued. "Pietro Polendina is his name. Originally, he made androids but then moved on towards making them more… human, for the lack of a better term."
"Nothing human about it," Umbra said with a low growl.
"Back to my point," Ash said. "My contact believes Pietro stole his opportunity for funding for another project. He developed a bug that would allow us to control the androids remotely."
Umbra nodded and then stood up.
"It is time, then," Umbra replied. "Years of planning have come to this moment. The world cannot continue in its current state. If we are to save the world, we must do so by taking down the Huntsmen Academies first."
"Then I shall return to Vale to oversee the plans with the White Fang," Ash replied, as he too stood up and turned to leave.
"Hold there, Ash," Umbra ordered, as he stepped towards past the armchairs situated in the center of the room and towards a couple of shelves placed against the wall. In between the two shelves, was a wooden closet which he opened to reveal a set of armor that was fitted onto a mannequin.
Ash quirked a brow as he turned to watch as Umbra began to don the armor; replicas of traditional Mistrali armor back before their culture changed to be more like Vale's and Atlas'. A set of chest armor as well as smaller pieces that would cover his shins and forearms.
"I believe my time in isolation is at an end," Umbra said as he turned to Ash once more. Unknowingly to Umbra, Ash could see the room distort around him as if an invisible fire had enveloped him. "I would like to see the outside world once more."
"I will be your guide then," Ash said with a nod, and with his hand over his chest, he bowed. "The world has changed since you last saw it. I doubt you could get a true grasp of it just from the confines of this castle and Shion. However, I must bring up some concerns, Umbra."
"What's that?" Umbra asked.
"Firstly, your injuries from your last fight with Ozpin," Ash commented worryingly.
"Do not worry about me," Umbra said as he brushed aside Ash's initial concerns with a dismissive wave. "Years of rest and continued training have helped me recover. I don't even feel the pain anymore."
Ash nodded hesitantly.
"The four kingdoms are also actively hunting you, albeit secretly," Ash also said. "I suggest you keep your face hidden. One of Cinder's acolytes may be able to help keep you out of sight in public."
"Anything else then, Ash?" Umbra asked as he tightened the last fitting on his armor.
"No," Ash replied simply.
They both turned for the door, with Ash holding it open as Umbra stepped through but then he paused in the doorway.
"It's good to see you again, Ash," Umbra said finally as he turned to Ash. "I regret not telling you that when we reunited."
"Hmm?" Ash hummed as he raised a brow.
"During my time in isolation I have been reminiscing on last we parted ways," Umbra continued. "Perhaps, I treated you too harshly when I banished you and put out a hit on you after you killed Snyegh and Summer."
For a moment Ash was silent all the while Umbra continued to observe him. Ash's features softened, and Umbra saw something in his eyes that he hadn't seen in years.
"I understand that Snyegh's death hurt you," Ash replied calmly, almost empathetically. "You two were close. However, I still stand by my actions. Her memory held you back."
Umbra nodded.
"And perhaps you may be right," Umbra replied as he stepped forward and placed a hand onto Ash's shoulder. "Still, that does not excuse how I have treated you, my friend. I ask that you please forgive me."
"You don't have to ask," Ash replied. "I never held ill will towards you; nothing to forgive."
After a moment's silence from Ash, the calm features that reminded Umbra of better times, slowly disappeared and were once again replaced by a sneer as Ash grinned widely.
"Let's not dwell on the past, Umbra, let's look to the future," Ash said gleefully. "Let us fulfill your dream to save the world."
Umbra did not speak, instead, opting to reply with a simple nod.
0-RWBY-0
Yang walked alongside her sister once more down Beacon's halls. Having just left Doctor Oobleck's class, they were now on their way to Professor Goodwitch's class, having moved her class to be in Amity Arena. The sisters made their way to Beacon's foyer and exited through the front doors along with a few dozen other students who were also making their way to Amity Arena.
Yang excitedly opened the doors, only to suddenly frown upon seeing the dozens of students who were likewise waiting outside next to Beacon's landing pads.
Due to the number of students, and that several of the school's personal airships and VTOLs have been appropriated by the Atlesian military, the wait times for flights becoming significantly longer. Attendants were helping students queue up in an orderly fashion while using their Scrolls to assign them numbers, signifying their place in the queue.
"Told you that you should have just brought your books," Yang said with a groan, realizing that they were at the back of the queue for their flight.
"Why would I bring my books to Amity?" Ruby said with a pout as she stomped her foot. "We are going there to spar, not to study or read."
"'Cus all that time to get back to our room has now put us as the last in line to get to Amity," Yang said as she scratched the back of her head, trying hard not to be angry with her sister; in the end, she had a point.
"It's a good thing we are not going to be marked down for being late," Ruby said with relief.
Yang hummed and nodded in agreement.
"Come on," Ruby said, taking Yang's hand and guiding her away as the group of students grew larger as they all queued up for a flight.
Ruby finally stopped in front of a fountain situated right in front of Beacon, right in the middle of its ground; at the center of the fountain was a statue of a huntsmen and huntress.
Ruby sat down at the edge of the fountain and brought up her cloak with a hug so that it wouldn't fall in and get wet.
Ruby then looked up and saw Yang standing with her arms crossed but looking off into the distance.
"Is everything okay, Yang?" Ruby asked quizzically.
Yang almost didn't respond at first, but when she realized Ruby was talking to her, she was taken aback and forced a grin.
"Yeah, I am fine, Ruby," Yang replied.
"You sure? You are not mad at me, are you?" Ruby asked again.
"Nah," Yang said with a shake of her but then took a deep breath. "Just hadn't been sleeping well is all."
"Something bothering you?" Ruby asked as she reached over and grabbed her sister's sleeve and pulled her down to sit beside her.
"It's nothing, really," Yang replied with a chuckle and hugged her sister; as Ruby returned her affection with a hug, Yang noticed a slight hesitation from her sister.
"You have been quiet lately, and I have been worried," Ruby continued as she pulled away. "I am here for you if you need me."
"That is usually my line," Yang replied with a wink. "But I will keep that in mind."
Ruby smiled but then turned away to watch the other students queue up for a flight but then her smile grew wider as she noticed somebody approaching.
"There you are," Celise said, her arms wide open as Ruby stood up and ran to embrace her. "How have you been, lil' sis?"
"So far so good," Ruby replied.
"About as much we can ask for right now," Celise said as she noticed the backlog of flights. "Where were you two earlier? I was hoping to try and see if we can fly together but noticed that Weiss and Blake came first."
"Just had to make a quick stop by the dorm first," Yang said simply.
"Ah, alright," Celise said.
"How goes your training with CRDL?" Ruby asked.
Celise pondered for a moment.
"Surprisingly well," Celise said finally. "There is still the matter of racial bigotry that we have to get over, but at least when they don't have anything nice to say, they just keep their mouths shut. Especially Cardin."
"CFVY said that they stopped harassing Velvet now," Yang said.
"That was part of the deal if they wanted to continue training with us," Celise said with a shrug. "They are actually nice when you get to know them."
"Eh, well they do say first impressions are everything," Yang said. "And they kinda left a bad impression, among other people."
"I thought that way too," Celise replied. "Sometimes first impressions are not a good basis to judge someone. There really is a lot more to them."
"Hmmm," Yang hummed and trailed off quietly.
"Anyways," Celise said, turning to Ruby once more. "Heard you are sparring today, right?"
"That is what Professor Goodwitch said," Ruby replied. "She hasn't said who I am up against just yet."
"You are gonna do great," Celise said sweetly. "Can't think of anyone who can beat you."
"Well, I can think of someone," Ruby replied sheepishly.
"Oh yeah, Pyrrha," Celise remembered. "How you feeling after that spar?"
"I am fine now," Ruby replied. "Kind of overestimated myself since the rest of the team and I usually do well against her."
"You are not the only one to make that mistake," Yang said as she rolled her shoulder.
"Yeah, she is a powerhouse," Celise said with a chuckle. "Still, you held your own against her pretty well."
Suddenly, Celise's Scroll began to ring, to which Celise slowly stood up.
"I am being called up," Celise said as she pocketed her Scroll. "I'll see you girls at Amity Arena."
"See you there," Yang said as she saluted with two fingers.
Ruby simply replied by flashing a smile.
With that, Celise turned and left but as she left, Weiss and Blake emerged from the crowd. Blake quickly pointed at the two sisters when she noticed them and the two approached to join them.
"There you are," Blake said, sitting beside Yang.
"Took you long enough," Weiss said as she crossed her arms.
"Sorry," Ruby said as she scratched the back of her head.
"You didn't by chance manage to reserve a couple spots for us, right?" Yang asked.
"Unfortunately, not," Blake replied. "Instead, we waited for you two to arrive before getting in line."
"However, we couldn't wait any longer so we already queued up," Weiss said. "We had to before everyone else came."
"Didn't realize that the class was going to be this big," Ruby said nervously.
"From what I heard, most are coming to watch," Blake replied.
"That's even worse…" Ruby shuddered.
"Granted, they all want to watch Pyrrha," Weiss assured.
Yang's Scroll suddenly pinged to life as she then reached into her pocket and pulled it out. Upon turning it on, she began to read the message and turned to Ruby.
"Celise's flight has a couple new openings," Yang said as she turned to her teammates. "She wants to know if any of you want to join. Of course, she wants Ruby to join the most."
Ruby hopped up and grabbed Weiss by the arm.
"Called it!" Ruby quickly replied as she began to pull Weiss towards the departing airship.
"Woah, wait, Ruby! Don't pull so hard!" Weiss pleaded as she struggled to keep up.
Yang turned to Blake and gave her a sly smile, to which Blake rolled her eyes and chuckled to herself.
"Don't feel bad that Ruby picked Weiss first?" Yang joked.
"Not really," Blake replied. "Besides, I'd like to go spend some time with you anyways."
"Oh?" Yang asked quizzically.
"Mhm," Blake replied.
There was a moment's silence between the two as they sat beside each other.
"I also wanted to check up on you," Blake said, a little quieter now. "You have been a little… distant."
"Hmm," Yang simply hummed in reply. She didn't know what to say to Blake. Indeed, something was bothering her and she didn't want Ruby to know about it. However, Yang had confided in Blake about her troubles before and feels that she could trust her with her worries.
Not that she didn't trust her sister, father, uncle, or even Weiss for that matter. She just didn't want to burden them with her problems.
"Actually," Yang said finally. "There has been something…"
"What is it?" Blake asked, but then looked over at the airfield. "I don't mind listening to you, Yang. We have time, it seems."
Yang paused once more as she tried to formulate her thoughts.
"Remember, what I told you before? About my mom?" Yang asked.
"Your mom?" Blake asked but then realized what she meant. "Oh. You mean your mom? The one you have been looking for?"
"Mhm," Yang hummed more. "I met her recently."
Blake was taken aback by this.
"Really? When?" Blake asked.
"After the breach," Yang replied. "Well, technically, I met her first on the train in Mt. Glenn. She saved me from Roman's girl but then disappeared."
"Sounds pretty brief," Blake said. "How do you know it was her?"
"Because she found me right outside Beacon," Yang replied, pointing down at the grounds in front of her. "In fact, she appeared right here and said she wanted to talk."
"Oh," Blake said and was for a moment, speechless. "To be honest, I don't know what to say. Wasn't expecting that."
Yang chuckled.
"To be honest, that was my exact reaction when she appeared," Yang replied.
"I bet," Blake said. "You wanted to find her, but seems like she found you first."
"Yeah, it was something that I always dreamed of but that's where the dream ends, I guess," Yang looked down, rubbing her arm. "All she wanted to say to me was: 'This was going to be the last time we see each other and that she wasn't going to save me again.'"
"Wow," Blake simply replied.
"Yeah, wow," Yang laughed, albeit, facetiously. "I demanded to know why she left me and my dad but she said that if I wanted to know, then I would have to fight her for it. That the strong take what they want. I hesitated, but now that I think back on it, I wish I did fight."
"To be honest, I am glad you didn't," Blake replied. "If she scared off Roman's friend, then she must be dangerous."
"Yeah, but I wanted answers and I couldn't get them. I hate that feeling of powerlessness," Yang said. "One of the reasons why I wanted to become a Huntress actually. Everything I do will be my choice. Plus, I like the idea of adventure."
"I can kind of understand that," Blake said.
"Yeah, I guess you can," Yang said, as she began to smile, but it wavered slightly. "Blake, you promise you won't leave me, right?"
Blake was taken aback by the question.
"I-I can't see the future, Yang," Blake said defensively. "But… you have been there for me. The whole team has. I can't honestly remember the last time I had as good of friends as you, Ruby, and Weiss. Once we finish our training and become Huntresses, I probably won't stick around but until then, I promise I'll have your back."
With that assurance, Yang's smile grew wider.
"I guess that is the best answer I can ask for," Yang replied.
With that, both of their Scrolls rang, signaling that they were next to be sent to Amity Arena.
They turned to one another, and with a nod, stood to embark on the next available airship.
0-RWBY-0
Haiiden examined the two opponents in front of him as they both began to slowly stalk over to his flanks. Cecilia on his right held her weapon close and defensive but always ready to strike. To his left, Jaune held up his shield but kept his sword low and ready for a quick counter.
Haiiden couldn't help but admire Jaune's stance. His footwork had improved since their first spar and he kept his stance low. He no longer swung wide, but rather, was more meticulous with his slashes even if they were short cuts.
"Jaune, you are getting better," Haiiden commented.
"You think so?" Jaune said, his posture relaxed for just a moment which Haiiden took the opportunity to charge.
With a flick of the wrist, Haiiden swung his sword but Jaune quickly regained his composure and brought up his shield. It was a successful block, but as Jaune brought up his arm to thrust for a counter-attack, Haiiden leapt into the air and onto Jaune's shield; using the shield as a springboard, Haiiden catapulted himself off Jaune's shield, forcing Jaune to stumble towards Cecilia.
She caught him before he could fall over, but just as quickly pushed him off as she continued to stalk towards her captain.
"Pay attention, Jaune," Cecilia growled as Jaune stumbled but quickly regained his balance. "He's trying to throw you off."
Jaune could see Haiiden laughing to himself playfully as he shrugged.
"Oh," Jaune said, a bit dejected, but once more kept low and staying behind his shield.
"Come on, Cecilia, I was being genuine," Haiiden replied. "He's gotten better."
"Then don't go easy," Cecilia said. "Ready, Jaune?"
"Yeah!" Jaune replied. Once more, they both flanked their opponent with a charge.
Cecilia swung high and heavy, whereas Jaune slid low on one knee, bringing up his blade for a low slash. Guessing that Cecilia's attack would be the hardest hitting, Haiiden went on the defensive and swung up in the middle of her swing. With a shower of sparks, he deflected her attack to the side, throwing Cecilia off balance. Her blade not meeting the resistance of Aura or steel as she expected.
Jaune was a bit slower with his follow-up to Cecilia's attack, which allowed Haiiden to counter by bringing his foot down on top of Jaune's sword, stomping it to the ground.
However, Jaune was quick to react, pulling back his blade but Haiiden's dance-like reflexes told him to raise his foot just before Jaune pulled it from under him.
With a thrust, Jaune attacked once more as he rose from his lowered position, attacking in unison with Cecilia.
Deflecting their flurry of blows while giving ground, Haiiden parried the incoming attacks all the while back-pedaling to give himself room.
Students sat spread out, each in their own separated groups as they watched the day's spars. As they came in late, Blake and Yang scanned the room until they located Weiss, along with team CNBR and two members of Team JNPR: Nora and Ren. Zed and Vaughn sitting with them as well. However, Ruby was nowhere in sight.
"Sorry we're late," Blake said as she and Yang sat beside Weiss.
The group of friends and fellow Beacon students all turned to see the newcomers as they all, in their unique ways, offered a greeting.
"Where is Ruby? I didn't miss her match, did I?" Yang asked, as the sounds of clashing steel echoed throughout the arena.
"No, but she was just called down by Professor Goodwitch," Weiss replied as she quickly moved to the side, offering Blake and Yang room to sit beside her. "She is up next."
"Oh sweet," Yang said excitedly as she sat down.
"Nice of you to join us, though," Celise said with a grin as she and Yang shared a fist-bump. "Hope the flight wasn't too bad."
"Ugh, don't even bring that up," Yang groaned as she then watched the current spar.
Zed looked up and greeted Yang with a grin and a nod.
"Sup, Zed?" Yang greeted.
"Not much, just watching the tussle," Zed replied before turning back to the fight.
"Who is fighting?" Yang asked.
"Jaune and Cecilia against Haiiden," Vaughn replied.
"Oh yeah?" Yang asked as she looked down at the combatants. Specifically, Haiiden, who she was still frustrated at due to his behavior since their introduction. "Jaune isn't much to go up against. Who set this up?"
"Jaune did," Ren replied. "At the start of the year, Haiiden was one of his first sparring partners. He wanted to see how much better he got."
"That's fair, I guess," Yang replied.
With a loud clang, Jaune was launched off his feet backwards as Haiiden caught him in the side with an Aura-boosted roundhouse kick. After following through, quickly spun around as he still had to face his teammate, Cecilia. Expecting her to attack from behind, his sword ready to receive a blow but noticed that she didn't come at him. Instead, preferring to go at him face on.
However, instead of her normal stance, she switched to half-swording as she now held her sword by the blade in an inverse grip, with the hilt resting on her shoulder. Suddenly, she swung at his head, using the cross-guard on her sword as a hammer but missed as Haiiden dodged out of the way. She did not relent, however, as she swapped her grip on her blade to a more spear-like half-sword and thrust at Haiiden.
He was now forced on the defensive; as someone trained in the Atlesian military, Cecilia could be a physical powerhouse when she wanted to be. She continued her attacks swiftly, but with precision, as she seamlessly switched between trying to club Haiiden and skewering him with the tip of her sword.
To combat her shift in fighting style, Haiiden too had to change up his defense. Haiiden had to keep light on his feet to not get hit by Cecilia, doing so by backpedaling while on the balls of his feet. All the while, twirling his blade as he continued to deflect oncoming strikes from the tip and cross-guard of her sword. Occasionally having to rely on his gauntlet as a supplemental shield to guide away a couple of her strikes.
In another twist, Cecilia again changed how she approached her assault, as her eyes began to glow blue. An obvious tell for when she activated her Semblance as a blue flame likewise began to envelop her sword. She continued to strike at him while half-swording, but now when she tried to jab with the tip, a blue mist began to eject from her blade.
In an attempt to not let the mist touch him, he would counter right as she would strike, stopping the attack mid-thrust and forcing the mist to fly past him. A surge of cold quickly enveloped him, as the mist turned to ice with explosive force behind him. The ice took a crescent shape with jagged edges jutting all over.
"Okay, so her Semblance is ice-based," Blake said. "How does that work exactly?"
"She manipulates moisture in the air," Vaughn replied, simply. "The more humid the climate: the stronger the resulting ice."
"Does she use Dust to amplify it?" Weiss asked.
"No," Vaughn said with a shake of his head but then pondered for a moment as he had an epiphany. "However, that could help her use it more efficiently."
"Careful, are you sure you want to give a potential opponent any helpful tips?" Zed quipped as he turned to Weiss.
"If anything, it serves as a helpful critique," Vaughn replied as he then addressed Weiss. "Thank you, Weiss. I may have to bring that up with my sister."
"Don't mention it," Weiss said. "If she is participating in the Vytal tournament, then we need any advantage we can get; we are fighting to represent Beacon, after all."
"Good point," Zed replied.
"When are we going to see Haiiden's Semblance?" Nora asked.
"Not going to," Zed replied.
"Does he not need it?" Celise asked.
"That's something to ask him," Zed replied again.
"If we get the chance to," Yang muttered.
Haiiden continued to avoid the incoming attacks, using minimal Aura as he kept parrying Cecilia's attacks but her strikes with her cross-guard were particularly heavy. Each failed strike only forming more ice behind him and the air around them got chillier. Another parry as Cecilia tried once more to jam her blade at him, her constant advances into his space paid off, as he couldn't manage to deflect the attack. Instead, being forced to dodge out the way as the tip struck his Aura, causing it to shimmer around the point of impact.
However, as she continued her assault, he discovered a pattern in her attacks: when she was about to attack with her cross-guard, she would wind up with a spin. He prepared himself, taking on a low posture as she began to wind up again, to which he took advantage and managed to get behind her with a pirouette and followed up with a diagonal cut to her back.
Surprise quickly took over Cecilia as she realized that she had already committed to the attack and her swing hit nothing. Just like with him, the strike hit her Aura, causing it to shimmer but not break, however, it was just heavy enough to stagger her.
Wanting payback, Cecilia quickly turned around and tried to strike once more but was quickly parried. Haiiden had found the momentum he was looking for as he started to dance around his opponent, slashing and cutting at her as he danced and spun around her strikes.
However, just like he had, she caught onto his pattern of attack and with both hands on her blade, she managed to lock blades with Haiiden with a block. The swords struck one another with a loud clang, causing Haiiden to stop where he was as his rhythm was suddenly disrupted.
She pushed her opponent away, and as he regained his footing; she quickly followed up with her sword once more, and this time, with her sword fully engulfed in blue flame, she swung up in an attempt to spray the mist at Haiiden.
But Haiiden too was ready for this, stepping to the side to avoid the blow and deflecting her attack away from himself which caused the mist to eject early and flew past him. And like expected, the mist quickly exploded into blue ice behind him, except this time, it was larger than the previous creations.
Cecilia looked past her captain, admiring her creation as she placed the flat of her sword on her shoulder before turning to Haiiden again. He stood ready, sword raised to and pointed at her as they paced around one another as he anticipated an attack.
However, she didn't make a move; instead opting to glare at him from a distance and occasionally looking back at the mountain of ice she had made. Haiiden kept his blade pointed at her but his posture relaxed as confusion set in and that was when it dawned on him. She had led him on as they paced around each other, getting Haiiden into the perfect position…
Just then, he quickly turned to see that Jaune had come back into the fight, using the mountain of ice that Cecilia had formed as he slid down it atop his shield. By then, however, it was too late to dodge; using both feet, Jaune leapt forward and struck Haiiden with an Aura-infused dropkick. Even while using his own Aura to take the brunt of the attack, the force of which still propelled him backwards as he tumbled towards the edge of the arena.
Quickly regaining his footing, he slid to a stop just before the edge, nearly falling off which would have resulted in his defeat by technicality.
He looked up to see both of his opponents eagerly coming at him in the hopes to finish the fight in a technical knock-out. Haiiden quickly corrected his footing to prepare for the coming fight: placing his left foot parallel to the edge to act as an anchor, and his right foot forward and perpendicular to his left as his counter-balance; he then lowered his posture to reduce his center of gravity.
Both of his opponents swung in unison as Haiiden brought up his sword to block the attacks using both his hands, stopping them both but having to take the force of the blows onto his left foot, pushing it back just slightly off the edge. He then shifted his weight, redirecting his opponents to one side but they quickly retaliated with another strike, as they assaulted him with a flurry of attacks; the area around them erupting into a shower of sparks with each deflected and parried attack.
Haiiden continued to deflect the incoming attacks, all the while looking for an opening to push forward to give himself some breathing room but the strikes kept coming. Instead, he realized that the best he could do was to try and wear them out by dragging the fight into a battle of attrition, all while trying to gain some ground, centimeter by centimeter if he had to. Spinning his blade around himself with practiced ease, Haiiden began to build up a tempo as he continued back and forth with Jaune and Cecilia; all the while bobbing back and forth as he flowed from attack and defense twirling his sword, sliding his feet forward all the while.
As Jaune realized his opponent was gaining ground, he took the initiative as he used his shield as a battering ram and rushed forward, slamming into Haiiden and forcing him back closer to the edge throwing his entire weight into the charge. Haiiden planted his feet firmly on the ground and pushed back against Jaune's rush just barely preventing himself from being pushed off.
As the two were caught in a shoving match, Cecilia brought her sword back as she readied herself. However, her long wind-up choreographed her intentions to Haiiden which forced him into action; releasing his two-handed grip on his sword, Haiiden attempted to sucker-punch Jaune with his now free hand. To which Jaune reacted quickly and applied Aura to defend himself, the force of the attack still staggered him, giving Haiiden just a moment to shove him aside and to dodge Cecilia's strike.
Cecilia came down with a crushing overhead swing, just missing Haiiden by mere inches but he could still feel and see the power in her swing as chunks of the arena broke as she struck the ground. With precious few seconds to gain the upper hand again, Haiiden used Cecilia's blade as a ramp while it was embedded in the arena floor, before jumping off with an Aura-amplified kick to her head.
The kick sent her off her feet, but she recovered quickly as she activated her Semblance once more and swung towards the air below her. The ice quickly formed underneath her, creating a platform that caught her before she fell off the arena but it wasn't as explosive as her previous creations. As a result, the ice was not as strong as she was not able to fully concentrate it, quickly jumping back onto the arena as it crumbled beneath her.
As she flew back towards the stage, she used the weight of her sword to flip her body to once again bring her heavy blade down in an overhead swing, just missing narrowly again as Haiiden exploited the gap to get out of the way, a gap he had made by almost forcing Cecilia off the stage. Jaune and Cecilia readied themselves once more as Haiiden, too, readied his blade but the fight was suddenly halted by a loud horn.
"Students, time is up!" Professor Goodwitch announced. The end to the spar allowed all three combatants to relax their posture. Jaune bent forward to grip his knees as he struggled to catch his breath.
"It was a good and entertaining fight, per usual," Professor Goodwitch commented as she then approached the combatants to address them.
"Haiiden, Cecilia: good work, I do not have much to comment on when it comes to your performance but the life of a Huntsmen and Huntress is an uphill battle. I encourage you to review the recorded footage to see where you believe you can improve. I will be sending the file to your Scrolls now," Professor Goodwitch said, as she inputs several commands to her Scroll.
"Thank you, Professor," Haiiden and Cecilia replied in unison as Haiiden simply nodded while Cecilia stood straight and saluted.
"And Jaune, you have been improving over the past few weeks, as you have done much better when compared to your previous bouts and deals with other students" Professor Goodwitch continued as she now addressed Jaune.
"Thank you, Professor," Jaune replied through labored breaths.
"However, you still need some work on when to best apply your Aura," Professor Goodwitch continued. "As powerful it may be, it is a finite source, especially during a fight. Think of it as a game of chess: if you believe that you can take a hit, don't be afraid to lower your Aura during a defense if it means you can use more during your offense. And vice versa."
"Understood, Professor," Jaune replied once more.
"You are dismissed; rest up and take your places among the audience," Professor Goodwitch concluded, to which the students silently made their way towards Amity's locker room. "With the exception of you, Haiiden."
Surprised, Haiiden turned to address Professor Goodwitch.
Jaune and Cecilia continued to leave the arena and waiting for Jaune at the arena's entrance, was Pyrrha Nikos, who was beaming happily at Jaune.
"See?" Pyrrha said as she reached forward to take hold of Jaune's sword and shield. "I knew you were ready for that fight."
"Phew, I still can't believe that I managed to last that long," Jaune said humbly, relinquishing his weapons to Pyrrha, as she activated the mechanism for the shield to morph back into a sheath, which she quickly stowed the sword into. "In the end, I'm glad Cecilia had my back but to be honest, I think she kind of carried me."
"Of course, but I mean..." Pyrrha said hesitantly, trying to be nice as she then looked to Cecilia for help.
"You just need to learn when to take initiative, Jaune. Heck, I didn't expect you to take my cues but you did and took charge when you slammed into Haiiden," Cecilia simply replied. "However, you are the captain of your team so don't wait for me or your team to make the play. In a real fight, they put their lives in your hands just as much as you put yours in their hands. So, you'll need to learn how and when to take charge."
"Yeah," Jaune replied quietly.
"Still, you did good," Cecilia continued as she whipped her hair and sheathed her sword. "I had fun."
"Heh, thanks," Jaune chuckled.
Back in the middle of the arena, Haiiden approached Professor Goodwitch as she beckoned to him.
"Haiiden, I must thank you for accepting Jaune's offer for a spar. However, judging on the state of your Aura right now, I believe you are still combat-ready for another bout. Do you have any objections?" Professor Goodwitch questioned.
"No, but I wasn't notified about another match before class," Haiiden responded, perplexed.
"As I have said time and time again, and I believe Professor Port also stresses this as well. Hunters and Huntresses do not often get the chance to pick their fights. You should always expect another fight at a moment's notice." Professor Goodwitch began, "And it has been a while since I have last graded your performance in a proper one-on-one duel. And by judging the current list of students here today, I believe I have found someone you have yet to go up against."
"Really? Who?" Haiiden asked. But as he turned to see his opponent coming in from the Arena's entrance. His heart sank and his face went rigid. A red hooded cloak and a silver rose buckle. Professor Goodwitch not noticing the change in Haiiden's demeanor continued.
The image of someone who he tried so hard to avoid, appeared opposite of his own on the screens.
"Ruby Rose."