Chapter 5: Shadow and Flame
Winter watched as two first years fought it out in the arena. One had a bow tuned to shoot arrows at the speed of a bullet. The impact when the arrows missed caused craters. Winter was keenly aware of the physique of that one. Those arms were bulked up just to be able to draw the industrial-strength, high-tension bowstring and shoot what she guessed were some of the heaviest arrows to be built. Mass multiplied by acceleration equals force after all.
"Impressive footwork, that one." Winter complimented.
"What's impressive is his choice of weapon." Weiss commented. "Tuned like a sniper, but also-" The two watched as the archer lost space between him and his opponent. He ducked and weaved around a giant axe. Meanwhile, he morphed his bow into something compact around his left arm and loaded the arrow. He sidestepped an overextended overhead swing and gave his opponent a liver blow. Somewhere in the middle of it, the arrow launched with the same force as if it were fired from its bow form. The bowman's opponent keeled over as the Aura readings above the arena showed what once was a fifty percent gauge drop to zero from that one blow.
"A pile bunker." Winter finished. "Needs work, that concept. Wastes too much time in the transition. But plenty evasive enough to buy time."
The sisters tuned out the conclusion of the battle. Glynda Goodwitch's praise for the victor and criticism for the loser were drowned out in favor of conversing with each other. "So… it's a bit awkward to ask now, but what brings you to Vale?"
"Officially, classified." Winter replied. "It's an intermittent post. If I'm needed, I'll go. If I'm not called for said classified mission, then my time is free to be spent."
"So it was a matter of luck that you came to our rescue?" Weiss questioned.
"Yes and no." Winter admitted. "I overheard that something went awry. I listened in and heard that a member from both team RWBY and JNPR were missing." She explained as she put her back to a wall. "Luckily, one of my subordinates had already staked a claim in doing a search and rescue. They called me to get on the flight to go look for the both of you. I would have taken a Bullhead of my own if I hadn't been helped by one of my people. My career be damned."
It warmed the little sister's heart to hear that her elder sibling would go to such lengths to save her. I was almost comparable to- She shook her head. She didn't need to remind herself of the blond's extreme heroics. It was painful to see him struggle against the Serpent, or Vulcan as it was apparently named. It was excruciating to know that he turned into a monster and fought it off the best he could so she could live and end his suffering.
Moving on, the younger Schnee pivoted the conversation into a more curious topic. "How do you know Jaune's sister?"
"Intercontinental tournament hosted in the coastal town of Argus." Winter promptly replied. Weiss eagerly showed the interest, yet the elder sister did not glean any further information. The woman's lips were metaphorically shut frozen.
"I require more information as to how you two seem to be so much at odds, yet so friendly with each other." Weiss insisted as she crossed her arms.
Winter raised an eyebrow at the gesture and request. A little impromptu staring contest arose between the Schnee siblings. Seconds later, Winter smugly smirked. "Say what you will, but you have no power over me, little sister. Who I converse or make contact with are none of your concern."
"I'm your sister!" Weiss argued. "It's my duty to know who you interact with!"
"Excellent point." Winter agreed. Yet the amused smile did not leave her face. She leaned over her younger sister and crooned. "Tell me, Weiss. I know of your disdain for the boy." Winter's right arm clutched Weiss' right shoulder. "You practically abhorred his advances. I… vaguely remember a serenade on an acoustic guitar. One of his latest attempts to woo you to his side, no?"
"That is not the focus here!" Weiss waved away the thoughts to open the dialogue tree that she wanted to have. She pointed to herself. "I have a social life." She pointed to her sister, "You, the military recluse, have an ongoing rivalry that I'm keenly vested in." She was on her tippy toes as she tried to look at her sister at eye-level to make sure they were eye-to-eye on the topic at hand.
"Hmm… I currently do not see the need for such trivialities." Winter replied halfheartedly as she gestured with her left arm to look outside her immediate peripheral vision. "Might I interest you in the class you should be engaged in, little sister?" The corners of the younger sister's eyes caught an abundance of hasty movement.
Weiss fumed in embarrassment. They probably overheard the sisters' conversation! And the elder of the two acted like nothing was out of the ordinary. The blatant and total abuse of seniority and the air of military authority the elder Schnee displayed demoralized the younger sibling. The worst that Weiss could do was ineffectively pout.
"All that power has gone straight to your head." Weiss accused with a pointed finger. "Anything that can be used against you, you stonewall it as if you're emulating General Ironwood!" Weiss whispered harshly.
"And why, pray tell, should I give ammunition to the enemy who'd dare sabotage the image I uphold?"
"I'm an enemy?!" Weiss restrained her disbelief at the statement.
"Schnee!" A voice commanded power with but the utterance of the sister's family name. "I understand family bonding is crucial after being estranged due to the distance. However, my class is not the appropriate venue for your sisterly squabbles." The blond instructor adjusted her spectacles as she stared the sisters down from her spot at the arena.
"I understand, professor!" Weiss replied back loudly with a bow. "I'm very sorry for disrupting the class."
"See to it that your eyes are focused on any battle here at the arena and your mouth firmly shut." Glynda sternly ordered. "You are at my mercy that you aren't fighting here after your experience in the Purge last night." Murmurs erupted. The woman gave her audience a mere glare. Hundreds of whispers were silenced just in time for a pair of new arrivals to enter the audience stands. "Nice to see you come join us, Mr. Arc. How does the good doctor evaluate you today?" Asked the combat professor.
"Cleared. But I was told to take it easy." Jaune replied.
"Very well… I shall take the doctor's words into consideration." She looked at her Scroll for a moment before tapping its screen several times. "I've sent word to your other professors that you will be excused for the day." The class gave a collective groan of jealousy. Weiss could see the blond feel uncomfortable with the pointed stares aimed at him. "This however, does not excuse you from the material covered today in your other classes. You will eventually need to catch up." Jaune nodded in understanding.
"Understood, Professor." He replied as he headed down to sit beside his teammates, who took to sitting in the last row today. Jaune's companion, his pink-oriented uncle, stood by the wall instead.
Weiss watched from afar the dynamic of Team JNPR swap on its head. The gentle amazonian redhead, Pyrrha Nikos, embraced her partner in a concerned death hug. The soft-spoken Ren gave verbal praises that were delivered in the typical Ren way, but sprinkled in with a dash of Nora. Speaking of… the girl was still demure; barely acknowledging her leader's presence and ready to bolt at the instance of perceived anger from her leader.
Winter must have caught the worried expression on her face. The elder sister said, "They'll be all right. Merely an inconvenience to their team dynamic." Weiss looked to her sister, who continued to say, "When they get back into their groove, all shall be better."
"How is he, sweetie?" Asked a distinctly female voice.
"Alive." Grumbled the eldest Arc sibling. "Just went over what happened to him about an hour ago." She stared into the bright blue sky and sighed. "He knows what he's dealing with… for the most part. I'm not sure if I glossed over a few things." The woman in red armor drew a circle with her footsteps as she continued with the conversation.
A male voice entered the call. "So you've gone over the basics of why he's alive. You've enlightened him on our supernatural background along with it…" A pause. Rouge wondered what her father might ask. "How is his relationship with the Fang Bearer he's contracted with?"
"She feels guilty at least." The eldest daughter grumbled lowly into the device. "She also appears genuinely worried about him." She overheard her father sigh in relief. "Though to properly answer… I'm not sure what their relationship is… At least it's not complete hate."
"There's hope he won't be taken advantage of then…" Charlemagne mumbled. "You stay there and monitor your brother. The family will be there as soon as possible, and I will personally see to explaining what was missing from your information dump."
Rouge furrowed her eyebrows. Something in her mind snapped. "Excuse me?"
"I'm not aware there was a problem. Is there a problem with my order?"
"Oh I have no problem whatsoever about keeping tabs on my little brother." Rouge replied cheerily. Before the question could be asked, her cheery tone turned feral. "I have a problem with the Contractor's elder sister!"
A squealing cheer leaked into the call. No doubt her mother sounded giddy for some strange reason. "Winter's there?! That's perfect! The two of you can hang around Vale and see the-"
Rouge promptly ended the call. The red-armored Arc pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "I don't need to hear that from her. Again." She growled. Her Scroll vibrated, indicating a call. She looked at the ID. It was her father calling. She stared skywards. "Lady Juno, watch over me as I endure the torture I will enter." She clicked the 'accept call' button…
"That was very rude of ya, young lady!" Chided the mother. "All I'm sayin' is-"
"I dislike her with a burning passion, mother." Rouge cut through the chatter with all the subtlety of a piledriver putting stakes in the ground. "I don't know where you got this idea that I'm interested in Winter, but the buck stops here." She took a deep breath before shouting, "Never will I ever entertain the idea of going into a romantic relationship with her!"
"Who said anything 'bout that?" Charlotte sounded confused. "I'm tellin' ya to hang out with her because she's the only one who can handle your ferocity. Since when did we imply you have that kind of preference?"
"Jaune and Uncle Stolf. The kiddos too, if they catch a whiff of me giving common courtesy to a girl." Rouge replied snappily.
"Ya know they tease. More importantly, do ya know anyone in your social circle that isn't terrified of ya?"
Rouge wanted to punch a wall. Her steps increased in speed. "I don't need friends, Ma."
"Au contraire, ma chérie! I hear it every time from your workmates. 'She's too intense or gung-ho!' 'Where did she learn to be so violent?' 'Doesn't she get lonely not being around other people who aren't her family?' I could go on for a few more examples, ya know." Each example only served to frustrate the daughter. "Yer hardly ever nice to anyone outside of family and close friends that it's almost alien when you act nice around anyone else. It's why the kiddos at least think you're genuinely swinging for the other team. Your brother and uncle… I can't vouch for them."
The eldest Arc child shook her head. "I assumed as much already. Anyways, workmates are called workmates fer a reason." Rouge grumbled. "Anyways, by that logic, I'm assumin' you saw me act nice around the Icicle pop. To which I say, that's 'mpossible!" She swung her free arm around as if her parents were directly in front of her. "I barely respect her martial skill and I barely tolerate bein' around 'er."
"And for that reason, I have another order to add to your father's. Make some friends while you're in Vale. If it can't be Winter, then find someone else to spend time with."
"Ma!" The young woman protested like a teenager. "Pa, ya can't be seriously entertainin' this ideah?!" The outrage burst forth the wildlands accent out of her.
"Your mother is right. You do need some friends. If it means bridging the gap we made all those years ago just to keep your brother safe, I say go for it." The woman halted in her tracks. "It'd do you some good to be out of the field for a bit and socialize."
"I'm not 'ere fer friends." The daughter growled. "I'm 'ere fer Jaune alone."
"I understand that. But if you're staying there, you can't expect to just be a constant visitor to the campus." Charlemagne reasoned. "For Juno's sake, you're not even cut out to be an employee for the institution!"
Her left eye twitched. Her right foot pushed into the brick path and cracked it beneath her. "I beg yer pardon?!" She asked angrily. "I'm frickin' called the Red Fortress or the Red Dragon of Mistral! I've cut swathes of hordes by meself an' me axe! I'm pretty sure I can handle a coupla wet-behind-the-ears Hunters and teach 'em a thing or two."
"Ma chere, it's one thing to know how to fight. It's another thing to impart that knowledge on another livin' being." Charlotte explained before chuckling lightly. "Why twas almost like it was yesterday when yer Pa put ya through the wringer and beat out the bad habits ye were makin'..."
The cracked path became a tiny crater underneath her feet. "Ma!" Oh she could feel the snickers leak out of her mother's mouth the moment she continued acting like a child.
"Oh I hope ya ain't breaking the ground beneath ya." The mother warned while Rouge imagined the former wagging a finger. "If there's one thing yer Pa couldn't fix, it was that nasty habit of breakin' things when yer embarrassed." Her words were met with silence. "Ah. Already done it, I reckon…"
"Back to the topic, Rouge." Charlemagne cut in. "I can't really see you as the teaching type. If you think you'd be able to do that, then prove us wrong."
With the challenge issued, Rogue remained stewing in silence. She mulled over the sentence. Repeated it several times in her head until it felt like a broken record. At one point, the thought of her brother and this challenge mixed together. She recounted what she remembered about her brother's upbringing. A scowl marred her face. "...Where was this support fer 'im? Ma? Pa? Why couldn't you push Jaune like you do now?!"
"Rouge… you know-"
"Don't start with the 'it's necessary' nonsense." The daughter weakly interrupted. "I may not have seen what eitha of ye saw, but it couldn't have been so serious as to wipe the slate clean and act as if nothin' happened!"
"You're absolutely correct, Rouge." Charlemagne agreed. The reply froze the eldest daughter in place. "You didn't see how your brother was drenched from head to toe in blood that wasn't his own. You didn't see how he ended up carving a path of death with how little I've taught him." His anger leaked into his voice as he recounted the event. He took notice and paused to catch a breath or two. "You didn't see how he failed to act like a boy who took lives for the first time in his life!"
Rouge grit her teeth. It was anger directed at herself. She didn't ask why her parents thought it necessary to do what they did. She understood it was unfair and protested the decision, but she never understood the reason behind the choice. "And so before ya even thought of confrontin' the issue, ya gimp 'im." She said resentfully.
"I did confront it, Rouge. I asked him specifically what happened that day." Her father, frustrated at being questioned, showed a tiny bit of anger. "He told me: 'I was told to 'Save ourselves'. Did I do it? Did I save everyone?'" She heard her father ignite a passionate fury she never ever seen nor heard of. "I can fix bad habits. But I cannot fix the mind. Your brother would sooner find himself in some nameless village buried as their hero than be renowned in history like our ancestors!"
"Okay. Class dismissed." Glynda Goodwitch announced. Like clockwork, the gears -the students- rose up synchronously and made their way to the arena exits. A few stray cogs in this clockwork leaped over seats to cut in line to be one of the first few out of there. "I expect improvement in defense from the lot of you. Quite a few of you displayed poor judgment taking hits where it wasn't necessary just to end the fight faster." Quite a few choruses of "Ohhhhs" and laughs were targeted at those implicated in today's class.
They didn't appreciate being lectured. Children. Always not seeing the bigger picture. The professor sighed. She believed that some people just weren't up to the task of being defenders of man and faunuskind. They may be talented, risky, brave, foolish fighters, but they lacked proper direction.
She could already see a few of them have futures striking it out on their own as freelancers. Majority of said freelancers would fail to get their rhythm, and be down on their luck until some exploitative individual comes picking them up as muscle or use them as some prize fighter in underground arenas. Morbidly, she thought that the remainder would die being reckless. Caught in an ambush where they thought they were engaged in a one-on-one, when in all actuality, they were being softened up for a kill behind their back.
Her mind wandered to last night's incident. A mishap in the form of miscommunication caused one member from both teams RWBY and JNPR to be sent deeper into the wilds. According to Weiss Schnee's account, she struggled with her Astraphobia, fear of thunder and lightning. Though, in reality it seemed more like she was merely afraid of the sound of thunder and the idea of being struck down by lightning instead. The professor refused to judge her student's condition further; it was insulting to downplay the Schnee's irrational fear by nitpicking at what the girl was terrified of.
Glynda Goodwitch eyed the blond leader of team JNPR. Beacon's most inept fighter, yet one budding strategic mind. To hear the Schnee Heiress claim Jaune virtually did more than half the damage done to the retrieval site baffled the professor. She saw the images of trenches carved deep into the earth. The forest was effectively cut down enough to be a noticeable bald spot on the mountain's side. Reports showed not an ounce of Freeze Dust cleaved the forest. Neither did Burn. Those two were Miss Schnee's most favored choices of Dust. If anything, Dust was used towards the clearing -further cementing the Heiress' claim.
"Team RWBY. Team JNPR. Please stay behind." They did not question her order. The other two adults remained as well, interested in what the professor wanted with the students.
With everyone gone, the professor pressed a button on her Scroll to call down the arena doors and close the room. Massive walls of steel glinted a polished stainless silver as they clicked into their resting places on the floor.
Yang Xiao Long uncharacteristically raised a hand. Her left hand scratched the back of her head as she asked, "Could you tell us what's wrong, professor?"
From her spot down on the arena floor, the blond bespectacled woman answered, "What's wrong is the fact that your teams shouldn't be functioning as teams anymore." The children tensed up at the brutal truth laid bare. "Hubris got in your way. And unfortunate circumstances led to two students being subject to the dangers of the wilds for an entire night!" Every student except those in question cringed at the scenario. It was a sore subject considering it only happened last night. "One of them had a crippling phobia! Now I can't fault you for not knowing that, but there were steps that could have been avoided."
Nora Valkyrie stood up without hesitation. "It's my fault, Ma'am!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. "I had tunnel vision and broke the cliffside just to kill a Boarbatusk! The same cliffside that got my leader and another student in danger!"
Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY, shot up from her seat, her red cloak catching up to her hood from the speed. "It was my fault too! I gave Nora the juice she needed to smash that cliffside!"
"Sit down, the both of you!" The woman ordered. "This is not a lecture on who is at fault! This is a critique of both team's lack of situational awareness!" Once more, the students, except Jaune and Weiss, cringed. " I must admit that I expected better." She paused before locking her eyes onto the black-oriented student of Team RWBY. "Ms. Belladonna!" At the mention of her name, she stood as if she were a soldier of Atlas. "It's no secret between everyone here that you have the best senses. How did you miss one Boarbatusk?"
The girl in question stood up to answer. "Thunder disabled my hearing for a moment! It was too late for me to warn them. As good as my hearing is, it's also terrible when it's up against something terribly loud."
Mr. Arc leaned forward and commented, "It's safe to say everyone was rattled when lightning struck within our comfort zone. The focus shifted to Weiss' condition instead of keeping guard. The fault is on all of us for not keeping an eye out."
The professor stared keenly at the boy's unflappable expression. Here she was berating their conduct, and the boy hardly gave a face to show how he felt. It was different from what she expected. She expected him to be emotional and put the blame on himself. It'd be the Arc way of handling things.
"Mr. Arc, do you not feel angry at the misfortune you were placed in?"
"I feel happy that I'm alive, Professor Goodwitch." He replied, not once entertaining the question. "Unfortunately, I didn't have time to find blame when all I could think about was how to survive with my lacking skills and half a Huntress beside me at the time."
Glynda took note of reactions from his team in particular. Pyrrha Nikos looked glad as she sighed in relief. Lie Ren appeared grateful; a small smile crept around the corners of his mouth. Nora mentally beat herself up over it. Her face was void of emotion as she stared aimlessly to the other side of the arena.
"So what efforts did you take for your and Miss Schnee's survival?"
"Searched for shelter and high ground while also keeping Weiss emotionally stable." He answered. "That and try not to be the source of her frustrations so that we don't die by a Grimm horde." The woman found Jaune's replies to be uncharacteristically monotonous, cold, and robotic. The insert of their shaky camaraderie because of his incessant flirting was there to attempt to lighten the mood, but he didn't even smile uneasily at his poor implementation of it.
"Yet in the end, you were beset upon by a horde that caught you in a clearing. What happened?"
"We met an Apex King Taijitu." The blond didn't hesitate to answer. Everyone looked confused, including the professor, so he elaborated. "An Alpha sure sounds like the top dog of their group, but this one felt like the most dangerous of all King Taijitus."
There was no need to elaborate on specifics. Imaginations ran wild to piece together what the ferocious beast looked like based on what they already knew. "Since you are here, you managed to weasel your way out of the encounter." Glynda remarked.
"Not unscathed." Mr. Arc answered to clarify. "My aura broke trying to lure it into a trap. Weiss and I brought an entire cavern down on it, but I got caught up in the debris. In the end, I was the source of her frustrations as she went and pulled me out of the rubble." He looked down at his feet. "And we got caught in an ambush while I was unconscious."
"And when you came to?"
"We were in a dome of ice, hoping to wall them out long enough for someone else to deal with them." Mr. Arc answered. "Weiss didn't have much Dust left to handle the numbers. I was inclined to believe her. But when the ice broke under the constant assault, I decided to move on the offensive."
Team RWBY's blond scoffed in disbelief. "What? Vomit Boy going on the offensive? I'm sorry, but I can't imagine it." Several pointed glances were sent her way. The most notable came from her own teammates. "What? I'm just saying. The Jaune I know doesn't take risks like charging into a horde at his skill level."
"You didn't see what I saw yesterday. He blitzed through the horde like a man who had nothing to lose." Weiss defended Jaune's honor. Everyone except the adults was flabbergasted at the blatant support. It was unlike anything they've seen from the Heiress.
Yang shrugged. "Coulda fooled me."
Mr. Arc raised an eyebrow, ignoring Yang's skepticism to focus on Weiss' words "I appreciate the defense, but you've mistaken something, Weiss." He stood up and looked at her. "I had everything to lose then and there. If I died, I would have lost everything. Family, my dream, the life I wanted for myself would be dust in the wind. It's an easy pill to swallow." He said those words nonchalantly before placing a hand on his chest. "On the other hand, if you died, I'd lose the guts to continue with this dream." He swallowed the spit that grew in his mouth. "I'd run back home a failure, knowing that I couldn't save you. If you -any of you- died within arms reach, and I could have done something about it, that's a wound that I can't hope to recover from. After all… how can I live up to my ancestors' deeds if I can't even save the ones close to me? "
Glynda Goodwitch grimaced at the boy's reveal of how he ticked. That was more than a problem. He was a young man who'd do anything to prevent tragedy in front of him, even at the cost of his own life. He'd drain every once of effort if it mean nobody would be in tears. Everyone in the room showed distaste for it. But none more so than Miss Nikos, Miss Schnee, and Miss Xiao Long. The professor could understand the disapproval from Miss Nikos. She could also understand Miss Schnee's frustration despite the shocking change in behavior. What she couldn't understand was why Miss Xiao Long seems to be affected when she was but a mere acquaintance to Mr. Arc in the grand scheme of things.
"It's really difficult, living to the standards of my ancestry..." He mumbled. "But I think it's a good dream, to be just like them, I mean. It's-"
"Atrocious."
Mr. Arc firmly shut his mouth. His eyebrows told what he felt. The way one rose up while the other remained stationary, said "I beg your pardon?"
"Atrocious!" Weiss shrieked again, verbalizing the general disbelief in the room. "It's downright dreadful of you to mold your entire future into a death wish!" Mr. Arc showed his displeasure through a frown. "It wouldn't have been your fault if I met my time during that ambush! It wouldn't reflect on you at all! So why-" She turned her hands into fists and readied to get within striking distance of the blond to show her disapproval. Miss Xiao Long held her back by tugging at her shoulders.
The boy frowned at the response. "Considering what happened to me and what would have happened to you had you not stopped me…" He left his statement there. The professor watched as Weiss's anger crumbled like dust. The flat stare Mr. Arc gave to Miss Schnee said something that wasn't meant for an audience of this size, it seemed.
"Hey, Vomit Boy." Miss Xiao Long called out. "Can you really live with that ideal in mind? Living like your so-called hero ancestors?"
"It's all I ever wanted."
The blonde hummed. Clearly thinking some things over. "How's about a spar? Right now. I'll even go easy on you per the Doc's orders."
"Miss Xiao Long!" The professor shouted. "There is a time and place for this!"
The blonde in question shrugged her shoulders, "What? We have the place, and you are taking our time for this lecture… I say we have both criteria satisfied."
The professor stood there silently. She was surprised that the blonde of team RWBY could be quick-witted in this situation. Then she remembered her father and the puns she inherited from him. Like father, like daughter.
"Very well… I'll allow it."
Jaune fastened Cocrea Mors' scabbard to his left hip belt loop. He drew the blade, and inspected it to see if he could see the changes the Bestowing Ritual provided. He could find none. If there was any change, it wasn't physical. The shape did not alter, nor did it seem any sharper. It certainly didn't feel lighter. Neither did it feel heavier. What he could tell was that this blade felt more comfortable in his hands than ever. Confusing experience, really. Confident in his sword, he returned it to its sheath.
He may likely not beat Yang today, but he'd put his best foot forward. He put his combat gloves on with the intent of hiding his brand and left the locker room prepared as he could be for this fight.
He made his way to the arena floor. Yang was already prepared. Her weapons were her gauntlets that could cover as bright fashion statements. He idly wondered if the young woman did her morning routine the same way she made her weapon? That is to say that her routine was just to wash her hair and let nature take its course.
Couldn't be. For the degree of vanity she showed to her admittedly glorious hair, it had to have a dedicated routine.
'Why am I distracting myself? I'm heading into a beatdown, and I'm focused on something else.'
Yang caught his lack of focus, and called him out on it. "Take your head outta the clouds, Jaune. You don't wanna get struck by lightning now."
"That's a tasteless joke." He commented swiftly.
"If it gets you out of lala-land, all the better." She replied while deploying her wrist-mounted gold gauntlets.
He reached for the handle of Cocrea Mors as he stepped forward. With an almost bewitching ease, he removed the blade with fantastical poise. The tip of the blade swung in an arc over his head before it rested just centimeters off the floor. He stood with his left side forward. Though something was clearly missing from his stance.
It was such a strange sight that Yang had to comment on it. "You sure you're ready?" She asked as she slightly lowered her guard.
He clenched his left hand as he planted his left foot forward. Rhythmic, calm breaths raised the young man's broad shoulders. "As I'll ever be…" He closed his eyes and muttered, "Lady Juno be with me…" The tiny prayer lifted his spirit. His already calm breathing eased further. His tense shoulders relaxed. The young man even bounced on the balls of his feet as if he were a boxer.
Unfazed by the change in verbal demeanor, Yang raised her guard. She waited for the professor to commence the fight. And as soon as she heard the first syllable, she punched on the opportunity. Two shotgun blasts from her gauntlets carried her forward like a rocket. Her rush was foretold. It was her usual style of fighting to blitz an opponent right out of the gate. The sheer force she brought at first impact always elicited a fight or flight response.
The moment before she swung her right arm towards his face, he could see that she saw something…
He was staring at something, but it certainly wasn't her. As if time had stopped, he basked in the vision of a blond man in holy white robes. Sword in hand, the unidentifiable man glanced over his shoulder to look at Jaune. "Alright… Can you keep up?"
The question wasn't poised as a challenge. It didn't consist of a goading tone, nor did the stranger ask more from him. Yet for the youth that aspired to be like his ancestral heroes, To ask that question of him was an issue for a challenge. He, the weakest, desired to be his strongest. For the stranger to ask him to follow in their steps…
It was insulting, but Jaune couldn't reply with a smartass comment like "You keep up with me!" to the stranger. Realistically, he was still an amateur fighter. He wanted more to just keep up. He wanted to win. The boy stepped into the attack, following the steps of the stranger. Where he saw the stranger step forward and reach for a grab, Jaune used it as reference to do his own attack. The trainee Huntsman ducked under the airborne haymaker. His left hand reached out for one of her legs and gripped tight when he got one. Caught in the girl's momentum, his arm swung back. He stabbed the floor to anchor himself as he pulled her leg over his shoulder to throw her down on the floor.
Logic told him that he should expect a throw break attempt in the middle of his throw. Yang, the brawler of RWBY, liked keeping her pace in a fight after all. A gunshot rang by the right side of his head; his left arm twisted outwards, following the motion of the girl's aerial movement. He caught motion at the bottom right corner of his line of sight and raised his right arm in response.
He reeled at the kick that struck his right wrist. But he held his grip on both her leg and his sword. Two more shots rang out. His arm raised up, following the girl's rise. He pulled her down to counteract the escape attempt. As he pulled, her left leg rose high before coming down like an axe. He let go of her leg and stepped off to her right. With a swift spin, he swung his sword with all his might at her airborne frame.
His blow struck true. It sent her flying several meters back, unable to make a proper landing. She rested on one knee as she moved her hair out of the way. Irritated, she asked "Where th-" Her question was cut off the moment she saw Jaune's sword swinging for her face. She raised her guard just in time. Once again, the power behind the swing sent her backwards. Her guard, pried open with force, was a surprise to many. He didn't stop his offense.
Still sliding back by the force used, Yang couldn't react to the shoe stomping on her own boot to keep her in place. She watched the sword approach from her left in slow motion. The air whistled before the distinct sound of clashing metal overpowered it. She managed to block, but the sword retained its motion. The tip of the blade ended at Jaune's left side. She watched him disregard form as he used his body to flail his sword arm against her guard. He flung his arm out like a whip. The air whistled each time it came for an approach.
Most of the audience couldn't wrap their head around this fighting style Jaune seemingly adopted out of nowhere. Never had they seen the boy forgo defense to this extent. Though out of all of the students, Pyrrha seemed the most appalled by the disregard of form. She trained the young man in the basics of sword and shield combat nearly every night. For him to abandon it for this reckless version rubbed her the wrong way.
Weiss looked rather curious rather than confused. Had Juno's blessing override some of Jaune's preferences in combat just so he could be a more effective warrior? Was Juno, the demigoddess, even the type to favor a warrior that lacked self-preservation? Because as it stood, mentally, Jaune didn't care so long as he died a hero. If this style reflected that, then it was a tad troubling for her.
She didn't just experience hallucinations regarding his death just so he can chuck himself into a deadly situation!
Uncontested, Jaune didn't cease his onslaught. Where the stranger had allowed Yang to get up, he wanted her right where he could hit her. He built up a rhythm to his wild swings. Clangs of metal against metal made an established percussive beat. Each one was sent with as much force as possible to keep her guard weak. There was no room for mercy in a real life battle. Why should he give up the tactical advantage? The moment he let her out, she'd come out swinging.
Two shotgun blasts redirected the arc of Jaune's attack. He frowned. Yang caught the rhythm and punished accordingly. The recoil knocked her gauntlets to the floor. Her hands were in reach of his shoe. Jaune quickly hopped back and swung out to prevent a hasty retaliation. He settled in his new spot in the arena. In silence, he watched his opponent's hair glow a fiery yellow. He grimaced before mentally preparing for the upcoming beatdown.
A duo of gunshots echoed in the arena. The bullheaded charge that started the fight came at Jaune faster than before. Yang's haymaker returned with a speedier vengeance. He only managed to duck. It was foolish to guard it. A shot rang out above his head. His eyes made contact with her grounded boots, screeching against the floor to stop herself. Without thinking, he slashed at her. She punched it out of the way. Jaune followed the motion of his sword, retreating along the way to keep himself out of punching range.
Yang came at him regardless of the distance he made. Her fist rose from below, connecting with his chin. A shotgun blast to the chin sent him off of his feet. Aura prevented a lethal bow, but it certainly didn't dampen the impact. Unprepared for an uninterrupted landing, Jaune fell flat on his back.
"I knew someone who lived like a hero." Yang spoke up. "Whenever there was someone in need, she'd never fail to say 'It's not wrong to help people.'"
Jaune got up from the floor. He looked at her glowing form and her blood red eyes. She was about to say something. This was a fight. He was not going to have this talk in the middle of it like some action-oriented Mistrali cartoon. Electricity surged in his sword. With a mere flick, a bolt of lighting arced towards her. She ducked it and followed it with a verbal protest that she could not voice because Jaune returned to the offensive.
"He can shoot lightning now?!" Ruby asked in surprise.
"He awoke his Semblance during the fight against the horde. It's what helped up out in clearing the area to be rescued."
Jaune lunged forward. Cocrea Mors thrust straight at Yang. She parried it. He charged the sword again, and flicked the tip towards her. Another lightning bolt flung out. Yang stepped out of the way before making an approach. She came at him with a flurry of punches. The young man used the back of his left hand to redirect her punches just enough to miss him.
"Where-" She aimed for his head. He tilted it out of the way. "Did-" Her left fist looked to strike his liver. He hopped back. "You-" A straight punch barreled towards his chest. He parried it out of the way and stepped forward with his right arm chambered like a punch.
The stranger punched with the pommel of his sword. Jaune did the same. But he charged it up, giving it that extra oomph. He punched. So did she. His met air. Hers met his jaw's right side. Perfectly countered, Jaune stumbled back. His form now full of openings to abuse.
Her fist dug into his liver. It made him fold in half. Yang took the opportunity to throw an uppercut to keep the rest of her punches level with him. Her fists blurred while she pummeled the boy's frame. "You're too damn cocky to think you can out punch me!" She stepped forward with her left foot and brought down her right fist on his dome. Jaune's head careened into the floor first before the rest of his body lying flat face down.
Yang stepped back. "Now where were we…? Oh right! Before you rudely interrupted me…"
"Miss Xiao Long." The professor called. Yang turned to look at the blonde instructor. "While I appreciate what you are trying to do for your fellow classmates, there is a time and place for it." The professor chided. "Finish your fight."
The female blonde frowned before ultimately agreeing to the order. "Fiiiiiinnnne…"
She turned around to refocus her attention on Jaune, but he was already with arms reach of her. His left arm grabbed the collar of her top and lifted her off of her feet. He had his back to her, both hands at the handle of his weapon with his sword pointed at her body while it was parallel to the floor. He drove the sword into her gut, similarly folding her in half like she did with her blow to his liver. When he heard his body touch the floor, he twisted his body, rotated at the balls of his feet, and bent his knees to go low, swinging his sword over his left shoulder along the way. Lightning sparked across the white steel while it cut through the air.
Yang was not having it. She tucked her knees to her chest, raising her lower half off the floor. Hands planted, she was in the beginnings of a handstand before she blew up the ground with her gauntlets' shots. She springboarded off of the recoil to use herself as a human lance. Legs straightened, her feet dug into his chest. Another recoil-induced action twisted her body; she used it to kick the boy's face.
Jaune fell to the floor, but he rolled away quickly to evade a punch meant to crush his head against the floor. The stranger's ghostly form went for a series of flowing horizontal slashes. Jaune followed through with the suggestion. Like water, his sword swings flowed into the next attack. A wide swing became a full body turn into a telegraphed slash. And when that missed, he guided his weapon above his head to slam it over his opponent. She stepped to the side to evade. He thrust the sword's point at her, she parried it. It gave him a motion his body followed through to perform his next attack.
Yang stepped back with each swipe and ducked each one that went for her head. She found her opening underneath a wide, high swing, and charged right from below. Her right fist barreled forward like a battering ram. He stepped aside to her right with his sword above his head.
Cocrea Mors came down on Yang's Ember Celica, bringing her right arm down. Its sharp edge was turned to face her body. With her arm as a guide, Jaune swung up at her head. A gunshot rang. Her right arm rose from the recoil to redirect his slash. He performed a full turn to bring his next slash low at her feet. She likewise did the same to give space between the two of them.
The two blonds stared each other down. Jaune observed his opponent. Yang's red eyes gained an animalistic quality. Though something new emerged for everyone to see. Scaly patterns emerged on her skin. Jaune gave an amused smile. It was mentioned in passing that Yang's full name in an ancient dialect of Mistrali meant "Sunny Little Dragon." With her glowing hair and beastly presence, he could see the dragon bursting off her form.
Yang on the other hand, could see a semblance of what Weiss talked about when she said Jaune took down the horde. This new him that fought her in this arena wanted domination in the fight. It was a form of offense meant to prevent his opponent from mustering a counterattack. With that electrokinesis Semblance that popped out of nowhere, he gained new options. Instead of being a tank, he could now be a mid-range fighter. And he seemed to realize this. He didn't have to be dependent on his shield anymore.
It annoyed Yang. But his calm demeanor throughout the fight frustrated Yang even more. If she were the bright sun that brought the heat, Jaune felt like he was the placid moon that deceptively hid terrors in the shadows. His newfound combat prowess alone was a terror to beheld. It was an unnatural growth. It was as if divine intervention blessed him! She gritted her teeth in anger. Something about Jaune wasn't normal anymore. Deep in her, she could feel something was wrong, and it pissed her off that she didn't know why she was feeling this.
All she knew was that he needed to go down. Into the ground. Six feet under. It was definitely wrong of her to think that, but she couldn't ignore this feeling.
The stranger disappeared. Gone like the wind, the young man was left dumbfounded on what to do next as he watched Yang steadily get angrier by the second. Jaune's chest ached. His left hand clutched where the pain emerged. Raw animal instinct told him something was wrong. Electricity came out of him as if he short circuited.
Up in the stands, Astolfo frowned. Just his luck. His nephew was a Vessel. And his first opponent after acclimating to the literal life-changing news is to face- The adult shook their head; no time to think.
"Stop the fight!" Everyone looked at Jaune's uncle. "I said stop the fight before they kill each other!"
Weiss worriedly looked down at the arena, where the two blonds looked like they were about to explode. She felt something was wrong with Jaune. The moment he clutched his chest, so did she. She realized then and there there was a deeper link between them than she originally thought. If she could have an inkling of what he felt, then-
"Jaune! Snap out of it!" Weiss' words brought a certain amount of clarity to his mental faculties. The same can't be said for Yang. She bolted right at him without the need to fly from the recoil of her weapons. He ducked under yet another haymaker, but couldn't react to the following backhand.
He flew back from the hit but he managed to keep himself upright. Still unbalanced, the enraged Yang was already in front of him to continue her barrage. His left hand grabbed Cocrea Mors' scabbard and unhooked it from the belt loop. Acting like a second sword, he swung the scabbard at anything coming at him. The parries were imperfect, but they were enough for him to not get hit. He steadily retreated from the offense Yang dished out, but she kept pace with him.
"What's going on?!" Ruby asked no one in particular. First, Jaune was fighting strangely. Now Yang went berserk. Just what was happening down there for the two to act out of the norm? "Yang! I thought you said you'd take it easy! Stop it!"
She didn't. Yang never indicated she heard the younger sister. The older sister continued relentlessly punching despite repeated thwarting from her opponent.
Jaune swung up with both his sword and sheath, parrying a body blow upwards. He returned the sword into the sheath, and held the entirety of Cocrea Mors in his right hand as if he drew an imaginary bow. Lightning crackled along the length of the weapon. Twisted tendrils of energy struck the floor. Power condensed, coating the weapon in blinding white light.
Pyrrha felt familiarity in the way Jaune channeled the energy. Within seconds, it clicked with her. "Jaune no! By the Brothers, don't do it!" She shouted.
The redhead's cry came on deaf ears. Weiss took it that Jaune was about to do something potentially lethal due to the unintended escalation of this spar. Unsure of what to do, she turned to her sister. She must have looked lost to her elder sibling because the latter looked composed.
"Thy will be done." Winter simply said to her sister.
Weiss quickly understood. She hated it, but she understood the phrase. Jaune was her Summon now. She was his Master. She had to be obeyed. 'Just this once…' She begrudgingly thought as she looked to the arena. Weiss took a deep breath before she, with her best commanding voice, shouted, "Stop!"
Law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed. The generated electricity couldn't simply be dissipated at the drop of a hat. It had to go somewhere. It needed to be channeled. The boy stabbed Cocrea Mors into the floor. The buildup of energy released, sending the electricity to the entirety of the arena floor.
When it was done, Yang was passed out on the floor. Her bountiful, luscious hair, desecrated by the sheer amount of electricity that coursed through her body. Jaune watched her for a few seconds with the intent of keeping his guard up in case she got up to continue. When she didn't move, he fell on his butt and sighed in relief.
Within seconds, Astolfo was by his side. "You okay, Jaune?" The adult didn't wait for an answer as the young man was pulled up to his feet. At the same time, Ruby and Professor Goodwitch came down to check on Yang.
Silver eyes bore into Jaune's blue. "What. Happened?"
"I wish I could tell you, Ruby. I don't know what happened." Jaune replied weakly.
"The way Pyrrha told you to stop, I thought she thought you'd kill Yang with that last hit." She briskly walked just to stand in front of him. "So I ask again. What. Happened."
To hear the order come from someone smaller and younger than him felt strange to Jaune. But he could understand the girl's worry. The two were family. It was natural to ask what went wrong in the spar.
"Calm down, Ruby." Said Weiss from the railing that separated the arena floor and the audience.
"Calm down?!" Ruby snapped her head in the direction of the Schnee heiress and shrieked. "Didn't you hear me? I thought my sister was going to die! I'd like to see you calm down if a White Fang grunt was within seconds of offing-"
"Ruby." Jaune interrupted the tiny leader of team RWBY. She looked like she'd just about blow from the rudeness just to emulate her half-sister. "Don't go saying something you'd probably regret."
The silver-eyed teen opened her mouth to protest, but clamped her mouth shut in seconds. Frustration was written all over her face, her balled fists, and her shaky frame.
"I'm sorry it escalated like that."
Ruby didn't acknowledge the apology. She focused more on her unconscious sister, who she pulled up off the floor. She dragged her unconscious sister out of the arena floor. "She was talking about our mom. Yang, when you interrupted her. She would have gone to tell you how she had her own idols she tried to copy and how she tried to live to their imaginary standards." She glanced over her shoulder. "Sounds kinda like you, but there's one thing different between you two..."
"And what's that difference?" He asked.
"She's dead." Ruby replied without hesitation. "She has nobody touting her accomplishments in the history books. And the folks she helped out would likely forget her as just some nice Huntress that did her job." She paused, letting her words sink in. "Do you want that, Jaune? Die as one of the many in this world without leaving an impact in the world?"
"No. Not at all..." Jaune answered. "But, you, Weiss, everyone in this room, seem to misunderstand something about me though..."
"And what is that?" Ruby asked.
"Even if my dream is to be like my heroic ancestors, it's not to be recognized in future history books. I just really want to help people." He explained clearly. "There's nothing wrong with helping people."
Ruby froze upon hearing the phrase. A somber smile came from the little girl. "...Huh. So I was wrong. You're just like mom..." She stepped into the locker rooms with her unconscious sister in tow.
Soon, the arena doors opened. In one of the exits, Rouge stood. "Wow small showing for what looks to be a beatdown. What'd I miss?"
No one humored her question.
Rouge wanted to pry on what happened. The elder sister was quickly finding out that it was hard to get an answer because everyone else couldn't even form a response. She tried the students. They were rattled. She tried the Ice Pops, but those two were in their little world talking to each other about Brothers' know what. She tried Jaune, but he was too much in deep thought to even recognize she sat by his side on one of the benches in the locker room. Hoping to find an answer, Rouge stood up and stood next to her uncle, who was typing away at their Scroll while leaning against a locker.
"Hey… what can you tell me about what happened?" She asked.
"I think your brother awoke a dormant bloodline." Astolfo answered while still messaging someone on their device.
Rouge leaned over her uncle's shoulder as she asked, "A bloodline? Whose?"
"Vulcan's."
Alright. Here we are at the end of the chapter. Hope you liked it. Though to be honest, ending was rushed. Got the main things I wanted down, but couldn't find a nice way to end it. If you guys feel I'm too In-Your-Face about Jaune's mentality, it's because there's a reason to it. Anyways, until next time!