Day 32:
I've found myself within this strange world, it's knowledge is vast and great. But the dangers are nigh near immeasurable, even now as I write this, such dangers are taking their tolls on the allies I've found myself with. A mere few moments ago I had seen a noble young Knight fall in battle as his ally, a proud Spartan, stayed by his side until they too had succumbed to the onslaught from the enemies. One of many casualties I feared.
During the first of the battle, a mighty Valkyrie had succumbed to the onslaught in mere moments, and was soon followed by a Stoic lad who's emotions showed not as he embraced his demise.
One of the more younger of the troops attempted to boost morale by making a mockery of our enemy through various depictions, it worked but only for a short while. They were sadly the first amongst the fallen. The Dragon soon followed with a Shadow close behind them. The last of their squad bearing a Snowfall insignia still stands vigilant, but even they seem to be nearing their end.
I know not how long I will last but know only this, our enemy was underestimated, we knew not what powers they hold and for that, we now face punishment and a personal Hell awaits us now.
To anyone who finds this, may the Brothers and the Lord have mercy-
Thunk
Mac's head hit the desk after trying his best to stay awake in Port's class, he did his best just as his friends had. Alas, he too fell into the same world of dreams, much like the rest of the class did.
It had been nearly three weeks since Mac was accepted into Beacon and since he had beaten the Beringel and grew a full foot in height. Much to the odd disappointment of Ruby which only confused Mac to an extent but he only shrugged it off.
Mac had a pleasantly relaxing, and very informative, first week after being properly accepted into Beacon. Nora found out about his personal dorm and suggested they celebrate by having a Pancake party. He also took note that Ren, Jaune and himself, had experience cooking and thus were the pancake chefs for the get together.
Mac pondered that particular and disastrously glorious memory. Somehow Nora found and carried an entire wooden barrel of syrup into his room and ended up breaking said barrel, and part of his floor, when she decided to use her hammer to open up the barrel. Syrup flew everywhere and dosing those within the splash zone, who was unfortunately, the females of the joined teams, while the three males didn't so much as getting a drop on them, which they simply chalked down to weird luck.
Thankfully, syrup could be removed with soap and water, yet the complaints of feeling sticky and how it reached certain spots, or how Nora went "Syrup Drunk" and tried to lick the stuff off of her own friends was an unexpected turn of events. Thankfully, Ren and Jaune were able to stop her, but the images were still very fresh in the minds of the men. His room had a pleasant Maple Forest smell for only two weeks after the incident that Ruby had dubbed "Maplesplosion".
Speaking of odd explosions, that was something else that Mac had to ask which involved the weapons that they carried, he didn't even realize that they even had weapons in the first place till Nora brought out her hammer. Yet, after some thinking it did make sense since this was, as he later found out, was a combat school that fought monsters similar to the Beringel that he had fought.
What happened during that week was essentially a weapons show as he saw what exactly his new friends have been using to fight with. From shotgun gauntlets to rapiers and dual pistols, Mac had to admit that they were impressive as even their names were as unique as the ones who wielded them. He lost it after seeing Pyrrha's weapon that transformed into three separate weapons and gave an appreciative golf clap when Jaune showed his simple sword and shield. He even saw how they fought during combat class, which gave Mac some ideas on how exactly they used their weapons he had shown him and a crash course on "Semblances" which he was itching to discover what his was.
The first weekend then rolled on by and Mac had asked for Weiss to help him in studying Dust during the second week. That was a major boom of information since he learned about combinations of certain Dusts on a more in-depth scale, plus he also made a point to ask JNPR to go to Vale with him for a supply run.
When asked exactly what he had needed He simply told them that he needed clothes and anything else for a single man in his own home. Jaune and Ren nodded in understanding while Nora and Pyrrha just went along with it.
The bell finally rung for the final class of Friday which was Port's class. Mac woke from his sudden nap and stretched with an ever satisfying popping of his back as he started waking up his sleeping comrades.
Mac's dorm room
Mac was now back in his dorm room and dressed lazily in gray sweatpants and a black shirt. The two other teams had gone off to do their own business for the day, he had been left alone and was in the middle reading a book about Cowboys and Zombies, 'Must've been an undead nightmare for them'. Mac thought.
His dorm room had become lived in at this point, personal decor and the rearranging of furniture had seen to that Mac was essentially living back in his own apartment. He bought a Red beanbag chair because he always wanted one and even shelled out the lien for a gaming system from a pawn shop that Ruby had recommended he should buy and collection of DVDs that Jaune had recommended to him. He also owned a brand new bookshelf that was filled with books that he had all but been "gifted" when the bookworm that was Blake had given him her huge surplus of books that she couldn't keep in their dorm room. He didn't question or try to reason with her because she had this weird look in her eyes that made it seem like a mix of a demanding plea.
He went to Vale with JNPR so he could get his essentials and food for his living space, it was a pleasant experience, plus he had to wear his uniform in the manner that he did during his fight with the Knights because he wasn't exactly comfortable walking around in public with his boxing uniform, plus it was too damn hot to be wearing a full jacket and vest with already somewhat stuffy pants. There was also the amusing sight of Pyrrha wearing a disguise just so she could go around Vale without being spotted by her fans, he had felt for the Spartan, honestly, he did.
Her disguise of a trenchcoat, dark shades and a fedora had failed instantly as soon as they had landed and minutes after Jaune was done kissing the ground in thanks. Thankfully they had a Nora, and one threat of breaking legs later the group was able to continue on peacefully with their outing. They returned to Beacon with different bags of food and clothes that Mac had bought and with some helpful inputs from Jaune of all people on his clothing.
Now being 950 lien lighter, Mac gave a chuckle at the memory and turned another page in his book.
knock knock knock
Mac looked up from his book and towards his door curiously and asked loudly, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Jaune" came the muffled reply.
"Just a sec" as Mac went to the door unlocking it and revealing both Jaune and Ren. "Hey fellas, your team hanging out here again or something?"
Jaune only shook his head, "Nah, Yang invited Nora and Pyrrha to have a girl's night or something"
Mac only nodded in understanding, "And you guys were gonna be left alone doing nothing and decided to hang out here for the time being then?"
Jaune only chuckled and scratched his head, "Actually, they had invited me and Ren as well but they said it was 'girls only' and it felt a bit insulting honestly"
"Ah... Well, mi casa es su casa," as he opened up his door further and welcomed the boys, he did shoot a question to Ren as they entered. "and what about you Ren same reason as Jaune?"
Ren shook his head, "I prefer my peace and quiet whenever I can Mac. I've been with Nora for most of life, so I take whatever peace that is available from hurricane Valkryie."
"That's understandable actually. Well, make yourself at home then" Mac waved them in.
The trio then settled into their usual spots of relaxed state in Mac's room. Ren occupied the recliner since it doubled greatly for his naps. Jaune now relaxing on the sofa with his shoes off while watching TV, something he used to do back in his own home but now he has the entire sofa and no fear of being jumped on by his sisters. Mac sat back down on his now favorite beanbag chair as he continued to read his book. The air of calm and scent of Maple was relaxing for about an hour and a half.
Mac decided the question he had been meaning ask Jaune. "Hey Jaune, do you want me to help you train?"
The blonde only looked at the boxer, "Come again Mac?"
"If you want me to train you, or better yet, I want to train you to be a better fighter." as Mac set the book he had been reading down. "I've seen your fights Jaune, and I've never seen those floors so clean than when Cardin finished wiping them with you."
Jaune merely flinched at the brutal reasoning, "But I'm getting better!" he deflected.
"And now I can practically eat off those floors." Mac then got up and stood in front of Jaune with crossed arms. "I'm not trying to be an ass about it Jaune, but it's the truth and I want to help."
Jaune was now sitting up and scratched the back of his head, "I'm not sure Mac. I mean I don't want to be a bother to you and what with studying and-"
Mac internally eye-rolled as Jaune was listing down bogus reasons for not taking him up on the offer and then thought to himself, 'Guess I'm gonna hafta use that card then.'
Mac pulled Jaune out if his seat as he as he was still speaking and hooked an arm around his shoulder while in a serious tone began to speak.
"Imagine this Jaune, the girl of your dreams..." Mac then broke his sudden tone, "Uh, who was it again?"
"Weiss." Jaune answered. Mac gave a silent prayer of forgiveness to Pyrrha.
Mac then got back into his serious if not overdramatic tone, "Weiss Schnee, the girl of your dreams, being in mortal danger. Her clothes are torn in revealing places yet she's hurt, she's scared and most of all, she's alone." Mac was winging it but was truly thankful that Jaune was a bumbling idiot as he saw the look of worry start to show on the blonde's face as he continued. "Surrounded by a pack of Beowolves, and her weapon is broken!" Mac leaves Jaune's side and closes a fist to really emphasize the point.
"No! Her weapon can't break!" It seemed Jaune was getting into the story now. The outcry of denial also had awoken one napping Ren with a start as he was now eyeing both of his friends and wondering what exactly they were doing.
Mac continued on, "But it did! Broken in half, leaving your delicate snow angel defenseless now!"
Jaune only stopped himself from gasping, and Mac wondering if Jaune was just screwing with him at this point. Ren was also wondering why he seems to attract the odd people in Remnant.
Mac then took a stance of a Beowulf, "The beasts are surrounding her now Jaune, and they seem hungry to chew on her supple yet highly attractive princess body."
"No!"
"Yes! And with a pain-wracked tear, she prays to whatever gods that may hear her pleas to send her a miracle. No sooner than she finishes does the first of the Beowolves pounce at her!" Mac then makes a jumping motion that causes Jaune to gasp, even Ren was listening intently to this absurd story now.
Mac then claps his hands lightly once, "But she never feels the bite of death, as she opened her eyes and sees a sight that truly seems like a gift from Oum himself." Mac then pauses for both dramatic reasons and realizing why Nora enjoys telling her stories before continuing, "For standing in front of her now is a hooded warrior. The body of the Beowulf having been hacked to pieces by a blade that was being held at the ready by this warrior. No, by this Knight that had saved her by a mere fraction of second."
Jaune was happy to hear that Weiss was saved, but was a smidge jealous now. Ren only raised a brow as he easily saw now where Mac was leading this story.
Mac continued on, "The knight then uses his sword to clang against his shield in a challenge, and the rest of the pack attack him. Yet the Knight stands ready to defend the fallen snow angel." Mac then mimics several swiping motions, "With a single slash, each of the beasts is taken down as the Knight defends, but also attacks with skills that would put Pro Huntsman to shame."
Mac pauses once more and looks at Jaune who seemed to have a shine to his eyes. Ren was only shaking his head at the antics of the two. Mac continues once more, "The beasts now slain, Weiss stands shakily now and asks the hooded figure,"
Mac then tries makes his voice higher for Weiss's voice, keyword being tried, " 'My hero, what is your name?' the hooded figure turns around and throws off his hood in a single move, revealing none other than the leader that is Jaune Arc!"
The Jaune who was listening in on the story blinks in surprise, "Me?"
"Yes, you! The very knight that saved her, but as she looks closer she sees that you are not only her Knight in armor but also, a Man."
Both Jaune and Ren were confused now, more so being the blonde himself. "But I am a man though."
Mac shook his head, "No no, not a man, but a Man!" Mac then flexes an arm to make some form of difference, "A Man is a true hero who does not yield to anything but does not let his strength get the better of him. He is humble yet heroic, kind but stern and charges forth into mountainous odds with a plan!" Mac then clasps Jaune's head between his hands and makes the taller boy look him in the eyes. "The point is Jaune, I want to make you into this Man. You have a mountain of potential that I can just feel it, even now I can see the spark of a great and powerful fire within your being just waiting for the right fuel!"
And true enough, Mac saw this ember of a fighting spirit floating within Jaune, just waiting to be fanned into a glorious burning flame.
Mac let go of Jaune's face and the blonde only looked unsure now and weighing his decisions it would seem. "I'm still not entirely sure Mac, I mean why me?"
Mac only sighed at the blonde, "No reason other than to help you out, but if you're still unsure how about this?" Mac then raises a finger, "One month."
"One month of what exactly?"
"Training of course!" Mac then jabs a finger into Jaune's chest, "If you don't see changes in one month then I won't bother you about it anymore. But I guarantee that I'll make a fighter of you, no, better yet a true Man!"
Jaune wanted to argue, but it was like looking at another Nora, which in hindsight is really scary to even think about. Yet with no way to argue Jaune only nodded and sealed his fate. "Okay, one month only, right?"
Mac nodded, "One month only, and we'll start Monday!"
Jaune was unsure why but he suddenly felt an increasingly foreboding feeling building inside of himself. Like a mix of regret and some other feeling that he couldn't quite name.
Ren only hummed to himself quietly in his spot on the recliner. 'I might get a few good laughs out of this oh "Fearless Leader", might even help Mac out myself.' only the barest of a small smile was on his face as he relaxed once more to return to his nap.
The weekend then came and went without hassle or explosions.
Monday came by, but classes had been canceled once again.
Yang had informed the group that it was due to Doctor Oobleck hearing rumors that Nevermore feathers could create a highly caffeinated drink once grounded and boiled. Yet he failed to inform the staff about this new concoction of his and only the staff that didn't drink coffee on a daily was now safe from a very 'Grimm' case of the runs.
Mac tried to hold in a sigh from the memory of that pun as the trio of himself, Ren and Jaune were heading down along the edge of the Emerald Forest to start off Jaune's training. The blonde knight had decided to call it a simple "Guy's Outing" to avoid any suspicions from his female teammates, both of whom only told them to stay safe and break some legs respectively. As the trio walked, they had started in a conversation that honestly piqued Mac's curiosity.
"All I'm asking is it normal for Huntresses to have some kind of boob window for their 'armor'" asked Mac as he even did the air quotes.
Jaune rubbed his chin in thought as Mac did raise a point now that he thought about it.
Ren answered this question. "Perhaps the reason for doing so is to bring about positive emotions? Some people do say that breasts are a source of joy and happiness."
Jaune raised a brow at this information, but then struck at the opportunity as a smile began to form on his face, "So you must be jumping for joy when you see through Nora's window then huh?"
The ninja merely gave a small smile, "I can confirm that the theory is quite true."
"You sly ninja you" came Jaune's bark of a laugh.
Mac then elbowed Jaune, "And what bout you oh 'Fearless Leader'? Does ole Weiss bring bought such feeling with her apples?"
Somewhere in the Beacon Library, a certain Heiress suddenly felt very angry and insulted, but chalked it up to Yang doing something again. Speaking of the loud blonde, where was she? In fact, where was her team?
Jaune only coughed a laugh, "Well, to be honest, it's not always about the upper body. Like my dad says, 'Sometimes a meal of legs and thighs are just as filling.'"
Mac only stroked his chin in agreement at the wise words of the Arc father. Ren however had a different intent, "So is that the reason why you always seem to be in a brighter mood when Pyrrha does her Yoga?"
Jaune turned red and began to sputter, "What? No! I mean, I'm her partner and I know about Yoga and she just does it in the room you know?"
Ren didn't let up, "But she only does it when it's just you and her in the room."
"I have to study during then and just in case she pulls a muscle?" he tried.
"You could just study in the library." Mac added helpfully, but knowing the plight that Jaune was facing.
"I'm team leader?" he tried once more.
Both Ren and Mac looked at each other, then put a hand each on the blonde's shoulders.
Mac gave a thumbs up, "It is good to know that you are a man of culture as well."
Jaune only stared in surprise at Mac with his face turning even redder, he then looked to Ren who only responded, "Just keep your eyes on the Spartan and not on the Valkyrie and we'll be fine."
Jaune only covered his face now, it was like being taunted by his sisters all over again. The duo of Ren and Mac merely chuckled at the Blonde's dismay as they continued on walking nearer to their destination. The trio failed to realize however that they were being followed.
A good distance behind the trio of boys, a group of shadows followed them as they hid behind trees and shrubs in trying to keep pace with boys yet still well out of earshot.
"So why are we following them again Yang?" asked a shadow that was Ruby, concealing herself within a berry bush.
"Because aren't you the least bit curious as to what your only male friends are doing in the woods?" replied a Yang hiding behind a large rock.
"Not really, but it beats having to study for Port's quiz!"
A nearby bush then shook as one bomb lobbing girl made her presence known, "Oh! Maybe they're actually a trio of secret agents, or maybe warriors chosen by an ancient god to defeat evil!"
"Nora, please be quiet!" came the Spartan reply of Pyrrha, not really used to being inconspicuous.
The fifth of the group merely sighed in plain view, of everyone and their different hiding spots. "Why exactly am I here again?" asked Blake.
Yang only shrugged, "You're my partner, and I felt like you needed some Vitamin D of the good ole Sun."
Blake had wanted to argue, but this was Yang she was talking to. Only more nonsense and possible puns would await Blake.
"Right." was her only response and she decided to join in hiding with her team.
As the trio of boys went further ahead, the girls moved positions and saw Mac giving various arm motions and flexing every so often and seeming to explain something in great detail. Jaune only seemed to shake his head at Mac while Ren only nodded along. The boy then gave a quick glance over his shoulder and seemed to say something that caught both Jaune and Mac's attention. Mac only nodded and easily picked up Jaune over his shoulder, much to the blonde's loud protests, and started to jog ahead of Ren, leaving the boy by himself now.
The girls were now confused by the sudden events that just happened, none more so than Ruby. "Why the Heck did Mac just take off with Jaune like that?" she whispered.
"Maybe they know that we're here now?" helped Yang.
"Or maybe, because Nora is pretending to be a bush in the middle of the path." facepalmed Blake.
The group in hiding then looked at the mentioned path and held back a collective groan. Nora was crouched down in the middle of the path with various leaves and twigs sticking out of her hair while holding two branches of a fuller berry bush in each hand. What was most impressive about her failed disguise was that she somehow managed to find a birds nest with the bird calmly resting in the nest and atop Nora's head now.
"Maybe Ren hasn't seen Nora?" Ruby tried and failed to convince herself.
The boy in question simply walked up calmly to the Nora bush before standing directly in front of her. Nora for her part was standing completely still, even when in direct eyesight of Ren.
"Nora?"
"Who is Nora? I am a simple bush! I don't know any girls named Nora who are Super BFFs with someone like you Ren."
Ren only raised an eyebrow at the grinning Norabush.
"Then perhaps you would like to join me in helping my friend Mac in training Jaune. But you wouldn't happen to have any friends nearby who would like to join would you?"
Nora jumped in her usual Nora style, all traces of Norabush coming off of her completely, "Sure thing Ren!" as she took off into the nearby trees where mixed yells were heard and returned with a bundle of an embarrassed Ruby, an annoyed Yang and a painfully embarrassed Pyrhha with a passive Blake only walking shortly behind.
"Here they are!" spoke a very happy Nora.
She then let go of the trio of girls from her grip as the landed on the ground with a thud.
Ruby, while on the ground now, only looked at Nora with a betrayed puppy look, "I thought we were friends Nora?"
Nora only shrugged and patted the Reaper's head happily, "We are friends Ruby, but Ren outranks you on the friendship list because he's a super BFF."
Ruby only blew a raspberry in response to the bomber.
"Well, since it seems you were following us in the first place we should go see where Mac went with our leader then, shall we?" As Ren began to lead the way in the last direction Mac had went. The girls dusting themselves off and following shortly behind.
It was only a few more minutes of walking before they found a relatively small clearing, and here the group had found Mac talking to a now unarmed and no longer armored Jaune as they both stood beside a small flowing river.
"This place seems rather calming." Noted Blake.
"But what's with the rope tied to the trees though?" asked Ruby as one of the larger trees had thick rope wrapped around the base with two pieces connecting a few feet away from the tree.
"Is that a punching bag hanging from that one over there?" Yang pointed out to a tree that had a burlap punching bag that was heavily duck taped around the middle and was hanging from the larger branches of the tree by chains.
"Yo! Took you guys long enough!" as Mac finally noticed and waved at the group. "So you guys came to see Jaune train then?"
Pyrrha raised a brow at the question. "You're training Jaune, Mac?"
"Yup, figured the same training that I went trough might do him a world of good ya know? Plus it might be best to start now since the year is still early rather than later you know?"
Before Pyrrha could answer, Nora beat her to it, "So does this mean Jaune-Jaune is gonna be in cool training montages!"
Mac shrugged, "I mean maybe, but those montages wish they could be what Jaune is gonna be like by the end of the month."
"Well what are we waiting for!?" said an excited Nora.
"Well, if you guys wanna stay and watch, there's actually a nice tree over there that you guys can relax at. Besides I still need to see what exactly I got to have Jaune work on."
"I'm not that bad am I?" Jaune finally speaking up.
"Not really, but I need to see just how noodly you are so I can mold you into a true Man. So buck up, we're starting now." Mac stated with finality, leaving the girls confused and looking at Ren for an answer.
"You'll see soon enough, but let's get out of the sun first shall we?"
Even though it was an hour after Midday, the group had sat underneath the shade of the tree that Mac had pointed at which let them hear Mac easily as he began his training with Jaune.
"Listen well Jaune, there are three steps that I have created that will help you become a Man."
Mac took a fighting stance, but before Jaune could react, Mac threw a flurry of punches that Jaune felt the very wind from as they all missed and took a step back in surprise when he saw a fist just a few inches from his face. "The first step is that you must be as a swift as a coursing river."
Jaune nodded quickly as a Mac stepped back from Jaune and picked up a rock. "The second step is to have the force of a great typhoon." at this, Mac crushed the rock into dust with aura.
Jaune nodded then asked, "And what about the last step?"
Mac grinned and held up a fist that lit up with fire, "The last step, is to have the strength of a raging fire."
"Oh, okay then. And how exactly do these steps help me out exactly?" the blonde asked.
Mac gave an answer, "Simple, you fight with a sword and shield and to use those, as well as any weapon for that matter, is to be fast as Hell, hit like Hell, and stop from being hurt like Hell."
"Oh, well that makes more sense."
Mac nodded, "Yup, now before we get started on the physical stuff you gotta do one thing for me."
"And what would that be?"
"Take off your clothes."
The silence was calming in the forest and Yang could be heard holding herself back nearby.
"Just your shirt and sweater, gotta see what just what kinda noodles I gotta be cooking with capiche?"
Jaune then looked over to the group by the tree, Ren and Blake seemed to be asleep while Nora was writing notes, on what exactly, Jaune had no clue. Yang was grinning like a cat while Pyrrha and Ruby were a bit red in their cheeks, 'Maybe the heat is getting to them.' thought Jaune.
He wanted to protest, but Mac did have a point, plus he didn't want to have his upper clothes getting sweaty and dirty from whatever training Mac was going to put him through.
"Screw it," Jaune said silently as he took off his sweater and orange shirt and allowed the heat of the sun to hit him and was surprised by what he felt. To be honest, it felt nice, almost liberating even as he felt the cool breeze hit him. It was only his shirt and sweater but it felt so releasing, so free, so...
"Why are you shirtless Mac?" Jaune asked a now topless Mac.
"Because it feels nice and won't look as weird if someone else came by. Plus the breeze feels nice." he stated.
Jaune wanted to speak more before he felt Mac lift one of his arms and started to squeeze.
"Well, you got a dancer's bod, which is surprising, plus you got some good pistols on ya too. Which is a given since how you're a sword and shield user."
Jaune didn't know how to respond before he felt those same hands going across his back and shoulders.
"You got some good growth back here amigo, proper training and these suckers will be able to carry some heavy blows!"
Mac finished his impromptu exam and then stood in front of Jaune.
"Now the real training begins young grasshopper. Get your sword and keep it sheathed, give me 100 hundred swings, both right and left stances with it. You got it?"
Jaune snapped out of it and nodded, before grabbing his sword from the side and starting to do downward swings.
A few minutes before, Blake had woken up from her small catnap to the sight of a shirtless Jaune being grabbed by a shirtless Mac.
"What exactly did I miss?" She asked for anybody who was listening.
"Mac is seeing what kind of guns that Fearless leader is carrying so he knows how exactly to train him better." Answered Nora who didn't look up from her notebook.
"Okay..."
Few minutes after, she heard Mac give Jaune his first exercise to do which was a hundred swings with his sword. It was simple and helped build back muscles, she noted.
Mac then called out, "Pyrrha, can you keep an eye out on Jaune while he swings? You know, just to make sure he does it right, also feel free to help him out too!"
Blake noted the sly grin Mac had and the almost too eager nodding of a red-faced Spartan.
"And what exactly are you gonna be doing Mac?" asked a now curious and equally grinning Yang.
Mac dropped the grin for a small smile and rolled his shoulder, "I was wondering if you could explain how those gauntlets of yours work, I'm trying to get an idea on how I can use my weapons."
Yang was more than happy to oblige, "Sure thing Mac, but you still ain't got a weapon yet."
Mac raised a brow while crossing his arms, "I'm always armed Yang, I have my weapons on me at all times as a matter of fact!"
At the mention of weapons, Ruby was immediate besides Mac looking him over to see what kind of weapon he had, but couldn't find any after a while and tilted her head at the boxer with a confused look. "Where are your weapons Mac?"
Mac grinned and held up both his fists. "The left one is called 'Rockem' and the right one is called 'Sockem'. They both fire custom made .50 Knukle-Sandwicher rounds." He then flexed, "These guns are fully loaded and ready to fire at any given moment." Although Mac has said this out loud, in his mind he was dying from self embarrassment about saying such awfuly corny things that would make Doc proud. Ruby didn't give a reply, she only blinked and then laid face-first into the grassy floor, and gave a groan of defeat. Yang was laughing herself silly.
After that painful experience for both Mac and Ruby. Yang gave Mac a rundown of her weapons Ember Cecilia, fire-based shotgun gauntlets. During which, Jaune had finished his swings and Mac had Jaune then go to the tree with the ropes, or what Jaune had learned were called 'Battling Ropes', which Mac showed Jaune how to use. He had done this for ten minutes before Pyrrha decided to try them out herself, and needless to say, Jaune was now competing against Pyrrha to see who could last the longest.
Meanwhile Nora, Ren, Ruby, and Blake continued on watching, at least Ruby was. Ren was asleep, Nora was still writing in her notebook and Blake was reading.
Needless to say, Ruby was bored, almost bored enough that listening to Weiss trying to tutor her for class seemed more fun at the moment. 'Did we even tell Weiss where we went to? Meh, she probably wouldn't have shown up anyways.'
Weiss was interrupted by a sneeze. "Bless you, Weiss, I hope you're not becoming ill over there at Beacon." came the tone of a serious woman.
Weiss used a hanky to dab her nose, "Just a minor sneeze is all it was Winter, nothing to be concerned about."
Weiss was currently at the CCT in Vale after not knowing the whereabouts of her team, but seeing this as free time had decided to ask her older sister, Winter Schnee, for a favor.
"I know this was sudden Winter, but I was wondering if you can assist me with gathering more advanced books about Dust."
Winter didn't look it but she was curious about that request, "But aren't you already a self proclaimed expert on all things Dust related dear sister?"
Weiss only squawked, "It's not for me! It's for a friend!" the Heiress then composed herself quickly and corrected herself, "I mean, I do not require these books myself, but for an associate of mine that the Headmaster personally asked me to assist in matters of Dust."
"And just who is this associate of yours?"
Weiss knew that tone, it was one that only wanted answers. "It's for a Mac Little, to be precise. I believe the General had wanted him for reasons due to his unique nature."
'That's one way to put it.' thought the specialist as she then nodded.
"Very well Weiss, you'll receive the books within the next few hours, but now I have a favor to ask of you."
'Uh oh.' thought the Heiress.
"I would like for you to keep track of Mac Little for me and report any unusual outcomes while he explores his uses with dust."
'Oh Oum, I'm becoming an agent, damn you Ruby and your accursed movies!' Weiss only nodded, "Of course, Winter."
Winter in return gave Weiss a smile, "Thank you Weiss, I know it is an odd request but the General seems to be obsessed with the poor boy. But every little bit will help out sister."
Weiss smiled back, "Of course Winter, and please take care, I must return to Beacon and find my team as they seem to be missing for the moment, same for JNPR as well."
Winter showed concern at the mention of two teams missing, "And you are not more worried about them?"
Weiss shrugged, "Kind of? I mean they have Pyrrha and Yang who are both great fighters, and Mac took down a Beringel with only his hands. I believe that they're fine and simply causing havoc in the name of fun."
Jaune collapsed back first into the river as he felt the cold water wash over his heated body, trying to catch his breath in the process. "That, was not fun at all..." he managed to gasp out. He had gone overboard with the ropes as himself and Pyrrha had gotten a bit too into their little contest. Pyrrha had won in the end but Jaune now sported arms that he couldn't even move for the time being.
The sun was starting to set now, and with Yang's help, Mac had found a way to shoot fireballs in the manner of Yang's own weapons and also had a far better grasp of dust control. "So can you explain again how exactly you did that Mac?" asked Yang after he had demonstrated his technique.
Mac scratched the back of his head, "I'm still not entirely sure, but I just decided to just picture it, you know?"
"I don't know Mac, it's why I'm asking you."
"Oh, right." Mac then made his fist light up with fire, "I guess in simple terms, I just pictured it in my head of what I wanted. Sort of like when someone draws and they imagine what exactly they want to see before they start making the picture." Mac then throws the fire from his right fist as it easily coated his left one now, "So I just pictured my hands being on fire and then having that fire being used like your gauntlets." The fire then disappears off of his fist. "And if it works with Fire..." Mac opened up both his hands while closing his eyes in concentration.
Yang was surprised by what she saw next, a miniature tornado had formed in Mac's hand. Swirling around violently as Mac held the small disaster within his palm. She then saw a small flow of water come from beneath the point of the tornado and swirl upwards and started swirling around the winds instead of mixing with it, small brown grains then followed the same swirling pattern and grew into a small sphere that hovered above the swirling mix of water and wind and floated there before a small fire came into existence and floated just above the brown sphere itself.
Mac still had his eyes closed the entire time, picturing what it was that he wanted to see and what elements would be used. Opening his eyes, he saw what he had pictured in his mind, a simple display of the four base elements of nature, the four base Dusts. He also noticed that besides Yang was Ruby, Blake, Pyrrha, and a wet Jaune and guessing that they had seen what exactly Mac was demonstrating with interest.
"Woah..." was all Ruby said. Of course, the huntsmen and huntresses in training had seen dust used beforehand but never seeing it be controlled, unlike the after-effects of such dust being used. As easily as Mac had created his example, he allowed for it to drop from his hand, the wind blowing away in a puff, fire going out, water dampening the ground and the rock landing with a small thud.
"Then it'll work with the other types well." Mac finished with a grin.
"Welp, I can definitely say that it's impressive Mac!" Yang gave a thumbs up.
"Yeah, like the four Maidens! Except you're using dust and you're a guy who punches things like Yang does!" Cheered Ruby.
Pyrrha then interrupted, "As much as I am glad that Mac now has better control of his Dust, shouldn't we return to Beacon before it gets darker? And moreover, before Goodwitch sees us?"
The group checked their scrolls and saw that it was indeed starting to get late out, Mac was the first to nod. "You got that right Spartan." The new nickname confused Pyrhha but Mac instantly pointed a finger at Jaune, "Let's go Knight, we're gonna jog all the way to Beacon on the double."
Jaune only looked panicked, "But I can't move my arms at all!"
"Then it's a good thing your legs are in working order then." Mac replied as then had his hands catch on fire once more, "Also, that was an order Jaune. I'm gonna drive you to Hell and have you crawl back during this month."
Jaune only whimpered before he yelped in surprise and jumped back from a fireball that Mac had launched at him, seeing now that Mac was now getting into a running stance now while facing Jaune. The blonde only asked with his hands waving in front of him while backing away, "Can't we talk this over Mac?"
Mac only smiled, but the fires on his fists only grew bigger, "Nope!" and the chase back to Beacon was on.
A week had now gone by after the first day of Jaune's new training regime under 'Mad Mac' as he now liked to call his friend's trainer alter ego during the cardio/survival portion of the training. Mac had actually given Jaune a solid rundown as to why he pushed him so damn hard during training, and Jaune couldn't actually see a fault in his words of his. From what Mac says, mainly because of Aura, any damage done to one's body would heal more quickly in a shorter amount of time. Jaune was able to attest to this since his arms felt like they were beyond sore for just a half-day after his first day of training, either that or his abnormally high Aura reserves just kicked in harder for him. The running and dodging fireballs, or as Mac had decided to use, a horrendous combo of water and earth dust to make annoyingly sticky mudballs, were meant to help work on Jaune's reflexes. This also kept Jaune on guard during training since Mac would throw one at any given moment when they trained outside, but inside it was small snowballs the size of peas that Mac used wind dust to fire off. Not as common but very rare for Mac to use in school, but Jaune was a quick learner and was able to catch on to when a literal snowpea was being launched.
And like a coin, Mac himself was training with Dust handling, easily mastering the base elements and using them to add power to his already impressive boxing skillset. Wednesday was a doozy since Mac figured out he could now, without a doubt, perform a double jump. Much to the awe of Jaune, Ruby, and Yang who all played videogames but Mac still needed to work on the execution and landing. To put simply, Mac would jump with slightly Aura enhanced legs and at his max height would force a burst of air out from wind covered fist like a jet with his fists behind him and forcing his torso to be faced upwards. He also found out that when he uses Water dust it comes out pure and drinkable, but even he isn't comfortable with the matter of someone drinking fluids that he produced, but if said person is ever stranded in a desert then Mac is your goto water guy.
Once again the day was Saturday and Mac was lazing around in his personal dorm, reading some books that Weiss had given him on Tuesday that went more into detail about Dust usage and possible combinations of dust with both outcomes and failures of tried mixtures. He was at the part of the book that noted down the applications of Dust within various foods as they not only acted as a source of energy and a component for ammunition but also impromptu spices. The trials of the matter of Dust as spices were still in the works as it was deemed unwise to consume dust in the first place due to various health hazards, and possibly fatal allergic reactions when consumed.
"Well, I ain't gonna be putting any fire dust into my Pancakes anytime soon." Mac talked to himself. A habit he picked up from Doc when said man would be reading one of the many books in boxing that he had. This brought up a flurry of memories for Mac, from his own first time training to the first fight he had. All good memories honestly. His own stomach then grumbled as he looked down at the source of noise and looked at the clock hanging on the wall above the TV. 2 pm it read now, well past lunchtime, getting up from his seat he decided to go ahead and make his meal for the time being.
As he walking to the kitchen area, he noticed his own body starting to glow green and knew that his aura was flaring now but didn't know why it was doing so. Giving himself a once over while his Aura still glowed, he felt fine, he knew he wasn't injured or at least visibly but he did notice his sweatpants seeming to feel a bit looser just as his shirt felt the same...
"Wait what!?" as he noticed his kitchen counter had become slightly higher now, actually, everything was slightly higher now by a solid foot actually. "Nononono-" as he rushed into his bathroom and checked a line that he made by the doorway. Indicating his previous height that he was and easily realizing that he was now once again a foot shorter.
Mac tried to come up with any idea as he placed around his bathroom in thought as to why he was suddenly shrunk down a foot once again but then one word came into mind. "Semblance." he muttered.
He then took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves. Mac then spent a few minutes thinking, that if this really was his semblance then how the Hell did he use it? Was it second nature, did he have to say a phrase did you just have to think 'Big Thoughts' like 'Expand and enlarge'!?
...
No it couldn't be that simple, could it? But what else did he have to do anyways?Mac then stood against the wall and made a small mark with a nearby pencil to indicate his current height.
Now standing in front of the bathroom mirror he began to think about big things, such thoughts were mountains, whales, trains, bears, elephants. And as he had these thoughts he felt himself stretching, a weird feeling when he actually felt it but he also felt his clothes begin to feel not so loose anymore too and soon enough the feeling was gone. Mac then gave himself a look over and everything seemed fine, then he looked at the line that he had previously made and sure enough he was above it.
Mac then let out a somewhat glad but also disappointed sigh of relief. He found out what his semblance was but only to realize it only affected his height and size.
"Well it could be worse I guess..." he then rubbed his chin in thought as an idea occured to him. One that slightly pissed him off, but he then began to think about shrimps, ants and mice.
The result was a given and there was now a fist sized hole from a straight jab at the marker that was a foot below from the one above.
A/N: Kinda stumped myself, been mostly working on my writing style, still haven't got the groove of it yet.Also sorry for the wait for the few who do read this, got really sidetracked as I have no idea on how to schedule life.
