Chapter 4

"Now, begin!"

Adam's hand fell to Wilt and waited.

And waited.

Pyrrha stood there, having drawn her sword and shield, she too, waited. Neither of us want to make the first move, we prefer to try and get a read on our opponents before going on the offensive. They stood there for a few moments, waiting.

The room was still as everyone held their breath…

Adam exploded forwards, drawing Wilt and slashing diagonally upwards. Pyrrha blocked it with her shield and twisted, keeping the shield between her and his blade while she stabbed out with her own. Adam jumped backwards but grunted as the sword expanded into a spear, grazing his left shoulder.

Sword and spear huh? A good combination. Probably has some kind of long-ranged option as well. Adam sheathed Wilt and stepped back in, ducking under a slash and countering with a trio of his own. The first cut into her sword arm before her shield sped into place to block the next two.

Adam ducked back sheathing his sword once again. Pyrrha tried to follow but raised her shield as he pulled the trigger on Blush, sending Wilt slamming into her shield hilt first which launched it upwards into a spin. He rushed forward and vaulted off of Pyrrha's shield when she moved to block. His foot slammed into the hilt of his blade and sent it flying towards his opponent.

Pyrrha parried the sword away with her shield as Adam landed, rolled and launched back to his feet, pulling the trigger on Blush and fired several rounds into her shield. He rushed over and sheathed his sword in one fluid motion. He fired his blade at her once more then grabbed it after she blocked it.

Adam pressed the advantage, slamming into her with a flurry of blows. Her shield took most of it but a few attacks made it through, damaging her Aura and bringing it down into the yellow. She stepped back in an attempt to disengage but he maintained his momentum.

And then she acted.

It was subtle and it took a few moments for him to notice what was happening. His attacks started missing, either not hitting her or slipping to the side so they only struck her shield. What the? A telekinesis Semblance? He didn't get much longer to ponder it as her sword was suddenly stabbing at his face.

He ducked to the side and was forced back as Pyrrha unleashed her own barrage of slashes interspersed a spear lancing out and stabbing him. His Aura lowered under the onslaught, reaching the yellow.

She's fast! But she's holding back… with that telekinesis Semblance, she could be doing so much more… is she waiting for something?

He parried as many attacks as he could while backpedalling. With each block and parry, his Semblance charged, but he didn't attempt to use it. She was too fast to give him the time to use it. Instead, he waited until she used her spear once more. As she thrust towards his midsection he stepped to the side and cut down, forcing her weapon down towards the ground.

He stomped on it, pushing it down further and setting his opponent off balance. He then smashed his fist into her shield to knock it to the side and spun, bringing his blade around to slash out from above her. His chukoto cut into her just as he felt several rounds slam into his chest.

They both fell back to gain distance but before they could rush back in there was a loud ding as the lights came up. The fight was over. The applause shocked him for a moment.

"Very good. A great example of two experienced fighters. You both kept up the pressure and didn't relent." Glynda Goodwitch spoke with a sense of… pride? "Ms Nikos, you weren't prepared for him to strike you which left you open." She turned to Adam and he could have sworn that pride from before died an ugly death.

"Mr Taurus you failed to keep her weapons in mind. While you pulled your fancy move she was able to grab her weapon. You left yourself open for her to counter-attack. Both of you should keep these in mind as you train. Now then, for our next spar…"

Adam walked back up to where his team sat in the stands, passing Pyrrha on the way and offering her a simple nod. The girl seemed almost in shock and could only return the gesture.

"That… was… AWESOME!" Ruby shouted as he came near, her sister doing little to stop the hyperactive girl from jumping him and babbling about how cool he and his weapon, mostly his weapon, was. He sat down on the bench and took a deep breath.

"Wow, you really worked up a sweat huh? Guess that's what happens when you fight the Invincible Girl." Yang said with a grin.

"Invincible Girl?" Adam gave her a quizzical look.

"You don't know? Wow, you must be sheltered hard. She's a world-renowned tournament fighter! Never lost a match! Or actually had a draw until now. You have to be some kind of crazy prodigy!" Yang looked ecstatic. Adam just looked down to the arena and watched the next fight.

It had been a good fight. Pyrrha knew what she was doing that was for sure. A part of him was happy with the challenge she posed, though he had an irrational surge of anger. She reminded him of the Huntsman and soldiers that had worked alongside the SDC. Of his comrades that had fallen fighting them and the missions that had failed because of them.

But that was all over now. His anger would have to die down. He glanced at Pyrrha who looked… pleased. She spoke to her team and seemed to be enjoying herself. She had worked up a bit of a sweat as well. At least there was someone around his level, even if they both held back.

"Cardin Winchester and Ruby Rose!" The professor called out. Ruby excitedly jumped down, ignoring Yang's words of encouragement. Cardin stomped down with a heavy swagger. Adam recognized him as the idiot who had shouldered into him just after arriving at Beacon. His eyes narrowed.

Ruby, punish him before I do.

Glynda called for the match to start… and only seconds later called that it was over.

Ruby had loaded Gravity Dust into her weapon. One-shot and she was sent flying across the room towards her opponent. She capitalized on the speed to deliver a massive blow to the brute that sent him flying out of the ring.

Adam clapped along with the rest of the class. It was an impressive display. He took a vindictive glee in how Ruby had demolished Cardin and how angry the brute looked when he picked himself up and went back to his team.

Ruby looked happy when she came back. She was practically skipping her way up. Adam enjoyed the look of surprise and shock on the Schnee's face. It was obvious she had expected their leader to fail. But Ruby had been put ahead two years, of course, she would be strong.

The matches continued. A boy with a mohawk faced off against Lie Ren, the black-haired boy from initiation. Nora Valkyrie knocked some poor sap out of the arena within moments of starting. Yang's fight lasted a while longer, turning into some endurance match. The leader of JNPR, Jaune Arc, was the most pathetic of the lot, losing his match against some idiot who looked like he kept his eyes closed the entire match.

He didn't even lose to overwhelming strength or anything, he just couldn't handle some guy with a sword that's also a gun. It doesn't even change form! It's just a gun stuck into the crossguard!

Jaune Arc annoyed Adam. It didn't seem like the blonde had any real training or even a drive to become strong. Jaune seemed like the kind of guy that had come here because of how cool it was to be a Huntsman. Perhaps Adam was wrong, he would be the first to say that he had made mistakes, and for once he hoped this was one of them.

The class eventually wrapped up and the students piled out to take the rest of the afternoon to do as they wished. Adam was tired. There had been so many people and dealing with the Schnee on a constant basis was trying his patience. He needed some time alone.

The rooftop was quiet and secluded, away from the hustle and bustle of a school filled with teenagers. The wind blew by him slowly and softly. He could hear if anyone tried to open the door and it wasn't so high up that his Aura couldn't protect him if he jumped. Plenty of escape routes.

His blindfold came free with a bit of effort and for the first time in a while Adam breathed. His eyes surveyed the school around him, taking it all in with both his good and bad eyes. His scar itched but he didn't indulge it. It would only hurt more and for longer. He had learned that mistake many years before.

There was something special about letting the brand sit in the open, visible to all who would look. He had hated that when he had gotten it, back when he didn't have a choice about it. Made to show it to all the other workers, to show the price paid when you faced off with the SDC.

The brand carried a lot of weight behind it. He had only ever admitted to Blake how he felt about it, the shame and embarrassment. It had been foolish among the White Fang, they of all people could understand. It hadn't changed how he felt however and even now he felt that shame. He was forever marred as the property of the SDC.

A part of him wanted to reveal it to the Schnee. To show her irrefutable proof of her family's misdeeds. But what would that gain him? Pleasure in seeing her beliefs crumble? Sure, but how long would it take for all to know of the brand? Could he live with all of them knowing? Perhaps, but would he be able to keep himself under control when they inevitably used it against him?

He didn't know the answer.

And that worried him.

He had to keep control or he could kiss his position in Beacon goodbye. If he lost his position he would never be able to save Blake from herself. He was only a couple of days into Beacon and he had almost lost his temper a few times. It was all thanks to the dawned Schnee! Why did she have to be on his team!

Calm yourself, Adam. You can worry about her later. For now, just enjoy the view…

It had been a long time since he had really relaxed. So Adam Taurus sat himself on the edge and watched the world go by. There would be plenty of time to worry about the Schnee and Blake and keeping in control later. Now was the time to breathe.

A/N: So this took a while to get out... sorry about that. Things have been... changing shall we say. And I think we all know why. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter!