Chapter 14: Wolf And Raven
"A nightmare..."
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the much-awaited finals of the Sanus Festival! On one side we have Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose, sisters from our very own Signal Academy! Facing them will be the undisputed pair from Atlas Primary—Weiss Schnee and Nexus Shade!"
Yang bounced on the balls of her feet, grinning as if the match was the highlight of her month. "Hey, Weiss-cream. Don't taste salty when you lose."
Weiss scowled, crystal-white rapier already in hand. "Excuse me? What did you just call me?"
Ruby clutched a folded weapon to her chest. His semblance deduced it was a bolt-action sniper-scythe hybrid. Not bad. It compensated for the scythe's weakness at close range with the rifle's extreme range.
His work was cut out for him.
Yang's weapons complimented the silver-eyed girl's perfectly. Shotgun gauntlets worked extremely well in close range.
He had to divide the battlefield, tease Yang in close-quarters while Weiss distracted Ruby.
Distract, not defeat.
That short of glimpse of Ruby's semblance revealed its true nature. It was a speed-based semblance, operating on the principles of time dilation. To the average viewer, it would simply appear as if she had super speed. Rose petals manifested whenever she used it. The reason was unknown, and it held no apparent weaknesses. His semblance lacked the data necessary to synthesize them.
Yang's semblance was unknown. A variable. A threat. Apparently, none of the other contestants managed to push her into using it. Or at least, according to Weiss. But his semblance poked him whenever he purposely thought about hitting her. It must have been something in the way she carried herself. Or the data his semblance gleaned from her weapon.
After all, there must have been a reason why her weapons damaged herself, right?
It was a clue, at least.
He needed to see more of their abilities. To use Weiss as a deterrent—a way to control the awfully open battlefield. Sniper rifles were a godsend in Signal's arena. But then again, so were glyphs.
Nex tapped his partner's shoulder.
Just as their adversaries walked away.
It was customary to greet them before the match. He used that time for some last-minute plans while others flapped their gums. His partner was good at politely greeting people. Certainly better than he was.
"How good are you at dodging?" Nex said. "I mean, really dodging?"
"I'm—" Weiss said, looking like she was the one with the precog semblance. "Not very good."
Nex sighed, drawing Hrunting from Vigilance. His left hand lingered on Oathkeeper. No choice then. "Distract Ruby. Her weapon is a sniper rifle and a scythe. She has a speed semblance. It manifests with roses, so you have moments to predict and react.
"Don't let her get close. Play pinball with her. If she targets me, take the opportunity to put traps around the battlefield. I can stall them both if I dual wield. Maintain a defensible position. I'll take Yang and knock her out if I can."
Left unsaid was the fact that Hrunting and Vigilance's more destructive forms could have easily won the match. But using his secret techniques in a televised tournament was undoubtedly stupid.
Not to mention a waste of dust.
Weiss blinked. "And if you don't?"
Nex smiled, drawing Amariss Shade's fancy sword from its plain scabbard.
Oathkeeper hummed with bloodlust, the gold stained red by the afternoon sun. The cartridges in its cross-guard rotated, revealing every type of dust there probably was.
Amariss got around, collecting rare dust that never even graced the public eye. Some of them she took from remote locations. Some acquired with her partner. And some even bargained for in the black market. They boasted unique effects, invaluable for some inspiration.
Weiss glanced at his second sword. She quirked an eyebrow, smiling as she stared at the multi-coloured dust compartment.
It looked similar to the one on her crystal-white rapier. Evidently, she was pleased he seemed to be pulling out everything he had.
If only she knew better.
"Then I guess you'll have to take them both out," Nex said, his muscles loosening as his aura flared. "I'm sure you can manage."
Weiss chuckled, a yellow glyph spinning on her rapier. "To victory then. Let's make Xiao Long eat her words."
His heart raced.
Her heartbeat matched its thumping.
His legs leaned forward.
They touched the other end of the field.
"And... Begin!"
Ruby disappeared.
A bullet.
Straight through his shoulder.
Nex weaved. "Move!"
Yellow flashed.
The world shattered into grey fractals, flowing like mercury in a test tube.
Still.
Lifeless.
The remnants of the world stood frozen.
His semblance was breaking his mind into steel, analyzing and synthesizing everything there was.
Weiss and Ruby would exchange projectiles. The second with her rifle and the first with her glyphs. None of them would manage to score a clean hit. His partner's glyphs would defend her well, making it risky to rush in. The silver-eyed girl's semblance would make her unpredictable, making his partner's attacks miss.
Attrition.
Victory hinged on who had more dust, ammo, and aura. Who used them more efficiently.
The world rushed.
Punches came.
Nex deflected the flurry, the flats of his swords catching them without fail.
His arms vibrated.
The kinetic force behind her punches were no joke.
His blades spun and weaved, creating a twister of steel. It was an impenetrable defence. The pinnacle of dual-wielding combined with his semblance. His obsession in action.
His swords weathered through the blasts that came with some of her punches. Every time a blade parried, a punch followed.
His semblance guided him through the blitz, like Weiss telling him they were going to win.
His name was Nexus Shade.
The tempest.
The calm inside a sea of whirling blades.
And it seemed Yang Xiao Long was the exact opposite.
Yang roared, pulling back a punch more forceful than the rest. "Why won't you attack!"
Why did she want him to attack?
Nex smirked, twisting on his heel.
Her punch passed his body by mere inches, the wind blowing his fringe.
Oathkeeper blurred, the curved golden blade brushing her bicep.
Hrunting batted her follow-up, the straight silvery blade redirecting the impact.
Odd.
His semblance failed to react.
The very idea of committing to an attack caused his semblance to scream.
But not when he accidentally made that glancing blow.
Oh.
Well then.
Apparently, Yang's unknown semblance had a weakness.
All that was left to do was exploit it so thoroughly that she would not have the chance to win their duel.
Time for some Neo inspiration.
The dance resumed.
Nex tilted his body, dodging the punch Oathkeeper should have intercepted.
Hrunting's hilt extended into a shaft, the barrels locking over the blade. Its tip pierced into the dirt.
He gripped the shaft, propelling his body around the make-shift pole.
His boot lashed out and scored a swift kick on Yang's mug.
His semblance failed to react.
Hypothesis confirmed.
The blonde growled, glaring at his longsword's second form. She lunged, resuming her fast but predictable attacks.
Patience and tactics would win him the battle. Chipping at her aura bit by bit with soft, infrequent attacks would do the trick.
His semblance did not reveal what her semblance was, but it did reveal how to counter it.
Hrunting's shaft retracted into a hilt, the barrels shortening.
His tempest returned.
Only this time, he made sure to hit the blonde brawler every once in a while. Not enough to trigger his semblance. But enough to piss her off. Make her punches clumsy. Her form, sloppy. Little nicks on her forearm. Little cuts on her legs.
Her aura was sliding into the orange while his stayed in the lower greens.
"And would you look at that, folks! Yang Xiao Long's aura is slowly sinking into the deep red! Nexus Shade's dual-wielding surprise seems to have her stumped! What else does the enigmatic student from Atlas Primary have in store for us?"
A lot.
But Oathkeeper and Hrunting would have to do.
The audience roared.
Yang hopped back, her eyebrows furrowing as she took erratic breaths. "How the hell do you know?"
Somewhere on the battlefield, the duel between Weiss and Ruby raged.
They zoomed around, circling him and his adversary. Each one was probably trying to nail the other with various projectiles. Shooting at the melee combatants was definitely out of the question. Friendly fire was too great a risk.
Weiss was doing her job well, keeping Ruby away from him and setting the pace of their protracted duel. It allowed him to fight without worrying about her.
"Know what? Your semblance?" Nex said, cracking a smirk. A smirk meant to piss her off some more. Cons of being a hothead? Definitely. "I don't. Not really. But you're not doing a very good job of hiding it."
Yang snarled, her irises bleeding red. "You are so pissing me off!"
Golden fire erupted, the heat scorching his lungs.
Apparently, he succeeded.
She tore through the gap.
Nex barely had the time resume his dance.
Her punches came faster.
Rabid.
Wild.
His adversary traded precision for raw, explosive power. The frequency of her shotgun blasts intensified.
It did not resemble dancing. Not even close.
Yang took the form of a bull rampaging through the market.
No choice then.
The only way out was to deflect her enraged punches. A direct hit, even a glancing blow, would hobble him, chunking his aura and ruining his rhythm. Blocking them directly would disarm him.
Being bereft of one sword would force him to draw Vigilance.
Unacceptable.
Hrunting and Oathkeeper should be enough.
His dance heightened into its climax.
Her punches turned into a manic blur. Desperate to put an end to him.
He channelled more aura. Magnifying his semblance. He went even faster, further, slipping heavier strikes through the blonde's battered guard.
Her aura was dangerously low.
There was no point in playing the waiting game.
"What a shocking turn of events, ladies and gentlemen! Yang Xiao Long and Weiss Schnee hit the red—at the same time!"
Yang sighed, lowering her fists. "Well, it's up to Ruby."
The blonde loped away, squatting on the side-lines.
Good for her.
Nex nodded, glancing around the battlefield.
Weiss cradled a twisted left arm with her right hand. She shot him a look, smiling through an ugly grimace as she limped off the battlefield. The hole on her sleeve revealed exactly what happened.
Ruby managed to put a bead through her glyphs, the bullet's impact breaking her sword-arm.
Fuck.
Fuckity fuck.
Weiss did enough.
Ruby's aura lingered in the mid-orange.
His chest burned.
He had to win.
Defeat was not an option.
"Shit," Nex said, glaring at his last opponent. The silver-eyed warrior held a crimson scythe, her cloak anemic. Bleeding. Bleeding into white. "You'll pay for that."
Oathkeeper returned to its scabbard.
If only he used Vigilance right from the start.
His partner would not be hurt.
Nex rushed the silver-eyed warrior with Hrunting, his left hand on Vigilance.
She disappeared.
The scythe flashed. It moved slow. Bulky.
Predictable.
Vigilance expanded.
The scythe's tip skittered off its surface.
He spun into her guard, slashing at her chest. His blade sliced through roses.
Summer roses.
Hrunting extended into a spear. Its cross-guard grappled with the scythe's shaft.
Silver eyes widened.
Her hands pulled at her scythe.
Too late.
Vigilance slammed into her jaw.
His weapons bashed and stabbed and smashed.
His partner was relying on him.
Hrunting led. Vigilance followed.
The scythe was near-useless against a spear that matched its length and a shield that slipped into its owner's guard.
Lightning roared.
Ice tinkled.
The fires of ancient cosmic destiny blazed on his shield.
People made the mistake of thinking the shield was a tool for defence.
It was not.
It was as deadly as the sword and the spear when used right.
Perhaps even more.
"Stop! Kid! She's out!"
Black feathers.
Was it a crow?
Or a raven?
Nex blinked.
A broadsword flashed, slamming into his shield.
His boots slid on the dirt.
Nex lowered his weapons, his arms replaced by blocks of lead. "What?"
"In a surprising twist, Signal Academy's Professor Qrow Branwen steps in to stop Nexus Shade's frantic assault! Who knew that injuring his partner could cause the calm and collected huntsman to lose his cool?! Ruby Rose's aura is depleted. Due to the intervention of a faculty, the match defaults and goes to Atlas Primary. Give it up for the winners of the Sanus Festival tournament—Nexus Shade and Weiss Schnee!
The audience clapped and cheered.
Ruby looked like she went through a meat grinder, scrapes and bruises on her pale face. Her dress was littered by spear-tipped holes, brown spots splattered on the black fabric. Angry, red burns streaked her face. Shards of ice were embedded in her sleeves.
Silver eyes met his.
Her breath hitched.
Little red stiffened, hiding behind the huntsman's impressive height.
Qrow Branwen crossed his arms, sword already tucked under his cape. The huntsman's red eyes stared through his.
Seemingly lost somewhere.
Just out of reach.
Hrunting and Vigilance returned to his belt.
His veins burned, blood thundering in his neck.
A marching band.
"Shit," Nex said. Not again. "I'm sorry."
A drink. Definitely one of those. Or perhaps a dozen.
Fun trivia: Chapter titles in Artificer are songs/records that refer to something.