Chapter 5:
In Yang's opinion, Friday arrived too fast. On Tuesday, they had to be fitted for uniforms. Then, on Wednesday, they received their uniforms, and told they were allowed to have personal modifications, so long as they weren't drastic. And on Thursday, they were shown around Beacon's campus. It all went by so quick, in her eyes. And now she stood in front of the doors to the sparring ring that Lux had requested for, with Lux draping his right arm around her shoulders, his weapons case in his left hand, and a too-sweet smile on his face. It wasn't often that Lux scared her so much, but there were times. Like this one, for example.
Behind them stood the rest of Team RRWBY. Ruby, holding Ember Celica, looked at Yang sympathetically, though her sister couldn't see it, and Blake, book in hand, glanced back and forth between Lux and Yang. She had seen the smile on Lux's face, and it sent shivers down her spine. It just looked so wrong on the boy's face.
Lux tilted his head back. "So, one last time. Everyone have what they need?" he asked. Getting three nods of confirmation, Lux looked back to the door, a hand coming to rest on the handle. "Alrighty then. First round will be me against Yang." His tone brokered no argument. Turning the handle, he opened the doors, and walked through, keeping his right arm around Yang's shoulders. Approaching the sparring ring, Lux patted Yang's back. "Why don't you go on ahead and get in the ring. I need to put in the settings." Yang complied, walking up onto the ring and taking a side, while Lux went over to the console that contained the controls for all the technology in the ring.
Meanwhile, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake sat down on the benches set a few feet away from the ring.
Blake glanced sidelong at Ruby. "Is Yang... going to be alright?" she asked.
"She'll be fine... probably," answered Ruby, then she let out a small giggle. "She's gonna be sore, though, for sure. Whenever there's a chance for us to go all out in training, Lux always makes it a priority to take that chance. So, basically, Yang made a big mistake by choosing not to tell Lux about being able to request a sparring ring this week. And now Lux is punishing her for it. It's not like he's really mad or anything, but he takes training seriously, so this is also a reminder of sorts."
Blake looked at her partner, who anxiously waited in the ring, then turned her attention to her book.
At the console, Lux looked up from the controls, staring Yang directly in the eyes. "Okay. You have eight minutes, or until your Aura drops into the red, and you're only allowed to defend. No attacking."
Yang nodded silently, and swallowed nervously.
Lux turned and walked over to the benches, and sat his weapons case down. Then he proceeded to remove his cloak, fold it up neatly, then set it atop the case. Walking back to the ring and stepping up onto it, Lux looked to Ruby. "Ruby, could you start the round, please?" he asked, then turned his attention back to Yang.
Ruby nodded and complied with the request, getting up from her seat to quickly press the start button, then sat back in her seat.
Lux only gave the screen displaying Aura levels a quick glance, before turning his attention back to Yang. He got into a fighting stance, putting his fists up in front of him, sliding his left foot backward, and leaning slightly forward. Yang did the same, getting into a similar stance, though without leaning forward.
As soon as the buzzer signaling the start of the round sounded off, Lux pushed off with his right foot, allowed his fists to fall to his sides, and thundered toward Yang. Yang, however, did nothing. When he was within striking distance, Lux brought his right fist around in a right hook. Yang brought her left arm up to defend, and batted away the fist, only to find herself dodging backward as Lux brought his left fist up in an uppercut that would have caught her in the jaw.
Lux continued his onslaught, throwing right hook after left hook, followed by an upper cut, and occasionally throwing in a punch to the gut, a knee to the gut, or a knee to the side, just to throw her off, never letting off any pressure. All the while, Yang did her best to defend, struggling to keep from attacking back at Lux.
Suddenly, when Yang went to block a right hook, the moment Lux's fist touched her arm, he burst into a cloud of silver rose petals. Yang's eyes immediately widened. She knew this trick; she had had to deal with this over a hundred times. Yet, despite that, she didn't have any time to turn and block before Lux's fist impacted her back, knocking the breath from her lungs. She staggered forward, hunched over, only to receive a knee to the face, sending her stumbling back.
After hitting her in the back, Lux had used his Semblance; Teleportation; to immediately get in front of Yang. How Lux's Semblance worked was fairly simple; Lux envisioned himself in a certain spot, relative to his current one, and activated his Semblance. And while he could use it in quick succession, he rarely did, as even though it didn't pull from his Aura reserves, it drained his stamina.
Lux took a quick glance at Yang's Aura level. She had lost almost a fourth of her Aura; mainly from the heavy hits he had just landed, but also from chipping away at it.
Four minutes left on the clock.
After giving Yang a few seconds to recover, Lux charged forward, while Yang defensively brought her fists up again. Coming within striking distance, Lux went into the same tactics as before, throwing right hooks and left hooks, as well as punches to the gut, and kneeing her in the gut or the side. This time, when Lux pulled the same trick, Yang was ready. When Lux burst into rose petals, Yang immediately went into a forward roll, and came up looking in the opposite direction. Just in time, she crossed her arms in front of her, catching Lux's punch.
Yang could feel her Semblance building up inside herself, yet she couldn't unleash it. She technically could, but that would mean more punishment from Lux. If Lux said no attacking back, that meant no attacking back.
Jumping back to create some distance, Yang took a quick glance at her Aura. She now had about half left. Looking at the time, she found that there was one minute left, but she didn't celebrate yet. It was still one minute where she had to defend herself.
Weiss watched Lux closely as he went at Yang with a dropkick, only to burst into rose petals the second he touched her, and reappeared right behind her, giving her no time to react. Weiss turned to look at Ruby. "What is his Semblance, exactly?" she asked.
Ruby only gave Weiss a glance, before turning her attention back to what was happening in the ring. "Teleportation," she said finally. "His Semblance is Teleportation. But, it allows him to do other things as well, such as cancelling out his momentum."
Teleportation? thought Weiss. That's... Powerful, if applied properly. "Is there a range?"
"Eh, not exactly," replied Ruby, making a 'so-so' gesture with her right hand. "He's experimented with it. The farthest he's gotten with it is from our house to the ferry docks. He made it, but he ended up passing out. You see, while his Semblance doesn't drain any of his Aura, it does drain his stamina. The more distance there is from the starting point to the end point, the more stamina it drains. So, he sticks to teleporting close-range. But, even then, he has to be careful. If he uses it multiple times in quick succession, he'll lose stamina more quickly."
Weiss looked back to the fight; or as Ruby had put it, the punishment. So, not only is he a heavy hitter, but he can do hit-and-run tactics. I'm starting to see why Yang is so confident in him being able to beat Pyrrha. But still, Pyrrha's the Invincible Girl. No one has beaten her. Undefeated or not, Lux still stands no chance of beating Pyrrha.
Weiss was broken from her thoughts when the buzzer that signaled the end of the round went off.
Down in the ring, Lux was kneeling, and beside him was Yang, being held face down against the floor by Lux, who had his right hand against the back of her head. Slowly, Lux rose, and Yang rolled to the side, groaning. Lux crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
"So, what did we learn?" asked Lux.
Yang let out another groan. "That you're absolutely brutal," she replied.
Lux's last few attacks had been brutal; one to the knees, one to the gut, and one to the side of the head. She would definitely be feeling that for a little bit.
Lux rolled his eyes. "Besides that, what did we learn?"
"To not keep things like this from you again," answered Yang.
Lux gave Yang a nod. "Good." He held out a hand to her, and she grabbed, allowing Lux to pull her up into a hug. "No hard feelings?" he asked.
Yang hugged him back and let out a soft chuckle. "No hard feelings."
"Good," said Lux. Then he patted her on the back, grinning. "Go take a rest." He looked to Ruby as Yang went over to sit on the bench beside Blake. "Hey, Rubes! Mind tossing me my case?" Ruby nodded, grabbing the case, then throwing it to Lux, who snatched it out of the air. "Thanks."
Ruby gave a thumbs-up. "No problem!"
Lux set the case down, then knelt in front of it. Opening it, he took out Vita, then closed it, and tossed it back to Ruby. Pressing the button to extend the blade, the sound of mechanical whirring and metal plates shifting into place filled the air, and Lux swung it through a few passes, before finally bringing the spine to rest on his right shoulder. He grinned. "Alrighty then. Who's next?" His eyes went to Weiss. Then to Ruby. Then, finally, to Blake. "Blake. Why don't you come join me up here. Same thing as Yang's match, just with the bonus of being able to attack back."
Blake looked up from her book, closing it, then silently stood up and walked over to the ring, and stepped up onto it, taking her side of the ring. Across from her, Lux was still grinning.
Lux cracked his neck, then grinned even wider, and brought Vita's tip to rest on the floor in front of him, a hand resting on the pommel. "Are you ready?" he asked.
Blake drew Gambol, the katana part of her weapon, then took a moment to analyze Lux. Based on what Ruby said, he can basically attack me from any angle, to the point where I can't even react in time. He can effectively use hit-and-run tactics, but most likely won't resort to them. That sword, Vita, is no doubt heavy. Add to that the speed at which he can swing it, and I'm most likely better off dodging instead of deflecting. Atop her head, Blake's bow twitched. Done analyzing Lux, Blake nodded.
Lux spoke up. "Ruby, mind pressing the button for me again?" he asked.
Ruby complied, getting up to press the start button, then sitting back down.
On the Aura monitor screen, the bars showing Blake and Lux's Aura levels appeared, both at full. Blake got into a ready stance as the countdown began, holding Gambol in front of her with a two-handed grip, while Lux remained still. When the buzzer went off, Blake shot forwards. It was only when Blake was in striking distance and was bringing Gambol in a downward slice, that Lux moved, deftly pulling Vita up with one hand, and angling it so that Gambol slid off to the side. Lux immediately started his counter-attack, not even turning Vita's sharpened side at Blake as he lashed out. Blake narrowly avoided being hit, using her Semblance to direct herself up and over Lux. Lux spun in anticipation of Blake's movement, swinging Vita all the while.
Vita sliced through the air, and Blake barely managed to duck, before striking at Lux's legs with Gambol. Lux jumped over the slice, and allowed the momentum of his swing to pull him into a spin. Blake backed up, then Lux suddenly disappeared with a cloud of silver rose petals. Using his Semblance, he teleported behind her, Vita once again slicing through the air. With no time to dodge, and no way to deflect the strike, Blake used her Semblance to move several feet away, and Vita sailed through the space she'd been standing in.
While her Semblance took away from her Aura, she would rather spend a small amount of Aura than allow Lux to hit her. Lux was undoubtedly strong, considering he was able to wield Vita's bulk with one hand. Add to that Vita's weight and the speed at which Lux was swinging Vita, and you had a force to be reckoned with. And that was without factoring in Lux's Silver Eyes. Blake didn't know the extent to which Lux could use his powers against people, and she didn't really want to find out.
Lux gave Blake no respite, as he chased after her, collapsing Vita as he did so, much to Blake's confusion. Quickly coming within striking distance, Lux lunged and thrust Vita forward, pressing the button to extend the blade as he did so. Blake parried the strike, and Lux ducked low as he collapsed Vita again, dodging a horizontal slash from Blake. Quickly rising from his crouch, Lux swung Vita upward, extending the blade again, and forcing Blake to use her Semblance to dodge backward again.
He's intense! thought Blake, as she charged back in, feinting to the left, then using her Semblance to maneuver around Lux, striking at his back with a diagonal slash; one that Lux blocked by holding Vita vertically behind his back. Blake used her Semblance to once again move up and over Lux as he swung Vita through the space she had been standing in. Landing behind Lux, Blake transformed Gambol into its sickle mode as she backpedaled to create some distance, then threw Gambol, swinging it around on the ribbon attached to it.
Gambol swiftly arced through the air towards Lux's back, and when it was only a few feet away, it seemed to slow down a small fraction, and Lux spun around while collapsing Vita, and caught Gambol out of the air with his left hand. Lux tugged on Gambol, sending Blake flying towards him, and he lashed out with a kick aimed at her gut. Blake used her Semblance again to dodge upward. But, as Blake fell back down to the ground, Lux pulled on the ribbon again, bringing her flying back towards him. And this time she couldn't dodge in time, as Lux slammed the cross guard of Vita into Blake's back, making her purple Aura shimmer across it. Blake went flying, and Lux let go of Gambol.
Blake allowed herself to bounce once off the ground, then righted herself, coming to a sliding stop on the other side of the sparring ring. She worked to get her breath back, as she watched Lux, pulling Gambol back to her hands as she did so, not letting her guard down for a moment, even though he stood there, seeming content to wait for her to catch her breath.
Alright, scratch that, thought Blake. He's not intense. He's more than that. He's ruthless. She snuck a glance at her Aura levels, and her eyes widened slightly. Her Aura was at around sixty-five percent, and there were still about six minutes left on the clock. She knew her Semblance only took off one or two percent when she used it, so that meant that the blow she had taken was powerful enough to have brought her Aura down by at least thirty percent. She quickly tuned her attention back to Lux, fully expecting him to capitalize on the moment of distraction, if he noticed at all. However, he remained still, watching her.
"You're pretty good," commented Lux in a casual tone, surprising Blake with the compliment. "You could definitely beat even some of the best of this year's Signal graduates." He flashed a wide grin. "How about we kick things up a notch." Lux activated his Silver Eyes, and formed a ball of power in his left hand, then extended Vita's blade, and slammed the ball of power into the flat of the blade. The power shimmered across Vita, and Lux brought the giant sword around to his left, edge facing forward.
Blake brought Gambol out in front of her, held horizontally, clutched in her right hand, and drew Shroud, the cleaver-like sheath part of her weapon, and held it at her side. Her muscles tensed, ready to take off at a moment's notice. Lux seemed to analyze her for a few moments, before his lips tugged up in a small smile. He swept Vita to the right in a swift tight arc, and a crescent beam of white light flew forward like a bullet. Blake barely managed to dodge, using her Semblance to go through the attack, and charged forward.
Yang watched with a smile on her face. She was starting to understand Lux's reason for this little session. He was evaluating Blake and Weiss' abilities. She decided to keep that to herself for the time being, though. She looked over to Ruby and Weiss. Ruby was watching with a wide grin. And Weiss, well, her eyes were wide and her mouth slightly agape.
Weiss hadn't expected Lux to be this skilled against another person, despite being told by Yang that he was undefeated. She looked at Ruby and Yang. "Alright, I admit I may have underestimated him," she admitted. "However, I still say he has no chance of beating Pyrrha."
Yang shrugged. "You can think what you want to," she replied. "Doesn't mean you're a hundred percent right, though. You think he has no chance, and I think he has a high chance. We won't find out until they fight each other."
Weiss looked back at the fight, just in time to see Lux thrust Vita forward, and another, yet thinner, crescent beam of light shoot out. "I suppose you may have a point," she admitted.
Yang rolled her eyes and slightly shook her head, then turned her attention back to the fight.
Back in the ring, Blake was starting to have problems keeping up. She ducked under another backhand slash, then rolled to the side as Lux kicked out with his left foot. As she came out her roll, Blake went into a tight spin, attempting to strike at Lux's legs. Lux activated his Semblance and teleported a small distance away, then stabbed Vita into the ground, spine facing towards Blake.
Coming out of her spin, Blake chased after Lux. When she was a few feet away, she finally noticed the small smirk on Lux's face.
"Exitium Inspiratione!"
The power gathered in Vita exploded outward, sending Blake flying. Lux pushed some power into his fists, then teleported into Blake's path, and charged towards her. Lux reached her just as she was starting to right herself, and he buried his right fist into her gut in a vicious uppercut that sent her flying up. Lux transferred the power gathered in his hands into his legs and feet, then teleported into Blake's path once more.
Blake had nothing on the ground to grapple onto with Gambol. She snuck one more glance at her Aura levels. They were at fifty percent, now. At that moment, Lux struck out with both feet, burying them into her back, and sent her flying back towards the ground. Towards Vita. Blake's gut impacted Vita's spine first, driving the air from her lungs, and her body folded around the sword.
The buzzer sounded out, signaling the end of the match, and Blake lay there on the ground, trying to regain her breath. The sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention, and she looked over to see Lux walking towards her with a small smile on his face.
"You fought well," stated Lux when he reached Blake. He offered a hand, which Blake took hold of, and allowed Lux to pull her up. Lux placed a gentle hand on her left shoulder, and Blake slightly shifted uncomfortably from the contact. He gave her a smile. "I mean it, you did pretty good. You lasted longer than the Signal graduates who challenged me this year." He lowered his voice. "Except Yang. But that's a given, considering I helped train her."
Blake blinked in surprise, not expecting the praise. "I... Thank you," she responded, a small smile coming to her face in return.
"You're welcome," replied Lux. Then he gave her shoulder a pat. "Alright, grab your weapons and go join the team back on the benches."
Blake looked at her hands in surprise, finding that she had dropped Gambol Shroud at some point. She looked around, and spotted her weapons near the center of the ring; where Lux had delivered his uppercut. She walked over to Gambol Shroud, pick up both weapons, then proceeded to sheath Gambol in Shroud, and stored it on her back. On a whim, she looked to her Aura levels. They were down all the way to five percent. She hid her surprise, and the small amount of unsettling fear that ran down her spine. Then she walked over to the benches and sat down by Yang. In the meantime, Lux deactivated his Silver Eyes.
Lux's eyes flicked between Weiss and Ruby a few times, then finally stopped on Weiss. He smiled.
"Weiss! I'd say it's your turn to come up. Let's see what you've got," said Lux in a cheerful tone.
Weiss stuck her nose up imperiously. "I suppose," she said as she got up and walked over and into the ring. She took her place at one side of the ring.
Lux looked over to Ruby again. "Hey, Ruby. Mind throwing me my case again?" he asked. Ruby nodded, then threw Lux his case, which he caught, and set down on the floor. Opening it, he put Vita back in its place, then grabbed Spinam. He attached the sword and sheath to his left hip, then reached back into the case, and pulled out Rosa Flore. He then proceeded to attach the holster and gun to his right hip. Closing the case, Lux threw the case back to Ruby, who caught it, and set it down on the bench.
Lux drew Spinam in his right hand, and put it through a few spins, before bringing it to a stop, holding it in a reverse grip. Satisfied, he walked over to the side of the ring opposite of Weiss'. He looked her in the eyes. "Same rules. That alright with you?" he asked her.
Weiss' eyes narrowed. "Just fine," she replied shortly. She held Myrtenaster at the ready.
Lux looked over to Ruby. "Hey, Ruby could you-"
"Already on it," interrupted Ruby, already knowing what Lux wanted her to do, as she walked over and pressed the start button on the console.
Lux grinned and shook his head amusedly, then turned his attention back to Weiss as the countdown started. As soon as the buzzer sounded off, Lux rushed forward.
Yang looked over at Blake, who was opening up her book.
"So," Yang started, managing to slightly grab Blake's attention. "Now you know what it's like to go up against The Wall."
"The Wall?" asked Blake in confusion, as she looked up from her book at Yang.
Yang nodded. "That's the nickname Lux earned during his time at Signal," she answered. "Almost impossible to get an actual hit on him, especially when he used his Silver Eyes. Then it was actually impossible to get a good hit in."
Blake blinked a few times. Then, a thought crossed her mind. "Is that why the graduates challenge him?" she asked.
Yang blinked in surprise, then realization dawned on her face a few seconds later. "He told you about that, huh?"
Blake nodded. "Yes, he commented that I lasted longer than the graduates who challenged him this year," she stated.
Yang nodded along. "Yeah, the graduates challenged him, partly because of that, and partly because of something else that happened," she explained. She watched as Weiss parried a slash from Lux, then used a glyph to retreat a few yards back Only for Lux to teleport within her personal space again. "The challenges started coming after he challenged a third year while he was only in his first year. And he didn't seem bothered by it. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's what his intention was. After a while though, he started to get bored of it. The fights were becoming too easy, in his eyes." She let out a small snort. "People even tried teaming up against him, but he still won. They upped the challenge a bit, but not by much. He was excited to take on more than one person, but when he realized there wasn't all that much change, well, he got bored again."
Blake looked back at the ongoing match, and the stone-cold expression on Lux's face.
He's fast! thought Weiss, as she dodged back again to avoid another slash from Lux. He still held Spinam in a reverse grip, and Weiss now understood why.
Unlike his match with Blake, Lux was going for speed, instead of heavy hits. Taking down your opponent with a few heavy hits was great and all, but options were nice to have. Slowly chipping away at your opponent's Aura, while also draining their stamina, was an option, too. By holding Spinam in a reverse grip, Lux could effectively slash faster, but at the cost of needing to get in close.
As Lux rushed in again, Weiss prepared a glyph under her. The second Lux started his slash, Weiss propelled herself forwards and left past Lux. As she passed him she barely caught a glimpse of Lux's eyes glowing.
He's going to do something! thought Weiss. I need to attack before he can do whatever it is. She conjured another glyph in her path, then used it to propel her back towards Lux, his back still turned to her. As she glided towards him, she noticed a white light shimmer across his back when she was only a few feet away.
Wait. What!?
It was too late to pull back, as Myrtenaster struck Lux's back, then skidded off to the side. While she was off balance, Lux used his Semblance, only, he didn't teleport somewhere else. Instead, he teleported in the same spot. His form flickered for a brief moment, before the flickering stopped, and Lux was suddenly facing Weiss, his left fist impacting her gut a split second later. He had at some point sheathed Spinam, his right hand now empty.
Weiss went flying, but Lux wasn't done. Activating his Semblance again, Lux teleported above Weiss, gathering the power across his back into his arms and hands, and swung them down in a hammer blow to Weiss' stomach. Weiss was sent crashing back down to the ring floor. Despite her Aura absorbing the blow, she could still feel a slight ache along her midsection. As she picked herself back up, she quickly glanced over to the Aura monitor. She was already in the orange; about thirty percent. In addition to that, there were still three minutes left on the clock.
A realization made its way into Weiss' mind. There wasn't any chance of me winning from the start! she thought. Looking for Lux, she found him a few yards away, seemingly content to wait for her to catch her breath. It's the same thing as with Blake. Slowly, she took a deep breath, then let it out. Bringing Myrtenaster in front of her, she readied herself. She conjured a glyph under her feet. Then, she spun the cylinder in Myrtenaster that contained the vials of Dust, and stopped it on the vial of electric Dust, then channeled through the length of Myrtenaster, making electricity crackle along it. Taking another deep breath, Weiss focused on Lux once more, then shot forward, using the glyph to propel her forwards.
Lux's expression remained stone-cold, as he readied to intercept and counter Weiss by pushing some of his power into his left hand, creating a barrier around it, and pushing power into his right hand, although without a barrier. When Weiss was within striking distance, she thrust Myrtenaster forward, aiming for the center of Lux's chest. However, when the rapier's balde was a few inches away, Lux's left hand snapped out, and grabbed hold of Myrtenaster, the electricity crackling along it having no affect. He pulled Myrtenaster off-course, pulling Weiss along with it, and threw his right fist forward in a straight jab, managing to catch Weiss in the chest, and sent her flying back.
The buzzer sounded off, signaling that the match was over.
Blake blinked confusedly at what she had just seen. She had seen the electricity running along Myrtenaster's length, could hear it. Yet, Lux had grabbed it, and hadn't even been affected. She looked at Yang, who seemed to be expecting her confusion.
"I bet you're wanting an explanation," said Yang. Receiving a nod of affirmation, Yang grinned. "Lux used one of his techniques to shield his left hand from the electricity. It's called 'Lucis Clypeus'. It literally translates to 'Light Shield'. Basically, he covers a part of his body with his power, making a shield from it. It protects him from anything, so long as he can keep it up. He can make it different strengths, and sometimes will make a weaker one on purpose, just to mess with his opponent."
Blake thought about her fight with Lux for a few seconds. Were there any times where it seemed like something had slowed down? She came to a realization. "That's how he knew to catch my weapon. I thought I could see Gambol slow down for a split second," she stated.
Yang nodded. "See? You're learning. That's another thing he does. The way Lux uses the Silver Eyes, it's basically become a one stop shop. Or it will be, in time. It has its limits, but it's powerful. He's always trying to find new ways to use it."
"Hey, Rubes," called Lux from inside the ring. "Do you want to have our match now, or do you want to wait?"
Ruby thought about it. If she fought Lux now, she would only be fighting him when he was at half strength. But, if she waited, she could fight him when he was at full strength. "I'll wait," she answered.
Lux nodded, then strode to the edge of the ring and hopped off. Weiss followed suit, though she stepped off instead of jumping. On his way to the benches, Lux retrieved his scroll from the console, then pocketed it. Reaching the benches, he opened his weapons case, and proceeded to detach Spinam and Rosa Flore from his hips, then put them back in the case. He closed the case, then grabbed his cloak and put it on.
"If that's the case, why don't we go back to the room," said Lux. "We still have a few hours until dinner." Grabbing the weapons case, he didn't wait for any arguments as he walked towards the exit. He would put his weapons back in his locker later. For now, he needed to plan. He hadn't had much time to do that for the past few days. For obvious reasons, of course. He already had a list going through his head.
First on the list was a damn nap.
Lux sat down at the table; the same one they'd been using; and set his tray down. On his left sat Ruby, and his right, Weiss. Across the table were Yang and Blake. To Weiss' right and Blake's left were the members of Team JNPR.
Lux was about to dig into his dinner, when his scroll started to ring. I just can't catch a fucking break, can I? he thought.
Lux took out his scroll and looked at the caller ID, then immediately stood up, surprising everyone at the table. He looked at them apologetically.
"Sorry," he apologized. "I need to take this." With that, he walked away, while pressing the answer button on the scroll, and held it up to his ear. "Give me a second. Let me find someplace private." He received only a grunt of acknowledgement, as he pushed open the cafeteria doors. He looked around to make sure nobody was around to watch him, then at the quickly darkening horizon, then up above him. An idea struck him, and he activated his Semblance, then teleported up onto the roof of the cafeteria. He walked a little ways towards the center, then sat down, attempting to make himself harder to see. "Alright, I'm in a private area. I shouldn't have any interruptions."
A gruff and gravelly chuckle came from the other end of the call. "Are you not at home?" asked an equally as gruff and gravelly voice. "It should be around dinner time, where you're at."
Lux chuckled lightly. "Yeah, well, I would be at home, if it weren't for the fact that I'm at Beacon."
"Wait, Beacon!?" said the voice in surprise. "Don't tell me you decided to confront Oz. You didn't, right?"
"No, no I didn't," answered Lux, letting out a quiet laugh. "I'm a new student of Beacon, now. Ruby's here, too."
"No way," said the voice.
Lux hummed in affirmation. "Yes way. We were invited by Ozpin, too. Personally."
A noise that sounded like a cross between a sigh and a chuckle came from the other end. "And let me guess. He doesn't realize a thing about you knowing?"
"Nope," answered Lux. "Pretty sure he sees me as a sort of puzzle. I can feel his eyes on me, whenever he's around."
"I guess that's a good thing. How about the little Firecracker? I'm sure she made it in no problem, but I might as well ask."
"Yes, Yang made it in just fine," replied Lux. "In fact, I'm on a team of five with her and Ruby."
The voice on the other end let out a surprised grunt. "So Oz made you, Ruby, Yang, and two others into a five-person team. It's rare, but not unheard of, really. Who are the other two?"
"One of them is Blake Belladonna. You know, daughter of Ghira Belladonna?" answered Lux. "And the other is Weiss Schnee. I'm sure you're familiar with her sister."
"Yeah. Winter Schnee. I've met her a few times. Uptight. Follows orders without much, or any, hesitation."
"Yeah. Now, I'm assuming you didn't call just to check on me, right Qrow?" asked Lux.
Qrow sighed in fake exasperation. "What? You mean I can't check up on my favorite nephew, who also happens to be a reincarnated soul from another world?"
Lux smiled. "I'm your only nephew, who also happens to be a reincarnated soul from another world."
Qrow chuckled. "But, no, I didn't call just to check on you. I recently finished the mission Oz gave me. Haven't told him yet, though."
Lux nodded, even though Qrow couldn't see him. "Alright. What about the assignment I gave you?"
Qrow let out a heavy sigh. "Just got finished with that one."
"And...?"
Qrow let out what sounded like a mix between a sigh and a groan. "And, fuck, you were right. Lionheart's already turned traitor. Every single Huntsman and Huntress in Mistral, dead. All killed on missions that they should've had no problem with. All of them approved and sent out by Lionheart himself. And then when I went to talk to him, he seemed surprised; which would be natural, considering Oz didn't know I was doing it, and therefore couldn't notify him; but he was also extremely nervous. It was obvious he was hiding something."
Lux let out a heavy sigh of his own. "And of course, Oz doesn't realize any of this. The old fool." Lux ran a hand through his hair. "Alright, then. I have some info for you, too."
"Good or bad?" asked Qrow.
"Depends on how you look at it," answered Lux, and he could practically hear Qrow roll his eyes. "Cinder's in Vale."
Qrow grunted. "You said she's the one that's preparing for the attack on Beacon during the Vytal Festival, right?" he asked. "You also said she's the one who stole most of Amber's Maiden powers?"
"Yeah, that's her," replied Lux.
"You've got that under control, I'm guessing?"
"Relatively," answered Lux. "There's only one point during the festival that I can think of that would be a good time to strike, without having to deal with any reinforcements from Salem's pawns." He quickly checked the time on his scroll. He would have to get back to his team soon. "A few things before I go. First, I told Ruby everything about Salem and Ozpin." Qrow only gave a grunt of acknowledgement, and allowed Lux to continue. "I'll tell the rest of the team before the Vytal Festival comes in full swing, and I'll bring another team into the fold as well. We'll all talk together about what's happening after you get here, though. Second, I'm giving you another assignment."
"Oh? What kind's this one going to be?" asked Qrow.
"This one's optional," answered Lux, as he started to play with a strand of hair. "I need you to talk to someone for me."
"Who?"
"Your sister."
Qrow immediately let out a groan. Lux knew Qrow would be extremely hesitant to try talk Raven into something. Even though they were siblings, and Lux knew Qrow didn't hate Raven, when it came to getting her on the same page about Salem, he knew it was a hard task to accomplish. That was why he made it an optional assignment.
"Again, the assignment is optional," stated Lux. "I just need you to tell her about me, that I don't follow Oz, that I plan on taking down Salem, and that she should expect me sometime after the Vytal Festival; I'll be needing her Maiden powers. Oh, and that I know she observed me a few times on Patch."
Qrow sighed again. "I might. I'll have to think about it."
"That's all I ask," replied Lux.
"Before you go, I have a question," said Qrow.
"Shoot."
"I know you said not to ask, but I'm still curious," started Qrow. "How do you know all of this? If you're from some other world, how do you know so much? Even stuff that hasn't happened yet. You don't have to tell me outright. Just give me some sort of metaphor, at least."
Lux sighed. How to go about this? An idea came to mind. "Alright, how about this. Think of this world as a copy, instead of the original, the difference between the two being my existence. You with me so far?"
"Yeah, I think so," answered Qrow.
"Well," continued Lux. "Imagine now that quite a while before my untimely death, I was able to look into the original. The thing is that I could only see certain events, not everything."
Qrow hummed, and was silent for a few moments. "So kind of like it was a TV show," he offered.
Lux blinked a few times in surprise, then shook his head. "Yeah, kind of like a TV show.
"That's... a little unsettling, if I'm being honest," said Qrow.
"Well, I don't pay you to be unsettled," joked Lux.
Qrow chuckled. "You don't pay me," he countered.
Lux chuckled as well. "Let me know how things go," he said.
"I will," answered Qrow, before he ended the call.
Lux closed his scroll and put it back in his pocket. Standing up, he walked back over to the edge of the roof, and stepped off. When he was a few inches from the ground, he activated his Semblance. He flickered in the air for a split second, before softly touching down on the ground. He took a deep breath, before turning around, and opening the doors to reenter the cafeteria. He would process all that Qrow had said later.
Walking back to the table, Lux plastered on a smile, and quickly assessed the situation. Weiss was still methodically eating her salad, Ruby seemed lost in thought as she slowly ate her dinner. Yang was in a conversation with Blake, Jaune, and Pyrrha. And Nora was talking excitedly to Ren.
Fast friends, thought Lux as he sat down.
Yang turned her attention to Lux when she noticed he had returned. "So, who was it?" she asked.
"My informant," answered Lux. While it wasn't a lie, as Qrow was his informant, it also was a workaround answer. He wasn't going to just outright tell them his informant was Qrow. That would bring up questions he didn't want to answer.
Yang and Ruby nodded in understanding, but Blake and Weiss stared at him with a mix of confusion and surprise.
"You have an informant?" asked Weiss in a disbelieving tone.
Lux rolled his eyes at Weiss' tone. "Yes. Sort of an informant and investigator. I sent them out on an assignment. They just reported in."
Yang finished chewing a bite and swallowed. "Where'd you send them this time?"
Lux sighed lightly. He supposed there wasn't any harm in telling them. "I sent them to Mistral." Pyrrha somewhat perked up at that, starting to pay more attention to Lux's conversation. "I had some suspicions I wanted to confirm." Lux sighed again. "And, sadly, I was right."
Yang and Ruby gave him questioning looks.
"Sadly? Why, what happened?" asked Yang.
By now, everyone was paying attention to Lux and the ongoing conversation, even Nora. Lux looked at all of them, his small smile falling, and his expression turning stone-cold. "If I'm going tell you all, I need you to promise this won't leave this conversation. Not a word to anyone."
Weiss rolled her eyes. "I seriously doubt-"
Lux interrupted her with a harsh and stern glare. "Promise me."
Weiss stared back for a few moments, before acquiescing with a huff. "Fine. I promise not to tell anyone."
Lux nodded and looked around the table with an eyebrow raised in silent question. Upon receiving nods and words of affirmation, Lux nodded to himself. "Alright. Then, if that's the case, let's leave here and go back to our dorm."
Everyone except Yang and Ruby gave Lux confused looks. They understood the gravity of the situation. Lux had helped train them, and therefore helped them understand how to react in situations like this one. So, the two of them got up, following Lux, disposed of their food and trays, then proceeded to walk out of the cafeteria.
Pyrrha stood up. "If... if something is happening in Mistral, I need to know," she said nervously. "I'm going to go listen to what information he's giving."
Jaune stood up, too. He gave Pyrrha a supportive smile. "I'll come, too."
Ren and Nora stood as well. "We'll follow," stated Ren.
Blake stood. "I think it's worth listening to."
The only one left sitting was Weiss. She looked around at everyone else. She huffed annoyedly. "Fine. I'll come, too."
Weiss glared at Lux as he closed the door behind him. Teams RRWBY and JNPR were gathered in RRWBY's dorm, with Ruby and Yang leaning against the wall opposite the bathroom, Jaune and Pyrrha sat on Lux's bed, Ren and Nora sat on Blake's bed, Blake sat on the bookshelf in between the bed, and Weiss stood in front of her bed.
"What was so important that we had to come all the way back here to hear it?" asked Weiss tersely.
Lux rolled his eyes. "This isn't something to take lightly, despite what you might think," he responded. He looked around the room at everybody. "Like I said before, this information is not to leave this conversation. As far as everyone outside of this is concerned, this conversation never even happened." Receiving nods, Lux continued. "I know I already said this, but I had some suspicions, and sent my informant to investigate and confirm them. And, sadly, I was right. According to my informant, every single Huntsman and Huntress in the main city of Mistral... is dead."
Everyone's blood froze.
"What?" asked Weiss, he voice barely above a whisper. "H-how?"
While he couldn't tell them everything; or, at least most of them; he could make it seem like he was only speculating. "From what my informant told me, I'm leaning towards foul play."
Yang narrowed her eyes, though they were heavily focused on the ground. "Do you have any idea of who did this?" she asked.
Lux nodded. "From what evidence my informant managed to gather, they; meaning the Huntsmen and Huntresses; all died on missions that should have been easy. All of those missions were put out by Lionheart. Every single one."
"So, you think Lionheart did this?" asked Pyrrha, her eyes wide.
Lux nodded again. "That's what the evidence points to," he answered.
"Why?" asked Weiss. "Why would Lionheart do this, if it actually is him?"
Lux sighed. "Lionheart's a coward. If a big and powerful entity offered to protect Mistral from Grimm, so long as he was useful, he would take that offer," he explained. "Even if it meant that he had to kill off well over twenty Huntsmen and Huntresses."
Everyone was silent as they processed the information. Lux could only imagine what was going through their minds. Panic, for one. Anything else was on the table, and he needed to be prepared for any questions thrown his way.
"Why are we not telling anyone about this? Why hide it?" asked Weiss. "Why does nobody know in the first place?"
Questions like that.
Lux sighed tiredly. "We're not telling anyone, like the police ore the Academies, because this is something I can figure out faster than any of them. Plus, I can make better decisions. And then there's the fact that if I told Ozpin, he wouldn't believe me." He sighed again. "Look, take some more time to process this. If you have more questions, ask me in private, and I'll answer as best I can." Receiving nods, he nodded to himself. "I'm going up to the roof. I need a quiet place to think."
After that, Team JNPR went back to their dorm, while Lux left the rest of the team in the dorm in favor of going up to the roof. When he got up there, he decided to sit just outside the door, instead of going all the way out to the middle. It wasn't long before the door opened. And, looking at who it was, he found it was Ruby.
"Let me guess, have some questions?" asked Lux. Ruby nodded. "Alright. Well, Team CRDL's dorm room is within earshot. Try to keep it down." He patted the spot to his right, signaling for her to sit down. She complied, sitting down beside him.
For a while Ruby just looked out into the distance, before she finally looked to Lux. "So, does this mean that Lionheart is working for Salem," she asked. Lux nodded his head. Ruby's brow furrowed. "I have more questions."
"Go ahead."
"First off," started Ruby. "Who is your informant? You speak about about but don't actually say anything about who he is."
Lux sighed.
I hope Qrow is having some luck on his end.
Hey, sorry this took so long. It's been well over a month, I know. It took me a long time to get the fights to be good, or as good as I could get them. I want to make sure my chapters are at least good quality. I'm not just going to make and say 'Eh, fuck it.' and upload something that's shit. Also, I kept getting distracted. College isn't going so well. Motivation's gone to shit ever since the 'stay at home' stuff started during my senior year of high school. Even in the classes I enjoyed, my motivation was gone.
I'm most likely going to take a break from college, a year at least. I'm definitely not going to give up on college. I just need to take a break from it. Don't want to be struggling and struggling and struggling, only to get nowhere, and end up wasting money.
Also, I hope you guys have noticed some of the references I've put in. I don't know, maybe PM me if you think you've caught them, and which ones you've caught?
I'm not going to make any guarantees on when chapter 6 will be done. It's already been started. I have a good start to it, just need to figure out where I want it all to go. You can do a lot with 8,000 words, after all. As always, constructive criticism is appreciated. If you're just going to troll or talk shit, gtfo. I don't need that. Just a fair warning.