I'm not dead, seriously! And I haven't abandoned my work either. I'll explain this long wait time at the end of the chapter.

Reviews:

Freddielebron: See for yourself ;)

Varederr: Thanks boss

Guest: Not too sure how I thought of the x-over myself, ha. Thanks for the support

Yuuji Akira: If anything, I'm the one who's late! Even so, some ships will sail for sure…while others certainly won't (SettxRuby is pretty weird). And to be honest, I was never a big harem fan so there's that. On another note, Sett's character isn't written in great detail. He's a cocky momma's boy that doesn't let people walk all over him. Still, I feel that I'm not writing out his personality as accurately as I can, but I'm ok with that. As for the Cardin situation, it's good to hear that it's well received! He's a bum, but that doesn't mean he can't grow, something that will definitely take time. And I hope this chapter satisfies your curiosity. Thanks for the support mate! It's always appreciated

Kodaking: Happy to hear it man

Til Death I Do Art: That skin really is great right? Anyways, it's good to hear I've got you hooked!

Makimass: In that scene, I wasn't trying to indicate she was interested in the guy. I just wrote out what happened in the official episode

Disclaimer: I don't own jack (jack = rwby, LoL, etc.)

No more waiting, enjoy!

With hands held at his sides and head lowered in a respectful bow, standing at the door was none other than her son's one and only true friend:

Lee Sin.

The blind monk spoke while maintaining his posture. "As soon as I had learned Sett was missing, I came as quickly as possible. Still, I apologize for not arriving sooner." He said, unaware that his words were falling on deaf ears, as Lahni was still processing this (welcome) surprise.

She still remembered, as clear as day, the time when Settrigh introduced the warrior-monk to her. The boy had been overly polite when they first met, something that amused her to no end. More importantly, she was pleased that the two young men had made fast friends, despite their differences.

And it warmed her heart to see her boy's radiant smile.

Not much changed since those early days: the white-haired warrior still had his simple mask and white robes, as well as the light padding on his left arm, all detailed with gold trim. And he still wore the same black pants, much like the ones Settrigh wore, but were now accompanied by sturdy black boots. The large belt and unmistakably-Ionian beads at his waist were new additions as well.

Realizing Lee Sin was patiently waiting for a response, the vastaya shook herself out of her stupor, reaching out and surprising the still-bowed boy with a hug. "You have nothing to be sorry for, young man. I understand how important your duty is, and you know I fully support it." She assured him, as the boy slowly returned the hug.

"...And it's good to see you again." Stepping back, she gestured for the monk to rise. "Though, if I may, what were you preoccupied with?" It had been quite a while since Lee had last visited. Being the champion of justice tended to keep one busy, after all.

A frown flickered on Lee Sin's stone-faced visage. "A matter I have been dealing with for many weeks now. I was hunting down a sect of Eternal Fanatics, scattered in the Yulamon Plains." Lahni's eyes widened, prompting the monk to quickly follow up. "Rest assured, my brethren are more than willing, and able, to continue the search. They may not possess draconic blessings, but their skills and drive are more than enough to handle those villains." Of that, Lee was certain: given how he had personally trained those same disciples, there was no questioning whether they were capable or not.

Just the same as there was no doubt that the monk was favored by one of the many dragons of the realm. The glowing, electric-blue markings that encompassed the right side of his upper-body were a clear indicator of considerable power, not to mention the crackling lightning that followed his every strike. She wondered if Dragonmancers were naturally drawn to each other, as if their destinies were intertwined. 'Maybe that's how he met my son.'

Yes, she knew her son was also blessed with draconic powers. She'd have to be very oblivious to miss it. It was then that she made him swear to never go near the pits.

Nevertheless, she was a bit worried. "I'm glad to hear that. From what I've heard, those cultists are very, very dangerous." The monk solemnly nodded. Everyone and their mother had heard the rumors: where the cultists went, nothing-and no one-was spared. Few individuals believed them: even fewer knew the harsh reality. "I hope your friends return safely, and successfully."

Lee dipped his head. "Thank you, Miss Lahni." He said, transparent in his sincerity. "Let us hope that we may be as fortunate in our task."

Lahni blinked. "We?"

"Yes." Lee lay a fist across his chest. "You have my word: I shall do all I can to help locate and rescue Sett, should he need assistance in returning from…wherever he may be." He paused, clenching and unclenching his free hand. "He would do the same for me." The warrior knew that he would because Sett already had done that before, when villains had been running rampant in the area.

The paragon of justice recalled all of the foes they had defeated: the Fringe Bandits, the Rich Men, countless creatures-

A tear leaked down Lahni's cheek.

Lee stiffened, panicking at the unexpected reaction. "Miss Lahni! My deepest apologies, I-" She raised a hand, halting the monk's rapidfire words in their tracks.

The mother took a deep breath, composing herself. "Thank you. Words can not express how grateful I am of you…and my boy is very lucky to call you his friend." She smiled warmly, wiping her face with a sleeve. "So, do you have a plan? Any ideas on what to do next?" She asked, her spirits raised significantly now that she had help.

She tried to keep them that way when the Dragonmancer shook his head. "Regrettably, I have no solid leads currently, just hunches and guesses. So the first action I must take is to gather any, and all, relevant information." He let that sink in, before steeling himself to begin doing just that. "Forgive my insolence, but I need you to explain exactly what happened when Sett disappeared. I am sorry if it is a sensitive subject, but-"

"No, no, don't apologize." Lahni interrupted. Right now, she had bigger things to worry about than uncomfortable recollections. "If telling you what happened could help in any way, then I have no problem doing so." That didn't make it any easier though.

Swallowing hard, she guided her visitor through the area, describing that fateful day to the best of her ability: from the details of the magical entity, to how her son struggled to move, the vastaya made sure to leave nothing out.

"...And not a trace was left. Only his wages for that day's building." She finished, her back towards Lee Sin as she gazed despondently at the exact spot she found the sack of coin.

The monk flinched.

As much as he respected his friend, Lee despised the deception Sett insisted on using. It was one of the few things they still disagreed on. To him, the act of deceit was unacceptable, very much so because of who he was lying to. To the brawler, it was necessary, if only to give his mother a peace of mind while simultaneously protecting and providing for her.

Nonetheless, the monk had already voiced his thoughts on the matter, which would have to be enough. For now, at least.

"I see…" Lee murmured, wrapping up his inner musings. He nodded his head several times. "If that is all, then there is nothing more to be done here. I suggest we make our way to my temple as soon as you are able."

Lahni tilted her head, eyes filled to the brim with bewilderment. "I don't understand. I thought we were supposed to look for my son?"

"That is correct, we are going to do precisely that. My sanctuary holds vast archives that may possess useful knowledge that might enlighten us. We also have the option of consulting those adept in sorcery to see if they could be of assistance." That seemed to placate Lahni, who visibly relaxed as her shoulders sagged ever so slightly. "But I also made a promise to Sett that should he ever be separated from you for any undiscussed reason, it is my responsibility to ensure your well being."

That caught her off guard. It had been some time since trouble had come their way, so it was a surprise to hear that her son continued to fret over it. Though, she could probably guess why Settrigh was being cautious.

As for the plan of action…

"I hate the thought of leaving," she quietly said, staring at the ground as if willing some kind of clue to reveal itself. "But I can't think of a better alternative." She had, after all, already exhausted the options in the surrounding area. Staying at home wouldn't accomplish anything. "Give me a moment to pack my belongings. I'll be ready to depart in just a few moments." Lahni turned, briskly making her way inside, out of sight.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Lee let out a quiet breath. Truthfully, he was a bit worried that she wouldn't want to leave, for whatever reason. He had no idea what he would do if she refused his proposition.

Fortunately that wasn't the case, with the vastaya exiting her home with a couple of packs. From how she carried herself and the sound they made (or, lack thereof), it was clear that she had packed light. Very sensible, in the warrior-monk's opinion.

The boy felt compelled to reach a hand out, regardless of how heavy her packs were. Lahni smiled appreciatively. "You're very kind Lee Sin, but I'm not that old." She chuckled, before her mood took a more somber turn. "Besides, there are more important things to be concerned about."

The two travelers began their trek, with the blind monk keeping a discreet watch of his surroundings. He would take no chances with his charge. "Do not worry, Miss Lahni. I'm certain that wherever Sett may be, he is doing his best to stay safe."

He didn't really believe that. And from the look Lahni was sending his way, she didn't either. Knowing the brawler, he was probably getting himself into a mess of trouble.

"Has anyone seen Sett? I don't think I've seen him since class ended." Yang glanced around, only to see shaking heads and shrugs. The blonde frowned, but didn't break her stride. With the long day (i.e. a day with Port) coming to a close, team RWBYS was looking forward to some well deserved rest. Well, all but one of the team anyway, with the team being incomplete at the moment.

Blake looked up from an open book in her hands. "He missed out on dinner-which was actually really good this time." She noted, her eyes glued to the novel once again.

"Well-"

Ruby tilted her head. "Really? I thought it was just alright-"

From the look Blake sent her way, it seemed that she heavily disagreed.

With those two now off track, Yang turned to her last teammate, who eloquently raised an eyebrow. "Well, if you're that curious, why don't you contact him with your scroll? You could just ask him yourself."

"Yea, I would, but I already messaged him earlier. No response." She paused, tilting her head to the side. "But now that I think about it, he looked like he had somewhere to be at the end of Port's class." And to be fair, most people did, with a common destination being anywhere else. But for Sett to be that excited to leave was a tad bit unusual: he actually somehow tolerated the class!

"I mean, the tuna was delicious-"

The heiress raised the other eyebrow. "Oh? I didn't notice anything."

"Oh yea, that was awesome! But the soup was sooo-"

"That's 'cause you were actually paying attention in class, Weiss Cream." Yang quipped, ignoring the indignant cry that followed. "But yea, he looked pretty pumped about…something. Wonder what the big guy was excited about?" She thought aloud. Having sat next to him, the brawler noticed her fellow fist-fighter had been texting someone in class. It was then that his demeanor had noticeably shifted from mildly interested to fully energized.

Wait.

.

..

…

It couldn't have been that…right?

Surely not…

Yang shoved that thought to the side before she could dwell on it more.

An oblivious Weiss hummed in thought, before seemingly coming to a conclusion of her own. "Knowing Sett, I think-"

Thump.

The team froze. The noise wasn't particularly loud, but it was loud enough to draw their attention.

Thump-THu-WHUMP!

With a shared glance, the girls began following the unusual noise, getting closer to the source as the sound of solid impacts and unintelligible voices grew louder, leading the girls to…

The gym doors.

"...I think we have our answer." Weiss deadpanned, rolling her eyes as Yang yanked the doors wide open…revealing the largest crowd of students any of them had ever seen.

What was usually a sparsely filled room the size of a small stadium was now a jam-packed mess of people, nearly all of which were chatting animatedly (or more accurately, shouting, as the room was too loud for chatting). Those who weren't conversing were cheering, attention focused on two individuals at an elevated ring, in the center of the room. And if one looked close enough at the center of this spectacle-

Ruby blinked. "Is that-"

-they'd see one, renowned champion scrapping with another champ: not as famous, but no less powerful.

"Yup." Yang said, already squeezing her way through the crowd. She glanced over her shoulder. "C'mon, let's get closer to the action!" The blonde called out before disappearing from sight, her teammates following shortly after.

"Coming through-scuuuse me-" The brawler shouted as she muscled past people before they had a chance to protest.

"Ow! Hey!"

"Oops. Sorry! Didn't mean to crush your toes…"

Eventually, after shouldering past what felt like half of the students at Beacon, Yang finally got close enough to get at the edge of the stage, right next to a few familiar faces.

"Give it all you've got, Sett! Don't hold back, Pyrrha!..." Jaune cried out, cheering his friends on as they fought hard against one another. He didn't know who he wanted to win, so he settled for supporting both of them. Ren remained quiet from his spot, and was currently watching the fight with an analytical eye. As for Nora-

"YEA! BREAK HIS LEGS-!"

"...Ok, maybe hold back a little." The blonde muttered

-she was being very clear in vocalizing who she was backing.

Yang took a free spot (ie. shoved the previous observers to the side) next to the team leader of JNPR. "Jaune. Jaune!" The boy didn't move, eyes trained on the combatants. "JAUNE!" Yang nearly screamed, causing a very startled Jaune to flinch and snap his head towards her.

"Jeezus-Yang?! What-!"

"Sorry!" She shouted, cutting him off as she did her best to look apologetic, holding back a laugh. Catching the white knight off guard was too much fun sometimes (or, all the time actually). "What's going on? What's this all about?" Yang asked, gesturing all around her.

Visibly thrown off, Jaune's eyes widened, a look of utter surprise on his face. "You don't know? Sett didn't tell you guys?" He asked, as the rest of Yang's team caught up with her.

"Uhh, no? You mind filling us in?"

Jaune jutted a thumb towards the center of all the commotion. "Pyrrha challenged Sett to a one-on-one spar earlier today, sometime before dinner. They've been going at it for a while now-you guys are just in time for the final round!" He excitedly shouted, as two of the best fighters in the academy prepared to square off one last time.

Up on opposite ends of the ring, each combatant was simply staring at one another, sizing the other up as both individuals planned strategies. Having fought for several rounds, the two were now more or less decently familiar with the other's style of fighting.

Pyrrha was armed with years of professional training under her belt, not to mention the many victories from previous tournaments. With the combination of her marksmanship, agility, and ability to fight at any range, it was no surprise that this was the esteemed champion of Mistral. And with her being the more nimble fighter, it was somewhat difficult for the pit brawler to land a good hit consistently.

Like so, Sett on the other hand utilized his brute strength to the fullest in overwhelming attacks, his hardy constitution allowing him to take a significant amount of punishment before faltering. While he was certainly not as mobile as the red head, he had already caught his opponent off-guard with small bursts of speed, taking advantage of every time he closed the gap with powerful punches.

Ever since the duel had commenced the two had been relentless, pressing their advantages, punishing mistakes without mercy, whittling each other down slowly, but surely. And now, it was all boiling down to this…

With a calm look on her face, the spartan discreetly nodded at the pit champ, to which he grinned in response.

The fight was on.

Sett sprung into action, charging forward, unflinching even as gunfire rapidly slammed into him: the ranged attack succeeded in slowing him, but just that. The Mistrali stood firm, continuing to fire a constant stream of bullets even as Sett closed the gap, only rolling to the side as he attempted to grab her. Coming out of her roll the Invincible Girl sprinted to the other side of the ring, firing behind her as she ran.

As proficient as she was in close quarters combat, Sett's raw power seemed to outmatch her technique, something she discovered when he nearly swatted Miló and Akoúo̱ across the gym on more than one occasion. But the brawler had nothing in terms of long-range combat, something she was currently exploiting. Eventually, after whittling him down enough with her rifle, she could dart in close to finish him.

At least, that was the plan.

Forgoing what was probably the safest strategy, Pyrrha suddenly changed trajectories, pivoting and leaping at the larger combatant with sword and shield in her hands. Slashing at him with a swift overhead strike, the boy instinctively raised his arm guards to block the attack, leaving his midsection exposed for all to see.

The redhead instantly slammed her shield into his gut before quickly doding backwards to safety, with Miló already changing back to rifle form.

The crowd roared in approval.

Here was an opponent that outclassed her in some aspects, a rarity she hadn't found in many, many years. It was…refreshing. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she could fight without holding herself back, and it felt good.

That being said, she refused to let this challenge go to waste by playing it too safe.

Wanting to test the waters some more, Pyrrha threw her shield at her opponent, her aim slightly off-centered as she proceeded to charge the big bruiser, spear forming in her hand.

As expected, Sett merely shrugged off the blow before meeting her charge, completely oblivious to her subtle use of her semblance. As Akoúo̱ flew mid-air, it slowed, stopped, and began accelerating back towards its owner.

Moments away from the imminent clash, the shield clipped the taller fighter on the head, who let out a snarl as his scalp was snapped forward.

Perfect.

With the pit fighter now unfocused, the Invincible Girl wasted no time in pressing the attack. Tightening her two-handed grip, she thrust her spear forward-only to feel absolutely no resistance. 'What-?'

Having somehow avoided the attack, standing just out of the way was her target, a wicked grin on his face.

With the real attack evaded, Sett took a quick step forward, fully extending his arm as he slammed the large extremity into Pyrrha's neck, sending her tumbling across the floor. Wasting no time, she hopped to her feet in one move, still reeling from the clothesline and gasping for breath.

And not a moment too soon, as the Invincible Girl was forced to duck under a large fist, before snapping her shield up in response to another.

With a loud, resounding clang! Pyrrha was pushed back from the blow, her boots creating inch-deep drag marks on the floor.

'Focus!' She reprimanded herself. As fun as this was, she still wanted to actually win, which meant she couldn't afford to be too reckless either. Fortunately for her, there was now a substantial amount of space between her and Sett, something she aimed to take advantage of as she pulled out her rifle.

But as she fired away, she noticed the brawler's movements were slowing down-sluggish, even. Thus, with more time to fight from a distance, the redhead began expending more effort into her aim, landing round after round on his head.

As the fist fighter moved his hands to block the bullets once more, Pyrrha quickly equipped the spear form of Miló before heaving it downrange, sending it crashing in the center of her opponent's chest-

-who abruptly began to exude a blood-red glow.

Knowing what this meant, the Mistrali immediately recalled her weapon, leaping backwards to safety as Sett began pulling back a fist for what looked like a slowed-down haymaker. Having witnessed this same move more than once, the experienced fighter knew what this attack could do, which is why she made sure to escape its range everytime it was used against her. It was a sound decision that saved her several times already.

Which was why she found it…odd, that Sett was doing it again.

She braced herself as the charged-up fist came into view. From the first few times he tried, he had to have known that he wasn't going to hit her: not from that far anyway, so what was he-

The fist suddenly curved downwards.

Green eyes blinked, then widened: realizing a moment too late exactly what Sett was doing.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

CRRRAACK!

As the sharp sound of shattering stone broke through the overwhelming noise of the explosion, the floor that made up the ring splintered, causing large chunks of the floor instantly to break and shift in random directions. With the mini-earthquake rumbling throughout the room, many of the people watching from the edges were knocked off their feet, startled as they cried out in shock.

Pyrrha would have joined them on the floor, had she not reacted right as Sett demolished the ring. Thanks to her swift reflexes, she was able to remain standing, using a few seconds to steady herself.

But a couple seconds was all Sett needed.

Just as the Invincible Girl was getting her bearings, a hand latched itself onto her neck, yanking her in the direction of Sett's rapidly approaching forehead.

THOCK!

With Pyrrha thoroughly dazed, Sett sent a hard uppercut to her chin right before slamming a fist right between her eyes. With the red head visibly reeling from each blow, it was clear that this was it.

Time to wrap this up.

Following up his first one-two combo, the pit brawler threw an overhead strike, grunting with effort as he made contact with his opponent's scalp-

-And with a mighty roar, he smashed his other fist into her jaw, lifting Pyrrha into the air as she flew back several feet, careening through the air and landing in a heap.

For a moment, all was silent until-

"Oooh!...You should get some ice on that." Sett cheekily called out, smirking as he crossed his arms, watching his opponent struggle to rise to a kneel.

At that moment, Pyrrha's aura levels dropped to the red.

And then the crowd erupted.

"IT'S OVER!"

"What a way to end it!"

"No way-!"

"-Did you see that?!"

"He broke the freaking ring!"

"Can he do that?"

"Well, he did!"

"-She lost!?"

"THAT WAS AMAZING!"

"Holy shi-!"

"I don't believe it!"

"That was one of the craziest-!"

"That was great!"

In a similar setting not to long ago, the pit champ would've reveled in the crowd's collective reaction. But as he walked over to the still-kneeling Pyrrha, concern slowly began to fill his expression. "Hey, seriously, you good? I felt like I might've put too much into that last punch." He said, idly rubbing his knuckles.

When she lifted her head, the boy was surprised to see her smiling, of all things. "I'm fine. It's just been a while since I've taken a beating like that, that's all." She assured him, taking an offered hand as she stood up. "Well fought, Sett. As strange as it might seem, I haven't had that much fun in a long time, truly. Thank you for the spar." And she meant every word. After all, competition had been somewhat lackluster back home. She'd nearly forgotten how good it felt to push herself to the limit.

Sett merely stared at her wide-eyed before a grin adorned his features. "Right back atcha, champ. I take it you want a rematch later?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

The smiling spartan was all too happy to oblige. "Of course. And you better be ready for it." She stated, her voice taking an aggressive edge he'd never heard before.

Sett's grin widened.

"Count on it." If she wanted a challenge, who was he to deny her?

And with that, as the crowd began to trickle out of the room, the two (definitely) now-famous fighters walked off stage, each eagerly looking forward to the next spar.

Looking around, it didn't take long for the brunette to find his team. Striding over, he called out to them. "Hey! You guys enjoy the show?"

Ruby enthusiastically nodded. "We sure did!" She excitedly said, nearly bouncing with energy. "That was an awesome move you pulled off at the end! Using the stage to your advantage like that-I didn't even see it coming!"

Sett chuckled. "I'd be surprised if you did Rubes! I came up with that on the fly y'know. What about the rest of the spar? How was it?" He asked, curious to hear what they had to say.

To his confusion, Ruby suddenly looked a bit downcast. "Well, um…the end is kinda all we saw."

Sett scrunched his brow. "Whaddya mean?"

"She means, that we only just got here you oaf!" Weiss yelled, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "We had no idea that you were even here in the first place." Sett merely blinked, still not understanding.

"Huh?"

"We were wondering where you were when you didn't show up for dinner." Blake mentioned "You also left Port's class without saying anything, and you didn't check your scroll." As Sett pulled out the device, he noticed the messages that had gone unanswered for some time now.

"Wait. Really? Didn't I tell y'all that I'd be…here…" He looked from face to face, his voice trailing off as he glanced around. "...guess not." He muttered, a tad bit embarrassed of his slip up.

Yang shook her head in amusement. "If you did, we could've saved you something to eat." She jutted her head towards Pyrrha, who was currently holding a box of food-that Nora was eating out of. The ditzy girl was shoveling the contents of the container into her mouth as fast as she could, despite the scoldings from her bestest friend.

"Nora, those are for Pyrrha! You already had pancakes for dinner!" Ren scolded, attempting to pull his partner away from the food with absolutely no success. Not that he was surprised.

"But-pancakes Ren! PANCAKES!" Nora mumbled out through mouthfuls of the sweet delicacy.

So busy were the two squabbling that they failed to notice Jaune give Pyrrha a knowing smile, before quietly handing her another container of relatively fresh food. With a giggle, she mouthed a quiet 'thank you' to her partner.

Having made her point, Yang turned her attention back to her friend, who simply shrugged. "Eh, it's not a big deal. I'll just eat a bit more for breakfast tomorrow."

'A bit' was quite the understatement.

Setting aside yet another empty plate, Sett sighed contently, having eaten enough food for three people. Patting his gut, he let out a tremendous belch that drew several looks his way. The half-breed glared back, prompting the other students to decide that there were better things to stare at than him.

"I don't think I've even seen Nora eat that much food." Jaune muttered, ignoring the 'is that a challenge?' look coming from said girl as he opted to continue consuming his own meal.

A pair of ice-blue eyes gazed at the brawler with slight disdain. "On that, we agree. For someone who eats with all that gusto, it's a wonder how you manage to not make a mess." She remarked, noting the neatly stacked plates in front of her teammate, not a crumb left on any of them.

The boy looked at her as if she'd sprouted a second head. "You kidding me? Messy eating is wasteful eating: and I do not waste food." A habit developed from going hungry in years past, not to mention his ma would kill him if he wasted what was technically free food. "Besides, this stuff's pretty solid. It's a whole lot better than the chow they fed us in the pits."

"I'll…take your word for it." She quietly said, before annoyance filled her expression. "Anyways, how come so many people knew about the fight last night except us?"

Sett tilted his head in thought. "Honestly? I'm not sure myself. I know I didn't go around talking about it." He said, eyes flickering anywhere but at the pointed looks from his teammates. "Pretty sure my fight with team CRDL put my name out there, not to mention my spar with Yang. So when word got out that me and Pyrrha were going at it (he suspected Nora had something to do with that), tons of people flocked to the ring."

Suddenly, Sett straightened, before turning to look behind him. Several tables away was a group of students, conversing as they snuck glances at him. When they noticed they'd drawn his attention, they abruptly stopped talking, giggling as they smiled and waved at him.

"Well, you're definitely famous now." Blake deadpanned. Though, she was secretly pleased: the fact that someone else was the center of attention was always a bit reassuring.

Smirking, he winked back, before turning away from the now squealing group.

With her mouth flickering to a frown, Yang quickly changed the topic. "So Sett, where'd you learn to fight? Not just anyone can take on Pyrrha-and win. You must've had some of the best teachers." Maybe the pits he fought in had instructors?

The boy shook his head. "Not really. The only teacher I had was experience." Which, in his opinion, was the best teacher he could ask for. And besides: no one wanted to teach the half-breed anyway. "Ever since my first scrap, I've pretty much taught myself everything that I know." A true statement…to an extent.

Amber eyes narrowed slightly at that.

"Does that include knowing how to create explosions with your bare fists?" Blake carefully asked, her attention fully on the male brawler. The quiet girl had been mulling certain details over for a while now, and finally had a good opportunity to…clarify a few things.

Having not expected that question, Sett stared at her with a look of slight shock before recomposing himself. "Sort of, yea. Why do you ask?"

"Well, if memory serves me right, back during our initiation, you fought off a large group of Grimm…without aura." That caught everyone's attention, who stopped mid-conversation (or in Nora's case, mid-chew) to turn their gazes to the pit fighter. "And if you only used your hands to do so, you must've had some sort of trick up your sleeve ('he doesn't have sleeves,' Weiss grumbled out) to help you."

"Well, I-"

The blonde brawler blinked, before straightening up in realization. "Oh yea! And after we got launched from the cliff, I saw you land like a brick and get up just fine. So since you didn't have aura for that, you really do have some secret power." Without aura, Yang was pretty sure people tended to go splat when they made landings like that.

And Sett knew that too.

The boy had hoped those details would be swept under the rug and forgotten. At least, until he was ready to reveal the extent of his powers to people he considered his friends. Because once he did that, he'd have to explain his origins, which was a nightmare in itself. He still had no idea how he could talk about any of that without seeming insane.

But he also didn't want to come off as a liar and lose their trust, nor did he want to seem suspicious for refusing to answer. So he had to say something now. Something believable. 'Ugh, I hate this tip-toeing around bull-.'

Sett glanced around, meeting several curious looks. "Well, you guys are spot on. I do have some, uh, powers, if you will, that don't involve aura." He paused, visibly hesitating before laying a hand on his core. "The first is that my skin's as tough as obsidian. It wasn't always like that, but it is now. That's how I survived my free-fall." No sooner had he finished that sentence did he feel someone grab onto his upper arm.

To his nonexistent surprise, that someone was none other than Yang, a shameless expression on her face as she squeezed his bicep. "It doesn't feel like a rock at all." She teasingly said, to which the pit champ merely smirked.

"Yea, I don't really understand that either. But hey, it hasn't let me down yet, so I won't question it." He said. Ever since he'd been blessed, he hadn't gotten any scars or serious injuries, so that had to count for something.

Satisfied with his answer, the blonde finally relinquished her grip, leaving Blake to simply roll her eyes. "And the explosions?"

"That depends on which ones you're talking about. If you mean the move I used to break the stage, that's me absorbing hits I've taken and throwing that force into one big haymaker." Sett explained, mimicking the motions as he talked. "But every other big boom comes from me channeling my own power into each strike." Well, his scaly benefactor helped with that too, but he'd tell them about that little detail later.

Blake nodded, looking blankly at him as she mulled over what he'd said.

"That. Is so coooooool!" Ruby said, voice full of wonder and eyes full of stars.

Her partner's gaze was slightly unfocused, much like her amber-eyed teammate. "Yes…fascinating." Wrapping up her thoughts, Weiss refocused her gaze. "If I may ask, where did you get these powers?"

A fair question, considering how this was all new information. While there have been huntsmen and huntresses with similar powers in the past, it was unheard of to have them without aura.

And her inquiry would remain unanswered, as Sett shook his head. "That's a story for another time. I'm not too keen on sharing that information right now. Sorry." He hoped no one would object.

The heiress opened her mouth…and paused. As much as Weiss wanted to sate her growing curiosity, she knew it would be wrong to do so. Her teammate had always respected her boundaries on sore subjects, so it was only fair that she do the same for him.

Besides, whatever story he didn't want to tell was probably a personal one. It might be unusual, but certainly nothing bizarre. "That's quite alright. I'm not trying to pry, or anything of the sort. I was just curious." Weiss replied, much to Sett's internal relief.

The boy grinned. "Well, I am one of a kind, so I don't blame you." Sett cheekily said, locking his hands behind his head and leaning back, at which the ice queen groaned in annoyance.

'That, I already know,' someone thought.

"So you've got aura and extra powers?" Jaune asked, eyes widening when Sett grunted in affirmation. "...Huh. Nice."

One of the knight's teammates looked at the brawler calmly. "With your current fighting prowess and these powers, you could be even more formidable with proper training." Ren noted, having learned about Sett's upbringing some time ago.

The half-breed tilted his head. "You're probably right Renny…but I learned enough to get into the fighting pits and come out on top. It's enough for me." The stoic student dipped his head in understanding, as another person let their curiosity get the better of them.

"What was it like? In the pits, I mean." Ruby asked. "I bet you were in some amazing fights." The young leader could only imagine the kinds of exciting fights Sett must've been a part of.

Her enthusiasm was infectious, as Sett chuckled. "Been in a lot of 'em, yea. Only the best ones too. But…" His smile slowly faded. "Not all of them were pretty." The pit champ's eyes hardened a bit.

Oblivious, his leader tried to clear up her confusion. "What do you mean? Did you lose some of them? That's ok, I mean you can't win them all right?..." Her voice trailed off, not comprehending Sett's dampened mood. "...what?"

"Ruby. People died."

"..."

"...Oh…"

The brunette quietly sighed. He was worried he'd get this kind of reaction; a reaction that indicated it was probably best that he not mention explicitly that he'd killed some fighters before. Though, truth be told, he didn't really care for those that died: everyone who joined knew what sort of business they were getting into. But he wasn't some bloodthirsty bastard. Just a half-breed bastard.

He eventually cut into the growing silence. "Just to be clear, most matches weren't lethal. You usually got knocked out or had a few bones broken. But some scraps were fights to the death." Judging by the continued silence, Sett wasn't sure if what he said made things better or worse.

"...Why?" Sett internally winced at how meek his leader sounded.

"Because people enjoyed those kinds of scraps more than the others. And the bigger the crowd, the larger the revenue for the people up top." It made sense, in a callous way. "I know that kind of thing is looked down on here…but where I'm from, it's the norm." The pit champ hoped they'd understand.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Having realized things were getting very tense very quickly, lilac eyes raced around the room, until they settled on a particular object on a wall.

"Hey Weiss, didn't you say you wanted to take a trip to Vale today?" Yang asked, breaking everyone out of their stupor.

"I did, yes. What about it?"

"Well, the airship leaves in about-"

"OH! We need to go right now, come on!" Weiss cried out, jumping from her seat and dragging her partner away. "Hurry-or the ship will leave without us!"

"Weiss I'm not a kid! I can walk-!"

"Ok, ok, we're going. What's the rush?" Sett asked, rising from his seat and walking away with his team.

"The rush is because the Vytal Festival preparations are beginning today!..."

Exiting the cafeteria, the blonde could only hope that her intervention had worked, that no one (save Sett) thought too carefully about what was discussed. There were better times and places for that kind of thing.

But as team RWBYS somewhat-scrambled to the airship, she suspected none of them were forgetting any time soon.

So. Explanations.

School, volunteer work, campus life. Those three things are taking up a lot more time than I initially anticipated. They also drain my brain power almost every day. So whenever I do have free time, sometimes I'm tired and feel like playing some games or surfing the web rather than write.

But whenever I read the reviews, I always feel motivated to sit down and write out the next chapter, because you guys let me know that there are people that actually enjoy this read. And that is reason enough to get to writing.

As for writing frequency, that should change now that I've quit LoL. My time's been freed up by a decent amount, so we'll see what happens. Though, just as a heads up, updates now will be slower than the first few updates, as I'm sure y'all have guessed by now.

That's all I got though, and it's 3am here, so see y'all next time!