Chapter 3:
Huntsman v Huntsman
*ARENA ACTIVATED* An automated voice announced as the two Hunters squared off, *RULE SET: TOURNAMENT. ARENA MODE: COLOSSEUM* A large screen flared to life displaying the Aura levels of the two combatants as several antennas emerged from the Ring's edge, transparent screens of Light Dust flickering into existence between them.
Drake settled into a low stance, arms outstretched and braced, a wild grin stretching across his face. While Aki simply tied his hair back and let his hands drift down to his weapon. *COMBATANTS READY?* The Arena called out, both Huntsmen flaring their Aura in affirmation.
*BEGIN*
Drake rushed forward with a flurry of quick jabs intent on testing his opponent's defenses. Aki slid back, ducking and weaving between the blows, waiting for windows of opportunity. There, as Drake lashed with a left jab, Aki ducked down, letting Drake's momentum overextend his stance, propelling his gut into the hilt of Aki's outstretched katana. Drake's eyes shimmered with wild delight as he plunged downward with his elbow, catching Aki on the shoulder as he rolled away. Drake growled with glee seeing his opponent backed into a wall and charged with a right hook. Aki raised his arm and turned under the blow, catching Drake's elbow with the scabbard of his sword and slamming Drake's head into the Dust screen with his free hand.
"I have a proposition for you." He said as he held Drake against the wall.
"Fight first, talk later." Drake replied as he twisted right and kicked out, catching Aki in the chest and pushing him back.
"Very well." Aki replied, settling into a more combative stance.
Drake flicked his hands out in a claw-like way, the overlapping plates of his gauntlets shifting and turning, revealing a glowing green surface underneath. With a swift metallic *click* The plates created a spiral pattern traveling down the gauntlets, the First Gear. Flinging his arms behind him Drake rocketed forward, the air crashing behind him. Aki tensed in anticipation, letting Aura flow into his muscles as Drake thrust his hand down, releasing another shot of Wind Dust in order to flip over his opponent. Aki spun around raising his sword to block the incoming attack, but his speed was nothing compared with Drake's. Drake had landed on all fours and twisted around, kicking Aki's legs out from under him, Drake spun around, capitalizing on the opening he made, unleashing another flurry of blows pushing Aki down to the ground. Feeling his speed increase, Drake grabbed one of Aki's arms and spun him around, twisting his limbs behind his back and knocking his sword to the opposite side of the Ring.
"Gotcha." Drake rumbled as he held Aki in a choke hold.
"Yakedo." Aki said simply, as the air began to crackle and smolder. Pushing his Aura into the fabric of his Haori, Aki caused the Dust inside to ignite and flare point blank into Drake's face.
"What?!" Drake shouted in surprise as the flames forced him off Aki. Searing pain flashed across his face as Aki threw a fire covered punch into Drake's cheek. Aki advanced slowly towards his target, letting him reorient himself, and charge. Aki slipped through Drake's barrage again and cracked his elbow against Drake's nose, flames dragging across his Aura. Drake stumbled backwards clutching his head in surprise. Aki ceased his offensive, closed his eyes, and breathed. He took a slow, practiced, step, and then another, shifting his weight smoothly through each movement, pulling his arms through a ritualistic movement, settling into a martial stance, opening his eyes in time with Drake's.
Drake hesitated, the swirling storm gray eyes that had unnerved him were now hardened, dark as coal, and full of such presence. This Huntsman was strong, they both knew that; Drake hadn't considered he had little experience in fighting intelligent opponents but he would soon learn just how little he truly knew. Aki held control of the battle, but wasn't pressing his advantage.
He's testing me. Drake realized, Time to show him what I can do.
Drake raised his guard and shuffled forward, taking his time, waiting to see who would strike first. He did, feinting left and driving forward with his right, Drake pushed through the flames surrounding his opponent, aiming to return the favor. Aki pushed the blow to the side while shifting left, letting the strike pass by his head. The two of them moved as if it were a choreographed routine, Drake would move in to strike, Aki would move just far enough to avoid the blow and strike with open palms in retaliation. They twisted and turned around each other, the flames blending into their movements creating flickering, mesmerizing, patterns that enchanted the onlookers now filling the stands. This dance-like movement went on for what felt like hours. Drake discovered a pattern within Aki's movements, an opening, just as Aki shifted his weight Drake reversed Aki's block, stepped past his guard and decked him across the face. Suddenly Aki clasped his arms around Drake's body and pulled. Drake's world became a tumbling blur as he found himself flying into one of the Dust screens.
As Drake fell back against the wall Aki extinguished his Haori and walked to where his sword lay, his Aura shimmering across his body.
"Are you with me?" Aki said with a strange echo, lifting his blade from the ground.
"I am." Aki's voice sounded from… somewhere, though his lips weren't moving. Aki drew his blade swiftly and raced across the stadium, sweeping out towards Drake's chest. Drake acted on instinct, speed rushing through his body as he raised his arms against the blade, an audible clang sounded from the clashing weapons as searing pain raced up Drake's chest. Drake's eyes turned to see Aki in a completely different stance than before, the blade that had been descending now held upward, following through on a strike slicing up Drake's sternum. Drake shifted his gauntlets again, the spirals changing into a conical design, and jabbed out at Aki, releasing a short range wide burst of wind with the force of a shotgun, giving him room to dash away from the strange combatant before him. Aki dashed after him, fueling his movements with Aura to match Drake's speed. Onlookers stared in amazement as the two Huntsmen dashed around the arena trading blows, moving faster and faster until they were streaking blurs filling the cage that surrounded them.
Aki fell into a rhythm: slash down, slice across, spin into cross slash, slice up, repeat. Hammering blow after blow into Drake's guard, pushing his Aura further and further to keep up with the speeding brawler, forcing him further and further back until he backed Drake against the walls once more. Drake was reeling from the rapid attacks bashing into him with the force of a Boarbatusk, until he crashed up against the Dust screen and saw the copper etched blade swing down at him. Drake's instincts screamed at him to move, the sword scraped across the screen with an ear-piercing screech as Drake rolled away, shifting his gauntlet back to First Gear and striking from a kneeling stance. Once again Aki shifted stances with impossible speed, blocking Drake's physical strike with his blade. Drake gritted his teeth as the impact reverberated against his arm.
*BWOOOM* Drake's gauntlet fired a Propulsion Burst against Aki's stomach, sending him crashing into the far wall. The screen flickering dangerously as the Dust attempted to absorb the impact, taking advantage of the temporary lull in action, Drake glanced at the screen projecting Aura level. He was solidly in the yellow while Aki was nearly in the red. Drake's eyes widened in disbelief as Aki's meter started doing the impossible. It began to refill, rapidly. He turned his gaze back towards Aki, watching as his body flared black as his Aura replenished itself.
"I gotta stop this." Drake muttered to himself, all thought fleeing from his mind as instinct and speed flared to max level.
"Come at me." Aki challenged, his voice echoing around the arena. The arena fell away from them, the shocked gasps and fervent whispers fading to silence, whatever motivation they had was non-existent, Remnant became nothing, there was only this moment, their breath, the battle aches, the remaining shreds of their Aura. Amber eyes burned as the Lion braced to charge, gray eyes closed, black Aura flowing into the Damascus patterned katana as it slid back into its sheath, a small depression in the lacquered scabbard pushing against the blade inside, filling it with energy, the Hunter tensing for a draw. The moment lasted for eternity.
Then the moment snapped.
Drake charged faster than he ever had before firing shot after shot behind him as he rocketed forward, becoming a blur of crimson. Roaring as he pushed everything he had into this one blow. Aki's eyes snapped open as a black mist rose and rushed out of his shadow, shifting and writhing into another Aki, swinging a sword in order to stop Drake dead in his tracks, Drake didn't think, he couldn't think; howling as he slammed through the clone Drake reared his fist to strike. Aki drew his blade with blinding speed, a molten red sword blazing to life, distorting the air around it as Aki drew a red line in the space before him. Sword met fist, Fire met Wind, the Arena shook with the force of the resulting explosive reaction.
Yvette and Noelle sat wide eyed as the Arena filled with smoke and the buzzer sounded signaling the end of the match.
*AND THAT'S THE MATCH* The computer said, the smoke thinning revealing the figures within. *VICTOR, BY AURA LEVEL ELIMINATION: AKI HĒZERU*
"HELL YEAH!" Yvette screamed from the stands, her face positively beaming as she raced down the steps to see her partner. The Light Dust deactivated and the smoke fully cleared showing Drake sprawled on his side and Aki raising himself up on one knee.
"Oh shit." Yvette said as she saw the pair in front of her, "Aki, you good?"
"I'll be okay," He huffed, exhausted, "check on him first."
"I'm on it. Oh, and Cinza." Yvette said, walking over to Drake and hoisting him over her shoulder. "I will see you in the medic wing, no excuses this time."
"Yes Ma'am." Aki said untying his hair, a slight smirk showing through his stoic mask, "I'll be there."
. . . .
Light bled through his eyelids as Drake came back to consciousness, he shifted his head to lessen direct exposure, resulting in a wave of pain as he body ached.
"Uhhhh, what was I hit with?" He groaned as his eyes blinked open.
"Aki's sword, it's a one of a kind Damascian blade capable of Dust infusion." A peppy voice said off to the right. Drake realized he was in a Rest Chamber of the medical wing, a simple room for non-fatal injuries easily managed by Aura. Aki's blonde companion sat in a chair beside the cot Drake was occupying.
"Hey, Yvette right?" He asked groggily.
"That's me." She replied with a smile.
"How did Aki do that?"
"He did like, fifty things in that fight, which one ya talking about?"
"How did he move like that, what was that thing with his jacket, and how did he refill his Aura like that?" Drake asked, amazed and slightly perturbed.
"Yeah that sounds about right," She whispered loudly, "Right, first question: Aki's whole schtick is control. He likes to know what he's going up against, so he looked into your fighting style, weapon type, and Semblance, then planned accordingly. Also worth noting is the fact that he is insanely good when it comes to Aura manipulation. It comes as easily as breathing to him, he doesn't just flare it as a shield or focus it for movement, he… it's almost like he becomes it, I guess. It's really hard to describe, does that make sense?"
"No, not really." Drake said grunting as he shifted into a seated position.
"Cool, we're on the same page, answering the second question: his Haori is woven with Burn Dust, when he pushes Aura into it he can direct it as if it were a solid crystal. It can keep him warm, produce fire, or act as a bulletproof vest. Trust me, he blocked one of my shots and I still don't fully understand how." She said in response to a raised eyebrow from Drake, "It's an archaic application, definitely, and extremely volatile if he loses control, but most people nowadays don't expect that, so it gives him an ace up his sleeve."
"Good to know."
"As for how he does that trick with his Aura. Yeah, I have no idea how he does that. I asked him over and over again, he just says that he'll explain 'when we're all together.'" Yvette huffed, curling her fingers up and down, making quotation marks in the air. "Whenever that's going to be."
"In the next few months, I would think." Yvette and Drake turned to see Aki silently sliding the door shut behind him.
"Always gotta make an entrance, don't you Cinza?" Yvette asked with a smirk.
"Ok, I have to know, what the hell is your name? Is it Aki or is it Cinza? You use them interchangeably and I'm very confused here." Drake said, his eyes darting between them. Yvette and Aki stared at each other for a moment, a small chuckle escaping Yvette's throat, breaking into a full belly laugh as Aki shook his head.
"Don't worry," he said emotionless, "my name is Aki, 'Cinza' is the latest nickname Yvette has tried with me. I am curious as to what drove her to choose it though."
"It's because of his sunny personality!" Yvette said, clutching her side as she rolled in her chair. "It just seems right for him as well," she continued wiping a tear from her eye and settling down, "his whole thing is 'gray' so calling him Gray works out, but it lacks the bit of flair he has, so 'Cinza' is the best choice."
"Riiight." Drake said, clearly unsure of how to handle that set of information. "You said you had a proposition for me?" he asked, turning back to Aki.
"I do," Aki stated simply, "as well as for Yvette, and for another who is not yet present. If you are interested in hearing what I have to say, you'll come with me to find this person. If not then this is the last we will see of each other."
"That's it?" Drake asked incredulously.
"For now." Yvette said, a determined demeanor etched into her face. "It may take awhile, but you'll be able to bother him the entire time. Maybe get a rematch or two. And there'll be plenty of Grimm to kill, really tough ones, without official commissions attached." She said, stage whispering the last statement. Drake sat in silence, mulling over the pre-proposal, his thoughts a churning storm of fragmented ideas and emotions.
"Can I think about it for a bit?" Drake asked quietly.
"Of course, we're staying for a couple days in order to rest and resupply. Let us know your answer at any time." Aki said, stepping out of the room.
"It's fun, trust me," Yvette said, patting Drake on the shoulder, "tough, but fun." Yvette turned as the door slid open, catching Noelle's eye and smiling. Yvette walked up to Noelle wordlessly and held out her hand. Noelle rolled her eyes and handed her a ten Lien card.
"Thankies." Yvette said, pocketing it. She turned to walk out the door, then paused. She turned back and pulled Noelle into a one armed hug, "Don't let him sour the mood too much kay?"
"Uhh, kay." Noelle said, stunned by the sudden action.
"Catch you later Drake!" Yvette yelled as she dashed from the room.
"Well, she's a bit of an odd one." Noelle stated as she shut the door.
"Every Huntsman and Huntress is odd, that's why we signed up to fight monsters for a living." Drake immediately ribbed back.
"Shut it." Noelle said as she sat down.
"Are you that mad you lost a bet?" Drake laughed.
"No. I'm mad that you got your ass whooped and lost me ten Lien!"
"So you're mad cause you lost a bet."
"The bet was that that guy's Aura meter would still be green when the duel was over! Then he pulls some wacky Aura bullshit and refills it!" Drake's eyes narrowed as he spied something poking out of Noelle's pocket, "Then you lost and I had to fork it over!" Drake suddenly threw his head back laughing. "WHAT!?" Noelle yelled over his laughter.
"S-sh…" Drake couldn't speak from all the mixture of hilarity and pain that his laughter was causing him.
"SPIT IT OUT ALREADY!"
"She gave it back!" Drake said howling with laughter. "She slipped it back into your pocket, 'Don't let this guy sour the mood.' HAH! Ahhh she's great."
Noelle felt around her pockets, feeling a smooth plastic card that had not been there before.
"I'm an idiot." She groaned as her face fell into her hands.
"Maybe, but then again, I was always the 'idiot' of our group." Drake said with a wild smile.
"Yeah you were, you meathead." Noelle said fondly, slugging him on the shoulder. Drake felt the air thicken as the two of them fell into a strange silence. The mystery proposal, swirling around Drake's head, occupying his every thought
"Drake you imbecile." The memory of Sandra's words came to the forefront of Drake's mind, "If you don't say something to her, you're going to regret it!"
"Hey, Noelle?" Drake asked hesitantly, rubbing his shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"How would you feel if I left?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Something fell into my lap today." Drake said, staring intently at the patterns on the bed sheets, "I don't know what it is yet, but it's big, I can feel it. But I'd have to leave Vacuo, and Team SSND, behind. I'm not sure if I should accept it or not."
"So, you'll be Hunting again?" Noelle asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Drake winced, "I guess so."
"In a place other than Vacuo?"
"Looks to be that way."
"And you'll be working alongside the two who were just here, both of whom are incredibly strong, and one of them proven to be able to keep up with you?"
"As far as I can tell."
"Then what are you waiting for you dummy?!" Noelle said shakily.
"What?" Drake asked as he glanced up, seeing Noelle's face streaked with tears. Her eyes sparkling with mirth and dew, as her frame shook with hiccuping laughs. She leaped out of her chair and threw her arms around Drake's neck, burying her face in his hair.
"You're such an idiot, Drake." She whispered, her voice muffled by his mane.
"Noelle, what-"
"Drake, you hate it here!" Noelle exclaimed, pulling back and staring into his eyes. "You wanted to get out of here for so long! And now that you can, you're questioning if you should go or not?!"
"But, I'd be leaving the team! I'd be leaving you!"
"Drake," Noelle laughed, "Sandra and Samantha are living happily, teaching here at Shade. I've been living happily, working whatever commissions I can get my hands on. I kept checking on you because you weren't living happily." She pulled Drake into a tight hug, "Don't worry about me, or the rest of the team, we'll be living our best lives. It's past time you lived yours." Noelle kissed him gently on the cheek. "So what are you waiting for?"
"For my ribs to stop breaking." Drake wheezed in a pained voice.
"Oh shit, sorry!" Noelle said, quickly releasing him.
"It's okay, they're just bruised, though it doesn't feel like it." Drake said through gritted teeth. Leaning back with a sigh Drake gazed up at the ceiling, recalling the memories from eight years ago. Back when He, Noelle, Sandra and Sam had just been students, running through the sandstone halls, eyes full of excitement and wonder. Battling Grimm across the dunes of Vacuo, listening to Sandra's constant combat tactics and lectures. The good times.
"Noelle?" Drake asked, quietly shedding a tear.
"Yeah, Drake." Noelle shook her head, clearing out the reminiscent memories.
"Could you do me a favor?"
Noelle smiled when she heard Drake's request, her copper hair beginning to glow.
. . . .
Aki and Yvette sat in the lobby of the inn they were staying at, reviewing information as it flashed across their Scrolls.
"You two have room for one more?" A gravelly voice asked.
Yvette glanced up and smiled at the person before her, Drake had braided parts of his hair in an effort to tame his wild mane, giving him a look reminiscent of the ancient settlers of Mantle. His red trench coat was replaced with a red and black biker jacket with a copper outline of a lion stitched onto the shoulder. A pair of fingerless gloves adorning his hands and biker boots on his feet with metallic stripes running down the sides.
"We have plenty." She said happily, as she patted the seat next to her.
"Sorry about the coat." Aki apologized, having cut and burned it in their duel.
"Don't sweat it." Drake brushed off the comment, "I was going to outgrow it sooner or later. It gave me something to remember this place by as well." He patted the lion on his shoulder fondly, "Now then," He said, kicking his feet up on the table and folding his arms behind his head. "What's our next step, boss?"
"We still need one more person," Aki said tossing Drake his Scroll, "we're headed to their last reported location." Drake stared at the map the screen was displaying.
"We're going to the top of the world buddy!" Yvette said excitedly, "We're going to Atlas!"
. . . .
A/N: Progress! Finally! I don't have to rewrite this chapter for the fiftieth time! Thank you for continuing this journey with me, even if there's only one person reading this, thank you. I'll see you guys in Atlas next time. Ciao!
-Child0fSkies