The majority of Remnant are under this sort of... propaganda. The huntsmen and huntresses that spend the best years of their lives, training to defend the people from the creatures of night, are only human in the end. They share both the horrific and few redeeming qualities. The real monsters wear masks to disguise themselves, deceiving others for their own gain.
Which are worse, I wonder? The arrogant ones that boast their power, only to be cornered where they'll sacrifice those they're meant to protect to save themselves...? The idealistic ones that believe in complete peace and fight for an impossible cause? The extremists that'll use whatever means at their disposal to achieve their goals, no matter how inhumane? The ones that believe themselves to be gods, when they are powerless? Or the ones with gifts that refuse to utilize them for any purpose, making their very existence redundant?
Think of those monsters when you're out there. They're the real predators you should hunt.
Pyrrha silently signaled for Jaune to get down. Jaune could hear them; the predatory growls and snarls of the Beowolves. Gunfire also echoed. Judging by the loud blasts and low rate of firing, the weapons being used could on the heavier side. A shotgun or sniper rifle, if he had to guess. Perhaps a heavy revolver, despite how impractical it is. He wouldn't be surprised if someone wielded one, more for show than anything else.
"It would appear that our comrades have engaged with the enemy." Pyrrha drew her weapon and held her shield in front of her. She even positioned herself to be right in front of Jaune. Something odd sparked within him.
"Indeed." Jaune placed his hand on his blade's handle, but didn't bother to draw it. He kept his back straight as compared to Pyrrha's defensive stance where she bent her knees a bit.
Pyrrha broke into a light jog. Jaune eyed some of the trees around him before following her.
Jaune has provoked plenty of people in the past to get a read on someone. The way someone behaves or reacts to a certain scenario is a genuine way of getting an idea of the aspects of one's personality. Watching someone be proactive was just as effective. It appeared that the girls causing the chaos had attacked first, ambushing the Grimm before the beasts had a chance to do so. They had to be good at suppressing their fear to catch Grimm by surprise though, or they were just used to this.
Maybe they were just too happy? He's seen his fair share of students recklessly enjoying a good slaughter of the beasts.
Just as he predicted, the blonde with the gauntlets was a brawler. She projected herself through the air with the recoil of her shotgun gauntlets and pounded any Grimm in her way. He winced at the sound of concussive force colliding with skulls. She must've had a considerable amount of lower body strength if she could stand her ground against the same force that could launch her in the air.
The girl with the cloak was indeed an annoyer. Another accurate assumption. She wielded an oversized scythe that could also be used as a sniper rifle. She too could use the recoil of her gun to project herself. He couldn't imagine just how powerful the gun was, how light she must've been, and the amount of time she'd invested into training herself to perform such tricks.
Pyrrha tensed, ready to charge in, but Jaune firmly placed his hand on her shoulder. He gave a telling look she could understand. He noticed how she appeared to be a bit hesitant, but decided to trust his call. She lowered herself into the bushes with him and switched her weapon into its rifle form and prepared for a shot. Jaune observed the two girls as they flew in the air.
It was unnecessary. He won't argue how less Grimm could be a bit of a convenience, but the amount of noise their weapons generated was a concern. Not to mention how the pack of Grimm didn't appear to be a huge threat for any applicants to be considered here at Beacon, the most prestigious huntsmen academy in all of Vale.
The blonde and the girl with the cape seemed to synchronize well. This clearly wasn't their first time fighting together against Grimm. Despite the subtle age difference, they appeared to be equals when it came to eliminating Grimm.
Pyrrha on the other hand, took a few glances between her scope and him. Which was peculiar, considering it was best to focus on any needed calculations when it came to sniping. Looking anywhere besides your scope wasn't smart. Even the slightest movement could drastically affect your shot. Looking away from your target was like looking at your scroll while driving. Foolish, and potentially dangerous.
Jaune didn't pay too much attention to it. He focused his attention on the battle before them. Not to his surprise, more Grimm were drawn to the fight from the other side of the clearing. If the blonde and short one weren't there, it'd look like the horde of Grimm were coming after him and Pyrrha. The blonde appeared to switch the type of ammunition she was using as the caped one swung her scythe into the ground and reloaded her weapon with a fresh magazine. Ah, another interesting design choice. Digging her blade into the ground also helped with the sniper rifle's recoil.
Soon...
After a few well-placed shots, the caped one decided to charge in to help her comrade.
Now.
Little Red wasn't facing him, but he could tell she was confused. She cried out a name that confirmed his intel when she realized Blondie was being overwhelmed. As the caped one sprinted, much slower compared to earlier, the blonde was inflicted with a few cuts. They became gashes as the Beowolves swiped harder, encouraged by the damage they were dealing to the powerhouse.
It was always the tougher ones that fell hard.
Blondie panicked and projected herself away and retreated. She landed oddly, and was clearly exhausted. She couldn't lift her arms by the looks of it. They were dripping a considerable amount of blood. If only he could witness the looks on their faces...
Little Red charged in and swung her scythe around. It wasn't as effective, considering how much slower she was. It made it much easier to harm her compared to earlier with the drop in speed. The Beowolves managed to wound Little Red as well. They slashed her leg, making her even less mobile. She had no choice but to try to parry the strikes with her scythe, but it wasn't as effective as running away. Blondie cried out and propelled herself towards her. She landed awkwardly and embraced her, ready to shield her as the Grimm circled around them, ready to strike.
Then a flash of black and white struck. The sound of a pistol echoed as the new girl swung around what appeared to be a ribbon with a blade attached to the other end of it. With haste, Weiss Schnee appeared as well, striking and drawing the attention of the Grimm to herself as the new girl placed herself between Blondie, Little Red, and the Grimm.
"Let's go," Jaune decided. Pyrrha blinked and faced him. She was already standing and reaching her arm out. She didn't do so out of fear, but as if she were trying something. She quickly lowered it and grinned.
"Great, let's-"
There was a pregnant pause when Jaune turned the other way and continued to make his way back to the cliffs. Pyrrha didn't utter another word during the trip back, even though he noticed she stole a few glances back every now and then. She didn't even comment on how the girl with the ribbon jumped into the action from their end of the clearing.
Odd...
Of course, that wasn't the only part of initiation. There would be one-on-one spars between the students to evaluate their talents, or so it was said by Miss Goodwitch. She congratulated everyone that met in the same area with the stage before explaining the second phase of initiation, which was to start later that evening once everyone has gotten an adequate amount of rest and refueled.
The matches were to be held in separate areas with different proctors. Sadly, Miss Goodwitch wouldn't be evaluating him. Jaune chose to eat a light meal before his spars, since he wasn't much of an eater. Pyrrha gathered what he expected her to eat. Grilled chicken with plenty of vegetables for fibers. She only picked at it throughout the whole time he sat across from her.
"Did I ever tell you how I've always wanted to be a woman?" he asked.
"Hm? Oh, that's nice..." She didn't even look up at him.
Something's troubling her.
"I also would love to smother my face between your legs." He rested his head against his chin as he smirked. He had his scroll in his other hand recording the conversation.
"Okay..."
"So I can!?"
"Eh?" Her head shot up as her cheeks flushed. Her eyes widened and she dropped her fork into her sea comprised of broccoli and carrots. "What did I just agree to?"
Jaune's grin didn't falter as he stopped the recording, raised the volume of his device to the max, then played it as Pyrrha's cheeks matched her hair color. She bursted out of her seat, reached over, and grabbed him by the collar.
"I get you're eager, but people are watching Pyrrha!"
Pyrrha sputtered and lowered herself back into her seat. It wasn't her fault so many pairs of eyes were looking in their direction. Loudly declaring he'd love to do things with Pyrrha earlier attracted a bit of attention. He even noticed a guy spat his milk on the girl sitting across from him. She was still pummeling him.
"You..." Pyrrha sighed. "I suppose I'll be subjected to your horrible sense of humor during this friendship. Not even I am immune to your wrath, am I?"
"As the girl I first laid my eyes on here, it's only natural. Not to mention how incredibly fit you are. I can't help but respect someone that takes care of their body. I mean, I bet you'd beat me in an arm wrestling match."
Pyrrha's lips curled a bit as she leaned forward and placed her elbow on the table.
"I'd rather save this fight for a day where I stand a chance."
"Boo... You're so boring when things aren't going your way..." she sighed. "I cannot wait until we do some aquatic training together. You'll be staring in awe at my six-pack."
"I wouldn't be surprised. I may not compare to you, Pure, but I'll have you know I've managed to turn slabs of fat into a lean, mean plate of a stomach within a few short months I proudly maintain to this day." Pyrrha chuckled a bit as Jaune struck gold yet again. "Maybe that day when we go swimming won't be so bad. I mean, in order to worship your abs, you'll have to wear a swimsuit. The thinner, the better, Pure."
"I..." Her face flushed again. "I wouldn't mind. Perhaps I'll get proper attention rather than your hunger for me."
"I'd bet guys and girls would be approaching for the same reason. But take the lust and multiply it by like, a few hundred." Jaune erected himself and imitated Weiss. "I'll have you know, I happen to be one of those with proper taste. For example, I treasure the sheer dedication you've put into your body. Not just your body itself. Why, I'd even construct a poem about your lovely features on the spot."
"You're awful," she laughed. Jaune's grinned widened into maniac levels. Pyrrha's face drained of color. "Please don't actually do so. I'm afraid what it'd do to my heart."
Jaune's smile eased into a smaller one. "Now that I've gotten you all animated, would you care to share?" Jaune swung his arm, winked, and flashed a smile. "Sharing can help, believe me. Unless it's some super dark secret like, you're actually a dude or something. My heart's not ready for that."
"No, you buffoon..." Pyrrha relaxed herself into a more comfortable position and didn't quite meet his eyes. "It's just that... earlier in the forest. You know, when we saw those two girls fighting that horde of Beowolves?"
"I see," Pyrrha's head perked up. "You noticed the girl that was tailing us too, right?"
Pyrrha blinked. "N-no, I was referring to..." She averted her gaze. "So you noticed we were being followed as well?"
"It was quite rude, really." Jaune ran his hand through his hair and held up his glass. "I mean, she was pretty good with her stealth, but she pretty much let us do the work of tracking the ruins instead of doing it herself."
Pyrrha winced at that. "You think people need to mind their own business and handle their own issues?"
"Yeah. I mean, she ought to approach these sort of situations differently." He took a long swig of water.
"I see..."
Jaune eyed her as he slowly placed his glass down. He slumped forward and folded his hands. "Is there something else that's been bothering you? I feel as if that isn't the entirety of it."
"I..." She hesitated. He didn't notice any tells to suggest she was lying or anything of the sort. "Back then, I did want to help those girls that were beginning to struggle with the Grimm. To be honest, I didn't know someone else was watching the altercation. I wanted to help, so I tried to do what I did with you earlier. I tried to used my semblance to lift those girls into the air."
Jaune saw where she was going with this.
"Trying to form a debt for them to owe you? Marking what's yours again, I see."
Pyrrha didn't smile this time. She didn't react remotely like she did earlier when it was him entranced by her semblance.
"My semblance didn't work for some reason. And I think something was wrong with the girls before the other two showed up."
Interesting. "Go on," he insisted. "Do you think you're just exhausted? I recall you mentioned the trip here from Mistral was rather stressful."
She shook her head. "No, I don't think stress was the issue. Especially in that sort of situation - the stress would've amplified the power of my polarity." She held her wrist and massaged it. "I was concerned, but my aura seems to be intact."
She took her fork and tried to pierce herself as a demonstration. Jaune noticed the faint signs of aura at work. She then, subtly, levitated the fork and spun it around in front of them a few times before lowering it back down into the palm of her hand.
"Well, at least it won't interfere with our spars, right?" He tried to invoke some sort of cheer.
"Will the applicants please gather at the stage?" Miss Goodwitch's voice requested over the speaker.
"Speaking of which," Jaune gathered his dinnerware. "Let's go."
It looked like she wanted to say more. Saved by the bell, or the witch in this case.
It was strange. The way Jaune acted was a concern. He didn't seem to care about what she was trying to get at. It was obvious, yet he instead led the conversation into different territory. She didn't question Jaune when he stopped her from stepping into the fight. She assumed he had a good reason. He was a bit bizarre, but didn't seem to be a moron or anything of the sort.
Yet he didn't prepare to fight like she did. It was common sense to have your weapon ready, even when you were in hiding. He never even drew his blade. He never intended on stepping in. He sort of explained his reasons regarding the issue, albeit indirectly by stating his belief on how people should handle their own issues, but those two were in peril. They could've been killed.
If they died, then it proves they don't belong here.
Pyrrha felt a shiver down her spine. She looked to her right, where Jaune was paying partial attention to the instructions Professor Goodwitch was giving. Why'd she hear those words in his voice?
She took a deep breath. Why was she this paranoid? It wasn't like she doubted Jaune, or thought he lacked empathy or anything. It was just, a concern. Then again, he didn't seem to care about her status either. Perhaps he just finds many things trivial?
She shook her head. No, she needed to focus, not paint her first friend in such a manner.
The instructions they all received were pretty self-explanatory. They'd all have at least three matches that were selected at random. Some would have a few more to compensate for those too injured from the earlier test. Pyrrha shivered at the recollection of the sight from before.
Jaune looked a bit giddy as the two of them headed towards the arena they were assigned to. Perhaps he enjoys a good fight as well? It made Pyrrha wonder even more about why he didn't fight the Grimm. She tried to perish the thought, despite how unhappy she was with the answers she'd conjured.
The arena they arrived at reminded her of the place she did her training at. There was advanced technology, it was spacious, and quiet… Some of the other students were already there, taking their seats. Some of them were whispering to each other as they blatantly pointed her. Pyrrha lowered her head, and hurried Jaune to the front seats by ushering him.
Jaune didn't appear to entirely understand the sudden gesture, but went along with it nonetheless. The pair sat down together as a jovial man with quite the gut to display stepped out of a door he kicked open. It appeared he was about to make some grand entrance, only for the door to slam on his face. He opened the door again, normally, and pretended that earlier moment didn't happen. She couldn't help but chuckle along with the others at that.
"Students!" The boisterous man radiated with the type of energy she didn't see in many men his age. There was her mentor, but he was a different story. The man patted his stomach as he stepped before them, stroking his award-winning mustache. She wondered how Jaune would look with facial hair. "Children… Warriors of light! The defenders of humanity!"
"Ten lien he's going to brandish his personal weapon," Jaune whispered to her. Whatever made him believe the proctor for their spars was going to show his weapon, she didn't know. She doubted the proctor would have them all fight him at once or something just as asinine. Pyrrha leaned closer to him, not removing her eyes from the loud man. She smiled.
"You're on."
"As you all know, or should know, this will be the second part of your initiation here at Beacon Academy. Why, it's a tear-jerking sight to see how many young, eager fighters there are, ready to hone their craft in slaying the demons known as Grimm." He stomped his foot on the ground, startling her slightly. "I however, like to refer to them as prey. Behold!"
A large cage was lowered from the roof. Inside it was an Ursa that didn't make any noise for some reason. Yet as soon as they were within its sights, it started to roar and struggle within the cage. Pyrrha paled, realizing where the professor was going with this.
"I have here from my hunt last night, one of the foul beasts that plague all of Remnant. Fear not! For I shall exterminate it to show how even an old fart like yours truly can do this. Why, I can even do this with my eyes closed!" he boasted.
Weren't they already? Pyrrha didn't quite understand the point of this little display. Perhaps it was to serve as a morale boost? Motivate everyone for their spars? Or maybe that was the excuse he was using to demonstrate his skill as a veteran.
Just as she feared, he reached behind him. He held the position for a few seconds, then raised his fist in the air with no weapon in hand. Jaune's excited look drooped into an irritated one. So he was a bit competitive?
"Uh, to prove my point, I shall defeat this beast with nothing but my charisma, and bare hands!"
Jaune cursed to himself as he fished for the appropriate amount of lien from his pocket and handed it over. His hand swept over hers briefly, making her skin tingle, despite wearing gloves. Jaune's expression was priceless when the two of them overheard the professor mumble to himself about misplacing his weapon.
"I am Professor Peter Port, and I shall-"
The cage gave in and let the Ursa loose. The professor cried out in shock and went on about how getting the jump on him would do the beast no good. He sort of went on and on about his power… aimed directly at the Grimm. She wished he went over how predictable an Ursa could move, or offer any tips on how to handle one. Yet it was just as entertaining to watch the man hurl the Grimm over his shoulder like it was nothing.
"Double or nothing-"
Pyrrha lightly punched Jaune's arm. "Cut your losses, Jaune. Cut your losses."
The bout was actually quite entertaining to watch. The professor managed to perform a circle throw when the Ursa charged at him. He retaliated by performing a body slam before the Ursa could get up. He even dug his elbow into its gut, making her wince and laugh at the same time. He then finished it by throwing a powerful punch that sent the Ursa flying... through the skylight. Pyrrha and Jaune lightly applauded as shards of glass rained down. The others roared out and cheered.
"As you can see," Professor Port panted. "I have," he coughed. "Defeated the… vile abomination. You there! You have a comment on my triumphant victory?"
"Yeah," Jaune called out. "When are we going to fight?"
Port paused. "Ah, yes! Of course…" The professor waddled over to the bench in front of them on. He plopped down as he pulled out his scroll and called out some names.
"Jaune Arc, you shall have your first bout with Cardin Winchester. You two will be evaluated not on victory alone, but whatever there is to impress me with. The rules are simple. Ring out is an automatic defeat, and aura levels dropping below twenty percent counts as a loss as well."
Jaune stood up as Pyrrha wished him good luck.
"Twenty lien I can win without a scratch," he offered. It was very tempting. She didn't have an inkling of how impressive Jaune was at fighting, but winning without a scratch wasn't that easy, even for her. Did he have that much confidence against his opponent? Her instincts told her he had something up his sleeve… was he going to use his semblance? Maybe it was related to a boost in charisma…
"If you break a sweat, you lose."
Jaune shook her hand to seal the deal. He had quite a firm grip… Jaune made his way to the stage. His opponent was ready, bearing a cocky grin. He had armor like Jaune, but much more. He wielded a mace that appeared to have a dust crystal embedded into the center of it. Fire dust by the looks of it, an unusual choice for a weapon like that.
"Hmph, need moral support from your girlfriend?" Cardin sneered.
Pyrrha on one hand, didn't like the attitude he displayed nor the posture he held himself in. He clearly underestimated Jaune. On the other hand, he thought her and Jaune were an item. A couple... boyfriend and girlfriend... lovers… By the gods, what would her manager say about that!? And is that what the others thought as well? With how the two were practically inseparable since yesterday, rumors were bound to spread, especially if they revolved around her.
"Actually no," Jaune said. "Well, that is nice, but Pyrrha knows I don't need help with this. In fact, we were setting the terms to our little bet. You see, if I beat you without a scratch, I get twenty lien."
"You think you can survive a minute in the ring with me?" Cardin spat. "Let alone win?"
"Yeah."
Cardin fumed. Pyrrha could see what Jaune was doing. It was similar to Weiss. He was provoking Cardin into responding to get a read on how he'd handle a situation. Perhaps there was more to this. Mind games perhaps? It'd make sense, considering Jaune wants to win this fight.
"If the two of you are ready," Port called out.
Cardin gripped his mace with both hands, ready to charge in and swing. Jaune however, yawned and didn't draw his sword. In fact, he didn't have it. Pyrrha looked down and saw his blade in its sheath, resting on the bench next to her.
Jaune was going to win the bet, wasn't he?
"Begin!"
Cardin charged. He roared and telegraphed what he was going to do. Pyrrha ran through her mind the various ways to either parry or dodge the heavy blow. She pictured herself in Jaune's shoes… for about two seconds.
"Professor Port!" Jaune exclaimed.
Cardin was caught off guard and stopped in his tracks, despite the momentum. He looked between Jaune and Port, unsure of what to do. The match didn't technically stop, did it?
"I would in fact be happy to comment on your wrestling match with that Ursa," Jaune said, delighted.
"Oh?"
"Your brawl reminded me of the old stories I used to hear about you. When I applied, I couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement over how I'd get to meet the Peter Port. The legendary veteran that had managed to make quite a name for himself in his youth. It reminds me of you're most famous tale; the last stand at Reverie."
"Hm, yes…" Port fiddled with his mustache. "I'm flattered you've heard of my greatest feat."
"Would you mind going over it? I'd love to hear the story from you yourself, sir."
Cardin blinked. "Wait, what about the fight-"
"Ten years and sixty pounds ago," Port cried out. "I-"
Port cut himself off when Jaune suddenly kicked Cardin in the shin. Cardin howled out in pain and fell to his knees. Jaune then snatched Cardin's weapon from his loosened grip and wildly swung the mace like a maniac. Cardin panicked and limped off the stage in attempts of escaping him.
"Win by ring out. Well played, Mister Arc."
"That's allowed!?" someone behind her cried out. It wasn't really a complaint, but more of an exasperated question.
"Why, yes." Port stood up and faced the spectators. "I never called off the match nor did I say it would stop. Mister Arc took advantage of Mister Winchester's uncertainty and made use of his opening. Am I right, young man?"
Jaune appeared to be spacing out. He was inspecting Cardin's mace as Cardin was still on the ground, groaning about what dignity he had left. "Eh? Uh, sure. Why not?" He smiled to himself. "Yeah, yeah! I'm a total mastermind. Beware future opponents of mine; I have all sorts of tricks up my sleeve. Especially for the ladies out there~"
His grin was infectious as he placed the mace next to Cardin and returned to his seat. He plopped down next to her, retaining his stupid, adorable smile.
"Do you realize what you've done?" she laughed.
"I've influenced my fellow peers into following my footsteps. Plus, the twenty lien."
Pyrrha reached for the lien. "I was referring to that." She nodded over to Professor Port, who was going over his story about the last stand anyway. There were a few audible groans behind her.
"I'll have you know I genuinely enjoy his stories."
Pyrrha fumbled with the lien when she heard that.
