Chapter 11: Strong Foundations
It is morning now, and Neo and I have risen early before the rest of the inhabitants. Neo is in the kitchen preparing a breakfast meal to thank them for letting us stay the night. Meanwhile, I stare at my notes I currently hold in my hands.
Hypothetical Scenario 24a: Ambush (Defending)
Enemy Count: 1 Long-Range Specialist, 1 High-Damage Dealer, 2 Melee Specialist.
E.g. Marksman, Ninja, Warrior, and Paladin.
Ally Count: 1
Location: Flat, secluded area near forest. Cover minimal.
Possible Context: White Fang members have decided to attack. Whether this be on someone's orders or of their own volition, you don't know. All you know is they're after your life. As this is a sneak attack, you are unaware until after the first shot. As the highest priority target, you are the first one hit. Start off the battle with half aura reserves.
Assumption(s): High-impact sniper round meant to kill or disable. Sniper's location is unknown somewhere in the forest. Other three individuals were already nearby. The first shot signaled them to attack. Start the fight disabled and/or with half aura reserves. All levels are similar in value.
Possible Retaliation Strategies: …
I close my eyes. My imagination creates the scene in my mind.
I imagine myself walking with Neo to go training. As we approach the clearing, three strangers appear as if they were just coming back from their own training. The trigger is pulled by the unseen fourth. I fail to react in time. Neo looks at me in shock and worry as the impacts knocks my head backwards, my posture ruined. The enemy draws their weapons and attack: two from the front, one from behind.
The scene pauses as I contemplate.
As this hypothetical attack should be premeditated, it isn't a stretch to assume the sniper could enhance the bullet using one or more skills. In an ideal situation, I would have reacted to the bullet and dodged in time. Observe as well as my instincts should have told me that something was wrong. However, the reality is that my awareness isn't as omnipotent as I would like it to be. Even if I am on guard my entire life, there is no guarantee I won't be hit by a surprise attack.
Thus, it is only natural to assume that the first strike will connect in this scenario. Now, how should I respond in this situation?
First things first. I need to impair the vision of the sniper. They're a long distance away which means we can't touch them before dealing with their teammates. Thankfully, that also likely means if they can't hit us, we only need to deal with the three.
Use Initiate and Dual-Casting perks for casting Ice Wall and Litter, maybe? This way, I can create both a physical block of ice to separate the one behind us from the two in front of us. Depending on the direction of the sniper, the ice wall can also serve as cover. Regardless, the smoke grenades I dump using Litter should provide the necessary cover.
With cover acquired, I can now recover my aura with a potion. Neo engages the person behind us. From here, the situation varies a lot more depending on the individuals. As her class is Martial Artist, Neo is naturally powerful in close combat. She could hold her own against that person.
My job would be to stall the other two, make sure the sniper can't interfere, and provide aid so Neo can take them down as soon as possible. Once they're down and this fight effectively turns into a 2v2 situation, we increase our odds of surviving immensely.
However, these ideas of mine can only realistically serve as a general outline. There are many factors that can change this scenario in real life. For example, this plan doesn't consider semblances. What if the sniper had a semblance that could lock onto targets? Or maybe they can see past all obstructions? What if the 3 close combat enemies have higher levels and stats than us? What if they aren't the only ones attacking and they somehow slipped past my observations? What if the person accompanying me isn't Neo, but Yang or Ruby? Do I have the same confidence in leaving the scene alive?
In a situation where we are outclassed, out-manned, and on the defensive, it's very hard to say we can leave victorious through normal means.
The go-to solution in my mind is to obscure their vision, and then proceed to blow them up with Litter. Fast, powerful explosions occurring in quick succession in order to wipe out the enemy. The pros: it gives the highest chances of survival. The cons: I risk exposing my get-out-of-jail-free card, the enemy will most likely not survive, and I grow reliant on a single skill to solve all my problems.
That's no good. That is the whole reason I started coming up with these hypothetical scenarios in the first place. I desired to exercise my imagination and help temper my mind to remain calm in the face of danger. After all, the best way to reliably deal with a situation is to become familiar with it – even if it's only in my head.
I write down my thoughts on the paper. My mind contemplates as it lists down skills I should keep an eye out for or how different classes could change the dynamic of the battle among other things.
I set my pen down on the coffee table as I finish documenting my ideas.
The panting of a canine draws my attention downward at my feet. Zwei looks up at me with adorable black eyes. I smile down at the pet and reach down to scratch behind his ears. The sound of his pants grows more frequent as I discover the sweet spot. A voice makes himself known behind me.
"Well, you two are up awfully early."
I turn to the man of the house, my hands never leaving Zwei's body.
"Good morning, Mr. Tai. We wanted to cook breakfast as appreciation for your hospitality." I explain.
He smiles at me.
"That's very sweet of you two to do for us. Thank you."
"It's the least we can do."
He looks at the papers I've placed on the table.
"Studying already?"
I shake my head in denial.
"No, that's not school material. Just a pastime of mine."
"Hm…" He glances at the ink but refrains from commenting further. "Well, I'll see if I can help out in the kitchen then."
With those words vocalized, he strolls out of the living room. After putting away my notes, I concentrate my attention on the corgi at my side. I continue playing with Zwei until breakfast is ready. Taiyang calls for his daughters with a booming voice.
"Yang! Ruby! Breakfast is ready!"
A soft voice is his reply.
"Coming!"
I hear Ruby's footsteps as she makes her way down the stairs. She enters the dining room still dressed in pajamas. She rubs her eyes as she is still sleepy. A yawn escapes her.
"Why are we waking up so early on a Saturday?"
Her steps pause as she notes the two extra faces in her home. I watch her as recollection flashes through her eyes. After remembering who we were, she finally sits down. We are soon joined by the final blonde of the house. Much like her sister, Yang's eyes flutter open and close from drowsiness. The two of us make eye contact with one another; we greet each other with a single glance and head motion. Our actions are neither hostile nor friendly. The sleep has seemed to mellow her out.
Good. I don't need unnecessary drama first thing in the morning.
Neo and Taiyang begin placing the dishes in front of us.
"Today's meal consists of crab eggs benedict." Neo explains.
Ruby tilts her head.
"What's an eggs benefit?"
"Egg's Benedict." I correct. "It's a dish commonly composed of poached egg, a muffin, a type of thinly sliced bacon, and hollandaise sauce. In this case, Neo has replaced the bacon with crab."
"What's this red powder stuff?" Yang asks curiously.
"That would be roe." I answer her.
"Row?" Ruby inquires.
"Fish eggs." Taiyang elaborates. "Eat up, kids. They're best eaten while they're still warm."
"I've made plenty to spare. Please, dig in." Neo invites.
Neo, Taiyang, and I pick up our utensils and begin eating. Ruby and Yang mimic our motions after seeing the correct way to eat it. Ruby's eyes shimmers as she stares at the glossy egg yolk spreading across her plate.
"Woah... It's like liquid gold. I've never eaten eggs like this before."
She takes a bite. Her eyes widen comically.
"Yum!"
Taiyang nods in agreement with his daughter.
"For the crab to taste this good, it must have been fresh, right? Where did you find fresh Mistralian crab?"
"This was brought with us." I explain.
He nods before giving his full attention towards his meal. I certainly don't blame him. It's very delicious. Zwei paws at Neo's leg, trying to grab her attention. She leans down and feeds him a plate of cooked crab. The canine eagerly munches away. The three original residents wolf down their meal. While I am not slow, I certainly am not rushing either. Neo, who emulated my habits, also is eating at a leisurely pace. The reason for their speed is made apparent to us momentarily.
Clink.
The sound of forks colliding in mid-air leaves me at loss of words. The two sisters glare at one another as they fight over one of the many extras Neo had cooked.
"You should let go, Rubes. I had my eyes on this one first."
"Nope." Ruby denies, popping the 'p'.
"First come, first served. Besides, I'm a growing girl. You should give it to me."
"...There's still plenty left. No need to fight over it." I comment from the side.
The two of them continue their banter, completely ignoring me.
"As the older sister, I should get first dibs. Besides, I'm an injured patient. I need all the nutrients I can get."
"Oh please, Yang. Any more nutrients and you'll gain weight. Oum knows you can't fit anymore in those lumps of fat."
I watch as a vein bulges on Yang's forehead. She smiles forcefully with squinted eyes.
"Oh what's that, Sis? I can't hear you over your jealousy. You're gonna have to be a bit louder."
Yang pushes her breasts upward using her other arm. It's Ruby's turn to pop a vein. Before she can retort however, Taiyang goes in between them and scoops the item in question.
"If we're talking about seniority here, I should have the right to distribute the goods."
Ruby pouts and grumbles.
"I guess that's fine... Hey! What gives?!"
Her outrage was because her father had dumped consecutive servings onto Yang's and his plates instead of sharing them equally with the rest of us.
"Sorry, Ruby. I promised to take Yang's side the next time we did these kind of things."
These kind of things?
Ruby holds her hands over her chest as she makes an expression of shock while gasping.
"Traitor! How could you?! I thought we were family!"
Yang gives her a smirk.
"Too bad for you, Sis. Looks like the Xiao Long Alliance will emerge victorious today."
Ruby slams her fist against the table.
"You realize this means war? The Reaper Rascals will not stand these proclamations!"
"Provocations."
"That too."
"Unfortunately for you, Rubes, you seem to be down a member. The odds are in my favor."
"Not for long." Ruby replies.
With a confident look, Ruby stands with one leg on the seat of her chair as she extends her open hand towards me and Neo.
"My terrible older sister has teamed up with my tyrant of a dad in order to claim a monopoly of our precious food. Comrade! Let us join forces and take down these evildoers!"
"No thanks." I calmly reject.
My response causes Ruby to recoil exaggeratedly.
"What?! Why not?"
"Three reasons. Firstly, this is one of my favorite meals. I refuse to let any of your shenanigans prevent me from enjoying them while they are still edible. Secondly, I believe in the virtue of spending one's time in only the most worthwhile and efficient manner. Roleplaying during mealtime hardly qualifies. Thirdly, even if I did wish to participate, there is a much better alternative."
I clear my throat.
"The Schnee Foundation shall choose to remain neutral in this conflict."
Why waste energy fighting when I can simply enjoy my meal while spectating? Just look. Already, their facial expressions are amusing me. Ruby's is distraught, Yang's is smirking, and Taiyang is mirthful.
"Neo?"
Ruby looks at my maid with pleading puppy dog eyes. Neo shakes her head.
"My loyalty lies with Weiss. Apologies."
"Waaaah! Zwei! You're on my side, right?"
"Woof!"
"I always knew I could count on you!"
"You seem to be forgetting something, Ice Queen."
Oh, here we go.
"And what's that, Miss Overgrown Flashlight?"
"The Xiao Long Alliance currently controls all trade on Eggs Benedict. You'll need to pay a fee if you want your food."
Yang pulls the plate of extra servings closer to her and Taiyang. I raise an eyebrow at her.
"And why would I need to pay for something I already have?"
"...? What are you talking about? You just finished your food, so you obviously need to get more. Now your plate is... empty... Huh?"
I watch patiently with a smirk on my face. Yang's eyes dart back and forth between my plate and the one she was currently guarding in confusion. Somehow, I had claimed one-third of the servings without anyone noticing.
"The hell? When did you...?"
"Language, young lady." Taiyang admonishes.
"Surely at this point, you should know how bad of an idea it is to take your eyes off me." I say.
I pass Neo her share. She nods her head in thanks. The two of us look back at the blonde with teasing expressions on our faces as we slice into our food unhindered. Everyone's attention is soon redirected back toward the young girl with crimson locks.
"Haha! Silly Yang! You might think you've already won, but this war is far from over! Behold! My secret weapon!"
Ruby proceeds to stick one end of a knife through the opening of a fork. She then brandishes it as if it was a weapon. Obviously, this is supposed to be some sort of makeshift scythe, but because of the thickness of the handle, it ended up looking more like a pickax instead. I'm more surprised that it's not falling apart with those moves than anything. Then again, this might not be the first time she used it. I highly doubt this is a rare occurrence in this household.
Ting!
The clash of silverware is heard as Yang holds two forks upside down. Using the butts as her 'weapon' of choice, Yang releases a battle cry and begins fighting her younger sister in a battle that I've certainly never seen before.
What a lively bunch.
-0-
"I can't believe you two used skills. What a waste of aura."
Yang scoffs.
"It's not a waste if you win."
"But you didn't win, so your point is moot." I retort.
"I didn't lose either. Both our weapons broke. So really, the only loser here is Dad because he has to pay for them."
"Which is why I keep telling you two to play using the plastic ones. It's expensive replacing these every time you two want to play fight."
Currently, Yang, Ruby, and I are lounging around in the living room. Yang raises her voice in order to be heard by her father and Neo who were washing the dishes in the kitchen still.
"But Dad, it's nowhere near satisfying with the plastic ones. Besides, you and Uncle Qrow do it too."
"Yes, but we don't break the utensils. We understand how to exercise restraint."
"Dad, I don't think abandoning the silverware and going straight into an actual fist fight is a good example of restraint."
"Of course it is. It means the only damage is done to our body and not to anyone's property."
They begin going back and forth about the meaningless topic. Ruby even chimed in from time to time. I absentmindedly pet Zwei who is currently sitting in my lap. In my mind, I am going over the things I need to do today.
My disguise turned out to be less useful than I thought. Twice now, someone saw through my ruse. How unlucky. To think I would run into two parties that had Truth Marbles. It's too risky to use my disguises recklessly... However, I don't think it's correct to not set up a wild-goose chase. My main worry is that my identity as a Schnee means I have to be a law abiding citizen. My intentions are far from legal, and if third parties get a hold of the fact that Weiss Schnee attempted to kill someone, it would affect far more people than just myself. If someone tries to use that information against Father and blackmail him, the results could be catastrophic for the family.
I close my eyes and lean back against the soft couch. First I need to calm my beating heart. The cushion was comfortable and I found my shoulders relaxing. Breath in... out...
...The problem here isn't that disguises are useless, but that the item I'm using is too weak. On one hand, it's rare enough that I can get away with using it for the purposes I have in mind. The downside is that it's not powerful enough to guarantee my immunity against trouble 100%... But then again, I already knew that and wanted to use it anyway despite the risks. It just turns out it might be more risky than it was worth it.
"So, what are you two going to do now?"
I open my eyes and direct my eyes toward Ruby who stared back at me. Despite seeing evidence that I had possession of an illegal object, Ruby didn't react nor question it. She obviously had some level of tact. Is that a quality the other Ruby possessed? Not to my knowledge. There is also the fact that she had a certain level of cautiousness that hinted that she wasn't as innocent as I initially figured she was. Otherwise, she would not have paused earlier.
Her red pupils stares into mine. Her question was innocent, yet it probed at my intentions all the same. I inwardly remind myself: same, yet different.
"There are many things we need to do. The first will depend on your response."
Ruby blinks, not expecting me to return a question back at her.
"Specifically, I would like to request a favor from all three of you."
I direct my face at Yang and Taiyang, signaling they were who I was talking about. Yang set down her Scroll that she was using to play games on the T.V. Taiyang, who was reading a news article on his own, similarly provided me with his full attention.
"Would it be possible for Neo and I to continue lodging here until our semester at Beacon starts?"
-0-
Yang was confused. Toward this girl named Weiss, she was conflicted. The way Ice Queen had messed with her emotions last night was fair game since they were in a fight. She understood the concept of baiting others by playing on their emotions. She had grown up with Qrow after all. He knew how to get under everyone's skin. The reason Yang felt hostile toward her wasn't just because she was on the receiving end of it. If it was only that, it would've been fine. They could laugh it off and move on.
However, the subject touched her inverted scale: the matter about her mom. Yang's only memory of her mother was when she had showed up to Summer's funeral. She didn't even know that was her blood mom, not until Taiyang spilled the beans later during the wagon incident. The only other times Yang would usually ever get angry was when some idiot decided touching her hair was a smart thing to do. It wasn't.
Yang ran a hand through said hair.
But not knowing that, Ice Queen still got under her skin. She did it, beat her, and won almost effortlessly.
That was the most annoying part.
It was a complete loss. Ice Queen had blinded her, beaten her down like trash, and the only good hit Yang got in was when she slammed Ice Queen into the floor. It was a small victory, but that doesn't mean much when you get a broken jaw for your trouble. Never before had Yang lost so completely, not to someone at her own age.
Yang wasn't conceited, at least she liked to think she wasn't. She might have a luck value of 24, but she wasn't like some kids who bragged about being a real life main character when they found out about their luck stats. That being said, nobody had ever driven her into a corner during her years at Signal. With the exception of adults like Dad and Uncle Qrow, Yang reigned supreme.
Were the fights in Mistral and Atlas that different in scale? Or was she just a frog inside a well?
Ugh. Stop.
Yang gripped her hand into a fist.
This loser talk had to stop. Just one loss could shake her confidence this badly? Hell no. She was Yang Xiao freaking Long. You beat her down, she'll come back twice as strong.
"How long do you think they'll last?" Ruby asked.
With her inner turmoil settled for now, Yang refocused on the scene in front of her. She stood side-by-side with Ruby at the edge of a random clearing inside the forest. Standing in the middle was her dad as well as both of their guests.
Earlier, Ice Queen asked if they could stay until school started. Yang didn't want them to. Just because she was kind enough to play nice with Ice Queen didn't mean she was willing to room with her in the same house. Just one night was one thing, but a whole month was another thing entirely.
Ruby only knew the two of them from their behavior this morning. She felt they didn't seem like bad people, but since Yang didn't seem happy about it, Ruby refrained from giving her opinion. Their dad, however, made a crazy offer that if he thought they were strong enough, he would consider it.
"If they run, maybe 5 minutes?" Yang guessed.
It depended on how serious Taiyang wanted to get, really. Yang didn't really understand why this came up in the first place. From what she could tell, Ice Queen was smart enough to recognize when she wasn't wanted. She even tried to refuse Dad's offer last night, but she changed her mind this morning for some reason.
"What are the conditions for victory?" Neo inquired.
"I won't use any skills except Aura Boost, I'll restrict my hitting strength to match yours, and I won't actively chase you unless you only try to run away. If you can last for ten minutes, land three clean hits, or cause me to break any of my restrictions, it's your win. How does that sound?"
10 minutes? It would be easier to ask Ruby to starve herself of strawberries. Other than that, the conditions were pretty much the same as when he trained them, only this time he was fighting two of them. Which meant the only feasible way to win was to land three hits.
"Wait, Dad you should-"
"I accept those conditions." Ice Queen interrupted Yang before she could protest.
Yang clicked her tongue in annoyance, but she kept her thoughts to herself. She was going to remind Taiyang about Ice Queen's tendency to play dirty, but Yang felt the outcome was already spoken for. Her gimmicks might work once against Taiyang, but that would be as far as she would go. Besides, Taiyang probably already knew Ice Queen was capable of fighting dishonestly.
Yang wasn't worried about Neo. She was a Martial Artist just like Taiyang, but Martial Artists vary in the style they pursue, allowing a variety of techniques and style-exclusive skills. Nevertheless, as Taiyang was a superior Martial Artist, Yang was confident he would be able to deal with whatever she threw at him.
"I do, however, have some questions."
Taiyang motioned her to ask away.
"Will this be 2v1 or 1v1?"
"2v1, naturally. Unless you two think you can take me by yourself?"
"Are we allowed to set up the field before starting the match?"
"No, if you want to set traps, you'll have to do it mid-match."
"Will we be allowed to buff ourselves with potions pre-match?"
"No, same as last question."
"Do three bullets count as three separate hits?"
"Sure. If you can hit me with them."
"You specified hitting strength. Does that mean you won't hold back when doing other motions like dodging?"
"To an extent. I don't want it to be impossible for you two though, so don't worry."
Taiyang gave her a smile, but it was clear they were being looked down upon. Ice Queen wasn't fooled into rising to his bait. Her expression was calm and stared at his figure with undisturbed concentration. Yang recognized that look. Ice Queen had that same one right before they fought last night.
"If two attacks hit you simultaneously, is that one blow or two?"
"Two, so long as they hit different locations."
The two sisters waited patiently for her questions to finish, but there seemed to be no end to them. Ice Queen went from one topic to another. Broader topics suddenly became nitpicking scenario by scenario.
Yang was getting annoyed. What was the point of asking so much? Did she expect to talk him to death? Was that it? Ice Queen wanted to throw him off mentally? Isn't she underestimating Taiyang a bit too much? Yang's tapping fingers stopped mid-motion.
...Oh. Now, she got it. Clever. She was surprisingly vindictive. What a surprise.
"Last one, are we allowed to have a strategic meeting before we start?"
Taiyang sighed.
"Well, I was, but you took so long that I'm beginning to grow jealous of my daughters, who are in the shade. So no, you can't. "
Ruby stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry at her father. Ice Queen nodded and finally drew her weapons. She held a sleek rapier in her left and a pistol in her right. The rapier had some kind of Dust compartment near the hilt. Yang was struck with the realization that Ice Queen had never fought her with her all. The thought tasted sour in her mouth while another thought left the mouth of her nearby sister.
"A revolving Dust compartment. It looks similar to a revolver, but seems a bit off." Ruby murmurs.
The weapons enthusiast stared confused at the girl's weapon design. Despite being so far away, her vision was as sharp as ever.
"Why does it look like it's possible to change ammo without unlocking the hilt? Does she have some sort of compressible Dust ammo that can slip in between the gaps? That's not possible. The Dust would explode... Unless her semblance can do that?"
Ruby looked at her sister questioningly. Yang shook her head.
She never heard of a Schnee that could compress Dust. Then again, she also never heard of a Schnee that went to hang out at a club, so what did she know?
The two women got into a fighting stance while Taiyang stood tall like a mountain. Nobody spoke. The soft chirping of the birds overhead filled the lull that arose. Taiyang would allow them to have the first move as always.
Then, the world was filled with symbols. Glyphs filled their surroundings. Some were white, others black, but both kinds were meant to do the same thing: restricting Taiyang's movement.
The black ones made Taiyang's feet sink into the dirt. When Taiyang tried to shift his body out of the glyph's area of effect directly beneath him, the white ones 'accelerated' him backwards. Meanwhile, a wall of ice appeared in front of him, obscuring his vision of Neo and Weiss. On the other side, Yang could see a third type of Glyph appear underneath both girls. Unlike the two previous ones, this one depicted a clock whose hands rotated faster and faster.
Upon completion, two things happened simultaneously. All three of them glowed in various colors, signalling their use of Aura Boost, and all three dashed forward. Taiyang broke free of his shackles as if it was a lie. The Schnee princess made a hand signal, and her rapier glowed intensely.
Taiyang smashed through the ice wall only to be greeted with a rapier only a few centimeters from his face. He tilted his head to the side as Neo's leg aimed at his head. Just as his right arm rose to block, Neo's high kick turned into a low kick, her leg glowing all the while. Taiyang hopped into the air. Weiss, as she was passing Taiyang's dodge, pulled the trigger in her right hand.
In her current position, her right hand was behind her back as she thrusted forward with her left. As she got closer to Taiyang, her pistol lined up perfectly with his belly. As he had jumped up, there was no way to move himself out of the way.
However, Taiyang was aware of the gun's position the moment he tilted his hed to the right. He clasped the barrel with his left hand and redirected the gun away. As the gun missed, he proceeded to kick the back of the Schnee with his left leg. The action wrenched the pistol from her hand. The girl flew away quickly as she was influenced by both the strike and her own glyph semblance.
Taiyang inwardly praised her for her quick reaction in reducing the damage. He refocuses on Neo and punches at her midsection. Neo backsteps into a glyph, sending her backwards and narrowly avoids the blow.
Taiyang blinked. That glyph already existed with the first batch Weiss formed. He was aware of how the Schnee's semblance worked. Once formed, you can't change its effects. You would have to deactivate and remake them. This meant that acceleration glyph was created with the purpose of retreating in mind, or at the very least sending the targets in that particular direction.
He looked back at Weiss, intending to take out the long-range specialist first. He found a knife approaching his face. He dodges again with another tilt of the head, but he has a bad feeling as he sees her pushes a button on what seems to be a detonator. His head tilt turns into a roll as he gets away from the knife as quickly as he can. His quick actions allows him to avoid falling into Weiss's trap. Unfortunately...
Boom! Boom!
He was mistaken in believing only one item was triggerable. Weiss' gun was also triggered by her detonator. This was made possible because there was only one bullet in the chamber. The rest of the space in the magazine was stuffed with reactive grade 6 Dust. He was flabbergasted that someone would purposefully repurpose a gun just to explode.
Strike 1.
Taiyang dashed through the smoke and continued rushing Weiss, ignoring the sting on his hand. It was clear to him that she was the most dangerous factor in this fight. If he wanted to win, she had to be taken out as soon as possible. One black glyph and one white glyph appeared in front of him while a white one appeared on the floor. He continued his course with no doubt in his mind.
But he soon realized doing so was a mistake. The Glyphs of Gravity and Acceleration did not try to send him backwards, but forward. The reason revealed itself as an Ice Spear formed on the ground. Its formation was quickened by the Glyph of Ice.
Taiyang calmly skid to a stop and bashed the spear away with his right hand. He would've kept moving forward, but he would've been grazed by the Ice Spear while moving at his speed.
He turns to the side and raises an arm above his head. Neo had been following close behind him this entire time, and she only now caught up thanks to him stopping. Taiyang briefly considered avoiding the attack, but he threw that plan out the window the moment he felt his feet incased in ice. Inwardly, he was shocked at Weiss's casting speed. She must have a really high WILL stat.
Just then, the ground rumbled as the earth shifted beneath his frozen feet. This time, Taiyang couldn't hide the shock in his eyes. How could she have casted Earth Pit and Ice Prison so close together?! Ice Prison hasn't even finished casting! She must have a WILL stat of over 100!
His frozen feet forced his balance and posture to be broken as Weiss only made Earth Pit sink the area including only one of Taiyang's feet. As he was on the edge of the hole, his body tilted backwards. Still though, he confidently guarded with one arm while counterattacking with his left.
A mistake.
Neo's boot made direct contact with Taiyang's face as it appeared through the shattering of glass. What was originally a Crushing Axe Kick was actually a Flying Jump Kick. Taiyang's reflexes still shined through as he grabbed her leg as he flew backwards, the impact detaching his feet from the floor. Their flight path took them over the pit and onto the other side. Upon reaching the ground, Taiyang twirled with Neo in hand before slamming her into the ground by the leg. The impact made Neo exhale all the air inside her lungs.
Strike 2.
Suddenly, the temperature dropping sharply. Heavy snow filled their vision even though it wasn't winter anymore in Vale. Chilling wind blew at Taiyang's face as he chopped Neo behind her neck, knocking her out.
He didn't know what that shattering glass was about, but he assumed it was her semblance. Dealing with Weiss had been hard enough, yet her partner had a dishonest semblance as well.
He sighed.
Taiyang had intended on going easy on these two, but who would have thought the Schnee fledging to be so adept at setting traps. He really regretted putting that three strike condition now.
He turned towards the last known location of his final target. The snow hindered his sight while the wind did the same to his touch, hearing, and smell. Truly, Snowstorm was the appropriate area-of-effect skill to apply here. However, Taiyang knew this skill cannot be sustained for long.
"Are you sure about that? Neo's unconscious, you know?" he yelled.
At her level, he doubted Weiss could keep using that skill without consuming potions. But as a Schnee, he doubted she was lacking in that aspect. The only other way to stop her was to convince her it was a danger to her ally.
Taiyang started running once again as he lamented his situation. How ironic that from the beginning, he was the one on the backfoot and doing the chasing when he was miles ahead of them in level, skill, and experience. At the very least, Weiss should be affected by Snowstorm as well. With his superior tracking skills, he should catch her in no time.
...So where in the world was she?
There were little to no signs of her anywhere. Did she start moving before casting Snowstorm? But surely he would've seen some form of footprints, right? With every moment the storm raged on, the fewer evidence that will remain. Taiyang turned in place and approached the only possible location Weiss could be in: the pit.
It made perfect sense. It was close enough to where Weiss originally was before she casted Snowstorm. Instead of rushing like before, he moved cautiously. His eyes scanned the ground suspiciously. The cold storm wouldn't do much damage to him, given his resistances, so he kept his guard up to prevent himself from falling into any more traps.
Taiyang crouched down and wiped away some snow, revealing a trip mine. His eyes wandered to the sides and found similar piles of snow that covered other traps, no doubt. A shiver ran down his spine when he imagined the damage they would cause if he had ran into them.
How did Weiss set up this many traps in so short a time? If it was someone like Qrow or James, he wouldn't be surprised, but Weiss? It simply wasn't feasible by a single person at her level.
But that was the problem, wasn't it? She was on a whole different level than people her level. At this point, Taiyang wouldn't be surprised Weiss could take out someone in the early Lvl 40's.
Weiss truly did live up to her mother's words, and here he thought they were exaggerating.
He disabled the trap and moved forward. Taiyang reached the edge of the hole and found Weiss standing in the hole looking straight at him. Danger tickled his senses as the edge of the pit collapsed. Taiyang's body sunk as a Glyph of Gravity pulled him down with it.
He pushed himself off a falling piece of land toward Weiss. Meanwhile, Weiss rushed forward using Empowered Thrust, two Glyphs of Acceleration, and a Glyph of Haste. Taiyang was surprised yet again. Weiss was moving faster than when she confronted him at the beginning. That meant she hadn't used Empowered Thrust back then, and she was holding back for this very moment.
Within moments, the two adversaries reached each other's positions, and Taiyang calmly moved his arms. He bent one elbow and redirected Weiss's rapier away from him while the other rose and slammed down on Weiss's shoulder. At the moment of contact, Weiss did not attempt to dodge. Instead, she grabbed Taiyang's vest with both hands, even abandoning her rapier. Taiyang smiled mockingly at himself as Weiss managed to surprise him despite not taking her lightly.
Boom!
Yang stood still, frozen as if the snow reached her position. With the storm in their way, Yang and Ruby had no way of observing what happened inside. However, everything else that occurred before that already caused her jaw to drop.
Weiss and Neo landed two blows on their father.
The two girls stood excitedly as they watched the snowstorm fade away. What had happened? Did Taiyang finish Weiss off, or did he fall to her tricks?
There was no sound as if the battle was over. Soon, Taiyang jumped out of the pit with an unconscious Ice Queen in his arms. Ruby cheered, throwing both of her arms in the air, and Yang gave him a thumbs up as if she expected him to win.
Taiyang shook his head with a wry smile on his face. His hands glowed with lightning sparking between his fingertips as he activated a skill. He tapped Weiss lightly. The shock caused her to spasm awake. Her eyes wandered and took in her surroundings. After recognizing where she was, she silently stood up and marched toward Neo without the slightest curiosity for who won or lost. Taiyang watched warmly as the bright, young girl showed she cared more about her friend's safety than their battle result.
"That. Was. Awesome!" Ruby shrieked. "You guys fought like pros! Moving together based off of only hand signals. Dodging at the very last second. It was SO cool!"
Weiss smiled and thanked the hyperactive girl for her compliments as she stirred Neo awake by administering a shock just like Taiyang had done. If Yang didn't know better, she would've thought Weiss was coping a feel. A small moan escaped Neo's lips before she stared accusingly at Ice Queen. A slight blush could be seen on her face.
Huh, so that's a thing.
"Yeah, Dad. They really led you by the nose there. For a second, I was worried that you would actually lose." Yang commented teasingly.
Taiyang shook his head.
"I did lose."
Yang froze in shock. Then, she walked a couple of paces in order to look at her father's back. Her suspicions are confirmed as she sees his back is covered in frost and rime.
Strike 3.
"Congrats. You two really pulled the wool over my eyes. As agreed, you guys can stay."
"Thank you." Weiss said.
"What will you two be doing for the rest of today?"
"We need to run some errands and gather our luggage. We should be back later tonight."
Everyone exchanged numbers before heading back towards the house for refreshments. It was not soon after that Weiss and Neo left for Vale. They all recognized that their getup was a different set of disguises, but nobody brought it up. Yang watched the two walk into the distance before looking at her dad standing next to her.
"Something the matter, sweetheart?"
"I want you to train me."
He looked at her for a few seconds before nodding, satisfied by whatever he found.
"After your wounds heal. Then, I'll train you."
"Okay."
He ruffled her head. She smacked his hand away not too long after. Yang leered at her father, not in the slightest amused by the dirt getting in her hair. Taiyang chuckled.
Yang rolled her eyes before walking away to find her younger sibling. A few moments later, Taiyang listened to the mature squawking Ruby unleashed as Yang abused her bullying rights.
Yang's journey as a trainee has always been a bit too smooth. He had always been looking for a good opportunity to curb her overconfidence, but he never found a good chance. He knew if he started lecturing her while she was still winning, she would just wave him off and listen with one ear open and the other closed. Now, a perfect rival had appeared. How could he let an opportunity like this pass?
-0-
Neo and I stand next to a tree as we discuss the results of the spar. Neo bows her head.
"Forgive my incompetence, Weiss."
"Don't start, Neo. I was knocked out as well."
She raises her head with reverence as clear as the sky above our heads.
"Your strategy worked splendidly. He never saw it coming."
I shake my head.
"How could it be so easy to fool someone who broke past level 60?"
He didn't use weapons, armor, nor skills besides basic augmentation. Dressed in nothing but a T-shirt and shorts, Taiyang had essentially beaten us unconscious in one hit each. Not to mention, said augmentation was supposed to matched our standard.
My victory over Taiyang was but a pyrrhic one. It didn't fill me with pride at all. Instead, I felt frustration build up within me.
Despite all the training, I couldn't even stay conscious. If I can't at least do that much, how will I deal with Cinder? What was the point of all this training until now?
Snap!
My eyes glance to the side. In my vision, I discern my body had instinctively casted Cold Touch. My clenching hand had crushed the tree bark that had frozen stiff. I release the poor trunk from my grasp, but I refuse to deactivate the skill. Instead, I grab my face.
The coldness envelops me and clears my head of needless thoughts. Between all the different elements, I like ice the most. It is destructive yet beautiful. Not to mention, the chill reminds me of home.
"Weiss, you should not downplay your own accomplishments." Neo lectures me.
"How many people can boast they can land a blow on a level 60 expert while they're below level 20, let alone win? How many can say they have the resources, talent, and drive that you do? I'm fairly certain the experts at our age don't have nearly as many trump cards as you do."
"I'm not fighting people at our level. My sights have and always will be targeted on those experts above us. The laymen can look up to me for all I care. While they look up to the ceiling, I shall be on the roof marveling at the sky above."
I withdraw my hand. The chill vanishes from my fingers.
"But you are right. A victory is a victory. No need to wallow in self-pity... What are your thoughts on the hand signals?"
Neo nods.
"Very useful. This set you came up with allowed us to make very detailed plans. However, I can't help but question the practicality of some of them. I was nervous the entire time you asked about the rules."
"I see..." I murmured.
I'll have to readjust our hand signals again. Field experience is the only way to test them after all.
While Taiyang had proposed a spar out pf nowhere, we didn't start the fight without a plan (obviously). Some might have thought we forsaw this ahead of time, but the reality is I communicated with Neo using signals while she disguised it using her semblance, thus preventing anyone else from discovering it. I 'discussed' our strategy while delaying the start of the match as long as I could.
"Our advantage lied in the fact Mr. Tai was unfamiliar with us. Our three chances consisted of my explosives, your semblance, and my perks. With my inventory, that would be four. Only by capitalizing on these points would we have the chance for victory."
"It's a good thing you told me to hold back, Weiss. If we had continued sparring as we did normally, it would have been a waste."
"Indeed. For this instance, I was also not confident in betting everything on a single moment. The gap between us was too large. It would've been too risky. I would rather us spread our trump cards across the board. Even if we didn't succeed in the end, it wouldn't have been a loss since we would have a higher chance to gain his respect and approval by continuously pressuring him."
Neo sighs.
"Although, now that he knows about these facts about us, the chances of us getting the drop on him using the same tactics in the future are slim."
"No matter. Taiyang knowing about them won't be a detriment but an advantage instead. He'll be more likely to trust us wholeheartedly."
The wind around us picks up as a Bullhead roars towards the clearing. I remove the Glyph of Silence I activated earlier while Neo's semblance activates. Currently, we are dressed in a second set of disguises in order to plant the false leads. Neo is changing our appearances to match our initial set of disguises: Lilac and Sepia. This is for two reasons. The first is for continuity. The second is because I don't want the second set of disguises to have a trail that leads back to Patch.
I strap myself into my seat as I stare out the window. The scenery fills my vision as I mentally calculate the date. Today was the first day of February. The semester at Beacon starts in March. But more importantly...
There are only 8 months left until the Vytal Festival.
Only 241 days till the Fall.
Author's Note: Long time no update. Real life took over. Perk page will have to wait for future chapters. This has been sitting in the back-burner for too long. I thought making school start in the Spring would be nice. Instead of Summer being the time to relax, Winter will be when it usually ends. Enjoy!
Edit: Anyone else watched the newest episodes? My mind is blown right now. #OzpinDidNothingWrong
