Chapter 24 – A Boy's First Stand
After the combatants leave to prepare for their duel, the wait for their inevitable return begins. Noisy voices ring throughout the sparring hall as the once steadfastly peaceful classroom descends into a raging rampant ruckus.
"What the hell was that all about?"
"Did you see the look on Cardin's face? Dude was pissed."
"Boy, am I glad I'm not the one fighting him."
"His name's Jaune, right? Jaune Arc? Wasn't he the guy who got in, like, no offense in Friday's class?"
"You mean the one who ran away the whole time?"
"Nah, man. The other one. The swordsman who spent the whole match flailing around like a jackass while the other guy turned him into the world's largest pincushion."
"Oh, yeah! That was him! Wow, he's going to get demolished!"
Hushed whispers, bemused scoffing, and even a few bouts of laughter here emit sparsely from my commenting classmates, bewildered completely by the fact the fighter with one of the most underwhelming performances from last week had willingly challenged the fighter with one of the most impressive. They're all reacting as if a mouse had leaped into a lion's den.
And I hear them all. An oil well of anxiety drills deeper into my gut with every word spoken, the exclaiming voices overwhelming my thoughts like a circling whirlpool. My leg hasn't stopped jittering since Jaune left.
Damn it.
I shouldn't listen, logic's telling me acutely that nothing they say is going to help but, I can't stop myself. They're all vocalizing how I feel in one form or another. It's like they're all throwing a distorted version of my feelings straight back into my face. Frustration gnaws at the openings like ravenous piranhas.
Damn it!
Why? Why did you have to stand up? Why did you have pick this fight? Why did Cardin have to accept? Why didn't I do anything to stop it?! Why?!
Damn it!
"Hey."
The girl a row above lightly prods me in the shoulder. My mind jolts, reminded of the other problem smacking me in the face today.
"Are you going to tell me what that was all about?" Yang asks. Her tone's coated knowingly, aware that I know fully why events transpired as they did.
I briefly tilt up at her, enough to let her know that I'm not ignoring her but I… decide to stay quiet. It's as I told her before; It's not my story to tell so I shouldn't. I haven't even told Jaune that I know yet, it's practically his secret; I can't be passing it around to other people like a cheap smoke.
Aware that she wasn't getting an answer, she narrows, "They're going after him too, aren't they?"
My chest seizes, only to realize that my static body language unintentionally confirmed her suspicions when it's too late. She breathes and lies back somewhat, "Thought so. They had something to do with happened on Friday, right? Figured that the two were connected somehow."
…I clench my jeans frustratedly. Come on already, Eren! It's bad enough you're terrible at hiding your own problems, couldn't you at least be halfway reliable at hiding somebody else's?!
I bottle myself a lovely supply of regret for later. Sighing, I ask, "How did you find out?"
"About them? I have my ways. I'm no Brainiac or anything but, I'm very persistent when I want to be," she gleams proudly, but her pride passes quickly. "Why didn't you tell me? I would've helped. You didn't really expect me to just leave it alone, did you?"
Of course, I didn't. I've lived with her in the same house for nearly half a year. It was painfully obvious to me how she'd react. This isn't what I wanted. She wasn't supposed to find out like this. She wasn't supposed to find out at all. That's why I…
"Leave what alone?"
Shock sparks my spine. I start, snapping around to find soft silver eyes staring unsettled at me.
"R-Ruby!" I stammer. "W-we were, um, we were both talking about, uh…"
Words fumble from my mouth. My mind's completely muddled up, trying painfully to juggle everything. I don't know exactly how long she has been listening in for, but it's long enough to make a bad situation worse.
A grimace pulls at my lips as Ruby's worry visibly deepens.
I glance back at Yang, attempting to 'subtly' plea to back me up with a gentle nudge in her sisters direction, hoping that there's a chance that she didn't want to wrap her sister up in my mess. To my dismay, Yang scowls disapprovingly and folds her arms.
"You need to tell her," she says.
I bite my cheek, withholding a groan. Admittedly, I didn't truly expect it to work but, man, do I not want this conversation to happen right now and I just want a little bit of control in this conversation, please!
"This is about what happened, isn't it? Something is going on, isn't there?" Ruby asks, face softening as she leans in closer. "Eren, what is it? What's wrong? Is someone targeting you? Please, tell me!"
"N-no! Ruby, nothing's happening. Everything's fine. I-I swear," I splutter and wave around my hands. This does very little dissuade her, leaning in so closely that her legs have moved dangling to fully kneeling against the seating.
"I know you're not okay," she says. "Please, tell me what's wrong. I want to help."
"Eren. If you don't tell her, I will," threatens Yang, barring over as though to entrap me.
If she's doing it on purpose, her tactics working. The lack of personal space between myself and the pair of them is suffocating me. I can literally feel the air ensnared between my throat and the deprived lungs. There's no space on the end of the seat to shift away to. I'm well and truly trapped.
Careless. I've been so damn careless. This never should've made it past day one. It's not like I haven't done it before or anything, I should've known better.
Now Yang knows. Now Ruby's bound to know. Now they're both going to know. The two people on Remnant that I absolutely didn't want to know anything this whole situation are going to know and they're going to try and help because, of course, that's what they do. They'll try to fix everything for me and that's. My. Fault.
…No. I can't let that happen. I have to do this myself.
Time. I need to buy for time. Everything's coming at me all at once here. I need to try and take things one at a time: calm down, think of a way to solve this mess, and not screw it up this time. Then everything will be fine. Understand?
Everything will be fine.
I suck in a breath.
"Not now," I say. They both open their mouths to protest but I'm quick to follow up. "After. I'll tell you after class, I promise. Just, please. I'd rather not talk about this here."
Neither of them appear comforted by my answer, but they're not immediately shutting me down which is honestly better than what I thought I would get. The two give each other a look, as if silently conversing their thoughts with the other while I sit, tapping away anxiously, waiting for their reply.
Finally, they answer.
"…Okay," Ruby nods.
"Fine," Yang says. Her tone is somewhat dissatisfied but, it lacks severity it held earlier. "But we're going to hold you to that. You're going tell us everything once this is over. Got it?"
I exhale, nodding with an heir of reluctance, but also with an air of relief finally pumping through to my lungs.
The end of class – Roughly thirty minutes. That'll be my time limit to think of a way to compel them to stay out of the business with CRDL. I have absolutely no idea how the hell I'm going to twist any of this to work but, it has to be better than if I had to explain everything now.
Hopefully. It's not like I'm grasping at straws here or anything. No, of course not. What would give me that impression?
…Whatever. The explanation can wait. Right now, I should focus on the immediate problem at hand here.
Speaking of which, "That's them."
Cardin comes out first, strolling out from the entranceway with his mace resting on his shoulder and his smile full of confidence, totally unconcerned about the result of the coming match. He's behaving no differently from when he fought the bronze warrior – A fight in which he demolished. Though, despite the similarities, there is one glaring difference between then and now.
He's holding his mace in his right hand.
I shouldn't find it that strange, it just means he's ambidextrous. Louise is ambidextrous too and it hasn't bothered me since I was seven. Warriors are fully capable of using both hands. It's uncommon but, not unordinary. What makes this so weird in comparison?
I'm honestly not so sure. I'm no expert in fighting style posture but, I can feel that something about the way he's holding it doesn't fit. It's hard to put it into words.
It just feels, I dunno, wrong.
Jaune trails somewhat after, head down. At first, I think that he's staring at the ground but, he's actually shuffling his grip on sword and shield. I'm unsure if his positioning with his shield is right but, I recognise the grip on Crocea Mors as the same Blake taught him back on the bridge.
He's… shaking, almost quivering. He's looking worse than he did when he accepted the fight. His face's trying to hide all the fear behind a brave façade but, I'd wager nobody in the classroom is buying it.
Jaune's terrified. I don't blame him one bit.
Now, what are you going to do about this, Liddell?
A few taps on Professor Goodwitch's Scroll and the overhead screen illuminates their pictures and their full Aura bars.
The two combatants stand opposed from one another.
"Are both fighters ready?" Miss Goodwitch calls. Cardin laughs out a 'Sure' while Jaune stutters a 'Y-Yes!'
I spare a quick glance at his legs, recalling what Pyrrha told me right before Cardin's previous fight. He's slightly leaning forward, one leg further than the other, feet pressed hard against- Oh crap. He's going to try and charge him as the match starts. Break through his terror by hurling himself straight into battle.
I wince. Don't do that, Jaune. The last guy who fought Cardin made the exact same mistake. He's expecting it. You're walking straight into a counter!
"Very well then." The Professor steps back and the murmuring crowd quietens. Cardin leans casually against his mace. Jaune's form torques.
The dreaded horn blares.
"Begin!"
The fight kicks off exactly as I feared: Jaune charging straight out of the gate with his sword raised up high to swipe at Cardin. His grasp on his hilt loosens, his strike turns recklessly predictable, and his emulated fighting stance dissipates entirely.
He swings.
Cardin swats Crocea Mors out of his hands with insufferable ease. I wish I could feign shock.
Jaune's weaponless, and still carrying momentum from the charge, a clear opening given away. He tries to skid, to raise his shield but it's misaligned. Cardin can easily bypass it. He-
He does nothing. Cardin lets the opportunity pass him without a single care.
That's… curious.
Jaune stops right in front of him, gazing up at his taller opponent in fearful confusion. Cardin smirks and nudges his head in Crocea Mors direction.
'Fetch.'
An agitated hiss whistles through my teeth.
Regardless, Jaune rushes to Crocea Mors, plucking the sword off the ground, and resuming his stance.
Cardin's… just standing there, mace aloft his shoulder. He's not even looking in Jaune's direct, staring off into nowhere and smiling, leaving himself almost completely open. It's the same tactic as before again, baiting in his opponent with projected weakness before counter-attacking. This is the third time I've seen him do this, a common strategy when dealing with offensive-inclined fighters. Reminds me of a couple of chess players back home.
Unfortunately, Jaune doesn't give it that much thought.
"Hyaah!" He shouts, hurling himself at his opponent again, pushing all of his bodyweight into his next attack. He races forward.
A swing!
Clang!
Steel clashes against steel. Jaune bites the bait and guns for the opening granted but Cardin, expectant, laxly deflects the swordsman away. Jaune's momentum continues to carry him forward, having overextended himself with the strike. The towering giant sidesteps him and raises his mace for a strike.
Cardin lightly bumps Jaune on the head.
What?
A trickle of Aura fades from Jaune's bar but, nobody is fooled. That wasn't a real hit. That blow was the equivalent of a rough pat on the head, and Jaune is fully aware of it. He knows that Cardin could've hit him harder.
His frustration comes in a flurry of reckless slashes. Crocea Mors flails endlessly at Cardin who bypasses the bombardment through blocking the strikes aloofly or merely moving slightly to avoid them. He bumps Jaune on the head several more times like he's playing a Whack-a-mole game, each lightly draining his Aura.
By the point Jaune's bar reaches ninety-six percent, his carelessness and wasteful sword placing drives him to yell and attempt to stab Cardin directly.
The attack never forms. With his free hand, Cardin grabs Jaune's hoodie and wrenches it over his face, leaving his opponent momentarily disorientated and struggling to see. Then, unlike his previous attacks, Cardin takes his mace and properly belts him straight across the face with it.
Jaune falls hard. His Aura dips to eighty-eight percent. Cardin's hasn't lost a single digit.
"This… isn't looking good," says Ruby. "Cardin doesn't even look like he's trying."
"He isn't. Do you see the way his arm's positioned?" Pyrrha says, directing our attention to it and suddenly, it begins to click. The bend in his elbow, the contortion of the arm, the seemingly slower flow of the attack in general? "That's not how a right-handed mace wielder naturally holds their weapon. That's self-taught."
He's not ambidextrous at all. The fighting style he's currently using is an imitation of actual right-handed fighters. It's a good imitation and it's not totally devoid of skill or anything but, his body isn't used to fighting that way naturally. He's prominently left-handed.
Which means he's been using his weaker hand this whole fight…
Jaune, having barely recovered, stands back up, yells, and throws himself an overhead vertical slice. His opponent sees the attack coming a mile away.
The arena echoes as sword and mace lock together, the two combatants inside now locked in a test of strength. Jaune huffs and puffs but, no matter how hard he struggles, cannot push any further. Cardin's holding his free hand on his waist, standing still as his weapon barely even shudders from the opposing weight. You could tell him a gentle breeze is hitting him and he wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
"He's toying with him," growls Yang. "Tch! Where does he get off?! Does he enjoy humiliating people or something?! Is he trying to prove a point? Just what is wrong with him?!"
…To prove a point? Cardin's using Jaune to prove a point?
No. That can't be right.
"When I'm through with you, nobody's going to forget me for a very long time. Your 'invincible' streak is over, Pyrrha Nikos."
Yeah. It was Pyrrha he originally wanted to topple, wasn't it? The way his face lit up when she stood up to challenge him? The way he spoke to her, it seemed like he might've recognised her from somewhere. He even beat his opponent faster than her afterwards. Cardin knows she a good fighter and is purposely trying to outdo her and prove his superiority as a fighter. He wanted to fight her.
So, why did he pick Jaune? Just to abuse him again? That's what he's doing, but why? He finds ample opportunity to do that and beating him in a fight proves nothing anyway. Why demean him here where everyone-
Where everyone can see him do it.
"That's it," I gasp. "That's why he chose him."
Yang blinks, "Say what?"
When I think harder about it, Sky doing what he did during our fight seemed too reckless. Risking the discretion of their bullying aside, being so brash as to do it in front of a teacher of all people doesn't check out as an optimal time to abuse someone. Being caught by other students is one thing but, being caught by the head of the Disciplinary action department?
That's beyond arrogance, that's stupid. Hell, thanks to that, everyone around me started to figure out something was going on. He just made it harder for his team to keep everything hush-hush. It's pointless. There were no upsides to Sky doing it so publicly as he did.
Unless, there was.
Think. Room full of people. Everyone in class watching. Trying to humiliate victim in front of them. Why would they resort to that?
Bent bunny ears flood through my mind and the horrible answer floats to the surface. If that girl is being targeted just like us…
Cardin's not fighting him. He's trying to make a bloody example out of him!
A knee to the abdomen empties Jaune's lungs. Cardin flicks his wrist, ridding his opponent of his shield, flooring him as the swordsman struggles desperately against the mace interlocked with Crocea Mors.
Jaune's on his back, gasping for air like a water-deprived fish. He tries to battle back with both hands pushing up but it's no use. Cardin's strength is overwhelming him and he's having to fend against him and his breathless lungs at the same time. He's helpless.
Just like Cardin thought he would be.
No. This can't keep going like this. If this continues, not only is CRDL going to successfully intimidate others in our class they may be targeting but Jaune, the reason he stood in the first place…
Weiss.
I turn around and gaze up at her. Her eyelids narrow squarely on her Scroll, fingertips dotting and lips curling into a disinterested scowl. The sight causes my own mouth to mimic hers, and a burning feeling begins to boil in my gut again.
Has she even glanced away since the match started? Does she even remember why it started in the first place? Does she even care?! Come on!
Jaune took this fight for you. He wanted to prove to you he was worth a chance, he values your opinion that much. So much that, even though the gap between them was so obvious and he's absolutely terrified of him, he decided to try and take him on. Cardin could make his life even worse because of this. He's taking a risk I wouldn't have.
All for you and your respect, Weiss Schnee. All for you. The very least you could do in return is look away from that damn Scroll and maybe give a single solitary shit!
I whirl away, trying to beat down the blaze boiling within. Forget it. Forget her. I have to do something.
How, though? I can't just stop the match now. That wouldn't be any different from if I left it alone. Right now, there's only one person that can make a difference in this bout and he's fighting with everything he's got down there.
And he needs to know that right now.
But… that's not allowed here. Goodwitch gave a stern lecture about how sparring matches are a serious method of training and not a spectator sport. That's why everyone else is so subdued. If I spoke out now, I'd earn myself a special seat at one of her detention sessions, punished and made to look like a complete arse in front of the whole class as everyone derides me for being a total idiot! E-everyone. Everyone would…
Screw them. He's my friend.
I leap up, bounding from my seat, clasp the railing tightly and shout out.
"Jaune!" I cup my mouth. "Yo-you have to win!"
"E-Eren?!" I hear Ruby squeak behind me, eyes widening in shock.
Not only her: Yang, Pyrrha, Jaune, Cardin, Miss Goodwitch, everyone, every single person in the room have their sights gleaning on me, taken aback by my sudden outburst. The murmuring, the annoyed glances, the attention…
Damn. I'm shaking again. Come on, Eren. You're already up here, there's no sitting down now. We have to go all the way!
"I-I know you're scared, b-but you can't lose! Not like this! I…" I hesitant momentarily. "You have to win!"
The words fumble around in my throat. It's… not exactly the most stirring of speeches, I'll admit. I can barely talk properly half of the time normally, and I didn't have enough time to think up something a bit more inspirational.
I catch Jaune staring at me, still pinned against the floor, and my hands drop awkwardly to my sides.
I swallow. Is this even working? Am I doing anything here?
"Yeah!"
Red flutters to my right, cheering on loudly, "Come on, Jaune! You're representing Team LABS! Show that chump who's boss!"
Ruby…
"Damn straight! Come on, Vomitboy!"
Yellow gleams from my left, hollering, "Beat the smug outta him! Knock his teeth down his throat! Tear out his hair! Kick his balls into the stratosphere!"
Yang…
Both of them cheer loudly, egging Jaune to 'Stand back up' and 'Kick that guy a new butt!' As my confidence wavered, they came to my side to support me, to support my teammate. Despite feeling as though I'm troubling them, I can't help by feel reinvigorated by them chorusing his name.
My chest lightens, and I begin to cheer alongside them.
Shockingly enough, Professor Goodwitch hasn't immediately shut us down yet. Instead, she merely glances up at us, something tugging slightly at her lips. I don't know what she's thinking right now, but she's not stopping us yet. So, we keep cheering, harder and louder.
And then, Crocea Mors begins to push back.
The blade shudders and quakes but, gradually, Cardin's mace loses ground and dominance, slowly being forced off from the prone Jaune. Slowly, slowly, slowly…
Away! With a growl and a draining but powerful shove, the lockup breaks. Cardin shuffles backwards a tad, glancing down at his right-hand with an irked sniff.
Jaune stands, panting hard but holding Crocea Mors tightly in both hands, defiant.
He seems calmer. Not calm per say but, accepting, at peace with what he's chosen to do. There's still a tremor in his limbs but, he doesn't seem regretful. If anything, he seems kind of determined, as though fuelled by the challenge ahead of him instead of cripplingly fearful. No more second guessing. No more doubts.
I've never seen Jaune like this before.
"Y-you're…" He huffs then glares. "Gonna have to do better than that!"
With a roaring war cry and feet thundering against the floor, Jaune bounds straight back into the fray with his spirit emblazed.
Yes! That's done it!
"Aw yeah! You go, Jaune!" Rallies Ruby.
"Knock his block off, Vomitboy!" Yells Yang.
Sparks crackle as a spree of rapid-fire sword-swings crash against mace. The accuracy of his swings hasn't exactly improved any, but the speed, the rate, the onslaught of flailing steel is still unmatched compared to how he was before. There are stray strikes still, but for every overreaching swing or deflected blow, Jaune's quick to raggedly rebound and relentlessly slam into his opponent once again.
The clashing sounds of their weapons is ear-splitting.
"Look at him!" Says a giddy Ruby. "He's all fired up now! He even said something kinda cool sounding!"
"It hasn't really done his swordplay any good, though," comments a less impressed Yang. "Eh. Maybe it'll hurt like hell when it finally hits."
Hm. She does have a point. Despite the second-wind his opponent's gotten, Cardin's bar hasn't moved an inch. All of Crocea Mors attacks aren't making purpose with the man himself, only his mace and from the looks of things, he hasn't imbued it with his Aura either.
Nor has he attempted to mount a counter-attack. Is he waiting? Biding his time for his opponent to tire? Odd. No disrespect to Jaune or anything but, with those reckless strikes of his, Cardin could easily counter him at any moment. He knows how.
Why isn't he? Why is taking this tactic with him?
"Hey Yang," starts Ruby. "Why does Cardin have a block? And why do we want Jaune to knock it off?"
"His head's the block," replies Yang.
"His head's a block?! Woah!" The younger sister gasps in passing surprise. "Huh. Weird. It doesn't look like a block. It looks more like two mountains crushed together."
"No, Ruby. It's a figure of speech. His head isn't litera-" The older sisters stops, pauses for a moment, and then shrugs. "You know what? Yeah, no. Crushed mountains. I can roll with that."
Hm. That's… certainly a description for it. I suppose his chin is rather craggy?
Ruby leans over the railing and cups her mouth, "Fall on your face, crag-face!"
Cardin's eyes flicker irritably in her direction, snarling as he considering yelling at us for a brief instant.
In that brief instant, he stops paying attention to Jaune.
And it costs him.
Slash!
A stunning hit, carved straight down from shoulder to chest in one solitary powerful chopping motion. It's a manoeuvre completely unlike every other slash Jaune had swung before, fully capitalized by the momentary distraction. Cardin stumbles back, hand snapping up to the struck area, his mouth painfully agape as he stares straight at his opponent.
Everyone in the arena stops breathing, in sheer disbelief at what just happened. I glance at the Aura bar, its once full bar dropped down to ninety-one percent, confirming to everyone that what just happened indeed happened.
He hit him.
He actually hit him.
Jaune hit Cardin!
The significance isn't lost on the man himself. A burning fury engulfs his face, melting away his leathery composure. He looked down on Jaune, took him for an easy win, didn't expect anything from him whatsoever. He tried to turn him into some screwed-up statement maker for him and he ate his first hit for his troubles. With that strike carried a message.
'I'm not going to go down that easily.'
An understanding casts over on Cardin's features. A familiar cast of dread bares down on me. He rolls his shoulder…
And tosses his mace into his left hand.
The air in the room shifts completely as, for the first time since the match started, Cardin takes the initiation and guns straight for Jaune.
Reeling, Jaune raises Crocea Mors to block but, with a single strike, the blade is batted across the arena and clatters against one of the faraway walls. He topples over, unable to stand against the sheer force. Unarmed and fully aware of the impending brutality, the knight spots his discarded shield nary a few feet away and scurries towards it. He snatches it up.
Bash!
The mace hammers into the shield, hard enough to break an arm. From the agonized yell coming erupting from Jaune, it sounds like it would've. His Aura dips down to eighty-one, despite blocking the attack.
Another blow rains down him, sending him stumbling back. Seventy-four.
Another. Sixty-eight.
Another. Sixty-two.
Another. Another. Another! Cardin has completely foregone any forethought or predation in his aggression, his once purposeful strikes now nothing more than brutish wailing. Jaune's defence isn't solid, he could easily bypass it, but he doesn't care enough to. Out goes his brain: In comes mindless brutality.
He's lost it.
Jaune's… not holding up so well. Every shrapnel splitting strike is pure agony for him, a bombardment of endless wrecking-ball grade blows bashing him back onto the floor constantly. There's no opportunity to attack: to counterattack, to retreat, to even think. A direct hit to sends him back first against the arena wall, pincering him between both it and Cardin.
Now he's truly stuck.
The blows rain down again. Again. Again. Again! Each with the additional searing pain of having his silhouette embedded into the wall. Jaune isn't even allowed time to rest anymore, to fall down for a moment's reprieve.
This… this is horrid. It's savage. This is no different from a damn Beowolf attack, just let it end already! Please!
Stop hurting him, you bastard!
Cardin finally stays his hand, glancing up at the board. Jaune's Aura is at twenty-three percent, mere metres away from hitting critical and ending the fight. Smirking, proud at 'avenging himself,' he eases up and steps back, allowing Jaune to 'fall before him.'
But Jaune doesn't fall. His foot, almost subconsciously, skids out to stabilise him. It's shaky, certainly worn and weak yet, somehow, it still has the power to hold him up.
His breath comes out in rags as he holds onto his shield with every last amount of zapped strength he has left. It's taken everything out him to keep up that defence the entire time but, still, he's refusing to simply fall down and call it quits.
Cardin's proud smirk disappears completely, smothered by a fuming rage.
He puts both hands on his mace hilt, winds up the mace behind his head and roars at him.
"Stay the hell down!"
He swings!
The horn blares.
"That's enough!"
The mace stops dead, millimetres away from connecting with Jaune's shield, as we all turn to a stone-faced Professor Goodwitch.
"This match is over. Cardin Winchester is the winner."
Making it official, Goodwitch taps on her Scroll and a green and red hue coat Cardin's and Jaune's names respectively.
I… guess that's it then. The match is really over.
"What?!" Cardin shouts indignantly, spinning on the Professor. "No! Are you kidding me?! What are you doing?!"
"I'm doing what any sensible person would do, Mister Winchester," she replies evenly. "Had I left you both be, Mister Arc ran the risk of being seriously injured. Thus, I made the decision to stop the fight."
"What the hell?! That wasn't in the rules. You can't do that!"
Despite the heat behind them, his words do raise the question that Ruby vocalises for us, "Is that not allowed?"
"I don't recall her mentioning it," I admit.
"I'd argue it is," Pyrrha speaks up, prompting us three to turn to her. "The rules of which our spars are based on are the exact same used by the most prominent fighting circuit in Vale, which employ referee stoppages into their matches. There had been several cases of combatants suffering severe in-match injuries plaguing the circuit for years."
Her face winces in remembrance, "It took one fighter almost suffering a fatal neck injury before it was finally implemented."
Yang hisses, as if to share Pyrrha's pain, "Geez. Never thought the professional circuit was such a war-zone. It's probably better she stopped the fight then."
I gaze down at Jaune, watching as he wobbles away from the wall as though his limbs are wriggling back into their sockets. His Aura should be taking care of the pain right about now. Had the fight been allowed to continue as it did…
"Y-yeah…" I nod along with Yang before turning to Pyrrha. "You sure know a lot about professional fighting rings, Pyrrha."
"A-ah. I'm just an avid fan, that's all," she replies. For a split second, it seemed like her eyes bulged. That's… curious.
"Look!" Cardin shouts from below, still arguing with Professor Goodwitch with his mace pointing towards the screen. "We've still got a minute left! He still has Aura! This fight is nowhere near over!"
"It is, and I say it is. There's nothing to be gained from continuing this fight. Take the victory, Mister Winchester," the teacher replies, a hint of irritation seeping into her voice.
"Victory?!" He balks, as if to hurl. "This isn't a victory. I haven't won crap! I am not winning because of a bullshit technicality!"
The younger man storms straight towards her, the tiles beneath rumbling with every step. He squares up to her, puffing up his chest like a lion, and audaciously bears down on her domineeringly as he screams in her face.
"Restart the fight! Now!"
"Don't you dare take that tone with me, Cardin Winchester!"
Goodwitch doesn't take his hostility kindly, easily measuring up to her student with a height even more impressive than Pyrrha's. Her features harden like refined steel as her crop rests threateningly underneath Cardin's chin.
"I don't know if the teachers at your previous combat academy accepted it, but that kind of attitude will not be tolerated here at Beacon Academy and we have a very thorough disciplinary department to make certain it isn't," she growls, verbally smacking the younger boy down. "Am I making myself very clear?"
The intensity in Cardin's eyes dissipates quickly, the glare turning into something akin to a dying campfire. He hides his intimidation through a defiant scowl and barely hearable grumblings but, clearly, the message has been well and truly received.
"Don't ever speak to a member of staff like that again, Mister Winchester."
As she relinquishes her crop from his chin, Goodwitch glances over to spot a thoroughly intimidated Jaune walking warily towards them.
Goodwitch clears her throat, "Now, both of you, your match is over. Mister Arc, please go retrieve your weapon."
Sneaking a second glance at Cardin, Jaune shakenly nods and goes to pick up Crocea Mors.
With the match officially over, our other classmates in the arena are quick to freely speaks their minds about what the hell just happened, chattering noisily amongst themselves.
"Shit, man. Cardin just got told."
"That wasn't as big of a car-wreck as I thought it'd be."
"Yeah. Really thought that Jaune guy would get totalled but, he did better than I thought he would."
"So what? It's not that impressive. His Aura dulls the pain, doesn't it?"
"Not immediately, and Cardin was raining down on him pretty hard too. Guy just wouldn't stay down."
"Still didn't win, though."
"He's a crap fighter but, damn, I expected way worse."
"I know."
"Arc survived Winchester."
A small smile breaks out on my face. I wouldn't call it a one-eighty shift or anything but, everyone's opinions are changed quite heftily from how it was before the match started. Granted, everyone was expecting a complete train crash but, a step up from train crash is still a step up. He gave that fight everything he had. For as minuscule as it seems, it's still something. He can be proud of that much.
Now, as for her person he was trying to impress…
I glance up at her.
Weiss is still there, still with that damn Scroll in her hands, still not paying a single iota of attention to the events transpiring below. She averts her eyes slightly, only to look at me with eyes half-lidded. She shakes her head disappointedly then returns to her Scroll without even another glint.
She's not impressed. No, why would she be? She probably came into this fight seeking to be disappointed.
If you're so confident, why don't you go down there and take on Cardin? Show us how you would do it?
I sigh a groan. Exasperating. She's so bloody exasperating.
Boom!
An explosion pierces my eardrums. A shriek, several shrieks ring through the arena. What the hell was that?! I spin around.
Smoke. Violently pluming smoke and crumbling rubble, coming from the largest wall in the arena, behind the holographic screen. A thick dusty crater at the bottom is the cause of this destruction. I scan around the floor for the source.
There. Steam hissing from the tip of an onyx mace, standing above discarded sword and shield. Cardin, with both arms, is holding it and staring the newly-made crater down.
I stop breathing. No. He didn't. No, he bloody didn't!
"Jaune!"
"Wha- What did he do that for?!" Ruby yelps out.
Yang slams an irate fist on the rails, "What's his problem?! He already won! He had no reason to do that!"
"Apparently that wasn't good enough for him," says Pyrrha, having leapt up from her seat when the blow connected.
Cardin rounds on the teacher, teeth bare, pointing at the destruction he's made and roaring out in frustration, "There! Now I won! Was that so damn hard?!"
A bit of railing cracks from underneath Pyrrha's fingertips, "He's disgraceful."
With a flick from crop, Professor Goodwitch disarms Cardin and begins to holler at him for his disobedience and for needlessly assaulting a student.
I don't care. Screw it. Screw him. The smoke's yet to clear from the debris and I've yet to see Jaune walk out of there safe. I'm restless. I'm restless and I don't care. I can't rest until I see him okay. My voice scrapes out, "Can anyone else see Jaune?! I-I can't see him! Is he alright?!"
Little by little, the thick smoke begins to fade away and a prone figure lies amongst the destruction.
Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay. Please, oh please, be okay!
The smoke clears.
Jaune… isn't okay.
"Oh my gosh," Ruby gasps, both hands instinctually clasping her mouth.
Blood. Blood's leaking from the back of Jaune's head. It's pooling out, and he hasn't even twitched a muscle.
The classroom descends into panic. A few scream, others yell out, several are caught in hysteria. Almost nobody is in there seat anymore.
"Everyone! Remain calm and stay in your seats!" Professor Goodwitch commands, eying the situation critically. She turns in Jaune's direction but, not before she sticks her crop up at a still Cardin and addresses him with a tone that's deathly cold. "You. Move even an inch from this spot and I'll have you thrown out of this academy before you even breathe."
He barely manages a nod as Miss Goodwitch runs off to check on Jaune's condition, instantly dialling her Scroll on her way there. She's already planned exactly what she's going to do.
Now, me? What am I going to do about this?
"Move over."
"H-huh?" I blurt out, swirling around at the voice.
Plum purple flashes before my eyes. The girl from before, the narcoleptic that had been snoozing behind me for the entire fight, leaps over the railing with her school bag and Scroll in tow. She jumps down to the arena floor, and races towards the bleeding Jaune. Goodwitch is quick to intercept her with a furled brow and some selective words but, with a flash from her Scroll and a few words of her own, Goodwitch nods and allows the girl past.
What the hell's going on? What does she think she's doing?
Better yet, what the hell am I doing? Why aren't I down there? I can't stand here. I… I have to help him!
Mimicking her, I pull myself over the railing and hop down to the floor below.
"Eren!" Ruby calls after me but I don't stop.
I sprint forward upon touching down, racing towards him. The plum-haired girl is dumping everything out from her bag, fetching out a first-aid kit fallen out from it.
J-Jaune, h-his face, his hair… they're covered in his blood. There's enough pouring out to dye him a fine misty red.
This is grotesque. I don't want to see anyone I care about like this. I couldn't bare it.
"Mister Liddell," Professor Goodwitch intercepts me, still too far away from them. She narrows. "I distinctly remember telling everyone to stay in their seats!"
"B-but, Miss! I-I…" I splutter, shaking my head. "I can't just sit there and watch! There has to be something I can do to help!"
"Mister Liddell, do you have any medical experience or any experience in general with handling head trauma?" She asks simply. I… lower my head. No. I've never even touched a first-aid kit in my life, never learned how. I didn't really think about how I'd help him, just that I wanted to. So desperately.
I didn't think. I didn't think at all.
She sighs, but her voice takes a gentler turn, "I understand that you're concerned for your teammate's well-being but, there's nothing you can do here. I'm afraid you'd only be in the way."
I glance over at him, worry clutching my heart, "…What's going to happen to him?"
Miss Goodwitch pauses, "The situation is very delicate. I've called for a team assigned from our infirmary division to come here for assistance. They'll be here in a few minutes. They'll assess his condition. The severity of head injuries like this, as well as the aftereffects such an injury can have on a person is quite vast and we're unsure whether the injury only pierced the skin…" She pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Or if it had cracked the skull. He may require transferring to a hospital."
I wince. That's… some serious level injuries there. The kind that could be permanent, that could potential change his whole life if it's severe enough. Concussions, brain damage, injuries that could land Jaune in a psychiatric ward for the rest of his life.
Don't be that bad. Please don't be that bad. He doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve a fate that cruel.
"I'll allow you to stay here for the time being but, please, stay out of the way and let us work. We'll inform you and your team on what will be happening. I must get back to work." Goodwitch turns around and makes her way back to the girl and Jaune.
…She's a professional. Professor Goodwitch, she's a professional Huntress. She's dealt with these kinds of injuries before. She'll make sure he'll be safe, she has to. If… if he doesn't…
"I… I didn't mean to."
You.
Cardin. His eyes haven't left Jaune's spot since that strike. A strike he made, "I didn't- Th-that wasn't supposed to happen. He… He had Aura! He was supposed to take the hit!"
Supposed to?
Supposed to. As if that excuses him, as if that makes him innocent, as if he's somehow a victim for something he did. He sent my teammate careening into a wall, and he wants to make bloody excuses?!
You son of a bitch.
I stare at him, stare at him like I'm staring at a monster. He makes eye-contact once with me and reels back as if I'm pointing a gun at him.
"Stop it. Stop looking at me like that! This wasn't supposed to- He was supposed to- I'm not-"
His fault?
You're making this his fault? As if you gave him a choice? As if he forced your hand? As if you didn't have any part in the blood gushing from his head? You couldn't stand a referee stoppage, and somehow, you're making him the bad guy?!
You piece of shit.
"This isn't my fault!"
"Yes. It is."
My words come out emotionless, the blazing beaten down fire burning hotly taking its place within. If there weren't thirty-five people staring down at me right now, I'm pretty sure I would've hurled myself at him and started strangling him until he stopped breathing.
Because right now, my self-control is teetering, and I'd love nothing more than to let it drop.
A/N: Behold! The chapter that should've been finished earlier but I was never happy with!
Yeah, thought the transition back into fight scenes after so long would've been easier but, that wasn't the case. I don't think Jaune Vs. Cardin flowed nearly as well as some of the other fights I've done before. Admittedly, it was always going to be a more story-driven fight rather just outright action what with Jaune being reckless skilless Jaune but, I was honestly really excited to see how it would turn out and it just never clicked with me.
So, yeah. Tanky is terrible with releasing on time. What else is new? Next chapter's obviously going to be pretty hefty so, I'm just going to shut my mouth on when it'll be released. I don't know how you people put up with me, honestly.
Also, I swear guys, I like Jaune. Really. I do. Honest. He just fits being a victim so well. I truly like him! Really! Why won't anyone believe me?! AAAHHH!
Anyway, thank you very much for reading! If you have any opinions on the story so far, be them good or bad, be sure to review and let me know. Constructive criticism is always encouraged!