Chapter Six: ARES
Tick
Tick
Tick
The constant ticking of Professor Port's desk clock seemed to only get louder and louder as the farfetched story of his droned on and on. He was going on about a Death Stalker and how he had single handedly killed the beast or something to that effect. The majority of Team ZERO had barely been able to focus at all during classes all day. After this class, they were to engage in a team versus team sparring match. Ella was jotting down notes faster than lightning, seeing as she was the only one who could still focus. Orion was having trouble keeping up, being that he wasn't always the brightest of students, so he ended up just doodling in a little notebook. Where he lacked in academic prowess, he made up for in heart and loyalty. Zane was snoring lightly in his chair next to Rizu, having fallen asleep shortly after the lecture started. Rizu was listening to some techno music in his headphones, tapping his finger on the desk softly. The group was able maintain their peace, until Professor Port caught three of the four members goofing off.
"Ahem! Mister Noctis!", Port sounded off, getting the attention of all except Rizu, who couldn't hear.
Zane woke with a start,"I didn't do it you can't prove that I did!"
The rest of the class barreled over in laughter, earning Zane nothing but embarrassment and shame. He simply sat down and nudged Rizu to take his headphones off, which he reluctantly complied.
"Right-o then. Mister Noctis how's about you and your...team leave early Hm? If I recall you have an important match in about an hour. You should maybe focus all your precious energy preparing instead of wasting time when I am trying to tell a riveting story!"
"Y-Yeah. C'mon guys lets Uh...get out of here", he said awkwardly, picking up his books and adjusting the tie on his uniform.
Zane lead the way out of the classroom with the rest of his group following suit. They said no words, but they knew what each of them was thinking. Team ZERO had all of a few hours of experience actually working together. Up until initiation, the four teens practically were at each other's throats. They had no clue what they would be up against in terms of their opponents, Team ARES.
Orion broke the silence,"So...do we know anything about Team ARES?"
"Not that I have heard", Ella sighed,"Since we didn't have a ceremony for naming teams like in past years, I have no clue who they are"
"Maybe we could check the training room", Rizu stated,"If they are there then we might be able to asses them"
"What about you? You can't...well you can't really asses if you can't see...", Zane said carefully, not wanting to incur the wrath of his comrade.
Rizu sighed softly and put his sunglasses on,"Yeah but you three could at least tell me what you see. That way I could make my own assessment"
With a simple nod from Ella and Orion, the team set off towards the training room. As Orion opened the doors for them, the three members with sight gaped at what they saw. The training room was decked out with all sorts of equipment. Weapon racks, a small shooting range, a Dust station, compartments full of training dummies, practice equipment a boxing ring were barely the start of the amount of equipment stored inside. What was more amazing to them was what seemed to be an elite fighting team. Team ZERO stood at one of the walls and just observed, save for Rizu who just listened. One of the instructors turned and saw them, seeming angry.
"Hey! Nobody is allowed in here! This is reserved for Team ARES until the match!", he barked, only to be knocked down by his sparring partner.
The offender was a raven-haired young woman. Her hair was strung into a single, long braid that stretched down to her behind, the dark color of her hair accenting her intense, garnet orbs, glaring down at her instructor. She was wearing a red tank top and black gym shorts, her assets showing as well as her toned muscles and core. The ravenette took a sip from a water bottle before tossing it away.
"C'mon! Let them watch us who cares! Get up and fight back! You got me all riled up so let's dance!", she sadistically remarked.
"Sister...you really must learn to control your rage. As much as you rely on it to fight, remember that your strength can be used against you", said a shorter girl off to the side.
The younger looking female had long golden locks that fell perfectly to her waist. Her bored-looking amber eyes were fixed on the dark haired girl, as she sat in a chair next to the ring, twirling the ends of a golden whip between her fingers, her face flat and devoid of emotion. She was wearing a sunrise-orange colored shirt covered by a small red-leather jacket with white jeans and red high-heel boots. Zane couldn't tear his eyes away from her if he tried.
"Whatever sis. How are the other two doing?", the muscular female asked the beautiful blonde.
She set down her whip in her lap and looked over her shoulder,"Seems that they are doing just fine"
In the direction she was looking were two more teenagers. They seemed about the same age as the first two. The first was a blonde Faunus with what looked like weasel-like ears on his head. He had donned a plain white t-shirt with blue jeans and brown combat boots. He was tall and toned, his arms chiseled and solid. His jade eyes were focused and peerless, never taking his eyes off of those of his opponent. The weasel-man was wielding a wooden longsword, deftly defending and parrying his opponents strikes. Ella could feel her cheeks light up as she kept staring. They lit up even more when he spoke.
"Ha! Take zat! You are getting faster, but you must admit...my defense is eh...top-notch non?", he teased, his accent light but clear.
"Tch...stop screwing around and give me a real challenge you stupid rodent!", the last girl seethed playfully.
This last girl had short brown hair, the longer top end was swept to the left, semi-covering her left eye, them radiating a fierce emerald color. She had pale skin and wore a green tank top with matching shorts and used dual practice Rapiers, her attacks swift and precise. A smile was clear on her face as she kept sparring. As the instructor finally got up, he groaned in pain and bumped knuckles with the female with ebony hair.
"Okay guys that's enough for right now. Take a break...ugh I need a pill", the middle-aged man moaned as he stepped out of the ring, heading to the bathroom.
The blonde beauty stood and walked towards Team ZERO, a friendly smile on her face as she reached her hand out towards Zane, much to his shock. He took it without another thought nonetheless.
"Hi. I'm Eos Nikos. That's my sister over there Areana. Over there is Roland and Si-...", her words cut off when she looked towards the group's lion-like Faunus,"O-Orion?! Is that you?"
Orion stood agape,"Eos! It's you! C'mere you!", he said in an abnormally happy way, giving her a big bear-...lion hug.
"Oh gosh it's been too long! You never told me you were coming to Beacon!", she cooed, letting him go.
"I know I'm sorry. Oh! How's little Pyrrha doing? She must be about seven now right?"
"Yup! She's so strong! Oh and even bigger news, she already has learned to use her aura! Isn't that great?"
Zane interrupted,"I-I'm sorry but uh...I'm guessing you two know each other?"
Orion blushed a little,"Y-Yeah. The Maxima's and the Nikos' have been family friends for ages. Eos, Areana and I used to play and train when we were younger. I would be trash if it wasn't for their help"
The girl labeled as Areana leaped out of the ring and charged at Orion like a bull,"ORION!"
"Oh shi-OOF!"
The tough female tackled him to the floor and put him in a headlock, chuckling heartily.
"Been too long ya oaf!", she laughed, holding on with Herculean strength.
"L-Let go! C'mon save it for the sparring session okay?", he pleaded.
After her laughter dies down she lets go, helping him up and playfully slugging him in the arm before standing next to Eos.
"So then! Who are these friends of yours?", Areana asked, her unwavering eyes scanning the whole of Team ZERO"
"The name's Zane"
"Ella's my name, Dust is my game"
"...Rizu"
Eos smiled softly,"What a nice group of comrades you have found Orion. Now-"
"...wait...", a cold and pained voice came from the other end of the room.
The brunette who had been fighting the weasel suddenly picked up a real rapier. Her eyes burned with disgust, pain, sadness and rage all at the same time. She ran towards the blind teen, leaping and raising her right blade for a slash right towards his throat. Rizu's senses kicked in, his left arm shooting up and blocking the blow, the blade shattering against his metallic arm.
"Y-You...you bastard!", the girl cried, trying to lunge at him again only for Areana to hold her back.
Rizu's empty eyes widened behind his shades,"...S...Sirena?!"
"Hold on a minute. This is the Sirena you were talking about?", Ella asked, genuinely shocked.
"Yes...this is her", was his solemn reply as he stepped towards her,"Sirena...I...I thought you had died in that building"
"Well I didn't. You trained me so you should know better", she spat.
"Yes...I suppose I should have. Had I known I wouldn't have let my guard down. I'm sorry you thought I abandoned you...", he said lowly, his voice pained and again...hateful, but more towards himself.
Areana let Sirena go for the girl to get a little closer to him and give him a hug, smiling a little as a tear cascaded down her cheek. After a few seconds she realized what was happening and shook off her sentiment, clearing her throat.
"Seems we have a lot of catching up to do, but I think that we have to focus more on the match", she said bluntly, crossing her arms.
"Yes. As a matter of fact we do. Seems that our session is in about 30 minutes", Ella stated, matter-of-factly.
With a nod and another round of handshakes, Team ZERO departed, making their way to the dorm to prepare themselves for the upcoming match. Rizu trailed behind the rest, his hand on the wall as a guide for direction. As they got the dorm and changed, Ella became increasingly worried about Rizu's attitude, seeing him sharpen his blade vigorously. She cautiously walked up to him.
"Rizu...are you okay? I know that Sirena is a close frie-", she was abruptly cut off.
"This changes nothing. In the arena, they are not friends. They are foes", he snapped,"I'm sure Orion will treat the Nikos sisters just as I will treat Sirena"
His voice was sharp like winter's chill. He loaded his revolver and bolstered it, retracting his blade into the handle along with it, attaching it to his belt. Ella just sighed and slid her hands into some red gloves that she had embedded with Fire Dust in the morning before class.
"Time to test these out", she muttered to herself, smiling as they began to glow with a bright crimson color as she generated a fireball in her hand before blowing it out.
"Nice gloves Ella", Zane cheered, patting her back.
"Thanks. This way I can call upon my fire without a canister. And I can shape it better", she explained, sounding like a giddy child.
Orion loaded the last of his arrows into his quiver, standing up and folding the bow into it's axe form to signal that he was ready, and with unified nod, the group was finally prepared. Zane led them all to the sparring arena, his chest puffed out and he was smirking proudly, but was met with no reaction, surprised by the lack of students in the halls. It would be around lunch time, so students would usually be wandering about, or at least heading to the cafeteria. As prepared as the team was for battle, nothing could have prepared them for what would happen when they opened that door.
A/N: Alright! I know it's kinda short but it will allow me for more detail for the big battle. I also wanna thank all the supporters for the Embers project! Please follow my story for updates in the future and I'll see you all next time!