Weiss stood in the corner of a relatively empty training room, watching as Ruby strode back and forth, swinging Crescent Rose in a wide arc around her. Ruby had been raging for the better part of an hour, pacing the room like a caged animal.
"They shouldn't be here, Weiss, and you know it. The fact that Jaune would bring them here on a whim is enough to make me want to give him another scar. I swear, he hasn't changed at all. He's still that stupid kid from the country, doesn't know how to do anything right. I don't care how qualified they are. They probably haven't even taken their first real Hunter job."
Weiss couldn't help it. She laughed.
Ruby glared at her. "What's so funny?"
"You haven't changed as much as you'd like to think, Ruby. You're still the same girl I met on my first day at Beacon. You're tough, but you're still a child in so many ways. I was worried that I would never get to see you being a kid again. But now I have."
"Are you saying that I'm being unreasonable?" Ruby forced herself to calm a bit. Going over it in her mind, she noticed her voice had cracked half way through her speech, and that it had become increasingly whiny as it progressed. Inside, she sighed. 'I was being childish, I guess.'
"No, I'm saying that it's good that you're still here. And I agree with you. These newcomers shouldn't be here. Not yet, anyway. But I also know next to nothing about them. That's why I said a sparing contest. I'm interested in how they can handle themselves."
As she finished, Yang, Blake, and Pyrrha walked in.
"We set the time for the match in a few hours. It's set up for one on one displays, but it's not preset, so you guy's can choose who fights who when the match starts."
Pyrrha was nervous, obviously worried Ruby would demand an explanation from her. But Ruby had calmed enough to know that getting upset about it wasn't going to fix anything.
"That's fine. Why don't you go and make sure Jaune's alright? I don't want him to be to upset with me."
Pyrrha was relieved, and left with a nod. The girls converged in the center of the room.
"So how do you want to play this, Ruby?" Yang was feeling good, always ready for a fight.
"I want to take on the leader, obviously, but as far as the others go, I don't know. How do you guys feel?"
Weiss said, "I'll take on the spear user. He looks like the least experienced one, so I want to see how strong he is. Although the rabbit faunus would be a close second." She didn't mention that she had chosen the spear user for the fact that he had an incredibly cocky air to him. 'Reminds me of my early days at Beacon.
Blake thought about it for a second, then said "I liked the weapons that the cat faunus had. I guess I'll take her on. I'm curious as to how she uses them."
"I guess that leaves the rabbit for me. But don't underestimate them. Even if it was a bad idea, Ozpin wouldn't have sent them if he didn't think they were capable."
The others nodded, but each one secretly thought they had an easy win.
The 2 teams met in a wide, walled off arena set on the north side of the fortress, shaped like a circle, which was about 100 yards across and divided evenly into 4 types of terrain. One quarter was filled with short but thick trees, another had sand dunes, one was wide grass, and the last was rocky and uneven.
The arena had been installed when the fortress had been first constructed, and Jaune, after retaking the base, had commissioned it to be fixed up and maintained for training purposes. It was a marvel to look at. The trees and grass were maintained by the soldiers, who upheld their duties diligently. Nothing like a bit of gardening in wartime.
Each fight would take place in a different section, and each of the sections were walled off themselves. It was meant to train new troops to fight in as many situations as they could, but in this case, the fights would happen one at a time, and each would be observed by the members not participating. Also observing were a hundred or so off duty soldiers, many of whom were placing bets. From what they could tell, the soldiers were banking largely on RWBY to come away as the victor. Yang fed on the hype of the crowd, enjoying the feeling they gave her. Weiss, on the other hand, was rather sickened by it, having been forced to perform since she was a young girl. 'Tune them out,' she thought to herself.
First up was Blake and the feline women. They had agreed to fight in the trees. Due to the cover of the canopy, the observers would be relying on mobile camera drones as well as stationary cameras within the trees themselves.
Before she jumped in, Blake kissed Yang on the cheek and whispered, "when this is over, we need to talk."
Without waiting for a response, she dropped in on one corner of the small forest, while the other faunus did the same on the opposite side. The two teams and the crowd settled in to watch. A holo-screen appeared above the station, and projected multiple camera views for the gathered crowd.
Blake landed softly on the floor of the forest. The trees were only about 20 feet tall, so hopefully it wouldn't restrict her movement too much. Do to her fighting style, she preferred open encounters to these close quarter, walled off spaces. She was a fair distance from where her opponent had entered.
"START!"
Jaune was acting as announcer to the fights, and his voice rang out over the arena.
She decided that offense was probably her best bet, and began sprinting through the trees towards her opponent, moving swiftly, sometimes using the trees as spring boards as she bounded through the growth.
She made the halfway point between where they had started, and saw her opponent had had the same idea. They caught sight of each other almost simultaneously. Blake smiled to herself, and charged her opponent, unsheathing Gambol Shroud. Her opponent had already drawn her weapon, which was different than before. Now she had a katana, a single edge blade with a slight curve in it. The weapon was made of blood red steel, with a black and red cross pattern along the hilt. An unfamiliar character was etched into the blade just above the cross guard.
They met in the middle of a slightly larger than normal gap between some trees, and the fight began.
Ruby was mildly surprised by the change in weapons, but decided that it was probably for the best. Katanas had very set and standard fighting styles, greatly reducing the odds of her preforming unexpected maneuvers. She did notice that the spear user had a smug smile on his face.
Gambol Shroud clashed with the katana, Blake having kept the weapon in one piece for now. A shower of sparks rained from the point where they connected, and in that moment, Blake got her first real look at her opponent.
She was short-ish, standing at about 5'4", with shoulder length burnt auburn hair streaked with black stripes. Her ears were orange on the outside, black on the inside, and her skin was very pale, looking almost like Weiss's. She had no makeup or eyeliner on. Her eyes where an attractive green color.
She wore an elegant, yet simple outfit, a tight black sleeveless leather jerkin and form fitting, yet flexible black pants. She also wore black shoes that wouldn't have looked out of place on a ballet studio floor. Her movements were sure and swift, and behind them was a strength that must have been born from a rough early life. Her eyes showed little, if any, emotion.
The clang of their swords was undercut by the talk of the hundred or more soldiers watching. They were evenly matched, but each also kept close to the ground, striking, countering, and blocking as they felt out each others' techniques. Blake found that the girl was playing mostly defensively, focusing on blocking more than striking. during one particularly vicious exchange, however, she suddenly dropped into a crouch, spin kicking. Blake was thrown into the air, and the girl came upward with a slash, the force of it throwing her back.
Blake landed on her feet, slashing hard and intercepting an incoming strike, knocking it away and lashing out at the presented opening. The girl raised her arm, blocking the strike with her aura.
The two broke away from each other, taking stances across the small bit of open space. Deciding it was best to end this early, since she had only wanted to fight her to see her use her other weapons, Blake split Gambol Shroud in two, and attacked in earnest. It started out pretty even, despite the drastic differences in fighting styles. Somehow, the newcomer was able to predict and defend against all her attacks, while making no attempt of her own.
Blake gave a dual slash, attempting to cross cut her opponent, but she moved back, slashing with her katana at Blake's leg. Blake jumped upward, using the Shroud to block as her sword slashed, sliding across the woman's aura and forcing her to the ground. The woman twisted, kicking her legs out at opposing angles as she stood on her hands. Blake was forced back as her foot struck shroud, the force jarring her hand and forcing her to drop it.
Now armed simply with her sword, she opened fire, rounds of elemental ammunition flying at high speed towards the girl. Her motions suddenly increased in speed, and she held her ground, slicing at the ammunition as her body blurred. The air in front of her filled with explosions, electricity, and frost as she blocked or sliced the ammunition to pieces. As Gambol clicked empty, Blake dropped the spent magazine, diving forward and grabbing Shroud, which she used to block an incoming strike from her opponent.
Blake managed to load another magazine between strikes as they reengaged. Their movements were pantomime, grace all but forgotten in their dance of blade and bullet. But neither could gain ground as the fought. Blake had avoided using her semblance, having thought she could win without it. But now...
Finally, Blake purposefully left an opening, trying to get her to exploit it. The girl did, her katana attempting to land a savage hit against her leg. In that split second, Blake smiled. Her pistol went off, and she jumped back. In her place now stood a replica made of ice, in which her opponent's sword was embedded. Her shadow double had been augmented with Dust, to create an elemental copy.
The newcomer, instead of trying to recover her weapon, jumped back between two trees. She stood there for a moment, eyes assessing the situation without notable emotion. With a wave of her hands, a new pair of weapons appeared. They were the katars from before, a pair of slim metal gauntlets, from which protruded three long blades that hooked at the end, like claws. The inside edges of the blades were heavily serrated.
Blake took all this in as fast as she could. 'So her semblance must be related to some sort of displacement, allowing her to reach through space, or perhaps into a space, and pull out an item that exists within that space.'
It seemed like a reasonable assumption, and it looked like it fit her well.
Ruby was suddenly very worried. When the newcomer had switched weapons, her stance and style had changed dramatically. Hopefully, Blake would be able to read her movements, but Ruby was no longer sure how this bout would end. 'I guess its my job to worry.'
'That must be what the spear user was so smug about.' Yang thought, before returning her attention to the fight.
Blake stayed where she was, allowing herself to rest for a brief moment. The fight up to now, though it had been short, had been fierce, and the new weapons concerned her. Her opponents stance was unorthodox, and appeared to have both an excess of openings, and no openings. A rookie could be tricked into thinking their opponent was completely exposed, while a veteran might think the defense was too perfect.
Luckily, this wasn't the first time she had seen this stance, although it was the first time she would be fighting against it. Still, she had no clue how her opponent would attack her.
'Guess there's only one way to find out.'
She ran at her opponent, kicking off from a tree as she leaped into the air, planning to dispatch her in one moment. Her opponent raised her weapons as if to block, but left a significant gap towards her right arm. Blake altered her swing.
Gambol Shroud connected with her opponent's shoulder... And passed right through it. Blake hit the ground rolling, her sixth sense saving her as she straightened her legs and launched herself into the air, catching herself on the branch of a tree. A second behind her action was the sound of metal catching dirt as her opponent's weapons sliced through the place she had been moments before.
They made eye contact, and Blake's eyes narrowed. For a moment, it had appeared that... but no, she must have missed, that was all.
Her opponent swung her left arm, and suddenly the claws that had been attached to her gauntlets shot out, flying at Blake with ridiculous speed. Blake dodged again, noticing that the claws were connected to thin wires that trailed back to the gauntlet. She lunged at the wires in an attempt to cut them, but with a hissing noise, the wires retracted, bringing the claws with them. Blake flinched as she felt the metal draw across her aura.
She tried to redirect her movements, but suddenly found the other pair of claws pressing against her throat...
Ruby was watching the screen, wide eyed. Blake's opponent had done something impossible.
"Did you see that?" Yang asked.
"Yes. It was only for a moment, but there's no denying it." Weiss responded.
The newcomer had used Blake's semblance. There was no other explanation. For just a moment, before Blake made contact, the opponent had jumped to the side, leaving an exact copy in her place.
'Blake, did you see what she did?'
Blake winced as Ruby's high pitched voice rang out from her ear piece.
"Yes" she said. There was no denying it. One minute, the blades had been caressing the skin of her arm, the next there was a set at her throat. Blake had managed to perform a simple maneuver, getting out of her opponent's hold and striking back. But her blade just passed through her opponent, who now stood a good 10 feet away.
Somehow, her opponent was able to use her own power against her.
"What should I do?"
'That's up to you. All we are trying to do is see what they are capable of. Well, we know what she can do, and you've already sustained pretty significant damage. The aura reader says you're at about 75% of your starting aura. If you want to keep going, then that's up to you. She's at around 82%."
"I'm going for it. I'm more than a little pissed off right now."
'That's my girl. Kick some ass for me!' (Yang, obviously.)
"You got it."
With that, she charged at the girl.
Now using her semblance regularly, the combat became chaotic to the extreme, each working to out maneuver the other. At times, it appeared there were four combatants, the copies and the originals almost indistinguishable. Blake's mind went into overdrive as she was forced to keep track of a her opponent's multiple movements. Her claws now allowed her to block both of Blake's strikes. Blake pushed back, however, and her own offensive managed to land numerous strikes against her opponent.
The girl jumped back, opening a sizable space between them, and lashed her arms out to either side. The claws rained down towards Blake. She was forced to dodge them for the most part, but they moved like they had a life of their own, striking, pulling back, and slashing again. Her opponent stood straight, hands held aloft as she manipulated the wires and the blades.
Blake began to send shadow blades in her opponents direction, seeking to disrupt her. But her blades ran against the girl's own claws. The result was rather spectacular as the shadow blades exploded in a shower of dust, creating a wall of smoke between them. Suddenly, neither had a view of the other. Blake saw an opportunity and turned, running in the opposite direction, cutting through the trees as she sought to ambush her opponent.
She caught sight of the girl, standing in the middle of the clearing as the smoke dissipated. Her eyes were closed, and her back was to Blake's position. Blake went quiet as she approached the girl through the trees. Despite the crowd above, a near silence settled over the scene. She moved fast, but silently, reentering the clearing, mere feet behind her target, and launched herself into the air, her sword flashing as she sought to strike down her opponent.
"Three fractured ribs, and a broken arm. Mild leg fracture. A dozen large cuts, three times that many smaller cuts and bruises between the two of them. Luckily there was no internal damages. I'm a little amazed you didn't stop fighting. I'm not entirely surprised, since you Hunters have next to nothing in common sense, I suppose."
A pretty, young field medic was going over both of the girls, who had sustained multiple injuries. Even after their auras had been depleted, they had kept fighting, until Yang and the rabbit faunus had jumped in and dragged them apart.
The match was declared a tie by Jaune. Neither of the 2 had sustained lasting or debilitating injury's, and the rabbit faunus had volunteered to heal both party's, explaining that her semblance was the ability to manipulate a body's inner workings, increasing chemical inputs and outputs, locking down or relaxing muscles, and even manipulating mental currents, which could be used to heal injuries in minutes that usually took days or even weeks.
Afterwards, Blake had sulked off, Yang going after her. The rabbit faunus stayed next to the cat faunus, who had fallen asleep on a stretcher bed. Judging from the way she curled up next to her, they were likely a couple.
"So, I guess that means I'm next," Weiss said. It had been unsettling to watch the girls go at it that hard, and she was mildly unnerved at seeing Blake loose control the way she had. She was usually so level headed.
"Remember, don't underestimate them. He may look inexperienced, but I have a feeling there's more to that boy than we know."
"Don't worry, love. I'll be fine."
She gave Ruby a quick kiss, then turned and jumped into her arena. This time, the fight would take place in the flat, grassy plain.
'I hope,' she thought, as she prepared for the battle.
Her opponent stood a good 50 yards away. That was a fairly short distance, and she prepared a speed glyph while she waited for the announcement to start.
...
...
...
"START!"
She released the glyph, sprinting towards her own opponent, who leveled his spear on her, and...
She altered her course just in time, as the newcomer fired a high caliber round from his spear, which had turned into a rifle of some kind. Unable to fully control her turn, she was now more than 20 degrees off of her original course. During her alteration, however, her opponent lunged at her, spear tip glowing oddly. Thanks to her flexibility, she had ducked under it while simultaneously kicking him in the stomach.
Weiss, having too much momentum to simply stop, created another glyph in front of her, jumping and kicking off from it as she changed her direction back towards her opponent. While in the air, she lashed out with her foot again, kicking him in the face and sending him flying.
Having finally spent her momentum, she stood her ground, waiting to see what he would do.
He stood slowly, stretching his neck as he checked for damage. He was 5'7" with light blond hair and a light tan. His weapon was a 5 foot maroon colored wooden staff with a glowing red spear head, and 2 small switches in the middle of the staff itself. Judging from the way he handled it, he was proficient with it in a way only a Hunter could be.
He hit one of the switches, and suddenly smoke began to pour from the butt of the spear, which he started spinning in his hands.
The smoke poured out at an alarming speed, spreading out in a thick sphere to engulf the pair. Weiss activated another glyph, launching herself clear of the smoke, but apparently, that was the plan. As she cleared the envelope, the boy appeared next to her, the handle of the staff slamming into her stomach. She was thrown backwards, twisting in midair, and managed to gain her footing at the last minute, but another shot rang out, and she had to hurl herself sideways to avoid the point of the spear as it buried itself into the ground.
The spear user had made a mistake this time, having thrown the spear rather than attempting to fight her with it. The move seamed habitual, likely used to dispatch opponents quickly, given his combination of moves prior to that. In all likely hood, Weiss was supposed to have been speared. Now unarmed, however, he would be unable to defend against her attacks. She rushed him, moving with grace as she barely touched the ground, sliding past him as she slashed him, her sword cutting across his midsection. The boy was spun in a circle, but his spear hurtled through the air toward the pair of them, and he grabbed it, using his force to slam the flat across her back and again send her off course.
Weiss gritted her teeth, and used another glyph to hurtle into the air, back flipping over another of his strikes. He was spinning his spear with great speed, forming an almost solid wall between them as he smirked at her. "Come now, Heiress, show me what you're made of." His voice rang out in a patronizing manner and she breathed. With a little twirl, she spun in a circle, her sword flashing. A blast of fire blew outward like a flame thrower, engulfing her opponent. But the stream split around his spear, and he began to sprint towards her. As the flame ended, he was suddenly less than a foot away from her.
They engaged, blade against haft, as a flurry of precise strikes rained from them both. Weiss was forced on the defense, her speed suddenly not enough to match her opponents power. The tip of his spear ran down the length of her sword, and she felt heat coming from the tip in waves. She forced herself backward, and created a glyph in front of her, blowing her opponent into a backwards tumble. She took advantage of the opening, using another to propel her forward on light feet. She struck him, point to chest, his aura absorbing the damage but not the impact. He was thrown further, striking the wall of the arena before falling down.
He landed on his knees, but recovered quickly. In her haste, she had rushed in again, seeking to take down a helpless opponent, but she was met with a kick to her exposed side as he kicked her up and over him. She hit the wall sideways, jarring her arm. The sword fell from nerveless fingers as she fell to the ground, where her opponent was waiting. He grabbed her arm and, with surprising strength, threw her. While she was in the air, he set off the charge in the base of his spear again.
The spear sailed through the air towards her, but she managed to twist, activating a glyph to stabilize her. She then gripped his spear as it tried to sail past her. Now armed, she dropped down to the ground, where a second glyph was waiting. She sailed along the ground towards her opponent, who stood, an arm out to either side as if he was planning to stop her momentum. she clenched her teeth.
When they were mere feet from each other, she spun, using the haft of his spear to knock the boy aside. But he grabbed the haft as it struck him,and as he went flying it was ripped from her grasp. However, now he was flat on his back, and her path had taken her within reach of her fallen sword, which she took up as she passed.
she bled off her momentum, stopping on a dime and turning towards her enemy. A third glyph appeared beneath her, this one meant to enhance her physical performance, and she jumped, flying high into the air as Myrtenaster glowed in her hands.
A bolt of lightning flew from the end of her sword, consuming some of the Dust in the reserve, and blasted down towards her enemy. With a resounding explosion, a massive hole was blown into the ground. Smoke, dirt, and bits of grass obscured her vision, but she moved quickly, landing and sprinting into the crater to confirm her victory. Her opponent was no where to be seen.
"I forfeit."
The voice came from the rim of the crater. She exited it warily, finding the spear user, spear in hand, leaning on it as the blade cut into the ground at his feet. A sizzling sound was coming from there, and Weiss caught the scent of burning grass.
"What did you say?" Weiss asked. She was fuming, her attack appearing to have done no damage at all.
"I forfeit. No point in fighting a losing battle. You win."
Weiss was shocked as he strode off. Then she was angry. With a swing of her sword, a line of fire cut across the expanse of grass, colliding with one of the walls.
"Well, at least you had the sense to stop the fight before it got any worse. judging from that blast, you both would have ended up in worse shape than your companions."
The medic was looking them over, although from the looks of things they had barely broken a sweat. Weiss was seething, though she wasn't sure why.
'I won. I should be happy, right?'
But she looked over at Ruby, and saw that she had the same look of concealed rage as the medic looked the boy over, him flirting with her all the while. Yang and Blake had returned, and Blake seemed fairly calm now. Ruby had a recording of Weiss's fight, and would show it to them later.
"Looks like it's finally my turn!" Yang, on the other hand, was trembling with anticipation. Ruby felt a little sorry for her opponent, who looked much weaker than the others. However, Ruby wasn't about to denote her possible skills, since she knew nothing of the rabbit faunus.
"Yang, just remember, do not underestimate her."
"Stop worrying, Sis. I'm ready for anything."
'that statement is missing an 'almost', Yang.' Ruby thought to herself.
Yang readied herself, bouncing on her toes as she prepared to fight.
'I hope this doesn't end to quickly' she thought.
Her opponent was across a range of rocky terrain. The rocks themselves were all solid and stable, but had sharp points the protruded up from the ground.
...
...
...
"START!"
Yang immediately took off, launching herself across the difficult terrain as if it wasn't even there. Her opponent had drawn her weapons, silver plated pistols, from the holsters at her hips. A barrage of gunfire met Yang's approach, but she had ducked behind a boulder before her opponent had opened fire. As it ceased, she jumped, dual blasts launching her into the air, where she returned fire, fireballs flying across the open space towards her opponent, who sprinted sideways, the explosions going off behind her like an action movie reel. The girl's speed was incredible, not quiet as fast as ruby's but definitely up there, and Yang couldn't help being mildly impressed.
All the while, they continued firing at each other. Yang's weapon could do more damage, but her opponent's weapon had more precision. Yang was forced to constantly change direction as the bullets whizzed passed. She did what she could to get closer, but was unable to move within 30 feet without presenting herself as a target. She took cover behind a rock, occasionally jumping upward to send a blast in the girl's general direction.
The girl herself was acrobatic, moving speedily around the exterior wall, firing every so often to keep Yang in cover. Her shots were accurate, and several grazed over her aura when Yang returned fire. She was steadily working her way around to strike at Yang's side, and Yang herself had to constantly change position. She spent her first belts, and wasted several seconds reloading.
Quite suddenly, the faunus's fire was cut off. Yang risked exposing herself to look for the other... and saw nothing. She stepped out from behind the rock wall she had been using as cover, scanning the wall. There was no movement. A tingle on her neck was her only warning.
She lept up into the air, the rock next her being demolished by another hail of gunfire. Yang twisted in the air, striking out with her own shots. She hit the ground, rolled, and came up with her fists raised, considering looking for cover.
But she suddenly felt a tug on the back of her neck. She turned, seeing a tuft of gold sinking slowly towards the ground. One of her opponent's rounds had sliced through a small section of hair.
Yang couldn't hold it back.
She didn't want to hold it back.
"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
'Uh-oh' Ruby thought.
Yang charged her opponent head on, emptying her gauntlets as she did. Behind the newcomer, the wall that separated the terrains crumbled under the explosions. There were also several holes strung along a 25 yard trail of wall. Yang didn't care. As the weapons clicked empty, Yang reached her opponent, swinging hard with her left arm. To her surprise, it met empty air, and a knee buried itself into her gut.
Yang was shocked. Few people had ever got the drop on her while she was raging. That shock turned to anger very fast. A sharp right hook was met with a metallic clash as her opponent's weapons took on a different form, becoming twin Tonfa's.
The Elbow blade was a ritualistic weapon created by a tribe of nomads in the southern plains of the world. They were some of the few who managed to live their lives among the Grimm infested wild lands. The weapons consisted of a rounded handle that connected to the side of a blade, rather than the bottom. The handles could be spun in hand to create a whirling blade, and talented individual could use them to form an iron solid defense against harm.
Yang's gauntlet was redirected, the punch turning her body sideways and opening her up to a solid retaliation kick to the side. Yang grunted, but in her rage she couldn't find a reason to care. Yang screeched as she swung, but her hits continued to be redirected, resulting only in glancing blows. Meanwhile, her opponent continued to land solid kicks. At one point, Yang grabbed her leg, lifting her into the air with the intent to throw her. However, the girl twisted around and lashed out, her foot kicking Yang across the face and snapping her head to the side.
Yang was forced to let go as her body was twisted with the force of the hit, turning in a full circle just in time to catch the next incoming strike with her crossed gauntlets. Each hit fueled her rage that much more, and Yang dove into it as much as possible. Her arms became blurs as she continued to throw punches, her attacks constantly blocked or redirected by the girl's weapons.
Finally, Yang threw a left as hard as she could. The Tonfa, instead of redirecting it, hooked onto the gauntlet, twirling as it forced Yang's arm straight up. A brief opening formed for both girls, and they swung simultaneously. Yang's fist found purchase in her enemy's stomach, while a savage kick snapped her head backwards. Her mind suddenly went fuzzy, her anger bleeding away as she felt a hand on her throat.
For a moment, the newcomer had her, fingers encircled around her neck. She could feel her anger bleeding away, disappearing. Suddenly she was so very, very tired. She collapsed. The newcomer was weaving on unsteady feet. Yang, through rapidly closing eyes, saw the girl as she tried to take a step, and hit the ground.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The medic was silent this time. The girls had been brought out on stretchers, both of them unconscious. They were still unconscious. Yang's injuries had been minor, but the new comer had received a hit the equivalent of being run over by a two ton truck. Between the multiple hits Yang had taken, on top of whatever the newcomer had done to her in the last second of the match, and the one hit to the stomach, both had taken enough damage to wholly deplete their auras, as well as a significant amount of their physical energy.
"... Well, for now, they are both just sleeping. They should wake up soon... I don't think I've ever seen such a savage display... Try to keep them from killing each other when they wake up. Yang looks like the type to hold a grudge."
Blake and the feline were each crouching next to their respective partners. Blake nodded in response to the nurse's statements, but the other one seamed wholly engrossed in her friend's well being. Ruby saw a hint of remorse and longing in her face, as well as the telltale signs of worry.
"So I guess that means I'm up." Ruby was quiet. Everyone was shocked by the last round. Jaune had declared it a a win for the rabbit faunus, since she had remained standing slightly longer. Judging from the condition both fighters were in, Ruby was quite willing to question that call.
She turned to the leader of the other team, who was watching over his team mates. His face had softened significantly. He looked quite a lot like her father whenever he had worried about her and her sister.
"Do you still wish to continue?"
Ruby flinched. His voice was soft, and had a twinge of regret to it. Both sides were now regretting this decision. She was surprised he'd be willing to quit now, but judging from they way he watched the other two members, he was no longer wholly committed to this.
"Not really, but to be honest, if my sister wakes up and finds out I stopped fighting after she went down, things will get a hell of a lot worse."
"Alright then. How about we just spar in an open space. I'm afraid we destroyed their arena."
Ruby looked over at the remains of what had once been a state of the art arena. Now massive holes lined several walls, the grass section had been almost entirely obliterated by Weiss's lighting bolt, and what hadn't had been set on fire. The only sections still in fair condition were the woods, and if Ruby got in there, it would be destroyed as well, and the dunes, which would significantly limit her mobility.
"That works, I guess. The courtyard should work just fine."
"Alright then... my name is Zach, by the way."
He turned and walked off.
Ruby stood a good 65 yards away from her opponent, who had tossed his trench coat to the side. He wore a skintight black muscle shirt and loose-ish black pants with golden trim. On his back were 2 sword sheaths of peculiar design. From them he had drawn a pair of shot-swords, swords with shot guns built into them. The barrels of each were located along the back of the blade. The swords where curved like machetes along the inside, which was sharpened perfectly.
He held them in an unusual stance, one sword held to each side, blades pointed downwards, with his feet spread and knees bent, as if he was a football player. Ruby was sightly worried because two sword fighting could be adapted to many different styles. His current stance meant he could switch between styles on a whim.
Jaune had ordered soldiers to set up thick barricades around the section of grass they planned to use. Two small camera drones orbited the makeshift arena, since it was too dangerous to try and watch from above.
Ruby readied herself, scythe pointed backwards to allow for instant lift. Zach remained where he was, closing his eyes as his feline ears pointed in her direction.
"START!"
Ruby pulled the trigger, and was off as Crescent Rose propelled her through the air. As she neared Zach, she swung hard, figuring he would dodge, and she planned to use her momentum to get away.
Instead, Zach simple ducked under the blow, body bending backward at an incredible angle, knees curling so that his shins touched the ground. As the blade passed over his head, he pulled his own triggers. The shot swords went off, and he was pushed backwards. He spun, inches above the ground, and landed on his feet, stopping his momentum in seconds.
He charged forward, his swords coming in at a dual slash on Ruby's exposed side. She jumped into the air, firing again, and flew sideways. A quick spin of her scythe and she was back on her feet. But her opponent was right behind her, swords coming down on her front. She blocked with the length of Crescent Rose, and fired again.
The scythe threw her sideways, the curved blade making to cut Zach in half. But Zach ducked again, this time kicking upward with one leg, which connected with the armored section of her scythe's blade. The hilt spike on the other end of her weapon dug into the ground, and she was unceremoniously pole vaulted over her weapon. Suddenly, she was air born, the kick having disrupted her direction. She hit the ground, rolling as she was forced to release her hold on Crescent Rose. She jumped back up, assuming an unarmed fighting stance.
Zach made no move to take advantage of the opening, however. He was standing next to Crescent Rose, which he picked up and tossed to her.
"That's pretty heavy. I'm surprised."
Again. Even though it seemed innocent, his framing of the words dug at Ruby. She breathed, and then re-initiated the attack. Her blade swung across the distance between them, and this time, looked like it caught him off guard.
The blade connected with him, throwing him sideways. He hit the ground rolling, dirt and some ice floating in the air from the late freeze. But he regained his feet almost instantly. She rushed him, her scythe a blur in the misty air, snow being thrown in fans by the force of wind coming off it. Zach gave ground, blocking only when necessary. The clang of metal and the smell of gun powder filled the air. Zach's face, during their fighting, lost it's smile, and was now sharply focused.
Her Scythe's blade was too fast and strong for him to block flat out without expending precious energy, so instead he used his blades to knock it off course. Because of this, he sustained numerous small hits, but avoided the major damage. During one particular motion, he saw an opening, and exploited it, kicking her leg as it pivoted, forcing her to trip forward as he directed the same foot upward, kicking her up and back. But at the last moment, she twisted in the air, her scythe clipping him under the chin and sending him in the opposite direction.
Ruby hit the ground hard, going into a tight roll and hitting her feet forcefully. Her scythe raised to block an incoming strike. But Zach was laying flat on his back, on the other side of the arena. And he was laughing. He carefully stood, seemingly shaken, stumbling a bit as he laughed aloud.
As he straightened, he rolled his shoulders, his laughter fading as he said "that hurt. You pack a punch, little sister."
His words rolled over Ruby, and she began to shake. To be honest, he was slightly older than her, probably by a little over a year. Judging from that, he had entered Beacon at a later age than most. But still, no one but Yang was allowed to call her sister, and 'little' was an insult she would not stand for. She charged again, letting her semblance overtake her body as she blurred through the space between them. In half a second she had crossed the 20 yard gap, Crescent Rose whistling through the air.
It never made contact. Her opponent dissipated. There was nothing in front of her. She completed the spin, then fired her weapon, flying sideways and away from the area. A pair of blades slashed down behind her, missing by inches. She thrust Crescent Rose's tip into the ground, flipping over the handle and standing on the weapon. Zach stood motionless a few feet away from where she had aimed her strike. Her mind struggled to process what had happened.
'Is he, like the other one? But no, she had copied Blake's ability, and had left an after image. He had simply disappeared. Or had he? is it possible that... teleportation?'
Ruby's eyes narrowed. It was entirely possible that her opponent could teleport, in which case her speed would have to be her defense. If she could draw out the fight long enough, she might be able to develop his attack pattern, and respond to it.
She jumped off the back of her scythe, and pulled it out of the ground. This time, Zach initiated the fight, jumping in with opposing slashes. She spun her scythe sideways, seeking to block the strike, but he spun at the last moment, his swords colliding with the barrel of her scythe mid spin. The force stopped her spin, and to her shock, forced the scythe from her hands.
Recovering, she dropped down, lashing out with her foot, knocking him off balance long enough for for her to retrieve her scythe, swinging it forcefully at Zach. And he, unable to summon the force to kick away, instead fell backward and lay flat. Her scythe passed over him, and he rolled backward as far as he could, coming up on his feet with his swords out in front. Ruby was still standing away from him, breathing hard.
"How do you think this will end?" she called out to Zach.
"I don't know, but I'm sure we can find out." he called back.
"Alright then," Ruby growled to herself. She pointed her scythe backward. She had maybe half a magazine left in the weapon, while he had fired 4 shots from his swords. She would have to be careful. With a deep breath, she pulled the trigger.
Ruby was launched forward, but halfway through the maneuver, she redirected herself. Left, right, right again, left, one more to add some lift, last shot...
She had launched herself into the air, and used her last shot to put as much speed as she could behind her attack. She hurtled downwards, scythe high over head, and slashed down when she was only a foot or 2 away from her target. Once again, he had vanished.
But Ruby was ready for it. Before she could connect with the ground, she pulled a tight spin, scythe slicing through the air behind her, hitting something solid along the way. She rolled once, then caught herself on her scythe as she turned to face her opponent.
Zach had taken the brunt of the attack with his chest, and judging from the amount of blood coming from the rip in his shirt, he had somehow burnt through his aura within the last few minutes of the battle. He stood straight despite his wound. And he was laughing.
"You're the first person to mark me in a long time. I guess I underestimated you and your team. You win."
Ruby was shocked, not by his surrender, but by his injury. She had never seen anyone burn through their aura that fast. She stood and said "Are you alright?"
Suddenly panicking, she turned and called for the medic. Instead, the rabbit faunus jumped down into the makeshift ring, striding forward. She spent a few moments inspecting the wound, the placed her hand over the cut and muttered a few words to herself. As she did, the gash sealed, coming together at both ends and meeting in the middle. the blood remained, but other than that, he seemed perfectly fine.
Ruby continued to fidget and fuss despite his constant assurance that he was fine. finally, he said, "Relax, Little sister, it was my fault for not paying attention. my semblance is a massive drain on my aura."
For the moment, his words put her to rest.
"Well, I think you guy's deserve an introduction then."
The three teams stood together in the war room, which was now without the diagram table.
"As I told Ruby, my name is Zachary Nathan Xiao. These are my companions, Azure Bonny Williams, William Isaac Turner, although we just call him Billy, or Bill, and Lilly Jason Monroe, although she goes primarily by Jason. We were sent by Ozpin to help in any way we can. Despite the war, Beacon is still up and running, and Vale has become a refuge for those fleeing the destruction of the outer territories. At first, Jaune was reluctant to let us come out here-"
"That's an understatement. He reacted about the same as you guys did," Billy cut in.
"But after we helped to stop a full on invasion of Vale, he seamed to think we were more than capable. Hopefully, we have proven that to you. However, if you really feel like we have no place out here, me and my team can leave within the hour."
Bonny, the rabbit faunus, seamed reluctant to concede that, but Jason, the feline, simply nodded. Billy looked bored. Ruby considered for a moment, then shook her head.
"I still don't think you belong out here, but I'm not going to send you away. You have skill. Lets just hope its enough to keep you alive."
