Music sloshed around the homely pub, rowdy patrons laughed raucously, some whispered half heard flirts. Others cursed the gods or even their own ancestors as they lamented the cruel whims of dice as they clattered against the wooden table, unheard above the commotion. Ruby, Jaune, Ren and Nora perched on worn wooden stools at one end of the crowded bar, sipping sheepishly in the crowded environment, with the exception of Nora who noisily slurped down her larger with gusto not bothering to wipe the foamy moustache from her top lip. They talked in hush tones about a secret war, one known only to them in the bar, now that Qrowe had left with a black haired boy of tanned complexion.
Jaune let his gaze wander, leaving his three companions do their discussion. The windows rattled in their wooden frames weathering the wicked winds as a slew of snow slammed into the glass. His attention was brought abruptly away from the unseasonal storm by a jovial slap to the back. He span on his stool to face a heavily tattooed fellow with a beaming smile splitting his bushy brown beard. "Hey there hunty man, you were in the tournament weren't you, against team BRNZ?" he half slurred half shouted with an exotic accent. Jaune rubbed the back of his head and nodded nervously in response. "Man, you were awesome, all your team was really I don't even care about losing two hundred Lien. Odds of that Pyrrha Nikos losing were a hundred to one, too good to miss out, know what I mean?" He gushed, clapping the scraggly blonde on the shoulder. "Where is the lovely lady anyways?"
The leader of team JNPR suddenly sat upright in his seat, his mouth dry and his throat raw. "She's... gone..." The words came out as little more than a whisper.
Still, the bearded drunkard heard him. "Man I'm really sorry, I didn't know, you need a drink? Let me get you one?"
"It's okay," he mumbled, "I- I have to go." With that he made a beeline for the front door and strode out into the night.
Ruby made to follow, concern etched into her features, though Ren's gentle grip of her shoulder gave her pause. "Just give him time." Ren intoned wisely.
Jaune trudged out across the snowy meadow, just another insignificant white speck in the expanse which ended abruptly with a sheer cliff. The village receded behind him as he leaned into the buffeting wind coming over the channel. The smell of the ocean and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks below reached him as he neared the cliff edge. More snow fell behind him, covering his tracks and erasing Remnant's memory of him one tiny ice particle at a time. The wind's shrill voice quietened now that it was free to move as it pleased, no longer forced down narrow streets, though this factor did little to mitigate the oppressive cold. Jaune failed to notice the wind's chill, the meagre protection of his now thoroughly soaked hoodie had long since left him numb. Numb outside, numb inside. He thought to himself as he walked onto a narrow finger of land that stretched out into the sea, finally he reached the cliff edge.
His toes hung over the abyss as he gazed straight down at the jumble of black boulders being pounded by the ten metre high waves. The black onyx rocks contrasted sharply with his snowy surroundings like the light and dark within one's soul.
He heard the crunch of footsteps upon unspoiled snow behind him but didn't bother turning, presuming it to be one of his friend's coming to check on him. The footsteps came to a halt a few paces away. "You're not going to jump are you?" A male voice asked.
It wasn't Ren's voice but neither was it a totally unfamiliar one. "No." Jaune replied as he wracked his brain for an answer.
"Good" the not quite stranger paused before speaking again, as if considering his next words carefully. "Aren't you cold?" The voice asked.
"Doesn't matter." Jaune muttered with a shrug, causing the small mounds of snow to fall from his shoulders.
"I suppose you're right, it won't matter much to you soon." The voice said cryptically. Jaune raised an eyebrow and turned, greeted by the sight of a man wrapped in a silver cloak. His face was shrouded in the shadow of his hood, only a clean shaven lower jaw was kissed by the pale moonlight. Jaune had to wonder if this was all just the work of his grief addled mind, his bewilderment must have shown on his face as a smirk graced the only visible portion of the stranger's face. "You look pretty upset, though I can't say I blame you. I'd say there's plenty more fish in the sea but there won't be any quite like Pyrrha. She was something special for sure." The male voice sighed
Jaune's expression hardened at the mention of his recently deceased teammate. "Who are you?" He asked quietly. This has to be part of my mind, am I really losing it this badly? He asked himself.
The smirk of the not quite stranger grew wider. Slowly, a hand clad in a fingerless glove parted the cloak, the black fabric of the glove instantly accruing white specks of snow as it met the elements. A forearm armoured with matt grey vambraces followed. The arm reached up, the precisely manicured nails of the hand scraped along the cloak's silver surface until they made contact with the clasp at his throat. The cloak was unclasped with deft and precise movements. Though the not quite stranger's eyes were concealed from view in the hood's shadow, Jaune could tell they were staring right at him. Finally the cloak slid away, fluttering from its wearer's shoulders as the wind took hold of the unsecured garment.
Jaune's eyes widened as he took a nervous step back, the heel of his foot hung over the cliff edge and Jaune jolted to a stop. "Y- you." He stammered, alternating his gaze between the fatal fall to his rear and the warrior who far outclassed him to his front. Jaune now knew for sure that the threat facing him was all too real.
Stood before him, in full combat attire, was Mercury Black.
Remorseless silver eyes stared him down. The clean shaven jaw clenched before relaxing into a smug smile. "Hello Jaune." The assassin greeted in a way that was anything but friendly. "Lovely weather we're having." He added, gesturing to their snowy surroundings with a slight nod of his head.
Jaune's mouth opened and shut as his mind tried to prioritise which of the multitude of questions to ask first. Meanwhile, his subconscious did what it could to prepare him, forcing him to take a step forward, away from the cliff edge but towards a different danger. "What are you doing here?" The scraggly blond asked cautiously as his sword hand moved towards his weapon. The warrior facing him frowned as Jaune's fingertips brushed against the pommel of Crocea Mors. A low mirthless chuckle left the Mercury's throat.
"You're an enigma Jaune. I never could tell if you were brave or stupid."
"I asked you a question." Jaune said with as much courage as he could muster.
"We both know the answer already. Thanks for not jumping by the way, that would have been far less entertaining."
Jaune drew his sword and expanded his sheath into shield form. His feet slid into a wide combat stance, low to the ground. "So that's the way it is, huh?"
"It's nothing personal, it's the same for all assassins, a job's a job." Mercury Black replied. "Though they're not normally this easy." He added smugly.
The assassin reached slowly and deliberately over his shoulder, his silver stare never leaving Jaune's apprehensive blue gaze. The scraggly blond tensed and unconsciously held his breath. The sight that next met his eyes made his breath hitch in his throat. Mercury's hand reemerged gripping a bronze shield. Leather straps on the inside of the shield held a sword of red metal edged in gold.
Pyrrha's weapons.
Mercury grinned broadly at the sight of Jaune's mortified expression. "Your friend was so much fun to fight, a shame I had to forfeit." The grey clad killer slid the stolen sword free of the straps. "I'd have won for sure but I know it would have been… interesting." He looked down at the sword and shield in his hands as if testing the weight of Milo and Akouo.
"You stole them?" Jaune snapped.
"Very elegant weapons, so versatile…" Mercury continued his monologue, ignoring Jaune entirely. He stroked the length of the sword and prodded the tip of the bare finger of his shield hand with the point of Pyrrha's sword. Jaune noticed for the first time Akouo had been modified, a pair of thick leather straps now adorned the back side of the shield to allow someone without polarity to use it. "Cinder actually broke the sword, but letting such a good weapon design go to waste… the thought broke my frail little heart." Mercury held the stolen sword up to the moonlight, admiring the way the blade caught the pale rays. "I had her weapons reforged, spared no expense I assure you." His eyes snapped back to focusing on his target. "And now I'm going to kill you with them." He flashed his opponent a predatory smile as he moved the stolen spoils of murder into combat ready position. "Poetic, wouldn't you say?"
Jaune's attention was taken away by the sight of figures in white fang attire creeping out from the treeline. Mercury gave the soldiers a nonchalant glance over his shoulder as they made their way towards the town, none spared the two soon to be combatants a second look. "Don't worry, they won't interfere. It's just me and you."
The pale moon disappeared behind thick clouds, obstructing it from view. The ambient lighting faded away like the lights of a stage dimming before the show.
Mercury made his move. He blasted off the ground with both his gunboots before spinning mid air and firing three more shots from them in quick succession. Jaune's snapped his shield up to guard his face, it absorbed all three hits without issue. The huntsman in training knew that being cornered on the edge of a cliff wouldn't help his already slim chances of survival. He charged his opponent, leading with his shield. Mercury braced himself a moment before their shields made contact, his eyes widened as Jaune struck him with such force that his arm burned with pain. Mercury's feet slid back against his will, forced to give ground by the scraggly student's surprising strength, deep furrows were left in the snow as his booted feet scraped aside the white blanket. The assassin frowned and pushed himself clear of his opponent, he flipped backwards with a graceful somersault and planted his gunboots on the upper edge of Jaune's shield. The twinned point blank blasts sent his adversary sprawling. The edge of Jaune's shield impacted his forehead and glanced off his aura. He skidded along the slick snow and stopped just short of the cliff edge. Jaune clambered back to his feet and shook his head to clear the dancing colours at the periphery of his vision.
Mercury sauntered up confidently as Jaune prepared himself for the inevitable attack. He swung Crocea Mors in a wide arc aimed at the assassin's neck, hoping to fend off his opponent and buy himself precious seconds. Mercury would allow him no such luxury, he deftly parried the blow and followed up with a straight thrust. Jaune twisted sideways, but with a cliff at his back there was little room to manoeuvre, his deceased teammate's weapon would have left a deep gouge along his shoulder if not for his aura's protection. He batted his opponent's sword aside with his shield and delivered slash after slash to Akouo. He felt a little bit of his heart break with every impact, every desecration of Pyrrha's weapons and memory left him increasingly bitter and fueled the fires of rage burning within his chest.
Mercury stabbed in low with Milo, causing Jaune to jerk back and teeter on the cliff's edge. The grey clad killer transitioned into a sweeping kick that his opponent managed to duck under as he stumbled forwards, away from the threat of the fall at his back. Mercury swept his leg round again intent on bringing an axe kick down into his adversary's skull. Jaune pre-empted the attack by pushing upwards and wrapping his forearms around the shin of Mercury's outstretched leg. With a cry of exertion and the tensing of his core muscles he pulled Mercury off the ground before slamming him back into Remnant with as much force he could muster.
Mercury meanwhile, cried out in surprise at the unexpected move as his orientation suddenly changed. He cried out a second time as his skull and shoulder blades smashed into the frozen, rock hard ground below. He brought his free leg up and risked a snap shot that hit Jaune square in the jaw. Jaune let go on reflex and staggered back, once again one step away from the bloodthirsty oblivion of frothing waves below.
There would be no respite as Mercury flipped back to his feet and advanced once more. He struck with a series of slashes and stabs, along with the occasional shot from Milo in rifle form. Jaune was forced to use both his shield and his sword defensively, the onslaught left him with little opportunity to strike back. He was barely managing to block most of the attacks. A few strikes did make it through his defence, luckily his unusually large aura pool absorbed the damage, though it's protection was being steadily eroded just like the wave battered boulders below.
An upwards swing from Milo knocked Jaune's sword from his grasp. The sword span into the air over his shoulder. Jaune rose to his full height and leaned backwards. He snatched his sword from the air, now holding it tip down. With a cry of exertion he lunged forwards, his inverted sword bypassed his opponent's shield, due to the unexpected angle of attack. Mercury's eyes widened as the blade sliced through the thick leather straps holding his shield in place. As the bronze disk fell free, Jaune lashed out with his foot, kicking Akouo clear and sending it skidding across the snowy meadow.
He tried to capitalise on his move by flipping his sword back into the standard grip and delivering a straight armed thrust to his opponent. Mercury countered by snapping his leg up and deflecting the attack upwards. Jaune brought the blade back down in a vertical slash. Mercury placed his free hand on the flat of his blade and hefted the sword above his head. The blades met with a weighty clang that sent vibrations cascading down both combatant's arms. Milo mechashifted into rifle form, Mercury side stepped as Jaune's now unobstructed blade slammed into the ground. He tried to bring his sword arm back up but was rewarded with a bone creaking kick from Mercury. The assassin span on his heel and elbowed Jaune in the face while simultaneously blasting Jaune's sword back down with a shot from Milo. His free hand gripped the edge of Jaune's shield as he twisted yet again and flipped into the air. He straightened out, connecting both boots with Jaune's face, the twinned blasts took Jaune's aura down to forty percent and propelled Mercury clear, tearing his opponent's shield from his arm in the process.
Jaune was knocked over by the blast, his stomach impacted the cliff edge and winded him while his legs windmilled, scrabbling for purchase on the slick black rocks of the cliff face. He pulled himself back onto level ground and rose on quaking knees. Mercury stood waiting patiently a few feet away As Jaune's eyes met Mercury's, the assassin's lips curled into a predatory smile. He let out a low, threatening chuckle. "Oh Jaune, thank you!" He exclaimed. "I never expected such an entertaining fight from you." He twirled his stolen sword idly in his hands. "After that piss poor tournament, I needed this. I really did. Do you know how frustrating it is for an assassin to be sent to fight people without killing them? Goes against my good nature, I don't do things by halves." He added, throwing Jaune's shield like a frisbee into the meadow at his back. The shield sheath skidded to a halt, leaning against Pyrrha's shield.
"Is this all some sort of sick game to you?" Jaune snapped.
"Life's always been a game Jaune, either you win or you die." The conversation seemed to be over as Mercury blurred into motion, advancing and swinging Pyrrha's sword at his opponent's head.
Jaune ducked under the swing and spun on his heel before slashing into Mercury's shoulder, taking a sizeable slice from the assassin's aura pool. Mercury teetered on the cliff edge and windmilled his arms as he flinched away from the sheer drop. He elbowed Jaune, twisted around and slashed at his opponent's midsection. Jaune brought his sword up to block. The moment the blades clashed Mercury flicked his wrist, inverting Milo and mecha shifting it into rifle form in one fluid motion. The muzzle was now inside Jaune's guard.
The grey clad killer emptied his clip, totally depleting Jaune's aura. Tatters of his white tinted aura fell away as his protective field was shattered. Only his chest plate saved him. Bullet holes pockmarked its surface but none fully penetrated, though the impacts instantly left the blond with severe bruises. Jaune wheezed in pain and weakly tried to raise his sword as his adversary needlessly reloaded the rifle. Mercury switched Milo back into sword form and batted asside his opponents weapon with ease. His free hand cupped the back of Jaune's skull.
Mercury leaned forward and whispered into his opponent's ear. "You're good..." Pyrrha's sword slammed into Jaune's sternum, stopping only when the blade burst out his back. Jaune's eyes widened as he felt the sword rip through the flesh of his torso, his weapon slipped from his limp fingers. His lips parted in a silent scream and allowed a thin line of blood to seep from the corner of his mouth. Mercury twisted the blade left and right prompting Jaune to shudder and let out a pained gurgle. The victorious assassin took a step back from his swaying adversary. Jaune forced his head up to meet his murderer's eyes before the end.
Mercury's leg snapped up in a brutal kick, he planted his gunboot on the pommel of the sword embedded in his opponent's chest and fired. The blast forced Milo deeper, yet more of the blade erupted from his back as the sword hilted itself in his torso. The force of the impact knocked Jaune onto his back. Mercury took two slow, purposeful strides forwards to stand over his fallen foe. "But I'm better."
The foreboding sound of snow crunching underfoot preceded the assassin coming into the periphery of Jaune's fading vision, with yet another infuriating smirk on his face.
Mercury suddenly snapped his head up, away from his fallen foe and towards two new opponents. His eyes widened as dust ammunition stitched the air around him, a couple rounds spanked off his aura taking it down to a third.
"JAUNE!" Nora screamed as she charged in with her hammer brandished above her head.
Mercury crouched and triggered his gunboots, propelling himself clear of the enraged hammer wielder. He flipped backwards and disappeared over the cliff edge. The sound of his weapons firing could still be heard. Ren and Nora reached the cliff edge to discover he had survived the fall and was leaping nimbly from rock to rock. The pair tried and failed to connect shots with his lithe body as it bounded between boulders. His grey clad figure soon disappeared, shrouded by the salty spray of the sea and concealed in the all consuming darkness of the moonless night.
With the threat dealt with, Nora and Ren sprinted back to the prone form of their leader.
Jaune stared up at the starry sky with shining, tear slick eyes. Nora's face shot into view, her eyes wet with tears of her own. He could hear Ren's frantic voice telling her where to apply pressure and was dimly aware of two pairs of hands pressing against his torso. Nora complied with Ren's instructions, sobbing all the while. Jaune tried to reassure her, to tell her 'everything was going to be ok' but all his efforts resulted in was a spluttered cough that aspirated blood and sent it splattering across his face and neck.
He felt a comforting warmth spread across his back as his hot blood stained the pristine snow in which he lay. His fingers tingled, either the frostbite was finally settling in or he was running out of blood to pump to his extremities. Ren's urgent instructions and Nora's sobbing faded away. The night grew darker as his vision failed him. All the pain died away, Jaune was finally at peace.
Even as all these changes occurred, one thing remained the same:
The last thought in Jaune's mind before his lids slid shut, was the same as every other time he had closed his eyes.
Pyrrha.
Please leave a review!
Just a little side project I finished a while ago but never got round to releasing, basically a practice run at some new fight descriptions.
Bunny and the Bully is still a thing, just have a little writers block
Hope you enjoyed this :)