Ch22: The Bird vs the Elf
(Wed, Y+1, M+0, D+26)
"Hey Phyrra." I say, keeping pace with her.
"Oh, hi Kurt. I wasn't expecting to see you up this early." She says, as we both jog around the campus.
"Running is an important skill that I intend to keep." I say with a smirk. "Plus it helps me think. I'm trying to figure out a few projects." I add.
"What are you making?" She asks.
"Armor." I say, ideas bouncing around in my head, 'No. Too bulky. Not mobile enough.'
"Don't you already have armor?"
"I was thinking of making my own. Something more personalized. Something more… Kurt."
"Now what exactly would that be?"
"Something full-body. With a full-face helmet. And all of the fun stuff that generally goes in the helmet."
"Wouldn't a helmet restrict your vision?"
"Not how I'm planning it. I'm going to put micro-cameras covering my blind spots. should give me close to 360-degree coverage."
"You've really planned this out." She sounded a bit impressed.
"It's what I do best." I say, looking at my watch. "Ohey! Look at the time. Class starts in a half hour. See you in class!" I say, heading off towards the dorm.
"Are you really going to fight Cardin?" She asks, sounding a bit concerned.
"Why not? I've got a few toys to test out and I need a test subject. Plus, it should knock him down a few pegs."
[45 minutes later, Dueling class]
"Now, who would like to go next?" Goodwitch asks, as Ren and some student I don't know leave the arena.
"I would." I say, raising my left hand.
"And who would you like to choose as your opponent?"
"Winchester. We still have a matter to settle." I say, momentarily bamf-ing to my room to grab a couple of weapons. I reappear on the arena floor, as Cardin heads down with a self-confident/evil smirk.
As we both move to our respective places, I perform a last second weapon-check and chamber a round in my weapon.
"Whenever you're ready." I say to Cardin, holding my weapon at hip level, pointing unerringly at him.
As he rushes at me, I hold down the trigger, the unceasing roar of a fully-automatic shotgun filling the room. The five rounds, an alternating series of slug and fragmentation, hit him at full force, knocking his aura down to about a quarter, before he gets about five feet away and I teleport to the other side of the room, slinging the shotgun over my shoulder and unfolding a metal tool about two and a half feet long.
"A shovel?' Cardin questions, before breaking out laughing, "You're going to fi-" *bamf* *CLANG* I smash the flat end of the shovel into Cardin's face and he goes down, his aura under one-sixth, ending the match.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I DID just beat you with a shovel. Although technically it's an entrenching tool." I say, folding down my reinforced-metal tool and slipping it back into my greatcoat.
"Kurt Wagner wins the match." Goodwitch states as Cardin picks himself up from the floor, swaying a little bit.
"Lucky shot…" Cardin mumbles.
I chuckle, flicking the mag release and pulling the ten-round box magazine from the weapon, sliding it into an empty web pouch.
I walk back to my spot in the seats around the room and sit next to my little sister.
"This is the AA-8, a fully automatic, eight-gauge magnum shotgun using ten-round detachable box magazines." I tell her, as she opens her mouth to ask a question.
"Cool."
"I load it with both solid and exploding high-velocity rounds."
"Why high-velocity rounds?" She asks, the ammunition in question being highly uncommon amongst hunters and huntresses.
"I get tired of people blocking and dodging my bullets. Very. Tired." I say. "And I firmly believe that there is no such thing as overkill."
"And that's why you have so many guns?"
"Bingo." I smirk, "And making 'em is fun."
[Forever Fall Forest.]
(Friday, Y+1, M+2, D+16)
"I'll cover you girls while you get the sap, alright?" I say, shouldering the AA-8, AKA Demon's Roar.
"Where's Jaune?" I ask NPR, Phyrra having taken charge in their leader's absence. "He's been absent quite often lately."
"He's with his buddy Cardin and his team." Phyrra says with a strange combination of anger and sadness.
"Well then. Hope he figures out where his real friends are." I say to her.
"Us too." she says, gesturing to the others.
"Hey Kurt!" I hear Nora say, calling to me.
"Hey Nora." I say, smiling.
"Can you make me something?"
"What would you like?"
"New shells for Magnhild."
"What do you want them to do?"
"You know those grenades you used on me during our first fight? Could you make me some of those? Pleeeassee." She asks me, almost begging.
"Flashbangs? Sure. It'll be a nice challenge. If you want, I could make you a few other varieties too."
"Really! How much would that cost?" She asks.
"Just try not to blow up the school. I don't charge friends." I tell her.
"YAY!" She shouts, smiling happily and giving me a bear hug that manages to lift me off my feet.
"Ummm… Ren? Can't… Breathe… Help." I manage to squeak to Nora's partner.
"Nora. Put him down. he needs to breathe." Ren told his friend.
"Ok Ren!"
"Thanks Ren." I say, breathing in deeply.
"You're welcome."
*ROAAAAAR*
"Did you guys hear that?" My little sister asks.
"Of course we heard it. Sounds like an Ursa. Big one." I say, hearing the noise of people running fleeing through the forest towards us.
Cardin's teammates flee towards us, screaming something about an Ursa. One runs straight into Yang who, unfazed by the collision of the boy, picks him up by the shirt.
"Where?" She demands.
"Back there! It's got Cardin." He says, flailing in the air.
"Jaune!" Phyrra exclaims, fearing for her team leader's safety.
"Yang! You and Blake, go get Professor Goodwitch!" Ruby orders, as Yang and Blake rush off towards the LZ.
"You two, go with them! There could be more!" Phyrra says to Ren and Nora.
"And the rest of us?" I ask, knowing where this is heading.
"We're going to help Jaune." Pyrrha says.
"Good." I say, pulling the charging handle back halfway to make sure a round was loaded.
"This way!" Ruby said, leading us forwards.
'We really need to talk about proper utilization of cover sometime.' I think, doing my best to keep up while still using nearby trees as cover.
"Oh, no!' Phyrra exclaims, seeing the Ursa Major loom over Cardin, as it swings a paw to eviscerate him, only to be blocked by Crocea Mors.
"Wait!" Phyrra says to Weiss and I as we prepare to fight.
"C'mon. I wanna kill it!" I whine childishly.
Phyrra watches as Jaune defends Cardin, raising her hand, which glows black for a second or two as Jaune's shield rises to block the Ursa's next strike. Jaune swings his sword, decapitating the Ursa.
"Impressive." I say flatly, as Phyrra hand stops glowing.
"Uhhh...What?" Ruby asks, confused.
"How did you...?" Weiss asks, amazed.
"Well, Ruby has her speed, Kurt has his teleportation, you have your Glyphs. My semblance is polarity."
"Whoa, you can control poles…" Ruby says, awed. '*Internal sigh*'
"No, you dunce! It means she has control over magnetism!" Weiss scolds.
"Magnets are cool too…" She whispers.
"Back to the Ell-Zee then?" I say, heading towards the LZ with Pyrrha.
"Wait!" Weiss says, "Where are you two going?"
"Yeah, we gotta tell them what happened!"
"We could… Or perhaps we could keep it our little secret." Pyrrha says, walking away.
"C'mon you two." I say to Weiss and Ruby, heading off to the LZ.