Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of the Roots and the Rock. Enjoy the 4200-word chapter. I don't own RWBY. Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth do.
Atem blocked Timber with his sword, the holographic ground under them cracking from the weight of their weapons. Atem turned in time for Harriet to leap over her teammate's shoulder. He was quite happy with this training match; it was the perfect reason for him to learn how his teammates worked.
Atem rolled to the side, dragging his sword along the ground before he hummed, looking at Harriet whose fist was impaled into the ground. She turned towards him as he shook his head, unsure of what to do to defeat her.
He could deal with Harriet who seemed far too eager to engage him despite his skill. Hand to hand wasn't exactly the best chance to defeat someone in a fight when they were too focused on dealing damage.
"Is that all you have?" Atem asked false amusement dripping from his tone.
He hoped Harriet took the bait. She took the attention off Clover and the other members of the Ace-Ops who were busy pressing him. Atem turned to look at Clover who cast the fishing line towards him.
'A fishing lure. That's certainly a new one' Atem thought to himself before he swept his sword towards it.
Rather than his semblance knowing the line back and away from him, however? The weapon wrapped around his which tugged it from his hand. Atem must have shown his shock at this considering Clover chuckled.
"My semblance is good luck; things usually work out well for me," Clover added before Marrow and Vine surged forwards towards him as he sighed to himself.
Atem cursed before moving to retrieve his weapon. He turned to see Vine extend what seemed to be a hand made out of pure aura. It was something that bothered him, but it was also something that he supposed he should have seen coming.
Atem rolled under Vine's limb, turning towards the soldier a second later. Marrow pivoted and threw his weapon towards him as the weapon spun around the edges of the room. Atem kept an eye on it only for the weapon to bounce towards him.
"Heh," Harriet said before a blast of wind threw her back into the wall.
Clover rolled his eyes as Atem rolled, plucking his sword from the ground as he turned. He pivoted in time to dodge Marrow's boomerang which almost smacked him on its return pass towards him. He was quite curious as to how this was to be won when it comes down to it.
"You, ok?" Vine questioned stated before he shook his head. "This was interesting, you aren't used to fighting more than one opponent, are you?" Vine questioned to which Atem nodded as he hummed with a nod as he clicked his sword.
He was quite happy when it came down to it. Still? There was plenty of work to be done before he won the battle. However? He was quite curious as to what happened next as she turned to look around. This was quite a fun battle for him and the sooner he managed to match them in combat? The better he'd be ready for the next tests.
"Still?" Clover stated to which Atem could only point out that something was off. "Your good. I'm guessing that you trained a lot, right?" Clover questioned to which Atem was silent for a moment.
"Yes, but it isn't exactly like I'm used to this type of training." Clover heard from Atem as he brought up his blade to block Timber. "Plus? This isn't exactly fair, there are 5 of you and one of me. I'm not really in any position to fight back, I'm kinda amazed I've lasted this long." Atem added before he turned to look around.
He was forced back by Elm, unable to match her raw strength in combat. It wasn't like he could hope to at any rate. He was quite amused at his performance, however.
Clover hummed and questioned the best case of action. On one hand? He was holding his own, on another? It was probably only due to them not all attacking him. There were several ways he could explain just how unfair combat seemed to be when he thought about it. However? This was their best chance to tutor him in that.
Still? Atem was not simply going to hand them a victory that easily. He was a soldier, after all.
'I need to split them up before I can beat them. That's the only way I can stop them from cornering me… And I can't stop Elm in a head-on fight, she's too strong and it'd only take a few swings for her to break my aura.' Atem thought while he cleared his throat.
He sighed to himself and slowly looked at the others. Clover was the biggest threat simply due to his semblance and range, but his semblance made it next to impossible to close the distance.
Marrow he might be able to take, but there was no way he was able to get close easily.
That left Harriet and Elm since he also didn't know what Vine was capable of at the moment. Atem at least knew his semblance matched her speed and she was cocky. All he needed to do was draw her in before landing a good hit that might shatter her aura and leave her out of the fight.
That still meant battling Elm who had him matched in skill and outmatched in sheer power. If he messed up? He'd leave himself open to another hit from her hammer…
'Why does it always have to be hard? 5 on 1 isn't fair even if that's the point. I can beat them in a battle, but it almost seems like we're throwing ourselves?' Atem mentally stated before he made a move.
He swung his sword at Harriet, sending her skidding backward as he threw himself forward, trying to force them to attack. Marrow did take the bait as he started to throw his weapon at Atem which was deflected by another swing of his sword.
This DID leave him open for Vine who tossed his weapon towards the specialist. Atem blinked as the disk-like object split into a throwing star which he tried to block with his weapon.
Clover watched as Atem was thrown back by the speed of the object. It seemed range and brute force were good options for forcing him to back down. He swung his weapon towards Atem who was sent skidding back from Vine's assault.
Atem watched the hook sail across his weapon and wrap around it. He raised an eyebrow at Clover who seemed to smirk as he waited for the next move.
"Nice attempt, pretty smart trying to bait us," Clover stated with a nod.
He smiled towards his friend while Atem started to fly across the room before he shook his head. He was not surprised by the fact that he was thrown into the deep end by this type of unfair combat.
He rolled his arm to the side and sent Atem flying as the soldier started to think of how well he was adjusting. Atem rotated in the air before he spun and landed on the ground before he raised an eyebrow towards his friend.
"You've got skill. That's good." Clover added before Marrow and Harriet surged forward with their weapons at the ready. "It's not easy to be one of us. We're going to be pushed to the edge by these missions." Clover stated as he sighed and shook his head.
Atem batted the boomerang to the side before he blocked Harriet's fist with his blade. He swept her off the ground with one kick and tossed her to the side.
"It doesn't mean it can't be done," Atem stated with a cleared throat. "All of us have had bad missions we had to fight through at the end of the day. Trust me, I'm used to it." Atem added before he placed his sword on the ground.
He was greeted by a rocket-powered overhead swing before he brought his weapon to protect himself. Their weapons span a shockwave across the room as Atem was knocked to his knees. He growled before he shook his head and swept his sword back to throw her across the room.
"Damn, your strong," Elm stated before she smirked to herself as she started to swing her hammer. "Hmm…" Elm added before she rested Timber on her shoulder.
She nodded to her teammates before she continued to battle Atem. Marrow and Harriet readied themselves for combat and Vine studied the battlefield at the moment. Clover held his hand up.
The others bar Elm who rushed towards Atem who greeted the hammer-wielding soldier with his skill and power.
"We're supposed to train with him," Harriet said before Clover shook his head at the warrior who seemed ready to smash Atem into the ground.
There was plenty of work to do. Clover also had a simple reason for her at the moment that didn't seem to matter.
"Ganging on up him isn't going to end well for him either way. He'd lose one way or another." Clover said before he eyed the del between both Atem and Elm. "If he can't stand up to Elm? He doesn't have a chance against the rest of us." Clover added before he crossed his arms.
He decided to watch the battle with the duo and see the outcome of this. If he couldn't beat what seemed like their second-best fighter? He didn't have a future with the others.
(With Atem and Elm)
Atem rolled to the side as Timber crushed a holographic stone into dust. He wondered how this woman needed to place thrusters on her weapon when it came down to it. She was not stupid and used the fact that she was stronger and a direct clash between them had a very chance to defeat him.
"Ok," Atem stated as he rolled his eyes and twirled his sword before blocking Timber with Gale.
Another clang echoed through the area as both soldiers were sent backward. Atem sidestepped another strike from her hammer as he shook his head and kicked at her which sent her backward. He chased after her as he shook his head and tried to seize the advantage before, she caught her footing and came back to attack her once more.
Still? She was a strong warrior which meant she'd not be beaten so easily at the end of the day.
"Well. This is a rather interesting fight." Atem said before he sidestepped another swing of her hammer.
What he didn't expect was the kick that followed. It sent him flying into a stone that shattered into pieces. Atem grunted as his aura shimmered before he rolled to the side. The movement was barely enough to dodge another strike that probably would have decapitated him if he hadn't managed to throw her back with a blast of wind.
This woman was something else and it bothered him more than anything how strong she seemed to be. If she was this strong in combat and this capable of beating someone? Why was Clover placed in charge of the team? He supposed he'd ask if he managed to find time to.
Elm continued to try and land hits on him as her hammer demolished any cover that seemed to get in the way. He deflected another swing only for her to flip the hammer around and hook it on his blade to tug him towards her.
'Crap. She's a lot better at combat than simply brute force. Harriet at the least had an ego that I could try and force her into battling me. Now? I'll be lucky if this woman doesn't decapitate me with one wrong swing.' Atem stated mentally while he frowned to himself as he shook his head.
"Fast. Aren't you?" Elm asked as she tried to land another kick only for Atem to bring up his elbow.
"Well. It comes down to semblance." Atem stated while he rolled his eyes. "And it doesn't help that you're stronger than me. I'm going to be fast by default since it doesn't mean when it came down to it." Atem added as he funneled another blast of wind to throw the woman backward from her.
He cleared his throat when he frowned as he shook his head. There were a few times at the end of the day. This woman happened to be rather skilled at combat and her frame betrayed the speed she was rather capable of. He dreaded the idea of facing her in combat with the others.
He flipped to the side before he shook his head and met Timber with Gale once more. He felt his knees buckle under the weight of the attack at the time. He parried another swing of her hammer before he sent her back with another blast of wind which put distance between them. Atem smirked towards her as she did so.
It made him sigh as he realized that this woman was an Ace-Ops member for a reason. He was also not going to be able to fight her for a while longer before his stamina slowly collapsed and his adrenaline smashed into the ground with aforce of a cannon. He didn't want to continue fighting in the state he had been forced into.
"Heh," Elm said before she leaped into the air and spun Timber in an arc with the thrusters powering it for another hit.
Atem went to greet it with his semblance. He knew if it connected with him? He'd be thrown out of the battle. It'd shatter his aura like a glass drum which meant more than anything he had to continue to dodge her attacks. A good hit on this scale was more than enough to crush him.
He managed to throw a part of the wind at her which threw her aim off. The force of the blow was still enough to throw him down the hill they had been battling atop. Atem dug his sword into the ground to stop himself before he was able to arrest his fall.
'Ok. She's going to end up crushing me into a fine paste if a single one of those hits honestly hits me. She's strong and it makes it comes down to me managing to disarm her of that damn hammer. She's good and I'm struggling to find footing.' Atem stated while he sighed and rolled his eyes as he waited to see what she did next.
Elm looked at him with interest as he slowly started to pick himself from the ground. His aura crackled a deep blue as he waited for her to do something. Anything he was able to spin and fight back against was worth it.
He was a soldier. He knew better than to bend the knee when it came down to it. He was rather interesting when it came down to it. Elm said nothing as she rested her hammer across her shoulders before he slowly started to climb to his feet. His face was full of determination when it came down to it.
He crossed his arms as he frowned towards her. Elm looked at Clover who nodded to himself. There was plenty of combat to do.
Still? Both were ready for their battle to continue and neither was denied a proper battle. Atem dropped down and looked at the woman before he cleared his throat as she hummed and tapped her hammer into the palm of her hands before she rested it across her shoulders.
"Specialist? How about a deal?" Clover asked before he crossed his arms across his chest before he raised an eyebrow. "If you can face Elm in combat? Then we consider that the battle and end it there with us training amongst ourselves." Clover stated while he shook his head.
"I… If's it's ok." Atem stated while he shook his head. "My Aura is already damaged," Atem stated while he shook his head.
Atem looked at her as she rested her hammer along her shoulder before nodding towards him. Atem mentally sighed as he realized he was going to get his ass kicked before he cleared his throat before he looked at her with interest.
He threw himself into combat before he shook his head towards her as he raised an eyebrow. He was well aware of what happened next. If he had lost combat with her? He'd be on his own which didn't entirely bother and crush him as much as he considered it.
If he won this? He'd be able to be part of an elite team which meant stricter orders and yet they pushed him to his limits. He raised his sword to greet the woman in combat as best as a specialist of his caliber was able to.
He ducked a blow from her before blocking an attempt for her to bring Timber downward. His sword clanged against the shaft of her weapon as he raised an eyebrow towards her.
He said nothing as he forced his weight against her weapon as a few sparks flew from their weapons. He watched as Elm activated her semblance and planted her feet on the ground. She knew Atem that he was able to throw her off her feet.
She was a skilled soldier and he had been a rather interesting warrior to face her as well. She was also well informed of what to do next.
"So, Aura Roots?" Atem asked before he frowned as he shook his head. "Well, guess that's rather cool," Atem said while he frowned to himself.
He was rather happy with what happened next to herself as both crossed weapons once more.
She frowned to herself before she titled her head. She started to watch. She watched as he cleared his throat before she tilted her head to the side. He started to frown towards her as she was powerful with combative powers.
She was curious about what he was capable of. Atem looked to be examining his options as he waited to see what happened next. He hadn't underestimated her when it came to brute force.
He cleared his throat when it came down to it at the end of the day as he sighed to himself. He was well aware of what to do next when it came down to it. Their weapons slammed into each other once more while sparks flew from both of their armaments.
"Why are you so strong?" Atem asked as he ground his weapon into her's while they continued their hellish dance of death.
"Training," Elm stated while she cleared her throat. "Lots of training. Why?" Elm asked as her ally flipped out of the way of another swing of her hammer which might have taken his head before she spn it faster towards her.
She watched as Atem tried to place more distance between both of them. She was aware that the difference in power meant he had to dodge her strikes rather than attempt to match her power directly.
It also meant she had more of an advantage than it seemed and the longer she attempted to close the distance? The more she'd try and crush him under brute force.
"Rocket hammer," Atem stated with a hum as he frowned to himself. "Didn't expect that," Atem added while he spun his sword and aimed towards her as he parried another swing of her hammer.
His arms felt more like jello as he did so. It made him feel more numb than he expected to feel. He wasn't going to surrender or pass the chance to win over more.
"Ow," Atem stated while he sidestepped one of her swings. "I'm not going to be that easy to beat. This isn't the first time I've battled someone with super strength." Atem added before he rubbed at his arms with the pain from before slowly creeping on him once more.
Elm allowed him a second to catch his breath as he leaned on his weapon. He rubbed at his arms before he slowly pushed himself to his feet. She wanted to at least allow him to battle her on more equal ground before they finished their battle.
"She's tough. I'll be honest." Atem said while he chuckled to himself. "It's an interesting fight if I'm being honest. I'm not as strong as her by a mile. Those swings are wearing down my arms. " Atem added while he cracked his arms.
He was all too ready to battle her at the end of the day and it was starting to grind down his ability to fight back. It was rather intense on his mind. He doubted it even ranked in her book.
'She's as strong as a train and throwing all I try back at me. He cleared while he shook his head before he cleared his throat. there was plenty of time to be done.
"Take your time," Elm stated while she frowned at herself. "There are plenty of battles to fight after this," Elm added with a sigh as she leaned on her hammer while she nodded to her fellow specialist.
The more time he spent on this battle when it came down to it. He cleared his throat while he pondered how best to battle her. It was honestly thrown off by her battle style and now? He was floundering to keep his footing on equal terms with her. It helped a lot that he had no real clue how to shatter her semblance and keep her from knocking him off track.
'Her semblance is countering mine and I can't find a way around it yet. The longer we fight? The harder it is to keep it before she hits me and breaks my aura.' Atem stated while he sighed to himself.
The battle had forced him to his limits. He'd be honest if it hadn't come to simply him vs her? He was rather interesting when it comes down to it.
"This is pushing me to my limits," Atem said while he rubbed at his temples. "I'm going to be in the hospital after this," Atem said while he cleared his throat and slowly approached her once more with his blade ready to finish this battle before she did something.
He had to be creative if he was to try and stop her. Anything else and he wasn't going to be able to hold a candle to her type of power when he considered it.
He still didn't plan on admitting he was over his head. It wasn't the way he wished this to be and he wasn't going to simply back down to it. It was stupid to simply back to throw to himself as he cleared his throat.
He simply stared at her while he waited for her to make the next move. He felt plenty of pain in his bones and ringing in his ears despite how much he tried to push it to the back of his mind and yet? There was almost nothing he was able to do to try and stop it despite his best attempts to try and push it out of his mind.
"This isn't going to be easy if I'm entirely honest," Atem stated while he leaped backward from one of her swings and tried to fire his weapon at her as he rolled away.
Elm felt her aura flicker before she started to deflect his shots and anchored into the ground before her weapon transformed. She glanced at him with a rocket before she started to thumb the fire button.
"Well. I still need to work for it." Elm stated before she fired her weapon.
There was an explosion which ended with a rocket being fired in his direction. Atem rolled down the hill and was forced into range with the specialist once more. He silently damned her for being able to do this and yet he wasn't at all surprised at it. the tactics still actually did something to push her to a victory.
"That's not exactly reassuring considering my aura is almost shattered from what little I can see," Atem stated with exhaustion present in his tone. "And while I'm no expert on fair fights? There was no tactical way for me to defeat 5 different people when it comes down to it. One semblance is good luck. There's nothing I can do to stop that." Atem added while he started to brush off his shirt.
This fight ended today.
Author Notes
Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out that the next chapter will be in 2-10 months and it will show the rest of this battle along with setting up the rest of the conflict when it comes down to. The next chapter will be in 900-6500 words when it came down to it. The next chapter will be delayed as of this second when it comes down to.