Fiftieth.
Again, he was fiftieth.
Jaune constantly ranked fiftieth in Tin when it came to the monthly ranked duels, never rising and never falling. It wasn't because he never worked hard - no, it was quite the opposite. He probably worked harder than anyone else in Tin, he was just that untalented.
Reaching, and staying, in the top fifty was no easy feat, but it took true talent to get past the wall you'd reach by then.
Aura.
Jaune hadn't unlocked his Aura yet; his family had a strict code against another unlocking the Aura of one of their own. So, here he was, thirteen-and-a quarter years of age, and consistently ranked fiftieth.
When it came to regular humans, Jaune had no equals within his age group - in Tin, at least. But for others, the moment they unlocked their Aura, they stood head and shoulders above every one of their peers.
The unlocking of Aura allows for levels of training that simply aren't possible without them, which is on clear display during the monthly ranked duels. Hopefuls with their Aura unlocked would trounce those without every. Single. Time.
In other words, if you were from a rich family - or a family of Huntsmen, you were guaranteed to score within the top fifty.
Unless, of course, you were one of the Arcs.
It was a typical week, the sounds of swords clashing and sparking off each other in the many arenas in Tin Academy filling the area. He'd grown so used to it over the past few years that he'd usually barely even notice them anymore. Today was different, though. It was Jaune's eighth attempt at ranking up.
You were only ever allowed to fight somebody within five ranks of you - that's why it took ages to climb. For the past eight months, he'd been stuck at fiftieth. The ranks above or below him were constantly changing, though there were always a few familiar faces who'd climb up high enough, or fall low enough to face him.
Jaune was fighting the forty-ninth-ranked as per usual; an aloof boy, about his age. What Jaune knew of him was only that he'd often use a pair of crescent blades, and that he had above-average strength and skill, but he was lacking when it came to speed, endurance, durability, and — most importantly - control over his Aura.
This was arguably Jaune's best match-up, and somebody he'd only ever fought once before. Lark Evergreene, somebody who had been falling quite a bit as more and more Aura users awakened - despite being an Aura user himself.
Jaune knew that he was more skilled than the boy - Lark - but it wasn't by much, and he knew he'd never stack up to him in strength. But when it came to speed? Jaune had him beat by a long shot.
He wasn't the fastest by any means - just a lot faster than Lark. That, combined with Lark's generally poor Aura control meant that Jaune had a very real chance to poach his spot from him.
So that was why he was currently here - in one of Tin Academy's many arenas. He held his hand-me-down weapon, Crocea Mors, with the sword in his right and the shield in his left.
Before him was Lark, a green-haired, green-eyed boy who stood a couple of inches taller than Jaune, and he held his crescent blades in each hand.
Weapons equipped, they waited for the starting whistle.
A whistle sounded out, and thus began their fight.
Jaune lunged forward, his moves like lightning, his sword, Crocea Mors, slashing through the air. The blade descended upon a surprised Lark.
CLANG!
Lark's twin crescent blades flashed to life, catching Crocea Mors by forming a protective barrier in an x-pattern formation. The collision sent spark cascading into the surrounding foliage, illuminating the battlefield for a moment with a fiery burst. The force of the impact reverberated through the arms of both warriors, and Lark was quickly winning the clash.
Lark's eyes narrowed, and he dug his feet into the ground as he subtly shifted his stance. With a grunt, he pushed forward, his muscles bulging with effort. Jaune was caught off guard by the sheer difference in strength, and he felt himself being overpowered.
"You're not as annoying as you look, Arc."
Jaune's boots skidded backwards as Lark kept pushing. With a quick flick of his wrist, Lark pushed Jaune's sword aside and unleashed an attack, his blades arcing towards Jaune with deadly precision.
Jaune had to rely on his superior agility to dodge, narrowly evading a grisly fate by bending backwards awkwardly.
Jaune quickly retaliated, bringing his shield forward as he straightened up. He was considerably faster than Lark, so Lark was forced to step back to properly block the shield bash using his swords. Lark kicked out at Jaune, causing him to jump back and create some space between the two.
Jaune dashed back in, and with a flick of his wrist, his blade was flying towards Lark's side. Lark quickly brought his blades up to protect himself, but Jaune dug his feet into the ground and used his momentum to spin into another attack.
Jaune's blade impacted Lark's Aura, and Lark felt the shockwaves of the attack, causing him to stagger backwards. Lark, experienced as he was, managed to regain his footing at the last moment, bringing his blades up for a block.
"I thought this would be a challenge, Lark! Maybe I was wrong."
"Shut up and fight!"
But it was already too late for him - Jaune had found his stride.
One step forward, an overhead slash. Lark parried, but the impact jolted him backward.
One step back, the shield came forward. Twin Crescent blades met the shield with a deafening clash.
Two steps forward, stab-feint, shield-bash. Hit.
One step to the side, Jaune's shield up just in time to block Lark's retaliatory strikes. Jaune's stamina and speed were proving to be the deciding factors in the battle.
One step forward, Jaune closed the distance, pressing into Lark's guard. His sword came forward for a slash, landing a large hit that made Lark stagger.
Another step forward, his shield came forward for a shield bash. The force of the blow was enough to break through Lark's weakening Aura, sending him further back.
With one last step forward, Jaune's sword sliced through the air, landing a side-slash that hit Lark with incredible force. Lark's Aura shattered like glass, and he fell backward, out of the arena.
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Tin Academy - Issue #61 - Page 3
Arc-Ascent
A new player has just broken into the top fifty! Surprise is due for this one, seeing as Jaune Arc, fiftieth ranked for eight months straight, has begun to rise! In a short, yet incredibly riveting match, Jaune Arc has just beat out Lark Evergreene!
With this, Jaune Arc claims the forty-ninth Rank for himself!
I'm excited to see what Jaune Arc does in the coming months. Can Jaune replicate his splendid performance? Was this win the result of sheer, dumb luck?
Or was it a taste of what's to come? Either way, I think this'll be a very exciting season for the Arc family!
In other news…
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AN: I know I said I'd get Vita Pergit's next chapter out like….a month ago, but life got in the way. This is something I had in the bank, and a series I plan to continue. Not as regularly as Vita Pergit probably, but hopefully regularly.
Vita Pergit's next chapter shouldn't be too long, now.
Thanks for reading!
Leave a review telling me what you think! Criticism is welcome!
