Chapter 9: Duel in the Emerald Forest, Rowan vs Jacen (Complete)
Jacen had timed it perfectly, a dash from the top of a tree to the branch of another, then, catching another branch, swung from it, then landed gracefully on the ground, standing as though he impressed a crowd.
The sound of Skipper's booster rockets combined with a tone that rang with the notes of "Show off."
"I've always enjoyed a good forest jump," he said as his droid companion came to his side.
"Think your sensors can map out the area?"
In response, Skipper deployed a scanner disk from one of its top access panels, and within a few minutes, a 3D holo-map projected onto a bear patch from Skipper's holoprojector.
Studying the map, he had a fair idea of how wide the forest stretched from where they stood.
"Good, now mark our position and show the closest route to the ruins," Jacen said as though he were mapping out a battle plan as he'd often done during the Clone Wars.
A tiny blip indicating their position showed up on the map, and a line traced itself from there to the location of the ruins.
"It's a bit further than I'd thought, but doable," with a nod, he gestured for Skipper to follow him after he turned off the holo-map.
Scanning his surroundings, he was briefly hit with a sorrowful thought; he had to remind himself that he didn't have a squadron of clone troopers or the Phantom Squadron.
Still, he hoped he'd be able to meet up with Yang, knowing she was already a capable fighter, not to mention it would give him a chance to explain his true story fully.
However, he sensed that Yang and, consequently, Ruby were farther away from where he was; thankfully, he wasn't near Weiss, whom he sensed was about to encounter either Ruby or Jaune.
He stopped mid stride as the Force resonated with alarm at a hostile presence nearby.
"Dank Farrik," he had time to say just as a spear-like weapon sang past him striking a nearby tree that exploded.
Moving out of the way, he activated his lightsaber and moved into a ready stance, then he heard the same spear weapon whistle past him again, and he quickly ducked as the spear returned to the owner's hand.
"Are you insane?!" Jacen asked angrily.
Rowan caught his weapon and gave it a quick flourish; then, it became a sword.
"I warned you what was coming, punk," Rowan said with disdain.
Getting into his accustomed Ataru ready stance, he prepared for whatever Rowan was about to do.
"I'd hate to see that weapon get damaged," he said trying to bring a bit of humor to the situation.
Rowan slightly grinned, "Don't worry, you won't!" With a dash, Rowan had his sword ready.
Diving into the Force, Jacen brought his lightsaber forward to contact with Rowan's blade, and to Jacen's surprise, his lightsaber didn't cut through it, likely due to the Aura surrounding it.
Speaking of which, he felt like Rowan's Aura was emitting menace and being a palpable sensation of battle spirit, or more likely, bloodlust.
As it stood, he brought his lightsaber to bear, blocking Rowan's incoming strikes and dodging blows that slipped through his defense.
Both their blades locked, and Rowan gave a definite expression of enjoyment.
"What do ya know, you really can fight, punk," Rowan said with an almost feral grin.
"What the brix is wrong with you?" Jacen shouted as he broke away from the lock and flipped backward to gain distance, only for Rowan to come at him with his weapon in its spear configuration.
"I wanna see if you're more than just a punk ass wannabe," Rowan thrust his spear forward; Jacen noticed markings engraved on the spearhead, which glowed and crackled with visible lightning.
He quickly brought his lightsaber to redirect the spear's path to the ground, which gave off electric discharges.
Jacen attempted to back away only to avoid Rowan's fist, which struck a nearby tree barely, and his fist went completely through it.
By the Force, Jacen thought, any punches that landed from this dangerous warrior would quickly deplete his own aura.
Rowan was a fearsome warrior; if Yang's strength was anything to go by, Rowan had it in spades, and even now, Jacen felt that he wasn't going full force.
Though as Jacen finally got a fair distance, he decided to employ a different approach.
"I have to say, you're strength is incredible," he said, holding his lightsaber over his head and aiming the other hand outward in a Soresu stance, not unlike how he'd seen Obi-Wan Kenobi use during the war.
He even adopted Obi-wan's grin, "However, strength alone isn't everything."
He saw Rowan give a condescending laugh, "What kind of fighting form is that?"
Rowan gave his weapon a flourish in its spear configuration.
"I've seen my share of real warriors and fighters, but I've never seen anything like you, punk."
Jacen arched an eyebrow that almost sounded like a compliment.
"Well then, I'll do my best to make a good impression," Jacen said, giving his hand a come closer gesture, and Rowan approached him again.
Now, utilizing Soresu, Jacen redirected Rowan's oncoming attacks, sacrificing none of his additional strength but trying to wear out Rowan's.
However, Jacen noticed that Rowan's strength, rather than decreasing, was steadily increasing.
Once again, they got caught in a lock, and Rowan, looking even more feral than before, proceeded to head-butt Jacen, and he flipped backward.
"Let me guess; you thought you could use that little defensive maneuver that would tire me?" Rowan asked with more fascination than condescension.
"If you think I was strong before," Rowan clenched his fist, showing a feral grin.
"Wait till I bring it up to about 10 percent."
Suddenly, Rowan's aura began to flare up, and Jacen noticed that Rowan's muscles were becoming more pronounced; now, Rowan seemed even more imposing.
Jacen barely had time to slip back into his defensive position before Rowan closed the distance in a fraction of a second.
Only Jacen's awareness ensured that he wasn't in the way just as Rowan thrust his spear forward, which hit a tree behind Jacen, and the force of the impact completely obliterated the lower trunk of the tree, which collapsed onto its side.
The trees behind it caught the brunt of the lightning discharge and had sizable cracks along their trunks.
If Jacen didn't want to get hit before, he didn't want to be struck with this level of force.
He caught Rowan turning his head and noticed that his eyes had gone from their emerald green color to a feral yellow.
For that instant, Jacen had the haunting memory of the last time he had seen such eyes.
He remembered the burning yellow he saw in Palpatine's eyes.
Rowan Conall was a monster, yet even with that, Jacen had to admire how one man could have such strength without being the size of a Rancor.
Likely, this was the result of his semblance letting him tap into greater levels of strength and speed, though it was clear that Rowan was becoming more vicious and feral as it increased.
Still, he couldn't keep this up forever; at this rate, he'd get exhausted after a hard blow from this beast of a warrior.
Time to turn things up a bit.
As Rowan prepared himself, Jacen reached through the Force, uprooted a few sizable stones along the ground, then, aiming his hand outward toward Rowan, sent them flying with a velocity that struck Rowan, making him stagger back, but his recovery was prodigious.
He charged forward, only for Jacen to aim his hand and use the Force to freeze Rowan in place, though Jacen was struggling with the effort before he thrust his other hand outward, sending Rowan flying into a row of trees.
He breathed deeply and tried drawing on the Force to keep him centered.
Incredible, Rowan had just been thrown into ten large trees, and he was managing to get back on his feet.
Jacen prepared to defend himself, stopping when he noticed, "Is he laughing?"
Rowan's feral and almost maniacal laugh seemed to resonate throughout the forest.
Then he turned those cold, feral eyes upon Jacen with fascination or a new kind of respect.
"I apologize," Rowan said, aiming his spear at Jacen.
"I'd thought you were another wannabe that didn't have business becoming a huntsman."
His face then took on a more focused look, with Rowan seeming curious rather than feral, "Your name?" He asked.
Jacen seemed puzzled, "Pardon?" He replied.
"I want to know your name; it's disrespectful to continue berating a fellow warrior with something as petty as the word punk," he said, demonstrating his code of honor.
Just as Rowan had mistaken him, Jacen had assumed Rowan was simply a brutish thug who saw everyone else as beneath him.
He only acknowledged those he respected, which Jacen hoped was the case.
Meeting Rowan's gaze, he replied, "I'm Jacen Horne, Jedi Knight," he wanted to appeal to Rowan's honor while identifying what kind of warrior he was.
"Jacen Horne," Rowan said, returning another feral grin.
"Until now, only Pyrrha Nikkos was worth my time in training till the day I fought her, but now Jacen Horne, you've named yourself the second person on that list."
Rowan gave his weapon a quick flourish, "While I've never heard of a Jedi Knight before, I'll count defeating you as being another step toward achieving my goal as the best huntsman ever," he said, aiming the tip of his spear toward Jacen.
"Gae Bulg has been my faithful companion for many years, given to me by one of the greatest warriors who'd ever lived," he continued with a level of pride.
Jacen didn't want this fight to go on any longer than it already had, but Jacen knew how to make Rowan follow him to the ruins, even if it seemed underhanded.
Talk about going into a sabacc game with high stakes, but he was willing to take a chance, especially if it meant earning Rowan as an ally, albeit a reluctant partner that wanted to make it his job to defeat him.
This would be a pure sabacc, an Idiot's Array, or a bomb out.
Appealing to Rowan's response concerning his weapon, Jacen felt compelled to respond in kind, "My lightsaber has been a traditional weapon of my clan," he replied, giving his weapon a quick flourish before bringing it to the ready.
He could see Rowan appreciate the gesture, "Well then, let's continue where we left off!" He lunged forward just as Jacen got back into his defensive form, only now he was adopting quick blocks and evasions, with just enough effort not to make it seem like he was retreating.
Reaching through the Force, he felt how far he and Rowan were from the ruins, then maneuvered the fight forward.
They'd just gotten to the outskirts of the ruins when Jacen felt a familiar ominous presence.
Rowan must have noticed it, too, because he stopped his advance and began sniffing the air, but then that feral grin returned.
"There's no mistake what that scent is," Rowan said in his unsettling voice.
Jacen knew it too; despite Ozpin's words, there was no doubt Grimm were inside the forest.
At the same time, Rowan and Jacen turned their backs toward each other as two fledgling beowolves lunged toward them.
Jacen quickly brought his lightsaber cutting through the one coming at him while Rowan thrust his spear into the other beowolf, which passed through it. Then the creature suddenly burst in miniature geysers of black ooze then fell over dead.
Jacen had time to turn and see the result of Rowan's attack.
At first, Jacen wanted to use the Force to recall Rowan's weapon to him, but it came right back into his awaiting hand.
Seeing how it wasn't through the Force that Rowan had done so, he took a closer look at Rowan's vambraces then he noticed a faint glow on them.
Rowan had modified his weapon to return to his hand when through via a control function on his vambraces.
"Don't let your guard down," Rowan shouted as more beowolves charged forward.
Both Jacen and Rowan seemed to be in perfect synchronization, with Jacen working with Rowan's strengths as the two managed to cut down a pack more enormous than the one Jacen himself had fought.
"So much for those anti-Grimm defenses, the old man mentioned," Rowan said, returning his weapon to its sword configuration and sheath.
Suddenly it seemed that his eyes had lost that feral yellow, and he returned to his average stature, though it was clear he was breathing heavily.
Inwardly, Jacen wondered what Rowan could do if he let his semblance be unleashed at 100 percent; the image of Yang using her semblance at full came into mind.
Rowan had learned only to use what he needed.
"That's a lot of beowolves," Jacen said as the bodies evaporated, leaving only their fangs and claws.
Rowan agreed begrudgingly, "Yeah, though we should probably watch for something bigger like an Ursa or a Death Stalker."
Jacen stretched out with his feelings and let out a gasp.
Rowan hadn't been wrong, where there were only the natural animals within the forest; now he sensed the presence of the Grimm within the forest, and two of them felt especially old.
"So, do we make our way to the ruins?" Jacen asked, then stopped when Rowan whirled on him.
For a moment, Jacen thought he would attack again, but Rowan seemed to ponder that question before answering, "We'll make for the ruins so we have more open ground, and," he added in an almost bored tone.
"We'll also grab the relics."
Jacen extended his hand, "So, does this make us partners?" He flinched when Rowan seemed to narrow his eyes at him.
"Keep this in mind, Jacen," Rowan said though much less fierce than usual.
"While I have a newfound respect for you, I plan to defeat you at a later time eventually," he extended his hand.
"But until then, I suppose there's no shame in fighting beside another skilled warrior."
Both of them shook hands and made their way to the ruins.
Ozpin had been watching the fight from his scroll atop the cliff.
Rowan had the potential to become a great huntsman, even though he was rough around the edges.
Jacen, though, how Jacen cleverly used his tactics to maneuver them closer toward the ruins spoke volumes to his capabilities as a strategist.
He recalled Jacen's words regarding him and his fellow Jedi fighting in a war to defend their Republic against a group called the Separatists, only for their ancient adversaries, the Sith, to emerge victorious and transform this republic into an empire.
He grimaced slightly as he saw Rowan and Jacen fighting against a huge pack of beowolves.
Impossible though it was, if indeed the defenses were still active, though perhaps this would be an even more meaningful learning experience.
He flipped his scroll to show that Ruby Rose had teamed up with Weiss Schnee, and the local squirrel monkeys were chasing them after Ruby made the tactical mistake of getting in the way of Weiss's attack, thus setting a portion of the area on fire from Weiss's fire dust.
"I don't care what his transfer papers say," Glynda said in a rather stern voice.
"That Jaune Arc boy simply doesn't belong here."
Ozpin's eyes went to the monitor where Jaune had teamed up with Pyrrha Nikkos, and they were making their way toward not the ruins but a cave.
As he continued watching his monitors, he noticed young Gray Tuman running with his weapons ready, only to stop in a clearing.
The boy had a look that Ozpin couldn't decipher, and thought he was scared out of his mind.
However, when Ozpin's monitor followed Gray's trail, his eyes widened.
There were the fading remains of a King Taijitu and about three Ursa.
While Gray seemed to be injured, he'd left a swath of dead Grimm behind him.
END