Caelum's teammates were performing admirably. Where he usually would be watching them from afar and controlling the battlefield from the center, he found himself preoccupied and completely focused on combating Miss Nikos.
He wasn't conceited in his skill or technique but knew those days of training and fighting had accumulated up to some level. And so it left him with a simmering frustration as he found Nikos dodging each thrust, slash, cut, and stab from his weapon with relative ease and by mere fractions of an inch.
These narrow misses had left Caelum to receive punishment. Strikes to the ribs, low kicks, a shield bash, and her javelin grazing his throat were some of the more severe blows to harm his aura in their brief confrontation.
Their melee was intense and unending even as he received the multiple blows, only able to stave off severe damage to his aura by parrying or narrowly managing to dodge himself. Nikos seemed impressed at his abilities, evident from the polite smirk she gave as he managed to avoid another series of strikes from her shield and javelin.
Both were growing winded. Anytime distance was gained one would close to prevent the other from thinking or gaining time to intervene with the others. This time, Pyhra was the one to pressure him as he recoiled from her strikes.
Shield at the forefront of her charge, she used it to hide the angle of her javelin's next strike. High, low, left, right, It was a guessing game as Caelum fought to block and parry in time with the quick thrusts.
Caelum countered and thrust his bayonet overhead, swinging the weight of his weapon down atop her shield. Again he narrowly missed her scalp and to his surprise, she pushed his weapon away with one hand and miraculous ease. He was open for a strike as she moved her shield aside to strike him dead center.
His weapon felt strangely heavy as he hurried to move, just in time, the wooden stock of his weapon was able to bat away the spearhead, surprising Pyhra as she quickly stepped back and resumed her defensive stature.
Her shield bobbed slightly up and down as her breathing steadied. Caelum held his weapon at his hip, thinking over the strange exchange. The silence lasted a second as both tensed.
"You've certainly got some trick, haven't you?" he asked as they began slowly circling each other. Her face hidden behind both weapons only showed fiery red hair and focused jade eyes.
"Hope you're prepared for when it's revealed otherwise you'll lose that winning streak of yours." Again she remained steadfast, showing no response to his remark. Now Caelum charged, bayonet at the front. Pyhra braced for the thrust when a loud burst of gunfire ripped through the air.
The recoil was difficult to control mid-stride yet Caelum did so anyway, forcing Pyhra to recede behind her shield as she endured the salvo. As she was crouched low, Caelum thrust overhead again with his bayonet. Her shield twisted upwards diverting its path.
Caelum's wrist twisted and a latch clicked, his bayonet swung ninety degrees downwards into its scythe shape and brushed her hair. With the sound of grating metal as his scythe ripped against her shield, Caelum pulled back and felt her back impact his blade as he placed a foot against her shield and pressed her against it.
Again with strength that even a champion like herself shouldn't have had, she ripped herself out of his attack, thrusting her shield arm out and knocking his weapon away. With a foot in the air he saw her javelin come for his eyes.
Throwing his head back to dodge the spearhead, Caelum slammed his foot down atop her knee and knocked her leg inwards. Receiving the blow, Pyhra spun on the knee, now planted on the ground as she swung her other leg wide to sweep his feet.
In that fraction of a moment, she had exposed her back. Jumping in the air, Caelum dropkicked the spartan girl away. Landing on his side, Caelum rolled into a combat stance as Pyhra clattered on all fours, instinctually raising her shield in expectation of another strike.
It was an invaluable reaction as Caelum had his bayonet coming down with all his body weight behind it. The blade aimed at her neck, his eyes showing clear intent on breaking her aura, and hers own conveyed that she understood it.
Yet again his blade missed by a hair. His eyes widened in disbelief as Pyhra's counterattack came. Another thrust, a repetitive yet extremely effective tactic. Caelum was perhaps the first peer in her grade who had been able to go so long without feeling just how effective a direct strike from her was.
The blade came forward as Caelum did the unexpected. He dropped his weapon. In confusion, Pyhra watched as his weapon fell downward and before it hit the ground, he had grasped her javelin's hilt with his left hand and pulled her forward.
Now off balance, Pyhra was barely able to use her magnesis to stop herself from his following strike. An elbow swung forward with enough force to break her nose. Luckily her aura prevented it as she gained distance and brought a hand to her slightly reddened nose tip.
Caelum kept his eyes affixed on her as he clenched and released his fists. Lowering his center of gravity it seemed that he had deduced hand to hand would be more effective so long as he did not know what her 'trick' was.
Undeterred, Pyhra engaged again with the confidence befitting her reputation. She was surprised to see what Caelum could do without her interference. The battle soon became more equal as Caelum's strikes landed where he wished. Though he was unaware, his combat attire was, fortunately metal-free. With only sturdy cloth on him and mirrors within, Pyhra could only control her own movements.
Perhaps it was this surprising lack of control over her opponent but Pyhra suffered for the momentary lapse in concentration as Caelum closed in. Instinctively she raised her shield only to see a gloved hand grasp its edge and rip it back down. Just as quickly another gloved fist collided with her nose.
Her aura narrowly prevented it from bleeding as Caelum unrelentingly followed up, rotating her shield still grasped in his hand and then ramming it against her throat. Through wincing eyes, Pyhra thrust her javelin forward only for it to not return as she pulled back. Through teary eyes, she saw Caelum's left arm had it pinned against his side.
With both her hands and his locked upon her weapons and their torsos exposed, both acted swiftly. Her magnetism activated as she ripped her javelin back and swung her shield toward his head. The move would have been debilitating if Caelum hadn't acted unexpectedly and rather mercilessly.
With piercing brown eyes he stared at her as her shield neared his temple. The blow missed as her arm wrapped around the back of his neck and he slammed his head into her ever reddening nose.
A sharp gasp escaped her as she moved unnaturally. As if a marionette, her body lifted into the air, magnetism taking hold of her armor and moving her to instinctive safety quickly. Her hands planted onto the ground as her semblance-enforced legs landed a dual kick into Caelum's ribs, sending him reeling back.
Caelum grasped at his side in pain as he brought his other hand to his forehead, feeling the dull throbbing from his headbutt. The damage to Pyhra was certainly far worse as she stared at him through teary eyes and on one knee. Collapsing her shield, she raised her spear and shifted it into a rifle.
It may have been the pain, but an unseen look of ire seemed to take the benevolent champion. At gunpoint, Caelum's expression, one unnatural for a huntsman, let alone one his age, shifted from cold lethality to its usual indifference. Pyhra didn't lower her guard nonetheless, her senses heightened and on alert due to him.
Slowly he raised his free hand and spoke. "That's enough for now."
"...What?' asked Pyhra blinking in surprise. An almost indignant tone behind her words.
"It's three on one now," he explained gesturing to her sides. A glance around proved that Niel and Lukas were near and prepared to engage.
"And?" asked Pyhra.
Caelum snickered. "Confident. Not unwarranted though. I'm not saying the outcome is decided only that this was supposed to be a friendly spar."
Pyhra's eyes narrowed, obviously recalling his recent strikes on her, the bruising on her noise apparent just outside her vision. Understanding her thoughts, Kaiser lifted his blouse, showing the left side of his torso. Amidst the muscle were many bruises and two very prominent marks resembling the outline of two heeled boots.
"We'll call it even," he said lowering his shirt. "This isn't a test with clear guidelines set by teachers like with team RWBY. I'd rather we proactively focus on reviewing our team performances. Our weakest members are out and you are fighting alone. What's the point in beating the shit out of each other if there's nothing to gain?"
Accentuating his point, Caelum waved his teammates away as he strolled over to his weapon and slung it onto his back. The champion seemed stunned by the audacious move to just quit mid-combat. Perhaps he did so because he knew he was facing her yet for some reason, it unnerved her how he seemed so confident. His performance only heightened her wariness.
Standing slowly, she watched her opponents check in on her teammates and their own, disregarding her opinion on one-sidedly ending their match. They were a curious crew, their leader most of all. Yet his concern for his team and their improvement matched what Ruby had told her. Perhaps she and her team were worried over nothing. Albeit, Caelum's fighting was just as vicious as described.
Pyhra joined team CRLN in getting her team back on their feet before they parted ways. Though unusual but not unexpected, Pyhra was the one to exchange farewells with Caelum rather than her leader. It would be an uphill battle with her team upset but she would convince them that CRLN wasn't callous, at least intentionally.
Meanwhile, once team CRLN was on their way they shared a light conversation about the experience.
"So what did you think?" asked Niel.
"Raiden was the cornerstone for our success. Dispatching Arc was expected but the speed at which caused their chain of leadership to falter," answered Caelum dryly.
"And lil' Miss Champion?" asked Lukas.
"I'm not sure I could have beaten Nikos. She was especially serious at the end."
"Really? Ya seemed to be giving her a good run."
"She's trained for fights like this, spars and whatnot. There's also her gimmick to account for."
"Gimmick?" asked Niel unfamiliar with the word.
"It's irrelevant as I haven't figured it out yet. Semblances can be anything and everything."
"Aye, true that. You know Yatsuhashi can mess with people's minds?" interceded Lukas.
"That's terrifying" concluded Niel with wide eyes.
"Eh, he needs them to be still and a boost in aura but-"
"However" interrupted Caelum. "I am sure of one thing. She lacks the capability to kill."
Lukas and Niel looked at each other and back at Raiden who was too tired to involve himself. "Alright," said Lukas. "I'll bite, what's that mean?"
"If it were a real fight. If we were to face them. I'd kill her first"
The ease with which he declared the frightening theoretical left Niel shocked.
Lukas patted Caelum's shoulder. "Sometimes you say things that even worry me 'Cae' ya know that?"
The day was over officially, and having drawn his team into combat, Caelum allowed them to have the rest of the night off. Excusing himself, it was obvious to his team that he would continue his training despite getting the worst of it in the brawl.
Rather than drills, marksmanship, or muscle memory, Caelum trained his most unique aspect, his semblance. A common enough practice, especially for him as he sought to hone it. But seeing Ms. Nikos' skill, her proficiency drew a mild feeling of envy from him. He hid his semblance from everyone but his team, deeming it his personal need to know information. Yet even they didn't know just how he trained it.
Range and accuracy were the obvious and most useful aspects to enhance it. In one of the school's bathrooms, one of the only places not under surveillance. Something he couldn't even say of his room now that Ironwood was present, he checked every stall.
Taking a deep breath and ensuring one last time he was alone he looked into a full-body mirror. Nothing, as if he weren't there. A typical sight. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and focused. His thoughts drew to his family. To parents, and many siblings, the cold walls and warm hearth of their living room. Opening his eyes again, nothing.
It was wishful thinking but he had expected this. He was out of range, Mantle was two whole seas away after all. With a disappointed shake of his head, he repeated the process. The dry docks of Vale, where his "project" was came to mind. Specifically the bridge where he had placed a convenient mirror. Opening his eyes he saw the familiar darkened seats and consoles. With one foot forward, he stepped to the mirror. With another, he stepped through.
There was no feeling aside from a cool sensation. No exemplary sense of travel or matter changing. He was now simply somewhere he wished to be. He took a look around, no one had touched the room, it had been locked by him from the inside before he left through the same mirror days prior. Walking to the tinted glass he looked out and saw the bright floodlights of the dock as sparks from welders and machinery flew. Men and machines removed and added pieces of the ship's hull.
Everything checked out. So Caelum returned to the mirror. He thought of Vale's slums, a disheveled-looking building locked down but not condemned as the rest. He looked inside from an ovular mirror. One he'd have to crawl through but unassuming enough not to be stolen by squatters. Through it, he landed in a dusty, forgotten room. Streetlights from outside illuminated it dully from boarded windows as he stepped into an adjoining room.
It seemed no one had been here in a decade at least were it not for the flooring. On it, two trails of footprints were barely visible in the dust. One from him trailing to the mirror. The other trailing to the front door from whoever was hired to present the dead drop of information.
Lukas' father had taken precautions on more covert affairs and deigned this an appropriate measure. Caelum retrieved the dead drop, a small USB, and covering his tracks, walked over and joined his trail with the other. Now it seemed whoever entered walked about, saw a mirror, and left.
Back at the mirror, he thought of Vales' walled border, just outside of it in a small patch of brush next to a clearing by the oceanside cliffs. A dark and dank room lay, moist and humid with simple wooden walls and a cleverly hidden hatch.
It was one of many small armories he had installed around Vale during his tenure. Here he stored spare parts, surplus weapons, ammunition, and items of interest among others. After a brief inventory check and insurance it was still hidden, he noted it was secure. Next time he would check another location and repeat the process.
His final travel location would be a test of his abilities. The island of Patch. Off the coast of Vale in the sea between its parent continent and uncharted lands. Tired, slightly beaten, and having used his semblance he decided it would be a good test of his current self to see if he could make the trip.
Calmly he breathed and recalled the scenery as hazy memories of grimmer days fought to cloud his mind. Wooden walls and roofs. A small interior with destroyed furnishings. Thick woods outside the little windows. A step and he was there.
His breath fogged slightly at the temperature change. A glance around showed an impromptu barricade of wood and broken furniture around the mirror. His handiwork to protect the mirror from any mishap while he was away.
Stepping past it he looked outside. The same small hamlet, long abandoned, long desecrated. His eyes drifted down at the stony path leading to the house. The blood he recalled once on it, washed away long ago. His head turned to the side. The blood within this abode had long since blackened and stained.
The bodies that lay there were retrieved and buried, those who lived here and those who came with him. It had been his first time out of the continent of Mantle and coincidentally one of his first missions. Scared, frightened into submission and quiet he couldn't have expected things to turn as sour as they had back then.
An island of huntsman, trainees, and even elite scholars, were left in the quiet because Atlas deemed it a national issue and so sent a recon team to find a person of interest. He was a young adolescent, barely in his teens, and hardly trained. But it didn't matter, he was a replacement for his father and his family's failures. What did it matter if he died? His siblings would be forced to replace him.
The bitter memories crept in as he paced the building. Perhaps this knowledge was exactly why he couldn't die back then. It was after all, why he was on this path now.
It was growing late and he was tired. Recalling those dreary days and thoughts left him more drained than he thought. Before taking his leave, Caelum clasped his hands together and said a short prayer. For those slain here and thanking those who saved him. It was ironic that their patriotism led to his life and growth as a 'traitor.'
With this in mind and a smidge of pride that his semblance had grown stronger, with exhaustion growing, Caelum thought of Beacon, his room, and prepared to step through the mirror.
Perhaps it was because the layout of Beacon was so large and the lodgings identical. Maybe it was his recollections of past acquaintances and mounting exhaustion. But as Caelum prepared to walk through a full-size mirror into one of the same size in his room he found himself Tumbling midstep and falling forward on the other side.
This sensation was only when he ever stepped into a smaller exit than what he had entered, the realization was instant however as he fell face-first into an unassuming victim. Tired and confused, Caelum had time to only process two things. The first, that his fatigue and hazy unfocused thoughts had led to his semblance's accuracy to wane. And second, that he was atop Coco Adel in a nightgown.
He had barely registered this and the shock on her face when he received a slap that sent him rolling to the side and off her. Without hesitation, she got to her feet and pulled him up by his collar. With aggression and disregard for just how much her nightgown showed, Coco pinned him against a wall, her forearm to his throat and pinning his hands above his head.
More confused than her, Caelum didn't resist as she pressed into him. He fervently looked around to gather his bearings. To his left a wall, their dorm seemed split by gender. To his right two sets of vanity mirrors and dressers, one he must've emerged from. Lastly, before him, Coco stood in an expensive caramel-colored Nightgown and glared.
A sudden door in the far corner swung open and Velvet emerged, hair wet and clothes moist from her shower. "Coco! Is everything alright?!"
The faunus' eyes landed upon the image of Coco pinning Caelum against a wall, a fierce look in her eyes and confusion in his. Without hesitation, Velvet rushed forward and grabbed Coco trying to rip her off. "Coco don't! You'll get expelled!"
"Wha-?! Vel! He attacked me!" defended Coco resisting Velvet's attempts to free Caelum.
"Then why are you the one assaulting him?!" plead Velvet believing herself to be saving her friend from a prison sentence.
Caelum remained quiet and unresisting until the two girls calmed slightly. He didn't want to speak over them and invite their male teammates in to add to the confusion. It took some time and beating around the bush but eventually, he was able to explain himself.
Not wanting to divulge his semblance in full he left it at the bare minimum of teleportation with restrictions. Stating that his concentration slipped and he must've thought of Ms. Adel leading to the mishap was his theory and apology.
Velvet was relieved and believed him, simply glad that he nor Coco was a deviant. Coco on the other hand was skeptical and pried further. Unable to get much more out of him however she sighed at his explanation. She wished to give him an earful but it was too late and she needed her beauty sleep. With her dismissal and a threat of "hurry before I decide to toss you to Yatsuhashi and Fox," Caelum nodded thankfully and sat upon her dresser once more.
With a request of secrecy that the two girls agreed to, Caelum gave a wave and fell backward into the mirror as a diver would the sea. The girls were astounded to see him slip through it with a ripple before speaking over the event into the night.
Caelum meanwhile fell onto his room's flooring onto his back and laid there for a moment. The day had been tiring, to say the least. Looking up from the floor he saw his teammates with puzzled looks.
Raiden posed a question "Should we ask?"
"Rather you didn't" replied Caelum. With nods, they went back to their business as Caelum got up and to sleep.
The day's events played in Caelum's mind into the morning. Along with everything that kept him constantly busy. It was as they ate breakfast that an unexpected team walked past and greeted them.
Team JNPR exchanged short awkward greetings as they went to join Team RWBY. The most notable of which was Pyhra sporting a large bandage and gauze on her nose. Despite this, she still smiled brilliantly. Team CRLN responded in kind with polite greetings as they passed.
His team had noticed Pyhra's new bandage and gave accusing looks at Caelum. He felt almost guilty at the smile she had given despite him being the one to deliver it. His ribs ached as if to remind him she did much the same so it remained only an almost. School relationships certainly were difficult to maintain.
-Chapter End-