The sound of swords clashing together echoed throughout the small arena as the duel went on. Nadir was trying his hardest to best Lukas, but every time he attacked, Lukas would block or dodge effortlessly. Lukas' blank expression highlighted his disinterest in the duel. Nadir jumped up and swung his sword down, but Lukas sidestepped the attack and Nadir's weapon hit the ground with a metallic clang. Nadir turned and slashed at him a second time, but again, he simply stepped back and the attack missed. Lukas brought Memento up and slashed at Nadir; leaving a pink laceration on the Aura across his face that quickly faded away.
Nadir stepped back and held his face with one hand. A glimmer of both fear and anger reflected in his pink eyes. He grabbed his sword with both hands and thrust it in a stabbing motion with all his strength. With a quick maneuver of his blade, Lukas disarmed Nadir and sent his sword skittering across the ground, then he used Nadir's momentum to toss him onto the ground. Nadir found himself pinned as the cold tip of Lukas' sword pushed up against his throat.
"Well done, Mr. Augite." Professor Valenzuela congratulated the Huntsman while he walked towards the middle of the arena.
"Students, in the week that we've had this class, I've seen some impressive individuals, namely Lukas here and...May; which I was expecting of you anyway." He looked up to the Huntress sitting in the stands next to the remainder of Teams PLTM and ABRN, chuckling softly to himself.
"If I were any of you, I'd make those two the ones you aim to best."
Lukas stood up and sheathed his sword, then turned and began walking toward the center of the ring. Just before he left earshot, he stopped and glanced back at his downed classmate.
"It's a miracle a Huntsman like you made it here." He callously insulted Nadir before he turned back and continued forward.
Nadir glanced up at the holographic Aura gauges displayed on the far wall. Pathetic, he barely even made a dent in that guy's Aura, meanwhile, he was sitting at below 15 percent. He began to feel a sinking feeling in his heart, but he tried to shake it off by getting up and limbering towards the stands.
"Alright, it looks like we have time for one more match." Professor Valenzuela announced to the students. "Would anyone like to-."
"Professor," he was cut off by a voice from behind. He turned around to see Lukas walking towards him. "May I do another?"
"Mr. Augite, you just finished a battle, did you not?" Hawk asked.
"I wasn't satisfied with it." Lukas retorted. Hawk focused his gaze at the displayed Aura levels of the last match.
"Yes, well, it seems you were barely scratched." He said softly and turned back to the Huntsman. "Very well, if that's what you wish. Is there anyone in particular that you would like to face?"
Professor Valenzuela shifted his eyes from student to student; imagining fights between Lukas and each one of them that he hadn't faced yet. May would do exceptionally well against him, he imagined. Another student, Platina, was also a great fighter. He began to worry if they accidentally made Team PLTM a little too powerful.
"You." Lukas finally spoke up.
Hawk turned to face the Huntsman expecting him to be pointing at someone in the crowd of students, but was surprised to see that he was staring at him.
"Me? It's rather foolhardy to challenge the teacher, you realize?" He asked in a confused voice.
"Maybe, but I need a challenge." He replied, his voice full of confidence. "I want to fight you."
Hawk's beak turned into a sly smile at its base and he laughed lightly to himself.
"If you'll excuse me for a moment."
He turned around and began to make his way to a locker embedded in the wall. He placed his hand on it and a flash of blue light outlined his hand, then a holographic keypad appeared above it. He typed in a 6-digit code and the weapon locker opened up. He grabbed a sword off the wall and fastened it to the left side of his waist, then he took a smaller, dagger-like weapon and strapped it over his shoulder.
He turned back towards Lukas and the locker slowly shut behind him. He positioned himself to be opposite from Lukas on a small circle in the middle of the room. He pulled the sword out of its sheath and held it out in front of him with both hands. It was a curved, single-edged, silver blade with black ripples decorating it.
"A katana?" Tiffany inquired as she looked over to her teammates.
"Hawk is totally old-school with how he fights." May responded without taking her eyes off the Faunus. "His weapon doesn't transform or anything; he says he prefers to keep it simple. Also, that type of katana is called a daitō. The blade's a little shorter than most katana." She stared at the professor with a fire in her eyes and a toothy grin.
"You sure do know a lot about weapons." Arslan commented from across Platina and Reese on May's right side.
"My dad was a blacksmith, after all. Hawk's weapon is something that he likes to call a 'one-and-a-half-handed weapon'. The shorter blade makes it a lot more flexible and easier to handle." She explained. She leaned forward, brought her knee up, and rested her arm on it.
"Excited?" Reese asked her.
"Yeah, I am. Someone's finally gonna put Lukas in his place."
Lukas widened his stance, pulled out his chokutō, and held it up to his chest. For a second, the two stood perfectly still; eyeing each other as they waited for the other.
Lukas made the first move. He swiftly leaped as close to the professor as he could. Hawk shifted his sword to his right side and swung at Lukas. The student ducked under the strike, then he thrust his blade forward for a stabbing attack. In a quick motion with his sword, Hawk blocked the attack and spun around to the side of Lukas. He brought his daitō up to prepare for an overhead swing, but just before he could complete the motion, Lukas teleported a few feet ahead of Hawk and the attack missed. Lukas whipped around with a fired-up expression and swung his arm forward. A knife came flying out of his bracer, Mori. The professor knocked the knife away from him with his sword, then he refocused his attention to where his student was, but he was gone.
Hawk noticed the ground below him begin to reflect a faint glow of yellow. He looked up to see Lukas upside down in the air above him; reaching out to him with his sword that was engulfed by Electricity Dust. Hawk exchanged a look of intrigue with Lukas, and Lukas glared back with determination. Professor Valenzuela leaped back and Memento plunged into the ground; narrowly missing the Faunus. Using his sword to keep himself in place, Lukas swung his leg around and kicked the teacher across the face. Hawk reeled from the hit, then he regained his balance and brought his sword up.
Lukas blitzed around the battlefield using his Semblance to his advantage as much as he could. Hawk took a more defensive approach; carefully watching Lukas' every move and anticipating his attacks. Lukas unleashed a series of ferocious strikes, but Hawk's reflexes were sharp and his prowess with his sword allowed him to block most anything Lukas threw at him.
Lukas used Mori to create a Fire Dust explosion that propelled him spinning towards Professor. He managed to block the attack as Lukas flew over him. As Lukas came back to the ground, Hawk ever-vigilant gaze focused on the vulnerable position the student was in. He quickly thrusted the hilt of his weapon into Lukas' stomach. Lukas flew back in the air, but as he did he threw out another knife, then he landed smoothly on the ground. Hawk prepared to dodge the knife, but it plunged into the floor at his feet.
"Whew, he missed." Hawk thought. He eased his stance and brought his daitō to his side.
Lukas raised his head and revealed a cocky smile. Professor Valenzuela peered at Lukas with his razor-sharp eyes; wondering to himself why he was smiling like that. Hawk heard the distinct sound of Dust activating below him. He glanced down and noticed a few lines along the blade of the knife that Lukas had thrown began to glow with a blue light.
"Ice Dust?!" The Faunus realized. He swiftly dashed and leaped as far away from the knife as he could.
An explosion of freezing cold ice erupted from the knife and engulfed Hawk's right arm; tugging him out of the motion and holding him in place. His weapon was imprisoned along with his arm. At that moment, Lukas teleported to the first knife he threw in the fight and forced it back into Mori in one fluent motion, then he broke into a sprint towards his trapped enemy. Professor Valenzuela hit the ice with his free hand then began to pull on his arm, desperately trying to free himself. Lukas let out a confident yell and lurched his sword forward.
Suddenly, in a quick motion, Hawk slipped out of his haori and whipped around to his right; leaving the sleeve of his jacket and his sword still trapped in the ice. He reached around and grabbed the dagger on his back. He pulled it out and jabbed Lukas in his back as he passed. Lukas was thrown by the force of the swing, and he rolled twice on the ground before coming to a stop.
"So, what type of dagger is that?" Tiffany asked May, pointing to his other weapon. Like Lukas' sword, it had no crossguard, and the blade was straight and single-edged.
May chuckled to herself as she crossed her arms. "It's over for him. That's Hawk's tantō. He only uses it when he's serious, so Lukas doesn't stand a chance anymore." She finished in a confident tone while closing her eyes as she relaxed back into her seat.
Lukas stood up and held his sword out. It suddenly sparked with electricity again. He widened his stance and pointed Memento down by his side. He then flicked his left hand and held his knife out in front of him.
"That was a very clever use of Dust, Mr. Augite." Hawk commended. He turned to one side of the students that surrounded them and continued, "You see students, Dust is much more useful than for just firing your weapons. It can be used in a lot of ways, such as what you've just seen. Dust is one of many things that-"
He stopped as soon as he noticed Lukas disappeared. There was a faint gust of air behind him and he immediately snapped into action. He revolved around and bobbed under an overhead kick coming from Lukas. The cloaked Huntsman landed on the ground and twisted around for another kick. Hawk brought his tantō up and stopped the attack.
"Don't turn this into a lecture!" Lukas growled while he struggled with Hawk, his eyes glaring at him with annoyance.
Lukas swung at Hawk. The Faunus dodged back and feinted a strike with his dagger, but moved closer and grabbed Lukas. The professor spun and threw him across the battlefield, and Lukas ended up by the ice he created. He slashed towards Professor Valenzuela and a bolt of lightning shot from the sword. Hawk jumped out of the way and began to sprint towards Lukas. The student sunk to the ground and spun his blade around; creating a circle of electricity around him that was moving outward along the ground. The professor flipped over the attack, landed right in front of Lukas, and slashed his tantō down at the student. Lukas vanished suddenly and the attack missed.
"I have you now!" Lukas screamed inside his own head as he appeared behind his enemy with a malicious smile on his face.
He transformed his sword into its starknife form and concentrated all his strength into hurling it forward. Just before he let go, three sharp pains pierced his chest like knives. He stopped the motion and dropped to the ground.
Hawk was standing with his arm outstretched to Lukas. Slowly, Lukas looked down at his chest to see three bird feathers sticking out of his jacket. He grabbed one of them and pulled it out. It felt hard and cold, like steel, and it was sharp at the edges. After a short second, it was squished in his fist as it turned into a normal feather.
"As I was saying, Dust is one of many things that can turn the tide of battle." Hawk stated nonchalantly as he turned around and began to stride to the ice that had his sword trapped inside. He freed his overcoat from the ice's clutch and threw jt over his shoulders, then he took his weapon and pulled it free.
"Another such thing is Semblance. Mr. Augite. While yours is quite unique, you have an over-reliance on it. After a while, you became somewhat predictable, and I began to see flaws and limitations in it." He said, examining his weapon. He brushed some ice off the blade, sheathed it, and continued, "However, I must commend you. That was an incredible displ-"
"Shut up!" Lukas shouted, cutting off the professor. "This fight isn't over yet!"
His eyes burned with frustration and he was gritting his teeth hard. He transformed Memento into its original state and pointed it at the Aura gauges to his right. The bar next to his name showed he had 16 percent remaining, just above the losing amount. He pointed the weapon at Hawk and his entire body crackled with a white glow.
The cling of a blade being drawn echoed through the room. A tense silence was all that was left after. The Faunus blew past Lukas in a flash - holding his sword off to his right. The two stood frozen for a long moment. Slowly, Lukas looked down at his chest. He dropped to one knee and clutched his jacket with his free hand.
"W-what was that?" Platina stammered as she looked onto the battlefield; eyes wide with shock. Team ABRN and the rest of PLTM looked over to May for answers, but only found her staring with just as much shock as they were in.
"I...I don't know..." She said in a quiet voice. She shook her head and leaned back in her chair with a smile.
"But anyway, I told you guys! Lukas was gonna get thrashed by Hawk, no matter what!" She laughed.
Hawk sheathed his sword and began walking away from Lukas, and as he did May shifted her glance up to the Aura displays.
"30 percent? It's hard for me to even get him that low...and he did it on his first try?" She thought to herself.
The bell rang and all the students got up and began shuffling out of the room. Lukas, now isolated in the middle of the room, pulled the other two feathers out of his jacket. He stayed kneeling there for a short while; looking down in silence. Soon his frustration drowned out the sounds of the scurrying students.
Nadir sat at the table, resting his head on his hand while looking down at the school lunch that he was only picking at. His heart was still heavy with his loss from earlier, as well as what Lukas said to him after the match.
"Nadir?" A voice called out to him, popping his bubble of thought. He glanced up to see Platina, May, and Tiffany staring at him concerningly. He shot quick looks from side to side and realized that his own team was doing the same.
"Oh, uh, yeah?" He said as he straightened his posture.
"Are you okay?" Arslan asked as she peered at him.
"Yeah, I'm...good. It's all good." He hesitated for a second, trying to plaster on a convincing smile.
"You just seem a bit down lately." Reese chimed in from his right.
"No, I'm-"
"Is it Lukas?" Platina cut him off in a soft tone.
He turned to face her, caught off guard by her assumption. She looked genuinely concerned for someone she's barely even known a week.
"Um…" His smile faded, "yeah...it is." He admitted as he scratched the back of his head. Most of the table let out a collective groan.
"Do you guys know what his deal is?" Bolin asked.
"I don't know, I can't figure him out." May replied as she crossed her arms and leaned back. "What did he do this time?"
"Oh, uh…" All eyes were now on Nadir now, and he could feel the social pressure weighing on his shoulders. He didn't want to worry any of his friends, but he figured that they wouldn't just let him ignore the question.
"After the fight, he told me that it was a miracle that I got into the school."
The atmosphere at the table noticeably changed. Instead of looking worried, everyone looked pissed. May balled her right hand into a fist on the table. Slowly, a few flames erupted into life along her arm.
"The nerve of that guy!" She growled and hit the table lightly; extinguishing the fire. "You know that's not true, right? You earned your way here, just like the rest of us."
"I'd really love to kick his ass." Arslan and Bolin both stated at the same time. They turned to each other and shared a laugh.
"That was weird," Tiffany giggled.
"Yeah, well when you've been quote-unquote 'friends' with someone for as long as we have things like that happen sometimes." Arslan explained.
"Oh, shut up, you love me." Bolin sarcastically retorted with a toothy smile.
"Guys," Tina finally spoke up. Everyone turned their attention to her. "I'm going to talk to Lukas."
Platina expected a response from someone, but everyone stayed quiet and listened.
"I'll try to convince him to be nicer to everyone. Maybe after that, we can get to know him and he won't be so bad?" She finished. May and Tiffany nodded. Arslan and Bolin gave reassuring smiles.
"I think that's a good idea." Reese agreed.
"I'd really appreciate that, Platina." Nadir said with a relieved sigh and smile.
The bell rang and the group of friends began to head to their next class. Remnant History in Room 201 was run by Professor Luna - a beautiful, middle-aged woman who was kind and encouraging. She had long, black hair with a single white streak down her left side and big blue eyes.
"Alright, class!" She announced in her usual cheery tone. "Today, after we watch the daily news, I'll have you turn to page 50 in your textbooks."
Tiffany preemptively flipped her book to page 50. To her right, May was leaning back and beginning to doze off. Platina and Lukas sat attentively as the room went dark and the screen on the far wall flashed on. The news quickly went through the weather and dabbled in some politics. Eventually, it started going over some recent crime reports.
"Just like last week, another Faunus Civil Rights protest was cut short when White Fang members began attacking the innocent, as well as the police when they showed up. The organization has gotten more and more active over these past few months and they show no signs of slowing down. More on that later." The reporter spoke over a video of the incident.
A tense quiet hung in the air. Some of the Faunus in the room shifted uncomfortably.
"In other news, there have been two large-scale Dust robberies in Anima this past month. The incidents are believed to be connected in some way by investigators. Evidence of the culprits has been few and minute, and authorities are scratching their heads at the mystery. The most prominent piece of evidence found so far is this security footage of the second crime scene." She continued.
The screen switched away from the reporter and showed some low-quality footage of what looked like a dock with a lot of shipping containers. A person with long black hair who was dressed in black and holding a red sword walked into the frame. Two people wearing blue suits followed behind him. The one in front looked up and pointed his sword at the camera. The two other people aimed their guns up at the camera. The screen then became nothing but static. Platina didn't know why, but something about the video sent a small chill through her spine.
"The men in the video remain unidentified. If you have any information about these individuals, please contact your local authorities." The reporter went on.
Platina shifted her eyes around the room. Tiffany was sitting up straight and May had completely fallen asleep. She looked right to check on Lukas. He was holding his head with his right hand while making a fist with his left. For some reason, he looked really agitated. Without warning, he shot up and began storming towards the door.
"What the-?" Tina whispered under her breath.
Lukas flung the door open and swiftly shut it once he was outside.
"Wai...wha..?" Platina stammered with a flustered expression; quickly looking back and forth between the Professor and the door.
Professor Luna stared with a confused expression for a second, but in time she focused her gaze on Platina. She gave a soft, encouraging smile and nodded her head towards the door. Platina stared back for a moment, then raised her hand to her chest and nodded. She got up and made her way to the door. She gently slid it open and stepped out. Closing the door behind her, she glanced in both directions for Lukas.
She caught a glimpse of his cloak as he turned a corner to her left. She began jogging in his direction and turned the same corner. Lukas was a little further down the hall with his cloak waving behind him. Platina jogged a bit closer to him.
"Lukas," she called.
Almost like her voice had grabbed him from behind, Lukas stopped.
"What are you doing? What was that back there?" Platina asked as soon as she reached him. Lukas turned around to face her.
"That was nothing," Lukas replied with a cold stare. "I just...realized that I'm wasting my time here." He sighed.
With that, he began walking down the hallway again. Platina was just about ready to call it quits there, but something in her gut held her in place.
"Lukas...what's going on with you?" She asked. Lukas stopped again, but he didn't turn back to the girl.
He shook his head. "It's none of your concern." He stated.
"But it is!" Tina reassured him, "You're a member of this team, just like May and Tiffany! Don't forget that I'm the team's leader, so I want to know what's going on!"
Lukas suddenly turned around to face Platina. His cloak twirled in the air as he did so.
"You're no leader." He coldly replied.
"What?" Tina growled, clearly annoyed.
"What you have is an empty title that you're just throwing around." He argued, "Don't think you can just boss me around cause someone said you could. I'm not here to work with you or be your friend. I'm just here to hone my skills."
He turned to a window to his left. He could see the central courtyard and the rest of the school outside.
"If anything, I don't understand why I wasn't made the leader, or the other two, for that matter. Please, just leave me be." He sighed. In his signature fashion, he was gone in an instant.
Platina ran up to where he used to be standing and looked out the window. She saw him walking away from the building. She felt a small ache in her heart.
"Well, that went well." Platina heard a voice from her right. She turned and found Professor Valenzuela walking towards her. She let out a small sigh.
"He's right, Professor." She moaned. She shook her head and looked away from him. "I shouldn't be leading this team…"
The professor shot Platina a precarious look. "Now, why would you say that?" He asked. Platina brought a hand to her chest.
"I'm not a leader. Any of the others would do so much better than me." She said as she let her hand fall to her side. "There isn't anything special about me. I'm just...lame." She gave a soft chuckle, "It's really nothing you would understand."
There was a short silence between the two. Platina averted her gaze away from the professor and didn't dare look him in his eyes.
"You know, I was just as lame as you are when I was in school." He finally replied. Tina glanced up in surprise.
"You? I don't believe it." She brushed off the claim and crossed her arms.
"Whether you believe it or not is up to you, but it's true either way…" He stated in a matter-of-fact tone and brought his arms behind his back.
"But...but you beat Lukas; you're really strong!" She retorted in disbelief.
"Yes, and it was my own hard work and devotion to my training that led to that strength." He explained. "Anyone, even you, can reach my level, so long as you are willing to work for it."
Professor Valenzuela looked away for a long second. It seemed as if he was remembering something from a long time ago. He looked back at the Huntress.
"Lukas reminds me of one of my old teammates. I think that he'll come around eventually. You'll have to give it some time, however." He continued and gave the girl a warm smile. "In the meantime, though, you should work on being the best leader you possibly can, just to prove him wrong."
Platina gave a confident smile and nodded.
"I'll try, professor." Platina sang cheerfully with her usual gleeful smile. She began to jog passed him, but he suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Actually, Miss Steel, there is something I would like to ask you."
Caught by surprise, Platina turned to him without a word, but gave him an intentive look that told him that she was listening.
"Are you related to one August Steel?" He asked.
"Yeah...he's my dad..." She replied.
"Really?" He asked with a surprised face. "I'm surprised he found a woman who would tolerate him enough to settle down." He laughed.
"I'm...actually adopted." She explained as she gave an awkward smile and rubbed the back of her head. "Guess I should have said that."
"Hmm, I see." He said.
"Wait, how do you know August?" Platina asked as the thought suddenly occurred to her.
"Hmm? You don't know?" He asked as he tilted his head. There was a short silence, as if he wanted to create a moment of suspense. "August was a student here at Haven."
"What?!" Platina asked in a shocked tone. "He never told me that."
"It's the truth; he was the leader of his own team. Professor Luna was actually a member."
Another short silence filled the air between the two. Platina couldn't think of much to say. Hawk was the one who broke the quiet.
"Say, thinking about it now, your weapon...It's Wisteria's old weapon, isn't it?" His tone took an odd, solemn tone as he finished the question.
Platina stared at him with a puzzled look. "Who's Wisteria?" She asked slowly, obviously confused.
"He...never told you about her?..."
A gravel path cut through the grass surrounding the courtyard at the entrance of the school. Other than the crunch of the gravel under their feet, the various birds chirping was the only noise. The distinct smell of the sakura trees filled the air. Since they left the school building, Platina and the professor hadn't said a word to each other.
"When I was your age, I came to this academy and became the leader of Team HAWK." Professor Valenzuela suddenly broke the silence. "Ironic in the naming, I know; a bit like your own team."
Platina didn't bother talking. She just listened to the Faunus as they continued down the path.
"On my team was Professor Myrtle, May's mother; Krystal Vermillion, and a girl named Wisteria." He went on, "After the teams were picked, we met another team, called ALMD. They were a bit older than my team; third years, if I recall. One day, there was an assembly after a lunch period."
As the two began turning with the school, the trees disappeared. All that was left was grassland scattered with purple and pink flowers.
"There was to be a plan to expand the kingdom of Haven to the ground below the cliffs. It was said that certain teams from the school would be selected to clear out an area of woods."
"Shi No Mori." Platina breathed softly.
"Yes." Hawk confirmed, "Both my team and Team ALMD fought with all our strength…" He took a short pause and looked into the distance, "but Wisteria suffered a fatal injury trying to protect me from a Deathstalker. The leader of ALMD, who happened to be Wisteria's brother, blamed me for what happened."
A small fenced area came into view. Platina could see several stone slabs sticking out of the ground in tidy rows, and it became clear what the place was. Hawk led the way into the cemetery and stopped at a grave around the middle of the row closest to the gravel path. Platina followed closely behind him, and as she moved around him the grave came into clear view.
Wisteria Steel
17 Years Old
There's always hope for the willing.
"August was her brother." Hawk solemnly finished.
There was yet another short silence between the student and teacher. Platina was in disbelief.
"August always told me he was an only child." Tina informed the Faunus.
"That isn't the case, I'm afraid." Hawk confirmed, "After Wisteria sacrificed herself, he was so grief-stricken that he couldn't bear being a Huntsman any longer. He took her weapon for memory's sake and left the school; never to be seen again by anyone on Team HAWK or ALMD, as far as I know."
He kneeled down and reached for something in his jacket. He slowly pulled out a purple flower and held it in both hands for a moment before gently placing it in front of his former teammate's grave.
"Wisteria flowers were always her favorite because she shared their namesake. I come down here every so often and place one here for her." Hawk explained. He got back up and turned to Platina.
"But…" Platina started, bringing her arm to her chest and looking down, "why would August lie to me about this?" She questioned.
The professor let out a sigh, "Perhaps the memory of her is too painful for him to bring up, but no matter what his reason, it isn't something I know."
There was yet another silence between the two. This one was much longer than the others, though - excluding the walk to the graveyard.
"There is one thing I do know." Hawk finally spoke up. Tina looked up at him. "Not only do you have to live up to the title of 'leader', but you also have the legacy of Wisteria's and August's surname to carry. It seems you have a lot of responsibility ahead of you, Miss Steel, as well as a few expectations to fulfill."
Platina never replied to that. She reached behind her and pulled out one part of her weapon. The handle suddenly had a different feel to it, almost as if it was heavier. It was the same weapon she had used all this time, but there was some new, unknown side of it that she was just seeing for the first time that day.
Weapon Notes #1 Platinum Eclipse; Wielded by Platina Steel, Platinum Eclipse is a pair of kama with a shotgun constructed within the handles. The weapon can be split apart with a chain connecting the two halves; forming a kusarigama. A switch on the top side controls the contraction and extension of the chains, which can reach up to 20 feet. The weapon's small build means its Dust firepower is relatively weak.