Chapter Seventeen
By the time I got back to my room, having gone Home, cleaned off, done laundry, and having come off the bittersweet high of what'd happened, Blake and Yang were already asleep. Pyrrha was sitting on her bed, doing something on her scroll, and looked up as I headed inside.
"I was getting worried," she commented softly, as I quietly made my way over to our beds, putting down the large duffel bag between us.
Seeing her did odd things to me, as the good feelings that stirred within me from the memory of what just happened were tempered by an unfortunately familiar sense of unease. I understood, intellectually, why she wanted to keep our relationship a secret, but emotionally? I wondered if this was just her giving herself an out.
It wouldn't be the first time, but last time this happened to me I hadn't even slept with her before she suddenly pretended we didn't know each other; that the night we'd spent, romantically, in each other's arms never happened. All because that other girl decided she liked my friend more, not realizing he was gay until she'd already not only cut ties, but attempted to portray me as some kind of creep to try to gain sympathy and get him to 'protect' her.
That girl had been more toxic than an industrial waste dump, and it was better that I found that out as soon as I had, but that hadn't made it hurt any less at the time. The fact that she then did her best to try to ruin me when her con was revealed, so far as going to campus police to report that I was stalking her, and then later that day that I'd spent the last twenty minutes stalking her in the library, would've likely seen me expelled from college, if I hadn'tbeen there already, talking to the police in another room of their station, and had been for the last hour. I was all but explicitly told that it was only that fact that had saved me. Nothing had happened to her of course, I was just told I was fine and to leave, but also to stay away from her, with an implied 'or else'.
The fact that those I called friends, who called themselves my friends, when that girl then spoke ill of me in public around them, hadn't said a word in my defense had damned me further in the eyes of the people I was around, further isolating me. After the fact, my 'friends' had told me they'd done so as they didn't want to 'get involved', but in doing so had given their tacit approval of her baseless accusations. I'd tried to be understanding at the time, tried to excuse it, because the alternative was being alone, not knowing that would've been preferable in the long run.
"Laundry takes time," I commented quietly, keeping my thoughts out of my tone, making sure to keep the gruff out of my voice, lest it carry to sensitive, if ribbon covered, ears.
Pyrrha, not that other girl, even if I saw her for a moment, gave me a beatific smile, nodded, and, glancing over to the other two, motioned me over. Curious, I did so, a little surprised as she reached up, hands grasping the back of my head, and pulled me in for a kiss, partially pulling herself up off the bed as I didn't move at first.
It was nice, warm and passionate, and I unconsciously reached around her, pulling her tight to me in a way we both thoroughly enjoyed. She moaned slightly, and the both of us froze, carefully pulling apart. Looking back, I thankfully didn't see a pair of lambent yellow eyes staring at us.
"G-Good night, Jaune," Pyrrha bade me, flushed.
Nodding, I went to bed myself, the kiss not helping my worries in the least. However, in a couple weeks, I'd make my offer, laying out the binding, and the protections it granted. Either she'd decline, something the Pyrrha I thought I knew wouldn't do, given what she'd done in the original timeline, and the con would be over, or she'd accept, and I'd have an objective reason to unequivocally believe she was being honest about her affections, that she wouldn't decide one day to plant a metaphorical dagger in my back, or stand by while someone else did so, leaving me vulnerable when I thought I was safe.
It wasn't the happiest of thoughts, but long experience had shown that, while some people really could do that entire 'meet, fall in love, be happy' dance, I wasn't one of them. This, however, was a close second, and would preclude the betrayals I'd suffered every time I'd opened my heart to someone.
Content with that, I closed my eyes, and drifted to sleep.
DR
Once again, I was thankful for the regenerative effects of Aura, and Pyrrha's naturally cheerful nature. While I was moving a little gingerly in the morning, compared to the incredible pain I should've been in, given how many times I'd been pounded into the metaphorical dirt, Pyrrha was perfectly fine, and the slight limp she'd left the arena with was completely gone. Also, while the Gladiatrix had a bit of a spring in her step, there was nothing too obvious about what'd happened between us, though part of me wished there was.
"You have a good time gettin' physical with Arc-Light?" Yang had asked on the way to Port's class.
"Oh, yes!" Pyrrha smiled, "It was most enjoyable!" She shot me a sly glance, "And he was much rougher with me than anyone else has been. And able to last longer."
I stumbled, not expecting her to just announce it, while Yang had gave her a shocked look, then laughed, "Good one, Red! You had me going for a minute. Glad to see our leader can go toe to toe with ya!"
"I still lost every time," I complained, trying to play it off. It took me a moment to realize, but, in a way, she was doing the same thing I'd done with Blake. Instead of avoiding the issue, and looking conspicuous, she was joking about it, so any hints of the truth would just be seen as teasing.
"Yet you still hit me," she smiled, very pleased with herself.
Weiss huffed off to the side. "I still have trouble believing he could, given your record. But I suppose I have to, since I saw it happen," she muttered. "I still think you were holding back."
"I was, A little," Pyrrha agreed. "At least that day. By the end of our spar yesterday, Jaune was matching me thrust for thrust." At the innuendo, Yang laughed again, as had Nora. Weiss and Blake both shot me disapproving looks, but, on either side of me as they were, saw each other doing so and promptly looked away. Ruby had blushed scarlet, flipping up her hood, while Ren pretended he'd hear nothing at all.
"Not really," I disagreed, "And only because I was starting to tire you out. About the only thing I have you beat on is raw strength, toughness, and recovery speed. In every other respect you have me beat, by a significant margin."
"Eh, at least ya got stamina," Yang joked, blushing herself a little as Pyrrha noted, "He quite certainly does."
"Oh! Look! Class!" Ruby announced, shooting forward with a burst of speed, disappearing through the doorway at the end of the hall and into Port's classroom, her sister's laughter chasing her as she did so.
DR
Glynda's combat class was, as usual, just a series of matches. Pyrrha absolutely destroyed Ruby, much to the girl's pleasure, Yang beat down Alex, the blur girl, just by punching her dead on repeatedly, and Weiss, as usual, lost. We really needed to work with that girl to get her some combat training.
"Mr. Arc," Glynda requested, and I leapt from the stands, manifesting my wings to glide down. "And. . . Mr. Stein."
A boy in black armor, with grey and brown accents, stood up, picking up the large hammer beside him. He'd done really well in Professor Tim's class, but was otherwise unremarkable. He eyed me warily, but got ready.
"Mr. Arc, would you mind an additional challenge?" The professor questioned. Shrugging, she called, "Mr. Mallas?"
Another guy, this one shorter, and with a definite blue theme to his outfit, jumped off the stands, landing in a crouch, the finger-blades of his gauntlets clicking together. "Works for me, Teach!"
"Given your Aura reserves, and your relative skill levels, this seems fair. Please do not use your breath," Glynda instructed.
While part of me was annoyed at the last-minute restriction, that part of me was dumb. "Wasn't planning on it. Still need to know what it does to a person, so I don't misjudge it," I replied, extending my shield, getting a nod of approval from the woman.
Moving to stand in a triangle, the blue-clad boy looked to me and asked "Breath?"
"I'm a dragon. I breathe fire," I shrugged, smiling.
He grinned, as the claws on his gauntlets glowed, his ability activating, making his weapon larger and sharper. "Right, Semblance," he noted in false understanding.
Kobe Mallas' special talent let him enhance any weapon he held, his Aura building off it, but that only worked on melee weapons. From watching these fights, I knew he could fire off his 'fingers', still connected to him through wires, which could become blades big enough that Kratos would nod in approval, though it cost him Aura to do so.
The other fighter, Charlie Stein, could telekinetically control rocks. His hammer was loaded with Rock Dust, and would create stone wherever he hit. While his Semblance, too, had an Aura cost, it was miniscule, in line with Goodwitch's ability, even if, currently, he had a tiny fraction of that woman's power.
Against one, I knew I could win. Both? Glynda wasn't wrong, this was going to be a challenge.
Taking a centering breath, I shifted my stance, and waited. Mallas ran forward first, claws at the ready, stopping right outside of my sword range and shooting a finger out, the blue glow of his Aura overlaying the inch-long blade and boosting it to a projectile somewhere between an arrow and a short-sword. It would've taken me off-guard before, but he'd tried this trick last class against Weiss, and while it'd worked on her, I was ready, blocking the lengthening projectile with my shield as I stepped forward, sword sweeping in.
However, his shorter range gave him the speed needed to block my thrust, bladed fingers splayed to better catch the blade's tip and shove it outward. He pulled the extended finger-blade from his right hand back, whipping his hand forward to try to catch me in the wing with the blade. Dismissing my wings for a moment, it struck the back of my breastplate ineffectually, bouncing off as I kicked out, but he was already moving back.
A flash of movement to the side made me remember I was fighting two people, and Charlie swung in with his hammer. I deflected the blow, not catching it, and while a few, small bits of rock formed on my shield, the hammer skidded off, hitting the ground and sending up a small spike of stone from the floor.
With him off balance, I slammed my sword into his mostly unarmored arm, sending him tumbling away as he bit back a cry at the phantom pain as his Aura took the blow for him. Before I could get a sense of how much I'd hurt him, however, Kobe was back, trying to slam suddenly large claws into my stomach.
I mostly blocked them, hitting his forearms so I only felt the sharp points drag against my stomach instead of piercing deep, barely damaging my aura, and I shoved him back. He took a step to stop himself, before springing forward, and as I moved my shield in place I felt it try to jerk to the side to leave me open, Charlie pulling on the rocks bonded to my shield.
Pyrrha was stronger.
Blocking Kobe, I twisted to the side, letting the pull on my shield help spin me away even as I felt it stop, Charlie trying to not help me. Cycling the shield closed, popping the bonded rock off it, I slammed the bar of metal into the side of Kobe's head, who tried to block a shield bash, only to be met with what amounted to a thick, blunted sword.
However, Charlie wasn't still, and swung at me from behind. I knew that, if he encased me, the fight was effectively over, and manifested my wings to try to get away.
It didn't work.
I could feel my flight-bones snap like branches, my Aura draining, as he slammed the hammer home faster than I expected, my flesh pinned between his weapon and my own armor, and sent me flying. However, not only were my wings no longer aerodynamic, covered in brown rock as it was, but even as I tried to compensate I felt an invisible giant's hand grab the stone covered wing and yank me down towards the ground.
Dismissing them, the rock disappearing along with the rest of the appendage, but that didn't stop my fall. I hit the ground, hard, but rolled with it, both fighters closing on me. However, they weren't used to fighting together, and both hesitated for a second while they tried to not get into each other's way. That gave me the time needed to, extending my shield, push off and leap for Charlie, taking him by surprise, looking at Kobe as he was.
Charlie tried to block, but he was used to attacking first and using counters, not being off-guard himself, and my blade darted around his interposed weapon, stabbing him in the throat. Even with Aura he still staggered back at the feeling, coughing, and as Kobe closed I pressed the attack, coming close, pushing his hammer back as I slammed a knee into his stomach, sending the boy, doubled over, flying away.
Turning around, I wasn't fast enough, the claws my opponent wielded were suddenly long, thin, and rapier-like as they stabbed into my side, under my breastplate. The energy dissipated as I continued to move, letting him take another step in and attack once more with his normal blades. These I blocked, and feinted with another kick. He tried to slash my unarmored legs, but I pulled back, sword whistling as it swung in and caught him in the shoulder, and sending him flying away like he was struck with a ogre's club.
Feeling something coming, I ducked as I turned, a fist-sized rock passing where my head was. A second rock, darted in, which I blocked with my shield, while a third slammed into my unprotected knee, even as the larger spike Charlie had made was lifted and hurled towards me, tracking as I tried to dodge.
With a roar, I met it head-on, Fire-Hardened glove meeting rock, the spiraling, curling designs running down my hand standing out clearly after having poured more of my Flames into it, and the rock shattered around me.
Then Kobe stabbed me in the side, retracting his blade finger as he smiled mockingly at me.
I really needed more practice fighting multiple opponents.
Taking a moment to glance up, I saw I was at 81%, Kobe was at 72%, and Charlie was at 80%.
Idly blocking another rock, and deflecting another enlarged finger blade, Kobe's Aura dropping to 70% to power it. The blue-clad fighter pointed behind me, and, deciding to go along with it, I glanced back to see over two dozen floating rocks waiting, mostly the fragments of the spike I'd shattered.
Kobe laughed, as I could almost feel them start to accelerate towards my back. That lasted until I turned on my heel and started to charge him. He tried to run, stumbling as he attempted to reverse direction, but with Aura-boosted muscles, and a longer stride, I was faster. He swung out at me as I closed, and I accepted the hit to grab him and toss him behind me into the hail of stones that had given chase.
They tried to move out of the way, but he was still hit, as I closed in on him again, blocking his attacks to slam him again with my shield, shoving him in the direction of his teammate, the rocks swirling around us, some hitting me, as Charlie tried to avoid striking his partner.
From behind his teammate, the black clad man's expression twisted with concentration, and he slammed his weapon on the ground, creating another spike which he broke off, some of the rocks dropping to the ground behind me as his focus shifted. Kobe, getting to his feet, charged after me, trying to do to me what I'd done to him as the rocks closed.
I met him, timing my steps so I that when we made contact I was pushing forward while he was between strides, and charged through him, shield between us, even as the spike followed on Kobe's heels, ready to hit me if I dodged. It started to move out of the way, but I slammed Mallas against it, sending him sprawling and the spike flying even as I moved onto Charlie, who slammed his hammer down between us to make a large spike as an ersatz wall between us.
I leapt over it, meeting his hammer as he predicted that move with my sword, shaft to blade so it didn't activate the Dust. However, Kobe saw it coming too, and a greatsword-sized blade slammed into my leg, shoving me to the side as it felt like my limb was severed at the knee.
A buzzer sounded as I landed, Aura further drained, "Mr. Mallas is out of the fight. Continue, but do not hit him," Glynda instructed, which gave me time to recover from the unexpected attack, but also gave Charlie time to turn to face me fully.
From around him, flowing like water around the spike, came three dozen rocky cannonballs, and I had a moment of hesitation. My breath sparked, and if I breathed, I might be able to block them, or at least divert them, but I might hit my opponent as well. I darted to the side, trying to get some distance and a clear angle of attack, but I didn't have any ranged options, and the stones spread out, some chasing me while others were acting as a defensive screen.
Manifesting my wings for a second, hoping they'd be clean, I could feel they weren't, and even as I dismissed them I was yanked towards Charlie, flying stones slamming into me. I tried to keep my head down and bully past them, but I just didn't have the armor needed. Feeling the phantom pain of my bones breaking, especially my legs, I still forced my way through, and closed, only to have my opponent's hammer slam into my shield, hidden from sight by the rain of rocks.
Covered with stone, my own shield yanked me off-center, and I let it go, coming at him only to get caught in another hail of stones, feeling more bones break via Aura, but getting to him. His eyes were wide as he tried a desperate swing, but I stepped in closer, grabbing the shaft of his hammer with my now free hand, and slamming my sword into his stomach, sending him flying back as I disarmed him.
He fell, rolling over, and stopped, hand out towards me. I moved to avoid the incoming fusillade of rocks, only to have his hammer jump in my hand, slamming me in the head, rock encrusting half my face, and the buzzer ringing.
Behind me the rocks dropped, and I, a little dazed from the sudden head-blow, staggered. Looking up, only able to see from one eye, my Aura was at 48%, to Charlie's 57%.
I laughed, shaking my head. I wanted to grumble, to say that, had I used my breath, especially point-blank, I would've won, but that wasn't the challenge. I'd lost, fair and square, and while my training with Pyrrha had let me dominate Kobe, I still had a long way to go before I could fight at her level.
Feeling the stone covering my head crumble, I looked over, Charlie's hand out towards me as he de-rocked me. I nodded in thanks, walking over to him, manifesting my wings. Handing him his hammer, I told him, "Thanks, and good fight."
He didn't say anything, but nodded, pulling the rocks off me. My stone encrusted shield levitated over to us, and I took it, the rock removing itself and flying off to clear the ring off for the next fight.
Kobe, who'd moved off to the side, walked over to us as we headed towards the stands. "Dude, what the heck? You weren't that good Friday."
"I've got a good teacher," I nodded to Pyrrha, who smiled and waved.
The blue-clad boy laughed, "Lucky bastard," and I chuckled in agreement.
Glynda, as usual, didn't say anything. I was starting to get a sense for her teaching style, or lack thereof, and, if I had to guess, what we needed to improve on was so obvious to her, she didn't think she needed to say anything to us unless we really messed up. Then it would likely be the somewhat aggrieved 'how are you not getting this' talking to I remember her giving Jaune in canon.
Returning to my seat, Pyrrha greeted me with a "Very good, Jaune!"
"He still lost," Weiss noted, with a sniff. Like she had room to talk, I thought, a little annoyed.
"Like you'd do better, Weiss-cream. You'd get soft-served if you tried a two on one," Yang teased, echoing my thoughts. "But Light-Knight, what were you telling me about not takin' the hits?"
"Did it work for me?" I shot back, which got a 'point' shrug and head-bob from my fellow blonde.
Ruby, leaning forward, noted, "We really need to get you a ranged weapon. If you coulda broken his focus, you coulda swooped in and bam! Well, not swooped, 'cause he got your wing, but rushed in."
"Definitely. Maybe a pistol until we get something better?" I suggested. "High capacity, high weight, but low ammo? I haven't used that many guns, so I need to start practicing sooner rather than later."
Ruby's eyes went distant, as she started to think about it. "That could work. Oooh! We could make a shotgun, like Uncle Qrow's! Then you only kind of need to aim! Maybe. . ."
Out went her notebook, and she started to write down ideas, as Yang shook her head, and Glynda called up Nora to fight a girl who had the ability to build up a static charge before letting it go as a lightning blast. She'd almost taken out Blake with it last time, the bolt grounding itself on one of her clones at the last minute, and I sat back with a smile, looking forward to what I was sure was to be a very short fight.