The weather here is fucking weird. Last week, it was cold and raining a lot but nowadays it's so damn hot. I can't even write properly now, especially in the afternoon when it's much hotter. Plus, my PC is right next to a window which somehow makes the heat twice as bad, ughh. My updating schedule might get messed up because of this so sorry in advance. Also, my beta reader - who's my irl friend - is dealing with some life troubles so I don't want to bother him with this anymore. Meaning, this and the coming chapters will be more unpolished than before. It's making me fearful of future plot holes that I might not notice lol.
Chapter 9: The First Day of Beacon
Near the Emerald Forest at around 5:30 in the morning, Steel Seer sang a song of combat as Gin danced to its rhythm.
It was an unconventional kind of swordplay that used a one-handed reverse grip for most of its movements and occasionally with two hands as well. Though it obviously still incorporated the standard grip that he would sometimes switch to.
A nameless sword style that Gin created with inspirations from different styles. Including Iaido, which he always found mesmerising in its concept as a way of life. Plus, it looked freaking cool.
With a flourish and spin of his sword, Gin sheathed it and eased himself. "You're late," He opened his eyes to look at the approaching figure.
"Really?" Jaune took out his scroll and checked the time, "No, I'm not."
Gin sniggered, "Yeah, I didn't really know if you were. I just wanted to say that because that's what they usually say in stories and shit."
Jaune gave a light laugh. "So, let's get started—" He interrupted himself with a yawn.
"You should warm up first," Gin suggested.
"Yeah, good idea," Jaune stretched his arms.
Then he quickly had to draw Crocea Mors and block a Reverse Iai Slash from Gin.
"With a light spar," Gin continued with his eyes closed and a cheeky grin on his face.
"Asshole," Jaune hissed with an annoyed expression.
So they sparred for a minute or so. Then they made their way to the Emerald Forest.
"Hey, I've been thinking," Jaune began.
"That's certainly new," Gin interrupted.
"Fuck you. Anyway, maybe we should be doing stuff like this with our own teams. Cause like, we all need to learn how to work as a team and get along with each other."
Gin smiled at him, "You got the mindset of a leader already, eh? And to think you bitched about not being good enough."
Jaune frowned petulantly, "That mindset you're talking about isn't a big deal. It's basic as hell and not enough to qualify me as a leader. Not to mention that I haven't had real training as a Huntsman. Someone like Pyrrha or Ren would be better."
"I don't think Huntsmen training is the same as having training as a leader but I see your point. Still, you haven't even been a leader for a day yet. Just give yourself a chance. Headmaster Ozpin probably sees something in you like he did in Ruby. Because c'mon, she must be something beyond special to be the leader of her team on top of everything else."
"Yeah, I guess," Jaune scratched his head. "Anyway, back to my point."
Gin sighed, "Yeah, you were right about that one. I'll try doing stuff like this with them later. I need to get better at Grimm slaying first." His face scrunched up, "Seriously, I got injured from just two Beowolves while they can allegedly slay more just by themselves."
"To be fair, you've got some disadvantages they don't have."
Gin closed his eyes, "They're only disadvantages because of my incompetence. The strong are those who can make disabilities and such seem non-existent. And I intend to be one."
Jaune looked at his friend with a fond smile, "Heh, at least that's one of your few good qualities. And trust me, those are REALLY few."
"Fuck you," Gin replied with a smile.
"By the way, you said you wanted to get better at killing Grimm first before working with your teammates. Is that because you don't want them to get suspicious of you?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah," Gin confirmed. "Plus, I don't want to burden them or lose to them at Grimm slaying." He smirked, "Heh, I got a lot of work to do before I catch up to real Huntsmen-in-training."
"Yeah, same," said Jaune.
Gin scoffed, "Bullshit. You're already as good as them."
"No, I'm not," Jaune denied.
"Gods, that's not even humility anymore, just stupidity. Maybe you have a disability too."
"Shut up. You know we both never had any real Huntsmen training like everyone else."
"And you're already good at killing Grimm like everyone else," Gin grumbled while pointing that out.
"I'm really not, dude," Jaune denied again.
Gin sighed and threw a hand up, "Sure whatever. Oh hey, I realised something recently."
"Yeah? What is it?"
Gin grinned, "Today is the BEACON-ING of our new lives as Huntsmen-in-training."
/-/
The door to Team CLGR was opened, revealing Gin who had unlocked it with his Scroll by placing it in front of the scanner. His entrance caused his teammates to stir in their beds.
"Damn, dude. It's like six thirty, where were you?" Sky asked. He was still laying down in his bed and had poked his head out under the sheets.
"I was in the Emerald Forest with Jaune slaying some Grimm," Gin replied as he moved to his bed.
"Huh? You were doing that with him instead of us," Cardin groused as he got up a little.
"Bloody hell, we haven't been a team for a full day yet and the bugger's cucking us already," Russel joked with a laugh, his head resting against his hands on the pillow.
Gin snorted and laughed while he was in the middle of undressing. "Don't be jealous, babes. I'll take you ladies with me next time. That is if you can wake up at five in the morning."
"Nope," said Sky instantly.
"Nahhh," Russel agreed.
"... Pass," Cardin said the same before collapsing back onto his bed.
"Hmm, I figured I was the only early bird in this flock of smoke and ash. Hehe, poetic puns." Gin prepared his uniform by placing them on his bed. "I'm going to shower first. It won't take long," He headed to the bathroom with a towel. The others said their agreements with some yawns and they went back to bed, Russel deciding to sleep again while Sky and Cardin mindlessly browsed their Scrolls.
After Gin was done with his shower and went back to his bed, he lit the aroma candle on the candle stand next to it. Then he started getting dressed in Beacon's uniform which consisted of black pants and blazers lined with gold. It was accompanied by a blue vest, white shirt, red tie and dark shoes.
"You're gonna back to sleep?" Sky asked when he saw Gin laying back down.
"No. I'm just going to listen to some audiobooks until breakfast time," He put on the wireless flat earphones and closed his eyes with his Scroll held on his chest.
Gin stayed like that until his Scroll's AI notified him that it was 7:30 A.M. He got up and grabbed Steel Seer which was next to his bed and he got into a Reverse Iai stance in front of the aroma candle. Closing his eyes,
Aura Realm
Gin quickly drew his sword at the candle and let its flame get blown out instead of cutting off the wick. Then the sword was sheathed instantly without even having to waste a second to fit the sword in the scabbard thanks to his Aura Realm.
"Do you always have to do that?" Cardin asked. The rest of the team had gotten by now and got dressed. While Gin had his blazer opened, Cardin had it closed. Russel didn't wear one while Sky wore his blazer over his shoulders and made it look like he was trying too hard.
"Yeah, I have to or I will die," Gin replied with a grin. That got a laugh out of the team and then they made their way towards the cafeteria for breakfast with Gin getting to have his weapon with him.
After they were done eating, they headed to the class which usually starts at 8 but since this was the first day, it started at 9.
The classroom for Grimm studies was a lecture hall with drawings of the various known species of Grimm on the various boards as they were prepared in advance. The benches were arranged in ascending rows so even students in the back would not miss anything.
"I'm going to go sit in the front so I can hear the teacher better," said Gin who walked towards the front seat.
"Nerd," Russel accused. Then he proceeded to sit next to Gin for the same reasons. Cardin took the seat in the higher row behind them while Sky took the furthest bench.
Team RWBY and Team JNPR rushed into class just before 9. Jaune spotted Gin and decided to sit with him while Pyrrha tagged along. Ren got dragged off by Nora to sit somewhere else since the bench was filled.
"Yo," Jaune greeted.
"Yo," Gin greeted.
"Sup," Russel greeted.
"Hello," Pyrrha greeted.
"Hey, I don't think I've introduced you guys yet," Jaune said. "Pyrrha, This is Gin and Russel. Guys, Pyrrha."
"Hello again," Pyrrha greeted.
Gin gave a slight bow, "It's a pleasure."
"Aye, you bet it is. It's not every day you meet the Invincible Girl," said Russel. "But, I guess we'll be seeing you more since we go to the same academy now."
Pyrrha laughed a little awkwardly.
"Jaune has talked about you before, Gin," Pyrrha changed the subject.
Gin smirked, "He's told lies and slander about me, no doubt."
"I said you were a two-faced bastard who my parents think is innocent and nice even though you're actually an asshole," Jaune said dryly.
"I sit corrected," Gin replied with a smile.
Pyrrha laughed, this time more naturally. Russel laughed as well.
"See Pyrrha," Jaune leaned towards her while pointing at Gin. "Look at him, he tries so hard to look cool when he's not even half as cool as he thinks is."
"That still makes me cooler than you," Gin quipped.
"Keep telling yourself that."
"I don't have to when you're showing it to the whole world."
Before they could banter any further, Peter Port finally arrived and he introduced himself as their Professor for this class. He was a fat man in early old age with grey hair and a moustache. He wore a double-breasted burgundy suit with gold piping and buttons. His pants were tucked into olive boots, similar in appearance and construction to cavalry boots.
"Now, which one of you is the blind boy?" Port asked bluntly.
Most of the students looked confused.
"Here sir," Gin partially raised a hand and was unbothered by the sudden attention on him.
Port nodded, "Legal blindness from no peripheral vision and blurry central vision unless enhanced by Aura, correct?"
"It is."
"Hmm. Splendid, you've the look of confidence about you, young man. I take it that this means you'll have no problems speaking up if you have any difficulties?"
"No, sir." Gin smiled, "Although I hope you don't mind if I keep my eyes closed so I can focus on listening?"
"Of course not, my boy," Port confirmed and moved on to the lesson for the day.
"That was kinda rude," Jaune muttered with a displeased look. "Putting you on the spot like that."
"I agree," Pyrrha whispered. "He could have at least approached and talked to you without the whole class having to hear it."
Gin shrugged, "I don't mind. I don't like being treated with kid gloves anyway. Also, I think he was trying to let the class know about my condition in a casual manner. Not a bad gesture, if I'm right."
The partners were surprised by that and they seemed to be placated a little.
"At least you can kinda sleep without the teacher noticing, yeah?" Russel whispered.
Gin chuckled, "Yeah."
Several minutes into the lecture, the students found out that Professor Port's teaching methods were just as odd as he was. He would talk about a Grimm species and then start telling a story about it with him as the main character. He claimed that they were tales about his past adventures when he was young. But most of the students didn't really believe it due to how outlandish they sounded. And most of them looked bored out of their minds. Even the seemingly proper Weiss Schnee looked like she was struggling to pay attention.
"Fucking hell man, you're seriously able to take down notes from this?" Russel quietly asked Gin who had been attentively typing on the braille keyboard of his larger model Scroll while listening to the professor.
"Yeah. Why, what's wrong?" Gin replied quietly back.
"Port is legit just rambling, mate. I don't even know what to write down." Russel and everyone else had to use regular pen and paper.
"It's Grimm studies, man. Just pick out the parts of the story where he's talking about Grimm."
"... Aye, I guess you're right. But most of the story is just him jerking himself off. For real, It's as if he's smacking me with his dick so much that when he gets to the Grimm, I'm already fucking knocked out."
Gin snickered and covered his mouth with a hand.
Russel smirked at his reaction. "How are YOU able to pay attention?"
"Let's just say I'm used to listening to stories, and not just from audiobooks."
"What, so you think his stories are good?"
Gin shrugged with a smile, "Kind of. It's more like his stories are so ridiculous that I find them entertaining."
Russel looked like he didn't get it. "Right…"
"You know, I never thought you'd actually try to pay attention in class. I assumed you would sleep through the whole thing. Like this dumbass beside me," Gin's thumb pointed at Jaune who was sleeping by leaning on his hand and letting his fringes cover his closed eyes.
Oddly enough, even Pyrrha stopped paying attention to class and was looking at Jaune's face with a curious expression.
"Nah, I'm a dumbass too," said Russel. "But it doesn't mean I don't wanna study and learn how to be a Huntsman. Or else what's the point of even getting into this expensive as fuck academy."
Gin smiled, "I couldn't agree more." Then he started typing again.
Russel saw that. "Bugger can multi-task too, sheesh."
"Were you trying to distract me so I wouldn't pay attention?" Gin asked with a smirk.
"Naw, man. I need to copy from you later."
"What makes you think I'll be so generous."
Russel gave him a flat look, "If you want me to whore myself to ya, I'll fucking do it."
Gin chuckled, "I'm kidding, I'll send a copy to your scroll later. Your virginity is safe."
"My ass virginity or my dick virginity?"
Gin smirked, "Yes."
"Bitch, I've had tons of sex before so fuck you."
"Probably through rape. You seem like the type."
"Naw, through getting raped," Russel grinned.
Gin snorted and shook his head.
"And fuck you mean I 'seem like the type'?" Russel turned to Gin and asked. "Ya think I look like a rapist?"
Gin opened his eyes and turned to look Russel in the eyes. "Yes," Gin said before closing his eyes and turning forward again as he started typing again.
Russel snickered, "Bloody cunt..."
They turned their attention back to Professor Port who cleared his throat before continuing his story, "In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity. And I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high. Celebrated, as a hero." He finished with a somewhat grandiose bow.
Gin suddenly got an idea. He elbowed Jaune awake and started clapping.
Jaune - who was not fully lucid - started clapping as well. Then Pyrrha, unsure of what was happening, clapped too and the others who were not paying attention or sleeping woke up and joined in on the clapping.
Port laughed and bellowed, "Thank you, thank you. Ahaha! I knew I still got it."
Russel laughed as he was clapping too. "Nice one, mate."
Professor coughed and continued again, "Now, as for the moral of the story. A true Huntsman must be honourable, a true huntsman must be dependable, a true huntsman must be strategic, well educated and wise!" He declared. "So, who among you believes to be the embodiment of these traits?"
"I do, sir!" Weiss immediately raised her arm straight with a frustrated expression.
"Well, then let's find out," Professor Port then instructed her to get into her combat outfit and so she went off to get her equipment. Everyone else waited while Professor brought in a cage that contained… a Grimm?
Russel gave an excited laugh. "Finally, something fun."
Gin stared with his eyes opened wide, "Damn. He actually captured a Grimm. Maybe those tall tales weren't just that, after all…"
"Yes," Pyrrha spoke up while looking surprised as well. "Killing Grimm may be simple but capturing one is much harder. They can't be tranquillised or knocked out, after all."
"Hell yeah, we get to see Snow Angel show her stuff!" Jaune proclaimed with a grin.
The three stared at him.
"What?" Jaune asked.
Gin sighed while Russel snickered. "You fancy the Princess, mate?" Russel asked. "You got good taste."
Gin groaned, "I hope you're not interested in her too. I can only deal with one lovestruck dumbass at a time."
"Naw, no. Don't get me wrong, she's real pretty but not my type. I'm more into Yang."
Gin's face twisted.
Jaune laughed, "Guess I'm not the only one with good taste." He held up a fist in front of Gin's face.
"Ayeee," Russel fist-bumped Jaune.
"You both have shit taste," said Gin with a flat expression.
Jaune rolled his eyes while Russel just looked confused.
"Ignore him," Jaune advised. "He's just being a cranky baby."
Gin opened an eyelid to give Jaune the stink eye.
"Ight," Russel agreed. "By the way, I think Cardin knows a thing or two about Schnee, maybe he can help you out." Without waiting for Jaune's response, Russel called out to Cardin who sat behind them.
"What's up?" Cardin laid his head on the desk to talk to them.
"You're a rich upper-class bloke, yeah?"
Cardin smirked, "That I am. The Winchester family is pretty renowned in some circles too. My father and before were even war heroes."
Jaune and Gin looked interested in that.
"So, you've met Schnee before?" Russel asked.
"Yeah, at some parties and shit."
"Brilliant," Russel grinned. "Jaune here has a fancy for her. Got any advice for him?"
Cardin smirked at Jaune, "Seriously?"
Jaune shrugged with a smile, "Yeah."
"Well, if you want my opinion, I think you shouldn't bother. I've tried chatting her up too but," Cardin scoffed. "Let's just say she's as cold as her ice theme."
"Yeah, that's one of her best points," said Jaune with an expression that was practically sparkling.
"... No offence, man, but you got terrible taste," Cardin said flatly.
Gin barked a laugh, "That's what I said."
Eventually, Weiss returned to the class with her gear and it was now time for her to prove her claim.
Weiss stood at the ready while Port stood on the other side, next to the cage containing the Grimm. It appears the test was going to be held in the front space of the classroom. Gin activated his Aura and sensed everyone else doing the same just in case. Then he realised he won't be able to properly observe the fight with his Aura Sensing since one of them was a Grimm. Would using my Aura Realm trouble Schnee in her fight? Gin wondered. Maybe I should just try to use Aura on my eyes.
Weiss' teammates cheered her on.
"Ruby! I'm trying to focus," Weiss snapped at her team leader in particular for some reason.
"Oh," Ruby deflated. "I'm sorry," She apologised in a low voice.
Gin frowned. He activated his Aura Realm and almost everyone in the room looked around in confusion as they shivered for a moment.
Gin found out that the Grimm hidden in the cage was a Boarbatusk, a boar-like Grimm with four red eyes behind its bone-like mask. It had two giant tusks and extra smaller ones along with fangs of a bigger size than the other sharp teeth. A series of white plates protected its back and thighs.
Then he realised that Port had talked about this species in his earlier story. Which, according to Port was a fast yet telegraphed Grimm with its simple charge attacks. Though it also had the ability to curl up and rolled like a wheel to attack.
Port shook his head, "Well, let's begin shall we?"
Weiss also shook her head and concentrated while flourishing her rapier.
"Alright, let the match begin!" Port destroyed the cage's lock with his weapon and it opened to reveal the Boarbatusk.
It immediately charged at Weiss who jumped to the side while attacking its armoured side. She rolled and swiftly stood back up to see the Grimm who was unharmed.
"Isn't she going to use her Dust?" Russel asked. "I thought the Schnee were famous for it."
"Weiss must be worried about ruining the classroom," Pyrrha suggested.
"Oh, right."
"Heh, Dust isn't the only thing the Schnee are known," said Cardin who still had his head down on the desk. "I think we'll get to see her Semblance."
"Hang in there, Weiss!" Ruby cheered again.
Weiss dashed at the charging Grimm. But it managed to hit her and snag her rapier in its tusk. She desperately tried to hold onto her weapon against the Grimm's thrashing.
Ruby encouraged her again and this seem to make Weiss lose her concentration because she looked at Ruby. This allowed the Boarbatusk to finally disarm her and throw the rapier away at its back, then it send Weiss tumbling back onto the ground.
Gin and his teammates laughed.
"Oi," Jaune sounded displeased and even Pyrrha gave a disproving look.
Weiss managed to roll away from the charging Boarbatusk. Then she immediately ran towards her rapier and picked it up while preparing for another charge attack from the Grimm.
"Weiss!" Ruby yelled. "Aim for its belly, there's no armour underneath—"
"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss snapped again.
The Boarbatusk finally used its rolling ability and it came at Weiss with quick speed ready to run her over.
However, it crashed into a blue circle with moving snowflake symbols that suddenly appeared in the air. It resembled the Schnee emblem and it seems that it was summoned by Weiss to block the Grimm that fell on its back from the impact.
Weiss then summoned another one behind her and jumped to land on the upright circle. She was able to stick on it for a second as the blue circle turned black and propelled Weiss towards the fallen Grimm, allowing her to stab its vulnerable stomach. Ending the fight.
"The Schnee Glyphs," Cardin talked over Port who was congratulating an exhausted Weiss. "An actual hereditary Semblance that can do so much shit that it might as well be multiple Semblances. It can push and pull shit, summon white structures of things like swords, Grimm and robots. And it can even increase the speed of things too."
"Fucking wicked," Russel remarked.
"That's so O.P," said Jaune with an amazed look.
Pssh, mine is more wicked and O.P, Gin silently claimed in his mind.
"—all the time we have for today," Professor Port continued. "Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and STAY vigilant. Class dismissed."
"Wait, what assigned readings?" Russel asked no one in particular.
Gin snorted and informed him on what they were supposed to do.
Meanwhile, Weiss walked away without even talking to her team who looked at each other with confusion and a little sadness.
/-/
Team CLGR were on their way to the next class when Gin suddenly stopped.
"Something wrong?" Cardin asked.
"… No, not really," Gin said. "Actually, there's something I need to do, I'll join you guys later." With that, Gin turned around and walked back as his team waved him off.
A couple of minutes later, Ruby shivered and turned around from where she to stood to see Gin approaching her.
"Hey there, Ruby," Gin greeted with a friendly smile and a nod.
"Oh, hi Gin," She gave a little wave.
"I sensed Headmaster Ozpin was with you, earlier. Is everything alright?"
"Oh yeah, it is. Everything's fine. Well, kinda. The Headmaster was just giving me some advice. You know, old man wisdom and stuff," She paused. "Uh, don't tell him I said that."
Gin chuckled, "I won't. Did the advice have something to do with Schnee?"
Ruby winced, "Is it that obvious?"
"It must be if even a blind person can see it."
Ruby giggled, "That's a terrible joke."
"The joke itself or the subject matter?" Gin tilted his head.
"Yes."
Gin laughed, "Fair enough. Also, we might be late if we keep standing here so do you want to walk together to class?"
"Sure," said Ruby and the two started walking side-by-side. "By the way, you're so lucky that you get to keep your weapon with you."
"Yeah. I'm not allowed to draw it inside buildings but it's a small price to pay to keep my partner by my side. "
"Definitely. I wish I could keep my baby with me too…" Ruby frowned dejectedly yet cutely.
Gin smiled. "So hey, was the Headmaster's advice helpful?"
Ruby looked thoughtful for a moment.
"I think it did," She said with a smile.
Gin nodded, "He's definitely better at it than I am. So it's a good thing I didn't have to."
Ruby gave him a curious look, "Were you… worried about me?"
"Well… a little," He gave her an apologetic look in return. "Sorry."
"Oh no, there's nothing wrong with that," She said with slightly red cheeks. "I think."
Gin nodded, "I don't want you to think I'm looking down on you. It's just that… Well, it just goes without saying to look after your juniors, no?"
Ruby smiled, "I guess so. But hey, you're not that older than me."
"Two years is a pretty wide gap for our age group though." He sent her a teasing smile, "Also technically speaking, you're quite literally a little girl."
"Hey! We're practically the same size. So, you're a little boy too," She returned with her own teasing smile.
Gin laughed, "True. Hey, promise me you won't grow anymore and overtake me."
"Heh, no way," Ruby puffed her chest out and put her hands on her hips. "I drink milk a lot so I'm going to grow and be really big."
"Dammit," Gin sighed with a smile. "Hey, speaking of heights, It's funny how I'm the shortest guy in our class but my partner's the tallest."
Ruby giggled, "Yeah. That guy is huge. And you guys have so many other differences too, you don't look matching at all."
"I freaking know, right?"
The two laughed and chatted some more while making their way to the next class.
/-/
When classes were done and the afternoon came, Team CLGR decided to continue their matches from the other day so they put on their combat outfits and came to the same place.
"A based Gamer like me isn't going to go easy on you just cause you're pretty," said Sky while twirling Feather's Edge, a long, dark-blue halberd, with a large inward-curved axehead on one side and a small spike on the other. It also has a firing pin along the shaft and a barrel at its tip instead of a spear.
Gin cracked his shoulder with the opposite hand and smiled, "And I won't beat you too hard just cause you're ugly."
"Hah," Sky parted his feet sideways. His left hand gripped the firing pin while his right gripped the end of the halberd and he angled the tip of Feather's Edge at Gin. "Come at me, manlet."
A grin grew on Gin's face.
He closed his eyes and started leisurely walking towards Sky without even drawing his sword. Sky frowned and narrowed his eyes.
When his opponent got in range, Sky thrust his halberd forward despite there being no pointed tip on it.
Gin dodged it, quickly stepped in and grabbed the upper shaft with his left hand.
Sky smiled. He fired a Dust bullet and pulled back. The recoil from the barrel on its tip added extra force so Gin was not able to hold on, the axehead even damaged his hand when it got pulled back.
Without giving Gin rest, Sky thrust his halberd again.
Gin ducked and avoided the halberd, then he slightly used Aura Ripple on his feet to jump back as the weapon returned with another gunshot.
When Gin landed, he understood that Sky uses the firing mechanism on his weapon to make it return faster from a stab while also using bullets in place of a spear tip.
Steel Seer was freed to quickly meet a bullet and bid it goodbye just as instantly.
"For a blind guy, you sure were able to accurately deflect that," Sky noted. "Was it your Aura Realm?"
"No, Aura Sensing," Gin corrected. "There's still Aura on bullets even when they're fired after all."
"Tch, that sounds like a bug in a game," said Sky. "I bet you're one of the cucks who think it's a feature though."
"Sure. Whatever that means," Gin said while pulling out the scabbard from his sash. He sheathed his sword and held the weapon at his side in a relaxed manner as he started walking towards Sky again.
It seemed he was going to do the same thing again until he suddenly dashed at Sky.
Sky panicked for a split second before he thrust Feather's Edge forward but Gin sidestepped it again. He moved in and quickly hooked a partially drawn Steel Seer against the sideways axehead in a reverse grip.
Sky fired again and the halberd was pulled back but this time Gin didn't let it go free. He powerfully pulled the halberd away from Sky and twisted his body so that the shaft touched his left bicep and the halberd's head was in front of him.
Both Gin and Sky now faced the same direction on opposite sides of the line made by the halberd. Sky fired again but Gin was in a better position to prevent the halberd from budging. With an agitated expression, Sky fired two more times to no avail.
Aura Realm
Sky shivered. He pulled his left hand back in an attempt to punch the back of Gin's head. But ironically, the blind boy did not have a blind spot. So, sensed the incoming punch and ducked towards Sky while fully drawing his sword and letting go of the scabbard. He hooked the blade around Sky's front leg and pulled as he rose while also grabbing the halberd's shaft.
With a slight yell, Sky fell to a knee.
Gin wasn't done yet because he got his sword up and slashed Sky's right wrist, causing the only remaining hand on the halberd to let go. Losing both his balance and weapon, Sky also fell on his back after getting his face slashed by a returning Steel Seer.
Sky grabbed his face and groaned in pain. He felt something land on his chest and opened his eyes to see the tip of the sword right above his face. Then his eyes moved to a smiling Grin who was stepping on him while letting Feather's Edge lean on his shoulder.
"Fucking… how?" Sky groaned from where he lay on the ground. "I have the equipment advantage. Not just my longer weapon but the gun and my armour too."
Gin stepped off Sky and held out the halberd for him to take back, "Let's just say, I've been fighting against long weapons since I was a child."
Sky sat up and took Feather's Edge back. "Sorry you got molested as a kid bro," said Sky while letting his halberd lean on his shoulder.
Gin laughed as he moved to grab his discarded scabbard. "I just realised how that sounded," He snickered while sheathing his sword.
"Anyway, I guess I have no choice," Sky Feather's Edge at Gin, "I challenge you to a debate, faggot."
Gin raised a brow.
"...Okay," He grinned. "What will we debate on?"
"Huh? For real?" Sky asked.
"Of course," Gin moved to stand before Sky who stayed sitting.
"Oh shit, I never got this far." Sky scratched his head while letting his halberd lean on his shoulder again, "Uh, I unironically think guys who cook are gay."
"I don't, because it's not."
"Hah! Now this is a debate. So here's my argument, cooking is a woman's job."
Gin grinned even wider than before, "Here's my counterargument." He then proceeded to kick Sky in his armoured chest causing him to fall to his back again.
Cardin and Russel laughed at Sky who cradled his chest in pain. They had just finished their own match against each other with Cardin being the victor.
Even though Russel used the same tactic that Gin did, he wasn't as good at defending or dodging Cardin's attacks. So, one of his heavy blows was enough to do a lot of damage to Russel who had no real focus on defence.
"You make a valid point, Gin. I guess I lost this debate," Sky said with a pained expression on the ground.
"Wise choice," Gin held out a hand and Sky let himself get helped up.
Russel booed, "You should have kicked him more. Maybe in the balls."
"No, don't," Cardin said. "Let his Aura recover. This nerd is gonna face me next."
"You are all cringe," Sky declared. "And I'm not a nerd, I am a Gamer with a capital G like a god."
A while later, the "Gamer" proceeded to get his ass beat by Cardin.
Feather's Edge was not very effective against Cardin who just charged through the attacks like a tank. Sky wasn't as agile as Russel either so this fight was much more one-sided and the time it took for Sky's Aura to break was even shorter.
"Damn, guess none of us is the strongest," Russel remarked. "Cause like, Cardin beats me and Sky, Gin beats him and Sky, I beat him and Sky beats me. It's like rock, paper, scissors."
"For now anyway," Cardin added. "Don't think this is over, Gin. I'm going to beat you one day, even if we have to rematch a hundred times," He gave a challenging grin.
Gin returned it with his own grin, "Sure. And IF you beat me, we'll have another rematch until I beat you again, even if it takes another hundred."
Cardin laughed and held out a fist that Gin fist-bumped.
"Oi, What about me? Don't you wanna beat me, Gin?" Russel asked.
Gin shrugged, "Sure, why not."
Russel's face turned flat, "Aye, why you gotta make it sound so boring compared to the one with Cardin?"
Gin shrugged again.
Russel sighed, "Guess I'll be aiming to take down the ginger giant."
"Hah! Any time, mohawk," Cardin made a gesture with his hands that was a universal sign for 'come-at-me-bro'.
Russel grinned at him. Then he turned to Sky and asked, "Oi Sky, what about you?"
Sky laughed exhaustedly from where he lay on the ground, "Unlike you cringe soy wojaks, I don't need to prove anything because I'm based."
All three of them gave Sky flat stares.
Then they started stomping on his chest piece while he screamed.
/-/
It was almost time for dinner but the boys decided to do some last-minute workouts at the academy's gym. Though it was Gin who insisted on it since he didn't complete his usual routine yesterday and so he couldn't miss it today. Rest days weren't something you had to do when you had Aura after all.
Gin somewhat changed his workout from his usual one since he was in a gym now. But he still mostly did callisthenic exercises such as back levers, one-handed muscle ups, handstand push-ups on rings, etc.
Russel focused on training his stamina and endurance while even doing some gymnastics since he relied a lot on his agility. He somehow even actually enjoys doing cardio. Every one of his teammates suspected that he is a psychopath. Because seriously what the fuck?
Cardin - like what his appearance would suggest - did heavy-weight exercises such as deadlifts, weighted squats, benchpresses, etc. However, something that IS contrary to his appearance though is that he values strength training over bodybuilding. It makes sense in hindsight since he was aiming to be a Huntsman.
Meanwhile, Sky favoured doing full-body workouts. He claimed that a gamer like him doesn't need to min-max his stats and all he needed was his skills. He also said that being an all-rounder yielded the best gaming experience when it came to playing a game for the first time. When asked what game he was talking about, he simply responded with 'life' and left it at that.
When the boys were done, they went into the locker room and got ready to shower.
Russel whistled and grinned, "Dayum, you lot look mighty fucking fiiine." He was fully naked with only a towel around his waist. Every one of his toned muscles were on display while he was mirin' the other naked members of his team who also wore towels around their waist.
Cardin did a pose while flexing his muscles with an emphasis on his abs, pecs and triceps. "Like treasures in a museum, you can look but no touching," He said with a grin which made the team laugh.
"Hey Gin, do you mind if I ask where you got that scar on your arm from?" Sky asked while gesturing to his own muscular right bicep. "It's just that I've been wondering for a while now."
"This?" Gin brought his right arm up and flexed it. "Just a gift from a Beowolf. I got careless and it got passed my Aura because of my Realm. But I slayed it in the end."
Russel barked a laugh. "By the way, mate, anyone ever tell you that your face and body don't match."
Gin snickered, "Yeah."
"You look like a male sex doll," said Sky. "Those things are muscular as fuck with the face of twinks and femboys. Their lips are even pretty bright so it looks like lipstick. Even the bearded ones look girly."
"How do you know what a male sex doll looks like?" Gin asked.
"For research," Sky didn't even blink.
The boys laughed again.
"Hey, you two really have never taken any supplements before?" Cardin asked Gin and Russel. "Not even a protein shake? Cause you two are seriously lean."
"No. I've never even gone inside a gym before today," Gin revealed. "I just never go a single day without at least some form of exercise since I was little." He snorted, "Well, more little anyway."
"Hah, same," said Russel. "I'm poor so I didn't want to waste money on that shit. Luckily, I could use the gym in my combat school, so there's that."
"Huh, well if you guys want, I could share some of mine," Cardin suggested.
"Eh, sure. Why not?" said Gin.
"Hell yeah!" Russel exclaimed. "You the man, bossman."
"I'll pass. I've got my own, thanks though," said Sky.
Then they realised that it was already time for dinner and they quickly got into the showers.
"Hey!" Cardin piped up from his shower. "You guys ever asked a guy in a gym stall how many sets he got left? I accidentally did that once and the guys in the washroom laughed. One of them even let loose this loud ass fart."
"Next time, ask the guy if he needs a spotter," Russel suggested with a laugh.
"Good idea Russel," said Sky. "I think I need one for deez huge nuts."
End of Chapter
There's a gym near my home that I've started attending late last year. It was scary at first since I'm a little introverted but it got better. I've gotten a little stronger too but I still look like shit aesthetically and I haven't gotten to the level where I actually enjoy working out. Man, I really regret being such a lazy little shit when I was younger. if I had started back then, I would be pretty muscular by now. Fuck you, younger me. Well, whatever. It's gonna take me years but I'll keep grinding till I can finally wear tight shirts and do the Zyzz pose.
Until next time, bye bye.