Second Chapter!
It's an Update, with Gunfire!
Taiyang waited patiently outside of Jade's workshop. He had his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against a wall beside the entrance door. Silently, he mulled over his thoughts.
So, he had to wait some time to get paid properly from Jade. He didn't pack much in the way of money, not expecting the payment to be delayed. That's not to say he can't stay in Mistral for a week or two.
No, he just couldn't do it if he had to support Raiden and Jaune as well. It's obvious they'd be staying here too, at least for a while. After all, why else would Jade want to talk to them? Besides, he was looking to split the pay of the job between the three of them as thanks. He doubted wandering swordsmen had cash to spare, especially in a capital like Mistral.
Taiyang hummed to himself. He really didn't have the cash for this, burning money more than he could afford seemed like a total opposite of the reason he took this job. Like it or not, he, or rather they, would have to take some extra missions to fund their stay.
Problem is that taking on a mission requires you to have a Hunter's license. For him, that wasn't a problem at all. But for Raiden and Jaune, he doubted they had them. Hell, they didn't have any documentation in the first place!
He wilfully ignored that Jaune was a dead man. That's something he'll get around to in time.
Taiyang rubbed his chin. Maybe they could get a temporary one, just as an excuse to take on a few missions. Yeah, that seemed like a good idea. And the easiest way to get something like that was by asking for help from the local headmaster of a Hunter Academy, in this case, Leonardo Lionheart of Haven Academy.
…Besides, maybe by going to Haven they could see that Hunters weren't so bad after all.
Just then, Taiyang heard the door beside him open. Jaune walked out in a relaxed stroll, while Raiden was just a tad bit tense. They noticed Taiyang and turned to face him.
"So…." Jaune spoke, "Something on your mind?"
"Yeah." Taiyang answered, "I was thinking, you guys have to stay here for a while, right?" At their nods, he decided to continue. "Then we're going to need some cash for us to spend. At first, I wanted to split the pay between us. As a thanks, really. But because Jade's situation is going to take some time, I figured the best way we could get some money was by getting temporary Hunter's licenses for you two and taking on some missions. What'd you guys think?"
"How do we get those?" Raiden asked.
"The easiest way is to ask Haven Academy's headmaster for them." Taiyang answered. He was a little bit surprised when Raiden leaned in with interest.
'That must be the Hunter Academy he talked about before….' Raiden thought to himself. The place where those Hunters and Huntresses get their final education. Raiden internally nodded to himself. 'I need to know more about this system, and this place sounds as good a start as any.'
"Alright." Raiden finally spoke. "Lead the way, Taiyang."
The trio arrived at Haven, standing a good distance away from the Grand Hall. Taiyang stood a bit farther ahead than Raiden and Jaune, acting as their leader as they walked to the Grand Hall. In front of them, they could see students milling about, some in a hurry, some walking leisurely alongside their friends.
Raiden eyed them all curiously. The way they moved, the way they held themselves, certainly spoke of training and a level of experience. Some even carried their weapons, and while Raiden noted they were good craftsmanship, they came nothing close to HF Blades.
From all of this, Raiden concluded that for all they had, these students were generally lacking, status be damned. If any of these students had run into the White Fang group Raiden and Jaune had killed, would they have stood a chance? And what if that was a common occurrence?
Meanwhile, as Jaune looked at the students himself, he gave a small smile. Jaune laughed internally as he side-eyed Raiden. The ninja seemed so focused on looking at these students that it seemed he didn't recognise the stares they were attracting themselves. Of course, that was something the two of them had to take care of at one point. Their appearances were way too obvious, especially for a so-called 'ninja'. Some students eyed them curiously, while others were cautionary. Jaune gave an eye-smile to those who looked, and they turned their heads almost immediately.
'Huh. Looks like we're so obvious they're already making assumptions.' Jaune shrugged. Honestly, he didn't care what they thought. But in the back of his mind, Jaune entertained a stray thought. 'I wonder… what would it feel like to be like them again?'
Meanwhile, Taiyang was ahead of the two, showing them the path forward to the Great Hall. He strode with confidence, seemingly in his element. In the sea of students walking about, one of them noticed him and quickly approached the Hunter.
"Mr. Xiao Long!" The student said as he approached, stopping and standing just before Taiyang. "Long time no see!"
Taiyang smiled a bit, recognising who it was. Ah, looks like it was one of his old students that decided to continue in Haven. "Ah, Blu, was it? It's good to see you again. How are you?"
"As good as ever, teach." He replied with a smile. "What brings you here? I thought your daughters went to Beacon."
"Yeah, well, I've got some business to speak to with Leonardo." Taiyang replied. "It's a bit of an odd situation-"
Raiden walked closer to him from behind. "So, this is one of your students?" The ninja spoke up from behind, interrupting Taiyang mid-sentence.
The Hunter grimaced ever so slightly. "Yeah. This is Blu, one of my graduates from last year." Taiyang answered. He tried his best to keep his tone neutral. 'They'll see reason…'
"Nice to meet you, sir." Blu answered enthusiastically. He held out a hand for Raiden to shake. "My name's Blu Khalifa."
Raiden grabbed his hand and shook it, giving Blu a small smile. "Raiden. I've heard that Taiyang was a teacher, so now I'm curious. How good are you in a fight?"
"I think I can handle myself, sir." Blu spoke, just a tad bit of pride lacing his voice. Hey, it was true, after all!
"Hm, is that so?" Raiden let go of Blu's hand. He eyed Blu's eyes curiously, searching for something the Hunter-In-Training didn't know of. The student almost squirmed. "I haven't seen how you do just yet."
Blu titled his head slightly, his tone becoming curious. "What do you mean, sir?" Were these people teachers, or evaluators of some kind?
"Ah, lay off of him will you, Raiden?" Jaune spoke from behind. He approached them and gave Blu a slap on the shoulder. "I'm sure you'll do great, kid. I mean, you've gotten this far, right?"
"Right." Blu nodded slowly. Compared to this Raiden guy, the blonde one seems a lot more easy-going…
Taiyang coughed into his fist, turning all of their attention towards him. "Should we go on?"
"Alright." Raiden gave one last glance to Blu before walking past him. Jaune smiled and patted the Hunter-In-Training on the shoulder one more time before he began leaving as well.
Taiyang nodded to Blu with a smile and turned around. "See you later, Blu!" The Hunter shouted as he began walking away.
"Of course, teach!" Blu answered, staring at their backs as they left with curiosity. 'Huh. That just happened.'
A knock sounded on Leonardo's doors. Stealthily, he turned off his desk's communications array. Then, he tidied himself and called out. "Come in!"
The door opened and a face he didn't expect walked in. "Ah, Taiyang! It's been a while."
"Good evening, Professor." Taiyang smiled. He walked inside Leonardo's office fully. The Headmaster stood from his seat and shook Tai's hand, each exchanging smiles.
Leo let go of Tai's hand. "So, what brings you to my neck of the woods?"' The Headmaster asked. He needed to know why as fast as possible, simple as that.
"Heh, it's a bit of a long story…" Taiyang rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "See, I just finished an escort mission, from Mantle to Mistral. The thing is, we need extra money to live off of while our client has problems with payment. I figured taking some extra missions would be the best way, but my two… friends… here." The Hunter gestured to behind him, and Leo took a glancing look. "They don't have Hunter licenses. I was thinking you could make a temporary one, at least until we could get a grip on the situation? I promise we'll be out of your hair sooner rather than later."
Leonardo rubbed his beard. "Hmm, yes, I'm sure that can be arranged." 'So Ozpin didn't send you… good.' He almost relaxed in his seat, almost. This meant that he was still undetected, and he'd do his best to keep it that way.
Leonardo continued, "Well, if you need support, then I'll be happy to give it to you. Haven has a spare villa for visitorsthat isn't being used right now, so you can stay there with your friends while I process the license request. I can also set aside some money for pocket change for the two of you…" Leonardo looked at the two men behind Tai again. "I didn't catch your name, Mr…?"
"Raiden." The silver-haired one said, back straight and eyes piercing.
"Jaune." The blond-haired one smirked, leaning back into a relaxed pose.
"…Right." Leonardo answered. 'Tacky names, but I've heard worse.' "I'll make sure to get your licenses through as fast as I can."
Taiyang turned hopeful. Maybe this won't be such a bad time after all!
For Leonardo, that wasn't enough. Taiyang did an escort mission on foot, and he arrived just now. That meant he must have walked one of the ground routes recently, which means…. 'I still need to know one more thing.' "Before you leave, Tai, I'm curious. You said it was an escort mission, right? What route did you take again?"
"It was the faster route." Taiyang answered easily. "With my two friends here, my client and I decided that it was safe enough to abandon the slower route and just rush it down to Mistral."
"I see…" Leonardo trailed off.
The silence stretched on for almost a second.
Leonardo suddenly clapped his hands, and a grin became plastered on his face. "Alright then! If that's all, I'll make sure to get your accommodations ready as fast as possible. I'll tell my assistant to lead all of you to its location, and she'll be waiting for you right outside this building. I'll give you all a heads up when the licenses are ready."
Taiyang nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Professor."
Jaune smirked. "Thanks, old man."
Raiden grunted. Nothing else.
Taiyang turned around and left, the two mysterious strangers following behind him. Leonardo saw the door close shut, leaving him alone with his thoughts once more.
Leonardo took a deep breath. So, Tai and his group decided to go the faster route. If he remembered correctly, that was the very same route Mistral's White Fang branch just used to send a batch of their soldiers to assist Vale's branch, who were in turn informally under Cinder's thumb.
They were all allies here, somewhat. All under the control of the Queen.
Mistral's White Fang branch sent down at least 80 soldiers, he's sure of it. And he had no doubt that Tai and his group had encountered them. It was clear from the slightly battle-worn appearance of LimitBreak and how those three still had a slight edge in them that a battle had ensued. If that wasn't proof enough, reports came in just before they had entered his office that several of the dispatched White Fang soldiers had returned, some bloody and some on the verge of death.
Most didn't even make it back at all.
No, Taiyang alone wouldn't have been able to do this. Even if team STRQ were somehow still here, complete and at their best, they would barely hold a candle to the horrors those survivors described. How they easily tore through numbers larger than their own, their sheer ruthlessness, and their pure skill.
Add to that the almost outlandish technology that Jaune and Raiden showcased in their appearances…
This could spell a lot of trouble if went unchecked, and then it'd be his head on the line.
'Stay calm, Lionheart.' The Headmaster told himself. 'Plan, you can plan things out. You'll survive. You're her ally, after all.'
Jaune and Raiden walked side-by-side as Tai and Leonardo's assistant did the same in front of them. They were slowly leaving the Grand Hall behind, now walking along the campus's grounds towards the exit. Compared to before, the students didn't seem to crowd the grounds anymore. There were barely any at all, which meant that classes have probably begun again.
"You don't trust him."
"I don't." Raiden answered bluntly.
Jaune chuckled. "Problems with authority much?"
"It's not that…" At Jaune's raised eyebrow, Raiden sighed. "Well, maybe a little. I'm concerned with how much power he has. The rest is just the usual paranoia."
"You think he can beat us in a fight?" Jaune asked incredulously. "How'd you find out something like that?"
"No no, that's not it." Raiden shook his head. "I'm talking about the power he has behind his seat. Think about it, Jaune." The ninja turned his head to look at Jaune seriously.
"Leonardo practically has an army of battle-capable students who make the average civilian look like an ant. And since they're students, they'll follow a teacher's words like moths chasing a flame."
Jaune hummed. "Go on."
"He has the power to issue licenses, even to strangers like us. That means that probably the entire Hunter system in Mistral is reliant on him and his go-ahead, to a degree at least. That means the kingdom's also reliant on him. And if he has the power to make those licenses, then what's to say he doesn't have the power to take them too?"
"So you're saying that he can set aside anyone that he doesn't agree with?" Jaune leaned back. Come to think about it, wasn't Ozpin pretty lenient with the rules too?
There's no way my fake transcripts could have fooled him back then. I know better now.
…And what was that about Ruby's accelerated acceptance again?
"Eh, I guess you've got a point." Jaune conceded. "Still, we're on his turf now. Best to play to his tune, don't you think?"
"Right. Because it's not just our lives on the line…" Raiden trailed off. These students could prove troublesome. They didn't know any better than what they were told, and that irked the ninja. Not to mention the kingdom's civilians that relied on Hunters and Huntresses day in and day out.
Just as Raiden finished talking, Taiyang and Leonardo's assistant stopped walking. They were right at the exit of Haven. Raiden and Jaune got closer to the two before stopping as well.
"The villa's location is outside of Haven's grounds, at one of the edges of Mistral." The assistant explained. "I'll be taking the three of you to it if you don't mind."
"Seems okay."
"Sure."
"Wait." Raiden suddenly held out a hand. He mulled over his thoughts, looking down at the ground. Once he was sure, he looked up and met Taiyang's eyes. "I'll be staying here for a while. I'll catch up to you guys later."
"Hm?" Taiyang shifted his eye to look at Raiden. Concern was clear as day in the Hunter's tone and expression, worried about just what Raiden might do. "What for?"
Despite himself, Raiden couldn't help but chuckle. 'Well, at least I know he cares for his students.' "I just wanted to take a closer look at Haven, that's all. See how they work day-to-day."
Taiyang visibly sighed, shoulders sagging. He smiled. 'What do you know, maybe he really is coming around!' "Well, if that's so Jaune and I will be waiting for you at the villa. Have a nice time!"
Raiden let out a small smile and turned around. He waved a hand in goodbye as he walked back inside Haven grounds. "See you two later."
Jaune smirked at the ninja's retreating back. "Don't scare them too much!" Jaune shouted at the ninja.
"Like you're any better!"
Jaune rolled his eyes, a small smile on his face. He turned back to face Taiyang and Leonardo's assistant. "Should we get going?"
The assistant responded in a neutral tone. "Of course."
One Hour Later…
Raiden waited patiently outside Haven's Combat Training classroom. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest before the classroom' doors. No one was outside other than him, though that was soon about to change.
A few seconds later, the bell rang, indicating the end of the class. Not long after, students began exiting the classroom, some looking tired from what Raiden assumed was training. Interestingly enough, some didn't even seem like they worked a sweat at all.
As the students exited the room, they saw Raiden's figure. They kept walking, but almost immediately, whispers broke out among the very same students. Raiden held back a sigh. He could hear what they were saying if he really wanted to, enhanced hearing and all that. Was this going to become a trend in Remnant? He didn't choose to be a cyborg, you know, even if it came with unparalleled benefits.
The students walked past him one by one, giving him a sizeable berth. That was fine for him, he was only interested in one student and one student only.
It didn't take long for him to spot his target. Blu was conversing with his team, looking like he just fought but not to the point of tiredness. 'Good.' Raiden thought. 'That should make this easier.'
"Blu." Raiden called out, and the student broke his conversation with his team almost immediately. The team, in turn, froze on the spot. They were just talking about the mystery arrival that came with Blu's old teacher. Did he hear anything that they said? If so, they were so screwed!
Blu carefully approached Raiden. "Mr. Raiden, sir." He began slowly, carefully. "What do you need?"
"I'll make this quick: I want to see you fight." Raiden answered bluntly. "Not your team, not you and your partner, but you." Team BLUE slightly bristled. Well, so much for that.
Blu rolled the words over in his head. "I'm sorry, sir, but my team and I have classes coming up." He answered the mystery cyborg. Slowly, he could feel Raiden becoming more intimidating, even before he answered. "If you want, we could maybe make a promi-"
"Battle waits for no one." Raiden cut him off. "A warrior has to be ready at all times, to hell with protocol." The ninja tilted his head to the rest of Blu's team. "'Sides, they can tell your next teacher that you got something that came up. That's what teams are for, right?"
"Well…" Blu trailed off. Was this a good idea? He's about to face an unknown, head on, in a one-on-one match. Even if he could hold himself in a fight, he didn't know enough about Raiden to know if he really stood a chance. And what about his team? Were they going to be okay?
"Just go ahead and do it, Blu." His teammate, Lapis, spoke from behind. "I'll cover your back for the next class. Even you know there's no real chance at backing off of this one."
Blu sighed. Yeah, he supposed Lapis was right. "Alright then. Lapis, Enji, and Uang, you guys go on ahead. I'll catch up later."
Raiden smiled. "Good. Let's do this."
Raiden and Blu stood across each other, their weapons still in their respective sheaths. HF Crocea was still undrawn, and Blu's weapon was still holstered on his hip. They had agreed to take the match until either Raiden was either knocked down for more than 3 seconds or Blu's Aura had fallen to the red, whichever came first.
Raiden took a good look around the battle floor. "It's made well." He remarked, kicking the floor weakly. "Sturdy, and has good friction to keep us from slipping."
"Well, that's what this was made for, sir." Blu responded, "We hold matches here every week between students. For training, of course."
"And you use live weapons?" Raiden asked, eyeing Blu's holstered weapon.
"Yes." Blu answered. "But don't worry, sir. All of us have been training for almost our entire lives. We can handle a shot or two."
'Doesn't mean I have to like it, or that it's right at all.' Raiden grumbled inside his head. He looked around again. He didn't see a teacher leave the class when he was outside, and the class was empty when he and Blu had entered. "Where's your teacher?"
Blu fell silent. It took a while for him to answer. "She's… no longer with us, sir."
'Oh.' Raiden grimaced. This was not the direction he wanted the conversation to go. He tried his best to deal with the hand he's just got. "I'm sorry for that, but I have to ask… there haven't been any replacements?"
"…I don't know." Blu answered. "I don't know if Headmaster Lionheart isn't opening the job, or if no one wants to take it. All I know is that we've been training alone for the past three months, with no one to guide us all the way. The staff's overworked as it is, taking missions and trying to teach us the best they can. It just so happens none of them can actually train us full time like a proper combat teacher."
Raiden sighed. "Then this'll be more important than ever." He said solemnly. He bent his knees and gripped HF Crocea's sheath. He searched for a button, a setting that needed to be turned off. Finding it at the back of the sheath, he clicked it without a moment's hesitation. He could hear the HF enhancements subside, the quiet hum of electricity along a blade dying out as its power was disconnected. With that done, he withdrew Crocea and held it to his side, normal silver blade glinting on the battle floor. 'I'll be holding back a lot to give you a fighting chance… so let's see what your people are capable of.'
Blu slightly bent his knees and unholstered his gun. A black-painted six-shooter with blue highlights, he held it with his right hand and aimed it at Raiden, ready to shoot. Next, he flicked his left wrist and black-painted spiked knuckles covered his left hand. 'Hope this goes well…'
They stared unflinchingly at one another, waiting for the other to make the first move. Slowly, they began to take steps to their sides, circling the battle floor with careful steps.
It was Blu who did the first move. He pulled the trigger, firing his six-shooter called Ruya. Raiden tilted Crocea to show its flat side, pushing it towards the bullet as he ran forwards. As the bullet hit his blade and was deflected, Raiden jumped high and brought his hand-wielding sword back, preparing to strike Blu down as he landed.
"Rargh!" Raiden descended and swung, yet his blade met floor and concrete as Blu dodged to the side. A large dent was made on the floor, cracks sprouting in all directions and ending at Blu's feet. Before Raiden stood up, he felt the pang of bullets hitting his sides.
'Bullets are useless as always…' Raiden thought in his head. The ninja turned towards Blu and dashed towards him, closing the gap again. This time, Blu decided to strike first, going for a haymaker with his spiked knuckle called Sirae. Raiden tilted his head back, letting Blu's fist soar in front of his head. He leaned forwards again, moving Crocea to attack as he did so. Blu quickly changed his grip on Ruya to hold it by the barrel and use it to block the sword. Raiden staggered just a bit, not expecting to be blocked. Using this chance, Blu pulled his left fist back and punched Raiden right in the gut.
Raiden doubled over, mouth open in shock. But before he could do anything else, he felt the cold steel of a Ruya's barrel press against his upper chest. Then, he felt it heating up.
'Oh fu-'
Click!
BOOM!
Fire exploded around them, sending Raiden tumbling back. The ninja scrambled to get up, Crocea still in his grip. 'Agh! What was that?!' He rubbed soot from his eyes as he stood back on his two feet. 'That was almost two seconds. But what was that attack? Incendiary rounds? No way they'd fit a gun that small.' He eyed Blu, who had singes on his combat attire. He saw him with his gun aimed towards the ceiling, likely because his arm pushed back from the shot. The Hunter-In-Training then spun his revolver in his hand, reloading all the while. Raiden eyed the shells that fell to the ground. '…Fire Dust rounds. Of course. Still…' The ninja ran an internal check on his systems.
Conditions at 195%.
'Heh, it's barely a scratch.'
Raiden rolled his neck. Focusing on Blu once again, he rushed forwards. As he moved, Raiden saw Blu aim Ruya, ready to fire. Raiden narrowed his eyes, waiting until the last millisecond.
'Now.'
Then, he tilted his head to the side, just in time to dodge a bullet aimed straight at his head. Raiden smirked.
That shot cost Blu time, time Raiden used to now get right at his face.
'Gotcha, kid.'
The Hunter-In-Training had just enough time to jump above Raiden's sweeping kick. Regaining his footing, he saw Crocea come in from his left. He blocked it with Sirae, his left hand recoiling back as he did so. 'What?! It's stronger than before!'
In a daze, Blu couldn't do anything as he felt a punch to his right side. He stepped back in shock.
"Hiyah!" Raiden ended his combo with a slash across Blu's chest. Blu was sent flying away, landing on his back a good distance away.
"Urgh…" Blu groaned. He never felt a slash as strong as that before! That one hit must've taken at least 25% of his Aura!
He briefly checked his scroll. Yup, sure enough, he was down to 55%. Raiden's blow, that point-blank explosion, and the usual Aura-based enhancements, were beginning to take a toll on his reserves. He wasn't sure if he could keep this up without falling in the red.
'I need to finish this.' Blu realised, 'I just need to get him down for three seconds!' He slowly got up, trying to bide time while he thought. 'Ruya's loaded with Fire Dust rounds, but that won't work a second time. I need to buy time for another reload.'
Blu steeled himself. He aimed Ruya again and fired straight at Raiden. The bullet hit true and exploded, covering the spot Raiden was in a fiery inferno.
Blu's hand flew up. Quickly, he brought it down and fired again.
Up. Aim. Fire.
Up. Aim. Fire.
Explosions echoed in the training room. But for Raiden, it didn't matter one bit.
Each bullet only made him flinch, nothing more.
As Raiden felt the last shot impact his body, he dashed forwards and burst through the flames, Crocea held high with fire trailing behind the blade. But before he even swung down, he noted that Blu was gone.
'He's stalling.' Raiden thought fast and swung HF Crocea to his right side, and sure enough his blade was met with Sirae. 'But for what?' Raiden shifted his grip on Crocea and tilted his body forwards, thrusting Crocea towards Blu. Blu stepped forward too and just barely managed to use Sirae to keep it away, stumbling forwards yet still keeping his footing. Using his momentum, he spun and aimed the gun right at Raiden's back.
Raiden stopped in his tracks. 'There's no way he's dumb enough to explode us again.'
And Blu wasn't.
Instead, he aimed Ruya to the ground below Raiden's feet and fired. The bullet struck true and planted itself on the floor. Blu's hand holding Ruya was pushed back again, just like last time from the sheer recoil of the revolver.
'Huh?'
Then, Raiden felt the ground shifting beneath his feet. The floor rumbled, and Raiden struggled to keep his footing. The ninja idly noted Blu was the same. However, the Hunter-In-Training regained it just a bit faster than Raiden and jumped back.
It was then that he felt the earth beneath him burst up. He lost his footing and fell on his back, the ground beneath him turning into platform made of rocks. It pushed him fast and high, his body getting closer and closer towards the ceiling.
"WHAT THE FUUUUUUUCK!"
Crash!
Raiden crashed, crushed beneath the rock platform and the ceiling. Meanwhile, down at the battle floor, Blu audiably sighed. That was close, way too close. His Aura's at 35% now, just barely above the red. He relaxed slightly, and began mentally counting.
'One…'
''Two…'
'Thr-'
It happened faster than his eye could register.
Clean, straight cracks began forming on the rock platform. Then, the platform burst apart, revealing Raiden in the middle of it all, small tidbits of earth floating around him from the broken rock. He stared at Blu coolly, sword drawn back and stance poised to strike.
Blu quickly brought his fatigued arm holding Ruya up, to fire something, anything. However, it was too late. Raiden was upon him. The ninja thrust Crocea forwards, hitting Blu in the hand and disarming him. Stumbling in shock, The Hunter-In-Training tried to punch with Sirae, but it was quickly knocked back by a kick from Raiden. Then, he felt himself being pushed down hard, his head bouncing against the floor. He groaned, even if his head was reinforced with Aura. He regained his senses just enough to realise he was pinned against the floor, Raiden above him and Crocea at his throat.
And his Aura was definitely in the red.
Raiden smirked. "Game over, kid."
Blu groaned.
'Not bad… Still…' "That was a pretty good show…" Raiden began, yet still up on Blu. "But I have to ask… why? All that skill, and combat's not a joke, you know. So why risk yourself? Why try so hard?"
"Safety…" Blu groaned. His vision was fading, likely from the crash with the floor.
"Hm?" Raiden raised an eyebrow.
"A lot of people out there, they aren't safe." Blu tried his best to speak clearly. "People in the settlements, people in the wild, even people in the kingdoms itself. T-There's always danger, be it the Grimm, criminals, or something else." Blu's eyes gained an edge. "I-I've had an easy life, with a loving family raising me up and everything on a silver platter... It's my responsibility to make people have the same."
Raiden thought the words in his head. True, something like that's also in the U.C too, to a degree. Not everyone could live in peaceful first-world countries. Neo-Liberia, for example, was still a third-world country with rampant crime. Not to mention the wars everyone fought back there… And yet here, it seemed more severe. If what Blu said was true, just because Humanity and Faunuskind had a common enemy didn't crime didn't exist. And what was next? Warlords, tribes, and even then, what of the White Fang?
He still didn't like it one bit. Kids should not be firing guns, should not be crossing blades with war-hardened ninja cyborgs.
But the kid's gotten this far, and Raiden didn't know if he could back him out now. 17 years of training, of mindset, is nothing to scoff at.
The least he could do was make sure the kid can survive.
"Next time, change your grip on the revolver." Raiden said neutrally. "Twist your elbow and use it to absorb the recoil. That way, your hand won't get tired."
"Even if you lost, that was some fancy shooting." Raiden smirked. "You're pretty good."
Blu sighed, feeling unconsciousness begin to pull. But before he faded out, he wrestled his right hand free with all of his might and gripped Ruya barrel first. Then, he patted its grip on his chest. "Pretty…" He pointed the grip at Raiden. "…Good."
Raiden nodded.
Satisfied, Blu sighed and fell unconscious with a small smile on his lips.