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Rusted Knight 06
🕑 Added 2024-03-13 14:35:42 +0000 UTCPyrrha watched as her partner clashed with a figure on par with myth and legend. The Rusted Knight might have been a fairy tale character but his strength, skill, and Semblance all but guarantees his place as a legendary warrior.
And Pyrrha was watching her partner take on such a foe.
Her partner, Jaune Arc, who only had his Aura unlocked yesterday during Initiation.
Jaune Arc, who is brave, smart, driven, kind, friendly, and cute-
Pyrrha shook her head to get her back in the game. She can think about weird thoughts later.
The point is, despite Jaune having many positive qualities, being skilled in combat was not one not one of them.
His movements were crude, rough, unrefined, and wasted a lot of his energy as well as telegraphed his attacks.
Any other classmate of theirs seeing this would be happy to assume that he was either trained poorly by his preparatory combat school or was just plain bad at fighting.
They would be wrong. He was not trained poorly. He was, in fact, not trained at all.
To be honest, Pyrrha would have thought the same of him if she didn't know one tiny important thing about him.
No one trained, no matter how poorly, wouldn't know what Aura is. His ignorance of it up until yesterday told Pyrrha that he wasn't trained at all. Which then implied that Jaune Arc snuck into Beacon untrained and ignorant. She doubts he would have been let in otherwise if the faculty knew his situation.
Only one thing stopped her from outing him. His soul.
Pyrrha blushes as she remembers how it felt like to unlock his Aura. Even recalling the feeling right now sends warm shivers of euphoria down her body that makes her blush. She has no doubt that even the tips of her ears are currently red in embarrassment.
She takes a fortifying breath before recalling the circumstances of that particular event. At first, she just wanted to unlock his Aura to give him better chances of surviving Initiation. She fully intended on reporting him to the faculty after Initiation at the time just to keep him safe.
That changed however when she felt his soul. It felt warm, large, and safe. Like a very comfortable blanket that wanted to soothe your soul. When Pyrrha offerred a piece of her own to lure out his soul to the surface, she felt it protectively curl on her soul piece and comfort her.
She gasped in surprise at how it felt at the time because it was the only thing she could do even as the experience left her breathless. No wonder people didn't just carelessly unlock another's Aura at random. It was literally peering into another's soul while sharing a piece of yours.
She doesn't know if Jaune felt hers but she definitely felt his and it felt....indescribable. Even the word great fails to convey just how amazing and good the experience was.
No soul could lie and she saw his. He was beautiful. She saw his kindness, his strength, and his...potential.
He had more than enough potential actually and it was cemented by how he fought yesterday. Now Jaune wasn't necessarily bad at fighting. That was brought on by the fact that he was never trained at all.
After all, who else could say they took on an Elder Deathstalker's attack head on the same day they unlocked their Aura?
Jaune Arc had potential and Pyrrha wanted to help him realize it. She wanted people to see how beautiful and glorious he could be.
That's just it though, he only had potential right now.
Pit him right now against someone trained and experienced one on one, much less someone like the Rusted Knight then the result is obvious.
Pyrrha winced as Jaune got thrown to the ground ...again....for the third time.
She would have jumped in but every time she tried, Jaune yelled at her to not interfere.
She should have ignored his shouts, jumped in regardless of what he said but something about his look stopped her from doing so.
She feels that if she does interfere, she'll be doing something to jeopardize their budding friendship and she doesn't want that.
It took Professor Goodwitch dragging her back with her Semblance to snap Pyrrha out of her turmoil.
"Professor Goodwitch?!" She turns back to her stern professor pulling her back with the light of her Semblance.
"Calm down, Ms. Nikos. Let them have this." Professor Goodwitch nods to the scene of Jaune standing back up and ready to fight again.
"B-but this is just too much!" Pyrrha cringes as the Rusted Knight steps out of Jaune's attack and hit him in the gut with the hilt of his sword.
"On the contrary, this is only fair."
"W-what do you mean this is fair?"
"They are both Arcs, Ms. Nikos. The Rusted Knight has to do at least this much to quash any notion of favouritism." Professor Glynda nods at the scene as her partner doubles over in pain.
Pyrrha understands the sentiment. She really does but seeing what is happening in front of her.....Pyrrha could only call this unfair.
The Rusted Knight doesn't even try to take him out of the fight. He seems satisfied with letting her partner tire himself and make a mockery of himself.
"You might think me unfair....." The Rusted Knight says as he lazily sweeps Jaune's feet from under him.
She jolts as the Rusted Knight just seemed to reply to her previous thoughts. Yet that is impossible, not only is his back turned to her but he is also still speaking to Jaune.
"You might think me cruel...." The Rusted Knight continues as he stalks around her partner who was breathing heavily on the ground.
"But this is the path you have chosen!" He shouts as he suddenly turns his towards her classmates.
Pyrrha felt her whole class flinch as he said that to all of them.
"Your Combat Schools might have glorified the Huntsman life for you but make no mistake, this life is not fair, this life is cruel, this life kills. People die."
She shivered as the Rusted Knight seemed to glance at her. Trying to look away from him always seemed futile to her because every time his eyes glowed, it always felt like something was trying to pull her soul outward.
They always said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. She doesn't know what it says about her soul if it always felt like it wanted to jump out of her body whenever she meets with the Rusted Knight's glowing blue eyes.
It was disconcerting, confusing, and strange to say the least. Yet now that she notices that his eyes are glowing dimmer, Pyrrha manages to turn her own eyes towards Jaune.
That seemed to be the cue enough for the Rusted Knight to continue because he once again turns towards her partner.
"One day....you will face insurmountable odds like this. Against powerful foes strong enough to beat you into the ground. If you aren't ready...."
You would lose your life.
Everyone got the message. The Rusted Knight didn't need to finish his sentence for everyone to understand what he's getting at.
True to form however, he surprises them yet again.
"Your partner might lose their life because of you."
The words crashed against Pyrrha in a tidal wave of pain, sadness, and grief. It didn't take a genius to know that only personal experience could give that much feeling in a sentence.
She stayed silent just like the rest of her class but everyone understood. The Rusted Knight lost his own partner. Most likely before he even became the Rusted Knight.
"And you....are nowhere near ready."
The cold voice snaps her out of her rumination and Pyrrha could see Jaune freeze at the accusation.
"You are weak, slow, and clumsy. You fight like an untrained person."
Her heart freezes at that. It was one thing for her or their peers to think Jaune was trained poorly. It was another for the Rusted Knight, Beacon's newest faculty member, to take note of it and say it out loud.
"Pyrrha would be better off without you."
Pyrrha would have liked to say that she immediately spoke out. That she defended her leader and partner but no matter how much she tries to frame it, what the Rusted Knight said was true.
Jaune was currently a liability. Emphasis on the word currently however.
She fully believes Jaune would get strong enough to the point that he would stand beside her as equals. She could tell, she saw his soul after all
And credit where credit is due, nobody could call out Jaune for not being able to take on a punishment. Everyone sees him put his arms under him to stand.
"Take it back." Jaune growls as he raises his sword and shield once again.
"Mmm, I don't think I will."
Pyrrha winces as she sees Jaune once again rush the Rusted Knight with a telegraphed attack.
"Isn't this already enough?" She mutters as she looks away, not wanting to see Jaune get put down again.
"Not quite."
The joy in Professor Goodwitch's voice takes her aback and Pyrrha turns to look at her professor incredulously.
CLANG!
The unexpected sound causes Pyrrha to snap her eyes back to the fight happening in front of them.
Pyrrha looks. Pyrrha watches. Pyrrha's eyes widen.
"Watch and look closely."
Pyrrha is watching closely alright. She didn't need Professor Goodwitch to remind her to do that.
They watch as Jaune's slashes become stronger, cleaner, more refined.
Sparks flash between them as the Rusted Knight uses both shield and sword to block and parry her partner's strikes.
"What is happening?" Pyrrha whispers in amazement.
She knew Jaune had potential, Brothers know she's though of it enough but this is just too different. There's potential then there's...there's this!
Never has Pyrrha seen someone improve this much in the middle of a fight! But don't get her wrong.
Jaune didn't magically become a champion level fighter, but compare him to himself yesterday and even just earlier? He is downright better.
His moves are faster, smoother, and much more efficient now. He doesn't telegraph his attacks too much now and his moves how much more thought in them now than just swing and hope for the best.
Overall, it looked like he went through days of training in a matter of seconds!
Pyrrha continues to watch astonished as they clash in a series of strikes, blocks, and parries until Jaune and the Rusted Knight lock their shields together in a contest of strength.
This is normally the part where the more experienced warrior will leverage more strength to push his opponent back or disengage in an instant to try another avenue of attack but it seems the Rusted Knight is willling to entertain Jaune by meeting him head on.
Metal grinds against metal as Jaune tries his best to push back the Rusted Knight.
"Say it." Jaune grits his teeth as he stares at the Rusted Knight's dimly glowing blue eyes.
"Say what?" The Rusted Knight casually asks back, as if he doesn't even feel the strain of holding Jaune back.
"Say that you take it back!" Jaune yells as he finally disengages, finally noticing the futility of trying to beat the Rusted Knight in a contest of strength.
"Take what back? That you are weak? That you aren't ready? That Pyrrha would be better off without you?"
Jaune's reply to that is to charge the Rusted Knight once again.
Yet as much as he seems to have improved in a span of moments, Jaune was by no means a master yet. This time though, the Rusted Knight has to expend some effort to beat back Jaune.
With Jaune realizing brute strength will not win the day, he employs speed as his weapon.
Sparks fly as their swords clash, creating a dazzling display of skill and determination. Yet not only is the Rusted Knight stronger than Jaune, he is also faster not to mention more experienced
In a mesmerizing show of prowess, the Rusted Knight locks their swords together and quickly raises his hilt high while spinning his sword out of contact the same time he stepped towards Jaune's right side.
By then, it was easy for him to use the advantageous position to disarm Pyrrha's partner by smashing the hilt of his sword on Jaune's wrist.
Overall, it only took a few clashes and an instant for Jaune to be disarmed.
Jaune's cry of pain and the sound of Crocea Mors falling onto the ground echoes across the auditorium as the Rusted Knight finishes off the counter by bodily shoving Jaune with his shield.
Pyrrha gasps as Jaune stumbles backward and falls on his rear.
She looks back towards Professor Goodwitch in concern. Surely they can stop it now that Jaune was disarmed.
Yet she is only disappointed when Professor Goodwitch shakes her head sadly again. For the life of her, Pyrrha couldn't understand. Surely there's no more reason to go further than this!
"I will admit that that was a better attempt but you still don't get it do you?"
The words snap her out of it and she turns to see the Rusted Knight looking down at Jaune.
"Get what?" Jaune growls as he slowly stands up again.
"That this life is hell."
Jaune falters at that the same as everyone else in the room.
"And you aren't ready for it. You would be better off walking away. For yourself and Pyrrha." The Rusted Knight continues.
Pyrrha growls in frustration as well as Jaune. It's not fair! Jaune was already growing so much but the Rusted Knight doesn't even want to give him a chance!
"You keep saying I'm not ready, but that's why we're here aren't we?! To learn! If we aren't ready then make us ready!" Jaune shouts in anger, mirroring most of Pyrrha's thoughts and feelings.
The Rusted Knight's reply however takes wind out of his sails so to speak.
"Tough words for someone who faked his way into Beacon."
It wasn't directed at her but Pyrrha felt the words hit her like a punch to the gut. Confirmation.
Gasps ring out all around them and Pyrrha could already hear their classmates gossip among each other as Jaune's color suddenly pales and his expression turns to one of horror.
"That's right. The faculty knew your transcripts were fake all along." The Rusted Knight continues coldly, causing Jaune to flinch as if he was actually struck.
"B-but why let me take Initiation? Why not stop me at the start?" Jaune stutters nervously.
"They probably thought you'd leave on your own once you realized how over your head you were. A careless decision if you asked me. It's a miracle you didn't die. Or worse, got your partner killed."
Jaune snaps to look at her at that. Pyrrha sees guilt wash over his horrified face at that.
"P-Pyrrha! I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you in dan-!"
"It's okay, Jaune. I knew." Pyrrha cuts him off with a gentle smile before he could even say more.
Jaune looks astonished at that and even the Rusted Knight takes a moment to regard her.
"You...knew? And you didn't report me?"
Pyrrha only smiles wryly at his shocked look. Since his secret has already been exposed, she has no qualms reminding him of something important.
"I'm the one who unlocked your Aura, remember?"
Though just the mention of it makes her recall soft and warm feelings that makes her face red.
Luckily for her, Jaune was too busy rubbing the back of his head and looking down abashedly.
"R-right. Forgot about that for a moment." Jaune chuckles awkwardly with a small blush of embrassment.
She noticed her mistake too late however. Another wave of pandemonium washes over their class as Jaune doesn't even deny what she said or the Rusted Knight's accusations.
"Holy shit...."
"He faked his transcripts?!"
"The audacity!"
"He went to Initiation without Aura?!"
"Is he crazy?!"
Pyrrha could see Jaune's form suddenly in humiliation and her eyes widen in horror once she realizes what she has done.
Her answer to his question just painted a larger target on her back. She silently berates herself. She's sure she could have answered it in a better way but she just had to expose another detail in Jaune's black mark. Now she's attracted negative sort of attention to him.
She's been exposed to attention for so long so she forgot what the negative sort of attention can do to someone. Especially to someone who was just starting out. Before she could even shout to apologize or defend Jaune, someone else shouts over the auditorium.
"THAT'S AWESOME!!!"
Everyone turns towards the source and there she is. Nora Valkyrie leaning against Lie Ren behind Pyrrha and Professor Goodwitch.
Pyrrha blinks. Nora blinks back with a grin. She was ashamed to say that she totally forgot about Ren and Nora after they were eliminated from the fight. In her defense however, she was too busy watching her partner square up against a man of myth and legend.
"Nora?" She calls out.
"Pyrrha! Isn't this great?! Our fearless leader just became even more fearless!" Nora yells back enthusiastically and Pyrrha couldn't resist the smile creeping on her face from Nora's infectious joy.
"Calm down, Nora. No need to shout so much." Ren pipes up, leaning his head away from his exuberant partner.
"I just can't help it, Renny! Our fearless leader just became more awesome!" Nora replies with a bright smile to her partner.
"While I agree that that is amazing, I must still point out that what Jaune did was dangerous." Ren points out calmly, causing Nora to pout at her even as Pyrrha only looks at him neutrally.
"Rennyyyyy, come on. Don't be a party pooper."
".....Fine. I guess the fact that we all managed to reach safety because of his leadership and Jaune did manage to pass Initiation should still count for something." Ren sighs out with a small smile even as Nora enthusiastically embraces while Pyrrha gives a nod of gratitude.
"Well said, Mr. Ren."
The unexpected support throws all of them for a loop as everyone turns towards Professor Goodwitch, only to see her adjust her glasses and look at them with a stern yet understanding eye.
"Ahem. While I admit that our decision to let Mr. Arc continue with the exam was careless. It does not change the fact that he did manage to pass Initiation. He is here to say unless, of course, he fails his subjects." Professor Goodwitch explains, glancing towards the Rusted Knight at the end of her speech.
"Unless he drops out on his own." The Rusted Knight interjects casually, glancing at Jaune.
"Well, there is that option." Professor Goodwitch agrees and all of them are now looking at Jaune.
"Of course I'm not dropping out!" Jaune exclaims instantly, looking offended that they even thought of asking him that.
"Are you sure? Even knowing that you could die?"
Pyrrha could actually see Jaune take a moment to answer. Tension slowly thickens as everyone sees him take a deep breath before staring at the Rusted Knight with resolve in his eyes.
"I am or will be a Huntsman like my father before me. And his father before him. And his father before him." Jaune declares and it might have been Pyrrha's imagination but the air between the two Arcs suddenly seem charged.
"You may not understand this but I am an Arc. I don't know what it meant during your time but these days that means being the descendant of heroes. I have a duty to follow in their footsteps." Jaune continues after the Rusted Knight remains silent.
"Is it duty or is it selfishness?" The Rusted Knight replies quietly.
"What?"
"You heard me. I doubt your parents wanted you to follow in their footsteps considering that they didn't even train you. You're not even supposed to be here. You're just a faker." The Rusted Knight points out and it must have been a slap in the face for Jaune because Pyrrha could see him reel back in surprise.
"Listen, Jaune. You could be a farmer and they would have been happy with you." The Rusted Knight continues after Jaune isn't able to reply due to the shock and pain.
"The world doesn't need another farmer." Jaune manages to rally himself and shoots back, frustration obvious in his voice.
"Think carefully, Jau-"
"Why?! Why do you keep trying to stop me?! What gives you the right to try and stop me in the first place?!" Jaune interrupts in anger, not letting the Rusted Knight even finish his sentence.
Pyrrha tilts his head and curiousity and she could see most of her classmates lean forward as well. It seems she wasn't the only one that noticed. The Rusted Knight was being particularly focused on Jaune.
It might have been because they were both Arcs but Pyrrha felt it was more than that. First was the taunting, saying that Jaune was not ready and it would be better if he walked away. Second was exposing Jaune's secret of sneaking his way into Beacon. Then now this? Trying to make him leave on his own?
Whatever the reason is, the Rusted Knight felt it important enough that he had to use harsh methods to deter Jaune from being a Huntsman.
"I just want you to know consequences." The Rusted Knight responds quietly to which Jaune only rolls his eyes at.
"I know. Suffering, agony, death. You just keep saying it. Do you love your own voice that much?" Jaune shrugs exasperatedly and even Pyrrha has to chuckle at her partner's audacity.
"That's because it's true! That's the road you are choosing to walk on!" The Rusted Knight shouts back heatedly.
It seems for once the tables have turned even if just verbally. It is now the Rusted Knight who is falling for his opponent's provocations.
"Maybe but you are forgetting one thing." Jaune responds calmly with a smirk, a farcry from any of his previous reactions.
"And what, pray tell, am I forgetting, Faker?" The Rusted Knight growls back, attempting to taunt the younger Arc to anger.
Still, even Pyrrha could admit, she is curious about what Jaune's answer could be.
"The lives we save." Jaune answers simply with a grin, not knowing how much optimism and purpose he just injected into his peers.
The words wash over them with resolve and certainty. Pyrrha smiles even as she sees the Rusted Knight reel back in shock. Even their classmates chatter positively with each other at Jaune's answer.
Yet the tension suddenly rises as the Rusted Knight slides Crocea Mors that was still by his feet back to Jaune.
"You think you understand? Fine, I'll beat it into you. Pick up your sword, I'd rather you fall with sword in hand, Arc."
Jaune slowly leans down, picking his sword up and twirling it experimentally in his hand. Pyrrha blinks at the way Jaune twirled his sword. Those weren't the movements of a beginner.
"Soooo, we fight?" Jaune says casually.
"Yes, until you get it." The Rusted Knight nods, brandishing his own sword and shield.
"Or you get defeated." Jaune shoots back as he tries to circle around the knight.
The Rusted Knight scoffs at that even as he mirrors Jaune's movement to keep him firmly on his front.
"You think you can defeat me? You're two decades early to be even thinking that, you brat."
"I don't know, old man. Alyx lived centuries ago, you're probably way past retiring age."
Pyrrha hears the snicker and she could see Ruby desperately trying to hold her laughter on her seat. She couldn't stop the chuckle on time from leaving her own mouth however. Luckily, she wasn't the only one who laughed because the Rusted Knight glances at her classmates from the corner of his eyes.
"May I remind you that this old man just kicked your classmates' ass as well as your own earlier?"
The laughing stops at that but Jaune seems undeterred as he continues the banter.
"That's because we didn't want to hurt your feelings." Jaune smirks and points to the Rusted Knight with his sword, taunting the older Arc even as they circle each other.
"Don't kid yourself, you know the truth. That insurmountable odds I was talking about earlier? To you, I am him." The Rusted Knight confidently admits, waving his arms outward to show Jaune his chest.
Jaune however has a reply to this as he finally stops walking, causing the Rusted Knight to stop as well. The following sequence of events was something Pyrrha would never ever forget.
"You see... the thing about insurmountable odds...." Jaune pauses and looks to the side abashedly before looking straight into the Rusted Knight's eyes.
"We overcome them together. PYRRHA NOW!"
--------
"-PYRRHA NOW!"
His younger self wasn't even finished when Jaune Arc turned around the younger version of his partner.
He was aware that his younger self was going to try something like this.
After all, he wasn't really that subtle with using his footwork to make them circle each other so Jaune could be trapped in the middle.
It might have worked with someone his younger self's own age, those with less experience and shorter attention spans to forget that Pyrrha was still in the match. It might have worked with those people but it wouldn't have worked with him now.
He fully expected for something like this to happen. So by the time he turned around, he was fully prepared to receive Pyrrha's sneak attack and throw her towards his younger self's path just to prove the point that he was currently that insurmountable odd.
He wasn't prepared however, to see Pyrrha standing there and jerking in surprise. Not attacking him. Not even charging at him for that matter. She just had her eyes looking shocked at them.
His mind stalls for a moment before he realizes something. He fell for it.
Of course. He thinks to himself. They only met yesterday. Team JNPR didn't have the kind of teamwork just yet where one could signal the other what the pan actually is. This led to Pyrrha being unprepared to jump in when his younger self called for her. Still, it worked pretty well as a distraction.
His body rushed to turn around again and adjust to a defensive stance as his mind keeps thinking. He fell for the oldest trick in the book.
Light flashes from the corner of his eyes and he knew he wouldn't fully make it because of one crucial. He fell for the "Look over there! Then punch just as your enemy is looking." tactic.
Compounded with his own surprise however, he eats the most unexpected attack in this match just yet. A diagonal Aura Slash from melee range aimed straight towards him.
The world slows down before all he sees is white.
--------
He can't believed it worked.
Jaune never knew a Huntsman could weaponize light but when the Rusted Knight did it and explained that it was just an advanced Aura technique called Aura Slash? Jaune just knew he had to try it for himself.
He just didn't expect to try it right now! He expected he'd have had to try it out with Pyrrha, not while fighting the Rusted Knight!
Pyrrha seemed like the type of person to be knowledgeable about that kind of thing considering she unlocked his own Aura.
But when the Rusted Knight started pushing his buttons, Jaune knew he had to step up. There's only one problem. He didn't know how to do an Aura Slash.
Luckily for him, someone just showed him it was possible and he had a lot of unconventional source material on his side.
In the absence of Pyrrha and in the middle of the heat of battle however, Jaune fell back to something familiar. Finally, he could say that hours of playing video games and watching anime has been productive.
Every single piece of media he has consumed has went along this one familiar route when talking about attacks similar to the Aura Slash.
Extend your senses and gather your heart/mana/soul/magic in your weapon. Once it is concentrated enough, unleash everything all at once with a swing of your sword.
If you did all of this correctly then a sword of light should come crashing down on your enemies. At least, that's how it usually went in the comics, movies, animes, and video games.
However, this is real life. He couldn't expect everything to go perfectly just because he copied a move using anime and video games. He had to stack the deck in his favor if he wanted to succeed.
And so, he called out to Pyrrha. He knew someone like the Rusted Knight would react quickly enough to face her but whether she jumped in or not, it already served as a distraction.
He charged forward the same time the Rusted Knight turned towards Pyrrha. If his Aura Slash failed, he wanted to be close enough to take advantage of the distraction he made.
Just before he swung his blade however, when he was just starting to concentrate his Aura into Crocea Mors, an image took root in his mind.
Suddenly, he was not holding Crocea Mors. Instead, he was holding a broken blade which he was continously swinging in the middle of a sandy beach. Before Jaune could think deeper on it however, the image switches back to reality.
Before he knows it, his body was following through the swing and Aura instantly leaves his body to solidy into an arc of light. Aura Slash.
He just launched an Aura Slash headed straight for the Rusted Knight.
Not a sentence he would have ever thought to be thinking especially when it concerns the Rusted Knight.
At first he thought the Rusted Knight was cool. Who wouldn't?
Everyone wanted to be the Rusted Knight or be saved by the Rusted once in their life when they were a child.
Doubly so for Jaune since the Rusted Knight was apparently an Arc. He should have been overjoyed. He should have been happy.
One problem became obvious however. He was also apparently an ass towards Jaune. What with the guy hell bent on pishing him out of becoming a Huntsman.
So it is with a bit of joy that Jaune watches the light of his own Aura about to smash into the Rusted Knight's face. His helmet, actually but who cares?! It's still the head.
Joy turns to irritation as the Rusted Knight's shield suddenly blurs, deflecting Jaune's Aura Slash to head towards the ceiling even as it grazes the man's Aura near his helmet..
"Mr. Arc!" Professor Goodwitch exclaims as the arc of light explodes above them, punching a hole through the ceilling.
""Sorry, Ms. Goodwitch."" Both Arcs speak aloud even as they continue to stare into onr another's eyes.
To be honest, he isn't even surprised that the Rusted Knight managed to deflect his attack. Irritated, sure, but not surprised. The guy has his weird glowing blue eyes that apparently means he's getting stronger and faster the brighter it is after all.
Not a Semblance his ass. Good thing Jaune had a contingency plan for this.
"Impressive, but not eno-ARRRH!" The Rusted Knight starts but suddenly screams in pain when Pyrrha throws her shield to the back of his knees.
Aura protects him but the force still sends the knight reeling. Jaune does not let the opportunity pass, he knees the Rusted Knight's face and the man's head snaps back.
Once again, Aura flashes to protect the Rusted Knight.
What does it take to put this guy down? Though he can't really complain can he? After all, he himself rose up to fight again multiple times. Jaune thinks to himself as he pounces on the Rusted Knight's current vulnerability.
To give credit to the Rusted Knight, he puts up a valiant effort. He brings his shield up just in time to stop Jaune's downward slash to end the fight.
Yet despite that, Jaune was confident that this was it. With the Rusted Knight on his knees and struggling to defend against Jaune, it was only a matter of time before Pyrrha reaches them to end it or he manages to overwhelm the older man's defenses.
That was of course, before the Rusted Knight pulled out another save from his ass. One moment he was bearing down on the Rusted Knight's shield then the next moment he was flying through the air.
What was that? Plot armor?! He thinks to himself before he impacts the arena's wall below his classmates' sits.
"Was that Gravity Dust?!" Weiss gasps out.
Nope, no plot armor here. Just Gravity Dust apparently.
That answers his question, which in turn brings up another question.
Where the hell did the Rusted Knight even get Gravity Dust?
Jaune might not know much but he knew enough to know that Dust was a relatively recent discovery. Certainly way past the Rusted Knight's time considering the age of Alyx's story.
"Ow." He groans out as he finally drops to the ground.
Regardless, he already did his best. That should be enough right? He turns back to the stage only to stare in horror.
------
Pyrrha....froze.
She is ashamed to say that she froze when Jaune went flying and the Rusted Knight quickly turned towards her next.
She wasn't frozen because of fear or intimidation. She was frozen because.....this close with the Rusted Knight's now brightly glowing blue eyes locked with hers...something happened.
Something reached out from within him and Pyrrha felt her Aura...connect.
She gasped as suddenly she was looking at bright blue eyes hidden behind the slits of a locker before the locker flies away.
She blinks and this time she was the one inside the locker with tears in her eyes and looking straight into a smoky sky.
She blinks again and this time she was staring at the ceiling of the auditorium with her back on the ground.
"Ms. Nikos! Are you alright?!" Professor Goodwitch appears on the edge of her view.
Just as she turns to her professor however, a blinding headache pierces through her mind.
"W-what happened?" She says slowly with a grit of her teeth while she blinks the pain away.
"...Mr. Arc, the Rusted Knight, launched you across the arena with his shield." Professor Goodwitch aswers slowly as Pyrrha raises her body up.
Right... She remembers approaching his back to support Jaune. He must have used the same move on her that sent Jaune flying.
She must have taken too long to answer because Professor Goodwitch leans down and puts her hand on Pyrrha's shoulder just before she stands up.
"Are you sure you are quite alright?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Just a headache."
"If you say so." Her professor sighs out as she straightens herself to look at everyone else before continuing.
"This match is obviously over. Team JNPR, you did well. You came the closest to beating the Rusted Knight." Pyrrha preens at the praise even as Professor Goodwitch nods at the Rusted Knight's direction.
"....Everyone, take note of what they did right. I expect everyone to be better next time." The Rusted Knight adds as Pyrrha sees him look at her classmate's direction which coincidentally is also the direction Jaune was located in.
Her eyes finds her partner looking at her with concern before it is wrenched away from him by the Rusted Knight's next words.
"Team JNPR.....get yourselves checked in the infirmary. After that, meet me in my office if you are cleared to do so." The knight states before turning towards Professor Goodwitch.
Professor Goodwitch for her part only nods slowly and that seems cue enough for the Rusted Knight to leave.
As Pyrrha is suddenly swarmed by concerned teammates, her eyes follow the armored figure.
It's good he called them to their office because Pyrrha has some questions for him. A lot of questions actually.
-------
NOTES:
Sorry for the lateness, I wanted to finish this by yesterday but I wasn't able to. Had too many thoughts running through my mind.
Let me know what you think. Too long? Too detailed? Too cringe?
Comments
Biggs Ringor
Thanks for the feedback! That's what I was actually thinking. Rusted Jaune might not share his plans with the Ozluminati but he is already changing things. Nobody could claim he's not doing anything now.
Biggs Ringor
Thanks for the feedback! Rusted Jaune actually has a lot of reasons to push and reveal Jaune this hard and here's what I thought of. Let me know what you think. 1. I think Rusted Jaune has a lingering bitter feeling that it took him too long to ask Pyrrha for help in training him in V1. If I was him, I would always think that if only I had Pyrrha train me even sooner maybe I could have done something. I would have been better, I would have been stronger, etc. (A bit OOC maybe but it's how I'm imagining someone stuck in one place will think with only his memories to accompany him. So he's projecting himself into this Jaune to spare him that pain.) 2. With him exposing it, it can't be used as blackmail material for Young Jaune. Sure, Cardin will push him around a bit but nobody would be able to do anything about Jaune because the teachers have publicly approved of his presence in Beacon. 3. This effectively removes Jaune's machismo/bravado face to his team. With him exposed, there's no reason for him not to accept help from his teammates especially that they've all publicly approved of him as well. Only misplaced pride would make him not accept their help and it would only take one of them smacking him around for him to pull his head out of his ass if ever.
PathKeeper
Good length and a nice ending to the fight. Was unsure about the reveal of Jaune fake transcripts but after thinking it over and rereading it the way you did was a nice clean way of doing it. It will allow you to shift and change the plot in a natural way. Looking forward to how the other students react and change to this revelation. Most interested in how Cardin and his team will change. Overall a great chapter that opens your story to many different and interesting paths.
Mercer Smiit
While I can see why RK is doing his best to teach Younger Jaune, the reveals of his transcripts and his lack of training are bit backhanded. I can understand why he would do so, sparing yourself the pain and all that, HC think that RK knows it's hypocritical for him to do so. Hope they have some leg work on that office meeting.
LuckyPickl3
Right on π
Biggs Ringor
Thanks man. Thank you for the support.
LuckyPickl3
Just right π
Biggs Ringor
Thanks for liking it. You will have more Rusted Knight chapters approx 2 weeks from now. For now, gotta go back to Pineapple Jam as we are nearing some of my favorite arcs. The dance and the breach.
Channel 100
I need more
