14

Chapter 14:

Their first day of classes dawned rather quietly. Of course, Ruby, Pyrrha, and Jaune (reluctantly, in Jaune's case) were up with the sun to go through their morning exercise routines, before getting ready for their first official day as Beacon students.

Pyrrha had found the Aura techniques Ruby taught to be fascinating in their potential and their applications. She had gladly stood beside Jaune, and practiced Temper alongside him for the remainder of the evening. Ruby was grateful for her participation, as having someone to train alongside gave Jaune a reason to be motivated and not slack off. Normally, she wouldn't consider that much of a worry, but she knew all too well that Temper was the least engaging of the Three Exercises, and how difficult it could be for a beginner to keep their focus and maintain their Temper for an extended period of time.

Likewise, having Pyrrha join them for their morning workout also proved to be a boon. Pyrrha demonstrated that even a world-class champion like herself needed to work to get and keep in shape. It was a reminder that Pyrrha hadn't gotten where she was due to some kind of natural-born genius, but through sweat and hard work. And, while Ruby knew it was probably frustrating for Jaune to see just how far ahead of him Pyrrha was in all aspects of physical fitness, it also helped him to understand that he wouldn't be able to reach her level unless he worked for it.

A nice two hour workout left them a full hour to get showered and dressed for the day. It would be the first time they put on their uniforms. They decided to let Weiss sleep in so that she could have the final shower, and take all the time she wanted to primp.

Ruby took a few extra minutes to make sure her uniform looked just so. It felt strange, looking at herself in a black jacket with gold lining, a brown vest, white shirt, red-plaid skirt, and the red ribbon around her neck. It felt a lot different from what she usually wore, a little bit more restrictive too. But she had to admit that she liked the way it looked on her.

After a moment's consideration, she donned her cloak over the shoulders, and slid Akaibara into its customary place at the small of her back. She also kept her black leggings on as well. One of the few things Ruby had bothered to confirm amongst the myriad rules that governed student appearance was the modifications they could make to their uniforms. Both her leggings and her cloak were considered acceptable modifications, while carrying a weapon was not restricted, so long as she did not draw it in the classroom or halls without permission from a teacher.

She wasn't the only one. Pyrrha also kept her circlet on while in uniform, though both she and Jaune eschewed carrying their weapons with them.

Jaune's uniform didn't carry any special modifications. The male uniform was a black suit, white shirt, blue vest, and red tie. Ruby envied that it looked a bit simpler to put on than her ensemble, though she had no idea how to tie a tie. She had to admit it looked good on him.

"You really don't like to part with that," Jaune noted with some amusement when he saw Akaibara's handle protruding from behind her back.

Ruby blushed slightly. "Well, I don't feel comfortable just leaving it in a locker. I've always carried it everywhere with me." Beyond the comfort of having her weapon ready at a moment's notice, no matter where she was, Ruby was loathe to part with the precious gift that had been given to her.

"Please," scoffed Weiss, who'd emerged a minute earlier after finishing with her hair. "You're like a child who refuses to leave your security blanket behind. It's immature."

"A blanket can't be used to cut a Grimm in two, Yukihime," replied Ruby, earning a muffled giggle from Pyrrha.

"Since when are Grimm going to be inside the school?" posed Weiss. "And what is with that absurd nickname? What does it even mean?"

"Don't worry about it," said Ruby, hiding a smirk, knowing that saying that would only make Weiss worry about it more.

Sure enough, her words elicited a growl from the heiress, even as her eyes narrowed in a glare. Still, she didn't appear interested in carrying on the argument, probably thinking she'd made her case sufficiently.

They were ready in enough time to make a quick visit to the dining hall for breakfast, before making their way to the first classroom. The first class on their schedules was Grimm Studies, with Professor Peter Port. Team RASP made their entrance and took their seats with time to spare. Other students filed in after them and the room gradually filled up.

Just seconds before the bell was to ring, they heard the sound of scrambling feet from outside the room, and they saw the members of Team RYNB come rushing in, having apparently barely gotten ready in time. Yang brought up the rear. As she entered the room, her eyes immediately drifted over to Ruby, before zeroing in on the open seat right beside her. Before Yang could even think of making for the seat, Ruby fixed her with a glare that made Yang falter and back down. Instead, Blake graciously took the seat for herself, accepting the grateful smile from Ruby with a much more neutral expression. Yang was forced to take the seat next to Blake.

Now that everyone was seated, their teacher began his lesson. Professor Port's name proved apt, as he was a slightly portly man, dressed in a dark-red suit with gold lining. His head was topped by slightly curling, gray hair, with an equally gray, exceptionally bushy mustache so large that it rendered his mouth all but invisible as he spoke.

"Greetings, my tender, young students," he said, his bombastic voice extending to the furtherest corners of the classroom. "In my humble opinion, this is the single most important class you will ever take in this Academy. For it is here that you shall learn about the nuances of our great and terrible enemy, the Creatures of Grimm.

"They have had many names over the years. Some call them monsters, others call them demons. But I tend to refer to them as...prey. For what good is a Huntsman or Huntress if he or she has no knowledge about that which they are trained to hunt? In this class, you shall arm yourself with an arsenal of information, assembled from the greatest minds across the world, and my own, extensive, experience."

Ruby blinked, getting the distinct impression that this was going to set the mood for the rest of the class. Port was clearly one of those people, a man in love with the sound of his own voice. No doubt he had a wealth of information to share, but it sounded as though his lectures were going to be absurdly long-winded, and filled with derivatives and deviations that would distract from the topic at hand.

However, she was surprised when Port's monologue took an abrupt turn. "That said, while a great deal of information can be gleaned from textbooks and my own, quite pertinent, stories, experience will always be the best teacher, when it comes to handling the Grimm. You've all had a taste of that danger during the Initiation. The fact that you are here means that your training in Combat Schools has not gone to waste. I am sure that you have all had the opportunity to face the Grimm there as well. But supervised battles, with teachers at the ready to intervene, cannot compare to the true experience that comes from facing Grimm, in the wild.

"On that note, we are blessed to have a student with such experience among us..."

Uh oh, thought Ruby, immediately shrinking back and fighting the urge to duck beneath her hood.

"Ms. Ruby Rose has extensive experience in the wilds of Remnant, having made her way from the north of Sanus to Vale, on foot. Ms. Rose, would you please come to the front of the class?"

Ruby bit back the urge to squeak, not wanting to find herself at the center of attention, and certainly not on the first day of class no less. She would have wondered how Port had known about her training journey, but figured that Ozpin had probably filled the teachers in on it. Hesitantly, she made her way down to the floor. She could feel everyone's eyes glued to her. In particular, she felt Weiss' eyes glaring at the back of her head, almost as though the heiress was hoping to set Ruby aflame with the force of her anger alone. It seemed she was bitter about being shown up so soon...if this could count as showing her up.

"Now then, Ms. Rose," said Port, gesturing to a surprisingly detailed map of the north-eastern portion of the continent, namely Vale's territory, "why don't you show us the route you took."

He handed her a piece of chalk, which indicated that Ruby was allowed to draw on the map, indicating to her that Port had put the image up for this specific purpose. She felt a little bad, as it felt like she was just doodling over someone's hard work. However, she raised the chalk and started up near the northernmost tip of the continent, just a short ways south of Vytal.

"My teachers and I arrived by boat here, at Teleri. From there, we went our separate ways, and I headed south..." Ruby proceeded to give an abbreviated account of her journey, as well as some of the notable Grimm she encountered along the way. Recounting it grew easier as she went on. When she'd begun, many of the students were listening with evident skepticism. However, as Ruby continued to describe her journey they got more invested in it.

Finally, she reached the point where she arrived at Vale. Wrapping it up, she hoped she'd be allowed to sit back down. Instead, Port staid her with a hand to her shoulder.

"Remarkable, Ms. Rose," he complimented her. "Does anyone have any questions for her?"

"Why weren't your teachers with you?" asked a student near the back.

"I needed solo experience," explained Ruby. "During my past training excursions, I always had at least one other with me. This time, I was supposed to make it through Vale's territory by myself. We planned out our routes, along with a rough idea of how long it would take to go from settlement to settlement, and would leave messages for each other on our progress."

"So you've been on other training excursions before?" asked another student. "Where?"

"The other major one I had, we traveled across Anima," said Ruby. "We proceeded along the north and moved from east to west."

"What's the worst Grimm you encountered?" inquired a young man near the front.

Ruby swallowed, her throat working as she shivered. The memory of those dark caves in the mountains of northern Anima still made her skin crawl. "During our trip through Anima, we were caught in a nest of Ungols."

"My word!" exclaimed Port, shocked by the revelation. It appeared that even the boastful professor apparently had some opponents he balked at facing.

Ruby could see several other people in the class were unsettled by the prospect of fighting Ungols. The spider-like Grimm were rare on Sanus, thank God, and generally only occupied mountainous terrain. Enough people were arachnophobes as it was. Facing down a swarm of monstrous spiders was usually not high up on people's bucket lists. Ruby was no fan of spiders herself, and the memories of the swarming masses of skittering, segmented legs, mandibles, and fangs still gave her nightmares from time to time, to say nothing of the one at the center of that colony.

"What's the most important thing when it comes to fighting Grimm?" asked Ren, watching her with an intrigued gaze.

"Honestly, it's efficiency," said Ruby. "The truth is, there are all kinds of Grimm out there, and new ones are either appearing, or being discovered, all the time. While most of them resemble some kind of animal, others are just plain...strange. You can study the known types, but there's still always the chance that you'll run into one that nobody has recorded before. You have to be able to assess their capabilities and weaknesses on the fly and determine the easiest way to take them down.

"While it happens, it's actually rare for a settlement to be brought down by some single, ancient Grimm. More often than not, they're overrun by a horde of smaller Grimm. You have to be able to take them down as quickly and easily as possible, so that you have strength to spare for the ones that come after them."

"Quite so," agreed Port. "Thank you for your willingness to share with us, Ms. Rose. You may return to your seat."

Eyes continued to follow Ruby as she shyly returned to her seat between Jaune and Blake. She noticed that Weiss seemed positively livid now.

"Now then," said Port, striding to the center once more. "You've all heard about the threat the Grimm can pose, especially out in the wilds, far from the defenses of modern civilization. Who here believes they have the courage to face one of these creatures for themselves?"

"I do!" snapped Weiss, shooting to her feet.

Port laughed at what he assumed to be her eagerness to participate. "Very well, Ms. Schnee. Prepare yourself for battle."

There was a brief lull as the class waited for Weiss to change into her combat outfit and retrieve her weapon from the lockers. A low chatter filled the air as students talked to pass the time. As they waited, Jaune leaned over to whisper to Ruby. "I don't think she's happy."

"That's putting it lightly," observed Blake wryly, smirking at Ruby. "I don't think she liked that you were the center of attention for most of the class."

"I didn't ask the teacher to call me down," groused Ruby, folding her arms and pouting. "I really hate being put on the spot like that."

"You did fine," assured Pyrrha, smiling past Jaune at her. "I thought it was fascinating."

Yang watched the back and forth between Ruby and the others, wanting to be part of the conversation. Yet she knew that any effort on her part to participate would likely cause Ruby to shut down, and refuse to talk at all, so she held her tongue. Instead, she found herself watching as Ruby leaned lightly against Jaune, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gently rubbed her upper arm, a sight that made Yang bristle internally as Jaune blatantly ignored the warning she'd given him the previous night.

"What do you think the Professor is going to have Weiss do?" asked Nora.

"Probably have her fight that Grimm," said Ruby, pointing to a cage, tucked into a corner at the floor of the classroom.

"Was that cage always there?" asked Jaune, staring at it in confusion.

"Yep," said Ruby.

"What's in there?" wondered Pyrrha.

"Boarbatusk," replied Ruby, matter-of-factly.

"How can you tell?" Yang asked, before she could stop herself, wincing as Ruby flashed a glare in her direction, before apparently deciding it was harmless to answer the question.

"I could hear it," said Ruby. "It mostly snorts, and I can hear hooves on the floor. From the way it was putting its weight down on them, I can tell it's heavy-set, with a low center of gravity."

"And what does that mean?" asked Blake.

"Boarbatusks are heavily armored along their back and sides," said Ruby. "They're low-slung, with a low center of gravity that makes them difficult to knock over, which is because their underbelly is their main weak point."

"So, basically, Weiss needs to knock it onto its back if she's going to take it out," said Jaune.

"With her Semblance, I don't imagine that will be too hard," noted Pyrrha.

"Assuming she can keep her head," said Ruby.

Weiss re-entered the room and turned to face the cage, now that Port stood at the ready, his own weapon a blunderbuss with axe-blades emerging from the handle, in hand. "Now that you are ready, Ms. Schnee, face your opponent."

With a swing of his weapon, Port broke the lock holding the cage closed. It immediately swung open as the Grimm contained within burst out. As Ruby had surmised, it was indeed a Boarbatusk. Looking like a massive wild boar, the peak of the creature's raised back was easily taller than any person in the room. Four red eyes glared out from the heavy, bone-mask over its face, which almost seemed strapped into place by some black tether, dividing the upper and lower portions of the mask, just above the curving tusks that gave the Grimm its name. Further armor plates decorated its back and sides, the ones on the back tapering into backwards-pointing, sloped spines, that reminded watchers of a hedgehog's quills.

The pig-like Grimm immediately oriented on the first person it spotted, which, naturally, was Weiss. There was only a second's pause before it charged with a snorting roar, bearing down on her like an oncoming train.

Weiss responded by leveling Myrtenaster, and matching the Grimm's charge with one of her own, executing a sliding lunge, skating across the floor.

"She's going at it head-on!" exclaimed Jaune.

"Does she know how to fight a Boarbatusk?" asked Pyrrha worriedly.

Ruby wasn't sure. She decided it was best not to say anything, as Weiss clearly wasn't in a listening mood, most likely viewing any attempt to advise her, particularly if said attempt came from Ruby, as a distraction. Instead, she sat back and watched as Weiss met her opponent halfway.

Weiss' rapier flashed as she executed several rapid thrusts in the space of a second. However, her attacks glanced off the bone armor covering the Boarbatusk's face and Weiss was forced to throw herself to the side to avoid being run over as the monster's charge threatened to trample her. As the two opponents turned to face each other again, Weiss growled in frustration and she charged it once again, aiming to catch the overgrown pig before it could begin its own charge and amass any momentum. It appeared to work and the Boarbatusk paused, almost as though it was thrown off by its enemy's apparent aggression.

However, Weiss' satisfaction disappeared as the Boarbatusk turned its head, catching Myretnaster's blade in the curve of its tusk. With a wrenching motion of its neck, it pulled Weiss' weapon out of her grip and sent it clattering across the floor.

"Oh ho! What will you do now?" commented Port, watching the battle with every evidence of amusement.

Weiss was momentarily at a loss. Having her weapon taken from her so suddenly had thrown her off her game, to the point that she almost forgot to act as the Boarbatusk surged forwards once again. Weiss managed tor recover enough to throw herself to the side, but not before the beast's tusk clipped her shoulder and sent her spinning to the floor, further away from her weapon than before.

With a pained grimace, Weiss forced herself to her feet, only to gasp as she saw the Boarbatusk curl in on itself, spinning like a wheel along its spine. Now a white and black blur, it came rushing at Weiss with the force of a battering ram. Without her weapon, Weiss only had one means of defense.

A shimmering Glyph appeared between Weiss and the incoming Boarbatusk. The whirling Grimm slammed into it. The Glyph strained and the monster's rush was checked for a scant few seconds. Then the Glyph shattered. Weiss barely managed to dive to the side as it rushed past. However, her dodge took her to within reach of her weapon.

"She's not going to win by trying to brute-force it," said Ruby softly. Then she had an idea. "Pyrrha, tell Weiss to go for the underbelly."

"Will she listen?" asked Pyrrha with wide eyes.

"She will if it's you," said Ruby. Weiss had approached Pyrrha as a partner because of Pyrrha's strength, skill, and prestige. If there was anyone whose advice she would heed, it would be Pyrrha's.

"Weiss!" Pyrrha shouted, trying to be heard over the porcine Grimm's grunts and snorting roars. "Go for its stomach! That's its weak spot."

Weiss grimaced, Pyrrha's words reminding her what she should have done. She'd been so focused on her anger, on showing up Ruby and proving that she was better, that she'd allowed herself to make a mockery of this fight. This should have been over in the first few seconds, yet she'd foolishly decided to try and tackle her opponent head-on, and had suffered for it. However, she refused to submit to defeat.

Taking up Myrtenaster, Weiss glared fiercely at the Boarbatusk as it readied itself for another charge, this time making a more conventional one than the spinning-wheel attack from before. Myrtenaster's chambers rotated, and the Dust-chamber Weiss wished to use rotated into position. Reversing her grip on her weapon, Weiss drove the point into the ground. With a flash, a shimmering blue glyph appeared on the floor in the Boarbatusk's path. The beast clearly saw it. However, by this point, its own forward momentum kept it from changing direction and it rushed directly over the glyph.

There was a flash, a ringing noise, and a crackling sound as a spear of solid ice erupted from the glyph, jutting straight upwards as the Boarbatusk charged over it, piercing straight through its stomach and erupting out its back. The boar-like Grimm squealed in pain, its weight and inertia breaking the ice off from where it emerged from the floor. But that was the extent of its remaining power. It collapsed, sliding to a stop at Weiss' feet. Weiss panted for breath, staring at it for a moment.

"Wonderful!" exclaimed Professor Port. "It seems we are indeed in the presence of a true warrior!"

Port's tone had lost none of its sincerity, and it seemed that he truly believed what he'd boasted. But it still rang hollow to Weiss. The solution had been so simple, so obvious, yet she'd struggled and made basic, beginner-level mistakes, determined to make as grand a spectacle of the Grimm's demise as possible, only to wind up on the verge of defeat, barely managing to respond to Pyrrha's advice in time.

And it's all her fault, Weiss thought angrily, her gaze flashing over to Ruby, who was watching with a strangely composed and neutral gaze. This had been Weiss' opportunity to stand out, to seize the spotlight, to make the teachers reconsider and contest Ozpin's decision, and it had gone completely to waste.

Worse still, if it had been Ruby, Weiss knew that the fight would have been over in seconds. Ruby didn't need to target a weak point. Weiss remembered watching her cut clean through the armor of a massive Deathsalker, without the slightest difficulty. The Boarbatusk wouldn't have presented a greater obstacle than that.

"That is all for today," declared Port. "Please remember to cover the assigned readings tonight."

The bell rang and the students began to file out of class. Weiss gathered up her things and stalked out into the hallway, not even acknowledging Pyrrha's plaintive calls for her to wait.

Ruby watched her go. She looked to Pyrrha and Jaune. "Go on ahead, I need to think a little." They had a ten minute opening between classes. Ruby wanted to at least put a little thought in how to deal with Weiss. She stepped out into the hall, and stared in the direction the others had gone…feeling more than a little lost.

"It seems leadership comes with its share of difficulties," commented a familiar voice from behind her, making Ruby squeak in surprise. Spinning about, she saw Ozpin standing there, smiling benevolently at her.

Since the initiation, Ruby had been putting more practice in keeping her awareness up, so people couldn't sneak up on her so easily. Her guard hadn't slackened, even as distracted as she was by the situation with Weiss. Yet Ozpin had entered into her space without her even noticing. "Professor?"

"You seem troubled," noted Ozpin.

Ruby wondered how he managed to show up, right when she was caught in a moment of indecision and confusion. She was beginning to wonder just how closely he was watching his students. Was she of interest to him in particular? Given the fact that she was here at all, she supposed the answer was "yes."

"I just...I don't know what to do," said Ruby with a sigh. "I've never been a leader before. Before, it was just myself. Before that, it was me and my teachers. How do I earn the respect and support of someone like Weiss? All I really know how to do is keep pushing myself and my own abilities."

"Need I point out that you have already earned the respect of the other two members of your team?" said Ozpin. "You are aware that you cannot stand completely alone, so you've invested your efforts into striving to become strong together. You already seem aware of the fact that leadership is not simply a matter of giving orders on the battlefield, it is a badge you wear constantly. That said, there will always be those who question your fitness, who believe that they could do better."

"Would Weiss do better?" wondered Ruby.

"Perhaps, perhaps not," said Ozpin. "That is not entirely the point. Ms. Schnee has lessons of her own that she needs to learn. In that sense, making you the leader of your team is as much about teaching her as it is about teaching you. You both are in a situation where you must take on a role that you have little comfort in fulfilling. Beacon is an Academy, and an Academy is where students come to learn. This too is a part of your lessons."

"I think I understand, Professor," said Ruby, bowing her head to him. "Thank you."

"It will not be easy," said Ozpin. "Sometimes, conflict cannot be avoided. You will have to make your own authority with Ms. Schnee."

Ruby nodded, secretly dreading what that might mean.

"I have probably made more mistakes in my time than any man, woman, and child on this planet," said Ozpin softly, resting a friendly hand on Ruby's shoulder. "However, I believe that the decision to make you a leader is not one of them."

Ruby smiled up at Ozpin and he nodded back to her, letting go of her shoulder and heading back down the way he had come. Ruby took a moment to settle her feelings and calm herself down. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly, then turned to make her way to the next class.

History with Professor-No!-Doctor Oobleck was an interesting experience, which had little to do with the subject matter. Rather, the teacher himself was the main spectacle that held the students' attention. Oobleck gave his lecture at blistering speeds, the words seeming to rush out of his mouth in a torrent that made all of them struggle just to comprehend what he was saying. Often, by the time they understood one sentence, Oobleck was already three sentences ahead. This was punctuated by him zipping around the classroom in a blur, darting from chart to map to diagram to punctuate his statements.

More often than not, an unwary student found him or herself on the spot, the recipient of one of the Doctor's questions to check if they were remaining engaged. Only a few managed to answer correctly. Of all of them, only Weiss seemed able to keep up with the good doctor's blistering pace, and only by giving it everything she had, her pencil a blur as she jotted down notes with a speed that gave the teacher's rapid-fire speech a run for its money. Ruby would have considered asking to borrow Weiss' notes, once the lecture was over, but figured that, given Weiss' attitude, the answer would be a resounding "no" and the heiress' already low opinion of her would dip further. Ruby decided that she'd just have to hope that the assigned readings filled in the gaps that came from trying to keep up with Oobleck's speech.

After that came Dust Science, taught by Professor Garland. In its own way, this class was even more difficult for Ruby than Oobleck's, as she had, at best, only the most cursory knowledge about Dust. The Mibu eschewed the use of Dust entirely, relying on Aura for most facets of their life. It was a decision that left them living in a manner that Weiss would most certainly have described as primitive, which wasn't entirely undeserving, as they lived without many of the amenities that were taken for granted in the Kingdoms. Ruby remembered Sora waxing enviously about the CCT system, and lamenting how slow communication was across Leng.

But that was a matter for another time. Most students already had a good grounding on the usage of Dust from their time in Combat School, particularly if their fighting-style was Dust-based. Even those who weren't Dustweavers still generally made use of Dust in some form, often the easy-to-use Dust cartridges and rounds that had proliferated over the years. Ruby realized she was going to struggle in this class, mainly because she lacked even the most basic grounding in the usage of Dust. Even Jaune knew more about Dust than she did.

Weiss, of course, could have probably taken the course's final exam on the first day, and aced it, her position as the heiress to the world's largest Dust company having afforded her a top-of-the-line education in her family's chief product. Once again, Ruby would have loved to go to Weiss for assistance, or even tutoring on the basics of the class she would be taking. But she knew that Weiss' answer would be "no," or she would demand concessions that Ruby was not willing to give, namely becoming a proxy, so that Weiss could actually lead the team.

After Dust Science came their lunch, followed by a free period. After that, they only had one more class before they ended for the day. Beacon's schedule was a block one, and they took their classes for extended periods over the course of alternating days. Each day had one full free period. For Ruby, Jaune, and Pyrrha, it was certainly helpful that theirs came immediately following lunch, as it gave them additional time to train, if they ate quickly enough.

After they finished eating, the three of them departed to the locker rooms, where they changed into their fighting outfits. Pyrrha and Jaune armed themselves, and the three of them made their way out to a secluded section of Beacon's courtyard, where they could help Jaune work on how to use his weapons.

"Show me your stance," said Pyrrha.

"My stance...sure," said Jaune. He held up his shield on his left arm and raised his sword in his right hand, facing her directly, legs slightly bent.

Pyrrha's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed. "You're going to need to work on that," she said frankly.

"What's wrong with it?" asked Jaune, nervously dreading her answer.

Pyrrha turned away. With a click, her weapons slid down, her circular shield sliding into place on her left forearm, while her sword dropped right into her waiting right hand. Spinning around with a shout, she unleashed a sudden sideways slash. Jaune yelped and raised his shield. Pyrrha's sword struck with a clang, and Jaune was blown clean off his feet and onto his back.

"Owwww..." he groaned, slowly sitting up.

Pyrrha couldn't quite contain a giggle, and offered Jaune her hand, which he took gratefully.

"Your stance is unbalanced," explained Pyrrha. "It's too easy for an attack to knock you over like that. On top of that, that's an awkward position to strike from. If you want to swing your sword, you're going to have to pull back to get enough power in, which delays and telegraphs your attack. Here..."

Pyrrha began to adjust Jaune's stance, having him stand with his left foot forward, almost side-on to the front, his shield raised up to cover the level of his chest and shoulder, with his sword held at the ready behind it.

"Much better," said Pyrrha. "This is much more stable, so you can take heavier blows. It also covers more of your body, so that it's easier to protect yourself."

"What about attacking?" asked Jaune.

"Your sword is positioned so that, when you deflect a strike with your shield, you can transition into an attack easily," explained Pyrrha. "This is the basic form for a sword-and-shield style."

"Okay...now what?" asked Jaune.

Pyrrha beamed, and began walking him through the basics of using a shield. Contrary to what Jaune had thought, there was more to using a shield than simply keeping it between himself and his enemy. Even if it was a defensive one, a shield was still a weapon. Simply holding it didn't count as wielding it. Pyrrha showed him how to shift it at the moment of contact with an opponent's weapon to deflect the force of a blow, rather than straight-up absorb it. It was tricky. Jaune would have to practice hard in order to learn that skill.

For this session, that was what they focused on. Pyrrha made slow strikes with her sword, and Jaune had to work out which way to deflect them in order to minimize her attack's impact. As they continued, Pyrrha picked up the pace a little and put a little more force behind her swings.

Seeing that there was no space for her in this lesson, Ruby decided to run through her basic katas with Akaibara, grateful for the chance to practice. The downside to focusing so much on Jaune was that there would be little opportunity for her to polish her own skills, outside of sparring sessions. On the other hand, walking Jaune and Pyrrha through the basic exercises of Aura-control she practiced was helping her as well. Sasame and Kyo had always told her that it was good to continuously revisit the basics.

By the time their free period was almost over, Jaune was almost exhausted, and both Ruby and Pyrrha had worked up a decent sweat. That struck Ruby as a little bit unfortunate, as their next, and final, class of the day was Combat Class with Professor Goodwitch. While she was more than ready to fight, as was Pyrrha, Ruby hoped that Glynda didn't call on Jaune just yet.

They went back to the locker room and cleaned up a little. Fortunately, they didn't have to change back into their uniforms for this class, as it would be the only class inside Beacon where they were required to wear their combat outfits.

"I will make this plain," said Glynda as she paced across the surface of the sparring ring, below the raised seats where the students waited, "this will not be like any other class you have in Beacon. There are no readings, there will be no lectures. The layout is simple. I will call down two students, and you will fight. The conditions of victory will start to vary as the term goes on, so do not assume that this will be simple or easy. This class will also determine your combat-ranking within your year. Sometimes, I will select matchups based on the skill levels of the participants. Others, I will make the selection completely random. You will have to to learn to adapt, regardless of who you find yourself facing. Of course, it goes without saying that I expect absolutely nothing but your best efforts."

Ruby glanced at Jaune, and saw him swallow nervously. Once again, she prayed that he wouldn't be chosen for this first class. With all the students here, there was no way that Glynda could get through them all in a single session.

"While it will not happen over the course of a single session, every student here will get their turn in the ring," continued Glynda. "I will determine the matchups this first time around, but, in the future, I will permit volunteers, and allow students to challenge one another. That said, I have the final say in whether or not a match goes forward."

Glynda opened up her scroll and began to tap on it. "For these first rounds, the match timer will be set at five minutes. The fight will take place within the inner ring." A glowing, blue circle, outlining the darker, inner portion of the sparring ring illuminated. "We will use basic tournament rules. There are two basic victory conditions. First, you can defeat your opponent by ring-out. If any part of their body touches the floor outside the inner ring, you win. The second is by reducing your opponent's Aura to the critical zone. If either of those conditions are fulfilled, the buzzer will sound and the match will end."

Glynda flashed her eyes up into the stands, appearing to stare at some students in particular, though Ruby couldn't tell who from this angle. "Needless to say, attacking your opponent after the buzzer sounds is not permitted. Anyone who does so will be receive an immediate suspension. Repeat offenses could potentially result in expulsion, so I expect you to control yourselves."

Ruby felt a little relieved. Granted, that was typical in virtually any combat-based curriculum. They were here to learn from each other, not kill each other.

"Are there any questions?" asked Glynda, adjusting her spectacles. "No...Good. Then I shall begin the first match." She tapped her scroll a few more times. "Russel Thrush and Ruby Rose, please enter the ring."

Not again, Ruby protested internally, not wanting to be put on the spot twice in one day. She got the definite feeling that Glynda hadn't chosen her for the first match by chance. She got the distinct sense that the stern disciplinarian still harbored doubts about her presence here. Still, Ruby had no choice but to continue to do her best.

Entering the ring, Ruby looked over her opponent, remembering Russel was a member of Team CRDL. He'd stood out from his teammates, mostly by virtue of the fact that he eschewed the armor that the others wore, save for the single spaulder over his left shoulder. Up close, she could see that Russel's head was shaved, save for his pale-green mohawk. He was dressed in a dark-green hoodie, the sleeves of which had apparently been ripped off, and dark-gray pants. Narrowed, brown eyes watched her critically, and Ruby could tell, from the smirk on his face, that Russel didn't think she was going to be much of an opponent.

His weapons were a pair of fairly long daggers, each with a curving, single edge. The interesting part was that each also sported a system of revolving chambers, each one glowing with a different Dust-type, looking reminiscent of Weiss' rapier. However, from their size, Ruby figured that Russel's weapons couldn't hold that much Dust, so he was probably very conservative in its use...unless he was the reckless sort.

Reaching behind herself, Ruby closed the fingers of her left hand around the handle of Akaibara and drew it forth, the blade whispering reassuringly as it left the sheath. Ruby felt the comfortable, familiar feeling of her partner's Aura wash over her, the sensation pulsing from within her sword, exuding a presence that was palpable, even to the other people in the ring.

Glynda's eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze focusing on that rose-red blade. Russel tensed, not quite understanding why.

Ruby twirled her blade through a series of circular passes, before assuming her starting stance, holding it above her head, the edges oriented vertically, with the blade passing between the middle and ring fingers of her upraised right hand. Closing her eyes, Ruby exhaled slowly, then opened them again, focusing intently on her opponent.

Russel took his own stance, lowering himself into a crouch, holding up his right dagger up vertically in front of him, while raising his left dagger behind.

Glynda stepped outside of the ring, and raised the arena's safety barrier. "Begin."

Russel rushed forward with a yell, lunging directly at Ruby. He feinted with his right-hand weapon before abruptly stepping forward into an overhead slash with his left. Ruby turned her wrist, bracing the flat of her blade against her right hand, deflecting Russel's opening slash. Russel went into a rapid series of strikes, alternating his weapons, trying to overwhelm Ruby with the pace of his attacks. She worked her blade through a rapid series of parries, knocking his attacks aside.

Lunging forward, Russel crossed his arms in front of himself, then unleashed an X-shaped slash from both blades simultaneously. But Ruby was no longer in front of him, a few drifting petals the only sign that Ruby had been there at all. She had executed a swift jump over the top of Russel's head, coming down behind him and sweeping her sword at his back. Russel yelped in surprise, turning and barely managing to catch her blade with one of his daggers. Because of his delayed reaction, he wasn't in the proper position to catch her attack and he was nearly knocked off his feet, stumbling back and windmilling his arms to keep from falling over.

Ruby stepped in and went on the offensive, whipping her sword through crescent-shaped strikes and forcing Russel to work his daggers furiously to keep her at bay. His smirk was nowhere to be seen anymore, his face frozen in an expression of dismay as what he assumed to be an easy fight proved to be anything but. Ruby kept pushing, forcing Russel to continue backpedaling, right up until they reached the edge of the ring.

The click of a trigger being pulled reached Ruby's ears. The dagger in Russel's right hand abruptly burst into flame and her swung it, launching a bolt of fire right for her face. Ruby leaned to the side with a sidestep, ducking the Dust-fueled attack. She heard a second click and the left-hand dagger erupted into flames as well. Russel shouted, swinging it across his body and sending a wave of flame rushing at Ruby.

Going into a spin, Ruby swept out her cloak, channeling her Aura into it, catching the flames and sweeping them aside like a curtain. Stepping through the place they'd occupied, Ruby continued to press her attack, determined to drive Russel out of the ring.

But Russel had taken a page from her book. In the time it had taken Ruby to fend off the flames, he'd jumped into the air over her head. Unlike Ruby, Russel didn't try to come down behind his opponent, but instead dropped from above, feet-first. Ruby jumped back as Russel's double-kick hit the floor where she'd been standing. She saw the chambers of his daggers rotating again, green ones being selected this time.

Russel thrust directly ahead of himself with both daggers. A horizontal tornado exploded out from them, threatening to blow Ruby back across, and off the other side of, the ring. After skidding back a couple of meters, Ruby changed the angle of her sword, holding it vertically, she swung it upward, slicing the maelstrom in two and parting the winds around her body.

As she did, she saw Russel charging at her. With another loud yell, Russel launched himself into the air, curling his legs and flipping rapidly in a movement that reminded Ruby of the Boarbatusk's spin attack from earlier that morning. As he did, more wind streamed off his daggers, wrapping around him and increasing the speed of his rotations.

Sidestepping, Ruby moved out of the way, just as the whirlwind that was Russel went flying through the space where she'd been standing. To her surprise, she realized she hadn't fully escaped his attack, as the winds that were wrapped around him pulled her back in towards him in the wake of his passage. Russel landed and, in a single, smooth motion, transitioned into a back-kick, using the leftover momentum of his flips, the movement channeling that wind into the attack.

Bracing the flat of her blade against her right hand, Ruby blocked the kick, the wind projected by it driving her back again. Her feet skidded across the smooth floor of the ring and she was faced with the very real possibility that she'd be the one forced out. Fortunately, she managed to find some traction, coming to a stop less than a meter away from the edge.

That was enough room for Russel to go on the offensive again, charging her with a flurry of slashes from his daggers, intending to overwhelm her with the sheer volume of attacks. Ruby worked furiously to defend. Fending off a slash, Ruby lunged forward with a thrust, but found herself missing when Russel executed a jumping flip over the top of her head.

Landing, Russel immediately drove for her undefended back...or at least it seemed undefended. Abruptly, the blade of Ruby's sword pierced through the fabric of her cloak, heading right for Russel's chest. Her movements hidden by the garment, Ruby had reversed her grip and thrust backwards. As expected, it caught him off-guard. Furthermore, with her movements still hidden by the cloak, Russel failed to see Ruby's right hand reach across her body and close around the handle of the sword behind her left hand.

Pulling her sword back, Ruby went into a spin at the same time. Letting go with her left hand, she used her right to swing her blade through a backhanded slash in time with her spin. Russel barely caught a glimpse of the attack coming and stepped back. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't far enough, and a cry of pain burst out of his lips as Ruby's attack cut across his chest, gouging deep into his defensive Aura.

The impact nearly knocked Russel the rest of the way over. Had that happened, he would have fallen out of the ring and lost right there. Fortunately, he managed to recover, stepping forward to try and press the attack again. However, he was brought up short when Ruby brought her sword around to face him. Russel would have normally batted it aside to close in, but he misjudged the distance. By the time he was bringing his daggers up to parry, the tip of Ruby's blade was less than an inch away from his face.

Russel came to a sudden stop, flinching back. Ruby immediately took the initiative, stepping in herself. As she did, she transitioned her sword back to her left hand, bringing it back up and around and down in a powerful slash. With a surprised shout, Russel crossed his daggers, barely catching Ruby's sword in time. However, he was unprepared by the power of the blow, as Ruby channeled her Aura through the strike. Caught off-balance by his earlier flinch, Russel was knocked off his feet and sent flying out of the ring, slamming into the safety barrier beyond as the buzzer sounded, announcing Ruby's victory.

"The winner is Ruby Rose," announced Glynda, bringing down the barrier and stepping forward.

Russel groaned, having trouble getting to his feet. Ruby was about to go over to help him up when his teammates came to assist him.

"Mr. Thrush, you would do well not to underestimate your opponent," said Glynda. "Perhaps this will induce you to take every match more seriously."

"Got it," said Russel in a pained voice.

Glynda looked to Ruby and adjusted her spectacles. After a moment's pause, she spoke. "Well done, Ms. Rose."

"Thank you, Professor," said Ruby, feeling as though she had passed some kind of test.

Up in the stands, Weiss leaned back in her seat, her arms folded, glaring down at the ring. "She got lucky," she declared imperiously.

"I'd say not," said Pyrrha, looking...eager. "I've never seen such fine swordplay. It must be because she doesn't rely on Dust."

"What, because she showed she's ambidextrous?" scoffed Weiss.

"It's not just that," said Pyrrha. "It's true that it's impressive she can fight equally well with each hand, but it's how she switched that won her the match."

"What do you mean?" asked Weiss, giving Pyrrha a confused look.

"When she traded hands, she made the transition by taking the handle of her sword in her right hand while she was still holding it in her left," said Pyrrha. "Naturally, because both hands can't occupy the same space on the handle, she had to place her right hand behind her left hand."

"So what?" Weiss wanted to know.

"So, when she let go with her left and attacked with her right, she was still gripping it a few inches farther back along the handle," said Pyrrha. "That increased the reach of her sword by a small margin. That might not seem like a lot, but against an agility-based fighter like Russel, that allowed her to throw off his sense of distance and attack him when he thought he was just outside her reach. It's ingeniously subtle."

Pyrrha's heart pounded with excitement as she watched Ruby leave the ring. She hadn't felt this way since her first run in the Mistral Regional Tournament. She wanted to fight Ruby, to pit her skills against the younger girl, and find out who was better. Pyrrha got the distinct impression that Ruby would give her a challenge of the kind Pyrrha hadn't experienced in years. The notion of that thrilled her to the core.

Weiss took in the excited look on her partner's face. She wasn't completely oblivious. She was fully aware that Pyrrha was apparently agreeing to help Jaune, though she didn't know what that entailed, and that she was spending more time with the other two than her own partner.

This isn't right, thought Weiss furiously. Pyrrha is my partner. I won't let that brat and that scruffy blonde drag her down. She would fix this sorry state of affairs...one way or another.P