[IC] RWBY: Chronicle of Vault.

[CadenGallic]

@Sho Minazuki
Terrance watched him step up and position himself in such a way it seemed he wanted to clash... and from the way his face turned sour with utter contempt, it seemed to have worked in tempting him. At first anyway.

What Terrance actually did was make a quick step backward and shifted his weapon into its alternate state, the shaft sliding into the hammer and the gun chamber revealing a hole in the hammer itself... its alternate form turned out to be a rocket launcher. He lined up the sights in moments and fired a rocket toward him.

[Sho Minazuki]

Asher Brandt

Lustre Academy - Combat Class
@CadenGallic

As he watched Terrance switch to rocket launcher and fire at him, the last thing Terrance saw as he fired was Asher just smiling. The rocket made contact, but as the smoke cleared, there was nothing there, only a black charcoal and orange ember that was disappearing. What Terrance had hit was his clone.

Terrance while he was wisening up to Asher's techniques, was not keeping track of the twin combatants. When he turned to strike Asher who was behind him earlier, the clone merely backed off and skirted around the battle, and now... He prepared to channel while stepping into stance earlier, as if to goad him into an attack. He didn't need to attack. All Asher needed was to have his attention squarely on him.

Another gunshot was heard as Terrance was given barely a moment to respond, but with back turned and his weapon in it's ranged form, against a gravity infused gun-draw slash, there was not much he could really do. Even if he survived it, Asher would have the gravity-buffed blade again, which would allow Asher to lay on continuous heavy strikes to keep Terrance from retaliating for a short while.

[CadenGallic]

@Sho Minazuki
Terrance's scowl deepened as nothing he threw at him landed. By the time he'd spun around to face him again, the attack had already landed on his back and sent him toppling forward and landing on his face, his aura finally plummeting below 15%. There was a loud buzzer from above as a red X symbol appeared over Terrance's headshot, indicating the fight was over.

"K.O! Victory for Mr Brandt." Miss Lariet stepped onto the stage with a short round of applause, looking between the both of her students as Terrance was slowly picking himself back up with a minor grumble.

"Considering this was a very uneven match up, Mr Thunderhead, you did well in fighting back. However, next time perhaps you should think about your opponent before volunteering." She spoke directly to him before turning to Asher. "Mr Brandt, excellent technique and maximizing your opponent's flaws. My only criticism is your overuse of your semblance. One blow from Mr Thunderhead could have resulted in critical loss of aura from how low it was getting. Always be mindful of it in battle." she delivered it with a smile, it was hard to say no to a face like hers. "You may return to your seats now."

[Sho Minazuki]

Asher Brandt

Lustre Academy - Combat Class
@CadenGallic

As the match was decided, he twirled his blade and slipped it into his sheath, a quick and sleek movement. Ms.Lariet gave her critique, so he did well, but relied a bit too much on his semblance. He couldn't argue with that. Knowing how Terrance has been all this time though, he knew full well the brute wasn't just going to let things end here, he gave him one last look before turning away to get back to the change rooms and pack his gear away. He said not a word to him, he wasn't about to stoop to his level "mutt", "idiot", "meathead", there were many things he could have said but he knew he was better than that, plus the idea of losing to someone when placing first in the exam? Must be crushing, especially for someone with so much pride, thus Asher only responded to Ms. Lariet,

"Dully noted Ms. Lariet... I'll take strides to fix that", so this was a battle between hunters... Thrilling. Likely if they met in the arena again, the same tricks won't work... So he really is going to fix it. 'Expand bag of tricks', essentially.

[CadenGallic]

@Eklispe@Shadow Daedalus@Sho Minazuki@Polaris North

Terrance too left the arena to change back into his uniform and remove his weapon. When he came back, he went back to his seat, his face a picture of fury and unease. At his side, Silas began to speak with him, hushed tones to avoid being overhead, though one could hear the occasional loud word from Terrance.

"Alright, any more volunteers?" Miss Lariet addressed the crowd of students.

"Skillfully done, I must say." Yasmin addressed Asher once he returned with one of her fans flicked out over her mouth, giving her eyes a strange sly look to them. "Makes one wonder what you must have gone through to be so skilled in the first place."

"That was just... yeah, pretty awesome." Cedar nodded in agreement, still clinging to the edge of his seat from having watched the round take place, his ears perked up fully as Asher came back to his seat.

"I do not want to fight that kid. Like, ever." Lynn murmured quietly to the rest of her team once Asher returned, having herself been pretty impressed by the entire match.

[Polaris North]

Julio Taiyou

Lustre Academy - Combat Class
@Sho Minazuki@CadenGallic

Julio watched with amazement. He had never seen Asher in action, since they went to two different paths in the exam. Now that he saw how their leader fights, he wasn't surprised why Asher had been made a leader. While they were all skilled in their own right, Asher stands above them. His semblance was not something to scoff at either. He could clearly see why Terrance had lost. With Asher's speed and his consistent use of his semblance clone, it was like fighting two fast people at once. Although he could see Asher's aura reducing bit by bit with his consistent use of semblance, but the fight ended before Terrance could land a devastating blow.

Once Asher got back to his seat, Yasmin and Cedar had given them their praises. It was time to give his as well. "I agree with them. That was amazing." He said with a nod. "It also makes me wonder how to get through you and your clone." Julio thought that maybe keeping them at a distance would be the best way to do it since the clones seemed to only appear where Asher is. But his speed was something to marvel at too. Ah, he'll find out sooner or later.

His eyes trailed back to the arena. Miss Lariet asked if there were any other volunteers. Should he? Nah, if he'd get picked, so be it. But he doesn't want to volunteer.

[Eklispe]

Azura Cerulean

Lustre Academy, Combat Class
@CadenGallic

---

Azura was as impressed by the flashy, albiet onesided, fight as anyone else. It seemed Asher was rather well suited to one on one combat, though given his competency using it he was probably equally skilled in fighting multiple combatants with it. "Well competetion is what makes you good right? It always good to have something to strive for." Azura said in response to Lynn. Once again she had no real desire to volunteer, though it was due to a lack of preference rather than an aversion.

[Sho Minazuki]

Asher Brandt

Lustre Academy - Combat Class
@CadenGallic@Polaris North

"I've... Been through a lot, I'll just say that much for now", he responded to Yasmin. Truthfully he wouldn't have used his semblance so much if it was a straight sword fight, he was way more confident in that. There were some other things he could have done, but he preferred the match be over quickly. There was no need to extend the battle or conserve. He wasn't sure how many of the students here were from Vault, they would've heard about a sword-wielding kid some years back, he wasn't sure if Yasmin would've picked up on that too.

"I wonder what's next...", he finished, looking to the class.

[Shadow Daedalus]

Venator Aurea

Lustre Academy, Combat Class
_@CadenGallic

---

Venator watched the match with an analytical interest as Asher and Terrance sparred, but he wasn't really that surprised when the black-haired katana wielder began to pressure the blond. His semblance was something of note, however, as it reminded him of a rumour he had heard when he still living with his old group. His hand rested on his cheek in a thoughtful expression as he leisurely pieced the information, a small smirk on his face as made the connection between his fiery classmate and 'the top dog of the lower streets'. He decided to keep to himself, after all he was no better himself...

As the fight came to an end, Venator watched Asher and Terrance depart from the arena to get changed before Lynn's comment caught his attention. He turned his head to look at her. "Part of being a Huntress is facing enemies that you believe to be nigh-impossible to beat. When you're in a difficult situation, you must adapt, overcome and succeed. That being said, I can't blame you for avoiding a one-on-one with him. His semblance makes it a difficult endeavour at best..."

He leaned back into his seat as he turned back to the two screens at the front of the room. "For now, it's better to observe and plan how to adapt." His hand returned to his chin as he waited for the competitors for next match to be selected. If he was selected, that was fine and if he wasn't he could analyse the fight from outside. Glancing briefly at Miss Lariet, as if tempted to volenteer, he waited.

[CadenGallic]

@Shadow Daedalus@Sho Minazuki@Eklispe@Polaris North

"There's a big difference between enemies and samurai jr over there." Lynn snickered slightly. "Just glad he's on our side, I suppose."

"No-one? Very well then, it's time to let chance decide." Miss Lariet moved back behind her terminal as she pressed some buttons. The screens blinked back to images of two round wheels before they began to spin rapidly. They went on and on for a little while before settling on two names...

"Julio Taiyou vs Terra Cottra!" Miss Lariet announced as the wheels ground to a stop. Amidst team VALT, Terra rose from his seat with a slight nod of approval and went to go change into his combat attire.
"Good luck out there, you got big shoes to fill." Lynn patted him on the back as he left.

"My my... won't this be interesting?" Yasmin rubbed her chin as she cast an eye toward Julio. "Think you can take him?"

[Shadow Daedalus]

Venator Aurea

Lustre Academy, Combat Class
_@CadenGallic

---

"Outside of a sparring match, If someone is pointing a sword at you, that makes them an enemy. Grimm aren't the only 'evil' out there, you know... Still, i agree it's better he's with not against us." The wolf shrugged a little before the two wheels clicked to a stop. He raised an eyebrow at the selected combatants, but wished Terra luck with a small smile and a curt nod. To be honest, he was kinda pitying the blond monkey...

Nevertheless, Venator settled back into his seat, waiting for the fight with veiled interest.

[Eklispe]

Azura Cerulean

Lustre Academy, Combat Class
@Shadow Daedalus@CadenGallic

---

"Yay go Terry!" Azura said when his name was called to cheer him on. Hearing Ven's remark she decided to respond with the first thing that came to her mind, "Well that's not really true. What if they're really pointing it at the big Grimm behind you? Or what if it's a sword that heals you when it cuts you? What if they're not even using a sword." Azura rambled on, only half paying attention to what she was saying while looking at the soon to occur next battle. She wondered how Terra fought. Was he some sort of cool monk guy? Did he even use a weapon or rely on his aura and sheer combat prowess!? The last fight had been interesting but she hadn't really had any vested interest in it, she was much more interested in seeing what she could learn about Terra from this fight.

[Polaris North]

Julio Taiyou

Lustre Academy - Combat Class
@CadenGallic

Julio watched as the wheels turned on the monitor, and groaned audibly as he saw his face pop up along with another one - someone he had not seen before. Then he saw his opponent, Terra Cottra, stand up and head to change into his battle uniform. He half wanted to quit then and there. From what he could see, that guy was a melee type but that didn't mean that Julio had the advantage. The guy was like some sort of monk.

He turned to Yasmin as he stood up, "No." The reply was swiftly delivered as he readjusted his cap. "But we'll see." He was no pessimistic in any way, but not optimistic as well. He stood up and then changed into his battle outfit, which wasn't even all that impressive. He took his weapon and made his way to the arena. Crapping hell, his luck was just crappy ain't it?

[CadenGallic]

@Polaris North@Eklispe@Shadow Daedalus@Sho Minazuki

"Can we just agree to keep to fighting Grimm instead of each other, ok? Grimm are the big priorities and I don't think that kid was Grimm." Lynn pitched in one again, pinched her forehead slightly out of stress.

Before long, Terra returned to the ring, dressed in his more casual attire, orange and white robes and his straw hat covering his eyes and the top of his head, the long braid of black hair swishing behind his back. His weapon of choice was a long monk spade, held in one hand til he hit the arena, letting his grip slip til the spade end his the ground, facing down his opponent.

"I will not disrespect you by saying I will take it easy." Terra spoke to Julio as they stood opposite one another. "We shall fight honourably, regardless of our differences." He spoke seriously, Julio couldn't see his eyes beneath his hat but he could tell there was burning passion looking over him. Above them, the two graphics on the screens replaced with images of Julio and Terra respectively.

"FIGHT!"

[Polaris North]

Julio Taiyou

Lustre Academy - Combat Class
@CadenGallic

Julio shifted his weight for the nth time in the extremely short time between his arrival at the arena and Terra's eventual appearance. It was terribly obvious that he was nervous, and he was aware that people might mock him for it. His teammates were probably shaking their heads by now. Ah well, put the expectations of others aside - just like what he did to his father. Focus on the matter at hand. Being a long-ranged user, he needed to keep his distance. Utilize the dust in your disposal, rely on it as much as you need to so long as you have the resources to.

He looked at Terra as the monk-like male spoke. He let out a hollow chuckle, "I don't know whether to be happy or not, knowing that you're not going easy on me." His tail swished side to side, the barrel of his rifle on his shoulder as he waited. He could feel the full force of anticipation before a fight. Once he felt that Terra doesn't really seem the type to pull any punches, he mentally prepared himself. He held his sniper rifle tighter, and in proper form.

The moment Miss Lariet announced the start of the fight, Julio pulled the trigger twice, sending two lightning-dust infused bullets towards Terra. His feet were ready to move, whole body tensed up to attempt to avoid Terra's attacks.

[CadenGallic]

@Polaris North
The gunshot rang around the arena as the two bullets whizzed toward the monk-like man facing him... and with the narrowest of narrow margins, Terra dodged to the left, just barely missing the two shots, having been ready for it since the match began. Now the first shot was fired, it was go time. He made a beeline for him, holding his monk spade behind him diagonally as he was quickly closing distance between the two of them.

[Polaris North]

Julio Taiyou

Lustre Academy - Combat Class
@CadenGallic

As a self-proclaimed marksman, Julio was quite disappointed in himself that the shots missed. But with sharp eyes, he could see that Terra must've calculated it perfectly to dodge like that. He was closing in fast too. The chambers rolled as Julio backed up, keeping himself on the move as to keep the distance between him and Terra. He took a peek in his scope, and it seemed like as soon as he peeked in, he shot and he lowered the rifle. Three wind-infused bullets exited the barrel and headed towards Terra, attempting to trap him to ensure a shot. He aimed at the narrow left, right and straight at his stomach.

[CadenGallic]

@Polaris North
Terra, despite not seemingly having a clear line of sight on Julio, was clearly keeping a close eye on his movements. When he looked down the scope, he stopped running and stood his ground, swinging his monk spade to the front of his form and spinning it quickly in front of him to use as a makeshift shield against his shots. All three hit his spade as he spun it, but the force was enough to hold Terra in place for the moment.

[Polaris North]

Julio Taiyou

Lustre Academy - Combat Class
@CadenGallic

Julio clicked his tongue as Terra blocked all three bullets, but it did give him one chance. The guy was momentarily stopped and for a sniper - one moment is all you need. But with how Terra was playing very close attention to him, this moment might get wasted. His thoughts were going a mile a millisecond, searching for an answer. The dust chamber revolved and he looked down his scope again, and shot two fire-infused bullets that would explode on impact just like how it did back in the forest with the gray haired male. A moment of disorientation would be ideal.

[CadenGallic]

@Polaris North
With Terra stopped, even the spinning of his monk spade didn't save him from the flames as the bullets erupted into fire and swathed his form. He took damage as his clothes caught alight and he had to take a few moments to pat himself out, his aura dropping from the shots. But once that was gone, it was back to his attack as he rushed the sniper once again. This time, he stuck the crescent end of his monk spade into the ground and used it as a pole vault to move into a flying kick, headed for Julio.