The Serpents' Shadows

Chapter 4

ACRONIAN:

School started a week later, and Acronian had been placed solo in a dorm on campus. He was told after he arrived that most dorms were filled after the school year started with teams of four, so his being there earlier, and alone, was odd. Acronian sent a letter in to Headmaster Ozpin and he said he had had Acronian placed in a solo team due to his... condition... and bypass the traditional placement exam, which Acronian figured was probably a good idea, but the dorm he was put in was still meant for a four person team, so it was far too large for Acronian by himself.

Acronian squinted at his schedule one more time before the bell rang for the first day. He was in the regular school uniform, which took away most of his bandages. He kept the bandages over his head and neck, mainly because of Ozpin strongly recommending that he keep them on even during the school day, which technically is not permitted in the class dress code. Acronian left his room and attempted to find his first combat class of many in his schedule.

He had about ten minutes to get to his class before he would be late, and about five minutes of searching in the wing where he thought the class was determined that he had absolutely no idea where he was. The campus, despite its looks at a distance and from what he had originally seen, was huge. He turned a corner he had been around before he turned a corner and bumped into someone, inducing a very familiar sensation of flipping someone onto the ground.

"Ow, god dammit what was that for!?" Came a very familiar feminine voice. Acronian recognized her instantly.

"Oh, Safire, it's you... Sorry, instinctive thing." He said quietly before he stepped back a little, remembering the last time he saw her.

"Yah, so you've told m- Hey where are you going?!" She shouted after a now running away Acronian. She gave a little chase, but Acronian was far faster than she, and soon she lost track of him, "He could have at least let me say sorry..." She said, depressed.

Acronian managed to find his class as the bell rang, and he saw a group of students milling about in small huddles having quiet conversations. He sat down at a wall and examined the room he was in. He was in a similar room to the entrance exam, exept it was circular, black for the most part, and had a screen with a blank display for name, picture, and something called aura? His eye started hurting when he read aura, he had found another locked memory. The room also had stands for the students to sit and a row of weapon lockers with the students weapons in them lined up against the stands.

The professor, a big burly man with white hair, stood at the center of the arena and called for everyone's attention, "Now I know you are all eager to pick up your weapons and begin sparring, but this is your first class at this academy, so it is essential that you learn who you will be sparring with for the rest of your years here. Now that that is out of the way, if you could all take your seats in the stands alphabetically starting at my top left as 'A' in the last name, we can begin introductions."

This wasn't too terribly hard for Acronian to do with his last name being Valor. He sat down at the bottom right, in a particularly darker area, and most of the other students found their seat without very many issues. Once everyone had settled down the professor spoke, "Alright! Now that that's settled, welcome to Simulated Sparring Level 2, I am professor Hex. There are a few first years here amongst you second years, when I call your name will you please stand up. Talon Akins," A skinny boy with a huge scar on his face stood up. "Tanalia Sheele." This time a girl with too much makeup on stood up, "And finally, Acronian Valor." Acronian stood up and immediately was bombarded with questions.

"What's with the bandages?" Came a shout.

"You gonna remove that stuff?" Came another.

"Come one, take off the bandages, we wanna see your face!" This was the last comment Acronian heard over the chatter before Mr. Hex told them to sit down and be quiet.

"Acronian has a serious medical condition according from what I've been told. So as for the bandages, they stay on." Mr. Hex said, and one boy wearing a fancy set of armor over his uniform stood up.

"Did headmaster Ozpin tell you that? If he really did have a condition that has him bandaged up, then he belongs in a hospital." He pointed to Acronian, "He's hiding something, so I'm going to find out what. Professor, seeing as this is a sparring class, I'd like to challenge this Shadow here on the conditions of his bandages. If I win, they go, and he shows us his face." Acronian remembered the fight with the bots, he remembered how his instincts just kind of took over and here was nothing that could stop him. He felt confident that he could beat this hulking mass of armor, because even if his swords can't cut it, he has his shotguns.

Mr. Hex pondered for a moment before responding, "This is an introduction session, Mr. Watts, not a sparring session. I was not given the go-ahead to mediate challenges at this moment. Unless Acronian accepts, you ca-"

"I accept your challenge, Sparky." Acronian cut in, eliciting a few snickers from his remark.

The professor looked at Acronian, "Are you sure?"

"Sure, I need the practice anyway, I'm a little rusty. This is perfect." Acronian answered.

The two grabbed they're weapons from the lockers and took to the floor, Mr. Hex explained the rules, and the countdown started from 30.

"You're going to reveal that pretty face of yours, Snake Boy." The mass of armor said to Acronian, his weapon of choice being a gleaming great sword. The match board said the guy's name was Kilan Watts, and Acronian's profile was right next to his.

Acronian drew his katanas at the five second mark and took a mobile position while Kilan took a defensive stance, reading his sword. The buzzer sounded and Acronian immediately propelled him straight past the mass of metal, striking as he passed, but his swords did absolutely nothing.

"That tickled," came a voice from behind Acronian, "think you can dodg-"

Acronian's instincts kicked in and he shot straight upwards to avoid a dangerous swing towards his chest. Propelling himself downward he landed on the still swinging great sword, the sword flew out of Kilan's hands and he stumbled back.

"You're too open with your attacks, this victory is mine." Acronian said, pointing his swords at Kilan.

Aconian put his weapon in his locker and sat down in his seat, that's when he realized he was still in his school uniform while he was dueling. The clothes were a little wrinkled, but that would be fine after a quick wash. And his sheaths had propelled him fast enough to avoid a swing and land on it, that had surprised Acronian. Apparently Acronian had had heavy combat training before waking up without his memories, there's simply no other way he'd have been able to react that fast without it. Acronian sighed, he still had a lot to learn about himself.