A/N: I'm sort of rushing through Argus because I have a lot of plans for the group while they are in Atlas. With that being said, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and the chapters to come. Have a great day! Rhino out.
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From the entryway to the training room, Topaz watches as Jaune duck under a slash from Pyrra, rolling into a combat stance and blocking another strike from her using his shield. The two separate and notice that the crowd around them has begun to murmur. Stopping their fight to see what the cause is, Pyrra and Jaune turn and see Topaz standing in the doorway next to Professor Marse.
Pyrra: "Topaz, you decided to visit Sanctum?"
Topaz: "Yeah, admittedly I got bored and this seemed the most entertaining thing."
Jaune: "Great, someone else stronger than me to use me as a punching bag."
Topaz: "Don't worry Jaune, sparring with Pyrra is more my speed than a punching bag."
Jaune: "That's good… I think."
Pyrra: "Don't worry about it Jaune."
Topaz jumps into the sparring arena and stands in front of Pyrra while Jaune leaves the arena and stands along the railing next to Professor Marse. Professor Marse turns to the students and starts his announcement.
Marse: "Students of our proud Sanctum Academy, we have another special guest for you today. Not only do we have an alumnus of ours, Pyrra, but also another friend of hers, Topaz. By the sound of it, you have another interesting fight to watch. Now let's get this spar going!"
Pyrra: "You ready Topaz?"
Topaz: "Ready whenever you are Pyrra, bring it on."
Pyrra: "Very well then."
Once both Topaz and Pyrra were prepared to fight, Topaz spins his spear and Pyrra gets into her combat stance. On Marse's command, the fight begins and Pyrra rushes Topaz. Topaz blocks Pyrra's attack with the base of his spear before swiping at her to gain some distance. Facing Pyrra once more, Topaz hears a metallic grinding sound coming from behind him so he rolls to his right, narrowly avoiding a dagger Pyrra has in her control with her semblance. Blocking four more daggers, Topaz decides to unveil his little secret to Pyrra and the students watching. In the next little bout between Pyrra and Topaz instead of blocking the daggers, Topaz raises his arm and uses his tough skin to block all of the daggers.
Pyrra: "Um, Topaz. What did you do?"
Topaz: "Nothing major, my skin has always been rather strong against blades."
Pyrra: "Really, wow. This makes things interesting."
Opening her pouch, Pyrra tosses a large number of daggers out and begins to manipulate them. Topaz watches as a wave of metal begins to swirl in front of him. Topaz smiles as Pyrra rushes towards him and the wave of daggers attacks from the other direction. Topaz dodges and blocks Pyrra's attacks and daggers for a while before he eventually overpowers her, sending her aura into the red, ending the fight. Walking over to Pyrra, Topaz helps her get to her feet and shakes her hands.
Topaz: "Great fight as always Pyrra."
Pyrra: "Right, you are something else Topaz. I can never seem to defeat you."
Topaz: "You push me further than any has before Pyrra. It's a blast to fight with you."
Pyrra: "I agree. I always enjoy our fights."
Marse: "Well there you have it students. The fight between Pyrra and Topaz is complete with Topaz coming out the victor."
Random Student: "P-Pyrra lost. How is that possible."
Marse: "This just goes to show all of you here, that there is no such thing as a sure victory."
Random Student: "I don't believe it, that guy much be cheating somehow. Pyrra's daggers didn't even scratch them when they hit him perfectly."
Topaz: *muttering* "Yep, I'm totally cheating."
Pyrra giggles at Topaz's statement before stepping in front of the crowd.
Pyrra: "All of you stop it. Topaz is a trusted friend of mine and the real deal. In all of the spars he and I have had since first meeting each other, I have yet to beat him once. And today was the first time he's unveiled his skin's power to me. And on top of that he hasn't used his semblance in a spar either. I can't think of anyone stronger than him that I have met to date. So please treat him with the respect he deserves."
Topaz: "Everyone, I hope you take this as an opportunity to change your mindsets. Going into a battle thinking you have a sure victory is the easiest way to lose a fight or worse, die in combat. There is no guarantee in life, so you should always approach everything carefully and smartly."
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After spending the day with Pyra and Jaune at Sanctum academy showing the students the ins and outs of what happens after school, Topaz makes his way back to the inn to get some rest. Walking into the inn, Topaz sees Neo and Ariel having dinner in the dining area. Giving them a wave, Topaz walks into their room. Sitting on the bed Topaz, begins to converse with Tera while meditating.
Tera: 'It's good to see you face to face again young Topaz. What brings you here today?'
Topaz: 'Hey Tera, I have a question for you.'
Tera: 'Go ahead, ask away Topaz.'
Topaz: 'I noticed while at the tribe that no one else possessed the same hardened skin ability that I have. Why is that?'
Tera: 'Ah that. To be frank with you, I don't have a definitive answer to that. My personal theory for it, is that you have a mutation in your Nemea bloodline giving you a trait of the actual Nemean Lion from mythology.'
Topaz: 'Cool, do you think me also having silver eyes has something to do with it?'
Tera: 'It's possible. Your eyes don't have the same powers that Ruby has, and no one else in the Nemea tribe has ever been born with silver eyes before.'
Topaz: 'Another mystery involving me. Fun.'
Exiting from his mindspace, Topaz hears the door to his room open and sees Neo and Ariel walk in holding hands. They give him a smile and walk over to him, giving him a hug.
Topaz: "It's good to see that you two are still as close as can be. Did you two do anything exciting today?"
Neo: "Aside from the date we didn't do much. Just walked around the city exploring what we could."
Ariel: "We might have some trouble with our plan."
Topaz: "Why is that?"
Ariel: "Jaune took Nora and Ren to speak with the military head. We happened to pass by when they were mid discussion. The lady in charge is riding her high horse of a position. For how small she is her ego is inflated beyond compare."
Topaz: "Well that's interesting. I might have to try my hand at speaking to her to see what we can do."
Neo: "Good luck with that. It seemed like she had a stick up her a-"
Ariel: "Ok, Neo. He gets it."
The three break out into laughter and continue talking about how their day went. Eventually, the three fall asleep in each other's' arms. Waking up the next morning, Topaz carefully slips out of the girl's grasps and makes his way out to start his morning training. Returning after a couple hours Topaz showers and changes into decent clothing before making his way towards the military base. Walking up to the large gates, Topaz greets the two rather bland looking guards.
Topaz: "Good morning gentleman, would you mind getting your commanding officer for me? There is something I need to ask her."
Guard 1: "You wish to speak to our commanding officer?!"
Topaz: "Yes."
Guard 2: "They audacity! Very well, we shall go and fetch her."
Topaz can't help but feel that those two are way over the top. Watching them take quick steps with their knees set very high. He watches them go into the base and waits for their return. After a little bit, he sees them return in the same stance as when they left, with no one else following them. Where was their commanding officer?
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