Headache and tournament!

Something happened, something I had been trying to avoid but was inevitable: I got a job...

I didn’t die, and I’m not dropping the story; I just got a job... I already had one before, but now it’s a ‘real’ job, so to speak.

Well, as always, if you want to read 3/7 chapters ahead, that’s possible on my (P)(A)(T). If not, I still appreciate your patience and for continuing to follow my stories—thank you so much!

Have a great day and happy reading!

(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori

[...]---[...]

POV: Weiss Schnee

"He's been like that since he got here. Did something happen to the guy?" Ruby and Yang's uncle pointed to Devas, who was sitting with his eyes closed in the Bullhead taking us to the Amity Colosseum.

"He's just got his eyes closed?" Pyrrha commented from the other side of the Bullhead where team JNPR was seated.

"Maybe he's tired?" Nora offered her opinion.

"Just with his eyes closed?" Ruby's uncle scoffed before taking a sip of his drink. It was seven in the morning, and he was already drinking—rude. "Since I met the guy, I've never seen him tired."

"Anxiety? Maybe he's anxious." Jaune murmured, looking a bit green. "I know I am..."

"If you throw up on my shoes again, I swear I'll toss you out of here." Yang lifted her feet and placed them on the seat, even though Jaune was on the other side of the Bullhead.

Jaune managed to look at her for a moment before turning his face to the side, where the trash can was. He hadn't thrown up yet, but the way things were going, that would change in a few seconds.

"Here, Pyrrha, take this and give it to Jaune." Devas threw something toward team JNPR before Jaune could vomit.

I could see the flying object before Pyrrha easily caught it: a Purification Powder pill.

"Put it in his mouth; it'll help with the nausea. I'd prefer he doesn't throw up in my Bullhead." Devas instructed. Pyrrha wasted no time doing as told.

Like magic, because it really was, Jaune quickly began to recover from his nausea. Even his pale complexion returned to normal.

"Magic pill?!" Nora exclaimed.

"Does it help with hangovers?" Qrow spoke almost simultaneously.

"Your Bullhead?" Professor Ozpin asked from the pilot's seat.

"Yes to all three questions." Devas chuckled lightly before frowning as if in pain. He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "And I seriously doubt you can get a hangover, Qrow."

"I appreciate the compliment, but even I have my limits."

"I say that because to get a hangover, you need to stop drinking."

"You're damn right!" Qrow laughed and took another sip.

"That's not something to laugh about; it's actually quite sad." Blake didn't even lift her eyes from her book as she spoke.

The title on the cover read: The Tale of a Huntsman.

It was a famous adventure and action book. I had read the first two books in the series. When I found out Blake was reading it, I tried to strike up a conversation. That's when I discovered she knew nothing about the book.

That was a fake cover, and frankly, I didn't even want to know what kind of literary abomination was underneath.

"As for the earlier theories, they're wrong. I'm not anxious, much less tired; I'm just deep in thought." Devas commented, his voice coming from the front of the Bullhead. "I just have a few things on my mind."

Devas sighed before adding, "That and a slight headache."

"Headache? The magic pill doesn't work?"

"The pill isn't magic, Nora; it's medicine."

Nora completely ignored Pyrrha.

"It helps, but not completely. Don't worry, it's just a mild headache; it'll pass." Devas waved his hand and looked in our direction before leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes again.

I frowned, seeing my teammates' expressions change as well, reflecting their concern. As much as Devas insisted his headache was mild, we knew it had to be the opposite.

After Devas asked Jinn the question, everything went silent for a moment, quieter than it had been thanks to the absence of time.

It lasted a bit longer than an instant, then, before the stream showed whatever was happening inside Devas's mind, if anything was happening at all, Jinn fell forward... unconscious.

It happened so fast that it took me a moment to react, only doing so when Devas stumbled forward, catching Jinn in his arms.

I could still vividly remember his face at that moment. The way he frowned, clearly in pain, the concern in his eyes, mixed with confusion and surprise.

For some reason, he also seemed irritated by something, almost angry.

Jinn disappeared moments later, turning into blue smoke the same color as her skin, and entering back into the Relic of Knowledge. She hadn't come out since then...

Devas had said she was fine, just recovering, but hadn't explained everything that had happened, saying he would do so when Jinn woke up.

The only information we knew was that something had gone wrong and the rebound had hurt Jinn and made the information Devas was supposed to receive without any problem cause him a headache.

A headache that, despite his insistence that it was mild, hadn't gone away since that moment, even with hours having passed.

"Wow! I know it's impressive from afar, but up close, it's even more so!" Jaune's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I instinctively looked in his direction and saw that not only he but the rest of team JNPR was looking out the window. I already knew what they were staring at, but I still looked as well.

I had seen the Amity Colosseum before, both from afar and up close, so I was used to it, but even so, the view still amazed me.

"It looked bigger from afar..." My attention was drawn to Devas when he spoke. "But it's still quite impressive. What's the height and diameter of this thing?..."

The question seemed more to himself than to anyone else, but I still answered.

"The Amity Colosseum is twelve hundred meters tall and nine hundred meters in diameter." I said. There were a few other measurements, but they weren't as important.

Just like this information, I still had to learn it in the many classes I took.

Devas's expression changed a bit, and he whistled.

"It's smaller than the Empress's Garden, but it's taller." He looked out the window before turning to Professor Ozpin. "It's obvious that Gravity Dust keeps this in the air, but it's very stabilized. Something of your design?"

Professor Ozpin shook his head.

"It's Atlas technology. I don't know all the details, but there's an internal stabilizer that keeps Amity in the sky without many issues."

"Just one stabilizer?"

"As far as I know, yes."

"I'll refrain from saying how idiotic that is. I don't want to jinx us by saying words that shouldn't be said." Devas shook his head.

"Wise of you." Professor Ozpin agreed.

"Wise of you to agree with my wisdom." Devas agreed back and laughed before frowning again.

It was lucky that team JNPR seemed more interested in looking at the Amity Colosseum through the window than paying attention to this terrifying conversation.

Even after we landed and went to the locker rooms to get ready, the image of Amity starting to fall stayed in my head.

"You're frowning; you'll get wrinkles." My partner pulled me out of my thoughts, poking my side.

"A Schnee doesn't get wrinkles." I responded instinctively before lifting my head.

"But apparently, they lie." Yang huffed at Blake's comment. I ignored both of them.

"I was just thinking. Did something happen?" I quickly glanced at my scroll. There were a few minutes left before the fights started.

"No, just... I wanted to kill time with a conversation." Ruby hesitated before continuing. "Just to keep my mind occupied. It's the anxiety, you know?"

"Actually, yes." I responded. Their looks of surprise were obvious.

"You don't seem anxious." Yang pointed out. She and Blake were clearly calmer than Ruby, but the anxiety was noticeable.

"I am; I'm just more used to hiding it than you." I waved my hand up. "Or have you forgotten what I did before coming to Beacon?"

"Oh! You were a singer... I had forgotten about that, to be honest." Ruby hit her fist into her other hand. "Used to the stage?"

"In a way, yes, but I'm not immune to pressure." I hummed while adjusting my clothes. Devas was definitely going to comment on my high heels. "As I said, I just know how to hide it better. Any abnormal reaction from me would end up in the news the next day."

"Rich people's problems." Blake commented.

"Still problems. But yes, rich people's problems. I can't say I've been through that." Yang nudged her partner.

"I admit it was a different problem from what most people have, but it was still a lot of pressure." I admitted. The pressure was immense; a Schnee couldn't fail, mistakes weren't allowed.

I never lacked anything materially in my upbringing, but sometimes I found myself wondering if I wouldn't trade it for the warmth of a close-knit family... Would Mom be watching?

"How does he do it?..." Ruby's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. No name was necessary to know who she was talking about.

"Being watched all the time, having people judge his every action... How does he do it?" She murmured in a low tone.

"Would it be a bad joke to say he's adapted to it?" Yang spoke after a few seconds of silence. Blake let out a small snort at her partner's comment, and Ruby gave a small giggle.

"It would, but that was expected from you." I hid the slight smile on my face behind my hand. I checked the time on my scroll before continuing. "Do you want to go see the opening fight?"

"I don't really care, to be honest. It's a showpiece anyway." Yang spun Ember Celica around her wrists. "Do you want to go?"

"I'm up for it." Blake shrugged.

"Of course we're going." Ruby didn't waste time leading the way.

The voices of the audience were audible long before we reached the edge of the arena. The moment the door to the competitors' area opened, the sound swallowed the environment for a few seconds.

"I changed my mind, let's go back in." Blake started to turn around before having her wrist grabbed by Yang.

"No escaping, kitty. Come on, you'll get used to the noise."

"I know I will, but that doesn't mean I want to or like it." Blake twisted her wrist, making Yang's hand let go, but she didn't try to go back into the locker room.

"Where are they? I wanted to ask Devas something..." I heard Ruby's voice amid the noise.

"SA.LU.TA.TI.ONS!"

Anyone who says I jumped in fright at Penny's repeated shout is lying.

"Penny!" Ruby wasted no time hugging the android. "I thought you wouldn't be here. Shouldn't you be with Ironwood?"

"General Ironwood said it would be better for me to socialize with the other competitors before the festivities started." Penny easily lifted Ruby while hugging her.

Ruby nodded, ignoring how she was lifted in the air. When she was placed back down, she looked around before asking.

"Penny, do you know where Professor Ozpin and Devas are?"

Penny didn't hesitate for a second before responding. Part of me wanted to say it was because she was efficient like the machine she was, but the part that could see the excitement and emotion in her eyes wouldn't let that happen.

She clearly just wanted to be helpful to the first friend she made.

"Headmaster Ozpin and friend Devas, the last time I had information on their locations, were in the VIP Area on the upper floor." Penny quickly explained before starting to walk. "Come, I can take you to them."

She didn't wait for a response before starting to drag Ruby among the other competitors. I was the first to follow them, accompanied by Yang and Blake.

I scanned the other competitors as we walked. I recognized several, both from Beacon and the other schools, but I didn't have time to analyze their reactions before needing to quicken my pace to keep up with the two ahead.

We weren't even stopped when we reached the VIP Area; the guards just nodded to me and Penny as we passed through the door.

Before any VIPs in the area could notice our presence, I quickly located Professor Ozpin, who was holding Lucy by the waist, looking at the arena from the balcony.

Why was he holding the axe? Wasn't Lucy supposed to be with Devas?

He wasn't alone. General Ironwood was beside him and, to my horror... Jacques Schnee...

"What the hell are you doing here?..." I muttered through my teeth and turned around. "Quick, hide me!"

"Weiss?"

"Fuck!..."

I wasn't used to cursing, but the situation was forgivable.

"Avoid any trouble, please." I quickly straightened the few folds in my clothes while whispering to my team, who were looking at my progenitor with mixed emotions. "And Ruby, if I touch Myrtenaster twice with my left hand, come up with an excuse and get me out of here."

"What excuse?" Ruby took one last look behind me before facing me.

"Any excuse." Her eyes almost sparkled at my words.

"Can I not go with you?" Blake hissed. "I don't think I can contain myself from attacking your father."

"I followed you to a dock and fought dozens of thugs when I said it was a terrible idea." I gave her the driest look I could and turned to Yang, who was slowly distancing herself. "You owe me, you both owe me."

Blake flinched at my words while Yang defended herself.

"Attacking Torchwick and his goons was Blake's idea." Yang quickly threw her partner under the Beowolf. "I had nothing to do with it. I'm innocent!"

"You were the first to agree with the idea. You were only innocent when you were born, Xiao Long." I growled the words before turning and starting to walk toward the balcony.

I heard four pairs of footsteps following me. It seemed Penny decided to join the show too. I nodded to Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood before addressing my father.

"Greetings, President Jacques Schnee." I made a formal salute, but before I could continue, I was interrupted.

"Please, daughter, we're not in a formal meeting, you don't need to call me that." My father spoke calmly. I hesitated for a moment.

"Alright then, father." The word felt strange on my lips. "I thought you weren't coming. Didn't you say you were busy?"

I looked around for a moment, trying to see if I could spot Whitley anywhere. If that brat was here too...

"I canceled the meetings I had for this week and came as quickly as I could." My father began to explain. "I couldn't miss the Vytal Festival where my daughter is participating with her team, could I?"

I ignored the slight gagging sound Blake made behind me.

"Speaking of which, could you introduce us?" My father looked behind me. "I've already been introduced to Miss Polendina, don't worry."

I couldn't even blame Penny for not warning me my father was here when I hadn't asked...

What would Ruby blow up if I touched Myrtenaster twice?...

I pushed the thought to the back of my mind and ignored the weight of my rapier at my waist as I began to introduce everyone.

"These are my teammates, father." I pointed first to Ruby. "The leader of our team and my partner, Ruby Rose."

Ruby simply waved back before looking around, probably searching for Devas… By the Brothers… I couldn't let Devas and my father meet, not here and not without explaining things to Devas first.

At least not if I wanted my father to live until tomorrow.

I quickly continued with the introductions as my thoughts ran wild and pointed to Yang.

“This is Yang Xiao Long, Ruby’s sister, and next to her is her partner, Blake Belladonna.” I saw a slight flicker of recognition in my father’s eyes when I introduced Blake before he reinforced his social mask.

Actually, where was Devas again?…

“Nice to meet you all. I hope you and my daughter are getting along well.” My father nodded to the four of them.

Professor Ozpin decided to join the conversation at this moment and took a step forward, resting both hands on his cane.

“Miss Schnee, shouldn’t you and your teammates be preparing for your fight? Has something happened?”

I seized the opportunity to change the subject.

“Nothing happened, Professor Ozpin. We were just looking for Devas; I wanted to ask him something.” I drew the attention to myself. “Would you happen to know where he might be?”

Professor Ozpin gave a slight smile, hummed for a moment, almost as if he was waiting for something, and before he could respond, a feminine voice came through the loudspeakers.

“Testing… Testing… And we’re on the air!”

I recognized the voice from somewhere, but before I could place it, she continued in a professional yet relaxed tone.

“First of all, good morning everyone, this is Lisa Lavender, reporter for Vale News Network, and also, for this year at least, the host and narrator of the Vytal Festival fights!”

“I knew I recognized that voice!” Ruby exclaimed behind me.

“Of course, I won’t be doing this alone; I have not one, but two co-hosts who will be assisting me. Would you two like me to introduce you or do you prefer to do it yourselves?”

“Who wants to bet it's him?” I could almost hear the smile forming on Yang’s face.

“Foolish bet.” I responded instinctively. The voice coming from the loudspeakers confirmed it.

“I think I can introduce myself, Miss Lavender, but thank you very much for asking. I’ll borrow a bit from your introduction; I hope you don’t mind.”

The voice was slightly different because of the speakers, but there was no way I wouldn't recognize the voice of the man I heard every day for over six months.

“Devas is enjoying himself, isn’t he?” Yang commented.

“He, of all people, deserves it,” Ruby replied. I wasn’t the only one who agreed.

“Well, for the clearly many who don’t know me, this is Devas speaking. I’m a professor at Beacon, and for this year, I will be the co-host and narrator of the Vytal Festival fights!”

“Of course, as Miss Lavender mentioned, there is another co-host and narrator with us. I’ll pass the microphone to him so he can introduce himself.”

The third voice sounded more synthetic, edited, and for some reason, I felt like I recognized it from somewhere.

“Do you feel like you’ve heard this voice before too?…” Blake murmured behind me.

“Yes, I just can’t say from where…” Yang replied. I saw Ruby nodding beside me. I did the same.

“First of all, I want to thank you for the opportunity to be here. I can’t say I’ve participated in this type of work before; it’s something new. Well, I won’t drag this out. I know you’re not here to hear my voice but to see kids fighting each other, so I’ll keep my introduction brief…”

“I still think this idea is absurd and of dubious credibility.” I heard General Ironwood say.

“I, on the contrary, find this idea entertaining.” Professor Ozpin responded, clearly amused.

“I’ll copy the other two then and say that this is Toman Rorchwick speaking, merely an anonymous benefactor and law-abiding citizen and, of course, for this year, I will be the co-host and narrator of the Vytal Festival fights!”

“Very entertaining…” Professor Ozpin smiled even more when he saw our shocked expressions.

[…]

POV: Devas Asura

“Toman Rorchwick? You know, you really suck at coming up with names.” I scoffed, amused, as the microphone was muted.

“I improvised, okay?!” Roman threw his hands up. “I didn’t expect to be the Vytal Festival’s narrator when I woke up this morning.”

“I can agree with that. I didn’t expect to be narrating what can only be described as the most important job I’ve ever had in my entire career alongside one of the greatest thieves in Vale.” Lisa Lavender finished introducing the festival’s opening and turned to us after calling for the commercials.

Three, if I were counting Neo, who was invisible and sitting on the backrest of my chair. The happiness and amusement I felt emanating from her were enough to know what she thought of the whole situation.

“One of not, I’m the greatest thief, thank you very much!”

Lisa shook her head and glanced in my direction while subtly shrinking to appear smaller and tucking a strand of her lilac hair behind her ear.

“I’ll count on you to protect me if he does anything~” She lifted her lower lip just enough to look even more defenseless.

Roman pushed his chair back and moved away from the woman before her last words even left her lips.

“Cut the act, please. I’m more likely to need to protect Roman from you than you from him.” My amusement only increased when I saw Roman nodding.

The woman was an excellent actress and an even better spy. From what I could see in her mannerisms, she was probably also a trained assassin, but she fell short in hiding from my senses and instincts.

Before she could deny or say anything, I continued, stating just one name: “Lady Browning’s Preparatory Academy.”

Lisa’s demeanor changed completely, and the innocent and helpless air gave way to something more serious and cautious.

Roman didn’t seem surprised by the change.

“So Roman informed you, then?” she asked.

“No, I just have my means.” I shook my head. It was true, Roman hadn’t informed me of anything, but the new voice in my head had.

("She graduated from Lady Browning's Preparatory Academy with excellent grades. In pure technique, she’s comparable to Neopolitan.")

I cast my 'gaze' to the Jinn version inside my Spiritual Realm. She was lying on the bed in my beach house, eating a serving of fries and petting Nero, who was in her lap.

She looked better than when she first arrived in my Spiritual Realm, but that wasn’t saying much, given that when she arrived, she was barely conscious.

Tyrian had carried her in after I ordered it. The fries had been his doing as well.

("How long until you recover?") I ignored the headache while asking.

("The energy here is… rich, dense, almost comparable to being inside the relic. It won’t take long for me to recover, just a few hours, maybe less.")

I didn’t say “you know,” as I realized she wasn’t finished yet.

("Devas, I… apologize. I didn’t expect this to happen, otherwise, I would have avoided this situation.")

I sighed before directing my thoughts toward her.

("I know, Jinn, don’t worry.")

I felt the moment her energy was guided toward my mind, not the external part, but the internal. It didn’t seem to be something conscious; whether it was because of the relic or something more instinctual in Jinn, I hadn’t asked yet, but it clearly wasn’t deliberate…

… I don’t think much of her would have remained if it were.

("Just focus on recovering, you could barely transmit your thoughts a few hours ago. We can talk later.") I directed my thoughts one last time toward her before cutting the connection.

“It seems the information I got from you is incomplete, but that’s to be expected.” Lisa waved before turning to Roman. “Neo is here, I assume.”

The response she got was Neo appearing beside her with the tip of her parasol pointed at her neck. Well, at least the image created by Neo’s Semblance, since the original was still eating ice cream next to me.

Lisa didn’t even blink at Neo’s appearance. She didn’t seem worried at all.

“Nice to see you again, Trivia.” Trivia?... Lisa ignored the weapon pointed at her neck. “And please, put that away. It’s rude to point your weapon at someone if you’re not actually going to use it.”

Neo’s image drew the tip of the parasol closer to Lisa’s neck, as if indicating that she intended to use it.

Lisa didn’t seem intimidated, at least on the outside. I could feel the tension in her body rising and her emotions fluctuating as her heart rate increased.

“If you were going to attack me, you would have done so a long time ago.” Lisa said in a neutral tone. Neo’s image looked at her for another second before silently huffing and shattering into the air like glass.

The room fell silent for a moment before Roman resumed the conversation.

“Ignoring the ungrateful journalist, why am I here again?” He turned to me.

“Ungrateful?” I raised an eyebrow.

“I gave her hot intel and she repaid me by trying to stall the call so the police could trace me. If that’s not ingratitude, I don’t know what is.”

“Business is business, friends aside.”

“I’m not your friend.” Roman pointed a finger at her.

“Exactly.”

The back of the chair trembled as Neo started to laugh. I clapped twice to bring the attention back to the conversation and began to explain.

“Simply put: the other commentator besides Miss Lavender couldn’t make it, and Ozpin asked me if I’d like to fill in. I thought it’d be funny and suggested bringing you along as well, so here we are.”

I was replacing Glynda, who had stayed at Beacon with the other teachers and Winter in case something happened at the school. Roman, on the other hand, was here just because of a random idea I had.

I had considered inviting Qrow, but he took off the moment we landed. The last time I saw him, he was drinking in the stands and eating a hot dog, so I abandoned that idea.

“You showed up at my door and threw me onto a ship full of Atlesian soldiers because you thought it would be funny?” Roman spun his chair toward me. “Do you have any idea how stressful that trip was?”

“You could have refused. I wouldn’t have forced you.” I countered. “And stop lying, James told me you were playing cards with the soldiers on the way to Amity.”

James didn’t seem more impressed by Roman’s audacity than annoyed.

Roman huffed before starting to laugh.

“It’s true, they were terrible at poker. And as for refusing, well…” He grinned and adjusted his fedora. “I couldn’t pass up the chance to be part of this, could I? You said it yourself, the opportunity is too amusing to pass up.”

I turned to Neo when I felt her finger poke my cheek.

“If Roman is here as a commentator because it was funny, then what about me?” She gestured quickly and ended by pointing at herself.

“You came as a bonus.”

“A bonus like: buy a snack and get a toy free?” She gestured.

“A bonus like: buy a thousand bullets and get a gun free.” I responded before correcting. “Actually, no, you’re more of a knife than a gun.”

The joy emanating from Neo was palpable.

[…]

“RWBY’s team leader cuts again to the right before swinging the scythe and hitting the leader of team ABRN in the center of the chest, who defends the blow and barely avoids falling into the lava!”

I won’t lie, narrating the battles was fun. It also helped me focus on something other than my headache and the hundreds of random bits of information about magic bouncing around in my brain.

Now, theoretically, I knew how to conjure a storm, or at least had the information on how to do it, as well as how to make a tornado and use fire magic to heat tea, even though the latter was pointless.

Why the hell was ninety percent of Remnant’s magic elemental?..

“No, seriously, I know it’s not real lava but a compound of Fire Dust, but whose shitty idea was it to make this field?! It’s ridiculous, and that’s not even mentioning the ice part! LAVA AND ICE?!”

“I admit it’s not one of the best setups, but keep it professional, Toman, we’re live.”

Roman, or Toman in this case, seemed excited too, even though Lisa didn’t agree with the man’s language.

“On the other side of the field, in the ice section, RWBY’s Weiss again gains the upper hand over Nadir of team ABRN, freezing him a second time! Will he be able to return to the fight this time?!”

Spoiler: he wouldn’t. I had paid a bit of attention to team ABRN, thanks to Arslan Altan. She was strong and had potential. Her Aura control was good too, but her teammates were just above average.

Nadir Shiko, in particular, was very reliant on his teammates. Although they had excellent synergy and worked well together, when isolated, the only real threat to any member of team RWBY was Arslan.

The girls knew this, as the first thing they did was separate Nadir from the rest of the team, creating a three-on-three scenario on one side of the field while Weiss was left alone against the man who barely managed to hold his own in a few exchanges.

Arslan tried to adjust team ABRN’s formation and coordinate them when she realized RWBY’s intent, but even breathing seemed to be a struggle for her as Ruby unleashed dozens of strikes with Crescent Rose.

She was holding her own, but doing anything other than fighting Ruby was impossible.

“Further along, at the boundary between the lava and ice…”

“Hey, that would make a good book title.”

I completely ignored Rorchwick as I continued my narration.

“…Blake and Yang from team RWBY seem to be slowly gaining the upper hand against Bolin and Reese from team ABRN! The fight is intense, with Blake holding Reese back with her clones while Yang pressures Bolin, not allowing him to use his weapon’s range advantage against her!”

“This battle looks like it’s going to end quickly; Haven’s team hardly seems to be holding on. Good thing I bet on team RWBY. My words to those who didn’t bet: it’s a good thing you did, I’ll toast the drinks I buy with your Lien, don’t worry.”

And the decision to bring Toman on as a commentator proved to be right with each passing second. Lisa seemed to be using every ounce of professionalism she had to avoid laughing and to maintain a serious tone.

Neo hadn’t even tried and was lounging on the couch behind us while silently laughing.

I hesitated for a moment before continuing the narration as a sequence of spells flashed through my mind.

Salem could manipulate gravity, how impressive… And lightning too, I hadn’t noticed that before, but the storm conjuring spell was created by her…

I ignored the headache, as well as the not-so-pleasant but very welcome information, and returned to narrating.

“Bolin seems to be managing to hold on despite all the pressure Yang is applying, but what is that?! Weiss took advantage of Bolin’s lack of attention to his surroundings and attacks the ABRN member from the flank, freezing his legs with her glyphs!”

“I’ll be honest here, I always thought Schnee’s Semblance was a bit ridiculous. It seems more like magic than a Semblance!”

Roman genuinely seemed outraged, but I understood part of his frustration.

“Yang seizes the opportunity and delivers a series of blows to Bolin, who tries his best to defend before being launched toward the outer edge of the arena! Bolin is out of the ring! It’s a count-out!”

I really hoped I hadn’t used the wrong term, because I had no idea if that was actually correct.

“It looks like the match is coming to an end, ladies and gentlemen! Because I highly doubt that team Haven can make a two-on-four comeback. Shall we wrap it up here?”

“Be professional, Toman. Commentators should be impartial.”

“I am impartial, Lisa, but I’m also realistic. Team Haven fought as hard as they could, but defeats happen, it’s a shame. Actually, they still have a chance to come back in the tournament’s consolation round, don’t they?”

“That’s right, all the teams that lost today will have a chance to fight again tomorrow to compete among themselves and decide who will return to the tournament.”

I let Rorchwick and Lisa talk among themselves as I continued my narration. While Toman was direct, I didn’t disagree with his words, especially since Reese had just been knocked out by Blake and Yang.

Arslan was an excellent fighter and a good leader, but for her to beat the entire RWBY team alone, she would have to be a Maiden, and from what my senses told me, she wasn’t.

Less than five minutes later, even though Arslan managed to land a few blows on Yang after she went to help her sister, along with the rest of her team, she was also defeated.

“And with that, ladies and gentlemen, with the defeat of the leader of team ABRN, the victory of this match goes to team RWBY!”

[…]

“We won! We won!” I could hear Ruby’s cheer even before I reached the room where team RWBY was. I waved to the guards who recognized me as I opened the door.

I scanned the people in the room before heading towards team RWBY. I let my gaze rest for a few more moments on the two men I didn’t know.

The first had white hair and a mustache and was wearing a matching white suit. Jacques Schnee, I recognized him easily; there were plenty of pictures of him at the CCT. The first thing that came up when I searched for Dust was a picture of him.

I can only say that the only resemblance he had to Weiss was their eye color. Both had light blue eyes, though Weiss’s were more striking, like ice.

Other than that, I couldn’t say they were related. Even Jacques’s hair color was dyed; I could see tiny flaws at the roots of his hair and smell a faint hint of dye.

The other man was also easily recognizable. Ruby and Yang had described their father before on the stream.

Taiyang Xiao Long was tall, just a few centimeters shorter than me. He had lighter blonde hair than Yang’s, blue eyes, and a light stubble.

Honestly, he looked more like Jaune’s father than Ruby and Yang’s. The latter might have some traits similar to their father, but the only thing Ruby shared with him was perhaps the whiteness of her eyes.

The first to notice my presence was Ruby, who turned her head towards me, followed by Weiss and everyone else.

The first to speak was Taiyang, and from his look, I didn’t even need to sense his emotions to know that he didn’t seem very happy with me. Ruby disappearing from where she was to hug me while shouting, “We won, Devas!” probably didn’t help.

“So you’re the one my daughters have been talking about. Devas, right?” The neutral look on his face was the opposite of the smile Qrow had. “I think we need to have a chat.”

This conversation was going to be awkward, wasn’t it?…

[...]---[...]

A few things happened:

First: No, I didn’t die, and no, I’m not quitting the story.

Second: As mentioned before, I got a job (at least a formal one; I’ve been working for some time now). The first 10 days were kind of introductory, so busy that I barely stopped at home, but things have improved, and I have my free time back.

[..]

Holy shit, this chapter was totally different at first, but as soon as the idea of Toman and Devas narrating popped into my head, I had to include it in the story.

Damn, I loved that interaction.

As for the chapter: I’ll summarize the tournament fights like this, Devas will narrate them instead of me describing them (Just 1 or 2 more fights, I don’t want to focus too much on that).

The RWBY arc is nearing its end, it should last about 8 or 9 more chapters.

Regarding Devas and Jinn, something happened, Devas mentioned it briefly but it wasn’t explained; I’ve left that for the next chapter.

Well, I think that’s it. It’s currently 11:17, and I need to head out to work. Have a good day, everyone, and happy reading!