[jjb2158]

Taking the fully charged arrow straight in its scarred area by its head, the arrow blew a large hole through its lower head and neck. Looking at Argent run off, the Grimm made a face of what could only look like surprise before it fell to the ground and began to disintegrate. Meanwhile, taking the extra ice damage, the Deathstalker continued to struggle against the increasing ice that formed on its legs. Breaking its pincer free from the ice, it continued to crack its way slowly through the ice around its feet, all the while flailing around.


"Nice!" exclaimed Suntalia, clapping her hands out of excitement. "Just one more to go!" she yelled, letting out a jingle of a laugh. Humming a soft tune to herself, she continued to swing her legs lazily over the edge of the pillar. Seeing that the first years would probably not need her help with the fight, she reached into her small pack she wore around her waist and pulled out her Scroll and sent a message to her brother. Will probably be done here within the next hour or so. We should do some sparring if you're free? pressing send, she put her scroll away and continued to watch the conclusion of the fight, a warm smile as she awaited both for the fight to end and for her brother to respond.


"Ngggrh...not bad" muttered Savas as he watched the Beringel go down. Guess I won't need to stand up here any longer he thought as he made his way down the stairs and towards Oberon. For a bunch of first years, this team showed a lot of potential. Though they were rough around the edges, they had a lot of strengths as well as a lot of long range capabilities. If there was one thing Savas would note, it would be their lack of close combat capabilities. However, if they were able to take the target down from afar, then close combat wouldn't be necessary. It'll be interesting to see how they handle the second scenario he thought as he reread the instructions that Oberon had sent him prior, a smirk crossing his face slightly.

[willow_lark]

Sherwood blinks finally with an audible exhale. He rolls his shoulders once before nocking a new arrow into Tristram. "No... No one died while Ah wasn't paying attention right?" he murmurs, looking around. Seeing no dead bodies, he exhales again, this time in relief. He notes Argent and Noctis asking him what to do.

"Right, ah... Ahlright. Sorry guys." he responds. His eyes narrow as he scans the scene in front of him, trying to make a plan. The Deathstalker was big sure, but Persimmon was doing an amazing job at keeping it pinned down. His shoulder kindly informed Sherwood that he wouldn't be launching another Full Draw shot with a soreness in his muscles.

"The... The underside of the Deathstalker is weak right? All we have to do is get... underneath..." Sherwood's trails off as he realizes they couldn't flip the Deathstalker while it was frozen. He winces, realizing his orders cut them off from the creature's weak point. "Ah guess we won't be doin' that... "

"Way Ah see it, we need a hole in his armor. How about it Argent?" Sherwood asks. "Noctis, partner up with him and take a stab at that hole when Argent makes it. Persimmon, keep doin' what your doin', if that thin' gets loose we're in for ah world of hurt." Sherwood says.

Sherwood sets up again to shoot from where he's at, since this is well with in his comfortable range. Without enhancing the poundage he pulls the bow and focuses on his mantra. This time, his shot wasn't going to be an easy shot, with an enemy that had frozen in place. He was going to see about pinning the flailing tail to the wall, and for that he had to accurate. He'd need all the help from his mentor's mantra as he can get.

He stands, muscle memory relaxing his body into the right tension level for his shot. He watches the tail flail, hoping to see some kind of pattern, or maybe just something that gave him the feeling to release the arrow.

True shooting leads to Certain hitting...

[MissyMidna]

"Poke a hole" He said quietly trying to figure out how to do it.

 If he used Divine with the fire dust in it then have Argent hit it maybe that would be enough to break through since heat makes things expand, however if Noctis proceeded with that Idea Divine might break and he would have to go get it repaired which last he checked wasn't cheap. It also depend on how hard Argent hit the sword too. If he got luck maybe only the handle would break.

"Alright, well I guess that's my only choice huh?" He tells himself as he put away his guns.

Divine had a dust change to fire. Now he just needed to get across the arena.

"Hey Foxy mind stunning that grimm for me near it's fleshy parts?" He asked. Then he turned is attention to Argent. "Hey big guy I need you to get to a high spot over the death stalker. You'll have to hit my sword when I tell you with your hammer."

After giving his orders Noctis made his way on the Deathstalker's back without getting poked by the singer or tripping over any of the fallen logs. He activated the sword's dust function then smashed the tip into the white armor that covered the grimm.

"Alright Argent, don't hurt my pride and joy," Noctis called signaling Argent to hit the top of Divine's handle.

[Flooberoid]

"That's a definite no, Sher," Persimmon said as he fished through his ice dust pocket. He pulled out one more shot and fired it right under the Deathstalker, hoping the ice that emerged would hit its sensitive bits, before deciding to hold on to the remaining four shots in case of emergencies.

Just then, he heard Noctis yelling instructions to him as he charged forward like a madman. "Hit its fleshy parts?" Persimmon asked with skepticism while looking upon the Deathstalker's fully armored body. As he loaded an electric shot, he responded, "You've come to the right guy. Get ready to be amazed." He took aim at the ice spikes he had just created and fired at a slight upward angle, hoping for a one-in-a-million ricochet into the beast's underbelly. If successful, the shot just might be potent enough to stun it for a second or two.

[CptSteel]

"A high spot? Well, the high spots are sort of..far away. My Semblance should provide the same amount of force as me from just above the Deathstalker.." The faunus mumbled, preparing himself for his attack. Silber Brecher shifted to its hammer form in his hands, and he began to breathe deeply. With a battle-cry, the tall man dashed toward the Deathstalker.

"HYAAT!" Argent shouted as he charged his Semblance and jumped. When he had counted roughly a second, he released his hammer down in a terrifying speed toward Noctis' sword.  The best case scenario was that the sword got lodged in the beast without any trouble, worst case is that the sword breaks and he hits the Grimm's armour.

[jjb2158]

Ricocheting off of the ice, the lightning dust round from Persimmon grazed the beast, enough to half stun it for a brief moment. With the moment gone, the Deathstalker began thrashing around violently the moment Noctis landed on its back as it tried to throw the student off. However, it's thrashing was short lived as Argent landed his blow squarely on the bottom of the hilt of Divine. Combined with the heat of the fire dust, the momentum of Argent's attack was enough to smash the blade through the strong exoskeleton armor. Letting out a hiss, the creature continued to thrash around, but it's flaying slowed down as the creature died and began to disintegrate away.


Reaching Oberon, Savas continued to monitor the first year team as he stood beside the professor. "Is the second scenario still going to happen?" he inquired, looking down at the teacher as he put Sandalphon and Metatron back into their harness. Hearing a loud thud, Savas quickly turned his attention over to the battle as he watched the Deathstalker get taken down. "They may not be ready for the next round" he added, his voice rumbling deeply in his throat like a volcano ready to erupt. Folding his arms, he looked back down at Oberon, arching an eyebrow as he contemplated the next round.


Watching the Deathstalker go down, Suntalia let out a cheer and clapped enthusiastically as the Grimm slowly disintegrated. "Well done! Well done!" she cheered as she jumped down from the pillar. Skipping over to where Oberon and Savas were, Suntalia beamed a big smile up at the giant faunus. "Guess they did better than you had anticipated, huh? Was Vashie concerned about the wittle fiwst years?" she asked, giggling as she nudged him softly, though not noticing the giant rolling his eyes. "So, Obi, what's next? Huh? Huh? Surely there's more, right? Maybe a pack of Beowolves? Or how about a herd of Goliaths! Yeah, that would be great! Though, I don't know how you would get a herd of Goliaths into Beacon. How would you do that Obi?" she asked, a flurry of questions flowing vibrantly towards the teacher.


Finishing his notes as he watched the Deathstalker go down, Oberon put his Scroll away just in time as Suntalia began asking a plethora of questions. Smiling slightly, he raised his hand, which caused Suntalia to go quiet. "The second round will still take place, Savas" he said first, looking up at the hulking behemoth of a faunus. "As for your questions, Suntalia, I don't know how anyone would be able to get a herd of Goliaths into Beacon and I don't think anyone would want to try that. As for what's next, follow me." With that, he stepped down into the Arena and walked over to where the students were with Savas and Suntalia following closely behind. "Nicely done team. You handled this simulation very well." Taking a puff from his nearly done cigar, he proceeded to put the cigar out against his calloused hand before tossing the remains aside. "Now, before we begin in the next simulation, I would like to give each of you a short break as well as ask to see what you learned through this experience?" Clasping his hands behind his back, he looked at each of them as he assessed how they were faring. Overall, each of them looked to be in good shape, though Sherwood appeared to have taken the most wear and tear out of the team. They should be ready to go another round once they get a moment to breath he thought, smiling slightly under his gruff beard.

[willow_lark]

Sherwood sees the strike by Argent out of the corner of his eye, but with his focus on shooting it takes him a few moments into the beast's disintegration before he begins to let down the bow. In those moments he still follows the tail as if to shoot as it begins to flail less and less as the creature of Grimm begins to disappear.

He blinks a few times. "... Alright.". Sherwood sighs to himself. "Props Argent. Don't hit me with that thing." he says with a nod in his teammate's direction. Seeing the professor coming, Sherwood frowns, assuming he won't be able to pick up his arrows for a bit. "Everyone did great." Professor Oberon then asks the team what they had to say about their performance.

Well, there was a lot of being bait and running away. Probably a waste of time, energy and resources. Persimmon seemed to have actually run out, keeping the runners from being minced or smashed to bits. Sherwood himself got whaled on, and the others were either on the verge of being whaled on or did get hit as well. Accolades are probably in order, since no one flinched when they got hit. The Grimm were not hard to kill either; sure the Deathstalker had a fair bit of armor but all in all they're well equipped for both of the Grimm they just fought. They probably could have finished this in a third of the time they took. Sherwood's shoulders slump.

Can't really nitpick the team for that. He took time out of directing to shoot, a selfish move he supposes, and he was the one who kept giving 'distract it' as an order. Maybe it's because it worked in the forest, but that's not the only thing a leader should command, nor should it be ever a command for a good leader. A good leader would know the Grimm inside and out, the team inside and out, and know just how to use the latter's skills to destroy the prior in short order. And even more than that, an entry level scenario like this one shouldn't cause injury. He needs a lot more practice to do this job right.

"It wasn't great sir. Ah could have directed in ah more aggressive manner than 'distract 'hem', wastin less time an resources. If we were more aggressive, we could have split them faster, prevented injury, and saved resources. We wouldn't have lasted in ah seige or horde style encounter. Sir." Sherwood says. Since Oberon said they were also resting in this break, he figures it's okay if he doesn't straight up his posture for the professor.

[MissyMidna]

Noctis heard the blade's handle crack a little bit, nothing he can't fix himself but maybe the dust chamber would need to be changed out. No problem since he had the extra parts if Divine's dust function got damaged. It was satisfying to see the deathstalker disappear which is why Noctis was now on the ground. He slumped back and Divine followed to land very close to his head. Thank the maidens that the professor granted them a period of rest before entering the second battle he had planned for the day. Hearing Sherwood praise everyone made Noctis lift up his left with half assed thumbs up.

"Thank you for not breaking my sword Argent," Noctis says with a light smile.

He stood up to sheath his sword and further assess it  before they enter the next battle along with counting how many clips he had left of each dust type. Noctis walked to where the professor was standing. Of course he would ask what they learned from the brief simulation.

"I figured that sometimes plans are half assed thought out," Noctis says as he shoves his hands in the  white coat's pockets. "Sherwood, you did fine. Don't be so hard on yourself. After all this is new to you. Don't sweat it."

[Flooberoid]

Persimmon holstered his gun, closing his cloak and brushing off the remaining dirt and chunks of rock before approaching Oberon. "Gotta say, you found a way to get me out of my element. Nothing I can't handle, of course." A playful smirk crossed his face. "Even these guys managed to do alright. Give us somethin' a bit more challenging next time, eh professor?"

He considered saying something to Sherwood, something like, Come on man, as long as you can hit a target you're fine by me, but decided against it. He was more curious to see how this would play out than excited to see its conclusion. Might as well let Sherwood hang onto his emotional conflict or whatever for now.

[CptSteel]

Argent interjected, "But, Sherwood, when you did plan things; we done good. And you deserve a pat on the back." The faunus strode over to the rest of his team, his weapon shifting into neutral form and Argent sheathing it.

"Anyway, it's better to under-plan and have to wing some of it, rather than over-plan and have the whole structure of the shabang fall apart." Argent stated, giving a smile to each of his teammates especially Noctis, since he was prepared to sacrifice his weapon to kill the Grimm.

[jjb2158]

Listening to the four students give their opinions on the last fight, Oberon nodded slightly in acknowledgement of their opinions. "You are right in being critical of yourself, Sherwood" he said. "There will be times where plans do not go according to what you hope for. Fighting Grimm is a sure sign that plans could fail" he added, glancing over towards Savas. "However, your teammates are right in saying that you did good when you planned everything out. What you learn here today and at Beacon will help you grow into a stronger leader and one who will be able to guide your team towards success with each mission."

Looking at the other members, Oberon smirked at Persimmon's remark about having something more challenging. "Each of you did well in this fight. You were able to think quick in the short amount of time you were given and able to take down two large Grimms that you'll come to face regularly after you leave the Academy." Taking out a cigar as he talked, he lit the new cigar and took a puff. "However, as Huntsman, you will not always face off against Grimm. This world is a dark world and, amidst the chaos that the Grimm cause, there are other threats in Remnant. Banditry still runs rampant and even the White Fang have taken on a more violent approach and have begun harming the human race." Taking a look at each student, Oberon let his message sink in for a moment. "That said, you must learn how to not only fight against mindless Grimm, but against other humans and faunus. People who are able to plan and strategize just as much, if not more than you. And so...just for you Persimmon..." he said, looking over at the first year. "Your next opponent will be these two" he added, gesturing towards Savas and Suntalia. "The situation is this: You have just completed your mission of taking down two large Grimm that have been terrorizing the area. Upon finishing, you run across two wanted criminals, known throughout Remnant for murdering countless travelers. Your choice is this: stay and subdue these criminals to take them into custody, or to retreat and get reinforcements." Taking another puff from his cigar, he blew the smoke out into the air. "Should you choose to retreat, then you need but run out through the single Arena doorway" he said, pointing to the entrance behind him. "However, if you choose the fight, then you will need to get both of them to yield. Now, you will each start on the Southern side of the Arena, farthest from the entrance. I will give each of you a moment to talk amongst yourselves and devise a strategy. Do know this: both Savas and Suntalia will stop at nothing in making sure none of you are able to leave this Arena and, should they subdue each of you, then you will lose."

Smiling to himself, he turned to face both Savas and Suntalia. "You've heard your objective. You will need to not let the four students leave here. How you do that is up to you, but please..." he said, giving Savas a hard look. "Try not to kill the first years or destroy the Arena too much." he added, smirking at the giant. "If neither of you have any questions, the go ahead and get yourselves ready for the fight." With that, Oberon began to make his way towards the entrance of the Arena, a trail of smoke following behind him.


Snorting at Oberon, Savas unharnessed Sandalphon and Metatron from his back. "Ngggrh, seems a bit unfair, but whatever" he replied, his voice rumbling softly. Turning towards Suntalia, he looked down at his pint-sized "partner in crime". "Let's go Suntalia" he said, walking towards the Northern side of the Arena to where the entrance lay, Suntalia following closely behind. "I'll take on the faunus kid and make sure he doesn't get close to you. You go for the archer and immobilize him. Without their leader, this should be over fairly quick" he said, checking his armor and making sure it was nicely set before tightening his helmet on. Turning towards the first years, he stabbed Sandalphon into the ground with his right hand and rested Metatron on his left shoulder, waiting for the session to start.


Letting out a squeal of delight at the thought of sparring with the other students, Suntalia gave a beaming smile to Oberon. "Aye Aye Obi!" she chimed, lifting her hand to a salute, which got a small smile from the teacher. Following Savas, Suntalia skipped to keep pace. Upon listening to Savas' plan, she simply nodded her head in agreement. This team seemed to rely heavily on Sherwood so it would make sense to take him down first. Checking Dynami and Areti to make sure they had ammunition set inside of them, Suntalia placed herself a couple paces to Savas' left as she pulled out Firestorm. Transforming it into its spear form, she spun it effortlessly for a few moments before resting it diagonally against her back as she stood upright with her left foot forward towards the other students and with one tip touching the ground behind her. Letting out a delighted laugh, she looked at her opponents. "Ready when you guys are!" she yelled, her vibrant voice singing across the battleground.

[willow_lark]

Sherwood nods politely at Oberon's praise of his planning. He refrained from stating the planning pulled him out of the action, got him hit, and had him miss important things on the field. No matter Professor Oberon's reputation, Sherwood found it hard to accept the praise as a good thing. Especially since this was in fact exactly what he's supposed to be doing. If the rest of the team is satisfied with his work though...

Well, that's a line of thought for when they weren't about to face off with a junior senior tag team. Sparing a look at the arrows he hadn't picked up, he jogs to the south end when the professor indicated the team was to start. He still has more than half of them, but he does hate to leave them loose.

"Alright boys. Ah know the escape with one person option seems easier, and Ah bet a lot of teams go for that. But... Ah do not want to make a plan like that, nor do Ah think Ah can. Ah am sure we aren't a match for a junior and a senior, so Ah say we stick together, and all get out. Ah suppose we could talk objections, but Ah don't think we have the time. So here Ah go.

Okay. Argent, ah think you're the only one who can go mano-e-mano with Savas. You go on up after him, fight him in the mid ground. Don't let him around to me and Persimmon, he'll crush us like compost. Ah'll cover you from a ways back, help keep in in your range. Persimmon, you're covering Noctis, doin' the same thing. Noctis, you're the fastest of us. You've got the best chance of keeping Suntalia pinned down. No stalling, no baiting required, go all out.

While you two keep the enemies centered, we'll be covering you and moving around the outside of the arena, loopin back to the entrance. The we can cover you as you get to us and we all escape. There's the plan."

Sherwood rolls his shoulders to try and relax a moment, feeling tired from just talking so much. But with any luck, this plan might work and they can be spared a good knocking. Glancing to the other end of the field, he sees the new opponents in ready stances and Sherwood sighs. He nocks an arrow and falls into his own ready stance. "And Ah'm pretty sure we don't have time for adjustments. Ready up ASPN." He says quietly.

[MissyMidna]

Noctis sighed hoping he would just be distraction again but apparently not. Suntalia was a short girl however Noctis knew better that to judge someone based of their size. He remeber that she is an upperclass men and could easily pinn him down. Noctis held his sword, feeling the slight crack aganst his fingers, for sure the dust function wasn't going to work so he needed to do this the old fashion way.

"I'm gonna get my ass kicked by a loli. Thats gonna hurt my pride," Noctis mummbled.

Going all out huh? Sherwood was one to try and impress the professor. They are so fucked.

"Heya Persimmon, try not to accidently shoot me."

[Flooberoid]

"Hey..." Persimmon put his hand Noctis' shoulder. He took a deep breath and looked as concerned for Noctis as possible. He even ignored the remark about shooting Noctis, which seemed to him like an insult to his marksmanship skills.

As he continued to speak, Persimmon's worried look gave way to a mischievous grin."You're gonna need a secret weapon to stand a chance. I don't know if your sword's in good enough shape to withstand dust after that hammer came down on it... but you could always use this. I've always wondered what would happen if you just, y'know, broke it open." He slipped one of his two remaining gravity shots into Noctis' hand, discreetly so as to hide it from the enemy. "Give it a go for me, hm? If you get into trouble, of course." He lingered just long enough see the look on Noctis' face before dashing off into position.

[CptSteel]

"That faunus is a monster. Well, I'm in, Sherwood. I trust you, and your plan. " Argent states with a grin, cracking his knuckles. Though, Argent knew if he actually fought Savas, Argent would probably die, but the tall elephant knew that he could hold him off. Maybe. If he was lucky. 

He slid the heavy weapon off his belt and transformed it, so it was in his hammer form. As soon as the fighting started, Argent was going to transform it, hopefully throwing the enemy off-guard.

"So, that whole time they were just making notes of our abilities, huh. That's..Unfair. I guess team ASPN will pull through, like it always does. Well, I say always, kind of just two, no, three fights. That's three more than zero, anyway." Argent chuckled, and began to hype himself up.