Chapter 1: The Pirate and the Princess
The last training bot leveled his rifle and fired. The large youth raised his left arm and a wall of earth formed in front of him like a shield. The rubber projectiles bounced right off, when the fire ceased the boy lowered his shield and brought a massive fist coated in stone tight to the center of the robot. As metal clanged to the floor the boy placed a large finger on the red button and pressed it, all the while staring into the camera in the top corner of the room.
Ozpin sipped his tea and hummed to himself as Glynda Goodwitch approached his desk.
"Sir, I know you are fond of this boy but how can we admit someone who has absolutely no paperwork, let alone a past, or even a name?"
Ozpin sipped his tea before turning and addressing his old friend, "Glynda, we cannot pass on potential students just because the bureaucratic side of our school cannot be satisfied. Besides, the boy has a name, its Baird."
Scribbling the information down, the blond didn't even look up, "And how would you know this?"
"It's simple, he told me." Not waiting for her to ask when this happened, considering for all anyone knew the boy was a mute, he continued. "Now how many does that put us at for this year?"
"Well, after the Adel girl, that poor excuse for a mage, and the mute goliath, 18. I assume with the two, foreign exchange students, that will make an even 20 for the year."
"Or course, smaller than the previous class but who would expect us to take on more hunters and huntresses in a time of peace. Let us watch their audition tapes together shall we?"
Glynda began to walk out before stopping, a look of confusion on her face. "Sir?" she asked, "I assumed they would have been pick automatically, considering their circumstances."
"Now now, there's no reason to assume we accept based upon who your parents are or how accomplished of a fighter you are, let's see the princess first shall we?" The screen flashed over and the room the large boy, Baird, had been in was pristine and full of armed training drones. The two sat and for a long three minutes nothing happened. Ozpin leaned back and looked at his partner. "Do we need to fast forward?"
Glynda smiled, "No sir, just watch he button closely." Soon the button depressed and all the training bots shut down. A lithe girl materialized from behind the button and smiled up at the cameras. Lilith Callum, heir apparent to the Arcadian Throne, chameleon faunus, skilled at subterfuge, poisons, and botonny.
"Well, it looks like she makes the class, and her semblance? I remember hearing something about animals?"
"Yes sir, she can speak to animals, while not controlling them directly she can communicate, normally getting her way. It seems to be more of a connection to nature though, she can foster plant growth at an amazing rate. Creating vines and even trees in minutes." Glynda signed off on the paperwork and placed the file on the accepted pile. "Lastly, we have her bodyguard, Edwin von Krieger." Glynda sighed, "A 'privateer' in the Callum's navy. Former Iron Tooth Pirate, adopted son of Jerrik von Krieger, Captain of the Iron Tooth Pirates."
Ozpin chuckled to himself, "You seem hung up on this pirate think Glynda. The young man shows just as must promise as his friend. On top of that, his semblance is nothing to be trifled with." As the screen clicked over the two saw a young man standing at the beginning of the course. There was a simple cutlass at his side and he was clad in leather armor. When the bell sounded, he walked forward, confident of his abilities. The first bot charged, armed with a stun stick. Parrying the first blow, Edwin kicked the bot square in the chest then stabbed it through the neck joint. As he rounded a corner and came across two entrenched robots with their rifles raised he opened a pouch on his arm and with a fluid motion sent a stream of what appeared to be yellow sand towards the bots. When a few moments passed, Edwin raised his hand and at the flick of his wrist the dust ignited and electrocuted the robots.
"Impressive semblance, but what happens if he runs out of dust? The boy is not heavily armed?" There was an unimpressed tone to Glynda's voice. Almost as if answering, when locked in close quarters combat with one training bot and with another coming up on his rear Edwin holds a hand to his right thigh and a pistol seems to appear out of nowhere. Without looking he fires off three rounds, two string the bot in the chest the last splits its head in a shower of sparks. "Those weren't dust rounds…" there was a slight alarm to Glynda's voice. "This wasn't in his file at all."
"Relax Glynda, I'm sure Mr. Krieger has a few tricks up his sleeve. You don't survive in a hermit nation like Arcadia without adapting to the dangers of solitude and life on the high seas."
"You actually find this pirate aspect of the boy's life entertaining, don't you?"
"Of course, I always enjoyed tales from the seas in my youth." Ozpin smiled and sipped his tea as the prospective student made it to the end of the trial, leaving burn marks and broken training bots in his wake. "Well it appears he passes. That makes 20 prospects for the final trail, let's get them in her by the end of the week."
One week later…
Ozpin stood on stage, facing the last team he would announce for the incoming class, "Edwin, Krieger, Baird, Lilith Callum, and Tobias Odesseion. You will henceforth be known was Team Cobalt." The letters KBLT flashed on the screen above the headmaster, with each member's portrait below their respective letter. "Led by Edwin Krieger."
Six month later…
Glynda Goodwitch's heels clacked as she rushed to Ozpin's office. Throwing open the door with her magic she approached the headmaster's desk, worried and out of breath. "Ozpin, we have a situation." The headmaster turned from his window to her, a quizzical look on his face. Collecting herself she continues, "I have just received word that only one first year team has returned from their first field mission, teams IRIS, GREY, and KBLT are all missing as well as professors Aris and Jones who were with IRIS and GREY. CFVY, the hunter they were working with and a very shaken Port just returned." Without a word, Ozpin rose form his desk and headed towards the door, Glynda followed. "We couldn't get much out of Port but it seems there was an ambush right outside of the city, White Fang sir." Goodwitch hesitated to continue as Ozpin stopped.
"Just the Fang Glynda?"
"No sir." She looked him right in the eyes, ""It seems they have brought the Grimm with them."