"War is at hand. You feel it as well, I suspect," Ozpin declared.
Ironwood stared back at him. "You wouldn't dare." Ironwood warned.
Ozpin met this silent challenge with fury in his eyes. "I would." he said.
"We shall summon four heroes, from beyond the lands of Remnant. Perhaps they will aid us in our time of need." he finished.
Noah Maxwell's eyes flickered open. It was a beautiful day. In the way cliched fantasy novels put it, the birds were singing and the sun was shining. The forest floor was cool to the touch.. Wait a minute. Something was wrong with this picture.
Last he checked, Noah did not remember going to sleep in a forest.
He sat up.
"Are you fucking kidding me? The Collective's fucking with my head again, aren't they?" he muttered to himself.
Suddenly, he heard a distinctly inhuman growl from the shade of the woods. Noah took a rock into his hands, ready to sling it and run. What jumped out was something oddly bear-like, with a white and red mask upon its ursine muzzle.
It glared at Noah, its red eyes menacing and accusatory. And then it roared in his face.
Noah threw that rock with unholy precision and ran as if the Slenderman itself was after him. Most people in Remnant generally agreed that a person lacking experience in Aura could not outrun a Grimm.
Especially an Ursa Major Grimm.
Eventually, Noah tripped. The situation was not looking bright for him. This Ursa loomed above Noah, ready to maim him or worse.
At that moment, the part of him that would eventually take him over and turn him into Firebrand acted on impulse.
A fireball, red and hot, launched itself into the stomach of the Grimm. From Noah's hand. The Grimm, unprepared for this sudden attack, stumbled before letting out a dying roar and falling to the ground.
Noah looked down at his hand, which was now completely black, but slowly turning back to its normal color. "H.. holy shit.. I just shot a fireball.. out of my hand?" Noah breathed in amazement and fear.
He saw a red-headed girl coming towards him with a javelin in her hands. She looked like a Greek goddess of war.
"Where am I?" Noah demanded of her. The girl looked confused.
"I'm sorry?" she asked, a grin on her face. "Where the fuck am I?" he asked, more stern this time. Again, the girl's look of confusion grew even more evident.
"... You're in Vale. In the deepest part of these woods, where Grimm roam." she answered. She turned around and observed the Ursa corpse lying beside Noah. "It looks like you don't need any help here. You've already killed one Grimm, I see. Without weapons." she added, before walking away.
"No! Wait!" Noah called out. The girl turned and looked at Noah. "Do you know a place where I can stay? I really don't want to have to stay in these woods with these huge fucking monsters for the night." he asked. She nodded. "I'll take you there. My name's Pyrrha, by the way. Pyrrha Nikos." she finished, extending a hand to help him up.
There was a pause. He took her hand. "Noah Maxwell." he introduced.