Hey guys and gals, Wardtortle here with the first chapter of my first story, following my own OC as he attempts to survive Beacon alongside everyone's favourite teams and staff.
I hope you enjoy and please leave positive feedback. More means better content!
And as usual, disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth.
Smile the Brightest: Chapter 1: Chance Encounter:
Beacon - Present Day:
Beacon certainly was impressive, a vast and vibrant courtyard with an inspiring statue of humanity standing victorious over the creatures of Grimm. This sight was the introductory marvel to all students as they stepped of the passenger carrier. Yet another sight drew gazes away from the splendour in front of them. An athletic young man with broad shoulders and upright posture seemingly stood taller than the rest of the student body, even though he only stood at five foot eleven inches. Dressed in a neat fitting black leather combat jacket and trousers with white trims that were layered with pouches. The jacket was worn over a simple black sleeveless vest and met matching fingerless gloves at the end.
Strapped at his side was a sheathed sword with an elaborate green handle, at his thighs were two holsters carrying large, vibrant pistols, the muzzles stopping just short of his knees. Contrasting weaponry certainly pulled eyes towards them, but what caught everyone's eye was what had been strapped to his back. Billowing slightly behind him was a massive sheet of white cloth, covering what most could only assume to be a fourth, and very deadly weapon.
Ignoring the stares of interest, admiration and jealousy the young man absorbed every detail of his new home into his mind. He sighed contently with a smile, running a gloved hand across his combed black hair as the night which found him at Beacon ran through his mind.
Vale – Last night:
The young man was leaning against the doorframe waiting for his name to be called.
How did I get dragged into this? Pondered the man as he pinched the bridge of his nose. I mean why did a simple trip to buy Dust before applying to Beacon turn into acting like a vigilante? He groaned as the thought of how much time had been wasted tonight by one choice.
"You may go Miss Rose" echoed a mature male voice from the other side of the door, signalling the young man to stop his complaining for now. A red cloaked girl sprinted past him in pure glee, leaving a trail of rose petals. The voice was heard once more calling him in. Sitting in the spotlight the youth came face to face with a relaxed older man and a severe blonde woman carrying a riding crop. First examining the collected man in front of him: topped with grey hair and sporting small round glasses, he wore a black jacket over a tidy waistcoat with a green scarf wrapped round his neck. Next to him his accomplice stared studiously with her green eyes, but the young man was more concerned with the riding crop she gripped tightly.
"Good evening Mister?" asked the man, breaking his train of thought.
"Tanian. Daniel Tanian" replied the youth quickly, snapping his attention to a now smiling man.
"Well Mr Tanian, I am-"
"Professor Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon." Interrupted Daniel swiftly, "I did overhear your entire conversation with… Miss Rose was it? Also it would be a bit pointless of someone wanting to join Beacon if he did not know you." The statement wasn't entirely true, Daniel had overheard the entire conversation so the girl inside had already identified the prestigious headmaster. Miss Rose or Ruby Rose, as Ozpin had addressed her, had explained her skill and desire to be a Huntress with child-like innocence and energy that brought more than a few smiles and chuckles from the other aspiring Huntsman.
"Quite right." Stated the professor, "a pleasure to meet you Mr Tanian".
"Likewise professor. No doubt you're going to make the same offer you made Miss Rose."
The blonde scowled at Daniel's blunt statement, gripping her riding crop tighter, causing Ozpin to raise his hand to cut her off.
"My apologies Professor Goodwitch!" Daniel speaking quickly with a smile, "Normally I am much more polite but I've been wanting to go to Beacon for quite a while"
Goodwitch huffed with indifference, allowing Ozpin to speak once more;
"So it would seem" Retrieving a tablet from Goodwitch he played the video recorded on it.
Daniel recognised it as the confrontation that happened under an hour ago.
Vale – Outside 'From Dust Till Dawn', 1 hour ago:
The night was relaxing to Daniel as he strolled down the street looking for the Dust shop a civilian had pointed him towards. Travelling to Vale had eaten through most of his supply so he needed to grab more before he could take Beacon's rigorous tests. The only sound the Huntsman aspirant could hear were his boots softly clicking with the cobblestones as he gazed upwards at the stars and shattered moon.
Suddenly shattered glass made Daniel jump, breaking the illusion of a peaceful night. His eyes widened as a small girl he would get to know as Ruby Rose stood with a scythe bigger than her, the blade stuck in the ground.
Wait, hold up, hang on! Daniel stalled himself while gathering his thoughts. That little girl has a SCYTHE! WITH A RIFLE IN IT! A brief skirmish raged as Daniel stood in shock. "Okay, now I've seen everything" Daniel muttered to himself while pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Well Red, I think we can all say this has been an eventful evening" spoke a man with a cane and bowler hat, stamping out his cigar. "And as much as I'd like to stick around…" pausing to raise his cane, the end flipping up into a crosshair, "I'm afraid this. Is where we part ways." As soon as he finished a flare launched from the cane, forcing Ruby to propel herself up with her scythe.
Recovering from the explosion both Daniel and the scythe wielder looked around for the criminal, catching him climbing a ladder onto the rooftops. After a brief exchange of words with the shopkeeper Ruby ran off, launching up onto the roof using her scythe.
Ah hell, groaned Daniel mentally as he rapidly followed up the ladder. As his head peered over the edge he witnessed the on the run criminal climbing into a Bullhead aircraft and reaching into his pocket. Reaction was a specialty of Daniel's as he darted forward while drawing his gladius, Youth, from its sheath. Striking with the flat of the blade, red Dust crystal lobbed from the aircraft collided with the flare shot afterwards mid-air. Pressing the advantage of confusion on the criminal's face Daniel's left hand drew a golden pistol with a long, rectangular barrel. A deafening bang filled the air as a round hit the criminal in the shoulder.
That shot would have drawn blood on the average man, but the criminal had strong Aura, taking the brunt of the shot. He retreated into the cockpit, only to be replaced by a high heeled woman in a red dress. Fire spewed from her hands, which Daniel could only weave around, receiving minor burns as the flames singed his jacket. Sliding his gladius back into its sheath, Daniel drew a similar pistol to his first, yet it was coloured a deep crimson. Barrages of Dust bullets flew as Daniel fired each pistol one after the other. But he stopped and stared inquisitively with a raised eyebrow at how the woman just deflected the rounds with her bare hand and a little Aura.
Seeing no means of besting the woman Daniel sheathed his pistols, not wanting to waste more rounds on a pointless fight. Without the stream of bullets the Bullhead closed its door and flew off, leaving Daniel to contend with Ruby gawking at him in awe.
"Are you a Huntsman?" She asked eagerly and wide-eyed, unaware of a livid blonde woman storming towards us. "If you are can I have your autograph?"
Vale – 1 hour later:
"Colour me impressed Mr Tanian. Miss Rose is certainly a prodigy at the age of 15, but you… show talent that isn't seen in many." Criticised Ozpin pleasantly before taking a long sip of coffee. "Reactions, speed and decision-making are all far above average. And despite Professor Goodwitch's complaints about you, 'letting them go', I recognise that you assessed the balance of the fight quite admirably".
"Thank you. Your praise means a lot to me Professor." Daniel replied honestly, gaining a small smile from the headmaster of Beacon.
"If I may object Headmaster," called out Professor Goodwitch in obvious annoyance, her right eye twitching. "Mr Tanian's skills are impressive but his blatant disregard for Miss Rose's safety during the confrontation warrants some… caution in accepting him to Beacon". Daniel's gaze shifted to Goodwitch. She was not wrong, not once had he checked to see if Ruby was handling the situation after his initial intervention.
Ozpin sighed, "A good point Glynda, but during combat with such a powerful foe one cannot allow distractions. Although spatial awareness is a key skill for advanced combatants, Mr Tanian was only barely avoiding those flames." Ozpin waved his hand towards Daniel while glancing at Goodwitch, pointing out the damaged jacket. Wisdom was a trait Daniel admired greatly, and Ozpin seemed like an endless font of it. A grin crept across the young man's face as Goodwitch huffed, accepting the older Huntsman's observation.
"On top of that," continued Ozpin, "Daniel's eagerness to join the prestigious ranks of Beacon matches Ruby's. This is simply an opportunity that no headmaster could pass up". Both pairs of adult eyes returned to Daniel. "I trust that you will make the most of this opportunity young man," the headmaster stated with a serious look over the top of his glasses.
"Naturally sir" replied Daniel flatly, matching Ozpin's stare with a polite smile.
"I'll make the arrangements Headmaster," Goodwitch conceded, her eyes not once moving from Daniel's direction until she had cleared the door.
"Good" Ozpin beamed, "Now it has been a long night so I suggest we part ways. Unless you would like some coffee?" Raising his own mug and eyebrows to emphasise the question.
"No thank you Professor. It seems I have a few supplies to grab before tomorrow" Standing up from his chair, Daniel nodded slightly and strode out, leaving Ozpin to smile widely behind his coffee mug before taking a long drink from it.
"Such an interesting pair of children Miss Rose and Mr Tanian are." Mused the headmaster as he too stood up and strolled out of the room.
Beacon – Present Day:
Heh, quite a bit of luck there. Daniel grinned as he ran the events of last night over and over in his mind. Perhaps I should find Ruby and thank her for drawing Ozpin's attention to us. A familiar red cloak passed by as the soon to be Huntsman-in-training stared at the ground, pondering how to show his appreciation to the young girl. Soon the train of thought was derailed by the joyful squealing of the very girl he sought. Cocking his head to the side, Daniel could only smile warmly as Ruby Rose's silver eyes shone in admiration as students passed her. But what caused him to chuckle was that Ruby was staring at the weapons each student wielded, pointing out the more exotic ones with glee.
Of course the girl with a rifle that mecha-shifts into an oversized scythe would be a weapon nut noted to himself. But at least I know how to break the ice now. Daniel sauntered towards Ruby, his eyes now distracted by a stunning sight; a girl only a few inches shorter than Daniel conversed casually with Ruby, a mane of golden hair flowing down to her hips. Walking closer Daniel overheard the two's interaction:
"… They're an extension of ourselves," gesturing towards the weapons. "They're a part of us! Oh they're so cool!" Ruby finished arguing, dragging out the emphasis on cool. Seeing his chance Daniel butted into the conversation:
"Not a bad point Ruby" the sudden interruption making the girls jump as Daniel halted his walk next to them.
"Umm… what? When did you get there? Who are you?" Ruby quizzed quickly, unsure of the new arrival.
"Weapons reflect us in how we wield them, the combat style we use often mirrors our personalities too." Daniel stated, initially ignoring the questions. Now alongside the girls Daniel paused to get a better look at the blonde, who wore a tan vest over a yellow crop cut that accentuated her breasts as well as a matching belt over her black shorts. Looking back up he noticed lilac eyes staring at him just as confused as Ruby while also scanning him from head to toe. This girl was the definition of a blonde bombshell. Daniel smirked, which transformed into a genuine smile as he returned his attention to Ruby, answering her questions. "Apologies for not introducing myself properly last night, but between the fighting, climbing and one furious Glynda Goodwitch we didn't get the chance to talk."
Ruby blinked twice, dumbfounded by the student who'd strolled up to her. Sighing loudly Daniel drew his gladius and flourished it in front of Ruby, a spark of recognition brought her back to reality.
"Ooooh, you'retheguywhodidthecoolthingontheroofwiththeswordandthepistols" Ruby squealed rapidly, eyeing up the gladius.
"You know him Rubes?" asked the blonde plainly.
The question immediately grabbed Ruby's attention. "Umm…well Yang… he sort of saved me from being blown up by Torchwick," Ruby admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.
"A looker and a good guy, that 10 is pretty close Soldier Boy." Yang grinned with indecent thoughts, causing Ruby to groan loudly.
"Eyes up here lady" Daniel quipped playfully, causing Yang to snap her eyes up and her widen her grin. "And Soldier Boy? I look far from military. The name is Daniel Tanian," rounding off the introduction with a friendly smile.
"Well I'm Yang Xiao-Long, Ruby's older sister and an official badass," Yang proudly stated, giving Ruby a one-armed hug. "It's great to see she's making friends already." Yang paused as something clicked in the back of her mind. "Oh no. I'M LATE FOR THE MEETUP!" the blonde exclaimed in panic as she ran off, spinning Ruby round. Ruby could only mumble and collapse as Yang left her dizzy. But as she collapsed luggage flew everywhere, prompting a loud, scolding question to come from beside Daniel:
"What are you doing?!"
Daniel paused as he recognised the voice, turning slowly he could only think: Ah crap.
I'm back! Did you enjoy meeting Daniel? I'll be using Volume 1 as a template, but naturally twisting events to fit my narrative.
Please leave feedback, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Wardtortle out!