Don't mind me, I'm just trying out new things.
Part one is mostly exposition and infodump to explain and reinforce the passage of time. Most of it is in Louise's perspective. Part two is where stuff actually happens. There's also two omakes here. One them is my poor attempt at humor and the second one is somewhat a response to Volume 3.
Let's get on with the show.
Life of a Mage Turned Huntress Part 1
"Do you believe in destiny?" - [REDACTED]
It has been half a year since Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere -or Louise Valliere for short- arrived at the world called Remnant. A world where it only has one shattered white moon, nobility barely exist, and where magic equally barely exist, but the effects of magic can be summoned using the mystical substance called Dust. A world where humanity shares its home with animal people called the Faunus and the demons that lurk the night. The monstrous Grimm.
It was during the fateful day of the annual Spring Familiar Summoning where it all started. It was the day that all second year students of the Tristain Magic Academy would have to summon their very own familiar. Louise was no exception to this, even if her practical grades says otherwise.
The Gallian, Charlotte, summoned a magnificent wind dragon as her own familiar while that despicable Germanian, von Zerbst, summoned a less than stellar salamander. All the other students called forth their own summons. From birds to snakes and even one managed to call forth a bugbear.
It was Louise's turn when everyone scoffed at her. She was a failure of a mage after all. A mere zero amongst her peers. She did her best to ignore them -truly she did, but all of it was for naught. After casting the summoning spell -with the subsequent explosion that came with her spells-, a green oval tore a rift in reality, heralding the way for whatever she summoned.
Unfortunately, it was her the portal was after. Green electricity arced and ran itself through her. There was no pain but a feeling of being pulled in overcame whatever she was thinking at the time. It pulled her in the portal, and just like that, Louise Valliere was whisked away from Tristain.
Into a different place. A different country… And a different world.
Her memory of the events were hazy at best. All she could ever remember was doing the spell then *poof* she was now sitting on her bottom in a middle of a crimson forest forever stuck in a stasis of fall.
The event didn't go unnoticed, no, no, no. Foul beings of pure evil and darkness that took the shape of creatures with boney protrusions and equally boney face plates greeted her with ravenous hunger and glee.
Without a second thought, she fought them.
Her explosions maimed or outright killed the beasts. But the explosions also attracted the warriors that roamed the crimson forest. It was a team of warriors with a penchant for sweets and the color brown. The first year Hunter team CFVY of Beacon Academy. Seeing as Louise was a mere civilian in a Grimm infested forest, the team of warriors did what they do best: slay the monsters that threatened humanity. And slay they did.
The first thought that came into the young mage's mind was that she was in the floating continent of Albion, since the warriors were speaking in Albionian but with a few odd colloquialisms. Every Tristanian noble worth their salt did learn how to speak Albionian. It was a necessity due to Tristain and Albion having an alliance that has lasted centuries.
These thoughts were stomped however when they said that they were in a place called Forever Fall in the continent of Vytal. The warriors did however offer to help Louise by bringing her to their headmaster.
The team of warriors were sent by their headmaster to investigate terror attacks by a collective group of bandits called the White Fang.
They were however weary of Louise due to how she gave quick glances to the rabbit girl with them. Louise did not comment however; it was either due to the fact that they saved her, respect, or was just shock that still lingered with her.
Her shock and surprise only grew greater when a strange flying machine -that was only the size of a carriage or two- came in and picked them up. It was entirely made of metal, the shape did not make sense to her, and flew using flames and strong winds that came out of its wings instead of windstones that powered the airships she knew.
Their flight was only less than an hour at best, which was another surprise to Louise. She didn't know any airships that went that fast or if the academy was that close by.
The warriors that saved her introduced themselves as students of the most esteemed Hunter academy. The leader was named Coco Adel, a woman who carried herself with the grace and arrogance of true noble woman. Louise likened her to the detestable von Zerbst. The Germanian looking man was called Fox Alistair who looked the part of a ruffian. The timid rabbit girl is Velvet Scarlatina -who Louise could only look in disbelief and fear- and the massive man of a knight that is Yatsuhashi Daichi.
She thanked them before the headmistress, Glynda Goodwitch, a woman who deeply reminded the young mage of her mother and her honored sister Eleanore. The riding crop did not help her unease.
Beacon Academy was not what she expected at all. It looked more the part of a palace on top of a cliff overlooking the thick monster infested forests below.
The technological marvels that surrounded her as she walked the steps of Beacon was astonishing. Horseless carriages were tinkered with by some of the students. There were others that trained with muskets that could fire hundreds of bullets in a blink of an eye and could take out a target miles away. Communication methods that let people instantly talk to someone a country away. And, the most baffling of all, melee weapons -be they spears, swords, glaives, maces, and some such- was also a gun.
After basking in Remnant's technological advancements and prowess, she was led to Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy.
Her first impression of the man was odd. He looked far too young to be a headmaster -even if the grayed hair begged to differ -her fiance Viscount Wardes did have gray hair after all-, too well dressed with the green turtleneck and overall business attire he wore, he always had a mug of the Rhub al'Khali commodity that was called coffee, and the aura of superiority and calm he had with him.
He could give Headmaster Osmond a run for his money.
Ozpin listened intently to Louise's story. No interrupts or question, he just listened with every ounce of his being. After explaining her conundrum to the headmaster, he proposed the idea that Louise was in entirely different world from her own, and to emphasize his point, he pointed out to the lone shattered moon that was the constant companion of all the beings of Remnant.
This obviously brought despair onto Louise's mind. She was now in an entirely different and unfamiliar world with no connections, no home, no family, and no single coin to live off of.
Seeing the dismay within Louise, Ozpin and Glynda ushered her into an elevator to bring her to show one of Beacon's most kept secrets: the stasis pod that kept the Fall Maiden barely alive.
This was where they told her of the existence of magic within Remnant. The Four Maidens and their predecessor, the lone wizard. The Maidens held considerable power that was gifted to them by the wizard. Each held unique powers of the elements. The comparison to Founder Brimir and his familiars were not lost. But the existence of magic was also a bane to all who held them. Countless villains within Remnant's history has attacked and killed the Maidens with the intention of gaining their powers.
The current Fall Maiden herself was attacked by dastardly forces wishing to usurp and steal her power away from her. This left her crippled and barely alive. The harlot that attacked her was still at large and was still plotting to gain all of the magic the Fall Maiden held.
All of these were secrets that Louise had to keep with her to the grave.
Seeing as Louise was the fifth person in the current generation to hold the power of actual magic, Ozpin and Glynda took it upon themselves to take care of the Valliere scion, whatever the life she chose to lead in this world of Remnant.
But what was she going to do? She had no combat ability to speak of. She was a failure of a mage, destined to be mocked by everyone in Halkeginia. Would it be right to start anew in Remnant? What if she needed to go home? How would she even go back? Would people attack her as well because of her meager hold on magic? Would it even be right to leave the people of Remnant to the oppression of the Grimm?
In the end, there was only one choice Louise Valliere made. A choice that would lead her to the civilizations lost to the monsters of Grimm. And more importantly, a choice to help save the lives of innocents.
She wanted -needed to become a Huntress.
The first part of her first month in Remnant was spent learning the culture and history of the world. A thankless task, but a necessary one so that she could fit in within society without attracting too much unwanted attention.
Team CFVY was made aware of what she was as it was the headmaster's wishes and the mere fact that they were the ones who Louise came into contact with first.
As she brushed past history book after history book, she came across the history and oppression of the Faunus. This brought dismay to her. The way the Faunus were treated were similar -if not worst- to how Halkeginia treated Louise and the commoners who held no grasp on magic whatsoever. After absorbing anything and everything she could, she ran to find the rabbit girl she scoffed at. She needed to apologize to Velvet Scarlatina.
After the apologies and the water works, team CFVY could only accept the babbling and crying of the mage that had literally thrown herself to their feet. This was the beginning of the odd friendship that Louise has made with the close-knit team CFVY.
On the second half of her first month came the time of which was tradition to all Huntsmen and Huntresses. She had to forge her own weapon. Custom crafted weapons were the constant companion of every protector of Remnant. The weapons they forged with their bare hands that would bring them victory and peace.
Coco and Yatsuhashi were the resident experts on weapon crafting that Louise could turn to.
The mage still had her wand, but it was not enough to slay the creatures of Grimm. She could not lean on her her explosive magic; she needed a more reliable melee option.
The swordwand was the perfect weapon for her.
The smithy Beacon has was expansive. It had every tool a master blacksmith needed and would ever dream of. It ranged from state of the art workbenches to auto-hammers and grinders. The vast collection of ingots and metals only accentuated the workshop's quality.
She started with forging the blade, striking and heating the ingot day and night. She spent every waking moment she had in the forge with Yatsuhashi as the mentor and a strict tutor she constantly had in the forging and shaping process of the blade. The cobalt blue blade itself was supposed to be a blade for a rapier, but when the forging process was done, it ended up far lengthier than what Louise was expecting. It was around 0.91 meters -or 36 inches- with a hollowed out part near where the hilt should reside to accommodate her wand. The length of the cobalt blade felt right to her.
When the blade was done - shaft to it was less of a blade but more of triangular spike that shaped the cross section- it was now time to create the hilt. This was where Coco decided to grace Louise with her technical prowess with machinery and Dust. The change of design from rapier to estoc was a boon to them as an estoc required a grip that accommodated a two handed combat stance. The entire hilt's aesthetic was with a crucifix in mind. The crossguard and the pommel was easily forged but had been meticulously lorded over by Coco. It was due to how she wanted to install a simple Dust manipulator inside for simple discharges of Nature's Wrath for ranged attacks or to push any opponents that got too close. The manipulator itself resided within the grip as the pommel was where the weapon received its Dust cartridges.
With the parts done, it was time to put the weapon together.
Runes were etched on the cobalt blue blade to accommodate Dust casting and her own explosive spells for the swordwand. Her well worn wand entered halfway through the cross section of the blade with the handle of the wooden foci jutting out. The crossguard went through the handle of the wand along with the grip that housed the Dust manipulator. The pommel and wiring of the needed machinery was the last things to be assembled.
It was a magnificent weapon. The dull runes accentuated the cobalt blue of the of the weapon. The gunmetal black of the crucifix hilt and pommel gave it a much more modern aesthetic that would not be out of place with other Huntsmen weapons. The grip was comfortable and accommodated multiple combat stances. Lastly, the Dust manipulator worked and performed within Coco's liking.
Naming weapons was another Remnant tradition that team CFVY forced upon Louise. She did have to agree, a weapon this magnificent -and was forged with her blood, sweat, and tears- needed a name. A name that would resonate with her troubled past of her old world and the hopeful future of her new home.
She named her hand forged estoc Catharsis.
Her seventeenth birthday -on Remnant's calendar as May eleventh- came and went by as with the second month of her new life. Ozpin's gift was simple and was given to Louise a week prior from her actual birthday. He unlocked her Aura.
Aura was the person's soul exerting and manifesting itself to protect the host, among other things. As Louise's own was unlocked, she felt her very soul burst forth from her body and engulfed her with its protective warmth. It was a mystical event that Louise would remember fondly for the rest of her days.
Her Semblance also manifested when her Aura was unlocked. The Semblance gifted her body with absolute control and power of whatever she could cast with her explosive brand of magic. Her usual explosions were now much more accurate and more destructive than previously before. In short, her Semblance turned her entire body into a foci for her magic. She chalked it up as something she inherited from her mother as the Valliere matriarch could cast high level wind spells without a foci as well, but it took a toll on her body and willpower while Louise could continuously cast spells without a foci normally.
This made her idly wonder if she could also route an entire army like her mother, Karin the Heavy Wind, did with an entire Germanian army trying to invade Tristain. Her mother was a one-woman-army that embodied every aspect of the word 'legend' after all.
She celebrated her actual birthday roaming the streets of Vale to experience the cultures and practices with her own very eyes, with team CFVY as her liaisons, guards, and the first friends she spent her birthday with. She couldn't wish for anything else.
It was just a simple event where Yatsuhashi would bring her and the team to several restaurants that served cultural dishes while Coco and Velvet would drag her around the shopping district to buy clothes for her. She did desperately need new clothes as the things she could only wear were her Tristain Magic Academy uniform and the Beacon uniform that was issued to her for her to blend in properly, even if she was only Beacon's guest. She could not however wear Coco or Velvet's clothes since they had a vastly different build compared to Louise.
Most of the articles of clothing that the women of team CFVY got her evoked her Magic Academy uniform or outright stole Glynda Goodwitch's fashion sense; that of a disciplinarian. It was mostly frilled dress shirt, ruffle shirts, dark skirts with varying lengths, a few accessories, leather boots, and a few cloaks. Velvet assured her that it was also a tradition for Huntsmen and Huntresses have their own unique look to accentuate Remnant's insistence on individuality. The rest of what they got were simply clothes fit for the seasons. They had to be on par with Coco's standards, unfortunately. There was even a few times where she tried to force Louise to wear glasses, sunglasses, or any other form of eyewear for that matter. The unfortunate part of the event was of course due to Yatsuhashi and Fox's chagrin as they were demoted from Huntsmen to luggage carriers, or more aptly put by Louise as "beasts of burden".
Before they could advance in their celebrations however, they had Louise's gifts sent to Beacon via courier much to the men of team CFVY's relief.
It was during the night where Fox truly shined with his intricate -and to Louise, laughably odd- knowledge of Vale's nightlife. He brought them to the questionable part of the town where supposed parties took place. Deep within Vale was his favourite bar, a place simply called The Bar; Owned by Hei "Junior" Xiong who was also an information broker Fox frequently visited.
It was in The Bar where she got her taste of Huntress-on-Huntress combat.
A buxom blonde brawler -who Louise assumed was also a Huntress or one in training- invaded the bar and promptly caused havoc and mayhem throughout the establishment. It happened too fast for Louise to keep track of. Coco and her team were already doing their best to save any civilians caught in the crossfire while she was still stuck in her hazy thoughts. When her mind finally caught up, she was already in the middle of combat with the buxom brawler. It was fortunate that she did not neglect to bring her estoc with her.
The brawler was good, numerous times better than Louise in fact. She could barely keep up with the flurry of attacks, but it didn't matter as the thrill of combat overcame her. Sloppy parries and clumsy ripostes were met with devastating punches and strikes while her explosions were matched as the brawlers own shotgun blasts or she outright shrugged the attacks and negated their intended effects.
It didn't matter to Louise. The pain didn't matter to her. All that mattered was in that moment she felt well and truly alive. Adrenaline pumped throughout her veins as her Aura kept her from harm's way.
Their entire fight only lasted a scant few minutes -and with Louise losing badly- but it didn't matter. The elation she felt from their duel was more than enough.
The buxom brawler wasn't through with her reign of chaos and fire unfortunately. She destroyed the entire establishment and gave Junior a bruised rib or two, along with Louise's own few bruises and cuts.
It was after the chaos that Coco arrested the brawler using her status as a Huntress of Beacon. She was, however, released under the orders of Ozpin and the mere fact that she was also a Huntress-in-training under the tutelage of Signal Academy.
The rest of Louise's months was spent doing combat training and getting used to using Aura in combat situations. Her impromptu duel with the buxom brawler showed how much of a greenhorn she truly was compared to her peers. Her resolve did not waver from this fact. It only tempered her steel determination further. It was merely another obstacle she needed to overcome with her friends.
Her training as a Huntress was grueling, painful, and unusually cruel but she had to endure all of it. It was the only way for her to be the protector of the innocent. To be something that surpassed her previous status as a zero. To be a true heroine.
Fox handled unarmed training, Coco with firearms, Yatsuhashi with defensive combat, and Velvet with weapons training due to how she was the most knowledgable with weapons and her sheer ability to adapt in any combat situation with any weapon she had available. They went through fencing stances, half-swording, Dust manipulation, pommel strikes, and the infamous murder strike using the hilt of a sword.
With princess Henrietta being only a fleeting memory of her childhood, it was at this time where Louise was confident and comfortable enough to call team CFVY her true friends.
On the first part of her third month was when Ozpin revealed Louise's existence and her magical prowess to the Councils that lead the kingdoms of Remnant and the ones responsible for protecting the Four Maidens. But to Louise, they were merely the 'Councils of poorly lit bald men and women'. She did try her best not laugh at their expense or embarrassment of Headmaster Ozpin.
The headmaster explained to the Council of how she had the gift of honest to Dust magic. Her magic was unorthodoxed as it was compared to the legend of the Four Maidens. He reasoned that even if her magic was merely explosions, it was still quite the asset to combat the evils of the creatures of Grimm. Most of the Councilmen were weary of the claims but still put their faith to Ozpin. All of the members of the Councils did however unanimously accepted and agreed to the proposition that Ozpin gave them about training and protecting the newly found magic user.
Ozpin however, did not reveal Louise's origin or where she came from or even the world of Halkegenia. He only gave some details about Louise to the Councils. Said details were the established backstory the headmaster created -or forged- for her.
Louise Valliere lived in Mistral and was orphaned when her parents and entire family clan was brutally murdered. She stowed away on the nearest ship and sailed away to spend her time living in Vale and trying to survive, only discovering her magical prowess later in life.
She lived off the streets begging for lien to feed herself until she was taken in by a small time gang. She grew more and more depressed and broken with the life she led with the gang as they tried to be more and more violent. Her life took a turn for the worst and she tried to commit suicide in Emerald Forest where team CFVY found her and rescued her. This event led to her discovering her magical abilities. She was taken in recently by Headmaster Ozpin due to her magical abilities and potential.
Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere -cousin of the crown princess of Tristain, daughter of the Valliere Duke and Karin the Heavy Wind, and a failure of a mage- was merely Louise Valliere the hopeful orphan who dreamed of being a Huntress while possessing some semblance of magical ability.
This did not bother Louise at the slightest. She has already given up her past life for this new one that was served to her on a silver platter. She heartily accepted her cover story without hesitation and question.
The rest of her third month was spent with more combat training and heavy studies to keep up with Beacon's curriculum. Her extensive knowledge of the Brimiric magic system was nigh useless in her new home of Remnant after all.
Louise spent less time with her friends, CFVY, due to the fact that their finals were already coming up as their school year neared its end. All of them were busy studying and doing tests, and if they weren't, they were trying to relax and gain composure and concentration for their next tests. They did, however, try to spend as much time with Louise they could. Velvet especially. The two of them grew closer because they saw each other as kindred spirits who wanted to protect each other from trouble.
Velvet was her big sis Cattleya now, even her soft spoken voice calmed Louise's nerves. Coco even reminded her of her own honored sister Eleanore, even if Coco was nicer and spoiled Louise every moment she could. It was also a great relief to her that Fox and Yatsuhashi treated her like she was a part of their team; a part of their family.
So it was tremendously frustrating to Louise that she couldn't graduate or go on missions with CFVY due to the fact that right now she was just a guest at Beacon Academy and not a student. Or the fact that she was an initiate for the next school year's wave of hopeful students who wish to enter the hunting school.
It was however unfortunate that Louise spent less time with CFVY during the month. Their final tests as first years were rearing their ugly heads for the team to face. They spent every waking moment they had studying and cramming whatever they had. They had barely spent any time with Louise. She could understand of course. Education and the annoyances that it brought with it was universal it seems.
This did bother Louise as she already felt uncomfortable without them. They felt like family to her. A family she could love. A family who she knew reciprocated her feelings.
Velvet was her favorite; always cuddling her and calming her nerves whenever she felt stressed and depressed. Velvet always knew what to say. She was the soft spoken and lovable older sister. Velvet was just like her older sister, Cattleya. Coco on the other hand was strict and stern, just like Louise's honored sister Eleanore. But unlike her disciplinarian and cold sister, Coco liked doting and spoiling Louise, always bearing gifts for her surrogate little sister. Fox and Yatsuhashi were the rebellious and comically stern brothers respectively.
She loved all of them dearly.
So the thought of not graduating with them or being officially part of their team bothered her greatly. They were nearing the end of their first year in Beacon while Louise was merely the academy's honored guest. She was of course part of the next school year's wave of hopeful initiates wishing to enter the school. She would be assigned to her own team who she will spend four years shedding blood, sweat, and tears. Even if these were the rules and tradition that the culture of Hunters was built on it still frustrated her.
Her newfound family did reassure her that she was and forever will be a part of their closely knit family.
She did spend most of her free time familiarizing herself with Remnant's technology. It was still too baffling to her. Computers, Scrolls, CCT, titljets and airships, Dust powered vehicles, even just the basics like electricity and plumbing were still all new to her. She was, of course, a quick learner.
She'd absorb whatever she could. Through books, asking CFVY or miss Goodwitch, or just plain old trial and error, she learned. She often boasted to everyone, even herself, that she had the perfect mind and mindset to adapt to any situation. Founder, she was living in an entirely different world that was totally unfamiliar to her!
And so her third month was spent learning Remnant's technology and more combat training -and training with Nature's Wrath- from hell with Glynda Goodwitch.
On the fourth month, Louise was dragged to the continent of Mantle, to the military nation of Atlas, by Headmaster Ozpin to train with his old acquaintance's daughter. Said old acquaintance was a scientist and one of Remnant's most brilliant minds. There was also a general who Ozpin deemed to be one his oldest friends, General James Ironwood, who would train this mysterious daughter of the scientist and Louise.
As she left, she bid her farewells to CFVY, promising to keep in constant contact with them at all times. It was endearing but she kept her promise through and through.
Atlas managed to baffle Louise more than Vale. It was paradise within a frozen wasteland; an entire kingdom dedicated to strength and power; always showing and bragging its military might. Dozens upon dozens of airships patrolling its skies constantly while Atlesian Knight combat mechs were a common enough sight to be completely ignored by its citizens like common furniture. Their technology and military prowess blew Vale out of the water.
Ozpin assured her that sight seeing would be done on a later date as they had more important matters to attend to: General Ironwood and Louise's training.
General James Ironwood greeted her with the utmost respect and fully accepted Ozpin's claims that she was another human who had a grasp of mystic art of magic. The general was also informed of Louise's status as an alien in another world. The last person to know of this secret was a man named Qrow Branwen. They were a part of Ozpin's brotherhood after all, so they needed to know of Louise.
After the niceties were done, the good general introduced Louise to her training partner for the rest of her time in Atlas. One daughter of a renowned scientist; one Penny Polendina. A girl with bright ginger hair that was accentuated with a lopsided pink bow at the back of her head. Her odd fashion sense would give Coco a heart attack if she ever saw the girl. The green neon lines that accentuated her white and grey blouse-dress combo and her black stocking and boots were probably the cause. Her emerald eyes and freckled face gave Penny overall look of innocence.
This Penny Polendina was an odd one. She was far too unnaturally polite for Louise's liking; always chipper and greeted her with a toothy grin. Her body moved with a grace of an earth golem as well. She was also ridiculously and extremely powerful. Too powerful for someone close to Louise's age in fact. She could even match Louise's destructive spells.
She could use numerous swords that shot out beams of energy with her invisible strings like marionette. This was a combat style that was too erratic and unpredictable for Louise to adapt to. The bouts were always one sided, ending with Penny as the constant winner.
This did not bother Louise much as their difference in strength was quite obvious. What bothered her was her lack of interaction with the girl outside of their bouts and training.
She was not fortunate enough to create any meaningful friendship with Penny as her father and General Ironwood were far too protective of the girl. They always seemed to usher Penny away or Ozpin dragged her someplace else after every training session. This frustrated Louise to no end as she wanted to create more friendships within her new homeworld.
"Win some, lose some, kiddo." As Fox would always remind her whenever she confided her troubles with team CFVY. At the very least, she still had constant contact with her surrogate family that she loves dearly.
During their joint combat training however, Louise finally managed to use and develop two new schools for her unique case of magic: Teleportation and Illusion. It was all a noodle incident on how she developed these spells; a simple miscast that gave her new windows of possibility.
She could teleport to any location within her visual range without a significant hit to her willpower reserves, thus giving her the ability to use it continuously without any negative effects. She could also drag objects and people with her, willing or unwilling. Although bringing large objects or people put more strain on her willpower.
Her Illusion magic was also astounding. She could create lifelike illusions that could even mimic some speech and/or mannerism of the intended target. The illusions she could create varied from how much willpower she poured her into an illusion, the more power is put the more convincing it is. The illusions' strength and time limit also varied and depended on how much willpower Louise wanted to invest in them.
These new spells were an added boon to her as her own Semblance powered them to even deadlier heights.
The sudden development of new spells solidified her station to the Councils as the fifth holder of magical abilities within Remnant. There were only a few of the councilmen that doubted her magical abilities and prowess. She felt good as they finally recognized her skills with magic, even if they were merely just a handful of spells.
The spells gave her more options and the sudden shift in power gave her an advantage against Penny Polendina. If she couldn't match her power, then trickery and cunning were her options against an immensely powerful opponent. It was a dishonourable tactic, but if the life she wanted to lead would make her fight monster of darkness, any tactic was viable as long as she protected humanity and Faunus-kind alike.
All of the bouts with Louise and Penny were close calls, but it seemed that she was still far too much for Louise, even with her newly discovered spells.
And so her time in Atlas went on monotonously with combat training with Penny, failed attempts at making friends with said girl due to the overprotective father and general, and her constant studying in preparation for the life of a Huntress.
Louise's fifth month was spent with the headmistress of Beacon Academy, Glynda Goodwitch. She was spending her vacation at Vacuo and Ozpin decided it would be funny for Goodwitch to babysit Louise. And so the eccentric headmaster threw Louise to the nearest bullhead with her baggage and told the pilot to go to Vacuo.
Having a lost alien with magical powers in a tropical kingdom that actively tried to kill you if you ventured outside its walls forced Glynda to babysit Louise. Much to the chagrin of both of them.
This series of events annoyed both Louise and Glynda, but they managed to tolerate the situation they were thrown in. Louise was always happy to explore the kingdoms of Remnant and their cultures while Glynda only needed to act like a strict older sister to keep her student in line in their trip. Vacuo had numerous tourist traps after all.
They both spent their time sightseeing the tourism locations that dotted around Vacuo and relaxing at the white beaches the Kingdom so thoroughly boasted. It was relaxing for both of them -cathartic even.
Stressed and tired was putting it lightly for Louise. Constant combat training and studying for her life as a Huntress swallowed her time fully after all. Her body ached frequently and her muscles were always sore. It was all thanks to the magnificent healing capabilities of Aura that her body didn't tear itself apart.
Glynda on the other hand...
Glynda was always knee deep in stress as Ozpin's antics drove her insane and restless. On the outside, the man always held the air of authority and responsibility; he was charismatic enough to hold enough power for the Councils to fear his authority. Powerful enough to have the Hunters of Vale wrapped around his finger. But she knew. Oh she knew. She knew that the man was nothing more than a manchild deep within. A manipulative manchild to be sure, but a manchild nonetheless. His caffeine addiction was the worst of all her troubles! He even named a team after it!
The summer vacation they spent together rid them both of all the stress and grime as they unwound and relaxed for the rest of the month, with only having casual exercises to keep them both in shape.
They did however get too many encounters with the flirty kind. They both promised each other not to talk about it ever again and scrub it from their minds.
They enjoyed each other's company very much, even if they both did not openly accept it for various reasons or fears. Louise was the little sister Glynda never had and Glynda was the sweet combination of honored sister Eleanore and big sis Cattleya for Louise.
Glynda did sense how Louise adored her. Hell, she was even tempted to adopt Louise as it would give the child some semblance of home for her in Remnant and maybe even give Glynda the opportunity to finally use her dormant motherly instincts. It was regretful that she was held back by protocol and her duty as a guardian of the Maidens. All Glynda could really do was give her silent support and stand by the child as a teacher and a friend.
It was the first day of Louise's sixth month in Remnant. It has been half a year since she arrived in the mysterious world of monsters and heroes. A world where humanity is constantly hunted down by monsters borne of pure darkness and evil. A world where magic -the concept that has plagued her mind since the day she was born- barely exists.
A world where she truly belonged.
The alarm of her Scroll blared loudly as it forced Louise awake. Her pink eyes fluttered as she tried to blink the sleep out of them. She wasn't a morning person. She hated waking up early but she had to do it to train her body for various situations that deemed it necessary to wake up in a moment's notice.
Such was the life of a Huntress after all.
Tapping the 'off' button of her alarm, she groaned loudly as she internally cursed the cruelty that was morning. Rolling out of the bed, she let her small feet touch cold floor. A small shiver made its way through her spine as the cold tiles' temperature ran through her entire body. She slowly made her way to the large window that led to her suite's balcony.
She was in a popular hotel in Vale; all expenses paid by the headmaster of Beacon himself. It was more of an apology for his part in playing the prank he did a month prior.
After her month with Goodwitch, Louise opted to go back to the kingdom a few weeks early in preparation for initiation. There were still things she needed to study on, things she needed to do, and she still needed some training to psych herself up for initiation. Her life as a Huntress was about to start within a scant few weeks and every fibre of her being felt right.
All her life she felt like a failure -a zero-, but now -now it's different. Everything was right. Everything felt so right.
With her usual 'my life is going great' ritual done, she decided to freshen up and eat breakfast somewhere close by so that she could continue her studies of history, the sciences, and Aura based martial arts. It was all light reading to keep her mind sharp and to expand her somewhat still lacking knowledge of Remnant.
'I can't believe it's almost half a year. Who knew my biggest failure would also bring me to a place where Ican actually do good and fight monsters made of pure evil?'
She stretched for a few minutes to loosen up her body. Her thin frame now sported wiry muscles that she developed over the course of her fairly brutal training. A few more cracks of her joints echoed throughout her hotel suite before taking a quick shower to wash away the grime she accumulated through her sleep.
With the cleansing of her body done, she started drying the tresses of her pink hair with a towel. After all her time with technology, she still couldn't trust or bring herself to use a dryer. Opting to do it the old fashioned way was fine for her.
Damp towel on hand and newly dried hair, she went to the pile where she kept her belongings. She fished out one of her many white frilled dress shirts, a thick black skirt, and pair of dark stockings. All articles of clothing were specifically made survive the lifestyle of a Huntress. All of her clothes were up to Huntress standard as they were all judged and bought by Coco. And all of them were lined with nanoweaves to add extra protection for the wearer.
A sigh escaped her lips as it slowly crept into a small smile. 'She spoils me too much. I appreciate it, but it feels like I owe her a lot. Not that she would really mind. She already brushed it off too many times.'
When the task of clothing herself was finished, and her needed studying materials and other miscellaneous objects were placed neatly within a dull auburn handbag, she readied herself for the most grueling task of it all: the decision whether to bring her dark purple cloak and estoc or to just explore the city sans them. In the end, she decided to bring both to convey her status as a Huntress-in-training and to keep away would be pickpockets from ambushing her. Founder knows that Vale still had its fair share of scum and villainy.
She clipped the cross shaped lock of her cloak with her hair inside it so that her pink locks wouldn't hinder her if a fight broke out. Catharsis was sheathed in her rapier belt; the belt itself had a few pockets for Dust vials and the belt buckle held her emblem which was the pentagram of the Founder's five schools of magic.
Slipping her small feet within her knee length leather boots, she steeled herself for another day of exploration and adventure.
Hopefully her day didn't come to that.
Author's Notes:
This will merely be a twoshot at the moment, as this idea was only a spur of the moment thing.
Here's an omake, even though I probably suck at writing comedy.
Skip the omakes and just go to the next chapter if you want to avoid my attempt at humor. Poor attempt at humor.
Omake
"... Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren will be now known as team JNPR. Led by Jaune Arc."
It was now Louise's moment of truth.
It was now the time that Louise was to be placed in a full team of capable Huntresses and Huntsmen. A team where she could trust her life with. A team that will prove to everyone that she isn't a zero, that she is a Huntress-in-training; practically a heroine in the making.
'Son of Germanian whore, get on with it!'
But all Louise Valliere could do was whimper silently as she felt her insides dying slowly.
"Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere," The use of Louise's full name bothered and annoyed her more so than being called in with other men her age. She already left that part of her life behind and besides, that clashed with her supposed backstory. She assumed that this was payback for the times Louise was a nuisance to the headmaster. Like the times she 'accidentally' exploded his coffee. Or maybe when she let slip the information of magic and the Fall Maidens to team CFVY. Or the time where she humiliated him in front of the Councils. Or maybe the time- "Please step forward."
Louise's thoughts ground to a halt as she unconsciously stepped beside the man -who she assumed was Dove Bronzewing- who had a brown hair and and bronze plate armor. She did not want to stand beside Russel Thrush, who was her degenerate for a partner. Noticing it now, all the the men with her on the stage was wearing clothing that would've been more appropriate to peasants or lowly guardsmen recruits she usually saw at the border of Germania.
"Henceforth, you all will be known as team CRDL. Led by Cardin Winches-" Ozpin cut himself off as he started coughing harshly. Everyone in the massive theater looked worriedly at him. Everyone seemed to assume that the headmaster was having a heart attack -or worse, a coffee withdrawal.
After a few seconds of coughing out coffee particles, the headmaster regain his composure as if nothing had happened. He drawled out a half hearted apology as he continued on. "Team CRDL will be led by Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere."
'Founder's fat ass... What?!'
Before Louise could process her thoughts or step forward beside Ozpin, a large man who was wearing steel plate armor -who she recognized as the Cardin Winchester due to the display she just also noticed up above- stepped forward.
"Headmaster! You just said that I am the team's leader!" The Winchester brute practically shouted and all Louise could do was wince in embarrassment at the display. "You said my name before you had whatever attack you had!"
"Mister Winchester." Ozpin lazily drawled out as he took a long sip from his newly acquired coffee mug. Fifteen seconds. Twenty-five seconds. Forty-five. A full minute. A minute and a half.
The awkward silence was already getting on her nerves.
"GET ON WITH IT!" Yang Xiao Long, the buxom blonde brawler she fought at The Club, shouted within the crowd of first years. She was promptly silenced as she was frozen solid by the Schnee heiress that was part of her team. Ruby profusely apologized to everyone in the the crowd.
All Louise could do right now was sigh as she tried to disassociate herself from her newly made friends.
"Minster Winchester." Ozpin began again.
'Founder's tits, finally!'
"Miss Valliere has already spent half a semester in Beacon Academy during the last school year training with team CFVY; last year's best team." The headmaster drawled out again as if he couldn't be bothered to do anything. "She has already proven herself more capable than you three combined." He stated matter-of-factly. "Also, if you recall, she has also managed to create a crater the size of an Atlesian warship during initiation. Imagine what that type of power can do to a normal human body. Those explosions are quite pretty to look at..."
Cardin merely slumped and given up his argument as he was already crestfallen from the insults Headmaster Ozpin threw at him.
'Founder's dimpled asscheeks, maybe I shouldn't have tried to become a Huntress… I could have been a fine craftswoman too...'
Regrets started to crawl at Louise's back as she could only dread her next four years.
Blake Belladonna -previously a White Fang member, a competent spy and infiltrator, Beacon Academy's latest and youngest professor, Glynda Goodwitch's sexual outlet and friend with benefits, and professor of stealth and subterfuge along with donning the mantle of the occasional assistant combat instructor when Glynda couldn't be bothered- did not know what she was witnessing.
At first it was the Winchester brat and the males of their team trying to bully a poor rabbit Faunus. Their leader came and knocked some sense into them.
Tossed around using her explosions and her teleportation semblance was a much more appropriate for it though.
Before Blake could stop them however, the Valkyrie girl from JNPR joined in and used her massive hammer as a tennis racquet to the airborne racist bigots. The not so poor boys of CRDL were used as impromptu mas sized balls for the silly game of bigot cafeteria tennis.
'This is too much for me…'
The chaos was too much for the stressed out Professor Blake.
'I really should have just tried my luck applying as a student at Haven Academy… Or maybe I shouldn't have tried to be a teacher here. I can barely stand Ozpin's incessant flirting or Glynda's constant public display of sexual harassment.'
And so, professor Blake Belladonna could only sigh as she slowly died from the inside.
Soooooo…. That was a thing.
If Louise would be in a team it would either be with CRDL, an OC team named either CBLT(Cobalt) or LBTY(Liberty as in the color) for reasons, or with Weiss, Ruby, and Yang as team SLYR (I know it doesn't fit in with the color naming rule so I'm actually hesitant to do that. AND I NEED BLAKE SOMEWHERE!)
Ahem… This is just a twoshot soooo... Meh I guess.
I do want to write more adventures of Professor Blake Belladonna. But that will probably never happen. Yeah, probably never. We already have Professor Arc by Coeur Al'Aran for that.
Sooooo… In light of the end of Volume 3 I wrote something in addition to it for Louise. So here's a somber bonus omake. Don't read it if you haven't gotten caught up with canon yet, and this omake will probably never be a part of this twoshot's sequel. If I ever decide to write a sequel, that is.
I really should just roll around on my bed while Dogsong from the Undertale OST blaring out of my speakers just to get the end of Volume 3 out of my system. I mean, I liked but, well… Stuff happened.
Bonus Omake
Louise's body hurt all over. She was sure a lot of her body was a broken mess now. She felt like her entire body was flayed by hot magma and then quenched with the heavy burden of guilt. The guilt of being inadequate -of being a zero- was much more painful than her broken body.
She was still a zero
A zero that let Pyrrha down.
Because of her, one of her few friends was now dead; burnt to ashes by the same person who took the Fall Maiden's power right in front both her and Ozpin. They were supposed to stop this from happening. They were the bastion against evil, and they failed.
Louise failed.
Because of this failure, Pyrrha was now dead
She couldn't protect Pyrrha because she was just a lowly zero.
A zero who should've died instead of the countless others who did.
'Ozpin… Penny… Pyrrha… Why..?'
Tears flowed on her cheeks as her eyes fluttered open, her painful slumber now transformed to a depressing awakening. She couldn't help but sob as soon as consciousness shook her away from her sleep. She only had herself to blame for it. If she could have bought more time for Ruby, if she was stronger, if she wasn't careless, then none of this could've happened. This was all her fault. The fault of a mere zero.
"It's all my fault… It's all my fault..." Louise gasped out those words in a matra in between her sobs.
She couldn't stop her tears from flowing. Her physical pain was drowned out by her emotional pains. As her soft sobs turned to wails of sorrow and agony, strong tanned arms wrapped around her in a comforting hug. A large paw for a hand stroked the top of her pink hair which the mere comforting action calmed her down.
"Hey, hey kiddo. Calm down... Come on… Deep breaths. In and out, that's it." The person, a man, told her in what could only be described as the voice of a caring father. "It wasn't your fault… None of this was your fault."
Louise looked up to see who was the man who nursed her back to stability.
He was a large man with messy blonde hair, a slight stubble, and weary blue eyes. His skin was tanned by what she assumed was constant exposure to the baking heat of the sun. His large arms were a comfort as her sobs sank underneath them.
"Dad? Louise?" A small voice began from the other side of the room. A voice she recognized. Ruby Rose. "What happened?"
Ruby's father sighed as he let go of Louise to sit beside his daughter."Your uncle Qrow found you -both of you- unconscious. He got you two and brought you home safe. Louise here was badly hurt, so it was a good thing that dusty old crow brought you here."
Gears clicked within the minds of the two girls."Wait, Yang! Is she alright?" and "Where are the others?" were their responses to the man.
"Uhh… She's uhh…" The man looked down in defeat before staring at Ruby with whatever comforting expression he could muster "She's gonna be alright. I think… I think it's gonna be some time… For her to get used to things. She's too strong to let this stop her." He embraced her daughter in a warm hug. "I'm just glad to have my girls back."
Louise spoke up again before Ruby could interrupt her. "What happened to the school, to Vale? Were they able to take out the Grimm?"
"Things in Vale are under control, but the school…" Ruby's father sighed before looking back again to Louise. "It's-it's not that simple. That thing -whatever it is- doesn't seem to be dead."
Her knuckles paled as she grip her blanket with all her might.
He sighed again as his gaze went back to Ruby. "Don't get me wrong, you did a number on it, but it's not disappearing. It's kinda... Frozen." The confusion that was plastered on Ruby's face was palpable. "I know that doesn't sound too bad but that thing keeps attracting more Grimm to the school."
"I did… What?" Confusion took hold of Ruby's face.
'Of course… It makes sense…' The pieces already clicked within Louise's mind.
"Ruby?" He cocked an eyebrow at his daughter.
"You said I did a number on it. What do you mean?"
"I… Look." Ruby's father took her hand and gripped it tightly. "That's not important right now."
"Mister Xiao Long-"
"Call me Taiyang."
Louise took a deep breath to steel herself and began again. "Mister Taiyang, it is important."
There was a loud clattering as Qrow entered the room with a bottle of alcohol that was clasped within his hand tightly. "Yeah, it is. Me and Pinky here will take care of it." He took a long gulp of the bottle until there was barely half of the liquid left. "Mind if we have a minute?"
Taiyang looked exasperated and angry at his friend. "What, I can't stay here?"
"Tai, please."
He let out a sigh before standing up and giving his daughter a peck on her forehead. "I'm glad you're alright." His large paws went and ruffled Louise's pink hair. "Don't strain yourself too hard, Louise." He walked towards the walkway before stopping midway to offer some tea. After that, he went on his way to give the three of them the privacy they needed.
"Sooo…" Qrow gave another hearty gulp of the amber liquid. "You ready to tell her about everything, Pinky?"
"... Yes, I am. Take a seat mister Branwen. And Ruby? What I'm about to say… Isn't really pleasant..." And so Louise told Ruby anything and everything she could.
It was all too hard for her to take everything in.
Weiss was gone, taken back to Atlas by the Schnee patriarch. Blake was gone as well, nowhere to to be found and assumed to have ran away in shame. Her own sister was at the brink of depression and unable to even bring herself to interact with others. Louise's own team was scattered throughout the kingdoms and the mage didn't have any form of contacting them. But all of this paled in comparison to what she heard next.
Silver eyes were a rare trait and a sign of power. Louise surmised that it was a trait that was passed on to the Summer Maidens. This 'Summer Maiden' was a part of the legendary Four Maidens. These Maidens of legend were powerful beings capable of actual magic. Louise was dubbed the fifth as she was capable of a different form of magic and the mere fact she came from a different world -or even a different plane of existence- and Pyrrha was supposed to inherit the Fall Maiden's powers.
Cinder Fall has already inherited half of it and Pyrrha was destined to take hold of the other half, but due to Louise's incompetence, they lost their friend to a criminal mastermind who managed to bring a kingdom to its knees. Qrow assured Ruby and Louise that it wasn't their fault that their friend was now gone. He assured them that the fault entirely lied within him and the failure of Ozpin's brotherhood. The brotherhood that was supposedly the last line of defense against anyone who threatened the Maidens.
But they failed. They failed, and Beacon and Vale took the price of failure.
Heavy boots crunched the thick snow underneath their feet. There was a soft creaking as Ruby tried to lock the wooden door as quietly as possible. Both Louise and Ruby had their combat outfits ready with a bag for each of them in tow. Thick cloaks of red and purple bellowed and swayed at the light winter wind that buffeted them. Their weapons were already repaired and ready for whatever adventure and danger awaited them.
Ruby's gaze went to the pink haired girl beside her. "Are you ready Louise?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." Louise said as she idly fiddled with Catharsis sheathed on her waist. Her pink eyes looked towards their companions. "What about you, Arc? Haven is a long way from here."
Jaune gave a small smile to the two girls. "Yeah, I am. Pyrrha would want us moving forward."
"I'm sure she's proud of all of us." Ren interjected as his face also held a small disarming smile.
There was a twirl of Magnhild before Nora spoke up. "What about Yang, is she gonna come with us?"
"She's not the same anymore…" Louise muttered to herself as their last encounter wasn't all that pleasant, but she was sure that Ruby picked it up. Although the younger girl didn't seem to mind the comment.
"And besides, she's safer here with Dad and uncle Qrow." Ruby smiled at what remained of team JNPR before walking away. Louise was already behind her trudging through the snow.
"Shall we go on our way?"
"Yeah, lets."
Their journey may have been stuck at an impasse with their sorrow, guilt, and the lives that their friends lost, but they needed to keep moving forward. To move on and fulfill the wishes of those they have lost. Their path was steep and stained with blood, but so is the hero's journey. They have to move on forward with the past on their tails and the future at their horizon.
Besides, destiny still had more plans for them. Whether they like it or not.
This omake is a bit half assed but meh. It was mostly just me trying to get it out of my system.