Chapter 1: The Arrival
He woke up, and immediately wondered where am I? He took a quick look around the room, noticing the sparse amount of furniture first, then the mirror perched on top of the dresser. An unremarkable teen-aged boy stared back at him, with black hair hanging close to his shoulders, but not getting into his eyes. He glanced down at his clothes, black cargo pants and a dark grey hoodie, partially zipped up the front. Where it was open, he saw a plain red shirt.
Shortly after this analysis, he heard a knock on the door, which opened too soon afterwards for him to even invite the person in. A large man walked in, looked him over, and then laughed "Well you don't look too worse for wear, all things considered."
"What do you mean by that?" he asked
"You don't remember?" the large man said. "You flew into my bar from some weird purple sphere, bowling over 2 drunks and some guy no one remembers. The two drunks attacked, but couldn't touch you, or see you for that matter. Either you were invisible, or really fast. Knocked them down, but forgot about that one other guy. He gave you a good clout on the head before you knocked him out. One of the drunks got back up, took a run at you and tripped over that other guy again. Afterwards, you just looked around you, and fainted dead. Couldn't figure out why, but nothing seemed to be wrong, so I just brought you up here. By the way, this is one of the rooms at my bar, and seeing as how you don't look like you're over the age limit, you might want to leave pretty quick. What's your name anyway?"
The boy thought for a while. What IS my name? After a few seconds, he just chose the first word that could be used as such. "Bane" he said.
"Not a very usual name." the bartender muttered.
"Not very usual for some teen to just appear in a bar either." Bane returned
"Point taken" the man said. "I'll show you out".
As they walked out of the room and down a flight of stairs to ground level, the man asked "So do you have any weapons on you? With the Grimm around here, I don't think you're going to want to use only your fists, like in that bar fight."
"Grimm? What are those?" Bane wondered out loud.
"You don't know what Grimm are?" the man exclaimed. "They live on the entire planet, and they terrorize people on a regular basis. How do you not know what they are?"
Bane thought about this, then realized something. "I don't know. I can't seem to remember anything about my past right now."
"Well that makes it a little more complicated. Although seeing you fight in the bar, you might want to join a fighting academy. My best suggestion is Beacon. Grimm are creatures similar to most animals, but smarter and bent on destroying the human race, trying to claim dominance of the planet." They had walked out the door of the bar by this time, just in time to hear a man yell.
"STOP THAT FAUNUS!"
They both turned towards the end of the street behind them in time to see a blur of colors fly past, soon followed by a crash and some muffled yelling.
"Who was that?" Bane asked.
"Well speak of the devil" the man murmured. "That was one of the teams from Beacon. I think their team name was RWBY. An acronym of their first names."
"They didn't seem very coordinated" Bane noted.
"Yeah, not the greatest advertisement for their school, was it?" the man quipped. "Now, about that weapon. I have a friend at a weapons shop nearby who might be able to figure out if you've used a weapon before."
"What about your bar?" Bane asked. "Who's going to take care of it while you're gone?"
"Well I'm not the only one who works at my bar" the man laughed.
They reached the store, and the man pushed open the door and yelled across the room "Yo, Eddie!"
"Only one man addresses me like that!" a voice called. "I'll be right out Joe! Just finishing up with this young ladies gear."
They walked to the front to see a young redhead at the counter, patiently waiting. A tall, yet buff man walked out from behind the counter and handed the girl a shield. "You really should stop throwing your shield at Deathstalkers Pyrrha. One of these times it will take out a chip I can't repair."
"Haven't heard of it happen yet, so I'm fairly confident it won't. Thanks again Edison" she replied, turning and walking out the door while nodding a greeting to the pair waiting behind her.
"Now, what can I do for you Joe?" Edison asked.
"Well, this young man seems to have a knack for fighting, but can't remember ever picking up a weapon. I was wondering if you could find something he's good with."
"Should be pretty easy. I just got a shipment of new weapons, so we have plenty of choices if we find the right type of weapon." Edison replied. "Let's go chop up a few bots, shall we?"
They walked out the back of the building and through the door of another. This one had a small room filled with rack upon rack of weapons, with a few shields mixed in. A door led to a massive room, covered entirely in white panels.
"So let's start with the basics. A two-handed sword maybe?" Edison went to the shelf and pulled out a blood red sword, only a foot shorter than he was, and barely shorter than Bane. Bane took the sword and walked to the center of the larger room. The door closed behind him, and he raised the sword vertically in front of him and slightly to the side. "You sure he hasn't used a weapon before?" Edison asked Joe. "He holds it perfectly!"
"He told me he can't remember anything. Must just be ingrained in his mind."
"Well, let's see if he can do more than just hold it right." Edison tapped around a bit on a pad under a one-way window between the rooms, and several enemies rose from the ground with similar weapons to Bane in their hands. "Let's start simple, send only one."
The bot stepped forward, swinging his sword powerfully from above. Bane spun to the side, swinging the sword horizontally through the back of the bot, slicing him in half.
"How did… that… he cut right through it!" Joe exclaimed
"Surprised me too" Edison replied. "That sword is just plain metal, nothing special about it. That's why I just leave it in here, and keep the fire swords and whatnot in the shop". He sent two more bots to Bane, who quickly dispatched them by blocking one bots sword, then spinning it into the other. While the first bot tried pulling his sword out of the second, Bane lazily sliced off its head.
"Alright, let's step it up then."
Edison brought five bots out of the ground, sending them all at Bane at the same time. He backed up two steps to get out of their circle, decapitating one robot to make room for him. The two nearest bots came towards him, one swinging from above, and the other from lower and from its right side. Bane blocked the strike from below while stepping aside to prevent from having his head cut in half. He swung his sword back, slicing one of the bots across the chest. It was enough to short-circuit it, putting it down. Another stepped in to replace him and swung horizontally at Bane. The other bot dove for a stab, which Bane simply stepped back from, allowing the bot to be decapitated by its partner. Bane swung his sword down towards the head of the other one, but noticed a sword out of the corner of his eye. He ducked, narrowly missing the chest of the bot he had been targeting, as well as just barely avoiding the other bots sword as it went over his head. Bane swung full-circle, cutting the legs off both the bots. He then swung lazily downwards, cutting off the heads of the bots and ensuring his safety. He signalled he was done, and the door opened to the sound of a slow clap.
"Well done" Edison applauded. "That last one was a little close though. You sure you never used a weapon?"
"No idea. But do you mind if I try a shorter sword and a shield? I feel a little clumsy with this giant thing."
"No problem, I'll grab a set" Edison walked into the smaller room, and some clanging could be heard as he rummaged through the various weapons for a decent sized set.
"Remember anything else yet?" Joe asked.
"Nothing. I don't even know how I can hold this thing. It looks like it should weigh so much more!" Bane replied.
"Hand it here. I'll go put it back while Eddie grabs your new choice." Bane held the sword by the blade and handed the hilt to Joe. As soon as he let go, the point dropped, almost hitting the floor. "What the… Eddie, get out here!" Joe yelled as he handed the sword back to Bane.
Eddie walked out, holding the sword and shield. "What's up?"
"Grab this sword for a second." Joe replied. Eddie raised his eyebrows, but took the sword from Bane the same way Joe had. The sword, again, dropped to the ground
"Whoa…I didn't even think about the weight while you were fighting." Eddie asked, trying to keep his jaw from dropping.
"It doesn't even feel heavy to me." Bane replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"Well, I'm no doctor, so let's just get you fighting again and figure this out later." Eddie handed over the shield and sword. The sword was slightly shorter than the previous one, as it was made to be used with one hand, as reflected by the hilt. The shield, when rested on the ground, reached close to Bane's stomach. He walked again to the center of the room, raising the shield on his left arm so the top reached shoulder height, and holding the sword almost vertically beside it.
"Again," Edison commented from the smaller room. "Perfect form. But let's get this going." He used the pad again, starting Bane against two bots this time, on opposite sides of him. Edison only had one type of bot, so they still had just one sword, although with varying sword lengths. Instead of stepping out as he had the last time, Bane waited in the middle of the two, swiveling his head to see who moved first. As he glanced to his left, the bot on his right charged, swinging his sword from his left "waist", if he had one. This aimed the sword at Bane's back, and would have made it there, if he had been there anymore. He had again spun out of the way, cutting through the chest of the robot partway through the robots swing. It fell to the ground in a sparking pile. The other bot had charged during this time, going for a stab. Bane waited, shield raised to block the simple strike. The sword hit his shield, bouncing to the side and leaving a large gash in the cheap metal. Biding his time, Bane simply turned with the shield held in front of him, bashing the bot in the head as he turned. The bot fell to the ground and slid on its "face" to the wall, coming to a gentle stop. Bane dashed forward, running his sword through the bots back as it failed to rise. He had scarcely removed his sword when 4 more robots rose from the ground in a close formation behind him.
"Surprise attack!" Edison yelled in glee
"Thanks. That's ALL I needed." Bane replied, quickly going back to his starting form. This time, however, was slightly different. All 4 bots charged at once, swinging from 4 different angles. Bane simply smiled and swung his shield in an arc in front of him, swinging all the blades to his left at the same time. He swung his sword quickly behind it, slicing through the chest of the furthest right bot. Its top half fell off, its legs slowly crumpling behind it. Bane stepped to his right around the group, and held up his shield again. All three bots swung their blades from above, planning on overpowering him. Bane grinned lopsidedly, crouching and holding his shield up to block the swords. They sliced into the shield, embedding themselves an inch into the shield, which remained unmoved.
"What the… I can't even block one of those, and he just blocked three with no effort!" Edison muttered. "And he ruined my shield!"
"Come on, it's an old one. Not very well made either it seems" Joe joked.
"It's still my shield" Edison replied, but he was grinning too much to be taken seriously.
While they were talking, Bane had cut down another of the bots after the shield had been ruined. He threw it off to the side, seeing that it couldn't take another hit like that. The bots came at him side by side, each swinging from the outside towards the inside and Bane. He stepped back, letting the blades pass by in front of him, then striking both swords with his own as they crossed each other. This forced the swords to continue their paths, the swords embedding themselves in the bots. They both went down, sparking as they went. Bane walked towards the small room, picking up what was left of the shield as he went. "Sorry about the shield, but I'm still trying to figure out my strength."
"No worries, I've got at least 3 more in here, and there's nothing really special about them, just metal and craftsmanship." Edison waved it off. "Anyway, it's closing time. You can come back tomorrow to try out some other weapons if you want."
Joe thought about this, then said "Its Saturday tomorrow. I should probably show him the town for the weekend instead, seeing as he'll probably be here a while."
"That actually sounds like a good idea" Bane replied. "I can come back on Monday, if that's alright with you." He indicated Edison with this last statement.
"I'm usually closed for the weekend anyway, so I'm fine with that" Edison replied.
"Perfect. See you on Monday Eddie!" Joe said, walking out.
As they walked out, Bane realized something. "Hey Joe, mind if I stay at your bar for a few nights? Seeing as I have nowhere else to go."
"I thought that was already the plan, but yes you may"
Bane laughed as they continued walking. He had no idea where he was, who he was, or what he used to be. But at least I have a place to stay, and something to do he thought.