Alright, figured I'd make a short chapter for this before going back into the usual order.
I know how far I want this chapter to cover, but it's highly unlikely I'll get there. But, we won't know until we find out.
Vermillion Forever
Chapter 1: A Wolf Like Me (Part 1)
Dream me, oh, dreamer
Down to the floor
Open my hands and let them
Weave onto yours
Feel me, completer
Down to my core
Open my heart and let it
Bleed onto yours
- TV On The Radio
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Stripped of his weapons, he found himself looking around the room more than he'd like to admit.
He subconsciously flipped his lighter open and closed, occasionally finding solace in the view of the setting sun through the window.
"… and you'd think this place would be easy to find, being a barn and all, but after I dropped everything in the locker, it took me a whole hour! This is really nice for a barn, can't say I approve of the colors, but they tried their best I suppose."
Not knowing how much more he could take, he turned away from the barrage of speech that was launched at him and slid on his headphones.
He was surprised by how fast he fell asleep, but not by the dream he had. It had been the same one he'd had since he found himself in Vale.
It was a normal job, at least that's what was promised. The security was just changing at the Atlas International Shipping Yard and it was well past midnight. The rules were the same, take everything except the containers labeled "Schnee Dust Company" which never left them much, but everything they took was their's, so they couldn't pass it up.
They approached the gate when-
'No,' he said, trying his best to avoid the nightmare he knew was about to come.
Instead, the dream shifted to a white rabbit hopping across a green and lush field, strewn with a multitude of differently colored plants.
The rabbit stops to sniff a yellow flower, without a care in the world.
However, he feels himself move and the vision begins to distort as the world starts changing. The quiet is overtaken by the howl of several creatures in the forest outlying the clearing. The rabbit turns and makes a dash for safety as a loud shriek over head causes it to stop in it's tracks, the shadow stretching over it. Looking up, everything cuts to black.
And then there's nothing.
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As she crossed the field, she assessed the damage to her robe. Their claws must have just grazed her or the robe would be the least of her problems.
Stopping by the tree line across from the barn, she removed her pointed hat while pulling her ears through the holes and set it aside. Unbuckling the catch on the robe, she slid it off carefully to avoid damaging it even further. She folded it neatly and set it inside the hollow trunk of the tree.
Finding her pole axe was undamaged, she gripped the bottom tightly and hit her wrist with her other hand. The bottom separated from the top and it began to disappear within itself. The intricate blue and black blade began to telescope and pivot, becoming the end of the pole. From there it collapsed until it was the size of her palm. Adding it to the stashed items, she prepared to sneak back into the building.
Having already checked for any movement, she was caught off guard when he stepped from behind the tree near the door.
"Anything useful?"
She slowly shook her head and quietly replied, "Just went for a walk."
Taking a drag from his cigarette, "I guess you don't know what's in the forest then…"
"Correct."
He crossed his arms and flicked away the ashes, moving to lean against the tree that had concealed him from her night vision. With nothing left to say, he looked away and returned to formulating his strategy for tomorrow.
After several moments, she returned her vision to the ground and walked inside.
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"If I keep the brawlers in this pocket," he said, standing at his locker while trying to organize his gear, "I'll have room for the cigarettes here."
Satisfied with the remaining space, he slid the rings onto his fingers and began reassembling the pistol. He inserted the firing pin into the guide and checked the stress cracks on the slide to make sure they hadn't spread, telling himself he'd get them fixed eventually.
Further away, the sisters were double checking a list of gear.
Wearing a thin, black under armor suit, she held the paper and read off the items on the list, "Weapon?"
The other nodded, combing her burgundy hair and visually keeping track, "Yep."
"First Aid kit?"
"Definitely."
"I'd say we're pretty well set," she said, dropping the paper into the locker while grabbing a dark green metal belt with the letters 'TROJAN-XIII' printed in gold lettering.
Carefully, she picked up the containers of Dust and connected them to the belt, assuring the colors matched.
"Okay, you know the motto, Ni," she said, tossing the brush into her bag and pulling out a stack of police riot gear.
"Aim low?"
She nodded, "That's the one."
Prepared, they closed their lockers and started toward the exit.
"So, we stick together from the start. If we get separated, fire into the air and I'll find you."
Ni nodded, "And if you run into trouble, hide somewhere."
"As if," she said, connecting the leather whip to her belt opposite the chain, "As long as I have Moab, nothing can stop me!"
"Rina," she said, using the tone of her voice to convey her seriousness.
"Fine! I'll hide if I don't think I can win."
Martin spun Jekyll on his finger and slid it into the holster under the left side of his vest. Digging into a pocket in his backpack, he pulled out a handful of large bullets and began inserting them into the loops on his belt. Once all the spaces were filled, he began filling his pockets with the smaller of the bullets.
The room began to fill with more students and their voices were filled with excitement, retelling the exploits of the initiation.
"Hey, Martin! You missed a great show!" Jaune yelled as he neared.
"How was it?" Martin asked, adding fuel to his lighter.
Jaune pointed at himself and took a deep breath, "Well, you'll never guess who saved everyone from certain doom."
"Who?"
"There were Grimm all around us and they were closing in. Everyone was all, 'Jaune! Don't let the monsters eat me!' So, I drew my sword and-"
"Jaune," a girl said as she approached, "Did you hurt your leg when we were running from the Deathstalker?"
He sighed and shook his head, "Aw, Pyrrha, why'd you say that?"
"Oh, uh, I meant…"
"Say, you'd better get a move on," he said, "You're gonna be late."
Martin pulled his guitar from the case.
"You're bringing that with?"
He nodded and unrolled the strap.
"We should get going too," Pyrrha said, following the rest of the students.
"Oh, right. Good luck! Stay out of any caves you find!"
Martin rolled his eyes and slung the guitar over his back and made sure he'd be able to reach the sword. Closing his locker, he turned to walk away, but heard something move inside. The door was closed tight and didn't move when he pushed on it. Opening it shown the reason for the noise.
"Ta-Da!" she said, crouched inside the locker, "Didn't see me sneak in, did ya? It's the jumpsuit, the green and blue help with-"
He closed the door and took a few steps before stopping.
Several moments pass before a muffled voice says, "I can't get out…"
Martin sighs and turns to open it again.
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The cliffs were higher than he expected, and the view showed him the full expanse of the forest, minus a large section that was still smoldering.
By the number of people he seen, he was hoping it wouldn't be a death match. He'd given the most threatening of them a look over and didn't like his chances.
One student had to of been near six feet tall and was wearing yellow armor. His attitude shown him to be a typical ego-slave, and he seemed older than many of the others.
Next were the sisters, one wore a thin, black one piece suit and wore a thick, metal belt. The other wore a police style set of riot gear with a pistol holstered on her right side and a strange box on her left arm. He wasn't sure of how they'd be in a fight, but decided it'd be best to watch out for them.
Next was the talkative one. Her blue and green jumpsuit was finished of with a gas mask held in her hand. No sign of a weapon, but he assumed she'd talk her enemies to death.
He couldn't help laughing at that one.
Last was the faunus. She stood on her platform, wearing a long, black robe and pointed hat with her ears pulled through holes on the sides. Other than looking like a character in a children's horror movie, she also hadn't made her weapon known.
The rest didn't pose a threat, one literally shaking at the knees.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Ozpin said as he walked to his spot near the edge.
He looked at the students and drunk from his mug, "While we wait to start, I'll explain the task to those of you who are unaware."
The student in the yellow armor whispered something quiet enough to not be heard.
"This trial will decide who you spend your time at Beacon with, so take it seriously. After you land, the first person you make eye contact with will be your teammate, and from there you will progress to the forest temple and take a relic. Then you return to the top of the cliff and it's over. If you survive, you pass the test."
"It doesn't sound so bad," a voice said closer to the end.
Ozpin chuckled, "Sterling will tell you what's waiting in the forest."
He shook his head and slammed on his armor, "It's a piece of cake, don't let him fool you."
Appearing beside him, Glynda nodded, "The pieces have been reset."
"Okay, the test will begin," he said moments before the first platform launched, "And Mr. Light, we've already had one fire today and the Ursi aren't too thrilled about it."
Martin sighed and slid the cigarette behind his ear and crossed his arms.
The sisters were launched and their flight patterns shown they were trying to land close together.
"Oh! Wizard person, over here! Meet me by that tree! The one I'm pointing at!" Amy yelled before being sent off.
Sterling drew his sword, a large, interwoven twin blade with barrels on the end and cracked his neck, "Cry havoc and let slip the hogs of war."
"It's dogs of war," Martin said with a sigh.
"Whatever farm animal of war!" he returned as he was launched.
Velvet laughed to herself and jumped in the air, landing on the platform in a crouch, using the force of the launch to send her flying.
"The first group encountered a Deathstalker as well as a rather large Nevermore. I'm expecting good things Mr. Light," Ozpin said.
Martin scoffed and shook his head, "Whatever you say, Pinhead."
I'm gonna cut it short there and finish it next time. I'd planned on it being the entire initiation, but that'll be stretching it a little far.
Also, i added a few more bios to my profile, in case you wanna know the characters before the next chapter, but it will spoil some of it.
Thanks for reading, I'll have another one soon.
