RWBY: Colorless Memories
Opening Theme: Hey Kids! by Amanda Lee
"TONIGHT, WE HONOR THE HERO!"
[Instrumental]
Tonight, they'll don their masks – the kids that tear it down
And all these scheming lies will soon evoke the end
Turn up the temperature, entice that golden taste
Give it some FLAVOR FLAVOR FLAVOR
"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"
Return to the yesterday we cast away,
The scene will overflow
"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"
We'll overrun the point of no return, I know
"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"
Soon your will find your vendetta's futile - So throw away that ego
"HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY"
Call out to me, come on, again and again
"YOU KNOW? I'M REALLY TIRED OF YOUR PISS-POOR ATTITUDE
MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY
SHOW ME SOME RESPECT, JEEZ!
DO YOU - DO YOU HAVE ANY?!
IT'S LIKE YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE BUT YOURSELF
I SWEAR YOU DO IT TO PISS ME OFF!
TSK, WHAT A SHAME
YOU DO DON'T YOU?!"
[Instrumental]
Just wanna hold your hand
Just wanna hold your hand
Just wanna hold your hand
"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"
Return to the yesterday we cast away,
The scene will overflow
"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"
We'll overrun the point of no return, I know
"LET'S DRIVE THEM CRAZY"
Soon your will find your vendetta's futile - So throw away that ego
"HAVE YOU GONE CRAZY"
Call out to me, come on, again and again
Whoa-ooo-oooh
Just wanna hold your haaaaaaand!
NOW SWEAR TO RESPECT THE HERO!
[Instrumental]
Volume I: Remnant's of the Past Forgotten
Prologue: A New Chapter, A New Story
The Emerald Forest was vast, stretching out all across as far as the eye could see beyond the cliffs that overlooked it. Lush, green, spreading all across the landscape like a carpet. However, simply because it was apart of the same grounds as Beacon Academy, and the most frequent battleground during Initiation, where new students would test their mettle and become apart of the teams that would attend these halls for the next four years, did not mean it was without danger. Students were tested here because of the beasts that lurked here, monsters all knew well; the Creatures of Grimm. The sound of battle rung all through out the forest, battling either themselves out of petty anger, or the Grimm that lurked in the shadows. Unknown to them, however, small cameras, attacked to a propeller at the top of their design, wandered about the forest, keeping an eye on the situation. In the event that a student was severely injured, teachers would intervene immediately. However, in that event, the student in question wouldn't be able to attend Beacon, given that they were unable to handle themselves, as is expected of them.
Beacon Academy had many standards, but it's Headmaster firmly believed in the potential of others. He stood atop the cliff that overlooked the sight, one hand on his cane and the other holding a scroll. He was a middle-aged man, dressed mostly in black, his hair light gray, an odd sight given he was still rather young, and small round black glasses sitting atop the bridge of his nose, while his brown eyes observed the battles displayed on his Scroll. "Roughly 20% of the initiates have found themselves team members." the woman beside him informed him. She was quite young, perhaps within her mid-twenties, wearing a white dress shirt with a black skirt, and a tattered purple cape flowing behind her. Her blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail, while her sharp, green eyes stared past her glasses and at her own Scroll. "No accidents either..." A pause. "Yet."
"Well, it has only been ten minutes." the man said, taking a sip of his coffee. "I'm quite curious to see the teams we'll have this year."
The woman rolled her eyes, knowing he was referring to the girl he allowed to enter Beacon two years ahead of time. In her opinion, the girl was quite reckless. Not only was she willing to jump in, head first, and take on a dangerous criminal, but she had nearly ended up being killed. She didn't care if she was trained by a certain skilled scythe master, she was not ready for what Beacon was going to give her. Although, that said, he doubted he had any say in the headmaster's opinion. Once the man made a decision, it was hard to change it. If he saw something in the girl, she had no choice but to accept the changes. Either way, she was also concerned about another initiate. From what she read on his transcripts, his skills were slightly above average, but given to what she was seeing so far, he had absolutely NO experience. How the boy got in was anyone's guess, but for now, all she could do was observe.
It had passed eleven minutes when the cameras found something interesting. The woman narrowed her eyes, tapping her Scroll a few times before the image on it blew up, allowing her to expand the image and get a better look at what the cameras were watching. "What on Remnant?" she muttered in confusion. The man raised an eyebrow as he took a peek at his scroll. "Is this boy seriously napping?" she said in exasperation and in slight irritation. "In the middle of initiation?"
The man hummed as he took out his own Scroll. After a few taps and browsing through the information present, a curious smile formed on his face. "Well... This will prove to be interesting."
"Sir?"
"He's not one of the new students."
When Lyxus woke up, he found his head thumping heavily, almost like someone was beating a drum inside of his skull. Pain echoed across his body as his fingers twitched, and his eyes fluttered open. Rays of sunlight danced across his retina, forcing him to wince in addition to the pain. He felt completely sore, as if something had just slammed him straight into the ground and then threw something on top of him. At first, he couldn't feel anything in his body other than pain. After a while, however, feeling soon returned to him. He flexed his fingers, feeling the uncomfortable feeling of bones cracking and popping as he opened and clenched his fist before feeling the dumbness in his legs from being immobile. He pushed himself up to his feet, albeit swaying due to a sudden brush of dizziness, forcing him to steady himself on his feet.
'What...' he wondered briefly, feeling the uncomfortable aching pain slowly beginning to subside, and his head clearing. 'Happened?'
He tried to search his memory, but when he had done so, a brief flash of pain echoed in his head, causing him to growl, palming his forehead. "Tch...!" he seethed, fingers digging into his head before calming down. He shook his head, his hair flapping to and fro as he did so. "My head..." As the pain faded, Lyxus looked around. He appeared to be in some kind of forest, though the silence and quiet air unnerved him. Quite honestly, it made him very uncomfortable.
"Where...where am I...?" he questioned to no one. A sigh escaped him, scratching the back of his head. "No use staying around here." he decided before giving himself a once over. Other than his clothes, he found only a pair of twin blades, one on either side of his person, with black sheathes. "At least I have something to defend myself with." He grabbed the sheathed weapons and held them in his hand, the weight of them feeling familiar to him. He slipped them back to their respective holsters, and walked deeper into the forest.
It had been a few minutes since Yang Xiao Long had been launched into Emerald Forest, and so far, she had only found nothing but silence, trees, and leaves in her quest to find a partner and her sister. "Rubes?" she called out. "Hey! You here? Hello!" she bellowed out, only to receive her own echo as a response. A shake of the head followed, and a sigh came after. "Why am I not surprised?" She scratched the back of her head as she observed her surroundings. The forest was oddly quiet, but she could hear fighting off in the distance. Most likely, teams were being formed as they speak. Now, don't get her wrong, she was looking for a team herself, but she was looking for Ruby because she was worried about her. She came to Beacon two years ahead of everyone else, so she was easily nervous, despite her confidence in her skills. She would form a team with Ruby, there was little doubt about that, but she wanted her sister to strike out on her own. After all, she wouldn't be there to cuddle her forever.
Suddenly, movement was seen out of the corner of her eye. "Ruby?" Yang asked, peeking through the brushel. "Is that you?"
"Grrrr..." The black shadow growled. It stood on all fours before it rose up and stood on its hind legs. It was a massive, bear-like creature with fur as black as midnight. It's back was covered with ivory spikes while a white mask with red markings was present on its face.
Yang's smile dropped. "...nope." She quickly jumped back, avoiding being thrashed when the Ursa swung it's paw at her, as if to rip off her head. "Hey, big guy." Yang waved at the Creature of Grimm, known as the Ursai Major. "You seen a little girl with a red hood and a scythe around these parts?" In response, the Ursa roared, and swung it's paw down. Yang leaped back, performing a backflip to achieve some distance. She flipped her hair back as she she grinned. "You could have just said no instead of 'rawr.'" The Ursa roared again before charging. Yang grinned and cocked her wrists, activating her yellow shotgun gauntlets from their bracelet form: Ember Celica. The beast roared up, running toward her at top speed. Yang slammed her fists into the ground, creating a loud 'bang' as she was propelled into the air, a result of Ember Celica's kickback. She vaulted over the Ursa, shooting off another blast. The beast staggered a bit, swaying through it's charge before it slammed into the trunk of a tree. "Oof," she giggled. "That had to hurt." The Grimm pulled itself away, shaking it's head before turning to Yang, fangs bared in anger. She was about to brace herself for another charge when a loud, bellowing cry emerged from her side. Acting quickly, she brought up her arms, and was thrown back by the sheer amount of force that was put into the strike. Her body tumbled through the ground before she came to a stop.
Looking up, she found another Ursa. This one was glaring at her as well, snapping a loud roar.
"Two for the price of one, huh?" she said as she dusted herself off. "Okay then!" She jumped up, curling her legs up into a ball, leaving the third Ursa to charge in, and run into the second, causing them both to tumble into the ground. As she hit the ground, Yang pounded her fists together. "Sweet~" she said cheekily, excited. She was going to get to fight three Ursa, all at once! This was going to be a lot of fun! ...wait, she was supposed to find Ruby, wasn't she? Eh, oh well. It could wait. Her sister was tough, so she wasn't too worried about her. After all, their uncle taught her how to use that scythe of hers, so she'll be kicking ass and taking names.
That meant... she could kick the shit out of these suckers~!
"Alright boys," Yang smirked. "Who wants a taste of Yang?" The one on the right growled before charging in first. It stopped just short of her, and swung it's paw. She ducked underneath it, and delivered an uppercut to it's jaw, knocking it upward. With a follow up, she swiveled around on her feet, cocked her fist back, and threw a right hook, hitting it's underbelly. Almost like a boartusk, it's body flipped about into a ball for a few short seconds before hitting the ground, left in a daze. One of the two Grimm from earlier, got back up, and charged at her again. This time, it was ready to bite off her head. Not wanting to get her hair damaged, she instead chose for the direct approach, and rammed her fist in it's jaw, causing it to stagger back. The third Ursa came up from behind the second, ready to slam it's weight on her. She avoided it by flipping backwards on her hands, launching herself into the air to make some distance. Once she did, she unloaded two shots. One hit the first one in the face, causing it to recoil, while the other hit it's shoulder, causing to it cramp down on it's leg.
Meanwhile, the first Ursa charged in, now seething with anger. Yang cracked a cocky grin as she charged in to meet it's advance. Without stopping, she ducked underneath the swipe of it's paw, and swiveled around on her foot. Now behind the Ursa, she jumped up on it's back, and reared back both of her fists. With a swift succession, she began to unload Ember Celica as her fists pounded away at it's armor on it's back. Each struggle caused it to strain to stay on it's legs. Unfortunately it could no longer bear the weight, as she reared both arms back, and swung them both down. A resounding BOOM echoed in the air as Yang was blown off, flying through the air before landing back on the ground. The Ursa cried weakly as it fell on it's stomach, the armor on it's back completely shattered, and it's fur singed. "One down!" she cheered before turning her attention back to the other two.
A massive black paw swung, hitting her on the side.
"Oof!" She grunted as she was thrown into the air. She hit the ground. Hard. But she tumbled and pulled herself up on her feet. "Not bad. So what else can...you..." Her words died in her throat as she saw it. It floated slowly to the ground before her.
A strand of blonde hair.
HER blonde hair.
The Grimm suddenly felt tense when they saw her body trembling. "Y-you..." Creatures of Grimm held only instincts within them. They knew where to find prey by the feeling of aura, a power that belonged only to humans, those with a soul. It was within their instincts to destroy and maim and kill whatever possessed a soul, yet it was also within their instincts to recognize a potential threat. "Y-you...!" And now, a threat stood before them. Yang's head snapped up, her hair suddenly glowing like fire, and her lilac eyes turning bright crimson.
"YOU MONSTERS!"
She rushed forward with newfound speed, her fist cocked. The Ursa before her didn't even see it coming as her fist impacted its snout, shattering it. The power behind the strike was unlike anything before. This time, it's body was thrown back, thrashing to the ground before hitting a tree. Before it even had a chance to recover, the Ursa was suddenly bombarded with strike after strike after strike. The tree threatened to break was the Grimm was pressed further into it, it's belly being torn apart with each shot. The Ursa howled in agony. Yang delivered once final blow right in the throat. The tree gave way. The bark snapped away, and the Ursa plowed through it, neck crushed and broken. The tree fell over, hitting the ground with a thud. The earth shuddered below their feet. A bellow from behind her reminded that Yang there was another Ursa behind her. She was still seething from the damaging of her hair. She wouldn't be happy until she bashed it apart.
However, no sooner had she turned around did she watch a slim, black wolf, also somewhat armored in thick white bone-like armor; a Beowolf, thrown against the Ursa, sending them both flying. However, in that split second, a white flash dashed right by her, followed by a gleam of silver. It went past the two Grimm, and a second later, black was spew across the ground and sprayed into the air. "...huh?" Yang blinked rapidly, her red eyes returning to lilac, and the glow in her hair died down. Her emotions became calmer, and the rush of power began to cease. Her eyes followed the now fallen corpse of Grimm, and then to the flash.
It was a boy, bearing short white hair with black streaks, and had mismatched eyes: the right eye was colored red, and the left eye silver. He also wore a black dress shirt underneath a white jacket with black trims, along with a white tie tied around the collar of his shirt. Additionally, he wore black pants with black boots bearing several criss-crossed straps and light gray soles. At his hips are twin blades, which were held inside thin black sheathes with red highlights. However, the blades were drawn, revealing black hilts with dark red blades with a thin purple lining along the blade. His face was quite handsome, being rather easy on the eyes. If she were to describe him, he had a rather 'princely' look to him.
"Wha-"
Before she could attempt to question the new arrival, several Beowolves emerged from the brush, all of them charging and snarling and roaring, all of them aiming straight for the white and black-haired teen. The new arrival did not seemed alarmed in the slightest. He merely twirled his short swords and stood his ground.
[Play: RWBT OST - I'm The One]
The pack of Bewolves, ranging between five to eight, charged forward, the apparent Alpha charging forward with the intent of ripping him apart. The boy charged forward to meet the advance. Suddenly, he stopped after only a few seconds, his feet skidding across the earth before swiveling around, leaving him to be in the Beowolf's blindspot. Before the beast could react and correct itself, a pair of blades found themselves burrowed within the Grimms vitals. The blades pierced through it's body with the utmost ease. He twirled around, increasing the momentum of his attacks. In his continued advance, he began his assault on the charging pack, running straight into the thick of it. He flipped his blades into an underhand fashion, and swung. He weaved through the black mass of wolves, slicing off appendages and heads as he charged into the pack. Some of them had avoided him, and retaliated, however his speed and agility was not to be underestimated. His feet glided over the ground as he turned, the blade ripping into one Beowolf's head before his feet seemed to lift themselves off the ground, and struck a Grimm off to his side, the blade ripping across it's shoulder. Still in mid-air, he flipped the blade around in his hand, and slashed another Grimm who had tried to catch him off guard at his side, the blade cutting through it's mask and slicing over it's eye.
The moment his feet hit the ground, he flipped the blade back into it's previous position, and continued the attack, this time rotating from attacking in the ground or in the air, remaining in a staionary position. The Beowolves proved to be resilient, continuing to attack him in spite of the fact that he continued to cut them apart. He didn't rely solely on his blades either. He also focused on his kicks, knocking back any Grimm who became too close for comfort before slashing at them.
Yang watched the entire exchange. She was completely amazed by the sheer skill the boy had.
The remaining Beowolves leaped at him from either side, intent on biting him and ripping him to shreds. However, instead, they only hit themselves, comically left standing in the air before hitting the ground. Bewildered, they searched the grounds, only to find the bust blonde grinned at them. "Bye bye~"
They didn't even let out a growling retort before they were thrashed into the ground, two red blades stabbing into their skulls as the boy landed atop their bodies, ending them almost instantly. The teen slowly rose from his crouch, taking the blades with him. The red swords gave a sickening squelch as they were removed from black and white flesh. Once they were pulled, the corpses began to slowly dissolve into black wisps. The same could be said for the corpses of the Beowolves and Ursas. A soft sigh escaped him as he swiped his blades, removing the black ink from them and slipped them back into their sheathes. "That was a thing..." he muttered before turning to Yang. "Um... you okay?"
"That...was...AWESOME!" Yang exclaimed in amazement.
The boy recoiled from the shout, but blushed heavily as he scratched the back of his head. "Y-you think so?"
"Yeah! You got some mad skills."
"T-thanks." he replied bashfully. "O-oh, um... My name is Lyxus."
"Yang." she introduced herself. "Yang Xiao Long."
"I-It's nice to meet you..."
"Nice to meet ya too, partner~"
Lyxus cocked his head. "Partner?"
"Well, yeah." she shrugged. "We made eye contact, so we're partners for this whole shebang." Her eyes lit up, remembering the purpose behind her search before. "Oh, yeah... Have you seen a girl around here? Small, red, about yay high, silver eyes, carries a freakishly long scythe? Can't miss her."
Sadly, Lyxus shook his head. "Sorry..." he said apologetically. "I haven't seen anyone like that. I just heard growling and fighting, and followed it here." He paused briefly. "Although, I do remember seeing a girl in black."
"You did?" Yang questioned. He must've been referring to Blake, the girl she and her sister met last night.
He nodded. "Y-yeah... I think she should be arriving in just about-" The rustling of foliage grabbed their attention as the subject of their conversation entered the area. From the bushes came another Beowolf. However, it was staggering, trembling on it's legs before it finally fell. Seconds later, it slowly began to dissolve. Out from it was a familiar girl with black hair and amber eyes. In her hands was an unusual black blade. "-now." Lyxus finished.
Yang whistled. "Not bad." she said before waving at Blake. "Yo! What's up?"
When Blake saw the teen who introduced himself as Lyxus, she wasn't entirely sure what to make of him. He seemed...a bit out of place. As if he was unsure what was going on. But one thing was for sure, the way he carried himself was exactly like what a Huntsman should be. f course, that wasn't what worried her. In her short time here at Beacon, she had made sure to memorize every face she had come across. She scrutinized their faces, making sure to remember every single detail about them. She recalled the mysterious silver eyes the girl, Ruby had, and the scar below the Schnee Heiress' eye. Every small detail was important, and such details were drilled into her head. In only 24 hours, she had memorized the faces of nearly 200 students.
And out of those 200 faces, Lyxus wasn't among them.
She was confused. Why hadn't she seen him until now? Was...was he even a student here? Regardless of the fact, she and Yang and the boy were now partnered, as per the rules Ozpin stated. As such, she would have to work with them as they made their way to the temple, where the artifacts they were tasked with retrieving were located. As they trudged through the forest, she noticed how much the boy of the group seemed to fidget, looking between being anxious or nervous. She couldn't tell if that was just apart of who he was, or if he was simply nervous as part of his nature. From what she observed during his meeting with Yang, he held quite the confidence in battle, but lacked the same edge when he spoke with them.
Perhaps he was just nervous being around girls? Or maybe he was simply nervous around people in general? Either way, at least it won't interfere in a fight when need be. "So..." Yang decided to strike up a conversation as they walked, her hands behind her head. "Anybody else feel an awkward mood coming on?"
The other two looked at her, mentally agreeing. This silence was getting to be be pretty awkward. "Sorry." Lyxus apologized. "I'm not... really one for starting a conversation."
"Yeeeaah...Kinda figured that." Yang shrugged.
Blake shook her head. "How far are we from the temple?"
Lyxus looked up ahead of them, straining his eyes. "Um... Maybe a few minutes ahead?" He pointed out to the distance. Sitting on flat grassland was what appeared to be old remains of ruins, likely their destination. Yang grinned, flicking her nose in response. Finally, they were making some headway! "Should we hurry up?"
"The sooner, the better." Blake pout in her two cents. "I don't exactly like the idea of hanging around here for too long."
"Me too." Lyxus nodded. He really wanted answers as to where he was. The sooner the better.
"I think we should remove him from the Initiation." Glynda Goodwitch stated coldly, staring at the image intently. "That boy is an unknown. He shouldn't even be here." Ozpin remained silent as he continued to observe the boy. He had seen him in action against those Beowolves, and he was impressed by the child's level of skill. "Ozpin?"
"...while I do agree that the circumstances of him being here are odd, to say the least..." the man said slowly, taking a sip of his coffee. "He certainly has promise."
Glynda frowned heavily, but then her eyes widened in disbelief, recognizing the glint in the man's eyes. The same glint when he encountered Ruby Rose after watching the video of her battle against Roman Torchwick. "You cannot be serious." she said, aghast. "What if he's-"
"Relax." he cut her off, his tone even and calm as always. "We will question him when the students return, but for now... Let's see how he performs." A smile formed across his face. "After all... he's the third person I've met with eyes like that." While the boy may only have one silver eye, that in itself was a rarity. First Summer. Then Ruby. And now the boy, Lyxus.
He couldn't help but laugh. "This year is truly going to be interesting."
The trio finally arrived at the ruins. Up close, he could tell that it was hardly anything of note. The ruins barely looked old, but signs of decay were evident by the lack of pieces that would have completed it, as well as creeping vegetation encroaching it. Circling the center were several podiums, each with what appeared to be a chess piece sitting atop it. "Chess pieces?" Yang tilted her head. "Are these the relics?"
"Seems like." Blake quipped. "There are a few others missing. I guess this means we weren't the only ones."
"Well, since we're here..." The blonde walked up to a podium and picked a Knight chess piece. "How about a cute little pony?"
"Sure."
Lyxus tilted his head. "Is there a reason behind these pieces?" he asked. Why was the relics of this Initiation chess pieces? Perhaps they held some sort of significance? Before he could ponder this further, a loud scream pierced the air, immediately alerting the group. "What was that?!" Yang asked, eyes wide. "Was that a girl screaming?!"
"Um..." the boy sweatdropped. "It sounded more like a guy screaming like a girl to me."
"Really? Then that's hilarious!" Yang laughed. That scream was really high pitched. The moment was short lived, however, when they heard the sound of roars and snarls. The three immediately turned their attention to the thick brush close to them, where they had entered. To their shock, an Ursa emerged... only it was being hog-tied by a girl with orange hair and green eyes. "Yeehaw!" she cheered as the Ursa slowly emerged, only to fall forward. Immediately, her face fell into disappointment. "Aw, it's broken~"
"Nora...?" A tired voice called out from behind her. It was a young man with black hair, a strand being violet. Sweat was pouring down his face as he gently let himself down from the now-dead Ursa. "Please... NEVER do that again." He paused when he noticed the girl's presence missing. "Nora?"
Lyxus blinked in surprise. "When did she-?" He jumped when the girl suddenly appeared in front of him, holding up the Queen piece in her hands. "I'm Queen of the Castle~" she cheered, dashing all over the place while holding up the chess piece. "I'm Queen of the Castle~!"
"NORA!" the black-haired male cried.
The girl giggled, skipping back to her partner. "Coming, Ren~!"
Blake raised an eyebrow, completely uncertain if what she saw was for real. "Did she just ride here atop an Ursa?"
"Uh..." Yang was cut off as they heard a scream from overhead.
Looking up, it was a girl. She matched the description of the person she was looking for. Above her was a gigantic black bird. He identified it as a Nevermore, a Grimm that was particularly as dangerous as a Death Stalker and a Goliath. "Did she just drop from the sky while riding atop a Nevermore?" he couldn't help but ask, vastly impressed.
"Forget that! Ruby!" Yang shouted at her sister in worry.
"HEEEEEELP!" She flailed in the air.
Thankfully, it appeared that her saving grace came in the form of something slamming into her, throwing her into a nearby tree. To their surprise, it was a teen with blonde hair and blue eyes. From the look in his eyes, and the state of his clothes, it was clear he had just been hurled at high speeds like a rag doll. Not a second sooner, the walls of the remaining ruins were blown apart by a giant creature, heavily armored with two large pincers and eight red eyes, as well as large tail with a golden stinger at the tip. 'Oh boy,' Lyxus paled. 'That's a Death Stalker.' He then noticed that it was currently engaging a girl with red hair and green eyes, who appeared to be handling herself quiet well, in spite of her foe being one of the most dangerous Grimm in existence.
"Did he just get thrown by a Death Stalker?" Ren asked.
Yang finally had it. "Okay, enough!" she shouted. "Can we PLEASE just shut up for once before something else happens?!"
"YOOOOOOOOUUUUUUU DUUUUUUUNCE!" Lyxus blinked, looking up. It was hard to make it out, but he could faintly see a girl in white hanging on for dear life, clinging to the Nevermore's talon. "HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME?!"
'So much for a brief reprieve...' Lyxus sweatdropped.
"I said jump..." Ruby offered meekly.
"She's gonna fall." Blake stated.
"She'll be fine." Ruby said in reassurance.
"She's falling." Ren pointed out.
As the girl descended, Lyxus was about to move to grab her and possibly cushion her fall, but the blonde haired boy beat him to it, leaping off the tree and grabbing her in mid-air. While he managed to catch her, he failed to recognize the fact that they were several stories above ground. They plummeted like dropped rocks. The male landed first, sprawled out and face down. The girl landed next, on top of him in a seated position.
"My hero..." She said blandly.
"...my back..." He choked out in pain.
"Great!" Yang threw her hands in the air. "Now we get to die together!"
Lyxus wasn't sure why, but hearing those words made him flinch. 'What...?'
Die...? They...they were going to die...?
Shit! Oi, kid! Move your ass!
####! To your left!
Somebody give Lyx some support!
Never mind me, just save ######! She's going to...!
N-no, you can't! Stop! DOOON'T!
"Not if I can help it!" He was shaken from his thoughts when the girl, Ruby, suddenly ran forward, reaching for the red object behind her back. It unfurled into a long, red scythe. Yang shouted for her to stop, but Ruby was already in motion. The scythe suddenly let loose a loud 'BANG!', causing it to recoil, and send her flying straight towards the Death Stalker. Lyxus' eyes widened in horror. What in the hell was she thinking?! She was being stupid! She couldn't go up against a Death Stalker by herself! This fact was made evident when it swung it's pincer at her, knocking her away. Her body slid across the ground before she stood back up on shaky feet, easily rattled by the attack. "D-do-don't worry!" she called out weakly. "Totally fine!" She aimed the tip of her scythe, allowing another 'BANG!' to pierce in the air. The shot didn't even so much as affect the Death Stalker, it's armor to thick to penetrate.
Seeing her attack ineffective, Ruby chose the correct course of action. She disengaged her weapon as it folded in on itself, and slipped it behind her back as she took off in a run. "Ruby!" Yang called out in concern, running after her sister. Unfortunately, the Nevermore had noticed them, and began to chase after the red-hooded girl. It let out a blood-curdling caw as it swung it's wings, shooting several fathers that would make the girl it's pincushion. Thankfully, none of them hit her, but one did impale itself on her cape, halting her movements, while the rest impeded Yang's progress. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw the Death Stalker creep up on the smaller girl. "Ruby, get out of there!"
"I'm trying!" she shouted back, but only now realized the dire situation as the Death Stalker reared back it's stinger, intent on running her through. She shut her eyes.
Then, a metal clang echoed in the air.
"No! I won't... let anyone die!"
Ruby's silver eyes opened. Her sight was filled by the unfamiliar boy she had seen her sister with. His back face her, his arms crossed above him. His swords were crossed to shield her from the Deathstalkers stinger. "...whoa."
"Are you alright?!" He asked over his shoulder. Ruby nodded dumbly. She couldn't help but stare back at his eyes. One eye was red, and the other was just like hers; silver. She thought it was unusual. Of all the people she met, the only ones with silver eyes were herself and her mother, Summer. "What are you doing?!" he cried, snapping her back to the real. "Get going!"
"R-Right!" she finally pulled her hood free and scrambled back to the group. Once she rejoined the group, however, Weiss glared at her. "What in the hell were you thinking, you nimrod?!" she snapped, causing Ruby to wince. "Were you trying to get yourself killed?!"
"I was just trying to-!"
"-Get yourself killed?! That was foolish! Rash! And completely irresponsible!" The girl winced. "You are so childish!" the heiress snapped angrily. "And dimwited, and hyperactive..." She folded her arms, giving her an even level glare. "And don't even get me started on your fighting style!" The girl seemed to shrink with each words used. They hurt. They really did. Because they were true. "But..." Weiss sighed, rubbing her hand on her forehead. "I suppose I can be a bit... difficult."
"Understatement of the century," Yang muttered, though she shut up when Weiss glared at her coldly before turning back to the red reaper in front of her.
"If we're going to do this," she told Ruby. "We're doing this TOGETHER. And, I can be..." her face softened. "N-nicer." The group repressed a giggle, which thankfully went unnoticd by the heiress. It was painfully clear how unused she was to all of this. That being said, yang was at least glad that they were finally able to make things better, given everything that's happened between them. Ruby looked bashful as she scratched her cheek. "I-I wasn't trying to show off..." she said. "I just want you to know I can do this."
"You're fine." The heiress shook her head.
"Gragh!" Lyxus cried as he was thrown near the group. He quickly reoriented himself in the air, landing sharply on his feet. "Just dropping by?" Yang joked, earning a collective eye rolls from the group. "So, anybody think we should run?"
"Yeah. Our objective is to retrieve the artifacts and make it back to the cliff. We don't have to fight them." Ruby reminded them.
"Run and live. An idea I can get behind by." Jaune sighed in relief.
Lyxus nodded, and the group made to the ruins, grabbing the chess pieces, and running quickly away.
"...impressive so far," Glynda commented. "He was able to stop a Death Stalker's stinger with minimal effort." Her eyes narrowed in intrigue, focusing on the red blades he wielded. "Just what could those blades be made of?" It was an observation that intrigued both Professors. Seeing red metal like that on a weapon was rather unusual. One could only guess what it was truly composed of. Ozpin, however, was more curious about Lyxus, as he watched him accompany the group. They had eventually the old bridge that connected to the cliff. However, both the Death Stalker and the Nevermore were both chasing after them. It would be interesting to see how both groups deal with them. He then saw how the groups split off just before the bridge. Nora and Ren fell back and fired their weapons into the hide of the Deathstalker.
"Let us see what you're truly capable of, Mr. Lyxus..."
XXXXXXXXXX
[Play: RWBY OST - Red like Roses]
This was a seriously bad situation. He vaguely remembered the saying, "a rock and a hard place," but this was just outright ridiculous! Not only were they dealing with a Death Stalker, who the girl with the hammer and the boy with the pistols, stated that they would hold off, but they were also trying to deal with a gigantic black bird that was trying to turn them into it's own personal pincushion. Needless to say, this was NOT the sort of situation Lyxus wanted to be in. The boy ran further into the ruins with the girls and Jaune. As they did, Pyrrha slid her feet before coming to a halt, bringing out her weapon. "go, go!" she shouted at them as she went to help the two. She took to Ren's side, and her sword shifted into a double-barreled rifle. They opened fire on the beast as it chased after Nora, who was quickly fleeing to avoid it, but the rounds merely bounced off the shells. Once the excited girl ran past them, they quickly fell back as it swung it's pincers together in an attempt to grab them, only to swipe at air. Due to the narrowness of the bridge, it was impossible for to track after them.
Unfortunately for them, the Nevermore had not forgotten about them as it quickly flew by the large structures around the bridge. It's target was clear in sight. Lyxus' eyes widened, and turned to his companions. "Brace yourselves!" The next second, the bird Grimm rammed it's body into the bridge, causing it to break apart into debris. The group was scattered, with Blake, Pyrrha, and Ren falling to where the Death Stalker was, and the rest on the other side, close to the cliff. Jaune groaned, feeling the impact of being flung away, rubbing his head and back before he turned his attention to the three fighting the scorpion. His eyes widened in concern as he watched Blake, who was the only one among the group without a long-range weapon, get flung back after being hit by one of it's pincers.
"Shit!" he exclaimed in fright. "We have to help them!" He frowned heavily at the gap. There was no way to jump the gap, so how were they supposed to get over there? He looked around his surroundings, trying to find some way to reach them. It was then that he noticed the fissures running along the destroyed portion of the bridge, which ran all the way behind him. An idea streaked across his mind, but it made him pale and gulp. 'This is crazy...' he thought. 'Totally, utterly crazy, but...' He turned to Nora, who looked concern for Ren's safety. "U-um... Nora, right?" The girl turned to him, nodding. "T-this is gonna sound crazy, but... can we make this thing into a launching pad?"
The girl cocked her head to the side, but she quickly got the idea. "Aye aye, Captain~!" she sung as she brandished her weapon, which quickly turned into a large silver hammer. Jaune knew this was going to be a bad idea, but if it was going to help him save his friends, then it was worth doing... He just hoped it wouldn't get him killed. He quickly made his way to where the fissures end, while Nora stood at the opposing side. "You ready?!"
"Honestly?" he deadpanned. "...no."
Nora took this as a 'yes,' grinning like a demented madman, and jumped up. She reared back her hammer, and swung down, creating an explosive blast. The fissures broke apart, and the platform they stood on broke apart, becoming a makeshift launching pad for Jaune. Nora, meanwhile, hopped atop the large head of her axe, and fired off another explosive blast, sending her flying with him. The blonde hit the ground hard, groaning as he landed on his face while Nora fired off another blast as soon as she reached them, launching her into the air. "Nora SMASH!" she cried as she swung her hammer down on the Death Stalker. The force of the swing, with the explosive kickback, as enough to knock it into the ground. Hissing in anger, the scorption tried to impale her with it's stinger, only for her to jump back. Sadly, she hadn't noticed Blake behind her.
The two collided, and Blake was sent flying off the bridge, spiraling towards the abyss below her. She quickly reoriented herself, and slipped her weapon into it's secondary form. She swung it while a black band wrapped around her wrist. Gambal Shroud struck the side of the bridge, allowing her to swing through the air. Her eyes caught sight of the Nevermore, and narrowed her eyes. She quickly pulled back her weapon, which came flying back to her thanks to the retraction system, and then began another swinging movement by throwing it at the tower close by. Her body swung through the air, and was now in the Nevermore's path.
Another swift tug brought the weapon back, and returned to it's original form. The Nevermore was now directly in front of her.
"...my turn."
She changed her weapon, Gambol Shroud, into its firearm mode. She grabbed the Nevermore by the face as it flew straight at her and aimed the barrel of her gun right in its eye. She pulled the trigger. The creature squealed in pain before Blake quickly delivered several quick slashes. She then jumped up to it's back, and ran along it's spine, hacking away at it before jumping off, landing atop a portion of the ruined tower before joining Yang, Ruby, and Weiss. "It's tougher than it looks!" she mentioned, slightly winded.
Yang glared at the black bird before them as she rammed her fists together. "Then let's hit it with everything we've got!" she declared. At this, everyone brandished their weapons. Ruby's Crescent Rose unfurled into it's scythe form while Weiss twirled about, runes dancing underneath her as streaks of blue and red formed around her. Blake switched Gambal Shroud into it's firearm, and took aim.
Everyone then began to shoot at the Nevermore. However, it simply withstood all the blasts and let out a caw as it swung it's wings again, shooting out several feathers with the intent to skewer them. The group braced themselves, but Lyxus was quick to intervene. His eyes narrowed as he rammed the hilts of his blades together. A click resounded before the blades twisted around, and to the girls' shock, it extended into two longer blades. He let the joined blades fall into one hand, showing that the swords had connected together, and began his defense. Time seemed to slow down for him as the feathers approached, gripping his weapon tightly. A bead of sweat fell from his face, but quickly retaliated.
Each feather that came his way was knocked back, a dancing flash of red all around him as he demonstrated great dexterity with his weapon. The weapon seemed to spin all round him, almost as if it were dancing, as he knocked back everything that came his way. Ruby, for her part, was looking at his weapon in amazement. That was an impressive blade, without a doubt, being able to withstand the pressure of a Death Stalker's stinger, but to be able to join together to form a dual sword? It looked VERY cool to her. She made a mental note to ask him about it later, but quickly paled when she saw the Nevermore continuing it's assault.
"Oh, crap."
It rammed it's body once again into the structure, causing it to break apart and fall. The girls, plus Lyxus, used the rubble to jump up back to ground, with Yang and Ruby using the recoil of their weapons to shoot them upward. Lyxus and Blake relied on their own agility and dexterity to reach the bridge again, while Weiss simply used her runes to jump along the air. Yang landed on the opposite side of Ruby and Weiss as she charged in once again. The heiress scowled heavily, glaring at the Nevermore as it flew above them. "None of this is working!" Ruby looked concerned before she noticed Blake landing on another platform, having used Gambal Shroud to swing over to it. The gears in her head began to whirl as she turned her attention to Yang, who was unloading shot after shot with her Ember Celica while Lyxus, who quickly joined her, knocked back any further that got too close for comfort.
Her silver eyes widened, a picture forming in her head, and turned to Weiss. "I have a plan!"
"We gotta move!" Jaune called out as the platform beneath them began to gave way after the death Stalker rammed it's stinger into the ground, failing to hit Nora as she jumped back to avoid being stung. The force of the strike caused the platform to break apart and fall. The four were quick to run up the descending platform, running straight into the jaws of the Grimm in front of them. It swung it's pincer at them, intending to crush them, but Pyrrha intercepted, defending against it before parrying with her blade. The swing pincer tried to attack her blind spot, but Jaune moved in to defend her, using his shield to block it. Pyrrha used this opportunity to knock back the second pincer, leaving it open. Ren moved in, dashing to the side to avoid being hit by the stinger before latching unto it. He began to open fire on the beast, now directly above it while Nora unloaded her grenade launcher into the bast. The beast, now livid, tried to crush her with both pincers at once, but the two shield-bearers moved in to defend her at once. The brunt of the attack sent them both sliding back, with Jaune tumbling to the ground. The red-haired warrior, however, threw her weapon, now in the form of a javelin. It tried to defend itself, but the javelin went through the small gap between the pincers, and struck it in the eye.
It wailed in pain as it swung it's tail violently, throwing Ren off of it. "Ren!" Nora cried in concern as he was thrown against a pillar. Jaune was about to call over to him, but then noticed the now dangling stinger above the Death Stalker's head. 'It's loose?' he questioned before his eyes widened. 'Wait, that's it!'
"Pyrrha!"
The girl understood the plan immediately, grinning. "Done!" She swung her shield, which span right for the target. The sharpness of the edge was enough to cleanly cut through the remaining flesh binding the tail and stinger together, causing it to lodge in the armor.
"Nora!"
Said girl smiled like a madman as she jumped atop Pyrrha's shield, which returned to her like a boomerang, her weapon already in hammer form. Pyrrha thrusted her upward at the same time Nora fired off her weapon, leaving her to fly through the air, smiling as she sat atop the shaft of her weapon before descending towards the Death Stalker. "BOOM BABY!" she cried as she slammed the hammer down on the stinger, forcing it to break through the air, and straight into the body of the beast. The force of the impact, both from altitude velocity and the amount of strength the explosive kickback, caused the ground beneath them to break apart. Jaune and Pyrrha quickly jumped out of harm's way, while Nora used another explosive kickback to throw her to her friends, leaving the Death Stalker to fall to the misty depths below them.
The ginger flipped in the air from the impact and landed on her feet. Pyrrha and Jaune knelt on the ground out of exhaustion from their fight. Meanwhile, a tired Ren slowly walked up to the group...only to fall face first on the ground.
"I hurt...all over..." He mumbled.
Jaune chuckled weakly. "Amen..." he wheezed. "To that."
BANG! "I!" BANG! "Hope!" Bang! "You're!" Bang!" "Hung-" BANG! "-ry!" BANG!
Yang screamed as she unloaded round after round of shotgun bullets into the Nevermore's open mouth. The gigantic Grimm flew and tumbled in the air, no doubt feeling the pain of bullets entering its esophagus. With her part done, Yang jumped away, landing on the ground while leaving the Nevermore to crash into the wall. Lyxus took over, and released his blades' bonds, flipping them around in his hand before he launched them forward, impaling the creature where the shoulder and wings met, leaving it pinned to the wall. The blonde brawler smirked as Weiss shot past her, leaping into the air with runes dancing along the shaft of her raper. With a thrust, ice formed and captured the beast by it's tail, ensuring no chances of escape from it. She then returned to her comrades, leaping back to them via bouncing off a rune. Blake released Gambal Shroud, launching it at Yang, who caught the blade and then embedded it into another pillar, thus creating a band. Ruby shot forward, propelling herself forward and catching the band with her scythe.
"Of course you would come up with this idea." Weiss scoffed as she pulled Ruby back with another rune, keeping her in place.
The girl smiled. "Think you can make the shot?"
"Hmph," the heiress grunted. "Can I?"
The silver-eyed girl cocked her head to the side, turning to Weiss. "Can-"
"Of course I can!" she snapped angrily. Ruby nodded, and released the shell casing, leaving a new round to enter the chamber. As soon as Weiss dismissed the sigil, Ruby pulled the trigger, and her Semblance roared to life, causing her to shoot forward at top speed towards the pinned gigantic bird. She landed on the face of the cliff, her scythe catching the Nevermore by the throat. Weiss created glyphs beneath the girl's feet to maintain her traction. Ruby then broke out into a run immediately after landing. As she ran, more glyphs appeared. The Grimm cawed and struggled as it was yanked up by the neck. Ruby fired a shot every so often to give her a boost of speed to overcome gravity. Her speed semblance also helped as she did not lose any momentum. As soon as she made it past the edge of the cliff, she gave one final gunshot, causing the blade of her weapon to give an abrupt jerk, beheading the massive creature.
Red petals danced in the air as the now headless Grimm descended into the abyss to join the Death Stalker, slowly dissolving in the air, thus joining the scattering roses. From where he stood, Jaune was left gaping. "...whoa..."
"Well." Yang grinned. "That was a thing."
Lyxus, however, was staring at the sight in total awe. Strangely, he felt as if he had seen this somewhere before, but then shrugged it off. As Ruby jumped down the cliff, slowly descending thanks to Weiss' sigils, he now noticed the cameras that had been observing them. "What are those?" he asked Blake, pointing to the closest one. "Cameras?"
The girl nodded. "Yes. Even if the teachers aren't allowed to interfere in Initiation, they still want to keep an eye on the situation, just in case."
"I see..." Lyxus nodded. So they monitor the initiates to ensure that they won't do something stupid and die? How responsible.
Once Ruby joined them, they were also joined by Jaune, though given how exhausted he looked, it was safe to say that he had been thrown through the air once again. He was starting to feel sorry for the poor guy. It must have been quite rough. That, and given how many times he went through the air, he could only imagine how rough the flight must have been. "Can we..." he said in exasperation. "Not... do this... Again? Like, ever?"
"No promises...given what we're training for." Yang shook her head in honesty.
Jaune groaned, though Pyrrha gave him an assuring pat on the back. Ruby however grinned at the sigh before turning to Lyxus. "That was cool, by the way." she told him, earning a confused look from him. "I mean, how you looked after my sister while she was shooting."
"O-oh..." His shyness reappeared, a heavy blush on his cheeks as he scratched the back of his head. "It... was nothing?"
"Thank you so much!" Ruby grabbed his hand and shook it.
Yang laughed as she saw this. "Word of warning, Lyx!" she called out with a grin. "She's a weapon freak!"
"I am not!" She pouted.
"Oh really? And your obsession of weapons comes from something else?"
Ruby tried to form a response, but came up empty. All she could do was give a cute glare to the brawler, who laughed at it. Lyxus, however, was utterly confused. 'Deja vu...' he thought. He felt as if he had seen this familiarity somewhere before... but where? His thoughts were cut short by the loud whirring of an engine. The group looked up, and saw a small carrier slowly making it's way to them. "That must be Professor Ozpin." Weiss guessed as she holstered her weapon before looking at Lyxus. "By the by... I don't think I've seen you before. At least, back when we got thrown into Emerald Forest. What's your name?"
"Uh... Lyxus." he answered, unsure of how he arrived there himself. "And you are...?"
"Schnee." she introduced herself. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Corporation."
Lyxus cocked his head to the side. "...um, sorry. Don't know what that is."
"What?!" Weiss yelped in shock. How could someone not know what the Schnee Dust Corporation was?! "Sorry." he said apologetically. "Is it something I should know about?"
"Something you should-! YOU DUNCE!" she screamed, causing him to flinch. She couldn't believe he didn't know what her family was! Even someone as idiotic as Ruby knew what it was, so how in the hell does he not know about it?! "My family is the leading producer of Dust!"
"...still not ringing any bells." Lyxus deadpanned.
"Mrgrgrgr...!" Weiss huffed in annoyance.
Ruby sweat-dropped. "...is anyone else getting deja vu?"
"...not bad, Animus..." a figure whispered, having watched the battle from afar. Their form remained hidden in the shadows, deep inside the Emerald Forest. The only thing that could be seen of them was the purple cloak that was wrapped around their bodies, as well as the chains that hung off of their body. "Yet... you are far from the man you once were."
Lyxus knew he had done something wrong.
Currently, after being picked up in the Bulkhead, he was instructed by one of the teachers, a portly man in a red jacket with a mustache, to head to the headmaster's office. Now, the reasons why he was being head there were unknown to him, but he knew he had to have done something wrong. Was it his performance? Or was it because of how reckless he had been, trying to save Ruby without any help? He knew it was stupid of him, but he didn't want her to be killed. He didn't want that. He would NEVER want that on someone. So... what was wrong?
His anxiety was also made worse by the piercing glare of the blonde haired woman in front of him as he sat in the chair, fidgeting with his hands, thumbs circling around one another as they waited for the headmaster to arrive. Soon enough, the man of the hour entered the room, coffee mug in hand. Lyxus straightened when the man looked at him. He stared at him for the longest time, looking at him up and down, as if sizing him up, before offering a slight smile. "I take it Glynda's glare has not exactly hospital." he said jokingly, causing the woman to scowl in irritation. "Still, you've certainly made things intruiging for the most part." The man walked over to the other side of the table, taking a sip of his mug before setting it down and folding his hands together. "My name is Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon Academy." he introduced himself. "And you are...?"
"L-Lyxus, sir." he answered. "Lyxus Animus."
Ozpin's eyes narrowed for a moment. "Animus...?"
"Y-yes sir!" The boy nodded quickly. Did he do something wrong? Was that why Ozpin's expression shifted?
Ozpin's expression faded away, however. "I see..." he hummed. "So, tell me... How exactly," he gestured to the Scroll Glynda was holding in her hands, which was showing the battle against the Grimm. "Did you learn how to fight like that?"
Lyxus' face showed little comfort. "I, um... I... don't know. I guess it was just... instict?"
The man smiled wryly. "Yes, well... I suppose fighting with instinct can make one into a deadly force to be reckoned with." He pushed up his glasses. "Now, let me ask you something else." The black and white-haried teen stood up straighter. "How did you end up in the Emerald Forest?"
"I...I don't know..." The boy shook his head. "When I woke up...I found myself in the middle of the forest. I didn't even know where I was until everyone else told me about it." Glynda's eyes narrowed dangerously. Was this boy seriously feigning ignorance?! Ozpin, however, looked more curious. "Then let me ask you something else." Lyxus nodded. "What is the last thing you remember?" Lyxus suddenly become quiet. His eyes looked down at the ground, hands gripping at the pants. "I...I don't know..." He shook his head again. "Wh-when I try to remember...all I see is darkness..."
Ozpin raises an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"
"It's that... I don't remember anything." Lyxus said. "I don't remember anything, not even about myself... All I remember is how to fight, what Grimm are... and my name is all that's left." He stared back at Ozpin, who's face remained impassive. "S-so, you see, Headmaster, I... don't have any memories."
"...I see..." The man stated, his chin resting on his folded arms. This was quite a conundrum. That was the mystery, the unsolved question behind Lyxus Animus; A boy with no memories. Now the question remains...what should they do about his situation? "S-so, um..." Lyxus stuttered. "What will... happen to me?"
"Well, that remains to be seen." Ozpin stated as he adjusted his glasses. "You DID appear without warning in the Emerald Forest. Normally, I would consider having you detained, or arrested." The boy paled at this, though Ozpin later smirked. "Or... you can attend Beacon Academy."
His eyes widened, lighting up with joy, while Glynda spluttered. "Wha-?! Ozpin, sir, you cannot be serious!"
"I am, Glynda..." he nodded calmly. "you saw Mr. Animus' skill for yourself. He has the potential to become one of the greatest Huntsmen of the generation."
"But he isn't even a student here." she rebutted.
The man smirked. "And neither was Miss Rose."
"But she was a student at a combat school," the woman pointed out. "Whereas HE has no records whatsoever." The two were locked, sparks seemingly flying between the two before Glynda sighed in irritation, pinching the bridge of her nose. "...you aren't even going to listen to a word I say, are you?"
Ozpin merely gave her a knowing smile, and turned his attention back to Lyxus. "So then, Mr. Animus... What would you like to do?"
"I...I..." The man hesitated for a moment. This man...he was really giving him a chance like this? Why...? What made him so special that he would do this? However, he realized that this may be the best chance he has to finding more about himself. "...I accept!"
Ozpin grinned. "Then welcome to Beacon, Mr. Animus."
"I'll get the papers ready..." Glynda groaned before she realized something. "Wait... What about his team placement? He has to join one of the first year teams."
"He's already demonstrated excellent partnership with Miss Rose and her group." Ozpin stated. "Though this would make them the first five man team in a long while." He took a sip of his coffee before speaking again. "Ah, speaking of that, it's almost time the announcements." He stood up, smiling at the boy. "Care to come along?"
Lyxus nodded. "Y-yes, sir!"
With that, he followed them out of the room.
Several hours later, all the students that had completed the initiation stood together on a large stage. The rest of the student body gathered in the large auditorium and looked on as Professor Ozpin stood at the front by a microphone as he addressed all in attendance regarding the new hunters' success after watching their exploits on the many large screens around them.
"Russell Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark. You four retreived the black bishop pieces. From this day forward you will be working as team CRDL. Led by, Cardin Winchester." the crowd applauded as the newly appointed team stood proud.
The headmaster turned to the next team as they stood ready. "Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrah Nykos, and Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward you will work together as team JNPR. Led by, Jaune Arc."
Jaune paled when he heard the man, "Huh?...led by?" he asked while the team congratulated him. Ozpin nodded, "Congradulations, young man." Pyrrah punched Jaune in the arm and he toppled over not expecting it.
Smiling lightly at the display, Ozpin turned to face the last batch of students. He noticed how uncomfortable the poor boy looked, being around four girls while also being looked at by the audience around them. "And lastly... Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Lyxus Animus, and Yang Xiao Long. The five of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as team RWBAY. Led by, Ruby Rose."
This caused the five teens, as well as everyone in the audience to freeze. Ruby was frozen by the idea that she was team leader, while everyone else was stunned by the fact there would be five people on this team.
Weiss was also stunned. Because of her training, she half-expected to be named team leader. She was sure her status as a Schnee didn't have anything to do with it, but if it did, there would be some problems. She wanted to be recognized by her own skill and talent, not by simple recognition based on her family name. She also had some reservations about having a boy on a team with four girls, but so long as he behaved himself, she wouldn't have any problems... That, and he really didn't look bad on the eyes either. Blake was fine with the arrangements, but she was a bit off-put by Lyxus. Something about him still didn't seem right with her.
Yang, however, was ecstatic as she ran up and hugged her still-shocked sister. "Oh, I'm so proud of you!" she cheered, nuzzling her head against her sister's cheek.
"Please stop..." Ruby choked out, her oxygen being cut off from the death hug. Fortunately, Yang alleviated her grip and dragged the male of the team into it.
"I'm glad to have you with us, partner!" She cheered. Lyxus' face burned red, as Yang was unaware that she was currently pressing his face against her breasts. Some of the males, including Jaune, couldn't help but feel envious of him for being in that position. Ozpin chuckled. "It seems things are turning out to be a rather... interesting year."
-Chapter...END-
Next Time: The First Day, First Encounters
