John had no weapons to speak of. Save for his MJOLNIR armor and pistol, that was all. He knew he'd damn well need weapons to defend himself with, since he more than likely couldn't just punch his way through whatever threat came his way. Still, the fact Penny gathered he needed help was working out in his favor, thankfully. He'd have to find a way to repay her kindness, since he felt just the friendship she asked for was too little.
As they walked through the streets of the city known as Vale, the Spartan looked about. Crystalline light-posts, glass benches and strange architecture, resembling 20th Century European buildings. The people walking about were colorful enough too. But none seemed to pose any kind of threat so far... He paused, then pushed Penny out of the way and jumped high, dodging a whip of lilac light that nearly grabbed him. He drew his sidearm, then silently followed the whip, dodging each grapple attempt from it with ease. Penny followed him, unsure of what was going on despite seeing the whip herself.
The Spartan skidded to a halt, then raised his handgun and aimed it at the enemy:a woman in her early thirties, with blonde hair caught in a bun, emerald eyes hidden behind a pair of reading glasses. She had a white shirt, a black skirt and a cape that was purple on the inside, with black on the outside, resembling something from Fantasy. She also held a riding crop in her hand, out of which the strange construct of light that nearly struck him 3 times appeared. She seemed surprised.
"You dodged all my restraint attempts. No human should have that speed." The woman noted, pushing the spectacles up onto the bridge of her nose with her free hand. Chief clicked the safety of his handgun to 'off', not uttering a single word to the would-be captor. The woman scowled, then said "Are you going to talk, or should I just knock you out where you stand and take you with me?"
Once again, no answer. The Spartan eased his finger on the trigger, to which the woman took a combative stance. The wand she carried crackled with lilac energy. Cortana chimed in and spoke to the Chief "Shouldn't we... I don't know... Keep this civil? Not start a shootout in the middle of a civilian-occupied area?" as calmly as she could. The Spartan hummed...
"Wait!" Penny said, stepping in between him and that woman, making the chief lower the hand-gun. "Why are you trying to capture Dylan?" She then demanded of the woman ahead. He stepped up beside Penny and kept the gun lowered, but the safety off. The woman simply frowned, looking at them and readying her crop. The Spartan stood there, staring at her through the tinted orange visor.
"Do you wish to join him, young lady?" The woman asked menacingly.
"He's done nothing wrong." Penny answered sternly. It was clear both of them were dangerous... Even more so when the Chief heard a mechanical hum and looked behind Penny, to see 6 different blades seemingly floating behind her, each bearing symbols and Penny's color palette. He saw the thin metal wires holding the weapons up into the air, as if held up by magnetism.
"I can't know that yet." The woman returned "Unless I get to talk to him."
The Spartan paused, hearing a ringtone and seeing the woman's face contort into a grimace. She sighed deeply, then said "Of all times, now..." before utilizing her free hand to pull a strange device out of her pocket and answer it. "Yes, Headmaster?" allowing the Spartan to ease the finger off the trigger. He saw the woman frown and answer to the voice they couldn't hear "I was bringing them back to you..." then pause and look at Penny "... Oh... I see." and, with a sigh, lowered her riding crop/wand. The Spartan holstered his pistol and Penny's swords hid themselves away in her backpack.
A tense situation defused, the woman sighed, then said "No, he doesn't seem harmless..."
"Oh, he isn't!" Penny smiled. "But I bet he won't harm other humans! Will you, Dylan?"
The Spartan shook his head and crossed his arms.
"He isn't very talkative, either, is he?" She noted, looking at the Chief. Penny shook her head, to which the woman sighed and said "I will tell you, then. Whoever you may be, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy requested your presence. And trust me, I know him. He won't take no for an answer, even if he just berated me over trying to bring you in the hard way. As for you, miss Polendina, General Ironwood is also present."
"W-Wait! You're from Beacon!? That means you know Ruby!" Penny noted very happily. Chief immediately saw the woman's shoulders slack and her frown turn into a smile. A sudden change of pace, but a welcome one.
"Of course, any girl willing to stand up to a fully-fledged Huntress would be a friend of miss Rose. I'm Glynda Goodwitch, headmistress and combat professor at Beacon." Glynda nodded to Penny. She then looked to Jo-err... Dylan and asked "If you could at least give me a name, It'd be easier for us to talk." before crossing her arms. The Spartan nodded.
"Dylan Braun. Master Chief Petty Officer." The Spartan returned calmly.
"Oh, so a military man?" Glynda noted. Even Penny raised a brow. Goodwitch continued calmly "Understood. Follow me to the Bullhead Landing, please."
The Bullhead, as called by miss Goodwitch, was a poorly-armored, unarmed drop ship with VTOL capabilities. It had a grey hull and the coat-of-arms of Vale on its tail. Two spears crossed in front of a cogwheel shield. The Spartan felt uneasy aboard such a poorly-armored craft, but yet he stood still, waiting for the ship to land near by their target. Beacon Academy.
"Are you well, Master Chief?" Glynda asked. The Spartan nodded.
"Easy does it, Chief." Cortana said "We're about to reach Beacon. May I suggest looking out the window?"
The Spartan turned his head, to see the large buildings of Beacon. A massive central spire, which both worked as a clocktower and as a... Well, 'beacon', where Emerald light seemed to flow through and out. The landing pad and a garden with several decorative structures resided at and near the edge of the Beacon Cliff, respectively, as below them, a river flowed down into a large lake. The rest of Beacon was residential in nature, with tall habitation blocks going half the height of the Tower.
The bird swung by to the landing site and then landed, allowing the trio to step off onto the concrete and the paved road that led to the center of Beacon. Chief noticed very few people walking around. He heard Penny speak "Beacon seems rather empty today." as she walked to his side. Glynda lead the two of them toward the tower, with a calm humming.
"Winter break is about to end." Glynda noted "The students on break will return within the coming days."
"Oh." Penny smiled. "I see."
The Spartan watched as they approached the tower. The building in itself grew in size the closer they got to it. They entered the tower, to soon find an open area with three elevators to the far left. Walking into one of the ones already there, Glynda pressed a button, but found she, Penny and the Chief barely fit as was, thanks to the Spartan's armor. She looked to him, then asked "How... Heavy... is that armor?"
"1000 lbs by itself." He said calmly, much to Glynda's surprise
"I believe it is powered." Penny said. "Correct?"
He nodded. The elevator let out a ding and thankfully, the door slid open, allowing freedom of movement to both them and the Spartan. As they walked out, they were greeted by an open office, with book shelves on the far right wall and an open window behind the main glass desk, with the Clock behind it(Reversed). Standing up behind the desk, an elderly man with silver-grey hair and golden eyes hidden behind tiny shades looked at Glynda and her new arrivals, then smiled. He wore an emerald scarf with a cogwheel brooch attached to it, made of silver, as well as an emerald suit with a black vest underneath and a pair of brown leather shoes.
Sitting beside him was a man of about his age, with dark-blue eyes and black, crew-cut hair that went grey at the sides. He wore a white military uniform made up of a trench coat which reached down to his knees, unbuttoned to show the strange shade of metal-blue of the shirt, as well as a red tie knotted around his neck and hidden underneath the main shirt. He had a pair of combat boots, black, tied to his legs and white pants, as well as, from what Chief could see, a holster that held a rather impressive handgun. He had a level gaze, very much like that of a war veteran. He also had a glove on his right hand and a strange patch on the top of his forehead.
"Headmaster, General." Glynda nodded. "I brought them, as asked."
"John, I have a hint of a feeling they're gonna ask you some questions, relating to where you come from. I've decompiled more of the data I got from the Antenna, so follow my lead and say exactly what I say... We'll give you a background worthy of mention."
He absentmindedly nodded, then took a more straight posture as both men ahead looked at him.
"By the Gods... Look at that armor." The man in the military uniform said, eyes wide.
"James?" The Headmaster took his attention. The General cleared his throat, then nodded, allowing Ozpin to walk up to the Chief and say "Please, forgive General Ironwood. I can agree with him, your armor looks like an endearing piece of hardware, but considering you must've come to our world with it, I doubt you'd be willing to part so soon after landing." before extending his hand to the Chief in a friendly manner "I am Headmaster Ozpin, of Beacon Academy."
The Spartan took his hand and shook it, then, as Cortana whispered into his ear, spoke "Dylan Braun. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy." with his usual stern tone. Ozpin's brow raised as he examined the soldier. The general seemed to tense for a moment, watching as the Spartan waited patiently. Glynda looked to him, as did Penny, watching for any movement.
"Which Navy, Master Chief?" Ozpin asked.
"Royal Navy of the now-defunct Kingdom of Wyvern." The Spartan said without flinching. Oz, meanwhile, took pause, looking at the soldier's armor for any definitive symbols. Most of the armor, however, was scratched, dented and near-completely busted up on the outside. No symbols remained, save for the olive drab color on the strange metallic plates making up the outside layer.
"We've never heard of such a kingdom, Master Chief." Ironwood noted, scratching his chin.
"You wouldn't have been able to, sir. It was formed of deserters from the Mantle Military, Valerian traders that wanted out from being under constant threat from the Grimm and an expedition from Vacuo." The Spartan recited without so much as a fault. "One general Marriott disappeared with the entire army under her command during the Great War's second year, did she not?"
"She..." Ironwood looked surprised, then sighed "That she did. And my predecessors never were able to track her or her crews. But that was almost 100 years ago, Master Chief. You're meaning to tell me that nothing and no one from that kingdom ever bothered to call to the outside? Not even general Marriott? Or anyone who missed their family from before...?"
"Negative, sir... High concentrations of Gravity Dust in the mountain area, where my ancestors settled, made sure that communication systems of any kind wouldn't work even if they wanted to. And the sea around us was more than treacherous, with only one month out of 12 where we could safely travel to and fro... And even then, barely." The Chief responded. He'd have to ask Cortana about all the terms he just used to get everything checked into his data system. He also hated how he said his allegiance was different than the UNSC. Still... Better than explaining everything. And he wanted to make sure to get on their good side.
Not that lying would help with that, but still...
"How'd Wyvern fall, mister Braun? If you're here, surely, something must have happened to it." Ozpin observed.
"It..." The Spartan looked to Ozpin "The communication blackout caused the people to become unnerved, up to the point that dissent spread throughout both the normal civilians in the Kingdom's walls and the Military, as many believed that General Marriott and her family, the rulers of Wyvern, wanted to keep us all in check. Our desire to keep ourselves isolated was, in the end, what brought our downfall."
"As dissent turned to strikes." Penny noted, recalling some historical kingdoms falling much the same.
"Strikes turned to protests. The protests turned violent and..." John paused, letting the air in the room become heavier and heavier.
"... The amalgam of negative emotions brought the Grimm bearing down on your Kingdom..." Ozpin finished, then he sighed deeply in frustration, fingers interlaced and hands resting on his desk. He continued "That does not, however, explain your drop from space, Master Chief... Or at least from near it." he then continued inquisitively. The Spartan let Cortana talk a bit more to him... Then answered.
"I... Did not want to recollect these events, but very well." He lied, trying to act convincing. "I was part of those soldiers still loyal to the Kingdom, within the Navy. I and my ship, the Forward Unto Dawn, a Frigate, with four of my Crew, were fighting against Rebel-owned ships. The Rebels had raised tensions so high within the Kingdom, that the Navy and Army were forced to intervene. Terror attacks, bombings, shootings, all to raise panic within the Kingdom. As we destroyed one of their ships, ours took a hit too, without me realizing it."
Seeing them still listening, he continued "The battle was lost, apparently... The Grimm had broken into the city through the Eastern Wall, where we were fighting and were already nearing the Town Square, where a great deal of people were already protesting, whilst the Rebels did their dirty work fighting us. A warning blared within our ship:Gravitational Cascade activated. The Cascade was our trump card... And last resort. A weapon made of hundreds of thousands of Gravity Dust crystals of high purity and even higher volatility... For when the Grimm finally got to us. General Marriott was always paranoid. Our ship was ordered to leave as fast as possible, warn other Kingdoms if possible. The Height we reached was nearing the extreme exosphere when the detonation occurred, destroying the entire kingdom, without harming the surrounding area... Then the damage to our ship took its toll."
He sighed, then continued "Our ship was severely damaged by the hits we took from the Rebels. Enough so that it was soon falling out of the sky. And about to detonate. My crew sacrificed themselves to save my life, despite my protests. As the ship detonated, I was launched out of the Airlock right at the edge of space. All I could grab was a remnant of the ship, that turned into my heat shield upon descent back down to Remnant. And from then on, I met miss Penny, Professor Goodwitch and wound up in Beacon."
"Cortana, remind me to help you with your next defragmentation... That has to be one thorough Cover Story." John thought to himself. "Almost ONI-worthy."
"That was... Interesting." Ozpin said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "You have my condolences for both your Kingdom and the crew of your ship, Master Chief."
"I appreciate the thought, sir." Chief nodded.
"I never thought that one of my predecessors went and founded her own Kingdom." Ironwood sighed deeply. "Master Chief, thank you for enlightening Briefing. Now, you were here for something more, I believe. As was miss Polendina."
"Indeed." Ozpin smiled. "Master Chief, I'd like to ask you something. Would you be keen to... Join forces with us for now? I presume you are some sort of Special Operative, due to your armor, since, and forgive me if I am wrong, I doubt that the entire Kingdom military of Wyvern could've been armed with such advanced sets of armor." he then explained. "You will be living in my School and training with my students."
"I see, sir... And yes, you're right. I and my crew were part of a Special Operations force. The last of its kind, actually." Chief responded. He looked to a smiling Penny, who clapped her hands together.
"This is so amazing, Dylan! They're asking you to join Beacon!" She said happily.
"Yes... I'm thinking about it." He answered calmly. He saw a look in Penny's eyes. One of sadness... With a deep sigh, he looked to Ozpin, then suggested "General Ironwood, Headmaster, perhaps Penny should be allowed into Beacon too. She has been my first contact with Vale and the rest of Remnant as a whole, though I presume she is... Mantle?"
"Atlas." Ironwood nodded, then said "And I'm not sure her father would approve. He specifically asked me to keep her safe."
"I found her wandering the city, General. With all due respect, I believe, if this is about safety, Beacon is probably one of the most safe spots she can be in. This is a School, after all." Chief suggested, to which Ironwood's brow raised, whilst Penny looked excited... The Spartan took it as his cue to continue "Vale is a city with a wide variety of people and possible interactions, not all of them beneficial for Penny. Whilst I do not doubt she can defend herself, it's best if she is somewhere in a place such as Beacon, where there are adults and people of her age and behavior."
"I..." Ironwood hesitated.
"Oh, come now, James... Like the Master Chief said, she is his first interaction with the outside of his former Kingdom, which may well better help him adapt to the world surrounding him now. Plus, Beacon is, as aforementioned, a school. A school for Huntsmen and Huntresses. Penny would most definitely be safe among them." Ozpin smiled. Ironwood, meanwhile, frowned. The General sighed, surrendering this one to him and the Chief.
"Very well. I will call mr. Polendina and inform him of the changes." Ironwood sighed deeply in resignation again. He looked to the Spartan, then said "You would best take care of her, Master Chief."
"I will consider it a priority mission, sir." The Chief answered with a light nod. Penny gasped, then looked to James, to Ozpin, Glynda and finally ,the Chief, before pouncing on him and sending him a step back, with a joyous squeal. She hugged tightly onto his waist, unable to utter a thank you and simply spewing gibberish. Ozpin chuckled, looking to the Spartan, as Ironwood had just left the room with one of the Elevators.
"You've your job cut out for you, Master Chief. Also, I should note, students stay within Beacon in teams. That means you will be assigned a dormitory where you will sleep alongside them." to which John's eyes widened. Thank Goodness for the visor, they couldn't see... A new team? How would he adapt? He needed Blue team back, that much he knew.
"I will assign two of my contacts to it. One of them should already be here. You will find her... Interesting. Also, you will have an entrance exam which all students must take come this Sunday. Do not worry, nothing too hard." Ozpin's smirk was hidden behind his hands, which he held up to his mouth, interlaced. "You are free to go, mr. Braun. I will have one of our students join you to take you to the Dorms. Welcome to Beacon."
The Chief nodded as he and the clamping Penny walked to the Elevator... And left.
"What do you think, Ozpin?" Glynda asked, looking to him.
"I believe he's hiding something, but I will not press him about it... If he turns into a liability, the girls will know what to do with him." Ozpin noted. He sighed "I miss when my life was simpler, but alas... She probably knows more about him than we do." He then continued, leaning back into his chair and pouring a cup of coffee into his Vale-brand mug, before taking a sip. Glynda nodded, then said "Agreed..."
... As J... God dammit, Dylan and Penny walked down the corridors of Beacon, the Spartan took in the surroundings. The arches in the hallway, the wide corridors, the massive windows, the blue carpets and the furniture placed neatly around the place gave off an air of freedom. The place was not cramped, it was not messy, it was just right. Then again, that also meant no cover whatsoever in case of attack.
"So... You mentioned you had friends. They were in Beacon, correct?" He asked Penny, who smiled.
"Yes!" She stopped. "There are four girls in total, but the one I know best is Ruby. She's a cute girl, small, but smart and is the leader of their team. She has silver eyes and, well, an interesting color choice."
Chief had just noticed a small girl approaching from behind Penny, a smile on her face. She had a strange two-color palette, save for her skin and eyes. Red and black. Her hair was black at the top, turning from darker to lighter shades of red as it reached the tips. The hair was shorter than Penny's, reaching to chin-length. She was cute, small and had silver eyes...
"She wouldn't happen to be wearing what looks like a dress and a cape?" The Spartan asked as the girl stopped to listen and showed him to be quiet, whilst Cortana giggled in his helmet like a giddy schoolgirl again. Oh, this was precious to watch, even for a Spartan.
"Oh, yeah! Ruby's clothing... Err... She could use a bit of fashion advice. The colors are so bland and... Well, a two-color palette gives off a feeling of oddity. Thankfully, she has a team-mate that's better acquainted with clothing and style." Penny said bluntly, to which the Chief saw the girl gasp silently, covering her mouth. "She could help Ruby get better clothes, or at least a better color palette if Ruby asked nicely but-"
"NO! NO! NONONONO! AAAA-NOPE! I AM NOT GETTING FASHION ADVICE FROM WEISS!" Ruby called out from behind Penny. Cortana laughed aloud in John's helmet, whilst Penny turned about and gasped happily "RUBYYYYYY!" before pouncing onto Ruby and... Well, unsurprisingly, knocking the poor girl off her feet. Cortana's laughter kept intensifying... Enough so that John sighed, being basically forced to remove his helmet as not to endure the assault upon his advanced ears.
He picked Penny up, then helped Ruby as well and said "I presume you are miss Rose." His voice smooth. Ruby looked at him, a bit surprised, her face flushed, then nodded and said "Yeah. Hey there." as she dusted herself off. A skirt, thigh-highs and combat boots. All of the same color palette. Of course, she wouldn't change it, would she? The Spartan crossed his arms and watched as Penny apologized quickly.
"It's so good to see you, Ruby!" Penny then said with a smile. "How have you been?"
"Oh, okay." Ruby shrugged "Break's almost over, so I figured I should get here early, then Ozpin calls me and says I should get two new students to their dorms, so I was going to him. Who's the guy, though?" She then pointed at Chief.
"Ah, right! Ruby, this is Dylan Braun. Master Chief Petty Officer." Penny introduced the Chief. "Just call him Dylan. You don't mind, do you?"
"No." He shrugged. "So you are the one the Headmaster sent to take us to our dorm room?"
"Yea-wait..." Ruby paused, putting on a thinking face... Before she realized and her gasp nearly took the entire atmosphere in "OH MY GODS, YOU GUYS ARE THE NEW STUDENTS?!" she then said with a high level of excitement. Penny smiled widely, then nodded and said "Yes! Quite so, in fact! I and Dylan will be on the same team starting soon."
"Ooooh! That's so cool!" Ruby then said... And she finally acknowledged the Chief's armor, which she then jumped at the chance to look over, asking all sorts of questions rapid-fire "Ohmygod is this your armor!? What's it do?! Why's it look so cool!?" and that kind of excited kid in a candy shop questions. The Spartan stopped her before she went and touched something she shouldn't have, then said "Calm yourself down, miss Rose... Yes, this is my armor. It is also currently my only weapon, due to certain events."
Ruby gasped, then demanded "Wait, what?! You don't have weapons?!" in a high-pitched voice.
"Uh... No. Save for a pistol." He said, taking out his M6D Sidearm.
"Uhh..." Penny sighed.
"No way! I can't let that stand!" Ruby proclaimed, a look of determination on her face. "Dylan, you need to have a weapon!"
"Ruby, I got an idea!" Penny suggested, to which Ruby turned to her friend and said "Tell me, my ginger friend! What is it you've come up with!"
"How about you build Dylan's weapon?" Penny then offered, to which the Chief paused for a moment. Ruby looked to him, then asked "Would that be okay with you, Dylan?" to which the Spartan sighed. No choice. He simply nodded in agreement, to which Ruby's eyes widened. She grinned as she extended her hand to the Chief, who gripped and shook.
"So... What do you want it to be?" She asked.
"What?" The Spartan returned her question.
"I need a basic shape to start off with. So what do you want it to be?" Ruby then told him kindly. The Chief took a moment to ponder the question, before realizing the shape he wanted.
"You wouldn't happen to know how to build Railguns, would you? Or Coilguns?" He asked, to which Ruby smirked.
"Giving me a challenge, eh?" She smirked. "I can make a pretty basic Rail rifle. Single-shot, semi-automatic. What do you want it to be, melee-wise? If you're gonna be fighting Grimm." She then said. The Spartan once again pondered the weapon's type. He nodded once more, knowing full well what to take into combat, considering he had just spoken of the material known as Gravity Dust.
"I'd like for the barrel to fold into a handle. And for the stock to include Gravity Dust, to keep the recoil to the lowest possible and activate afterward. A sort of Gravity Bludgeon, if you'd like." The Chief explained, which lit Ruby's eyes up almost immediately. Those silver eyes shimmered as ideas flowed into her head and an unmistakably wide grin was now plastered.
"That is sooooooo awesome! A Gravity Bludgeon that also works as a Rail rifle! You've given me some food for thought, Dylan! Heck, we can make some pretty interesting stuff together! When do you need it by?" The girl then asked jovially.
"He's gonna need it by Sunday. That's when the Exam is." Penny noted, which immediately put a damper on Ruby's bubbling personality. She froze up faster than a vehicle with its engine off in the middle of a blizzard. Well. Played. Penny. Cortana was laughing like a madwoman again. For a fact, the Chief had never heard Cortana actually laugh, but this was it. It was funny.
"God dammit, I love Penny..." Cortana noted, smiling.
"This a problem, miss Rose?" Chief ignored Cortana. Ruby rubbed the back of her neck.
"Nah... I think I Can do it. Just means sleepless nights!" She smiled awkwardly, rubbing her arm. "You'd best be ready to pay me back in cookies, though! C'mon, lemme get you to your dorms, guys."
As they walked, Chief just realized.
"Uh. Miss Rose, don't mind me asking, but what do you wield as a weapon? I wish to know who I handed the production of my new Huntsman's weapon to." He told her... Ruby's grin immediately returned. She nodded, then reached behind her cape and with a flashy spin and move, as well as several rose petals flying around her, made a weapon appear and enlarge itself. The Mechanical whir faded whilst the Chief stared on, slightly shocked at the size of the weapon as she brandished it. A massive high-caliber Sniper-Scythe with a 4x Scope and bolt-action, as well as a bolt locking mechanism.
"Holy..." Cortana murmured. "Well, I can say we're in good hands, weapon-wise." as the Chief looked over it. He nodded, rubbing his helmet's chin, then said "This is a master-crafted weapon, miss Rose. A high-impact, customizable, long-range Sniper Rifle that also doubles as a Scythe for close quarters. It's also probably severely hard to wield, but... You probably know more about it than I would at the start, anyways."
"Aww, thanks, Dylan!" Ruby smiled, planting the weapon into the ground "This is Crescent Rose. All hand-made, Ruby Rose patented weapon designed to kick the butt of even the worst Grimm out there! She's a beauty" She then continued, proudly gloating and pampering the weapon designed for badass murder. The Spartan hummed, then nodded in agreement. Ruby looked to him as she folded the weapon, then said "Also, Dylan. Mind calling me by my name?"
"Oh. Ruby." He nodded.
"Better." she smiled. "Thanks."
The walk to the Dormitories was rather uneventful, with Ruby and Penny exchanging small-talk and the occasional banter about developments in Vale. The Spartan, meanwhile, thought of what to talk to Cortana about as he hung further back. He spoke "Cortana, can you have a report of everything I have just spoken with Ozpin about? I understand basics, but the rest of it is a blur." to which Cortana hummed.
"I'm still piecing the Data together. Going from Dust up, I'll have a Report. Huntsmen, Huntresses, the Schools that train them, the Kingdoms and the Great War are still things I need to learn about myself. I'll give you detailed reports every day if I can, but right now... Right now, I'm trying to figure out how in God's Green Earth you lost about 75% of your age."
"... Tell me once you've gotten an idea about it, will you?" He asked calmly "I've been trying to figure that out since we got here, among other things."
"Aye aye, Chief." Cortana nodded. "Also... I performed a scan of your body. One of your Augmentations... Well, modifications, is failing. Before you start worrying yourself about it, it's the Thyroid Gland implant. This just means hormones will have their way around now, more so than before. Some behavioral changes may occur, but they will be slow and unnoticeable at first, as well as changes to your body... I hope I don't have to hold the Birds and the Bees talk, because that's not my domain." She then quipped, easing John's mind...
With calm, he said "Thank you for the warning, Cortana. I'll keep that in mind upon future interactions with anyone. Right now..." He let out a long, drawn-out Yawn that he felt he had been holding in for a while. "Right now... I am... Genuinely willing to fall asleep on the floor. This has been a long day. Way too damn long for my liking." He then yawned again.
"You've got such a cute yawn. And it's strange to see you actually sleepy for a change. Cute as well." Cortana chuckled. He hit his helmet again, shaking her in there. She sighed, then said "Right, right... Thank the maker you can't get brain damage from this. But it's still shaking your brain a bit. Try not to snap the Neural Link, will you?" She then warned, before going back into data processing mode. The Spartan's thoughts were now occupied with the new data. She then quipped "Just remember to at least take your helmet off and grab a pillow."
"I will, I will." John nodded.
"Or just completely remove the armor for a change." She then murmured. John hated that thought... He knew he was going to go to school, but for God's sake, he'd need to not wear his MJOLNIR armor in some of the most defenseless moments of his life. Well, he'd carry his handgun with him, hidden in his pocket or somewhere. The boy soon found out they'd already gotten to the floor they were gonna be staying at and... He paused.
The Hallways were beautifully decorated in red velvet, with amazing landscape paintings lining the walls. There were couches in cots, where students could sit and talk and the room doors were engraved birch wood. This place was pretty well-detailed, considering the fact that students were staying there. There were also light fixtures on the walls every 5 feet.
"Here it is!" Ruby said, opening the door, to reveal a large room, with four beds split evenly among the room, as well as four desks, four wardrobes, a bathroom, a kitchen that seemed fully stocked, book-shelves, a television set on a counter and... What even was this place, a Hotel of all things? The Spartan let Penny walk in first. He saw her bags already present next to her bed, the one across from him. There were also bags across from them, on the third bed near the window. Very strangely designed bags, with bright pink as the main color and patches of other colors, such as blue and green.
The Spartan sat down on his bed, then removed his helmet and placed it on the side. He rubbed his eyes. He felt a sudden drowsiness, a sudden desire for sleep. Something he hadn't felt since the first day in basic. He sighed deeply, then looked to Penny and Ruby, of which the latter said "Wait here, Dylan. We'll go get some food for you, if you don't mind."
"Yeah, Dylan, take a nap. You look worse than me without any sugar on a bad day." Ruby said, smiling. The Spartan looked into the reflective visor of his helmet at his youthful, but tired face. He had to agree, he was worse for wear. Save for the scars, the bags underneath his eyes were both unsightly and surprisingly there. He sighed deeply, then nodded and leaned back onto the bed, armor still on. The Spartan nigh immediately fell asleep, like a brick.
He sighed deeply... Something was holding him back... He couldn't move, turn or anything of the sort... When he tried to push whatever it was off, he felt something as heavy as a human. And soft. He sighed, then muttered "I swear... I cannot get any peace and quiet he-" He opened his eyes and froze. A young woman, with clothing similar to the bags next to the bed and with a pair of breasts of the abnormal size for a woman as petite as her stood there, on top of him, top hat tilted to the right of her head and a droopy miscolored rabbit's ear on the other. A wide grin on her face and wide, lilac two-iris eyes.
"..." The Chief simply stared in a deadpan.
"Oooh! You're awake! Sweet!" She said rather joyfully. "Now, why the heck can't I Observe you?"
"..." The girl heard a gun cock and felt it pressed to her stomach. Her grin vanished, being suddenly replaced by fear, before the Spartan said "Get. The hell. Off of me." in as low a voice as possible. She chuckled, grin returning as she stared quite intently at the Chief. The lights flicked on and he looked to see. Oh. Hi, Penny... Hi, Ruby... He heard the little ginger gasp... And suddenly heard a thundering "GET OFF OF HIM!"
Chief could swear that was Kelly doing that flying tackle that knocked the girl off of him. It was on point, fast and perfectly executed. He stood up straight, then aimed his pistol at the pink-wearing girl and scowled. She rubbed the back of her head nad said "Owowowow! Jeez, I was just kidding, okay?!" and then she noticed Chief's gun "WOW, WAIT!" She then barked, raising her hands "I'm your third teammate!"
John looked, dumbfound... And he could hear Cortana laughing again. This was all a comedy to her... They were going to have words, but for now, Chief lowered his pistol, holstered it to his hip, then picked the girl up by the back of her collar and said "Do not do that again... I could've blown your belly open. The M6D Magnum would've, anyways." to which the girl chuckled.
"Right, sorry!" She said, rubbing the back of her neck "Name's Evelyn Damerot! Nice to meet'cha both!"
John nodded, then looked to a scowling Penny... Moving her bed... The floor screeched as she pushed her bed right up and stuck next to his... Well, John now got a king-sized bed. Evelyn, meanwhile chuckled, then said "Oh my, oh my! Jealous! How cute!" before Penny returned "You will not get closer to Dylan than your own side of the room!" making the Chief sigh.
"Penny. I appreciate the defensiveness... But us and her will be teammates. We can at least trust each-other for now..." And he yawned. "We will set up ground rules tomorrow... For now, I need to eat and go to bed..."
"Right..." Ruby said, bringing in the tray of food and handing it to him. "I... Guess I'll go to my team's dorm! Later, guys... And... uhh... Bye!" She finished, vanishing in a trail of red petals... John sighed, then started taking apart his armor. He would have to remove it, not because he was uncomfortable with it(He had slept with it before) but because Penny may well have a problem with sleeping next to an armored titan, whose shields may flicker on by mistake. So, about 15 minutes later, left in nothing but his undersuit, the Spartan put himself to bed, which Penny and Evelyn soon followed(Evelyn, thankfully, in her own bed)
He hit the helmet where Cortana was laughing like a moron with his fist, shutting her up, but thankfully not denting the armor. The Spartan sighed deeply, letting himself drift off to his usually dreamless sleep, finally feeling a comfortable bed below him... How long had it been since he'd felt an actual bed, not just a military cot or anything of the sorts? Those memories were blurry... Oh, so long ago... Faded with everything else of his past life.
... This was going to be a long half-year...
AN:Alright! Big Chapter!
Now, some of you may be wondering why I gave John a backstory like that of Dylan Braun. Well, for one, I and a friend of mine came up with the idea over Discord. For John not to fully reveal information about the UNSC, info which he believes would compromise them. Cortana wanted to help in this endeavor by creating his false ID of Dylan Braun and creating the Kingdom of Wyvern for their gain. Nobody would question them and nobody'd go exploring into the area that it was supposedly in(The Dragon continent, to be exact).
Plus, I needed a reason for team JPDE to form in this story, without removing Jack from the equation. She's an important part of the story, but I've severely modified parts of the JPDE and RWBY stories and canon, but you'll see within the coming chapters how far I went with it.
Otherwise, that should be it. See y'all later!
