Hello everyone, no this is not a mistake, i decided to redo chapter 2 for some reasons, one was that the lack of characterisation of the tenno would just bite me in the rear in th long run... so here's to version 2 of chapter 2... lets call it chapter 2v2... no thats just stupid.
I own neither RWBY nor Warframe... so here we go for a little story i tell...
CHAPTER 2
Dream.
Not of what you are.
But of what you want to be.
"*Uhhhhg*... this is so boring. Weiss, why are Professor Ports classes always so lame?", complained a female voice inside a lecture room on the second floor of Beacon Academy.
Said voice belonged to none other than Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY, yes this causes a lot of confusion, who was currently sitting in what she, and on a side note many of her fellow students, considered the most redundantly boring class to have in their time as huntsmen and huntresses in training at Beacon.
The older Professor was currently completely sunken in the telling of another, to quote him, historically important and educational occurrence. His students however had a vastly different opinion.
While Ruby complained to her friend and team member Weiss Schnee, heiress of the biggest producer of Dust applications, the Schnee Dust Company, her other teammates were focused on different tasks. Blake Belladonna, introvert, booklover and faunus in disguise, focused her attention on the book in her hand, probably the second over the last hour or so, leaning back in her seat. On the other side, directly next to Ruby, sat her half-sister Yang Xiao Long, sleeping deeply, her head resting on her crossed arms on her table.
Were it the beginning of the last semester, Weiss would be furious of her team's' behaviour. But given time, she accepted it as normal and stopped bothering with trying to get her teammates to show interest in class.
The loud roar of jet engines caught the present students attention.
Their glance shifted towards the windows just in time to spot the bullheads carrying a huge net, its contents hidden from sight.
"I wonder what they are transporting.", said Ruby blankly, earning a glare from Weiss.
"I suspect it is top secret military equipment, nothing we should dig our nose too deep into.", the heiress commented, a stern, judging tone dominating her words.
The liberating ring of the bell caused most, if not all, students to sigh in relief, and in Yang's case, caused her to shoot upwards into sitting position, wide awake while her eyes darted around the lecture hall in slight panic.
"Huh!... I'm awake!.. It's ok!... No panic!...", she stammered, still confused from the sudden wakening.
"It's alright, sis.", Ruby assured her with a warm smile accommodating her calming tone.
"Yeah, you just missed another of Port's Beowulf-Tales.", added Blake, not lifting her eyes from the book in her hand, another one this time.
'Just how fast does she read?', wondered Ruby before dismissing the thought with a shake of her head.
"*Phew*… So nothing important then.", commented the blonde brawler, visibly more relaxed now.
Since Port's 'Grimm Studies' was the last class the first year students had that day most of them headed towards either the great dining hall or their assigned dorm rooms.
In team RWBY's case, the dining hall to meet with their friends from team JNPR.
Namely Jaune Arc, the leader, Nora Valkyrie, a hammer-wielding ball of endless energy, Pyrrha Nikos, renowned tournament champion and Jaune's training partner and last but not least Lie Ren, the evercalm point of tranquillity.
On their way to their friends, Ruby, a similar everactive girl as Nora, who bounced from one foot to the other, almost ran into someone as she carelessly, at least in Weiss mind, sprinted around a corner.
"Oops, sorry. I almost didn't see you there.", exclaimed the red clad reaper before rushing off to continue her way.
Weiss was the next to round the corner, immediately started to apologies for her leader's behaviour as she realised who stood in front of her.
"General Ironwood, Sir. It's an honor meeting you. When did you arrive, if you don't mind me asking.", she said as she quickly regained her composure from the mild shock of the realisation.
"Good, afternoon, Miss Schnee. I too must say it's a pleasure to meet Winter's younger sister, at last. She holds you in high regards, you know.", the General replied, calm and confident in his words, causing Weiss to blush a little at the mention of her sister.
"But don't tell her i said that. She would be..", he hesitated a brief moment as if looking for the right way to say it. "less than pleased that i revealed her softer side. Even if it's to her sister."
A smile forming on Ironwoods expression, earning a slightly increased blush from Weiss.
"Your secrets are safe with me, Sir.", assured the heiress.
"Ah.. to answer your question about my arrival. I've been here for about a week now, though i never had the time to explore Beacon for a bit.", he explained, Weiss nodding in understanding. The General was a busy man after all.
Ironwood glanced down at his Scroll, as he received a message.
"I'm afraid my job calls for me, Miss Schnee. It was nice to have this little talk. Good bye, Miss Schnee.", Ironwood continued looking up from the message to give the heiress a proper goodbye.
"Goodbye, General Ironwood.", Weiss replied with a smile directed at the man in front of her.
And with that both walked their separate ways, Weiss following Ruby and her other teammates, while Ironwood headed towards Ozpins office.
Back in the present and Beacons Vault.
Cold, dense mist wafted over the floor around the golden lined pod as its mechanism silently sliding the panels to the side, shards of ice dropping to the ground, shattering upon hitting the stone floor.
Ozpin, who stood a good 2 meters away from the pod, his gaze fixed on the foreign object in front of him, regained his calm demeanor from the surprise of the first second.
While Glynda and Ironwood watched the whole ordeal from their position a few feet behind Beacons headmaster, weapons ready to strike at a moment's notice.
The fog that had once filled the inside of the pod dispersed to fully reveal its content.
A being, humanoid in its statue, male judging by its features, just as the soldiers had reported before.
It seemed to be dressed in a skintight bodysuit. Light gray dominating its coloring, while red linings and small blue lights set subtle accents.
After a few seconds of silence, the suit began to move, lifting one hand in order to exit the pod it had rested in. The sleep was still obvious in its movements, slow, insecure, sluggish.
Coming to a stop in an upright sitting position, its head turning as it let its glance wander around.
In an attempt to lift itself from the pod, it slipped and toppled to the floor, a red shine rushing across its body as if its aura had just been depleted.
Ozpin decided to take the risk and offered the guardian his hand in assistance.
After a few seconds of carefully rating the situation, under the tensed glares from Ironwood and Goodwitch,who had reached for their weapons as the guardian made its attempt to leave the pod, it extended its hand, hesitantly at first, accepting the help given.
"Good evening, my name is Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy. May i ask your name?.", Ozpin said, a charming smile on his face.
"Name?.. My… My name is Ralhyn.", said the guardian, confusion in its voice, the loog sleep still in its bones.
The guardian sounded young, far too young to be an adult and, despite its clear male features, an aweful lot like a ...girl?
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ralhyn." added Beacons headmaster, still calm and collected, despite the surprise from Ralhyn's voice.
"Sir, i highly disagree with your carelessness. We don't kno-", lamented Glynda only to be interrupted by a raised hand from Ozpin.
"Since you are a headmaster, i guess i am somewhere below that academy of yours, correct?", asked Ralhyn, earning more confused looks, and in Glynda's case laced with toxicity.
"That would be the case, yes.", replied Ozpin, ignoring Glynda's infamous glare.
"I believe we should move this conversation to a more.. comfortable location.", continued the silver haired headmaster, before taking a sip from his coffee mug, that seemed to have appeared from thin air.
"That would be a good idea. But before that i would like to change.", answered Ralhyn before heading towards the ship that stood a few meters from the pod.
With the touch of the guardians hand, the engines and lights came to life, startling the present huntsmen and huntress.
"Operator, you're awake. I'm glad you -DID'T DIE- made it.", said a synthetic voice, its excitement causing everyone except Ozpin to step back a little.
"I'm glad to see you too, Ordis. Is the arsenal stocked?", greeted Ralhyn, happiness filling her voice.
"The Arsenal is -DEADLY- loaded. If i may ask, Operator: Where are we? This doesn't look like the vault.", commented the synthetic voice, apparently named Ordis.
"If you may excuse me. This shouldn't take long.", said Ralhyn to the gathered.
As the guardian vanished into the ship, Glynda and Ironwood exchanged confused looks before Ralhyn exited the ship, dressed completely different.
Her head was covered with a hood, a large green ring shining from beneath it, her body was now more fitting for her voice. It was thinner, sleeker. Her chest was covered by a ornamented crest, her left arm had five arrows strapped in a construction, comparably to a magazine.
Silky see-through cloth hung from her waist, almost invisible, despite its bright green coloring.
While black clearly was the primary color, white and dark grey accents accommodated the bright green highlights, it certainly made for an intimidating sight.
"I am ready to accompany you, Professor." opened the guardian while walking towards the headmaster, his surprise barely contained behind a mask of calmness.
"Very well, we can talk in my office. If you would follow me.", Ozpin replied and gestured towards the elevator.
After a short elevator ride to the top of beacon tower…
The elevators doors slid open with as less of a voice as the mechanism allowed.
Ozpin, Ironwood, Glynda and Ralhyn entered the headmaster's workspace and headed towards the large desk in the back.
From behind the large windows, Ozpin had a good look at the Emerald Forest as well as the city of Vale. The gears, that were visible behind floor and ceiling, created a calming atmosphere for visitors just as much as the headmaster himself.
Ozpin took his seat behind the massive desk, that also had turning clock gears inside it and Glynda placed herself next to him though a feet or two behind, to appear in the background, sporting an expressionless face, while Ironwood sat down the right one of the two seats placed in front of Ozpin's desk.
Ralhyn took a good look around, pacing towards the far east window, directed at Vale, and absorbing the view for a minute, before turning around and addressing Ozpin.
"Things certainly have changed while we were gone."
"What do you mean by that?", questioned the headmaster, his calm unshaken by the beings words, while Glynda frowned a little despite her efforts of suppressing any reactions.
"It means i have slept for a long while. For how long? I can't say for sure. So much is different, yet i can feel them, the dark ones, lingering in the shadowed places of this world.", continued Ralhyn her ominous speech.
"The dark ones?... You mean the Grimm, am i right?", Ironwood raised his voice. He had remained silent for the most part, but this caught his attention.
"Black fur, bone plates with red lines and darting red eyes?", asked Ralhyn looking at the General who nodded in confirmation.
"I see…It seems we did not defeat them after all.", the guardian continued, earning confused looks and raised eyebrows.
"Has our last battle truly been lost to the plays of time? I wonder if… no …", Ralhyn mumbled to herself, almost to silent for the others to hear, her hand on the chin of her lowered head seemingly lost in thought and old memories.
She suddenly turned around gaze fixed at Ozpin.
"Have you ever heard of the silver-eyes?", she asked, stunning the seasoned headmaster with the question about the legendary warriors.
Glynda's eye widen at the mention of the silver-eyes and the left corner of her mouth twitched a little, while Ironwoods expression remained neutral, as he was curious to hear about the legend from the guardian's perspective.
Ozpin, his mask of unbreaking caml regained after the unexpected question, leaned forward on his desk.
"There is a legend among my people, that those who are born with silver eyes are destined to become great warriors, striking fear into the soulless heart of the Grimm.", he stated calmly.
He had always thought this legend to be true and his meeting with Summer Rose all those years ago only fortified his belief in the legend.
"So at least they are still around…", Ralhyn murmured, looking back out of the window.
"I thought we were going to talk about our guest her, Oz.", interrupted Ironwood suddenly.
"I'm not here to dwell in old legends. I want to know who or what you are.", he yelled at the figure that stood motionless at the window, lost in thought.
"James, please stay calm. But nonetheless, i believe we need to talk.", replied Ozpin gesturing towards the empty seat in front of his desk.
Ralhyn nodded in understanding, walking over to the appointed seat.
"I suppose i should start with the basics. Well then… As far as definition goes, i might not categorize as a human as you would know them, no i'm no faunus. We were called Tenno you might have guessed by now, we have been around for a while, longer than most of your historians can account for.
We fought the dark ones for a long time. I don't know how long exactly, but being at war with the planet itself tends to blur your perception.", she began, hints of grief and anger in her tone.
Ozpin and the others listened carefully, faces neutral as they patiently waited for Ralhyn to finish before interrupting with questions about minor details.
"The way i see it, you still have a plague at hand you can't contain except keeping them outside an enclosed area. I could help with that.", she continued, hands gesturing an offer.
"What do you mean by 'help'? We already have huntsmen and huntresses capable of keeping the Grimm at bay.", Ironwood bursted in anger, his face showing distrust and fury.
"That may be true but are they strong enough to fight at two fronts? Not just a war without, but a war within?", replied Ralhyn, causing both Ironwood and Glynda's eyes to widen in surprise, mouth slightly open in shock, while Ozpin remained calm during the whole situation.
"You are implying that there are elements, that want to bring humanity to its knees, correct.", concluded Beacon's headmaster in a stern voice, a frown on his forehead.
"The incident last week should have been a big enough warning sign.", stated Ralhyn catching everyone by surprise.
"How do you know of the breach?", demanded Ironwood after he regained enough composure to focus his thoughts.
"I've been going through your files for the past hour or so, the breach, the rising dust robberies, the White Fang's involvement. Those are obvious connected to that 'queen' you asked your subordinate, Branwen i believe was his name, to keep an eye on.", the Tenno stated blankly.
"I see you already made yourself familiar with the matters we deal with.", Ozpin commented, a stern, concerned, yet still calm look on his face.
"I am willing to help you with these problems, not for free though and i will do it my way.", stated Ralhyn.
"What kind of compensation do you have in mind?", asked Beacon's headmaster swiftly, arching an eyebrow while leaning back in his chair and intertwining his fingers.
"Sir are you willing to agree to this?" interrupted Glynda, concerned for too many things to name on one hand at this point.
"I just need some resources. Ammunition, materials and the likes. And a few lien would certainly help. The dark ones are a threat to balance so our goals align in this case.", listed the girl, ignoring both Ironwood and Glynda's angry glares.
"Very well, i will agree to these compensations under one condition.", replied Ozpin, index fingers extended towards Ralhyn.
"And that would be?", asked the Tenno, annoyance hinting in her voice as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"I want you to enroll at Beacon, in return you will be able to use the academies facilities and resources. I will not force you to take part in the courses but i would appreciate it if you would.", extended Ozpin calmy, earning surprised looks from both Glynda and Ironwood.
Ralhyn shifted her head in thought for a few seconds, grading the offer made by Beacon's headmaster.
"I think that is an acceptable compromise, headmaster.", said the tenno after thinking about Ozpin's offer, a note of sarcasm laced over the title.
"Sir i believe she will draw a lot of, certainly unwanted, attention in her current attire.", added Glynda as soon as she regained her composure.
"Oh don't worry, i can certainly blend into the shadows if i choose to.", commented Ralhyn, cheerfully.
"I have no doubt that you are fully capable of hiding in plain sight, though sometimes one must interact with others to see beyond the obvious.", added Ozpin, stern voice and gaze fixed on the tenno.
"*sigh* You know more than you let on, Oz.", said Ralhyn letting her shoulders sink a little, answered by Ozpin with a smile towards the tenno.
"Very well, there is one last detail about my kind, that i trust will not leave this room."
That was not a question, judging by her menacing tone.
"The armor before you is what we call a warframe. They are basicly biomechanical suits only a tenno can control. For our goals are in fact aligned and our agreement is set, this little i can show you.", explained Ralhyn taking a look around the room, as if to make sure no one heard something he or she was not supposed to.
A light, green just like the highlights on the warframe, shone from it, engulfing it completely in mere moments. Seconds later a significantly shorter, female, figure stood in front of the suit, similar green highlights to the bodysuit she wore. Her black and green hair were cut to a lose mohawk on top while the rest was shaven. The most most outstanding characteristic though were her eyes, a dark purple circle at the edge of her iris flowing into gold towards the pupil which had a bright green glow to it.
"There you have it. This is me. I believe i will require a Scroll and a uniform if i am to join classes.", stated the now childlike form of Ralhyn, the tenno.
"I will have everything laid out in your room. Now as i guess you know from the files you looked through while we talked, it is a tradition for new students to go through kind of an initiation test. I wish you to participate in one tomorrow morning. As a welcoming to my academy if you will.", opened Ozpin with a witty grin in his expression.
"As long as i don't have to do some stupid fetch quest, i don't mind.", replied Ralhyn shrugging.