EDIT#1 As suggested by an anonymous reviewer - all footnotes are now highlighted as bold, making them easier to spot if you scrolled down to read the annotations
#2 A couple of lines have been revised. Also added a footnote explaining aura failures.
Chapter 2
Knights N' Rooks
"When Grimm attack, get the women and children—use them as bait and shields."
-Anonymous Vacuan Huntsman
One of the things I need to get used to in my new life at Beacon is waking up early before seven o'clock every weekday. While I'm never a morning person, I'm neither a stranger to waking up earlier than usual. When I was in elementary, I had to wake up every 7:30 A.M, two hours and a half before school. After graduating, I was free to wake up any time before noon when my home-school lessons usually start. Even then, there were some days where I have to rise up early as part of Dad's physical exercises, and not to mention my sisters occasionally prank me early in the morning. The difference is that they only happen from time to time, here you have to be awake just in time before class for five days straight every week.
I grumbled as I took my scroll under the pillow to turn off the alarm. I looked around the ballroom to see what everyone was up to. Some of them were still sleeping while others have woken up, two of them, in particular, would be a fan of mine and her stoic friend.
"It's morning! It's morning! It's morning!" Nora sang as she danced around Ren.
I got up and headed to the locker room. I did not notice how much of a mess the locker arrangements were until today. It was too dark then and I was more concerned about contacting Bleu to even notice it. This is much worse if you assigned yourself with a higher locker number; in my case locker 636. Eventually, I managed to find my locker and had the place marked on my scroll map so I don't have to get lost trying look for it anymore.
I took a shower then changed to my usual jeans and hoodie, which has the print of Pumpkin Pete exposed because I was not wearing my breastplate to cover it. While childish, it's not as cringe-worthy as my pajamas. I left my armor in the locker because I didn't need it yet; I'll come back for it once I was done with breakfast and started preparing for the initiation. Seriously, what kind of moron would wear their armor for the entire day especially when they don't need it? I'd hate to be that guy. [1]
I've always been fond of Pumpkin Pete for whatever reason. I've been attached to him ever since I was an infant. I remember getting a stuffed toy of him on my sixth birthday and then seeing Rouge crucify him a few days after. It didn't do much damage though, even if he now had holes on his paws, it wasn't anything Viola could fix. At least she didn't burn the cross while he was on it, that would have been offensively annoying.
I went to the cafeteria when I was thinking about what to eat, a certain beverage came to my mind.
"Got any tanna?" [2] I asked the lunch-lady when I approached her.
"Tanna?" she raised her brow in confusion. "We don't serve that junk here. Why would you even ask for it?"
I'm not going to deny its rather questionable taste. That drink is certainly not for everyone. I just figured that drinking it would help me stay awake because regardless of its taste, it's hard to stop drinking after taking a single sip. No wonder why Dad obsesses these things.
"Just curious," I said. "An egg sandwich and a cup of coffee would do." she complied with my order and went to the kitchen.
I turned back and saw that Nora was still talking to Ren, even with a pancake hanging in her mouth. She slurped the rest of her food making her much easier to hear.
"Oohhhh! We should come up with some sort of plan, to make sure we end up on the same team together! What if we bribe the headmaster? No, that won't work, he has the school."
Apparently, someone's been spreading rumors about teams. But by the looks of it, they seem to have no idea on how they are formed. Whatever you two are up to, I wish you luck.
After I finished my meal, I headed back to the locker room and grabbed my gear. I put on my breast and shoulder plates and placed my scabbard on my belt. I took my sword and gave a few spins before sheathing it.
As I was walking my way out of the locker room, I noticed Pyrrha and the infamous ice queen of dust and tantrums were having an exchange.
"Well... I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together." I overheard Weiss.
"Well, that sounds grand!" Pyrrha replied.
"Great!"
Pyrrha greeted me as soon as she saw me passing through. "Hello again, Jaune!" her hands were waving at me with Weiss scowling at my presence.
I stopped my tracks and returned the gesture. "Morning to you too, Pyrrha." I still couldn't believe she was the woman on the fifty cereal boxes I sent to win the very hoodie I was wearing. A beautiful, talented woman like her would've been the last person to sell-out to a brand of breakfast mostly aimed at kids.
"Oh Jaune, I'd like you to meet—"
"Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company" I interjected. "We have met before," I said as I smirked at her.
She folded her arms. "Seriously? You again?"
Good to see you too.
"So, are you ready for the initiation?" Pyrrha asked.
"I'm looking forward to it," I said with false confidence. Even with the information I got from Bleu, I still don't know what I was about to drag myself into.
"That's good. So Jaune, have you been planning on who you will be pairing up with?"
"Not yet. Play your cards right and maybe you'll end up with me."
"That would be great! Well, I think the teams are comprised of four students each, so—" Pyrrha said before getting interrupted by Weiss as she stepped forward in front of her.
"Hold on, I thought you acknowledged yesterday that you're not worth Pyrrha's time. I don't think you deserve to be on the same team as her either."
"Actually I'd think he'd make a great teammate," Pyrrha said leaning from Weiss' side.
No, she's right. I'll just drag her down because my lack of willingness would probably ruin her record as an upstanding warrior.
I looked down and gave a sigh of defeat. "Maybe not."
"Good," Weiss said. "At least you don't make things more trouble than they're worth."
I'll let her push me around for now. The more they think they're above you the easier they are to manipulate. Right now, she sees me as nothing more than a bumbling idiot, and I'll keep it that way for the moment.
"Come on, Pyrrha, they'll be waiting for us at the cliff," Weiss said before leaving.
Pyrrha reluctantly followed her. "I'll see you at the initiation!" she said to me before catching up with Weiss' pace.
I took time to appreciate their gorgeous rears as they walk toward the exit. If anyone told me sooner that Beacon would be chock-full of attractive Huntresses, I would have laughed at them for trying to lure in me in there, turns out they were right.
"Wha'cha doing there, Lady-Killer?" Yang suddenly asked, popping out of nowhere.
"Gah! Don't sneak up on me like that!"
She looked at my line of sight and saw Weiss and Pyrrha leaving the room and grinned. "Ooohhh! Been trying to win over the ice queen and the cereal girl, aren't you?" she teased.
"It's nothing like that. Really, we just talked about teams, that's all." I explained.
"Cool!" Ruby squealed in delight. "Want to be on our team? We're currently recruiting."
"That sounds great! Where do I sign up?" I said, pretending to have no clue on how the teams are formed.
"Awesome! We are going to be the best team ever!" Ruby said before we heard Ms. Goodwitch's voice on the P.A.
"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."
Well, judgment day is about to begin.
"Come on, let's go," I told to the sisters as we headed to the Beacon Cliff.
=o=
1. Actually, it's a common practice for knights and warriors to wear their armor for long periods of time, which occasionally lasts for days. This helps them get accustomed to their weight and heat while exercising their mobility when wearing it.
2. A tea made from leaves of plants native in the ice caverns on Morosco. It's rather obscure and unpopular outside its homeland, even in other parts of Solitas.
When we arrived at the cliff, we saw Miss Goodwitch and several other students waiting for the initiation to start. We were told to stand on individual metal plates which has the emblem of Vale on it, which I correctly assumed that would be catapulting me into the forest. A few minutes later, The Great & Powerful Ozpin arrived with a mug of coffee[1] in his hand.
"Is everyone present?" he asked, walking in front us as he looked around to see if anyone was missing. "Good, let us begin." he took a sip of his coffee before giving a speech. "For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
Ms. Goodwitch stepped in. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of 'teams'." With that, everyone stopped at whatever they were doing and paid extra attention. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion—each of you will be given teammates... today."
Imagine my shock.
"What?! Oh~" Ruby cried.
Ozpin spoke again. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."
Ruby groaned, obviously she wasn't pleased to hear any of this.
"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
"Whaaaat?!" Ruby howled with a shocked expression as if her whole world broke around her.
"See? I told you!" A voice called out which was unmistakably Nora's.
Ozpin continued. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die."
Of all the things he just said, that one bothered me the most. The thing about combat schools is that they're dangerous enough that you could get killed as early as initiation. [2] I gave a nervous laugh before gulping at the thought.
"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"
Do you enjoy watching us suffer while you stand back drinking coffee? Because I'm getting that suspicious aura from you. Better yet, what did you put in your coffee that made you thought that this was a clever idea? I swear, I was one slip of a tongue away from actually asking that.
"Good! Now, take your positions."
As everyone prepares themselves to be launched, I unsheathe my sword and just told myself to remember what Dad had taught me.
Weiss was the first person to be catapulted to the forest, followed by others, then Ren and Nora. Next person to be launched was Yang, she gave Ruby a wink before putting on a pair of aviators then flying off with an audible 'Woohoo!'
Initially, I thought that she put on those sunglasses to look cool and show off, after all, it sounded like something she would do. Then it hit me, she wore those so she could avoid making eye contact with anyone she doesn't want to be paired up with, meaning you couldn't see her eyes when wearing them. Clever girl. [3]
Ruby gave me a thumbs up before getting launched as well.
Before I knew it, I also found myself flying in the air. I manage to restrain my urge to scream and focused on getting a safe landing. As I get closer to the ground, I held my sword above my head in a reverse grip with both of my hands and stabbed the nearest tree trunk I was falling to.
So far, so good. I thought to myself. I hanged around for a few seconds before I pulled my sword from the trunk and pushed myself back, making me fall before landing on my feet unscathed. The first step went better than expected, I didn't like being thrown off to such height and expecting me to land safely, but that's over now.
The next thing I needed to do was to find a partner, then look for the temple, then take a relic and get the hell out of there. All while making sure the Grimm doesn't have their way with you.
Speaking of Grimm, I heard an animalistic growl coming from my back. I slowly turned around and saw a small pack of Beowolves, consisting of at least seven of them.
Indeed, I made a successful landing—at one of the worst parts of the forest.
"Umm... hi." I nervously greeted. Since my large pool of aura made me delicious, as well as I was giving them enough negative energy to make them want to kill me multiple times, obviously, I ran the fastest I could.
Wonderful, not one minute in on this stupid test of skill and I'm already chased by a Beowolf pack. I can already tell how this day was going to go, I thought.
I tried to wave my arms and called for help—no one answered, either because there weren't any human beings nearby or that they just couldn't bother to help. Either way, I was on my own. [4]
I eventually got tired of running and the pack was still after me. I decided to put my training to good use since I thought no one was coming. I have dealt with a few Beos at Pucelle, how should this be any different?
I raised my shield and turned back as I use it to bash the Beowolf when it tried to pounce me before thrusting my sword to its face. The second Beo tried to lunge on me, I dashed back right on time and slashed it down. The next one raised its claw as it attempted to clobber me only for me to successfully block it with my shield before decapitating its arm with my sword then used it to stab the Beo in its chest.
Two Beos surrounded me on the front and the back, so I charged at the one on the front and hit its head with my shield then slashed the one on the back, I went back with the staggered former slicing its head off before turning around giving the latter a few more slashes.
I went on the offensive with the last two, slicing one of them down before it could even attack. I bashed the last one with my shield twice before shaving its head off.
I panted as I watch their corpses evaporate. I could feel the Great & Powerful Ozpin writing down his plans for me while he takes yet another sip of his coffee.
"That was amazing!" A friendly voice praised.
I turned around and saw Pyrrha walking toward me. That's a relief, not only I'll be on her team, but I'm going to be her partner as well. Considering her past achievements and records, she's the ideal partner for getting me out alive in combat situations. The bad news was—she just saw me single-handedly slaughter a whole pack of Beowolves, giving her an impression of a competent Huntsman who didn't need help.
"Uhh, it's nothing! Really! They're just Beowolves, one of the weakest Grimm there is." I said, hoping it doesn't sound like a boast. "So—it's nothing to be impressed about... at all!"
She tilted her head in confusion before giving a giggle. "Come on, it's pretty impressive on how you handled them, most people could only take out a few before giving in. I was so worried that I was about to step in, but you held your ground and prevailed."
Wait, so you're telling me that if I had run and screamed for a little longer, I didn't have to deal with all of those stupid Beos alone?!
"Where did you learn to fight like that?" she asked. "Skills like those can only be acquired from such experiences."
"I learned from the best." I smiled. Gotta give to Dad, even if it's partially his fault that I am here. He still made sure I'm prepared, Huntsman or not.
"So I guess we're partners now." I pointed out.
"I guess we are. It's an honor to be fighting by your side, Jaune." Pyrrha said.
"Good to have you too. I needed someone of your talents." By that, I mean REALLY need.
She was flattered by that compliment that I could feel her blush.
"Let's get moving," I told her. "The temple shouldn't be far out."
She nodded as we headed north toward our objective.
They say that Pyrrha is the goddess of victory. If that's true, then I am very lucky to have her as a partner. A goddess guiding me to victory is something I need to get through Beacon in one piece.
Though if she really is a goddess, I hope she's more useful than the last one I got.
Freaking Aqua. [5]
=o=
1. Despite what most people believe, he actually drinks hot chocolate instead of coffee.
2. Although rare, there are a few students who died during the initiation at Beacon, either due to poor luck or stupidity, but mostly the latter.
3. Headmaster Ozpin soon noticed this and immediately banned covering eyewear for the next initiation to 'preserve the unpredictability of team matchmaking'.
4. I actually witnessed him fleeing from the Beowolves. I simply chose not to intervene because I did not want to be paired with him at the time. Hence, why I ended up with Ruby.
5. Apparently, one of Jaune's former dates in his pre-Beacon life. He never formed a serious relationship with any of them.
Although I've visited several of them, I've never been fond of forests myself. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate their lush beauty. I'm talking about the thick ones where it is easier to get lost and are riddled with Grimm, those are types of places any person in their right mind wouldn't want to be at night, the Emerald Forest is becoming one of those places.
"So Jaune, where are you from?" Pyrrha asked, taking the point as we search the forest. Because of her being a superior fighter and probably have better Huntsman experience, it made sense for her to take the lead.
"Pucelle. It's an obscure and isolated county somewhere on the east outside of Vale; I don't blame you if you never heard it." I responded.
"Huh, Pucelle? I've been hearing that place a lot on the news lately. It's something about—a bandit lord, I think."
Oh crap, she's on to me! Better say something quick!
"So~, I heard you're from Mistral?" I said. She looked at me and nodded. "What can you tell me about it?" I then asked.
"Well, I cannot describe it in one sentence," Pyrrha said. "They say its place with rich culture and history. The landscape is pretty beautiful too, especially during autumn."
"That's nice," I said. "I've actually visited there a few times during vacations. I was just wondering what you have to say about it."
She smiled, seemingly forgetting about her musings about that fiasco, which is a relief.
We continued to trek through to the forest. It was mostly silent, with the sounds of footsteps only being heard, until we heard a gunshot in a distance.
"Did you hear that?" I questioned.
"Gunfire. It seems some of our comrades have encountered the enemy." Pyrrha stated.
We kept walking while I tried to track the source of the gunshot; I figured that teaming with the other pairs will increase our chances of survival. I got lost on my train of thought that my face ended up getting hit by a branch.
"Ow! Stupid—"
"Are you alright?" Pyrrha her turned back and came near me.
"It's nothing. Just got a little careless there, that's all." It wasn't something my aura couldn't handle, but getting smacked in the face even if you don't feel any pain is really irritating.
She sighed and turned back as I continued to follow her.
We soon heard another noise, this time it's the sound of a bush rattling. Pyrrha raised her fist as we came to a halt. We readied our weapons, scanning our surroundings before seeing a shaking bush.
"On your guard," Pyrrha advised. I positioned myself in a defensive stance.
We continued to stare at the bush before a pair of Ursa Minor came out, confirming our suspicions.
"You take the one on the right!" she said before we charged at our respective targets.
I took a moment to glance at Pyrrha as he charges to her kill. I lunged at the Ursa, bashing my shield to its head before cutting it down with a few slashes, making it fall as it vaporizes.
Pyrrha was just as done when I finished mine.
"See? You're a natural!" she praised. "With combat prowess like that, I'd say you'd make a great Huntsman."
It wasn't impressive as she described it. It was only a single Ursa. I could've waited for Pyrrha to get rid of hers before getting her to kill mine, but it wasn't the best course of action; I had to act out of instinct and avoid the possibility of serious injury even with large aura reserves, since they have a chance to fail inconveniently. [1]
"Let's not celebrate just yet. We still have a temple to look for." I reminded.
"Right. The temple." she nodded.
With that, we resumed our hike. After a few more minutes of uneventful walking, we saw what appeared to be an entrance to a cave in a distance.
"Huh, a cave." Pyrrha turned to me and asked. "Want to go check it out?"
Since I was getting bored of walking through the forest and considering the possibility of the cave leading to something interesting, and maybe even the temple, I saw no reason why not to.
As we approached the cavern entrance, we saw primitive drawings on the walls depicting men armed with spears and bows engaging a giant scorpion, which may or may not be a Deathstalker.
"You think this is it?" I asked.
"I'm not sure. This doesn't look like a temple."
"Well, we headed north," I said while I looked at the ground and picked up the first stave I saw. "Did we?"
"I'm sure we did but…"
I pulled out a piece of cloth from my pocket which I prepared before the initiation in case of situations like this and wrapped it around the top of the stave. I picked up some coal and used them to put fire on my torch.
I looked again at the sinister, dark entryway. My conscience keeps telling me to turn back as danger lies within this cave, but I made up my mind and decided to go inside in case we find something. If movies taught me anything, it's that tombs and relics can be found in places like these. Let's just hope it wouldn't have to involve us getting chased by a giant boulder after we took out the prize. Granted movie logic is not reliable but it felt like a good idea at the time; besides, I have Pyrrha with me in case things go wrong.
"Temple or not, I'd say it's worth checking out." I declared. "We should find something here. Maybe it could lead us to the temple and even if we don't, we could always head back out."
She nodded as she followed me inside. I took the point because I was the one holding the torch.
If only I was aware of what was waiting for me, I would rather have continued to look for our way on the woods and even happily fight an Ursa Major with only my bare hands. There's an opportunity for a lame bear pun there, but I'm afraid I'll have to digress because I have standards.
The cave becomes increasingly darker the deeper we went, making me regret coming here but my urge to search for anything unusual told me to press forward.
I ended up tripping with my torch falling into a puddle of water; extinguishing it, making everything almost pitch black.
"You okay?" Pyrrha asked as I pushed myself back up.
"I'm fine."
"Did you feel that?"
Soul-crushing regret? If so, then yes.
"Feel what?" I asked while I pulled out my scroll and turning on its flashlight. I don't know why I bothered making the torch if I could have done this in the first place. Well, you gotta practice your survival skills sometimes, right?
"Feel something… warm." she said. I still have no clue what she's referring to.
I continued to lead on and found something glowing. We went to the place where the glowing is being held to investigate and saw a golden orb of sorts. My initial assessments almost led me to believe that this was the relic. Panning down my scroll flashlight, I saw a frightening sight of a large scorpion's face with all its eyes closed.
"Is that…?!" Pyrrha said as she reached for her sword.
…A Deathstalker?! No, that can't be it. Surely, a Grimm this huge and tough can't be allowed in an initiation for fresh recruits, no matter how ludicrously skilled students need to be in order to attend. [2] This has got to be some sort of prank Ozpin set to scare off students who attempted to explore this cave. It doesn't take a genius to know that only dead-serious Huntsmen and Huntresses go after these things.
The golden orb turned out to be a stinger for the scorpion. It opened all of its red and lifeless eyes, confirming that it is indeed a live Deathstalker. After seeing that, I made what I could only describe as the most un-masculine scream I've ever made on my entire life.
=o=
1. While aura is activated by default during tense combat situations, they have a rare chance of malfunctioning, thus not being able to protect the user from harm. This why Huntsmen are often encouraged not to be over-reliant on aura. I received the scar on my left eye because of this.
2. Professor Ozpin did not intend for the Deathstalker to be part of the initiation. He simply did not notice it get the past the security and forgot to dispatch it after a group of unfortunate students encountered it. Afterward, the cave where it was residing remained uncharted before being explored by Jaune and Pyrrha. When Ozpin realized this he disregarded it as another challenge the initiates have to confront.
We quickly stormed out of the cave, fleeing from the provoked Deathstalker. In all honesty, I'd take a huge boulder chasing us out instead of one angry, giant Grimm insect.
After getting out the entrance I panted while Pyrrha unsheathes her sword and shield, facing the entrance in case it comes out. I really should have listened to every red flag planted when entering that cave.
I prayed that the Deathstalker would take a hint and stay in its nest since its size should be too big fit out of the cave entrance, but unfortunately, it broke through it, showing its full glory.
I turned tail and tried to run but I looked back to see Pyrrha engaging the Deathstalker. I'm tempted to leave her fighting while I flee to safety, but I needed my partner alive if I were to pass the test and I wasn't going to take the chance of her dying.
"Jaune, would you help me out here?!" she called out while she blocked a claw with her shield. What does she think she's doing? A Grimm like that is too much even for a world-class champion like her; she's still a Huntress-in-training after all.
"Pyrrha, we can't take that thing down on our own! We need to get out of here find the others!" I argued, hoping she'd come to her senses.
She tried to hit it a few more times, only to find out that its exoskeleton was too thick to be penetrated, it was then she decided to take my advice and followed me as we routed out.
We ran as fast and hard as we could through the forest with the Deathstalker on our tails, crashing to everything it passed.
Eventually, we managed to find the temple, with two figures there already who happen to be Yang and the girl with the huge bow whose name I haven't got at that moment. As soon as we saw them I did not waste any more time and called them.
"A little help here?!" I yelled, still running from the Deathstalker.
They looked at each other for a moment before they both shrugged and stormed towards the giant scorpion, with Yang using her shotgun gauntlets to boost herself while the other girl grappled towards it.
We stopped and looked back as we watch Yang and her partner attack the Deathstalker for a second. "Go help them hold it off, I'll get the relic," I told Pyrrha.
She nodded as she once again unsheathed her shield and xiphos went to assist the duo in distracting the Deathstalker.
I sprinted toward the temple and saw that the 'relics' turned out to be chess pieces, which were standing on platforms, some of which were empty, indicating that others managed to find the temple before we did. The type of piece probably didn't matter aside from team formations and maybe meaningless symbolism. I took the piece which caught my attention the most, a golden knight piece to be exact.
I looked back to see Pyrrha, Yang and the bowed girl taking their time to fend off the Deathstalker. So far they still have yet to even weaken it, even with Pyrrha's skill and Yang's strength, it's clear that this wasn't going anywhere without some sort of strategy.
As I was about to call Pyrrha to tell her I got the relic and that we should leave, I heard Ruby's voice calling my name.
"Jaune!"
"Ruby?" I looked back and saw her from a nearby tree-branch before jumping off to my position.
She looked around and saw the ongoing battle between the three stoogettes and an overgrown bug that had no right to be as powerful as it should be. [1]
"Is that Yang?" she asked, noticing her sister riding the scorpion while trying to punch through its abdomen while it chased Pyrrha and the bowed girl, with the latter shooting it with her pistol while running.
Okay, looking closer at the latter's gun bothered me. Why does her weapon's pistol mode have her blade pointing towards the user's face? You can easily mistake that she's about to stab her own face if it wasn't for the gun barrel on the crossguard. [2]
"Yep," I replied.
She turned to the temple and saw the chess pieces standing on platforms. "This is the relics?" she questioned in disbelief.
"Mmm-hmm." I nodded.
"Huh." she grabbed the nearest piece, a golden rook, I think. "So what now?" she looked back at the trio fighting.
Before I was able to say something, an Ursa came out of the forest, swinging its claws. I was about to pull out my sword out of instinct but then I saw a pink spark coming from its back and saw Nora mounting on it before it fell to the ground.
I'm not kidding.
"Yee-haw!" she cried as she rolled off from the bear's back. "Aw~, it's broken." she then went to examine its neck. "Eww."
Ren showed up a moment later, panting and leaning at the Ursa's corpse. "Nora?" he took a few breaths. "Please… don't ever do that again." Unfortunately for him, she doesn't seem to have heard him because she was already at the temple when he said that. To be fair, I didn't notice her get here that quick either.
"Ooh~!" she stared at the golden knight piece. "A cute little pony! Yay!" she squealed as she took it then danced while holding it.
If I'm not mistaken, her taking the same piece as mine means that I'm going to be teammates with her and Ren, for better or for worse, hopefully, the former.
"NORA!" Ren yelled, calling her out.
Nora stopped. She giggled and had the piece fall from her head then catching. "Coming Ren!" she said with a salute before skipping to her partner.
"Did she just ride in on an Ursa?" I asked Ruby, making sure that I am not seeing things.
"I… think so." she replied.
I turned my head and was startled to see Nora was beside me. "GAH!" I screamed. Wasn't she supposed to be with Ren by now?
"So, what relic did you get?!" she questioned.
I hesitantly reached out my pocket and showed her the golden knight piece I took. "Oh? This? Well, seeing as you took the same piece, I guess we're teammates now."
She was blinking for a moment before bursting out in excitement. "YES! YES! YES! First, I get to be partners with my BFF, now I'm teammates with the Defender of Podunk himself! This is the best day ever!" she exclaimed. "I promise I will not to let you down!"
I could only give a nervous chuckle. Apparently, I'm now teammates with a hyperactive adoring fan and her quiet friend who speaking of which, ran to our position, still panting.
Thinking about it, everyone here came with a partner except Ruby. It's unlikely that she went all this way without one.
"Hey Ruby, where's your partner?" I asked.
"Well…" she said as she slowly faced the sky.
I looked above and saw Weiss hanging from a Nevermore which is another Grimm that shouldn't be on this initiation. Calling it a giant Grimm bird doesn't fully describe it, that thing is tougher than it looks. I heard that it usually takes more than three professional Huntsmen teams to get rid of it and that's only with minimum casualties. The fact that it's airborne only makes it a bigger pain to deal with. I was more disturbed by its presence than the fact Weiss was in danger. Where are these large-class Grimm coming from? [3]
"How could you leave me?!" Weiss yelled down to Ruby as she tries to hold on one of the Nevermore's talon.
"I said 'jump'!" Ruby yelled back.
"She's gonna fall!" Nora exclaimed while she stuck her thumbs to her index fingers to make some binoculars.
"She'll be fine," Ruby replied.
Weiss grip then fails her as was now dropping from the sky.
"She's falling." Ren nonchalantly said, pointing out the obvious.
Without thinking, I ran to where she was falling and attempted to catch her bridal style. While I did manage to catch her, she ended up crashing into me and I tumbled to the ground thanks to the impact of her momentum. If it weren't for our auras, I wouldn't be able to use my arms for a few days and Weiss would have a broken back.
"Oww~" I moaned.
"Ugh~ Thanks a lot, hero." she groaned in pain.
"Yeah, don't mention it," I replied, returning the sarcasm.
We recovered after a few seconds, my arms still felt a little sore, though. I pushed myself back up and went back to the others. Pyrrha and the bowed girl retreated from the Deathstalker while Yang was still trying to find a way to kill it.
"It's no use!" the bowed girl said. "It's tougher than it looks!"
"Not if I can help it!" Ruby boasted. "I'm coming, Yang!" she then charged toward the Deathstalker.
"Ruby, no!" I screamed. It was too late, she fired her sniper to boost herself to the scorpion, only to get swiped off when she got close enough.
"Ruby!" Yang cried out.
Ruby got up. "Don't worry, sis! I got this!" she took a few shots on its skull, as usual, it didn't do jack. "…Or maybe not." the Deathstalker was provoked and gave a monstrous roar.
"Come on, let's get out of here!" Yang said as turned around then ran back toward the group.
Ruby followed her, sheathing her scythe. The Nevermore flew in and cowed. Firing several sharp feathers at their area. One of them managed to impale Ruby's cloak, trapping her.
"Ruby!" Yang halted and rushed back to her sister, helped her struggle out of the feather.
Unfortunately, the Deathstalker was getting near them. Yang tried to slow it down by firing at it with one of her gauntlets but it was no use.
"Oh for the love of—!" I heard Weiss yell before she used a glyph to fly off to the sisters. She used her rapier to stab the scorpion's gland when it was about to hit Ruby. Then she fired a round of ice dust to freeze it neat as you please.
"Weiss?" Ruby opened her eyes and gazed at the Ice Queen.
"You are so childish, Ruby!" Weiss called out, pulling her rapier from the ice she casted. "…And dim-witted... and hyperactive. And don't even get me started on your fighting style." she took a deep breath "And I suppose I can be a bit...difficult."
Gee, don't you think?
She continued "But if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together. So if you quit trying to show off, I'll be... nicer."
"Huh, coming from you, that actually sounded nice," Yang commented, speaking for my thoughts exactly.
"Can it, I'm doing this for the best of us," Weiss replied.
"I'm not trying to show off. I want you to know I could do this." Ruby spoke up.
Weiss stares at her for a moment. "You're fine." she stated before walking away.
Ruby sighed in relief, she then looked at the Deathstalker to see it in its frozen state.
Yang went in closer to her and gave her a sisterly hug.
I smiled at the sight but then I heard Big Bird[4] caw again as it flew around above us, reminding me that I need to get out of this mess.
"Alright, everyone gather around," I ordered before all seven rounded up. "Does each pair have their relics?" I inquired as I showed a golden knight piece.
"Oh yeah. Blake, you still have it?" Yang asked her partner.
"Here it is." the bowed girl—Blake I think, answered, showing her golden rook piece.
"I still have mine—I mean ours!" Nora bought out hers.
"Yes, we do. Why did you ask?" Ruby questioned, pulling out another golden rook piece.
"Then we got what we came for. We can't keep wasting our time with two large Grimm any longer, we already got our objective, now it's time for us to get out of here." I told them. Truth is, I could have left with my team once we got our relics but I could use some extra protection and manpower that I chose to wait for the others.
"Huh, that's actually not a bad idea, Arc." Weiss of all people concurred, seemingly impressed.
Did the ice queen just compliment me? I must be hearing things. If not, I guess there is hope for her after all.
"He's right. Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the Cliffs. There's no point fighting these things." Ruby asserted.
Thank you, Ruby.
We overheard the Deathstalker's cries as it was now breaking from the ice. Signaling us to make haste.
"Time we left!" Ren said.
"Right." Ruby nodded. "Let's go!"
=o=
1. Considering that the Deathstalker has been in the cave for a long period of time, its safe to assume that it has grown to be the most intelligent Grimm in the forest, thus becoming the most dangerous threat during the initiation.
2. It's worth noting that the Gambol Shroud does not necessarily need its blade to be adjusted in order to use its pistol function but it has to in order to properly aim down the pistol's sight. Still, she could have chosen a better position for the blade when using the weapon as a firearm.
3. Once again, the fortifications fail to prevent another unauthorized Grimm from entering the forest during initiation. Despite its status, Beacon was not exactly known for its security.
4. Jaune's nickname for the Nevermore during the initiation, named after a character from a popular children's program.
All eight of us left the forest, unfortunately, Big Bird followed us as we were approaching a ruin before the cliff. We hid behind some stone blocks as the Nevermore stood above it before screeching at us.
You have got to be kidding me right now, you stubborn little pigeon.
To make things worse, the Deathstalker caught up, breaking through trees as it exits the forest.
"What do we do now, Jaune?" asked Pyrrha who was holding her rifle.
"Run like hell!" I screamed.
Pyrrha followed me as we rushed straight into the ruins. The Nevermore shot some sharpened feathers before Nora managed to dodge them all then used her grenade launcher to distract it. I looked back and saw the Deathstalker getting closer and closer, causing me to run faster.
"Go, go!" Pyrrha said as we reached the bridge, stopping to temporarily suppress the Deathstalker that Blake and Weiss may catch up.
We continued to cross the bridge when Big Bird came and crashed at the bridge, splitting the party with Pyrrha, Blake, and Weiss on the other side, fighting the Deathstalker.
I couldn't go on without my partner, someone needed to get Pyrrha out of there. "We gotta get over there, they need help!"
"We got it!" Ruby said as she and her sister jumped toward the gap. Ruby hit the Deathstalker on the face as she unsheathes her scythe then slashing it a few times before dodging its claw. Which ended up pushing Pyrrha to the edge, making her fall.
"Oops!" Ruby said.
"Pyrrha!" I yelled.
Luckily she quickly recovered and went near a pillar, she slowly slid down before launching herself on to the Nevermore. She gave the giant Grimm bird some slashes before leaping off and landing safely into a platform.
Me, Ren and Nora quickly ran to her position. Ren climbed and pulled a wall-run to the platform while Nora used a grenade jump, unharmed either due to her aura or for using non-lethal explosives. [1] This is where my limitations become more apparent, although I did my best to keep myself prepared, I still lacked a soaring strategy without the proper gadgets.
"Uhh, guys?"
"What is it, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked looking down to me.
"I hate to break it to you but…" Before I was able to finish what I was saying, I heard Big Bird screech as it goes closer to the tower putting my team's focus on it by trying to gun it down.
Yeah, I'm also the only person here without a ranged weapon, I regret not 'borrowing' one of Rose's guns before getting to Beacon. I barely had any problems using a sword and a pistol at the same time; why did I forget to take one with me?
The Nevermore crashed through the tower, making everyone fall. I screamed for dear life until I suddenly stopped falling and found myself floating before getting thrown into the air then dropping into solid ground near my team. I checked my body to see if I was alright, I had no clue what just happened.
"In case you're wondering, that was my semblance! I can control magnetism, so I pulled you on your armor when you were falling." Pyrrha clarified.
Thank goodness, if it weren't for that I'd be a goner. "Well, then thanks."
"You're most welcome." she replied with a smile.
"We're right behind you!" Nora said with a salute.
I smiled back to them. However, we still have a bird to deal with so we didn't have time to discuss semblances at the moment. Problem was we lacked a decent strategy against it especially on a place like this. If anything, Ruby's team would be much more appropriate dealing with the Nevermore as they are much more mobile and have the better skill-sets to counter it. The best thing, for now, is to continue gunning it down and wait for it to try and come near us. Having someone jump on its back again is impractical especially when we are trying to shoot it down because it could hit them and cause them to fall.
"Keep firing!" I ordered as I raised my fist then pointing at Big Bird while staying behind their rears. They obeyed as they fired their guns at it. It angrily shrieks as it flies toward us again, which gives us the chance to melee it.
"Nora!" I called.
We went out of the way as Nora changed her launcher into a hammer and uses it to slam on Big Bird's face, causing it to fall down.
I exhaled out of relief before Big Bird soared back and grabbed me from behind with its talons then flying away.
"JAUNE!" I heard Pyrrha yell.
Big Bird sent me higher. Ruby's team was done getting rid of the Deathstalker and noticed me being grabbed by the Nevermore while it was flying off, they tried to save me by trying to shoot the bird while my team was doing the same.
Bullets ran past me as I continue to hold on the Big Bird's talons. "Stop it! You're gonna make me fall!" I yelled before they ceased firing.
I was too busy trying to find a way to get myself out of here that I barely felt any air sickness during flight. I thought of waiting for it to take me into its nest but I am not going to risk myself fighting a bunch of baby Grimm birds while dealing with this one alone, plus its likely far away that I'd be presumed dead when I get back. So I quickly thought up for a better idea and found one. I'm not sure if it's going to work nor would it end well but considering how desperate I was, it was better than doing nothing.
I struggled out of the Big Bird's grasp, I almost fell after doing so but I held on to the talons, then I started climbing up to the bird's back, it was tricky because the bird would shake every couple of seconds but I managed to get on to its back as I climbed near its head.
Okay Jaune, This can't be that hard. It's like riding a pony! Remember how embarrassing that once went? No, can't think about that right now, I have to live! I internally said.
I gripped the fur of its head as I use it to control its flight. It took some strength to do it, but seeing that it works, I was able to use it to my advantage. I made it fly towards the top of the cliff as I unsheathe my sword and stabbed its head a few times causing it to descend faster. As it reached near the edge of the cliff, I sliced Big Bird's head off then jumped to safety.
I panted heavily as stared down the Nevermore as it turns to no more. I anticipated vomiting but I didn't throw up for once, probably because it was a short ride. If this was supposed to be just a test, I cannot imagine how actual missions goes. This is only my second day and I already had to deal with two large Grimm for Pete's sake.
I stood up and walked toward the edge of the cliff and looked at the figures who were all gazing at me and the Nevermore's dead body.
We stared in silence for a few seconds before I could hear Nora clapping as loud as she could so I could hear her from a distance.
"I knew you could do it!" she cheered. I noticed everyone looking at her for a few seconds before joining her applause.
I could only sigh. I did it again, didn't I?
=o=
1. Most likely the latter. There are some specialized explosives made for safe 'grenade jumping'—for the lack of a better word. Which are used to launch its users into the air without suffering physical harm.
I sat on a rock, waiting to reunite with the others, only for the Great & Powerful Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch to have found me first.
"Mr. Arc, knowing your family, I expected great things from you but this is quite a surprise," Ozpin said. "I could only name a few times initiates actually managed to impress me."
I wanted to ask him why in the name of the Light Brother's holy babysitter was a Nevermore and a Deathstalker doing there but I'll have to ask that for another time, I had to make sure Ozpin doesn't get any wrong ideas, even if he already has.
"I just did what everyone would have done, Headmaster," I said, which isn't exactly a lie, of course, your survival instincts would act up if a giant bird grabbed you and tried to make you its next dinner. [1] "I couldn't have done it without the others."
"I appreciate the modesty, it's good that you acknowledge the efforts of your fellow Huntsmen and Huntresses but do not forget that your skill and leadership made your success possible." he stated. "I must admit, the Nevermore and the Deathstalker were not meant to be in premises…"
I knew it.
"…but you have proven that you are indeed a capable Huntsmen. I've been wanting to get rid of that Deathstalker for a long time and I am grateful that you managed to get rid of it."
Shouldn't you be saying this Ruby and her team? They're the ones responsible for that bug's demise; all I did was wake the damn thing up. The Nevermore, on the other hand, was dead mostly because I killed it out of self-defense and most of the damage was caused by my team.
He took a sip then continued. "You have a bright future ahead of you, Mr. Arc. Please, keep doing on what you do."
I really hope this 'bright future' doesn't involve dealing with worse Grimm, this initiation alone was too much to have almost made me wet my pants.
The rest of the gang made it out and walked toward us. "Ah, you all finally made it," Ozpin said as he and Miss Goodwitch turned to the group.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha called out, running toward me. "I was so worried about you! Are you alright?" she asked.
Well aside from that I had to cope with the fact that I was almost bird food and was still recovering from minor air sickness, I was mostly unscathed. "I'm fine, Pyrrha. Don't worry, it's all over, we won the day." I said, pulling out the 'relic' and giving it a toss.
Nora gave me a quick yet tight hug before stepping off. "You were so great! You flew on a Nevermore and killed it while landing with style!" she cheered. "First, the bandit lord El Segadore and now a Nevermore! Is there anything you cannot do?!"
Good gods, this wouldn't be so bad if she didn't have to bring up the former, especially that loud.
"Wait that was you?" Yang suddenly asked as she started to grin.
Dammit, Nora!
"Of course, he is! Didn't you know, he was the slayer of the infamous reaper of Vacuo; the Defender of Podunk himself! Jaune Arc!" Nora answered. The sisters were astounded while Weiss raised an eyebrow and Blake has the same unimpressed poker-face as usual.
Terrific, now more people know of my fraudulent reputation I got from that embarrassing day, I was already happy with people being oblivious to who I was.
"You were that guy?! Oh, oh, please I got to have your autograph!" Ruby squealed. And there it is, another cheery-girl on the fan club.
Miss Goodwitch then spoke up. "Students." Everyone turned to her to pay attention. "Now that you're all here, I want all of you to report to the auditorium by noon for the announcement of teams. In the meantime, take some rest; you've all earned it."
We nodded before she walked away while Ozpin gave me a wink before following her out.
"Can you believe it, Yang?! I got to fight with an actual hero!" Ruby said.
"Easy there sis, I think you made him a little uneasy," Yang said as she grinned at me. Oh, was she so right about that one.
I hate to say that they'll soon be disappointed once they find out that my so-called 'heroism' wasn't what it turned out to be.
Pyrrha then patted my shoulder. "You did well." she said. "Don't worry, I know the pressures of having such fame."
Well, she had been the champion of Mistral's regional tournament four times in a row, I guess she dealt with worse. "Thanks, Pyrrha," I said.
We took an hour to unwind before gathering at the cafeteria for lunch. We all sat by together eating. I ordered dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets myself. Don't ask, they're just that delicious.
"Alright now that everyone is here, let us finally introduce ourselves to each other," Ruby called, standing up. "Let's start with myself. Hello, my name is Ruby Rose!"
"I'm Yang! Ruby's sister and I like to punch and pun!" she said, pointing her thumb to herself before sitting down.
"Weiss Schnee. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances." Weiss said with a bow, smiling for once.
"Blake. Blake Belladonna. It's… nice to meet you." Blake introduced herself before immediately sitting down.
"Pyrrha Nikos, but I guess you all already know that," Pyrrha said before nodding her head toward me.
"Jaune Arc. A pleasure to meet you all." I stood up introduced myself.
"And I'm Nora Valkyrie! This is my best friend, Lie Ren!"
"Hello everyone and sorry if she bothers you, she's just that excited, that's all," Ren said.
"It's fine," I reassured. "I live with seven sisters, I think I can handle her."
Now that everyone's here, it's time to for me to learn of their abilities, it's important to know your allies as much as you need to know your enemies.
"Hey Pyrrha, you said your semblance can control magnetism, would you care to share?" I asked.
"That seems fine." she nodded. "Okay everyone, let's discuss our semblance, mine is polarity." she demonstrates by making her spoon float.
"Does that mean you can control poles?!" Ruby asked, missing the point.
"No, you dunce! It means she has control over magnetism!" Weiss angrily corrected.
"I can also use it to retrieve my shield and javelin after throwing it. It took a lot of practice and patience to properly control it, though." she said as she slowly puts the spoon back down.
"That's cool!" Ruby said. "My semblance is speed! I can move from one place to another with a blink of an eye!" she chooses not to demonstrate it though, as it might cause an accident in the cafeteria. Or maybe she did and we were just too slow to notice? [2]
"My semblance are glyphs," Weiss said. "They can be used as solid platforms and can control motion."
"Neat. My semblance makes me hit harder when I get damaged." Yang stated.
"That's cool! Mine makes me stronger when I get hit with electricity!" Nora said.
"I don't recommend trying it out right now though," Ren warned.
Seeing how she just killed an Ursa and smacked a Nevermore on its face without even using her semblance, I agree that it was a good idea not to.
"Anyway, my semblance mask negative emotions. It may not look like much but it makes you invulnerable from Grimm." Ren said.
Huh, that sounds practical enough for me to take advantage off. So far, I'm really liking this team.
"I can make shadow clones of myself. Keeps me from getting seen." Blake said.
"What about you, Jaune? What can you tell us about your semblance?" Ruby asked.
Crap, I was worried I had to answer ever since I bought this up. Which is unfortunate because Ruby, Yang, Pyrrha, and Nora seemed eager to hear about it.
"Oh yeah… it's kinda funny actually." I hesitantly said.. "I… don't have any… Really, I never unlocked my semblance."
Yeah, that's right, The Defender of Podunk himself who was apparently good enough for Beacon—has no semblance. Your semblance defines who you are as a Huntsman and I am literally nothing. I don't know what my semblances is supposed to be. Dad's semblance has his use his survival instincts at its fullest, Mom is almost fireproof, Bleu can analyze for strengths and weaknesses of a person or creature, Rose can shoot multiple targets with deadly accuracy and Rouge is immune to loud noises. I wouldn't be surprised if mine turns out to be comically useless. There is nobody to blame for this other than myself, if I did have a desire to become a Huntsman I would have unlocked my semblance years ago.
They all stared at me confusedly before Nora began speaking.
"That's… actually amazing! So what you're telling me you can do amazing things without needing a semblance?! Awesome!"
Sigh, there she goes again. I guess at this point anything disappointing about me is another excuse for her to idolize me.
"We'll have to fix that," Ren said. "A person's semblance is important. While your skills are superb, you'll be even more proficient in combat."
"I agree. I'm looking forward to discovering it." Pyrrha added.
"Thanks, guys… I really appreciate it." I said as I went back into eating my meal.
Later, we went to the auditorium and placed our respective chess pieces on their platforms on the stage. Looking at the pieces makes me hope I'm wrong about the thought of us being in an elaborate chess game with Ozpin and his students being the players and pieces respectively.
We stood back with the other teams as the Great & Powerful Ozpin starts his speech.
"Remnant is a dangerous place…"
Understatement of the year.
"Which is why people call for Huntsmen like us, but even Huntsmen are just as vulnerable to the beasts they dedicated their lives into fighting's against. However, with the combined strengths of multiple Huntsmen, it creates a formidable force that can potentially take on the worst of the Grimm. But to ensure victory, a team must possess trust, fellowship, and coordination. It is now the time you start exercising bonds with one another as now we shall begin the declaration of this year's freshmen teams."
He started to announce the teams of the initiates, giving them team names that are formed from the first letter of each member's name. (which is either their given name or surname, whatever that makes a good acronym.) The person who makes up the first letter assumes the role of the team leader; in one funny case:
"Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY (Ruby) Led by…"
Cue drum roll.
"…Ruby Rose!"
Badum-Tss!
But seriously, that's really her team name and she is indeed leading it, and there weren't any drums. It's too much of a coincidence that she gets to lead a team that is almost named after her, it's almost as if Ozpin just made her the leader for the team name alone. [3]
"I'm so proud of you!" Yang hugged her sister.
It was our turn then. So we stepped onto the stage and stood before Ozpin as he officially announces my team.
"And finally, Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR (Juniper)."
As soon as I heard our team name, I knew what I was in for.
"Led by… Jaune Arc."
A round of applause came as Pyrrha gave me a friendly shoulder bump, I nervously smiled back at her. Nora gave Ren a hug before moving to give one big group hug to the newly formed team.
"Congratulations, young man." Ozpin commended.
Yeah, thanks a lot.
"We're going to be the best team ever!" Nora said before she stopped hugging.
I continued to smile and chuckle anxiously. I guess if it keeps me off the front-lines it won't be that bad.
"Looks like things are shaping to be an… interesting year. Enjoy your stay at Beacon, I wish you all the best." Ozpin said leaving the stage.
Miss Goodwitch then walks in and took the mic. "Now that the teams are officially formed, you may now vacate to your dormitories. You will be using your own scrolls to assign yourself to a dorm. If you do not own a scroll, we will provide one for you. [4] Classes will begin tomorrow morning. Be sure to check your schedules and don't be late. You are dismissed." Miss Goodwitch said before concluding the assembly.
=o=
1. Jaune is obviously making a metaphorical statement here, the Grimm don't eat nor do they need to. They simply attack sentient beings as part of their programming. The closest they get to hunger is their attraction to souls.
2. She didn't. Otherwise, she would have left a trail of rose petals on her position.
3. While it's not actually uncommon for team names to be pronounced after their leaders, Coral Grimes and Ash Davis of Team CARL and Team ASHE respectively for example. Headmaster Ozpin had a tendency to take every opportunity to assign leadership to a student that would give their team a befitting name, regardless of their leadership skill and he refuses to break the tradition of having all teams named after colors. One infamous example is Cyan Boose of Team CYAN, who lacked any leadership skills of any kind, causing his team to be one of the most chaotic teams on Beacon.
4. They're not exactly free. They deliberately choose not to mention that acquiring scrolls from the Beacon staff increases the student's tuition fee.
We went to the residence hall and assigned ours next door to Team RWBY's dorm. After all the stuff I've been through for the past few hours, I'm really grateful to have the entire day for myself.
"Oh, finally!" I said as I removed my armor before lying down the nearest bed.
"Yipee! We're gonna be roomies with The Defender of Podunk and the Goddess of Victory!" Nora excitedly said as she started to jump down her bed.
"Nora please… you might break the bed." Ren sighed, sitting down on his bed before yawning and passing out of exhaustion.
It looks like I'll be sharing a room with two girls for four years, I would have found this to be weird and uncomfortable if it weren't for the fact that I live with seven sisters and had to share a bed with them a few times.
Pyrrha went to take a shower while I went to take a walk around Beacon to clear my mind; Nora stayed at the dorm to watch over Ren.
While I was walking in the hall two boys were leaving their dorms when they saw me in my Pumpkin Pete hoodie. One of them looks and acts like an orange-haired stereotypical jock straight out of a bad clichéd high-school movie while the other looked like one of Rouge's ex-boyfriends except his tea-green mohawk looks awfully ridiculous even by punk standards. If I remember correctly, they're Cardin Winchester and Russel Thrush from Team CRDL (Cardinal).
"Nice jacket loser." the brown-haired one—Cardin, said while he and his goon laughed as they went to the other way. "Man, what a dork."
Which reminds me, I really need to buy some new clothes.
When taking a stroll around the academy, I took time to familiarize myself with Beacon's layout so I won't get lost again like yesterday. After doing so, I finally stopped at the courtyard and sat at one of the benches. I downloaded the official Beacon Academy app on my scroll so I'll be able to access some important information available to students such as news, schedules, guides, maps, and others.
I decided to contact Bleu again and update her about the whole situation. It's still fairly noon and Mantle is around the same time-zone as Vale, so she should be taking a lunch break from her classes.
"Well, look whose still breathing. Not that it surprises me or anyone for that matter." Bleu deadpanned after she appeared on my screen. "So, how did it go?"
"It was a freaking disaster; I was lucky to pass the whole thing and live," I said with blunt honesty. The whole thing could have been smoother and easier, had Ozpin been more considerate with the Grimm there.
"Oh Jaune, I'm sure it wasn't that bad.."
"Was a Nevermore and a Deathstalker supposed to be there?"
She stopped grinning. "Wait, what? You're kidding aren't you?"
I answered by glaring straight at her.
"Oh. That's strange, they shouldn't be sending Grimm that daunting for initiates, I know they Beacon can demanding when accepting students but they're not supposed to make it that arduous for initiates…"
Well, Ozpin did say earlier that they were not supposed to be in there but did nothing about it probably because they made the initiation less boring for him to watch.
"Or is security still terrible after all these years?" she questioned.
I raised my brow at that. "Were they really that bad?"
"Oh, nothing. Anyway, you did manage to get rid of them did you?"
I took a deep breath. "Yes. I killed the Nevermore. No, my other friends were the one that got rid of the Deathstalker."
"You did? That's great! I guess you really can handle more serious Grimm after all! I knew you had the strength of a Huntsman in you."
"Well actually, my team absorbed most of its damage and I had to go for the killing blow because it grabbed me." I pointed out.
"And that's your excuse? If you managed to defeat a Nevermore, then you have already proven yourself to be capable. Stop trying to deny it. You could have been a decent help in my missions with Rose and Father but instead, you keep persisting on trivial missions that only involved a few Beowolves."
I rolled my eyes at this, Bleu is helping Ozpin dig my grave now.
"What about your team? What can you tell me about them?" she inquired.
"Apparently I was good enough to become the leader of my team. Team JNPR. Yay."
"Really? That's wonderful! Mother and Father would be so proud when they hear about this!"
"Bleu please, I'm still trying to get used to this."
"Don't worry, you'll do fine, you did manage to beat me in chess remember?"
Only once and I didn't know what I was doing at the time. "Yeah…"
"So, who are the unfortunate ones who have fallen to the tyranny of my dear little brother?"
"Are you familiar with the girl on the cereal box I always ate?"
"You're not talking about Pyrrha Nikos, are you? You never bothered with Regional Tournaments."
"I don't, but now I'm paired with her as my partner. She's surprisingly friendly of someone of her skill and reputation." I stated as I feel my cheeks burn when thinking about here.
Bleu grinned when she noticed me flush. "Oh~ sounds like someone's very lucky."
I felt my cheeks become warmer, slightly irritated by her teasing. "Please don't. I've only met her yesterday and there's nothing happening between us."
She laughed. "Calm down Jaune, it was only a joke. Though you two sound perfect for each other. I hope you won't reject her like your previous dates."
I groaned. She really had to bring that up, doesn't she? Bleu still has the smart-mouth of an Arc while legitimately being the smart one among the siblings.
"Okay, I think I had enough. What about your other two teammates?" she asked, returning to the subject at hand.
"Well, there's this one girl, Nora, she's a very big fan of mine because of what I did the other day and she's hyperactive that I think her best friend looked tired all the time, who is Ren, another teammate of mine. Don't worry they're all competent in combat."
"Wow, sounds like the Headmaster got himself a powerhouse."
While I'm grateful for having powerful teammates, I'm worried that people, particularly Ozpin, would take advantage of this; my undeserved reputation doesn't help at all.
"Whatever you're doing, I wish you the best. Remember not to neglect your studies. As cliché as it may sound, knowledge is the key is to success."
Didn't Ozpin say that knowledge could only carry me so far? "I'll keep that in mind."
"I can only hope. Keep in touch. Oh, by the way, Viola has been asking if you know where your childhood scrapbook is. I'm starting to think yo—" With that, I ended the call. I'm not going to even acknowledge that, the call already ended for me.
I continued to get comfortable and looked at the bright side. I won't be experiencing any bowel-loosening terrors for a while since the following days would consist of more typical, boring school stuff with combat training being the only thing that involves fighting; it'll actually be a nice change of pace.
Oh Beacon, what else do you have to offer?
Editorial Note:
Before we conclude this chapter, I would like to add an extract from Headmaster Ozpin recorded sometime after the initiation. These extracts provide additional background information which Jaune either missed or ignored due to obliviousness or simply because it didn't concern him that much.
This excerpt details Headmaster Ozpin's thoughts on the freshmen's first two days at Beacon; it may also intrigue anyone who's interested in his inner-workings and motives during his feud with Salem.
Because of the contents of these documents, such as the supernatural elements and the revelation that the Grimm Wars was being fought in the shadows prior to becoming a full-scale conflict, these documents were not declassified until his secrets were eventually exposed publicly. Normally, people won't believe in such things but after Salem and the rise of several cults with access to eldritch powers, it's safe to assume that they'll believe almost anything nowadays.
The Ozpin Logs: A Promising Year
For ages I have been transferring myself from one body to another; I assumed many different identities, from an unassuming beggar to a monarch of one of the four kingdoms. I've rallied armies, ended wars, built several academies dedicated to fighting Grimm and trained generations of Huntsmen hoping to finally turn the tides of this miserable conflict the Gods sent me to.
But alas, it was never enough.
Sometimes I cannot help myself but wonder if Qrow was right with his notion that this entire war is hopeless and that Remnant is doomed that I can only delay the inevitable at best. But I have forbidden myself to give up, I have an obligation to the Gods that their creation will not succumb into hands of Chaos, no matter how slim the odds that may favour me. Nothing is truly hopeless, after all.
It is another school year at Beacon and comes yet another batch of Huntsmen-in-training. In all honesty, I was having trouble attempting to display enthusiasm over the new freshmen as I have seen too many good students turned Huntsmen die because of me. I am afraid that these children may likely follow the same fate. However, there are two remarkable students that have caught my attention.
The first one, named Ruby Rose. The daughter of two of my former students, Taiyang Xiao Long and Summer Rose, rest her soul. She greatly resembles her mother, even having her silver-eyes. [1] We found her when we were almost close to tracking down who what we believed was one of Salem's pawns; I witnessed her skilfully defeat a group of criminals with the use of a scythe, one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed, thanks to being mentored by Qrow himself. The problem was that she was a couple of years too young to attend Beacon. Nevertheless, because of her prowess and enthusiasm, I deliberately chose to bend the rules for her. She was very excited to have finally had the privilege to study here and I do hope that she could make herself useful in the events yet to come, it was gratifying to know that silver-eyed warriors are still existent as I could use one in a time like this.
The other one is… more complicated to say the least. This one is name is Jaune Arc, the only son of one of my favourite pupils, Caiaphas Arc. Prior to Jaune's attendance, Caiaphas has sent three out of his seven daughters to study at Beacon; Bleu Arc was a valedictorian and became a teacher at Mantle's Huntsman Academy; Rose Arc was skilful in different types of firearms; And Rouge, despite her… disciplinary records she has the aptitude become a competent Huntress but sadly her Huntsman licence was stripped from her after an incident, which I cannot say I blame her though, she made it clear that she was more of a free spirit. Jaune, on the other hand, is a very strange one. He has shown an incredible skill of slaying several Beowolves and managed to manoeuvre a Nevermore before slaying it, prior to that, he even managed to intercept a major bandit lord and killed an Ursa Major with only a basic sword and shield, yet despite all of this he attempted to downplay all of these when discussed. He reminds me a lot of his father during his youth, always trying to find the safest way out while genuinely becoming one of the best Huntsman this school has to offer, even if it was not his initial intention. He does soon become more confident in his skills and became genuinely heroic and I do hope his son does the same. I can even recall employing his ancestor, Harry Arc, during the Great War when I was with my previous body, King Phadrig VII, like his descendents he was never keen with danger; his son and grandson, Rhysmond and Edwin Arc, also inherited this trait. Reluctance and fearfulness seem to run on Arc blood but so does great potential.
Remember, as of this recording, it is only Jaune's second day here, his will and courage should develop eventually. He'll soon learn that his gifted talents are not be wasted because he prefers to be idle during these dark times; all he needs is a little guidance. In the meantime, I will continue to watch his scholarship here with great interest.
I have made both these children leader of their respective teams. I must admit I originally made the decision for my own amusement; I was hoping to receive some entertainment out of Jaune's cowardice and Ruby's limited leadership experience to cope from the losing war with Salem, but after witnessing this two handle themselves in the initiation, I may have made the right choice.
I pray that these two unusual children may soon lead us to the happy ending we fought an eternity for.
=o=
1. It is said that those born with silver eyes are destined to become great warriors. Grimm were believed to fear these warriors because of their supposed ability to strike them down with a single look.
And that's chapter two, folks! The next one will be out sooner since this chapter was in near-completion during the publication of the first chapter since I wanted the first two chapters to be the 'pilot' of this story.
I also apologize if there are any inconsistencies in the fight scenes, it's my first attempt in writing them in a detailed manner.
Normally, I would respond via PM's but this was from an anonymous reviewer and I don't feel like replying with another review because it would add a faux amount to the review count, so I'll answer it here: No I haven't read the fic you were talking about but being a fan of Dishonored, I'll consider checking it out.
Thanks to those who left feedback at the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think and what needs improving.
EDIT 11/11/2018
Nice try, Rooster Teeth.
EDIT 12/2/2018
Another Guest has posted several reviews on their thoughts. Like I said in the above since I cannot PM guests and I refuse to respond with a review of my own, I will be putting it in here.
"OK I know this is the first chapter but, the whole Jaune self-doubting himself really bothers me, like I get why canon Jaune doubts himself, [...] but this Jaune really has no reason to think low of himself, it really doesn't make any sense."
His reasons for his self-doubt despite being more competent than his canon counterpart will be explained soon.
"Also, Weiss wanted nothing to do with Jaune BECAUSE he was hitting on her, so her treating Jaune like this and her not wanting to be paired up with him and instead goes with Ruby really doesn't make much sense."
She did see him run and scream away from a pack of one of the most weakest Grimm there is (at least according to Monty, who once compared them to Dragon Quest's slimes), so that didn't give her a good impression of a teammate, never mind that he did eventually stop and killed them all. As much as she finds Ruby annoying, Weiss doesn't see her cowering and would rather endure to someone like her than be with someone who she thought couldn't fight.
"And please name one other time Jaune got motion sick other then the first time on the bullhead to Beacon."
Can't really answer that since RT did not show him traveling in any sort of vehicle (Rocket lockers and that Chibi skit where he rode Cinder's car doesn't count) before near the end of Volume 4 where he is presumed to have finally overcome it after all those months. Also, because he relies on a simple fighting style that doesn't require much acrobatics, thus he doesn't constantly feel nauseated when fighting.
"In what way, [Jaune and Pyrrha] are perfect for each other, I'm sorry but apart from Jaune not knowing who Pyrrha is and she being so desperate for someone to treat her normally, she falls for the first guy not to know her, who just so happens to be Jaune, apart from that they really don't have much of a reason to start a relationship"
Bleu was just teasing her little brother that he was just partnered with the girl whose face was in his favorite cereal box. That, and she witnessed Jaune be a spectacular fighter made her think they would make a good couple.
But you're right. As much as I like Arkos, I have to agree that "famous girl likes oblivious boy" isn't that romantic. It needs proper buildup, because the reason why Arkos works is because of their chemistry and desire to help each other with their biggest issues with Jaune's lack of combat skill and Pyrrha's need to be treated like a human, and not because Pyrrha likes someone because they're not familiar with her (and especially not because some people endorse the pairing just to protect certain ships).