I sat in the small office in Slade's workshop, two of the greatest hunters alive standing before me. Ozpin leaned on his cane, a mug of coffee on the desk in front of him as he looked over a page of notes. Glynda Goodwitch stood beside him, arms crossed. I didn't know how Slade had gotten them to come out this far away for an entrance exam, but I didn't dare to ask. They were imposing, not just because Ozpin stood several inches taller than me but because of their reputation.

Ozpin looked up, seeming to look more through me than at me. "Well Slade certainly speaks highly of you. He was a great student, and I trust his judgment, but that doesn't mean you're excused from the examination." Glynda pursed her lips, glancing at Ozpin.

"I understand, Sir." I mumbled.

"Please, no need to be so formal." He said. "Just call me Ozpin." I nodded in reply, not wanting to speak more than I had to. "Let's start then, shall we? You may have heard that our entrance exam at Beacon is notoriously challenging, and those rumors would be correct. You will spar with Glynda. You don't need to win, just demonstrate your prowess." He said the last part quickly, before I could voice my concern.

I swallowed, finding my mouth dry. I had to spar with a fully trained huntress, and Glynda at that? This wasn't going to go well. Ozpin moved to the door, and I followed. Glynda took up a position on one side of the sparring area where I had been taught to fight. Ironic, I thought, that this was where I was going to fail. I walked to the opposite side from Glynda, eyes locked with her. "Whenever you're ready." Ozpin called out. He had taken a seat along one of the walls.

I placed a hand on the hilt of my sword, the feel of energy circulating beneath calming my pounding heart. I noticed that I hadn't loaded a clip in and mentally cursed. Why did I make this harder on myself?

In the time it took me to draw my sword she had closed the distance with ease. As I brought my sword up to parry her strike I realized that she was letting me react, holding back. We clashed weapons for several seconds. Was that riding crop metal? I let out a shock through my blade. No, it was not. "Good form." Glynda commented. "Not the fastest, but excellent technique." I gritted my teeth. I already knew this, I didn't need her to tell me.

I reached back into my bag, tossing a clip into the air behind my back. I jumped back from the clash, slamming the clip in as it fell, then timed a strike to intercept her advance. She easily parried, knocking my sword back with twirl of her weapon, then taking another swing at me. The crop stung where it hit, despite the protection from my aura. I allowed myself to flinch, then ducked forward and grabbed her arm as she started an attack to follow up. I let out a shock, causing her to drop her weapon in surprise, then took a swing with my sword. Her aura took the blow, and she shoved me back. "Unorthodox fighting style, Slade's influence is obvious." She said, dryly. "Who else would teach someone to step into an attack?"

I blocked an incoming swipe, then another, then the third hit me. She was increasing her speed, holding back less and less. I blocked another, activating the circuitry in my sword. I saw her eyebrows raise as the blade split in two, and that moment's hesitation gave me a clear shot. She was thrown back, the crack of gunfire echoing through the warehouse-esque building. I fired three more shots, emptying the clip. None of the shots hit, but I used the distraction to reload with a dust charged clip.

An unseen force pushed at me, blowing me backwards. I kept my footing, and drew on the power of dust. I raised my right hand, and lightning arced at my will. As fast as she was, Glynda couldn't dodge electricity. The room smelled of ozone as the blast caught her center of mass, knocking her down.

I felt the sensation of being crushed, my arms unable to move. Glenda had gotten up. She flicked her riding crop in my direction, and the invisible force slammed me into the wall, my sword flying from my hand.

I pulled myself to my feet. Glynda had put away her weapon. "I've seen enough, have you?" She said, turning to Ozpin, who nodded.

"I want to know what you thought you did." Ozpin said, standing up and walking over to me.

I took a few seconds to catch my breath. "Not great. She was holding back the whole time, I couldn't keep up with her speed near the end. I was only able to land hits when I caught her off guard, first with my semblance then with my weapon."

Ozpin smiled, his mouth a thin line. "None of the last twenty seven people who attempted this exam landed a single hit on Glynda. You managed three."

Glynda cut him off. "Four actually, he gave me an electric shock when he grabbed my wrist."

"Four then. Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing you at Beacon next month." He stood, glancing at me one last time before heading for the door. I had passed.

The airship more floated than flew, much of the city of Vale visible below us. There was a crackle of static as the screens that covered the windows flared to life, Glynda's visage beginning to welcome us to Beacon. I paid it little mind.

As much as I looked forward to my time at Beacon, it had been hard to say goodbye to my parents and friends back home. It had been hard for my mom to accept that I was leaving, but she coped by fussing over every little detail she could control. Even after I had hugged her and said goodby she came up with more reasons for me to stay just a minute longer. I had promised her that I would come back and visit whenever I had the chance.

My dad had took it better. He was a much more subdued than my mom, but still was sad to see me go. He was proud of me, in his own words. He was proud that I would be able to make a difference, help people, save lives. I had promised him I would.

I was lost in thought to the point where I almost didn't notice the call to disembark. I ended up at the back of the crowd, uncomfortable being around this many people.

The airship dropped us off in front of the school, a massive fortress of a institution with it's namesake Beacon Tower rising above all else.

I followed the flow of bodies through the gates, and into a courtyard like area, my height allowed me to see over the heads of most of the crowd. Ozpin and Glynda stood in a raised platform, Ozpin holding his signature cane and coffee cup.

"Good morning, students. I'm happy to welcome you all to Beacon Academy." Ozpin said, the crowd falling silent as he began. "Here you will be trained to become some of the best hunters in the world." I looked up at Ozpin, and I could swear he looked back for just a second. "Our returning students already know this, however, and to them I say; Welcome back! Everyone but the first years are free to go."

Much of the throng of people began to disperse. Ozpin stood perfectly still, only his eyes moving as he watched them leave. In less than a minute only a dozen of us remained. "All of you will spend the next four years here," Ozpin said. "But first, you must survive initiation. Follow Glynda now, she will show you the weapon lockers and the place you will be sleeping tonight." He stepped down from the stage, walking towards the Beacon Tower.

As we followed Glynda, I noticed that one of the other students was going around with a clipboard, asking each other person something. He slowed his pace to close the distance between us. "Hey, the name's Russell."

He was more than a head shorter than me, his wild brown hair nearly covering his eyes. His weapon must have been concealed, as I couldn't identify one. "I was wondering if you got in via entrance test or by transcript, and if by test how many hits did you land on Glynda? I'm trying to get a sense of how good everyone is." The words were practiced. Granted, he had asked it ten times already.

"Four." I said, glancing down at him.

He stopped short. "Bullshit! The highest anyone else got was two."

I kept walking, and Russell ran to catch up. "Why would I lie?" I asked.

"To make yourself seem better than you are, to make people want you on their team!" He seemed exasperated, and he ran a hand through his hair. "Well, I guess I'll see during initiation." He shook his head. "Four hits..." He grumbled, jogging ahead to rejoin the bulk of the group.