Chapter 2 : Initiation and Ignition
Morning came. Birds sang and the sun was shining down on everything in sight. On days like this I actually didn't mind the morning. Given I took my morning with a simple breakfast and coffee. Despite having the students stay in the main hall, the school wasted no time in having the cafeteria set up. I packed my belongings up and took a step outside to breathe in the morning air. Usually days like this fill me with a wave of nostalgia. I enjoy the crisp feeling of cold morning air on the tip of my nose, with a gentle warmth from the sunlight. Today will be a good day, I can feel it.
In the locker room, I went to retrieve my weapons. As I walked past several first years, I wondered just what kind of system they had to determine partners. There were rumors, sure. I heard that partners were determined by past grades, or that they were paired based on their names and whether or not they'd make a good acronym. I did always wonder what happened to teams whose names just couldn't form a word. I scoffed at the thought as I continued onward to the cliffside. It seemed like this would be our testing grounds.
Once I got there, I saw Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch standing with their backs to the forest. I wondered exactly what was going to come next. Looking around, I saw Ruby on the far side of the line of students, as well as the Firecracker. Off to my side I saw someone blending into their surroundings and changing colors. Probably Vert. There were rows and rows of new students, and I could wind up partnered with anyone. The thought was nerve-wracking. A feeling swelled up in my chest, and I secretly wished I'd been able to partner with Yuuki once more. I missed her, and it struck me now that my partner for my time here wouldn't be her. Sadness crept into my heart, until Professor Ozpin's voice dragged me back into reality.
"The first person you make eye contact with on the ground will be your partner for the next four years." He said. I looked down and realized we were about to be launched off the cliff. I sighed audibly and braced myself. "If all the other kids in your class jumped off a cliff, would you?" I asked myself, mostly out of irony. Not that I had much choice anymore. Before I could entertain the idea further, the sound of a lever and spring rang off in my ears. I saw the small platform a student was standing on launch them through the air. Soon after it was the next student, the student after that. My turn was coming up soon and I felt anxious. Nervous even. A bead of cold sweat dripped down my forehead as I anticipated the fall. Heights were always a fear for me, and I was about to be dropped off a cliff over who knows how far. I gripped Rend and Tyr for comfort as my legs shook unconsciously.
"You're strong. Stronger than anyone I know. Knowing you, you won't let something as silly as heights stop you from being you, would you? No. The Leona I know is stronger and braver than that. And I'll always have your back, no matter where or how or why." Yuuki's voice echoed through my mind, as if I needed her to bring myself back down to earth. Before I realized it, the sound of the spring snapped and I was suddenly propelled through the air.
No parachute, no drop off, nothing. It's almost like they intended for us to use our own landing strategy. Adrenaline kicked in and I reacted on instinct. I drew my blades and with a light from dust, they surged with electricity. I angled them and leaned back, letting the tip of Tyr go straight forward like an arrow. The lightning flew and surged around me, trailing behind like a comet's tail as I went shooting at an even faster speed. My fear curled up into a small lump in the back of my throat and stayed down as I shot through. I approached the ground rather fast, as I accidentally drove through several trees on the way down. Once I got closer and closer I pulled Tyr back and drew Rend. It took less than a second for the blade to ignite into flames, as I curled up, using the momentum from both the launch and the flames to keep myself going. The flames kept surging as I began to spin through the air, until the ground was close enough for me to touch. I thrust Rend downwards until the flames cushioned my momentum just enough to land safely. My legs planted firmly on the ground, I felt a shockwave run through my body, though nothing that would have caused lasting damage.
I stood still for a few moments, my heart racing faster than I could realize. My breath was short and I felt lightheaded, but also hot blooded. The flight was exhilarating to say the least, but damn if I wasn't scared over half to death. I took a deep breath and sheathed my blades, the quivering in my heart slowing down only slightly. I was in a battle zone, Grimm could pop up anywhere. I had no room to become completely at ease or become relaxed. And most importantly, I had to find my partner, whoever they may be.
The sound of rusling leaves and boots through the grass were all I heard for a while. I began wandering in the same direction I was launched, since at least for now, that made the most sense. Chances are, I'll find more students there. I waded through the forest for what felt like ten minutes before I saw a human-shaped figure in the distance.
I dashed forward. It didn't matter who it was, just as long as it was someone. Trees whizzed past as I flung myself forward. Before long their figure became clear. A girl surrounded by grimm, mostly beowolves. She just stood in the middle of them, unflinching. Unmoving. In an instant the grimm tore forward, diving at her in every direction. She kicked the ground and a small flame erupted from her boots. My eyes followed suit, as did the beowolves. She rose high in the air and brandished what looked like a large ship cannon. It looked like no time passed at all, as she grabbed a dust round from her belt and slammed it into the weapon. Then came the storm, as her weapon let out a brilliant flash of light. Dirt and winds blew every which direction, knocking me off my feet as well. I tumbled back about 10 or so feet as I scrambled to my feet. She rose even higher with the momentum of her cannon shot, as it transformed into an oversized drill. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped to the ground as she dove right back downward, dust flames propelling her drill even faster. The beowolves stirred, still dazed from the impact of the cannon blast, as she drilled right into the impact zone, resurfacing all but about a few seconds later. With one fell swoop, she rose from the ground with the drill as the earth beneath her sank in a large circle, burying all of the grimm in sight. She landed on a bit of level ground right in front of me, which took me a second to process. One second I was watching her demolish a pack of grimm, next moment my face was inches away from her chest.
"Uhm.." I stammered, falling backwards. I could feel a rush of heat to my face as I stumbled. Her body was covered in a light armor, sure. But even still, everything about her seemed a bit over the top. She wore a flashy, tattered, red and brown cloak, and her layered dark brown hair gave her a bit of a tomboyish look. I looked up and down her, as if sizing her up without realizing it. "She has freckles too? Argh! She's so cute!" I thought. I hadn't realized it, but my face was bright red.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. Didn't see you there." She had a smirk on her face, radiating with overconfidence. "So you're the first person I've made eye contact with, right? Same for you I'm guessing?"
"O-oh, uhm...Yes that's right." I struggled to get back on my feet. I haven't felt my legs quiver this much since my very first fight, really.
"Well shoot. In that case…" She nodded as she pat me on the shoulder. "Nice to meet you, partner. I'm Dusty, what's your name?"
"Leona." I found a lump in my throat. It was difficult to manage words, let alone sentences. She held out her hand.
"Well Leona, looks like we'll be working together for a while, so let's get along." she smiled, an earnest grin from ear to ear. I returned the gesture, giving back a firm handshake.
"Looking forward to working with you." I nodded.
"So, where are we headed?" she asked me as we walked.
"Huh? Oh. I was...following you. I don't even know where we're going." I shrugged.
"You didn't hear Ozpin? He said we had to find a temple and retrieve a relic." her face curled in a frown. Clearly she was not amused.
"Uh. No…?" I put on a cartoonish grin as I scratched the back of my head.
"Well, I have one idea. How high can you fly in the air?" she leaned in, rather close to my face.
"Um, well…" I felt the words caught again. "Pretty high I guess?" I shrugged. She nodded and motioned for me to grab onto her back. I tilted my head in confusion, and placed my arms around her. "oh geez she smells nice too" The thought ran through my mind in an instant.
"Grab on tight, cause we're gonna fly!" she looked back at me. I nodded and donned a more serious expression. She pointed her cannon at the ground below us as she jumped high in the air, launching us above the trees. In a matter of seconds we flew well over 100 feet in the air, and I couldn't help but take in the view as we spun.
"There! That's the temple!" I shouted as I pointed. I drew my blades and she transformed her weapon into it's drill form. I pulled myself up onto her shoulder as she pointed the drill forward, spinning it. I ignited Rend and sparks flew from Tyr as I placed held them away from Dusty. The energy burst outward, shooting us through the air as what would have been who knows how long of a walk suddenly became a 5 minute flight, however unconventional.
Shortly after we landed, we saw a temple with some chess pieces littered about. I circled around them, examining them. I reached out to grab a piece, when it suddenly lifted up, as if it were floating. I reached out for it, but my hand was swatted away.
"Vert, is that you?" I asked. Suspicion rose up within me, but given what I'd seen, or rather hadn't, it had to be him.
"Spoiling the surprise? Aw, you're no fun." He revealed himself. In his scaly hands lie the black queen piece. I shook my head and went to grab the other. As I did, I saw a new girl walk up to Vert.
"Is she your partner, Vert?" I asked. Whoever she was, they were practically oozing with good looks. She had long, flowing golden hair, and a light, ruffled shirt, flower pinned on and all.
"Oh, my name is Roland, my apologies for not introducing myself sooner." they bowed slightly.
"Wait, Roland?" I turned the thought over in my head. "But that would mean..." I realized.
"Yuuuup. He's a guy." Vert said bluntly. "Knew from his shoulder width and such. Also he told me." my jaw dropped and my eyes held only shock. "Incidentally…" Vert started as he looked at me.
"I swear I will punch you if you continue, Vert." I practically spat. He put his hands up in the air as if it were a mocking gesture, walking away as he muttered. "Fine, fine. So touchy, you are."
"Well, the task is over, should we return to Beacon?" Roland piped up. I nodded as we started to walk back.
"Hey Dusty, wouldn't it be faster if we flew?" I asked.
"Yeah but not with this many people. It'd be really heavy for me." she shrugged.
"Roland, now might be a great time to show off your ability." Vert suggested. I turned my head and looked at him, curious to see what kind of talent the pretty boy has.
"Sure, though it'll be the last one for the day. I have a limited number of uses per day with this ability, so bear that in mind." He nodded. Roland pulled out a photograph from his pocket and placed it on the ground.
"All right everyone, grab onto me." he directed. The group of us put our hands on his shoulders as he dove headfirst into the picture. In an instant we found ourselves at the top of the hill, back where we were first launched.
"Woah, how'd you do that?" Dusty asked. Roland smirked.
"My semblance lets me travel through photographs to the location in them. Of course, I can't do that if the photograph leads to somewhere that doesn't exist, or somewhere that would cause me to die instantly. He took a bow afterwards.
"Photographic teleportation? That sounds like an invaluable ability." I nodded. "Remind me not to make you my enemy." I laughed a bit.
"I'm sure we'll get along just fine." he smiled. We turned back toward Beacon when we noticed a Death Stalker lay in wait behind us. I immediately drew my weapons as I shouted "spread out!". I leapt back and fired at it using my gunblades, and Dusty seemed to have stunned it a bit while hitting it with her cannon. Roland drew what looked like a camera, at least what I thought it was. In no time it took on the form of a bow, lens extended as if it were a scope. He pulled back and an arrow formed out of dust. In a moment's notice he fired, creating an explosive blast at the stalker's feet.
"Nice shot! I shouted as I flung myself forward to make a couple of slashes. My blades struck nothing but the grimm's outer shell, and a painful vibration ran through my arms. I shook myself to recover, but my legs were too slow. The Death Stalker's claw found itself around me, ready to clip me in two.
"Not here. I can't let it all go down here." was the only thought running through my mind. "FIGHT or FLEE, but you must act." I heard an inner voice. My hair set ablaze as I neared a panic attack, the rush flew to my head. Before I realized it I was being picked up, as if floating. I remained confused until I heard his voice snap at me.
"Now's not the time to lose your cool dammit." Vert's voice sounded off in my ear. He revealed himself as I was held by him.
"Sorry, I'll compose myself." I replied, shock still ringing in my chest.
"You'd better. I'll be damned if I watch anyone die here." he said. I planted my feet on the ground again. I looked around, trying to find anything that'd work. Suddenly, an idea struck.
"Dusty! I need you to dig, dig as far as you can go! We're gonna bury the damn thing!" I shouted. She nodded as her cannon transformed into a drill, and she dove straight downward. Vert ran out in front of the grimm, serving as a distraction.
"Roland! Try and force the ground to collapse next to it!" I commanded.
"Already on it~" He practically sang as he formed another arrow and launched. I used Rend and propelled myself high in the air, until I was right above the monster. I fired a couple of dust rounds at the arrow as the blasts exploded, crumbling just enough ground beneath the grimm, causing it to fall into the hole dug by Dusty. Dusty came spiraling up out of the ground moments later.
"We're good, I dropped the damn thing in a cave. Conveniently, seems as though someone left cave painting warning signs, so hopefully no idiot goes in there." She smiled as she wiped a bit of dirt off her nose.
"I'd call that mission a success." I smiled as I thrust my fist in the air.
