Chapter 2: Professor Ren:
Fire roared all around him, the sounds of guns ringing in his ear as Bullheads screamed overhead, machine gun fire filling the air as smoke trails from rockets arced up from city walls into the flocks of Nevermores above. Railguns mounted on the vast towers atop the walls of Atlas let out round after round of supercharged dust into lumbering Goliaths, and hundreds of Atlesian knights and Paladins met the swarming ranks of Beowolves in the tundra.
The vast bulk of an Atlesian air ship loomed overhead as it unleashed a barrage of superheated dust lasers into a horde of Ursa, the fire blasting them, and the snow around them, into a fine mist. Artillery thudded from within the safety of the city walls, but the constant sounds of Grimm advancing meant it was doing little good.
Running forward, a figure dove forward, automatic machine pistols spraying a volley of rounds into a clutch of Creeps as they circled a crashed Bullhead. A sudden flash of light struck his eyes as lightning arced down from the skies, the bolts scarring the ground. The tang of metallic ozone filled the air as a figure descended from the heavens like an avenging meteor, wreathed in spectral flame as it struck the ground, a hammer briefly seen in the flame as a blast of energy radiated outward and instantly felled a marching Goliath on the spot, severely wounding nearby Ursa. A figure was seen briefly in the smoke raising a hammer, as lightning lashed out and decimated all the Grimm around the impact zone.
Striding towards the figure, he radiated a purple light as he moved with swiftness thought inconceivable, a blur on the field of battle, the wind given shape as he felled foe after foe, the sounds of battle reaching a deafening high as he…
Ren jolted upright in a flash, throwing his blankets off as he looked around his room, the pale morning light shining through the curtains cast over his window. He swallowed nervously as he made sure he wasn't awoken by an intruder, but then he remembered.
I'm at Beacon. Surrounded by friends. The war is over. It has been for 13 years.
Ren lifted himself out of bed, the covers falling away from his clenched fists as he gently opened them, flexing his fingers and stretching his back. Ren had had similar dreams before, dreams of the numerous battles he had fought. Most of them were just the same scenes over and over, and endless cycle of violence. He was thankful he only saw these scenes-some of his other friends have described dreams haunted by sights of their friend's bodies lying on the ground, the hopelessness they feel in the dream, the sadness when they wake up…
Ren shook his head. He didn't want these feelings to take over him, especially since the new first year students would be arriving today. Ren moved over to his closet and removed his robes, almost identical to the ones he wore to Beacon as a student, but this time they were reinforced with armour plates on the shoulders and torso, a lightweight and flexible metallic weave akin to a bullet proof vest, with the same embroidery style as his normal clothes, placed over the top, and a set of gloves with woven dust to improve his hand to hand prowess. Looking to all the world like an armoured monk, Ren tied his hair into two long pony tails that went down to his waist, his pink highlight more pronounced on the side of his face due to an increase in length down to his neck. He did so to conceal a rather nasty claw mark where a baby Nevermore had latched onto when he was scaling a mountain during the Second Vale Campaign.
Ren, after checking his appearance in the mirror, moved out into the hallway and then the courtyard, on the way to the cafeteria. Upon arrival, the early morning smell of warm foods being cooked made for a blessed relief for his sleep addled mind. Ren had never been much of a morning person, but some mornings, he would prefer to be awake than to face those dreams again…
Ren found that his favourite meal, a plate of pancakes, was already prepared by the, seemingly psychic, Beacon cooking staff. Nodding his thanks to the young lady behind the counter (who blushed inexplicably at the sight) he walked over to his favourite spot, the very same seat he had as a student, and looked to his watch.
A pink, digital watch with sloths on it.
Needless to say, this was not actually his own watch. But he would be damned if he wore any other.
At exactly 5:33, the door opened and Jaune and Coco walked in, no doubt after an early wake up themselves, in preparation for the day ahead. The two got their meals, sat down in silence, and ate. To an outside viewer who had seen them as students and who could see them now, the only indication of a passage of time was their maturity and physical appearance.
"So, new students arriving today. I assume you have a speech, Jaune?" Coco asked after she deemed three coffees the sufficient requisite to allow her brain access to higher order functions, such as intelligent conversation.
"I wouldn't count on it" Ren quipped, familiar with his old friends somewhat relaxed approach to anything related to public speaking. Jaune scowled in the typical manner of friends at Ren before turning to Coco.
"No, I do not have a speech written down. I'll just say something when the time arises, add some convincing gestures, and it all be fine". He said with confidence. Jaune wasn't really the one to be all official and so forth. Ren smiled fondly at Jaune when he remembered that he once used that same excuse in their dorm one night, when they had a speech due the next day in History. Nora would have no trouble, she could consume the entire lesson by ad-lib alone, and Ren had been very efficient. He still remembered Jaune's casual attitude, and how Pyrrha had…
Ren's fond smile faded when he remembered those times when they were all together as one.
Maintaining his expression, lest the others see his face fall, he resumed his smile and nodded.
"Because that always works, doesn't it?" Coco stated dryly. "Hell, come to think of it, you could just get up there and say nonsense for a few moments before walking off. You're the bloody hero of Remnant, the great general, after all!" She said, patting him on the back. Jaune blushed a bit at the praise, his humble nature still intact even though he was adored by the whole world, and had been for many years. Ren greatly admired that in his friend.
"By the way, Ruby is the hero of Remnant, not me. I am just the General" Jaune corrected, laughing.
"Ah yes. Good old Ruby. Any chance she may visit this initiation?" Coco asked, looking to both Jaune and Ren, in case one of them held an answer. Jaune shook his head.
"Ruby is pretty hard to track. She never keeps still for long, always out on a mission. I think Yang might know her last whereabouts, or if she has said anything about coming in today. Maybe you should go ask her" Jaune said. Ren chuckled to himself while Coco shook her head.
"What?" Jaune asked innocently, a small smile tugging on his face. He knew why they wouldn't be able to ask Yang at this point in time.
"It's barely 6:00 in the morning, Jaune" Ren stated bluntly. Jaune turned to him.
"And…?" He questioned, the smile now visible.
"Whoever goes to ask her would have to do it sometime before now and 8:00. The day starts at 8:30, new students arrive at 9:00. To get an answer that can help us plan, it would ideally be between now and 8:20. If we go see her before 8:00, however, I seriously doubt that she would be awake. And I do not want to wake up Yang. Especially since she would be sharing a bed with Xun. I could not conceive of a worse plan, master tactician" Coco said in the manner of one outlaying the risks for a dangerous mission. Which this was.
"Very well" Jaune sighed in defeat. "How about the next person who walks through the door does it" he said. Ren and Coco, satisfied that they weren't going to be horribly butchered in a few hours, or less, agreed almost immediately.
"The poor sod who opens that door next…" Jaune laughed as Ren and Coco turned with baited breath as the door begun to open to reveal…
"Perhaps you should've said 'Next teacher'" Ren said bluntly as a third year student walked in.
"Shut up and call it extra credit" Coco hissed to Ren as Jaune called the hapless young man forward to their table.