AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. This one is a little lighter tone than the last one. We get to see the new academy finally. As well as some old and new faces joining the cast of character in this story. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.
Chapter 3 – Familiar Faces
Ruby.
The next morning, the red-hooded girl yawned before starting to open her eyes, "Uncle Qrow, are we there yet?" She whined in her seat.
"See for yourself," He responded as Ruby had a look of excitement. She ran over to the airship window, her silver eyes widening as they passed over the clouds, "Long ago, humanity thought of different ways to make civilization safe from Grimm. Some under cities, some behind mountains, and then there's this place." Qrow spoke as Ruby saw a massive college campus fitted in the flat head of a mountain, stretching for nearly half a mile. The building was made of black stone, reinforced with steel and copper beams, but had a familiar layout, "Ozpin oversaw the design, using Beacon as the baseline."
"They built a new school this fast!?" Ruby responded, "But it's only been a year since he and the Headmaster from Chaldea started working together."
"Well, Ozpin was working on this project for the last six years." Qrow said as he stood up, "But it wasn't until that partnership with Zhuge Liang that he finally found someone talented enough to make this Academy work in this environment. Chaldea's old Engineering Professor, Archimedes, is the one who remade this place in his image." The unlucky huntsman had a smirk for on his face, "Zhuge Liang made a suggestion of what to call this place, but Ozpin added a little creativity to the title." He said as Ruby noticed the massive structure standing where the communications tower would have been. Instead was an equally tall building, showing the hands of time moving, "Welcome to Clockwork Academy." He said as the clocktower stuck on the hour, the bell ringing thought that land, "Heh, lucky timing." Qrow said to himself.
The airship soon landed on the platform. Ruby speed out as she looked around in awe, "Unbelievable, it feels like we didn't even leave Beacon." She said as her uncle walked behind her.
"Yeah, and even though this is on a mountain, I heard they used some type of runes to make the air normal and the temperature warm." Qrow commented, "You won't have to trade that hood for sweater."
"That's good to hear," Ruby responded with a giggle, "Who else is going to be at this school?"
"You'll have to see for yourself on that part too," Qrow responded with his niece pouting, "But, I know I'm the only non-Chaldea teacher here." He said before scratching the back of his head.
"Oh yeah, Iskandar sent me a postcard of him, Port, and Oobleck all on an adventure." Ruby said as the image of a postcard with the three men standing proud over a Grimm Griffin's corpse, "Those three became buddies really quick." She said in her self-reflection before remembering someone, "What about Glynda?"
"She and that guy, whose eyes make me think he hasn't gotten sleep in years, are taking vacations days together." Qrow said before sighing, "And it's because of that, Jimmy kept bugging me to go drinking with him, that lion dude, and that guy I refuse to shake hands with." He then sighed again, "Besides, there aren't that many students." He said as she scratched his chin with his left hand, "If I remember right, it's only about four teams in total."
"That's it?" Ruby responded in shock, "Who am I with?"
"I think your roommates will be a good indicator of who your team is?" Qrow said with a smirk, "You're in Room F04. Also, did you pack that class card thing from Chaldea." He asked with Ruby reaching into her backpack, pulling out said item with a smile on her face, "Great, I forget to mention that before, but it's your key."
"Just like last time," Ruby said before she realized something, "Wait did you get one also?"
"They didn't give me a choice," Qrow said, pulling out a class card with his portrait on the one side.
"Can I see it!?" Ruby asked in excitement.
"Only if you can take it out of my ha-" Qrow was saying until he saw a flash of rose petal. He smirked as he moved his hand, but then had a look of shock as his class card was not in his grasp anymore. He then turned back to Ruby, who was reading the back of his card for his stats, "Well, you've gotten faster since last I've seen you." Qrow said with a smile as he put his hands in his pockets.
"Wow, you're a Saber class!" Ruby read before looking at his Harbinger, "Makes sense, and your states are high…Well, half of them are." She said as she noticed an odd detail of his class card, "I think they messed up in making this one because you don't have a luck stat."
"More like they can't tell when I have bad luck." Qrow responded as he walked over to Ruby, "Now can I have it back."
"Hang on," Ruby said as she saw something else odd, "You can shapeshift?"
"Ruby how did you-" He said as Ruby pointed to the skill, causing him to sigh, "And there's the bad luck." The unlucky huntsman said under his breath before speaking to his niece, "Yes Ruby, I can turn into a corvid, a type of crow, at will. It was something Ozpin did to me."
"Oh," Ruby responded, "Cool."
"Now, I know what your think-wait…Cool?" Qrow responded.
"Yeah," Ruby responded, "I mean, I watched one of my friends fight a girl that could turn into a gigantic cat. I have a friend whose girlfriend can turn into a blue fire dragon." She then had a slight giggle as she continued, "I even had a tea party where I learned a girl could turn into a book. This stuff is kind of common at Chaldea." The red-hooded girl said before handing him back his class card, "I guess Ozpin did it to so would you fit in a bit more." Ruby said with an innocent smile on his face.
"Uh, right. I guess I don't visit Apocrypha enough to notice." Qrow said as he took the class card back, "Why don't you go and see if your new team is here yet. I need to meet with the other staff."
"Okay," Ruby said before rushing off, leaving a rose petal trail behind her.
Qrow sighed again before looking at his class card, "I guess that was kind of lucky." He said before walking towards the academy, putting both hands in his pockets. Suddenly, his mind lingered back to his conversation to Cinder, "Another enemy, but no Ozpin to confirm if she was lying just to stress me out." He then sighed I continuing to walk, "I need to make sure this little school stays safe, for Ruby's sake." Qrow then had another thought return to his mind, "Still…A book!?" he spoke to himself, still in disbelief.
Inside the building, Ruby raced down the hall as she looked at the doors, "Let's see, H32, H31, H30…" She said before realizing something, "Huh, why do I feel like I'm about to-" Suddenly, Ruby was cut off as she ran into some. The two fell to the floor, while a third watched without saying a word, only snickering.
As Ruby opened her eyes, she saw the two others were also short girls, neither of their heights reaching five and a half feet tall. One was blond, her hair tied in a ponytail supported by a red scrunchy. The other had two hair colors, half brown and half pink, and a black bowler hat on her head. One had an open red jacket, exposing her with a tube top and pendant of a knight, cutoff jeans, and leather boots. The other wore a white jacket over a black mesh top, the inside of the coattail was pink. She wore black pants with thigh-high white heeled boots but was still shorter than the girl she was with, "Ouch." The blond girl groans as she rubbed the back of her head, "At least I didn't have food with me this time."
"Mordred!" Ruby said to the blond girl she ran into, helping her up.
"Hey Ruby," Mordred responded, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Yeah, it has." Ruby said before turning to the mute girl, "And you…uh…." the red hooded girl said as she drew a blank, "…I remember seeing you around Chaldea, but I don't think we ever talked." She said with the mute girl smirking, switching the position of her eye colors. "Uh…nice hat." Ruby tried to make small talk but noticed how the hat looked kind of familiar.
Mordred finished patting herself off, "She's Neo." The Kight of Rebellion answered for the mute girl before gaining a smirk herself, "So, you were sent here as well?"
"Yeah, I'm just heading to Room F04 to meet my team." Ruby said before she realized something, "Are you two-" She said but Neo shock her head.
"We're on the same team," Mordred said as she pointed to herself and Neo, "But our room is D17."
"Oh," Ruby said in slight disappointment.
"Don't worry," Mordred said with a wink, "You should know some of your roommates." She said before Ruby smiled running off down the hall. The Knight of Rebellion and mute girl watched as the red hooded girl vanished in a rose petal cloud, "Boy, that girl needs to slow down sometimes." Mordred said with Neo nodding, "Well, we still need to meet our-AH!" Mordred said the two girls turned around, seeing a third person standing there, causing Neo's eyes to turn white.
"Salutations!" the girl said with a smile on her face. Her hair was short orange with a pink bow in the back. She wore a tannish blouse with green lining, matching her eyes. Her black stockings melded with her boots, matching her small backpack, both sharing a green light, "My name is Penny Polendina, Archer Class Student, and your new teammate."
"Okay…" Mordred said as Neo had an uneasy wave, "I'm-"
"Mordred Pendragon, Knight of Rebellion. You're the daughter, yet preferred to be called son, of the famous King of Knights." Penny finished her sentence before looking to Neo, "And your Neopolitan. Often liked to be called Neo, but do not like to be called Neo Politian." Penny said with both girls taking a step back from her, "…Oh, I should clarify something." she said before rubbing the back of her head, "Before, I had to keep this a secret for so long, I forget I was told I could tell the people here." Penny said before taking a deep breath, "I am an Atlas Android that was transferred to Chaldea's Research and Development. Headmaster Zhuge Liang was very nice to me and said I could reveal my secret to my team personally."
"Oh, neat." Mordred responded, still trying to take everything in. "You're a robot, that…makes more scenes than it should."
Neo did not say a word.
"Does it bother you," Penny asked with slight sadness in her eyes, "That I'm not…real?"
"Nah, I don't care if you full of nuts and bolts." Mordred responded with a shrug, "At least you were on honest about it."
Again, Neo did not say a word, only nodding with the Knight of Rebellion.
"Wonderful!" Penny said in joy.
"Sill, why didn't you wait until all four members were here?" Mordred asked.
"All four members are here." Penny responded, "She is right behind you."
"Huh?" Mordred said before turning around, seeing a hooded girl, "Ruby, I thought you-" The Knight of Rebellion was saying until she realized her error. The girl's hood was not red, but a dark grey. It shrouded her head, but the green eyes and grey hair pieced though, the irises matching Mordred's. The rest of her garb was near black, with a white fur collar for warmth. She wore a checkered skirt, stockings, and boots, "Oh, sorry, thought you were someone else."
"It's okay," The grey hooded girl spoke, her voice slightly sheepish, "My name is Gray."
"Oh yeah, you're the one the Headmaster Zhuge Liang appointed here personally The one from that small village." Mordred said with a smile, "He must have a lot of faith in you."
Gray leaned her head forward as she slightly bowed, "I'll do my best."
"Delightful!" Penny spoke up in joy, "Let us head back to our room and commence in The Girl Talk. We shall converse about boys and fashion!"
"Yeah, good luck getting to talk about either," Mordred said as she pointed to Neo with her right thumb, causing the mute girl to pout, "Neo's upset her boyfriend was not able to come on this trip because of the flu. Regarding the hat, she still never says where she got it from.
"I see," Penny responded in disarray, "How sad?"
"Well, let's just all head to our room." Mordred said she stretched her arms, "Can get a little rest before everyone has to meet in the training arena."
"Agreed!" Penny responded, "But first, our team name."
"Oh yeah, we have to send one of those to the headmaster here before the opening ceremony." Mordred comment before turning to Gary, "You have one in mind?"
"I thought of one for us. This is how the other kingdoms come up with their team names. What about Team MGNP," Gray responded, "It means magenta, but with the pantone color system."
"That's kind of cool," Mordred said with a smile, seeing one also form on Gray's face, "You know, you can take that hood off."
"I'm sorry," Gray said as the smile faded, "I was ordered by Headmaster Zhuge Liang not to lower my hood."
"Well, he's not at this academy now, is he?" Mordred responded, but Gary's gaze remained unwavering, and soon becoming gloomy. The Knight of Rebellion then shrugged, "Suit yourself." Mordred said before looking over to Neo, "I guess she has your stubbornness of fashion as well." She said with Neo pouting again, adjusting her hat. Mordred giggled before walking down the hall, "Alright Team MGNP, let's go." The Knight of Rebellion said as she walked down the hall.
"I am so excited for school life," Penny said as she followed. Neo turned to see Gray walking towards her. The grey hooded girl smiled as she looked at the mute girl, neither saying a word. Neo then smiled before they followed the rest of their team.
Meanwhile
"Room F04," Ruby said as she stood in front of her destination. She swallowed her saliva before taking out her class card, "Time to meet my new team." She thought before using her class card, opening the door. Her eyes widened at the sight, for a split second, she saw Yang and Blake.
However, this not who they were. Instead of her blond brawler sister, it was a woman with long, pink hair. She wore a black long-sleeve sweater, dark jeans, and reading glasses. "Medusa!" Ruby called to the long-haired rider, who turned to her with a warm smile. The red-hooded girl then turned to who she thought was the black cat faunus. But she was not a cat necessarily, but a lioness. She wore a green heavy jacket over a white shirt and black skirt, her brownish-blond hair matching the fur on her ears and tail, "Atalanta!" Ruby called with the lioness faunus turning with her ears twitching, "We're all on the same team?"
"It appears so," Atalanta spoke up, causing the red-hooded girl to run up and hug her, "It's good to see you."
"Same," Ruby responded, "How's Jack, Rhyme, and Mercury?"
"All good, he's been helping those two girls so much in the past year." Atalanta responded, letting go of Ruby, "One of the teams is a group of younger kids. If this school wants to help make sure children can be safe in this world, I needed to be a part of it."
"That's amazing," Ruby said before she turned to Medusa, "And you're here too!" She said before hugging the long-haired rider.
"It's been a while, Ruby," Medusa said as she hugged her back, "I remember when we went to go get your mount assigned."
"Yeah, that was the first time I meet Lobo." Ruby responded, remembering the massive Greywolf, wielding her scythe, trying to kill her, "Good times."
"Where is your mount now?" Atalanta asked.
"Oh, I had to send Lobo back to live with my dad after I accidentally gave Blake her third heart attack." Ruby responded with an uneasy giggle, "Ozpin said if it happened again, her heart might explode into pieces." She then had a reassuring smile on her face, "But, he has a lot of fun in Patch with Zwei. And I visit there sometimes so he can see Blanca again."
"That's nice of you," Medusa responded, "Since you brought it up, anything changed with your reality marble."
"Not that I can tell," Ruby responded with a shrug, "I used it for my dad to see my mom again. Other than that, I haven't used it much. I focused on learned a few other techniques I saw when I was at Chaldea." She said before a big smile came on her face, "But enough about me, what about you two? What's been going on?" She said before walking over to one of the beds, seeing a doll. Her hair was blond and tied in twin tails, the body was a black sphere atop a dress of leaves, "And which one of you has this creepy doll?" Ruby said as she picked the item up. As she turned to the others, they each had a look of shock on their faces, "What?"
"Ruby, that's not ours," Medusa responded.
Suddenly, Ruby felt a chill on the back of her neck. "It's mine." She heard with the chill growing colder. As she turned back to the doorway, she the image of Weiss. However, there were some noticeable differences. While the hair was a long white, it was straight and ran down her back. Her blue eyes remained cold as ice, but in steading of one being scarred, the bangs concealed the right eye. She did not have a combat skirt, rather a full white gown that ran down to the floor. A sky-blue fur cape added to her layers, the rest of her outfits decorated with golden pins, "Do not touch things that are not yours, especially Viy."
"Oh, is that its name," Ruby said before passing the doll back to the cold girl, "Sorry." She said as she girl held Viy in her arms, "I think we got off on the wrong foot, my name is Ruby Rose."
"Anastasia Nikolaevna, Grand Duchess of Apocrypha." She responded before looking at the doll, "And you already met Viy."
"Wow, you're a Grand Duchess," Ruby said before tilting her head, "What does that mean?"
"That I am far above you above in the class order at this school." Anastasia said with an emotionless cold stare, "But somehow, we were put in the same team."
"Oh, I think I get this now," Ruby responded with a smile and nodding, "I've been on a team with an Ice Queen before."
"...I hate that title." The Grand Duchess responded, "And I believe I hate you."
"But we just met?" Ruby responded, but Anastasia just stared, "…Uh, maybe we should do some team building things like…make bunkbeds!"
"I don't like bunkbed." Anastasia responded back, Ruby looking at the size of the room, realizing it was near twice the size of her one at Beacon, the four beds spread evenly apart, "We do not need to do that."
"Okay…" Ruby said as she through for a second, "Oh, what about coming up with a team name?"
"That's what we were thinking about before you came in," Medusa replied.
"We were thinking of Team RAMA." Atalanta finished the thought.
"What color is that?" the red-hooded girl asked.
"It's not a color, he was a heroic spirit of Apocrypha's history." The Grand Duchess responded.
"It also worked out with the first letters of each of our names." Medusa added on, "So, we thought you wouldn't mind it."
"Mind it? I love it, that's cool." Ruby responded with a cheer, Atalanta, and Medusa smiling back at her. She then looked over to Anastasia, looked away as she sat on her bed, laying Viy to her side. "So, this is my new team." The red-hooded girl thought to herself before smiling, "Still, I hope the others are doing okay."
AN: There you go, welcome to Clockwork Academy, which is on top of a mountain. I thought it was a cool change of pace and pays homage to Beacon and Chaldea of FGO. You also get a small preview of Qrow's class card. I also have my work around to the whole, 'I can turn into a bird!' plot point of the show. We also get some returning characters, including Mordred and Neo, who are both my favorite character for each respective series. I am curious, since it was a long time since I asked this question before, but who is your favorite character from either series? Penny is also here, and she is an Archer class…Yeah, I choose that class for her character. She also just says flat out she is an android, and because of who is on her team, they don't really mind. Gray is also here, who I am excited to show her role in this series. (By the way, the Lord el Melloi ii Case Files anime has so far been entreating for me, I recommended checking it out). As for Ruby's new team, we have the return of Medusa and Atalanta, who will have more to do here than they did in Fates Collide. Anastasia is also here, who I would argue is one of the best characters in the Lost Belt saga so far. Two of the four teams are here now, and I still have the staff to introduce, (When the story reaches a leveling point, I will make a Staff Sheet that includes a roadmap of where all key characters are). Next chapter, we focus on what was set up previous for Weiss and Blake on their side of the story. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.
