Hey, guys! Sorry it took me so long to update! Got a bit carried away with spring break, then IRL problems came up... anywho, onto the next chapter! If you haven't already, go back and read Chapter 2, which I have edited from the original.
"Oh, I can't believe my little sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!"
"Yang, please stop!"
Brizon glanced up from Ragnarok, the weapon mostly cleaned. He was currently sitting in the back of an airship bound for Beacon Academy, which he had been accepted to just one month ago. The two girls who had caused him to look up stood by one of the windows. The taller (and likely older) one had long, blond hair and lilac eyes and was wearing a vest that showed her... assets quite clearly. In front of her was a younger girl with hair such a dark red that it seemed black (and it would be easily mistaken for said color were it not for the clearly red ends); she was wearing a black blouse with red trimmings and a red cloak. She radiated a innocence that was painfully similar to Luna's. As she turned a bit, he was able to see her equally innocent silver eyes, which were shining beautifully in the light. His hearts began to beat just ever so slightly faster.
He pushed the strange feeling into the back of his mind, dismissing it as pain from old mental scars. He watched the two talk a bit, biting back a laugh when a blonde boy pushed past them to empty his stomach into a nearby garbage can, some of his vomit landing on the older sister's foot. When the two sisters freaked out, he couldn't help but chuckle quietly. It reminded him of much happier times, when such things would likely garner a similar reaction from Luna. His smile turned sad as he remembered his energetic little sister. He resumed his cleaning of Ragnarok, the sorrow fading slightly but never quite vanishing.
By the time he finished, the airship had landed. Placing Ragnarok in its place on his back, he followed the crowd of fellow students out of the ship. Some of them stared in awe at the tall towers of the academy, others simply making their way towards the Assembly Hall with various degrees of excitement. He followed the latter's example, making his way to the Assembly as well. He had just reached the doorway when he froze. Surely he was imagining things? With a frown, he turned on his heel and made his way towards the explosion he had heard, senses on high alert.
Before he reached his destination, which was the courtyard, he could hear angry yelling.
"You could have blown us off the side of the cliff!"
In front of him was the girl in red from the airship, who was shuffling her feet nervously. The reason for this was because she was being scolded by a girl in white. Her soot coated snow white hair was in a ponytail to the side, and her ice blue eyes glared at the apologizing girl before her. On her hip she had a rapier, various colored tubes just above the grip designating it as a Dust-based weapon. Seeing the soot covering both of them and the various suitcases full of dust (one of them was open, revealing the vials and crystals within), some of which were damaged, it was easy to deduce that it had been a simple accident. He relaxed greatly at this.
"I said I'm sorry, princess!" the younger girl abruptly shouted shouted, apparently getting fed up with the white haired student in front of her. Said girl was about to retort when a new presence made itself known.
"It's heiress, actually. Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company; one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world..."
Brizon, around half a dozen yards away, shifted his attention to a third huntress-in-training. This new individual had long black hair topped with an almost equally black bow. Her amber eyes were vaguely cat-like in appearance, and were focused on the heiress she was now approaching. She wore black boots and purple stockings, as well as a black vest with coat tails over a white, sleeveless undershirt. On her back a sheathed sword, the bulky sheathe's edge razor sharp.
"Finally, some recognition!" Weiss said pridefully, putting her hand to her chest.
"...the same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners." the girl in black deadpanned, not missing a beat. Weiss proceeded to incomprehensibly object before storming off. The girl in red turned to thank the amber-eyed student, only to be met with her retreating form. With a sigh, she collapsed, muttering something under her breath. As Brizon began to approach, another figure entered the courtyard.
The blonde boy, who had earlier been puking his guts out, extended a hand to the silver-eyed trainee laying on her back. She accepted it gratefully, allowing herself to be helped to her feet.
"Hey. I'm Jaune!" he introduced, shaking the girl's hand.
"Ruby." she said, smiling. She chuckled a bit before continuing, "Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"
Brizon smiled, and, shaking his head, turned away from the two trainees; now to head for the Assembly Hall.
Jaune had not had the best day.
First, he gets airsick and throws up on some girl's shoes (and almost threw up on several other people), then he gets lost, and now he found that his sisters had, for some reason, only packed a onesie for him to sleep in.
One with bunnies for the feet.
There was an upside. He made a friend! That's a good thing!
For now, the students had assembled in the ballroom while the dorms were prepared. People split into various groups, talking a bit to one another before going to sleep. Only a few people were alone- and by a few, he meant four (give or take). There was him, a girl reading in a corner, and a beautiful white-haired girl shifting as she tried to get comfortable.
Wait, that's only three people.
The fourth was a giant checking his weapon over. The first time he saw him, the man stood a good four feet taller than him. How the hell could someone be that tall and muscular?! His black hair was cut very short, and he had the beginnings of a beard on him. His eyes were a deep sapphire, and seemed to pay attention to every tiny detail. He was wearing a massive white tank-top and equally large shorts. There was some sort of aura about the man, as well. He radiated authority, like one of those super-heroes in the comics he read as a kid... and still did read.
Then there was his weapon. The war hammer was larger than he was, and he could see several mechanical parts for changing the weapon into another form. Almost as if reading his mind, the giant compacted the weapon. The grip retracted, several parts locking together to keep the long shaft in place. Seemingly satisfied, the giant put the massive weapon on the ground next to him. It was then that he looked up, meeting Jaune's gaze.
Jaune was frozen like a deer caught in headlights. Then the giant broke the staring contest, turning his attention to his sleeping bag. Jaune let out a breath he never realized he was holding. That man was definately not normal- not in a bad way! Totally not in a bad, stare-into-your-soul-and-make-you-almost-wet-yourself-way. Nope. Totally not in that way.
With a sigh, Jaune headed for his sleeping bag. "Note to self- do NOT be around when that guy gets mad.", he thought, rolling out his sleeping bag. Crawling into it, he closed his eyes.
Brizon woke up at an ungodly (at least, for a normal human) hour. The sun had barely started to rise, the first rays of the morning sun shining through a window. Quietly, he stood, grabbing Ragnorok from its place next to him. Carefully navigating through the maze of sleeping bodies, Brizon made his way out of the ballroom. He then headed for the lockers.
When he arrived, he headed to his locker. Or, rather, his giant locker that took up the space of four. Opening it, he began to take out the plates of his armor, putting them on easily. As he did so, he reflected on the dream he had last night- one he has had several times.
Darkness. Then, a light. It was both warm and soothing and awe-inspiring and powerful. His mind reached out subconsciously, joined by several others he did not recognize. Then, he was torn away violently, and was subjected to madness. Claws met metal, and demons scraped against the barrier. He felt their maddening, horrible presence as they tried to break through the metal cocoon and get at the morsel inside.
Then, there was laughter. The scraping and clawing stopped, and something different touched his mind. It was ancient, and lacked both the soothing feeling of the powerful light and the maddening horror of the demons. Instead, it held a grim sense of mirth. Suddenly, he was torn away from the ancient mind. After that, everything went black.
He had the dream every now and then, in just over half of the rare instances that he slept; and every time, it was the same. He looked over his armor once more, ensuring that everything was in place. Satisfied, he locked Ragnarok onto its place on the small of his back.
"You're up early."
He turned, finding the headmaster walking in, a mug of coffee in his hand.
"I don't need to sleep as often as normal people, headmaster. I figured that I could do a bit of a work-out before the trial-by-fire," Brizon responded.
"Fair enough, Mister Frost. Although, you were out of it a bit while you were putting on your armor," Ozpin said, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Just a dream, professor. Nothing to be worried about," Brizon said, causing on of the headmaster's eyebrows to rise ever so slightly.
"What kind of dream? If you don't mind me asking, of course," Ozpin said, taking another sip of his seemingly bottomless coffee mug.
"Only dream I ever have, professor," Brizon grunted, "If you don't mind, professor, I want to start my work-out as early as possible."
"Of course, Mister Frost," Ozpin said, stepping to the side as the massive man moved past him. He sipped his coffee again, frowning at the giant's back. He had heard of the content of these dreams before, from Ander. The dreams always had a part where the giant would be touched by something he could only describe as foul, horrible, and other such words. It rung all too similar to a situation he experienced in his youth as a hunter, and made him more than a little bit cautious.
After all, the servants of madness can come from dreams.
And that is it for this chapter. Sorry for the lack of an update, again! IRL can be such a bitch... I promise to not take as long with the next chapter!
Remember to read and review. Don't be afraid to leave some feedback on what you think I did wrong, however. I appreciate any and all constructive criticism, as it helps me grow as a writer. Next chapter, we get to the forest Brizon used to live in and meet the team. Yes, Brizon is getting his own team- I have already decided names and such, however.
See ya guys later!
