Chapter 3: Initiation

Beacon Cliff shows off the vast view of Emerald Forest, layers of lush green trees overlapping each other. The farther the eyes can see the darker shade of green the trees become. Emerald Forest, like any other forest gives off that serene feeling of peace inside, but don't let that fool you. The Creatures of Grimm lie hidden in the forest doing what Oum only knows. On the edge of the cliff, lined up side by side are the initiates of Beacon Academy. Crimson lines up along with them, he stands on the very first launch pad. On the far left, next to Jaune who is on the last launch pad, are Professors Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch. They begin to explain the instructions of the initiation by saying them in turns, starting with Professor Ozpin.

"For years you have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… today."

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

"What?!" someone yells out interrupting the professors.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest." Professor Ozpin continues, "You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of your path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one, and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

"Yeah, um sir – " Jaune asks, raising his hand, but Professor Ozpin interrupts him.

"Good! Now take your positions." Crimson snickers to himself wondering how many of the initiates do not know how they will go down to Emerald Forest. He looks to his right observing the expressions on the initiates' faces. Much to his disappointment, all of them are crouching down in their own original stances ready to be launched to the air… Except for one. Crimson makes a small smile telling himself that one is better than nothing at all. He crouches down along with the other students and is launched first to the sky.

Crimson's landing strategy has some risks if he doesn't get his timing right, and it requires a bit of luck. That is because he has no way of slowing himself down or shield himself from eventually crashing into the trees. Crimson is hoping that at least some of the trees are very close to each other. He detaches Caliburn from his pauldron and switches it into its double-sided lance form. Crimson doesn't like to take his time too much so by the time he reaches his peak, he puts his hands by his side, his feet together, and dives down. As Crimson nears the trees, he raises his lance in front of him, both hands on the shaft, holding it tightly as he braces for impact. Luckily for him, both blades on the ends of his lance dug into two different tree trunks. He uses his momentum to spin himself around his lance and yanks it away from the trees, landing safely on the ground. He checks his surroundings for anyone in sight but finds no one. He decides to proceed going north and meet his partner along the way. He uses his watch that Professor Ozpin gave him 4 years ago on his birthday. He points the hour hand to the sun then estimates the middle point of the angle between the hour hand and the 12 o'clock marker, drawing an imaginary line through the middle point and to the center points to south. And that is northeast from where he's standing so he turns opposite of that direction and heads to the right direction of north.

After quite sometime, Crimson has not made any eye contact with anyone. He's beginning to think if all the initiates have found their partners and he is the only one left out. He scratches the thought because he's already aware that a week ago, his Uncle Ozpin accepted the final student thus completing their roster. Which means that everyone should have a partner.

What if some of the initiates already failed? Now that's the problem. Although Crimson already knew where the initiation will take place and how the initiates will get there, the one thing he doesn't know if initiates fail on the spot.

It doesn't matter; he'll find the solution to the situation if the need arises. What matters right now is to go to the abandoned temple where surely most of the initiates will be there and hopefully he'll find his partner.

Then suddenly, Crimson's vision begins to glow red. He can see the environments in their natural colors but the outline of his vision is red.

Rustle Rustle

Now his left vision is vibrating red. He stops on his tracks and is in a position that is ready for an ambush.

Growl

"AWOOOOOO!"

Crimson turns to his left to see two Beowolves, which is odd because Beowolves travel in packs. However, there is an exception, if one or two were to stray far from the pack that means they are scouts. On the field, when hunters and huntresses encounter stray Beowolves, they have to be eliminated immediately. Because the moment Beowolves scouts see a threat they make a wake-up call to the rest of their companions telling them it's time for breakfast. Crimson knows that he's outnumbered the moment the rest of the Beowolves in their pack comes running, but to even the odds a bit, he kills the two scouts. He separates Caliburn's double-sided lance to twin swords. As he dashes to the two Beowolves, one of them meets Crimson halfway with the other close behind, its paw raised high up with claws bare. Crimson blocks the Beowulf's attack with the sword in his left hand and beheads the Beowulf with a swing from the sword in his right hand. The second Beowulf scout is ready to strike Crimson after taking down its companion. Crimson sees this coming and dodges by rolling forward. Crimson quickly gets up to his feet and kicks forward at the second Beowulf as it turns back, causing the Beowulf to stumble back to the floor. Crimson steps above it and stabs his twin swords on its chest.

Crimson's vision on his left eye is no longer a vibrant red. It dims but a hint of red is still there. More Creatures of Grimm are coming his way, specifically the Beowolves from the scouts' pack. Crimson sprints north counting on his luck to not run into the pack while reaching the abandoned temple.

Crimson curses his luck as he sees a train of Beowolves coming from his right. He estimates the distance between him and the intersecting point where he meets the pack. He sprints faster, thinking he'll pass by them before they'll impact. The ground shakes as they near each other. Crimson nearly loses his footing but he catches himself along the way and sprinted faster than he has ever been on his life…

He passes them.

However, Crimson slows down a bit to look back and see where the pack will go. The moment Crimson passes the pack; they soon follow him, high on his tail.

"Crap!" he curses, he picks up the pace he had when he was racing the pack and continues sprinting north. He prays that there's someone who'll help him or at least something to distract the pack and slow them down.

BANG

He hears a gunshot nearby. He looks back again to see one Beowulf crashing down as it lost it's footing because of the gunshot. He wishes he can see whoever is shooting but he doesn't have the time to stop and look unless he wants to be eaten to death, although he's quite relieved to hear someone's voice.

"Ahoy there! Whatever ya do, ya keep going straight, ya?! Yeh'll activate a mine I set up a lil' while ago! That outta distract the horde!" the voice, which certainly belongs to a young man; and he certainly sounds like a sailor. Crimson has no other choice nor does he have any other way to get away from the horde but to listen to a guy he never met.

In a short distance away, Crimson sees a red light blinking on the ground. He's seen one of those mines before and gets the idea the guy was saying before. Slowing down a little bit for the horde to catch up to him as he nears the mine, he steps on it and ran behind a nearby tree not too far from the mine to see it detonate and create a wall of fire as far as his eyes can see. The Beowolves are howling erratically, and then it dies down when Crimson feels the ground shaking again, indicating that they're moving to another direction.

Crimson faces forward, relaxing his body while panting deeply. Man did he ran, he's drenched in his own sweat, a few more droplets are sliding down from his scalp all the way down to his neck. He wipes them off only to feel it slightly sting against his eyes and skin. The guy who helped him descends from above using a grappling hook that… replaced one of his hands, specifically his left hand. While approaching Crimson, he switches his grappling hook to a mechanical hand. The guy who is technically Crimson's partner has blonde spiky hair and sharp amber eyes. He's wearing a blue bandanna that has a yellow sun symbol, a baggy, beige henley shirt that he left unbuttoned, worn out leather trousers, and black leather boots. On his right hand is his weapon, a cutlass, but the handle resembles a barrel of a gun along with the trigger.

"Quite a marathon ya ran there eh?" he asks with a smile and held out his right hand. Crimson takes it then his partner helps him up.

"Yeah, I wouldn't say quite though. That's an understatement." Crimson replies.

"Yer right about that. Name's Sol Regalia. The best pirate on the seas of Remnant." Sol boasts, however Crimson becomes confuse at his claim.

"If you're a pirate, then why do you want to become a hunter?"

"Ah, ya got a good head there. Speaking of yer head, why ya wearing a mask?"

"It's not a mask, it's a visor. I'm colorblind so the visor can help me see better and understand my surroundings. My name is Crimson Pendragon by the way." Crimson thinks it's better to just be out with it after what happened with him and Weiss, and besides there's really no point in hiding it, people will find out eventually.

"Oho! So yer the unlucky chap that got frostbitten by Ice Queen." Or maybe all of them found out during their conversation in the locker room.

"You know her?"

"Knew. I knew her from a life 'fore I became a pirate. While we chat, how bout we hit the seas, shall we first mate?" Sol says while slapping Crimson on the back pushing him onwards to their path to the abandoned temple.

"I don't recall seas nearby Emerald Forest." Crimson asks becoming even more confused.

"It's called a figure of speech, did ya not bloody learn that thing in school nowadays?"

"Of course I learned it!" Crimson's now flustered from embarrassment; he rubs the back of his head as he tries to come up with an excuse. "I just didn't know you meant it literally!" Sol laughs at Crimson's reaction and walks alongside him.

"So I'm guessing there's a long history between you and Weiss?"

"In a way, rather not talk about it anyways. She prolly forgot about me." Sol replies nonchalantly,

"I'm sure that despite what changed over the years, the two of you can reconnect."

"Oh I didn't mean that I knew her on a personal level, let alone friends. We met long time ago and I woodn't say it went well, but she's in good term with my lil' sis so that there is a good thing." Sol fondly says. While looking at him Crimson can tell by the glint in his eyes he and his sister must be very close. "How bout you mate?" Sol asks Crimson, turning his attention to him.

"Not much really. All I can say is that I've been living in Beacon my whole life."

"Really now? Why's that?"

"I'm an orphan. In a way you can say that Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch adopted me as my legal guardians." Sol now has an expression of guilt plastered on his face.

"Sorry bout that mate didn't mean to open any old wounds."

"It's no problem really. We're going to be partners for the next four years. It's only natural we learn more about each other."

"Yer right. Well then, let's not waste any time dilly-dallying. I spy with my lil' eye the temple," Sol points forward, "just beyond those trees right there."

After walking a few feet away, Sol and Crimson emerges from the trees and onto a clearing where abandoned temple rests at the northern part of Emerald forest. They look around the ruins of the temple and see worn out stone pedestals, and on them are black and white chess pieces. Crimson and Sol eyes each one carefully, speculating what makes these pieces so special.

"Ya think these are the relics?"

"I guess so. I mean most of them are missing."

"Which one catches yer eye mate?" Crimson thinks on the question. Honestly, there isn't much to choose from. His favorite chess piece has always been the knight because of how unique it moves about on the board, but there aren't any knight pieces left. The pieces left are: two black queens, one black rook, two white pawns, and one white bishop. Crimson takes one white pawn off of its pedestal.

"Ya like that one?"

"It's my second favorite piece on chess. Sure it's weak at the beginning of the game, but when it reaches the enemy's end of the board, it can transform into a rook, a knight, a bishop, better yet a queen."

"Like an all-rounder type of piece." Sol agrees,

"Exactly, it's versatile."

"Alrighty then, now that we got our relic, let's head on back to Beacon – eh?" Sol stands still, raising his arm slightly, and his hand flat with his fingers stuck together.

"What's wrong?" Crimson whispers,

"Oi! If ya planning on hiding, might as well come out now cuz we know yer out there!" Sol loudly calls out,

"Hey! Are you crazy?! What if that's a Grimm you're calling out?!"

"All the more reason to deal with them now than later mate. Learn that." Sol then switches his robotic left hand into a blade while he holds his cutlass on his right hand. Crimson readies himself with Caliburn default long sword mode.

"Ahhh… We finally made it… We've been walking for hours." Sol and Crimson hears a girl's voice coming from the trees. They see what she looks like once she emerges from the forest. She has short, wavy, red-orange hair that reaches past her shoulders. She wears a red leather jacket with a dirtied white blouse underneath, skin-tight, black slacks, and black flats. Crimson is absolutely smitten with her, Sol can see it and he can't blame him, although the girl's outfit is formal, she dresses it seductively intimidating way. She left a couple of buttons of her dirtied white blouse open showing her cleavage, and her slacks are so tight you can make out the shape of plump buttocks and navel.

Sol slaps Crimson on his back getting his attention. Crimson sees that Sol has this cocky attitude on him, he raises his eyebrows as if to say "Watch and learn".

"Ahoy there! Aren't ya a beauty?" Sol comments before whistling at her, "Ya know, seeing you right now makes me wish I had waited a little longer and never made eye contact with that guy over there." Crimson wishes to react offensively to that, but he has to admit that he feels the same way, "Got a name fishcakes?"

The girl looks at Sol warily before sweetly smiling and saying, "Flattering, but you have to work on your nicknaming there sailor, and even though you wish that you hadn't met your cute partner over there, I'm afraid I'm already taken."

She tilts her head back and calls out, "Jet! The area is clear, you can come out now!" another boy, about Crimson's height and slightly taller than the red-orange haired girl jumps down from the trees. He has messy black hair and bloodthirsty red eyes. He has a deep scar across his left cheek. He wears a black trench coat that has three tails with a dark grey dress shirt and black tie underneath. He also wears black slacks and black dress shoes.

The four of them gather inside the abandoned temple to introduce themselves after the two newcomers pick their relic.

"My name is Terra Cotta," the girl introduce herself first before gesturing to the boy who came with her, "and this is my partner, Jet Locke."

Sol smiles at her and takes her right hand in between his, "Lovely to meet you, name's Sol Regalia and that over there, is Crimson Pendragon."

Terra's partner, Jet, didn't like the closeness between Sol and Terra, so he shoves Sol aside while Crimson catches Sol before he falls. Terra holds Jet back before he causes severe injuries,

"Jet, that's enough! He's just being polite." She chides him,

"What's his problem?" Crimson asks,

"He's just overprotective. Forgive him."

"It's alright Terra, I was expecting that kind reaction from him." Sol just smiles. Crimson inwardly curses to himself how much of an idiot his partner is. If he knew that is going to happen, why the hell did he provoke him?! "But cuz of that, he's a reliable one, if not a bit wild. Almost attacked me like a shark! Keep him close."

Crimson suddenly felt pain on his left eye. His left vision vibrating blood red. It hurts so much that he falls to his knees, his left hand on his visor, and groans in pain, stopping himself from screaming. Sol and Terra kneels in front of him checking for any injuries while Jet stands and stares at Crimson while he is in pain.

"Oi! What's wrong mate?"

"Something's coming! I don't know what but, it feels different from your regular Grimm." Crimson tells Sol,

"How can you tell?" Terra asks,

"I can sense Grimm nearby. It's something I've had ever since I was born." Crimson explains,

"So is it like yer semblance?"

"That's not possible. People don't unlock their aura by themselves when they are born and you can't discover your semblance if you haven't unlocked your aura. So a semblance is out of the question unless you were just exaggerating how you got it." Terra explains,

"It's not my semblance, trust me I checked and honestly, I haven't discovered my semblance… yet."

Jet stands firmly in front of his partner and the other two initiates getting their attentions.

"It's here." He says.

On his right vision, Crimson sees a pair of red eyes glinting but on his left, a shadow still forming its shape. Crimson almost thought it is a Beowulf but dismisses the thought. It is definitely forming a shape of a wolf but it doesn't stand on its hind legs, it crouches on all four of its legs. The size is even bigger than an Alpha Beowulf. Crimson also hears heavy breathing, looking at his companions; none of them seem tired just wary of whatever Grimm will come out on the other side.

'I've… Found… You…' says a whisper that only travels to Crimson's ears, 'Master… come back to us… Mother… needs… us…' The whisper chills Crimson to the bone. He can't help but feel that he heard this whisper before. Probably around the time before he met his Uncle Ozpin and Aunt Glynda. The Grimm finally steps out into the clear day. Crimson takes in its form. Sure enough it's twice as large than your Alpha Beowulf and more terrifying. Its teeth are pointed forward like a shark's; some of them are thin as a needle while some are as wide as jagged rocks. Its fur is as black as night. Giant spikes are placed on its shoulder blade, looks almost as if the wolf is pierced by it. The claws are arched to the point that the ends already dug the ground.

'Do… You… Not… Remember… Me?' The whisper asks. A wave of memories poured into Crimson's head. Crimson clutches his head to prevent it from splitting apart. Crimson doesn't know what is happening to him, it's almost as if the wolf's eyes looks through his to penetrate the window to his soul.

'No… It can't be… It can't be you…' Crimson thinks to himself, but the wolf can somehow hear it and replies,

'Yes… It is I… Master… Fenrir.'