Psst. This is the last chapter of the first volume. If you're reading this, please leave a review letting me know what you liked or disliked about my writing thus far.
Written, 7/19/2018
Edited, 7/26/2018
I in no way own RWBY nor am I affiliated with RoosterTeeth. This is a work of fanfiction written purely for the fun of it, and which I derive no monetary gains from.
Volume 00, Chapter 04.
Ships in the Night
This book has been much better than I was expecting it to be. Blake hummed as she flipped another page in her new novel. It still wasn't the type of book she would have picked out first if given more choices, but there was no use in denying that the story was more relatable than the escapism of some of her more... adult-themed books.
Even if she had little personal knowledge of if teenage love dramas really worked like they did in this novel. Wonder if this says anything about Gage.
Her attention was brought away from the page before her when she heard the distinctive footfalls of her partners return. The mage had a distinct fast walk that was easy to recognize, doubly so for her excellent hearing. It was good that he had returned, teachers were already calling up students for the team trial now.
Blake finished the paragraph she was on before bookmarking her progress and putting the book down. "Finally aware of the world around you again?" she snarked at her partner. After about an hour reading quietly, he had suddenly wandered off to 'use the facilities' with a dazed expression on his face. Now that he'd returned, he no longer looked like he'd lost all sense of time and identity.
The scrutinizing frown he leveled on her made her tense up unintentionally before he responded, "Yes. But I'm not sure how it is that you can read for so long and not be adversely affected by it. What's your secret?"
Blake smiled with faint amusement. She considered leaving him with a cryptic remark but instead laid out an observation she had made. "We just read differently, that's all. Your focus once you get into reading is impressive... but you get easily distracted until then. While you're good at reading, it's very draining for you." It was left unsaid that reading wasn't quite as arduous for her, but the tilting back of his head and the hum of agreement indicated he understood where she was going with her logic.
Her love for reading was in no way less than his from what Blake had seen, but they both had different ways and reasons for reading. Blake could read most anywhere at any time and still remain aware, but her pace was more casual and relaxed.
"Fine, you win today. But next time, I'll ply your secret technique from you. Just you wait. And then I'll be able to read and rest at the same time." The seriousness the mage said it with was almost enough to fool Blake for a moment. The dramatic way he phrased it however gave his joke away. She shook her head with a rueful smile and quelled her almost-laugh.
Their conversation was interrupted when once more a professor's voice called out. This time however it was the headmaster of Torch standing before them, a man known only by his last name, Denslow. He was an average-looking, older man who retained a full head of hair, though tinted white with age, and wearing a full suit and tie in ordinary colors. Everything about him was the picture of normality, but his presence, the enunciation of his words and the intensity of his eyes spoke of a commanding yet subtle authority.
Beside him stood the headmaster of Beacon, who was far more at ease than Denslow and seemed content to observe the students as his fellow headmaster gave his speech.
"Students of Torch and applicants of Beacon, congratulations on making it this far. You will notice some of your number are missing, and I must unfortunately say this is because they could not quite live up to the standards that Torch and Beacon have set to qualify for Beacon's initiation exam. There remains one more trial for you who remain, but take heart: Each of you has shown some amount of aptitude in several crucial areas. The first, combat, is commonly expected of a huntsman, and few of you remaining fell short in this regards. But it is hardly the only thing expected of a huntsman. Many of you exemplified various personal skills that you used effectively in the second trial. Be it speed, stealth or smarts, you kept abreast or even ahead of expectation. The third trial, one which I must apologize for not informing you all of, was to identify if you would be able to effectively work in a team or at least learn how to."
Blake's eyes widened at the headmasters words of socializing, and both the black-themed ninja and the green mage looked at each other with the apprehension of two individuals who were suddenly made aware that they had dodged a bullet without even knowing it.
"As huntsman, your social skills are more important than you might realize. The ability to work and converse with others regardless of the differences between you will be a boon to your cause. Apart, we fall alone. Together, we stand strong. Remember this well."
Denslow stopped speaking, turning his eyes over the crowd of students one at a time. When his glance went over her own, she could tell he was looking straight into her eyes before shifting to her partner. Despite standing all the way at the bottom of the room, the intensity of his gaze was enough to overwhelm Blake's thoughts for just a moment.
Finally, he spoke again. "Your last trial will be to proceed with your chosen partner in a mock scenario. You are to advance together through pre-generated forest terrain, find your objective and acquire it, then decide upon the best way to return it to safety and both of you retreat efficiently. We expect you to treat this like a real mission, one where you have limited ammunition and are dealing with an unknown number of enemies. Do not tarry in your objectives or withdrawal, and keep an eye out on your partner. That is all, good luck."
Once Denslow had stepped away from the platform he was speaking from, every pair of students in the room moved together and started to plan for their upcoming trial. Blake left one last glance on the two headmasters, who were smiling, apparently satisfied with everyone's behavior.
"Alright, before anything else I think we should identify our personal strengths." Gage started to say to her. She gave him her attention, finding that he was leaning forward with his hands resting on his knees. "Some of it will be pretty obvious, but going over it can be crucial to helping us come up with ideas to better coordinate our abilities, as well as calling out for assistance from one another. For example, Blake..."
He gave a glance over her shoulder towards her weapon, Gambol Shroud. "Your weapon is very unique. What functions does it have?"
Blake withdrew the sheathe of her weapon from over her shoulder and rested it on her legs. "Gambol Shroud. It's a variant ballistic chain scythe." She said all this matter-of-factly, watching his expression while inwardly looking forward to seeing how he would react to her weapons shortened description.
It took a few moments of him staring at her with a flat expression as he processed it, but the waiting was worth it. Gage licked his lips as he looked down at the weapon, pursing his lips before looking back up at her with an expression that conveyed his thoughts. 'Are you kidding me?' Blake did her level best to not let her inner amusement show on her face.
"Okay. What you just said? Not one word of it said anything about the fact that your weapon is very obviously a sword and its sheathe also happens to be a big cleaver, nor that your sword can transform into a gun. Also, might I just add that your weapon is neither a scythe, nor does it have a chain?" Gage continued to stare at her incredulously for a few moments, but thankfully he cracked before she did and he sighed. "Okay, that's not the important part. I'm guessing you refer to it that way since it's actually the simplest way to call it?"
Nodding, Blake properly explained her weapons functions. Everything, from its main usage as dual swords, the firearm configuration on the katana that also doubled as the weapons kusarigama form, how that even works, and other creative ways she can make use of the ribbon on the weapon. By the time she was done, Gage was looking at her with awe.
"That's an awful big list of ways you can use your weapon. And you built this yourself? Where did you even come up with the design for this!" He held his hands out in gesture to her weapon, causing her to smirk the slightest bit at his theatrics.
"It wasn't easy, but it helps that I kept coming up with things I wanted my weapon to be able to do, which made realizing it step by step realistic." Gambol Shroud was one of the few vestiges of her previous life she kept with her, a physical testament to the skills she had built in that life and would now be using for a new cause. While she at times had mixed feelings on her weapon, given why she had built it to begin with, she knew she would never willingly part with the weapon. It had become more than just a weapon or a tool, but rather a part of herself.
Gage nodded slowly. "Alright, well I'm just glad you haven't cut yourself with it then."
Hm. Better not mention my first few times trying out the kusarigama. Keeping her expression neutral, Blake made to shift the topic before he got suspicious.
"What about your Dust caster? What can you do with it?"
He pondered her question with a hand on his chin. "A lot. Way too much to tell in one sitting, and some of it I rarely bother to use. But I may as well explain how it works." Drawing out his weapon, he laid it on his lap and turned it over so Blake could see the buttons that were flush with the weapons exterior. "Elemental Archive is a multi-action Dust tome. These buttons here are used to cycle my current Dust selection, rotating the internal cylinder to the appropriate type. I have several vials worth of each of the primary elements of Dust in my weapon. Fire, water, air and earth. I also have some slots for more exotic Dust types, though lightning is the one I use most often." He let that sink in for a moment as he pressed the buttons for cycling it, each press providing a satisfying click.
"Once I've cycled to the type of Dust I want, I press one of these buttons to mete out a dose of Dust into the central chamber here." Gage paused for a second, a look of realization on his face. "Oh, yeah. The reason I do that is because my semblance isn't exactly picky. If I tried to use it straight from the vials, I'd need to take extra time to identify the type of Dust using only my aura, and I'd have to use an entire vial of Dust or more at a time. Not exactly efficient. This way, rather than search for the specific Dust I am looking for, I just manually cycle to it and let my aura register which one is ready to be loaded into the central chamber."
Blake tilted her head back as she parsed through all he had said, but one thing stuck out to her. "You didn't exactly explain what you could do with it though... Just that you have access to the primary five elements. In your combat trial though, you selected several types of Dust."
Blinking, Gage noted that she had said it as a fact and not as a question. "Good eye. Yeah, I can select several types of Dust at once and my semblance will foible the work of mixing them together into a usable attack. I can even deliberately pick what it will be. Normally, water and air Dust combined in the right ratio's will create ice Dust. But I actually prefer to combine the two to make what is in effect a pressure hose. Fast, difficult to dodge, and it topples people over."
"Interesting," she intoned noncommittally after a few moments. That has to be very hard to keep track of everything, and he has to plan most of his attacks in advance or know what everything does. Actually... that sounds more complex than my weapon. The thought made her smirk in amusement.
"Doesn't that mean your weapon is more complicated than mine though?"
The effect of her question was instantaneous as Gage froze while the gears turned in his head. "... Perhaps." He was doing his best to keep calm, but Blake could tell it would take just one more push to make embarrass the mage.
It was too easy a target to not say something. "And here you said my weapon was complicated," Blake responded with amusement, enjoying the fact that the boy consciously coughed to avoid having to answer her. Too easy.
Blake gave the mage a few moments before they resumed their talk, identifying their strengths and weaknesses relative to each other. Where Blake was agile and deadly in close combat, Gage was slow but his firepower let him keep enemies at bay. Blake was much better against skilled opponents, either taking them out quickly or drawing out a duel with them, whereas Gage preferred to clear out mobs. Blake was effective at drawing enemies out and scouting, where Gage could attack from afar and act as a safe place for Blake to retreat to. And where Blake was great at withdrawing regardless of the situation, Gage's Dust gauntlet made being grappled by him extremely dangerous. While they didn't exactly share synergy or enhance what the other could do, both of them could fulfill very different roles effectively, which was useful in its own right.
Although they obviously could tear through the next trial easily, doing so wouldn't positively reflect their ability to manage resources or act cautiously. And with how much Dust Gage used, if he didn't warn Blake before attacking he could easily cause a friendly fire accident.
For those reasons they decided to coordinate their actions. Blake would take the lead and scout ahead before returning, and they would take down any threats together. Whenever Gage would perform an attack he was to call out his target, the attack and Blake's proximity so she could withdraw.
Gage grinned with satisfaction and Blake returned his nod with cool confidence. "It's not exactly the easiest tactic for our first time working together, but it lets both of us use our individual strengths and keep moving at a good pace. I like it."
Blake nodded again. "I agree. Getting surrounded can be tough. Sure, I can use my semblance to get away, but that doesn't mean there are any fewer enemies. But with your support, we can coordinate when I withdraw and you attack."
With their plans set, Gage offered his hand and Blake shook it softly. His earnest gaze and tactical mind settling any doubts she had remaining over partnering with him. More than that though, coming up with a plan that both of them were confident in felt good... It reminded Blake of happier days in the White Fang, planning a protest and the hope that it would go well. When it did, the warmth it brought her heart was all worth it. But the cruel reality of how often their activities fell through had made Blake forget the joy of working on a team. That's another reason to look forward to Beacon...
"Blake? You there?" Blinking, Blake focused her attention on Gage again. She felt bad for spacing out, not so much embarrassed as she was saddened by the memories.
"Yes. I take it we're ready?" She said, hoping to move the topic along. Gage stared at her for a moment scrutinizingly before responding.
"I won't ask what's troubling you." Blake unintentionally looked away, somewhat unnerved by his directness. Gage didn't fail to notice this but answered her question. "We're ready now though, so hopefully that means we'll be called up soon."
Was that an out he was leaving her with? Blake glanced around briefly for something before it clicked. "It seems they're calling up students who finished planning earliest. Half the class has already gone, and most of the remainder are still discussing their plans."
Gage looked around like Blake had before nodding. "Seems like it." He grinned. "If we get called up soon then that's two for two on our guesses today."
"Lee Enfield, Blake Belladonna! You're up!" Right on cue a certain semblance-enhanced shout called both of them down. With a quick glance and shared nods they headed down to the center of the amphitheater. Instead of a set of mazes or raised platforms occupying it now there was a simulation of a forest, with a variety of trees and shrubbery. It was interesting to see them using so much Dust to power a literal simulation, but given the academies location in downtown Vale, it was probably cheaper than shipping a bunch of trainees outside the walls.
"Good luck~" Nora Valkyrie sing-songed at them from afar while waving enthusiastically. Ren was with her again, he simply gave a nod of acknowledgment. Another boy was sitting with them now, and he was staring at the partnered ninja and mage. He had messy blonde hair and wore a black-and-orange hoodie underneath his patchwork metal armor.
Blake gave them a simple nod and Gage gave a weak salute to the trio.
Soon enough they stood at the starting line. The fake forest before them was only a straight shot forward and felt standing in it felt... wrong. The lighting was artificial. There was no breeze, no scent of the earth or forest, the sounds of nature were entirely absent. It only looked like a forest, but nothing about it felt that way. Blake traced a hand over the artificial bark of one tree, confirming that even the texture didn't feel like the real thing. It made her uncomfortable.
Gage was more enthralled with the fake vegetation than she was, going so far as to pull the leaf off a tree and crush it in his palm into very finely ground Dust which he was carefully analyzing. It took a few moments of concentrated staring from Blake before he turned to her, laughing nervously and wiping the hint of Dust from his hand.
"All ready?" He asked as though he hadn't been the one distracted.
"Of course," Blake looked forward and drew her weapons. When the signal was given she leapt upwards into the branches of a tree and proceeded forward by jumping from tree limb to tree limb.
"She certainly is agile," Gage remarked to himself as he set into a jogging pace forward, glancing upwards to the trees to make sure he didn't miss his partners return whenever she found some enemies.
Gage moved around dense foliage rather than through it, jumped over fallen trees and roots sticking up as needed. Being as swift Blake wasn't his job, it was to be ready for her to come back with coordinates so they could swiftly dispatch enemies rather than be the ones snuck up on.
Fighting grimm was often a defensive venture. Their ability to detect the presence of people was much greater than the inverse, so in a way having a teammate who was capable at reconnaissance was both rare and invaluable. Rare, because it was so risky to go alone and because you had to be at a point of competency before you were really rewarded for it. Invaluable because grimm caught unawares were much easier to dispatch.
He was expecting to encounter robots modeled after the grimm. A bit more costly than Atlesian knights, but better suited to being opponents for the students in this environment. They weren't nearly so frightening as the real deal however, lacking the unnerving presence of the soulless monsters.
Gage caught a flicker of movement above him and stopped. A moment later, Blake landed before him and stood up. She gestured over her shoulder to a direction. "Mechanized beowolves, four of them. Think you can take out two?"
A simple enough task. Gage nodded.
They moved quietly, Blake in the lead and Gage following while quietly cycling to lightning Dust. Loud, certainly, but also very immediate. What better way to start an assault than by invoking literal shock and awe?
Peeking out from behind a tree, he spotted their quarries; four mechanical beowolves as she had said. They glanced to each other and Gage decided to take the lead with attacking first, letting Blake leap in second.
Let's see... three of them lined up. Convenient! Better to finish them off with a directed bolt rather than diffusing the power between all four with a chain. That thought in mind, Gage meted out three doses of lightning Dust and on a whim admixtured in a dose of fire Dust to enhance the intensity of his attack. One last final click and the Dust was mixed into the central chamber of his Dust caster. His aura flared as he activated his semblance, greedily devouring every speck of Dust in the central chamber and being molded into the attack he envisioned.
Preparations complete! Gage enthusiastically shouted internally, almost literally feeling the voltage running through his body. The feeling was, quite literally, electric and it was hard not to feel the rush of energy in his veins.
Whenever he made to hold onto an attack, the Dust would always affect him in a raw, emotional way. It would disperse once the Dust was spent, but it was an interesting side-effect.
Dramatically stepping out from behind cover as lightning ran down his right arm from where he directed and contained the unspent spell he aimed the limb downrange at the 'grimm' that had become aware of his presence.
"Think fast!" He shouted, but of course there was no time for that. With a thunderous boom the three 'grimm' were all struck with a bolt of electricity that fried their internals and was nearly intense enough to melt the point of contact on each bot. That left only one more robot, but it was swiftly decapitated by Blake when she intercepted its headlong dash towards him.
"Way too loud." She gritted out in complaint as they regrouped and moved ahead, neither wanting to wait to see if they would draw attention. "Warn me next time you'll be doing something that loud."
"Oh, sorry. But uh, loud attacks are some of my most powerful." He glanced away with a sheepish expression on his face, earning him another complaint from Blake before she leapt back into the trees without another word. Thinking better of trying to apologize to her in the middle of a mission, he resumed his forward progress while cycling to water Dust.
A few minutes of mostly silence and marching later was broken by a cry of surprise from Blake overhead. "Nevermore!" she shouted, and at the same time a pair of mechanical bird the size of dogs swooped down towards Gage.
With Blake already occupied fighting off her own enemies and the birds swiftly approaching, Gage had little time to do more than raise his arms to protect his head and eyes. Predictably, both birds had went for his head. His armored arm easily resisted the blow from the silent mechanical birds, and the other he warded off with his book in his other hand.
Now closer to them, he could see that the Nevermore robots were largely made from plastics rather than metals, likely so they could actually fly. Perhaps they were less durable for it too, but Gage got no chance to find out.
"Ow, ow, ow! Stop that!" Crying out complaints, he took off in what he thought was Blake's direction in hopes that she could dispense the robot birds, both of them maintaining a constant assault on his back with beak and claws. The rain of light hits hurt but were largely superficial since Gage's vitals were protected and getting at his head and neck was difficult while he was moving. "Blake, could you get these things off me?"
Fortunately, his call for aid was quickly answered when he heard Blake land in front of him. "Duck!" she called, and Gage obliged and fell to the ground, shielding his head. The sound of one of the robots being sliced apart behind him was audible though her swing at the second nevermore evidently went wide. Gage lifted an arm up in time to see Blake transform her katana and deliver two pistol shots to the bird that had been trying to flee, dropping it.
"Riiight, so I guess there are nevermore in the tree branches too." Gage said as he stood up and Dusted himself off. "Thank you for the assist though. What happened?"
"They caught me off guard." Blake groaned and looked around. "I don't think the trees are quite as safe as we expected, but if we stay vigilant we can continue as we were. Just... have an attack ready next time." Her expression didn't shift, but the momentary gaze she directed him was enough to make him realize his mistake.
"Right... I guess I got complacent." He rubbed his cheek with the knuckles of his left hand, Dust-caster still in his grip. He had even swapped to water Dust so he could knock any surprise enemies away with a quick splash. Sigh! "We should get moving. Lead the way." Blake nodded and was all-business once more.
They encountered another group of beowolves and two lone nevermore after that, but dispatching them was easier with the preparation they had. Gage had even gone so far as to use some wind Dust to create a vacuum to pull one of the diving nevermore in and crush its throat in his metal grip. While not exactly an achievement in itself on such a fragile target, it still felt awesome to do. Couldn't just let Blake be the only one to slay nevermore today!
Having already spent the better part of ten minutes walking and fighting, it came as little surprise when Blake reported finding their objective. The amphitheater could only be so large, but their gradual pace had lengthened the journey. A single, tall pillar stood in a clearing with a chess piece- a pawn specifically- resting atop it.
"Looks like that's the thing they wanted us to retrieve and bring back to where we started. I imagine once we grab it we'll come under attack. You should grab it and retreat as quick as you can, I'll cover you and when you deposit the item you can come back for me. How's that sound?"
Looking up at the item on the pillar, she turned her head to the side in thought a moment. "That's decent, but I have a better idea, one that doesn't involve you possibly flunking out for failing to account for how bad you are in a brawl." Blake looked at Gage pointedly, getting across just how bad an idea it was for him to do so. "Instead, you should grab it and use whatever means you have to retreat quickly... I'm much faster and more evasive than you besides, so I can cover your retreat easily without getting caught."
Rubbing his left cheek with his knuckles, Gage nodded, somewhat abashed that his strategy was apparently not the best choice possible. "Alright... I'll rely on you to cover my back. I'll use some of my wind Dust to help me retreat then." Blake gave a soft smile, pleased that he agreed with her plan without complaint.
"Alright then. It's a bit harder for me to accurately make a jump like that than you, so would you grab the item and pass it to me?" Blake agreed, easily making the leap to the top of the pillar and grabbing the item. When she silently hopped down and passed it to him, there were already sounds of a few mechanical creatures coming out to attack them but both of them had already taken off.
Gage looked back over his shoulder once to see Blake easily evading and distracting the 'grimm' behind him, taking out a few and dodging their swipes by the slightest of margins or by leaving behind a duplicate of herself. It was impressive seeing her fluidly turn a narrow dodge into a counter-attack. The image of her being struck was unnerving to witness, but each time proved to be no more than an image of herself. Her semblance occurred so quickly each time that he couldn't quite determine how it was that her semblance covered for her movements, but it seemed that whenever she created a duplicate it left her out of sight for just long enough.
While she wasn't meting out any impressive damage, the fact that she could still manage to get in a few swipes while evading everything spoke highly of her talent.
Not the time to be impressed by her skill, wannabe wizard. Shaking his head, Gage cycled to his air Dust. Two doses. Enchanting effect, tail wind. Manifest. Letting his semblance do its work again, Gage almost misstepped as a billow of wind hit him from behind, increasing his running speed noticeably. The influence of the wind Dust pushing him forward gave him a sense of levity and freedom, making him all the more eager to move forward.
The return trip to where they began took a scant two minutes, though it was exhaustive running and Gage had to perform two aura-enhanced leaps to get over groups of beowolves to reach their destination. Landing was a lot easier with the control afforded from the Dust enchantment, and regardless of Gage's progress Blake was always following right behind, leaving him to focus on his own forward momentum.
Spotting a short pillar at the place they'd begun, Gage ran up to it and put the chess piece in his grip atop the pillar.
"Time!" shouted out the squeaky voice of Professor Yertle.
Winded, Gage only barely identified who it was. Blake stepped up to Gage, far less exhausted but when he glanced up he found her to be wearing a rare winning smile.
Yertle waved the pair of students to walk with him as other professors and staff come to clean up and prepare the trial for the next team. "Think we did alright?" Gage whispered at Blake uncertainly. He avoided saying it, but he honestly felt like he had dragged Blake's performance down. If somehow they didn't make the cut, it would be his fault.
Blake blinked and stared at him for a moment. "I think we'll be alright." She said in her regular monotone, though Gage could detect the sarcasm behind the statement. Though vaguely annoyed, he was far more relieved to hear her opinion.
All the while, good Professor Yertle was scribbling notes down regarding their performance as they walked away from the staging area. When he finished, he stopped and practically hopped in order to turn around. "Very well done!" he says in an unfortunately squeaky voice. "Neither of you will be getting any records for fastest run, useless a record as that would be. Your efficiency score was outstanding. Excellent teamwork and planning, acceptable resource management, and you avoided unnecessary fights and knew when was the appropriate time to move quietly and when to make haste. I don't mean to get your hopes up now, but well..." The short professor paused, his grin growing before he gives them two comically big thumbs up. "I'm sure you're shoe-ins for Beacon. I look forward to hearing about your future successes, Mr. Enfield, Ms. Belladonna. Have yourselves a wonderful day, you've earned it." He faced both students and gave each a single nod of confidence before returning to his work, leaving them to their own devices.
Gage stood stiffly for a few moments as the professor's words gradually sunk in. When it finally hit him that they had effectively aced the final trial of the physical exam and were likely shoe-ins to be invited to Beacon's initiation exams, he let out a victorious whoop, pumping his right fist. "Up yours, Winchester!" He shouted to the audience, several students laughing, though with none of the mean-spirited intent from earlier. Getting audience approval for once in a rare while felt nice.
Still pumped, he threw his Elemental Archive into the air and went to catch it on the way down, being forced to take several steps forward just to nearly fumble with the weapon, prompting some more amused laughter from his new audience. "Totally intentional!"
Behind him, Blake chuckled at his behavior. Gage looked back with, embarrassed over his behavior. It was far easier to behave like a clown with people who didn't know you. But the winning smile she wore easily settled his nerves and brought his grin back bigger than before.
After a few quips back and forth they were quickly on their way to the exit, Gage having stowed his weapons in the bag he had brought and Blake with the loaned book in hand, reading while she walked. Still don't know how she manages that so easily. Neither said another word while they walked the length of the amphitheater towards the green exit signs at the back. A faster way to depart than walking all the way to the front entrance.
From the stands above Gage spotted Nora Valkyrie once more waving at them, to which Gage returned the wave, emotions still high from success. Sitting with her still was Lie Ren, calm as the last time he had seen him and Jaune Arc, who was looking at the two of them with a mixture of curiosity and awe.
Wait, Jaune Arc? He made it this far? Well, maybe I undersold him a bit too much. Go figure that even Gage would underestimate someone despite knowing what it feels like to be treated that way.
The blonde-haired boy poked Nora's leg to get her attention, telling her something that Gage couldn't hear. She nodded rapidly before cupping her hands over her mouth and shouting, "Jaune wanted you to know that Cardin already left!"
Wait, what? WHAT? Winchester already left? Then... then... Internally, Gage screamed and felt himself get smaller, his steps much less confident after having made a fool of himself apparently.
When he held his head in exaggerated misery with both hands, he was met with a brief snort that quickly turned into amused giggling from Blake, trying her hardest to hold back her laughter.
Normally, he would have been incensed at being laughed at. But for some reason, he was not angry. Perhaps because she didn't make a habit of teasing him. Maybe because he was still in a good mood. Possibly because Iris cast a hex on him to make him behave his best. Any one of these- well, one aside- was possible.
Yeah, or it could just be that she has an incredibly cute laugh and your heart went pitter patter, dummy.
…
ARGH!
Gage flushed and doubled his original walking pace, Blake's adorab- completely normal giggling following behind him apace despite the new speed he walked at.
By the time Blake had managed to fully restrain her laughter, they had almost made it to the exit and Gage had settled down again. She had been worried for a moment he might react badly for a moment, but his embarrassment over such a small thing was too silly to not be amused by.
Although it might have been fueled by the positive mood from their success.
With her day effectively complete with, her body decided now was the time to inform her she was tired. Blake had spent nearly eight hours on campus, and there were those who were still waiting for their turn to do the last trial. The time was closing on evening, with the skies color starting to shift.
As short and easy as each portion of the exam had been, it still must have taken an incredible amount of effort to get through all the students in a single day. Whoever was responsible for making the entire exam move along seamlessly must have been quite talented. All this for a single day. By all means, it was more strenuous for the teachers than the students. One reason to reconsider teaching if ever she was struck by the idea at least.
Not for the first time that day, Blake's musing was broken by the sound of footsteps coming her way. When she turned she was surprised to find one Headmaster Ozpin of all people. "Ms. Belladonna. Mr. Enfield." He said in a conversational tone, bringing both students to a halt and facing him as he approached the last ten feet towards them.
He stood before them with what seemed to be his normal calm demeanor, a cane in one hand and coffee mug in the other. He looked absolutely at-ease, his clothes somehow a cross between formal and casual-wear, the varied green and black mixture working well for him.
"Allow me to cut to the chase, as I'm sure you're both quite worn out." He smiled mysteriously at the two. "I wanted to congratulate you on your performances and take a moment to speak with the both of you. Do you mind?"
While Blake was somewhat on guard around Ozpin, given that he was more likely than anyone else to discover her past ties to the White Fang, Gage had no such scruples and started to speak beside her. "Oh, um sure. I mean, I'm free." He sputtered, looking at her apologetically for speaking for both of them.
"It's fine," Blake said hastily. While talking with the headmaster was a risk, ignoring him was even more of one. She would have to answer. "What would you like to know, headmaster Ozpin?"
The man smiled, evidently pleased and tilted his head back. "I noticed that the two of you had struck up an alliance quite early on, but you had not actually come in together. I was curious as to how."
Blake was slightly unnerved that Ozpin had noticed as much. Gage didn't seem fussed about it, but the fact that he seemed unsure where to start lead Blake to answer. "We met outside before the exam, actually. But we had a disagreement. Gage apologized later and as repayment I asked him to team up with me."
It wasn't the entire story, but it still answered Ozpin's question, and appeared to satisfy him as he narrowed his eyes slightly, nodding with interest. "I see. It isn't easy to get a huntsman trainee to apologize so quickly. Good work." He specifically looked at Blake as he said this.
"So, where did you both learn how to fight? Both of you have rather limited information in your dossiers regarding this, for your own individual reasons." He turned his gaze from her to Gage with curiosity.
Blake had to be careful how she answered this question, and so she opted to let Gage answer first so she could have a moment to think. Glancing his way, she was relieved to see he seemed to know where to start.
Gage shut his eyes before opening them again and speaking with a slow, inflected tone. "To be honest, I have almost no fighting style to speak of. To say that I learned how to fight would be... inaccurate. I learned how to demolish, using either my semblance or aura."
Blake was taken by surprise at how honest his answer was. It was in keeping with his personality, but it was still just so... unusual to see somebody disparage themselves when introduced to the person they had to convince of their finer points.
"Hm, I see. That's very interesting, Mr. Enfield. We'll have to see if we can't change that, hm?" Gage practically flinched at that, but he didn't seem hurt, so much as he was shocked. Far more than she had been. "And how about you, Ms. Belladonna?"
She paused. Oh. Right.
"Um... Outside the kingdoms, headmaster. It's either you learn to fight or you increase your chances of dying." These things were true, though in actuality Blake had spent much more time in the kingdoms. Her training was as rough and tumble as any frontier persons would be however, lending credence to her answer.
"It was a very difficult life, I'm sure." Ozpin said this simply, but the scrutiny in his gaze as he watched her made Blake uneasy.
"Now, these next two questions are somewhat specific to you, Mr. Enfield. For starters, Dust. How dependent upon Dust are you? How much do you require? Will you need any sort of scholarship to stay properly armed?" Ozpin sipped his drink after asking as much. Blake wasn't quite sure what he was looking for from Gage, but if she had to guess he was trying to verify where he was in terms of needing special assistance from the school, or ensuring running out of dust doesn't end with him dying in the field.
"Hm, well. I'd have to say almost completely dependent upon it, at least right now. I've developed my semblance quite a lot. That said, I actually don't use a whole lot of dust. My semblance was already quite efficient to start with and given all my training with it I've only gotten more so. I don't have a way to measure where I am with that though. For the most part I work part-time in order to pay for my, ahem, habit." He said the last word jokingly, to which Ozpin raised a brow and took another sip from his mug, as if in understanding.
"I see. Particulars can be discussed later, simply knowing this much now helps however. Now, this is more a point of personal curiosity for me, but you did inherit the Enfield semblance, correct? Casting, you call it?" Ozpin stared at him with great interest, enough so to give Blake's overactive imagination the silly idea of him disappearing Gage to some secret laboratory for study.
"That is correct. I'm uncertain how my semblance differs from past Enfield relatives as it skipped the last generation and the two generations before that. It's kind of a mystery to me how I inherited the semblance, I'm not, hm." Gage paused and licked his lips, considering what he wanted to say. "Overly proud of my family name. Much as I admire my ancestors."
"I see. I'd be interested in talking about that more in the future, then. I once knew your grandfather personally when I was a young man like yourself." Ozpin smiled softly, glancing upwards and reminiscing for a moment. Gage looked surprised by the news, but did not respond.
"Sorry to have excluded you there, Ms. Belladonna. This question is once more for the both of you."
Geh. Blake had actually been enjoying not being noticed by the perceptive headmaster for a little while there, but alas that was no more. "Yes?" She asked simply, hoping to hide her wariness.
"I wanted to ask both of you about your written essays. About why you want to become huntsman. Would you care telling me again?" Ozpin's gaze went back to Blake, his expression totally neutral.
Blake let out a sigh and mulled over her answer for a moment, thinking back to what she had written on her paper and going for a similar answer, though more brief. "I want to fight for a better world, for everyone to live in. Together."
"Hmmm. I see." Ozpin lifted his hand with the can, pushing his glasses up with his thumb as he narrowed his eyes. "Do you believe such a goal is possible?" He said this in such a dark tone that it took Blake by surprise momentarily, causing her to respond feebly.
"I... I don't know." It took her a moment, but when she saw Gage staring at her with interest she continued with more conviction, "But we have to try otherwise it will never happen."
Ozpin's expression softened considerably and he sipped his drink again, turning away and taking a few steps aside. "Indeed. Now, Mr. Enfield?"
Gage seemed prepared for that, turning his glance back to the headmaster. "I got tired of sitting back, content to live my life safe and secure in Vale, sir. I want to dedicate my life to something that feels meaningful, and that I feel I am... actually capable of doing moderately well at." Blake noted that he had said the last part with a bit less passion to his voice.
"I see," Ozpin said for what may very well have been the hundredth time that day. "Although I must say that you underestimate yourself, Mr. Enfield." Gage looked away at that, his expression stony for the moment she could see his expression before his head was turned away from her.
Sipping his drink once more, Ozpin closed his eyes momentarily before nodding to himself. "I have just one more question then. You managed to answer what I was going to ask you already Ms. Belladonna, so I suppose this question is just for Mr. Enfield." Ozpin paused and faced the young man. "Why exactly did you answer your second essay in that manner? The question was where you wanted to find yourself in the future. Three words is not an acceptable answer to such a question, let alone writing that you wanted to become a-"
"Aaaahahahah!" Gage suddenly jumped forward, interrupting Ozpin with his laughter. Blake almost jumped back in surprise, eyes wide, and Ozpin just stopped in his speaking to stare at the boy with what might pass as surprise for the near-expressionless man.
What on Remnant is he doing?
"H-Headmaster Ozpin, that was just a joke, you know? A joke... I figured that would be obvious. And I mean, my first essay, well, it was really long and in-depth. T-The dichotomy between the length of my first essay and my second essay can be seen as an expression of how much I know about my past but how little I know about my future. Y-You know?" Gage rambled on, looking at Ozpin desperately.
Ozpin stood silently for a few moments before smiling mischievously and nodding. "I see. A joke. You got one over on me, Mr. Enfield. You may want to be careful and consider when it is you'll make such jokes, Mr. Enfield. They might be more revealing of yourself than you intend them to be.
Gage stepped back, eyes wild from panicked embarrassment and holding his hands out and level to his stomach as though trying to placate something quite scary. The only sound to come out of his mouth a few garbled grunts.
Seriously, what did he write down to cause him to react so strongly?
"I'll leave the two of you be now. Thank you for your time, have a nice day and I look forward to seeing you at the Initiation Exam." Tipping his head to the two students, Ozpin turned and walked away, leaving them to the bizarre silence that Gage had created.
Blake turned to look at him intently, frowning slightly. "Care to explain what that was about?"
He regained his awareness at that, looking away ruefully and rubbing his cheek with the knuckles of one hand. "Not really," he choked out.
Blake continued to stare at him, her curiosity naturally getting the better of her, she walked around to face him, prompting him to laugh awkwardly and try to look away again. "Look at me, Gage."
Groaning, Gage turned to face her, still trying his hardest to smile but failing. "F-Fine. It's just, uh, I wrote down a childhood dream for the second essay. Kind of half as a joke, and half as.. uh, well, reasons." He started laughing awkwardly again.
Blake's eyebrow twitched and she palmed her forehead. "As curious as I am now, I will... refrain from asking, Gage." She drew in a breath, exhaling only when she had calmed down slightly and Gage's guilt and embarrassment had gone from "being found reading Ninja's of Love" levels to "being found sneaking tuna before dinner."
Not that Blake knew those levels of embarrassment personally.
"Let's just go." Blake said tiredly. Gage, thankfully, nodded obediently and they went outside.
For two blocks, they walked away from Torch. Whether they were headed the same direction or not, Blake did not know, but Gage stuck with her still, gradually calming down from his earlier outburst. They enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere that came with it being 7 PM. Most everyone who had left work were already returned home, and those who intended to go out late at night were not yet there, leaving this time of day an empty twilight hour, on the border between the day and night.
Blake and Gage remained quiet as they walked, finally stopping at a crosswalk. "Blake," Gage stopped her, prompting her to face him. "Thank you for everything today." He offered her his right hand while wearing a worn-out, but relieved grin.
For a moment, Blake could only stare. It was a new expression on him, similar to how he had looked when he apologized, but... with an air of finality to it. Blake felt concern build up in her chest, but tried her best to put it aside. She had only known him for a day. Most of his expressions were still new to her. This one just more-so.
Reaching out and grasping his hand, Blake didn't know how to respond to his gratitude, the cloying feeling in her chest making it feel impossible to speak, even if she knew what she wanted to say. All she could hear over the late-day wind was the sound of her heartbeat pounding loudly in her ears.
They weakly held hands for a few moments, with little firmness and no shaking either, all the while staring one another in the eye before their hands slipped apart easily and they spoke at the same time.
""Goodbye.""
Neither thought anything of it, and with one last faint smile Gage turned away from her and started down a street by himself. Blake idly noted and was glad to find it wasn't the same route to her temporary apartment. Despite that, she made no effort to begin walking, her amber eyes watching his retreating form as he gradually became smaller and smaller.
From this distance now, she would be unable to identify it as him, and could not identify his body language any longer. As of now, he was little more than a passing memory.
Once he was out of sight, Blake looked to the reddening sky. Her thoughts turned to other memories, of the things she had once cherished but ultimately let go of. Her parents and her home in Menagerie. It had been six long years since she had seen them. Those six years she spent away from home and more seriously involved with the White Fang amounted to a greater sum of memories than what memories she could remember with her parents.
Even though she loved her parents, her earliest memory she could recall was when she was six. Meaning, she had only five years worth of memories of them.
Sniff...
Blake drew in a deep breath to smother the need to cry that was bubbling up from within her. "Mother, father... Would you be proud of me now that I've done the right thing...?"
More than anything, Blake wanted to see and speak with her parents, but was too afraid now. She did not want to return home with nothing to show for herself, even though in all likelihood they would welcome her home, she was still afraid.
Hopefully, at Beacon, she would no longer have to run away.
Would Uncle Albus be proud?
Maybe. He did push me to becoming a huntsman.
Gage's steps were heavier and slower than usual. Most often, when he was walking, he did so in a manner that his little sister, Lili, would dub "A man on a mission." The phrase had amused him, making him feel bigger than he really was. In all reality, he just walked fast because it would get him to his destination quicker and, unlike a car, there was little risk of injury for speeding.
This slow walk on the other hand was reserved for particularly long days where he would socialize a lot. Those were increasingly infrequent as the years passed by, and most often only happened after school days.
The thought that he simply did not fit in, as much as it was a constant one, always weighed heavily on his shoulders. Having to spend the day in the constant company of Blake was... pleasant. Almost overwhelmingly so. Yet now he felt the repercussions of that brief and momentary pleasure. The fear and concern that, should they meet again, there was every chance that he would disappoint her somehow and make her dislike him.
It was far easier to do so himself and on his own terms. It was what he had tried for when he first met Blake. At least then, he could affirm to himself, by virtue of willingly obliging the fallacy of a self-fulfilling prophecy, that there was no chance of him connecting with someone. Far easier to prevent the bridge from being built than to later burn it down himself. Less wasteful, less exhausting, even gives those who dislike him something to rally against. All around beneficial.
If it was inevitable that he should disappoint others, then he may as well make the best of it.
Would Uncle Albus be proud?
Maybe. He did want me to help others.
He still wanted to become a huntsman. But in all honesty, sometimes it felt like his only real reason was trying to come up with some intrinsic and numerical value for what had thus far felt like a completely empty existence that was only interrupted by moments of distraction, be it from books, practice or the ever-rare conversation.
At least this way, he could die for a good cause rather than exist indefinitely for none.
Gage has seen the family tree. Every Enfield who ever became a huntsman died in a Grimm attack at some point. Honestly, the only reason the thought bothered him was because he was still sad about his uncle's demise. The fact that he would follow that trend was merely that; a fact.
The Enfield bloodline would continue, as it had for millenia, passed down by those members of the family who had decided not to become huntsman.
Like his father, Douglas, and his brother and sister Rod and Lily.
Would Uncle Albus be proud of me?
Maybe.
…
Unlikely.
…
No.
…
But... he still wanted to make his uncle proud. Gage stopped in his slow stride, reaching his hand skyward and grasping at the Sun, blotting it out from view as it steadily climbed down past the horizon.
Headmaster Ozpin looked over the dossier of Gage Enfield one last time, sipping from his newly-refilled mug while deep in thought. The roster of students who had passed the Beacon Qualification Exams this year showed great potential, and Lee Enfield was certainly not the least of them.
But a good many of them were troubled by their past in some way or other. What made Mr. Enfield unique then was that he did not seem to regard himself as being someone with an especially troubled past. To think himself so ordinary despite how unusual he was seemed preposterous. Ozpin had seen it for himself however.
Glynda was always under the impression that Ozpin was not working hard whenever he had failed to fill out or file a form on time or properly. This wasn't simple absent-mindedness however, but rather the result of just how much time and concern he invested into thinking about his students.
They, the future protectors of Remnant, often needed nurtured to an obscene degree in order to achieve their greatest potential without finding their lives expunged prematurely.
Lee Enfield was thus only one of many students whom he was concerned about, and even though it was still weeks away from the Initiation Exams and he was seated in the bleachers at Torch listening to their hard-working staff clean up for the day while pulling over-time, Ozpin was already formulating and considering teams.
"Hm. I think this team should have good results." He mildly said to himself while writing down the initials for yet another team he had theorized putting together.
With that done, Ozpin decided it was time to call it a day. Even an immortal wizard needed their once-nightly bout of sleep.
Smiling for the briefest moment, Ozpin lifted up the dossier of Mr. Enfield and pulled out his essay, reading the second entry again with mild amusement. On it were three words in large lettering;
"Become a Wizard."
A/N: And that is it! The last chapter of volume zero! With this, I would like to ask for reviews from those who are inclined to give them. I have a bad habit of not writing up reviews often myself, a habit I tried to fix by writing a ton earlier this week, and now I feel like I won't be a total hypocrite if I ask that you, the reader...
Please leave a review at your own leisure! If you want to get some (spoiler-free) questions answered, or to tell me that I write way too much while making very little progress, please, feel free!
On another note, yes, I did very lightly edit the last few chapters and bother to give the professors names and properly explain why the exams are so damnably easy. Since that explanation is in a previous chapter, let me just express it here.
The Beacon Qualification Exams as I have referred to them are not strictly a test that you must pass by a certain margin to succeed. They are instead evaluations of students by both the staff of Beacon and Torch who are in observance. They don't test students on strict criteria either, and even such things as potential and sociability are considered when looking for applicants to Beacon. On two given years, if 80 students show up for one and 100 for another, only 20 of them will actually move along. For those who pass but don't get an invitation to Beacon, well, they can often find work elsewhere and if they haven't passed the age limit for attending Beacon they can always try again the next year.
I also hope some of you got what the chapter name was a reference to. It might be the only chapter name I'm really proud of thus far.
So, writing this chapter felt an awful lot like my essays tend to go. At first I just spin my tires uselessly in the mud, before finally deciding to step out, consider my plan of action, then push the car out just enough that I can drive it away. Once I get past that slog, the rest comes along wonderfully as I've been thinking about writing it for so long. Literally, the last 4,000 words of this chapter came out within a five hour period of writing. That's pretty normal for me since a lot of my writing process involves looking at a page, writing half a paragraph and thinking about what all I want to do and will do now, then looking away for twenty minutes. Yeah.
Despite being my longest chapter now, this could have been even longer, seeing as I altogether removed one 1,500 word scene and redid another 2,000 word scene with a shorter one that had a different tone to it. Though in all honesty both of these things needed to occur, and I am much more satisfied with how this chapter came out.
For some reason, even though this chapter in particular took much longer to write and is marginally longer than any of my others, I don't know what else to say in these authors notes. Huh. Well, I suppose it happens to the best and the worst of us. (Guess which I belong in for five Schneenopoly Lien.)
-YearsLate