hey everyone! How's it going? Fortunately for me, no homeworks been assigned for the rest of the week since finals are starting mid-next week. So in basic terms, I've had some free time on my hands today and yesterday to work on this chapter while also studying diligantly for my exams (thank god for study hall). On another note, I might have another chapter added either Saturday night or Sunday morning. And when winter break comes along, I'll have more time to work on the chapters and then release them to you, my humble audiance. Please enjoy this chapter presented by yours truly.
Chapter 4: The Burdens of Leadership
They had all been gathered in the auditorium right by now. Ruby and Jaune insisted on Dante going to the infirmary, but he declined. He didn't need it. He wanted to see the official teams. Professor Ozpin and ms. Goodwitch stood on the stage as images of the first teams formed.
"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the Black Bishop Pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team CRDL. Led by...Cardin Winchester." Announced Ozpin.
Everyone gave a small round of applause as team CRDL left the stage.
Ozpin continued forth, "Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie."
The four took the stage in front of Ozpin.
"The four of you retrieved the White Rook Pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team JNPR."
Nora happily hugged Ren.
"You will be led by...Jaune Arc."
Jaune was surprised. Shocked if one would say. Him? A leader? That's what everyone else was saying in the crowd. All except for the people he fought with in the ruins. Dante didn't see it at first, but he understood.
"Congratulations young man." Said professor Ozpin.
Pyrrha smiled as she happily bumped Jaune in his shoulder with her fist, briefly knocking him down. They were about to take their leave before team JNPR was stopped by Ozpin.
"Just a moment if you please."
They all took steps back, leaving room on the stage.
"Blake Belladona, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the White Knight Pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team RWBY. Led by...Ruby Rose."
A large round of applause sounded through the auditorium.
"I'm so proud of you sis!" Said Yang as she hugged Ruby.
They too were about to leave, but like team JNPR, team RWBY was stopped as well.
"Now... this year, we have decided to do something very interesting in particular. We will select two of the formed teams and their leaders to be headed and commanded by one single person. The current team leaders will be formed as co-leaders." Announced ms. Goodwitch.
"Step forward...and take the responsibility of leading both these teams and the co-leaders for the four years you are here. Since you retrieved the White King piece, please step forward...Dante."
What?! Me? Why would he-?! Oh damn! That's why! He purposely set that king piece! He knew somehow I'd get there first! He did have plans for me! What's he up to?! I've got no choice. Better to accept than to make a fool out of myself.
Dante stepped onto the stage as professor Ozpin extended his hand. Dante extended his hand as well and shook with Ozpin.
"Congratulations young man. Lead your teams with honor and courage."
"I'll be sure to do so." Replied Dante with a fake smile.
"Things are shaping up to bean interesting year." Said Ozpin.
They were all gathered around a table in the dining area. Teams RWBY and JNPR all sat around Dante.
"You promised us answers. Now is the best time. How did you do what you did to that second Nevermore?" Asked Weiss.
"Right...like I said, I owe you guys an explanation for that craziness you saw. You can choose to believe me or not, but I'm asking you guys as the leader of both teams to try to believe me."
"What's so hard about believing what you're about to say?" Asked Ruby.
"It's just...complicated to people who haven't heard it before."
"Well...tell us then." Said Pyrrha.
"I'm not really allowed to tell you guys this, but at this point it really doesn't matter. There are more worlds out there than this one, more universes."
"Meaning?" Asked Yang.
"Like I said, different worlds with different people. I used to live on another world with my friends. That was until I came here weeks ago."
"And why did you come here?" Asked Blake.
Dante sighed a bit, recalling the memories of that grueling fight.
"Weeks before I came here, I used to have incredibly strong powers. During that time, I did battle against an extremely powerful god. He had in his possession an ancient artifact believe to be either sealed away or lost. It was know as the Gem of the Ancients, a black gem that held millions of souls inside and was capable of adding more. With that, the god had power beyond anything he could imagine. I was trapped in his world for a short time, but then I managed to escape with the help of my guardian angel."
"Wait...angels exist?" Asked Jaune.
"Yes...and they come in all varieties. Especially mine. Anyway, the angel, and someone else tried to stop him, but in the end were nowhere near a match for him. They were swiftly defeated. I was the last one standing while everyone else was injured and unconscious. Apparently, everyone else wasn't able to sense him, which meant the god was way too strong. For a while, I despaired. I told myself I couldn't beat someone like him because of his power. I was the only one able to sense his large presence, which meant there was hope. But in order to defeat him, I needed to gain some more power. I traveled to the Central world, the world between all worlds. There, time was distorted and off track due to the gods powers screwing with the time flow. One hour passed there was one second in the worlds. So with that, I trained for about eight thousand, four hundred hours in order to gain more power that would make me stronger than the god and gained the one and only technique that would kill him."
"I headed over to my world shortly after and faced off with the god a final time. During the fight, we destroyed large parts of the land and injured each other, but none of our injuries were remotely close to killing us in comparison to what we did to the landscape. When the god evolved into his final form and injured me further, I found an opening and used my technique."
"And did you bust him up?! Make him look like a bruised banana?!" Asked Nora excitingly.
"Yeah. I did."
"So what did your technique do?" Asked Ruby.
"The technique focused all my powers into one single attack. With that, I killed the god and destroyed the gem."
"But that still doesn't explain why you're here." Said Weiss.
"About that...using my technique cost me all my powers. And apparently, the way I obtained my extra power was illegal, being the Central world is restricted from everyone, even the angels. So someone without power and broke a major law of the worlds had no right to live in the world I used to live in. I was exiled."
"Then what about what you did with the Nevermore? What happened there?" Asked Pyrrha.
"I have no clue. My guess is that my powers have strengthened and improved my body while I had them, resulting the event that happened in the forest."
"Or your aura." Said Pyrrha.
"My what?" Asked Dante.
"Aura is energy within people's bodies. It can be used to power your attacks, give you healing abilities, and help shield you." Said Weiss.
"Makes sense, I guess."
"What about your wounds disappearing? Aura couldn't heal a wound like what you had." Asked Yang.
"Just one of my abilities that will never disappear, even if I lose my powers. I can never die from injuries. But I can still age. And my bones are also unbreakable to anything."
"So basically you're unstoppable?" Asked Juane.
"Un-killable." Corrected Dante.
"So yeah. That's basically my story. I'm here to stay. And quite honestly, I do like it here. It's like this is the place I've dreamed about."
"We understand." Said Ruby.
"And we'd be honored for you to lead us all." Said Pyrrha.
They talked further and laughed and had a good time for the rest of the night before going to bed. Little did they know, Ozpin and ms. Goodwitch had been listening to their conversation from afar.
It was late during the night. He was reading the map in the dark room, plotting his next scheme. Roman Torchwick Roman had slanted dark green eyes and bright orange hair, with long bangs covering his right eye. He wore a black bowler hat with a red band, and had black eyeshadow around his eyes. Noticeably, he had extremely long eyelashes. Roman wore a red-collared white suit and a small gray scarf. He had black gloves with rounded sleeves, and had long black pants and black shoes. A man came inside the room with a large crate. Torchwick pulled out lien from his picket and handed it to the man. The man opened the crate as large amounts of Dust Crystals of different varieties and colors was present. Roman took one of the blue crystals and looked at it.
"We're going to need more men." Said Torchwick.
He awoke early, four in the morning to be exact like he always had. Today was the first day of classes and Dante wanted to make a good impression on his teachers, so he decided to read from his books for an hour to get an edge on the rest. Of course, he would need to stick with his team. Which reminded him, should he be waking them up by now?
No. Let them sleep in. Classes start at nine in the morning anyway.
After reading for about an hour, Dante had unsheathed Kokushibyo and practiced some techniques with his sword. He then switched to his sword to its greaves and gauntlets form, then finally its scythe form, being those forms are the techniques he needs to work on the most. He sheathed his sword and checked the time. Seven. He quickly ate some pancakes that remained from yesterday and took a nice, warm bath. After that, Dante brushed his teeth and dried his hair. It was still the same long, white hair down to his cheeks, all brushed down. He liked it that way. But eventually, he would need a haircut. That was something he wasn't looking forward to. Seven thirty. He opened his closet and took out the uniformed provided by the school. It was washed, cleaned, and ironed to perfection. To be honest, it was the only school uniform Dante ever enjoyed. All students were required to wear a uniform. Dante, as well as other males within the school, were supposed to wear black colored suits with a blue vest and white shirt with red tie. As he put all this on, he examined himself in the mirror.
Nice.
From what Dante remembered, the females were supposed to wear black long stockings, which were an optional component, a red plaid skirt, and a brown jacket with a tan vest and white shirt. With that, Dante took his mechanical sheath and latched it on. He checked the arm mechanism to see if it still functioned correctly by having the sheath move to the left side of his waist, then extend to his right shoulder on his back where it usually stayed. Excellent. Dante was ready. He gathered his books in one arm and looked at his room. His bed was made, the blinds of the windows were open letting in the sunlight, and his desk was organized for his studies.
It took him a while, but Dante managed to get to class. After asking directions and following people, he was relieved to be here with ten minutes to spare. He set his books down on a desk and waited. People had been taking their seats, telling Dante class was about to start. Now only Ruby's team and Jaune's needed to be present. Dante nervously checked the clock. Two minutes till class began.
Come on guys! Don't be late!
In a sudden instant, teams RWBY and JNPR crashed through the door a took their seats.
That was an...interesting entry.
The professor had walked in after them. This man was...strange. He was aged, a bit round in the middle, and had a ridiculously curled mustache. He wore a nice brown suit with good trimming and black shoes. The boards behind professor Port displayed various species of Grimm, King Taijitu, Kaiju Kong, Deathstalker, Beowolf, Boarbatusk, Nevermore, and Ursa.
"Monsters! Deeeemons... Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey! Ha-ha!"
This guys our teacher? Great, looks like I'm gonna have my work cut out for me.
Ruby and her team were seated in the front row, while Dante in the row behind them. Blake and Yang were sitting up and paying attention, Weiss was taking notes, and Ruby had her head propped in her hand as she took a quick nap until she wan woken back up by professor Ports bad joke, which received silence as a result.
"Uhhhh... And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! Huntresses..."
He gave Yang a wink, which she groaned uncomfortably at.
"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the very world!"
A student raised his fist in the back rows above, saying "Ayyyy-yep!"
He stood like this for a moment as everyone looked at him strangely before he sat down again embarrassed.
Seriously dude?
"That is what you are training to become. But first: A story. A tale of a young, handsome man... Me! When I was a boy..."
While professor Port was going on about his childhood, Dante was a lot more interested in his teams than the professors boring biography of his life. He saw Weiss noticing that Ruby was very focused on penciling the paper in front of her. Even Dante was interested for a moment.
"...Despite smelling of cabbages, my grandfather was a wise man. 'Peter', he told me..."
This story is getting really annoying.
Dante turned his attention back to Ruby, as she snickered at her creation and showed it to her teammates. It was a general ball-with-limbs-and-a-head drawing of the teacher with stink lines coming from him and "Professor Poop" written underneath. Dante, Blake and Yang were laughing, but Weiss looked annoyed beyond belief.
Uh-oh. I think the heiress might explode.
"Ah-heh-hem!"
Professor Port waited until he had everyone's attention again.
"In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero!"
He took a bow as Weiss slowly got more and more frustrated with Ruby's shenanigans.
"The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must be honorable!"
Ruby was balancing an apple on a book with her pencil held only by her index finger while making a silly face.
That's...actually impressive, thought Dante.
"A true Huntsman must be dependable!"
Ruby had fallen asleep again.
"A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!"
Weiss' rage was continuing to build.
She is going to explode next second!
Dante was tying to motion to Ruby for her to stop, but to no avail.
"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"
Weiss, still angry, raised her hand instantly and said, "I do, sir!"
"Well, then, let's find out!" he turned to gesture at the glowing red eyes surrounded by shadow shaking the cage that trapped the creature inside.
Well...there you have it. You explode form anger, and you're the test subject. Good luck Weiss.
"Step forward, and face your opponent!"
Weiss got up from her seat and went to change.
She came back in her combat clothes and took her stand in the center of the unknown monster continued to growl as Dante wondered, What could he be keeping in that cage? Whatever's in there, sounds immensely pissed off. Ah well, might as well cheer her on.
"Come on Weiss! You can do it!" He shouted.
Yang raised her fist, cheering "Goooo, Weiss!"
Blake was waving a small flag saying "RWBY" on it, "Fight well!" She said.
Where did Blake get that flag? thought Dante.
"Yeah, represent teeeeam RWBY!" Screamed Ruby.
Weiss lowered her sword and looked over at her with a menacing glare.
"Ruby! I'm trying to focus!"
"Oh, um... Sorry..."
"Allllright!" Said professor Port.
He stood next to the cage and pulled out his weapon. Interestingly enough, it looked like a cross hybrid of a pilgrims gun and a battle axe.
Thats his weapon?!
"Let the match... begin!"
The professor swung down and broke the lock, dropping the cage door and revealing a Boarbatusk inside, which immediately charged at Weiss. She used her sword to deflect its attack and rolled to the side, readying herself for its next move. The Grimm stood a distance away from its enemy, studying the girl for a moment.
"Ha-ha! Weren't expecting that, were you?" Said the professor.
That thing looks like its armored. Maybe if she-
"Hang in there, Weiss!" Screamed Ruby.
She was watching in suspense, as everyone else was while the fight between the heiress and the beast resumed. Weiss was speeding towards the oncoming Boarbatusk, sticking her blade straight at its skull until they meet and Myrtenaster was trapped in the beast's tusks. Weiss was still hanging on to the hilt, but was soon tossed around as she struggled to get the rapier free.
"Bold, new approach. I like it!" Said professor port.
Okay, I'm already getting sick of this guy.
"Come on, Weiss, show it who's boss!"
Weiss turned to glare at Ruby, only for the Boarbatusk to turn its head and rip the rapier from the heiress' grip. Myrtenaster landed far away from Weiss, who was knocked back by the creature's tusks.
"Oh-ho! Now what will you do without your weapon?"
Weiss looked up just at the right time to see the Boarbatusk to charge at her once more, rolling out of the way just in time to avoid getting trampled, making the creature crash into a desk. Weiss rushed at her sword and slide to get it back in her hand.
"Weiss! Go for its belly! There's no armor underneath-"
"Stop telling me what to do!" Screamed Weiss angrily at Ruby.
Dante noticed Ruby looked hurt at Weiss' comment.
You didn't have to be that mean about it.
The Boarbatusk leapt into the air and rolled into a ball, spinning rapidly and landing on the ground, consistently gaining speed until it launched itself at Weiss. It came closer and closer, but Weiss activated one of her blueish-white glyphs and blocked the roll, leaping up into the now-black snowflake symbol above her and turning it blue again. She then leapt from her glyph at lightning speed and drove the blade deep into the Boarbatusk's stomach. It squealed violently and fell silent after a couple seconds as Weiss gasped in relief.
"Bravo! Bra-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true Huntress-in-training!"
Weiss stood up at attention from her exhausted position and Ruby continued to frown.
Ah jeez. You made her sad. Nice going ice queen.
"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and... stay vigilant! Class dismissed!" Said the professor.
Weiss glared at Ruby then turned away, walking hurriedly to the exit past her teammates.
"Sheesh, what's with her?" Jaune asked Dante.
"If only I knew Jaune. If only I knew."
The remaining members of team RWBY looked at each other with the same question.
Weiss was still storming off, but Ruby turned a corner and managed to catch up with her. Dante was close behind, but stopped at the corner, realizing a confrontation was about to occur. If anything, I have to try to let those two resolve their problems.
"Weiss!"
"What?!" She asked.
"What's wrong with you? Why are you being-?"
"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? You're supposed to be a leader like Dante, and all you've been so far is a nuisance!"
"What did I do?"
"That's just it - you've done nothing to earn your position! Back in the forest, you acted like a child, and you've only continued to do so!"
"Weiss, where is this coming from? What happened to all the talk about 'working together'? I thought you believed in acting as a team."
"Not a team led by you. I've studied and trained. And quite frankly, I deserve better."
She turned her back on Ruby, who tried to reach out but dropped her hand with the following words, realizing it would be of no use as the heiress walked away.
"Ozpin made a mistake." She said to Ruby.
Well that went bad in just a couple of seconds. Okay, that's it. I'm going to talk to her! As scary as she is, I- oh god she's coming this way!
Dante hurriedly ran away from the scene and walked normally down the hall, hoping Weiss wouldn't notice him.
Did that work?
Dante turned around in a way that she wouldn't notice.
Nope!
"Dante! I need to speak with you." Said Weiss, still a bit angry.
"Um...okay. What about?"
"I need you to go talk to professor Ozpin about changing Ruby's role as co-leader."
What?! "Why?"
"Because she's immature! If anything, she's going to be a let down and a burden!"
"And what's that supposed to mean Weiss?" Asked Dante.
She only crossed her arms and made an angry expression. Dante knew what this meant. She knew she was going to get lectured. That was exactly the opposite intention.
"Come one Weiss. Tell me what's wrong and I could possibly help."
She relaxed a moment.
"Well...I think I should have been the co-leader of team RWBY."
"Well that's a...strange...proposition."
"What?!"
"It's only been one day Weiss. I don't think Ozpin made a mistake appointing Ruby the leader."
"But why?!"
"I may not have been here too long, but I know that however mysterious he is with his ways, I can somehow trust professor Ozpin with any decision he makes."
"So you'd blindly accept his decision even after seeing how exceptional I am?"
"Not to be rude princess, but your 'exceptional skill' is only matched by your snotty attitude."
"How dare you!"
"See what I mean? You know what I see when I look at you? I see you as someone who their entire life got everything she's asked for at the snap of her fingers."
"That's not even remotely true!" Dante glared at her.
"Well...not entirely true."
"My point is...so what? So what it didn't go the way you wanted it? You think Ozpin's going to change his mind if you act like a kid and throw a tantrum? Listen Weiss, instead of complaining about what you don't have, try taking of note what you do have."
"Then what should I do?" Asked Weiss.
"Helpful hint, try not to be the best leader. Be the best person you can be. And I know you can do it."
Dante gave her a pat on her shoulder and took his leave.
"Take care of yourself."
"Thank you."
"Huh?"
"Thank you. For your advice."
Dante smiled, "Your welcome."
Dante was walking back to his room, not expecting to meet Ozpin on the way.
"Uh...Professor!" Said Dante at attention.
"Relax Dante. No need for such formalities."
Dante sighed as he rubbed his head.
"How did it go with ms. Schnee?"
"How did you-?"
"Know? I did take into consideration she would be disturbed by my decision and expected her to speak with me when she had the time. I myself was actually on my way to speak to her. But it seems you've done so. Resolved the problem I presume?"
"Yeah...I guess."
"You hesitated for a moment. You have something else on your mind?"
Ozpin took a sip from his mug and waited. Something had been itching Dante's brain for a while now.
"What was the purpose of that little scheme of yours in the forest professor? Why select me?"
"You mean the white king piece? As ms. Goodwitch said, we decided to do something interesting for once."
"That's the problem. For once. Which means you have never done this before."
"And?"
"And I find it strange to give such a position to someone who only discovered Vale weeks ago. A newcomer. Someone who hasn't gone to any schools specifically for hunters and huntress'. Why?"
"If you're asking I made a mistake or not, I don't believe I made one when I made this decision. When I see you Dante, I see someone who has experience in battle and one who works extremely well with others. Not to mention one who is able to bring everyone together under one banner. I feel you have potential yet to be seen."
"I'm guessing you overheard my conversation with my teammates?"
"All of it. Which only confirmed my thoughts when I asked you to come to Beacon of your own accord. You say you had power at one point and then lost it?"
"Yeah..."
"I believe the opposite. Your power has not left you."
"But I can't do what I was previously able to do!"
"And I ask you young man...what does that have to do with anything?"
"Because I can't protect anyone if I don't have those powers!"
Ozpin questionably raised an eyebrow.
"People have died because I couldn't do anything. Because I was powerless. I gained power so that wouldn't happen. So I wouldn't have to go through something like that ahain."
"That incident with the Nevermore-"
"I was this close to losing her professor! This close!"
"I see you've become a bit attached to ms. Rose."
"No, I-"
Ozpin only have him a stare, almost telling Dante, You can't fool me.
"She didn't die. No one did. You brought your teammates back alive without the slightest care of your own safety. And that's all that matters. You say you're weak because you're not as strong as you were before? If anything, I believe you are stronger now than you were previously. Both mentally, and physically."
Dante fell silent for a moment.
"Stand up Dante." Said Ozpin.
Dante stood up slowly.
"I want you to promise me, that you will not let harm befall your friends, your teammates. That you will always grow stronger, and hold onto your beliefs of good will and justice."
He held his hand out to Dante.
What do I do? Should I accept?
He hesitated. Can he keep that promise? He took a deep breath.
Yes. Yes I can. I'm not a little kid anymore. I can do this!
"Alright then, we have a deal."
"Excellent. Do continue with your studies, your skills and your leadership. And don't let ms. Rose be too much of a distraction Dante."
Dante blushed a bit, but then took a deep breath, relaxing as the red in his face disappeared.
"Professor?"
"Yes?"
"These girls are going to kill me eventually aren't they?"
"Quite so." Said Ozpin as he took his leave.
That felt, refreshing. He remembered words form weeks ago...new life...new people. Enjoy the moment. And that was his exact intention.