Atlas Academy Airport, 11:50 A.M.
The Teachers watched intently as the students began to scramble across the vast area of Atlas Academy airport. In particular, a certain bespectacled woman stood beside Ironwood and Summer seems to be the most interested, and amused.
"Do you believe in chance?" She suddenly asked.
"I believe chance is something that exist." Ironwood said firmly, "But not good enough reason to bet the future of hundreds of my students on."
The woman scoffed, "And yet you'd rather believe in this pesky little thing called matchmaking software."
"If it ain't broke." Ironwood gestured almost nonchalantly, indeed, it was like he's almost tired having to deal with the Schnee witch, and lost all semblance of hard edges he acquired from decades of military service. Seriously, she couldn't possibly be more different than the daughters she raised. They're all so serious and straitlaced, in comparison to their carefree and sometimes seductive mother.
Which is a good thing really, if only to counteract whatever poison Jacques put in his children's daily life. Besides, if not for her attitude and lack of military ties, Cereza Schnee could be a headmaster material herself.
Summer Rose tilted her head as she fixed the collar around her neck, as much as she applaud their sense of style, Atlesian teacher uniform are way beyond what she'd call comfortable. Oh well, if her daughter complain she can suck it too, it's a small price to pay.
She'll be sure to take a visit to the school tailor later.
"So what was he talking about, if I may ask?" Summer asked.
"Oh nothing much." The dark haired tall woman reached for the shorter woman's shoulder and whispered, "As you may aware, Beacon use randomized method of matchmaking when it comes to partnerships and team placement."
Literally throw things off a cliff and see what will stick, Summer nodded, that tradition has yet to change even though it's been almost two decades since she graduated. "Yeah, I'm well aware of that, Professor Schnee."
"Well we Atlesian do it differently. We use software analysis on our prospective students and pair them based on personal compatibility above anything else. The results should be accessible to the academy staff now." Ironwood explained, "And I assure you no one will be disappointed."
"Who is he trying to convince?" Summer scoffed as she expand her scroll. "Let's see who my little hoodie being assigned with-"
[TO SHINE IN MEDIOCRITY]
The Story of Atlas Hunter Academy
By
ZeroXSEED
Chapter 07 - Landing Strategy
Atlas Academy Airport, 11:55 A.M.
"Looks like we're assigned to different team huh." Jaune said in dismay as he saw the number on his scroll, he and Weiss did show different number, or rather, motif. The students participating in the initiation would've received such marks that told them which transport to take.
"Well what can you say, welcome to Atlas academy." Weiss rolled her eyes aside, "So... it might be a little late to ask but... what kind of girl is your sister?"
"Well... strictly speaking you don't really have to worry about her abilities." Jaune made final adjustment on his recoiless rifle, "She's definitely stronger than me."
"That doesn't tell me anything, Jaune." Weiss shook her head exasperatedly.
"She can be a little impulsive, headstrong, overconfident, a little dumb sometimes... kind of like me but with even worse temper." Jaune chuckled, "I can't tell you much, after all we've been drifting apart ever since high school become a thing."
Weiss gave up trying to comprehend him as both of them split toward their own transport aircraft.
Naturally, students would gravitate to each other willingly or not. The method might be different, but the goal is the same. Even without considering the extremely computerized and mechanical method, Weiss already know the possible members of her team.
After all, there's no such thing as coincidence. As a member of the Schnee household, Weiss had been taught that as far as she could remember. No matter how small, if something can happen, it can happen.
Logically, Weiss would expect her current team to be the most unlikely, and yet, here she is sitting with three of the most quirky students she met. Her first impression of them wasn't exactly stellar, but it's not like she had much to show either.
After all, he had even less confidence in her abilities than Jaune Arc. Weiss knew, she fully knew what she can achieve, but the ghost of her defeat, which left her with massive scar around her left eye, still continue to haunt her even now.
"So what exactly initiation is about?" Neptune asked, "People kept their lips tight about it no matter how much I asked."
"Meh, it's probably just accomplish an assignment or two." Neon stretched her fingers shortly before she tied her bright orange hair into twin tails arrangement. "You don't have to worry about anything. Lol."
Jeanne fixed the position of her tiara, "Want to bet how long until some students ran from an Ursa? I'll wager on fifteen minutes."
"Sucker's bet." Neon snorted, "Ten minutes."
"We're about to head out there in the wilderness and fight enemies of humanity, and you girls are joking about other students running away." Weiss still cannot believe she assigned to this team, of all things. Weiss looked at the only boy in the group in the small hopes that he would, at least, be less laid back about it.
Neptune shrugged and flirted in response, "You're just nervous, Snow angel. We'll be fine."
And then there's this dunce...
Still, Weiss can admit, their mental fortitude is indeed top notch. Combat school or not, the fact that they look so calm in the face of unknown test is a strength on it's own. A lot of students that Weiss personally knew to came from Alsius would boast all their way to high heaven right now, and yet run in the face of actual Grimm, and that wouldn't be shocking to her at all.
She just don't want to admit it.
Perhaps Neptune was right, perhaps Weiss really was the weakest link in this team.
That need to be rectified post haste.
"So, Weiss, I know it's kind of random but did you meet Jaune before?" Jeanne suddenly become unusually serious, "You know, just in case the half-scarf wasn't obvious enough."
"... I don't remember the details anymore, but... we had fun, and the impression kind of last." Weiss chuckled, "But that's that, neither of us actually knew each other beyond that. We didn't even remember each others' names until recently."
"Childhood sweetheart huh, I'm kind of jealous." Neon teasingly laughed, "Careful Jean, someone going to steal your dear bro."
"Ha, ha, ha, very funny, Nyan Cat." Jeanne snarled, then she became quiet and had to confirm, "...she's joking right, Weiss?"
"As far as I'm concerned she is, I am not romantically attracted to your brother." Weiss put on emphasis, seeing as this conversation can only get dumber. "Besides how should I know if he's even single?"
"Well we could ask..." Jeanne raised her scroll, seriously contemplating to call.
"Or we could stop talking about your brother until you have a good chance to speak with him alone, I'm sure he'd appreciate the privacy." Weiss cut her off and pushed her scroll away. Seriously, Jaune wasn't joking about Jeanne being a little dumb. This is way beyond socially clueless, this is just daft. Is being socially insensitive inherent with the Arcs, or just the siblings that share it?
"D'oh." Jeanne slapped her own face in realization, "Sorry, I'm so excited to meet him again after all these months missing out."
"You'll get all the time you need, bro-lover." Neon assured her, "As soon as we get out of this alive and intact."
"I'm just worried about him alright!" Jeanne protested with reddened face.
And with that, the bullhead engines roared ablaze, dozens upon dozens transport scrambled in different direction, carrying the assigned fresh batch of students to their destination. The entire airfield of Atlas Academy filled with deafening echoes of the metal birds and their jet engines. The noise was intense enough that any lesser soldiers would not survive without their helmet filter, for aura can only help so much to make you comfortable.
And yet, some of the passenger doors were left open, as if some of the students tried to exchange a look with each other for the last time.
That's exactly what happened with Jaune and Weiss.
Jaune sat on the edge, feet hanging, as his twenty seven millimeter bore cannon rested on his lap, grinning all the way. Behind him, Ruby and Penny both waved their hand at Weiss. Weiss returned the wave halfheartedly, it's not like they're friends or anything, but at the very least she could be courteous about it.
Then Jeanne had to barge in and shout as loud as she can. "SEE YOU LATER, JAUNE."
"You know he couldn't hear you even if you shout." Weiss said as she tightened the hat flaps around her cheek. Partially to cover her ears from the cold, but also from the engine noises that has been ringing aloud at the moment.
"He'll get it anyway." Jeanne sad, excited, "Oh my God, this stupid exam can't be finished soon enough."
Weiss slid close the door, finally shielded everyone from the harsh weather and the noise. "It should be around this time we receive a briefing."
And their scrolls simultaneously rings as they receive a video feed from none other than Ironwood himself.
"[I'll be brief, your mission today will be Search and Retrieve. A rocket locker will be launched into the general area where you landed, and your task is to retrieve the item held within the locker and bring it back to rendezvous point. You have time until the sun set, and you only have one rule to follow: Survive. That's all.]"
"Oh boy. Search and retrieve huh." Neon licked her lips, "Might actually be harder than it sounds, with all this snow."
"But it's always snowing in Atlas right?" Neptune pulled down his goggles.
"Well, that depends." The cat faunus said, "Most of Southeast Atlas is covered in Alpine forest and Taiga, while southwest Atlas covered in swamp and marshlands. Seeing as we're going north, we're likely to face a frozen woods more than anything else, if not outright lifeless tundra."
"Finding a single locker in such situation is likely going to be difficult, but I'm sure the school already took that into account. Initiation never last more than few hours, not in the history of Atlas Academy." Weiss nodded, "Neon, you seems to know more about the region than the rest of us did. Can we ask your help?"
Asking for a help... from a Faunus, but the sheer low Weiss Schnee will go to achieve her redemption, this much is nothing. Pride rewards nothing without proof, and Weiss will prove that she's worthy of Schnee name.
"Of course, we're going to be a team, it's for my own good too." Neon said as she hit Weiss on her shoulder.
"I'm so lucky to be paired with you ladies." Neptune said, "Honest."
For the most part, the fact that they seemingly immune to his charm is... good, kind of underwhelming, but good. He really, really don't want things to be awkward with his team.
"Betcha you are." Jeanne grinned proudly, befitting her lioness ears.
"[It's two minutes until destination, I suggest you kids prepare your landing strategy.]" The pilot warned, "[And yes, I do mean you get to jump out of this transport. School tradition you see.]"
"Oh you got to be kidding me." Neptune rubbed his hands in anticipation.
Jeanne mockingly crossed her arms, "Why? Is our little sea prince afraid of heights?"
"Not even remotely true." Neptune said as she slid open the cabin door, rush of cold air blasted the rest of the passengers as he courteously bowed. "Ladies first."
Weiss waste no time as the first one to launched herself away from the transport, three hundred meters in the air. Jeanne and Neon soon followed, and Neptune just a little behind. In contrast to Neon and Weiss who preserved their airtime by gliding, Neptune and Jeanne both plunge straight away toward the ground without slowing down.
Weiss wondered what exactly their strategy was.
Neptune pulled something out of his belt, some kind of paper? he threw it ahead of himself and the paper turned into what looks like a floating circle that he step on and bounce from. Glyph? No, it's different. Glyph arts, an ancient method of systematically utilizing and shaping your own aura into something solid, and Schnee siblings being somewhat exceptional for mastering them at very young age, what Neptune did was similar, but different.
Mistral Style Calligraphy huh...
Still, Weiss cast a glyph with her sword and bounced on it too. The circular Schnee symbol was silvery white, like the color of her aura. And Neon just landed on all fours without so much as fanfare.
In comparison, Jeanne just smashed the mountain full speed without even so much as dampening her impact, which result in several meter long, deep trenches and small hill's worth of snow.
"That was awesome!" Jeanne said she she exploded out of the pile of snow she made. "Hows that for landing strategy?"
Neptune shook his head in disapproval, "1/10 will not follow." Neon commented.
"What strategy, Jeanne Arc?" Weiss asked incredulously.
"Screw you guys you cheated." Jeanne pouted.
"I didn't, you just suck at using your faunus senses." Neon gave her a red eye and stuck her catlike tongue out.
Initiation Area B22, North Atlas, 12:20 A.M.
Sometimes, one might forget that Snow is softer than sand.
P was definitely one of them.
"Landing strategy my ass." He grumbled as he, Ruby and Ciel had to grab Penny's hands, as her whole body sunk to what basically a whole pile of snow. "Penny, why didn't you use your jetpack equipment?"
"It's under heavy maintenance, the last fight with the possessed knight broke it. And my drone swords, has software problems." Penny said stiffly as she pat the snow off her clothes, "Buster Sword is the only available weapon to me right now."
Jaune looked at the massive sword that hung to the left of her shoulder, it doesn't look too heavy honestly, maybe half of his own recoiless cannon at worst. So that means it's her prosthetic that weighed her down the most. Still, penny wouldn't really have a problem landing with her jetpack, unfortunately.
"Pssh, Penny, what's your prosthetic made of anyway?" Ruby asked, "No offense but it's like pulling a mule out of mud."
Penny was quiet for a moment, then her father, through the spider drone n her back, informed her something. Penny decided to answers, "It's made of 100% Dinochrome."
"... Seriously?!" Ruby and Jaune balked in uncanny moment of resonance.
No wonder Penny weight like twice as much than she appears.
"It's certainly pretty unusual." Ciel commented as if there's nothing actually wrong with the implication, "Dinochrome is very durable, but it's twice as heavy as Durandal alloy, certainly not something you want to use for prosthetic usually."
"I don't really mind." Penny said as she clenched her hand, casually pulverizing a fist sized rock with her grip, "Dinochrome makes for more powerful prosthetic despite the weight issue."
"Well if you say so, careful with the snow though." Jaune chuckled.
"Never seen snow this thick in my entire life." Ruby said, "It'll be really hard to fight in this area, at least the ground aren't that steep."
"Then let's avoid needless fight." Jaune said, "Ciel, Penny, do you think we should go downhill or uphill?"
"Why didn't you ask me?" Ruby protested.
"You're not from Atlas." Ciel said matter-of-factly, and it kind of hurts, but Ruby let it slide. "In my opinion, we should go uphill. That way we could still maintain awareness without missing anything. But I'd rather have consensus, since we might miss things that hidden by obstruction below."
Ruby cocked her carbine, "Let's do it."
"I have no complaint." Penny raised her hand.
"You heard them." Jaune nudged his head, then bent a red glowstick and threw it upside a big rock to mark their landing position. "Just in case we need frame of reference."
Ciel would say it's a good decision, but she decided to kept quiet. With her assault rifle in hand, she lead the way on the top of the mountain. The cold wind wasn't that fierce even in this high altitude, though the thin, moist air can be uncomfortable even for people with highly trained aura. Atlas sure didn't play around for the initiation, the terrain and weather alone could actually kill untrained people.
It is really hard to spot gray metal boxes on a field where everything is so white.
At least they don't have to deal with alpine forest.
"Say, did they ever tell us how far usually we dropped from the target?" Jaune asked.
"They don't." Ciel said firmly.
Ruby squeezed her eyes in disbelief, "...did they actually want us to get lost?"
"I highly doubt that Ruby, Atlas won't give us an impossible mission without frame of reference. There has to be some kind of clue." Penny humored her, or at least, tried, what with her monotonic voice and all.
It wasn't too long until a message came out on their scroll, telling them to go downhill instead. This of course made Jaune and Ruby felt dismayed, but Ruby especially. "Are they joking or what? Now we should go down?"
Ciel pulled a Binocular out of her vest pocket and began to slowly search the area under them. She switched to infrared, hoping that maybe there's some heat signature left from the rocket locker. She switched back to normal vision, and managed to spot a smoking object, she switched to infrared again and notice the signature was strong.
"Six hundred meters down to North." Ciel called out, "And lots of Grimm around it."
Jaune sighed as he pulled his recoiless cannon out of his back and unfold the barrel, making the whole gun longer than he is tall. "Just our luck."
"Stop whining Jaune." Ruby unfold her carbine into scythe form, "And kill them all."
"Well, I will but... alright, how fast you guys can go down this slope. Penny?"
Penny whipped out her legs and her shoes now equipped with a small set of skis, "Very fast all things considered."
"Oh good, me too." Jaune said, then looked at Ruby and Ciel. "You guys can keep up?"
"What? You think you're faster than me?" Ruby snorted and waved her hand, "As if."
Ruby was forced to eat her words when she was forced to use her semblance just to keep up with the other three as they slid down the mountain seemingly without problem, sure, her semblance allowed her to go momentarily reach hundreds of kilometer per hours... but only for a fraction of second, and it cost her a lot of energy to do so. She had to run her way down on her own pace.
And in this snow, it's a total pain.
Ruby yelled, "How could you do that?! That's cheating!"
"Using aura to reduce friction is basic of the basic when fighting on the snow." Ciel answered her.
"Excuse me for living in a place where there are actually four seasons!" Ruby shouted in protest, "Never saw or heard such thing in Patch!"
"Well she's not wrong, I don't know people actually do this outside Vacuo." Jaune said, "Since there are sands everywhere, sliding has been a staple of mobility training in the Militia."
"...fine then, could you at least make it flow on an object you can ride on? Make the aura flow smooth and gentle, and you might just get it." Ciel told Ruby.
Ruby kicked a dead log and then put as much aura as she could on it. The log began to descend at measurable velocity, though still moved erratically for her comfort. Still, at least she no longer have to run.
"Phew... this is actually easier than I thought." Ruby said as she use her scythe both for safety grip and as aura conduit. Her log stopped right when they reach the base of the mountain and she had to jump, while the other three keep going after that.
Still, they're not moving as fast as before, so Ruby can now keep up more easily. Ciel and Jaune both looked at Ruby with some sort of astonishment.
To get that right on the first time... she's truly a genius. Jaune thought inwardly. She deserved to be here far more than I did.
"Okay, on my signal." Jaune aimed his cannon and aimed at the largest Ursa in the Grimm's group, the bearlike monster couldn't be more oblivious to their presence. However, once Jaune pull the trigger, all bets are off.
"Clear back!"
As the first shell launched, the ground rumbled from explosion for a moment before the saboted tungsten shell struck the target and splatter the Ursa's upper half into pieces. However, the hardened penetrator dart did not stop there, as the shell exploded into dozens of sharp fragments that kill the smaller Grimms behind it.
"Sweet mother of all Gods, Atlesian ammunition is awesome!" Jaune shrieked in excitement, while Ruby just left agape in shock. "What the heck just happened?!"
"FAPDS, also called Frangible Armor Piercing, designed to emulate high explosive armor piercing warhead with purely solid kinetic component. They explode into shower of fragments that would harm everything behind the strike plate. Normally it wouldn't really kill that many Grimm from the secondary effect, but his aura reinforcement made it possible." Ciel explained.
Jaune grinned manically, when he finally realized just how much power he actually wield on his personal weapon. "I could even kill a Goliath with this!"
"Jaune, be careful with your Aura." Penny warned, "Do you feel tired?"
"Not with just a single shot no." Jaune shook his head, did Penny noticed how he began to sweat in this cold weather? "It's definitely draining though, like, three times that of my previous weapon. I would have to conserve it, along with ammunition."
"Uh, guys, no time to talk." Ruby said when the Grimm group converged upon their position. Ruby changed her vector as five unusually muscular beowolves than the one she encountered in Patch began to charge toward her, and she swung her scythe to cut one of them.
She could feel some resistance as her aura-reinforced scythe hit their bone armor, they have thicker defense too, she thought in realization. These beowolves are different than what she usually see in patch.
"Ruby, don't stray too far!" Jaune called.
"Too late!" She backflipped to dodge angry Grimm's claw swipe and then fired her weapon, the recoil sent her four meters backward before she landed. Unfortunately for her, another beowolf appeared out of nowhere and smacked her aside. Thankfully she managed to deflect the brunt of the force with her scythe, but still, it was a close call.
"Going into close quarter alone, just how reckless that girl could be." Jaune grumbled as he faced his first Grimm to be fought in this continent, the black wolf opened it's fang in the effort to crush his face, but Jaune just broke it's jaw with the strike of his ammunition buckler. Jaune hit hard enough to twist the creature's neck and killed it from the impact alone, and the wolf fell unglamorously three meters away.
"How reckless indeed." Ciel said coldly as she fired her assault rifle in burst, though individual bullets was weak, her impeccable accuracy allows her to kill Grimm in very few shots.
"Ciel, could you help her?" Jaune requested, "Penny and I won't be able to keep up with her speed at this rate."
Ciel looked at him questioningly, then slung her rifle as she pulled a sabre out of it's sheath. "Sure."
Ruby managed to cut through third Beowolf through with some effort, not only their bone armor cover more spots, their muscle seemingly denser and thicker than the ones she encountered in her home. Though, much to her blessing, they're nowhere as fast.
So far, none of them managed to land even a second graze.
But Ruby found herself surrounded.
"...Uh oh."
Ciel came out of nowhere, landed on a beowolf's back and struck her Saber on their exposed nape of the neck, she managed to slice through cleanly with much less effort than Ruby did, despite Ruby had heavier blade in her disposal.
She knew about their weakpoints. Ruby told herself mentally. I just have to follow her example.
Ruby took the chance and hooked the blade of her scythe around the neck of a staggered Grimm, and then fired her gun to give enough push and decapitated it. The other grimm began to take some distance from her and Ciel, probably formulating some sort of crude plans to approach the two young, armed girls.
"It is unwise to go on your own." Ciel said the obvious as the headless demon wolf fell with a thud, "We are members of a team."
"The ones I fought before weren't like them." Ruby said in defiance, "I usually can defeat them alone."
"Beowolves in Atlas adapted to cold weather." Ciel pulled a large caliber pistol and shoved the barrel in another beowolf's eyes, and fired several times. The bullets struck the brain and blew the skull from within. "In the first place, this coldness benefits mankind more than them."
"Yeah, these guys are different in Vacuo too." Jaune said as he smashed another beowolf away, though he needed to stomp it several times for a kill, "The ones I fought were leaner and weaker, but much faster. Sometimes so fast I could barely see them."
Penny came in and sliced another Grimm in two with her huge sword, and then, she switched into gun mode and fired green scorching beam that blew a fist sized hole on the chest of a relative small Ursa. Though it wasn't instant kill, the Ursa staggered and weakened greatly as it bled. "Ruby, please don't go by yourself." Penny said.
It's not an order.
It's a request.
"Ugh, okay." Ruby moaned as she fired her scythe in succession to finish the Ursa Penny crippled. Thankfully, today she didn't forget to bring conventional lead shot.
"Penny, help Ruby to deal with the larger Grimm." Jaune ordered, "Ciel, you and me secure the objective."
"I am combat ready." Penny saluted, "Try to keep up then." Ruby winked shortly before she disappeared into cloud of flower petals. However, Penny's eyes tracked her movement thoroughly as she kept the buster sword in it's beam cannon form to support Ruby from a distance.
Jaune and Ciel slid across the snow toward the direction of the locker.
When a beowolf tried to block their path, Ciel blitzed it from aside and beheaded it with a swipe of her sabre. Jaune rubbed his eyes to make sure he saw the real thing, but... did Ciel just teleported? He sort of see a distortion though, so maybe something else. An illusion? Speed semblance?
Doesn't matter.
More and more Grimm show up, though thankfully most of them are of small sizes that can be dealt with ease. Ciel skillfully wade through them without even slightest bit reduction in running pace, and cut at least half the numbers in one go, leaving Jaune to wipe the rest with his fist and boots.
When Jaune stomped the last juvenile beowolf into it's death, they finally reached the locker. Jaune punched through the locker and ripped the door, to find what looks like a black briefcase inside. "Found it."
Their scroll beeped, and on the map of the mountain, was marked the landing zone.
Thankfully it wasn't as far as the first. Only about three hundred meters near the mountain's base, it's pretty close trip even by walking.
"Let's head back, I'm sure Ruby and Penny will receive same info." Jaune smiled.
Ciel nodded wordlessly as she went ahead of him, seeing as he's the one carrying the mission objective, she had to take the brunt of fighting on her own. However, there's not much in the way of Grimm left, and it's shown who caused that when a four meter tall Alpha Beowolf fell on it's face, with Penny on it's back, her sword went through it's armored spine.
Ruby then appeared with a blur of rose petals, bright innocent smile plastered on her face. "We did a good job right?"
Jaune patted her head gently and smiled, "Not bad for a fifteen years old."
"Hey! I drink milk!" Ruby protested and pushed his hand away, "Now that we get the box, we can go back ASAP."
"We should." Penny said, "Father said the weather prediction doesn't look as good as before."
Jaune wondered if Weiss' team managed to find their locker too. Hopefully they did before the weather get worse.
つづく
