Ch 10: The First Day
The shadowed figure was back to sitting down, a shard of black stone had erupted from the ground for it to sit down on. "So how do you want this to work?" it asked,"I start and then you, or the other way around?" Silder didn't know what was going on, he was in the room at beacon and then appeared here when he opened his eyes. "First off, where are we?" Silder looked around, the pit of corpses was next to them, and they stood near to one of the claws. He saw buildings in the distance but they were too far away to make out anything other building shaped blobs.
"Last I checked I was at Beacon, so what's this place?" He looked at the figure, it seemed like it was staring intently at him waiting for him to finish. The figure shrugged. "So you don't know where we are either? I thought you said you were going to answer my questions?" Silder replied, "Who even are you anyways?"
"Well, there's a question I might have the answer to." The figure stood up and walked to the edge of the pit, beckoning Silder to stand beside it. Silder hesitated the figure could see it.
"Really? I promise I won't push you in or anything like that, I swear." Silder walked to the edge carefully, standing beside it. The figure leaned over and put a hand over its eyes as if to block the sun. "Ah, there." the figure pointed inside the pit and Silder followed it.
At the part of the pit where the figure pointed there was a corpse lying face down wearing what looked to be the same gear as Silder, the only difference being that a large part of the figures right shoulder was smeared in darkness.
"Wait isn't that from...So you're... me?". The figure put a hand on its chin, "Well..not exactly, but I bet you'll figure it out eventually." Silder looked around the pit and saw a body that seemed crushed beyond any recognition. "So then what's your name?" Silder asked. The figure shrugged.
"How do you not know your own name?" Silder asked. "You've never given me one, and not like it mattered, typically you'd see me once and then forget so you're kind of on a streak here." it replied. "So what are you then? And what do you want?" the horizon started to fade into blue as it had before.
The figure noticed the change "We'll need to stop meeting like this and have a proper chat." it said. "But I'll answer that before you go. I suppose you could treat me like your subconscious, I really didn't care in the past." the sun began to settle down as the pulse began to stop completely.
"As for what I want it's quite simple. But I'll need to explain it in detail, no half-assed answers like I've been giving you now. Remember to bring it up next time, 'kay Mason?" The light blinded his view, blocking the figure from sight. "You still haven't properly answered anything and who the hell is Mason?"
Silder woke with a start to find himself on his bed. "You okay?" Silder looked and saw it was Deimos, He sat at one of the desks and had his scroll in front of him. "Just fine." sighed Silder. "You sure?" Deimos asked,"Cause you kept mumbling about someone called Mason.". Silder stood up from his bed. "Nothing, just a dream is all.". Deimos nodded, "Yeah dreams are weird. I had one where I was like running through what I think they call a lucid dream you know? And I was stuck in some weird purgatory looking place."
He paused as looked as if he was trying hard to remember something. "But I can't recall how it ended, dreams ya know?". Silder looked around the room and noticed that Hank and Sanford were absent. "Where'd the others go?" Silder asked. "They went ahead of us. We figured one of us should stay behind to get you," replied Deimos. Deimos stood up and walked towards the door. "Apparently we got a combat class we have to go to."
The clashes of weapons were already ringing out when they made it to the class. As they made their way to Hank and Sanford who were sitting next to teams RWBY and JNPR, they saw that in the arena was Jaune being thoroughly beaten by another student in plate armor wielding a mace. "You're late." was the first thing that came out of Sanford's mouth when he saw them.
"Don't blame us, it's not our fault this place is built like a maze," replied Deimos. "So whats going on?". Jaune made a valiant effort and locked his sword against the student's mace but was kneed in the gut and collapsed to the ground, the student mace raised high and was about to strike Jaune when a buzzer rang out. "Combat practice." said Hank. Glynda had walked to the center of the arena.
"That's enough Cardin," she said. She pointed at a screen that held the portraits of Jaune and Cardin. There was a bar under both of them with Jaune's being almost empty and red while Cardin's was Green and almost full. "As you can see class, Mr. Arc's Aura has dropped into the red. In a tournament-style match, this would signal that Jaune is no longer able to continue and that an official may stop the match."
Glynda looked to Jaune. "Mr. Arc, please remember to try and refer to your scroll. Gauging your aura will help you decide whether it's more appropriate to attack or defend. We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf would we?" Jaune stumbled to his feet and walked off to rejoin his team. Glynda looked at the students who were in the stands.
"Remember everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away! It won't be long now before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so remember to keep practicing! Those who chose to participate in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale!". The bell rung and the students began to shuffle towards the exit. "All right, we'll be taking a break but make sure to be back soon."
"Well at least we got to hear the announcement," sighed Deimos. "So what do you think about that Hank?" "About what?" asked Hank. "The tournament of course," replied Deimos."I bet we could get pretty far in it, we could probably win it too.". Team Wilderness had been walking alone for a while now, the other teams going off to do what they needed, they meanwhile had to visit the quartermaster for some much need supplies. "I don't know. We'll have to see," said Hank. "Sanford and I saw what some of the other teams were carrying."
"They have some crazy stuff," said Sanford. "Like shotgun gauntlets and sniper scythes, and that's just from the people we know". Deimos shrugged "We've faced crazier stuff before, what about you Silder, think we could do it?". Silder shook, he had been thinking about the figure from before and what it was. He saw the others looking at him, a puzzled expression on their faces. "You okay? You've kinda been zoning off for awhile now." asked Sanford.
"I'm fine, Anyways it'd probably depend on what they have." replied Silder. Deimos nodded, "I guess your right." he said. The group had continued in silence for awhile until some other students had passed. "Whats your thoughts about this Hank?" Sanford asked, "Yours too Deimos, but I can probably guess what you'll say.". Hank glanced at Sanford. "Are we still talking about the tournament?" questioned Hank, "Cause I already answered."
Sanford sighed, "No, about here, as in Beacon." he replied. "I've already asked Silder so I want your guy's opinion." Hank looked like he was about to answer when Deimos answered first. "Well, I'm just glad to not be dead anymore." Deimos said, "And this Huntsman gig seems easy enough. Say, you think we might meet some people here?". Hank looked at Deimos."What are you implying, Like the AAHW?" Sanford groaned.
"No, he means-" "I'm talking ladies Hank!' Deimos elbowed Hank lightly. "I'm just saying that if one asked I wouldn't say no, have you seen some of them? What about you Hank?" Hank sighed,"On the off chance that there's no AAHW here, I might care." he replied,"Might.". Hank looked back to Sanford, "Anyways, I guess it beats being hunted down and I'll leave it at." "Ah, you're being paranoid Hank! Sure there are monsters in the forest intent on killing everyone, but you need to lighten up!" Deimos said. "Seriously, I mean, whats the chance that anyone else from Nevada is around?"
The Sheriff sneezed, as did most of the personnel at his warehouse did. He'd been going over the recent reports of a "Smoke Monster" when he heard knocking on the door. "Come in." The door opened and a man walked in. He wore a black combat vest and had a dark gray shirt and pants on with black boots. His hair was a dark brown and his eyes were the same, he had a large box that was connected to a face mask that had an opening in it by a series of clips that hung around his neck.
"You wanted to see me sir?" the man asked. "Yes. Tell me Nathan, whats the worst thing that could happen to our organization?" questioned Sheriff. "The lack of demand for storage? Maybe the fact that other storage warehouses are lowering their rates to undercut ours?" Nathan replied. "No its- Wait, are they?" Nathan shrugged. "Anyways, no." said the Sheriff."It's those that want to stop our true goal, what we've been waiting for."
"I've gotten some reliable info that a certain group has shown up and that they've brought company." The Sheriff gestured to the folder he held in his hands. "And now we have reports that a certain someone has shown up around town." He lightly tossed the folder onto the table he stood next to. "All while some important guests are coming over. Do you know what that means?"
Nathan walked to the table, opening the folder. "That we're going to be back in business soon?" Nathan asked, "The old business this time?" The Sheriff nodded. "Yes, and the last thing we need is for some bumps in the road to stop us." Nathan was looking through the report, skimming through the details, when he backtracked to a singular point in the report. "They're back?" he looked at the Sheriff.
"Yes, I don't care how it's done as long as it's done quietly. If it shows up on the news, hell if it shows up on anything other than a confidential police report, we will be getting flak from you know who." The office was silent. Nathan continued to skim the report, slower this time to catch any important details. "So where are they now?" Nathan asked. "Somewhere we can't touch them." the Sheriff responded, "But they can't stay there forever. You'll have to catch them around town."
The Sheriff put a hand on Nathan's shoulder. "You know how much this means to us." he said, "That's why I'm trusting this with you, what happened in Atlas was a fluke," The Sheriff glanced at the folder. "If you cant manage it, don't worry, we'll have some more professional help around soon.". Nathan looked the Sheriff in the eyes. "What happened in the past is the past," Nathan replied. "I don't intend on repeating it.". The Sheriff grinned "That's why I trust you, You don't let the past drag you down."
The quartermaster building was virtually empty, there were a few students either tinkering with their weapons or using the nearby range, but otherwise, it was a ghost town. The resident quartermaster, a Mr. McKay going by a certain scythe-wielding huntress-in-training conversation when they were there earlier, was sitting at his desk reading what looked to be the next issue of the magazine they saw last time.
He looked up and saw that they were approaching and put his magazine down. "How can I help you gentlemen this time?" McKay asked. "We need some new equipment, ours is sorta broken." replied Hank. "I figured as much," McKay said, "Especially with those rifles I loaned out, Regular grade equipment just doesn't stand up to the rigors of Huntsman work."
"So getting crushed by a tower is a common part of being a Huntsman?" quipped Deimos. "Well you try to avoid that part the best you can, but yes, sometimes," replied McKay. McKay stood up from his desk, "Follow me." he said leading them towards a door with the sign, "Ext. Storage" above it. The door had a multitude of locks on, to the point of excess.
McKay bumped the door with his hand and it swung open. "Here, you three pick from this lot, you though," he said point at Deimos, "This way.". The room was filled to the brim with weapons of all shapes and sizes. Weapons were leaning against each other and some were laying in piles on the floor, a small stepladder was sitting against one of the numerous shelves that housed them.
Hank let out a low whistle, "How many weapons do you have in here?", They keep looking all around the room, the massive amount that filled the room was astounding, piles of swords and racks devoted to a single type of firearms were littered all around the room. "Eh, not quite sure to be honest." replied McKay, "Most of its personal projects, forging assignments, donated, and all sorts of other origins." He stopped at a small bench with some tools on it. "Give the rifle here." Deimos complied and give McKay the remains of the G36, "And the other one was lost in the collapse I presume?" Deimos nodded. "Well it could be worse, You three pick something while I work on this."
Sanford and Hank had wandered around the shelves of weapons, Silder following slowly behind them. He stopped when a glint caught his eye. He reached into a pile of weapons and brought out a pair of pistols with knives strapped to them like small bayonets. He looked them over, they seemed to have been a novice work as he saw that the knives had been poorly welded to the underside. He also noted that where the grips meet the receivers there was a cylinder that separated the two.
"You find something Silder?", He looked to Hank and Sanford. Hank was now carrying what looked like an MP5K and had a katana on his back while Sanford had picked up a new revolver. "Yeah." Silder saw a belt that was hanging on a chair close to the pile where he got the pistols and it looked like it was for them and put it on and saw that the pistols connected to it by some magnetic strips.
"And done! Here, I've swapped out the damaged parts and fixed the issues with the receiver, it should stand up to what ya need it do." Said McKay, handing the rifle back to Deimos. "Alright so when do we need to get these back to you?" asked Hank. "Don't worry about it, if you cant tell by this room I really don't need more clutter. By the way, I'll need to see that rifle again for a quick sec." Deimos handed it back and McKay flipped it upside down revealing a sticker that had gone unnoticed on the underside of the grip.
The sticker had the words "Advena Armories Commission" scrawled on it. McKay picked it off and took a look at the table. "I know," he said and searched it before making a triumphant sound. "Here we go! Now hopefully you won't have an issue with those Deathstalkers." He slapped a tube onto the bottom of the G13 barrel and handed it back. "Is that a grenade launcher?" asked Deimos.
"Indeed it is. Shouldn't have a problem with it on that rifle, it was made by the same company." replied McKay, "Call it a present for being full-fledged students." McKay looked over Hank, Sanford, and nodded before settling on the pistols that Silder had found. "Word of warning on those, when they were last inspected the knives were a bit loose."
They thanked him and went on their way towards their next destination. "Whats next?" asked Deimos, "Noon Combat class." replied Hank "And after that its Evening Combat class as well." "Then when is lunch? Or have we accidentally joined one of those child soldier programs like you see in comics?" Hank sighed. "In between the Noon class and the Evening class." Deimos opened his mouth to speak, "And before you ask why today is all combat classes it's because we have to get our team ranking in order."
"So that's one reason we got the new stuff then?" asked Deimos, Hank sighed once more and could feel the grin that Deimos had behind him. "Yes, because otherwise, we'd be fighting with our fists." They had gotten back to the classroom and seen that most of the other teams had already returned. They saw Ruby and her team as well as team JNPR, Jaune looking worse for wear, and went to sit by them.
Silder watched as a new pair of students walked into the arena and began to fight. He couldn't stop thinking about the shadow that he had talked to when his vision hazed and he rubbed his eyes. When he opened them he saw on the other side of the room sitting on one of the guard rails that separated the seating area and the arena, the shadow was watching the fight intently when it looked up and waved at him.
"Hey, Silder." He looked to see Hank standing next to him, "Come on we got called up." Silder looked back to where he had seen the shadow and saw it was gone. Silder and Hank made their way down to the arena and stood on one side while the board had lit up with his name and Hank's while the other side of it was still in the processes of selection.
The board stopped and Glynda announced the match. "The participants for this match will be Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee of Team Ruby versus Hank Wimbleton and Silder of Team Wilderness." The RW of Team RWBY made their way down to the arena with Weiss brandishing what looked to be rapier and Ruby unfurling a rifle into a scythe.
"A scythle huh, or maybe a rifthe I suppose." Silder's vision hazed again and he saw that the shadow figure was standing next to him. "Either way it will be interesting to see how it's used, never seen one before after all it." it continued "Can anyone else see you?" Silder whispered to it. "No, but then again not everyone is crazy like you are, I mean, you are talking to yourself." it replied. "Silder get ready." Hank had gotten his sub-machine gun out and went into a combat stance.
"What am I supposed to call you anyway?" Silder mumbled, "Unless you want to be referred to by Weird Shadow Guy." His sight hazed again and now he saw that the shadow had resumed sitting on the guardrail. The counter on the screen had begun to start and Silder drew the new handguns out and got into position next to Hank. "Well I suppose you can call me Mason since you seem so adamant about being Silder." it replied. The counter had then reached zero and signaled the fight when it spoke once more. "Oh, and if you could, can you shoot Hank in the back of the head while you're at it?"
Technically the order of school events is roughly around the middle of season one during Jaundice so we're roughly halfway through the season, yet I still have a bit more than whats cannon planned, after all cutting out characters and sticking them in places isn't what the most fun part about crossovers are.
As always leave a review if you have comments or really anything else.