Alright, now we finally get to the episode where the main characters interacted prior to the initiation. So this may not have any action but this means Ragna can interact with certain individuals.
Chapter 11: The First Step
*YAWN*
Ragna yawned as he walked to the locker room. While sleeping in the auditorium wasn't the most uncomfortable spot he has slept in (it was worse when he slept in trenches during the war, especially when it was raining) it was a problem as some o the students snored quite a bit which irritated him . He then got out and stretched his body out to get rid of any kinks so that way he wouldn't pull anything by accident. He soon saw the entrance to the locker room as plenty of students were gearing up for the exam, no doubt being ready for taking on whatever Grimm they'll encounter in the forest. Supposedly, there had been of some strong Grimm that had wondered into the forest as of recently one that was being a problem for the school stuff to keep a track of. Ozpin himself had texted Ragna about being on watch for when said powerful Grimm finally appears and to take it down with all possible haste.
'Well at least there will be something of a challenge for me. Killing stronger Grimm will no doubt help me show off where I'm at in terms of performance against them.' He thought.
"Oh I know! What if we keep as close as possible o each other and demonstrate to the Headmaster? No wait! That would only make people we are together together. "
He then turned his head to where the voice came from as he spotted two other walking into the locker room The one that spoke up as a girl with short orange hair and bright blue eyes, seemingly full of energy if her demeanor was any indication. She also had on a white top along with a black and vest over it and pink gloves on her hands. Shee also had on a short pink skirt and similar colored boots. The one she was talking to was a young man with black hair with with a streak of it being magenta and similar colored eyes. He had on a long sleeved green shirt with darkened patches on the front with a golden edge surrounding it that resembled something would have seen from someone who was from The Kingdom of Xian in his world, along with long white pants that made him look like a martial artist. He didn't seem all that bothered by the girl's constant talking as he appeared to be used to it.
He saw Ragna looking at him as the hybrid mouthed "I'm so sorry for you."
The young man simply shrugged as he smiled, no doubt telling Ragna that the young man must be able to deal with the girl's actions on a daily basis.
However, the martial artist almost reminded the hybrid of a certain someone.
'He almost reminds me of Kai.' Ragna thought with a slight smile on his face. He then walked inside the locker room as the others were beginning to get their equipment set up. He then pulled out his scroll as he looked into his texts. Ozpin had sent him a few recent texts that told him that he had sent him a weapon he could use during the entrance exam along with being used on missions as the Fang Hunter.
"Hey Blue, how's it going?"
Ragna turned around to hear the familiar voice and saw a certain fashionista walk up to him.
"Hey Coco. How's it going?" Ragna said as he the two shook hands.
"Nothing much, I see you're looking forward to the test." Coco said with a smirk. It was nice to see a familiar face here, even if it was just a single day that they met. He seemed like a nice guy, plus he could be someone she could work well with during the years she'll be at school. She did also see him at the auditorium yesterday argue with none other than Weiss Schnee before Ozpin did his speech. He definitely either has serious backbone or he just doesn't care who he chooses to piss off.
She thne looked around to see someone else she had run into before into before wasn't around anymore. "I'm guessing Amber must have gone somewhere else?"
Ragna simply shrugged. "Yeah, she's a bit of a traveler wondering around Remnant to see what she can experience. So anyway what's up with you?"
"Well, I ran into this girl who is a rabbit Faunus who was getting picked on by some racist jerks." She said with a smile. "Of course I showed them my weapon and they backed off without a fuss." She then motioned to her yellow briefcase in her right hand. "Check this out." She then clicked a button on the handle and her briefcase transformed into something that Ragna had been on the receiving end of several times during the War with the Empire . The briefcase turned into a large Gatling gun with a handle that allowed her to fire while moving.
Ragna then whistled, "Wow. That's pretty impressive." He then frowned a little bit. "However, I don't know if that will help you in close combat. I mean you could use it as a briefcase to hit your enemies with, but my advice is find something that could help you in CQC situations."
Coco changed her weapon back to its briefcase form as she put her free hand to her chin and thought. While she thought her weapon was alright on its own and wouldn't have given serious thought to it before, the hybrid did have a point to what he was saying. He struck her as an experienced fighter that had fought a few serious battles and was a veteran despite him being around the same age as her. Plus, she did think he knew what he was talking about and wasn't just saying it because of something like her weapon wasn't all that effective or her overall skill as a Huntress. He just said it as a friendly idea to help her out in the future.
"I think I'll consider it eventually Ragna." Coco said before she then smiled a little. "Oh, and don't worry I'm not going to blow it off."
Ragna then smiled in return. "Thanks Coco. Well I think I'll be getting my stuff together now. See you at the meeting point."
"Later." Coco said as she gave him a two finger salute as she walked away. Ragna then began to walk towards he own locker as saw the two young teens from earlier as they were close to where Ruby and Yang were.
"I know!" The girl spoke up again. "We'll have some sort of signal! Like a distress signal!" The girl then gasps loudly as she brought her closed hand down on her open palm, no doubt getting an idea. "A secret signal that only we know so we can find each other in the forest! Can you intimate a sloth?"
'Good thing Welkin isn't here or he'd try to correct her.' Ragna thought to himself. According to Matt, Welkin and David had both done talks with other students at the university when they had made mistakes about certain animals. This had gotten a few people annoyed due to their corrections, especially those who were offended by them doing it in the first place. However, it did make Ragna laugh a bit when the supposedly smarter Noble brats that claimed to be smarter then Welkin were made into fools due to his knowledge along Davids.
"Nora." The young man spoke up.
"Yes Ren?" The girl now named Nora spoke up.
"I don't think a sloth makes any noise." Ren said with a neutral face. He then brought out his weapons as he then slid them into his long sleeves, no doubt ready and available when he flicks his wrists to have them ready at a moment's notice.
Nora then held her hand to her chin as she thought about what her old friend said. She then smiled again as she spoke up. "That's why it's perfect! No one will suspect we're working together!"
Ragna rolled his eyes at the sight. 'I think I just found this world's version of Wendy.' He thought.
Ren however, gave his friend a small smile as he closed his locker door. "Anyway Nora, let's go."
The orange-haired young woman giggled as she followed him. "Not together-together."
Ragna couldn't help but suppress a chuckle as the two walked past Ruby and Yang. The two girls are preparing their weapons and loading themselves up with ammo.
"Wonder what those two are so worked up about?" Ruby asks as she sees the two walking past them.
Yang simply shrugs her shoulders. "Oh, who knows? So, you seem awfully chipper this mourning. Did something happen that put you in this mood?" She spoke while she was smiling.
Ruby got a little flustered from what her sister said. "What!? No! Today, they'll be no more awkward conversations or getting-to-know-you stuff. This time, I'll let my sweetheart do all the talking." She then pulled out Crescent Rose as she checked her weapon over before she chose to cuddle it against her face. This time, she would be able to show just what she could do with personal pride and joy.
Yang rolled her eyes as she smacks her head. "Well, remember Ruby, you're not the only one going through initiation. If you wanna grow up, you're gonna have to meet new people and learn to work together."
Ruby however, only grunted in annoyance. "You sound like Dad!" She then threw her weapon into the locker after she spoke to Yang. "Okay, first of all, what does meeting new people have to do with fighting? And secondly, I don't need people to help me grow up! I drink milk!"
'Hopefully you don't over drink and cause... certain things to happen.' Ragna thought to himself.
"Trust me Ruby, working with strangers and those you don't like is a possibility that will happen." Ragna said as he walked up to the two.
"Hey Ragna, what's up?" Yang said in greetings.
"Yo." Ragna said simply. He then turned back to Ruby. "Ruby, I get that you want to stick with those that you are familiar with and don't want to work with others as you think you can get better without help. However, there will come times were you'll need to work with those you dislike and put aside your differences. It part of learning to deal with people you wouldn't get along with plus learning how to deal with unique personalities. Trust me, I know from experience since I have to work alongside complete douchebags that I couldn't stand."
"Really?" Ruby said, not caring that Ragna was using some bad language. "What were they like?"
"Well..." Ragna said as he began tapping his right index finger to his chin. "Two of them were kill happy nutcases I kept fighting with off the battlefield until I finally scared the one I had the most trouble with to finally give it up after I got her to wet her pants in fear."
"He seriously did that?" Both sisters thought to themselves.
"Then their were these four racist pricks I had to deal with as well. One of them was racist due to her experiencing tragedy that caused her to lose her family because of terrible coincidence. Two of them were just utter and complete Assholes that only acted that away because they were both massive bastards." Then he gave a bit of smile. "Although one of them did have a fear of heights that I constantly used to against him to punish him for trying certain stunts. As for the final one, she just said that people like didn't have enough muscle on them because she taught that muscles were the most important thing in a fight."
"Wait, are you serious on the last one?" Yang said while putting her hands to her hips.
"Yep, she was that petty." He said with a shrug. "Honestly I kept having to put up with them until they finally got it through their heads after a couple of certain experiences. Then they mellowed out and stopped it with the racist comments and insults, or just made the insults in a jokey kind of context."
'Seriously, it still amazes me to this day that Rosie, Cezery, Theold, and Rosina finally gave it up. Granted I would have preferred it more if they did it sooner but a win is still a win.' He thought to himself.
"Oh really? Damn, sounds like you really must have had several jerks to deal with." Yang said with a little sympathy for the young man.
"Trust me, they were a real pain in the neck. Thankfully they ended up changing for the better, although it took a while for them to finally stop acting with their usual idiocy." Ragna said with a small smirk.
"See Ruby? If Ragna can grow in dealing with complete jerks, you can too." Yang said to her sister as she straightened out her hair. "Plus, what happens once teams are formed?"
Ruby then looked down with a bashful look on her face. "Um, I don't know... I'll just be on your teams or something."
"Ruby..." Ragna said while crossing his arms. He easily saw get how hard it would be for Ruby to get used to working with others outside of those she knew quite well.
"Maybe you should try to be on someone else's team?" Yang questioned her sister while further straightening her long hair.
Ruby then gasped as she crossed her arms as she glared at her sister. "My dear sister Yang, are you implying that you do not wish to be on the same team as me?"
Yang then put her hands in a defensive gesture as she took a little step backward. "What!? No! Of course, I do! I just thought... I don't know, maybe it would help you... break out of your shell."
"I agree with Yang here Ruby, you really need to break out of your personal shell otherwise you may not be able to reach the level of skill and confidence you could reach." Ragna said in a stern tone.
Ruby then pouted more. "What the-!? I don't need to 'Break out of my shell.' That's absolutely-"
"-Ridiculous!" Jaune unintentionally finished for her as he walked apart the three. "There's no way I put my gear in locker 636 yesterday! I would have remembered to count that high. Why does this have to happen today?"
"Don't worry Jaune, I'll help you out with finding your stuff." Ragna said as he walked behind the blonde haired young man.
"Oh really? Thanks Ragna!" Jaune said with a smile as the two walked past Weiss and the same red haired girl that Ragna saw yesterday. Ragna then chose to walk a bit more slowly as he listened into the conversation. He still had several problems with the heiress but he was interested with the redhead as he was wondering what she was like. Both of them were getting ready as Weiss had her rapier on her belt and the redhead had brought out her sword and shield as she attached them to her person.
"So, Pyrrha, have you given any thought to whose tam you'd like to be on?" Weiss asks, no doubt with an undertone of scheming from what Ragna could see. "I'm sure everyone must be eager to unite with such a strong, well-known individual such as yourself!"
The girl, know named Pyrrha then put her hand to her chin as thought about what the Atlasian girl said. "Hmm... I'm not quite sure. I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may."
"Well... I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together." Weiss said as a suggestion to the girl.
"Well, that sounds grand!" Pyrrha said with sarcasm that caused Ragna to smirk as he saw how much she didn't want to work along with the heiress.
'I like her already.' Ragna thought as he mentally chuckled.
However, said heiress didn't catch the obvious sarcasm and smiled. "Great!" she said until she turned and Ragna could tell that she was planning something to get her being more popular. He then stepped closer as he saw a more sinister smile on the girl's face.
'This will be perfect!' Weiss thought to herself. 'The smartest girl in class combined with the strongest girl in class! Together we will be unstoppable! I can see it now! We'll be popular! We'll be celebrities! We'll get perfect grade! Nothing can come between us now!'
He then saw Pyrrha roll her eyes at the sight causing him to chuckle a little. He then chose to finally speak up. "Planning on something that's going to fail completely Ice Queen?"
Weiss then stopped her line of thought as she saw Ragna behind her and got a little upset. "What are you doing here? Don't you have someone else to bother you annoying delinquent?"
"Depends, do you happen to know any other bratty and annoying heiresses around here?" Ragna said with a smirk.
Weiss then gritted her teeth in irritation as Pyrrha suppressed a giggle at the boy's bluntness. Weiss then turned to Pyrrha as she spoke up. "Pyrrha! Don't be supportive of him!"
"I guess she understands how greedy your plans are she's not interested in them." Ragna said, easily stating the obvious. He then turned to Pyrrha. "Sorry about this one. She clearly needs help to come down to Remnant as her mind is space right now."
"It's fine, I've encountered people like Weiss and know how to deal with them." Pyrrha said.
Weiss was now getting annoyed with how badly the heterochomatic boy was making her out to be. However, before she could speak up Ragna prevented her from speaking up again as he extended a hand to her. "Anyway, I'm Ragna Blaze nice to meet you face to face after seeing you yesterday."
Pyrrha took his hand and shook it as she spoke up. "Nice to meet you Ragna, my name is Pyrrha Nikos."
Weiss then cut in. "Wait, have you never heard of Pyrrha before?"
"What are you talking about Schnee?" Ragna said to Weiss.
"Um, hello? Pyrrha Nikos? She's a famous person from Mistral! She's accomplished so many things for her age!" Weiss said to the young man, seeing him as completely dense or oblivious to the redhead's accomplishments.
"Let me tell you two important things Schnee." Ragna said as he held up two fingers on his right hand in front of Weiss. "One, I judge people not by their accomplishments and achievements, but who they are as people. A certain good friend told me, 'behind every famous hero was a regular person.' He told me that they were just people that did what they did because they believed in doing something that was right or because they wanted to prove they could. So if I do end up meeting famous people up close and they show me that they are good people, I'll give them some respect. Secondly, I only give respect to people that show me they are good individuals. To me respect is earned, not given."
He then leans towards Weiss with a scowl on his face. "And since you having shown anything like that Schnee, I'm still going to insult and mess with you until you can prove otherwise."
Weiss was really starting to get annoyed by the brute that was making her life such a problem. While part of her wondered why he acted the way he did yesterday night with him telling her to show him that she is different from her father, she disliked how he was in fact continuing to insult her. The boy seemed to be enjoying himself in messing with her if the smirk on his face was apparent. It was the equivalent of being belittled by a superior, at least from what her older sister had dealt with during her time at Atlas Academy.
Pyrrha on the other hand couldn't help but be impressed by what the young man said about seeing famous individuals as people. She had always had the stigma of being someone that many thought was untouchable or unapproachable. Her status as both a prodigy and celebrity always made her seem impossible for most to want to just hangout with her or even speak to her regularly. It was refreshing to hear that there was someone that wanted to know her as a person instead of just seeing her for her accomplishments. Plus, it allow her to both see and understand more about this mysterious Huntsman, to see how he gained the eyes he has.
"Well thank you Ragna, I'm glad to hear that you have such a good mentality on how to judge people." Pyrrha said as she gave the young man a smile.
Ragna then blushed a bit at the praise that the redhead gave him. "Um, thanks Pyrrha. But really you can take my good friend for giving me that idea on how to think of people. He was a pretty great guy." He couldn't help but think back to his high class friend Matthew Siegfried who had told him that some time after Ragna had been taken into their home.
Then when he finished, Jaune soon walked on up to the three wondering where Ragna had gone, until he started to hit on Weiss. It seemed that Ragna's concern about him being incredibly dense had come true, which will no doubt make him somewhat of a butt monkey in the future.
"You know what else is great?" He said with a cocky smirk, "Me. Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you."
Weiss, of course, was annoyed by this much as she was yesterday. "You again?"
Ragna sighed as Pyrrha, who had taken an interest to the young blonde smiled at him as she stepped in front of the heiress. "Nice to meet you Jaune!"
'Pyrrha seems to be interested in Jaune, I guess because she wants to meet more people that don't care about her previous accomplishments.' Ragna thought.
Jaune however chose to ignore the redhead as he pushed her aside to talk with Weiss. "Yeah, yeah." He said in a dismissive tone. "So, Weiss, couldn't help but overhear your fondness of me the other day."
Weiss then sighed at what the boy said as she put a hand to her forehead. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" 'This can't be happening! Why is this clueless fool trying to hit on me? Is he really that dense?' She thought.
"Don't worry! No need to be embarrassed!" Jaune said in a happy yet also slightly caring tone. "So, been hearing rumors about teams. I was thinking you and me would make a good one! What do you say?" As he talked, Weiss kept getting more and more irritated by the boy, no doubt wanting him to shut up at this point.
Ragna then facepalmed again, groaning at Jaune for still not getting the hint.
Pyrrha then cut in as she tried to get Jaune's attention. "Actually, I think the teams are comprised of four students each, so-" She said until Jaune cut her off, this time trying to hit on Pyrrha.
"You don't say." Jaune said with a large smirk. "Well, hot stuff, play your cards right and maybe you could join up with the winning team." Pyrrha, of course, had a blush on her face due to both how close Jaune was to her and that she was actually being hit on.
However, before Jaune could continue, Ragna slugged him on the head hard. "OW!" The young blonde said as he held his hands to cover his injury as he looked to Ragna with a glare. "What in Qum's name was that for Ragna!?"
"Think with your head Jaune, not your dick." Ragna said bluntly. He should have guessed Jaune would have gone in that direction before he wanted to try and flirt with either girl. While he didn't get why Pyrrha was trying to speak with the young man, he knew that needed to step in before Jaune made the Spartan uncomfortable. Plus, he had seen a few guys act like Jaune that tried to hit on attractive girls in order to score with them, so he knew that he needed to stop it before Jaune did or said something that would make things worse.
Both Weiss and Pyrrha then blushed at the hybrid's bluntness. Weiss thought the heterochromia boy didn't know when to not to say such things without thinking, which would no doubt cause many like her to view him as a manner-less individual. Pyrrha on the other hand couldn't help but wonder if the boy always said what his mind was thinking. While she was impressed with his honesty for this situation, she couldn't help but wonder why he couldn't adjust his words to where they would know what he was talking about without stating it directly.
"Dude, seriously?" Jaune said. "Did you have to say it like that?"
"I call'em like I see'em Jaune." Ragna said, clearly not caring about what he said.
Weiss then shook her head as she glared at the blonde haired young man. "Before I berate that brute, Jaune was it? Do you know who you're talking to?"
Jaune was confused by what the girl said. "Not in the slightest Snow Angel."
Ragna rolled his eyes. 'Schnee's not into you, get the damn hint already.'
"This is Pyrrha." Weiss said while trying to lessen her annoyance.
"Hello again!" Pyrrha said while smiled cheerfully.
"Pyrrha graduated of her class at Sanctum."
"Never heard of it," Jaune said bluntly.
"I think it's an Academy at Mistral." Ragna said.
Weiss, while impressed the brute knew that, was getting annoyed by the blonde haired young man as she continued. "She's won the Mistral Reional Tournament 4 years in a row! A new record!"
"The what?" Jaune said nervously, still not knowing the information.
Ragna on the other hand whistled. "Wow, you're pretty good there Pyrrha. Nice to know I'll have a good sparring partner in the future."
Pyrrha soon gave a smile as she crossed her arms under her chest. "Is that a challenge Ragna?" She had rarely been challenged before by those who had the skill to back up their talk. Usually, unless they were people that were in tournaments, they happened to be rather cocky and think they could get famous by beating Pyrrha in a fight. Of course she had always beaten those that thought they were hot stuff and humbled them quite a bit. However, the young man in front of her had the skills to back it up if his eyes were any indication.
Ragna shrugged, "Depends on if you want to do it."
"Are you serious?" Weiss said while looking at the young hybrid with wide eyes. The young man must be foolish to challenge Pyrrha given her track record,since to Weiss's eyes the young man didn't seem all that skilled and must use intimidation based on him confronting her yesterday along with his boast to beat down her father. He had to be bluffing or exaggerating his own abilities. "Pyrrha is known as the Invincible Girl! You wouldn't be able to beat her unless you were a similarly skilled Huntsman!"
"Well that sounds like a challenge." Ragna said with a smirk. "So Pyrrha, what do you say to a sparring match during combat class? I'm game if you are."
"I accept." Pyrrha said, no doubt looking forward to a match with him.
"Pyrrha don't encourage this!" Weiss said, "This brute isn't worth-"
"That's where your wrong Weiss." Pyrrha said, cutting off the heiress. "Ragna here has the look of a warrior who was won several hard fights. I've seen a look like his before on those that had the ability and the confidence to challenge others without care of their opponent's reputations. If anything, you shouldn't believe his attitude makes him seem like he's arrogant and overconfident, because he isn't." She then turns to Ragna. "I'm right about you aren't I?"
"Bingo." Ragna said with a smirk. "I'll look forward to that match there Miss Invincible Girl."
"Likewise." Pyrrha said with a similar smirk as Weiss couldn't believe what she was seeing in front of her.
"Um, hello?" Jaune said while raising one of his arms. "I still don't know who Pyrrha is."
Weiss, at a losss for words at Pyrrha wanting to take on Ragna, turned her head to Jaune with a look of annoyance on her face as she spoke up. "She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!"
It was then that Jaune's brain remembered something and realized who Pyrrha was. "That's you!?" Then, he started to visualize Pyrrha on the front of a cereal box. "But they only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters!"
"Yeah, it was pretty cool. Sadly, the cereal isn't very good for you." Pyrrha said as Jaune's mental image fell apart.
"Seriously Jaune? That's were you recognize her?" Ragna said as he put a hand to his head.
"Oh come on Ragna! Am I really that dense to you?" Jaune said as he frowned at Ragna.
"A boulder is less dense than you Jaune." Ragna said with a sigh.
"No I'm not! I'm just... not as informed because I have other priorities." Jaune said, trying to defend himself.
"Sure you do." Ragna said sarcastically.
Weiss then stepped closer to Pyrrha as she gave Jaune a judgmental stare . "So, after hearing all of this, do you really think you're in a position to ask her to be on you team?"
Jaune then looked down, no doubt defeated due to Weiss really making him seem like an idiot. "I guess not... Sorry about that."
However, Pyrrha soon gave the young man some encouragement. "Actually Jaune, I think you would make a great leader." While he lacked the confidence that most would have at this point, Pyrrha could see that he did have potential to become something great given enough time.
"D'oh stop it!" Jaune said as he straightened back up with a little blush on his face. He was glad that was getting a compliment from a girl, especially one that was as famous as Pyrrha now that he knew about her.
"Seriously, please stop it." Weiss said to Pyrrha, "This kind of behavior should not not be encouraged!"
"Oh be quiet Ice Queen, if Pyrrha wants to encourage Jaune let her." Ragna said while staring at the Heiress. Weiss glared at him back, no doubt still angry at the hybrid that kept annoying her.
However, Jaune decided to push his luck as he continued. "Sounds like Pyrrha's on board for team Jaune. Spots are filling up quick. Now I'm not supposed to do this but, maybe I could pull some strings Find a place for you. What do you say?"
Weiss took a slight step back from Jaune, "Alright, that's a bit too close! Pyrrha, a little help please?"
Acting quickly, Pyrrha picked up her spear and threw it at Jaune. It caught onto his hoodie as he was sent into the wall, no doubt stuck. "I'm sorry!" Pyrrha apologized.
'Nice throw.' Ragna thought to himself. He then began to walk away to his own locker. "Well this was fun to watch, see you during the test Pyrrha."
"Good luck Ragna, and it was nice meeting you." The Spartan said as she gave the young man a wave.
Ragna then stopped in front of his assigned locker as he put in the combination that would open it. After the lock clicked open, he opened the door and saw a weapon that was no doubt for him. It looked to be an advanced rifle, no doubt a sniper or marksman rifle based on the scope. It had a slot to insert one of the box magazines that was also in the locker as well. It had a couple of what were called picatinny rails to help attach different attachments depending on the mission he would go on. It had a shroud with openings to help cool the barrel along with an adjustable stock.
He then saw a note behind the rifle which he pulled out.
"This weapon is called a M110A1 CSASS or Compact Semi Automatic Sniper System. It's a light but strong weapon, able to fire M80A1 Dust rounds that can punch through the armor of Beowolfs and with armor piercing rounds can punch through Ursas after a few hits. I have a bolt action rifle that I'll give you if you ever want to replace or old GSR-40 rifle or for use as the Fang Hunter. It uses a special scope that can adjusted fro 4x to 8x zoom for helping with longer range shots. Good luck during the exam and use this well." -Ozpin
Ragna smirked as he pocketed the note and took out the weapon. It felt lighter then any sniper rifle he had used back in Gallia, no doubt due to the materials they used as he felt out how heavy it was. He then pulled out the belt with pouches of ammo in it and clicked it into place on his waistline. Now he felt ready to take on whatever Grimm he would encounter in the forest.
'While I'm sure that I can use my Blue Flame to finish sooner along with killing any Grimm I see, I do want to see how the others fight so I can get a gauge on where they are compared to me.' He thought to himself.
Then Glynda spoke up through the intercom, giving an announcement to the student in order to prepare for the coming test. "Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."
Ragna then closed the door to his locker as he saw Weiss and Pyrrha walk by Jaune. He then saw Pyrrha motion her hand to her spear as it suddenly flew from the wall into her hand. For a brief second, he saw the spear flash black as it detached from the wall and into her hand. "It was nice to meet you!" The redhead said to the unlucky blonde haired young man.
"Ancestor did you see that?" Ragna mentally said to Lupa.
"Indeed, I believe her Semblance must be magnetism." The ancient Valkyria said. "You may want to be mindful since she could be able to push or adjust any of your attacks with Beowolf."
"Yeah no kidding." Ragna mentally sighed. "Although, that does make me think about what would happen if Pyrrha was in Gallia during the Imp invasion." The image of seeing Pyrrha use her Semblance to throw around Imperial troops or tear their weapons from their hands was entertaining for the young hybrid. Pyrrha turning the soldiers of the Empire into rag-dolls that could be tossed around and fly either into objects around them or be thrown into each other as they would get knocked into each other. He even imagined that Pyrrha would have been able to toss cars or even flip over a tank.
"Oh I know the guys in the squad would have payed to see that." Ragna said to himself with a slight smile on his face.
"I can easily see your train of thought with that idea even without seeing your thoughts, young pup." Lupa said while suppressing a giggle.
Ruby and Yang then walked up to Jaune who was understandably depressed that he struck out with two attractive girls. He had tried to use overconfidence to try get the girls to like him. He couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with him that caused his charm to fail, could it be something like using the wrong words, his hair not being slick, or that he came on too strong.
"Havin' some trouble there, Lady-killer?" Yang asked the young blonde.
"I don't understand." Jaune said with a frown on his face. "My dad said all women look for is confidence. Where did I go wrong?"
"Maybe calling her "Snow Angel" wasn't the best start," Yang said.
"I agree with Yang, going about it like that would make the girl your doing that on think negatively of you right off the bat." Ragna said as he walked up to the group.
Ruby looked behind her as she saw the weapon that was on his back, recognizing the gun he was using. "Ohmygosh! Is that a M110A1 CSASS rifle? I've heard it one of the newest and most powerful rifle caliber snipers on the market. I've heard its gained some traction with Special Forces units along with Huntsmen that are expert snipers due to it being lighter and harder hitting. Although I've heard that Atlas has been looking into making special computerized scopes that can assist in aiming, although that has caused some controversy in some circles. Now while it could assist with those that are bad shots but it could affect people's level of skill progression as it could become a crutch for others since they could just use it to always help them win. Then again, the assist does aloow them to save more ammo-"
"Ruby!" Ragna said as he put his right hand on her head to get her to stay in place as she was zooming around him. "Please stop, I think I get that you love new weapons. But please take it easy, you'll either ware yourself down or cause me whiplash in trying to keep track of you." While he was able to keep up with Ruby's high speed due to hear Semblance, he couldn't help but
"Okay sorry Ragna." Ruby said in a bashful voice. The three of them then began to walk towards the exit as Yang walked with her hands in her short pockets.
Ragna then sighed as he took his hand off of her as looked at the young girl. "It's fine Ruby I know that you really have a interest in weapons, but please try to keep yourself under control with that OK?" 'Valkyrur help Imca if Ruby ever meets her, she'll probably drown her in questions about what caliber of rounds it uses, the materials it uses, the different weapon modes it has, etc.' He thought. 'Then again, it would be pretty funny in seeing that happen and how Imca would be taken aback.'
"So um, Ragna can I ask you something?" Ruby said shyly.
"Sure Ruby, what did you want to ask?" Ragna said casually.
"C-Could you tell us about this sister of yours? The one you told us about before." Ruby said. While she didn't want to intrude on his personal life, it was something she somewhat curious about. From what she could tell Ragna must miss his
Ragna frowned at the question, making it seem to Ruby that he was upset at it. However, he quickly sighed as he spoke up. "Well... I guess to start off, she and I aren't blood related. Not even like you and Yang were you're stepsisters, but we think of ourselves as siblings as we have a special heritage. She's beautiful, strong-willed, smart in terms of combat, highly skilled, and powerful. Trust me when I say this, she's not someone that would stay back and let those around fight, she would be leading from the front."
"Wow, is she really that cool of a person?" Ruby wondered.
"Yeah, but things between us didn't go so hot at first." Ragna while rubbing the back of his head. "We actually didn't like each other as the first time met I ended up fighting her."
"Wait what?" Yang spoke up. "Why would she want to fight you? You're telling us that you guys seem to be close so why would you guys be at each others throats then?"
"She was... helping someone who only saw her as a way to achieve his own goals." Ragna said as he clenched his hands. "All that bastard wanted was nothing more than to just forward his own agenda. She followed him because he had been there as she had been going through her own hell for a good part of her life. So when me and my friends fought against them, she wanted to kill us as we were fighting against the one she blindly followed. So I fought against her because I was the only one among my group that could stand up to her, but while I gave a good fight she ended up kicking my ass due to her control and experience."
"That's horrible! Why would she want to follow someone that only cared about himself?" Ruby said with a bit of shock on her face
'Believe me Ruby, if anything you would horrified at what Maximilian had made Selvaria due during the Imperial invasion.' he solemnly thought. "She had thought at the time that he truly cared for her as he was the one to give her a better life. She saw him as her prince in shining armor, whisking her away from the hell that she had endured since she was a little girl. Ever since that moment, she fell in love, thinking that the two of them would have a happy life after he had accomplished his goals."
"I'm sensing a but in there." Yang pointed out.
"You're correct there Yang, eventually after several key defeat along with the bastard's last plan coming to form, he showed his true colors. My sister was heartbroken, she had always thought that the one she had served loved her back, that he saw her as a person. In the end, that monster only saw her as a weapon, a weapon that had failed him time and time again."
"Wait, so were you strong enough to fight her and win?" Ruby wondered.
Ragna nodded. "Yes, I was finally able to get powerful enough to beat her one on one. Granted she was stubborn to the point where I would have to knock her into unconsciousness to get a win in our last couple of battles. After our final match, and with the help of some friends of mine, I was finally able to get her to join our side and work together from now on."
"Damn, sounds like you two had one complicated history." Yang said while crossing her arms under her chest.
"No freaking kidding Yang." Ragna said as they were now outside.
"Um Ragna? You never told us your sister's name." Ruby said. "What is it?"
Ragna stopped walking as he turned his head back to the two girls. He then gave a small smile on his face as he finally spoke up.
"Her name is Selvaria Bles."
A few minutes later...
All of the students were assembled on the Beacon Cliff as Ozpin and Glynda were close to the edge. All of the first year students were either looking bored from waiting for things to start, conversing with others, or just looking out to see how vast the forest was. Ragna himself couldn't help but admit that it looked far more thicker and (considering the Grimm that roamed in it) dangerous then the Kloden Wildwood even with a certain group of beings that had roamed in certain areas of the woods. Of course, he was quite comfortable for this whole thing since he raised in Kloden, so he knew how to use the forest to his advantage.
Ozpin then clapped to get the attention of the other student as they turned their heads towards him. "For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
Glynda then stepped up with a tablet in her hands, "Now I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teamates... today."
"What!? Oh no." Ruby groaned, now very much concerned about the test now.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon." Ozpin said, "So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Ruby then groaned a bit as the Headmaster continued. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
Ruby's mind then shattered as she felt her world collapse around her. "Whaaat!?"
Nora meanwhile whispered to Ren, "See? I told you-!"
"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest." Ozpin spoke up. "You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die."
Ragna could see that a few of the Jaune (especially Jaune) were paling at what Ozpin had said. There was no doubt they must have thought they wouldn't get sent into danger right off the bat. This was like seeing new soldiers after getting the mandatory training needed to ready for combat get sent into a battle and experience the horror of war first hand. While they could get as much training as needed, as Largo had said during the war, "There's no substitute for experience." These student would face the enemy they had been training to fight for years and had the chance of dying if they weren't careful.
"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. However, among these relics is a special one that will allow the one that finds it a special benefit."
'I'm going to say that's the one Ozpin had sent up for me.' Ragna thought with a smirk. 'Not to say I want to be on a team, but for right now I want to be free to do my mission as the Fang Hunter until I find those that I can work with to stop the White Fang and anyone else that threatens Remnant.'
"Now that my explanation is over, any questions?" Ozpin asked the students. Jaune raised his hand but Ozpin ignored him. "Good! Now, take your positions."
Everyone there placed themselves a marked spot and got into a ready stance, waiting for whatever Ozpin was going to do. Then suddenly, one of the student was launched into the air with few more students following them.
'Damn! So that's what Ozpin is doing to send us into the woods?' Ragna thought. 'Alright I'm game.'
Jaune however, was oblivious to the students being launched as he had a question for Ozpin. "Uh, sir? I've got um... a question. So, this landing strategy... thing, uh, wha-what is it? You're like, dropping us off or something?"
"No. You will be falling." Ozpin replied.
More students began to be launched into the air, but Jaune still didn't notice it. "Oh, uh, I see... So, like did you hand out parachutes for us?"
"No." Ozpin said while shaking his head. "You will be using your own landing strategy." During Ozpin speaking, Yang looked to both Ruby and Ragna as she winked at them before putting on shades as she was launched. Ruby then looked to Ragna and gave him a thumb's up as she went flying.
"Uh huh... Yeah." Jaune said, not realizing he was going to be launched soon. "So, what exactly is a landing strategYYYY!" He then starting screaming as he was launched into the air. Ragna couldn't help but roll his eyes at the sight as it proved that Jaune was still going to need a lot of work to get up to the same level of skill as everyone else. More kept being launched until Ragna was the last one as he made sure to keep track of how long it took the pads to launch him.
Ozpin then spoke up to the hybrid. "Good luck Mr. Blaze, I hope you learn much about the other students."
"Got it, see you later Ozpin." Ragna said as he put on his own sunglasses as he bent his legs enough to make it look like he'll jump up.
'3... 2... 1!' Ragna as he mentally counted down the time until he would be launched. He then jumped off the pad at the exact time it popped up to launch him into the air. Thus it allows him to get even higher as he put most of his strength into his legs as he got even higher and further then the other students
"WOO-HOO!" He yelled at the top of his lungs as he soared through the air.
"Glynda, ready the cameras for when Mr. Blaze fights against some powerful Grimm." Ozpin told his partner.
"What for?" Glynda questioned.
Ozpin then smiled as he looked at the young hybrid with a smile. "Something tells me we'll be seeing him using his Blue Flame in this test."
"Man this is awesome!"
"Well you seem to be having fun young pup." Lupa said while giggling at her descendant's behavior.
"Hey this is kinda fun Ancestor, I wonder if this is what Isara and Welkin wanted to experience when they wanted to go flying." Ragna mentally spoke to Lupa.
"Yes but I don't think they would have wanted to fly like this." The Valkyrian Warrior said.
"Yeah, they would be probably terrified at this point, unless they had the training they needed and Aura just in case." Ragna said with a smile.
"BIRDIE NO!"
Ragna then looked around to see Ruby crying out that someone or perhaps herself had hit an unfortunate bird.
The hybrid brought his arms and legs together to be a little more aerodynamic as he caught up to the other students. He still kept hearing Jaune screaming as he saw some of the other students try out their own landing strategy to land safely. He saw Ruby pull out her scythe and fired off a few rounds from it to boost her on ahead as she changed it to scythe mode. Ragna then pulled out his CSASS rifle and looked to the symbol on the magazine, one that he knew was the one for propulsion rounds.
'Ok, let's try this out.' He thought.
He aimed the rifle behind him and began to fire off several rounds in order to pull up to where he was in the middle of the large group of students. He then angled himself downward as he was going for the tree branches. He pull the gun in front of him to slow himself down as he reached out for the branch in front of him. He successfully grabbed it and, using his momentum, he swung off the branch and front-flipped through the air. he kept going until he landed on the branches of ones of the taller trees as he saw Jaune flying through the air looking like a rag doll with his body flipping around. He then saw a spear fly through the air and managed to catch him on his hoodle again as it went to a tree in the distance.
"Thanks..." Jaune yelled.
"I'm sorry!" The voice who replied no doubt being Pyrrha.
'Nice toss Pyrrha.' Ragna noted as he switched the magazine and replaced with one filled with special KE or Kinetic-Explosive rounds which were able to punch through armor and explode after getting deep enough in the target. He then placed the rifle up to his face as he began to look for any Grimm he could see from his height. He then spotted a pair of Beowolfs roaming the area as they were no doubt smelling out the students that were flying overhead along with sensing their emotions. Of course due to them being focused on that along with focusing on his keeping his emotions calm and controlled, Ragna was able to keep himself concealed from them.
His scope focused on the head of the first Beowolf as he slowed his breathing, focusing in on his target. He then pulled the trigger as the round flew into the Beowolf's head, blasting apart the bone covering its head. Then, a couple of milliseconds later part of the Grimm's head exploded, making a hole the size of a baseball in the creature's head.
'Oh I'm liking this weapon.' He thought.
The other Beowolf then began to around for where the bullet came from by sniffing the air, but was starting to move toward where the other students began to fight the various other Grimm that were in the forest. It began to move forward, but Ragna was able to aim ahead of the monster as all snipers were taught the method to shoot moving targets and fired another round into the Grimm's eye.
Both Grimm were now dead as the hybrid soon began to jump from branch to branch, wanting to both give covering fire to any students struggling against the Grimm or to observe anyone that interested him.
'Well, time to see about what the others can bring to the table.'
"Gotta find Yang, gotta find Yang, gotta find Yang..."
The chant Ruby kept saying easily gave away her regency on finding her sister. If anything, she would prefer being on a team with her as she was more comfortable around her then anyone else she had known (besides Ragna of course).
*BANG, BANG*
She looks ahead of herself as she sees two Beowolfs get shot along with their heads exploding as their bodies fell to the floor. She realized that the rounds used against them were KE rounds, due to the explosion behind them after hitting the Grimm. She couldn't help but wonder who it was that made the shots, knowing that there wasn't too many people she knew that used sniper rifles or were good shots from long range. Yang used shotguns which didn't make her very good at really long range and she didn't know about the weapons that those she met yesterday save for Jaune who didn't have a gun on him. However, their was in fact one person that had the weapon in question that could have made the shot.
'That must have been Ragna.' She thought. 'He really must be a good shot.'
She then continued to move quickly through the forest as she kept thinking about those she could be partners with other then Yang once she had found the relic.
'Let's see... Jaune is a nice guy, funny, but~ I don't think he's very good in a fight though. Blake, so mysterious, she likes books and seems to care about Faunus. But I don't think I could hold a conversation with her. Ragna, well he's nice and someone that is a good fighter since he helped me stop Torchwick. Guess that could work.'
However, Ruby's thoughts were interrupted when she saw the absolute last person she wanted to see in front of her. Weiss Schnee, the white themed Heiress from Atlas that had yelled at her yesterday due to the accident.
The two then stared at each other as Ruby realized that the Heiress was now her partner and vise versa for Weiss. The two of them hadn't started off well and there was no doubt that they still disliked each other. Ruby of course did want to try and get along well with Weiss and really make it up to her for yesterday as she wanted to show Weiss that she was a kind person. However, Weiss then turned heel and began to walk away from the red cloaked girl, no doubt still miffed from the incident.
"Wait!" Ruby said while holding her hand out in a gesture to stop the white colored girl. "We're supposed to be teammates!"
Weiss ignored the girl's plea as she kept walking forward, trying to get away from the girl that almost blew them off of the cliff. After several yards however, she then saw Jaune who was still hanging from Pyrrha's spear. The young man gave an awkward smile as he still tried to flirt/recruit Weiss to his team.
"Hey there! How would you like to be a part of Team Jaune?"
She looked for a second at him and looked back at where Ruby was. She couldn't believe that she had these two as choices for being her partners. In the end she chose the lesser of two evils and began to walk in the other direction.
"Wait! We're supposed to be teammates!" Jaune said, almost parroting Ruby. He then slumped his arms and head in shame until he heard a new pair of footsteps approach him. He looked to see Pyrrha giving him a smirk while crossing her arms under her chest.
"Any room left for the great Jaune Arc's team?" She said playfully.
Jaune's only response? He simply chuckled as he also crossed his arms.
Weiss soon passed Ruby and grabbed her hood, dragging her along. Ruby on the other hand pulled her arms up and cheered happily. "You came back!" She said with happiness in her voice.
"Don't think this is an acceptance on me being your friend," Weiss said coldly, "now keep up or just stay out of my way."
Weiss then let go of Ruby's hood as she kept walking forward until Ruby suddenly teleported in front of her. Weiss was shocked considering she never Ruby pass her or even heard any footsteps getting closer.
"No need to worry about me." Ruby said as she teleported again. This time, Weiss saw a trail of rose petals in the air from where Ruby stood.
'Where did these come from...' Weiss thought to herself until she shook her head and began walking again. 'Well that's for later.'
From the treetops, Ragna had seen the whole scene from below him as he shook his head in amusement at the sight. 'These guys have a LONG way to go before they become true teammates.' He thought before jumping away.
Meanwhile, to the northwest of Ragna's current position
The young man who had woken up earlier in the forest had continued to walk among the trees, noting how the area felt similar to that of the Kloden Wildwood back in Gallia. He noted there was quite a few similar animals to what he had seen before. From Eagles, to Boars, to Wolves, this forest had the usual diverse amount of animals roaming its vest land.
He looked around, his head on a swivel as he still felt something dangerous was in the area. His soldier insticts were still sharp as the day he had completed his training under the most formidable force in the Imperial Army alongside the Headhunters of the Darcsen Hunters and the Elite Shocktroopers of the Emperor's famed Guard Legions. He had been ready and willing to
*BANG* *BANG*
'Those sound like gunshots. Perhaps someone is dealing with dangerous wildlife?' The young man thought to himself.
He couldn't help but wonder if there was a hunting party all the way out here. If it was then he was in luck, perhaps they knew the area well and could point him towards civilization. Although, from the number of gunshots sounding form the direction he was hearing them it must be a rather large hunting party. This made him wonder if they were soldiers engaging some type of enemy force and they fighting to drive them back or defeat them outright.
*HOWL*
'Was that a wolf?' The young man thought to himself. It sounded louder then the ones he was familiar with and it was strange since they were known to usually howl at night. He was also hearing the roars of other animals in the area, including ones that sounded like Bear roars.
He then looked to his left as he heard the sounds of several approaching large animals that was charging at him. Based on the amount of incoming steps, it sounded like a sizable group of incoming animals. He didn't know if they were regular animals or some type of dangerous monster that was coming towards the people firing on whatever it was that they were fighting or they were coming for him. Either way, it was clear that they were hostile or aggressive so he knew he would be in a fight soon. Regardless of his opponents, he would fight with the usual ferocity and skill that he had been trained to do for years.
'Looks like trouble found me.' He thought as he aimed his weapon at the approaching sound.
And I'll stop there for right now. Sorry guys, but I'm going to split the events in the Emerald forest into two (or three depending on how I do things) so expect more action in the second part.
Anyway, now Ragna has interacted with both a familiar face in the case of Coco, a new one with Pyrrha, and is now participating in the Emerald Forest exam in fighting Grimm. Now in this chapter, you'll kind of see what he'll doing in the next chapter. He'll be sniping Grimm whenever they cross into his sights, support any students he's near to, and will be taking on the Grimm on the ground soon, so he'll be slicing up some Grimm soon.
He's staying in the tress for right now because he doesn't want to put into a team as of yet because he doesn't want to be part of a team that wouldn't be willing to take on the White Fang and if he was, they would no doubt wonder where he would end up going when he disappears. Having him be by himself for right now would be more effective as while RWBY and the other teams he'll work along with will think that he's doing projects or just doing doing his own hobbies or errands.
Yes, maybe it isn't the most solid idea but it's the best I can do so far.
As for our mystery character, he'll be revealed in the next chapter.
Unfortunately, there is no Selvaria segment as that will be for the next chapter so look forward to that. Also, no omake this time around so apologies for that.
Next time I update, it will be for Flight of the Twin Eagles.
So anyway, on to the preview!
Next time on RWBY: Remnant of Flames:
You, YOU MONSTER!
Damn, remind me to never mess with Yang's hair
God those two really need to bury the hatchet and soon
Some girl's in trouble!
Ruby! Weiss!
BACK OFF!
So, that's the power of a Valkyria...
Ragna.. you're alive?
Welcome to the team man.
This is going to be one interesting year.
Are you all alright?
Selvaria, I had no idea you where that skilled.
Chapter 12: Test and Reunion
That's all of right now everyone! This is Blazblade signing off!
