Nix Black was a man I knew little about, but on the day of our initiation into Beacon, fate chose us to be partners.
I had just begun my landing strategy, using my wings to glide back down to the ground, the sun gleaning off of my specially created full-body armor that hugged me tight, with the exception of my wings.
A Grimm, a Beowolf, had wondered into my path, and without a second thought, I deployed the bladed winglets on my forearms, and went to take it down, only for a scorpion Faunus to step into my path and take it down for me with a flaming sword.
I stumbled, my wings pulled back and I rolled onto the ground with a groan.
"Damn it, you almost got skewered, you dumbass." I glared up at the man who'd stolen my kill. The sword had disappeared, the hard-light dust that was used to create it fell to the ground, used up.
He wore a simple white trench coat with a chest piece that held several vials of dust. On his hands were fingerless gloves, and on his face, an obnoxious smirk.
His tail swished back and forth as he offered a hand to help me up.
I took it, and as he pulled me to my feet, he chuckled, and I noticed that we were around the same height, six-foot-two.
"Maybe you should have been more observant." He told me as he patted my shoulder. "Nix Black."
"Ray Rose." I extended a hand to shake his. "I guess we're a team now."
"I guess so." He grinned and shook my hand. I guess he noticed my defeated look. "Hey, don't look so down."
"Sorry, I kind of wanted to have one of my sisters as my team mates."
"You mean the blond cutie and that girl with the red dress and giant scythe?" He asked as we started walking North.
"Yeah, those two."
"I saw you hanging out with them last night, man, they got kinda loud, don't you think?"
"Yeah, apparently Ruby, the girl in red, caused a small explosion with a vial of dust and the Schnee girl that came here."
Nix's face went stoic, all hints of a smile faded, and I could almost feel his anger.
"Right. I forgot there was a Schnee here." He huffed and shook his head.
"Bad past? I hear both of you are from Atlas."
"My parents "work" for her dad." He replied as his tail wrapped around his waist and he played with the rotary mechanism on the back of his gloves. "They worked their asses off to get me where I am, in conditions barely fit to be safe. He works them like slaves, and only for a little bit of money a week."
"Damn. Sorry if I touched a nerve."
"Don't apologize, it's not your fault." He sighed and kicked a small rock into a tree. A few moments of silence passed, and his gaze lingered to the gun on my hip. "Nice piece. You make it?"
"I did." I nodded and retracted the winglets. Off to my left, I heard the growls of creatures of Grimm.
They're watching us.
My hand rested on the handle of my gun, and I used my semblance to cock the hammer back.
As we walked, every now and then I would see a flash of black or a glint of red from their eyes.
"You know they're following us, right? Must be the pack of the one I killed." Nix whispered.
I chuckled and eyed one of the bigger Beowolves as they began to come closer.
"Let me take care of these." I told the man, and just as the last word escaped my lips, the lead of the pack jumped from the bushes, five others with him, all of them with one goal: Kill the Faunus.
BANG!
BANG, BANG, BANG!
BANG, BANG!
Smoke rose from the barrel of my Thorn. The six Grimm now lay dead with black smoke that rose from the hole in their heads, and my left hand rested on the hammer as I waited and watched my surroundings.
Nine left.
"Damn, Ray. Good shot."
I gave a short chuckle, spun my piece, and holstered it as I began to walk off without another word.
"Come on. The rest of our future team is waiting." I called out, and Nix followed close behind.