Hey yall. Sorry about this chapter commin in 3 days late. Ive had a bunch of stuff slowin me down, on top of havin some general writtin problems.
Hope yall enjoy regardless!
Also, managed to mess up Gariahs name throughout the whole thing…FUN
There has also been a miniscule change to the first chapter, where I changed Errant being with the chapter for one year, to several. I had completely forgotten the time frame when I wrote out a bunch of stuff so...ya.
Ruby Rose
A red blur shot through the trees, a trail of rose petals trailing behind.
'Is this really how new students are supposed to get to Beacon?!'
It wasn't the first time she had wondered that. This didn't really…feel like how she was supposed to get there. Was it hazing? Was this a test of their speed and agility? She could've sworn they were supposed to take bullheads…
Well…Yang told her that THEY were supposed to get there through the emerald forest, soooo…
Ya, she was definitely going the right way! No other possibilities. None at all.
Even the letter in her pocket said so! Pulling it out, she skimmed through all the boring stuff about 'Legal fees' and 'property damage', until…
AHA! 'Report to the bullhead docks within Vale at 8:30Am to be faired to the Beacon campus…'
…
Yang tricked her, didn't she?
Ruby slowed to a stop, sitting down on a collapsed stone pillar…why there were ruins in the middle of the forest, she had no idea.
"Why am I so stupid!?" She yelled to anyone that would listen…wait, the forest was infested with grimm.
And if the growling from behind her meant anything…
"Uh Oh."
Tech Priest Errant
[Cog-Mind system rebooting, please stand by…]
It is often assumed that Tech priests do not feel pain.
Whether through augmentations, or merely the fact they were made of metal, Tech priests give off an air of ascension, and with it, the belief that they are above such petty things.
This, of course, is a serious miscalculation.
Oh boy, could he fell pain.
Galvanic rifles are well known for their powerful recoil and the sheer amount of energy they produce, more than enough to blast through armored vehicles.
Then, you modify its power cell with a fire Dust based propulsion system.
As it would turns out, fire dust is far more volatile than the standard propulsion powders the Adeptus Mechanicus Skittari Rangers makes use of.
Flesh is weak, Metal is strong, but even the great strength of steel has its limits.
His right arm had been torn off.
The right side of his chest plate had been warped and shredded.
His heads-up display became an incoherent mess.
Temporary and easily fixed problems, sure, but no less painful.
At the very least, he could confirm the target dummy, and the wall behind it, had been successfully annihilated.
Perhaps, next time he would add slightly less fire Dust.
Yes, that was a good plan.
Sister Gariah reached into the pile of parts and spare weapons he had been assimilated into and pulled him out, countless scraps of metal and broken guns falling away.
"You, uh, doing alright there kitty?"
He slowly turned his head towards her, the blue light of his visor flickering, "I'm doing fine, just peachy in fact. I just need to reattach my arm and ill be all hunky-dory!" His voice coming out as a mechanized drawl.
"Pfft, alright, lets get you patched up before you start hissing at me." She set him down on one of the few still intact tables and set about collecting his lost limb.
The metal would be easy to fix, the red cloth of his robes on the other hand…well, the Headmaster did say he would be receiving extras so…
Luckily the torn off arm had been somewhat clean, not much other than the connection socket having been damaged, and the internals needing a basic repair, nothing too hard.
The chest plate was annoying, but he had seen fit to procuring extras, just in case.
Other damages were minor, if inconvenient, and would patch up fine.
And his legs…
By the Omnissiah, he hated having normal human like legs.
No class.
No style.
No…Uh…he was certain there was some form of mechanical superiority, he just hadn't found it yet.
"You okay? Looks like your spaced out pretty bad." Gariah said, trying to shove his arm back into the connection port.
"I am fine. I simply have set my cog-brain into function due to the sheer pain I am feeling. If my flesh was in control, I would only vocalize an incoherent bout of screaming." Of course, he was screaming. Just, internally.
"Alright? Just…tell me when Errant is back in, talking to you like this is weird."
"Agreed, sister."
The arm clicked into place, while his aura oddly enough began to repair the damage.
Ah, yes. Aura.
The 'soul made manifest' the people called it.
In order to truly assimilate to the school, he and Gariah had theirs unlocked, the feeling of which…
…
[Error in loading memory]
…
[Memory cannot be loaded without emotional systems. must be active for memory load]
…
[Flesh-Mind restarting, please stand by]
…
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH" pain-pain-pain-pain
"Oh, is Errant back?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH" pain-pan-pia-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-
"I, uh…take that as a yes?"
…
[Cog-Mind reinstated momentarily]
…
[Applying pain dampeners]
…
[Flesh-Mind restarting, please stand by]
…
Pain…was never a fun experience, made non the better by his faulty cog-mind.
The priesthood that served the Lamenters was never kind to him. He received spare parts, broken machines, and salvaged pieces. His cog-mind had been no different. Despite the machine spirits fortitude to last as it had, age had truly taken its toll.
Whether it was failing to activate the correct systems, or simply failing to function, his mental enhancements were broken to the core. One day, they would get him killed. It wouldn't regulate air, or target an enemy, or pump his blood. This was a simple fact.
He was lucky all it had done was fail to activate pain dampeners. Heh, ironic.
A black gauntlet waved in front of his face, pulling him from his thoughts.
"Command to Err', do you read me?"
Gariahs helmet was held to her side exposing her dark skin. Scars covered her face, with her left eye having been replaced with a cybernetic.
"I'm awake, and…in control." By 'in control' he meant conscious, he still wasn't sure if he could move.
The remains of the galvanic rifle were still smoking, half imbedded into the wall. The entire barrel had been obliterated, leaving little more than a shattered stock.
Welp.
Good thing he made extras!
"Sister, the next rifle, if you would please."
He could feel the weapons spirit shudder. "You needn't worry little one," He cooed, "Your possible sacrifice will not be in vain." It didn't stop shaking.
His fellow students would soon arrive, and with them, initiation.
Beacon initiation: A useless 'test' that was almost entirely for the sake of theatrics and not, you know, actually seeing if someone belonged here. In reality, everyone arriving today had already been accepted thanks to combat exams they had already taken.
…
[Beginning preliminary scan...]
…
[3 Transport Aircraft detected]
[48 humanoid life forms detected]
…
"Hmmm. How odd that the kingdom-but-not's only defensive force takes on so few recruits."
[Beginning primary scan…]
…
[No weapons detected]
[No explosives detected]
[No Armor detected]
…
Errants head tilted slightly, "That cant be right…if the information I have collected is true, then these 'huntsmen' would go nowhere without their equipment." He slung the now correctly calibrated galvanic rifle from his shoulders.
A voice came from behind him, "Mr. Castor, may I know exactly why you have drawn your weapon?"
Professor goodwitch stood a little ways behind him, eyeing him, whip in hand. 'How did she sneak up on me?'
"Merely a precaution professor. The reading material I have found on hunters and their practices have stated that they never go without their weapons, thus, I find it odd the 'students' have arrived unarmed and unarmored."
She paused at that, a wave of confusion covering her face. "How do you know they aren't armed, and at that, where did you hear that they wouldn't give up their weapons?"
"Ms. Goodwitch, while I may specialize in cybernetics, I am not blind to the other mechanical sciences. I have multiple Auspex scanning devices within my armor, a brief scan of the incoming ships was all I needed." To think, these poor, poor, people had to live without such things, truly pitiable. "And as to how I came across such information, I located a book about the topic called 'A huntsman's greatest weapons'. Admittedly it was a bit odd, written from the first person and strangely obsessed with human reproduction, but I've read through many files of the like written by a scribe within our order." He grunted, free hand coming up to hold the chin of his helmet, "Though, for some reason Gariah always laughed at me when I brought them up."
Goodwitch's face had turned a deep crimson color, her entire body going ridged. "Errant…I will have the correct information delivered to your dorm later." She brought a hand up to cover her face, "And no, huntsmen are not so obsessed that they need to keep their 'weapons' with them at all times. The students coming in have likely put theirs with their luggage."
"In that case, perhaps I shouldn't shoot out its engines…though, it could still-!"
"I am not letting you field test your gun on my students, I believe the firing range has already seen enough."
He flinched at that. The firing range had been an…accident. How was he supposed to know the walls were so weak?! It wasn't his fault the building collapsed after the final test; it was the shoddy craftmanship!
The aircraft at last reached their destination, the doors opening to reveal…
A blond kid running out with bile spewing from his mount…
Fun!
"Is this really the finest your lot have to offer?"
She refused to honor that question with a response.
The actual students began to file out after, wary of the poor fool retching into a can. They wore an odd assortment of brightly colored clothes that were, at best, inefficient, and at worst, down right ridiculous: Short skirts, unbuttoned tops, some of the men weren't even wearing shirts!
He could hardly imagine the right slaughter that would have occurred had this been an imperial schola. Commissars firing off bolt shells, Sisters lighting people on fire, preachers declaring sacrilege; he didn't have high hopes for the student's survival if that was the case.
Errant bade farewell to Professor Goodwitch as he made his way back towards the schools armory, he and Sister Gariah had hatched a...'plan'.
He had already learned of the initiations plan, having already 'taken' full access over the scholas surface level systems, primarily the part about being shot into the air. There was no doubt he would be fine, a mix of augmentations, specialized gear, and his own light weight would make the landing somewhat clean.
Gariah on the other hand...was wearing power armor. HEAVY power armor. She would slam into the ground with the force of a small aircraft without its engines. He, of course, had found a solution, and while it was definitely outside his expertise, the jump pack before him would have to suffice.
Dust, as he found out, is for more than just propellant. It can be used to alter substances, can be infused into materials, and, most importantly, fuel machinery, as was the case with his latest work. Dust fuel was...powerful, the amount needed to power the jump pack was miniscule compared to normal jet fuel.
Now, while he wasn't the best with this form of technology, aeronautics not being his greatest focus in life, he would say he had done a serviceable job; the pack was smaller than normal and unable to fully sustain flight, but would be enough to slow her descent and provide a boost on jumps.
Then, there was his newest test; gravity Dust infusion, which- 'ah! The next test results are in!"
…
[Theoretical: Infusing gravity dust into both the main power armor carapace and jump pack would counteract the equipment's natural weight]
…
[Practical: Gravity differences caused by infusion has led to a decrease in weight by 15%]
…
"So, how does it feel?"
"It feels..." She flexed her arms, watching the motion from behind her red visor, "Fluid. The lower weight is really nice.
"Good, now if I'm not mistaken, Ozpin should be finishing his stupid speech now. Let's get moving towards the cliff."
A hand on his shoulder stopped him from walking back through the armory, "What do you mean 'should be done'? Did we miss the goddamn initiation!"
"We didn't miss the damned initiation, or, at least the part that matters. We just skipped a meaningless speech the old fool gave before sending our fellows to the jump pads. Now, let's stop this meaningless drivel and get jumping!"
Sister Gariah
Despite its heretical infestation, the emerald forest was beautiful, an enticing veneerer hiding the daemonic plague within.
'a plague that shall soon be thinned by blade and flame'
Her finger toyed with the ignition trigger of her chain sword, watching as the teeth were flooded with fire. While her kitty had been the one to craft it, it was her idea to implement her flamer into her chain sword. The fire infusion he had applied granted it an immunity to the cleansing heat, allowing her blade to purify all it cleaved.
The loud clang of her ceramite boots signaled that she was on the jump pad, her packs thrusters warming up.
The children around her stepped back, their bare body's clashing against her black armor. She was no Iron hand, but she was forced to agree with their war cry. These fools exposed their flesh to the enemy, asking to be torn asunder, their flesh devoured by the decrepit beasts they hunted.
She ignored the headmaster as he spoke, his words meaning nothing before her blood lust. Oh, so very soon, she would bath in the onyx blood of daemons. Their screams would echo in a cacophony of death, wailing to the dark gods who birthed them.
She heard the first spring board go off, launching one of the students forward; some blonde boy in a shameful mockery of plate armor. His scream of terror revealing his weakness. 'But another child come to die in the grinder, may my prayer bring him purity in death'
The spring board thrust her onward into the sky. Gunning her jump pack, she shot over the decrepit forest. Her target was known; a ruin within the forest which held some form of relic, why the fools would risk the loss of such a treasure was beyond her.
A roar came from far ahead of her, the source if which being a large bear like daemon, an ursa, her hud informed her.
"Ursa? I believe that is pronounced 'landing zone'."
And land she did, her boot caving in the creature's skull, black immaterial blood covering her armor as she thundered onto the ground.
She stood from her kneeling position finding herself surrounded by daemonic scum.
'perfect' she smiled, before igniting her blade.
Ruby Rose
One second she had been facing down an ursa, the next...
The world was on fire.
The black armored woman swung her screaming blade into the last of the Grimm, the Beowulf being torn to shreds with a scream of pain. For the first time in her life, she felt bad for them.
Smoke stung her eyes as she walked up to the strangers back, raising her hand and voice, "H-hey, are you from bea-"
She was cut off by the sword swinging around with unbelievable speed, stopping just short from her neck. Despite its fire having gone out, she could still feel the blades heat.
The two stood in silence for what felt like centurys, before the woman lowered her blade.
"You would do well not to sneak up on a warrior on the field, lest you find them less forgiving than I" She said, her voice modified by a mechanical speaker within her white-faced helmet.
Black armor...
Flaming sword...
Chain saw...
"Uh, kid, you alright?" Her words reminded Ruby that she was, in fact, standing in front of another human, and not an armor stand at the weapons shop.
"O-oh ya, my names Ruby! I'm on my way to Beacon for initiation, do you know what direction it is? I'm a little...lost."
"Oh, well..." the woman began to scratch the back of her head, "If you're here for initiation I'm afraid you a bit late, as its already started."
She hadn't made it.
She had the best chance of her life to get into beacon.
And she messed it up...
It wasn't long before the flood gates opened.
"Wait, oh, shit, uh...Don't worry kid" The woman heavily dropped her hand on Rubys head, accidently shoving her into the ground, "I'm certain that you can still pass!"
Her sniffles stopped momentarily, "A-are you sure?"
"Uh, ya, without a doubt they'll let you in with me!"
The effect was immediate; all at once Ruby stopped crying and shot up, a gleaming smile on her face.
"Wait, does that mean ere partners?!" she yelled.
"I guess it does. Names Sister Gariah by the way, good to meet ya kid."
Tech Priest Errant
…
[Landing sequence complete]
…
A soft landing is what greeted the tech priest to the emerald forest, a better start than what the others were receiving if the pillar of smoke was anything to go by.
…
[Cloaking field starting up, please stand by...]
…
He had already marked the destination, his helmets overlay telling him exactly where to go, the only problem now was getting there with as little trouble as possible. The forest had been left un-culled for weeks to gather as many Grimm as possible, reaching the ruins would be a test of stealth and assassination; Brute force would be ill advise-
…
Gariah had already started setting the forest on fire, hadn't she?
Well, at least she would attract more Grimm away from hi-
He was cut off as something slammed into him from the opposite direction, his assailant latching onto his chest plate.
He brought up his Macro-stubber, ready to shoot them...when he saw no one there
Blake Belladonna
A new start, that's what this was. A chance to get away from the white fang, a chance to become a force for good, not some Wanna be revolutionary out to kill innocent people.
Not him...
She dashed through the forest, rendered invisible by her semblance. Some idiot had started a massive fire on the other side of the forest, calling all of the Grimm straight to them...
Less for her to deal with.
Hopefully she was able to get to the ruins without much trouble, the relic-
Her ears were filled with ringing after she ran head first into what felt like a steel wall, having launched into something at full speed.
As she tumbled to the ground, landing on top of someone, she realized why she hadn't seen them.
There was no one there...
Or rather, there wouldn't be if it weren't for the fact, she was currently sitting on what appeared to be open air.
"He-...hello?" she asked the open air.
"...We're both invisible, aren't we?", came the oddly mechanical sounding response.
"I think so?" This whole situation was giving her a headache. Could this get any more awkward?
"Should we...?"
"Drop cloaks in 3?" He said, her nodding in affirmation.
"...I'm going to assume your silence is a yes, I still can't see you."
"Oh, uh, yes."
"1...2...3!"
They both came back into visibility at the same time,
'Ah, our situation could be more awkward'
As it turns out, she had been straddling the other person, her hands clinging onto the odd skull symbol on his chest plate, her face turning a bright red.
Speaking of the chest plate, the stranger was dressed in a... weird, set of armor. The helmet looked almost like a bell, with a half cog poking out of the top as a plume, and while he appeared to be heavily armored, all except the chest plate was covered by a set of crimson robes. An odd-looking skull-symbol, with a half cog above it, and a chain below.
"Are you...going to move?"
His words shocked her out of her thoughts, reminding her of exactly where she was.
She quickly jumped off of him, holding out a hand to help him up.
That was her first mistake.
As it turns out, despite appearing to be only five feet tall, he was heavy. She was pulled back down on top of him, banging her head into his chest once more.
"Alright, this bit is getting stale, I swear I've seen something like this from those odd holo-shows the T'au keep throwing at us…
"Who are the T'au?"
"A decadent group of idiots who are obsessed with 'greater goods', or so I have been told."
This was making less and less sense the longer it went on.
"Do you want to just forget this whole situation happened and start over?" she asked, rubbing her temple to ease the building migraine.
"I would love to, the second you get off of me…again."
Oh.
Her normal grace having departed her, the two clambered up to their feet, wary to not fall over for a third time. her normal grace having departed her
Two assassins falling on top of each other in the middle of a Grimm infested forest while fighting for their lives. If this had been one of her books it would have been romantic, in reality, it just felt awkward. 'Wait, is T'au slang for smut readers?'
"Ah, yes," he held his hand up to her, "Data smith Errant Castor at your service, pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Blake Belladonna, the same." She said, taking the hand.
Professor Archenzo
Despite the Headmasters absence, the initiation trials had gone well. There had yet to be any fatalities, or injury's requiring recovery, a far cry from his own so long ago.
His initiation had been cut short by a traitor Legion assault, leaving ninety-three of the one-hundred recruits dead. Even now he mourned the deaths of his brothers to be, those who had laid down their lives despite their age. Looking over the children here…
He could not see them doing the same.
It was not cowardice that hindered them, it was fear. Fear of pain, fear of failure, fear of death.
These were heroes not soldiers. They stood as shining beacons of might, a proud symbol of protection that the people could rally behind. They would not die on a field of corpses; they would not lay down their lives to hold back a horde. They were the ones who got their 'happy ending', where they would return home in glory, and likve out their lives in peace, all the while, the TRUE protectors continued their fight.
The Soldiers.
The Guards.
The Generals.
The Watch captains.
Those were the warriors who held the line. Those were the men who died in open graves. Those were the men who marched unto death, young, scared, and weak, yet stalwart regardless.
They were the protectors.
They were the defenders.
They were the warriors.
They…should have been the Heroes.
Yet, there would be no parades, no golden monuments, no happy endings. A forgotten face, a forgotten name, a forgotten grave.
But he would not forget.
Not now.
Not ever.
…
By the Emperor he needed something to do.
He had been standing there watching the children run around and fight daemons. While that may have sounded slightly entertaining, it really wasn't. Most of the beasts were so utterly pathetic that they could have been felled with a faulty lasgun, no less the ridiculous weapons these initiates were using.
Ah, no matter, these cowards would have quite the surprise later.
"Hmm, ah. Errant and Gariah have found partners."
Tech Priest Errant
"Wait! I'm not as fast as you!"
As it turns out, Blake was fast.
REALLY fast.
While he could sprint a good 30mph, belladonna was easily hitting 40.
'Dammed aura! Dammed assassin! Perhaps my next set of legs should priorities speed…'
"You would be faster if you weren't wearing all that armor!" She shouted back
'Oh, not this shit again'
"I don't know about you but having a good bit of steel between me and whatever hell beast I'm fighting is far preferable to nothing at all!"
They had been arguing like this for the past half hour while they made their way to the ruins, guided by Errant's map.
"You wouldn't need steel if you were fast enough to dodge!"
"Dodging is predictable and can be countered, its better to be armored against smart opponents!"
"They're Grimm! They aren't smart opponents!"
"The common fodder may not be, but the alphas are! The fodder can't hurt me with my armor, thus, the only enemy I have to worry about are the leaders!"
"Fuck you! the lesser ones can hurt you! I'm certain if I got a couple hundred Beowulves you would be little more than swiss cheese!"
"I'm not so slow that I can't avoid things! I'm just not as fast as you, you spastic little shit!"
The last word was punctuated by a round from his Macro-Stubber shredding a Beowulf's head. Their constant arguing had drawn a horde of Grimm towards them, though this didn't stop the fight.
"Also, why the hell do you use stealth when your guns are so fucking loud!" She shouted while decapitating a Beowulf of her own.
"I use melee you fucker! What do you think I am, an idiot?!" A boarbatusk was melted by a gamma blast.
"You're a huntsman in heavy armor, so yes!" a creep found itself without a set of legs.
"You are insufferable!"
Ruby Rose
She had never been a religious girl, but her partner sure was!
Ruby held her ears closed as she and Gariah (Who had insisted she be called 'sister') walked towards the ruins. Gariah, as it turns out, had memorized roughly TEN HOURS of sermons and scripture! All just for Ruby to listen to while they walked.
She wanted to die!
At first it had been cool! Aesthetic, even! It had been cool running around and 'purging' the 'heretical daemons', but it very quickly got grating!
"And it is by the holy jungle saints hand that the gaseous amphibian was cast from the great raven, and delivered unto oblivion-"
Half of them didn't even make sense!
"A brief nod to the great raven foretold of the saints leave, as he once again flew through the tree- "
"Oh, hey look! The ruins!", Ruby shouted, bringing a blessed end to Gariahs preaching,
The ruins before them looked strangely familiar…
Oh.
"Ruby, you alright?" Gariah asked her as she fell to the ground.
"Ya…just wishing I was dead."
"Did your gun break?"
Ruby shot up, tearing Crescent Rose from its holster, "W-w-what!? Is it cracked, dented, dirty!?"
"Uh," Gariah took a step back, "No... I just assumed it had, cause Err' does the same thing when his weapons break."
With a sigh of relief, Ruby re-holstered her scythe, before pausing.
"Who's 'Err'?" Ruby asked.
Her partner actively perked up at that question "Oh! You're going to love him! He's a massive tech nut, and has the adorable little kitty ears!"
'Kitty ears? OH!'
"He's a Faunus?" What few religious people she had met had been a bit…racist.
Gariah stopped for a second, sticking her with an odd look, "The hells a Faunus?"
'She doesn't…?'
"Y-y'know, animal people." She had to know, who didn't?!
"Animal people…Oh, you mean abhumans? Faunus must be a regional term."
Ok, 'abhuman' didn't sound very nice, and in what region was 'Faunus' not used?!
"W-why do you call them that? That sounds really mean!"
"Seriously? I thought it was way better than what my sisters in arms called them, hell, I thought it was the nicest thing too call them."
Wait if that was nice then what was…Oh no.
"I'm a bit afraid to ask but…what do your sisters call them?"
Her partner waved her hand flippantly in the air while saying, "Oh you know; Abomination, heretic, sub-human filth, wretch, and a plethora of other stuff. Errant never liked any of it so I just stuck with abhuman for him."
'A-ah, well at least she wasn't that bad…wait, Errant?'
"Oh, I know Errant! I met him a few nights ago down in Vale!"
Gariah seemed surprised at this, "Really? I hadn't really expected him to get out and about, what with him tinkering all the time. Admittedly, I shouldn't be surprised, he had to get out at some point, either because he needs more materials or because Lord Archenzo Forced him to."
"Lord Archenzo? Do you mean the new professor?" The giant yellow guy had scared her when she saw him in the news, despite his cool looking weapons, that scowling mask made him look…mean.
"Ya, he's Errant's 'father', and is, by technicality, my caretaker. Hes super nice once you get to know him, so don't worry too much about his class."
Few, in that case she could have at least one-
"Or maybe do; because from what I've seen the teachers here are super lax. While he may be nice from my standpoint, hell probably run you guys into the ground, then keep on digging."
"O-oh…fun."
Something seemed to grab Gariahs attention in the ruins, "what is going…?"
Tech priest Errant
Shots had been fired.
It was un-known who fired the first round, but the effect was immediate: all seven of the gathered initiates had begun a prolonged fire fight, each taking an area of the ruins to hold.
On the eastern front was a pair of two, a ginger girl with a grenade launcher, and a weirdly dressed kid in green with smg's. Both Un-knowns
The western had a blonde boy in armor (the first case of such he had seen) and a girl by the name 'Pyrrha Nekos', an elite gladiator, while the boy was un-known.
To the north was some girl from the world's noble houses, records labeling her 'Weiss Schnee', her combat skills were sub-par, but a threat nonetheless.
He and Blake had put aside their differences, and had taken up a southern holding, his guns providing g suppression, while she cleared out anyone that got close.
One may ask: Why are they fighting? The answer?
Only the Omnissiah Knew.
There had been something akin to an argument over the relics, specifically about which one the teams got, and it had all gone down hill from there; one second everyone is standing around calm, the next, a war starts.
A shot from Nikos's rifle pinged off his armor, the steel absorbing the damage to spare his Aura, as he ducked back behind cover after firing macro rounds at the grenade lobber.
Blake jump behind the pillar he leaned on after forcing the knight looking brother-fucker off their land. A rag was wrapped around her mouth due to his command, as his auspex had detected some form of hazard in the air, what it was; he didn't know, the results hadn't been conclusive.
"I know this is probably a bad time, but have you ever thought about getting a full body suit? Doesn't have to be armor, just something that's better at blocking contaminants than a rag." He said, gaining an irritated look from his partner.
"Will you stop about the outfit thing?! We're in a bit of a situation right now!"
"By the motive force- I was not referring to the outfit conversation! I am legitimately suggesting you get some form of protection! An air filter, or some sort of mask. I'm sure we could find something that fits your aesthetic- one second."
He ended his statement by throwing an inferno grenade towards Nikos, forcing her into the open where he began firing both pistols at her. Infuriatingly, she dodged every gamma blast, while the macro slugs refused to stay on target. 'How odd, does she have telekinesis like Goodwitch?'
…
[Contaminant scan complete]
…
[Affected may show signs of increased aggression, while lowering their ability to process reason]
…
Ah, so there WAS something in the air, must be why the fight had broken out.
"Watch out! Assault coming from the eastern front!"
The grenadier and her comrade were indeed attack, the grenade launcher having been morphed into a hammer.
The two didn't get far, as a black form slammed into the girl, launching her back a good thirty-feet. Engines still flaring, the form swung their burning blade at the green boy, who narrowly dodged the strike…directly into the blade of a scythe.
"Ah, Sister Gariah, a timely entrance! Mind helping us silence these insolent fools?"
Swinging her blade towards the west, a crescent flame launching towards the knight, she yelled back, "With pleasure my little kitty cat! Let's show these traitors the might of our faith!"
Blake turned to him, an odd look on her face, "Kitty-cat?"
"Ugh," sighing, Errant ducked behind cover once more, "She's taken to calling me that ever since she saw my ears. There's nothing mean behind it, its just annoying."
"That sounds less 'annoying' and more racist." She remarked.
"Meh, its better than the actual, literal, slurs the rest of her sisterhood would have thrown at me."
"That… doesn't make it any better."
"Less talking! More killing!" Gariah shouted, tearing them from their conversation.
The addition of Gariah, and who he now recognized to be Ruby, turned the fight froma stalemate, to a true battle. Fire covered almost every flammable surface, and a few nonflammable ones; while bullets and blades flew through the air with killing intent.
"Errant, Uh- Ruby! – Right, Ruby, get behind cover and provide fire, Gariah, take center and hold them off while I do interference!" Blake commanded, already getting to her job.
Nikos and her knight paired up with hammer and smg, forcing the stalemate once again. Or, at leaste until…
With a heavy thud, a very beat Weiss Schnee was lobbed over they cover falling to the floor. She didn't get a second to react before she had 2 pistols and a sniper rifle pointed at her head.
"I surrender!" She shouted, hands shooting into the air.
"Indeed, what should we do with you I wonder…"
"Exocution! The only fate for those who surrender to our holy might!", came Gariahs reply from mid.
"P-p-please no! I can pay you to let me go!"
"Hmm, what do you two say?" He asked, looking to Blake and Ruby.
"Uh, uh, we should let her go? I don't want to hurt anybody…"
"Ive got a better idea" Blake said, "While im no fan of working with a Schnee- Hey! – I think she could be of use."
A look of fear came over Weiss's face as she looked to the group. "Wha-what do you mean by 'use'?"
"Well, you are quite adept with Dust, yes?"
"Y-yes."
"Good, in that case, I want you putting as much death into them as possible, understand?"
"I understand" She said with an audible gulp.
Blake began walking away, before she stopped and turned around one last time, "And should you decide to turn on us…I think Gariah made a great point!"
With their new conscript ally, the scales were once more tipped in their favor, the enemy force being pushed back until they had little more than a single fallen pillar to provide cover.
Despite the numbers advantage, the battle would still be one of attrition; Nikos's skill was great enough that single combat would become too drawn out, while hammer's grenades stopped a coordinated assault. They needed a way to end this fast!
Then he saw it. The Knight, who had shown little in terms of combat skill, was the one issuing orders. 'A commander, not a fighter, it would seem'
Signaling Blake to join him, he gave the news. "Mr. Knight needs to go down, hes their commander! Aaaaaaalso, we should probably discuss vox link- Ok bye!" He blurted out as she shot off.
With the target set, it wasn't long before the fools Aura had been fully depleted by bullet, blast, and macro slugs, the final nail in the coffin being when he tried to melee fight Gariah…He was slammed through their last line of defense within seconds.
…
[Analysis complete: Semblance Identified]
…
[Ruby Rose: short distance speed jump]
…
[Blake Belladonna: Leaves behind a clone, while briefly becoming invisible]
…
Hmph, about time that came in
His greater knowledge of his allies mattered little, as their foe would soon crumble regardless.
Even now, the green one was lagging behind, and would soon be taken by either Blake sword, or a round from Ruby, while hammer was on her knees awaiting the final blow.
But Nikos… she was still fighting. Turns out the 'elite' Gladiator was truly such. How to…
Opening his vox link, her gave his plan to Gariah.
Pyrrha Nikos
The fight was exhilarating! For the first time in years she was being challenged!
Of course, if it hadn't been for her lackluster teammate, not that they were bad, or her loss of energy fighting Grimm, it would have been over already, her standing victor.
Their assassin ducked and weaved in front of her, dodging each strike from her spear, and already showed signs of retreat. Perhaps they had simply realized they wouldn't win against her, or maybe…ooh, she saw her plan, if the presence behind her was anything to go by.
Swing around, she brought her shield up to intercept the strike…and realized her mistake, as the black armored one's arms wrapped around her.
'Ah, she intends to squeeze me! How funny, too bad I'll have to-'\
A look of horror settled over her face when she saw what the cog one held. Throughout the entire fight, a massive weapon was slug on their back pack, unused in favor of the duel pistols, and now, it was aimed right at her back…
While she couldn't move.
She screamed as a flash of red, and a loud bang, filled her senses, and then sensed no more.
Glynda Goodwitch
She couldn't believe what she had just watched. One second everyone was just standing around the ruins picking relics, when the next, all hell broke loose.
"How did this…"
"Ah" Professor Archenzo said behind her, "That would be my doing."
"Wha-WHAT!?"
"Simple, while exploring the 'huntsmen' centered markets I discovered a peculiar herb. Supposedly it was meant to cause Grimm infighting, but I saw to…inspire the same within our students."
He said that so calmly…
"Are you insane," She shouted, "They could have died!"
Shrugging her off, he responded "They would have been fine, I only put enough there to aggravate them, not send them into a blood rage."
"AN-and what about the death stalker and nevermore! What if they had come across them then!"
"They wouldn't have."
"How-."
"Because they're dead."
She stood stock still, eyes blinking rapidly, "Wha, what do you mean they're dead?"
"Simple, their lives have been ended. That little 'test' the headmaster had planned was worthless. A mere beast has not the ability to truly test these students. They are predictable, simple, with exposed weaknesses."
He walked up to the cameras, indicating the fight, "Humans are nothing of the such. They are smart, unpredictable, and skilled. Our students gained infinitely more comradery and skill through this, than they would ever have gotten through killing those beasts."
Archenzo trapped her in place with a gaze from his scowling mask, "While Ozpin may have seen this as a game, it is nothing of the sort. This is where the weak are separated from the strong, where the children become adults, where the heroes become warriors."
"Now then," he said, walking aboard the bullhead, "Shall we go collect our newly minted scouts?"
Blake Belladonna
"Perhaps…we should have used less explosives…" Weiss remarked.
She couldn't help but agree, staring at the smoking remains of what had once been the relics.
"M-maybe it will still count if we bring back the remains?" Ruby said, looking on the verge of tears.
Blake was doubtful of that, looking over to find Gariah sitting on a rock, cradling her stomach from where she took Errants shot. While Pyrrha may have taken the actual power from the blast, there was still a good deal of kinetic energy packed in.
Speaking of Pyrrha…She and her team had been laid out to recover after their defeat.
"Hey guys, what I miss-!"
The poor girl didn't get to finish the sentence before Blake turned and pulled the trigger on reflex…as did everyone else, it seems, given the number of projectiles that slammed into the blonde girl who had arrived.
"Wait, YANG!" Ruby shouted, running to the now thoroughly unconscious girl.
"Do you…know her?" She asked.
"Y-yes, she's my sister."
…Adopted, then. There was no way the short black-haired girl with silver eyes was the blood relation of the tall, blonde, one in front of them.
An engine could be heard behind them, as well as loud clapping.
Turning, she saw what had caused the noise. Stepping out of the bullhead was a giant armored in gold, a massive sword and shield at his side. Upon the top of his scowling helmet sat a crown of leaves, and upon his chest was a bleeding-heart sporting wings.
"well done, the lot of you.' He said, stepping down from the aircraft, Professor Goodwitch standing behind him with an odd look on her face, "Hmm, sadly your targets of interest, the relics, were destroyed. By your own hand even. Despite this, I believe the teams are set. Now then, It would be very kind of you to assist your…comrades, in boarding the bullhead, we have a ceremony to reach."
She had read about the new teacher previously, but this was a far cry from how he had been presented. A loving, caring old man is what they had shown her, one who had fought against all manner of evil.
But this…this felt…cruel. Had he planned for them to fight?!
She felt a metal hand fall on her shoulder, Errant having walked alongside her, "I suggest you grab one and get moving, you don't want to get on Lord Kaphails bad side when he goes full soldier."
What?!
Headmaster Ozpin
"Congratulations to team B.O.W.A.R, or team Boar, with Blake Belladonna as leader." There was a loud bout of applause at that, a recording of the fight having spread.
"And to team January, lead by Jaune Arc."
Kaphails little stunt had pissed him off, but he understood the action. Kaphail WAS a veteran, and a Sargent at that, it only made since he would take a… violent approach.
A warning would still have been appreciated.
He did his best to hide his disheveled appearance, having had little sleep the night before. Awakening the kids auras had raised…questions.
Notably, 'did faith have power?'
No matter, he needed to sleep damnit! Not spend all night researching religion! Well, he would admit it was better than fairy tales…
He watched as the final team walked off the stage, hoping that they wouldn't take the loss too hard.
The trio of strangers had been nothing but trouble since they had arrived: Murdering white fang militants, showing up out of nowhere, and now starting a fight between his students.
Not to mention James was acting…weird.
Constantly requesting that the three are transferred to Atlas, not for detainment, but for schooling…
He had been alive for thousands of years, and yet, this had to be one of the strangest things to ever happen to him… perhaps.
Perhaps he should take James up on that offer, maybe then the whispers he had been hearing would stop…