Chapter 10: A Neighboring Kingdom (2 Months Post-Entry into Beacon)
A/N: Thank you to everyone that wished me a fast and healthy recovery. As of the time I've started writing (12/27/20), I am in a stable condition and able to perform most daily functions quite easily. Still somewhat limited, but we'll see how it is by the end of the chapter and with the updated time.
1/12/2021 at 3:45 P.M. I've just finished the chapter. Happy New Year! This chapter took a bit longer than expected, but I was able to get it done! So my injury has mostly healed, but I don't think it'll be back to full functionality for a few more months. That's just how it is. But! I've been spending a lot of my time reading Brandon Sanderson novels and writing, studying code, and being an unproductive member of society! Hope everyone has been well and have a wonderful year!
Story Notes: To those that asked/said that Naruto is a soul that migrated to another world, that's exactly what happened. He is always the same person in every lifetime he goes through. Because he is particularly in tune with his soul in Remnant, he is aware that he lived his life in a repetitive cycle, always persevering and pushing himself.
Chapter 10 START
Naruto
Breath.
The day started with breath, and each breath was life. Each breath was life given back to the world, as life was drawn into a person through each successive breath that one took. It was a a cycle that continued on endlessly, with no sight of it ever fading away on the horizon. It was a fact of life, and as most facts of life, it was difficult to recognize until it was observed.
What was odd, then, was that there was no difference between the breath a Faunus took and the one that a human. If analyzed, no discernable traits or characteristics could be observed when taken with a scientific view. The air would mingle, and it was no different if they were separate. The breath of life that a human and Faunus took were the same, and therefore, the two lifeforms held no greater value or weight in any shape, way, or form.
Despite this logical approach, Naruto realized that logic rarely had anything to do with viewing "lesser beings". It rarely ever did. It was a hatred that was born out of a seed, implanted from a source of authority that held a twisted view of the world. An authority that held sway and a pervasive ability to convince and persuade others with their twisted words from the will of their equally twisted heart. Or perhaps...it was their soul that was twisted.
Naruto was at an impasse. He was the same person, the same individual, no matter what conditions he was thrown into. With no parents, he always triumphed and became the hero of his own story. In this case, the power curve simply happened far earlier because he was aware of what he was capable of with his soul's memories. The argument stood that because he was the same person, was it the case for everyone else? If that was truly the case, then it was a truth that was too harsh and unbearable for him to realize, and would possibly be better to remain unobserved.
If a man was evil because his soul was evil, or a woman cursed because her soul was cursed, and it was a facet of their soul that would remain for all eternity, it was such a horrid fate that the lives he lived were but a small candle compared to the roaring, crackling flames of the hearths from hell, if that place existed. Those souls suffered, and they would suffer each life time, never to be the person they wished to become.
But maybe it wasn't that a person was fated to be stuck with their faults throughout each life they lived. If fate was a shackle, then was it possible for one to break free and become an entirely different person, and therefore allow their soul to be free from what ailed their life? Naruto wasn't sure, but he would rather this be the truth, because if it wasn't the way life was meant to be, then it was true for him as well.
"Are you alright, Professor?" Glynda called to him. Naruto lifted his eyes from the bullhead's steel, polished floor and met her green eyes. It reminded her of healing, almost like life itself.
He smiled. "Just lost in thought."
"Truly a rarity." Glynda saw Raven, who was sitting idly alone watching the clouds go by, crack a smirk for a moment. "What caused this abnormal change in you?"
"An existential crisis," he said. Glynda laughed, clearly taking it as a joke. In a way, he did. He knew that the way he said it in his delivery and the specific words would be taken not at face value and would instead be digested in a humorous form. Glynda most likely assumed that he was considering how to approach the upcoming meetings he would have with people of great import. He was in an unenviable situation. After all, how often was it a one of seventeen years held the responsibility of maintaining the relations between two Kingdoms. Most of the professors weren't even considered for the role, but Naruto was the first pick by Ozpin. Ignoring all of the red flags that the headmaster raised with that choice, Naruto took it as a way for Ozpin to analyze Naruto's diplomacy and political skills.
He had lifetimes worth of almost every useful skill in his memories. His soul remembered, even if he didn't inherently. His mind may be that of a youthful teenager that would be an adult in eleven months, but he was aware. He was a child, adult, and an elderly person all in one, and yet none of those things. He was simply a soul, and his body was the carrier of this iteration of the soul.
Perhaps that was the best way to view his scenario. His body, ever unchanging in every iteration, was just set into a new frame and would iterate through another lifetime as his soul would iterate through another body.
"And here I thought you were busy planning your schedule for the meetings once we arrive in Atlas. Clearly, that responsibility will fall onto me." He was correct; she did assume he was being thoughtful for the future. He had been earlier, but he had lost track of his focus and moved onto more philosophical theories. Thoughts such as 'what was the purpose of life' and such gnawed uncharacteristically harshly, like a famished dog that chewed on a bone that had lost its meat years ago. It was a topic that he had already pursued every avenue he could think of, and had found no new angle to approach the problem. And yet he thought, because perhaps one day, he would arrive at a a new path which would lead him to another road, and thus a new conclusion.
It was another lesson his previous lives had taught him. Life was the culmination of each day. The results of his every life was simply a byproduct of the actions and choices he made in each day, so each day had to have some kind of value. Therefore, Naruto held value in daily tasks and doing each thing systematically in a way so that he would achieve each of his daily goals to approach larger, more difficult problems and mountainous goals.
"I suppose it shall." He had prepared to let Glynda enjoy the trip, but it was less of a light excursion and more of a politically involved vacation. There were expectations set. The more time he was given to do his daily tasks and some other errands in Atlas, the better. Glynda offering to take some menial tasks out of his hands only gave him a bit of respite.
"So what were you thinking about?" Glynda asked. Naruto blinked. She sat next to him by the window, opposite from Raven, who was still pretending to not listen. Her eyes may have been towards the pilots in the front, but her ears had perked up. Naruto knew the signs of the black-haired girl when he had gotten her attention. Her eyebrows would scrunch and lips would purse slightly. It was almost imperceptible, but he could see those signs with ease now.
"You're curious about your professor's thoughts?"
Glynda shrugged, her thick leather jacket emphasizing the motion. She wore a light green shirt that was tucked into her white jeans, looped with a large belt that wrapped around her waist. It wasn't the style of Vale, but it wasn't quite something an Atlasian would wear. However, what it did have was a healthy balance between the two. Clearly, she had put on thought to what to wear. First impressions were vital, and sometimes, people would be written off before the first words ever escaped their lips. Their tongue would forever remain caught behind their teeth, because their words would hold little value. All because of a first impression.
"Technically, I've graduated from you as my professor. But ignoring technicalities, yes. I am curious." She situated herself comfortably and gave him a look. He would humor her.
"How often do you think of philosophy?"
"Too often because of you."
Naruto chuckled. "Fair. But it's only because I'm a professor I have to make all of the students think. Really think about each perspective. It's better to do that than to let the students go out post-graduation and not be thoughtful people."
Glynda nodded. "True. However, I believe that you'd probably be a philosopher even without the title of professor. You'd fit right into a new profession." She blinked. "We've gotten off topic."
"We have." Naruto palmed his chin and looked passed Raven to look at the bright, blue sky. "I was thinking what the point of life was, if we are only meant to die? No matter what, we will die. It is inevitable. Despite this, we have to find meaning in our short lives, or else expire without having ever found purpose. I personally believe that finding purpose to a life is an extraordinarily difficult feat to achieve, one that may take lifetimes to discover and truly understand. And yet, time is squandered away." He knew that feeling too well. Time was relentless, but it was the constant. It was the factor that existed along with his soul as he traveled to each new world. Not that he ever knew until he arrived in Remnant...and he may never remember again. So he had to find out now. In this lifetime. "We wage our petty wars and seek out ways to discover animosity to direct our attention elsewhere, or we find distractions that leech away our productivity and lives."
Naruto was a hawk, watching Raven's expressions change freely as he spoke. Glynda remained silent in thought, and it was clear that Raven was also waiting for a response as eagerly as he was. For a few seconds, the sound of the bullhead flying through the air and the engine were the only audible noises in the main cabin of the abnormally large commercial bullhead.
"To be honest, philosophy was never my strong suit," Glynda said as she crossed her legs. "I prefer practical lessons, I greatly appreciate mental fortitude and forethought, and I hold knowledge in high regards. Each of these contribute to my added possibility to survive another day when I graduate and become a Huntress. Each day, I live my life so that in the future, I may live another day. It is done in preparation. Perhaps when the future comes, I will be prepared, and perhaps not. Either way, I have will have done what I can and can only arrive to a conclusion when the day comes.
"My purpose may never come to me. Currently, I believe that my life is deeply a result of my circumstances. I have a powerful Semblance and large quantities of Aura, and am therefore well-suited to be a Huntress. I had the innate natural talent and was scouted, and I like my lifestyle. I pursue growth and strength with dogged ambition, and yet strength is not the be all and end all for me. There are probably other ways to become strong, but if I had to give up my principles or my values, then it would be all a waste. Turning my back on my whole life's values for the sake of strength so that I could survive and live on when the time came would be the ultimate hypocrisy of my own self.
"My purpose now - and my answer may change a year, a decade, or at the end of my life - is to live in a way that lets me to be proud of myself. Life is here so that we can use it for what we want. I simply want to become a Huntress that can protect and survive, but to also be a kind person. Not a kind Huntress, but a kind person first and foremost.
"And...if my answer isn't good enough, or if I am dissatisfied with my answer when my life does expire..." she sighed, as if she was relieved. "I think I'll be okay with that. We take what we learn from those that came before, and lead those that come after. Perhaps our life will hold no real meaning to us, but those that walk after may find it for us. I won't know because I'll already be a part of the earth, but I'll be satisfied with my life, at the least, as long as I hold to my principles and live proudly."
Naruto stood up. "A solid response. It appears that you are the professor and I'm the student in this affair." He stretched with his arms above him, extending his fairs to the ceiling. "Perhaps you should consider becoming a professor in the future."
Glynda allowed herself to blush from the praise. "I - I mean...that would be something to think about in the future."
Naruto looked away from the ceiling so that he could gaze into Glynda's eyes. "Well, you think about it. Perhaps you could take from those that walked before you so that you can lead those who come in the future." He grinned, his eyes closing gratefully. "I'm going to retire for the night. Good night, Glynda. Raven."
Before he could turn away, Glynda asked, "What made you ask that, by the way?"
Naruto smiled, a false cheshire grin slipping on his features. "Existential crisis." Of course, Glynda giggled at her professor's silliness, assuming he was joking. When Naruto turned to the door to leave the main cabin, the smile that slid on wore off like wax, and the mask removed itself just as easily.
Sitting on her bed, Raven had to admit that the accommodations that the bullhead provided was far better than she had initially expected. Her room, which was her own and not shared with any of the other students that had come along with Naruto for the trip to Atlas, was large enough to house a bed, a shelf that was attached to the wall, and a bathroom with a small shower in the corner. There were sixteen rooms like hers in the bullhead, all on the first floor. There was a kitchen on the second floor with two tables, meant to hold six people on each. Albeit not a large kitchen, it held a four-top stove and an oven, as well as a pantry with common ingredients and garnishes that would make do for any decent meal. It far beat out the tasteless rations that some Hunters would have to survive off of in the field on longer term missions.
It was undoubtedly a large bullhead. The commercial one that had been used to carry over the students over to the campus on the first day was large, but it was catered towards travelling in short spurts. It could be used within the city of Vale and travel somewhat outside of the city, but other bullheads were more efficient for travel over longer distances.
For example, the bullhead that they were currently on was capable of traveling over multiple Kingdoms without a single stop. Assuming that it would be necessary to stay in the air, there was plenty of space and additional comforts in order to provide the capability to stay in the air.
To be honest, it made her wonder about the ships she had read about. They were docked in Atlas, and some of them made the bullhead they were on look like it was meant for children with training wheels. One of them was even able to hold over four hundred occupants, with a room for each person. The real kicker was that it was technically capable to be both a cruise ship and a military asset. Currently, in the time of 'peace', it was a cruise vessel that only the richest of individuals could afford to ride and enjoy its hospitality.
Raven shook her head and looked to her right, out the circular window that was built into the wall. Besides the metallic wall, it was only a thick pane of glass that separated her from air and sky. Her mind wandered to the last conversation she had with her teammates. She had finally told her team that she was taking the trip to Atlas. She had informed them the day of that Naruto had offered her a position in the upcoming political venture to Atlas, but she held off on giving both her team and Naruto a direct answer to what her decision would be. Then, a week ago, she had finally decided and told her team.
They were, to put it mildly, disappointed. It wasn't as if they couldn't see her point of view and understand where she was coming from, but they wanted to train together. Especially with the upcoming Vytal Festival, any team training would be essential to getting the upper hand on the other contestants. It wasn't even a question of whether or not their team, Team STRQ, would be accepted by the other professors. They were practically a shoe-in, despite the fact they'd have to take a combat capability test. It was all a formality at this point.
Summer had the best smile she could put on at the time, which was half-hearted at best. Qrow shrugged and walked out the door, and Taiyang was visibly confused. The blond had looked between the door and his team leader, and when neither gave any form of vocal response, he finally looked at Raven with his widened eyes.
"Why?"
Why indeed. The Vytal Festival was the best way to get noticed by other Hunters and by the government, if that was the way you wanted your career to fizzle out. Putting on a strong showing as a team was extremely important, alongside having high individual prowess and exceptional potential. Having simply one category fulfilled wasn't enough to fully impress unless you were so far above the rest of the competition. Someone like Naruto would probably be a worldwide phenomenon if he competed in the Festivals. He'd probably then have to deal with millions of interviews, and then an immediate future as a Huntsman.
The next week was a series of muted conversation within the team and excited exposition amongst the rest of the school as they prepared for their missions the following week. In the end, the three from STRQ joined another full sized team to go on a mission with a professor. It was, after all, the week that school was off for the sake of missions and field training. Raven had considered the field training to be potentially of greater value, but had all but thrown that argument out when she lived on thefield for her whole life. Atlas, a whole separate Kingdom, would provide more experiences and opportunities for growth.
She stood and walked over to the window so that she was only a foot away from the glass, staring into the night sky. Had it only been a month since she had talked to Naruto on his birthday? Looking down, she could vaguely make out the shapes of forests and mountains by the soft moonlight. A lake reflected the fractured moon, and the nature in its vicinity glowed morbidly.
Raven sighed. It would be five more days of this dull travel. Six Huntsman-in-training, one professor, and four pilots, all stuck together in one bullhead. They were not provided a cook, but it mattered not. Every one of them was capable of cooking their own dishes.
She shook her head and held her right wrist. Her sword hand, ever failing yet never giving up. It would always be the reason why she was strong, but in comparison, always be a partial limiting factor. Or maybe it was her whole body, or her control over her Aura and soul. What it was, or whatever it may be that was separating her from Naruto and Glynda, she couldn't stop herself from fixating on. It was within reach for her to grasp and comprehend what it was, but it was just outside of her fumbling fingers.
'I should sleep soon.' The moon wasn't high yet, and there were no classes to be concerned for. But she still wanted to check the one room in the back of the second floor. It was apparently a large combat room. A large, rectangular room with benches on the sides bolted down, made of steel and cushions.
She fell on her back, resting against the bed and closed her eyes.
" - wake the others. Crystal, I need you to enhance the barriers on the front. Glynda, I'm giving you some of my Aura. Take it with you to the top of the bullhead and fend off the Grimm. Go!"
Raven awoke to the sound of orders. She was standing and fully equipped in seconds, running out of her room and into the hallway. The blare of the bullhead's alarm and a pilot's voice screeching through the intercom, riffed with trebles from fear, warned the passengers.
"A horde of Nevermore are in sight! Expected to make contact within two minutes! A minimum of one-hundred are in the skies!"
One-hundred Nevermore! Raven instinctively wanted to grab her sword, but held her hand still. Naruto was standing further down the hallway, closer to the main cabin and the cockpit. There were two students with him: one was Glynda, so the other must have been the one named Crystal. Green hair fell down in long bangs down the sides of her face, and a ponytail that extended lower than her thighs was swaying confidently.
That was all she saw before Crystal nodded, her back to Raven, and ran through the door towards the cockpits.
Raven stepped towards the two. Naruto held out his hand to Glynda, and suddenly a rush of golden, yellow Aura took over the entire hallway. Dense, thick, dead calm Aura poured out of Naruto as if he had the largest water hose in the world with enough force to push it out with extraordinary speeds. Glynda grabbed all of it, condensing the Aura with her Semblance.
"That will be enough. I'm going to the top." Glynda nodded to Raven when they made eye contact before rushing to the stairs. Naruto looked at her and frowned.
"What do you need me to do?" Raven, for the first time in years, actually feared for her life. One- hundred Nevermore...to think that was even possible. They were hardly ever seen in pairs, but to find a whole flock that flew in the skies together? Something was clearly amiss.
'This isn't the time to think analytically!'
No Huntsman had ever been able to beat more than fifty on their own. If they had, they had never been able to tell the tale. Yet here they were, standing in a bullhead with no time to rush to the ground. They had to fight where the Nevermore were most adapted to, and in the cover of darkness. Six students, one professor, and four pilots. One bullhead.
'Stop that!'
Naruto held her shoulder, gripping the muscle and bone firmly, yet in a soothing way. The shivering that she didn't realize had stopped. He smiled at her, telling her it was going to be fine.
"Don't worry about it this time. Just watch your professor and upperclassmen take care of the situation." At that moment, a huge barrier expanded, covering the entirety of the ship from the outside. Naruto's grin widened. "That's Crystal, so she'll make sure no harm comes to any of us and this bullhead." It wasn't seen, but felt. The barrier that was suddenly created was not erected from nothing, but rather enhanced from the initial source, the bullhead.
'What kind of Semblance is that?'
A bright light flashed, overtaking the darkness. Latent golden Aura floated lazily in the air in particles outside. Raven realized that it was Glynda, already on the top of the ship and holding onto Naruto's Aura to utilize it as a weapon and shield. The Aura chased the darkness away, covering the land thousands of feet under in a resplendent shine. Glynda was holding onto a miniature sun, no doubt with enough Aura in reserve to create absurd damage.
A knock on a window broke Raven from her thoughts.
"We got thirty seconds until they crashed into the barrier!" The Faunus male's voice was muffled, but it was clear enough to make out the words. He was flying outside...how? A cheerful disposition and bright yellow eyes reflected through the glass. He waved at Raven, and then turned his attention to Naruto. "Any words for me?"
"Hope you're having fun flying." The yellow-eyed Huntsman-in-training let out a "woop!" as he flipped backwards in the air. Then, he disappeared from sight, moving to the front of the ship. "Come with me."
Raven followed instinctively as Naruto took the stairs. They went up three flights, and then came across a metal door. Raven could hear the wind whistling, howling through the steel door. It was as if the Nevermores' screams were reaching their bullhead by sheer will. Naruto opened it, and the light from the ship was immediately overtaken by Glynda's expansive control on Naruto's Aura.
Run.
Raven felt ice. From the edge of her vision, she saw Naruto flinch. The light from Naruto's Aura, which had been stable and controlled, suddenly became erratic as Glynda staggered and her mastery of the energy faltered.
An oppressive, hideous aura unsheathed itself, like cold, silent steel. It came suddenly, but also seemed like it was always there, lurking. Everyone felt it. The ship buckled as the pilots tried to get their own emotions under control, but the damage was done. The army of Nevermore were close, and whatever preparations that the professor and students had made were suddenly in tatters.
The flap of their wings and their war cries were ominously loud, ringing in their ears. She had thought the wind was making the noise, but it was actually the large mass of black coming in a high velocity towards them creating the terrible noises. In the night, the Nevermore army looked darker than black, pitching the dim night into a blacker substance. Raven could only tell it was Grimm and not the horizon of the night sky because of the red eyes, glowing in the darkness, and the way the curtains of darkness moved, like a heart palpating and forcing the muscles to react in time. They flapped as one, screeched as one, and singularly targeted the vessel as one.
Above them all, there was an eye. Black and red, with lines of purple rushing like blood. It hovered in the air atop all of the Nevermore, staring straight at the bullhead. It was the origin of all of the hostile energy. Raven shakily reached for her sword with her right hand. What would she do to the eye? Swing at it when it was a couple thousand feet away?
"It's been a while since I've felt killing intent," Raven barely heard Naruto whisper. "Don't worry. I'll protect you all," she heard more clearly. Her vision gained clarity, and the hazy energy became clear and controlled once more. The horrifying force which had squashed down on the entire team and effected everyone, possibly every living thing in the larger vicinity, slowly dissipated. Naruto's hair was whipping in the wind, but it was rising unnaturally as well. He stepped forwards as the oncoming rush of Nevermore approached, only ten seconds away from crashing into the rapidly repairing barrier.
"I will hold off the initial impact. Prepare to take over." Naruto's spoke, resonating with power. The eye had no power in Naruto's direct area. Not anymore.
Raven watched with bated breath as the gigantic flock, which had looked like a shadow in the sky before, and then a large curtain of silhouettes against Glynda's light, now were frighteningly large with their open beaks and beady, glowing red eyes as they let out ear piercing screeches. All of them, screaming at once as they honed on the ship, their wings flapping harshly. Thousands of deadly plumes of feathers was released, flying at the ship.
Naruto raised his right hand, and the golden Aura that was his flexed. The volley of feathers was completely stopped in its tracks. First, the lighter but piercing feathers struck a wall in the air, losing the force they initially had to rip the ship apart. The black feathers blotted out the sky, covering the stars and the moon. They hovered in the air for a moment before falling to the forest below.
The ship held still, the pilots already acknowledging the futility in running away. The best they could do now was to hold still and let the trained soldiers deal with the situation at hand.
A second volley came in, whizzing like rain. A deeper shadow that completely blanketed the moon raged towards the ship again. Naruto didn't even raise his hand this time, simply letting the Aura in the air do the work for him as he kept its form and tenacity. He dropped his arms and hands to his side and then closed his eyes for a second.
Power. Power. Unimaginable amounts of Aura flared to life as the Nevermore army came within feet of the ship. They broke through the barrier that the ship had erected with the enhancements from Crystal. Hundreds of beaks, clipping and open with screeches filled the air. There was nothing in the world but mouths. Raven swore that she had never seen so many Grimm - and tongues salivating - in a single place in her life.
They were completely surrounded, but the Nevermores never got any closer to the ship than the outer range of Naruto's Aura control. It was a cube that covered the bullhead, and Naruto kept firm control over every single particle of Aura that he had released. The beasts flapped their wings relentlessly, savagely pushing forward against an immovable wall that did not let them pass.
"Sorry for stealing your thunder, Glynda," Naruto said. The blonde fourth year had been watching with amazement. This was what she had planned to do as well, but the finesse and control that the younger blond professor executed was otherworldly. She was torn away from her trance. Flipping up her glasses, Glynda righted herself and straightened her back.
"It's fine. I can take it from here," Glynda said, eyes firm. Naruto nodded, then pointed out into the distance. Up, above even the eye that watched unblinkingly from its vantage in the sky. The thing Naruto pointed out was nothing more than a single dot in the expansive sky, but it was rapidly growing in size.
"Shoot it down," Naruto ordered. The object - no, it wasn't an object. It was a living thing...it had wings. It was flapping as it came straight down, nosediving towards the ship. Raven saw Glynda hesitate, but the older girl steeled her resolve in an instant, replacing fear with assurance. Confidence, built from years of hard work. Confidence, from trust in the professor that trusted and believed in her. That was the belief that Glynda showed as she took control of the Aura Naruto gifted her, holding back all of the Nevermore and their beaks, feathers, and claws while the barrier came back to life.
Glynda strained, but she never let out a sound that showed the difficulty that she was under. It was funny, in a way. Technically, this was a life or death situation. More correctly speaking, this would be a death or death situation. If any other squad of students and a single professor came across this mass of Grimm, hellbent on cutting them off from the sky and picking them out one by one, then there'd be no doubt that the squadron would die. And yet, it never felt like they were ever going to die except for the split second the eye came into existence, staring down at them with cynical, supercilious hatred.
And yet, none of the students visible showed any fear for their life. They only pushed forward, fighting back with the absolute belief that they would not only just survive, but win. They would obliterate this opposing force and confidently see another day.
The Faunus boy was cutting down Nevermores with ease as they were distracted with attempting to break through still. Each second, he decapitated through the black, slowing but surely revealing the natural sky behind the flapping bodies of Grimm. His hold on his sword was firm, and the movements in the air were calculated and precise. With ease, he'd dodge the Nevermore that had locked onto him, and then strike through the neck. Each Grimm struck by him would freeze, as if it was unsure if it should be dead. Then, before it could come to a concise realization, its body would already begin to disintegrate, fading away.
Glynda shouted, and Raven whipped her neck. Glynda was on one knee, clearly struggling to push back. Sweating and breathing harshly, the blonde raised both her hands, palms up to the sky. The Aura concentrated in between her palms, swirling and swirling, faster and faster. It grew larger, becoming shaper and more cylindrical and taller. Raven's hair swayed, and then flapped against her forehead and back as the air was forcefully displaced by the Aura that Glynda manipulated.
"Sharper," Glynda whispered, like a mantra. The Aura spun faster, becoming a drill in the air. "Stronger, faster." It grew taller, easily over ten feet tall. The blot in the sky was becoming clearer, and it was assuredly gigantic. Of the same species of the aerial Grimm that surrounded them, the Giant Nevermore was only seconds away from coming into contact with the barrier. This time, Raven wondered if Glynda would be able to hold that. She glanced at Naruto, but he was simply watching with his arms crossed. His eyes were flicking between Glynda, the ship's barrier, and the flying Faunus. Rapidly, his blue eyes would take in information from the battlefield, ready to jump in if he was ever needed.
An urge surged inside of Raven. Naruto's eyes flicked to her right when she was about to pull out her blade, and she paused. "Trust us," he said. She wasn't sure how she heard him through the wind. She probably didn't, and most likely read his lips. But she heard him, heard his voice calmly talk to her as if she was back at Beacon and they were chatting after a spar.
She held still, her hand staggering near her blade before returning her right hand to her side. Naruto smiled, and then looked up. Raven felt her heartbeats thud relentlessly, drumming faster and faster as the Giant Nevermore became large enough in her field of view to dwarf the large bullhead that they were on. Ten heartbeats. The maw of the Giant Nevermore became a chasm of black.
Suddenly, the drill that Glynda had formed shined brighter. "Professor!" Glynda yelled. Naruto immediately raised both of his hands, and he physically winced from having to suddenly take over control, but he held back the rapidly dwindling forces of Nevermore that -
"Yo, why are there so many still here? Naruto, there's some Nevermore that are coming as backup and slamming into the ship!"
'The pilot said at least one hundred visible. Didn't I only see around one hundred originally?' Her eyes widened. There were more. There must have been. Naruto had hardly been breaking a sweat, but now he was visibly sweating at the temple.
Raven looked up and saw the open beak of the Giant Nevermore, but its screams were inaudible. Glynda's drilling spear, shining with golden light with rays that speared out in long streaks, hummed as the air itself parted for it. The spun violently, to the point that Raven felt herself getting pushed back.
"That's not real..." she muttered. But it was so very real. In front of her was Glynda, carrying the weight of an Aura drill that could pierce through the very heavens itself.
"Glynda!" Naruto shouted. He was struggling to hold back the Grimm. Raven ran to him, pushing past the wind. She knelt by him, holding him steady as his breath grew labored. His sweat dribbled down his face and dripped off his chin, flying away as the wind carried it off the bullhead. She couldn't help him in any other way. Holding his shoulder and side, Raven felt Naruto's Aura level depleting through her weak link with him. Although imperfect, she could tell that he was lower than he had ever been back at Beacon, and that she was actually struggling, a first she had ever seen from him. Naruto glanced at her and gave her a grateful nod before staggering to his feet again.
"It's done!" Glynda shouted. For years to come, Raven would remember this moment. It would be a core memory, inspiring her wherever she went.
Glynda stood tall, and then threw the drill straight at the gaping mouth of the Giant Nevermore. For a whole second, it looked as if the Aura, turning and grinding as hell bent as it was, would not pierce the thick skin and hide of the high tier Grimm.
And then it did.
From shredding through diamonds to slicing through butter, the weapon that Glynda had conjured pierced right through the Giant Nevermore. It flew, high into the sky as it crushed through the defenses so suddenly, it was as if the Grimm had suddenly run out of Aura and had no protection any longer. A gigantic hole straight down the middle of the Giant Nevermore exposed itself, and then it began to fade.
Glynda burst into motion, flexing her arms as it strained taut from exertion. She bent low, and the Aura that she controlled came hurling straight back down to earth. The flying Faunus landed by Naruto and Raven. He gave them both a small grin, and then drifted his attention back to the Aura that flowed as easily as Glynda's dance on the top of the bullhead.
It may as well have been a dance. She was graceful, completely in control of the Aura and now, the situation. The Nevermore, which had them surrounded in the hundreds, were nothing to Glynda's all-powerful weapon. It shredded them mercilessly, crushing their skin and grinding them into nothingness. All fell before her as Glynda continued to spin in tune with the heavenly force that she had created, and the Aura dance along with her. It was a duo's piece, and they were completely in sync with each other. Never out of step, never out of line.
Together.
When the dark force of Grimm had all but dwindled into the tens, Raven caught the eye still staring, unblinking at the students. However, its attention seemed to have sharpened. How she knew, she couldn't tell. But she could sense it. See it, almost, but she knew her eyes weren't that powerful. But the comforting atmosphere that Naruto had pushed out before to counteract the violent, malicious feeling the eye projected that long since dissipated as he struggled. It was still present, but not nearly as present. Like a faint whisper, still telling his students that he was there and will protect them, without fail.
No, Raven knew it wasn't focused on the group as a whole any longer. It was solely focused on a single individual. Glynda. Raven saw the older girl hint fear, but Glynda threw away that momentary fear with controlled countenance and resolve. She ignored the rest of the Grimm and flung her hand forward. The Aura followed her command, flying straight towards the eye. It covered the distance of nearly a kilometer in a mere two seconds.
The eye exploded in purple, black, and red liquid. The Nevermore, which had been absolutely overtaken with desire to guide the passengers on the bullhead to ruin, suddenly lost their steam. They were still aggressive, but it was more natural. Natural as a predator attacked a prey, and as natural as how mankind and Grimm responded to one another.
Naruto's breathing stabilized, and Raven realized that she was still holding him on his left side and right shoulder from before. She let go and stepped back, and Naruto stepped forward and breathed. The mass of Aura that was floating around not holding back the massacred Grimm surged back towards him, and a golden hue eclipsed her professor as he continued to take in the Aura he had released, as if he were breathing it in. Breathing in the very life of the world.
"Do you mind if I take care of the rest, Icar?" Naruto asked.
"Take it away, Prof," the Faunus said with a wave, shrugging and smiling easily. Naruto nodded. The Aura in the air that remained all spiked outwards, destroying the remaining Grimm. They dissolved into black dust, wasting away into the night. "Seriously, if it was that easy, why didn't you just do that from the beginning though? Could've saved us all the trouble."
Naruto shot Icar an amused, yet displeased smile, as if he was talking to a smartass student. Which he was.
"I'm not going to be there for you every time." Naruto took a few seconds to breathe deeply. "I don't feel any more Grimm near us. We're safe."
"Well, that's great," Glynda said. The blonde had dropped to her knees, and in her moment of weakness, her hands were planted on her knees as she bent over. "If anyone has any water, that'd be phenomenal."
Raven offered hers. She always brought water with her in the wild and into battle, so what would change about that even in aerial combat? Glynda smiled kindly at her and drank deeply without ever touching the bottle, using her control of her Semblance to hold bottle of water in the air.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. By the way, that was...amazing. What you did," she said as she took back her bottle. Glynda smiled wider, and some of the tiredness washed away.
"Well, thank you again, Raven. It's been a while since I've been complimented by you." Glynda regained her composure and control of herself. She stood and stepped over to where Naruto and Icar were waiting. "And thank you for the Aura, Professor."
Naruto grinned. "No problem! I like what you created with it." Glynda beamed. "But please, for my own sake and yours, if you're going to take that much Aura from me, please let me know. I was using that Aura to hold back the Grimm, and I was forced to take out more."
"You're fine, Professor. I know that you have more." Glynda didn't even seem phased by Naruto's displeasure. "You know I'm right."
"I know...but even I need to time to release my Aura. I can't just force it out all at once."
Raven was confused. "Wait...how much Aura do you have? I don't think anybody else can literally release Aura into the air and hold Grimm like that. It's unheard of."
Naruto laughed while scratching the back of his head. Again with that tick. If anything, she would think he was embarrassed. "Well - "
"Are you aware of the Arcs?" Glynda interjected. Raven nodded. Of course she knew who they were. World Famous Huntsman, all top class. Known for using rather premiere, yet regular weapons with no tech. They were a family known for their skill and massive Aura reserves that made up for their lack of range. "Good, that makes this easier. Imagine our professor is an Arc, with an Aura reserve that is infinitely larger than theirs. He is a walking tank of Aura. Whatever lack of range the Arcs have, Naruto doesn't because he can simply cover that distance with his Aura and impeccable control over it."
Raven's eyebrows rose to new heights that day. "That's...really unfair."
Glynda smiled widely. "Quite."
"It's not that unfair," Naruto denied. Glynda gave him a flat stare.
"You're a cheat."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Raven blurted out. "Then why were you sweating and struggling to hold back the Grimm if you have so much Aura?"
Naruto glanced at her. "Can you utilize all of your Aura at once?"
Raven blinked owlishly. "No, I've never tried," she decided.
"That's because you're not supposed to. Just because I have large amounts of Aura doesn't mean I can use half of my reserves the same way another Huntsman can. Our halves aren't equal, while our rate of output of Aura from our body is." He shrugged. "We can talk later; we should head inside and then make sure the bullhead and others are unharmed."
The bullhead hadn't started moving yet, despite the eradication of the threat. The wind was slow, now that Glynda's control on the Aura had finally released and the wings of the Nevermore weren't perennially beating in her ears. Raven stood there, with her professor and her fellow students of Beacons, in the stillness that remained after the storm. Silent, calm, with hardly any indicators that there had been a battle for their lives. The moon lit up the world with its fragmented parts as it usually did, and nobody was there to witness the Grimm horde other than those on the ship.
"Yeah," she agreed, turning her eyes away from the moon. "Let's head back."
Naruto sat in his room, exhausted. He finished sending his report to Ozpin and was now resting in his bed with his head against the wall. An eye, staring straight at the ship, with hundreds of Nevermore flying towards them. It wasn't coincidence. He said as much in his report.
"They don't know," he thought out loud. He was thinking of his students. They might chalk up the eye to being another notable Grimm. An outlier that was beyond its kin. But Naruto felt it and its gaze. It held power, and it was the leader of that horde of Grimm.
If he wasn't here, then what would've happened to the political excursion that the replacement would've been forced to take? Most likely dead. Luckily - or perhaps not so luckily, as it was all a matter of perspective - the other bullheads en route to the other Kingdoms were not sieged by Grimm at all. It was only theirs. He'd rather it be that way.
Naruto clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut.
"We take what we learn from before, so we can lead those who come after," he said softly. "I live to protect others." His fists loosened, and the wrinkles on his forehead disappeared.
He couldn't sleep, and the other students were most likely sleeping by now. Adrenaline had taken them all, and they'd retired to their rooms within an hour of the battle. The pilots were extremely thankful, thanking them for their protection and saying things such as "I never doubted you!" and whatnot. He grimaced. Those lives would've been lost. Innocent, but washed away all the same.
He swung his legs off the bed and slipped on his shoes before going out. Dressed in his sleepwear, he hardly cared as he walked up the stairs in the artificially lit bullhead to the roof. Opening the door, the wind whipped his hair and he breathed in the cold. It was comforting as he took in the fresh air, and the sights of the forest below and the starry night sky above.
"I figured you'd come up here." Naruto looked down from the cracked moon and saw Raven sitting a couple tens of feet away in the center of the roof. Her back was to him, but he could tell that she was looking up at the moon, just like he had on his birthday. He shook his head and walked up to her.
"I can take watch," he said. He could feel her tiredness exuding from her, but he also wasn't surprised when she shook her head. After all, he knew what her Semblance was, and he knew that she could feel his tumbling emotions.
"We can watch together."
He sat next to her. And smiled.
" - and I swooped in and sliced through their neck, just like that!" Icar exclaimed, flexing his biceps for emphasis. Raven glanced at him before returning to her breakfast. He was wearing the same outfit from yesterday, or a similar fashion - she couldn't quite remember in the rush of yesterday - and it did look good...but it was not something she'd consider most people to wear on a normal basis.
A youthful, mirthful face with lips that curved up with mischief and eyes twinkling with the same energy. Slim nose, and wild brown hair that stuck up in tufts. He wore a yellow jacket with red accent lines running up and down, unzipped, that was cut short so that most of his torso, lower back, and stomach was visible, along with the inside of his chest to showcase all of his hard earned muscles from years of training. He was slightly taller than she was, maybe around three inches taller? Most importantly, however, was the noticeable lack of wings. How the hell was he flying, then?
"You saw, right, Raven?" Icar beamed at her. She didn't look up from her scrambled eggs.
"Sit down, Icar," a calm voice politely demanded. "And don't bother the new girl with your antics," he added.
Breakfast, or soon to be, was not a quiet affair. The six students were sitting in the dining room at a single table. Clearly, when it said six people, it was meant for six Hunstman with their weapons. There was probably enough space for at least double their expected capacity for each table. Naruto was finishing up cooking for his own portions and told the rest of them to start without him. The rest of them were plenty capable of cooking - at least, Raven assumed so - but they immediately backed away from the tools and ingredients when Naruto said he was considering making breakfast.
Now that Raven thought about it, she had never seen Glynda cook breakfast.
Despite what Naruto told them, the half dozen of them waited with their plates of hot sausages, potatoes, and bacon with rice slowly simmering away heat.
Icar sat gruffly, his smile slipping off for a second to pout, but returning in full force seconds after. "You're always such a spoilsport, Nex. But don't worry, you're still cool to me!"
Nex was a tall, slim young adult with an attitude and wear that declared 'neat'. Tidied up and clean, everything about him seemed designed. His clothes, tailored for his build, hair impeccably cleaned and groomed, combed back and to the right so that his forehead was in full display. Clean, shaven face with dark eyebrows and equally dark, stormy eyes behind the lens of his rounded glasses. For the majority of breakfast so far, he was silent, only speaking when spoken to or when a topic had garnered his interest. Or to draw Icar back into line. It was clear that the two were friends. Raven found it odd how two completely different personalities could seem so well connected.
"That is appreciated. I live off your compliments and approval," Nex deadpanned. Raven almost choked up a laugh. Crystal, the girl she had seen last night running to the cockpit, freely belted out a laugh. Raven hadn't the opportunity to look at her other than her back, so all she recalled was that she had long green hair that was let down to her knees.
Currently, Crystal's hair was braided on her sides and done in a bun with multiple pins so that it went no farther than her upper back. How much time that must've taken, Raven didn't wish to find out for herself. Long bangs ran down the sides of her angular jaw and attractive face. Bright, green eyes that reflected cheer, and a singular mole on her left cheek. A well-endowed bosom and long legs, Raven doubted that Crystal was not popular amongst the student body. And, if she was here on the trip, she also was plenty sure that she was strong.
Raven recognized the girl sitting next to her from one of her office hour visits. Purple hair and violet eyes. Soft nose and soft cheeks with some baby fat, which was odd because the rest of her body was riddled with muscle. Whoever named her Violet must've been absolute creative geniuses. Oh wait, that must've been her parents.
'Her parents were absolutely creative geniuses.' Raven thought, doubling down to herself with her sarcasm.
"Let's be honest, Icar. Glynda probably did most of the heavy lifting," Violet remarked, nonplussed.
"She did," Icar said easily. "I'm simply describing how I heroically assisted her."
"Nice save," Nex idly commented.
Violet leaned forward, her elbows on the table and chin on the backs of her intertwined fingers. "So Glynda, how'd you do it? I didn't get to see if for my own eyes up there."
Raven side-eyed the fourth year blonde sitting besides her to her left. Sipping her cup of coffee and maintaining her silence, Glynda seemed quite pleased to remain silent while the rest conversed amongst themselves. Despite that, she also didn't seem annoyed to join in.
"My Semblance."
"Bah!" Violet let out in exasperation. "That's like saying something is difficult because it's difficult."
Glynda nodded. "Exactly." When it was clear she wouldn't continue, Raven heard Violet swear under her breath. It seemed as if she was competitive was Glynda.
"I'm curious as well, to be frank," the last occupant of the table spoke. The shortest of the fourth years, Keith Cold, was actually one of the other students that had come for breakfast occasionally. Silver hair that was smoothed down with bangs that marginally hovered over his platinum eyes - for some reason, he specified that they were not silver - he had a mature face with lips that hardly broke even. He wasn't the most talkative of individuals, which was perfect to both her and Glynda during the mornings - and in general - but Naruto was able to coax the three of them to talk and ease up.
"Well, I hope you can maintain that curiosity." Glynda smiled with purposeful glee in response to Violet's furrowed brows and Keith's annoyed countenance.
"Hey, Raven!" Icar called, completely ignoring Nex's prior advice to stop bothering the 'new girl.' He was there last night, so she half-expected him to blurt out what he had seen. She wondered how much he actually knew though - or any of the fourth years knew about Glynda. And Naruto, for that matter. "How did you team feel about you joining the trip? Because none of our teams are happy with us!" If that was the case, why did he seem so happy about it when he thumbed his naked chest?
Raven unconsciously grabbed her right wrist, massaged out the muscles. Perhaps Icar had more tact than she had initially assumed. "Not to well, but I expected it. The Vytal Festival is coming up." The fourth years immediately understood the implications. They had years with their teammates, so they were already a cohesive unit. Tight, compact, and sleek when in a squad of four, like a well-oiled machine. Although she and her team had the raw talent, they had yet to show the discipline and the practice to prove themselves to become capable of the title of Huntsman, or even elite students in training to become Huntsman. Among the first years, and maybe even the second years, they'd stand out. But after only two months in the academy, it still wasn't enough to stand amongst these fourth years.
What Glynda had done last night could not be understated. Even with Raven understanding how she could manipulate Aura to a degree along with her Semblance that helps her use telekinesis, Raven could not downplay what Glynda accomplished. Most Huntsman could not exude Aura outside of their bodies beyond enhancing their bodies. Unless it directly related to their Semblance, the most Aura Raven had ever seen anyone use outside of one's body was when Naruto created an Aura slash with her sword. Her sword. Glynda was the second individual she had seen capable of accomplishing a feat even close to what Naruto was able to do, but even Glynda admitted that Naruto was so far and away the better Aura manipulator.
Which made it so amazing to her that Glynda was able to create a towering spear that acted as an Aura drill. Although Raven may never be able to control Aura like that without telekinesis to aid her, it was all the more motivating to know that it was possible to accomplish something even without prior training in that field of expertise. Glynda was proof of that. Every day that Raven trained was another step forward in the right direction.
She was sure of it.
"That's rough," Violet said. "It's your first Vytal Festival, so it makes sense that you'd want to perform well." The rest of the table agreed with nods. Raven was the only one to shake her head.
"That's fine. I'll have a second one." Raven had never seen Glynda look more proud, as if she had accomplished something great. Her connection with the older blonde sent her feelings of pride and sweetness.
The smell of fresh, sizzling food filled the room. Naruto walked out of the kitchen, both hands full of skillets. He was donning an apron and a chef's hat on top of his normal sweats and track pants. And...sunglasses, despite the fact that they were indoors.
"Oh, you guys waited for me!" Naruto set down the skillets, revealing steak and eggs with sautéed veggies. It smelled divine. She wished her tribe could cook a tenth as well as Naruto could. He sat down at the head of the table, and smiled. "Shall we eat?"
The next four days went by in a monotonous cycle. Breakfast, train, an hour or two of downtime. Lunch and meditate. Sparring before dinner, and then more downtime. Raven didn't converse with the others too much; she was too busy getting beaten over and over again by the fourth years. Whatever they lacked in one department, they made up for with technical skills and their smarts in battle. Experience was the overwhelming advantage they held over her.
She didn't mind. She had expected this outcome, and she welcomed it. Every time she lost, Raven would go over each spar in her mind and analyze her flaws. She would try to consider what worked as well, but she spent far more time discovering errors. The videos that were sent to her only exacerbated the truth that she already knew. She had far more room to grow. Every mistake she made against these students, it was harshly exploited and taken advantage of immediately to a degree that none of the first years were capable of. In fact, she didn't even realize some of her movements or attacks were mistakes until the fourth years directly pointed them out by destroying her defenses because of them.
Glynda would sit with her in her room, helping her analyze her spars when she wasn't busy with fixing up Naruto's schedule and her own studies. The issues that Glynda pointed out before, Raven had assumed that she would be able to fix it in time or compensate with her skills. In that regard, she was glad that she was exposed her flaws so quickly into her career at Beacon Academy. Every day here, she was intaking incomparable knowledge and experience that the training back at Beacon with the first years could not provide. Every day here might've been a week, or more, of experience. The other fourth years already gave her an answer to how to make up for her weaknesses to some level - overcompensate, acknowledge it and improve, be unpredictable, or simply have more experience.
Perhaps that last point made it the most interesting when she watched Naruto spar the other fourth years. Understanding that there was a gap - more aptly, a chasm - between her and the fourth years, she was excited to watch how they would fare against her professor.
It was never close.
The way he danced around them, it may as well have been her standing in their place. He made their flaws look just as apparent as she did, and he punished their missteps and overaggressive or overeager defense so harshly, they may as well have never stepped forward. Each student that stepped up, no matter what style, Naruto countered them.
Even when they used their Semblances with the condition they could not damage the ship, they weren't able to land a single solid hit. Raven wondered why he stated that specific stipulation, but the awkward laugh from Icar and the others' stare answered that question for her.
Truly, this experience was irreplaceable. A mission in the field was irreplaceable as well, but she doubted that she'd be able to learn nearly as much there as here. Fourth years, the top of this Kingdom's students, getting smashed repeatedly by a younger professor. He saw things that she would have never seen without him, and thus saw holes in each person's defenses that she would have never assumed.
All of their years of experience at Beacon fell to him. And it made her wonder where he had stacked up his experience.
By the end of the fifth day, she awoke to much the same as the last four. However, the electric excitement in the air could be felt by each of the passengers. When the wall of Atlas was in sight, she went to the top of the bullhead to feel the wind and bask in the glory of Atlas in full view. Her naked eyes took it all in.
A floating city with unbelievable technology, and tall skyscrapers that differed from Vale's flats, Raven couldn't help but smile. The hundreds of ships floating only added to the atmosphere of the most technologically advanced Kingdom.
Taking out her Scroll, she took a picture, titling it "Atlas", and sent it to Summer. Her team leader had been messaging her every day and sending Raven pictures of their excursion in the wild. Raven had responded with pictures of the view from the air, to which Summer had expressed her jealousy very clearly through texted words. This recent addition would sent Summer over the edge.
"Atlas," she said, her hair flying behind her. She grinned, palming her right fist in front of her chest. "I wonder what kind of monsters you have."
Chapter End
A/N: To be honest, I was going to make the 4 days post battle a whole chapter in itself, but decided against it for the sake of moving the plot forward. Character development will happen either way, and you'll get to know the other four regardless. That said, I hope you look forward to meeting each of them and your time in Atlas with them!
No edits. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always, feel free to leave and review! Criticisms, thoughts, and how you felt. I read all of them, and I appreciate reading each one!
I'm hoping to get another chapter out in another two weeks. At least before the end of January.