Today was Ruby Rose's first true day at Beacon, and she was bursting with excitement. Sure, she had stayed on campus the night before, but now was the start of her career as a huntress! As long as she finished the trial. She now stood on the platforms facing the trial grounds, and she took a moment to find Yang in the line of applicants spread out to her left. She gave a giddy sigh and looked forward as the platform launched her into the dark tree canopy.
Richard watched these feudals as they flung themselves into the treetops, and was confused as to why they make ritual sacrifices in that way. If it is Khorne, they'd be killing each other right now, without the assistance from gravity. Even then, I cannot narrow the possibilities down.
"Sir, auspex scans show that they are still alive, and rapidly moving eastward."
"Thanks, Bordin. We're going to follow them, be prepared to engage any threats." He took down the binoculars from his eyes, and motioned for the group of Tempestus Scions he brought with him to follow him as he tracked down the girl in the red and black dress. They moved swiftly, and silently, their black armor camouflaging them in the darkness of the forest. They soon found the girl, who was arguing with a long white-haired lady, before they soon set out.
"Weiss, don't you think someone's following us?", Ruby said as she grew more and more nervous as they walked together. Weiss grew more nervous as well, but she hid it under the usual facade of rude superiority. "Of course no, you dolt!", Weiss answered with ice in her voice, but that soon vanished too when she noticed that Ruby had disappeared. "Ruby?", Weiss called out. "Stupid girl, she probably got distracted by a shiny rock or something just as idiotic." Weiss huffed and then shuffled away, continuing to the ritual site.
"Answer my questions feudal, and I just might let you go." Richard now had the perfect hostage to extract info from. The girl was held by Bordin, the biggest man in the squad, who was carrying a boltgun, but had switched to the cuffs he keeps for hostages, and had cuffed the girl, who was now lying prone on the floor.
"Why should I? I don't even know who the heck you are!" Ruby yelled back. Her yell was met with a hit from the man who had cuffed her.
"Quiet feudal, you are answering to our Lord, and you will give him respect!" answered Bordin.
"Bordin, let us keep that to a minimum for now. We will let you go if you answer our questions truthfully and quickly. Question number 1, what planet is this?"
"We're in Vale, have you been living under a stone?" She flinched as the hand came close to her face once again.
"Bordin, I said to keep that to a minimum. Try to answer a bit more politely, if you could. We're not from around here."
Ruby was still scared out of her mind. How are they not from Remnant? Where are they from? Space? The ocean? She kept searching for answers, but was interrupted from her frantic search for answers within her mind by the helmeted voice of the black and gold armored man.
"I have more questions. Number two, who is your leader, or ruler?"
"We don't have one ruler, but if you're looking for someone in charge, there's Headmaster Ozpin. Now will you let me go?" Her request was ignored by the bright red stares of the armored men's helmets. The one with the gold filigree took out a heavy, blocky pistol, with a barrel the size of a golfball. She squeezed shut her eyes and tensed her body in anticipation until she heard her bindings being released.
"We are going to let you go now, but you will take us to your partner, and we will follow you to your 'Headmaster'. Do not try to flee or fight, or we will use force."
She got up, and started to lead them in Weiss' direction. Everything was still quite new and raw to her, but she would listen to them, because she was massively outnumbered and outgunned.
"Ruby!, where were… you…" Weiss said before she saw the mass of figures in pitch-black armor, holding blocky rifles and heavy equipment. She put her hand on Myrtenaster, and the soldiers pointed their guns' barrels at her without even a moment's delay.
"You, are Weiss. Correct?" Weiss did not know who said those words, but then she saw one of the figures step forward. He looked much more like an officer compared to the design of the others' armor and weapons, with there being gold trimming and a carefully painted red "I" on their breastplate. She did not like the red patch on Ruby's face that had appeared while she was gone, no matter how good it made her feel.
"You will come with us, after you finish the trial your 'Headmaster' has sent you on. Then you will take us to him so that we can figure out where we are and what to do next. We will provide fire support and a source of attention while you complete your trial."
"And what if I refuse?" the heiress asked.
"Then you will be forced to comply."
She really did not like that answer, but she was outnumbered. She took her hand off of her rapier, and began to head back on the trail to the relics while huffing and scoffing.
"She's your partner? A horrible choice I do say so myself." Richard whispered to Ruby as they walked along the thick grove of trees and ferns.
"She's awful, I wish we didn't lock eyes earlier, but now she's my teammate."
"Is that how you feudals choose fighting partners?"
"Yes, that's what Ozpin told us."
"Hmm. She may prove to be useful, but I can already see how she is a massive gakking pain in the rear. I wish you luck in dealing with her."
"Well, thanks, doesn't make the stinging go away any sooner though. But I want to ask you a question–" Before she could ask, the sound of gunfire and fighting erupted ahead of them.
"Signet and Urdesh squads, let's go, we need to support the feudals ahead! Leave no trace of the enemy, and keep losses at a minimum!", Richard shouted as he started sprinting towards the battle ahead of them.
As they entered a clearing, Richard saw what the feudals were fighting, and he was immediately filled with disgust: it was a towering scorpion, with thick, segmented white armor and black, viscous flesh. It was not of the material realm, that much he knew. This was his first taste of the Grimm. He pulled out a combat stimm, injected it into himself, then rocketed forward, pulling out his archeotech revolver and firing, piercing the armor, but that only succeeded at angering the massive grimm. Bordin started to pelt the daemon with bolt shells as the rest of the squad opened up with their lasguns. Ruby turned her weapon into its scythe mode, and rocketed forward using her semblance, following the Inquisitor, who drew his power sword, and leaped onto the death stalker's back while it was busy with the other hunters. The stalker managed to grab the frenzied Inquisitor with one of its claws as he held on to the carapace, but Richard cut the pincer apart in a spinning frenzy before scrambling back onto the beast.
The beast screeched, and attempted to impale Richard with its massive stinger. He barely dodged the thrusting spike, causing the grimm to stab itself in the confusion. By that point Ruby had arrived on the grimm's back, and took no time in severing the tail, leaving the stinger inside the top of the daemon's carapace. The daemon was a mess at that point, with an entire pincer missing, its own stinger embedded in its back, and was being filled with holes from the las and bolter shots piercing its body. It gave one final screeching roar before the cursed thing evaporated into wisps of smoke, sending Richard tumbling down to the ground, while Ruby landed gracefully on her feet, with the Inquisitor nearly breaking a bone when he landed with a small cloud of dust.
The 'officer' then took off his helmet, revealing an extremely handsome face, marred by scars on the right side. His right eye had a green iris and pupil, with his left a natural shade of bright blue. With his short brown curly hair moving slightly with the wind. Ruby noticed his armor had some bloody spots where the deathstalker had grabbed him. He flopped down, gulping entire portions of the air as he laid on his back.
Bordin motioned for the scions to join him and prepare first aid. Bordin had served long enough with his Lord to know that Richard loved to fight recklessly and ruthlessly, and had a special hate for the archenemy, going so far as to try to inflict as much suffering on its servants as possible. But that was all he would allow himself to think about as he rushed over and began to bandage the Lord Inquisitor.
Phyrra and Jaune stood in silence as two of the participants entered with a ton of soldiers in pitch-black armor, with one screaming and sprinting to the stalker before they filled it full of massive holes. They soon joined the crossfire, helping in killing the deathstalker before the "fancy" looking one removed his helmet.
Richard sighed as he was being patched up, and once they were done he walked over to the feudals who stood in stunned silence and began to introduce himself. "I am Lord Inquisitor Richard, and I apologize to have interrupted your trial, but would you allow me to aid you?"
What is a Lord Inquisitor? Jaune thought as the soldiers filed up behind the young-looking man. A screech from the air interrupted Richard's line of thought, and he looked up to see a massive black bird, circling around them as it summoned more aid from the forest and the sky. "Forgive me, but we'll have to postpone my introduction, as we have more of the unclean daemon filth joining us," he sneered and said with disgust. "You know what to do, leave none of the monsters alive!" He yelled to his Scions, who immediately responded by massacring the grimm that had rushed towards the clearing. The hunters did not take long to take advantage of the distraction and began to carve a path towards the nevermore that circled the mountain. Another death stalker appeared at the bridge, and the future team JNPR stayed behind to deal with the monstrosity. With the aid of Weiss, Yang, and Blake, Ruby killed the nevermore with a brutal decapitation after Ruby launched up the mountain with her scythe, catching the nevermore's throat and ending it swiftly.
Richard watched their progress with the many servo-skulls he had already sent to scour the forest when they landed. He could tell they had promise, but were still young and sloppy compared to Imperial forces. While he and his men were resting in the middle of the black smoke screen they had created, an old man with a cane and a mug of coffee approached the group.
"Who are you?" asked the man.
"I could say the same, old man, but you are their headmaster, correct?", Richard replied.
Ozpin clenched his teeth. So she told him. I had hoped they didn't break her, but now I have to be cautious. "Yes, I am Ozpin. The headmaster of Beacon Academy. And you are?"
"Lord Inquisitor Richard, of the Imperium of Mankind. I hope you don't prove to be as stupid as the past sovereigns I've worked with in the past." Richard sneered as he talked, making sure to try to intimidate the headmaster, but it did not seem to work.
But it had indeed worked on Ozpin, he was grinding his teeth behind his lips, but managed to stay away from the temptation of a fight.
"Why don't we relocate to a better place so that we may talk business?", said the Inquisitor, "But I first need a 30 km plot of land to rest my forces as well as my ships. I hope you will be as kind to provide us with that, Headmaster Ozpin."
"Sure, but you will first tell me your business here as well as where in Oum you came from."
"It will become clear quite soon, the Gambit is lowering itself down into the atmosphere now."
Did he say "lowering itself into the atmosphere"? Are they from space?
"Yes, headmaster, I can see the confusion clearly on your face, we are indeed from space," Richard said tiredly. "But before we start answering each other's questions, let me show you my power over your world."
Ozpin's eyes widened. A great shadow had appeared, covering the entire forest. He looked up only to be met by not a ship, but a city-sized cathedral, bristling with gun barrels and gothic architecture, possibly around 10km long, had appeared in the sky above them. Ozpin was still in shock when Richard put his hand on his shoulder, chuckling with a smirk: "You now know what I hold control over, old man, I hope our relations can be more civil in the future, but I'll be needing that plot of land soon." Ozpin responded with a chill in his voice: "Of course, but no more."
"That's a normal reaction. We'll stay out of your grey messy hair for just a little bit. But don't expect us to not interact for long." Richard then took his hand off of Ozpin's shoulder, and walked towards the dropship that had landed, before boarding it and flying back into the gothic behemoth that he called home.