Chapter-6
Sigurd
"I…did it…" Ruby spoke before she lost consciousness. Sigurd looked back at the other three. Yang had tears in her eyes, fearing the worst, the faunus girl had a sympathetic look on her face and Weiss looked guilty.
"She's unconscious from the injuries she took." Sigurd explained before inscribing a rune on Ruby's chest.
"Uruz." He spoke as the cuts closed up again before pulling out the scroll Ozpin provided him with.
"Ozpin."
"Hello?"
"Have you evacuated the other four?"
"I have. Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos and Lie Ren have been taken to the doctors for checking up on injuries. What about Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao-Long?"
"They managed to hold off the phantasmal till I arrived. But…Ms. Rose is in a bad condition."
"…I see. Where are you right now?"
"At the Northern Ravine."
"Understood. I shall send a bullhead with a stretcher in a few minutes."
"What were those, Professor?" Weiss asked as Sigurd hung up the call. "Those…were supposed to be what you call trölls but, they displayed abilities that should not be possible for their kind and looked different from what I've seen."
Her question reminded Sigurd of the encounter. Those trölls should only be capable of some low-level elemental magecraft, not being able to create ice out of thin air with such ease, something which Jötnar are capable of, or controlling trees like a Spriggan or Bergrisi. He could see his sword could still cut through their skin, but the children were facing problems due to their weapons not being enchanted and the trölls were somehow able to survive even within direct exposure to sunlight. The only reason they won was because despite their strange powers, the trölls still had the conceptual weakness against Thor's authority of lightning that they inherited from their jötnar ancestors.
"You sound like you've encountered them." Blake spoke up while Sigurd stayed silent but nodded. "I have. And they should not look like this nor display the abilities they showed."
"But what were those abilities?" Weiss asked. "That level of ice manipulation should only be possible with a semblance. But those creatures don't even look human!"
Sigurd was about to explain their magecraft when he noticed something odd in Weiss' sentence.
Only possible with a semblance…Don't look human
If semblances were magecraft, why was Weiss so surprised about non-humans being able to perform magecraft? Even learning about the grimm in Beacon he'd seen them perform feats that can be taken as magecraft, so why…?
"Weiss, what would you define a semblance as?" Sigurd asked.
Weiss furrowed her eyebrows. "Well, professor, a semblance would be a projection of one's aura into abnormal abilities."
"Like magic?" Sigurd asked.
"Magic? Professor, semblances aren't magic. Magic is the stuff of legends, said to be abnormal abilities people could do without projecting their aura." Blake spoke as Sigurd's eyes widened in realization
The people of remnant do not believe in the existence of magecraft.
Semblances and aura may be classified as magecraft on Earth, but to Remnant, they meant something different.
…And he'd been blatantly displaying his abilities.
I am such a fool. Sigurd thought. That was what Ozpin deduced when they first met. He could see from the students' eyes they weren't confused about his runes and were assuming they were a semblance, but Ozpin wasn't fooled. Ozpin knew his runes were utilizing magecraft.
Now, Sigurd's wariness grew. He'd thought Ozpin was merely an experienced huntsman who held influence over huntsman society, but he was clearly much more than that, seeing he was extremely abnormal and mysterious compared to an average citizen with his detached look, magical core and knowledge of the concept of magic.
"We can discuss this later." Yang spoke up in a wavering voice. "Is Ruby going to be okay?"
Sigurd nodded. "Thankfully, she did not suffer damage to any vital organs, it seems. She'll be alright, Yang. Don't lose your composure."
Yang sniffed. "I-I should have been closer…then Ruby wouldn't have…"
Sigurd sighed looking at her. Her guilt was understandable considering Ruby was her flesh and blood.
"Calm down. If you wish to be guilty, do it when we are away from the grimm. We wouldn't want more grimm to attack, do we?" Sigurd spoke as Yang nodded wiping her tears.
Soon, the bullhead arrived. Ruby was taken on a stretcher back to Beacon.
Once they landed, at the landing pad, Sigurd noticed Ozpin and Glynda standing with Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha and Ren.
Glynda's usual stoic expression now had concern and worry for the children while Ozpin kept a neutral expression.
"Professor!" Jaune exclaimed. "How's Ru…by…" His voiced died out as Ruby came out in a stretcher.
Pyrrha put a hand to her mouth while Nora gasped. Jaune, meanwhile, looked sick seeing all that blood.
"She was badly hurt in the fight. She will live, thankfully." Sigurd assured the boy who stared at Ruby's unconscious form.
"Can we go with her to the doctor's room?" Jaune asked as Glynda shook her head. "You can accompany her till the door. After that, once the doctors have stabilized her condition and she's woken up, you all will be allowed to see her."
"Saber, come with me to my office." Ozpin instructed as he, Sigurd and Glynda walked off. Sigurd took one last look at the doctors carrying Ruby's stretcher while the other 7 walked behind her and headed to Beacon tower.
Sigurd sat in front of Ozpin, Glynda standing beside him.
"Is the ceremony done?"
"No. It was put on hold because of those 8 fighting those creatures. Now that Ms. Rose is in the infirmary sleeping, we will begin. But before that, what were those creatures?"
"They were strange. They looked like trölls, which are giant humanoids that live in caves and love consuming human flesh, but their abilities and looks were completely different."
Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "And do you know any creatures that share these abilities?"
"Jötnar and Spriggans. The trölls even looked like a combination of them."
"Did you encounter them where you come from?" Ozpin asked.
Sigurd at this point found no use in trying to spin a lie since Ozpin already knew about his magical power and he'd already paid a heavy price for deception when he fooled Brynhildr into thinking he was Gunnar.
"I knew. But they were extremely rare and almost no one encountered them." Sigurd replied. It was technically true, considering that Jötnar had disappeared off to the remotest places by the time of his birth. Trölls, however, were common.
"And they are weak to lightning?"
"Yes."
"Then I shall make sure students go into the emerald forest with enough a lot of lightning dust. Thank you for informing us of this. Now, let us wrap up the initiation."
"Hello, students." Ozpin spoke to the crowd of initiates, second years, third years and fourth years. Sigurd had changed into a black suit with a white shirt, black trousers and shoes and a light blue tie. "In case you are wondering why the ceremony was postponed, there was an incident at Emerald forest. After most of the initiates had left, 4 pairs encountered some extremely powerful grimm that would usually require a professional to kill. One of the initiates sustained heavy injuries but they are thankfully alright and currently sleeping in the infirmary so do not be worried." Ozpin spoke as some of the older students let out sighs of relief.
"Now without further ado, let the ceremony begin."
Ozpin began calling out four names at a time as the initiates were name a team related to a color consisting of the first letters of their first or last names.
After announcing Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha and Ren as JNPR, Ozpin called up Weiss, Blake and Yang.
"Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao-Long. Technically, you three as well as Ruby Rose should have failed initiation due to not collecting the chess pieces." He spoke as the three girls looked down in dejection.
"But you four were able to fend off a grimm that many wouldn't have survived for long against. Henceforth, I shall make an exception and allow you in. You shall be known as Team RWBY, led by…Ruby Rose."
Weiss looked surprised but nodded while Yang brightened in happiness.
"Do inform Ms. Rose of her appointment once she wakes up." Ozpin spoke as the three girls walked off the stage.
"With that, our ceremony is reaching its conclusion. However, we must introduce our newest staff member who joined Beacon a few days before the beginning of the years. Please welcome Saber, the second combat instructor who shall be teaching alongside Glynda Goodwitch. Professor Saber, would you please introduce yourself to our students and give them a few words of wisdom."
Sigurd took a deep breath and walked up to the podium.
"Greetings. I am Saber, which isn't my true name…"
"Why not?" One of the older students, a brown-haired girl wearing sunglasses asked.
"For reasons that I do not wish to reveal. You can call me whatever name suits you, I do not mind. Now, I wish to begin with a question. How many of you came to this school out of self-interest?" Sigurd asked. "Do not be shy, I am not going to criticize you for your choices. They may be bad, or good, I merely wish to know."
One student with rabbit ears raised her hand. Soon, more began raising their hands. Sigurd could still see some hesitating but paid no mind. They were still children and would always be wary meeting a stranger.
"And how many came because they believe they have a higher calling to protect people from the grimm? To be heroes, you could say?"
Many, including Jaune, raised their hands.
"Alright. Then I shall lay down my lesson. Do not be embarrassed of your desires to not become a hero. Not everyone wishes to devote themselves to a higher cause and merely wish to find their place in this world. But to be able to fulfill those wishes, you will be walking a rocky path. When I will teach you how to fight, I shall not only teach you how to handle physical threats, but also the ones which are unseen yet can do as much harm as the ones which are. It is common knowledge gained through experience that life is hard. It creates obstacles to stop you from reaching what you are destined for and moves so quickly that you are swept up in its grip and are unable to take rest and reflect upon yourself in trying to keep up with life. Some people are unable to handle it, and loose themselves in life's trials and tribulations. I shall teach you to be strong, not only in your body, but also your mind. To be able to persevere through hardships, find your footing in this fast-paced world and reach the destiny fate has set for you. Whether it be selfish or selfless, I shall do my best to prepare you adequately for the difficulties of life and achieve success. I shall teach you and will support you in fighting those unseen demons, even if I won't be physically present on all days. I look forward to teaching you, my students, and I shall be delighted when I live up to your expectations. Congratulations to all the initiates who passed. You have a difficult but bright future ahead of you. Thank you." Sigurd spoke as the students erupted in a thunderous applause.
Sigurd exhaled walking off the stage as the students started dispersing. He felt a bit disappointed he wouldn't be able to completely devote his time to them, since despite how much he wished to, they would hinder him in his objectives. But whatever time he would spend with them, it would all be worth it.
Vale is rather quiet at night. He noted walking through the streets. For the capital of a kingdom, Vale had quieter streets than a normal metropolitan city on Earth, which was nice since it reminded him of his hometown in the old days, where people were usually returning back to their homes after a day of labor or patrols made their night rounds.
Of course, he couldn't enjoy the sight because his superior had sent him to…help out their allies in getting Vale's Relic. Other servants serving alongside him had already been deployed to the towns and villages along the frontier to start causing trouble and keep the Huntsman's association of Vale's eyes away from the capital while he would be the one instrumental in Vale's operations.
He reached a warehouse where currently his allies were stationed. A few white fang guards disguised as normal faunus citizens looked at him.
"Praise be to the Flame of progress." He spoke as the guards nodded and opened the doors. He entered to see Cinder Fall, his temporary in-charge standing with the rest of her faction. Many members of the white fang walked around carrying crates of dust stolen by Cinder.
"Ah, Rider." She spoke smirking as she noticed him. "Roman, this is our ally, Rider." Cinder told an orange-haired man in a white coat with a bowler hat.
"Rider? First Assassin, now Rider. Are you guys too shy to tell your names? And you don't have something to ride on, so how are you a Rider?" Roman asked sarcastically.
"I haven't brought my mount with me." Rider replied with a note of irritation in his voice. "You certainly have found an annoying pest as your ally, Cinder."
"That's my charm, Rider without a ride. I'm the small fry who nips so that the poor idiots don't see the big fish chomping them. Or putting them on a grill in this case." He spoke.
"Yes, Roman is…difficult but his control over Vale's underworld and skills are important for our operation. So do be tolerant."
Rider grunted. "Very well then. But I do hope he is competent enough to fight his way out if he gets caught."
Roman cringed. "Low blow, Rider, low blow."
"But anyways, we have found the troll hybrids that escaped from containment centre in Mount Glenn."
"You did? Where did they go?"
Rider scowled underneath his mask. "Emerald forest. They were discovered by 4 pairs of initiates and slain by them."
The grey-haired boy chuckled. "Looks like your soldiers weren't good if they got killed off by a bunch of kids."
"They figured out the weakness of those tröll hybrids. You would be skewered with an ice shard if you didn't know their weakness. Besides, those hybrids escaped before their modification could be completed. Now, The Carrier is coming to Mt. Glenn himself to tighten security and be more proactive in securing Vale's relic. We won't be experiencing break-outs like that again."
Cinder nodded. "Good. And what about him?" She asked with venom in her tone at the mention of 'him'.
"Saber is a servant from Northern Europe, as he used Primordial Runes against you. Now, there are many servants like that, but the most famous of them all is the dragon-slayer Sigurd Sigmundsson. If Saber is Sigurd, then this will be much harder than you think."
"He will be defeated once I can secure the maiden's power." Cinder snarled.
Rider doubted that. It was practically impossible for servants to form contracts since most of Remnant's people did not have mana and those that did such as Ozma, Salem and the Maidens could not do it if The Will of Genesis did not allow, but Sigurd was no Pushover. Even with the full power of the Fall maiden, Cinder could still get herself killed if she was not careful.
"But that still means we have to make sure he doesn't interfere while you don't have the complete maiden's power." Emerald spoke up.
"That has been arranged. Our first successful creation has arrived from Solitas and will be directed to a town in Vale untouched by our servants. It has the necessary abilities to kill Sigurd. You needn't worry about him interfering with the initial stage. Now, I shall take your leave." Rider spoke turning to walk out and back to the apartment he'd purchased near the warehouse and will be operating from in the next few days.
"You sure?" Mercury asked as Rider stopped. "What if he lives? He might just be able to kill the creature?"
"Sigurd has faced nothing like that creature before. He won't be having his guard up and will die once our creation reveals its trump card."
"Well, that's…"
"Even if he does live, I will be waiting for him in Vale. I will either kill him when he's alone, or I'll turn his allies against him." Rider spoke.
"You want to face him? Even if you admitted that he is stronger than you?"
Rider turned around to look at Mercury with a determined glint in his green eyes. "Stronger and wiser, but that does not mean I'll back down. I've had odds stacked heavily against me in the past and I've managed to push through them with my wits. It doesn't matter if my opponents are stronger, tougher or smarter…" Rider spoke.
"…I will kill them in the end."
A/N: Here's Chapter-6. Pretty short and a bit boring since it deals with the aftermath of the fight, has Sigurd deliver a 'wise man' speech and introduces the second servant of this story as a part of the antagonists.
As for the phantasmals, in case you haven't figured out, they are an amalgamation of Giants, Spriggans and Trolls. Hence why they have characteristics Trolls don't have even if they call themselves trolls.
Hope you guys enjoyed and constructive criticism is appreciated.