RWBY:Re;bellion
Chapter 2: Safe Haven, Part 2
The amphitheater was half-full by the time Rouge arrived.
The room was the size of a tournament stadium, walls of ivory white with red drapes cascading over the walls, bearing the emblem of the Kingdom. Narrow windows sat near the top of the room, situated between each drape and left open to let fresh air inside and provide natural light. A stage sat at the far end, vaguely reminding Rouge of the ones used in theatres and plays. Vermillion curtains hid the stage's interior, matching the banners on the archways.
The black-haired teen took a seat in the middle, setting his bag down by his feet, and opened his book, resuming where he left off. All he had to do now was wait patiently for a teacher or the headmaster to address the students.
I wonder how Ruby and Yang are doing? Rouge thought to himself. I imagine they're probably at Beacon by now.
It was still surprising to think about. He managed to skip a grade because of his grades and ability, on top of a recommendation from a Huntsman, but Ruby was a special case. She got a recommendation from Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, in recognition for her ability and contribution in the attempted capture of Roman Torchwick. It was quite a shock to hear about. He initially feared the worst when he and Taiyang got the phone call, saying Ruby was at the police station. The last thing either of them expected was to hear how she battled a famous criminal or got a visit from Ozpin.
As happy as he was for her, though, Rouge could not help but feel worried. Had Ozpin not given her a recommendation, she would in her third year at Signal. Skipping a grade was one thing, but skipping two? That was a large gap, especially for Ruby. She was by no means a genius. Outside of combat and workshop skills, her grades were average. That was to say nothing of her hand-to-hand combat skills, or rather her lack thereof.
Yang was with her, and assuming she passed Initiation and got lucky, her teammates would probably help her in closing the gap, but he still felt worried.
There's also Roman to consider…
Rouge frowned. Roman Torchwick was a well-known name to everyone in Vale, and to a lesser extent in Mistral. He evaded authorities on a regular basis, making a complete fool out of law enforcement and even the occasional Huntsman coming for him. Information about him was scarce, and few claimed to actually know any credible information about him. The only concrete fact was that he made an appearance in Mistral, though his crimes then were nowhere near as professional or as grandiose then as he was now. There was also his recent crime spree to consider.
Of all the things Roman wanted to steal, why Dust? It made no sense. You could find Dust anywhere, even if the prices vary depending on the vendor. Was he planning something that required Dust? If so, why go about it in such a blatant manner? He could easily get Dust through legal means and take it in a more subtle, less conspicuous manner.
What could be going through the thief's mind, Rouge wondered. In the end, the only way to know for sure was to ask Roman himself. Of course, such a thought was on hold given his current goal of passing initiation and attending Haven Academy.
"Hey, this spot taken?"
A wry smile crossed his face, feeling a sense of déjà vu as he looked up. The blonde Faunus from earlier was standing in front of him, the girl with teal-colored hair hovering over his shoulder.
"Not as far as I know," Rouge replied. "Feel free."
The blonde grunted. "Thanks."
"Ly, don't be so rude!" the girl chastised him before smiling at Rouge. "Sorry about him. He's been in a cranky mood since we got off the Bulkhead."
"You mean about the guys he got into a fight with?" Rouge asked. "I caught the tail end of it when he sent one of them flying."
The teal-haired girl giggled into her hand. "Oh, that was because of me, actually." Rouge raised an eyebrow, not noticing the way 'Ly' started to blush. "One of those guys was getting a little too grabby for my tastes and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. Right as I was about to introduce him to my weapon, Ly comes in like a knight in shining armor and kicked the crap out of them."
"I beat their asses 'cause they were annoying," 'Ly' huffed. "I didn't do it for you."
"Even if that were true, you still saved me! So, again, you got my gratitude." The Faunus muttered something under his breath, though it was clear as day to anyone his claims were bogus. Even his apparent friend seemed to know this. "I'm Vella, by the way. This is Lycan. What's your name?"
"Rouge."
Vella smiled widely. "Nice to meet you, Rouge! Here's hoping we become classmates after Initiation."
From there, Rouge learned Vella was very much like Yang; not bombastic like his older sister, but a social butterfly in many ways. She never pushed too hard or came off as annoying, and seemed to know when she was stepping on eggshells and switched topics when the current one was uncomfortable. Before he realized it, he bookmarked his book, stashed it away in his bag, and spoke with the girl. Occasionally Lycan would join in, though he seemed more interested in how Initiation would go than anything, as well as how they would settle on forming teams.
Time flew by, and before Rouge realized it, the amphitheater grew packed and the lights dimmed. The windows were closed and turned tinted, blocking out the sunlight. The clamoring of the crowd grew quiet as a man-made his way up on stage. He was middle-aged, his hair tan and graying, swept back into a mane and sporting an untrimmed beard. He wore a brown great-coat with a matching mantle, a dark-gray waistcoat and white buttoned-up shirt with black dress pants underneath.
The man cleared his throat and leaned forward, speaking into the microphone. "Greetings, everyone. My name is Professor Leonardo Lionheart, headmaster of this esteemed school. It is an honor to have you grace these halls from all across the kingdoms, even if not all of you will pass Initiation." There were some murmurs from the crowd of youths. Although some knew they were likely to fail, the prospect of failing left a bitter taste in their mouths. "However, even should you fail, know that every defeat carries a lesson. As future guardians of this world, it is your duty to learn as much as you can, to explore every horizon, to see all we have to offer. If nothing else, remember this: The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It is up to you to take that step."
Leonardo continued. "Initiation shall begin first thing tomorrow morning. Tonight, you all will sleep in the banquet hall." A wry smile formed over his lips, faint as it was. "I trust you gentlemen will not try anything uncouth around the young ladies? I would hate to send some of you home in the dead of night for your inability to withhold your passions." His joke received a few chuckles, but the man did not make the warning in jest. At the very least, one of the teachers present on stage looked willing to send people home judging by the sour look on his face.
Vella smirked at Lycan. "Hear that, Ly?"
"The hell you looking at me for?!"
Rouge snorted in amusement. This should be interesting…
The banquet hall trumped Signal's mess hall by a very large margin. It was easily the size of a football field, though the benches and tables that would fill its hall were gone, replaced by sleeping bags. The would-be students barely filled the empty space if at all, some marveling at the size and length of the room. Much as they had in the Bulkhead, some took to forming their own social circles, huddling together in groups. A large number of girls took over the far end of the hall, more or less forming their very own all-girls section. Some of the boys attempted to make their way over but were shooed away.
Rouge took his spot in the middle of the room, sitting under one of the large windows. Outside was a clear view of the night sky, revealing the broken moon and a beautiful sight worthy of a landscape painting. Lush, green mountains sat in the distance, some obscured by thick treetops. Further down below were the lights of the city of Mistral, dozens of orange flickering spots adding to the scene.
The silver-eyed teen snapped a photograph and sent it to Yang and Ruby. A few moments later, he received a phone call and smiled, answering it. The screen flickered for a moment, then began displaying the feed on the caller's end. A girl with black-and-red hair with wide silver eyes beamed at him, flanked by a blonde with lilac eyes.
"Hey, little bro~" Yang Xiao-Long greeted Rouge with a grin and a two-finger salute.
Ruby waved. "Hey, Rouge!"
"Hey, you two," Rouge smiled. "Looks like you made it to Beacon okay."
"Of course we did! What did you think would happen, our ship crashing into the middle of the ocean?" Yang snickered. "All jokes aside, yeah, we got here okay. I take it Initiation in Haven starts tomorrow, same as us?"
"Yeah, though no one has any idea what it'll be like."
Ruby groaned. "Same here. It's making me so anxious! I mean, what if we're forced to partner with people we don't like? Wouldn't that be the worst?"
"I doubt the partner selection is that bad," Rouge chuckled. "I mean, if even half the stories Uncle Qrow tells us are true, STRQ wasn't perfect until graduation. Besides, anyone who partners with you and Yang will be lucky."
"How do you figure?"
"Well, for starters, they'll have a weapons expert and the biggest gun freak on the planet on their team, and odds are, the first thing you'll ask them is—"
"Rooouuuge!" Ruby whined pitifully, cheeks flushed.
Yang laughed. "He's got a point, little sis. You were totally geeking over some guy with a fire sword when we got here."
"Oh, you mean around the time you abandoned me and I exploded?" The silver-eyed girl glared at her older sister.
Rouge raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Exploded?"
"Okay, so it's like this. Yang decides it's more important to hang with her friends from Signal—"
"Whoa, hang on, that wasn't it!" Yang interjected. "I thought you'd be okay by yourself! You know, give you a chance to meet new people by your little lonesome!"
"The first person I met when we touched down was some crabby princess who got angry just because I knocked over her luggage! And it was a total accident!" As Ruby continued to rant, a familiar-looking white-haired girl with ice-blue eyes passed by, shooting a glare at Ruby as she went. "She wouldn't stop yelling and kept waving a corked bottle of dust around, and before I knew it, I sneezed and everything blew up!"
Rouge would have felt amazed by the fact his sister caused Dust to explode with something as meager as a sneeze if not for what she said earlier. "By any chance, would this 'princess' happen to be Weiss Schnee?"
"You know her?" Yang asked curiously.
He shrugged. "I never met her in person, but I know her reputation. She's the heiress of the Schnee Dust Corporation, a title that would have gone to Winter Schnee, her older sister if she hadn't joined the Atlesian Military."
"Winter?" Ruby's brow scrunched in thought. "That name sounds familiar…"
"Think about who Uncle Qrow rants about when he's drunk. Well, more than he usually is," Rouge added before Yang could tell him their uncle was always drunk. "Anyway, the questionable business practices of the company aside, I don't think she's that bad of a person."
Ruby pouted. "Says you! I tried making it up to her, and she threw a pamphlet called Dust For Dummies at me!"
"Just give her a chance," Yang chimed in as she patted her on the shoulder. "Hey, you never know. She could just be nervous. Initiation is just around the corner, so maybe she's got her panties in a twist because she's worried she might not pass."
"I know I'm worried I might not…" Ruby muttered under her breath. Rouge barely heard her but did all the same.
Yang, ever the optimist, refused to let her sister be down in the dumps. "Oh, come on Ruby! Cheer up! Trust me, you'll do fine. Now, if you excuse us, oh brother dearest, I'm going to help our darling baby sister here get her feet wet and start practicing on the fine art of the diplomacy known as making friends."
"Wait, what!"
Rouge laughed. "Godspeed, Captain Xiao-Long."
"Traitor!" Ruby cried just as the connection cut off.
"Well, at least they're doing well," he mused to himself, stowing his Scroll away as he began to lay out his sleeping bag. "Still, Weiss Schnee… There's a name I didn't think I would hear."
The heiress of the SDC was well-known to him, if only through word of mouth. There were not many people who didn't know who she was, given how her father was Jacques Schnee and CEO of the Schnee Dust Company. On top of her status as the one to inherit the company, she was a vocalist of some renown. Edan himself was an avid fan of her work, even having attended one of her concerts. Well, ones that weren't corporate affiliated at any rate.
Still, what's she doing at Beacon of all places? I would have thought she would choose Atlas. Father dearest perhaps?
Weiss was not the first pick to be heiress. She was the second-eldest child of the Schnee Family, with her older sister being the previous holder of the position. It was believed by many that Winter Schnee would succeed her father as she was the eldest child. That changed when, shortly after word came that she would attend Atlas Academy, Jacques Schnee announced Weiss would succeed him. The reasons behind this remain unclear even now, but if Rouge had to guess based on the woman's meteoritic rise through the ranks, father and daughter had some kind of falling out.
A curious development, but at the end of the day, it was nothing more than curiosity. Weiss Schnee was just another person in the background, though something told him she and Ruby would be seeing a lot more of each other. Who knows? Perhaps the two might become friends after all.
At that train of thought, Rouge paused. For some reason, a shudder ran down his back.
He sincerely hoped they wouldn't, if only for his sake.
Simin Megistus was never a morning person. Like most, he would much rather lay in a bundle of sheets and comforters and try to get some extra sleep rather than do anything else.
Unfortunately for him, his friend was the exact opposite.
"Hey, doofus. Up and at 'em."
Simin hissed as he felt a stiletto stab into his side. He peeked through the gaps of his bedsheets, hoping it was not who he thought it was. To his dismay, Ragora loomed over him like a dark specter, violet eyes glaring like pits of hellfire. Her mouth was drawn in a thin line, promising untold suffering if he did not get up. With a sigh of reluctance and not wanting to get abused so early in the morning, Simin pulled the bedsheets off him and sat up.
"How is it that you can be up and functioning this early in the morning?" Simin asked drowsily as he rubbed away the sand in his eyes.
Ragora rolled her eyes. "It's called being proactive. Something you'd know if you didn't spend so much time staying up late. You do remember Initiation is today, right?" She turned on her heel and made her way to leave. "Hurry up and get dressed. Teachers said they want us over in the auditorium by 10."
The strawberry-haired teen grimaced and did as Ragora ordered. He made his way to the locker rooms and changed into more comfortable clothes. He briefly crossed paths with a dark-haired teen in a black-and-purple jacket but paid him little mind.
"Hey, blondie! I got a bone to pick with you!"
Simin just finished putting on his jacket when he heard the shout. He and many others peered around the rows of lockers, finding the Faunus who made a grand show yesterday surrounded by three people. Given that they were all wearing Haven uniforms, he assumed they were students and therefore upperclassmen. One, in particular, wore his jacket over his shoulders like some kind of cape.
He did not look happy.
The blonde gave the assembled group a flat stare. "And you guys are?"
"I heard some disgusting animal got into a fight when the Initiates touched down," the ringleader said, glaring at him. "That you?"
"Depends on who's asking."
SLAM!
Simin frowned as the ringleader rammed a metal-clad fist into the locker right behind the blonde Faunus, arm inches away from his face. "The older brother of the guy whose jaw you broke."
"Ain't my fault he couldn't back up all his talk. And clearly, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree if your picking fights you can't win."
Look at the balls on this one, Simin thought to himself. He had to admit, it was kind of funny to see an upperclassman about to top his lid. He glanced around the locker room, looking to see if anyone was going to intervene. Some looked uncomfortable, whether because of the blatant newbie crushing and attempt for revenge while others were apathetic and paid no mind to the scene. He saw Ragora near the back, her hand on her weapon. Their eyes met. He gestured for her to wait and made his move, approaching the group from behind.
"As fun as this looks, don't you think you should back off?" Simin called out.
"Back off, newbie," the ringleader shot back without turning his head. "This is between me and the animal."
Simin rolled his eyes. Animal, he says. He couldn't think of anything more original? "And I won't stop ya, but you really should think twice before starting crap like this here of all places, don't you think?" Some of the group of bullies looked at each other uncertainly, then back at him. "I mean, come on, picking a fight in the locker room of all places? Are you trying to bring a teacher down on your head or something?"
Ever so slowly, the ringleader turned his head and glared at Simin. "You protecting him?" he asked, nudging his head toward the blonde Faunus.
"Not really. To be honest, I kind of want to see sparks fly, buuut I won't get the chance if he gets kicked out, right? Why not save this for after Initiation? Either he makes the cut and you can fight him in the ring, or he fails and drops out. Teachers won't stop you then, right?" He smiled when he saw the tension in the room start to diffuse. "Do you really want to risk getting in trouble when you can be patient?"
The ringleader continued to glare, but it was clear that the gears were turning in his head. Ever so slowly, he pulled away from the blonde Faunus and retracted his fist. The gauntlet retracted, turning into a thick iron-plated wristband before he gestured for the rest of his cronies to follow him out the room. Simin and many others watched them go, all eyes focused on their retreating forms. When the group was gone, there was a collective sigh of relief among those who really wanted them gone. Pleased with himself, Simin smiled and turned to the blonde Faunus.
If the way he was baring his teeth at Simin was any indication, he did not appreciate him butting his nose. "I didn't ask for your help."
"What, you think I was helping you?" Simin laughed, making the blonde stop and frown in confusion. "I did that to save his ass. Don't get me wrong, it would've been funny to see you flatten him like a pancake, but I wanted the man to have some dignity, you know?"
The blonde blinked, stared at Simin for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed before offering a hand in greeting. "Lycan. Lycan Arcadia. You?"
"Megistus, Simin. Pleasure's all mine."
Rouge examined his weapon to see if it had been tampered with after he put it away. When he saw everything was in order, he stowed it away on the magnetic clip on the back of his belt and closed the locker shut. Just as he was about to leave, he saw a familiar tan-skinned girl in a red-and-white hoodie. She turned just in time to see him and waved. "Hey."
"Same to you," Rouge greeted. "Ready for the big day?"
"Kind of scared, to be honest," she admitted as she finished the last checks of her weapon. It looked to be a sniper rifle, steel-gray with a streak of navy blue up near the scope with a black grip and shoulder mount. The underside of the mount had a sharp blade and the grip had three metal joints and sections, implying it could fold in on itself. "I mean, no one knows how this is all going to play out, right?"
Details about Initiation were incredibly scarce, likely to ensure none of the initiates got a leg up. The teachers were tight-lipped about it also.
"I think we'll be ready for it," Rouge said. "This is what we've been training for in Combat School. At best, we'll probably have to fight some Grimm."
May glanced at the floor. "You think so?"
"It'd make sense. I imagine the nearby forests have plenty of Grimm roaming around, maybe to serve as a testing ground. I hear the Emerald Forest near Beacon Academy's the same."
"…you know a lot."
"I did my homework. My sisters are going through the Initiation over at Beacon right now, too."
"Is that so?" May seemed curious but withheld for now. She looked at her weapon again, performing the final touches before the barrel shrank in length, sliding and clicking into place. She slipped the gun into the holster on her back and adjusted the strap before standing up. She looked back at Rouge and smiled one last time. "In that case, here's hoping you and your sisters become part-time Huntsman."
The speakers cracked to life. "Attention, all Haven initiates. Initiation will begin within the next half hour. All those participating in Initiation, please gather at the Bulkhead landing pad. I repeat, will all initiates gather at the Bulkhead landing pad?"
"Looks like that's our cue," Rouge remarked. He and May exchanged pleasantries one last time before leaving the locker room with the rest of their potential future classmates.
As requested, everyone aiming to enter Haven Academy gathered at the landing pad, the place where they first arrived. A Bulkhead in plain view with its landing strip open. In front were several tables with bags all piled on top. Standing guard over it was one of the teachers from the auditorium.
That is one grouchy-looking dude, were many people's thoughts.
He looked like the stereotypical veteran Huntsman, his face covered in scars with a sharp glare. Amber eyes roamed over the group, examining each one of them critically while wrinkling his face as if in disgust. It was obvious to everyone that the man would rather be somewhere else.
"The name's Asher Mora," he said. "And depending on how many of you rugrats survive, I'll be your Combat Instructor here at Haven. Open up your ears and pay attention, because I'm not going to explain this twice. This test is going to see how many of you brats are cut out for Haven. If you pass, then congratulations, you're officially a student. If not, better luck next year. It's simple as that."
Asher wrapped his knuckles against the bags. "What won't be so simple, however, is your test. Each bag contains three days' worth of supplies, including food and Dust. Also inside the bag are two tokens." He dug into his pocket and pulled out what the initiates assumed were the tokens; discs with a colored tassel, one red and one blue. The disc with the red tassel contained the image of a sword whereas the disc with the blue tassel had the image of a crown. "Each bag has two tokens of the same kind. If you want to pass, you'll need one token of each type. If you lose both tokens allotted to you or have no tokens by the deadline, you're cut. Simple as that."
"W-wait, what do you mean?" Neptune called out nervously. "How is any of this simple? From what you're making it sound like, you want us all to fight each other!"
Asher smiled viciously. "That's exactly what I'm saying." The initiates stared at him in shock. "Your test is pretty simple, all things considered. We're dropping you off at an undisclosed location where you'll have to survive for three days against both yourselves and the Grimm."
"What?!"
Everyone looked at Asher as if he were insane. They could barely believe what he just said.
"In case you kids forgot," Asher continued with a growl. "The Grimm aren't your only enemies. Bandits, White Fang, marauders, thieves, murderers… Humans and Faunus are just as dangerous as the Grimm, if not worse. You kids think the world's black and white, where the monsters are evil and people are good?" He scoffed. "Don't kid yourselves! The real world's an unforgiving place…and Mistral has its fair share of monsters of every kind, from Grimm to humans. Do you think you got what it takes to be a Huntsman? Prove it by surviving."
The crowd fell silent, looking at one another nervously. Arslan, who was one of the few to take his words to heart, spoke up. "How will teams be formed through Initiation?" she asked. "Will we have to trust our instincts and partner with those we believe trustworthy, or will that be determined based on our performance afterward?"
Asher smirked. "Glad you asked, kid. Every token is outfitted with a tag that will react to another token with the same frequency. Whoever has the token with the same tag will be your partner. As for how you'll know, the token will start beeping. However, in case you think your partner has the other token you need to pass, only tokens of the same type had identical tags."
"How will we be graded?" Rouge asked. "I doubt just having the tokens necessarily means we pass."
What do you know? Asher thought with a wry smile. Some of these kids actually have brains. "Got it in one! Your grade's based on your performance out on the field. We got cameras everywhere. We can't let you kids go around unsupervised, after all. Before I had you your bags, there's one more thing you should keep in mind. Both you and your partner have to have both types of tokens. If you or your partner doesn't have the token and time's up, you're out."
So we'll need two tokens of each type of we want to pass, Sun gulped. Four if we partner with another pair.
In other words, in addition to keeping our vigilance around the Grimm, we'll have to figure out who will be trustworthy and who is our enemy, Ragora thought. And there's no guarantee our "partner" won't screw us in the back.
Lycan grinned from ear to ear. Three days of surviving both Grimm and us… I doubt the other Huntsman Academies are this hardcore!
How are we supposed to know who we can trust? Vella and May looked around the gathered group of initiates. Some looked to have already formed little groups while others eyed the weaker-looking ones as if they were prey. We've barely met these people. And there's no telling if they'll show us the same courtesy…
Which, of course, means, we'll have to trust our instincts… Neptune swallowed thickly and stared at the ground in uncertainty. This is going to be tough.
Rouge and Simin smirked. Interesting…
"I hope you're prepared, kiddies," Asher announced with a smile that would not have looked out of place on a Beowolf. "Because Initiation…has just begun."
Okay, and that is it for now. Three chapters meant to serve as a sample for things to come, and for you guys to get a feel for what I have in mind. As a quick reminder, if Mark Zhang or sufficient protest comes up, I will remove all content involving Team SLVR (which, of course, means creating OC's to replace SLVR and dear god that is gonna be a drag and a half). Although I am fairly certain the original creator of these characters stated previously his characters can be used in fan content, do not hesitate to correct me and I will fix it as soon as possible.
Rather than go through Initiation everyone knows by now, dump a bunch of kids in a forest, have them partner with the first person they make eye contact with, I decided to go for something a little more unique. In this case, I'm basing the Haven Initiation off the Chunin Exams from Naruto, where initiates will have to survive three days in Grimm-infested forest and get their hands on an item.
These will be all the chapters your getting in the meantime. As of this moment, I am undergoing radio silence. The next time I update, I will have written all the chapters for Act 1 and will release subsequent chapters on a weekly basis.
Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to enjoy what's left of my free time this month. And find a decent beta-reader.