9th of Sea Feilong, year 1025 of the Imperial Calendar
The atmosphere in Beacon's locker room was surprisingly calm. Prospective students were chatting with friends they'd come to Beacon with, and a few with people they'd met the day prior. While a few were making small talk or gossiping about a famous Mistralian tournament fighter that was apparently in this year's cohort, most were focused on the matter at hand.
"So… Initiation."
"Mhm."
"Nervous?"
A shrug.
"Excited?"
Another shrug.
It's like talking to a pouty wall…
"C'mon, you're not still mad about last night are you?"
Lelouch slammed his locker shut with a little more force than Yang thought necessary.
"Nope."
"Good, 'cause you should be thanking me."
Lelouch stopped in his tracks, turning to properly face her for the first time since they descended from the roof last night.
"You spy on us-"
"Eavesdrop at worst."
"And then proceed to play innocent and start flirting with Suzaku-"
"Hey, that barely classifies as flirting."
"and Blake…" Lelouch paused, evidently expecting another defence. Yang merely shrugged.
In for a lien… His reaction was too funny… she thought absent-mindedly, still unable to suppress a smirk whenever she remembered the completely mortified expression on Lelouch's face when she'd introduced herself in the most bomb-Yang-stic way possible.
Ugh, that was terrible… Used all my A-game on the roof…
"And generally act in the most infuriating manner you could conceive-"
"What, you're saying my glowing personality is… inflammatory?"
"Whoever claimed sarcasm the lowest form of wit clearly never witnessed your puns…" Lelouch pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, probably remembering some of Yang's many, many incredible jokes from last night.
"But returning to the matter at hand: Where, pray tell, are there thanks due, exactly?"
"Because Ruby wanted to come to-"
"LIES!" the person in question immediately interrupted, literally leaping into the conversation, "Lies and slander!" Lelouch raised a questioning eyebrow, "I only said I wondered what you were talking about and how you knew that girl! That's it!"
Lelouch turned back towards Yang, who held is stare.
Don't go talking about important secrets in the middle of a school, dumbass. It was the roof, not a secure bunker or something.
She was still unsure what possessed him to speak quite so candidly in a place so obviously open to almost anyone eavesdropping.
You're lucky to have me… Pretty sure that girl with the green hair would've listened in if I hadn't been there.
Even though she was just some random schoolgirl, more people knowing of Beacon's secret fallen Prince and apparent faunus-in-hiding would've hardly been a good thing.
"Fine, fine…" Lelouch waved off, evidently appeased with the knowledge Yang wasn't just being nosy for the sake of it, "Concerning the matter at hand, there's very little we are actually capable of planning for." the three began walking towards initiation, passing a rainbow of students prepping their outfits and weapons as they'd done. Yang also noticed a student withdraw a spear from a guy's shoulder – Jean or something – while a couple of others pointed towards her muttering variations of "Is that Pyrrha Nikos!?"
The name was familiar – it seemed she'd found the famous tournament fighter. While Yang was never particularly interested in the scene, you can only be in so many high-stakes underground Britannian chess games before you heard a thing or two.
Now there's a sentence…
"However," Lelouch interrupted her thoughts, "Most years seem to involve sending groups into the Emerald forest. I imagine that physical proximity will at least show some correlation with formation of teams, so we should remain close."
"If I even want to be on a team with you nerds…" Yang said teasingly.
"Yeah, well we don't need you, right Lelouch!?" Ruby immediately pouted, looking towards him expectantly.
"A melee fighter with notable constitution would complement either of us well."
"TRAITOR!"
"HaHA!" Yang laughed triumphantly.
"But… Wait." Ruby paused, "If we just need to stick together, wouldn't most people who already know each other just do that?"
"I imagine Ozpin has some method to separate everyone to begin. Setting off from different starting co-ordinates or some such." He suggested.
I guess if everyone started from a single point, most friends would just stick together… Wait, why would that be a bad thing?
"So I suggest we decide on a meeting point pre-emptively." he brought out his scroll and pulled up some maps of the Emerald forest, "Navigation via scroll will likely merit disqualification, so we can't use exact co-ordinates."
"Then… A landmark?" Yang made a suggestion. A decent one, if her friend's affirmative nod was anything to go by.
Within the next few minutes, they located a site which should be both easy to find once in the forest, and within the boundaries of initiation based on Beacon's relative location; a particularly tall and oddly-shaped tree.
"And we can confirm it's right pretty easily – There's some ruins about two and a half kilometres to the north-west we should be able to see if we climb to the top." Ruby pointed out.
"Precisely. I wouldn't be surprised if the goal is-"
"All students, please proceed to the starting zone. Initiation will begin in 10 minutes."
"10 Minutes!?" Ruby suddenly exclaimed, "But I'm- We're-"
"Beginning with more of a plan than most." Lelouch pointed out, putting his scroll away, "Though the specifics are unknown. We'll finish our strategising when we meet within the forest. Until then-"
"Let's kick ass!" Yang shouted while holding out her fist. The two soon returned the gesture, Ruby's enthusiastic while Lelouch's almost exasperated.
Despite his projected apathy, she could still see the latter's hidden smile while they headed towards the starting point.
Guess there's a kid in all of us…
Overlooking the seemingly picturesque Emerald forest as students filed in for initiation, Ozpin nursed his mug of hot cocoa while mentally readying himself for the task at hand. While it had been an age since any serious accidents occurred, it still remained that initiation was always something of a trial-by-fire.
Or trial-by-Grimm-infested-forest, I suppose…
Beacon staff were on standby in case of emergency, and countless cameras had been employed to give a comprehensive overview of the area. However, there were dozens of prospective students present, a small handful of available staff, and a large swathe of forest to cover. While the initiates present had years of combat training from their preparatory schools, there was still more than a small degree of risk.
"I still think you're pushing too hard." the man's blonde associate whispered.
"You would propose he join another year?"
"I would propose he be given at least some degree of combat training in advance. And not just him." the woman eyed a few of the other initiates, "We've no idea of the combat proficiency of Miss Stadtfeld nor Miss Bell-"
"Miss Kururugi?" Ozpin quickly corrected.
"Yes." The woman rolled her eyes, "Miss Kururugi. And even beyond them, Mr. Arc's transcripts are-"
"Sufficient." Ozpin insisted, "Honestly, Glynda. I thought we'd been over this."
"No, you informed me there were a number of last-minute additions to the student roster, told me to handle the paperwork, and then were 'busy' for the last two days." Glynda outlined in frustration.
"Exactly." Ozpin answered after drinking some more cocoa, "And now you want to prevent them from participating in initiation? Necessitating a veritable mountain of cancellation forms to be made and processed?" he chuckled slightly, "It's as if you enjoy paperwork."
"You…" Glynda pinched the bridge of her nose, her irritation approaching breaking point, "Fine. But any injuries or worse will be on your head."
"Naturally." Ozpin took another sip of cocoa without a hint of anxiety.
"Just…" she waved in the initiates general direction, "Give the speech already…"
"Very well."
He took a step forward, taking in the crop of would-be-Beacon students before him. Even beyond the unexpected additions Lionheart sent his way and those that Ozpin's personal recruitment efforts had gathered, it was proving to be an interesting year: A number of Britannian nobles, some sent by their parents, others in spite of them; Ruby's older sister who had been visiting Beacon since she was but a young girl; An extraordinarily energetic young woman with orange hair wildly shaking a stoic young man with black, all the while gesturing to one of the young women Lelouch had recommended.
I can only hope their combat prowess proves as strong as their characters…
"If everyone would take their assigned spots, please." he gestured towards a row of metal plates fixed into the ground, each etched with Beacon's insignia with a prospective student's name temporarily painted on.
"All present have trained for years to become warriors, heroes. Hunstmen." he started as the final students began to find their places, "Most through education, others through experience, some through life itself. The sum of that has brought you all here, today." he took yet another short sip of his cocoa, "Where your abilities will be evaluated. To determine whether you are sufficiently prepared to attend Beacon, to embark on the final stint of your pre-trained journey." he paused, motioning for Glynda to say her piece.
"Many of you have heard rumours regarding the formation of partnerships and team." she paused as there was a small collective murmuring of the audience, "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be assigned partners, and each pair grouped into teams… Today." another pause as an excited buzz made its way through the initiates, "Now, you will be living with your team-mates for the duration of your stay at Beacon. You will take classes together, train together, embark on missions together, and more. As such, it is imperative that you form partnerships with those that you not only can live with harmoniously, but that you also complement in terms of combat area."
A general sense of agreement came from those present. While many would be tempted to simply partner with people they liked, this was still a combat school. Even if you loved your team with all your heart, a team consisting entirely of snipers would have a short life expectancy the moment they were forced to engage in close-combat, just as a team entirely made of melee fighters would be easy pickings were they forced to fight over longer distances.
"That said…" Ozpin took over, "The person with whom you first make eye contact after landing will be your partner at Beacon for the next four years."
Ozpin heard the sound of something shattering. He expected it was the initiates' collective sanity.
"WHAT!?" a chorus of voices demanded, outraged at Beacon's carefully planned, frankly masterful, method of forming teams.
"After determining your partner…" Ozpin continued, ignoring the cacophony of complaints, "You will proceed northwards through the forest. Along this trajectory, you will find an abandoned temple containing several items – 'relics'." he had to hold back a laugh at the name, "These relics will be of vital importance for determining teams. Each pair must claim a relic and reconvene here." having finished giving the overview of critical parameters, he gave the students a moment to process and remember that key information.
"You will be monitored and graded based on a number of factors. Primarily your general well-being having completed your assignment, but also on speed, demonstrated combat proficiency, teamwork, etc." Ozpin lied.
Well, technically a half-truth I suppose… I do have my list of leader candidates, but I'd be willing to make some exceptions if anyone acts truly remarkable…
"Make note of the time. If you fail to return before sunset – approximately 7:45pm – You will fail this initiation, your application to Beacon rejected. Now, some of our instructors are on-site to provide assistance should it seem necessary, but do not forget that this is no longer training. The forest is filled with Grimm of all sorts, and none of them have been informed that this is a mere trial. Do not hesitate to use lethal force, to push yourselves when necessary…" he paused, "Or you will die."
For once, the moment given to digest the information presented yielded no verbal response, only the sound of metal clicking, folding and scraping as weapons were checked and their owners steeled themselves.
"Now, are there any questions?"
"Yeah, um, sir-" Jaune Arc raised his hand.
"Good. Take your positions." Ozpin interrupted, confident that answering would only lead to a series of questions until sunset arrived.
Most of the initiates understood his order, readying themselves to be launched into the forest. A moment later, the first metal plate sprang upwards and to the side, the launchpad sending the first young man flying towards the testing grounds. A few more later, and he eventually informed Mr. Arc that no, Beacon would not be providing transport or means of reaching the ground safely, but that those gathered would have to employ their own landing strategy. Tragically, the young man was launched before he could be informed what such a strategy entailed.
"So…" Lelouch idly commented, still a few seconds away from being launched.
"Hm?" Ozpin asked wordlessly, too occupied with the new cocoa he'd poured himself from a thermos borrowed from Bartholomew.
"The teams are essentially random chance?"
"I prefer to consider it the pieces falling where they may." the response earned a small laugh.
"I must say…" Lelouch drawled, awaiting the initiate next to him to be launched, "It fails to meet my expectations." the pad activated, seeming to give him the final word as he was sent hurtling towards the forest.
"Mhm." Ozpin hummed in amusement.
I do hope that sentiment is not returned today.
"Best of luck, Lelouch."
The Emerald forest's interior could've been the scene from a classical fairy tale. The evergreen tree's branches swaying rhythmically in the breeze, rays of light breeching the canopy to provide a picturesque scene complimented by the muted sound of distant birdsong. A calm, quiet scene…
"AAAH!"
… interrupted by Lelouch's frantic screams as his weapon's hilt extended to form a claw and dug into a nearby tree, changed with the intent to slow his momentum… Only for him to lose his grip on said weapon and crash to the ground.
"Ow…" he thought to check his scroll after the initial impact.
My Aura's already down to 75%… he sighed, soon picking himself up and trying to dust the dirt off of his clothes and retrieving the weapon that had fallen to the ground, its shape morphing back to a standard rapier once it came out of contact with his Aura.
'You'll have sufficient time to train.' Was that before or after I devise and execute a landing strategy within the space of one unexpected flight?
He'd managed to devise several in that time, of course, but drafting the theory and applying it were two entirely different skills. One required only time for careful thought, the other training and an intimate knowledge of your own physical capabilities. While he had the former in spades, the latter was somewhat lacking.
The saving grace was that his path between the tree his weapon was stuck in and small impact his body had made proved a useful line to orient himself. Within a few glances to the sun and mental geometry, he was confident in the direction necessary.
Now I need only find a partner capable of compensating for my lack of combat capability.
While it had been a particularly large specimen, Lelouch's last encounter with a Grimm would've ended in its maw were it not for Yang's intervention – a scenario he was keen to avoid repeating. Finding another initiate was the obvious step to ensure that reality never came to pass.
To the side, he heard the slight rustle of greenery. Turning, he saw a humanoid shape begin to emerge.
That was even faster than-
He stared at the new arrival
Weiss Schnee stared back.
Death, or being paired with a Schnee for four years-
"You will turn around, safely head in that direction for five minutes, and forget you ever saw me here." he barely had time to finish thinking before the geass-infused words left his mouth.
"Of course." she immediately turned and started to leave.
If this was the direction Ozpin's 'fate' intended, he'd simply carve his own.
Turning in the opposite direction and beginning the trek, he was barely able to walk five paces before an unexpected force bowled into him from the side. No Grimm that he knew of were both so fast and silent.
Nor do they leave rose petals in their wake…
"OhmygodsI'msosor-" Ruby paused upon seeing Lelouch's face.
"YES! YES! YES!"
So far, initiation hadn't been going as well as Jaune had hoped. Launched into a dangerous forest with no plan, no parachute, and no partner, he'd begun to think his chances of entrance would start and end with a swift smack to the floor.
Guess this isn't so bad… he stared at the spear currently driven through his hood and pinning him to a tree, I mean, it's not great, but it beats dying, I guess…
Why his saviour had responded to his cry of thanks with an 'I'm sorry!' he'd never know.
Cultural differences are hard…
After a minute or two of trying and failing to pull the spear out, he was relieved to hear someone arrive through the trees. After thinking for a second, he was doubly-relieved that it was a someone arriving, and not something.
Thank gods it's not Grimm…
Waving weakly to the new arrival, he soon determined that the spear must be hers, unless Beacon initiates made a habit of entering unarmed.
"Hey… Guess we're partners?" he asked weakly.
"Partners?" the girl echoed in an almost bored voice.
"Yeah… Unless you've seen someone else already?" the girl shook her head, "Cool… So, uh… Little help?" he gestured towards her spear.
"You require assistance?" the girl asked with a slight tilt of her head.
"Yes please." Jaune replied weakly while re-focusing on the spear, and restarting his efforts to loosen it from the tree and himself.
Come on… Why don't you just…
"It's stuck in pretty deep, I think-"
"Hold still."
"Wha-" Jaune's question caught in his throat as he turned back to the girl, now wielding what seemed to be a damned sci-fi cannon larger than she was.
"WAI-" he scream was cut short at the deafening, piercing sound of what seemed to be a laser erupting from the cannon towards his general direction.
I TAKE IT BACK! I WANT THE GRIMM!
By what felt like some miracle, the beam narrowly missed him, though it veered so close he could feel the heat licking at his skin. A moment later he fell to the ground, the tree which his supportive spear had been stuck inside now naught but ash. As he fell to the ground, a few small pieces of branch fell around him, but none so big as to prove dangerous.
After the laser stopped for a few seconds and gave him the quiet and peace of mind to hear his heart hammering in his chest, Jaune slowly emerged from the fetal position he'd subconsciously adopted.
"What…" he stammered while gradually, clumsily, standing, "What in the gods name was THAT!?" he stumbled but caught himself, his nerves extremely frayed.
"You required assistance." the girl stated matter-of-factly.
"HOW IS THAT ASSISTANCE!?"
"You were stuck to the tree." the girl nodded towards what was now a particularly tall and on-fire stump, "I removed the tree."
"THAT-" Jaune paused, taking a moment to gather himself, "That's true, I guess?"
The girl made no effort to answer.
"Um… Thank you?"
"Hm." she nodded in affirmation while her weapon deactivated and folded down into a size that, while not quite as gargantuan, was still at least half the girl's height.
Did I seriously miss that?
After it folded down, the girl went to place it where one might sheathe a sword, only for the weapon to seemingly fade into nothingness with naught but a red shimmer. A moment later the cannon vanished completely, gone as if it had never existed.
"How…"
"My semblance." the girl provided.
"Riiiight…" Jaune answered.
Semblance? You mean like… No, I've got no idea what you're talking about.
"Anyway…" he continued, thinking it best not to admit his complete cluelessness – if weapons disappearing into thin air was normal to Huntsman students, who was he to argue?
Or maybe it's a Britannian thing?
He vaguely called that the light pink hair was a popular colour choice for Britannian women. Something to do with nobility or royals, no doubt. Combine that with the convoluted split-ponytail style, plus her pale complexion, red eyes and general demeanour, and Jaune felt confident in saying she was probably a Britannian.
She's really cute Jaune noted, having paused to consider the girl before him, But doesn't she look a little young?
"Jaune!" he blurted out, suddenly realising he'd said nothing for what was probably almost a minute of him appraising his laser-cannon-wielding-tree-annihilating-saviour. Taking a breath, he tried again for his introduction.
"Jaune Arc." he extended his hand forward, "Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue – ladies love it." he repeated the line he was sure sounded extremely sociable.
All you need is confidence, right dad?
"Do they?" the girl asked inquisitively.
"Of course! Or, I hope they will. My mom always said- never mind…" he made to lower his hand, only for the girl to take it before he could.
"Anya Alstreim. Nice to meet you, Jaune."
Kicking wildly to correct his flight, Mercury didn't land, so much as crash wildly through several trees. Using his legs to absorb their impact, he shot a final barrage of blasts from his heel to slow his descent. A spray of dirt and small crater around him marked his arrival, while the thankful lack of anything breaking marked his survival.
Taking in the surrounding environment, he paused on a nearby beowolf that seemed more surprised than threatening.
Eh, not important.
Focusing on the more important matter, he ran his flight back in his head while glancing around the forest, muttering and gesturing with his hands to help visualise the experience. He quickly came to the conclusion that his target should be landing here within the minute. While he'd been among the last launched, and Mercury the first, he'd seen the initial trajectory and start of Arc's arc of flight.
Yeah, this is fine. Mercury nodded, confident he'd landed in the right area.
The only reason he'd land too far off is if someone shot him mid-flight. He casually raised his leg up with the dexterity of an experienced gymnast, blasting the Grimm's face at point blank range with his foot as it lunged at him with bloodlust. The beast died instantly.
Like that'd happen…
A few moments passed and nothing. Mercury crossed his arms impatiently.
What felt like a minute passed. Mercury began tapping his foot impatiently.
What was most certainly another minute passed. Mercury looked up at the sky nervously.
Did he change his direction? But the profile said he was hopeless, no way he'd have the skill to do that!
His growing panic was interrupted by the sound of light ruffling off to the side – a single person, maybe 50 metres away or so. Grasping at the chance Mercury began running over. Even as he approached and the form seemed a bit too large, he hoped it was just perspective. That the odd movement pattern was him stumbling around in panic, that Jaune had grown almost 2 feet since last night, that he'd turned black and donned a Grimm mask-
It's just a FUCKING URSA!
Too angry with the situation to care about the fact Cinder would cremate him for screwing up, he continued running at the Ursa, leaping up and diving legs-first at the beasts' skull - Talaria cocked and ready to blow the bloody thing's head off.
Not quite so angry as to miss the orange hair sprouting from its back when the beast turned – Was yanked - around.
"Rrrraa?" a girl riding the Ursa questioned with an indeterminable animal call.
WHA-!? Mercury's eyes widened as he frantically twisted his legs to the side, making sure to still hit the Grimm's head rather than the initiate at the cost of firing while his legs were bent at an unfortunate angle. The headmaster had said they had huntsmen watching - better in pain than charged with murder.
The beast was thrown to the right, the girl leaped back of its back, and Mercury was flung to the left in a spin.
"Are you INSANE, you fu-argh!" he groaned in pain while gripping his thigh, the muscles around it strained when his legs had been launched and the rest of him pulled along for the ride.
"Am I insane!?" the girl exclaimed in a faux shocked voice, complete with exaggerated hand gestures as they were brought to her mouth, "You broke a perfectly good Ursa!" she gestured towards the deceased Grimm while strutting up to him "And you're not Renny OR Blakey!" she collapsed to the ground beside him, threatening to burst into tears.
"What are y-"
"But that's ok!" she leaped up again, suddenly full of energy again, "Because we're gonna be the best of friends!" she held out her hand to Mercury, still on the floor and struggling to keep up with the situation or this girl.
"Partner!" her words dragged his mind to the present.
Mercury looked from the hand, to the girl, to the dissolving Grimm, and back again.
… Fuck my life.
Blinking once, twice, thrice, Weiss paused to re-orient herself.
Wait, isn't this the way back to Beacon? She looked through some gaps in the treeline, seeing the academy on its cliff about half a mile or so away.
How did I…
She shook her head to re-focus.
No, what's important now is completing the task at hand.
Making her way through the forest, she began to hear the sounds of some newly formed partnerships: A familiar feminine voice expressing relief at their designated partner, a second speaking so fast it would be difficult to decipher even given the inclination to do so, another – Britannian, Weiss believed – explaining Aura for some reason. Perhaps they were simply making small talk, naturally building up to explaining their personal Aura capacity, manipulation proficiency or some such, and how it tied into their combat style. The thought of a Beacon initiate legitimately needing a baseline explanation of a Huntsman's natural shield against the Grimm was simply laughable.
Of course, I'd have thought the inability to recognise Pyrrha Nikos the same. Could he…?
No. She soon shook off the thought, Not even someone like him could be that idiotic.
The sound of growling from a nearby treeline brought her attention to the fore. A lone beowolf slowly emerged from the forest, snarling with its gaze focused squarely on her.
Remember your training, Weiss… she quickly adopted a form ready for combat: Head up, shoulders back, right foot forward – but not that forward, fire dust round chambered and locked in her rapier Myrtenaster, finished with slowed breathing. The two entered their own world, attention fully focused on one another as they prepared for the first strike. Weiss noted each breath it took, each feral movement of its hands and claws, each minute change in footing.
Soon, the creature grew impatient, perhaps bored of awaiting her to make the first move. It dashed forward.
Its form was sloppy, its movements rushed and its intended attack all too clear. Weiss ducked underneath the obvious lunge, the creature beginning to jump over her as its movement carried it forward.
Predictable.
She thrust upwards and outwards with Myrtenaster, her sword piercing the beast's chest as her fire round activated. Flames burst forth from its back as the dust ignited from within the blade. Allowing herself to pivot and the creatures movement arc to finish its natural course, she withdrew the blade as it crashed to the ground. She quickly flicked to her loaded ice chamber in case of a follow-up attack, her eyes never leaving the Grimm's form all the while. She watched it for another second, two, three. It was only when the Grimm's body began to dissolve did she let herself feel at ease.
Well, that was-
"WATCH OUT!"
Weiss immediately jumped forwards – the only direction she could be sure was safe. Her leap was assisted by a movement glyph she summoned by instinct and training, the movement boosted beyond human levels. Flicking her head back, she noticed the warning was not a moment too soon – A second beowolf had emerged from the forest, to the side her spinning movement had left unseen.
While she once again readied a combat stance, the warning's owner was soon on the beowolf: Attacking with a forceful horizontal slash, the beast was knocked backwards, only for another blade to pierce straight through its chest as the attacker's form seemed to duplicate, along with his sword. Ripping the sword out, the original form went in for another strike, knocked the beast back, and then the other attacked while the Grimm and first form were recovering. A mere two cycles and just as many seconds later, the Grimm began to dissolve.
"Are you unharmed?" the boy's forms merged back into one, sheathing his weapon after a moment of surveying the surroundings.
"I am quite capable of taking care of myself." Weiss, too, sheathed her rapier once she was confident the area was clear.
"Oh, right…" he looked momentarily surprised by her response, but soon recovered enough to continue the conversation, "Do you have a partner yet?"
"… No." And from your tone, I take it you also, sadly, do not. "I do not."
"Then I guess we both do now." he tried for a smile conveying both amicability and respect, "My name is-"
"I am well aware of your identity, Suzaku Belladonna, as I'm sure you are mine." Weiss interrupted, not wanting to waste time with frivolous greetings when they were still on a time limit, however generous said limit might appear.
"Right, of course…" he replied in a slightly dejected tone.
Oh, for the love of-
"But I suppose formalities should be observed." she gave a small – miniscule – curtsy in greeting, "Weiss Schnee, Second daughter of Jacques and Willow Schnee, heir apparent to the Schnee family and its respective enterprises."
"Suzaku Belladonna." he gave an incredibly low bow, "Private of his majesty's royal army and pi-uh, engineer serving under the AASEEC."
"Very good." Weiss gave a small nod, "Shall we?" she gestured towards their intended path.
"Yes, ma'am." Suzaku nodded in turn, going to take the lead but quickly falling in line behind Weiss when she made clear her intent to do so.
He shows proper respect, at least. Far more than I'd expect from a deviant – an Eleven at that… And I've never heard of this 'AASEEC'. I suppose I shall ask Winter in my next letter…
What… Pyrrha looked again at the lone spear, loose on the ground but half buried in ash by a still-on-fire tree.
She was confident that this was the correct tree – her weapon's presence confirmed that – she was far less confident in the fate of the boy Miló should have been attached to.
Inter-competitor sabotage wasn't new to Pyrrha. There were plenty of underhanded opponents in the competitive fighting scene who sought to undermine their opponents before a given match. She'd been the target of no small number – Threats, intimidation, sabotage, bribery, framing… The attempts had been as varied as they were pointless. Threats meant little when you were the strongest fighter in a generation with a powerful family behind you. Monetary gain wasn't worth considering when you'd won as many tournaments as she. Attempts to frame her for crimes were as incompetent as they were idiotic, and sabotage? Did people seriously think weapons weren't tested thoroughly before a match? Or that they'd be reachable to begin with?
As such, she'd anticipated some level of competition between initiates that one would think should be working together. But this?
She reclaimed her spear from amidst the ash, trying to calm the nerves that had been set on edge upon encountering such a scene.
I sincerely doubt anything untoward has occurred – surely such actions would disqualify those responsible.
She dusted her weapon off, pausing momentarily as she considered what the ash on her hand originated from.
I sincerely hope nothing untoward has occurred – surely such actions would disqualify those responsible!?
Deciding that ensuring the boy's status were among her top priorities, Pyrrha set off in the direction she thought apt. Pushing through the bushes and branches for ten minutes or so, there was a surprising lack of Grimm trying to block her path.
Hm. Perhaps initiation is not such a tall task as it is made to be. Still, I must locate a partner…
The sudden sounds of nearby combat gave hope to alleviating that fear.
Single weapon type – rapid-fire, lightweight. I think I hear two… Dual wielding, perhaps?
Unless two people had entered with identical-sounding weapons – possible, though unlikely with the range hunstman tend to sport – Pyrrha may have heard a potential partner. Dashing through the trees, she soon came to the edge of a clearing. There, she found a lone black-haired boy with a single pink streak running through it. He was in the process of killing a King Taijitu, delivering an Aura-backed blow to the fang he must have lodged in the creature's eye. After an initial wave of expansion rippling throughout its form, the entire head completely exploded.
Has he defeated the other half already?
King Taijitu were somewhat tricky. Large snake-like Grimm fading from black to white one end to the other, they could survive losing almost three-quarters of their body mass. The heads were their only weak spots, and even then their hard scales surrounding them made that 'weak spot' more a 'weaker spot'. The eyes were the only true weak spots– something the boy evidently realised. The main issue, however, was their heads, plural. While the black head was removed in spectacular fashion, the white one could still remain.
A possibility confirmed as a white mass arose.
"Behind!" Pyrrha called in warning while throwing her shield at full speed towards the head. With a small adjustment in trajectory from her semblance, Akoúo̱ smashed into the taijitu's head and flew off to the side.
"HSS!"
Its attention drawn towards her, Pyrrha sprinted towards the creature. Wielding her semblance to have her shield bounce off a tree and begin returning to her, she transformed Miló from spear to rifle form. Dropping into a crouch the moment before it lunged, she next leapt up and over its head and slightly to the side, swinging the gun to point directly at the beast's eye at point-blank range and firing with the beast mid-lunge and her in mid-air. The bullet flew through its eye and down, shooting through its skull before hitting Akoúo̱, having perfectly bounced off a nearby tree to fall directly under the head as Miló's shot was fired. The shot ricocheted off the shield, reflecting back up through the skull to exit through the Grimm's other eye.
*fwom* The head slumped onto the ground, its form beginning to dissolve with the entire beast dead.
Catching her shield after it bounced off a nearby tree, Pyrrha dropped to one knee and aimed down her sights over a notch in the shield, surveying the area to ensure no other foes were present.
Satisfied that the area was clear, Pyrrha let out a short breath and nod, morphing Miló back to spear form and sheathing both it and Akoúo̱ behind her back.
"Are you unharmed?" she asked the boy nearby.
"Yes." he nodded, "Thank you." he added in a calm, though not ungrateful voice.
Having a moment to take him in without the rush of combat demanding her focus, Pyrrha realised the boy's weapons were a pair of green automatic pistols with blades attached to double as daggers. With the coast clear, the blades folded back and the weapons sheathed into the boy's sleeves, almost completely concealed. His clothes appeared Mistralian in origin: A green shirt to match his pistols, with pink cuffs to match his hair and eyes, and some gold outlining a brown pattern that showed clear Mistral influence. His trousers, meanwhile, were a simple white. While the outfit may appear a tad exotic to some, it hardly compared to Pyrrha's metallic gold-brown corset and greaves in terms of apparent eccentricity. To say nothing of how open the corset's back was without Akoúo̱ sheathed there, nor the nonsensical mini-skirt she was all but forced to wear. 'Lady of War' her agent had called it.
'Pandering to the fanbase' would be how I phrase it…
Thankfully, the boy before her didn't seem to be questioning the outfit any more than she his, taking the moment to dust himself off instead.
"Well." she coughed, breaking out of her thoughts and the silence that had befallen them, "I suppose this makes us partners, no?" she held out her hand in greeting.
"Indeed." the boy nodded, shaking her hand with a small but noticeable smile, "Lie Ren."
"Pyrrha Nikos." she returned. He recognised the name, of course, but he didn't voice as much, nor did he try and feign ignorance. He simply nodded in acceptance with the same small smile on his face.
Not quite what I'd hoped for, but I suppose I should be grateful it's not an overzealous fan.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lie."
"Uh, I prefer Ren."
"My apologies, Ren" Pyrrha corrected herself. It made sense that he may prefer not to be referred to as a synonym for deception; it was probably a remnant of Mistral culture or a family naming scheme.
A good sign he's comfortable correcting me, though. If she'd had a partner trying to bend over backwards to ensure a position in her good graces, it would have been a difficult four years.
"Not at all." he nodded in the direction the ruins should be, "Shall we?"
"Yes." Pyrrha responded, cautiously optimistic that the gods could grace her with a team relatively apathetic towards her status, even if they were aware of it, "That would be grand. Lead on, Ren."
"Come oooooon…" Ruby groaned, frustrated at how slow her new partner was.
"We can't all… Have a speed semblance…" Lelouch panted, "Nor do I have… Endurance training…" he got out, clearly struggling with the rugged terrain after the mere couple of hours they'd been travelling.
It was true, despite seeming to be a meek young girl, her huntress training provided much higher endurance, partially from standard endurance training but largely from learning how to repurpose Aura into physical stamina. Combine that with a high Aura capacity from that same training, and you had a girl capable of putting an Aura-less long-distance runner to shame.
She'd explained how to convert Aura into stamina when he'd started to flag – barely 15 minutes after they began – but with his already below-average Aura capacity for a Beacon initiate, they'd agreed what little he had would be better spent using Aura for combat purposes or fuelling his semblance if necessary.
But walking like this takes so looooong…
Thankfully Ruby's boredom was short-lived, as they soon saw a particularly large and oddly-shaped tree through gaps in the canopy.
"We're here!" she exclaimed, zooming off in a blur of rose petals while barely even registering the distant "Are you incapable of staying still for 5 seconds!?" that shouted behind her.
Rushing through the forest, she soon found the base of their planned meeting spot. She also noticed Yang already present, along with a few extras.
It's that girl! Ruby noted the person clad almost entirely in black she'd found the other day, Black or something! And! And… No ok I don't knowanyoftheothers… her thoughts trailed off at the unfamiliar pink-red haired girl in dark scarlet red clothing – clearly one with refined taste in colour, Ruby noted – and a blonde-haired boy dressed in white, an outfit reminiscent of a Knightmare pilot equipped with some contraption strapped to his back.
That looks cool… But, wait, where's the new girl's weapon?
Seemingly only wielding a pair of pistol sidearms that almost seemed like they were – gasp – only guns! Transforming mechashift weaponry had become the staple of huntsman shortly after its invention. More versatile armaments that could adapt to the situation, a single button-press or lever-shift away, were all but essential with all the unknowns they could face in the field. Sure, you could use different weapons that didn't change, but that meant needing to switch out mid-combat, use more space to holster more arms, and were, in short, boring.
With how small they are, you'd think she lost her main weapon really recently or something…
"Hey sis." Yang continued leaning on the tree while Ruby slowed to a stop, her easygoing smile soon morphing to confusion and mild concern, "Wait, you don't have a partner yet?"
"Don't have a partner?" Ruby scoffed, "Who do you think this… is…" she turned to find said partner noticeable absent.
"Uhhh… Is she…" the pink-haired girl trailed off while looking to Yang and making some small spinning motions at the side of her head.
"More than I thought…"
"Hey! I'm not crazy!" Ruby stamped her foot in frustration, "He just needs a minute!"
A voice yelled Ruby's name in a mixture of frustration and concern, followed by a beowolf's howl.
"We just need a minute!"
One minute and one beheaded beowolf later, Ruby returned with her slightly irritated and very out-of-breath partner. Hey, it wasn't her fault a beowolf showed up! The only Grimm she'd seen was a beowolf who was well out of the way, even if it had seemed to perk up at Ruby's rose petals-
Okmaybeitwasa little my fault but STILL
If someone was going to go to Beacon, they should be able to fight a beowolf, that was just a fact. Ruby chose to ignore the incidental fact said someone had worn themselves out trying to keep up with her energetic pace.
A brief round of introductions later Ruby learned the two girls and single boy were Kallen – partnered with Yang after the latter was interrupted teaching a few Ursa why the hair is off limits – plus Blake and Gino – partnered after Blake drew the ire of a boarbatusk and Gino 'literally swooped in', whatever that meant. How they knew to get here, Ruby wasn't sure.
Must've just seen Yang and Kallen waiting here, I guess.
It seemed like some of their partners already knew each other – she'd have to figure out where those connections came from later. Or not. Socialising? Bleh. But she wanted to find out how Blake and Lelouch knew each other, if nothing else. After Lelouch and Ruby's combined forces were able to stop the teasing of their mildly disorganised entrance, the group quickly decided on the path to the relics. Blake was able to climb the tree for height and confirm their direction in moments – something Gino seemed to find mildly amusing for some reason – and they were off.
As they left, Ruby glanced back at the tree, a strange sense of curiosity overcoming her. It was an odd thing, looming over the 10-12 meter tall trees with a height that seemed to be approaching 30, a number of branches spiralling out almost as thick as the regular tree trunks. Even the leaves seemed to be a slightly brighter green compared to the rest of the forest – perhaps because it got more light? Just as she turned away, Ruby thought she noticed something odd around the roots.
Is that a….?
"Rubes, you comin'?"
"While I appreciate you finally slowing down it'd be best employed once a rest was actually needed."
"Right! Coming!" Ruby shook her head and ran off to join her friends. The memory of a small, strange indentation reminiscent of a clock face soon became a memory all but forgotten.
A/N:
Hey, I'm back!
Apologies for the wait - it ended up being an eventful 4 weeks for me. Honestly not much else to say - this was fun to write, and am enjoying planning out everything to come. There's tons of stuff I'm really excited to get to, but at the current pace it'll be a while before we get there.
Oh, somethng I did want to mention though: one or two people had criticism/confusion at the exact direction of the story so I wanted to take a second to clarify: While the central plot is, of course, following Lelouch & Co., the intent is to focus on a large number of characters because there's so many of them and I love basically all of them in very different ways. The beginning, which focuses much more on the central Lelouch plot, wasn't supposed to be quite so long, so if that was at all deceptive in regards to the intended direction of the story, I apologise.
This also ties in to a critique by Covid69 on the last chapter - a comprehensive breakdown which was very informative to read - detailing some disagreements on how Lelouch's character is portrayed and, specifically, the presence of people aware of his alternate identities. I agree that in Code Geass, Lelouch's identity of Zero being hidden from all by C.C. is a very important part of both the story and the direction his characterisation takes. I agree that a crossover story adopting a similar direction but with RWBY would have an absolute ton of potential, likely being a very good read. However, this is not that story. Here, Beacon isn't so much a substitute for Ashford Academy, but rather a catalyst which results in radically different dynamics taking shape, and thereby sending characters (esp. Lelouch) on different, if similar, paths. If this doesn't interest you, then fair enough, but it is the intended direction that I personally plan to go with this story. Some other reviewers seemed to basically allude to this AU nature, though, so hopefully this direction is still entertaining to some at least.
Other than that, hope you enjoyed, feel free to comment with thoughts, criticisms, etc. - even if you give criticism I disagree with at all, I still have to put thought into why I disagree with it, and any thorough critique like the one I discussed is likely to provide me insight I may not have gleaned by myself, so it's all useful stuff. And reading neutral or positive comments is always just really nice.
So yeah, hope to see you next time!