Chapter 4: initiate
"Welcome to Beacon Academy." Ozpin starts, sounding tired. He'd been up nearly the whole night planning away with Carmine and Glynda, and he has a hell of a migraine from lack of sleep. His voice echoes throughout the auditorium, and the chattering of the nearly two hundred potential students slowly quiets. He nearly sighs in relief. "For up to forty of you potential students, we here at Beacon will welcome you with open arms. For those who do not pass tomorrow's initiation, you may try again next year." His brown eyes sweep over the students, landing for a fraction of a second longer on a certain silver-eyed student. "You have all come here in hopes of becoming huntsmen. You seek knowledge, in hopes that it will free you. But I look among you, and all I see is wasted potential. Here at Beacon, we will temper that potential, making you the best of the best. For that, as I mentioned, you must pass initiation." His brain blanks. He'd had a bit of a longer speech planned, but he must be more tired than he thought he was, if he can't remember what it was. "And now, Professor Goodwitch will explain where and when said initiation is." He steps back, and Glynda takes over, after sending him a subtle worried glance. She begins directing students to and fro, and Ozpin takes one last glance at the students before walking off the stage, a hand rubbing at his temples.
"Good speech, Oz." Carmine appears from seemingly nowhere beside him, silver energy dancing along her skin. The feel of her magic washes over him, gently soothing his headache. Just one of the many wonders of her unaffiliated magic. Truly, Ozpin wanted nothing more to study her magic, to help her hone her skill. But they had far too much on their plates as of right now. Carmine grins at him, "Almost identical to what you said when I trained here."
Ozpin hums, "The opening speech is an important marker in our future student's studies. Hopefully they can extract the meaning of the words and use them to improve upon themselves. Perhaps even you might draw something from it, Miss Rosemage."
"Just call me Carmine." She waves a hand dismissively. "'sides, that's just fancy nonsense and you know it. You give pretty much the same speech every year." Carmine's eyes roll, "Beacon graduates are good, yes, but a teacher can only take someone so far. Huntsmen never stop growing and learning, even once they leave the Academy." She grins, "Hell, some huntsmen never attend, and they are better than a graduate."
Ozpin raises a brow, "Oh? Anyone in particular in mind?"
"Mm, the Grimm Reaper for one." Carmine offers, "She never attended an academy. She just took the HLT that's offered by most cities, and was granted her license." She smirks, "And technically, me too. Only ever attended an academy for barely a year. Got my license this time around from one of Lionheart's little lackeys after thoroughly wrecking his ass. My previous one is from good old Jimmy boy up in Atlas." She frowns, "Course he also dived right off the deep end shortly after, but he washeavily stressed. The man needs to lighten some of his workload."
"James never was one for delegating."
Carmine snorts, "Maybe he should learn. At the rate he's going, he'll snap, just like before."
Ozpin sips his cocoa, "I'll be sure to bring it up, next time we talk."
"Oh, uh, speaking of your talks," Carmine starts, "have you managed to contact Qrow yet?"
Ozpin shakes his head, "Unfortunately not. His current mission has him far into the wilds of Anima, where there is no signal. It will likely be a few days more until I can reach him."
Carmine nods, "When you can, tell him to fly back as soon as possible. We have to fill him in, and it's not safe to talk about this sort of thing over scroll."
"I'll be sure to remind him." Ozpin tilts his head minutely, "Carmine, while I have you here, may I ask something of you?"
"Sure Oz, what is it?"
"Would you join Glynda and me on the cliffs tomorrow morning? I have a feeling that initiation is not going to end well."
Carmine narrows her eyes, "Hmm. Yeah, I can do that. In disguise or…?"
"Feel free to come as the Grimm Harvester if you wish."
"Alright. Tomorrow."
Perhaps showing up as the Grimm Harvester was a bit much. Carmine shifts uneasily, as the students stare and whisper, fingers pointing. The students are lined up, twenty of them at a time standing on the launchpads, and yet seemingly every eye is on her. She even spots her mini-me on one of the launchpads, practically vibrating in place from excitement. She can see Yang beside her mini-me, violet eyes wide.
A twinge of sadness comes upon seeing the blonde, but Carmine smothers it. That Yang wasn't her sister. Her sister had a robotic arm and was a legendary Huntress. That Yang was a kid, a literal child, playing at a game far more dangerous than she knows. Carmine's grieved for her sister, for Blake, for Weiss. She's mourned them and scattered their ashes. She's had nearly four years of mourning for them. She's already pushed past her grief over their deaths. While she was still coming to turns with being in the past; with diverging the timelines in hopes of never finding them dead; seeing them now, as children, truly seems to be helping, somewhat. Their innocence was palpable in the air. Perhaps thinking of them not as who they were in the never-future, and instead as they are, will further help.
"That's the Grimm Harvester!" Someone shouts loudly, bringing Carmine from her thoughts. She glances back at the gathered students, and her eye twitches upon seeing that they are all still staring at her.
"Too much attention…" Carmine mumbles, drawing a chuckle from Ozpin.
"You'll have to get used to it." He says, stepping forward to address the students. Carmine blinks,
"What does that mean?" She asks Glynda, who smirks. "Glynda, seriously, what does he mean?"
"Why, I can't spoil the surprise." Glynda snarks, as she pulls up a live camera feed of the forest. Ozpin finishes his speech, and the students begin to be flung off the cliff, into the Grimm infested forest below.
"So, Oz," Carmine starts, once the last student is flung away, "what did you mean? When you said I'll have to get used to it?" Ozpin smiles,
"Why, starting tomorrow you will begin teaching Combat Class." Carmine shakes her head,
"No, no, no! No way! I can't teach!" She points at Glynda, "What about Glynda?! That's her class!"
"Glynda will still be teaching. You two will be alternating between teaching the class." Ozpin leans forward to look at the live feeds, "You, Carmine, will be teaching combat mostly to the first and second years, however. And when Qrow arrives, he will be assigned to help." He winces at something on the live feeds. "Oh, that must have hurt." Carmine stretches to look, and spies one of the boys from the upcoming team CRDL getting thrown around by an Ursa.
"Yikes, that's a big one." Carmine says. "Must be nearly an Ursa Major at that size." The boy on screen is saved by another bashing in the Ursa's skull with a mace. "First set of partners, then?" Glynda nods, noting,
"Cardin Winchester and Dove Bronzewing." She flicks through the feeds, "It appears Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie have also become partners. And Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc." She scowls, "I don't care what his transcripts say, Mr Arc is unsuitable for this level of combat."
Carmine hums, "That's 'cause his transcripts aren't real." Glynda sighs,
"Should I assume you already knew such, Ozpin?" The man shrugs.
"If I hadn't seen those exact transcripts just last year, he might have managed to make it in without suspicion." Ozpin admits, watching as Pyrrha and Jaune make their way towards a large cave. "As it stands, if he was brave enough to try such a bold tactic, then I say he deserves a chance." He raises a brow at the screen, "Either way, we're about to see if he can measure up." At that, the live feeds show Pyrrha running from the cave, an elder Deathstalker at her heels. Jaune hangs from its stinger, clearly screaming, despite the lack of noise. After a moment, the scroll beeps, signifying that more students had partnered up. Glynda swipes to the right feeds,
"Yang Xiao-Long and Blake Belladonna, Russell Thrush and Sky Lark, and Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee." Glynda swipes back to the live feed following Pyrrha and Jaune, glancing at Carmine "You say that these will be the only teams to pass this time?"
Carmine nods, "Yep. JNPR, CRDL, and RWBY. Everyone else fails or drops out."
Ozpin frowns, "Only three teams this year." he says, "That's less than half of last year. Our first year class roster is only 12." He shakes his head. "We get less and less students each year."
Suddenly, a large explosion rings out from near the abandoned temple. They turn, and focus in on the smoke and fire. Ozpin's eyes narrow, his thoughts whirling at what could have caused such a thing. There is a sure-fire way to check. He looks to his deputy, "Glynda." The woman nods, switching live feeds to the temple.
Carmine hisses, "That wasn't there last time." The feed shows a large lion like Grimm howling, wings flaring in anger. It's tail, reminiscent of a scorpion's, stabs forward, just barely missing the terrified forms of Weiss and Ruby. Its size, coupled with its abnormal bone growth, puts it as an elder Grimm. "How did an Elder Manticore make it into the Emerald Forest?" Her gaze quickly pinpoints Yang and Blake in the background, firing at the Manticore with their weapons. She winces as Ruby and Weiss once again dodge a too-close strike.
"Carmine, go! Now!" Ozpin shouts, eyes blazing in anger. "Save the students!"
"Got it!" Carmine vanishes on the spot, a few small rose petals fluttering in the wind. Ozpin's grip on his cane tightens,
"Glynda, call for extraction. We need to get the students out of there." His gaze flicks to the red dot speeding off into the distance, before returning to the live feed of four children desperately trying to survive against a Grimm they had no hopes of fighting. "Hopefully, Carmine gets there in time."
"Ruby!" Yang screams from her position near her partner, Blake, as her sister nearly gets hit by the large Grimm. Ruby launches herself away with her semblance, panting in exhaustion. Yang grabs her shoulder, "Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, Yang. I'm fine." Ruby eyes the Grimm. "What even is that Grimm?"
"It's called a Manticore!" Weiss says, as she throws up an ice wall. She nearly collapses as her aura crackles, nearly breaking. Her blue eyes meet Ruby's silver, both sets wide in fright, "B-But they're not native here in Sanus. They're only found on Anima and Solitas." She wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead. "I'm not sure how one could have gotten here." Blake's eyes suddenly snap upwards, widening.
"Incoming!" She shouts, and the four scatter, just in time. The Manticore snarls and drops from the sky, fire spilling from its jaws.
"Weiss!" Ruby yelps, seeing the other girl far too close to the Grimm. The Manticore rears back, readying to pounce on Weiss. Ruby's semblance activates, and she pushes her partner out of the way of the Grimm's attack. The Manticore's claws rake across Ruby's body, shattering her aura with a flash of red and sending her flying. She lands with a grunt and rolls over, trying to get to her feet.
"Ruby!" Yang and Weiss shout. The Manticore growls and stalks toward the downed girl.
"Get away from my sister!" Yang howls, firing at the Grimm with her gauntlets.
"Where the hell are the teachers?!" Blake asks, Gambol Shroud shifting into gun form. The Manticore ignores the gunfire, and continues stalking forwards. Ruby flinches, raising her hands as the Grimm's flaming maw looms closer.
"Ruby!" The three older girls scream.
A streak of red drops before Ruby with a snarled, "Fuck off!" Yang nearly drops to her knees in relief at the sight of the Grimm Harvester. The older woman looks over her shoulder briefly before launching towards the Manticore, her twin kamas twirling in her hands as she viciously hacks and slashes at the Grimm. She dodges its attacks with ease, never letting up on her own, until the Manticore manages to land a powerful blow, pushing the Harvester back. She lands in a roll, and is back on her feet within a fraction of a second, aura flaring. She looks over at the four petrified girls and yells, "Get the hell out of here, dammit! There's an extraction ship on its way! Go! Now!" Yang startles out of her daze and races towards her sister.
"Ruby!" She helps her sister to her feet. As her sister leans heavily on her, Yang jerks her head back to Blake and Weiss. "You heard the woman, let's get out of here!" The two other teens nod and follow Yang into the trees.
Carmine watches them go and breathes a sigh of relief. Now she can get serious. She tilts her head back and scowls at the Elder Manticore.
"Alright, ugly, where were we?" She speeds forward, silver magic sweeping over her kamas. She dodges under the Grimm's attempted paw swipe, and slashes at its face. The Manticore screams in unholy furor as it rears back in pain. Carmine grins under her mask, "There's more where that came from!" Her magic wreathes her blades, and with a bit of concentration, the silver energy transforms into fire. She jumps up, bringing her kamas close, and comes spinning down, shearing one of the Grimm's wings off.
The Manticore roars at her, flames spewing forth from its jaws. Carmine slams a foot down, her magic flaring, and brings up a wall of earth. It takes nearly a minute for the Grimm to stop spewing fire. Her semblance activates, and she begins rocketing herself between the trees and the Grimm, blades cutting deep.
The Manticore's tail whips at her, batting her away. "That was nothing! Felt like a tickle!" She laughs, kamas twirling. "Is that the best you can do?" She leaps at the Grimm. Her kamas slice clean through its tail, severing it, and the Manticore howls in agony and rage.
Carmine cracks her neck and grins wide, "Alright, time to finish this." Team RWBY should be farm enough away by now. Bright light bursts from her eyes, washing over the Grimm, petrifying it. She raises one of her kamas and fires a shot. The bullet ricochets off the frozen Manticore, shattering it into millions of little pieces. As the pieces turn into wisps of smoke, Carmine lets out a breath. She watches as the smoke evaporates, a scowl threatening to break, "Now, just why were you here…"
Ozpin frowns, watching the recordings of the forest. The Manticore hadn't spawned in the Emerald Forest, no, it had flown there, from the direction of Solitas. That is worrying. Why had an elder Grimm flown across the oceans itself to attack Beacon's initiation? No, that's not the right question to ask. His eyes narrow, as he rewinds the footage. The real question was: why had Salem sent it?
The elevator doors ding, and he glances up as Glynda and Carmine enter his office. The two women appear to be deep in thought, as they cross the room to stand before his desk.
"It was Salem, wasn't it?" Carmine asks, silver eyes glinting dangerously.
Ozpin nods, "It seems to have been her." Carmine shakes her head and looks out the window, at the nearly full moon. After a moment, she states,
"It was because of me."
Glynda scoffs, "Don't be preposterous, Carmine."
Carmine sighs, "But it was." She turns her gaze back to the holo-screens – to the still image of the elder Manticore. "Salem still has access to all her magic, and through the Grimm, can likely sense magic in others."
Ozpin lets out a low breath, "If that is true, then she sent to Manticore specifically for you." Carmine nods,
"She knows I am here. She knows about my magic." Carmine frowns, "And now she knows that there are two silver-eyed warriors in your school." Ozpin curses under his breath.
"Of course. That's why it attacked team RWBY." His fists clench. "Looks like things are progressing faster than we could imagine." Ozpin takes in a deep breath, and releases it with a mildly frustrated sound. "Seems like our plans will need to be moved forward."