Chapter 2: New Beginnings
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum (R.I.P.) nor do I own any media that may appear in the story. I only own the OCs. Enjoy!
(A/N: A big thanks to The Burning Ruler for all the help with the first chapter, you the real MVP.)
Warning: Blood and some Gore
The smell of burning trees filled the air, gunshots could be heard in the distance along with the screams of civilians. Armed militants stormed a decimated battlefield as armored vehicles climbed over the horizon, tanks and APCs crashed through houses with ease as they advanced forward. Carmine laid inside a crater in a charred hellscape as a stared at an blood-orange sky, fighter jets flew overhead as they chased Nevermore through the air; bombs detonated in the distance and shook the ground with a violent rumble as rockets flew through the air and hit unknown targets. Claps of gunfire echoed around him as the sound of boots hit the ground around him, Carmine slowly sat up in a daze before he felt two sets of hands grab his arms.
"Carmine! Carmine you've got to fucking move!" A voice yelled, Carmine turned his head as his vision faded in and out, a ringing in his ears seemed to slowly fade in and out as he looked around "Onyx?" Carmine asked before an artillery shell exploded roughly forty feet behind them, dirt and shrapnel bounced off their bodies as their auras absorbed a majority of the explosion. "It's the fucking Iron Hammer! We gotta get outta h-" The man to his right started to say before a sniper round ripped through his head and dropped his body to the ground like a sack of rocks. Onyx and Carmine kept running as another shell hit the ground and eviscerated the man's corpse "Fuck!" Onyx yelled as Carmine slowly regained his bearings, the rifleman shook his head as his eyes finally focused and the ringing stopped.
Destroyed buildings and burned out homes filled the area around them as they ran, the two joined up with four other armed operators; one with a pair of wolf ears handed him his Scar-H. "Incoming!" A male voiced yelled through their ear pieces as a large missile screamed toward the ground and exploded in a massive flash of light and a thunderous explosion.
Carmine shot awake, breathing heavily with his arms shielding himself from something but nothing was there. His eyes focused on the sibling graffiti that was on the roof of the hole he was in, he looked out into the ballroom and could see some sunlight painting the walls, signaling that it was now morning. He grabbed his scroll to check the time, '6:00 am, might as well start the day and get ready' he thought to himself, stretching his body in order to make his descent.
He reattached his gas mask, testing the steam purge function again. He pulled his hood back over his head and started tying his boots, pulling the pants leg over them, the bottoms still coated with dried blood. He collected his belongings and moved out of the hole in the wall, he patted his pockets to make sure he had everything with him. He started walking over the beam, one foot in front of the other; taking his time so he doesn't fall.
Making it to the ledge, he looked over the ballroom for a safe landing zone, he spotted an opening among the sleeping bodies, a seven foot by six foot hole. 'I'm going to have to aim this perfectly, alright. One, Two, Three!' Counting in his thoughts, he jumped on three landing in the middle of the hole, his knees bending perfectly. He remained still for a minute, not making a noise, his landing was surprisingly quiet considering his build and what he was wearing. Slowly he stood up as to not disturb anyone, he scanned the room for signs of movement but everything was motionless save for a couple of people rolling over in their sleep. Step by step, he crept out of the ballroom and through the doors that led to the courtyard, he walked out into the courtyard and looked around, there wasn't a soul in sight. Carmine started to jog around campus which eventually turned into a sprint, the weight of his equipment and pack gave him resistance which would help further increase his stamina.
After an hour of running, Carmine went and sat on the edge of Beacon, his feet hanging off the edge overlooking the water. Checking to see if anybody was around, he unlatched his mask pulling it off and setting it on the ground next to him. He breathed in the unfiltered air, taking in the different scents and smells around him. He laid back on the ground looking into the sky, thinking about what the training exercise is going to bring. After laying down for ten minutes, Carmine decided to go prep for today's training, he collected his bag and reattached his mask pulling the hood back up.
Carmine entered the locker room, going to locker 245 and putting his stuff inside of it; he started prepping for initiation, he loaded his spare Scar mags with .308 rounds, putting them in the Heavy IBA's pouches. Next were the spare MP7 mags, loading them with 4.6x30mm, two being fire dust mags. With those mags loaded, he put them in the side pouches; he reached in his bag and pulled out three M67 Dust Frag Grenades, consisting of fire, lightning, and ice; Carmine put them in a pouch on his right side, snapping it closed. He pulled the MP7 from his side holster and examined the red dot sight, he checked the muzzle brake before he placed it back in his side holster. Carmine withdrew the Jericho 941 from his vest and removed the magazine from the receiver, he loaded the magazine with fire dust tipped 9mm parabellum rounds before he slid it back into the receiver. Carmine racked the slide and chambered a fresh round before he placed it back into his front holster. The rifleman removed the Ka-Bar from the sheath mounted to the shoulder of his IBA and examined the sharpness of the blade's edge, he spun the blade around before he placed it back into the sheath and locked it in place.
Carmine pulled his gas mask off and detached the filters, he dug through his bag momentarily before he pulled out two fresh filters which he clicked back into the mask; the rifleman pulled on the gas mask and took a deep breath in as he tightened the straps behind his head. He pulled the hood back over his head and picked up his bag. Now fully equipped and armed, Carmine left for the cafeteria to grab something quick to eat, the minute he left the locker room and turned the corner, he ran into Ozpin who was unfazed. "Oh shit I mean, uh... good morning sir, I was just going to breakfast before going to the cliffs." Carmine said, his voice shaking slightly from being startled by Ozpin's sudden appearance. "Breakfast? While armed like you're ready for the apocalypse?" Ozpin asked with a chuckle "Oh, yeah... in hindsight I should have gotten breakfast first then armed up." Carmine said rubbed the back of his neck under his hood. "Well, as long as you know what you're doing, I'll see you at the cliffs, remember 11 am." Ozpin said, saying goodbye to Carmine.
Carmine entered the cafeteria to get some breakfast but was met with a lot of stares and gasps, 'was it the weapons or my appearance?' he asked himself before he shook the thought from his head as he grabbed some bacon, hash browns, and an apple. Finding a table in the corner away from the other students, Carmine unlatched his gas mask and set it to the side on the table, keeping his hood up and his face down, Carmine ate in silence checking the time every now and then. The silence was broken when Celadon came and sat down in front of him "I finally found you, I was wondering where you went." Celadon said breaking the silence "Oh, yea I woke up early and went for a run then I prepped my gear." Carmine said not looking up, Celadon quickly noticed "Is something wrong, Carmine? You're not looking up." Celadon asked with concern in his voice. "Oh, I'm fine I'm just not wearing my gas mask." Carmine said pointing to his right. Celadon was utterly confused "So what, are you being hunted by the government or something?" He asked chuckling but Carmine kept a straight face "No, it's because of my semblance, the byproduct of it is I sometimes breathe out extremely hot steam. It can severely burn someone so I'd rather not risk hurting someone, it only happens AFTER I use my semblance." Carmine said to which Celadon just nodded his head understandingly "Oh, well now I get it. Good thing you're on our side." Celadon said laughing.
Carmine and Celadon finished up breakfast and with Carmine reattaching his gas mask, they made their way to the cliffs. Exiting the cafeteria they crossed the courtyard, reaching the building with the locker rooms. Entering the locker room, Celadon started prepping his weapons; he had a G36c with a PSO1 Sight, foregrip, and a drum mag, the magazine had a white skull on the front of it. His weapon wasn't like others, it didn't turn into a melee, but it turned into a DMR or Designated Marksman Rifle, switching from short range to long range. His secondary was a Saiga 12 with a foregrip and a Drum mag, filled with a mix of dust rounds.
As Celadon was prepping, Carmine couldn't help but over hear a conversation about sloth noises, he listened closer, "Nora?" The black haired guy said, 'So, the one with the orange hair is Nora, right.' Carmine thought to himself as he continued to listen "Yes, Ren?" Nora replied 'And that makes him Ren.' Carmine thought to himself and continued to listen in "I don't think sloths make a lot of noise." Ren said 'Do sloths make a lot of noise? Damn it, I gotta stay focused' Carmine thought as he walked to his locker, making sure he had everything he might need, he tested the steam purge in his mask, making a loud hiss sound that rang out in the quiet room, grabbing the attention of Ruby and Yang. "Oh hey Carmine, I see you're ready." Ruby said as she pulled out her Scythe "Today, I get to let my sweetheart do the talking." "Does your sweetheart have a name?" Carmine asked "Yes, this is Crescent Rose." Ruby said hugging her weapon lovingly. "Do yours have a name?" She asked Carmine, He thought for a moment before shaking his head "No, I never stopped to think of a name. I'll think of something later." Carmine said, closing his locker. "Let's get going, that cliff is calling my name!" Carmine said enthusiastically
Carmine, Celadon, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Jaune, Ren, Nora, and two others were standing on the cliff in front of Ozpin and Glynda, Ozpin spoke first "For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Glynda spoke after him "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of "teams." Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today." Ozpin spoke again "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." Ruby was utterly shocked, letting out a loud "WHAT!" Ozpin spoke again "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die. You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" Jaune raised his hand but went unnoticed by Ozpin "Good! Now, take your positions." Ozpin said
Carmine watched as the line of springboards went off one after another, when it got to him, he shot Celadon a Salute before being shot into the forest. Carmine soared through the air as he flew deeper over the forest, he charged his Semblance in his right hand as he started to drop to the ground. As he touched the treetops, Carmine threw his fist into one of the branches and detonated an explosive charge that slowed his descent, the rifleman looked up at the tree and saw that the explosion shaved the top of the tree off, "Damn, I didn't expect it to be that big, I wonder if Celadon saw that?" Carmine asked himself but was caught off guard by a noise of something coming through the brush behind him, he withdrew his MP7 and turned it into a Bowie Knife, holding it upside down ready to strike.
He heard someone speak up loudly in the brush "To answer your question, yes I saw that." Celadon said as he emerged from the brush, walking up to Carmine and bumping fists. Carmine spoke up "Alright, let's get moving that temple won't find itself!" The two readied their weapons and pushed into the forest, Carmine detonated some trees along the way, clearing a path. Walking through the forest they looked for the other student; scanning the horizon, Carmine saw movement ahead. He assumed a defense tactic and blew a hole in the ground, creating a makeshift foxhole, Celadon jumped in and readied his weapon. Carmine transformed his MP7 back into its SMG form and placed it into his side holster, he withdrew his Scar-H, pulled back the bolt on the side and took aim at the moving brush, turning the safety off and getting ready to fire; suddenly two Beowolves walked through the brush, Celadon squeezed the trigger and let the rounds leap from his G36C. The bullets hit the Grimm in the neck multiple times before one hit its head and killed it, Carmine opened fire and let the devastating .308 rounds rip through the Grimm's body. The Grimm quickly evaporated into a cloud of black smoke as the shell casings hit the grass.
Carmine and Celadon moved further into the forest, stopping at the sound of gunshots, more importantly the sound of shotgun shells. They ran to the source of the gunshots to find Yang fighting two Ursai, Carmine created another makeshift foxhole, Celadon jumped in and took point. Carmine yelled to Yang "Yang, get in the foxhole!" Yang jumped in and took cover, Carmine charged up a Supernova in his right hand and slammed it into the Ursai, the explosion ripped through the Grimm and a few trees behind them. As the smoke cleared, Carmine could make out the faint silhouette of a stone structure in the distance. "So, you guys think that might be the temple?" Carmine asked, Celadon and Yang looked at each other before they shrugged and climbed out of the fox hole. Carmine leaped down from the small ledge and aimed his rifle at the clearing as Celadon and Yang joined him.
Carmine broke the silent walk to the temple "So, how the fuck did you end up getting cornered by two Ursai?" Yang gave him a death glare "I was looking for Ruby." She retorted, Carmine just chuckled "Oh Yang, I'm just messing with you. Hey, where's that girl with the black bow?" Carmine asked. "Oh, you mean Blake, uh I don't know actually." Yang replied as they got closer to the Temple, 'So, her name is Blake. I swear, I feel like I've seen her before.' Carmine thought to himself, suddenly an Ursa appeared from the brush and reared up on its hind legs. Carmine and Celadon readied their rifles and Yang readied Ember Celica. They were about to charge in when the Ursa suddenly collapsed, it had a blade sticking out of its neck, Blake stepped out and placed her foot on the dead Ursa's head, pulling the sword out. "Oh Blake, we were just talking about you." Yang said with a smile "I guess you got a partner now, Yang" Carmine said reminding her that she was still looking for a partner. "Now, I wonder where Ruby is?" Yang asked out loud "Red and black skirt, short black hair, Red scythe?" Celadon asked to which Yang shot back "Where is she? Do you see her?" But Celadon was speechless until he managed to get a few words out "Twelve O'Clock High" which caused everyone to look up to see a falling Ruby.
"So, do we have a course of action or should I just go get the giant spatula?!" Carmine asked but Yang reassured him "Just wait." Meanwhile Pyrrha ran from a Death Stalker with Jaune stuck on its stinger, the Grimm shook him around, suddenly stopping and flinging him off into the distance. Flying through the air screaming, Yang heard it "Oh no, some girl is in trouble." She said looking toward the direction of the screaming. Carmine looked up and saw Jaune fly into view "Oh look, there's Jaune I guess he had the same idea as Ruby." Carmine said chuckling but Celadon tapped him on the shoulder "He's coming in way too fast." Celadon said as he was ready to try and catch him in case he didn't have a landing strategy but was surprised when Jaune collided with Ruby, putting them both into a tree. "Well, that works I guess." Celadon said somewhat relieved, "See, I told you she had a landing strategy." Yang said cheerfully, happy to see her sister wasn't a pancake.
"Uh Ruby, how were you falling from the sky? Did you get launched that far?" Carmine asked, somewhat confused "We hitched a ride on a Nevermore." Ruby answered, brushing leaves and dirt off of herself "Wait, we? Where's your partner?" Celadon asked Ruby, somewhat confused by her answer. "Yea, I guess Weiss is still on the bird." Ruby said with nervous laughter. Just then Pyrrha ran through the tree line being chased by a Death Stalker, "Did she run here while being chased by a Death Stalker?" Blake asked confused but was interrupted by an Ursa bursting through the brush, it suddenly collapsed dead with Nora on its back "Aw, it's broken." She said saddened but then took off toward the temple, grabbing a rook chess piece, placing it on her head "I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!" She sang while dancing but was cut off by Ren. "Nora!" He yelled at her and she took off toward him. "Did she just ride in on an Ursa?" Blake asked confused but was answered by an angry Yang "I can't take it anymore! Can everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!" Yang asked angrily, Ren ran over to a ditsy Nora, Blake and Ruby looked up "Uh… Yang?" Ruby said tugging on Yang's sleeve pointing upward at Weiss, who was hanging on to a talon the size of her entire body that belonged to a gigantic Nevermore.
"How could you leave me!?" Weiss yelled down at Ruby who yelled back "I told you to jump!" Blake spoke up "She's gonna fall." But Ruby tried to reassure her "She'll be fine." But Ren spoke up "She's falling." Meanwhile Jaune was pulling himself out of the tree and looked up in time to see Weiss falling, he jumped out and caught her "Just… Dropping in?" Jaune asked trying to be suave but quickly came back to reality when he remembered that gravity was a thing. Falling, Jaune hit the ground first with Weiss landing on his back "My hero…" She said mockingly, walking off toward the crowd of people, Jaune was still laying on the ground, defeated.
The silence was quickly broken by Blake who realized that the Nevermore was circling around and Pyrrha was still being chased by a Death Stalker "So uh, that bird is coming back and Pyrrha is still being chased by that Death Stalker so we should do something." Blake said as Carmine readied his rifle, Celadon doing the same behind him; the two taking point and working on a strategy. "So do you want to grab Pyrrha while I set off a detonation under the Death Stalker?" Carmine asked pointing toward Pyrrha, Celadon nodded pulling out his Saiga 12, cocking it. "Pyrrha, on the count of three jump out of the way and Celadon with catch you!" Yang yelled, now standing next to Carmine.
Carmine and Celadon ran toward Pyrrha as Yang yelled "Three!" Pyrrha jumped to the left as Celadon caught her and pulled her away, Carmine charged a Supernova charge and threw it into the Death Stalker, the charge detonated on impact. The smoke cleared, showing the Death Stalker getting back up causing Carmine to groan in disbelief "Oh COME ON!" He yelled charging another one, letting it charge even longer "Eat this one, Bitch!"
He threw his charged fist into the Death Stalker's face, the explosion vaporized the ground beneath it and launched it backward. Carmine stood confidently, impressed by his work "That thing better not get back up." He said, turning around to walk back to the group but was cut off by the Death Stalker getting back up "Oh fuckberries!" Carmine exclaimed as he took off running toward the group "Alright guys, grab a piece and run. Now!" He yelled, causing everyone to grab a chess piece and take off toward some ruins, Carmine took point and started directing the people where to go. "Celadon, take the top of the tower with your DMR. Nora and I will provide covering fire, everyone else do what you can." Just as everyone got in position, the Nevermore flew through and destroyed a bridge, sending Blake flying but she hooked her blade into the Nevermore which prevented her from falling to her death.
Carmine fueled a Supernova charge, feeling it fill with power; after a minute, he threw his fist into the Death Stalker, the explosion caused it's stinger to come loose, Jaune told Pyrrha to throw her shield at the stinger, to which she obliged by throwing it at the stinger, cutting it off. He yelled to Nora who used her hammer to drive the stinger into its head, killing it. With the Grimm dead they focused on the Nevermore, Celadon fired a few rounds at the bird, hitting it in the wing and chest but it was unfazed by the shots. The Nevermore swooped down to try and grab Blake but its talon was frozen in time by Weiss, Blake fired the pistol portion of Gambol Shroud over to Yang, and the two tightened the black chain ribbon between the columns so Ruby could jump on the center with Crescent Rose and bend it back into Weiss' black sigil, right next to the caster. "Of course you would come up with this idea." Weiss said but Ruby just smirked at her "Think you can make the shot?" Weiss just chuckled "Hmm! Can I!" Ruby launched off of the glyph and shot towards the Nevermore hooking her scythe around its neck, Weiss formed glyphs on the cliff going upward, Ruby landed and proceeded to run up the cliff face pulling the Nevermore with her, decapitating it when she reached the top. Standing in the edge, her cape blowing in the wind with rose petals flying in the wind.
"Well, that was a thing." Yang said with her hands on her hips, Carmine reloaded his rifle "It certainly was, though I'm surprised my semblance didn't vaporize that death stalker, I guess I have to charge it longer." He said purging his mask with a loud hiss and large cloud of steam, everyone looked at him, Ren spoke up "So that's why you wear the mask." Carmine just nodded "Yep, a side effect of my semblance is extremely hot steam." Ruby rejoined the group as they were talking, Celadon looked over to Carmine "Man, you got loaded up for war but only needed your rifle." Celadon said laughing to which Carmine just replied "Hey, it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it." Everyone just nodded in agreement. Carmine clapped his hands together "Alright, how about we head back to Beacon. Celadon, you grabbed a piece right?" Carmine asked, Celadon tossed him a white king which he placed in a pocket of his IBA.
Ozpin spoke while on stage "Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark." The screen of the auditorium showed each of their profiles as the boys were lined up for the applauding audience to see as Ozpin continued "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by... Cardin Winchester!" The audience gave one more wave of ovation, while four students walked up to the stage to take their places in front of the headmaster as their faces fill the screen. Ozpin spoke again "Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR." Amid the clapping, Nora laughed and gave Ren a hug. "Led by... Jaune Arc!" Jaune was speechless "Huh? L-Led by...?" Ozpin just smiled at Jaune "Congratulations, young man." A grinning Pyrrha offered a friendly shoulder bump to Jaune, but her "fine leader" was knocked over and fell to his ass in front of the laughing audience. Carmine just shook his head and placed his hand over his face, laughing a bit. Ozpin spoke again "Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long." He motioned over the four as they stood before him. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose!" Carmine clapped as the four girls waved to the crowd. Carmine, Celadon, and two other people joined Ozpin on stage, Carmine didn't recognize the two other students who stood next to them.
"And finally: Carmine Sable, Celadon Bisque, Regalia Aureolin, and Laurel Vermilion, the four of you collected the white and black king pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRCL (ChaRCoaL). Led by… Carmine Sable!" Carmine looked at his new teammates, Regalia was about 5'8, she had purple hair that went a little bit past her shoulders, she wore a purple skirt with black leggings, a black jacket with a white shirt underneath it, and a pair of black high top sneakers. She also had a yellow ribbon in her purple hair. Laurel was a rather tall guy around 6 foot, he wore a black IBA like Carmine's, except Carmine's had arm pads, with a black T-Shirt underneath, he wore black jeans with gray armor pads running up the legs, and a black patrol hat. Carmine and Celadon bumped fists in celebration and shook hands with Regalia and Laurel introducing themselves to each other. Yang and Blake looked at each other in confusion "I don't think I ever saw them on the first day." Yang said with suspicion in her voice "To be fair, you didn't meet me until the night at the ballroom but I get what you're saying, I don't think I saw them at the cliffs either." Blake said also suspicious of Carmine's new team.
Ozpin looked around at the new teams and the crowd, he chuckled and spoke again "It looks like things are shaping up to be an... interesting year."
(A/N: Thanks for reading, remember to Favorite, Follow, and Review and if you have any suggestions for future chapters, feel free to send them to me. [2018 Edit: I'm gonna rewrite this chapter when I finish up chapter 4 of RWBY: Wolf Pack.] )
