Haiiden stopped at the door to his apartment before he looked back; he made sure he had packed only what was necessary and decided to leave everything else behind. He knew he wouldn't be coming back, and figured that the management would make use of everything that had been abandoned. He paused to ponder what Ozpin had said a few nights before and concluded that returning to Beacon was the best option; he stepped out the door. After turning in his keys to the receptionist in building's office, he spotted Zed waiting for him outside with his usual cheesy grin. Haiiden waved at him and proceeded to walk out of the rental office, duffle bag in hand.
"Since we're already enrolled at Beacon, I think we can skip the airship ride over and just take a more direct mode of transport there," Zed pointed out and leaned his head while he looked at him inquisitively.
"You sure? I don't mind taking the scenic route, and besides, it lets us scout out the newcomers," Haiiden replied.
Zed smirked and Haiiden immediately knew that his friend had taken him out of context. "Oh… 'scout' huh?" Zed asked and leaned in with a quirked brow.
"I mean scout out the Huntsmen material. I want to make sure that Ozpin's choosing the right people," Haiiden replied with a scoff and he shook his head in frustration. However, it was something that Haiiden was familiar with, and it made him smile. "You can ogle the ladies all you want in the meantime."
Zed's ears popped out excitedly and he waved for Haiiden to follow as they both made their way to the landing pad. Zed was already way ahead of him as he jogged towards Vale's heliport, and upon arrival, Haiiden could see a large group of people gathering for one of the many airships. Faunus and humans alike. Many of them young, and he then thought that maybe it wasn't fair to judge them so early; people tended to hide a lot of things about themselves, especially their skills.
A smile played across his face as he heard the excited chatter from the people around him. New students who were thrilled to be given an opportunity to join such a prestigious Academy and screams of joy could be heard as old friends reunited, while others planned on how they would leave good first impressions. How they would impress the teachers on their first day in the hopes it would make their time at Beacon easier.
Once entrance into the airship was permitted, he casually made his way inside and chose a secluded seat in the corner as he continued to watch the new prospects. Many of them discussed how they would ace their classes, and prove their mettle, but none of them had met Glynda. It was difficult to impress her, and when impressed, she rarely showed it. The idea of the Huntsman life being easy had reluctantly departed Haiiden's mind long ago. The school was founded to prepare for the next generation of guardians, the Huntsmen, and Huntresses; it wasn't meant to be easy by any means.
Zed eagerly zipped around to the nearest group of girls with an eager smile, only to leave to the next one after the inevitable rejection came. Haiiden watched as he found amusement that, despite the rejections, he still wore a smile. His persistence was something that he admired about his friend. Eventually, Haiiden gave a thumbs up to Zed when the fox-Faunus finally got a girl's number, although Haiiden reasoned that it was probably done out of pity.
His attention then switched to the different faces as the last of the newcomers that queued in line to be led aboard the airship; each one beamed with excitement as they expressed how thrilled they were to be attending Beacon. Some discovered similarities with one another, which immediately lead to new friendships being forged as they shared their frenzied anticipation.
Then the thought of how excited he was to be admitted into Beacon occurred to him which only widened the smile on his face. His thoughts trailed back to the newcomers and he began to wonder if the entrance exam this year would be similar to that of his entrance exam and if they were ready for what lay ahead.
Surely they must be, otherwise, Ozpin wouldn't have offered them the opportunity to attend Beacon in the first place. As the thought lingered, he then began to question whether or not he was ready, and he knew the likely answer he would receive from Glynda. If he was admitted to Beacon because of his mother, that landed him in the position to attend the Academy by legacy rather than merit.
Haiiden had been taken in by Ozpin after the headmaster had discovered him at his home outside of Vale once his mother, a Huntress, had been killed by what was described as an unusually large group of Grimm. Haiiden had never seen her fight before but he was told that coupled with his mother's appearance, it was an absolute spectacle to experience her in combat. Her white hair waved in the air and it was as if she was moving in an elegantly choreographed dance as she fought against the Grimm.
On the other hand, his father, who was also a Huntsman, had previously left her to go fight in a conflict between the Faunus and the Humans called "The Faunus Rights Revolution", or, as it was more commonly known, "The Faunus War". A lot of people had condemned him, as well as many other Huntsman who chose sides; a monster slayer who took sides in a war and because of that, he was no longer recognized as a Huntsman. Haiiden never knew his father but was told that he always defended those who couldn't defend themselves, which was the textbook definition of a Huntsman's creed. That was why he, even as a human, sided with the Faunus as he saw the oppression they suffered and he took the only action he felt was left to him. However, after the war had ended, he disappeared, and even his mother had never seen him again.
Ozpin had told him that he knew his parents back when they all went to Beacon Academy together. Which was also where Ozpin met Glynda Goodwitch, she was a transfer student from another academy in the Kingdom of Mistral: Haven Academy.
As Glynda continued to socialize with Ozpin, she grew to admire him and eventually developed a profound respect for him. Ever since she had never left Ozpin's side and continued to assist him after he had become Beacon's Headmaster. He was not above controversy, however, as Ozpin had been questioned as to how he ran Beacon, especially after he had ignored most please to not allow Faunus to attend the school because of the ongoing conflict with the White Fang.
As the airship took off, memories flooded his mind as he recalled the grueling training that both Ozpin and Glynda had put him through during his adolescence. So many early mornings and an equal number of sore nights. At first, they tried to probe him, to see what combat style best suited Haiiden; maybe he had an affinity for "Dust": the arcane. Haiiden could defend himself against most magical attacks but he could never use it as a weapon properly, as he lacked the nuance to be able to control the reactions of Dust properly, and the results proved to be... explosive.
Then they tried to see if ranged combat was better suited to his style, but, impatient by nature, Haiiden could never sit still long enough to properly aim and the idea was dropped as well. So in the end, it was decided that the melee would be most appropriate and while common, it was still a respectable combat style, and he began to train with the sword, one that he had been left by his mother. He groaned for a moment as he continued to remember the hours upon hours of study. Even though he was learning to fight, he still had to learn the basics: math, creative writing, literature, and so on. At first, history was his most hated subject, but that only lasted for a while as his bond with Doctor Oobleck grew stronger.
"It is important for you to learn about humanity's history, Haiiden." Ozpin always told him. "Remember what it is you protect, and remember why you chose this path so that it can propel you forward. So you can create your own destiny, and a legacy of your own."
He had always enjoyed his time with Ozpin and often skipped schoolwork to spend time with him by playing some chess. They would discuss his parents as well as his future and more often than not, Ozpin's wisdom was comforting. Glynda wasn't as merciful in that regard, often slapping his wrists with her riding crop, and scolding him when he ditched his work or otherwise wouldn't get things right. However, she knew that he was just a child and there were rare, tender moments, of course, times where Haiiden would feel like he had a mother again. As time went on and his mind matured and began to formulate independent ideas, he and Glynda would often butt heads and of course, she would win; her magic would often leave a sting that lasted for days.
"A Huntsman's life isn't easy," Ozpin would often say with a soft, yet commanding voice while Glynda stood behind him, nodding her head in agreement to every point that Ozpin made. "We will push your limits so that you can harden yourself for the road ahead."
Haiiden snapped back to reality as he heard screams of joy, presumably from two friends who had found each other on the airship. He turned to see a petite girl with short black and red hair, and a similarly black and red skirt cinched at the wasted and laced up her belly, hugging a girl with a mane of blonde hair all the way down her back. The girl, who was a head taller than the shorter girl, was buxom and wore a tan and yellow outfit. He then looked out the window and recognized the landscape around him, there was still some time, so he closed his eyes and reminisced.
Just a year before, he too had stood at the edge of a cliff, and at the bottom was the expanse of the Emerald Forest; it had been his entrance exam, his initiation into Beacon Academy.
"This exercise will test your wit, strength, and will to survive," Ozpin announced as he stood near the group of potential students, Haiiden and Zed among them, each of the first-years standing on metal plates that would propel them into the forest at the appropriate time. "It will also determine your teammates, those who will be your partners for the duration of your time at Beacon. You will be launched into the forest, and your teammate will be the first person you make eye contact with; they will remain your teammate for the next four years. Make your way to the center of the forest and retrieve one of the artifacts left there. You will be picked up by Bullhead once we have confirmed that everyone has made it. Now, any questions?"
The silence was all that answered Ozpin.
"Good," Ozpin said whimsically.
And just as Ozpin finished, one by one, each student was launched into the air towards the forest below. As he began to fall, Haiiden spread his arms and used the drag from his coat to slow his descent. He dropped towards the canopy of the forest, and raised his gauntlet to block the incoming branches, each branch breaking with a loud crunch as it came in contact with him. When he had a decelerated to a safe enough speed, he lightly stepped on a branch, and then jumped to the next one, using whatever momentum he had left to grab on and swing himself back up into the air. Finally, he landed on a bough above the roof of the forest and atop of one of the trees; this one wasn't the highest in the forest, but still allowed him to see for miles into the distance. He scanned his surroundings as he tried to figure out where the "center" of the forest was; concerned, he wondered if they had been blasted into its general direction.
"Come on, they wouldn't make this easy; think!" Haiiden mused to himself, but then, the sudden rustling of leaves below made him divert his attention to the ground. He jumped down from branch to branch before he finally got a view of the forest's floor, only to be met with a gunshot and a thud as a Boarbatusk slammed onto the ground. He looked for the source of the gunfire, and noticed another one of the students, similar to him in age, holding up an assault rifle with glowing scarlet accents from the Dust infused into the weapon. The student had grey hair that was neatly kept and combed back so that it hung at the back of his neck. He seemed to be wearing a blue military trench coat, which was interesting, since most of the Vale solidiers wore grey; this gave Haiiden the impression that it was probably custom made, and likely an affectation.
As Haiiden continued to watch the young man, he saw that he was still wary and was navigating in circles with his rifle raised to scan his surroundings. Upon spotting Haiiden, he instinctively raised he rifle and only when he noticed that Haiiden was a fellow student, did he lower it. Eye contact had been made, the student smiled softly and greeted Haiiden with a wave. Haiiden responded with a nod and jumped down from the branch and onto the ground. His greaves made a loud "clank" as he touched the earth and approached his new partner; he could see that his hand was already outstretched, ready to greet him.
"The name is Vaughn Sceryei, sir. I guess we'll be working together," the young man, Vaughn, announced as Haiiden reached out and shook his hand.
"I guess so. Call me Haiiden," he responded and Vaughn nodded in acknowledgement, and with his rifle lowered to his side, he then proceeded to click his heels and gave a salute.
"Well, sir, let's make our way north," Vaughn suggested suddenly which caught Haiiden slightly off-guard and he began to look around.
"North?" Haiiden asked as he realized he could hardly tell which direction anywhere was at this point.
"Of course sir. Judging from the position of the sun, north would be that way," Vaughn said, as he pointed behind him. "Which is where I am assuming we have to be."
Haiiden nodded, glad that he had met someone who had a better sense of direction than he did.
"Sure thing, but please don't call me 'sir'," Haiiden asked in a way that he hoped conveyed politeness and respect but Vaughn just stared blankly at Haiiden.
"Of course," Vaughn responded with a hint of uncertainty in his voice, and they both began to make their way north.
Haiiden cautiously kept his hand on the hilt of his sword while walking with Vaughn, whose rifle was raised, ready to fire at any Grimm that would attempt to ambush them. His new teammate didn't seem to talk much, which made Haiiden feel a little uncomfortable, and it was at times like these that he wished he was with Zed. Even though he could get a little annoyed at Zed's constant chatter after a while, he would have at least lightened the mood. After what Haiiden determined to be about a mile or two, crackles of Dust being discharged into magic could be felt in the air, and the sound of sword and bone clashing against each other were apparent.
A fight.
Haiiden and Vaughn immediately looked to one another before they each made the decision to dash towards the fight. After they had confirmed that there was definitely a battle, their attention immediately switched to the direction of the noise and they both began to make their way towards it, double-time.
As they got closer to the combat zone, which was obvious as the sounds got louder and the crackling in the atmosphere became more intense, the duo knelt behind a plot of bushes to survey the area, only to spot another pair of students: one was a male with dark skin, orange hair and his eyes appeared to be all white. He held two small swords, with the blades extending along his forearm and up towards his elbows.
Right beside him, was a small Faunus girl with long brown rabbit ears, using kicks and quick attacks, which was not surprising for someone with Faunus traits. However, she mixed magic and the use of Dust along with her agility attacks; upon closer inspection, signs of fatigue could be seen in the two as the horde of Grimm began to grow numerous. This was a chance to make a good impression for potential teammates.
"We should help them," Haiiden whispered to Vaughn, who nodded his head in agreement and stood up as he readied his weapon. Haiiden watched as it mechanically reconfigured itself into a sniper rifle, which must have been another effect of the Dust being fused with technology.
"You go in and I'll cover you from here." Vaughn said as he aimed down the scope of his weapon and fired the first shot. The shot was loud and sent out a blast wave that parted all the bushes near them. It hit dead on into an Ursa's head and the force of the impact caused the head to explode in a dazzling display of red Dust. For a moment, the battle seemed to freeze in a tableau, as both the Grimm and the two other students turned to see where the shot had come from. Haiiden then jumped out of the bushes and into view, leaping over the darker male and landed with a roll, before severing the legs of a Beowolf that was sneaking up behind him. As its body fell, Haiiden brought his sword up and quickly finished it off and he cleaved its head in twain. A few more gun-blasts could be heard as Vaughn continued to fire upon the Grimm, and seemed to clear out most of them by himself.
Haiiden and his newfound allies proceeded to mop up the rest of the Grimm with ease. The darker male turned around and stuck the edge of his blade into the knee of an Ursa, then proceeded to jump on its incapacitated leg, and with a backflip, he finished it off with a slash to its throat. The Faunus girl could be seen backing away from another Grimm, not in retreat, but rather to give herself room as she waved a hand in front of her. Haiiden noticed blue Dust that trailed from her sleeves which then began to take shape, before she closed her fist to form it into a spear. As the Grimm lunged at her, she grabbed her new weapon and threw it at her attacker, launching it back with such force that it was impaled against a tree.
The battle had been won, but it would not be the last, as the two pairs looked around to make sure that there were no more Grimm. Once it was safe, Haiiden turned to wave for Vaughn to join them but noticed the bushes rustling behind him and turned to see that an Ursa had begun to sneak up on Vaughn. As Haiiden cupped his hands to call out a warning, Vaughn had quickly turned around and a blade which was about the length of his forearm, appeared from under his sleeve. He then quickly brought his arm up and thrust the blade into the Ursa's neck, killing it instantly. Haiiden let out a sigh of relief as Vaughn silently made his way back to the group, leaving the corpse of the Ursa to slowly turn to black smoke.
"Thanks for the help," the Faunus girl said with a shy and hesitant smile, and a clipped Northern accent, not unlike Zed's. "The name's Velvet Scarletina, and this is Fox Alistair."
The man named Fox just nodded as the Faunus named Velvet turned to point at him, and he put his blades into sheaths that were attached to a belt beneath his waist.
"It was no problem at all. It now makes getting out of here much easier. The name's Haiiden," he responded while Vaughn seemed to ignore the introductions and was looking up at the sky. Velvet and Fox both looked at Vaughn expectantly, awaiting his introduction.
"This way," Vaughn said suddenly and pointed past Velvet and Fox, the pair standing there almost surprised and confused for a moment as they still did not know his name. While they stood there silently, Vaughn looked back until he realized why they were looking at him oddly. "Oh, Vaughn."
Velvet waved at him, the concern having left her, and was left with a smile as Fox nodded at him in greeting. Once introductions were out of the way, they all began to follow Vaughn's lead as they weaved around the trees. They eventually came to rest near a cliff where Vaughn had already started to scan the area with the scope on his rifle, but then suddenly stopped.
"There," Vaughn said as he reached in to his pocket, pulled out a pair of binoculars, and handed it to Haiiden as he approached. Haiiden stopped as he took the equipment, and looked at Vaughn, who was still fixated on a particular object. Haiiden took the binoculars and looked through them, as he tried to spot what it was that Vaughn was so obsessed with. After adjusting the focus, he noticed a couple of pillars that were sticking out of the canopy of the forest.
"You think that's the center?" Haiiden asked as he handed the binoculars to Fox, who also wanted to look through them. He then handed them to Velvet, and turned to Haiiden only to respond with a shrug.
"Would be our best bet," Vaughn replied while he kept his eyes on the ruins.
"So lets take a look, maybe?" Velvet joined in as she twirled one of her bunny ears in between her fingers nervously, despite her apparent, initial hesitation, but then tried to make herself look small as everyone's attention fixed on her. Everyone looked to one another to see if it was a majority decision, with everyone nodding at one another in agreement to Velvet's suggestion.
Taking the initiative, Haiiden was the first to leap off the cliff, with the others joined shortly after as they slid along the rock face and rolled as they hit the bottom and waited for everyone to meet up. As Velvet finally made it down, they picked their way to the ruins and had quickly reached a clearing, with the pillars now in sight. In the middle of the clearing, there was a circular ruin with a single stone table at its center, and as they stepped closer they discovered a chess set.
"Is this the artifact?" Fox asked while looking at it with disbelief while Velvet stared at it. "This is what we're here for?"
Haiiden smiled to himself, of course, Ozpin would make this part of the test; cheesy and yet appropriate, to an extent. Without thinking, he reached forward and picked up the first piece, the Queen.
"Look who finally made it!" Everyone but Haiiden jumped as they were startled by the sudden voice while Vaughn immediately raised his weapon at the potential threat. Haiiden smile grew bigger and began to laugh as he turned to face his friend.
"Zed, how did you get here so fast?" Haiiden asked as he walked towards Zed.
"I had a bit of help, mate," Zed said as he pointed to another student whom Haiiden guessed was the first person that Zed had made eye contact with. A young woman who looked and dressed eerily similar to Vaughn. She had long, purple hair but most notable was the larger than normal claymore that she had on her back. She stalked forward, her hands balled into fists and her eyes narrowed as she stared down the group as she quickly pushed her way past them; ignoring even Velvet, who was greeting her with a wave and she continued to stalk towards a now nervous Vaughn, who was then struck on the cheek by this young woman.
"How many times do I have to tell you to not point that friendlies? Put it away Vaughn!" she snapped at him while Vaughn's head rolled, and seemed to cower before her like a dog who was being disciplined.
"Sorry sis," Vaughn said and held his cheek, slowly standing back up as the woman calmed down.
"Oh, so this is your brother, huh?" Zed asked, but the young woman ignored Zed, as she turned her attention to the rest of the group. Her eyes scanned each individual student before they finally stopped on Haiiden.
"So which one of you came with my brother?" She asked in a raised voice but nobody knew how to react, especially after they had witnessed how she just treated her own kin. Haiiden swallowed nervously and was hesitant at first but then stepped forward to stand alongside Vaughn.
"Sir, this is my twin sister, Cecilia Sceryei," Vaughn said as he continued to rub the spot where he had been struck on the cheek. Cecilia tilted her head and eyed Haiiden from head to toe as if she was examining him. Then she raised a brow at him and this further increased the feeling of nervousness that Haiiden felt.
"Thank you for watching over my brother," she finally said after a few moments of silence and saluted him. Haiiden had never met anyone like these two, especially those who were so formal in how they spoke and it left him bewildered as he tried to figure out how to respond.
"Doesn't seem like he needed any help: he handled himself quite well," Haiiden responded, he had seen first-hand how well Vaughn fought, and it had left him with a good first impression.
"Despite his outstanding ability to fight, he is my brother and I worry for his safety," she said and turned to her brother; if Haiiden hadn't been standing so close to her, he wouldn't have noticed the gentle smile that she gave to Vaughn. Zed then poked out from behind her and waved a chess piece in the air, the second queen.
"Gotta love the birds, man," Zed pointed out and smiled again as he looked up at Cecilia, who only replied with a harsh glare. Zed swallowed nervously and kept his smile although it was wavering slightly.
At that moment, the last pair of students appeared from the west edge of the clearing. A tall man, roughly seven feet in height, with black hair and a dark skin tone, but not as dark as Fox's. With a brown robe and a blade much larger than Cecilia's hanging from his back. Alongside him was a woman wearing a barrette and sunglasses with brown hair and red highlights. She was carrying a peculiar designer handbag at her side which was what really grabbed his attention. As they approached the group, she gave off a little wave while the taller man stopped a few feet back and stood with his arms crossed.
"Sorry we are late, hope we can still get this artifact," she said, and in unison, everyone else all turned to point to the ruins. "Thanks."
She left into the rubble and when she came back, and everyone could see the piece that she had taken out of the stone temple: the golden rook. Fox sighed to himself as he pulled out the piece that he had in his pocket, the other rook.
"So, I am guessing this is everyone, so now we wait for someone to come and get us then?" She asked.
"Pretty much," Zed replied in an elated voice as he examined the new girl. "We can just relax, and share stories about ourselves."
"Fair enough," She replied. "My name is Coco. Coco Adel and this guy-"
She then pointed to the seven-foot tall Eastern male who was already approaching her and despite his size, he didn't seem so intimidating. If anything, he seemed more protective in his bearing, the way he stood over Coco as he stopped behind her. She looked up at him as if she was asking permission and he simply responded with a nod.
"This guy is Daichi Yatsuhashi, he's from Mistral. Don't mind him, I tried to get him to talk for a while, but the most all I was able to get out of him was his name," Coco finished. The group greeted them with a salute from the twins, a nod from Fox and Haiiden, and a wave from Zed, but it was Velvet who approached the large man.
"Hello, Yatsuhashi," she said to him, as she remembered that in Mistral, the surname came first; Yatsuhashi looked down at the young Faunus and clasped his hands together before he responded with a low, elaborate bow. At that moment, what started as a hissing in the distance turned into a loud roar, which came from the engines of the Bullhead VTOL that came to pick them up. It lowered itself toward the ground and the air underneath it was being blown violently around the group of students. Everyone shielded themselves from the wind, but suddenly a loud screech could be heard as the VTOL became engulfed in a green liquid which began to eat through its armor. The liquid worked its way into the engines, which caused them to explode, and the VTOL came crashing to the ground.
Everyone stood frozen in shock at what they witnessed, but shortly after, they all made their way to the crashed VTOL, with Velvet reaching in to pull out the surviving copilot from the burning wreck. As he was pulled out, she peeked into the cockpit and she could see clearly that the pilot was dead. She turned back to help Fox, who had his arm around the copilot and they both carried him to the safety and cover of the ruins. A loud crash was heard as the Bullhead wreck was knocked away and into the forest, setting several trees on fire. Appearing at the edge of the clearing was a giant Grimm in the form of a giant spider.
"Attercoppe!" Cecilia yelled out and ran towards Velvet and Fox to cover them as they escorted the copilot to the ruins. Vaughn quickly raised his assault rifle, his hand sliding over the mag release button to eject the magazine from his rifle. He then replaced it with another magazine with a crude label taped over it with the words "HIGH EXPLOSIVE" printed on it. Haiiden and Yatsuhashi dashed forward to meet the new threat, Haiiden's sword already in hand as Yatsuhashi simply reached for the hilt of his sword. Rustling could be heard around them as more Grimm appeared at the edges of the clearing. With a grin, Coco cracked her neck as she slowly walked towards the first Grimm. When it suddenly lunged at her, she quickly countered by swinging her bag with such force, that the Grimm's skull was embedded into the ground.
Zed pulled out a large karambit from inside his shirt and held it ready as he stared down a group of Beowolves who were ready to lunge towards him. The first one ran at him and swung at Zed with its claws, but missed as Zed likewise lunged underneath its swing and grabbed its arm, before flinging it towards another Beowolf. The next one attacked, but Zed caught its arm before it gained full momentum, and hooked his karambit into its swinging limb.
A piercing howl came out of the Beowolf until Zed forced it down as he kicked it behind the knees; with a swift motion, he severed its head from its body. One by one, the Beowolves attacked, and Zed quickly dodged and counterattacked with his knife which ranged from short pokes, to precise cuts at their necks.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, something struck Zed on the cheek which made him spin as he staggered to the right. With a deep breath, he shook his head and sheathed his karambit; the last thing the Beowolf heard and saw was a flash of orange and a growl as Zed lunged forward, knocking down the Beowolf while grasping at its jaws. With a quick jerk, he split its skull in half.
The Attercoppe swung its leg at Haiiden and Yatsuhashi, but missed as both dodged in opposite directions. Yatsuhashi rolled to his left while Haiiden slid on his knees to the right and had leaned back to avoid the attack. He had narrowly avoided it as the creature's leg passed over him, and he quickly got up and swung his sword as it pulled the leg back. The attack connected as he felt the blade slice its leg, and although it did visible damage, the creature was unhindered. Yatsuhashi then pulled out his blade and swung at the other leg, but the strike was much too wide, which allowed the giant Grimm to step back and avoid his attack.
Sounds of gunshots could be heard from behind them, as Vaughn was covering Coco and both tried to defend the rear from the smaller Grimm. The west was covered by the ruins where Fox and Velvet reemerged from after they dropped off the copilot, with Fox's weapons in hand. He quickly ran off to help the east flank with Cecilia, leaving Velvet to protect the pilot.
Cecilia stood with her claymore in both hands and held it over her head, ready to swing at a moment's notice. The Creeps seemed hesitant to attack at first but one foolishly decided to rush and in one, swift strike from Cecilia, the Creep was cut in half. Another jumped at Cecilia, but she remained unphased and didn't turn to face the new threat, as Fox intercepted it, knocking it down before plunging both of his blades into its head.
Haiiden ran forward and jumped on the Attercoppe's head, trying his best to bring his blade down on top of it but was flung off as the creature shook violently. He managed to regain his balance in the air by twisting his body and was able to land on his feet; upon landing, he was forced to quickly jump back as the creature counterattacked. Another crash was heard as the creature struck the ground, which left a crater where Haiiden had been standing just moments before. More gunshots now, even faster than what Vaughn's rifle could fire, and everyone turned to see that Coco's bag had turned into a six-barreled, rotating machine gun, and she began to mow down the Grimm along with Vaughn. With this endless barrage of bullets, Vaughn made a tactical retreat and made his way to the pillars and climbed to the top which overlooked the clearing. His rifle turned sniper, he surveyed the fight, taking shots at any Grimm that got too close to any of allies. With each shot eating more Dust than in its rifle form.
The Attercoppe reeled back and spat out more acid at the group, and knowing what it was capable of if it touched anyone, coupled with her Aura and Dust, Velvet created a barrier on top of each student. A bit of the acid splashed off someone else's barrier, and landed next to her, which made her flinch and forced her to lose concentration, causing the array of barriers to fail. As their personal protection had vanished, everyone was left with no option but to run for cover. Coco rolled away, and Vaughn had quickly shot into the head of a Boarbatusk that had lunged at Coco. The acid had also struck some of the Grimm and killed most of them instantly, while some just melted slowly as they came in contact with the green substance. As Cecilia watched, she winced at the thought of what would have happened if it had landed on any of them. A Grimm saw that Velvet was momentarily distracted, but Cecilia saw that its attack was coming in time, and used the weight of her claymore to force herself into a spin, cleaving the Grimm as she swung the sword behind her. When she was finished, Cecilia gave Velvet a thumbs up with a smile.
The praise made Velvet blush, but quickly shook it off, it seemed as though all of the smaller Grimm were dead, and that was left was the Attercoppe; everyone regrouped with Yatsuhashi and Haiiden, both of whom had whittled down the monster somewhat. It went in for another attack, but, already fatigued and missing a couple limbs, it was too slow to react as Yatsuhashi countered and severed a leg like a hot knife through warm butter. Haiiden then took the opportunity to jump on another one of the legs and proceeded to sever that one as well. Vaughn quickly switched magazines again but this time to one labeled "SABOT" and began to fire at the creature's eyes, with Coco having joined in as well. As a last-ditch effort, and with everyone in such a tight group, the Attercoppe reared back as it got ready to spit again.
Velvet anticipated the attack, and created a barrier in front of the mouth of the Attercoppe, forcing the acid to splash back into its face as the barrier prevented it from coming out. With her arms outstretched, as the barrier failed, she then snapped her fingers and the barrier changed so that the acid froze as it came out. The effects of which, resulted in a giant green icicle and the cold effect worked its way down into the creature and lodged itself into its throat. As she saw the opportunity, Coco ran up and while she used her designer bag, she hit it with an uppercut which propped the icicle in the air.
"Hey, Yatsu?" Yatsuhashi heard and quirked a brow at the strange pronunciation of his name. He turned around to see Zed, casually walking up to him with his hands clasped behind his head.
"Bet you can't throw me up there," Zed continued.
With a nod, Yatsuhashi stretched out his hand, to which Zed hopped up onto it and was then launched into the air. In midair, Zed casually pulled back on his fingerless gloves and started to wind his arm back. As he came down, his eyes flashed orange as he punched the icicle, sending shards everywhere and forced the green lance even further down into the Attercoppe's throat. It pierced the body of the creature and impaled it, pinning it to the ground, as the acid began to melt and dissolve the thorax of the monster. Everyone eyed the lifeless body of the Arachnid for a moment and collectively held their breaths as it collapsed in a heap; only after they realized it was dead, did they exhale in relief.
"Woo! That was brilliant!" yelled Zed as he landed and everyone else began to laugh at his enthusiasm, even Yatsuhashi. Velvet, however, had already run back into the ruins to pull out the copilot, who already seemed to be doing much better with the help of Velvet's magic. The same loud roaring from a VTOL could be heard as another one came to retrieve everyone. This time, it didn't make a proper landing as the area was rapidly becoming more dangerous, with even more Grimm incoming. Everyone jumped onto aircraft, with Zed helping Velvet as both jumped in with the copilot in tow.
Haiiden's mind returned to the present as Beacon came into full view. He stood up to look out the window, having to stand on his toes to look over the heads of the new students as they pressed their faces against the glass. The craft came in for a soft landing, and Haiiden made his way off the airship; he and Zed proceeded through the entrance of Beacon.
"Zed! Haiiden!" The familiar and yet comforting voice of Velvet was heard from behind them. They turned to see Velvet had quickly approached them with the rest of team CFVY behind her.
"Haven't seen you guys in a while!" she said with excitement as she stopped right in front of Haiiden and Zed, who were looking at her with a smile as she greeted them.
"Yeah, it has been a while Velvet," Haiiden replied as he beamed at her.
"I thought you dropped out?" Coco asked after she had caught up with Velvet, looking up from her sunglasses at him as she slid them down the bridge of her nose.
"Not according to Ozpin," Haiiden replied and shrugged.
"Your team wasn't really happy about you leaving. You should probably check in on them," Velvet responded with a frown, while Yatsuhashi nodded in agreement and Fox stood silently as he stared. However, the serious tone in the reunion didn't last long and after a few moments of catching up, and with Haiiden explaining what he had been up to in between school years, he waved farewell to the team who in return waved back. However, a look of concern creeped on each one of their faces. At first ,Haiiden noticed their concern but shrugged it off. To reach the dormitories they had to pass the dining hall to the west wing. At the start of the year, the dining hall was used to house the newcomers for the first night.
"There are so many." He thought to himself as he walked in and saw how many sleeping bags were laid out for each of the students. At first ,he smiled as he thought of the new students, the next generation of guardians who would bring light to a dark world, but then frowned as he wondered how many of them, if any, would make the cut. His mind went back to his first year, after the initial trial and when the teams were chosen. He didn't really pay attention to most of the teams as all he wanted to see was who he was going to be paired up with.
Haiiden had finally made it to the door to his dorm and a sudden strike to his head forced him back into reality just as he opened the door. After he reeled into the corner and collapsed, he looked up to see that Cecilia stood over him with her hands tightened into fists. The twins had both changed since the months that he had been gone, with Cecilia's hair now covering half of her face, while Vaughn's grew a couple inches but he kept it neatly combed down the back of his head. Vaughn had a face that expressed a bit of pity as well as sympathy, while Cecilia looked down and was visibly angry.
"Look who decided to show up! Our illustrious leader!" she spat as she watched Haiiden stand back up and held his cheek where Cecilia had struck him.
"I thought you'd be happy to see me," he responded with a half smile as he turned his attention to Vaughn.
"We are, sir, but since you left the academy, it has effected the rest of us, too. 'We all pass together or we all fail together', according to Ozpin," Vaughn responded and Cecilia pulled back for another punch which Haiiden blocked but received a left counter to the stomach and fell to his knees. Cecilia stood over him and breathed heavily out of frustration and anger as she watched Haiiden stand up again.
"Welcome back, sir." Vaughn said with sincerity, although still worried as to how his sister would respond, as she looked at him bitterly.
"You left us sir; you were our leader, and you abandoned us," she threw at him like a rock, and her words were as cold as ice. Haiiden, after a few moments of regaining his breath, and stood straight. He was holding his head high and looked down at Cecilia.
"I know, I am sorry. Lets just try to get back on track" Haiiden said, and Cecilia's eyes widened, enraged to hear that this was all he had to say, then pulled her arm back for another attack.
"Ahem." Everyone heard and turned to the open door to see that Glynda Goodwitch was standing outside of it, apparently having borne witness to the reunion. Cecilia stopped herself mid-punch and stepped back into a more passive stance, with her hands behind her back.
"The Headmaster would like a word," Glynda said and immediately disappeared from view, while everyone turned to each other and quickly followed behind her.
When they had finally made it to the Headmaster's office, the sun had already set, and the room was bathed in the glow of candles lit variously around the room. Everyone stood before Ozpin in single file with their hands behind their backs and backs straight, even Zed, who was not normally the type for such formalities.
"Seems like the team is whole again, good," Ozpin said as he stood with his hands behind his back as well. "Welcome to a new year at Beacon. I had already spoken with the more senior students, CFVY included. Think of this as a short orientation, if you will."
The group continued to stand at attention and looked straight, except for Haiiden, who kept his eyes on Ozpin.
"Due to your leader leaving the Academy, you have all failed your first year and will have to repeat it. However, due to you being senior students, some of the first year rules won't apply to you," Ozpin continued as he paced back in forth in front of the team and made eye contact with each one as he passed in front of them. "Some of the students are nervous and we need to look out for each other. We need that kind of union now more than ever. Help them, guide them and pass on your wisdom to the new students. Dark times are coming, and we must be ready."
With those words, a grin washed over Haiiden's face as a new sense of determination filled him.
"Haiiden, Anders 'Zed', Vaughn, and Cecilia. The team is now reunited, and I expect much more from veteran students. You have shown promise, and I know you won't fail me," Ozpin announced while everyone acknowledged Ozpin's praise by standing straighter, then Ozpin smiled and walked in front of Haiiden to look him in the eye.
"Welcome back: Team HAVC."