Chapter 10 - The Entrance Exam
Sniffing. Whiskers tickle my skin. I stir but only to clench my covers tighter. The sniffing intensifies as an extra weight presses lightly on my chest. I feel a horrid breath, heaving in and out with the putrid smell of dog food growing closer, closer, closer and...
Lick. Right on my nose.
"Gah!" I yelp, shooting up from my bed completely wide awake. Oh god. The smell's reeking through my nostrils now! I glare down at the small corgi, waggling his tongue on my lap. "Zwei," I start, picking up my Scroll from the bedside table to check the time. "...You're early." Fifteen minutes early to be exact. I asked him to come wake me up if my alarm failed to go off this morning, a little extra assurance to make sure I would absolutely be up and about for today. When I say 'Wake up,' licking me on the nose wasn't what I had in mind.
"Arf!" He barks, wagging his tail at me with his beady little eyes. I can't help but sigh, patting his adorable head tenderly.
"What am I ever going to do with you?" He answers by licking my hand again. With his job done, Zwei jumps down from my bed and waddles out the open door. I really need to figure out how he does that one of these days.
As I stretch my ragged body out, letting out a huge yawn as I do, a few strands my hair slump down in front of my eyes. Furling my eyebrows, I twirl the long strands of hair in my fingers. Looks like I'll need another haircut soon. Thank god I'm not being tested by my appearance.
Thin beams of light scatter through the blinds. Manoeuvring myself over to the curtains, I grab both sides and fling them both apart, shutting my eyes as a large ray of sunlight almost blinds me. Slowly forcing them open, I look out to see the bright colourful weather.
Green leaves: green grass, a blue sky, a burning yellow sun, sunflowers, daisies and flowers of all kinds of variety scattered across the plane. The white snow had long melted away and the dead branches have been replenished and renewed with a new sense of vigour I haven't seen in far too long.
Winter has finally past. Spring is here and with it, the day I've been training and yearning for the last six months. Today is the day that I take the first step towards finding the way home.
Today is the day of the Beacon Entrance Exam.
Stepping out into the Spring sunlight, my eyes immediately latch onto a pair of blondes loading bags onto the back of a motorcycle. My smile grows as I listen to the two of them talk.
"You've checked the tires, right?" Tai asks, prodding the back tire with the butt of his boot like they're about to spontaneously combust.
"I refitted them last night. They're brand new. It's cool. I've got it covered," Yang replies as she ties her last bag onto the back with all the rest. Tai squints his eyes, tilting his head around the tires, analysing them for any holes or marks. He hums, biting his bottom lip.
"Might want to check them again. Just in-case." Yang sighs and rolls her eyes but she kneels down and starts tinkering with the tires just like her father suggests. I didn't see either of them earlier so, they must've come out here while I was doing my own preparations. As I close the front door behind me, Tai looks over his shoulder, catching sight and greeting me with a raised hand.
"Morning, Eren!" He calls out to me. Yang halts in her reassessment of Bumblebee and meets me with her face alight.
"Hey! Morning!" She cheers. I offer them both a smile on my approach.
"Good morning," I say softly. Tai rests a fist on his side.
"You all prepped for the exam?" Well, I have checked about thirty-six times already but, one more check's not going to hurt anybody. Alright: I tap on Warbreaker, my rucksack, my ammo bag, my hoodie, shirt, jeans and finally, gloves. Everything still seems to be here.
"Yep. I'm all ready to go," I nod back to him.
"Great! It's good to be prepared," he nods back at me. The Entrance Exams across all four kingdoms tend to be very long and draining: physically and emotionally. We don't know exactly when it's going to end per say but, having a few extra supplies on hand might come in handy. We are given breaks inbetween examinations. The examiners will want us to be in prime shape for each criteria they'll be marking us on. Yang stands up from her spot, dusting her gloves off and scoffing lightly.
"I didn't know we were going mountain climbing for our exam," she nudges her head towards the bundle of bags before settling on Tai. "I'm done checking, by the way. Like I told you, it's fine," she folds her arms. Well, if she says good, then I think the bike's okay. In the times that I've spent riding with her, we've only suffered a breakdown once and that was only because she was going especially fast that day. Beyond her fast, even.
"Hm..." Tai looks towards the bike once more, shaking his head a tad. "Let me give it one last check." Yang groans loudly, falling limply back on her bike like a corpse. "It won't take more than a minute. I might notice some things that you didn't. Better safe than sorry. You don't want to be late because of a burst tire."
"Seriously?" Yang straightens up, shaking her head and turning her attention to me. "If there's anything that's going to make us late, it won't be the tires. It's going to be my Dad," she thumbs in his direction. I don't speak, I don't need any this time. I give her a bemused smile before shrugging my shoulders. It's just how Tai is. He's always been like that with his daughters. Once he gets going, there's nobody that's going to stop him.
"I wouldn't worry. You'll find a way to get us to the boat on time," I tell her. If anything, having the odds stacked against her will just fire her up more. I think she'd enjoy the challenge. With her at the wheel, I'm not too worried.
"Eh. True. I just want to get on the road already," she eyes the path restlessly. "Though," she returns to me again with a smile. "You're holding up pretty well. I thought you'd be freaking about right about now." Well, I wouldn't blame her for thinking that way. I thought I'd be running myself into the dirt considering how little I slept last night but I think... Oh, right. I should probably say it.
"I think it hasn't quite hit me yet," I admit, burying my hands into my pockets. "I dunno. It still feels like any other morning right now." I shrug. It'll probably start to sink in once we're in Vale.
"Yeah, I gotcha. I feel weird waking up in the morning now. I keep thinking that I'm late for Signal," she rolls her shoulders back. She's been learning how to fight from that Academy long before she ever met me. She's been so used to that kind of routine, that way of living for so long and now she's finished with it. Still, she seems perfectly fine with moving on. That much I can't relate with. "Still," she begins, looking down at her new attire. "I've got the new dreads and..." She flexes playfully, grinning to herself. "I am looking pretty damn good."
I giggle lightly. If anybody other than Yang told me that, I'd think them arrogant. However: her new brown jacket, the yellow crop top underneath it, the skirt with the mini-shorts, it all looks really good on her. The only thing she's wearing that I recognise -besides Ember Celica- is her MMA gloves. Everything else is brand new.
Though... it does seem a little, um, risque? I-I mean, Ruby has mentioned her sister's personal tastes before but, w-well...
I avert my eyes slightly. Best not to think about it. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
"Alright. Everything seems to be okay!" Tai announces. Yang huffs.
"Finally," she grumbles. Tai doesn't react to it, moving around to stand next to us as he clears his throat.
"Now, you've got water?" He asks Yang, listing with his fingers.
"Yes," she sighs.
"You've got snacks?" He asks again.
"Yes," she grits.
"You know where you're going?" Again.
"Dad," she tries to interrupt but Tai keeps marking.
"You know what boat you're catching?" Again.
"Dad-"
"You know what time you're to be there for? You know which roads to take? What you'll take to get back? What abou-"
"Dad!" Yang finally, and powerfully, stops him in his tracks. "I've got it. I know what I'm doing. You don't have to worry about me." Tai posture stiffens briefly before smoothing out, his shoulders slumping.
"No. I suppose I don't," he says, rubbing the side of his neck. "It's... a very hard habit to break." Yang blinks at him, probably expecting another comeback rather than his sheer honesty. Regardless, her face softens as she offers him a smile.
"C'mere you big lug," she murmurs before hugging her father who returns it without delay. "I'll be fine."
"I know. I know. You're a big girl now. You can take care of yourself," he replies, almost muffled by his daughters gigantic blonde hair. "You'll do great. I know you will." He turns his gaze towards me. "Both of you will." My cheeks redden slightly. There was really no need to involve me in that. I might've stayed with them for six months but Yang is still his daughter. I wouldn't have been offended if he missed me out.
Still, it does feel nice to be included.
"Now," he breaks the hug, clearing his throat as he does. "I've kept you two for too long. You've both got a boat to catch."
"Yes!" Yang cheers, jumping over her bike full of vigour. She chucks over my blue helmet in my direction. "Come on, Eren!" She clips in her own yellow helmet, throwing her leg over Bumblebee. "Ain't no time like the present!"
"Right!" I nod, tightening the helmet's clasp and dropping my rucksack onto the back. As I board the motorbike, I have to take in a deep breath as I wrap my arms firmly around her waist. The intense ride's never been the hard part of being Yang's riding buddy.
I start to settle into my seat when, out of the corner of my eye, I notice that Tai's arm is shaking. Again. He always does this when I'm riding with Yang.
"U-um," I stutter, trying my absolute best not to tremble. "T-Tai? S-sir? A-a-are you okay?" He smiles but, is it just me or does it seem rather... forced?
"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine. Just fine," he bites out the last word, holding his arm in a vice grip. "You two better get going or you're going to miss your boat." He's gripping his arm rather... menacingly. M-must just be a nervous tic! Yeah! T-t-that's it! Just a nervous tic!
"Okay, Dad. Love you. Bye!" Yang yells out, revving the engines as the bike launches forward across the path. Thank god. We're finally on the move... Oh god. I hope this doesn't make his... nervous tic worse.
Better stop thinking about it. It's easier that way.
The boat sways and clunks as it docks into port. A few muted bellows emit from the crew on top to the ones outside securing the boat. Any second now, the door will fall and Yang will drive us to our exam destination: into the Kingdom of Vale.
My nerves haven't seized up quite yet like I feared. I feel more giddy than nervous, really. I've never been to Vale before. Never needed to. Everything I ever required, I bought from Patch. It was far easier to hitch a fifteen -five in Yang's case- minute ride with Yang or Tai than it was to do so anyway then grab a boat to Vale. Now that I have a proper reason, I'll finally see the much talked about Kingdom first hand.
With a booming lock, the door begins to fall and sharp rays of light begin to peel away the dark catacombs of the bomb's vehicle containment. Eyes seized on the road in front of us, Yang twists her hand and the engine roars. I hold on tightly as, without a care in the world, Yang drives full throttle out of the boat. Due to the striking sunlight, I shut my eyes as my driver continues to drive forward into the unknown.
Slowly, I pry my eyes open. I turn my head and...
Wow. I can see why they call this place a Kingdom now. We're only on the outskirts but this place is gigantic. Everything about is gigantic. Swarms of people swamping the streets, buildings gargantuan enough that they could make up three cities all by themselves, there are dozens of cars whizzing past at such a rate that my ears are guzzling wind! I've never been anywhere that felt quite as titanic as this before. This makes Glasgow and Edinburgh look like Ayr! As we race through the motorway, Yang bobbing and weaving between cars, a green hue sticks out from beyond the horizon, blending deeply against the sky.
"Yang?" I almost hurt my throat shouting against the wind. "What's that green light over there?" She doesn't turn around but, she quickly catches onto what I'm talking about.
"The tower? That's Beacon Academy!" I blink twice.
"That's Beacon?!" I exclaim. I knew it'd be a memorable sight but, I was expecting it to be closer to the middle. From here, it looks like it'd fit in with a mountain range.
"Yep! It's a bit far out so you can't see all of it. You'd need to grab an airship in order to get there." Her eyes don't leave the road but she does turn her head smile so I can see her bright smile. "Don't worry. We'll see it eventually." My jaw drops slightly but I'm quick to pick it up and look away. She's probably just saying that. Don't get a big head, stupid.
Eventually, Bumblebee skids to a halt right in front of a large build. Anywhere else, it'd be fit for a capital building but here, it's where it'll be decided whether or not I'm truly among the 'Best of the best.'
Jeez, even just thinking that feels... arrogant. It's just a fickle title, I'm sure. I only need to scrape the bottom of the forty. Being the absolute best with only six months training is pure insanity. Suddenly, I feel a small nudge from Yang.
"You alright?" She asks me. "You're staring." Have I? I must've been lost in thought again. Bleh. I better not start doing that during the exam or I'm screwed. I nod lightly.
"Don't worry. I'm alright," I reply with a polite smile. The realization still hasn't struck me yet. I can't tell if I should be thankful or worried. "What about you? How are you feeling, Yang?" I already know what she's going to say but, I thought that it'd be worth asking.
"Psssh. I'm cool. This exam's going to be nothing," she grins with a fierce glint in her eyes, knocking her fists together. "I just have to show the examiners how much butt I kick. I do that practically every day." I giggle again. That's Yang for you. Honestly, if I had even a sliver of her confidence, I'd think that I could conquer the world. Without saying another word, I look towards the building.
Right. All I need to do is show them how much I've learned. If Qrow can turn Ruby into a badass Grimm killing machine at fifteen, then surely he can pass on just a small portion of that to me in six months. I nod to myself. Okay. I just have to keep telling myself: I can do this. I can do this. I will do this. I won't get wound up. I will earn my place into Beacon.
I will.
A crushing weight chokes my throat. In a single instant, my lungs have been sucked dry of air and the whirlpool of anxiety I've been dreading all morning hits me like the gravity of the planet's increased sevenfold. I blink again, naively hoping that they'll all disappear as soon as I open them again. I can only be so lucky. In front of us, in the hall we've been told to congregate to, are the other participants.
There's a lot of them. Far more than I even considered. They're filling this place to the brim, I can't even see the floor. Any more and it feels like this building will burst. I can only stand here, slack-jawed and paralysed. This is too much. Far, far too much. There has to be at least a hundred people here. At least.
I can't understate just how bad this is for my chances. The more people there are here, the more likely that they're going to picked for the forty places over me. Hell, if they're all just as strong, Yang's going to struggle earning a place too!
Yang. I look over to see her reaction.
"Huh. Whaddya know. This place wasn't big enough after all," she just shrugs. I... can only chuckle to myself, the stress cooling slightly. She doesn't even bat an eye at the other applicants. That's so her. "What's up?" She asks, "Did you think of a joke or something?" I shake my head.
"Nope," I reply with a smile. "I was just wondering how we're going to find a spot." I'm not really lying, technically. That has been on my mind too. We need to find a place to stand for when they're going to explain how the exam works. Yang scrunches her face up as we both look out over the engrossing crowd. Finally, with a glint in her eye, she smirks at me.
"I've got this. Follow me," she says, swaggering towards the crowd. Swallowing, I fidget around with Warbreaker on my back and then silently follow after her. Before she can even reach the edge of the crowd, people begin to take notice and move aside for her. She turns around, waving me forward. "Come on!" She strides further into the crowd. As I pass them by, I hunch my head down, daring not to meet anybody's gaze. I keep my focus on Yang's back as she paves the way for us.
"Here we are!" Yang proclaims as we a small space near the far wall. It's not exactly the most spacious place in the world but, we have a wall to lean on and it beats being right in the midst of this chaos. Being in here feels so... claustrophobic. And noisy. Very noisy. I feel like I'm stuck in the middle of a football crowd who won't stop chanting obnoxiously. Just substitute chanting in unison with blithering chattering. Well, at least I'm not alone in this place. Yang prompts herself against the wall with her arms folded. I do the same, stuffing my hands into my pockets. Now all we can do is wait...
After a short time passes, with a few start-and-stop conversations between Yang and I in-between, a large burly man flanked by a series of unique yet strict looking teachers make their way up to the podium. Holding the mic closer to his face, the burly man clears his throat.
"Settle down. Settle down," he beckons. Surprisingly, without even needing to raise his voice, the echoes of chatter begin to fade away as the hall slowly seeps into silence. "Good. Now, there's a lot we need to get through today so, I'm going to quickly explain how this exam is going to work. You will each be assessed on six different categories: Strength, Endurance, Semblance, Skill, Agility and, Aura." My heart sinks. They've given Semblance its own category. I thought they were going to lob it in with Aura testing. This is bad. This is really, really bad.
I still haven't found my Semblance yet. Six months and I have nothing to show them. What the hell am I going to do?!
"During each assessment, the examiners behind will judge you on your performance and mark you appropriately. These marks will go towards your transcript which will be sent to the higher-ups at Beacon Academy. From there, they will read them and carefully select the forty applicants that will be invited to study to become fully-fledged Huntsman and Huntresses," he takes a breath. I don't blame him. Hearing the odds once again isn't doing well for my heart. I put my hand to my chest. Calm down. Calm. Calm it.
It's fine. It's fine. Remember what Qrow said: This exam is all about discovering your strengths and weaknesses. I'm not going to perfect it. I just have to make sure that when it comes to the right category, I perform to my absolute best. Right. That's right. I'm okay. I'm still okay...
The man's about to say something else when suddenly, the examiner on the furthest right end of the stage looks offstage and jumps in her chair. With the entire hall in silence, all we can hear is the sound of footsteps and a single repeating knocking sound emanating from behind the curtains. The man and the rest of the examiners jolt, turning around towards the sound. Whispers start to sprout out from the rest of the crowd. The man calls out cautiously.
"Excuse me? We're in the middle of a debrief right now. You're not supposed to be in here." A cane sticks out from behind the curtain. All of a sudden, the man's eyes bulge out of his skull and his throat is clogged up. The figure appears from behind the curtain.
It's a tall, lanky middle-aged man with silver-hair wielding what looks to be some sort of cane. As soon as he shows himself, there's a huge gasp as the room erupts into muddled murmurs. Even Yang lets out a small 'Woah.' I lean closer to her.
"Who is he?" I whisper. She stares back at me.
"That guy's Professor Ozpin. He's the Headmaster of Beacon Academy." That's the headmaster? What's he doing here then? Aren't the fourth year's were graduating soon? I thought he'd be busy with that. The point of the transcript system was so he could evaluate us without needing to be at the exam, wasn't it?
Wait a second. The headmaster's here. A-a-at my exam. Meaning...
He's going to observe us?! Oh. Oh please no. It's bad enough that there's a Semblance section, I don't need him being there to watch me royally bugger it all up!
"Don't mind me," Ozpin waves the man off. "Pretend I'm not even here." He splutters slightly but, the burly man straightens himself and turns his attention back to us.
"Right! So! Due to there being a lot of you this year, we're going to be splitting you all up into six groups," he announces. "Each group will start at a separate category and will rotate so that every group will have completed each exam in due time. Upon registering on your way in today, you've been assigned a random number from one to six to your Scroll. That number will designate you to an exam hall and the category you'll be tested on first. Follow the directions to your hall strictly and remember!" His tone turns firm.
"You're all accomplished fighters. Act sensibly and no fooling around. Remember what's on the line here. Any funny business will result in your immediate removal from the exam. Understood?" None of us offer him a rebuttal. "Dismissed. And good luck."
As the man turns around, walking to the back alongside the Headmaster, the crowd buzzes back to life as it did before. Sinking into my pocket, I take out and open my Scroll. My number's clear on my screen. Five. That means we start at... Agility first. Okay. That's not too bad. I can deal with that.
"Eren. What's your number?" Yang queries.
"I got five. What did you get?" Her face lights up.
"I got five too! We're in the same group! Aw yeah!" She fist pumps. Wow. We did! We're both in the same group! Hell yeah! One in six chance can suck it!
I didn't say that out loud, did I? Yang hasn't reacted to it so... I think I'm good. Phew. That would've been mortifying.
"Come on! Let's go ace this thing!" Yang cheers. I'm more than happy to agree.
"Yeah!" I cheer with her. The odds might be stacked against me but, I can do it.
We can do it.
First up is the Agility test.
The goal for this test is pretty simple. Reach the end of the obstacle course, dodging the obstacles as we go, and reach the end in the fastest time possible utilizing everything at our disposal in order to do. However, while we are allowed to use our weapons, marks will be deducted for excessive damage to the equipment.
We're to think of it somewhat like a defence scenario. Say an army of Grimm start attacking a village or a town, we're to make our way over to the point in order to fend them off. We wouldn't exactly be defending the town very well if we destroyed it doing so. Not that I have the firepower to accomplish such a feat. I'm carrying an assault rifle, not an RPG.
Before we start, I notice another figure up above with the rest of the examiners. While the examiners I see here are almost completely different from the ones I saw back during the debrief, there's one among them who is far important for me not to recall.
Professor Ozpin.
I grit my teeth. Crap. I'm not surprised at all that he's here to watch the proceedings, there'd be many questions that would need answering if that weren't the case, but the fact that he chose my group out of all of them to watch is just bad luck.
I let out a sigh, shaking my head clear. It's okay. It's alright. I just have to keep my focus.
The test begins in a flurry, every single one of us charging off the starting line like our very lives are at risk. I keep my eyes straight and my thoughts firmly on the goal. I haven't been finding the obstacles particularly difficult to work around per say but, every time I successfully manage to avoid an obstacle, someone always passes me through the use of their weapon's special feature. Unfortunately for me, mobility never crossed my mind when crafting Warbreaker. It was meant to be used as a gun and nothing more; the bayonet was added purely because I heard that most Huntsman weapons have close-range as well as long-range capabilities in some form or another.
As such, I have to complete the test purely on my own ability.
Luckily enough, as I pass the finishing line, less than half the group had finished before me. Better than average might not be that impressive but, for someone who didn't have a weapon or a Semblance to fall back on, I don't think I did too badly. Of course, that doesn't stop me from collapsing to my knees and soaking the floor in sweat. I hear somebody else running up to the finishing line and I feel a clap on my back.
"Woah. You okay?" Yang asks. I can barely lift my head up to meet her. I think about saying something but my mouth is so dry that I think it'll fall off if I try. Thank god we've got a break before the next test.
One down. Five to go.
Next up is the Aura Test.
Compared to the last test, this one's more of a demonstration than anything else. The entire focus of this test is to see how developed our Aura is. Since Aura has some very diverse capabilities, both in how it's used offensively and defensively, our Aura levels have been monitored and we've to show how much control we have over it. It's here that I've learned the reason why Aura and Semblance have been split into different categories.
With the demonstrations we perform here, we're putting pressure on our Aura levels and we slowly start to drain them. Due to how extensive this exam is, this can leave certain fighters dry of the necessary Aura they require to pull off their Semblance. As I've learned well in the past, Semblances are unique and they work differently from person to person. Some people may need all of their Aura for some big explosive attack or something.
It's better to do the tests separately and give our Aura time to recover. Well, everybody else's anyway. I... I'll worry about that later. For now, I should, um, keep focus.
My test so far has been... alright? I suppose? I've been told that my Aura level is decent enough. I can take a hit. Well, my Aura can take a hit anyway. As far as how I use my Aura goes, I haven't been able to do anything impressive. I'm able to shift the Aura in my body, strengthening certain points at the expense of others, but the examiners haven't given me so much as a nod for my performance. I can only sigh a little. I could've done a little better on this one.
I look over to Yang, arms wrapped around her head and eyes blinking dully at the ceiling. The examiner doesn't pay her much mind either and quickly moves onto the next fighter. Seems like she didn't do much better than I did.
Still, if her humming is anything to go by, she doesn't seem too bothered by it. I don't blame her. I see that sly little smirk on her face. She knows exactly what test is up next.
The Strength Test.
This one isn't particularly complex. It's mostly just a show of our natural strength without the use of our weaponry. Punching machines, weights and other devices scatter the hall with fighters lining up to test their might at each station.
With a hint of hesitation, I step up to take my shot at one of the punching machines. Right next to the padding I'm supposed to punch is a screen that'll display the calculation of the punch's power. Readying myself, I suck in my breath, pull my fist back and throw a punch. The machine barely even makes a noise. I look up at the screen, the numbers jumbling wildly until they finally settle on a score.
Nineteen.
I don't need the snickering from the other fighters behind me to tell that this wasn't a good score in the slightest. I tune out the snarky comments thrown my face, hiding my red face behind my hood as I walk away. I can still hear their laughter as I take my place on the side-lines. It's not like I was expecting a good score or anything. I mean, look at me: I'm five foot five, I weigh less than nothing, and I have snapped twigs for arms. This wasn't going to be my round.
Now, as for whose round it really is, I catch an audacious wink from Yang at her station as she puts her fists up. My head perks slightly. What is she-
"Hyaaaaaah!" She roars, slamming her fist into the machine with the power of a thousand freight trains! The machine doesn't hold up against the attack, soaring high and crashing tremendously into the back wall. Bits and pieces of machinery crumble as what remains of the machine starts falling apart. None of us even had the time to see the number she scored. Hell, she wasn't even using Ember Celica this time! I put a hand up to my mouth, both to stop myself from shrieking and from laughing my head off.
"I can't believe you just did that!" I gasp at her as she stands right next to me with the biggest grin on her face.
"Hey. They told me to hit it as hard as I could," she shrugs.
"That was so risky of you, Yang," I reprimand half-heartedly.
"That," she watches on as members of staff start surrounding the broken punching machine. "Is what's going to make me stand out."
Well, she's not wrong. With that single punch, every single pair of eyes in the room are staring at her. Completely dumbstruck. Mission accomplished.
Next on the rotation is the Endurance test.
This one's surprisingly easy for me to sum up. It's oddly familiar to a fitness test routine we used to do back in highschool. Back then, we were to run from one end of the gym to another. The teachers would have this CD playing that would beep in certain intervals. If we weren't at the other end of the gym by sound of the beep, you were eliminated. It's a test that makes you pace yourself as well as test your stamina.
I hated that test, and I loathe this one. The size of the hall is gigantic meaning that I'm practically full-blown sprinting from one to the other. My legs are numb: nobody else has been eliminated so far, and I feel like I'm about to hurl blood. I'm running myself ragged here. I can't keep this up much longer.
Beep.
I tap the wall, making the tone by the skin of my teeth. I swallow down the bare saliva on my dusty tongue, leaning against the wall to stop from outright collapsing. Everybody else has already continued running. I push myself off, throwing myself down the hall like a lifeless doll. I might as well be walking with stilts right now.
Some part of me thinks, hopes out of pure naive optimism that I'll make it but I'm barely hallway down the hall before my body forces me to stop.
That's it. This is as far as I can go.
I'm done.
Beep.
"Candidate one, one five. You're eliminated," calls one of the examiners. I shake my head, stumbling to the side-lines. The only solace I have is that I'm only the fourth applicant out. Yeah. Real great consolation prize. Qrow really was dealing was a lost cause, huh?
I sit myself down, watching as Yang continues to run with a fierce look on her face. I smile slightly. At least she'll be alright.
...The Semblance Test is next. After this piss-poor performance, I have no idea what the hell I'm going to do for that test. If I understand it correctly, it's a full physical demonstration of what your Semblance is, what it can do and how experienced you are with it. I can't do any of those things. What am I going to do? If it's one by one, I wouldn't even be graced with the indignity of simply being passed by. I ruffle my hair, sighing loudly to myself. There's only one thing I can do at this point...
I have to tell them the truth.
The proctor ushers me into the hall. After waiting with trembling, feeling the ground rumble from time to time, it's now my turn, even if I desperately didn't want it to be so.
I choke slightly as I walk into the hall. The place is a mess: craters everywhere, pieces of the floor that had been embedded into the walls and most prominently, a burnt spot in the middle that's still smouldering steam. This had been the result of the previous fighters who took this test before me. All of their Semblances were probably very impressive and dynamic. To go from that and then to somebody who hasn't found theirs yet... My shoulders are quaking.
What I see as I look up at the examiners makes it worse. Far worse. Standing right next to them with a piping hot mug of coffee in his hand is Professor Ozpin. I'm left agape. He hasn't moved onto the other groups. He's been focusing on our group the entire time! I bite my lip so hard that without my Aura, it would be bleeding.
"So, Eren... Liddell, is it?" One of the examiners addresses me, looking down from her Scroll with an eyebrow raised. "Am I pronouncing that correctly?" I swallow slightly, gazing down at the ground.
"Y... yes," I answer quietly.
"I'm sorry?" Her tone is sharp but it's not necessarily harsh. "We couldn't quite hear you. Could you speak up?" Damn it. I'm still shaking. I clear my throat.
"Y-yes, Miss," I repeat a little louder. She acknowledges with a nod.
"Ah. Good. Now then, what is your Semblance?" My mouth opens... but nothing comes through. I try and force myself to speak but, the only thing that comes out of my throat is a horrible coughing that makes it sound like I'm being strangled. "Mister Liddell? What is your Semblance?" She repeats herself, stronger than the last. My skin feels like it's swelling. I'm burning up. This is worse than that cold I suffered during the Winter.
"I don't..." My lips form but the words are soundless. I can't do it. I can't for the life of me say it.
"Mister Liddell," she settles the Scroll down. "We have several more students we need to test today. We're running behind as it is. Would you please stop delaying and tell us what your Semblance is?" The blood in my veins turn cold. Her words are like daggers, razor sharp and emotionally fatal. I take another glance at the headmaster. I exhale again. I stand up straighter, saying the dreaded words as loud as I can.
"I... I don't know what my Semblance is." Silence. The examiners stare at each other, murmuring amongst themselves. Clicking her tongue, the first examiner massages the bridge of her nose.
"Very well." She picks up her Scroll. "You may leave. Someone send in the next one."
That's it. There's no coming back from this one. Whatever chance I had at this start of this damn exam have just been thrown out the window. I trudge back out the hall, my eyes staring blankly at the floor.
Home has never felt so far away before...
As the final test for our group rages on, I find myself sitting with my back hunched against the wall, cradling Warbreaker in my arms.
The Skill exam is, much like the Semblance exam, a demonstration of our combat styles. From that perspective, I suppose you could call it the 'Overall Ability,' exam. It's the one that people usually do the best in and Qrow had even planned for it to be the one where I show off 'What I can truly do...'
Too bad it doesn't matter how well I do in this one, there's no way I can come back after that disaster in the Semblance test. I knew it was going to be bad when I walked in there but, that was... somehow even worse. I let out another sigh as I bump my head against the wall. Yang's in there right now, doing the absolute best she can. I didn't really talk to her all that much about it. She's got her hands full dealing with this exam herself, I shouldn't haul my problems onto her. It's not right.
"Woo! Now, that was a workout!" Yang bounds through the door, stretching her arms out. Using the wall as leverage, I push myself up to meet her.
"Went well, then?" I query. It's not like I didn't know the answer but, it's polite to ask nevertheless. Yang grins wildly at me.
"Couldn't have gone any better. Seriously. The only thing that could've made it better if they used real Grimm instead of targets." I giggle lightly at that. The moment she gets into Beacon, the Grimm will definitely have something to fear.
"Eren Liddell?" One of the proctors peeks his head around the door, calling out rather loudly.
"U-um... H-here!" I say softly, meekly raising my hand to gain his attention.
"You're next up. This way," he says, holding the door open for me. Well... better go get this over with. It's not like I can do any worse. Before I pass her however, Yang puts a hand on my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks.
"Eren," she starts, her tone devoid of the normal carefree spirit I've been so used to. "When you get in there, tell them to double the speed of the targets." My eyes widen, enough that Yang immediately picks up on it. "Trust me on this one. Do what you normally do and you'll be fine," she finishes by flashing me a smile and patting me on the shoulder. "We'll go grab some grub once you're finished. Go knock 'em dead!" Without another word, Yang walks past me towards the entrance. I stand there, dumbstruck. Did she...
I shake my head, trying my best to hold back a sneaky smile. I really am easy to read, aren't I?
Without another word, I trail after the proctor, finding myself standing in front of another set of examiners. Once again, the Headmaster is among them with another mug in his hand. The examiner in the middle asks me how my weapon works so, I clumsily give them the best description of the gun the best I can. I can't speak Ruby but, Warbreaker has a pretty simple design. I don't have to be the best talker in the world to tell people how it works.
"Alright then," the examiner jots something down in his Scroll. "Very well. Since your weapon focuses heavily on its ranged capabilities: you'll be demonstrating your ability using the target range." He gives some sort of gesture to one of the proctors, a signal? Whatever it is, the area behind me starts to transform. Floorboards part, making way for these strange holographic projectors. At least, that's what I think they are. I only have the TV back at the house to go off of. "Whenever you're ready. We can begin." ...Yeah. I should ask them, shouldn't I?
"U-um..." I start, my tongue drying up as I do so.
"Yes?" He notions for me to continue. My shoulder loosen slightly. If Yang thinks that this is a good idea then, might as well try it. It's not like my score can get any worse.
"Could... could you double the speed, p-please?" I ask timidly. The examiners give each other a look before giving that signal again. Almost too quiet to hear, I make out the tepid clicks from the holograms. Guess that's it then. I take Warbreaker off my back and settle it into my shoulder. This is it.
This is my last chance to show them what I'm made of.
"I-I'm ready!" I call out. The first hologram starts up, it's a picture of a... Beowolf.
Up. Aim. Fire. A bullet scores it right in the head almost as quickly as it appears. Another one appears not even before the first one drops. My aim snaps. Fire. Another headshot. Another target. Again. Aim. Fire. Direct hit in the head, again.
Hey... I think I'm coping? The pace continues. Whenever another target goes down, another one is there to take its place but they're supposed to be overwhelming me right now.
I... I think I can do this! I just have to keep doing what I'm doing! Another hologram goes down. Another. Another. Yet another! I've only been using single shots so far but I still have time to breath. Warbreaker's bullets may not be as powerful as Crescent Rose's but I don't have to unload the chamber every single time I fire. That lack of delay is invaluable here. I can't stop, I won't stop for anything!
Click.
Well, except for reloading. A finger on my right hand pops the empty magazine while my left hand nimbly dips into the ammo bag and takes out a fresh magazine. Into the slot, pop the chamber and it's a clean reload. I go to fire at the hologram but... it disappears. Shit. I was too slow. I should've been counting the bullets, now I've missed one. That's going to bite me in the ass. I swiftly catch myself by shooting the one that appeared after it, though. I'm back on track. More targets: more bullets, more contacts. Hit another target. Another. Again. Again. Again! A...
They've stopped. No more's coming. Am... Am I done? I think I'm done. Woah. That was... That was a blur. I turn around, looking at the examiners who are... looking intently at their Scrolls. Um, did I do okay?
"Thank you very much, Mister Liddell. You should hear back from the Academy in roughly two weeks," the examiner in the middle announces. I... guess that's it then. No acknowledgement: no disappointment... It's strange. I don't know how to feel. Did I do well? Did I do poorly? Did I do anything at all to make them want to pick me?
I turn myself around to leave, feeling like the haze of uncertainty cloud over me. Nothing to do but wait, I suppose. I turn myself around to head towards the door when suddenly...
A clap. Clapping, echoing against the empty hall. My body whirls around, locking eyes with the source.
Professor Ozpin. He's clapping, completely stone-faced. The examiners are staring at him like he's just grown three heads. I'm... not quite sure how to react, honestly. The Headmaster of Beacon Academy, the Academy I spent six months training to attend it, is praising me on my performance. Well, I guess there is one thing I can do then. I bow politely to him.
I'm not sure if I'm worthy of this applause... but I do feel a little more certain of myself now. That, I can be thankful for.
My leg jitters violently as I stare at the front door
If there's anything worse than an exam itself, it's the waiting afterwards. I thought that maybe, since I'd only have to wait two weeks instead of two months for my results, it'd be far less stressful. Turns out, not the case. At least before I was given an exact date, not a rough estimation. I've asked Taiyang 'Is it here yet?' so many times that I'm one step away from literally chewing his ear off.
Thankfully, that finally ends today as Tai opens the front door brandishing two envelopes each baring the twin-axe symbol of Vale. Instead of showing any signs of surprise, when we lock eyes he simply rolls his eyes before handing over one of the envelopes.
"Here you go," he says with a sigh of relief. As I take the slip of paper out of his hands, staring wide-eyed at it like I'm handling a nuclear bomb, Tai calls up the stairs, "Yang! Your results from Beacon's here!" A loud bump comes from her room as the blonde in-question rushes down to meet us.
"Nice!" She cheers, taking her envelope at such speed that it almost looked like she snatched it from him. I gaze down at my own letter as my hands shake.
Well, this is it. Moment of truth. Either I'm accepted into Beacon Academy where I can properly start looking for a way home or...
Damn it. Stop it! Stop thinking about it! Stop shaking! I haven't even opened the letter yet.
"Hey," my head snaps up at Yang's voice. She waves her envelope in my direction. "Same time, okay?" R-right. That sounds like a good idea, I nod with a 'Mm.'
"Ready?" She lifts a hand over her letter, I do the same with mine.
"Y-yeah," I nod, taking a deep breath. One. Two...
Three! We both tear into our respective envelope, tatters flimsily flying from our fingertips. Yang manages to take hers out fairly quickly, but my clumsy fingers combined with my racing heartbeat causes me to fumble and utterly destroy the paper in order to take out mine. As such, Yang unfolds her note first, letting out a mighty cheer.
"Yes!" She celebrates, turning around to hug her father. "I'm in!"
"That's amazing! I knew you could do it, Yang!" He joins in, almost lifting her off her feet with how tight their hug is. I look down, note still folded up. Okay. Now it's my turn. Carefully, I flip it open expecting the words 'You haven't been chosen,' to be inscribed with large bold lettering on the front of it. My sight erratic, I start reading from the top.
Dear Mister Eren Liddell.
We at Beacon Academy have taken…
Have taken notice of your talents and we want to cordially... invite you to study at our esteemed Academy… Oh my god.
Oh my god. They've...
"They've accepted me..." I say aloud.
It seems far too good to true, I just have to say it again. "They've accepted me." As the words finally start to sink in, pure elation begins to take over my face.
This isn't a dream. This is totally real. I'm in. Against all odds: against logic, against my own lacking performance. Somehow, someway, I actually pulled it off!
"I'm going to Beacon!"
A/N: Bloody. Hell. Well, I did say that it was going to be a big one and a big one it is. If I keep up this sort of pace with, the Volume 3 arc finale is going to be long enough to fill a novel.
And the funniest thing is, this is only the ending to the beginning Arc. Yep. The first ten chapters of the story are meant to act as a way to set up some things before we head into the real nit-and-gritty. Oh dear god. If nothing else, this is going to be a long story. Not entirely sure if it's good per say but hey, still got a long way to go to try and convince everybody of that.
Next chapter, the story will finally be heading to Beacon so, just for fun, why don't you guys try guessing what Eren's team is going to be like? Who his partner is, his teammates and whether he'll be the leader or a follower. The members are comprised of characters from RWBY and JNPR. I'm interested to see what you guys think of.
What do you think of the story so far? Good? Bad? Tell me why in the reviews. Constructive criticism is encouraged.