Oh look, H4mmond's putting out another story but still can't update the one that's actually popular! What a twat!
Actually, dear reader, this is a redo of an earlier write. If you read Warrior of the Lost Kingdom, then you know what this is. Except I've replaced the pairing, so the plot is different. Just so you know. Enjoy the story.
Beacon, in the future
Jaune and Pyrrha ascended up the elevator, hoping Ozpin was able to deal with the assailant down in the vault they were just in.
"What are we gonna do?" Jaune asked, tightening his armor straps. "If Ozpin falls-"
Pyrrha turned to her partner, the door to the elevator opening. "He won't fail, but we need to get back to the safe zone. No telling what the Grimm have done while we were down there."
The duo ran out of the elevator, and out into the courtyard. They stopped so Pyrrha could scan the area for threats. Jaune quickly took out his Scroll. "I have Ms. Goodwitch's number here somewhere…"
Pyrrha turned back to her partner. "And, pray tell, why do you have Ms. Goodwitch's number?"
"Er…" Before he could answer, they heard a rumbling. They turned around to face the tower, and could see Cinder, who was attacking Ozpin, rocket up the elevator shaft.
"Ozpin…" Jaune looked crestfallen.
"There's no other choice then." Pyrrha said, her voice filled with determination.
Jaune looked perplexed. "Pyrrha, what do you mean?" He was met with Pyrrha turning to face the tower. Jaune instantly knew what she meant. "Pyrrha, no! She's too powerful! You can't face her alone-" He was silenced by Pyrrha's lips meeting his.
They stayed like that, Jaune's mind moving a million miles a second, until they felt a small shaking in the ground.
Pyrrha quickly pulled away. "What-" They were thrown from their feet, and a bright light filled the sky. It quickly subsided, and the duo looked up from the ground. In the sky, they saw an airship. One easily dwarfing anything the Atlesian military had to offer. The symbol on the side of the ship was visible to all.
The Aquila and the 'Power H', as it was known, was proudly emblazoned on the supercarrier.
Something landed behind Jaune and Pyrrha. It was a figure in a human sized mecha suit. "Jaune, Pyrrha, leave this area immediately." It said. "I'll take care of her."
Present time, somewhere outside Redwood Village
An Alpha Beowulf hit the ground, it's torso blown open. The corpse began to dissipate, while the other corpse of fallen Grimm did the same. Metal boots walked between them, an armored figure casually walked between the destruction it had wrought on the landscape. The green metal of it's armor didn't reflect the light in the sky, splotches of Grimm blood started to dissolve on the being's armor. The metal being took its weapon, and stuck it to the back of its armor.
The green and blue eyes of the armored being looked around at the surrounding area, scanning for any more threats. Only when none were found, did it relax.
"Sector cleared, I guess." The being walked back to the village it came from, vaguely aware of the figure trailing him.
"Oz is gonna want to know about this one." A certain dusty old Qrow mumbled as he took out his Scroll.
Beacon
Headmaster Ozpin looked down at the message he had just received from his trusted agent, wondering what in Oum's name he was trying to say.
"Ozpin." The headmaster looked up from his Scroll to see his Deputy, Glynda Goodwitch, looking at him with her arms crossed. "You get the message as well?"
"I'm not quite sure what to think of it." Ozpin said, reading it over again. "He's found a 'promising student' for us? I wasn't aware that I assigned Qrow to look for students."
"As was I. But it seems he went and did so anyway." Glynda looked at the picture. The armored figure seemed impressive, but she had no idea on whether this person would be worth the effort to try and bring in.
"Well...the brutality speaks for itself, but if it were to be honed…" Ozpin seemed to be deep in thought. "I have made my decision."
Glynda sighed, already knowing what he meant by that. "Very well. Will Qrow be retrieving him?"
"Of course, he has found a valuable addition to Beacon."
Redwood Village
"Thank you so much for dealing with our problem!" The village mayor vigorously shook the armored figure's hand. "We are in your debt!"
The figure shook its head. "No, you are not. Dealing with the Grimm was no trouble to me. The problem would be the fact that the pack was morphing into a clan."
The mayor looked perplexed. "Clan?"
"Multiple packs uniting under a singular Alpha. They're dangerous in these groups." The figure explained. "They've been exterminated, so no worries."
"Very well…" The mayor seemed very put off by the statement. "In any case, the village is open to you for the rest of your stay. Don't be a stranger!" With that, he left.
The armored figure turned to walk to the nearby store to buy some more ammo, but came face to face with another man wearing a grey suit and a tattered red cape. "Uh...hi?"
"You're coming with me." The person said. "Someone wants to see you."
"Uh...okay then. Can I ask who?"
The grey figure sighed. "The Headmaster of Beacon has requested to see you."
"Straight to it then." The armored figure scratched the side of his face. "Very well, let's go, I guess."
"You're...not gonna argue?"
The armored one shrugged his shoulders. "No."
"You got a name?"
"It's Edler. Edler Adler."
Beacon
Ozpin looked down at the transcripts he had approved for incoming students. Among them were the SDC Heiress, a former White Fang operative, the daughter of Xiao Long and Branwen, a faker, a supposed invincible fighter, and two inseparable orphans. He looked at the report from Qrow, which covered the information needed to get his newest addition into the school.
He scowled at the name. 'Edler Adler, that language died out years ago...well, supposedly.'
The kid was eighteen years old, wore armor that surrounded his entire body. The piercing green left eye and the soft dark blue right eye contrasted nicely with Edler's pale skin and dark brown hair. He stood at the same height as Qrow, and seemed stocky. Or at least, the armor made it seem like he was.
"What has happened to you?" Ozpin wondered quietly. He looked down at the symbol Edler had emblazoned on the left side of his chestplate. Ozpin knew that symbol from somewhere.
A black double headed eagle holding a power logo with an 'H' in it. It looked so familiar, but Ozpin for the infinite lives he had couldn't remember where it was from.
"Perhaps this year won't be as boring as it usually is."
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"The Brother Gods left us behind because they wanted humanity to 'grow'. That's bullshit, they're just lazy and don't want to answer our fucking prayers." -2LT Hayden White, sometime during the Battle of Grimwoods/Operation "Undying Resolve"
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Beacon, a few days later
Edler stood in the moving elevator, waiting for it to stop. While he had his fair share of stressful moments, this one should be one of them.
It wasn't everyday someone like him met with 'outsiders'.
He had been given a straightforward mission: Roam the planet, kill Grimm, deal with the Fang, put down any threats to the Kingdoms. His superiors never said anything about talking to anybody in high positions in the Kingdoms...but they could help. Especially if the person he was contacting was the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. He could be very persuasive in helping him with his mission.
The doors opened up, and Edler walked into the office of Headmaster Ozpin. He walked up to the desk, and saluted. "Sir, you requested to see me?"
Ozpin waved his hand, putting Edler at ease. "Mr. Adler, I assume you don't know why I have summoned you here?"
"That would be correct." Edler answered, nodding.
"I guess Qrow didn't tell you."
"He seemed content to stay back and let me deal with any Grimm we ran into on the way back here."
"That would sound like him." Ozpin sighed. "He was most likely testing you."
"I guess I passed?"
Ozpin grabbed the report he got from Qrow. "Your destruction of multiple Grimm types, including one Goliath, would warrant you a place in this school. You will be ahead of your peers, but you won't be the only one with that problem."
"I see." Edler said. "Where should I stay for the time being?"
"You can stay on campus, more details will come to you in the coming days." Ozpin explained. "You'll find good accommodation here, I assure you."
Edler nodded, and turned to leave the room. Before he did, he turned back to look at Ozpin. "You seem awfully calm about all of this."
"As do you, Mr. Adler." Ozpin narrowed his eyes slightly. "No hesitation to see me, no hesitation to join the school, no hesitation to kill Grimm. It seems like you want all of this."
Edler smiled. "I guess I do." He walked into the elevator, and the doors closed behind him.
'An interesting child, one with lots to hide.' Ozpin thought as he sipped his coffee. 'This year shall be interesting indeed.'
Downtown Vale
It was later in the day, and Edler was casually walking in Vale. He decided it couldn't hurt to see the sights, maybe see if he could find anything interesting while he was here. Apart from the occasional weird look he got for wearing his armor, he was given no trouble.
'Looking back at it now, I never did get the ammo I needed when I was in Redwood…' Edler thought. 'I should go do that.' And so he walked, looking for a dust shop.
He rounded a corner, and found a little dust shop. It didn't look busy, so he hoped he could place his order quickly. It wasn't everyday that a dust shop got an order for five thousand dust rounds of varying elements.
He walked into the shop, a bell jingling to signal his arrival. He walked up to the front desk, and put his gloved hands on the desk. "What's your charging price?"
The shopkeep looked up at Edler from his newspaper. "100 rounds will cost 200 Lien, more if you want specific dust only."
"Okay, how about this?" Edler produced a paper he always kept on hand. It was a list of the ammo he needed and of what element.
The shopkeep took the paper, and brought out a calculator. He crunched some numbers, and looked up. "Over ten thousand Lien, at a rough estimate."
Edler brought out a debit card. "I'd like to place an order for what's on that paper. I'll take what you have, just order the remaining amount, please."
"Very well." The shopkeep took the card, and went to the back to retrieve what he could. Edler waited, and heard the door open behind him. He didn't bother to turn around, and only saw who had entered when they put themselves on the display case similar to how he was.
"Where's the damn shopkeep?" The very overdressed person next to Edler mumbled. "I needed this dust yesterday!"
"Relax." Edler said. "He's just retrieving whatever he can for my order." Out of the corner of his eye, Edler swore he recognized the man.
"Oh, I'm sorry." The man said, sarcasm oozing from his statement. "I have a schedule to be on. Speaking of…"
Edler suddenly had a few guns pointing at him, including a cane. "...You should skiddaddle. We don't need corpses to clean up here."
Edler looked at the goons behind him, and eyed the man aiming the cane at him. He suddenly recognized where he knew the man from.
"Torchwick?"
"That's my name, don't wear it out-" The thief was cut off by Edler sweeping the man off his feet, literally. The other goons weren't able to act quick enough as Edler was crouched low one second and up in the next half of one. He grabbed two of the nearest goons, and slammed their heads together. He brought out a knife, and stabbed the goon next to him, who was stumbling due to the hit he took. The knife pierced the Aura of the being, and Edler brought it back out quickly. The goon dropped, holding the wound.
"Shit!" Torchwick exclaimed. He got up, running to the door as Edler brought down the other goon just as brutally. "This ain't a greenhorn!" He grabbed the two remaining goons, and shoved them outside. "This is a fucking bust!"
Edler walked outside, twirling his knife, only for a red blur shoot out in front of him. The small figure stopped just in front of him, holding a rather large scythe.
"Oh crap, not another one…" Torchwick deflated. "Can't get my way today, can I?"
Edler looked down at the figure in front of him. It was a short girl. Black hair with red highlights, clothes befitting of a gothic lolita with the same coloring as the hair. "Uh…" Edler was quickly put off by the sudden development.
"Torchwick!" Ruby shouted, she twirled her scythe and implanted the blade into the ground.
"Hey Red! What are you doing with the gardening tool of yours?" Torchwick joked. "It's pretty late, you should be in bed!" He raised his cane, and fired an explosive shot.
Edler and 'Red' rolled in separate directions to avoid the shot. The explosion kicked up debris, but Edler already knew Torchwick was escaping. Edler ran through the smoke, and saw the thief climbing a fire escape ladder to the roof of a building. He gritted his teeth.
'Red' ran up next to him. "We need to stop him!"
'No shit.' Edler thought, but didn't dare say that aloud. This girl was, like, twelve or something, and she was trying to apprehend a dangerous criminal. "Get to the rooftop, if you're so adamant about getting him." And with that, Edler ran to the ladder. He grabbed the sides, and quickly pulled himself at two rungs at a time.
'Red' on the other hand, used what Edler assumed was her Semblance to get to the top. 'BS power.'
He got to the top, and came face to face with Torchwick, while his sudden partner aimed her scythe at him. "End of the line!"
"Not quite, Red!" A Bullhead appeared behind Torchwick and the door opened, allowing the thief to enter the vehicle. He pulled out a red dust crystal from his pocket. He threw the crystal, and shot at it. Edler covered his face and looked away.
The crystal exploded, but Edler felt no heat. He cautiously looked back at the Bullhead, and saw it held in place by purple bands.
'Telekinesis?' Edler wasted no time activating his Semblance.
Ruby knew she was pretty good at what she did. Wielding a scythe? Yep. Wearing a combat skirt? Yep. Being a hero? Well...she was still working on it, but she was close! She never expected to have a huntress at her side, holding a Bullhead in place. She watched as a figure replaced Roman, and began firing slag at the two of them. The huntress captured the slag, and reformed it into projectiles to hold the Bullhead in place even more. Ruby began firing her sniper at the woman, who easily blocked the bullets with her hand.
Until her hand tried to block a laser beam. She recoiled immediately, her hand obviously burnt. Ruby turned around, and saw the person who was accompanying her had shot her. The weapon in his hand seemed very short and small for the power it had. And were the metal things on it...moving?
It aimed the weapon again, and shot again. The shot impacted the wall behind the figure in the Bullhead, and the door was blown off. The damage was superficial, and the Bullhead took to the skies. The person wielding...whatever that weapon was...aimed and fired again. The laser hit the side of the Bullhead, and smoke began to emit from where the shot came from.
"Tch." The person said, the weapon disappearing in a flash. "Guess I should've aimed for the head."
The huntress turned around to face the armored figure. "Mr. Adler, may I remind you that this is not what Ozpin had in mind for you to do before you entered Beacon."
"My apologies, Professor Goodwitch. I was just trying to get ammo and Torchwick ran into me." 'Mr. Adler' said.
Professor Goodwitch sighed, and turned to Ruby. "You're coming with me."
Ruby took one look at the professor's face, and realized it was not the time to ask for an autograph.
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"What sonofabitch do you hate? "What sonofabitch is here?" -Conversation between Lieutenant Clevinger and Captain Yossarian, somewhere over the Grimmlands
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Outside the Questioning Room, Vale Police Department
Edler sighed as he leaned against a wall near the interrogation room in the precinct. His uncanny ability to run into trouble wherever he went was starting to annoy him. He looked in the room at his pseudo-partner, a girl named Ruby Rose, apparently. Oh, and she was fifteen and drank milk, as she so vehemently told him when Edler tried telling Goodwitch that twelve year olds shouldn't be running around with giant scythe sniper weapons.
Oh, and the Headmaster just walked into the room. With a plate of cookies, and now they're discussing something...did he just offer her a place at Beacon?
"Color me impressed…" Edler muttered. "She didn't even do anything worthwhile besides twirl a scythe around."
"Feeling like you were screwed over?" Professor Goodwitch walked next to him. She had left the room when Ozpin had walked in. "Not many fifteen year old girls would rise up to the challenge of someone like Torchwick."
"I did the majority of the fighting."
"You also nearly killed two people with your knife techniques."
"Threats are threats."
Goodwitch sighed. "You are something else. Why did Ozpin let you into Beacon again?"
"You should know, you read the same report he did." Edler shrugged. "I still haven't got the ammo I needed."
"That reminds me, actually. The dust shop didn't have even remotely enough for what you ordered. They sent out a personal order request for you to the SDC, and the ammo will arrive on campus sometime before Arrival Day." Goodwitch explained.
Edler nodded. "Very well. I'm heading back to campus then." He walked off, not leaving any room for comments.
Glynda could only stare at the armored back of Edler, wondering if he ever took that armor off of him.
Beacon, a few days later
Edler rolled out of bed, and promptly hit the floor.
'Oh, it's that kind of day.' He thought, shaking his head as he stood up. He dusted himself off, and started to prepare for the day. He grunted, remembering what today was.
Arrival Day.
There was a knock on the door, and Edler went to open it.
Ozpin wasn't one to be surprised easily, but when Edler Adler opened his door, he was surprised. The teen was certainly muscular, whatever skin was shown by the muscle shirt and track shorts he wore was painfully pale. His arms and legs had some light scarring, as if he had been in a fight.
"Mr. Adler, I have some questions for you." Ozpin started, coffee mug not present and cane in hand.
"Good morning to you too, Headmaster." Edler greeted, casually waving Ozpin into his room. "Come in."
Ozpin walked in, and the room he entered was strangely spartan. No decorations, no posters, nothing. The room would impress any of James's drill instructors. No dust, wrinkless bed, everything was organized for some purpose of his.
Ozpin also didn't fail to notice Edler's armor was suspended in stasis near his bed. "Well, Mr. Adler, I see you have just what I wanted to ask you about right here."
"You want to discuss my armor?" Edler seemed perplexed.
"Correct, your armor is different from all styles. In fact, many Huntsmen and Huntresses don't use armor anymore. They simply rely on their Aura." Ozpin explained. "And if I'm correct…" He took his cane, and jabbed the armor. The armor gleamed, similar to how Aura shielding would. "You have an additional shield on it as well."
Edler shrugged. "Can never be too careful."
"Even with Aura, you wear armor that is strong enough to, quote, 'Break claws of any Grimm that scratches it and destroy the teeth of any Grimm that bite it.' This isn't about being careful, Mr. Adler. This is about you having heavy armor and still being able to move around so quickly." Ozpin continued. "You have three layers of protection. You have the shielding, the armor itself, and then your Aura. It is simply not feasible for you to be this heavily armored."
"Define feasible, Headmaster."
"Theoretically speaking, a Huntsman should be quick and agile. Your armor is too bulky to do so."
Edler smiled slightly. "And yet?"
"And yet you do so anyway." Ozpin conceded. "My assumption is your Semblance has something to do with it?"
"Incorrect." Edler replied. "My Semblance has nothing to do with me being able to move my armor. It can be related to my armor, however, but in certain circumstances."
"I see." Ozpin said. "I guess I'll have to wait for Initiation, won't I?"
Edler smirked. "Any other questions I can dodge?"
"Your name."
Edler's face became neutral.
"It's not a color. Nor is it of current languages. It's old Valean." Ozpin explained, narrowing his eyes. "Edler Adler, or 'Noble Eagle' in this case. You seem to have been named by the old way of naming. You realize people would frown upon that, correct?"
"I am aware there was a war over it." Edler sighed. "There seems to be no animosity so far."
"The professors here are mature enough to harbor no ill will. Not every incoming student will be the same."
"I see." Edler said. "I will make note of that."
"Well, that's all I have for now. I'm sure that you will bring more questions for me to ask as the year goes on."
Edler nodded.
"I bid you good day." And with that, Ozpin walked out of Edler's room.
Edler watched as he left, and scoffed. "He could've at least closed the door." He walked over to his armor's stasis chamber, and started to put the armor on. The armor, known simply as the MJOLNIR Mk IV GEN 2 Hybrid Exosuit, had good shield capabilities and could shrug off the attacks of any known Grimm. It was made to handle much worse than what was being thrown at it. The green armor shimmered slightly as the shielding restarted. His HUD, which he could see thanks to his ocular implants, showed his Aura, ammo count, and what weapon he was currently using. The last thing was empty for the time being.
Edler looked down at his bed, and got onto his knees to look under it. He grabbed the weapon case under it, and he tugged it from under the bed. The black case had the same symbol as he did on his chest on the top of the case. He opened it, and smiled down at his weapon choices. 'Time to knock some heads around.'
Beacon Courtyard
Ruby spun as her sister basically ran from her with a group of people she had never met before, and fell to the ground, knocking a pile of suitcases over.
"Hey! Watch it, you dolt!" Ruby heard someone shriek. The person who was speaking walked over to her. "Do you know what this stuff is?"
Ruby got up. "Du-"
"Dust! And do you know what Dust does when it becomes volatile?" The girl interrupted.
"Uh-"
"It explodes!" The girl shouted, grabbing a Dust vial that had spilled out of the suitcase and began shaking it in front of Ruby. "You dolt, you're gonna get someone hurt!" The girl didn't realize the vial wasn't sealed properly, and the Fire Dust began to leak out small particles. Ruby caught some in her nose.
Now, it was around this time that Edler walked by as he was heading to the Amphitheater. He had stayed to the side of the landing pads, but had noticed Ruby having trouble with…
'Oh, that would be the SDC Heiress, wouldn't it?' Edler thought, sighing. 'Cause why would stuff be easy?'
He saw the girl in white shaking the vial, and his mind went into overdrive. He sprinted towards Ruby and the Heiress in an inhumane amount of time, picked up Ruby, and faced her away from the Heiress and himself. She sneezed, and the ensuing explosion wreaked havoc on the empty air, but neither himself nor the Heiress were harmed.
Edler put Ruby down. "That was fucking close."
Ruby stared at Edler, silenced by shock.
The Heiress was not the same. "Hey! Watch the language!"
Edler wheeled around on her, grabbing the vial. "Hey! Watch the seal!" He responded sarcastically. "You're the Heiress to the SDC and you can't even seal your product correctly?"
The Heiress looked beside herself. "You-!"
"Me." Edler interrupted. "Unless you're in the ring, please refrain from blowing students sky-high, okay?"
"I have a name! It's Weiss Schnee!" Weiss yelled at him.
"I was half right." Edler scowled, handing the vial back to her. "Keep an eye on your stuff in the future. You don't want more low lifes like me telling you that you're wrong, do you?"
Weiss stayed silent, grabbing the vial and storming off to the school.
Edler scoffed. "Stuck up brat." He turned to see Ruby still staring at him. "Uh...Rose?"
"Eep!" She squeaked as she came back to reality. "Sorry! I was just...you, uh...you have nice armor…" She trailed off.
Edler arched an eyebrow. "Thanks?"
"So...uh…"
"You want to get to the meeting place?"
She shook her head.
"Alright, come on. You want to see my weapon?"
That perked her up. "Yes! What do you use? Is it mechashift? Oh, you have to see mine!" She pulled out her weapon and transformed it into scythe mode. "I know you kinda saw it when we fought together, but now you get a good look at it!"
Edler took a good look at it, impressed by the blade and the strong recoil system in it. 'Fifty caliber? But she's so small…wait, her Semblance!'
"You use the recoil to move around quickly without overusing your Semblance, don't you?" Edler asked.
"How-?"
"I could see the recoil system is enough to keep you grounded, but outside of that you use it either in conjunction with your Semblance or is a substitute to it." Edler explained. When she looked at him, dumbstruck and silent, Edler rubbed the back of his neck. "I know things…" He said, albeit a little awkwardly. "Anyway, you want to see mine now?"
Ruby nodded, and Edler reached to his back. Ruby realized there was something on the back of his armor, it was a sword...no wait, it was a chainsaw! Wait a minute, it was both! "Oh my Oum! Is that a chainsword?!"
Edler nodded. "Yep! Unfortunately, it doesn't mechashift. That's where my Semblance comes in."
Ruby tilted her head.
"You'll see during Initiation. Come on, let's get a move on." The duo walked towards the school, chatting about...anything really.
No one noticed the blonde trying to catch up to them.
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"This 'shadow war' is nothing more than a chess game. We just have to be the one that flips the table and aim a gun barrel at the players' heads." -LTGEN Hightower, on the war between targets 'BEACON' and 'DARKNESS'.
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Auditorium
"It's busy in here." Edler said, looking at all the people. "Everyone is here trying to become Huntsmen and Huntresses?"
"It's a popular profession." Ruby shrugged. "People want to protect the world."
Edler couldn't argue with that assessment. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted someone waving in his general direction. "Hey, Rose." He tapped Ruby, and pointed at the person waving.
"Hm? Oh, that's my sister!"
'Sister?'
She ran off before he could say anything else, and was left in a flurry of rose petals. "Strange." He heard labored breathing behind him. He turned around to see a blonde boy with light armor on and a sword in sheath at his side. He HUD indicated he had no Aura. "Stranger."
The boy looked up. "Did you even hear me!?"
"Oh...that was you?" Edler asked. "I heard you. I just assumed you were talking to someone else. I'm sorry."
The blonde huffed. "Okay, I guess…"
"What's your name?" 'Couldn't hurt to make more friends.'
"Jaune. Jaune Arc." Jaune held out his hand, Edler shook it.
"Edler. Edler Adler."
"Oh, it rhymes?"
Edler chuckled. "I get that a lot. Nice sword, by the way."
Jaune looked down at his weapon. "Huh? Oh, yeah. It's an heirloom. Just a sword and shield."
Edler nodded. "I know that feeling." He tapped his weapon on his back. "Just a sword, and I am the shield."
"Oh." Jaune said. "Chainsword, huh?" He seemed nervous now. "That's...brutal…"
Edler waved his hands. "Not much to it."
"So...any expectations?" Jaune asked.
"Not much…" Edler suddenly felt someone staring at him. "Jaune, you can see behind me, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Is someone staring at me?"
"Yeah?"
Edler turned around, seeing a redheaded, green eyed, girl staring at him. "Uh...hi?"
"Hello." The girl said. "Mind if I join you two?"
"Sure." Edler answered. "Mind if I ask for your name?"
"Pyrrha Nikos." The girl said. Edler could see a look of worry in her eyes when she said that.
"Cool. I'm Edler Adler and this blonde guy is Jaune Arc." Edler jerked his thumb at Jaune. "Nice to meet you."
Pyrrha was silent at this, seemingly looking for a reaction. Edler was worried he had offended her.
"Uh...you okay?" Jaune asked awkwardly.
Jaune didn't hear it, but Edler picked it up easily when Pyrrha mumbled 'They don't know who I am?'
Edler decided to not push to ask whatever that meant. "So, you any good at this hunting stuff?"
Pyrrha smiled when he asked that. "You could say that."
Edler nodded, that broke her out of her mood. "Cool. Hey, so I know it's just us three-"
Before he could continue, the microphone on the stage was tapped. The trio looked up to see Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch at the mic.
Edler saw the man's lips move, but he had tuned them out. He looked around to see who else was here. He saw Ruby with her sister, though Edler had questions about their relationship since the two looked nothing alike. He saw the Heiress sneaking glances at him and Pyrrha. Edler, even from far away, could see her glaring at Jaune, who was standing close to Pyrrha.
'Oh...she wanted dibs on the redhead?' Edler wondered. 'Makes me wonder…'
He looked to see a burnt orange haired male with armor on. Edler sighed, not many would follow the same philosophy as he did. It wasn't easy, as armor was bulky and hard to move in. He seemed surrounded by like minded individuals. 'A potential competitor? Not likely.'
Edler stared back at the Headmaster as he ended his speech. 'Hopefully Initiation isn't a written test.'
The student body began to disperse, but the trio stayed together. "So...we're sleeping together in…?" Jaune asked, only answered by Edler shrugging.
"None of us were listening, were we?" Pyrrha asked. "Because I may have zoned out as well…"
"Oh well, follow the majority. The majority is never wrong." Edler answered. "Right?"
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"With only armor and rifle to utilize." -Unknown Motto
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Ballroom
It was later at night, and Edler had finally finished moving everything out of his dorm room and into where luggage was supposed to go. He had taken a sleeping bag and was looking for a spot on the floor. He was waved over to a spot by Jaune, who was still with Pyrrha. They seemed to be getting along great.
It was also hard to ignore the stares from the other gender. They seemed to really like to do that.
"Hey guys." Edler said as he started to roll out his sleeping bag. "Did I miss anything?"
"Not much." Jaune answered. "What were you up to?"
"Luggage needed some work, went down there." Edler answered. "And I couldn't exactly fit everything into my locker...so my weapon is still with me."
"Weapon?" Pyrrha asked. "You have it with you right now?"
"Not gonna bring it out, you'll have to wait for tomorrow." Edler said, laying down on his bag. "We should probably get some sleep. Long day tomorrow and all."
The other two nodded, and began getting into their sleeping bags. Edler fell asleep almost immediately.
Almost.
He was woken up by arguing from his right. He looked to see Ruby, her sister, the Schnee, and someone else, arguing over...something. Edler walked over, groaning in annoyance. He walked up, standing behind Weiss.
"Look, all I want is a do over, okay?" Ruby said. "I said I was sorry, can we be friends now?"
"Oh sure." Weiss said, sarcastically. "We can paint our nails, do our makeup, and talk about cute boys, like tall, brunette, and-" She whipped her hand to point, but smacked Edler's chest instead. She shut up immediately, and slowly turned around to look at Edler.
He looked down at her, his face showing discontent. "Some people are trying to sleep, could you all be quiet?"
Weiss jumped back. "You-!"
"Me, again." Edler said. "Now, goodnight." He walked off, leaving the four to their own devices as one of them blew out a nearby candle, plunging the room into darkness.
Ozpin's Office
Ozpin sat in his chair, his hands folded as he looked at the digital report of Edler Adler. "I know that symbol...but from where…"
"Ozpin?" The immortal looked up to see Glynda walking up to him. "You know he's not from any Kingdom, right? Perhaps he just stumbled upon that symbol and thought it was cool enough to use for himself."
"While that is plausible, no eighteen year old has enough money, skill, or time to build a suit of armor that complex." Ozpin countered.
"What do you mean?"
Ozpin grabbed his cane, and clicked a button on it. "I was able to touch it, and did I find something miraculous." The cane's top opened up, and a holographic schematic of the suit appeared in the office. The armor composition, the power source, everything.
"What...what is this?" Glynda asked, astounded at what she was seeing. "This...this...this isn't an armor set for a trainee! This is a weapon of war!"
"It is indeed. Look towards the stats, this isn't the only one." Ozpin said. "This is a factory issue, according to what info I have on it. It can have add ons, mostly more armor or extra shields. Stuff like that."
"He's...unsuited for this school. He's here to fight wars!" Glynda exclaimed.
"And that's just what we need in this day and age." Ozpin said, still mesmerized by the armor. "He will do fine here."
Glynda stared at Ozpin, silent and dumbstruck.
"We'll see his combat prowess tomorrow." Ozpin said. "He'll be the one we need. I know it."
?
Footsteps thundered through a dark forest. Trees made of dark black wood stretched to the clouded sky. Soldiers wearing white armor looked around, firing at what looked to be shadows. Bolts of gunfire ripped through the sky, killing Nevermore with precision. Beowulfs were shredded by gunfire from ground soldiers, and Ursas were wiped out by soldiers wearing armor similar to Edler. Their helmet visors allowed the Grimm to take a look at themselves as they were shredded by the enemy. Artillery landed hits on enemy forces trying to reinforce the front lines. Aircraft strafed positions and bombed tougher Grimm.
And yet, it wasn't enough. They still came, charging time after time.
Soldiers were ripped apart by masses of Grimm. Armored beings would be hit into the tree bark by stronger Grimm or crushed by Alpha Beringals.
Behind the artillery line, officers in hastily set up tents relayed orders to troops in rapid succession. Some were fervent in giving their orders, others held their heads in their hands as units under their control were wiped out, the screams could be heard in the receiver.
Above them, higher than the close air support and smaller Nevermore, another battle raged as Elder Nevermore and Gryphons did war with fighters and large airships.
It was chaos, and yet it was organized. This was the hell brought upon the Grimmwoods. Operation Undying Resolve was still slated to be going on for two more weeks. The Grimm didn't know it (neither did the humans), but this attack, one of many, was only a warmup for the real treat that would be unleashed. By the end of this week, the Grimm would be pushed back and would be held off as a wall would be built to hold them off in the future.
Between all the chaos, the dying, the morale calls, the gunfire, and the screaming, one soldier charged with his brothers and sisters to the front line. They were mediocre reinforcements at best, but they would fight and die. The leading soldier held a guidon, and proudly lowered to stab and oncoming Beowulf.
And with that, the Aquila und Power H was bloodied. The Kingdom of Hammond had joined the long war.
/-/
"This is it, this is the big one. We win this, we begin the process of breaking into the Grimmlands and ridding this world of the true threat. We will kill Target 'DARKNESS', and nothing will stop us." -General Huxner, addressing the Hammond Trench Corps (HTC) before they are sent on the first expedition into the Grimmwoods, seventeen years after the Great War. 400 million Grimm would die, and the HTC 3rd Expeditionary Force would suffer a ninety-eight percent casualty rate. The operation was a success.