Last Time:
"I will… keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your lives to the protection of the people." Ozpin began as he looked around the crowd. "But, I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." With that, the silver haired headmaster walked off stage as his second in command, Glynda Goodwitch, took the microphone.
"You will gather in the Ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." The Blonde finished for the Headmaster, as the entire room left to head to the Ballroom as instructed.
Now:
Beacon Academy, Ballroom
20:00, The same day…
"Rhydwyn, what happened to my pillow?" Colys asked of his best friend, who was suspiciously hiding something behind his back.
"What? Why do you think I took it? Wouldn't Dakura or Raiden do something like that?" The brunette retorted, getting a deadpan in response.
"Rhydwyn, they both remember what happened last time they tried that, don't you?" The Raven-haired male threatened, causing Rhydwyn to begin to sweat profusely.
"I-I Don't know what you're t-talking about, Colys. Are-are you sure that it wasn't Dakura?" The oddly nervous male asked, when he felt a tug from behind him as the pillow he was hiding was lifted by Colys' signature black Aura despite the lack of ice within it. 'How is he doing that, it doesn't have any ice in it. Wait, what's this cold feeling on my legs?' Rhydwyn thought, and when he looked down he saw his legs covered in ice just like the pillow Colys was now holding.
"HA! I knew you were hiding it somewhere. So glad I managed to put a coating of ice on it last night, and stored it in the cooler section of my bag with the ice dust." The ice user exclaimed while holding his pillow up triumphantly, before falling onto his sleeping bag, fast asleep, causing his friends to all sweatdrop.
"Why does he always do this? Every time we are given a different location to sleep, he falls asleep almost immediately, Honestly, I can never figure that guy out." Nuada stated with a sigh, as Rhydwyn and Sinikka shook their heads in defeat.
"Hey, Nuada, buddy!" Was heard from across the room as Dakura ran over and high-fived his fellow sufferer of Motion Sickness. "How are you, buddy! Last I saw you, you were vomiting your guts out on the Airship!"
"Last I checked, you had it worse than I did. You were on the verge of passing out when the ship docked." The lighter haired of the two responded, causing Dakura to gain a look of superiority.
"Me, pass out? Are you sure that YOU weren't the one who passed out and dreamt of me nearly passing out?" The red-eyed male asked, causing Rhydwyn to butt in.
"Dakura, Nuada, you BOTH passed out on the ship, and we had to carry you to the entrance, where you both woke up simultaneously upon docking." The sound user deadpanned, causing both to crouch to the ground and draw circles with their fingers.
"Rhydwyn is so mean…" Both depressingly stated during the depressing episode.
"At any rate, where are Kaito, Raiden, and Enkaar?" The suddenly awake Colys asked, as the three walked over.
"Colys, I'm hurt that you wouldn't notice your Rival immediately." Raiden complained in mock-pain as Kaito 'comforted' him.
"Raiden. I was asleep for the past few minutes, therefore I was unaware of my surroundings." The oddly alert male said, causing the Violet-themed male to sweatdrop.
"Colys, you have a serious problem when it comes to your circadian rhythm." Kaito stated, causing Rhydwyn to deadpan to the bluntness of the statement.
"Yeah, he really does." The cerulean-eyed male groaned out, earning an indignant cry from Colys. "So, what have you four been up to the past two days? I helped stop a Dust Robbery."
"Really? Well don't leave us hanging, tell us the details!" Raiden pleaded, as Rhydwyn complied.
"Well, Colys assigned me to go and purchase our group's Dust supply for the next three months so that we could be ready for the school year, and as I was leaving our friend two years younger than us, Ruby Rose, happened to be heading to the shop I was at, so I decided to join her as company is always appreciated. Not to long after we got there, a group of thugs led by, get this, Roman Torchwick came in and began taking all the Dust. I happened to wait for them to be in an easy to take out spot, which happened when one tried to rob Ruby, prompting me to fire off a laser from Lament, launching him out of the window. The next three were held off by me hitting them with the flat edge of Lament's blade and tripping them with it's hook. Next thing I knew, we were outside, facing three of the thugs each, which were dispatched expertly through usage of my semblance and Ruby's Scythle. Soon after we were on the Roof of a nearby building and were shooting down a Bullhead, but Roman escaped." The Brunette told them, earning some 'oohs' from them while Colys nodded.
"See, if I hadn't sent you to get our team's Dust Supply, you wouldn't have an awesome story to tell." The Noirette stated with a complacent look on his face, as Rhydwyn groaned, when the Seven of them heard an annoyed voice from the opposite side of the room yelling out.
"Well, that sounds like so much fun. Let's not go over there." Colys announced to his friends, hearing the catfight from their side of the room.
"Agreed. Infact, why don't we slee-" Rhydwyn was cut off by the lights suddenly going out.
"Who forgot to pay the electric bill?" Colys groaned out, causing Rhydwyn to snicker a small bit.
"Goodnight, you lovable fools." The brunette said as he went to sleep, the other six following his lead…
Beacon Academy Locker Rooms
The Next day…
"Colys, did you refill your Dust Sprayers?" Rhydwyn inquired of his best friend, who nodded in response.
"Yep, Ice in my right and Burn in my Left. I also have the spares in my backpack. Did you put the new Lightning Dust crystals in Lament?" The Noirette inquired of his friend, getting a slight groan out of Nuada.
"Colys, Rhydwyn. You can check your each other's weapons later. We need to get to the Cliff side now for initiation." The darker brunette complained, causing the two to begin leaving as well. Meanwhile near the entrance, a certain Albino was going over the final checks on his weapons.
"Verneri, did you bring the grind-stone for the Spiral Blade?" Geod inquired of another male near him with Platinum blonde hair and pale yellow eyes, who gave a sharp nod.
"Yes Master Ronen. I put it in the front right pocket of your bag." The oddly-eyed male responded to the shorter male, causing him to groan out.
"And Verneri, I said cut it out with the 'Master' stuff. It's weird." The Albino stated, causing the blonde to sack his head in the negative.
"But Master, it is only befitting that I call you that, as I live to serve you." Verneri responded, before growling out at others nearby. "Hmph. Humans." The irate male stated, earning a sweatdrop from Geod.
"Yes Verneri. Humans. Like me. We know of your odd level of Racism towards humans other than myself, and those that are stronger than you." The blue-ish white haired male sighed at his 'subordinate's' actions.
"Master, those filthy Hairless apes are even more racist towards my kind, especially those like myself." The evident Faunus complained to Geod, who groaned.
"I get it. Shark-Cat Faunus are not as common as normal Shark or Cat Faunus, but that doesn't mean that you receive more intense racism because of it." The spiral-eyed male retorted, causing the sharp-toothed male to start to cry a small bit.
"Master, before you saved and subsequently trained me, those pitiless Humans would belittle me, attack me, and drive me away. It was through your training that I am the Faunus I am today." Verneri informed his master, when an announcement came on over the loudspeaker.
"Would all First-year students please report to Beacon-Cliff for initiation. Again, all First-year students report to Beacon-Cliff immediately." The speaker, who was evidently Professor Goodwitch, reported, causing the two to head to the exit.
"That sounds like our cue. Let's find Durane and Tyrus and get over there." Geod stated, as he and Verneri walked towards the exit…
Beacon Cliff
A few minutes later…
"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Began Professor Ozpin, addressing the group as a whole as they stood on pads with Beacon's insignia upon them.
"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today." Goodwitch continued where Ozpin left off, who soon picked back up.
"These Teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye-contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." As the headmaster said this, a sound like glass breaking could be heard as Ruby gave out a confused cry. "After you have partnered up, you will make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die." At that, Jaune gave out a nervous laugh and gulped as Colys gained a vicious grin. "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of your path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that Item, as well as your standing and we will grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" The headmaster continued, as Jaune feverently raised his hand.
"Yeah, um, sir?" Jaune inquired, but was ignored.
"Good! Now, take your positions." Ozpin finished as everyone sans Jaune got into a battle ready position, while said blonde was attempting to gain the Headmaster's attention.
"Um, sir? I've got a question." The blonde asked while Weiss was launched out into the woods.
"So, this 'Landing Strategy' thing, uh what is it? Are you, dropping us off or something?"
"No, you will be falling." There went three more students into the Emerald Forest.
"Oh, I see. So, like did you hand out parachutes for us?" Four more students until Jaune was launched.
"No, you will be using your own landing strategy." There went the last four.
"So, what exactly is a landing strategYYYY?!" The blonde was cut off as he was launched like the rest of the students. With Colys, he began his descent by creating a Pseudo-parachute with his ice as Rhydwyn slowed his fall with well-timed sonic pulses beneath him. Nuada just tanked the fall, increasing the mass of his arms and legs to accommodate himself, while Kaito turned into a swarm of beetles. Dakura, meanwhile, created a shadowy pair of wings which he glided down with, as Sinikka slowed her perception of time so as to slow her descent. Back with the ice user, he had just reached the ground…
"And he sticks the landing! Now then, time to find Nuada, Rhydwyn, or Sinikka. Those three should be around here somewhere…" The black-haired male thought out loud, when he heard some rustling nearby. "Oh, what's this?" The Boxer thought as he formed some Ice-constructs around himself, when a large, black wolf-like creature covered in bone-plate armor jumped out at him. "A Beowulf, huh? Well, let's throw down!" The ice-user yelled as he launched a few blades of ice at the creature, which impaled it in the stomach and eye, killing it quickly. Not long after while walking, Colys came across a clearing that looked unnatural, almost like a crash happened, as a Ursa fell at the other end, burnt. As the bear like creature disintegrated, Nuada stood up, waving to Colys.
"Hey, Colys! Took you long enough!" The Hammer wielder yelled out, a few scratches on his clothes, but none the less worse for wear.
"Well, guess we're partners, my friend. I wouldn't have it any other way." The addressed ice user responded, earning a nod of approval from Nuada, as the two walked, seemingly, north. In a separate section of the testing grounds, a swarm of beetles condensed down, as Kaito stepped out of the cloud, which flew underneath his cloak through the sleeves and front. Not long after, an Ursa crashed down next to him as Raiden walked around the corpse, sheathing his Scimitar.
"Brother. I did not expect YOU to be my partner, as we have minimal encounters. I was hoping to find Enkaar, but this will give us time to catch up on each other's lives." The Electricity user stated, walking over to his twin for a handshake.
"Agreed. We should make our way north for now, as I sent some beetles that way, which I expect to return soon. If my calculations on the distance we were launched are correct, we should reach the ruins in roughly 10 to fifteen minutes, depending on Grimm, speed, and other minor occurrences." The Beetle user responded, as the two ran off to reach their supposed destination. In another, much smaller, clearing, Rhydwyn impacted with the ground, resulting in a slight boom that was muffled with his Sonar Pulse. Not long after, Sinikka landed nearby him, slowing her fall with Chronos.
With Dakura, he landed with a cloud of dust around him as his wings dispersed in a small burst of energy.
"Knowing Kaito, he'd have landed somewhere around here, most likely having sent out some of his hunter beetles to scan the surrounding areas. Though knowing his luck, he may have already found a partner. It would work well for me to locate one of my own then. If Kaito is already partnered with someone, Nuada wouldn't be a bad partner. But he most likely paired with Colys as they launched in the same direction and distance." The Elemental Darkness user muttered to himself while walking forward as a Beowolf leaped at him, but was impaled from below by a stone spear without its target even noticing. Not long after an Ursa attempted the same attack, but was crushed by a boulder from above. This pattern continued until Dakura reached a clearing, not knowing of his apparent saviour until she decided to pop her head out from a bush on the opposite edge of the clearing, recognition flashing in both of her cat-like eyes.
"Dakura?" The Dirty blonde cat faunus inquired of the crimson eyed male. She wore a baggy beige cloak that covered her arms and legs entirely, but was left open at the front, revealing a pale white shirt and green camo cargo pants.
"Abigail? What are you doing here? I thought you were left back in Earthland when the dimensional rip opened." The revealed dimension jumper inquired of his partner.
"Riley and I ended up getting pulled through as well, landing in Mistral, forcing us to go to Sanctum Academy." The half-cat person explained to the cloaked male, who nodded in response.
"That would explain where you two were, however why did you decide Beacon was the best option? Wouldn't it have been easier to have gone to Haven?" Dakura asked of the female, who shrugged.
"I heard that Beacon was one of the top-rated combat schools, and figured that if the rest of you were anywhere in this dimension, it would be here." Abigail answered Dakura, who only sweatdropped.
'She really was hoping we were in the same relative location as her, wasn't she?' The Crimson-eyed male thought to himself, as he heard some rustling bushes as Colys and Nuada Burst out, rushing past the two.
"Hey Dakura! I'd start running, my man!" The Ice-user yelled as a Rock-Golem Looking Grimm burst from the tree line, barreling towards the four future huntsman.
"Is that a Petra Gigas? IS THAT A MOTHERFUCKING PETRA GIGAS?!" Abigail screamed out at the Grimm's appearance, earning a nod from Nuada.
"Yeah. The Frozen Emperor woke it thinking it would be a fun challenge. He immediately regretted THAT decision." The largest member of the group responded, causing Colys to cry out and Dakura to sigh.
"Colys, why the hell would you think a creature whose name literally means Stone Giant would be 'fun' to face?" The second Raven-haired male inquired of the first, causing the boxer to scratch his head in confusion.
"Honestly? I don't know. I tend to think up ideas like this on the fly and hope they work out in the end." Colys stated, earning sweatdrops from the other three. "At any rate, we may want to take this thing down sooner rather than later, as the longer we take, the harder it will be to kill."
"Thing is, Colys, we also do have a goal of retrieving a 'relic' from some ruins up ahead." Nuada informed his partner, who silently swore under his breath.
"New plan, we get to these 'ruins' we need to reach and THEN take this thing down. Seem fair?" The de-facto leader yelled, earning nods all around. With that, the four, at the very least, attempted to outrun the behemoth behind them. To be honest though, when a creature is made of rocks and is larger it tends to be slow. Not long after sprinting, Kaito and Raiden popped out nearby, joining their mad-dash.
"Hey Dakur-Abigail, is that you?!" Kaito yelled out, noticing their new companion.
"It seems that our little group is nearly complete, little brother. Now we need my associate, your girlfriend, the sound-user, and his Girlfriend." Raiden stated, earning deadpans from the other five at his descriptions, as an odd duo landed near them. One was a tall, tree-looking male, while the other was wearing full body armor, concealing their features, other than height, to the others.
"Darragh, I told you we had to turn north earlier!" The, now evidently, female of the two yelled at her partner.
"OUT OF THE WAY! SCRATCH THAT, YOU NEED TO FOLLOW US, NOW!" Colys yelled out at the newcomers, grasping their wrists while passing them, forcing them to follow him.
"What the hell, man? We were fine on our own!" Darragh complained to the ice user, who pointed behind himself in response.
"Do you want to face that by yourselves?" The trench coat wearing male inquired, causing the two to gain looks of shock at the Petra Gigas. "That's what I thought. Now come on, we'll try to stop it at the ruins." Upon saying that, the group exited the wooded area, seeing an odd scene. Over by the supposed ruins, Yang and Ruby had been, seemingly, embracing, when another female with shorter orange hair had broken it up with a cry of 'NORA', presumably her name. Over by the edge of the woods, a deathstalker stared at the group, confused as to what to do, while a Nevermore flew in circles above, a white-ish blue speck hanging from it. Standing in the ring of pillars, besides Ruby, Yang, Nora and two others the ice user didn't recognize, both with darker hair, though the only male in the group had a pink streak in his hair. Off to the side of the ruins sat Rhydwyn and Sinikka, along with Geod, Verneri, Enkaar, and three others that were new to Colys. The shortest of the three was clearly a faunus based on his body structure involving ears pointed slightly more backwards and an olive skinned tail. Beside Enkaar sat a darker skinned female with brown hair wearing a dress of all things. Beside the short faunus sat a behemoth of a man, with spike dark blue hair and a goatee. Upon noticing Kaito and Raiden, Enkaar stood up, grabbing his apparent partner's wrist as recognition flashed across their face as she noticed Kaito, who rushed forward at the same time as the female, embracing her when they reached each other, which was reciprocated. At the same time, Rhydwyn and Sinikka walked over to their friends, and that's when the Petra Gigas made its re-entrance.
AN: And CUT! I feel like that should be a good stoppage point for this chapter. Now, you may be wondering who the three newcomers to our little group are, now aren't you? Well that will be revealed in due time, but up first at the start of next chapter will be the Petra Gigas fight. I decided to add it in as having 16 new characters to the mix would have made the Nevermore and Deathstalker fight far easier, but a Petra Gigas is a stronger threat due to its nature, as well as the way Geists work. As always, Read, Rate, Review, and Favorite. Blueghast900, Signing off!