A RWBY OC fan-fiction

Prologue 4 - "A Start"

Surprise attacks from Grimm decreased dramatically after the caravan had begun implementing reconnaissance missions into its security strategy. It was truly tragic that so many people had to lose their lives and so many families had to be broken apart, for the caravan chiefs to start hiring actually skilled mercenaries, and not random people with some degree of fighting ability, who also happened to possess their own weapons. But better late, than never. It was a start. No member ever stopped asking "Why not earlier?", and they had every right to do so, but that question was asked fewer and fewer times now. After the caravan began recruiting Huntsmen and Huntresses, even the most fearful of its members came at ease.

Should nothing unexpected happened, the caravan would reach the city of Vale in two weeks, after two short stops at some nearby towns. The closest and largest of the two was Hawkes, which, aside from access to a port, also accommodated a small skyport. After some correspondence with the transport manager in Beacon Academy, the Junaid family had arranged that the airship transferring the new recruits of the Academy would make a brief stop at Hawkes, so that the oldest son of the family, Nix, could get there before the start of the school year. All of his things were ready, and now the only thing that separated the youngster from the skyport in Hawkes was a pack of Ursai in the forest outside of the town.

Following the other Huntsmen who were with him on the recon mission, Nix jumped into the fight. The broad surface of his shield slammed against one of the Ursai, pinning it to the ground before it was finished off by one of the teen's superiors. Annoyed that he didn't let him kill it, Nix let out a little grunt and picked up the round shield to find a next target. Although he had been practicing with it as much as he could, only in a real fight did Nix notice the difference in weight and durability between the weapon he had forged himself, and Nymphaea, the one he had decided to take to Beacon. In appearance, the two were almost identical, save for a few details; but the technical differences were obvious. Some of the mercenaries had tried to change his mind, stating that his own weapon, and not a borrowed one, is what he should have with him, but all of them admitted that every nook and cranny of Nymphaea was masterful work. After a Grimm attack months ago, its owner had no use for it; it would be a pity for such a weapon to wither away over a grave, or to gather dust in some old box. "It's meant to be wielded into battle," its previous owner use to say. And so, Nix had decided to start using it from now on.

He released a bit of air Dust from underneath the dome, and, with a strong swing of his arm, Nix threw the shield towards one of the Ursai, slicing its neck off as its flew by. He caught it right as it bounced off a boulder, maintaining the shield form of Nymphaea for a few more attacks. He was faster than the Ursai, able to swiftly dodge and block their blows, while the sharp edges of the shield were more than efficient in cutting down the Grimm. But more and more Grimm began to take on him, and since he'd gotten himself separated from the other Huntsmen, Nix was quickly forced to go on the defensive. Nymphaea was sturdy enough to hold against the three Grimm that had surrounded him, but with no other weapon to fight them off, Nix's only option was to switch to the offensive form of his weapon, but in order to do that, he had to push the Ursai away. Instead, he was getting pushed down.

Just as he felt his strength on his arms and legs leaving him and Nymphaea began trembling dangerously after every hit, the Ursa in front of him stood on its hind legs to slam its paw against his shield, while the other two stepped back in order to launch themselves at him. Using this small opening and with a boost of air Dust from the shield, he managed to make a sloppy escape, even after his unprotected side was caught up in the Ursa's claws. His aura took all of the damage, leaving him with a burning sensation on the left side of his torso and three rips along his shirt. Yet thanks to that risky attempt at an escape, Nix could now easily switch weapon forms. Nymphaea's shield split in half, and with each edge attached on the metallic grip, it extended into a dual-bladed spear. He smirked, letting out a soft chuckle; the three Ursai ahead of him would be smoke in the next few seconds.

The air Dust made Nymphaea feel lighter, allowing Nix to twirl and spin the spear around without giving the Ursai a chance to fight back. Slashing at their black bodies, the momentum from the wind made evading their desperate swings significantly easier. Nymphaea was a hand-me-down, a far more demanding weapon than the one Nix had made, and he was still miles away from mastering it. But thanks to his little patent with Dust, most people couldn't tell the difference between Nix and his mentor wielding it. The tide of the battle had now turned in favor of the white-haired youngster, who, moving along with the wind, eliminated the three Ursai and then went after the others that came in aid of their kin. With such an advantage, it was inevitable that he got a bit carried away. After all, those Grimm had taken his mentor away a few months ago, so they had to pay.

"It's already dead, Nix. Give it up." The voice of one of the other Huntsmen snapped him out of his thoughts. He realized he'd been twisting his blade in the Ursa's neck; most of its body had already evaporated into ash. "Let's get going. The caravan must have reached Hawkes by now."

"Okay~" He liberated the blade from whatever remained of the Grimm and returned Nymphaea to its basic shield form. He swung it over his shoulder and followed the mercenaries, but upon doing so, he saw the rips on his shirt for the first time. They ran from his ribs up to the chest, but other than what appeared to be a mild bruising, there was no wound. Unfortunately for him, there was no way to cover up the damage; he knew he was gonna hear it soon enough.

/ / /

A strong wind picked up when the airship touched down, blowing dirt and leaves in all directions. The gate opened, and a few new recruits took advantage of the short break to get some fresh air. One of them, a cute girl with hair the color of pines, exchanged a prolonged look and a flirty smirk with Nix before he remembered that his mother was still there, grumbling about the ripped shirt. He had already said goodbye to his four siblings, but she insisted that she absolutely had to see him off before returning to the camp. Asimi lifted her head from her son's luggage with a triumphant cry, waving a clean new shirt in the air. Completely ignoring the teenager's protests about doing this in front of the other cadets, she made him change shirts right there and then. Accidentally, he made eye-contact with the pine-haired girl again, but this time she giggled and whispered something to her friend. Off to a great start...

"There, all set up and ready now," his mother sighed with relief, straightening every last crease she found on the top. "You're very lucky you have this aura thing. I can't imagine how bad of a wound it would have been without it. And I thought you'd told me you'd be careful?" she complained, one eyebrow raised.

"And what should I have done? Let them crush me?" he retorted, raising an eyebrow as well. "Please. Put some trust in my decision-making abilities. And also, Eton's taught me well," he added with a pround beam.

"So, you're going to take his weapon," Asimi observed.

"Are you going to try to change my mind like the other Huntsmen? 'Cause I've already decided what I wanna do. And, besides," he motioned at the pilots, who were now returning to the ship, followed by the cadets, "it might be a little late now."

"No, I'm not doing such a thing. I know it's late," the woman shook her head. "I wouldn't do it either way. I think it's better to take it. It's stronger, and I know you can fight with it just as well as he could. And, it may sound like superstition, but I feel safer if you have Nymphaea. I feel as if Eton himself will be watching over you, right next to Dad and Duncan-"

"It's going to be fine. I talked with Gin, he said he'll look after you guys while I'm gone, so you don't have to worry," Nix said, picking up his things to board the airship. "I should be going."

"My my, look at you, taking care of our safety when you just barely escaped getting wounded. Promise me you'll be just as responsible as a student..." Asimi retorted, receiving a loud grunt as a response, followed by a soft laugh. "Look after yourself, Nix."

Under the sound of the roaring machines, he tried to keep his balance to get to an empty seat as the ship took off. He looked at the people around him, examining their weapons and equipment. The recruitment letter mentioned several times that Beacon Academy trained motivated, courageous individuals who wished to protect Remnant. Some looked the part, judging by their serious, focused expressions, but others seemed more care-free. Nix couldn't help but wonder which category he fell in; he wanted to fight against the Grimm, but he certainly wasn't as hardcore as some others, who had 'angst' written all over their face. Multiple questions had been flooding his head over the past weeks, concerning just what was going to happen from this point on, and, most importantly, who sent the three recommendations that the recruitment letter spoke of. Another question, though secondary, was whether he'd be forced to wear a uniform, and whether there was any way to avoid that.

Before those things could start troubling him again, a certain green-haired girl caught his attention. With a slight movement of her hand, she gestured at him, and then at the empty seat next to her. Resuming the look he was giving her earlier and donning his prettiest smile, he approached her and the red-haired guy that was sitting next to her, who had yet to notice him.

He set down his luggage and weapon just as the oriental girl let out a kittenish giggle. Judging by the mischievous twinkle in her slanted eyes, Nix could predict the first thing she'd comment on before she opened her mouth to speak. "Your mother must be such a caring and lovely lady!" Off to a great start.