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Act II

Scene 21:

First Day of Class

A/n:

I just want to give a shout out to TehUnoman, who isn't dead, Red (you know who you are), and Fridge (you also know who you are) for helping me with this.

Thanks a ton, really helped.


Blake pov

It's time I thought, my alarm waking me up.

As I rose from the bed, I went over the week's events in my head.

After we had returned from Initiation, after we had been officially designated as Team ANBL with me as the leader, thing had been…normal.

It was nice, honestly, after the chaos and drama of Initiation. We had been assured of Lilith's recovery, that she would be fine. Even still, we couldn't see her. Not that I really wanted to.

Jaune did, but Ms. Goodwitch scared him too much, so he never bothered asking. Pyrrha, while a little concerned for her partner's safety, didn't seem to feel the urge to see her either.

So, instead, we stayed in our new dorm. We were the last team officially formed, which would normally mean that we wouldn't have terribly much choice in classes or housing.

And, we didn't, but not entirely for the normal reasons.

First off, several classes had been cut due to teachers being injured or worse from Initiation. They'd probably be up again later though, once they got everything sorted out and got replacements.

Fortunately, most of them were the more advanced classes, meaning freshmen like us weren't terribly affected.

Second, it seems that Professor Ozpin saw fit to reward us by reserving a dorm for us. That said, I'm not sure how much of a reward it was.

Thanks to the massacre that was Initiation, Beacon was going to be having drastically lower freshmen enrolment this year. From what I had gathered, a large portion of that was actually because some initiates dropped out after hearing what happened to the first wave. Others, scared by what they had seen down there, left, unable to truly cope with what they had been through, or unwilling to go through it again.

So, as a result, things weren't as filled up as they normally were.

More to the point, the building our dorm was in was mostly empty.

Of the 12 dorm rooms in this area, only 4 of them had teams in them.

That's mainly because this dorm building was pretty far away from everything else. It would take at least 10 or more minutes longer than it should to get to anywhere that mattered. The only place that was really close by, was the forest.

Still I thought, the privacy is pretty nice. I'm willing to sacrifice some time for the peace and quiet.

The room itself was actually like an apartment. There were two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a common area.

Jaune slept in the other bedroom, apart from Pyrrha and me, for obvious reasons, and Lilith stayed with her aunt, Ms. Goodwitch.

When we asked why, they gave us a litany of reasons, but the general answer seemed to be that she felt more comfortable with Ms. Goodwitch. They didn't say this out loud, but I got the feeling that the fact that I almost shot her when I first saw her had an impact on that. And from what Pyrrha tells me, I'm not the only one who almost ended her that day.

And somewhere deep down, that part of me that wanted to shoot Lilith the moment I met her, was glad that she wouldn't be staying with us. But I'd never say it.

I didn't know her well enough to know if she truly deserved my ire. Not yet, at least.

Still, that was then, this is now, and now, I needed to get ready for the first day of actual classes.

I slowly rose up from my bed, stretching my back out in ways most humans would probably find uncomfortable or impossible.

For me it just felt so good. Especially when I could feel and hear the joints pop in my spine.

Crack, pop, pop, crack

God, that feels so good I thought, enjoying my moment of ecstasy.

I looked over to my right, seeing Pyrrha laying down on her bed on the far wall. The bedroom walls were a cool blue, but when we went into the main area it turned into an off-white.

We had been staying in this dorm for a couple days now, so we had at least learned a bit about our sleeping habits. As a result of Jaune's snoring, I would always go to bed far before him. As much as I liked staying up, Jaune sounded like something was dying, which was not conducive for sleep.

Hell, it wasn't conducive for my sanity.

So, for my own good, I got over it and decided to just go to bed about an hour before him. Better to wake up abnormally early, than miss out on getting sleep.

And by early, I meant about 4:00 am.

It was still dark outside the window, something I was perfectly fine with. In fact, I didn't even bother turning on the lights.

Pyrrha would wake up at 5:00 am like clockwork, before she started her workout. I'd probably have to wake Jaune up at about 7:00 if his alarm didn't work. Our first class together was at 8:15, but we would need a little time to get situated and have breakfast. Pyrrha would probably be back from her morning routine by then.

So, I had about an hour to myself, then another two and a half hours after Pyrrha left to do whatever she did.

We'd all meet together in the cafeteria at about 7:30. Even Lilith would be meeting us there. From breakfast, we'd head out to our first class.

History with Doctor Oobleck, room 203, 8:15 am I read, looking at our class schedule.

We'd all be taking the same core classes together as a team. From there, we would have certain electives that we would take with our partners, but not necessarily as a team. They ranged which times and which days they took place on, but some would take place on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Others would be on Tuesday and Thursday.

It's not how it would be for everyone, but it's how it was for us.

But, because I was the leader, I had an extra special class I had to take on Friday.

Yea I thought drily at the prospect of more class.

So, without further ado, I began to make breakfast and prepare for the rest of the day with my morning rituals. As I opened to the door to the refrigerator in the kitchen, however, one thought ran through my mind.

I need to go shopping.


Weiss pov

I'm so glad we went shopping I thought as I enjoyed another decadent bite of my small little indulgence.

Schneeballen wasn't really a great breakfast food, but I didn't really care right now.

Earlier in the week, we had gone shopping. Mostly for food items, but a few house comforts as well. Fortunately, I had more than enough money to buy everything we needed.

I figured that with Ren's cooking prowess, we could cut out valuable time that would have been wasted waiting in line at the cafeteria. So, we stocked the kitchen with choice ingredients. Nothing too exorbitant, but nothing cheap or second rate either.

Then, when all was said and done, we spent a little on some indulgences.

And it was worth it. I thought, taking another bite.

We had all woken up alright, and things had been going according to plan.

Then, Yang and Nora happened.

I'm still not entirely sure what exactly happened.

One second, we were all dressed and ready to go to class with 30 minutes to spare, then I went to the bathroom. When I came out, Yang and Nora's clothes were torn up and Yang had Nora in a headlock, yelling "Take it back! Take it back!".

Nora looked like she was about five seconds from passing out, yet defiantly refused to take "it"back, whatever "it" was.

As I looked at the mess of the common room before me, at the chaos that had been wrought in a mere 5 minutes of absence, I could feel my stress building.

Just as I was about to blow up at them, to whip them into shape with Myrtenaster, Ren appeared with a calm hand on my shoulder, and an apologetic smile on his face.

His presence allowed me to reign in my fury just a hare, just enough to retain control of my mouth. And with that control, I was able to keep from completely blowing up at them.

Instead I gave them both a furious, yet stern glare, and ordered them to go get dressed again.

Of course, I may have given them a small dressing down about acting their age as well.

Regardless, Ren whipped out a Schneeball from behind his back for me, likely as a way of apologizing for allowing it to happen under his watch.

All it took was one bite of the decadent treat for all my anger to bleed away into sweet bliss.

I soon made my way over to the couch before delicately resting on it, allowing myself to relax completely, if only for a moment.

After swallowing another bite of my little calming aide, I turned back toward Ren.

"What started this?" I asked, curious, but also wondering how I could prevent it from happening again.

Ren turned toward me, his hands clasped behind his back, and said, "Nora decided to…compare Yang's yellow hair to the yellow color of urine. Yang…disagreed with that statement."

I blinked owlishly for a second, bewildered by what I had heard.

"What?" I said simply

"Yang…strongly…disagreed with that statement." He added.

I could feel that rage, that stress build once more.

They did this! Over something so…so…fucking idiotic! I fumed mentally, feeling the rage build again.

Why am I surrounded by such shit-brained incompetent fuck-tards?! Where in the hell did I fuck up in life, such that I deserve the hell of dealing with the fat cow of a moronic brute, and the insane child of the hyperactive juggernaut! I raged internally

"Weiss." Ren said gently, his calm voice shaking me from my thoughts of violence.

"Hmm?" I answered, my response coming out more harshly than I had intended.

"Your schneeball" He said, gesturing toward my hand.

I looked toward it, noticing that I had been unconsciously clenching my fists, slowly crushing my treat.

So, I took a breath, forced myself to relax a hair, and took another bite of the sweet ball of sugar coated dough.

As I rolled around the sweet treat in my mouth, absorbing and savoring the flavor, I could feel my tension fall away to the recesses of my mind once more.

"Thank you, Ren." I said, my eyes still closed in ecstasy

"You are quite welcome." He answered cordially.

I don't know if I'd manage to survive this if it wasn't for Ren. I thought

He's the only other sane one here


Ruby pov

Well, no more waiting. Here it is. I thought as I made my way through the cafeteria.

It would be my first time seeing my team in about a week. That said, time moved a little differently in Purgatory, so it's hard to really tell if it was really a week for me.

It could have been a month.

It could have been a day.

It's really hard to know.

In any case, it had been a few days in this plane of existence since I had seen them, at the very least. Last time I had seen them, I hadn't exactly been in the best of moods. I also hadn't exactly been in my right mind.

While I can remember every moment of what happened with extreme clarity, the clarity I had at the moment wasn't the best. Not to mention the distinct fact that my ability to gauge human reactions and responses was somewhat…lacking. Especially when it came to emotions other than hate, fear, and love.

And even love was rather elusive for me.

In the end, the problem was I wasn't entirely sure what kind of impression I left on them. Pyrrha and Blake could still be struggling to resist the urge to end my life. Or, the urge could have been toned down somewhat in light of my actions.

It could have also done the inverse.

Hopefully Jaune still thinks of me as a friend, and as such I can use him as a sort of buffer.

Though, in the best case scenario, that won't be necessary.

I know I'll probably need to work with my team a lot, to build "bonds" with them, but me and people don't exactly have the best history.

Still, it's not all bad.

My little gamble with Ms. Goodwitch played out in my favor.

I'm honestly surprised about that though. Normally my unusual regenerative abilities, my strange semblance, and the aura of unease I constantly give off usually results in inciting fear. Fear, mostly because of how strange and unknown I am.

There have been a few notable exception, but they never really ended happily either.

Which means I still have to be wary regarding Ms. Goodwitch, just not necessarily for the same reasons.

Regardless, it seems all the planning I did with Lucifer in Purgatory worked. Not that he did much, I really just bounced ideas and ways to not freak Ms. Goodwitch out off him. And I was successful.

If anything, I think I've endeared myself further to her.

Strange, but I am thankful for it.

The idea to show her something…nice…as opposed to the usual really worked. Normally, if I use my semblance like that, it's to show pain. That's because those thoughts and memories come so easily to me. But for this, I had to dig down deep for a warm memory. One that would make sense, and try not to paint me in such an evil light.

After seeing its success, I only wish I could go back in time and change how I showed my family.

Yang…really freaked out when I showed her. She was appalled by what I had done to those boys.

Not sure why, though. They deserved it, after all. Besides, I just showed them the truth. I thought with a slight frown

Then there came the time for me to show it to the rest of them, to Qrow and dad.

That…that wasn't a particularly fond memory.

That was the moment, really. The moment they went from worrying and fearing for me, and having fear of me.

But Qrow…he was a little different I thought

Uncle Qrow did grow wary of me, but he didn't really fear me. Well, not nearly as much as the other two, at least. Still, he held more than enough fear for me to choke my options in life into oblivion. He tried to protect me, but all he did was cut me off from what I loved.

I let out a sad, mournful breath, letting the thoughts of a broken past leave my mind.

After all, something else good had happened.

Garmr's finally here I thought cheerfully, the smallest of smiles adorning my face.

Garmr had taken the long way here, so it had taken her a long time to finally arrive in Vale.

But now she's here I thought I should really go see her when I have the chance, but I'm not too sure when that'll be.

Hopefully soon. It had been too long since I had seen her, and I honestly missed her energetic presence. She was one of the only beings in existence who could still cheer me up.

Speaking of beings who could cheer me up, Yang. One of the only people I still cared about. And one of the only things I was terrified of.

I had managed to work out a schedule with Ms. Goodwitch and my team that in no way coincided with Yang. I wouldn't ever have any classes with her, so on paper, I was safe.

However, things rarely work out as well on paper as they do in reality

Just because we didn't have any classes together didn't mean we wouldn't cross each other's path elsewhere in the school. It didn't mean that she wouldn't spot a glimpse of me somewhere around campus and come running after me.

So, in the event that did happen, I had a…backup plan. A workaround, if you will.

Ms. Goodwitch wasn't honestly too happy with the implications of it, but it was nonviolent and non-damaging, so she couldn't really complain. Plus, Yang was my sister, not hers.

Not sure why she cared so much about her.

But, as I caught the familiar scarlet hair of my partner from across the cafeteria, I shook the thoughts from my head. I could worry about Yang later. Now, I had other problems.

Namely, the people known as my "team".

They were all wearing their school uniforms, Jaune wearing the shirt, jacket, pants and tie, while Blake and Pyrrha wore a skirt instead.

Pyrrha was wearing her bronze headdress again, using it to help keep her scarlet hair up in a ponytail.

Blake, however, had on a black flat cap from which her long onyx locks spilled out at the edges

Huh I thought, looking at it. She wore a bow before

Why she wore both was somewhat obvious, not wanting to draw attention to her race, but why she had changed to a hat now was somewhat unclear.

Still, it didn't look bad on her. It certainly made her seem more…authoritative, instead of simply being the quiet girl with a black bow who read books.

I like it I thought finally after looking her over.

I myself was tempted to wear my red hood, but decided to forgo it. It would be just that much more difficult to hide if I wore something that would stand out so brightly in a crowd, not to mention if Yang happened to spot it from across campus. There wouldn't be much I could do if that happened.

Still, I did have one of Professor Ozpin's fountain pens that he gave me. It was elegant, having a beautiful obsidian shaft with golden engravings and a silver tip. A tip made from hardened Aura conductive alloys sharpened to a razor's edge. Each one was worth about as much as a large assault rifle, but considering the craftsman ship, and what a skilled expert could do with one, it was worth it.

Not to mention, it was a very nice pen.

As I approached them, Jaune noticed me.

"Lilith!" He called out to me, standing up from the table and waving to me with a joyful grin.

At the same time, the other two at the table also sensed my presence.

I could tell because of how they subtly flinched once I got close enough. They tried to hide it, but their own Aura's prickled at the very presence of my own unnatural one. I could feel how they subtly tensed up, clamping down on their emotions and actions, trying hard not to show how much I affected them.

But I knew.

I always knew.

And I had gotten used to it.

So, ignoring them, I simply walked up to the table and sat down next to Jaune.

"Hey Lilith, how are you feeling? We haven't seen you in a while." Jaune asked.

Instead of responding, I just looked at him with a slightly cocked head.

His Aura was there, and it was strong, but it wasn't prickling as badly. It still reacted, how could it not, but not nearly to the extent as the others.

Now that I knew how I sensed things, Ms. Goodwitch had actually helped instruct me on what I was actually sensing. And apparently one of those things was the Aura of other's.

But it still wasn't the only thing it could sense.

In any case, despite his Aura reacting to me, as mildly as it might be, Jaune didn't even seem to notice.

How though? I wondered

How is he not even affected by me?

Perhaps he's just oblivious? I considered.

Then there was Pyrrha's Aura.

Now that I actually had a full, fresh, brain again, and I knew what I was doing more, I could more accurately read everyone. Except Pyrrha.

I could read Pyrrha well enough, she wasn't really trying to hide anything, but there some kind of...static...with her. I'm actually not sure if that's the right word for it, honestly.

Pyrrha's Aura was...weird...honestly. That's the best way I can put it. I don't really know enough about what I'm sensing to put it into words very well, maybe after I spend more time around her I'l figure it out, but as of right now, I'm a loss for how to truly describe it.

What is with you, Pyrrha? I pondered, What is your secret?

Then, once again, I noticed the slowly growing anxiety and unease coming from the three of them.

"Uh, Lilith?" He asked nervously.

Oh I realized I did it again.

So I blinked and turned away from him, ceasing my silent unblinking gaze.

"Sorry, I was just thinking." I muttered

I really need to stop doing that I thought

"So, how are you feeling?" Pyrrha with a concerned smile.

"Better. I pushed myself a bit too hard on Initiation." I said.

"I think it was more than that. You looked like you almost died." Blake put in with a pointed look.

At her questioning, I directed my dull gaze toward her, and felt a little flare of annoyance. I felt her tense up and her Aura ripple in agitation in response.

And as predicted, they are more noisy than they have any right to be I thought, mildly annoyed

Still, I suppose I would have been curious myself in her position. I just would have known to hold my tongue, and be less direct.

"I know, it's thanks to a…condition I have. I need to respect my limits more." I explained with an even tone, deciding to stick with half or incomplete truths.

"Hmm." Blake hummed in acknowledgment.

"In any case, I just needed some rest. I feel much better now." I said,

"How old are you, anyway, Lilith?" Blake asked, her eyes narrowed questioningly.

Once again, I was annoyed by her incessant questioning.

It's probably because she's a Faunus. I realized.

Thanks to the heightened senses and instincts gifted to her by virtue of her heritage, she likely couldn't shake the feeling that I was some kind of unholy abomination that needed to be purged from this world. Or, in other words, I was an unknown that shouldn't exist, and she felt threatened by it.

Thanks to this Aura of unease, or wrongness, things with heightened instincts often felt something along those lines. Animals especially.

Even after all these years, Zwei still didn't like me.

"…I'm not 17." I decided to answer carefully. Again, half-truths.

And by no definition of the truth was I actually 17.

"Wait, if you're not 17, how did you get into Beacon?" Pyrrha asked, curious as well

In fact, I could feel that this was the question on all of their minds, Pyrrha simply said it first.

So, I mentally sighed, before deciding to draw from my cover.

"I'm staying with Aunt Glynda-" I began

"Aunt Glynda?" Jaune questioned, interrupting me.

I leveled a questioning, yet annoyed, gaze at him for his intrusion.

"Yes?" I inquired with a raised brow. "Is there something wrong with calling her my Aunt?"

I didn't think there was. That was how I referred to Uncle Qrow, after all. A portion of me was honestly worried that I had made a mistake.

That said, most of me didn't particularly care either way, and simply thought Jaune was being rude.

Then I noticed the other two, and saw that, they too, were thrown off by the way I referred to her.

At their silence, I decided to reiterate the question.

"Well? Is there something wrong with referring to my Aunt as such?" I asked again.

At this, they seemed to realize their place, and had the curtesy to look sheepish and feel slightly ashamed. They all averted their gaze from me with a slight blush, instead finding interest in the remains of their breakfast on the table.

"N-no, it's just…" Pyrrha began before trailing off, not knowing how to say it.

"It's just a little weird hearing you call her that." Blake finished for her.

"Weird?" I questioned, not seeing why it would be.

She's my supposed to be my Aunt? Wouldn't it be stranger for me to call her something else? I wondered.

Why do people have to be so odd?

"It is the nature of their mortality, of their limited view of existence." Lucifer answered for me.

I suppose so I acquiesced.

"It's just going to take a little time getting used to hearing you call Ms. Goodwitch that." Blake elaborated.

I gave them all one last questioning gaze as I hummed in acknowledgement, before returning to my explanation.

"In any case," I began.

"I'm staying with my Aunt Glynda because I recently lost the rest of my family. She's the only one I have left. That, combined with other various circumstance, is what convinced Professor Ozpin to allow me to enter Beacon without passing through an earlier combat school." I explained.

I attempted to convey a sense of loss, of morning, with it. I'm not sure I did a good job, honestly, since it's never truly come naturally to me in the first place.

Still, I made sure my voice grew quieter, that I averted my eyes from them, shadowing them with my hair. I even tried to place a slight quiver in my voice, as if I was trying my hardest to stay calm.

Fortunately, it worked.

With each word, I could feel the dread and sympathy in them grow, as the lively atmosphere slowly choked and died on the weight of my words.

I was never good with subtlety, being sympathetic, or really conveying emotion, not since that day all those years ago, but all my time with Ms. Goodwitch appeared to have helped that. When coupled with the sheer severity of what I was saying, I suppose they never really stood a chance.

So, as the horror inside them grew, as their Aura quivered and shrunk in shame for what they had done, I had to force myself to hold back a small smile at my success.

"I-I'm sorry Lilith. I didn't mean to bring up any unpleasant memories." Blake admitted, lowering her head in guilt, her hat shading her eyes from me.

Still, I could feel something in her Aura besides mere guilt, shock, and horror. There was a degree of empathy in there, as if she had gone through something similar.

Curious I thought, tempted to raise a brow at it.

The nightmares hadn't told me everything about everyone, just what went through their heads during them. I'm actually somewhat glad they didn't.

As Lucifer said, knowing everything about the game, while an aspect of certain victory, is oh so boring. If I know how everything works, if I know all the pieces, players, and rules, absolutely, then there is nothing to surprise me, no curiosities to be explored.

So, if I wanted to, I could forcefully find the answers for myself. But I didn't. I wanted to unravel the mystery the hard way, the interesting way. After all, what point is there in living life knowing all the answers? If you don't enjoy it?

"Y-yeah, sorry Lilith. We shouldn't have asked." Jaune agreed, shaking me from his thoughts.

"We had no right to invade your privacy." Pyrrha added.

And she was right, they didn't. Not really.

Still, I couldn't really find it in me to care enough to do something about it. After all, I knew this was going to happen. It's why I came up with such an elaborate tale woven of half-truths and darkness.

"It's alright." I said, still keeping up the shaky voice, keeping up that mask of Lilith Totenrot. "You didn't know."

And with that, I felt the atmosphere get ever so lighter. Still, that simply meant it went from being filled with crushing regret and horror, to layered with shame and sympathy.

Soon, they finished breakfast, and we made our way to our first class with Dr. Oobleck. We talked a bit, but it still felt like they simply just wanted to forget what they had done, and what I had said. That was fine, and I allowed them to turn their minds toward different topics.

After all, with the worries that came with meeting my team once more out of my mind, I could think about something much more exciting.

Earlier, Ms. Goodwitch had talked about teaching me how to use my Aura and Dust, similar to how she does. Something that set my mind alight with possibilities. Dust was something I had no previous experience with, and only a few passing mentions of. To be able to learn from someone as well versed in it as Ms. Goodwitch, to have her unlock the possibilities of an entirely new field of study?

Well, I could hardly keep myself from vibrating in excitement.

I just have to wait until this weekend I thought

And then so many interesting possibilities will come to light.


Pyrrha pov

After leaving the cafeteria, we entered class and took a seat in the semicircular tables surrounding the pit the teacher would stand in.

This time I'm in the stands I thought, noting it's resemblance to stadium seating.

Normally I'm the one in the pit.

Not that it was a bad change of pace mind you.

Soon, the green haired professor entered the room, moving at blurring speeds with a thermos of steaming hot coffee in his hands. He began to write some things on the board as the rest of the class trickled in and got situated.

Finally, once the clock struck 8:15, he turned back toward us.

On the board were the words,

AN INTRODUCTION TO WATCHMEN

"Good morning class." He greeted, talking just as quickly as he was able to move.

In response the class, myself included, gave a greeting in response.

"Since today is the first day, I'll mostly just be giving you a syllabus and sending you on your way." He said, taking a sip from his green thermos.

"However!" He interjected

"Due to the events of Initiation, as well as its aftermath, I felt the need to revise where we started the class. Normally, we'd be talking about some of the great wars in the past, including the Faunus War." He began

"Instead, we shall be discussing the Watchmen Program as our introduction." He announced.

"Now, I know many of you who come from families of huntsmen and huntresses may have heard disreputable things about the Watchmen Program, but this is purely because of the innate rivalry and animosity between the two groups. The Watchman Program was setup specifically to keep the Huntsmen in check."

"It all started with the StarFall incident, something you may have heard of here or there."

"The StarFall incident is what we call a series of events, in which a premiere Huntsman team, team STFL, went rouge. Why they did is unclear at this time, nor were they the first to do so, but they were by far the most effective. Instead of taking missions and fighting Grimm, they turned to crime, and as such turned on humanity."

At this, one of the students in the room raised their hand questioningly.

"Yes, Ms. Scarlitena?" Dr. Oobleck said,

"You said that this wasn't the first time it happened, but why was this time special? Couldn't they simply be apprehended by another hunter team?" She asked

"Excellent question my dear!" He exclaimed

"It's all due to the fact that team STFL was composed of exceptional individuals, who had incredible teamwork. In fact, it's said they were as close as family. Most hunter teams that went after them simply weren't as good. Even if they were, they never went in with the intent to kill, unlike team STFL. Something that always gave them the edge."

"In addition, team STFL was smart in how they operated. They constantly moved between all four kingdoms, and never made too big of a scene without several plans for how to get out of it. As a result, it was almost impossible for any whole team to track them down and strike them at once."

"So, without having to face full huntsmen teams, team STFL faced almost no serious opposition." He explained

"What about the police? Or the military?" Another student asked.

"Most in the police force and military only have a certain level of Aura training. Rarely do they have any skill with a semblance, and outside of Special Forces, it's almost unheard of for them to have huntsman level training."

"In fact, huntsmen, with their powerful Aura's, semblances, and deadly weapons and training, are generally considered one man armies. When a skilled team with good coordination is put together, they can become all but unstoppable to anything save an equally skilled team."

"It's believed that this is part of the reason STFL went rouge, because together they were almost unstoppable, and they knew it. They lacked serious bonds, such as family or loved ones, to tie them to the rest of humanity. All they had was each other, and as such they likely found humans to be easier prey than the ruthless Grimm." He explained

He paused his rapid fire dialogue to take a sip from his thermos, before beginning again.

"They robbed from stores, banks, and even a few military compounds, with little in the way of serious opposition. Hunter teams were rarely able to arrive on the scene in time to do anything, and even if they did, sometimes it was only to get cut down themselves."

"Over the course of two years, team STFL cut a bloody path through the four kingdoms, making a mockery of huntsmen, police, and military alike." He finished.

"How were they caught?" I decided to ask

"That is the problem, Ms. Nikos. They weren't." He answered somberly.

"What?" I questioned.

"After two years of this, the kingdoms managed to come together, and with several veteran hunter teams, began a massive manhunt to crack down on them. It's at this point that team STFL went dark, completely falling off the grid. It's believed that they went into the wilds to take their chances there." He answered

"However, to this day, no one knows what actually happened to them." He added

"So how do the Watchmen come into this?" Jaune asked from beside me

"Ah! That is an excellent question Mr. Arc!" Dr. Oobleck exclaimed

"Due to the nature of Hunter teams, they often function as mercenaries, having no loyalty to any one nation, and being paid for their assistance. Some hunter teams can be more altruistic in how they go about business, often saving others for free simply because they could. Others could be more mercantile, only assisting if the price was right. Unfortunately, often times they happen to be the more successful ones."

"As a result, the kingdom's spent exorbitant amounts of money paying huntsmen and huntresses to stop them, with nothing to show for it. Even worse, some teams took team STFL as inspiration, and went rouge themselves. Something that highlighted to the kingdoms and their citizens that, for all the good huntsmen and huntresses did, they still had the potential for great abuse."

"Only Atlas, who combines their hunter academy with their military was exempt from the problem of their hunters turning rouge. And it was Atlas who came up with a solution."

"After the StarFall incident, Atlas suggested the Watchmen Program to the other kingdoms. Something that quickly gained traction." He announced.

Then he paused his lecture, glancing at the clock in classroom that hung over the board.

"I think that's enough to give you a rough introduction to the Watchmen. Wednesday we shall go over in detail. However, before you leave…" He began, turning back to us

"…Ms. Totenrot, what have you gathered from the story of the StarFall incident?" He asked, looking to her.

At the mention of my partner's name, all eyes were on her. It's then that I noticed that, while she was playing with a rather expensive and elegant fountain pen, she hadn't actually taken any notes.

Still, she seemed to be paying rapt attention to Dr. Oobleck. She stared at him blankly for a moment, twisting the pen around her fingers as I could see the gears turning in her head through her hollow silver eyes. As she did, the whole room seemed to hold its breath in anticipation of her answer.

Finally, she deigned to give it to them.

"Power, whatever the intention for it, is power. It isn't good, nor is it evil, it simply is. It can be used for great triumphs, or it can be abused for wicked acts. In the faulty and fallible hands of mankind, nothing is absolute, nor is it sacred, and anything is possible." She began to explain

Each word was carefully chosen, and clearly expressed. There was no sense of nervousness in her. She didn't act is if she was a young girl in school who had just been called on by a teacher. Instead, she acted as if she was the educator now, lecturing us on the natures of reality.

"Everything has consequence, unforeseen or otherwise, regardless of the intent involved. After all," She said, finishing up

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."


Goodwitch pov

Last week

I hate this I thought as I sat at my desk in my dimly lit office. It was late, but the chaos that Initiation had spawn had forced us all to work overtime to get ready for the school year.

Right now, two people were sitting before me, two people that truly, had done nothing to earn my ire. And yet, I couldn't help but hate each of them to a degree, more so because of what they represented than who they were.

Still, I was a professional, and I wouldn't let the feelings I held inside color my attitude, nor would I let it show.

"Thank you for coming today." I greeted them.

"Thank you for seeing us." responded the women on the right of me politely.

"I'm afraid I didn't have much choice." The man on the left said in a thick accent, with a smile of dry humor

I raised a brow at his attempt at humor, but couldn't help but appreciate it in a way.

Well, at least neither of us are terribly happy about it I thought, looking at the man

Still, though, I pushed though it.

"I'm glad I was able to get on such short notice, Dr. Enyo." I said to the women

"Well, I must admit, the opportunity to teach at such a prestigious school such as Beacon was something I couldn't resist." She answered with a pleasant smile.

Then I turned to the man, the source of the majority of my hate and anger.

"And Lt. Niflheim…" I began, straining to keep the rage out of my voice

"I think we both know how I feel about you're presence." I said

"I assure you, Ms. Goodwitch, I have as little choice as you in the matter. I don't doubt that you aren't the only one who disapproves of my presence here." He responded.

Then he sighed, repositioning himself on the chair to get more comfortable.

"I was sent here by my superiors because of what happened during Initiation. The kingdom of Vale wants more…reliable…insurances that Beacon is a place that is safe for its citizens to attend." He explained

"And you're that insurance?" I said, narrowing my eyes at the man.

"Apparently." He answered with a shrug

"Honestly, I was probably the best choice. The others tend to be more…outspoken…regarding the huntsmen and huntresses trained at this academy." He added

I glared at him for a moment longer, but ultimately relented.

He was right. It wasn't his fault he was here, not really. I knew that the kingdom of Vale was going to do something in response to what happened during Initiation, but I never imagined they would do this.

I never imagined they would be able to force us to allow a Watchmen to teach at Beacon. I thought, still reeling from when Ozpin announced it to me this morning.

I looked back down at the dossiers of both of the people in front of me.

Dr. Eris Enyo.

Multiple degrees in psychology and teaching. 34 years old, graduated from Haven as part of team ALCE (Alice). Retired from being a huntsman at age 24 after the rest of her team was killed or crippled in a failed mission. After receiving extensive psychiatric care, went back to school to get her doctorate and degrees.

She'd certainly be able to fill the role of school psychiatrist I thought

Her experience with trauma should help her relate and treat many of the students, and even teachers, who survived Initiation I continued, looking through her records

In addition, she should be able to teach the psychology classes just fine.

Then I turned to the one I dreaded. The Watchman's

Lt. Ymir Niflheim

38 years old, graduated from Atlas and joined the military at age 20. Reached the rank of major in Atlas's armed forces at age 30. Was sent to Vale to help facilitate and train the Joint Watchmen program that Atlas had with Vale, Mistral, and Vacuo. Eventually became an official Vale kingdom Watchmen as part of the Watchmen squad designated to West Vale, team 4. Has been officially a part of team 4 for 6 years, with over 15 officially successful operations and has retained the rank of Lt. in Vale's police force

I sighed as I read through Lt. Niflheim's file. Apart from the fact the fact he was a Watchmen, and a former Atlas huntsmen, I honestly couldn't find much fault with him.

He had previous experience with teaching, being the one to come to and help set up Vale's Watchmen program. His list of medals and glowing recommendations certainly paint a pretty picture for his character.

But…he hasn't taught children I thought

When the Watchmen program was formed in Vale, it started by taking in applications exclusively from already graduated hunters, veterans of the police forces and military, and Special Forces. People who already had foundational training.

Adults who had already been taught to kill. He simply honed it into an art.

Still, though, it's hard to argue with results.

In addition, he was part of the team that came to our aide on Initiation day.

More importantly, I didn't have a choice in this. He was being admitted whether I liked it or not. I just had to figure out where to put him.

At this, I grit my teeth.

Frankly, there was only one possible choice that made any logical sense, given his skillset and experience.

He might not be a huntsman…but he knows how to fight them. I realized

"Alright, Lt. Niflheim. I believe I have the most…suitable place for someone of your talents." I said finally, looking up from the papers on my desk.

In way of response, he simply rose a questioning brow.

"You are to teach the classes on combat and teamwork. I wish you good luck."


Jack pov

I was walking through the halls of the police station, on my way to my post guarding Torchwick's cell, when I heard it.

"Officer Riesentoter." Said a stern voice from across the hall.

The second I heard it, I went stiff with panic and fear.

Fuck me

Slowly, I turned to give the person who called for me, my attention, and my best impression of a warm, charming, innocent smile, to try and call them down.

"Aveline!" I said cheerfully, trying, and failing, to not show the fear in me.

"Cut the shit Jack." She said as stopped before me, giving me a hard glare that made me want to hide under my bed.

Aveline was a women with an athletic build, about 6'2", a lightly tanned complexion, and a freckled face. She was wearing a white shirt with a black tie, and a brown vest over it. She had a pistol holstered on her left side, a police issued 9mm, and her golden badge hung from a thick chain around her neck.

She had sapphire blue eyes as deep and powerful as the ocean, and reddish brown hair blessed with streaks of blond, like a sunset mane, tied up into a loose and low pony tail.

But right now those sapphire blue eyes were staring at me with roiling fury.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said, trying to play innocent.

But Aveline didn't get to be a detective for nothing.

"Why the hell did you tell Roman about my case?!" She seethed, bowling right through my meager defenses

"I didn't tell him anything." I said, stubbornly trying to defend my innocence.

"It's on camera Jack." She said pointedly with a cold glare.

"…oh." I said simply, realizing the jig was up.

"Well…you see…" I began, trying to think of a plausible excuse

"I didn't really see much harm in it." I finally confessed

"Didn't see much harm?" She questioned angrily.

"Jack, it's a confidential case. It's my case. You can't just hand out confidential information on a dangerous criminal to another dangerous criminal." She explained, going from simply raging, to lecturing me as well.

"Well, I mean, he already knew about Le Livre Noir, he just curious." He defended.

At this, Aveline looked up to the ceiling, threw her hands up into the air, and cursed, "Putain de Merde!"

She looked back down to me, resuming her stern glare and said. "Jack, you putain stupide, He was playing you."

At this revelation, I paused.

"Wait, he what?" I asked

"He. Was. Playing. You." She enunciated.

Seeing my stunned face, she decided to elaborate.

"Roman Torchwick is an infamous thief and criminal architect. He knows how to play the game Jack, and he knows how to play it damn well." She explained

"But, he said he heard things about Le Livre Noir in the station, and he just wanted some clarification." I tried to counter.

"So you thought it was a good idea to inform him?" She shot back with an arched brow.

"It's not like I told him everything." I began to defend.

"I didn't say that Le Livre Noir is probably actually a group. A group with close ties to the White Fang, if they aren't a part of those terrorists." I added

Still, it didn't seem like Aveline was having it.

"I don't care, Jack. You still told him things he wasn't supposed to know. Namely, how my investigation is going." She said.

"Come on, Aveline, Le Livre Noir's gone. They probably all died or something. The case is mostly cold." I said

"They're probably going to shut it down and move you on to something a bit more urgent later, anyway." I added

This was, of course, not the right thing to say, as it only made Aveline angrier at me. She lowered her head, her fists trembling in rage as she grit her teeth together so loudly I could almost hear it.

Then, her bright white Aura started to leak out ever so slowly from her body, wisps of it curling around her.

Despite being a detective in the major crimes division, Aveline was actually one of the few people in the force qualified to be a watchmen. Something further seen by the personal weapon she had on her, Manum Pallentis. Right now, it resembled a white gold pointed rod, about 4ft long, composed of what looked like many alabaster fingers of a doll pointed forward and clasped together.

Why she hadn't joined the Watchmen wasn't exactly well known, seeing as how she had little problem with them, but either way Robin had been trying to convince her for years.

Then, she took an aggressive step toward me, looking up at me with glowing light blue eyes fill with fury, and with all the force in her Aura, poked me in the chest.

Said, poke contained enough force to dent the Watchmen armor I wore. Armor strong enough to deflect a 7.62 mm Dust round with barely a scratch to show for it.

"Jack" She began fury positively dripping off her voice

"When he escapes under your watch, I hope you get shot first."


? pov

Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God I thought frantically

"You look a bit lost, dearie." He said in a calm, yet menacing voice to me, a large silver gun in his hand gleaming in the moonlight

I had just been taking a shortcut home from work, the same one I used nearly every day. But today work had run a little latter than normal. So, by the time I started my way home it was dark outside.

I didn't think anything of it at the time, after all, I used it all the time, what could go wrong.

I never expected this to happen. Not to me I thought, fear coursing through my veins.

"I can help make sure you get home nice and safe." He began, the sheer level of menace he exuded invading my being, violating me with his very presence.

"A pretty little thing like you shouldn't be out here alone, after all, you might get…hurt." He added, his sinister grin shined in the moonlight, the only thing visible under his thick, dark, hood.

"But I can keep you safe…for the right price." He said, the lust, the hunger, evident in his voice.

With each word, he took another step closer, twirling the gun in his hands effortlessly. I wanted to get away, but I wasn't a huntress or anything, I didn't have Aura. If he shot me with that thing, I would die. If I tried to get away, he would kill me. We were in an open park, after all. There was nowhere for me to hide.

I was prey to him. Something he had been stalking, and was prepared to pounce on. My whole body was trembling in fear, knowing what would happen next. Hopefully, he would just take all my belongings from, he would just stop with taking all my money and robbing me blind.

But the undisguised lust in his voice told me that was a lie I told myself to feel better.

But it was still just a lie.

Tears streamed down my face as I couldn't help but imagine what was going to happen next, what fate held in store for me now.

But I couldn't run. I was too scared. I couldn't do anything. I was trapped, helpless prey before this predator of the night. All I could do was let fate take its course, and hope that he made it fast and painless.

Another lie I told myself.

That's when I heard it. Something that turned my fear, into terror. My helplessness into despair. The sound that that crushed all semblance of hope in my heart, and sent it spiraling into the depths of madness and dread.

GRRR

A powerful, deep, low growl slowly rung out from somewhere in the shadows of the park all around us, it's presence everywhere, yet nowhere at the sametime.

I don't know how I knew what it was simply from the sound, but I did. Something deep inside my soul could feel its unnatural presence, and churned violently inside me. Desperately telling me to run, to run far away and never look back.

But what was most telling was the way the man in front of me, the man I had previously called a predatory, quivered at its sound.

I could see the way his once sinister grin turned downward into a concerned frown. He began to open his mouth to say something, possibly to try and keep up a tough act.

It didn't matter.

In a flash, a white blur tackled him to the ground with enough force to throw the gun from his hands. As they flew to the side, I froze, still staring the place where the man once stood, looking at it in horror, barely able to comprehend what was happening a terror flooded my system.

I wanted to run away, to scream and hide, but I couldn't. I couldn't move, I couldn't think, I couldn't do anything. My mind was an incomprehensible whirlwind of fear fueled thoughts and concepts.

I was shaken from them when my mind finally registered something that my body was telling, something that I could hear.

Screaming.

The sounds of tearing, of something sharp ripping into something oh so soft and meaty.

The sounds of the once fearsome predator being torn about by the real thing, of his screams of mercy, of his screams for help.

Slowly, I turned my head, and saw the sight I feared to acknowledge.

Crouched over the man in the hood, was a big, white, Grimm.

I didn't know Grimm well, so I have no idea what kind it was, but everyone at least knew what they were. That Grimm were soulless monsters that hungered for nothing but human flesh.

Something no normal human could hope face unarmed.

It crouched over him, tearing into him with its massive clawed hands, each swipe sending a spray of blood flying in a direction, and eliciting another cry of pain.

Then, I felt something wet on my face. Tentatively, dreading each movement, each twitch, I moved a hand up to feel it, to see what it was. As I slowly pulled it back, I found it was exactly what I feared it was.

Blood.

Warm, wet, thick, blood coated my face, covered my once beautiful pale dress, staining it forever.

As I stared at my hand, I began to tremble, my entire body shaking in horror.

This is really happening. This is really happening to me. I thought in numb horror, fear flooding me to the point I couldn't even feel anything else.

Then it stopped using its claws.

It bent down, and shoved its muzzle into his body, biting into him, and tearing off chunks of his flesh. All the while, the man continued to scream in agony, desperately screaming for help or mercy to anyone who would listen.

But no one could come to his aid. He had picked this spot for good reason, because no one would be around to interrupt him. It also meant that no one would be around to hear his screams. No one, except me.

I was shaken from my thoughts as I saw something fly toward me out of the corner of my eyes.

Turning to it, I Immediately regretted my decision to do so.

There, lying at my feet, was a hand.

A bloody, gory, severed hand.

It had been brutally cut off above the elbow, but below the wrist. Blood poured from the grisly wound, the muscle and sinew visible through the flayed skin. The bloodstained fingers still twitched, some last echo of life still in them.

I stumbled back a few steps in horror at it, because it made it so much more real, because i had never seen, never even considered that I would see something like this. That's where I made my mistake

Snap! Went a branch under my foot.

I froze, not just because of the sound, but because of the silence.

The screaming had stopped.

And I knew why

In my heart I knew why

That moment was probably the worst one for me. Because at that moment, I knew the man was dead. I knew I was alone now, all alone with this giant white Grimm.

And I knew I had run out of time

With its prey finally silenced forever, it stopped devouring the man with reckless indulgence. It sat up, slowly turning around to show me its wolf-like face.

It was covered from head to toe in bone-white fur.

It's enormous scythe-like claw were dripping wet with dark crimson blood, standing out against it's almost radiant fur. They twitched in anticipation of it's next conquest, of it's next meal. They twitched in anticipation of me.

It's entire front had been splattered in blood and gore. Large chunks of...something clung to its wet fur, stuck there by the thick globs of blood covering them.

From it's maw dangled a mass of the once living man's intestines, hanging there. A few even trailed back to the dead man, while other simply hung in the air. They were dripping think droplets of the ruby red blood that coated them.

The man himself, for I could see him now, had been torn open, and torn apart. His chest was wide open, exposing what organs were left to the crisp night air. Air that was thick with the heavy, coppery smell of his blood. It was so thick I could taste it in the air. It made me want to vomit, looking at his torn, shredded, unrecognizable body, and being able to taste him in the air.

But the most captivating thing wasn't the body. The most unsettling thing wasn't the blood.

It was it's eyes.

While it may have been covered from head to toe in bone-white fur, its eyes were anything but. I'd call them black, but black didn't feel like the right word. It felt too…weak…too shallow to describe its eyes.

They were empty and soulless…but not. They were hollow and empty, but filled with…something, some kind of hunger. They were infinitely nothing, but still filled with vibrant energy

I don't think anything in the world could truly compare to those eyes. Those eyes that were so incredibly impossible and terrifying. And yet, they couldn't stop the thought from crossing my mind.

They're beautiful

Still, as it looked to me with those eyes, with that hunger, it growled, a deep, hungry, rumbling growl like thunder. It vibrated through me, shaking me to my bones, shaking my very heart.

I knew what would happen next. It was a predator, after all, and I was its prey. So, I did the one thing left to me.

I ran.


A/n:

I bet some of you are wondering what I decided to choose, aren't you?

Am I going to be doing it once a week? Or four times every 2-3 weeks?

Well, I Was going to be doing the burst.

But then, nearly everyone decided to tell me that they wanted me to do once a week after a week or so. So...

I'm doing it twice a week.

Just for this arc.

I really want this arc out super fast, so I'm doing it twice a week for the sake of the story.

I know, I'm so benevolent aren't I?

(Read: Fickle)

Anyway, I've started my return with a giant chapter. Yay.

And 21 chapters, 4 arcs, and 1.25 Acts in I've finally had them actually start school.

Jesus, I am a slow ass motherfucker.

And that's not changing, so, yeah.

Anyway...

We have two new teachers.

And one's Ymir.

The Watchman.

That should go to interesting places.

In any case, the plot thickens and new threads are developing.

Also, I passed 170 follows, and 100 favs. Right now I'm sitting at 117 favs, which makes me happy inside.

Halo is awesome, fuck you.

Edit: Some people who really like this story have changed that. This makes me both happy, and sad.

In any case, I am about to reach 100 reviews, and probably pass it

This has inspired me to do a special thing with it

What is the thing?

Basically everyone who reviews this chapter has a chance to give me a story prompt for a drabble, one shot, or whatever the fuck you call it, for Madness of Death: Dreamstate

Yes, that idea isn't dead.

Now don't make a review with the prompt in it. What I'm doing is I'm just going to randomly pick someone who reviewed this.

Now some of you might think this is an attempt for me to get more reviews

Maybe

But I'm 7 away and I'd be a touch surprised if I didn't pass it with this chap.

Still, though, your reviews give me strength. The past 4 Scenes have been crazy with reviews, nearly doubling them. Scene 20 got 11 to itself, more than any single other.

Apparently you guys really liked my rainbow barf explanation.

You also apparently lost your shit over Summer and Tai.

In any case, the main reason I'm doing this is because I've been helping a lot of people with writing lately and working on new prompts, and it's gone to fun places.

Now, I myself haven't written any of them, they aren't my stories, but I'd be interested to write something based on a premise someone gives me.

Now, it can literally be anything, so long as it's RWBY related. I can tie it into the story as a dream if I want to, thus the title Dreamstate.

It can be an idea like, "What if the Ruby you have (Lilith) met canon Ruby?"

"What if Yang was a cannibal?"

"What if Nora was a duck Faunus?"

Anything

That said, if you aren't specific, I can do whatever the fuck I want with it and give it my own special twist

But, yeah, that's about it.

Now, instead of posting another chapter this week, I might post Dreamstate instead, in which case, I'm just being benevolent(fickle) again.

On the note of me being...benevolent(fickle)...team names.

Remember when I said I loved them?

Well, I love WYVR's. ANBL's I kind of settled with.

Honestly I had another one in mind, ANBR, and I thought it was going to be pretty nice.

Then I remembered that Ruby was using an alias, and I was all like "FUCK!"

So, yeah, ANBL was the best thing I could come up with.

Now, it could be ANBL as in Annabelle, or as in Anvil, because Anvil works phonetically, and as seen with RWBY(RUBY), as long as it sounds similar, it works.

I could also use the suggestion given to me by someone else, which was team BLAN (Blank).

Now, any of those works, and honestly I only kind of care.

For me, the team name isn't terribly important.

Blake, Jaune, Ruby, and Pyrrha are the central team regardless of what the fuck their team is called. The team name, at this point, really doesn't care much weight or significance.

Compared to character growth, development, secrets, darkness, ect., team names really aren't high on the list for me.

So, since you guys probably care more, I'll let you decide.

So, if you really care, PM me your opinion. I'll change it when I feel like enough people have yelled at me.

find and replace is a wonderful tool, and I plan to abuse the fuck out of it.

That said, if you don't give too much of a shit, ignore it.

One final thing before I go. I don't want to hear anyone complain about me not having the dorm rooms like they are in the show.

I know

I also don't care

What I'm doing is basing their school experience, in some ways, off my experience with college.

That means same basic setup for class times and the same general dorm setup.

It lets me be more immersive, detailed, and accurate for writing since I'm drawing on personal experience.

Plus, Beacon's a pretty nice school. They should have alright dorms to go along with that.

Go apartment style.

But yeah, if you get all butthurt about it, then I'm not sorry, and you might want to rethink your priorities regarding this story.

Dorm setup should not be high on your list.

That's about it though. See you later in the week, probably.