Chapter 4: Here Be Monsters; Where the Story Begins
Time: 14:51
Location: A Certain Beacon Airship
Event: Beacon Arrival
"WE'RE HERE!" Ruby yelled, directly into Jaune's ear.
Flinching, Jaune reflexively stepped back and dug the inside of his ear with his ring finger. "Ruby," he murmured with a pain filled groan.
"Sorry," she giggled, using a hand to cover her mouth. "But Jaune! We. Are. Here. BEACON!"
Jaune nodded slowly, almost hesitantly. "Yeah, we are."
Approximately a year ago, if one were to ask Jaune Arc if he ever thought he would ever go to Beacon … he'd probably still say 'Yes?' because he was optimistic and idiotic like that but his skill (or lack thereof) would say otherwise. Seriously, abysmal it was. But now? After learning under a professional Hunter (who was also a combat teacher) and training with two aspiring Huntress (one of which was a prodigy in Grimm slaying)? After being able to behead and bisect Grimm like nothing? He'd definitely say 'Yes!' again, just more confidently.
For the young knight, it was literal dream come true. It helped that he had gained several friends on the way.
"What are you doing!?"
Oh … apparently while Jaune was recounting his greatest achievement in life, Ruby had: lead him from the Airship (wait a minute! He hadn't gotten motion sick! Awesome! The power of being distracted!) to the walkway of Beacon, began fangirling over other student's weapons (no surprise there), gotten abandoned by Yang (... meh, the girl has always been a popular girl and always encouraged Ruby to get more friends) and tripped into a rather crabby yet beautiful girl's luggage.
"S-sorry!" Ruby shouted, instinctively crab-walking towards Jaune.
"'Sorry?' Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?" The girl glared at Ruby, who shrunk back more.
Jaune, who was both admiring the girl's beauty and getting annoyed at her anger towards Ruby, decided to step in. "Er, look," he stepped forwards, drawing both girls' attention. "I assure you, Ruby didn't mean to-"
"I don't care if she meant to or not," the girl shouted. "I care that she could have blow us of the cliff, you dolt!"
Ruby stood, getting very annoyed very quick. "HEY! Don't get mad at Jaune! He was just trying to defend me! Who do you think you are?"
The girl snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm so sorry," she drawled sarcastically. "Tell me, why should I care for a nobody like him? He's just another wannabe, white knight!"
"Well, he no 'nobody'," another girl walked to the scene, an almost amused eyebrow raised. "He's an Arc, and if memory serves correct, he is the only Arc son; Jaune Arc."
While the snow princesses eye widened, Jaune just shrugged, already used to the recognition. "How did you know?"
"The two golden arc, on your sheath. And your looks; it is well known that all Arcs have blue eyes and blonde hair."
Jaune couldn't help but chuckle and the black haired girl turned to Ruby. "And to answer your question, she's Weiss Schnee; heiress to to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of our energy propellant in Remnant."
Weiss, recomposing herself, smiled and nodded at the other girl. "Finally! Some proper recognition."
"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners," the girl added with a smug grin. The knight and reaper couldn't help but snicker at that burn.
"Wha-" Weiss started, turning red from anger. "How dare you! The nerve of... Ugh!"
Weiss turned and stomped away, her servants picking up the suitcases of dust and following her soon after.
Jaune shook his head, though was a bit saddened to see her go. She was really beautiful; maybe next time her saw her he would apologize and hope that they could become friends. With that in mind, he turned to the still unnamed girl.
"Thank you for helping us back there. Jaune Arc." She knew his name but he hoping she would introduce herself.
The girl paused, tilting her head slightly. "Blake. Blake Belladonna." With that, she walked off, pulling a book out from quite seemingly nowhere.
"And I'm Ruby Rose!" said girl yelled to the leaving Blake. "Well, I suppose I'm still at zero; one negative friend and one positive? Maybe?"
Jaune laughed and patted his friend's shoulder. "Well, you still have me, right?" He chuckled once more and added in an after thought, "And Yang too." He began walking towards where Weiss, Yang and Blake walked, believing that was the way to orientation.
Behind him, Ruby blushed and smacked both hands onto her cheeks, muttering something under her breath.
Time: 15:06
Location: Beacon's Auditorium
Event: Orientation After
"..."
"Well," Harry began, rubbing a hand through his hair. "Ozpin really seemed out of it."
He was used to Ozpin downright trolling ways so to see him so … distant was a bit jarring.
Hermione shrugged. "Maybe he's nervous about Initiation tomorrow?"
Daphne frowned and shook her head. "I don't think so. He does that every year, right?"
A girl next to Hermione, named Lisa Turpin (someone who became rather fast friends with the group but especially resonated with Harry), tapped her chin. "Right, but I asked around Vale and apparently Initiation can get pretty dangerous. I think some kids have lost their lives before."
Harry shook his head and sighed. "Goes to show what happened to those that weren't prepared enough," he muttered darkly.
Hannah Abbott, who sat rather close to Neville, shuffled uncomfortably. "That was rather … glum."
Susan Bones nodded, though. "But still truthful." Eyes turning towards her, she continued, "Remember in our sixth year? When the Death Eaters tried taking over Hogwarts with the help from those seventh years? A bunch of students tried stopping them but ended up getting killed." She sighed and slumped into her sleep. "It took those from the DA - those with training - to stop them."
The gather group remained silent, soaking in what the red haired girl said.
"YO! Harry!"
The group jumped in their seats and turned to see a group of three walking towards them.
"Oh, Ruby, Jaune, Yang. These are the three I met that one night," he introduced the three Hunters/Huntresses to his group. He began pointing at one person after another "Guys, this is Hermione, Daphne, Neville, Hannah, Susan and Lisa."
"YO!" Yang said again. "Xiao-Long since we've seen each other, hasn't it? Eh?"
The group of witches and wizards stared in confusion and the girl while the Remnant guardians face palmed. "Yang!" Ruby groaned.
"Bad. Pun," Jaune deadpanned into his palm.
"... can you tell us how that is a pun?" Lisa asked.
"Yang's last name is Xiao-Long," Jaune explained.
"Oh," Harry said. "Yeah, not a good pun."
"Oh? Is that so, Pun-Master?"
Harry paused. "Well, to be honest, not many of my friends like spouting pun so-"
"Then don't go judging!" Yang said smugly.
"Ahem!"
The group turned to see Glynda Goodwitch standing behind them, an unamused look on her face.
"Ms Goodwitch!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Hmm," she hummed. "Do leave the auditorium and follow the tour group, please."
"""Yes, ma'am,""" the group chorused together.
Time: 21:44
Location: Ballroom
Event: Slumber Party!
"Look at all the hot guys!" Yang exclaimed, shamelessly grinning at the multitude of shirtless guys.
Though, she did notice that guys from Earth looked rather uncomfortable and a group of four even glared at jealously at the Remnant boys. Glancing sideways at Ruby, she was unsurprised when she saw that the reaper was staring directly at the ballroom entrance, waiting for a certain someone to enter.
Chuckling, Yang ruffled Ruby's hair, drawing angered cries. "You and your crush," she teased.
"NNOOO!" Ruby complained, throwing off her sister's hand. "I don't have a crush on Jaune!"
Yang's grinned intensified. "Jaune? Who ever said anything about Jaune?"
Ruby faced pillowed, groaning louder. She even went as far as to throw one of her pillows at Yang, who expertly caught it.
Yang decided to take pity on her sister and went back to guy watching, only to see a certain knight. "Oh! Ruby! Look! Jaune's wearing that pajamas you got him!"
Heading snapping up faster than light, Ruby looked up - only to blush brightly and slam her head back into her pillow. Jaune Arc was currently making his way towards the two, wearing a black onesie with a silver scythe and a single rose head printed on its front. Ruby had given it to him when he had been officially accepted into Beacon, knowing very well that she was essentially 'claiming' him, as per Yang's advice.
"Hey, Ruby! I'm wearing the gift you got me!" Jaune waved at his friend, who refused to look up, much to his confusion. "Er, what's wrong?"
"nothing," she insisted, voice muffled by the pillow. Yang could see that her blush had somehow traveled to the back of her neck and was slowly spreading to the rest of her body.
Jaune frowned and glanced at Yang. "It's nothing, Vomit Boy. She's just excited for tomorrow and really wants to fall asleep so it comes quicker," Yang explained, flawlessly coming up with the lie.
"Doesn't help that she continuously munches on cookies," Jaune pointed out with a chuckle.
When no answer came from the red girl, Yang shrugged. "C'mon, Sir Knight. Let's get to bed."
"Going to bed so soon?"
The two looked to see Harry standing behind Jaune, wearing black jogging bottoms and a plain black shirt.
Jaune shrugged. "Might as well, nothing to really do."
"How about a quick duel?" Harry asked. "I have yet to fight a fighter from Remnant!"
"HARRY!" Hermione scolded as she stomped forwards. "No fighting! Not yet! You need your rest for tomorrow."
Harry snorted and waved a hand. "I'll be fine, don't worry too much."
Daphne frowned from next to Hermione. "She's right, Harry. You're our best fighter, we kind of need you at your strongest since, you know, we'll die." She suddenly grinned. "I'm sure I can - ... get you tired enough to fall asleep," she finished innocently, glancing only briefly at Ruby.
Jaune blushed at the comment, Yang looked on appreciating, and Harry face palmed. Hermione only sighed before binding the girl in ropes and dragged her off to their beds. "I'm expecting you to see you in bed in ten minutes, Harry."
Daphne's face visibly brightened. "You just gave me that!" She exclaimed with bright eyes, only to be silenced by Hermione.
Harry waved at her. "See ya."
Yang grinned. "I like her," she declared. "That was Daphne, right?"
Harry shook his head. "Yeah, she is. The weirdest Pureblood out there. Besides, maybe, Luna Lovegood. But just barely."
"Well," Jaune tilted his head. "That was something."
"Dolts!" Weiss said as she stomped towards the group. "Can't you see that some people are trying to sleep?!"
Harry glanced at the group of wrestling boys, who continuously grunted and groaned loudly. "Er, sorry, I guess."
Weiss turned to glare at him while Yang scowled and crossed her arms. "You're that 'snow princess' that Ruby mentioned, aren't you?"
Weiss frowned and glanced at the (still!) pillow-stuffed girl. "I admit, we got off on the wrong foot," she relented only to glare at Yang. "I still know that it was entirely her fault! The idiot should look where she is going!"
Harry frowned and glanced back at the beds, or more specifically, Draco Malfoy. "I think I know a guy that you'll get along with … or really, really hate."
Weiss scowled at Harry. "Oh? And what makes you say that?"
"You're both annoying, uptight, have your noses pointed upwards, etcetera, etcetera," he explained, causing her to turn bright red.
"Harry," Hermione deadpanned as she walked up to him. "Please don't go insulting world famous heiresses. It won't end well." She turned to Weiss. "I apologize for my friend, Weiss Schnee."
Weiss cooled off slightly at that while Harry turned and frowned at her. "She's another Malfoy."
Hermione glared lightly at him. "You've only talked for, what? Five minutes?"
"True, but I began hating Malfoy in that same amount of time," Harry defended himself.
"Who's this Malfoy?" Jaune asked.
Harry pointed at the white haired boy. "Him. He even looks like Schnee, doesn't he?"
Weiss scoffed and cross her arms. "My hair is a thousand times better than his. Mine doesn't even require that many products to look good!" She flipped her hair as though to prove her point.
"Agreed," Jaune said almost automatically, causing Weiss to blush slightly and Yang to frown and glance at Ruby.
Harry couldn't help but laugh. "Wow, maybe you're not that bad after all."
"She's still uptight and arrogant," Yang reminded.
Harry snorted. "Not as bad as Malfoy. And considering I haven't killed him yet, I think I can handle her."
"Excuse me," Blake said as she walked up, holding a book to her chest.
Jaune smiled at the girl. "Hello, Blake. How was your day?"
Blake blinked in surprise for a moment before a neutral look replaced it. "Fine. But you do realize that it is time to sleep, correct?"
"Oh," Jaune said sheepishly. "Sorry. She's right. We should go to bed."
Harry chuckled. "Sure, nice meeting you, Blake. Not so much you, Ice Queen."
He immediately received a chop to head courtesy of Hermione while Weiss huffed and walked away. Blake just rolled her eyes, waved at Jaune and walked back to her corner. And with that, she blew out her candle, effectively drowning her side of the room in darkness.
Time: 8:21
Location: Ballroom
Event: It's!
"It's morning! It's morning! It's morning! It's morning!"
Harry blearily opened his eyes and glanced at the source of the sound. A orange haired girl was literally bouncing around the room. A fairly Asian looking teen- which was weird as Harry was certain that Asia was located in his world and, to his knowledge, there wasn't any equivalent in Remnant (once again, an unanswered question) - just sighed as he followed the girl out of the ballroom.
"I can't believe we've been at Beacon for a full twenty-four hours! Not that I thought we'd get kicked out or anything, I mean, you're the perfect student and I…"
As the two left, Harry just blinked, still sitting up in bed.
"... That was something."
"I know, right?"
Harry turned and saw Daphne was also awake and sitting up, a book in hand. "Morning," she waved.
"... hi," he deadpanned.
Daphne rolled her eyes. "I see you're still not accustomed to the new time?"
Harry groaned. "No," he said. "Just not a morning person. In fact, your aren't either. You're usually still sleeping and Hermione is needed to wake you up."
She shrugged in response. "Yeah, woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't fall back to sleep. To jittery."
"Just don't let it get to you," Harry advised. "You need to be rested enough for Initiation. If needed, you can try falling back asleep. It doesn't start for another," he swiftly casted tempus. "Three, four hours."
"I'll be fine," she assured.
Harry frowned. "Don't be stubborn. People have died in this, remember?"
She was quiet for a moment before asking, in an unnaturally serious tone, "You'll protect me? Right?"
Harry blinked in surprise, not knowing where that came from. "Of course," he replied, barely missing a beat. "I'll protect all of my friends."
Daphne smiled at him and his heart fluttered in his chest. "Thanks, Harry. You're truly a great friend."
With that, she placed her book on the ground, turned over and was asleep in seconds.
Harry just stared at her sleeping form, too shocked to do otherwise. With confused sigh, he turned to look at Hermione, only to find her grinning at him. "That was nice of you," she said cheekily. "A bit stalkerish at the end but sweet nonetheless."
Harry scowled at her. "Don't go saying thing like that. People could get the wrong idea."
She shook her head, still grinning. "So tsun-tsun," she teased, confusing Harry. The girl has been watching a bunch of anime since she had arrived and had picked up on some terms. "Still, you are truly a great friend."
Harry sighed. "Thanks, I suppose. Don't have many friends, do I? But I do cherish you guys. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. Especially if it was on my watch. I guess what I'm trying to say is that: I really appreciate having friends, you especially, Hermione. You've stayed with me since the beginning, even in my toughest and darkest moments."
Hermione paused and tilted her head. "You still having nightmares about Quirrell?" She asked, knowing very well what his 'darkest moment' was.
But, to her relief, he shook his head. "No, they haven't shown up since fifth year, mainly because Voldemort replaced them. But I guess I'm over it now." He sighed and leaned back into his pillows. "It still appears occasionally in my thoughts but nothing too serious."
It was a true testament to Hermione's loyalty and willpower that she didn't even flinch at Voldemort's name. "We're here for you, Harry. I know I can't comfort you the same way Ron did but I will always be your friend. I'll be with you until the end."
Harry just stared at her, wondering where to go from here. "Man, I don't know how to respond to that. I kind of wished you hadn't said that, after all, you still have your own family."
Hermione blushed and scoffed lightly. "You are part of my family, Harry."
Harry smiled at her, thankful that he had such a great friend. "Same, Hermione, same." He couldn't help but gaze around the room, just briefly stopping on the forms of Jaune, Ruby and Yang. "Who knows, maybe one day, some of these guys will-" He stopped suddenly, eyes bulging slightly out of his head.
Hermione frowned in worry. "What's wrong?"
"That girl," he whispered and nodded towards said girl.
Hermione jumped on her bed and blinked in shock. "She look like …"
The girl had scarlet red hair, alabaster skin and emerald green eyes. But it wasn't the fact that she was draw-dropping beautiful or that she was longingly staring at the sleeping form of Jaune (as weird and stalkerish as it was) but the fact that she looked was an exact copy of:
"My mother," Harry finished.
The Lily-look-alike seemed to have noticed there looks as she turned and faced them, a slight blush on her face. From here, Hermione could see her eyes flickering back and forth between the two and Jaune.
Playing it cool, Hermione raised an eyebrow and waved towards Jaune. The girl just blushed brighter and walked out of the room, holding her burning cheeks. Harry just watched her go, still shocked.
"Well, that was something," Hermione couldn't help but say in an amused tone. "Do you think it would work? You and her? You do look exactly like your-"
"No," he deadpanned. "Absolutely not. That just weird. Stop. Please."
Hermione couldn't help but laugh.
Time: 11:29
Location: Locker Room
Event: Locker Room Set Ups
Jaune grinned when he entered the room, immediately seeing a certain 'Snow Princess. 'Here's my chance!' He thought to himself.
'Nothing can come between us now!' Weiss thought excitedly.
Only to be forcefully torn from her (slightly evil and scheming) thoughts when a certain knight walked up.
"Hello, Snow Princess. Long time no see," he said with an accompanying wink.
Weiss groaned and sighed into her hand. "What do you want, dolt?" She asked, picking up her head to glare at the blonde.
He shrugged. "Like you said last night: we got off on the wrong foot. So, let's start over. I'm Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."
Weiss face palmed again. "Do they?" She questioned with a scoff, crossing her arms.
"I do," Pyrrha proclaimed, physically entering herself between Weiss and Jaune. "Pyrrha Nikos. It's been a while, Jaune."
Jaune blinked in surprise. "We've met?" He asked the Amazon.
She nodded eagerly. "At the Crossroads. Or Vytal, to be more correct."
"Oh," he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry for not remembering you."
"It's no problem," Pyrrha assured. "It has been quite some time since we've last talked. I had hoped we would see each other sooner but I am glad to see you, nonetheless."
Though Jaune did not see it (Weiss certainly did), the girl was clearly thrilled to see the knight again. If the girl was more adventurous and just slightly more desperate, she'd be hanging off his arm with an adoring look on her face.
"Wait," Weiss shouted, pushing the two away from each other. "Arc, do you not know who this is?"
"Er, Pyrrha Nikos. She said so herself," Jaune pointed out.
"No, you dolt!" She exclaimed. "She's the-"
She could say no more, as a red and bronze spear suddenly sent her flying away. Jaune blinked as he saw his crush smash against the wall on the other side of the locker room. 'What just happened?' He wondered.
Turning to Pyrrha, he saw her standing completely straight, a wide and innocent smile on her face. "I do hope Weiss is alright, it'd be a shame to see her hurt." The way she said it only intensified the creepiness of her smile.
Weiss only groaned, hanging her head in shame and shock.
"Welp," Harry commented as he walked to the two, the rest of his group following behind. "She looks like she's having a bad day."
Hermione rolled her eyes and walked to Weiss, planning on helping her down. She found it to be futile, as her lack of strength made it impossible to pull the spear out of the wall. After a moment, Neville, Hannah and Susan went to help her.
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Pyrrha assured. She shuffled uncomfortably on her feet when she recognized Harry to be one of two that caught her staring at Jaune, but nevertheless, she lightly glared at him, willing him to be silent. "Pyrrha Nikos," she introduced herself.
Harry, minorly caught off by the redhead's glare (that looks so much like his mother's), nodded at her. "Harry Potter. The two behind me are Daphne and Lisa. The four helping Weiss are Hermione, Neville, Hannah and Susan." He turned to Jaune. "Where are the other two? Ruby and Yang, that is?"
Even before Jaune could answer, the Gryffindor colored girl interjected with, "Who?"
Heavily resisting the urge to smirk, Harry shrugged. "Oh, they're two sisters that Jaune is close with. I'm pretty sure he's dating one of the," he trolled.
"No, no, no," he rattled off, glancing momentarily to where Weiss was still hanging. "I'm not dating any of them."
Behind him, Pyrrha had a serious eye twitch and was giving Harry the second scariest glare he had ever received (it was on par with his mother's but because he has seen it before Pyrrha's, it was second) with an empty smile. Though he did not know the word - Hermione and her otaku ways would - Pyrrha was easily pulling off a perfect Yandere smile. Next to him, Daphne and Lisa whimpered and shrunk back.
Harry smiled weakly. "Well, I need to go … do other stuff. Why don't you two go get Weiss off that wall." With that, he walked away, his friends following close behind.
Seeing the group (and the absolute troll) walk away, Pyrrha sighed before quickly replacing her frown with a wide smile. "Well, Jaune," she beamed. "I think I'd be a great idea if we get a quick lunch. It wouldn't do to go into Initiation on an empty stomach."
Once again, someone shouted before Jaune could answer.
"JAUNE!" Ruby yelled with a wave, entering with Yang close behind. "There you are!"
Pyrrha couldn't keep her glare off even if she tried. "It that Ruby and Yang?" She asked in a deceivingly nice tone.
Jaune nodded as he waved back. "Yup, that's them."
As the girls approached, Pyrrha quickly analyzed them. Not on their combat prowess but rather, their threat levels in accordance to her. She immediately zeroed in on the older girl, believing the younger one to not be a threat for even a second. 'She is definitely a problem! Her physical appearance alone is enough of a threat. Not to mention how close enough she is to Jaune, if what Harry said is true.'
"We've been looking all over for you, Vomit Boy!" Yang exclaimed slugging him on the shoulder.
'Pet names!' Pyrrha worried. 'The book said that's stage 5!' Referencing a book she read about relationships, Pyrrha gulped nervously. 'I almost have no chance with him! Almost …'
With narrowed eyes, Pyrrha smiled at Yang. "Hello, I'm Pyrrha Nikos."
"Yang," the girl greeted, with a confused tilt of her head. To her knowledge, this was the first time she had even met the champion and she did not remember ever offending her.
"OOOO!" Ruby fangirled. "You're the Champion! It's so great to meet you!"
"'Champion'," Jaune asked. "Champion of what?"
As Ruby turned to inform her crush, she froze when she caught sight of Pyrrha. A wicked smile was on her face, a slight tilt to her head and a dangerous aura rolling off her. "N-nothing," she whimpered as she shrunk behind her sister.
Yang's eye narrowed and Pyrrha met her glare with her own. Before the two could engaged in a battle of wills - both for different reasons - a loud announcement was heard.
"Would all first year students please report to Beacon's cliff for Initiation. Again, all first year students report to Beacon's cliff immediately." Glynda's voice was heard from a speaker.
"Well," Jaune started. "Looks like its time."
'Time to prove myself!' Jaune thought. 'All of Qrow's training will be put to the test now!'
'Ahhh yeah!' Ruby internally cheered. 'Time to slay some Grimm! And get on Jaune's team!'
'I wonder what Pyrrha's problem is,' Yang wondered.
'I NEED to get on Jaune's team, no matter what and through any means!' Pyrrha dramatically confided to herself.
"HELP! I'm still stuck here!" Weiss whined.
Time: 12:02
Location: Beacon's 'Launching' Cliffs
Event: Initiation: Start!
"Welcome, to the much awaited moment," Ozpin said loudly when the last person stepped onto the plate. "For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
Glynda stepped forward and addressed the initiates. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of how teams are assigned. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today."
"What?" Ruby murmured, mostly to herself but slightly to the Jaune, who was on the pad next to her. "Oh man ..."
Ozpin spoke again. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. However, I ask all those from Earth to step off as your Initiation will be held shortly after Remnant's students are paired. We want to pair you up with each other so that when you return to Earth, you are better off."
Everyone from Earth blinked in surprise before following the man's directions.
Ozpin grinned momentarily. "With that said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
"Whaaaaaat?!" Ruby's jaw dropped, staring at Jaune in shock and worry. Her entire world was crashing around her; her dreams of becoming an awesome Huntresses with an equally awesome team - that absolutely included Jaune and her sister - was dwindling to a near nothing.
A ginger girl said, "See? I told you!"
"After you've partnered up," Ozpin continued. "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."
Jaune took a deep breathe and began mentally preparing himself. Today was the day. Where his fate would be decided. If he failed, today, he would be sent back home and forced back into a life of normality. Well, he could also die but he was certain that his skill would save him from that fate.
"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the 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?"
He was met with silence and the man nodded satisfactory. "Good! Then, let us begin!"
Jaune breathed deeply and be preparing himself for- "Wait, Professor!" He yelled.
The man raised an eyebrow at the young man. "Yes?"
"What do you mean by 'landing'?"
The man chuckled before pointing off the cliff. The boy turned and his eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw his fellow students falling through the air. "We are launching you into the forest and it is up to you to create a landing strategy," he stated the obvious.
Jaune's mouth flapped open and close like a suffocating fish before stuttering, "W-wait! I have motion-"
In the next second, he was set flying off, screaming at the top of his lungs like a girl.
Time: 12:14
Location: Beacon's 'Launching' Cliffs
Event: Initiation: For Earth
"Hmm, it's a good thing that Miss Nikos has a developed a certain liking to Mr. Arc," Ozpin commented with a small smirk, staring at the small scene on his scroll where said two were walking through the forest.
Glynda rolled her eyes. "Yes, what good chances!" She exclaimed dramatically. "Not like you did it on purpose, you manipulative bastard," she added under her breath.
"Now, then," Ozpin said loudly, turning to the Earthlings. "Ready for your own start?"
Neville gulped loudly. "A-ar-are we going to be thrown off like that? Because, I don't think I'll survive!"
Ozpin just raised an eyebrow while Glynda used her Semblance to place the protesting Earth initiates on the platforms. "To my knowledge," he glanced briefly at Harry. "You have the ability to instantly transport yourself, correct? Also I was told that you have several spells that not only slow your descent but make a softer landing." He cleared his thought. "That being said, I am forbidding any of you from simply teleporting yourselves to the finish. You may only use it in emergency situations and for a landing strategy. Using it in any other situation will lead to your expulsion."
Glynda stepped forward, drawing the student's attention. "To add, we have also changed Earth's relic's location. Your relics are located in the northwest part of the forest. It is, specifically, in a small cabin and you must find a certain item within it."
Hermione raised a hand. "How will we know what is a relic and what is not?"
Glynda smirked slightly. "Oh, you will know."
Ozpin spoke up, much to the pseudo-witches' disappointment. "To be more specific, everything in the cabin are old and worn down while the relics are fairly better looking."
The Hogwarts transferees nodded in understanding and began taking their positions.
Harry and a nervous Neville readjusted their gloves, which they bought so that they could hold their weapons better. Hermione was murmuring several spells under her breathe, categorizing which would be best to help her land. Surprisingly, Daphne was shaking slightly, shooting pleading glances at her friends. To her relief and slight confusion, Harry caught her looks and mouthed 'Third year, Quidditch game.' It only took her a second to remember.
"Hmm ... launch!"
All at once, the Earth students were sent into the sky.
Time: 12:25
Location: Emerald Forest
Event: Initiation: Meet the Enemy
"Arresto Momento!" With a whooshing of air and the hum of magic, Harry slowed to a near stop, only a few meters off the ground. He had overcharged the spells as normally, the spell wouldn't be able to slow someone as much. While useful for some spells, it was generally better to avoid doing it with most spells as it usually led to the same results, just quicker and more magic consuming.
As he slowly approached the ground, Harry took in his landing sight. A pretty clear landing with bright green grass and a few bushes here and there. It was surrounded by emerald leafed trees with thick roots and thicker trunks.
'Good, looks like no Grimm are around,' he thought as he touched down.
"Hmm," Harry hummed to himself as a thought occurred to him. 'I wonder who my partner and team mates are going to be. No one has said anything about how teams are formed. Usually, all people say is that they usually form names by using the team member's' initials and should resemble or reference a colour's name. But exactly how they form them in Initiation? Zero, zilch, nothing.'
Sighing softly, Harry used the Four-Points spell to find his destination. 'Righty then! Let's do this.'
As he walked towards the relic's cabin, Harry took in the forest. 'Wow! Port was right! The Emerald Forest is really beautiful.' He paused his thoughts. 'Though, I suppose it helps that I have never seen a forest this close!'
*Gggrrrwwwrrl*
Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the growl. 'Oh,' he gulped and drew the Sword of Gryffindor. 'So that's what a Beowolf looks like.'
The Grimm howled at him and soon, four others appeared around Harry, effectively surrounding him and cutting off all chances of escape.
'Oh, what was that quote? From that Dino movie? Oh yeah!'
"Clever girl," Harry said to the Grimm. He, like the time he faced those robots back on the second day at Beacon, began turning in place, doing his best to keep an eye on all the Beowolves. "Port was right, I should never underestimate the Grimm."
The lead Beowolf roared in response.
"You better not be calling for more!" Harry yelled, against his better judgment, charged the Beowolf.
…
Opening with a Reducto - which threw the Grimm back but otherwise did nothing -, Harry quickly followed it with a horizontal slash. The Grimm did not even move out of the way, and its head went flying into the air. But at the same moment, another Beowolf smashed into his side.
'Protect me Magic!'
Harry was thrown against a tree but he quickly rebounded off it and slashed twice at the lead Beowolf. Unlike his previous brethren, the Beowolf leaned back to avoid the slashes and back handed Harry away.
Rolling, Harry jumped back at another pair of Beowolf. He decided that it'd be best if he left the lead Beowulf for last, seeing it was the smartest and strongest. A Diffindo and a slash ended both but a Grimm slammed into his back, knocking him to the ground. To his absolute horror, he found himself face to the ground with a deadly monster on top of him. Without wasting a second, the Beowolf began clawing his back, a relentless attack of pain that dug deep into his skin.
He tried bucking the Beowolf off but found it was to heavy for him and it easily maintained its position above him, one paw on his shoulder, and knees on his waist. Eyes darting around the forest and free arm waving uselessly, Harry felt his magic dwindle. It was a grim reminder to Harry, and easily showed how strong and sharp the Beowolf's claws were as this one Beowolf had drained his magic more and faster than Malfoy could after ten minutes of continuously hitting him.
'I can die here! Not now! Not when I've gone this far!' For the first time in his life, Harry feared for his life. Every time before, when he dived headfirst into danger, he had never thought of how easily he could lose his life. It usually wasn't until after, after he had come out victorious, then did he think of how dangerous it was. 'Shit, dammit. Someone, anyone! Help!'
"Diffindo!" A voice shouted.
Harry could have cried right then and there as Neville came charging in, lance and wand in hand.
The Beowolf slumped on top of him. But with a roar of magic, he threw the corpse off of him and stood up, wincing when he felt his wounds slowly heal. One thing about magic he had forgotten, is that magic could not protect him from everything. Usually, it was more common for magic to heal a wound than to fully protect from injury. Wizard needed to train their magic to protect themselves.
Neville rushed to Harry's side, keeping an eye on the last Beowolf, which just watched. "You good? Can you stand?"
"I'm good," Harry told him, wincing slightly. "Thanks, mate. Saved my ass."
Neville gave a short, dry laugh. "Harry, I really thought you were dead back then."
"So did I, so did I." Harry turned to the lead Beowulf, which snarled and bared its fangs. "Do you mind taking care of that?"
Neville nodded and charged the Grimm, holding his lance in a two handed grip. "Face my blade; Galahad!"
Before the Beowolf could even bark in surprise, Neville's lance extended and pierced into its chest. He quickly shorted his lance and the wolf slumped to the ground motionlessly.
Harry raised an eyebrow as Neville returned to him, pulling his wand back out to begin healing him. "'Galahad'? 'Face my blade'?" Harry asked with a chuckle.
Neville grinned sheepishly. "Well, isn't it accustomed to name your weapons in Remnant? I thought it was a good name. Mom would read me about how the knight Galahad would go and retrieve the Holy Grail."
"Really?" Harry asked. "Auntie would read you Le Morte d'Arthur? Isn't that a bit complicated to read to a child."
"Well," Neville chuckled. "It was a pretty edited and shortened version."
Harry shook his head. "Thinking of becoming a Knight?" He asked with a raised brow.
"When I was a kid? Totally! Now, eh. Don't think I can," he admitted with a shrug.
Harry hummed and, after Neville was done, stood straight and looked him directly in the eye. "Looks like we're partners." He raised his hand with a grin.
Neville grinned back and clasped his hand with a loud slap. "Looks like it!"
"Come, Knight!" Harry joked with a flourishing wave, picking his sword up in the process. "Let us begin our quest for the Grail!"
"Aye, aye! Your majesty!" Neville said back, bowing back.
Two screams pierced the silent forest, breaking the two from their bantering.
"Was that …" Neville could have sworn that scream was familiar.
"HERMIONE! DAPHNE!" Harry roared, charging straight to where the screams originated.
Time: 12:47
Location: Emerald Forest
Event: Initiation: Save the Girl
Harry had never ran so fast. He had thought that he had ran fast when he was chasing after Pettigrew, his legs fueled by anger and adrenaline. But now, legs empowered by his magic, adrenaline and fear? He was a blur; ducking under branches, jumping over fallen trees and even scaling a small cliff in record time. Nothing would stop him. Any Grimm he met was quickly sliced apart and he didn't even break his stride, determined to save his friends.
"HERMIONE!" He yelled as he charged into another clearing. "DAPHNE!"
"HELP!"
Whipping to the voice, Harry was slightly relieved to not see his two friends. But his anger only returned ten fold when he saw Lisa and a freckled girl cowering, a Ursa Major and a Minor cornering them against a rather large tree.
"FUCKERS!" He roared and charged the two Grimm.
The two Grimm turned to him, finally recognizing him as a threat. Harry sprinted forwards with his sword raised him above his head. The boy was thirsty for blood, a hunger that he had never felt before. Never before had he ever wanted to kill something so badly. The only time he had felt something even close is when he learned that Hermione, Ron and his sisters petrified by the Basilisk. Back then, he had mindless attacked anyone and everything and it wasn't until he found the note in Hermione's hand did he direct it towards the culprit. But now, his fury was a consuming rage that wanted to see the Grimm torn apart at the seams. He wanted their dead bodies at his feet, sliced into meaningless pieces. So it was almost hilarious when the Major just backhanded him into a tree, stopping his charge short.
He gasped when he heard a loud crack, knowing very well that such a old and large tree would not break so easily. He flopped to the ground, his magic racing to heal his injuries. With a soft whimper, Harry felt the last of his magic heal his back.
'Shit! How can I save them now? Without magic, I'm useless.' Groaning, Harry shakily stood up onto his feet. ''I … I-I can't save them," he said aloud. "Not without my magic."
He glared at the Ursas. The Major was slowly lumbering towards him, almost mockingly so. The Minor was heading towards the two fearful witches, growling hungrily. "Dammit, I can't give up now!"
Picking up a large rock, he hurled it at the Minor. The rock entirely missed by an entire meter but it served its purpose of drawing the Minor's attention.
"RUN!" Harry yelled to Lisa and the other girl. "Now! While you still can!"
Without even blinking, Lisa took the other girl's hand and raced out of the clearing. The Minor growled like it wanted to chase after but decided against it and glared at Harry.
"I don't suppose you'll allow me to just walk away?" Harry asked with a dry chuckle.
The two Grimm roared and the Minor charged at him on four legs.
"I'll take that as a now," he muttered sarcastically and rolled to avoid the attack.
'Speed,' he reminded himself. 'Speed is on your side. Dad was right!'
He ducked under a swing from the Major and risked a slash. It didn't even pierce the hide and the Grimm followed with a backhand with its other paw. Harry barely managed to roll out of the way. But not even a moment later, the Minor was upon him, swinging its arms madly. He weaved in and out of the attacks, using his superior speed to dodge the blows.
Sadly for Harry, defence was not his forte. In fact, he was a near master of offence, able to kill even troll after some time, wit and - sadly - his excessive amount of magic. But he did not have his magic now. He was a running gazelle. Prey for the Grimm like a zebra to a lion.
He grunted and cried out when a paw smashed into his chest, a glancing blow but it still sent him flying towards the familiar, thick tree that Lisa was trapped against.
"No," he moaned weakly. "Fuck me."
Gasping for breath, Harry watched a the bears stomped towards him, obviously enjoying their victory. But if there was one thing about Harry Potter - a fact shared with all his family, in fact- is that he would never give up.
"Come on then," Harry groaned. "Let's finish this."
The Minor bellowed in agreement and the Major snorted, eyes never leaving his. It was scary, to see some form of intelligence in the supposedly soulless creatures. And for some reason, a horrifying fact that he wouldn't realize until later, he couldn't help but respect the monster a bit.
"DIE! Confingo!"
The Minor howled in pain as the flames burned its skin, waving its arms senselessly. It even managed to knock over the Major in one of its swings, despite the large differences in size and strength.
"Harry!" Lisa yelled. Following close behind was Neville, Hermione, Daphne and the other girl he had saved.
"Oh, man, you still alive?" Neville asked as he saw him up.
Harry just nodded, too surprised and tried to answer.
"I'm so sorry, Harry," Lisa whimpered. "I just abandoned you! Even when you save us!"
He turned to Lisa, nodding slowly. "You came back," he managed to mutter. "And that's all that matters. Thank you."
Daphne scowled. "She wouldn't have unless we stopper her!"
The girl bowed her head, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed again. "I swear, I'll make it up to you. I'll repay you in any way."
Grunting, he nodded at the two Ursai. "Then do you mind killing those two?"
The Minor had managed to put the flames out and the Major had picked itself up. Both were now growling menacingly at the group, paws digging into the ground.
A dark look passed over Lisa's face. "With pleasure!" She growled back at the Grimm. "C'mon Sally. Let's take the big one."
"No," Daphne said and lightly smacked her head. "The two of you will distract the Major." Both girls moved to argue back. "Shut up! We'll take out that Minor and help deal with that Major."
Lisa hesitated for a moment but then nodded. "We'll do it," she promised.
Time: ?
Location: Emerald Forest
Event: Initiation: Unleash the Power
Things had gone wrong from the beginning. The the two Ursai had switched their planned roles and now it was the trio against the Major and the pair against the Minor. They had also underestimated the Grimm. Hermione, Daphne and Neville thought that they could distract the Major easily but it proved to be a difficult task even with their magic. Its armored parts, which covered most of its body, resisted magic and the thing was smart enough to not get into a disadvantaged position. Any time the three tried to set up a crossfire, the Grimm would charge them and they were forced to dive out of the way, thus breaking their crossfire.
Lisa Turpin and Sally-Anne Smith were not faring better. Two other girls, Tracey Davis and Leanna Murphy had joined the fray halfway into the fight with another Minor on their heels. But the two Ursai used a combination of charges and blindsided surprise attacks to keep the girls on their feet. It didn't help that only Lisa had some combat training outside of DADA.
And then there was Harry, who felt completely useless as he leaned against the tree. His magic was slowly returning to him but he could only rest and watch as his friends risked their limbs and lives to save him.
'No! This isn't right,' he thought to himself angrily. "I should be the one doing the protecting! I'm supposed to take the hits! I'm an absolute failure!'
-Oh? Is that so, Heir of Godric?-
Blinking in surprise, Harry's head whipped around, looking for the source of the voice, which sounded as though a British man was trying to sound like he was royalty.
-Down here, Heir-
Still blinking, Harry looked down at the Sword of Gryffindor, which was strangely glowing with an odd light. "Wat?"
-Ah! Sir Heir! Do you wish to save your friends?-
Harry stared at the sword. "You better not be a demon or something, trying to trick me into freeing you," he deadpanned.
-Let's get serious Heir! Your friends are dying out there! As if to prove the sword's point, Neville tried shielding against an attack but it smashed straight through the magical shield. The paw continued and slammed against the boy but he quickly got back up and rejoined the fight. -I know for a fact that no true Heir of Godric would just stand by and allow his comrades die in front of him! Save them! Heir! Grasp the power within me! Wield it and slay these monsters!-
"Er," Harry started as he gripped the sword. "How do I do that."
-... Honestly, I don't know-
"What?! What do you mean?!"
"HARRY?" Hermione yelled worried only to yelp as she had to duck under a blow.
-Godric usually handled that part. He would yelled out the activation phrase and I fed him the power-
"What is the 'activation phrase?" Harry shouted at the sword.
"Harry? You alright back there?" Neville asked.
-It doesn't matter. He usually just yelled whatever. It was used to tell me when I needed to start working!-
"Then start working then!" Harry demanded.
-Say the activation phrase!-
"What activati-"
-Just yell something! Hold me in front of yourself before you do, though-
Growling in annoyance, Harry climbed to his feet and held the Sword of Gryffindor in a two handed grip. "Fine then. You want an activation phrase?" He asked the sword hypothetically. "I'll give you one! Ignite!"
With a bright flash, a blaze of fire and a rushing of wind, knowledge and power flowed into Harry like a river. The dam had broken, and the boy could only be washed away.
…
"Hmm, a sentient sword?"
'Aye, your majesty. I am'
"So very interesting! I must admit, this is the very first time I have ever met a living sword. And a beautifully made one at that."
'I thank you, your majesty.'
"Tell me, sword, who has made you? I wish to seek them out so that he may create more of you!"
'I do not know, your majesty. I was not … awake when I was made.'
"Is that so? Then I apologize, then."
'There is no need, your majesty. It is an honour to serve under someone as great as you.'
"Very humble and grateful, you are?"
'I hope so. My previous owner told me to be so."
"A wise man, then. It is always best to respect others, even those you have not met."
'Thank you, your majesty. My previous master said that something about how it was best to be kind to all, as I hold the power that others can only dream of wielding. Something about responsibility, power and kindness.'
"Hmm. Do you have a name, sword?"
'I do, your majesty.'
"Do you care to tell me?"
'No, your majesty. But if it is important you, and if you so demand it; I will tell you.'
"Tell me, sword, your name. I wish to know it."
…
"My word! A speaking sword!"
'I am, Godric Gryffindor. My previous master has spoken very highly of you.'
''Previous master'? Are you speaking of-"
'No, Sir Godric. Not Sir Merlin.'
"Not Merlin … but then, you must be talking about … My lord. You must be- no, it is an absolute honour to wield the blade of such a man!'
'Heh, Sir Godric. I once said something very similar to my old master. But, you are now my owner, Sir Godric.'
"I-i am? That is- I am honoured, sword!"
'Thank you, Sir Godric, for your kind praise.'
"Do tell, sword. What was your name?"
'... my name is-'
…
"Excalibur! Take Me Away!"
Harry flew forwards, the winds carrying him towards the Ursa Major. The Grimm could only widen its eyes before Harry smashed into it, sending it flying away. The force of the blow created a shockwave when his sword slammed into the Grimm's chest, throwing dust and dirt high into the air.
The seven Beacon initiates and the two Ursa Minors blinked in shock, not knowing what happened.
"Harry?" Hermione called into the dust cloud. "Are you alright? What just happened?"
Harry did not reply. However, as the dust and dirt settled, the seven's eye widened when they saw what the cloud had hidden. Harry stood on the chest of the Major, its head missing entirely. He was holding the Sword of Gryffindor in two hands. But something was different about the Sword. Before, the blade had been slightly curved and covered in rubies. Even the hilt had been inlaied with the red jewels, making it hard to actually grip the weapon. But now; now it resembled a knightly sword; a straight blade and grip. Moreover the rubies disappeared from the grip and were placed on both ends of the crossguard. This form of the Sword had obviously been more intended for combat situations than its previous. The Killing Curse-eyed teen glared at the two Ursai, pointing his weapon threateningly at them. There was a certain promise in his eyes, a dangerous glint that spelled the Ursasi Minors' end.
Throwing themselves out of their stupor, the Grimm charged forwards, howling for Harry's blood.
In a display of explosive power that he definitely did not possess before, Harry launched himself at the Grimm, the air pushing him forwards and acting as a shield. Flying above the Ursai, Harry slashed downwards and behead the first Ursa in the blink of an eye. The second Ursa stopped itself and managed to pivot in place, turning to face directly where Harry landed. He was in a perfect three-point landing, using a single hand to hold his sword.
Harry scoffed at the last Grimm, which roared in defiance and charged once more. 'Seems like seeing its brethren die has enraged it.'
Almost lazily, Harry dodged the claws, never needing to move his empowered body much to weave away from the attacks. Then, faster than the others could see, he sliced the Ursa from groin to shoulder in a single blow; a far cry from his previous attacks - seeing as they had only managed to scratch the Ursa before.
With the Grimm dead and himself victorious, Harry sighed and willed the power from the sword drain away. "Go, Excalibur. Your work is done, for now."
With a dim flash, the sword of Gryffindor return-
Harry blinked and stared at the sword in his hands, which hand remained in its straight form.
-Ah, yes, Sir Harry. That is the combative form of myself. The other from was my ceremonial form, otherwise known as Clarent-
"Clarent?" Harry asked, still looking at his sword.
-Each form of mine is named. And each form serves its own purpose, mainly for combat reasons. Like I said, Clarent is used for ceremonial purposes and is also used to for easier carry-
"Next question: How did I do all that? I definitely wasn't that strong before."
-You can thank me for that- If a sword could sound smug, Excalibur definitely did. -As long as you hold me, I will empower you with my magic-
"And the other forms," Harry asked. "How do I access them?"
-You will need to go back into my memories and figure it out. And I not trying to be rude. I really can't tell you due to some magic barriers set up by Ki-
"Harry?" Hermione asked, breaking Harry from his thoughts and - unknowingly - interrupting Excalibur. "Are you alright?"
Harry blinked. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"
Daphne snorted. "Harry, you're talking to your sword. You look absolutely insane."
"Oh," Harry started. "Er, sorry. I was speaking to Excalibur."
"Excalibur?" Hermione asked.
"My sword," he gestured towards it with his free hand. "Can't you hear him?"
"Nope," Daphne said, popping the 'p'.
-Sorry about that Sir Harry. My magic only allows my master to hear me-
"Don't worry about it," Harry assured his sword, not noticing the worried looks of his friends. "And don't call me Sir or any of that crap. Harry is fine."
-Hmm, Harry then-
"Harry," Hermione said again, drawing Harry's attention. "I don't mean to be rude, but can you not talk to your sword so casually? It looks really weird."
Harry smiled sheepishly. "Oh, okay then." 'Can you hear me, Excalibur?'
-What? Did you say something, Harry? All I hear was my name-
Harry frowned. "Then that won't work, not without some practice." He turned to his friends. "Sorry about that. It's the only way for me to communicate with him."
"It has a gender?" Lisa asked, curious.
-Not really, but I have always been addressed as one-
As Harry relayed the message, Hermione turned to Daphne and Neville. "We should get to the cabin," she reminded them seriously. "We still have an Initiation to finish."
"Right," Neville nodded and turned to the others. "C'mon everyone! Let's go! We still need that relic!"
As everyone headed for the cabin, Harry looked back at Excalibur. "Hey, Excalibur. Before, when we we're talking before Hermione interrupted us, you were going to mention your old, old master's name."
-Aye, I was-
"Can you still tell me?"
Excalibur chuckled. -Haven't figured it out?-
"Huh? Uh, no, I haven't."
-King Arthur, Harry. He was known as King Arthur-
"... Oh, wow. Fuck."
Time: 13:11
Location: Emerald Forest
Event: Initiation: Retrieve the Relics
"Wow. I'm really tired," Harry panted, deactivating Excalibur's powers.
Hermione frowned. "We can take care of some of the Grimm." She gestured at the corpses of the Beowolves and Ursai. "We're not useless."
Harry shook his head. "I'm not saying you are. It's just that all of you can easily can get killed. Excalibur gives me enough strength to kill Grimm fairly easy and quick."
"But you're using 'Excalibur' to eliminate small groups of Beowolves," Daphne pointed out. "We can handle those easily."
"That doesn't take much energy," Harry defended himself.
"But after twenty groups in a row? That adds up," Sally said.
Harry waved a hand. "I'm just being a whiny prick. Don't worry about-"
"No," Lisa interrupted with crossed arms. "You're practically killing yourself at this point. We can handle ourselves!"
Nine Beowolves burst out of the bushes in front of them. To the Grimm's surprise, the girls smirked upon seeing them, an eager glint in their eyes.
"C'mon girls," Hermione waved towards the Grimm.
As the six girls stomped to the confused monsters, Neville turned to Harry. "Should I go too or …?"
Harry shook his head as the girls began battling. "Nah, they can handle themselves." He winced when he almost tripped over a root, holding his aching sides.
Neville frowned. "You alright? Need to heal you more?"
Harry stubbornly shook his head. "Save your strength. You'll need it."
"I don't think so," Neville argued. "If anything, it'd be better if you were in better condition."
Harry straightened. "Don't worry about it, Neville. Sure, Excalibur is awesome and all, but you-"
*BANG*
Harry and Neville jumped and whipped to where the girls charged to, which is also where the sound came from. They both blinked in surprise when they saw Hermione standing almost cockily, holding a vaguely L-shaped object in hand.
"Wait," Harry said, recognizing the object. "It that-?"
"My weapon," Hermione interrupted, grinning. "Lightspeed! Shifting Bullet, Forceful Revolver!"
She pointed at the next Grimm and pulled the trigger. Unlike the last bullet, which appeared to be a normal round, this one exploded when it came into contact with the Beowolf's chest. The next two charged as soon as she fired, howling for revenge and blood. She dodged the first attack then Deprimo'd the other Grimm. The first Beowolf lunged at her again but she Protego'd and it bounced off. She Diffindo the downed Grimm and - in an amazing display that she had never pulled off before - ducked under the second lunging without even looking at it.
Neville's jaws dropped and Harry whistled when she whipped around, walked to the stunned Beowolf and shot it with her pistol, this time with a bullet that went through the Beowolf's skull armor. "That was badass."
Lisa and Sally had decided to take on two together. The two were relentless. The two were spinning around each other, back to back. Lisa launched a Reducto, spun behind Sally, who launched a Diffindo. When the remaining Beowolf tried to swipe at them, Sally spun and Lisa shielded the both of them. As it reeled back, Lisa spun and Confingo the downed Beowolf.
Daphne took a very different approach. She whipped out her two weapon, Kitty the Dual Length Hand Claws and Cress the Momentum Shifting Sickle-Dagger. The girl had been practicing with the two weapon since Harry had bought them for her. Before, she had little to no dueling training so Harry had taken it upon himself to train her. But the main thing they focused on was dodging attacks and the training was paying off. The girl weaved in between the Beowolf's slashes and ducked into its guard. Any time it overextended, she would rush in and unleashed deadly combos that threw it back.
"This Kitty has claws!" Daphne winked back at Harry and stabbed her dagger in its neck, killing it.
Tracey and Leanna, who obviously had the less dueling training, had need help from Hermione to finish their Beowolves but they managed to hold them off until them.
"That was cool," Harry commented as they walked back, congratulating one another.
Daphne snorted. "Told you we can take care of ourselves."
Harry just frowned and continued walking, drawing worried looks from all.
Time: 15:46
Location: Beacon
Event: Initiation: Form the Teams
Harry watched wide eyed as the screen showed Ruby executing a large, elite Nevermore and flawlessly land on the cliff. Apparently, Beacon recorded everything during Initiation and the staff was showcasing the best moments in order of best to the most awesome. His own was just before Ruby's, which showcased her ragtag team of eight totally decimating two elite Grimm, so there was that.
-Welp, partner. Looks like your badass moment got out shined by shorty-
'Tell me about it.'
-Still can't hear ya well, Harry. Try harder, maybe-
Daphne smiled slightly and nudged Harry. "Well, Ruby made your own moment look like a toddler with a plastic sword."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Wow, thanks. True, but still."
Daphne grinned and Hermione tapped her lightly on her head. "Don't mind her, Harry. You did look pretty badass back then." Her own grin appeared. "Definitely your most shining moment."
The group stared at her with blank faces. "Was that a pun?" Lisa asked emotionlessly.
Hermione huffed. "It's good," she insisted.
"Meh," Yang said as she arrived with Ruby, Jaune, Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha and two other the group did not recognize. "I could do better." She threw a thumbs up at Harry. "Nice one, scar face. Don't exactly know what that exactly was but still pretty awesome."
Daphne rolled her eyes. "We were there, Harry explained it to us and we still don't get it."
"Well, obviously," cheered the ginger girl. "Harry got some sort of awesome power up!"
Before the others could say more, Ozpin stepped up to the microphone.
…
"And finally, Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Blake Belladonna. Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose!"
Harry breathed deeply and tapped his finger against the gold and scarlet feather in his pocket, which was apparently one of Earth's transferees relic. He found it slightly amusing that the grand relic they were suppose to obtain could be found in his own wand. Not that he would break it to get it; absolutely not and never.
"Now, we will form teams for the Earth transfers."
Four student with their faces and names appeared on the screen. "Hannah Abbott, Alexa Runcorn, Lavender Brown and Susan Bones. The four of you have retrieved the jar containing the heartstrings of a dragon." Ozpin was interrupted by 'Yucks' from a few Remnant girls. "From this day forward, you will form team ARLS, led by Hannah Abbott."
The students from Remnant clapped loudly; but those from Earth could only stared wide eyed at the Headmaster. He just smirked and sipped from his mug.
"Next, we have Lisa Turpin, Sally-Anne Perks, Leanne Murphy and Tracey Davis. The four of you have retrieved the jar containing the tufts of dog's hair. From this day forwards, you will form team LSLT, led by Lisa Turpin."
Again, more claps from Remnant and more shock from Earth. 'What? Is he serious? Where did he get those names from? He's knows way more than he let on!' Harry thought with narrowed eyes and a frown.
"Sally Smith, Megan Jones, Mandy Brocklehurst and Sophie Roper. The four of you have retrieved the red coin. From this day forward, you will form team SJMR, led by Sally Smith."
'Did Dumbledore or someone else give him a book?' He glanced down at the silent Excalibur. 'No, there is no way that this is a coincidence.'
"Draco Malfoy, Anthony Goldstein, Gregory Goyle, and Terry Boot. The four of you have retrieved the jar containing unicorn hair." Someone snorted form the audience the four boys glared into the mass. "From this day forwards, you will form team team DAGT, led by Draco Malfoy."
"Wait," Hermione murmured from next to him. "Wait, wait, wait, wait."
"What is it?" Daphne whispered back.
"I think I know our team name," she replied.
Before Daphne could ask, Ozpin spoke.
"And finally, Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, Daphne Greengrass and Hermione Granger. The four of you have retrieved the phoenix feather. From this day forward, the four of you will work together and from," he paused, whether he needed to breathe or to add dramatic effect, no one could answer.
'Wait,' Harry thought, coming to the same conclusion as Hermione. 'That bastard.'
"Team P - N - D - G," he smiled at the four, where Harry and Hermione's jaws were dropped. "Other wise known as Team Pendragon. And they will be lead by Harry Potter."
Aurelius, formed by ARLS. In Arthurian literature, is an alternate name of the legendary wizard, Merlin. For Earth, he is known as the most powerful wizard in history.
Lancelot, formed by LSLT. In Arthurian literature, is a Knight of Round Table. Best known for his unwavering loyalty and combat prowess.
Sagramore, formed by SJMR. In Arthurian literature, is another Knight. He is best known for his incredible rage and savagery. Nevertheless, he was also very loyal and righteous.
Dagonet, formed by DAGT. In Arthurian literature, was both a Knight and jester. He was mostly known for his cowardly ways but did managed to hunt and kill Helior of the Thorn.
Pendragon, formed by PNDG. In Arthurian literature, was the father of King Arthur, the previous king of Britain before Arthur and full named Uther Pendragon. In some literature pieces, King Arthur is given the name of Pendragon.
-Congratulation, Harry. Do live up to your legacy-
Harry frowned and stopped folding his clothes. He was in his room, placing clothes in his drawer. The room had been split up into a boys and girls side; and the four would buy a curtain to help separate the room a bit. The four beds were separated into pairs by the window and though there was little space between them, they could live with it. There was a dresser pushed up against the wall farthest from the entrance door, right under the window. Two closets were one the 'left' and 'right' sides of the room, one girls and one boys. Four desks mirrored the beds. Already, they were covered in personal items such as their scrolls, headbands and wallets.
"Legacy? What do you mean by that?"
Excalibur chuckled. -Not so fast on uptake, are ya? You are my current master. You received me by the Sorting Hat. Well, my last master was Sir Godric Gryffindor. He received me from King Arthur. Who do you think gave me to Arthur?-
Harry's eyes widened and, at the same time as Excalibur, said, "Uther Pendragon!"