Location - Remnant (RWBY)
With a grunt, Raleigh was able to haul out the heavily damaged Typhoon from the wreckage of the shuttle and lift it over his head with both his hands.
"Careful, Ral! Put it down gently!" Soren told him, and Raleigh did just that, putting the Typhoon down on the ground as gently as he could, allowing Soren to come in and assess the damage done to their transport/ primary nonmagical weapon.
At the moment, the group consisting of Raleigh, Raxtus, and Soren were in the middle of a dense forest, after having crashed in the remains of half of their shuttle, which broke apart after entering the atmosphere of this new world, and now separated from most of their party.
"Think you can get the Typhoon up and running again, Soar?" Raxtus asked hopefully. "I know we can move on our own, but… I don't want to attract unwanted attention."
"The damage it took on impact is pretty severe, but nothing irreparable." The Wind dragonet reported. "Our half of the jet seemed to take most of the impact, which is probably why the Typhoon is still more-or-less in one piece."
"Think you can maybe take some parts of the shuttle to fix up the Typhoon?" Raleigh asked.
"Probably not." Soren answered with a wince, looking at what was left of their shuttle, which was little-more than a pile of charred and broken metal. "The shuttle's pretty much totaled and anything that was useful either burnt up on re-entry or shattered in the crash."
He gave a brief sigh before looking toward Raxtus. "Have you managed to get in contact with Raiden, Navarog, or the others?"
"No." Raxtus held the X-Phone in his hands, which had a large crack on the screen, yet still seemed somewhat functional. "I can't even get a signal… I don't think this world has any satellites to connect to. At least compatible ones. And comms appear to be down too."
"Guess that's just our luck…" Soren said with a dejected sigh as he and Raxtus looked with concern for their friends, primarily Raiden.
"Hey, come on, this is Raiden Stormbringer we're talking about." Raleigh told them. "He's been through worse, and we all know he can handle himself. Same thing with Celia, Tania and Gavin. Knowing them, they're probably looking for the best way to try and regroup, and we should do the same."
That seemed to perk Soren up a bit. "You're right, Ral. Now's not the time to get moping. We should find out where we are first. Maybe if I fly up and get a better vantage point, I might be able to see where we are and if there's any sign of civilization near us…"
As Soren began to come up with a plan, Raxtus heard some movement in the trees and bushes behind him, catching his attention. He walked over to try and investigate, pushing some branches aside to investigate the darkness that laid a few feet beyond. Gazing deeper, he noticed a pair of glowing red eyes glaring at him.
Acting on instinct, Raxtus leapt back with a yelp to avoid the claw strike of a Ursa as it appeared in the clearing, catching Soren's and Raleigh's attention as Raxtus drew his Silver Saber to parry its claw strikes before shifting toward its side to swing the flat side of his blade at it and knock it down.
"What the heck is this?!" Raxtus questioned. "Hey, you guys see this too, right?!"
"Yeah, we see it too, Rax!" Soren said as he and Raleigh quickly ran to Raxtus' side to face the Ursa as it got back up on its feet. "Think maybe it's this world's wildlife?"
"Dunno, but it's definitely not friendly!" Raleigh easily picked up on its aggression as the Ursa roared at them before charging forward, but Raleigh charged back in return, ducking under a claw-strike to deliver a punch into its gut, with his fist covered in green energy. The punch delivered enough force to send it flying and crashing into a tree. Before it even got up, Raleigh had already leapt into the air and fell back down to deliver a bone-shattering punch with that same hand to its face, shattering the skull-armor of the Ursa, killing it instantly.
Raleigh, along with Soren and Raxtus, could only look in further confusion as the Grimm's carcass melted into dust a second after its death.
"Alright, I'll take it back." Soren said. "That thing was definitely not wildlife."
"You sure?" Soren asked.
"No, he's right." Raleigh agreed. "Look." He pointed up to a flock of birds that appeared to be robins that flew across the sky. "Those are normal animals, not too different from the kind we normally see back home. This thing looked entirely different."
"Yeah, and last time I checked, natural creatures don't disintegrate upon death."Raxtus added. "Besides, I didn't detect any signs of anima from it, meaning that it's not a normal creature at all."
"So, what was it? Some kind of demon?" Soren wondered. "I mean, we fought demons before."
The group then heard more growls from the trees around them as they looked to see several more Grimm emerge from the forest; consisting of mostly Beowolves and a few more Ursa, leading up to a total of twenty.
"Well, he's definitely got friends, that's for sure." Raleigh commented as the trio grouped together with Raleigh raising his fists covered in green energy, Raxtus wielding his Silver Sabre, and Soren hovering above them by using his palms to summon wind magic.
"Come on, Ikuze, Ikuze, Ikuze!" Raleigh declared as all three of them yelled, leaping toward the pack of Grimm who roared and charged back.
Meanwhile...
Ruby Rose almost couldn't believe it. It had been her dream to attend Beacon Academy and train to become a Huntress. It had been what she had been training for since she was little. And now, she was riding the massive airship that was transporting all the soon-to-be first years to the Huntsmen academy, and she was not alone either.
"Oh, I can't believe my baby-sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever!" Her elder half-sister, Yang Xiao Long, exclaimed as she hugged Ruby. Yang was a tall teenage girl with long blonde hair, fair skin, and lilac colored-eyes. She wore a tan, short-sleeved, jacket with a yellow shirt underneath with the emblem of a black burning heart on her left breast. She had a pair of yellow gauntlets, black shorts, a brown belt with deep pockets, orange socks and brown boots.
"Please… stop…!" Ruby winced, crushing underneath her sister's hug.
"But I'm so proud of you!" Yang praised, letting go of Ruby.
"Really… Sis… it was nothing." Ruby tried to downplay it.
"What do you mean? It was incredible! Everyone's gonna think you're the bee's knees!" Yang praised.
"Look, I don't wanna be the 'bee's knees', okay?! I don't wanna be any kind of knees! I just wanna be a normal girl with normal knees!" Ruby stated.
"What's with you? Aren't you excited?" Yang asked.
"Of course, I'm excited!" Ruby replied. "It's just… I got moved ahead two years. I don't want people to think I'm special, or anything."
"But you are special." Yang told her younger sister as she put an encouraging arm around her shoulder.
"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities." All the students on-board looked toward the holo-screen of the news report showing a mugshot of the thief she, Keith and Rai had encountered the previous night. "If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa."
The screen shifted to a female reporter. "Thank you, Cyril. In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. The once-peaceful organization has now disrupted…"
The news report was cut off to show a recorded holographic figure of Glynda, whom Ruby also recognized from the same night.
"Hello and welcome to Beacon, my name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among the privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."
The hologram then vanished. But once it did, Ruby got a rather impressive view of the City of Vale down below. "Look! You can see Signal from here!" She stated as Yang walked over to join her. "I guess home isn't too far after all."
"Beacon's our home, now." Yang said as she pulled Ruby in a gentle embrace. The moment was however interrupted by the sound of someone getting sick. They turned to see a young man with blonde hair, white armor over a black hoodie and blue jeans, looking like he was about to throw up. He tried to move past the girls, looking for a place to keep it all in.
"Well, I guess the view's not for everybody." Yang commented.
"It was a nice moment while it lasted." Ruby said.
"I wonder who we're gonna meet?" Yang said.
"I just hope they're better than 'Vomit-Boy.'" Ruby replied, but as she looked down, she cringed at what she saw. "Aw, Yang! Gross! You've got puke on your shoes!"
"Gross! Gross! Gross! Gross!" Yang tried to shake it off, much to Ruby's disgust.
"Get away from me! Get away from me! Get away from me!"
Meanwhile….
Beacon Academy, it looked more like a castle than a school, and Keith got a good view of the entire campus from the balcony of the tower where the headmaster resided. The Red Paladin of Voltron gave an impressed whistle.
"Nice. I know some private schools can make it look fancy, but this takes the cake." Keith commented.
"I'm glad you find it so impressive, Mr. Kogane." Ozpin said from behind. "Now then, if we could continue our conversation…"
"Hai." Keith followed Ozpin back into his office, which seemed like a clocktower, evident by the sounds of gears turning all around them. Keith had managed to give a brief explanation to Ozpin, and by extension Glynda and Ruby, on the night he met them; but upon hearing how both Keith and Rai were from different worlds entirely, Ozpin suggested that the rest of the conversation be conducted in a more private setting, such as his office, and Keith felt it was best.
"So, to put it simply, you and your friend hail from a different world…" Ozpin began, sitting at his desk. "Your friend came here because he apparently is a dragon, and you came here…how?"
"Long story. Let's just say that I'm part of a resistance against an evil empire, a portal malfunctioned, and my ship crash-landed here." Keith replied.
"I have seen a great many things in my life, many of which most people of Remnant wouldn't believe, but the idea of aliens and inter-dimensional beings have only existed in science fiction." Ozpin said. "So, even I would find the concept of your story difficult to believe, if I weren't seeing the two of you with my own eyes." 'And even then, if not for that person I encountered a couple of days ago.'
"Funny enough, this isn't the first time I get zapped to another world; so, it's pretty much the norm for me." Keith pointed out. "Again, another long story. Don't ask"
"But here is the first time I've heard something like 'Faunus'." Asked Rai. "Earlier, when I was walking through Vale, I heard some people harassing someone and they called him a 'Filthy Faunus' so to speak. Tell me, what is a Faunus anyway? "
"A Faunus refers to a special type of human, who has animalistic traits such as cat ears, a wolf's tail, lizard skin, or even feathers." Ozpin explained. "But their traits are more… subtle. At least compared to you, who apparently is a dragon. Do all dragons look like you?"
"Actually, dragons possess transformation magic. That means we can change our form to the dominant species of that realm so as to not attract unwanted attention." Rai answered.
"I see." Ozpin chose to accept that. "But, back to the matter at hand. You believe that this 'Terrorblade' has come here to try and conquer Remnant?"
"Oh yeah, that's kind of his thing." Rai explained. "Terrorblade's pretty much the mix of the overlord and world conqueror trope." His smile vanished though. "Truth be told, he's incredibly dangerous. He's really smart, manipulative, and above all, he's thirsty for power. Not to mention that he can control anything with his magic and that's not an exaggeration, it's actually official. Seriously, this guy has conquered whole dimensions at a time. Infact, some people call him 'The Reborn Dragon-God'!"
Ozpin was able to get a read on Rai's voice as well as his body language and could tell that Rai was not exaggerating. Every word he said was true, and that caused Ozpin to look with a worried and calculating expression, while Keith's was that of worry as well.
"If what you're saying is true… then this is a grave situation we find ourselves in." The headmaster of Beacon said. "But one question remains. What does this Terrorblade seek from Remnant? For what reason has he come here?"
"No idea." Rai shrugged. "He didn't exactly give an evil monologue about it before coming here. But Terrorblade always does what he does for a reason, so he came to Remnant for a reason. If I had to take a wild guess though, those monster things come to mind. That or this Neo-Faust thing that Keith said."
"The Creatures of Grimm." Ozpin and Keith both said.
"Yeah… what exactly are they?" Rai asked. "You said they're all over the planet? Like your wildlife or something?"
"No." Ozpin shook his head. "We have our fair share of wildlife, but the Grimm do not qualify. Wild animals such as lions or wolves hunt and kill, but they only do so for food. The Creatures of Grimm hunt and kill because it is their nature. They do not kill for sustenance, but because they seem to embody death itself."
"Well, that's…. eerie." Rai commented, feeling somewhat disturbed.
"And I encountered those bastards and nearly died. Infact, if it wasn't for Kamen Rider Decade, they would have killed me, no doubt about it." Said Keith, shuddering at the memory. "And that's why your world has these Huntsmen? To fight the Grimm?"
"It's why the people of Remnant are trained to be Huntsmen, or Huntresses." Ozpin explained as he pulled out his Scroll and pressed a few buttons to display a flat-holographic map of Remnant, showing the emblems of each of the Kingdoms at four specific locations. "Humanity has lived among the Grimm for many eons and have attempted to fight them back. But it wasn't until after the end of our most recent war, that we've established a system to better keep them at bay. Remnant consists of four separate Kingdoms, each with its own governing system and ruled by the elected council. Each of the Kingdoms has many academies upon which children are not only taught basic schooling but are also trained to fight the Grimm so they are better prepared as adults. Upon graduating from these 'minor' academies, they are enrolled into one of the four major Huntsmen Academies, each one located in a different Kingdom. As you know, we reside in the Kingdom of Vale, which houses Beacon Academy. The Kingdom of Mistral has Haven Academy, Shade Academy resides in the Kingdom of Vacuo, and finally the Kingdom of Atlas, formerly known as Mantle, has Atlas Academy. Atlas is widely considered the most advanced Kingdom in Remnant due to its scientific advances compared to the other Kingdoms. Once the students graduate as young adults from each of these Academies, they are certified as Huntsmen and Huntresses and are tasked with protecting the people of Remnant from the Creatures of Grimm as well as dangerous individuals."
The two of them seemed to get the basic gist of it. "What about that smaller island down there?" Keith pointed to one of the landmasses that didn't have a Kingdom's symbol on it.
"That is Menagerie." Ozpin answered. "Though it is not an official Kingdom, it is where the majority of the Faunus population reside."
"Okay, what about that one up there?" Rai pointed to the final black continent. "Ya know, the one shaped like a dragon? I'm guessing it's Grimm-related?"
"Unfortunately." Ozpin answered with a serious look in his eyes. "It has no official name, but that is believed to be the home territory of the Grimm. While the Creatures of Grimm reside through all of Remnant, this particular location is heavily saturated with them, numbering in the millions. Anyone who has ventured into that territory has never returned."
"Okay… stay away from Monsterland, got it." Rai joked before looking serious. "But knowing Terrorblade, he'll probably head straight there. If he came to Remnant for the Grimm, he'll try to grab a bunch of them and try to weaponize them."
"There have been many foolish people who have tried to use the Grimm for their own purposes in the past…" Ozpin said. "Each attempt has only led to catastrophe, clamming many lives."
"That's not gonna stop Terrorblade." Rai replied. "It's what makes him so dangerous. He's smart, crazy, and ambitious. When he sights on something, nothing is off-limits. He'd tear the entire multiverse apart to get what he wanted, and believe me, that has nearly happened many times."
Ozpin's eyes narrowed at the thought of that. The description of this Terrorbade reminded him very much of someone else. And if Terrorblade was indeed every bit as dangerous and ambitious as Rai would describe, there is little doubt in his mind that she may become involved as well. And if she did, who's to say what could happen? One thing was certain. A lot of innocent lives would likely be put at risk.
"Is there a way to get in contact with your friends?" Ozpin asked. "If this Terrorblade is as dangerous as you say he is, I feel it is best for us to work together. Speaking as a Huntsmen, and the Headmaster of one of the four major academies, it is my duty to protect Remnant."
Raiden smirked. "Took the words out of my mouth, Prof. I know I can find my friends, I just need a map. I remember where I crashed-landed, and where our ship broke apart, so I got a general idea of where everyone might be, but a map would help."
Ozpin deactivated his scroll and handed it to Rai. "Take this. We can also use it to communicate. If you desire, I can arrange for a team of Huntsmen to accompany you, as well as transportation."
"Nah, I'll be fine on my own." Rai said. "I can make it to those mountains in a few minutes…"
"Your abilities are another thing I wish to discuss." Ozpin said. "But once you have found your friends, of course. Am I correct to assume they have similar abilities?"
"Yep, so if they end up running into a pack of Grimm, I'm sure they'll be fine." Raiden responded. "I'll call ya if I need something though, later." He ran and leapt out from the balcony, before blurring off in a flash of lightning.
"I came alone, sooo… can I go now? Ruby's waiting for me and I can't wait to see the little pipsqueak again." Asked Keith, getting up. "Besides, today's orientation for first-year students, and I don't want to miss out."
"Yes, Keith. You may go." Ozpin said as he walked outside to see a yellow streak zipping far away from Beacon at a speed one thought to be impossible. He even thought he had heard a sonic boom in the distance. He had seen many speed-based Semblances in the past, but nothing like that. While he seemed certain that both Rai and Keith are capable fighters, Ozpin could only pray that they had the tact and skills needed to survive the horrors that lay within the darkness of his home world. That very same darkness he had been at war with for many centuries. And with the introduction of Terrorblade and the revelations of Neo-Faust, that war had just become a great deal more complicated.
'Just as Marlowe said.' Thought the headmaster, remembering a conversation that he had held with the Multiverse traveler just a few days ago. 'Well, I can only hope that what I fear….doesn't come to pass.'
The airship had just docked at the cliffside just before Beacon Academy. The doors opened to allow all the passengers off, the first one being 'Vomit Boy', who ran to the nearest trash can and let it all out. Everyone either avoided him, or looked with sympathy as they walked from the door to the pathway that led to the Academy.
Ruby and Yang walked through the courtyard and came to a stop in the middle as they couldn't help but look in awe at the massive castle that would serve as their school and home for the next few years.
"The view from Vale's got nothing on this!" Yang said.
As Ruby looked around at several of the newly arrived students, she began to gawk and squeal like a fangirl at the vast number of weapons they had. "Sis! That kid's got a collapsible staff! And she's got a fire-sword!" She was about to run off, but Yang pulled her back by her hood.
"Easy there, little sister. They're just weapons." Yang told her.
"Just weapons?!" Ruby questioned. "They're an extension of ourselves! They're a part of us! Oooh, they're so cool!"
"Well, why can't you swoon over your own weapon? Aren't you happy with it?" Yang asked.
Ruby drew Crescent Rose and held it proudly over her shoulder. "Of course, I'm happy with Crescent Rose! I just like seeing new ones, it's like meeting new people… but better." She looked down slightly, having been reminded of her own social skills, or lack-of-thereof.
"Ruby, come on…" Yang playfully pulled down on her hood. "Why don't you go and make some friends of your own?"
"Well… I did meet two people… ya know, those guys I told you about?" Ruby recalled.
"You mean that so-called armor hero and his amazing lightning partner?" Yang asked in a playfully skeptical way. "Aren't you a little old for imaginary friends?"
"Hey, they're real!" Ruby exclaimed. "And I wasn't the only one who saw them! That Professor Goodwitch lady, and even Professor Ozpin were there!"
"Okay, okay, so they are real!" Yang held her hands up defensively. "Still skeptical on the whole 'otherworldly' thing. And if you were able to make friends with them, you can make friends with other people."
"But why would I need more friends when I have you?" Ruby asked.
"Well… actually my friends are here right now! Gotta go catch up! Bye!" Yang dashed away, trying to blend in with a crowd of first years, literally leaving Ruby in the dust as she spun around in the quick daze.
"Wait! Where are you going!? Are we supposed to go to our dorms!? Where are our dorms?! Do we have dorms!?" Even when she stopped spinning, her eyes were swirls, and Yang was already long gone. "...I don't know what I'm doing…"
Ruby ended up backing into a luggage cart that held an assortment of white suitcases, knocking and spilling them over the ground.
"What are you doing?!"
She looked up to see the owner of the luggage, a teenage girl with pale skin, long white hair tied back in a ponytail with a tiara, and a scar down past her eye on the left side of her face. She wore a white and light-blue dress that stretched down to her thighs with a snowflake pattern at the hem, as well as a bell-sleeve bolero of the same color and pattern, and a pair of boots that were also white. She also carried a rapier-like sword at her waist.
"S-Sorry...!" Ruby apologized as she tried to pull herself up.
"Sorry?! Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?!" The girl in white exclaimed.
"Uh…" Ruby tried to hand the girl one of her suitcases, but it was swiftly taken.
"Give me that!" She stated as she opened the suitcase to reveal the bottled contents inside. "This is Dust, mined and purified from the Schnee quarry!"
"Um…" Ruby wasn't exactly following.
"What are you? Braindead?!" She took out one of the bottles and shook it for emphasis, accidentally causing some of it to spill in powder-form. "Dust! Fire! Ice! Lightning! Energy!" Some of the Dust powder ended up getting in Ruby's face and into her nose, which the girl in white didn't seem to notice. "Are you even listening to me?! Is any of this sinking in?! What do you have to say for yourself?!"
Ruby then sneezed, igniting much of the dust as a small explosion erupted in-between them, followed by flashes of lightning and even some snowflakes in the air as one of the Dust bottles went flying, bouncing on the ground before coming to the feet of another girl.
This girl had fair skin with long black hair and amber colored eyes. She wore a black buttoned vest over a white, sleeveless undershirt, along with white shorts, black and dark purple stockings leading to black low-heeled boots, and finally a black bowtie over her head. She was in the midst of reading a book when she felt something touch her foot, causing her to look down and pick up the Dust bottle with curiosity before she was drawn to the yelling by the girl in white.
"Unbelievable!" The girl in white exclaimed to Ruby, being covered in soot before shaking it off. "This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"
"I'm really, really sorry!" Ruby pushed her fingers together, having the decency to look ashamed.
"You complete dolt! What are you even doing here?! Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?!"
"Eh…" Ruby wasn't about to say how she met Ozpin and admitted her in two years because of her previous statement about others thinking her to be special.
"This isn't your ordinary combat school! It's not just sparring and practice, ya know? We're here to fight monsters. So… watch where you're going!"
"Hey, I said I was sorry, princess!" Ruby stated, finally tired of getting yelled at.
"It's heiress, actually." The girl in black stepped up, still holding the dust bottle in her hand. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellent in the world."
The girl in white, now identified as Weiss Schnee, smiled with pride. "Finally! Some recognition…"
"The same company that's also infamous for its controversial labor forces, questionable business partners, and even rumors of corruption." The girl in black said with narrowed eyes.
That caused Weiss to scoff in shock. "Wha… I… how dare… the nerve of…!" Her stutters caused Ruby to snicker as Weiss glared at the girl in black and took the Dust bottle back before storming off, leaving a pair of attendants to pick up the spilled luggage.
"I promise I'll make this up to you!" Ruby called to Weiss, but she was already gone, leaving her to sigh. "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day. So, what's your…" She tried to turn back to the girl in black, but she was already gone as well. Feeling dejected, Ruby fell on her knees and fell on her back. "Welcome to Beacon."
"Hey." She looked up to see the same blonde boy in white armor offering a hand. "I'm Jaune."
"Ruby." She replied as she accepted his hand and was helped back on her feet. She snickered once she got a good look at his face, however. "Aren't you the guy that threw up on the ship?"
"Hey, motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on!" Jaune exclaimed in offense as the two walked in the direction of the Academy.
"Look, I'm sorry. 'Vomit Boy' was the first thing that came to mind." Ruby told him.
"Oh yeah?! Well… what if I called you 'Crater Face'!?" He shot back immaturely.
"Hey, that explosion was an accident!" Ruby stated.
"Well, the name's Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it."
"Do they?" Ruby asked, getting the sense the last part might be exaggerated.
"T-They will!" Jaune quickly said. "Well… I hope they will. I mean, my mom always says that… eh… never mind."
After a slight giggle, Ruby tried to find something to strike up further conversation. "So… I got this thing." She displayed Crescent Rose, causing Jaune to balk in shock and surprise.
"Whoa! Is that a scythe?!" He exclaimed.
"It's also a customizable, high-impact, sniper rifle." Ruby said with pride.
"Uh… what…?" Jaune didn't quite seem to understand.
"It's also a gun." Ruby said as she cocked the trigger for emphasis.
"Oh…. That's cool." Jaune smiled.
"So, what do you got?" Ruby asked, her eyes trailing to the sword strapped to Jaune's belt.
"Oh! Uh… I got this sword." He pulled out said sword, which wasn't anything transformable, just a regular sword, but Ruby looked impressed regardless. "I got a shield too." He pulled out the sword's sheath, which opened to reveal a white shield with the emblem of two golden crescent moons in the center.
"So, what do they do?" Ruby asked, touching the shield, accidentally causing it to snap open and close, which Jaune tried to grab as he lost his grip over it before it fell to the ground, but he quickly picked it up.
"The shield gets smaller." Jaune answered awkwardly. "It's also a sheath for the sword, making it easier to carry both."
"That's convenient." Ruby said. "I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons. Guess I kinda did go a little overboard in designing Crescent Rose."
"Wait… you made that?" Jaune looked in surprise and even awe.
"Of course. All students at Signal forge their own weapons." Ruby answered. "Didn't you make yours?"
"No. Crocea Mors is a hand-me-down." Jaune answered, feeling slightly ashamed when comparing it to Ruby's weapon. "My great-great grandfather used it to fight in the war."
"Sounds more like a family heirloom to me." Ruby replied. "Well, I like it. Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."
"Yeah… the classics." Jaune commented as he put his sword away, with Ruby doing the same for her weapon.
"So why did you help me out there?" She asked. "In the courtyard, I mean?"
"Eh, why not? My mom always says, 'strangers are just friends you haven't met yet'." Jaune answered.
"Hmm." Ruby looked around slightly and saw they weren't exactly anywhere near any other students and even appeared to be lost. "Hey, where are we going?"
"Oh, I don't know. I was following you."
Later….
Fortunately, it didn't take long for Ruby and Jaune to get to the Amphitheater, which was where all the first years were meeting up for orientation. And it didn't look like it started yet, which meant that they weren't late.
"Ruby! Over here!" She heard her sister calling to her. "I saved you a spot!"
She spotted Yang waving to her. "Oh, I gotta go. I'll see you after the ceremony." She told Jaune before running to meet up with her sister.
"Hey, wait…!" But Ruby was already gone in a red flash. "Ugh, great. Where am I supposed to find another nice quirky girl to talk to?" As he walked away, he happened to pass by a green-eyed girl with long red hair tied back in a ponytail who was wearing armor like that of an Amazon.
"How's your first day going, little sister?" Yang asked Ruby.
"You mean since you ditched me, and I exploded?" The youngest sister replied irritably with crossed arms.
"Yikes. Meltdown already?" Yang questioned.
"No, I literally exploded a hole in front of the school!" Ruby told her. "And there was some fire… and I think some ice…"
"Are you being sarcastic? Or exaggerating like with your little 'armor friend'?" Yang teased.
"I wish! I tripped over some crabby girls' luggage…" She began, unaware of said 'crabby girl' being right behind her. "…and then she yelled at me! And then I sneezed, and then I exploded, and then she yelled again, and I felt really, really bad, and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!"
"You!" Weiss yelled at her, making her presence known.
"Oh gods, it's happening again!" Ruby jumped into her sister's arms, much to Yang's shock.
"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!" Weiss scolded.
"Oh my gods, you really exploded…" Yang said in surprise as she set Ruby down.
"It was an accident! It was an accident!" Ruby tried to say to Weiss, who simply showed her pamphlet that read 'Dust for Dummies and other Inadequate Individuals'. "What's this?"
"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory, the Schnee Family highly encourages our customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy-to-follow guide to this application and practice in the field." Weiss said in a tone like that of a typical businesswoman, unaware that most of it completely went over Ruby's head.
"Um…"
"You really wanna start making things up to me?" Weiss questioned.
"Absolutely?" Ruby replied, sounding unsure, however.
"Read this, and don't ever speak to me again." Weiss told her, giving her the pamphlet.
"Well, well." Spoke a voice that Ruby knew pretty well. "It seems like little Ruby got herself into trouble so soon already. Then again, that's what I'd expect from you. Good ol' Ruby Rose."
Ruby gasped before turning around to see that in the seat next to her, Keith had sat down and was reclining in his chair without a care in the world.
"Keith!" Gasped Ruby….before grabbing him in a bear-hug. "Oh, thank you! I've been having a really rough day!" She said before speaking rapidly. "I tripped over some crabby girls' luggage, and then she yelled at me! And then I sneezed, and then I exploded, and then she yelled again, and I felt really, really bad, and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me! And then I came here, and she also came here, and she still yelled at me again! YOU HAVE TO HELP ME, PLEASE!"
"Well, for starters, could you please let go? You're choking me!" Exclaimed Keith….because that was what Ruby was doing: hugging Keith so hard that the Kamen Rider swore that he felt his ribs crack from under the pressure.
"Oh, right! Sorry about that!" Exclaimed Ruby, who let go of Keith that instant, allowing him to take some needed deep breaths.
"Apology accepted." Groaned Keith, before he turned around to see Weiss sitting behind Ruby and Yang looking at Ruby before leaning in to whisper to Ruby. 'You didn't tell anyone about my identity now, did you?"
"..."
"Did you?" He pressed on.
"Umm… nope?" Replied Ruby.
"... Ruby…."
"Okay! Okay!" Exclaimed Ruby hurriedly. " I may have told my big sister about you and that other boy, but I didn't tell her your name, I promise!"
"Ruby, what is it that you are whispering to him? And who is he?" Asked Yang, curious about the newcomer
"Just a friend of Ruby. By the way, who's the blonde that is sitting in the chair beside you?" Asked Keith.
"Oh, her name is Yang Xiao Long, and she's my big sister!" Exclaimed Ruby, who then poked the blonde's shoulder with her finger. "Hey Yang, here's a good friend of mine! I met him just a few days ago!"
"So, you're Ruby's sister." Keith leaned sideways. "Hmm, I don't see a resemblance. Is one of you adopted or something?"
"Or something, yeah." Yang said, not about to get into any familial issues with a person she only just met. "And you're…?"
"Keith. Keith Kogane." The reply came just as fast. "Nice to meet you."
"Yeah. Nice to meet you too." Answered Yang. "Sorry if my sister can be a bother, she's kinda dorky and can tend to create imaginary friends, like that 'armor hero' that she's been talking about."
"Hey!" Protested Ruby.
"I actually get it." Said Keith. "She's lonely and can tend to be clingy to the few people that she knows. I should know better." He said with an air of melancholy, remembering some dark times before sighing and turning back to Yang.
"Besides, I read in the newspaper that yesterday, a Grimm attack was stopped by that armor hero. Not to mention, I've even seen him a couple of times! So, he's not fake, but real." Concluded Keith.
"Oh, please." Scoffed Weiss who had been listening to their conversation. "A so-called 'armor hero' who fights for some useless sense of justice? It's obvious that he's just a vigilante who has no idea of what he's getting himself into in the first place. He should leave such jobs to the Atlesian Millitary."
Keith turned to Ruby. "Umm… who's the rich bitch?" he asked Ruby bluntly.
"...huh?" Said Ruby, tilting her head to the side.
"Eh?" Said Yang, tilting her head as well.
"HUHHHH?!" Snapped Weiss. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BITCH, MULLET-HEAD?!"
"Um… Remember that I was telling you about some crabby girl who was yelling at me earlier?" Panicked Ruby before diving behind Keith's back. "There she is!"
"Oh, so that's what was going on here. Seems I was right." Remarked Keith nonchalantly. "You really are a rich douchebag. Small wonder you acted that way to Ruby. These rich folks always think that they can buy everything with enough money."
That caused Weiss to scoff in shock. "Wha… I… how dare… the nerve of you…!" Her stutters caused Ruby to snicker as Weiss glared at Keith, who glared back at her with the same intensity.
Yang winced and decided to step in, rubbing the back of her head. "Look, uh, sounds like you two just… got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?"
"Nope, not in the mood to hang out with some money-purse douchebags." Retorted Keith. "Besides, Ruby's the one who wanted to be friends with her in the first place."
"Yeah, great idea Keith." Ruby decided to give it a try and offered her hand to Weiss. "Hello Weiss, I'm Ruby. Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies."
"Yeah! And we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys like tall, blonde and scraggly over there!" She said sarcastically, pointing toward Jaune, getting his attention.
"Wow? Really?" Ruby said excitedly, oblivious to Weiss' sarcasm as she scowled at her.
"No."
"I told you. Rich. Douche-bag. Bitch." Said Keith, emphasizing the last word.
"How Dare you….?!" Seethed Weiss.
"Ahem." All the students' attention was drawn to the stage as Professor Ozpin stepped forward with Glynda right behind him and spoke into the microphone. "I'll keep this brief. You have all traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."
Ozpin then stepped aside and allowed Glynda to step forward and speak to the students. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You're dismissed."
As the professors walked away, most of the students, including Ruby, Yang, Keith, and even Weiss were a little caught off guard with the speech. They'd expected something more… inspirational.
"He seemed kinda… off." Yang commented.
"It's almost like he wasn't even there." Ruby agreed.
"You have no idea…" Murmured Keith, before turning around and seeing something that made him snicker.
"I'm a natural blonde, ya know." Jaune said, flittering with Weiss, who simply pressed her fingers against her forehead in annoyance.
It was mid-afternoon and the trio consisting of Raleigh, Raxtus and Soren had been fighting wave-after-wave of Grimm that had been drawn to them. While fighting hordes of monsters was nothing new to them, it was getting rather old really quickly.
Raleigh gave a yell as he crushed a Beowolf's head with a magic-enhanced punch before leaping to a pack of more Beowolves and Ursai. He punched a Beowolf through its chest before throwing another fist into a second and leapt back to avoid a claw strike from an Ursa. Growling, Raleigh ran toward the pack, swiftly dodging each of their attacks with claws and fangs before making it past them toward a large tree. He then placed his hands down to summon vines which grabbed the tree by its trunk and pried it out from the ground as the Grimm tried to charge him, but Raleigh turned around and used the tree and vines as a makeshift flail to swipe and send the whole pack flying before turning around to the sound of more Beowolves running in his direction, which he responded by throwing the uprooted tree at them to crush them.
Soren flew over the tree line as a trio of Griffins flew after him in pursuit. They appeared to close in on him, with the frontmost Griffin trying to bite at him, but Soren had planned on this as he flew upward in an arc to fly behind them and sped forward, making sure to throw out his chakrams to slice at each of their wings like a set of rotating blades, clipping their wings and causing them to fall to the ground below and crush on impact. Soren then flew toward an Ursa that roared at him before striking with a Wind Spiral Attack as he fell, blasting through the Ursa's chest to destroy it.
Raxtus gave a yell as he brought down his Silver Saber onto the head of a Beowolf, cleaving it in half. He would soon be surrounded by four Creeps, but he wasn't the least bit scared as he spun his saber outward to generate a Tornado Shift to send all four Creeps up into the air, where he leapt to slash at them with his sword and destroy them before they even hit the ground. As he landed, however, Raxtus came face-to-face with a Boarbatusk that snarled at him.
"Bring it on, you demonic warthog!" Raxtus challenged, wielding the Silver Saber. The Boarbatusk roared in response as it prepared its body-roll attack, which only caused Raxtus to smirk as it charged at him. But Raxtus had pulled back his sword and swung it at the right moment, striking with enough force to send a slash of light that cleaved the Boarbatusk in half and slicing through several trees and likely slicing any other oncoming Grimm.
"Is that all of them?" Raleigh asked as they regrouped around the remains of their shuttle. "Cause we've been at this for a few hours!"
"They gotta be coming from somewhere." Soren said. "Maybe if we find the source, we can…"
"Heads up! We got another incoming!" Raxtus warned as he saw a few trees getting knocked over, no doubt by a big one, which they couldn't see quite yet. The three readied themselves for anything, but they didn't seem prepared for what appeared to be a giant Grimm scorpion to burst its way past several trees with a roar. This was a Death Stalker.
"Is that a scorpion?!" Raleigh questioned.
Raxtus shivered slightly. "After that giant spider incident, bugs always freak me out."
"Actually, scorpions are more in the arachnid family, kinda like spiders…" Soren explained, but was interrupted as the three were forced to dodge and scatter to avoid the massive stinger the Death Stalker lunged at them.
"Not the time to be a know-it-all, Soar!" Raleigh roared before rushing to fight the Death Stalker, which turned to lash out its massive pincers at him, but Raleigh pushed the pincers back. When the Death Stalker lashed its tail-stinger at him, Raleigh was forced to jump back and was once again on the defensive from its pincer-strikes.
"Keep it busy, Ral!" Raxtus leapt into the air and brought his sword down on its back, only for it to bounce off when it made contact with its bone armor. The Death Stalker snarled as it tried to shake its body to knock Raxtus off, but Soren quickly flew in to grab and pull him away. "Yeesh, that thing is solid!"
A swipe from the Death Stalker's right pincer sent Raleigh sliding across the ground and into a tree, where the giant scorpion-like Grimm looked ready to finish him. Soren and Raxtus were more than ready to fly in and help, but…
A yellow blur suddenly appeared and struck with multiple homing attacks across its body, causing it to roar in pain and anger before its attacker was revealed.
"Man, and here I thought these things couldn't get any uglier." Shuddered Raiden.
"Rai!" All his friends exclaimed at the same time, happy to see him.
"Hey guys, good to see y'all, but let's save the reunion until after we take care of Scorpi-boy here." Rai suggested as he pulled Raleigh away to a safe distance, where Soren set Raxtus down next to them while Soren himself hovered above Raxtus.
"That thing has some pretty thick armor, it's gonna be difficult to get through." Soren said, worried.
"I can probably crack it, but I'd need an opening." Raleigh groaned. "But it's too quick to let me get in close."
"Then how about we flip the script a bit?" Rai suggested with a grin. "If its armor is too tough, I'm willing to bet it has a soft underbelly. I'll do my thing, and then you guys take it down."
"Sounds like a plan." Raxtus was already onboard with the idea as Soren and Raleigh both nodded in agreement.
Raiden then ran toward the Death Stalker and began to run literal circles around it at a speed that made the Death Stalker rather dizzy in trying to keep up with him. It wasn't long before a large tornado was created that slowly pulled the large insectoid Grimm up into the air, causing the Death Stalker to flail uncontrollably before he struck with a volley of Volt Burst attacks that forced it to flip before it fell and landed on its back, exposing its underbelly as it struggled to pull itself back up.
"Guys! Hit it now!" Rai exclaimed.
Not needing to be told twice; the three of them ran and jumped to deliver the final conjoined blow. Raleigh pulled both his fists up and drove them both onto its underbelly just as Raxtus brought the Silver Saber down as hard as he could, with Soren striking with a Skyward Spiral Kick. All three hit at the same time, causing the Death Stalker to roar one final time before it exploded. Its remains quickly melted away just like all the other slain Grimm.
"Now that is how it's done." Rai smirked.
"Rai, good to see you!" Soren told him as he, Raxtus and Raleigh joined in. "We were worried sick!"
"I wasn't." Raleigh brushed off. "You survived worse than a fall from orbit."
"True." Rai nodded. "Any sign of Celia, Tania, or Gavin?"
"No." Soren shook his head. "We haven't been able to make contact with any of them."
"I wouldn't worry." Raleigh said. "Those three can handle themselves. Even against all those monster-things."
"Yeah, they'll be fine." Raiden agreed. "Knowing Gavin, he's probably doing the same thing I did, heading toward the nearest civilization."
"So, you figured out which world we got sent to?" Raxtus asked.
"Yep, this planet's called Remnant and it's on a whole new level" Rai said, before glancing back at the wreckage of the shuttle as well as the bad shape Soren's vehicle was in. "Looks like the Typhoon's seen better days. I can see why you guys haven't been able to get anywhere."
"Yeah, all the stuff from the shuttle is totaled, so I can't use it to repair the Typhoon." Soren said. "Not to mention we had to deal with all those monsters."
"Well don't worry, I can get us a lift, and a place where we can get that thing fixed up." Raiden said as he pulled out the scroll Ozpin gave him and made a call. "Mr Ozpin, I found my friends, well, most of them anyway. But we got some stuff that we can't exactly carry all the way back to Beacon, so we're definitely gonna need that transport."
"Understood. Send me your location and I can have it sent to your location right away." Ozpin responded.
"Got it." Rai nodded before texting the coordinates and hanging up.
"Made new friends already, huh?" Raleigh asked with a knowing smile.
"You know me." Raiden replied. "We got a ride on the way. In the meantime, I'll tell you guys what I've learned about Remnant so far."
Later...
That night, back at Beacon, all the First Years had gathered in the Ballroom with their sleeping bags and were already getting ready to sleep through the night, or simply reading or writing before doing so.
Ruby appeared to be writing something as Yang laid down next to her. "It's like a big slumber party!"
"I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys, though." Ruby commented.
"I know I do." Yang said, checking out several of the guys that had their shirts off, but cringed as she saw Jaune in his Pumpkin Pete onesie. "What's that?" She asked her sister, seeing her write.
"A letter to the gang back at Signal." Ruby replied. "I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."
"Awww, that's so cute!" Yang gushed, only for Ruby to irritatingly throw her pillow at her older sister's face.
"Shut up! I didn't get to take my friends with me to school! It's weird not knowing anyone here." Ruby said dejectedly.
"What about Jaune? He's… nice." Yang told her. "There you go, plus one friend! That's a hundred percent increase!"
"Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend." Ruby said as she laid back on her sleeping bag. "Back to zero."
"There's no such thing as negative friends. You just made one friend and one enemy." Yang replied, only for Ruby to throw her corgi pillow at her face again.
"And what am I? Chopped Liver? I'm your friend as well." An irritable voice chimed behind them, which was Keith who had changed into a different shirt, this one plain red, and black sweatpants. "And what about that lightning boy? Isn't he a friend?"
"I barely even know him." Ruby sighed. "I only saw him once, and I haven't even caught a glimpse of him here at Beacon. Pretty sure I'm never gonna see him again."
Yang sighed before speaking a bit more seriously. "Look, it's only been one day. Trust me, you've got friends all around you. You just haven't met them yet."
"Yeah, you'll be surprised by people if you only just dig below the surface." Said Keith, recalling something that Shiro said to him once.
Ruby's attention was caught by a candle that was lit up, the one who lit it was the same black-haired girl with a bowtie from before, sitting against a wall and reading a book. "That girl…"
"You know her?" Yang asked.
"Not really." Ruby answered. "She saw what happened this morning, but left before I could say anything."
"Well, now's your chance." Yang immediately got up and pulled Ruby up with her by the arm.
"Wait! What are you doing?!" Ruby questioned as she was dragged against her will by her older sister who made their way towards the black-haired girl, turning her attention from her book to the two sisters and Keith, who had decided to join them.
"Hello." Yang greeted. "I believe you two may know each other." She reintroduced Ruby to her.
"Aren't you… that girl that exploded?"
"Uh, yeah. My name's Ruby." She offered her hand to shake, but the girl just seemed to be more interested in her book. "But… you can just call me 'Crater…' actually you can just call me Ruby." She said with a wince.
"Okay…"
"Really great, Rubes." Sighed Keith
"What are you doing?" Yang whispered to Ruby.
"I don't know, help me!" Ruby whispered back.
Now it was Yang's turn. "So, what's your name?"
"Blake." She answered with a sigh.
"Well Blake, I'm Yang. Ruby's older sister. I like your bow."
"Thanks." Blake was now starting to get a little annoyed.
"It goes great with your… pajamas?" Yang tried.
"Right…"
Both sisters looked toward each other with winces, picking up on Blake's lack of interest in a conversation. "So… nice night, don't ya think?" Yang still tried.
"Yes, it's lovely. Almost as lovely as this book. That I will continue to read. As soon as you leave." Blake said with finality.
"Yeah… this girl's a lost cause." Yang muttered.
"What's it about?" Ruby asked Blake, getting her attention.
"Huh?"
"Your book. Does it have a name?"
"Well… it's about a man with two souls." Blake answered. "Each fighting for control over his body."
"If you look at it, it could mean the battle between the light and dark sides in us." Said Keith, catching Blake's attention. " Or it could mean the battle between good and evil, or it could mean the battle between right and wrong. Infact, there's a thousand allegories for this book and others like it. The name's Keith by the way, nice to meet you." He finished.
"Indeed, if that's how you can see it." Remarked Blake, interested by the newcomer and his perspective.
"Oh yeah, that's… real lovely." Yang wasn't much of a bookworm, but her sister was a different story.
"I love books." Ruby stepped up, having found some common ground with Blake. "My mom used to read me stories every night when I was little. Stories of heroes, monsters, they're one of the reasons I wanted to become a Huntress."
"Oh, why is that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?" Blake asked.
"Well, I'm hoping we all will." Ruby answered. "As a kid, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books, someone who fought for what was right, and who protected people that couldn't protect themselves."
"Nice goal." Said Keith. "Y'know, you would make her really proud."
Blake smiled slightly. "That's very ambitious for a child." Her smile faded, however. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."
Ruby's smile didn't fade. "Well, that's why we're here. To make it better."
"Indeed, just being born with power doesn't make you great." Said Keith adding his two cents. "It's what you do with that power that makes you great. Whether as a hero or villain is based upon your actions. Not your heritage, bloodline or status, but by your actions only."He said, not noticing Blake tense up at the last words.
"Oooh, I'm so proud of my baby sister!" Yang pulled Ruby into a hug, much to her annoyance.
"Gah, cut it out!" She struggled in Yang's grip, resulting in a comic dust cloud of punches and kicks, something that caused Blake to chuckle slightly and Keith to cross his arms, sigh and shake his head, a smile on his lips.
"Well, Ruby, Yang, Keith, it's a pleasure to meet…"
"What is going on over here?!" Weiss marched over in irritation. "Don't you realize we're trying to sleep!?"
"Oh, not you again!" Weiss exclaimed to Ruby as Yang did the same to Weiss, while Ruby tried to shush both of them. Keith simply groaned at the sight of Weiss
"Guys, she's right. People are trying to sleep." Ruby said with a wince as Blake simply rolled her eyes and put her book away.
"Oh, now you're on my side?" Weiss glared.
"I was always on your side!" Ruby argued.
"Yeah, what's your problem with my sister?!" Yang exclaimed to Weiss. "She's only trying to be nice!"
"She's a hazard to my health!" Weiss argued.
"That's what all rich douchebags say: to them, everyone and everything around them is a hazard to their delicate health." Remarked Keith, who could't resist one last jab at Weiss.
"THAT'S IT! GET OVER HERE, YOU PRICK!" Roared Weiss, chasing Keith around the room as Blake blew out the candles.
Meanwhile, in Ozpin's office, Rai had recently arrived along with Soren, Raleigh and Raxtus to meet the Headmaster of Beacon as well as Glynda who stood at his side. They were already introduced as Rai gave his friends the brief rundown of what he learned about Remnant so far.
"I take it you are Raiden's companions." Ozpin said.
"That's right. My name is Soarin' Skywing, but please call me Soren." The youngest of the group introduced with a wave and a smile.
"I'm Raxtus, it's nice to meet you." The white-haired boy gave a polite bow.
"Raleigh." The brown-haired boy simply said with a nod and crossed arms.
"And I trust Rai has informed you of what I have told him?" Ozpin asked.
"Yeah, he told us about Remnant, those monsters you call Grimm, the four Kingdoms and the Huntsmen academies…" Soren began.
"Where you have kids fight these monsters." Raleigh said in a tone indicating he didn't approve.
"Ral!" Raxtus scolded.
"What? You've how those things were, and apparently this planet's got millions of em." Raleigh retorted. "Can't blame me for saying I'm not happy about the idea of having kids fight them off."
"We don't just send children into battle." Glynda told him sternly. "The purpose of the Academies is to train them so that as they grow older, they will be better prepared to face the Grimm. And all the students who attend the four major academies have previously enrolled and graduated from other combat schools, so they are not as helpless as you believe, nor are we as cruel as you might think."
"Yeah, I get that." Raleigh admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I understand why you have to do it, but I don't have to like it."
"We don't either." Ozpin also admitted. He understood where Raleigh was coming from and was actually glad to hear it. He could tell that this Raleigh was a caring individual, and it was always good to know there were souls like that either. "But it is a necessary evil. However, we are not here to talk about the moral purposes of the Huntsmen academies and profession, given you already know of it. We are here to talk about the individual that Rai claims to be a threat to our world."
"Terrorblade." Soren pulled out his X-Phone, which he was able to tweak and repair on the ride to Beacon. He pressed a few buttons to show Ozpin and Glynda an image of the aforementioned person, him being a tall, fair-skinned, black-hair individual of European descent, dressed in black traveling robes. "Don't let his looks fool you, he's incredibly dangerous."
"Yes, Raiden has told me of his vast intelligence as well as his dangerous ambitions." Ozpin said. "If he was able to transport his entire army to our world, I'd say he has clearly proven both."
"How exactly was he able to do that?" Glynda questioned. "We have not had any encounters with beings from other worlds in the past; and despite how intelligent or ambitious someone can be, I find it difficult to believe one could be capable of traveling between entire dimensions."
"He used these." Soren adjusted the X-Phone to reveal an image of six glowing gems of different colors. "They're called The Infinity Stones, powerful gemstones created when the multiverse was first born."
"If you wanna know how powerful, just one of them is capable of powering an entire galaxy all on its own." Raxtus said. "But if you bring all six together, you might have the power to obliterate even the entire Multiverse."
That took Ozpin and Glynda by surprise. "That… has to be an exaggeration." Glynda said.
"No, it's not." Raleigh shook his head. "It's how Terrorblade was able to transport the Demonstar and his whole army here."
"We've had to use the Infinity Stones ourselves to save our world, and the Multiverse, more than once." Rai added. "So yeah, trust me, the Infinity Stones are no joke."
This caused the two professors to glance at each other with expressions only they could read. These Infinity Stones reminded them of a certain collection of items that were probably as powerful that they knew all too well.
"Terrorblade used the Infinity Stones combined with the Demonstar's Eclipse Cannon to generate a portal and was able to use it to transport his entire forces here." Soren said. "That alone should give you an idea of how powerful they are."
"So, why have we not yet heard any demands from this Terrorblade?" Ozpin asked. "If he has an entire armada at his disposal, and this Demonstar has a built in weapon, wouldn't it make more sense to simply make his claim for world domination known?"
"Oh yeah, most baddies would definitely go that route." Rai joked, before becoming serious. "But he's not the archetypal 'bad guy' who charges in guns blazing. Rather, he manipulates other people, preferring to stay in the shadows unseen, with well-laid plan after well-laid plan. Right now, he's probably searching for allies of darkness here in Remnant, so as to get a lay of the land. That's how cunning and meticulous he is."
"That, and I'm guessing our little 'road trip' drained the Infinity Stones of their power. So, he's probably waiting for them to recharge as we speak." Added Soren.
"And how long do you believe that would take?" Glynda asked.
"Hard to say." Soren admitted. "It's the first time the Infinity Stones were ever used like this, but I estimate it may take a few weeks for them to recover their energy."
"But if we were able to get a shuttle, we can get to the Demonstar and grab the Infinity Stones before he gets a chance to use them." Raleigh said.
"When you say 'shuttle', am I correct to assume your world has the means for space-travel?" Ozpin asked.
"Yeah, don't you guys?" Raxtus replied with his own question. "I mean, you guys have those airships we rode in on."
"Unfortunately, we do not have the means to travel to space yet." Ozpin responded. "Our reliance on Dust will not allow it."
"Dust?" The Dragonets all questioned at the same time.
"As in, the kind of dust you clean off your desk or something?" Raleigh asked.
"No, not that type of dust." Glynda began to explain. "In our world, nearly every advancement in science we owe to the study of Dust, which is, to put simply, crystalized elemental power. Fire, ice, lightning, gravity, and many others. It is used to power our cities, our vehicles, and even serves as weapons to battle the Grimm."
"Unfortunately, once Dust leaves Remnant's atmosphere, it is rendered inert." Ozpin continued. "So, we have yet to travel beyond our world." 'At Least for the time being.'
"Which means Terrorblade's forces are out of reach for us." Raxtus said with a wince.
"Crap." Rai muttered. "Guess we have no choice, but to wait for Terrorblade to come to us."
"Um, there is one other thing I wanted to ask." Soren got the attention of the Professors. "The people of this world have special powers, right?" He looked to Glynda. "Rai said he saw you use some kind of telekinetic ability."
"Those are Semblances." Glynda replied. "But, based on your question, does this mean you do not possess a Semblance? Even though one of you is capable of traveling hundreds of miles in mere minutes and can also channel lightning?" She looked toward Raiden in particular.
"Well, most of us have our own special kind of powers and skills." Rai explained. "I got my speed and my lightning magic, Raleigh is as strong as I am fast and he has earth, metal and plant magic, Raxtus is pretty fast himself and has light magic, and Soar has wind magic, and he's wicked smart."
"The last one technically isn't a power for me, Raiden." Soren told him.
"Soar, you pretty much mastered Angelic Halo when Tania couldn't master even a simple Flare spell." Raxtus teased. "If having a super-brain like yours doesn't count as a power, then I don't know what does?"
Ozpin got their attention with a slight cough. "To answer your question, Semblances are special abilities that one develops from their Aura."
"Aura?" They all asked, tilting their heads to the side.
"Aura is the manifestation of one's soul, a life force that runs through every living being on Remnant; humans, animals, even plants." Ozpin explained.
"Ohhh, just like Mana!" Exclaimed Soren.
"Do those Grimm monsters have Auras?" Raleigh asked.
"No." Glynda shook her head. "That is what separates the Creatures of Grimm from all other living beings on Remnant. They lack a soul."
"Ugh, creepy." Raxtus shivered.
"Come on, we've fought similar monsters before." Rai told him.
"Yeah, but it's still creepy." Raxtus argued.
Ozpin then stood up and walked toward the group. "Aura simply does more than just generate Semblances. It can also act as a shield to protect one from harm and even heal as well as enhance their own physical capabilities. And even certain individuals are capable of unlocking the Aura of another if they have yet to do so." He offered his hand to Rai. "May I?"
Most of Rai's friends looked unsure. Was he trying to see if Raiden had an Aura? This was something that made even Rai curious. "Sure, why not." The lightning dragonet said with a simple shrug as he stepped forward.
Ozpin placed his hand on Rai's forehead and closed his eyes, focusing his own Aura as a green energy field manifested over his body, causing Soren, Raleigh and Raxtus to look in awe. However, Glynda looked in surprise to see that nothing was manifesting from Rai, even as Ozpin let go.
"How strange." Ozpin looked at his own hand in surprise. "I can definitely sense a soul, a rather strong and free-spirited soul at that along with great power, and yet I'm unable to manifest an Aura."
"You said Aura flows through every living being on Remnant, right?" Soren recalled. "Well, we're not from Remnant. Maybe that's the reason?"
"Perhaps. As I said before, this is the first time we've encountered life from beyond our world." Ozpin seemed to agree. 'If it wasn't for Dr Faustus, I would say that's true.'
Raxtus frowned. For some reason, Professor Ozpin's thoughts were not matching up with his words after all. Raxtus guessed that there was more than what Professor Ozpin was letting on, but as of now, it didn't matter much.
"Okay, getting back to Terrorblade." Raleigh stated, getting their attention. "We don't know why exactly he came here, but it's not gonna be good."
"That is true." Glynda seemed to accept as she turned to the Headmaster. "We'll need to get in contact with the others as soon as possible."
"Agreed." Ozpin nodded. "But at the same time, we also need to know what our allies are capable of." He looked towards Team Drake. "And perhaps I may have an idea on how we can learn."
"What do you mean?" Raxtus asked.
"We have a special test for our newly arrived First Years when they enroll in Beacon, it's a way for us to test their abilities." Ozpin explained. "Their Semblances, their weapons, their strategies and fighting styles, but more importantly, their ability to cooperate and work as a team. If we are going to make a stand against someone as dangerous as this Terrorblade, it is prudent that we establish cooperation between all parties involved. Perhaps if you were to participate in this test, we may be able to see what you're capable of in regard to your physical abilities as well as your cooperation skills. All we ask is that you provide us all the information you can on Terrorblade, including your previous encounters with him, and we'll offer you a place to stay at Beacon to serve as a home base of sorts."
"Sure, that sounds fair enough." Raleigh accepted.
"When it comes to teamwork, we're actually golden." Raxtus said with a smile. "We've been on so many adventures together, we're already a solid team."
"And we're open to meeting and working with new people too." Soren added. "I'll get you all the information on Terrorblade that I have. But we might also need all the info you got on the Grimm, because I got a feeling Terrorblade will try to use them one way or another."
"Of course." Glynda nodded.
"Well Prof, looks like we got a deal. Time to seal it, then." Rai offered his hand to shake with a grin, which Ozpin accepted with a smile.
"Well then; Raiden, Soren, Raxtus, Raleigh, welcome to Beacon Academy."
Hello!
So here's the dynamics between Keith and Team RWBY:
Ruby: He may be dismissive, but he cares for Ruby as a sister.
Yang: See's Yang as a sibling, nothing more.
Blake: Sees a kinship with her because of their shared interests. Though, both of them have hidden secrets as well...
Weiss: Always loves pissing her off because of her wealthy background. Though that changes soon...
Also, here are the dragon names and the Human names that they're known by:
gavin: Navarog
celia: Chalize
raleigh: Ranticus
raxtus: Raxtus
soren: Soarestus
rai: Raiden
tania: Tania
Some of the dragon names are taken from the Fablehaven series.
If you want more notes about this series, go to my Deviantart and search for Nexushero628.
Up Next on RWBY: Dual Heredom, Teams RWBY and JNPR meet both Keith and Team Drake, it's Kamen Rider Prime's turn to shine, and another mutant Grimm makes its appearance.
Kamen Rider is owned by Tokusatsu
RWBY is owned by RoosterTeeth
Voltron: Legendary Defender is owned by Netflix
The rider forms are owned by TajadorCombo, Coeghepher, and DarkTidalWave on Deviantart.
The only thing I own are some OCs, Shippings, and Plotlines.
Thank you and comment down below!