Hi everyone. This chapter came later than intended due to assignments, exams, and constant rewriting.

I hope it came out okay.

To start off with answering some questions from AKS-784 and New here. One of them has a long answer so please bear with me.

First off. Glad you're enjoying the story.

In regards to your questions:

New here:

1: Pairings:

I'm not 100% on exactly where I'm going with that. But at this point I'm leaning towards OC/Blake. Partly because it would be somewhat complicated, and thus interesting to write. Also it means an easier reason for him to be looking near the docks during the events of 'Black and White', so there's the story aspect as well. If I do go with this though, it would be a slow build-up.

2: Possible tension regarding S.D.C and White Fang:

Currently Sam is of the opinion that the whole S.D.C vs White Fang thing has become messed up beyond belief and he is sick of hearing about it. This may come up later.

3: Timeline:

Sam went to Remnant before Volume 2 came out. He has no idea what to expect after the docks. However, due to the fact that he has been in Remnant for about a year he has picked up on some of the general knowledge of world. Tis means he can know at least some of the things from the 'World of Remnant' parts

AKS-784:

I suppose that Sam would be capable of ricochet shot theoretically. It's just that I can't think of many situations he would use them outside of a few very specific scenarios. It order for a successful ricochet shot he would need to be in the right place, his target would need to be in the right place, and the surface the ricochet would come off would need to be in the right place. Furthermore the surface would need to be of a suitably hard material, too soft and the bullet just goes through. Also if the angle is too acute then the bullet would be outright stopped by the surface rather that ricochet.

So while ricochet shots are theoretically possible, the number of situations where it would be useful seems limited.

Besides, it didn't really seem necessary given what Sam should be capable of down the road.

The original inspiration for this semblance came from an article I read called 'The 5 Most Impossible Sniper Shots Ever Made'. Specifically numbers 2 and 5 (3 and 4 were somewhat situational and number 1 involved three snipers). Number 2 involved shooting a gun out of someone's hand, there was video. But what really impressed me was number 5, to summarise a sniper needs to hit a target at the extreme end of his range and there's a breeze that could push the bullet off target, so in order to hit he calculated that he would need to aim '56 feet to the left and 38 feet high'. He took the shot, the bullet curved and hit his target in the chest.

With his semblance Sam would be able to pull off a shot like that, and then do it again, and again. Currently the main limiting factors in this are the time it takes to line up the shot, and some difficulty with judging moving targets. But as he gets better those factors will diminish.

Eventually (and this is a big eventually) Sam could be capable of five quick shots against five different targets and get headshots on all of them, from a significant distance, in a storm.

Furthermore there are other aspects of Sams power that will be explored later.

With all that ricochet shots seemed like overkill. Especially since the using ricochet shot would require specific setups, while he would be capable of some awesome shots without them.

Okay. On with the chapter.

Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Ruby or anything else I may reference. I have some claim to my OCs.

Chapter 8

I have to admit, whatever nervousness or apprehension I felt about coming to Beacon, now that I was here the primary feeling was excitement. The first day was coming, and the night before I had gone to sleep in the belief that whatever happened the next morning it wouldn't be as crazy for us as it would be for team RWBY.

Dear god was I wrong.

*FWEEEET*

"Holy mother of god!"

"GAAAH!"

"What the fuck?!"

Arthur and Harriet gave their opinions as well.

I looked around blearily.

"Rise and shine everyone!"

It was Daniela.

"Dani?...Why did you wake us up with a whistle at…" I looked to check the time.

Harriet beat me to it. "FIVE-THIRTY AM?!"

Daniela smiled. "Exercise."

"Huh?"

"I figured it would be a good idea to set up an exercise program. So we're getting up early and starting with a run."

"Are you kidding?!" Arthur was not enthused.

"Isn't part of our goals here to increase our physical abilities?"

'She's not exactly wrong.' "Well, yes but-"

"So an exercise program is a good idea?"

'Not the issue.' "I suppose but that's not the-"

"Great! Get changed, and remember to stretch before we start."

She blew the whistle again.

We could have continued to protest. But we were only just waking up and still tired, so we went along with it in the vague hope that if we did she'd stop blowing the whistle.

She did not.

"Come on guys! Two more laps!"

We were outside, in the school grounds.

"Left, Left, Left Right Left"

"You've wanted to say that for a while haven't you?" Harriet growled.

"Maybe."

Daniela seemed happy.

The rest of us? Not so much.

To be clear, exercising and training is always going to be a good idea. The fact that she thought so much on it already is just further proof that Daniela was the best choice for leader.

The problem is that she blasted a whistle in our ears at half-past five in the morning to start on an exercise plan that she hadn't consulted us on beforehand.

I feel certain that had she done so the rest of us would have agreed and we would have come up with a schedule. Hell it's not even the early time (although we probably wouldn't have agreed to starting this early). But the fact that she's done this without mentioning it to us beforehand has left a rather…disgruntled feeling in the air.

Which Daniela seems completely oblivious to.

Quite frankly, the only reason we were still going along with this was that other students (and maybe a professor or two) had seen us from windows or were up early as well. Having gone along with the run this long only to break down into an argument now, barely into our first day, would make us feel like a bunch of prats.

So we continued.

There's not much to be said about the rest of the morning. We got breakfast, got changed into the uniforms, and went to class.

Daniela seemed to remain unaware of the increasingly mutinous feeling, but some subconscious survival instinct must have told her what Harriet was likely to do with the whistle if she blew it again.

Grimm studies. An important subject for any aspiring hunter.

To learn of the ins and outs of this worlds' greatest danger and how best to counter them.

That's no small matter either. I've seen Beowolves and Ursa, and caught a glimpse of a Nevermore. But there are other types of Grimm out there that are even more dangerous.

I did some reading about these other types and I swear I came across a species that looked a lot like velociraptors.

…I had a bit of trouble getting to sleep for a while after that.

The point is Grimm Studies is important. This is just as important as combat training and should be treated as such.

"Monsters. Deemons. Prowlers of the night. Yes the creatures of Grimm have many names. But I merely refer to them as prey. Ha haaaa!"

…I hope.

"Uhhhh. And you shall too upon graduating from this prestigious academy. Now as I was saying, Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world."

Honestly I don't know why he's telling us this. It's not unusual to hear of a village that vanishes overnight. We all know that the world's dangerous, that's why we're here.

"But first, a story. A tale of a young, handsome man. Me."

Annnnd here we go, he's launching into a story about himself. I hope he doesn't always tell these stories. He has to actually give lectures sometime right?

I looked at my teammates. Harriet and Arthur look like they're fighting to stay awake. Daniela looks confused, her pencil hovering over her paper, waiting for the important part of class to begin so she can take notes.

I have to say though, despite being somewhat…'puffed up' I have to respect Port. Not just because he's a professor, but because he's from outside the kingdom himself. According to his own story he came from a village outside the kingdom. And given that out there the term 'without a trace' can carry the implied addition of 'except gnawed bones', you have to be tough to survive out there.

"The moral of this story? A true huntsman must be honourable!"

'…Define honour.'

"A true huntsman must be dependable!"

'I'll do everything I can.'

"A true huntsman must be strategic-"

'A work in progress.'

"-well educated-"

'That's why we're here'

"-and wise!"

'…Uhhhhhhh.'

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

"I do sir!" I don't think there was even a full second between Port finishing his speech and Weiss speaking up.

It was probably my imagination, but I'd swear I heard a crack as her raising hand broke the sound barrier.

"Well then, let's find out. Step forward and face your opponent." Port gestured to the cage beside him.

The Grimm inside was angry.

I blinked. "How long has that cage been there? The Grimm inside is growling so we should have noticed it earlier right?" I whispered to the others.

I got three confused shrugs.

Weiss left to get her equipment. The rest of the class was left to talk quietly amongst themselves while we waited.

"What do you think Sam?" Daniela whispered.

"Huh?"

"You mentioned you've done some research on the Grimm."

"Yeah…But I'd hardly call it extensive. I know a bit about some, mostly the basics, but for others I mostly skimmed."

"Okay. But do you know anything about this Grimm?"

I looked at the cage. The bars don't obscure everything. If I remember correctly then this Grimm is a Boarbatusk, I've read up a bit on it. I don't recall the details of the fight, but it shouldn't be a problem.

"Looks like a Boarbatusk. Fairly armoured, has a rolling charge attack. Nasty thing, but it shouldn't be a major problem. For example, when it's doing that rolling charge it probably can't turn very well, should be easy enough to dodge. Its hide is tough, but it's weaker on the belly. I think it may also be weaker around where the bone plates on its back meet the hide. I normally wouldn't give this much thought but one could, hypothetically, slip blade in the crack. Beyond that the throat is a basic target and then there's the most basic, 'when in doubt go for the eyes'.

Weiss has her rapier, which comes to a fine point, so she should be able to give out some precise stabs, and slashing around the throat or eyes would work. And that's not even getting into her Glyphs."

"This is assuming that she makes all the most logical choices immediately." Art said.

"Fair enough, but it still shouldn't be a big problem."

From there we lapsed into silence until Weiss came back. Everyone was interested in seeing this fight and the whole class went silent. Well, except the rest of team RWBY.

Things started off simple. The Boarbatusk charged, Weiss dodged to the side and slashed at it. Simple attack of opportunity doubling as a probing strike, but between the plates and the armour it wasn't effective.

Then Weiss lunged forward. As it happened I remembered that this is how it happened in the show, but seeing it now I noticed a serious flaw in this.

I can see vectors and trajectory, but normally this is more difficult in regards to living creatures because of all the moving parts involved. But that lunging stab Weiss uses is actually fairly easy to predict. It was shown in the Emerald Forest that stopping was difficult, and I could only assume that turning was right out.

If her opponent was stunned or distracted then it would be a very damaging attack. But against an opponent that can see her coming it would carry the danger of a counter-attack.

That the Boarbatusk was able to disarm her just proves the point.

The end of the fight was fairly impressive. Using one glyph to stun the Boarbatusk, and then using another to launch forward and kill it. All in all more exciting than I thought, but ultimately quick.

Oh and there was the whole 'Stop telling me what to do' incident, but that's not really my concern when I know they can work it out themselves, and anyway DASH has its own problems for me to worry about right now.

As we left the class I had one further thought about the fight. 'She may outclass most of us. But she still has things to learn, just like the rest of us. All of us.'

It was oddly comforting.

With class over the four of us strolled through the halls silently.

Arthur, Harriet and I needed to talk to Daniela. Soon.

Harriet broke the silence. "What now?"

"We should unpack and sort through our things." Daniela said.

That works out well.

When we got back Daniela got started. The rest of us stood awkwardly trying to arrange our thoughts.

Arthur started. "Dani, we need to talk."

She looked up from where she was sorting her things. "Okay, what about?"

"It's about you leadership style. It's…uh…"

"Like you're a drill sergeant." Harriet took over. "A friendly drill sergeant, but still a drill sergeant. But a drill sergeant only handles the training, then the trainees are handed off and the leading is done by someone else, so it doesn't matter if the trainees want to take their whistle and sh-"

"Okay!" Arthur quickly interrupted.

Daniela flinched before Arthur could cut Harriet off.

I guess it's my turn. "Okay." I took a moment to arrange my thoughts. "Dani, you are very smart, and you have some great ideas. But I think there are a few details to work out still. The most pressing one being that if you have a plan, then it would probably help if you ran it by the rest of us before you put it into action. If we're going to get an early morning alarm call we'd really appreciate it if we had sufficient warning. From the night before at least."

"I mean it's…it's…" I trailed off.

It would have been easier if Daniela started arguing. Instead she just seemed to shrink in on herself.

"Uh…well…"

"Sorry." She said in a small voice.

There was silence for a few moments. The three of us started to feel pretty bad.

"Uh…" Arthur broke the silence. "Dani, we know you're just trying to be a good leader, and you will be, but you just need to talk with us more.

Harriet went next. "Yeah, we need to be more like friends than just teammates. So just treat us like you normally do for friends."

Daniela raised her head. Her sad expression told us that last sentence contained a major assumption that was incorrect.

"Um…I never really had friends, not for long anyway. My family…wasn't really popular."

That made us feel worse.

Any mutinous feeling was gone now.

"I guess this has been a learning experience for all of us." Art broke the silence again. "Let's just forget about this and move on. Let's start again."

"Just remember to talk to us about your ideas." I smiled. "Democracy, you can't beat it."

"Right, you're our leader but if we're going to work as a team we'll have to be friends more than teammates." Harriet said.

"Okay." Daniela had a small smile now.

The mood was definitely lightening up.

"I guess I got caught up in my ideas. Sorry." Daniela said.

"Well you seem to have some good ones." I said. "Once we really get a system going we should do great."

There was silence, but it was much more comfortable now.

"So…we're really friends?" Daniela asked with a hopeful tone.

"Yeah." I said.

"And partners." Harriet said as she threw an arm around Danielas' shoulders.

Arthur apparently decided this was a good moment to start a group hug. He threw one arm around my shoulders and the other around Harriet and Daniela.

"Right. We're all friends, friends love each other."

…

'…Give him a break, he's just being nice, he won't have any idea what he just-'

"Seriously Art? 'W.A.F.F.L.E-O'? Really?"

…

I slowly turned and stared at Harriet. "…Huh?"

"'We're all friends, friends love each other'. W.A.F.F.L.E-O."

I continued to stare blankly.

"It's an Achieve Men song."

"…Ah, the band…They made a song called 'W.A.F.F.L.E-O'?"

"Yeah. Don't listen to them?"

I shook my head. "Not really." At least not this worlds version. "Popular song?"

"Fairly."

I just nodded, my brain was still trying to catch up.

"Although if you're looking for a really good one, try 'Still in the Air'."

I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing.

I'm still not sure if I succeeded in what I intended for this chapter, but sooner or later I just have to put it out there.

One last thing.

I have a fairly serious question about my story.

Ever since episode 8, Field Trip, came out, I've been wondering about the names I've used thus far. I've used Arthur, Daniels and Harriet because they were the best I'd thought up at the time. But ever since Ozpins speech about why names have something to do with colour I've been second guessing this. I could think of a few reasons why a few people wouldn't have a colour name, but I'm not sure how well that would work. Also it suddenly seemed to be a missed opportunity to do a scene (in Volume one time) where everyone else is like, 'What's up with this guy's name?', and also think of how strange Sam is in other ways.

I've been considering looking up some new names, colour themed this time, and editing the previous chapters to have them. Although if that happens the team name will still be DASH because they can't all be good building blocks for colour themed team names.

The question is:

Should I do it?

Until next time.