Chapter 3: Flights and Fights
(See end of chapter for notes)
Beacon was busy that morning, dozens of first years students rushed about trying to find their weapons, combat gear, and any ammunition that they needed for the quickly approaching exam. Kane felt lucky in that he had kept his weapons, Stinging Nemesis, on him the previous night, the twin bracers buried in the bottom of his luggage. His combat gear had likewise been buried in his suitcase; the outfit consisted of armoured boots, greaves on his legs, shoulder plates, and guards for his upper arms over top his usual yellow jacket and slim-cut black pants. He buckled Nemesis over top of the jacket as well, the yellow of the weapon's body blending into the jacket, the only indication of its presence was the grey of the blades' edges and the black image of a snake and a scorpion on each weapon. He checked to make sure the weapons were still operating properly, running through the different hand and arm movements that served to change it's form, the pieces of the blades sliding together and forward before locking into place at his wrists without a hitch. A malfunction in the intricate mechanisms would take hours to repair, and could prove fatal in combat depending on the situation. Satisfied they were working properly, he returned them to their collapsed position and engaged the safety. Donning the armour plates, Kane headed for the locker room, searching for the one that had been assigned to him.
William buckled a steel pauldron in place on his right shoulder over top a grey collared jacket, a leather-palmed gauntlet , elbow guard, and a piece for his upper arm joined it. Black leather combat boots were aced up securely, before steel greaves , and plates covering his thighs and knees were affixed to his legs over dark grey jeans; the polished surface of the steel shone in the light. Krieg and Frieden hung on his back from a strap running over his right shoulder, the other end secured to his opposite hip. Unsheathing the blade, he loaded a clip into the proper slot in the pommel with a click; more clips were secured inside a pouch on his belt. He sheathed the blade, and synced the lockers GPS to his Scroll before heading out to the cliff where the exam would be held.
Luna retrieved her gear from the locker where she had stashed it the night before and began slipping on the various items. She slid leather bracers over the sleeves of a loose-fitting white shirt before sticking her arms and head into a chest piece composed of a stiff leather corset and shoulder pads made of the same material. The armour was lightweight and only vaguely form fitting, she adjusted the straps securing everything in place before stretching and rolling her shoulders, confirming that she had full-range of motion. She finished the set with a pair of brown calf-length leather boots, and hard leather greaves to protect her legs from the knees down, wearing them over slim-cut grey pants. The green and brown armour had been a present from her father when she graduated, and this was her first time wearing it into combat. She was pleased with how it looked and felt when she wore it; the pieces were lightweight and allowed complete movement, but they felt sturdy enough to protect her from claws or fangs should her aura run out in a fight. She reached into the locker and removed the final item, her weapon Equinox. It was a leaf-bladed shortsword, roughly 3 feet in length, but this was not its primary form. Equinox could unfold its blade, transforming it into a bow-action pistol, a drawstring acted as the trigger and firing mechanism; a revolving dust chamber could be switched between ice, fire, lightning, or wind types, charging the rounds with the selected effect. She slid a clip into place near the blade, and slid more into loops on the armour, having enough ammunition to fight off a sizable horde of Grimm when she finally left the locker room, weapon slung from her back.
Being the nimble fighter she was, Danica wore only a light Flakjacket, leather boots,knee and elbow pads, and black fingerless gloves; trusting in the strength of her aura and her ability to avoid incoming attacks for everything else. Under her sparse armour, she wore a red hoodie, black t-shirt, and tight black shorts made from an elastic fabric that didn't restrict her movement; her hair was up in a ponytail, leaving only a few strands to hang in front of her face . Fashion took a back seat in favor of comfort and functionality during combat scenarios. She fastened her weapon, a rifle/double-bladed longsword named Scarlet Ombre, to the back of her vest. She had already loaded it, and filled several of the vests pockets with the special drum-mags her weapon required. She left the room, pausing only to check-out some cute blonde boy who was just now entering to find his locker. She couldn't help but smirk, he was cute; he returned the look when he caught her looking him over. She giggled coyly and turned on her heel, leaving the locker room for the cliffs that were to host the exam.
When all the students had arrived, they were directed to stand on large metal plates lying on the ground as Ozpin began speaking to the gathered first years, "For years you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest. Once you enter the forest, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next 4 years. After you've partnered up, 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."
Ozpin also spoke of relics within the forest that they must find and return to him in order to pass. He wished them all luck, and then most of the students realized what it was they were standing on, they were launch pads. Students began being launched off to Kane's left, and he adjusted his stance in preparation, flicking the safeties off of Nemesis. The students to his right all made similar preparations.
Kane heard a mechanical hissing from below his feet, then he was launched off the cliff, rolling in the air so he flew feet first. Grinning, he let himself soar for a few seconds, then used the whips built into Nemesis' design to latch onto a large tree branch; he began to quickly reel himself in, letting momentum swing him around the bottom of the branch before releasing the hooks. He rolled to his feet upon landing, Heart pounding from the experience, he waited and let himself calm down before making his way deeper into the woods.
William activated his semblance mid flight, holding his shield out in front of him as he hurtled for the ground. He felt his aura weaken as he reduced the effects of gravity on himself and he slowed down greatly. He struck the ground shield first, and rolled forward, ending in a low crouch. He could already hear the sounds of fighting coming from deeper within the forest, so unsheathing his blade, he pressed on.
Luna deployed her weapon mid air, the bow springing to life in her hand. Dust cycled through from ice to air and locked in with a click. Adjusting her hold on the bow, the weapon lying parallel to the ground; she took aim and fired at the ground below her. A sizable twister erupted from where the slug impacted the ground, slowing her downward momentum and lowering her to the ground slowly before dissipating. Flicking back to lightning dust, she scanned the forest, bow drawn and ready to fire should something leap out at her. When no attack came, she cautiously set off into the woods, excited to see who her teammates would be.
Danica whooped and hollered as she sailed across the sky, this is why she was a huntress. Flicking her weapon to extend the lethal parallel blades, she took aim at an approaching tree and fired a secondary trigger. Ombre's body shot out, bound to her by a strong tether, and sank into a branch on the massive oak tree. Reeling the line in, she flew towards it, and swinging down around the tree limb and landed on top of the branch. Pulling the primary trigger, her rifle fired once, freeing itself of the massive branch and swung around back to her hand, reconnecting with its other half.
A voice from below startled her, "Hey up there!" Glancing down, she spotted the silver haired man from back on the cliff. Dropping from the tree, she landed in front of him before responding. "Hey there, I guess we're partners then?"
"Indeed we are, my name is William, call me Will" came his reply, smiling pleasantly. "Well Will, I'm Danica, it's nice to meet you." The pair shook hands before seeting off together into the woods.
Kane was startled to feel a tap on his shoulder, accompanied by a quiet "Fancy meeting you here." He turned and found himself looking at Luna, her bow in hand, "Heh, yeah, I guess we're on the same team then?" She nodded in reply, opening her mouth to say something, but then she stopped, She could hear something in the bushes to their left. Motioning with her head, she alerted Kane to the presence, knowing that his ears wouldn't have picked up on the sound. He turned to face whatever was creeping up on them.
A massive Beowolf leaped from its hiding spot in the brush towards them, teeth and claws bared in attack. Kane prepared a stab that would stop the beast in its tracks, but it never came to be. in a flash of silver and blue, its head was cleaved from its shoulders.
"Hey, Danica! I found someone! Afternoon, Kane" greeted a smiling Will, then he noticed Luna, "And hello to you as well, miss… Luna?" The enthusiasm drained from his voice, replaced by shame, he had forgotten her name and clearly felt bad about it. Luna pretended not to notice, returning his greeting warmly. Danica came slinking out of the bushes behind Will, sword in hand. "Hey Luna, hey Blondie" she called playfully. Luna introduced her to Kane, and vice versa, and with pleasantries out of the way, the four set out together, deciding that it would double their odds of safely reaching their objective.
They met little resistance during their travel, nothing more than a handful of beowolves and ursa which they dispatched easily enough.. They exited the forest into a clearing, where they could see an incredible sight; teams RWBY and JNPR were fighting a pair of colossal Grimm. The girls had their hands full with a Nevermore, while Jaune and his crew squared off against a Deathstalker. It was impressive to see, the teams had probably known each other only a few minutes, yet they were already fighting as one.
The show was interrupted as something big, and very angry crashed through the woods towards the four students in the clearing. As the massive beast finally came out into the open, Kane readied himself for a fight as another Deathstalker, just as large as the one engaged with Jaune's team, reared it's ugly head. They backed off, farther into the clearing, everyone looking to each other to see if anyone had a plan. Kane had taken his companions abilities into account as they had made their way to the clearing, so he quickly came up with something.
"Let's get to work, people!" he shouted, dodging out of the way of the beasts lethal stinger. At some point during the fight, their minds seemed to sync, and they began acting out the plan Kane had formulated without more than a few words shared between them. Luna fired ice charged rounds at it's legs, freezing it to the ground. Kane slashed at its stinger as it missed and plunged into the dirt, severing it completely. As the tail rose back up, Danica grabbed hold of it and rode it to it's peak. Will assembled Einheit as he rushed the beast, Kane stopped attacking its claws with Luna to grab William in his whips and throw him high. Danica and William dropped onto its head in unison; both warrior's blades sinking deep into it's flesh, Will's axe breaking through the armoured shell, and Danica's sword penetrating deep. The Deathstalker let out a shriek as it died, pitched over onto its side in a heap.
They celebrated briefly before making their way to the relics waiting for them in the ruins. only two left; a matching set of chess pieces. They rested a moment, everyone exhausted from the fight they just finished. "We work well as a team" commented a tired Kane, the others agreed. They had worked surprisingly well together, weapons and abilities combining to efficiently slay the beast. They returned to their feet a few moments later and made their way back to the school to find out what team they would be assigned to.
"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. You will be team RWBY, Ruby Rose will assume the role of leader." Ozpin announced, there was clapping from the assembled students, then he continued, "Kane Chrysós, Luna Pines, William Slate, and Danica Carnelian will make up team KLWD, with Mr Chrysós as team leader. Congratulations." More cheering from the crowd. The four students turned to each other, not surprised at the decision to put them on a team together, but Kane was certainly shocked that he had been chosen as team leader. "I'll do my best, team" he said with a smile, his voice lacked it's usual self-confident bravado, but that's to be expected when you suddenly have the lives of 3 other people resting on your shoulders; when a single bad decision could put anyone of them in the hospital or worse. Sensing his distress, Luna put a hand on his shoulder, "You'll be a great leader, Kane." He perked up a little at the remark, nodding in agreement. So begins the tale of Team KLWD he thought excited, a smile spreading across his face.
Notes:
"KLWD" is pronounced "cloud"; if anyone has a question about the weapons or anything else in the story, let me know in the comments and I will happily answer them so long as they won't spoil anything.
Thanks for reading, feel free to leave a review, your feedback will help greatly.