Disclaimer: None of the characters or locations presented in this fanfic are mine; they belong to Rooster Teeth and Rainbow.
The Burning Beacon
4. Into the Frying Pan
Mirta's white-knuckle grip on the armrest tightened as the transport began its descent into Remnant's atmosphere. She hated military transport shuttles; they jostled and vibrated and lurched at the worst possible moments, and her last flight on one ended in her losing her lunch all over the back of the seat in front of her. Not her finest moment or one she particularly wished to repeat, but if the craft didn't stop shaking soon she wouldn't have much choice in the matter.
Across the aisle from her, Riven groaned and braced himself for another of Professor Malek's fantastic landings. Under most other circumstances, Riven loved flying, but with Professor Malek as a pilot? He'd rather chew off his own foot. He didn't know how any of them got volunteered for this Remnant trip, least of all the professor with the worst rough-turbulence landing record in recent memory. Shouldn't they have someone competent piloting the shuttle onto an unknown planet?
He wasn't sure what made him and the nervous witch the best candidates for the 'exchange' program their headmasters cooked up. She was a mere incoming freshman with nothing special about her aside from her hair. As a sophomore, his assigned squad worked, ate, and slept together and consistently turned in good scores, but not good enough to get him on this mission. He had no idea what Saladin was playing at, but he wished the old coot had used someone else for a chess piece. Even if this assignment offered him a chance to step out of Sky and Brandon's royal shadows, he doubted anything noteworthy could happen on Remnant.
The shuttle landed smoother than the one Mirta arrived in Magix on, but only just. The air sickness bag made itself invaluable before the ordeal ended, leaving the young witch to stagger her way to the loading ramp. Behind her, the magenta-haired sophomore followed at a more relaxed pace.
A lone woman met them on the landing platform, her pale blonde hair in a professional bun and jade eyes hidden behind wire-rimmed glasses. From her attire, Mirta decided the woman might do more work in a classroom than out in the field. The white blouse, black half-vest and matching pencil skirt looked like pretty standard teacher attire, though Mirta grudgingly admitted that the black purple-lined torn-hem cape, black lace tights, and black knee-high boots conflicted with that image. Most teachers who wore pencil skirts in Magix and Outcastus generally paired them with sensible flats or plain heels.
"Welcome to Remnant. I apologize if the turbulence affected your travels here; the partial destruction of our moon altered the wind currents in dramatic ways we never anticipated." The woman used an even, no-nonsense tone, but wasn't overly rude or stuffy about it. Mirta liked her voice. "I'm Professor Goodwitch, one of the teachers here at Beacon Academy."
"We figured," Riven drawled. "I thought we were meeting with the man in charge?"
"You will, after a short trip to our medical bay," Professor Goodwitch replied. "We need to ensure you are current on all of our vaccinations in addition to the ones required for Magix."
Riven and Mirta groaned in unison. Magix required a rigorous physical exam and several vaccinations just to land on the planet due to its status as a college realm. The specialist shook his head. It would figure that an isolated realm like Remnant would require different shots. Didn't mean he had to like it, though.
Nearly an hour later, after being poked and prodded and scanned with devices they'd never seen before, the pair found themselves in the headmaster's office. The nameplates on the desk and door named the grey-haired man Ozpin. Ozpin gave the appearance of an absent-minded older fellow, but Riven wasn't fooled. He knew that act when he saw it. Ozpin was a good actor, but not good enough to fool him…or perhaps the old man didn't want to fool him? Riven didn't know and a quick glance to his left informed him that his redheaded neighbor didn't much care.
"Riven Foster and Mirta Vance, allow me to be the second person to welcome you to Beacon Academy, as I'm sure Professor Goodwitch was the first." Ozpin smirked. "You two were chosen to attend here partly as extra protection for our newest magical transfer, Stella Solis, and partly so that you may learn more about our brand of magic and warfare, and us of yours. In particular, your ages and aptitude tests ensured your selection for this assignment."
Riven nodded. He'd wondered about that. "So, what kind of weapons do you use here?" He knew phantoblade tech was more advanced than most of Remnant's best companies could offer, but he wasn't sure how well the light-based weapons worked against Grimm.
"Most of the students build their own weapons, and those that convert from one type to another are preferred. You'll get a better idea of what you're dealing with when you start training with your peers," Ozpin replied. "I'm sure some of the other students would enjoy explaining it to you. And on that note, it's time to inform you of another aspect of Beacon's curriculum: all students are divided into four-person teams comprised of two sets of partners. While here, your team will become your family, for better or worse. It is in your best interest to look out for your teammates, especially your partner." He gave the two a pointed look. "Since there are no un-partnered students at present, you two will be partners for the remainder of your time here. The pair of you will be placed on a team with our only lone pair in your year: Stella Solis and Bloom Goodwitch."
"Is Bloom related to Professor Goodwitch, by chance?" Mirta asked.
"She is, but I'll allow her to explain the connection." Riven wasn't sure he liked that smirk, but decided not to comment on it. Maybe once he got a better feel for the man things would change, but for now he'd tone down the sarcasm and play it safe. Ozpin, unaware of his mental debate, continued speaking. "Now, I believe I've kept you long enough. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your new dorm rooms and let your teammates handle the grand tour from there."
"Fine by me." He shrugged. For better or worse, life at Beacon Academy was bound to be interesting with a headmaster like this.
Stella fidgeted with the hem of her plaid skirt. Last night, Professor Goodwitch informed her and Bloom that two more transfer students from Magix—this time from Red Fountain and Cloud Tower—would be arriving to fill out their new 'team'. Much as she hated how the senior CT witches treated her back home, she longed for someone to discuss the latest magical realm gossip with and the young witch, a true freshman from Outcastus, would suffice in lieu of other options.
"Would you relax? It's going to be fine, I'm sure." Bloom's reassuring tone interrupted her mental monologue. "Besides, you and the new witch can be clueless about weapons together until we can rig something up for her." And oh, did Bloom have ideas about weapons. Stella was convinced that weapons and pyrotechnics were Bloom's most favorite things, especially when used to battle Grimm. So did Nora and Ruby, giving Stella the impression that redheads tended to love things that went boom and made pretty flames.
And speaking of redheads…Dragon was that hair ever red. Blood red, actually, with a single blue stripe held apart by colored beads—Stella knew girls back home who would commit premeditated ritual murder to get the hair color of their new training partner. It made the freckles on her alabaster skin really stand out and contrasted her blue eyes. The witch stood shorter than Bloom, but Stella had learned that powerful things came in tiny packages at Beacon and determined to hold off all evaluations of usefulness until she'd seen the girl work her magic.
The magenta-haired specialist she dimly recognized as one of the boys in Prince Sky's squad; she thought his name might start with an 'R' but couldn't remember it off-hand. A loner attending on scholarship and great swordsman but known for being a tad underhanded if it would help him win a fight. Red Fountain frowned on such tactics, but she doubted the instructors at Beacon would think too much of it. Any advantage against the Grimm was used to its fullest around here.
"Just the two I was looking for." Ozpin smiled. She'd rather forgotten he was there, and flushed with embarrassment at that realization. She needed to take more notice of her surroundings or she'd never get back to Solaria. "Bloom and Stella, meet Riven Foster and Mirta Vance. Riven, Mirta, these ladies are Bloom Goodwitch and Stella Solis, your new training partners and roommates."
Bloom immediately perked up, her aura vibrating in excitement. The heat it emitted made Stella a tad uncomfortable, but she refrained from mentioning it out loud when she saw Bloom's smile. "Does this mean we get a team name?"
The headmaster smiled indulgently at them. He no doubt found this whole affair amusing. "Ah, yes. From now on, you will be listed as Team BSMR (Bessemer) on the progress rosters. Now, I suggest you four retire to your new quarters so Miss Vance and Mister Foster can change into their new uniforms before the history class with Doctor Oobleck next period."
Riven cringed at the mention of uniforms, no doubt imagining variations of the caped absurdities Red Fountain clothed their students in. Stella understood the jumpsuits—those were charmed and padded to protect against impact and spell damage—but not the capes. She'd worn enough for fancy dinners to know they got caught on damn near everything. "Don't worry; it's nothing as bad as the hero capes. The guys here seem to find them comfy enough."
Riven sneered but managed to bite back the immediate sarcastic response she knew he had at the ready. Sarcasm and arrogance were his go-to reactions in most social situations. Annoying when working with him but amusing when he directed those reactions towards a rival group. She looked forward to his first training session against the Winchester prat. "And I take it you're the authority here, princess?"
"On fashion? You know it. On Remnant's school uniforms, though, I defer to our fearless leader." She smiled at Bloom, causing the redhead to flush a bit. She might be the new kid here, but it had only taken a few hours for Stella to figure out who lead what teams. Their initials came first in the team name, always. Therefore Bloom was the leader of team BSMR, not Riven.
"The school uniforms are designed with range and ease of motion in mind, but for training simulations you may wear whatever you think makes the best hunting gear." Bloom glanced over her shoulder as Ozpin took his leave under the pretense of finishing paperwork. Stella didn't doubt the man would eavesdrop at a safe distance, though. He knew too much of what happened in this school not to eavesdrop. "Most boys our year favor armored chestplates, but Lie Ren seems to do just fine without them."
Of course Lie Ren also had more control of his aura's effects than the other males in their year put together, but she decided not to bring that subject up just yet. "I'm sure Riven can come up with something." She noticed poor Mirta trying to blend in with the wallpaper and sighed. "Anyway, we'd better get back to our dorms or we'll be late for Dr. Oobleck's class, and I don't know if he takes coffee bribes or not."
"Mom never would tell me." Bloom shrugged. "No reason to find out during the first week, though. Come on; let's get you two into your new clothes."
Riven couldn't say he cared for the blazer or vest much, but at least the uniform fit well and had tons of places to hide small weapons. Heck, there was probably room for his lock-picking kit in here. He'd need to add that before tomorrow, but for now he was content with a small multi-tool and his trusty phantoblade.
Doctor Oobleck literally bounced off the walls on his way into the classroom. Riven raised an eyebrow; that amount of caffeine would send a normal person into heart failure, or so he dimly recalled from last year's drug interaction lectures. But he got the feeling that Hunters channeled their magic in different ways than 'normal' people, so perhaps the hummingbird-on-speed impersonation was how his body converted ambient magical energy into a useful form? He wasn't sure and wasn't brave enough to ask on the first day in class. Maybe next week, though…
By the end of lecture, he missed half the important details and regretted not filching Timmy's old audio recorder before leaving Red Fountain. Audio Playback beat sifting through half-finished notes any day. He glanced over at his new 'team'. "Anybody get the model number on that bullet train?"
"Not really, but I'll ask Pyrrha what she got and swap out for a full note set." Bloom smirked. "Dr. Oobleck's kinda…intense, but he's a great guy. He knows his history and loves talking about it…but the only way to get a complete set of notes from his lectures is swapping points with someone else."
She sounded like she'd learned that the hard way. He didn't doubt it; the redhead was a teacher's daughter and had a whole week's worth of Beacon education on him and Mirta. "Can't you just record the lesson on audio files?" He asked.
Bloom shook her head as Stella groaned. "One of the CRDL boys tried that the second day; Oobleck still has the recorder. He wants to torture us the good old-fashioned way: making us choose what should be included or dropped from the class lecture notes."
"And if he says it twice, write it down." Stella added. "It'll probably be on a quiz or something later, from what I heard."
"Yeah, but that's true for every teacher here." Bloom shrugged. "Classes have only been in session for a week, so you two aren't so far behind that a little extra work this week won't catch you up. I know how Mom lectures, but for everyone else it's probably best to just write down everything you can in class and sort through it later."
So it was first year at Red Fountain all over again. He grimaced. "And here I thought this was supposed to be a cool school."
"The cool part isn't 'til later, Mr. Big Shot." The cyan-eyed girl winked at him. He almost dropped the disinterested expression due to how bizarre that response was. Most girls didn't play back when he put the arrogant mask on. "I don't know if she'll let you join the rest of the group or not, but Basic Combative Tactics is our last class of the day today."
"And how is that fun?" He raised an eyebrow at her. It sounded like some kind of strategy class to him.
"You mean you don't like learning how to effectively use your weapon in a simulated Grimm battle?" Goodwitch feigned shock. "I thought that's what you Specialists lived for!"
He fought the urge to roll his eyes but admitted she had a point. He'd been itching to see how his phantoblade fared against a Grimm, but he never thought there was an actual class for it. "Not with a name like that, I don't. Back home the course with that name is the most boring class taught." Fortunately, it was entirely optional if you weren't on the Command track. Prince Sky and Brandon sat through it like good little nobles, but he stopped going after two weeks and changed his degree track to get out of there. He had a feeling, however, that you couldn't change majors or drop a class to get out of one you didn't like here at Beacon.
"Well around here Professor Goodwitch handles it, so it's definitely not boring." Stella harrumphed.
"Forgive me if I don't take your word for it, princess."
"W-what if we don't have a weapon?" For the first time since their meeting in Ozpin's office, Mirta joined in the conversation. He was impressed she wasn't still too shy and shell-shocked to ask relevant questions. Unlike Specialists, Witches and Fairies didn't generally use focus tools for their magic and rarely bothered learning to wield traditional weapons.
"I'm pretty sure Mom will let you sit this class out, with it being your first day here and all." The (slightly) taller redhead smiled. "After class, I'll get some of the other girls together and we can let you test out our weapons for a bit. If you find something you like, we can replicate and modify it for you. A couple of students the year above us want to be weapon-smiths, so this will be great practice for them."
"You just have a solution for everything don't you?" He drawled.
"Nah, just the easy ones." Bloom smiled as they reached their next class. "And here's Intro to Grimm Anatomy and Physiology with Dr. Aubergine. Let's grab a bench on the front row if we can, because while her lectures are great, her handwriting isn't and she hasn't upgraded to projector slides yet."