AN: Hey guys, thanks for all the PMs and stuff regarding the story. Please continue to send feedback. It helps a lot. On that note, lets get started~ ^.^
The First Step
June 7th Year 58.
I had little idea what was in store for us. I was even less confident that I could lead my team through this. I know I did say "We'll take it" but after reading the file that Professor Azuria gave me, I had gained more questions than answers as to what exactly she wanted us to do. On the surface it looked like a very basic "Smash and Grab"-go in, break up some Grimm, grab whatever it is we need to, get out. There was one detail, however, that kept bugging me. Throughout the 237 page report, she made notes on her thoughts, findings and even conclusions. All of them were logical and easily understood except for one symbol... Well, it looked more like a sigil of some sort. Its design was unlike anything I've ever seen before, but at the same time it did look familiar - like I had seen it only recently. I must be over thinking things, but its presence has made a distinct mark on my mind...I hope to get answers before we set off on our mission.
"Professor?" Summer knocked on the door to the Headmaster's room. "May I come in?"
"Hey," Ozpin answered the door. "The Headmaster stepped out for a moment, but she will return. I don't think she was expecting you so early though." He led her to the table and poured some coffee. "Here you go."
"Thank you." Summer took the cup as she sat down, her eyes wandering the office. "So how did you end up here?" she diverted her gaze to Ozpin as he fetched his own cup and sat down.
"Half of my team is sick so we aren't able to participate in the group exams." he smiled wryly "So we were given alternate individual tests instead. Since I had always stated that I wanted to one day shoot for the Headmaster's chair, I figured this would be a good place to start."
"So what exactly does your exam entail?" she took another sip before placing her mug on the table.
"That's just it," he shook his head "I have no idea - I mean, I am being tasked to do things here and there but I still don't quite see a purpose behind all of it. I'm not sure if I am even being graded to begin with." He sighed. "It is a little frustrating."
"What are the rest of your team doing?"
"Well, two of them are currently unavailable - one has the flu, and the other is healing from a accident during the last training mission. Glynda is watching over them while working at the nurse's office. And I," he stood up and began cleaning up the table as footsteps could be heard approaching the office "am here with the Headmaster." He picked up the last mug as the door opened.
"Welcome back." he greeted.
"Good morning." Lylis answered. She turned to the other student while approaching her desk. "You are early, Miss Rose. I take it you had a good read of the file I gave you?" She sat down and arranged the papers in front of her into a neat stack to her left, clearing the center of the table.
"I did," Summer approached and sat on the other side. "I also have some questions." She began to produce the file when she noticed the same symbol that had been bugging her all night on a picture hanging on the wall. "What is that?"
"I take it you mean the sigil." Professor Azuria answered without even turning to look.
"Yes." Summer opened the file in her hand and compared the symbol drawn on it with the image on the wall. "What does it mean?"
"Do you need me for anything else, Professor?" Ozpin took this chance to interrupt, thinking that his presence should probably not be in the room.
"No, stay." Lylis answered "Have a seat." she nodded.
"Thank you." Ozpin sat down.
"Tell me." the Headmaster looked at the two students. "What do you two know about the origin of Hunters?"
Ozpin spoke first.
"History books tell us that they were established at the end of the last great war." he responded "They were supposed to be a unifying force of Mankind and Faunus in order to combat the Grimm."
"That is correct." She stood up and opened a hologram behind her chair, taking the pose of an instructor teaching a class. "However, Hunters have existed long before the great war." She began cycling through archived pictures "You can say that they have existed since the dawn of our time, although they weren't called Hunters back then."
"What...?" Summer breathed out.
"At the beginning of our time" Lylis continued, "we learned to use Dust as a weapon to protect ourselves from the Grimm. Over time we learned to use their crystal forms to forge stronger, more powerful weapons - eventually making them a part of our everyday lives."
She cycled to a more modern image. "As mankind grew, there were people who distinguished themselves as ones who could manipulate Dust, forge them into true weapons, making them evermore efficient at destroying the Grimm. These were the first Hunters."
"That makes sense." Ozpin nodded "If Hunters were only very recent, then we as a people would not exist."
"At first, these Hunters passed on their skills and techniques to their bloodlines." she flipped to another image "As you know, people's Semblance vary from person to person, however some of them are hereditary. It is not too farfetched to see a child having a similar Semblance, or at least somewhat similar, to their parents or grandparents. As a matter of fact, some bloodlines still hold true to the ritual of passing down skills and techniques from generation to generation."
"What does this have to do with that emblem?" Summer questioned.
"About three hundred years ago," Azuria answered "Hunters were steadily growing in number. Though they were still only a minuscule percentage of the entire population, their power and use of their Aura, along with the help of Dust and crystals, set them apart from the rest of the people. As they began to realize their strength, many began to abuse them." The images shifted once again. "Hunters began to subjugate the people around them, their greed and lust for power driving them on. It was as if they had completely forgotten what they had attained all their powers for."
"That's terrible!" Summer gasped.
"Indeed." the professor frowned. "It was then that a group gathered together to form an organization -one based on preserving the peace, fighting the Grimm, and freeing the people from the oppression." She changed the image again "At that time, the people hated Hunters regardless of their allegiance or beliefs so this group knew that their only option was to work underground. They called themselves...the Σκιά."
"Σκιά?" Ozpin gave a quizzical look.
"It is pronounced 'skiá' and it means 'Shadow' in the ancient language." Lylis responded "The Σκιά, or 'Shadow Hunters' as outsiders would call them, needed a way to communicate as well as distinguish friend from foe at a glance. That," she pointed at the emblem in the picture "is why the sigil was created."
"What happened to them?" Summer looked down at the image on the report.
"They died." came the response "Or rather, they killed each other."
"What do you mean?!" Shock was plainly written on Summer's face.
"Ever since their creation, the Σκιά have sworn an oath to sever themselves from this world. They were to discard all worldly fame, fortune and pleasure to fully dedicate themselves to protecting the people from all the evils that stand against them." She changed the image one last time. "They became masters at tracking down their targets, they became efficient at silently dispatching their opponents. They were, in every sense of the word, 'Assassins'."
A brief pause was given to let the revelation settle into their minds. Then, she continued.
"During the last great war, they were split on what to do. As the group were made up of Humans and Faunus from all corners of the world, they could not come to an agreement on how to deal with the conflict. Eventually, they disbanded the organization and sided with like minds. As you know, the last great war was bloody, and a lot of sacrifices were made. What the world doesn't know, was that there was a far more deadly battle being fought out of sight. Leaders on both sides were more afraid of the Σκιά than the enemy army that stood before them, for while the armies could be seen coming from miles away, the Σκιά could have been anywhere."
She deactivated the hologram and sat back down in her seat. "My grandfather was one of them." she looked up at the picture "He fought and died as the rest of them did; believing that the path they chose was the correct one - for the sake of all Remnant."
Summer blinked. "Are you a Σκιά, Professor Azuria?"
"The four academies were created as a result of the great war, Beacon being the last one. They were created with the help of the last remaining Σκιά in an effort to properly nurture and train future youngsters to prevent history from repeating itself and to guide them to the right path. They were to train others as they were trained - to identify the signs, track down the enemy and maintain the peace -effectively calling them...'Hunters'."
She looked Summer in the eyes "I was a Σκιά." she answered "But during my years, I realized that my experience would be of a greater benefit to all the students that come through my classroom rather than just keeping it to myself. While it is a Hunter's job to protect the people, it was my last duty as a Σκιά...to protect the Hunters that follow in my footsteps."
The sound of the clock interrupted the following silence, stating that a considerable amount of time had passed.
"Well then" the Headmaster smiled "Now that I have bored you both to death with some history, it's time to get down to why I called you in here to begin with." she motioned towards the report. "I assume you've read it?"
"I have." Summer nodded, her visage becoming serious.
"Good. Mountain Glenn is in ruins. It was Vale's attempt at expansion some time ago, but as history has shown us, it did not succeed." She flipped through the pages of the report "People say that it was overrun by the Grimm - which indeed it was."
A beeping noise from Ozpin's scroll interrupted the conversation.
"I'm sorry," He stated as he glanced at the scroll. "It appears I am needed in the nurse's office." He stood up. "I'll see myself out."
Both women remained silent as Ozpin quietly stepped out of the room. He closed the door behind him with a gentle thud.
"Now, where was I?" Azuria regained her composure "Ah yes, the Grimm." she continued. "The Grimm eventually overran the city and now it stands to ruin. The kingdom sealed off all the tunnels that were created during the expansion when the subsystem collapsed and subterranean Grimm began pouring into the tunnels. Thousands of people were lost. Out of its entire population, not even 30% survived the evacuation attempt."
"That's horrible!"
"Now, as for the segments that have the emblem on it." she pointed. "There have been reports that there may be more survivors still living in the nearby caves."
"Is that possible?"
"It is currently unclear. That is why the knowledge has been kept from the general public." She frowned. "While the kingdom regrets not being able to do more to help the people, those that got left behind definitely see the move as a betrayal. I want you and your team to go investigate Quadrant 5 and confirm whether or not the rumors are true."
She closed the file. "If they are true, find a way to persuade the survivors to return to the city. If not, then look for any indication as to how the Grimm overran the city. Understand that if there are survivors, they will not be receptive to the idea of help from us, but it is your job as a Hunter to protect them - whether they want it or not."
"I do not think we are prepared for this" Summer shook her head "Surely there has to be more experienced people that could handle a mission of this level. I mean, we're still students!"
"Yes, you are students." the professor pulled up a small hologram that showed the team's profiles and status. "With the exception of a little academic work, your team is remarkably established. You have Taiyang Xiao Long." His profile moved forward "He is good at holding the front line, though he is a bit...eccentric sometimes, becoming the Vanguard the team needs. Next, you have the Branwen twins." Their profiles moved forward while Taiyang's reverted to its original position. "Raven is skilled with quick, precise strikes while her brother is mobile and accurate with his scythe. The two of them effectively make the perfect Wing Guards, able to protect the team from whatever enemies try to flank you as well as provide Taiyang with support. And then there is you, Summer Rose."
Her profile cycled forward and replaced the others "You stand in the center of the team. Your ability to manifest your aura is without equal. You can use it to shield your allies, enhance your Azoth dagger and even manifest it into powerful bursts of energy. You are the Center Guard, the one that provides support and direction for the rest of the team. You keep everyone together and are ultimately responsible for each of their lives."
Summer remained silent as the profiles closed, doubt still evident on her face.
"Do not worry." Azuria smiled. "Everyone has doubt and fear during their first real mission. What matters is that you trust your team, you trust your judgment, and you trust your training." She stood up and walked around the desk, putting a hand on Summer's shoulder as a sign of comfort. "Confidence comes with experience. Experience comes with the courage to take the first step." she began walking towards the exit. "Those that choose to take that step...are the ones who can truly call themselves 'Hunters'."
The young girl watched as the door closed behind her instructor. "The first step..." she repeated, pushing away her doubts and fears. "We won't let you down, Headmaster." she stood up and spoke in the direction of the door. "We won't let you down."
~xX*Xx~
"So what happened?" Raven asked as the team met their leader at the door of the dormitory "You were there quite a while." She moved aside to let her comrade pass, then shut the door. "Do you have our assignment?"
"Yes I do," Summer moved to a bed and sat down. "Our mission is to go to sector 5 and look for survivors."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa" Qrow stepped in. "Sector 5 is crawling with Grimm. Forget looking for survivors, how are we going to survive out there?"
"Come on," Taiyang stated. "It will be fun! Besides, we're professionals!"
"Setting all that aside," Raven brushed their comments away "How do we know there are even survivors? I mean Qrow is right, that place is crawling with Grimm. Is there any chance at all that there might actually be people?"
"Sector 5 is the location of Mountain Glenn." Summer answered. "The Headmaster believes that there are people who survived the holocaust and managed to hide themselves in the deep caves around the area." She steeled her resolve "And it is our mission to bring them back."
"What if they don't want to come back?" Qrow spoke up "I mean the kingdom did literally just stab them in the back and leave them for dead."
"Regardless, it is our job to protect the people."
"Oh please..." he waved his hands "Most of us who become hunters these days do it for the fame, the fortune, the thrill of it. No one ever really does it to 'save the people'. Those guys are long gone."
"Irrelevant." Summer stood up in an effort to dispel any objections. "We are Hunters now."She looked at each of them in turn "This is what we signed up for. Its time we earned our keep."
"All right then." Qrow backed down "If you want to go off playing the Hero that's fine with me. But you have to be in this for the long haul. If we are going to do this, we can't bail out halfway through."
Raven and Taiyang nodded in agreement.
"You've done a fine job leading us so far, but this time other people's lives are potentially on the line. Are you sure you're up for this?"
"I am" Summer nodded. "I'm ready."
"So when do we leave?" Raven asked, opening up her scroll to make a list of supplies.
"We can leave as early as tomorrow. I don't know how long this mission will take, but we should at least plan on taking up the entire week allotted to us." She looked at her crew "Tai, go secure our rations and you'd better not be sneaking random snacks in."
"You know me" he smiled.
"That's what I'm worried about." she joked. "Raven, look over the maps and send the info to Tai so he can prep our gear accordingly. Who knows what kind of terrain we are dealing with out there."
"On it." She nodded.
"Qrow," Summer looked at the last member of her team. "Do some forward recon and let us know what kind of enemy strength we're expecting. I would like to keep the number of surprises to a minimum."
"You got it."
"Now, my task will be...hmm. What do you guys want for dinner?"
"Chicken!"
"Pasta!"
"Curry!"
The answers came in unison, causing Summer to sigh and hold her head as the three others argued about when they had eaten the last stated meals. It came as a comfort to her that, even though they were going to embark on their first dangerous mission, none of them showed the slightest change in character. "Trust your team, you trust your judgment and that you trust your training. " the words of the Headmaster echoed in her mind as she sighed slightly and watched over her team.
~xX*Xx~
"How are the preparations going?" Summer asked as she entered the storage area.
"Well, considering we have a lot of mountains and odd terrain we will most likely be covering, I thought we should stick to the more basic gear." Taiyang replied. "Food and water being our main necessities while rope and medical supplies being secondary. Oh, and snacks being third."
"Adventuring life for the win huh?" she chuckled
"You know it~" he gave her the thumbs up and went back to his work.
"What do you think about this mission?" she asked while sitting down and leaning against the wall.
"I try not to." he answered without stopping or looking back "To me it's an adventure. I would like to get caught up in as many crazy things as possible while doing it." he laughed "I know that is counterintuitive to the rest of the guys but that's how I like living my life."
"Hahahaha." Summer pulled her hood back "And it is exactly that attitude that gets Raven all riled up." she sighed "She likes to have her life in order, you like to live on the edge - If I were a matchmaker I would say you two are perfect for each other."
"I don't know about that." He took a break and sat down as well. "She is fun to be around and even more fun to tease, but as a partner?" he laughed "I bet after a year or so, she'd run off on her own to try to get her life together after being stuck with my randomness all the time."
"Well, you'll find someone who can handle your level of weirdness so don't worry too much about it."
"You know, if you didn't have such a dark side I bet the guys would be clamoring all over you." he joked and tossed her an apple.
"I do not have a dark side!" she stated and threw the apple back. "Why does everyone keep saying that?!"
"Umm..." Taiyang pondered in an exaggerated manner "How about the time that bully ran into you near the field? Remember? The one that was picking on that Faunus and knocked over your books when you passed by?"
"I was having a bad day, alright?"
"Yeah but you didn't have to detonate half the courtyard."
"He was being mean and yelling and I had a headache!"
"So your first response was to summon up your aura and into a ball of lightning and throw it into the ground." he stated in a teasing tone and nodded his head as if affirming the action. "Very mature of you."
"Auugh!" she pick up a nearby apple and threw it at him "Now I know how Raven feels."
"Hahaha." Taiyang caught the apple "Oh come on," he wiped the apple on his shirt and took a bite "you know I'm just teasing you." he tossed it back to her.
"That's what makes it even worse..." she caught the apple and began eating it. "Anyway, I'll let you get back to packing." She stood up and went to the door. "We may be out there for several days so, we're counting on you."
Taiyang nodded in response as he watched her head out the door before getting back to work.
~xX*Xx~
"So what's new?" Summer walked into the corner of the library where Raven was leaning over numerous maps and books, the afternoon light giving the area an 'Old Relic' type of feel.
"I'm trying to get as much data as I can on the infrastructure of Mountain Glenn." Raven responded while handing her friend an open can of orange juice "Afterwards, I am going to check out the maps of the surrounding areas."
"Anything worth noting so far?" Summer took a sip before moving across the table and analyzing the open maps.
"Well, there are a lot of things in Mountain Glenn that could have helped people who were desperate enough to survive. However I am more interested in the mountain regions."
"What about them?" Summer leaned closer.
"You see," Raven pointed "looking at the original plans, there are a lot of tunnels and caves - in fact they stretch for miles on end. It would literally take us months to maybe even years to search through all these locations."
"So you're saying it's possible that there may be survivors?"
"Yes." came the nod "But if they didn't want to be found, we probably wouldn't find them."
"That is not encouraging..." the leader sighed.
"Also, there are subterranean Grimm," the red-eyed girl continued "So some of these paths could have been created by them." She pulled up another map. "So there is literally no telling which way to even start looking."
"Well the Headmaster said that the reports have been coming from the West, away from the city."
"The west..." Raven pulled another map over "Ugh that looks even worse - I mean look at all these caves! Who knows how deep the caverns go! Not to mention these are just the ones explorers have plotted!"
"Well I never really expected this to be an easy job." Summer took another sip of the orange juice can before handing it over.
"I hope you guys are in for a long trip." Raven took the can and drank the rest of it "I better get these findings over to Tai. We need to make sure we've got enough essentials at least."
"Personal opinion, Raven" the silver-eyed girl leaned against the table "Think we'll find anyone? Much less actually pull this off?"
"Getting cold feet now?" she joked. "It's ok, if nothing else your dark side will carry you through this, Hahaha."
"What is wrong with you people?!" Summer raised her voice, drawing the attention of other people in the library. "Sorry" she smiled sheepishly as embarrassment took hold. "I do not have a dark side!" she declared in a stern whisper.
"Ooh scary." Raven feigned fear, causing the other girl to glare "But seriously, you are pretty scary when you're angry."
"And why do you think I get angry all the time?"
"Hahaha!" came an amused laugh "Oh it's ok." Raven reached over and hugged Summer like a mother would, gently stroking the other's hair. Summer groaned.
"I swear, I will die before any of you guys...and you will be the cause." She eventually broke free.
"Well, I'm taking this info to Tai." Raven gathered up her papers and notes "Do me a favor and put all this stuff away would you? Thanks." She waved and walked off.
"Wait, WHAT?!" Summer stood there dumbfounded as Raven walked out of sight "Darn it." she sighed "She got me again..."
~xX*Xx~
It was already evening by the time Summer had finished cleaning up the mess Raven had left her in the library. She found herself with stiff shoulders and a rather dull sense of accomplishment. The clock tower struck seven, reminding the girl that she needed to head over to Beacon cliffs in order to meet the last of her team.
Sure enough, Qrow was there laying on the ground watching the sky next to a small fire, a piece of grass in his mouth.
"Hey, you made it." he greeted "Was starting to think you got killed or something."
"Your sister almost did." She sat down on the other side of the fire. "I had to clean up the entire library." She pulled her hood back.
"Well that sucks" he spat the reed out and sat up "At least you weren't too late showing up here."
"So what did you find out?"she pulled out an apple she got from the storage area earlier and tossed it over to him.
"Well, it is not pretty out there." he caught the apple and responded before taking a bite. "There are a lot of Grimm packs out there. Who knows how many more are subterranean, it will be a fight just to get there by land."
"So you suggest we get dropped off instead?"
"As far from the ruins as possible" he nodded "and closer to the actual mountains. That way we can bypass some of the larger packs."
"There aren't that many landing sites out there according to the maps that Raven had out." she frowned "We might end up having to do some hiking after drop-off."
"Hey, that's fine as long as you are still up for this." he leaned back down "Just don't be changing your mind at the last minute."
"You still think we can do this?" She asked, a bit of worry betrayed in her tone.
"Yeah, we can do this." he responded without even thinking "We've been training much of our lives and all our time here for things like this."
"You're right," Summer smiled as she stood up and stretched her body. "I am just overcomplicating things I guess."
"Everyone gets worried." He looked up at her "Just some people are better at hiding it than others."
"Qrow..." she turned her back "Do I really have a dark side?"
"Of course you do" came the immediate response.
"QROW!" she spun around, half whining.
"Not what I meant." he sat back up and looked her in the eyes "Everyone has a dark side." he continued "We just joke about yours because you're too nice. You worry about the rest of the team like a mom does for kids."
He yawned and lay back down. "Yeah, you've got a dark side." He stated after a brief moment "And its pretty damn scary."
"I give up." Summer shrugged her shoulders before slowly heading back to the dormitory. "You best come back soon. Dinner will be ready in a little bit."
"Got it." He waved his hand in the air without even looking at her as she continued to walk away.
~xX*Xx~
"Now then..." Summer wiped her brow as she took a step back to look at her accomplishment. Arrayed before her was a table full of food - namely chicken, curry, and pasta. She had pulled out her scroll to call the team together when the door suddenly opened and said team walked in, their conversation stopped by the sight of the food.
"Whoa" Qrow stated..
"All right!" Taiyang cheered
"This is unexpected..." Raven's eyes widened.
"Enjoy it." Summer urged the team inside "This is going to be the last good meal you're going to have in a while."
"What, you aren't going to bake cookies out there?" Taiyang pulled up a chair.
"Hmm..." Summer pondered "Maybe I should take away some-"
"I'm kidding! I'm KIDDING!" he sweatdropped.
"Well, let's eat!" Raven raised her glass, the others following shortly afterwards.
The sound of clinking glass heralded the official start of the meal as random chatter filled the room and dishes were passed around the table.
"By the way, Qrow" Summer asked as she passed a bowl of mashed potatoes over to Taiyang "Whatever happened to that girl? You know, the first year?"
"What are you talking about?" Qrow responded after choking on his drink momentarily "What first year?"
"What was her name? That Schnee girl I think it was..."
"Ah, Winter Schnee." Raven answered "So I take it that she is your type?"
"Hardly," he cleared his throat some more "I just saw her giving a Faunus a hard time over something trivial so I told her to quit being such an Ice Queen."
"Good work there, Romeo" Taiyang joined in. "Real smooth."
"Hey, she wants me." Qrow winked. "She just doesn't know it yet."
"You say that about every girl." Raven shook her head.
"What can I say? The girls are just attracted to my manliness."
"Hahahahaha!" Summer tried her best to control herself "Ok, ok. I'm sorry I asked, hahaha." She calmed herself down eventually "Anyway, are all of you ready for tomorrow?" she looked around the room, getting affirmation nods all around. "You guys best get to sleep early tonight. We're going to have one hell of a trip starting tomorrow."
"What are you going to do?" Raven asked after downing a drink.
"I want to go over the data one more time before I sleep." she answered. "It's a lot to process all at once." she stood up and began cleaning up her plates. "Let me know when you guys are done, I'll start washing the dishes."
"Hold up!" Taiyang downed his drink "I'll help. I can't have you setting out the food and cleaning up after it too."
"Aww how sweet." Raven teased
"Shut up" Taiyang glared as he grabbed the stack of empty plates Summer was carrying. "Why don't you help out too, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah" she smirked and picked up her plate along with some empty glasses. "Come on, Qrow"
"You guys go on ahead." He leaned back in his chair.
"QROW!" His sister yelled.
"All right all right." He got up and picked up his dishes "We won't all fit in the kitchen so I'll just hand over the plates."
"Ok old man" Summer called from the kitchen
"I'm not old!" he yelled back, while carrying several cups in his hand.
~xX*Xx~
"Are you all ready?" Professor Azuria stood before them.
"Yes" Summer looked over her shoulder at her team. "We are."
"You are no longer students" the Headmaster looked them all in the eye. "You are now professional Hunters. This mission I give you is the most dangerous one I could offer - and also the most important one." Her eyes narrowed. "Understand that you will not have any support on this mission. You will be entirely on your own. If you are compromised, we will disavow any knowledge of your existence."
The team's eyes were wide open in shock.
"I'm joking." She smiled as the tension broke. "But in all seriousness, I have much hope for you all." she lowered her head slightly as the wind picked up due to the arrival of their airship transport. "Even if you all still have a long way to go," she stepped aside, allowing the team to walk past her towards their ship. "Your potential as youngsters may change the world someday."
The team spun around to give one last farewell.
"...But only if you keep learning... If you never stop moving forward."
A/N: Thank you Monty Oum. You always said that your work and dreams should be something that transcends you. I hope you're seeing it, because your work really has grown. Well, thanks again for reading! Like it? Hate it? Leave your thoughts and comments below and let me know will ya? Thanks!