Chapter Four: The Opening Ceremonies Part Two

David stood in the back of the auditorium as he watched Glynda explain the rules of Beacon Academy to everybody. It was basic things that anybody with an ounce of common sense would figure out in a few minutes of arriving at the academy. However, it wouldn't be surprising to hear about somebody doing something that went directly against regulations and think that they could get away with it. When a Spartan disregarded the rules and regulations of the UNSC, they usually ended up being severely reprimand and being confined in the stockade for a certain period of time. It was a punishment that he had personal experienced on two occasions during his career as a hyper-lethal assassin.

"Anyway, it is time for the headmaster to speak to you about your future roles as the guardians of humanity." The blonde-haired woman spoke before turning the microphone over to Ozpin.

David raised a neatly-trimmed eyebrow as the man in question walked up to the podium with a mug of tea in hand. During the few meetings that the Spartan had conversed with the silver-haired headmaster, the man had always been drinking a cup of tea. While the hyper-lethal assassin didn't get to drink tea on a regular basis, he did secretly enjoy a cup of it on occasion. It was a habit that he had picked up from his pre-Spartan days.

"I'll...keep this brief. You have 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 spoke to gathered crowd of seventeen-year-olds in a very blunt manner.

Inadvertently, the speech reminded David of the lecture that Senior Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez had given to him and his fellow trainees on the first day of basic training. The only difference between the two men was the method of conveying their message. Mendez had been willing to use a lot more profanity in his speech to get the point across. If anything, Ozpin was talking more like Doctor Halsey.

"I wonder if the good doctor was able to escape from the facility." David thought as Glynda took over the microphone to tell them something else.

While he was well-aware that Doctor Halsey had done many questionable things in the past, those actions had always been committed in the name of humanity. It was extremely hypocritical that the Office of Naval Intelligence would try to arrest her for crimes that they had committed on numerous occasions. He knew for a fact that the top officials within the United Earth Government didn't have a clue as to what Admiral Parangosky had authorized during her tenure as Commander-in-Chief of ONI.

"Thank god, I don't have to deal with her anymore." The Spartan silently muttered as he kept his eyes focused on Glynda Goodwitch.

The woman would occasionally shoot a nasty glare at any individual that she caught whispering to their friends and future classmates. It was obvious to him that the blonde-haired woman was used to having total control over the students through the use of intimidation. He had stared down rampaging hunters and brutes on multiple occasions without blinking, so a nasty glare from a school teacher wouldn't scare him.

"All of you will be spending the night here before the ceremony of selecting your partner." Glynda spoke in a firm matter that left no room for discussion.

David simply shrugged his shoulders as the room that Ozpin had given him was mostly used to store his equipment such as the MJOLNIR armor. The only people that had the keys that were needed to access the room where him and the headmaster. While the staff had already been made aware of it, they were told to leave it alone until told otherwise.

A Few Hours Later

Pyrrha Nikos was looking for a place to lay out her sleeping bag in order to get some well-deserved rest before the partnering ceremony that was happening in the morning. So far, she couldn't find a place to sleep as everybody was looking at her with absolute awe. The fact that she was the four-time winner of the Mistral tournament had made it almost impossible for her to interact with normal people.

"Maybe I shouldn't have entered my first Mistral tournament at the age of thirteen." The beautiful red-head thought as she continued to look around the room for a spot to sleep.

Had she known about the unwanted fame that would come with being the youngest champion of the Mistral tournament, she wouldn't have been so willing to enter it. Despite what many people thought, Pyrrha was actually quite humble about her fighting skills. When somebody asked how she got so good, the red-head would simply respond by saying that she trained every day until collapsing from exhaustion.

"Excuse me, miss?" A male voice with a slight monotone spoke from behind her.

Pyrrha turned around to find that her line of sight was being blocked by a white t-shirt covered chest. The Amazonian had to resist blushing as she could clearly see the highly-toned muscles that were being hugged by the simple piece of cloth. It was pretty obvious to anybody with a working pair of eyes that the person in front of her was extremely fit. Her eyes started to glaze over as images of attractive boys that were half-naked began to fill her imagination.

"Uh, miss?" The voice commented in a somewhat uncomfortable tone.

Pyrrha quickly snapped out of her thoughts and looked up to see a concerned face that could only be described as handsome. Her fellow hunter-in-training had a strong jaw with a firm mouth that matched pair of stunning blue eyes that seemed to contain a serious look in them. He had dark brown hair that was cut into the recon version of the classical high and tight haircut that was associated with military forces.

"Sorry about that, I kind of zoned out for a second. Is there something you need?" She quickly apologized before asking what the stranger wanted.

While Pyrrha didn't have any friends to socialize with back at home, she did interact with enough people to avoid being drawn into awkward situation. However, this situation was completely out of the ordinary for her as she didn't expect it to happen.

"I noticed that you were looking for a spot to sleep and wanted to point out that the area in the left corner is available." The teenaged fighter politely commented as he pointed to the mentioned area that had only one sleeping bag with a small book on top of it.

It seemed that everybody in the room was avoiding that particular area for some odd reason. Seeing that no other spots were available to her at the moment, Pyrrha walked over to the spot and started placing her stuff down for the night. The stranger sat down on the other sleeping bag and picked up the book before starting to read it.

"So what's your name?" the red-head politely asked in an attempt to start up a conversation.

The stranger looked up from his book and gave Pyrrha a cold stare that sent fearful shivers down her spine.

"My name is David Ambrose." The stranger answered flatly before going back to his book.

Pyrrha couldn't help to be confused by David's name as it went directly against the naming principles of the four kingdoms. Almost everybody in the world had a name that was directly or indirectly associated with a color as a symbol of emotion. The only known exception to the naming rule was headmaster Ozpin and people that had been born before the Great War. However, here was a person with a name that went directly against the international tradition that been established following the end of the war.

"So where are you from?" She decided to ask in the hopes of finding out more about David.

David mentally scowled as he tried to figure out a reasonable explanation that wouldn't alarm the girl. The Spartan quickly decided to tell a half-truth that was vague enough that it wouldn't reveal the connections that he had with the UNSC.

"I come from a faraway place that isn't on any map and doesn't have a name that we can agree upon." He spoke in a very serious manner to hide his deception.

Pyrrha nodded her head in understanding as there were thousands of small islands that dotted the oceans within Remnant and many weren't given a name for one reason or another. The inhabitants of those islands often committed actions that were considered barbaric by the four kingdoms in order to survive. However, this meant that the hunters and huntresses from those settlements were considered to be at a higher level of skill than ones from the four kingdoms. At the same time, a sense of hatred was brewing as the four kingdoms have started to annex independent towns and villages into their respective spheres of influence.

The red-head wanted to ask more questions about life out on the islands, but David had quickly raised his right hand in order to stop her. At seeing the universal hand gesture for stop, Pyrrha's numerous questions about David's life had instantly died in her throat.

"I know that you have plenty of questions about my life before coming to Beacon, but we need to get some sleep in order to perform well in tomorrow's ceremony." The secret Spartan calmly explained to the red-head.

Unable to deny the logical that been presented, Pyrrha reluctantly stopped asking questions. The Amazonian had a gut feeling that David wasn't normal by any means, but she didn't want to risk losing a potential friend by revealing her suspicions. So she decided to abide with his unspoken request and dropped the subject….for now at least.

Okay people, a new chapter for you to enjoy. I would like to apologize for the delay in releasing the chapter as school had gotten in the way. Now onto Jorge and Spartan Grey team, I have gotten a confirmed "yes" on having Jorge-052 coming into the story. However, I got a very "awkward" maybe from you guys about Spartan Grey team. So I'll put them under consideration for the time being. The next chapter is the one with everybody partnering up with some one.

So until next time, Hoorah to Ashes!"