The darkness surrounded him, choking the light from his eyes. He scrambled, avoiding the black tendrils that chased him. Corridors stretched farther than the eye could see, but he kept running.
The ground vanished from beneath him, and he fell onto a city street. Faceless people walked past him. He stood and ran, the shadows chasing him. Pushing past the faceless people, he attempted to cross the street. His heart caught in his chest when a black tendril wrapped around his leg.
He was pulled onto his stomach, dragged across the street back to the darkness. He screamed and he flailed, but it did him no good. It pulled him ever closer, before a sudden light filled up the street. The darkness doubled it's efforts, pulling faster. He was almost gone. A single hand reached out for light.
Warmth flared through his body as a hand clasped his own. The grip was firm, his decent into darkness suddenly halted. Before he knew what was happening, his world was filled with light so bright, that he had to shield his face. When he managed to finally open his eyes, all he could make out were blond locks of hair that hung before his eyes.
...
His eyes opened calmly for the first time in a long time. He drew in a steady breath, sitting up in the cool morning air. A smile stretched across his face as the defining mood of the day became clear. He felt amazing.
Standing, he quickly made his bed, and stepped over to the nightstand with a noticeable bounce to his step. There were two things on said nightstand. The card Ozpin had given him, and a simple white envelope. He'd look at them later. For now, he actually needed to put some thought into what he was going to wear today.
Usually, he just wore his work suit, but that was in tatters. He doesn't work there anymore, anyway. He liked the style, though, and that became clear when he opened his closet door. Suits of several different colors and types lined the the inside. From three pieces, to simple tuxedos, and so on. He picked out a particular suit, his favorite by far, given that it was the only one that had his personal symbol on it.
A simple white button up shirt, with a crisp collar and made of comfortable fabric. The slim, black vest that came next gave him an almost militant vibe, with a splash of class. The black slacks comfortably covered his legs, while his black dress shoes shined brightly. Lastly was the black tie. It held his symbol near the knot at the top. It depicted a lions head with a sun behind it in white outlining. He smiled, before tightening it. His hat was destroyed, but he grabbed his sunglasses, before putting them in his pocket. He'd see about getting a pair just like them when he went into town today. Which he should do soon.
...
Dominic felt like a new Faunus with his brand new sunglasses finally resting on his face. He opted for black lenses, trying to stay away from his old reputation. Unfortunately, he couldn't find a replacement for his boater hat, and his ears twitched uncomfortably. It wasn't like he was necessarily worried about it. He, personally, couldn't care less about what people thought about him.
'Except Yang.' Dominic nods to himself. 'If she told me I should dye my hair purple, I probably would.'
Shuffling that thought away for never, the soon to be Huntsman in training pulled out the card Ozpin gave him earlier. It had two addresses printed neatly on the gold leafed paper. Grimm, this freaking card looked like it'd take up a month's salary at the club.
"Let's see..." Dominic follows the first address, standing outside of a relatively small shop in one of the Vale back streets. He shrugged to himself, before stepping inside. A bell above his head rang as he entered.
The shop itself was unimpressive. Small, and cluttered with seemingly pointless junk. Making his way to the unoccupied counter, the young Faunus could just make out loud, heavy bass beating in the backrooms. Dominic dinged the small bell resting neatly on the wooden surface. He waited, but nobody was coming. He dinged the bell again.
"I'm coming!" An older, male voice shouted rudely from the backrooms, the music immediately dying. After a moment, a tall, thin, bald man stepped behind the counter. He was dressed in work pants, a dirty white shirt, and a leather apron. The man scratches his head, showing leather gloves. "The hell you want? No, never mind. I don't know you. Go away."
"Wait, what?"
"Go. Away." The man enunciates the words. "I don't have the time, or energy to deal with some jackass off the street." He turns to leave.
"Wait!" Dominic reaches into his vest pocket, pulling out the card. "Headmaster Ozpin gave me this. It had this address on it."
The bald man snatches the card from Dominics hand, turning it over. The Beacon Seal shown clearly, a stark contrast to the crisp paper. The older man sighs, wiping his hand down his poorly shaven face. He looks to Dominic, handing him back the card.
"Follow me." He turns, walking towards the back rooms. "Just hop the counter and don't touch anything."
'My life is full of weirdos.' Dominic jumped the counter without a problem.
He followed the strange man to a white door hidden from the front of the shop. After unlocking the door, they stepped inside. The room was huge, but barren, with a small computer setup. After the tall man tapped out a few commands, that heavy music starts reverberating through the room. The man steps over to the far wall.
"Welcome to the Vale Alchemists." On que, the walls slide open, revealing weapons of all kinds. Tiles rose, as even more weapon racks revealed themselves.
"Holy crap." Dominic couldn't help himself. He began looking over the weapons immediately. There were swords, axes, maces, even guns.
"Don't get too excited." Said the Alchemist. "These aren't for you. You're going to be a Huntsman. Your toys are this way." He places his hand on the empty wall behind him, and it opens to another room. Dominic wastes no time following him.
The new room was piled with scrap metal and what looked like gun parts. Dominic even noticed a cleaver blade hanging off of a workbench. The teen made sure to be careful of the sharp objects that threatened to skewer his feet. The Alchemist made no such attempt at avoiding it, however, walking carelessly through the mess.
"I save my special work for Huntsmen." He opens a locker, several large weapons clunking to the ground. "Damn. Well, pick out something, and I'll get it set up for you. Grab two things."
"Uh, yeah." Dominic was not a genius. And, as he stared down at the pile of weapon parts, this became abundantly clear. There weren't even any already made weapons. Just loose blades, gun barrels, and a few other random things. After a slight hesitation, Dominic picked up a black, three foot long, single edged thin blade, and a barrel of equal length, but noticeably lighter. The Alchemist nods.
"Good choice." He takes the items, stepping away.
The Alchemist looks over a few handles he had thrown in a box, before pulling out a long, bulky... thing. It almost looked like a short shotgun, but it was straight, the handle made of the same metal as the blade and barrel. Dominic noticed a trigger, which stuck out just above the handle, but there was no way to use it, that Dominic could see.
The Alchemist holds the strange handle before him, before his thumb flits over a a button. The handle clicks, hinging into more of gun shape, the trigger much simpler to reach. A metal grip flits out on the left side of the handle. Likely for stability.
"This is going to be awesome. Watch." The Alchemist places the handle, blade, and gun barrel on a work shelf. Dominic pays close attention as the older man places his hands over the items, his eyes closed. At first, nothing happened, but soon, the weapon pieces began to glow a light blue color. Once the glow had faded, the Alchemist handed Dominic a very strange looking sword.
A straight handled, three foot rod with a single blade running along the side. The teen looked over the sword with a strange look on his face. Was it a sword or a gun? He couldn't be sure.
"Almost forgot." The Alchemist straps a light harness to the newly crafted blade, before helping the young men put it on his back. "You'll need to unclip the harness every time you need to use the sword, but you'll be able to pull it to your front when you need to shoot something quickly."
"Thank you." Dominic tries for a handshake, but the Alchemist ignores it. "How much do I owe you?"
"Nothing. First one's on the house for students." The Alchemist stands awkwardly, obviously not a fan of other people. "If you need to replace it later, though, that'll cost you, and trust me. You can't afford it."
'Probably not, since I'll be completely reliant on Beacon for food and a place to stay, now.'
"I'll take care of it." Dominic nodded. The Alchemist cracked the first smile that the teen had seen.
"It's a weapon. Polish and sharpen it every so often, and you'll be fine. Bring it in every so often, and I'll tune it up for you, for a discount." The Alchemist starts to leave the room. "You'll have to get Dust Rounds separately. I don't play with that stuff." Dominic followed behind as the man lead the way. "Had a bad habit of blowing up in my face."
"Could be the music." Replied Dominic. "I think I read somewhere that Dust responds to certain stimulations."
"Tidbit." The Alchemist suddenly says. "Sorry. I don't like random tidbits of information being thrown out, but I guess it's good to know that it's not because I m inept with the mineral. Not that I'd give up Drum and Bass for Dust."
"I guess that's something." Shrugs Dominic.
"I suppose." The two walked into the shop, and Dominic jumped back over the counter, before thanking him again.
"Don't mention it." Replies the Alchemist. "I'm serious. Not to anybody. I only set you up as a favor to Ozpin."
"I got it. See you around." Dominic turns.
"No. You won't." And with that, the Alchemist is gone without a trace.
"Well. That was a thing." Dominic says to himself as he leaves the Vale Alchemists. "I guess I should check out this other address."
...
"From Dust Till Dawn." Dominic read the name of the store out loud. "Kind of obvious what they sell. Ozpin thinks of everything." It was much later in the day when the teen found his destination.
He steps inside the quaint little shop, noticing only two others. The Shopkeep, and a young girl near the right back corner. The Shopkeep was an older man, with white, balding hair, and an elderly smile. He nodded to Dominic in greeting, and Dominic nodded back.
The girl was rather young, probably still in Signal. She was wearing a black and red combat skirt, and a red, hooded cape. Dominic couldn't see her face, but he could make out the slight bobbing of the head that indicated that she was wearing headphones. She paid him no mind, so he stepped up to the Shopkeep.
"I have this card." The teen hands the old man Ozpins card, and was rewarded with three empty Dust cases. The Shopkeep merely motions his hand around the store, and Dominic came to a sudden conclusion.
'Ozpin must have a lot of people that owe him favors.' He grabbed the cases, and began looking about the shop.
The store was filled with all kinds of Dust. From fire, to ice, even in ammunition form. Grenades, high caliber rounds, gun belts, and even more. Dominic wasted no time grabbing at least two of everything, stashing it away. It was when he was finally ready to leave that his bad luck decided to rear its ugly head again.
Roman Torchwick, professional criminal, and Dominics former employer, stood at the entrance, surrounded by his suited goons. The ginger thief stepped inside as if he owned the place, his white coat billowing out behind him. Roman stepped up to the Shopkeep, resting his hand on the counter.
"Do you know how hard it is to find a good Dust shop open at this time of night?" Says the criminal, a sardonic smile in place. One of his goons shoves a gun into the old man's face.
"Just take my lien and leave." The Shopkeep puts his hands up in surrender.
"Sh sh sh, calm down. We're not here for your money." Torchwick glances back at his lackeys. "Grab the Dust." They nod, before doing as told.
Dominic ducks down behind one of the item racks. This isn't good. If Roman saw him there, he was toast. He could hide all he wanted, but if the career criminal wanted you dead, you usually died. In Dominics case, it would likely come in the form of a pink parasol being shoved down his throat.
The Faunus hazarded a look over the rack to the girl, whom hadn't noticed a thing. She simply went about her business, reading a magazine. Dominic ducked back down when a lackey looked his way. When he peeked back over, he saw one of the goons talking to the girl. Dominic couldn't make out what they were saying, but he could tell from the slow nod of her now unhooded head that she got the gist of what was happening. That knowledge did nothing to prepare Dominic for what happened next.
The thug was thrown back by the girl, making the Faunus' eyes widen. He flew past Torchwick, before slamming into the front wall. Another goon runs towards her, pointing a gun at her head. Glass shattered as the girl sent the both of them flying through the window. Dominic didn't know what to do.
'Should I help her? Just up and out myself to Roman like that? It's not like I can just sit here. Grimm what a pain!'
The young man sneaks over to the window after Torchwick and his henchmen vacate after the girl in red. He sneaks a look outside, and his jaw drops at the sight of her weapon.
'Grimm, who the hell uses scythes!?'
The girl slams the scythe blade into the ground, staring down Torchwick with silver eyes.
"Okaaay." Roman looks around at his lackeys in displeasure. "Get her."
Dominic watched in awe as the girl nearly flew, acrobatically tearing through the suited thugs like they were paper. The Faunus took this chance to sneak outside... after stealing one of the slumbering gangsters hat, of course. Now, new headpiece in place, Dominic used the fighting as a cover to make his way outside. The teen flinched as the final henchman landed at Romans feet. He merely glances at his fallen employee.
"You were worth every cent, truly you were." There was no missing the sarcasm in his voice. He looks back to the girl, all smiles. "Well, Red, I think we can all say this has been an eventful eventful evening." He takes a casual step. "And as much as I'd love to stick around..." He drops his cigar, before stomping it out with his cane, before pointing said cane at the girl. "I'm afraid this is where we part ways."
'He's going to shoot her!'
'No, he's not.'
Before he knew what he was doing, Dominic moved, running from Torchwicks right, slamming his foot into the side of the cane. The explosive Dust round flew off course, detonating harmlessly on the ground. He wasn't prepared for the ruthless bash across his cheek. It took him seconds to realize that Torchwick had swung back of his hand into his face, before the thief threw, literally threw Dominic towards the girl.
"Oh my gosh, are you alright?" She helps him to his feet.
"I'll be fine. I've taken worse hits. Recently, actually." Dominic finally gets a good look at the girl beside him.
She was cute, that was for sure, but she didn't bring the warmth to his cheeks that Yang had. This girl gave him the little sister vibe. Her short short black hair framed her worried face, the red highlights making her silver eyes more distinctive.
"What are they feeding teenagers, these days?" Torchwick shook his hand in pain, before glancing at the Faunus. "Dominic? Why, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" His grin was partially amused, but mostly cruel. "Imagine my luck. I get news this morning that a certain, ungrateful, little runaway decides he is no longer interested in my hospitality." He points his cane at Dominic, whom took a protective stance in front of the girl, his new sword before him in a two handed grip. "Really, loyalty counts for nothing these days."
The thief shoots, another flaming round of Dust trailing towards them. The girl tenses behind him, but Dominic merely holds his hand, palm out, sword in his left hand. The projectile inferno collides with his hand, which should have been the end. Both Torchwick and the girl jumped as the flames were sapped into Dominics palm, before being launched right back at the thief. Roman jumps out of the way, as the resounding explosion kicks up a haze of dirt. When it clears, the thief is gone. The girl points to a ladder, and Dominic spots Torchwicks coat. After making sure that the Shopkeep was safe, the two take off after their shared adversary. The girl grabs Dominic by the back of his vest, before they were launched up and onto the roof above. Dominic stumbles, but stays standing.
"Torchwick!" Roman stops, not turning around.
"Persistent." Grumbles the ginger thief.
Dominic and the girl prepare to attack, but hold off as a bullhead rose into the air before Torchwick. The criminal jumps into the aircraft, looking back with a smirk. He reaches around his back, and pulls out an uncut Burn Dust.
"I must say, it's been fun, truly." Torchwick carelessly throws the Dust onto the ground in front of them. "But it's the end of the line, for both of you!" He shoots at the red crystal, making Dominic flinch away. He looked back to see a large, royal pur shield.
A blond woman stands in front of them, a stern stance and professional demeanor. She wore tall, black pants that lead into a clean white shirt. A strange looking black, purple lined cape billowed out behind her. She Heald a black leather crop in her hand, and glared at Torchwick with green, spectacled eyes. With a flick of her wrist, the shield dematerialized, before nine glowing orbs flew from the blond woman, slamming harshly into the bullhead.
Torchwick retreated into the safety of the flying vehicle, before the woman sent another glowing orb. This one, however, flew above the vehicle, causing a violent storm cloud to appear overhead. With a well practiced motion, the woman caused the storm cloud to pelt the bullhead with razor sharp spikes of ice.
Dominic felt his blood freeze when he saw the woman that stepped onto the hull of the aircraft. Her face was cast in shadow, but those glowing eyes burnt with an tensity that he recognized immediately. The glowing eyed woman charged fire into her hands, before letting loose a ball of condensed flames at them. The Huntress creates another purple shield to disperse the attack, not expecting the residue to combust under her. The blond woman backflips away, sliding to a stop. With a flick of her wrist, the shrapnel from the explosion took on a purple hue, before flying at the bullhead, clumping together into the shape of a spike.
The other woman shatters the makeshift spear, but it simply reforms, smashing into the bullheads cockpit. Then, it branches into three tendrils, circling the craft. The shadowed woman throws her hands outwards, causing the shrapnel to burst into harmless sparks.
The girl in the red hood turns her scythe into a gun, before shooting at the enemy, and Dominics thumb ghosts over the button on the handle of his sword. It immediately clicks into its gun form, and he pulls out a clip of Burn Dust, jamming it into the receiver. It takes him seconds to start firing, matching pace with the girl next to him.
It did no good, however, as the other woman blocked each bullet with ease. She sweeps her hand over the area, and Dominic feels himself thrown forward with the girl in red. Explosions sound behind them as their blond protector rolls to a standing position next to them. The bullhead uses the distraction to speed away, followed by a glare from the blond. The girl steps hesitantly up to the blond.
"You're a Huntress?" The blond looks to the speaker, whom had an adorable look on her face. "Can I have you're autograph!?"
Dominic facepalms.
...
"I hope that you two know that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly." The blond woman Dominic now knew as Glynda Goodwitch circled the teenagers. The two teenagers sat side by side in the same interrogation room that Dominic met Ozpin in.
'Go figure.' He silently rolls his eyes.
"You put yourselves, and others at great risk."
"But they started it!" Argued Ruby Rose, the girl in the red hood. Dominic remained quiet.
"If it was up to me," Glynda continues, "you'd both be sent home." She stops in front of the duo, looking at a handheld screen. "With a pat on the backs," Ruby smiles brightly, but Dominic just waits. Sure enough, Glynda shoots the both of them a stern look, "and a slap on the wrists." She slaps her crop down to emphasize her point, making Ruby recoil in fear.
"But?" Dominic raises an eyebrow, staring the woman down through his shades.
"But," the woman matches Dominics stare, "There is someone here who would like to meet you."
"Me, or her?" Dominic points to Ruby. "Because you're looking at me, but I get the feeling I met the guy already."
"That you have." Glynda steps aside as Ozpin enters through the open doorway, a plate of cookies in one hand, and a mug in the other. He looks directly at Ruby. "Ruby Rose." He bends forward, looking closely at her face. "You... have silver eyes."
"Uh, ummm." Ruby looked uncomfortable.
"So," Ozpin stands straight up, "where did you learn to do this?" He nods his head to the screen in Glyndas hand, which was playing the video of Ruby dominating the fight against Torchwicks goons.
"S-Signal Academy." She stuttered slightly.
"They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?" There was no missing the disbelief in Ozpins voice.
"Well, one teacher in particular." Ruby smiled sheepishly.
"I see." Ozpin then sat the pate of cookies down in front of Ruby. She immediately began eating the cookies whole. "It's just that I've only seen one other scythe wielder of that skill before." He looks off, as if remembering something. "A dusty old crow..."
"Dathsmaunkhl." Ruby swallows her mouthful of cookies, shooting a glare at Dominic for his chuckle. "Sorry. That's my uncle Qrow. He's a teacher at Signal." Ozpin nods, taking a sip from his mug. "I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing, but now, I'm all like-" she begins making ninja noises, chopping her hands through the air.
"So I've noticed." Ozpin sets his mug down, leaning against the table. "Now, what Is an adorable girl, such as yourself, doing in a school designed to train warriors?" He takes a seat.
"Well..." Ruby takes a deep breath. "I want to be a Huntress."
"You want to slay monsters?" Ozpin raises an eyebrow.
"Yeah." She nods. "I only have two more years left at Signal, and then I'll apply to Beacon, which will be cool because my sister's starting her first year tomorrow..." Ruby begins to babble excitedly about the thrill of helping people, and how Huntsmen and Huntresses were so much more romantic and exciting than police.
'Wait till Junior hears about this.'
When Ruby finishes with her one sided monologue, the older duo merely look at her.
"Do you know who I am?" Asks the silver haired man.
'She probably would have tried not to spaz out so much if she did.'
"You're Professor Ozpin." Answered Ruby. "The headmaster of Beacon."
'Huh. Well, this one deserves a cookie. Not that she needs any more.'
"Hm." Ozpin chuckles softly. "Hello."
"Nice to meet you." Ruby nods happily.
"You want to go to my school?" Asked the man.
"More than anything." Dominic could hear the sincerity in Ruby's voice, and obviously, so could Ozpin. The older man looks up to Glynda, whom sighs.
"Well, okay."
...
"Oooh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me!" Yang engulfed Ruby in a hug.
Ruby insisted that he met up with her and her sister to catch a bullhead to Beacon together. She also told him that Yang had already told her about the fight between the two older teens. She didn't seem put off by his identity, or that he used to work in a club that is owned by a known criminal. Dominic appreciated that.
"Please... stop." Ruby manages to force out, before Yang lets go and turns to Dominic, whom was standing nearby with a surprised look.
'Sisters? What are the chances?'
"She told me that you helped her out last night." Yang gave him a breathtaking smile, and his cheeks flared with warmth. "I don't know what I would have done if anything happened to her."
"She'd have been fine." Dominic replied, trying to play off the blush by scratching his cheek. "Probably didn't need me at all."
"But you still helped." He shrugged at her persistence, before she noticed Ruby's long face. "What's the matter, sis?"
"What if I don't do so good?" The girl looked genuinely worried, and Dominic had to resist the urge to reach over and ruffle her hair.
"Oh, come on!" Yang laughed good naturedly. "Everyone at Beacon's gonna think you're the bees knees!"
"But I don't want to be the knees of anything." Ruby frowned. "I just want to be a normal girl, with normal knees."
"Uh, that's literally the opposite of being a Huntress." Dominic speaks up. "Normal knees or not, you're a really good fighter. You'll do fine."
"But I was accepted two years early." Ruby looked up at Dominic. "I don't want everyone to think I'm special, or something."
"But," Yang wraps an arm around Ruby's shoulders, "You are special."
The trio is interrupted by a voice on the television screen. It was a news report going over Torchwicks escapades the night before. Ruby caught Dominics eye while Yang was distracted, motioning to the picture of the ginger thief, before pointing to Dominic, then herself. She gave him the universal "We need to talk" look. He resigned himself to a nod.
Next came a report on the White Fang. Speaking from a Faunus point of view, Dominic wanted nothing to do with the White Fang. It was one thing to want equality, but murdering hundreds of innocent people was no way to get there. His ears sat low to his head under his hat as he growled, making Ruby jump.
"I forgot you were a Faunus, Dom." Yang looks back at him. "Your ears are so cute, too. How could I forget that?"
"You seem to forget a lot." Dominic forces his blush back down. Ruby looks up at him.
"What kind of Faunus are you?" She asks hesitantly.
"I'm a lion." He replies evenly.
"Can I see your..." She motions to her head, and Dominic sighs, a light smile on his face. He takes his hat off and bends over for her to take a look. "They're adorable!" She touches one, and it twitches, making her jump.
"They're also very sensitive." Mumbles Dominic. Yang grins evilly, and he shivers. Anything she planned to do, however, would have to wait, as a virtual hologram of Glynda appears.
"Hello, and welcome to Beacon." Says the hologram.
"Who's that?" Whispers Yang.
"My name is Glynda Goodwitch."
"Oh."
"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of attending this Academy." Continues Goodwitch. "Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsman and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it." The hologram pauses for a moment. "You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, but now, it's our turn to impart our knowledge and teach you the skills necessary to defend our world." With that, the hologram fades, showing the entirety of Beacon.
"Oh, cool!" Ruby runs to the window, pressing her nose against it. "You can see Signal from here." Yang and Dominic join her. "I guess home isn't so far away, after all." Yang wraps an arm around her shoulders again.
"Beacon's our home, now." Says Yang.
Ruby looks to Dominic, and he nods encouragingly. The two elicited a slight smile from the younger girl, and they fell into a comfortable, companionable silence as they looked out over Beacon. It was immediately ruined by the groaning of a blond boy in a hoodie.
"Make way!" The guy runs past them, one hand over his mouth, and the other holding his stomach. "Where's the trash can!?"
"Well, I guess the view's not for everyone." Laughed Yang.
"It was a nice moment while it lasted." Smiled Ruby.
"Yeah... Hey, Yang?" Asks Dominic. "You gotta little something on your..." He points down. Yang follows his finger with her eyes, before her face twists in disgust.
"Oh, gross!" Shouts Yang. "Vomit boy got puke on my shoes!"
"Ewww, stay away from me!" Cried Ruby, hiding behind Dominic.
"Dom, start cleaning."
'Why did I open my fat mouth?