So, the majority of the beginning of this chapter was written on an old smart phone, so some of the spelling and grammar may be fucked, but aside from that it will be the same quality you all have come to expect. Also, a part I neglected to mention is the fact that Issac has talons that he can extend due to his resurrection and genetic reset. So, that out of the way, ON TO THE SHOW!
Tyler screamed as he ran down the hall, away from an angry half-naked Issac. "GET BACK HERE SO I CAN MURDER YOU!"
"WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD STOP WHEN YOU SHOUTED THAT!?" Tyler shouted back. He rounded a corner and sprinted towards a window. He threw it open and leapt out, his tail moving out of Issac's reach the second he got there.
"DAMNIT" Issac slammed his fists on the window, shattering the stone. "When I get my hands on him, I will wring his neck" A second later Ruby poofed next to Issac.
"Just so you know, Sanguine said something about a council net after you ran out." Issac slapped his palm to his forehead and groaned.
"Just another daedra to kill." he mumbled, lifting his head from his palm. "by the nine, I have to calm down." Issac leaned against the wall and slid down, groaning "Auntie Kyne is going to be pissed." He stood and stretched his shoulders. "Let's just get to class, what is next?"
Ruby smiled brightly, then frowned while in thought. "I have history. You should be in basic tactics."
Issac grinned, gave her a thumbs up and ran back to his dorm to get dressed; doing so quickly, he ran off to class. He paused at the door and and whispered "LAAS YA NIR". He saw two dozen auras inside. He quietly opened the door and willed himself into a state of ignorability using a Somebody-Else's-Problem field and sat down into his chair next to Velvet. He disabled his SEP field, causing Velvet to leap from her seat into Jame's lap. She smacked his shoulder and whispered "Asshole" alerting Professor Black.
"Ah, Mr. Clarke, so glad you decided to join us. Please, since you see yourself so capable as to skip the majority of my lecture, solve this situation" He activated a holographic display and opened a file.
"A mining facility located inside a valley is under attack from a hostile force on one side and a horde of Grimm on the other, they will arrive in one day. You must protect this facility from enemy control and maintain all facility property in an undamaged state. Your forces consist of 150 common soldiers and 2 teams of huntsman. You will be evacuated in three days. What is your strategy?" The feathered crow faunus teacher finished his proposition.
"Pfft, easy as pie. First use the mining tools to dig out spike pits on the side for the Grimm, and cut out pillboxes on the side of the unnamed military force." Issac stood and walked up to the holographic display. "A team of what I can assume to be melee oriented huntsman will assault the soldiers while the range based will hold off the Grimm with the support of 80 of the soldier providing fire support. The melee huntsman will charge the force with the support of 50 soldiers, removing the advantage of ranged weapons from the enemy. The remaining soldiers will assist the remaining facility personnel in moving all important VIP equipment into the safety of the mine. Then they will seal the mine. The miners will move up the sides and place explosives on the walls, creating avalanches on either side, taking out even more of the enemy. The final attack is my own. The remaining personnel will fall back to the base and prevent any hostiles that get past myself and the huntsman from entering the facility. A rush to the front with the undoubtably faster, melee aligned fighters to annialate the opposition with support from the remainder of the force. All of this is based on the presumption that the attacking military force uses primarily firearms. If in fact, they were a melee aligned force the opposite would be true. The firearm wielding huntsman would hold off the human forces until the grimm were destroyed." Issac held his head high, his military expertise and capabilities in guerilla warfare shining brightly in the moment.
"Mr. Clarke" Issac perked up "please leave my class", a small smrik spread on the pale teacher's face. "Do not return until the Advanced Tactics class begins. That will be 96 minutes from now. Mark?" Issac smiled
"Sync" Issac said proudly. He then waltzed out of the classroom, a wide grin on his face. Earning a few awed expressions as well a a few glares from a certain avian named team that had the same class at that time. He closed the door and Black's lecture continued.
Issac walked down the hall whistling Contact, he stopped by a doorway and looked inside. He expected a lecture, what he saw was an immense library."Oh my gods, I'm getting a brain-boner". He stepped inside and began to seek out books on legends and myths. After searching for a few minutes, he found the history section of the textbooks. "No, No, No... Oooh" Issac grabbed a book with the title Old Warriors of Mistral. He grabbed the book and several others with similar titles. Skimming through a couple of chapters, he noticed a couple of familiar words. "Crimson Witch?" He set an alarm for 67 minutes from that moment. He then began to read Thoroughly. "In the past twelve years, the Crimson Witch has destroyed ten different teams of fully trained and expert hunters. There was one last attempt to defeat her, wherein three teams of hunters, including teams STOG (Strong), EMBR (Ember), and RUST (...I think you can figure it out). Teams EMBR and RUST as well as the S of STOG were killed. The only survivors were Glynda Goodwitch, Roman Torchwick and the current headmaster of Beacon Academy, Ozpin (Surname Redacted). These three were debriefed after the encounter and they described her immense power. Casting fire from her palm that burned through the aura of all of EMBR in seconds. As Torchwick of STOG stated: 'She was more powerful than anything I've ever seen, it was like she wasn't even from Remnant.' Oh, my FUCK!" Issac shouted, startling several of the other students. His alarm started beeping in his ear, forcing Issac to slap the book closed, gather the others and check out of the library with the collection.
After placing the books into his P.S.P.D., he sprinted off to his Advanced Tactics class. "Welcome back, Mr. Clarke. I hope you are prepared for a challenge." Several of the other students in the class turned to look at him.
"What?"
One of the third years turned to look at Issac, "What's a kid doing here?" She asked Black.
"By proving his ability to read a situation and take advantage of the supplies on hand to their most effective. He passed the Mining Facility with flying colors." Black said, gazing at his clipboard (He doesn't trust the scrolls, so he uses good old fashioned pen and paper.)
The student scoffed, "That is an easy one, give him a challenge then." Issac's eyes flashed in anger.
"Do. Not. Underestimate me." Issac growled into the student's ear.
"Coco does not seem to trust your ability Mr. Clarke, so I'll give you a true test." The holographic display sprung to life again. This time displaying a desert environment. "You and a force of twenty men have been traveling from Vale to seek a treaty with Vacuo, but your transport has crashed. All of your personnel have minor injuries and severe dehydration. You have no idea which direction leads to civilization and desert faring Grimm have been hunting you." Black set down his clipboard and stared at Issac.
"In the real scenario, I'd simply call for an E-vac. But here we are assuming all contact has been lost?" Black nodded at Issac. "Hmmm... First, I'd locate which direction is north. Then determine which side of the equator I lay upon. I can assume that we know which continent we are on?"
"You are on the continent of Vacuo. You must reach the capital city."
Issac huffed. "There are several ways I could survive, but saving my men as well will be harder." Issac stared at the map for a moment. Then he grinned. "I'd burrow a cavern under the sand and melt it solid with fire-breath. This would give us a means to escape the sun, and with any luck find water." Issac began to insert the scenario into the hologram. "As for the Grimm, I'm not sure of their hunting patterns nor am I knowledgeable enough about them yet to determine exactly what breeds we'd be facing. But not counting the Grimm, the next biggest threat would be exposure. So to prevent that, we'd travel at night. While the cold may be biting, nothing is worse than the heat." Issac pulled out his scroll and tapped in a few commands. "The capital in on the north western coast of the continent, so we'd head for the nearest coast and follow that around until we reach a port."
"How would you get there through all the Grimm?"
Issac got a grim look on his face. "Those who chose to, for I know there will be ones who do, will stay behind to hold off the Grimm and lead them off our trail. The lives of a few grunts is nothing compared to the millions lost in a real war." Issac leaned against the holo display. "We'd mourn their loss while we move. Until we reach the capital, where we pray for a glorious death as to meet them again."
"Hmmm... Well done, you're ability to think out a situation has prevented a war. Though there are a few ways you could have kept all of your men alive." Black tried to continue but was cut off by Issac.
"I like strategy, but don't say that there is a way to prevent all loss of life. There will always be casualties. Until war is dead, there will always be casualties." Issac's eyes glazed over, his mind slowing as he remembered several times he could have saved a comrade, but didn't. "Words to remember from a person who has actually fought for their life, 'try to save everyone and you'll just get yourself added to the body count'." Issac turned and sat down. Several students, all of them older than second year shied away from Issac as he fought the memories of fallen comrades down. He set a recorder on his omni-tool and ignored the lecture.
"ISSAC!"
Fireballs landed around Issac's prone form, detonating against a mage's wards. A hand slapped against his cheek. "Wake Up!" Another hand slapped him in the face. He shot up. Ysolda, his foster mother was standing over him as more explosives slammed into the ground. The wards were broken by the flames, bringing Issac to consciousness.
Issac rose slowly, the area around him covered in flames and blood. "Mom!" Issac stumbled as he tried to get up. "Mom!" Issac looked around and saw a mound on the dirt moving. "MOM!" He rushed over to the mound and tried to push it over. He struggled and pushed, finally succeeding in flipping it over. The mound turned out to be a corpse, the face mangled and burned. The jaw hung by a thread and the left side of her face was missing, but the mangled face was instantly recognizable as his mother. "No..." Issac felt tears form in his eyes, "No". Fire stormed around him. Dragons flying overhead, pouring flames down on his young body.
"NOOOOO!" Issac roared as he sobbed into the corpse. Fire consumed him and melted away his flesh, leaving scales of the dov. Wings shot from his back and he shot up into the sky. He roared flames onto a passing dragon, and fled into a mountain. In his sorrow and young age, he misjudged the distance was just about to slam into a tree when...
"Wake Up!" Velvet slapped Issac, who shot up with his claws extending. Issac paused for a moment and then yawned, drawing his claws back in. "Why were you crying?" Issac touched the side of his face and felt wetness.
"I don't want to talk about it." Issac growled. He wiped his face and stood up. Issac then tapped his omni-tool and stopped the recording. After stopping the recording, Issac sent nano-bots to capture the chemicals from his dream for later examination. "Let's just go"
Velvet nodded, accepting that he didn't want to talk about the tears. "You slept through the class, not a good thing to do on your first day" Velvet lightly slugged his shoulder, then noticed his lack of reaction. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Issac sighed. "I really just don't want to talk about it. It just brings back painful memories." Issac turned to her and stared at her with sorrow in his eyes.
"Okay, you don't want to talk about it and I won't push." She stepped over to him and grabbed him in a hug, "If you ever want to talk about it, just say so. Your team will listen. I'll make them" Velvet said with a small grin. Issac smiled in return.
"Thanks, Vel, I needed that" Issac wiped his eyes and shook his head. "Let's hit it, what's next?"
Velvet sighed and said "Check your scroll"
Issac activated his Omni-tool and synced to his scroll. "Sparring" Issac grinned, cracked his neck and walked over to the door. "See you later Velvet." He waved and sprinted out the door.
"He seems happier" Velvet said with a smile, her arms crossed.
Jaune was waiting in Training Hall 22. Lights shone above his head, one in the corner was flickering. "What is taking so long?" At that moment, the door slammed open and Issac sprinted in.
"Sorry! I fell Asleep!" He shouted as he ran in, panting. He came to a sudden stop in front Jaune, who made a step back in surprise. "Okay. First we need to set some rules: Rule 1, there will be no crying here. Rule 2, anything that happens here is going to stay here, no matter what it was that happened. My word is law. Any questions?" Issac said all this as he opened his P.S.P.D. and pulled out a large amount of supplies. A collapsible table with a pentacle on the center. He then pulled out a jar with some kind of eel like creature in black ooze.
"What is the jar and table for?" Jaune asked, walking over to the table.
"The jar has a Soul Leech and the table has a pentacle to control the beast. Today we'll be working on your control of your soul while it is being drained" Issac unfolded the table and set the jar in the middle of the pentacle. "Put your hand on the fourth point of the seal." Jaune put his hand on the star, Issac then opened the door and poured the leech onto his hand. Much to the shock of Jaune. "Crede mihi prout furati inquam animis et quantum erit ingenua." The leech seized up, turned towards Issac and leapt at him. He grabbed the leech beneath the jaw out of the air and brought it up to look it in the eyes. The leech went limp, Issac dropped it and it went over to Jaune. "it will drain your soul at a steady pace as we work, now get up and ready yourself."
Jaune stared at the thing as it crawled up his arm. "I'll trust you this time" Jaune jumped slightly as the leech it into the back of his neck, he instantly felt weaker. The little pest gripped Jaune's neck, but released its bite to chitter at Issac.
"The leech told me that you have a large soul, but you only have a small portion of it for you to access." Issac walked back to Jaune. "I'll have to help you reach the depths of your souls capabilities" Issac placed his forehead against Jaune's and his palm over his heart. Issac pushed his soul onto Jaune, feeling the cold of half-death take him.
"Where am I!?" Jaune shouted, searching for any landmarks, but finding only blank space around him.
"This is your soul, Jaune. You have yet to have any marks place upon it, that is why it is so barren." Issac was standing behind Jaune, his body immense and burning. Scales and horns traveled from his head to the tip of his tail. He was in the shape of a dovah. "Look at yourself for your true shape."
Jaune looked down and saw white fur on his chest, "what the hell?"
"You are a wolf, my friend. A pack member of the white wolves." Issac shrank down somewhat and looked Jaune in the eye. "A great fury is just waiting to ignite; you have an immense soul, friend." Issac Bowed his head and his form faded to his human form. "Now we start by you learning to control your soul." Issac grinned, "FIGHT" Issac changed into a dovah once more and roared at Jaune.
"Shi-" Soul fire cut out the rest.
"Councillor Log number 27718362, Councillor 117127E34. My initial reading of this world is that the people are a capable and ready species. But upon deeper investigation I have discovered more discrimination and strife than we can usually accept. I advise that we have racial equalists brought in to begin to fight for equality. I authorize use of charm to make this happen." Issac pressed the button on the recorder and sent it off to council command. "Time for another round." Issac walked over and kicked Jaune in the ribs "Get your ass up" Jaune woke groaning.
"Can we rest?" Jaune moaned, Issac smiled and shook his head. Jaune's aura read in the red, Issac's however was still in the upper part of the green. Issac tapped his chin while he waited for Jaune to get up. Then a thought hit him
"Y'know, I think we might." Issac walked to a display system and jack in his omni-tool. "I will teach you of the tribes of the soul" Issac smiled and brought up a grid on the screen. Jaune rolled and looked at the display sideways. "A tribe is a group of beings whose souls shape themselves into a specific beast or type of being, bloodlines and kinship has no effect on a soul's shape. Only the person and their soul can choose the shape it takes."
"Okay?" Jaune had confusion spread across his face. 'I thought souls were part of a family?'
"The first Tribes are the three main tribes. Tribe of the Dragon, my tribe, is the current leader in warfare and technology. Tribe of the Wolf is the second tribe, second in command of the military by rank. Wolves are a ferocious and cunning group that use any means necessary to rise victorious." Issac grimaced, "They have beaten the Dragons in the past by means we refuse to acknowledge. One of the attributes they have above all else is kinship. A wolf, no matter the rank, is treated like family. They always say, 'Mess with one of us, you fuck with all of us'." Issac smiled for a slight moment.
Jaune perked up, "Didn't I look like a wolf in my soul?" Issac smiled widely at his student's ability to pay attention. (There is a word for that, but I cannot for the life of me, remember what it was.)
"That is correct." Issac tapped on his display, then looked at the projection. "You have a Bipedal Canine White Soul, a very common variant, aside from being white. White wolves are actually quite rare, they are usually higher ranking officials and royalty. Don't let it go to your head though." Issac got a stern face as he finished his rant. "Back to the Tribes. The third and final of the three main tribes is the Tribe of the Mortal. Mortal Souls are the most powerful, by their ability to adapt and think on the run. A true mortal soul can kill a god, just to give an example of their power." Issac smiled at the confusion on Jaune's face. "Here, another book for you to read, seeing as how your face is more confused than a cat in a laser light show." (How fucking funny would that be?!) Issac tossed Jaune a small book on soul variants and the tribes they reside within. "Read up on that quickly, you need to know the information inside with the next month."
Jaune caught the book and flipped it open to the first page. "This isn't in English." he deadpanned. Issac gave him the 'what did you expect' look. "What language is this?" Issac groaned at the question.
"Dovahzul, hi mindoraan zey fod Zu'u qethserod tinvok, nu hi fen mindos wah etaak nii. Bo het ahrk Zu'u fen ofan hi mindah." Issac spoke, his voice rumbling slightly from his thu'um. Jaune nodded vacantly.
"I can't really read this, how am I supposed to remember this?" Issac groaned at the complaint, then stepped over and placed his forehead against Jaune's. He then began to mutter in a incomprehensible dialect. Memories began to pour into Jaune's mind faster than he could go over them. It felt like literary knowledge. He didn't know why he knew that, but he did.
"There, you know have my understanding of Dovahzul. Read up on that book, I have classes to get to right now." Issac waved as he ran out of the hall. Then he stopped, and turned back into the room. "At the end of the month, I need to give my report to the council. You need to have a basic understanding of the Black Steel Blade or we will both be killed, you for having the blade without understanding and me for not being able to keep it in my soul." Issac grinned at Jaune's face, "Don't worry, I've trained dumber than you!" Issac yelled, a laugh breaking through his voice.
"Welcome to Wilderness Survival 101." A short man said with a smile. His rosy cheeks risen above a normal position. "Here, young children, you shall learn to survive the harshest of environments-"
"For even the greatest swordsman can be slain by thirst, the sharpest marksman can be taken by heatstroke and the grandest of warriors can be downed by hypothermia" A student in the crowd finished the man's sentence. He smiled wide.
"It's good to see another who knows the necessity of survival knowledge, come here young one." He said, waving his hand. A girl stood up, turned towards the path and started towards the center of the lecture hall. Issac caught a glimpse of her face.
"Lynda?" Issac questioned quietly. 'I thought she was my senior, in this school's rank', Issac's thoughts were cut short as the professor called him forward. Issac stood and walked to the center of the hall. "Yes sir?"
"Tell me your name, young man." The man asked, his expression... confused.
"Issac Clarke, sir. Why do you ask?" Issac felt uncomfortable in the presence of this man.
"Your head... are those scales?" Issac paused for a moment. He ran his hand over his head and felt hard scales. He grinned, his fangs flashing in the light of the hall.
"Yes sir, they are. Before you ask, I am not a faunus. I am half-breed from my homeland. Speak with professor Ozpin for additional details." Issac responded professionally.
"Ah... Very good. Now, onto the introductory lecture." He waved his hand, signaling for Issac and Lynda to return to their seats. "Welcome to Wilderness Survival 101, here you will learn to survive any environment. From frozen tundra to scorching deserts. Do any of you have personal experience in harsh enviroments?"
Issac stood, "My homeland of Skyrim is a large collection of frozen tundras and frosted mountains, very little of our lands are warm enough for farming. I lived in the frosty region of The Pale. High mountains surround small patches of flat land." Issac took a short breath and read the Professor's face quickly. He saw nothing apparent, he could hide his emotions very well, compared to most mortals Issac has met.
"Very good, now take a seat. I have a lecture I need to start" The professor gestured for Issac to return to his seat. Issac nodded and returned to his seat, sat down and began to record the lecture with his omni-tool. As Issac watched blankly, his thoughts passed to his duties in the Council. 'I need to send in my report, before my superiors take my wings', then went on to think about the many times he's had issues with his Commisar. His thoughts were quickly interrupted, Issac's head popped up and tapped his omni-tool. All of the memories of the lecture washed into his mind.
"Mr. Clarke, care to respond?"
Issac waved through his memories and found the question. "Yes, sir! The simplest place to survive is a coniferous forest. The most difficult place to survive is a tundra. The abundance and lack of food, accordingly, makes the answers obvious" Issac stated in an official tone.
The professor had a slightly disappointed look, apparently having wanted to berate him. Issac grinned and sat back down. The lecture was uneventful beyond that.
"Alright, now, explain that again?"
Issac groaned and slammed his fists on the table, a smack echoing through the mess hall. "Four times..." Issac pinched the bridge of his nose, then continued "The council needs a report of my progress at the end of the month. If Jaune doesn't meet a standard requirement, then both myself and Jaune will be killed. The blade will be taken into a vessel, and brought back to the council." Issac picked up his steak with his hands and he sank his teeth into it. Pyrrah, sitting across from him, sat slack-jawed. Issac ripped off a piece of meat and swallowed it. "Don't worry, he's close to the requirement. All he needs right now is soul manipulation and we'll be fine." He sank his teeth into his steak again and tore off another piece. He hummed as he chewed it.
"I'm still confused." Issac's eyes began to burn, flames ignited on his horns and scales. The dark, black fire raged on his horns and his talons extended from his fingers.
"GANOG, Zu'u gelaar hir tiid. Hi seik, hi motag zey!" Issac roared, fire pouring from his mouth. Pyrrah shied away, instinct in her mind screaming 'RUN'. But her body wouldn't move. Issac stopped, took a deep breath and as he let it out, the flames died down. "You have asked four times, you know what I said and you simply do not want to understand it." Issac reached into his pocket and pulled out a Rules and Regulations book. "Read this, it's a basic rule book given to every soldier in the council." He tossed it across the table to her. Before he was able to sit back down, he was taken to the ground by a red blur. Issac groaned as Ruby hugged him on the ground. "Please let me eat." Ruby grinned sheepishly as she got off of Issac, and helped him up.
"Ijustgotamessagefrommydadandhesaidhewantstomeetyou." Ruby took a breath, "WeneedtotakeatriptoPatchIsland,myhome,soyoucanmeethim" Ruby's speech went almost too fast for Issac to understand.
Issac swallowed a chunk of meat, took a sip of water, and cleared is throat. "He attacks me and I will not hold back. That is all I have to say." Issac, nonchalantly went back to his food. Ruby nodded and bolted off for food. A few seconds later, Yang and Ruby both sat down across from Issac, on either side of Pyrrah. Who stood up with the book and walked off, finally having recovered from her paralysis. "Hello Yang." Issac said between bites.
"You are going to meet dad, and you can't argue your-"
"I already agreed and will meet him on the nearest date that I can." Issac popped the last bite of meat into his mouth, gnawed it down and swallowed. "So, know that I will need to finish training Jaune before I can do anything else."
"Nope, we leave day after tomorrow. I already bought tickets and already got few days off from Ozpin" Yang slammed her fist onto the table.
Issac groaned, "How many days will we be gone?" Issac felt worry, his plans being changed.
"Until the first"
Issac sighed, nodded, chugged his water and left the hall.
Ruby turned to Yang, "He looked worried"
Yang laughed, "He's afraid of dad".
A roar echoed outside, shattering the windows and causing all of the students inside to duck and cover.
A massive black dragon stood over Issac, three others flying overhead. Two stood on the roof of each of the buildings around the Black Dragon."Kiir ni mul. Mah naal dii thu'um. Joor sahlo, dovah mul." The Black Dragon echoed his voice throughout the school.
"Druv hi bo? Hofkiin do dov ni het, ahrk nid suleyk het. Lif, voz Zu'u krii hi" Issac stood his ground, and shouted back at the dovah. "Gods, I do not have time for this." The Black Dragon pulled his head back, his allies doing the same. They all unleashed a torrent of flame, engulfing Issac in the red and yellow flames.
Issac quickly spread his wings, dissipating the flames. "Ag Slen Meyar" Black Fire began to spread over Issac's scales and horns. Issac turned his head up to glare at the Black Dragon. "Faas zey, ziir". He drew Rahgol from his back and roared at the dragon. The dragon roared back, as Issac sprinted towards it, swinging the chainsword at the beast.
Fight scene in the next chapter, y'all can suck my cliffhanger. Also, sorry about the slow release schedule, I'm a lazy prick and have a shitload of games to play.