Calibre of a Forged Soul - Chapter Two: "The Emerald Woodland"
The Emerald Forest - he reckoned - definitely lived up to its moniker. From where he was stood on the Beacon Cliffs, the area as nearly just an ocean of green canopy. Forget trying to spy the ground, he could barely see the mountains on the horizon.
The morning has been…well, it had actually been more chaotic than he estimated; there had been near-anarchy as students shot out of their sleep with cries of 'waking up late' before dashing about to gather their things.
It was definitely hilarious to watch, given he was ready to move before dawn break. Got to love internal alarm programs.
Then there were a number of little dramas all over the place in the locker room. Ruby and Yang were having some hushed sisterly discussion, probably. Jaune was wandering about in a slight huff, irritated about his locker number or something. And then there was the Schnee Heiress attempting to persuade Pyrrha into working together.
Then Jaune interrupted and ended up pinned to a wall. He really wanted to know how that happened.
The crackle of the speakers stopped anything else from occurring - unfortunately - and instructed all initiates to the Eastern Beacon Cliffs.
Which is where he was stood; an errant glance down the 'line' trailing behind him brought every initiate into view. His feet tapped the metal grate he was stood on.
The sounds of a throat clearing caught everyone's attention, and Headmaster Ozpin took a small drink from the mug he was holding.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors…and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
That, he could gather.
"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumours about the assignment of 'teams'. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… " Professor Goodwitch readjusted her glasses as she glared, "…today."
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." The Headmaster looked over each and every one of them. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
That line would've been far more intimidating if he didn't already know how Beacon formed their teams. It was even less so due to his…unique circumstances. Still, he could understand the outburst he overheard from Ruby. It may be 'practice' for the whole Hunter team concept, but a four year commitment to someone you may have never even met before with no choice in the matter?
It was something he still had a little trouble wrapping his mind around.
"After you have partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path…or you will die."
Hmm…There was imposing the gravity of the situation on a person, and then there was that.
"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item to your fullest extent - and will be graded appropriately. Are there any questions?" Ozpin paused for a moment, and seemingly completely ignored Jaune's raised hand. "Good! Now, take your positions."
The first initiates were launched, even as Jaune stumbled over his questions. Things weren't exactly adding up in his mind when it came to the Arc teen. A 'Landing Strategy' was basic Hunter terminology - the word 'improvised' went unspoken though, there was no need to mention it if everyone knew what you were on about. Not to mention his spatial awareness was sorely lacking. Couldn't he hear the people next to him being launched into the sky?
Yang threw a cheery wave in his direction, and then she was gone. Ruby looked somewhere in between embarrassed and apologetic, before she too was flung into the air.
Guess Yang managed to wheedle everything out of her sister then. Best prepare for future talks with the elder sister.
It was almost comical when Jaune was finally catapulted into the air, and he couldn't quite stop himself from watching in bewilderment as the teen flailed as he flew.
"Mister Vulcan."
The sound of the Headmaster speaking his name had him focusing on the two teachers.
"As The Vale Council, Spectrum, and your father made clear: due to your…specific circumstances, you will not be placed onto a team. Based on how I believe how the 'Persona Initiative' could be fulfilled to earn optimal results, it would be best if you remained an Independent Student - so to speak; someone who can interact with all the teams that will be formed."
He just had to deal with the fallout and stigma of being said Independent Student. Maybe it would've just been easier to enter Beacon as a robot instead.
"I guess I am to avoid the other initiates, then?"
Ozpin merely nodded at his question.
"Yes," The Headmaster turned to look out towards the Emerald Forest, "However, it would be best if you observed as many of those as you could. You will have to fight alongside any four of them at any given time. It would be best to familiarise yourself with how each one fights."
He hummed, and then drew Gia and Tous from their holsters.
"Understood, Headmaster."
Ozpin smiled. It was far more enigmatic than a casual smile should've been.
"Very well. Let's see you in action."
His knees bent ever-so-slightly, and a second later he was airborne.
Come on.
The first tree shuddered when his feet met it, and then snapped in two when he kicked off.
Get above the treeline.
An errant branch threatened to clothesline him. Ventmèche whistled through the air, and the branch didn't even have time to start its fall before he body checked it out of his way.
Blondie's going to get himself killed.
Another tree groaned as his feet connected with the bark. He looked up, and the second he spent thinking told him that the tree was tall enough to get a good bird's eye view. Armour encased feet cracked the bark as he defied gravity and ran up the tree.
One arm lashed out when he neared the top, fingers digging in as he span around a branch and bled momentum. The blue of the sky filled his vision as he searched for who he was looking for. Jaune was a good guy - if a little sheltered - but given what he saw in the jump, Blondie wasn't going to land in one piece without help.
There.
Briefly - very briefly - he wondered how someone could get that much distance simply by flailing. That thought was thrust to the side when he realised that there was so much distance between the two.
For a very, very brief moment, his mind grasped at nothing.
-Bang!-
The crack of gunfire was quickly ignored in favour of watching a red-and-gold coloured missile sail straight past him, following Jaune's floundering form into the distant canopy.
One.
Two.
Thr-
…thunk…
"…thank you…"
If his Semblance wasn't as active as it was, he was pretty sure Jaune's words would have been completely inaudible. A very, very familiar voice returned the appreciation.
"I'm sorry!"
The breath he released was nearly painful, and a wry grin formed as he breathed in. A second later and he jumped off the tree, fingers gripping into the bark as he descended to slow him down. Blondie was out of danger of smearing the ground with his body, and would no doubt appreciate just who would be his partner when she went looking for her weapon.
Armoured feet connected with the soft ground, kicking up some dust as dirt as they did so.
"Eep!"
He pivoted, turning towards the sound as a hand went to Ventmèche's hilt. Sliver eyes met brown, and a couple of seconds passed as he forced himself to relax. The hand that was reaching for said hilt instead went to the back of his head, an act that tilted his hat forward.
The silence was quickly becoming awkward, he reckoned. Best break it before it became unbearably so.
"Hello there! Name's Leopold," He blinked, and extended a hand to the shaken girl when it clicked that she had fallen over in surprise, "Partners?"
She stared at the offered hand for a couple of seconds, smiled, and grasped it with both her own.
"Thanks," He had to take care not to send her flying when he pulled her up - rabbit ears bobbing in the air as he did so, "I'm Velvet."
He watched as she reached down, plucking her weapon out from under the leaves he had scattered in his decent. The silver-and-green Gun-Stave had the Beacon emblem stamped on a flat area on both sides.
That was interesting. Why would a student be wielding a rental weapon?
Bah. Not important. Besides, he was her partner now, and God knows how long it would take before they reached wherever these relics were.
"Nice to meet you Velvet. Now then, Ozpin said north…so…" The memory of the sky and sun let him orientate in the proper direction, "…that way. Let's get going, shall we?"
The forest was one great big blur as she dashed through the woodland, evading all manner of obstacles with her Semblance. The majority of which was out of both instinct as one thought looped over and over again.
Gotta find Yang! Gotta find Yang gotta find Yang gotta find…
"Yang!? Yaaaang!?"
Oh, this was bad; this was really, really bad. Another thought nearly caused her to miss a jump over a log. What if she couldn't find her? What if someone else found her first? Come on; she had to think! Think! Who else did she know in this school?
Well, there was always Jaune. He was nice; He was funny. She didn't think he was very good in a fight though. Nothing against Jaune as a person though! She just thought…yeah. What about Blake? So mysterious, so calm…plus she liked books! That…came with own set of problems. She wasn't all that confident in her ability to hold a conversation with her, for one. Talos maybe? He was alright! Sure, he was…a bit…odd. But he was cool and didn't mind when…she…babbled on…and stuff. She hadn't seen him in the jump though; he could be anywhere.
A flash of white caught her eye, and she could feel her heels digging into the ground as she skidded to a halt.
Don't look up don't look up don't look up - she looked up.
The silence lasted a grand total of three seconds before Weiss turned and stomped off in the opposite direction.
The world shattered again with a great crash, and she slumped where she was stood.
"We're supposed to be teammates…"
Travelling by tree was actually surprisingly fun when you got into the rhythm of things. Although given that he could think at speeds far faster than a normal human, maybe he just had a far easier time finding the next branch he could hop onto before he kicked off from the one he was stood on.
His feet connected with another branch as he brought himself to a stop. Other students were partnering up at a rapid pace - even if he hadn't managed to witness them doing so in person. The Semblance he possessed helped in that regard.
Speaking of Semblance…
He crouched on the branch, eyes drifting shut as the world was blanketed out.
:: Semblance: Activate. ::
A resounding, gong-like sound reverberated through his mind following the trigger words, and the world exploded into colour from behind closed eyelids. Colours vaguely relevant to the existences that exuded Aura completely filled his sudden three-hundred-and-sixty 'vision'. An 'Aura Radar' his father had likened it to. Sure, it wasn't super speed, or hyper regeneration, but being able to detect everything in a hundred metre radius was nothing to sneeze at. Doubly so seeing as that no one on the Vulcan Project had managed to find anything that could block it, artificial or natural.
With eyes closed, there was nothing more than colours that blurred together, and nothing but green in anyone's vison was bound to be overwhelmed. Eyes open however, and both visions overlapped: Everything in line of sight had their Aura conform to the proper shape, and anything not in his field of vision he could 'sense' their shape.
It didn't make sense, but Aura and anything to do with it made little logical sense anyway. That was what it felt like, so that was what he was calling it.
And exactly like radar, he could detect anomalous entities on a backdrop.
In this case, it was a red humanoid blob and a white humanoid blob amidst a sea of vaguely outlined green on the very edge of his senses.
Hopping between trees silently though, was another matter. Still, stealth practice paid off - after weeks of having the whole concept pounded into his head. The red he recognised. Spending a couple of hours chatting to the one it belonged to made sure of that. The white though, he wasn't completely sure - though based on how the universe liked to act in its strange and wondrous ways, he could make an educated guess.
Ruby's Aura flared for a brief moment, and then she practically shot out of his sense radius.
Guess someone had super speed.
Speaking of speed, he moved just a little bit faster as a dozen more anomalies crept into sense. The only way he could describe them would be similar to great fissures that interrupted the Aura of the very land.
There was a difference between not being able to detect anything, and being able to detect literally nothing.
Poté made nary a sound as the rifle was pulled from its holster, the frame expanding to its full form. Slots on the top of the rifle opened and the two halves of a scope deployed near instantly before connecting together. The Schnee Heiress' Aura was visibly flickering now.
"…Fear isn't all that conductive to your survival, Heiress…"
More and more Grimm entered his sense, and at the very least she had calmed a fair amount in the few seconds prior. That still left her to deal with two dozen Class-Five's though. They weren't exactly the most dangerous things, but the saying 'Quantity over Quality' existed for a reason. Stock met his shoulder as the scope 'connected' with his Semblance. Supporting fire was the plan, and he picked one Beowolf at random that the Heiress wasn't facing.
The lever was worked as the Dust inside the Heiress' weapon glowed in his sense, and a second later she - RED!
The I-CORE Heart felt as if it seized in his chest when the wave of fire blasted off into the distance, barely missing Ruby as she dropped down from God knows where. Of all the suicidal-ly stupid moves - he huffed, and returned to his overwatch. Ruby and Weiss were steadily being surrounded as they no doubt argued, by both the pack of Grimm and the increasing fire.
"…Come on…" He drummed his fingers on Poté's grip, "…Get retreating already…"
It was Weiss who made the call - unsurprisingly; she reached out, grabbed Ruby by her cloak, and all but dragged her away from both the fire and the Grimm. A few of them were growling to one another - probably Beowolf-speak for if they should chase after them. Better nip those plans in the bud.
Boots thumped as they struck the ground, and a couple of the Beowolves turned to face him for a brief moment.
He flared his Aura, and the entire pack quickly lost interest in the fleeing pair.
A smile crossed his features.
"Good morning gentlemen," He paused as the Beowolves growled in return, "How are you on this fine day?"
One particular Beowolf roared in response. The pack leader, perhaps? He held the thought for a second longer before turning his attention to the fire; what was a small conflagration was steadily becoming a full-on forest fire, and he sincerely hoped that it wasn't going to get any worse. Perhaps some Cryo-Dust rounds could help?
:: Shuffling Playlist. Playlist shuffled, Now Selecting Track. ::
It set the mood though: A lone Hunter facing down a horde of Grimm in the middle of a firestorm.
:: Track Selected; Now Playing: "This Will Be the Day - Magical Girl Remix". ::
Perfect. The grin became toothy as the song started - and even as the Beowolves made to circle him, he found himself bobbing to the tune.
[They see you as small and helpless~!]
The first Grimm lunged; Gia met the beast in the air, and everything faded out save for the song and din of battle.
Ahh, Hell. Her limbs groaned as she pushed herself up, and once more did she curse her luck. It was supposed to be an extra credit assignment: patrol duty on the assigned perimeter so the rookies didn't come across anything higher than a Class-Three.
Given that Fox was digging himself out of a nearby tree; it looked like it stopped being an extra credit assignment.
"Team…" She pushed up and a second later she was stood, brushing the dirt from her clothes, "Team Coffee, report in. Everyone still alive?"
Fox just waved her off as he stretched.
"I'm…I'm good."
"Violissa here. Broken arm, but is nothing Dust-aid cannot help."
That was two, now where was the third?
"You there Yatsuhashi?"
"I am."
She nodded, continuing to dust herself off as she looked around. Trees were felled and snapped in pieces like twigs and great gouges were torn into the earth itself.
It looked like a warzone.
"Anyone keep track of how many we got?"
Violissa walked into view, Dust-aid canister glowing and pressed against her upper arm.
"Forty-six Class-Fives, Thirty-eight Class-Fours, and One-and-one-quarter Class-Threes."
"One-and-one-quarter?"
Vio's Skull-like helmet tilted in one direction, 'eyes' glowing a bright, ominous orange.
"I set it on fire. It wasn't quite half dead when it fled, only mostly quarter."
The lantern portion of her weapon dangled over her shoulder from its chain, spinning ever so slightly in place with its mad, skeletal grin.
She clucked her tongue.
"Fox, contact Ozpin," She glared down the trail of destruction the beast left in its wake, "Tell him a Class-Three's breached the perimeter."
The video feed from the scroll in his hands could only really be summed up in one word, and that word was 'hectic'. Huntsmen and Huntresses - either Human or Faunus - were always in constant motion. The best method of avoiding unnecessary injuries was to literally avoid them. Always flowing, moving from one action into the next, using instincts and skills learned and trained upon over countless hours.
Watching somethi…someone built from metal and oils perform such acts just as well - and in some cases better - than his organic peers was as humbling as it was eye opening. James had hinted over the years that they were working on a similar project, but still even now with all the information provided by Spectrum it was still a large amount to completely absorb and accept.
Had technology advanced so far behind closed doors that this was possible? How many innovations had they created or discovered in the recent years?
Or was it Spectrum itself? The Non-Governmental Organisation was more than that; it was a power unto itself. Spectrum, PRISM, and RAINBOW, three parts of a whole that made the organisation equal in power to the Four Kingdoms that created them.
Boundaries had to be pushed for anything worthwhile to be accomplished - he understood, and the world spanning organisation seemed willing to go even further than the rest of them.
He would have to get into contact with Professor Ritter at some point in the future.
-Beep!-Beep!-Beep!-
His Scroll flickered, replacing the multiple camera views with the last thing he wished to see during the initiation.
Class-Three perimeter breach.
He stilled - and for one, brief moment, a flood of panic coursed through him.
"Glynda." The panic faded, and a plan of action was already formulating. "Dispatch Bullhorn One-One to support."
It was a dangerous option; a dangerous plan. He was under no illusions that what he was about to do would be brought to the attention of a man that would disapprove wholly. A man that had the backing of a very powerful organisation.
But when was the easy option also the right one? So he typed out two messages: one to be received by forty students currently in the middle of their initiation, and one to be sent to the forty-first. There was only a one word difference, but the outcomes of the two were vastly different.
Mister Vulcan looked to be finishing his current task, and the android was about to receive one more.
[That victory is in a simple soul~!]
The last Grimm slumped to the ground, body already in the process of dissolving as the music died away. Gia spun almost impossibly fast as he flicked a Round Canister into the air, and a moment later he caught the canister with Gia's cylinder.
Who said you needed a Trick-Weapon to be fancy or stylish?
He looked around; the burnt trees and grass coated in layers of rime were the only indicators that some form of battle had taken place. At least he put the fire out.
Oh well, killing two dozen Class-Five Grimm in under three minutes wasn't bad.
-Beep-Beep-Beep!-
…That was odd. The only people that had access to that particular level of scroll communication were his father and the Headmaster. A single thought brought the message into vision.
:: Ozpin: Perimeter Breach. Class-Three - Jabberwock. Status - Injured. Location - Tracker Tagged. Objective - DELAY AT ALL COSTS UNTIL ARRIVAL OF AIR SUPPORT. Air Support ETA - [10:00:00]. ::
A map of the Emerald Forest flickered into his vision. Nice of the Headmaster to include everything from the perimeter borders for the exam, to the locations of the Hunter teams that patrolled said perimeter. The beacon was transmitting that the Grimm was journeying eastbound.
Eastbound, and directly towards where the relics were being kept.
Ten minutes. Ten minutes until air support arrived.
The forest became one big blur as he dashed through the woodland, and his mind kicked into overdrive as he raked his mind for anything he could remember about the Class-Three. Jabberwock; Reptilian in appearance - more 'wingless dragon' than 'iguana' though. Adolescent Jabberwocks were the size of a coach, and the largest recorded adult was the size of a Stork Airship.
Heels dug into the earth as he came across a clearing. Well, less of a clearing and more like a trail of destruction that could only really have been caused by a runaway train.
Or a fully grown Jabberwock. Brilliant.
The tracks in the dirt caught his eye though. He didn't consider himself an expert tracker - or a novice one in all honesty - by any means, but given the prominent differences between the left side tracks and the right side tracks, the Grimm was heavily favouring one side. The faint scent of smoke was in the air as well. Whoever injured the thing must be a little bit too obsessed with fire.
At the very least, he now had a physical trail to follow.
The Grimm itself wasn't hard to follow. Between the tracker and the trail of broken forestry, he was actually rather surprised no other team or Hunter patrol came across it. Then again, if the Hunters left the perimeter, then who would be left to guard said perimeter? As much as Ozpin said they wouldn't intervene - it was more along the lines of they couldn't, and he was actually rather surprised the Headmaster had diverted air support at all.
Then again, there were far too many high-profile entrees this year to let them all get injured during the initiation - not to mention the political fallout of such a thing happening.
Perhaps he was overthinking things; he probably was. Students were in danger, so the teachers were sending help.
-Crack!-
Hm? What was - he was twisting long before it entered his sense. Not a Grimm, but the trunk of a great Mosswood tree, thrown back as if it was a mere twig.
He swore he could feel the odd leaf or two brush against his nose as it passed.
That tree could've easily taken off his head if it even so much as grazed him. Aura could stop many things, but several tonnes of wood hitting you at car speeds weren't one of them. For the briefest of moments, he watched the tree sail off behind him, crashing through a few of its smaller brethren and disappearing into the brush. The soft growling that followed shortly after recaptured his attention.
He was right about the Grimm being injured: The majority of its bone white plating was scorched black - and in some places - flaking off into ash. One foreleg was curled up against its body - although the Grimm itself was doing remarkably well at keeping itself propped up with only three limbs, and the tail had been completely severed at the base as a a small, shadowy miasma flowed into the air from the wound in question.
He glanced at the revolvers in his grip.
Yeah…he was going to need a bigger gun.
Gia and Tous rasped as they compacted and slid back into their holsters.
:: FINGAH: Activated. Left_Arm_Configuration: Sniper. Right_Arm_Configuration: Submachinegun. ::
The barrels lining up in his arms always produced an 'odd' feeling, and he reckoned that they always would. Still, the barrels lined up, the Receiver Gauntlets lined up, and both magazines were slotted into their respective receivers - even as he had to dive out of the way of a charging Class-Three Grimm. A foot of extra barrel shot from his palm, and he wasted no time in firing off an opening volley. The bullets struck the beast in numerous places, piercing shadowy flesh and cracking bone.
Think! Think! What else could a Jabberwock do?
It reared back, jaws parted and tongue quivering in the base of its maw. Alarm bells were going off, both literal and metaphorical.
He threw himself sideways, feet scraping against the coarse ground as he fought to remain standing.
Just in time to witness a four foot long, jagged bone shard spear through the great Mosswood he was in front of not even a second ago like a hot knife through butter - still connected to the Jabberwock by a long, chameleon-like tongue.
Jabberwock. Jabber-Wock. It jabbed stuff.
…
…He really, really wanted to know who the hell named this thing .
A burst of machinegun fire had the tongue retract, and of course the one time a bladed weapon would be useful he didn't have one! Things could never be easy could they?
The tongue quivered in the base of the maw once more, and this time he was ready; the foot long barrel pointed squarely at the beast's mouth, and a barrage of high calibre rounds was fired off before the Grimm could fire. It wasn't enough to stop the Class-Three from firing its tongue, but it was enough to force a deviation: the bone shard that was aimed to pierce through the centre of his chest instead flew low and to the left, burying itself in the dirt and missing his leg by a good six inches.
The first step he intended to take became a stagger part way through as something coiled around his left leg.
His gaze shot down. The Jabberwock's tongue had wrapped itself around the limb in question. The tongue snapped taut, and time itself seemed to slow to a crawl as he watched the draconian Grimm tense and rear back.
The words left him without thinking.
"Oh, son of a-"
She glared at the Nevermore if only it'd stop moving!
"Think you can make the shot?"
"Hmph! Can I?"
She blinked. Well, it was struggling a lot.
"Can yo-"
Oh no… Weiss didn't look happy.
"Of course I can!"
Being sent flying? Not fun.
"Ow!"
Being sent flying and ploughing through a stone structure upon landing? Even worse. Doubly so when he realised he ended up buried beneath a rather large amount of stone.
:: Air Support ETA - [7:23:56]. ::
A growl rumbled in his throat as he pushed up, and the sound of stone grinding on stone echoed around him as the slab of rock was lifted free. He hefted the no-doubt several hundred kilogram slab above his head, eyes flicking left and right. Based on the map he had, he had landed directly - well, through where the relics were supposed to be kept.
He hoped that everyone had picked up their relics by now. It definitely would be quite awkward to have to dig through rubble to find them.
The sounds of snapping trees brought his attention back towards the general direction of where he…came from. The Jabberwock had broken into the clearing and was no doubt scanning for its prey.
"Oi! You overgrown gecko!"
The Jabberwock glared in his general direction.
"Catch!"
The roughly half-tonne stone collided with the Grimm's head, cracking and splintering the beast's bone-like faceplate. Trick weapons were all well and good, but there was something just so…primally fulfilling about breaking in a Grimm's face in with a good old fashioned rock.
He reached down, and pulled another piece of masonry out of the debris that surrounded him. The fact that it was three times as wide as his torso was irrelevant.
"There's plenty more where that came from!"
The chunk of stone went airborne, though the Jabberwock looked to be prepared this time. Its jaw was locked and the bone-shard tip of the beast's tongue quivered.
Tous was flicked out of its holster almost impossibly fast, held at his hip as he fired a single bullet.
-Tink!-
Now it wasn't just a large stone slab. It was a large stone slab coated with a six inch layer of solid rime. Cryo-Dust rounds: Extra strength. Ohh, did he love them. The fired tongue bounced off the makeshift projectile, burying itself into the ground as the Jabberwock received another bone splintering projectile to the head. Shards and stone and ichor arced into the air as the Grimm's head rocketed backwards.
He kept up the assault, Gia and Tous firing Fire and Ice Dust rounds respectively. Fire ate away at the beast's shadowy flesh, and Ice erupted in great barbs outwards wherever they struck. He didn't want to waste this much ammunition, but anything to slow down the Class-Three.
The Jabberwock glared at him, eyes burning with a renewed unholy hatred.
:: Air Support ETA - [6:31:07]. ::
Right…six-and-a-half minutes to go. No pressure or anything.
The bone shard tipped tongue shot overhead as he crouched and span, flicking two more canisters into the twin revolvers as he re-entered his stance.
This was going to be a long six minutes.
Okay, running up a cliff and cutting off a giant crow Grimm's head at the top? Awesome.
Climbing back down the cliff somehow to meat back up with everyone? Not as awesome. But still, she managed! Just a couple dozen rounds from Crescent Rose and she was landing back on the lower…cliff…face thing.
She was so going to spoil Crescent when she got back. If she remembered correctly, she still had some of that really nice Atlesian polish packed away somewhere - ACK!
"Oh that was so cool!" Yang practically wrapped her in a bear hug and if she kept shaking her as bit like a ragdoll. "My little sis is growing up and kicking Grimm butt!"
"Yang!" Not in front of everyone! "Can't! Breath!"
Her sister let go eventually. Whatever embarrassing things that someone was going to say, was cut off by the cracking and splintering of wood. Everyone looked over and that brown-y bronze-y colour looked familiar…
"…Is that Talos?"
She'd recognise that shotgun anywhere - granted, she hadn't spied anyone else that used one so far, but what puzzled her was that he was spinning it around as he bled momentum, pointing the weapon skywards and facing the direction he had…tumbled in from.
Just in time as a large, large, LARGE Grimm burst out of the treeline - roaring and howling and they had to help him and -
The gun thundered down, crushing the Grimm's skull and driving the beast into the dirt. Momentum carried the Grimm forward and it flipped overhead even as shot after shot rang out. Something lashed out, grabbing Talos and sending him flying.
She winced as he hit the ground, and the cringe remained as he skidded over - face down - to where they were stood.
"Yes?" She had to resist the urge to prod him. "Are…are you okay?"
He mumbled something; something that could have maybe was probably a 'No', and then he pushed himself up. He looked…like an absolute mess - well, also confused, eyes flicking between everyone and the massive Grimm in the distance - but mostly a mess.
"Didn't you get the alert?"
Alert?
"The alert sent out five minutes ago. What have you been doing?"
"We were…" She sent a look at her 'team'. Everyone else had drawn miniature Scrolls from their pockets and were looking at the screen and oh. Class-Three; avoid at all costs. She winced, and slowly made to look at the very angry looking Grimm that was very much probably the Class-Three in question. "…kinda busy?"
He blinked once, before looking at everyone once more.
"Evidently."
Okay, she was a little…well, a bit more than a little bit tired, but did they really look that bad?
"You look just as bad as us." Talos frowned when her sister smiled. "And I bet you've been fighting this thing instead of running."
"I have been running - quite franticly in fact, because my life does depend on it." He glanced back at the Grimm, before reaching into his jacked and drawing a can looking - oh! Ammunition Canister! "At least now there are people I can run for my life with."
No!
Everyone was looking at her and oh God she said that out loud didn't she?
"Umm, well…" Come on! Think! "…If we run, it might chase us into worse where we can't retreat, or might leave us alone and go after someone else. There might be others in battles and it might interrupt them and…"
She trailed off, confidence faltering at everyone's stares.
"She has a point." She watched as Talos' brows furrowed, and he looked to be debating with himself - even as people glanced at him in surprise. "We don't have to kill it, only delay it. Not to mention that it'll be much easier for Air Support to target the Jabberwock in this nice, large, open area."
"Right! That!"
Talos nodded - and groaned, but readied his shotgun; what was her name? Stasi? Everyone else readies their weapons too, tired, but determined. Crescent Rose twirled around once, chambering a round as it did so.
The Grimm roared, and the thought of 'delay, not kill' passed through her mind before the battle started.
:: Warning! Aura 'down' to Ten Percent! ::
Of all the times his 'told' himself about his status, this was definitely unneeded! The tree he had been smashed into by a giant, thick-muscled draconian limb was enough. The brief dimming in his vision and pain was enough. He really didn't need himself echoing in his mind how bad the situation was. Stási was driven into the earth stock first as he collapsed onto one knee. As much as he wanted to charge into the fray once more, a breather was something he really needed.
The numerical advantage wasn't helping; in fact it made the whole thing slightly worse. Everyone was tired. Uncoordinated. They worked extremely well in their two teams of four, but all eight of them - nine, he amended - all aiming at one target meant that two-thirds of the time, each team had to pull a member of their own out of a nasty opening caused by someone on the other 'team'.
Jaune lost his balance due to the Jabberwock's stomping generating tremors and Pyrrha had moved to protect the blond, which left Ruby temporarily defenceless in between bursts of speed, and he had to close in and knock the milliseconds-to-fire tongue from spearing her through with Stási, which left him open to be dragon-backhanded into a Mosswood.
And that would have been the end of him had the Grimm succeeded in shooting its tongue at him, if not for Blake firing her weapon into the beast's shattered skull and pulling the attack off course.
For something that had been half dead for the better part of ten minutes, the Jabberwock was still insanely hardy. Rage - he guessed - must be a hell of an anaesthetic; something the Grimm seemed to have no short supply of.
He pushed himself up - ignoring the foreboding 'Nine Percent remaining' sat in the corner of his AR vision, body tensing as he made to charge. Half-a-dozen glyphs formed in-between him and the Grimm, and the moment he stepped on one he was positively thrown forwards. Partway through his enhanced rush he saw caught the eye of the glyph's creator. Blue eyes met his, and in that second he nodded in acknowledgement and thanks.
Weiss nodded back, and then threw herself backwards with a glyph of her own, avoiding the tongue that buried itself a foot into the dirt where she was previously stood.
A hand lashed out as he sped beneath the beast, latching onto its neck and eliciting a guttural cry of pain as he spun around the Grimm. If he were a normal human, he probably would've torn his arm out of its socket, and probably broken all of his fingers due to his grip. But he wasn't, and he held firm until his feet slammed into the Jabberwock's shoulders, Stási jammed and aimed directly between the blades.
"Just!"
-Bang!-
"Go!"
-Bang!-
"DOWN!"
-Bang!-
The Grimm roared in response, and he had to abandon his perch to avoid being flattened by a 'Death Roll'.
This was bad. This was really, really BAD.
:: Air Support ETA - [0:52:02]. ::
Where was air support? No humming of the engines, no tag on the map, nothing!
He spared a glance at everyone else. To say they looked tired was an understatement. Whilst there was no blood, they were caked in dirt and sweat. Whatever they fought before had really taken its toll out of them - and the Jabberwock only more so. This as it; they were on their last legs and it was time for a hasty retreat…
…Wait. Was that…whistling? He glanced about the battlefield, AR vision desperate to locate the source. There was definitely whistling; almost - but not quite - like the sound half a dozen whistles, in fact.
It sounded al…most…like…
The ichor in his veins felt as if it froze.
"EVERYONE MOVE!" Everyone turned to look at him in complete synchrony, confusion barely visible beneath the fatigue. "RETREAT!"
No one hesitated or questioned his shout. Perhaps it was the panic in his voice, or the speed at which he threw himself backwards and away from the Jabberwock. Those close enough hopped back with all their might, and those with powerful enough weapons used their recoil to get even further back.
The whistling turned into a deafening screech as six Hellfire missiles struck the Class-Three Grimm. He wasn't quite far away enough. The explosions, he avoided; the resulting shockwave? Not so much.
Once again he was forced to eat dirt, and he was just thankful he hadn't hit a tree headfirst on the 'journey'.
[Direct hit! Sorry I'm late kids!] The engine roar - and he once again found himself lost as to why he hadn't heard it before - filled the clearing as the Bullhorns configured VTOL flew overhead. [You all alright down there?]
Gah.
"Vulcan to…" The sky came into view as he rolled himself over. What was the Callsign again- "…Four-Seven-Niner; we're all in one piece. Nothing a hot meal and a good night's sleep won't fix."
He pushed up and on his elbows, getting a glimpse at just how dishevelled they all were.
"Bath or a shower would be equally appreciated. Several, preferably."
The Pilot's laughter would have been far more reassuring if she wasn't doing so as the Bullhorns' Chain gun tore into her target. Hmm…he wondered how much prodding it would take to get his father to greenlight having something like that installed into his arms. The lot in the labs would have an absolute ball designing them.
[Pretty sure you'll get exactly what you want when you get back to Beacon.] The Grimm had - finally - made an attempt to retreat, something Four-Seven-Niner was having absolutely none of. [Just let me deal with the reptile here and I'll pick you up. You've got an exemption from Ol' Ozpin himself given this Class-Three accident.]
Well - he slumped back to the ground - that was anticlimactic. Ten minutes of frantic fighting for survival, only for air support to fly in and steamroll what was terrorising them. It may have been his objective - but still, he would've liked to do more damage.
Oh well, mission accomplished and all that.
"You alright?"
Gold entered his vision, and the toothy grin that Yang bore only widened when his arm feebly rose, thumb pointed skywards for a couple of seconds before the limb crashed back into the dirt. God, why did everything hurt?
Everyone was pretty beat up. Jaune and Ren were both collapsed like he was. No doubt that Jaune's majorly stationary defensive combat preference meant he took a few more hits than anyone else, and Lie Ren the most fragile out of everyone present. Nora - he thought he heard her name right - was sprawled out next to the jade clad teen, although she was far more energetic - almost as if she hadn't just fought for survival for the past few minutes. Blake, Pyrrha, and Weiss were all still standing, no doubt still on lookout if any other Grimm suddenly decided to turn up. He could still see how tired they were though, whether it was through the odd sway every few seconds or how they lost focus for a moment or two.
Yang was…well, she was here, and where did Ruby wander off to-
-Thwump-
Both Ruby and Crescent Rose hit the ground in a single motion, her slumping to the ground in sheer fatigue and her weapon digging a good few inches into the soil blade-first. Probably for the best if he inched away a little bit. It wasn't that he didn't trust Ruby, but that blade was seriously sharp; like, 'You could cut silk by dropping the cloth on the edge' sharp.
Still, they had all survived. Tired, ragged, hungry, and probably going to sleep like the dead, but they weren't dead.
He blinked at the gauntlet encased hand, looking about and noting that everyone else was getting ready to board the descending VTOL.
"Cheer up. At least we're all okay."
:: Aura Levels: Three Percent. ::
"Yeah…" He accepted the hand up as the Bullhorns touched down. Pushing just how close he came to death out of his mind. Sometimes, he really wished he didn't know the numbers. "We're all okay."
"Cool." Yang was completely oblivious to his thoughts, and the warning klaxons were going off again at the blonde's mischievous glint. "Now what's this I know about you spending time with my sis last night?"
For some strange - unfathomable - reason, the best response his brain could come up with was to release a heavy, exasperated sigh.
Ruby's wide eyed, panicked expression was going to make this worse, and his mind recommended the addendum that he also palm his face.
"Yang!"
The auditorium looked vastly different when the atmosphere was darkened. Great spotlights illuminated the stage, drawing the audience's attention to whoever was stood there. And what an audience it was; from members of staff to second, third, and fourth years, they were all present as the new generation of Huntresses and Huntsmen were formed into teams.
He was in the audience as well, far back and hidden in the shadows of a large pillar. Some students gave him odd looks, but he reckoned they were deserved.
"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Cardinal, led by…Cardin Winchester!"
The four armoured teens swaggered off the podium stage, leaving less than half of the first years to have their teams and leaders announced.
Idly, he wondered just how team names were formed. Did the Headmaster come up with them? Was there software that created them?
"Citri Aerlight. Saffrina Aimer. Tiffany Blauadel. Lisabelline Milost. The four of you retrieved the white queen pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Celeste, led by…Citri Aerlight!"
The next team strode off stage, the four young women looking completely confident in themselves and each other.
"Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Juniper."
Juniper. JNPR. If whatever naming convection the Teams followed, then the Leader was going to be…
"Led by…Jaune Arc!"
Jaune looked absolutely poleaxed; even more so than Miss Scarlatina did when she was announced as her Team's leader. Arc didn't even resist when Pyrrha's friendly shoulder bump sent him sprawling on his rear. The audience laughed, and there was absolutely no malice in the cacophony. No doubt there were a lot of people in this room that felt the exact same in Jaune's shoes.
"Méihuā Shān. Natsumi Sōgen. Langdale Forrest. Scáthach Glenn. The four of you retrieved the black rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Luminous, led by Langdale Forrest!"
Four more of his classmates accepted their team and leader, leaving four young ladies as the remaining first year students.
He frowned; what were the chances that this was intentional?
"And finally: Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by…Ruby Rose!"
Well…if anyone had the right to be surprised, then Ruby took first place. Poor girl looked like a deer caught in the headlights, even as Yang bounded across to embrace her sister in a hug. Weiss, she…she didn't look happy, and Blake was completely unreadable. Still, the entire auditorium was in high spirits, everyone cheering as the final first year team took their place amongst their peers.
He wanted to be down there, congratulating his…his friends. They had taken the first steps towards their dreams.
But then there would have been too many questions; questions he didn't feel comfortable or capable of answering without someone coming away suspecting something. Why was he still present if he wasn't on a team? Was he going to attend without one? How? What strings had he pulled with the Headmaster to get that to work?
There were far more questions than that, but listing them all wouldn't help.
So he hung back. It would be far easier to just wait until the Headmaster would initiate phase two of the 'Persona Initiative' and then he would have evidence on hand to back him up. Besides, it would be more fun to just appear tomorrow in class as if he had appeared alongside everyone else on stage.
More chaos that way. Fun.
He kicked off the pillar, smiling as the audience continued to cheer for the newly formed teams. A Scroll was pried loose, and the device displayed a simple map of the first year sleeping quarters.
It was getting late, he was still absolutely shattered, and he had a room to find and a bed to drop into.
Next Round - Chapter Three: "Class is IN session"