Last chapter was a little bit underwhelming, most of the fights are flat and boring. I mean it's very obvious that the mook Grimms aren't going to be much of a challenge, but at least I should make the narrative less shallow than that.
This chapter exist to rectify that, and the plot thread shall unravel itself while at it.
Enjoy!
"Seriously, where the heck is the transport?" Ruby complained.
It's been exactly ten minutes since they've arrived on the landing site, and yet, under the cold weather, no transport seems to come. No explanation whatsoever, and at times like this, Jaune could feel that his old desert cloak isn't enough anymore.
"You guys mind?" Jaune asked as he bite a cigarette between his teeth, and seeing as his teammates doesn't say anything he lit it. Unfamiliar scent filled the area which made Ciel mostly interested, she knew her fair share of smokers, and this one definitely new.
"Didn't really take you as smoker since you don't smell like that." Ciel commented idly, "That's not tobacco though."
"Not tobacco, it's medical herbs." Jaune pointed, "And I only smoke when it's super cold anyway, keeps your warm in the coldest of desert deployment."
Meanwhile Penny and Ruby seems to be busy playing games with their Scrolls. When there's nothing to do, the least he could try was small talk. It's very likely this team going to be permanent anyway, so at least Jaune need to know about his teammates whenever he got the chance. "So, Ciel, you seems to be very familiar with how things working here. You're interested with military?"
Ciel blinked for a moment, but her poker face did not change as she answered his question. "I was originally aiming for Officer school, but my Dad, himself a Lieutenant General at the moment, convinced me that being a Huntress might be the better career path. So I transferred here to Atlas Academy instead."
Jaune was surprised by her earnestness, many people of their age would never admit that their choice of school is heavily influenced by their parents. After all, after you become 16, you're legally adult. With all the rights and responsibilities to carry.
But he guessed that's just how Ciel roll. "You have a set of realistic goal already, that's... nice?" Jaune said, somewhat amazed, "I just bumble my way here not even sure if I can get accepted, I am surprised Ironwood didn't kick my ass out on first opportunity. I mean, I have Militia experience too but still..."
He wouldn't tell her his main reasoning yet, but what he said already pathetic enough as it is.
"I could see why he didn't." Ciel shook her head as she checked her unloaded rifle for issues, before shortly loaded it again with fresh batch of ammo. "Have faith in your own abilities, I'll be the first one to call you out if you make any mistake."
What a strait-laced girl.
"Y-yeah thanks." Jaune winced and then took a long sip on his cigarette, then inhaled the smoke down, fresh mint and cloves filled his lungs with calming sensation.
"People always called me busybody who talked too much." Ciel looked at her watch, "The said I'm not fit to be an officer anyway."
"Really? I thought you'd make a great adjutant." Jaune said, then slapped his face again. Did he just have to say that out loud? That's like saying Ciel will always be number two and should content with it. He might meant it as a compliment but...
What he didn't expect was a small smile from the dark skinned militaristic girl, "I appreciate that."
Jaune was speechless for a moment. Then grinned to cover his embarrassment as he looked away.
Ciel looked at her watch again, and then began to count. "Fifteen minutes and fifty five, six, seven, eight, nine, sixteen minutes. Sixteen minutes and they're here."
Roaring sounds of jet engines filled the valley as the long-awaited bullhead finally descended form the sky, slowly but surely. The voice of the copilot could be heard over the loudspeaker. "[Sorry about the wait kids, grease problem you see.]"
"Finally, I'm so tired of waiting." Jaune said, only for his expression turned upside down when one of the engine exploded. "WHAT THE HELL?!"
The flying aircraft shuddered for a moment, shortly before the balance finally lost and the aircraft spun uncontrollably, and it fell several dozen meter form the supposed landing area. Screeching sounds of bent frames and electrical fires howled shortly, before bone-crunching impact of the fuselage hit the snow at considerable velocity, which threw the other engine away from the destroyed wing.
Stood on the battered fuselage, a proud, lone Grimm. It's hunched figure would tower over the tallest of men easily, which highlight it's entire bulk. Bone plates covered various places, and white as snow fur clashed with pitch black skin, so dark that no amount of light would be reflected. It was like a shadow made real, a hole in reality.
It was a Grimm, but not just ordinary ones.
"Beringel." Ciel said coldly, "I suggest you use your strongest ammo, because small guns aren't going to cut it."
Ruby nodded and switched her magazine into something marked with black circle. "Let's kill it."
"No, our first priority is to save the Atlesian soldiers." Jaune ordered, "Be careful not to use overwhelming firepower. Ciel, you take over the command."
"You may be right." Ciel put back the grenade she took from her waist holsters. "Maintain radio communication, Ruby Rose, prepare to fire on my mark, Jaune Arc, Penny Polendina, engage it at melee then rescue the soldiers at first opportunity."
"Roger!" Ruby said as she dropped on the snow, let part of her scythe sink and her eye locked right on the scope. Jaune and Penny, on the other hand, slid across the snow with combat stance prepared ahead just in case they're attacked.
Instead, the gorilla-shaped Grimm ripped the cockpit... and took the two soldiers within it's huge grasp and swung them on it's front. It's holding them hostages? Ciel twitched for a moment as she lost her composure, "Rose, finger off the trigger."
"You gotta be kidding me!" Jaune grit his teeth in anger, then he noticed something amiss. "Ciel! Grenade!"
Ciel looked at him with curiosity for a second, but then she looked at the direction of the crashed aircraft and understood. She shoved a grenade's tail in the muzzle of her rifle and shoot it, the recoil sent her fly backward several meters due to the slippy snow. However, the high velocity grenade plunged straight into the broken fuselage and detonated inside with meters-wide blast.
This doesn't do much against the Grimm and it's hostages, but it tore through already weak fuselage and made the Grimm distracted as it's legs caved in. This gave the soldiers the opening they need, and one of them managed to slip away and stab the Grimm's arm with a beam saber to free his friend.
"Get out of here!" Jaune grabbed one of them and with skillful use of centrifugal force and his aura-boosted muscle, threw the soldier at the direction of Ciel and Ruby. Penny did the same with the other soldier, thanks to the huge strength granted by her prosthetic.
The soldiers landed face first but otherwise unharmed. It was honestly kind of nauseating.
"Hide and request reinforcement, we don't know if we can hold against it forever." Ciel commanded. "Jaune Arc, you have control."
The soldiers nodded and pulled their scrolls out as they scurried away to safety. If possible they would help the students, but with just beam saber and beam pistol, there weren't much they can accomplish here.
Jaune raised his rifle and fired, however, with uncanny grace, somehow the Grimm danced out of his line of fire, before shortly swung it arms and deliver a fist the size of human torso.
Jaune just barely managed to raise his guard, and the giant fist hit his buckler with most of it's force deflected away. The leftover impact was more than enough to twist his shoulder enough to make him flinch, and most definitely took some of his aura.
Jaune got a flashback to that moment where he had to slap aside a truck to stop a traffic accident from taking place. Same amount of pain, same amount of impact.
Jaune ducked aside and reloaded his recoiless cannon. However, the young man looked with horror as the Grimm's left fist came from underneath and barely missed his jaw. And yet, the shockwave alone was more than enough to stun him and wreck his footing. In this moment of weakness, the Grimm grabbed his cannon and crushed it right on the weakest part: the bolt assembly.
"OH CRAP-"
The blond former Militia swung his fist in anger, combined weight of his buckler and his arm smacked the face of the Gorilla-like Grimm and threw it a step behind. The Grimm shook it's head and then roared shortly before it realized Jaune wasn't even there.
From above, Jaune clutched his finger and delivered the most devastating double sledge Ciel have seen, so much that the Grimm's own feet sunk deeper to the ground.
And yet, it wasn't enough, as the Gorilla grabbed Jaune's face threw the six foot young man aside.
Penny came from behind as the Grimm was occupied by Jaune, her Buster Sword fully unleashed and she chopped through the shoulder of the creature. The creature's fully tensed muscle could not bear the strain and took more damage than it should be when relaxed. It roared in pain.
Penny delivered a flurry of barrage which caused more and more damage, virtually carved a messily open wound that show the Grimm's inner left shoulder.
"It's working." Penny confirmed, but she did not see the Creature spun it's body and slapped her Dinochrome-plated body like a tin can. Her figure slammed through the burning wreckage of the Bullhead, scattered pieces of metal flew from the site of the impact.
"PENNY!" Ruby screamed in anger as she boosted herself ahead, leaving a trail of space distortion behind her. The combined thrust of her semblance and gravity-based ammo propelled her to subsonic speed, and she crossed the distance in the time takes for a blink. "TAKE THIS!"
Ruby fired her scythe again to add more force to her subsequent strike, and she sliced down the place where Penny hit, caused the gash to grow larger than before. The Grimm tried to fend of the red menace, but Ruby dodged and jumped in a way that it would be impossible to catch her. All the while slashing and dicing her way to cover the Grimm's body with shallow cuts. She tried to aim for existing injury, and thank heavens, her attacks were working. For each cut she managed to deliver, the arm become less and less attached
Before she could deliver final blow however, the creature managed to catch her by her coat, forced her to unbutton it or else she'll be bludgeoned to death.
Ciel, in the chaos, managed to cross the field unnoticed and landed near the wreckage. She found Penny's arm sticking out, and with all her might, she pulled her out.
"She's low on aura but..." Ciel muttered her teeth as she saw her scroll, "Polendina, are you conscious?"
Penny's eyes shine for a moment, "I am combat ready."
Ciel heed no attention and simply offered her arm to help Penny stand.
Ruby and Jaune's body landed on the snow, panting and bruised. Both of their aura were close to the red line as well. At this point, Ciel was the only one whose aura was more than enough to survive direct hit. She pulled another grenade out of it's sleeves, each hung on her belt and then fired it from the muzzle of her rifle.
However, the creature thoughtlessly smacked it away. It appears to know that the grenade she used has impact-triggered fuse.
I have to use it. Ciel thought, as her presence disappeared, with distortion in her wake.
The creature groaned when Ciel managed to find a weakspot between it's armor gaps, but much to her dismay, her sabre struck right on it's stomach without hitting any vital spot. She focused her aura in a burst through her sword, and she managed to pull it out, and along with her sabre, a good chunk of the Grimm's waist.
And yet, not even that seems to slow down the creature, as it stomped the snow to stun Ciel, this sudden shakes left her guard open as the creature swing it's useless arm like a whip against her slender body.
Ciel landed perfectly on her legs, but coughed small amount of bile out. Though her aura-reinforced concealed armor absorbed most of the impact, her stomach still hurt.
This isn't a normal Beringel. She thought as she wiped the liquid off her lips. What's with the speed and precision of it's movement?
"FOOLITH...OOMAN..." The creature suddenly spoke, "MAH...POWA... UNMATCHED."
For the first time in her days as student of Atlas Academy, Ciel lost her composure and widened her eyes in shock. It... talks?
"It's a Savage! be careful!" Jaune shouted and lifted Ruby's weakened body. No wonder it seems to know martial arts. That bastard. Jaune cursed inwardly.
They came up in many tales and historical records, with varying names and permutations. Monsters worse than the Grimm, they are demons bred from the depth of humanity's darkness itself. Various accounts recorded them with such details and frequency that historian have concluded that they're the same group of creatures.
They are parody of themselves, a twisted caricature of human body and mind reanimated with all-corrupting cells of the Grimm. Possessed, zombies, whatever they're called, they're all the same. Hateful, vengeful, and destructive entities capable of combining human ingenuity and strength of the Grimm to cause death and suffering.
Savage.
"It's a Savage?!" Ruby shrieked, in fact, one could see that she's almost in tears. Ruby feared no Grimm, but she feared the Savages. She had really bad experience with them to the point that her grip on her weapon loosened a bit, and she tried to catch it and failed. "What should we do?! What should we do?!"
Jaune looked at his teammates with worry, even the unshakable Ciel look disturbed, and Ruby who would throw her small body in the raging fire of combat against terrorists, was somehow unwilling to commit? His own feet barely managed to withstand the weight of his body, his resolve too... it grew weaker every second.
"Does it matter?" Penny asked with uncanny innocence as she pulled her Buster sword out of smoking wreck, "It is not, invulnerable."
Penny slowly walked toward her teammates, her movement became more sluggish and robotic than before. It could be damages on her joints and servos, or something else. Either way, it's very clear that her body wasn't at the best condition.
And yet, she doesn't seems to be caught in fear, the way her teammates were.
Jaune looked at the creature with cold rage as he pulled another cigarette and light it to calm himself. "Penny is right, the least we can do is to put it away from it's misery."
Ruby and Ciel's jaws agape for a moment... but Ruby took her Scythe back and spun it around her body with such speed it appears to be weightless. She took a deep breath and then cocked the bolt to throw away a spent cartridge. her silver eyes gleamed with newfound determination.
Ruby smiled, "On a second thought, let's kill it."
Ciel sighed, as finally she regained her poker face, her teammates will surely be the end of her rational live. "You have a plan?"
Jaune pulled something out of his coat, something like... a thick metal plate. "I always have a plan." Jaune said, echoing one of the more outrageous things Ruby said to him in their first meeting.
"Can we use my plan instead?" Ruby whined.
"No." Ciel and Jaune both replied, much to her dismay.
The creature observed the four young humans, they have recovered from their fright. This isn't... convenient, to say at the least. The Savage's clever mind know there's something wrong with how they acted right now. But in it's core, Savages are Grimm, and Grimm can't always be rational at the time.
Especially when it's injured, and angered.
The Grimm roared and charged ahead, focused all of it's strength and anger on it's fist.
Jaune dodged aside and slapped something on it's chest armor. A metal plate-like object that beeped aloud and then stabbed it with some kind of claw. Before the creature could react, the plate exploded with such force that it threw the Grimm several steps backward, the shock wave of which blasted foot-thick snow on the explosion site.
It hurts.
It's chest hurts.
before the smoke even subsided, a grenade blasted it's chest once again, broke through the plates and shattered them into pieces, exposed a gaping wound. It's charred flesh, it's ribs, a still beating heart and inflated lungs.
Behind of which, it's human body reside.
And then, a mechanical sword pierced through it's heart. High pressure blood splashed upon the perpetrator, a young girl with strawberry blonde hair, looked at the creature with innocent expression.
"YOU-"
The creature once again tried to use momentum of it's spinning body to smash Penny away. However, this time around, Penny braced herself and negated the impact with the push of her palms. The creature expressed shock as the much smaller girl managed to resist it's strongest attack.
All thanks to her Dinochrome body.
"-BITCH! I'LL KILL-"
The creature failed to finish it's sentences as razor sharp red scythe coiled around it's neck and cut deep into it's now exposed larynx. As Penny retreated hastily, Ruby fired her scythe again and crushed it's throat before also jumped away.
The creature fell on it's back.
It's throat flooded by it's own blood, and all it could make was sad, guttural noise as it's body began to vaporize. However, it's instinct flared up despite it's injury. It refused to die.
Ruby closed her eyes and grit her teeth as the creature trashed around pitifully. Ciel, Penny and Jaune however, watched as the Grimm smoke dissipates completely, leaving a mangled, half-frozen human corpse behind. Such is the fate of a defeated Savage, destined to die in their lonesome.
"You did a good job." Jaune said as he affectionately rubbed the red-clad girl to ease her pain, "At the very least, let the man have his peace."
"I know that Jaune." Ruby opened her eyes at last, but still pouted. "I know that."
"What should we do with the corpse?" Ciel asked frankly, "Carrying it in it's state would be inconvenient."
"How could you say that?!" Ruby yelled, seriously how could Ciel said that with a straight face? "It's not like we're being stranded in the middle of nowhere!"
Ciel sharpened her eyes, clearly displeased. "I'm just saying-"
"There's no need." Jaune interrupted and let his taller body between them, just in case there's needless conflict between team members. "Our transport are coming."
No less than four aircraft descended, two bullheads and two gunships carrying combat androids. The androids and soldiers scrambled down to secure the perimeter, killing the smaller Grimm who were attracted by the commotion.
[TO SHINE IN MEDIOCRITY]
The Story of Atlas Academy
By
ZeroXSEED
Chapter 08 - Bystander
"That last deflection sure was amazing, Penny." Jaune said, "I don't think I can do that even with my full strength."
"Yeah, she stopped a speeding trailer on her own back then as well." Ruby nodded excitedly, "You might be the strongest member of our team."
"Thank, you." Penny delivered her usual creepy smile again, but at this point, Jaune and Ruby had been too ecstatic about their success. Instead of being disturbed, they both laughed.
"What about your... prosthetic?" Ciel asked, unusually hesitant. Not that the other two members aid attention.
"There seems to be some damage on my wiring, but nothing that simple maintenance can not fix." Penny said, gestured her chest stiffly, "As the first unit to use full military grade dinochrome body, I'm still experiencing various problem with practical implementation, necessitating frequent inspection and overhaul due to structural flaws."
"You mean you use... military prototypes?" Ruby's eyes widened, "That's... AWESOME!"
Jaune sighed in relief, if Penny really use prototypes, it would make sense for her prosthetic to have problems. Still, he felt worried about it as well, "Isn't it really dangerous to use such buggy component in combat? I mean no offense, I don't think even market-grade Durandal prosthetic broke that easily. And aren't Dinochrome parts supposed to be stronger?"
"Penny Polendina is gathering various useful data regarding Dinochrome based machinery for various purposes, but most importantly Atlas military." Ciel cut him off, "There's nothing she can do about it."
"What do you mean 'nothing'? She could always refuse!" Ruby jumped off her seat, "Right, Penny?"
"I have no objection to it." Penny shook her head, "It is, after all, my duty. It would also help a lot of people, if this project success, a new breakthrough in prosthetic technology, can be achieved. It could make prosthetic that both cheaper and stronger so more people can afford it."
"Well if you say that..." Ruby shrunk and retreated to her seat, still visibly concerned. "Just be sure to get thorough checkup. Promise?"
"I promise." Penny nodded.
"[We're here kids, pack your things and get your arse to medical area.]" The copilot informed, "[Polendina, you go to engineering section, your father is waiting.]"
"Thank you." Penny stood, then looked at her teammates. "Let's meet again in the multipurpose hall after I get my checkup."
"Bye." Ruby winced and waved her hand, and the strawberry blond girl disappeared, her green-clad figure surrounded by multiple soldiers that escorted them to the engineering section. Meanwhile, the other three are rushed by the medics right away to the school infirmary.
"Anything painful?"
"Nothing, I think?" Jaune said, "Okay, my waist hurt."
"My uncle." Ruby winced, "My ankle I mean."
"My stomach." Ciel replied.
"Well get undressed, we'll have thorough checkup." The doctor said with no-nonsense tone.
Which Ciel and Jaune immediately follow without shame, much to Ruby's embarrassment. "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?! AT LEAST GET A CURTAIN!"
"You need to get accustomed to it, most of Atlas facility is unisex with the exception of changing closet. Yes, shower too." One of the Nurse commented, shortly before she realized something. "...Aren't you too young to be here?"
"She's recommended to enroll by General Ironwood himself." Ciel simply explained, which the infirmary staff responded by resounding "Oooh."
Hesitantly, Ruby removed her clothes. Not all of them of course, she left her stocking and camisole on. Ciel herself dressed in sports bra and pants, which explain her lack of issues as she strip herself, while Jaune just go on with a bunny-patterned boxer and nothing much.
Ciel had faint but visible bruise on her stomach, she looked at it and sighed.
"Seriously, Jaune. bunny-pattern?" Ruby chuckled and then burst out laughed.
"What's wrong with bunny-patterns?!" Jaune protested.
What makes all the the difference to Ciel was Jaune's body. It was littered by numerous, if faint scars, the most obvious ones being a long vertical gash on his back, obscured by black tattoo in strange shape. The center part of the tattoo is the most prominent, some kind of... eye?
"Did you get that tattoo in the militia too?" Ciel blurted out, and then immediately regretted it and rolled her eyes aside. "I mean, never mind, just pretend I didn't ask."
"Nah, I got it when I have a spinal surgery before I went to militia. It was supposed to channel my aura or something along that line, to make my spine work again. It worked wonders."
"Did General know?" Ciel raised her eyebrow.
"Of course, I have my medical history on my transcript as well. And since there's no problem with it's illegitimacy, I don't think Atlas forbid people with something like that. As long as they're fit enough to fight." Jaune laughed as he entered the medical capsule, "I mean, Penny, you know..."
"That's true." Ciel averted her eyes.
"-And I'm saying, Neptune, you gotta shape up and-" Neon rambled as she entered the infirmary, only to stumble on the half-naked students, "Already started huh."
"What, you guys got hurt too?" Jeanne asked, "What kind of Grimm you ran into?"
"It was..." Ruby hesitated for a moment and closed her eyes, "Beringel."
"Figures it would be something like that." Weiss finally entered with Neptune, which made Ruby reflexively hide behind a curtain. It's not that she was specifically embarrassed by Neptune or anything, but she did it out of habit. Mostly because her tactless brother...
"We got our shit squared by a Kai Leng. It broke our Bullhead in half when we're airborne." Jeanne whined, "Ow my back."
Jaune woke up from the capsules, and stretched his limbs. "Kai L-what? You get your arse booted by a Penguin?"
"Not just a big-ass Penguin." Neon corrected, "A freaking Savage. Thank deities Neptune have his paper tail-thingy or else we're boned."
"It's Paper Talisman, lady." Neptune scolded her gently and wiggled his hand.
"You too huh. It wasn't just any Beringel we fought too." Jaune mumbled and then lost in thought as the nurses applied some pain relief patches on his body. Two savage encounters... that sounds like...
"Suspicious, wasn't it?" Weiss closed her scarred left eye. She didn't remove much of her clothes before entering the capsule, just her cardigan and boots. "The school should've secured the area of Initiation beforehand to prevent this kind of issue. And yet, two teams encountered savages as if..."
One could tell even the staff looked uneasy with the news. The atmosphere in the infirmary become much heavier afterward. Ruby skittishly entered the second capsule that obscured from the view by the first one.
"They're waiting for us." Neptune crossed his arms, unusually serious himself.
Weiss finished her checkup, and she didn't receive any medication. Ciel entered next, while Ruby finished her's soon and immediately dressed herself up, and after received some instruction from the nurse, she removed her stocking and rubbed some ointment on her bruised ankle.
"Nothing major, you'll be fine after some medication. Your aura will handle the rest." The Doctor said to Ciel.
"Thank you." Ciel nodded and slapped on her concealable vest armor again, before covering it with her shirt.
"Neptune, what are you moping about?" Jeanne yelled as she and Neon entered their medical capsules, as it's their turn to be examined.
"Ladies first." Neptune winced, in actuality he's actually embarrassed to undress. He'll have to wait until they leave.
Under the spotlight, teams of students were called to the stage, one by one, and christened their team names and official leaders. Due to the need for medical checkup and the much debriefing, Jaune, Weiss and their respective team members came late.
Nonetheless, they got the fanfare they deserved. The news that the two teams fought the hardest encounters in the entire Initiation spread fast like wildfire in a dry forest. None of other teams could be that confident to win against Savages by themselves.
It was a testament of their strength and tenacity.
"[Jaune Arc, Ciel Soleil, Penny Polendina, Ruby Rose. The four of you will become team JASPER, led by Jaune Arc.]"
Jaune just quietly smiled, though looked somewhat a little sad. He didn't look entirely surprised himself, just he wished it wasn't him again. All he did back then was bumbling around and being bossy to his team members, thinking he got everything in order.
They succeeded, and survived an encounter with a Savage, but still... part of Jaune's wondered. Is being a leader good enough?
He's officially a huntsman in training now.
Something the past him wouldn't have ever dreamed.
"What's with that long face, you're the leader now!" Ruby slapped his back, and Jaune winced because Ruby hit his bruised waist.
"OW! I mean one would've thought Ciel is the best option." Jaune sheepishly said.
"You said it yourself." Ciel smiled, unusually... lighthearted? Almost teasing even, "I am content to be your Adjutant instead, Jaune Arc."
Jaune rubbed his face, me and my big-ass mouth.
"[Weiss Schnee, Neptune Vasilas, Jeanne Arc, Neon Katt. The four of you will be team SWAN, led by Weiss Schnee, congratulations.]"
Weiss stepped forward with pride and bowed gracefully as she lifted part of her skirt, while her teammates just clapped. "Way to go Weiss!" Neon whistled.
Weiss turned back to face her team, at least, her being Team leader soothed her wounded pride... a bit. The she approached Jaune and offered her left hand. "Congratulations, Jaune."
Jaune instinctively lifted his right hand, only to halt it midway and switched to his left to grasp her's. "Yeah, let's work together from now on."
"Congrats, Weiss." Ruby cheered from their side.
His twin sister punched his chest lightly, her grin couldn't possibly grew wider. "Way to go, beating me on your first day at school. Mom and Dad will be proud once they hear this!"
"I wouldn't be so sure about that, we haven't even started our class." Jaune wryly smiled, and he's being honest. He's not exceptionally confident with anything except his own half-assed leadership. His intelligence and combat skill still lacking compared to these students, they're so far above him it's almost funny.
The worst part was losing his main weapon, it was not permanently broken, the pretzel-shaped bolt assembly can be replaced in no time flat. The fact that he was disarmed by a Grimm of all things, this fact infuriated his pride as a soldier. His three teammates received similar beatings, and none of them lost their weapons like he did.
He still lacked what it took to be like his mother, or his sister. And it hurt. He don't want to tarnish his family name, he wanted to make them proud, he wanted to carry himself with pride.
And yet, at the same time, he was glad he able to passed the tests. It was a step in the right direction. The fact that he could walk alongside these seven talented students, it's something that put his troubled mind at ease.
He will have to shape up so he doesn't hold them back.
At the very least, he could stop being a bystander.
つづく