January 6th XXX2
One year, and twenty-eight days before D-Day
The military was supposed to be a big family, at least that's what they advertised. Support of comrades, brothers-in-arms. People to die for. The camp was the opposite. Arms shaking, palms dug into the soil. Pebbles and what only could be insects underneath his hand squirming. Jaw clenched, air entered and exited through his teeth; the cool morning air blowing against the common brown tee-shirt and jet-black cargo pants everyone was given. Muscles tensing, he thought about giving in and dropping.
"Who would've guessed, oversleeping on the first day would equal trouble?" Rose clambered around the set of trainees in spite, her short pink hair peeking through the hat. "Your comrades are watching this DISGUSTING sight! Do you feel sorry!"
In unison, the people being punished responded, "No, Commanding officer!"
"Good, your punishment for thinking you're at home is strictly labeled to you guys. Why couldn't you wake up when everyone else was up!" Rose screamed saliva flying around.
Arvid closed his eyes, veins pulsing. He was ten minutes or so late to wake up, and when he got dressed he was forced in line with the other lackeys. The planking position was a workout for the body, occasionally he'd switch it between hands and arms to the ground. "DO YOU WANT TO CRY, SOLDIER?" Swallowing, he kept his mind clear her lips brushing against his ear, and her booming voice caused him to shake violently.
"No, commanding officer!"
"DID YOU THINK OF YOUR HOME WHEN YOU SLEPT LIKE A BABY!"
Hesitant to reply, sweat flopped on the ground. Every answer was a wrong answer, the moment something escaped his vocal cords the wavering spotlight would fall onto him. Everyone was bound to figure out his name and rank, but people will avidly distance themselves from him.
"Do you think you're better than everyone else?"
The weight of her words made Arvid stagger, becoming a target for everyone was foolish. Having a lack of confidence in oneself would make one vulnerable from another perspective while being overconfident would make one seem sleazy and conceited. "Of course, why else would I be here? Commanding officer."
"What's your name greenhorn?" The more she spoke, the thicker the air felt.
"P-private Arvid Chinmayu!"
"EVERYONE, PRIVATE ARVID KNOWS HE IS BETTER THAN YOU ALL! HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL?" Stirring the pot, Rose picked herself up. "The trainees that woke up on time may go to roll call, I'll be dealing with these nuisances for a while."
"Seems those without a basic understanding of the military will have a tough time, right?" Gazing upon the chubby man, the woman nodded. He was sweating, and his hands would fiddle with his pocket every now and then. It was nice that someone was willing to strike up some sort of conversation with her.
"Adapting is essential for surviving, but I think everyone has a chance." Pearly white teeth came into fruition, the inviting vibe sucking the male in.
"Well, no one would be here without being able to adapt. Still is it not harsh on the ones being disciplined? Especially in front of everyone, all those people are targets now." Earl replied trying his hand at a grin.
"I reckon, those that are being punished won't be targeted." Hell, this was the fifth person to speak to her if anyone would be singled out she was a prime example.
"Is it because you're a Faunus?" As he stated the obvious, the young woman rose a brow. The term Faunus was what people used to describe her race, most people said it with disgust like it was a curse meant to go away with praying. A set of feathery white antennae branched out of her jagged silvery white hair, even as she hid them it seems some people were able to tell. "A-ah! It's quite hard to tell, but your hair is sorta uneven at places so I caught of glimpse of it." Whether he was lying or honest wasn't of concern, the fact he was able to speak normally filled her with joy.
"Thanks, when I was running yesterday it was hard to conceal them so some saw and people tend to either avoid or belittle us." Silver eyes glistened as she spoke, "Bless your heart," Offering him a hand she couldn't stop the excitement from building up, when she boarded the ship the last thing she expected was to conversate freely with someone from the other side. "I'm Anwen Galatea, rank thirty." Awkwardly shaking hands Anwen didn't hide her facial expression, even if her hand was somewhat moist from his.
"T-Thirty?"
"Yep! My Pop used to have me wrestle around with the horses until I could land each of them in the field. Tiring, but less work than that jog." Effortlessly explaining, Anwen relaxed her shoulders antennae folding back as they reached roll call.
"You worked around a farm? You must have a decent edge in the competition, coming in the top fifty alone should be an achievement." Earl couldn't just outright say his position, if she knew would she even keep up the conversation? "I have my fair share of fieldwork, but I'm more accustomed to household chores and information."
Anwen thought about it for a moment, she was decent in the house but she worked better around animals. "Well, luck also played a factor in everything! Some gems aren't polished until they fall into the right setting. I think everyone who is honest about joining the military will thrive."
"R-right." Earl didn't know if she was simply optimistic or ignorant and before he could keep her attention, one of the commanders took the stage.
"Count yourself lucky, troops! Today you get to watch as your comrades vigorously work as a reward for having common sense! Treat this as a lesson and reward, many opportunities will not fall in your lap like this in the future! See you all at night roll call and don't wander too far! Fall out!" Commander Glen inched down the stage, fiddling with his hair.
Arivd's hands fell to his knees, strands of dark hair stuck to his forehead. "Hey man, you should just come down with the rest of us. No point in running this much when that bitch keeps picking on us." Each person he passed had something ill to say about the Commander, and the more he walked the fewer people he saw. The number was thinning progressively, and by the time he reached camp, he might be the last one.
"She gave you the biggest target, I'll just try again next year when other commanders get chosen." Black boots pushed the dirt around, giving up seemed like the best choice. The moment his mind shifted towards failure he wouldn't be able to go back, everything was a mental game. If someone thought they would never win, then the outcome was decided.
Unfortunately what he longed for was set to be in the military, perhaps it was blind judgment or the thirst for more but as he climbed up the mountain, with each never-ending step his resolve grew. So what if he was being targeted? In order to survive, he didn't need anyone else but himself.
"Even when I had you against the wall, you somehow dug yourself out of that hole you brat." Not questioning his memory of his grandfather's words, his heel dug through the soil; light blessing his tanned skin, blood-red eyes marking the end. The number of people waiting was not the same as they started, so as he crossed the threshold he couldn't help but feel the eyes on him. His statement would either help him soar or cut him down.
In the end, he was one of the few to return quietly and before commander Rose could have them all fall in someone attacked her from behind. Luckily she did not sustain critical damage, the rouge trainee on the other hand was taken away and they were freed from punishment. Well, that's what everyone thought.
"HOLD." Back pressed up the wall, knees bent, and arms out Arvid didn't give in. Commander Grif took over and what seemed like punishment before turned into hell. Every now and then he would nudge someone in an attempt to push them over, among the thirty so people left Arvid tried to take his mind off of the pain. The only thing he noticed was Earl chatting with another cadet, the odd thing out was the look of enjoyment on her face. Grumbling, the male found himself down in luck even more.
Before heading to bed, some boys made a bet on who would fail the intercourse rule first and last. Now, he wasn't a bad guy, but Earl had most of the votes for being in last even his own. So seeing him making a woman giggle, Arvid could only swallow down his tears cursing his gambling habit.
"RELEASE!" Falling down he ignored the faint stinging sensation. The ground never felt more comfortable in his life.
"The western outpost has taken care of a horde of Grimm! We suffered no casualties and absorbed the impact of their attempt to tear down the walls." A baseless report that left people mindlessly chattering. Ozma's crystal-blue eyes stared through the ink, there had to be a bigger picture. Grimm kind was not intelligent enough to pick and choose where to attack, so why target the same spot repeatedly?
"Any news regarding the other Kingdoms?" Ozma cut through the voices, blond hair resting around his face. He had spies stationed everywhere if there was no news then someone had the wrong job.
"We were getting to that my highness," As everyone closed their mouth the speaker continued, "No news regarding Vacuo, though Mantle has recently had some difficulties defending but apparently nothing to concern. Mistral has not been attacked recently, which I have asked to give a more detailed report."
All eyes darted toward the king, and Ozma found himself deep in thought as they awaited his knowledge. 'Mantle and Vale were being challenged, I can assume someone from Ioda's kingdom is lingering around leaking information. The issue remains, what is she trying to accomplish?' Clearing his throat the monarch stood. "Prevailing over those heinous demons is our focal goal, the western outpost is where our weapons are located! Morale could be an issue, so starting next month supply the general area with the necessary equipment!" The people around were scouted so they could offer examples and solutions, but it seemed everyone was still scared to take the first step. Humans were naturally fearful after all.
"B-but my liege! From the report alone, you cannot assume that morale is low we should put our resources into other projects!" Ozma couldn't argue, the man was right. Despite not being detailed, it seemed as if he was making a baseless guess. If they started to doubt him, keeping the kingdom healthy would fall apart like a missing puzzle piece. The diplomatic approach would be to announce he would think about it but to ensure these men and women don't doubt him he would need to offer up a logical reason.
"These past attacks have been centered around the Western front, which means one or two things. The citizen's morale is at an all-time low around that area, or Grimm have suddenly gained some sort of intelligence." Glaring at the man that questioned, he gave a warm smile. "Rumors haven't spread towards us, at the center of it all. You would find it strange how we know issues around the southern and eastern citizens from rumors, yet north and west have been quiet." Ozma took a second to find his thoughts, messing up here meant he would lose them all. "We can erase the opinion of those beasts gaining some sort of conscience, which leaves the people. When being hunted, prey would be scared trying to evade but the lingering thought of death would still loom over their heads."
"In theory, you're saying that the recent waves put fear in them which halted some progress down there resulting in a lack of communication?" Shaking his head, everyone gasped in unison. A sudden surge of compliments was thrown toward the king and all he could do was accept them.
The bullshit that left his mouth worked wonders, namely making the citizens a priority to others was enough. The correct answer was in the air, most likely Salem had a play in this but after being stationed what was she hoping to gain off of such petty attempts? Vale was the home of a great military while Mantle had technology raging. Salem was crafty, she could be marking the two kingdoms; then that begged the question why? What could she gain? Ozma left the room expressionless, his mind working overtime to counteract the very woman who took everything he loved away.
Hunching over, dark locks hovered above his eyes. The small green military cot bed squeaked with the slightest movement, rank was not public as of yet which left the mood lighthearted. Some members were pissed at the punishment and teasing while others were resting after the tiresome day. The teasing was mostly about the rancid smell that came from them, but after a wash-up, most of them smelt soapy. Regardless there was clearly some sort of division being put on display, certain sides wouldn't mingle with the lesser people. Arvid peeked outside, catching a glimpse of Earl and a group of trainees. Most of them were males, likely trying to hound information about the woman he was talking to. "Even he disregarded me," Falling back onto the cot, his ears twitched with the sound of people rushing around. "Should I be relieved or heartbroken?" Snickering to himself, Arvid ignored the sudden presence looming over him.
"Earl had a lot to say about ya," Silver clashed with red, Anwen gave a soft smile before introducing herself.
Arvid didn't reply, for starters her hair was wet some droplets here and there would fall onto his white shirt. Lifting, she moved back. The nightwear they handed really complimented the woman, if he was sexually frustrated he would've made a move. Ignoring the fabric sticking to her shape, he gave his name.
"It seems tonight we'll be sharing the same tent, you'd reckon they would separate genders." Anwen watched as the man slouched over, his eyes would hesitantly trace her legs or fall on her boots. Earlier, she heard the very man exclaim he was better than everyone but this shy demeanor didn't fit such a display. "Earl is a nice fella, right?"
"I hardly know him," If he was being honest, Earl was a sucker. The type of person to be used and tossed to the side. He shared too much and had some anxiety. Nonetheless, he was indeed nice. "I agree."
"You don't have many friends, huh." Anwen fell back onto her cot, sitting on the dark blanket they provided. Earl throughout the day she spoke with him, figured he was a nervous individual that spoke to comfort himself, and the man across from her was falling into a similar category.
"I can say the same for you, scared everyone will find out you're a Faunus?" The mention made her lips pucker and her defined legs cross. "I don't care…human, Faunus, insect, animal. None of that matters."
Anwen couldn't trust him but his nonchalant words did leave a nice impression similar to Earl, yet different, "When did you notice?" Her voice was soft as if it could be carried away in the wind.
Not minding her country accent, he thought about his answer. It was obvious from the moment he saw Earl and her walking together. "My awareness and vision are next level, so you shouldn't get discouraged about others finding out." Reassuring her, he reached over holding his hand out. "I'm no snitch."
Silver eyes picked apart his intention, but before she could think she happily took his hand shaking it like she was hosing down a piglet. "I won't mind if you tell everyone, it's my race after all." Lying through her teeth, her lips curved into a smile.
She failed to keep eye contact, releasing her hand Arvid leaned back into the portable bed. "Why would I ruin someone else's happiness, I'd hate for my own happiness to be ruined." Sighing, Earl raced inside closing one of the entrances to the five-body tent.
"They won't leave me alone! Anwen they keep asking about you!" Earl complained this was not what he was hoping for when he said he wanted to find like-minded people.
Another face joins, and it seems some people are getting the wrong idea. Spots are still open, and I'm actively reviewing each. Now, Salem and Ozma have a long history. I hope RWBY dives more into the past with them since they span for generations.
The war spanned ten years, I would assume after it started during the second year or even third they would employ conscription. Then again with a war sneaking in, Oz did promise certain gods I believe that he would ensure peace and lead humanity.
Thanks, boot camp always seems hard at first. Paired up with random people, away from your comfort zone. Separated from civilization for the time being, even now the characters don't have any personal items. They have not issued the bags yet.
Thanks for everything, see ya soon. Check my profile for the deadline date and more information, any questions pm me.