After taking a tour around the campus, Arwyn went to sleep, feeling tired from the day's exertions.
The bed was incredibly comfortable, so sleep came easily. However, the curse of a comfortable bed was the desire to never leave the temptress of comfort.
Luckily for Arwyn, he had someone to help him.
"Psst…" Alex whispered, currently in her human disguise, "Arwyn… You gotta wake up! Don't wanna be late for breakfast, do you?" He groaned, having been laying on his side. He laid on his back and covered his eyes with his forearm. This prompted Alex to huff as she crawled onto the bed, "Hey!" She gently smacked his cheek.
He groaned again, muttering under his breath, "Ugh… Alright, alright." He moved his forearm and blinked his eyes open. They widened briefly as he came face to face with Alex, she was kneeling on the bed next to him, leaning over and staring at him. She looked amused, and after a moment of staring, he finally came up with a response. He smiled slightly and muttered, "Morning, Fairy Blue."
Arwyn had expected her to just brush off the nickname, but to his surprise, that was the exact opposite of what happened.
Alex's eyes widened as her face turned a bright red. She muttered, "H-Huh?" in a barely audible whisper that was uncharacteristically meek for the very strong-willed spirit.
He blinked a few times, "Fairy Blue. You're a spirit and you're very blue in your normal form. So… You're kind of like a magical fairy." His smile grew, "Don't like it?"
She shook her head, "N-No! I-I mean, it's fine. I like it. It's catchy." She got off the bed, and that was when he noticed that she was wearing a Beacon uniform, except hers had pants, "A-Anyway, it's time to get up! You've got an hour before your first class, that's enough time to shower, dress, and get some breakfast before you need to get learning."
He had to wonder what all of that stammering was about, it was just a nickname after all. He guessed that it might have had something to do with her not expecting any pushback in the form of teasing or nicknames. How many people got it in their head to tease the small spirit back? Not many, he imagined.
Arwyn sat up, "And you're wearing a Beacon uniform… why?"
Alex smirked, "Well, I might not be attending classes, but if I'm gonna show up every so often, I might as well look the part, right?" Then she looked over the outfit, "Even if this is way too formal for my tastes."
That was when Mars' voice joined the conversation, "Everything is too formal for you." He appeared in a puff of blue smoke, as he always did, except this time he was in his disguise.
He looked basically the same, except his skin was fair, his eyes were the color of charcoal, and his hair was brown. His body was hidden under his cloak still, except the cloak was now crimson colored and looked like a normal cloak, rather than a spiritual one. He smirked, "I remember when you went to that dinner party Jinn was hosting. You-"
Alex shook her head quickly, "Hold on! Don't talk about stuff like that, it was an accident!" She crossed her arms, "Anyway, we need to leave, otherwise Arwyn's gonna end up late." She looked at the boy in question, "We'll be outside, oh- One more thing. You can dismiss notifications by thinking about it. I meant to tell you that before, but it should be fine. Not like there were any cameras yesterday."
Well, as far as any of them knew at least.
After that, the spirits left Arwyn to prepare for the day. He lamented how formal the uniform was, but he supposed it made sense, given the kind of place Beacon was. He personally would have much preferred just wearing his normal outfit, although he was going to have to actually go out and buy some more clothes, whenever he had the time and money…
That reminded him of something, 'Shit, am I going to have to buy Ozpin a replacement book? I did just kind of eat the book he let me borrow…'
Once he was dressed, he decided that he'd ask Alex about it as soon as he could. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long, he found her outside, and luckily it seemed that she had some solution to that. She made it to where he wouldn't consume books he gained knowledge from, and restored the one he'd already used.
When he asked why it wasn't like that to begin with, she commented that it normally was like that, but the Relic of Progress had been changing so much, it was hard to keep track of what all was different. For some reason, that was one of the things that was different.
Well, at least he could avoid feeling guilty for literally absorbing knowledge.
He had his schedule sent to him the night before via an email. As he was heading to breakfast, he took the time to look it over and see what to expect.
7:30 am - Breakfast
8 am - Intro to Grimmology - Professor Port
9:45 am - Remnantine History - Professor Oobleck
11:15 am - Intro to Botany - Professor Peach
12:30 pm - Lunch
1:30 pm - Aura Studies 101 - Professor Blanca
2:15 pm - Introductory Dustology - Professor Kyros
4 pm - Combat Studies - Professor Goodwitch
5 pm - Self-Directed Sparring
6 pm - Dinner
'Port and Oobleck back to back? That's like taking a sleeping pill right before someone throws you into an ice bath…'
Oh, was it ever.
Arwyn had to fight to stay awake during Port's class, although at least his efforts earned him some 'Grimm Knowledge' skill points. He even got to see Weiss kill a Boarbatusk, after almost failing because Ruby was cheering her on. Arwyn could have said something to get her to not do that, but it was funnier if he just let it play out, in his mind.
Oobleck's class, meanwhile, only awarded him 'Remnantine History' skill points, which in his mind wasn't as useful.
Professor Peach's class was the most interesting so far. She was the most normal professor, as well. At least, as normal as you could get in a place like Beacon. She explained what the class was about, teaching survival for those long missions in the wilderness and botany to heal things aura can't, like illnesses and internal injuries. Although, she noted, if you suffer a bad enough internal injury out in the woods, no amount of botany would save you.
Well, at least she was honest.
After her class, it was lunchtime, and Arwyn was presented with a problem he hadn't had since he had graduated high school in his old life, where he was going to sit.
…Granted, that wasn't too far back in his old life, a year or two at most. He didn't remember, exactly, but it wasn't important.
He had initially thought to sit with Team JNPR and or RWBY, but since it was the first day, it seemed like they hadn't really claimed a spot together. They were spread out, which made the choice a bit more difficult. He had decided to just take his lunch to his room, but before he could do that, while he was filling his tray, someone spoke to him.
It was a guy, not one he knew either, "Hey, you're that guy, right? The solo?" Arwyn looked and saw a fair skinned guy with pale platinum blonde hair that fell to the tops of his ears and above his eyebrows, his brown eyes held a look of curiosity to them. He was wearing the standard Beacon uniform for a guy.
Arwyn blinked a few times before nodding and giving a friendly smile, "Y-Yeah, that's me. Arwyn Cadeyrn's the name, although I guess people are just calling me 'Solo' or something?"
The guy chuckled, "Oh, that and a few other things. You need a place to sit? Gotta be rough, not having a team. My teammates are eating outside, so I'm in the same boat as you."
Well, that certainly solved the problem, so Arwyn was quick to agree, "Sure, thanks."
After the two of them got their food, they headed to a table with a couple open spaces next to each other. Once they sat down, the guy introduced himself, "My name's Lunus Marigold by the way."
Arwyn felt that Lunus seemed normal enough, and that was more than he had expected from Beacon. Teams RWBY and JNPR had their own quirks, none of them were people he would call 'normal', except for maybe Jaune (or, again, whatever she was called). He nodded, "Nice to meet you. So… People are talking about me that much, huh?"
Lunus smirked and took a moment to eat some of his steak and swallow before responding, "Oh yeah, I'm surprised you didn't know. Everyone's got their own theory about you. Some of them are saying you're some weirdo loner, others are saying you're this super mysterious type. Others, still, think you're too skinny." That got a groan from Arwyn and a laugh from Lunus before he continued, "Me? Well, I think you're just a normal guy in a weird situation, it ain't my place to judge someone I don't know, y'know?"
"That's a relief." Arwyn sighed, "I've met a couple cool people already but that was before the rumors." He hummed and asked curiously, "What about the rest of your team?"
He snickered, "Well, the rest of my team is a bit… much, for some people. I think it'll be better if they show you themselves. I'm sure you'll meet them at the freeform spar. We're Team GLAM, by the way."
Well, that wasn't at all worrying. Not in the slightest. Arwyn ate some of the spaghetti he'd gotten and then said, "Well, how bad could they be? The people I met already were pretty cool. One's Pyrrha Nikos, the other's a weapon nerd."
Lunus smiled, "Oh, Ruby's told me about you." At Arwyn's surprised look, he chuckled, "She and I went to Signal together. I got brought up on a scholarship while she solved that robbery a few months ago. She's like a sister to me."
Well, at least Arwyn didn't have to feel guilty about Ruby's small spark of interest in him. She'd gotten sister-zoned! Although he wasn't sure if he was interested in anyone like that yet, he only just got there after all. So, small steps. He hummed, "Small world. It's a good thing the two of you got in together, though, don't have to split up."
He agreed, and after that their conversation shifted into more normal talk about their classes. They shared a distaste for Port's class, and Oobleck's class didn't help matters at all. Although his classes were staggered differently, along with his team's, as he had Oobleck, Peach, and then Port. That was a bit more tolerable than what Arwyn got, he felt, but still, Port's lectures could be considered a sleep aid.
The next class Arwyn had was Aura Studies, and the professor of that class, Professor Biance, acted like some sort of hippie from Earth's 1970s, dressed like one as well. She taught the importance of meditation and aura manipulation, and spoke about how, theoretically, aura could be used to do much more than what the average Huntsman uses it for. However, such a field was entirely theoretical, and so she had the class focus on meditating and learning to detect auras instead that day.
The 'Aura Usage' and 'Aura Knowledge' points that Arwyn received from that class were useful, that was for sure. As were the 'Dust Usage' and 'Dust Knowledge' skill points he received from Professor Kyros' class. He was perhaps the most normal 'professor' out of all of them, very relaxed and with a good sense of humor. The only downside was his willingness to call out students and torment them until they understood the question he asked them.
Next up was directed sparring with Glynda Goodwitch, and boy did she look as intimidating in person as she did in the show. Six foot five inches in those heels of hers made her that much more intimidating, even if she was 'only' five inches taller than Arwyn. Luckily, he didn't have to directly interact with her, really. Instead, he hoped, he would just be able to watch people spar and maybe pick up a few pointers along the way.
And that's how it went at first. He picked up points relating to all sorts of fighting skills as he watched fights go on, and listened to Glynda give people pointers.
And then, right in the middle of it all, Glynda said, "Arwyn Cadeyrn and Orchid Grove, come up to the stage."
'Shit.'
Arwyn bit the bullet, got out of his chair, and made his way to the changing room that held his outfit. Luckily there was more than one changing area in the building. His outfit was just the same thing he'd worn when he first arrived, his unzipped jacket, black shirt, black slacks, and dark gray running shoes.
Finally, he summoned Excalibur into his hand and headed to the stage. He had expected people to joke about his 'Huntsman outfit' literally just being his normal street clothes. It would be natural, after all, even Jaune had his segments of armor on his body.
However, he found that his outfit was the farthest thing from the center of attention.
Mostly because the girl he was set to face was easily the more eye-catching of the two. She had fair skin, shoulder-length black and gold hair that swapped in horizontal stripes, a slightly oval facial structure, and honey-gold eyes that had irises shaped like hexagons rather than circles.
She was very pretty, but her outfit emphasized that even more.
She wore a cropped shirt colored honey gold and black, it hung off the sides of her shoulders, letting one see the straps of her tank top underneath. She bared her midriff, and wore a short skirt that was colored black with gold trimmings at the edges, with a belt-like ribbon tied around it and hanging off her side. It also had a slit on the left side, and at least he could be relieved in seeing she was wearing black short-shorts underneath.
She also had a pair of black stockings that reached all the way to said shorts, and she wore a strange pair of boots that reached just below her knees and appeared to have amps built into them.
For her… weapon? She had a long guitar with twenty-six frets and a slender body, the strings were different colors, a rainbow that made Arwyn think they had to be treated with dust. The body looked to be made out of maple wood, but he had a feeling it was metal. There were two black holes above and below the bridge. Above the fretboard, there were three knobs and three switches with markings that Arwyn couldn't understand above them.
There was also a built-in amp, revealed by a speaker grate on the bottom part just above the metal bridge hold. Finally, she had a guitar strap that she was wearing over her shoulder as she held the guitar.
The girl, Orchid, gave him a lopsided grin, "I think you're a bit underdressed, honey. This is a Huntsman Academy, not an internet cafe."
That got a few 'oooh's from the audience.
Arwyn's first thought was, 'Why am I fighting an idol?'
He cleared his throat, "Are you sure you're not overdressed? You look like you should be playing a concert, or collecting superchats online, not training to fight Grimm. Sorry, I don't think there's any conventions this month."
That got some of the audience to snicker and caused Orchid to chortle, "Hah! I like you. Let's have some fun, huh?" Her grin grew more fierce, "I won't be going easy on you, though."
Glynda cleared her throat, "Right…" She pressed a button and the Hard-Light barriers came up around the stage, "Get ready…"
Arwyn lowered his stance and prepared to move, while Orchid got ready to strum out a few chords.
"Begin!"
Orchid strummed some noise, sending a soundwave towards Arwyn that he had to jump out of the way to avoid.
For the first time, time slowed down, and Arwyn had to wonder what was going on. Then, in his vision, a symbol that looked like an orchid flower overlaid with a honeycomb appeared, and over it, text displayed itself.
ORCHID GROVE
HUNTRESS-IN-TRAINING
THE QUEEN BEE
Time sped back up, the text and logo disappeared, and Arwyn rolled before popping back up. Suddenly, the amps began to play an accompaniment. Drums, the sound of sirens at the beginning, and Arwyn immediately recognized the song, 'Is she playing Planetary Go from fucking My Chemical Romance?! Why is an idol playing punk rock?!'
As she began to play, her guitar began shooting out bolts of lighting and gouts of fire to accompany the soundwaves. The whole thing, in Arwyn's mind, became one giant bullet hell.
"There might be something outside your window, but you'll just never know! There could be something right past the turnpike gates, but you'll just never know!"
Arwyn saw what he thought as an opening, and so he stopped dodging and began to charge at Orchid with his sword raised. He had a rude awakening when a gust of wind slowed him down so a soundwave could knock him back.
"If my velocity starts to make you sweat, then just don't let go! And if their heaven ain't got a vacancy, then we just, then we just, then we just, then we just get up and go!"
As he skidded to a stop further away from her, he decided he might as well try a Call for the first time. He thought with the intent to use one, 'Ruby!' And he felt a sudden burst of energy fill him. He burst forward with renewed speed, charging towards his foe.
"Ladies and gentlemen, truth is now acceptable! Fame is now injectable, process the progress! This core is critical, faith is unavailable!"
Orchid looked momentarily surprised by the quickly approaching Arwyn, but then she smirked. As he closed in and thrust his sword at her, she spun to the side with a flourish before shooting another bolt of lightning from the head of her guitar.
"Lives become incredible, now, please understand that I can't slow down, I won't be waiting for you! I can't stop now because I'm dancing!"
Arwyn's aura kept him from seizing up, thankfully. He swung Excalibur at her, and for the first time he noticed that she looked somewhat afraid of the weapon. Yet, that didn't stop her from continuing to effortlessly dodge his slashes with the grace of a dancer.
"This planet's ours to defend, ain't got no time to pretend! Don't fuck around, this is our last chance! If my velocity starts to make you sweat, then just don't let go!"
How she managed to fight, sing, and play guitar at the same time eluded Arwyn's understanding, but he couldn't focus on that. When she stopped moving, the amps at her feet shot out more soundwaves that he had to scramble out of the way of to avoid being pushed back.
"'Cause the emergency room got no vacancy, and we just, and we just, and we just, and we just get up and go!"
He recovered and got an idea. Acting quickly, he threw his sword at her. She laughed as she ducked under it, while he used the opportunity to charge her.
"Who they want you to be, who they wanted to see! Kill the party with me, and never go home! Who they want you to be! Who they wanted to see! Just leave the party with me, and never go home!"
He summoned his sword back to his hand and took advantage of her surprise to swing and catch her shoulder. She gritted her teeth before kicking out and connecting with his stomach, knocking him back and giving her the space she needed to backpedal.
"You're unbelievable, ah, so unbelievable! Ah, you ruin everything, oh, you better go home! I'm unbelievable, yeah, I'm undefeatable! Yeah, let's ruin everything, blast it to the back row! They sell presentable, young, and so ingestible! Sterile and collectible, safe, and I can't stand it!"
The speed boost he got from Ruby was helpful, but it didn't make his reflexes any better. As she continued to barrage him with soundwaves and other forms of attacks, he had to focus a lot on dodging. She was still able to catch him with a wave of fire and sent him rolling back, due to him being distracted.
"This is a letter, my word is the Beretta, the sound of my vendetta against the ones that planned it!"
As he stood up and charged at her again, she had the audacity to wink and flash him a grin before she started running at him suddenly. Then she dropped and began powersliding across the ground while still playing her guitar.
"If my velocity starts to make you sweat, then just don't let go. 'Cause the emergency room got no vacancy. Tell me who do you trust, do you trust? And we just get up and go! Who they want you to be, who they wanted to see. Kill the party with me, and never go home!"
He tried to think quickly by jumping into the air to get behind her. However, she acted quicker, sending out a pulse of wind in his direction and sending him towards the roof. He hit it and got the wind knocked out of him, but recovered to try and control his fall.
"Who they want you to be, who they wanted to see, just leave the party with me, and never go home!"
Orchid got back onto her feet and waited for him to almost hit the ground. Then she kicked out and hit him in the stomach, knocking him back with the force of her kick. Once again, the air was knocking out of him as he was sent rolling across the ground. It was then that he noticed that there was an orchid in her hair that wasn't there before.
"You keep eternity, give us the radio. Deploy the battery, we're takin' back control! Engage the energy, light up the effigy, no chance to take it slow, by now, I'm sure you know!"
He charged at her, this time his eyes were on a different prize. He kept charging forward, doing his best to dodge her attacks with the speed boost the Call provided him. He prepared to try and snatch the flower out of her hair, even as he began to slow down…
"Know, know, know, know, know (one, two, three, go)!"
It was then that he noticed that the whole class was cheering and clapping along with the song. He felt strangely electrified, and got a second wind, leading to him speeding back up again.
"Get up and go! Who they want you to be, who they wanted to see! Kill the party with me, and never go home! Who they want you to be, who they wanted to see, just leave the party with me, and never go home!"
He managed to snatch the flower out of her hair before she shoulder-checked him, but her attack wasn't nearly as strong as it was before. Did her semblance make her stronger as she played music? He had no way to know, and no time to guess, as she began to backpedal away from him again.
"Are we still having fun? Are you holding the gun? Take the money and run! We'll never go home!"
He charged at her and swung his sword, but a Hard-Light barrier appeared briefly in front of her. He had expected his sword to bounce off of it, but Excalibur actually cut into it, much to her shock. Yet, she just emitted a burst of wind, sending him skidding back again.
"I've got nothing to lose, you've got nothing to say, and we're leaving today. We'll never go home, I think I'm gonna go now, I think I'm gonna go now (get up and go)!"
As the song began to reach a conclusion, she began to fire off many more dust-charged attacks. He could only brace himself as he was overcome with wind, shocked with electricity, and had fire wash over him.
"I think I better go now, go home! I'm gonna go now, gonna go now!"
When the first wave ended, he started to race towards her again, hoping to catch her off guard as her song ended. However, suddenly, as the Call ended, he began to feel a massive wave of exhaustion.
"Gonna go now, gonna now (get up and go)! Go now, gonna go now! Go home!"
As the song ended, he lost his footing and fell forward, barely managing to land on his arm instead of his face as he breathed heavily.
Glynda lowered the barrier, "Orchid Grove wins! Get up and come here to receive your analysis."
He heard Orchid walking towards him, then as he rolled over, he saw her offering a hand to him. She smiled a warm, friendly smile, "Good fight, you're pretty tricky, y'know that?"
He smiled back and took her hand, she helped him up and he worked on catching his breath while he said, "And you… Fight like… A boss in a video game."
She grinned, "Great, that's what I was going for." Both of them headed over to Glynda, while some of the students clapped, likely as thanks for the free show they were provided.
Glynda gave them both their evaluation. She didn't have much to say about Orchid's style, other than suggesting she find some sort of solution for fighting in close quarters that isn't just repelling enemies.
Meanwhile, she gave Arwyn a lot of pointers. Mostly talking about how he needed to work on his reflexes, and that while he had a good grasp on the fundamentals, the way he fought was unrefined and clearly lacked experience. She suggested that he continue to develop his fighting style, so he could have a more refined and elegant solution. She also suggested possibly getting a shield, as while fighting with just a sword was viable, it was far better to have either two swords or a sword and a shield.
He took in everything she said easily, and then went to sit back down to watch the rest of the fights. While he was doing that, he received a notification.
Fight cleared!
You might have lost against your opponent, but even losing can give you valuable experience!
+5 Swordfighting
+5 Dodging
+3 Dexterity
+3 Endurance
He silently dismissed that notification and checked his stats.
ARWYN CADEYRN
LEVEL 2 WANNABE
NO TITLE
AGE: 17
HP 50/50
Aura 100/100
Vigor - 9
Mind - 5
Charisma - 10
Endurance - 10
Strength - 6
Dexterity - 7
Intelligence - 4
SKILLS
Sword Fighting - 25/100 (Beginner)
Parrying - 15 (Beginner)
Dodging - 10/100 (Beginner)
Blocking - 15/100 (Beginner)
There were other skills that he glazed over because they were civilian skills, and he noted that his 'class' had changed. After that, he dismissed the screen with a thought and focused on watching the remaining lessons. Luckily, he could stay in the outfit he was in, because after this he was done for the day.
Once the remaining spars were done, he was free to go to dinner. He started to do just that, however, as he was leaving the building, he heard Pyrrha's nervous and carefully measured voice call to him, "E-Excuse me, Arwyn!" He stopped and turned around.
Sure enough, Pyrrha was walking up to him, she had been fighting as well, so she was in her Huntress gear. She smiled, and as always it was riddled with anxiety, "Uhm… The rest of my team has to participate in freeform sparring. Would you care to eat dinner with me?"
Why was it that Pyrrha asking something that simple made his heart beat that much faster? Maybe he was still riding the adrenaline from earlier.
He smiled and tried to hide his own nerves as he cleared his throat, "S-Sure, I'd be happy to."
That got her smile to lose some of its anxiety, "Wonderful. Let's get going." As the two began to walk together, leaving the building and started towards the cafeteria, she said, "You did well today."
Arwyn rubbed the back of his neck, "Ah, did I? I'll be honest, I was kind of panicking for most of it."
She giggled, "That means you've got good instincts, because you managed to avoid getting knocked out too quickly. You even deduced that the flower in her hair had something to do with her power and were able to snatch it away. That move with your sword was clever as well."
He felt his face heating up at all of the praise, "Thanks." He yawned, covering his mouth as he did so before he spoke again, "It took a lot out of me, though. Can't wait to get back to my room and fall asleep."
Pyrrha's smile remained, although she gained a look of curiosity, "Oh? As soon as dinner is over?"
As they entered the dining hall, he responded, "Well, maybe not immediately. I'll probably lay around and browse the int- Uh, ScrollNet for a few hours." He raised an eyebrow, "Why do you ask?"
Her anxiety returned as she asked, "Well- I was wondering if you'd like to train with me. You mentioned needing to improve, and I think my workout regimen can help you. Plus, I can help you improve your swordsmanship."
Arwyn felt distinctly like this was supposed to be the offer that Jaune (he still wasn't sure what her name actually was) was getting, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, "O-Oh, uhm… Sure!" As they grabbed their trays and went about getting their food from the serving area, he asked, "That's super nice of you, not that I'm complaining, but… Why me?"
Pyrrha stayed focused on her food as it was placed on her tray as she responded, "Ooh… I just felt I should offer to help. What kind of friend wouldn't help another if they had the ability to, after all?" Arwyn knew there was more to it than that, but he figured she'd tell him when she was ready to. It probably had to do with her inability to be herself around most people.
He agreed with her before both of them focused on getting their food and then finding a place to sit. It wasn't that difficult, thankfully.
What would be difficult was the training Pyrrha was talking about putting him through. She went through a whole list of exercises he could do, along with things that she'd like to teach him in order to improve his swordplay.
After they ate, Pyrrha suggested they start training without wasting time, saying something about 'striking while the iron is hot'. While Arwyn was hesitant to immediately jump into working out after a strenuous fight like that, he still went along with it. If only because the idea of making Pyrrha in any way sad didn't sound good to him. He could imagine her giving him a sad smile and saying they'd do it some other time then.
He wasn't going to be the one to cause her to look like that. Ideally, he didn't want to make anyone sad. He was nothing if not a people pleaser.
That translated into him going with Pyrrha to one of Beacon's gyms, where, still wearing the outfit he had been all day but without his jacket, he began to do as she directed. Weight lifting, running on the treadmill, other assorted exercises…
All of that, and after an hour and a half of exercising, some swordsmanship training. And she said this was going easy on him, because it was his first day of training. He also learned that, when it came to working out one's body, most people could keep their aura up and still see gains, but for faster growth, dropping your aura was recommended, so your muscles would tear and strengthen easier.
He ended up working out and training with Pyrrha for two and a half hours. The sun was going down outside, and he had to borrow some spare clothes the school offered to students at the gym if they didn't have any so he could shower. Pyrrha had to leave while he was showering, but she seemed super happy, so that was good, at least.
Arwyn saw his stats go up. That training session alone saw him gain two strength, two endurance, and ten swordsmanship. He guessed that eventually his skill gains would slow down, or at least become less frequent, he just hoped that when that happened he'd already be a competent fighter.
His aura couldn't save him from feeling absolutely exhausted at the end of the day, however. So, after he showered and changed into a nondescript white shirt and black shorts, then putting his clothes into a bag so he could wash them later, he started slowly back to the tower. Other than getting stronger, a solace of his was knowing that Pyrrha would likely only really want to do this sort of thing every so often, rather than every day.
After making it out of the building and starting to make his way across the courtyard, he was stopped when he heard Ruby's voice, "Heyyy, Arwyyynn!" she called, causing him to stop and try to avoid letting the exhaustion make him irritated. He was happy to talk to Ruby, of course, but being sleepy made him crabby, if he didn't control it.
He looked in her direction and felt the crabbiness fade fairly quickly. Ruby had changed out of her school uniform as well, and was now wearing her normal outfit. Her red cloak billowed behind her as she jogged up to him, and he smiled at her, "Hey, Ruby. How was your first day?"
She stopped jogging and smiled, "Good! Although, I think I can tell how yours went. You look exhausted!" She looked him up and down, "Did you go to the gym?"
He nodded, "Yeah, I went there with Pyrrha, actually. She offered to help me get into better shape." He yawned, "I'm… pretty exhausted, yeah. My muscles are screaming at me right now, I'm in a great amount of pain, all of that." He said this as if he was talking about the weather, but it was genuine, his body did hurt.
Ruby giggled before realizing it wasn't a joke. Then she crossed her arms and huffed, "You know, if you're hurting really bad, you shouldn't let me keep you! I-" She was abruptly cut off as Arwyn almost lost balance and staggered. She placed a steadying hand on his arm, "You're really not okay. You must have been working out for a long time… Let me help you back to your room! I'm not taking no for an answer."
'...Not like I have the energy to say no, anyway.' He nodded a few times, "It's in Beacon tower, the third floor." Then he smiled tiredly at the short girl, "Thanks. You don't have to, you know."
She shook her head and began to help him back to the tower, "Of course I do! You're my friend, and you're not doing well."
There wasn't much to talk about as they headed back to the tower. Luckily, that meant the trip was uneventful. When they got back to his room and headed inside, Ruby gasped, "Wooahh, this looks super nice!" She shut the door behind them, "And you really get to stay in here? I'm so jealous!"
That, he understood. The idea of staying in a dorm with three other people skeeved him out to no end. Before he could say anything, though, he spotted something new on his bed. A small digital block that, from what he'd seen, was a Holo-TV projector. He had no idea where it came from, but before he could ponder it, Ruby whined, "Awwh, and you've got a holo-TV too? Maan… You're living like a king here!"
He finally sat down on the bed and let out a sigh of relief, offhandedly he said, "Well, you can stay over whenever you want." Then, he realized how strange that sounded, "A-Ah, I mean, you can visit."
He didn't want to come off as some stammering fool, but luckily for him, he was talking to Ruby Rose, who, herself, seemed to be finding the floor very interesting all of the sudden as her face reddened slightly, If anyone was the socially awkward one here, it was her, "Th-Thanks!" She got an idea, "Wanna play some games? It's still early and my team's not gonna expect me back for a little while." She fished out her scroll, I've got some multiplayer games!"
That was far preferable to their continued shared awkwardness, and so Arwyn forgot to even question where the Holo-TV came from. They set it up on the desk and then sat at the foot of the bed, and while it took some getting used to, he found that playing games using his scroll as a controller wasn't too hard to get used to. It kind of reminded him of playing with a Nintendo Switch™.
She had a selection of games they could play, although Ruby leaned more towards teaching him how to play a fighting game she liked, Immortal Fight Five. Arwyn felt like that name reminded him of something, but he couldn't remember what, for the life of him.
They were mostly focused on playing, but they did trade some banter. Eventually, after Arwyn got beat for the fifth time in a row, he opted to take a break and laid back on the bed, "Ugh… So, Beacon…"
Ruby nodded and said, "Yep." with a poppin' P. Then she seemed to remember something, "Oh, right! I had a question I wanted to ask you about." He hummed and looked at her. Her voice held clear curiosity as she asked, "When you were fighting that girl, Orchid, earlier, I noticed something." She rubbed her chin, "You started moving faster at one point, and I swear I saw petals behind you. I thought they were roses at first, but they were… brighter? What was that about?"
'Oh shit.' He had no idea that using a Call would leave behind physical evidence! In the heat of battle, he wasn't paying attention to anything like that, either. He thought quickly, "Ah- Well, it's… If I become friends with someone, I get the ability to use a power based on them for a short time. The better friends I am with them, the stronger it is. Yours is just a speed boost right now."
Ruby's eyes widened, "Oooh, that's your semblance! You must have one of those things for your sword too, then, right?" She didn't give him time to answer, she was already gushing, "That's so cool! It's like a power in a video game! Do you have any others you can show me?"
Well, hey, she said it, not him. That meant it wasn't lying, right?
He hummed, "Well… I'm pretty exhausted." He yawned, "I guess I could show you one I got for being friends with Pyrrha. It makes me super strong, although I haven't had a chance to test it out yet at all."
Ruby sounded awed, "Woah, really? You gotta show me! Like… Let's go outside and you can throw me! That'd be super cool, and it'd be a great tactic for fights, if we end up working together!"
Arwyn wanted to say no, that he was far too tired, but she was looking at him with those big ol' eyes, and how could he refuse those? He refrained from sighing as he grunted while sitting up and saying, "Alright… But only once! Then I'm gonna go to bed."
Ruby seemed absolutely over the moon about his relenting as she beamed at him and then headed for the door. He had no idea how he'd gotten himself into this, but he supposed there was no point in complaining about it.
After all, he was still and would continue to be nothing but a people pleaser.
They only went outside of the tower, so it didn't take that long. The time they had spent playing games also made it a lot easier for Arwyn to walk, he found that aura was a wonderful thing. If he had worked out that hard without aura, he'd be laid up for days, but given that aura resulted in the body healing much faster, he was already starting to feel better.
When they reached the courtyard, which at this time of day was abandoned, the only noise being the fountain at the center and the chirping of birds, Arwyn looked at Ruby and asked, "So… How did you want to do this?"
Ruby hummed contemplatively before she eventually said, "Well… Just… Toss me? Oh! I know!" She stepped closer to him, "Grab my waist and then throw me!"
That… was incredibly awkward, and yet, Arwyn couldn't think of anything better than that due to how tired he was. So he placed his hands on her waist and muttered, "Pyrrha!"
Suddenly, he felt a surge of strength. His muscles temporarily changed, he wasn't buff, but he looked a lot more athletically built. Then, with strength that was only temporarily his own, he hoisted Ruby up and threw her straight into the air.
He didn't expect her to go very high, but his assumptions were quickly shattered as she was catapulted so high she almost reached Ozpin's office window! His jaw fell open as he saw her reach the zenith of her climb into the air.
Then, as quickly as she was thrown into the air, she began to fall.
He wasn't worried about her too much, as he knew that she'd survived falls like that before and would probably do so again. The fact that she didn't have Crescent Rose made it a bit more difficult, but she still utilized her semblance to control where she was falling. Becoming a weightless mass of flowers, it turned out, was very helpful for aerial maneuvering.
Not so soon after, he noticed with growing concern that she was flying towards him. His eyes widened as he backpedaled some, "Ruby, okay, that's funny." Yet, she kept flying towards him all the same, "Ruby, Ruby-"
It was far too late for him, however. As she drew closer to him, she changed back to normal and extended her arms out towards him. She tackled him with more than enough speed and force to send him to the ground, while laughing the whole way down.
He groaned and muttered, "Owww…" As he tried to regain his senses from being thoroughly disoriented by his friend, "You should be classified as a missile, or something…"
Then, it dawned on him the situation they were in, with Ruby laying on top of him, and, while his face was reddening, he couldn't help but think, 'Really? This? Am I in an anime or something?'
The truth is, of course, much worse, but that's our little secret.
Ruby lifted her head from its resting place on the crook of his neck, and only then did she seem to realize what position she'd put them in. Her face ignited a bright red and she scrambled to stand up, "S-Sorry! I… I really should have thought about what I was doing." She rubbed the back of her neck and giggled nervously as Arwyn began to stand.
"It's… nothing, don't worry about it." He really needed to mind the strength he received with Pyrrha's call. How was he supposed to know it'd be that much? He thought about the strength going away, attempting to will it to do so.
Thankfully, it seemed the Call was willing to obey him, as his muscle mass decreased back to normal. Suddenly, he felt his muscles become very sore and pained all over again, the after effects of what he had done, "Shit…" He muttered, not expecting the pain to his arms, "Gotta be careful about that."
Ruby furrowed her brow and stepped closer, "Are you okay? I hope I didn't hurt you…" The concern in her eyes shone bright, and Arwyn couldn't help but get lost in them briefly. They were like two mirrors, or two coins, shining bright. He forgot to respond long enough that Ruby's face began to heat up as she squirmed under his gaze, "A-Arwyn?"
He cleared his throat and averted his gaze, "S-Sorry, just, uhh… Thinking. Yeah, I'll be fine. Just a bit sore."
She meekly smiled and spoke softly, "Good." She placed a hand on his arm, "Let me help you back again, okay?" He was about to tell her that he'd be fine and she didn't have to, but she was already reading him back to the tower. He had a feeling she'd be doing this whether he told her to or not.
Once they were in the elevator, Ruby finally began to gush, "That was so cool! Your semblance is really strong! I wonder what my Call is gonna be like when it gets stronger? I-I mean if it gets stronger, that's based on friendship or closeness right? I-I mean, I figure it'll get stronger, but kinda hard to know you know?" She started to sound a bit worried and hesitant towards the end.
Arwyn had no idea what that meant, but he was too tired to try and figure it out, "Yeah, I mean… You're really cool, so why wouldn't we keep being friends? It's not like I'm gonna get tired of you or annoyed at you or anything."
For some reason, Ruby fell silent for a moment. Then, she looked up at him with subdued hope and a tinge of sadness that belied something that Arwyn couldn't place. Softly, she asked, "Promise?"
His face heated up again before he nodded and said, "Promise." while looking her in the eyes.
She smiled, and not a few seconds later the elevator reached the correct floor. The two of them left the elevator and headed for his room. Once they got there, Ruby said, "W-Well, I guess I should go back to my dorm now. Yang's probably wondering where I went… I didn't exactly tell her that I was going to be gone for so long." She laughed nervously and looked away, "Oh… She's probably gonna make a bunch of jokes when I tell her."
He rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to keep you for so long."
Ruby shook her head, "No, no, it was my idea!" She looked at him and then closed in, giving him a tight hug, "I really enjoyed hanging out with you! After only having Yang and Lunus to hang out with for so long, actually having more friends is… Really nice. I'm glad we're friends, even if we just met yesterday."
Arwyn wasn't entirely sure what to do with his hands at first. Eventually, though, he returned her hug, "Yeah… Same here."
They stayed that way for several moments, and just as they were separating, Ruby's scroll went off. She gasped, "That's gotta be Yang! I've gotta go, see you tomorrow!" She waved and then turned on her heels before running off down the hall, all while fishing out her scroll and answering it, "Y-Yeah, Yang? I'm just… On a walk! Yes, in a building, I'll be there in a minute!"
He smiled and sincerely hoped Yang would spare her from too much embarrassment before he headed into his room. As he did so, he received a new notification.
New Relationship Levels Reached!
Ruby Rose
Friend - 100/100 (Tier 1)
Crush - 10/100 (Tier 1)
Pyrrha Nikos
Budding Friendship - 60/100 (Tier 1)
Intrigued - 60/100 (Tier 0)
'Wait what?! Ruby's got a crush on me? We just met!'
Did the Relic of Progress affect his relationship gain with people? He doubted it was just because he was that likable, but there was no prompt that promised an answer to him. Instead he was left guessing.
He did, however, get an update to some of his Calls.
CALL STRENGTHENED
RUBY ROSE
You can now go faster for longer.
PYRRHA NIKOS
Your strength, as already demonstrated, is much higher than it would have been previously when using the call.
He didn't really have time to dwell on the notifications, so he dismissed them. He shut the door behind him and then turned back towards his bed before gasping and starting as he saw Alex sitting there in their normal spirit form with a smirk on their face. He huffed, "You need to put a bell around your neck or something, you know that?"
They chuckled, "Why? It keeps you on your toes! That's good, that's what a Huntsman has to do!" Their smirk turned more into a smile, "Besides, seeing you get spooked like that is fun."
Arwyn sighed and moved to sit next to them on the bed, letting out a sigh as he did so, "Glad you got your kicks." He yawned, "Man, today's been busy… Is every day going to be like this?"
Alex patted his shoulder, "Not every day. I'm sure you can make a day off or two, and I doubt Pyrrha's gonna train you that often. If you don't have time to rest, you'll just end up hurting yourself." Then, they gently shoved his arm, causing him to lazily fall to the side, "And hey, you'll bulk up, that's even better."
Arwyn huffed as he sat up straight and squinted at them, "You know I'm pretty sure I could pick you up and throw you out the window, even with my normal strength. You're small."
They crossed their arms and grinned with a playful glint in their eye, "Oh yeah? You wanna bet?"
He yawned again, "I'll have to take that bet later, I think I'd break something if I did any more lifting today." Arwyn had no idea what they had planned for if he did try to throw them, but he felt like it was probably a trap of some kind.
Alex huffed and pouted, "Aww, really? Damn."
Arwyn furrowed his brow, "What, were you looking forward to me trying to throw you out a window?"
They snickered, "I was looking forward to proving you wrong, but I'll save the 'why' for later, when you actually try."
After thinking for a moment, Arwyn reached his hand out and placed it on Alex's head before ruffling their hair again, much to their chagrin. He smirked, "I figured you had some trick up your sleeve. You're way different from what I expected a spirit to be like, you know that, Fairy Blue?"
Alex, again, took hold of his wrist with both of their hands and pulled his hand off their head, "What'd I say about ruffling the spirit?" It was hard to tell if they were blushing when they were in their spirit form, other than their cheeks darkening slightly in color, yet Arwyn was still able to pick up on it.
He smiled, "What? It's fun." He pulled his hand back and rested it on the bed, "So, was there some reason you came here, or are you just getting too used to having me around?"
That seemed to jog their memory, "Ooh, right. I wanted to give you this!" They made a gesture with their hands, and Arwyn got a new notification.
NEW FAIRYTALE UNLOCKED!
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
A classic tale of many different endings and meanings. Will the big bad wolf devour you, in the end, or will your wiles, wit, and keen judgment keep you out of its jaws?
NEW FAIRYTALE CHARACTER UNLOCKED
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
"My, what a large soul you have. Glowing bright and resonating like a pulsing heart, but you must be wary. Those with the brightest, whitest, teeth, are often those who mean take what you desire! Embrace me, and together, we shall never be fooled again."
Over the river and through the woods, to new destinations you go. Little Red Riding Hood, when called upon, gives you the ability to see through lies much easier, garnered from her experience of naivety.
He blinked a few times and dismissed the notification, "I… See." He looked at his hands, "I don't feel as weird as I did with Alice, at least." He snickered and joked, "Now I just kind of feel like I could really go for a cookie."
Alex rolled their eyes, "Ha ha. Congrats on your second fairytale."
Maybe it was the newly instilled fairytale, but he was feeling somewhat playful. He scooted a bit closer to them, "What's the matter, Fairy Blue? You know… You look pretty cute when you're jealous."
Not for the first time that day, he expected Alex to brush it off, and not for the first time that day, he received a very different reaction. Their eyes widened and then they crossed their arms and looked away, "Wh- I- Y-You! Ugh! D-Don't say stupid stuff like that! It doesn't work-"
Then, he received a notification, and he had to imagine this one was from the System itself.
NEW FAIRYTALE
PETER PAN
Neverland, where none age and where none worry, where all the lost boys and girls can be free. Within it is an eclectic group of characters, each bringing their own abilities to the table. Hopefully, you won't need a Neverland.
NEW FAIRYTALE CHARACTER
TINKER BELL
"The circumstances of our lives often deal us a bad hand, do they not? A Tinker, a Spirit, is there much of a difference? We were both given something while something greater was taken away. Are you a lost boy? Where is your Neverland? Embrace me, and let us find it together…"
Through your journey you will find that if you believe hard enough, almost anything is possible. In its current form, utilizing this fairytale character grants you the ability to glide for upwards of a minute. Try to fall with style!
As he dismissed the notification he saw Alex looking absolutely aghast. Arwyn smiled smugly, "So… Tinker Bell, huh?" After a brief amount of thought, he felt it made complete sense, "So… Do you have fairy dust or something?"
Alex let out a strangled noise that sounded somewhere between an angry groan and a whine before they shook their head, "L-Look! I didn't decide that! And no, I don't have fairy dust! A-And that doesn't mean anything, anyway!'
Arwyn tilted his head, "But… doesn't that mean we're better friends now? Here, I'll check."
He went to pull up Alex's information, however, he found he couldn't access their personal data anymore. They shook their head again, "Nuh uh! Not happening! Okay, bye, I've got… Stuff to do!" And then, without another word, they vanished.
That left Arwyn incredibly amused, confused, curious, and some other emotions. He had no idea what was going on in Alex's head at any given time. He muttered, "Always a mystery…"
Then, Arwyn set about preparing to go to bed. The next day, he hoped, he'd be able to do some shopping for more clothes. Provided he could get some money first, at least.
/-/
'Murderhobo' sighed, her raccoon tail swished behind her as she trudged through the city streets of Vale, wearing the same outfit she was just the night before. On her back was a black and gold sheath containing a scimitar. A distortive aura around her body obscured the areas peripheral to her, not that there was anyone around to see it.
"What's a girl to do…" She muttered, "Grandpa didn't raise a killer, but, they've gotta learn. They need to learn the true nature of this world." She scoffed, "He'll get over it when I see him again, eventually."
She entered a bar that was somewhat busy, people were talking amongst themselves. Nobody paid her any mind as she made her way to the bar counter, likely due to the weapon on her back. She asked for something non-alcoholic and then turned her attention to listening to the people around her.
A burly older guy got up and left, and after that, conversation changed, "Hey, isn't that Harry?"
"The factory worker? Yeah. Did you hear what he does to his family after a few drinks?"
"Yeah… Shit, dunno why the cops haven't gotten him yet."
"They say there's no evidence, tsch… If I was a fighting man, I'd take his kids away myself."
The girl was given her drink, which she quickly downed, left some money on the counter, and then got up. She muttered, "Nobody will mind this one, right?" As she reached the door, she pushed it open and spotted the man in the distance, "Call me an abused neglected male reader because I'm about to kill someone's dad." She giggled a strangely dorky giggle, as if what she'd said was the funniest thing ever said.
She kept walking, letting off a small snort as she continued to laugh. She was only stopped when she heard a familiar girl's voice behind her, "Vi, really? Now?" She turned and saw Techie approaching her. Techie was wearing a pair of jeans and a black jacket that hid a green T-shirt, on her back was what appeared to be a decent sized backpack.
'Vi' huffed, "What, whaaat? Nobody's gonna miss one douchebag. If things are going to be this boring for this long, I might as well do this place some justice before I start helping with our 'boss'' little project." She rolled her eyes, "If the money wasn't so good I'd have turned it down."
Techie sighed and stuck a hand in her jeans' pocket, "Ugh… So is this one at least… You know?" At Vi's nod, Techie rolled her eyes, "Okay, fine." She pulled her backpack off her back and unzipped it. Out came a rectangular piece of metal that she pressed a button on. Suddenly, the thing began floating in her hand as a camera lens revealed itself, acting as an eye. Wind and gravity dust created visible exhaust beneath it. Techie said, "Pod, work on jamming the security systems as we walk, will you? Thanks."
Pod did as was asked, whirring as it set to work silently. The two girls began to walk together as they tracked the man who was getting further away by the moment. Techie muttered, "Already have an idea about this guy's address, this should be easy… Better to paint one house red than a whole town, I guess."
/-/
On the other side of town, a fifteen year old boy walked alone down the road.
He was fair skinned, with hair colored like a starry night sky, with, fittingly, white stars across it. His eyes were the same color, his irises were shaped like five-point stars, and colored a deep blue. He was wearing a ratty old blue jacket, a black T-shirt underneath that was in similar condition, jeans that had holes in them, and a pair of old black shoes.
An older man in a parked van called to him, "Hey kid! What's your name? Need a ride?"
Curious but wary, the boy walked over to the man and asked, "Orion Starborn. Can you take me to a Huntsman?" His soft voice was filled with trepidation.
The older man said, "Course, course! Wherever you need to go."
The boy put his hand on the side of the van, and then suddenly it began to change.
What was once a white van began to shift and change, as growing from where he touched it, Small stars began to twinkle across it as the matter grew, and he recoiled, voice filled with fright, "N-No! Not again! Y-You gotta run!"
The older man was confused, but the boy was already running away. He went to do just that, but then the doors of his van were overtaken by the starmatter. The ground beneath it began to crack and then the van fell into a newly created sinkhole, taking the man with it.
Orion continued to run as fast as he could, but the explosion beat him to the punch. As he heard it go off, he dove and covered his head, his eyes wide and filled with dread and horror.
An explosion that sent out golden star-shaped objects hurtling all over the city block rocked Vale, deafening anyone not protected by an aura who was too close, and crushing anyone without one beneath the buildings that took the brunt of the sudden detonation.
Orion was lucky enough to be behind two sets of buildings already by that point, and for the explosion to have been weakened by starting underground, so while the explosion reached the buildings around him, he managed to avoid harm. Exhausted as he was from what he had done accidentally, he still found the energy to scramble up as buildings around him collapsed. He muttered, "I'm a monster, a monster, a monster…" Then, losing his balance due to exhaustion, he fell forward. As he began to lose consciousness, he muttered…
"Someone… h-help me…"