Chapter 2: Youngblood
My dreams had been fairly empty, besides that odd voice I kept hearing. It was the same voice as the one I heard when I was sleeping on the Bullhead. As I lay floating in the void between dreams, a bunch of noise starts making its way through the fog. It's the sound of too many conversations at once. My eyes shoot open, and I sit up. The light coming in through the windows stabs my eyes, causing me to blink.
The ballroom in more alive than it was last night. Dozens of potential students roaming around, chatting, or simply eating food. Most are dressed already. Penny is sitting next to me cross-legged, wearing her normal clothes again. I must have overslept again. Hell, I might have kept on sleeping if not for the noise.
"Good morning, Michael!" Penny says. "You had an uninterrupted night of sleep!"
"Uh… thanks?" I say. What does that even mean? "I'm going to get ready."
"That is a good idea," says Penny. "I will wait for you here."
As I stand up, the big screens around the room light up, displaying Miss Goodwitch.
"Good morning, everyone," she says. "Today you will all go through your initiation. Now, as there are quite a large number of you, we will be dividing you into a number of groups. You will each be receiving a group number in your scrolls. The group numbers will be called as the previous groups have completed their initiation. When the number of the group you are assigned to is called, you will report to the area behind the school along the edge of the cliff. Good luck to all of you."
The moment the screen turns back off, my scroll pings. As does everyone else's. I open mine up to see the message.
'You are assigned to group 2' is what it says.
"What group are you in?" I ask Penny.
"Group two," she says, putting her scroll away. "Which one did you get assigned to?"
"Two," I answer.
Penny grins wide. "Excellent!" She says. "I can demonstrate my combat ability to you!"
I give a halfhearted chuckle.
"I'm at least interested to see your weapon of choice," I say. "So long as it doesn't involve Christopher Walkin."
Penny cocks her head at me.
"Why would my weapon involve a film actor?" She asks.
"Because he-" Nah she wouldn't get that one either. "Don't worry I was just joking, Penny."
"Oh, I see," Penny says. "Perhaps you could explain it to me. And in exchange, I can show you my weapon."
"Sounds good, but can it wait till after I take a shower and get dressed?" I rub my neck, trying to get a knot out of it.
"Of course," Penny says. "As I mentioned before, that would be a good idea."
I nod and start packing up, then start for the locker room. At first, I try carefully weaving through all the people walking around, but it becomes more and more irritating so instead I start walking straight to the door. People moved out of my way when they realize I'm not stopping my stride. The place is pretty cleared out at this point, which makes the amount of noise in here that much more baffling. There's no one left in here that I recognize.
Walking down the hallway, which isn't as cold as it was last night, I pull the pack of cigarettes out of my things and light one. The cacophony of words being exchanged in the ballroom can still be heard echoing down the hallway. Even as I get to the lockeroom, which has its own set of noises coming from it. A few conversations, some people not remembering their locker number, and water running from sinks and showers alike. I planned on taking a shower myself, might as well, and maybe brush my teeth while I'm at it. Which won't take long. Back in Atlas I got used to taking quick showers, cold ones in the morning to wake you up and warm ones in the evening to relax the muscles.
The cool water hits my skin like a bag of ice, as refreshing as it is jarring. It takes me all of eight minutes to get in, get everything done, and get out. As I step out, towel around my waist, I do get a few stares from the girls and guys both. I think I heard a "Damn he's cut" from one of them and a "think he's compensating" from another. Something tells me it's not as good natured of a joke like the marines back home dish to each other. Shaking my head, I grab my bags and step into the changing area.
Clothes back on, jeans tucked into my boots, every strap and belt tight, and my jacket unzipped, ready and able. I'm particular about my clothes. Especially my jacket. Not because of sentimentality, but because it has saved my life a few times. The graphene weave under the leather has stopped plenty of stray bullets, shrapnel, and teeth from knocking the life out of me. Although I did take a hammer to the side once and got a few cracked ribs out of it. That was a fun couple of days.
Fully dressed, I grab my weapons.
Sabot Lance, a high-tech longsword with a rifle barrel running the length of the blade, a large magazine above the hilt, and a carbon fiber grip long enough for me to use both hands. At the press of a button, It can change into a high caliber semi-automatic rifle. I put it in one of the sheaths on my left hip and grab my other blade. Edge Zero, a double-edged straight blade katana capable of dust-enhanced cutting and shooting energy blasts. I put it in the other sheath on my left hip. All that's left is the handgun James gave me. Picking it up, I pause and just look at it. The sins of the father are paid by the son. Sins of the father… nah that's not a good name. I spin the pistol around my finger before holstering it. I stretch my back and start back to the ballroom. Let's hope Penny didn't get into trouble.
Penny is right where I left her. Still sitting cross-legged on the floor. Although there is a sort of metal case on her back, which she didn't have when I left for the shower.
"You've returned," she says as I approach. "I had a very interesting conversation with Yang and Ruby while you were preparing."
"What about?" I kneel down in front of Penny.
"The formation of teams," she answers. "Ruby seemed to be nervous about being on a team with people she doesn't know, while Yang was encouraging Ruby to find new friends. They had asked me who I wanted to be on a team with. They also mentioned that they had heard that there is a nationally ranked fighter enrolled here."
"So, what'd you tell them?" I ask. "About who you wanted to be on a team with, I mean."
"Oh uh..." Penny shuffles her hands nervously. "Well… it would be most practical to be on your team, as you are tasked with looking after me. Also… you're very familiar to me. You remind me of General Ironwood. He was always kind to me."
"Awe," I say. "That's sweet. I'd enjoy being on your team as well, Penny."
"Really?!" Penny's eyes light up and her smile touches her eyes. Suddenly she jumps to her feet. "Sensational!"
"Hehhehheh." I laugh and stand up. "I look forward to it, Miss Polendina."
"As do I, Sir Silver-Chulainn," Penny says.
We share another laugh. Then it occurs to me that when I had fallen asleep last night, it was before she came back last night. I had meant to ask her about how her call went. Mostly in regard to if the call worked at all. There aren't many communication devices outside of the CCT that can transmit a signal across that great of a distance.
"Penny?" I say.
"Yes Michael?" she responds.
"How'd your call with your father go last night?" I ask. "Considering the difficulties with long range communication."
"Oh!" Penny starts. "Distance is not and obstacle with this particular device. We had a pleasant conversation. He was concerned about my wellbeing, however. He worries about me being this far from home. Specifically, he asked how I have handled myself thus far. He was delightfully surprised I have adapted as much as I have in less than twenty-four hours. I imagine I have you to thank for that, at least in part."
"Don't mention it," I say. "Sounds like your father cares about you a lot."
"Affirmative," Penny says. "He is a very caring man and I love him dearly."
"That's a good relationship to have. A very important one, too." One you should cherish for as long as you have it.
"Would you like to see my weapon now?" Penny asks, grinning. "I retrieved it while you were getting ready."
"Go for it." I push my other thoughts aside.
Penny grins harder and crosses her arms over her chest. Six single edged blades appear behind her, having extended from the case on her back. Three on her left and three on her right. I guess that explains that then. The blades begin moving independently of each other in the air. I touch the point of one of them, with very little pressure, and my finger starts bleeding.
"Yeouch." I start sucking the tip of my finger. "Do you control those with your mind or something?
"N-not exactly," Penny says.
"How then?" I asked.
"It… would be too complicated to explain at the moment. 'hiccup'"
"If you say so," I say. "Do you need some water?"
"No thank you," Penny says.
The speakers spark to life.
"Group One report to the launch zone. Group One."
A bunch of the other students that are still in the ballroom stop whatever they are doing and file out the door.
My stomach growls and I realize how hungry I am.
"Wanna track down the dining hall?" I ask. "I'm starving."
"Affirmative," Penny says.
Back into the hallway we go.
The dining hall isn't hard to find, since it's much larger than the ballroom, and the atrium for that matter. The tables and benches form rows that span almost the entire length of the room, only broken up by stone pillars holding up the ceiling. On one side are the carts of food running along the windows into the kitchen, where there are a dozen staff cooking and cleaning. The carts themselves are full of various breakfast foods, sausage patties, sausage links, bacon, and scrambled eggs in the heated pans. A tray of toast, pancakes, and waffles sitting on the unheated sections. A few boxes of cereal are sitting on the very edge. A few jugs of milk and pitchers of orange juice sitting tucked into trays of ice, and on the opposite side from the cereal sit some bowls of warm oatmeal and all the condiments ever made. I grab a plate and put a small amount of bacon, sausage links, and eggs on it, pour myself a glass of milk, and go to sit down with Penny. She doesn't have a plate herself.
"Not hungry?" I ask her as I sit down.
"No," she says. "I had breakfast before you woke up. 'hiccup'"
"Oh," I say. "Alright then."
I dig into my food, careful not to eat too fast or too much. I figure there'll be intense physical activity involved during the initiation, which is hard to do when feeling over full. Penny just sits there, occasionally looking around. It's kinda creepy actually. There's a flash of bright red and yellow in the corner of my eye. Turning my head, I can see Yang and Ruby headed our way with trays of food. Penny perks up when she notices them.
"Good morning and salutations Ruby and Yang!" Penny says.
"Hi Penny!" Ruby says. "Hi Michael!"
"Sup guys," says Yang.
"Good morning, Yang, Ruby," I say. "Wanna have a seat?"
"You bet," Ruby says.
The two girls sit down. Yang has a glass of orange juice and a bowl of fruit over yogurt. Ruby has a glass of milk and a plate piled high with cookies. I didn't even see cookies up there.
"Cookies for breakfast?" I say. "I can understand the milk. It's full of protein and a bunch of added vitamins. But cookies?"
"Do not shame my cookies sir!" Ruby points at me then eats a whole cookie in one bite. "All true badasses eat cookies!"
"Don't worry," Yang chimes in. "She eats actual food. But her semblance makes her need a lot of calories."
Well now I have questions. There are entirely too many semblance types out there to really pin something like that down. Sure, everyone's semblance is unique, but they can all technically be put into a certain category. She's probably a speedster of some variety, or maybe a conductor. She could be a form of esper, but they usually have very analytical minds. Which I get the sense Ruby does not have. Not yet anyway. There's a few dozen more categories I could go through, but I doubt she's any of them. At this point, it would make more sense just to ask-
"What is your semblance?" Penny asks Ruby.
Rather than say what it was, Ruby just grins. Then suddenly she isn't there and a red streak goes around the dining hall, trailing rose petals. As fast as she disappeared, she's back in her seat eating another cookie.
"That," Ruby says and eats the cookie.
She's definitely proud of herself. In direct contrast with her awkward behavior yesterday with everyone except Yang.
"A speedster then," I say.
Ruby Nods. Yes. I knew it.
"That would most definitely require a higher calorie intake than most others," Penny says.
"That's my baby sister!" Yang pulls Ruby's hood over her face. "Adorable little food vacuum."
"Stop it!" Ruby slaps Yang's hand away and pulls her hood back.
Yang laughs. I chuckle. Penny smiles.
Wait. Ruby is younger?
"Are you actual sisters?" I ask. "As in blood related?"
"Yep! Best sisters ever!" Ruby says, then whispers. "But it's awful living with her."
Yang gives Ruby a light punch in the arm.
"Technically we're half-sisters," Yang says. "Same dad, different moms."
Which implies a lot of things. None of which I want to know about.
"And you're younger, Ruby?" I ask.
"Yessir," Ruby answers. Then she looks down and fiddles with her hands. "I'm fifteen."
"Damn!" I honestly wasn't expecting that. "Who'd you impress to join the most prestigious Hunter academy there is two years early?"
"Headmaster Ozpin," Ruby answers.
"A man not easily impressed," Penny says.
"What did you do?" I ask.
"Well there was a robbery the night before last," she starts, looking more enthusiastic than she was just seconds ago. "That dust shop on the south side of Vale."
"I heard about that on the news," I say.
"Indeed," Penny says. "When we arrived yesterday it was playing on the holo-screens. You stopped it ruby?"
"Yeah!" Ruby is much more excited now.
She tells us the full story, with lots of movement and arm flailing. How she was reading a comic in the back and browsing. How she didn't know the bad guys were there because of her headphones, until they tried to rob her. She got more and more excited and her movements more exaggerated. All the while, Yang sits watching, with an expression that seems equal parts pride in her little sister and amusement. Ruby concludes the story with how the bad guys, Roman Torchwick and some lady with fire powers, got away. But Miss Goodwitch, who had shown up to try to catch the bad guys, took Ruby to the local police station. Which is where she met Headmaster Ozpin, and he offered her a spot here at Beacon.
"That was quite a story," I say. "It's difficult for first and second years to keep up with seasoned Hunters, let alone a girl two years from it."
"You must have exceptional skill," Penny says.
"She sure does," Yang says and ruffles Ruby's hair.
Ruby turns her head away, any sign of her pride or enthusiasm now long gone.
The girls finish eating their food just as I eat my last slice of bacon.
"No meat, Yang?" I say between chewing.
"I try to avoid fatty or greasy meat, which is all they put out. It's a lot of work keeping this figure." Yang flexes one arm and uses the other to pull up her jacket to show off her six pack. "I bet you know what I'm talking about, eh big guy?"
"Actually, I've never had that problem," I say. "Atlas trains everyone to be in peak condition. Whether it be soldiers, Hunters, or students. And when you have two parents that went from being Hunters to being Specialists, that kind of life starts early. Fitness is more about consistent exercise than it is about dieting."
"Damn," Yang says. "You must be quite the badass. I bet you're not as cut as me though. Not if you eat like you just were all the time. How about a demonstration for us ladies?" She laughs.
"Yang don't be so embarrassing!" Ruby holds her face in her hands.
"That's gonna be a negative," I say to Yang.
Ruby looks at me confused.
"That means 'no'," Penny whispers to Ruby.
"Oh you're no fun," says Yang.
"Yeah yeah," I say. "What initiation group did you two get slotted into?"
"Group two," the sisters say at the same time.
"Same as us," I say. Penny nods.
The speakers give a few pops as they turn on again.
"Group two report to the launch zone. Group 2."
"Speaking of…" I stand up and roll my shoulders. "We better get going."
"Affirmative," Penny says.
The girls stand up. The four of us, and several other students, make our way out of the dining hall and towards our destination. Murmers of excitement all around.
There are thirty-two of us, not counting Headmaster Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch. Each of us standing on square, stone plates on the ground as instructed by Miss Goodwitch when we arrived. Ruby and Yang are standing next to each other, and Penny is standing to my left. Blake is here, as is the Schnee girl, and I see Rhys and Natsuki as well, all looking ready for a fight. Jaune, I think that's his name, is shifting uncomfortably on the plate furthest to the right. There's a guy with a black ponytail wearing white pants and a green kimono. An outfit resembling that of a Mistrali Warrior House. Next to him is a short ginger girl wearing all white and pink clothes, including a white skirt fluttering in the gentle breeze. On my right is an extremely tall girl, with her scarlet hair in a ponytail, bronze armor plating and a tiara to match around her forehead, although I assume it's not actually bronze, and leather boots. Lastly, the remaining four I can see include a blonde guy with a mohawk, a brown-haired guy with squinted eyes, a guy with slicked back silver hair, and a ginger guy almost my height. I don't know any of them, but I heard the ginger is named Cardin, and he's an asshole. That's what I head, but I guess I'll find out for myself soon enough. They're all wearing some form of armor, with Cardin wearing the heaviest and most expensive looking. I can't get a look at the other sixteen.
The Headmaster clears his throat to get everyone's attention.
"For years," The Headmaster starts. "You have trained to become warriors. Some of you were taught in one of the various academies or trained with the military. Others may have been taught under the guidance and tutelage of retired Hunters or someone in their family. The how is unimportant. Today, each and every one of you will have your abilities tested and evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
Headmaster Ozpin gestures to the expanse of forest behind him, below the cliff. Miss Goodwitch takes a step forward.
"Now," Goodwitch says. "I'm sure many of you have heard rumors regarding the assignment of teams. Allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates today."
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon.," Ozpin says. "So it would be in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you work well. That being said, the first person you make contact with upon landing will be your partner for the next four years."
"What?!" Ruby almost whines. I can't tell if she's more nervous or confused.
"After you have partnered up," The Headmaster continues. "Make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy anything in your path, or you will die."
There's some minor chatter, with a nervous laugh from Jaune. This is sure to be interesting.
"You will be monitored and evaluated through the duration of your initiation," Ozpin said. "But our instructors will not intervene. Your goal is an abandoned temple, where you will find several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"
Jaune raises his hand.
"Yes," he says. "Um, sir?"
"Good," Ozpin says, ignoring him. "Now take your positions."
Everyone starts to ready up. Some taking various stances, some simply raising their fists, and others pulling their weapons out.
"Uh, sir?" Jaune says. "I've got um, a question."
The panel under the Schnee girl springs up and forward, causing her to launch off the cliff. Looks like that's how we're getting into the forest.
"So, this landing… strategy thing," Jaune continues. "Uh, wh-what is it? You're, like, dropping us off or something?"
Oh boy. Jaune is gonna have some issues.
"No," Ozpin says. "You will be falling."
More would-be students get launched, one by one. Jaune apparently not noticing. Those guys on the end, the ginger girl, the Mistrali guy, Rhys, Blake, and Natsuki are launched.
"Oh uh, I see," Jaune says. "Were parachutes handed out?"
"No," Ozpin says again. "You will be using your own landing strategy."
"Good luck Penny," I say, pulling my goggles down over my eyes. "I'll see you in the forest."
"Good luck to you as well Michael," Penny says.
Penny launches. I stretch my back and put my left foot forward.
"Let's do this," I say.
The panel springs out. I'm launched into the air and over the cliff.
The wind rushes past me, drowning out almost all other sounds. My hair and jacket flutter as I begin to arc downward. There are a few others I can see implementing their 'landing strategies' as they get nearer to the trees. Time for my own I suppose. With a little concentration, my hands become reptilian claws with white and gold scales. It goes all the way up my arms, but that's concealed by my jacket. I reach for a tree and my claws dig in, slowing me down but not stopping me. I reach for another as I fall, this time latching on and stopping on a branch.
"WOOOOOH!"
I look up and see Yang fly overhead, cheering as she goes. I shake my head and look for the sun. Going by the time of day… Alright, I know where north is. I jump down from the branch, using the claws of my right hand to slow my fall. My claws go away, and I start walking north.
The forest is fairly quiet, with nothing but the ambience of bugs occasionally broken by gunfire. The light breeze carries the smell of flowers and wood, as well as honeysuckle.
I didn't make it far before I felt the burning sensation of a pair of eyes watching me. Drawing my handgun, I turn towards where the sensation is coming from. As if on cue, out of the bushes and trees walks a massive, bear-like creature covered in fur as black as night and bone plates. It glares at me with blood red eyes full of hate. An Ursa Major, much larger than a regular Ursa. Like all creatures of grimm, it wants to kill all human and faunus life. Mine just happens to be the nearest. I take aim at its head.
"ROOOOWWWWAAAR!
The Ursa lets loose a massive roar and stands up on its hind legs. I fire my gun into the underside of its skull. One shot. That's all I need. The grimm's head explodes in a spray of shadow and blood. As the Ursa falls to the ground, its body disintegrates into black mist that quickly dissipates. I holster my gun and keep moving north.
"Gotta find Yang," I say.
Being launched head-first into the forest was not exactly what I was expecting. I landed okay, but now I don't even know if I'm running north. I never understood how to figure that out without a gps. My cloak fluttering behind me, I keep running. I need to find Yang.
"Gotta find Yang gotta find Yang gotta find Yang." I cup my hands around my mouth as I run. "Yang! Yaaaaaang!"
Okay this is bad. This is very bad. What if I can't find her? What if someone else find her first? C'mon Ruby Rose, pull yourself together. There are other people I know in here. Let's see… Jaune. He's nice, and funny, but I don't think he'd be much help in a fight… Oh what about Blake? So calm, so mysterious. Plus, she likes books! But I don't think I'd be able to hold much of a conversation with her… ugh! Hmm… There's Penny. She's always so excited, and she's really smart. And she's… as awkward as I am… Maybe Michael, he's strong, and smart. Yang said he trained with the military, and I think Blake said he likes books too. He's kinda scary though. Okay who else do I know at this school? Yang, Blake, Jaune, Penny, Michael, and…
There's a girl dressed in white ahead. I skid to a halt in front of her. She turns and looks at me with cold blue eyes. It's Weiss. She keeps staring at me, and I stare back at her, then she just turns and walks away from me.
"Wait where are you going?!" I kick the ground. "We're supposed to be partners…"
This is gonna be difficult, having her as a partner. But maybe I can prove to her I'm not a screw up? I just gotta show her I can at least fight really well.
"By no means does this make us friends," Weiss says.
I look up and Weiss is walking past me. She grabs my hood and starts pulling me.
"You came back!" I cheer.
She lets go of me and I started walking next to her, but she quickly walks out ahead of me.
"What's the hurry?" I ask.
"I will not allow my mission to be delayed because you're too slow," Weiss says. "I swear, if I get a bad grade because of you-"
I use my semblance to run out in front of Weiss super-fast.
"What the-"
"I'm not slow, see?" I say. "You don't have to worry about me!"
"When did-" Weiss tries to talk again.
"Weiss just because I don't exactly know how to deal with other people doesn't mean I don't know how to deal with monsters." I put my left arm around Weiss. "You're about to see a whole different side of me today, Weiss, and after it's all over you're gonna be like 'Wow, that girl Ruby is really, really cooool. And I wanna be her friend.'"
I race out ahead of her again, leaving a trail of rose petals.
"You may be fast," Weiss says. "But you still excel at wasting time!"
I roll my eyes and stop running to wait.
"Ruby!" Weiss yells. She sounds scared.
"Weiss? Weiss I'm coming!"
I take off back towards Weiss. She's surrounded by tall wolf things walking on their hind legs. Beowolves. Weiss has her sword ready, but she looks frozen in place. Like she's too scared to move. Don't worry Weiss, I'll help you out. I grab my weapon from my back and unfold her into a massive scythe. Oh Crescent Rose, such a work of art. I run out in front of Weiss and cut the Beowolf in half that she was looking at. Then suddenly a tree to my left explodes. Fire and tree bits fly everywhere, with a trail of fire leading back to... Weiss?
"Oh crap," I say. "Weiss what the heck!?"
"Me?!" Weiss shouts. "You ran in front of my attack!"
"You were frozen in place!" I shout back. "You weren't doing anything!"
"I was preparing to strike!" Weiss stomps her foot.
"Hooowwwlll!" The Beowolves growl at us.
The fire is spreading from the tree Weiss hit.
"We need to get out of here," Weiss says.
I nod, grab Weiss by the waist, and take off using my semblance to outrun anything. A few seconds should be good. Skidding to a halt, I let go of Weiss. She stumbles a little before standing up straight.
"What were you thinking?!" Weiss shouts. "I could've killed you with my attack!"
"You'll need to try a lot harder than that!" I yell back. "I can handle myself, I'm not a child!"
"Then stop acting like one!" Weiss crosses her arms.
"Well excuse me for not being perfect like you princess!" I throw my arms into the air.
"I never said I was perfect!" Weiss turns and starts walking away. "But I'm leagues better than you."
That... No she... Th-that's not true... You...
"You don't even know me…" Hanging my head, I follow after her.
The wind starts blowing harder. A lot harder, and with a lot of whooshing.
"Caw…"
"Huh?" I look up. There's a bird getting bigger in the sky. "Weiss?"
"Don't talk to me," she says.
It's not getting bigger, it's getting closer. And it's not just a bird, it's a Giant Nevermore. A Grimm.
"SCRAAWW!"
"Weiss!"
It swoops down upon us and I scream.
"Wait, come back!" I shout after Weiss. "At least help me down! Please? Oh…"
She's not coming back for you Jaune. You botched that first impression in the locker room in front of her and everyone else. You started to hit on one girl only to immediately drop your jaw because of some blonde and tried to hit on her instead. You made yourself look like a damn idiot. And now you're stuck in a tree, being held up by a spear stabbed through your hoodie and into the previously mentioned tree.
A girl walks out around some trees and bushes. She's wearing bronze armor and her bright red hair is held back in a ponytail. She's looking up at me with beautiful green eyes. I talked to her in the locker room too, when I was hitting on that blonde girl, Yang. What was her name…
"Do you have any spots left on your team, Jaune?" she asks.
"Very funny," I say. Then I look at her with a smile, and she smiles back. "Could you get me down please?"
"Oh, of course," She says.
She reaches out, and the spear flies to her hand. I fall to the ground, just barely staying on my feet. Her spear collapses into a sword and she puts it on her back with a round shield that matches her armor.
"Thanks for helping me," I say. "How'd you even make the shot?"
"I've trained most of my life for things like that." She looks kinda sad about it.
"Pyrrha, right?" I ask. She nods. "Thank you. Do you know which way north is?"
"Indeed I do," Pyrrha says. "Follow me Jaune."
I follow Pyrrha, which is probably the best decision I've made in awhile. At least she knows what she's doing. And I can use all the help I can get. She pushes a branch out of her way and lets go of it, and the branch swings back and hits me in the face.
"Ow!" I feel my cheek, and my fingers come away bloody. "Dang."
"Jaune I'm sorry!" Pyrrha puts her hands on my shoulders. "Are you okay?
"Yeah," I say. "It's just a scratch."
"Why didn't you use your aura?" Pyrrha asks.
"My what now?"
"Your aura," she repeats.
"Gazoontite," I say.
"No Jaune, your aura." Pyrrha squints at me. "Do you know what aura is?"
"Pfft, I know what aura is," I say. "I just... don't know how it works."
"It is the physical manifestation of our soul," Pyrrha explains. "It bears our burdens and shields our hearts. Have you ever felt like you were being watched, without knowing someone was there?"
"Uh… yeah." I say.
"With practice, it can be our shield," Pyrrha continues. "Everyone has it, even animals."
"What about monsters?"
"No," she says. "The monsters we fight, the creatures of Grimm, have no soul. They are the manifestation of destruction and evil as we know it to be. They are the darkness, and we are the light."
"Right," I say. "That's why we fight them."
"It's not about why, it's about knowing. Understanding the balance of light and dark helps us control our aura more effectively. Everyone has some of both. By bearing your soul outward as a force, you can deflect harm. By bringing it inward, you can heal wounds or increase your strength."
"So it's like a force field," I say.
"If you want to look at it that way, then yes," Pyrrha says. She gets closer to me and puts one hand on my shoulder and the other on my cheek. "Now, close your eyes and concentrate."
"Uh… okay?" I close my eyes and try to focus on the stinging of my cheek.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality," Pyrrha says. "Through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul and by my shoulder protect thee."
I feel warm for a second, and the sting from the scratch is gone. Opening my eyes, I see Pyrrha hunched over.
"Pyrrha?" I say. "Are you alright?"
"It's alright," she says. "I used my aura to unlock yours. It took some effort from me, but the energy that protects you now is your own. You have a lot of it."
She smiles at me. A warm and kind smile that makes me smile myself.
I look at my hands. They're covered in a silver light that fades quickly. Reaching up to my cheek, there's no more cut at all. Just dried blood.
"Woah..." I say.
"Come on," Pyrrha says. "We have a lot of ground to cover."
"Right behind you," I say.
Pyrrha and I keep going, probably the right way. I trust Pyrrha's sense of direction better than mine anyway. Feels like we've been walking for a good fifteen minutes. The forest opens up a little, but we're at a wall of rock with a cave entrance. There's stick drawings around the opening.
"Think maybe the relics are in there?" I ask.
"I'm not sure," Pyrrha says. "The Headmaster said we're looking for a temple, not a cave."
"Maybe there's a temple inside the cave?" I suggest.
Several loud bangs and crashes go off in the distance. Like explosions or something.
"What was that?" I ask.
"Gunfire," Pyrrha answers. "Some of our comrades must have encountered the enemy."
"I guess we should get mov-"
A noise came from the cave. Like a growl. Then six red lights appear in the shadows. That can't be good.
"Uh Pyrrha?" I say. "We've got a problem."
Pyrrha turns and looks at the cave. She goes almost white.
"Run," she says.
"SCREEEE!"
The thing in the cave screeches and bursts out into the light. A giant scorpion covered in white bone plates.
"Run!" Pyrrha repeats.
She takes off away from the scorpion and I follow close behind. The sounds of trees falling and branches breaking follow us.
Alright Penny. You're combat ready. You are best suited for situations of this nature. Time to find Michael.
North is my goal, and so that is the direction I shall go. I have no trouble navigating the dense vegetation; however, my dress does get caught on thorns more than is desirable.
Having only walked for eight minutes and thirty-seven seconds, I encounter rustling from the foliage. Activating my Floating Array, I aim one of the blades at the location of the disturbance.
"Reveal yourself, creature of grimm," I say. "I am combat ready."
"What are you on about?" says a female voice.
A girl, not a grimm, comes out of the bushes. She is taller than me, and dressed in white, red, and orange gear with leather pants and boots. Her gold and orange hair is unkempt, except for a braid with feathers tied into it and a bandana holding her hair back. On her hips are two large guns in leather holsters. She glares at me with pale orange eyes.
"Do I look like a grimm to you?" she asks.
"No," I say. "I simply heard rustling. It is more likely that I would find grimm in this forest than a person."
"You did find another person," the girl says. "And it looks like we're partners now."
She's right. I wish I had found Michael first though. It would have made his assignment easier, as well as my father's request. However, that is no longer an option.
"Alright partner," I say. "My name is Penny Polendina. Salutations!"
"Natsuki Hayes," the girl says. "You're a chipper one, aren't you?"
"Affirmative!"
"We better get going," Natsuki says. "Follow me. I know where we need to go."
"As do I," I say. "Lead on Natsuki."
Natsuki raises an eyebrow then shakes her head. I follow her through the forest without correcting her, as she is indeed going the correct way.
Seems like I've been walking for, what's it been… fifteen minutes? I've never been good with keeping track of time. Uncle Jimmy tried really hard to teach me how to always know the time, but it never stuck. Still haven't encountered anyone yet, but I've heard several gunshots and explosions. I can't worry about them though; I need to watch my back and keep going north. Besides, I'm sure if anyone is in danger of dying, one of the instructors will step in. Contrary to what the Headmaster said. Simple scare tactic to push everyone to do their best. You see it a lot back home.
"Finally," says a familiar voice. "Another person."
"Rhys," I say, turning to face him. "Good to see you made it this far."
"Likewise," Rhys says. "I guess this makes us partners."
"Sure does," I respond. "You ready to go? I'm not sure how much further we have but we better get going."
"Ready and able. After you, Mike."
I nod and take the lead. Picking the best path I can through the brush. Rhys is looking all around us, while I look out for movement in front of us. We don't walk long before the forest gives way to a clearing on the edge of a cliff.
"We went too far," I say. "We should go west and slightly south."
"Hey whatever you say man," Rhys says. "My sense of direction is absolute ass."
We start back towards the forest, going the direction I said. A black and white lizard comes running out from the tree line. It's small, no bigger than a dog, and sorta looks like a salamander. I believe this type of grimm is called a Urodela, native to Vale. It hisses at us and charges. I draw my pistol, shoot the lizard, and re-holster in one fluid motion.
"Damn!" Rhys shouts. "That's one hell of a quick draw."
"It's all in the reflexes," I joke. "Let's get out of here."
Before I can even take a step, the ground starts to shake. Trees are being knocked over, and the sounds of them crashing fill the air. Coming from the direction we need to go. This won't be pleasant.
"That doesn't sound good," Rhys says.
The sound gets louder, and the quaking gets worse. I draw Sabot Lance from my hip and change it into its rifle mode. Rhys pulls the shielded artillery off his hips, wielding them like tonfas, with the plates covering her forearms and extending just beyond his fists. From the trees, a massive Urodela bursts through. It stares at us and hisses, much louder than the smaller one had. It charges towards us. I dive out of the way. It swings at Rhys with one claw as it goes past him, butt he raises his weapons like a shield to block the blow. He's knocked out of the way, but he keeps his footing. The lizard turns around to face us again, putting its back to the cliff.
Hm. There's an idea.
"I don't think we have the firepower for this," Rhys says.
"Maybe," I say. "Do you have any dust on you? Fire, or impact? Lightning might work too."
"I have a fire crystal." Rhys pulls a red crystal out of his pocket and tossed it to me. "Catch."
I catch it and put Sabot Lance on my back, still in rifle form.
"I'm guessing those tonfas of yours fire explosives?" I ask.
"Righteous Fury," he says. The name of his weapons, I assume. "Yeah, but I only have the two shots before I have to reload. One each."
"Alright," I start. "I can get the crystal under the Urodela and keep it distracted. I'm fast enough it won't hit me. Once the dust is under it, shoot the crystal. Both shots, understand?"
"Got it." Rhys nods.
I take off, curving around to the left, to keep the lizard from looking at Rhys. It launches its tongue at me, but I sidestep and the tongue craters the ground. It jabs again, I sidestep again. Okay I'm almost there. Don't fuck this... Is that a necklace in its teeth? I reach for and grab the necklace, still running. The lizard takes a swipe at me with its claw. I slide under the strike and throw the crystal under the Urodela as I go past. Backpedaling away once I get to my feet, necklace in hand.
"Now!" I shout.
A blast of fire ejects from the back of Rhys' weapons and two large rounds fly out of the front. Both projectiles impact the dust crystal, followed by a massive explosion under the grimm, causing it to launch over the cliff. The pressure wave from the explosion knocks Rhys and me off our feet. Roars of pain and rage from the Urodela echo back up the cliff as it falls, covered in fire. Slowly getting to my feet, I pocket the necklace and walk over to Rhys. He's laying on his back, wide eyed and shellshocked.
"You alright?" I ask.
"Uh huh," Rhys answers, staring at the sky.
"Then get up."
I kick his hip and stick my hand out for him. Rhys refocuses and grabs it. I help him up, which takes more strength than I initially gave. He's a heavy bastard.
"We better get moving before another one shows up," I say.
"Right behind you." Rhys shakes his head, as though to clear it, and follows me as I step back into the forest.
Maybe we can make it to the temple without more trouble.
"help..."
Or not. I stick my fist up, signaling Rhys to stop.
"What is it?" he asks.
I look at him and put a finger to my lips. He nods and doesn't say anything else.
"help...please..."
I scan the area. Where is it coming from... there. There's a bloody hand reaching up from behind some bushes. I run over, knocking the bushes out of the way, and find another student laying propped up against a tree. He's covered in blood. Some is dry, most is fresh, and clearly his own. His body is riddled with punctures and gashes, some are clotted up, some are still oozing. The worst of it is on his left arm. The rise and fall of his chest is uneven, and a few of his ribs may be broken. Which explains the blood he's coughing up. His face is streaked with salt. He had been crying at some point, and for a long time. He looks at me, his blue eyes full of fear. It takes a second, but I recognize him. He was in the ballroom this morning. He left for initiation with our group, I think. Shit…
"Mike what's… Oh my god," Rhys says, now standing over me.
"my friend…" the guy chokes out. "he was… supposed to come back…"
"He's part of our group," I say to Rhys. "Where's your friend?"
The guy tries to point, but he can't lift his arm. Instead, he looks in the direction Rhys and I came from. Towards where we found the Urodela. That might explain the necklace...
"Is there anything we can do for him?" Rhys asks.
"Maybe," I say. "I might be able to stabilize him. But we can't take him with us, and we can't leave him here. Search the area, see if you can find his friend. If you can't find him... we'll get this guy out of here ourselves. Initiation be damned."
"Got it." Rhys disappears into the brush.
I hold up the necklace. The guy's eyes mist up, but no tears fall.
"Does this belong to your friend?" I ask.
He nods. "Mitch…" he whispers.
I put the necklace in his right hand and close his fingers around it. I pull my combat knife out of a sheath on the back of my belt. An Atlas Talon, used by the Specialists, a gift from James when I turned fifteen. Then I take my jacket off and use the knife to cut the sleeves off my shirt. I tear them into strips, then use the strips to bind as many of the deep cuts as I can. It takes a couple minutes, but he's not actively bleeding out anymore.
"Mike!" Rhys steps into view, with a chocolate skinned guy in torn clothes behind him. "I found someone that says he knows this guy."
"Holy shit!" the guy says with a deep yet out of breath voice. "Josh!"
The dark-skinned guy kneels next to the guy on the ground.
"Are you Mitch?" I ask. He nods. "I've stabilized him, but he can't fight, and he can't run on his own. You need to get your friend out of here."
"I will," Mitch says. "I knew we weren't cut out for this shit."
Mitch picks up his friend, Josh, and helps him walk. They start heading in the direction of the academy. Slowly. Hopefully everything in that direction is dead.
"Why didn't the staff help him?" I ask. "If we hadn't found these two, they would have died out here."
"The strong survive and the weak die," Rhys says. "The Headmaster said his people wouldn't intervene. If you're too weak to survive, you die. And if you die, then you were never cut out for being a Hunter."
"That's bullshit," I say. "Hunters are supposed to protect the people that can't protect themselves. Not leave them to die."
"I'm not saying I agree with it," Rhys says. "I'm just telling you why."
I shake my head. I can't believe the supposed veteran heroes can be so callous. I guess I should've expected the different kingdoms to have different ideals.
"C'mon." I wave Rhys to follow me. "We have a job to do."
I'm not as happy about finding the temple as I was expecting to be. It's not much of a temple anymore either. All that's here is a circular stone floor, a few moss-covered pillars and arches, and some pedestals with various chess pieces on them. Two of each actually. Two black knights, two white knights, two black rooks, a black king and queen, and so on. The only thing missing are the two white bishops. Someone has been here already. I examine each piece. There's nothing special or unique about them to set them apart from a normal chess piece, aside from the fact that they're about three times the size of a normal one. Rhys grabs one and shows it to me.
"One is as good as another," he says.
"Black bishop." I nod. "Hm. Let's get out of here."
"There's my two favorite bachelors."
I turn to a certain buxom blonde, with a familiar bow wearing girl. Both of their long locks of hair flowing in the breeze.
"Yang, Blake," I say. "Good to see you both."
"Likewise," Blake says.
"So, these are the artifacts?" Yangs asks.
Her and Blake have a look at the chess pieces.
"Yep," answers Rhys.
"I suppose we just pick one," says Blake.
"That's what we did," I say.
Yang shrugs her shoulders and grabs a white knight and shows it to Blake.
"How about a cute little Pony!" Yang says.
Blake nods.
There's an explosion just past the southwest tree line, followed by an Ursa smashing through the trees into the clearing. I reach for my handgun, but the Ursa falls over. Two people roll forward off of its back. It's the Mistrali guy and the ginger girl dressed in pink. The guy is panting hard. The girl nudges the grimm with her foot.
"Awww, it's broken," she says, her voice exuding crazy. "Eeeewwww."
"We are never doing that again," the guy says through his heavy breathing.
"Did they ride here on an Ursa?" Blake says.
The ginger girl looks up, notices the chess pieces, zips over to them, grabs the white rook, and starts dancing.
"I'm queen of the castle!" she starts singing. "I'm queen of the castle, I'm queen of the castle!"
"Nora!" shouts the Mistrali guy, walking this way.
The girl stops dancing and singing.
"Sorry Ren," she says, still smiling like a lunatic.
In much less spectactular fashion, a ginger I actually know, and a less than pleasant orange haired girl step out into the clearing. Penny and Natsuki. They look around the clearing and notice us at about the same time.
"Hello Michael!" Penny waves to me as the pair approaches us. "Michael this is Natsuki. Natsuki, this is Michael."
"Yeah, I've met him." Natsuki spits the words like that statement leaves her mouth bitter. "Grab an artifact before something big finds us."
Penny carefully looks at all of the remaining items.
"Chess pieces," she says. "Aha! The bishop, the most difficult of pieces to master."
She shows Natsuki the second black bishop.
More crashing sounds from just beyond the sourhern tree line. Because of course. The scarlet haired girl with bronze armor, followed by Jaune, come running out of the forest. Close behind them, comes a giant grimm scorpion covered in white bone plates. A deathstalker. The trees in its way crack and shatter as it forces itself into the clearing, then immediately smacks Jaune with its left claw. His body lights up silver and he gets launched up into a tree. The Deathstalker tries to grab ahold of the scarlet haired girl with its other claw, but she dives just barely through the pincers.
"Did they run all the way here being chased by a Deathstalker?" Rhys asks.
"I don't know, but that Deathstalker is gonna be a problem," I say.
Blake's bow wiggles, interesting, and she looks up. Then she points.
"Guys?" she says. "There's-"
"LOOOK OOOUT!"
Hm. That's a giant nevermore, and a falling Ruby. I take a single step left and catch her before she hits the ground, the impact of which almost forces me to one knee.
"Woah," Rhys says. "Nice catch."
"Thanks Michael," Ruby says, wide eyed.
I set her on her feet and dust off my arms.
"Yang, does your sister normally fall from the sky?" I ask.
"Can we fucking not have something insane happen for two fucking seconds?!" Yang shouts, her eyes red now and her hair emitting fire.
That's a new one.
"Wait, where's Weiss?" Ruby says. "That Nevermore grabbed both of us."
"AAAAHHHH!"
I'd say that's Weiss. A little further out from the temple, is the Schnee girl. Falling. It looks like Jaune sees her too, from the tree he was knocked into. He runs along a branch and jumps. He catches her in the air and manages to turn his body so when they land, he breaks her fall with his body. A selfless move if ever I saw one.
"Just dropping in?" Jaune chuckles, which turns into a cough.
"My hero." Weiss rolls her eyes.
The pair of them get off the ground and dust off.
"Not to interrupt," I say. "But I don't think the Deathstalker is going to politely wait for us much longer."
"Don't worry I got this." Rubys draws the rifle from her back, which unfolds into a massive scythe.
"Ruby wai-"
Weiss and Yang start, but it's too late. Ruby is already bolting towards the scorpion and trailing rose petals. She swings her scythe full force at the grimm, but the blow glances off its heavy plating and Ruby is knocked back. She tries to run, but there's a loud caw from the Nevermore above us and a barrage of feathers rains down. One of them impales Ruby's cloak.
"Fuck," I say. "She needs covering fire. Anyone with a proper ranged weapon, start shooting the Deathstalker. Everyone else move in. Try to get her free."
I pull my rifle off my back and take aim. Ren the Mistrali guy pulls out a pair of green, bladed pistols. Nora the ginger grabs a massive grenade launcher from her back. Natsuki aims her snubbed lever-action rifles at the grimm. Blake draws the sword from her back and turns it into a pistol. The scarlet haired girl changes her sword into a bolt-action rifle. Penny points all six of her swords in the Deathstalker's direction. Yang, Rhys, and Jaune take off towards Ruby.
"Open fire!" I shout.
The entire field is filled with gunfire and explosions. Everything else is drowned out completely. A hail of bullets, grenades, and lasers fly through the air and hit the scorpion. It staggers back, but the affects wear off quickly. It now looms within striking distance of Ruby, pulling its tail back to land the killing blow.
"No!" Yang shouts.
A flash of white to my right. A snowflake glyph on the ground. And suddenly a white streak rockets toward Ruby. The Schnee girl is now next to Ruby and there's an ice wall between them and the Deathstalker. The grimm's stinger is stuck in the ice.
The rest of us move in, ready to shoot again if needed.
"You are reckless," Weiss says. "Loud, a complete show-off, and unbelievably childish. And I know I can be… difficult. But we need to work together. If you will try to be less reckless, I will try to be... kinder."
"Deal," Ruby says. "Thank you, Weiss."
"Don't thank me yet," Weiss says.
Rhys and Jaune grab the feather pinning Ruby to the ground and pull it out of the ground. Yang runs up and hugs Ruby, which Ruby quickly slips out of. I keep my rifle trained on the scorpion.
"Alright people," I say. "Wrap it up."
Battle Music: Caleb Hyles - Red Like Roses
Ruby and Jaune look at each other, then nod.
"We don't need to fight these things," Jaune says.
"He's right," Ruby says. "Our mission is to grab the relics and get back to the school. So that's what we should do."
"Run and live," Jaune says. "That's an idea I can get behind."
"You heard 'em," I say. "If you and your partner don't already have a relic, grab one and let's get the fuck outta here."
Ruby and Jaune both grab a relic. Ruby grabs the unclaimed white knight, while Jaune grabs the other white rook.
"Pyrrha," Jaune says to the scarlet haired girl. "You and I will guard either side of the group. We have the shields, so we'll be the shields. And you two." Jaune points to the Ren guy and Nora the ginger. "Shoot anything that gets too close."
Jaune pulls out his sword and grabs the scabbard, which turns into a shield.
"Yang go out in front," Rubys says. "Flatten anything you run into. Blake, you kill anything she misses. Weiss, you and I will focus on the Nevermore. Keep it from getting close enough to hit us."
"Rhys, I want you with Yang," I say. "If there's anything in your way you put it in the ground. Natsuki you and I are on ranged support. Penny, you're artillery with Ruby and Weiss."
"Affirmative," Penny says.
Everyone nods. The ice holding the Deathstalker in place cracks again then shatters.
"It's time we left," Ren says.
"The sooner we make ourselves scarce the better," says Natsuki.
"Alright everyone," I say. "We've got our goal."
"Let's move it!" says Ruby.
We all take off, moving towards the cliff we were launched from at the start. There's gunfire all around, coupled with grimm screeches and panting. Weiss, Ruby, and Penny are keeping the Nevermore at a safe distance, but the Deathstalker is gaining on us. Unphased by the hail of bullets hitting it. The path we took led us into a gulley, too steep on either side to climb, and it's getting narrower. I'm not sure how long we can keep this up.
"Oh shit!" shouts Rhys.
There's another clearing up ahead. One that drops almost immediately off a cliff and into a gorge. The only way across to the clearing below the school, is a single ancient bridge leading to another temple on the other side of the gorge. Surely it's still stable.
"Just keep going!" I shout.
Everyone keeps running. First goes Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. Myself, Rhys, Penny, and Natsuki follow close behind them. Jaune, the Pyrrha girl, Ren, and Nora somehow ended up further behind us. As they're about to reach the bridge, the Nevermore spits a hail of feathers down, which shatters a portion of the bridge and prevents them from crossing.
"Shit!" I say, just as my group and I get to the beginning of the temple. "We need to get back over there."
Ruby and her group have gone much further ahead of us, deeper into the ruined temple. The Nevermore is going after them, rather than the rest of us. It has Ruby and Weiss' scent.
"I think we have our own problems," Rhys says. "Look."
I turn to see where he's pointing. On the edge of the platform is a large reptilian claw. Another one comes from below, and an Urodela pulls itself up. Not just an Urodela. It's the one Rhys and I blasted over the cliff. Its face and belly are scarred and burnt.
"This thing again," I say. "I hope they can handle their fights by themselves."
That's not good. Ignoring the fact that we can't cross the bridge with the others, there's still a huge ass scorpion behind us. Damn there's no time. Just gotta act. I turn completely around to face the scorpion, which is still skittering after us. Holding my shield up, I plant my feet in the dirt.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouts. "What are you doing!?"
"We can't run now!" I shout back.
Pyrrha said I can channel my aura to increase my strength. I sure hope she's right, or I'm about to be toast. I don't need to block harm. My shield can do that, but only if I can take the hit without getting knocked flying again. I focus on every muscle in my body, tensing them up.
"What is he doing?!" That pink clothed girl shouts.
The scorpion is almost on us.
Focus...
I breathe deep and slow, in my nose, out my mouth, my eyes locked with the red orbs of hate the scorpion uses to see.
Come on...
"SCREEEEEE!"
I feel it.
The scorpion runs into my shield... and stops in it's tracks. A sound like a bell being struck rings through the air, followed by a sound like wood cracking. There's a trail in the dirt where I was pushed back, but I'm still standing. My body is glowing silver, just like before, but this time I don't feel warm and fuzzy. I feel... powerful.
"You..." Pyrrha starts. "You cracked its plating..."
"I did?" I say.
I did. That wasn't the sound of wood cracking. It was the bone plates of the scorpion. There's a massive spiderwebbing crack on its face and trailing over its back. I look at Pyrrha and smile.
"Holy crap!" I say.
Then the scorpion swats me with its claw, knocking me away.
Gunfire and explosions fill the air. I scramble to my feet. That guy in the kimono is running circles around the scorpion, with what little room he has in this gulley, and shooting at the stinger. It screeches in pain. The ginger girl turns her grenade launcher into a hammer and swings at the scorpion. Pyrrha runs over to me, instead of fighting.
"Jaune!" she grabs my arm. "Are you alright?"
"Not yet," I say.
I force myself to my feet. Can't run anymore. Gotta fight. Gotta... wait. Its stinger is loose. Just barely hanging at the end of its tail.
"I'm going to distract it," I say, more certain than I've ever been. "When you get the shot, take out the stinger. I've seen you make harder shots.
I don't wait for a response, I just charge. Shield up and body glowing silver again. This is probably the last one of these I have left in me, but it's what I got. Might as well give it.
"Hey ponytail!" I shout to the kimono guy. "I'd back off if I were you! Hammer girl be ready to smash!"
The guy jumps backwards twice away from the scorpion. The hammer girl looks eager. Now let's hope this works. I smash my shield into the side of the scorpion, cracking its shell again and forcing it up against the gulley walls. It's stuck and in pain, but this strength is already fading. My body burns and I grit my teeth and look back at Pyrrha.
"Now!" I shout.
Pyrrha spins and throws her shield. It over my head and slices through the stinger, which falls and splits the bone plates of the scorpion open further. It screeches again. The girl slams her hammer into the ground, stands on it, and pulls the trigger. She's launched into the air, where she pulls the trigger again and gets launched back down.
"Nora SMASH!"
The ginger girl falls from the air at insane speed, slamming her hammer down onto the stinger, forcing it deep into the scorpion. She pulls a trigger a third time. The scorpion goes limp, and I stumble back.
"That was awesome!" The girl, Nora, shouts.
"I... thanks." I stumble again, but Pyrrha grabs me and puts my arm over her shoulder.
"You fought with true spirit," Pyrrha says.
"Indeed," the pontytail guy says.
"How-" I can't catch my breath. "How are the others doing?"
"It's coming for us!" I yell.
"Obviously!" Weiss shouts back.
"We need a plan of attack." Blake adds.
"I've got one!" Yang shouts. "It's called 'attack'!"
Yang takes off, leaving the three of us standing in the middle of these ruins. The giant nevermore is flying our way, and fast. We can't get to the others or even the school with this thing after us.
Yang runs up a set of ruined stairs while loading shotgun shells into her gauntlets. She pumps her fists at the grimm from the top of the stairs. The nevermore caws and launches its feathers at us. Weiss shields the three of us with a snowflake glyph. Yang though, she rolls backwards down the stairs to avoid getting hit. But when she's on her feet again, she runs back up the stairs and jumps. Right into the mouth of the nevermore. While holding it's mouth open with one arm, she pumps the other, shooting it inside its mouth.
"Weiss!" I say. "I have an idea. Can your glyphs hold things and launch them?"
"Yes," Weiss says. "Among other things."
"Can they also let me run on walls?" I ask.
"Why do you... Yes." Weiss nods.
"Okay. I-"
"I HOPE YOU'RE HUNGRY!" Yang shouts, still shooting. "CHOKE ON THIS!"
I sup my hands around my mouth.
"Yang!" I yell up. "If you can hear me, steer it towards the cliff!"
"You got it, Rubes!" Yang shouts back.
"Blake," I start. "Help her get it into position."
Blake nods and takes off towards the cliff.
"Weiss, I need you to make one of those glyphs for holding and launching."
"You can't be serious," Weiss says.
"Weiss we don't have time for this," I say. "You can tell me how stupid I am after."
Weiss opens her mouth to say something, but she doesn't. Instead, she sighs and touches the ground with her rapier. Another snowflake glyph appears, but it turns black.
"Stand on this," she says.
Pulling Crescent Rose from my back, I unfold her into scythe mode and place her end onto the glyph. Then I stand on the blade and crouch.
"Hold on," Weiss says.
She pulls her rapier back, and points at the cliff with her sword in her left hand and her right pointer finger. The glyph under me tilts up and pulls back into itself. I hold onto my weapon tighter, with the rings of the glyph all around me.
Yang jumps out of the nevermore's mouth just before it smashes into the cliff face. Blake throws her pistol, which is attatched to her ribbons, wrapping it around the grimm's legs. Yang grabs the ribbon with Blake, and they hold on as the grimm tries to fly away. Weiss moves the glyph to point be directly at the Nevermore. It caws again.
"Think you can make that shot?" I ask?
"Can I?" Weiss says.
"Can yo-"
"Yes!"
The glyph turns white. I'm launched through the air. Wind rushing past my ears.
You got his. You were taught by the coolest Hunter in Vale. Now show this stupid bird who's boss.
I hook the blade of Crescent Rose around the grimm's neck and plant my feet on the cliff. Suddenly there's a small black glyph under my feet, and a trail of them leading up the cliff. Thank you Weiss. Using my semblance, I start running up the side of the cliff. Pulling the bird with me, trailing rose petals, and pulling the trigger on my girl the entire way.
"STUUUPIIID BIIIIRRRD!" I shout.
I launch up and over the top of the cliff, spinning as I do. My scythe cuts through the bird's neck with a gross squishing sound, and I land on the edge of the cliff. Looking over the cliif, there's the headless grimm falling back down to the bottom.
"Hell yeah!" Yang shouts from below.
Nailed it.
"Orders Michael?" Penny says.
I think for a moment as the lizard climbs the rest of itself onto the platform. It's fast and mobile, but lightly armored. Its attacks are slow compared to its movement, but they hit hard. That tongue strike it has could easily kill any one of us. Unless…
"Fuck that noise," Natsuki says.
She charges the lizard, firing her guns at it. The grimm strikes out its tongue but suddenly Natsuki is six feet to her left and still running at the Urodela. It tries to bite her when Natsuki gets in range and she's somewhere else again before she's hit. The underside of the barrels of Natsuki's guns start sparking. She swings at the face of the grimm and connects with its jaw. It staggers slightly, then opens its mouth for a loud hiss before swiping its claws at her. She appears in a different spot like before, missing the first swipe, but is hit directly by the second attack. Natsuki is knocked away, but she blocked with her aura in time. I sprint towards her, catching her midair.
"We need to work together," I say to Natsuki, setting her on her feet. "Brute force and aggression aren't going to cut it."
"Whatever," she says. "You got a plan then?"
"Most of one," I say. "Natsuki, Penny, the three of us need to distract this thing. Piss it off. But don't get close and don't get hit. Rhys, when it jabs out with its tongue, grab it and hold it."
"Got it," Natsuki and Rhys say.
Rhys moves to the side. His skin, hair, and clothes slowly turn into metal the same color as his weapons. The rest of us start shooting and running circles around the grimm. It can't decide who to chase. It takes a swipe at Natsuki, but she's already blinked past the attack. It swings its tail at Penny, but she jumps over the attack. The Urodela hisses in frustration and slashes its claws in every direction. I slide under a blow, then jump over another. Natsuki is avoiding so many strikes that she only appears in a spot for about a second before she's gone again. She's getting tired however. I can see it. Penny is staying safely out of range now. The grimm hisses again and strikes with its tongue at Natsuki, who is already out of the way.
"Now!" I shout.
Before the lizard can retract its tongue, Rhys grabs ahold of it. The Urodela struggles to pull it back but can't. The stone beneath Rhys' feet cracks as he slides forward. I draw Edge Zero and load a fire clip into the hilt. The edges of the blade glow bright red. I sprint towards the tongue, near the mouth, and slide under it as I cut through the muscle and sinew. The Urodela screeches in pain and staggers back. Dark red, almost black blood spews from the wound. It steams on the ground. Rhys looks at me and gives a thumbs up. I grin, then suddenly I'm knocked off my feet.
The grimm had spun in a circle and hit all of us with its tail. Dazed, I struggle to my feet. As my vision clears, I see the Urodela crawling towards Natsuki, who is only a few feet from the edge of the platform. With blood oozing from its mouth. It prepares to lunge.
"No!" I shout.
Faster than I have ever run before, I throw myself in front of Natsuki. The Urodela lunges. I change my hands to claws, and catch the top of its jaw with both hands and plant my boot on its bottom jaw. One of its teeth pierces my left hand. The liquid heat of blood runs down my arm. The grimm starts pushing me towards the edge. Looking behind me, Natsuki is still there on the ground.
"Go!" I yell at her.
Natsuki's shock breaks and she scrambles to her feet. She moves away from the edge. And from the lizard.
I concentrate and slow my breathing. A massive heat builds up in my lungs and I can taste gasoline and ash. I've always hated doing this.
I yell, and a stream of gold and orange fire shoots from my mouth and into the maw of the grimm. It hisses as everything in its body is filled with hot flame. I force the grimm, and myself, away from the edge. It tries to fight back but is in too much pain to overpower me. Having forced it from the edge, the Urodela has almost completely stopped moving. I don't let up until fire bursts from its eyes. The fire stops, leaving a taste in my mouth fowler than before I started. The others gather around me.
"Michael!" Penny shouts. "Are you alright?"
"You can breathe fire?!" Rhys asks. "Dude, that's awesome!"
"I'm fine, Penny. Thank you." I hold up my left hand, no longer a claw. "I'll need to bandage this up though. As for the fire, yes, I can. But it tastes awful."
"What's it taste like?" Rhys says.
"Have you ever licked the inside of an industrial furnace?" I look at Natsuki. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Natsuki says curtly. "I'm fine."
I nod then look for the other groups. Jaune's group is standing around the squashed corpse of the Deathstalker. They're panting and tired, maybe beat up a little, but alive. Jaune is leaning on the Pyrrha girl for supports. Ruby's group is standing just at the base of the cliff on the other side of the canyon. Except Ruby herself, who is at the top of the cliff. The decapitated body of the Nevermore lays sprawled out on the rubble of what once was a stone building. One by one, each dead grimm evaporates into black mist.
"We should return to the school," Pennys says. "Before more grimm find us."
"Agreed." I nod. "Let's move out."
It was nearing the end of the day by the time each group had been initiated, despite there only being one more after mine. Now, everyone still here is in the atrium. Waiting to be assigned our teams. Most of the first years have been assigned teams by now, but not everyone. Myself included. Though I did get my hand bandaged. The Headmaster is on stage currently, about to list of the next team.
"The pairs that collected the white bishop pieces," Ozpin starts. "Cardin Winchester. Russel Thrush. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark. Henceforth, you shall be known as Team Cardinal. Lead by Cardin Winchester."
A large CNDL appeared on the screen above the stage with the faces of each of the students The Headmaster listed off. It's that Cardin guy and some other dudes from my initiation. Cardin, the ginger with the heavy plate armor. Russel, the blonde mohawk guy with just clothes. Dove, the brown-haired guy with squinted eyes and leather armor. And Sky, the guy with slicked back gray hair and lighter plate armor than Cardin. They give each other high fives and fist bumps as they walk up on stage. Miss Goodwitch hands Cardin a laminated card and says something I can't hear, then the team leaves the stage.
"Next," Ozpin starts without hesitation. "The pairs that collected the white rook pieces. Jaune Arc. Nora Valkyrie. Pyrrha Nikos. And Lie Ren. Henceforth, you are Team Juniper. Lead by Jaune Arc."
Murmurs spark in the crowd. Just like with Cardinal, the faces of the people called appear on the screen. The letters JNPR above them. The four of them walk up on stage, Jaune looking the most surprised of them all. Pyrrha, the red-haired girl, gives Jaune a pat on the shoulder. I can understand not thinking he's got what it takes. What little I've seen of him, he's a goofball. But he took charge in the forest. Something many can't do even without pressure. Miss Goodwitch hands Jaune a laminated card, like she did Cardin, and says something to him.
"The pairs that collected the black bishop pieces," says the Headmaster. That's the piece that Rhys grabbed. "Michael Silver-Chulainn. Rhys McNamara. Penny Polendina. And Natsuki Hayes. From this point forward, you shall be known as Team Seraph. Lead by Michael Silver-Chulainn."
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't expecting that, but it still seems wrong for reasons I can't place. As I walk up onto the stage, the screen does what it's been doing. Our faces appear on the screen and the letters SRPH above our faces. Rhys pats my back once we're on the stage.
"It only makes sense, Captain," he says.
"I can think of no one more qualified to lead us," Penny says.
"Just don't get us killed," Natsuki says.
Does she have a setting besides cold?
Miss Goodwitch walks up to us and hands me a laminated card. It says 'room 6 section B' on it, as well as an emergency call number.
"Congratulations, children," Goodwitch says. "Classes begin tomorrow. Your schedules will be sent to your scrolls."
"Thank you," I say.
The four of us walk back down off the stage and into the crown. The Headmaster wastes no time calling the next set of names.
"Lastly," he starts. "The pairs that retrieved the white knight pieces. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Blake Belladonna. And Yang Xiao Long. You shall from here on be known as Team Ruby. Lead by Ruby Rose."
The faces of the four girls appear on the screen, but rather than say 'Ruby' it says 'RWBY'. So, it's only technically named after its leader. The four girls stand on the stage, as the rest of us had done before. Miss Goodwitch hands Ruby a card like she did me, and I assume says what she said to me as well. Yang hugs her sister tight, who still looks surprised.
As the girls walk back off the stage, The Headmaster speaks again.
"Congratulations, all of you," he says. "You are the remaining sixty students who passed the exam, out of the ninety-six that enrolled. The bonds you have made today will last you a lifetime. Tomorrow you will begin your daily classes, to learn your enemy, your tools, and what it means to be Huntsman and Huntresses. Good luck, students. You are dismissed."
"We should go to our dorm," I say to my team. "Settle in at least."
"Yeah, I'm exhausted," Rhys says.
Natsuki simply nods, and Penny salutes.
"Let's go," I nod.
The dorms aren't hard to find. The school is big but it's not a maze. Ours is in the same hallway as team Rwby and team Jnpr, which judging by the sound they immediately started rearranging things. Our room is fairly plain, with just two basic beds and a bunk bed, a bookshelf, and a workbench. Not a desk, a workbench, designed for weapon tinkering and cleaning. There are three doors inside besides the entrance door. Two on the far-right wall, and one on the back wall of the room. I assume one for a restroom and the other for a small kitchen of sorts, with the door on the back wall leading to the balcony. The floor is dark hardwood without so much as a rug. It still has more character than the Atlas barracks.
"Not exactly cozy," Rhys says.
"We're training to be warriors," Natsuki says. "Luxury will rarely be available to us."
"That's only partially correct, Natsuki," says Penny. "While out in the field or on the hunt, we have to make do. However, many cities and towns treat active Hunters as celebrities."
"We're all gonna be rockstars," I say with a chuckle. "Besides, it's blank so we can make it our own. This is going to be our home for the time being."
"True enough," Rhys says.
I set my bags down next to the bunk bed, which is up against the wall opposite the kitchen and restroom doors.
"Bottom bunk is mine," I say. "Settle in everyone. You'll want to be rested for tomorrow."
"Aye Captain," says Rhys.
"Affirmative," Penny says.
Natsuki just grunts and sets her bags next to the bed along the same wall as the door. Rhys sets his bags down on the other single bed, which is parallel to the bunk bed separated by the width of the bookshelf. Penny throws a blanket and a pillow up onto the top bunk.
"Take turns using the restroom to change," I say. "I'll make sure we have our uniforms before classes tomorrow."
I walk out onto the balcony and light a cigarette. The air is brisk, and the breeze is light. It is almost autumn here in Vale. I rest my elbows on the railing, which is kinda hard when you're this tall. The door behind me creaks slightly as it opens. It's Penny. The footsteps aren't heavy enough to be Rhys but still heavier than Natsuki. Penny, I've noticed, walks way heavier than she should for someone her size.
"Something wrong, Penny?" I ask.
"No Michael," she says. "How did you know it's me?"
"Your footsteps," I answer. "You make a unique sound when you walk."
"Interesting," Penny says.
"So, what did you want?" I ask.
"You said I'm your friend," Penny says. "And now, I'm your teammate. Therefore, it is my job to make sure you are of sound body and mind."
I laugh.
"I'm fine, Penny," I say.
"Michael. I may not know much about how to behave around people, but I know when I'm being lied to. My father would say you're being untruthful, if he were here. Although he'd have used much more profanity."
I laugh harder. It seems I'm not as good at this as I thought.
"Don't worry about me," I say. "I've dealt with these things all my life. It's nothing I can't handle."
"My father would call that untruthful as well," Penny says. "But if there's no convincing you to talk about it, will you promise me something?"
"Promise what?" I ask.
"Promise me that if whatever it is that you're worrying about gets too difficult to manage, that you'll talk to someone. You're our leader, and we need you at peak efficiency."
I toss the cigarette off the balcony and turn to face Penny. She's looking at me with her hands folded at her waist and deep concern behind her jade eyes. I place my right hand on her left shoulder.
"I promise," I say.
Penny smiles wide and her eyes sparkle. It's nice to have such a genuine person around. It's been a long time. I sit on the railing. Penny looks out over the horizon. A long silence follows.
"With the amount you smoke," Penny starts. "Your chances of developing respiratory and circulatory conditions are twenty-two-point two percent higher than the statistics I provided yesterday."
I laugh again, this time because it's actually funny.
"Thank you, Penny," I say. "Let's go back inside."
"Affirmative," Penny says.
I open the door for Penny, then follow her though. I'm almost glad Uncle Jimmy gave me this assignment. It's a nice change of pace from what I'm used to.
As the sun sets, my team and I finish settling in. Everyone has changed clothes and placed a handful of personal items around their beds. I contacted the cleaning staff and got uniforms in our sizes. Now, each of us lay in our beds. Everyone is asleep except me. But it's not long before I follow suit.
End Music: Breaking Benjamin - Blow Me Away
Author's Note: Greetings once again. I really hope you enjoyed this one. Yes, I know this chapter is a bit cumbersome. And you wouldn't believe how long it took me to figure out where to start Red Like Roses so that it synced with the fight. Not to mention that, just because it's synced properly for my reading speed, doesn't mean it is for anyone else. Anyway, I've still got more chapters coming. I'm working towards the end of chapter four as I'm writing this. Stay classy folks.