Wasteland Walker Axle

by DriftDunkey

After the wasteland takes away his only home, Axle, an orphan of the wasteland, is left with nothing but his thirst for revenge and his car. But in his hunt of the ones responsible for his anguish, Axle finds himself in the world of Remnant. Now Axle will follow a new path that will end his madness induced rage and give him a life where he will find friendship and maybe even love.

8. Ch 7 - testing patience

The next two weeks came and went and Axle was busy for every single day of them. From the moment he woke up and until he went to bed, he labored in the garage. Team CFVY was with him the majority of time, every once in a while one or two of them would go off to do something else, but there was always one of them to keep an eye on him. Various staff members stopped to visit him, wanting to get to know the teen from another world. The most recurrent of them being Dr. Oobleck, a caffeine addict who taught history at the school. Ozpin wanted Axle to learn as much about Remnant as he could so as to not draw suspicion from other students, so Axle was to have a two hour session every day with the green-haired professor.

When Axle expressed his displeasure at having even less time to get his garage in order, Ozpin made him a deal that would let Axle have the rest of the day to himself after the entrance ceremony, skipping orientation and sleeping with the rest of the first years in the auditorium. After all, he was pretty familiar with the layout of the school by now.

It turned out that some of Mr. Skye's crew did overtime to be able to lend Axle a hand at refinishing the old building. The extra people enabled Axle to focus solely on doing work, letting the workers go and buy the materials and various things that he needed in the city. Where they were most helpful was clearing out the massive pile of junk in the back corner in the garage, having the benefit of using heavy machinery. The finishing touch on the shop was power washing the whole outside of the building to make the red bricks look as if they were freshly laid.

The final result was an auto shop pulled right out of the seventies. Every single door had been replaced with a new one and painted dark green. The awnings hanging above each opening matched the color of the doors they shaded. Ozpin had paid for all new windows and interior, and also for all new lifts. He also payed for a pit to be installed in every space to allow work to be done under the cars.

The windowed room that was once filled with trash and shelves had been completely transformed into a personal hangout complete with couches, tv, stereo, and a mini-bar (filled with only non-alcoholic drinks per Ozpin's demand). This was heavily influenced by team CFVY who were sick of having nothing to do while Axle spent his hours slaving away at the garage.

The biggest undertaking of the project was an addition suggested by the headmaster himself. His addition effectively doubled the size of the building, turning it from a rectangle into a large L shape. When Axle asked what it was for, the bespectacled man told him of a friend he had who was a higher up in Atlas. He explained that this friend was interested in the prospect of being able to use Vacuoan oil as an alternative energy source, so as a sign of good faith, he was sending over a fabricator that would essentially let Axle create any part he could think of without needing a mold. Since Axle had no idea how to operate it, a transfer student from Atlas, who was familiar with the device, was going to assist him in using it.

Ozpin also informed Axle that this student was going to be his partner for the year, and that the student had already been informed of Axle's circumstances and his 'strange' arrival. Although Axle was wary of the idea, Ozpin assured him that this student was almost as unique as he was, and that without a full team, they would still need to remain with either CFVY or the first year teams he had yet to choose. The only real issue is that he won't be able to meet this new partner until the initiation.

What severely concerned Axle was when Ozpin said "And do not worry about finding the wrong person, I will make sure you are both dropped in the same direction away from all the others."

dropped?

Axle stepped back and examined the now finished garage, excluding the fabricator. While he was admiring his work, Ozpin walked up and stood next to him to do the same. "It has been a long time since I've seen that facility in use, it will be refreshing."

Axle looked at the man questioningly. "You don't seem that old. And I hate to burst your bubble, but I'm afraid the only car passing through there will be mine. This place seems to only get air traffic."

Ozpin rested his hands on his cane. "That used to be the case, but ever since your little high-speed event in Vale with the motorcyclist, there seems to have been one individual who has been driving the old road besides you."

Axle let out a 'humph' of acknowledgement. "I think that race may have given her some dangerous ideas, are you really allowing her to run on that road?"

Ozpin placed a hand on his chest. "It may lead to the school, but it does not belong to it, and it is not the school's place to enforce the traffic laws established by the city."

Axle shrugged and turned back to the garage. "Fair enough. But what does the girl have to do with the garage?"

"Your garage, mr. Dumont. So long as you wish to provide care to passing automobiles in order to pay off the investment I made. I predict the presence of your unique vehicle will spark an interest for road going vehicles among the student body. You see, young Huntsmen and Huntresses are typically thrill seekers by nature, and I have a feeling that you will spark an interest in personalized ground vehicles." Ozpin finished by handing him a contract of student employment.

Confused, Axle read the paper, his face slowly turning to one of astonishment. "This is… a bit much don't you think? I mean, This sets me up for the rest of my life if I'm reading it right."

Ozpin smiled and leaned forward. "You are. That details that you will work under the official Beacon automotive department in place of your secondary classes. Because of your position as a student, you will receive a significantly reduced pay and have to tutor under Mr. Skye, the lead technician. However, upon completion of your third and final year, in addition to receiving your Huntsman license, you will be offered the position as head of the Beacon Automotive Department. It is a role similar to that as Mr. Skye, where the building belongs to you, and only 10% of your profits are returned to the school. There is also the chance of you teaching your own class just as Mr. Skye will teach you and potentially others this year."

Axle, who had trouble believing it was real, began to deny it, saying that there must be some ulterior motive. Ozpin silenced his worries. "If you're so adamant that such a thing exists, then my motive is this; To gain a loyal colleague who will be just as generous to others in the future. Honestly Axle, I simply wish for you to have a better life than you've been previously dealt."

With that, Ozpin left Axle standing in shock. Before he got too far, Axle called after the headmaster. "Thanks!"

Ozpin nodded and continued back to the school, making this the last time they interacted with each other before the arrival of all the students tomorrow.

It was the next day, and large air transports dropped students off at the main courtyard by the dozens. Hundreds of students milled about the academy grounds, their excited and nervous energy feeding off of one another. Thankfully, Axle didn't need to attend it through his deal with Ozpin, and because he finished his garage a day ahead of schedule, he chose to pass the time by installing the radio in his car. He was alone, as team CFVY didn't need to attend either being second-years and all. They had gone down into Vale to have a day of fun. That's not to say he wasn't invited, but Axle told him that he would pass in favor of putting in his radio.

No one was present, so Axle let his frustrations out in the form of very colorful language, a habit he obtained by being raised in a community of military vets. It was his experience and the instruction manual pitted against the mashing of technologies from two different worlds in a duel that the trees would remember for ages to come.

He was in the midst of bolting in the replacement antenna when he heard the sound of voices approaching, coming from the direction of the school. Looking at the clock on the wall, he realized that the orientation ceremony was over and campus tours were beginning. He debated closing the garage door so he wouldn't have to interact with his proposed classmates, but thought better of it when he heard Mr. Port leading this group. The jolly professor might take offense at Axle closing shop right as he was about to arrive. Axle decided to get busy again so they would hopefully keep interaction to a minimum. He put a little more force on the already tight bolt. Karma seemed to want to bite him for his rudeness because the wrench he was using slipped, inadvertently punching the inner steel panel with all his might.

The group of students accompanying the portly professor were listening to him talk about the newly redone auto shop when he was interrupted by the distinct sound of metal striking metal, followed a split second later by a steady stream of the foulest curses any of them had ever heard, some of the choice terms making a few members of the tour group wince while others listened on in amazement. The source of the voice emerged as a large man from the first garage door holding his arm against his torso while he rushed to the hose attached to the wall in between the closest two doors. As he turned the valve and waited for the water, he kept up his sailor's song. When the water finally started pouring out, he clutched it and started pouring it over his one hand. They deduced the water was quite cold, if his anger and pain induced bellow was anything to go by.

The leather-clad mechanic snatched a cloth from a worktable just out of sight from them and began furiously wrapping his hand. His head snapped up when professor Port called out to him. "Axle my dear boy, are you alright."

Axle made his way over with long, quick strides, stopping a few feet short from the gathering of people. Initially, they were all wary of him. His face was still flush from his previous actions, but his voice was a lot calmer than they expected it to be. "I'm fine, professor. Me and Black Betty just got into a fight."

Axle held up his injured hand, the white cloth stained red around his knuckles. "I lost."

The split knuckles made a lot of the group cringe. The Professor clicked his tongue at him and gave him some advice that made the soon-to-be students chuckle. "Well, it seems you have it handled. But I should warn you; Don't let Ms. Goodwich hear you talk like that. She'll write you up in a heartbeat."

The professor turned around and boisterously addressed the crowd. "Students, This fine young man here is Axle Dumont, A first year student like you. He came a few weeks earlier than you all and is the head of Beacon's new automotive department. If any of you are interested in any vehicle related activities, he is the lad to talk to."

"Wait, what? I thought Mr. Skye was the head of it." Maybe Axle misheard what Ozpin told him.

The professor laughed heartily at Axle's dismay. "He is indeed, but you are the Student head. That means you are the first person they go to see if they are interested in participating or have any concerns. Think of it as being the leader of your very own club."

Damn. So the big man up top DID have an ulterior motive.

Axle ran his good hand through his curly hair, showing his reluctance toward his newfound position. "Okaaay. Well, now it makes sense why the headmaster bought six sets of everything. Excuse me while I go reorganize some things."

Axle turned around and was only able to take one step before a familiar voice stopped him. "Seems like the requirements to get in have been lowered, why else would the school be taking in punks like you."

The already peeved boy closed his eyes in frustration. He just wanted to get back to work so he wouldn't have to deal with more meetings and greetings. "Are you here for the tour, the rematch, or the sandwich?"

Weaving through the throng of bodies, a certain blonde bombshell came forth to reveal herself. Using her arm to toss out her hair before crossing her arms, Yang smiled playfully at Axle. "For the school, at first. But it seems I'm gonna get all three."

Professor Port's mustache bobbed slightly as he looked between them. "It appears you two have already been acquainted."

"Indeed we have. Axle here owes me a sandwich and a race." Yang had stopped in front of him, arms crossed and head tilted up in great bombast.

Port was curious how such a debt came to be, So Yang explained the series of events from the sandwich murder to the race. Axle was content to let her do the talking (Even with her over-dramatization of events), having done so much lately that he wanted a break from it.

When she finished her recount of the night before, Port gave Axle a good-hearted slap on the back and talked lower so only he could hear. "Well done on avoiding a fight lad. I can only imagine how strange this new environment is for you."

"Yeah, well, it was more thanks to Coco and Velvet that a fight didn't break out." Axle replied somewhat disgruntled.

Port nodded his head in understanding, seeing that Axle was disappointed that he needed them to step in. "So they showed you how to do it this time. What of it? That'll mean it will be easier for you to do it yourself the next."

With that, The Professor chuckled and began to lead his group away. Yang stayed long enough only to annoy him further. "By the by, I want in on this little club of yours so you're gonna need to tell me how to do that. BYEEE."

He watched her link back up with the group before shaking his head and returning to his unfinished work. Before he could really settle in, however, a little buzz came from his inner pocket. His hand brushed past his Lien and grasped his scroll. Going through the motions CFVY drilled him on, he unlocked it to find that the professor sent a message.

"I know I promised you the day off, but it might be worth at least going around and meeting new people, Wouldn't you agree?"

Axle thought for a moment, looking between his car and the message.

"No."

With finality, Axle closed and tossed the device on his workbench and worked to finish installing his new radio.

The next morning, Axle had awoken from his slumber on one of the garage sofas and prepared himself for initiation. Like the rest of the first years, he had no clue what initiation entailed, so he triple checked all of his equipment and pulled together all the remaining ammo he had left for his pistol. He was still a little grimy since he slept in the clothes he worked in, but he figured he was gonna get dirty anyways so he forewent changing.

After some time, he heard a knocking on his door. Opening it revealed one of Skye's guys glancing around nervously. Before Axle had a chance to greet him, he spoke quickly and hushedly. "Look, I might get in trouble for this, so I gotta be quick. Take this-"

The helmeted pilot shoved a backpack into Axle's arms.

"- Before you ask, It's a parachute. You didn't get it from me, okay."

Axle was indeed confused. "Okay, but-"

The man was quick to interrupt. "SHHH! I can't tell you or I will lose my job. Bleau just wants you to have it. Said sumthin' about 'not knowing how this school operates'."

The man promptly rushed away. Shrugging, Axle donned the plain looking pack and tightened the straps to be his size.

His scroll buzzed once again. This time, it was a message from Goodwitch giving the time and location of initiation. He read what little info was listed carefully. He soon became alarmed when he realized that he needed to be present in five minutes.

Panicked, He practically punched the garage door button and climbed into his car. The door hadn't even opened all the way before the engine woke up and carried him away. He pressed a new button on his dashboard and watched to see the garage close back up. As he sped towards the meeting place, he mentally kicked himself. If he had taken the time to head back to his shared room with CFVY, he would've been a short walk away, but now he had to race to get there.

He hoped they hadn't already started.

"Hey Ren! What do you think is taking the last guy so long?" A lively girl with bright orange hair bounced around, her pink skirt trailing behind her. Her spirit was as bright as her white shirt and boots, and the heart-shaped opening above her chest reflected her bubbly nature.

"I don't know Nora, I didn't see him in the auditorium with us last night, nor in the locker room." Ren, A calm and composed young man, who was also Nora's closest friend, was garbed in a Green tailcoat with buttons running diagonally down the front of it. It had black and gold trimmings and was fitted to his lithe frame to allow for excellent flexibility. His arms were covered with long sleeves that ended with pink cuffs around his wrists that matched his pink eyes as well as the pink streak in his otherwise black hair.

"Don't worry students, our last attendee will be arriving very soon, so prepare yourselves." Ozpin addressed the waiting crowd, regretting that he hadn't sent the reminder sooner.

"Not to be rude professor, but if this person has failed to show up on time, doesn't that count as a failure?" The girl who spoke was clearly impatient with the seemingly lack of respect for schedule. Ozpin recognized her as the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, Weiss. Like her name, her skin was incredibly pale, but not unhealthily so, and her hair, heels, and dress were all white as snow, excluding the hem of her dress's skirt which was glacier blue and the inside of her collar which was apple red.

"Under normal circumstances, I'd say yes, but the last member of your group was in an entirely different building on the grounds. Due to my oversight, he had only just received my reminder, he will be here in a few moments."

Puzzled, the heiress asked "How do you know?"

Ozpin (as well as Yang) chuckled, before he simply stated "Listen".

The student body all quieted down, wondering if their headmaster was losing it. Suddenly, they heard a sound way out in the distance. The only way they could describe it was as the roar of a chainsaw, yet deeper. Slowly but surely, the sound became louder and louder. Soon, it was loud enough and approaching fast enough that some of the present became wary.

A blonde boy in jeans and a black hoodie covered by an antique breastplate asked fearfully. "Umm, What is that?"

"Well, Mr. Arc, that is your classmate hurrying over here." Ozpin took a drink from his mug.

The roar was now loud enough to hurt their ears, and they watched in astonishment as flocks of birds started flying up as whatever the thing was sped through the forest.

Yang, calm as could be, simply stated her thoughts. "Wow, I'm surprised you let him get away with going that fast Professor."

Ozpin smiled. "I'll let it slide this time since I was partially to blame."

Soon, they were all bewildered as a car blasted out of the shaded pathway. As the vehicle crossed from the left of their vision to the right, they had to snap their heads to keep up with it. Even while nearly 30 feet away, the gust of wind they felt was enough to make them shield their eyes, and stray leaves trailing in the currents

The Driver, seeming to have noticed his error, put his foot on the brakes as hard as he could. The tail lights gleamed red as the car decelerated, the tires screeching all the while. When he was slowed enough, he hit the throttle and cut the wheel, whipping the tail end of the car around and accelerating towards them, tires still screeching and throttle wide open, and a very clear whine coming from the machine. At a certain point, he started to coast andthe engine fell to an idle. He steered off the walkway and rolled through the grass before stopping in front of them all.

As soon as the black sedan came to a halt, the engine was cut. The following silence that came after could very well be described as deafening. With the way the sun was positioned, None of them could quite see the driver, as he was concealed in the shade of his car.

Yang walked confidently toward the driver's door, alarming another of the students. "Yang, What are you doing?"

"Don't worry Ruby, I already know this loser." The girl known as Ruby was shorter than the rest, namely because she was three years younger than most everyone there. She had a pale complexion and stark black hair that held a touch of red at the ends. She wore a black dress, along with a black corset, black combat boots, and black leggings. But they all had blood-red lining and laces, and her hood that trailed down below the edge of her dress was the same red. But her most unique feature was her silver eyes. Unlike everyone else, she already had her weapon in her hands, but only because she liked to hold it and show it off. It was a black and red Sniper rifle which was currently in its second form which was a scythe that seemed comically large in her hands.

As Yang stopped a short distance away from the car and jokingly chastised him. "Normally, I don't blame someone for flaunting their toys, but is now really the best time for that?"

With a distinct creak that revealed the car's worn condition, the door swung open, and out emerged the driver. "I was more concerned with time, as I had been given only FIVE MINUTES notice of where we had to be."

His calling out of the professors to everyone gathered there gave them a good insight to his less-than-stellar attitude. Standing to his full height had the same effect on them as it had on most everyone else. The combination of his gauntlets, rugged attire, and even just his facial expression set him apart from all of them. There were a select few that weren't intimidated by him, like the one kid down the line with spiked orange hair and a smug look on his face. Probably because he was just as tall, if not taller than himself. Axle turned to stare him down as he walked and, sure enough, he wiped that stupid look off his face and turned to talk to a few others.

However, There was one individual who was bold enough to get directly in his personal space. "OOOOOOH! We got ourselves a bonafide bad boy over here!"

Axle was halted as his entire field of view was enveloped by a bombardment of orange hair, turquoise eyes, and the biggest shit-eating grin he had ever seen. He was caught off guard to put it mildly.

"A real greaser!" She made a show of slicking her hair back like his and snapping two finger guns at him. Her hair stayed for a moment before it poofed out real wild-like, whereupon she burst into a fit of giggles and bounced over to Ren. "REN! Can we be friends with the big scary guy with the fast car? I want to go for a ride!"

The poor kid pinched the bridge of his nose and slumped forward. "Nora, please don't harass the 'big scary guy with the fast car'."

He then looked at Axle. "Sorry."

Axle grunted, making it clear he didn't take offense, but he still appeared to be mildly annoyed. "Seems like you got your hands full."

He could only nod as the girl jumped up and down repeating 'Boing' everytime she did so.

Deciding to practice his social skills, and hopefully impress the professors, Axle introduced himself the best he could to the 'Ren' and the human bouncy ball, he put his hand forward. "Axle, by the way. Easier than 'Big scary guy with the fast car' I think."

The boy, though he hesitated for a moment, stood up straight and shook Axle's hand in return. "Lie Ren, but just Ren is fine. This is Nora."

The girl stopped bouncing and waved her hand enthusiastically, a beaming smile on her face while doing so. "That's a pretty strange name. Lemme guess! You're from a different world and just woke up here one day and became a student at Beacon to keep your arrival a secret!"

Axle stared dumbfounded at the girl, his mouth opening and closing in an attempt to respond as he glanced fearfully at the equally shocked professors. Thankfully, Ren intervened to save him unknowingly. "Don't mind her, she just has a wild imagination."

Axle brushed his momentary panic away. "I see that".

Once they had made their initial opinions of him, everyone relaxed. While conversing with Yang since Ren and Nora started their own conversation, Axle noticed them being approached by another student. It was a girl in a black and red dress holding an oddly shaped rifle. The girl seemed to flinch a little when he looked at her, but she continued nonetheless.

Yang, once she realized Axle was preoccupied with something, turned to see what he was looking at, upon which she became quite animated. "Oh! By the way, Axle, this is my little sister Ruby."

The red hooded girl gave a shy wave and was about to say something when Yang threw her arm around her shoulders and prattled on. "She's kinda shy because she skipped a few grades to get in, so I want to help her make some friends. Go on ruby, say something."

The poor girl's face turned red in embarrassment while she tried to escape her sister's headlock. When Yang's arm slackened, she stumbled a bit but caught herself. She failed to meet his eye directly but still managed to put her arm out, albeit a bit awkwardly. "Hi, I'm Ruby. It's uh, nice to meet you."

Axle took her hand and shook it gently. "Axle."

When they let go of each other's hand they proceeded to stand there and wait for the other to say something. After a moment, Yang leaned over and nudged Ruby with her elbow, which seemed to at least jolt her into action. "So um, Axle, How long have you known Yang? I've never heard her mention you before."

Axle was about to respond but Yang interrupted him. "Oh, I only met him a couple weeks ago, Rubes, and to be frank, there ain't nothing much to talk about."

Axle frowned at her cut-in, but answered Ruby anyway. "Saying we know each other is a stretch. Before now, we've only talked twice."

"Oh, I see." Ruby paused, unsure of where to continue from there.

Fortunately, their idle chatter wouldn't last long as Ozpin finally decided to start the initiation. After having them line up on a row of metal pads, one student per pad, he began his introduction. "For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Ms. Goodwitch immediately took over as the headmaster finished speaking, conveying that this was something they had done many times before. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, Allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today."

Their attention was once again switched to Ozpin. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you work well."

Axle took notice of a faint whining and groaning coming from 'little red riding hood'. He understood her concern. This was likely a key point of stress for many of these greenies. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about his teammate because Ozpin already had someone in mind. Though his curiosity at who it might be urged him to look at his new classmates.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Even though it didn't affect him, Axle still thought that the professor's method was a bit outlandish, if not outright harsh to his students. He swore he could actually see 'little Red's' world shatter before desperately shouting "WHAT!?" at the top of her lungs, followed by Nora saying "See, I told you." to Ren (Which made Axle wonder if she predicted the assignment of partners as well).

Ozpin carried on, unaffected by the panic in many of the gathered. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet Opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die."

A nervous laugh escaped the Blonde a few people down from Axle, who could see that the boy was sweating bullets. Ozpin carried on quickly, seemingly to avoid any delay. "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene."

"You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We regard that item, as well as your standing, and will grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

"Um, yeah uh, sir-" The blonde raised his hand but was quickly interrupted.

Ozpin ignored him as if he said nothing at all. "Good. Now, take your positions."

Axle looked around confused as everyone except him and the blonde kid got into fighting poses when there wasn't any threat around. The Blonde nervously tried to ask his question again. "Uh sir? I got a… um, question."

As soon as he finished his sentence, Axle watched in horror as the Girl in the white dress was propelled into the air and thrown off the cliff like a jet being catapulted off a carrier's deck. He quickly lost his calm composure and frantically started to fasten the parachute he had received earlier while the blonde continued, apparently oblivious to what was happening. "So this… 'landing strategy' thing. What is it? You're, like, dropping us off or something?"

"No. You will be falling." Ozpin replied just before the next person in line was launched.

The blonde just scratched his head. "Oh. I see. So, did you hand out parachutes for us?"

Then next person to be launched was Nora, who whooped with glee as she sailed away while Ozpin answered the posed question. "No. You will be using your own landing strategy."

"Uh huh-" Here, Yang and 'little red' were launched in quick succession, spurring Axle on even more. "What exactly is a landing strategEEEEEEEeeeeee"

Axle glanced up to see the Blonde flipping head over heel as he flailed through the air. Now it was his turn and he didn't know if he had the chute on correctly. He tried to step off the pad but realized there were clamps holding the soles of his boots. "OZPIN YOU-"

Axle was unable to finish his insult as he was hurled away. After watching him go off with the parachute he secretly had Bleau give him, the thought suddenly occurred to him that it was very likely that Axle didn't know how to use it. He shrugged to himself and took a sip from his mug and turned to the last person in the line. "He is the one you've been assigned to."

The response was a determined one as they nodded. "Understood."

They were promptly launched in roughly the same direction as Axle.

Axle swore an oath to himself that if he survived this, he was going to mount Ozpin's skull on the hood of his car. He fared no better in the air than the blonde kid did, flailing for the most part until he thought back to the stories Francis would tell of his aviator days. Axle thought carefully and waited for the right moment before he splayed his arms and legs out in an 'X'. Almost immediately, he stopped spinning wildly. To his luck, he was looking down, but he was approaching the ground fast. He looked around his body for anything that might trigger the chute but couldn't find anything. He then noticed an object slapping against his neck every few moments. Deciding that was it, Axle reached by his shoulder and fumbled with a small plastic handle before yanking it hard.

Axle caught some light whiplash from how suddenly he decelerated once the chute furled open. Attached to two of the lines were bright red handles, likely for steering. Unfortunately for Axle, he didn't have enough time to figure out the nuances of steering a parachute, so he just continued his uncontrolled descent. He braced himself as the roof of the forest rose toward him much faster than he liked. He covered his face with his arms as he crashed through a multitude of small branches, obtaining a collection of many scratches and scrapes before jolting to a stop.

When he opened his eyes, Axle was met with a beautiful, luscious green forest. For a moment, he just dangled from a tree, taking in the abundance of life all around him. There was so much wildlife around him that it filled him with an indescribable feeling of joy. He didn't know if he was just busy before, or if it was because they were placed by man,but the trees at Beacon didn't have an impact like this. He eventually had to pause in his sightseeing, as he needed to free himself from his entanglement. A quick inspection revealed that the metal clasps that could set him free were bent from the jarring catch. A quick check with his knife revealed that the material the lines were made of couldn't be cut with such a small tool. Looking up, he saw that he was dangling from a single branch that seemed to be straining from the load. Axle started to swing his legs in an attempt to snap the limb. Even as the Branch bent more and more with each swing, Axle heard not a single crack.

Ah well. I'm sure my partner knows where I am. Hopefully they can get me out. I guess I'll sit tight for now.

Not Likely

Axle was startled from the sudden mental intrusion.

Really? Now's the time you show yourself?

The bushes in front of you.

What?

LOOK AHEAD.

Axle did as he was told and looked forward, spotting the patch the voice mentioned. At first, He didn't notice anything, but as his eyes adjusted, four red spots appeared in the darkness. He heard a deep growling as the eyes moved into the light, revealing two large Beowolves. Panicked, Axle started swinging his legs harder, desperate to free himself from his predicament. He was nowhere near high enough to be out of the beasties' reach and he didn't have any chance of defending himself in his current position.

He swung with all his might but the Branch wasn't giving in. The first wolf lunged at him, aiming to clamp its jaws around his neck. Axle brought both his legs up and kicked the animal in the chest, sending it away with a yelp. The second took the opportunity to latch onto his foot, earning a cry of pain from Axle. The wolf thrashed while it hung from his foot, the sole of his boot barely preventing the appendage from being crushed. Axle was unable to deal with it as the first wolf lunged at him again. With his leg burdened as it was, Axle was forced to stop the monster with his arms. The wolf crashed into him with enough force to make the lot of them swing back. Using its front legs to hang from the cables that held himself up, the wolf snapped at Axle's head. The awkward position made it a struggle to defend himself from the attacks.

Suddenly, a loud snapping came from above. The tree branch had finally reached its limit and separated itself from its tree. All three of them fell to the ground and were trapped in the darkness of the parachute soon after. Chaos ensued once their vision was removed. The only thing Axle experienced was the savage growls and barking from the two animals, along with the flailing of their limbs. On his back and unable to see the blind attacks, Axle winced as he took the brunt of their claws on various parts of his body. Covering his face with one arm, Axle reached with his other to retrieve his pistol. Once the weapon was in hand, he placed the barrel against what he assumed was the creature's abdomen and pulled the trigger. Three bright flashes accompanied by the sounds of the creature yelping in pain and gunshots. They weren't enough, however, as the wolf thrashed wildly and knocked the gun from his grasp. Axle was sick and tired of this fiasco, so he started blindly throwing punches. Many times his knucks either glanced off the body of the beast or got caught in the cloth, tearing holes that let in some light.

But the few that did hit their mark caused irreparable damage.

Every time the bolts plunged into flesh, Axle felt his hands and clothes become slick with the strange oily blood that flowed through grimm. Soon enough, the beowolf above him fell silent, and Axle drew his weapon from the carcass with a sickening squelch. He rolled its body off of him and tried to stand up. Judging by the light tugging on the covering around him and the incessant barking, the second beowulf was tangled up in a different part. After throwing the chute around a few times, He was able to emerge from the stifling ensnarement. He looked to see the outline of the other grimm struggling under the cover. Axle slowly trudged through the mess of cloth and grabbed the wolf's head. Its struggling increased tenfold once it realized what was happening, but before it could do anything, Axle jerked its head in a certain direction. The crunch of its neck being destroyed was the last thing he heard before the forest fell silent.

Axle walked over to the very tree he was just hanging from and sat down, Letting out a long sigh after his first fight of the many that were sure to come today. Strangely, the thought actually put him at ease more than he had been at any point he was at Beacon. He reckoned that it was the familiarity of being in such a hostile environment.

He didn't let himself rest long. He began to rummage through the torn wreckage of the parachute in order to retrieve his gun. The search started to take longer than he anticipated. Axle soon lost his patience and began cutting out swathes of material with his knife to try to speed things up. He was methodically cutting away when a voice piped up behind him, scaring him more than he would've wanted to admit. "Sal-u-tations!"

"ARGH!" Axle whipped around and jumped to his feet, fists up and ready for a fight.

He was met face to face with a very startled girl. Once again, Axle was bombarded by color. Her short curly hair was as bright an orange as Nora's and her eyes were practically glowing green. Her dress was white and gray and had two green lights on the skirt. Her full length black boots were adorned with similarly green lines as well as a black and green turtle neck to match. Her skin was extremely fair and devoid of any flaws except for a little sprinkle of freckles on her cheeks. To top it all off, a large pink bow was situated on the back of her head, giving her a slightly childish appearance.

"Damn You scared the hell outta me." Axle put his fists down once he recognized her as one of the students waiting on the cliff.

The girl was quick to compose herself. "I do apologize. I did not mean to startle you."

The way she spoke seemed… off, at least he thought. She spoke very properly. Not in the fancy sense, but in the more slow-and-clear sense like she was unfamiliar with the language. "It's fine. So I guess we're partners now?"

The girl leaned forward and replied with a smile. "Indeed we are. My name is Penny, nice to meet you."

The girl stuck her hand out. Even watching her move her body, it seemed like every move she made was something she had to think about. Nevertheless, he shook her hand. "Axle."

"Yes, I already know." She said the words cheerfully while nodding her head. She was silent for a moment before she noticed the inquisitive look Axle was giving her. "Oh! I thought that Headmaster Ozpin already informed you that our partnership was already arranged."

"He did, I'm just trying to figure out why you're the one they picked." Axle didn't mean his words in a harsh way, but he realized how they sounded after he said them.

Penny took on a frown, discouraged by his words. "Why? Do you think I won't be a good partner?"

Axle raised his hand and waved it, hoping to dismiss his own error while trying to correct it. "No, uh, That's not what- I just meant that…you're very different from what I was imagining."

She nodded slowly in understanding. "Ah, I see. What were you imagining?"

"I don't really know… y'know what, how about we move on from this. I need to get my gun, and we need to get marching." Axle directed the conversation away from a potential disaster.

"Your gun? Did you lose it?" The way she tilted her head reminded him of a curious dog.

He shook his head again and waved towards the fallen parachute. "No, it's under this mess here, but I can't find it. I've been cutting at it for a while now."

He was about to pick up another section and continue cutting when Penny stepped forward and stopped him. "Here, allow me to assist you."

Next thing Axle knew, he was awestruck as a little green backpack he hadn't noticed her wearing opened up and ejected a dozen or so wicked looking swords that began to float in a large spinning ring behind her. With a wave of her arm, all the blades shot forward and began shredding the chute in seconds. Lastly, she forced the blades into a tight circle and they started to spin with incredible speed, blowing the blue and white confetti away into the forest. The only things left on the ground were the partially decayed corpses of Grimm and his 1911. Penny, almost as if she was intentionally showing off, delicately picked the pistol up with one floating sword and brought it directly to her hand. As all her blades folded down and retreated into her bag, she walked over to the jaw-dropped Axle and held the gun out to him.

Axle blinked a few times and had to calibrate himself mentally before he took the gun from her hand. "That's some neat trick. How'd you do it?"

Penny smiled confidently. "Oh, my swords? They were a gift from my dad. They are manipulated magnetically through tiny wires that connect to my backpack which also reads my brainwaves. By doing certain gestures and thinking certain things, they move however I want them to. If you were worried, don't be. I am combat ready"

Axle was left speechless by how much more advanced the tech was here. He made a promise to himself that he would research some of the current weaponry. He felt his armaments were obsolete compared to anything else he had seen so far.

Penny seemed pretty pleased with herself. "Shall we get going then? North is that way." She pointed in what must've been North.

"Lead the way." Axle opted to follow Penny since she seemed to have a better grasp on where they were.

They spent the next half hour trudging through the forest, meeting some resistance along the way. Thankfully, Axle never once felt the situation was out of hand thanks to Penny, who made quick work of anything they came across. It was a strange feeling to not feel cornered by the unseen threats around them. Anytime a Beowolf or Ursa attacked them, they were immediately cut down by Penny's blades. Despite her outlandish behavior, she meant it when she said she was 'combat ready'.

Off in the distance, the echoes of combat drifted over to them. Penny noticed it before he did. "It sounds like someone's in trouble, we should go help."

She took a few steps forward before Axle stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. She was about to ask why he did so but he signaled for her to be quiet. He closed his eyes to focus on the sound. Due to long exposure to his car's straight pipes and various explosions in all his battles, it took him a while before he could deduce what was happening. He finally spoke after hearing deep impacts and multiple gunshots of various size and rate that suggested that it was a large group fending off what was likely a grimm of considerable size. "Not a chance."

Penny frowned again, only this time, it was out of confusion. "Why not?"

"Because that fight is handled. There are at least five or six people against one grimm, and judging by the sound of it, our classmates are winning. Even if you could take care of whatever that thing is pretty quick, I stand no chance in that fight. So I won't risk it." Axle was resolute in his words. He wasn't going to fight that thing after nearly biting it to a couple of beowolves.

"But they might need our help. They are also already in the direction we are heading." Penny was getting frustrated, never before had she been asked to stay out of a fight.

Axle was getting annoyed with her, frankly, stupid idea. "Then we will take a detour out of the way. We are being graded by how efficiently we can retrieve the relic and return to the cliff. Hasn't anyone told you not to be a hero?"

Penny looked at him with a blank stare. As if she really didn't understand what that meant. "No. I've been told all my life to be a hero."

Upon hearing her response, Axle pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He started to get a glimpse of how hard it would be for them to work together considering their already vast difference in philosophy.

And I'll probably have to share a room with this girl.

Penny ignored the irritation Axle was displaying, continuing on to lecture him. "As a matter of fact, we are going to be attending a school for heroes. Part of our initiation grade is how effectively we can combat grimm. I fail to understand why you wish to attend if you don't want to fight grimm."

Axle was quick to retort. "This was simply due to circumstances. I'm not delusional like the rest of you."

Penny seemed more confused, rather than offended. "Is it delusional to help others?"

Axle struggled to reel in his frustration. "In this case, yes. I am not capable of lending a hand."

Penny went to argue further, but was cut off by an ear splitting shriek from above. Their eyes trailed up after the sound, revealing a large Nevermore tearing through the sky towards the conflict they had been arguing over. Though it was smaller than the last one he had encountered, this one seemed younger and therefore more agile.

As it flew away, his newfound partner broke the silence by engaging her weapon system. "That does it. I'm going to help them."

"Wait-" Before he could stop her, she ran off. Letting loose a curse, Axle chased after her. He was starting to second guess becoming a student.

It took considerable effort in order to match the girl's pace. In a matter of minutes, they had weaved through the labyrinth of trees and escaped out into the open. They found themselves at quite a picturesque place. Before them were the ruins of some ancient structure that represented a temple. The main building resided on the other side of a great ravine, with a single stone bridge that spanned the distance and made the temple accessible. But the derelict walkway couldn't be described as safe, for there was a central platform floating in the midpoint between their side and the opposite, and connected to it were the remains of four other bridges that had long since fallen to the bottom of the ravine.

To the right, separated from the main temple, was a little pavilion that had lost its roof and several of its stone columns. Within were an array of pedestals that seemed to be too new to have been original to the structure. Axle could bet that the relics he and his new teamy needed were there.

As serene as this place was, their attention was captured by the great battle between their classmates and two formidable Grimm. Nora and Ren were fighting alongside the blonde boy from the launch pads and a redhead girl (Like, REALLY red) against a giant grimm scorpion near the start of the stone bridge.

Ruby, Yang, and two other girls from the cliff were dashing around the ruins above the ravine, engaged with the Nevermore they had seen shortly prior.

Penny was ready to rush in but was stopped by Axle's hand. She turned to ask him to release her, but before she let out a word he pointed at the pavilion. "Secure our relics first."

Deciding that doing so would be faster than arguing, Penny conceded, and they both made a run for the pavilion. It appeared there were only a few relics left, or chess pieces, he should say. A set of four black pawns.

Penny stopped beside him, also studying their options. "So Axle, Which should we choose?"

Axle marched forward and reached out to grab one of the bishops. "Doesn't matter."

Before he touched the piece, however, he halted as a sudden pressure filled his head, as well as indistinguishable flashes of sights and sounds danced through his mind. All his surety faltered, and he was left questioning the bishop pieces as being the right relics.

Seeing his hesitation, Penny walked forward and leaned over so she could see his scrunched brow. "Is something wrong?"

"...I" Axle struggled to explain himself, he was not one for superstition but he had a strong aversion to the pieces in front of him. Instead he threw together what he hoped was a half believable excuse. "There's four relics here, and unless Ozpin lied we should only be a team of two."

Axle backtracked to the center of the pavilion and studied it with a more critical eye. "There must be something we're missing."

He scanned the structure, taking in all the cracks and moss, making sure not to miss a single feature. As his eyes moved across the back wall, Axle spotted something that stood out. He walked forward towards an overhang which must have once been part of a room long since eroded. Pulling aside a curtain of vines allowed sunlight to illuminate the back wall, and more importantly, the symbol etched into it. Being barely the size of his palm and the same dull gray stone as everything else, It was surprising that he had seen it at all.

But for whatever strange reason, Axle was enamored by it. It could best be described as a spade without its stem, a triangle with two large rounded corners at the bottom and a sharper point at the top. Two equal sized circles were indented into it, set horizontal and reminding him of eyes. The whole thing was enclosed within a ring. It struck him with a sense of familiarity, although he was sure he had never seen it before.

He approached it confidently at first, but for every step, the pressure in his head grew. Eventually, his sight grew hazy and red, distorting everything around him, all except for the symbol which started to glow as a white afterimage. He felt his anger rising, as well as his fear, anxiety, and grief. They kept rising as more memories floated into his head of things he wished he could forget. As much as he wanted to leave, as much as his mind and body urged him to escape whatever this danger was, the symbol drew him closer. His hand reached out mere inches away from it now. His mind was filled with raging sandstorms, screaming war parties, and snarling beasts. His hand touched the surface of the symbol, and suddenly…

Everything became quiet again. The only thing Axle could hear was the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind, and the sound of waves breaking against the rocks below. It was peaceful. Looking down in his hand revealed the symbol, etched onto a small stone disk which must've fallen free from the wall. He ran his thumb over it, finding equal parts resentment and satisfaction in holding it.

Your journey is only just beginning

"AXLE!"

The Panicked yell from Penny ripped Axle from his stupor. He snapped around, cursing as he leapt to the side, the barbed tail of the giant scorpion narrowly missing him and demolishing the wall instead. He quickly checked his hand, revealing the token unharmed. He stored it safely within the inner pocket of his jacket and got on his feet. The Grimm swung around, locking its collection of red eyes with his and radiating pure malice. The creature readied its tail for another strike, but before it could, a giant feather from the Nevermore pierced the ground between them. Axle was thrown by the impact, Making it obvious that he was the monster's target.

He did not get the chance to shake his daze, The scorpion swept the feather aside with its claw and aimed to bisect him with it. Without thinking, Axle dashed forward and jumped, maneuvering in such a way as to roll over the appendage. Before the Grimm understood what happened, He unsheathed his knife and plunged it into the joint of the claw. For good measure, He let himself fall, using his weight to drag the blade through the thick flesh before quickly withdrawing it. The beast screeched in agony, unable to open and close its claw willingly due most likely to a severed tendon. However, this did not prevent it from being used as a still equally lethal club.

Utilizing all of its legs, the scorpion swung its dead pincer around, too fast for Axle to dodge. He braced for the impact, but a large crack sounded instead, followed by maniacal laughter. To his fortune, Nora had intervened, Striking the claw with her hammer hard enough to completely halt its momentum. Reeling her hammer back briefly revealed a spider web of fissures covering the bone surface.

"NAUGHTY! NAUGHTY!" Nora cried before bringing her weapon down in a devastating arc, colliding with the limb hard enough to tear it from its weakened joint. The creature did not have the time to retaliate against her, as Ren, and the two others they had been fighting with rejoined the fight and began assaulting it with inhuman agility. Well, with the blonde boy being the exception. Nora rested her hammer on her shoulder and turned to Axle with an exuberant energy practically pouring out of her. "Oh man, that was a close one! Are you alright, Axle?"

Axle was breathing heavily and sweating from fighting for his survival. "I'll live. How the hell did it get away from you guys?"

"That's the crazy thing. We were fighting it, all super cool like, BAM! CRUNCH! POW! And then all of a sudden, it completely ditches us and makes a beeline straight towards the relics. We couldn't keep up with it. I've never seen a Death stalker move that fast! I thought it ran away cuz it was scared, but turns out it was trying to SPLAT ya!"

"Why in the hell would it…?" Axle faltered in his words, suddenly remembering Ozpin's. The Grimm were attracted to negative emotion.

Nora's smile widened further as she leaned her head to peer over his shoulder. "Geez, Axle! I don't know what you did to tick the Grimm off so bad, but I sure wish you would show me how!"

Axle spun to try to understand her strange words. Doing so left him face to face with a dozen or so Grimm, and more emerging from the forest. Beowolves, Creeps, Boarbatusks, and a pair of Ursas. Nora swung her hammer around excitedly. He figured she would prove to be a damn good backup. That was until Ren called her for assistance with the Death Stalker. "AWW MAN. Well Axle, looks like you get to have them all to yourself."

"No, WAIT!" But before he could stop her, she stood on her hammer's head and pulled the trigger on the handle, launching herself with the recoil in a way he thought physically impossible. Beyond her, he could also see Penny assisting Ruby and the others with the Nevermore, Leaving him to the All these Grimm.

A series of growls drew his attention back to the threat at hand. Well, if he was gonna die, he wasn't going down without a fight. He drew his pistol and aimed down the sights, following the breathing exercises to help him steady his aim. As he started firing, The young, more excitable Grimm charged. He was able to burn two mags before he slotted a third and put the pistol away in favor of fist and blade. Although he managed two Creeps and a Beowolf with bullets, it failed to deter any of the others.

The first Beowolf lunged at him, maw open to clamp around Axle's throat only to get impaled on his knife. Axle, not wanting to lose his footing, used the dog's momentum to swing down on the ground, where he pulled the knife from its chest and then sunk it into its neck. Another Beo followed the first's strategy and caught his upper body, sending them both into a tumbling mess. He held its face away, but its claws were dragging across his body. Instead of gutting him, however, A dark green shimmer held them at bay, reminding Axle of his aura.

He forced them to roll once more, putting Axle on top. Here, he delivered a couple punches into its chest, his knucks decimating the internal organs underneath the hide. Injured as it was, The Beowolf only had the strength to quiver as it died slowly, allowing Axle to stand back up. He swept his gaze around, taking count of the multitude of Grimm that now surrounded him. "Alright, come on you wretched shits."

Now began the slow siege. Grimm would lash out at him, sometimes two or three at a time, and each time he eliminated them. Without being familiar with their normal attack patterns, Axle had to often rely on grappling with them and forcing them into submission, a method that wore down his stamina, and he was sure of his aura too, at an alarming rate. After an indeterminate amount of time, he started to get a sense of his aura, understanding that he could relax and tense it like a muscle. Knowing that it was necessary for his survival, and no way to gauge it, he willingly suppressed his aura for blunt attacks.

Before long, he was sore and tired, but he found a rhythm in the Grimm attacks. He abandoned his quick and precise jabs for sluggish haymakers that left him wide open but could deal incredible damage to whatever was on the receiving end, at times slaying the little Creeps with a single hit. But at this point, he could very well say it was luck allowing him to make it this far. And as he watched yet more Grimm emerge from the shadows beneath the elms, He realized he still had a long way left to go. As a sort of bleak joke to himself, he muttered a favored word of warboys in the wasteland. "Valhalla."

---

Penny stared in awe with the others as Ruby's perfectly executed plan was drawn to a close with the aforementioned girl dragging the Nevermore up the cliff using a combination of her and Weiss's semblance. Upon reaching the top, she beheaded the monster, leaving a trail of rose petals falling in her wake.

When everyone convened at the edge of the ravine, they all chatted about the exciting battle. Yang was incredibly vocal while boasting her sister's performance as they walked back towards the ruins where the relics were stored. "Ruby, that was incredible! The way you held Crescent Rose while your petals swirled around you was WAY better than any advertisement the Academies could've thought up. We should definitely make a poster."

Nora bounced along, cheerfully agreeing with the idea. "Don't forget the HEADLESS NEVERMORE falling to its DEATH."

Ruby's face was as red as her namesake, not used to all the praise, especially from all her seniors. "Guys stop, I was only able to do that thanks to your help."

Yang turned to Weiss, who preferred to remain composed and seem unaffected by the ordeal. "Speaking of, Weiss, Those symbols of yours were wicked. Combine that with Ruby's speed and I think you guys are gonna be the most popular pair in Beacon, well, besides me and Blake of course."

Weiss didn't smile, but her tone definitely was more welcoming than before. "They're called glyphs, not symbols, and… well, who wouldn't like a team with a bit of taste."

Pyrrha, as the redhead's name had been revealed, commended them all in her gentle voice. "It was definitely a battle well fought. It was a welcome change to fight with others, and to have such an astute mind directing us against the death stalker." Such a compliment was truly impressive coming from the invincible girl, but of course, it failed to land in the blonde individual's ears who had earned it. He was busy trying to fold his shield back into its sheath form.

"I don't know, your partner doesn't seem to have that astute of a mind." Weiss quipped. Although the joke was well received, it was a little mean. Most surely because of her residual jealousy of wanting to be partners with Pyrrha. "Speaking of partners, Penny, was it? Didn't you get partnered with that dreadful looking boy?"

Penny nodded her head. Her awkward behavior and mannerisms they had all been briefly exposed to made them all hesitant in conversing with her, but Weiss thought better than to be rude for such a trivial reason. "Oh yes. However, I wouldn't call him dreadful. I think cranky is a better word for it."

This earned a snort from Yang. Weiss, however, seemed interested. "Oh. I thought that he seemed so unkempt. And I didn't see any manufactured weapons on him, only those hand-made gauntlets. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was a vagabond. And if anyone else saw, he sure didn't fend well against the Death Stalker."

Penny frowned, Not liking how comfortable Weiss was insulting her partner. But perhaps this was some unknown behavior that she was not familiar with. "He does have a pistol, and a knife. But to be honest, I didn't really get to see him fight, I was busy with the Nevermore."

Weiss turned her chin up in slight indignation. "Hmph, well just so you know, he truly fumbled around, I have to warn you, he's gonna get in your way more than likely, considering how the Grimm just magnetise to him. Such a shame too, as you are an impressive fighter."

Blake looked up from her book which they hadn't known she had brought with her. "Yeah, I've never seen anything like that. Was it a semblance of some kind? Penny, you were with him right? Did you see how he did that?"

Penny shook her head. "I don't think it was a semblance. He wanted to get our relics before helping you all, but rather than get any of the obvious ones, he said that they weren't ours. He eventually started acting very strangely."

Everyone, even Jaune, was now intrigued. Blake raised an eyebrow. "Strange how?"

Penny flushed a little from nervousness, but the pressure made her answer anyway. "Well, he eventually walked towards the back of the ruins., and when he saw the wall he… Well, he started walking towards it, but when I asked him what he was doing, he didn't answer."

"Rude." Weiss commented.

But she became confused when Penny shook her head. "No, he didn't ignore me. He couldn't hear me. When he reached the wall, he pulled a small stone disk off of it and just stood there staring at it."

Penny had lost all notion of shyness, remembering the honestly scary behavior of her partner. "It was about then I saw the Grimm you guys were fighting heading towards us. I started calling his name again and again, but still he didn't hear me. Seeing he was not alright, I tried to hold the Death stalker at bay, but instead of attacking me, it ran straight past me to get to him. He didn't even hear IT right behind him."

Penny's voice got very quiet as she recalled the true terror she felt in that brief moment. "I screamed his name again, I was scared. But right as it was about to hit him he jolted 'awake', if that's what you'd call it. From then on, He was able to evade long enough for you guys to show up."

Penny's shell shocked look snapped to a cheerful smile as she looked at the group. "But he's okay now, thanks to Nora. I don't know what would've happened if you didn't show up."

They all looked at her with dumbfounded expressions. They had no clue how to process the information. Except for Nora, that is. "No problemo."

Ren spoke up for the first time, concern laced in his voice. "Penny, Do you know where he is now? He doesn't seem to be in good enough condition to take the exam."

"He should be back by the ruins. That's where you all drew it away from him. I have to agree with you, though. I am glad he was able to sit out of the fight."

Nora started to hiss, drawing everyone's attention to her. "He… Didn't get to sit out of the fight."

Penny's confusion was apparent. "What do you mean?"

Nora grimaced as she broke the news. "Welllll, before I knew he was ca-razy, I left him to take care of all the little guys."

"What little guys, Nora?" Ren's concern was elevated, as he was afraid he knew what she was saying. Unfortunately, she proved him right. "The little Grimm, from the forest."

Pyrrha's eyes widened in sudden fear and understanding. "If he attracted the Death Stalker and Nevermore, then every Grimm in the forest likely followed too."

Without another word, Penny sprinted forward, everyone following suit. Running let them clear the distance quickly, but it hardly made up all the time they spent chatting. Penny was mentally kicking herself. According to her calculations, Axle has been alone for only seven minutes. But seven minutes against a hoard of Grimm…

She needed to get there.

There hadn't been a death in a Beacon entrance exam for nearly three decades. Ozpin wouldn't allow it. That's what she kept thinking as she rounded the outcropping of the treeline to see the clearing he was in. abruptly, she stopped. Eyes wide open in shock. The others, fearing the worst, drew their weapons and put on a burst of speed, but, they too, stopped to take in the unbelievable sight.

The Clearing was littered with dozens of decaying Grimm corpses. There were easily over a hundred, and the cause of death was plain to see for each. A crushed skull here, a broken spine there. Many weren't entirely dead. One Beowolf was dragging itself forward with one front paw, as the other was mutilated, and its tail end paralyzed. They didn't need to strain their ears in order to hear the numerous whimpers and cries. The only sound louder was the roar from the Ursa in the center of the clearing, who, along with three older Beowolves were encircling Axle.

The first wolf Dashed for Axles leg, but didn't make its mark as Axle swung down with A Boarbatusk mask he evidently tore from a corpse, impaling the wolf with the two large tusks. Thinking he was distracted, the second wolf leaped at him, but Axle was ready for it. Launching from his lowered position, Axle delivered a viscous uppercut, sinking the bolts adorning his knucks deep into the Grimm's lower jaw. Lodged thoroughly on the bolts, Axle held it aloft and buried his other fist into the neck right below the first. The creature's Yelps were gargled and distorted by the damage to its vocal chords and blood flooding its windpipe. Axle twisted his hands, and ripped his arms to either side, Tearing the flesh asunder, and creating a sizable splatter of viscera.

At this point the Ursa grew impatient. It charged Axle, who was too tired to evade comepletely. The Ursa swung its paw, raking gouges across Axle's chest and arm. Blood flowed freely onto his clothes, revealing his broken aura. In retaliation, Axle brought his fists together and slammed them down onto the beast's snout, driving it to the ground. Dazed, Axle picked its head up and delivered a powerful right hook, and then a left, each impact resounding with sickening crunching noises and making the Ursa stumble in the direction the strikes were thrown.

With a roar, The Ursa stood on its hind legs, rising to an imposing nine feet in height. With quickness that defied his exhaustion, Axle ran forward and jumped, planting his feet in the center of its gut, winding it as well as making the Ursa fall on its back. Waving its limbs about, frantically trying to right itself, but before it could, Axle walked forward and drew his pistol. Grabbing its hind leg in one arm, Axle placed the muzzle of the 1911 against the side of the knee and put three rounds into it. This made the Ursa roar in pain and try to shake loose, but the limb was inoperable with the damage. He quickly did the same to the other leg.

Putting his pistol away, Axle walked over to where he impaled the first wolf, the corpse decayed enough for him to rip out the Boarbatusk mask with ease. By this time, the Ursa had righted itself. It supported its weight on its two front, shaking legs. Realizing it lost the fight, it let out a meek roar and swiped its paw at him in defiance, the action nearly making it fall over again. Axle marched forward and stopped in front of the Ursa to snap one tusk off the mask with his foot, and then he snapped the tusk itself for a straighter shape. The Ursa tried to propel itself forward to try and bite him with its ruined jaw, but its aim was off and only managed to headbutt him in the mouth, Axle jammed his left fist into the soft underside of its jaw in answer and forced its head further and further back. Until it had to stand on its mangled legs. Axle then drove the tusk fragment deep into where he thought the heart was. He then heaved the bear to the side.

He turned to the last Beowolf who paced back and forth, watching the fight. It was definitely olde, and was smart enough to practice patience. Axle stepped towards it, but stopped when it hopped back the same distance. They both stood still for a moment, both unsure of the other's next move. Again Axle stepped closer, and this time, the Beowolf sauntered off into the forest.

The fight now over, he spit out the blood that collected in his mouth and looked around for the first corpse that still held his knife. The weakness in his legs left him unsteady, making him prone to tripping up on some of the bodies. Once he found it, he inspected the blade for damage, which revealed the dulled edge from when he carved up the Death stalker earlier. He wiped the knife on the fur of the dead Grimm and sheathed it. He looked around, wondering what his next move should be when he spotted everyone else jogging towards him.

As they reached him, Axle felt his anger flare again. He was royally pissed that they took off. Sure, they were dealing with extremely dangerous Grimm, but they could've at least spared one of their nine to help him against the hoard.

"Axle! Are you okay?" Penny's question, though he believed it was genuine, only made him angrier.

Axle's face was stony, answering only by spitting out the blood that had collected in his mouth on the ground and walking towards the ruins. Brushing past his partner, He started to limp as his adrenaline faded, and he placed a hand over the fiery gash on his chest. Seeing his pain, Penny moved to stop him. "Axle, please! Let us help. You are badly hurt."

Axle spun around, so quickly as to make Penny take a step back. Her eyes widened as she watched his face twist up in anger. Axle brought his good hand up, pointing at her with an accusing finger. He opened his mouth ready to yell.

But he saw her scared expression, as well as everyone else tense up. He forced himself to recall that this was likely all the first time they had been in the field. He took a deep, shaky breath and spoke with a more controlled composure. But he sure as hell was gonna make them remember this. "I am hurt because of you. All of you. Not that I am your responsibility, and I Can take care of myself. But you left me alone, with no way to call for backup, Against ALL of THEM."

Axle waved his arm over the field of Grimm. Yang's expression turned sour as she retorted. "Hey, that's not fair. We didn't know all those Grimm were there. We were busy saving your butt from the Death Stalker and Nevermore."

He pointed at Nora. The girl turned downcast as his smoldering words struck. "She knew. Make no mistake, some take more blame than others. In fact, I take the most blame of any here."

Looking at each and every one of them before stopping on Penny, Axle ensured his words would sink in. "I never should've thought that I could rely on such inexperienced, immature children."

His words weighed on some of them heavily, others, like Yang, The girl in white, and the girl in black glared at him with indignation. He couldn't care less, If they didn't take his lesson then that was on them.

Penny failed to meet his eye, shame making her unable. Her head hung, her words came out regretful. "I am sorry. Partners aren't supposed to abandon each other. I feel terrible."

"Oh, I hope so." The confused and angry eyes he felt on him for his harsh words didn't faze him, nor did Penny's flinch. He grabbed his partner's arm and held her hand open, but made sure to be gentle. His next words easing some of their apprehension. "That means it won't happen again."

He placed something in her hand before walking over and sitting against the even more ruined ruins. Penny looked down to find he had given her a stone disk like the one she saw him holding earlier. This one though had some of his blood on it from being inside his jacket.

Penny lost her guilt and gained instead concern for Axle's condition, she ran over to him and kneeled down while retrieving items from her pack. Axle was now the one to be confused, as she was moving urgently. Everyone by this point had reached their location. Once she was sure she had gotten everything, Penny addressed Axle. "You're hurt, and I am going to treat your wounds. Axle, take off your jacket please."

Axle was skeptical looking at the medical items she had with her, of which included needle and wire, syringes, and scalpels. "Hang on now, Are you sure you know how to use those?"

Penny smiled, her earlier confidence returning in full force. "Not only am I combat ready, I have taken Atlas Academy's combat medic course."

This drew a myriad of reactions from everyone, the most vocal being the girl in white. "You're from Atlas? How come you didn't mention it?"

"I am indeed from Atlas, Miss Schnee. And you never asked." The girl didn't have time to respond as Penny grabbed Axle's sleeve, helping and forcing him to remove his outer layer.

Axle winced throughout the process, and when his jacket and tank top were finally off, the others did so too in sympathy. His upper body was soaked red in blood, and discolored from bruises of varying size and depth. General grime covered him here and there, falling into his wounds and risking infection if they were not cleaned.

Penny now seemed unsure of her preparedness. "I think I am a bit short on bandages, and disinfectant. We'll also need water. Also some more cloth to wipe him off."

With strained movement, Axle grabbed his canteen and held it out to her, but only after taking a swig first. Pyrrha, having introduced herself, combined her own supply of bandages with the pile and started assisting Penny. Weiss, with her expertise, would refill the canteen by triggering a carefully measured amount of ice dust inside and then melting it using fire dust.

Axle gritted his teeth, but let out no more than a groan as the alcohol seared his flayed skin. After pumping as much painkiller into him as she dared, Penny steadily stitched him up. After a while, Axle had fallen asleep, which was as impressive as it was concerning. It meant that either he was so exhausted that he would've collapsed if he had to fight any longer, or that he was so used to being patched up that he had built up a tolerance.

She didn't focus on that, though. She couldn't. Right now, she just needed to get her partner fixed up.

---

The sky started to glow orange, and Penny had only just finished as a bullhead landed a small ways from them. The sliding door opened and out came the Headmaster and Miss Goodwitch. They stood and watched as Pyrrha finished the last wrap around Axle's shoulder.

Ozpin, sipped from his mug and addressed the students who were standing with rapt attention. Weiss stepped forward, speaking as to explain their tardiness. "Headmaster, We apologize for not coming back-"

"That won't be necessary, Miss Schnee." Ozpin's words put them in a grave silence. "I have been monitoring everything. Don't worry, Returning to the cliff is only a means to return you all to the school at the same time, it is in no way critical to your success. Although the ceremony will be delayed slightly."

The students breathed a sigh of relief, themselves now feeling weary. However, Penny became confused by something. "Headmaster, If I may, If you had been watching us this whole time, why didn't you send a Bullhead earlier to take Axle to the Nurse's office?"

Ozpin regarded her for a moment before deciding that they were deserving of the answer. "In truth, I took the liberty to evaluate your high stress situation handling. After your classmate was quite irate with you, you still had the resolve to help him."

Ozpin stood above Axle, looking at him from a new angle so to speak after watching him speak through the cameras. "Although excessive and poorly delivered, Axle had a point in his scolding. From now on you will be expected to communicate better."

His new students stood crestfallen, seemingly ready for another lecture. The truth was that he had been more than pleased with their performance, even Mr. Arc's. The poorest display was by none other than the injured and aura-broken Axle who slumbered through his hurting. His fighting style was bland at best and animalistic in nature. His stamina was underdeveloped compared to that of Beacon's student body. And his use of firearms were minimal and stiff like an Atlas military recruit. Poorly suited for fighting Grimm.

But that didn't mean he hadn't any potential. No, he had the most. As Ozpin drank his preferred beverage, he replayed the boy's stand against the Grimm in his head. Where Axle lacked in all the aforementioned traits, he made up for in sheer ferocity. When seeing his first action, Ozpin thought Axle was another brawler, like Miss Xiao-Long. Axle went beyond that. He utilized grapples and leverage to cripple his opponents. It was basic, and easily predictable and likewise avoidable. But if he did succeed in completing a counter, the results were devastating.

His strength was also to be commended. Initially, Ozpin thought that Axle's aura had augmented it as it does for some, but it was proven false as the teen fought equally without it. It appeared that it hadn't been unlocked long enough for him to use it to its full potential. However, it might be best to keep it that way, as the more you rely on your aura, the worse your symptoms of depletion sickness.

Glynda tapped the pondering Headmaster on the arm to remind him of the time. It was time to be off. "Alright students, we don't want to miss your initiation ceremony."

---

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyhrra Nikos, Nora Valkyrie." The headmaster called forth over the applause at the formation of team Cardinal, echoing throughout the auditorium. As the four students stopped in front of him, he quickly formed a name from one of the many combinations their initials formed. "The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team Juniper. Led by Jaune Arc."

Jaune's face turned to one of confusion, as if unsure he heard Ozpin's words correctly. Pyrrha, beaming a happy smile at her partner, slugged his shoulder in a gesture of support, accidentally knocking the stunned boy down. Ozpin nodded his head. "Congratulations young man."

As the new team helped their leader off the ground, Ozpin had a request for them. "Please remain onstage behind me."

"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao-Long." The four girls took their place in front of the Headmaster. You four retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team RWBY. Led by Ruby Rose."

Yang wrapped her arms around her little sister in a hug. "I'm so proud of you!"

Ozpin made the same request of Team RWBY and called up the remaining students. "Penny Polendina, Axle Dumont." The pair took the stage. Penny stood rigid and straight, arms at her sides. Axle was much the same, only with his arms behind his back, and without his tattered jacket. "You two retrieved the Wanderer tokens. From this day forward, You will work together as team Adapt."

To everyone's confusion, Ozpin didn't immediately announce which of them would be team leader. Instead he beckoned forth team CFVY, Who left the audience murmuring excitedly. When they got close enough to see Axle, their faces turned to expressions of sympathy and pity.

He looked like hell. His hair was frazzled and the damaged white tank top did little to hide the damage. The bloody bandages stuck out, as well as the dirt. It was also clear he was exhausted. Not surprising after they had watched the livestream of his fight.

Once team CFVY lined up beside RWBY and JNPR, Ozpin turned to face them all. "For the first time since I have been Headmaster, We have to face the conundrum of not having a full team. In the past, situations like this were handled by either putting the initiates through an elimination exam, or by allowing certain teams an additional member. However, I've decided on a new approach."

Ozpin let the students puzzle over his words only long enough for what he deemed appropriate. "In the spirit of your team name, you will adapt to the roles that team RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY deem fit for you. They will be your leaders, Primarily. You will also not be exclusive only to them. If, during the course of your time at Beacon, circumstances arise where you can provide support to another team, you will be called forth to fulfill your duty. If you fail, you will prove that the centuries old tradition of four to a team is the most effective option, and exceptions are not acceptable. If you Succeed, You may spark a new class of Huntsmen and Huntresses. I wish you luck."

With finality, Ozpin walked off stage and disappeared down one of the dark corridors of Beacon's interior. Ms. Goodwitch stepped in front of the microphone and finished with dismissing the gathered student body. As those on the stage made to do the same, the disciplinarian stopped them. "Now that you three teams share the responsibility of incorporating team Adapt into your daily lives, You will be given special privileges. The first of which being one already in CFVY's possession, the dorm manager suites."

Although unsure of what precisely those were, the word 'suite' was enough to set team RWBY and JNPR abuzz. However, Ms. Goodwitch wasn't finished. "The enlarged rooms mean you will be able to accommodate the two additional persons, but who stays where will be left to your discretion. Secondly, You will be granted after hours access to the school's training facilities in order to ensure that each team has enough time to assimilate with each other and coordinate in battle."

Yang and Nora were in the most approval of this little bonus, evident in their shouts of 'Wicked!' and 'Alright!'. Glynda stared them down sternly, ensuring the quiet for her next privilege, which ended up being more of a responsibility. "Lastly, Although the Headmaster didn't mention it as to prevent an upheaval, You lot will also be the subjects of a little experiment to see if Beacon can improve the development of students by encouraging cooperative learning amongst all year levels in beacon. You were chosen because you impressed us, now it will be up to you to exceed the expectations of every academy on Remnant. You are dismissed."

Glynda walked away, her cape fluttering slightly as she went after the Headmaster. Once she was gone, many of their group broke out into excited chatter. Yang and Nora were already gearing up for a sparring match. Weiss and Blake were talking to Coco and Velvet about the Dorms and how to coordinate with each other. Ren and Yatsuhashi were discussing their homeland of Mistral, beside them, Fox cracked some jokes with Jaune who tried to keep up without being too awkward. The only ones not talking were Ruby, Penny, and Axle.

Axle, who had barely managed to make it through the designation of teams, broke free of his stance and placed a hand over a particularly bad bruise by his kidney. He started to slowly shuffle away, but was stopped by Penny. "Axle, Where are you heading?"

Axle, who was quite thoroughly not in the best condition to talk, did his best to not show his annoyance and kept his response short. "To go get my car."

Penny's brow furrowed together in concern. "But that is not a short walk, and it is after dark, I don't think you should."

Axle shrugged her hand off his arm. "It's not like I'm heading off campus, and the sooner I get it done, the sooner I can rest."

"Well then, I will go with you. I will be there in case something bad happens." Penny said it as a statement of fact rather than a suggestion.

Though he was a little irritated at not being able to have a little peace, He supposed he should encourage her current behavior. "Fine, let's get going."

Penny was surprised he agreed so easily. In a bout of confidence she looked around and saw Ruby standing shyly and looking lost. "Ruby, wanna come with us!"

The Brunette was startled by Penny's call to her. Awkwardly, she made her way over. Axle's patience was growing thin.

I should've just told her I was going to the bathroom.

Ruby stopped in front of team Adapt, not looking them in the eye, but that was mainly because of Axle's clear disapproval of her joining them. "Uh, that depends. Where are you going?"

Penny, oblivious to both of their discomfort, answered enthusiastically. "We're going to go get Axle's car from the cliff. I didn't want him to go alone since he's hurt."

Ruby for the first time, looked at Axle directly, taking in his disheveled appearance. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense, but are you sure you want me along?"

Before Axle could say 'no', Penny nodded her head and smiled. "Absolutely."

Rolling his eyes, Axle attempted to walk away again, Ruby and Penny in tow, but they were stopped once more, much to his chagrin.

Yang called out to them, with more than a little suspicion in her voice. "Hey where are you off to Rubes?"

The reaper turned, a little hopeful at being dragged out of this situation. "We're going to make sure Axle gets to his car safely."

Yang broke away from the group, hurriedly approaching them. "And where do you guys plan on going at this time of night?"

Axle, realizing how suspicious he seems at the moment, decided to respond. "Don't get the wrong idea blondie, I'm only taking it back to the garage. Besides, I didn't ask either of them to come along."

Yang relaxed and let out a nervous laugh, relieved that there wasn't anything sinister going on. "Oh, Okay. I thought you were trying to kidnap my little sister or something."

CFVY cringed at the girl's admittance to thinking Axle a kidnapper. Axle turned back and looked at Yang with a raised brow. The brawler seemed to realize her error, and started stammering a bit before Axle cut her off. "I didn't think I looked like I was in a kidnapping condition."

Yang blinked before letting out a chuckle. "I was worried for a moment when you were acting like a jerk at the ruins, but it seems like you'll make a pretty good teammate. I think we should celebrate guys. How about it?"

Everyone agreed earnestly. Nora shouted out. "Here's to us for being cool enough to become the school guinea pigs!"

However, there was some reservation coming from Pyrrha. "But where should we celebrate? Everything's closed in Vale, and there's no airships besides."

Coco was quick to keep their energy flowing, she was ready to party. "I know. Axle's garage. We got something of a little hangout there, with a drink and snack bar to boot."

Everyone was ecstatic. Everyone except Axle. As they all rushed off to his planned place of rest to commandeer it, he was left standing with Penny and Ruby. The former absolutely giddy at all her new friends, the latter deeply embarrassed as she knew it was partially her fault that Axle's place was volunteered for their revelry.

She looked at his incredibly frustrated glare directed at the quickly fading sound of the teams. Ruby looked in the same direction so she didn't have to look him in the eye. "I'm sorry. I know you probably just wanna go to bed."

Axle pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He started walking, the two girls in his wake, before he responded much calmer than Ruby anticipated. "It's fine, they likely would've just barged in uninvited anyway. I'll just have to head back to CFVY's room and crash there."

Penny marched confidently beside him, thinking up what she thought was a perfect suggestion. "We can take your car back if you want to just go right to bed."

Axle was drawn out of his fatigue in a small fit of panic. "Don't even think about touching that car!"

Penny and Ruby were left shocked, and quite painfully, by his small outburst. He noticed this and calmed himself back down. "I only say that because it's rigged with anti theft devices."

Ruby chuckled a little bit, going from hurt to amused at the idea of such a trivial worry. "I don't think the alarm going off is going to wake up anyone that far away from the dorms."

"I'm talking about explosives." Axle said nonchalantly.

Ruby practically screamed in his ear. "You rigged your car with explosives!?"

Axle raised his hands in defense. "I know that sounds bad-"

"What kind?" Ruby said with a wondrous, almost childlike glee.

Axle looked at her with more than a little confusion. "Uh, Jerry-rigged land mines, mainly."

With that, Ruby bombarded him with questions about all the armaments his car possessed. At first, he intended to keep most of it secret, that was, until she started making suggestions that would drastically improve their effectiveness and without permanently decommissioning his machine. For example, Rather than igniting a stream of fuel inside the cabin, instead spew streams of fire in a circle around the car. The flames would deter any thieves around the car, and cook the thieves inside the car alive. Plus, his fuel reserve could support a stream of flames of that magnitude for a few hours at full tank.

The conversation continued well after they had reached the car, and once inside, Ruby was even more helpful as she could analyze the structure of the vehicle. Even when they pulled into the garage and they exited the car, she kept the stream of golden ideas coming. Things he never could have dreamed of.

The over revved girl was interrupted when her big sister clamped a hand over her mouth just to make an opening for her own words. "Oh boy, you started talking about weapons, huh. By the speed of her words, she sounds about fifteen minutes in. I hope she hasn't ruined your impression of us."

Considering Yang's accuracy at how long Ruby had been going on, He guessed that this was a common occurrence. Axle shut the door of his car after Penny climbed out, visibly in an improved mood. "The opposite actually. I had no idea you had a powder-breather for a sister."

Everyone looked at him strangely for the odd term. Yang, however, thought she understood it. "I promise she's not on crack. Believe me, I checked."

Ignoring the offended 'Hey!' from Ruby, Axle corrected his manner of speech. "No, I meant that she's a, ah what was the word for it? Gunsmith."

Weiss stared at him like he was some lunatic. "Why on Remnant would a gunsmith be called a powder-breather?"

"Well, back in the-'' Axle was about to explain the origin of the term when he caught team CFVY's stares. Realizing he almost divulged his currently confidential background, he quickly altered his story. "Back home, anyone who did gunsmithing often got covered in gunpowder that would concentrate around their nostrils whenever they inhaled. Hence the name."

Weiss seemed to be amused at the information. "You know, that's very fitting after this morning."

Another offended 'Hey!' from Ruby was heard, again disregarded as Yang worriedly questioned Axle. "So you're saying, you actually like talking about weapons too?"

"I'm not as well versed with firearms, but I'm always looking to learn about them. Also, she was talking about upgunning my rig, so yes, I like talking about weapons in that sense."

Yang could only hang her head in defeat. She long tried to get Ruby to talk about anything other than weapons, but now that she found someone who could reciprocate with her, all hope was lost. Ruby was absolutely beaming. "Speaking of, Axle, what kinda heat are you packing?"

Deciding he could fend off his fatigue a little longer, Axle drew his pistol and knife and handed them to her. While she geeked over them, he undid one of his bracers and went to hand it over as well, but Yang took it first to inspect it. "Crude, but simple I guess. Though it looks like it's time to put some fresh bolts on there, don't ya think? What's this gunk on here?"

His answer was one that left them all more than a little perturbed. "I don't clean them because if the puncture doesn't finish the job, disease will."

Ruby was still inspecting the 1911 as she spoke, not realizing what he meant. "That's silly, Grimm don't get sick."

Axle kept silent.

Ruby's face scrunched up in confusion. "I've never seen a pistol like this before, Is it Atlesian?"

Axle, recognizing where this question could lead the conversation, lied about the gun's history. "It's custom. Old acquaintance of mine made it. It's called the Browning 1911. Named after the man and the date it was drawn up."

"Huh, neat." Ruby didn't give the little fib a second thought. She handed back the gun and knife, taking the bracer from Yang. "You know Axle, Your weapons seem kinda… small. For Grimm, I mean"

Axle let out a 'hmph' and sat down on a rolling utility stool he used in his shop. "Agreed. Original plan wasn't to take on hordes of Grimm by myself. I could use an upgrade."

Ignoring his slightly petty remark, Ruby got all fired up again. "Oooh! I can help with that. What ya thinking, a shotgun? Or maybe a cool sword!?"

"What about a machine gun!? YA TA TA TA-'' Nora pitched in with her impression of holding an LMG like they do in action movies.

Axle shook his head. "I want something light, maneuverable, and reliable. A shotgun could work, but a machine gun is a no go, I have little experience with them and the ammo would be burdensome to carry."

Weiss piped up with a slightly sassy comment. "And what do you have experience with besides wailing on something like an angry Beringal?"

Axle shot her a pointed look, but he left it at that. "Well, I'm good with anything close quarters melee. Daggers, hatchets, Hammers. As for ranged, I have the most practice with sidearms and longshots."

Yang stood from leaning against the wall and let out a 'oh no' that only gave a little warning to her sister's rising glee. The Reaper was nearly crying tears of joy when she said very softly, hopefully. "You mean snipers?"

Axle nodded his head. "Yeah I think that's the proper name. It's been some time but I was a decent shot with a .306. I wouldn't mind-" Axle never got to finish.

"Ohmygodicantbelieveitifoundanothersniperthisisthegreatest-" Yang managed, but continued to struggle at restraining her psycho sister.

"Sorry about this, I was afraid of the day when she'd find another sniper user. Not many Huntsmen or Huntresses use em in favor of being flashy, not to mention it's hard to save people when you're far away. She's pretty much the only person I know that uses one." At this point, Yang felt a slight tapping on her arm and a lot less struggling from Ruby. She looked down to see her sister who was starting to turn blue and dropped the girl in a lump on the floor."Oops, sorry sis."

As Ruby recovered, Axle pondered the idea, taking into account the advanced weaponry. "Normally I wouldn't use a sniper for anything other than picking off targets, but with your combination weapons, It might be viable. But I would want to go with a large caliber, something that can pack a punch against larger Grimm, and Aura too."

Ruby snapped back up again, whipping out Crescent rose and ejecting a round from the chamber. "How about 50 cal? I've had a lot of luck with it. There's also .44 long, which would also sound pretty wicked."

Velvet cringed, voicing her disdain for the idea. "Ugh, please don't make 'loud' the goal here, the cannon was bad enough."

Her mentioning of 'the cannon' drew all eyes to her, leaving her like a deer caught in headlights, or a bunny, rather. The members of the group not already aware of the weapon all spoke simultaneously with a myriad of tones. "What do you mean 'the cannon'!?"

"Well, ugh… I mean. Hnngh, sorry Axle." Velvet shriveled up at all the attention.

Axle sighed, annoyance clear in the way he rubbed his temples. "Think nothing of it. It's an old hunk of scrap I was too stubborn to get rid of."

Coco let out a chuckle and lowered her glasses to look at him. "No hunk of scrap takes out the 'Carver of Glenn' with a single shot."

The Fashionista's words left a stunned silence in their wake. The only exception being Jaune. "And what's a Carver of Glenn?"

Ren answered aloud, just so anyone who was curious could hear his explanation. "An ancient Nevermore that ultimately caused the onslaught of Grimm that destroyed Mountain Glenn. It must be 400 years old at this point, if the stories are true."

"Was 400 years old. Axle's secret weapon plowed a tunnel all the way through the thing, couldn't make it out of the city before it fell like a rock out of the sky." Coco corrected.

Ruby jumped up and got right in Axle's face. Teeth bared and practically frothing at the mouth. "WHERE IS IT?"

"I'm not gonna haul the damn thing-" Axle began, but was soon silenced.

Ruby, In a flash of rose petals, used her semblance to dash about the building, throwing open cabinets, boxes, and containers that couldn't even hold a child's cap gun. Eventually she ripped open a closet in the shop on the other side of his car. Her gasp could be heard all the way from the shop half.

Struggling for a few minutes, Ruby eventually heaved the heavy gun over to where everyone could see. The cannon's heft was apparent in the way Ruby could hardly move it, even on wheels. The combined length of the receiver and barrel reached just over eight feet, with the barrel accounting for two thirds of the distance. Mounted in the space connecting the two parts was a gunshield of about an inch in thickness and would cover whoever operated it quite well. The whole ensemble was fastened to a small trailer with two wheels that would allow it to be towed by car or by hand with some effort. It was painted army green, though the color was terribly worn.

Ruby was inspecting the gun so closely it looked like she was crawling over the thing, muttering gun terminology under her breath. She snapped to look at Axle. "What kinda bullet does this fire?"

Axle, giving up on the prospect of taking a break, limped over behind his shop counter and picked up a short wood crate about four feet in length and three in width. He undid a latch on the front and opened the lid towards them. He grabbed one of the four HE shells he had left and carried it over to Ruby. To the untrained eye, the round may have looked small, slightly longer than the width of her palm, but Ruby knew that this was one big bullet to use against Grimm.

Axle, after handing the object to her, corrected her for the first time in her life about something to do with weapons. "Not a bullet, a shell. It has explosive material inside so it will detonate upon impact."

Ruby was too gleeful to care about being wrong, and she was happy to take in the information. "This thing would make such a cool Huntsman weapon."

Axle looked at her like she was stupid, and his voice conveyed the feeling. "What about a 950-ish pound cannon that seems like it would be maneuverable to you. It takes a winch to get it back up in my car."

Coco whistled. "Geez, and I thought my Yatsu's sword was heavy, what's that thing made of, steel?"

Axle was slightly confused by the girl's joke. "Forged gun steel."

Weiss scoffed at this. "Well no wonder it's heavy. What numbskull decided to make a gun like that out of steel? Aeronium is the only suitable material."

"Aeronium?"

Their reactions to his posed question made it clear that this was another common knowledge item that he was ignorant of. Before anyone could question him about it, Velvet came in with the save. "Aeronium, Axle, is the metal made from infusing Gravity dust into other metals. For example, Aeronium 255 is cast Aluminum with Gravity dust infusion. It allows for metals to have such a low density that a solid bar of steel could feel hollow, yet be stronger, since the source of the strength is coming from the effect of the dust rather than the metal itself."

"Yeah, there'd be no way for me to swing my baby around if she were made of regular steel." Ruby made a show of transforming her crescent rose into its scythe form.

Axle looked at the complex armament in awe, but was still focused on the fact he needed his own. "Right, with that out of the way, what are my real options for a Longshot?"

Pyrrha held up her hand to snag Axles' attention. "The company that made my rifle has a larger version for airship hunting."

"The SDC also makes a sniper with thermal imaging for the Atlesian military." Weiss recalled its usefulness in detecting Grimm in poor visibility environments.

Ruby, in a bout of excitement, jumped off the ground. "I have the greatest Idea! I'll build you a new cannon out of Aeronium!"

"Back on this again. Even if it was lighter, how would I carry all the Ammunition?" With Axle's observation, thus began the argument of the effectiveness of making a new cannon. Yang, who had been slowly losing interest in the convo, had a thought cross her mind. "So wait, If you didn't know what Aeronium was, what did you think your car was made of?"

The Blonde's chuckle at the end signified that she thought that he was just ignorant of the information. Axle didn't hesitate to correct her. "Automotive steel through and through, no dust infusion."

"No way. You're lying." Was her response. "You outsripped Bumblebee. Besides, Cars have always been made out of aeronium."

Axle was starting to get a little agitated. "I'm telling you the truth."

"Prove it." Yang crossed her arms, a challenging grin on her face.

Axle rubbed his chin. He had no idea how to prove it, mainly because he didn't know anything about Aeronium besides its weight, or lack thereof. However, he did have a smattering of knowledge on dust. "Can you weld Aeronium?"

Weiss's head snapped towards him, slightly panicked. "Absolutely not. You'd trigger the dust to go off, and gravity dust, depending how it was infused, will either unleash a gravitational field away from it, or suck in everything around it like a tiny black hole."

Axle, with this new information, hobbled over to his car and opened the door. He then used his flashlight to illuminate the unmistakably welded door frame, a job he did himself to strengthen the body. All Yang could do is stare in disbelief. "Your car must weigh, like, 4,000 pounds."

Axle didn't appreciate how she made it sound as if it was such a gargantuan amount. But she wasn't far off the mark. Nora, driven on by what must've been a lack of attention, cracked her knuckles and put on a devious expression. "Let's find out."

She marched forward, making way to try and lift the thing with her bare hands, but before she passed into the garage, an arm shot across her path, quick as lightning.

Axle, who grunted from the exertion and popping a few stitches, gave her a glare that could've froze hell over. "Don't try it"

Although initially surprised, Nora's smile widened. "Oh, but I think I can."

Ren, seeing the mental image of where this path would lead them, reeled his partner back in. "Nora, Don't be rude. You know better than to upset someone who is still in recovery.

All too slowly, Nora retreated back to her seat, her devilish expression never leaving her face.

When she finally sat back down, Axle placed a now freshly bleeding arm against his midsection, something that didn't escape a few concerned eyes. He was having a hard time focusing, so he decided to leave them, a scowl on his face all the while. "I'm going to bed. Don't touch my car."

Fox piped up as he walked out the door. "That's a funny way to say goodnight!"

A hard shutting door was Axle's response.

Velvet, worried about the teen's condition, stood up from her chair and followed. "I'll make sure he doesn't pass out in a bush somewhere."

"I'll go too." Penny made to follow, but was stopped by Yatsu.

The Mistrali Man shook his head. "You've done a lot for him already and more company won't make him feel better. Velvet's the only one he won't lash out against."

Penny sat down, somewhat deflated. She hoped that she would get along with her partner, but it was too early to tell. "What did Velvet do to get along with him?"

Fox leaned forward and displayed a reassuring smile. "I wouldn't really call it 'getting along'. He's only easier on her because she saved him from getting torn up by Grimm."

"Oh. When was this?"

Coco waved her hand in dismissal, not wanting to go through the whole story again. "Eh, a couple weeks ago, but that's a story for another time. I say we get back to celebrating your initiation."

"Hell Yeah!" Yang moved to turn the radio on. Eventually, everyone started to get back in a relaxed air of mirth.

Though, Penny was still harboring some concerns.

---

Axle stumbled into CFVY's room, requiring much assistance from Velvet now that the painkillers were officially out of his system. Velvet helped him to his bed. He tossed his jacket on the post and struggled to get his boots off. Not bothering to clean himself up, He just laid flat on his back, running number sequences in his head to ignore the pain.

While this was happening, Velvet cracked open the medical supply bin in the bathroom and retrieved more of the same numbing agent Penny gave him hours prior. She hurried to Axle's side and urged him to sit up, forcing a groan out of him as he did so. She took the syringe and started poking him in areas adjacent to the worst injuries. "With your Aura depleted, it's taking a lot longer to heal these up. And it won't be coming back any time soon as long as you're tired. How much have you had to eat today?"

"Nothing, Initiation was first thing in the morning." Axle forced through gritted teeth.

Velvet nodded her head, remembering her own circumstances last year. "Sounds about right. What'd you have Yesterday?"

"Nothing." Axle let out.

Velvet took a moment to scan Axle's expression, wondering if he was getting a fever. "Nothing? Yesterday you ate Nothing?"

"That's what I said." Axle hissed as Velvet put a little pressure on a particularly bad bruise. He couldn't tell if it was intentional or not.

"The day before that?"

"Uh, that tray of… spaghetti? I think it was called."

After a suspicious amount of silence, Axle looked to see what was wrong. He was met with Velvet's furious glare. The girl was red in the face when she spoke. "You haven't eaten, FOR THREE DAYS?"

Axle gritted his teeth. He did not have the patience for this. "Did you forget how to count, I had that spaghetti-"

"THAT WASN'T A PROPER MEAL!" Velvet cut him off with a shout. The sound of doors opening and some questioning voices brought Velvet's volume back down. We only gave you a little cuz we thought you might've already eaten, but apparently not! Why didn't you eat yesterday?"

Axle's face was slowly twisting into an ugly visage, and he didn't bother trying to hide the condescension in his voice. "Because I wasn't hungry."

Velvet was getting madder, her hands were clenched around the medicine bottle in a dangerously firm grip."You're supposed to eat two to three meals a day, Axle. Once every three days is not healthy! Your aura needs food to help regenerate it!"

"Fine! I'll eat more! Just stop berating me and finish this up so I can go to bed." Axle spat out. He was in too much pain to care about being nice to the girl.

Velvet's face went bright red and her ears shot straight up. "Ugh!" She let out in frustration. She pushed off of the edge of the bed, shooting up to a standing position and storming off into the kitchen.

Axle assumed she was leaving, and was all too happy to lean his head back against the wall and close his eyes. His peace rest didn't last, however. A slam of the refrigerator door could be heard and the furious stomping of Velvet approached him. He opened his eyes and was about to ask what she was up to when she threw something at him.

Between the poor lighting and the sluggishness of his arms, he failed to catch the object which instead smacked against his face. The object wasn't heavy, nor was it hard either, meaning that the only pain he felt was in the action of trying to catch it, causing him to wince. After the object rolled down his chest and onto his lap, he picked it up furiously and was about to throw it back, but he stopped when he felt the still unfamiliar chilliness of an item that had been kept cold. Reevaluating it, he recognized that the outside shell was an aluminum foil wrapping.

Although his agitation was nearly at its peak, he was still curious about the strange behavior. "What is this?"

Velvet's face was still red, and she returned his aggressive tone. "Your dinner."

Axle scoffed and tossed the mystery food on the side of the bed. "I'm not hungry."

"Yes you are." Her voice was calm, but her glare was burning. She snatched up the food and placed it in his hand. "You're just being stubborn."

Axle tried to stare her down, but he wasn't very intimidating in his current state. "I don't care what your psycho headmaster told you, I'm not gonna be treated like a child. I am going to bed, whether you give me the medicine or not."

"You are not going to do anything until you eat. This. Wrap." Velvet got closer to his face with each word, eventually having to lean forward substantially to do so.

Axle ran a hand over his face, struggling very hard to not headbutt her in the face, as was his usual course of action when someone breached his personal space. "Why is the damn wrap so important!"

Velvet's voice raised to match his, barely keeping it under shouting volume. "Because you need to eat! You're neglecting-"

"WHY do YOU care!?" Axle snarled, making Velvet take a step back. Axle made to stand up, but his legs were too weak, causing him to fall back onto the bed, making him even more upset."Lord knows I didn't ask you to hover over me. So what compels you to? Since when was my well being YOUR responsibility!?

"Since you almost DIED, Axle!" Velvet cried out. Try as she might to control it, her voice cracked. "Twice now!"

Axle's own anger started to evaporate as he watched her ears fall flat down against her face, All her previous spirit gone as she slumped down on the bed beside him. "Axle, you have no idea how bad you looked when I picked you off that street. I couldn't even see that you were breathing, and there was so much blood."

Velvet couldn't meet his eyes. She hated herself at the moment, for being so weak. But she had to try and get him to understand. "We were watching the initiation. We watched your fight. I saw when your aura broke, and how many Grimm were left. I couldn't breathe whenever I saw one of them attack."

She started to sob, it was small and very intermittent, but he heard it in her words. "Do you have any idea how it feels to watch someone you saved, someone who you are worried for, just… risk their life like that. It's dreadful."

"I just wish you'd take better care of yourself."

Axle was too stunned to speak. He hadn't any clue that her motivation was just genuine concern for himself. It was a foreign concept to him, and he wasn't sure if he was emotionally equipped to understand it. And he sure wasn't equipped to deal with the crying girl in front of him.

Axle sat in silence as Velvet's tears flowed, awkwardness leaving him unsure of what he should do. He didn't think an apology would work at the moment. Nor did he think staring at her would either.

Hey mystery voice in my head, you got any advice?

…

Of course the one time his interjection would be welcome, he didn't show. Gathering his resolve, Axle gave a shot at trying to console the girl, since her anguish was partially his fault. He placed a hand on her arm, noticing her tense up from the contact. "I… can't say that I know what that feeling's like. Never really made it a priority to save people."

Velvet stopped sniffling and looked at him directly, taken aback by the turnaround in his behavior. Axle was taking a long time thinking of what to say. "I guess I got used to the idea of people not giving a damn about me, I never considered that you would."

Velvet still looked at him, listening all the while but not responding. Her silence started to get to him, making him question if he was saying the right things. Yet he continued. "It's… not a bad thing to be, caring I mean. At least I think it is, never ran into much outside of my… home. I just can't comprehend why you would spend it on a waster like me."

Velvet had since relaxed, but her eyes were still watery and cheeks puffed up. He didn't know what he was doing, he really needed some guidance. "Wait, did I say something wrong? Shouldn't you not be crying anymore?"

Velvet blinked a few times, her ears twitched and she sat up a little straighter before a smile took the place of her frown, and then she started to laugh. Axle was lost as she giggled to herself. He didn't understand what was funny to her. When she eventually pulled herself together, she looked back at Axle with a genuine, joyful grin. "You jerk. For future reference, do not say that to a girl when she's crying. It never works."

Axle's brow scrunched together, clearly puzzled. "But didn't it work just now?"

Velvet giggled a bit more, amplifying his confusion more. She started wiping her blurry eyes as she answered him. "Yes, But I know that you are about as emotionally intuitive as a rock. And that you're likely just irritable from today."

Seeing that she calmed down, Axle returned to his usual, mildly grumpy, stoicism. Velvet, who saw the change, bit her lip to keep from laughing again. "Anyways, let's get you drugged up so we won't have to deal with you until morning."

Axle gave out a 'hmph' which Velvet couldn't resist letting out a small chuckle. She picked up the syringe and the medicine and tried to get back to work, but she struggled to steady her hand. Joking at her own expense, she made Axle aware of her issue. "Ugh, I'm all shaken up. Pretty pathetic, huh?"

Axle, with his already spent mind, grabbed her wrist without thinking, helping her hold it still. "Well, it's not your fault. you didn't deserve the trouble I gave you after you helped drag me back here."

Axle was too preoccupied on where she was trying to inject him to notice the blush on her face. When the needle went into his abdomen, she pressed the plunger down, and Axle let go of her arm. From there, muscle memory kicked in and she mechanically treated all of the other wounds. Replacing bandages and such.

When she was finished, Velvet promptly put away all of the medical items. After storing the medkit back in the bathroom, she made her way to her bed and gathered her shower items, deciding that it was a little late for her to go all the way back to the garage. Her ears picked up a munching noise right before she entered the bathroom. It didn't take her long to see it was Axle, who was devouring the chicken wrap she had given him in a simultaneously exhausted and drugged daze.

Velvet found the sight amusing. She quickly turned the water on and hopped in the shower, thoughts turning to how tomorrow would be spent. It was Friday, so the student body would have a weekend to acclimate to the grounds before classes started. Team RWBY and team JNPR were probably going to be busy, so it seemed CFVY might be on their own this time. Usually they'd make a trip into town, but now they have Axle to worry about, so who knows.

With her shower over, Velvet walked out into the bedroom and found Axle sleeping, all traces of the wrap gone. He didn't eat nearly enough for the amount of repair his aura needs to do. Velvet sighed and laid down to sleep herself.

He was gonna be ravenous in the morning, and she didn't feel sorry for him at all. Even after his sorta-kinda apology.

At least the cafeteria will be open.