Author's Note: This is kind of a filler chapter, all things considered. It's main purpose is twofold- off-hand world building as well as some internal character establishment.
It goes to show that Beacon takes things seriously here, as they would if they were an actual academic institution. It's not the kind of place where you can show up with fake credentials and get in- you need to actually be capable.
Sins of the Forefathers
Act the Second: The First Step
Chapter Seventeen: Entrance Exams
Weiss gasped as her arms burned, the iron bar within her hands growing slick from her sweaty palms. Gathering her strength, she contracted her muscles, pulling with all her might-
Only to slip off the bar and just barely catch herself on the ground.
"Fifty-three pull-ups! Congratulations Miss Schnee, that's a passing score. In fact, it's above average among those who pass."
"What- hah- what's the average?" Weiss panted out to the faculty member overseeing her test.
"Forty-seven, with a forty to pass."
"And- the highest score on record?"
"The highest score on record was one-hundred and twenty-two pullups completed within the two-minute time limit."
"One hun- who did that?"
The faculty attendant rubbed their chin in thought. "I actually don't know. It was set over twenty years ago. Take five, and then we shall proceed to your pushups."
Weiss sighed and nodded as she sat on the ground. As she sat, taking care not to get dirt on her sports clothes, she looked around at the other aspiring students.
One girl with long blonde hair was crushing the pushups, performing them at a pace that almost made Weiss dizzy just watching them. A pink haired girl next to the blonde was performing equally well.
A few rows down from Weiss, she could see the famed tournament fighter, Pyrrha Nikos, also maxing out the pullups.
I'll have to speak with her, convince her to join my team! The strongest student, paired up with the smartest student; it'll be a match made in Aesgard! Just like the Two Brothers, we'll be unstoppable!
As her break continued, she idly thought about the rest of the week's schedule and considered Professor Goodwitch's explanation from the day before.
…
"You will be taking five exams across the next five days," Glynda Goodwitch continued her explanation of the entrance exams. "Each exam will give you a maximum of one hundred points, with a total maximum of five hundred points from every exam. You need a minimum score of three-hundred and fifty to pass, meaning a minimum passing score of seventy from each exam is necessary.
"The only exam where passing is absolutely mandatory is the physical fitness exam. A minimum level of physical fitness is expected of anyone who intends to be a Guardian. Anyone who fails the physical fitness exam will be expelled from the campus immediately. To that end, the physical fitness exam will be your first exam, to be taken tomorrow. On top of that, the use of your Aura or Semblance to enhance your physical abilities for the fitness exam will be treated as an immediate failure of the exam.
"With all that said, I recommend that you aim to do better than simply pass. Beacon Academy has strict acceptance rates, and if there are too many people who pass, we will pare down the numbers based on the highest to lowest total scores.
"After the physical fitness exam are a series of four academic exams. In the order you will take them, they are: Mathematics and Physical Sciences, on Tuesday; Language Arts on Wednesday; Social Sciences on Thursday; and Tactics and Strategy on Friday.
"I recommend you get to know each other tonight, as well as for the rest of the week. Those of you who pass will, after all, be peers and teammates together."
...
After pushups will come the situps, then the squats, then the timed three mile… ugh, even if that's barely a workout for Guardians in training, the fact that we're being tested forces us to do our best to get the most points, pushing us to the point of exhaustion on the first day. And then… hmm, an interesting psychological trick. We run ourselves ragged this first day, and then we are hit with a battery of academic exams- pushing our bodies and our minds to the limit. I suppose the notion that Beacon Academy is softer than Atlas Academy is false, then. At least in regards to how seriously they take their admissions process.
"Miss Schnee, are you ready to begin your pushups?"
Weiss nodded in the affirmative and assumed the pushup position.
Brothers, my arms are going to be sore later…
…
As she ran along the track, Weiss cursed her short stature.
That has to be the problem. My form is perfect!
She was caught up in the middle of the running pack, to her chagrin. Just in front of her was the long haired blonde girl from earlier, and barely keeping her sane was the fact that she maintained a steady distance from the pink haired girl running behind her.
Ahead of the blonde haired girl was a blonde boy and a brunette girl with a bow, who seemed - to Weiss - to be taking the run relatively easy, as though they were holding back on purpose.
Ridiculous! …are there truly so many students faster than me? Nikos passed by me at the start of the run, but I expected that. I didn't expect that boy with the pink highlight to be running ahead of her, though.
With a grimace in her heart, Weiss pumped her legs even harder, speeding up to try and catch the blonde.
I won't be beaten here!
Pyrrha was not having a fun time.
'What is the term for a molecule that does not contain Carbon?' …I should have paid more attention to that Atlesian tutor mother hired.
In all Pyrrha's life, she had never needed to think about these sorts of things before- advanced calculations weren't very useful in the Arena.
'Don't think about the enemy ahead of you. Just focus on the one in front of you.' Well, it worked in the arena dad, but I wish you'd helped out with my schooling too.
She sighed. Then again, the sciences have always been my worst subject. I'll probably do better on the other exams, especially the Tactics exam on Friday. Coupled with my maximum score on the fitness exam… I shouldn't be too worried.
'Yeah, but you shouldn't ignore what's in front of you either.' Her father's voice said to her.
...is it Organic? Hmm, maybe I should skip ahead, try to find easy questions to get guaranteed points on. Algebraic mathematics should be simple enough to start, but I'll be in trouble if they throw any calculus at me.
She looked up from her paper, her eyes turning left and right to view her peers.
Is anyone else having this much trouble?
Indeed, the majority of examinees seemed to be struggling, with more than a few grabbing at their hair in stress. A few did seem to be capable in the Sciences- the blonde boy she'd noticed prior to the Headmaster's speech seemed to be answering at regular intervals, neither struggling nor finding the exam easy.
And then there was-
Weiss Schnee, right?
Her pencil seemed to be zooming across the exam, a blur of motion as she apparently answered every question without effort, only briefly pausing to read each question.
...no, she's definitely not faking it. It really is that easy for her. Considering her family's business, the Dust Chemistry questions must seem like child's play to her… but I've never used Dust except as gunpowder, and even then, I buy my rounds.
Maybe I should consider experimenting with specialty rounds? That might be a good way to expand my repertoire, and grow even more formidable in the Arena. It would help me grow closer to my teammates as well...
...dang it, Pyrrha, focus! Think about experimentation AFTER you pass the exams!
With renewed determination, Pyrrha delved back into the Science exams, intent on giving them all her best efforts.
What on Remnant is a 'Vector'?
'What was the author's intent in going into detail about the color of the curtains?' I dunno, to set the scene? Maybe the author just liked red curtains.
Ooh, speaking of curtains, I wonder if we can outfit our dorm rooms however we like? I think some bright pink curtains will look good, give a nice bright color to spark up the room!
I wonder how big the rooms will be? I heard they're kind of like apartments, but I've never lived in one, so how big is that? Probably not as big as the Master's house. I doubt they'd be able to hold his collection of books, but then again, I guess they wouldn't need to?
Nora leaned against her hand and absentmindedly looked around the room as her mind continued racing, tapping her pen against her desk. A toothy smile overtook her face as she remembered a particular moment from her childhood with the Master.
Ren always did like storytime. What was his favorite again? Oh right, The Oath of the Peach Orchard. Even though it was just the first story in that saga, he always wanted a brotherhood like the guys in that story.
Nora winced. Sorry Arslan, Bolin, Ren does love you guys, but he just… never connected with you the way he felt like he wanted to. Maybe he'll find it in our team?
Ugh, but we won't get a team if I can't pass this exam!
She glared down at the offending paper in front of her.
Man… Master Tatsumi was a great fighter, but he wasn't the smartest guy around. Well, aside from History, but that's tomorrow… These tests are really unfair to people who didn't grow up getting a "proper education".
Ah, whatever! I'll just trust my gut and hope for the best! It's how I met Ren, so it's got a proven track record! Here we go!
Despite the stress of the exam, Blake was pleasantly surprised by the questions being asked. To her eyes, they were more than fair in regards to history, in particular Faunus history.
'What was the primary cause for the first Faunus War?' While the wording is a bit dissatisfying, I guess that's what Valeans and Atlesians would call it from their point of view. Just another war to fight, rather than a proper revolution for equal rights… at least the answers seem to be aware of the real cause.
She went down the answers and circled 'C. The Faunus Labor Act passed by Brutus Schnee'
I wonder if the History Dean talked with the Faunus Faculty and got their side of things… Either that or he's really done his research. Well, that's assuming this is considered the 'correct' answer. If it isn't… well, it's not like I came to Beacon expecting the people here to understand the Faunus. That's what I'm here to help change, after all.
She nodded to herself. Right. I'm here, turning away from what I've done for… Goddess, it was nine years? Nine years of fighting for the White Fang… for the Faunus. And what did it accomplish? ...well, it wasn't nothing, I- I can admit that. Adam is… extreme, but Sienna's work in Mistral is genuinely helpful.
Wait, why am I trying to justify this to myself? Focus on the exam, Blake! You can have your moment of introspection later!
Shaking her head, Blake moved on to the next question and immediately lost all the goodwill for Beacon that the prior question had earned.
'What is one of the commonly accepted ways that Vale could assist Menagerie in developing into a proper nation?' What the hell! We're doing fine on our own! Just because we're not dependent on Dust for power doesn't make us undeveloped!
…
That's it! I can be- I have to be Menagerie's Ambassador here! I need to teach people about us, so that they understand us!
As I sat in my seat taking the final written exam, I had to wonder whether Ozpin was being serious in assigning some of these questions.
I mean, honestly. 'Describe how you would establish a defense against a Grimm attack in the Valean village of North Dale? Assume only land-based Grimm are present.' Unless anyone else has actually been to North Dale, read about it, or was taught about it, how would they be able to answer this effectively? Or did he pull strings, give me a 'special' exam to see how much I'm capable of?
…
Even if he did, I'm not about to answer wrong on purpose. Our scores on these exams aren't publicized, the only way other people would know them is if we chose to share them. So since Blake and I passed the physical exam, we just need to do our best on these.
'North Dale is situated at the Northern end of the Kore Mountain Range. A mountain village, it is surrounded on three sides by the mountains, making defense from land-based Grimm fairly simple, as they can only attack from a single side. In anticipation of the attack, work can be done to reinforce the village's existing walls, the town's militia and any present Guardians can be alerted to stand on duty. The town's militia, commonly equipped with civilian-grade firearms, would best serve as marksman units on the wall, providing supporting fire while Guardians, with Guardian-class weaponry, would serve as the primary offensive force. Medics and support units can act on standby at the base of the walls to provide backup services such as pulling injured units off the walls or ferrying ammunition.
Furthermore, as North Dale is situated around a Methane Gas Mine, it is highly likely that multiple full canisters of the gas would be contained within the village. In the event of such an emergency as a Grimm attack, these canisters could be requisitioned and utilized by Guardians on duty, either placed in the field in front of the main wall or on the wall to be launched at the Grimm by Guardians. As methane gas is highly combustible, a simple application of incendiary inputs could then be used to ignite the gas, causing explosions that would deal significant damage to the Grimm.'
...hmm, with no further information this is about as good as I can come up with… well, at least without being hyper-specific beyond reason. But really, I almost hope Ozpin actually did pull strings to give me extra-hard bullshit. Questions like these would be totally unfair to a normal student.
I sighed and shook my head as I finished writing my answer before I got an idea. I placed my pencil down and focused my Semblance, heightening my vision. Without turning my head, I looked around my field of view, doing my best to read the questions on other people's tests.
In the end, my suspicions were confirmed- the others had different questions on their tests.
Ozpin is testing me. Probably Blake too, now that I think about it. But why go to the extra trouble? If he wanted to know something, why not just ask me? I already agreed to work with him.
Whatever. If this is the way he wants things done, then fine. I'll do it your way, Ozpin.
The snow softly fell around the man standing on the plains. The land north of Atlas was too cold and barren to grow anything, which made it the perfect location for a military base. It was called Northguard, and served as the training facilities for all Atlesian enlisted forces.
It doubled as a preemptive defensive outpost in the event of Grimm attacks from the north, a fairly common occurrence in Atlas as there were no outposts or villages north of Atlas, leaving the land free for Grimm to roam.
And there, in the endless wastes and high mountains of ice, Grimm could grow at their leisure, never having to worry about being killed by Specialists, allowing many of them to reach Titan-class.
Which made this man's work necessary.
Standing ankle deep in the snow, he stood tall, a head over six-feet. His platinum blonde hair, cut into a military fade, swayed gently in the ice-cold breeze. Sharp azure eyes accompanied a firm expression as he gazed out across the plains. His broad shoulders were covered in epaulettes- he found them fashionably distasteful, but they were a staple of the uniform his station demanded. At his left waist hung a longsword with a blue gem implanted in the blade, and on his left arm hung a sharp-edged kite shield with a large green gem embedded within.
His chest was covered in medals of all sorts, from all manner of small campaigns and battles, defensive missions against Grimm and the like. The uniform as a whole was a ghostly pale-blue, only just standing out against the snow. Most conspicuous was the image of his rank, a single wreath - the symbol of the Atlas Champion.
"Gardenia," the man spoke, "how long do we have until the meeting with the Generals?"
"An hour, Lucius," the woman replied.
She stood a bit shorter than the man, with aqua-blue hair tied into a ponytail. Her own eyes were blue as well, with a soft, roundish face that made many misjudge her age in a flattering way. Her somewhat narrower shoulders were also covered in epaulettes, which she in contrast found suited her slender form quite well. Her uniform was smooth in spite of her bust, and her own chest was similarly adorned with medals, most conspicuously the symbol of her rank - five stars forming a circle.
Her right hand held a lance whose butt was buried in the snow. Beneath the head of the lance was a red gem, inset within the shaft.
"Hmm." Lucius said. "I had hoped to spend more time training, to prepare for Jacob's inevitable return, but… I suppose I'll have to cut this short."
"Indeed, my darling," Gardenia said. "Don't forget that you'll also have to inform the base commander and the official news sources about how we dealt with this."
"Must I? Can't you speak to the news people, at least?"
"I spoke to them last time, remember?"
Lucius looked back at his wife, caught a glimpse of her expression, and relented. "Very well then. I'll make this quick."
He turned back to look across the plains, at his quarry.
Looming over the mountain range some ten or so miles away from Northguard, a Jotnar's mask peeked out. Resembling gigantic monkeys, the "young" Jotnar were covered in thick fur that made dealing damage to them difficult, even for fully fledged Specialists, and stood at ten to twenty feet tall. As they "grew", their fur grew even thicker and more defensive, becoming an armor of its own, to say nothing of the thick bone armor that all Grimm developed.
"How big would you say this one is, love?"
Gardenia leaned forwards and narrowed her eyes, focusing on the Grimm as an enormous hand reached over the peaks. "How tall are those mountains again? Two, two-and-a-half miles? Probably about three miles tall then."
"Definitely Titan-class, then. I'll have to get a bit serious."
He placed his sword into a slot on his shield and held the handle with both hands. Assuming a wide, stable stance, he channeled his Aura, the green gem within the shield glowing bright as a miniature cyclone formed around his weapon. Shifting his stance, he pointed the cyclone in the direction of the Jotnar's head.
"Make sure your aim is right, darling. You never were good at sniping."
"Just because ballistics isn't my forte doesn't mean I'll miss this, love. You should know by now that my blade is much more accurate than any rifle could ever hope to be."
Gardenia grinned impishly. "I know. I just love that grumpy face you get when I tease you."
Lucius rolled his eyes and channeled his Aura into the blue gem within his sword. Water entered the rushing cyclone of wind, forming a torrent. Held in check by Lucius' will, the force of the water built up as pressure, building and building, clamoring against his control, until-
A single line of water raced from the tip of his blade. This water, formed of Dust, powered by the will of its wielder, held more force than even the most powerful of water cutters.
Crossing ten miles in an instant, the thin stream of water struck the mask of the Jotnar-
And the head was obliterated. As Lucius slowly depowered his weapons, the Grimm's giant arm fell back from the mountain, before a giant cloud of black smoke rose up as the corpse dispersed.
Lucius sheathed his sword and turned back.
"Come, love. We have a busy evening ahead of us."
"Are they ever not?" she reached out and intertwined her fingers with his. "By the way, General Ironwood was particularly incensed about Jacob's return."
"Considering their history, that's to be expected. Convincing him to stand down will be difficult."
Gardenia sighed, leaning into her husband as they strolled back towards Northguard. "Your nephew has always been headstrong, but his recent suggestion was particularly brash."
"The mobilization of all Atlas' armed forces, yes? I could scarcely believe it when he told me."
"Do you think we could kill Jacob, with all that?"
"I doubt it. It would certainly take more than all of Atlas' common soldiers to kill either of us."
Gardenia sighed again. "I know. I just wish there was something we could do about Jacob. Something that wouldn't put all of Atlas at risk."
"I wish there was, too. But neither will I sign off on condemning the lives of every Atlesian soldier on a suicide mission."
"I agree," Gardenia nodded. "But that just means we have to figure something out."
"I'm sure the six of us will think of something. I don't know what Jacob's plan is now that he's back, but we must protect Atlas. No matter the cost to the rest of the world."
Lucius felt his wife squeeze his hand a little harder.
A/N: Wow, that was shorter than usual, but to be fair, I'm still experimenting with writing these new characters. I hope Lucius' introduction makes up for it - going forwards, assume Lucius' feat here as the bare minimum standard for all Rank 1's. Not that they'd all be capable of shooting a water beam ten miles, but in their own ways, with their own powers, they'd easily achieve the same victory against that Jotnar.
Review Replies:
Guest: Thanks! Hoping I can get in a groove and update more frequently. But don't bet on it, honestly.
Xealchim: *maniacal laughter intensifies*
TopHatGuy: Aw, shaddap.
AK-103: It's never been my intent to have Jaune be OP, simply competent. I'll try to be more clear about that going forwards.
CircusControl: Glad to hear you're still around! Hope you keep enjoying.
hirshja: I didn't make it explicit, but the fact that Cinder "belongs" to Raven's group is what keeps her protected, in the same way that Roman declared Jaune under his protection to Junior. Roman, on the other hand, is an independent party, and thus free game.
JMO1607: ¡Me alegra que hayas disfrutado! Con suerte, el traductor no hará que esto suene extraño.
Lighthopperhoop: We back baby!