"Absurd! Do you honestly expect me to believe that this child is an initiate?!"
Mai shrugged as her teammate went off. She found it fairly difficult to buy into herself, given that the boy couldn't have been much older than ten, maybe eleven. "Hey, he's registered as part of our team, right?" She gestured to the scroll in the heiress' hands. "You can feel free to complain to Beacon's staff if you want, but it's gonna have to wait until after we've finished this test."
Though her composure was shaken, Petra remained adamant in her position as she checked the mission timer. "We still have four hours?! Ugh…" Doing her best to calm herself, Petra briskly walked towards the campsite that the boy had set, with assistance from their fourth member.
"Saki, do you have a moment to spare?"
The blue-haired girl stood up, having just finished cleaning a bundle of fruits that Mai had gathered earlier. Though she appeared rather annoyed herself, she spoke in an even, unassuming tone. "What do you need, Petra?"
"It's about Ken," the teen heiress responded. "Once we've completed this task, I'm going to protest to the Headmaster about his presence here. He's far too young to be taking on Grimm!"
Saki sighed, lowering her guard she nibbled on an apple. "First off, there's plenty of other kids his age that are Initiates as well, so you'll be hounding Ozpin over more than just one student." She couldn't help but gag at the taste of the fruit, preferring the flavorless protein bars supplied to them over something so needlessly sour . "...Secondly, Ken is a Persona user. It's not unusual for people with that kind of Semblance to receive special accommodations."
As the girls continued to converse, Ken laid in his tent, watching videos on his scroll. Gods, these girls sure are chatty… Despite trying his best to ignore their remarks, the boy found himself growing ever more annoyed. Given that they were treating him like nothing more than a little kid, he couldn't help but start to lose his cool.
"I swear I'm going to give those jerks a piece of my mind!" As Ken angrily began to crawl his way out of the tent, a distant sound grabbed his attention. It was like a man and woman yelling profanities, yet the sound was rapidly growing in volume.
As Ken poked his head out, he was just in time to witness two figures fly past him into nearby foliage. What the heck was that?!
He noticed Mai and Saki rushing toward the two that had crashed. Turning to look the other way, he saw that Petra had begun firing at another incoming object; A black bird-like Grimm that blocked out the sun as it dived to attack the heiress.
Damn it, that Nevermore is gunning for her! Scrambling to get out of the tent, Ken raised his hand up towards the creature, channeling his stored Aura. "Nemesis, Hama!" His Persona appeared before him, a slender body with a circular blade encircling its torso. From this embodiment of his soul, a glowing deck of cards shot out towards the beast.
Sensing the intercepting attack, the Grimm swiftly changed its direction, redirecting itself behind the tall trees in the distance, causing Petra to lose sight of her target. "So it knows when to back off, then." Reloading Christina and Alexandra, the teen sighed as she turned to walk towards the boy. "Ken, I appreciate the attempt at assisting me, but I can assure you that I had everything under control. Go focus on helping the others."
How modest of you… Ken sighed, slumping his shoulders as he turned to face the others, who were escorting a redheaded woman and a muscular man. Both had cuts, bruises, and tears upon both their skin and attire.
"You guys sure took a nasty hit from that Nevermore!" Mai had a smile upon her face, but clearly was concerned for the other students' safety.
The girl with the red hair looked distraught as she replied. "I've never seen Grimm counter attacks like that. How did something so large manage to evade us with such ease?"
The shirtless man dusted himself off, his wounds healing quicker than his partner. "This is just an assumption, but its heightened combat ability may be a result of the presence of a Nightmare Host. I've seen firsthand the consequences of one left unattended."
"That would certainly explain the improved speed and ferocity." Considering her options, the redhead turned toward Mai. "We need to regroup with our other teammates atop that cliff. Assuming that Enkidu's hunch is correct, we shouldn't waste any more energy hunting that Grimm if it's going to continue to have such a clear advantage."
"Oh dear, I noticed that someone powerful had entered my Boundary Field, but never would I have imagined it to be you, Princess."
In deference to her superior, Rachel gave a polite curtsy to the Brunestud Princess, who had been watching over the Initiation from atop the highest peak overlooking the grounds.
Dressed in a modest white turtleneck and miniskirt, the True Ancestor shifted her gaze to the short, fancily dressed Ancestor of the Alucard lineage. "Oh, it's been a while, Rachel!" The girl smiled, showing familiarity to Clavis' child as she casually rested her hands on her hips. "Sorry for setting off your Boundary Field, but I've got my reasons for showing up unannounced."
"I'm well aware of the target you seek, Arcueid Brunestud." Rachel relaxed her body, though energy silently pulsated through her Magic Circuit, betraying the fear within her. Despite the power present within the Alucard bloodline, her body and magical energy were greatly outclassed by the living weapon of Brunestud. Were they to come to blows, it would hardly make for much of a fight.
"Oh, is that so?" Arcueid cocked her head to the side. "Was the Headmaster just going to wait for that boy's Inversion Impulse to take hold? I doubt the Cursed One has the means to prevent his latent bloodlust…"
Rachel looked off into the distance, her eyes glancing towards a certain student. "He is not like Roa or Terumi, Princess. Osiris is taking the steps to reintegrate our kind into society and prevent Inversion." Despite knowing the response that likely awaited, Rachel held her ground. "Must all vampiric beings without Ancestral blood be doomed to oblivion?"
Arcueid sighed, seemingly annoyed by the question. "Even if it were possible, it'd just be a wasted effort. The time and resources needed to keep him human could easily be redirected toward managing the myriad other issues you have on your hands." She nodded towards a wandering young man that had broken away from his team. "Primordial Chaos… in a team with
a Silver-Eyed Warrior, Swirl of Indulgence, and The World's Fool… just what is Osiris planning?"
A smirk crept its way onto Rachel's face. "My, is this cause for concern, Princess? It was merely circumstance that those children would come across one another. It was no trick on our part… unless you suspect more 'divine' intervention?"
"This is not the work of The Arcana…" The True Ancestor crossed her arms in frustration. "It must be Stephen's doing…"
"Piss off, cannon fodder!"
Slashing through the Beowolf pack, Ragna charged towards their pack leader with the full might of his weapon. The surrounding Grimm were of little aid to the wounded Alpha, which lay, stunned, as the massive blade found its mark, ending the creature.
No matter how many he hunted, the young Initiate couldn't seem to find any peace within. Fighting was a core aspect of his upbringing and nature, yet the act which had always calmed him before was for naught as he channeled the rage that refused to subside.
No matter how hard I try, that look on that kid's face won't go away. It's his own damn fault for touching me, but… something about it just rubs me the wrong way. Then there's that girl…
"There you are! You took forever to find!"
As if the thought itself jinxed him, Ragna turned to face the hooded girl from before. "For fuck's sake… just my luck." Sheathing Aramasa, he crossed his arms. "Get lost, kid. I'll head back to the camp before our counter hits zero, so you can take that fancy rifle of yours and get lost."
The girl took clear offense to this, gritting her teeth as she clenched her weapons foregrip. "Why are you being such a butt?! Yu and Hyde tried to welcome you as a team member, yet here you are, walking away after hurting someone on your side!"
Hurting people is all I'm good for… Keeping that thought to himself, Ragna just scoffed as he walked towards the girl. "Look, I'm sure you've got better things to be doing than chasing me around. I'm used to doing things my own way, and this 'team player' shit just ain't for me."
"You think I don't feel the same way?!" Ruby snapped back, startling her older teammate as she went off. "I'm not used to teaming up with random strangers, either! I don't know any of you, and the one person at this school I do know is going to end up in a completely different team!" Working up the courage to get up in Ragna's face, she looked right into his eyes. "But even so, Hyde and Yu were willing to put their trust in me to get you back!" Taking something out of her pocket, she thrust a wrapped protein bar into Ragna's free hand. "So stop being such a stubborn asshole and be a part of the team, already!"
In any other scenario, Ragna would've decked the brat in the chin. Yet, as he looked into her eyes, something changed within him. The simmering rage that had overcame him earlier was soothed, replaced by calming warmth. It was eerily familiar to him, as if from a dream or memory long forgotten.
"Alright, fine then." Ragna reluctantly took hold of the bar, unwrapping it and taking a bite. "This is… easily the most bland thing I've ever tasted."
"Wait, really?" Following suit, Ruby opened up her own protein bar, and as she bit down… "EEEEWWW! It tastes like breaded chalk!"
As the girl choked and gagged on the terrible protein alternative, Ragna couldn't help but chuckle. She was so much more lively than Jin, Saya, or any of the other orphans that the Holy Church had brought in during his childhood.
"Hey, were you laughing just now?!" Ruby gave Ragna a light punch to the shoulder. Despite that action, it looked as if she was giggling as well.
Before he could come up with a witty response, a loud shriek came from overhead, and a huge Grimm swooped overhead, flying towards the sound of gunfire in the far distance. A fuckin' Nevermore?! Shit, that thing's going to be a problem…
Clearly sharing the same thought as her partner, Ruby grabbed Ragna by the hand. "I'm low on Flak Dust Rounds, and we don't have the firepower to take that thing on. I'll use my Semblance to get us at least a portion of the way back to camp, so hang on tight!" A gust of wind enveloped them, crimson petals wrapping around their forms as Ruby's Petalburst launched the Initiate's forward at blinding speeds. Ragna's grip tightened, his muscles tensing up in response to anticipated G-forces…
…Yet they never came. As if shielded from the friction of wind and gravity, Ragna quickly came to grasp the nature of this Semblance; A power that didn't simply accelerate the user, but changed their very composition. Her very form was that of petals flowing through the wind… accompanied by the black, tar-like feather's of a raven.
Damn you, Jaune! Just as I was beginning to conquer my fear of heights…
Saki had been highly skeptical of following her team and those two other students up the sharp cliff face, yet as they began their ascent, her old terrors crept back up, reignited by the interaction with that boy which pulled away her focus, leading to the incident of her flying through the air uncontrollably. Were it not a stroke of luck that she'd been caught by Mai, her Aura may not have been enough to prevent serious injury.
Now, I'm right back where I started with this accursed fear… Yet, no matter how much she cursed Heart's newfound "friend," she couldn't help but wonder what became of him. Were he truthful about having an inactive Aura, what were the odds of his survival? Worst case scenario, the DES Response Team may not have been able to rescue him in time before the arrival of an opportunistic Grimm.
Just as she was nearing the top, the jutted out piece of stone that she'd been gripping snapped, causing her to slip and fall back, with multiple stories of descent awaiting her. She let a mortified, primal scream as gravity pulled her downwards… yet, something stopped her fall. The muscled man, Enkidu, caught her by the arm with his own free hand. Already carrying Petra, Ken, Tsubaki, and most of their supplies on his back, the massive young man somehow managed to hoist them all up and over the edge of the cliff, finally putting the four of them on solid ground again.
As tears mixed with both terror and relief overcame Saki, she looked to see that Mai had already scaled the cliff, checking her pack to ensure that none of their camping equipment had been damaged.
"See, it was only a few stories high, guys!" Mai gave a carefree smile to the others, who were all happy to not be falling to the ground below. Even with full Aura's, there was no guarantee of walking away from such a drop unscathed. Yet, Mai seemed to hardly notice such risks were even present.
"T-t-thank you for helping us out back there, Mr. Enkidu!" Ken looked away as he spoke, clearly embarrassed by the need to accept the man's help. However, Petra and Tsubaki seemed far more eager to express pleasantries, the former noble being unwilling to damage her attire in the process of scaling the cliff, and the latter still recovering from the damage she'd incurred from their previous encounter with the empowered Nevermore.
Though Enkidu tried to remain collected in the presence of his peers, his heavy breathing and sweaty brows did nothing to conceal his own fatigue and concern over the safety of his teammate and allies.
Drying her tears as everyone began their own supply checks, Saki ignored the potential damage to her own bag and began walking ahead of the others. It was only natural, considering her natural aversion to heights. Though she understood it was a logical fallacy, every moment spent near the ledge only served to fill her mind with thoughts of freefalling, and the face of that stupid, blonde oaf.
No matter how much she searched, Yumi could not seem to find Jaune anywhere in the darker reaches of the forest that he'd fallen down. Although the Grimm's attention was focused elsewhere, it was clear that no part of the Initiation grounds could ever be considered wholly "safe" from such creatures.
To top things off, it was likely that other teams had begun forming, leaving them behind as time passed. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, lest they take on more responsibilities than they could handle.
However, amidst the shadowy canopy of thick tree branches, Yumi glimpsed the faint flicker of a small campfire in the distance. "Please, let that be Jaune!" She quickly darted forward creating a trail of ice to skate across, deftly cutting through any brush that impeded her advance towards the flickering flame. As she approached, two resting figures could be made out alongside the flame.
One of which was the very boy she'd been searching for.
Cutting off her Semblance, Yumi began to jog the rest of the way towards her friend, but stopped as another girl cut off her approach.
With long, blond hair that tapered off into small "drills", the red-adorned figure stood between her and Jaune, brandishing a short blade and buckler, with fire channeling around the tip of her weapon. "Keep your distance, Shinobi. I'd recognise your attire anywhere. Oniyuri Clan, I presume?"
Though she did not yet deploy her Ice or fans, Yumi instinctively widened her stance in response to the threatening glare of the woman before her. "I am but a former member of that Clan. Our home was destroyed when I was only a child." She quickly followed her response up with a matching observation. "You bear the crest of the Licht Kries… Tell me, what business does the Sister-Order have on Beacon's grounds?"
The woman smirked, showing amusement towards the question. "Well, it seems that we both are former members of rivalrous organizations… My business has nothing to do with those cowardly morons. I'm here as an Initiate, just as I presume to be the case for you, Shinobi." She pointed her blade towards the girl before her, as the Tyrannical Flame encircled her sword, and the buckler, Ancile, glowed red with the heat of her Semblance. "I am Erika Miyashiro Wagner, an exile of the Holy Church. I've already allowed a naive child and some blundering idiot into my team; I won't allow a damned ninja to stain my reputation further. Leave now, unless you wish to be reduced to ash, Shinobi."
Though the woman's stance was clearly not just an empty threat, Yumi did not take even a single step back, holding her ground as the temperature around her slowly dropped, coating the flora around her in a thin layer of ice. "I am Yumi Kuraokami, daughter to the Shinobi Kurokage of Oniyuri. The boy behind you is… someone important to me. I do not intend to leave without him, Sister Wagner."
"Important, you say?" Erika laughed at the woman before her, as if mocking the notion. "I find it hard to believe that a boy bearing the Arc family crest would have any association with a bastard child of Oniyuri. He may be a blundering dope, but that name still bears enough nobility in it to warrant doubts on my end."
"It's true that he may not remember that far back, but even still…" Yumi trailed off. Perhaps she had gotten ahead of herself. She had no means to back up her claim, but something in the back of her mind told her that the boy she met prior to Initiation was the same one from before she'd lost her home. A blurred memory of a chance encounter during her training outside the walls of Oniyuri…
But even still, I don't want to let him go again. I won't forget what he did for me that day…
Drawing forth her war fans, Yumi narrowed her eyes at the fiery opponent before her. "Your biases against my people are unfounded, exile. However, should you wish to deny me further, then I will face you head-on."
"Humph… I like that answer, Yumi of Oniyuri!" With a smug smile across her face, Erika charged forward, a trail of blazing fire following in her wake. "Let's see how far that conviction can take you, then!"
