The First Step
"So, um... Jak? Where's your sleeping bag?" Ruby asked after I set down my rolled up jacket to use as a headrest.
"Don't have one," I answer simply.
"You could always share with me..." A female voice offered before a pair of white-tipped yellow fox ears on top of an equally golden mane above a pair of lilac eyes popped into my view.
'Fluffy!'
I recognized her as the excited girl with Ruby on our way to Beacon.
"Yang Xiao-Long, Ruby's older sister," the girl introduced herself, offering her hand.
"Jak Silver, Ruby's new friend," I returned while accepting her hand with a shake.
'Not a bad grip,' I noted that her handshake was a lot more firm than the others I had experienced today. She must be quite a bit stronger than most people.
Then I saw her make the 'I messed up' face that was quickly replaced by the 'that is a relief' one after a moment.
"Are you alright?" I ask, letting go.
"Er, yeah. It's just that I have a habit of... 'Accidentally' crushing hands. You weren't bothered?" Yang explained.
"No. Strong and firm. Good," I reply before looking down at the fabric sack she (and everyone but me) had.
"Don't think we'll both fit. I'm okay though, thank you for offering," I declined after considering the sack.
"You're not at all bothered by sleeping out in the open? Even without pajamas?" Ruby asked, returning my attention towards her.
"Used to it. What are 'pajamas'?" I answered, then asked.
"You know... Clothes for sleeping in?" Ruby gestured towards her own sleeveless black shirt with white and pink spotted pants.
I looked down at my apparel before shrugging.
"Only clothes I have."
Both sisters shared a look before returning their attention towards me. Their expressions of held a look of concern mixed with another thing that I was not familiar with.
Feeling a bit awkward, I changed the subject.
"What are you writing?" I ask, gesturing towards the pencil and paper on Ruby's sleeping bag.
"Oh! Um... Just a letter back to my friends at Signal. I got moved up two years, so none of them came with me, which means I have no friends here, so to speak," Ruby explained timidly.
"You have me, that's one friend," I said. "Plus Yang, that's two."
"Sorry, but Yang's my sister, so she doesn't count," Ruby countered glumly. "Plus, I'm pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend, so I'm back down to zero..."
"Oh come on, there's no such thing as a negative friend..." Yang encouraged. "You just have one friend and one enemy!"
"That doesn't make it any better..." Ruby mumbled.
"Well, maybe Jak has a few friends he could introduce you to, right?" Yang turned her attention to me.
I shook my head.
"I have no friends. You are my first."
'Sorry I couldn't be of any help.'
"Oh."
That certainly took the wind out of Yang's sails.
Then I remembered Pyrrha. She was nice!
Too bad I didn't see her anywhere...
Oh well.
(/-Line Break-\)
"You seem awfully chipper this morning, Pyrrha..." A voice started from behind, making me jump.
"Blake! It's good to see you!" I greeted my old friend, Blake Belladonna, the Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Menagerie, with a hug. Like myself, she had a few titles of her own. 'The Wildcat' being my favorite. You could say We were something like 'best rivals'. We had met during the early days of my first tournament and fought each other in the finals. She fought like a demon and proved herself to be one of the few who can bring out the best in me. Every year, we would clash in the final match with me the well-worn-out Victor.
She was already wearing her white long coat, black top that exposed her midriff, and dark violet pants. Under the coat, on her belt, was Gambol Shroud. On her back poking out over her right shoulder, rested the gigasteel sword known as Fragarach. And finally, even though I couldn't see it, as it was likely placed on the back of her waist and hidden by her coat, was the gigasteel dagger, Carnwennan.
It still amazes me, to this day, that Blake was able to carry not one, but two gigasteel blades.
I had a hard enough time mastering Campione! I could hardly imagine two such blades at once.
(Made her an absolute monster in a fight though.)
Both weapons, along with her father's great sword, Caladbolg, were gifted two hundred years ago to her family by the Arcs as tokens of eternal friendship at the end of the Faunus Revolution.
"So what's gotten into you? You didn't seem to hear me call out to you, you're not normally this distracted..." Blake said, curious about my demeanor.
I blushed at the thought of what had me in such a good mood. It was a little thing, to be sure, but it meant a whole lot to me when my celebrity status makes interacting with others difficult.
The rather... Risque... Dreams I had about him last night didn't help.
After internally debating with myself, I figured I could tell Blake a little bit.
"It's... Just... I think I may have a developed a crush... Just a little one!" I added the last bit in a rush when I saw Blake raise an eyebrow.
"Really? What's their name?"
"His name is Jak Silver, he looks a bit like a delinquent, I'll admit, but he's actually quite friendly. He's just shy. I think he may have grown up under extreme circumstances..." I recalled how his behavior did not like up with his appearance, the signs were there. He was definitely subjected to a great deal of abuse.
"You think he might be a wildling?" Blake asked.
A wildling. Even more scarce than the usually rare male Aura user, a wildling was a male Aura user who existed in the fringes of society. Such men were even more highly valued than the typical Huntsman for their survival skills.
However, as well as being valued, they were also subject to a great deal of fear since, as the name suggests depending on the individual, they were not exactly 'tame' or 'civilized' and were considered extremely dangerous if provoked.
Their oftentimes dangerous lives would condition them, if they survive long enough, into apex predators that even the most seasoned and experienced Huntresses would need a full team to track down and subdue with the utmost caution.
Blake theorized that her Jaune had become one such individual.
Thankfully, Jak seemed pretty docile. But I must remember, Jak is not a tame man. I am a female, and he's a wildling, he will likely be very cautious around me and one wrong move on my part could prove disastrously dangerous.
Gigasteel sword or not.
I nodded. "I do. He has long white and blonde hair with a blue right eye."
That got Blake's attention. Now that I think about it, my description of Jak so far lines up with Blake's description of Jaune.
Jaune Arc. Blake's long-lost childhood friend and fiance. As well as her motivation for everything. He had disappeared during the Fall of Ansel and the death of his father.
It was Jaune's mother and eldest sister, Saphron, who trained us to wield our gigasteel blades.
"What about his left eye?" She asked as I saw the spark of hope take light in her eyes.
I shrugged and shook my head.
"I don't know... He covers it with an eye patch," I answer. "You don't think...?"
"It's a possibility we can't rule out yet..." Blake said, knowing what I was about to ask. "But don't worry; if your Jak is indeed my Jaune, it won't change anything between us. We're Huntresses after all, this sort of thing is normal, and I trust you."
That was a relief. If not a little cheesy. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought she had pulled that out of some poorly written romance fanfic she read out on the internet.
"We'll have to adopt a 'wait and see' approach," she continued. "If we try anything now, it may drive him away. So for the time being, I'll hold back. If he really is Jaune, it's possible he may be hiding from someone in the criminal underworld."
That was certainly a possibility. Wildlings are often targeted by more... Unscrupulous (and foolish) individuals as a quick power-grab which backfires very badly with oftentimes deadly consequences.
"... Not used to nice people..."
Jak's words rang loudly in my head.
That was when a new voice came up.
"Miss Nikos! Lady Belladonna! How are you two this morning?"
Oh no...
(/-Line Break-\)
"...Yep. No idle chitchat, just gonna let my baby do all the talking..." Ruby lovingly stroked Crescent Rose in its compact form.
"Ruby... We're making teams today. You're still gonna have to at least talk to somebody," Yang chided.
As the three of us began walking to where my locker was located, Yang and Ruby's conversation continued on our way there.
"Well, I just thought I could be on the same team as you guys..." The younger girl tried lamely.
'Well that was a nice thought...' I considered the idea of being on the same team as the two sisters.
I liked them.
They were quite nice and, thanks to Yang's faunus status, probably wouldn't judge me too harshly because of my left eye being the wrong colors.
I suppose it was due to how humans in the past treated them for being different that faunus did not care for things like that.
"Ruby," Yang continued, "Teams are made up of four people. Plus, there's no guarantee we'll all be on the same team. So you're gonna have to get to know some other people. It's part of growing up," she finished.
"I don't need people to grow up. I drink milk!" Ruby proudly declared while Yang looked on hopelessly at her sister.
'What is milk?' I thought to myself, not daring to say it out loud. Didn't want to stand out any more than I already did. It would lead to questions.
With answers I wasn't quite ready to divulge...
"I don't think milk alone is strong enough to help you here, Rubes..." Yang deadpanned.
"I believe in milk."
We had arrived at my locker to see three girls standing around it. The first was the small, mean, white-haired one who was yelling at Ruby yesterday. And was she... Plotting?
The second was a faunus I hadn't seen before with hair as black as her cat ears that were fluffy enough to rival Yang's. There was something... Familiar about her...
Finally, there was Pyrrha. She and the faunus didn't look to comfortable around the white one.
Who happened to be standing right in front of my locker.
Was that a black cloud over her head?
Oh well... Let's make this quick. The less I have I have to deal with her, the better.
"Excuse me," I said as I gently tapped the white one on her shoulder.
"Who-wha-?" She cut herself off when she looked into my face.
"My locker, please..." I gestured towards the locker behind her.
She stepped out of the way.
'Huh, that wasn't so bad...'
Opening my locker, I then nodded to Pyrrha as I retrieved my gear.
"Mornin' Pyrrha."
"Goo-good morning, Jak..." She greeted with a surprised smile and small wave. Her cheeks flushed slightly.
That was when Whitey regained her senses.
"Excuse me! I was having a conversation! Do you know who we are?! Even if you're a man with Aura, that doesn't mean you can just stroll up here and casually speak like that to your betters! Just who do yo-!"
"It's fine," the black haired one interrupted the white haired girl, gently smiling to me before returning her attention back to the mean girl.
"He's a wildling," she said simply.
What's a 'wildling'?
Eyes widening and mouth clamping shut, what little color there was on the white girl's face immediately drained as she stared at me in shock.
"I apologize for my outburst."
Well, whatever it is, it must be a big deal if it got this loud girl to go quiet.
The dark haired girl returned her attention to me.
"You must be 'Jak'. Pyrrha was just telling me about you. I'm Blake Belladonna, a friend of hers," she introduced herself, holding out a hand.
I shook it.
There was definitely something familiar about her. I just couldn't place it.
"Jak Silver."
"The girl in front of your locker is Weiss Schnee."
Schnee.
And just like that, memories of the mines came flooding back, before the Grimm-masks came along and took over.
Schooling my features and fighting down the urge to lash out at the girl who may have had nothing to do with my torment, I fastened Excalibur's scabbard to my belt.
"Good luck during Initiation," I wished everyone before making my way towards Beacon's cliffs as instructed by the intercom system.
Ruby and Yang raced to catch up to me.
"What was that about?" Ruby asked.
"When you heard Weiss's name, you kinda just froze up all of a sudden before booking it out of there..." Yang explained.
"Sorry. Personal. Don't want to talk about it," I grit out.
The sisters exchanged glances.
"Okay... But if you ever need to talk, we're here for you," Ruby gently said.
"Thank you."
We waited for a few more minutes, standing on these strange, metal platforms as instructed by the blonde female professor, Glynda Goodwitch.
After everyone was situated, only then did our future Headmaster and Glynda speak.
Goodwitch spoke first.
"I know you all have been whispering and hearing talk about your team formations. We will be putting these rumours to rest. Today." She said with a finality. "Professor Ozpin?"
"For years you have trained to become warriors, and now, your training shall be put to the test. You will be dropped off into the Emerald Forest below and the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years. So it would be in your best interests to find someone you can work and cooperate with. Then, you will make your way North to some ruins. There, you will find a relic. Your objective is to return here with your relic. Do not hesitate destroy anything in your path. Or you will die. Now, any questions? No? Good."
And with that, one by one, prospective students were launched into the air.
'Eru, Dayfather. One Above All, Maker, Creator and Master of Life, I give You thanks for the Blessing of this Day.'
Yang put on some sunglasses and when it was her turn, she gave a thumbs up before being launched.
'Aslan, Great Lion. King of the Wood and Beloved Son of the One, I thank You for The Word and the Light it gives me to face the Darkness with Righteous Strength.'
I looked to a very nervous Ruby and gave her a reassuring nod and smile. Silently telling her everything was going to be okay before she was sent into the air.
With a deep breath to calm my nerves, I finished my silent prayer.
'Let my actions bring You Honor. And by The Word, may Your Will be Done.'
AND SCENE!!!
So there we go. Right at the start of Initiation!
Looks like Blake and Pyrrha are friends and already know each other.
It also looks like they already suspect Jak's true identity as Jaune.
And yeah, think of Jaune as a straight up Paladin/Pyromancer hybrid with super strength and you'll have a pretty good idea of what he's capable of.
Now, as a note on Pyrrha and Blake's weapons, they still have and use their canon gear in conjunction with their new weapons. Most of the time because they are still in training and they may want to hold off something in reserve as a backup weapon.
And while the material weapons are made of play a BIG role in their effectiveness, they don't always guarantee a victory.
At the top, we have Ancient Valean Gigasteel weapons. The creation of which, is a lost art. Only one individual in the history of Remnant was able to produce such armaments.
Followed by Valean Geisteel weapons. Borrowing the term from Dark Souls 2, geisteel is the closest thing modern day Remnant has to gigasteel. Acting as a superb Aura and Dust conductor, it was discovered during the Great War seventy years ago by a Valean blacksmith in an effort to recreate the legendary gigasteel. Difficult to produce and work with, only one family of arms dealers has the secret to its production and has grown quite wealthy off of it. All in all, geisteel is quite rare and only the richest or most accomplished of warriors can afford to arm themselves with these weapons.
After geisteel is Mistralian Bronze and Bradden Steel. Both hardy materials are quite solid Aura conductors with Mistralian Bronze being slightly heavier but slightly sharper, and Bradden Steel being lighter and more durable. As such, they are quite popular and are found in equal measure among Huntsmen and Huntresses around the world for their reliability.
Then there are the metals and alloys of IRL, which are most commonly found and used by the masses.
About Gigasteel weapons. They are supremely rare. As in there are only twenty in existence. Each one has its own name is famous and their wielders are considered and/or treated as celebrities, national heroes, and Champions. Each Kingdom (with the exceptions of Menagerie and now Vale) has four of these twenty weapons.
Why are they so famous and still in use? Because they are not only known to be able to act as aura superconductors while granting their wielders what basically amounts to a second Semblance. They are also the only weapons in existence known to be able to kill Tyrant-Class Grimm.
However, one must be strong in body AND mind in order to safely use one of these weapons without going mad with the power they provide.
Because of this, each Kingdom keeps a meticulous record of each weapon and its current master.
When not currently being wielded, a gigasteel blade will be kept locked away in its Kingdom's most secure vault under heavy surveillance.
These weapons and their countries as well as wielders (if currently in use) are as follows.
Durendal. Formerly wielded by the now deceased hero, Roland Arc of Vale. Current location is unknown. Current wielder is unknown. Class - Great Sword. Ability - Mountain's Might. Increases the wielder's strength and durability tenfold at the cost of their ability to feel pain.
Joyeuse. Currently in possession of famous silver eyed Huntress, Ciel Arc of Vale. Class - Arming Sword. Ability - Joyous Justice. Increases its wielder's speed and instills a sense of strength and indomitable will in all allies within sight of it.
Crocea Mors. Currently in possession of famous Huntress, Saphron Arc of Vale. Class - Hand-and-a-half Sword, also known as a Bastard Sword. Ability - Yellow Death. Wounds inflicted by this blade sap it's victim's strength and feeds it to the sword's wielder, enabling them to fight longer and harder as time goes on.
Avo's Tear. Located in Vale National Vault. Class - Longsword. Ability - Holy Burn. Effects Grimm similarly to a Silver Eye Warrior's power while replenishing its wielder's life force for every Grimm slain.
Ascalon. Status - Missing. Wielder - Unknown. Class - Unknown. Ability - Unknown.
Caladbolg. Currently wielded by King Ghira Belladonna of Menagerie. Class - Claymore. Ability - Stormcaller. Allows the wielder to summon and channel lightning along the blade to blast their enemies.
Fragarach. Currently in possession of Blake Belladonna, Princess of Menagerie. Class - Arming Sword. Ability - Final Word. Allows wielder to bypass an enemy's Aura.
Carnwennan. Currently in possession of Princess Blake Belladonna of Menagerie. Class - Dagger. Ability - Shadowcloak. Grants its wielder near perfect invisibility. Can still be detected through other senses, under bright lighting, or by advanced Aura Sensing.
Skofnung. Located in Atlas National Vaults. Class - Arming Sword. Ability - Berserkergang. Increases wielder's speed and strength based on amount of pain felt.
Aerondight. Located in Atlas National Vault. Class - Longsword. Ability - Escalation Elation. Wielder's speed and strength increases the longer the battle draws out.
Tyrfing. Currently carried by General James Ironwood of Atlas. Class - Great Sword. Ability - Blackblood. Grants its wielder enhanced strength and durability at the cost of their stamina.
Legerity. Currently wielded by Specialist Winter Schnee of Atlas. Class - Rapier. Ability - Cat's Catch. Enhances its wielder's agility, speed, and dexterity in proportion to wielder's level of focus.
Gramr. Located in Atlas National Vault. Class - Arming Sword. Ability - Gravity Grab. Wielder controls how heavy or light the sword is.
Campione. Currently used by Pyrrha Nikos of Mistral. Class - Gladius. Ability - Champion's Rally. Wielder's strength and speed increase in proportion to the current number of enemies faced in battle.
Muramasa. Stolen from former wielder Saito Akaname of Mistral, currently used by his murderer Adam Taurus. Location unknown. Class - Katana. Ability - Red Ruin.The sword has the ability to bypass enemy Aura and steal their life force to replenish its wielder's in exchange for weakening their own Aura's defense.
Nenekirimaru. Wielded by the Master Kensai, Kenshin Himura of Mistral. Class - Katana. Ability - Silver Slayer. Sword Poisons Grimm with energy similar to Silver Eye Warrior power and destroys them from the inside out. Temporary paralysis on humans and faunus.
Tetsaiga. Wielded by Inuyasha Toga. Class - Curved Great Sword. Ability - Windscar. Wielder can harness the power of the Wind to deliver massive Aura Slashes comparable to a tsunami in a concentrated area.
Viperfang. Currently wielded by Bayek of Siwa of Vacuo. Class - Khopesh. Ability - Viper's Fang. Venomous blade's toxins functionally melts Grimm alive and causes hallucinations within human and faunus enemies driving them into a berserker rage while slowly killing them.
Silver Vein. Currently wielded by Sekhmet Goldmoon. Class - Scimitar. Ability - Blood Drunk. Steals enemy life force to give to the wielder at the cost of intoxicating them as though they have been drinking strong alcohol. Curiously, this does not hinder their dexterity nor their agility.
Golden Wolf. Located in Vacou National Vault. Class - Arming Sword, Spatha. Ability - Wolven Hunger. Restores wielder's life force per kill while enhancing their strength at the cost of critical thinking.
Tizona. Wielded by Agustina de Esperanza of Vacuo. Class - Arming Sword. Ability - Firebrand. Grants the wielder pyrokinesis.
And that's it on all Gigasteel Blades!
So, with that out of the way, I want to hear your guys's thoughts/theories and predictions. Like how am I gonna do teams? What happened to Durandal? How did Roland die? Things like that.
Ciao!