Ah, writer's block. Why dost thou detest me so?
Chapter 8: Nose Against The Grindstone
The following morning, Yang gently shook me awake, nearly startling me when I woke up. I trudged to the changing rooms, which were filled with well built teenage boys slipping out of pyjamas, and pulling on tunics and pieces of armour. Yawning, I grabbed my locker handle, letting my backpack succumb to gravity, and tumbling to the ground, spilling the clothes I wore yesterday, a uniform, and the scroll that woman framed in shadow had contacted me on. Pulling it open, I checked to see if there were any more messages. There weren't. Since I had a moment free, I began to access the tablet, seeing what was available for use.
I knew from the web series that scrolls were capable of gauging Aura levels, monitoring surveillance, taking audio and text messages, and browsing the Internet, or at least, it's equivalent. Looking through, I saw that some basic games were preinstalled, such as Sudoku, Taijitu (a game that was functionally identical to Snake from back home), and StarSweeper (a rail-shooter game, set on Remnant's moon). Other features included voice recording, note taking, and combat analysis and tutorials.
Closing the scroll, and shoving it deep into the bag, I felt something scrape my hand. Releasing my grip on the scroll, and grasping the object, I pulled it out. It was the crystal that woman had given me, when I was on the beach back home. Glancing it over, I watched as it's colors continued to fade into the next. Curious, I unconsciously rubbed it with my fingers, trying to find a blemish of some kind. As my fingertips caught a small groove, on the side of the crystal, I turned it, looking at the scratch. It was difficult to make out, but I managed to identify tiny carvings, almost microscopic.
A bunch of symbols. Nothing like I'd ever seen before. A fang. A drop. Two circles connected by a small line. Clearly, it had to have some hidden meaning, but whatever it was, I couldn't hope to decipher it. Clasping my fingers around the crystal, I shoved it back in my bag, in a pocket where it couldn't be seen. Grabbing my combat clothes, and my rucksack, I dashed to a free shower, and let the hot water drum on my bare skin, washing away the worries of the previous night. Showers back home were good, but this was heaven.
Eventually, the water stopped, and I toweled off, haphazardly throwing on clothes, and tying the bandana underneath my fringe. Moving to the cafeteria, en route, I passed by a teenager who was two heads taller than me. He had a mace at his hip, and was covered in full body armor, much like a knight from medieval times. Brown hair, indigo eyes, and a cocky grin dotted his face. It was the last thing I saw, before my foot caught on his very conveniently placed leg, sending me sprawling.
"Hold on, sweetheart. Isn't the girls room that way?" He asked in a slimy tone. Getting on my hands and knees, the giant knight, also known as Cardin Winchester placed a steel boot on my spine, pinning me to the ground.
"Not so fast, kid. I'm not letting you get away that easy. Not until you tell me your name." He chuckled, pressing hard on my back, threatening to break my spine. I couldn't see how I could get up, so I began to struggle. All that I gained was a firm hand on the back of my neck, squeezing on the blood vessels placed there. Teetering on the verge of unconsciousness, my thrashes grew weaker.
"Get... off!" I breathed weakly. Cardin just laughed.
"What was that? 'Keep going?' Well, if you insist..."
And with a cruel snicker, his grip became like iron, making my head swim, and causing my vision to cloud. I'd dealt with bullies before, but Cardin... There was no way I could go up against him and live. Not without Aura, or knowledge of my weapons, neither of which I possessed. As I gasped in pain, I heard a man yelling.
"Hey! Get off of him this instant, young man!" A familiar voice boomed. As I looked up from the stone cold floor, I saw Professor Kor standing there through my blurry vision. He had his hands on his hips, and was scowling furiously at my tormenter. At that moment, Cardin's grip weakened, and his hand gripped the back of my tunic, hoisting me to my feet, already adding to my dizziness.
"Oh, this guy just had a sore spot on his back, asked me to help elevate the pain." Cardin grinned. Professor Kor shook his head.
"I pray that you mean 'alleviate'."
"That's what I said!" He defended angrily. And with a huff, he walked out of the locker room, leaving me leaning against the wall, trying not to pass out from dizziness. Professor Kor walked up to me, and held a cookie in his hands.
"Take it. It should help." He offered, shoving the cookie in my hands. Without thinking, I shoved it in my mouth, chomping like a car crusher. Immediately, a wave of peace washed over me, dulling the ache in my neck. The dizziness quickly subsided, and I shook my head, still feeling a bit lightheaded. Professor Kor grabbed my shoulders, and held me steady.
"You alright, Darrel?" He asked. I nodded.
"Y-yeah, I'm-I'm fine." I gasped. The Professor patted my shoulder, handed me my bag, and spun me around, pushing me into the cafeteria. Stumbling past various people eating breakfast, a red-haired girl, looking very much like a Spartan munched on an apple, a green-garbed Chinese boy sliced through his pancakes with the vigor of a sloth, while the apricot-haired girl was literally slurping up her pancakes as if she hadn't eaten food in months. I shook my head, grabbed a plate of cereal, and walked between the tables, desperate to sit somewhere hygienic.
"Hey, Darrel! Over here!"
Even through the cacophony of raised voices, which was giving me a headache, Ruby's voice pierced them all. I looked to source to see Ruby and Jaune sitting at a table together. Ruby had a plate of cookies (natch), and Jaune had a tray of toast. There was a third bowl, loaded with porridge, but I decided not to comment on whose it was. I had a sneaking suspicion, anyway. Sitting across from the bowl of steaming porridge, I tiredly regarded Jaune and Ruby. Jaune's nose had more or less regained it's shape, and the small graze he'd received was virtually indistinguishable.
"Morning, Darrel! Sleep well?" Ruby asked. I shook my head, still feeling the effects of Cardin's attempted murder and Professor Kor's cookie. The result was a chronic tiredness, one that threatened to make me fall face first in my cereal, asleep, dreaming, and drowning.
"You okay? You didn't have another nightmare, did you?" Jaune asked, rubbing my shoulder. I yawned, looked up, and glanced into Jaune's deep blue eyes.
"Nah, just..." I stopped. Things could get bad if Cardin was introduced too early, and I'd promised myself to make things better, not worsen them because of some personal vendetta.
"Just had trouble staying asleep." I lied. But Ruby shot me a dirty look.
"You know, that big guy who had a death grip on your neck was out of line."
Oh hell.
"You don't have to take that. We're here for you, all three of us: Me, Jaune and Yang'd help you anytime. All you have to do is ask." Ruby consoled, shoving a cookie in her mouth. Jaune nodded in agreement. I smiled, thankful that if if I was trapped in the world of RWBY, at least I'd have some company. I placed a spoonful of cereal in my mouth, and tasted a kind of bran, along with a hint of... marshmallow? As I contemplated the taste, a hand clapped my shoulder, causing me to yelp, and subsequently swallow unexpectedly, the mushy cereal in my mouth falling down my windpipe.
"Morning, Darrel!" A familiar voice. One that belonged to a certain boisterous bruiser. I gagged, trying to cough up what I had accidentally inhaled. After a bit of pounding on the chest, I leaned back, and tried to get my breath back. Looking into Yang's violet eyes, I was still coughing up bits of food into my mouth.
"Mor-morning, Yang." I breathed, still feeling the effects of choking on the cereal. Yang removed her hand, and effortlessly vaulted over the table. She landed perfectly in the seat behind the bowl of porridge, and began to dig in.
"Sho, Ruby, what's da sich?" Yang asked, a quarter of the bowl's contents still contained in her mouth, and much of the rest giving her a beige beard that rivaled Junior's. Ruby grinned: apparently eating habits between the two sisters were identical.
"Well, Darrel was just attacked by some big jerk, but the Professor we met last night helped him." Ruby answered. Yang looked at me.
"You get a look of the guys face, that sort of thing? He could have a little... 'accident' in the forest." Yang offered, a creepy grin on her face. I raised my hands, and began to wildly shake my head. Cardin was a douche, yes, and I did want to get back at him for nearly popping my head off, but it wouldn't be just yet. Not until I figure some things out.
"Ah, well. Had to offer." Yang shrugged, then returned to wolfing down the porridge like the Reckoning was happening this very moment. Kicking my legs vacantly, I felt my foot strike my rucksack. Somehow, the crystal slipped out, and landed on the toe of my boot. Reaching down, I picked it up, and discreetly began to study the symbols engraved on it. Looking up, Jaune was munching on a slice of toast, while Yang was talking with Ruby. And at that moment, a voice, the same one used by that Faunus woman in my nightmare.
Tell them. They will help.
I cleared my throat, and all three pairs of eyes, violet, silver, and deep blue, focused on me. At that moment, everything I knew was about to change.
"You guys know that my dad was a traveller? Well, when I was young, before he gave me my weapons, I remember him giving me this."
I placed the crystal on the table, and the focus changed from me to the small object.
"He said that it would be the key to salvation, or something. But I don't even know what it is. You guys ever seen something like this?"
Jaune picked up the crystal, twirling it in his fingers, eyes agog at the transitioning colours. He ran his fingers over the chips and carvings.
"I don't know what this is, but it seems like they're runes of some kind. Maybe it's a piece of a puzzle?"
Yang quickly snatched the crystal out of Jaune's hands, and began to scrutinize it. Ruby looked at if from over her sister's shoulder.
"Please. Those kinds of things only happen in movies, Jaune. Maybe it's some form of code. Like a hidden message." Yang rebuffed.
"Either that or maybe it's the owner's name." She offered. I quickly snatched the crystal back, and shoved it into my pocket.
"It doesn't matter. I'm going to get ready." I said, pushing the forgotten bowl of cereal away, and trudging to the lockers. My fingers clasped around the crystal hidden in my pocket. Thinking back to what Jaune and Yang had said, those carvings could be anything. But right now, I had to get ready for initiation.
But my memory was a little rusty at this point, most likely due to my tiredness. What did we have to do for the initiation again? I remember chess pieces, and RWBY killing the giant Nevermore, but everything else was a hazy blur. Pick up chess pieces, kill Grimm, but I got the feeling that there was something else I'd forgotten. One crucial detail...
I think we all know what it is...
Sorry for the inactivity, but right now, going through life in general. School's currently taking priority, but hopefully, I'll find some time to pick up speed.
Also, another heatwave is inbound. So there probably won't be another chapter for a little while. Maybe. I have a small piece of it written already.