Hello, everyone! This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing back in! Here we go. Just as I promised, here's another update. Seems like we've been having a perfectly decent response so far, so I think this is as good a time as any to keep the train going. Proofreading and cleanup are finally done, so here goes another chapter for our collab!
NOTE:
-This is a collaborative effort between me, Noctis Gaelum and Alastar the hawk. We claim ownership over nothing except our own original characters.
SMWK
When they woke up the following day, Set and Kale expected a number of things. A hearty breakfast. Meeting up with Maza again. A trip to the locker room. A complicated test.
"What do you mean by 'no'?"
The crabby girl from yesterday talking to the overly serious young man who didn't like the sleeping accommodations? Not so much.
"Exactly what I said, miss." He was using a screwdriver to work on some kind of drill that was strapped to his right arm, not even bothering to look at the white-haired girl. "I'm not interested in joining forces."
She was clearly confused by this. "Do you even know what you're refusing?"
"Oh, believe me, I know exactly what you're getting at, Weiss Schnee." He finished working on it and retracted it, transforming the drill into one of the arm guards he was wearing yesterday, before finally looking at the woman in front of him. "You're obviously here to try and form the strongest team ever and bring your family's name to the top once more."
She nodded. "Exactly! I'm offering you a chance to be on my team! Don't you see what that represents? Dust, parts, and most of all, you are one of the few students that passed the entrance exam without any kind of formal training, so my finesse and technique should easily compliment your natural talent! It makes perfect sense for us to team up!"
"Your opinion, my opinion… they don't matter." He was completely unfazed by her words. "If Ozpin and Goodwitch say we are going to be teammates, then fine, I will bite the bullet." He began to walk away. "But until then, my answer is still 'no'."
"Wait!"
Weiss began to chase after him, but then he pointed to his right.
"Hey, isn't that Pyrrha Nikos?"
"What? Where?" Weiss dashed away at high speed, allowing the man to leave the locker room.
As the three friends watched the scene unfold, Maza couldn't help but laugh.
"Wow, first day and he already has a fan? Go, grumpy!" She looked back at Set. "And you said he wouldn't get any."
"Speaking of fans, look at that dude. The one in the green shirt." He pointed at said person, and the others turned in the same direction. "That girl has been on top of him ever since I first looked at him." Right at that moment, something occurred to him. "…Does he always wear that?"
"I think he actually slept in it." Kale said in response. "That's kind of weird."
Set leaned back slightly, trying to catch another glimpse of the guy as he walked away. He then chuckled at the thought.
Maza opened her locker and grabbed two small objects.
"Oh, I'm so excited!" She started to giggle and jump in place. "In just a few minutes, we will officially start our new lives as actual Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training!" She strapped the items, which looked a little like holsters, to the sides of her belt. "What do you think the big secret initiation will be? Do you think we'll fight a Grimm? Maybe we'll participate in some kind of colosseum-style tournament. Oh, or maybe it's something even better, like an obstacle course!"
Set turned to his brother while she was distracted. "Geez, why do I keep thinking about pink cupcakes when I see her?"
In response, Kale shrugged.
"No idea. I'll say this, though…" As he turned to look in her direction, he let out a chuckle. "…I like it."
"Well, whatever the test is, there's one thing I'm certain about." Maza suddenly got between the two brothers and pulled them into a group hug. "I want to be on your team! I like you guys, and I would love to spend the next four years with you. Besides, we Faunus need to stick together, right?" She looked at her taller friend. "And I mean you too, Kale."
"Well, sunshine, we'll see." Set's responses were short. "We'll know soon enough."
Right at that moment, the speaker in the locker room turned on, and the voice of Glynda Goodwitch was heard all around.
"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."
"Beacon Cliff?! Oh, that sounds like fun! Come on! I don't wanna be late!" Maza told the brothers, right before she zoomed out of the locker room.
As he watched her leave, Kale took a deep breath. "Well, bro… looks like this is it." Then he turned to his younger brother. "Let's promise each other something, alright?"
"Do you even need to ask?" Set smirked.
Kale had a laugh, having guessed he would say that.
"Whether we end up on the same team, or on two completely separate ones… we're going to pull this off. We're going to do our best, we'll be at the Vytal Festival Tournament, and we're going to graduate without breaking a sweat… or by breaking as many as we can. Whatever works."
"Dude… you got it. I promised Ma I would honor Great Papa Prowl's memory. Heck, I was named after him. What kind of Huntsman would I be if I can't do something as simple as keep my word?" Set then turned to his brother. "No sweat. We'll do this in no time flat."
"Alright, great." In turn, he started to leave. "Let's get going then. I don't think they'll wait for us forever."
"Yeah, and we gotta find Foxy anyway."
After a brief walk, the three of them found themselves at the edge of a cliff, where Ozpin and Glynda were patiently waiting for all the students to arrive, before instructing them to stand on top of some cement squares placed in line in front of the edge. Maza seemed quite amused at the sight of the headmaster holding a coffee mug, but then her attention was diverted when she noticed Ruby Rose standing over on the right side of the group… which she seemed to find equally as amusing, for some reason.
It wasn't until the last student arrived that Ozpin started to explain the test.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of 'teams'." Glynda picked up from there almost immediately. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… today."
Kale's eyes widened at that. "Well… that was quick."
At the mention of that, Weiss didn't waste time in catching the attention of the guy she was talking to earlier, which he responded to in the form of a grunt.
"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 can work well." Ozpin explained soon after. "That being said, the first person with whom you make eye contact after your landing will be your partner for the next four years."
"What?!" Both Ruby and the guy next to Weiss were alarmed by that last part.
Maza leaned over and whispered something to Kale. "We better try to stay close when we land."
"Uh, Professor…" The guy tried to talk, but Ozpin just continued before he could say anything else.
"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way." A few students were unnerved by the calm way in which he explained the following part. "Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path… or you will die."
Kale suddenly chuckled awkwardly. "That's… encouraging."
"Ooh, an obstacle course! I knew it! I knew we would do something like this!" Maza smiled as her tail began to move around.
Set let out a small laugh. "Obstacles? Clearly, you've never put up with my old man's training before. We'll slice through 'em no prob." He overflowed with confidence as he readied his weapon.
Ozpin gave the students a moment to let the information really sink into their minds before continuing. "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You'll 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 will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"
A young blond man at the end of the line raised his hand. "Yeah, um… sir?"
"Good." The headmaster said in response, as though he didn't hear that. "Now, take your positions."
At that command, the rest of the students took their stances, ready to begin, with the exception of the young man who admitted to having questions. "Uh, sir? I've got, um… a question."
Soon the platforms sprung to life, and one by one, the students were launched into the air.
"See you on the other side!" Maza waved to her friends before flying off.
Kale took a deep breath, grabbed the goggles hanging from his neck, and put them on. "Well… I guess today's a good day to fly." Almost immediately after, he was catapulted into the air as well.
"Heh… look out, Grimm. The Big Bad Wolf's comin' to get'cha…!" Set got into position before his platform launched him into the forest.
Weiss gave the guy next to her one last reminder as he readied his drills. "Remember… best interest!"
Without so much as a reaction, he was launched, with her following shortly after.
As the students neared the ground, some relied on their skills to land safely, while others made use of their weaponry.
One particular student's weapons could be heard as trees fell one after the other in a straight line before the sound came to a stop in the middle of the forest.
Once he unhooked his drills from the last tree, the young man started to look around, noticing a variety of shadows descending in front of or around him, before disappearing in the foliage. Taking a deep breath, he retracted his drills before undoing the scarf he was wearing and staring at it intensely, remembering Ozpin's words.
First person I make eye contact with, eh?
Smiling, he put the scarf over his eyes and tied it up to the end of his head.
Let's see what happens if I don't see anyone.
After tying a rather strong knot, he put his hands together and stood still in complete silence, taking a couple minutes to control his breathing.
"Gotcha!" Springing into action, the man started to run forward, avoiding or cutting any and all trees on his way.
Right above a different part of the forest, Kale took a good look at the area that he would eventually land in.
Alright… be careful now. Just try to avoid getting hit by branches.
Despite his hopes that this flight would be somewhat safe, the incoming trees had grown enough branches that any sort of unprepared landing would be extremely painful. After taking a longer look at the incoming obstacles, he sighed.
…Oh, who am I kidding?
Convinced that he would have to clear up a path for himself, he stretched his right arm out. Right at that moment, a long, sharp blade came out of the forearm protector he was wearing, and after making sure his flight path was straight, he started to spin around rapidly in the air. As he did this, he just closed his eyes, since he knew he would be unable to see what came next.
If anyone was watching, they might be mildly surprised by how this tactic actually got him through unscathed… and then they would scratch their heads while trying to figure out how he disappeared from behind the shadow of a tree.
At the same time, in a different section of the forest, the distinct sound of a chain could be heard. Set was making use of Moon Sherbet to reach faraway branches and pull himself towards them. Once they were within reach, he would stand on top of them, and then he'd jump towards the next one. Eventually, after doing this for a while, he finally managed to land, his feet planted firmly on the ground.
After landing on the broad greens, Set immediately picked up some kind of scent, which he followed shortly after.
"Hmm… I'm intrigued… wonder what I'll find?" He sniffed the air a couple times.
He set off on its trail, swiftly rushing to the source, all while wondering who, or what, the scent belonged to.
Meanwhile, at yet another part of the forest, Maza was checking for any obstacles that might get in her way as she started to descend. Much to her delight, she was fortunate enough to be heading in the direction of a group of trees that didn't have a great number of branches.
Perfect! I know just what to do!
As she kept on losing altitude, the Faunus girl started to move in the air, getting herself into position.
Finally, once she was in range, she landed on the nearest tree branch that she could find. She didn't stay there for too long, however, as she immediately jumped in the direction of the next one she could see, making use of the momentum she still had. After a few jumps, she finally managed to slow down to a more manageable speed.
Okay, here we go!
Before her last jump, she took out her weapons from their holsters: two sticks, which extended into a pair of batons. If there were any onlookers, they might've been concerned when it seemed like she wouldn't be able to land on the next branch, but then they would breathe a sigh of relief once they saw her use her batons to grab onto it. After spinning a few times, she finally let go of the branch, managing to score a safe landing right next to the tree.
"That was fun!" She took a moment to put her weapons away. "Alright, let's see what's out there."
Without another word, she began to make her way through the forest.
While running through the forest, the self-blinded man stopped when he suddenly heard steps closing in on him. Thinking fast, he shot one of his drills towards a tree branch and climbed. Shortly after, he heard two people passing by.
Hmmm… one I don't recognize, but the other one… that is clearly Schnee. I would recognize those high heels any… wait, what's that sound?
Once they walked away, he climbed down and heard some howls not too far away from where he stood. As he turned around, the growls and howls kept on getting closer.
Beowolves? Well, I suppose I could use the practice.
He smirked as he heard the creatures of Grimm approaching, as well as stopping once they saw a blindfolded human casually walking toward them. While their faces, which were identical to those of actual wolves, except all black and almost seemed to have white masks on them, did not allow for much emotion, he could tell they were confused.
"I don't know why you decided to start a fire, or even how you figured out how to do so, but it will be a problem if the flame spreads." The tips of his drills opened up. "I'd better put it out."
He jumped towards the Beowolves, just as they did the same. Making use of some ice Dust, the man created ice spears, which he used to impale a few of the Grimm, also making use of his drills for the same purpose on others. At the same time, some of the ice landed near the fire, putting it out once it started to melt.
The remaining Grimm tried to surround him, but he quickly blocked their way by breaking the bases of some nearby trees, before hitting them on the stomach. The larger one tried to slash him, but the man managed to dodge it and impale one of its paws into the ground, causing it to scream in pain until he put one drill in his mouth.
"Say 'ahh'." His drill started spinning inside its mouth, piercing through until it fainted.
Once all of his enemies were taken care of, the man shot some more ice into the fire. In a matter of moments, the flames started to dissipate, and were eventually doused. Satisfied with his job, he took a moment to breathe before moving forward once again.
Yep, we've gotten to this point now, and let me tell you, this was an interesting one. We had to hand the controls over from one to the other over and over and over again, so there was a lot of effort put into figuring out how we'd get each one of our characters to do their thing, especially since some ideas came much slower than others, but we really felt satisfied with how it turned out. Here's hoping you'll feel the same way.
No new names to account for this time, so yeah, nothing here.
Well, the time has come for the final test, and so far, we've had four landings and one action sequence. Next time, we'll just pick up from where we're at, so for those who care enough to read beyond this, keep your eyes peeled for our next update.
This is Umbra the Hedgehog signing off.