A/N: So, this is gonna be a longer chapter than the last one. I thought about including the whole initiation along with it but it's already long asf as is. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy
(Intro is still "Baptised and buried" and will remain so)
Date: November 19th 2022
Time: 10:30 AM
Location: Beacon Academy
Lucas POV
Well… I'm here. Beacon academy. The supposed place where I'm gonna be spending the next couple years of my life. Honestly, I was hesitant to even come here. I'm trying to get home, not fight in some war against inhuman monstrosities. I know that sounds bad but I was literally plopped from earth to a whole other planet, what else was I supposed to do?
Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for Ozpin and Glynda. It's just… I don't know… seems… convenient somehow. I mean, one minute I'm driving and the next I'm enrolling into a school I have very little knowledge about. Either this is one hell of a coincidence, or something is not adding up.
Either way, I might as well try and make the most of it.
I sigh and drag my palms down my face.
This is gonna be a long-ass year…
-Normal POV-
Lucas was in his truck, slowly driving out of the cargo hold in the airship. The workers were a little perplexed at seeing the diesel truck slowly drive out of the ship. One of the workers came up to the truck which prompted Lucas to roll down his window.
"Howdy," Lucas greeted the worker.
"Morning son," The worker said, "Are you Lucas Meyers by any chance?"
"One and only," Lucas answered, "Plus I'm the only person who wanted to bring this damn thing here."
The worker chuckled at that.
"Well, I was informed by Ozzy that he's got a special place for you to park it," the worker explained, "I'll lead you to it, and the guy will try to keep it as inconspicuous as possible."
"Many thanks good sir," the redneck said gratefully.
"Call me Mason, kid," the worker replied.
"Of course, Mason," Lucas nodded as he drove the truck to the secluded area.
However, he was a little surprised to see Ozpin and Glynda both waiting for him. Ozpin had a stoic expression while Glynda had an annoyed look on her face.
"I still can't believe you let him bring this behemoth to our school," Glynda said to the reincarnated headmaster, "It's much too bulky and makes so much noise."
"I realize that Glynda," Ozpin reasoned with her, "But Lucas has a sentimental attachment to it. He did mention that he and his dad both worked on it."
"I guess you're right," Glynda sighed, "But still, this is something that would be hard to keep hidden. You know how James likes to snoop. It's only a matter of time before he finds out about this and Lucas."
"Hopefully it won't come to that any time soon."
Lucas then parked the Duramax (some people call their trucks by the engine name, Duramax for Chevy/Gmc, Powerstroke for Ford, and Cummins for Dodge, sometimes people Cummins swap fords and chevys, older GM trucks were powered by detroit diesel, and medium duty and up were sometimes powered by Caterpillar), shut it off, and got out.
"Well, I'm glad I got the Fat Lady with me," Lucas said, confusing the two.
"Why 'Fat Lady'" Asked a perplexed Glynda.
"Because she's big, fat, and likes her cholesterol," the hillbilly joked with the two.
Glynda just rolled her eyes while Ozpin had an amused smile.
"So…" Lucas started, "What now?"
"Now let's head to the training area where all the other students are," Ozpin said before handing Lucas a small device with a yellow diamond in the middle of it.
"What's this?" Lucas asked.
"That's a scroll," Ozpin explained, "It lets you contact anyone and can store their contact information. It also allows for you to use a wide variety of media systems and other communication networks. Press that diamond and you'll be able to open it."
"So basically a smartphone… that's collapsable?" Lucas thought as he opened the scroll.
"I already added both my and Glynda's contact information," Ozpin added, "We'll be in touch fairly often so we can keep an eye on you."
Lucas looks up and nods.
"Thank you two so much," Lucas gratefully said, "I can't show my appreciation enough."
Ozpin smiled a bit while Glynda just nodded.
"Well, off to the training arena," Ozpin said, "I uploaded a map of Beacon so you can find your way there easily."
The redneck nodded and made his way to the training area.
-Scene cut-
When Lucas made his way to the training area, he was shocked to see such a large crowd. He tried to find a spot where it would be good for him to stand. Little did he know, he was being watched by someone. This someone was a snow leopard faunus by the name of Krystal Windwaker. She was dressed up in a tunic that had both white and black accents. She had long silver hair, in contrast with her ears and tail being white with black spotted patterns. She had on a pair of black boots along with black leggings, and a black skirt to go along with that.
Krystal had concentrated on the young man, trying to figure out why he was different out of everyone in the ballroom, but thanks to him being a hunter, Lucas felt the leopard's eyes on him, and looked around to find the source. However, Krystal looked away before he could spot her.
At that time, Ozpin made his announcement.
"Ahem…, I'll keep this brief," he started, "You all traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your crafts and acquire new skills. And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look upon you and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose and direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will only prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It's up to you to take the first step."
"Huh, well that seemed… off beat…, was something troubling him?" Lucas asked mentally.
Then Glynda took Ozpin's place as the headmaster walked off the stage.
"You will gather in the ballroom tonight," she started, "Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed!"
With that, everyone made their way to the ballroom.
-Timeskip-
Time: 8:30 PM
After a long day, everyone was getting ready for bed, all dressed up in their sleepwear. Lucas had rolled out a camo sleeping bag and pulled out a journal he kept. He made a log of the second day. He sighed knowing that it would be a long time before he would be able to see his family again.
After logging the day, he set the journal aside and pulled out his Bible that his dad had given him. He decided to read a scripture from the Book of Psalms, and found a verse that he would come to when he found himself in a hard place.
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff comfort me."
This was a verse his grandfather, who passed away 3 years ago, had shown him to remind him that even through hard times, that if his faith is kept and head held high, he will prevail. Being transported to Remnant is one of those hard times, but as long as Lucas keeps his head held high and doesn't give up, there is a chance he will see his family again.
He smiled and nodded, almost hearing his grandfather's voice in his ears, "Keep your head up Lucas, and don't stop trying, even when it seems hopeless."
Lucas then put his bible back in his bag and laid down. He then felt a pair of eyes on him again and he chuckled.
"It's rude to stare you know," He sat up and saw that the leopard faunus from earlier, Krystal, was watching him with interest, standing near where he set up his sleeping bag.
"Well," she said with a smirk, "Maybe you were worth staring at."
Lucas dryly laughed, "Trust me, I'm not that interesting."
"I wouldn't sell yourself short," she replied, "Everyone has their perks about them. Some may be more bland, others, more interesting. I'm Krystal by the way."
Krystal held out a hand for him to shake, and he took it.
"Lucas," he greeted, and took notice of her tail and ears.
"You're a Faunus aren't you?" he asked.
"Yep," she replied, "A leopard faunus. You're not one of those pricks who pick on faunus are you."
She had a raised brow when she said this.
Lucas shook his head, "Nah, I think y'all are just similar in some ways and different in others," he explained, "there's not two people alive who are exactly the same in interests, looks or any other traits."
She smiled at this, "Good to know you're not narrow-minded."
"I try to be open-minded, and look through the other person's perspective," Lucas said with a shrug.
"Well, it was nice talking to you, Lucas," Krystal said with a smile, "Maybe I'll see you during the initiation?"
"I hope so," the redneck replied with a grin, "If not, I might be alone here."
"Let's hope I can keep you good company then," the leopard replied with a smirk, "See you around."
With that she left, with a flick of her tail while she walked back to her sleeping area.
Lucas chuckled to himself. "She was something," Lucas thought, "She was kinda cute though, not gonna lie."
With that, Lucas turned in for the night, with the initiation coming for tomorrow.
-Timeskip brought to you by a chibi Lucas peacefully sleeping-
Date: November 19th 2022
Time: 7:30 AM
Location: Beacon Academy
-Normal POV-
Going through the morning routine felt normal, but off at the same time for Lucas. Sure it wasn't something new for him, but knowing that today was initiation day, and he was to find himself a team was a little nerve racking. On top of that, he also had to find out how in God's name he found himself on Remnant.
But for now, he had to focus on just getting ready for the day. That task seemed a little difficult as he was trying to find his locker that had his Rifle, Handgun, and a surprise Ozpin left him.
When he found his locker, he found the 243, the 10mm, and to his shock, a whip. The redneck was expecting a battle ax or a sword or something, not a whip. When he went to grab it, there was a note on it.
Lucas
I thought you might need something to help you along your initiation. Bullets aren't endless, you know. Also, I believed this would suit your tastes.
-Ozpin.
The country boy chuckled and got a feel for the whip. He then put it on his belt and shut his locker, where he overheard Ruby talking to Yang.
"So, you're awfully chipper this morning," Yang said.
"Yep!" Ruby said, "No more awkward small talk or 'getting to know you' stuff."
She then grabbed Crescent Rose, "Today I let my sweetheart do the talking."
"Well remember Ruby," Yang said, "You're not the only one going through the initiation. If you wanna grow up, you're gonna have to meet new people and learn to work together."
"Ugh, you sound like dad," the silver-eyed girl groaned, "Okay, first of all, what does meeting new people have to do with fighting? And secondly, I don't need people to help me grow up, I drink milk."
Lucas then decided to intervene.
"She's got a point, Ruby," Lucas said, surprising the two girls at first.
"AHH, Lucas!" Ruby yelped surprised, "How long have you been listening?"
"My locker is literally right here," the redneck deadpanned.
"Oh," Ruby sheepishly said.
"Anyway," Lucas continued, "Yang is right Ruby: You gotta learn how to work together with a team. These are gonna be people who are gonna be a family to you, and if you can't get along as a team here at Beacon, how will you work together on the battlefield?"
"I'll just be on Yang's team then," Ruby said simply.
"Why not be on your own team?" Yang suggested.
"My dearest sister Yang," Ruby said accusingly, "are you implying that you do not wanna wish to be a part of the same team as me?"
"W-What?!" Yang asked, perplexed, "No! Of course I do, I just thought it would break you out of your shell!"
"What the?!" Ruby said, frustratedly, "I don't need to break out of my shell, that is completely-"
Then they were interrupted by Jaune.
"Ridiculous! There's no way I put my gear in locker 636 yesterday!" he exclaimed.
Lucas sighed, "Ruby, look."
The two then turned to the country boy who was also loading his rifle and checking his ammunition.
"You gotta realize that whatever happens, happens," he told her while loading some .243 rounds into a clip, "Yang can't always be there for you. You need to branch out and find new people. You can't just only hang out with the same people every time, it's not healthy. Plus, you might learn something new out of a new relationship."
"But I don't feel like meeting new people," she whined, "I just wanna stick with my sister."
"He's got a point, Ruby," Yang chimed in, "You gotta learn to find yourself some friends, otherwise you can't make it far."
"Fiiiiine," Ruby groaned begrudgingly, "I'll try."
Lucas smiled, "That's the spirit." He then puts a mag into the 10mm, pulls the slide back and holsters it.
"Well, I better get going," Lucas said, "Good luck to you two lovely ladies, see you when we're kicking some grimm ass."
He then grabbed his rifle and walked out of the locker area, to a place where his truck was. He felt a buzz from his scroll, and it was a message from Ozpin.
"Lucas, I sent you the location of the emerald forest and plotted a route for you to head there. Once you're there, you must find a teammate. This will be the first person you make eye contact with while in the forest, once you're paired up, head to the temple up north. You will meet opposition along the way. Don't hesitate or you will die. Once you reach the temple, you must grab a relic for you and your partner. When you have the relic, make your way back to the cliffside. I would suggest hiding the truck somewhere where no one can see it, the other students are not ready to see the vehicle yet."
"Will do Ozzy, will do," Lucas muttered as he walked over to where his truck was covered and saw Mason standing there.
"Hey Mason," Lucas greeted.
"Morning Kid," the foreman greeted, "initiation day huh?"
"Yessir, and imma be takin big bertha to the forest," Lucas spoke.
"You're gonna drive this thing to the forest?" Mason asked, perplexed.
"Yessir," Lucas said.
"You're crazier than I thought," Mason muttered, "I am curious about this thing though, what is it exactly?"
Lucas was afraid of being asked that question, so he came up with a lie.
"It's a custom vehicle me and my dad worked on," he explained, "It can run off of old frying oil, and be used as a utility vehicle. But Mason, promise me this: you can't tell anyone about this okay?"
The foreman nodded, "Of course kid, Ozzy chose me as foreman for a reason, he trusts me with a list of items that are confidential."
Lucas breathed a sigh of relief, "Thanks Mason."
"Much obliged kid, now go kick some ass."
"You bet!" Lucas grinned as he got into the truck and fired it up. He put the truck in reverse and did a j-turn and sped off into the forest, rolling a bit of coal as he did so. This was his time to shine, to prove he didn't need fancy powers to accomplish this, just good ol' wits.
(Insert LBZ duramax sound)
"YEEEEEEEEE-HAAAAWWWWW!" the sandy-haired rebel boy whooped as he sped off.
(Insert Yeehaw SFX)
-Scene Cut-
While Lucas was driving to the forest, the rest of the students were gathered at Beacon cliff. They were all lined up at the edge of the cliff, with Ozpin and Glynda standing before them. Each student was standing on a pad of sorts that was made to launch them into the forest. Ozpin was about to give the students a pep talk before the initiation started.
"For years you had trained to become warriors," He said, "And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald forest."
Glynda then spoke up as well, "Now, I'm sure many of you had heard the assignment about teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… Today."
This did not sit well with a certain silver-eyed girl.
"What? Aw…" Ruby whined quietly.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," Ozpin explained, "So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work with well."
Ruby: *Scared Noise*
"That being said," Ozpin continued, "The first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
This came across as a shock to Ruby.
"WHAT?!" she exclaimed.
Nora then faced her childhood friend, Ren, "See, I told you."
"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest," Ozpin continued, "You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die."
Jaune had laughed nervously as he was not prepared for this at all whatsoever.
"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene. You will 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. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"
Jaune raised his hand nervously, "Yeah.. Um.. sir-"
"Good! Now take your positions."
Soon everyone was ready, except for Jaunne.
"Uh sir, I got, um, a question."
Weiss was the first to be launched, followed by others.
"So this landing strategy thing, uh, w-what is it? You're like dropping us off or something?"
"No," Ozpin answered bluntly, "You will be falling."
More students are launched.
"Oh, I see," Jaune responded, "So, like, did you hand out parachutes for us?"
"No," Ozpin answered again, "You will be using your own landing strategy."
"Uh huh, yeah…," Jaune said, "So what exactly is a landing strateGYYYY!"
He wasn't able to finish before being launched into the sky.
And with that, the initiation began. While each of the students were using their own landing strategy, a certain sandy haired young man was making his way through the forest in a pickup truck.
When Lucas got to an area he couldn't drive through, he parked the truck and got out.
"Hmm," he said in thought, "I guess it's time to go a stealthier route."
He rummaged through the back seat until he found what he was looking for: the ghillie suit. He knew this would make him hard to spot, especially with so much brush in the forest. He slipped it on and began trekking, checking the sun to make sure he was headed due north. He always knew how to tell which direction he's going thanks to his grandfather, God rest his soul.
"Gramps, thank you for those tips," he muttered as he began walking.
While he and the rest of the students were walking, Ozpin was monitoring their progress via his scroll. He took note of Lucas' resourcefulness in using the ghillie suit to blend in with his surroundings.
"Hmm," he hummed in thought.
"What is it sir?" Glynda asked, looking over at his scroll.
"It appears our new friend, Lucas, is a bit more resourceful than we thought," he said.
Glynda was impressed that Lucas had a suit that could be mistaken for the landscape. She almost couldn't tell it was the sandy-haired boy. The giveaway was the rifle slung over his shoulder and his handgun.
"I'll admit it's quite impressive," she agreed, "but wouldn't that make it harder for him to find teammates, or teammates to find him?"
"I think he might have a plan for that, Glynda," Ozpin replied.
"How can you be so sure?" she asked.
"The fact he's thinking it through and not tearing through the forest in that vehicle of his can be a good indicator," Ozpin explained, "It shows he's not thinking on impulse, rather, strategy."
Glynda nodded as she could see Ozpin was right. Lucas, rather than being brash and just running things over, thought about the situation, and used the environment to his advantage.
Back with the hillbilly, he was making his way through the forest when he heard a growl. Immediately, he crouched down and disguised himself as a bush. From what he could see, a pair of ursai grimm were right in front of him.
"Damn," he muttered, and then, a light bulb went off in his head. He got a malicious grin and backed into the thicket.
While the ursai were trying to sniff him out, they were unaware of the present danger they were about to face. When one of the grimm wasn't paying attention, something snared up its legs and dragged it into the bushes, followed by two gunshots.
This had alarmed the ursai as it turned around to find out what happened to its fellow grimm. Then it heard cackling, not out of humor, but forewarning. This actually had scared the grimm a bit. Then, all of a sudden, it felt something on its throat, in the form of a rope. It didn't have time to react before it was pulled upwards, followed by two more gunshots.
Lucas then dropped down brushing himself off, admiring the whip Ozpin gave him.
"This thing is awesome," he grinned as he turned off lasso mode.
Little did he know, he was being observed by Krystal, who was shocked to see how he took down the grimm, and was a little afraid of what he could really do. So, she decided to make herself known.
"Y'know you can come out right?" he spoke, surprising her yet again.
"H-how did you-" she asked.
"I can tell if I'm being watched," Lucas explained while turning towards her, "It's almost like a sixth sense in a way I got."
After recovering from the shock, she looked at the littered bodies of grimm he just took down.
"That.. was amazing, and a little frightening," she said.
"I know right," Lucas replied, "And this whip is really useful."
"Also, what are you wearing?" she asked, curious, gesturing to his camouflage.
"My Ghillie suit," he explained, "It helps me blend in with the environment better. I can literally become part of the landscape and you'd never see me coming."
"Impressive," she said with a smile, "Well… you're the first person I met, so I guess we're partners."
Lucas chuckled, "I guess so. If anything, I was hoping to run into you."
This got her to smirk, "Oh really? Why's that?"
"I just got a good feeling about you, Ms Windwaker," he grinned.
"Well, I got a good feeling about you too, bush boy," she chuckled as well.
They both had a good laugh about it, and then Lucas got curious.
"Say, what's your weapon?" he asked her.
She then pulled out two batons that could form a bo staff. Lucas had noticed that there appeared to be barrels on both ends of the staff.
"Huh, a staff that can split into batons that also shoots projectiles?" he observed.
"Very good," she smiled, "I call it, Silver Wind."
"Beautiful name," Lucas commented.
"Thanks," Krystal smirked, "What's the name of that whip of yours?"
"Oh…" the redneck said meekly, "I don't have a name for it yet."
"Hm…" she hummed, interested in it, "Can I see it?"
Lucas nodded and handed her the whip. She held it and observed it, feeling the material, admiring the craftsmanship of the weapon. She checked the handle for dust used and was shocked to see that there were no dust crystals or anything indicating that dust was used at all.
"Lucas?" the leopard asked, "Why is there no dust in your whip?"
Lucas had shrugged, "Didn't feel the need for it."
Really, he lied because he had no clue on how to use dust, so he just decided to go without it. Luckily he can lie pretty damn well so she would suspect anything.
Krystal then sighed and handed the Whip back to Lucas. It seems she caught on to his little fib.
"Lucas…" Krystal said slowly, "Do you not know how to use dust?"
The country boy sighed and shook his head. He felt ashamed that he didn't know how to use dust at all, when he was going to a school where his peers utilize it so much.
"Well, I'll lend you some dust and teach you on the fly," she said with a smile, "Even though you should have learned that before you came to beacon."
"Yeah… I'll have to explain why later… just not now," Lucas replied, "What matters is finding the relic, and getting it back to the cliff.
Krystal nodded and the two set off for the temple, preparing for the dangers ahead of them.
(Outro is "Heavy Pour" by Warren Zeiders)
Yeah, I told you before
And I'll tell you again
This life I live has been forged
And I'm backwards fire
With some hella wind
So when I walk through that door
Get me a heavy pour
I've had a long damn day
I'm a grown ass man
Don't care about the jukebox
Don't give a damn
Only plan is let the hellhounds around tonight
I've been down and I've been up
I've been through hell, and I've had enough
So, when I walk through that door
Get me a heavy pour
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh
When I walk through that door
Get me a heavy pour
I've had a long damn day
I'm a grown ass man
Don't care about the jukebox
Don't give a damn
Only plan is let the hellhounds around tonight
I've been down and I've been up
I've been through hell, and I've had enough
So, when I walk through that door
Get me a heavy pour
When I walk through that door
Get me a heavy pour
Well, Here's the update I'm sure y'all wanted. Y'all have a great day/night and God bless you all, and have a great Thanksgiving.