Caelum awoke, turning in his sheets. It was still dark out and his alarm had yet to go off. Another morning. He looked in the darkness and saw three bodies sleeping soundly. A familiar sight, one without wounds, muck, and freezing or boiling temperatures.
Quietly he prepared himself and left, the soft click of the door latch the only sound of his departure with none awoken. Unable to sleep any longer he did one of the few things he knew. He trained. It would be an hour until breakfast opened so he had time.
Running until his lungs burned and then running even more, it was lucky that the school's gym remained open at all hours. His body still felt the familiar aches of his training from school hours the day before. Alone with his thoughts as he worked out on a virtually silent campus, he found himself thinking over his daily life.
Everything was too quiet. Too peaceful. Everyone too complacent. He had offered to teach his team after school hours. They wouldn't have any of it. Lukas disregarded the offer outright. Niel seemed intent on trying to sway his partner, loyalty perhaps, or to get in good graces.
Raiden professed his wishes to but explained he required time to maintain and test his rifle. The only acceptable excuse Caelum found among the three. He had lost track of time. His body ached, beads of sweat forming on his brow as strands of hair obscured his sight. It was time to prepare for the day.
The sun was rising as he returned. Niel was awake and seemingly meditating as usual. Caelum cleaned himself and was dressed by the time Niel woke Lukas and Raiden. As the leader, Caelum ensured all were awake and around before he left them to their own devices.
He was the first in for breakfast. The first out. The first to class. The first to leave. At all times he ensured his team was prepared and not lacking but never more than he had to. Each class had its value. Some even had things he found interesting. But he found it lacking in necessity. In his mind, the only useful knowledge taught was those relevant to survival and combat. Relevant to him anyway. It wasn't as if he had a choice to pursue a civilian career after this.
The complacent atmosphere among his peers only aided in his displeasure. Perhaps why he had become known as a relatively unhappy individual. Whereas others paraded around their looks or strength, others were up to shenanigans, and he was a quiet averagely performing student to others. One who never seemed to smile.
Even his teammates had their own outgoing natures. It was not uncommon to see Lukas hitting on girls with notably more success out in Vale. Perhaps another reason Niel was clinging to him. But the tall awkward boy made sure to engage with as many people as he could, eager to experience Valean culture. Even Raiden conversed with others although it was mainly limited to teachers and those within his grade.
The days blended uninterestingly for Caelum. Here another class with perhaps the best teacher regarding enthusiasm and experience in Beacon wrapped up a lecture. Professor Port proudly boasted his achievements in assisting in the discovery of the Grimm migration mentality and its impacts on natural ecosystems and local economies due to environmental stress.
As other students dragged themselves from comas they found themselves in, Caelum roughly awoke Lukas and Niel while shutting Raiden's notebook. The avid note taker not even noticing class had ended.
Their last class of the day began with Professor Goodwitch. The most relevant and unfortunately, underwhelming for the young team leader. With each day he watched the singles battles and the team training with displeasure. He knew it was unfair to compare it to his own experiences. A huntsman was different from a soldier after all. But the focus lay on fighting against Grimm. Many of his peers did not know they would have to fight humans later in their careers if they didn't die to one first. A cruel lie of omission for first years he assumed.
The only true redeeming factor was the uniqueness in technology and technique shown by his peers. His partner regrettably noticed this and felt the need to seek any opportunity to converse with him whenever he saw a change in his facial expressions.
There were a few notable instances. A handful of students had unique ways of integrating dust usage into their weapons. Some had refined forms, and finely crafted weapons. Perhaps the most outlandish, however, was their blatant use of semblances.
There was even a petite girl who wore all red and black. Despite her stature and demeanor she unabashedly utilized her semblance time and again along with her weapon, a giant scythe. Surprise was all he could muster regarding the weapon and its elegant usage by its owner.
Some peers had combinations of all these traits. The two most noticeable in their grade had just finished a spar with each other. Pyhra Nikos and Weiss Schnee had bowed respectfully. The former, an apparently renowned tournament duelist and prodigy for her age. The latter, the heir apparent to the Schnee dust company. Both put on an impressive display of form, technique, and ability. In the schnee's case, semblance. At least it appeared so. To Caelum's scrutiny, the Nikos girl's movements were too fluid.
He could only assume that it was an enhancement ability similar to what his teammate Niel admitted to possessing. Nikos had won the engagement, handily depleting the Schnee's aura. The lights in the amphitheater came on revealing the audience who had been watching from the dark.
As Professor Goodwitch explained the commendable and reprehensible aspects of the duel, the students politely clapped. Caelum gave a lackluster response as Raiden leaned in whispering how impressed he was with the match.
"Nikos went easy on Schnee. All of her moves were clean. Likely within dueling standards" grunted Caelum.
"Well, it's not life or death. I don't think the professor would be too happy with any underhanded tactics either" defended Raiden.
"Mhm" acknowledged Caelum. His eyes affixed to the stage as the professor selected the next combatants.
"You don't seem impressed by their performance. I hear that Pyhra Nikos is famous not that I would know living out in a settlement and all. Weiss Schnee, well I'm sure you know of her being from atlas and all."
Caelum nodded. "I've been to one of her concerts before."
"Really? How lucky. That must've been something, her father often brags about it in the news-"
"Cardin Winchester shall be facing" announced Professor Goodwitch, her eyes glossing over the faces in the stands before landing next to Caelum. "Raiden Gorm."
Raiden's head snapped to the side as Caelum's eyes drifted lazily to him. "Don't disappoint."
Raiden scrambled to the stairway to get in his combat attire while calling back to Caelum. "Not helping!"
The two competitors slinked away to the locker rooms to prepare themselves. In their absence the intricate lighting of the amphitheater dimmed, focusing solely on the stage. From it one could only see the stage itself, giving the feeling of being isolated in one on one combat.
Of course, everyone knew that there were prying eyes, discerning every move they made. It helped some of the more anxious students perform yet the pressure of knowing they were being judged regardless still weighed on many.
As the professor stood on stage, patiently waiting with closed eyes and crossed arms Raiden walked onstage first. Dressed in his familiar white and blue ensemble, he seemed more comfortable as opposed to his uniform. Caelum could see the tension in his partner's shoulders, however, as he kept his halberd close to his chest.
Cardin strode onstage next. His gray armor glistening slightly in the intense lights. The finely engraved details along with his family crest, a hawk, shining prominently. The taller, bulkier boy, sneered at Raiden before turning his eyes to the darkness. As if he could see the crowd he was already declaring his victory through his expression.
Goodwitch raised her riding crop and lowered it slowly. "You may begin when ready." With her instructions, she stepped back out of the stage's lighting. Her heels clicked, echoing all around. One, two, three clicks, and silence. This was the unofficial start for the students.
Immediately Cardin lunged forward, rotating his mace in hand and discharging a a fireball around a meter in size at Raiden. Quickly Raiden shielded his eyes with his left arm, keeping both hands on his halberd as he rolled to the left. The fireball missed as the heat singed his clothing.
Cardin in his heavy armor and at a sprint charged at the still recovering Raiden who was still shielding his eyes. His footsteps however were loud and echoed. With a firm grasp on his polearm, Raiden lowered it to the sound of origin. Without looking he had almost let Cardin impale himself on his spearhead.
The large boy barely twisted his body, avoiding the spear but nicked himself with the axehead. Miffed at not landing the first blow the bulky teenager spun on his heel and brought his mace in a powerful 360-degree blow after sidestepping the halberd.
Barely getting to his feet, Raiden raised the shaft of his weapon and absorbed the blow with the thick metal. Winchester wasn't finished and began a flurry of blows with his mace. First, he gripped with both hands and delivered harsh downward strikes, chipping away at Raiden's aura. As he began to tire he switched to his specialty, brawling.
Raiden had at first blocked each strike with his halberds pole but as Cardin began swinging with one arm and punching with another, the consecutive strikes continued to trip up the smaller boy.
A swing from the right with the mace, then a left jab, a knee, a kick to the stomach to gain distance then a jumping downward blow, a headbut, followed by gripping the mace near its head and thrusting it into Raiden's gut once more.
Cardin was familiar with his weapon, a simple, yet efficient design. To worsen matters for Raiden, he was professionally trained as a youth. Raiden put up an admirable defense but the conclusion seemed obvious. For each counter he gave, four more were received.
Caelum watched as his peer's aura dropped to fifty percent and Cardins had barely reached eighty-five. The match was going as expected. His partner showed some growth, since initiation and utilized it to some effect against Cardin.
Another fine example came as Cardin planted a foot and swung his mace like a bat, intending to rip Raiden's head off with brute strength. To the surprise of many of their peers, Raiden smoothly parried the mace head, gliding it off the back end of his shaft to the front and then utilizing the small bladed end on the rear of his halberd to strike Cardin in the jaw. Disorienting the larger boy and giving him a moment to catch his breath.
Caelum felt a small prick of satisfaction at the scene, even if his partner's loss was imminent. Enraged and with a bloody lip, Cardin resumed his offensive. In an animalistic flurry, he lashed at the smaller boy. Raiders defense buckled. Forcing him onto one knee, then both. A strike to his stomach from a kick knocked the air out of his lungs as he fell to his back with his halberd still clutched in white knuckles.
He had learned to never let go of his weapon, and Caelum drilled that into him harshly. The pain he felt reminded him of initiation. In a daze, he peered upwards. The bright lights above were blocked by an imposing figure standing over him, ready to strike down. In a fit of fear, Raiden reacted instinctively.
A surge of blue electricity surged around his torso as his Halberd halved its length. Caelum jumped to his feet in realization tempering himself to quietly remain in the stands. A wave of blue light emanated from the weapon as Cardin swung downwards, intending to imprint a painful lesson on Raiden.
Instead, a blearing blue light ripped upwards, the projectile reaching supersonic speeds that ripped straight through Cardin's mace, the fire dust crystal in it and skimming past his head. The concussive force immediately depleted his aura to a dangerous ten percent. All happening within a nanosecond from an instinctive pull of the trigger. Before Cardin could even recoil from the jarring shot, the dust in his mace exploded. A large fireball, eight meters in width consumed the stage.
The lights flashed on as some students stood in concern. Professor Goodwitch was already on the scene. With her ability, she had saved the two boys from any further injury much to their peers' relief, and began ordering students to escort the two to the infirmary.
Caelum looked on with narrowed eyes. He glanced up at the monitors showing both with aura depleted to zero. Then he looked further up where a small precision hole had been blasted into the roof of the amphitheater. Slowly walking down he knew he was responsible for his idiotic partner's safety. He waved a worried Niel and surprised Lukas away, assuring them he would take care of it.
Yet as Goodwtich called for students to collect the two boys, another figure had rushed onto the stage before either Caelum or team CRDN. A small red figure had practically teleported down there and was adamantly speaking with the Professor about helping.
Caelum arrived onstage and roughly threw his partner on his shoulder. The small girl tried to retrieve Raiden's weapon in a show of goodwill to her fellow student but was intercepted by him. With his unconscious partner in one arm, he stepped on the rifle and slowly crouched to grab it. The girl quietly turned in on herself apologetically as he stood. Despite his rude gesture, she still asked if his partner was okay.
Casting a glance at the professor, Caelum saw Goodwitch staring, giving a small nod. He then looked at the girl and up at the team she glanced at, wondering if they would intervene. As he scanned his peers he found three faces, two of indifference and a blonde who seemed to point a glare at him, most likely for his earlier gesture. Without a word or change in expression, he left with his partner draped over one shoulder rather than wait for the medical staff to carry him out.
To Caelum's chagrin, he would have to find a way to chastise his partner after he awoke and away from their peers.
With the students evacuated Glynda dismissed the rest to personal study with the strict warning 'I better not hear of any more mishaps while I am gone' before she took off to report the incident to Ozpin.
Her conversation with Ozpin was short and left her rather unsatisfied concerning his reaction. As ever he was calm and seemingly dismissive of the conversation. She requested how to punish the students in question but was deterred by the headmaster.
"And what would their crime be Glynda? One performing in combat as expected or the other losing himself momentarily and incidentally discharging a weapon he was entitled to use?" The rhetorical question struck her as somewhat condescending, leading her to frown. Ozpin only chuckled at her, the same interaction being received many times before.
"I know you want what's best for them as we all do Glynda. But remember they are still young. In time they will learn from their mistakes. This Raiden Gorm you've mentioned, He is not from any distinguished background, and his weapon is dangerous but he has submitted a report of it to us, same as the rest. It's fascinating that not even Professor Mulberry couldn't figure out its design. Besides the boy's team leader, Mr. Hyalus, I'm sure he will give his partner an earful once he awakes."
Glynda had no room to argue lest she seemed antagonistic to the students and so conceded. Her discussion had taken some time, so class had let out, and she was now off the clock. A thankful coincidence.
With her usual poise, she strutted to the staff breakroom, greeting students in the halls as they prepared to go on about their days. Reaching her destination, she closed the door behind her, and with a heavy sigh, she let her shoulders drop a fraction of an inch.
"Good evening Ms. Goodwitch!" Announced a quick voice.
"Another Riveting day with the youngsters I see?" asked a deep bellowing voice after the first.
Her shoulders hitched as she looked up to see professors Oobleck and Port already sitting with steaming cups of coffee. She quickly adjusted her posture and corrected her glasses. She reprimanded herself for thinking she could act sloppy for even a moment.
"Care to tell us what is on your mind?" asked Oobleck.
"Yes, we wouldn't be able to call ourselves your fellow huntsman let alone men if we were to not offer an ear to your woe's" harumphed Port taking a hearty swig of his coffee. Perhaps another show of his manliness but despite the boiling drink in his mug he still drank it in one go.
Glynda relaxed somewhat and took a seat with her coworkers. They did bring some reprieve to the burdensome job. And so she informed them of the incident in her class and Ozpin's decision. The two teachers listened in earnest, only speaking once she let out a sigh when she was done.
Oobleck took a lengthy swig from his mug. "Hrm, I'm afraid I must agree with the headmaster here. From what I've seen of the boy, he has no ill intent and is a rather apt student. He can even keep up with my lectures!" he gleefully declared.
Glynda ran a finger around the rim of her cup. "I'm aware he is a fine student. Perhaps too timid but we've corrected others worse off. What I could not convey to Ozpin however was my concern over his weapon and his team."
"Hoho! What's this? The Ms. Goodwitch is worried?" asked Port.
Glynda sent a sharp look to him, she received a wide grin from under his bushy eyebrows and mustache. Rolling her eyes she explained. "I'm worried about his growth. His team leader-" She looked at Oobleck silencing him before he could interrupt. "Is a capable student as well. I've heard you both speak of how he pays close attention to your classes."
Oobleck nodded so fast it was a wonder his glasses didn't fly off. Port meanwhile placed his hands on his hips proudly, giving a firm nod.
"But" continued Glynda. "The boy is not a good model for his team. We've all seen the footage of initiation, we've all been briefed by Ozpin on his 'circumstances', and I personally protested his appointment as a team leader."
The two raised eyebrows, begging for more info which all three knew she could not provide. Thinking about what that boy had seen worried her more than how he would lead his team. Shaking her head she moved on. "Then there is the third in their team, Lukas Coil."
"The issue with him being?" asked Oobleck.
"He's a Coil" The emphasis on his surname led to her male counterparts having a sudden realization.
"He wouldn't be the first person we've reformed Glynda" assured Port.
"Then there is the matter of their team cohesion. All other first years have rough starts in this unusual environment and with new people. So far they are performing the same as their peers but they don't seem willing to compromise. If this goes on, even if they have good individual skill and potential their teamwork will falter." Glynda crossed her legs and began tapping a finger in annoyance on the desk as she thought over the issue.
Oobleck sipped at his drink again as Port twirled his mustache and hummed aloud. Suddenly the stout teacher gave a loud "Ah-hah!"
"Ms. Goodwitch I understand you believe these boys may be misguided. However! I like the fire in their eyes no matter how cold it may seem! I assure you if you allow me to personally guide them I will show them the manly and righteous ways of a huntsman!" With his declaration, he stood with one foot atop the table striking a pose.
Oobleck encouraged him with fervent clapping and shouts of "Bravo!" as Glynda cracked a small smile. "If you think you can help them, I'm more than willing to assist in any way."
"Excellent!" shouted Port as he jumped and plopped down into his seat with a satisfied smile. "Then to our student's bright futures!" he announced, raising his empty mug for a toast. Keeping to his pace, Oobleck clinked his cup as Glynda softly raised hers an inch higher. "And to the end of our dear acquaintance's needless worries!"
Glynda closed her eyes and sipped with a slight smile as Oobleck began chugging and Port followed, only then realizing he had an empty cup. She never had reason to doubt her peers let alone Ozpin before. Perhaps it was her usual pessimism but it was a relief to know she had such kind allies.
-Chapter End-