Chapter 3 -
HoloBestWaifu: Appreciate the support! And yea, I agree: pacing is important for burn out, not to mention quality, so I'll be sure to take my time. And as much as I'd love to say that I won't abandon this, I can't guarantee that :( Still, I've got plenty of time ahead of me, so things are looking pretty good
C: Will do boss!
Nothing much to say, so without further ado, let's get going yea? But not before:
Disclaimer: I do not own League of Legends or RWBY. They belong to Riot Games and Rooster Teeth, respectively. I wouldn't want either IP anyway.
'Big day today. Can't wait to get this show on the road.' Sett eagerly thought, doing a few stretches to work out any kinks in his body. Strapping on his gauntlets, the pit fighter completed his wardrobe. He didn't know what exactly the initiation was about, but he could guess if he was told to gear up.
Closing his locker, he turned around just in time to see two initiates walk past him, the shorter of the two talking about a…sloth signal?
'Wonder what that was about.' The pit fighter just filed that as another quirk of this world. He started to move towards the locker room exit when someone suddenly bumped into him.
"Oh, sorry! I wasn't watching where I- oh, hey Sett!" That someone being Jaune, who looked very, very lost. To be fair, there were hundreds of lockers, and the locker room was massive.
So rather than tease him about it, the brunette gave him a break. "Looking for your stuff?" Nodding, the blonde told him it was in locker 636… which was right next to Sett's.
With an embarrassed chuckle, Jaune opened his designated locker, quickly strapping on his armor (for some reason though, he was already wearing his chest piece). Leaning against his own locker, the half-breed waited patiently until Jaune was finished.
"You ready for initiation?" Sett asked, as Jaune shut his locker. He raised an eyebrow when the blonde looked away, seeming nervous more than anything else.
"Y-Yea, at least I think so." Jaune shakily said, gripping his sword handle with a vice.
Now, Sett was by no means the sharpest tool in the shed, but the pit fighter had been in enough scraps to be able to gauge his opponents well enough. While he never lost in the ring, some of his competition easily gave him a harder time than others.
Those that carried themselves well were typically more skilled than those that didn't. And at that moment, Jaune didn't look confident at all. The brunette would've chalked it up to strung up nerves, but after seeing how Jaune handled his weapons yesterday, he wasn't so sure. Maybe he was jumping to conclusions, but it never hurt to be sure. "Hey… you alright Jaune?"
"Huh? Yea, yea I'm fine. Why would-"
Suddenly, he dropped the nervous look, staring behind the brawler. Before he could ask why, he saw…
'oh no.'
…hearts in Jaune's eyes. Knowing that only meant one thing, Sett followed Jaune's gaze-
'Oh, you've gotta be kidding me.'
-and saw the supposed 'snow angel.' There was another girl next to her, but Sett already knew who Jaune was fixated on.
"Jaune, look man, I don't think-" but his words fell on deaf ears, as the blonde began making his way over to the white haired girl. Sighing, Sett walked after his friend, lest he embarrass himself even more.
'On second thought…who am I to interfere?' The half-vastayan stood off to the side, letting the scene play out in front of him.
With the most serious look Sett had seen on him, Jaune strode up between the two girls, completely ignoring the redhead. Leaning against the wall, Jaune caught the ice queen's attention.
"You know what else is great? Me, Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you." Sett felt his lips twitch. As funny as that was, he had to give his friend credit: his confidence here was something to applaud.
The white haired girl didn't seem to care. At all, if her irritated, "you again?" Was any indication. The armored girl, on the other hand, smiled and waved, "Nice to meet you Jaune!" When he brushed the redhead off without a second thought, Sett facepalmed in exasperation.
For the next few minutes, Sett struggled not to laugh as Jaune repeatedly made a fool of himself in front of Weiss, who was clearly annoyed by Jaune's antics, and Pyrrha, who was being very polite. Although, one thing that stood out to the bastard son was how Pyrrha was apparently a famed tournament fighter.
He made a mental note to ask her for a match later. Hopefully, she'd give him a run for his money: he hadn't had a good fight in a very long time.
And if he lost? Well, he didn't think he'd lose, but there was a first for everything.
A few moments later, Sett began making his way over to the trio. As much as he'd like to keep watching, he should probably step in, for all their sakes.
And not a minute too soon, as Jaune once again failed to take a hint. Weiss took a step back, her obvious discomfort growing steadily. "Alright, that's a bit too close! Pyrrha, a little help please?" The redhead began bringing out her weapon when Sett walked up to Jaune.
"No need, I got it."
"Wha- hey!" Before anyone else could do anything, Sett easily picked up the squirming flirt. Carrying him on his shoulder like a log, he turned to the others present. "Sorry about that ladies, he just can't help himself when he sees a pretty face." He started to move away, when an announcement caused him to pause.
"Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."
Turning back to the girls, he jabbed a thumb at himself. "I'm Sett, by the way. And again, sorry about him. I'll take some time to set 'em straight before we head out."
With a sharp "thank you," Weiss walked on, pretending to not even notice Jaune's existence. Pyrrrha, after some hesitation, followed her, but not before waving at Jaune once more. "It was nice meeting you Jaune! And you as well, Sett." Jaune finally stopped struggling, realizing the futility of the act. "Likewise…" He dejectedly muttered, while Sett simply nodded.
For a few moments after they were left alone, the two boys just remained there before Jaune broke the silence. "Can you put me down now?" Satisfied, Sett did just that, setting his friend on his feet.
As he brushed Jaune's shoulders off, the blonde's frustration began to spill over as he scowled. "What was that for man!? I was in the middle of-why'd you…" The deadpan look he saw caused him to reconsider his statement. "Ok, it wasn't ideal, but I was doing just fine!" To his surprise (and further irritation), Sett just let out a hearty laugh, eliciting a glare from the blonde.
With a grin, the half-breed said, "What? You were already makin' a fool outta yourself man. I was just helping you keep that up!" When he saw his friend deflate, his grin dimmed to a smile. "Look Jaune, you were confident, I'll give you that. But there's definitely more to it than that." With a tired sigh, Jaune slumped his shoulders.
"I don't understand… My dad said all women look for is confidence. Where did I go wrong!?"
"Well, lady-killer, 'Snow Angel' probably wasn't the best start." Yang chuckled, as she and Ruby made their presence known to the other two. Shamelessly looking the half-vastaya up and down, she hummed in approval. "Lookin' good, handsome. You sure like showing off, don't ya?" Yang teased, giving him a mischievous smile.
Sett just smirked. "Funny, I was gonna ask you the same thing." They shared a laugh, before Yang checked the time. "Anyways, we should get going, initiation starts soon. You two coming?"
"You kidding? I wouldn't miss this for anything." With a broad smile, Sett cracked his knuckles, his expression mirrored by Yang as she led the way out of the locker room. Ruby lagged behind, helping push a discouraged Jaune towards the exit. Sett called back,
"Want me to carry you again Jaune?"
"...I hate you."
'Man, this is some view!' Sett made sure to take it all in, even as Ozpin was giving another speech. Something about, 'training to become warriors?' It couldn't have been that important.
Standing to the left of his friends, the pit champion's thoughts were elsewhere. Mostly, he was concerned with how partners and teams would be formed.
"Now, I'm sure that many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams."
…Oh. Yea, he should probably start paying attention.
Focusing his attention on the deputy headmistress, he carefully tuned in. "Each of you will be given teammates… Today." Sett raised an eyebrow at that.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon." After hearing what Ozpin said, the pit champ's other eyebrow went up as well. "So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Ok, but how were they going to be pair-
"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
"..."
Great. Now he needed to get his ears checked too. He swore he heard glass shattering.
"See? I told you!" That voice sounded awfully familiar. Before he could think about it, Ozpin continued giving instructions.
"After you're partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way." He paused, making sure everyone was listening. "Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die."
A few initiates around him murmured nervously, but Sett just grinned: now this was his kind of test!
"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." Ozpin took a sip from his cup. "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?" To Sett's amusement, there was one specific person who did raise their hand.
"Yea, um, sir-" Jaune tried to ask, before he was interrupted.
"Good! Now, take your positions." The half-breed just smiled.
Admittedly, he was curious as to how they were going to get to the forest.
But then he saw initiates getting launched from their platforms into the sky.
Just another day on Remnant, huh?
Soon enough, it was his turn to be catapulted. Crouching just in time, he was hurled through from the ground at a tremendous speed. 'This what it feels like to be a bullet?' He thought offhandedly, feeling the wind whip around him as he reached the apex of his airborne journey.
'Now, what to do?' He didn't have any weapons to help him out (he saw how some students elegantly landed. He had to admit, it was pretty impressive), and he wasn't really acrobatic. So what could he do?
Picking up speed, he noticed he was flying towards an open area of the forest.
"..."
Well, his landing didn't have to be pretty right?
"WOOOHOOOOOOO!" To say Yang was enjoying herself right now would be an understatement. Flying into Emerald Forest!? Fighting whatever got in their way!? This was a helluva way to start the year! As she climbed higher into the sky, she noticed her friends were in similar states, having been launched one after the other.
Except for Sett, who had been launched earlier. To her curiosity, he just seemed to tuck his head behind his shoulder and arm as he descended.
He was getting pretty close to the ground…
Her eyes widened. There was no way-
He smashed into the ground, leaving a swath of destruction in his wake. It looked like a meteor was crashing through the forest! Tearing through an open field, the human missile was flinging dirt and rocks in all directions.
Only after sliding for several dozen feet did Sett finally come to a stop. After which, to her mounting shock, he simply got up and ran north, like nothing ever happened.
After staring in surprise for a few more moments, Yang realized she was getting dangerously close to the ground herself. Acting fast, she used Ember Celica to propel herself forward, flying just above the treetops. But as she flew she couldn't help but think about that very rough landing.
'Well, that could've been worse.' Sett thought, brushing off the last bits of dirt from his gear. Crashing like a rock wasn't the most ideal strategy, but he didn't really have many options. Besides, with his obsidian skin and superior conditioning, he came out with only a couple scratches.
And so, the pit fighter made his way north, seeing no reason to hesitate since he wasn't injured.
For a while, he was able to casually stroll through the seemingly empty forest. He hadn't seen any other form of life, initiate or otherwise. As boredom took hold, he took the time to survey the area around him. It wasn't too hot or cold, so the occasional wind felt nice.
And while Emerald Forest wasn't as pretty as the woodlands near his house, this wasn't too bad either. There were all kinds of trees, bushes…and soulless monsters.
His wolverine ears flickered on his head. He heard the Grimm long before he saw them, their low guttural growls easily giving them away. After a few moments of waiting, the first one emerged from the shrubbery. Getting one good look at it, Sett frowned.
"Egh. You guys are even uglier in person."
In front of him was a beowolf, a wolf-like humanoid with long arms and sharp claws. Adorned on its black fur were white spikes, covering parts of its arms and legs, as well as its back. It stared at him with burning red eyes, underneath a white skull-mask with red trim.
This one must've been an alpha, if its large size was any indication. Behind it were identical, but smaller, versions of the head honcho.
And there were three, no four… seven… he was surrounded (he didn't feel like counting anymore).
Numbers wouldn't make a difference though.
* Start: Miyavi & PVRIS - Snakes (00:00) *
"So." He said to no one in particular. "The profs are watching, huh? Well, then…" Turning his attention to the surrounding Grimm, he felt excitement fill his system. "Let's give 'em a show."
With a roar, the alpha beowolf charged him, lifting its arms in an overhead strike.
Taking a step forward, the pit fighter leaned down before hitting the Grimm with a powerful uppercut to the chin, sending it careening into a tree.
Other Grimm that were charging stopped, stupefied by the display of strength in front of them. For a moment, it seemed they were rethinking things. But their primal instincts, along with a bit of goading-
"C'mooon, hit me!" The pit champ beckoned towards himself with his fingers, taunting the monsters.
-overrode any thought of retreat, leading to the beowolves resuming their attack. Howling, several began charging the lone initiate. And so, Sett roared back, before charging in himself.
Now, when fighting normal people, he often restrained himself. But here?
Here, there was no need.
Intercepting a wild swipe with his hand, he yanked the Grimm into his other fist, shattering its mask. He quickly dropped it, catching another by its snout, before tearing its lower jaw off its head. He felt claws scratching at his side, before pulling back a fist and caving in another's chest.
When two beowolves leapt at him from opposite sides, he snatched the back of their heads and slammed them together. "Play nice!" Thoroughly dazed, Sett knocked one down with a left hook to the face. Grabbing its legs, he spun around, slamming it into its dazed friend, sending both flying deeper into the woods.
Suddenly, he was sent stumbling when one of them jumped on his back. He kneeled down, reaching above him and grabbing the Grimm by its snout. With a grunt, Sett pulled it over his head and slammed it into the ground. Before it could get up, the pit champ reached down and snapped its neck, before stomping on its head for good measure.
Glaring around him, he saw the remaining beowolves circling him, measuring him up. He called out to them. "That's all you got? I'm not even warmed up!" To be honest, he really was expecting more. But if it was this easy, then that just meant he was pretty damn good.
Hearing heavy thudding behind him, he turned to see the alpha beowolf approach him, anger radiating from its form in waves. "Came back for more, huh?" Roaring, it charged him once more. Once again, it lifted its arms, to which Sett got ready for another heavy hit.
To his surprise, the alpha feinted, bringing down its arms and headbutting Sett instead, sending the half-breed stumbling back. Eager to press the attack, it reared a paw back, intent on slamming this half-human into the ground.
But to its own shock, the smaller fighter reached out and grabbed its paw. Within moments, Sett squeezed, crushing the appendage, causing the Grimm to howl in agony and rage. But with his hands occupied, he couldn't stop the swipe that came from the alpha's other paw, which connected to his torso. Grunting in annoyance, he looked down at his body.
'Ah great, did that leave a mark?' To his dismay (and growing rage), there were two ugly cuts that lay diagonally along his abs. While not deep, they did ever so slightly pierce his skin, drawing trace amounts of blood. Even so, Sett felt his blood boil at the flesh wound.
"Don't know when to quit, do ya?" He muttered angrily, before reaching out and crushing its other paw that tried to slam into him again. With its front paws broken, it collapsed to the ground, gnashing its teeth at the pit fighter.
Moving a bit closer, the pit champ threw a powerful blow directly at its snout, dazing the Grimm for a moment, giving Sett the opening he needed. Getting closer, he slammed the alpha's head into the dirt, before pulling an arm back.
Snarling, he slammed his fists into its mask over, and over again… until the alpha's head was completely pulverized.
With a singular, deep breath, he turned around, aware that the smaller Grimm were still there. Why they hadn't attacked was a mystery, but Sett didn't really care. They'd meet the same fate either way.
And lo and behold, upon seeing his 'injury,' the rest of the beowolves attacked, and were subsequently killed with a handful of punches each.
Soon, there was just one beowolf left, growling and aggressive despite witnessing the annihilation of its allies. It reared on its hind legs, roaring, to which Sett began to charge.
* End: Miyavi & PVRIS - Snakes (2:38) *
Only to stop when it suddenly went slack, dead. As its body fell, the half-breed caught sight of who was responsible:
With her weapon lodged in the Grimm's back, Blake, along with Yang, suddenly came into view.
"..."
"I could've taken it." Sett said, somewhat disappointed the fight was already over.
Blake merely rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you could have." She pulled Gambol Shroud out of the dead beowolf. Surveying the disintegrating carnage around them, she blinked. "You look like you've been busy."
"Yea, looks like you had a blast, huh big guy?" Walking up to him with a smile, Yang was about to clap him on the shoulder when she noticed something weird. "Uhhhh Sett?" When he raised an eyebrow, she continued. "Why hasn't your aura kicked in?" Gesturing at his stomach, to which he didn't understand.
"My what?" His confusion only grew when they both stared at him, wide eyed. "You know. The 'manifestation of our souls?' The thing that should've healed you by now?" Yang asked, bewildered that she even had to explain.
.
"... that elevates our capability-are you paying attention young man?"
"Wha-yea, course I am. Aura is something that makes you stronger right?"
Goodwitch clenched her teeth."...in a manner of speaking."
.
'Oh shit.' Maybe he should have paid more attention to that crash course after all.
Sett quickly waved them off. "Oh, my aura's pretty weak actually, so I can't use it to heal myself." He assured, hoping they didn't catch his slipup. "Besides, it's just a scratch. Nothing worth fussing over."
The partners shared a look. "...I don't think that's how aura works, Sett." He paused, mouth slightly ajar. Were they testing him? It didn't matter either way, his lack of knowledge meant he wouldn't know.
The foreigner tried again. "Ok, you got me." He looked to the side, embarrassed. "I've never told anyone this…but I've never been able to, um, access my aura." He nearly palmed his forehead. That sounded terrible-even a child would be able to see through that.
Yang whistled. "Huh. So you fought all these Grimm without aura? Not bad, hotshot." She said approvingly, looking around the fading remains of his fight.
"That's still reckless. Fighting without aura is more dangerous and difficult." Blake reprimanded, clearly not as impressed as her partner.
'Oh. They actually bought it.' That was the only part Sett noticed. "Yea, well, what's life without a bit of risk?" He reasoned, feigning an air of casualness as he calmed his nerves. Now that he'd effectively avoided scrutinization, they could continue on and-
"You know, I can try to unlock your aura if you want." Blake offered
Sett's thought process was brought to a screeching halt.
"Wait, what? I mean, you can give it a go." He said, careful to not seem too apprehensive about the idea. "But no one's been able to before. I doubt it would be different now."
After all, if neither Oz nor Goodwitch could, he doubted Blake had it in her either.
Blake shrugged. "It doesn't hurt to try." She pointed out, unaware he already had.
Without a proper reason to object, the boy from Runeterra had no choice but to go through with it. "Sure." With a nod of permission, Blake placed a palm on his sternum, the other holding an arm.
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.
"For it is in struggle that we achieve justice. Through this, we become a part of something greater than ourselves for the sake of all." A purple hue began to manifest around her. "Unwilling to surrender and undaunted in adversity, I release your soul, and by my will, unshackle thee." With the final words spoken, the surrounding glow intensified, before dimming just as quickly.
Sett on the other hand experienced no such changes. No light show, no power-up…No surprise. To him.
That could not be said for the others, as confusion was written all over their faces. "That's…odd." Blake muttered, eyes lost in thought.
"See? Can't bring it out right?" Sett quickly said, hoping they could be done with this. "Ah well, thanks for trying-"
"Well, yes and no. You still can't use your aura, like you said." Blake confirmed, scrunching her brow. "But if I didn't know any better, I'd say it feels like you don't have aura at all." She slowly noted, as if not believing her own words.
The headmaster and headmistress had said similar things after their failed attempts. While just as baffled, they hypothesized his lack of aura may have something to do with the fact that Sett was not a Remnant native.
"That can't be right. Everything with a soul's got aura. Even I know that." Yang added, interest piqued at Blake's choice of words.
Before they could further that line of thought, Sett let out a gasp. "You trying to tell me I've got no soul?" Sett asked, a laughably exaggerated frown on his face. "Blake, I'm hurt. I thought we were friends!" The drab girl deadpanned at him.
The boy turned his frown upside down as he pointed a thumb at himself. "Anyhow, aura or no aura I can hold my own. You'll see." He assured, flexing and posing for the world to see.
Yang grinned at the absurd display. "Yea! Have a little faith Blakey." She said, fist pumping Sett.
Blake pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sure." She sighed. No point trying to reason with not one, but two meatheads.
Still grinning, Yang put her hands on her hips. "Well, now that that's settled, why don't we Sett out for those relics?" Blake groaned in exasperation, while Sett laughed at the horrid word play.
But, seeing no reason not to, the trio pushed on, searching for their objective.
Back at the initiation cliff, Ozpin and Glynda were keeping track of the initiates, true to their word. As expected, the students had been quickly pairing up as they moved north, until nearly everyone had a partner.
All but one.
Something that did not escape the notice of the assistant headmistress. "The only initiate without a partner is that boy, Sett." The assistant headmistress narrowed her eyes. "You've planned for this, haven't you?" The headmaster merely gave a small smile, something Glynda could only huff in irritation at.
"I don't know what you see in that boy Ozpin. Although he may be physically strong, he has absolutely no formal training of any kind. His style of fighting lacks any semblance of technique and will falter against stronger opponents." Which was true: after agreeing to attend Beacon, the pit fighter had mentioned how the only training he received was from himself. While that was impressive to a degree, Glynda didn't approve of that being the only source of training.
"Have faith, Glynda. While he displays a lack of finesse, he's shown an ample amount of skill." Neither of them could deny that. They both had witnessed the brutality from his initial skirmish. "With some guidance and direction, he can certainly become a force of nature."
"And besides." He continued, glancing away from his scroll. "Had we not given him this chance, Mr. Sett might've gone down a… less desirable path. For instance, it's not too far-fetched to believe he might've gotten involved with the criminal underworld." In addition to his violent occupation in his world, the boy was powerful, and power was often abused when left unchecked.
And based on what they had learned about his origins (Ionia, Glynda recalled), Sett would've certainly gotten himself into trouble, had he decided to take to the streets. Given how racism and discrimination made life rough for him, who knows how he would've reacted if he encountered such things in Vale, not to mention the other kingdoms.
In the end, the combat professor could only sigh, all to aware of how confident Ozpin was in his judgments. "I suppose you are right. A bit of instruction could be just what he needs." Looking away from her screen, she shot the headmaster another questioning look. "Still… how do you plan to solve the partner issue? And the team one, for that matter." The older man sipped his drink.
"There is no need to fret about that, Glynda. I have something… creative, in mind." He replied, watching as a trio of students discovered the temple housing the relics.
"Think this is it?"
"..."
"Beats me. Let's take a look."
After a surprisingly uneventful trek, the trio finally stumbled upon the location of the relics. Down below the hill where they stood was a crumbling stone structure. A few of its pillars and walls were shattered, probably from previous initiations and time itself. Within the walls were several pedestals, all of which were holding…
"Chess pieces?" Blake murmured, intrigued by the choice of relics.
Yang looked around. "Some of them are missing. Looks like we weren't the first ones here." She noted, although a majority of pieces remained.
"Well, I guess we should pick one." And so, the black and yellow duo took their time doing just that. The unpaired student, on the other hand, was deep in thought.
How was it possible that something like chess existed in both Remnant and Runeterra? He'd seen some kids playing as he watched from afar, years ago. Now that he thought about it, how was it possible that humans existed on both worlds? The bastard son wondered if the dragons were involved, or maybe some other higher power. Coincidence seemed very unlikely, but all the other answers he could think of were just as outlandish.
But that could be mulled over another time, preferably after this entrance exam. Right now, he should just pick a piece and leave. He could just pick a random one, but there was something his mama told him about the game…
As Blake agreed on Yang's choice of a 'cute little pony,' they noticed the brunette had just grabbed his own piece. Which made sense: although he didn't have a partner yet, he couldn't just leave without a relic.
"What'd you pick Sett?" Walking up to them, he opened his hand for them to see. In it, was the smallest chest piece available.
"A pawn? Cool." Yang said, thinking no more of it. Blake, however, was a bit curious. "Any reason why that one in particular?" Sett smiled at that.
"Well, I've never played myself, but my mama told me that this piece can change into a stronger piece if used right." In all honesty, it reminded him of himself in a way. As a kid, he was treated kinda like how pawns are valued as fodder (i.e: very poorly). But even so, he persevered and became the best fighter in the ring, just like how pawns can become queens, knights, or whatever. Maybe he was stretching it a bit, but he thought it was a decent comparison.
Blake nodded, satisfied with the explanation, and was about to say something when Sett stiffened, suddenly putting a finger to his lips, eyes narrowing. Assuming trouble was coming, the girls prepared their weapons. But they hadn't heard, or seen anything, so what was going on?
After a few more seconds of silence, Sett spoke in a low voice. "Y'all hear them?" Glancing at his friends, he noticed the confusion on their expressions, as they strained to listen to their surroundings.
"Hear what? I don't hear anything." Yang said, something Blake agreed with, despite...
"I hear Grimm, but they're very faint." It sounded a lot like the beowolves from earlier…
"How? I don't hear anything?" That made sense, as Yang only had human ears. In response, the half-vastayan merely pointed at his hair, attention focused on the distant Grimm. Confused, the girls stared until they came to the same realization at the same time.
"You're a faunus!?"
Sett stiffened, turning his gaze, a small amount of tension in his voice.
"Yea… that's not gonna be a problem, is it?" Although they seemed like decent people, he couldn't help but be defensive. After all, the last group of 'decent' people he befriended were nothing more than snakes. He'd rather not go through that again, as much as he enjoyed stomping those brats into the ground.
Yang raised her hands, palms out in a calming gesture. "N-No, of course not! It's just… you never mentioned it." Yang said, quick to clear up any misunderstanding, to which Blake nodded in agreement. And it was true: the happy-go-lucky blonde could care less about something like extra ears, or claws, or whatever. They didn't make someone any more, or less, of an asshole. She never understood why some humans seemed to care so much anyway.
Besides, sometimes those extra features could be pretty useful, like right now for instance. And cute.
Blake, on the other hand, was more affected by the reveal, given her own secret status as a faunus. Vale, as progressive as it was compared to other kingdoms, still had conflict over the idea of faunus equality. As such, it was not uncommon for some faunus to try to blend in with humans. At Beacon, there were some students who were open about their faunus traits, but they were few and far inbetween. This made sense, given how small the faunus student population was at the academy.
So the fact that Sett wasn't even trying to hide it shocked her, as it would certainly draw unwanted attention to the brunette. He may have been unintentionally hiding it (his hair and ears really blended well), but that was besides the point.
He shrugged. "Well, to be fair, no one asked." Sett said, accepting their answers in a very underwhelming manner.
He paused.
"Wait a minute. Did the horns not give it away?" Sett deadpanned, an equally flat look on his face. Granted, those only appeared after he was blessed by the Obsidian dragon, but they didn't know that.
"...I thought those were an accessory, like Blake's bow." Yang let out a nervous chuckle. Sett facepalmed.
Just then, a faint scream erupted, far away from their location. It was much easier to hear than the Grimm, as the sound carried throughout most of the forest.
This time Yang reacted, turning towards the source of the noise. "Some girl's in trouble! Did you guys hear that? What should we do?" Blake didn't seem to hear her, as she stared with growing disbelief at something in the sky. Sett scratched his head. That scream sounded oddly familiar for some reason…
Then he looked up.
"... Holy shi-"
"HEADS UP!"
At a loss for words, Sett could only watch as Ruby plummeted from the sky out of nowhere. A split second before she hit the ground, something (was that Jaune!?) slammed into her, sending both of them into the treetops nearby. The pit fighter winced at the impact. At least it was cleaner than his landing.
Blake asked the question that was on all of their minds. "Did your sister just fall from the sky?"
"I-"
Before Yang could answer, a large Ursa tore into the clearing, thrashing about. A bright, pink flash went off behind its back before the Grimm toppled over, revealing that a ginger haired girl had been riding on the damn thing until it died.
The girl frowned. "Awwww, it's broken." She said, saddened that her makeshift mount had expired. From behind its corpse, a boy wearing what looked like Ionian clothing appeared, out of breath from chasing the girl.
"Nora… Please… Never do that again." When he got no response, he looked up, and was distraught to find his friend had disappeared once more.
To everyone's surprise, Nora was already at the temple, eyeing one of the two white rooks on the pedestals. Snatching one, the bubbly girl became enraptured in her own world, singing and posing for everyone to witness.
"I'm queen of the castle, I'm queen of the castle!-"
"NORA!" Her friend shouted, his depleted stamina wearing his patience thin. Giggling, the ginger sent a salute his way, "Coming Ren!" Before skipping away.
"Did that girl just ride in on an ursa?" Blake asked, a bewildered look developing ever so slightly as chaos unfolded around them.
"I-"
Cut off once again, Yang and everyone else present could only gape as a massive Death Stalker burst into the field, chasing a soon-to-be out of breath Pyrrha. Jumping and rolling, she dodged heavy strikes by a sliver, before spotting her partner hanging upside down from a tree.
"Jaune!" She called out, still running for her life.
"Pyrrha!" He shouted back, worry clear in his voice.
"Whoa!" Ruby exclaimed, as she spotted the giant scorpion before jumping down from the tree.
"Ruby!" Jaune cried out, still upside down.
"Ruby?" Yang said, surprised and happy to see her sister.
"Yang!" Reaching out, the two sisters were about to embrace.
"NORA!" When Nora came out of nowhere, startling the two.
"Did she just run all the way here with a Death Stalker on her tail?" Sett would have replied to Blake, were it not for the frustrated look he saw on Yang's face.
"Uhh… Yang?" He was taking a mighty risk here, seeing her hair start to flare up. After all, his mama had taught him the hard way to fear that look on Yang's face.
"Grrrr… I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! COULD EVERYONE JUST CHILL OUT FOR TWO SECONDS BEFORE SOMETHING CRAZY HAPPENS AGAIN!?" Sett sweatdropped at the angry blonde, who's now red eyes looked very much like his own.
"..."
"..."
After Yang's requested grace period, Ruby was hesitant to point out one more crazy detail. "Uhhh… Yang?" Slumping her shoulders, the older sister, along with everyone else, followed Ruby's pointed finger.
… Which showed a tiny Weiss hanging precariously off the foot of a large Nevermore.
"How could you leave me!?" She shouted, barely loud enough for everyone on the ground to hear.
"I said 'jump!'" Ruby replied, to which Weiss probably couldn't hear.
"She's gonna fall." Blake stated, with no one disagreeing with her.
"She'll be fine." Ruby assured, though Sett wondered who she was trying to fool.
"She's falling." Ren pointed out.
Elsewhere, in the trees, Jaune finally freed himself, just in time to see a falling damsel in distress. 'Now's my chance!' With a hopeful look, he took one large leap…
… Caught the snow angel…
… before plummeting to the ground with her, crashing on his stomach.
Fortunately, Weiss seemed alright, if her lack of care for the blonde was any indication. "My hero." She said offhandedly, sarcasm dripping from her voice. As for Jaune…
"...My back." The poor boy was sprawled out, incapacitated for a moment.
Meanwhile, Pyrrha finally failed to avoid an attack, and was sent flying to the group at the temple. Reacting quickly, Sett caught the spartan girl, setting her upright on her feet. With a nod of thanks, she proceeded to collapse on the ground, exhaustion flooding her body.
With the Death Stalker turning towards them, Yang put on a forced smile. "Great, the gang's all here! Now we can die together!" Taking the situation lightly, Ruby looked at her sister.
"Not if I can help it!" Eyes widening at the implications, the blonde tried to stop the red reaper.
"Ruby wait!" But it was too late, as the girl in question was already engaging the armored Grimm.
'Oh boy.' Sett thought, breaking out into a run to chase after his friend, with Yang close behind. The pit fighter was no tactician, but even he knew to never pick a fight he couldn't win. And judging by Ruby's hasty retreat, this was definitely one of those fights.
As he ran, he realized the Grimm he heard earlier was much closer now. Much, closer…
Bursting from the tree line, another alpha beowulf emerged, roaring a challenge to the half-breed. Unlike the last one, this one seemed older, smarter, with tougher armor to top it off. Within moments, the alpha was in front of him, forcing him to stop his run.
Snarling in frustration, Sett plowed into the Grimm, trading blows with the big monster.
He didn't have time for this! He was slowly pushing the alpha back, but he was already wasting too much time.
His eyes flickered to the side, noticing the other brawler never breaking stride. With her sister in danger, Yang sprinted on, only focused on one thing.
Just as Yang was getting close, massive feathers rained from the sky, causing the blonde to skid to a halt. They didn't hit her, but they did slow her down. "Ruby, get out of there!" She cried out, desperation growing as the Death Stalker approached. "I'm trying!" Came an equally distraught Ruby, who was pinned by the airborne artillery.
For a moment, it seemed that Ruby was finished, as the Death Stalker began to bring down its stinger on the young girl. But in the blink of an eye, Weiss appeared next to her partner, freezing the Grimm almost instantly.
For a few moments, they remained where they were, conversing amongst themselves. Sett couldn't hear them too well, given his current situation, but it seemed that the two were finally starting to get along.
As Yang reached and embraced her sister, the three of them eased up, feeling better now that the giant scorpion was immobilized. Sett would've relaxed as well, were it not for the beowulf in his face. As much as he enjoyed trading hits, he wished he could just get rid of the monster, along with his frozen bud, like two birds with one stone.
His face lit up. 'Two birds with one… stone…' A wild grin spread on his face.
He usually did this with smaller opponents, but...
With anticipation pouring through him, he called out, "Hey guys! Back up!" Once they did just that, he dazed the alpha with a heavy slug to its snout. It was only for a second, but that was all he needed.
With a small running start, he grabbed the larger beast by its midsection, crouching down as he channeled his his powers from the Obsidian Dragon. Gritting his teeth, he sprung up from his crouch, leaping into the air…
With his enhanced strength, he held the squirming alpha above his head at the apex of his jump.
The Death Stalker (along with everyone else) could only stop and stare, unwilling to believe what they were witnessing.
To them, they saw a glowing red blur carrying what should have been unliftable by any one person.
…as Sett brought the hammer down.
"THIS IS GONNA HURT!"
When he was close to the ground, the pit champ slammed the beowolf into the Death Stalker, creating a thunderous explosion, shaking the ground and kicking up a cloud of smoke.
When it cleared, the outcome was clear to see. Twitching, the alpha lay to the side, its spine broken from the impact. The Death Stalker wasn't faring that much better, its armor shattered and cracked all around its body. Much like its friend, it lay slumped to the ground, unmoving.
Walking out from behind them, Sett emerged, stretching and flexing his muscles. He usually only did that move using smaller targets, but with a bit of extra help from his benefactor, he was able to go bigger. And man, big targets were so much fun! That was by far the best finish so far.
As he approached his gaping friends, he could only smirk. "Yea… that's what I do." He proudly said, making his way back to the other initiates. Red, white, and yellow followed soon after, once they recovered from their stupor.
Before Sett could further bask in the attention he was getting, the Nevermore made its presence known, screeching down at the group of initiates. Jaune, who had been keeping track of the airborne Grimm, called out to everyone. "Guys, that thing is circling back. What are we going to do?"
"We're here for the relics right? I say we grab them and go." Sett answered, garnering looks of surprise, given the display of strength they just watched. As much as he wanted to fight, if he couldn't reach the flying grimm he didn't have any options. The snow angel, however, seemed to agree with him.
"Exactly" Weiss said, nodding at the pit brawler. "Our objective is right in front of us." She indicated the remaining chess pieces.
Ruby was on the same page. "They're right. Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs." She and her partner smiled at each other, happy to agree here. "There's no point in fighting these things."
"Huh. Run and live. Now that is an idea I can get behind.'' Jaune said, liking what he was hearing. And so, the soon-to-be team leaders each grabbed a relic, before leading the group away from the temple.
For a moment, Yang lagged behind. With a genuine smile and feelings that could not be put into words, she looked proudly at her sister as she lead the group closer to completing their initiation.
She was quickly brought out of her musings, when someone called to her. "You comin' Yang?" Shouted Sett, a smirk on his face. With a nod, she took off, catching up with the rest of the crew.
Minutes later, the group of aspiring huntsmen and huntresses came across a large set of stone ruins, leading into the cliff on the other side. As they got closer, they realized a bottomless, white chasm separated the ground they stood on from their destination. In order to get across, they realized they had to travel through the ancient architecture, similar in style to the temple they had come from.
The nevermore, which had been tailing them for a while, seemed to understand the initiates' goal, setting itself on top of the crumbling stone tower in front of them. With a screech, it made it clear that the group was in for a fight.
"Well, it could be worse." Yang pointed out. It was just one Grimm, as big as it was.
Just as Sett was about to agree, he spun around, just in time to see a wounded and angry Death Stalker tear through the forest after them.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me, RUN!" Jaune cried out, everyone doing their best to do just that. Jaune and Pyrrha led the way, with Ruby and Yang alongside them.
Ren turned to his best friend. "Nora, distract it!" Grinning, she did just that, fearlessly running into the line of feathers. Dodging the nevermore's ranged attack, she hit back with her own, showering the beast with grenades. Hearing rapid thudding, Nora realized the Death Stalker was now barreling towards her. She turned around in time to see Ren and Blake slash at it, while Sett simultaneously sucker punched it in the face, stunning the creature momentarily.
With the help of her semblance, Weiss quickly grabbed Sett, before summoning another glyph to jump to Nora, essentially transporting them to the bridge. The two more nimble fighters ran as soon as the hard hitters were moved, wasting no time in getting away.
But they had only bought themselves a couple sparing seconds, as the Death Stalker swiftly resumed its chase. As fast as Blake and Ren were, the large creature was much faster. Just as it was closing the gap, gunfire rang out, slowing its pursuit ever so slightly.
"Go, go!" Ahead on the bridge, Pyrrha continued to lay down suppressing fire, soon joined by Ren, until everyone was clear of the large claws and stinger. Thinking they were out of immediate danger, the students sprinted across the bridge, failing to notice the rapidly-approaching nevermore.
By the time some of them did, it was too late. Flying at ramming speed, the oversized bird bulldozed through the bridge, demolishing it and sending the initiates flying on opposite sides.
Grunting in frustration, Sett shook his head, before picking himself up. Being one of the slowest runners, he was stuck on the first half of the broken path. With widening eyes, he snapped his arms out, catching massive claws before they could stab him. The injured beast growled, its attempt to capitalize on his lapse in concentration failed. The pit fighter remained locked in a stalemate with the Grimm, neither side giving any ground.
Seeing movement above him, Sett glanced up and remembered that while he only had two arms, the giant scorpion had many more appendages.
The stinger was on its way down when from behind him, Nora flew in and landed a powerful overhead slam on the Death Stalker's head. Now that it was distracted, Sett took the opportunity to jump back, not wanting to get caught like that again. Enraged, the beast tried to stab him and Nora, but was blocked with a swipe from Magnhild.
The glancing blow pushed the girl back, as well as damaging and destabilizing their side of the bridge. As it shifted under their feet, Jaune looked at his friends. "We gotta move, now!" He said, pushing everyone around him to act.
And so, the five of them charged at the Grimm, unfaltering in their stride into danger.
With heavy swings, the creature swiped at the smaller fighters. But every time the beast tried to strike with its claws, it was always buffeted by one of the shield bearers. Working in tandem, Jaune and Pyrrha blocked and weaved, always making sure to cover for each other.
With it occupied on that front, Ren sprinted forward, firing as he sidestepped the Death Stalker's stab from its stinger. As it retracted, he himself latched on, firing at the tail where it met the yellow object. Even as the beast swung its tail around, the boy strengthened his hold on it, refusing to let go.
With its front wide open, Sett charged in, hammering the partially broken armor around its eyes. Chittering, it snapped its pincers at him, its attack skidding off his back armor. In retaliation, the pit brawler grabbed one of them with a vice grip and pulled on it.
With a mighty yank, he tore the black and white object from its owner, quickly proceeding to do the same to the other tooth. Roaring, it leaned back before roughly shoving the brawler back. Taking his place, Nora slid into a kneeling position, pelting its face with explosions. With little protection remaining, the attack forced the beast to cover its face with its damaged arms.
As soon as it revealed its face, Pyrrha hurled her spear with a shout, burrowing Miló into a crack in its damaged armor with impressive accuracy. Screeching in agony, it snapped its tail with unexpected force.
"Ren!" Nora cried out, as he finally lost his grip and was sent crashing into the ruins, winded from the impact.
Worry spiking for the fallen boy, Jaune racked his brain, thinking of a way to end this fight quickly. 'There!' Spotting the loosened stinger, he swiftly formed a simple plan. "Pyrrha!" he shouted, looking at the sharp object.
"Done!" On the same page, she hurled her shield at it, slicing it off before recalling Akuó to her side. With nothing holding onto it, the stinger stabbed the Death Stalker, slightly piercing its body.
"Nora, nail it!"
"Head's up!" With an excited shout, Nora zoomed into the sky, propelled by her hammer and some help from Pyrrha.
"Sett, distract it!" Grunting in anticipation, Sett sprinted forward, catching both claws as they tried to skewer him. Looking the beast in its eyes, the half-breed grinned, confusing the monster for a moment.
What it failed to notice was the human missile from above, preparing to close out this fight.
At a blinding speed, Nora came down from the sky, flipping end over end until Manghild hit the embedded stinger with the force of a train. Said blast was strong enough to break the bridge from the edge, flinging everyone onto solid ground. With a smile, and another explosion for good measure, the energetic girl joined them, sending the Death Stalker to its doom at the bottom of the rift.
Ren made his way over to them, having awakened from his incapacitation. However, it looked like he was still pretty much out of commission. Just as he was about to collapse once more, Sett caught him, before gently setting him onto the stone. Nodding in gratitude, the quiet boy lay there, catching his breath.
For a moment, the five of them enjoyed their victory, until a shrill caw from the sky reminded them they weren't safe yet. Turning towards the source, they saw the other girls fighting tooth and nail with the last Grimm remaining.
Unfortunately, with the bridge destroyed, there was no way for them to get close enough to help. Unwilling to give up, Pyrrha looked at her partner."Any ideas Jaune?" But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't think of a way to get over there.
"..."
"I got one. But it'll only work for me." Gathering everyone's attention, Sett smirked. "Trust me. Even if y'all could, you wouldn't want to."
"Nora!" He pointed to the top of the ruins. "Hit me." Looking at a surprised Pyrrha, she nodded, angling her shield to give him a boost into the air. Jaune proceeded to do the same for Nora, the girl grinning madly as she ran up to the half-breed. As soon as he jumped, he crossed his arms, ready for takeoff.
BAM!
And with enough force to break lesser men, Nora sent the half-breed flying.
'Oooh… I almost felt that one!' That's what he'd tell anyone who asked.
With absorbed power flowing through his body, excitement filled his eyes. 'Perfect.'
"Of course you would come up with this idea." Weiss remarked, exasperated over the ridiculousness from Ruby's plan. Currently, the red reaper was preparing to be flung by a stretched out Gambol Shroud, courtesy of Blake and Yang. The only thing holding her in place was a dark glyph summoned by the heiress. As soon as she was ready, Ruby would be launched towards the currently trapped Grimm, its frozen tail grounded against the ruins.
"Think you can make the shot?" Ruby asked, all her focus currently on this delicate maneuver.
Cr-Crack!
To their trepidation, the ice was beginning to crack, weakening its hold on the beast. Her resolve faltering a bit, Ruby glanced at Weiss.
"Weiss, are you ready? We need to hurry!" She worriedly said, as fault lines continued to grow on the ice.
"I'm trying, just give me a second!" She irately replied, the pressure on her beginning to build up. Weiss knew they were running out of time, but she couldn't afford to miss either. Her aim had to be true, it had to be perfect.
"Don't worry! I'll buy you guys some time!" Startling the girls, Sett came flying from behind them, his trajectory putting him on a collision course with the giant creature.
Moments before impact, the brunette turned around in mid air, bringing his right hand back. With a ferocious roar, he threw a wide haymaker, and to everyone's shock, a large blast hit the Nevermore. Aimed at its center of mass, the explosion was shaped like a wide cone, its size being comparable to the late Death Stalker. The sheer intensity of the force was significantly greater in the middle, dissipating along its edges.
If one looked closely, they'd see the silhouette of a dragon head, its visage at the front of the most concentrated part of the blast.
Unleashing it at the last moment, the explosion engulfed the upper half of the nevermore. For the time being, it was rendered vulnerable as the beast recovered from the heavy hit.
Spotting the opportunity, Ruby looked at her partner. "Are you ready?"
"Hah. Am I?" Weiss haughtily said, amused she even had to ask. Sett had given her precious seconds to prepare, after all.
"..."
"Are you?"
"Of course I am!" And with a few motions from Weiss, the young huntress in training was propelled into the sky, speeding towards the massive Grimm. With some recoil from Crescent Rose, Ruby increased her speed further until she hooked the Nevermore by its neck. Landing on the cliff wall, Ruby immediately began to scale it, sped up by more of Weiss's glyphs.
With a determined shout, she dragged the beast along with her, cutting further and further into its neck. As it was being pulled, the friction from the giant bird fractured the cliff, showering those below with debris. When she reached the top, a sturdy ledge caught the Nevermore, trapping it momentarily.
And with a final tug, the red reaper decapitated the beast, a burst of red petals following in her wake as she landed. The now deceased Grimm's head dropped next to her. its body slowly tumbling to the depths below.
.
.
.
For a moment, everyone was still, awed at the show and triumphant in their victory.
"Well." Yang said, looking amongst her friends. "That was a thing."
"Mhm." Sett muttered, rotating his shoulders as he eased his muscles. "Haven't had that much fun in a while." The blonde looked at him.
She smiled at him, a twinkle in her eyes. "Fun, huh? Stick around handsome, cause there's more where that came from." Having heard that, Weiss groaned in annoyance, while Blake just shook her head. Sett chuckled at the sight.
Eventually, everyone made their way across the broken bridge, entering the ruins built in the cliffside. From there, they found a path that took them to the top of the cliff.
"Russel Thrush… Cardin Winchester… Dove Bronzewing… Sky Lark." Ozpin beckoned to a screen. "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces…"
With initiation complete, the initiates had gathered back into the amphitheater for the commencement ceremony. After congratulations were given, the process of partners being paired up to form teams had begun, something that quickly bored Sett. It was interesting at first, but thirty minutes in, the novelty quickly wore off.
And hey, he wasn't the only one. The half-breed saw Nora dozing off on Ren's shoulder for a second, not to mention Jaune gazing towards Weiss every so often. Sett rolled his eyes. He'd have to talk to his friend about that.
But that could wait, as he and his friends were the only ones who had yet to be called up to form teams.
Speaking of which, what would they do with him? Sett was the only student left with a white pawn, so how would he be assigned? He was brought out of his musings when he noticed the four individuals who had just walked on stage.
"Jaune Arc… Lie Ren… Pyrrha Nikos… Nora Valkyrie." The four students stood still, giving the headmaster their undivided attention. "The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as… Team JNPR." Unable to contain her excitement, Nora hugged her best friend, who was taking the attention rather poorly.
"Led by… Jaune Arc." The blonde went bug-eyed at that.
"H-Huh? L-Led by?" He stuttered out, unbelieving what he was hearing. Ozpin gave the boy a small smile. "Congratulations, young man." The team leader remained speechless, unprepared for the excited pat on the shoulder from his partner.
Sett could only chuckle as Jaune fell, clapping for the new team. The pit champ had his doubts, but after fighting alongside the blonde, there was no doubt in Sett's mind: Jaune earned it.
With their part finished, team JNPR stepped to the side, making way for the rest of the girls. "And finally, Blake Belladonna… Ruby Rose… Weiss Schnee… And Yang Xiao Long." Much like the prior team, the people of this one stood at attention. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as… Team RWBY." Unexpectedly, the older man looked towards the youngest member of the team.
"Led by… Ruby Rose." Two of the girls looked surprised at that, one more distraught than the other.
Sett had to hand it to the old man. He knew how to pick'em, that's for sure.
The young leader was quickly smothered in a suffocating embrace. "I'm so proud of you!" Yang squealed out, agreeing with that sentiment.
And then there was one.
Making eye contact with the professor, Sett made his way onto the stage, the setting faintly reminding him of the pits at home.
"Sett."
The brunette internally cringed. Him not having a surname sounded kinda weird here.
"You have proven to be a special case. You are the only student who did not find a partner throughout the entire initiation. And because all students have already been paired, that simply can not be helped."
"Therefore, given the circumstances, you will be assigned to a team at random. Because you picked the white pawn, we will accordingly assign you to a team at random." Turning towards the screen, Sett's picture was replaced by a white pawn. The pawn was then rapidly switched out for a white bishop, rook, and knight, repeatedly, to clearly indicate how this would work.
'Just like chess huh?' Sett smirked, appreciating Ozpin's idea. Within moments, the random selection began to slow, until it finally settled.
On a white knight.
That seemed like quite the coincidence…
"And so." Ozpin declared, turning back to Sett. "From this day forward, you are now the fifth member of team RWBY." The headmaster's lips twitched. "I will leave it up to you all to decide how to rename your team." He said in a lower voice, amusement clear to see on his face.
Sett gave him a thumbs up. "Appreciate it, prof." With that being settled, he turned, walking off stage and back to his waiting friends.
"Congrats man! Team RWBY's lucky to have you." Jaune said, happy for his friend. Looking amongst the rest of team JNPR, it was safe to say they mostly thought the same.
Mostly, because Nora was pouting, disappointed that someone who liked hitting things as much as she did wasn't on her team. The ditzy girl whined to her polar opposite. "Reeen, why can't he be on our team? He likes breaking things, just like me! So we can be on the same team too, right Ren?" The boy in question sweatdropped.
"Nora." he waited until the girl looked at him, hope rising on her face. "No." With her hopes crushed, she began muttering (something about breaking legs?). The pit champ could only shake his head in bewilderment.
"It will certainly be interesting, working in a team of five instead of four." Pyrrha noted, pleased to know that Sett would remain with people he knew. Even though they had only met recently, everyone seemed to get along rather well.
"Yea! That's so cool!" Ruby exclaimed, excited at the idea. "We get an extra person on our team!" With a bigger team, they could develop more crazy strategies! The team leader went starry-eyed just thinking about all the cool things they could do.
The young girl was thrilled, to say the least. "Thanks Rubes. Happy to be a part of it." He said, amused at the young girl's antics.
With a smile, he turned towards the next closest person.
"Well… you did prove yourself capable during initiation." Weiss said, also thinking about the implications of having him on the team. With a slight dip of her head, she continued. "I look forward to working with you."
Smiling and winking at the pit fighter, Yang butted in, wrapping an arm around the heiress. "What Weissy means to say, is that this is gonna be so much fun!"
Blake rolled her eyes. "What she said. Still, it must be disappointing to not have a partner." Especially since they'd be here for the next four years. Having a partner had its benefits, after all. Even so, Sett just shrugged, brushing it off.
"Ah, it's no problem. I still got a team." And he meant it. Having gotten acquainted with these people, Sett was much more comfortable with the idea of working with them.
And it felt good to have friends. Here especially, away from home.
"And besides." He put an arm around each team leader. "Congrats you two, being leaders and all. You guys earned it!" Ruby blushed at the praise, stuttering as Jaune seemed to pale even further. Smiling, he pulled them into his sides, squeezing even as they suffocated.
"Please…someone…save me!" Ruby gasped out, color draining from her face.
"No…save…me!" Jaune objected, garnering laughs all around.
Ozpin glanced amongst the crowd, approving of what he saw. "Looks like things are shaping up to be an… interesting year."
Not gonna lie, this took longer than I liked. Cause while I got a good amount of the plot planned out, it's just a matter of fleshing out each chapter and polishing it. And it was pretty fun writing this one out (I think it's my favorite so far).
Anyways, thanks again for making it this far, and I'll see y'all next time!