"I still can't believe my two baby siblings will be joining me this year!" Yang gave both of them a bear hug. "I'm so happy for you!"
Tai was standing to the side, watching them, "Rubes, Yang, Vio. You do your best alright.", He turned to Yang, "Make sure they stay out of trouble, okay?"
Violet laughed, "Do you even know who you're talking to? If anything we ought to be watching her."
"Hey, I never had to get Yang from a police station! Do you have any idea how much you two scared me?"
Yang elbowed him, "Stop worrying Tai, I'll keep em safe. We're gonna make mincemeat of the academy initiation, you'll see."
"That's right," Ruby said, "We'll show everyone we're the best huntsmen there are. We'll make you proud Dad!"
Tai started to get teary-eyed, "I believe in you, Rubes. Oh geez, I didn't expect to be left by myself already. Make sure you write to me while you're there."
Violet gave him a gentle smile, "Don't worry Dad, we won't forget you."
They waved goodbye to their father before boarding the airship headed for Beacon. "Alright, pipsqueaks." Yang said, "I promised Tai you two will be making a lot of friends here, so I expect you to find new people to talk to. Alright?"
Ruby protested, "But Yaaang, making friends is hard."
"I don't wanna hear it. Let's go meet someone. That goes for you too Vio!"
Violet dutifully followed them, "You don't need to tell me twice, big sis." After all, he wanted to meet as many people as he could. He can't change the world alone, he needs to find more people like him.
Yang found a girl with black hair and a large bowtie on her head. She was sitting alone, reading to herself. "Hello! I'm Yang Xiao Long. This is my younger sister Ruby, and this is my younger brother Violet. What's your name?"
"Blake…" She looked as if she wanted nothing to do with them, though she felt that it wouldn't deter the person set on harassing her.
Yang looked a little awkward, this wasn't how things usually went when she approached people. "Sooo… Beautiful day today…"
"Yeah. As beautiful as this book. That I will continue to read as soon as you leave."
"Huh, you're no fun at all."
"What kind of book?" Ruby asked. Her eyes were practically glowing.
She sighed, "It's about a man with two souls struggling for control of a single body. Happy?"
"Yeah! I love books. Especially about heroes, that's why I want to be a huntress!" She said as she puffed herself up.
Blake rolled her eyes, "Hoping for a happy ending? Things are never that simple. Life isn't a fairy tale."
Blake's barely subdued hostility didn't seem to register on Ruby, who still had a smile on her face, "I know. That's why we're here at Beacon. To make things better."
Yang hugged her from behind, "That's my little sister."
While the two of them were distracted, Violet approached Blake and outstretched a hand. "It's good to have ideals, but it's also important to be practical, isn't that right?"
"If you're trying to win me over, stop." She gave him an intense glare.
Damn, she is a real joykill. "Well if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm Violet Rose."
"I'll keep it in mind."
An awkward silence followed. Thankfully it was soon relieved by a TV broadcast, "The SDC announced it is increasing security and temporarily halting shipments following a series of high-profile dust robberies by the White Fang terrorist organization. In other news..."
Many students were paying attention to the broadcast, especially Blake. He meant to speak with her again before he was interrupted by a screaming voice.
"How dare you slander the honorable name of the Schnee Dust Corporation? I'll have you know that people have been sued into ruin for less slanderous statements. Never speak to me again!" A white-haired girl was berating a very terrified Ruby.
An enraged Yang responded, "Hey, *you* never talk to my sister like that again, you hear me!"
"I will not be lectured by a bunch of White Fang sympathizers. What kind of uncouth scum is this school accepting?"
Blake stood up and walked over to her, "As if the Schnee's are any better. They merely get the treatment they give to others."
"Who do you think you are to question SDC labor practices? I will not stand for this terrorist propaganda on campus."
"You brought it up, not me." Blake said, "And we're still not on campus. Why do you defend that obviously corrupt corpo anyway?"
The girl was now furious "Why I am the one and only Weiss Schnee, heiress of the SDC. So you better watch yourselves around me!"
The whole student body was now staring at the unfolding scene. Violet decided he really didn't want to associate with her, so he might as well make himself known by trashing her, "I hope you're as good at fighting as you are at deflecting blame. Because here they won't let you pass based on name recognition alone. Personally, I can't wait to see how you handle a real fight, princess."
She was glaring at him now, her hand close to her rapier. Violet was not worried, but he did reach for the weapon on his back. The standoff ended with the airship landing and the ramp opening. It revealed headmaster Ozpin and another huntress that he recognized as the one they met at the police station.
"Everyone, welcome to Beacon Academy. I am your headmaster, Ozpin, and this is Professor Glynda." Everyone was looking at him now, the scene forgotten. "To keep things brief, your initiation test will begin in one hour. Prepare yourselves for an excursion into the emerald forest and meet us at the east side of the academy."
"Be warned, however, as the forest is full of grimm. We will watch your progress, but we shall not interfere. That means that you may very well die today. That is all." Several shocked gasps followed his statement.
Beacon Academy was separated from the rest of Vale by a great cliff, so it was only reachable by airship. The campus itself was more a work of art than a practical space. It was akin to something out of a fairy tale. The massive courtyard was home to many marble monuments of great huntsmen, green spaces, ponds, and old-fashioned lamp posts. The academy building itself was a castle with several small towers and the famous Beacon clocktower.
The students were herded into a large locker room where they prepared themselves for the harrowing task ahead. Violet imagined it would have been easier if he had finished his last year at Signal Academy and had his peers with him, but looking at all the people gathered many of them seemed to be from elsewhere.
The white-haired girl he was arguing with was from Atlas, and the redhead she was talking to was the Mistral tournament champion. He had to admit they would be tough competition. Many of them seemed very professional, except for one girl who was loudly talking about cheating the partner selection process. Speaking of, how did they select future partners? His online search surprisingly found very little. Was it such a well-guarded secret?
Soon enough they were all gathered at the edge of Beacon Academy, overlooking the emerald forest. A series of jump pads was arranged in front of them.
Ozpin was present, standing next to them "Welcome, future students. I hope you are all prepared for the initiation. To make things short, you are to make your way through the grimm-infested forest and to an old temple. There you will pick up a relic that we left as proof of your accomplishment. Take your places on the jump pads, and good luck."
"Oh, and one more thing, your partner for the next four years shall be the first person you make eye contact with."
"What?"
Before the students could protest, the pads activated launching them one by one into the emerald forest. A blonde student said in a scared tone, "Wait, how are we supposed to land? I wasn't given a parachute."
"Just use your landing strategy silly." Ruby said, "They taught you one at your academy, right? Right?" She was launched into the air, followed by the other student.
Violet waited for his turn, somewhat anxious. He tried to track the trajectories of the various students, but it was a difficult task as they all started flying in unpredictable directions. The red dot that was Ruby got lost in the trees, flying somewhat to the left. He could see a white dot in proximity, and he wondered if that was who he thought it was. Before he could think more of it, he too was launched. He took a deep breath and drew his scythe.
His scythe, the one and only Mordred, is a quite simple weapon, at least according to Ruby. The weapons nut insisted that it must transform from a compact form into a combat form in addition to a dozen other functionalities. He didn't have the heart to deny her, and so he's got a scythe that might be a little too heavy and might be unrepairable if something breaks. Oh well.
His weapon's main functionality was the fire dust combustion chamber at the start of the blade, with a small nozzle sticking out. A pull of the trigger and a fire dust explosion was directed towards the ground. Usually meant to launch the scythe forward, the massive recoil now served to slow his descent.
He pulled the trigger once more near the treeline, slowing him to a more manageable speed. Then he pointed the scythe to the ground, and upon impact the metal handle bent slightly to slow him even more, resulting in a gentle landing. Now to find someone. Ruby would be a preferred candidate, he'd want to protect her as she tended to have… difficulties in social matters. And this school seemed to be home to some interesting characters, to say the least.
His thoughts were interrupted by the characteristic howl of a beowolf. The creature was a grimm, the physical manifestation of evil. It was a wolflike mass of blackness with plate armor made of bone, and it was charging at him from the forest. He readied the Mordred and spun the scythe up. The grimm remained undeterred. The beowolf lunged at him, claw outstreched. A clash of metal on bone, and both of them were knocked aside.
He struck a great blow to its head plating, yet the creature was not seriously hurt. Even worse, he lost most of his momentum. This isn't how things usually went. The beowolf recovered quickly and charged at him again. He didn't have the time to spin it up again.
This can't be how things end. No, I can't allow it. He positioned the Mordred on the ground, blade facing upwards. The grimm jumped at him again, and he pulled the trigger. The blade launched itself straight through the belly of the beowolf, killing it instantly.
He was breathing heavily, "Damn, this isn't quite how I imagined it starting. I only packed a dozen cartridges for this mission. They're so heavy and now… Ugh."
"Is that so? Maybe the two of us will have better luck together." A feminine voice spoke behind him.
He turned around, his expression switching from surprise to a smile, "Miss Nikos, I presume?"