Chapter 78 - Cove ATC - Schooled
Year 72VE, January
Cover Art by Mi Chumi
Rosso Aukei rode the skycar up the long slope, this time without his mom with him. She'd seen him off at Kuo Terminal, because at age 14 he'd insisted he didn't want to 'look like a kid' on his first day of his new school.
Sorry. Aura Training Center.
He'd been corrected on this, several times already, during follow-up calls with the man he'd met that first time they'd toured the campus. "It's not a Combat School, young man. Make sure you keep that in mind," the older faunus had reproached him.
And he'd glanced at his mom, and she'd freaking winked at him right in front of the man. So, he'd just shrugged. "Yessir."
"Call me Dr. Nagata."
And that was the other thing. Though the first time they'd toured the campus and had met with him to 'fill out paperwork, Rosso had assumed the older faunus was just an administrative type or a clerk even. But no. Dr. Nagata turned out to be the head honcho of the whole campus. And of course, Rosso had made the mistake of calling him Headmaster exactly once and gotten a five-minute grilling on that too.
But whatever. Mom doesn't seem to care that it's totally not a Combat School, so I guess I don't either.
And now here he was, riding the Cove skycar to classes on his first day of… training? Mom had agreed that he could try attending with a daily commute at first, and see if he liked that. If not, he could stay at the school during the week, and come home on the weekends.
That idea felt really weird. Like he was moving away from home, but not.
The skycar was full of people, maybe about two-dozen, and there'd been a line, so there would be more groups coming up after them and might have been one before. One woman, near the front of the car, was surveying the riders with dark brown eyes, and an expression that seemed to shift between proprietary, pissed off, and a little nervous. She was most definitely not Cassie, the Huntress who had given them their tour that first day. She was shorter and stockier, with short blonde hair and had tanned skin with white spots running up her arms and legs. And she had what was clearly a mechashift double-bladed axe slung on her back, so that screamed Huntress. He thought he might have seen her leading another tour group that prior visit.
He also scanned the faces around himself, seeing the other riders ranging in age from young teens to adults, and was shocked to see Mort, the retired kanga faunus who'd been informally teaching him some combat skills, sitting in one of the rear seats, rubbing his leg. Rosso eased his way through the crowded car and over to him.
"Mort!" he said with a grin. "What are you doing here?"
"What hey, it's young Mr. Aukei," the lame Huntsman grinned. "Can't say I'm surprised to see you here, what with how eager you were for what little I could teach you."
"Yeah! Are you… gonna be teaching here?" That would be freaking cool if Mort was teaching, though with how hard it was for him to get around, not sure how it would work.
"Me?! Nah. They hired me on to help with weapons maintenance. Said they could use someone with a Huntsman's familiarity and a good set of hands." He leaned in, "I think they just feel sorry for an old broken-down heap like me."
Rosso felt like that was… insulting. Mort was technically not much older than his mom, though his torn-up body and limping gait made him seem a lot older. "That's not true, Mort! You taught me a lot!"
"Eh. You were an easy study, youngster," Mort kneaded his left thigh, not far from where a big chunk of muscle was supposedly just missing. "And I'm happy to see you're gonna get a real education," He added, more quietly, "a Huntsman's education, and don't fool yourself otherwise."
Rosso blinked.
Man, talk about mixed signals, he thought. I got the staff and Dr. Nagata telling me no, totally not Huntsman training. And then here's Mort saying the exact opposite.
Why are they trying to hide it? Is it a secret? He glanced around to see if anyone else was listening. There were two young boys about his age, clearly related, talking quietly together off to the side. The shorter and younger-looking of the two had a tall set of furry ears, an obvious fox faunus. The other it was hard to tell at first what his trait was until he turned, and a furry reddish tail eased into view.
Ah. Another fox faunus.
Sometimes the traits worked that way. You might have siblings, and they might all be fox or bear or dog faunus, but they might have completely different traits.
The younger of the two caught his eye and nodded once.
Well crap. So much for secrets. "I don't think we're supposed to talk about that, Mort," Rosso whispered, "It seems like.. they're trying to keep it quiet or something."
The older man winked. "Oh, that's clear enough, youngster. And won't hear me blabbing about it in a Kuo bar. But it's not like everyone here isn't going to figure it out in the first week. You can't hide the training from the people you're training. But yeah, you shouldn't be repeating it off-campus. It'll come out soon enough on its own."
Huh. Okay, so it was… a secret, yeah. But they were all in on it?
That kinda fit.
There was a small lurch as the sycar bumped to a stop, and Mort slapped his leg. "Welp, time to put some more miles on this leg, I guess. Stop by the workshops when you get the chance, and we can visit some more."
Rosso smiled. He liked Mort. He waited for the man to lever himself up, to make sure he could help if Mort needed it. The retired Huntsman really didn't walk very well with his bad leg, but when Rosso had asked once time why he didn't use crutches or something, Mort had given him a death stare, so he never asked again.
An then the Huntress in the front of the car started talking. "Alright folks! Before we get moving, a few quick announcements," the Huntress at the front of the Tram raised her voice, though she really didn't need to. "My name is Miss Alenta, and I'm one of the Instructors at the Center. When you exit the skycar, you'll be splitting into three groups," she held up three fingers. "Those under the age of majority will form a line on the left. Those between 17 and 21 on the right. Anyone here for continuing adult education or staff positions in the middle." She pointed toward where Rosso and Mort were. "Except you, Mort, we've got a ride waiting for you."
"Don't need a damn ride, Daisy," Mort scowled.
"Sure thing, Mort. I'll see you at the zipper."
. . .
The line moved quickly. Rosso showed his personal ID on his scroll to the admissions clerk on the left, and was handed a campus badge on a lanyard, and then ended up outside just in time to see Mort grumbling as he levered himself into the seat of a small multi-person motorized vehicle with six soft, fat tires, clearly designed not to tear up the grounds.
The rest of the skycar's former inhabitants were handled just as quickly as he had been, and he found himself in a small group of about a dozen young teens. To his right was a smaller group, probably about a half dozen, of older teens and young adults.
Those guys have to be Academy age, he thought.
Everyone else was people-watching, too. Heck, they all probably had a similar expression as he did, too, which he suspected screamed Why am I here? Is this what I think it is? Is this some big joke? Am I really gonna be trained in Aura and Combat?
What surprised him most was the clearly older adults standing awkwardly in the middle group. Most of them were closer to his mom's age. They really seemed to not know what to do with themselves, before Miss Alenta eased up to them, said a few quiet words, and then motioned them to join Mort in what she'd called the Zipper, which then headed off to the south around the curve of the outer courtyard ring.
. . .
The rest of the morning was a whirlwind of activity. They'd waited there for a bit until a second skycar disgorged its contents, then they'd gathered everyone up in the Auditorium, segregated by pre- and post-majority. All told, he suspected there were sixty or seventy students or whatever they were gonna be called in the room, and people were still filtering in in ones and twos.
And then Doctor Nagata arrived, introducing himself as the Director of the center, and said that anyone who called him Headmaster would have to write "This is Not a Combat School" five million times, which had caused some laughs.
Nervous laughs, cause, heck, he might be serious.
He had to use a microphone, because, he explained, he'd already ruined his screaming voice getting the center up and running on schedule. That had drawn more laughter, this time less nervous. He then welcomed everyone, and explained that way they were seated would be the rough breakdown of how the campus was organized.
"All of you should have your schedules and a campus map available on your scrolls now, to show you where you should be and when. You've got an hour of free time before first class today, because we are taking things nice and casual your first day on campus." He smiled. "I would encourage you use that time to get to know your peers a bit, and feel free to check out the Campus Commissary, get settled in if you've been assigned a room, or just get some sun. You'll be stuck indoors for a few hours afterward." He frowned. "The only limitations are based on age. If you are below your majority, you will have a blue stripe on your ID badge. You will have free movement within the Sea Whip Quad and its bordering buildings, including a Common Room in that wing, even if you aren't domiciled on-campus. If you wish to visit the other areas of campus, you absolutely must have a buddy with you or be escorted by a member of the staff. If you can't figure out a buddy on your own, let us know and we'll volunteer someone for you."
Rosso frowned. That was… I mean… I'm fourteen, not ten.
"For those who have reached their majority, your ID badge will have a red stripe. Your Common Room is in the central hub of the dorm building. And to emphasize, there is zero reason for you to be inside the Sea Whip Quad without a special pass, and we will take any instances of injury to our younger students very seriously."
There were some mutterings in both groups over that, and Dr. Nagata raised his hands in a warding gesture. "I'm not claiming that any of you are bullies. The fact is that most of you older teens and young adults by now have some Aura control and the muscle to back it up, whereas the younger students may have neither. The risk of serious injury due to a playful misunderstanding is much higher than you might expect. So, take my warning as for both your safeties, and not an accusation." He frowned. "Are there any questions before I release you?" Several kids in both groups raised their hands. "Yes?" he said, pointing to a younger girl with pale skin.
"Are we going to have to buy uniforms?"
"No uniforms," he grinned, "This is Kuo Kuana, not Atlas."
Rosso and about half the crowd laughed at that. Atlas was… kinda an easy target for jokes in Menagerie. They were stuck up jackasses who just loved rules and lording it over everyone else, especially faunus. Rosso had never been to Atlas, but he'd heard stories.
Some of them weren't nice stories.
"And we aren't a Combat School nor an Academy," Dr. Nagata continued when the laughter died down. "You don't need uniforms to train on how to use Aura." He pointed to an older stocky boy. "You had a question?"
"What's for lunch?" the boy quipped.
There was another smattering of laughter. Rosso started to relax. This wasn't so bad.
"You'll find out, and you'll be hungry enough by then that you won't care. Unless you have food allergies which should be in your profile."
And so the questions went on for another few minutes. When the crowd was released, older students first, Rosso quickly made his way toward the podium. He had a question about his schedule, and he had been too embarrassed to blurt it out in front of everyone.
"Head-…" he paled and caught himself. "Er… Director Nagata?"
The old man grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Ah, Mr. Aukei. I was going to message you later."
"Yessir, my schedule says that seventh bell is 'Aquatics Planning' in the Administrative Building. I thought we were going to be learning Aquatics Combat?"
Dr. Nagata nodded. "Ah yes. We are pulling in a few key individuals to have some discussions along those lines, and you'll be taking another quick tour." He winked. "One I think you'll find particularly interesting. Don't fret, the training part will come soon enough."
After the break, they were introduced to their instructors. The first part of his morning was… basically no different than high school, and in fact he recognized one of the teachers as being a substitute from his old High School. It turned out that the first two periods were what they called core courses. Reading, writing, maths. The usual, taught by actual teachers and substitute teachers the Center had essentially borrowed from Kuo schools to ensure the students weren't going to end up with zero 'normal' education.
Then third period hit, and their teacher was… the Huntress who'd given him the tour in December. There was no way to forget her bright green mohawk and spike-toed boots.
She stood where a desk would be, if there had been a desk, arms crossed and eyes scanning the dozens of faces ranging in age from thirteen to almost seventeen.
"Goood morning everyone! I am Huntress Cassie Kanana and I will be your Aura and Combat Instructor for this semester!"
It was period before lunch. Normally this would be about the time that the teens were checking out and thinking about food.
But not today. Oh no.
"Let's get started by introducing ourselves, eh?"
There was a chorus of groans, and Huntress Kanana's face froze for a second, and then brightened even further. "Oh… so it's like that, huh? How about this?" She pulled out her flail. "I'm not a teacher, and I'm not a professor. I'm an instructor. That means I instruct, and you do, and we all have a great time. Am I clear? You!" She pointed the flail at a boy with close-cropped hair and deeply ridged scales where his eyebrows would be. The boy shrunk down. "What's your name?" She was smiling, but there was a hint of mania in her expression.
That look, and the attention, was terrifying Rosso, and he wasn't even the one being targeted!
"Thorne, Instructor Kanana!" the boy blurted out, "Mica Thorne!"
"Do you have your Aura unlocked, Mister Thorne?"
The boy blinked. "No ma'am?"
"Well get your butt down here, today's your lucky day."
"R-right now? In front of everyone?"
Cassie Kanana rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm not asking you to take off your shirt, recite poetry, or dance in front of the class. Unless you're terrified that you'll unlock your Semblance here in front of everyone, and it'll turn out to be fluffy pink bunnies or mimes, you have nothing to worry about. And we don't have all day."
Looking even paler than before, the teenager eased out of his chair, and down to the center of the room.
And there, in front of everyone, Instructor Kanana unlocked the boy's Aura.
It was… wild, Rosso thought. I mean, it's really cool to know that he's getting his Aura unlocked. But he's obviously terrified.
And then, their instructor knelt down and spoke quietly to the boy for a few moments with her hand on his shoulder. There was a gentle glow about her, and then it was like it transferred to him and his face changed. It went from terror and embarrassment, to wonder and elation.
"Whoah…" Thorne managed, eyes wide, and then wobbled a bit.
Instructor Kanana smiled, and she suddenly didn't look quite so insane and manic. "Yeah, it's quite a thing, isn't it?" She looked up. "Any of you first row got yours unlocked? Give Mr. Thorne a shoulder to lean on back to his seat. He might be a little unsteady on his feet." She scanned the room. "Who's next?"
Slowly at first, and then with increasing confidence, Rosso watched kids without Aura ease down to the lecture area. By the time class was half over, everyone in the room had their Aura unlocked, including the two fox-faunus brothers that he'd seen on the skycar. The younger fox-eared one, whose name turned out to be Fennec, was sitting to Rosso's right and looked a little woozy, but his older and taller brother Corsac had already had his unlocked.
So now the class was a hugely diverse group of those like him who'd already been unlocked, those newly minted and looking slightly dazed, and the Instructor who was looking exhausted.
Apparently unlocking Aura takes a bit out of you. That does explain why people don't just sit around doing it all week I guess, Rosso mused.
"Alright, we're gonna go outside and break up into three groups," Instructor Kanana said. "If you just got unlocked, exit the door and head left a dozen paces or so. If you're unlocked but haven't had much combat training, you'll bear straight ahead. Anyone with any significant combat training using Aura, on the right." And with that, she began making her way up the stairs of the classroom toward the exit.
Outside, Rosso decided Mort's training put him in Group 3, and he was glad to see that it included only a handful of students, half of them older than him. The group milled around a bit waiting for their next instructions, and it wasn't long before one of them said what they were all thinking.
"This is not at all what I expected," Corsac Albain objected.
"Yeah," a lean girl with her hair parted to the side complained. "I mean… I thought it'd be more like a Combat School."
"Well, it isn't a Combat School," Instructor Kanana said as she strolled up to them. Rosso flinched and looked back toward her in a panic. The Aura-users who'd already been unlocked but didn't have combat training were paired off, one pushing at them with a padded stick and the other apparently practicing pushing Aura against it to ward contact. A bit further off, the newly minted were all sitting in a meditation pose, cross-legged and faces scrunched like they were either concentrating hard or pooping themselves. Some of those had the clear flare of Aura showing up in splotches, some just looked constipated.
But Instructor Kanana didn't look mad about Corsac's comment, just tired. "And yeah, today is gonna be a little chaotic," Kanana continued, "because we're still unlocking Auras and figuring out how to best work with such a diverse range of skill levels. It'll even out as the month goes on and we can divide up more formally. But until then, you kids are going to have to put up with a lot of self-guided training."
Self… guided?
She saw the looks of confusion. "That means that I'll set you guys to sparring, and step in if it looks like a problem, while keeping an eye on the other groups to make sure no one is about to pass out from Aura Exhaustion. Can I trust this group not to kill each other?" There were some muttered yeses. "Good. Then let's see what you half-sized pre-Huntsmen can do. Which ones of you thinks their hot sh- um… stuff?"
Corsac raised his hand, followed by another older girl with clear canine traits.
Rosso did not raise his hand.
"Good. Mr. Corsac, you will pair up with… Mr. Aukei."
What?!
"Modesty sucks," Instructor Kanana said with a smirk. "Mort mentioned you, Aukei. Said you're not bad." She threw the two each a pair of practice sticks.
"We're not going to use the sparring arena?" Rosso asked.
"Not for this. That's for when we're using real weapons, or Semblances, or Dust, and have to worry about blowing each other or the bystanders up." She considered. "I don't want to know what it is, but do any of you have Semblance unlocked?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"One less thing to worry about. So, like I said. No Dust. No projectiles. I'm looking for form, style, competence, power, and Aura control right now. Make a ring the rest of you. Good. Alright. Are you ready?"
Corsac and Rosso stared at each other. Then the taller faunus bowed stiffly. "I shall fight with honor, for the glory of Menagerie."
"Uh… good? Me too?" Rosso bobbed his head.
"FIGHT!"
...
Dr. Nagata had been right about lunch, Rosso decided. It was shocking how much of an appetite a few minutes of sparring with Aura engaged built up. And the new kids who'd been learning Aura for the very first time were literally salivating over the smell of food. And it wasn't that bad, really. Maybe a little better than high school cafeteria food.
He took his tray, and sat down at an empty table.
And was quickly joined by the Albain brothers.
"Uh... hey. Good fight, huh?"
"You were an adequate opponent," Corsac said with a nod.
"Yes. I was able to watch from the other group," Fennic agreed. "You were fairly evenly matched, though your fighting styles differed."
Rosso took that as a compliment. The brothers were… soft spoken and serious. "Thanks."
"Though, I am still unsure if the education thus far is meeting my expectations," Corsac said with a slight frown.
"Don't judge too quickly, brother. I found Instructor Kanana to be well-versed in Aura manipulation, and she has a good reputation in the city."
"I shall withhold judgment, for now."
Like I said. Serious dude.
When additional students joined them at the table, things turned to other topics. Video games, sports, the usual.
"Hey, just noticed that the older students aren't lunching with us."
"Yes. I believe they have a separate cafeteria, next door. I am… of mixed opinion regarding how protective the staff are being."
"Probably the parents pushing that one. My mom is sure I'm gonna get a leg cut off by one of the older students before I can figure out how to block it with Aura," one girl replied.
"Hmmm.. perhaps it is a valid concern, then."
And that was another thing. Both boys spoke very formally, but Rosso had the feeling it was Corsac driving that, with Fennec just kinda emulating his older brother.
...
When they reached the second classroom, they found it was arranged more consistent with what they'd expected a classroom to look like. And the instructor was seated behind an actual desk. She was an older cat-faunus, with amber eyes and dark hair, and had a very relaxed and pleasant air about her. She waited for everyone to filter in and seat themselves.
"Good afternoon. My name is Miss Belladonna, and I will answer to that, or to Instructor. We will be spending the next several months together discussing something called Cultural Studies." She smiled. "I understand you've just had a nice lunch, so will unfortunately be primed to want to take a nice long nap during my class."
Oops. Yeah, Rosso had to admit that the spar, followed by the meal, was kinda making him drowsy.
"So to make sure everyone stays engaged, I'll be sure to call on each and every one of you during each class to either answer a question, or provide your opinion." She pointed to one of the students. "Is that clear?"
"Um… Yes Miss Belladonna?"
"Congratulations, you are off the hook for the rest of the class." The girl smiled brightly. "Just don't fall asleep, or I'll drop a book on your head."
"Eep!"
"Now," Kali Belladonna scanned the room. "What's your name, young man?"
"Rosso Aukei, ma'am."
"Good answer. And no that doesn't satisfy the requirement." Laughter. "Can you tell me what you think 'Cultural Studies" means?"
Rosso thought about that… and came up with five thousand possible answers and a could that fit, but wouldn't really tell you anything.
"Uh… well… I guess we'll be studying… Menagerie Culture?
"Close! We'll be studying all cultures, with a focus on how Faunus culture interacts with them. Menagerie culture will be a portion of that."
"Um… but… what is faunus culture?"
"Oh, I am so very glad you asked me that question, because answering that question will, darling students, require several months of discussion. Let us begin."
. . .
Next up was Grimm Studies with Miss Alenta.
Thank all the gods.
After the intense and complicated discussions that had taken up the entire Faunus Culture introduction, Rosso was ready to tackle something less complicated, like murderous Grimm.
The worst part was, Miss Belladonna wasn't a bad teacher! She was just… really intense. And really stupidly, insanely nice. Like… she didn't yell once, not even when one of the students actually did fall asleep. And she didn't slam a book down like she'd threatened. She just patted them on the shoulder until they woke up, and then she looked so concerned and disappointed and…
Nobody, Rosso realized, wanted to disappoint Miss Belladonna. She was like… everyone's mom all at once. And some of the students didn't have moms any more so… she was like the mom they didn't have.
How could you disappoint mom?
By the end, they'd all been completely wrung out.
And now they were sitting in the Grimm Studies class.
"Good afternoon! I am your Instructor, Miss Alenta. Some of you will recognize me from the ride in this morning. I hope you're settling in well?"
There were mutters of agreement.
"Great. Now, we're going to be talking about Grimm. Specifically what Grimm are native to Menagerie and its surrounding waters, how dangerous they are, how to not get murdered by them, and what each of their weaknesses are. Now, has anyone here seen a Grimm personally?"
"I've seen Capivara."
"And what was your impression?
"They weren't very scary, really."
"That's right. A single Capivara is not much of a threat. Much like a juvenile Nevermore chick. Who can tell me the problem with Capivara, then?"
Fennec Albain raised his hand.
"Yes Mr. Fennec."
"They attack in numbers, and are adept at infiltrating locations through the use of waterways or flooded tunnels."
"That's right. Even a skilled Huntsman can be taken down by sheer numbers, though I am not aware of any instances of Capivara managing that. So, let's have a look at what we're going to be studying this semester." Pulled up an image on the screen behind her. It was an extensive list of Grimm, some of them common only in Menagerie. "We will begin by focusing on the smaller Grimm found in the immediate vicinity, and gradually broaden our discussion to larger and rarer Grimm. Please note that some of you have nearly reached your majority, and so we are going to pursue a somewhat accelerated pace. If you younger students fall behind, fear not, you'll have additional years to absorb what you need to know."
"Miss Alenta, are we going to be… fighting Grimm?"
"As Comba- er… Pre-Majority Students at the Center? Unlikely except for the oldest among you. We'll be evaluating you on a case-by-case basis for very limited and tightly controlled and supervised combat opportunities."
"Oh. Cool."
"Cool, eh? I like your spunk. Consider yourself on the 'yes please' list."
"Sweeeeeet."
...
The next class was as expected not a class, and it looked like a lot of people had diverse activities for that period including free time, study hall, etc.
Rosso Aukei's feet led him to the Administrative building in the southwest quadrant of the outer ring of buildings.
It was… a surprisingly unfinished building once he entered. The walls were unpainted in spots. Many doorways were missing their doors and opened onto unfinished and empty rooms or areas where building materials were being stored. Somewhere down the curving hall, he could hear the sounds of power tools and hammering.
The room he entered was labeled AB112 Conference Room, and it, on the other hand, was fully furnished, and there were three other people there already.
"Ah, Mr. Aukei. Do come in!" an older man called when he peered in. The man was, unsurprisingly, a Huntsman, dark-skinned with eyes the color of burnt umber and shockingly red hair. He also had translucent rough green scales that extended from below his shirt and up his neck.
"Yessir," Rosso nodded, and moved into the room, scanning the others there. One was older male teen, clearly Academy-aged sporting grayish skin with dark spots, and irises so dark they were nearly black. The other was a girl he recognized from his classes and so was closer to his age, with pink hair and eyes to match. Her name had been Nina, and she had just gotten her Aura unlocked. He didn't notice any obvious faunus trait at first, but then again, his were barely noticeable too, so that didn't mean much.
"Please, call me Salt," the Huntsman corrected.
"Mister Salt, I-
"No, just Salt. Look, this is going to be a very special class. And I need us to work together to make it a success and set the stage for future success. The truth is, Mr. Aukei… can I call you Rosso?"
"Of course M… er… Salt."
"Great. The truth is, we don't yet have an aquatics program. We know what our end goal is, but no one has ever done this before, so we're going to be collaborating to build it as we go."
Oh…. Wow. He was suddenly very glad that Corsac Albain wasn't in this meeting. He'd have probably just walked out.
"Okayyyy…"
"So, let's start by heading waterside, and we'll do the rest of the introductions there. How about that?" He glanced at the group for any objections, and then stood up and just… walked out.
Bewildered, Rosso looked at the other two. The older boy just shrugged and followed Salt, so he and Nina did the same.
"Do you think they really know what they're doing?" Nina whispered to Rosso as they filed through the door.
"Maybe?" He shook his head. "I guess we'll have to find out. How as your Combat group?"
"Mostly just what Miss Kanana called 'meditating' and 'feeling out our Aura'." She frowned. "I'm not very good at it yet."
"Don't worry, I sucked at first too. You'll get the feel of it fast."
She actually smiled at him, which he liked more than he expected. Her eyes were really pretty. "Thanks. I saw you fighting that Albain boy. You're… really good."
Really? Cause I got my butt beat. "Thanks. He's better, though."
"Yeah, but he's also impossible to talk to." She shivered. "Both of those boys are a little off. I think it's cause their parents never came home."
"Oh? What-"
The door at the end of the hall opened, and Salt called out to them, interrupting the conversation. "Come on guys, we don't have all day and you can chat in the skycar."
Huh?
At that moment, checking his map, Rosso realized that there was a second skycar terminal on campus. This one was next to the Administration Building on the east, and it did not have any sort of check-in desk. Just a card reader that Salt showed his ID to, and then a door slid open, and then the skycar was right there, and he slid that door open too so they could file in. This car was much smaller than the ones on the other side of campus, and could only hold maybe ten people at a time.
"Hold on to the rail for this one. It goes a bit faster and we might have unexpected company on the way down."
"Uh…" Nina said nervously, "what do you mean… company?" and then she squeaked as the skycar literally shot out of the station and then began to swoop downward at something like a forty-five degree angle. Rosso felt his stomach try to climb up into his throat and gulped it down. Beside him, Nina hiccupped and white-knuckled the handhold near her seat.
"Holy crap!" the older boy said. "This is better than carnival!"
Salt laughed, umber eyes glowing. "Yeah well, we figured speed was cheaper than firepower at this stage."
"Firepower? Safer for what?"
And then they heard the sound of wings. Very large, insectoid-sounding wings. Rosso turned to the side to look out the rear window of the skycar, to see that they were already halfway down the cliff face, and a half-dozen winged creatures, each the size of a person, with three-segmented black bodies and six legs, powering through the air after them.
Grimm… Rosso realized… I'm seeing real-live Grimm for the first time. Lancers, he remembered they'd been mentioned specifically during Grimm Studies that day, one of the few who'd gotten specific mention. Yeah. Lancers. I'm being… holy crap I'm being chased by Lancers!?
He heard Nina whimper beside him, and realized that he was starting to panic too, and turned a pale face to Salt to see what the Huntsman was doing.
He wasn't doing anything…
Just sitting in his seat, watching the three students.
"Sir?" the older boy hazarded. He looked a little freaked, too.
"Hmmm?"
"Shouldn't you be… fighting off those Grimm?"
Salt chuckled. "Oh, I would, but they can't catch us."
Rosso blinked, and then looked back at the Grimm, who had fallen further behind now that Salt had mentioned it. He felt his panic starting to fade a little.
"In fact," the Huntsman continued, "if you three can collect your wits by the time we reach the bottom, they'll probably forget what the heck they were doing, and go back to guarding their hive."
"Wait… there's a freaking hive of Lancers back there?" the boy asked.
Salt just nodded. "Yep. Cliff face is riddled with caves, and there's at least one sizeable nest in there. We were planning on leaving those for your classmates to clear out." He nodded to the boy and not at Rosso and Nina, thank the Gods. "They're pretty territorial about anything in the air, and we've got defenses at the clifftop that will pop them if they get too close to campus, not that they can get inside the dome, mind you."
"Oh… wow… alright."
"Yeah, don't worry about it. Before you know it, you'll see them like I do. Mostly a nuisance or a training opportunity, unless you run into a Queen."
And then there was a momentary flash of darkness as the skycar entered a structure and a large door closed behind them, and then they decelerated rapidly and jerked to a stop that almost threw Rosso out of his seat.
"Ugh. Still need to tune that stop at the bottom. Needs a smoother curve," Salt muttered. "Come on kids, let's meet the rest of the crew."
. . .
They exited the lower skycar terminal, Rosso was struck by two things.
The first was that they were still inside a building. A big building of that same coral-mixed concrete that made up most of the buildings on campus. The second was that the freaking ocean was inside the building with them!
It was freaking cool. The building had a high, arched roof, and it was a tall single story, but the floor transitioned smoothly from cora-crete to sand that sloped down directly into water that smelled of brine and life. He stood there, for a few moments, taking it all in. The smell of it. The sight of gentle ripples lapping against the shore of a… beach of a sort, inside a building.
He peered across the dozens of meters to the other wall, and could see that there were doors or windows or openings on that end, where the water was deepest. And there was a pier running along one wall, and a freaking boat was tied up next to it. And on the other wall, there was some sort of room with two doors. One was at ground level, and the other door was… half in the water?
"You'll get the full tour, Rosso. Let's not keep the others waiting."
"Oh. Sorry."
"Don't sweat it. I did the same thing first time. Ready to get your feet wet?"
"Huh?"
"Not a figure of speech. Come on."
Salt led them to the left to the interior room with two doors, and through the upper door. And there Rosso discovered the reason for the design.
Inside that room, two additional people already lounged. One was a man in a merchant-marine uniform, with his pantlegs rolled up and bare-feet dangling in the water halfway up his calves.
Because while this was clearly a conference room or meeting room, it was designed in tiers, with the upper ones fully out of the water, the lower ones completely submerged, and at least one level where you could sit in a relatively normal chair but your shoes would never be the same after.
"Ohhhh…." Nina said beside Rosso. "Hey Mau!" She was talking to, of course, the second person already in the room. A mer-faunus with legs that melded together seamlessly and terminated in a very clear dolphin-tail.
A mer-faunus who smiled, at least at her. "Hi Nina, good to see you here."
"Ah, you two at least know each other."
"Oh yeah, Mau's been my fam's best mate for fresh fish for years," she turned to the others, "if you go to the wet market, make sure you visit his family's booth. They won't do you wrong."
"I'll remember that. Well, why don't we get on with introducing each other, and then we'll get down to the meat of the matter. I'll go first. I'm Huntsman Salt Boudda, my heritage trait is crocodilian. I can't breathe underwater, but what I can do is slow my metabolism dramatically, and my Semblance complements this. I call it Silent Ambush, and it allows me to literally blend in when submerged in water, even from Grimm senses."
"Whoah."
"Yeah, pretty handy in some very specific situations, basically useless otherwise. My favored weapon is a mechashift spear, but I have been known to shift to non-mecha for aquatic work. As you'll learn, the saltwater plays hell with mechashift maintenance, though we are working on that." He paused. "You'll also notice that I freely admitted to my Semblance. We're going to be a small, tight-knit group here, and I expect you to feel comfortable sharing yours as well, and keeping it a secret for each other. Am I clear? I will be extremely disappointed if I learn otherwise."
Rosso felt the weight of the older Huntsman's stare as he locked eyes with each of them.
"That said, Lt. Fisk why don't you go next."
"Gee thanks, Salt. Way to set the tone," the young faunus in the sailor uniform said. "My name is Xantham Fisk, and as you heard and the uniform shows, I'm a lieutenant in the Menagerie Merchant Marine, on assignment to this facility and tasked with helping us create some sort of coherent combat force that combines Huntsmen with sailors. And no, I'm not Aura-trained. I'm just here to give you the naval perspective and experience."
"Thanks L.T. How about you next," Salt nodded to the mer-faunus.
"Sure. My name is Mau Naia. I don't think I have to explain my faunus heritage." Rosso felt himself smile, the guy came across really friendly. "I'm here because I'm the only mer-faunus who didn't feel insulted that a bunch of groundies decided to kick off an aquatics combat program."
Annndd… good feelings gone.
Rosso looked at the others in the room. Salt didn't seem the least bit bothered, nor did the sailor he'd called LT. Nina was as shocked as he was. The other Academy-aged boy looked pissed off.
"And I mean it when I say that I'm not insulted, and you shouldn't be either." The mer-faunus rolled in the water, easing over and giving his powerful conjoined legs a flex that shifted him up into a watery seat. "Just like most well-meaning humans don't realize the challenges and biases that impact faunus, most land-bound faunus don't realize the challenges and biases that impact mer-faunus like me. For example, creating a combat school at the top of a cliff, nominally focused on aquatic combat, where someone like me would find it nearly impossible to get around.
Oh… Rosso thought. That… did kinda suck.
"But I've already had a long chat with Director Nagata about that, and he explained about the need to have the school protect the CCT and be safe from attack by sea. So, like I said, I'm not taking it personally, and we're gonna figure out how to make it work, then the rest of my kind will see for themselves." He shrugged. "All that out of the way, my Aura's unlocked, and I've got some Huntsman-level training, but I'm probably still Academy-skill level. If it weren't for this," he lifted his tail out of the ater, and popped it with a spray that dampened Rosso and the others in a mist, "I'd probably have graduated Haven or Beacon by now. Oh, and my Semblance is Click Clack. I can chat with dolphins and whales and such."
"Holy shit," the older boy who'd ridden down with them said. Rosso noted that he had with grayish skin with dark spots, and irises so dark they were nearly black, but he couldn't guess his heritage from just that.
"Yeah, you'd think so," Mau continued, "And it can be extremely useful, because there's not a lot that happens in the Shallow Seat that the pods don't hear about. But man, I gotta tell you, the dolphins are some kinda foul-mouthed and dirty-minded bastards. Nice as all hell, but whew… no filter at all." He shook his head.
"Thanks Mau, for that image and for keeping an open mind," Salt turned to the other older boy. "How about you go next."
"Well shit, I mean crap?" The academy-aged faunus corrected under Salt's gaze. "I mean how do I freaking follow Speaks with Dolphins?" That got a chuckle from Mau, which lightened the mood a little more. "Fine. I'm Roderick Elema. My friends call me Hot Rod. My heritage isn't obvious like yours, but it's leopard seal. And I don't have a lot of combat training, but my Aura is unlocked and my Semblance popped out last year when I almost got nabbed by a juvenile Jawser Grimm when I was swimming off Blue Coral Beach."
Rosso flinched. Swimming off Blue Coral Beach was a common 'dare' for many teen faunus, specifically because it was outside the defensively patrolled area of Kuo's bay. Technically swimming wasn't even allowed there. Which was why it was a dare.
"Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Young and stupid. Regardless, I was out there in neck-deep water, and this freaking thing comes out of nowhere plowing through the waves toward me, and my friends all freaked out and started screaming, and all I could think was Oh Gods I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I gotta get out of here! And next thing you know, I'm swimming faster than I'd ever imagined possible." He gave a crooked smile, lifted his legs, and concentrated, and the glowing outline of a melded set of legs, terminating in a powerful set of pinnipeds appeared. He flexed his legs, and the outline flexed with them. "Yeah, nearly broke my neck hitting the beach a lot faster than I expected, too. Got sand in places you don't wanna know about."
Rosso shook his head, trying not to laugh. I mean, it was funny and terrifying at the same time. A Jawzer was basically a Grimm shark, and a shark was bad enough. He couldn't imagine being chased by a Grimm shark.
Nine went next. "Howdy. I'm Nina Pololia. My heritage is, believe it or not, jellyfish. Just got my Aura unlocked, and I don't have a Semblance yet. And if you're wondering why I'm here, well it's because of these." She lifted her hands, and Rosso realized there were faint traceries running down her arms to her fingertips. "I can shoot a sort of venom out of my fingers. Salt thinks that it might be able to incapacitate Grimm, too. They're testing some samples. Also, I love saltwater so…" she shrugged.
Salt nodded to Rosso next, and he managed to not cringe. There would have been a point in his childhood where the entire idea of show and tell regarding his heritage would have sent him crying to his room. But not now. Now he was starting to see it as a gift.
These other guys were all different and neat. And he was part of that group. "Sure thing, Salt. I'm Rosso Aukei. My faunus heritage is apparently some sort of fresh-to-saltwater ranging fish, because I have these." He peeled back his shirt collar, and allowed some very special muscles to flex, but held his breath while doing so.
It wouldn't do to suck air across the membranes.
As the other three watched, the thin parallel lines on either side of his neck became narrow slits, then opened briefly showing a delicate pink tissue beneath, and then he let them close fully before he inhaled. "I can breathe through them in fresh or salt water, though it stings a little bit at first. So basically, I can stay underwater as long as needed.
"Damn. I wish I had that!" Rod exclaimed, "I have to hold my breath!" Even Mau nodded in agreement with the sentiment.
Rosso shrugged. "And I wish I had fins, dude. I'm not that fast of a swimmer. I can hide on the seafloor for ages, but I can't outswim a freaking Jawzer and I definitely can't talk underwater," he eyeballed Mau.
Nina huffed. "All I can do is float, basically. So whatever, you guys." She frowned, "But if you get handsy, I will zap you."
Salt laughed. "Alright if we're done with our aquatic skills measuring contest, let's do a quick tour, then talk about what we want to accomplish, and what kind of training we collectively think will get us there."
. . .
By the end of the period, Rosso was exhausted and amazed. The facility itself was incredible. It had both physical gates and hard-light barriers between it and the broader shallow bay that the building was three-quarters inside, and on top of that, there were barriers at the mouth of the bay that kept any large aquatic Grimm like Jawzers out. That left smaller stuff like Capivara, but even those couldn't get into the actual building unless they let them.
And, he was shocked to learn, they fully intended to do that. A portion of the building was literally an aquatic arena where they could selectively let some aquatic Grimm through the defenses and practice fighting against in a more controlled environment. It was insane.
It was freaking awesome!
And they were getting two-person jet-skids in about a month, Salt had said.
And Salt had stripped to swim-trunks and shown them his freaking Semblance. It had been… wild to see the man slide into the water, and then with a ripple he just blended in with crystal clear water. I'm glad I don't have to spar with my Instructor, Rosso mused at that. Salt would have slaughtered him.
They'd talked a little about goals and plans, but barely scratched the surface really.
Hah. Surface. The real stuff was underneath the surface.
Yeah….
When his mom picked him up at Kuo Terminal, she asked him how his first day of school went.
Rosso thought about all that he'd been through and seen that first day. It had been haphazard, and chaotic, unfinished in some places, and a lot of stuff seemed like they were flying by the seat of their pants.
But then he thought about the people. About the older students he'd met like Mau and Roderick, and about the instructors and how skilled they were.
Corsac probably would have said he had doubts. But Rosso decided that wasn't how he felt at all. He held his mom's gaze and just said simply, "We're gonna be Huntsmen, mom, I can feel it. And we're gonna rock."
His mom just stared at him for a few seconds, and then nodded once. "Good."
[A/N]
First off, a million thanks to those of you who have hung in there with me, especially AtomicR4y, Rookie80, and Shadowstorm-Vash who have been consistent about telling me what they liked. For the rest of my lurking readership, I always appreciate feedback! I had a very busy few weeks, and struggled with the scope of this chapter. I know where the next big story arc is going, and I have chunks drafted out, but as usual, the foundational transitions can be challenging.
And I apologize for the typos that I know are lurking. I've been fighting this sucker, and now I just want it out of my hands. If you point stuff out, I'll fix it happily.
I also apologize for the absolute glut of new OCs in this chapter. I needed a bare minimum to flesh out what has to happen moving forward. I did lean heavily on OCs that had already appeared (Cassie, Daisy, and Salt who were the three Huntsmen who helped set up the CCT relay) and you may have noticed the young Albain brothers in the mix. It's also challenging because, for the moment, the "Aura Training Center" simply doesn't have enough students or staff to do year-by-year classes and they're doing some frenzied mixed-level teaching. They'll figure it out.
Can't wait until Lionheart and crew get their first visit to a FUNCTIONAL school. I also can't wait until 72VE November hits when some of these students put in applications at the legacy Academies of Beacon, Shade, and Haven. That'll spark some fireworks and blow the lid off the "Totally Not A Combat School" Aura Training Center.