And so there he was, sitting in a room so dark that he could barely see anything, except for what a lamp above his head illuminated, which was a desk. Waiting half an hour for anything to happen made him really bored as there was nothing in the room that was worthy of examining. After the fifteen minute mark, Braylon decided to dive into the PDA to check if everything was in its proper place, if the database lacked something and his current health, both physical and psychological. Wincing slightly at the latter state, Braylon was interrupted in his work by the voice.
"Another thing."
He stopped mid-tap and looked up, towards the door. "What now?"
"During your stay here, should I warn you about the presence of my brothers, you will cease anything you do and stop them in whatever they try, wherever they try. The last thing I need is them establishing a foothold in this reality. Should they succeed, any effort to save this reality will be utterly pointless."
"And how am I gonna know where exactly will they be?"
"I will guide you."
"And let me guess, they won't give up on his place, will they?"
"Without a doubt. They don't know fear, because no mortal can do anything to them, only determination to reach their goals. Some attempts will revolve around deception and mortal manipulation, others will be less-subtle and more focused on causing as much damage as possible before retreating and attacking somewhere else. You don't know my brothers, but I do."
As the voice ended its speech, the door opened and the woman with the riding crop came in. She didn't say anything to him, just reached the table and glared at the young man in front of her. In Braylon's opinion, she was trying to hard to act all strict and disciplined. She began pacing left and right.
"I certainly hope you understand the danger you and the young lady put yourselves in by executing that little stunt of yours."
Were those different times, Braylon's reply wouldn't be very appropriate, as it would make his life harder by diminishing his chances to infiltrate into that academy through "pretend to be a wannabe student" plan. Of course, flipping the bird should never be an appropriate response to anything. So instead he was forced to act shy, as if the scolding from the older-than-him was actually working.
"I said this before to the young lady and I will say it to you. If it were up to me I would send you home with a pat on the back..." He raised an eyebrow. "...and a slap on the wrist." She slapped the table with her riding crop. He didn't move an inch, which only served to make her glare even more cringeworthy. "But, there is someone who would like to meet both of you."
Behind her came yet another person. A man with white hair and a pair of too small to be relevant in their purpose. Aside from looking serious, as a man in a black coat can be, he was also holding a mug. He could hear the voice giggling at the back of his mind. It was faint yet perceptible, enough to give him goosebumps.
The man coughed in his fist before muttering something about the eyes. "Before I start any kind of conversation, I need to know the person sitting in front of me. So would you kindly tell me your name, mister..."
"Braylon." He replied quickly, trying to look as innocent as a seventeen-years-old teenager could. "Braylon Monocriffe, sir."
"Mister Braylon." The man nodded. "I hope you realize the situation you are currently in."
"S-sir?"
The man pulled out a device which played the footage of him and Claptrap back at that shop along with the eventual death of those bandits by the hands of the Claptrap's SMG. There was no emotion on Braylon's face that would indicate horror at the sight, which made him panic slightly when he realized his mistake a little bit too late to do anything.
"Now, to an untrained eye, it may seem that the robot was holding you hostage or threatening you in any way. But I see it differently."
"Oh yeah?"
"To me it seems that you and that robot are... partners. Am I correct?"
"Technically, we are just-"
"And I am convinced you know that, what that robot did, was nothing short of a crime."
This made Braylon a little bit more antsy than he inteded. "So what?" He blurted out. "They were bandits. They threatened an honest, taxpaying citizen."
"And I assume that is your argument for taking those lives, rather than have them spend some time in prison?"
While Braylon had a somewhat excellent control of his emotions, due to the emotional suppressor implant, the fuse was already lit. "And to give those bandits to some pompous old man in a chair which will condemn them a year or two in jail, only to let them back out to do what they want? And we are not even talking about the corrupt ones!" The man frowned slightly as he stared at the Vault Hunter. "Who is gonna "reform" them? Politicians? Sure, if they ever pull their heads out of their asses and stop lying to people in their face. Economists? No thanks, they are busy treating humans like cattle for a debt-fueled machine that was doomed to fail since its inception. So tell me, who is gonna do it?"
"Huntsmen."
Braylon would continue his tirade if he didn't caught their glares, first at him then at each other. He had gone too far. It was time to return to his make-believe good guy personality. "Who?"
"Huntsmen. People who dedicate their lives to the benefit of all mankind. Those who wish to change the world, who protect what little remains of our exsistence on such a harsh planet that is Remnant."
"And fail epicly at that."
"These are the people who come from all walks of life. From those who live in poverty to those rich enough to afford a high standard of living. All of them fighting against one common enemy."
"Which is?"
"The Grimm that roam outside those walls."
"...Who are you?"
"Ozpin is my name. I am the headmaster of Beacon Academy."
Braylon's eyes widened involuntarily. He couldn't believe his luck. It was convenient. Almost disturbingly so. "You mean-"
"Yes." He nodded. "That Beacon Academy."
"And... what did I do, exactly, to deserve an audience with the headmaster himself?"
"That robot... is your ally. It also commited a crime. As such, you must be held responsible for it in the same way as that robot."
"Well, if we ignore the bullshit reasoning and the fact that Claptrap is capable of doing things on its own... Go on."
"You should be delivered to the court and sentenced to prison. However..."
"However?"
"Say, how old are you?"
"Seventeen."
"Seventeen. That still makes you a minor, meaning that you can't be held responsible. Someone older should take that responsibility." The woman behind him unfolded her arms and stared at the man, her frown softening slightly at the implication.
"And who would that be?" Braylon tried to act dumb.
"That person... would be me."
"...I'm sorry?"
"You heard me. I am willing to take responsibility for the murder of those people."
"But..." Braylon chuckled. He knew it was an act of mockery towards them, but he made it look like he couldn't believe what he heard. "Wait, wait... there's gotta be something behind this generous offer, am I right?"
"Yes. In return, I want you to join my academy."
Braylon couldn't take it anymore and laughed out loud. He seriously started thinking that the voice might had its fingers behind that comedy. It was a demon, after all. However, he also had to act as natural as possible.
"And why should I accept this invitation?"
"Because the other solution wouldn't make anyone happy, I'm sure of it."
He waited for a few moments. "Question."
"Yes?"
"Can I bring my robot?"
"Oh my gosh! You are coming too?!"
"Yes."
"Cool." The girl muttered.
Everything went smoothly so far. With the access to the academy falling right into his lap, without even breaking a sweat, made things far less complicated than he had anticipated. If everything went like that, he thought, it will be a piece of cake for him to reach the object of interest. They even called a taxi to bring him towards the airport. Him and the girl.
Right, the girl. He wasn't entirely sure why she was coming too. She had to be a few years younger than him. Still, there must have been a good reason why that headmaster, that Ozpin, decided to enrol her too. He wanted to ask her, but what he received so far were awkward answers from an even more awkward individual. Sighing, he admitted to himself that asking her about anything was a waste of his time, so he decided to shut up and wait patiently for the taxi.
Their car arrived ten minutes later. It was in a far better condition than virtually any four-wheeled machine on Pandora. No missing parts, nothing that looks like it could explode any minute, nothing sharp that could give you instant tetanus just by touching it with a finger. In other words, a completely normal car, complete with a storage compartment for holding a tied up Claptrap who, while unable to move, was very much able to swear, as evidenced by the muffled beeping every five seconds. He never thought he would see the day.
The ride was quiet ever since it started. Their taxi moved at moderate speeds, allowing Braylon to see many buildings. He still didn't get used to the beauty that was the city. It was calm, yet filled with life around every corner, peaceful and clean. A tiny jewel in the mud. He was interrupted in his musings by the girl that tapped him on the shoulder. He turned towards her.
"What is it?"
"Heh, sorry. I was wondering if you could... you know..." She rubbed the back of her head and smiled sheepishly. "...show me your weapons?"
"No."
The straight-up, blunt answer confused her completely. She started begging.
"I said no."
Then she used a technique that all girls her age know and use it for their evil purposes. A technique that not one person can escape from. The puppy dog eyes. Especially her version, which, due to her silver eyes, made it look even cuter. Braylon, however, just deadpanned, placed a hand on her head and turned it towards her window.
"I used that trick too when I was younger. Not working on me."
He saw her puffing up her cheeks and sighed.
"I'll never understand women..."
Eventually they reached the airport. But to his surprise, there were no such things as airplanes or helicopters. Rather, there was a giant thing with several pairs of wings that looked more like a metallic blimp than an airplane. It was full of people waiting in line to reach its insides. Braylon and the girl stood close to each other but then, when they finally entered, separated and went each on the opposite side of the vehicle. He didn't bother thinking about the girl and sat down on a metallic bench, scrolling through the PDA and ignoring every other student around him, including the Claptrap who stood beside him, now free to move. A voice reached his ears several minutes after they took off. Raising his head, he was looking at a holographic screen.
"...And now the news. The scientific community of Vale reported that the scientists discovered not one, but two new species roaming around the walls outside the kingdom. Something that baffled the scientists from all over Remnant, as it is unknown how didn't anyone noticed them sooner, especially due to their nature."
Braylon's eyes widened when two images appeared above the woman. The one on the left was that of a Swarmer Sturg he encountered in that dimension while the one on the right was a creature he was sure he had never seen before. A green, four-legged something that lacked arms and had a face that resembled a demented version of a sad emoji, only with darkness filling the orifices, rather than an actual mout or eyes.
"According to the scientific community, both species are extremely territorial and agressive. They can, and will, attack everyone on sight. The insectoid on the left lives in groups and is as large as a Boarbatusk. One shouldn't be a problem but a whole group is enough of a danger to pose a threat even to the best Huntsmen and Huntresses Vale has to offer. The one on the right should be avoided at all times. Do not, I repeat, do not approach this creature, for if any human or Faunus does, it will run towards them and self-destruct, causing potentially fatal wounds. One must always be careful in their natural habitat, because they, much to the community's confusion, make no noise in any action they partake, making them a threat that shouldn't be taken lightly." The pictures dissapeared only to be replaced with another one, showing a huge crater. "Disturbing news come from outside the walls. The village of Clacton, with all of its inhabitants, dissapeared in the night around the time of the earthquake, leaving behind a crater approximately ten kilomters wide and two deep. Researchers are unable to find out what could cause such a catastrophe. According to them, a Grimm attack isn't possible because there is simply nothing left to analyze, although they are sure that the dissapearance is closely related to the massive energy outburt that fried several machines in many laboratories across Vale."
Braylon's mind went blank after that. "Shit." He covered his face with his hands. "Shit. Shit. Shit."
He started panicking heavily. The fact that not one, but two different species, definitely not belonging to this reality, suddenly found themselves on Remnant, meant that at least two rifts were opened somewhere on the surface of the planet, allowing specimens of both species to cross over, this in turn meant that, depending on the time of their arrival, they most likely started breeding and colonizing, eventually resulting in a massive damage dealt to the natural ecosystem. The disturbing line of thought was brought up to eleven when he started projecting that same situation only happening in different realities and organisms. Just one of the consequences of the multiversal apocalypse that was about to unravel, him being powerless to stop it in any way. His attention was once again taken away when the holographic screen changed with the projection of the woman who stood with Ozpin back at that building.
"Hello and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among the privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy."
"Oh, right. Prestigious as in "we are going to make you learn how to commit suicide"." Braylon snarked mentally and scoffed.
"Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace..."
"Methinks you are all screwed as soon as the shitstorm happens."
"...You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task and now..."
Braylon stopped focusing on the boring introductory speech and instead decided to search with his eyes for the red reaper riding hood. He found her, or at leas the thought he did, standing near a girl taller than her, wearing something that passes as armor these days (as in, effective enough to distract the opposite gender but not enough to protect from an actual "bullet-in-vagina" that bandits like to perform on any female they get their disgusting hands on) and with a hair so long and so golden that she might as well be the daughter of Midas himself. A girl that, in his brief analysis based on the info he received just from looking at her, is not afraid to express her natural beauty. In other words, a pile of excrement so stinky that it can attract flies light-years away from it.
"Mm.. sorry!" The young Vault Hunter jumped away just in time as a blond started vomiting near him. Braylon swore loudly and punched the offender in the face so hard that he walked backwards, going towards the Yellow and Red, and vomited some more near them.
Braylon sighed in irritation. "Yay, the fun begins."
"Well, somebody likes Walt Disney." Was the first Claptrap's comment as soon as he reached the firm ground. Truly, Beacon Academy looked more of a castle than an educational institution, with the highest tower giving the illusion that it touched the sky. According to Braylon, it was nothing more than a glorified waste of taxpayer money for an institution that could accomplish its reason for exsistence with an average building and still be a prestigious school. But it seems that peacocks must always show their feathers wherever they go.
And while vomit boy was busy doing what he did best in the nearest trash can, the duo wasted no time and followed the road that lead to the academy. On their way, they found Red talking with a girl in a white dress.
"Seriosuly though, what's with the color theme?" Claptrap whispered loudly to Braylon, who shrugged. "No idea. Must be part of their culture." The robot snorted. "Ha! Culture my ass! Time to put my tin foil hat and go ****ing bananas with this ****. Boy, I tell you, I'm here for giggles."
Claptrap rolled away from Braylon and towards the girl in white. He snatched a bottle from her hands and started shaking it, spilling out a cloud of red dust. Unfortunately the other girl sneezed, resulting in a gigantic explosion. Braylon had no idea why everyone survived that, even Claptrap, who returned to the Vault Hunter, now covered in soot.
"Can't these autistic ****s just cool it off with their bull**** for, like, ten seconds? I swear, the more time I spend in this cesspool, the more I go crazy."
Braylon facepalmed. "You and me both. What was that anyways?"
"**** if I know. Something about dust. Nothing important."
Leaving the two bickering girls behind, Braylon and his robot companion marched forward, not bothering to stop at anyone or anything. Eventually they reached a large group of students, who were seemingly waiting for something to happen. There were also the two girls from earlier, along with the blonde one. He didn't hear their conversation because he was far from them, nor did he care. His reason for being there wasn't to make "friends", but to do something that could as well put the whole planet in danger.
His eyes slowly moved from side to side, taking a good look at the future students of the academy. So far he got the impression that none of them was exactly a hero material. While their weapons were mediocre at best, their "armor" left much to be desired, if it could even be called that. Also, none of them had anything that would resemble a Shield, thus increasing his skepticism at their ability to be usefuly in any way, shape or form.
And that was when the headmaster appeared.
"I'll... keep this brief." He started. Braylon and Claptrap ignored him and instead focused on a conversation of their own. A conversation that was, and we are being honest, thought-provoking and brimming with intellectual power.
"Ten bucks I say he lives a secret life as a pimp."
"That guy?" Claptrap snorted. "He looks like the biggest mother****ing cuck I've ever seen."
"Come on! He even has a cane!"
"He also has a loyal disciplinarian at his side who looks like an owner of a sex dungeon."
"... you do know that goes in my favor, right?"
"Hell no!"
"Hell yeah!"
Some nearby students shushed them as the woman, Glynda, reached the microphone and talked about a place where they would all gather for the night that was about to come. The introduction ended with that and soon everyone moved to the designated room.
The young Vault Hunter had no luck when it came to sleeping. It didn't matter how many sleeping drugs his PDA created or how much he tried to relax. Nothing could remove the horror that clawed at his sanity the moment his eyes. Before all of this happened, it was somehow manageable. All he needed to do was to activate one of PDA's functions which boosted his energy as if he drank several hundred cups of coffe. If he couldn't sleep, then he wouldn't sleep in the first place. But now, after he escaped from Hell, the problem became even more of a nightmare. Voices and images would randomly pop into his mind, sometimes he would start panicking, other times he would hold himself from becoming a pitiful pile on the floor, muttering and crying.
But that night, things were a tiny bit different. Since he didn't sleep, he sat on the floor, watching others doing it for him. Claptrap was busy doing something he didn't bother to notice and there was nothing else that would help him spend some time. At one point, the blond from earlier reached him and apologized for his... "problems".
"Apology accepted. Now fuck off. Last thing I need tonight is someone annoying like you." It served as a good enough offense to drove him away. What he truly needed was some peace for himself, at least for one night, before he returned to the horror show his life had become. Sadly, that peace would be far from his reach as long as people kept bickering loudly when they should go to sleep. In this case, the people in question were, how Braylon named them, White, Yellow and Red.
"Add a Black and we have the flag of Maryland, for fuck's sake."
Apparently Yellow dragged Red towards a fourth girl, they started chatting when White appeared out of nowhere, who started complaining. Yellow replied but was shushed by Red. The fourth girl got tired of their antics and blew out a candle, thus saving them all from his wrath, which probably wouldn't end well for any of them.
"At least that problem is solved, thank God."
While he didn't need to sleep, he still decided to lay in one of the bags provided by the academy. So far he found two possible options for solving his problem. Option A: if he wanted to do the task he received with minimal damage possible, then he needed to act like your average student, so that nobody would suspect anything, while secretly trying to discover where the cursed thing was. Option B: he went in, killed anyone in his path, destroy the thing and get out.
The rational mind told him to pick A, because it would be somewhat easier. But in order to understand why Braylon didn't decide rationally, we need to understand how rationality works. The theory of rationality says that, in order for a decision to be rational, two conditions must be met. One, you always have to ask yourself what would a rational person do in that particular situation. Two, that action must be executed. This is all fine and dandy in theory, but there are some... problems. First of all, the term "rational" is very broad. If for someone an action is rational, it is because they believe it to be. The other problem is that a person can also act irationally.
Finally frustrated, Braylon shoved the thoughts aside.
"Right. I better finish the initiation first. I hope it will be something easy."
Guest: Already answered the first question. As for the second one, I am still working on it, though I am inclined towards a no.
M1rzaTheBroJo: Hm, I am not sure. Will see how my mind plays it all out.