A/N: Hello Everyone! Welcome to the first installment of the highly anticipated Kamen Rider Saber X RWBY crossover! I know a lot of people favorited my cover photo for it, and I hope they enjoy it! Well, I won't keep you waiting! So then...
START YOUR ENGINE!
RWBY (c) Monty Oum
KR Saber (c) Toei
Any/all original characters are mine
Chapter 1 The Gathering Of The Chosen 4
The world of Remnant is a world not unlike our own, though it does have its' differences. Like the Grimm, for instance. Monsters of unimaginable strength and ability that plague the lives of the people living in the 4 Kingdoms. The ones who live to combat the threat posed by the Grimm are the men and women known as Huntsmen and Huntresses, respectively. But the ones who came before them were the great Knights of Logos, swordsmen that fought side by side with the Huntresses and Huntsmen and maintained peace throughout the land. Many great knights were remembered, but the strongest of all the knights were the ones who wielded the Seiken, legendary blades which were imbued with the power of the elements.
These swordsmen were ahead of their comrades in arms in terms of skills, abilities, and power. Each Seiken wielder was granted a special title, one that would evoke a message of hope whenever even a single one of them arrived on the scene of a battle, because this was someone who would always make the choice to stand for justice, even if they stood alone. These knights, these legendary swordsmen, were known...as Kamen Riders.
The sky was clear and the weather was perfect. Conditions like this were ideal for flying, and the crew of the large Vale Airship seemed to think so to. As the massive craft continued its' route to Beacon, one of the best Hunstmen/Huntress training schools in Remnant, the passengers inside of it were all filled with anticipation. As the sounds of different people conversing away continued to maintain their level of noise, a young man with a red flat cap over his face and a red and grey jacket draped over his front like a blanket slowly shifted in place as he slept quietly on one of the benches. While everyone else carried on with their conversations, the young man began to dream.
The crackling of flames and the sounds of horrified screams. The smell of ash and soot. The overwhelming heat. These were the first things he felt and heard as he rushed through the streets. He looked up as he was being led by an older woman. She was taller than him and her eyes were filled with panic as she led him by the arm down the street. Ahead of them, he saw a large temple atop a long staircase. Without wasting time, the two of them quickly trekked up the stairs. His body felt weak from the lack of oxygen due to the smoke and he had to take a knee as he tried to catch his breath. The woman looked back and leaned down toward him.
"Get up! I know you're tired, but we must get inside! There's no time"! She exclaimed, her tone indicating she was doing her best not to lose her composure.
He could only nod as he struggled back to his feet. Not wanting to push him further, the woman picked him up in her arms and began to go back up the stairs. She exclaimed as she a set of explosions went off near them. Looking behind them, she could only grimace as a group of grey humanoid figures and one man clothed in a black hooded robe looked up at them. The hooded man raised his hand, beckoning his followers to charge ahead, which they did. Not wanting to linger a minute more, the woman held the boy close to her as she quickly raced up the stairs. Until at last, they made it inside the temple. With the boy still in her arms, she quickly ducked behind a large statue. She looked at the frightened child in her arms with a stern yet gentle expression.
"No matter what happens, you must not lose this, and you must never let it fall into the wrong hands", She instructed as she reached into her robe.
She pulled out a small red book with the words "Brave Dragon" written on it. Gently placing it in both his hands, she looked at him.
"Promise me that one day you will use the power of this book to protect people and that you will not let something like this happen to anyone else ever again", She said.
The boy said nothing at first, but could tell that it was serious.
"I...I promise", He said softly.
"Good...stay here, I'm going to look for help", the woman said, kissing him on the crown of his head before standing up.
Slowly she crept to the side of the statue and rounded the corner. Now alone, the boy looked at the small book in his hands. He couldn't help but marvel at the dragon depicted on the cover.
"AAHHH"!
His thoughts were interrupted as he suddenly heard someone cry out in pain, followed by a loud thud. From where he was, all the boy could see was a pool of blood beginning to form from behind the corner.
"MOTHER"!
With a loud gasp, the young man shot up from where he was sitting, his hat falling off his face and onto his lap.
"That dream again", he muttered reaching down and clutching his hat.
He sighed as he stretched his arms before getting to his feet.
He failed to notice that his jacket had fallen off him as he stood up. The rest of his outfit consisted of a white short sleeved t-shirt beneath a grey sweater vest, khaki pants, and red boots. His name was Jason and as he adjusted his hat to where it was back on top of his head, which in turn revealed his dark brown eyes, he blinked tiredly as he rubbed his eyes, looking around.
"Hmm"? He hummed as he lightly smacked his lips, "Chase"?
He looked around for his companion but saw that he was nowhere in sight.
"Ah great", the boy sighed as he ran his hand through his dark black hair, "Guess I gotta go find him".
And with that, he left to look for his friend, unaware that he'd forgotten his jacket. As he walked away, a slender hand covered with a black fingerless glove slowly reached down and picked up the jacket. Meanwhile, in another common room on the airship, another young man with light chestnut brown hair and a stoic yet sullen expression in his pale blue eyes as he surveyed the outside of the Airship's window. He wore a Teal Blue Blazer over a black sweatshirt with a grey stripe, grey cargo pants, and black ankle cut boots. This young man was Chase Williams.
At the moment, he was doing his best to try and suppress the negative feelings that lingered after hearing the news report involving the White Fang, an organization founded for the cause of Faunus Rights who had once been peaceful but were now a group of terrorists bent on Faunus Supremacy. He'd had his fair share of run-ins with them in the past, but he had put it all behind him 3 years ago. Or at least, he was trying to.
"Chase"?
He turned his head to see Jason coming up to him at his left side.
"Well look who finally decided to wake up", Chase quipped snidely.
"Heh yeah, I guess my power nap did last quite a while", Jason chuckled nervously.
"A while? You've been asleep since the ship took off", Chase pointed out incredulously.
"Hey, I had trouble falling asleep and ended up pulling an all-nighter, what can I say"? Jason said.
"Hmph, sometimes I still can't believe they let someone like you join", Chase retorted, rolling his eyes, "Especially when you have so much trouble managing your time".
"Oh gimme a break already, will ya? It's not I've caused trouble for anyone! Other than myself, of course", Jason argued, "Besides, I passed the training same as you, AND I've got one of these".
Jason then proceeded to reach down, only to realize that something fell off. He looked down and quickly realized that he'd left his jacket behind.
"Aww crap", he cursed.
"Oh do let me guess, it was in your jacket"? Chase assumed.
Jason nodded.
"And now you seemed to have misplaced said jacket"? Chase deduced in a disappointed tone.
"Well, at least I got my wallet and my scroll still on me, heheh", Jason shrugged apprehensively.
"You idiot! Do you have any idea how much trouble this could cause"?! Chase fumed.
"Hey, just calm down"! Jason began, holding up his hands defensively, "I've got a pretty good idea where I-".
"Hey, is this yours"? A voice interrupted, as a hand clutching Jason's jacket appeared in front of him.
"Oh"! Jason exclaimed as he looked down and accepted his jacket, "Thanks for that! Saved me the trip of finding-".
Jason's suddenly found himself unable to finish his sentence as he got a better look at the one who had found his jacket. Before him stood a young woman about his age who stood about a half inch taller than he. She had fair-skin, lilac eyes and long, thick, wavy bright golden hair that faded to pale gold at the tips with a cowlick sticking out at the top. She wore a tan jacket that showed her midriff, with golden brown piping and short, puffy sleeves with black cuffs that featured two gold buttons. Beneath that, was a low-cut yellow crop top with what Jason assumed to be her emblem on the left side in black.
She also wore a pair of black fingerless gloves, two yellow metal braces on her wrists, a brown belt covered by a pleated brown piece of material reaching from hip to hip around the back of her waist, with her emblem emblazoned on the right-most pleat in gold, with a long, white, asymmetrical piece of material reaching to her knee on the right side underneath, a pair of tight black spandex compression shorts that reached her upper thighs, a pair of brown, knee-high boots and orange over-the-knee socks, with the right sock pushed down just below the knee. On her left knee was a tied gray bandanna. Simply put, to Jason, this girl was quite a lovely lady. As such, he found himself unable to finish his thought.
"I-I uhh...I umm", he stammered.
Raising a brow, the blonde girl couldn't help but smirk as if she were aware of the reason behind his current state of mind.
"Something the matter"? She asked.
"Ignore him", Chase said, stepping in, "Thank you for finding that for him".
"No problem", she replied with a shrug.
"You umm...you uhhh"! Jason said getting her attention.
"Yes"? She said.
"I mean uhh, thanks", Jason said with a nervous smile.
"You're welcome", she said, "My little sister has a habit of leaving stuff behind every now and then, too, so it's nothing new to me".
"Ah, is that so"? Jason said.
"I'm Yang, by the way", the girl said, introducing herself as she held out her hand, "Yang Xiao Long".
"Jason", He replied, taking her hand and giving it a firm shake before turning back towards his companion, "Oh and uhh, this is my friend, Chase".
The young man in blue simply nodded his head.
"Not much for introductions, is he"? Yang asked.
"He's actually not such a bad guy once you get to know him", Jason said with a shrug.
"Heh", Chase huffed as he crossed his arms.
"Right well, I'm gonna go find my sister, nice meeting you Jason", Yang said as she took her leave, "You too, Captain Grumpy".
"See ya around"! Jason said, smiling as he waved goodbye.
"What'd she just call me"? Chase asked with a frown.
"Aw come on, Chase, she was just joking", Jason defended as he put his jacket back on, "Besides, the way you scowl all the time, the name kinda suits you".
"Tch", Jason hissed as he rolled his eyes, "Let's just get ready, we'll be there soon".
"Right", Jason said with a nod.
A thought suddenly occurred to him and he quickly reached into his jacket's left pocket. Slowly, he pulled out a familiar looking red book. Thinking back to his dream, it'd been 10 years since he'd lost his memories. All he had to go on was his name, the book, and that single nightmare of a memory.
"Whatever this book is, I know it has to have something to do with my missing memories", he thought, "Hope you'll be able to help me connect the pieces of my past back together, Brave Dragon".
Beacon Academy - 2 Hours Later
The ship and several others started docking at the destination; a large castle like building encircled by an archway with a cobblestone path that lead to the entrance. This was Beacon Academy, the premiere choice school for those that desired to become Huntsmen and Huntresses. As soon as one of the ships landed, a young blonde-haired man emerged and ran over to the nearest trash can, hunching over it as he vomited. As this happened, Jason and Chase walked right past him.
"Yeesh, poor guy", Jason said sympathetically.
"It's his own fault", Chase said, "Either should've eaten lighter or packed something to take for it".
"Hmph, no love lost on you, eh partner"? Jason joked.
"We're not here to make friends, Jason", Chase refuted, "Don't forget why we're here".
"Yeah, I got it the last dozen times you told me, no need to go overboard", Jason replied with a roll of his eyes, "So, our contacts should be here now, right"?
"They should be", Chase confirmed, looking around.
To his dismay, the young man couldn't find hide nor hair of a familiar face.
"So where are they"? Jason prompted.
"Most likely they were on one of the different ships that landed", Chase deduced as he groaned irritably, "Guess we're gonna have to wait for them".
"You make it sound like a bad thing", Jason said incredulously, "Come on Chase, we're at Beacon! The most prestigious Huntsman training school in the world"!
Jason then proceeded to pull out a brown hardcover journal.
"This has got my writers' sense tingling like CRAZY"! Jason exclaimed excitedly as he pulled out a pen and began writing notes.
"I can't believe you still choose to pursue this little hobby of yours", Chase commented crassly.
"It's not a hobby! It's my passion"! Jason rebutted, "Besides, as I recall, you liked the last book I wrote".
Chase remained silent as he turned away.
"I didn't hear a denial~"! Jason sang teasingly.
"Just write your stupid notes", Chase snapped in annoyance, "I'm gonna go see if I can't find-".
KA-BOOM
Before Chase could finish his sentence, they were both suddenly taken off-guard by what sounded an explosion of fire, ice, and electricity.
"What the hell was that"? Chase muttered.
"Let's check it out", Jason said decisively, putting away his journal and pointing ahead of them, "It came from over there"!
They quickly made their way to where they heard the explosion and saw a girl about their age with black hair and golden yellow eyes with a book in one hand and a bottle of, what they assumed to be, Dust in the other. Looking over her outfit, the boys could see that she was wearing a black, buttoned vest with coattails and a single silver button on the front over a white, sleeveless, high necked, crop undershirt and tight white spandex compression shorts that reached her upper thighs with a zipper on the front of each leg.
She also had black low-heeled boots and full stockings with a color gradation of black to purple at her ankles, with a white emblem resembling that of both a flame and a flower, that was visible on the outside of both thighs just below her shorts. On her left arm was a black detached sleeve with a silver cuff around her bicep, and black ribbons wrapped around both her forearms. She also wore a small, loose, black scarf that was wrapped around her neck, and a gray magnetic backpack on her back, which was hidden by her hair, with a small sword like weapon attached to it. Completing the outfit was a black ribbon tied with a large bow that sat at the top of her head.
Going on the assumption that this girl might know what had just happened, Jason decided to go ahead and ask.
"Excuse me"! He said, stepping towards her, "Excuse me, miss"?
The girl in question glanced up from her book to see Jason approaching her.
"Uh sorry to interrupt your reading, I'm sure it's a very interesting book", Jason apologized.
"It is", Blake replied simply before getting back to her reading.
"Is it so interesting you can't take the time to answer one simple question"? Chase asked snidely as he walked up and stood next to Jason.
The dark-haired girl glared at the newcomer, who promptly returned the expression.
"Hey now, no need for any of that", Jason scolded gently before turning back to the girl, "Let's start over; Hi, I'm Jason, what's your name"?
The girl's expression softened as she looked back over at the more reasonable of the pair.
"Blake", she replied.
"Okay, Blake", Jason addressed as he lead into the question, "We came here because we heard an explosion go off. What happened"?
After some deliberation, Blake decided that, of the two who'd approached her just now, at least Jason had seemingly better manners than his companion. Seeing no harm in answering his question, she closed her book and gave him her full attention.
"Two girls were arguing just now", Blake explained, "One of them had a bottle of Dust that wasn't closed all the way and kept shaking it which made the other sneeze and well...".
She then motioned over to a thin cloud of black smoke that was beginning to dissipate.
"All that from one little sneeze"? Jason asked in disbelief.
"You'd be surprised", Chase spoke up, "Dust's very volatile".
"That's putting it lightly", Blake added.
"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about"!
After looking closely, they could see two figures covered in soot appear from the smoke. Though it managed to dissipate after a moment, allowing Jason and Chase to get a better look at them. On one side stood a short a fair-skinned young girl with silver eyes and neck-length black hair with red tips. She wore a black dress consisting of a long-sleeved blouse with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, over a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front, and a matching skirt with red lining and a red petticoat. She also wore a wide black belt with a large silver rose shaped buckle, a pouch, and a row of bullets attached to it, which was slung around her hips on an angle. As well as a pair of thick black tights that faded to red near the bottom, and black combat boots with red laces, red trims around the top, and red biggest eyecatcher was the red hooded cloak fastened to her shoulders by cross-shaped pins.
In front of her stood a rather annoyed, pale-skinned young woman with pale blue eyes and long white hair that was pulled back into an off-center ponytail which was pinned with a silver, icicle-shaped tiara. Her most notable feature was a scar that ran vertically down her left eye and face. Her outfit consisted of a thigh-length strapless dress with a faint color gradation from white to pale blue at the hem. A small piece of black lace sat in the front of her neckline and the hem of the dress was scalloped and stitched to resemble snowflakes, with layers of white tulle under the skirt. Over this, she wore a bell-sleeved bolero with the same color gradation as her dress from shoulder to wrist, lined in red and with a ruffled collar. On the back of the bolero was a snowflake shaped emblem.
She also wore a small apple shaped pendant on a silver chain, thin, rectangular silver earrings, along with a pair of white, wedged heeled boots that were higher at the back than the front, with a small silver decoration across the top of the foot lined in red. A thin white sash is tied around her waist with a pouch attached to the back. She gave off a kind of "debutante" vibe to Jason.
"Unbelievable! This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about"! The white-haired girl exclaimed irately.
"I'm really, really sorry"! The shorter girl apologized, visibly embarrassed by her blunder.
"Ugh, you complete dolt"! The white-haired girl continued as she insulted the red hooded girl, "What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon"?
"Well, I-I...-"
"Hey"!
Before she could finish, Jason had finally decided to intervene.
"That's enough of that"! He said firmly, stepping in front of the shorter girl, "You don't need to be so mean".
"Why don't you mind your own business? This has nothing to do with you", The young debutante said turning her nose at him.
"Like I'm gonna buy that for a minute", Jason said rolling his eyes before sighing, "Look, I don't know who you are, but you don't need to go on insulting someone who's-"!
"Wait wait wait wait, back up a minute"! The white-haired girl said, holding up a hand, "You don't know who I am?...Is that a joke"?
"Umm...no", Jason said with a shrug.
"You seriously don't know who I am"?! She repeated in outrageous disbelief placing a hand on her chest, "What, were you living under a rock before coming here?! Everyone in ATLAS knows me"!
"Ummm, good for you"? Jason said in confusion, "But that doesn't really answer the question".
"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world", Blake elaborated as she and Chase approached with the others with bottle in hand.
"Finally! Some recognition"! Weiss said smugly as she placed her hands on her hips.
"Oh! I figured you were some kind of debutante", Jason piped up, "Guess I was right".
"What did you-hmm, well actually yes, that is an accurate description of me isn't it"? Weiss said taking a moment to ponder what he said.
"The Schnee Dust Company...Isn't that the same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners"? Chase inquired with a smirk.
"The very same", Blake confirmed with a nod.
"Wha- How dare- The nerve of... Ugh"! Weiss stammered angrily unable to find the words. As Ruby and Jason chuckled, the young heiress walked up to Blake 'til they were face to face and swiped the bottle from her before walking off in a huff, her helpers gathering her luggage and following close behind.
"Maybe we can join you for afternoon tea sometime"! Chase called after her disingenuously, "Unless you'll be busy chewing someone else out for no good reason"!
Jason and Ruby found themselves laughing out loud at that. Even Blake, who retained a neutral expression, ended up giving the smallest of grins. As the laughter died down, the red hooded girl took a step forward in the direction where Weiss had walked off.
"I promise I'll make this up to you"! She vowed as the white-haired heiress stormed off.
With that having been said, the wielder of the Brave Dragon book stepped forward.
"Are you okay"? Jason asked the girl, "Not every day I meet a girl who can just walk away from getting blown up".
"Oh no, I'm fine", the girl replied, "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day. Thanks for sticking up for me back there".
"No problem", Jason assured, "Oh, right, I'm Jason, and this is Chase".
Chase gave a nod as the short girl glanced at him. Feeling a bit better now that she met two decently social people, the girl smiled.
"Ruby Rose", she said, introducing herself.
"That's a nice name", Jason said, "Oh right, and this is-huh? Where'd she go"?
Jason turned to introduce Blake but the bow wearing girl had vanished. Looking around, they all saw that she, too, had decided to take her leave and was walking away, her back turned to them.
"Um, okay, see you around"! Jason called out to her as she left.
The girl merely gave a half-hearted wave in reply. As this happened, Ruby let out a sigh as she fell to her knees and collapsed to the ground on her back.
"Welcome to Beacon...", she muttered as she closed her eyes.
Jason and Chase looked down at the girl, unsure of what to say. Before either of them could speak, a shadow appeared over her. She opened her eyes to see a blonde-haired boy with fair skin and dark-blue eyes standing over her. He wore a black short-sleeved hoodie with detached reddish-orange sleeves beneath a sparse suit of armor consisting of a white diamond-shaped chest plate cut off above his lower abdomen, and a pair of white spaulders over his shoulders with vambraces set under them. wears blue jeans with a white patch placed on the left knee and two belts crisscrossing his waist, both different shades of brown, with a pair of small pouches on them a pair of black sneakers. A blue handled arming sword sheathed in a gold and white scabbard hung at his side on one of the belts.
"Hey... I'm Jaune", he said holding out his hand to Ruby.
"Ruby", She replied, taking his hand as she got to her feet, "Aren't you the guy that threw up on the ship?
"Wait, that was you"?! Jason and Chase asked in unison as Jaune suddenly blanched in embarrassment.
Later, after Ruby introduced her two new friends to Jaune, the 4 of them got to talking as they walked across a winding road alongside a river.
"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on"! Jaune insisted defensively.
"No one's disagreeing with you, okay? Just get over it", Chase said indifferently.
"Oh come on! You don't have to say it like that"! Jaune complained.
"Look, I'm sorry"! Ruby chuckled, "Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind".
"Oh, yeah"? Jaune countered, "What if I called you Crater Face"?
"Hey, that explosion was an accident"! Ruby emphasized.
"Calm down, Ruby, it's over and done with", Jason said soothingly, patting her shoulder, "Let's all get along, okay"?
"You're right", Ruby sighed.
"Yeah", Jaune agreed, "Well anyway, the name's Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it"!
"Do they"? Ruby and Chase both asked skeptically.
"They will"! Jaune assured as his confidence began to dip, "Well, I-I hope they will. My mom always says that... Never mind".
Jason and Ruby chuckled. The red hooded huntress in training suddenly noticed the sound of scribbling. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Jason was writing in his notebook.
"What're ya writing"? Ruby asked.
"Oh, it's just some notes for my book", Jason said, glancing over at Ruby, "This whole encounter's kinda inspired me".
"No way, you're writing a book"?! Ruby asked with immediate intrigue.
"He's writing a second book", Chase scoffed.
"Oh my gosh, you're an author"?! Ruby asked with a look of excitement in her eyes, "Wait a second...".
Ruby stopped dead in her tracks, causing the others to stop as she went over everything she just learned in her head.
"Author...published book...and he said his name was...", Ruby said, trying to put the pieces together in her head.
Suddenly, a lightbulb went off as her eyes widened.
"Don't tell me"! She gasped as she looked at Jason, immediately recognizing him, "You're Jason Volos"!?
The young man in question gave a nod and shrugged his shoulders.
"That's me", he confirmed with a tip of his cap.
"Who now"? Jaune asked.
"Jason Volos"! Ruby repeated, pointing over to the boy in question, "He's the author of the first installment of the latest fantasy series "Knights Of Wonder" that came out last year! It may still be new, but it's already a BIG HIT, both with the critics AND the readers"!
She quickly reached to her side to pull out a small book titled, "Knights of Wonder – Book 1: Paladin's Genesis".
"I've already finished it but I can't help myself from reading it again and again"! Ruby said, holding the book close to her as she jumped in place excitedly.
"Still can't believe you went with that title", Chase said in disapproval.
"Hey, it's evocative and it's foreboding", Jason defended.
"With a hint of pretentiousness, to top it off", Chase added.
"Whatever, you're not my editor", Jason dismissed, rolling his eyes, "Besides, it doesn't matter how pretentious it sounds, it's already sold over 500-"!
BING!
A sound came from Jason's jacket pocket. After reaching in and pulling out his scroll, he read the notification that appeared on the screen.
"Scratch that, 550 copies since it came out last year", Jason noted, puffing up his chest as he crossed his arms, "And by the end of this year, I'll have sold a thousand of them".
As Chase rolled his eyes, Jaune let out an impressed whistle.
"Not bad", He said, giving a thumbs up.
"U-um, uh", Ruby said, shaking as she held her book out to Jason, "C-could you maybe-I mean...can I...pleasehaveyourautograph"?
Jason couldn't help but smile. Despite the success of his first book, what really made it worthwhile, to him, was fans like Ruby who enjoyed it.
"Absolutely", Jason said, taking the book from her.
"Eeeeeeheeheeheeee"! Ruby squealed gleefully, as she bounced up and down.
Chase simply rubbed at his ear with a bemused look while Jaune simply smiled.
"Thank you SO much"! Ruby said as he handed the book back to her, "So what's in the next book? Will we see any new characters?! Is there-"?!
"Ah ah ah", Jason said, wagging his finger, "We may be friends now but no, and I mean no spoilers. Wouldn't be fair to the other readers, now would it"?
"I guess you're right", Ruby conceded.
A moment of awkward silence passed as they suddenly found themselves without a new topic of conversation. After a brief second, Ruby decided to be the one to break the ice.
"So... I got this thing"! She said.
The young Huntress in training then pulled out a large rose red colored scythe with black trims, crescent shaped blade before stabbing it into the ground. This was Crescent Rose, Ruby's signature weapon.
"Wow"! Jason said in amazement.
"Whoa! Is that a scythe"? Jaune asked.
"Hmm, don't see too many of those nowadays", Chase noted, "Definitely makes it all the more unique".
"Thanks"! Ruby said with a proud grin, "It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle".
"A-wha..."? Jaune asked in confusion.
Ruby simply smiled as she cocked her weapon like a rifle.
"It's also a gun", Ruby clarified.
"Oh", Jaune said in realization, "That's cool"!
Feeling a sudden surge of inspiration, Jason turned away from the others as he began jotting down the new ideas flowing through him into his notebook.
"So, what've you got"? Ruby asked.
"Oh! I, uh... I got this sword"! Jaune said nervously as he unsheathed the blade at his hip.
"Ooooohh"! Ruby marveled.
Though he wouldn't say it right away, Chase was also a bit intrigued by the young blonde's weapon.
"Yeah, and I've got a shield, too"! Jaune said as he placed the scabbard on his arm before having it expand into a shield with a double crescent emblem.
"Not a bad design", Chase noted, "Very practical".
"Thanks", Jaune replied.
"So, what do they do"? Ruby asked as she placed her hand on the shield.
Jaune fumbled with the shield as it retracted off his arm, expanded, and then retracted again before putting it back in place and retracting it for the final time as he placed it on his belt.
"The shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of carrying it, I can just... put it away...", Jaune explained.
"But... wouldn't it weigh the same"? Ruby asked.
"Yeah, it does...", Jaune said dejectedly.
"You're kind of at a disadvantage if all you have to rely on is close range attacks, y'know", Chase pointed out.
"Chase"! Ruby chided.
"No no! He's right, I am", Jaune said as he slouched a bit.
Ruby couldn't help but giggle a bit.
"Well, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons, sooo... I guess I did go a little overboard when designing it", She admitted.
This caught the attention of the three boys accompanying her.
"Wait! You made that"?! Jaune asked in disbelief.
"Not bad", Chase noted as Jason walked over to his side.
"She's kinda like Vulcan, only more social and extroverted", Jason noted in a hushed tone to Chase who nodded in agreement.
"Of course! All students at Signal forge their own weapons"! Ruby replied, "Didn't you make yours"?
"It's a hand-me-down", Jaune responded, "My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war".
Once again, Chase was immediately intrigued.
"Sounds more like a family heirloom to me"! Ruby stated with a laugh.
Without a word, Chase walked over to Jaune and held out his hand.
"May I"? He asked.
Jaune and Ruby looked at him curiously, while Jason simply smiled, already knowing what his partner had in mind. After figuring out that the blue garbed young man was asking to see the sword, Jaune reluctantly handed him the blade. Walking a few feet away from the others, Chase began to assess the weapon. Spinning it in one hand, he began swinging it with precise slashes and technique.
"What's he doing"? Jaune asked nervously.
"Oh that's just a thing he does sometimes", Jason assured vaguely.
"What kind of thing"? Ruby asked.
"Chase trained as a swordsman for most of his life, so he's kinda got what you'd call a "fondness" for them", Jason explained, "Knowing you have a sword that was used to fight in the war, you could say he's also assessing you, Jaune".
"Me"? Jaune asked.
"Yeah, in making sure it's in good condition, he's also figuring out what you're like as a person", Jason elaborated, "After all, you can tell a lot about a Huntsman in the way they maintain their weapons".
"Very true"! Ruby agreed.
With a loud grunt, Chase then performed a diagonal slash. With his assessment now complete, Chase held the sword in both hands and walked over to Jaune.
"This is a good blade", Chase said as he presented it back to Jaune, "You've done well so far in taking care of it. Don't fall behind in that. A blade as old as this needs to be maintained".
Jaune was quite surprised at this. In the short time he'd known Chase, he'd come off as an aloof, sarcastic, man of few words. But he could tell by the look in his eyes that the fellow swordsman before him meant every word.
"I will", Jaune said, taking the sword back, "And thanks".
"Well, I certainly like it! Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days", Ruby piped up.
"Yeah, the classics...", Jaune said as he slid the sword back into its' scabbard.
"So what about you guys"? Ruby asked, glancing between Jason and Chase.
The two in question exchanged a look of unsurety.
"Well, shall we"? Jason asked.
"Might as well", Chase sighed, "Certainly wasn't expecting a whole "Show & Tell" thing during the first few minutes of our arrival but...".
Jason reached to his side and pulled out a small shield shaped tablet that was about the size of a bar of soap. Cracking a smile as he saw he had Jaune and Ruby's attention, he tapped the side of the tablet, tossed it up in the air and, within seconds, it expanded to form a crested shield. As Jason caught the shield once it descended far enough, Ruby and Jaune both marveled in wonder as they got a closer look at it. It was roughly about the same height as Jaune's shield, but not as wide. It was silver with red lining with his own emblem on the front; a red X shape that had a pointed line above it that resembled a blade.
"Presenting the Three Form Combat Shield – known in shorthand, as the Tri-Tector", Jason said proudly.
"Wowwwww", Ruby and Jaune both said in amazement.
"Wait, Tri-Tector"? Jaune asked curiously.
"Short for trinity, which is another way of saying three", Chase explained, "And "tector", which is taken from protector, which is a shield's basic function".
"Ohhh, clever", Jaune said.
"So? So? What're the three forms"?! Ruby asked with anticipation.
"Well for melee and close range...", Jason began to Ruby's delight.
He then held the shield to where the end was now facing him and then proceeded to pull a small tab at the back of the shield which caused two blades to pop out at the end and connect with one another to form, surprising both Ruby and Jaune.
"Blade Mode", He introduced as Chase held up the weapon.
"Ahhhh", Jaune said as he and Ruby gave a small applause.
"Very nice", Ruby said.
"And for long range", Jason said, leading into the next part of the demonstration.
The young author then picked up the shield and twisted the handle around and pulled it out. A small trigger shaped button appeared at the end where the handle met the rest of the shield. After pulling on the top of the shield, a gun muzzle appeared at the end.
"Gun mode", Jason finished.
Ruby had stars in her eyes as she felt like a kid looking at all the new toys on display at the mall. Jaune was certainly impressed, as well.
"So what've you got Chase"? Ruby asked, now properly invested.
The young swordsman looked over at his partner who simply nodded. With a sigh, Chase reached into his coat and pulled out a pistol with an extended magazine. It was silver, and dark blue with turquoise lining. It also had Chase's emblem on it; a blue V shape with a longer left line, and like Jason's, it had a pointed blade-like line above it.
"Ohhhh, a machine pistol"! Ruby awed with stars in her eyes.
"I've dubbed it Fangslayer", Chase said holding out his firearm, "It's capable of single shot and rapid-fire and has 4 different types of dust ammo, just in case".
"Nice", Ruby said.
Without warning, Chase pressed a small switch on the gun's side, making it give off a loud beeping sound. The young swordsman then pressed down on the extended magazine until it slid all the way into the handle. As it did, a shaft popped up at the top of the gun, along with a silver blade that was three feet long.
"It's also a sword", Chase finished.
"Guess we know why you're so good with a blade now", Jaune said nervously, scratching the back of his head.
"I've had ample time to train, it's true", Chase admitted as he converted his weapon back to its' primary gun form and placed it back in the holster inside his jacket, "But don't sell yourself short. My master told me that a warrior's best skill isn't in technique, but in how he conducts himself".
Jaune couldn't help but be moved, and a little inspired by those words. Jason and Ruby simply smiled as the seemingly stoic young man let down his walls, if only for a moment. With the weapons show and tell now over and done with, they decided to get moving again.
"So why'd you help me out back there"? Ruby asked Jason, "In the courtyard"?
"Well uhh, y'know, if you're able to help someone, then you should", Jason answered simply after putting away his shield, "That's what I was taught growing up and I've never been given reason to doubt it. At least, not yet".
"Heheh, well either way, I appreciate it", Ruby said gratefully.
"I was kinda thinking the same thing", Jaune interjected, "Y'know, when I was helping you up and all? Like my mom always says, 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.' ".
Naive as it sounded, Chase wasn't about to disrespect the wisdom of somebody's mother.
"Well said, Mr. Jaune", Jason said.
"Hmm", Ruby mused as she looked around, "Hey, where are we going"?
"Oh, I don't know! I was following you guys", Jaune replied.
They all came to a complete stop in realizing that none of them bothered to check where they were supposed to be headed.
"So...we're lost"? Jason presumed.
"Oh perfect"! Chase groaned
Meanwhile, everyone else who'd arrived were already inside Beacon Academy's giant auditorium. The entire room was filled to the brim with people. Two young men were waiting to meet up with Jason and Chase. One of them was getting particularly antsy. He was a fair skinned young man with short black hair, dark green eyes. His outfit consisted of grey long-sleeved shirt beneath a black hooded vest, olive drab cargo pants, and black combat boots. He also wore a green scarf around his neck. His name was Haru and, as he fidgeted in place, it was apparent that he didn't have much patience.
"Hey Des, how much longer do we have to wait"? He complained, "They're about to start things off".
His companion, who stood next to him, couldn't help but smile. He was a taller light brown skinned young man with a rather attractive face, dark hair that came down to the tops of his shoulders and light brown eyes. His outfit consisted of a brown, leather duster coat with buttons on both sides over a white v-neck tunic with laces at the chest and a black belt securing it at his waist. Beneath this he wore a pale-yellow long-sleeved shirt. He also wore a pair of black cargo pants and brown leather ankle boots. This young man's preferred name was Desmond, or Des for short.
"Have a little patience, Haru, I'm sure they'll be here soon", Des said in assurance.
"You've been saying that for the last hour, now", Haru pointed out with a bemused expression.
"They probably got lost", Des assumed, "It is a pretty big place, and it's not like we had the chance to study the campus map, before or after we got here".
"True", Haru relented.
Des looked over the crowd to see if he could see them at all. To his delight, he spotted a familiar looking boy in a blue blazer just walking in with a boy in a red flat cap and two others.
"Chase! Hey Chase"! Des shouted while waving his hand in an attempt to get his attention.
"Oh you see him"? Haru asked, "Where is he"?
"There! He just walked in", Des said, pointing over the crowd.
"Okay then, I've got this one"! Haru said as he cleared his throat and took a deep breath, "YO, CHASE! WE'RE OVER HERE MAN"!
The blue clad boy in question winced as he immediately recognized the owner of the voice. He looked to see Des and Haru about 15 feet from where they were.
"Come on, let's go", Chase said, giving Jason a nudge.
"Right", Jason said before turning to Ruby and Jaune, "We'll see you guys later, we're gonna find a better spot".
"Oh! Uh, okay"! Ruby said as she waved goodbye to the two.
"Seemed like they were in a bit of a rush, don't ya think"? Jaune noted.
After making their way through the vast swarms of people, Chase and Jason finally made it over to where Des and Haru were.
"Good to see you, Chase", Des said, taking the young swordsman's hand into a firm handshake.
"And you, Desmond", Chase replied courteously as he returned the gesture.
"Bout time ya got here, Chasey", Haru teased, "I was started to go stir-crazy from waiting so long".
"I see you're as impatient as ever, Haruki", Chase stated in an unamused tone.
"Hey, I've told ya, I like to be called Haru"! The younger man shouted indignantly.
"Whatever", Chase said with disinterest as he turned to Jason, "Anyway, I'd like you both to meet Jason Volos, the one you were informed of".
The young writer simply waved to the other two.
"Jason, this is Desmond and Haru, they're fellow knights and will be our comrades for this mission", Chase said, introducing them.
"Nice to meet you", Jason said as he and Des shook hands.
"Likewise,", Des said in response.
"I look forward to working with you", Jason as he switched to Haru and held out his hands toward him.
"Man, you don't just look like a noob, you sound like one, too", Haru noted bluntly.
Jason nearly lost his balance upon hearing that. The other two swordsmen exchanged a look of exhaustion.
"Here we go", They both sighed.
"E-excuse me? Noob"? Jason repeated, rather offended by the younger man's statement.
"Yeah, I mean, you don't have a sword or armor, and you've barely gotten any experience since joining the guild", Haru noted, listing off everything he'd been told regarding Jason, "You ain't nothing but a noob, man".
"Hey, just because I'm new, doesn't mean you can just call me that like it doesn't mean anything"! Jason said irritably.
"Aw, lighten up, man! It's not your fault", Haru said dismissively as he placed his hands behind his head, "I mean you still got that Wonder Ride Book. Without that, they'd have kicked you out by now".
"Haru, that's enough", Des chided.
"What? It's true", Haru defended holding up his hands, "There's not a single member of the guild who doesn't have a book to use, it's a standard requirement. The fact that he managed to get his hands on one and channel its' power, even if it was just for a single moment, proves he's got potential".
"Hate to say it, but he's got a point", Chase spoke up, "Still though, we should remember why we're here".
The other three boys nodded their heads in understanding. The sound of microphone feedback caught everyone's attention. Up on the stage at the front was an older middle-aged man with with tousled silver hair and thin brown eyes. He wore shaded glass spectacles with a small, purple, cross-shaped pin on the cowl around his neck, an unzipped black suit over a dark green, buttoned vest and green shirt. He also had on black trouser shoes and long, dark-green pants. In his left hand was a black cane with a silver handle. This was the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, Professor Ozpin.
At his side was a green eyed, blonde-haired middle-aged woman who had her hair tied back in a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. She wore thin ovular glasses over her eyes and had dangling teal earrings that matched the hanging pendant on her collar. In addition to that, she wore a white long-sleeved, pleated blouse that had a wide keyhole neckline and gauntlet cuffs that flared in pleats at the wrists and a black high-waisted pencil skirt with bronze buttons and black stockings that faded to brown. She also had on a pair of black boots with bronze heels and a black cape that was purple inside and had been stylized at the end in flames and arrows, with a row of diamond-shaped bronze beads on the back. Above the line of beads was her personal emblem, a tiara, emblazoned on it.
She was Glynda Goodwitch, a fellow professor and Headmistress of Beacon Academy.
"I'll... keep this brief", Ozpin said into the mic, "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step".
As the 4 Knights listened, Jason couldn't help but feel motivated by this.
"As expected, Professor Ozpin is just as sagely as he is on the news", he thought, "If not moreso".
As Ozpin took his leave, Ms. Goodwitch stepped up to take over.
"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins", She instructed into the microphone, "Be ready. You are dismissed".
As the Headmistress of Beacon left, all the students went back to socializing.
"We should make a plan for tomorrow", Chase decided, "It's best that we be prepared".
"Yeah, with a Huntsman school as prestigious as Beacon, it's not too out there to assume our "initiation's" going to be so simple", Des said in agreement.
"Aw what're ya so worried about? Sounds like it's gonna be a lotta fun"! Haru said jovially, "Wonder how many Grimm we'll get to put the smackdown on? Bet I'll get more than any of you guys"!
"Would it kill you to take this seriously for once"?! Chase asked in exasperation.
As the three of them carried on their conversation, Jason couldn't find it in him to join in. His stomach felt a bit heavy in the realization that tomorrow would bring the answer to the question he hadn't thought to ask himself until now. And that question was, did he belong here?
Later that night, everyone who had gathered in the ballroom had changed into their sleepwear and were splayed out in sleeping bags. Jason, who wore a red and black sweatshirt with black sweatpants, lay on his back as his head was being propped up a couple pillows on his sleeping bag. Wanting to take his mind off of the cold feet he had back during the assembly, he decided to distract himself by writing down some more stuff in his journal. Chase, who lay on his own sleeping bag at the right side opposite of Jason, wore a dark blue sleeveless shirt and black sweatpants with a white stripe running down the side. The young knight scowled as he tried to fall asleep, but it was to no avail. Opening his eyes, he looked over a few feet away from him at Haru, whose night clothes consisted of a dark green pajama shirt and pants with light green shurikens on them and grey socks, and who was also snoring at the top of his lungs.
Having reached his limit, Chase growled as he stood up with his pillow and sleeping bag in hand.
"That's it, I'm finding somewhere else to sleep"! He hissed.
Jason couldn't help but chuckle at this. The brunette swordsman groaned as he looked for a place to settle into. He then saw a vacant spot next to a familiar looking bow wearing girl reading a book by candlelight. Given the fact that he was tired, and that Blake seemed like the most reasonable classmate he and Jason had met since they first arrived, Chase decided to go over to her.
"Hey", he said, gaining her attention, "It's Blake, right"?
The raven-haired girl in question looked up from her book. Now in her sleeping attire, she wore a black, long-sleeved, Yukata style shirt with white edging over a purple undershirt and a matching skirt that stopped just above her knees, allowing her bare legs to be seen. A black obi was wrapped around her waist and tied with a black and white string.
"Oh, you're from earlier", Blake said in recognition, "Sorry, didn't catch your name".
"Chase", He answered before pointing to the empty spot to her right, "Mind if I take this spot"?
"Wouldn't you rather be with your friends"? She asked curiously before getting back to her book.
"Not when they're sawing logs in their sleep", Chase grumbled.
Having been confused by his statement, Blake looked up from her book at Chase with a confounded expression. With a bemused look on his face, Chase simply jerked his thumb to the left in the direction he'd just came from, where Blake could see, and hear, Haru snoring up a storm.
"Heheheh, yeah take that, I'm the strongest and you know it", Haru mumbled in his sleep before he went back to snoring.
"Fair enough", Blake conceded with a shrug of her shoulders before motioning over to the empty spot, "Help yourself".
"Thank you", Chase sighed as he set his things down on the vacant spot.
Plopping himself down on the sleeping bag, he leaned his head against the pillow. With Haru far enough away to not be heard, Chase began to relax as he closed his eyes and began to fall asleep. As this was happening, Ruby, who'd changed into her own pajamas, which consisted of a black tank top with a heart-shaped Beowolf design on the chest, long white pants decorated with pink roses and a black sleeping mask decorated with triangular red eyes, was lying on her stomach, writing something down in her own journal. Just then, Yang made her presence known. Her pajamas were a simple orange tank top with a red version of her and black shorts. Like Ruby, her feet were bare.
"It's like a BIG slumber party"! She observed as she plopped down next to her little sister.
" I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys, though", Ruby noted, not looking up from her journal.
"I know I do"! Yang countered, purring as she spotted several muscular, shirtless guys.
Just then, Jaune, dressed in blue footie pajamas, walked by and waved to her, causing Yang to groan before she turned her attention back to Ruby.
"What's that"? She asked.
"A letter to the gang back at Signal", Ruby replied, taking a momentary pause from her writing, "I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going".
"Aw, that's so cuuuute"! Her older sister cooed before getting knocked back by a pillow launched at her face.
"Shut up"! Ruby huffed, "I didn't get to take my friends with me to school! It's weird not knowing anyone here"!
"What about Jaune"? Yang brought up, "He's... nice! There you go! Plus one friend! That's a hundred percent increase!
"Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend. Back to zero...", Ruby countered bitterly as she turned over onto her back.
"And those other two guys who were with you? The one who stood up to Weiss for you and that grouchy swordsman"? Yang said, "What about them? I didn't really stick around them long enough to form much of an opinion, but they're cool, right"?
To her surprise, Ruby had realized that meeting those two had slipped her mind. Now that she remembered, she began to give it some thought.
"Well I mean, it's true Chase does seem pretty rough around the edges", Ruby said pensively, putting a hand to her chin as she stared up at the ceiling, "But the way he performed all those sword slashes? Man you should've seen him, he looked like a natural at it! And he seems like the type of guy who sees a weapon as more than just an item, but your partner in battle. Something that's admirable in its' own right".
"And your so-called hero"? Yang asked, delving further into the topic.
"Well, I guess that's as good a word as any to describe him", Ruby said with a smile, "He didn't even know me and he just stepped in to defend my honor without a second thought. He's...a really sweet guy".
"Sweet, huh"? Yang repeated as a coy smile appeared on her face, "In that case, mind introducing me to him"?
"Yang"! Ruby said in a knowing and irritated tone.
"What? It's not like you wanna date him, is it"? Yang asked.
"Well, I mean he is sweet and, if I'm being completely honest, easy on the eyes", Ruby said after giving it some thought, "But I don't think he's really my type".
"I see", Yang said as she put on a thoughtful expression, "Crazy how we both met them at different times, isn't it"?
"No kidding", Ruby said in agreement.
"So you wouldn't have a problem if I took a shot at Jason, then"? Yang asked playfully.
"Heh, good luck getting past his fans", Ruby retorted jokingly, "The book he wrote is pretty popular".
"Like I'm gonna get scared of a few crazed fangirls", Yang replied dismissively.
The two sisters couldn't help but laugh. Once the laughter had died down, Yang decided to switch from the boy talk back to the previous topic.
"Y'know, whether it's a good first impression or not, there's no such things as negative friends! You just made one friend and one enemy"! Yang said before getting hit with a dog shaped pillow, this time looking like a dog, to the face, "Look, it's only been one day. Trust me, there's still plenty of other people to make friends with! You just haven't met them yet"!
The two sisters noticed a light from a candle nearby and looked to see Blake leaning against a wall and reading her book, with Chase resting at her right.
"That girl...", Ruby said, recognizing her.
"You know her"? Her sister asked.
"Not really", Ruby clarified before elaborating, "She saw what happened this morning with Jason and Chase, but left before I could say anything".
"Well, now's your chance"! Yang decided, grabbing Ruby by the arm and stood up.
"Wait! What are you doing?! Ruby protested as she was suddenly lifted up.
Blake looked up from her book to see Ruby unsuccessfully struggling against Yang's grip as she led her sister over to Blake's spot before letting go.
"Hel-looooo"! Yang greeted in a sing song voice, "I believe you two may know each other"?
"Oh, what now"?! Chase groaned as he was roused from his sleep.
As he sat up, he looked to see Ruby and Yang standing in front of Blake, the former of which looked a bit sheepish as he looked at them with an irritated scowl.
"Oh, it's just you", Chase sighed.
"Nice to see you again, Captain Grumpy", Yang joked.
"Don't call me that", Chase said.
"O-kay then, Chase", Yang relented in a halfhearted tone, "So where's your buddy"?
"Somewhere else, why don't ya go and look for him while I get some sleep"? Chase replied as he turned to lay on his side.
"Wow, you must be a real hit at parties", Yang remarked sarcastically.
"Tch", Chase huffed.
Deciding that any other topic would be better than this, Blake decided to be the one to switch gears.
"Aren't you... that girl that exploded earlier"? Blake inquired, turning to Ruby.
"Uh, yeah! My name's Ruby"! The shorter girl said, holding out her hand, "But you can just call me Crater...".
Upon realizing that sounded better in her head, Ruby decided it was best not to finish that.
"Actually, you can just call me Ruby", she corrected sheepishly.
"Okay", Blake replied simply before going back to her book.
It didn't take a genius to see that this meet and greet wasn't exactly the most engaging of sorts, and Chase was well aware of that. With a groan, he decided to act.
"Her name's Blake, in case you wanted to ask", He said before laying back on his side, "You're welcome".
Blake gave the young swordsman a curt frown as she looked over at him. Whereas Yang and Ruby were grateful for his help in speeding things along.
"Well, Blake, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister"! The blonde-haired huntress said, introducing herself, "I like your bow"!
"Thanks"! Blake said irately before getting back to her book.
"It goes great with your... pajamas"! She noted.
"Right...", Blake responded without looking up.
"Nice night, don't you think"? Yang observed as her sister began to laugh uncomfortably.
"Oh gods, somebody please kill me now", Chase moaned as he wrapped his pillow around his head.
"Yes, it's lovely! Almost as lovely as this book"! Blake replied.
Instead of replying back, Ruby and Yang simply stood there.
"That I will continue to read", She continued.
Once again, Ruby and Yang said nothing and continued to just stand there.
"As soon as you leave"! Blake finished.
"You really like that line, don't you"? Chase commented as he lay on his sleeping bag.
"Oh, go back to sleep, already"! The raven-haired teen huffed.
"Not likely with you three carrying on the way you are"! Chase retorted snidely before turning back to the two sisters, "Look, I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I think you two are better off not knowing her".
Blake simply glared at Chase in response to that before turning back to her book.
"Maybe he's right", Yang whispered to Ruby, "Girl seems like a lost cause".
But Ruby thought differently.
"What's it about"? She asked.
"Huh"? Blake said in surprise.
"Your book", Ruby replied, "Does it have a name"?
This caught Blake offguard. It wasn't often when someone engaged with anything relating to her hobby. Seeing that Ruby was earnest about it, she decided to humor her.
"Well... i-it's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body", Blake explained.
"Oh, yeah... That's real lovely"! Yang noted sarcastically.
"Sounds kinda familiar", Chase commented under his breath.
"What was that"? Blake asked.
"Uhhhh, I said, keep it down would ya"?! Chase insisted halfheartedly as he hid his face with his pillow.
All three girls looked at the young swordsman, confused at his statement. Wanting to get back on track, Ruby continued.
"I love books! Yang used to read to me every night before bed", Ruby recalled warmly, "Stories of heroes and monsters... They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress"!
"And why is that"? Blake asked with a laugh, "Are you hoping you'll live happily ever after"?
"Well, I'm hoping we all will", Ruby confessed, "As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books... Someone who fought for what was right, and protected people who couldn't protect themselves"!
Chase turned his head slightly. Ruby's words resonated with him, and he couldn't help but remember where he'd heard those words before, as well as who said them.
"That's... very ambitious for a child", Blake complimented as her smile suddenly turned into a frown, "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale".
"Yeah, if anything it's a living nightmare", Chase added bitterly.
After noticing it had gotten silent all of a sudden, he turned over on his back to see that all three girls were giving him a rather concerned look.
"Tell me I'm wrong", Chase proposed daringly.
"Well, I mean, that's why we're here, isn't it? To make it better", Ruby asked rhetorically, "So that the nightmare ends"?
Chase's expression softened and he couldn't help but smirk as a thought occurred to him.
"Y'know, if you were a little taller, I'd have mistaken you for Jason", he joked before turning back on his side.
"Uhhh...thanks"? Ruby said, rather confused by the unorthodox compliment.
"Oh, I am so proud of my baby sister"! Yang cooed as she scooped up Ruby into an embrace.
"Cut it out"! Ruby insisted as she kicked her legs in protest.
The situation soon escalated into a sibling type brawl as a dust cloud formed where they were at. Meanwhile, as he held his pillow against the side of his head, Chase growled as he felt the last of his patience begin to wane. Blake couldn't help but laugh at their display of sibling style roughhousing.
"Well, Ruby, Yang", She began to say, "It's a pleasure to ha-".
"Will the both of you just please SHUT UP"! Chase exclaimed as he pulled back the arm that held his pillow.
Just as Ruby managed to trap Yang by the leg, she was met with a pillow to the face, courtesy of the incensed and exhausted swordsman.
"Ugh"! She grunted as she lost her grip on Yang's leg.
"Whoa-hoho"! Yang exclaimed as she suddenly found herself stumbling backwards.
Just before she could hit the floor, she soon found herself caught in somebody's arms. She looked up to see a concerned Jason looking down at her.
"Well, hello there", She said with a coy expression.
"Are you alright"? Jason asked worriedly.
"Oh, who? Me? I'm good", Yang said as she got back on her feet, "Gotta say, I knew you were cute but you're actually a good catch~"!
Jason suddenly felt himself blushing as Ruby let out a soft groan at the terrible pun.
"Eheheh, that's a good one", Jason replied.
The minute he finished saying that, both sister's looked at him as if he suddenly grew an extra head.
"Seriously"? Yang asked.
"Seriously"?! Ruby asked in irate disbelief.
"Well, I mean my grandpa would always tell jokes like that so, I kinda grew up hearing a lot of puns", Jason confessed nervously, "I like how they remind me of home".
Yang couldn't help but shoot her younger sister a prideful smirk, which was met with a bemused scowl.
"Well in that case, I'm glad I could help you with that", Yang replied proudly.
"And don't worry, there's a lot more where that came from", Ruby added knowingly, crossing her arms, "Seriously, it's kinda her whole thing".
"Oh well, I look forward to it", Jason said earnestly.
"So uh, hey, thanks for sticking up for my little sister today", Yang said, motioning over to Ruby, "Means a lot".
Jason's eyes widened at this.
"Wait, she's your sister"? Jason asked, pointing over at Ruby as she walked up next to Yang.
"That's right"! Yang confirmed as she draped an arm over Ruby's shoulder.
"You guys don't really look all that alike, though", Jason observed, "Different fathers"?
"Different mothers, actually", Ruby corrected.
"Oh uhh, sorry I didn't mean any offense", Jason said holding up his hands.
"It's okay, we get that a lot", Yang assured, "So anyway, like I said, thanks for looking out for her".
"Oh it was no problem", Jason said with a wave of his hand, "Just glad I was able to help".
"He's modest, too", Yang muttered to Ruby who nodded in reply.
Before they could dive any deeper into the conversation, Weiss, who now had her hair down and wore a faded blue nightgown with short sleeves and white trim with the same Snowflake shaped Crest on the upper-right chest as her pajamas, marched over to them in response to the noise.
"What in the world is going on over here"?! She exclaimed, "Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep"?
Her attention was shifted as she recognized Yang from earlier.
"Oh, not you again"! The two of them shouted at each other.
"Shh! Guys, she's right! People are trying to sleep"! Ruby said, putting a finger to her lips.
"Some more than others", Chase grumbled as he stood up and walked over to Ruby.
The girl in question nervously handed him his pillow. With it now reclaimed, Chase nodded his head in thanks before going back over to where his sleeping bag was.
"Oh, now you're on my side"!? Weiss asked in disbelief.
"I was always on your side"! Ruby insisted.
"Yeah, what's your problem with my sister? She's only trying to be nice"! Yang said crossly.
"She's a hazard to my health"! Weiss fumed.
"Guys, there's really no need to get into this", Jason said in attempting to defuse the situation.
"He's right, y'know", said a calm and soothing voice.
The girls all looked over to see Desmond, who wore a towel around his neck along with a khaki tank top that displayed his moderately toned arms and a pair of purple sweatpants, walking up to them. The three girls couldn't help but notice how handsome he was, but Weiss was, by far, the most enamored. It showed in the fact that her eyes sparkled as she looked at the pretty boy before her.
"Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear what was happening", he said.
"Actually, you couldn't have shown up at a better time", Jason refuted.
"I'll say", Yang muttered as she gave Desmond a once over.
"So what's happening here"? Desmond asked.
"Just something that happened this morning", Ruby answered, motioning over to Weiss, "I kinda blew her up on accident".
Desmond's eyes widened with surprise at the revelation.
"It's true, I kinda saw it happen", Jason said, raising his hand.
"That so"? Desmond said, before turning over to Weiss.
He walked over to Weiss, who felt her heart began to race as the tan skinned dreamboat approach her.
"I do hope you're not injured", He said in genuine concern.
"Huh? Who, me? No, totally fine", Weiss said nervously.
"Well in that case, I hope you can forgive her, seeing as it was an accident", Des said in a calm and hopeful tone as he took her by the hand, "Can't you find it in you to let her off the hook"?
"Oh my gosh, he's holding my hand"! Weiss thought frantically as she felt her face begin to heat up, "Be still my beating heart"!
"Uhhh, Weiss"? Jason said, looking over at the now red faced heiress, "Weiss"!
"Huh? What? Oh! Uhh, I mean...I guess since you put it that way", Weiss said nervously as she twirled a strand of her hair, "I...suppose I can let it slide for now".
Ruby, Yang, and Jason all exchanged a confused look with one another. Just a minute ago, Weiss was ready to continue giving them an earful, but now she was being reasonable. They couldn't help but wonder what could've happened.
"I appreciate your willingness to forgive her", Desmond said with a nod.
"Oh well, you know, accidents happen"! Weiss said with a nervous laugh as she continued to twirl her hair.
"Oh, so that's it", The three of them inwardly realized.
"Well, now that that's settled", Chase sighed as Weiss and Desmond continued to converse, "Blake, if you would"?
Blake nodded her head as she closed her book and reached over to grab the candle next to her and, as she blew out the flame, the whole room immediately went dark.
A few hours later, after everyone had finally gone to sleep, Chase had suddenly woken up. After getting to his feet, he walked over to where Jason, Des, and Haru all lay. Quickly and quietly, he roused each of them from their slumber. Once they were all awake, he led them away until they were now outside the ballroom.
"This better be good, Chase, you woke me up just when I was about to get crowned the Greatest Ninja of Remnant", Haru said tiredly, referencing the dream he'd been having before he woke up.
"I just wanted to remind each of you that we have a lot of work to do starting tomorrow", Chase said simply, "Don't forget why we're here".
"To get registered as Huntsman", Jason said, listing off their objectives.
"Locate the Wonder Ride Books that were stolen", Des continued.
"And beat down any and all bad guys the enemy sends our way", Haru finished with a yawn, "We remember, okay"?
"Nothing wrong with making sure, Haru", Des pointed out, "We all have the same goal, after all".
With that said, Des reached into his pocket and pulled out a Wonder Ride Book. It was yellow book and entitled, "Lamp do Alangina" with a picture of a genie's lamp on the cover. Haru was next, and held out a green Wonder Ride Book with the title "Sarutobi Ninjaden" and a picture of a ninja on the front cover. Next was Chase, who held out a blue Wonder Ride Book with the words "Lion Senki" and a picture of a blue lion on the front. Jason was last to take out his Wonder Ride Book. The four of them stood in a circle, each of them holding their Wonder Ride Book out in the middle.
"Soon, I'll have the answers I've been looking for and I know this book will be what leads me to them", Jason thought as he looked down at the Brave Dragon book, and felt a sense of readiness begin to grow inside him.
A/N: It has begun!
For those who hadn't figured it out from when I uploaded this story's cover pic on my Deviantart, yes, Jason & Yang WILL be paired together, along with Weiss & Des. There'll be more pairings, but I'll get into that later. For now though, here my VA choices for my OC's featured;
Jason: Adam McArthur (Yuji Itadori from Jujutsu Kaisen)
Chase: Alan Lee (Ren Amaki from Rise Of The Shield Hero)
Des: Matther Mercer (Young Sinbad from Magi: Adventures of Sinbad)
Haru: Ryan Colt Levy (Yu Haibara from Jujutsu Kaisen)
Also for those curious, the design aesthetic for the Tri-Tector is the King's Weapon from King-Ohger. I always hated the fact that the Riders of the Saber series always seemed a bit limited in their arsenal. I plan on fixing that in this story. Also, for those curious, Haru will be the only one in the group to NOT have a Tri-Tector. A ninja with a shield looks a bit iffy to me. He'll have a different weapon.
Update: I decided to give Chase a different weapon. Des and Haru were gonna have different weapons and I figured it'd be weird if only Jason and Chase had the same weapon. The aesthetic for Chase's weapon, Fangslayer, comes from one of my favorites; the IXA-Calibur from Kamen Rider Kiva. Don't worry, I know two dual-wielding swordsman seems a bit much, but Chase won't be using Fangslayer's sword mode all that often.
Anyway, did you like it? If so, be sure to subscribe to my DA to see all the Chapter Sneak Peeks. And subscribe to my Ptreon to get exclusive access to early chapter releases!
Now then, it's TEASER TIME!
On the next chapter of Huntresses & Swordsmen, the game is afoot as the new students of Beacon are tested in their skills. But unknown to them, an unexpected guest will arrive, intent on making things disastrous for everyone involved. Will the young Knights Of Logos be able to stop him? Find out NEXT TIME!
GET EXCITED!