"Beacon, built on one man's great ideals for equally shadowy purposes. As with all of his lies, it is bound to shatter when confronted with the reality of this world." - Raven Branwen, after returning to her tribe.
The new teammates Violet found himself leading were an intriguing bunch. Lie Ren was a mature, quiet, and straightforward kind of man from Mistral, though he wasn't completely humorless. The two of them had already reached an understanding on everything the moment they met and shook hands. People like him were desperately needed in this academy, especially considering the sort of person Ren's partner was.
"PANCAKES!" A banshee shriek interrupted Violet's sleep in the team dorm room. The culprit behind such a rude awakening was none other than Nora Valkyrie, "HURRY UP EVERYONE, THEY HAVE PANCAKES IN THE CAFETERIA. WE CAN'T MISS THAT!"
Nora was the complete opposite of Ren. She was loud, immature, had wild mood swings, and no tact. He recalled her loudly suggesting to Ren that they cheat the partner selection process in front of everyone yesterday. Hell, maybe they did do it. That part was even more confusing. How the hell were the two of them so close?
Nora was violently shaking a sleepy Ren, "Nora, we've got 2 whole hours before classes start."
"But if we don't hurry the pancakes will run out, come on Ren come on come on come on!"
He eventually sighed, "Fine, I'm coming."
Arriving in the cafeteria, team PRVN found it to be almost empty. Nora could finally satisfy her sweet tooth, and most importantly, keep quiet. As they were eating, Pyrrha outlined their schedule, "Okay, so first order of business today is Grimm studies. After that, we have combat class, and finally history."
"History? Boooring…" Nora slouched in her chair.
Violet sat down at the table, "Hey, history is very important. You need to know how the world worked to understand it as it is."
Nora rolled her eyes, "What use is that? I can hit monsters all the same."
"You know, in the past huntsmen fought more than just monsters. Kingdoms fought wars with each other, and they often employed huntsmen as mercenaries. You could very easily find yourself at the losing end of a war and meet a horrible end. How would you know how to read such a situation without knowledge of the past?"
It was Pyrrha that answered, "There won't be another war, Violet. The Great War was 30 years ago, and there are no signs of such a thing on the horizon."
He chuckled at that, "I didn't know all those terrorist attacks by the White Fang were so long ago. Must be losing my sense of time."
"That's nothing at all like a real war."
And yet, they're stealing enough dust to arm a whole army, "Not yet. But a growing insurgency is one way wars can start. Hell, it already is a war, even if the Fang technically has no central state."
"Please don't say such terrible things," Pyrrha looked uncomfortable.
"Thinking such things also serves to attract Grimm, you know?" Ren added, "Pessimism does not suit huntsmen. We are supposed to inspire people, not spread dissent."
"Believing everything is fine won't magically make it so! What about rampant faunus abuse? What about Atlesian meddling in Vale? The world is full of injustices that people don't pay attention to because we're taught to suppress our emotions."
"Well, that's certainly a way of looking at it," Ren said, "It's not nearly as bad here in Vale though." Nora nodded in agreement.
"All the more reason we should care about such things. We're the ones capable of helping."
"Aww, my little firebrand is at it again." The teasing voice of Yang came from behind him.
"You don't even know what that word means, sis."
"You taught me last week, don't you remember?" She faced the rest of team PRVN, "Don't worry guys, he's always made a lot of fiery speeches. Even as a little kid." She ruffled Violet's hair.
"Will you stop it?" He was dying of embarrassment, "And they're perfectly reasonable objections to the state of the wor-"
"Whatever you say, little bro. Just don't beat up some poor guy that disagrees with you, kay?"
"I think his conviction is admirable." Pyrrha said, "Even if I'm not entirely sure where you're going with this. We're doing the most we can as huntsmen."
"I'm just-"
"He's just mad that huntsmen aren't allowed to do whatever they want," Yang said, "Isn't that right Vio?"
"Yang, you are the last person that should be lecturing me on that. Didn't you trash a night club last month?"
"They started it," she retorted.
"A likely story."
"You did what?" Ren said.
"I want to hear more." Nora shouted, "Come sit by me!"
Breakfast passed with Yang telling everyone of how she rightfully trashed some asshole's dance club, suspiciously omitting the presence of alcohol in her system and everything she almost certainly did to provoke him. Now, Junior was a shady guy, but he got Violet a fake ID when he was fourteen so he did feel a little sorry for him.
Their first class of the day was on Grimm studies. It seemed like an interesting idea, with a veteran huntsman supplementing the important material with his stories of great hunts. That was, until it became apparent Professor Port's tales were more boastful than educational. Not that he cared much, he didn't come here intending to fight Grimm. The rest of the class seemed to catch on quickly, and some people were already falling asleep.
The second class was combat, specifically combat against people. Although it was only the first class, and they spent most of it talking about sparring rules and etiquette, they made room for one demonstration match between Pyrrha and the teacher, Glynda Goodwitch.
Even though it was intended as an exhibition match between a 1st year student and a professor, the outcome of the fight was uncertain. Pyrrha was an undefeated champion of many tournaments, and he secretly hoped she'd triumph over the Professor.
It seemed Glynda thought the same thing was possible, so she showed her all from the very first moment. Flashes of her semblance knocked Pyrrha's javelin and shield before she closed in to attack. Pyrrha put up a valiant defense without her weapon, though her aura was draining faster than Glynda's by a long shot.
She dashed for her javelin, using its rifle form to fire several shots which the Professor expertly stopped with her telekinesis and redirected back at Pyrrha. She then used her semblance to disarm Pyrrha again, but instead of going sideways the javelin went straight for Glynda, and she only barely dodged it, the weapon grazing her hair.
The Professor wasted no time, charging ahead and taking Pyrrha in hand to hand combat, while using her semblance to make sure she couldn't reach her weapons. It was a battle of attrition, but eventually Pyrrha's aura dropped below 15%, and the match was called. Glynda, in turn, had 28% aura left. Though it was to be expected from a veteran huntress, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in the outcome.
"That was an excellent fight," He said to her as they were made their way to history class, "Why didn't you use your semblance more, Pyrrha?"
She shot him a questioning look, "It's a major advantage in tournaments to hide your semblance. I usually only use it covertly to nudge things in my favor."
"Like how you slightly redirected your spear towards her when she was disarming you?"
"Noticed that, huh?"
"I'll be honest, I'm kinda scared it'll ruin my weapon's transform mechanism."
Pyrrha chuckled, "It happened a few times to my opponents, but we can work together to make it more robust."
"Sure. Though I get the feeling you'll be working a lot more with Ruby on that."
History class, he was most curious about. He heard Beacon was a more open-minded school, but he wasn't sure how much that distinction meant. He didn't expect to find out much during his first class, but they were already well into the material, and owing to Professor Oobleck's endless caffeine-induced energy they were already discussing the Great War.
All in all, he seemed to not be too biased, but the various omissions were starting to add up. He might be stating truthful facts, but it served to paint a distorted picture of events. Even if it was more inline with what the more tolerant students believed, it was meant precisely to influence those most idealistic students.
He doubts Oobleck will not go into most of the atrocities of history and the contemporary world. Even now, he skirts around the parts that mention Vale becoming a defacto satellite of Atlas. It is to be expected. It could have been much worse, but it's still a sick maintenance of the status quo! And I will not stand for it. No, I will tear down this world and build a new and better one in its place. I swear it on my mother's nam-
"Uhh… you okay there, Violet?" Pyrrha whispered to him, "You were frowning."
"Oh, was I? Sorry I was just deep in thought." He did his best to not get worked up again and follow the rest of Oobleck's lesson.
After class was over, Violet took an airship to Vale with the excuse that he needed to say goodbye to his friends from Signal, whom he suddenly left. Like the good Professor, he wasn't entirely dishonest. He was certainly going to pay them a visit, though that's not all he'll do.
He was in the shady part of town, walking alongside a blue-haired young guy with a suitcase. Azul was a friend from his days at Signal who was sufficiently convinced of Violet's worldview. He usually served as his security on days like this.
People rarely walked through this part of Vale. In fact, they avoided it like the plague. And it wasn't hard to see why. The people on the streets were malnourished and many looked visibly sick. Drug dealers and addicts conducted their business in the open, everywhere he looked there was nothing but filth and decay. A veritable ghetto of the worst kind. Both Vale and Atlesian police avoided it as much as possible, they preferred for the trash to take care of itself.
His musings were interrupted by a beggar, "Please, spare some change. Help a buddy out, will you?" A cat faunus was asking him for money. He was a boy in his early twenties, and yet he looked absolutely miserable. He wore dirty, torn clothes and had an unshaven face. His body was atrophied too, and he smelled awful.
Azul gave Violet a look. He sighed before dropping the him a 20 lien note. The boy looked at Violet with a huge empty smile, almost as if he were a deity. He couldn't bear to be in his presence anymore, so he quickly left.
"Sometimes I don't get you Vio. You say you want to help the less fortunate yet you seem almost repulsed by them. You probably wouldn't have stopped if it weren't for me, I've seen it before."
"Don't be an idiot." Violet's voice was resigned, "You know you simply can't change the world like that." He turned around and pointed at the beggar, some 50 meters away by now. Another man was next to the boy now, wrestling with him. He took the note from the faunus and kicked him in the stomach before running off.
"We have to stop him. Come on," said Azul.
"Are you prepared to kill him?"
"Huh?"
"It's no use otherwise. Nothing changes. Little changes even if we kill only him. What this place needs is a cleansing fire to wipe away every evildoer, and make an example for future generations. One day, I will have an army at my beck and call. I will tear this whole place apart. Only then can anything new be built."
Azul's reaction was equal parts apprehension and awe. He knew what was necessary, he just had to admit it to himself. One of these days…
"We're almost at our destination, let's go."
They walked into a nondescript building in the ghetto. In truth, it was an illegal gambling ring he'd just learned about a few days ago. And it was the perfect place for him to get funds from overconfident idiots. His young appearance also aided him, as most saw him as an easy target.
"So who's today's match, Violet?"
"Don't use my name here, alright?" He looked around the place, seeing everything one would expect from a gambling house. A disgusting interior with tasteless flashy colors, scandalous dancers, the characteristic smell of cigar smoke and cheap perfume. It made him want to gag. He'll remember to blow this place up for sure.
"It's apparently some small-time Atlesian aristocrat. Rich and prideful enough to pay, a perfect combination."
They also had everything necessary for one to lose all of their money, from roulette tables to slot machines. Thankfully, they also hosted games of skill from time to time.
"I see. How'd you even find this place?"
"Glaston lives nearby, so he's arranged a match for me." He arrived at the table where the fateful duel would take place.
"Fifty thousand lien, as per the agreement," Violet said as Azul unlocked his suitcase and presented it to the man, who was a little surprised that they actually had the money. The nobleman laughed, "Very well then, I'll enjoy ridding you of your parent's cash. Remember, no takebacks here. This isn't your high school chess club."
No response came from Violet as the game started. The nobleman went for a beginner's trick, the scholar's mate. Violet took insult at the man, but he remained calm and he took advantage of such a weak opening to create a solid position. His opponent blundered a knight a few moves later, and the game was practically over before it even started.
"You got lucky, that's all." The man said in annoyance.
Violet gave him a mocking smile, "There's no such thing as luck in chess." He turned to his companion, "Get his money and let's go."
"Quitting while you're ahead, huh? Scared of me, are you? That trick didn't work on you, so what? My intellect is great enough to win in an even battle."
Violet appraised the man for a moment longer. Those with minor wealth or prestige tended to be such status obsessed strivers. He could raise the stakes a lot more on him, "Hmm… On second thought, we can go double or nothing. Assuming you're not broke already. I'm not afraid." He smirked.
The man agreed, and this time he tried playing without tricks, though he could tell the anger clouded his judgment. Violet, on the other hand, was perfectly focused as he played a textbook game. Several minutes later he easily promoted his pawn into a queen before any of his opponent's pawns made even half the journey.
The nobleman lost it at that. He continued to play the game out of spite, even as the result became a forgone conclusion. They were a few moves away from checkmate, yet the man waited the clock out until the very last moment, when he 'accidentally' knocked the board away, toppling all the pieces.
"Trying to cheat?" the nobleman accused him.
"What?" Violet responded, "You were blatantly losing."
"Is that why you knocked over the board? Such childish tricks won't work here!"
"There's camera footage, I'm sure we could find witnesses that looked at our game."
"Give up your ill gotten gains, or I'll call security on you," The man gave a sadistic and deranged smile, "Or do you think they'll believe a random kid over their long-time patron?"
"That's… entirely unfair," was all Violet could say. People started noticing the argument, including the security, which had already drawn their guns. Predictably, they were only pointing at him.
Azul's hand went to his weapon, "I don't like the look of this."
Violet sighed, before wiping the bangs and looking directly at the man, "You will give me the agreed-upon money and leave us alone."
Unexpectedly, the man's demeanor changed completely. He calmly gestured for the guards to stand back, "I will do as you say. I am a man of my word, after all."
"What the hell was that, Vio? He looked as if he was gonna fight you and all of a sudden he deflates, not even a snide comment."
"They're cowards, the whole lot of them. The slightest pushback and they fold?" Azul accepted the explanation, even if he found it strange. "And I'm sure your presence helped as well. In any case, we should go to more reputable places where they can't threaten us."
"Agreed. Though I would still like to accompany you."
"It's appreciated," he looked behind, a sorrowful expression on him face, "But I think I've already got enough money to get things started. Over three million lien in cash. Not a bad haul for two years, huh?"
"You're done?" the boy asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, there's no point anymore. Other resources are the bottleneck now. How are things going at Signal?"
"Well, my grades have-"
"You know that's not what I'm asking." Violet said, "You'll have to continue the work in my absence. There are some excellent people there, and I need you to lead them. I'm counting on them to join me when the time comes. And I think it will be very soon."
"Wow. You're serious about that. The whole revolution thing, I mean."
"I've never made any indication of the opposite. Be careful out there, alright?"
"It still doesn't feel real. You really think a bunch of adolescent combat academy students can take down Atlas?"
"Of course. If not us, who else?"