Kamen Rider Aurum

by Starpion

When an ancient threat reemerges in the world of Remnant, one young man rises to the challenge in order to become a hero and achieve victory! That hero's name? Kamen Rider Aurum!

2. First Meetings and Flights

"Is this all that you managed to obtain, Torchwick?"

In the middle of a dimly lit warehouse, two figures were sitting on a table. One of them was the man in white, apparently named Torchwick, lighting a cigar. The other was a woman in red with long black hair and a masquerade mask. The cases that his flunkies had brought with them were open in front of her. Only half the canisters in the one were full, and the crystals in the other didn't even cover the bottom of the box.

"It was all we could nab in the time crunch," said Torchwick as he blew out a puff of smoke. "Some punk Huntress started playing superhero, then right when the Hammer Umbra was about to make the streets as red as her dumb little coat, some guy rams it with his bike and calls himself Kamen Rider Aurum or some crap! Who knows what else could've gone wrong if you hadn't shown up on time?"

"Well, whoever this 'Kamen Rider' is, I'm sure that the Umbra has taken care of him."

Torchwick scoffed. "Think again," he said as he knocked some ashes into an ashtray. "While you were fighting that other Huntress and I was trying to keep us alive, I caught a glimpse through the cockpit. Golden Boy kicked the thing so hard it blew up like it was made of Combustion Dust." The woman's eyebrows raised, her concealed eyes no doubt widened in surprise. "I mean, what the heck? You told me that thing was invincible!"

"That is what I was led to believe," said the woman simply. "Apparently, I was wrong."

"Well, I still managed to get us back in one piece, if that's worth anything," said Torchwick as he extinguished his cigar, the typically soothing taste turning foul as he thought of that disastrous run. "I believe we had a deal?"

The woman nodded and pulled out a black briefcase. Undoing the locks, she turned it around and opened it so that Torchwick could look inside. A couple hundred multicolored bills were laid across the inside in nice little stacks, a fancy "L" printed across each of them.

"Oh yeah," said Torchwick as he stared at the Lien, hands inching towards the money. "Come to papa." But before he could touch any of the bills, the suitcase slammed shut and nearly caught his fingers. "Hey! We had an agreement!"

"Deals can be changed," said the woman as she pulled the suitcase out of reach, Torchwick scowling as he grabbed his cane tightly. "I have a few more assignments for you. If you perform better, you'll get your payment and then some."

Torchwick just grunted. "Better late than never," he said. "But I want some guys. Ones who can put up a better fight than those sorry sights did tonight."

"Not an issue. I have my connections," said the woman with a smile. She pulled out a small black box and held it out to her cohort, the box lying in her palm. "Consider this an upfront payment."

Torchwick put a hand to his heart and let out an exaggerated gasp. "Oh, this is all so sudden! But I'm afraid I'm not the kind of man to be tied down." His jest was met with the woman lifting her other hand, a small fireball forming in her palm. Her eyes seemed to glow as she did this. "Okay, okay!" said Torchwick quickly as he took the box, the fire disappearing as soon as it appeared with a flick of the wrist. "Some people just can't take a joke these days…"

Opening the box, he saw three syringes inside. Each seemed to have a pitch black liquid inside the glass, moving around despite the box being completely still. "What is this, some new drug?" asked Torchwick as he inspected one of the needles, the contents seeming to pulse inside. "I'm afraid the only pleasures I partake in are cigars, the occasional scotch, and the high I get when making police and Huntsmen look like idiots."

"Those aren't drugs. But I think you'll find their effects quite enjoyable." As the woman explained what the syringes could do, Torchwick's sinister smile soon overtook his face.

~KRA~

Cruising over the city of Vale, a large airship was slowly making its way to its destination: one Beacon Academy. A few dozen passengers were on board, just a fraction of prospective students at this illustrious Huntsman school. The passengers were chatting amongst themselves, checking their equipment, or peering out the windows at the city below. One passenger was the young Ruby Rose, who was slowly being suffocated.

"Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me!" said the one responsible, a blonde girl who was apparently Ruby's older sister. She had trapped the young reaper in a bone-crushing hug. "This is the best day ever!"

"Please stop," gasped Ruby, desperately trying to wriggle free. Eventually she was released from the bear hug.

"But I'm so proud of you!" Ruby's sister was clearly older, being a good six inches taller at the very least. She had fair skin like Ruby, lilac eyes, a smile as bright as the sun, and a wild mane of blonde hair that went down past her lower back. The tips seemed to fade from bright yellow to a pale gold, and a cowlick stuck out at the top. An orange infinity scarf was wrapped around her neck, and she wore a brown leather jacket with puffy short sleeves, gold-brown piping and black cuffs over a yellow crop top. Both jacket and top bore her midriff, the partially open jacket and low-cut top exposing a bit of cleavage. A black symbol that looked like a burning heart was printed on the top, over her left breast. She also wore dangerously short black compression shorts held up by a brown belt, the belt having a pleated piece of similarly-colored material wrapping around the back of her waist from one hip to the other. An asymmetrical white piece of material ran underneath it, and a golden version of the symbol on her top was on the right side of her belt piece. She wore orange knee-high socks and brown boots, the right sock pushed down to the opening and a gray bandana wrapped around her left knee. Completing her wild look was a pair of black fingerless gloves and a pair of bulky yellow bracelets.

"Really sis, it was nothing," said Ruby.

"What do you mean?" asked her sister. "It was incredible! Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees."

"I don't want to be the 'bee's knees,' okay?" said Ruby indignantly. "I don't want to be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees."

"What's with you?" asked her sister. "Aren't you excited?"

"Of course I'm excited… I just…" Ruby sighed, looking at the ground. She had been ecstatic when she got home that night. But now that everything was sinking in, she couldn't shake this feeling. "I got moved ahead TWO YEARS. I don't want people to think I'm special or anything."

Her sister's response was to pull her into a one-armed hug, one that fortunately wasn't crushing her lungs. "But you ARE special. It's not like any of these chumps stopped a robbery all by themselves!"

"Well, not ALL by myself, Yang," admitted Ruby. "There was that Kamen Rider."

"Oh yeah, I remember you saying something about that," said Yang.

"Yeah, and he was so cool! He sent that hammer Grimm flying with one kick!"

"Yeah, sure," snorted Yang, Ruby slumping over.

"You don't believe me."

"No, I do! Mostly." Ruby crossed her arms as Yang explained. "Look, you're not a liar, Ruby. I believe you saw what you saw, and that you met some motorcycle-riding superhero, as weird as it is. But a talking Grimm with Aura? It was probably just some guy in a costume like in X-Ray and Vav, trying to look like a Grimm and make himself look more intimidating. Like those White Fang guys."

"Maybe," said Ruby as she looked at the TV screen in the airship. The news was on, a report of the Dust robbery being discussed and a mugshot of the man in white without his bowler hat. At least she had a name for that guy now: Roman Torchwick. "Aurum seemed pretty convinced it was a special type of Grimm."

"Aurum? Oh yeah, the Kamen Rider or whatever," said Yang. She just shrugged as the news report covered some Faunus rally that the White Fang crashed. "Guess even he was fooled. Nobody's perfect, not even me."

The screen shut off as a holographic image of Glynda Goodwitch appeared. "Hello, and welcome to Beacon."

"Who's that?" asked Yang.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch."

"Oh."

"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy!" announced the holographic Glynda. "Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." And with that, the image disappeared as the sisters looked out the window.

"Oh, wow!" said Ruby in amazement, hands pressed against the glass as a few others moved to the window and saw the sights. "Look, you can see Signal from up here! I guess home isn't too far after all."

Yang walked up to her younger sister, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Beacon's our home now." With that, Ruby felt the tense feeling in her stomach fade away. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for all the passengers.

~KRA~

Stupid airship. Stupid motion sickness! Why did he have to fly to Beacon?

Jaune Arc ignored the hologram of the instructor in the background as he clutched his stomach, clearly not having a great time. Saying that his motion sickness blew chunks was an avid description. At least when he was training in Atlas, the flying city was stationary. But anything that moved when not firmly on the ground, especially rocking boats and planes, made his stomach churn. He'd gladly take his HopperCycle, even go by foot if it meant not having to deal with this flying death trap!

It wouldn't be nearly as bad if it was only motion sickness, though. It would suck, but he could stomach it. But his nerves were getting the best of him too. Glancing at his hip, he saw his weapon. It was a sword with a blue hilt and a golden guard. Its scabbard was white with two gold bands on the side. This was Crocea Mors, the weapon used by his great-great-grandfather when he fought in the Great War some eighty years ago. And as of four years ago, it was his personal weapon. He definitely wanted to make his family proud, be the best Huntsman he could be as both Jaune Arc and Kamen Rider Aurum. And they weren't the only ones, his mind going back to his conversation in the cloaked Bullhead that fateful night.

~KRA~

"You want me to go where?!" Jaune could barely believe his ears. Beacon, his dream Huntsman academy? Did he pass out after the fight and was now having the best dream of his life?

"Indeed. It's clear that the Umbrae will be focusing their efforts on Vale for the time being. As you are the only one that can eliminate them, having you stay here is ideal. And having you attend Beacon will allow you to sharpen your skills and find potential candidates for Projects Silver and Bronze."

"Uh, will anybody know that I'm Aurum?"

"The headmaster and a select few faculty members will be informed. Other than that, nobody. And please try to keep the number of others in the loop to a minimum. The less that know of your secret identity, the better. We can't risk letting our enemies know who you are."

That was easier said than done. Jaune sucked at keeping secrets. "So who can I tell?"

"Only confide in those who you trust," ordered Ironwood before he pulled out two slips of paper, each having an address. One was for a hotel, the other for an airfield. "Go to this hotel and tell them General Ironwood sent you. My men and your family have already packed your luggage." Jaune looked into the corner of the ship to see a pair of plain brown duffel bags. "After spending the night, arrive at this airport at no later than 1000 hours. An airship will be waiting for you."

Jaune felt his stomach doing a somersault already. "Can't I take a bus or something? Um, sir?"

"Ridiculous. All Beacon students arrive via airship. Now then, make haste. It would not make for a good first impression if you show up half-awake. Dismissed."

"Yes sir," said Jaune as he grabbed his duffel bags and saluted with his right hand, peering through the strap. "I won't let you down! And thank you!"

~KRA~

Jaune's stomach churned as the nerves started getting to him. Would he be able to keep his promise and not let the general down? After all, he had a lot of pressure to do well as a Kamen Rider. And what about making his family proud? Would he be able to live up to the Arc name, or would he end up screwing up? And what about keeping his identity a secret? Just how long would he last before he accidentally blabbed that he was Aurum to all of Remnant? As the voice of the hologram stopped, the ship suddenly jerked as it started moving a bit faster. That and the bundle of fears in his stomach forced a little bile up as Jaune clasped a hand over his mouth, wobbling over to the back of the monstrosity where the exit was. The faster he got off this torture chamber, the better.

"Well, I guess the view isn't for everyone," said somebody.

"It was a nice moment while it lasted," said somebody else as Jaune sat in the back, trying to make himself scarce as he felt more bile creeping up his throat. The voice was familiar, but he was too preoccupied to figure out who was talking. "I wonder who we're gonna meet? I just hope they're better than Vomit Boy." Oh great, he already had a nickname. Way to leave an impression, Jaune. "Oh, Yang, gross! You have puke on your shoe!"

"Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!"

"Get-Get away! Get away from me, get away from me, get away from me, get away from me!"

Jaune groaned in a mixture of nausea and embarrassment. This had gone from awkward to mortifying. Why didn't this place have barf bags in case something like this happened? Or a trash can? Or a bathroom? What kind of airship didn't have a freaking toilet?!

After a few excruciating minutes, the airship landed. Jaune practically flew through the retracting door that led to the air dock. Finding a trash can, he finally managed to purge what was once the hotel breakfast buffet, feeling much better and much worse at the same time as he gripped the sides of his revolting savior. 'Why does this happen to me?'

~KRA~

Yang glanced at her boot, having been thoroughly cleaned with disinfectant wipes. She desperately wanted to deck that punk for puking on her, but seeing him hunched over all pathetic like that in the back made her conscience take over. Plus, there was always the chance that doing so would make him hurl more, and for the sake of her clothes and dignity, she couldn't risk it.

With her and her sister off the airship and Vomit Boy trying to get the taste out of his mouth by gargling a water bottle over the trash can (poor guy had no dignity left to lose), she took in the sights of the academy. It was gorgeous. A beautiful courtyard stood before her, said courtyard having a circular pond, a statue, a fountain, stone arches that almost made the center look like a colosseum, and a row of streetlights with flags hanging from them that led to the front door. And that was nothing on the academy itself. The building was made of white and gray stone and looked like a castle you'd see in a fairy tale, with tall towers seemingly going above the clouds. The tallest of them all was in the center, glowing green balls of light visible from it and a large clock face near the top.

"Wow…" said Yang and Ruby in unison.

"The view from Vale's got nothing on this!" said Yang, grinning ear to ear. This place made Signal look like a joke! She couldn't wait to start classes here.

Ruby was also excited, but for very different reasons as she looked at the fellow freshmen with stars in her eyes. "Ohmygosh, sis! That kid's got a collapsible staff! And she's got a fire sword!" She inched closer, no doubt wanting to look with her hands rather than her eyes. Yang was quick to put a stop to that, grabbing her little sister's hood and pulling her closer. "Ow! Ow!"

"Easy there, little sister," said Yang, reeling her in. "They're just weapons!"

"'Just weapons?'" repeated Ruby as if Yang had somehow offended her. "They're an extension of ourselves! They're a part of us! Oh, they're so cool!" Her fists were balled up under her chin as she stared at the lovely tools of destruction.

Yang just smirked at her sister, the eternal dork. "Well, why can't you swoon over your own weapon? Aren't you happy with it?"

Ruby's response was to unfold her weapon into its scythe mode and hold it tightly. "Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose! I just really like seeing new ones. It's like meeting new people, but better."

Yang pulled Ruby's hood down over her face. "Ruby, come on. Why don't you go try and make some friends of your own?"

"But… why would I need friends if I have you?" asked Ruby as she pulled her hood back down.

"Well…" Yang trailed off, trying to find an excuse. She couldn't just let her sister spend the year friendless. She needed to go outside her boundaries, actually meet people and not their possessions! And as luck would have it, a group of the blonde's friends from Signal were waving her over. "Actually, my friends are here. Gotta go catch up. 'Kay, see ya, byeee!" And with that she sped away, leaving her sister spinning around like a top. She was yelling something, but Yang tuned it out as she went to chat with her old classmates. 'Sorry about this, Sis. You know I love you, but this is for your own good! You can make one friend before tomorrow, right?'

~KRA~

Jaune sighed as he frantically sanitized his hands, walking towards the school as more airships came in to land. 'Nice job, Jaune. Your dignity is somewhere in that trash can, and everyone here probably thinks you're a total loser. Some first impression.' But his negative attitude was decimated by awe as he took in the sight of Beacon. The regal architecture and the beautiful courtyard were breathtaking. Jaune couldn't help but smile as he walked on the cobblestone path.

"Wow," he whispered to himself as he took everything in. "This is happening. I'm actually going to Beacon." He could barely contain his excitement anymore. He was going to Beacon! What happened on the airship was now a distant memory. This was officially the greatest day of his life!

Just then, a yellow blur sped by him. As he regained his footing, he saw a girl in black and red spinning around, eyes spiraling. His brow furrowed a little. Why did she look so familiar?

"Wait, where are you going?! Are we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? Do we have dorms?"

Jaune's eyes widened. He recognized that voice clearly. That was Ruby from the other night! But he thought she was still a Signal student, even though Beacon's curriculum was about to start up. Had she been bumped up a couple years? After seeing the state of those thugs, that wasn't much of a surprise.

The human tornado started to slow down until she was facing the opposite direction of the school, wobbling with dizziness. Jaune couldn't help but feel bad for her. "I don't know what I'm doing," she muttered before falling over. Unfortunately, she also didn't know of her surroundings as she fell onto a luggage cart, knocking a few suitcases over.

"What are you doing?!" asked the owner of said luggage. Jaune turned to her, eyes widening. It was another girl with long white hair tied into a lopsided ponytail on her right, held by a silver tiara with thin spikes that almost looked like icicles. She had pale skin and pale blue eyes, a small scar along her left eye that did little to diminish her beauty. Rectangular silver earrings dangled from her ears, and a similarly colored chain with a small apple-shaped pendant was around her neck. She wore a white strapless dress that ran down to her thighs, gradually transitioning from white to pale blue as it went down with the hem made to resemble snowflakes with white tulle under the skirt. Around her neckline was a small piece of black lace, and she wore a white bell-sleeved bolero with red lining the inside and a ruffled collar over her dress, a snowflake marking on the back. A white ribbon was tied around her waist, a small pouch on the back. Hanging on her left hip was a rapier with four prongs on the hilt around what looked like a revolver chamber, each slot having a different color. Finally, she had a pair of white boots with high heel wedges.

Jaune felt himself gawking at the young woman as she looked down at Ruby, pointing at her. She was beautiful.

~KRA~

She was HORRIFYING.

"Uh, sorry!" gasped Ruby as she scrambled to her feet, the white-haired girl glaring at her the entire time.

"Sorry?! Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?"

"Uhhhh…" said Ruby dumbly as she picked up a case to help the screaming girl. Why was she so mad at her for an accident? And why was she carrying her luggage anyway? She thought that the flight crew and the Beacon staff was going to cover that.

"Give me that!" shrieked the white-haired girl as she snatched the suitcase out of her hand. Rude much? She opened the case and inspected the contents. "This is Dust, mined and purified from the Schnee quarry!"

"Uhhhhhhhh…"

"What are you, brain-dead?!" The girl pulled out a vial of red Fire Dust, snapping the suitcase shut forcefully. This caused blue and yellow wisps of smoke seeping into the air, some of the vials inside either opened or broken from the fall. Ruby was going to let her know before the bottle was shoved in her face. There was a white snowflake emblem that looked familiar printed on the side, but she couldn't recall what it was from. "DUST! Fire, water, lightning, energy!"

"I… I know," said Ruby weakly. Of course she knew what Dust was, she used it with Crescent Rose all the time! But this girl left her too intimidated to speak properly. To make matters worse, the girl's shaking caused the cap to loosen, a red cloud joining the blue and yellow and going into her nose and mouth. She started coughing the volatile material out before she felt her nose twitch. 'Oh no.'

"Are you even listening to me? Is any of this sinking in? What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"Ah-CHOO!"

Finally, Ruby sneezed. The sneeze activated the Dust and caused a small scale explosion right in front of the white-haired girl. Fire, ice, and lightning danced in a cloud of smoke as the Dust bottle was flung out of her hands and into the air. When the smoke cleared, the girl was covered in soot, looking even angrier than before. If Ruby wasn't feeling bad before, she certainly felt awful right now.

"Unbelievable!" she exclaimed as she brushed the soot off her body. "This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"

"I'm really, REALLY sorry!" apologized Ruby profusely as she tapped her index fingers together nervously, but the girl wasn't having any of it.

"Ugh, you complete DOLT! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?"

"Well, I-I…"

"This isn't your ordinary combat school," continued the girl as she crossed her arms. "It's not just sparring and practice, you know! We're here to fight monsters, so watch where you're going!"

This was the straw that broke the camel's back, Ruby fed up with this high and mighty attitude. "Hey, I said I was sorry, princess!"

"It's heiress, actually."

Ruby and the girl in white turned where the new voice came from, a girl walking towards them. She had wavy black hair with a large black bow on top, fair skin, and amber eyes with purple eyeshadow done in a cat's eye style. She wore a white sleeveless crop undershirt with a high neck and a matching pair of white shorts, a zipper on each leg with "YKK" on them. Over her shirt was a black vest with a single silver button and coattails. A black scarf was wrapped around her neck, and she had a black detached sleeve on her left arm with a silver cuff around the bicep. Black ribbons were wrapped around her wrists and forearms. Finishing her outfit was a pair of black boots and matching stockings, the stockings and going through color gradation from black to purple as they reached the boots. White flower-shaped markings were on the sides of the stockings by her thighs. Finally, she had a gray backpack with a black, metal, rectangular sheath strapped to the back, a hilt shaped like a gun handle sticking out.

As she walked up to the two, Ruby noticed that she also had the bottle of Dust in her hand. "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world," said the stranger.

"Ohhh," said Ruby. Now she recognized the symbol, it was the SDC logo! She bought all her Dust from that brand! It also explained why Miss Priss was moving her own luggage: she likely took a private airship.

Weiss smirked. "Finally, some recognition!"

"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners," continued the girl in black. Weiss spluttered in anger as Ruby couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"Wha- how dare- the nerve of- ugh!" the heiress "said," marching up to the girl in the bow and snatching the bottle out of her hand. A few helpers in tuxedos gathered the fallen luggage back onto the trolley and followed the angry heiress as she stormed off.

"I promise I'll make this up to you!" shouted Ruby to Weiss, sighing when she didn't hear a reply. "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day. So, what's—" But as she turned to speak to the newcomer, she found she was already walking away. Ruby collapsed onto her back, alone once again. Her sister had abandoned her, she nearly exploded, and she probably just made a mortal enemy all in the span of ten minutes. "Welcome to Beacon," she sighed before a shadow covered her. At first, she was terrified that the heiress had come back for revenge, only to see a hand stretched out.

"Hey, I'm Jaune."

~KRA~

It had been like a train wreck. While Jaune was mesmerized by the beauty of the white-haired girl, he was surprised when she and Ruby got into an argument that resulted in a small Dust explosion. After that third girl joined the conversation, Ruby was soon left by herself, totally dejected. It's clear that whatever the snow angel (oh, that was a good one) said to her bummed her out something fierce, and he hated seeing people like that. So being the good person he was, he walked up to her and held out a helping hand. "Hey, I'm Jaune."

"Ruby," said the girl in red as she took his hand. He helped her get back to her feet as her eyes narrowed, recognizing him from somewhere.

'Wait, don't tell me she already figured out—'

She stifled a laugh. "Aren't you the guy who threw up on the ship?"

Jaune sighed as he slumped over, relieved and distraught. "Yeah, that'd be me."

"Are you sick or something?" she asked as they started walking together, going along a path by a man-made river. "I've never seen anybody throw up on one of those super-slow things."

"I just don't do ships well, air or sea," said Jaune. It wasn't the whole reason, but saying it was because he was nervous would be a laser-guided missile to his last shred of coolness. "All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on."

Ruby laughed at his explanation. "Look, I'm sorry! Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind."

That was her? Oh, it was on now. "Oh yeah? What if I called you 'Crater Face?'"

"Hey, that explosion was an accident!"

"Well, the name's Jaune Arc!" said Jaune with a smile. "Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it!"

"Do they?" asked Ruby skeptically, arching an eyebrow.

With that, Jaune felt his confidence waning once more. "They will! Well, I-I hope they will. My mom always says that… never mind," he said in defeat, Ruby once more giggling at his antics. At least she was smiling now…

After an awkward silence, Ruby reached behind her. "So, I got this thing!" she said, unfolding Crescent Rose into its scythe mode and stabbing it into the ground with one hand. Jaune jumped back in surprise. He may have seen it before, but it still blew his mind how insane that thing was.

"Whoa! Is that a scythe?" he asked, pointing at it.

"It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle!"

"A-wha?" muttered Jaune, unable to keep up with her technobabble.

"It's also a gun," simplified Ruby, freeing her weapon from the winding path and cocking it.

"Oh. That's cool!"

"So what've you got?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Jaune. "I, uh… I got this sword!" Unsheathing Crocea Mors, he held it up in the air. It was a basic short sword with a few scratches and nicks from age, but it was still razor-sharp and sturdy as ever.

"Oooooh!" said Ruby. Jaune was happy that she showed interest, even if her weapon kinda left his in the dust.

"Yeah, and I've got a shield too!" Placing the sheath onto his glove and having it magnetically attach, he pushed a hidden button as the sides expanded. It was now a white heater shield with golden trim on the top. In the center was his family emblem, a pair of golden crescents (his parents called them rainbows, but he considered them too… monochromatic for that). This sword and shield had served his family well, and now he was the proud owner of these awesome weapons!

"So what do they do?" asked Ruby as she touched the shield. Unfortunately, she ended up messing with the retracting mechanism, causing Jaune to fumble with it as it switched from shield to scabbard and back again. Finally managing to get it back into its sheath mode, he put it back onto his belt.

"The shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of carrying it, I can just… put it away…" said Jaune, embarrassed by the display.

"But wouldn't it weigh the same?" pointed out Ruby.

"Yeah, it does," admitted Jaune. Seeing his weapon side by side with Ruby's made him feel… inadequate, like his weapon wasn't up to snuff anymore.

Ruby giggled again. "Well, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons, sooo… I guess I did go a little overboard when designing it."

"What, you MADE that?!" asked Jaune in disbelief.

"Of course! All students at Signal forge their own weapons! Didn't you make yours?" asked Ruby.

"It's a hand-me-down," said Jaune, holding out the sword. "My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war." Suddenly his awesome Crocea Mors seemed downright pathetic.

"Sounds more like a family heirloom to me!" said Ruby, laughing as Jaune just sighed. "Well, I like it!" This made Jaune feel better. Apparently weapons didn't have to be over the top to make her like them. "Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."

"Yeah, the classics," said Jaune as he sheathed his sword, the two walking once more.

"So why'd you help me out back there? In the courtyard?"

"Eh, why not?" said Jaune honestly. Helping people was what he loved to do best, and was why he became a Kamen Rider in the first place. "My mom always says, 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.'"

"Hmm," said the stranger-turned-friend as she looked around the surrounding area. "Hey, where are we going?"

"Oh, I don't know! I was following you!" admitted Jaune. He started to sweat as he stopped moving, Ruby stopping and turning around. "Y-You think there might be a directory? Maybe a food court? Some sort of recognizable landmark?" Silence. Never a good sign when asking someone a question. "Is, uh… is that a no?"

Ruby laughed again. "That's a no." Well, this was a rollercoaster of a day, wasn't it?

~KRA~

Once the two received directions from somebody who actually knew where they were going, they made their way to the auditorium. Ruby glanced at her new friend Jaune, by far the friendliest face she met today. Though considering her luck with Weiss and the bow girl, that was a low bar. At least he was just as awkward as she was!

"So where did you go for combat school?" asked Ruby. "I'd remember seeing you around Signal, plus you didn't make your own weapon. Pharos, maybe? Flare? Lantern?"

"I was trained privately in Atlas," admitted Jaune.

"Oh, you're from Atlas?"

"No, I'm from Vale," he said. "General Ironwood visited my family one day, and he offered to train me."

"Really?! That's a huge honor! Well, I think it is," said Ruby, Jaune smiling at that. "So why was he there?"

"Uh, reasons," said Jaune. Ruby was a lot of things, but dumb wasn't one of them. She could tell that he was hiding something, but she didn't want to pry. The last thing that she wanted was to scare away her friend minutes after meeting him.

"Well, that's pretty cool! But why come to Beacon?"

Jaune's eyes lit up. "Oh, I've always wanted to go to Beacon! I heard that some of the most famous Huntsmen graduated from her! And the headmaster, Ozpin, is a living legend! I've always wanted to be somebody like that, you know? A hero that people look up to, somebody that keeps people smiling."

His words definitely made Ruby smile. "That sounds really cool! That's why I want to be a Huntress, to help people who need it!"

"Heh, guess we have a common goal. Let's do our best to be the best Huntsmen that Remnant has ever seen!" declared Jaune, holding out his hand.

Ruby gladly grabbed it and shook it. "It's a promise!"

With the two solidifying their friendship, they finally reached the auditorium. Walking inside, it was absolutely packed with new students. "Ruby, over here!" Ruby turned to see Yang, her SUPPOSEDLY loyal sister, waving her over. "I saved you a spot!"

"Oh!" Ruby turned to Jaune. "Hey, I-I gotta go! I'll see you after the ceremony!" And before he had a chance to respond, she ran up to her sister, arms crossed in annoyance.

"How's your first day going, little sister?"

"You mean since you DITCHED me and I EXPLODED?" shouted Ruby.

"Yikes! Meltdown already?" asked Yang.

"No, I LITERALLY exploded a hole in front of the school!" complained Ruby. "And there was some fire, and I think some ice?"

"Are you being sarcastic?" asked Yang with a smirk. "Because the talking Grimm sounds more plausible than this nonsense."

"I wish!" screamed Ruby, speaking a mile a minute. "I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, and then she yelled at me, and then I sneezed, and then I EXPLODED," she added with extra emphasis, "and then she yelled at me again, and I felt really REALLY bad, and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!"

"YOU!"

Ruby yelped as she jumped into Yang's arms. Weiss had been right behind her. "Oh god, it's happening again!"

"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!" snapped Weiss with her hands on her hips.

"Oh my god, you really exploded," said Yang, deadpan.

"It was an accident," said Ruby as Yang set her back on the ground. The cloaked girl turned to the heiress. "It was an accident!" But Weiss just held out a pamphlet, reading "Dust for dummies and other Inadequate Individuals." "What's this?"

"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for anyinjuriesordamagessustainedby—" It was at that point that Ruby lost track of the spiel, the words becoming a jumbled mess. It was like she fast-forwarded her own words so that she could get it done and over with as soon as possible. Finally, she finished her little infomercial warning.

"Um…"

"You really want to start making things up to me?" asked Weiss.

"Absolutely?" said Ruby.

Weiss shoved the pamphlet into her hands. "Read this and don't ever speak to me again." Well, that was a complete failure. Now Ruby felt even worse.

"Look, uh, it sounds like you two just got off on the wrong foot," put in Yang, scratching the back of her head as Ruby turned around in despair. "Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?"

This perked up Ruby, her sister coming in clutch. "Yeah! Great idea, sis!" she said as she turned around, extending a hand towards Weiss. "Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby! Wanna hang out? We could go shopping for school supplies!"

"Yeah!" said Weiss as she threw up her hands in a sugary voice. "And we can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys like tall, blonde, and… scraggly over there!" She gestured to a lonely-looking Jaune, who perked up and let out a confused "Hm?"

Ruby smiled, ecstatic that Weiss was willing to move on and be her second best buddy at Beacon! Well, third if she counted Yang, but they knew each other WELL before Beacon, so did that count? Screw it, three friends are better than two. "Wow, really?"

Weiss just… stared at her with her thumb still pointing at Jaune. She blinked. "…no." It was only then that Ruby realized she was being sarcastic, hanging her head in defeat as Weiss snootily crossed her arms and turned away.

Before Ruby could do anything else to try and make things up to Weiss, microphone feedback filled the auditorium. Everyone turned to the stage as somebody cleared their throat. Standing in front of the microphone was none other than Headmaster Ozpin himself, the man who personally invited her early. With the ceremony about to start, the conversations among the students were silenced. Everyone had their eyes and ears on him, the headmaster gaining their undivided attention. And nobody was more focused than Ruby.

"I'll… keep this brief," said Ozpin as he pushed up his shades, Glynda standing by his side. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills." Ruby smiled, looking around at her fellow freshmen as she tried and failed to contain her excitement. "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." Some of the students started whispering among themselves, Ruby's smile fading as she listened closely to his speech. "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."

And with that, he left the stage without another word, Glynda going up to the microphone. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed." With these words, the crowd started to dwindle as they made their way to the ballroom.

"He seemed kind of… off," said Yang.

"It's almost like he wasn't even there," added Ruby.

Jaune scooted over to the girls. "I'm a natural blonde, you know," he said with a smirk. Weiss just put a palm to her face and shook her head, walking away from the natural blonde without a word. The sisters and Jaune stood around in silence before Ozpin suddenly walked up to them, clearing his throat.

"Oh, Professor Ozpin!" said Ruby.

"It's nice to see you again, Miss Rose. Would you mind terribly if I borrowed Mister Arc for a moment?"

"Me?" asked Jaune as Glynda walked up to Ozpin.

"Is Jaune in trouble?" asked Ruby, scared for her first friend she made here.

"No, nothing of the sort," said Ozpin. "I simply wanted to speak with the general's recommendation myself. If you would be so kind, I would like to get to know you in my personal office."

"Oh, sure thing!" said Jaune, sounding a little nervous.

"Splendid. Right this way. I shan't keep you from your friends for long."

"Good luck, Jaune!" said Ruby with a double thumbs-up.

"Keep a cool head, Vomit Boy!" added Yang.

"Thanks, I guess," said Jaune as he followed the headmaster and vice-headmistress.

"Come on, Ruby, let's grab some grub," said Yang. "I'm… pretty sure the cafeteria is this way."

~KRA~

Jaune felt butterflies in his stomach again as he took the elevator in Beacon Tower to Ozpin's office. The headmaster and vice-headmistress were on either side of him, suffocating him with their presence as his usual confidence failed him. Being sent to the headmaster's office before classes even started couldn't be a good sign, regardless of what Ozpin said earlier. His eyes darted back and forth. Glynda gave him a look, fingers seeming to reach for something clipped onto her boot in case he did anything she found suspicious. Ozpin just looked forward, both hands on his cane. He seemed distant, even more so than his speech earlier.

Finally, the elevator doors opened, and Jaune felt like he could breathe again. He followed the two professors into the office, taken in by the odd clockwork that filled the room. Ozpin sat in his large mechanical-looking chair, two mugs in front of him as he laid his cane against the desk. Glynda stood by his side. Jaune just got into the smaller chair in front of the desk, hands folded as he looked at the two.

"Care for a drink?" offered Ozpin, holding out a dark green mug with a dark brown liquid inside. His signature white mug was in his other hand.

"Oh, I don't drink coffee. Not really a fan," said Jaune.

"Neither am I," said Ozpin. "I prefer my drinks a bit less bitter. It's hot chocolate."

"Oh," said Jaune, taking the mug. "Thank you, sir. Er, professor. No wait, headmaster…"

"Professor is fine," said Ozpin as he blew on his cocoa and took a sip. Jaune just nodded nervously and went to take a drink of his own, holding the cup tightly with both hands. "Now then, let's not waste any time, shall we, Mister Arc? Or would you prefer Kamen Rider Aurum?"

It took all of Jaune's self control to not spit his scalding-hot drink all over the headmaster. Unfortunately, what ended up happening was he took too large a sip as his eyes bulged. He gulped down the hot cocoa and started coughing, almost slamming his mug on the table as he clutched his burning throat. "Hot, hot!"

"Perhaps I should've prepared a cold drink for you," said Ozpin, relatively stolid. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, professor," said Jaune. He had expected Ozpin to be aware of his identity, but he didn't expect him to act so casually about it! "So you know who I am?"

"I do. As does Miss Goodwitch here and a few of my closer companions among the faculty. None of the students are aware, at least not of our accounts."

"Well, I haven't told anyone yet either," said Jaune. "General Ironwood told me to only tell people I can trust with my life."

"If that is the case, then perhaps having that number grow over the course of your time here would be a good thing," said Ozpin before taking a drink. "Though then again, I would respect your decision if you choose to keep it a secret from your classmates."

"I'm honestly not sure about that," said Jaune, rubbing his arm nervously.

"Well, that's a matter that can be dealt with at a later date," said Ozpin. "For now, I simply want to ask you a few questions."

"Okay, Professor Ozpin," said Jaune, feeling a little more at ease.

"Excellent. Let's start with this. When did James decide to make you a Kamen Rider? I never got to ask him that myself."

"Well, the general came to visit my father four years ago," said Jaune. "I don't know why. The details are a little hazy, but I remember what he asked me that day as clear as crystal."

"Really now? Enlighten me," said Ozpin, leaning forward in intrigue.

"He asked me… if I wanted to be a hero," said Jaune. Ozpin and Glynda exchanged a brief glance. "It's… pretty obvious what my answer was."

"Indeed," said Glynda.

"I've been training a lot for the past four years. Practicing with my Aura, unarmed and weapon-based combat, how to ride a motorcycle, all to help me for when the Aura Driver was finished. Transforming for the first time just a couple weeks ago… it was the greatest moment of my life."

"I see," said Ozpin. "Another question. What is your purpose here at Beacon?"

"To become a Huntsman, professor!" said Jaune, standing up. When he realized what he was doing, he slowly got back into his chair and took a drink of his hot chocolate. "I mean, to become a Huntsman. Same as everyone else here, I suppose."

"And to fight the Umbrae?" asked Ozpin.

"Well, yeah," said Jaune. "That's why the general sent me here, I guess."

Ozpin nodded before standing up, pacing back and forth in front of his desk. Jaune kept his eyes trained on him at all times. "In that case, allow me to set some ground rules. If, or I suppose when, an Umbra appears, the duty will fall upon you to stop it. However, I cannot give you any other special privileges. You will be following the rules of my academy as I see fit. You are a student of mine, after all."

"Of course!" said Jaune. "I'm not going to let this opportunity go to waste! I'll be on my best behavior here!"

Ozpin nodded in satisfaction, returning to his seat. "Then with that, I have only one last question for you. What drives you to become a Huntsman, a Kamen Rider, a hero?"

Jaune was quiet for a moment, trying to find the right words. "Well, my great-great-grandfather was a war hero, right?"

"Ah yes, one Julius Arc. I've heard stories of him. If I'm not mistaken, he was the first user of that blade strapped to your hip."

"Yeah, he was. And since then, we've come from a long line of heroes. My dad is a Huntsman, after all. I just… want to be somebody like them, you know? I want to protect people, to make people feel happy and safe. It's what I've wanted ever since I was little, always hearing stories about my dad's adventures and my great-great-grandpa, seeing Crocea Mors displayed on the wall. It was what I wanted to be more than anything." He looked back at Ozpin, who was staring at him intently. Jaune swallowed. "Did I say something wrong?"

"On the contrary, that was an excellent answer," said Ozpin. "I believe everything is in order. You're dismissed. Feel free to make your way to the cafeteria and obtain a locker number for storing your supplies and equipment. The codes for unlocking and launching it will be given as well."

"Wait, did you say launching?"

"It will be explained after initiation," said Ozpin. "Said code will be disabled until then, but please don't make a habit of confusing the two. I will see you tomorrow morning for initiation. I wish you the best of luck."

"You got it, professor!" said Jaune, getting up with a pair of finger guns. "And thank you! You won't regret this!" With that, he made his way to the elevator with a spring in his step. A toothy grin spread across his face as he hit the button to go back to the courtyard.

"This is really happening," said Jaune. No matter how many times he said it, it still felt like a dream. With nobody else in the elevator, he reached into his belt pouch and pulled out the inactive Aura Driver, looking over the mechanical wonder that let him become Aurum. He also took off the sheathed Crocea Mors, holding them out in front of him. "Starting tomorrow, I'm officially a Beacon student."

~KRA~

"So, do you still think that he's a troublemaker?" asked Ozpin, turning to Glynda.

"He seems genuine, if a bit… overconfident," relented Glynda. "I suppose he's earned my trust. And what about you, Ozpin?"

Ozpin just took another sip from his precious mug. "I have no idea if Ironwood has any ulterior motives. However, I can say that I trust the young Mister Arc with certainty."

~KRA~

The ballroom was covered with sleeping bags, the massive room dimly lit by chandeliers. Having finished getting ready for the night, Jaune made his way back to his own sleeping bag. Ahead of him, a few shirtless guys were wrestling with each other and showing off their muscles.

"It's like a big slumber party!" That voice sounded like Ruby's sister, the one who called her over. What was her name again? Yin? No wait, Yang!

"I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys, though." That was Ruby for sure.

"I know I do! *purr*" At this, Jaune turned over and waved to Yang and Ruby, moving his eyebrows up and down. They had both changed into their pajamas and were lying on their sleeping bags. The younger sister had a black tank top with a pink, heart-shaped wolf head on the front and long white pajama pants with pink roses on them, a black face mask with red eyes on her forehead. Yang wore an orange tank top with her emblem in red on the front and a pair of black shorts similar to her combat uniform. Ruby seemed more focused on a journal she was writing in, not looking up. Yang took a look at him and promptly groaned, rolling her eyes and turning back to Ruby.

'Well, that was a shot to my confidence,' thought Jaune as he looked at his own pajamas, a blue onesie with bunny slippers and a white rabbit on the front. 'So much for the cuteness being a chick magnet.' Eh, whatever. It was a bit embarrassing to wear, but the comfort was way worth it.

"Pfft, nice PJs."

Jaune turned to see a couple of the other guys smiling at him. "Oh, thanks! You really think so?"

The same guy laughed. "Sure, I bet it's great for fighting. Everyone will be too busy laughing at that cutesy rag to hit you!"

"What?"

"Dude, I didn't know Beacon started letting toddlers in!"

"Who did you piss off to make you wear THAT in public?!"

Jaune felt his cheeks burning as the bullies started laughing at him, turning on his heels and storming away in embarrassment. It felt like every time something went his way today, the world made it its mission to bring him down. Finally finding his sleeping bag, he huffed and lied down, hands under his head. "Buncha jerks," he sighed.

"Just ignore them."

"Gah!" shouted Jaune as he sat up, turning to his right to see somebody sitting next to him on his own sleeping bag. He had black hair tied back in a low ponytail. A magenta streak was in the left side of his hair, his eyes pale pink. He wore a green tailcoat that was red on the inside and diagonally buttoned, a black collar with a gold trim leading to a similarly colored trimming that went down the right side of his torso and wrapped around again. The coat had gold markings and trim on the coattails, and pink cuffs. A black shirt was visible around the collar and wrists, and the top button of the collar had a golden emblem shaped like a lotus flower. His outfit was completed by white pants, and a pair of black shoes sat beside his sleeping bag. "When did you get here?!"

"About ten minutes before you set up your own sleeping bag," pointed out the stranger.

"Oh," said Jaune. "Man, you're quiet."

"I get that a lot."

"Well, my name's Jaune, Jaune Arc," said the blonde, extending his hand to the black-haired boy. "Nice to meet you!"

"Lie Ren. You can just call me Ren," said the boy, Ren, as he returned the handshake. "And likewise."

There was a moment of awkward silence before Jaune pointed to Ren's ensemble. "Interesting pajamas there. Are they comfortable?"

"Pajamas? This is my Huntsman uniform."

"Wait, you sleep in that?" asked Jaune.

"I find it helps me stay alert. Though I suppose that while I'm staying here, I should invest in some proper sleepwear," said Ren. "And your pajamas are… also interesting."

"Hey, don't mock the onesie! This thing is super comfy!" Jaune held out his arm. "Go on, feel that!"

Ren raised an eyebrow, but nonetheless went to feel the fabric. Apparently he was used to unusual requests. His eyes widened as his fingers brushed against it, Jaune smirking in victory. "This is… incredibly soft."

"I know, right? It's like being hugged by a cloud made of marshmallows!"

Ren stopped feeling the sleeve. "That's an… unusual analogy."

"Well, that's what my sisters said, anyway," explained Jaune as he rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, they're the ones who made it as a gift."

"Your sisters made that?" asked Ren.

"Yep! Living with seven sisters can be a blessing and a curse."

Ren was silent for a moment. "Did I mishear you? Because I swear you just said seven sisters."

"You heard right. Five older and two younger. It was crazy. But you like siblings, right?"

"I can't say that I do. I'm an only child."

"So it's just you and your folks at home? That's probably nice, if a little lonely."

Ren turned his head away. "I… don't really have that anymore. My parents were killed in a Grimm attack when I was young."

Jaune was stunned by the news, gasping. "Oh… oh god, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, you had no ill will," said Ren. "It still stings a bit, but the pain has dulled over the years. All I can do is keep moving forward."

"That sounds… tough," said Jaune. He couldn't bear having that happen to his family. And especially not so young. "Well, did you have any friends or family to turn to?"

"I have a Nora."

Jaune blinked at this. "I feel like you'll have to explain that."

"I guarantee you'll be acquainted with her tomorrow morning," said Ren. "She's been the one that kept me smiling even through my darkest hours."

"Wow, that sounds awesome," said Jaune, lying down as Ren followed suit. Ren was lucky to have a friend like her if she was half as good as he described. "So, what do you think we'll be doing for the initiation?"

"I don't know," admitted Ren. "But I'm positive we'll be fighting Grimm. After four years of training against our peers, the next step would logically be fighting what we came here to fight."

"Guess easing us into the material isn't an option, huh?" said Jaune, looking at the ceiling. "Well, let's be sure to give it our all!"

Ren yawned. "Indeed," he said before he got into his sleeping bag, Jaune doing the same. He lied in silence for a moment before drifting off to sleep, a long day ahead of him.

~KRA~

"What's that?" asked Yang, propped up with her right hand holding up her head. Her younger sister was lying on a Shiba pillow, writing something in a journal.

"A letter to the gang back at Signal," said Ruby. "I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."

Yang was surprised by this. Ruby had friends? One couldn't blame her for being so surprised. She never talked about her friends at home, and being two years apart at Signal meant that Yang couldn't see her baby sister often. But this was awesome news! Her sister was breaking out of her shell! "Aw, that's so cuuute!" she cooed.

Her joy was met with a pillow thrown in her face. "Shut up!" snapped Ruby as Yang lowered the fluffy projectile. "I didn't get to take my friends with me to school! It's weird not knowing anyone here!"

"What about Jaune?" asked Yang, eyes wandering to the casanova wannabe and seeing a group of guys picking on him. She felt bad for the poor guy, but Ruby took top priority at the moment. She was sure he could handle himself, he's a big boy. "He's…" she racked her brain for an answer, "nice! There you go! Plus one friend! That's a hundred percent increase!"

Ruby turned onto her back. "Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend. Back to zero…"

"There's no such things as negative friends!" pointed out Yang. "You just made one friend and one enemy!" Another pillow to the face, this one being the Shiba-shaped one. "Look, it's only been one day. Trust me, you've got friends all around you! You just haven't met them yet!"

Yang suddenly noticed a flickering in her peripheral vision, turning to see a girl leaning against the wall reading a book with a blank brown cover. The flickering came from a candelabra on a nearby side table, having been lit by the girl. Though Yang didn't recognize her, this was the same girl that identified Weiss that morning. She was still wearing her bow, but had changed into a long-sleeved black shirt that resembled a yukata and a black obi tied with a black and white string. She also had a purple undershirt and skirt.

"That girl…" said Ruby, catching Yang's attention.

"You know her?"

"Not really," said Ruby. "She saw what happened this morning, but left before I could say anything."

Yang beamed as she grabbed her sister's arm, pulling her up. "Well, now's your chance!" she said.

"Wait! What are you doing?!" asked Ruby as she tried to break free, but it was no use. Yang had an iron grip as she took her over to the girl in black. Time for Ruby to make another friend!

~KRA~

Ruby struggled as much as she could to stop Yang. Didn't she understand you can't just force people to be friends? She dug her heels into the carpet, tried to pry her sister's fingers off, everything she could think of. But Yang was one of the physically strongest people she knew and didn't give her an inch. Finally, they were right in front of the girl in the bow, who was looking at the two curiously.

"Hellooo~!" sang Yang. "I believe you two may know each other?"

The girl looked blankly at Ruby. "Aren't you… that girl that exploded?"

"Uh, yeah!" said Ruby, fighting down the embarrassment so she could get this over with and get back to her letter. "My name's Ruby! But you can call me Crater…" Ruby trailed off as she stopped herself from "introducing" herself with that embarrassing name. She put on the best smile she could, face no doubt the same color as her cloak. "Actually, you can just call me Ruby."

"Okay," said the girl as she went back to her book.

"What are you doing?" whispered Yang.

"I don't know, HELP ME!" whispered Ruby back, annoyed by her sister putting her on the spot like this. She turned back to the mystery girl and put on her best smile.

To her credit, Yang was happy to help. "So… what's your name?"

The girl looked back up from her book with a sigh. "Blake," she answered.

"Well, Blake, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister! I like your bow!"

"Thanks," said Blake. She sounded annoyed. If anything, Yang's help was making things worse.

"It goes great with your… pajamas!" said Yang.

"Right…" said Blake as Ruby laughed. It was a hollow laugh, the silver-eyed girl fully uncomfortable. She suddenly wished she HAD been blown off the cliff's edge. At least then she wouldn't be in this painful situation.

"Nice night, don't you think?" asked Yang.

"Yes, it's lovely!" said Blake. "Almost as lovely as this book! That I will continue to read. As soon as you two leave."

Yang turned to Ruby. "Yeah, this girl's a lost cause."

But Ruby was curious about something. "What's it about?"

"Huh?" asked Blake.

"Your book. Does it have a name?"

"Well…" Blake began, looking over the pages, "i-it's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body."

"Oh yeah, that's REAL lovely!" said Yang sarcastically. But Ruby was enraptured. It sounded like something she'd read.

"I love books," said Ruby cheerfully. "Yang used to read to me every night before bed. Stories of heroes and monsters. They're one of the reasons I want to be a Huntress!"

This made Blake smile, chuckling a little. "And why is that? Hoping you'll live happily ever after?"

"Well, I'm hoping we all will," said Ruby. "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!"

"That's… very ambitious for a child," said Blake, her smile fading. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairy tale."

"Well, that's why we're here!" said Ruby proudly. "To make it better."

"Oh, I am so proud of my baby sister!" shouted Yang as she pulled Ruby into the second bone-crushing hug in one day.

"Cut it out!" yelled Ruby as she decked Yang in the face. Unfortunately, her sister was the competitive type who rarely backed down from a challenge, and the two ended up in a big ball of punches, kicks, and the occasional hair grab.

Ruby swore she heard Blake laughing right as her older sister poked her in the eye (okay, now that's just fighting dirty, Yang!). "Well, Ruby, Yang, it's a pleasure to ha-"

"What in the world is going on over here?!" The sisters froze up like deers in headlights, Ruby holding onto Yang's leg. Weiss had stormed up to them, her hair down wearing a pale blue nightgown with white trim and her snowflake emblem on the right side of her chest. "Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?"

As soon as Ruby let go of Yang, her sister and the heiress locked eyes. "Oh, not you again!" they screamed in tandem.

"Shh! Guys, she's right!" said Ruby. "People are trying to sleep!"

"Oh, NOW you're on my side!" snarled Weiss as Blake closed her book.

"I was always on your side!" shouted Ruby.

"Yeah, what's your problem with my sister? She's only trying to be nice!" yelled Yang, jumping to her sister's defense.

"She's a hazard to my health!"

Ruby just sighed as she got back to her sleeping bag. By the time she finished her letter to her friends, Weiss and Yang were still going at it. Ruby sighed as she reclaimed her pillows from Yang's bag and crawled into her own sleeping bag, slipping her mask over her eyes. Tomorrow, the fun will really begin. It would just be her and Crescent Rose, fighting the forces of evil. And she couldn't wait.

~KRA~

As Jaune slipped back into consciousness, he yawned as he held a hand over his face. He squinted as his eyes adjusted to the light. Today was the day of initiation, where he became a true student of Beacon. He yawned again as he closed his eyes and turned his head. Initiation was going to be awesome. He would finally be a Huntsman. But he was sure he could wait five more minutes…

"Wake up, lazy butt!"

Jaune's eyes shot open as a loud voice rang beside him. Turning over, he saw Ren groaning in his sleeping bag and a girl standing over him. The girl had short orange hair that stuck out around her neck and aqua blue eyes. She wore a white shirt with a heart-shaped cutout above her chest, detached sleeves going from her biceps to her wrists. Over the shirt was a black vest with a blue central section and red accents, a gray image of a hammer with a lightning bolt over it on the back. A metal armor piece wrapped around her torso, going around her waist, under her breasts, over her shoulders and around the back of her neck. She also wore a pink skirt with a white layer underneath and matching pink fingerless gloves. Completing her outfit was a pair of white ankle-length boots with pink laces and soles, lightning bolts on the soles.

As Ren sat up with a groan and shook his head, the girl dashed around him. "It's morning, it's morning, it's morning, it's MORNING!" she said as she danced around. She was like Ruby at double speed and at max volume. "I can't believe we've been at Beacon for a full twenty-four hours! Not that I thought we'd get kicked out or anything. I mean, you're the perfect student and I'm… well, I'm ME! But it's just crazy, you know?"

"It's a bit too early for this, Nora," said Ren. Jaune let out a quiet "Oh." So this was the Nora he was talking about. Well, there was no way he was getting any more sleep with this living alarm clock around.

As Jaune crawled out of his sleeping bag and rolled his shoulders to get the kinks out, he heard a loud gasp next to him. He turned to see Nora staring at him with wide eyes and her hands cupped over her mouth, Ren still looking half asleep. "What's wrong?" asked Jaune. "Is there something wrong with my hair?" He ran his fingers through his golden locks to make sure.

"Those PJs…" Jaune braced himself, fully prepared for the boisterous girl to laugh at them until her sides hurt. "… are the CUTEST THING I've ever seen!"

"Wait, you really think so?" asked Jaune with a smile.

"Absolutely! I just wanna squeeze you until you pop like a balloon!"

The blood drained from Jaune's face as she said that with a gigantic smile on her face. "Let's not do that, okay?"

"Ooh, it looks super soft! Can I feel it? Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

Jaune smiled again as he held out his arm. "Sure, help yourseEEP!" To his dismay, rather than simply feeling the material as he had offered, she pulled him into a hug and actually lifted him into the air. She may have been a foot shorter than him, but she was packing some serious strength. And unfortunately, that strength was threatening to shatter his left arm and ribs, right hand trying to tap out.

"Oh, it's so comfy!" said Nora as she rubbed her face against his chest. "It's like I'm being hugged by a cloud made of marshmallows!"

"I know, right?" choked out Jaune.

"Nora, please don't break my friend," said Ren.

Nora gasped again as she let go of Jaune, the latter falling back onto his feet and breathing raggedly. "Wait, you're friends with Ren?"

"I guess so," said Jaune with a smile. "We chatted a bit last night."

"Well, any friend of my bestie is a friend of mine!" said Nora with a smile, holding out her right hand. "Nora Valkyrie at your service! Nice to meetcha!"

"Jaune Arc," said Jaune as he shook her hand, trying his absolute best not to flinch at her fire grip.

After that little adventure, Jaune was quick to get ready. Changing into his combat uniform, brushing his teeth, packing up his sleeping stuff, and eating breakfast: all the essentials. Ren and Nora joined him in the latter three, Nora talking to Ren nonstop and occasionally asking Jaune if he agreed with something she said. Ren remained silent throughout, and Jaune would nod when addressed as if he heard more than every fifth word she said, upon which she would smile brightly and go back to talking.

After they finished their pancake breakfast, Jaune split off from the two in the locker room. All he had left to do before reporting for initiation was getting his remaining gear - his double belts and Crocea Mors. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. The room was a labyrinth of high-tech lockers with holographic keypads. Whenever he thought he found his locker, the pad would flash red and say "ACCESS DENIED" after he put in the code.

After ten failed attempts at finding the right locker, Jaune pulled out the sheet of paper with his locker number, walking through the room while looking at the number in disbelief. "Ridiculous!" he ranted to himself. "There's no way I put my gear in locker 636 yesterday! I would've remembered having to count that high! Why does this have to happen today?"

As he walked through the room while scratching his head, he couldn't help but overhear a conversation, one of the speakers being Weiss. Turning, he saw that the lovely heiress was speaking to somebody he didn't recognize. She was rather tall, bright red hair tied into a ponytail and curled into a loose ringlet that went down to her waist. She had vivid green eyes with a slight touch of green eyeshadow in the corners, and she wore a bronze circlet underneath her hair with a pair of teardrop-shaped emeralds dangling from it on thin chains. Her top was a brown overbust corset with a vertical bronze stripe down the middle, and she had dark brown opera gloves on both arms. A large bronze gorget was around her neck, a bracelet of a similar color around her upper left arm and a bracer on the same arm. She also wore a short black elastic skirt with a red sash tied around it, the sash dangling on her right. Over the sash was a black belt with two pouches on her left hip and a circular bronze plate on her right that displayed a shield with a spear over it. Bronze greaves and cuisses covered her legs from her mid-thigh to a pair of brown high-heeled boots, the boots reaching her mid-calf and sporting bronze trim.

"So, Pyrrha, have you given any thought to whose team you'd like to be on?" asked Weiss, identifying the girl in bronze as Pyrrha. "I'm sure everyone must be eager to unite with such a strong, well-known individual such as yourself!"

"Hmm, I'm not quite sure," admitted Pyrrha. "I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may."

"Well… I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together."

"Well, that sounds grand!" said Pyrrha with a smile.

"Great!" said Weiss.

It was at this point that Jaune decided it was as good a time as any to make himself known, running his hands through his hair. 'Be cool, be calm, be confident,' he thought as he remembered his dad's advice. He strutted in between the two and turned to Weiss, thumb pointed at himself as he leaned on a locker. "You know what else is great? Me. Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you." Nailed it!

"You again?" asked Weiss, seemingly irritated as she crossed her arms. Maybe he should've excused himself rather than barging into their conversation. But his dad had always told him that confidence was key, and he wouldn't back down now.

Pyrrha moved into his field of vision, giving a polite wave. "Nice to meet you, Jaune!"

"Yeah, yeah," said Jaune as he lightly pushed her aside, posing a bit. "So, Weiss, I couldn't help but overhear your fondness of me the other day."

"Oh, you've GOT to be kidding me!" shouted Weiss. Ouch, she was as cold as they came. But Jaune knew that there was good in her, a heart of gold beating beneath that frigid exterior. And with a little of the old Arc Charm (patent pending), he'd be able to chip his way through.

"Don't worry!" said Jaune. "No need to be embarrassed? So, been hearing rumors about teams! I was thinking you and me would make a good one! What do you say?"

It was then that Pyrrha got his attention again. "Actually," she said, "I think the teams are comprised of four students each, so-"

"You don't say," said Jaune as he walked up to Pyrrha with confidence. "Well, hot stuff, play your cards right and maybe you could join up with the winning team."

Before Pyrrha could respond, Weiss stepped between the two and pushed them apart, arms spread between them. "Jaune, is it?" asked the heiress. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

Jaune just smiled and gave an honest answer. "Not in the slightest, Snow Angel." She looked a little familiar, but the name Pyrrha didn't ring any bells.

Weiss' brow furrowed as she gestured to Pyrrha. "THIS is Pyrrha."

"Hello again!" said Pyrrha cheerfully.

"Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum!"

"Never heard of it," said Jaune, earning a scoff from Weiss.

"She's won the Mistral Region Tournaments four years in a row! A new record!"

"The what?" asked Jaune. One couldn't blame him, he didn't exactly keep up with Mistrali news.

Unfortunately, the icy heiress was getting frustrated with him as she angrily flailed her arms about. "She's on the front page of every Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!"

Jaune gasped and put his hands over his face as he suddenly recognized her face from the box of his favorite cereal, the cereal whose mascot was proudly displayed on his pajamas and his hoodie (though the picture on the latter was concealed by his chest armor). "That's YOU?!" he said giddily, pointing at her as she averted her eyes. "But they only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters!"

"Yeah, it was pretty cool," said Pyrrha. "Sadly, the cereal isn't very good for you."

Weiss leaned in front of Pyrrha. "So, after hearing all of this, do you really think you're in a position to ask HER to be on your team?"

Jaune could only hang his head. He certainly didn't have that level of accomplishment. "I guess not… sorry…"

"Actually, Jaune," said Pyrrha as she walked up to him, "I think you'd make a great leader!"

Jaune smiled as he put his fists beneath his head. "D'oh, stop it!" he said, a bit embarrassed by the praise.

"Seriously, please stop it," came Weiss' voice from behind him, causing him to turn around. "This kind of behavior should not be encouraged!"

Jaune sidled up to her, confidence renewed. "Sounds like Pyrrha's on board for Team Jaune. Spots are filling up quick!" he said. "Now, I'm not supposed to do this, but maybe I could pull some strings, find a place for you. What do you say?"

As he leaned in, Weiss waved her hands in front of her body. "Alright, that's a bit too close! Pyrrha, a little help, please?!" Jaune turned to look behind him just to see a red and bronze blur fly by him and grab his hood, dragging him away. He grunted as he hit a locker, turning to see a red spear with bronze for the bladed edges of the tip and the lower shaft. Said spear had run through the locker and his hood, pinning him.

"I'm sorry!" shouted Pyrrha from across the room.

"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately," came Glynda's voice over the intercom system. Weiss passed by the trapped blonde, not even bothering to glance at him. Pyrrha followed, reclaiming her spear and freeing Jaune as he slumped to the ground.

"It was nice meeting you!" said Pyrrha.

"Likewise…" muttered Jaune. Maybe the school had cursed him or something. He wouldn't be surprised considering how his luck was recently.

As Jaune sat against the locker, he noticed Ruby and Yang walking up to him. He also noticed the blonde girl's bracelets had expanded into heavy yellow gauntlets that covered her hands and forearms, gun barrels sticking out of the knuckles. "Having some trouble there, lady-killer?" teased Yang as Ruby extended a hand.

"I don't understand," said Jaune. "My dad said all women look for is confidence! Where did I go wrong?" He accepted Ruby's hand as she lifted him and his self-esteem back up.

"'Snow Angel' PROBABLY wasn't the best start," said Yang.

"Come on, Jaune," said Ruby, "let's go."

"Go on without me, I've still gotta grab my equipment," said Jaune. "You haven't seen a locker 636 around, have you?"

"It's right over there!" said Ruby, pointing to Jaune's left as he saw it in a row on the other end of the locker room.

"Thanks," said Jaune. "I'll catch up."

"Later, Jaune!" said Ruby as she walked away, Yang pounding her armored fists together in anticipation.

Once they left the room, Jaune walked up to his long sought after locker and put in his passcode. The holographic keypad disappeared as he heard a click, locker opening slightly. Pulling the door open, he grabbed his belts and strapped them around his waist. He grabbed Crocea Mors next, his precious sword carefully laid against the wall of the locker. He fastened the sheath to his left hip, ready to go.

Jaune wasn't done yet, however. He looked around the room, trying to see if he was indeed the last one here. Once he was confident he was alone, he reached into the pouches of his belt and emptied their contents. In his right hand was the inactive Aura Driver, display in the center empty. His left hand held four golden coins the size of arcade tokens: one with an image of a grasshopper on it, the other three with different types of beetles. He tightened his grip on the Driver and closed a fist around the Huntsman Medals. 'Come on, don't get nervous now,' he thought. 'Just make it through initiation. This is what you've been training for. And soon, you'll be a hero with and without the mask. I just hope I don't have to reveal myself so soon…'

"Jaune? Are you okay in there?" asked Ruby from outside.

Jaune was caught off guard, immediately shoving his Rider gear back into its hiding places before anybody had a chance to see it. "Just checking over my weapon!" he shouted before turning around and making his way to the cliff, hand on his sword's hilt. 'You can do this. Just show off what you've learned and you'll be fine. And if I have to transform, then I'll do it in a heartbeat.' He smiled a little as he thought this. 'Just be cool. Be calm. Be confident.'

~KRA~

One short walk later, Jaune found himself standing on the edge of Beacon Cliff. In front of and below the cliff was a massive forest, no doubt crawling with Grimm. He and his fellow freshmen were lined up in a row, Jaune on the right-most end due to being the last one to arrive. All the students were standing on square, silver platforms. Standing in front of the first-years was Ozpin with his mug and Glynda with her Scroll.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors," said Ozpin, "and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams," added Glynda. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… TODAY."

"What?" Jaune, who was listening carefully to the speeches, turned to see Ruby standing next to him, looking petrified. "Ohhh…" she groaned. Apparently she wasn't expecting the teams to be formed so soon. To be fair, neither was he.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well," said Ozpin. Ruby just groaned. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Jaune could've sworn he heard the sound of shattering glass as he turned to Ruby. Her entire body was as stiff as a statue, locked up in an expression of pure shock. "WHAAAAT?!" she said. She wasn't the only one as Jaune started to sweat. Who would he end up with? Ruby would be nice to work with. Same with Ren and Pyrrha. Nora and Yang were nice, but he wasn't sure if he could keep up with their rambunctiousness. Weiss would be heavenly…

"After you've partnered up," continued Ozpin, his voice pulling Jaune back into reality, "make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path… or you WILL die."

Jaune just let out a nervous laugh, thinking that the headmaster was making a dark joke. But when he realized that nobody else was laughing, he swallowed loudly. Just like the fight with the Umbra, this danger was very real. One wrong move and his career as a Huntsman and as a Kamen Rider would be cut tragically short.

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation," said Ozpin, "but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

Jaune raised his hand, having quite a few. "Yeah, um, sir?"

"GOOD!" said Ozpin, not acknowledging the raised hand in the slightest. "Now, take your positions."

"Uh, sir?" repeated Jaune. He could've sworn he heard a weird noise. "I've got, um… a question. So, this landing… strategy thing… uh, wha-what is it? You're, like, dropping us off or something?"

"No," said Ozpin plainly. "You will be falling."

"Oh, uh, I see…" said Jaune nervously. THAT was certainly reassuring. That noise happened a couple other times, a bit louder. It was almost like a car door being flung open. "So, like, did you hand out parachutes for us?"

"No," said Ozpin. "You will be using your own 'landing strategy.'"

"Uh-huh… yeah," said Jaune. That noise was getting louder, almost like it was getting closer. "So, what exactly is a landing strategYYYYYYYYY!"

Suddenly, he no longer felt the ground beneath him as he was propelled into the air. That sound he kept hearing was from the tiles they were standing on, which catapulted them into the air. They weren't falling, they were being launched. And now Jaune was joining them, flying through the air and screaming for dear life as he flew over the Emerald Forest.

'THIS NEVER HAPPENED IN ATLAS!'

~KRA~

In another part of the area surrounding the Emerald Forest, high on a cliff outside the reach of the cameras meant for surveying the initiation, three figures were standing around and looking down at the Grimm-infested forest below.

The first of these figures, in front of the group, was a fair-skinned woman with wavy black hair that covered her left eye, said eyes being bright amber in color. A golden hoop earring with a black gem was on her right ear, and a black choker was wrapped around her neck. She wore a dark red off-the-shoulders mini dress with a V-neck and yellow designs. The dress ended above her knees in an upside-down triangular tail in the back, and the upper back had a quarter-circle shaped keyhole that displayed an odd black tattoo. It looked like a pair of high heels that were put sole to sole, a heart shape inside them. The sleeves of her dress ended in a triangle shape, the yellow markings wrapping around her wrists as the sleeves wrapped around her middle fingers. Her nails were painted a dark shade of red. A blue feather-like accessory with a large diamond-shaped rhinestone was attached to her right hip, just above an open section of her dress that revealed a pair of black shorts underneath. She wore a pair of black high heels that seemed to be made of glass, and a jeweled anklet was wrapped around her right ankle. While she didn't have the mask, her attire and hair made it clear that she was Roman Torchwick's current employer.

Standing behind her on her right was a dark-skinned young woman with red eyes and mint green hair. Said hair had short fringe, bangs, and two long locks that went down her back. She wore an intricate white top with black trim over an olive green crop top with a shallow cut, the white top wrapping around her neck and having a fairly large opening around her chest. The back of her top had a black emblem in the shape of a cut gemstone. An iron three-ring armband was wrapped around her left bicep, and a string of beads was wrapped around the same arm near her wrist. Each of her hands sported a green half glove and a bronze ring around the middle finger. A pair of interlocking belts were wrapped around her waist, two holsters containing heavy olive-green revolvers on their backs. Completing her outfit were white pants, brown leather chaps over them, and a pair of strappy high-heeled pumps. While the woman in red looked to be in her mid-twenties, this girl seemed to be in her late teens, the same age as or a little older than the students who were launched into the forest a moment ago. In her hands was a yellow and black power drill.

The third member of the group was standing behind the woman in red on her left, a young man who seemed about the same age as the green-haired woman. He had gray hair that was partially slicked back, the front being unkempt and partially covering his right eye. His eyes were a similar shade of gray. He wore a slate gray and black zip-up jacket with a crooked collar and a set of rerebraces and vambraces over his arms. He also wore a pair of black fingerless gloves. A single-notched belt was wrapped around his waist with a gray bandana draped over it, said bandana having a black image of a winged shoe. The belt held up a pair of black pants with gray vertical stripes. Finishing his look was a pair of heavy black steel-toed boots that appeared to have a ring of bullets around them.

The gray-haired boy sighed as he crossed his arms. "What was the point of dragging us all the way over here when you could've come here yourself? There are much better things I could be doing with my time than standing around a cliff doing jack."

"Silence, Mercury," snapped the woman in red. "Emerald, the drill, if you would."

"As you wish, Cinder," said the green-haired girl, Emerald, handing Cinder the drill in question. Emerald and Mercury backed up a bit, the former smirking at the latter while he rolled his eyes. Cinder placed the drill on the ground, about ten feet away from the cliff's edge. She then held out her right hand.

Her hand was suddenly coated in a black smoke, before something crept out of her palm. It was an amorphous blob of thick black smog, one that pulsed and moved around in a way that no gas would with the current wind. This was an Umbra, one in its infancy. The Umbra suddenly seemed to notice the drill before it floated over to it, its body seeping into the tool before disappearing. A black energy covered the drill, parts of it pulsing as though something inside it was looking around. After several seconds, the energy started fading as a shadow seemed to pool out of the drill. The shadow was getting bigger and bigger, far larger than any shadow an object of that size would be able to cast. Finally, the shadow stopped growing as something crawled out.

First was the head, face concealed by a white and red mask. The monster's eyes were bright red with yellow spirals in them, and a huge grin printed on its mask with one of the mouth's corners curled up. Its torso was black with yellow segments resembling armor, six drill bits sticking out of its back in two columns of three. Its arms were yellow with black cuffs that resembled bit holders, hands a metallic gray with sharp fingertips and drill-like grooves in the fingers. Its legs were black up to its knees, upon which they became conical silver segments that widened as they went down, grooves spiraling around them. Once the Umbra's physical body was fully formed, the shadow underneath it disappeared. A soft laughter came from the Umbra before it threw its head back, laughing maniacally as the drills in its back started to spin loudly.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! Man, this feels good! I feel so strong, ready to rip through some humans! Oh, this'll be so much fun!"

"You're in luck, Drill Umbra," said Cinder, the newly named Drill Umbra turning to face his creator. "You'll be able to do that very soon."

"Ooh, are those my new toys? You shouldn't have!" said the Drill Umbra. "I can't wait to play with them until they break!" At his words, Emerald and Mercury took another step back, the former reaching for her guns and the latter getting into a martial arts stance.

"I'm afraid that my associates are off limits," said Cinder before pointing to the forest below, the Umbra turning to follow her finger. "But that forest is currently crawling with Huntsmen in training. I want you to go down there and cause as much havoc as you can manage. Are you up to the task?"

"Am I?! I was literally born for this!" laughed the Umbra, holding out a hand with all five fingers extended. "And I'll be sure to wipe out at least five of those pathetic humans before the day's over!"

"Then you had better get to it," said Cinder with a smirk, her eye seemingly glowing.

"Well, off I go!" said the Drill Umbra, his right hand turning into a conical drill of the same color. "Got places to destroy and people to slaughter! Ahahahahaha!" The drill started spinning at high speeds as he thrust it into the ground, sending a spray of dirt flying as he burrowed into the ground. The Umbra suddenly burst out of the cliff wall and landed on the forest floor, running through the thicket while cackling like a lunatic. He slashed at a tree trunk with his drill arm, tearing a deep gash in it.

"He seems a little… unhinged," said Emerald, watching as the Drill Umbra disappeared into the forest.

"That is no concern of ours," said Cinder with a smirk. "All that matters is that he gets the results we want."

---

And with that, chapter 2 is done! Not a lot of action in this one, mostly just canon interactions with a few changes and additions. I promise that there will be a few more changes and a lot more action down the line. Now onto the guest reviews!

Guest: Glad you're enjoying the concept so far! Hope you'll be sticking around!

Next chapter will be showing Jaune's initiation in full. See you then! Starpion out!