"Oh, that's RICH, coming from a degenerate like you."
"And I'm sure you're so much less of a degenerate."
Or at least that's what she was preparing to say, until the Goat Faunus, Amber, stood and cracked him in the head with her own. This of course led to the human beginning to draw his gigantic weapon off his back, until their knight in patchwork armor, at least in comparison to the jackass in front of them, barreled into him and took him across the room.
That's some strength that guy has.
Not intending to stay around to watch the aftermath, her meal was already done and had been disturbed enough as it was, she stood up and started to leave, though saw a particular Owl Faunus, mentally checking him off as one of two she'd seen before in her life, not really looking beyond the ear tufts and leaving the cafeteria. She still had to go to the assembly hall for the orientation along with everyone else soon enough.
Abandoning her breakfast, Elva scrambled to her feet and rushed over to her brother. He was wide eyed and looking scared, the way he did when he accidentally overextended himself. Giving him a quick hug, she said "I take it this guy is bad news? Alright, he's going to pay for whatever he did."
Walking over to the dazed man, Elva drew Labrys and activated it. The hilt extended and locked into place, with the blades unfolding into a classic battleaxe design. Red dust flared from the exhaust ports as the transformation completed and she slammed it onto the ground.
"Alright Mister! I don't know what you did, but you clearly insulted somebody! Nobody gets my brother worked up and gets away with it!"
Swinging the axe around Elva dropped into her battle stance, ready for whatever came her way.
The boy she headbutted seemed to come out of the exchange a little faster than her, but he had a trickle of blood from his forehead to show for it. Glaring, he reached up to draw his massive sword.
"You... YOU *****!"
Her mouth twisted into a snarl and she flexed to activate her Aeris Spina. The gloves on either hand unfolded themselves onto her forearms, and nubs on her knuckles sprouted into wicked looking spikes, while a few rows stood out from the back of either arm.
"You wanna go then?" she asked, her voice still a little woozy.
Whether fortunate or unfortunate, however, Matt had decided to step in at that point. He seemed to launch himself up at at the jerk, slamming him across the dining hall and into a table. Blinking behind her bangs, she swayed once and looked over at him.
"Wow. That was some hit." Amber muttered.
It wasn't long before the human girl stood up and gave him a hug before drawing her own weapon.
"Alright Mister! I don't know what you did, but you clearly insulted somebody! Nobody gets my brother worked up and gets away with it!"
Amber smirked. "Yea, and you've already seen that if you mess with the Faunus, you get the horns." she put in with a soft laugh.
After being slammed in the side and crashing into a table - next to another disgusting half-breed no less - the man in the red and gold armor had had quite enough. He expected such uncivil behavior from the as-bad-as-Grimm Faunus, but that he'd been knocked again by a human. In a twisted sort of way, it made sense it was a human who could do it to him - Faunus weren't strong enough for such acts - but that didn't mean he liked it. Soon he was joined by another human traitor who drew her weapon. "Alright Mister! I don't know what you did, but you clearly insulted somebody! Nobody gets my brother worked up and gets away with it!" she said, pissing him off further. "What a lovely little group you've gathered-" the man said to Mathais. "-I always knew there would be... animal-lovers like the two of you here." he said, literally spitting out the term "animal lover"; catching the Owl Faunus next to him in the "splash zone".
"Yea, and you've already seen that if you mess with the Faunus, you get the horns." Amber said. The man scoffed at the words. "Only wild beasts resort to such "degenerate" actions." he said, his eyes turning to Diamond as he said the word degenerate. "If you wake up, remember you started this." he said, drawing and transforming his weapon. Gone was the sword; in its place was a large assault rifle. He lined up his shot - staring down the barrel through an iron-sight - at the most obvious threat: Elva. At the same time, a reddish-brown aura began to appear around him and his weapon. All at once, his trigger finger began to move.
At the same instant a metallic hand seemed to appear from nowhere and grab the gun by it's muzzle, pulling it up and toward the ceiling. Several loud booms from the gun followed before the gun was pulled from the man's hands in the face of the woman's literal iron-fist. Following the arm revealed a woman who was much to old to be another student. Her visible skin - mostly her face - was covered in scars and she was dressed in a Vacuo military formal uniform which consisted of dark pants and a red and silver coat covered in metal pins A short silver cape hung from her back. Most of her face was hidden as she was currently looking at the anti-faunus shooter.
At first, the man's face seemed to get angrier. "Pssh, I wasn't doin' anything you old ha-" he started to say. Then, as the woman stared at him, he stopped. As the milliseconds went by his face transformed from outrage to out-right terror. All at once he started to speak. "They start-" but he gave up the excuse before he could finish. When he finally looked away in what could only be described as humiliation, she let go of the gun. He quickly stood and started to walk - very quickly - away. The gun's muzzle now had a hand print clearly embedded in it.
Turning her attention to the rest of the group, they could finally see what drove the ignorant bastard to silence and surrender. Her eyes had a hardness to them that could shatter diamonds. Something about the eyes seemed to stare into your very souls to see your true nature. The woman's face - now clearly visible - was quite obviously scared from innumerable battles more fierce than most could imagine. A tag on her shirt indicated her name as "Prof. H. Abah"
In a remarkably quiet voice that - despite it's low volume - carried with it a weight none could deny, she spoke. "Lodestar carries no tolerance for battle outside the wilds, arenas, or the classrooms. Were you already students, I'd have you thrown off this ship in a heartbeat to fend for yourselves in the wild. If you EVER behave in such a way again..." she said, leaving the threat hanging.
She remained quiet for a moment to let the statement sink in before turning to turning and raising her voice. "ALL OF YOU! The Ceremony begins in 15 minutes and your initiation begins immediately following! Gather what you need for the test and return before the Ceremony begins; the rest of your belongings will be delivered to your rooms at Lodestar or your next of kin!" she said, before pivoting on her feet - cape flapping as she did so - and exiting the cafeteria.
Meanwhile, across the room, Jade - having heard the announcement - ran to the quickly closing food court to grab some last minute breakfast and bolted back to her room for the last of her belongings; returning about 10 minutes later to a room with the tables cleared away.
Elva, Mathias, Chesshie, Amber, and Diamond: Make me a DC 6 Will check to resist the intimidation of Prof. Abah. Failure by 3 or more means you may need a change of pants (reality: you're truly afraid of her) >_>
Jet, Elva, and Chesshie: You can make me a Lore 2 and a Notice 3 (Mathias, Amber and Red have already made these checks)
Before Chesshie could make a move to face this douchebag, the other boy drew his sword and set the armored asshole flying. The moment of shocked silence that followed was broken only when Chesshie began applauding loudly. Especially when to other girls drew their own weapons.
Oh yeah, this is gonna be good...
But before that could happen, a woman stepped into the fray, stopping the violence before it count escalate, and Chesshie stopped applauding.
. "Lodestar carries no tolerance for battle outside the wilds, arenas, or the classrooms. Were you already students, I'd have you thrown off this ship in a heartbeat to fend for yourselves in the wild. If you EVER behave in such a way again..."
Chesshie didn't consider herself a cowards, but even she had to wilt under the woman's stern gaze. "ALL OF YOU! The Ceremony begins in 15 minutes and your initiation begins immediately following! Gather what you need for the test and return before the Ceremony begins; the rest of your belongings will be delivered to your rooms at Lodestar or your next of kin!"
Chesshie obliged, grabbing her plate and retreating from the cafeteria as fast as she could.
Mathias stood still for a brief moment, still stupefied at the result of his outburst. He'd done so well to keep his... talents... in check! But now, here he was, tossing people around like ragdolls. Had he... had he hurt him? The guy was a jerk, sure, but that didn't mean he deserved a concussion or a broken spine! Mathias almost motioned to voice an apology before he was cut off by his sister embracing him in a crushing hug.
"I take it this guy is bad news? Alright, he's going to pay for whatever he did."
"W-wait! Don't-" Even though he moved to protest, Mathias knew it was too late. When Elva set her mind to something, nothing could stop her - especially when she perceived something was a threat to her dear brother. She unsheathed Labrys and struck her standard combat pose, glaring the bully down.
"Alright Mister! I don't know what you did, but you clearly insulted somebody! Nobody gets my brother worked up and gets away with it!"
"Elva, please-" Mathias was, once again, cut off, this time by the bully stirring and righting himself from the remains of the table, turning to Mathias with an icy glare. "What a lovely little group you've gathered. I always knew there would be... animal-lovers like the two of you here." Once again, Mathias was taken aback by the man's ignorance, especially now that it was focused in his direction. The way he spat out(literally!) that last insult almost makes Matt shudder - he was used to bullies looking down on him, not... hating him.
The man readies his sword and collapses it into an assault rifle, channeling his aura into the weapon as he does so. "If you wake up, remember you started this."
Mathias's eyes widen further. Once again, the world slows to a crawl as the man trains his weapon on Elva.
In a flash, the cylinder at his waist flies into his hand and extends into a massive stark-white staff. Mathias intercedes between Elva and the furious bully with Irdenkrieg brandished, glaring at him with gritted teeth. "Don't you DARE threaten my sister!"
The bully's attack, however, was stopped by a hand gripping the barrel and twisting it away. Mathias stops for a moment, stunned, and follows the arm's length back to its owner. The woman was clearly Lodestar faculty, being far too old to be a student, and if the markings on her uniform meant anything, she was a Sergeant in Vacuo's army to boot. A brief exchange between the bully and the professor(Mathias assumed, at least) and he ran off with his proverbial tail between his legs.
Then she turned her gaze on himself, and Mathias's insides turned to ice. Her eyes, furious and cold, seemed to bore right through him, cutting deeper than any weapon he'd ever sparred against. She began to speak, with a soft voice that nonetheless makes Matt quake with terror.
"Lodestar carries no tolerance for battle outside the wilds, arenas, or the classrooms. Were you already students, I'd have you thrown off this ship in a heartbeat to fend for yourselves in the wild. If you EVER behave in such a way again..." Mathias opens his mouth dumbly, trying to say something in his own defense. He finds, however, that between the woman's glare and his own terrified trembling, nothing comes out but a feeble "Y...y...es...m'am..."
He doesn't really notice as she addresses the rest of the room, still shaking like a leaf.
Compelling Mathias's Trouble: Not as Tough as He Looks for one additional fate point.
The boy didn't seem to take the hint when he pushed himself up and onto his feet. Really, she had to admire his determination, but she couldn't help but feel her hackles rise as he spoke up.
"What a lovely little group you've gathered. I always knew there would be... animal-lovers like the two of you here. Only wild beasts resort to such 'degenerate' actions. If you wake up, remember you started this."
Then his sword transformed, shifting itself into an assault rifle which gave off a rust-red glow as he channeled his aura through it and lined up a shot. Not at Di, Chesshie or even Amber, but Matt's sister. At the sight of that, Amber glared and flicked her wrist, readying a barbed whip to try and stop him. As it turned out, that was entirely unnecessary.
Someone that seemed to be wearing a gauntlet grabbed the muzzle of his rifle and moved it just in time, the bullets harmlessly impacting the ceiling. But the person that was responsible made Amber deflate very quickly. It was a woman wearing a Vacuo military uniform, and was undoubtedly a Huntress. Not only that, but the sheer amount of medals on her coat along with the few scars that Amber could see marked her as a particularly accomplished one. The exact kind of person that even she didn't want to piss off.
The boy didn't seem to notice at first, but was quickly cowed once he realized who he was dealing with. He quickly walked off without another word, and the woman turned to reveal a more heavily scarred face than Amber had thought, and the look in her eyes made her stomach do a series of backflips.
"Lodestar carries no tolerance for battle outside the wilds, arenas, or the classrooms. Were you already students, I'd have you thrown off this ship in a heartbeat to fend for yourselves in the wild. If you EVER behave in such a way again..."
The whip that had sprouted from her right gauntlet quickly reeled itself back in, while her Aeris Spina retracted in short order. With a terrified grimace, Amber nodded quickly. The low tone the woman used was more intimidating than a shout, particularly due to the repressed anger.
"Yes ma'am Professor Abah!" she cried, spotting the name tag on the Professor's coat.
If she was one of the teachers... Maybe Amber wasn't as prepared for Lodestar as she thought.
"ALL OF YOU! The Ceremony begins in 15 minutes and your initiation begins immediately following! Gather what you need for the test and return before the Ceremony begins; the rest of your belongings will be delivered to your rooms at Lodestar or your next of kin!"
When she turned and left with a flair, Amber sighed heavily and fought to keep standing as her knees threatened to give out under her.
"Never thought I'd say this, but I think I lost my appetite." she murmured, before turning to the others.
"Thanks for that, Matt." she told the boy, smiling slightly before nodding to both him and his sister, "See you in initiation I guess."
Then she turned and made her way back to her room, making sure to grab everything she thought was absolutely necessary, before quickly taking the one picture she brought out of it's frame and tucking it into her vest. She had a feeling she'd need the comfort. Once she was done, she made her way back to the dining hall with a few minutes to spare.
"What a lovely little group you've gathered. I always knew there would be... animal-lovers like the two of you here."
Elva bristled at the big meathead's words. Clearly he was a racist asshole, one of those who thought humans were somehow "superior" to their faunus cousins. Even worse, he extended his illogical hatred to other humans who didn't share his viewpoint - people like Elva and her brother.
"Yea, and you've already seen that if you mess with the Faunus, you get the horns."
"Yea, you tell him sister!" Elva thought, glancing approvingly in the goat-faunus' direction. She was also armed and ready to throw down, although she still seemed a little disoriented from the headbutt. She turned her focus back to the bully as he stood up and drew his sword, now transformed into an assault rifle.
"Only wild beasts resort to such "degenerate" actions. If you wake up, remember you started this."
Staring down the barrel pointed directly at her, Elva readied herself. Once he started firing she'd dodge to the side and charge, trying to close the distance into melee range before he could transform his weapon again. At that moment however, Mathias jumped in front of her, brandishing Irdenkrieg.
"Don't you DARE threaten my sister!"
"M-Matt," Elva stammered, thrown of balance by her brother's sudden intervention. Before the combat could escalate further another woman intervened, grabbing the bully's gun and pointing it upwards where it discharged harmlessly. Clad in a military uniform, she stared down the man until he spluttered and turned away, making a quick exit. As she turned to face them Elva could see why, the woman's eyes were terrifying to behold. They felt like they were boring into your soul, analyzing every little bit of you and finding it lacking. Swallowing nervously, Elva hastily collapsed Labrys and stowed it away, breaking eye contact and staring at the ground as the woman spoke.
"Lodestar carries no tolerance for battle outside the wilds, arenas, or the classrooms. Were you already students, I'd have you thrown off this ship in a heartbeat to fend for yourselves in the wild. If you EVER behave in such a way again..."
"S-sorry Ma'am," Elva muttered, too quiet for anyone to hear. Dust but this woman was terrifying! It was all Elva could do to prevent herself hiding behind Matt.
"ALL OF YOU! The Ceremony begins in 15 minutes and your initiation begins immediately following! Gather what you need for the test and return before the Ceremony begins; the rest of your belongings will be delivered to your rooms at Lodestar or your next of kin!"
Staring after the woman as she left the room, Elva took a moment to compose herself before turning to her brother. It seemed he was affected even worse than her, he was trembling like a leaf.
"Hey, Matt? Matt! You okay? Come on... we need to go," she said, trying to put on a brave face. She knew he needed her support at times like this.
Schwarz finally arrived at the main hall as the last of the "eating crowd" had left, with more than some pep in their step. Pushing his way past, he found the people that remained scant in number, all of them already armed. From that, Schwarz figured that initiation was near, so he took a seat that was a somewhat secluded for the time being and waited for the show to begin.
Jet tried to stay calm as a blockhead crashed into the table. Quietly morning the loss of his pancakes, the Owl Faunus tidied himself up only to be splashed with spittle. His anger rose and the notion of giving the Fanunus-hater and whoever had thrown him a good beating just for getting Jet involved with the stupidity.
The only thing that stopped him from doing so were the words going through his mind, 'It isn't worth it, it isn't worth it...'
With the arrival of the woman clad in military clothing and her speech, Jet quickly came to the conclusion that it definitely wasn't worth starting another fight to add to the others. However, he was still rather annoyed. Despite it being in his best interest to simply move along and get his supplies, Jet walked towards the wood brown haired boy and the rest.
"Are you done?" He said sternly and turned towards what remained of the cafeteria, "Gotta wonder why Lodestar accepted you mess-makers."
Mathias's breath came in shallow, uneven bursts, despite his best(though admittedly feeble) efforts to calm it. That woman... the image of her eyes boring into his soul wouldn't leave his mind's eye, no matter how hard he tried. Was that really one of Lodestar's professors? No wonder his nerves had grown threefold - the was no way he could ever hope to be on the same level as someone like that.
"Hey, Matt? Matt! You okay? Come on... we need to go."
Mathias turned his pained gaze down to his side to see Elva pulling at his sleeve. She wasn't trembling - not like him, at least - but he could see that Professor Abah had shaken her too. He took a deep breath and swallowed nervously, nodding his head. "Y..yea. Let's g-"
"Are you done? Gotta wonder why Lodestar accepted you mess-makers." Matt gawked for a moment at the newcomer, flinching at his harsh tone, before realizing with a flush that he was the one sitting at the table he'd thrown the bully into. He turned his head downwards, pointedly avoiding eye contact.
"...You and me both." His response was soft, almost inaudible amongst the shuffle of people exiting and rearranging the dining hall. "Sorry 'bout throwing that guy into you." He mumbled, before turning around and rushing from the dining hall, pulling his cloak's hood over his head.
Not even through initiation, and he'd already made a complete fool of himself in front of the entire freshman class. So much for a clean start...
Di had nearly left through the door to hall when the fighting was broken up by a Huntress obviously, one either well-accomplished, or horrible enough they put her in a teaching position judging by the scars she carried.
"Lodestar carries no tolerance for battle outside the wilds, arenas, or the classrooms. Were you already students, I'd have you thrown off this ship in a heartbeat to fend for yourselves in the wild. If you EVER behave in such a way again..."
Well, at least the school doesn't like fighting outside their areas. Wonder how many of these morons will actually get accepted? Not many judging by Lodestar's reputation and the eagerness of half the room to get into fights with each other. Morons the lot of 'em. Especially the Faunus, how did those outside of the Enclave survive as long as they have with these attitudes on both sides?
Despite that, Di still knew that this woman was far beyond her own skill, at least in one aspect. However, she still felt the Hunter she'd seen that had inspired her to fight for her place here at Lodestar was far beyond this one. Though, it did indeed appear that she didn't have to leave the room, she already had all her belongings with her, the Icarians now fitted to her arms in their unactivated form, so she leaned against the wall and stood there, waiting for the rest of the incoming class to arrive so they could get this initiation done with.
Her brother looked down at Elva with a pained expression and visibly tried to compose himself.
"Y..yea. Let's g-"
"Are you done? Gotta wonder why Lodestar accepted you mess-makers."
The appearance of a newcomer startled Elva. His sudden interruption seemed to spook Matt even more and he took off after mumbling something inaudibly. Shooting a glare at the rude intruder, Elva hurried after him, catching up just as he entered the hallway.
"Alright, let's go get our stuff then meet back here yea? We're totally going to ace this initiation, just you wait!" Elva said with a smile, trying to distract Matt from his distress. She wasn't totally recovered herself but she was attempting to put on a brave face.
"Hmph." Was the only the Owl Faunus gave to the trembling titan. Grievance communicated, Jet calmly made his way back over to the destroyed table, grabbed the Dirge and walked off. However, not without giving another turn of the head to glance at the girl who had given him of all people back there a look and who seemed to be some sort of minder for the mumbler. In a way, knowing from the cafeteria chaos that there were a bunch of morons among those accepted into Lodestar was a good thing; just less people to worry about. Though one couldn't get too complacent. This was one of the best Hunter Academies in Remnant after all, not to mention the not-subtle threat of death from the heavily-scarred Prof. H. Abah.
Still, there was nothing but a speech to worry about at the moment. Nothing to do but wait...
"Alright, let's go get our stuff then meet back here yea? We're totally going to ace this initiation, just you wait!" Matt managed to finally regain his composure as Elva caught up with him. He smiled a little bit at her attempt to reassure him - he didn't have any doubts that his sister would do just fine, but he knew she was just trying to keep him calm.
"Yea, totally." Another pained smile and he opened the door to his cabin. "I'll see you there."
----
As Mathias returned, he came to see that the dining hall had been fully converted to an impromptu gathering hall. Now that the tables were cleared out, he came to appreciate that the room was quite a bit smaller than he'd initially appraised - it took quite a bit of effort on the part of the faculty to herd the students into something resembling an orderly crowd. Mathias himself was lead into position by a stern-looking woman jet-black hair and a scimitar strapped to her hip - her nametag pegging her as one 'Professor Victoria Francis.' Before he could protest, Elva was similarly swept away by a wiry old man with greying hair and a distant look in his eyes. He also caught a glimpse of Professor Abah speaking to a man with slicked-back blonde hair, before pointedly averting his gaze.
As the professors gathered on the edges of the stage and the crowd quieted, a loud metal-on-metal bang began to make itself known. Each time it came, it grew louder and the crowd grew softer in speech. Soon, only the sound on the bangs could be heard. At long last, from behind the lines of students, an older man in bright white clothes entered and walked up the center of the crowd. In his hands was a large stave of purist white. His right eye is graced with a massive scar, extending from the tip of his forehead down to his nose. Eventually, he came to the stage, walked up the stairs, and took his position at the podium.
The man's left eye opens, coal-black and sweeping the arranged crowd of students. After finishing this cursory sweep, his eye turns to the podium at his front. He leans forward ever so slightly, his face inches from the microphone. His gaze comes to rest in a neutral position overlooking the crowd, unwavering and stern.
"I am Professor Blanc Barca - Headmaster of Lodestar Academy." His voice is quiet, perhaps even soft, but its tone is so steady and firm that it makes Mathias's hair stand on end. As much as he feared Professor Abah, he got the impression that the Headmaster was even moreso not a man to be crossed.
"Each and every one of you are here because you believe you have what it takes to face the creatures of Grimm in battle as Hunters and Huntresses." His eye narrows, sweeping once again across the crowd. "I am here to dispel that illusion."
There are murmurs in the crowd, some frightened, others indignant. Several students even motion to speak, but are cut off by Barca raising a hand, indicating silence. He clears his throat and continues. "The Grimm do not care for your awards, your accolades, your achievements, or your ancestry - and neither do we. At the end of the day, if you insist on walking the path of a Hunter and you do not have the strength to face the darkness, you will die - and no trophy nor piece of paper will change that fact. In time, you will all die in the face of the Creatures of Grimm. All you can do is fight and survive the threat as long as you can."
The features of his face harden into a frown, his expression turning grim. "However, at Lodestar, you are not expected to merely survive - you are expected to thrive. Thrive despite circumstance. Thrive despite failure. Thrive despite adversity. It is through struggle we are made strong, and it is through strength we achieve the power to fight back against the darkness." As he said the words, his staff seemed to glow with an unnatural aura of pure light. "All of you stand on a threshold, and when you take that plunge, we will see, once and for all, if you truly have what it takes to join our ranks."
A hushed silence descends over the crowd - not a single person moving or speaking. Once again, Barca closes his eye, releasing a sigh. He raises his hand, and the faculty at his flanks begin typing into their Scrolls. A grinding sound can be heard as the back end of the room shifts open, slowly revealing the horizon. At the same time, every student's scroll beeped to indicate it had received new information.
"Below you are the Grimm-infested sands of the Ivory Wastes, with Lodestar a day's walk north from our current position. For your Initiation, you have but one task - make your way to Lodestar by any means necessary. Our faculty will observe your performance from afar, but they will not intervene regardless of circumstance. Your survival - or lack thereof - is entirely up to you."
His mouth turns to the smallest of smiles. "If you ever have any doubts, however, simply remember to do what I did in the Great War."
He turns to leave. "Follow the Lodestar and thrive."
-----
Matt looks over the threshold, swallowing to try and steady his nerves. They were thousands of meters high at the very least, and dropping into one of the most dangerous and Grimm-infested wastelands in all of Remnant did little to assuage his apprehension. This was Lodestar's infamous initiation ceremony? Just tossing prospective students into a warzone and leaving them to fight or die?
'Die.' Matt turns the word over in his head, letting its meaning sink in. He closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath. He'd accepted a long time ago that becoming a Hunter would likely mean his death - he was a useless, clumsy coward, after all - but he'd be damned if he'd stand idly by and risk his sister's life. Above all else, Elva had to be his first priority. 'No matter what, she's making it to Lodestar.'
He releases the breath - much to his surprise, it comes out even, given the terror he still feels in the depths of his gut.'Even if it means I... don't.' To his confusion, that thought fills him not with dread, but with a sense of peace, of purpose. Dying to protect Elva...
He could live with that.
The sound of a throat clearing for attention snaps Matt out of his stupor and brings his gaze to one Professor Francis, who was sweeping her own across the line of gathered students. "Students! Prepare yourselves for launch." She raises a hand, holding in its palm a shimmering white Dust crystal. The assembled students - Matt included - nod to confirm their understanding of the order.
Professor Francis snaps her fingers, and with a flash a group of students to Matt's right rockets off into the horizon. Another snap, another flash, another group.
And another.
And another.
Matt levels his gaze towards the horizon. He's next - he's sure of it.
'For the first time in my life...' He feels his body lighten and lift, as though being hoisted by dozens of invisible strings.
'...I'm ready.'
He feels the ground give out under his feet as he's suddenly tossed forward, racing towards the white sands below.
As soon as she walked in, she was led to her place presumably by one of the teachers, where a group of other students stood with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. Once she was at her place, she waited, and thankfully didn't wait long. As the teachers moved to the edges of the crowd, a metal banging started to ring through the meeting hall until a man with a white staff strode up to the podium. He seemed to look over the students with his one remaining eye before he spoke with a quiet but firm voice.
"I am Professor Blanc Barca - Headmaster of Lodestar Academy. Each and every one of you are here because you believe you have what it takes to face the creatures of Grimm in battle as Hunters and Huntresses. I am here to dispel that illusion."
Amber slowly frowned as she listened, but she didn't move to speak. This was the kind of man that made even Professor Abah, intimidating as she was, look like a fresh graduate from the academy. This was a man who had seen and fought Grimm that they probably couldn't imagine. But when he continued, she couldn't help but hold her head just a little higher out of a sense of pride despite what he said.
"The Grimm do not care for your awards, your accolades, your achievements, or your ancestry - and neither do we. At the end of the day, if you insist on walking the path of a Hunter and you do not have the strength to face the darkness, you will die - and no trophy nor piece of paper will change that fact. In time, you will all die in the face of the Creatures of Grimm. All you can do is fight and survive the threat as long as you can. However, at Lodestar, you are not expected to merely survive - you are expected to thrive. Thrive despite circumstance. Thrive despite failure. Thrive despite adversity. It is through struggle we are made strong, and it is through strength we achieve the power to fight back against the darkness."
She nodded as he continued, mostly to herself. After all, her strength was what she was counting on. She didn't have any awards or accolades to speak of, and her pedigree was nonexistent. But she was strong, and she could fight. Then again, she had a feeling a lot of other students could say that too.
The headmaster went on to say just what the initiation was: They were going to be dropped in the Ivory Wastes, a desert just south of Lodestar. They were to make their way there, and survive by any means necessary. Amber heard the Scroll tucked inside her vest beep, and she pulled it out to see that a compass program had been downloaded to it. That was going to be handy.
"Students! Prepare yourselves for launch."
Amber looked up as another teacher called out at them, this time a woman. There was also a grinding noise behind her, and turning, she saw the back of the airship opening up to reveal the horizon. With a wide grin, she tucked her Scroll back into her vest and instead pulled out her headphones. As soon as she slipped them on and started her music, she took a ready stance before being flung out of the ship.
She whooped as she started to fall toward the blinding white sands, even tucking her arms in so she flew just a little faster. Then, halfway through her descent, she pulled back one arm into a fist, her Aeris Spina unfolding on both arms until she was just about to land.
When she hit the ground, her fist was the first to impact, and the sand underneath her exploded into a thick dust cloud. With a series of hacking coughs, she stepped out into the desert, while the dust cloud cleared to reveal a large crater.
"Alright, which way?" she asked, pulling out her Scroll while she bobbed her head to the music still playing in her headphones.
Once she knew where to go, she broke into a run, keeping the Scroll folded under one arm for whenever she felt the need to check on it.
Schwarz found himself forced to stand as the rest of the students returned to the hall. A bit perturbed at the close quarters of it all, the well-dressed teen worked to at least stand next to people who had bothered to bathe before the ceremony. Frankly, he was surprised he had to look so hard.
Regardless, a smile crept up his lips as he heard the banging of the oncoming headmaster, a man of personal interest for Schwarz. Sure enough, Blanc Barca's entrance failed to disappoint, and Schwarz quickly found himself engrossed in the simply image of the headmaster standing on the stage. The man had a legend about him, a story of valor, courage, and triumph against impossible odds. Schwarz repeatedly frustrated the older members of the Zaan household as he asked again and again to hear the story of Barca's victory over the Creatures of Grimm in southern Vacuo. Finally, when he spoke, Schwarz was drawn out of the trappings of nostalgia and listened intently to the headmaster's speech.
"Each and every one of you are here because you believe you have what it takes to face the creatures of Grimm in battle as Hunters and Huntresses. I am here to dispel that illusion."
Schwarz let the murmurs of the crowd wash over him without remark. Oh Barca, how you must love that line. No doubt there were as many different reactions to that one sentence as there were people in Vacuo.
"The Grimm do not care for your awards, your accolades, your achievements, or your ancestry - and neither do we."
Schwarz had to force himself not to snort out a weak laugh. That doesn't seem to stop you from accepting the Zaan family's "donations" year after year, or would you just say those are gifts from thankful alumni?
"...at Lodestar, you are not expected to merely survive - you are expected to thrive. Thrive despite circumstance. Thrive despite failure. Thrive despite adversity. It is through struggle we are made strong, and it is through strength we achieve the power to fight back against the darkness."
For a moment, Schwarz returned to his boyish romanticism. Ah, poetic perfection... Another quick smirk flashed on his face, but was quickly forced back down, lest it draw attention. It helped, of course, that there was the massive distraction of an entire wall of the room being pulled away to reveal the desert below.
Barca then went about describing their task, to trek through the Ivory Wastes to Lodestar's door, Schwarz was thinking of the special similarity that the headmaster then confirmed.
"If you ever have any doubts, however, simply remember to do what I did in the Great War....Follow the Lodestar and thrive."
Oh, I'll be walking north all right... Schwarz readied his weapon as the students were jettisoned out into the Wastes. For that moment, he was free of the Zaan burden. He wasn't in this for the sake of completing some task, he was in it for the sake of the adventure. For the briefest of moments, the young Schwarz that read of the heroic stories of the Hunters and Huntresses came back to the surface.
Then, it was time. In a flash of light, Schwarz was thrown out of the airship and down toward that sun-bleached landscape of the Ivory Wastes.
However, Schwarz was prepared, ready for this moment since their method of exit was made clear. With a flick of his wrist, Schwarz activated the Dust crystal in the handle of Blooming Anemone, and then thrust it out in front of him, towards the ground. As the power of the Dust began to flow, the sword started to gather the winds that rushed around it, swirling them around itself faster and faster. Eventually, a small tornado had formed around the blade, which Schwarz then focused and pushed towards the fast approaching ground.
Taking the wordless command, the tornado extended towards the ground and quickly pushed back on Schwarz, slowing his momentum. Finally, as the ground was mere feet below him, Schwarz slashed the inside of the vortex with his blade and destroyed it, allowing him to land.
As the breeze he created soon left, the heat of the morning sun hit Schwarz. Already it was blistering hot, and not even midday! The blazing light of the sun quickly reminded Schwarz of a parasol that his sister, Hellrosa, offered him before he left. However, it's pink tone and frilly trim made Schwarz refuse it.
For a moment he was tempted to try and make a cloud, just thick enough to give him proper shade. Unfortunately, the harsh reality of the Wastes would prevent him from doing so. He would need to remain out in the open for doing so, and the Creatures of Grimm that inhabited the desert would be on him in minutes.
Instead, Schwarz opted to head down a shallow valley. One that appeared to be empty and deep enough for the sun's light to not reach down into it yet. At the same time, Schwarz checked his scroll to see that he was heading in the right direction.
All that lay before him, for the moment, was the long road to Lodestar.
When Jade returned to the main hall, she found herself surrounded by students and teachers. Even during breakfast the hall hadn't seemed quite so packed though she supposed that had something to do with the large staggered time for breakfast vs the whole class needed for the ceremony.
Jade tried to find her way into a decent spot. There was one near the front but it was near the same stuck-up noble's kid she'd seen before breakfast making it a less-than ideal spot. In the end, she made her way to a spot near a pair of women - one dressed entirely in black and the other in green light-armor. It seemed like a good idea, but the two kept insisting on talking about some fight between violent animals and some red and gold armored guy.
Eventually, she took to glancing around at the competition and the instructors to pass the time. One of the instructors - an older man with remarkably crazy hair named Prof. Wink - seemed to be guiding people to their spots. She was going to ask for his help, but he was currently busy with a crazy-eyed student dressed in armor with flame decals. "Who even does that?" Jade wondered.
Continuing her scan, she saw another professor named Prof. duPrince dressed in remarkably bright armor with slicked back blonde hair. The fact he was escorting two women - one dressed in black with a red mask and another dressed in green - to their spots with a grin on his face made Jade somewhat less inclined to ask him for help.
As the women beside her suddenly tried to drag her into the conversation, Jade made the executive decision to change places with anyone anywhere. Seeing the man they'd been talking about looking for a spot, she waved the douchebag over and let him take the spot instead. The girl in black seemed thrilled. From there, she made her way to the next most open spot, just as the professors were getting on stage; right between a bear faunus and a small guy who didn't look like he would last 5 minutes at Lodestar. Before she could say anything to either, the banging sound began.
"Each and every one of you are here because you believe you have what it takes to face the creatures of Grimm in battle as Hunters and Huntresses. I am here to dispel that illusion. The Grimm do not care for your awards, your accolades, your achievements, or your ancestry - and neither do we." the purported Headmaster said. Jade was glade to hear his words and hoped they were true; seeing those pompous good-for-nothing noble's kids get knocked down a notch would be incredibly gratifying.
"...at Lodestar, you are not expected to merely survive - you are expected to thrive. Thrive despite circumstance. Thrive despite failure. Thrive despite adversity. It is through struggle we are made strong, and it is through strength we achieve the power to fight back against the darkness. If you ever have any doubts, however, simply remember to do what I did in the Great War....Follow the Lodestar and thrive." He continued. Jade still liked where he was going. If there was anything Jade felt she could do, it was survive. With any luck, she'd be thriving soon enough.
Thereafter, the group was lead toward an enormous opening in the side of the ship where they would be launched into the Ivory Wastes. Endless Grimm to kill in an unimaginable wasteland; was it her birthday already? Jade wanted to be among the first group down, but alas she missed her chance. It turned out if she'd stayed where she was, that would have happened as the red-and-gold jerk was already on base.
Several launches later and it was her turn. Pulling out her bow, she readied a explosion-dust arrow; intending to use the blast to "cushion" her fall. She sharpened her mind and swallowed her nerves. She knew her stance would be next to meaningless once the launch began, but she took a fluid stance anyway. From there, she made a prayer to her lucky stars. by the time she finished, the count was started. "2... 1..." she heard before all was the rush of wind and the free-fall of gravity.
Shifting herself as best she could into a shooting position, Jade pulled back on the bow string and waited. As the ground grew closer and closer, she could start making out the details. Massive rock piles, a handful of hardy plants, and a few dark spots that suggested people who'd already landed. She aimed toward landing somewhere on the edge of the main landing ground so as to avoid landing on someone.
Her plan seemed to be working until one of the people-sized dots moved into her path. She was about to scream out for them to move when she saw the distinctive white-and-red markings that revealed it's identity: a Creature of Grimm. Smirking, she lined up the shot ready to kill two birds with one stone. When she felt the shot was aligned, she released her breath and fired the arrow. At the same moment, a heavy breeze rolled in, pushing the arrow slightly off course. She cursed under her breath and started reaching for another arrow. However, before she could grab it, the original arrow hit the ground about 3 inches from the Grimm and exploded.
The blast launched the Grimm - a lesser Beowolf by the looks of it - into the air in an eruption of flames. Jade smiled; the stars certainly liked HER today! As the Beowolf reached it's zenith, Jade reached it. She transformed her Bow into a chainsaw and delivered it roaring, whirling blade first into the creature's dying form. Between the force of the explosion and the softness of the Grimm, her fall was effectively broken. When the Grimm hit the ground however, there was a little force to spare. Jade took advantage of the force to pull the chainsaw from the monster's chest and duck into a roll.
Once her feet touched the ground proper, she sprung up and bolted into the crags to hide from any remaining Grimm. BEowolves did travel in packs after all.
Invoked/Luck Reroll for a total 6 combat (succeed with style) and stealth 6 to vanish into the rocks. Jade will never be quite this awesome again
[HEADING=3]Still aboard the Airship[/HEADING]
While the other professors were busy cleaning up after the last launch, two of the professors were somewhat distracted. Professor Wink was staring out the open side of the airship at the last of the falling students. After a few seconds, Professor Francis made her way over to her strange colleague. "Rumple? What are you-" she started to ask, before Prof. Wink raised a hand to indicate he wanted silence. He stared down at the falling students and said "Aaaannnnnnnnnnnd.... splat."
He then pivoted on his heels, smiling like a buffoon. The minute he saw Prof. Francis however his smile died. "Oh, you here to ruin my fun?" he asked with a pouty face. For her part, Prof. Francis looked on in a sense of disbelief before answering "Yes" and closing the side of the Airship with her scroll. Prof. Wink may be one of the smartest men alive, but he was not all there.
Di stood with a random group of students, the first to come back from their packing for the most part, and listened to the droning of the Headmaster. He spoke of dispelling illusions about who could and couldn't become Hunters. What he said had no effect on Di beyond annoying her even more. Nobody but herself could, or would EVER, decide what she was impossible. She was the one that knocked, not fate, not destiny, HER.
"Students! Prepare yourselves for launch."
Di checked her bag and Icarians, ensuring both were snug and fitted as the first group of students were thrown out of the opening created by the Airship. Her group was next, and she had prepared herself for it. With a flick of her wrists, her wings expanded and she enacted her Semblance, flying far ahead of the first two groups and confidently knew she was saving herself more than a few hours by simply flying a few more minutes. Landing in a place ahead of most that had been thrown out, she checked her Scroll with the compass loaded onto it from the faculty, positioned herself, and began walking at a brisk pace. The Grimm of the Wastes were dangerous, but it was the Ivory Wastes themselves that were the true enemy. The blistering heat she could take, for a time, but the lack of supplies would be the real danger. Luckily they were only going to be out here a day before arriving at Lodestar. Confident in her abilities to protect herself in the desert, she trudged forward toward Lodestar, and her new life as a Huntress.
The blazing mid-morning sun of the Ivory Wastes cast a radiant glare against its landscape as Matt continued to race towards the ground. He forced his eyes into a squint and carefully peered below, trying to get his bearings. The terrain below was shattered and treacherous - an endless maze of canyons, valleys, plateaus, and outcroppings. It would be very, very easy to get lost in this place if he didn't take this rare opportunity to get the lay of the land.
'North. I need to head north.' He whipped his head in the direction of the advancing airship and scanned the terrain in its wake. Several canyon passes appeared to snake in that general direction - perhaps one of them would be well-suited to give him cover against the horde of Grimm?
With a plan of action now in mind, Matt turned is attention to his more... immediate concern. The ground directly below was fast approaching - and now that he looked more closely, he could see that it brought with it an Ursa, lazily trotting through the scorching heat.
Matt closes his eyes and centers himself. It's not every day he has the literal drop on something - he can't let this opportunity go to waste.
'I have one shot at this.' His eyes open, flaring with rare determination. 'Time to make it count.'
Matt reaches to his waist and releases Irdenkrieg, the air whistling around it as it extends to its full length. He brings his hands together, the staff palmed against his right, breathes in deeply, and focuses.
'I am as the mountain.' He senses his Aura, normally shifting and flowing, freeze. He takes his hands apart, raising Irdenkrieg above his head.
'Hewn of stone, and forged of metal.' The frozen Aura begins a steady flow into his limbs - first a trickle, then a rush. He locks onto the Ursa - his glare focusing - and tightens his grip.
'Implacable.' The Ursa careens closer - his limbs slowly stiffening as though someone were putting them in a gradually hardening cast.
'Immovable.' His body feels solid. Heavy. Invincible. There's no backing out now, he's less than a second from the ground. He swings downward with Irdenkrieg, aiming squarely at the monster's head.
'Unbreakable.' He feels a massive jolt rush through his arms as they finish their arc, making contact with something solid. Matt allows himself to focus for just an instant at the scene before him - Irdenkrieg's tip slamming into the Grimm's head and crushing it like a grape in single, lethal stroke. His body continues its downward trajectory before a shock runs through his limbs at a sudden deceleration. A great rumbling can be heard as rock and sand protest at his landing, quaking and cracking.
Matt takes in a deep breath, righting his balance in the newly-formed rubble. Pulling Irdenkrieg's tip from the Ursa's corpse, he extends his consciousness, focusing on the gentle thrum of Aura pooling at his feet.
Terra firma, at last.
Matt wheels his head northward, narrowing his eyes. 'Find Elva, get her to Lodestar.' He releases a breath he didn't know he was holding. '...easy. I hope...'
He begins his trek northward into a shallow valley, keeping close to the alabaster canyon walls.
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