Legend of Zelda:Vale of Darkness

[Quillion9000]

Before time, when the world existed in the void, three goddesses descended.

Din, the goddess of power.

Nayru, the goddess of wisdom.

Farore, the goddess of courage.

Din, with her strong flaming arms, created earth and cultivated the land. Nayru blessed that earth and gave the spirit of law to the world. Farore, with her rich soul, produced life who would uphold that law. The three goddesses, their labor completed, departed for the heavens.

In the wake of their departure, they left an item of immense power. A legendary triangle called the Triforce, said to grant the wish of anyone who possesses it. At some point, a demon of darkness appeared and unleashed devastation wherever it went.

Many champions tried to slay the monster, but none succeeded. The demon's rampage went unchallenged until the goddess Hylia took a patch of land and launched it into the sky. Centuries passed until a boy descended from the clouds, garbed in green, seeking his friend.

Through his journey, he forged the Master Sword. Only the pure of heart could wield it, and if evil were to touch it, they are destroyed. Using the sword, the Hero of the Sky slew the Demon. In his last moments, he swore revenge upon the spirit of the hero and blood of the goddess.

Thus, the cycle began. The hero and dark one would be reincarnated throughout the ages. The hero always with the visage of the first hero while the dark one would take many forms. As for the blood of the goddess, it would be found in descendants from the reincarnated goddess Hylia.

Centuries passed, and the Kingdom of Hyrule was founded. Within and around it, the cycle would persist. One legend tells of a hero who could shrink. Another spoke of a hero crossing time. Still another spoke of an eternal twilight ended by a hero.

Just three of the countless legends tied to this cycle. With the last dark one of this cycle, he would unknowingly break it to gain enough power to slay the hero. While the hero did die, his body was put into a century-long slumber that would see him given a second chance.

Until the hero returned, the one with the goddesses' blood would keep the dark one imprisoned, but his reign had still ravaged the once prosperous kingdom. When the hero awoke, he saw the destruction of his home and learned of the deaths of his friends.

Joining forces with the decedent of the goddess, the dark one was slain, but the damage had been done. Hyrule had fallen. Not long after the hero and descendent of the goddess passed, two brothers appeared. The older sought creation while the younger sought destruction.

Their conflict would ravage the world until no life remained. Only after centuries of fighting, did they compromise. Together, they created Humans and bestowed upon them magic. The younger brother also created his ultimate creatures of destruction in the Grimm.

Despite the Grimm, Humanity thrived for a millennia. Through one Human turning many against the brothers, all but that Human were wiped out. Both brothers then took their leave, the younger one flying straight through the moon and raining debris upon the planet.

As it often does, life finds a way. Modern Humans, lacking in magic, and Faunus appeared. They had strength, resourcefulness, and a way to control the very elements via crystalline structures called Dust. With weapons and Dust, civilization was reborn for the third time.

Sanus: Night…
A young man, 15 years old, walked through a forest teaming with the sound of nature on a cloudless night. He had pointy ears, his dirty blond hair was tousled, and his eyes were blue. His build, while not scrawny, wasn't thickly muscled either.

He wore a white shirt underneath a green tunic, white pants, and brown boots. A gray bladed broadsword, with a darker gray hilt, was sheathed on his back with a matching shield while a similar colored rifle was sheathed at his side. While plain in coloring, they were well made.

Suddenly, the sounds of nature he had been hearing were gone. The young man had patrolled many locations in his brief time, so he knew what this meant. He withdrew his sword and hand rifle just before the first Grimm jumped from the shadows of the forest.

It was bear-like with white bone plating covering its body, an Ursa. The young man had taken immediate aim and nailed it in the eye with a shot from his rifle, getting it to rear back. He then lunged forward, swinging for the neck and decapitated it.

He noticed three more sets of red eyes in the forest and immediately rolled back, leading to them crashing where he had been in a pile. With this time, he holstered his gun to then unsheathe his shield. The Grimm now glared at him, though only one charged him this time.

The young man planted his feet and bashed his shield into the charging Grimm, disorienting it. He then stepped forward and thrust his blade clean through its neck before retching his blade free out the right side. The weight of said head saw it tearing and hitting the ground.

The body followed suit. These Grimm appeared to be at the age where they had a little intelligence as the remaining two suddenly became apprehensive. This young man had so easily felled two of them, so they were debating if this target was worth the effort.

Unfortunately for them, the young man couldn't afford to let them escape. Dashing towards the closest of the creatures, he got within its guard and followed up with a knee to the chin. This forced the beast's head up before he thrust his blade through the soft underside.

The blade's momentum carried it all the way through, but he quickly removed it before potentially going through the bone plating atop its head and getting stuck. The third Ursa then fell to the ground. Throwing caution to the wind, the final Ursa charged him.

The young man held his ground before dodging to the right at the last second. By executing a dodge like this, the young man's Semblance activated and resulted in everything within the immediate area slowing. He utilized this time to rapidly slash the Grimm.

When time resumed normally, the Grimm fell to the ground before dissipating just like the prior three. With the threat over, the sounds of nature slowly returned, and the warrior relaxed. He sheathed his blade and shield before continuing his patrol.

The young man eventually reached a clearing where the light of the shattered moon above was especially bright without the branches above to block it. "Baring anymore Grimm, I can soon return to the village for the…"

His train of thought stopped as a cold breeze, much too cold for this time of year, blew past him. He whirled around to see nothing. Upon turning back around, he was surprised by what stood across from him.

That's because it was him, at least nearly him. This version of himself was a tad transparent by comparison and had lighter blond hair, parts of which framed his face. His tunic was sky blue with intricate white designs. He also lacked any weapons to boot.

"Who are you?" The young man asked.

"One of many who have hoped for this since Hyrule fell thousands of years ago." The transparent young man answered.

"Hyrule…isn't that some mythological kingdom?" The young man inquired, having read about it in a book once.

"I see." A look of regret passed over the transparent young man's face. "Hyrule is nothing but a memory now. I suppose it is to be expected." He shook his head. "Anyways, to answer your prior question, my name is Link."

The young man was stunned. "He shares my name!?"

"In actuality, names are for the living, so you may call me Wild." Wild continued.

"For the living?" Link questioned.

"I've been dead a long time now, though the spirit I inherited has been bequeathed to you upon being born." Wild answered.

"I'm your reincarnation?" Link asked.

He was finding it difficult to digest this, especially without something of Remnant to tie this back to. The closest he could come to was this being the work of Grimm; however, he didn't know of one capable of conjuring an image like this.

"One of many." Wild noted. "Allow me to explain properly. Long ago, three goddesses created what you see today. When they were done and departed, they left behind a powerful object in the Triforce. It grants a single wish to those who claim its three pieces.

If someone pure of heart were to claim it, Hyrule would enter a golden age. If someone with darkness in their heart lays claim to it, it would lead to ruin. Our first life defeated a demon seeking it, but before he perished, it swore vengeance. Thus, you get a cycle of reincarnation.

For ages, people bearing our visage and name have been born while he took on many different forms. Within this cycle, there existed princesses who bore the blood of the goddess' reincarnation. Before you, I was the last reincarnation of the spirit of the hero.

Just as with all of us before you, it is you who are destined to save this world and bring it back to prosperity. Though you are not strong enough currently, I know you have the potential and ability to fight the approaching darkness."

"How am I supposed to save the world?" Link asked.

"Eh." A look of surprise crossed Wild's face before he gave a soft smile. "You're not the first Link to ask that, nor is it guaranteed you will succeed."

Link realized the truth behind those words as his mind recalled what Wild had already said.

"I may have stopped the darkness of my era, but it cost nearly everything." Wild shook his head. "Believe me, there are other Links who've failed worse. Just like those who've failed and those who've succeeded, you have the courage to try."

Link couldn't deny that. Despite his questioning, deep in his heart he recognized the truth of the matter. He might be confused and uncertain upon hearing these things, but never once did his courage leave him. Never once did Link doubt he'd try to save his world.

"While I'm not like a certain Link, in that he was quite accomplished despite what his regrets told him back then, I am still regretful enough to help you now." Wild informed. "To put it simply, I can guide you."

White lights coalesced around his hands, becoming a sword and shield. The blade was a longsword with a blue handle, green grip, and blue cross-guard shaped like a pair of extended wings. The shield was blue with three golden triangles, a red crest, and some bird depicted on it.

"One thing I can do now is give you a good fight." Wild voiced. "Who knows? A good fight might help you begin digesting things better."

"I was about to end my patrol anyways." Link drew his sword and shield. "Besides, I can only imagine this past life is more skilled than I am now. If anything, the fate of the world withstanding, I stand to learn a lot."

Without a word, both assumed battle stances. Link drew his weapons, holding his sword in his left hand and shield in the right. This was opposite of his opponent, though Link didn't get much time to make further observations as Wild charged him down fast.

The young man got his shield up to block, but he could tell it was because Wild was holding back. That was only proven more as they began clashing blades before locking shields. Wild then held his blade aloft before swinging it down to nail Link's legs, sending him falling.

He rolled into it and was back on his feet, though Wild wasn't about to let him have a minute as he was on him once again. At that moment, both swung their blades and blocked with their shield. Link reared back his blade, only for Wild to seize the opening by shield bashing.

With the young man disoriented, he followed up with a thrust of the sword which knocked Link back first into the trunk of a tree and saw his Aura shimmering. Link picked himself up and rushed in, swinging his blade. This time, Wild deftly dodged.

He leaned back when the blade was too high and jumped over it if Link went low. This prompted the young man to thrust forward, but Wild deftly dodged before performing a strong spin attack. When the blade connected with Link, his Aura violently shimmered.

He had also been launched back and once again hit the trunk of a tree back first, dropping his weapons in the process. His Aura hadn't even finished shimmering before it shattered completely on impact, and he fell to his butt.

"Well, you're not bad." Wild voiced as he approached. "Even then, there's a lot you have to improve on." The weapons he held vanished. "Fortunately, that's part of why I'm here."

"Yeah, there's clearly a lot I can learn." Link stood. "Right now, I'm outside the village without Aura, so I should be getting back."

While the spar had helped him clear his head, he also needed time to think on what happened. No matter what, he didn't think he'd be telling anyone about this…at least, not any time soon.

Link now went about collecting his weapons, though something came to mind. "Before I go, it's been thousands of years. Are there still descendants of the reincarnation of the goddess out there?"

It sounded logical to him, with as far as his knowledge of things went. Even though Hyrule fell, life continued. Given he was here now, it should mean someone like that was out there, right?

"Some things aren't for the dead to share, but I can tell you part of this was that she'd be reincarnated to." Wild informed. "Though, she's not tied to her prior appearance like her descendants were."

"What do you mean by 'part of this'?" Link questioned, having now sheathed his weapons.

"That is something I will tell you later, much later." Wild voiced. "Between now and then, there are more important things you'll be learning. Speaking of which, just call my name whenever, and I will appear to instruct you."

Before Link could speak again, Wild vanished. He'd almost assume this was a dream, if not for the fact he felt beat up and sore.

Link started walking back to the village. "I haven't been that outclassed since I first started training…"

 

[Quillion9000]

Ruby Rose
A slim figured girl, wearing a red hooded cape which flowed in the wind, stood on a snowy cliff-side staring at a gravestone emblazoned with the words 'Summer Rose/thus I kindly scatter,' and a carving of a rose. The girl turned and trudged through a black forest of dead trees.

Eventually, the trees gave way to a snow-covered meadow, and the girl looked up since she was no longer alone. Large, wolf-like beasts filled the meadow in front of her. Every one of them were almost entirely black, the only exception being crimson fangs and eyes.

These were fledgling Grimm, Beowolves, as they lacked experience and the bony plating seen on older variations. Despite a lack of experience, they still had instinct which saw them snarl as they fanned out to surround the girl. Then, three of them lunged at the girl though never reached her.

She had leapt into the air, resulting in the beasts hitting the ground before then looking around in confusion. The girl was in the sky above, her cloak thrown back. This revealed black clothing and a pale face with silver eyes framed by black, red-tinged hair.

Ruby reached for a rectangular device slung behind her, her touch expanding it into a firearm. She fired off a sniper round which pierced one of the beasts in the head, its body hit the ground limply. Ruby landed as another of the Beowolves charged her.

She leapt into the air again, somersaulting over the beast's head and triggering her weapon's firing mechanism. The recoil threw her higher into the air as she fired, ripping through the left side of another Beowolf. She then landed and fired, blowing a hole through a Beowolf.

Ruby let the recoil fling her into a backward roll while expanding her weapon into a giant red scythe. The Beowolves snarled, and one of them lunged at her. She brought the scythe up before slamming it down, but the Beowolf had ducked its head to avoid being decapitated.

It now looked at this girl with a snarl while she looked to the side with a smile. She then pulled the trigger. The sheer power of the recoil sliced the beast in two from shoulder to hip. The other Beowolves took one look at the dissolving corpse and charged.

Ruby spun the scythe before putting the tip of the blade into the ground. As the Beowolves kept coming, she fired five times. Each shot fatally wounded a Beowolf before one of them got close enough to swipe at her. The girl leapt into the air, fired, and was blasted backwards by the recoil.

She dug the blade of her weapon into the ground and landed standing on the handle. She then looked up and gasped in surprise as more fledgling Beowolves flooded out the forest. Ruby ducked a swipe from one and triggered the mechanism to shoot another.

This also threw her back to knock over the Beowolf that had missed her. The beasts leapt again with another, only for Ruby to slice through their limbs and bodies with a whirlwind of slashes. Another Beowolf closed in, only for Ruby to catch it around the neck with the scythe blade.

She fired, cutting the beast's head clean off. Two more closed in, so Ruby brought the blade around to catch the Grimm before pulling the trigger. A Beowolf behind that one was blasted in the gut while this one was bisected.

Without missing a beat, she leapt over two Beowolves and swung the blade in a horizontal arc. This sliced off the Beowolf's hand before she dealt the fatal blow. Ruby followed up by spinning and dodging another, hooking the blade around its neck.

She then backflipped onto its back, firing and decapitating the beast while being thrown into the air. Ruby reached the peak of her ascent before gravity took hold and she plummeted towards the ground. A pair of Beowolves leapt into the air after her, so she fired to align herself.

Ruby followed up by firing on one of the Beowolves and slicing through the second. Just before she hit the ground, one of them finally landed a blow which threw her back. Ruby planted the blade of Crescent Rose into the ground, dragging her to a stop.

She then looked up at what remained of the horde. Her hair blew in the wind as she ejected the magazine from Crescent Rose, withdrew another marked with a cross from a pouch on her belt, and slammed it in. She then pointed the barrel behind her, reloading and firing.

The power of the shot blasted her forward at blinding speed, and she cut down four Beowolves. She landed before running and firing again to throw herself towards more of the beasts. From there, every shot was used to help her slice apart Beowolves.

Limbs and bullets alike flew. She reloaded and fired a final time, putting down the last Beowolf as she landed in a crouch before standing. Ruby aligned the blade of the scythe, panting with a confident demeanor as the spent ammunition fell around her.

Weiss Schnee
Clad in elegant white, with her long white ponytail hanging to her right, Weiss stood before a statue within her family's courtyard. She tapped a rapier to the ground before bringing it up, her eyes closed. Klein, an older man balding on top with brown hair around his head, approached.

"The arrangements have been made, and your father is waiting, Miss Schnee." Klein informed.

Weiss opened her eyes at that before turning to face him. "Shall we go, Klein?"

"Yes." Klein answered.

The pair made their way through the manor, passing the garden where Willow Schnee was drinking.

"You're drinking in the daytime again, Mother?" Weiss muttered. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised."

Klein kept silent at the sight, knowing well he could do nothing about it.

A white-haired boy, Whitley, was leaning against a pillar as he had been awaiting his sister's arrival. "Presenting Weiss Schnee, our future Huntress."

"Whitley." Weiss noted dissatisfied, knowing full well her brother would love nothing more than to see her fail. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm worried about you, of course." Whitley replied. "A test this dangerous isn't normal. We wouldn't want you getting hurt, would we?"

"This is hardly enough to intimidate me." Weiss walked past him. "So, shut up and watch."

Whitley bowed his head, muttering, "I've always watched you, my fearless, foolish sister."

Weiss and Klein entered the room where she would be evaluated, the butler departing from her side. Standing upon the balcony were her father and older sister, both with similar hair and eyes to Weiss. The former in a white suit and the latter in a slightly altered Specialist uniform.

"I am ready to take my test, dear Father, Sister." Weiss greeted with a bow before then turning to the man she called father. "I hope you will be true to your word."

"This is all utterly preposterous." Jacques voiced in annoyance.

"As I recall, this test was your idea, Father." Winter voiced in response to his contempt. "Weiss is ready to do it."

Jacques scoffed as Whitley entered to stand by his side.

"I am." Weiss agreed. "Now then, please unleash the Grimm."

"Very well, but if I decide it's impossible, you will fail." Jaques declared. "That will be the end of this foolishness."

"I'm not going to fail." Weiss voiced, her gaze then turning to the butler.

With that look given, Klein approached the lever and pulled. A panel on the floor in front of Weiss opened, and she gripped Myrtenaster in preparation as an elevator brought the Arma Gigas up. It was a large suit of Grimm possessed armor, the monster behind it being a Geist.

This one now growled as it stood, giant sword in hand. Weiss unsheathed her rapier, readying herself. The Gigas swung its sword, which Weiss backflipped to dodge. She then rushed and leapt at the Grimm. Upon striking with her blade, she inflicted no damage.

Weiss used the last strike to vault over it. As she landed, the Gigas swung its sword in a large arc, but the heiress lept over it along with the follow up as she drew close once more. She then slashed the knight, still doing no damage, before blocking the larger sword.

Weiss rushed in once more and was met with the large sword. She took the hit and flipped through the air to land on her feet. Weiss then drew patterns in the air with her fingers which caused a glyph to appear beneath her feet. That gave her a burst of speed to dodge the Gigas.

She then leapt and caught herself with a glyph before proceeding to bounce around the possessed suit of armor, rapidly landing hits. Weiss eventually ended up on the ground again where she drew back Myrtenaster and spun the revolving mechanism on the red canister.

This shrouded her blade in Fire Dust, which enabled her to parry the Gigas' blade. Weiss then moved to thrust her blade; however, the Grimm retaliated with a punch from his free arm, nailing her in the face. The heiress was thrown across the room, landing hard.

"Come to your senses yet?" Jaques questioned. "Call it off."

"Not quite yet." As an Atlesian Specialist, Winter knew the fight hadn't concluded.

Weiss used her weapon to stand, blood flowing down her left eye from a cut the Grimm managed to inflict on her. She pointed the rapier at the Gigas as she prepared to continue.

Weiss was knelt in the courtyard as snow fell around her on this night, the broken moon in the sky shining light to illuminate the area. Myrtenaster was stabbed on the ground in front of her.

"Your Aura can only shield you from one or two direct attacks at most." Winter had walked up to her sister. "When your Aura is gone, another attack will finish you. Those without power will return to dust." She then walked away. "That is the law of this world."

Drops of her blood fell onto the floor as Weiss stood against the Arma Gigas, Myrtenaster at the ready. When the Grimm charged, she yelled as the revolving mechanism turned to Ice Dust, and she shoved her blade into the ground. Ice Dust was expelled to freeze the Grimm in its tracks.

Weiss then drew the blade back and shifted back to Fire Dust before rushing the Grimm. The Gigas swung its sword, but Weiss jumped atop it before running down the blade. She then struck the suit's wrist with enough force that the blade was sent flying, almost hitting Klein.

With its sword embedded in the wall, and the hand which held it covered in fire, the Gigas charged Weiss. She used a Glyph to send the Grimm into the air before then using several more to hold it there as she jumped towards it.

Runes appeared on her rapier as she ran it through the Grimm, boring a hole straight through where the stomach would be. The suit was now breaking apart, internally on fire. Weiss landed, followed by the Grimm which dissolved.

"Miss Schnee, you passed." Klein was so proud. "I knew you'd do it."

Weiss now stood, looking to the balcony. "Father, now that I've finished this foolish test, will you allow me to attend Beacon?"

Jacques gritted his teeth at her success.

Winter turned towards him with a smile. "Well, Father?"

"Have it your way!" Jacques conceded and walked away.

Weiss turned towards Klein, who nodded. She smiled while basking in the light coming from the windows.

Blake Belladonna
The sun was shining, yet the moon was also high in the sky. Red petals from the blossom trees floated through the air, watched by a slim girl dressed in black and white. She had long black hair, a pair of cat ears atop her head, and a flat blade was attached to her back.

Another figure approached the girl, a tall man in a black coat. "Blake, it's time."

Blake lowered her head and turned to the man. "Okay."

The silence of the forest was shattered by two blurs of motion as Blake and her companion dashed through it.

"Adam, are we really doing this alone?" Blake asked.

"The guards are just mindless drones." Adam answered. "You're not scared of them, are you?"

"Do you think I scare easily?" Blake questioned.

"Hardly." Adam voiced. "I'm more than aware of your bravery."

Blake said nothing more, so the pair pressed on in silence until they reached a cliffside overlooking a railway hundreds of feet below. They could hear a train whistling in the distance. When the train was near, Adam leapt off the edge, followed by Blake.

They landed on the steep slope, but as the train passed by beneath, they leapt atop the train. Adam had anchored himself with Wilt before sheathing it again and dashing forward, followed by Blake. They'd missed the car they wanted, but sprinting over gaps took care of that issue.

Blake spied the hatch into the next car, seeing it was locked. Adam then moved so quickly she wasn't sure he'd drawn Wilt; however, she'd heard the snap of the lock. He wrenched up the hatch and leapt in. Blake followed, seeing them land before looking around the train car.

"Looks like we're doing this the hard way." Adam commented.

AK-130 androids lined the walls. Upon detecting intruders, their faceplates swung forward and covered most of the red light on their faces to leave a "V" of red light. This was like the one on their chests. Blake rose out of the crouch she'd landed in and gave a sly smile.

She grasped the hilt of Gambol Shroud. "Don't be so dramatic."

One of the android's arms shifted, its fingers forming bullet barrels which it pointed at Adam. "Intruder, identify yourself."

It was Adam's turn to give a sly smile. He pulled the trigger affixed to Blush, firing Wilt out of the sheath. The hilt of the sword slammed into the android, knocking it off balance as Adam dashed forwards. He caught the sword before slashing through androids like they were butter.

The androids that aimed at Blake saw her firming up to run before a sudden blur dipped out. Almost immediately, she charged forward before vanishing in purple sparkles. Blake had just used her Semblance, Shadow, to generate a clone.

With the android's attention where that had been, the real Blake came out of hiding with a flurry of sword strikes that took out plenty of androids. Plenty more fell when she shifted Gambol Shroud to gun mode and sprayed. One of the androids then came up behind her.

Blake pulled out her sword's sheath while shifting the gun back to blade form. She then tore through the approaching android and became a slicing whirlwind to take out more. Adam joined her, booting an android out of the train car and onto an open car where more androids ran in.

Adam turned and looked at Blake. "Let's do this."

He then rushed forward with Blake following, drawing Wilt and using it to uppercut a pair of androids. Blake flipped through the air and knocked them down allowing Adam to smash them with Wilt's hilt before sheathing the ninjato. He and Blake then dashed forward again.

Blake looked up and saw the rest of the androids were still a fair distance away. She drew her sword back, the weapon shifting forms as she did, and threw Gambol Shroud at the androids. Blake yanked back on the ribbon Gambol Shroud was attached to.

She then pulled the trigger of the firing mechanism, seeing the recoil sending the blade slicing through a couple of androids. Adam leapt up, making sure to stay out of the way of the whirling wheel of destruction Gambol Shroud had become as Blake swung it around.

She then joined Adam in a forward dash towards six more androids, the pair absolutely tearing through them with their weapons. He then sheathed Wilt with satisfaction before entering the next train car. Adam opened a crate emblazoned with a snowflake.

"Perfect." He was grinning. "Blake, move up to the next car while I set the charges."

"What about the crew members?" Blake asked.

"What about them?" Adam asked instantly.

…

That moment gave Blake pause. Before she could follow up, there was a mechanical snarl behind Adam. A four-legged droid dropped from the ceiling, over three times as tall as Adam and brisling with weaponry.

"Adam!" Blake voiced warningly.

The spider droid shifted, its arms aligning before firing blue blasts. Blake, both blades drawn, dodged and leapt over the blasts. She leapt towards the spider droid, attempting to slice it only for the droid to be tougher than she expected.

It tossed her off easily, and she hit the ground with a surprised cry. As the spider droid moved towards her, Adam came in swinging Wilt in an arc, having enough force to make the droid back up a bit. He then landed, only for the now unhindered spider droid to kick him.

It followed up with more blue blasts, though they only scattered boxes as the agile man avoided them. The spider droid raised its leg to crush Blake, so Adam dashed forward. He grabbed the cat Faunus and brought her back to the wall before setting her down.

"We need to get out of here." Blake declared.

The spider droid placed its arms together, seeing them shift and extended into a long cannon which built up power. Adam and Blake realized a split second too late they should have been careful what they wished for.

The spider droid fired, blasting the pair out. They landed hard among boxes on another open car, rolling to a stop. The spider droid emerged from the hole it made before making its way onto the open car.

"Buy me some time!" Adam shouted hoarsely.

"Are you sure?" Blake asked.

"Do it!" Adam exclaimed.

He gripped Wilt as the red of his hair intensified. Blake ran forward, dodging blasts and throwing Gambol Shroud to pull herself towards the spider droid. The force flung her into the air, so she drew her wrist back. The ribbon of Gambol Shroud surrounded her as she swung it around.

Blake withdrew it before beginning to slash and stab the front of the spider droid. She drove both blades into it, though the spider droid was still unfazed which forced her to throw herself off. She landed beside Adam. Seeing the two of them together again, the spider droid formed its cannon.

"Move!" Adam shouted, getting Blake to turn and dash back.

The spider droid fired at Adam. He withdrew Wilt partially from Blush and intercepted the energy stream until it ceased. He then laughed, the markings on his clothes, mask, and hair glowing scarlet. The spider droid took a few steps before leaping forward.

Adam drew Wilt, slashing with all the energy he gathered. The sheer power tossed most of the boxes on the car off and disintegrated the spider droid. Adam then sheathed Wilt before heading to the next car. What he saw had him stop short and reach his hand out hesitantly

Blake stood at the other car as she looked sadly at Adam. "I'm sorry."

She took out Gambol Shroud and sliced through the coupling that linked the train cars. Whether by choice or weakness from the fight, Adam didn't join her. Blake then walked to the front of the car and fiddled with her cat ears as she took out some black cloth.

Yang Xiao Long
The roar of a motorcycle's engine was ear-splitting in the quiet city night. The blond-haired girl riding it arrived at her destination where she dismounted and walked towards a building. A bubbly beat was playing on the club's sound system as a spotlight shone on the glass door.

The girl's silhouette was visible before the doors opened. She wore a brown midriff-bearing top, a backed skirt over black shorts, and yellow bracelets. She stopped to look at the dancing partygoers in the mirrored dance space.

As she walked down the stairs, her attention was focused on two men seemingly having an argument. One of them was wearing a white coat over dark clothing, making his orange hair stand out. The other man was tall, with a beard, who wore a suit without the jacket.

Next to him were twin gothic looking girls, one in red and the other white. Yang pulled out a touch screen device, a scroll, as she approached the bar. She managed to subtly snap a picture of the group before the first man, cane tucked under his arm, walked away.

"Strawberry Sunrise." Yang voiced to the bartender, another of the suit wearers. "No ice." She then added the following as an afterthought. "Oh, one of those little umbrellas as well."

"Aren't you a little young to be in this club, blondie?" The man asked, turning to her.

Yang giggled, turning to the man and putting her hand on her hip. "Aren't you a little old to have a name like 'Junior'?"

"So, you know who I am." Junior remarked.

Yang crossed her arms, deciding to cut to the chase. "I know you're a man who allegedly knows everything." She took out her scroll, pulling up an image of a woman in red with matching eyes and hair like hers, though black in color. "Have you seen her?"

"Never seen that lady before." Junior dismissed. "Now, don't waste my time."

"Are you sure it's a waste of time?" Yang asked playfully. "Here, have another pho-oh!" She had flicked to the next photo, which happened to be the one she just took. "Is that a picture of you with notorious criminal Roman Torchwick? Man, that'd get the police's attention, wouldn't it? It'd be a shame if a concerned citizen sent this to them."

Junior looked to his nearest man, a guy in a suit with red shades. "Take that scroll."

As the man approached, he didn't even get the chance to speak before Yang grabbed and twisted his arm behind his back.

"Either some kind of Huntress or Huntress in training." Junior noted, turning to his club. "EVERYONE, CLEAR OUT!" His voice rang out, getting the music to cease and club goers to look his way. "We got ourselves a troublemaker!"

On his word, some people did file out. Others were only so much more persistent until the twins got involved and began helping the crowd leave. The bulk of Junior's guards began to crowd around those involved.

"Come now." Yang gently shoved the man she had held to his companions before looking to the man in charge. "Surely we can just kiss and make up."

"Okay…" Junior replied hesitantly, walking up to her.

They both closed their eyes and leaned forward, only for Yang to sucker punch Junior. He was flung into the air before crashing through a glass pillar. This was now enough for the last of the citizens to leave. The mobsters, having recovered from the shock of what happened, charged.

Yang smiled and drew back her arms as the golden bracelets, Ember Celica, expanded into dual-ranged shot gauntlets. She drew her right arm, which she'd used to send Junior flying, back and pumped out a shell. As the mobsters ran towards her, Yang leapt into the air.

As she fell, Yang slammed her fist into the ground. This generated flames and sent out a shockwave which knocked the mobsters backwards, throwing them onto the ground. As Yang rose from the circle of flames, she had a large grin on her face.

She leapt into the air and brought her foot down, knocking a mobster to the ground. Yang then fired a shell, boosting her punch into another mobster and bringing down a third man with a kick as she landed from her leap. Seeing their fellows in jeopardy, the other mobsters charged.

Yang ducked and dived while launching punches, firing shells, and doling out powerful strikes. She knocked down a few men before one of them managed to deliver blows she had to block. The blond stopped both of his strikes and snapped out with a kick that threw the man into the air.

His unconscious body flew through and shattered a second pillar. Another man charged, holding a red-bladed katana, and lashed out with quick strikes. Yang blocked the blows with her gauntlets and delivered several shell-fueled punches that knocked the man backwards.

The bear-suited DJ pulled out a submachine gun and opened fire. Yang ran from side-to-side, dodging the bullets before firing her gauntlets and using the recoil to vault over a barrier. Now in the DJ's booth, she double kicked him with both feet.

She then fired her left-hand gauntlet, slamming her elbow into him and followed up by slamming his head into his desk. Yang finished by lifting him up and firing both gauntlets to blast him into the air. He hit the dance floor, his bear headdress falling off and rolling past the twin girls.

"Melanie, who is this girl?" The red clad girl asked in a bored tone, brandishing the long claws attached to her wrists.

"I dunno Miltia, but we should teach her a lesson." The white-clad girl answered with the same bored tone.

Yang ejected the empty orange ammunition belts from Ember Celica and withdrew twin red belts. She threw them into the air and swung them into her gauntlets before leaping. In midair she fired her new ammunition, which Melanie and Miltia backflipped away from.

Every shot exploded where they struck the ground. Yang continued to fire, but the twins dodged each shot and closed the distance. Melanie even used her bladed heel to block one of the shots. Miltia then caught Yang's attention, giving Melanie time to lash out with a kick.

Yang only just blocked with her left gauntlet. The unharmed now dived in fully, attacking in tandem. They broke her guard, throwing Yang back and seeing her land on the ground. She was quick to rise and sprinted forward to unleash a powerful punch.

It connected squarely with Melanie, knocking the white-clad girl down. Left on her own, Miltia engaged Yang directly. Unfortunately, Miltia's claws, while fast and deadly, simply couldn't match the sheer power and intensity of Yang's recoil boosted punches.

With a flurry of blows, Yang sent the red-clad twin flying through another pillar. Melanie had just risen, but she wasn't getting any reprieve. Yang leapt towards her and lashed out with a punch, forcing Melanie to hastily dodge.

The two girls then went to it, matching one another's kicks handedly. Melanie soon launched another kick that knocked Yang back a few paces and skated forward while aiming small kicks at the blond. This was enough to drive Yang back until she decided to use her hands again.

She blocked a kick and spun while firing a blast that propelled her elbow into Melanie's solar plexus. Melanie gasped and was knocked back a step, allowing Yang to grab her right wrist. Yang spun Melanie around before snapping her leg out and kicking her hard in the forehead.

Melanie fell limply to the ground while Yang rose to her feet. A spotlight snapped on as Melanie staggered away and the music reached its peak, revealing the reason for the change. Junior was illuminated in the spotlight, hefting a large projectile launcher over his shoulder.

"You'll pay for this." Junior called out.

Junior levelled his launcher and fired four small projectiles at Yang. She rolled across the ground to avoid them before rising in a crouch. Junior aimed and fired again, the four min-rockets roaring through the air. Yang knew she couldn't dodge, so she drew back her arms in preparation.

Yang fired several times, the force of her ammunition blocking the rockets and generating a large cloud of smoke. Junior drew back the weapon, the back half sliding up to cover the front, as he leapt through the cloud of smoke. He swung with the resultant club.

It doled out a powerful blow which caught Yang off guard and knocked her through the air. She landed hard after smashing through several glass structures. Junior smiled, bringing the club up behind his head and resting it on his left shoulder.

Yang rose to her feet, slamming her gauntlets together which saw her hair briefly shooting upward and glowing with a flaming light. Yang charged. Junior shifted back to his launcher, but this time the blond could sidestep the projectiles with ease.

Junior then switched his weapon to the club again as she got close and swung. Yang ducked before lashing out with several powerful punches. Yang soon dealt a final punch, her eyes glowing red. Junior attempted to block with his weapon, but it snapped in two.

The punch then connected with and threw Junior, who rolled with the impact to end up on his feet. He looked to see he was now holding what remained of his weapon and a few strands of blonde hair. Junior smirked at Yang, who gasped in shock as her lilac eyes turned full on red.

She drew back her gauntlets as her hair exploded in flames. Yang ran full tilt at Junior, screaming while drawing back her right fist. The resulting punch connected squarely with Junior, throwing him through the window and outside the building.

Yang leapt out after him, landing solidly before partially picking up the man's body. "Now, I want answers, Junior." She realized the man was out cold and dropped him with a sigh. "Ah, you're useless."

"Yang?" Ruby asked curiously, having arrived. "Is that you?"

"Oh!" Yang replied, the red glow fading from her eyes. "Hey, sis."

Ruby put her hands on her hips. "What are you doing here?"

Yang sighed, looking up at the broken moon. "It's a long story…"

 

[Quillion9000]

Sanus: Docked Boat, Early Morning…
Link, now seventeen, boarded the first boat that would take him to Patch. He was nearly the same physically as he had been upon first meeting Wild those two years ago. Sure, he filled out a bit more and looked a little more rugged; however, it was still him at the end of the day.

The green glad youth made his way to the cabin he paid for before entering and locking the door. With a sigh of relief, he removed his weapons and set them nearby before laying atop the bed. While he had arrived at the docks closest to Patch, he'd still have hours of down time now.

"What will I do after getting this chest Wild's sending me after?" Link contemplated.

Over the last two years, Link learned a great deal about Hyrule, his previous lives, and combat. Despite recognizing you never stopped improving, it did nothing to relieve how anxious he'd started feeling because he had no solid leads on anything.

Apparently equipment belonging to his past life was out there; however, Wild was only privy to this one piece. While he could be lying, Link had developed a lot of trust in his past life and believed he wasn't. It still meant there was a lot he lacked in terms of present knowledge.

"I'd sure love to know where the Master Sword is, though it wouldn't do me much good since I don't know what I'm supposed to be fighting." Link closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep. "I suppose not knowing anything also means they aren't making any big moves yet."

Patch: Morning…
"Hey mom." Ruby was visiting her mother's grave. "It's been a while. Oh, guess what? Yang got accepted to Beacon Academy. How cool is that? Sis always said she wanted to be a Huntress, and she did it!" She clasped her hands in happiness "I just can't believe it!"

She then turned a little sad. "Though, if I'm honest, it is kind of annoying." She realized how that could be taken. "Oh, of course, I'm happy for her, but I want to be a Huntress too. I just have 2 more years at Signal. Ah, why can't I be more like her?"

Ruby looked at the sky, as if her mother would provide advice, before shaking her head and taking out Crescent Rose. "Anyways, when it comes to weapons, I'm as good as anyone, better even. I'll work hard to protect people from the Grimm just like you did, Mom."

Predictably, the tombstone didn't reply, but Ruby liked to imagine her mother heard her. She soon looked up upon hearing a motorcycle approaching. It was Yang, who parked her ride. She then dismounted while taking off her helmet and sunglasses.

"Yang, you came!" Ruby called out, running towards her happily.

Yang opened her arms and accepted the coming hug. "You're giving mom the good news, huh?"

"Yeah, I told her all about how you got into Beacon." Ruby affirmed before sighing. "Ugh, why can't I be going to?"

"Oh Ruby." Yang smiled at her. "Don't worry." She then looked at the grave. "Your time will come, isn't that right, Mom?"

She winked at the grave before putting an arm around her sister and leading her to the motorcycle. They were expected home soon since dad wanted to take them into Vale today.

Elsewhere on Patch: Afternoon…
Link had awoken upon arriving at Patch. Once disembarked from the ship, he inquired about a waterfall and took off in the direction the locals indicated. It led him through the forest to a river. Following that upstream led him to the waterfall.

Once he climbed up the slope next to it to the top, he finally arrived at the lake area Wild had told him about. Almost immediately, briefly, his left hand displayed the Triforce. Though only the lower right piece glowed, indicating all he had was the Triforce of Courage.

It then faded as a bright light shined just ahead before transforming into an ornate sky-blue chest. Link approached and opened it to find Wild's paraglider within. There was then a pale blue light. As per Wild's lessons, he stored it within his inventory.

To him, even with everything he's learned these past two years, and the fact he could do it thanks to his spirit, it was still a little hard to wrap his mind around magic. Granted, his capabilities apparently weren't anything like what Zelda or the Sages could have done back then.

"Though, I've been told I'll be better with it if I find any of my past life's items that had magical properties." Link noted. "Until then, I'm pretty much just a walking chest."

Not that it was a poor ability to have since anything he stored maintained its condition. Given he couldn't just bring forth things wherever he wanted, it was limited in terms of combat. Perhaps it was a piece to defeat whatever Dark One he was here for, but it alone wouldn't do the job.

Regardless, with the item secured, he glanced outward and spotted a walled village in the distance. "Since I just got here, I might as well see if there's any place I can stay on this island."

If this didn't pan out, he'd be buying a ride back to Sanus sooner than he thought. As he walked, Link took in his surroundings since he hadn't been on Patch before. Aside from the trees and waterfall feeding into a lake, there were sounds of nature all around him.

"Bah, not here."

Link stopped his trek to the village upon hearing some high-pitched voice, though it certainly didn't sound young. He now made a conscious effort to be quiet as he approached.

"I'll have to move on."

Link stopped at a tree and peered around it to see a figure dressed in an extravagant yet worn purple robe with a hood. The figure then turned to the right and took off. Link didn't like the looks of this and would have gone after the figure were it not for an explosion from the village.

"What!?" Link exclaimed.

Looking through the entrance, he saw flames and what looked like Grimm rushing about as people screamed. Link abandoned going after that figure in favor of rushing into the village. The Grimm attacking were mature Beowolves, which couldn't start a fire to his knowledge.

In the end, such things didn't matter in the moment. Link drew his sword and hand rifle before shooting the Grimm closest to people, in the head, in quick succession. Their bodies crashed to the ground and started dissolving. This led to the people and remaining Grimm looking his way.

"GET TO SAFETY!" Link yelled.

He then rushed into the fray, the Grimm's focus having shifted to him. As they charged Link, he struck swiftly and moved fluidly. His sword was like an extension of his arm, his rifle blew back and often took down Grimm that got close, and his movements flowed one into the other.

Prior to Wild, he was prone to blocking with his only real form of dodging coming from dodge rolls. Now, he had integrated dodging more into his fighting style and understood how to better block. Soon, he'd torn through these Grimm while the people had evacuated.

Link sheathed his weapons before freezing as a large shadow overtook the village. Upon looking up, he saw a sphere of water, surrounded by a purple outline, which likely came from the nearby lake that waterfall fed into.

It was as large as the village, and Link reasoned it was the work of some Semblance. Soon enough, a pseudo rainfall began to put out the fire. Over the pitter patter of the rain, Link picked up the sound of clapping.

It was followed by a voice. "Well done."

He turned towards the entrance he used to see a middle-aged man, with tousled silver hair, light complexion, and brown eyes, entering the village. He wore shaded spectacles, an unzipped black suit over a dark green, buttoned vest, and green shirt. He wielded a cane.

"You protected the villagers by fending off the Grimm." The man stated.

"Good to know." Link voiced, relieved he had been successful. "Who are you?"

"My apologies, young man." The man chuckled. "Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Professor Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy. It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, as well as thank you for reacting as you have."

Link's only real interest with the kingdoms had been keeping tabs on criminals. Sure, Hunters and citizens alike could step outside their walls, but those weren't people he'd have to worry about personally. That said, even though he didn't have an appearance, he'd heard of Ozpin.

"I'm Link." Link stated. "With this attack, even with me responding, it's likely someone would have contacted Signal, but that's a combat school." He raised an eyebrow the headmaster's way. "Why would the headmaster of a Hunter Academy be here to respond?"

"You're quite astute." Ozpin smiled. "While my status may reflect otherwise, I'm a Huntsman at heart. Though, I am here in particular because my deputy headmistress and I happened to be at Signal when the call for Hunters came in. I'll say, it could be a rather fortunate coincidence."

"How so?" Link asked.

"Before I get to that, where did you learn to fight?" Ozpin inquired.

"Far as I remember, I've traveled Remnant with anyone who would have me." Link responded. "You tend to pick things bouncing between them. Then, these last two years you could say I was self-taught."

Technically not wrong since Wild was one of his past lives. As for the years before him, his parents often got them in caravans. With the lands outside the kingdoms, especially the further you go being harsh…Well, Link's had years to come to terms with things.

That's not to say he was heartless or didn't miss his parents, but death as a concept was something you must understand to make it outside the kingdoms. Wild and the caravans withstanding, Link was on his own. It was only more so now as he made the trip here himself.

"Have you ever considered becoming a Huntsman?" Ozpin asked.

"You want me to come to your school?" Link asked.

It seemed like a rather sudden invite, though the green glad youth could see the reasoning behind it. While anyone he typically dealt with might have thought he already had his license, Link hadn't seen it as a necessity. He had his line of work set.

"I would not extend the offer if I did not want you at my academy." Ozpin turned his gaze briefly to the water above, only continuing once he was certain Glynda would keep the rain up. "Though, before you give me your answer, I'd like to know what your favorite fairy tale is?"

"What kind of question is that?" Link asked.

"Just something that piques my curiosity." Ozpin informed.

"I'd say the Infinite Man, Four Seasons, and Two Brothers have been the stories which caught my attention." Link indulged.

"I see." Ozpin nodded. "What about the story of the Golden Triangle?"

"To my knowledge, there's a book on those legends." Link voiced wearily. "I've read it."

Not entirely untrue since he has read that book; however, Wild has given him more information than that thing contained.

"Stories of Heroes, Princesses, and Dark Ones." Ozpin voiced. "It all seems rather far-fetched; however, I do believe we both know it to be true. After all, no one I've met has pointed ears quite like yours."

In that instance, he was likely referencing the fact quite a few Faunus tended to have pointed ears of their own. Though, those were more reptilian in nature or tended to be covered in fur while Link's ears were flesh. Regardless of what he meant, the youth instinctively grasped his sword.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Link." The headmaster held up his hands. "With the legend about to begin again, I'd like to help you. If you come to my school, I can offer guidance and a great deal of assistance."

Aside from Wild, no one Link has met seemed to think those stories held any fact. Sure, he got comments on his pointed ears, but that was typically how far it went. Now, here was this man essentially saying he knew it was true. That made him a bit uneasy.

"I'll accept, under one condition." Link voiced.

"What would this condition be?" Ozpin asked.

"Through our brief discussion, it is plain to see we have our secrets." Link reasoned. "That is why I suggest no secrets between us, within reason."

"I see." Ozpin chuckled. "Well, you'll still have to earn your place a Beacon, but once you do, I believe that is reasonable. We can reveal what we know over time, provided it isn't something too important. As you've voiced, we both have our secrets.

I'd also believe we both have ones so big we just can't see ourselves sharing them with one another at this time. Perhaps that will change as we get to know each other. Regardless, I believe this condition of yours is reasonable."

Link didn't know what Ozpin would do if he rejected this offer. In theory, he could just walk away. He supposed it came down to the question of trust and how likely Link thought he could make a break for it if things went south.

"Alright, I'm coming to Beacon." Link nodded. "Though I got to know, what's going to happen to this village?"

"Very good." Ozpin smiled. "You can accompany my deputy headmistress and I back to Vale where I'll get you a hotel room. You'll only need it for a few days until you board the airship here to Beacon with the other prospective students. As for the village, my people will help it."

At this moment, the pseudo rain came to an end as what was left of it moved back to the lake.

Vale: Night…
"I forgot how big Vale is." Ruby was walking through the city, casting her gaze around. "It's way more fun than Patch." She smiled. "They've got the best music, cafés, and the weapon shops. I don't know how I'll see it all." She sighed. "I also still have to get Yang's present." Her gaze was drawn to a certain store with the lights on. "Oh, the Dust store is still open!"

From Dust Til Dawn
Ruby made her way inside, other customers were browsing as well, when she noticed the magazine rack. "The latest issue of Weapon Magazine! This is the coolest since Patch won't get it until next week." She snatched the magazine and flipped it open. "Vale really does have everything, huh?"

Hotel
Yang was rereading her acceptance email from Beacon, with a smile, before entering her father's room where Zwei was lying on the floor. "Dad, has Ruby returned yet?"

Yang and Ruby's dad, Taiyang, was a muscular man with blond hair and blue eyes. On his right arm was a tattoo of his emblem which resembled a heart. He wore brown cargo shorts, black shoes, and a brown leather vest over a tan dress shirt with the right sleeve cut off.

"No, not yet." Taiyang answered.

"It's not like her to be gone for so long." Yang noted. "That's weird."

"Rumor has it she's buying you a going away present." Taiyang informed.

"Dad!" Yang put her hands on her hips. "Why would you tell me? I've been trying to play dumb."

"I like presents." Taiyang smiled before sighing. "It's going to be a lot harder to go out as a family after you're gone."

Yang squatted down and scratched Zwei. "I really hope Ruby will be okay without me around. She tends to get caught up in her own world sometimes, you know?"

"A little independence will do her good." Taiyang voiced. "I love that you support each other, but she can't rely on you for everything, you know?"

"I know, I know." Yang looked at him. "You're right Dad."

From Dust Till Dawn
Roman Torchwick and his hired goons had walked along the streets of Vale, unopposed by any bystander, before they strolled right into the Dust shop.

"Welc-" The store owner started before noticing who this was.

"Do you have any idea how hard it was to find a Dust shop open this late?" Roman asked.

One of the goons pointed his gun at the owner, who surrendered immediately as the customers ran out. "You can take my lien."

"Calm down." Roman shushed. "We're not here for your money." He looked at the goons. "Help yourselves."

They began stealing the Dust.

All the while, Ruby was still reading her magazine, unaware of the commotion due to having her headphones on. "The first stage of a weapon's transformation should combine offensive and defensive capabilities." She smiled. "Yeah, totally!"

One of the goons noticed Ruby, so he brandished his blade. "Hey kid, put your hands up."

When Ruby didn't respond, he put his hand on her shoulder prompting her to turn around and put her hood down. "Yes?" The goon pointed at her headphones, so she took them off. "Can I help you?"

The goon brandished his sword again. "I said, put your hands up!"

"Are you robbing me?" Ruby asked.

"Yes!" The goon exclaimed.

"Huh." Ruby voiced before she sent the goon flying into a round table.

"You little punk!" One of the goon's friends shouted, running over with a gun.

Ruby had Crescent Rose out now and vaulted off it to plant her feet firmly into this man's stomach, the force of the attack being enough to launch him through the window while she landed outside.

Vale: Car
Link has never been in any limousine, let alone one this luxurious, though it still carried food like the caravans tended to. It was essentially snacks and drinks, which Ozpin let him take as much as he wanted. While Link was grateful, it seemed a bit like too much junk for his taste.

Still, a little indulgence was fine. It seems his restrained approach was something Ozpin's deputy headmistress, Glynda, approved of. Glynda was a middle-aged woman with light-blonde hair tied back in a bun and bright green eyes behind ovular glasses.

She wore a white, long-sleeved blouse, a black pencil skirt, brown stockings, black boots, and a cape that is purple inside and black on the outside. As for Vale, it was quite advanced compared to what Link has experienced beyond the walls.

"Sir." Glynda voiced, catching Ozpin's attention while Link listened in. "I've just received a report. A silent alarm has been triggered at From Dust Till Dawn. It's Roman Torchwick."

"That's not far from here." Ozpin looked at the driver. "Driver, take us to From Dust Till Dawn!"

"You mean, THE Roman Torchwick?" Link asked.

"The very same." Glynda answered. "Hang on. Reports say someone is trying to detain him."

"Who?" Ozpin asked.

"A…teenage girl." Glynda replied, stunned.

"Interesting." Ozpin noted.

Vale
Ruby unveiled her weapon before twirling it around and slamming it, tip first, into the street as the goons came out to face her. They all pulled out guns and fired, seeing Ruby speeding around the street with her Semblance to avoid the bullets.

She then closed in and used her scythe to cleave two of the goon's guns in half. This prompted them to start unsheathing their blades, though none of them stood a chance as she utilized her scythe to help land devastating kicks on all four of them, knocking every goon out.

Roman looked at the goon who landed at his feet. "I guess you do get what you pay for." He dropped his cigar and used his cane to snuff it out. "Well, Little Red, you've ruined a perfectly fine heist." He pointed his cane at Ruby. "I'd love to stay and play, but this is where we part."

He fired a Dust round. Ruby utilized her scythe, firing off a bullet to send herself into the air and avoid the shot. When she landed and looked up, Roman was no longer there. Upon looking around, she saw him climbing the ladder of a building.

As the owner came out, Ruby looked at him. "You okay if I go after him?"

The old man nodded. "Uh-huh."

She took off just as a car turned the corner and pulled up. Ozpin, Glynda, and Link stepped out.

The latter immediately took note of the unconscious men. "Looks like we arrived just at the tail end of things, though none of these four are Roman Torchwick. Not to mention I'm not seeing a teenage girl either."

Ozpin looked at the old man, already having thought along the same lines. "Where did they go?"

"Torchwick took off across the street, climbing that ladder to the roof." The owner informed, having naturally recognized Ozpin. "A girl has gone after him."

"I'm going!" Glynda declared.

Link figured Glynda had to be quite skilled, she was a Huntress, yet staying back didn't sit right with him. "So am I."

"No, you stay…" Glynda began.

"Glynda." Ozpin voiced firmly.

"Alright." Glynda acquiesced. "Come on!"

Link nodded, running with the deputy headmistress.

Rooftop
Roman had made it atop the rooftop, quickly followed by Ruby.

"You won't get away!" She yelled, pointing her scythe at him. "You thief!"

Roman sighed in amusement as a bullhead flew up behind him, shining its lights down upon her. With Ruby temporarily blinded, the thief had climbed aboard and now stood at the door.

"You are one persistent brat." Roman declared, taking out and throwing a container of Fire Dust.

As said container was midair, much closer to Roman than Ruby, a shot rang out as a bullet pierced the container. Upon seeing this, the thief immediately went about ducking behind the open doorway.

Vale
Tai and Yang had grown worried when Ruby hadn't returned, so they set Zwei to track her. The dog now barked as he found her scent and ran ahead.

"She's close." Tai declared, as he and his eldest followed.

"Ruby, where have you wandered off to?" Yang questioned.

They made it to From Dust Till Dawn, where a crowd had gathered as police interviewed the store owner and Ozpin.

"Ozpin's here?" Tai muttered, catching his eldest's attention. "What's going on?"

Yang then turned her gaze from him to Zwei, knowing his nose has never let them down before. "Ruby, what are you involved in?"

At that exact moment, an explosion was seen and heard from the roof of a nearby building.

Roof
Ruby glanced back to see Link standing at the ladder with his hand rifle drawn and pointed where the canister had been. She then turned to Glynda Goodwitch, who'd made her way to stand ahead of the younger teen.

Link came up alongside the girl. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ruby voiced before noticing his ears. "Is he a Faunus?"

Glynda produced a glyph, which sent beams at the bullhead.

"We got a Huntress!" Roman called out to the pilot. "Let's beat it!"

Glynda formed more glyphs to attack the bullhead, but her attacks were shot down as it made its escape. Glynda, seeing it was gone, turned to look at the younger teen.

"Wow, are you two Hunters!?" Ruby excitedly asked.

Glynda cast a firm look her way. Link wasn't on the receiving end of it, so he decided not to speak up now. After this, Glynda would end up escorting Ruby to the police station while Ozpin took Link to the hotel.

Police Station
Ruby had been brought into an interrogation room within the station.

"Did you not stop to think how your actions put others in harm's way?" Glynda pointed her riding crop, getting a gasp. "On top of that, was your Aura strong enough to stop every attack?"

"Well, uh…" Ruby replied.

Ozpin, fresh from dropping off Link, entered the police station. This saw the officers there stand at attention and salute.

"Oh, Professor Ozpin!"

"Just stopping by for a quick visit." Ozpin said.

Nearby, Tai, Yang, and Zwei waited for Ruby's interrogation to be over.

"Good evening, Tai." Ozpin greeted.

"Professor…" Tai noted, standing.

"Don't worry." Ozpin voiced. "I merely wish to speak with your daughter for a bit."

Yang looked on as he walked past, making it clear which daughter he wanted to talk to. "So, he's…"

"The headmaster of Beacon Academy." Tai answered.

Glynda slapped her crop down on the table, getting Ruby to wince. "There's someone here who would like to meet you."

The door opened to allow Ozpin in with a plate of cookies and mug. He sat opposite Ruby after placing the cookies and mug on the table.

"Ah, Ruby Rose." Ozpin stated. "You have silver eyes, just like your mother."

"Wait, how do you…" Ruby said.

"Do you know who I am?" Ozpin asked.

"Yes, probably." Ruby said as the headmaster drank from the mug. "Professor Ozpin, headmaster at Beacon Academy."

"Nice to meet you." Ozpin greeted. "Now, I have a question. Do you want to attend my school two years early?"

"Huh?" Ruby asked.

Minutes Later…
"You're coming with me!?" Yang pulled Ruby into a hug. "I can't believe it!"

"Yeah." Ruby said. "Professor Ozpin said he'd let me skip ahead to get in."

"Amazing!" Yang declared. "Now, we get to go to Beacon together!"

Vale
Just outside the station, Ozpin stood with Tai. "She's gifted, reminds me much of you and the rest of Team STRQ."

"She's still just a child though." Taiyang stated.

"All birds eventually leave the nest." Ozpin reminded.

"Yeah, I know." Tai smiled. "I just never thought they'd leave the nest together."

Outside Vale
In the Grimm infested lands outside the city's wall, Blake made her way through the trees. She now sported a black bow which hid her ears. The girl took refuge for the night in a barn and looked through her belongings when her scroll beeped.

"Notice of acceptance…" Blake read the message from Beacon and smiled. "Now, I can take a different path."

Schnee Manor: Morning…
Weiss was prepared to leave. "I'd better go."

"Would you wait just a little longer?" Klein suggested.

"Looks like Winter was too busy to come." Weiss noted in response. "Naturally, Father and Whitley couldn't be bothered to see me off…" Klein looked down sadly at that. "…but I'm happy you came." She smiled. "Thank you, for everything."

"Please, do take care of yourself." Klein voiced. "I am certain you will become a fine Huntress. Remember who you are and continue with the legacy of Master Nicolas. I believe in you."

Weiss smiled happily at his faith in her.

Patch: Cliffside, Couple Days Later…
Ruby laid down some flowers at her mother's grave. "It's time for me to go, Mom."

Airdocks
Link moved to enter the airship, which would take him and other prospective students to Beacon. Since he'd be within the walls of a kingdom and school for the foreseeable future, he'd taken steps to appear less wild. That's not to say he acted like it, but he certainly looked it.

That was down to the fact you could go quite a while between proper settlements. He'd always clean himself up when the opportunity presented itself, but you had to be okay with ruffing it to live the way he had. Perhaps it was easy for him to adapt to it since it's just how he lived.

Regardless, he'd showered, got a haircut, had his weapons tended to by a blacksmith, and had new versions of his outfit tailored. Now, as he walked into the airship, he happened to spot Ruby standing next to Yang, both standing across from Tai.

"The girl from that rooftop." Link noted before continuing inside. "Seems a bit young, so I can only assume Ozpin pulled strings for her to attend like he has me."

"Thanks, Dad!" Ruby declared. "For you, Mom, and Uncle Qrow, I'll try my hardest to be the best Hunter ever!"

Tai laughed at his daughter's exuberance. "That's the spirit, but remember, you don't need to overdo it to be the best. I'm your dad, so I'm proud of you two just the way you are, got it?"

"We know, Dad!" Yang responded happily. "Now, we really should get going."

"Okay." Tai responded. "You two write to me, ya?"

Ruby nodded.

"See you later!" Yang declared.

The sibling pair boarded the airship, leaving Tai to watch, with Zwei barking, as it took off.

 

[Quillion9000]

Airship: Late Morning…
With the airship to Beacon now on its way, Link was observing his fellow, prospective students. That was on either of their ends since he wasn't one for overconfidence. Such a thing had no real place outside the wall since it could get you killed.

He had yet to see that girl from the roof or that blond he assumed to be her sister. At least, he assumed a familial connection given the pair had been standing before that blond man, and he'd heard that roof girl call him her dad just before he boarded the airship.

Speaking of blonds, beyond knowing those two had to be on this airship, the only other person to draw Link's attention was a blond guy who had a clear case of motion sickness. He was decently tall with fair skin and dark blue eyes.

His attire consisted of a black short-sleeved hoodie, white diamond-shaped chest plate cut off above his lower abdomen, white spaulders, blue jeans, and black sneakers. A sword was strapped within a sheath at his left hip.

"If I didn't know my parents, I'd assume we were long lost fraternal twins." Link noted. "If I only knew everything I do about my past lives without knowing they were mine, I'd assume he was the reincarnation of the spirit of the hero."

Neither were true, given the things Link knew. With his fellow blond trying not to throw up whatever he's eaten previously, the current incarnation of the hero's spirit decided to move on. It wasn't long after that he spotted the sister pair, though they hadn't seen him yet.

"Ah yeah!" Yang had come up behind Ruby and hugged her. "I'm on my way to Beacon with my favorite baby sister. Best day ever." She smirked. "You skipped two whole years, so I bet people will be calling you a genius."

"I don't want to stick out that much." Ruby retorted. "I'm already younger than everybody here, and I don't know anybody."

"Seems to me you only accept the second part while wanting to deny the first." Link spoke up, having approached the pair and now getting their attention. "You were placed in a prestigious school two years early. Like it or not, you stick out by that simple fact alone."

"Hey, you're that guy from before who shot that canister Roman threw." Ruby noted happily.

The blonde girl looked over Link with a slight glint in her eye and a smile on her face.

"That I am, though we didn't get to make introductions." Link nodded. "I am Link Sherwood, and I've noted you two seem to know each other."

While he had his assumptions of their relation, it was wiser to let them confirm it.

"I'm Ruby Rose, and this is my older sister, Yang Xiao Long." Ruby introduced. "Yang, this is the guy who helped me the other night."

"Yeah, I clocked that by what you said upon him announcing his presence." Yang assured before looking his way. "Thanks for looking out for Ruby."

Link shrugged. "All I did was shoot a canister."

"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal, Roman Torchwick who continues to evade authorities."

A nearby broadcast being shown on the ship caught their attention as it was discussing the very reason Ruby was now attending Beacon. Said man's mugshot, from a prior time he was arrested, was shown.

"If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa."

A woman with shoulder length silver hair and yellow eyes was now displayed. "That you, Cyril. In other news, this Saturday's Faunus civil rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. The once peaceful organization disrupted…"

"The discrimination of the Faunus…" Link noted with a shake of his head.

Until Wild appeared to him, Link was right there with everyone else in assuming he was a Faunus. Discrimination certainly existed outside the four kingdoms, but it's something he never understood when they had the bigger threat of the Grimm to contend with.

The energy people put towards such a negative facet of civilization could be better spent combating the shared enemy. He supposed the same could be said about other facets given there was crime, bandits, and so on.

The broadcast had been cut off as a hologram of Glynda Goodwitch appeared. "Hello, and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among the privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy.

Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it will be your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task. Now, it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and training to protect our world."

She then disappeared.

"Oh wow!" Ruby marveled as she and other prospective students approached the windows of the airship while it flew over Vale and moved towards Beacon. "Look, we're almost to Beacon."

Yang wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulder. "Our new home for the next four years."

Link joined the pair while noticing the air sick blond looking close to throwing up his lunch as he ran past them.

"Well, I guess the view isn't for everyone." Yang stated.

"It was a nice moment while it lasted." Ruby voiced.

"I recommend you two move." Link noted, walking off.

"Wonder what he meant by that?" Yang questioned.

That was soon answered as Ruby smelt something bad and looked down. "Oh Yang, gross! You have vomit on your shoes!"

"Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!" Yang freaked and started running towards her sister.

"Get away from me! Get away from me! Get away from me! Get away from me!" Ruby yelled, running away from her.

Beacon
The airship approached the cliffs in front of Beacon Academy where a set of landing platforms were waiting. When the ships landed and opened their doors, the passengers walked off. Among the first was the boy with stomach issues.

He quickly found the nearest trash can and threw up. Link had ended up hanging back to observe the various people while Ruby and Yang entered the courtyard of Beacon Academy. The sister pair took in the fantastic site that is their new home.

"Wow." They both marveled.

New students approached the school through a long avenue leading up to the main academy building. In front of the school was a large courtyard with various walkways surrounded by a double ring of colonnades bisecting the main avenue.

The avenue was marked with trees while flags were draped on light poles and archways. In front of the entrance to the main amphitheater was a large statue of a huntsman and huntress standing atop a rock, beneath which a Beowolf cowered.

"The view from Vale's got nothing on this." Yang stated.

"Oh, Ohhh! Sis, that kid has a collapsible staff! Ohhhh, and she's got a fire sword!" Ruby shrieked before being pulled back by her sister. "Ow, ow."

"Easy, little sister." Yang voiced. "They're just weapons."

"Just weapons!?" Ruby exclaimed, stunned to hear those words from her sister. "They're an extension of ourselves! They're part of us! Oh, they're so cool."

"Well, why can't you swoon over your weapon?" Yang questioned. "Aren't you happy with it?"

Ruby took out her weapon, extending it to its full form and hugging it. "Of course I'm happy with Crescent Rose. I just really like seeing new ones. It's like meeting people, but better…"

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

"Why would I need friends when I have you?" Ruby questioned.

She pulled her hood up, only to see Yang surrounded by her friends from Signal. "Well, actually, my friends are here now, so we got to go catch up. Kay, see ya. Bye!"

They rushed out of there, spinning Ruby around. "Wait, where are you going? Aren't we supposed to go to our dorms? Where are our dorms? Do we have dorms? Ugh, I don't know what I'm doing."

She ended up falling back onto a cart full of white suitcases which belonged to, unknown to Ruby, Weiss Schnee.

"What are you doing!?" Weiss yelled.

Ruby looked up at the owner. "Oh, sorry."

"Sorry!?" Weiss questioned, angrily. "Do you have any idea of the damage you could've caused?"

Ruby picked up a suitcase and handed it over. "U-uh."

Weiss swiped the suitcase. "Give me that!" She checked the contents. "This is Dust, mined and purified from the Schnee Quarry."

"U-uh…" Ruby muttered, not knowing what that is.

"Are you, braindead?" Weiss took out a bottle of Fire Dust and shook it, releasing particles that hit Ruby's nose. "Dust: Fire, Water, Lightning, Energy. Are you even listening to me? Is any of this sinking in? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Link was the last off the airship when there was a sudden explosion up ahead. He sprinted forward, seeing a red cloud imbued with elements. As he arrived now, he hadn't noticed a bottle of Fire Dust landing at the feet of another girl, unknown to the three as Blake, reading a book.

"Unbelievable!" Weiss yelled. "This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about!"

Ruby pointed her index fingers together repeatedly. "I'm really, really sorry."

"Ugh! You complete dolt!" Weiss exclaimed. "What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?"

"Well, I…" Ruby began.

"This isn't your ordinary combat school." Weiss crossed her arms and turned her head away from the younger girl. "It's not just sparring and practice, you know? We're here to fight monsters, so watch where you're going!"

"That is enough." Link stated firmly as he stepped between the pair. "Firstly, if there is a problem of this magnitude, from my experience, it usually takes two to make it so. In this instance, I do not believe you can have the high ground.

Both of you must bear even a fraction of the fault for this. Secondly, Ruby is certainly younger, by two years to be precise, but she was accepted into this school like you or me. That affords a level of respect on both sides."

"Who do you think you are speaking to me like this?" Weiss questioned, offended. "Do you have any idea who…"

"You're a Schnee, given your age I'd conclude you're the middle child, Weiss." Link interrupted. "At the end of the day, your name affords you no extra privilege. Let me tell you, when a village is threatened by Grimm, they'll only care you can do the job."

"Despite her name not meaning a thing here, she is still the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." Black informed, joining the three of them with the bottle of Dust in hand. "One of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

Despite the opening statement, Weiss still smiled at the rest of what this new girl said. "Finally, some recognition."

Blake wasn't done. "The same company is infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners."

"What? How dare…The nerve of…" Weiss sputtered.

Ruby giggled at the two while Link maintained a firm expression. While he was aware of and didn't like what the Schnee Company did to Faunus, he felt laying the blame for that on someone who wasn't even an adult yet was unfair.

Sure, she was the heiress, but the things you hear about Jaques Schnee did not indicate he'd take anything she'd say on the matter into account. Certainly, Weiss was offended at the insinuations Blake made; however, they seemed to be the sputtering of someone uninformed.

Weiss, unable to produce anything to say, merely eyed this girl before snatching her vial of Dust and starting to walk off. All the while, some of her attendants came to take care of the rest of her luggage.

"I promise I'll make this up to you!" Ruby then sighed. "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day." She turned to Blake. "So, what's...?" Said girl was walking off in the opposite direction, seeing the younger girl fall to her knees. "Welcome to Beacon…"

"Come on, Ruby." Link crossed his arms and looked down at her. "There's no reason to fall apart on your first day because of one bad incident."

He then noticed an arm pass by him and turned to see it was that previously stomach sick blond from the airship. "Hey. I'm Jaune."

"Ruby." Ruby introduced herself while taking his hand and letting him help her up.

"Link." Link joined in.

Jaune looked his way, now noticing what the pointed eared blond had recognized on the airship, before nodding. "Nice to meet you."

Ruby snickered at realizing who this new blond was. "Aren't you the guy who threw up on the airship, Vomit Boy?"

Minutes Later…
Link, Ruby, and Jaune were walking down a pathway.

"All I'm saying is, motion sickness is a more common problem than people let on." Jaune voiced, trying to defend his issue with airships.

"Look, I'm sorry." Ruby apologized. "Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind."

"Oh, yeah." Jaune retorted. "Well, what if I called you Crater Face?"

"Hey, that explosion was an accident!" Ruby defended, flailing her arms.

"Despite the fact Weiss could have managed it better, I meant what I said." Link voiced. "More often than not, it takes two to make a problem like that one."

"Link, you're not helping!" Ruby yelled.

"Well, the name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it." Jaune stated, trying to sound cool.

"Do they?" Ruby questioned, not seeming convinced.

"They will." Jaune tried. "Well, at least I hope they will. My mom always says uh…well never mind."

Ruby giggled. "Hmm. Sooo, I got this thing."

She deployed her weapon, impaling the ground.

"Woah! Is that a scythe?" Jaune asked while stepping back in surprise.

"It's also a customizable, high-impact sniper rifle." Ruby declared.

"A what?" Jaune asked, having no idea what she just said.

"It's also a gun." Ruby informed, cocking her weapon for emphasis.

"Oh. Well, that's cool." Jaune stated.

"So, what do you have?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, uh, I-I got this sword." Jaune replied, pulling out his sword from its sheath.

"Oooohhh." Ruby admired the weapon.

Jaune then pulled out the sheath and it expanded into a shield. "Yeah, I've got a shield too."

"So, what do they do?" Ruby asked, reaching for the shield.

When she touched it, the shield popped off Jaune's arm. It started jumping around and changing forms from a shield to a sheath while he tried to catch it.

"The shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of carrying it, I can just…put it away." Jaune replied after composing himself.

"Fairly certain it'd still weigh the same." Link noted.

"Yeah, it does." Jaune admitted, lowering his head.

"Heh-heh." Ruby smiled. "Well, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons. I guess I did go a little overboard in designing mine."

"Wait, you made that?" Jaune asked.

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

"It's a hand-me-down." Jaune looked down, a bit melancholic. "My great-great grandfather used it to fight in the war."

"Sounds more like a family heirloom, but I like it." Ruby stated, trying to cheer him up. "Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."

"Yeah, the classics." Jaune stated.

"Oh, Link!" All this talk of weapons had Ruby realizing something. "Can I see your weapon? I haven't gotten a good look at them."

"I'd say I have similar taste in weaponry to Jaune here, barring what his shield can do, how I wear mine, and the fact I carry a little extra." Link first unsheathed his sword and shield, letting them get a good look at the pair before then sheathing them in exchange for his hand rifle.

"Cool." Jaune nodded. "It's uh, good to see someone with the same weapons as me."

"Why do you carry a hand rifle when your sword or shield could have been made into mechashift to accommodate?" Ruby inquired, genuinely curious.

"While mechashift has its uses, I've not had the time to learn how to properly maintain one." Link noted. "Given the parts…Well, if they go, the weapon can be rendered useless, so I saw it crucial to go with more standard weapons."

Given he spent his whole life outside the walls, traveling as far back as he could remember, it was unwise to delve into mechashift with no experience to his name.

"Well, what with this being an academy, maybe now you'll have that time." Ruby noted. "Both of you could."

"Perhaps." Link stated.

"I actually might." Jaune added.

Ruby then looked between the two, comparing their appearances and weapons. "On another note, are you two brothers?"

"No, I only have seven sisters." Jaune informed, stunning the two of them.

"Seven sisters…" Ruby muttered.

She loved Yang, but the younger girl didn't know what she'd do with six more sisters.

"I can correlate that we aren't related since I was an only child." Link voiced. "Perhaps somewhere in our family trees we might be related, but this could be a coincidence as well."

With that answered, Ruby now turned back to Jaune. "So, why'd you help me out back there in the courtyard?"

"Why not?" Jaune shrugged. "My mom always says strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

"Hm." Ruby noted before realizing something. "Hey, where are we going?"

"Oh, I don't know. I was following you." Jaune answered, not knowing where the amphitheater is. "Y-you think there might be a directory? Maybe a food court? Some sort of recognizable landmark?"

Ruby snickered at his comments.

"Is-a, is that a no?" Jaune asks.

"That's a no," Ruby confirmed.

Fortunately, Link had studied a map of Beacon. "Follow me you two."

Amphitheater
Link, Ruby, and Jaune finally reached the amphitheater. Within were many other prospective students just waiting for the ceremony to begin.

"Ruby, over here!" Yang waved to them. "I saved you a spot!"

"Oh! Hey, I got to go." Ruby stated to the guys. "I'll see you after the ceremony."

She ran off to join her sister.

"Hey, wait!" Jaune called out. "Great. Where else am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to."

He then took off by himself, not noticing a girl with red hair in a waist-length ponytail and green eyes watching him. She wore a brown corset, a black mini skirt, and brown opera-length gloves on both arms.

Link mulled over his choices. "I probably shouldn't intrude on the sisters since neither invited me. That means I can either find somewhere else to stand or join Jaune."

Well, there had to be something said about shared looks and similar taste in weaponry.

With Ruby & Yang
"How's your first day going, little sister?" Yang asked.

Ruby crossed her arms angrily. "You mean since you abandoned me, and I exploded?"

"Yikes, meltdown already?" Yang asked.

"No, I literally exploded in front of the school." Ruby informed. "There was some fire and ice."

Yang still didn't get it. "Are you being sarcastic?"

"Gah, I wish!" Ruby retorted. "I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage. Then, she yelled at me, and I sneezed which caused this whole explosion. It made me feel really, really bad, yet I just wanted her to stop yelling at me."

She hadn't noticed Weiss having come up behind her. "You!"

Ruby leapt into her sister's arms. "Oh god, it's happening again!"

"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of a cliff." Weiss reprimanded.

"Oh my god, you really exploded." Yang voiced in disbelief.

"It was an accident." Ruby got down. "It was an accident!" Weiss then pulled out a pamphlet for her company and began to string together words the younger girl couldn't comprehend. "Uh…"

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

"Absolutely." Ruby pleaded.

"Then, read this and never speak to me again." Weiss stated.

Yang decided to intervene before things got ugly. "Look, uh, it sounds like you guys just got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?"

"Yeah, great idea sis." Ruby cleared her throat. "Hello Weiss, I'm Ruby." She extended her hand. "Want to hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies."

"Yeah, and we can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys like tall, blonde, and scraggily over there." Weiss sarcastically declared while pointing her thumb at Jaune, who noticed as such.

"Wow, really?" Ruby asked hopefully.

"No." Weiss denied.

With Link & Jaune: Same Time…
"Oh, hey!" Upon Link joining him, Jaune nodded. "It slipped my mind to ask as we were walking here, but how did you end up in Beacon?"

"Ozpin invited me." Link replied simply.

"Wait, Ozpin personally invited you to attend Beacon?" Jaune was stunned, not out of disbelief but just what that statement entailed. "Holy cow…What did you do to earn that?"

"He happened to be coming to a village that was set ablaze and with Grimm running about." Link stated. "I happened to be there prior to his arrival and cleared out the Grimm while his deputy headmistress managed the fire."

Part of it was due to the spirit he held, but Link hadn't exactly shared that fact with anyone. Ozpin had just known. Anyways, he'd had yet to tell anyone himself about this, so there was no way he'd tell someone he just met about it.

"Wow!" Jaune was genuinely impressed before muttering, "I couldn't do anything like that."

Before Link could ask him what he just said, the confrontation between Weiss and Ruby caught their attention.

"Even if it takes two for there to be a problem, she's just instigating at this point." Link noted to himself.

"What's going on?" Jaune questioned. "Are they talking about me? Tall, blond, and…" The headmaster walked out onto the stage. "Oh, Ozpin is starting his speech."

Amphitheater
"I'll keep this brief." Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "You traveled here today in search of knowledge and to hone your craft. When you've finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. To save them from the threat of the Grimm, and the disaster they leave in their wake.

Despite that, all I see amongst you is wasted energy in need of purpose. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

"Not the most encouraging speech I've heard, but certainly a realistic one." Link noted to himself, as other students whispered about it.

As Ozpin walked off, Professor Goodwitch took his place, "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

Roof: Evening…
All prospective students eventually ended up moving into the ballroom; however, Link decided not to fight over a spot. He instead took off for the roof, content with taking his place wherever was left and using this time to decompress.

While he had plenty of time alone, Jaune ended up coming out to the same roof and seeing him there. "Oh, you're here to?" Link turned as his fellow blond joined him. "I just came out here for some fresh air, but it looks like you beat me to it."

Link gave an amused smile. "Similar looks, similar weapons, similar mind set…I suppose."

Jaune flashed his own smile. "Yeah, I suppose so." The pair end up giving a slight chuckle. "Since you are here, thanks for helping me earlier. I probably would have missed the ceremony had it not been for you and Ruby. Speaking of Ruby, what's with you and her?"

Link raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"From what I gathered, you two met only recently yet seem like good buds." Jaune stated. "I guess I'm asking…y'know…Do you like her?"

"Can't say I've been actively looking for anyone like that." Link shrugged. "If anything, I'd say we're just friends."

"That means my chances are slightly bigger." Jaune voiced. "Though, to be honest, I'm more into Weiss." He shook his head. "Disregarding that, I think you and I should hang out sometime. The two of us could have some fun."

"You know what, sure." Link replied.

"Heh, heh." Jaune smiled. "Cool."

"Anyways, we should probably head in." Link stated.

"Good idea." Jaune nodded. "The last thing we want to do is break curfew."

Vale: Night…
Roman came stomping through the door of a rundown apartment safehouse, frustrated with the outcome of that robbery on From Dust Till Dawn. "Junior's goons were utterly useless, and I had to shake countless tails just to get back here."

He soon walked into a more lavish room of the apartment where there was a bedridden girl with pink, brown, and white hair. She blinked at the thief with eyes which swapped between the three colors, seemingly at random.

Roman sighed as he sat bedside. "Are you feeling any better?" The girl nodded appreciatively, so he gave a warm smile in return. "I missed you on this last job. Now, there's a bigger one coming, and I'll need your help." He gently rubbed her head. "So, you better hurry and recover."

Beacon: Ballroom
The prospective students gathered in the ballroom as instructed, each changed into various pajamas and nightwear as they were to utilize sleeping bags. Ruby was lying on hers, writing a letter. Her nightwear consisted of a black tank top and white long pants.

Yang, wearing an orange tank top and black shorts, plopped down next to her. "This is just like a big slumber party."

"I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys though." Ruby retorted.

"I know I do." Yang returned before purring as she checked out some of the male students who had their shirts off.

Just a moment later, Link and Jaune started walking by. The former wore a green tank top with white pants while the latter was in a blue full-body pajama outfit with blue bunny slippers and a white bunny face on its chest. Jaune looked her way, smiling while Yang cringed in disgust.

Link noticed this exchange between the two and shrugged. People were entitled to their own opinions. To him, what Jaune wore just didn't matter. Regardless, he went about getting Jaune to keep moving to their sleeping bags.

"Anyways, what are you writing?" Yang asked.

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

"Aw, that's so cute~!" Yang fawned.

"Shut up!" Ruby threw her pillow at her sister. "I didn't get to take my friends with me to school. It's weird not knowing anyone here."

"What about Link and Jaune?" Yang questioned. "I mean, the former seems cool while the latter is…nice. That's plus two friends right there, a two hundred percent increase."

"I met Link outside of Beacon, not sure he counts in this context." Ruby rolled over onto her back. "With Weiss, I'm certain she counts as a negative friend. Pretty much back to zero."

"There's no such thing as negative friends." Yang retorted. "You just made one friend and one enemy since setting foot on Beacon." Ruby threw another pillow at her. "Look, it's only been one day. You got friends here, just haven't met them yet."

Ruby sat up and spotted Black off in a corner, a candle lit which she read by. "That girl."

"You know her?" Yang asked.

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

"Well, now's your chance." Yang declared, standing and pulling her sister.

"Whoa, wait!" Ruby exclaimed. "What are you doing!?"

Yang pulled her over to Blake. "Hello~!" She finally released her sister. "I believe you two may know each other."

"Aren't you that girl who exploded?" Blake asked, remembering what happened in the courtyard earlier that day.

"Uh, yeah. My name's Ruby." Ruby introduced herself while extending her hand to the girl, who ignored it and continued to read. "But, you can just call me Crater…actually, you can just call me Ruby."

"…Okay." The girl replied, not really interested.

Yang leaned over to Ruby. "What are you doing?"

"I don't know." Ruby whispered back. "Help me!"

Both sisters looked back to the girl wearing the bow with smiles on their faces.

"So, what's your name?" Yang asked.

"Blake." The girl introduced while keeping her eyes on her book.

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

"Thanks." Blake returned, starting to get annoyed.

"It goes great with your…pajamas." Yang tried.

"Right…" Blake slowly replied.

The sisters started to get nervous.

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

"Yes, it's lovely. Almost as lovely as this book…" Blake voiced, the sisters staring at her. "…That I will continue to read…" They still didn't get the message "…As soon as you leave."

"Yeah, this girl's a lost cause." Yang declared, admitting defeat.

"What's it about?" Ruby asked.

"Huh?" Blake inquired.

"Your book." Ruby clarified. "Does it have a name?"

"Well, it's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body." Blake explained.

"Oh yeah, that's…real lovely." Yang returned, trying to be nice.

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

"Why is that?" Blake asked. "Hoping you'll live happily ever?"

"I'm hoping we all will." Ruby replied. "As a little girl, I wanted to be just like the heroes in those books. Someone who fought for what was right and protected people who couldn't protect themselves."

"That's ambitious for a child." Blake noted. "Unfortunately, the real world isn't the same as a fairytale."

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

"Oh, I'm so proud of my baby sister!" Yang declared, wrapping her arms around Ruby and picking her up in a bear hug.

"Cut it out!" Ruby shrieked, punching her.

The two then got into a fight.

"What in the world is going on over here!?" Weiss shouted, having been disturbed by the noise.

This saw the fighting stop, with Ruby holding Yang's left ankle in a lock while said blond stood on her right leg and flailed her arms.

"Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep!?" Weiss continued.

Aside from the angry scowl, her hair was down. She currently wore a faded bluish sleeping gown with short sleeves. Weiss also now recognized who exactly was causing all the ruckus.

"Oh, not you again!" Weiss/Yang yelled at one another.

"Sshh! Guys, she's right. People are trying to sleep." Ruby voiced, attempting to diffuse the situation.

"Oh, now you're on my side!" Weiss exclaimed.

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

"Yeah, what is your problem with my sister?" Yang asked. "She is only trying to be nice!"

"She's a hazard to my health!" Weiss yelled.

"That's enough from all three of you." Link stated firmly, having marched his way over. "I suggest you all go your separate ways and get some sleep."

The girls stopped bickering and quieted. Weiss was about to say something, but Link wasn't interested in hearing from any of them right now. He just marched off. With the bickering diffused, it saw the three girls doing as he said by putting an end to the night.