B L E A K M O U N T A I N
L O C A T I O N: U N K N O W N
"Another Ursa down."
The armored Huntress withdrew the tip of her halberd from the stomach of the Grimm bear, allowing the creature to collapse to the ground. The woman was tall and fit, wearing sparkling black-and-green armor and with a ponytail of emerald green hair. With professional grace, she spun around again, swinging her weapon in an arc and slamming the axehead into another charging Ursa. The creature howled as the huntress readied her weapon and plunged at the Grimm, slaying it with ease. As the smoldering black corpse of the creature fell to the ground, the woman slung her weapon over her back as she looked around her surroundings. She was at some sort of mountaintop facility, with small research huts scattered about the rock-covered craggs. The woman walked across the empty area, looking around, before she heard what sounded like footsteps. She turned around with a start, hand on her weapon, only to sigh and shake her head. "Yuke, you've got to stop just sneaking up on me like that."
Standing behind her was a short chipmanzee faunus with a long brown tail and dirty blonde hair, two pistols strapped at his waist. He smiled demurely. "You gotta stop being so paranoid, Jade," he fired back as looked around the area. "All clear here?"
"All clear," she repeated with a nod. "Dan and Ebony are out on the other side of the cliff. I haven't heard from them in a hot second, though."
"I bet I know what they're doin'," Yukon said with a teasing smile, before puckering his lips and making kissing noises. "Dan and Ebony, sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-..."
"We are Huntsmen and Huntresses now, Yukon. Not just students anymore," Jade said grumpily as she walked past a few large, jutting rocks. "We are on a very important mission. Headmaster Carlisle-"
"DEPUTY Headmaster Carlisle," Yukon interjected.
"Deputy Headmaster Carlisle has asked us to investigate this research station and rescue the scientists. We may very well be too late already, and your juvenile rhyming is not helping our cause."
"Jeez, alright," the Chimp Faunus said, continuing to step forwards. He narrowed his eyes. "You see that?"
Jade shook her head. Unlike the Faunus, she did not have night vision to see clearly through the dusk. "No. What are you referring to?"
"Some people." And with that, the Chimp Faunus began to rush forwards, Jade following in close pursuit. They approached what Yukon had pointed out before in utter shock. There, laying in some sort of strange array, were what appeared to be the clothes, gadgets, and items of the scientists. Lab equipment, lab coats, some weapons, food, all sorts of items a person in the mountain would want to carry with them. The two Huntsmen looked over the variety of discarded weapons and clothes, like some sort of lost and found, before Jade noticed something that sent shivers down her spine. There, sticking out of the ground, was a curved, ornate, cutlass. Jade gently grabbed the hilt of the weapon, pulling it from the ground. "Yuke, this is Dan's weapon. What's going-"
It was then that the two Beacon graduates were cut off by a ferocious, ear-splitting, blood-carling howl, as a massive dark shadow loomed over the Huntsman and then came bearing down upon them.
B E A C O N A C A D E M Y
T H E L A N D I N G S
K I N G D O M O F V A L E
"Finally."The Faunus girl stepped down the ramp of the Bullhead transport ship, looking out over the docking bay positioned right at the edge of the massive cliff that overlooked the city of Vale. Mei had to admit, it was an impressive area. The sleek, silver-and-gray landing pads, the polished pathways, the dainty lights, and the massive, looming castle in the distance all added up to feel like a sort of fairy tale. Mei wasn't exactly the mushy type, but she did feel a sense of childlike wonder as she stepped foot onto the landing pads of the massive academy. It was at least somewhat exhilarating to be finally stepping foot into this new world. Not like that was something she would tell anybody, though. That would be a secret she kept clutched close to her chest.
Mei was dressed the part of a Huntress to be. The fox Faunus was wearing a scarlet red cloak with gold thread trim that hugged her figure. The back piece fluttered in the breeze and trailed down to her mid-thigh, which was itself covered in dark leather pants. Clipped at her waist was her weapon, sheathed in a compact form. She pulled behind her a large crimson suitcase that was filled to the brim with luggage and was very nearly bursting at the seams. Mei's eyes scoured the area. There was quite a diverse number of people present at the landing- humans, Faunus, all sorts, all as vibrant as ever. Still, they would likely be wittled down by the time the initiation came around. Mei had only heard stories about the difficulties of the initiation trial. They did not seem like an easy feat to accomplish.
As Mei looked over the area, a man pushing a luggage trolley wheeled his way over, offering with a dopey smile to take the girl's luggage. Mei gave her own warm smile back.
"Oh, thank you," she gushed, wheeling the suitcase over to the man to load onto the small trolley before heading off to collect the bags of the other initiates. As he rolled away, Mei smiled, casually stuffing a handful of Lien into her breast pocket. It wasn't really her fault, anyway. Who left their wallet in their back pocket?
Now liberated of her heavy luggage, Mei walked along the brick pathway, her hands stuffed into her jacket pockets as she made her way towards the auditorium. The room was packed, the area beneath the stage surrounded by a herd of Huntsmen-to-be. Standing on stage was a man with windswept silver hair and a trimmed beard. He was wearing a suit, but not a business suit- a suit of armor. Heavy-looking, medieval armor, like something one would wear during the Great War. Massive, burly, steel pauldrons sat upon a massive glittering chestpiece, and he wore steel greaves as well. Strapped onto his back was a humongous sword that seemed so large, Mei doubted she could drag it, nevermind wield it. The man coughed into the microphone a few times, a shrieking noise resonating through the facility. Mei winced and plugged her ears as the man coughed once again, embarrassed, before speaking.
"Apologies for the noise...well, welcome to Beacon!" The man gave a weak chuckle.
"I am Professor Carlisle. I am privileged to serve as the interim Headmaster of Beacon Academy. Professor Ozpin is currently...away. A man does need a vacation every so often, after all!" The new Headmaster gave a heartier chuckle this time.
"But let's not fret over the past and look towards the future- your future here at Beacon. Beacon has trained many Huntsmen- those that fight against monsters, the creatures of Grimm, and combat any and all forms of evil across Remnant. Standing before me-" He raised a clenched fist.
"-are the next generation of Huntsmen. At Beacon, we will be sure that you will grow in mind, body, and spirit, and become the best possible Huntsmen you can be." He looked over the crowd.
"Yawns already, I see? Well fret not, I don't have very much more to say. Tomorrow is your initiation- your final test before you enter Beacon Academy. There, your partners, teams, and futures at Beacon will be forged in steel. So, I recommend getting a good night's sleep and a hearty supper, and I will see you all tomorrow!"With that, Professor Carlisle stepped away and walked off, his steel greaves making a loud clattering noise with every step.
B E A C O N A C A D E M Y
T H E G R E A T H A L L
K I N G D O M O F V A L E
"Now that was a god damn meal."Mei smirked in satisfaction as she sat down on her sleeping bag. She was wearing a crimson tank top and a pair of silver boxer shorts, her tresses of scarlet hair damp from her recent shower, her two fox ears proudly perked up atop her head, making no effort to hide her Faunus features. She could've put a bow atop her head or something to try and cover it up, but Mei found that to be a very stupid idea. Everybody would've known, anyway.
The Fox Faunus had taken Professor Carlisle's advice- perhaps the first time in a while that she had actually taken the advice of her senior. She had taken it, however, to the next level. Carlisle had recommended a "hearty supper-" and Mei had taken that to the next level. She ate like a rich king- and now, she felt stuffed. Ah, well. Mei would work off those calories during the initiation. It wasn't like she could possibly have jeopardized her performances. The Fox girl was confident she wouldn't be weeded out in the elimination. Just looking at her competition in the room rose her credence significantly. A bunch of guys that were standing around, flexing and wrestling, and hordes of gaggling girls. Mei hadn't seen too many Huntsmen before, outside of Carnelian, but this first impression wasn't exactly raising the bar very much.
Mei sighed as she snuggled up on top of her sleeping bag, an unamused expression plain on her face. Tomorrow was going to be a cakewalk, unless, by her horrible luck, Mei ended up getting matched with one of these baffoons.