Here he was, Lucas Lunaris, on his way to Beacon Academy to train as a Huntsman. On the outside, he would appear calm, cool, and collected, however on the inside he was freaking out, both from excitement and nervousness. So many questions were running through his head and he couldn't calm down. What would his classes be like? Would they have to fight live Grimm? What would the teachers be like? What about his teammates? Would they like him? Would he like them? Would any of them be Faunus as well? Would they tease him for being a Faunus? Would he have to fight them because of said teasing? He clutched his Katana, Sogeki Ken (Literally Sniper Sword) in his left hand to try and ease his nervousness as he looked at the others riding with him. He hadn't spoken to anyone since their departure, preferring to be alone in the corner during the trip. He noticed a few other Faunus and was slightly relieved that he wouldn't be the only one.

Onyx smiled. "I'm 17 years old and counting!" Onyx hummed, laughing cheerfully. "I'll call you after the initiation and tell ya how it went! Bye mom! Love you! Say hello to Helio Trope for me!" Onyx said, waving at the camera. He finished the recording and reviewed it, and after deciding that it was good, he pressed the sent button for it to arrive at his mother's scroll all the way at Mistral. He looked back at Lucas, playfully sticking his tongue out. "What? You have to admit that this looks very comfy and cool! Which it is, by the way." Onyx said, putting his scroll away as he lay on his back. "Hey, Lucas. Even if we don't end up in the same team...can we still be friends? I really like you. You're a cool person. A very cool friend." Onyx said with a soft smile. 

"That." Lucas said, gesturing to his outfit.  "Would only be cool to a 10 year old.  It's something a kid would wear.  We're almost adults Onyx, you should get some real pajamas, like what I've got."  When asked if they could still be friends, he replied "Of course, however we still don't know how they set the teams up, we don't know anything, other than there will be teams, and we'll be stuck with them for the next four years."

As the students fled in the frenzy of which they came, Raevus got a glimpse of the others. He'd never seen the Faunus before, so he was mesmerized at the amount of animal parts he saw around — rabbit ears, monkey tails, and sharp teeth. In a way, Raevus shifted slightly, discomfit by what he'd seen to say the least, but nevertheless, Faunus were people. So that was enough. He tried to ease his mind with that thought.

 

Somehow, through the whirlwind of people, he'd lost sight of Melody. And everyone else seemed to be on their way, so Raevus decided to leave, hoping that they'd be meeting again soon.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Raevus glinted in the bathroom mirror at his earring; a star-shaped icon with sharpened sides, like a Shiruken. It was a bit dull and worn after such long use. Before it was his, was his grandmother's, and great grandmother's before that. His wise grandmother used to always speak —

 

'This family artifact represents every bit of what we've accomplished, Ra. The Krysse family has toiled for generations creating something like this. Do you understand what this means?! It carries with it the very essence of your forefathers within! You child, now, you have it easy. But our family has been through burden and duty since the very beginnings of man of dust and of Grimm, Ra.' Raevus' grandmother would snap for his attention, as if her story was the most important thing in world.

 

'Ra, boy! You have a responsibility! To make our forefathers and your mother proud! When you carry this, the spirit of Krysse runs through your blood. You mustn't forget the power that family holds.'

 

Raevus' grandmother was nearing the end of her years as of now. She'd grown old and her mobility grew shaky. It seemed to take the life from her to even make her own famous Eokuri, a specialty of hers. A "family secret" that she seemed to be taking with the grave to her. Raevus washed his face, and clasped the earring against his forefinger and thumb. It was a brittle, rough texture, hardened by generations of forgery. It was honestly an old piece of junk, but he wore it for his grandmother.

 

Raevus walked out of the room, changing into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top that showed the outlines of his angular body, which was far too tight. Grandma insisted 'Ra, our Krysse men are born charmers. Yet, none to this day laid eyes on a passionate woman who'd keep up with them! Let me not catch you being the first!' The thought made him glance for Melody, but he immediately stopped as soon as he realized it. A sigh, and a smile aroused Raevus' lips at the memories he shared.

 

Raevus picked a comfortable spot to rest at, and did just that after having friendly banter with some other students, and to his surprise even Faunus. At times, he couldn't tell them apart, but he was always reminded at the twitching ears or shaking tails. But alas, Beacon as Raevus' new home for awhile... He didnt mind at all.

Edited August 11, 20178 yr by Clouded Sun

After Professor Ozpin's first appearance and speech, Melody turned around and realized that she lost Raevus. She wonders. "i guess he got things to do. Oh well." She then left to change. She changed into her pajamas, a tank top with a puppy with a bow on its head and had a word saying "cutie", and just a pair of blue shorts. Melody then picked a spot to set her sleeping beg neatly, laying down on it as she's starts writing a letter for her brother.

The next day, after breakfast, all the first years were gathered in the locker room, gearing up for their initiation. Lucas grabbed Sogeki Ken, pulled it out and changed it into the sniper form, pulling it onto his back. He felt it would be easier to carry on his back like this, rather than holding it in katana form. Suddenly, everyone could hear Glynda's voice over the intercoms. "Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

Onyx strapped on his gauntlets. Today was initiation day, and he hoped he would make it out alive. Of course he would, right? He smiled, activating his gauntlets. The gauntlets quickly expanded, covering his forearm and hands in smooth, black metal. The orange screen showed his current status, including heart rate and energy. He could feel the gauntlets already helping him focus his aura around his hands. He reached into his pocket, taking out some dust as he proceeded to pour it inside the gauntlet's dust chambers. Once he was done, he sealed them back up and gave a few experimental punches. He was ready. "Just you wait. I'm going to become a hunter in no time!" He hummed, smiling. He lifted his head at the announcement. "Beacon Cliff? Oh boy." Onyx said, gulping slightly. He expended the worst, seeing that they were going to meet at a cliff out of all places. He closed up his locker and proceeded to walk off, following the masses of students towards the cliff, where they would all be meeting for initiation...whatever it would end up being.

"Welp, time to go." Lucas said to himself, crabbing a couple different dust ammo clips, putting them into a pouch on his lower back. He followed Onyx and several other first years to the cliff.

Raevus went with the motions of the next day, things weighing on his mind. He got to know other students at breakfast, then headed off to Beacon Cliff, weapon in tow.

Melody went to her locker to get her twin pistols, opening it up and placed her pistols on her sides. She also got some a couple of dust ammo clips and putting them into her pouch, later gets the normal one, just in case if she ran out of her dust. Melody then followed the other students to Beacon Cliff, gulps nervously as she's nervous about this.

Once they were all gathered on Beacon Cliff, they were instructed to stand on what appeared to be stone plates. Ozpin and Glynda stood before them and Ozpin began to speak. "For years you have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Glynda then spoke up and said "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... Today."

 

"I thought so..." Lucas muttered to himself, as Ozpin continued. "These teammates will be with your for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next 4 years." Lucas's ears perked up at that. "Wait, after landing?" Ozpin continued with "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene."

 

Lucas nodded at this, thinking It makes perfect sense. They want us to test ourselves, so if we die here it just shoes we weren't ready to be Huntsman and Huntresses, so of course they wouldn't help. Continuing to look them over, Ozpin said "You will find an abandoned temple at the end of this path containing several relics. Each pair must choose 1, and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

Raevus frowned. A permanent teammate for four years? That was unbelievably stupid. Getting to know someone by a glance wasn't the right way to go about it — what if he'd gotten paired up with someone who he butted heads with all the time? Raevus had no qualms getting to know people, but this...

 

He kept his mouth shut though. Right now he'd focus on the task at hand. Letting out a sigh... He moved along with the motions.

Onyx could already hear himself fidgeting over the explanation. They would be graded by their performance. Whoever they make eye contact with first will be their partner for the rest of the year. The professors won't intervene. Well, this should be fun! He glanced over around at the other students, his eyes landing on Lucas a few platforms away. He gave him a smile and thumbs up before looking back at the professors. Questions, questions...nope. He didn't have one. Wait. There was one. "I have a question." Onyx said as he raised his hand. "What did you mean by after landing?"

Ozpin looked at Onyx as the sound of a catapulault went off and one of the students was launched through the air. "You will be falling." Ozpin said, as another student was launched. "And you will need to devise your own landing strategy." With that, another student was launched. "That's what I was afraid of." Lucas muttered to himself

"In the next four years?" Melody doesn't like that idea. What if she teamed up with someone who is a cocky jerk? She'll have to deal with all the bullying, yelling and... Getting hurt. However, maybe there's some hope that she might teamed up with a nice person. Maybe someone like Raevus. She sighed as she have to wait to find out. She then heard Onyx's question, a very good question. She gulps. "What do you mean?" She asked. After that, she laughed nervously. "fa-fa-falling?"

Edited August 12, 20178 yr by Yessie Maltese

Raevus was up next for the launch. One of the students, some sort of deer Faunus, was taken aback by the fact that the students were being launched. Raevus chuckled a little; he'd done this kind of thing, and much more back at home. Looking around at the other students, he spotted Melody and waved across the cliff to her. Nervous.... he noted. wonder if she can handle what's at this school. Taking his stand, Raevus waited until launch.

Raevus was launched next as Ozpin said "Yes, you will be falling, as you can see, your fellow students are being launched into the forest, you must find a way to safely land. Good luck." With that, Lucas was the next to be launched.

Onyx watched in amusement as students were literally launched over into the sky and straight to the forest. Onyx smiled, nodding in understanding. "I see where this stands, then." Onyx said with a chuckle. A way to land? He was sure to find one. "Alright!" Onyx yelled, throwing his arms into the air. "This is going to be funner than I expected!" Onyx laughed. He turned to Lucas. "Hey, Lucas! Let's hope we meet at the forest when we land. If not, good luck!~" Onyx said, waving at his friend. He watched Lucas being launched. He watched more students being launched until it got to him, launching him straight into the air as Onyx cheered. "Whoo hoo!!!" Onyx yelled, flying across the air with a smile on his face, laughing brightly. "This is AWESOME!" He squealed. He watched as he soon was beginning to fall back down. He activated his semblance, in tune with his weapons, aura forming around his arms. As he fell he reached out, expanding his aura as it wrapped itself around a branch like a whip, allowing Onyx to swing from it straight to another tree. Instantly he changed the shape of the aura, from its whip into the shape of large claws. He extended his arms, clawing into the tree with force before smoothly spinning down the tree, leaving his claw marks behind, until he reached the floor safe and sound. "Whoo hoo!" Onyx squealed, jumping up and down. "That. Was. AWESOME." He giggled. He looked around. "Right. The ruins are north." Onyx hummed, pressing on the screen of his gauntlet, which showed him a compass. "I should find someone by the time I get there." He figured, beginning to make his way as he watched the sky for flying students. 

"o-oh okay..." She gulps. Melody then saw Raevus waving at her, she waved back and smiles at him until he was launched. Melody tried to be brave as she gets ready to launch. "Okay, here goes nothing!" She said as she putting her blue glasses on.

Melody was the last to get launched into the air. Meanwhile, Lucas had pulled out his sniper rifle and looked through the scope, trying to find a clearing in the forest. He spotted a spot, as well as an Ursa. Lucas loaded his rifle with ice rounds and fired two at the Ursa's legs, freezing them to the ground. He then aimed at the ground behind the Ursa and focused on it, appearing in that spot in an instant, spinning around and turning his rifle back into the katana and sheath. He gave the Ursa several slashes on it's back, before slicing it's head off, causing it to dissolve into nothing, as he sheathed his katana. He exhaled and looked around, seeing if there was anyone else around. The first person he would see would be his partner for the next four years.

The exhilaration from the launch was extreme, but Raevus had been seasoned to land. Focusing his body, it was almost as if he were as light as a feather, yet slicing through the wind like a blade. When he came down, he landed atop a tree, which he punctured his knife and scaled downward into. Overgrown shrubs and weeds as well as trees taller than houses filled the area surrounding Raevus.

 

Natural.

 

Quiet.

 

Tranquil.

 

Raevus stood in silence, discerning the path towards the ruins. Retrieving the piece seems so easy... The hard part was the rest of Ozpin's warnings. Climbing back up on the tree branches, Raecus tried to make his way towards the ruins.

As she's launched into the sky, Melody started screaming. "ohh, no, no, no no!!!!" She tried to think of something to land safely, then she thought of something, her pistols. Melody gets her pistols and try to get it change into a scythe, but it didn't end well for her. Her hands' slips as the pistols fell down on the ground, leaving her panicking. "oh no, this is bad! Bad! Landing! STRATEGY!!!!" She yelled as she's falling to the ground.

Lucas saw the guns hit the ground after the Ursa fell and looked up to see Melody fly by. "That's not good!" he said to himself, drawing his katana and throwing it like a javellin. It just managed to hook onto her outfit, and pin her to a nearby tree, much better than the messy landing she would have had. He jogged after her to help her down and get his katana back, picking her guns up along the way. "You alright?" he asked once he reached her.

 

(This was ok with Yessie, we discussed it beforehand)

Melody had her eyes closed as she about to hit the ground. Then, something was grabbing her hoodie as she opened her eyes and realized that it's a katana stabbing her hoodie against a tree, meaning someone had saved her life. She Sighs in relief, later Melody heard someone, asking if she's alright. "I'm ok. Thank you so much for your help and nice throw by the way." She said. She look at the boy and realized he's a faunus, a cat faunus in fact.

"Glad to hear you're ok." he said, pulling his katana out and helping her down. "My name's Lucas, and I guess this means we're partners. Oh! And I believe these are yours." He pulled out her guns and handed them to her.

Edited August 13, 20178 yr by Azure Flame

Raevus bounded through the trees, still no one or nothing in sight. That was, until he heard a screech from above — Melody's voice — and she was in lieu to a crash landing!

 

Raevus yelled "Melody!" temporarily giving up his objective and leaping towards her. He fretted about her condition, and his head drew all sorts of negative scenarios.

 

"Ra..."

 

As Raevus leapt through the trees, an earth-shaking tremor rocked the landscape, causing him to slip and lose his balance. Pain shot through his elbow once he landed, like a coursing needle.

 

"...The Grimm are born from fear."

 

Raevus clenched his fist, and tried to rebound from the shock. But the tremor grew. Closer and closer...

 

"The closer you get to the light..."

 

Raevus witnessed the ground explode, and from it, a King Taijitu Grimm monster began to emerge. Raevus ran from it, in a fleeting decision. This test that Director Ozpin gave... What kind of insane thing was this?

 

"...The greater your shadow becomes."

 

Raevus ran towards the summit of a mountain in the forests' clearing, turning back to see the Grimm erect, as large as Beacon's tower. A sweat bead trickled slowly down his temple. Clenching his teeth, he clung to a thought. His grandmother's words.

 

"But don't be afraid."

 

Raevus drew his sword from his back, flipping it as he often saw his father do. He held it straight to his forearm, with the strength and focused look of his mother. Raevus' heart pounded, thudding immensely, but he'd no longer look back. This was his first test, the test to prove himself to his family, and to the school. Blood rushed, pumping through his veins.

 

The blood of a Krysse.

 

"You ready?" Raevus shouted to the beast. "Well come on!" The Grimm hissed in response, a trembling shriek, as both man and Grimm lunged towards each other.

Edited August 13, 20178 yr by Clouded Sun