Young Writers Society

Before Humans were Dust, and before Dust, Grimm.

In the beginning, Mankind was created from Dust, new and innocent to a world wanting to kill them at every twist and turn. Creatures named Grimm were Mankind's worst enemy, beings with no soul and only a bloodlust for humans.

But we prevailed. At first, survival was unlikely, but Humans found out a usefulness of Dust. This mysterious substance allows whoever has it powerful abilities over elements and astonishing capabilities. With the help of Dust, Mankind was able to go from merely surviving to prospering. Technology advanced extremely fast and strongholds were created all throughout the land. Governments were formed, but still the ever-lingering threat of the Grimm pushed every chance it could get.

It was this persistent threat that Huntsman and Huntresses were born. It is said that Grimm were only monsters, beings with no soul. and all animals had souls. These Hunters, along with the help of Dust in the early ages, could tap into their own soul and unlock their aura, a powerful shield allowing them to be stronger than a normal person. Further refinement of these auras created Semblances, an extension of one's natural ability and aura into something unique.

You are a Hunter-in-Training. Welcome to Beacon Academy.



History in Remnant is often divided in two by an event: The Great War. Technology had flourished before The Great War 60 years ago, allowing for transcontinental communication and even flight, with the aid of Dust.

No one truly knows why the Great War happened, but it was often said that revolutionary ideas mixed with a long-aging form of government caused the common people to revolt. Because of the Great War, miltiaries (besides Atlas') dissolved into police forms and smaller militias, while Huntsman and Huntresses became the first act of defense against the Grimm. In the wake of the peace, Huntsman Academies were set up in each of the four Kingdoms. Atlas in the North formed Atlas Academy, unique in that it was connected with the country's military. Vacuo in the West formed Shade Academy. Mistral in the East Formed Haven Academy. Vale formed Beacon Academy.





Huntsmen and Huntresses are elite warriors dedicated to slaying the creatures of Grimm and whose duty is to "uphold the peace" of their world. Following the Great War's conclusion on the island of Vytal, the occupation of Huntsman was created alongside the Huntsman academies. These academies were charged to train the elite warriors whose role was to safeguard mankind's future.



They are described as "creatures of destruction" and lack a soul; hence, they are unable to use Aura. They are also drawn to feelings of negativity; such as envy, sadness, loneliness, and hatred; often congregating towards the source of these emotions.

Not much is known about them, but there are rumors that they can be controlled if you figure out how. Older, more intellegent Grimm do exist, and it is smarter to avoid these large creatures than to try and fight them. Doing so is suicide, even for the best Huntresses.

Read more about them Here



Auras are the physical manifestation of a soul by experienced fighters. This is the Hunstmen and Huntresses' most crucial ability. By unlocking use of their Aura, these fighters can use their aura to give them strength, shields, and even healing to minor injuries. Experienced Aura users can then unlock their Semblance.

Semblances are an extension of one's aura, allowing them to have some kind of powerful property, something that often reflects their personality. Examples of Semblances are speed, glyphs, polarity, and clones.

Dust is a naturally occuring propellant, used in almost all forms of life in Remnant in current day. There are forms of Dust that reflect elements, and Huntsmen can use Dust to fuel their regular weapons or even their Semblances, making them stronger.

Character Slots:

When viewed from the ground, Vale was nothing spectacular. The roads were clean, the buildings modest, and the people friendly, albeit reserved. You could hit the streets for hours yet feel like you were still in the district where your walk had started. When viewed from the air, however, the change was considerable.

It was like the city had jumped off the pages of a children’s pop-up book, each building prominently displayed. At the city centre, you could see the oldest structures, some of them looking the same as they had a century ago, their stately spires reaching towards the sun, while others had been renovated and adapted to be put to a different use. Moving away from the centre, skyscrapers that held commercial offices and luxury apartments began dominating the cityscape and obscuring the horizon.

Past the ring of tall, glass buildings, the structures grew smaller again. From there on, the architectural styles became mixed, old and new, gothic and contemporary often mingling on the same street. The suburban areas at the outskirts had been planned to great detail, though, for each was dull and boring, yet clearly distinguishable from the next. Whoever had been in charge of the city’s expansion had been meticulous in their work.

The boy who regarded the city from his aerial perspective turned his gaze to the south. In the distance, another city rose from the level expanse of land: Mountain Glenn. It was many things that Vale was not - modern, daring... but most importantly, home. He considered it fondly and recalled the first time he had left it behind to train in the older city. That had been several years ago, and he had been far more nervous to embark on his journey then than now.

He tore his gaze away from the breathtaking vista and focused on the other occupants of the airship. Unlike him, most weren’t from Signal, so he couldn’t know whether the majority of them had flown before. Considering some of the students were as likely to hail from Mistral or Atlas as they were to have come from the countryside, perhaps some were as much at ease in the sky as on the ground.

The boy stepped closer to the nearest window and gazed directly down. Though some undoubtedly had to be outside their element. It was entirely possible that they were farther above the ground than some of the students had ever cared to be. It was certainly his first time flying, although... He chuckled, aware of the grim irony that he didn’t fear falling only because he had done so already. A hand instinctively rose to touch his right brow, as if the injury had left any trace besides the darkening of his eye.

Were any of his fellows afraid? He turned back to face them, his eyes resting on the closest individuals. A girl in a pear green jacket and a tunic as purple as her hair chattered away merrily. She seemed undaunted by their elevation and practically basked in the sunshine. As for her companion, well, the way he tightly gripped his cardigan while shakily breathing said enough.

Most of the other students stood a reasonable distance away from the windows. As many were engaged in cheerful conversation as others stood about awkwardly. The boy nodded in understanding. He should see if he couldn’t make at least one of them enjoy the trip a bit more.

He strode with purpose into the gathering. A Faunus with fox ears seemed like an intriguing person to befriend, but he scanned the crowd with apathy plastered on his face; he probably preferred his own company. A silver-haired boy dressed all in black stood somewhat apart from the other aspiring Huntsmen. He would have been a better bet, had his eyes not shone with contempt.

Moving past both individuals, the boy continued his search. Two girls stood at the front of the airship, an appreciable distance separating them from their fellow students. He made for the gap between them, unsure which to pick. The one on the left made for a striking figure with her red hair, tartan skirt, and blue cloak, two fiery dragons flanking a red sword emblazoned on its back. But the one on the right was equally fascinating, her chrome and golden armour glittering in the light.

Making his choice, the boy adjusted his course and stopped beside the second girl. Turning to her and flashing a smile, he had a second to grasp the significance of the purple snowflake hidden behind the diamond emblem on her chest before enthusiastically saying, “Hello there, Miss Schnee!”

The girl seemed surprised but not displeased by his sudden appearance. She nodded and offered him the faintest of smiles in return. “Good day.”

“It is a good day, isn’t it?” He gazed forward and breathed deeply before exhaling happily. “I was afraid it would be overcast and we wouldn’t be able to see the landscape, but we’ve been blessed with a lovely spring morning. I couldn’t have asked for a better first day.”

She seemed amused. “I am inclined to agree.”

He turned to her and intended to extend his hand in greeting, but took a moment to study the girl’s appearance. From up close, her armour seemed to undulate more than shimmer. He found it mesmerising - considering the gilded accents and trim, that was clearly the point. His eyes travelled downward only long enough to appraise her matching boots and purplish-red skirt before shooting back up to her face.

Looking at her calculating amethyst eyes, he realised with dismay his chosen companion would never stoop so low as to return a gesture as common as a handshake. He bowed slightly instead, unsure whether he was displaying the respect due to a lady of her standards, or simply making a fool of himself. Regardless, he offered, “Valerian Timberwolf, at your service.”

To his relief, she curtsied. “Diamond Schnee. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Timberwolf.”

They both returned to their previous stances. Valerian hesitated when speaking again, unconfident in his ability to converse formally. He picked his words with care and spoke a bit more slowly than usual. “I must confess my delight at my good fortune of encountering the jewel of Atlas aboard this vessel.” He cringed and chuckled chuckled sheepishly. “Sorry, that was a bit much.”

“No apology is needed. I find your attempt at flattery charming.”

If Valerian was the blushing type, his cheeks would have turned scarlet. Instead, he grinned. “Although a compliment from a lady is always welcome, if it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll stick with my usual... err... What’s the word?”

“Vernacular?”

“That’ll do.” Valerian’s gaze drifted back to the golden diamond on her chest, but he quickly looked away, gesturing towards the window to keep her attention off his face. “How long until you think we’ll be able to see the academy? I had thought we’d get to see it when we pitched for our entrance exams, but those were held at Signal, to my disappointment. I’ve been looking at pictures of Beacon throughout the vacation, but there’s nothing like seeing it nestled upon the waterfalls in person.” He sighed unhappily. “But it’s still so far away! The lake has been visible beyond the buildings since we took to the air, but I can’t see anything else.”

Her eyebrows turned upwards, making her seem distressed. She responded reassuringly, “We were promised the flight would not take more than forty minutes. We have been skyborne for approximately half that time already, so we ought to see at least the academy’s silhouette soon. It is very likely hidden just beyond any of these buildings.”

Valerian nodded, smiling again. “I wish they’d fly a bit higher so that we could see the city as it would appear on any map in the archives. We’ve mostly stayed close to the roofs of the lowest buildings.” He tried to see past the obstructions, but gave up, suddenly turning and asking, “Do you find this experience surreal?”

Diamond was taken aback by the question, even if she barely showed it. “I suppose, yes. Do you?”

“Not at all! I’ve prepared all my life for this moment, and finally, it’s here!” He felt like pressing his hands against the window, like he’d used to do as a child, but resisted. Unlike back then, he knew it wouldn’t make them reach their destination more quickly. “After waiting for so long, you’d think I could wait a little longer, but the closer we get, the more my excitement builds.”

“Indeed.” She spoke softly; in his glee, Valerian didn’t even hear her words, much less the wistful tone in her voice.

Next to the fair-haired pair, another girl peered through the window of the airship. With leather armour as part of her attire and a broadsword resting by her hip, sheathed in its scabbard, she looked pretty combat ready. But then again, a look around the transport would reveal that most of the students did.
All of Vale could be seen from high above and the girl enjoyed the view. Vale... It was very different to Mistral. In many respects that was exciting, but she was a stranger among strangers now and that felt a little scary. Would she be able to make new friends?

What was she thinking? Since when had making friends been that hard? You just had to be nice and remember to introduce yourself. The social business hadn't bothered her in the past, so she decided it wouldn't bother her now either. In fact, she would prove herself it wasn't that hard right away.

She turned on the spot and looked around her. There were many fellow students-to-be in the airship and their varying outfits all blended in a kaleidoskope-like picture of flashy colours. It was almost as ridiculous as it was impressive. The girl couldn't help but wonder if some of the people there had style in mind more than practicallity when they designed their outfits. She was getting distracted, though, as she had a task to complete. With so many people around, all fighting for her attention, she decided she should just approach the nearest person.

“Hi! I’m Rìoghail Ysbrydtân. You are?” she spoke in a cheerful tone.

The redhead was actually faced with two people, not one. There was a boy of white hair and dark green clothes -but more interesting about him was that his one eye was green, while the other was brown- and a grey-haired girl clad in chrome armour. The former had a winning merry expression, but Rìoghail couldn't read the latter. She pushed aside those thoughts, however, to hear the others' reply and remembered to put on a smile for them.

"Oh, hello!" the boy said. "Valerian Timberwolf".

He moved out of the way to allow the girl to come into view. She curtsied politely. "Diamond Schnee. Good day to you, Miss Ysbrydtân".

"Good day indeed. Nice to meet you". The young woman gained confidence seeing their warm response. She had been right to think making friends wasn't so hard. There was nothing to be afraid of. "Say, aren't those guys selling dust also called Schnee?".

"We are", Diamond answered, a slight smile playing at her lips.

"You are...? You mean it's your family? Looks like we're classmates with famous people!" Rìoghail gave off the impression of being surprised -pleasantly that is- but not particularly impressed.

The girl's smile faltered. "I am afraid I hardly classify as famous. Not all members of my family are directly associated with the dust trade".

"Well, I guess you're right. What about you, Valerian? Are you a member of a renowned family?" Rìoghail turned her attention to the boy with a half-joking expression.

"Unless Timberwolf Accounting goes international or my father suddenly saves the world, I doubt that'll ever be the case", he replied, snickering.

"Well, we're here to become Huntsmen and Huntresses, aren't we? Maybe, you're the one that'll make the difference". She smiled devilishly.

Valerian looked thoughtful. "I think Huntsmen and Huntresses generally work beneath the notice of the public, so our deeds will largely go without recognition. People might start panicking if they knew what dangers constantly awaited them, which would make the job we're signing up for much harder".

"Come to think of it we don't often hear about what Huntsmen and Huntresses do in the news. Still, it's exciting to be going down that route ourselves. Even if it's just the beginning".

Diamond unintentionally interrupted Rioghail's excitement by noting, "It would appear that one of the teachers is talking".

"Nevermind that. It's just a hologram, so it's probably not that important. Check out the view, though". Rìoghail disregarded the see-through figure of an important-looking adult who had just appeared close by.

Their transport was now approaching Beacon academy. Residing upon the ledge of a wide cliff feeding four tributaries into the lake below, Beacon's impressive structure, with its tall white towers and decorative arches enclosing its courtyard, stood out in its grassy surroundings. Sunlight reflecting upon the calm crystal-like surface of the lake and creating dots of sparkling light, the setting was as beautiful as it got.

With wide eyes, Rìoghail spoke quietly to herself, "Beacon, here we are".

The vessel's descent started and the three students continued to watch Beacon as it got bigger and bigger. One of the escorting smaller airships would appear before the window from time to time. Many of the other students were also examining their destination, probably finding it more interesting than the city. It was a few minutes before the transport finally came to a stop, shortly after which the ship's sliding doors opened, allowing them to exit. Allowing them to reach Beacon. Their adventure was about to begin. . .

Diamond turned her attention away from the newfound comrades to focus on the projection of a woman on the glass panel across from them. Seemingly not much older than Diamond, the golden-haired woman scrunched her nose and pushed the rim of her glassed back onto its ridge. Even in the comfortably crowded ship full of rowdy, excited teenagers, her voice carried clear and high, its sternness thick. It was the voice of someone used to getting her way. So, this person was clearly a professor.

"...among a 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 is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

"She will not be going to Beacon!"

"It is not your choice or mine. She has graduated from the prep school you selected for her with flying colors, she has attended your military training program, she has been on the face of Schnee Dust Company since she was little. Don't you think it's time for her to choose her own path from here?"

"It would be her choice if she weren't the face of the largest Dust company in the world. She can no longer just think about herself! She lost that opportunity when she received the honor of becoming a Schnee."

"The honor?"

"It's not every day that a person is born into the Schnee name and power-"

"Excuse me."

She blinked once, then twice, and suddenly she was back on the ship, back on the path to Beacon Academy...

"Hey, are you listening to a word I'm saying?"

Diamond blinked. Again. A guy stood in front of her, and the projection of the blonde professor was gone. How long had she zoned out? "I deeply apologize--"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You're sorry. Can you move?"

Diamond was taken aback by the man's abruptness. "Pardon me?"

"I just explained this to you."

"I'm sorry, I must have been lost in my own thoughts..." she muttered.

"There's that word again. Look, you're blocking the door that's about to open when we land. I'd like to get out of here before people start vomiting from excitement." He gestured to where she stood. "So, if you mind?"

Diamond regained her composure, and her face melted from one of confusion to one of stone. "Normally in this situation, I would say 'my apologies' and move out of the way, but as you have so kindly pointed out, I tend to apologize far too frequently. I am Diamond Schnee. It was unfortunate to meet your acquaintance in this type of scenario, but one can never be more aware of their mistakes in the past than when they are gazing back on them. I don't believe I caught your name?"

"I don't believe I gave it." He glared at her, his icy eyes meeting hers. The ship lurched to the side as the landing gear met the ground of the courtyard, much to the glee of Rioghail to the side of her. The man flipped his hood up, covering much of his facial features. "As much as I like chit-chat -I don't, by the way- I really do want to get off this ship."

Diamond stepped out of the way, opening the path to him with her palm. "I hope to see you again."

"Don't count on it." He didn't look back as the ramps opened. She meant what she said. Something about his tone warned her that he did, as well.

"Diamond!" Rioghail ushered her down the ramp. "Who was the guy you were talking to?"

She shrugged softly. "I don't know. He wouldn't give me his name."

"That's an... odd way to start a conversation with someone." Valerian mused on the thought for a moment. "What was the conversation between you and him about, anyway?"

"He wanted to get past me. I must have been standing there for quite a while to prompt him into action; he didn't seem like a person who would willingly go out of their way to initiate a conversation with a stranger."

"I know how that feels," Rioghail muttered.

"Anxiety of any form is never pleasant," Valerian agreed.

Diamond winced at that. "Yes, well, I must have been lost in my thoughts long enough for the professor's speech to end and him to get agitated enough to provoke him to action."

"There was a professor on the ship?" Rioghail stopped in her tracks. "What were they saying? Am I blind? These people all looked like students to me! Oh, that means the professors are hiding right under our noses, probably evaluating us now!" She whipped her head around.

"Relax, Rio, it was the projection you promptly ignored for the view. It was just a welcoming speech." Valerian steadied the woman. He focused his attention on Diamond. "What was invading your thoughts enough to space you out like that, if you mind me asking?"

"Just... home."

Bleu was coming to the realization that he hated flying.

The boarding and settling into the aircraft weren't as painful as what was happening now, as his mother was there, tearing up and waving goodbye to her son. That memory was now washed over with the pure fear coming to light. His scrawny hand was now wrapped around a metal pole that was wedged vertically on an uncomfortable armrest. Bleu squinted at a piece of paper that was above another row of seats and tried to concentrate on that as if it alone could cure his fear of flying.

After a few moments of just staring and spacing out, Bleu then, reluctantly, looked out the window and down below. Water washed against the shore and opened to a huge city space, with towering peaks of silver pointing up at the sky. The streets were busy with newcomers and townspeople alike, all coming to see the newest round of Hunstmen-in-training lifting off to begin their future at Beacon Academy. The lake itself was huge and covered almost half of the skyline out the window.

Bleu's nervous jostling became a shiver that ran through his entire body, and he forced himself to look away, no, away, Bleu, from the window. He let his stomach settle again before attempting another look. Yeah, definitely not a fan of flying. Why couldn't they reach the Academy by something safe, like a good hike or by boat? Something that, oh you know, couldn't drop out of the sky and kill them at any moment and lurched excessively for no particular reasons. Humans were not meant to fly! Yeah, they could walk and run and fight Grimm with an elaborate amount of weaponry, but nope, flying is not on that list. Only those faunus who had wings could fly, and all the more power to them for have the guts to be an evolutionary bird-human. For all Bleu could care, the skies were open to them and them alone.

He focused his eyes away from the window. There were quite a lot of students here, and he was sure like half of them had the exact same feeling that he did. There was no way so many people enjoyed flying. It was unnatural. Or... maybe they were just nervous about going to Beacon Academy. Nah. Who would be nervous about going to such an awesome place? Bleu, he was stoked! It was just the flying part that he disdained. What a cool word, disdain. It was so much like hate but sounded so much more sophisticated. Disdain. Disdaaaain.

Focus! Try to find something to distract you! Bleu looked around. Besides the overly long windows revealing way too much and the uncomfortable seating, there wasn't much than... PEOPLE! He could talk to people! That'd be fun, right? Next to him was a boy around his age with reddish-brown hair, frowning and staring forward. The one thing that caught Bleu's attention was the perking fox ears that were on the top of his head.

"Uh," Bleu started. He was hoping that this alone could grab the attention of the more leaner fellow. "Hello?"

The boy looked from the corner of his eye and frowned harder. Oh boy, on my first day and I've already made an enemy. Nice going, Bleu.

"Can I help you?" The boy asked in a flat tone.

Bleu squeaked, reeling in his thoughts. Make friends, you idiot. Don't just sit there?

"So, you fly often?" he asked, trying his best to ignore his nervousness but, oh was it failing miserably.

The other boy turned his head a little more to stare at him. It was a long moment before he spoke, fox ears flicking towards the sound of laughter from nearby. "When you have friends with wings," he said slowly. "Yes." And then turned away again.

Bleu awkwardly laughed. "Oh boy, I wish I had friends." He then coughed and turned his gaze to his lap. "I hate flying, to be honest."

"It's not so bad," the boy said, still in that flat tone and not looking at Bleu. A moment later his gaze flickered back to Bleu, and Bleu noticed that the other boy's eyes were a pale amber-gold. "Rather enjoyable, to be honest."

Bleu made a hum in agreement. "I suppose so. I've had nightmares about giant birds dropping me off these huge mountains and like, I die. But when I die, I turn into a bigger bird but there's always something dropping me off mountains. It's insane." The boy next to him didn't say anything and that was fine to Bleu because his nervousness was slowly easing away. "So, what's your name?"

"Rhyence," the other boy said, staring at Bleu. "Rhyence Saffron."

"Saffron's a pretty last name. Isn't there a stone or something? My name's Bleu Boysen, by the way, and it's a pleasure meeting you! I hope we become good friends. Oh! Maybe we'll be in the same class or-"

There was a buzz that came above the two and a voice came through, low and rough.

"We are a few minutes from Beacon Academy. Please grab your belongings and wait for the signal," it said before cutting out. Rhyence's eyebrow was twitching slightly as he looked down at Bleu once again.

"It's actually a spice," he said lowly.

Bleu opened his mouth in an 'o'. "Well, that makes sense since you seem spicy."

Rhyence stared at him for a solid minute before turning his head.

Bleu felt giddy with excitement. I've made my first friend! Excellent work, Bleu. I wonder who else I'll meet. Hopefully, they're nice. And I hope this school doesn't have fighting monsters on the curriculum.

Rhyence eyed the ship critically, trying to ignore the boy beside him. Bleu, wasn't it? Either way, he kept talking but Rhyence had stopped listening. Instead, he studied the airship. It was rather utilitarian, to be honest. A lot less decorative than the ship he'd traveled on from Menagerie to Vale. That one had been elaborated carved and actually gilded with silver. Rhyence thought it pretenious. It definitely hadn't impressed him. This one, though... This ship he thought was actually rather nice.

He glanced sideways. Bleu was still talking, and not just to him anymore, but to some purple-haired girl. It reminded him of Ginger, his little sister--and incidently of the argument he'd had with his mother just before leaving Menagerie. It had not been pretty, and remembering it made him wince slightly. His mother had been rather angry...

"I will not condone my son leaving Menagerie to become a Huntsman!"

"Sinopa, please--"

Rhyence was watching from the doorway, Ginger peeking around him. He hadn't really wanted her to witness it, but she had insisted. So he watched his mother whip around to point an accusatory finger at their father.

"No, Jinhai, don't you dare say another word!" His mother had looked so angry that even her golden eyes seemed to spark with it. "I will not hear it! I told you I didn't want you putting ideas in his head, but you went and did it anyway."

"...Sinopa..." Father had seemed determined even with his back to Rhyence, though his father's tail had been twitching in agitation. "Please, just hear me out. Becoming a Huntsman is a honour. He can do this; it's what he wants--"

"To protect the humans?" She had sounded so vemonous, so spiteful... "To protect the ones who think they can treat us like this?" Rhyence had watched her gesture to their small home. "To give us an island, put us on it and imply we never leave?" She had snorted and turned away. "Pah, the lying... They can all kill each other as far as I'm concerned. He's not going."

Rhyence had stepped forwards then, disentangling himself from Ginger's clinging hands. "Actually, Mother," he had said softly, dragging both his parents' gazes towards him. "I am going....whether you like it or not."

The look his mother had given him would melt stone. "Then don't come back."

Rhyence flattened his ears. That had been her last words to him. It had cut, and cut deep---but this is what he wanted, and he wasn't going to let his mother stop him. She hadn't even said goodbye. Instead, Father has seen him off at the docks. He let his gaze linger on the lake, calm and blue--compared to the rough, pale blue waters of the sea surrounding Menagerie. He exhaled carefully and gave Bleu another sideways look. The boy appeared distracted, but he still rambled to the purple-haired girl.

He decided to ignore Bleu and stood up, taking a step forwards, intending to head for the exit as the ship had begun to descend. Instead, something bumped into him, knocking him off-balance and into Bleu, who had also stood up, and another person. Rhyence caught a glimpse of silver hair and ice-blue eyes before the person--male, around his age--took off towards where a girl with dark grey hair stood. He pushed himself off Bleu and gave a slight scowl in the other person's direction.

"He didn't even apologise," Rhyence muttered distractedly, reaching up to touch the shoulder the silver-haired boy had bumped into. "How rude."

He ignored the rising commotion the boy was causing with a certain dumbfounded-but-highly-armored girl blocking what seemed to be the ramp when the ship landed and headed for his luggage. He reached above the chairs to the compartments where his suitcases were snugly fit in by the coordinators of the ship. However, now that they weren't in the public eye, it was up to the students to heave their luggage around again. Typical.

"Um... excuse me," a timid voice muttered behind him. He turned to see a girl a good handful of inches shorter than him looking up at the compartments. She brushed her black hair behind her ears, letting her piercing green eyes meet his. "Oh, this is so embarassing, but, well, the Academy people took my stuff and put it up there, and I just found out--"

"That you have to get your own luggage down from here." Rhyence glanced from the compartments to the girl and back again. "Seems like a long jump to get your stuff."

"Yeah, well, I was wondering if --wait a minute, weren't you the guy who ran into me?" She put her hands on her hips, a mock accusive frown splattered on her face.

Rhyence gave her a flat stare, almost glaring. "Some guy ran into me and you were just collateral. Don't blame me, kid."

"The name's Midori, and I totally won't blame you if you get my stuff from up there." She gave him a wide smile.

"No."

"What? Oh, come on!"

"Nope."

"You are very bad at negotiating, you know that?"

"Actually," he let a tiny smile tip the corners of his lips up, "I believe I just won the negotiation."

"Please?" she asked.

He frowned as if considering for a moment. Then he pointed to Bleu. "Ask him."

"Ask me what?" Bleu slid over --like literally, he scooted his legs over-- and waved at Midori. "Hi, new person. What are we asking me?"

"That's Midori, she wants you to grab her stuff up there." Rhyence grabbed his last bag. "And I'm out of this conversation. Good luck."

"Thanks," they both replied, then stared at each other.

Rhyence looked between them, and then turned away. He hoped he didn't end up with them on his team later. That would probably be a disaster...and drive him to insanity sooner or later. He walked away with that tiny smile still on his face.

People. Lots of people.

Midori drew her cloak a little tighter around herself in an effort to make herself as invisible as possible. That worked back home, on the ground, in the woods, but, surprisingly enough, a forest green cloak did little to camoflage against the sterile, metallic walls of a crowded airship.

Just stay calm ... and you won't break anything.

Among all the insecurities associated with being stuck in the air with a hundred other aspiring Huntsmen, there was the benefit of not standing out all that much. That didn't stop Midori from wishing, irrational as it seemed, that she'd opted to fly into Vale herself. Rules were rules, though. Besides, she was trying not to cause a scene, and judging from the huge crowds that flock to the streets of Vale every time new students come in, that would have been a little counter intuitive.

Her eyes strayed to the back of the ship, where a flight attendant had wordlessly taken her one small bag and slid it into a compartment on the highest level. Now she was worried about Dreamcatcher getting crushed at her side, or all her handcrafted arrows spilling out of her quiver on the other, getting scattered all around with every dip and turn.

From the way people were yelling up front and the press of fellow passengers who'd been milling about suddenly heading sternward, somebody must've vomited. Better them than me.

She patted her stomach. She had a light breakfast that morning in case of a situation just like that poor student, but unfortunately now it was starting to bite her, as she felt a shadow of a rumble. She rolled her eyes. Come on, Midori, complaining about a light breakfast? You've so been in worse situations than that. She thought back on her time in the clan. There were some days she wouldn't eat at all as they relocated camp or laid low as Huntresses and Huntsmen searched for their tracks. Back then, Cloud would remind her that food was not as necessary as living itself. Focus on survival, then you can fill your stomach. Her mind lingered on that thought for an instant.

At least he wasn't here.

Midori remembered how they'd talked about going to a proper Huntsman academy someday, Cloud and her. Of course, with him being five years older, he'd probably get there first ... assuming that's where he ended up after he took off. Midori wasn't sure how she'd react if their paths crossed here. She'd taught herself to shove all those unanswered questions, all the resentment that came with them, away somewhere where she wouldn't dwell on them.

So, she straightened her shoulders and handed the flight attendant Dreamcatcher. "Take ca--"

"Take care of your weapon like your life depended on it, because if the weapon breaks, it will. Gotcha."

"Well, I wasn't gonna go that far, but you said it, not me."

The flight attendant gave her a reassuring smile. "We put the weapons in their own compartment, as they're not often easy to replace."

Midori nodded, knowing those words to be truer in her case than the lady probably realized. "Honestly I'd rather have it on me."

"Don't worry, as soon as you're off the ship, you'll get your weapon back. We just don't want any particularly nervous students doing more damage to it than just creating a vomit stain."

Midori winced at that. "Happen often?"

The attendant laughed. "More than you'd think, and probably more than that." She pointed to the ship. "They're about to board now, so you'd best get on and I'd best get this weapon stored securely."



"Ooookay, so which bag is yours?" Bleu asked, his long, bulky arms reaching into the compartment as Midori reached the far more accessible weapons compartment for her beloved Dreamcatcher.

"Well, it's small and in forest colors, knit tightly together so nothing escapes." She stood back up and got on the tips of her toes to try and peer into the compartment. "It shouldn't be that difficult to find... hopefully."

"Ah! Found it!" Bleu reached his arms in almost all the way to his broad shoulders. "There it is," he said, pulling out an extremely large duffel bag.

"That is... like completely the exactly opposite of what I said." Midori exclaimed.

"Oh, this is my bag!" Bleu remarked.

"That's it," Midori muttered. "Hold these." Handing Bleu Dreamcatcher and the quiver of arrows, she pushed past him and started climbing nimbly up the shelves. When she located her compartment, she stuck a hand inside and felt around for the rough, weathered fabric.

"Did you find it?" Bleu called a little incredulously from down below, for once at a loss for paragraphs.

"Yeah, I think... Yes! I... Whoooaaaaa---"

Midori had only a microsecond to debate whether or not to execute a maneuver that could save her life-life, but - in front of these people - destroy her chances of a social life forever and ever and--

"UMPH!" Inexplicably, Midori found herself in the purple-garbed arms of...

Letting out a small squeal, Midori jumped away from her rescuer, wishing she could turn invisible on the spot.

"Hey, calm down," Purple Person said sweetly. "You'll be just fine! You just, y'know, fell like a sack of potatoes. Did you find what you were looking for?"

Midori held up the pack she grabbed from the compartment... only to find it purple, not hunter greens.

"My other bag!" said Bleu.

"Is this it?" Amaranth asked, reaching into the compartment and removing a simple duffel bag. It wasn't exactly the right color, but it matched Midori's description otherwise. She could feel the weight of the bag dragging down on her arm as she held it, and since Midori hadn't mentioned what was in the bag, it could very well be the right one. However, with a glance at Midori's hesitant face, she knew it was not.

"It's not the right color," Bleu commented, looking at it skeptically. Amaranth found the irony in the situation, when Bleu couldn't even match the size
earlier, let alone the color. Still, she made no comment, not wanting to offend this [foolish?] student, especially since he could very well be put on the same team as her.

Midori shook her head. "Nope, that's not it." A dejected look plagued her face, since it seemed apparent to her that the bag had been lost, or worse, taken.

Bleu attempted to comfort her. "Don't worry, it has to be one of the bags in the compartment." Hearing words of comfort from someone who was seemingly so...childish surprised Midori, and Amaranth, but the words did nothing to the mood.

"I don't want to be that guy, but there are no more bags in the compartment," Amaranth said with a troubled look.

"What?!" exclaimed Bleu in disbelief, looking around at the others on the ship. Everyone save Amaranth was carrying at least one bag, presumably full of their weapons, accessories, and other personal belongings. "Well, uh, that poses issues. Hey, Purple Girl, you're not carrying a bag."

Amaranth sighed in good nature. "It's Amaranth. And I'm not carrying a bag because I didn't need one. All of my belongings are on me. Including my weapon."

"Oh."

"Yeah..."

"Let's go ask around for my bag," Midori suggested, before stopping to look out the window. Outside, past the crowd of eager students bursting forward towards the school, a tall, composed boy with two bags approached the school gates. One of his bags fit Midori's bag's description, while the other was identical to the bag left in the compartment, which Amaranth was still holding, for some reason. In the same moment Amaranth realized what had happened, Midori had too. She excitedly sprinted towards the exit of the ship, Amaranth following. Bleu looked out the window in confusion, before seeing the student and his bags.

"Hey, I know him!" he exclaimed, face pressed to the glass as the magnificence of Beacon captivated him. Amaranth sighed and pulled him away from the glass, dragging him outside after Midori.

By then, Midori was not very close to catching up with her bag's captor, and was already slowing down. Looking around, Amaranth noticed an unused bag cart, and she smiled as an idea came to her. "Get on," she said to Bleu, shoving him onto the cart and hopping on after. Facing opposite Midori, Amaranth pushed her foot off the ground, sending the cart rolling towards Midori. Midori, like everyone else approaching the school, stopped to witness the unqiue method of travel Amaranth had devised. When they pulled up beside her, she took the cue and hopped on the back of their 'vehicle'.

They continued onward, shortening the distance between them and the student much faster than he could widen it. Finally, they hopped off beside him, letting the cart roll away uncontrolled. "Looking for something?" Amaranth asked casually, swinging his bag around. He looked confused for a second, until he checked his bags and realized he had the wrong one. Surprisingly, he wasn't even embarassed by the mistake, but simply tossed Midori's bag and grabbed his own from Amaranth's hand. Midori rushed to catch hers, and barely succeeded. Before Amaranth could criticize his indignant behavior, the whole student body around them went silent as the sound of a cart hitting something--or someone--rung out. "Uh oh," Bleu mumbled nervously.

As the light from the sun was blotted out by a large figure, Amaranth and her company slowly turned around. A large, brutish guy stood behind them, looking quite displeased. He was at least twice the height of Amaranth, and probably three times the body mass. "Who sent that cart rolling into me?!" he shouted, loud enough for the whole clearing to hear. They all pointed to Amaranth, Bleu, and Midori in unison, no hesitation. With a sharp knuckle crack, he looked down at them. "You're going to regret that, kids."

"Kids? We're the same age as you. Just because we don't have the same...err, body mass doesn't make us younger..." Amaranth said, before regretting at least one life decision. The number became two when he reached into his bag and pulled out a club.

"A club? Really? That's a little direct," the student responsible for Midori's missing bag commented drily. He had been off this brute's radar until that point, a newly angry glare suggested, but he seemed not to be very affected.

"How about we talk this out?" Bleu asked nervously (nervously seemed to be an adverb which often fit his actions, Amaranth noticed).

Midori shook her head. "Something tells me he isn't up for talking."

"I really hate people like you," their unnamed companion muttered, dashing behind the assailant as he took a step forward. He raised his club, but Amaranth grabbed it to prevent it from inflicting any damage. Bleu hopped forward, stepping down on the brute's feet to restrict further movement. By then, Bag Boy had successfully circled behind, and he jabbed with his fingers at the assailant's knees. The guy's balance tipped, and Midori kneed his gut enough to knock him over completely.

Bag Boy stood before the knocked-over student, poised for another strike. Across the way, Amaranth saw a gray-haired, older man with glasses watching them carefully. Crap, a teacher, Amaranth thought. She put her hand out to stop Bag Boy from following through, casting a meaningful glance at the teacher to explain why. Bag Boy seemed to understand, and he lowered his hand. Amaranth crouched down next to their former enemy. "A suggestion: Don't mess with us again, or you'll sorely regret it."

"Yeah!" Bleu added unnecessarily.

Pleased with herself and her companions' work, she stood up again and instinctively looked to the teacher. He was no longer there. Blinking, Amaranth dropped it and turned to Bag Boy. "What's your name?"

"Rhyence. Some people call me Rhys."

"Okay, Rhys, th-"

"I wasn't inviting you to call me it."

"Okaaaaay, Rhyence," Amaranth said somewhat sarcastically, "thanks for the help."

He looked away, showing a notable lack of interest. "I didn't do that to help you. He was pissing me off." He began to walk away.

"Now see," Amaranth called after him, "if you had just said 'you're welcome', you would have seemed a lot less like an unbearable as--aaaand he's gone."

"I pray he's not on my team," Midori commented, and the three laughed for an awkwardly long period of time. Finally they stopped and looked up at the building making up Beacon Academy.

"Welcome to Beacon, I guess." Amaranth said.

Now that he was out of the ship and could actually breathe, Night filled his lungs with air that didn't stink of body odor and nervousness. Flinging his packs over his shoulder and flipping out one half of Wishblade from his right armguard. Honestly, the flight attendants were too particularly worried about gathering up all weapons, were they? He was allowed to carry his hidden blades the entire trip --not that he was going to use them. It wasn't like they were amazingly hidden or anything. Flipping the blade over and over, he kept a pace fast enough to not let the other students catch up with him but slow enough for him to get a good look at all that Beacon had to offer.

The paved courtyard gave way to a circle pavilion with a large fountain in the middle. In the background stood the CCT tower. Cross Continental Transmit Systems. Beacon Academy surrounded the tower with its spires and domes painting a nice landscape behind the fountain. The school certainly was well-made, even if Night didn't agree with partnering up to train in the Academy. He veered to the right of the fountain, not bothering to stop and stare at it like he assumed most other students would do.

Readjusting his pack, he sighed. There was no dorm room for him to stash his stuff in until after initiation, unfortunately. While he understood the reasoning, it still didn't make it any less annoying.

He spotted the armory. Since there was no room for him to put his stuff in, and he didn't particularly trust anyone well enough to leave his packs in the Great Hall while he slept, he decided on stashing his belongings in the locker with his weapons. It should fit everything. He changed his brisk walk to head for the armory. Rumor was, they had rocket-propelled lockers there so students could bring their weapons anywhere near Beacon. He flipped Wishblade back into his armguard and fished out his scroll from his pockets. Swiping through the device's contents with one hand available was tricky, but with perseverance and patience, he reached his locker's number: 092. He closed the scroll and marched his way to the lockers. The less people he had to deal with before initiation, the better.

His thoughts floated back to initiation. He would get a partner then. He dreaded that thought. He worked best alone. Always. He wouldn't question the Academy's way of doing things . . . outright. He could always complain in his mind. And make his partner's life miserable.

Night reached his locker and glanced at the keypad on the door. After quickly setting up his personal code and inputting it twice to make sure it worked, he stuffed his bags in there. He heard steps approaching him. He glanced past his locker door. The same girl that was blocking the ramp earlier was rapidly approaching him, along with another girl and a guy. Oh, good. Just what he needed.

Fortunately, they passed him and settled themselves at unlocking their own lockers not far from him. The other girl seemed hesitant to leave her sword in her locker. However, as luck would have it during her hesitation, her eye caught Night and she turned to him.

"Hey, aren't you the guy that was rude to Diamond? You know that's no way of making friends, right?" Oh, great. Night decided that he would ignore her for now. Perhaps she and her friends would just give up and go away. But seriously, why were some people so persistent and nosy?

When Night didn't respond or give her a second glance, the girl took a step towards him and said, a little louder this time, "That was pretty rude to just leave like that and not, y'know, apologize or anything."

"It's all right, Rioghail. I am sure he did not mean anything personal by it," the other woman, Diamond, muttered as she opened her own locker.

"Yeah, what my eccentric friend is trying to say is that we'd like to get to know you if you'd give us a chance," the guy said. This was just getting better and better.

"A chance?" repeated Night, incredulous. He scoffed. "Look, I'm not here to make friends or hang out, or anything stupid like that. Just stay out of my way." He slammed his locker closed and pulled his hood up tighter. The faster he was out of that place, the faster he could ignore everyone and wait for initiation. The less people he'd have to deal with--

Smack! He collided with something solid and stumbled back. "Hey, watch where you're going, prick!" a deep voice rumbled. "How about you take your hood off and look where you're walking?"

Night ignored the man and stepped to the left, but the guy blocked his way. "Hey, Light, this guy doesn't seem to know who we are." Night unveiled his face and his eyes met two guys who looked pretty similar. Brothers, probably. One had a hammer strapped to his back and the other had a club, and neither looked like they were going to let him pass easily.

He let out a short breath. Then he glanced at both of them again. "What are you two, gangsters?" He had faced enough people who wielded weapons like they did, during his days on the streets. He wasn't about to let that kind of scum beat him down again. "Are you sure you belong here, instead of in the back alley? This is a school, y'know."

His hands went to his waist, but no weapons resided there. Of course he had to run into thugs right after he put all of his weapons away. The guy on the right grabbed his hammer and unstrapped it. Night let his Semblance activate, the light around him melding with his aura as he lowered his stance. The left guy charged, ripping his club from his back. Night rolled out of the way, only to have the second one swing his hammer at him. He narrowly dodged the blow. In his peripheral vision, he noted that a crowd had gathered nearby.

A plan was already forming in Night's mind as he continued to avoid their advances. It was likely that he wouldn't be able to defeat both of them on his own, with his disadvantages. If that was the case, whenever the authorities arrived, he could play victim really well. These two wanted to mess with him on the first day? Well, he'd take them down with him. It wasn't like Night cared what others thought.

Once again they rushed at him, but they staggered their attacks more. He studied the attacks in the split second. For being brutes, they knew how to pincer their target well. He dodged the club, but the hammer came in too fast, too close...

The ground below him erupted in white light. A sigil of arrows glowed below him and turned black. Suddenly the air rushed out of his lungs as he was pulled back. The hammer narrowly missed his stomach.

He turned to see Diamond walking up next to him, her eyes full of cold fury. Rioghail jumped up behind Diamond, her eyes alight with passion. Night growled. He didn't need help, especially from these people. Night launched himself at hammer guy, sliding under his swing and striking his leg, buckling his knee. Club Guy kicked Night in the gut as he finished his slide, impacting against his aura solidly.

Rioghail and the other guy from that trio slammed into Club Guy, knocking him down. Rioghail punched his stomach with her fist and a satisfied grin.

"Students!" A teacher walked up to them. "You'll get your fair share of fighting when you're at Beacon, but for now, please meet in the Great Hall for the Opening Speech." She pushed up her glasses and walked away purposefully.

Night stood up, brushing himself off. "I could've done that alone."

"Didn't mean you had to. The name's Valerian, by the way. I know you 'do things solo' but don't be a loner."

"Loner's my middle name," said Night. "But if you're so intent on trying to be my friend, be my guest. I guarantee that it won't work." He turned and stalked away, following the dispersed crowd in the direction of the Great Hall.

Five Years Ago - Location Classified (Somewhere in Atlas)

Claret knew she shouldn't have taken that mission from her brother. It had had misfortune written all over it. She pressed back against the tree as something in the snow-drenched forest shifted with a creaking sound. The shattered moon's light barely illuminated the clearing off to her left, and kept the edge of it in deep shadows. Claret was using them to hide her presence as she glanced down at her scroll, frowning at the message her brother had sent her. These were the correct coordinates, but something about how he'd worded it... It didn't sound right. She exhaled shakily. What was going on? Had Argyris found her? Or was she being paranoid?

She pushed off the tree and shoved the scroll into one of her pockets, wincing as the movement pulled at the deep slash on her side. Freaking Ursa. She was going to slaughter as many of them as possible before something else killed her. Claret had no illusions about living to be old and grey before her death. She was a Huntress. Her parents were Huntsman and Huntress. Their parents before them had been and so on, for generations. It was only recently that they'd entered into the trade of weapons technology.

Something shifted again and the entire forest of snow-laden trees shuddered, sending snow cascading down onto the ground--and, incidentally, her. Claret held her breath for a moment and waited. A moment later, there came a ferious caw, like the call of a giant bird--or worse. It made her freeze in place and her blood run cold. What the hell was that?

A blur blinked past the moon, blocking all light for a split second. Something like a whip slashed Claret, and she could all but barely dodge it from taking out one of her legs. Claret scrolled through her Dust, blaring fire to life from the end of her staff.

An enormous beast flew overhead at an amazing speed and perched on two trees. It cocked its head at her and stared at her with a large, bright red eye. Claret had never seen a Grimm like it before and couldn't help staring. It was...oddly beautiful to look at, for a Grimm, and she studied it carefully.

When it was flying, its wings all but disappeared with how fast they were going, even for a monster easily three or four times Claret's size. It had a long, narrow beak, ending in a point rivalling even the best Huntress' sword, and impossibly long feathers streaked its eyebrows and tail feathers, adding to its immense size. The long feathers thrummed with energy, and in a moment Claret realized they weren't just feathers, they would kill her in an instant with that beast's speed.

"Shit," she muttered, clutching her staff tightly. Her Aura was pretty battered after her fight with the Ursa. She didn't think she'd survive an encounter with this particular Grimm... And she was injured. "Shit."

The bird swiveled its head, its pincer-sharp beak moving at blinding speed. For a moment, it veered its head to the right. Claret took this opportunity to back away, looking for an advantage or an escape plan or... something goddammit. She could hear commotion in the woods in the direction that caught the bird's attention. Perhaps they would be interested only in each other and Claret could make her escape swiftly and with no problems.

Like that would happen.

It swung its head back towards her, cocking its head again in a bird-like manner. But it was no bird. It was a Grimm, and it wanted to eat her. Claret froze as that giant eye fixed on her, fingers slipping on her staff; she was sweating. Oh, hell. She was going to die, and she was't going to be able to see her brother again--

The bird launched itself off the trees and straight at her. One whip-like, impossible long feather clipped her staff and sent it flying. Claret didn't see where it went but she heard when it stuck a tree--or maybe a rock--and shattered. Double shit. On instinct, she ducked and the other tail feather whistled over her head and into the tree. There was a mighty crack, and then a creak. Claret rolled away and came up on one knee a few feet from the now-splintered tree. It fell with a mighty crash! and she flinched. Climbing back to her feet, she found the bird Grimm swinging away from the tree to face her, moving impossibly fast. It seemed to vibrate for a moment, and then it was a blur--

Claret threw her hands up, following those instincts from earlier, and launched her Semblance at it. The bird slowed and then stopped short. She stared up at it and it stared back. The look in its eyes was almost...curious. It chittered at her, a sound that sent shivers down her spine. And then she felt the first crack in her Aura.

The sensation was interesting. It started as a pulse that shivered through her entire body, filling her nerves and heightening her senses for a split second before deadening them almost completely. She lurched to the side from the shock of it and her stomach churned. The muscles in her arms and legs tightened and felt like rocks weighed them down. She mustered all her strength to keep her arms up and the bird as slowed as she could, but in the corner of her eye she could see the telltale shimmer of her aura cracking under the force. Each movement took immense effort, as if she were stuck in the infamous sand dunes in Vacuo. She could see the bird's long, deadly beak inching its way towards her throat, but there was nothing she could do about it. No weapon in hand, no aura to protect her, she fell to her knees, her arms wavering. This is where I die, isn't it?

As if time were a pendulum bouncing back from her Semblance's effects, the beak disappeared from her bubble in a split second as if it were wrenched from the sphere. Caring no longer, she dropped her arms and collapsed on the spot. Her eyes fluttered open and shut, caught in the delicate battle between wakefulness and exhaustion, or perhaps even the cold fingers of death. She saw flashes of light through her half-closed eyelids, before the battle was lost and she faded.

Diamond watched "Loner" saunter away from the other three as the crowd dispersed. She let out a small sigh and put the rest of her Dust in her locker, lining one wall with the various refined cartridges her family's company was known for. The Schnee Dust Company Symbol was prevalent on those, its signature gray sticking out on the black metal cartridges like a sore thumb.

She traced the edges of the symbol with her finger. Two years before, when she had announced she would be going to Beacon rather than Atlas Academy, her Grandfather and father had forced her to renounce her heir to the company's holdings and seat and strip herself of everything Schnee besides the name. So, she created her own Symbol and steeled herself, burying herself in her work and the daily politics of Schnee life until she could reasonably leave for Beacon. She tried to ask Ozpin if she could leave for Beacon a year early, but to no avail.

"That guy is so rude! We saved his butt and he didn't even say 'thanks' or nothing!" Rioghail slammed her locker shut. "That is so not happening again from me."

"He just deals with things differently, Rio. We didn't have to help him, so I'm sure that's what he's focusing on." Valerian closed his locker and walked over to Rioghail, patting her on the back. "No reason to dwell on it. We're all here for the same reason, so why not do it with a smile?"

Rioghail shrugged. "Well, we should probably be getting to the Stage Arena if we want to see the welcoming speech." She turned to Diamond. "You coming?"

"Yes, sorry." Diamond forced a soft smile on her face and she fell in line behind and to the side of Valerian as the two chatted.

"Did you see his Semblance, though? He kinda just disappeared before the fight even started. That was so cool! And then when those brothers' faces when we stepped in and we punched them, and Diamond with her glyph to pull him back. Ah," she put her arms over her head and stretched, "I love battle." She grinned. "The only thing that would have made that battle any better is if there was fire. Or explosions. Or if we had our weapons. Still, it was a pretty fun fight."

Valerian smiled at her and turned to Diamond, puzzlement furrowing his brows. "Are you all right, Diamond?"

Diamond nodded. "I am just... thinking."

"About?"

Home? Family? How would she respond to that without causing them to be concerned? "Just thinking about my family back in Atlas."

"Good things, I hope?"

Diamond gave a slight shrug. "It is too early to tell."

He nodded to that and he seemed to understand that she wanted that conversation to be over and switched his attention back to Rioghail, who was pointing to the statue fountain and exclaiming about how lifelike the Huntsman was with his scythe and sword on his back.

"--sword in one hand, scythe in the other. That guy must have been unstoppable back in the day!" Rioghail's eyes went wide at the size of the weapons.

Valerian veered her toward the Stage Arena, laughing. "I don't think that person was an actual Huntsman, Rio. A sword and a scythe? That sounds impractical for actual combat."

"Well, we will just have to ask someone whether or not he was an actual person when we get a chance." Rioghail put her hands on her hips.

"That we will. After the welcoming speech." They followed the trickling flood of students into the building.

Diamond shuffled past people, blending with the rest of the students and somehow managing to separate herself from Rioghail and Valerian. She found herself next to a girl with black, messy hair and green eyes, who offered her a small wave, in which she returned a polite smile.

The mic on the stage whined feedback as the headmaster, Professor Ozpin, walked onto the stage. He peered at his audience over his small shaded glasses. He cleared his throat.

"I know you are wanting a long, purposeful speech welcoming you to my school. I am not here for that. You have traveled here today in hope of knowledge --to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you are finished here, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of people, your people.

"But, as I look upon you, all I see is wasted potential, in desparate need of guidance and direction. You assume the teaching here at Beacon will solve you of these problems miraculously. My school is just that: a school. Your time at this school will just prove that knowledge can only carry you so far.

"It is up to you to decide the path you'll take, and to pursue not just knowledge, but purpose."

With that, he walked off, leaving the crowd of students shocked and silent.

The armoury was crowded and noisy, and Rhyence hated it. He stowed his weapons inside begrudgingly and slammed the locker closed. Why couldn’t he keep his weapons on him? What was the point of a Huntsman school if they locked their weapons up most of the time? He exhaled carefully, hand still pressed against the locker fondly before he shoved himself away from it, bumping into a guy who was almost a head taller than him. And he had a club-like mace. Rhyence raised an eyebrow at him.

“Faunus,” the guy said and went to reach for his Fox ears. Rhyence ducked out of the way and span around behind him, leaving a copy of himself behind. He didn’t bother to stay and see how it played out, just headed for the exit, ignoring the whispers that had started up. And the raised voices he could hear from across the room. Someone was starting a fight. Rhyence ignored it. That wasn't his problem. Besides, they were all far too noisy for his liking--and he came from Menagerie, where the Faunus never shut up.

The walk to the Stage Arena was surprisingly peaceful. He was glad no one bothered him, and quietly slipped into the gathering crowd. Rhyence rubbed a hand over his face. Apparently they would be sleeping in the Great Hall until initiation. He wasn't sure he liked that idea, but if that's what it took to become a huntsman... Well, he wasn't going to complain.

Rhyence settled into place beside a boy with white hair. He spared him a glance, noting the green and brown mismatched eyes, and turned to face the stage. No one was at the mic yet, but there was a pretty blonde-haired, green-eyed woman with glasses. She had to be a teacher, and she appeared to the one from the holograph on the airship. The teacher just stood there, watching as the students interacted, her gaze assessing. Rhyence narrowed his gaze and didn't look away when Blondie met his eyes. They stared at each other and then he was distracted by someone poking his shoulder.

"Excuse me." He glanced towards the white-haired boy, breaking eye contact with the teacher. "Yeah, you."

"What?"

"I like your ears."

Rhyence felt his eye twitch in annoyace. Not another one... He took a moment to consider the boy beside him. Those mismatched eyes were fixed on his ears. He flattened them, eyes narrowing in warning at the other boy.

"Don't touch them."

The guy lowered his gaze to make eye contact and raised his hands in a non-threatening way. "I was complimenting you, nothing else."

He snorted. "That's what they all say."

The guy shrugged. "I believe you. Although, at least you fit in with a group. Humans and faunus alike give me the same look you did when you first saw my eyes. When people stare at your ears, you know, but when they look at me, I can't distinguish whether they're talking with me or at ."

"Mmh." Rhyence didn't really have anything to say to that.

"It's all about how you view things. You could... well, be irritated by it, like you are now, or you could take things in your stride. Personally, I choose to own my uniqueness." He paused for a second before continuing. "Anyway, my name's Valerian. What's yours?"

"Rhyence."

"Well, Rhyence, it was nice meeting you!" Valerian strode off into the crowd of students. Rhyence rolled his eyes at the boy's enthusiasm. He probably got bullied as a kid for his eyes, but Faunus got killed for who they were every day. That was a little different than being picked on when you were ten.

Rhyence was so focused on what Valerian had said that he didn't even take notice of the speech's words, nor did he particularly care that the place was starting to thin out. It was only when someone poked him that he shrugged off his words. His vision focused back on the here and now, and it turned out that the here and now was Bleu, Amaranth, and Midori. Bleu seemed particularly excited.

"Nope."

"You didn't even let me speak."

"I know that expression. Nope." Rhyence turned to leave.

"Oh come on, Rhys! I could've been offering you a million lian." Bleu sidled up next to him.

"Did I say you could call me Rhys?"

"You didn't not say to."

"Yes I did. I specifically did."

"Oh." Bleu shrugged it off. "Come on! You aren't even a little bit interested?"

"Not even a little bit." Rhyence stopped and turned on Midori and Amaranth. "Can you... I don't know, contain him?"

"As I recall, you were the first one to meet him," Amaranth said, barely containing laughter.

"I was no--" He was. Rhyence groaned and started walking again. They followed him, because of course they did. "Why can't you all just leave me alone?"

"Because we're hungry!" Bleu exclaimed!

"Wait, what kind of answer is that?"

"Guys! I heard an older student say that we have to fight a Nevermore to be sorted into teams!" Rìoghail said in a mix of excitement and nervousness as she sat by Valerian. Apparently, she and Diamond had been separated from him during the speech and only now found him in the Great Hall. It was time for dinner.

The response came from an unexpected direction. "Fight a Nevermore? Aren't those the big raven-like Grimm?" spoke a boy wearing blue and purple colours, sitting on the other side of the table. Looking at him, Rio had the impression she'd seen him before and not just in the airship. Had it been in...

"Sanctum!" she involuntarily spoke her conclusion out loud. Of course. He'd been in an older class, but she was sure she'd seen him there. After all, it was natural that she wasn't the only one who had been to Sanctum before Beacon.

"Sanctum?" the boy was confused.

"You studied there, too, didn't you?".

"Oh yes", his face was lit with dawning realisation. "You were a first-year, weren't you? How come you didn't graduate from Sanctum first?".

"I guess I got impatient", Rio smiled, cringing inwardly at the inaccuracy of her reply. The image of four individuals smiling toothy smiles giving their rough faces a threatening air crept up in her head, but she quickly shook it off. That was neither here nor there.

"So you guys know each other?" Valerian cut in.

"Only facially. Though we can amend that right now. My name's Rìoghail Ysbrydtân", Rio tried to be pleasant in spite of the unpalatable resurfacing memories. There was another vision of a tall man with a disapproving expression looking her in the eyes, then unsheathing his katana.

"And I'm Bleu Boysen. I'd shake hands, but the table's kind of getting in the way", the boy did not seem to notice her internal turmoil.

Valerian and Diamond having watched the conversation unfold took the chance to make new acquaintances as well and introduced, too. In response, Bleu's company also joined the introductions.

"Valerian Timberwolf".

"Diamond Schnee".

"Amaranth Inflorescence".

"Midori Fawkes".

So many new acquaintances. Possibly friends, given time. Despite her worry, it seemed that Rio was fitting right in after all. She could have a great time here at Beacon -if at least she could forget her past. And at the moment, she seemed to have succeeded in that respect.

"At this rate, I'm not going to remember the names of everyone I meet today", Rio said with a tongue-in-cheek sort of expression, which begot some laughter out of the rest. Meanwhile, Bleu's expression suddenly froze and molt from a smile to a frown.

"You said something about a Nevermore before?" he asked nervously.

"Yeah. As I was coming here, I noticed one of those brawny guys talking to an older student about initation. He said we'll each face a Nevermore one by one and depending on our performance we'll be evaluated and sorted into teams", Rìoghail explained.

"Fight it? Alone?" Bleu muttered, his voice a little more high-pitched than usual.

"That sounds more like an attempt to scare the freshmen than something the teachers would actually have us do... At least I hope they wouldn't", Valerian seemed skeptical.

"I heard that we're going to need Dust for it, but nothing about Nevermores", Amaranth shared her bit.

"If that's the case, Diamond's all set up", Rio smiled at the other girl's direction. "You've got tons of the stuff!".

"I wouldn't say 'tons', but I suppose you are right. Dust wouldn't be a problem for any of us if need be," Diamond replied. "Why would we need Dust specifically, though?"

"Yeah, it can't be just for fighting, because we have our weapons and semblances, too", Valerian reasoned. "Not that it would make any difference in my case, since I probably use Dust as often as Diamond".

"Then what?" Midori wondered, running a hand through her unruly black hair.

There was a silence -except the sound of cutlery scraping the bottoms of dishes, glasses being put back on tables, the chatter of people and the general lack of silence- as everyone thought about the question at hand. On that moment, Rio noticed a boy with fox ears peeking out of his hair looking at them, possibly listening to their conversation. He was sitting by Amaranth, but had shown no interest in introducing to them or talking at all for that matter. He only seemed to have taken interest when they spoke of the initiation. She opened her mouth to talk to him, but then stopped. She remembered the guy they'd met on the locker room. He hadn't wanted to make friends apparently. Maybe the faunus guy didn't either. She closed her mouth and turned to Amaranth, who had just started talking.

"Well, what I heard might not be true anyway. If it is, though, we'll only find out what it means at initiation", she said. "Seems oddly specific, though".

"Think about it", a voice all too familiar spoke up from behind Rio, and they whipped their bodies to face that mysterious, frankly rude guy-who-Rio-didn't-actually-know-the-name-of-but-he-might-have-a-middle-name-of-Loner-so-who-knows, who was balancing a large plate and adding food as he pleased onto it at a table behind them. It was the least populated table, Rio mentally noted. "You've all pointed out the obvious, yeah, but failed to connect the dots. We have our weapons, we have our Semblances--" Some of us, Rio thought sourly. "--We have everything that we'd need in a normal scenario. So what does Dust bring to the table?" He took a huge bite out of a chicken leg.

Everyone pondered this for a moment. Finally, Diamond spoke up, "Utility. Variance. They help even the odds in unfavourable situations".

"Exactly. At least one of you can use their brains", Rude Guy said with his mouth full. "Now, what kind of unfavourable situation will they have us in tomorrow?" He didn't wait to answer, but stalked off with his heaping plate of food.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, they'd have to go through initiation and then they'd be assigned teams. Rio could only hope she'd be teamed up with people she liked. The prospect of being in the same team as the brawny guys or 'Loner' wasn't one she wanted to think about. Instead, she focused on her stomach, which appeared to be complaining audibly. She was starving! She hadn't eaten one bite since boarding the ship. Her attention was now fully drawn by the table before her and she was awestruck at the amount and variety of dishes laid out on it. She'd never seen anything like it. Scanning the area around her, she spotted all kinds of meat, two or three plates of fish, five different salads, potatoes cooked in three different ways and more she didn't take in at the first glance. She tried to put a little out of everything in her plate, but eventually it was full before she'd managed to get half of it. Undeterred by that, she ravenously attacked some stew and mashed potatoes with her fork and then continued till she had emptied the plate.

A dilemma presented itself before her then as to whether she should have some of the same, as she had found it all to be delicious, or whether she should try the desserts (there were a couple of cakes and some kind of pudding). However, at that moment her train of thought was interrupted by Valerian tapping her shoulder for her attention. She turned her head and he pointed to something. Following the direction his finger indicated, her eyes found the figure of a bespectacled woman trying to get the attention of the room. Rio recognised her as the one whose hologram she had ignored earlier. Eventually the students settled down to listen to her.

"Now that you've all gotten to eat and drink, it's time for you to rest for the beginning of classes tomorrow. I'm sure you are going to need it. The first-year students will be sleeping here at the Great Hall, as they have not been assigned rooms, yet. The rest of you can return to your usual rooms. Thank you".

Realising that the end of the meal was upon her, Rio managed to get a couple of bites of cake while the older students piled out of the Hall. She thought she saw the smaller girl, Midori, slip a large piece of pie into the folds of her cloak, but chose not to comment. Instead, she decided to follow her lead and sneak some food with her, too. Finally, only the freshmen and the teacher remained in the Hall, at which point the latter instructed the former to stand by the wall as she made space. The teacher extended her right arm, holding a riding crop, forward towards the long tables, upon which they were lifted off the ground and placed at the sides of the Hall. There were visible and sometimes audible signs of awe from some students at this demonstration of the use of one's semblance. The blonde woman pointed her riding crop again, so that the dishes and cutlery took off and flew out the door to who knows where. Rio regrettfully watched all the food go away. Through the same door, a great number of sleeping bags flew in a few minutes later, placed all over the now spacious Great Hall.

Bleu nudged Amaranth in the ribs during the spectacular display. "That was like magic!".

"It was just her Semblance, but yeah, she is an amazing Huntress", Midori said between a bit of hidden pie.

"Maybe we'll be like her one day. Can you imagine it?" Rio replied dreamily.

"You will be spending the night here. Although the situation might remind you of a... slumber party, please do your best at trying to sleep. Good night", the witch-like woman concluded and left shortly afterwards.

Having listened carefully to all that their teacher had said, there was but one thing that Rio had to say, "This is a slumber party!".

Diamond slept a restless night, partly because of her apprehensiveness from the initiation and partly from the the general noise of so many teenagers trying to sleep in such a large room. The morning and breakfast were silent and subdued, now that the initial excitement for being at Beacon had worn off mostly everyone (except, it should be noted, Bleu. Diamond surmised he talked enough for everyone) and nervousness for the challenge that awaited them all settled in. Someone from the night before told the story that a student didn't make it out of initiation last year, which did well to cement fear into those less sure of their abilities.

The rumor of needing Dust had permeated the air the night before, and now some students who had procrastinated the night before rushed to try and get Dust from wherever they could, but still Diamond couldn't figure out why it was needed so.She ate in silence and did her best to calm her rising panic from the unknown. This was to prepare them all for everyday life of Huntsmen. She need to deal with it now before her life depended on it.

Diamond prepped herself, mentally checking all of her Dust cartridges. As usual, they were immaculate and fully loaded. Splinter rested on her shoulder and right arm comfortably, its floating parts gently swaying to her breathing. As Professor Ozpin answered question after question of Bleu's, Diamond readied her stance on the launch pad and drilled herself on her military training. Find shelter, scan your surroundings, look for a high place, gauge the danger level of the area, always be aware of your surroundings. Always be aware of your surroundings. Always be awa--

The platform Diamond stood on fell below her feet, and she dropped into darkness. Free-falling, she suddenly realized, and all of her training flew out the window. She glanced to her peripherals, and noticed the other students falling alongside her from the narrow slits of light from where they were just moments before, which were rapidly closing on them.

Diamond focusing her attention below her, into the oblivion. She pushed Splinter off her shoulder, and it transformed into a large, slender rifle. She rolled the Dust into the fire one and looked down her scope. She fired off multiple shots into the darkness below, varying her shots in a large radius around her. They darted past her and flickered into the distance until they were flickering dots in the distance. She punched through Splinter and it met her fist gracefully, forming a gauntlet around it. The center of her weapon glowed faintly in the absolute blackness.

Her shots disappeared in the horizon. So, there was the end. The bottom of... wherever they were. There was something below the land this close to the Academy? She shot multiple fire-propelled shotgun blasts in front of her. The dust of her blasts pelted her in the face as she continued falling, but finally she noticed something from the light of her shots.

Buildings! There were buildings down here! Diamond leveled her gun and landed on a glyph. Her knees buckled from the impact, but thankfully her aura soaked most of the damage. She kept her fist flat against the glyph for a moment, hearing other students fly past her as she knelt against her glyph. Okay, she needed a plan. She felt the glyph fade below her, and she fell again, but this time jumping from glyph to glyph until she could see the building below her from her constant fire shots.

She landed on the roof of a building half crumpled in a half roll and finished in a half-kneeling position and scanned what she could see of her surroundings through her rifle. She couldn't see much, as to be expected, but she could see vague light sources in the distance, both at her level and below. Judging from the lights, she estimated the building she was on to be around four stories high. She stepped forward and the concrete below her shifted underneath her weight. So, the buildings weren't reliable cover, and were probably extremely aged. Diamond jumped off the edge, falling gracefully with her glyphs.

She landed on the ground, a cobblestone road cluttered with rubble and building pieces, with a grunt and checked her surroundings down her scope. One end of the road led to nowhere she could discern by with the limited light she was able to produce. She had plenty of Dust on her, but she still needed to be frugal with her use. She didn't know how long it would take to find whatever relic she was supposed to be looking for. Honestly, she didn't even know what the relic was nor which direction it would be. She could see a light down the other end of the road and decided to shadow it. It would be better than the nothingness that she saw in the other direction. She wouldn't reveal herself to the person, not yet. She needed to re-evaluate her standings before she would let herself cement a partner this early on. She knew little enough about her peers besides their personalities, which was not nearly enough to decide on a partner.

There was Rioghail and Valerian, she mused as she stalked the corners and sides of buildings, keeping far enough behind the light for them not to see her, but not far away to the point she would lose her light guide. Rioghail was a roaring fire of energy and passion, and could talk her ear off if given the opportunity. She could handle herself well enough in a fist fight, proven just the day before. But, Grimm didn't deal with fist fighting, and she had never seen either her or Valerian use their weapon yet. She confessed she didn't pay enough attention to actually remember what their weapons were, unfortunately, so she couldn't decide whether or not she could synergize with their fighting style. There was Midori, who was kind enough, if a little timid. Diamond wasn't sure how well she would handle herself in a fight, judging by how nervous she was the night before. Then there was Amaranth, who had the directness of a leader and the competency of a well-rounded fighter. Diamond still didn't know her weapon, but she wouldn't be a terrible partner. Then there was Bleu, who was even more of a chatter box than Rioghail was. Diamond shook her head. She would not want to be stuck in a room with those two.

Then there was Rhyence. She didn't know much about him, only that he was reserved but seemed competent enough. She racked her mind for anyone else she met throughout the last day. Oh, yes, "Loner". Well, that was a spirited one, both in battle and in tongue. Diamond tried to tell herself she would be fine with being a partner with him, but she just couldn't. She couldn't envision her and "Loner" talking to each other, not to mention fighting alongside each other. He made it abundantly clear he was better off alone, and she couldn't quite disagree with him.

Her thoughts were disrupted by a scuffle behind her. She turned and shot Splinter, its light casting long shadows on the buildings. She turned to keep walking, but something caught her eye. A glint, just a hint of something, but she knew. She lifted her rifle immediately and shot the the wall of the building to her right, blowing it out, and the building groaned in response to its support shattering. A growl met it, and three pairs of piercing red eyes charged out of the building, and right at Diamond.

She met her first Grimm down in the darkness below Beacon.

It was morning, and Midori was starting to regret eating all that pie so soon before bed. All of the new students she'd met the night before stood where they'd been directed by the blond, witch-like teaching assistant: on large, rectangular metal pads. At first glance, they looked like springboards, until Midori noticed the thin seamlines going through the middle.

The ground beneath them was solid rock for what seemed like miles; where were they going?

She glanced uneasily at the student next to her, the tartan-wearing redhead named Rioghail, and mustered up the courage to ask her thoughts on this mysterious initiation, but before she could speak, the headmaster, Professor Ozpin, began to speak.

"Welcome to initiation, students," he began in a calm but authoritative voice. "This will be your time to prove whether or not you truly belong here at Beacon."

I'm still wondering that, Midori thought uncertainly. This pie certainly doesn't.

"This will not be easy," Ozpin continued. "You can die here." Collective gasps. "Not that I want you to, I don't want any of my students to die, but this is a test for how life would be as a Huntsman."

"How reassuring, Headmaster!" Someone called out from their pad. It's what everybody thought; but only one was bold enough to say.

A few paces away, she heard a boy -- Bleu, his name was? -- use the awkward silence to bombard the professor with rapid-fire questions. Like Midori, he sounded frantic, the voice for probably everyone else's feelings. Bleu was just the first of many worried inquirers.

"Please, pay attention," Ozpin called out. "Once you've landed, and do make sure you find out how to soften your landing, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the rest of your time at Beacon. Again, if you don't try to soften your landing, you could die."

"Ms. Goodwitch?" Ozpin nodded in the direction of his assistant. "The initiation may begin."

In a split second, the daylight vanished above her head, and enveloping darkness took its pace. The whoosh of air blurred Midori's limited vision as she free-fell, rendering her temporarily blind.

I'm falling.

I can't fly. There's no room here anyway.

I am so going to die.

The thoughts flowed through her brain like molasses, while the world surged past her at lightning speed.

Professor Ozpin's words, uttered so nonchalantly, echoed in her memory. "If you don't try to soften your landing, you will die."

I have to do something.

I'm going to die. What's the point?

I have to try.

I didn't come this far for nothing. I'm not a quitter.

Chill. They wouldn't drop us all into a dark, bottomless pit if they didn't think we couldn't find a way out.

I'm not going to die?

Darn right, I'm not.

In one deft motion, Midori reached for her bow and a fistful of arrows. In this darkness, she could only hope she'd grabbed the one that would do the trick. With mere seconds to spare, she nocked and fired them all at once, aiming straight down towards the ground.

Below her, she heard at least one of the arrows explode into what was hopefully a puff of thick fluff, to cushion the inevitable fall.

"Oomph!" Indeed, she'd been lucky.

Feeling dizzy and a sudden desire to retch her guts out, Midori felt around her in search of support. Her hands brushed against cold, clammy stone wall sturdy enough to hold her weight for a few minutes as she caught her breath and let the nausea pass. Somewhere off in the distance, she heard the slow, rhythmic dripping of liquid ... presumably water.

Now to get her bearings for real.

Midori could make out the shapes of large buildings among the natural rock formations. Skyscrapers, even. So who knew where the sky ... rather, the roof of this cavern ... even started?

Dusting herself off, Midori realized this was going to be like navigating any unfamiliar city ... but in the dark, with no sunlight and no one around to help if anything goes wrong.

"It's always better to light a candle than curse the darkness." Midori found herself saying an old adage aloud to herself, shivering slightly as the words reverberated across the chamber. Blindly, she rooted around inside her pockets in search of something to help her light her way. She found the stub of a candle, but no matches with which to light it.

Sighing, Midori reached into her quiver of arrows. There were a few left. Hopefully she'd have a bit more luck and pull out some of the right ones.

"Come on, come on...." Her vision, as good as it was in the dark relative to most humans, wasn't that great. But she thought she saw a couple of shafts marked faintly with orange Dust. If this worked, she'd have some light for a few moments.

She held the other presumed-orange shafts between her teeth while she loaded one carefully onto the bowstring, aimed as best as she could, and fired.

For a few minutes, segments of the room were filled with light. Off to the right, there was a small tunnel, small and narrow with barely enough room for a person of average height to crawl through.

Midori, however, wasn't of average height. For once, that was a good thing!

Using memory to guide her, she stepped towards the tunnel and climbed inside. The tunnel only got narrower as she progressed. Trying to ignore the mushy, squishy stuff that hung from the ceiling and brushed against her forehead, Midori squeezed through.

Amidst the sounds of sliding against slime and the persistent dripping, Midori started to hear something more as she approached the other end. Someone, actually, talking ... to themselves?

"Hello?" Midori called through the crawlspace. "Is somebody out there?"

"GAH! A ghost!" the voice, now getting familiar, exclaimed. "Where...?"

"I'm not a ghost," Midori shouted. "It's me, Midori."

"Midori who?"

"Midori Fawkes, your classmate."

"Oh. I, uh, can't say I remember you but ... please, hurry up ... I think I've broken something. A lot of things. Oh, I think it's my leg. And my wrist. And possibly my neck.... How can you even tell if your own neck is broken...? Oh my gosh, what if he's right...? Am I gonna die? I'm gonna die!"

Midori was no doctor, but she had a feeling the voice, whom she was now 90% certain belonged to that guy Bleu, was overreacting to things a bit. Still, she tried to inch through the tunnel a little bit faster. "Did you aura activate before the fall?"

"Well, yeah."

Midori kept her voice gentle. "Then the aura took most of the damage. Just breathe, and you'll be all right. But, Bleu, listen to me, we have to get out of here. Who knows what resides in this ci--"

A roar cut throught the air.

"--ty."