Chapter Text
“Your task is simple: Collect a relic from within the forest, and make it back to the cliffs. Do not hesitate to destroy anything that stands in your way. You will fight and survive, or you will die.” Professor Ozpin’s words played back over and over through Ryder Argent’s mind as he sailed through the air, having been launched off a platform overlooking the large forest near Beacon Academy. He had not been here twenty-four hours, and already he and dozens of other students were going through their first test.
“Test? I don’t think so. This is an initiation.” The young Hunter said to himself, as he opened his eyes. The forest got closer and closer, as Ryder began to descend. He gripped the hilt of his sword, a weapon he called Fourth in his right hand, his landing strategy was going to be slightly unorthodox, but hopefully it shouldn’t cause harm to anyone.
Ryder pulled Fourth from its scabbard, spun it once in his hand, and with a slight hiss and some mechanical clicks, Fourth’s blade split down the middle revealing a large railed barrel. A trigger formed between the cross section of Fourths hilt and crossguard, and a large shell loaded itself into the weapon’s barrel. The large shell was nearly invisible as Ryder pulled the trigger, it sailed through the air, and upon impact with the ground, created a large crater in the earth. That crater would be his landing pad. Fourth became a blade once more, before being placed back in its scabbard. He straightened himself out, and angled himself to fall straight towards that crater which got closer every second, however he was going far too fast to land safely, as a fall from this height with no parachute would kill anybody. Yet Ryder’s Semblance was more than enough to prevent that from happening. When he was close enough to the crater, he activated his Semblance with a snap of his fingers, and a dozen feet from becoming an nasty stain on the ground, he came almost to a complete stop. Ryder smirked to himself, as he very slowly descended the last twelve feet to the ground, not unlike someone moving through water after jumping off a high diving board. Once his feet had touched the ground, Ryder once again snapped his fingers, and the twelve foot invisible dome his Semblance had created vanished.
“Not a bad landing.” Ryder said as he straightened himself up, and brushed off his clothes. “It’s safe now Ying, you can come out.” At his words, Ryder’s shadow extended, and began to rise from the ground taking the shape of a young woman slightly shorter than Ryder. The darkness fell away, and the young girl Ryder called Ying revealed herself. Her clothes were bright, to contrast her Semblance.
Ying inhaled deeply, as she tried to control how bad her body was shaking. Ying wore bright colors contrasting her Semblance’s ability to merge into shadows as she had a horrible fear of the dark. Her bright violet eyes, looked up in slight surprise, when Ryder placed a hand on top of her head, and lightly ruffled her shoulder-length black hair.
“I’m sorry Ying, I forgot you don’t like to use your Semblance if you can help it.” Ryder said smiling slightly, as his fingers worked their way through Ying’s hair.
Ying to her credit, gave Ryder a smile of reassurance, and removed his hand from atop her head. “I am fine now Ryder, yet I believe we should get moving. That explosion may have attracted Grimm.”
The two froze, as the unmistakable growling of a Grimm got their attention. The two stood back to back, as Ryder drew Fourth from its scabbard, and two stylised bladed tonfas came out of the sleeves of Ying’s brightly colored jacket. The growling grew louder, as a large bipedal Grimm stepped into sight above them on the edge of the crater caused by Fourth’s explosive shell.
“Beowulf.” The two said simultaneously. More growling echoed around them as more Beowulf’s surrounded the two at the top ledge of the crater.
“Make that plural.” Ryder said, as his fingers tightened around Fourth.
The growling intensified, and with a long howl, the Grimm charged from all angles at the two Hunters. The two locked themselves into fighting stances, as the Beowulf’s came closer. When there was hardly any more room to maneuver, the Grimm suddenly stopped moving. Locked in motion, and seemingly frozen in time. Then as quickly as it had happened, the Grimm were suddenly moving once more, but they were no longer charging at the two. Instead they fell to the ground piece by piece, having been sliced into ribbons by the two while they were locked in time. And still in the center of the crater, still standing within their respective fighting stances.
“Do you think there are more?” Ryder asked, eyeing the filleted Grimm.
“Undoubtedly so.” Ying said with a slight nod. And as if to emphasize Ying’s statement, four more Beowulf’s appeared upon the ledge of the crater, clearly larger than the others that were lying in pieces at the two Hunter’s feet.
“Well would you look at that. The older siblings came out to play.” Ryder said, as Fourth shifted into its gun mode.
“Allow me to deal with them.” Ying said, her violet eyes flashing with intensity.
“Knock yourself out.” Ryder said, placing Fourth once again in its blade form, back in its scabbard.
Ying slowly walked towards the larger Beowulf's, spinning the bladed tonfa in her right hand in a taunting manner. One Beowulf howled, and the four charged at the young brightly dressed woman. Ying jumped, and placed her left foot on the top of the muzzle of the Beowulf leading the charge. Using the Grimm’s moth as a springboard of sorts, she cartwheeled over the charging Grimm, making several slashing motions with her tonfas as she moved through the air. That particular Grimm hit the ground in three separate pieces. Head, torso, and legs, with its severed head coming to a stop at Ryder’s feet. Ying launched herself into the air once more, in a backflip this time, as mechanical clicking signaled the transformation of Ying’s bladed tonfas. The blades shifted to the opposite of the tonfas, a barrel appeared at the end of the weapon, and a trigger formed along the crossguard like Fourth’s transition into a firearm. Ying pulled the triggers of her now duel pistols, firing rapidly, and filling two other Beowulf's with bullet holes. Ying landed on the balls of her feet, at the same time the two other now deceased Grimm hit the ground. Her two pistol-tonfas now held in a reverse grip. The same way one traditionally uses a tonfa. The last Beowulf howled, and took a swipe at Ying, who ducked effortlessly, and launched a series of blows with her tonfas at the chest of the large Grimm. With each blow, the slider of Ying’s weapons drew back, and fired another bullet, propelling her weapons forward, and increasing the damage the weapon’s rear bayonet did as it repeatedly stabbed the Beowulf. The Grimm dropped to the ground dead, as Ying’s weapons became blades with telltale mechanical clicks.
The sound of applause reached her ears, and Ying’s gaze turned to Ryder. “That was quite impressive.” The young man said offering Ying a congratulatory smile. A smile split Ying’s face, and she took a bow of thanks.
There was no time to celebrate further, as more Beowulf's showed up. Both Ryder and Ying readied their weapons, but their eyes widened in shock when a gunshot rang out, and a pointed crystal shard buried itself in the skull of one of the Beowulfs. Another shot rang out a moment later, and another Beowulf dropped with a similar crystal like shard buried in its skull as well. A third shot came after that, then a fourth, and a fifth after that. A sixth shot rang out, but the crystal stopped in mid-air at the snap of Ryder’s fingers. Tracing the trajectory of where the crystal shard was fired from, Ryder spotted the glint of a rifle’s scope reflected in the sunlight. They had help, and Ryder wasn’t going to turn that down. He snapped his fingers once again, and the crystal shard resumed its path through the air, and buried itself into the skull of the sixth Beowulf.
Several minutes later, their savior made their way down the small slope of the crater Ryder created with Fourths explosive shell. The newcomer was clearly female. She had a bright silver set of armor on. She wore a pale grey coat over her armor, with snow white fur adorning the sleeves and the neck. Her hair was a dull brown, braided into a ponytail she wore over her left shoulder. She also carried what looked to be a bolt-action rifle in both of her hands.
“Dahlia Silverback.” She said respectfully as she stopped several paces from Ryder.
“Ryder Argent.” He responded, and motioned to Ying. “This is my partner, Ying Li Shang.” Ying, bowed slightly to Dhalia, who returned it while also never taking her eyes off the two.
“It looks as if the three of us will be working together from now on.” Ryder and Ying nodded at Dahlia's words, as her rifle transitioned itself into a javelin. However the three soon had their weapons drawn and in their gun modes once more, as the characteristic growling of yet another Beowulf grabbed their attention.
However, neither Ryder, Ying, nor Dahlia got a shot off, as with a red flash, and a sound of thunder, the large Grimm’s head was rended from its shoulders. That red flash then came before the three young Hunters, revealing itself to be yet another young woman. This one dressed in a dark brown and well worn leather jacket. Her eyes were bright red, as was her hair, yet most of it was hidden under a tri-pointed hat that was made of the same well worn brown leather as her jacket. Her buckled boots were of the same material as her hat and jacket, and went up past her knees. The shirt she wore under her jacket was the same bright red color as her eyes and hair, and she gripped a slightly curved cutlass within her right hand.
“Make that four now.” The girl dressed as a pirate said with a wide smile. “My name is Rhea B. Rouge.”