Chapter 29: Over the Moon.
(Cinder Fall-POV)
Cinder had recuperated from the brief but intense surgery she had to have, her new limb reminded her of Mercury's legs, but was more advanced and calibrated for her use. Tonight was to be a meeting, so she had decided to 'add' to her dress, adding long sleeves on both sides as to keep the new limb A secret. Thankfully, Arthur had done his job, handed her A flash-drive with the virus for the CCT and left, smugly but she didn't have to stomach him anymore.
"Emerald, what's the news regarding Adam Taurus and his mission, was it A success?" she asked, glancing at her subordinate. Emerald spoke.
"Well, about that… he's failed that assignment and uh, things could be complicated."
"In what way and Emerald, spare no details" she said, flexing her new arm around and getting used to its weight and strength, leaving imprints on the wooden table.
"The head of the SDC was on board one of the transport's along with general Ironwood and one of his specialist's. among the other's was an contingent of troops. Taurus has killed them man, it's well… the White Fang has expanded, and he estimates his troop size to have reached over four-thousand revolutionaries and still growing. Without you there, he's taken it as weakness on your part and proclaimed his 'liberation' from our hold over him. He's-
"He wants to die then, though my maiden powers were taken from me, this new cybernetic arm is nothing to scoff at, I guess I better put the animal in his place, show him why my word should matter to him. Mercury, speaking of animal's, have you found information on the man who had ripped up my 'plan's" she turned to mercury, he was leaning against one of the crates in their little hideaway.
"I'm getting into contact with Roman, he's also looking for the man, though I don't know why. He Seem's to think we need him and is asking price. And unlike Adam, he was with us when we uh, got A beat-down.
"Honestly Mercury, I've told you I was sorry. I couldn't carry both you and Cinder away, that person…" Emerald had glared, looking out at nothing before blinking and turning her attention towards Cinder. Cinder had sighed and then stood up, turning towards the window, she looked out at the blackened sky. She turned around again before snarling; she turned to the nearest wall and knocked it down with A punch full of anger and with her cybernetic arm. After that there was no more wall, instead splinter's and off-cuts. Cinder laughed then imagining the revenge she would inflict on the one who had ruined her plan A, but she needed to clean up house first, Adam would be put into his rightful place at her feet and Roman will cease his foolishness and tell her everything she wants to know, his life depended on it.
(Kron-POV)
I had woken up to clouds and sun, it seems I was on A rooftop and the weather was quite warm. I had remembered little of what had happened after juniors.
"Well, I better head out now. I got to get used to being out in space, encase I need to fight those of the Frieza force before they get here, intercept them if I'm lucky. I clearly went overboard last night, but I felt good enough for today.
"Alright, leads head back to the north-western continent and test out that pod. Fucking space…" I blasted of, heading over the city and kept on going using my KI to speed along.
It took little time to reach the dragon continent, my stomping grounds were the same as ever, landing south of the jungle I got to work. Removing the pods remote, I clicked A few of the buttons and waited. 9 minutes later was when it had crashed down in front of me, leaving A crater on impact. I inspected the pod briefly as my knowledge of these attack balls were 'inherited' when I came to myself, before shrugging as I was happy there weren't any structural damage. I made sure I was still using the 'Aura sphere' ability encase, the pod, if unlikely, fails running while out there...
Sitting inside, comfortable enough though it was kind of cramped. Memories that were now my own had allowed me to operate the pod and begun the firing sequence, hearing the ship powering up, it begun to glow, surrounded by its energy and the attack ball launched upwards, piercing the sky above.
"Shit… this is going to take some getting used to... concentrate Kron…" I had glanced through the glass paneling to the outside, watching as the higher I got, the darker it become and before I knew it, the outside was completely dark only illuminated by the stars and this system's sun. I had programmed the pod to head towards the nearest Lunar object surrounding the current planet I was on, the planet in the system was named, unknown and wasn't on the PTO's known system's so I had to be careful not to program the attack ball not to head towards the sun. The trip barely lasted four minutes with the flight, before I came hurdling downward upon the cracked moon, landing on the more intact side. I hesitated, I, when it came to…
"Ugh, come on, you're a grown man for fuck's sake, get it together… opening pod door… now... this is weird, I better leave my Scroll and scouter on board, just encase they float away or something." I floated out of the pod, out of the creator and landed on my feet on the surface, folding my arm's while concentrating. Looking around, I begun stalking in one direction, the closet to what I'd imagine was the shortest trip to get to the edge of this moon and get an look at its inner-ad's.
"Whoa… damn, I should have tried this earlier, and it seems my 'Aura sphere' ability Is working as I intended it to work. I feel my Ki being used much more… regularly, siphoning my oxygen and duplicating it by using the Carbon dioxide when I breath out." The exhaled oxygen would then be caught up in my KI in usage of this technique, which allowed me to breath as long as I had KI. Yeah, as long as I had even a trickle of KI inside me, I felt safe.
"So, training up here, I'm going to have to learn to better use my KI and the right amount's. Wasting my energy would have A high chance of me committing suicide… by lack of oxygen…" I continued walking, noting that the surface had pulled me down more and more as I went along. Finally, it was strange, like looking off A cliff, instead I was looking off the moon's surface, the edge I had stood on had kept me steadily onto the surface, Fucking hell…
"Now… if I, step… off the moon now, I should just be able to… walk onto the other side. Like walking down, the side of A building... ah, thanks to the unstable gravitational pull, I was still 'attached' to the moon as I trekked over its rough landscape.
it was A scary sight really, If I hadn't known I would be pulled back onto the surface via gravity, it would look that if I stepped off, I would fall away into an black abyss. Doing so, ever so hesitantly, my leg swung onto the cracked moon's layered mantle which as I looked, was full of different minerals and rock layer's. I had not fallen away from the moon, instead I had 'flipped' so to speak, onto the other side and I could stand. I saw the molten glow of the moon and as I walked closer, I felt the pull of the moon become much, stronger.
"Yeah, now this, ugh… let's just keep going… over…here…aargh, shit…" I had only walked A total of seven steps as I had counted to get my mind on the crazy shit, I was attempting but seven steps was when I had begun to be pulled 'much closer to the mantle. Even trying another step wasn't looking like it would happen, the stress I felt already on my form was like, what I had saw Goku go through when he first tried gravity training while on route to Namek.
"Well, no sense in going closer to that molten core, heh, it's actually a good visual background… to train to." And so, with this, I had begun doing some push-ups, it feels like I'll be coming back to my new 'gym' in the future. Enough distracting thought's, time to concentrate…
(Weiss Schnee-POV)
She woke up, actually she was one of the first one's waking up today. Looking around, she saw that Blake's space was unoccupied which meant she was already gone, most likely to eat and prep herself.
For today, she would become A huntress.
She stood up and immediately headed towards the locker-room's, there were not that far from here actually as the ballroom had used to be another room entirely, she didn't know what though. Weiss had still felt a little down, her father was killed and even if she hated the man, well… he was an manipulating-…but still he was her father.
"No, forget about that situation, I have to remain focused on today… Now let's get ready, then A light breakfast. I better check my dust supplies on me and add accordingly." She stalked forward, more and more students were spotted, these were the second and higher years with an occasional early riser from her year group were spotted heading in the opposite direction, most likely to the cafeteria as they were kitted up and armed with their unique weapons for the day. Walking towards the cafeteria, she spotted quite A bit of people mingling, eating and heading to and fro. Looking around, she spotted her friend Blake was also here. She went about grabbing what she wanted for breakfast quickly before heading towards the girl.
"Blake, I see you're ready. We've got three hours until it start's yes." Weiss sat down, placed her tray and stared at the Faunas girl who gazed at her while reading and eating her breakfast.
"Yeah, plenty of time. Has there been any word about how teams are formed yet, you'd be one to know about this…stuff." Blake asked, having to speak an little louder than usual over the noise of the cafeteria's patrons.
"No, I'd imagine we'd find out soon though, we're supposed to assemble near the cliffs. I don't know about anything else, so, do you want to team with me" She asked her, looking around to the side when she spotted Pyrrha Nikos heading off from her table to get changed. Turning back to gaze at Blake, the girl in question had A calculating look on her face.
"We're better off finding out how the teams are formed first, but yes." she said before turning her attention to her book. Blake stood up and then put her book away before grabbing her empty tray.
"I'll see you; I'm going to head out" Blake went, leaving Weiss to finish the last of her breakfast.
After that, she was ready and so, went to the area where they'd were to assemble at. She walked a bit more quickly than she was used to, hurrying along the halls. There was a lot of students now, also going about this morning's ritual of getting ready and eating breakfast, or the other way around. Paying no mind to them, she wandered outside, seeing a few already heading to the designated area. Spotting Pyrrha, who was further ahead of her, she went to catch up and talk to her.
"Hey! Pyrrha, hello." she called out, the red head turned and glanced her way with an neutral expression before realizing who it was. Her eyes lit up somewhat and she stopped and waited.
"Hello, Weiss Schnee, I uh, learned your name when last we spoke but I already heard you'd be coming to Beacon anyway and knew what you looked like. Sorry for not asking you personally, but I'd figure you know how it feels, to be recognized by sight." She spoke to Weiss, before the end her tone of voice went gloomy before she forced A smile. Weiss had seen smiles like those before, from her mom, from herself in the mirror... so she understood.
"It's fine, I know your name too and your right, only by reputation, but I guess if you want, we could get to know each other better, instead of just what has been circulated around by others, become 'real' friend's uh that is… you know, if you want to." Weiss said awkwardly, she had made one friend in the form of Blake, and she was torn between what Kron had meant to her these days.
"That'd be grand, really, I uh, hey, that… one guy you and the other girl…Blake… and the blonde girl were sparing against. What's the deal with him, he seems too not be around… I… went uh, looking for him, ask him something, I wanted to spar against him sometime, have you seen him?" so Kron, the dolt, has even the 'great Pyrrha Nikos' interested in him, bah… she just wants to spar, nothing untoward. Sighing, Weiss spoke up.
"He has this thing, where he uh... fly's and yeah, he does that-"
"I Saw, yesterday." Pyrrha spoke up amused, "Ah… sorry, continue please" Pyrrha added, embarrassed.
"He said he's got another job, no details but seeing as his room is still occupied by him, he'll be resting here and going to wherever he now work's, it doesn't seem convenient really, squatting inside the academy like a homeless bum, but I think the headmaster had invited him to stay, at least, for now, you'll get a chance meeting him, I'm sure." Weiss said, not too sure but what she knew so told the girl what she did know. There was more and more student's heading outside, passing them by and they looked at the crowd before turning to each other.
"We can talk later Weiss, who knows, we might even end up on the same team." Pyrrha smirked playfully towards her, she smiled in return.
"Come on, lets head there before we're late" the two of them turned and walked, following the increasing crowd. The area where they walked to was high up near the Emerald Forest, which had new additions to its landscape, though she and Blake had seen when they had appeared, and by who. The… craters were scattered around the forest and very easily to see even from where Weiss and the rest of student's had converged to. Seeing strange square or box-like mechanisms with Vale's banner on them assured if not the others, then Weiss that they had made it to the right place.
"Wow… look at all of them creator's, was there A meteor shower I didn't hear about huh…" The blonde girl… Yang had spoken up, the younger girl with her had also looked at the… scorched earth that Weiss knew was Kron's handiwork, his way of training really was weird. She would have answered the girl but then amongst the crowd three people, Glynda Goodwitch and the headmaster, Ozpin had arrived. There was one more person there, the woman was someone Weiss hadn't seen at the school before, maybe a teacher who just got back from holiday. The woman's skin had matched what she heard those from Vacao had, tanned and 'exotic' looking. She stood with the headmaster and Glynda but didn't really look to them, instead gazing behind her at the scenery before them. At last, as the crowd quieted down, Headmaster Ozpin spoke up.
"For year's you have trained to become warrior's and today your abilities will be evaluated in the emerald forest…" he finished, Glynda then spoke, holding A more 'heavy-duty' Scroll within her hand's.
"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammate's… today." Glynda finished, peering at the crowd.
"These teammate's will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it's in your best interest to be peered with someone with whom you can work with well… that being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four year's" Ozpin said, glancing everywhere there was A student, looking to as many as he could.
"What!!-" the girl, Yang's sister… Ruby yelled out from where she stood, on A platform near her sister.
'See, I told you-" another girl had spoken up, to A guy on another platform.
"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest, you uh… will meet opposition along the way- Glynda, when was the last time that Kron was sighted in the forest?" he turned to Glynda and mid-conversation with the aligned student's, asked her this question.
"Ah… he has only been twice… I think… There should be plenty of Grimm the student's-"
"Excellent, ah where were we, right… do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path for you will die… you will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation… but our instructor's will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple, and many craters along the way, at the end of the path you will find several relics at this temple, each pair must choose one of these relics and return back here. You will guard that item as well as you're standing and will be graded appropriately.
"Are there any question's, good. Now, take your position's. These runic-like squares will launch each of you into the forest, each of you will use your own landing strategy." he finished, drinking from his mug.
"Uh... sir, about these landing strategies, are we, will we be getting parachutes for this… uh, it doesn't look that safe-" The blonde boy had managed to speak out,
"I think I just went over that… Jaune Arc, yes? be ready. Other student's not on one of these platforms, you will line up behind one of your fellow student's where we will launch you in 'batches'. Form up quickly." He finished, already some of the students were being launched upwards where they fell down into the valley.
Weiss and the first 'batch' of student's were then routinely launched off of the cliff and into the forest below.