Edited by: Kumiho
Sipping at his coffee, Ozpin toyed with a pawn as he watched over the Initiation Ceremony.
Hunters-to-be raced through the forest, using their Aura and fantastical weapons born of technology to fight off the dark monsters of Grimm. Ozpin sighed at the pale imitation of magic. It made him nostalgic in a most painful way.
If only he had the power of the Brother Gods, humanity wouldn't suffer so. But then again, to have that power would be to rely on the Brother Gods, and if there was one thing that he and his… opponent agreed upon, it was that the Gods were better removed from the board.
…Arguably speaking, if the Brother Gods hadn't 'intervened', they wouldn't even be in this situation, one where humanity had to fight an unending onslaught of Grimm.
Rolling the pawn through his knuckles, Ozpin mused at how simple they were.
Pawns. Low and weak pieces that could only move and control a single space and only ever forward, but oh-so-vital to the opening moves of chess. Always start with a pawn to the center of the board if you could with the powerful early moves of two spaces of movement, use them as barriers and scarecrows and wardens; they were always necessary, but ultimately… always a sacrifice.
…If Ozpin was honest, he was growing tired of chess. Watching young hunters-in-training gather and form up, idly destroying Grimm with aplomb, he wished that they could simply… stay in this moment. Where things were simple. Only a single and simple enemy to destroy.
…Sometimes, he wondered, in his long and immortal life, if he hadn't gotten too used to sacrifice.
Flicking his eyes to the rightmost screen, Ozpin watched as Ruby Rose, a girl on the cusp of becoming a woman, wielded a scythe with expertise matching a certain dusty old crow. If he closed his eyes, Ozpin imagined he could almost imagine another silver-eyed warrior named Summer.
…Ruby's mother had been an excellent piece. All of team STRQ had been, until their dissolution. He held no ill-will to those who had been lost, those who had left, those who wished to rest. This war was unending, and…
Ah, well. At least the crow was still around. Scanning quickly through the screens, Ozpin sipped to hide the laugh bubbling as he watched the dazed crow alight on a branch looking aggrieved. Poor Qrow's bad luck, only he would be clipped by his own niece in flight.
Scanning through the rest of the screens, Ozpin sighed. This year's collection, as with the past years, looked to be yet another fine set. Training passed and done, they would protect the settlements and defend the cities.
Ozpin hadn't given up on reclaiming and gaining ground against Salem, but… Perhaps another year. Best to wait and build up for now.
"He didn't have his aura activated." His companion suddenly spoke.
Glynda Goodwitch. His right-hand woman and Deputy Headmaster of Beacon Academy. A great and useful piece that had found its place by his side in raising the next generation of Hunters; Glynda was an experienced and powerful Huntress. Right now, she was helping him grade and oversee the examinees in their exam.
"Hm?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow. Following Glynda's gaze, he nodded as he realized that she was referring to the Arc boy. He nodded, "Aye."
Tapping her Scroll aggressively, Glynda continued, "He's clearly faked his transcripts."
"Aye," Ozpin nodded, wondering why this was important. Arc wasn't dead yet.
"And despite all that, you're refusing to withdraw him from initiation," Glynda sighed before snapping into a glare, "Give me an actual answer this time, or I swear I'll find every last bean of your beloved Mistralian Misty Mountain blend and burn them to a crisp."
Taking the threat in stride, Ozpin shrugged, "You know I cannot simply withdraw him, Glynda. For all intents and purposes, the students are on their own. They must either reach the ruins or escape to the evacuation point. If they can do neither, then I suppose they'll have to pray for a passing Hunter to save them."
Glynda scowled, "He'll die!"
"Such is the way of the Hunter. If you truly are worried though, I'll notify the supervising Hunters to keep a closer eye on that area," Ozpin said, doing just that as he tapped away a quick message on his Scroll, "And did you forget where we are, Glynda? We will be watching over them ourselves."
Letting out a deep breath, Glynda sighed, "You are right, Ozpin. Apologies." Pushing her glasses up her nose, she asked, "And if he passes?"
"if he passes initiation, then he will have earned his place like the rest of them. We are a Hunter's Academy, my dear Glynda. We are only concerned with potential. If he passes, Mr. Arc will have proven that he has met the minimum. We have an initiation for a reason."
Ozpin retrieved the thermos from his belt. Coffee, what would he do without such a blessing?
"And if he doesn't?"
"Then I suppose he dies," Ozpin sipped before adding on a caveat, "Or fails if he makes it back."
Rubbing a temple with her free hand, Glynda sighed,"I really wish you wouldn't make such morbid jokes."
He hadn't been joking, but if that's what she wanted to believe, so be it.
"They signed up for the job; they should know the risks," Ozpin reminded her. Then he attempted to reassure her, "As it is, he's already survived the landing strategy portion without any broken limbs."
"He only survived because Pyrrha Nikos saved him." Glynda scoffed as she returned to reviewing the transcripts of the examinees, plotting out a lesson plan idly. She then stopped and looked back up, eyes wide in horror, "...He only survived because Pyrrha Nikos saved him. Ozpin, you launched a civilian without Aura into the forest!"
Ozpin sipped. Again, coffee. What would he do without it?
"Unknowingly. Unknowingly is the keyword."
"Did you really not know before I brought this up!?"
Another sip. "...Plausible deniability is a wonderful sleep aid, Glynda. You should try it."
Ooh, hyperventilation. Ozpin remembered when Glynda was a young first-year Huntress-in-Training becoming a new leader. She always did have that bad habit of breathing too fast when confronted with unforeseen complications.
Though, as an adult, she had found ways of regulating her breathing. A few coughs, and Glynda quickly recovered enough self-control to not shout too loudly, "My point still stands. He's partnered with Pyrrha Nikos! She'll carry his deadweight! He should not be here!"
Funny as Ozpin was fairly certain Arc was the one literally carrying Pyrrha right now. A bridal carry no less. Truly, Jaune had been well-trained in the ways of the Arc Family. He'd have to let Barthemelow know that tidbit when he made the odds for pairings for the Relationship Betting Ring.
"Then he has luck; a quality all hunters need. Glynda, do relax; it's a simple matter of can versus cannot. If he, at some point in the future, cannot do something vital to the duties of a Hunter, I will personally expel him from this academy."
Hands clenched around her Scroll, Ozpin worried that he would lose another piece. It'd be such a shame to lose Glynda this early in the year. She was crucial with dealing with the other eternal and unending threat in his long life; paperwork.
"...I will expel him as a fraud. If only for his own safety," Glynda vowed.
Hiding the sigh of relief, Ozpin pushed his luck and warned, "So long as you do it through coursework and not the boring route of simply announcing Mr. Arc's transcripts are false."
"Really?" Glynda raised an eyebrow.
"Call me old school--"
"Positively ancient and medieval," Glynda snapped.
"...Call me old school, but I believe that a Hunter proves themselves with their action. He deserves a chance at least, and Jaune Arc is adapting admirably." Ozpin pointed at the screen displaying Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos entering a cave. Aw, Nikos had already wriggled out of the bridal carry. No matter, there would be time to… nurture that pairing.
He didn't quite purse his lips in annoyance when barely five seconds later, a giant scorpion chased the two of them back out.
"I doubt he'll be able to adapt to a DR-4 class Deathstalker," Glynda pointed out dryly, "You need to pull him out now."
"He'll be fine," Ozpin waved off the concern, hoping that Glynda wouldn't notice that there was also a DR-4 Nevermore in the sky. If she did, she'd insist that the entire Initiation be called off, rather than simply pulling out a supposed 'civilian'.
All this fuss over some mildly destructive Grimm. Back in his day, you weren't considered a true Hunter until you had faced off at least three DR-4 Grimm. At once. Alone. And weaponless.
"How!? How is he even remotely ready? I doubt he even knows how to use his sword!"
"You didn't watch him fight the Beowolf pack before meeting Pyrrha?"
"He WHAT!?" Glynda yelled with the entirety of her body. Dashing towards the control panel, she rewound through the various footage and stared with focus at the video of Jaune Arc fighting a pack of Wolves with a sword and shield.
Stepping to the side, Ozpin critiqued the form."Bit roughshod, I'll admit, and he was quite battered by the end of it, but he fought quite well with the sword, and shield he had on hand. He uses the shield well and his stance is firm, but he's a bit too hesitant with his swings at times. I believe he aims for the perfect strike. Admirable, but a poor habit he needs to unlearn."
Despite knowing that Arc survived, Glynda still flinched at every clash the boy endured, fists clenching everytime he took a hit so hard he coughed blood. She only relaxed once Pyrrha Nikos met up with him and awoke his Aura.
As she returned the video to a live-feed, Glynda growled, "He almost died fighting them, Ozpin."
"But he didn't."
"While I'll admit that he does have a… decent foundation, I maintain that he's not ready for this," Glynda sighed before slapping the panel angrily, "How'd this Deathstalker pass the Culling!? We were supposed to clear the Emerald Forest of all DR-3 and above Grimm."
"We did. This one just happened to be hidden. It's fine. The regulations allow us to have one or two DR-4 class Grimm to add to the realism of the test. We have more than enough Huntsmen on standby to put them down if need be. Besides, these students should be able to handle a few DR-4 classes."
"While, yes, a DR-4 class is not a threat to a group of Hunters-in-Training, Jaune Arc is not a Hunter-In-Training. He is a civilian, Ozpin."
"Glynda," Ozpin said, stepping forward. A simple step, but one that bore the full-weight of his age, "If he wishes to gamble his life, then so be it. Stealing Arcturus Arc's weapon, disobeying his father, Jaune Arc will either die a Hunter today or live to be trained into one. I will not turn away another fighter in this war of ours."
Those of the Arc Family were… interesting. A relatively young familial line, barely five generations old, they were… wilful pieces, near-impossible to control, but… directable in a pinch, especially to protect those. Nearly everyone who bore the name of Arc, by blood or by choice, found themselves muddling through events of history. Jean Arc who helped free Vale from Atlas, bearing only a flag; Arcturus Arc leading decisive battles in the Faunus Wars despite only being a footsoldier; Nicholas Arc, a simple retired huntsman who had raised a litany of daughters who had inserted themselves into a variety of fields as leaders and innovators; Ozpin found that the typical Arc was a strange commoner who had the audacity and daring to stand in arenas where Heros feared to tread.
When he was younger, he found such contradictions irritating, but nowadays, he saw the Arcs as… fascinating. While he couldn't control them, he could depend on them to always fight for the people and that was good enough.
Mere pawns, but pawns on his side with an interesting knack for being in the right place at the right time. Ozpin had never cultivated an Arc before, but when one waltzed in in such a manner? Who was he to deny an opportunity? It'd be fascinating to see the results. With luck, he could have a lineage such as the Silver-Eyed warriors to depend upon.
Though he still struggled to understand what their family motto meant. Whatever was an Anime?
"Why are you so callous about him?" Glynda scowled. Still, she lowered her head in deference even as she watched with worry at the duo fighting the Deathstalker.
"I did warn them that they should be prepared to destroy everything or die," Ozpin pointed out. "I would have you note that he challenged all of those Beowolves without aura."--He sipped his cup-- "Imagine what he can do with aura now."
If an Arc could do such incredible feats such as forming kingdoms and winning wars without his support, imagine what could one do with his guidance?
Unfortunately, Glynda couldn't read his mind nor his plans. Probably for the best as she'd surely disapprove of his 'callousness'. Her fears unassuaged, she scowled, "Ozpin, are you purposely misunderstanding my worries? He is woefully unprepared for this lifestyle. It is irresponsible of us to the extreme to let this travesty continue. We have to withdraw him. It's already a miracle the launchpad didn't kill him."
"We already have Hunters watching them. We're watching them right now, in fact. If anything happens, we will be there to catch them. It'll be no different from the usual Initiations with the usual students that fail to meet our criteria."
"Those were actual Hunters-in-Training. Jaune Arc has had no training."
"Some," Ozpin corrected. Seeing Glynda's confusion, he sighed, "He's had some training. He is from the Arc Family." Absolutely insane training, to be sure, wearing weights even in the midst of battle, but seeing an Arc drop their weights for a significant powerboost was…
…Was
that why Jaune was wearing the chestplate?
"By the Gods, I suppose some is enough then," Glynda sighed.
"Exactly," Ozpin sipped. Arc's were delightfully unpredictable. Nicholas had been decent, but his insanity had been focused on the marital side rather than the martial side. He held no grudge though. Ozpin had made a pretty Lien on the team-wide marriage that Nicholas had.
"I was being sarcastic, Ozpin," Glynda growled, "I've said this before and I am saying it again; he didn't even have his aura activated!"
"Well, the Arc Family do believe in the old ways," Ozpin sipped his coffee, making a note to ask Bartholomew for more later and the name of the brew. This new blend was quite good; mellow at first but growing in depth later, "I think you're being overly concerned. Watch him, Glynda. He knows how to fight. So far, Jaune Arc has handled himself admirably."
"Ozpin, he just got launched through the air by that Death Stalker."
"Well, I hope he has a better landing strategy this time then. His earlier one was abysmal."
"He didn't have one! He was saved by Pyrrha Nikos's spear!"
"Exactly. Exactly," Ozpin nodded and sipped upon nothing. He frowned before turning on his heel, "I'm off to refill my cup. Back in a moment!"
Ignoring his Deputy Headmistress's continued worries, Ozpin found himself musing upon chess again.
A pawn was saved today by a Queen today. If it made it to the end of the board, perhaps it could be promoted again?
Ah, well. This chess game had been going on for centuries. The rules hadn't changed, only the pieces, and even Queens could be sacrificed.
…Perhaps even Kings. At the very least, old Wizards.
…Damnation, why was there only decaf in the cabinets?
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AN:
Sorry about the lack of replying to comments, been busy. If I remember to, I"ll try and do the backlog, but no promises.
ANyways! BEHOLD! The return of my very first of the one shots, revamped and edited to better fit this story.
It's eco-friendly to recycle after all!
In all seriousness, the tone of this one-shot fit with my goals for this story, so I've decided to use it as chapter 2.
I"m at a crossroads here though. THere's another one-shot that I think could serve as chapter 3 with a bit of editing and revamping, but the problem is that it completely skips Initiation.
COmpletely honest? Don't really want to write Initiation again. Just like the Wave Arc in Naruto and the USJ Incident Arc in MHA, writing Initiation feels so overdone. I wouldn't even do anything that different beyond adding in some funny bits and jokes which just feels *bleh*. Like RWBY: Ice Queen condensed Initiation into one episode! SO I'm thinking of just skipping it and then having it be referenced anecdotally.
Thoughts? Opinions?
What's coming out now is pre-written stuff. There's going to be a... soft hiatus for a while. I'll still write when I can, but it's not going to be my focus. In between trying to get my college schedule back on track, prepping for a surgery, and cleaning house to prepare for the recovery period after; my family's been quite busy.
I'll still try my best to write, but things are definitely going to be slower for a bit.
Sorry! There's one more chapter of Mystia's Cooking Academia and I have about half of the next chapter of AGT done. It's about Reisen!
Anyways, I think that's all the updates for now. Here's and thank you for reading this story and supporting me on my literary journeys!
If you want more of this, suggest it in the polls on my patreon and I'll pencil it in for people to vote on!
To all my patrons, thank you. It really helps.
If you want to help support my writings, here's a remind that I have a
Patreon! Feel free to help out there! It gets you big thankies and also previews and sneak peeks to finished chapters. You'll get episodes a week ahead, but you'll also possibly get to comment on completed scenes. You also get discord roles. It's just for things. There's also a
Discord!
Now onto the comments! Likes and follows are all well and good, but comments are what really make me feel as if a work is meaningful or doing well. Gives me energy and interaction to keep on writing!
But ah. Uh... No flame wars please.
