RWBY: Welcome to Lodestar (A Fate Core System RP) - Game Thread

[Pappytech]

Ducking so that she wouldn't be caught up in the other Faunuses' team-assault, Claire couldn't help but whistle in appreciation as the two fighters summarily removed the Grimm's wolf head. Now those were some impressive moves, striking with an insane amount of strength and coordination. It looked like Lodestar really would be a step above Sanctuary when it came to sheer combat ability.

And speaking of her old school... Claire's eyes hadn't deceived her; it really was Ms. Boldeleon leading the charge against the Tartarus! Claire knew she shouldn't have been surprised that one of Sanctuary's top students was aiming for Lodestar as well, but she hadn't expected to run into Jade during the initiation test. Still, considering the Grimm standing before them and the horde that was doubtlessly still coming up from behind, there were probably worse people to team up with.

"All of you! We can end this now if we work together!"

Well, she wasn't wrong, Claire reflected. Granted, a part of the Faunus didn't want to end the fight this quickly; she'd just gotten here, after all, and wanted to see what the Tartarus was capable of. But on the other hand, if this battle wasn't wrapped up soon, odds were none of the hopeful students would be making it out of here alive. Some of the other students had already started following Jade's advice, launching their own attacks to try and push the monster back. Might as well give it her all as well. "Alright then, making it count!"

Disconnecting her swords with a mechanical clack, the young woman darted forward, watching the great Grimm's pained, infuriated throes for any signs of weakness. Ducking past the giant horned Faunus and flipping over the girl with the great-ax, Claire locked her eyes on the bull head's chin. A solid blow there would stun the beastie, making it that much easier to finally topple.

Grinning with excitement, the girl connected her swords by their hooked ends, letting go with her left hand and thrusting her right arm back behind her. Except, with a crackling sound not unlike a bunch of popping knuckles, her arm stretched back far further than should have been possible, stretching out to nearly six feet. Then, throwing her whole body into the spin, Claire swung her weapons forward, the swords digging a furrow into the ground as they whipped forward with blinding speed. The vicious blade on the end of Naga's hilt traced a deadly arc that ended abruptly at the Tartarus's chin. With the sound of cracking bone and a spray of blood filling the air, the Grimm's head snapped back from the blow.

Letting the centrifugal force carry her back and away from the monster, Claire rehinged her right arm and separated her swords, catching one in each hand. Bracing herself in case further action was needed, the girl shot a quick glance over her shoulder, towards Matt, the man that the ax-girl had been shouting at. "Okay, big guy, it's all yours!"

 

[Terratina.]

"All of you! We can end this now if we work together!"

"Sounds like a plan." Jet muttered to himself, but wasn't that what the group of prospective Lodestar students were doing? The Tartarus had been taking a beating from their combined efforts and was continuing to do so. The end had to be near.

The Owl Faunus stood up and converted the Dirge back to its trident form as he slide down the ridge towards the beast. His body moved by itself, there was no thought to it. No concern about being crushed by a giant, half-dead Grimm, no fear. When Jet reached flat ground, he hit the ground running, building up momentum. One foot after the other.

That steady rhythm was interrupted as the teenager slid and weaved, getting at the beast's underbelly. As Jet slide to a hault, he hacked at the Grimm's back legs until Jet needed to catch his breath. Done, he retreated back and embellished it with a backwards flip. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.

 

[EmperorZuma]

This was his chance.

Schwarz could see the Tartarus was stumbling, the assaults from the others where driving the thing back, no doubt doing their fair share of damage as well. However, if Schwarz let the other students finish Jade's plan, then he would be robbed of the glory, without even a trophy to show for the effort.

Bringing Blooming Anemone to bear, Schwarz loosed his Semblance upon it, once again brightening his features with its brilliant golden glow. The glow extended beyond his body and whirled around the blade, while the wind around him seemed to shift, swirling around the boy poised to strike.

Then, in a flash, Schwarz attacked, charging past the others and leaping up to attack the boar head. As he neared, the winds shifted and twisted Schwarz about, turning his glowing blade into a golden disk. When this came into contact with on of the boar's tusk, it cut it clean off, and then continued to the beast's exposed skull. Like the tusk, it quickly gave and broke away, like it was made of chalk. Schwarz continued down the side of the Tartarus, sundering the beast's armor from head to tail.

His attack complete, the golden disk became Schwarz once again, his Semblance's light gone. After he landed, Schwarz turned to look at the Tartarus fall, but gasped as he noticed that the beast was still standing. Its natural armor had been practically disintegrated, but the flesh beneath seemed more injured by the armor plates falling off then it did from Schwarz's attack.

The prince tried to rise to deal a finishing blow, but staggered as he felt the weight of his Aura being practically spent. Then, from back by the Grimm's front, Schwarz could see Matt making his charge. "No!" Schwarz tried to muster himself from one more attack, or summon the strength to at least divert Matt's inevitable blow. However, the strain was too much, and Schwarz had to prop himself up with his sword in order kept from falling down.

He failed, and the opportunity had slipped away.

Spoiler: OCC

Created the "Sundered Armor" Advantage with two free invocations.

 

[Arcanist]

Matt grunted as he slid back into his defensive stance, Irdenkrieg braced between his hands. Crushing the snake head was just the beginning, apparently - Amber and Di followed up with an impressive decapitation maneuver with the wolf head, leaving just one - the bull. Despite its extensive injuries, it was still alive, even if barely.

Unfortunately, when it came to a Grimm as dangerous as a Tartarus, 'barely alive' was more than enough to put a Hunter in the ground.

Matt takes in a deep breath, for what seemed to be the thousandth time that day. The sum total of all the punishment he'd taken so far was beginning to pile up, and he was rapidly approaching his limit - if this fight didn't end right now, people were going to get hurt. If anybody broke a leg, would they have the time to get them to safety before the horde arrived? Hell, did they even have the time left to kill this monstrosity before it was upon all of them?

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. 'No. 'Focus.'' Beating himself up with such negativity wouldn't get him anywhere - regardless of how true was.

His path was clear - end this fight right now, or die trying.

"All of you! We can end this now if we work together!"

Jade seemed to have come to the same conclusion, as she called out a rallying cry to her fellow students. She nocked an arrow, aiming it square at the rampaging Grimm.

One last strike. All or nothing.

Time to make it count.

"On my mark! 3... 2... 1..."

Matt buries Irdenkrieg's tip into the bedrock, exhaling his held breath. The thrum of Aura at his feet shifts in tempo, coming into cadence with his steadying heartbeat.

'I am as the mountain.'

He closes his eyes, turning his focus wholly towards the task at hand. It was strange, really - for all of his practice, for all the times he channeled, he couldn't help but feel so small compared to Remnant itself. Every time he extended his senses, fused Remnant's Aura with his own, he couldn't help but note how he was just a blip, a mote upon a mote.

'Hewn of stone and forged of metal.'

And yet... this time was different. Now, he wasn't just an addition, a visitor. He was the stone at his feet. He was Remnant. Every crack, every crevice, every stone, every grain of sand... all of it resonating in the recesses of his mind.

'Only by my will shall I be broken.'

It was a strange sensation, to be sure. He no longer certain where Remnant ended and he began, so close had the union become. He registered the sounds of battle at the edge of his conciousness, but only barely, minutely.

He was Remnant. He was the mountain. Unbreakable. Immovable. Invincible.

'Let the world quake and crack in my wake.'

He'd make that monster pay for touching his friends.

Eyes flying wide open, he rockets forward with a sudden lurch, dragging Irdenkrieg through the stone, cutting through it like warm butter, sparks of Aura issuing from the fissure it created in its wake. The noise it made was loud and terrible, to be sure, but Matt paid it little mind. His focus was absolute - directed front and center. Before he knew it, he'd slammed into the monster's torso, forcing it back onto its rear legs as it desperately struggled to regain its footing without being pushed into the ravine.

One leap forward, landing in front of the monster's exposed legs. One arc with Irdenkrieg, striking against Grimm flesh with terrible force. A rush of air, as the beast is sent flying, flying...

One sickening crunch, as it impales itself on the rocks below.

Matt drops down onto one knee, his breath ragged and strained. It'd taken every last bit of strength he could muster... but they'd done it. They'd killed a Tartarus.

"W...we actually did it. We killed it." He forces himself to his feet and hobbles the last few steps to the edge, using Irdenkrieg to make up the difference as feeling slowly starts to return to his exhausted limbs. The ravine was as deep as it was wide, but the Grimm's corpse, black as the night sky, contrasted sharply against the alabaster stone, making spotting it rather easy.

He's shaken from his reverie by howls in the not-so-distant horizon. Matt wheels his head around, his breath catching.

The Horde had caught up.


"Everyone, across the bridge! We're almost there!" Matt readies Irdenkrieg and makes a break for the bridge, conspicuously trailing behind. He knew he wasn't the fastest runner, and he almost certainly couldn't outrun the Horde without help. But maybe, with the bridge acting as a chokepoint, he could slow it down, buy the others time...

He'd come to that when it was necessary. Likely very, very soon.

---------------Elsewhere----------------

Professor Wink whooped with joy as the Tartarus feel out of sight, deep into the ravine. Even stoic Professor Francis couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow, pleased by the display. "See, Victoria? I told you! Legends in the making, I say!"

"Hm. Perhaps." Wink never really understood why Professor Francis had to be so detached all the time - sure, she handled Dust, but he knew for a fact you didn't need to be a stick-in-the-mud to do that! His expression deflates a bit, however, when she sees her aloof demeanor drop for an instant, her breath catching. Turning back to the horizon, his eyes widen with a mixture of horror and shock. The Horde had arrived, and was descending swiftly upon the exhausted students.

"That's it! I've had enough!" Wink righted himself, drawing his weapon. "I'm not going to stand by and let students die for the sake of the school's honor!" He stepped forward to the balcony's edge, half-expecting Francis to stop him.

What he didn't expect was Professor Abah's arm to lash out, suddenly gripping him by the shoulder. "That won't be necessary, Wink."

"What!? They're about to be torn apart! How could it not be nec-"

"Perhaps you've forgotten your glasses, Professor?"

"No. Maybe. Yes! But I don't see how that's relevan-" He trails off as he sees a lone figure slowly walking down the length of the bridge, opposite to the students. Dressed in flowing white, carrying a staff of the same.

Professor Wink's mouth slowly forms into an 'o' shape, and he slowly nods his head. "...I see."

"Perhaps we should let the Headmaster perform his duties, yes?"

------------------------------------------------

Matt continued his sprint down the bridge, trailing behind the others. He'd already tossed back a couple of particularly swift beowolves, and the others weren't far behind. Was this really it? They were so close! Lodestar was right there!

He focused down the causeway. Just keep running. Keep running. Kee-

Wait.

Was that... Professor Barca?

Matt blinked even as he ran, half-expecting it to be a trick of the light or of his exhausted mind. Why would Professor Barca be here? He'd explicitly mentioned they wouldn't be interfering with the initiation! As Matt sprinted past him, he cast a glance Barca's way, motioning to speak... but Barca's expression, deadset on the Grimm now scrambling across the bridge, silences him. He continues his run. If anyone could stop the Horde... surely, it would be Barca.

-------------------------------------------------

Barca stops halfway across the bridge, setting his staff upright in front of him. His posture is serene, composed, at complete odds with the writhing, chaotic mass of Grimm bearing down upon him. His single working eye sweeps across its length... then comes to rest at the staff at his front.

He takes in a deep breath, closing his eye, and with a voice that boomed, resonant and loud, he began to speak.

"Polus..." He raises his hand to touch the staff's tip ever so slightly, and the second he does so, it opens, revealing a crystal of blinding white. It pulsates with radiant energy, waiting, begging to be released...

"...spernit." A blinding ray of light bursts forth, tearing across the remaining length of the bridge. In its wake, a huge pale of snow-white flames burst forth, scouring every last inch of the causeway.

Light, nor flame, show any mercy to the creatures of Grimm. As they howl, flesh is burnt, fur singed, feathers scorched. As the beam dwindles in strength, Barca brings his hands together, and the flames on either end of the causeway do the same, forming a massive, infernal wall.

With a chorus of dying Grimm at his back, Blanc Barca turns, and calmly makes his way back to Lodestar.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

(( Amber ))​

As Amber backed away from the soon-to-be-doomed Grimm, she glanced over at Matt as he stood, eyes closed and face in an expression of almost serene concentration. After a moment, his eyes flew open and with a short pause, he seemed to shoot forward, stopping right in front of it and winding up his staff. He swung like he was up at bat, and the Grimm sailed up and landed with a loud crunch into the valley below.

Amber couldn't stop from gaping. She was strong, sure, but nowhere near that strong. It took her a moment to even register the fact that the Tartarus was dead, but once it sunk in she grinned and thrust her fists into the air with an excited whoop.

"We did it! We..." she started to cry out, before being interrupted with the telltale sound of the Horde getting closer than ever.

"... Oh crap." she murmured, lowering her hands before turning and breaking into a desperate sprint, "You guys had better run!"

It was when she crossed the bridge that she saw the second unusual sight in almost as many minutes: Headmaster Barca, striding across the bridge with an almost lazy pace. She skidded to a stop right at the end of the bridge and turned to watch as he unleashed a wave of white fire on the horde behind them, scouring the bridge with flame before making a wall of it to keep the rest out.

They were safe.

Amber panted softly before her face broke into another grin, and she pulled Jade, Di, and Elva into a firm hug, hooking her arms around their shoulders to draw them in.

"Whoo-hoo! We kicked that things ass and made it to Lodestar! I hope the rest of school is half this fun!" she said with a laugh before glancing over at Matt and giving him a thumbs-up.

"And smacking that Tartarus into the gorge like that? Bad. Ass. Great job, Matt."

 

[Redryhno]

Di allowed herself a moment to breathe, Lodestar wasn't far, and they'd just thrown the Grimm to his death. Or at least, she got half a moment before the rest of the Horde they'd been hearing over the last few hours since their drop finally came into view.

After retreating to the bridge and preparing to make some kind of bottleneck fight as they ran the rest of the way to the school, who else other than Blanc Barca finally arrived.

"...spernit."

And with that, the Horde was mostly dispersed, at least the few that survived the Dust fire. As much as she disliked this man, memories of her inspirational Hunter not that long ago and the spectacular way Barca dispatched the ones before them now.

Unfortunately, she was quickly pulled into a hug by Amber. Allowing the girl a few seconds, mostly because she didn't think she'd get out easily, she punched Amber in the side to escape the group-hug. Readjusting her clothes and bag, she turned and started towards Lodestar.

"Headmaster said to get to school up in the air this morning, don't know about the rest of you, but I'm gonna start heading towards Lodestar again instead of standing around gawping at him."

 

[Drummodino]

As her brother slammed his staff into the ground, Elva scrambled away from the beaten and bloody Tartarus. She knew what was coming next and that you did not want to be caught in its path. Crouching behind some rocky debris, the diminutive girl watched as her twin began his charge, Irdenkrieg kicking up sparks in his wake. Implacable, unstoppable, he really was a force of nature when he got this fired up.

'Yeah smash him bro! Show that mutt what you're really made of!'

Elva whooped as Matt crashed into the massive Grimm and hammered it with Irdenkrieg, sending it flying like it was a paperweight. With an almighty crunch, the foul beast was dead. She almost couldn't believe it, they'd killed something that huge?

'I think we passed the initiation,' Elva thought with a grin, jumping to her feet. Her resolve wavered a fraction as a terrible roar echoed through the area, apparently the horde was almost upon them.

"Everyone, across the bridge! We're almost there!"

At Matt's urging Elva dashed forward and across the bridge as the mass of Grimm closed on the group. Halfway across she glanced back to see her brother lagging behind, tossing a beowolf into the chasm. The idiot was trying to protect the others by risking his own life! Fear gripped Elva as the image of Matt being overwhelmed flashed through her mind, leaving her to face Lodestar without him.

"Matt you dumbass! Stop wasting time and get your butt outta there!" she yelled over her shoulder, not daring to slow an inch. Pounding the pavement, she dashed past Professor Barca before she even registered he was there. Reaching the end of the bridge she turned to witness him unleash a blast of white hot fire, incinerating dozens of Grimm in a terrible roar.

A long second passed before it clicked. It was over, they were safe. They'd reached Lodestar. Before Elva could do anything, Amber pulled her into a group hug.

"Whoo-hoo! We kicked that things ass and made it to Lodestar! I hope the rest of school is half this fun!"

"Ow, ow, wrist, wrist!" Elva cried, her injured arm protesting as it was crushed. Taking the chance offered by Di punching Amber, Elva slipped free of the taller girl's arms.

"Heck yea, that was awesome! We should do it again sometime," Elva said laughing with Amber. Looking over to her dusty and battered brother Elva charged, gripping him in a fierce one-armed hug.

"We did it Matt, we did it! We're at Lodestar!" she laughed, grinning up at him. All her fear from before had evaporated at seeing him safe and sound.

 

[Pappytech]

"Everyone, across the bridge! We're almost there!"

There wasn't much time to waste celebrating the Tartarus's defeat, as much as Claire wished there was. The thunderous stampede of Grimm swiftly closing in on their little group made that horribly apparent. Taking Matt's advice to heart, the girl dashed forward, following the other prospective students as they hurried across the bridge and hopefully to some semblance of safety.

As if getting away was going to be that simple.

The group was barely a third of the way across the bridge, and already some of the quicker monsters were on them. Spinning around and letting lose a few blasts of Dust, Claire tried her best to help drive them back, but that just wasn't going to happen. They could keep running for a few more meters, probably, but then they'd all be caught and-

"Huh?"

The Faunus dimly noted Professor Barca as she passed him. The headmaster didn't seem to be too bothered by the oncoming swarm; in fact, if she didn't know better, Claire would've sworn he looked bored with the situation. Uncomprehending, she stared back over her shoulder as Barca lifted his staff, not even getting into a combat stance. Was he just going to let himself be overrun?!

Then she saw his lips move, although she was too far away to hear whatever it was he said. And, with widespread eyes, she watched as the light from his staff devastated the hundreds, no, thousands of Grimm. The attack had barely lasted a few seconds, yet it had wiped out more Creatures of Grimm than Claire had seen in her entire life.

Speaking of, the girl registered that, sometime after making it to the other side of the bridge, she had stopped running. But while the other students stood around hugging and celebrating, Claire could only stare in muted shock and fascination.

She knew, theoretically, what properly utilized Dust was capable of. She'd read the stories about lone warriors singlehandedly changing the course of battles. She'd heard about heroes whose wrath could altering the landscape itself. She knew that strength like this was not only a reality, but a necessity in the world of Remnant. But there was an incredibly difference between knowing something, and seeing it happen with your own two eyes.

This was what Dust was capable of.

This was what Hunters were capable of.

And she was training to be a Huntress herself...

Breathing heavily, Claire still couldn't help but grin, keeping her eyes locked on the headmaster as he slowly marched back towards the group. "Professor Barca, huh?" she said to no one in particular. "What classes does he teach again?"

 

[Arcanist]

Matt couldn't help but gape at the tremendous power Professor Barca displayed as he 'cleansed' the bridge. Not only had he destroyed every last Grimm on the causeway, he'd done so as little more than an afterthought, as though he were exterminating common household pests rather than an army of vicious, man-eating monsters. Was that the sort of power he could expect of a Lodestar graduate? Being able to slaughter entire hordes of Grimm with no effort?

He couldn't help but feel very, very thoroughly humbled. If that was the sort of level he'd be expected to reach...

He was shaken from his reflections by the sounds of celebration from his comrades. And then, looking down at his feet, and at the horizon, the reason started to sink in.

He'd made it. For good or ill - whether he deserved it or not - he was standing on Lodestar's campus, and had thus passed its vaunted initiation ceremony.

'I'm... a Lodestar student.' He lightly slapped his cheek, half-expecting all of this to be a dream. Him? Attending Lodestar? It was all so surreal! He was a coward, a failure! What business did someone like him have attending one of the greatest Academies in all of Remnant?

His gaze came to rest at the ravine. On the opposite end, just past the flames, he could still see ichor and blood spattered on the edge, the final remains of the Tartarus before they... no. Before he knocked it in.

'I killed a Tartarus.' He gave a slight chuckle - that certainly wasn't a sentence he expected to be thinking when he woke up this morning.

"Whoo-hoo! We kicked that things ass and made it to Lodestar! I hope the rest of school is half this fun!" Matt turned to see Amber scoop up Jade, Di and his sister into a bone-crushing hug. He couldn't help but chuckle a little bit - it looked like Amber was being a bit too... 'enthusiastic' for their tastes. "I hope not. I don't think my heart can take another four years of that."

"And smacking that Tartarus into the gorge like that? Bad. Ass. Great job, Matt."

Matt couldn't help but flush a little bit at the praise, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Uh, thanks. It was almost dead, though. I'm sure lots of people could've done the same thing."

As soon as Elva managed to wrest herself free from Amber's grasp, she made her way over and gave him a hug of her own, one he gladly reciprocated - though gently, to not agitate her injured arm. "We did it Matt, we did it! We're at Lodestar!"

He had to fight back tears of relief and joy. This was Elva's dream - and he'd do anything it took to make sure it happened. "Yea... we did. We made it."

Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all...

*GRUMBLE*

Mortified, Matt slowly looked down at his torso, his flush deepening. After having a light breakfast(by his standards, at least) and sprinting and fighting full tilt all day, he came to realize one thing - he was very, very hungry.

And apparently, his body wanted to make that grievance very, very clear - with a growl almost as loud as a beowolf's howl.

"L...let's get somethingtoeatokaybye." Stammering, he pulls his hood over his head and starts jogging towards the main campus... and possibly towards something to eat.

 

[hiei82]

"Can't... breath... Need... air..." Jade said between gasps for air. She understood Amber's sentiment and could relate to the desire for a group hug, but for all of the agreement over sentiment Jade felt the need for air was greater. Diamond managed to punch her and Elva's way to freedom which was a good start, but Jade failed to capitalize on the moment in part due to her many injuries. Being "out of luck" also didn't help.

Eventually, Amber's iron grasp loosened and Jade managed to slip free and to the ground. She took several moments to regain her breath before standing up. "Amber... Please... Don't ever do that again." Jade said while catching her breath. Once everyone managed to calm down from escaping death, watching Headmaster Barca slaughter hundreds of Grimm, and having the reality that they'd made it into Lodestar dawn on them, Matt spoke up. "L...let's get somethingtoeatokaybye."

Chapter 1; end

 

[hiei82]

[HEADING=3]Chapter 2: School of Hard Knocks[/HEADING]​

Jade couldn't help but agree; she wanted to get inside, eat, rest, and get a shower (not nessisarily in that order) now more than any time in her life. Already across the bridge, Jade made her way through the entry way and into the school proper. While some schools might have had a school grounds that was open an welcoming, Lodestar lived up to it's reputation. Where there would normally have been a garden or greenery, at Lodestar there were jagged spikes of obsidian erupting from the ground. Some of these spikes had been carved into sculptures of hunters and huntresses mid-battle, slaughtering Grimm in some of the most brutal ways imaginable. Others had been left natural either by choice or as unworked material for future statues.

Combined with the Gothic structure of the massive school itself, the whole open area seemed more intimidating than seemed truly necessary. With the exception of a few older students, most people seemed to be gathered in a large hall immediately opposite the entry way watching the events of the Initiation on several large scrolls hanging from the walls. It was clear that some of the older students had taken bets on who would and would not make it. There also seemed to be some kind of debate, though over what was too hard to tell.

However, the most important piece of information any of them could pick up was the sweet, warm smell of something within the great, unknown hall.

 

[Terratina.]

There was no relief that came with the Tartarus's demise, after all the initiation test wasn't quite done yet. The Owl Faunus bolted to the bridge along with the others. He'd come too far to fail or fall behind now. Only Jet had committed the sin of looking behind himself, spotting none other than Professor Barca himself.

The Lodestar headmaster's calm appearance contrasted the hectic hurry of the prospective students. Compared to him, they were all utter children. Even Jet had to slow to a halt and watch the headmaster at work. In short, Blanc Barca didn't disappoint. He'd killed the horde of Grimm effortlessly, something that would've taken countless amounts of effort, time and skill for the prospective students, something they couldn't hope to match currently.

However, the show ended quickly, and it was back to reality for Jet. No time to waste. Well, he could've just walked but that just seemed lazy. But Jet's pace slowed as he got to the obsidian 'garden', as he glazed over every statue and thought over the possibility of achieving something worthy of one. Which was just plain greedy. Small steps, as they say. The proverb sprung up in Jet's mind as he stepped into Lodestar, hungry and impatient.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

(( Amber ))​

As the others eventually broke free from her iron grasp, she gave both Jade and Elva a sheepish smile before glancing over at Di with a scowl.

"Killjoy.", she murmured.

Her thoughts were interrupted however by the sound of Matt's stomach, and she chuckled. He promptly pulled up his hood and hurried into the school, which Amber could agree was the right idea.

"L...let's get somethingtoeatokaybye."

"Yea, I could eat." she said as she rolled her shoulders and started to stride up to Lodestar.

It was even more than she had expected, with the grounds outside of the school itself being littered with black spikes, some carved into ornate sculptures which she admired as she passed by. Each one seemed to glorify a particular Huntsman or Huntress, and she couldn't help but hope that, at some point, having one made in her own image. The thought caused a small smile to spread across her lips.

When she stepped into the main hall right behind Jade, she glanced around at the crowds of other students, likely a few newcomers like themselves, but most had to be waiting to see who would get in.

But the only thing she focused on was the smell of food.

 

[Pappytech]

"L...let's get somethingtoeatokaybye."

Matt's sudden burst of gastrointestinal rumbling seemed to break the serious air hanging over Claire. Besides, after the Headmaster had cleared out the bridge, there wasn't much of a point to sticking around here any longer; nothing else interesting was going to happen around here.

It looked like Claire wasn't alone in taking the big guy's suggestion. It looked like everyone else in the group was heading towards the school grounds as well, most too hungry or exhausted for further conversation, which was fine. This just meant that the young woman could put all her focus towards examining Lodestar's impressive entryway.

"Jeez," the Faunus muttered, eyes widening as she scanned the brutal, oddly lifelike statues decorating the property, "Mr. Gilden wasn't kidding when he said Lodestar was intense..." Whoever had designed the school must've had rest and relaxation on their mind when they were drawing up the plans. Specifically, they did everything they could to discourage it. Imposing buildings that towered overhead, a general lack of any sort of fauna; Lodestar looked less like a place of learning than it did some sort of military installation. Which, Claire reflected, it sort of was.

Still, hopefully the professors wouldn't be completely obsessed with rules and regulations. So long as they didn't close the library on weekends, she could probably get by.

"Mmmm?"

While most of the other initiates were inevitably drawn towards the scent of food, Claire drew up short in the middle of the great hall, staring curiously at the cluster of older students grouped around the giant wall-mounted screens. They were having a lively conversation about something, though what exactly she couldn't make out. "What're they talking about..."

Deciding that food could wait for a few more minutes, the girl made her way over to the crowd, craning her neck to get a good look at the screens. "What's going on?" she asked. "Other students trying to get to the school?"

 

[Redryhno]

"Killjoy."

"We made it to Lodestar,"Di replied back, a slight bit of derision in her tone,"That not enough for you, you gotta hug everyone too?"

She made her way through the obsidian statue garden with a slight sense of awe, that so many were depicted here. But she wasn't here to be memorialized, she was here to become a Huntress. Going back to approaching the school proper, she walked with a purpose, she'd gotten here on her own merits and the help of others just as strong as herself, and one of them, the Brother from earlier, ran right passed her, nearly through her as fast as he was going.

Stumbling back onto the path, she straightened her bag of belongings and reached the school. Scrolls were on the walls, but they were of no importance to Diamond, she'd reached the school, her teammates were probably already here after all, not still out in the wastes. The uproar to the side however, that piqued her interest. Getting closer, she looked to see what the debate going on was all about...

 

[EmperorZuma]

Oh how quickly Schwarz's mood improved.

His original frustration of losing his chance to deal the final blow to the Tartarus was eased with a token he procured from the armor he had broken off the creature, specifically the tusk. Tucking it in his pocket, Schwarz felt for a moment that perhaps this embarrassment could be avenged someday.

Then he remembered the Horde...

Schwarz quickly sprinted over the bridge, only to stop in his tracks as he saw Headmaster Barca take the field. "Scroll...Scroll! Get the damn Scroll out now!" Knowing that Barca's next move would be a spectacular thing to behold, Schwarz took out his Scroll and started to film the headmaster as he loosed his attack on the horde, clearing the bridge and beyond with a single stroke.

"Glorious..." Schwarz could only stare in awe as Barca turned back towards the school, watching him leave until the man was out of sight. Then, as the others started to hurt themselves with congratulations, Matt ruined the mood with a guttural growl from his stomach. Shuffling off with his face probably red as a tomato, Schwarz decided he might as well follow, as he realized that he was quite famished as well.

 

[Drummodino]

*GRUMBLE*

"L...let's get somethingtoeatokaybye."

Laughing as her brother blushed and ran off towards the school, Elva straightened her cape and trailed after him with the rest of the group. He really was a big dork, but she loved him for it. Walking through the entrance she scanned the tall, intimidating buildings with awe as they loomed over her. The various obsidian statues placed along their path were impressive in their size and level of detail, one in particular catching her eye.

'Wait just a minute... is this the Huntress from the train? The one who saved us?' she thought, staring up at a statue of a tall, slender woman with long flowing hair and wielding a rapier. She was sure of it, that face had been burned into her memory all those years ago. This woman was one of the reasons Elva wanted to be a Huntress so bad.

'It is her! Oh that is so cool... Hopefully one day I'll have a statue right alongside her!' she thought, glancing around at the rest of the sculptures. Realising she'd dropped behind the others she hurried to catch up. The smell of food wafting from the large hall was enticing, but the crowd watching the large scrolls piqued Elva's curiosity. Wandering over she stood next to Di and the latecomer to their Tartarus fight.

"What's going on Di? Oh and hey there, I'm Elva. Nice to meet you!" she said, extending her undamaged hand to the other faunus girl. "You had some sweet moves back there."

 

[Pappytech]

"Oh and hey there, I'm Elva. Nice to meet you!"

Claire jerked her attention away from the wall-Scrolls as the other girl approached, offering her a smile and a handshake. Right, she was the one with the giant axe who'd managed to break a couple of the Tartarus's legs. "You had some sweet moves back there."

Returning Elva's grin, Claire took the extended hand and gave it a few shakes. "Right, well, I'd never seen a Tartarus before. They're supposed to be pretty rare; I wanted to get as close a look as I could before it died.

"Oh, and my name's Claire. Nice to meet you too, Elva."

 

[Arcanist]

Jade moved with the crowd, doing her best to keep up on her injured ankle. When they arrived at the Great Hall, the noise was almost unbearable. However, on the plus side, it was not clear enough to understand. The giant Scrolls were playing footage from the across the Initiation. Some images were familiar; Matt and Schwarz fighting Arachnae, Jet fighting a Deathstalker, Jade, Elva, Amber, and Diamond fighting Bloodmanes, and some very impressive running from a horde of Grimm. Less familiar (and sometimes more gruesome) were the battles of other hunters. There were even a few images of prospective students who failed to their landing strategies.

However, on the largest screen was a large group of students, facing incredible odds fighting something no prospective student was ever meant to fight. Unfortunately, there was no Tartarus. Rather, it was four students, standing on a rocky out cropping, slicing down Grimm after Grimm in an unending stream of evil. The image seemed ready-made to be transformed into one of the obsidian statues.

There was a woman, dancing around the battlefield, striking each of the Grimm with precision and grace before disappearing and reappearing wherever needed. There was another woman standing near the top, directing the movements of the others and throwing bombs. There was a man with a lance, spraying forth great gouts of flame and incinerating Grimm by the dozen. Finally, at the top, stood a muscle bound man with a rifle and shouting out words of encouragement. This last man was familiar to some of the group as the douche-bag from the ship.

Below the image were words and letters. Specifically "Team R.F.U.S.". Below that stood the newly-forged team itself; smiling and waving to their fans among the new freshmen. Upper level students seemed to be trading money back and forth. Team RFUS had, evidently, been the winner in the "horse race". Other students were pointing to the images of other battles and arguing that Team RFUS wasn't necessarily the best.

Fortunately, beyond all this, stood a massive spread of food; ready and waiting for any who wanted it.

 

[Drummodino]

Elva smiled back at Claire as they shook hands, admiring the vividness of her neon green hair. Glancing at her eyes she noticed their reptilian nature for the first time, it seemed Claire was another Faunus. Apparently Lodestar was more welcoming of Faunus than the rest of Vacuo, something Elva approved of greatly.

Turning to the screens Elva scanned them for her new friends, Matt and herself. She found one with her, Jade and Amber fighting the Bloodmanes, with Amber ending one's life by shattering it's spine.

'Woo go Amber! It looks almost as good up there as it did in real life!' she thought as the screen changed to a scene she didn't recognise, two students fleeing a pair of Deathstalkers. Looking away she noticed the largest screen and the team standing below it, basking in the adoration of their peers. Looking closer she realised that one of them was the asshole from the ship who she'd nearly ended up tussling with.

'Wait just a minute... that guy is getting all the praise? Come on, we killed a freaking Tartarus, that's way more impressive than fighting off a horde!' she thought, pouting a little and glaring at the man. She wondered how much trouble she'd get in for walking up and lodging her axe in his skull... probably a lot. It was damn tempting though.