[5/12 - Afternoon]
Just as the clock hit half past eleven, an announcement from the vice-deputy on the academy's P.A. system rang out.
"All examinees are to arrive at Beacon Cliff within the next 15 minutes. I repeat, all examinees are to arrive at Beacon Cliff within the next 15 minutes."
An hour into his modest training, he stopped once he got a handle on his swordsmanship, so he was chilling under a tree listening to music the entire time after taking another quick shower when the announcement rang.
With nothing else to do, he walked back to the locker room to suit up. Following the masses through the narrow hallway, he eventually reached his personal locker. a group of red, white, and yellow people were talking.
He tuned out their conversation the instant he opened his locker, taking out the only set of clothes that matched in his luggage before walking past his locker neighbors to get dressed.
Before he forgot, he quickly asked a janitor who was pushing a cart from the toilets where said Beacon Cliff was located, in case he couldn't find his way there.
In his own toilet stall, he undressed briefly before wearing the set of clothes that he brought over.
He threw on a buttoned white shirt and left a black blazer with silver stripes hanging open over it. His pants and belt matched the shirt, plain and consistent. The belt's metal parts happened to share the same silver tone as the blazer.
He came across a pair of black gloves and figured they might help with the sword grip, so he put them on. No point in hurting his hands if he didn't have to.
As for the velvet blue tie... it made him look slightly more put-together, so he tied it on without thinking too much about it.
Overall, the clothes fit him too well. This gave him some food for thought after the initiation.
He did note the empty pockets on his belt meant to keep small items, so he opted to add the consumables that he found into his arsenal, just in case he needed to use such.
With everything all fitted, he adjusted his tie one last time before walking out of the stall to face the music.
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Arriving just in time after following a large group of students silently, he was ushered to stand on one of the metal plates bolted into the ground. Standing on it, his eyes wandered to the cliffside where the initiation was supposed to be held.
There was just a slight problem; the expanse was steeper than he thought. He had to squint his eyes in order to see one of the many trees clearly.
How were they going to reach the Emerald Forest without any semblance of stairs in the nearby area?
The headmaster, Ozpin, with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand, began his speech.
"Until now, all of you have trained as warriors... protectors of human and faunus-kind. Today, your progress to the final goal of a Huntsman will be tested in the Emerald Forest in front of you."
Vice-deputy Glynda Goodwitch took over the speech as he took a long sip of his coffee.
"I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Allow us to put an end to your confusion; they are correct. We will be announcing your teams following the results of the initiation."
Ozpin retook control over the speech as he spoke after giving each and every one a good stare.
"You will be acting as teams for the rest of your time at Beacon. Therefore, it is in your best interest to be grouped with someone with whom you get along."
Another sip of coffee from the headmaster, though shorter than usual, before he dropped a bomb.
"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
Clerval saw the brief twitch of the vice-deputy's mouth at the chaos that ensued before she took out a foldable riding crop from the top of her right boot and gave a quick swipe on her cuffs, sending a loud thwack that silenced everyone.
He hummed at the bizarre knowledge his mind fed him; the loud thwack could only be produced from the sound of a riding crop striking leather, meaning that underneath her cuffs were leathered armguards.
He stored the knowledge back into his mind; there was no point in said information unless needed.
"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die."
The headmaster said with a serious tone in his speech, causing the blond standing next to him to gulp nervously in anxiety.
The vice-deputy continued.
"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but we, the instructors, will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"
A hand shot to the air; the person beside him quickly raised his hand, but it was ignored as the headmaster nodded his head in satisfaction.
"Good! Now, take your positions."
His own eyes widened as he felt the metal plate under his legs start to shift in place when he realized that he was currently standing on a launchpad.
He barely had enough time to mentally prepare himself when he was launched through the air straight into the Emerald Forest.
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The ground was getting closer and closer to his field of vision, which caused an initial panic to set in his heart before his emotions stilled cold.
Without much that he could do, he simply let nature take its course with his hands crossed in front of his face to take the full brunt of the impact.
A few seconds later, he tensed up and prepared himself.
BOOOM!
A large, resounding explosion rang throughout the forest as Clerval crashed onto the ground headfirst. The birds disperse from nearby trees, wildlife darting away from the sudden explosion.
Silence lingered in the air for a moment before the rustling from the crater broke it. A second later, an arm emerged from the large hole in the ground as he gradually pulled himself out of the man-made crater, appearing to have sustained no injuries.
Dusting his clothes, he looked at the silvery aura that surrounded his body before dimming in luminance.
So this was Aura, the manifestation of the soul. Granted his arms were rather sore from the impact, it was inhuman that he didn't end up with more than a minor concussion.
Shaking his head to clear the dizziness that followed the crash, he deeply breathed in and out as he centered himself.
Other than some minor damage that did not need addressing, he was in good shape other than the clear sense of unease that signified his drastic loss of Aura.
Looking at where the Beacon Cliffs were, he estimated his position along with where North was, as his objective was towards the northern end of the forest.
So, he began walking.
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He had been walking for what seemed like an hour or two, and he had yet to hear or see anything that resembled people, which was a bit confusing since everyone was heading the same direction.
The forest wasn't that large when he initially laid his eyes on it, so where were the rest of the people—
A sudden growl interrupted his thoughts.
He turned his head and saw what looked to be a large, black being that resembled the shape of a dog. Its entire body was jet-black with white, bony claws and armor that covered its body.
His eyes were soon attracted to the bone-like white mask with red markings.
A description flashed through his mind.
A Shadow—No, that's incorrect. This was a Grimm, a Beowolf variant to be exact.
What was a Shadow, anyway? He mentally pushed it to the back of his head for now; he had matters to attend to.
The creature of darkness lunged at him with surprising speed. His instincts flared as he effortlessly sidestepped to the side and dodged its attack. Using its own momentum with his own, he swiftly drew his longsword before decapitating its head in one fluid swoop.
The body of the Grimm crashed and skidded across the ground following its death. Taking a closer look, he watched as it started to disintegrate, eventually leaving behind nothing but black motes of dust that were carried by the wind.
His attention was soon drawn by the familiar sound of growling. Once again, he looked back, only to see four more Beowolf variant Grimm monsters staring back at him.
Right, Beowolves were Grimm that hunted and traveled in packs.
He raised his guard up just as they pounced at him. Individually, there would be no problem dealing with such creatures, but against five of them at the same time?
It proved to be difficult and tedious.
If he dodged one attack, three more would be waiting for him. If he got in a quick strike, his balance and the need to evade would undermine the opportunity.
What's worse was the fact that more Grimm were starting to appear out of thin air.
As he killed more and more, common Grimm of various variants like Ursai and Boarbatusks would replace and fill in the numbers.
This went on for a minute too long as a surprise headbutt from a Boarbatusk in his blind spot shattered his Aura.
Skidding to catch himself, he panted heavily at the army of Grimm before him. Eight enemies rushed at him; bodies of their race were laid haphazardly on the ground, fading into nothingness.
He struggled to fend them off, dodging and slashing his way through until an intense pain flared in his sword arm. He gritted his teeth as his eyes landed on the culprit, an injured Beowolf using the last of its strength to latch its jaws on his arm, blood splattering all over the ground.
Switching the sword to his left arm, he raised the weapon to the air before using its pommel to cave its head in, causing it to let go.
Retreating back, he barely ducked the swing of an Ursa's large arm. He twisted his body as, with a reversed grip of his sword, he sliced off the weaponized limb.
Its loud cries of pain made him wince at the volume, mixed with his exhaustion, creating an opening for a Jackalope to sneak through his defenses as it slammed its body at high speeds into his.
Clerval gasped at the attack; the feeling of his ribs cracking from the force was morbid, but he persisted with a heavy kick that shoved the rabbit-shaped Grimm away.
He tried reaching out to the pockets in his belt to grab a consumable, but the attacks weren't giving him any room to breathe.
The feeling in his arm was slowly fading away. His clothes were soaked in sweat and blood, and the minor wounds were starting to pile up.
The thought of death was chilling.
He was gradually getting tired.
His body was starting to shut down from the pain and fatigue.
He slowly closed his eyes in acceptance.
...
...
...
[—us.]
[—all u—]
[Use it—]
[—Call f— us.]
Voices flooded his mind as eventually one singular voice rang out.
[Use it.]
[Call for us.]
[Call forth the power of the human soul!]
His eyes widened as his free hand reached out to the Evoker.
Everything around him slows down.
In his field of vision, the group of Grimm were less than ten feet away, leaping towards him with the various attacks that they could perform.
An image flashed in his mind. The majority of it was static, except for the small bit at the center of the picture.
A bronze metallic robot wearing a helmet and leather armor stared back at him, wielding a shield and sword while a bow hung on its back.
For death is but the next journey.
The Grimm were five meters away.
BEATBEATBEATBEATBEATBEAT!
He raised the Evoker up to head level.
Four meters away.
BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT BEAT!
Hesitation filled his mind as the cold touch of metal touched the side of his head. His breathing hastens as the thought of firing the Evoker scares him.
Three meters away.
BEAT! BEAT! BEAT! BEAT! BEAT!
A warmth bloomed from the depths of his heart as suddenly all the doubt and fear washed away.
Two meters away.
BEAT. BEAT. BEAT. BEAT. BEAT.
His finger was placed on the trigger of the Evoker. He has already accepted the fact that he will die.
One meter away.
BEAT... BEAT... BEAT... BEAT... BEAT...
Even though his whole vision was filled with the darkness that the creature exerted, he couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face.
His resolve was fully set. There was no turning back now.
This fate of his was chosen of his own free will.
"NO, WAIT!"
A young voice called out from a distance as he pulled the trigger.
"Persona."
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