Chapter 4
-[Beacon Academy]-
Stepping off the airship, Rowan couldn't help but be in awe at the size of the building. 'Can you even call it a building? This is a castle.' He thought as he observed the extravagant structure.
As he walked closer to the entrance of the large building in front of him, he heard a loud explosion behind him.
Looking back, he faintly caught the sparks of fire and lightning in the air, giving him a faint idea of what happened. With a sigh, he ignored it as he made his way into the building.
Upon entering, he found himself in what looked to be a large auditorium. The soon to be students who were present stood in an orderly manner, engrossed in friendly discussions as they waited for the event to start.
'With this many students, it's a wonder how you'd be able to find anyone.' He thought as his eyes scanned through the crowd.
His eyes caught a talkative Nora pestering Ren with questions at the far end of the auditorium. He continued looking through the auditorium, a small part of him relieved that he didn't see Jaune. He just wasn't ready to interact with the older boy.
He didn't need to wait too long as a white haired bespectacled man walked onto the stage, accompanied by a blonde haired woman who also wore glasses.
'Ozpin…' Rowan recognized immediately as the man cleared his throat into the microphone, silence reigning in the auditorium.
"I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people…" he said, his tone changing for a moment.
"…but I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose and direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." The man finished as he stepped away from the microphone, making his way off the stage as the blonde woman, Glynda, took his place in front of the mic.
'He sounds…tired?' Rowan thought, noting the man's demeanor and overall bearing. He wasn't too surprised. Ozpin had lived and died more times that he could count. Such a life can only make a man weary.
"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You're dismissed." She said simply before also leaving the stage.
-[Night]-
With his sword stored safely in his inventory, he changed into his sleeping clothes which consisted of simple loose gray pants and a black shirt.
He was currently in the bathroom, looking at his reflection in the mirror. 'I guess there's no escaping it now. I'm still not strong enough. As I am now, I'd loose to any maiden with a decent hold of her powers. That's still not good enough!' He couldn't help but feel a bit of frustration.
He had made a lot of progress since he arrived here but it still didn't feel enough. The fact that he didn't even have magic was both comforting and saddening.
Comforting because it meant that Salem had no reason to target him specifically and Saddening because it was powerful enough to give him an edge to survive.
Taking deep deliberate breaths, he calmed himself down. There was still time. Provided that not many things changed, he had a few months to get stronger.
A self mocking laugh left his mouth as he looked away from the mirror. 'What a terrible sight.' He thought as he left the bathroom.
-[The Next Day]-
He had spent the night alone, avoiding interaction with those around him. He truly wished he could be like them. They didn't know anything about what was out in the world.
'I guess it's true what they say. Ignorance is bliss, though, I'm not sure if I'd be happy with that.' He thought as he stood on the platform at the edge of the cliff.
Looking down towards the far end of the straight line that they stood in, he could see Jaune who looked confused and nervous. The older Arc had yet to notice Rowan's presence.
He didn't even know Rowan was attending Beacon. Rowan's attention turned to Ozpin as the man started speaking.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors and today your abilities will be evaluated in the emerald forest." He stopped as Glynda took over.
"Now I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams." She paused briefly before continuing. "Well allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates…today."
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at beacon so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." He announced.
'No matter how you look at it, its not a sensible way of putting together teams. It's too random and haphazard.' Rowan thought as the man continued.
"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."
At this point Rowan tuned him out, seeing as how it was exactly the same thing as he expected. It was simple; enter forest, find teammate, find a relic and come back.
"Are there any questions?" Ozpin asked.
"Yeah. Um…sir-" Jaune tried to speak up but was ignored as Ozpin spoke up again.
"Good. Now, take your positions." The man said as the soon to be students readied themselves. Rowan stared at them dryly as they assumed cringe and awkward stances each.
"I've got a question!" Jaune tried to ask but was ignored by all including Ozpin himself as the first person was launched into the forest.
One by one, they were launched into the forest. When it got to his turn, he simply tensed his body as he was shot into the air.
As he soared through the air, he didn't panic, keeping his eyes on the incoming forest. He saw some of the people around him perform fancy stunts to either accelerate or land immediately.
Seeing a tree in his path, he found his opportunity, grabbing hold of the branch and swinging himself into an upright crouching position. The ease of maneuverability was a result of his high stats in Dex, something he was thankful for.
Looking back to the direction they was shot from, he figured out the direction he was supposed to go, recalling them saying that the temple was at the northern end.
Despite knowing that, he chose a different direction. 'While Cliffside forest only had beowolves, the emerald forest has a wide variety of Grimm lurking around.' He thought as he jumped to another tree branch before leaping towards the ground and continuing on foot.
[Aura Sensor] only worked on humans and living beings with Aura. While it aided him in avoiding his fellow examinees in the forest, it meant that he had to find the Grimm on his own.
-[Ozpin]-
Standing at the cliff above the emerald forest, Ozpin stared at the large scroll in his hand which allowed him to monitor the students in the forest via the cameras.
"Another pair has been formed sir. Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Poor boy, I can't possibly imagine those two getting along." She said, walking up behind him as she watched the live footage of Nora pestering Ren.
"Still, he's probably better off than Miss Nikos." She said as the view switched to that of Pyrrha and Jaune moving through the forest. "I don't care what his transcripts say. That Jaune fellow is not ready for this kind of combat."
The screen that switched to the view of a blond haired boy speeding through the forest. "What is he doing?" Glynda couldn't help but ask as she watched the boy get stopped by a Grimm only to finish it up quickly.
Looking at the scroll in Ozpin's hand, she could see that their attention were on the same person.
"Rowan Arc, Jaune's immediate younger brother." Ozpin clarified as the woman looked surprised.
They'd already had a small 'discussion' about Ozpin allowing him to enroll. Ruby Rose was one exception and then he went ahead to make another one. Despite that, she couldn't help but see his reason.
Comparing the both of them, the difference was like day and night. While Jaune bumbled around the forest like a clumsy ape, Rowan skillfully searched the forest, seemingly looking for something other than the relics.
"He doesn't seem to be looking for the relics. So far, he's been hunting Grimm around the forest instead of heading to the temple." Glynda commented with a frown at the boy who had yet to get a partner.
It seemed as if he knew where they were seeing as how he would immediately move away when a fellow examinee got close to his location…but how?
-[Rowan]-
Standing across a king Taijitu, he dodged to the side at the last second as one of its heads snapped at him.
With [Aura Reinforcement] active, he quickly thrust his blade into the creature's unprotected eye. It hissed loudly in pain as the other head shot at him, forcing him to pull out his blade as he jumped back.
The snake-like Grimm slithered around him despite one of its heads being injured. Coiling around him, it planned to box him in only for that plan to fail the boy slashed his blade, an arc of sharp aura taking off one of its heads.
[You have leveled up]
With how much stronger the Grimm here were, he wanted to take advantage of it to level up as much as possible.
'They never actually specified a time limit.' He noted as he pulled up his stats while walking.
•••••••••••
Name: Rowan Arc
Title: None
Level:26
HP: 4600/4600 [184 per minute]
AP: 8330/8330 [570 per 30 seconds]
STR: 103
DEX: 124
VIT: 92
INT: 119
WIS: 114
Points:30
•••••••••••
He had managed to get six levels so far so it wasn't terrible. 'Now to finally take VIT to 100.' He thought as he assigned 8 points to said stat.
[Perk Gained]
[Unnatural Vitality] - 100 VIR
Permanently increases Maximum Health Capacity
••••••••
Name: Rowan Arc
Title: None
Level:26
HP: 7000/7000 [200 per minute]
AP: 8330/8330 [570 per 30 seconds]
STR: 103
DEX: 124
VIT: 100
INT: 119
WIS: 114
Points:22
Ap Regen = WIS X 5
AP = INT X 70
Health = VIT X 70
HP Regen = VIT X 2
•••••••••
With that done, he continued making his way through the forest. He had [Aura Sensor] activated, avoiding the other students seeing as how getting a teammate would halt him from going after the Grimm.
He was aware that he was being watch so he didn't show any of his more advanced skills, using only [Sword Mastery] and [Aura Reinforcement] to deal with the Grimm.
'Still, I'll need to get a teammate to pass. I guess that's enough leveling for now. I can always request for permission to come down here.' He thought as he finally turned north in the direction he was supposed to go.
Sheathing his sword, he dashed towards the northern end of the forest where the relics were said to be. Despite the speed he was going at, he could still easy perceive his surroundings, which was why he was able to feel the aura of someone nearby.
There was no one else nearby and he didn't want to test what would happen if he completed the initiation without a teammate. He wasn't the protagonist so he wasn't going to test his luck.
Coming to a stop as he found the owner of aura, he immediately regretted his decision as he saw them. He stared at a boy with average height, slender build and his shaved head with a light green mohawk.
•••••••
Character Name: [Russel Thrush]
Title: [None]
Age: [17]
Character Type: [Human]
Status: [Alive]
Affiliation: [None]
HP: [100%/100%]
AP: [100%/100%]
MP: N/A
Semblance: [Locked]
Status Ailments: [None]
Current Emotion: [Confusion]
Thoughts: [Where to find the temple] [Finding teammates]
Relationship Status: [None]
Special Skills: [Twin dagger Mastery]
Secrets: [He does drugs] [Attempted to rape a faunus]…
Overview: [Russel Thrush was born a single child. Due to now having another child, his parents pampered him to ridiculous extents. Though his skills are borderline average that does nothing to quell his bullying streak. After attempting to rape a faunus girl a few years back, his parents were forced to bribe the Vale police to cover it up. He is currently going to beacon to get a license to show off and live and lavish life. His choice of weapon is Shortwings(pair of daggers).]
•••••••••
'How is it that out of all the people here, the first person I find is one of the fodder members of Cardin's team. Not to mention…rape? What the hell?' He couldn't help but want to scream in frustration.
They already made eye contact when he arrived near him. The other boy walked towards him while saying something but Rowan wasn't remotely in the mood to listen.
"Be quiet." He said in frustration, noting the shock on the other boy's face before it switched to irritation.
"Who the hell do you think y-" Rowan tuned him out as the boy began cursing at him.
'Ozpin and Glynda are watching so I can't exactly just look for another teammate. How did it end up like this?' He wondered to himself as he simply continued moving towards the temple at a subdued pace.
"Whether we like it or not, we're teammates for this exam. Let's just get it over with." Rowan said with gritted teeth but the other boy couldn't let it go.
"What makes you think you can just order me around? I don't take orders from anyone." The boy retorted in indignation, causing Rowan to level him a pointed stare.
"Suit yourself. The professors are watching so I'd advice you to behave yourself." He didn't know who he was telling that to; the boy or himself.
Watching the boy putting away his daggers, he sighed to himself as his hand left the grip of his blade. He had instinctively reached for it at some point.
Walking towards the direction of the temple, Russel had no choice but to follow Rowan. He was rash and stupid but even he knew when to fall in line.
They heard sounds of fighting, causing them to pick up the pace. It didn't long for the pair to reach a large clearing where Rowan saw a familiar group gathered around the temple.
The soon to be team RWBY and team JNPR were gathered in front of the temple. Unlike what he expected, they were surrounded by a small horde of Grimm. Amongst the gathering of Grimm, he counted two Deathstalkers while the rest were made up of Ursa.
*SCREECHH!*
The grotesque screeching above him, drew his attention to the Nevermore in the sky.
"I t-think we should turn back here." He looked to see Russel literally shaking in fear as he saw the huge number of creatures.
'He's not going to be of any help.' He thought as he quickly observed the situation before coming to a decision. "Thrush, do you see the chess pieces in that temple?"
"Yeah? Wait a minute. I never told you my nam-" he was cut off as Rowan continued speaking.
"Get one of them and make your way back to the cliff, I'll meet you there." Rowan said as he unsheathed his sword.
"Why can't you do it?" The other boy asked accusingly. He wanted nothing more than to run away from there.
"Because I'll be too busy keeping them from coming at you. Now go!" He ordered, startling the boy who instinctively rushed forward at the commanding tone.
'I'm not even through with the exam and I'm already regretting it.' Rowan thought with a sigh as he jumped down to the clearing.
They were doing a decent job at taking down the small horde but there were a few holes in their attacks, showing their unfamiliarity with team fights.
Using [The Author] on Jaune, he found that his aura was unlocked. Unfortunately for the boy, that wouldn't save him from the Ursa that leaped at him.
Jaune stumbled back, tripping on his own feet as he fell to the floor. Just as the creature was above him, he couldn't comprehend what happened as its head slid off its neck.
"Huh?" The boy muttered in confusion only for a familiar voice behind him to startle him.
"Pull yourself together, will you?" The voice said, causing him to turn back in shock.
"Rowan?! What are you doing here?!" Out of all the things he expected, he didn't expect to find his bookworm of a younger brother here in the emerald forest.
Though, looking at him, he seemed to have changed quite a bit.
"We can discuss that when we're out of here." Rowan answered, helping the boy to his feet.
"R-right!" The older Arc was short of words as Rowan shot past him at high speed into the gathering of Ursa.
Shooting past team RWBY, his blade cut through the neck of an Ursa. Using the flat of his blade to parry a claw to the side, he beheaded another one close to him. Their heads were covered in bony armor, leaving only a small part of their neck exposed. It was only with great skill that he struck his target so precisely.
"Who is that?!" He heard one of them say but his focus was on the Grimm around him.
"I don't know he's pretty stupid to just rush in like that." A haughty voice said as Rowan slid under an Ursa, slashing at its exposed belly as it began to dissipate.
At this point, the Grimm - excluding the Deathstalkers- had removed their focus from the group of teens and focused on the lone boy in the middle of them.
"We have to help him!"
"I don't think he needs our help." One of them said in slight wonder as the boy amputated an arm that swiped towards him before spinning and taking off its head.
From the corner of his eyes, Rowan caught Russel escape after taking one of the chess pieces. 'At least that's one thing taken care of.'
[You have leveled up]
It didn't take him long to finish up the small herd under the astonished eyes of the two teams. They had joined in at some point but he had already taken care of most of them.
"That was so cool!" Ruby squealed as the Grimm dissipated around them.
"I'll say, those were some good moves there." Yang commented, a hand on her hip as they faced him.
The groaning of the nevermore above them interrupted anything he was going to say.
"Um guys, that thing is circling back. What are we going to do?" Jaune questioned as the nevermore circled above them.
"There's nothing that says we have to fight it. Our objective is right in front of us." Weiss said, gesturing to the temple behind them.
"She's right. We just need to get and artifact and make it back to the cliff." Ruby supported as Jaune let out a small breath of relief.
"Run and live. That's an idea I can get behind." Jaune said as him and Ruby quickly made their way to the center of the temple, each picking one of the chess pieces.
The two Deathstalkers in front of them seemed to disagree with their plans of departure as they groaned loudly, rushing towards them.
"I think it's time we left!" Ren alerted as they began moving. It wasn't until the took a few steps that Jaune noticed something.
"Rowan, what are you doing?! We have to get out of here!" Jaune called out to the boy who hadn't moved.
"You guys can go. I'll finish up here." He responded as Jaune's eyes widened.
"What do you mean finish up?! We have to go!" Jaune screamed but was ignored as Rowan dashed straight towards the Deathstalkers.
"What is that idiot doing?!" Weiss screamed in frustration.
"Hey that's my brother you're talking about." Jaune defended, causing shocked looks to go round at the revelation.
"Brother?!"
-[Rowan]-
'No matter how you look at it, there are more than a few ways to kill this thing. I can't believe even Pyrrha had trouble dealing with this.' He thought as he slipped away from the golden stinger that attempted to stab him.
He leaped over the Deathstalker, going for the one behind it. He maneuvered himself midair as he just barely dodged its stinger, grabbing hold of the offending appendage.
Holding it, he slid down towards its body, activating [Aura Reinforcement] on his sword as he cut through one of its hind limbs.
He jumped off as something impacted the creature, causing it to pause its attempts to skewer him.
He looked to the side to see Nora aiming her weapon at the creature, shooting what looked like pink energy bullets.
"We'll help! We all need to get out of here alive, right?" Ruby said from beside Nora as the teens organized themselves.
"If you really want to help, you can start with the nevermore that flying above us." Rowan said.
As if responding to him, black feathers shot out of the Nevermore's wings, cutting through the air as it rushed towards them.
Moving quickly on his feet, he dodged each feather before coming to a stop, his eyes shifting from each of the three creatures.
'The nevermore is too high in the sky for me to deal with. They have ranged weaponry to deal with it or at the very least bring it closer to the ground.' He thought as he turned to them.
"Those of you with ranged attack, go for the Nevermore while the rest of you go for the other Deathstalker. This one's mine." He said, brandishing his sword as the creature was just barely slowed down by Nora's shots.
Not listening for their response, he felt Jaune, Ren and Nora go for the other Deathstalker while Ruby, Weiss and Yang went for the Nevermore, leading it elsewhere. He turned to the two who had yet to move.
"I'll help. You can't fight it alone." Pyrrha said as she stepped up, causing him to raise a brow before turning to Blake.
"My bullet would hardly do anything to hurt the Nevermore. I can help here." She explained simply, causing him to shake his head slightly.
'No point crying over spilled milk I guess.' He thought as he turned back to face the Deathstalker that was quickly making its way towards them despite its size.
"It may have a lot of armor but it's not invincible. Pyrrha, aim for the base of its stinger. Try to cut it off." He said as the girl nodded. "Blake, get its eyes. It can't defend itself if it can't see."
"What'll you be doing?" The girl asked as he activated [Aura Reinforcement]. "I'll get the rest of its limbs. Ready?"
He felt them tense behind him as he nodded, the Deathstalker now only a few meters in front of them.
"Go."