Falling asleep in a new place always sucks. Especially when you're doing it in a drafty, massive hall packed with dozens of other people. Maybe Egrer's biological clock was completely shot, but right now, it felt like it was past midnight. A quick glance at his scroll confirmed it: 1:11 AM.
So why the hell wasn't anyone asleep yet?!
"So this one Huntsman goes missing," someone nearby was telling a joke, not giving a single shit that people around them were trying to sleep. "He was supposed to be back by morning, but nope. His buddies are waiting, getting worried. Finally, he comes running back. Naturally, the others rush him: 'What happened? Where'd you disappear to?' And he tells them, shaking with fear: 'W-well, here's the thing... I decided to go out in the morning and kill some G-Grimm in the area... Just like usual, slaughtered a couple dozen Ursa, a h-handful of Nevermores, wiped out three packs of Boarbatusks. And Beowolves—I didn't even count 'em!' His bros go, 'Yeah, we get that, but what actually happened?' And he answers, 'Well, I step into my tent. I look—and there's this guy, SO badass that even I couldn't take him. Forgot I put a mirror by the entrance. Anyway... I literally shit my pants from fear.'"
A ringing laugh echoed nearby. Egrer dove headfirst into his academy-issued sleeping bag, but the night of fucking amazing stories showed no signs of stopping. It was like this across the entire hall.
Glynda Goodwitch, who was on duty by the wall, wasn't doing much of anything besides periodically smacking her riding crop against her palm with a sharp crack. She probably wouldn't stand there all night, but she'd definitely stick around until the majority of the students fell asleep. The professor didn't try to micromanage the wild force of nature that was a crowd of half-naked teenagers, but her mere presence cooled off the truly unhinged hotheads. Without a teacher around, this place would have absolutely devolved into either a bloodbath or an orgy. Or maybe both.
Egrer knew he was being overly dramatic, but not by much. There were plenty of people in the hall honestly trying to sleep—or at least trying not to disturb others—and those people were the only reason he still had any faith left in humanity.
And then there were the constant walkers. Back and forth, back and forth, zero peace and quiet. Going to the bathroom, stepping outside for fresh air, or just looking for a less crowded spot to crash. The constant rustling of strangers' footsteps kept the former thief on edge, his old instincts constantly urging him to jump to his feet.
Someone even stepped on him. Which wouldn't have been a huge deal, if they hadn't stepped on him again a second later.
"Are you fucking kidding me!? I'm not a paving stone!" His sudden yell made the two passing girls jump.
"I recognize that voice. Egrer, right?"
"Huh?" He rubbed his eyes and recognized one of them as Yang. In her arms, trembling slightly, was that same girl who always trailed after her like a lost puppy. "Yeah, that's me."
"Hey there!" Egrer wasn't in the mood for a chat; he just glared at her heavily. "Umm... you should probably cut back on the smoking, you scared my little sister."
"I'm not scared!" the girl declared. To prove her point, she hopped down to the floor, accidentally stepping on some Faunus's tail. "Oops, sorry!"
"Sister? But you guys look nothing alike." Sure, there was some vague resemblance, but if you didn't look closely, you'd say there was none. While Yang was a long-haired blonde with lilac eyes, her sister was a short-haired brunette with silver eyes. Their facial features weren't exactly screaming "siblings" either.
"We have different moms," Yang cut him off, making it instantly clear this was not a topic open for discussion. Egrer shrugged.
"My voice is raspy because of my Faunus trait, not from smoking."
"What kind of trait?"
"You know, that's not a very polite question." Usually, he'd be more than happy to brag, but right now he just wanted to sleep.
Silence hung in the air. Yang was torn between saying something and just walking away. Sure, they barely knew each other, but Egrer figured this hesitation was out of character for her. She seemed more like Yort—the type who sees problems as nails that just need a good, hard hammering.
"About the club... I'm sorry, alright?"
"Wow." She was actually apologizing on her own accord? "Did you get chewed out hard for it?"
"Big time." Her forced smile vanished like it was blown away by the wind. "I just lost my temper. I was hoping Junior would help me out, but he refused."
"Let me guess, you asked him for info for free?" Yang giggled and scratched the back of her head.
"I thought my natural charm would be enough. People don't usually say no to me."
"Color me surprised."
"Oh come on, don't be a nag. So we got into a brawl, so what?" She was clearly putting on a brave face; that fight had left a permanent scar on her soul. It was obvious from the way her eyes suddenly started darting around the hall, as if searching for Illmond. She didn't even realize that the zipped-up sleeping bag right at her feet belonged to him.
"For the record, our little fight cost Beacon almost five million Lien." Both girls' eyes widened.
"Yang, did you seriously level the place down to the foundation?" her sister asked.
"And my friends and I lost our source of income. Sure, we got compensated too, but it still sucks."
"H-how much did you get?" Yang managed to squeeze out.
"You know, you look like you wouldn't survive the revelation. I think I'll keep that to myself." Egrer gave a sinister smile. How was she supposed to know that the pack got paid practically nothing compared to the club? Let her imagination paint a nice, fat check with a bunch of zeroes. Judging by Yang's face, that's exactly what happened.
Sometimes Egrer amazed even himself with his pettiness and cunning.
"Wow, they actually went easy on me." She smacked her forehead and let out a nervous laugh. "So... truce? Not offering friendship and matching bracelets just yet, but let's at least stop the hostilities."
"Fair enough." Egrer shrugged. He was itching to ask what kind of info she wanted from Junior, but it was better not to stick his nose where it didn't belong.
Silence fell again. But not for long this time.
"Anyway, we were actually heading over to her." Yang pointed at a brunette with a bow reading by the wall. "She's Ruby's little friend."
"Yang!" So her name was Ruby. She looked friendly—definitely friendlier than her sister. At the very least, an evil person wouldn't wear pajamas covered in cartoon Grimm. "I literally said two words to her, we aren't friends!"
"And we're going to fix that right now."
"Good luck with that," Egrer said, pulling the blanket over his head again.
People get used to anything, and Faunus are no exception. Eventually, the chatter, laughter, and constant pacing stopped bothering Egrer. Finally, he felt himself drifting off to sleep. Slowly, but inevitably.
But the one thing a person can never get used to is sudden, unexpected bullshit. Faunus, unfortunately, were no exception here either.
"What the hell is going on in here!?" someone shrieked hysterically. Ah, there goes the first victim. Egrer felt like he was about to snap, too. "Keep it down! Do you not realize people are trying to sleep?!"
The guy had good intentions, but his totally valid demand just created even more noise. Egrer threw off his blanket and swept his world-hating glare across the hall. He wasn't catching any Zs here tonight.
"Ill." He patted the zipped-up sleeping bag next to him. The body inside jerked in surprise. "I'm bouncing, gonna find somewhere else to sleep."
"Are you seriously ditching me?!" A hand shot out, grabbing and squeezing Egrer's arm. "I-it's too dangerous to be alone in here! Who knows what these people are plotting?"
"You can tag along if you want."
Illmond vastly preferred that over staying with a crowd of noisy strangers. If Magenta had been nearby, he might have hesitated, but she was sleeping on the girls' side of the hall.
They grabbed their sleeping bags and headed for the neighboring building. Except there was a lock on the door. After wandering around for a bit, they discovered the windows were locked too. It was getting chilly, and hanging around outside barefoot in just pajamas at this hour was a terrible idea.
"Dammit. Ill, keep watch."
"What are you gonna do?"
"Relive the good old days." Egrer pulled a lockpick out of his underwear. He always kept a couple tucked away in there, just in case.
"S-someone's gonna see us!" Illmond hissed.
"They won't if you actually watch our six instead of staring at me." He slid the pick into the lock and froze. "Now, if I could just remember how to do this..."
"L-let's just go b-back."
"I won't get a wink of sleep in there, and tomorrow is a huge day. Well, technically today. So, no turning back!" With feigned confidence, Egrer started jimmying the lock.
The quiet scrape and occasional click of metal was periodically interrupted by Illmond's frantic gasps. He constantly felt like they were being watched, and every shifting shadow sent him into an uncontrollable shiver. Egrer didn't have that problem; his Faunus vision let him see easily even in pitch-black darkness, except right now he was a little preoccupied.
"Come on, you piece of shit..." The lock was being stubborn, but Egrer wasn't easily discouraged. He was trained by the best of the best; he'd cracked safes, hotwired cars, broken into Bullheads—what was a simple door lock to him? Just a toothpick he could snap with a careless flick of his fingers.
"L-let's just go, y-you're not gonna get it."
"Shut it. Almost got it." Sticking his tongue out in concentration, Egrer finally heard the sweet, satisfying *click*. The door swung open. "See? Nothing to be scared of. Still got the magic touch."
They stepped into a dark hallway lined with numbered lockers. Egrer had heard they had rocket boosters built into them, and with a signal from a scroll, they could fly absolutely anywhere. But to get that kind of perk, you actually had to become a student first. For now, they were just holding the applicants' weapons and clothes; everyone had been assigned one.
The light from the shattered moon barely reached in here, so Egrer had to lead Illmond by the hand.
"This was your master plan?"
"If we roll out our bags on the floor, the professors might start asking questions. As the ancient wisdom goes—no catch, no crime. Give me the code."
"Four, three, eight, zero." The locker popped open; besides the Spider Weaver and some spare clothes, it was empty. Sleeping sitting up might be uncomfortable for some, but Illmond fundamentally didn't sleep at night anyway, so he'd just sit in there and draw. Like always.
"Night. I'm going to mine."
"Don't close it!" Egrer's hand stopped mid-motion.
"I pulled some stuffing out of my sleeping bag and jammed it in the latch, it won't click shut."
"That's not what I mean. Being crammed in a tight space is going to freak me out." Right, the guy had claustrophobia.
"Then close it right before the students start showing up. Just pretend you were in here the whole time."
Egrer headed over to his own locker. Wrapping himself in a blanket, he pulled his knees to his chest, got as comfortable as he could, and fell asleep almost instantly. A fleeting thought crossed his mind that his entire body was going to be cramped as hell tomorrow, but at least he'd get some sleep beforehand.
* * *
The increasing rustling, the sound of slamming lockers, and overlapping voices slowly pulled Egrer from his slumber. He rubbed his eyes, only to see a steel door right in front of his face. Remembering where he'd fallen asleep, Egrer immediately regretted last night's life choices. His legs felt like jelly, his back and neck ached, and he was so exhausted he felt like he hadn't slept a wink.
"Ah, shit!" He tried to stand up, but his ankles felt like they were filled with pouring sand. He needed to stretch his legs first.
"Who's there?!" A familiar voice. Was that Jaune? Their lockers were right next to each other, so it was highly likely.
"And where did all your polished confidence go?" A snarky female voice. Someone he didn't know.
"Stop playing dumb, you've been spotted. Get out here, now!" the same voice ordered. Her tone sounded painfully similar to Melanie. Just what Beacon needed, a carbon copy of her.
Egrer awkwardly tumbled out, not because he was ordered to, but to stop making the situation look any stupider than it already was. He shifted his weight from foot to foot; the pins-and-needles sensation in his legs wasn't fading, and the freezing floor was unpleasantly biting at his bare feet. Jaune offered a surprised greeting, while the two globally famous girls standing next to him scrutinized the humble leader of a humble musical band.
Jaune's one lucky bastard! Chatting it up with Pyrrha Nikos and Weiss Schnee. Egrer actually felt a bit awkward: here he was, half-asleep in his pajamas, while they were already in full combat gear, prepped for the upcoming trial.
Up close, the heiress to the world's richest corporation looked almost exactly like Melanie. Same white attire, same arrogant expression. The only difference was that Egrer's friend was a brunette, not a platinum blonde. But the similarities weren't just skin-deep. Egrer would recognize that ironic, condescending tone anywhere—the kind of tone that, just by existing, makes you feel like an uncultured, low-class idiot.
"Care to explain what you were doing in that locker?" The owner of the bitchy voice turned out to be none other than Schnee.
"Sleeping. What, is that illegal? It's my locker, so I have every right." He couldn't resist a little jab; he was not in a good mood.
"Sleeping? In a locker?"
"It was too loud in the hall, and I wanted to get some rest before Initiation."
"Is that even allowed?"
"Of course," Egrer smiled his dumb smile. "Otherwise I wouldn't be here, right?"
And then, something happened that shook him to his absolute core: Pyrrha-freaking-Nikos actually spoke to him. The four-time champion of the Mistral regional tournament, owner of dozens of cups, medals, certificates, and other prestigious awards.
"I have earplugs for situations like that." She pulled a pair out of her pocket. "They help, but then you can't hear your alarm."
"Got it," Egrer replied, completely drawing a blank on what else to say. Normally, he was never at a loss for words, unless he was talking to someone exponentially stronger than him. It had been like that with Headmaster Ozpin, Miss Goodwitch, and, initially, even his own family.
"By the way, since Eg is here. Girls," — Jaune was being that casual with Nikos? Was he not afraid at all? They didn't call her the "Crimson Fury" just for her hair color. — "I'm sorry, but I've already agreed to start a super cool rock band with him. You should come to our gig sometime, bring your friends." He winked.
Wait, is this even Jaune? Since when did he turn into an alpha male? And a really crappy one at that? The girls looked baffled, but Pyrrha managed a polite smile.
"Absolutely, Jaune. But we still don't know how the teams will be determined... So, if we happen to randomly end up on the same team, how would you feel about that?"
Was she inviting him to join her? Her? Him? A champion and a total fraud whose Aura level was somewhere below the floorboards? If Egrer's brain had been fully awake, it would have gone into an emergency reboot. As it was, he just couldn't process the sheer magnitude of what he was hearing.
"Sure, I'd be down. But," Jaune slung a buddy-buddy arm around the frozen Egrer, "if we get to choose, I'm going with him."
Did he just reject her? Did he just turn down an offer from Pyrrha Nikos? Honestly, if Jaune had ditched him for her, Egrer would have let him go with zero hard feelings. But Jaune chose to stick with him... How noble, what backbone!
"No sane person would turn down an offer like that!" Schnee voiced Egrer's fractured thoughts. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"
"Not a clue, my snow angel. Care to enlighten me?"
What did he just call her? Snow angel? Is he mocking her?
"This is Pyrrha Nikos, she graduated top of her class in Sanctum's entire history." The girl in question gave a polite wave. "Four-time winner of the Mistral regional tournament, holder of the 'Skullcrusher' cup. Ring a bell?"
The blond kept his confident smile, but there was a distinct lack of comprehension in his eyes.
"What's that?"
"What rock have you been living under?! Her face is on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's cereal box!" A shocked gasp of realization echoed through the building.
So much for backbone and nobility. Jaune literally had no idea who he was talking to; if he did, he definitely would have joined her team. Regardless, if he changed his mind, Egrer wouldn't hold a grudge. It's Pyrrha Nikos—she can pick whatever and whoever she wants.
"Alright, I'll leave you guys to it." Egrer grabbed his clothes and headed for the men's locker room. They clearly didn't need an audience for this, especially since Jaune was currently blushing a furious shade of red.
Miss Goodwitch's voice suddenly crackled over the PA system.
"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for Initiation! It will begin in ten minutes."
Egrer broke into a sprint, completely wide awake now. Setting a new world record for changing clothes, he darted outside and started scanning the crowd for his friends. Sleep-deprived, disheveled, and grumpy students were dragging their feet down the path behind Beacon. He didn't spot a single familiar face among them. A hunch hit Egrer, and he marched over to a familiar locker. It was closed shut.
"Ill! The hell are you doing?" The hikikomori rubbed his eyes against the sudden burst of light and yawned. "Initiation is in ten minutes, and you decide now is the perfect time for your first nap ever!?"
"I thought gathering my strength was a good idea."
"Oh, did you?" The leader dragged Illmond out, shoved his clothes and weapon into his hands, and pushed him toward the locker room. "I want you looking fresh as a daisy in sixty seconds!"
Next up—Magenta. To find her, he had to think like her. He had to become her.
"Okay, I am an idealistic girl with air between my ears and possibly some kind of brain damage," Egrer muttered to himself. "I was just woken up by a teacher at the school I've dreamed of attending since I was a kid. First thoughts? Find my friends? No... Go fishing? Maybe... Go to the Headmaster to chat about absolute insanity? Most likely."
His gut told him that theorizing about Magenta's actions was a complete waste of brainpower and time—she didn't obey formal logic. She didn't obey any logic. Her path was unpredictable, her behavior could shift with a gust of wind, and the sheer chaos rattling around in her head was terrifying. Best not to think about that last part at all.
So how do you find someone who is the literal personification of madness and chaos? Easy—they find you.
"Hi, Eg!" Magenta snuck up from behind and snapped a salute. She was in full combat gear; her innocent, flowery sundress contrasted sharply with the gas mask hanging around her neck and the massive, intimidating flamethrower. Colorful Rainbow looked even more terrifying thanks to the spikes and the various glowing vials protruding near the grip, containing liquid Dust of every conceivable type. Anyone who thinks you can't make "wet fire" with Water Dust or "freezing fire" with Ice Dust shouldn't ever see this monstrosity in action. For the sake of their own mental health. "I'm ready for Initiation!"
"Awesome, now we just need to find Yort." The smile slowly melted off Magenta's face. "Shit... sorry, I'm just so used to—"
"You don't need to apologize. He didn't leave because of you."
"I know, I don't blame myself either. We're just from different worlds, that's all there is to it." Egrer scratched his head awkwardly.
"I'm glad you realize that."
It was too naive to assume everyone around you would share your views. People who grew up in Vacuo have an entirely different code of honor, an entirely different outlook on the world, including human relationships. They spoke completely different languages and had fallen victim to the illusion of mutual transparency—Egrer thought he understood Yort, and Yort thought he understood Egrer. Egrer thought Yort needed to open up to people, while Yort thought Egrer was just using them. A simple misunderstanding. No one was to blame.
But since Magenta reacted so sharply, it meant this was important to her. She was definitely scheming something. But how could he figure out what, without pressing her too hard? Their butterfly might have air between her ears, but she wasn't stupid—in some ways, she was incredibly perceptive. There's a reason she's the only one who can calm Illmond down, and it has nothing to do with whatever "Moe power" he keeps blabbering about; it's just knowing exactly the right words to say. Magenta inherently understands the emotions people feel and can skillfully guide them.
After mulling it over, Egrer decided to do nothing. The chances of getting anything out of her were slim, and besides, they were out of time.
"Have you seen Jaune?"
"I'm looking at him right now." She pointed out the window. Outside, with his head hung low, their blond acquaintance was trudging along in total isolation. Unsurprisingly, Magenta immediately bolted outside to cheer him up. "Good morning, Jaune!"
While they were out there chatting, Egrer decided to hurry Illmond along; the guy was taking way too long to get dressed.
"You almost done in there? Initiation is about to start!"
"Don't rush me, man. You sound like my mom." He stepped out of the locker room, tugging his Spider Weaver gloves onto his hands. "There, fresh as a daisy. Happy?"
That was exactly what Egrer had been waiting to hear. He grabbed Illmond by the wrist and dragged him outside. They were the very last ones to leave the locker room, bringing up the rear of the student procession.
Jaune and Magenta were already waiting for them.
"Everyone ready? Let's move out," the leader said. "While we still have a few minutes, we need to agree on a signal so we can easily find each other during Initiation. No matter what the teachers throw at us, sticking together is definitely the safer play." The pack nodded in agreement. "How about a wolf howl?"
"Color me shocked," Illmond drawled, earning himself a smack on the back of the head. It wasn't like he actually felt it; the gesture was purely for psychological dominance.
"Got any better ideas? No? No. Then don't interrupt!"
"Umm," Jaune ventured, "you reacted a bit harshly to that."
"The wolf is his spirit animal and his Faunus ancestor." Illmond was getting awfully chatty. If being without his scroll was doing this to him, maybe Egrer should seriously consider arranging a little "accident" for the device. Egrer quickly yanked the conversation back to himself.
"Forgot to ask earlier, Jaune—you don't have any issues with Faunus, right?" Remembering the scene by the lockers, he decided to clarify a very important detail. "You do know what Faunus are, right?"
"Hey! I'm not that hopeless, I know what Faunus are. And I'm not a racist, if that's what you're asking."
"Awesome. Then a wolf howl it is," the leader decreed, meeting no opposition.
"Hey Eg, tell me, is it normal not to know who Pyrrha Nikos and Weiss Schnee are?" Jaune clearly recalled the locker scene himself; he even blushed the exact same shade of red. Yeah, knowing Pyrrha Nikos solely from the front of a cereal box was definitely pretty embarrassing.
"Honestly? No. But personally, I won't judge you for it. I've been living with someone who breaks my understanding of 'normal' on a daily basis."
"Wow." Jaune sounded impressed.
"Who's that?" Magenta suddenly asked.
"Oh come on, you know her way better than I do."
Please don't tell me she genuinely doesn't get it. She can't be that... that... right? Was Magenta just playing the fool to make Jaune feel better? Or was she trying to act "normal" so Egrer would worry about her less? It was a mystery.
"Her? So it's a girl?" The leader nodded at her assumption. "But you don't live with any girls!"
"You don't say?"
"Besides me, obviously." She poked a thumb at her own chest, as if that clarification was extremely important to her.
"There you go."
"Eeeeg! Answer the question! That wasn't an answer!"
"See what I mean?" Egrer nodded at Magenta. Jaune looked like he understood completely.
They approached a ragged crowd of future (if they got lucky) students, who had formed a semicircle around Headmaster Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch. The staff stood right at the edge of the cliff, completely unfazed by the sheer drop, as if standing on the precipice of a deadly abyss was just a regular Tuesday. Then again, they were Huntsmen, so maybe it was. Just looking at them made Illmond start shaking.
Next to the professors sat an ordinary table, inching further and further away from them with every gust of wind. The flare guns resting on top threatened to tumble to the ground at any moment, but no one seemed to care.
The Headmaster surveyed the new arrivals, checked his watch, and took a sip of his coffee.
"For years, you have trained and studied to become Huntsmen. And now, the time has come to prove what you are worth. It is time I told you how teams will be formed this year." He gestured over his shoulder. "The first person you make eye contact with after landing in the Emerald Forest will be your partner for the next four years. Teams will be composed of two pairs, and they will remain intact until your graduation."
Whispers erupted among the students; this news just nuked a ton of plans. Egrer started getting anxious too.
"Just be careful," he told his pack, nervously tugging at his jacket sleeve. "Try to keep quiet, and howl as often as you can."
"You just gave us two contradictory pieces of advice," Illmond pointed out.
When the applicants settled down, Miss Goodwitch took the floor.
"You must complete three objectives: find your partner, retrieve a relic, and return to the top of this cliff before sunset. Anyone who fails to meet any of these conditions will not be accepted into Beacon."
"The relics are located in an abandoned temple at the northern end of the forest," the Headmaster raised a finger, emphasizing his next words. "Each pair must choose only one. Guard it with your lives, destroy any opposition in your path, and you will be graded accordingly."
"If you find yourselves in a situation you cannot handle," Miss Goodwitch pointed to the table, "fire a flare into the air. Our staff will rescue you, but you will be disqualified. Please, take one."
The students obediently did as they were told. Egrer slipped his into the inner pocket of his suit jacket; he had no intention of using it anyway. Just like everyone else.
"The rules are quite simple," the Headmaster concluded. "Are there any questions?"
"Yeah, sir." Jaune hesitantly raised his hand.
"Excellent! Now, step up to the launchpads—they will drop you into the forest." The students jostled, shuffled around chaotically, and eventually sorted themselves onto the silver squares. Egrer ended up standing between Magenta and Jaune. "Let's begin, Glynda."
"Sir? How exactly are you dropping us off? Are we taking a ship?"
At that moment, the leftmost platform suddenly sprang upward, launching the student standing on it high into the sky. His girlish scream echoed across the entire cliff; a few people even covered their ears.
"Hmm?" The Headmaster paused his coffee drinking. "No, you will be falling."
"Jaune, calm down," Egrer whispered. "Are you scared of heights?"
"No," the Headmaster answered meanwhile. "You will need to use your own landing strategy."
"Wait, what?.."
"Mr. Arc, the time for questions was when I offered it. Good luck." The Headmaster raised his mug in a toast.
"Somebo—" Jaune's platform launched, "—DY HEEEEELP!"
"May the Twin Gods help us, both the Light and the Dark." Egrer clasped his hands in prayer and squeezed his eyes shut. His legs tensed, bracing for the launch. In an instant, he felt the planet's gravity vanish completely, and then the platform fired.
If Jaune hadn't been screaming so much, he might have found the answer to his question—it was just basic Gravity Dust at work.
Managing to somewhat stabilize his posture in the air, Egrer spread his arms and legs to bleed off some speed. Fortunately, they were all launched in a wide parabolic arc rather than straight down; otherwise, even their Aura wouldn't have saved them from turning into human pancakes.
Almost everyone around him was screaming their lungs out. Only a handful flew in silence, and a few were actually enjoying it. Magenta was laughing hysterically as a jet of multicolored flame gave her even more speed. The familiar blonde brawler was flying similarly just above the treetops, firing her shotgun gauntlets into the ground to propel herself. And another ginger student was literally riding a massive hammer like a witch's broom, occasionally firing rockets downward to stay airborne. All three were girls, and all three had bright, vibrant hair—maybe those two facts were somehow connected? The deafening roar of their weapons terrified every bird in the vicinity, sending flocks fleeing from the forest.
"Oh no, a birdie!" Someone had just smacked into one.
The trees were rushing up fast, and if he missed his window, Egrer was just going to faceplant into the canopy. He braced himself: flipped so he was falling feet-first—nearly sending himself into an uncontrollable tumble in the process—and grabbed his Needlestick with both hands. The second his boots hit a thick branch, he pushed off it, propelling himself deeper into the forest at breakneck speed.
The needles snapped out instantly, sinking into the trunks of two adjacent trees and carving long, deep scars into the bark as they dragged. Having bled off his momentum this way, he hit the ground, though not very gracefully—he lost his balance at the very end and caught himself on his outstretched hands. Praise be to all the gods, his suit jacket and slacks didn't get dirty, though his hands were going to need a good spritz of hand sanitizer. He had a bottle in his pocket for exactly this kind of scenario.
"Phew." He stretched and rolled his shoulders. A sudden stop like that could easily dislocate a joint, but thankfully, Aura protected against much worse.
The others had probably managed a smoother landing. Magenta would easily brake using her jet stream, and Illmond would just lasso a branch and swing around it a couple of times. How Jaune was going to land was a total mystery; Egrer barely knew the guy or his fighting style. He'd probably figure something out. In any case, the fall wouldn't be fatal for him.
Now he just needed to find a high vantage point and let out a good howl.
"Alright, so which way is north?"
* * *
Headmaster Ozpin watched with a smile as the future defenders of humanity plummeted screaming into a Grimm-infested forest. He took a refreshing sip of coffee.
"Are you certain the catapults were the best idea?"
"Naturally, Glynda. Their fear will attract more Grimm, which means we will be able to more fully assess the strengths and weaknesses of each student. Furthermore, it raises the barrier to entry. You complained that we have too many illegals who haven't even attended prep school. The truly weak candidates will be weeded out."
"Well, it is good that you've addressed this issue, albeit in a manner so..." Glynda Goodwitch paused, struggling to find a word that was simultaneously polite and expressive of the sheer depth of her disapproval, "...characteristic of you."
"I am glad you realize how wonderful my idea is." She merely sighed heavily in response.