Fandom RWBY: Clean Slate

[LadyClara]

Clara watched a student sit down by the rock she was propped against and fall to his knees. After he situated himself against the rock, she noticed his hand, aimlessly drawing in the dirt. As he began speaking, telling everyone he was blind, it made sense to her, the glasses, the cane, aimless drawing. He'd gained the ability to 'see' another way to which she found pretty impressive.


Listening to him speak and thinking of others things took her mind off of her own pain. She could still feel it there but was able to let it pass by. Clara couldn't yet muster the strength to move by herself, the wound, the crash and using all of her semblance made her fully weak and vulnerable. She wanted more than anything to scratch an itch on the nape of her neck, the feeling of something lightly pinching her skin. Mentally, it drove her nuts but she couldn't lift her arm to satisfy her urge.


As the boy explained about seeing the figure, her mind flashed back to when she saw him in the cockpit of the airship. Chills ran down her spin at the devilish grin on his face, his eyes burning like the pits of the Underworld. At the mention of this, Clara tried to speak up, to say she also say him in the destroyed airship, having take out the controls but before she even took a breath to mutter a word, the ground shook.


The faunus froze still and listened. To what seemed to be the ground moaning, the rock she had propped herself onto, began to rumble, steadily rising. Having lost her balance against the rock and no energy to move away, due to nothing propping her up, she fell back and watched helplessly as the rock lifted higher in to the air, seemingly a lot larger than she thought.


It began to shift and turn slowly, revealing it was shaped like a human but a lot taller. When the face presented itself, it dawned on her that this was the same thing she saw in the airship but only...bigger, much bigger.


Fear locked her in place, not that she could have moved anyway, as she stared in horror as this figure seemed to look at everyone. Grinning even wider, it attacked, sending Clara soaring across the clearing, back first into a tree. The impact jarred her sight, nearly putting her unconscious for the..who knows how many times today.


She whimpered in pain, unable to move, unable to help or even call out to anyone.


All she needed was energy..and fast.


@Rozalski @Dragonfry @TheOnlyCatbug @Entarriance @GasMaskie @AnyoneElse

 

[Entarriance]

"Maybe it's a test of worthiness of some sort? Or..."


Before May could finish her statement, there was an unearthly rumbling from nearby as soon as he realized it was the only rock in the area. Lurching forward, she grabbed Kuro's arm and tugged hard on it as the creature began to rise from the ground., bringing down a massive arm to crush them to pieces. Pulling him out of the blow, the shockwave of it still rocked her own feet, maybe effect her psychologically more than it did physically. Why was this happening and now was really what she wanted, all she wanted to do was read...


"Look out!"


"What is that?! Kill it! Kill it!"


They were all in some degree of panic and exhaustion. Kuro was injured, Clara was launched back against a tree, Inigo definitely had a few ribs of his own broken. And is it really worth to muster the energy that she has to use her semblance with the possibility of her coming back out again? There must be some other way! Letting go of Kuro,unlike her counterpart, she was unable to sharpen her own shards to serve as weapons. She was able to create force fields and protect others, and maybe that was all she was capable of doing right now.


"Try aiming for the red on it's back!"


There was obviously the chance that it could've been a mistake, but it was better than doing absolutely nothing at all. Reloading her sword with a purple crystal (carried in a strap in both of her sleeves, that's why they're so long!), the blade shot out and the previously blue runes grew a dark purple, with it's characters shifting about. She felt it's weight leave her hands, and bolted to the beast. May wasn't as fast and as skilled as her counterpart was, but she did hold a little bit of that talent onto her, making usage of the crystals much more. The sword was very light, as if aluminium, but it didn't inflict much damage until she wanted it too. A similar method to what June had done, wherever she walked, teal-coloured shards formed at each step, either trailing off away from her, or in front of her as a staircase. Using her shards like a staircase, she jumped up above where the rock creature stood as it's slightly slouched back was in her sight (maybe not directly behind, but in her sight. She would've also hit it's head if not it's back). Jumping off, she felt the weight of her blade gradually grow heavier, heavier, before it would have been a struggle to carry if she weren't in the air. (@Rozalski to determine damage here and what happens)


The shards that had floated off not part of the staircase floated idly in space, unaffected by gravity and waiting. It was almost like a glass, but not as sharp around the edges. But the pattern of them floating appeared to have them stray relatively close to the others. If she was able to notice, maybe she'd be able to cover for them as well. But who knows, maybe they'll find their own usage for it.


@Rozalski @TheOnlyCatbug @Everyoneelsereally

 

[Dragonfry]

Wait, this wasn't real? The idea seemed like a bit of a stretch, but the guy did sound like he knew what he was talking about. She was surprised when he told them all about his blindness without hesitation. To be honest, she was a little jealous that he was strong enough to do that.


Still, even if she mostly believed his claims, Jade was still pretty shocked when the rock started moving. "You just had to say it, didn't you?" she muttered angrily. Sure, it wasn't the blind guy's fault, but complaining definitely made her feel a little better about the situation. What made her feel worse was the fact that she was right next to the thing. She watched, slightly shell-shocked at its appearance, as the thing sent Clara flying. It hit hard, apparently.


There was no time to think about that, though. The thing had turned towards the bulk of the group, and a massive fist was flying down to crush them. Sapphire certainly wasn't hesitating to run away, she noticed with slight disapproval. Jade figured that she might as well try to attract the thing's attention away. Sure, she was in as bad a state as most of the group, but her injuries were just on the surface. She could push through it if she really had to. Besides, making people angry was one of her favourite pastimes. She flipped her revolver out of her pocket, firing a shot at the rock man's face as she jumped back, dodging the initial strike.





"Man, you're ugly! If I looked like that then I'd probably hide too!" she yelled, hoping to draw the thing's attention. "You're so slow you can't even hit an injured teenager? Only person I feel more sorry for is your parents, if they had to raise someone this pathetic!" Jade yelled, along with several, much more vulgar insults. Hopefully she'd be able to annoy him enough that he'd focus on her, giving the others an opportunity to attack.





@Rozalski + Everyone else

 

[TheOnlyCatbug]

Indigo realized what he was doing. He ran away from a problem. He was almost always like that, he was even born with the ability to run but not after... not after fighting. He went on his back, loaded an ice dust magazine into the gun he held, then shot all 8 bullets at the rock creature's legs, hoping to freeze them. The bullets were tiny to penetrate the skin of grimm and humans, but not rock people! "You need to chill out!" He said with a smirk at the terrible pun he made. He looked at Jade. "Jade, just keep hurting it's feelings! That will totally help! Hehe.... just kidding, you should fight a bit more!" He got on one knee, preparing to dodge any attacks with a roll.


@Rozalski +Anyone

 

[Rozalski]

The beast held its hulking fist in the ground and payed little attention to the fact that May had mounted an attack. Even as her blade lodged firmly in its back, causing cracks and fissures to erupt around the injury. Heat emanated from its back and intensified through the cracks. Red light pulsated under the surface of this beasts rocky armor like it's core was nothing but magma.


The rock beast's eyes shifted towards Jade. The insults hurled at it were just as useless as the few shots she fired. It did, however, react this time. It's back began to burn hotter until flames actually erupted from its spine. Soon, the red glow flowed downards into the arm that had gouged the ground.


Ice gathered around its legs where a few of Indigo's bullets hit, but they were promptly melted away as a wave of fire burst from its fist. The wave easily cleared away trees and charred the ground for at least a few hundred feet in all direction. With its arena now set, the beast began to stand as the fire from its spine died down.


Kuro followed May as she pulled him away from danger. It was a sweet gesture and he would have made his own maneuver if his body was still whole. Before he could comment on the situation, a second impact after the beast had finished it's attack took his attention. May had already departed to try and take this thing on, so it was time for him to make a show of his own prowess.


His sword finally left its sheath with a purpose. His feet carried him away from the beast, however. His concern was with the girl that hadn't been dragged out of ground zero. With his sheath dragging the ground behind him, he soon reached the tree that had stopped her flight and immediately felt that places in her body were terribly shattered.


Kuro didn't have any powers of healing, but he could protect her from the coming firestorm. The air changed as the fire quickly approached and scorched everything in its path. Kuro sunk his sword into the ground and took a knee behind it, placing himself between the girl and the beast.


He had only done this a few times before, and never intentionally. In his training, his master had never mentioned semblances. Perhaps she didn't want him to rely on it and trust in his blade instead. Whatever the reason, he had only recently discovered that a parlor trick he enjoyed as a child was really an extension of his strength.


Kuro took a deep breath, focusing himself and slowly feeling his body go limp. A white glow around his body began to intensify and small tendrils branched off. The pain from his previous injuries melted away as a sudden warmth enveloped his body. It's wasn't an unpleasant warmth, but Kuro knew he was inside of an inferno.


As the heat wave passed, his eyes opened. The reflex revealed nothing, but his nose revealed that his body was in fact smoking in places. Thankfully, the girl behind him was unharmed for the most part. His body had diverted most of the intensity of the flames successfully.


Kuro stood shakily as the white glow around him remained. His body was loose and his clothes had been truly tattered now. The bandages that previously wrapped his body fluttered in the wind and let off small embers as they only barely cling to him. His shirt had been entirely burned away and parts of his hair let loose trails of smoke.


"Right." Kuro let out a relaxed sigh as he swung his sword in the air in front of him. "Now, my turn." He took several staggered steps forward, this time trailing both his blade and sheath behind him. His shoulders dooped slightly and a lazily grin marked his face as he began to approach the monster.


@Dragonfry @TheOnlyCatbug @LadyClara @Entarriance

 

[LadyClara]

When her vision cleared, Clara saw the horror before her. The remaining students mounted attack after attack, doing no damage to the monster. She was enraged with herself for being useless and weak to not be able to fight.


She looked around, the sounds of shouting and weapon fire ringing around her, her eyes falling on the crashed ship. An idea popped into her mind. Desperate to try it, she slowly began to crawl over, digging her fingers into the dirt, her legs dragging behind her.


Determined to make it, she eventually crawled up to the ship and began to make her way up towards the cockpit, through broken shards of glass, cutting her hand and sending a flow of blood down the hull. After pulling herself through the window, her arms burning, she tumbled into the small room, wincing as her head hit the floor.


It has to be here somewhere..


@Rozalski @Dragonfry @Entarriance @TheOnlyCatbug @AnyoneElse

 

[TheOnlyCatbug]

He was furious that his plan didn't work out. "Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, what even is this thing! This isn't grimm! You're just an asshole!" He shouted at full power, a little out of breath. His theme started playing softly. He stood up, he noticed his aura can heal some of the damage done, enough to make him able to run and fight. He ran in a circle around the beast with his gun pointed at it, waiting for the right moment to strike him with the multicolored magazine he loaded into his pistol.


@everyone here. (Is this thing even grimm?)

 

[Entarriance]

She hit! May's sword lodged itself into the creature. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to hold much of a reaction, or really anything, she felt something warm coming from the cracks and fissures that emerged. And the problem was, she couldn't remove her sword. With both of her feet around, May desperately yanked on it, and something warm began to pulsate. What could she do with such little time?! There were shards of hers that lingered around the battlefield, allowing her a little more consistency and assistance in movements, and overall, just a little bit more control over herself on the stage. She heard Jade and Indigo calling out, and it seems like they finally started to participate into the fight!


"B-be careful!"


May shouted this towards them, which was an odd move, seeing their current situation. Suddenly, Jade brought out her own revolver, causing May to realize her situation. She was still on top of this things back, with it's back pulsating with searing heat. And it could explode if she wasn't careful. Fumbling with her sleeves, she pulled out a green coloured crystal. Placing it into her sword, the runes shifted once more, and instead of it's purple, it began to glow a pastel green. This allowed her to have a higher launch ratio. The damage wasn't as severe, rather it dealt less damage, but it allowed a high fire-back, and maybe it would make her job of getting away right now easier. Unfortunately for her, she had about 15 seconds before the shot that Jade had sent caused the beasts back to explode violently in her face. Pulling both of her swords apart the boost by the green dust allowed her to tear them apart easier, but May wasn't fast enough before the fire exploded against her cheek, as she tried to flee, singeing bits of her hair and burning her cheek.


And that wasn't all, a wave of fire bursted from it's fist, clearing the area as if it were it's board. Quickly moving her shards to cover herself, she was pushed back a good amount, and the shards that she had scattered among the area seemed to mimic the action, growing in width and length in an effort to shield those around it, acting as a sort of barrier. After the wave of heat passed, sweat dripped down her forehead. She briefly saw what these people can do, so what can she try to do? Indigo had ice, and ice can break into smaller pieces, which can turn into... water.


She had an idea, and who knows how far-fetched it was from working.


"Indigo! Can you create little bursts of ice, and Jade, can you destroy those?! Make them into fragments, I have a plan!"





Somewhat. She had to be sure in herself, but there was always this distant feeling of doubt in her heart. Looking towards Kuro as he seemed to stumble loosely towards the creature, she wanted to call out to him, but something appeared different about the way he was moving in opposition to someone who was injured. But he looked like he knew what he was doing, and perhaps, that would be enough time to stall for her plan to work. But May had no certainties, and dealing with the tank at a distance was what appeared to be safest.


"... be careful, Kuro!"


@TheOnlyCatbug @Rozalski @Dragonfry

 

[LadyClara]

After searching frantically, she opened a compartment door and smiled with hope.


Yes! Finally..


Pulling the green bag out, she unzipped it and thrust the bag open, a bunch of medical supplies falling out. Nothing major, just bandages and straps, fell out. Looking inside, she noticed a small zip, a sachet stuck inside. Upon fishing it out and looking at it, she identified them as Pain Killers. Without hesitating, she swallowed then, instantly grimacing at the disgusting taste they left behind. Once the taste died down, she looked around for something else.


I need something that will give me a quick boost, enough to help everyone. I need..adrenaline..


@Dragonfry @Rozalski @TheOnlyCatbug @Entarriance

 

[TheOnlyCatbug]

Indigo was very mad, all he wanted to do was kill this stupid creature! He wouldn't listen to May because of how mad he was. He began shooting the magazine, a couple ice shots missed at first then he got the hang of shooting the beast. With every hit, it seemed that he got... faster... a lot faster. The ice bullets formed small icebergs when they hit the ground. He kept running really fast around the creature, almost like a dark blue blur, you can still see how pissed off he was.


@every1

 

[Dragonfry]

Jade glared angrily at the rock creature, practically snarling in rage. There was no way that her weapons were gonna damage this thing, so it looked like she had to try her Semblance with her limited aura. It was a shame that she'd run out of fire dust, since explosions seemed like the kind of thing they needed for this guy, but wind was the next best thing.


She was nowhere near as good with the other kinds as she was with fire, but sometimes a girl had to improvise. She hadn't been able to absorb much of it though, so she decided to try and get closer up. Once she was within striking range, she struck the thing's leg with her palm, forcing the dust's energy out in a focused shockwave that would hopefully unbalance it at least a little, though with how tough this thing was she knew it wouldn't do any more than that. Rolling through the thing's legs, she ended up on the other side of it, near Sapphire and platform girl.


Just as she twisted, preparing for a second attack on the thing, platform girl shouted to her and Sapphire, and what she had to say seemed to make more sense than just beating on the thing. The blind guy would have to handle himself for a minute with... Whatever he was doing.


She nodded when she heard the plan. "Got it! Ready when you are, Sapphire!" she yelled to the blue-haired guy, getting her revolvers ready to shoot whatever ice he created. Sadly, he didn't seem to be going along with the plan, apparently preferring to take a tantrum and waste all his ammo. "You idiot! It didn't work before, it's not working now, Sapphire!" she looked over at platform girl with a shake of her head. Change of plan





"I can make you some ice, but it won't be much, okay?" she said, shifting dust types for the second or third time of the day. She took in as much ice dust as her aura could take, then used it to create a decent sized sphere, which she smashed against the ground, making shards. Her head hurt like nothing else, but she didn't think she was gonna pass out. "That's all I can do. My aura's pretty much tapped out right now, so this plan had better be worth it." she said, sounding exhausted.


@Entarriance @TheOnlyCatbug @Rozalski

 

[Rozalski]

"Careful..." Kuro kept repeating as he neared the creature. Everyone else was trying their hardest to survive the onsluaght and damage the colossus before they were wiped out. This thing was strong. It seemed to break from any traditional knowledge of Grimm. This thing was straight out of a storybook.


Kuro remembered a thing or two about storybooks. A warrior and his blade always triumphed over evil in the end. This was how legends were made. Kuro stopped and let his blade hang at his side. He felt the ice forming over the rock monster and hoped that it could possibly compound his plan.


No such luck. The towering rock monster turned to Kuro and scowled at the challenger. It's legs shifted and shook off the ice that had gathered easily. It's eyes narrowed before its arm cocked back and shot forward. The open hand had aimed to crush Kuro and certainly had enough force to do so.


With his destruction incoming, Kuro braced himself for the impact. Mitona had shown him how to stop a charging Grimm this way. One foot planted firmly behind him and the other loosely forward. He had survived an inferno in this state of mind as well, so he was confident that his will would hold here.


The terrible hand approached and Kuro thrust his sword hard to meet it, joining his hands over the handle to support it. A crash of thunder eminated from the impact with a cloud of dust gathering quickly from the inertia of the air.


Silence came afterwards save for the creaking and crumbling coming from the rocks that made up the creature. As the dust cleared, Kuro stood holding back the force of the beast at the tip of his blade. The tip had been forced between a critical fold in the hand and held it open just enough that he wasn't crushed by the fingers that had nearly closed around his body.


Kuro's body was breaking, he could feel it. Even through his numbed state. His bones were beginning to splinter and bow under the weight of the attack. Still, he was committed and the thrill of having survived such an attack pushed him to tolerate the pain. The beast continued to push, unwilling to give ground. Kuro lifted his forward foot and placed in behind him, placing weight there instead. Soon, he was stepping back slowly and sliding against the ground. The beast was stronger than he was, but Kuro's resolve wouldn't break.


For now, the beast was preoccupied with the arm wrestling match with Kuro.


@Dragonfry @LadyClara @TheOnlyCatbug @Entarriance

 

[GasMaskie]

"Hmm." The young man unsheathed both of his weapons and gazed upon the strange creature. None of the dust bullets he held in reserve would deal any real damage to something wrought from stone and he was certain that the blades he wielded would be ineffective against its earthen hide. Still, he couldn't just stand there and watch.


The blind man had an extreme tolerance for imaginary pain, though perhaps his belief that all of this was carefully constructed had aided him considerably in the regard. He assumed a runner's position as he gazed upwards at the enemy whose attention had been completely focused upon that swordsman. If blades wouldn't work upon its body, perhaps he could attack its eyes.


He made no warcry as he charged forth. With his still untouched Aura reserves at max, he leapt over Kuro and landed atop one of the beast's knuckle. With its arm outstretched, the young man began to run towards its hideous visage. Its outstretched arm would serve as an effective bridge and he had enough awareness to avoid the thing's other arm if it attempted to swat or grab at him. At the very least, it might divert the creature's attention and give his ally a chance to fallback and recover.





@Rozalski

 

[Entarriance]

"No... this'll do! Thank you!"


Briefly shouting her thanks, she never was the best when came to offensive attacks involving her semblance. But May had to do what she did, and at this point, using her semblance wouldn't put up the risk of her coming out. She was tired enough, and over straining herself this time would most likely cause her to pass out. May had to pace herself to prevent that from happening, using what she could wisely. The shards formed by her own energy would fade and dissolve away, and the fragments of ice had a pleasant blue-green glow to it, raising into the air. She first worried about there being enough ice, but she noticed something among a blue daze that circled the creature over and over again. That, was Indigo, wasn't it? Every once and a while with a light burst, there appeared to be a small mountain of ice forming near the feet of the figure, which never lasted long due to the creatures intense heat. If he didn't cooperate, she'd have to work with what she had.


Batoning two separated blades, the fragments of ice collected in a swirl above the creatures head. It took energy, of course, but not as much with it being from an existing source and not out of her own energy. Her rune-covered blades would contract into two half-arm length guns, which she aimed at the little mountains of ice forming. Don't shoot at the blue, don't shoot at the blue.


It was hard for her to aim with how fast he was moving, but she shot at each small iceberg, causing the ice to shatter under the force of it. Everyone that shattered, the shards wouldn't fall to the ground, but collect itself with the swirl that was high above the creatures head. Once she hit a certain level of nausea, that's when she knew she could use her attack. May continued collecting this ice from a safe distance. Kuro appeared to be struggling himself, in a head-to-head arm wrestling match with the massive beast.


So goes for being careful.


Nodding her head, she felt something churn at the pit of her stomach. The shards of ice stopped from melting due to the faint energy May had around them of her own, and the whirlwind circled around and down towards the head of the rock monster. It may have been rock, but with the number of open cracks on it's back and it's eyes, with one of it's strengths being fire, that means that water would have some sort of reaction towards it. It may be nothing, but something had to happen, and May was sure of that. At once, all the ice that had been collected would compile inwards, onto the creatures head (desc: a bunch of ice collecting onto one area quickly; a reverse ice explosion), and May didn't lose hold of that. No, instead, with the few seconds that she had before the ice melted, May drew the shards closer towards each other with an exponentially growing crush force.


Perhaps that would be enough to aid her comrade, and provide a distraction for the newcomer from earlier to use.


@Dragonfry @TheOnlyCatbug @Rozalski @GasMaskie

 

[TheOnlyCatbug]

Going at 55 miles per hour now, he realized that bullets did nothing, so he had another idea. He transformed his weapon into the war axe, and he stopped a distance away from the creature's front. He charged at the creature's stomach and tried to slice the body open with a loud "SWOOSH" and then the axe firmly sliced the rocks.


@Rozalski

 

[Rozalski]

Kuro began to buckle as his comrades made their move. It seemed they had found success. The rock beasts head had been encased in ice. While he doubted that ice would crush rock, it was something.


The beast roared under the ice as steam began to rise in billowing clouds. It's unengaged hand began clawing at the ice, attempting to rip it away. It's eyes narrowed as fire billowed from its back again.


Kuro felt the push against his body lessening as the flames grew in intensity. He saw the moment to move and took it immediately. His shifted his stance slightly to the side and forced the direction of he beast's arm into the ground. The sudden change in momentum threw the beast off balance and it stumbled forward.


As if sensing its demise, the rocks began to fall from the main body and crash into the ground. The iconic smile of this beast curled itself through he flames emanating from its back as the body impacted the ground. This time, rather than a grin, it was an angry scowl. Where a laugh in triumph would usually be heard, there was instead the sound of a seething rage as the face shot off into the sky in a pillar a flame.


As the flames thinned, the world began to fade to black and white. The trees began to fall into dust and the grass wilted immediately. Finally, the ground crumbled away into an empty abyss.


The seething, hateful voice returned in the blackness that would eventually consume everyone. "You will not trap me again."


Kuro felt his body jerk forward and then stop suddenly. As his body came to rest on its back again, he immediately knew why the stop had been sudden. His arms and legs were restrained. He began fighting them, trying to break free. The sensory deprivation of not having his cane only compounded the problem. He desperately wanted to see where he was now and why he was restrained.


"Please, calm down. You're safe here now." There was a voice at his side, almost in his ear. It was calm and entirely unworried. There was notes of wisdom laid heavily on each syllable but still there was an air of curiosity among the carefully chosen words.


Kuro continued to struggle. He wasn't in a panic, but he wanted to be freed. "Who the hell are you? Why am I restrained? Where am I? The others-" he was cut of by the sound of the voice at his side sipping something from a cup.


"You're at Beacon. You have been for around 2 months now." The voice replied after finishing a long sip. "You and the rest of the students aboard your airship came under some sort of spell. When you arrived, it seemed like you had all fallen unconcious before arrival."


Kuro breathed heavily, but now had stopped struggling. "How can I trust you? How do I know that any of this is real?"


"After what you've experienced, I don't blame your aprehensiveness." the voice cut loose the restraints and placed a long weight across Kuro's chest.


Kuro heard the sound of the voice standing up and beginning to walk away. He quickly grabbed at the weight and recognized it immediately. His sword and his means of vision. He quickly swung it over the edge of the platform he had been held on and contacted the ground. "You shouldn't have given me my weapon and then turned your back on me." Kuro growled at the man. He now realized that he was in some kind of infirmary. If this world was just another dream, it was at least more solid than the last.


"Who am I to deny a man his walking cane?" The voice let his words roll over his shoulder as a light tap echoed through the room. "Take your time, but your classmates should be coming around soon." On that note, his figure left the room.


Kuro's face flushed as he felt the impact of the other man's cane on the tile. Of course, he was so shocked by his return to reality that he hadn't recognized the telltale signs of who's presence he was in. Headmaster Ozpin.


The person he assumed was the nurse entered soon after and explained the details of what had happened. He really had been laying in this bed for 2 months. The reason he was restrained was because he would occasionally come out of his vegitated state and try to destroy the room. It was accompanied with yelling about the 'One True King' and some other incoherent mumblings. Other students had experienced the same thing, although the rest had woken up just a few days after the incident on the airship. Apparently, himself and the others he encountered in the dream were the last group to wake up.


Kuro listened and tried to process the information given to him. The entire time, his body shifted around trying to find the injuries he sustained in the dream. To his knowledge, they never existed. Soon, his mind wandered to the fate of the other students. With the nurse's permission, he departed the bed and began to roam the hallways and check rooms for the others.


@TheOnlyCatbug @LadyClara @GasMaskie @Dragonfry @Entarriance

 

[TheOnlyCatbug]

Indigo felt weak. He couldn't get up, the pain from the fox wound and the shattered ribs still remained. He was lying down on a bed. He could barely open his eyes, and even if he tried, he could see only blackness. He couldn't speak, his mouth felt out of place, like it was a mile away. His entire body except for his left shoulder felt displaced, like he was a picture that got tampered with to look like a glitch. He found the energy to speak only one word before passing out again. "Jade..."


@Dragonfry @Rozalski @I'm too lazy to name anybody else.

 

[Entarriance]

May's body jolted awake, as if just having awakened from a nightmare. Hyperventilating, she found herself restrained to a table, and something about it seemed familiar to her, like something that she forgot. With shaky breaths, she struggled, and she was nearly on the verge of snapping due to the bizarreness of it. Other students were in the room, but they seemed to be in the same scenario that she was in. Stay calm, stay calm...


Was everyone alright?! What happened to Indigo, Jade and Kuro?! What happened to the beast that they were fighting?! All that May could recall was the floor dropping, and soon, the void had consumed the entire party. It was a nightmare, except it felt all too real to simply be a dream. Soon noticing her frantic struggling and panic, nurses quickly rushed over to free her of her restrains, allowing her freedom. Attempting to settle her frantic breathing down, they slowly and carefully explained the events, as if they have had already.


"Is everyone okay?! Why?! Are any of you even real..?"


May dove towards one of the students in restrains. Unlike her concern over herself, she seemed more concerned with the state of the others. Were they the same as those in their dream, or perhaps the expectations that they wanted themselves to be? Were they all in the same situation, her mind was a mess of events. Slowly, the nurses began to calm her down, explaining how they were the last of their group to have woken up. So, she made it? She was accepted to Beacon? Still dubious of the whole situation, the nurses suggested her to go out for a walk and look around the place, possibly under the secondary assumption that if they left the room, she'd try and unrestrain everyone. And who knows, perhaps they all awaken at different intervals? Perhaps they never will wake up?


The thought made her anxious, but the nurses urged May out of the room, explaining some locations she could check out, especially the vast courtyard. While May enjoyed long walks (on the beach #cliche), walking after apparently a 2 month coma with people she believed she met for a day and without any conformation that they've woken up...


A little farther off in the hallway, a familiar back seemed to appear. They walked with a steady pace, though at first, she wasn't exactly sure who it was. Running forward in the hall, perhaps he was one of the students attending? Or...


"... Kuro...? Kuro! Oh goodness, Kuro are you alright?!"


Not seeming to heed the explanation she had received earlier (or the fact she had her ribbon and her band-aid still), she jumped onto him a little too literally. Without acknowledging the concept of personal space, she both spun him around and paced around him, occasionally lifting up his arm or poking at where she remembered there was an injury.


"Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere? It doesn't look like it left a scar or anything. I'm not checking under your shirt though, that's awfully obtrusive.."


@Rozalski (mothermay to the rescue)

 

[Rozalski]

Kuro sighed at May's probing. She meant well, he knew that. However, now that their lives were no longer in danger, his attitude was more towards his usual callous nature. His hand found a place to rest on May's head before using it to create an arms length between them. "I'm fine, May. Where are the others?"


He didn't enjoy the fact of being in the infirmary in the first place. Having to depend on people he didn't know for care for 2 months ate at the back of his mind. Still, it was an improvement from fighting a flaming golem. Furthermore, May was safe. His own injuries were non-existant and so he assumed that the others would be fine as well. Just as Ozpin said.


This was definitely reality. The structure of castle was solid and imperfect in more than enough places. Not that he could see it, but the autumn covered bricks that made up the walls and the gray tile of the infirmary were calming. The fact that Beacon was almost literally a castle helped the the feelings up security as well.


Thankfully, the students he had met in the dream seemed to be the only real concern in this wing of the building. Not too many other students had taken up residence here, and if they did it was for something minor. Inside these walls, it seemed that danger would be far off and easily forgotten.


@Entarriance

 

[GasMaskie]

"...Hmm. If it wasn't a Semblance, then it was probably something older. Magic maybe?" The young man muttered those words towards no one in particular as he slowly stepped out into the hall. Thankfully, based on the briefing by the personnel, it seemed that most of the others had avoided atrophy through their strange and maddening night terrors that caused them to thrash about and attempt to tear apart their surroundings. Though two questions remained if the origin of this situation was put aside. Why had they been the last ones to awaken? And what exactly triggered the end of the dream? Those answers would go unanswered for now as the young man approached two familiar faces in the hall.


"Ah, you two. Little Miss May and Kuro. Good to see you two up and about." While his tone was entirely sincere, his malicious smile and the cold way he gazed at others seemed to betray that sense of affability. He still carried himself with that foolhardy and theatrical style that was reflected in his movements and body language. It seemed that the young woman was still worried about the blind man's well-being, though it still seemed somewhat jarring given his first impression of the two.


"I suppose introductions are in order. Name's Shiei." The violet heir believed that mentioning his surname might scare others off, though he doubted that the others he had fought with in the dream were also from Vacuo. For now, fostering relations and bonds was his priority. One man wouldn't be able to conquer an empire after all.


(@Rozalski, @Entarriance)

 

[Entarriance]

Being pushed a good arms length away, her shoes scraped against the ground as she refused to move for the brief seconds that it happened. While he asked where the others were, it donned on her once more that he was incapable of seeing. He knew what he was doing earlier, so perhaps he could detect motion and locations through his other senses? Possibly vibrations caused when one walks? When one sense was hindered, the rest was usually amplified.


"The others? Aah, they wouldn't let me go near them, which is explanatory. But they were in the same room I woke up in, which I can guess, the same room you were in as well. They're all still, asleep, however..."


May's voice hesitated with her word choice of "sleep". There always was the opportunity that the students wouldn't wake up. It just was convenient that she woke up now, and perhaps others wouldn't. It caused an actions feeling to build up in her chest once more, before she heard a voice a fair bit behind her, growing closer. Turning around, she was met with the same man bearing a vindictive air. His words said one thing, but his appearance said another. Was this someone that she could take their word for? Nonetheless, after his simple and kind introduction, she seemed just ad concerned as she was with Kuro as she hastily walked over to the man, poking at his cheek where she remembered he had a small cut on, and making sure just in general he didn't seem injured.


There was this typical trend that those in the dream didn't appear to sustain any injuries from that dream, so it was safe to assume that no one else was hurt. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she gained a bit more of her enthusiasm back as she separated herself from Shiei, amiably nodding her head.


"Nice to meet you, Shiei! I'm sorry I didn't get to fourmally introduce myself. Have you seen any other students awaken?"


@GasMaskie @Rozalski

 

[GasMaskie]

"Just you two so far. Now that that nonsense is behind us, I'm almost sort of worried by the amount of catch-up we'll be doing after two months of lost time." For a split second, Shiei had almost instinctively recoiled at her touch. Instead, he almost seemed to shiver - try as he might he simply couldn't get used to someone getting that up close in his face. That sort of proximity was something reserved for the battlefield.


Beacon's defensive measures and fortified construction did little to reassure the Shinchō heir of safety. Not when his entire life was one surrounded by others who openly despised him. They were reliable in the sense that he could always predict when they'd make their moves and attempt to assassinate him. Though, he wasn't one to talk. Especially with the way things turned out.


"I can't help but wonder about that 'burning man' you mentioned since this was a collective dream. Perhaps he's someone who has his foundation in ancient stories or fairy tales? Maybe I'll check the library later." He brought his attention to the blind man, using his own exaggerated movements to make it perfectly clear that he was addressing him. For now, Shiei would avoid the elephant in the room - that strange shift in May's persona. Things like that were probably best brought up in private.


(@Rozalski, @Entarriance)

 

[Rozalski]

"My name is Kuro, and don't patronize me." Kuro waved his hand between himself and Shiei, mocking the movements he had used. The reveal of his blindness in the dream world was a necessity. A blind man wouldn't be able to see unless it truly was a dream. Still, he hated having his own deficient being brought to his attention. While Mays probing earler had been with good intentions, this man's air was too off-putting for him to trust.


"Although it's interesting that you would suggest that so soon after we've departed that land." Making such a specific assumption was more than suspicious. In fact, Kuro had never seen this student in the airship. He only appeared afterwards. Of course, Shiei could always be correct. His motives were still heavily under question, though.


Kuro's grip tightened over the handle of his cane. Maybe these walls weren't as safe as they let on. Maybe whatever evil that lurked within their minds had managed to assimilate itself into this school. The burning man had taken the form of a rock golem, so being a student wouldn't be too far off. On the list of students that could possibly be a wolf in sheep's clothing, the man standing before him was currently at the top.


@GasMaskie @Entarriance

 

[TheOnlyCatbug]

Indigo could feel his soul drift away from his body as well as his conscience, he jolted up with a loud scream, shouting two names rather rapidly. "Kuro, Jade! Help!" He realized he was alive, alive! "Wait... I'm ok... what was that for... oh well." He told himself. He walked around for a while. He noticed his friend and some woman in white clothing. "Hey people... how are you? What the hell just happened? First, I'm on a ship, then I fell and broke my chest and got an awesome fox scar... and now I'm here! Hey there, pretty white." He flirted with the white clad girl.


@Entarriance @Rozalski @GasMaskie

 

[GasMaskie]

"Given that his imagery showed up to terrorize us, he's either a pop-culture icon from a horror movie or someone steeped in myth and legend. A memetic sort of symbol that was implanted within our minds with those dreams. If he's the trigger that allowed you to realize it was a a dream, then it's likely that he's important. Either as the culprit's calling card or perhaps something more surreal." Shiei kept that smug, taunting smirk on his face as he spoke to the blind man. His movements had been a test to see how he had managed to fight with his disability. He hadn't been relying on sound in the dream for some sort of echolocation so perhaps that cane had something to do with it.


The young man's expression turned into one of disgust as the newcomer approached. He clicked his tongue derisively as he ended his sentence with that pass at May. Those who openly pursued romance just like that were simply people who he cared little for. Perhaps it had been a result of the sort of people he had come into contact with, or simply the result of his own circumstances. Regardless, he had dropped that air of affability for a moment before wearing that friendly mask once more.


"I'm more concerned with what happened on that airship than with our delayed start, regardless. Had the airship been compromised? Perhaps, we were placed into a trance by some sort of biological agent? What forced us into a collective dream? I mean, something like that isn't something that happens outside the realm of fiction. Surely, illusory Semblances exist but it seems almost inconceivable that so many people could have been afflicted at once. There's an enticing romance that comes with such mysteries and one that I intend to prioritize. Let's say, someone slaps you in the face. It's only natural that you'd want to make things even." That had been the extent of the young man's thoughts on the subject at hand. Regardless if this Kuro was suspicious of him, it'd be in his best interest to cooperate. Whatever could be lurking in the shadows and trapping students in dreams was certainly something that couldn't be handled without the support of others.