[IC] RWBY: Chronicle of Vault.

[Sho Minazuki]

Asher Brandt

Lustre Academy

This place looked more like some kind of government facility than an academy in his opinion. The stark white and light gray of the buildings with the black marble pathways gave this place a strange unearthly contrast. He wasn't familiar with the architecture of anywhere other than Vault, as that was where he grew up all his life, so to him this looked quite new. As expected everything looked new, even the plants in the garden. As he stepped out with the other students and past the gates he was in no hurry to get over there, looks like everyone was content with just exploring this place until they were called upon, well... Guess it's time to check out the new stomping grounds.

Courtyard looked nice, but likely everyone was going to be coming around here during lunch times and breaks, the entire academy seemed to also be connected to it's own town with shops like he had learned they would be, maybe he should find a hang-out there later. As expected the facilities this place seems to offer are state of the art, if there's anything he's learned about Atlas, it would be that. If there was anything he could note though, this reminded him of the few institutional facilities in Vault... Then again he also learned their architects were mostly Atlas, but how did the residential areas come out so differently...? Oh well, not that it mattered to him.

After awhile he trailed behind the last of the students going inside. To be honest he never really looked forward to life at the academy, in fact the idea that he couldn't make hunter until just two years ago when he finally passed the affinity tests made him resent it. It was why he ran wild for awhile. But now that he's here with little forethought... If anything it was his step-sisters that motivated him to become one since they aspired to also become huntresses, or the thought that he might see his friends who've been adopted by families from other countries, as he knows they passed the affinity tests for hunters. Come the Vytal Festival he may see them. There seemed in mind to be a lot of opportunities, for instance, who would be on his team? In any case he wasn't going to get any closure by standing around here.

[CadenGallic]

One by one, the students filtered inside the entrance hall of the academy and the large doors swung closed behind them automatically, sealing them within the academy proper. They were in a grand looking entrance hall, a tiled square patterned floor beneath their shoes reaching up to the tall white walls, decorated with the red banners bearing the symbol of Vault, flapping in the slight breeze. There were windows high up in the hall, most likely just there to allow light to filter in naturally. Ahead of them was an elevated stage with a few individuals sitting in chairs across it with a podium set up in the middle. Of these figures, one came and stood at the podium, a lady in her mid 30s with curled strawberry blonde hair, a petite looking face and floral clothing. Once she was there, she cleared her throat.

"Students, welcome to Lustre Academy. Without further ado, let me introduce your headmaster for the coming years. Grandmaster Billeous Trendle." She stepped back and let a new face take the stage with a step of his feet and the clack of wood upon wood. He was an older gentleman, he had a bit of a wizened face, a white moustache that drooped to reach the length of his goatee, complete with white blown back hair and a clear bald spot on his head. A pair of ram horns curled backwards, stuck out from his lessening hair. He was dressed quite simply in a long green robe over a grey undershirt, a white sash around his waist and the remainder of the robe covering his legs with a split down the middle. In his other hand he held a hobbled oaken walking stick, surveying the crowd with small seedy eyes. He cleared his throat as he stood to the podium.

"Ladies, gentlemen and others, welcome to Lustre Academy. 10 years on as Remnant's fifth hunter academy..." he looked somewhat grave. "Now, I want to address a little rumor, first and foremost. Some of you here, may believe, that because Lustre is the easiest academy to gain entrance to at present, that this will all be an easy ride for your education. If you happen to believe this, the door is right behind you. Those who think like that are not welcome in these walls." he banged his walking stick on the ground to punctuate his sentence.
"As for the rest of you, do not expect a walk in the park. We at Lustre pride ourselves on taking the raw, unrefined potential of hunters and huntresses, and sharpening them, cutting them and perfecting them into hardened diamonds of human beings. We have much to prove, as the newest established institute and we WILL push you to your limits and beyond. You will learn true discipline." he banged his staff again. "Honour."
Bang.
"Dedication."
Bang.
"And most importantly of all, a mind set to be the best that you can possibly less. Anything less, is failure!"
Bang.
"And in return for your efforts, we will reward you, with the prowess and the knowledge to become truly fledged hunters. Lustre academy will be your castle. It will be your home, your school, your protection and your future. So respect it well and you too, shall be respected. That is all." he banged his staff one more time to finish his speech.
"Now, all of you, please follow miss Lariet toward the entrance exams." a secondary door opened in the left wall as the blonde haired lady from earlier exited through it.

[Polaris North]

Julio Taiyou

Julio hung back, he was practically at the end of the crowd maintaining a certain distance from everyone. He leaned on the wall and looked at the design of the hall. There really wasn't anything interesting to point out. The voice of a woman caught his attention and he looked back at the stage where a woman had taken the center to speak and to introduce them to the Grandmaster. His eyebrow was raised as he saw that the Grandmaster was actually a faunus. This was a first, then again, his father was at a high rank and he was a faunus. It's surprising because some humans don't approve of this.

There were rumors that this Academy would be easy to pass at? His father wouldn't have placed him here if that was the case. And he guessed that most of the students here never thought of such a thing. Or at least he hoped not. He listened intently as the Grandmaster continued to speak about teaching them various things to become full-fledged hunters. He was glad that this was no joke. He then turned to the open door and then made his way there along with the other students.

[Sho Minazuki]

Asher Brandt

Lustre Academy

"Huh, talk about over-dramatic...", he muttered to himself. Made sense though, everyone here were going to be this academy's first students ever, and in a competitive and highly thought field like this, it required them to be strict. Asher had no worries, he had confidence in himself, well enough that he was sure his real combat experience in the streets of Vault would give him an edge. Honed instincts and the will to carry out the necessary action without hesitation, that was what he decided was going to be his strength for now.

He could look around and see countless very fresh faces, which affirmed to him his belief in his unique strengths, still... If what he learned of Hunter Academies were true, then they would all by the end of a year or two no longer have such fresh looks in their eyes. After all, being sent out on missions was a staple. He heard that tests to figure out teams varied greatly between academies, he wondered what this academy's was going to be. Not to mention, what kind of people will he be teamed up with...? To him this was important, because they would become your close allies until graduation, and many even still help one another well beyond that too.

He was getting a bit antsy... The sooner they got to the tests, the better.

[ghastlyInc]

Chamoisee Lacaune

Chami could feel himself wince as grandmaster Trendle banged down on the stage. While he had to admit it made for an impressive speech, it was rather silly (if not very loud). As for ease, it was not something the young sheep lad was expecting. His father, if what little they talked about his attendance to the school, had made the seriousness of the curriculum deathly clear.

Chami readjusts the bag on his shoulder, the weapons hidden within clanking lightly together from the sudden shift as he began to follow Miss Lariet to the testing grounds. He silently hoped there was at least a written portion of the exam, not particularly in the mood to fly around at break neck speeds after the trip over on the hover ship. He lets out a silent baa of frustration, too anxious for the forth coming test to chance the slip up.

[CadenGallic]

The students were led over a winding path over the campus, headed toward a cliff edge. When they arrived, they found a drop headed straight down. The edge of the cliff winding around into the distance, fotming a natural bowl shape in the earth. Small rounded metal platforms had been erected, jutting out of the cliff face as the students began to stand on one each abd prepare what ever weaponry they brought, one young lad drawing a strange crossbow weapon, another taking out a pair of large hand fans and another a large looking shotgun. Even the girl in the yellow raincoat took out what looked like an umbrella. Looking down the cliff, they could see a strange grey cloud obscuring the sight of whatever laid below them.

"This." Spoke up Trendle, having moved to the cliff edge with miss Lariet. "Is your entrance exam. Below you, lies the gauntlet, a nature based obstacle course designed to test your skills in various situations. The Gauntlet is made up of different biomes, featuring natural hazards you may face in everyday hunting. It is also teeming with Grimm, hiding in the various locations." Trendle strode up the line as he spoke, glancing between the students.
"Your test, students, is to get through this obstacle course as fast as you can. The shining star will mark your exit. You may work with others or hinder others, all that matters is your individual time and performance. The rest of the faculty will be standing by to assess your performances. We will be assessing you based on speed, combat, navigation and style." He seemed to finish his speech, clearing his throat noisily.

[Polaris North]

Julio Taiyou

Julio looked at the crater as he stepped onto one of the circles. His eyes scanned the entirety of the crater. He then whistled, wondering whether or not this was natural. The crater he means, not the maze. He was half-paying attention to the instructor as he started speaking. Noticing that the others prepared their weapons, he took out his as well, the rifle folding out and then he let part of the rifle on his shoulder. Can't afford to get too tired at the beginning after all.

So they would be graded huh? Guess they're only taking in a small amount of students compared to the vast amount who are taking the test right now. While he wasn't really looking forward to hindering others, considering his helpful personality, he does want to meet someone he can team up with. If not, that's a shame. Taking out a Grimm or two at the same time isn't too hard to do, even when you're alone. Especially since he's a sniper. He couldn't rely too much on the other if he ever makes a group with someone, since they were graded individually based on performance. Being a long-mid ranged fighter really had its downfalls.

Just get out as quickly as possible. That was his goal. And maybe exterminate some Grimm while he's at it. The shining star marks the exit. He drilled that into his brain. He was ready, or at least he hoped he was. Truly, he did.

[Sho Minazuki]

Asher Brandt

Lustre Academy - Testing Ground

Test seemed simple... Reach the exit, obstacle course, though by the look of this massive crater and the natural environment beneath, this was deceptively simple, added in that they'll have to consider all the other students. He mentioned hindering too... Well that was going to be interesting. Still, he had no intention of wasting his time down there. It should be relatively easy for him to move through on his own, anyone who would target him alone would find themselves in a very terrible situation after all, he knew full well how useful his semblance was in combat.

The grading was going to be on individual performance... But he had a feeling that seeing as hunters and huntresses would be working together quite frequently, helping another person reach a good time alongside yours would look a lot better. There were probably going to be Grimm down there too, which is very likely the primary threat, and reaching the exit may not be possible for a single person, it may be likely that some giant Grimm was waiting for them there.

It wouldn't take long to memorize the goal, but it was strategising and preparing for what lay ahead that would be a bigger concern for him. He can quite easily avoid and slay Grimm, and can use his semblance to make some creative escapes or flanks, otherwise... This seemed pretty straightforward.

[CadenGallic]

"Oh, one more thing. The last four students to finish will be expelled." Trendle added quickly before nodding to Miss Lariet, who tapped a button upon her scroll. At that instant, all the platforms lined along the cliff wall dropped down, dropping those standing upon them down into the cloud below and into the gauntlet itself.

As they fell, below the cloud they could see the star shining away in the distance, radiant and bright, an easy to keep an eye on destination. But first, they had to land. Some of the applicants were already taking note, the girl in the raincoat opening her umbrella and kicking off the wall, soaring ahead. Another, wielding a large flail, spun it above her head to propel her forward and a larger fellow fired a powerful shot from his weapon to boost him forward. The race truly was on.

For those who couldn't force their way forward, there was a large bank of snow beneath them to catch their fall.

[Polaris North]

Julio Taiyou

Last four students would be expelled? Ouch. Before he could react to more than that though, the platform he stood on slid down at top speed. He looked around and saw that most students had gone for an early start so he decided to do so as well. Keeping his eye on the shining star, he used a powerful shot to boost him out of the platform and then followed by two more until his feet touched the ground.

Aura definitely is useful in times like these. Julio stood up and then began rolling his neck until it cracked, placing the barrel of the weapon on his shoulder as he began to jog down the path with seemingly reckless abandon. He was paying attention to his surroundings to make sure that nothing would get him by surprise. It would be better if he took them by surprise but Grimm are usually the ones who would do so.

While it didn't seem like he was hurrying, he was. But he couldn't afford running face-first into a Grimm.

[Sho Minazuki]

Asher Brandt

Lustre Academy

Last four expelled...? That's awfully extreme, and unnecessary, he couldn't imagine them suddenly expelling people right up, considering the attendance currently wasn't very high compared to other academies. Still, he had no plans of coming last anyways.

The moment they plunged into the ravine, he spotted everyone finding different ways to make use of this air time. Finding a place to drop earlier, someone even boosted for a faster fall, someone even used their weapon like a helicopter... Well he wasn't planning on falling behind them. He called forth his semblance to drop ahead of him while he went for a softer landing while the clone exerted itself. At the very maximum range he was going to switch with it and teleport well ahead of his landing position.

Soon as he landed on the soft snow, he concentrated for a few moments, and the moment his clone reached the maximum range, he teleported, and then called off his semblance. He was well past the "regular" landing zone now, probably caught up to the others who had chosen some unique way to forge onward, but after recomposing himself he would summon his semblance again, to run alongside him. In the case of attack he could have the clone hold off enemies for him and slip past, or he could retreat at the same time as having it slip past and simply switch places again.

Still, if this was a race with obstacles like Grimm, he felt he had a pretty good chance.

[CadenGallic]

With their respective moves, Asher and Julio ended up in the more ahead section of the students who were wading their way through the knee deep snow to continue their run, thankfully having no enemies to deal with at present. Looking ahead, the students could catch a glimpse of three distinct biomes up ahead, forming the paths they could choose to take in their exam.

The first, on their far left, was a large dry looking Savannah with some small patches of tall grass in places. The terrain was flat and wide, with seemingly no obstacles at all they'd encounter aside from the slight grass, and even that was doubtful. In the middle path was a dense looking woodland, the treetops reaching the skies, or whatever passed for it in the Gauntlet. The way would be hard to manouvre in with those tightly knit trees but there were higher paths to access too with the branches splayed out along the treetops. Finally, on the right, there was a section surrounded by raised desert rock, dipping into what looked like a deep canyon, somewhat uneven terrain with a sharp decline and incline, who knew what awaited them in that direction.

[Polaris North]

Julio Taiyou

Julio reached the diverging paths but before looking at them, he took a peek at the other students. It seems he was one of the students that got a good head start. He wasn't going to complain. Julio scanned each path. The left leading to a Savannah, the middle towards a forest, and the last one was a deep canyon. Given his monkey faunus heritage, it was obvious what the male would've picked. Trotting towards the forest, he looked up to the trees that towered above him. A lazy grin made its way to his face as he folded back his weapon and then began climbing the tree with speed and precision.

Reaching the top in what seems to be record speed, he unfolded his weapon and then scanned the surroundings. Once he deemed it safe, he began traversing through the forest using the solid branches of the trees. He would occasionally stop and look around, as if making sure he was going to the right way and also trying to locate any sort of enemies around him. He highly doubted that any of the students would think of attacking each other, and the Grimm shouldn't be attracted to him at all since he wasn't really all that negative right now, but he couldn't be too careful right?

He would sometimes reach for the duty belt wrapped around him, feeling the dust crystals inside. It was all still there, thankfully, and this should help him in this test. He is hoping that it won't fail him when he needs it the most though. Not only does it hurt, but it also puts him at a disadvantage.

[Sho Minazuki]

Asher Brandt

Trial Area - Savannah

As he came to the split in the route, he looked at the areas before him... Savannah, forest, and a mountainous area... For a moment he considered the forest, but the moment he saw the monkey Faunus take to the treetops he began to double back on his decision, and the mountainous area was a no-go. He wasn't going to be able to get the stances he needed for power-strikes in the case he needed to fight, so it only left the savannah.

He started with having his semblance run ahead of him. He can sense the surrounding area of the semblance clone, where the ground is, walls, attackers, and so on, but he can't see through it's eyes, so having it split too far from him in these circumstances could be risky. Before, it was only to land and move ahead, so it had some risk if there were Grimm laying in wait, this time though he would prefer it be his vanguard, so he can choose a new route should the clone run into some trouble. If he can avoid unnecessary combat, all the better. Now that his clone was a good distance ahead, it was time for him to follow in it's path, the "safe" route that it was securing for him.

[CadenGallic]

The forest was indeed, devoid of Grimm as the students rushed through the trees, some of the more agile ones following Julio's example and taking to the trees. However, something of an even greater danger to the students would soon become clear to them. Each other. It was every man for himself and some students were more ready to take shots than the rest. From the forest floor, a grey haired boy wielding a fan axe pointed it up toward the students leaping above and fired its shotgun feature, breaking branches before them and causing some to fall. And with that one shot, all hell began to break loose in the woods.

Many of the students chose the Savannah too, its wide open space allowed them easy running room to cross it quickly. However it soon became aware to them, they had a bigger challenge as a horde of Grimm was suddenly upon them. With its flat open area, the Grimm had a natural terrain advantage, groups of Creepers rushing at the students with three Death Stalker's scuttling in behind them, all forming a black, mobile wall they would have to pass to proceed with the exam. They would soon be forced to fight.

[Polaris North]

Julio Taiyou

Julio looked back to see that there were students both above the trees, like him, and on the ground, traversing through the terrain with minor difficulty. They would be better off choosing the Savannah if they were going at it like that. Knowing that his headstart bonus was over, he began quickening his pace, using his heritage to his advantage. He expertly and nimbly leaped from one branch to another until he heard the familiar sound of a shot being fired. Just like that, a lot of the branches had been torn off its tree. The one he had just leaped from being one of them. He quickly hung onto one of the other branches, looking back to see many students falling.

And so started the war. Students fighting left and right. There was no time to lose in this, he wanted to say, but he would have no choice but to fight anyway. But he kept on going, faster than before. He needed to put in some distance. But he made one big leap, from one branch to another, and then aimed down at the students below. The barrel of the rifle was aimed straight at the gray haired boy who had started this. There were a lot of students around but he was a clear target. The dust compartment rotated so fire dust would be chosen. Firing two shots, they would explode near or on the male student.

He landed on the branch and, not looking at the result, he rushed forward once more. He was aware that many students were recovering, and were after him. He had to be extra careful.

[Sho Minazuki]

Asher Brandt

Trial Area - Savannah

As Asher weighed his options, based on the information from his clone, it was a student combat-fest over in the forest, while everyone in the desert area was up against a horde of Grimm, as he could visually see them. He decided to recall his clone, he can waste a lot less time defeating Grimm then he can fighting other students. After all, he had the means to slay even a Deathstalker should he get the right moment.

As he kept running he placed his hand upon his blade, equipping the ice dust with a hit of a switch, ready to draw strike and imbue his blade with it's effects. Soon he and other students would have to fight the Grimm as they kept running head long into the swarm. He summoned his semblance to run alongside him to assist him on short notice as he unfalteringly sprinted towards the Grimm.

[CadenGallic]

Julio's sniper rifle guaranteed at least one shot would land and the grey haired student let out a yowl of pain as the fire hit them as the white and grey jacket they were wearing caught fire and for a few seconds, they spent time patting it out, leaving them wide open to an attack from a tall boy with the high hat. However, the choice of fire dust soon proved to be far more detrimental to the battle than helpful as the second shot had struck the tree beside the boy. The fire was quickly devouring it, licking up the trunk and using the branches to spread through the woods, leaping from one oak to the next like a blazing collection of serpents. It wouldn't be long before the entire forest went up in smoke, and the students with it. Many even began to realize this and returned to running, through there was still the occasional attack.

At the encroaching crowd of Grimm, some of the students in the Savannah shot first. The fox faunus had a crossbow in hand and fired a number of bolts, felling a few Grimm, followed by several other shots. The first one to hit the crowd head on was a girl with rather beefy arms and copper hair done in a fishtail braid, wielding a huge flail that she'd been spinning up over her head. She waded into the crowd and with an initial swing, knocked a bunch of them over as the second wave prepared to crash into them and the others. The Death Stalkers were still stuck in the back, lurching after their fellow Grimm.

[Polaris North]

Julio Taiyou

Julio shook his head, seeing as what he had done was actually a mistake. It won't be too soon until the forest would burn down the ground if this continues. That would certainly mean deducted points for him. Although this certainly gave him an edge, since it would block some of the students. But they kept on going. Growling under his breath, he loaded up water dust into his rifle as he ran. He took one great leap after another to give him sufficient time to shoot while still having the lead.

He shot at the trees that weren't on fire, as to dampen the tree so it wouldn't go up in flames. He would even encase a lot of trees with ice so the fire wouldn't jump to those either. It was to contain the fire. Ohhhh boooyyyy, there goes his chances of getting in. He needed to get there as one of the first people if he wanted to get in Lustre Academy.

Ha, ain't so tactical now eh Julio. He tried to keep his lead as many of the students started running faster.

[Sho Minazuki]

Asher Brandt

Trial Area - Savannah

Asher's semblance rapidly cut down the Grimm that came into contact with him, and any that were missed, he simply evaded and kept moving. The Deathstalkers were still struggling beneath their Grimm brethren, so they were in a pretty sticky spot. It should be easy to coordinate a powerful strike to take one out and make a hole in their swarm, but if he missed the opportunity, then he might be in a tight spot... He glanced to his sides in the moments he could, and he saw that other students were fighting too, but it seems they knew they might have to deal with some up and coming Deathstalkers. He yelled over to them, whether or not they'd listen wouldn't change the move he was about to do,

"Cover me!", he yelled. Moments after he yelled that, he turned into a blur for a moment as he weaved under a charging Creep, his semblance vaulting over it and slashing it as it followed it's user. His mad sprint turned into a dangerously low dash as with a single kick off the ground he flew just inches above the ground as he sped ever-faster to the Deathstalker. His objective was to make it below the Deathstalker, and appear on the other side. From there, he would trigger the dust infusion and strike the Deathstalker's stinger.

If that failed he could simply with the opening he landed himself into, take a few moments to switch places with his clone which should be above the Deathstalker, where he would have his blade enter Inferno mode, and deal a decisive blow. He hoped this would pay off, under normal circumstances against a Deathstalker he wouldn't have the speed to do it, but beneath it's own Grimm brethren, he can outpace it and deal decisive strikes like this.