Chapter 3:
The next morning, Ellis woke up in a somewhat weak state. He can’t help but feel sluggish since he woke up with other people around the room without him noticing. He thought that he must be too tired so he did not notice the arrival of the new people. He looked at them and noticed that they are all dressed differently compared to him. His outfit is for ease of travel when these kids dressed for appearance.
There are only two more people and a vacant bed inside the room. The one who occupied the best bed looks like a son from a well off family or a clan with lots of baggage and a single slim fencing sword in his side. The last one dresses nicely and neatly and has a single spear lying down in his bed. He was not yet awake and is hugging his weapon in his sleep. Ellis can only smile at the scene. A grown man hugging something like a teddy bear is definitely a sight to see.
He stood up and looked towards his bag which does not seem to show any sign of someone rummaging it. Even if the other party looks decent and all, he will never trust what his eyes see. He experience too much inside the maze where he can see even his ancestors for some reason because of some Grims. If he rely too much on what he see then he may probably be there sleeping at the depth of the ruins.
He does not wish to bother the other two so he picked up his bag and decided to go for the door even if it is just over six in the morning. The other person seems to be asleep still and he made sure to minimize his noise until he closed the door.
Outside the door, there are also some people that are already awake and walking the corridors with their luggage. Ellis donned his hood to minimize his exposure to these people. He walked without bothering them and fortunately managed to exit the dorm building without people bothering him. Though he knows that he was a bit anti-social, he can only act this way to graduate from beacon without being entangled with many unnecessary troubles.
The reputation of his family is not the best in the first place. If he can avoid some troubles that may arise from him being to conspicuous, then he will be more than happy to accept the bargain. He want to gain power in this place in the first place, he does not want trouble while doing so.
He arrived at the cafeteria after a few minutes of walking with the help of the directory the man gave him yesterday. The place is densely packed already and he can’t help but worry if there will be a place with lesser person so he can eat quietly and peacefully.
He picked up some bread and a soup to warm his stomach and waited in line to pay for his food. When it was his turn, a little lady with pink stripes in her hair appeared in his front. He can’t help but grimace when he realized who this person is. This lady has the same face as the one on the gate yesterday when he got into a bad argument with the guard. Even if the hair is somewhat different, their face is the same. He wonders if this is the same person back then or maybe a sister or some sorts. Anyway this smells of bad onions.
He tried to be silent and handed his crystal towards the lady which only eyed him for a brief moment then accepted the crystal. He wanted to leave right that instant but he got called out instead. He can’t help but frown. He can only accept what trouble may come at this point.
“Your change buddy!” the lady said with a teasing voice. “You don’t hope to buy my beauty with just this measly amount right?”
Ellis can’t help but be embarrassed. Even if he has enough crystal to go hungry for the entire ten years, his actions really is quite embarrassing. He looks flustered with how the lady put it. His face finally went red which made the lady in the counter laugh at his expense.
Ellis tried to get the change back as fast as he can so he can leave the spot faster but the lady seems so fixated on making fun of him.
“Are you stunned with my beauty? Don’t be shy, this elder sister won’t be that mean.” She handed the crystals back to Ellis with a laugh.
Ellis received it hastily and got out from the spot as fast as he can. Some people laughed at him but he can’t be angry with them. If he was one of the viewers, he might actually act the same way as them. The only problem is he was on the receiving end. He does not dare to raise his head but only walked randomly to blend into the sea of people.
When he felt that he was farther from the place, he looks around to try and see if there are some vacant spots. Fortunately, there are some vacant spot around the corners which no one seems to want to sit into. He gratefully occupied the seat without bothering why this single table is vacant and the rest are full.
As he started to feast on his meal, some people are looking at him weirdly. He can’t help but notice their gazes and read that trouble might be here coming soon. He tried to eat faster and avoid the trouble but the place suddenly got quiet. Only the sound of his spoon hitting the bowl can be heard along the particular area. He can’t help but stop eating and look around to see what is happening.
Then he saw what it is all about. A lady that looks like a doll which came to life is standing in his front. The lady has shiny raven colored hair and fair white complexion which actually contrast but still makes her have this unique type of sense of beauty. He stared back to this lady and can’t help but notice the silver eyes staring back at him unemotionally.
“You can take any seat you want. I will be done soon anyway.” He said since he decided that he will leave after finishing the last bits left of his meal.
The people around him started to murmur and whisper to themselves at this point. All eyes seem to focus to him and the lady which is still standing at his front. He was not aware of this of course because he is eating as fast as he can.
“Please leave my table.” A fine and gentle but robotic voice said to him.
He raised his hand to signal a minute since he will be done. In Lutton town, people don’t get up in their table until they are done. It is rude to leave the table when food is not done yet. When he finished eating the last bit of bread he has on his plate, he picked up the tray and plan to leave.
He stood up and plans to walk away but the lady in front of him is still standing there with a blank expression on her face. The people around is also quiet at this time. He can’t help but feel something bad is about to happen.
Who is this little lady to have this kind of effect on a place? He only ate on a vacant table which sadly as the said belongs to her. He wondered what is wrong with people in the city for causing such disturbance.
“Please don’t sit here again.” The lady said politely but there is this chilly vibe he can feel.
It does not matter he thought since he won’t be eating in this table again in the future. What is a table compared to a peaceful four years of his stay in beacon academy. He nodded towards the lady and left the place hastily. People continued to whisper along the way and it is making him a bit irritated so he grabbed someone to ask finally.
“Who’s that lady?” he asked not politely.
“You don’t know?”
“Do I look like I know?”
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The other person was shocked to hear that someone does not actually know that lady. Everyone in the Vale kingdom knows her. He can’t help but conclude that this person does not come from the kingdom of Vale.
“That is Emerald Rose of the Rose Clan. One of the great clans of Sielaria and you don’t know?”
Ellis actually read about the four clans which started to gain some fame six hundred years ago when the Beacon academy first fell. The four were the Rose clan, Schnee clan, Xiao Long clan and lastly the Belladonna war clan of the Faunus people. They literally saved the entire world once and their clans continued to prosper even after six hundred years.
The most famous huntress of the Rose clan is named Ruby Rose which uses a scythe/gun named Crescent Rose. She was two years early when she first came to the beacon academy but proven herself to be capable and formed a team of four with the other ladies of the famous clans. Until today, the Crescent Rose was kept as the family heirloom even if it’s not up to standard during battle. The fire power of the device is clearly weaker compared to the new and more advance device the kingdom has developed but the value of Crescent Rose towers the entire artifact out there. It is once the weapon of the greatest hero of the world of Remnant.
“The Rose clan…” Ellis can’t help but curse inside his head.
He let go of the person and hastily left the place. He knows that he may probably invite some trouble. Even if he tries to avoid her, some people already took notice of him when he made contact with that famous lady of the Rose clan. For now, he can only try to evade and keep lesser contact with famous people so people can forget about his existence. He was just a small character after all.
He occupied a bench and sat upon it while waiting for the test to be announced. It is only around seven in the morning and another hour before the exam. He can only wait passively until then. He spent his time playing with the cube in hand while staring blankly across the distance. When the clock finally strikes eight, a broadcast across the whole academy resounded.
“Welcome aspiring students to Beacon academy. Please proceed towards the designated place marked on your directories. At 8:15, the test will finally begin. Be ready and bring your respective weapons. Good luck to everyone!”
Ellis got up and donned his hood again and tried to blend with others. No one bothered with a suspicious looking Ellis fortunately. He was not aware that his actions and get up only made him more noticeable. If he knew, then he will definitely bash his head in anger.
Ellis arrived at the place which seems to be a cliff. Three people await everybody patiently, one woman and two other men dressed formally. When the clock arrived at 8:15, the woman in the middle holding a simple and unadorned cane which only has a design of gears stepped forward with a smile.
“First of all, I am Reena Ozpin, the headmistress of Beacon academy. I welcome all of you in this great kingdom of Vale. A lot of you came from prestigious family from Vale and outside. Some of you may think that you are already a student of this academy but sadly that is not the case. Once again in this year, we are doing our tradition in admitting new students. Each of you will transverse the forest behind me.”
The people around started to whisper among themselves but the headmistress waited for them to settle down.
“Today, you will also be given with teammates. You will be paired with someone, today and that partner will be with you for the next four years of your stay in this academy. It will be the best if you get along with this person.”
The Headmaster smiled mysteriously at this point.
“So, we will be watching everything that will happen inside the forest. Some instructors and some cameras were placed around the entire forest for us to see who’s going to be paired with whom. How do you take a partner then? Here is the fun part young ones. The first person you make eye contact shall be your partner… for the next four years.”
“What?” Ellis did not notice that it was his voice that interrupted the headmistress speaking. He quickly bent his head down due to embarrassment.
“Though it may sound simple, not all of you can pass this test. Inside this forest, you will find a shrine. Inside, relics can be found. The numbers of relics are limited so you better not take your time. When you got a relic, together with your partner, you will need to travel towards the north. There will be ruins in there. All you need to do is climb the cliff and submit the relics to the professors there.”
This time, the face of the headmistress turn serious.
“Be sure to do your best because we will be watching. All your performance shall be graded at the end of this test. Everything you meet inside the forest is not friendly, be it Grims or other contestants. There is only one rule in this exam. Push through and destroy anything that blocks your path.”
The headmistress stepped back and nodded to the man beside her. The man took a step forward and checked the mini microphone beside his mouth.
“Check…. Check… Ahemm. Take your stance and be ready. We will be sending you there shortly.”
Ellis also took his stance and held Abyss Devourer firmly in his hand. Some people were already launched in the air with catapult style. The locations they fall are random but they are relatively the same. People disappeared one by one inside the green forest. Finally, Ellis was also launched into the air.
He can see other people flying at the same time as him and he can only feel amazement when he saw many and bizarre things people started to take out to help them land. Some of them grew mechanicals wings, some used their semblance already and safely landed to the forest. One of the many things he noted is the red scythe cutting through the air effortlessly then also disappeared inside the forest.
Ellis himself is nearing the forest and he needed to land safely. He has no experience in landing from high places like this but he also has his trick under his sleeve. He extended his arm and made a grabbing gesture towards the think branch of a tree nearby and his body swung upwards slightly. Even if he slightly rise higher, his earlier momentum was gone and the thick branch gloriously broke after receiving his entire weight. He look for a suitable branch to make a landing then repeated his earlier actions to finally land on the ground.
While others frantically run forward after landing, Ellis bent down and placed his hand towards the ground. It was a common practice in Lutton town to scout the area. The small vibrations around a few meters range can be read by him and sometimes it can extend into a kilometer if he really focus more. He can pick up some people running here and there and he was surprised that they are not that far from him. He decided to keep his distance and silently move forward while not alerting others. He prefer to work alone anyhow.
He donned his hood and threw the cube on the ground but this time it did not turn into a bicycle and turned into a huge metal slab which seems like a sword without handle. The next second, the sword that lacks a handle floated vertically above his head. He walked around the forest while trying to stay away from others but still manage to not get left behind by the crowd.
He was just walking down the forest when he suddenly heard the rustling of leaves not too far. He was sure that he stayed away from other participants which only leaves to one thing. A Grim!
He was not disappointed when a huge black visage appeared out from the covers of the bushes. It has almost the same appearance of a grizzly bear but with the skeletal helm covering its face along with the numerous spikes protruding on its back. This one is a level 4 Grim called Ursa. It has relatively slow speed but has great defense and great power to back up its huge build.
Grahhh!
The Ursa charged towards him on fours seemingly want to overrun him. This is one of the most common tactics of the Ursa, the charging skill which is relatively hard to stop due to the huge momentum it can gather with such short distance it can charge. Sadly, he was facing someone who plays with more Ursa anyone can imagine.
Ellis swung his arm like he was slashing a sword himself and the sword followed his action without any delay. It was like Ellis himself was wielding the huge sword. The sword faithfully did its job and slashed towards the Ursa. Contrary to the motion, the Ursa was not sliced but sent flying accompanied by the sound of bones breaking. The spikes on its body fell on the ground and it lay motionless on the ground with only a few pitiful whimper before it completely went silent.
“Better than rats I guess.” He said as he made the sword transform back into a cube and threw it towards the corpse of the Ursa.
The cube extended slowly as if it is melting. Soon it fully enclosed the whole corpse then slowly compress back to its original cube form. Ellis pick the cube back and made it transform back into a uselessly huge sword form. Once again it floated vertically above his head and he resumed walking towards the north.
He decided to run this time since the number of relics are limited and it will be bad if he failed due to not being able to grab one for his own. He traveled in a straight line and actually met some pair along the way. The other pairs did not bother when they saw the huge sword floating above Ellis’ head and actually chose to stay away from him. The headmistress reminded them that inside the forest there is no alliance other than your own pair. Other people are actually your competitor.
Ellis did not mind since it is more convenient to move when there are no people around him. He did not need to mind his strikes and make sure that no one will be accidentally be swept together with the swing of the sword. He dives to the maze ruins alone and he is not confident in doing work with someone suddenly. He is thinking that if he ever got a pair after this test, the cooperation will need serious work since he is actually bad in terms of teamwork and communication.
“Now where is that shrine?”