[Vision]

As the students had been lined up at the edge of the Beacon cliffs a tall and well-built figure approached the podium, Alban Inverno, the headmaster of Beacon. While he did not introduce himself the sense of authority emanating from his movements was enough to inform those who did not recognize him.

“Adaptation” he let the word hang in the air as silence fell on the students “is perhaps the most fundamental quality of those who survive in our profession. It is a trait that is rarely tested through education, whether at school or at home, and one you can no longer afford to be ignorant of." He spoke in a calm, dispassionate tone. "When you land in the forest, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for your time at Beacon. They will be your partner until you graduate, drop out, or die. We will not entertain any requests to alter partners. So, adapt.”

He gestured at the forest before continuing “Below us is the Emerald forest, for your initiation each pair is required to venture into the ruins within it, claim a jade relic and return to the cliff. There will be opposition along the way, and you will have to fight for your survival. We are monitoring you, but our instructors will not be in a position to intervene. Remember that huntsmen and huntresses are not simple exterminators of Grimm but protectors of the people, today you will only be protected by your peers.“

A slight tone of excitement could be heard in his voice as he concluded with “Prepare yourselves.”

Slowly the professor studied each student individually, some were focused on the forest, others meet his eyes, and just as his gaze moved to the next student the previous one was launched into the air.

[ReaperJoe]

Lucas checked his gear again. It was fifth time he had done so since arriving at the cliff, and, like every time before, everything was in its place. The dust was filled to capacity, the parts of his weapon all moved the way they should, and he was wearing appropriate underwear. Everything was adequate, just like it was the last time he checked--just like it was when he left this morning. He knew everything was fine before he even made his check, but that was never the point.

Lucas was nervous. He was about to be thrown into the a monster-infested woods with a bunch of other "hunters-in-training", whom at this point Lucas would consider little better than armed civilians. Lucas included himself in that assessment as well, of course; he was no hypocrite. His "integrity", however, also betrayed his lack of confidence. Say what one will about the vainglorious moxie of the other initiates, their swagger may keep their morale just high enough to survive what this forest will inevitably throw at them. Lucas had scoffed at his classmates' foolhardy confidence when he first arrived, but now part of him wished he had another year of training before coming to this precipice...

Lucas clapped his cheeks and shook those thoughts away. He had trained for this. He was ready. He wouldn't be here if he wasn't. If the other students wielded arrogance, then he would intelligence. He would hide, sneak, and subvert any obstacles in his way. Those were his strengths, and he knew how to play to them.

It was at this moment that the man at the podium (was he a professor? A hunter? He definitely acted like the students should know who he is) began to elucidate the nature of their test, and Lucas's heart rose at the objective. A retrieval mission! Lucas thought. Get in, grab the item, and get out. It was a mission well-suited for stealth tactics, which meant that it was right in Lucas's wheelhouse.

There were other details in the speech, platitudes about adaptation and teamwork, but they weren't important right now. Lucas was solely focused on the objective, trying to figure out the best way to locate and approach the ruins. His nerves were gone, his mind now occupied by tactics and stratagems. He could do this.

Lucas slipped into a ready stance, his mind already anticipating the beats between the launches of each student. A few scant moments later, and he could hear the plate underneath him ticking away, counting down the time before his own launch. At the last second, the other remaining students would see Lucas engulfed in a stark white light before his panel shot him into the air, and just as quickly as it appeared, the light vanished.

Lucas, who had used kinetic dust with his semblance to accentuate the panel's launch, was now soaring through the air at a greater height and speed than the majority of his peers. He wasn't simply trying to show off, however. He had used his semblance for two reasons. First, he figured he would have a lot of ground to cover. If he could reduce that amount with a small expenditure of dust, so be it. More importantly, however, he wanted to get as good of a bird's eye view of the area as possible. He didn't know where these ruins were, and he would only have a very brief moment in the air to study the surrounding area. If he could reach high enough to pinpoint his objective, that would be great.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find anything that matched the description of "ruins" from his vantage point. Though he was far above them, the trees were still very tall, and their leaves blanketed much of his view. There were a few clearings he could spy here and there, but that data would only serve to narrow down the possibilities, not pinpoint it outright.

Still, that information was better than nothing, he supposed, and he forced his attention towards more immediate concerns as he felt his stomach lurch. He was now falling, and he had to find a good spot to land, and fast. Looking ahead of his trajectory, it looked like he was going to land face-first into trees no matter what he did at this point--there weren't any clearings close enough to be worth diverting his current course. That was fine by him, though.

Calling his semblance once more, the spectral lantern appeared at his side, its light still glowing stark white, signifying that he was still using kinetic dust. As a result, the force of gravity was increased, and Lucas hurtled even faster towards the earth. He didn't call his semblance to accelerate his demise, however. Pulling out his weapon, the windows of Sophist's Lantern spun until it settled on a green-colored container--wind dust. Holding his weapon out below him, the window opened, and a gust of air spewed forth. The resulting kickback from the gust slowed Lucas's descent, the effect amplified by his semblance, and after a few seconds, Lucas descended below the tree tops at a much more reasonable speed.

Landing on a tree branch, Lucas used his remaining momentum to hop lower and lower, kicking off of what purchase he could find, until he finally rolled to the ground. When he finally stopped, he was on one knee, his weapon in sniper form as he surveyed his surroundings, wary of an attack. He was in the thick of it now, and he would not be caught by surprise.

[Metroidhunter]

Amongst the row of students waiting in anticipation was Cloe, a blonde-haired canine faunus with a grin on her face and a pep in her step. She jogged in place atop her launch pad, unable to keep still as the seconds counted down. Turning her head to the left and then the right, Cloe looked to see if she could spot any potential partners amongst her fellow students. Some of them were cool. Some were hot. Some were... not. But with only a few seconds remaining, she accepted that she would just have to run around and hope for the best.

'Three, two, one. Go!' The pad under Cloe's feet let out a loud bang right as she pushed off of it, propelling her into the air. Her adrenaline surged as the wind rushed past her ears, but she didn't feel her confidence waver for a moment.

"Wooooh!" The girl let out a gleeful cheer as she neared the apex of her jump, marveled by the view of the forest canopy. She wished that she had more time to enjoy the scenery, but as she began to fall, she was forced to refocus her attention on landing properly. Her gaze fell on a tall yet skinny tree, one that she felt totally confident she could catch herself with. Without a moment to think further, Cloe extended both of her prosthetic steel arms as she soared past, hands crashing into wood and fingers gripping hard enough to splinter it. Her aura took the brunt of the impact, but the rest of her body's momentum continued, causing the tree to bend and suddenly snap.

"Oh shit!"

Cloe immediately found herself in a freefall, a slight sense of panic coming over her as she started to plummet the rest of the way down. This was supposed to be the easy part, and she had already screwed it up. Awesome. After a wee bit of flailing, Cloe managed to reorient herself just in time to see the ground rapidly approaching. She fully extended her body to let her feet make contact first, allowing her to partially break her fall with a sloppy tuck and roll. Momentum carried her forward onto stumbling feet until she finally steadied herself.

'... Nobody saw. Nobody saw. Nobody saw...' That was what she continued to tell herself as she started to jog away like nothing happened, her eyes darting around the forest to make sure of it.

[Moth]

Prism's ready for this. She had to be.

Months spent preparing for this very moment. Training her body, mind, and soul. Learning how to maneuver around a glaive that intially felt too big for her svelte body; a rifle with a kickback that left bruises on her shoulders for weeks. Hundreds of hours spent throwing herself against the air, learning how to channel a semblance that felt so esoteric it was learning to speak a forgotten language. But it listened to her now. She could channel it with a shift of her shoulders and a simple drawing thought.

She was ready for this.

She definitely lucked out in terms of the placement. A little over halfway through the line of launching students. It lets her watch, a careful eye tracking each target . Some are owning it, soaring and even detonating their kinetic dust stores to throw themselves even further. Some are... flailing their way through it, and they'll probably take a knock to their aura before landing. Watching them fight against

It gives her time to prepare as the launch pad starts quivering beneath her heels. She drops her weight back, tucks her limbs in, and drags her goggles down over her eyes.

She's definitely ready for this bit.

The air's her domain, after all.

The launch pad goes off like a gunshot, slugging a pit of adrenaline into her gut as she's thrown into the air. Endless acres of ancient forest swallow everything up to the horizon line, dotted in rocky outcropping and rare natural clearings. It's a good launch angle too: high and clear, the wind whistling in her ear and her bomber jacket billowing out behind her.

Positioned like this- legs drawn up, arms outstretched -- she can ride the momentum of the launch into an outright glide. In fact, at the height of her arc like this, her wings slowly start to slip out-

"ON YOUR RIGHT!"

A pink and white fireball of douchebaggery breaks through her periphreal vision before blasting past her right. Whoever that asshole is doesn't hit her, but-

The backdraft from his dust blast hits like a truck, throwing her into a wild spin with a screech she barely manages to repress. She barrels through the sky like a misfired bullet, the world reduced to a blue-green smear, and her vision is rapidly getting eclipsed by the latter. The bones of her wings beat against her bomber jacket and her feathers ruffle uselessly but the fabric traps them against her back, she won't be able to catch the air like this, she's not flying she's falling she's going to fall-

In the last seconds before her probable end, it's like the hunter said. Adaption saves her. The trick landing, the useless trick landing she felt guilty spending time learning when she should've been rehearsing glaive drills-

Instinct drives her right hand to the oversized bolt handle at the top of Hawkseye, whipping it around her body as the white metal shifts and extend into an oversized glaive. Her arm comes in tight and her other hand finds the hidden trigger, and in the single second blue is up and green is down, she fires.. Blunt momentum counteracts her wild spinning and throws her onto her back. She still can't get her wings out -- the burlap of her bomber jacket is blown flat against her back -- but she knows which way is up and down now, and now-

The wind listens to her wild hand gesture with an abrupt gust, streaming against her back and slowing her rapid fall. The airstream tightens as she narrows the tree tops. She leans into the fall and abruptly pitches forwards. There's one final gust, nearly pushing her up, and-

She promptly falls ten feet through the treeline, abruptly landing at the crux of an oversized branch.

...She's alive.

She's battered, her hair is more of a windswept mess than usual, she has no idea where she landed.

But she's alive.

Prism breathes a sigh of relief as the annoyance starts to set in. That wasn't quite the smooth landing she intended. "...Asshole."

[Zwei Not]

Juno had heard stories of the initiation process at Beacon. He had been sent videos, theorized launches and landing tactics, and watched enough fail compilations to fill any middle schooler’s browser history. The assignment was simple enough: acquire the asset and return alive. Easy.

His eyes turned to the other students as they were unceremoniously flung into the air, some taking to the skies as though it were their natural element, others flailing about in a fit of panic as gravity introduced itself. He watched the arc of one such student, frowning a bit as he hit the apex and proceeded to fall off. The ruins would be deep in the forest, so reducing the amount of legwork and travel would be ideal…

As the line went down, Juno prepared his semblance. A gray sigil, similar to the one at his back, began to materialize at his feet, glowing with a growing intensity as dust energy was pumped into its frame…

The sound of the platform’s hydraulic release was overshadowed by a violent eruption of kinetic dust, as the young man was gone in a blur of white and black. The wind whistled through his hair as he flew, propelled and boosted by his semblance as the air rushed around him. He had been thrown from high height’s before, the recovery would be of little issue. All that mattered was finding a solid enough vantage point to spot the objective in the first place. As he sailed along his forward trajectory, however, he noticed that the speck in the distance was rapidly growing larger and more… person-like. He wouldn’t collide, but at the rate he was going, he was definitely going to interrupt their landing. The least he could do was offer the poor sap a warning.

He barely heard his own voice as he shouted at the approaching and somewhat femboyish shape, managing enough of a glance to watch him… her? Them. Enough of a glance to watch them fumble in the backdraft of his missile-like trajectory. However their landing went, it was probably going to hurt. Hopefully they made it out.

Juno quickly returned his focus to his own flight, shifting his weight as he began to descend. The treeline seemed endless, a vast sea of green broken up by small patches and clearings. No sign of ruins, either, so that was a bit of a wash. With a sizable clearing rapidly approaching, Juno launched himself downward, using his forward momentum to carry himself into the desired patch of land. He braced his legs as he impacted the ground, somehow managing to stay on his feet despite coming in a lot hotter than he anticipated… as evidenced by the chunks of dust and dirt and miniature crater he left in his wake.

At the very least, he was on the ground, and the mission was on. The lack of any notable landmarks was a concern, and he was likely much farther out into the forest than any of the other students.

Meh, he’d figure it out.

[ReaperJoe]

After confirming his surroundings were secure, Lucas lowered his weapon, took a deep breath, went over the mission parameters once more in his head. On the surface, it was simple enough: the students just needed to locate some ruins, retrieve an artifact, and return to their starting location. If Lucas really thought about it, though, that was just the premise. This was an initiation, after all, and that meant that the real objective would be finding a partner.

"The first person I make eye-contact with, huh?" Lucas mumbled to himself as he thought back to the professor's words. At face value, that stipulation made it sound like the first person he met would become his partner. However, a closer examination of the words revealed that both him and his potential partner would have to see each other. As long as no one else sees him, he could pick and choose his partner as he pleased...at least in theory.

Two sudden noises shook him from his thoughts. He couldn't really tell the direction, but he could clearly identify one as a gunshot followed by a gale of wind, while the other sounded like a crash landing to the earth. Furthermore, they both seemed relatively nearby, a fact that caused his to click his tongue in frustration.

Deciding he didn't want to stick around to see what would come to investigate the sounds, Lucas cautiously advanced deeper into the forest, doing his best to stick to the shadows. Unfortunately, he didn't get far before his fears were realized.

It had maybe been about five minutes before he came across a clearing filled with black creatures. A pack of about twenty or so Beowolves seemed to be scouting the area, their snouts sniffing the air and their heads on a swivel. It had only been Lucas's expectation of trouble that kept him from stumbling straight into the pack and almost certainly to his doom. For the moment, he had taken cover behind a relatively thick tree. So long as the Grimm didn't come his way, he could probably skirt his way around them.

The Beowolves were not so obliging, of course. As Lucas had predicted, the Grimm were likely heading towards the sounds of the crashes, seeking vulnerable prey. If they kept on their current path, they'd have one in about a minute.

Fortunately, Lucas is well-equipped to navigate this situation. He summoned his spectral lantern to his side once more, this time with the light completely doused. He then sent it in a wide arc around the pack of Grimm until it was on their left flank, at which point he let the light flicker. The dancing light quickly garnered the attention of the closest Grimm, whose snarls alerted others nearby, and eventually, the entire pack shifted their attention to the anomaly.

Baiting the Grimm away with his semblance, Lucas took the opportunity to advance past them, still keeping to the shadows. Once the Grimm are far enough away, he would dismiss the lantern, causing the light to disappear from their sight and leaving them hopefully lost and confused enough to not follow after him. Until then, however, he could only hope that no one else would see the light and come investigate...

[Metroidhunter]

Cloe casually jogged her way through the forest, humming a catchy tune along the way. With every step she took, she could feel her semblance give off a surge of energy, slowly but surely building up power within her. As long as she didn't exert herself too much, she wouldn't risk charging up too quickly. She did not want to explode and electrocute a future teammate. That would make a terrible first impression. Hopefully she would have the opportunity to show off a little and impress them instead. All she had to do first was find somebody...
 
As her eyes darted across the wilderness, she managed to spot a light that appeared out of the ordinary. "Aha!" Surely, that had to be another student signaling their location. She felt pretty certain that there weren't any Grimm that could produce a light like that...  Right? Not that she could remember, at least. Cloe continued forward at her brisk pace towards the strange source of light, frowning as it fizzled out into nothing. Before she could even piece together what had just happened, Cloe noticed another unnatural source of light... More than one, actually. Two little dots, glowing a fiery orange color. Two became four, then eight...

Beowolves. The realization sent another jolt of adrenaline through her. As the horde began to let out a cacophony of growls and snarls, Cloe took a deep breath and entered a defensive stance, raising both of her steel fists in front of her. The shadowy silhouettes became much clearer to her as the Beowolves began to step forward. They seemed cautious at first, but their predatory instinct urged them towards her.

"... So much for taking it easy. Oh well. Let's get it, I guess."

The boldest of the pack charged, pushing off of its hind legs to leap through the air at Cloe. She hopped back a step, carefully dodging the attempted pounce with a quiet "Oop!" The monster turned its snarling maw up to make another lunge at her, but she wouldn't give it that opportunity. Cloe pulled her arm back, powerful motors whirring for just a moment before launching her fist at the Beowolf's head. Her steel knuckles hit skull and she felt a crack, immediately causing the beast to crumple lifelessly to the ground. She hardly had a moment to celebrate before the next one was upon her, and so she greeted it with a swift uppercut that sent it stumbling back. Cloe took that brief moment to reach over her shoulder and grab onto the handle of her bat. With a loud shout, she drew her weapon and brought it down on top of the second monster's head, putting all of her motorized might into the downward swing.

Ping! Another Beowolf dead. Only a dozen or so to go! Cloe chuckled nervously and bounced on her feet as the rest of the monsters began to circle around her, trying her best to charge up her semblance before it was too late. She couldn't help but wish that Ferra were here to save her.

[Moth]

Asshole and emergency landing aside, there's no time dawdle. The first thing that Prism does is clamber to the top of the leafy canopy. The sooner she gets a handle on her bearings, the better.

There's a break in the trees in the far distance -- a small clearing. Along the far side she can see, a strange spectral light is flitting among the trunks... Right up until it disappears like a light in a storm. The hummingbird can see a small humanoid figure jog into the clearing after it, only to turn on her heel as a pervasive red light starts to surround her.

One pair of burning red eyes.

Than another.

Than another.

Than another.

Grimm.

Animalistic heckling slinks through the air from the direction of the clearing, spiking a chill into her spine. The hummingbird barely manages to keep from shivering. Somebody's about to face down a hoard, all by themselves.

...And in the lower corner of her vision, maybe fifty yards away, is a semi-familiar douchebag in white leather and a cheap hat.

Who's in-between her and the clearing.

He wouldn't have been her first choice as a teammate, but she can't in good conscious just let him wander into a fight.

Prism ducks her head back beneath the canopy, clambering back down to where all the branches intermesh. With a bit of careful maneuvering, she leaps from one treetop to the next -- doing her best to minimize the sound of her careful hops and swings among the branches. If she's careful, she'll be able to set up an angle and take one or two down before they get a good handle on her location.

When she's well-within hearing range of the asshole who knocked her out of the air, the hummingbird drops down to a lower branch, maybe fifteen feet above his head. She squats down and peers over the edge, briefly whistling to catch his attention. "Hey, douchebag."

"A good dozen beowolves in the clearing up ahead -- maybe more, it was hard to see over the trees. Some poor chump's trying out a solo act. I think we should go help."

[Zwei Not]

The wolf took stock of his situation and parameters, one hand in his pocket and the other resting on the hilt of his sword as he wandered aimlessly through the Emerald Forest. He hadn’t seen any ruins from his ascent, but he did notice that the forest began to thin out near the cliff sides up north. It shouldn’t be much of an issue to just book it for the cliffs; any substantial ruins that stood to this day would likely be composed of rock anyway, which would require a large enough clearing to permit construction and a nearby source of suitable rock.

At the same time, though, the headmaster emphasized the importance of a partner, so showing up with the relic alone was likely not an option. While he counted at least 16 students on the launch pads, he was among the last to launch, and he didn’t see anyone fly past or above him.

Time to backtrack, then.

His eyes flicked around the path, catching a black silhouette broken up by hints of white and blazing red. Grimm, Beowolf most likely. A deep exhale left his lips as he steeled himself, slowing his movements and attempting to calm his nerves… only for the figure to disappear further into the forest, up toward a clearing ahead. His eyes flicked around, spotting a second, and a third, all avoiding him in favor of what might have been a more appealing catch… Someone was in trouble.

His grip on his blade tightened as he strode forward, his hand leaving his pocket as he moved toward the fray, sounds of impact and conflict already ringing from the clearing up ahead.

An unfamiliar voice broke his focus, an ear flicking under the brim of his hat as he located the source of the intrusion.

”Hey, douchebag.”

He whirled around at the remark, eyes locking with the androgyne from before. Their small stature was only emphasized by their rifle, which stood just about as tall as they did. If this was his partner… Well, he’s settled for less imposing figures before. An eyebrow raised as they continued, his hidden ears moving slightly to try and keep tabs on the conflict behind him. The bird had the same idea as him, it seemed. At the very least, they seemed serious and proactive enough.

He beckoned them with a wave, turning to move into the clearing. ”I’m already way ahead of you.” He started, his grip tightening on the sheath of his sword, eyes narrowing as he assessed the rapidly growing pool of targets. There was already an initiate directly engaging with the crowd of beowolves, and while she seemed to be performing decently, her action and stress could cause the crowd to grow faster than she could reduce those numbers. They’d have to act quickly, but they couldn’t afford to be reckless. “I’m hoping you’re a decent shot, yeah?” He started, turning his head back to acknowledge his new partner.

“Try to remove some targets as they enter the crowd, I’ll engage directly with the death ball and help this one thin the numbers. On my mark.” As he spoke, a gray seal began to materialize under his feet as he gathered his aura and focused it into his sheathed blade. He bent his knees, tucking his body in as he prepared to lunge forward, readying an empowered slash in hopes of removing more than one target. He kept his eyes trained on the nearest group of wolves, noting as their attention became diverted toward his side of the clearing. His eyes flicked back to his partner, a small smirk playing at his lips as he spoke. ”By the way, this douchebag’s name is Juno.” He remarked, re-focusing his attention as the trio of Beowolves began to break off from the group.

”Mark!”

[ReaperJoe]

It was with a small degree of satisfaction that Lucas watched the Grimm be lured away by his scheme. Sure, they might be left to become someone else's problem, but hopefully enough time will have passed by then that the initiates will have grouped up and combined their firepower. As things stood, however, Lucas was alone, and caution was definitely the better part of valor in this instance. Dousing and dismissing his semblance, Lucas lingered for a moment longer to make sure none were looking his way, and then he turned to head--

The sounds of snarls, growls, and impacting metal caused Lucas to whirl back around, his eyes locked on the pack of Beowolves he was about to slip by. Rather than twisting their heads in confusion like he had hoped to leave them, the pack's collective gaze was focused on a lone figure in the middle of them. Sure enough, it was another initiate, a young woman armed with nothing more than a bat. Lucas bit the urge to click his tongue in frustration, lest the sound draw the pack's attention onto him, too.

He could probably guess exactly what happened: The woman saw his semblance and came to investigate, thinking someone was signaling her. Instead, she found herself surrounded by a bunch of blood-thirsty monsters. He couldn't have baited a better trap if he tried! Worse yet, if no one did anything, her life may actually be in danger.

The question of the day, however, was what would Lucas do about it?. He could just leave--

Wasn't your whole ideal to save hunters from their own foolish mistakes? An annoying voice intruded on his thoughts.

Technically, I caused this one, and--

That's just even more reason help, isn't it?

...Damnit, Lucas thought to himself, knowing the look his little sister would give him if he did what he really wanted to do.

Besides, how are you going to save me if you can't save--

Lucas forcefully silenced his intrusive thoughts as he focused all his mental energies on his new objective:

Problem: Target encircled by Grimm
Objective: Remove target from encirclement

Solution 1: Breakout?
Negative, insufficient firepower, too many Grimm

Solution 2: Jump out?
Possible with Semblance boost.

Lucas once again re-summoned his semblance, and in the back of his mind cursed his lack of foresight: if he hadn't dismissed it, it would be in the perfect position to assist the girl. At the moment, though, it had to travel to reach her, and while it was fast...

Remain in cover?
Negative, semblance will not arrive in time without assistance, must--

He didn't even need to finish the thought as he rushed forward from his position in the shadows, shifting his weapon back into its lantern form. The dust-thrower would certainly be more effective on a group of enemies, but that wasn't the main reason for his advance. The travel rate of Lucas's semblance is based on Lucas's position; if he were on a moving train, for instance, and he had his semblance out, the lantern would still be travelling with him. Therefore, if Lucas advances towards a target, the lantern's speed towards that same target would increase as a result. Given that Lucas is sprinting right now, the lantern is currently moving at almost double its usual speed.

That speed increase would prove to be just enough, as the light of the lantern would just reach the woman as Lucas shouts at the top of his lungs, "JUMP TOWARDS THE LIGHT!"

To his complete and utter relief, the woman was impulsive enough to listen to a strange voice she had never heard before, and the kinetic dust field from his semblance would give her enough of a boost to jump well over the heads of the Beowolves, though potentially not enough all the way out of their encirclement. That was fine, Lucas had a plan for that.

As the girl passed the center of the field, the white light emanating from the lantern would be joined very briefly by a green light. The next instant, a shockwave would reverberate against everything in the field, including the woman soaring through the air. It would be sudden and unexpected, but it would definitely pack enough force to launch her clear of the Grimm, breaking the encirclement. As a bonus, the Grimm were also caught off-guard, and many had been knocked prone as a result of the blast.

Unfortunately, that was all Lucas had time to plan for, and though he had accomplished his objective and achieved the element of surprise, He was still dangerously close to a great deal of fangs and claws. The windows of Sophist's Lantern spun as Lucas tried to think of his next move.

Situation Log
Beowolves: 18 Remaining, about 6 are prone, the rest knocked back by the blast or by other Grimm.

Lucas's combat log:
Action: Advancing, using semblance burst effect to rescue Cloe.

Aura: 100%
Semblance: 76% (6% from landing strategy, 3% to initially boost Cloe+15% from kinetic/wind burst effect)
Dust remaining:
Fire: 100%
Ice: 100%
Earth: 100%
Lightning: 100%
Wind: 95% (used in burst effect)
Kinetic: 85% (Landing strategy, burst effect)
Gravity: 100%

Spoiler: ShowHide

I put in a combat log, but if y'all don't wanna use that, we don't have to. Up to y'all

[Metroidhunter]

Cloe weaved out of the way of another attacking Beowolf before stepping forward and dispatching it with an upward swing of her bat. These things seemed like total dummies. Nevertheless, she knew that she couldn’t afford to mess around with this many Grimm. Making stupid mistakes was not an option when surrounded by murderous monsters. She planned to aim for the head and remain light on her feet, but that wasn’t enough to save her from the sudden attack from behind.

Powerful jaws lined with razor sharp teeth snapped at the back of Cloe’s neck as one of the Beowolves tackled her from the rear. Her aura flickered as it took the brunt of the damage, its barrier of protection preventing the monster from biting into her spine. The weight of the lunging creature sent Cloe falling forwards, forcing her to drop her weapon and extend both of her arms to catch herself. Planting both hands firmly on the ground, she stopped herself as well as the Beowolf attached to her nape.

Without a second thought, Cloe switched her prosthetics ammunition to gravity dust and fired with both hands, all while pushing off of the ground with great force. The resulting blast sent Cloe and her attacker straight up, knocking it off her back and freeing her of its jaws. As soon as she landed on her feet, she darted towards her weapon and scooped it up off the ground. Cloe spun around towards the Beowolf and noticed that it was already moving in for a second attack. She held her bat with both hands, pointed it at the beast, then switched to firing mode. The last thing the Beowolf saw was the end of Cloe’s weapon opening up to expose a gun barrel.

Bang! The monster's head turned to mist as Cloe’s weapon fired a single shell, stopping the beast dead in its tracks. She quickly spun around and let off a second shot, catching another Beowolf attempting to take advantage of the attack. The spread shot knocked the Grimm on its back, but this one seemed determined to get back up. Before she could go after it, a loud voice snapped Cloe out of her intense focus.

”JUMP TOWARDS THE LIGHT!”

Cloe and the Beowolves all paused, the group of canines looking towards the source of the voice as well as the glowing light coming from the same direction. There was about two seconds of complete still and confusion as they all attempted to process what was happening.

’... Did I just die?’ Cloe wondered for just a moment before shaking her head. She decided to do as the lamp suggested and jumped towards it, immediately taken aback by the height she was getting. Her feelings of worry and panic subsided and she cracked a smile. Cloe turned to look down at the perplexed Grimm with a laugh. ”Haha! Woo! See ya, suckers!”

Right as she said it, a sudden boom sent Cloe flying further through the air, putting her into a spin that she could hardly control. She hoped that the mysterious levitating lamp would save her once again, but instead she hit the ground and bounced, tumbling in the dirt for the second time today. Cloe let out a groan, slowly propping herself up with her weapon to stand back on her feet. As she surveyed her new surroundings, she finally managed to spot another person. He seemed to be an ordinary, average sort of dude, dressed in sketchy clothes and not carrying any sort of weapon that she could see… He was not the amazing, ultra-destructive, overpowered unit of a partner that she had been hoping for, but he was presumably the person that had saved her ass, so she could hardly complain.

Having had ample time to charge up her semblance, Cloe zipped towards the stranger, closing the gap in a flash. Electric sparks of aura arced out of her body as she skidded to a stop next to him, at which point she happened to notice his fancy lantern. This had to be the guy.

”Hey, thanks! I would have been totally dead!” The cheeriness in her voice was quite the contrast to her grim statement. Her overall attitude about their situation was incredibly casual, enough that she raised her hand to offer him a fistbump. ”I’m Cloe!”

Combat: ShowHide

Aura: 88% (-12%)

Semblance: 45% charged

Ammunition:
Baseball Gat - 2/4 of shells loaded (-2)
Left arm - Gravity equipped, 60% remaining (-40%)
Right arm - Gravity equipped, 60% remaining (-40%)

Reserves:
Baseball Gat - 10/12 shells total

Left arm -
Fire - 100%
Ice - 100%
Lightning - 100%
Wind - 100%

Right arm -
Fire - 100%
Ice - 100%
Lightning - 100%
Wind - 100%

[Moth]

"Prism."

She barely gets the words out before shit goes sideways up ahead -- the the mystery flare moves high into the air. The hummingbird can see the beacon pulse, a bright white with a tinge of... green? The screech of Grimm reverberates through the trees, and the hummingbird's on her feet and following her new partner into the fray before the sound clears treetops.

She's moving from branch to branch at this point, shifting and swinging until she settles onto a steady limb at the edge of the clearing. She pulls Hawkseye tight to her shoulder, stares down the scope, and...

"Mark!"

The first bullet embeds itself in the first of the trio Juno's targeting, cleanly eviscerating the Beowolf's skull before Juno's sword tangles its intestines. This is the first time that Prism's managed to get a good look at their supposed rescuees. The initiator their scrum is a blonde dog faunus with a robotic-looking limbs and a baseball bat in one hand, the other extended for a perfectly-timed fist bump opportunity. The other is a nervous-looking stringbean of a boy, with a sniper rifle and a pea-green semblance that vaguely matches the ghostly lantern floating above the clearing. The mystery light must be her semblance.

...And this is her new team. A bimbo, her douchebag, and a stringbean. "Cover fire incoming!" The next two years will be interesting.

Three more shots ring out in short order. One buries itself in the eyeball of the Beowolf nearest the new duo, forcing a clean disintegration. The other hit head-and-shoulders of two more approaching, forcing them to stagger and buying precious time for the three on the ground. "Name's Prism, that's Juno! Reloading!"

[Zwei Not]

As the wolf rocketed forward, he tore through the remaining two closest targets with ease, his blade a nearly unseen flash as it left and returned to his sheath in several fluid motions. A quick survey of the surroundings showed that about 12 targets remained, with an unknown amount deeper into the forest. Currently, Prism seemed focused on thinning out the backline, meaning he was left with the brunt of the approaching targets. All according to plan.

The wolf kept his blade at the ready, but maintained a defensive posture as he began to cast a new, pink seal, its edge starting from where he stood and expanding into the breadth of the clearing. Two more students were present at the far end, the previous focus of their opposition and the source of that weird green kinetic pulse... Their positioning was actually perfect for what he had planned.

”Draw them into the circle for me. I need a moment, but I can take them all out!” He barked toward the other students, keeping his form steady as he pumped more fire dust into the seal, its outline in the ground glowing a vibrant pink as the grass underneath began to singe.

Combat Log: ShowHide

Aura: 100%

Dust Stores:

Fire Battery 1: 80%
Fire Battery 2: 100%
Ice Battery 1: 100%
Ice Battery 2: 100%
Lightning Battery 1: 100%
Lightning Battery 2: 100%
Earth Battery 1: 100%
Earth Battery 2: 100%
Kinetic Battery 1: 80%
Kinetic Battery 2: 100%
Gravity Battery 1: 100%
Gravity Battery 2: 100%

[ReaperJoe]

Lucas's mind was spinning as fast as the windows of Sophist's Lantern as he tried to think of a way to escape this current predicament. Yes, he succeeded in getting his fellow initiate out of the dangerous encirclement, but neither of them were out of trouble yet. If they tried to run now, the Grimm would no doubt give chase. Frankly, Lucas didn't think he was faster than a Beowolf. Sure, he could use his semblance to give himself a boost, but that would mean spending a not insignificant amount of dust. Those factors combined eliminated a hasty retreat as an option, so Lucas had to consider alternatives.

Solution 1: Acquire assistance from other initiate?
Ability and condition uncertain, unreliable prospect

Solution 2: Use smokescreen and hide?
Beowolf sense of smell and personal anxiety would defeat stealth

The more options that raced through his head, the more Lucas realized he just jumped into a fight he couldn't back out of.

Dammit, me and my stupid ideals, he thought to himself bitterly as he prepared himself for combat. He didn't know much about the other initiate's combat abilities, but she did look like she could handle herself from what little he saw. Maybe together they could--

"Hey, thanks! I would have been totally dead!"

A sudden cheery voice derailed Lucas's racing mind, causing him to stumble even though he was standing still. Whirling to face what had caused the intrusion, only to find the smiling face of the fellow initiate he had just "rescued" offering him a fistbump. The contrast of her demeanor to the situation around them that Lucas had no idea how to properly respond. The only thing that came out of his mouth as he made eye-contact was an incomprehensible, "bwa?"

Wait, eye-contact? Does that make us--

Lucas was once again interrupted from his thoughts by another sudden sound, though this one was much more situationally appropriate. A gunshot heralded the arrival of another student, a winged faunus, that had settled into the limbs of a tree and immediately began laying down cover fire. Almost immediately after, another (very much welcome) intruder erupted onto the scene. Wearing a striking white and pink jacket, a male initiate cut down two more of the Beowolves before barking an order at the group.

"Draw them into the circle for me. I need a moment, but I can take them all out!"

With all of the surprises happening one right after the other, Lucas had lost quite a few of the details, including the names of his surprise team. With that said, the order had enough impact to shake Lucas's thoughts back on track. Glancing at the pink circle that was forming at the newcomer's feet, the only thing he could really tell was that whatever it was, it was going to be big. Perhaps if he had longer to look at it, he would notice the singing of the grass as it expanded, as well as the amount of energy it would take to cover that wide of an area. As things were, though...

"Fuck it, I don't have a better plan."

Stepping forward even further, Lucas stopped spinning the cylinders of his weapon and held it out in front of him just as one of the Beowolves regained enough of its senses to charge. Before the creature could reach him, though, the shutter of Sophist's Lantern opened, and a powerful gust of wind burst forth, blasting the monster back along with a few of its allies into the expanding glyph.

At the same time, the semblance lantern, which had remained in its previous position, began to emit a dark purple glow, and everything touched by the light grew significantly heavier. The prone Beowolves that had been slow to get up suddenly found themselves pinned to the ground as their bodies suddenly increased in weight. The downside of this, however, was that the male newcomer was unfortunately well within the radius of the light, and he would experience the negative aspects of Lucas's semblance first hand. Hope he didn't skip leg day.

"I can push them into the circle with wind dust," he began to explain, "and the purple light is gravity dust that will slow down the Grimm inside. If someone can knock them on their ass, they'd be pinned!" He hoped that explanation would be enough for the other two to follow up on. The wind from his weapon might be enough to push them back, but it won't have enough force to knock them completely off their feet without help from his semblance. The gravity light from his semblance will slow down the Grimm, but if they're still on their feet, they can still lunge at nearby targets, and the increased weight will increase the damage from their attacks. It was a gamble, and if it was just Lucas and this new guy, he wouldn't go for it. But now there were four of them, and if the other two can run enough interference, maybe they could pull this off.

Situation Log
Beowolves: 12 Remaining, 3 are still prone, 6 are within the glyph

Lucas's combat log:
Action: Using wind dust to push Grimm into the circle, using gravity dust to keep them inside

Aura: 100%
Semblance: 73% (3% for sustaining gravity lantern)
Dust remaining:
Fire: 100%
Ice: 100%
Earth: 100%
Lightning: 100%
Wind: 85% (Used to push beowolves/ forgot to subtract dust used during landing strategy)
Kinetic: 85%
Gravity: 95% (used to sustain gravity lantern)

[Metroidhunter]

There were a lot of things going on at once, but Cloe was not fazed. The sounds of friendlies incoming and the presence of Grimm nearby didn’t distract her from her primary objective: bumping fists with her new partner. It was a necessary vibe check, one that would inform her on whether or not he was in fact a cool dude. As such, she was incredibly bummed to see him turn away and leave her hanging.

”... Okay, lamp boy. Be that way,” she muttered with a roll of her eyes.

Losing much of her enthusiasm in that brief moment, Cloe disappointedly turned her attention towards the others. Maybe she would have better luck with them, but it seemed that further greetings would have to wait. One of the Beowolves had begun to charge. Cloe glanced at her partner, wondering for a moment if she would have to step in. Right as she was about to say something, he unleashed a blast of wind that sent the monster tumbling back. Okay, maybe he wasn’t totally lame, but he was not yet forgiven.

"I can push them into the circle with wind dust, and the purple light is gravity dust that will slow down the Grimm inside. If someone can knock them on their ass, they'd be pinned!"

As he informed them of the plan, Cloe pulled two shells from the pouch on her hip and loaded them into her weapon. She wasn’t very happy about how this was going so far, but she didn’t have any good enough reasons to argue with him. Gripping her bat in both hands, Cloe started to walk in a wide a circle around the group of enemies, taking aim at the Beowolves that were struggling to stand. Bang! The first scattered shot hit two of the monsters at once, staggering them some more. Bang! Many more pellets sank into another, leaving it dead before the harsh gravity could yank it to ground. Cloe proceeded to fire off her last two loaded shells, knocking down a couple more Beowolves before she had to stop and reach for ammunition.

”Just a little more!” Cloe shouted to her allies as she reloaded her weapon. Despite her confidently fulfilling her role in the plan, Cloe had no idea where this was going and just really hoped that it was leading up to something awesome.

Combat: ShowHide

Aura: 88%

Semblance: 50% charged

Ammunition:
Baseball Gat - 0/4 of shells loaded (+2) (-4)
Left arm - Gravity equipped, 60% remaining
Right arm - Gravity equipped, 60% remaining

Reserves:
Baseball Gat - 6/12 shells total

Left arm -
Fire - 100%
Ice - 100%
Lightning - 100%
Wind - 100%

Right arm -
Fire - 100%
Ice - 100%
Lightning - 100%
Wind - 100%