4 Chapter Four

I walked down the locker rooms. The fact that the locker rooms for armor and weapons were separated was a huge waste of money in my opinion.

"Hey! Jaune! Over here!"

I looked over in the direction of the voice, spotting Ruby and the blonde girl that called out to her yesterday. Humming slightly, I walked over, raising an eyebrow at the little girl.

"Morning, Ruby, need anything?"

Before she could say anything, an arm was thrown over my shoulder. Resisting the urge to dislocate it at the shoulder, I looked at the blonde girl that was grinning at me. And the look in her eyes was anything but welcoming.

"Rubes! You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend already, shame on you!"

Her grin turned to the shorter girl whose face turned as red as her cape.

"Yang! It's nothing like that! And let him go! You're making him uncomfortable!"

She wailed at her sister, her small fists impacting the older girl's shoulders and the blonde laughed at her antics.

I let out a hum and walked away, searching for my locker, 636, if I remembered correctly.

Looking around, I spotted it, but there were some... obstacles.

Two young women standing in front of it, chatting. One seemed uncomfortable while the other seemed delighted to have a conversation.

Sighing, I walked closer and stood right next to them getting their attention, ignoring the way both of their eyes widened.

I knew of them. One was the other champion that came to this school and the other was the heiress of the SDC, the biggest dust-supplying company.

And I didn't really care.

They would be just stones in my path to get my freedom from my father. I have had enough of others deciding my path, so this time, I would just kick those stones away, no matter how big they were, and not let them make me take an alternate path.

"Excuse me, that's my locker."

I pointed at the metal box that was behind them. They looked at me for a second, then at the locker before moving away to give me space to open it.

Without much fanfare, I moved forward, taking out my scroll and hovering it over the lock as it unlocked. I opened the door and reached in to grab my sword.

Securing it on my waist, I closed the locker and gave one minute nod towards the two, before walking off. I needed to get to the cliffs, that was where the initiation would be conducted after all.

The walk was five minutes, and it was not a waste. My father would somehow interfere, I just knew it. Glynda was here, and she no doubt would try to do something, at least for the initiation. I doubt the headmaster would get in her way if she tried something here, and stop her in the future.

I reached the cliffs and looked down at the platforms that were positioned on the edge. Were... was I going to be launched into the forest?

That was idiotic.

Who would launch seventeen-year-olds into the forest? Even with aura, that was risky. There was a fifteen-year-old here, too.

Bloody hell.

I stepped on one of the platforms and cross my arms as I waited. watching as the headmaster arrived with his mug and cane in hand, his calculating eyes trained on me as he sipped his coffee.

I stared at him for a moment before dismissing him and looking back at the prospective students that started arriving a bit after.

There were Ruby, and Yang, the two I just met a few minutes ago, and those were all that I recognized from the group. Slowly, all the spots were filled, one student standing on their own platform.

Turning around I stared out at the emerald forest as Ozpin started his speech about teammates.

A partner based on eye contact? Foolish. Relics? Would be useful if we knew what they were. Kill everything that stood in our path? I could do that.

I bent my knees as the first one took off, waiting for my turn, Glyndas gaze on me not escaping my notice.

Slowly, all the participants from my left were launched and it was my turn. As I felt the gears below my platform shift, the spring coiled and released.

I was launched into the air, the sound of wind rushing past me filled my ears and I adjusted my position in the air when I felt a force boost me from behind, throwing me off course and launching me to the other end of the forest.

I twisted around in the air, glaring at the two figures getting smaller and smaller as I soared through the air for a few minutes by my count.

My Aura flared fully around my body as I got closer to the ground, crashing into trees that slowed my descent, leaving behind half the height of what they used to be.

The ground came closer as I extended my armored hand, thrusting it into the dirt, digging up a small trench as I skidded, kicking up dust when I used my legs to assist me in stopping.

When the momentum finally dissipated and I stopped, I straightened myself, looking at the long line of dug-up ground before huffing through my nose.

Scowling I surveyed my surroundings, I was far from the objective... or even the area where the test was being conducted. Spotting a small camera hidden in one of the trees, I glared at it hatefully before looking back in the direction I came... flew in from.

My semblance flared, amplifying my slightly depleted aura, regenerating it in a matter of seconds as the portion gathered on the souls of my feet exploded outward, a proportionally larger amount than I normally used.

___

Back at the cliffs, Ozpin stared at his deputy, wondering if she did what he thought she did, and by the pained look on her face, confirmed his suspicions.

"Glynda, could you tell me what possessed you to do what you just did?"

The blonde closed her eyes for a second, inhaling deeply, seemingly gathering her thoughts as she opened the tablet she was holding.

"I owed his father."

Ah, that would explain it.

The gray-haired man looked at the tablet she was holding, as she pressed one of the windows that didn't show anything but trees.

It was far from the testing area, he knew that much.

She pressed a few more, enlargening them as they both waited for the boy to appear if he landed in one of the surveillance spots.

And sure enough, he did. Digging his hand into the ground in order to stop himself, his white aura flaring around his body, preventing any damage that his body might have sustained from the fall.

When he stopped, he looked around before staring right into the camera lens and scowling something fierce.

His body flared with aura for a few seconds before he disappeared from his spot, leaving behind nothing but a giant crater, dust, and a shaking camera feed.

Ozpin just hummed for a moment before sipping on his coffee.

"Well, looks like he isn't too happy about what you did. It wouldn't be a stretch to know that it was you who did it either."

Glynda just sighed, dropping her head low.

A few seconds passed before the gray-haired man turned around and started heading back to the school.

"Inform the others that if someone tries something like this again, they will be fired, Glynda."