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Another chapter. Here you go.

Chapter 1: Initiation Day Pt.1

I woke up crucified.

Okay that might be a bit of an exaggeration but that was what first came to mind. I was just pinned to a tree, held up by a strange black garment that covered my torso, with sleeves that ran all the way to my wrists. Minimal plate armour covered only my breast and shoulders, and from the prodding at my back it at least protected there too. Odd woven wrappings adorned my legs. A foolish choice of clothing, considering it was warmer than… Well, anywhere I'd been. A strange sword hung at my hip, a puny little one-handed weapon fit only for elves and children.

This was new, at least. So far, so good on this adventure.

The pin was an odd spear of red and gold, which had no distinction in material between shaft and point. Clearly someone somewhere didn't know proper weapon-crafting. I looked down and, seeing that the fall wasn't too far, braced myself against the tree and yanked the spear out, falling to the forest floor.

I landed with a roll, somewhat happy at the range of movement that this outfit provided yet feeling naked without my armour. The enchantments on that set had cost me a fortune. After taking a glance around to ensure I wasn't being watched by whoever pinned me to the tree like a signpost, I pulled out the weapon.

It was a very simple sword, made of steel. The sheath was stupidly large, so I took it off and dropped it on the ground. I took another glance around, verifying that I was alone still.

I was wrong the first time. There was something approaching me at a high speed through the impossibly healthy trees, as fast as a vampire at least. I settled into a stance, my sword held off to my side, though it still felt much too light to do any damage. I prepared to unleash Elemental Fury, as speed would be my weapon in this engagement.

Then I caught sight of my to-be opponent, my first of this particular quest, and decided that the Imperial scum before me didn't deserve to hear the righteous fury of my Thu'um before I cut her to pieces. She stopped a few paces away and glanced at me, and while her face showed confusion, her posture belayed relaxation.

This particular Imperial looked quite strange, with a bastardized version of the uniform over her young body. Much too young, in my opinion, but every man and woman had the right to die for their stupid decisions. Even if they looked like children.

"Jaune?" Her voice was smooth but clipped, almost as if it were not her first language.

I looked over my shoulder to ensure I wasn't surrounded, but it was still just us two.

"Your cohorts are too far to help you, Imperial." I stated calmly. "You stand before the Dovahkiin. I will allow you your final words before you die, speak and be heard."

She started back, mouthing 'Imperial?' before shaking her head.

"Jaune, it's me, Phyrra. I am so sorry but I think you may have hit your head against that tree." Strange choice of last words.

"So be it. Make peace with your gods."

She took another step back. "Jaune?"

"I am not Jaune. I am Dovahkiin! FUS RO DAH!"

She stood there as my heart fell to the pit of my stomach. I felt no rush of power, no thrumming in my soul as the power of The Voice rushed through me. I felt… Wrong.

"Oh my." The Imperial -Phyrra- stated. "Are you okay? Would you like help?"

With a primal growl I abandoned my attempts at using my power and resorted to a more mundane route of attack. Namely, the sword still held in my hand.

I charged forth with a mighty war cry, though her features quickly turned from concerned to resigned determination and the spear that had pinned me flew into her hand of its own accord.

Then pieces began moving and before I had even reached her, she had a shield in her left arm and a red-gold sword in the other.

I must admit, my charge faltered. I noted that her weapon could possibly change back at any time and continued my advance, swinging slowly to gauge her skill.

That was my first mistake. The woman parried my half-strength strike with ease and spun around to deliver a backhanded leg sweep with her shield. My feet were taken out from under me, reminding me once more of the advantages my armour provided me. I rolled away and scrambled to my feet but my opponent did not press the attack, instead settling into an obviously defensive form.

"A mage, too. I thought the Imperials guarded their mages, hm?" I mused, searching her form for flaws.

"You're talking nonsense. We saw each other first, thus we are partners. Please, let's just talk."

"I will not let your honeyed words dissuade me. You and your comrades have caused too much trouble, and agreed to pull out of Skyrim. Tullius himself gave me his word, and so it will be to him I'll send your head!" I charged once more, this time holding nothing back.

Atop a frozen mountain, a very confused blonde teen gulped as a massive beast landed before him.

"Uhhh… Hello?" Was all he managed before the dragon opened its maw.

"YOL TOOR SHUL!"

The poor boy died with many screams from the steel armour that encased him.

The battle went on. I assaulted her with all of my strength, though she was quick to parry and deflect every strike. She was a swordswoman the likes of which I haven't seen since Delphine, Divines rest her paranoid soul. I noticed she never attacked, and after a particularly strong shield bash, I stood panting.

'Why do I feel so tired? She hasn't cast any magic, nor is her blade enchanted…'

"You're quite skilled for an Imperial." I stated.

She lowered her weapons and stood straight, though I could tell she was ready to fight again at any moment. "I am not an Imperial, Jaune. I'm Phyrra Nikos. You are not well."

"Wanna bet?" I growled.

"We will stay here and wait for help. Surely they will allow us to re-take the initiation exam."

At that, I lowered my weapons too. "They?"

"Professor Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch?" She said, quirking an eyebrow.

"Thalmor."

"What does that mean?"

I stared at her for a good five seconds but she seemed genuine. "Oppressors, slavers, supremacists, and blasphemers of the highest order. Truly, you do not know of the Thalmor?"

"I.. Do not?" She turned away, very daring to do while in front of an opponent. "Jaune, where do you think you are? Who do you think you are?"

"Enough with the mind games! I am not Jaune!"

"You are."

I growled once more then rushed forward, but in a blur of movement I found myself on the forest floor with the point of a spear at my throat. "Stay down, please." She almost sounded as if she were pleading.

Growling, I pushed my head up slowly, ignoring the pain from the spear, even ignoring the warmth of my blood as I ever so slowly impaled myself on the weapon. Her pleading eyes turned to shock and she leapt back. I found myself forced back to the ground by an invisible force.

"You're fighting without your aura!" She exclaimed. "I'm so sorry! If I had known I never would have gone along!"

'I… Wait… What?' I thought, my brain turning. I was by no means the smartest Nord but even I knew something was amiss. An Imperial just apologized.

"My what?" Good, feign ignorance.

"Your aura."

I blankly stared at her as well as I could from my spot on the ground, but her confusion trumped any subtle facial expression I could make.

"Explain yourself…. Phyrra Nikos."

"You first, Jaune-that-is-not-Jaune."

"I'm the Dovahkiin. Your turn." I deadpanned.

"That is not an explanation!" She huffed, exasperated. "I will let you go on your word that you will not attempt to attack me again."

"Ever?" I inquired, considering it.

"I would hope so! We're partners for the next four years, if attacking me is to become a regular thing than I should have stayed in Mistral!"

"As opposed to.." I trailed off, deliberately not answering her question.

"Vale? Beacon Academy? You should see a doctor, and soon. You may be concussed." She still seemed concerned. She nodded. "Definitely concussed." The pressure on my body vanished, and I collected the piece-of-crap sword as I stood. Might as well be a stick, for all the good it did me.

It does sound like the start to an excellent adventure, though, so good work Elder Scroll.

"Now… What were you saying about aura?"

Her weapon shifted and various parts moved to turn it into… Something. She held it like a crossbow but I could see no bolts, nor a drawing mechanism.

"First, your word."

"Fine." I spat. "Until the end of this examination, I promise to bring you no harm."

"Wonderful." Phyrra said, and finally stowed her weapons. "Now, aura is the manifestation of our soul. As hunters, we need it to act as our shield, and our Semblance to act as our sword against the creatures of Grimm."

"So?"

"So, you managed to get into beacon without using your aura." She explained. "That's incredible."

"I managed to get here by reading an ancient artifact unbound by time or space, actually. No idea where this is, Im-Phyrra." I gave her the briefest of explanations. "So if you would kindly explain why I'm here, where here is, what we're doing, and why my power is not working, I would be more than glad to help you finish this exam. Sooner that happens, the sooner I can get to a town and figure out what's going on. Deal?"

She was still looking at me as if I were crazy, which I actually was, before sighing. "Deal."

What the actual fuck?

What kind of twisted Mage College launches their initiates off of a cliff into a forest full of terrible beasts?

We'd come across only one of these beasts, a Grimm as the Imperial liar told me. A Beowolf, to be precise, though with a loud noise its head had exploded and the thing had faded into dust like an Atronach would, leaving nothing behind. She hadn't given it any time, continuing on our ridiculous pace through the forest.

I also realized something, as we wove between trees. My body had deteriorated. Aches and pains had vanished, replaced by the fatigue that plagues an un-hardened body. Mainly, the body of a youth. I had significantly less hair than I had however long ago, and my legs throbbed with muscle exertion. I ran through it, obviously, but I couldn't ignore the fact that with every passing step my muscles would be weaker for when I would again fight the girl.

Though to be completely honest, i was doubting my ability to defeat her. Without the power granted to me by my Thu'um, I felt weak, and with an unfamiliar weapon and hardly a piece of armour, even more so. She seemed benevolent, but that needed to be taken with a grain of salt.

I was no stranger to loneliness, or to making new allies, though I had a sneaking suspicion that I was far away from any hint of my reputation, and further still from Skyrim itself.

With another loud bang, she dispatched another of the Grimm, pointing her odd crossbow at it. I myself skidded to a halt, to observe how it disappeared.

It appeared to burn without flame, ashes rising into the air before scattering. Very curious, as it meant that the creatures were magical in nature. It also meant that I would not be getting any spoils of war for when I inevitably wiped the beasts out.

"Why did you stop?" Phyrra stood, having stopped herself.

"Explain these." I said, gesturing towards the rising cloud of ash.

"They're the Creatures of Grimm." She replied, puzzled. "They're drawn towards negative emotion and attack anything with a soul on sight."

"But what are they? Animals? Magical constructs? Imagination?"

She tilted her head. "Who knows?"

"Fine." I relented. "How are you killing them?"

She pulled out her weapon, shifting it to the crossbow-thing. "Miló, my weapon." She said fondly. "It's a Javelin with mecha-shift capabilities for both close and long range combat."

"So it can turn into a sword?" I prodded.

"And a rifle."

"A what?"

"A long-range high caliber rifle." She said slowly.

"I'm not stupid, I heard you the first time." I growled, annoyed. "But what is a rifle?"

Her face paled. "I think we should keep moving."

"I think you should answer the question, Imperial. How is it you have a weapon that can change forms, and kill enemies without touching them? That's strong magic, and I hate magic."

She continued looking at me strangely. Maybe that was just her face, though."It isn't magic, it's just technology. Your own shield can mecha-shift. A rifle is something that uses a propellant to deliver a bullet from the user to a target to deliver damage from outside of harm's way."

"Like a crossbow?" I ventured. "And what shield?"

She nodded. "Right. Except instead of using a pulling mechanism, the projectile is launched with a controlled explosion, or in my case using the power of Dust."

Dust? How old does she think I am? "Fine, play your stupid games. Next 'Grimm' we come across though, I'm killing." I said, daring her to challenge me.

With that bitches audacity, of course she did. "Not until we find out what happened to your Aura. I'll keep you safe, and you can look out for anything I may miss."

"I am NOT your personal scout, woman!" I shouted. "I've killed bigger and better foes than you've ever dreamed of!"

"Without an Aura?" She jested.

I stormed up to her. "Without whatever this damn Aura thing is, correct. I did it with a blade that's spilled enough blood to fill the sea, with armor that has withstood the fires of gods. I did it with my hands, and the power of my Voice. I didn't need any pansy magic then, and I don't need it now!"

She sighed. "When you change your mind, let me know. I'd feel much better knowing my partner wasn't going to be killed at any moment."

"Don't you worry about me, sweet roll. Let's go find a Grimm so I can show you how men fight." I walked past her, aiming to push her aside with my shoulder but she moved out of the way and took up a position behind me.

Despite my gut telling me not to turn my back lest I receive a dagger to it, I continued on. No chance in Oblivion would this woman catch me appearing fearful.

Even if I kind of was.

It wasn't long until we happened upon yet another Beowolf. With a grin, I pulled out my sword and charged at it, bellowing a fearsome war cry. The creature didn't cower in fear as it should have, instead sniffing the air and gazing directly at me behind an ornamental bone mask. The thing was ugly, a mass of shadows with gleaming white and red spots of bone sticking out of it. Wouldn't stop me from killing it, if spiky-face World-eater fell to my blade, so too would this thing.

I placed both hands on my sword and swung right at the creature's face, but it leaped back and before I could bring my sword back to ready position, it had closed the gap with another leap and aimed to separate my head from my shoulders. Not one to lie down and die, I spun to the side, avoiding it. One of its claws still caught my shoulder, and though my measly armor caught the blow, the force was enough to send me sprawling.

I rolled back to my feet. Clearly this animal was wickedly fast. Unfortunately for me, my standard strategy against fast enemies was to let them tire out as they tried -and failed- to get through my armour. I was currently missing a key component of that strategy and it did not bear well for my health.

I parried it's claw as it leapt yet again, and slammed my shoulder into its gut with the intent of winding it for a finishing stroke.

That would have worked, had I not forgotten I was in the body of a little boy. The animal bowled me over and rode me to the ground, jaws opening to enclose my face, when Phyrra threw her shield into its face, knocking it off of me with a whimper. The shield spun and returned to her arm as I scrambled up.

"Is this how men fight, Jaune?" She teased. I bit back a reply as the wolf lunged at her, right past me. I swung my sword in an uppercut that should have removed it's head, but it simply left a line of glowing red on its body. I did succeed in throwing of its trajectory, and it had to scamper to regain footing upon landing.

Pressing the advantage, I feinted another overhand strike then sidestepped as it clawed at my sword. Pulling my weapon out of reach, I grinned as the animal over-extended and proceeded to thrust my sword into the wound I'd made before. With it lodged there, I turned my back and swept my sword over my head with a grunt of effort, severing its neck from the penetration point to the top. Staring at Phyrra I let my grin grow to a smirk, which quickly left my face as I saw three more of the beowolfves quickly fading to ash at her feet.

Before she could say anything, I whipped my sword off to the side to get the blood off of it, despite there being no blood, and angrily thrust it back into the stupidly heavy sheath that Phyrra hadn't let me leave behind. "Let's keep moving." I grumbled, angry at my pathetic body. I needed my strength back.

With a chuckle, she put up her weapons and followed my fuming self into the forest.