Chapter 2: Meeting a Dragon

Unfortunately for Summer, she was so caught up in her daydream of grand adventure that as she ran off of the ramp, her cloak got caught under her foot. By the time she realized what was happening, she was already in the middle of an unintentional somersault. "Woah! Oof!" She grunted as she landed on her back, arms and legs splayed out. The poor student-to-be was so dazed by the spill, it was several seconds before the sound of hysterical laughter reached her ears. As she sat up and looked around, she saw at least two dozen students around her. All of them were laughing at her, except for the twins; Raven was holding her face in her hand (probably trying to keep herself from laughing) while Qrow was looking at her with a mixture of humor, pity and... guilt? Unfortunately Summer was too embarrassed to wonder about that, pulling her hood tight over her face, wishing the ground would just swallow her up.

"Did you see that? She did a double somersault!"

"Aw man, that just made my damn day!"

"What a loser, tripping over her own feet like that!" Every comment she heard only made her feel worse.

By the time most of the students left the area, she started crying softly. Great job, Summer. Two minutes in and you've already made yourself look like an idiot. She thought to herself glumly. "Yikes, that looked like it hurt. Need a hand?" A voice asked. Wiping her eyes, Summer looked up to see a young man with blonde hair, blue eyes and surprisingly toned muscles extending a hand to her. "Hey, I'm Taiyang."

"S-Summer," She said shyly, taking his hand and letting him hoist her to her feet. He had a strong grip. "A-Are You new here?"

"Yep, just got off the airship. Where're you from?"

"Um, Mountain Glenn, you?"

"Vacuo."

"Wait, really?"

"Really really."

"Wow," Summer never met anyone from Vacuo. Some of her friends in Mountain Glenn were from Mistral and Dr. Merlot was Atlesian, but she never knew anyone who lived further west. Taiyang smiled and walked over to where her weapon landed, picked it up and examined it. "Nice piece, what is it?"

"Huh?" Summer blinked, not understanding his slang. The blonde chuckled slightly before clarifying. "Your weapon," he said, holding it out in its folded up state. "Oh, right. Well uhh, it's a sniper rifle/greatsword hybrid with a uh, close-range battle rifle form built into it."

"Really? But it's so lightweight..."

"Well, I used a skeletal titanium receiver, the barrel shroud is made of Carbotanium-"

"Carbowhaa?"

"Carbotanium," Summer giggled. "It's a blend of carbon fiber and titanium."

"Sounds expensive."

"Well my dad's a scientist so we're not strapped for cash." She explained. "Huh," Again Taiyang smiled as he handed her weapon back to her before turning around towards the school, motioning for her to follow. Nodding her head, Summer grabbed her briefcase— fumbling with her weapon in the process— and ran to catch up with him (taking care not to trip over her cloak again).

While they were walking towards the campus, Summer decided to ask him something. "Why did you help me?"

"Hmm?" Taiyang glanced at her with a confused look on his face. "Why wouldn't I?" Summer bowed her head shyly. "Well uhh, no one else wanted to, I mean I did trip over myself and uhh..." When she looked back up at Taiyang, she noticed that he looked angry. "Yeah, and it made me feel sick. Back home in Vacuo we ALWAYS look out for each other, no matter how pointless it feels. If we can't trust each other to have our backs, then nothing'd ever get done around there." Summer blinked, not expecting people from Vacuo to be that close-knitted. Well, Vacuo is mostly desert. If you live in an environment as rough as that, you probably would have to rely on others to survive "Soooo... what's your weapon?" She asked, trying to change the subject to something more comfortable. Thankfully, Taiyang got the idea and his smile returned. "Oh, just a pair of gauntlets and greaves with shotguns built into 'em. Nothing too fancy."

"Wait, gauntlets AND greaves?" She repeated. "I wanted to try something like that at first, but I'm terrible at unarmed combat."

"'Unarmed?' I have two arms!" Taiyang replied, grinning like he just told a joke. Summer just gave him a weird look and said, "Nnnnnnnno."

"No?" He blinked. "Yeah, no. Sorry, i-it just wasn't a very good joke."

"Aww man," Taiyang groaned before looking around the courtyard. "Say, uhh, did you keep track of where we were going?"

"Nnnnnoooo... I was following you." She replied, obviously confused. "Me? I've never even been to Vale before!"

"Ohh, right. Well maybe there's a map somewhere, or something." Summer suggested. Man, this is gonna be a long year.

A couple of hours later, the two managed to find they're way to the ballroom of the academy, which was already full of students waiting for the headmaster's welcoming speech. Wow, there are a lot more students than I thought, Summer thought to herself. If this is how many they accept every year, then why aren't there more Huntsmen out there? As they approached the crowd of students, Summer started to get fidgety. She never liked large groups of people, and this was one of the largest she had seen in a while. "Hey, you alright Summer?" Taiyang asked, noticing her discomfort. "Yeah, I'm just not a big fan of crowds." She replied, smiling weakly. Taiyang smiled and nodded, and the two of them found a spot away from the main crowd while still giving them a view of the stage. Summer started to calm down once they were a comfortable distance away. Taiyang on the other hand, decided to head into the group to mingle with the crowd. "See you later, Summer." He said, waving as he left. Summer waved back, then looked around at the ballroom itself. It was surprisingly large, with a high ceiling and tall support pillars. The walls, ceiling and pillars all sported intricate carvings and paintings, and the floor was a smooth green marble. How much did this place cost? I mean I know it used to be the Royal Palace and all, but- "Hey, Summer!" She immediately jumped with a startled squeak. Turning around, she saw Qrow walking towards her, an apologetic smile on his face. "Oh, hi Qrow." Summer replied, smiling. "Sorry I didn't help you back there at the docks," he said. "I mean I was going to, but Raven dragged me away. She really doesn't like you."

"Oh, well that's okay. I mean, I did trip over my own cloak and all..." Again, Qrow looked a little guilty, but she glossed over it. "Ahem," they both heard over the speakers. Turning toward the stage, the two saw a man with grey hair standing behind the microphone.

"Welcome, everyone." He said. "First off, I would like to congratulate each and every one of you for making it this far. You have all proven yourselves capable fighters when you passed the training exam, and I have looked over the results of each one. Many of them were merely satisfactory, but a few were exceptional. However, do not think that it will be that simple from here on out, because technically, you aren't even students yet. You all came here to become the greatest warriors you can possibly be, to hone your knowledge and acquire new skills. But I assure all of you that knowledge is pointless without the ability to choose. It is up to you, and only you, to take the first step towards your future." A murmur ran through the crowd; most of the students didn't understand what he meant. Fortunately, he continued his speech once the murmur died down. "Tomorrow morning, you will face an initiation challenge. This initiation will be far more difficult and dangerous than the exam was, possibly the most difficult task you have faced yet. If you succeed, then you will be accepted into the academy and continue your training to become Huntsmen and Huntresses. Fail, and you will be sent home to finish training elsewhere. Your entire experience here will be determined by the choices you make during the initiation, so remember to choose wisely. Good luck to you all." Once he left the stage, the blonde woman from the ship's hologram stepped forward. "You will sleep here for the night. The locker room is to the left, the cafeteria is in the northern section of the campus. Be at the cliffs by 9:00 tomorrow morning. That's all."

Summer was deep in thought as Professor Glynda Goodwitch left the stage. So that's why there's so few Huntsmen out there, most of the students must not have made it past initiation. "Who the hell was that guy?" Qrow asked aloud, snapping Summer out of her thoughts. "What do you mean? That was Professor Ozpin."

"Never heard of him." He said.

"Oh, come on! He won the Vytal Festival Tournament two years in a row?"

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"He was on the cover of Huntsmen Monthly for five years straight!"

"Mmmmmmnope."

"Ugh, I don't even want to talk to you anymore!" She said jokingly.

Hello?

"Hey Dad, it's me."

Oh, hey Summer. How was your first day at Beacon?

"Well, I tripped over my own cloak, met some nice people, got lost for a couple of hours, saw one of my idols in the flesh, and now I'm sleeping in the same room as all the other first year students."

Wow, sounds like a hectic first day.

"Yeah well, I also learned that there's some kind of initiation tomorrow. Do you have any idea what it is?"

Of course I do, your mother would never shut up about it. But I also promised her I wouldn't tell you if you decided to become a Huntress.

"Awww, man!"

Now now Summer, it wouldn't be fair to everyone else if you knew what was going to happen, right?

"Yeah I guess..."

Don't worry, honey. You'll do fine, trust me. Your as tough and stubborn as your mom was, and you'll probably go even further than she did.

"Thanks Dad. By the way, how are things going over there?"

Well, the Grimm attacks are on the rise, which is both good and bad. The good thing is that I have a better supply of specimens to experiment on. The bad thing is that there's now a curfew in effect. I'm 43 years old, and I have to follow a curfew!

"Is it really getting that bad out there?"

Well, it's not THAT bad. The perimeter's still holding up, and the curfew's just a precaution. I don't think you have to worry about me.

"Okay, if you say so,"

I do. Now hurry up and get to sleep. The initiation is no joke, you're going to need all the strength you have, and that's not even talking about the way they form teams.

"Teams?"

Oops, spoilers. Anyway, just get a good night sleep, and you can worry about it in the morning.

"Alright, good night dad."

Good night, sweetie.

A/N here.

Considering that this is my first fic, I'd like to explain a few things. Firstly, the story is primarily going to focus on Summer. I just find it easier that way. Second, the story is rated T right now, but it could turn into an M rated fic later on. Last but not least, please leave a review so I can learn where I should improve and how.