Foster
Inheritor
It was with a start that Foster awoke, briefly disorientated as he got to grips with the unfamiliar environment. Bright lighting, rows of plush seating and the distinctive whine of a plane’s engine. Ah yes, now he remembered. This particular craft was transporting him and the rest of this group of huntsman in training to Beacon academy, the best of its kind. Or at least that’s what he’d told his Grandfather in order to actually convince the old grouch to book him a seat on this flight. Straitening up in his seat the young man half-heartedly rubbed one of his eyes and stretched his body as much as possible within the confines of his seat, taking care not to accidentally elbow his current neighbour. Looking back at it was no wonder that he’d drifted off, the last 48 hours had been a surreal blur as he prepared for the trip and he’d barely slept a wink due to a potent cocktail of excitement and apprehension. Oddly enough now that he was on the plane those feelings had slipped away and the void left behind had been filled with a sense of righteous resolve. He’d been dreaming of going to a place like this for years after all, the only thing he had left to do was to prove to his family that it was the right choice for him in the end.
Glancing out of the window his steely grey eyes took in the sweeping landscape, nothing but lush forests and mountains for miles around. And there in the middle of the botanical sea stood the spires of Beacon, contrasting starkly against its surroundings. A literal beacon of hope for the population of Remnant. That thought was enough to coax a tiny smirk out of Foster which had the added effect of wiping the last vestiges of sleepiness from his face. By the naked eye it was somewhat difficult to judge how much further they had to travel until they arrived at their destination but Foster guessed it would take no longer than 20 minutes by air. Taking the terrain into account it would take much longer by foot but funnily enough Foster didn’t plan on running all the way to Beacon.
With a crackle of static the ships intercom suddenly came to life with a smooth female voice that was projected into the cabin. “Attention all Beacon academy students, this is your captain speaking. I hope you’ve all got your game faces on because the fun starts here! Right below us at this moment is the recently finished Beacon maze which would make for a lovely summer walk if it weren’t for the fact that we stocked it with a fresh batch of Grimm last night. That’s where you come in! To pass this year’s entry exam you’ve simply got to reach the end of the maze. Easy right? Still for safety reasons you are to partner up with the first other person you meet down there and won’t pass until you both reach the exit. Anyway my times up so thanks for flying air Beacon and we hope to see you with all your limbs intact when we give your baggage to you on the other end.”
A barely audible groan slipped past Foster’s lips as he listened to the announcement. He had thought it a little suspicious that the only possessions they got to keep in the cabins overhead storage were weapons. All the same surely this was kind of joke? A trick they played on the newbies?
As if to answer Foster’s question the back of the plane suddenly opened up, filling the cabin with the sound of powerful winds whipping by.
Not a joke then, it would seem the staff at Beacon just believed in throwing their students in at the deep end. Having now accepted that there was no chance of him catching another quick nap before arriving Foster gritted his teeth and stood up, joining those who had been eager or crazy enough to prepare to jump already. Picking his beloved weapons from the overhead storage he loaded them with the kind of efficiency that only comes from years of practice, not even having to look at what his hands to complete the task. As he watched the first brave souls jump from the back of the plane he cracked his knuckles, body suddenly filled with resolve for the task at hand. This was just like another training mission back home. Yeah, yeah, just another training mission with slightly more dire consequences should he fuck up. With each powerful step towards the end of the plane Foster’s determination grew and by the time he actually reached the open door he’d jumped without even thinking about it, wind whistling past his ears as he fell down towards the endless expanse of green below him.
Landing went better than Foster had expected it to, using Crimson Basilisk’s grappling hook function he managed to latch on to a particularly sturdy looking oak tree and perform a semi graceful swing to break his fall. Thankfully the aircraft they had been in had descended to a relatively low altitude anyway so even those who completely messed up their landing would survive at the cost of a heavy blow to their aura. Safely on the ground he now had two things to do. Firstly he had to locate somebody else to function as his partner for this exercise. Foster cringed internally at the thought of this, his social skills were in dire need of a polish before they could even be called decent. Somehow this was a bigger concern for him than the fact that he knew this place was absolutely crawling with Grimm. Anyway his second and arguably more important task was to navigate this maze all the way to Beacon. Luckily he’d managed to roughly get his bearings on the way down so he at least knew what general direction he had to head in, even if now that he was down amongst the trees and towering hedges he was feeling a little lost. Glancing from side to side with weapons ready he set off into the depths of the maze, growling a curse under his breath. “Guess I’m walking after all.”
Glancing out of the window his steely grey eyes took in the sweeping landscape, nothing but lush forests and mountains for miles around. And there in the middle of the botanical sea stood the spires of Beacon, contrasting starkly against its surroundings. A literal beacon of hope for the population of Remnant. That thought was enough to coax a tiny smirk out of Foster which had the added effect of wiping the last vestiges of sleepiness from his face. By the naked eye it was somewhat difficult to judge how much further they had to travel until they arrived at their destination but Foster guessed it would take no longer than 20 minutes by air. Taking the terrain into account it would take much longer by foot but funnily enough Foster didn’t plan on running all the way to Beacon.
With a crackle of static the ships intercom suddenly came to life with a smooth female voice that was projected into the cabin. “Attention all Beacon academy students, this is your captain speaking. I hope you’ve all got your game faces on because the fun starts here! Right below us at this moment is the recently finished Beacon maze which would make for a lovely summer walk if it weren’t for the fact that we stocked it with a fresh batch of Grimm last night. That’s where you come in! To pass this year’s entry exam you’ve simply got to reach the end of the maze. Easy right? Still for safety reasons you are to partner up with the first other person you meet down there and won’t pass until you both reach the exit. Anyway my times up so thanks for flying air Beacon and we hope to see you with all your limbs intact when we give your baggage to you on the other end.”
A barely audible groan slipped past Foster’s lips as he listened to the announcement. He had thought it a little suspicious that the only possessions they got to keep in the cabins overhead storage were weapons. All the same surely this was kind of joke? A trick they played on the newbies?
As if to answer Foster’s question the back of the plane suddenly opened up, filling the cabin with the sound of powerful winds whipping by.
Not a joke then, it would seem the staff at Beacon just believed in throwing their students in at the deep end. Having now accepted that there was no chance of him catching another quick nap before arriving Foster gritted his teeth and stood up, joining those who had been eager or crazy enough to prepare to jump already. Picking his beloved weapons from the overhead storage he loaded them with the kind of efficiency that only comes from years of practice, not even having to look at what his hands to complete the task. As he watched the first brave souls jump from the back of the plane he cracked his knuckles, body suddenly filled with resolve for the task at hand. This was just like another training mission back home. Yeah, yeah, just another training mission with slightly more dire consequences should he fuck up. With each powerful step towards the end of the plane Foster’s determination grew and by the time he actually reached the open door he’d jumped without even thinking about it, wind whistling past his ears as he fell down towards the endless expanse of green below him.
Landing went better than Foster had expected it to, using Crimson Basilisk’s grappling hook function he managed to latch on to a particularly sturdy looking oak tree and perform a semi graceful swing to break his fall. Thankfully the aircraft they had been in had descended to a relatively low altitude anyway so even those who completely messed up their landing would survive at the cost of a heavy blow to their aura. Safely on the ground he now had two things to do. Firstly he had to locate somebody else to function as his partner for this exercise. Foster cringed internally at the thought of this, his social skills were in dire need of a polish before they could even be called decent. Somehow this was a bigger concern for him than the fact that he knew this place was absolutely crawling with Grimm. Anyway his second and arguably more important task was to navigate this maze all the way to Beacon. Luckily he’d managed to roughly get his bearings on the way down so he at least knew what general direction he had to head in, even if now that he was down amongst the trees and towering hedges he was feeling a little lost. Glancing from side to side with weapons ready he set off into the depths of the maze, growling a curse under his breath. “Guess I’m walking after all.”