Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rean Schwarzer did his best to calm the butterflies in his stomach as he followed the other instructors to the field where the entrance ceremony was to be held. He thought he had prepared himself to take on the role of a teacher, but having this ceremony sprung on him without warning mere minutes after he arrived at Leeves was too much!

It didn't help that his fellow staff were total surprises to him, either. Professor Schmidt – despite being a rather difficult man to deal with on the best of occasions – was someone that Rean at least respected and thought he understood well enough. The same probably went for Major Michael, too. While this was his first encounter with the RMP officer he had worked with them plenty of time during his deployments, and Captain Claire was still someone he considered a friend despite everything that had happened.

It wasn't they who threw him for the biggest loop, however. That honor belonged to the principal. He had worked with Aurelia Le Guin during the annexation of North Ambria and knew her as a very... intense woman. While he certainly respected her drive and infinite skill, the idea of working under her was terrifying to say the least.

And Randolph Orlando... How is one supposed to get along with the best friend of a man he picked a fight with while working to occupy his home country? After that encounter in the Geofront the previous year Rean had taken it upon himself to read up on the Special Support Section and so he had a general understanding of the red-haired man. Despite only having a brief conversation he could feel an invisible barrier between them, and he wasn't sure they could get over it.

Thank Aidios for Towa Herschel. Having her back in his life again was an unexpected boon. Despite being much shorter than him she was someone he would always look up to and having a friendly face here did much to calm his nerves.

Descending down a ramp he and the other instructors laid eyes upon the students for the first time. With this being the Branch Campus and it being its first year of operations he wasn't surprised to see that there were only a couple dozen students present, a far cry from the hundred or so that made up his own graduating class. Idle conversation among the group of slightly younger individuals ceased as the teachers approached.

Already he could hear students muttering about the Ashen Chevalier, making it unfortunately clear that the fake glasses he was wearing hadn't done their job at all, something which surprised him greatly. Still, after a full year of having that unfortunate title he had learned to live with it and brushed it aside in lieu of observing the students in turn. Glancing among their ranks he could see plenty of unique individuals and he was looking forward to assisting them all as-

He blinked as his eyes met the gaze of Altina Orion. She was a student here too? In hindsight the quiet Intelligence Division member had been his partner ever since he became the Ashen Chevalier, so her being here to continue in that role only made sense. Still, despite the fact she was almost certainly there solely to keep an eye on him he found her continued presence to be a comforting one.

Next to her, however, was a girl that had truly caught his interest. Despite her tired expression and bored stance her eyes couldn't lie, as sharp chartreuse orbs remained fixed on him the entire time. He had a feeling that she was sizing him up. His mind recalled the phone conversation he had had with his own instructor a few days prior...

“Hello Rean! How is my favorite student doing today?” Came the annoyingly cheerful voice of his former teacher as he answered his orbment.

Despite himself he couldn't help but smile. “...Instructor Sara. It's been a while.” His smile faded a bit when he remembered the last time they had been together.

If she noticed his faltering mood she was tactful enough to ignore it. “Isn't it the other way around now, Instructor Rean?” Emphasis was placed on the instructor.

“Haha...” He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. Even after being offered and accepting the offer from Prince Olivert it still hadn't settled in on him yet that he was soon to be a teacher. “Is there a reason you're calling me?” Knowing his former teacher there was a high likelihood that she wanted to hand off some of her work on him.

“What? Do I need a reason to want to chat with my favorite student?” His silence was deafening, causing Sara to cough awkwardly. “...Anyhow. I need your help.”

He knew it. Rean was about to call her out on that, but paused when he saw her expression. It was deadly serious with a tint of desperation mixed in. “Recently a girl was arrested in Bareahard. She's someone I've been interested in these last two years, but couldn't find until now.” She paused and bit her lip, as if trying to figure out how much to say on the matter. “...Her background is almost identical to mine.”

Rean's eyes widened in realization. So the girl was a former jaeger. It didn't take a genius to put the pieces together. “...You want to place her in my class?”

“Bingo. I've already talked to your principal, and will be taking her to Leeves tomorrow.”

Having a former jaeger in his class... He remembered when it became known that their instructor was a former Northern Jaeger. Even after half a year together that news was enough to send a few of his classmates for a loop. Having a fellow student with a background like that would make things very difficult.

And yet despite all that. “Of course. I'd be glad to have her.” Others liked to tease him for his desire to help others, but he wouldn't be who he was if he ever changed that.

“Thank you.” Sara said sincerely with a relieved smile. “It won't be easy, but you're getting a real powerhouse here. If I had to guess, she's only a little weaker than you. Still, I don't think she has any concept of teamwork, and her academics are...” A helpless shrug was her only answer.

The conversation continued for a while after that, with the older woman now willing to go into full detail on Fie Claussell. A former member of the Zephyr jaeger corps who fled on her own at the age of fifteen when they disbanded. A girl who had been surviving on her own for the past two years.

A girl who was to be a student of his.

It wasn't hard for him to identify the silver-haired girl as the topic of that conversation. He had no idea what the future held in store for them, but he was determined to do his best. Once again swallowing his nerves the novice instructor shot the girl the most confident smile he could manage.

Fie did her best to ignore the excited chattering of the other students as they waited for the teachers to arrive and the entrance ceremony to begin. While she wasn't at all enthused for the semester to finally begin, she was at least appreciative of the fact that the long wait was finally over. Better to just get this over with.

Because she remained apart from the conversations it didn't surprise her that she was the first to notice the group of teachers as they approached from the school building, although out of the corner of her eye she spotted another girl on the opposite end of the formation pick up on that fact a fraction of a second later. The inane chattering died down briefly as the others turned to look, but soon picked up again as the others began recognizing the approaching figures. Mutterings about the Golden Rakshasa and Ashen Chevalier filled her ears.

Speaking of which, her first impression of Erebonia's hero was... not very good. Sure the black-haired man walked with the light steps of a seasoned martial artist, but for someone hailed as a great hero she had expected a lot more. She wasn't sure he could even handle any of Zephyr's regimental commanders, let alone the true powerhouses like the Boss or Principal Le Guin.

Not to mention those fake glasses he was wearing were pretty atrocious.

Sometime during her observations the assorted teachers came to a halt in front of the formation. Credit where credit was due, as the Ashen Chevalier must have noticed he was being observed as after a cursory glance at the other students his eyes locked onto hers. Perhaps the smarter move would have been for her to glance away and not draw attention to herself, but she wasn't in the mood to back down.

After a few seconds of mutual eye contact the teacher flashed her a quick smile and a nod. She was still not impressed.

Her observations were broken as the annoying military man began the ceremony by having the other teachers call out their class rosters. As she was already well aware of her class assignment she didn't react as Randy and Towa read off their lists, even if a part of her was hoping that something had changed and she would be in Randy's class instead.

What she did notice, however, was that after those two classes had been called out there were only four students – herself included – remaining. Just great. She was in the 'special' class.

Once that was all finished the principal began a speech of her own. It was mostly the crap she had told her her first day here, but it was pretty funny seeing the other teachers and students react to her calling the place a trash bin. A part of Fie wondered if Aurelia's final offer to the students to pack their bags and leave if they weren't prepared applied to her.

A sharp glance from the Golden Rakshasa directed her way gave her her answer - It did not.

As the other students began leaving with their teachers Fie took the time to observe her fellow classmates: A confused looking girl with obnoxious pink hair, a slender blue-haired boy, and a tiny girl with an admittedly cool hat and bored expression. “Just where are we supposed to go?” Asked the noble.

She considered answering the question, but decided that yawning was a more suitable use of her time. Perhaps that was a mistake, as doing so drew the eyes of the three students and their soon-to-be teacher. “General- er, Principal. Could I get you to announce the final class?”

“Very well.” Aurelia stated, before focusing her sharp gaze on the four of them. “We'll be picking up after the main campus' classes I through VI with our own classes VII through IX. The four of you make up Class VII: Special Operations. Your instructor will be him. Rean Schwarzer.” Having finished her statement the Rakshasa turned and followed the other classes back into the building.

While pink and blue looked confused, Fie noticed that the tiny girl didn't flinch at all. Perhaps she too had some understanding of this arrangement? Special Operations... If nothing else that name held some promise and she could understand why the class was much smaller compared to the others. A smaller squad made sense for more specialized missions, after all.

“Instructor Schwarzer! Barked out the military instructor. “Gather your squad and follow us!” Alongside him was the old professor and an excited blonde girl that Fie was pretty sure she had seen in Towa's class.

“Yes, Instructor Michael.” With a nod the young teacher turned towards the group. “You heard the man. Class VII, follow me.”

Since refusing wasn't exactly an option, Fie and the other three began trailing the two instructors and the other girl, although she did so at a far more sedate pace than the others. The path they were taking was one she had never been on and despite herself she couldn't help but be curious about the strange building that they were headed to that was so far away from the rest of campus.

That and she could tell that there was a person tailing them. And yet every time she glanced towards where she believed it to be they were gone, hinting at a high level of skill.

The place they arrived at was no stranger up close than it had been at a distance. The building – called Einhel Keep – was a training ground that was supposedly completely customizable thanks to the orbal technology inside. The fact that technology had evolved so much in the past few years was shocking, but the news that they were being forced into a monster infested dungeon as their initiation wasn't. Zephyr had a similar initiation, after all.

Afterwords the group – minus Instructor Michael – entered the keep, where the professor and blonde girl separated towards what she assumed was a control room of some kind. That left the five members of Class VII at the entrance of the large metallic building. The room itself was pretty barren and she found herself more interested in the private conversation between their teacher and her thus-far silent classmate. It seemed that they had some kind of history together?

Brushing off their curiosity, Rean turned to face her and the others. “Let's start with introductions while everything's being prepped. I just got here earlier today, so I'm sorry I haven't had time to speak with you three yet. I'm-”

“Why even bother introducing yourself?” Pink groused. “We all know you're Rean Schwarzer, the Ashen Chevalier.” The way the girl went on and on about his publicly known achievements with such a mocking tone made it clear she wasn't a fan. Eventually Blue started chiming in with his own knowledge of the hero, but given the bland way he was speaking it wasn't as clear what his opinion of their teacher was.

For her part, Fie didn't really care. He had a fancy title, but that didn't mean too much. Many jaegers had nicknames. She was Sylphid, after all. While he hadn't impressed her thus far he was still the former student of Sara Valestein which meant he probably had some skill. For now, she was simply content to observe this man who was to lead her for the next two years.

There was a pained grimace on the face of the hero, but he recovered quickly. “You're both well-informed, though calling me a 'hero' is a bit much. I'd still like to say a little bit about myself.” The young teacher smiled as he looked between them all. “As you know, I'm Rean Schwarzer. I'm a graduate of Thors Military Academy's main campus. I got my diploma just last month and I'm starting as an instructor here at the branch campus today.

I'll be overseeing martial arts and Panzer Soldat training outside the classroom. Inside the classroom, I'll be teaching history. That is, of course, in addition to being the homeroom teacher for Class VII: Special Operations.”

Fie blinked. Panzer Soldat training? Sure she knew about those new armored machines, and had even witnessed them a few times during the October War, but she had no idea the school was gonna let her pilot one. That actually sounded kinda awesome.

History on the other hand could go die in a fire for all she cared.

I'll go next.” Blue stated dryly. “My name is Kurt Vander. I'm from the capital.”

The instructor seemed pretty interested in Blue's... Kurt's family name, which made sense since the Vanders were pretty famous, even among jaeger corps. Bl- Kurt didn't seem nearly as impressive as his family, and it was clear he felt the same way based on the frustrations he expressed when Rean brought up his family. Yet his main concern seemed to be his slim build.

Something which Fie found to be dumb. Small and quick trumped big and slow any day.

“By the way, are those glasses fake? They don't look good on you at all. You should probably get rid of them.”

“Oof...”

Well, there was something she could agree with Kurt on, at least. She almost let herself snort in amusement, but kept it back at the last second. Something which Pink couldn't manage to do.

Which naturally drew all attention to her, much to her annoyance. “I'm Juna Crawford. I transferred here from the Crossbell Police Academy. And honestly, I'd rather not be here... but if that's how it's gonna be, then I'll just have to make the most of it!”

Given the way she snapped at the teacher for mentioning Crossbell Fie had a feeling that she was a bleeding heart patriot with a chip on her shoulder. And since their teacher was one of the more famous names in the occupation...

Yeah. This was going to be a major headache.

With the two noisy ones finished it came down her and the other girl to go next. She shared a silent staring contest with her competition and smirked when the shorter girl sighed and looked away. “Altina Orion. Formerly part of the Imperial Army's Intelligence Division.”

An intelligence agent? Fie knew little about one of Erebonia's most secretive agencies, but if there was an agent in this class it meant that there was someone worth observing. While she knew her own admission was sure to draw some attention, she didn't think it was enough to warrant that level of scrutiny. Between that background and their obvious history together it didn't take a jaeger to put the pieces together. Being the Ashen Chevalier wasn't all it was cracked up to be it seemed.

Juna and Kurt shared a glance, clearly confused by her statement. “Uhh...”

“My affiliation with them ended upon my enrollment here... on paper. Please, think nothing of it.” Alright, questionable affiliation aside Fie had a good feeling about this girl. Anyone who could blurt out something like that in complete deadpan was someone she could get along with.

“Hold up!” Juna on the other hand was a very loud individual. “What do you mean, 'on paper'?!”

“Slip of the tongue. Oops.”

This time Fie couldn't help the amused snort from escaping her, something which drew four pairs of eyes onto her. She let out a resigned sigh. “Fie Claussell. ” The three other students stared at her, two expectantly and one deadpan, clearly expecting her to say more. The instructor meanwhile let out a sigh, but forced a weak smile onto his face once it became clear that she had no intention of continuing.

Too bad for them. Circumstances were forcing her to be here, but that didn't mean she needed to associate with them any more then needed. In her eyes they were just a bunch of green kids despite the fact that they were the same age as her. They were completely useless. Her instructor probably had some skill, but what could she possibly learn from some trumped-up hero?

“Th-Thank you for waiting!” Came the voice of the blonde girl over the intercom, breaking the awkward silence of her making. “Preparations are now complete for the Level 0 Einhel trial.”

“Understood. Give us just a moment!” Rean replied before reaching into his pocket and pulling out an orbment. “Each of you were given one of these, right?”

She had. It was a good thing that she had kept an ear open to the advances in military technology while running solo missions, as the ARCUS II unit now in her hands was a far more advanced orbment than the second-hand Enigma I she had acquired from the black market the previous year. Still, even if she vaguely understood how the machine worked she did keep an ear opened towards the instructor's explanation. Although it was her first time with a master quartz the process seemed simple enough and she was quick to choose the large time master quartz out of all his offered options and slot it into her new orbment.

Once everyone finished the cantankerous scientist's voice sounded out, telling them about the upcoming trial. All they needed to do was make it back to their current location alive to pass. It sounded simple enough to her.

She did perk up when she heard the other girl yell something about a red lever. That was somewhat concerning. “Hey!” Rean warned. “Watch the floor!”

Putting the pieces together immediately Fie was quick to react. Even as the floor began to give way under her feet she was already reaching into her jacket. Many of her jaeger tools had been lost over the years, but there was one that she had managed to keep in working shape, and now was the time to use it.

Her trusty grappling hook.

With a quick shot she successfully latched onto the ceiling. Fie contented herself with hanging out and observing the others. Juna and Kurt had been too surprised by the floor giving out to do anything, instead sliding down into the depths. Altina meanwhile, was now floating on... something. It kinda reminded her of the archaisms she had occasionally fought against during her travels, but at the same time was quite different. The two girls locked eyes and she couldn't help but find her fellow silver-haired girl's flat judgmental stare amusing.

Rean meanwhile had initially allowed gravity to do its thing, but had halted his descent to stare up at her with a deadpan look. “C'mon Fie. Get down from there so we can take the trial.” Still she refused to comply, causing him to sigh once again. “Don't make me cut you down!” His warning came with the man drawing his eastern style sword.

“...Lame.” Not wanting to lose her tool, the girl finally relented and detached the hook. Although the drop wasn't that far she still braced herself for a rough landing. Only it never came.

Instead she found herself caught in the waiting arms of her instructor. “Not letting you get away. Let's go, Altina!”

It was humiliating being carried like some child, but given how deceptively firm his grip was she had little alternative but to bear it as the two of them slid down the hole while Altina floated alongside them. Fortunately for what was left of her pride the descent wasn't far, and as soon as they reached the bottom she forced herself out of his now relaxed grip.

First task when entering a combat zone, naturally, was to scan the immediate area for hostiles. She could hear some monsters down a distant hall, but the room they were in was completely void of enemies. This did not inspire confidence that this little incursion would be anything more than a waste of her time. What was the point of a trap door like that if it didn't drop you into an immediate ambush?

With the coast clear she turned back towards her 'comrades'. The sight of Kurt and Juna tangled up on the floor together in a very compromising position was both surprising and quite funny. Doubly so once the two students realized their position and hurried to their feet. Mount Juna was prepping for eruption and it was all the Vander swordsman could do to stand there and accept his punishment from the flustered girl.

“How unusual that all of you ended up in obscene positions. Perhaps your indecent behavior is spreading, instructor?”

“All of you...?” Fie could only glare at the other girl for drawing attention to her like that, as Juna glanced back and forth between her and the instructor, quickly coming to her own conclusion. “Tch! All men are pigs!”

Rean let out an awkward cough. “...Anyhow. Before we begin I want to learn everyone's combat styles so we can work together and get out of here safely.”

“Understood. These are my weapons.” Kurt was the one to lead them off as he drew a pair of short swords. As someone who also specialized in fast strikes Fie could appreciate the skill needed to wield weapons like that effectively, even if she found the swords to be a bit on the dull side. That being said, it continued to annoy her just how disdainful Kurt seemed to be about his own fighting style and physique. A brute with a greatsword would have good range and power, sure, but as soon as you got inside their reach they were easy pickings.

“Well, Juna, how about you?”

“I'm still not down for all of this.” The pink-hair girl growled in frustration. “But I get it. This is a military academy, so here you go.”

Her weapons were rather more complex and unusual in Fie's eyes. During Zephyr's missions to the east they had encountered tonfa wielders before, so the weapon itself was nothing new to Fie. It was the fact that Juna's tonfas had orbal guns built in that threw her for a loop.

Tonfas were supposed to be a defensive melee weapon, designed for blocking strikes before countering, so she could only imagine that trying to aim and fire a gun after a block would take extraordinary skill, something which she doubted the other girl currently possessed. The entire weapon felt very contradictory to her.

The reminder that Juna trained at a police academy did explain it a little bit. This was a weapon designed with suppression in mind, not lethality.

Seeing Rean's gaze shift towards her, Fie reluctantly drew her own weapons. “These are my gunblades.” She really should have stopped there, but seeing the little rivalry between Juna and Kurt with their own weapons caused her to brag a little. “...They combine the lethality of swords with the suppressive firepower of guns. A deadly combination.”

“...Another dual wielder.” Kurt seemed too interested in her choice of armaments to let her dig bother him. A shame.

“Grr....” Juna however was a different story.

“Alright you three.” A shame Rean wasn't inclined to let her have her fun. “You're up next, Altina.”

The final member of the class stepped forward, which was enough to divert the attention of the other two. It seemed that neither of them actually believed that Altina could fight due to her younger appearance. The reveal that her approximate age was fourteen did little to alleviate their concerns.

“I don't see the problem. I've been fighting since-” Fie cut herself off. What was wrong with her!? Was she really about to reveal a piece of her background just like that?

“Huh?”

“What?” Great. And now all eyes were on her. Altina didn't say anything, but the way her eyes narrowed in interest was unsettling. Right. Intelligence Agent. Fie was sure that she was now going to be under more scrutiny from that girl in the future.

Rean too remained quiet, but his pitying look pissed her off. She did not want his useless sympathy! Damn Sara for forcing her onto a bleeding-heart hero like this!

Her anger faded as once again Altina summoned her robot. Now that she could get a better look at it... it was still weird. Especially since it seemed to communicate by making a bunch of funny noises.

The large black shell was vaguely humanoid in appearance, but floated off the ground. Given how she had witnessed the machine carry Altina safely down the trap door it was obviously very powerful. There were no visible armaments, but her instincts were telling her that it was anything but defenseless. Its fists alone looked strong enough to punch through a wall and the visible eye was extremely suspicious.

“Claiomh Solais – a combat shell. The latest version of a line of special weaponry. Further details are classified. Suffice to say, it will contribute to our overall fighting strength.”

It was clear that Altina commanded it somehow. Perhaps if they ended up in a fight the solution would be to somehow slip around the shell and target the girl herself? She would have to observe that duo during the upcoming trial.

After the confusion and interest that Altina's weapon created Rean drawing his eastern sword was an absolute bore in comparison. Still, while a tachi was hardly the most interesting weapon she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the Eight Leaves One Blade school that their teacher practiced. It was one of the few dedicated martial styles that the Boss actually respected. Something about it being more versatile than most of the other ones?

Either way, any style practiced by the likes of Arios MacLaine, Yun Ka-fai, and Alan Richard had to at least be somewhat decent. She doubted that this hero could hold a candle to any of them, but she at least expected him to be able to hold his own in a fight.

With all the introductions finished Rean turned towards the only exit in the room. “That covers everyone, then. Let's be on our way. We're currently on floor B1. If we make it back up to ground level, this little trial will be over. I'll give you some tips along the way on combat, how to use arts, and your ARCUS units. Follow me, and proceed carefully and deliberately.”

Fie rolled her eyes. Tips on combat and arts? Please. She would be greatly disappointed if anyone in this group needed help on how to fight or use an art. She would freely admit that she wasn't the best at using a combat orbment as she much preferred to use her speed and skill with her gunblades, but it was still stuff the others in Zephyr taught her when she was ten years old!

At least the information about the ARCUS II should be interesting. There had to be more features in the newest gen combat orbment beyond the simple master quartz that was introduced a few years back, right?

“Okay! Let's just go!” Despite her own obvious reservations Juna seemed pretty pumped up.

“I'll give it my all.” And Kurt clearly still had a major chip on his shoulder.

As for her? She yawned. This trial would have been a lot more interesting if she could go out on her own, but sadly she was stuck with a hero and some rookies. Hopefully she didn't fall asleep.

After giving Fie a flat look Altina began following in the footsteps of their instructor. “Commence mission.”