Jake Kohle looked out the window above the city, where the buildings were just as big as his index finger. He was sailing in an airship towards Beacon, one of the most prestigious academies for hunters and huntresses. He was nervous. Unlike the other students around him who were skilled in combat, he was not. Well skilled in fighting, that is. He was different and possibly the only one of his kind so far to be admitted into Beacon. He was an aspiring engineer: someone that wasn't a significant source of aura, magic, or fighting abilities. He was, though, an excellent source of protein for the Grimm.

To add insult to injury, he didn't even attend a combat school before he was invited to attend Beacon. Even "invited" was a loose term for saying forced. Yes, Jake was almost forced into attending Beacon, with all costs paid by an unnamed source.

But it wasn't like Jake to be sulking about. There was a reason why he was drafted into Beacon. It was because of his creative abilities to design weapons... on the back of his notepads. He never was able to create his own weapon, let alone design a functioning one. He only messed around with the occasional circuitry and drew imaginary weapons that would look cool to make someday. But someone must have seen something in him that was valuable and that is why he was here.

He looked around to see the other students standing around, mingling with one another. The crowd varied in different sizes and builds, both an equal amount of boys to girls; it looks like being a Hunter was a trending profession these days. He spotted a girl in the adjacent corner of the room, staring out the window in the same manner as he.

"Why not strike up a conversation?" he mumbled to himself, "Like dissolves like."

"Hey," he said to the girl as he approached her.

She turned from the window to look up at him with her critical emerald eyes. She had long black hair, done up in a ponytail, a slim build, and a small crescent scar on her cheek. When she stood up to confront him, she only measured to his chin.

"What do you want?" she asked, with a hint of annoyance.

"Oh, you know, I just wanted to get to know some new people, I guess," He cleared his throat, "Hello, I'm Jake Kohle. It's nice to meet you."

"Serrah Jade. Sanctum Acadamy".

"Oh right! Rutherfurd School for the Gifted- I went to," he said, wincing right afterwards.

She smiled. "That isn't exactly a combat school, is it?"

"No, it's a school- for the gifted-". He stopped himself with his hand on his face, and begun again. "Someone thought it would be funny to transfer me into this school, fund all the costs, and watch me fall apart. Like, I can't even fight."

"Oh, don't worry about that," she said, clearly distracted. Her eyes were instead narrowed on something over his shoulder.

Jake turned around. All he saw was a bunch of student mulling around.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

And then he saw it. On the other side of the room, a blond haired boy, of similar stature to Jake's, wearing full plated armor and sporting an ornate sword by his side, was walking with his group of "friends".

"Money," Serrah spat in disgust, "Enough money to buy his acceptance into the school."

The blond haired boy, along with his group of "friends", walked up to a girl, who was talking in a group. Uneasiness washed over the crowd, and the girl was suddenly left standing alone. The room suddenly fell into an eerie hush.

"Hey, you!" shouted the blond haired boy, addressing the singled out girl.

She turned around to face the boy, an eyebrow raise.

"They say you are the toughest one here?"

"Some may say," she said with a thick, Slavic accent, "But I can neither confirm or deny that claim."

"Well fight me. I am here at Beacon to form an army; an elite force to march into the Northern Territories and exterminate the Grimm with extreme prejudice. Prove to me that you are worthy enough and you shall be granted a position."

There was a moment of silence, followed by the girl's laughter. "Pah! You- forming an army? And the Northern Territories? Didn't you learn in your prestigious history class about the Grand Army, numbered at one thousand and two hundred men strong? They didn't stand a damned chance against the Grimm. They didn't even make it a kilometer beyond the border. You- you are a fool. A rich fool who throws his money at the wall and expects something to happen. Your ambitions are worthless."

His eye twitched. He took a deep breath in and out. But it wasn't enough. He was humiliated and angry. He raised his fists and beckoned the girl.

The girl took a step back. But it wasn't to retreat. Smiling, she shook out her arms, cracked her knuckles, and raised her fists.

In a flash, the boy lunged. He swung with both arms, one after the other, but could not land a hit. Avoiding every blow, she gave him a firm kick in the chest, knocking the boy back. Furious, he charged at the girl, but to his dismay, he completely missed. Seeing that he was completely defenseless, she elbowed him in the back, knocking him face flat on the floor. It took a good few seconds for him to get back up, but before he could take his stance, she delivered a strong uppercut to his jaw and sent the fully armored boy soaring in the air. There was a roar from the crowd and the blond haired boy's friends rushed over to see him, who was on his back and knocked out cold.

The entire confrontation stirred up a lot of commotion, attracting the teachers' attention. They arrived to the scene a bit too late, and found a roaring crowd encircling a girl and an unconscious boy. The girl was whisked off by the teachers, and the boy carried out on a stretcher.

"That... was... hilarious!" Jake exclaimed, as they were walking to the hall in which the first years were supposed to meet, "Like, did you see how she sent that guy flying! Oh man, I want to be able to do that!"

Serrah smiled. "I was there, you know."

"Yeah, I knew that. Oh, who were those people by the way?"

"David Aureolin Jr., son of the military general. The girl, I'm not sure."

"General, eh? No wonder he had his hopes and dreams of leading his army. He wanted to be like his dad!" he joked.

She laughed, but it quickly faded away into a grim undertone, "The Fall of the Grand Army is the main reason why we train hunters and huntresses and send them in teams of four. Since the annexation of the Northern Territories proved to be a complete failure, the military is reluctant to pull that stunt again. That event further proves why Beacon exists: to breed specialized fighters to exterminate the Grimm."

"How are smaller teams better than an army? Isn't a large force much stronger?"

"Smaller teams are much more efficient and minimizes risks. Also hunters and huntresses are specialized to fight against the Grimm, unlike the Grand Army. That is why I don't like Aureolin's idea. He's going to risk the lives of hundreds and repeat history all over again."

Thanks for reading! This is my first fan fiction that I've ever wrote and I really hoped you enjoyed the first chapter. I'm thinking of posting once a week and I might be able to pump chapters out faster during the holidays. Feel free to write reviews, ask questions, or give feedback on my writing. I'm more active on Reddit, so if you want something to be answered faster, I go by the same username: /u/exdragon47. So let me know!