Amplify (A RWBY Story)

So, it's been a few days since Ryder arrived on Patch and in the world of Remnant. The past few days have been eventful to say the least. Ryder had to adjust to his new surroundings as well as getting lessons about Remnant from Taiyang. Just the basic knowledge such as the four Kingdoms, Dust and Huntsmen. He learned about Vale, Atlas, Mistral and Vacuo. He also learned about the Huntsmen Academy's. Mainly Beacon but he knows about Shade, Haven and Atlas. Beacon is the most prestigious academy on Remnant and it's where Yang plans to go. Speaking of Yang, he got to know Ruby and Yang a lot better. He's been living at their house for the meantime, so they got to know each other. He wouldn't really call them friends yet, but Ruby likes to think of them as friends now. Ruby always goes on and on about Weapons and becoming a Huntress one day. He also figured out Yang is super protective of her hair. He figured that out when he heard one of her outbursts. He now has a reason to fear her.

He had to get used to seeing an almost 3d cartoon art style every day, but he got used to it about day 3. Over the course of the few days, he also got to know Tai better. Taiyang is a hard-working father who takes care of his children all on his own. Turns out, Ruby and Yang are half-sisters. He had commented that they didn't look alike and the whole different mom's thing was his answer. Ryder also helped around the house with some chores as a way of thanking the Rose-Xiao Long family for taking him in. He helped clean the house and Taiyang even taught him how to garden to pass time. It's not like these few days weren't fun. He took an interest to some of Remnant's music and while cleaning he would dance a little which made Ruby and Yang laugh and it made him happy. Him being far from home wasn't so bad with good people around him. Speaking of which, the group eventually came to the conclusion that he truly was from another world. It came as a shock to them, but it only served to make Ryder more depressed. But thankfully he's around good people. 

His mind was at ease knowing he didn't live a fake life, but the fact that he's far from home worries him. What happened to his family? Are they searching for him? Have they accepted that he's gone? These thoughts he kept to himself were the same as his depression and other problems. The others know about his anxiety as it was obvious. Other then that, his life hadn't changed much. He did express his interest in voice acting and writing stories which this family took in different ways. Ruby keeps laughing at the various voices he does such as Yoda or his different Accents, Yang likes his impressions and always asks him to do impressions about video game characters and make them sound goofy and Taiyang gets a chuckle or two out of his different voices. When it came to his writing, he would practice his skills by writing poems and roasts. Yang loves his roasts while Ruby became interested in his ability to tell a story. Tai encouraged him to further his skills in storytelling. 

Currently, Ryder was doing what he normally does each day. After finishing writing down some story ideas, he closed a journal and put a pencil down. One thing he noticed is how neat his handwriting is now. Normally it was atrocious and almost chicken scratch, but he thanks the man upstairs for this blessing. After he finished, he decided to go outside and see what the others were doing. As he opens the door, he hears what sounds like fighting. He walked outside and looked at a sand marked ring near a tree. Yang was sparring with Taiyang with Ruby and the family's dog watching. The dog, Zwei, was a buddle of joy. Ryder shut the door and walked closer to them, the breeze dancing on his skin as he walked closer. Yang threw a mean right hook that was blocked by Taiyang who then retaliated. Ruby watched on with eyes full of amazement, that was until her attention was diverted elsewhere. She looked behind her and saw Ryder walking towards them. 

"Hey, Ryder. Finished writing?" she asks. 

"Yep." he confirms. 

"More comedy or something fun?" Ruby asks, again. 

"Comedy. Thought I'd make myself laugh." Ryder answers, smiling a little at the girl's curiosity. 

"You do have some funny jokes." Ruby says, giggling at the thought of some of the jokes he once told. 

One of the jokes she loves is the Soup Store one. He had explained it was a video skit someone did and when he told the story of it, Yang and Ruby laughed at it as did Taiyang. It made him happy to make people laugh, it's better than the dark and depressing world he once lived in. Taiyang and Yang stop fighting as they hear Ryder's voice. 

"Hey, Ryder!" Yang greets, bright and as cheery as ever. 

"Sparring?" Ryder asks. 

"Yep, Yang plans on sending in her application for Beacon here in 2 months. So I figured I'd help her prepare." Taiyang explains. 

"Plan on becoming a Huntress?" Ryder asks. 

"Yep, just like mom." Yang said, referring to the late Summer Rose. 

Ryder thought back to when he wanted to be a Soldier. Oh, how naïve he was back then. 

"Do you want to become a Huntsmen?" Ruby asks. 

Ryder looked at her and then looked at the ground in thought. He never thought about becoming one, probably because he doesn't belong here. Back on Earth, he was a pacifist and never wanted to actually hurt someone. It's not who he is. He does want to help people and be something more. So maybe he should give being a Huntsmen a shot. 

"I don't know. I mean, I'm not from this place." Ryder said. 

"Doesn't mean you shouldn't try." Tai said. "Look, we may have only known each other for a few days, but it's all I need to tell that you have a good heart. Besides, being a Huntsmen, you can help the world through that job. After all, most of your stories are all about being a hero." 

"Yeah, don't you want to be something more?" Yang asks. 

He does, but he's not sure if he should. 

"I do. I just.." Ryder said, before pausing and then sighing. 

"Come on, Ryder!" Ruby said, encouragingly. "look at it this way, if you become a Huntsmen you can learn more about Remnant than we could ever teach you." 

"Yeah, you could also be a hero. Just like all those characters from your stories." Yang adds. 

"I-I don't know." Ryder said, hesitantly. "I'm not exactly in the best of shape to even become some badass blade wielding warrior." 

"Not a problem, I'm sure I can whip you into fighting shape in no time." Taiyang said, playing off Ryder's claims. 

Ryder went to argue but stopped. He sighed. If he really wanted to be something more than just a nobody, maybe this was the path to it. He noticed the eager looks on Ruby and Yang. He sighed once more while gaining a smile. 

"Ah what the hell. I'm down." Ryder said, smiling at Taiyang. 

Ruby shot up happily with a bright smile on her face. 

"Yeah!" Celebrated Yang who threw her fist into the air. 

Taiyang just had a smile on his face. He only knew Ryder for a few days, but he knows the kid's heart is in the right place. Besides, Ryder seems to be a good influence on Yang and Ruby. He's fun to have around and is just a good person. Coming across genuinely good people is hard sometimes. So, Tai sees this as a blessing in disguise. He's confident he can whip Ryder into fighting shape no problem, he's just wondering how far he can push him. 

"Alright then, let's get started." Said Tai. 

"Wait, right now?" asks Ryder. 

"Yeah, better now than never." said Taiyang. 

The others didn't notice, but Ryder gulped in fear due to how eager Tai looked to train him. He was convinced it was going to be hell. 

"But first, let's get that Aura of yours unlocked." Said Tai as he walked towards Ryder. 

"My what?" 

"Oh yeah, we never told you about Aura. It's basically what powers us and gives us some really cool powers while also acting as a field of protection from injuries." Explained Yang. 

"Sounds, fantasy." Ryder comments. 

"Not to us." Ruby said. 

Tai reached Ryder and placed his hand on the boy's forehead. This confused the Earth-bound Human. Tai then began to chant something and as he did, Ryder felt something cover him. He looked at his hands and saw an orange glow while Tai had a yellow glow. His eyes widen as he witnessed this. Eventually, the glows flashed for a second before stopping. Taiyang backed up from Ryder and watched as Ryder's orange aura fades away. Taiyang smiles though. 

"Was that my Aura?" Ryder asks, looking at Tai. 

"Yep. And it seems you got a lot of it." he comments. 

"Is that good?" asks the Earthling. 

"Oh of course. Having a lot of Aura is good, great even." Taiyang answers. "Though, it may take some time for your Semblance to manifest itself." 

Ryder knows all about Semblances. It was one of the key things he was taught. Though, he has no idea why he didn't know about Aura since from what he can understand, Aura is a key component for a Semblance. Though he can't blame them, he's missed some critical information sometimes when talking to people. So that's why he doesn't really care that they left out that information. It would be hypocritical if he did get mad at them. He hates hypocrites. 

"how long does that take?" Ryder asks. 

"Depends really. It varies from person to person. Sometimes a few days, a few months maybe even a year. It really just depends on the person." Tai explains. "Ruby got her Semblance just a few days after unlocking her Aura. Yang too." 

"Really?" asks Ryder. 

"Yep." replied Yang. 

"What are your Semblances?" he asks. 

"Mine allows me to go really fast with an added visual of a flurry of Rose petals." Ruby explains. 

"Mine allows me to take any damage I take and throw it back twice as hard." Yang explains. 

So, Ruby's Semblance is Super Speed with a neat effect and Yang's Semblance allows her to basically become a Juggernaut. Nice. 

"That... sounds awesome." Ryder said, absolutely in awe. "I hope my Semblance is something cool." he said, looking at his hands. 

"Guess we'll just have to wait and find out." Tai said. "Until then, it's time we start your training." he said eagerly as he punched his palm. 

"Oh... goody." Ryder said.