'Italicized text is indicative of character thoughts.'
"Quotes indicate regular dialogue."
Bolded text is an A/N.
All rights regarding RWBY belong to Rooster Teeth.
Fusion
Chapter 1-Pride
Team RWBY had been enjoying a fruitful time at Beacon.
Since Cinder's attack at the Vytal Festival, RWBY had garnered increased fame and respect amongst their peers, due to their heroic efforts in repelling the Atlesian robots hacked by Cinder as well as the Grimm summoned by the panic during her attack. Furthermore, their prowess in combat was near unmatched through Beacon, with only their comrades in the second year of JNPR and CFVY of the fourth year able to consistently challenge them. Their insistence upon taking the most difficult field missions available, a habit unwittingly created by Ozpin himself from the events of Mountain Glenn, honed their skills to a razor's edge; resulting in RWBY acting as four separate manifestations of the same entity during combat - perfectly complementing the others in a harmonious quartet of steel and dust. Individually their skills were extraordinary: as four, lethal.
The ability to intuitively know how someone will react to your actions is not engendered through simple exercise - it requires countless hours of drills and near-perfect knowledge of the person's character, on a physical, mental and emotional level.
Team RWBY had become one of the most successful teams at Beacon, with exceptional fighting skills and deep loyalty to their teammates not found in other teams, loyalty formed through bonds forged in and out of combat.
This led to them sitting in Ozpin's office early on one Friday morning.
…..
"Ladies, do you know why I have assembled you here today?"
Ozpin's piercing gaze gave nothing away as he inspected the four young women standing before him. To be fair, they couldn't know: none of the normal reasons to be summoned to the headmaster's office were applicable to them - their grades were excellent, even Yang's after having Weiss become her personal tutor, they certainly hadn't misbehaved and their combat rankings were prodigious, the four in the top ten of all Beacon students. Their collective silence and slight expressions of confusion were answer enough for Ozpin.
"What do the four of you know about Goliaths?"
Three expressions of confusion magnified further, whilst one cleared up significantly.
"Ruby, please tell me the extent of your knowledge."
"Doctor Oobleck introduced me to them during our mission to Mountain Glenn. A small herd of them were outside the ruins of the city. He explained to me how Grimm of that age and size can have limited forms of intelligence, mostly related to survival instincts. Beyond that, I only know of their physical characteristics, very similar to elephants' with armoured plating covering the majority of their bodies."
"Very good. Now, Weiss, Blake and Yang, Goliaths are not ordinarily studied until the fourth year, so you are not expected to have knowledge of them at this point in time. I can, however, tell you that ordinarily Goliaths are beyond the capabilities of most hunter teams to kill. Specialised teams, those with semblances or weapons that specifically address Goliaths' weaknesses are called in when a herd of Goliaths become a threat."
At this, Ozpin broke off suddenly, before standing abruptly and walked to the windows of his office, beckoning the four to join him.
"There is such a beast right now, in the Emerald Forest."
Various notes of surprise and fear were emitted by the four simultaneously, before launching a barrage of questions towards the headmaster.
"What will we do?"
"Professor, why is this relevant to us?"
"How do you intend to deal with it?"
"And when can I punch it?"
As one, the RWB of RWBY glared at Yang for not taking the situation seriously, before being surprised by Ozpin.
"Incidentally, quite soon, Yang. On Monday, should you accept."
Blinking rapidly, the other three spun back to Ozpin, silently demanding further explanation - one he was reluctant to give.
"The specialised hunter teams I referred to earlier have two duties. One is as mentioned, whilst the other is as advance scouts. Since Cinder has gone into hiding, they have all been deployed for information gathering, leaving none able to deal with this monster rapidly approaching our school. No teachers are able to put aside the time necessary to deal with them, either. Hence, I must send the most combat-able team: you four."
Shock, pride and finally grim understanding flitted across the four students' faces as they understood the full implications of the information Ozpin was providing them.
"It is borderline criminal to send a team of students to kill a Goliath, even if there is only one, but unfortunately needs must when the devil drives. I am asking you four to take this mission to kill the Goliath, starting Monday. Your weekend will be devoted to study of this creature, in which Professors Goodwitch and Port will assist you. You will have one week."
At this grim declaration, Ruby glanced at her teammates.
Confidence in her to make the correct decision was directed back at her.
But what was that decision?
On the one hand, success on this mission would, undoubtedly, lead to increased opportunities in their Huntress careers as their repute increases from killing these Grimm in their second year of study.
On the other hand, there was a reason that these Grimm were kept as targets of an elite group of Hunters: they were far more dangerous than your average Beowolf. Did team RWBY have the slightest chance of even injuring one of these monsters?
Ultimately, perhaps it was the incredible success they had had over their time at Beacon that drove Ruby to accept. Her belief in her team was absolute.
"We accept."
At this, the barest hint of a smile appeared on Ozpin's face as they left the Headmaster's quarters.
She had no idea the effects this decision would have on team RWBY's future.
Hi everyone, Commando here.
First off, this is an AU after V3E5, set approximately 6 months after the Vytal Festival. Team RWBY are in their second year.
Cinder has executed her plans for the Vytal Festival, consisting of hacking the Atlesian military, such as the AK-200s and attacking the stadium with them. She was defeated and has gone into hiding, along with leaders of the WF.
No Maidens in this story.
As for updates, I won't put a specific date, but I intend to update every fortnight or so.
Reviews of all kinds are appreciated.
EDIT (01/03): Someone PM'd that a scene was very similar to one in Remnant's Reclaimer, so I removed it.