If one were to take in their surroundings inside a large metal aircraft heading its way towards Beacon Academy, they would obviously find the place filled to the brim with student hopefuls, hopeful that they would fulfill their dreams and desires by such a prestigious place.
Many sought to change the world and all for the better, like one shorter girl in a red cloak. Many more were thrill seekers, like the older blonde hugging the shorter girl in the red cloak. Many more were there merely to claim the prestige of being a Beacon graduate, like one man with orange-cropped hair, silver armor and carried a rather cocky smirk as if he were the greatest thing since Aura.
However, there was one person on board that was attending for none of the latter two. This one, in particular, had a rather... uncommon-but-not-unheard-of goal in mind.
This one girl wished to face and defeat a more personal opponent, though that proved to be a daunting task to accomplish.
The poor girl was currently huddled in a lone corner of the Bullhead, shaking like a leaf. She wore a black hoodie with Pumpkin Pete's mascot on the front (which hugged her impressive bust), a blue skirt that hovered just above the knees (showing the sweet tone of her legs), and black trainers. Her head and face were hidden inside the hood, which she gripped and pulled downward with both hands, still shaking like a screen door in a hurricane. At her side was an arming sword inside a sheath of white and gold.
"Hey there, you okay?" asked the voice of another female, to which the shaking girl winced. She wished she didn't have this damnable fear, maybe she could make more friends, but nope. Life has this hilarious habit of punching you in the face, pushing you to the ground, and kicking you while your down. Being the honest person she was, the fearful girl shook her head in response, not trusting her own words at the moment (just to add salt to the wound). The blonde female that asked frowned at the response.
Yang Xiao Long, whenever she asked that question, usually got an 'I'm fine,' or 'I'll be okay.' But this girl had actually said (gestured, really) that she was, in fact, not okay at all.
"Motion sickness?" Yang guessed, to which the girl shook her head again. Was she afraid of something on the ship? Yang looked around only to see other students. Was their someone on the ship that she was afraid of? She was pulled from her thoughts when the Bullhead finally landed, the doors opening and the students exited the room. Yang looked at the girl in the corner with a worried expression before catching up with someone who called out her name. After Yang left, a woman in a business suit and a unique cape approached the Bullhead, checking for anyone else that needed to exit the Bullhead. Professor Glynda Goodwitch's emerald eyes landed on the hooded girl in the corner, whose shaking lessened to an acceptable degree.
Worry crossed Glynda's face as she witnessed the scared student, "Excuse me, miss, but are you well?"
Noting that in the Bullhead lay silence, other than Glynda's question, the hooded girl released the grip on her hood and looked up.
Glynda was surprised to see that the girl under the hood had a very beautiful face, with glowing sapphire eyes that looked like they'd seen a ghost, but screamed innocence. Her sun-kissed hair was braided as it spilled from the side of her hoodie.
"A-Auntie Glynda?" the girl asked, much to Glynda's shock.
Glynda's eyes widened, "Jane?!"
"Auntie!" Jane exclaimed as she leaped up to embrace Glynda. Still surprised that her niece of all people was on a public Bullhead, she unconsciously hugged Jane in return. Indeed, Glynda was the sister of Jane's mother.
"Jane, what are you doing on a public Bullhead?" Glynda asked.
"W-Well, they only had four private jets and they were all taken," Jane replied.
Glynda scowled, "And one of them was supposed to be reserved for you and you alone because of your... situation," Glynda said uneasily, though Jane nodded in understanding. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Jane."
"N-No, it's... okay," Jane promised. "Just another step in overcoming my fear."
Glynda smiled fondly at Jane. Jane Arc was the kind of girl who was always trying to improve. She aced Beacon's written examination with the highest score in Beacon's history and Glynda knew for a fact that Jane would easily ace the combat examination. Glynda, as well as Jane's mother and father, trained her after all.
"Alright, are you sure you wish to go to the auditorium alone?" Glynda asked. "I mean, you were huddled in the corner shaking like a leaf."
Jane shook her head, "Y-Yes, I... I only just started," Jane replied. "No one can expect me to overcome my fear in an instant."
For those that are curious (no doubt you are), Jane Arc, after an event most terrible and traumatic, was left with a very severe case of social anxiety disorder.
"Alright, I trust you," Glynda said. "But if there is anything that you need at all, please, do not hesitate to voice your concerns."
Jane nodded, determination brimming from her, "Right."
This was going terribly.
Jane didn't have a solitary clue where the auditorium was, along with having accidentally tripped into someone's luggage.
"Excuse me!" sounded the voice of what Jane could only describe as the shrill of a spoiled bird. "Can you watch where you're going?!"
Jane, on her part, was already scared. Curse her social anxiety for being as nervous as she was.
"I-I-I'm so sorry!" Jane stuttered pitifully. Jane looked down at the snow-themed girl's luggage in guilt, only for her eyes to turn into pinpricks at what she saw.
She had just angered a Schnee. She knew that snowflake-esque emblem anywhere.
Already, as she was breaking down, several rather absurd scenarios swam through Jane's paranoid mind, each of them was a punishment given by the girl in front of her. One being herself bound by her wrists and stuck in a rather... provocative position as the Schnee punished her with a riding crop.
Absurd indeed.
The Schnee kept saying that Jane should've been more careful and to watch where she was going in a rather harsh manner than what was really necessary. How long she ranted, Jane had no idea.
"Hey, princess!" yelled a voice, coming into Jane's defense. "She said she was sorry!"
Jane looked up to see a girl a head shorter than Jane was. Her hair was black with red-dripped bangs, the oddest and yet beautiful silver eyes, as well as wearing a prominent red cape.
"It's 'heiress,' actually," another, more neutral tone said. "She is Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."
Jane turned around to see a girl at least as tall as Jane was. She had long, pitch black hair with a bow, and mysterious amber eyes.
This was all happening so fast to the point where Jane barely heard anything and resorted to pulling up her hoodie, gripping at the fabric as hard as she could, and hiding in the sanctuary of her Pumpkin Pete's hoodie.
"Finally, some recognition," Weiss said pompously, though that pride of hers was short lived.
"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners," the black-haired girl said in indifference.
"What?!" Weiss shrieked in the typical rich girl shrill. "How dare you?!"
The yelling got to the point where Jane had dropped to the ground, knees close to her body, and her hood over her head, hoping the yelling would stop sooner rather than later.
Remember, I did say 'very severe case of social anxiety disorder.'
Weiss, having had enough of the constant bickering, stormed off in a huff. The black-haired girl also left, having said her piece, which left Jane and the red-cloaked individual.
"Hey... are you okay?" the girl asked Jane. "I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose."
Jane let her hood slip from her head as she looked at Ruby, who was giving Jane a hand. Jane's eyes shined with hope as she smiled slightly. Gratefully grasping the hand and pulling up, Jane smiled for the kindness of Ruby.
"I-I'm Jane, Jane Arc."
Ruby, for her part, did her best to hide the fact that her heart was pounding in her chest. Jane's stunning beauty aside, her voice was absolutely dazzling!
"You are a bit young to attend Beacon, are you not?" Jane asked curiously but winced when she thought that was probably not something to ask.
Ruby rubbed the back of her head bashfully, "Yeah, I jumped two years."
"Really? Then you must be a prodigy!" Jane complimented.
"Y-Yeah, that's what my sister said," Ruby said, though she appreciated Jane's kind words. "So... I don't mean to offend but... why were you on the ground like that?"
Jane frowned, "I-I would prefer not to get into that."
"O-Okay," Ruby said. Quick to stave off the thick silence that had reigned after the hesitant question, she gently pulled out her weapon. "So... I got this."
Wincing from the appearance of the over-glorified gardening tool, Jane smiled a bit, "A scythe?"
Ruby beamed, "Yup, it's also a customize-able high-impact sniper rifle, my baby, Crescent Rose," Ruby said.
"It's also a gun?"
"It's also a gun," Ruby confirmed, cocking the gun. "So what about you, what's your weapon?"
Jane smiled as she unsheathed Crocea Mors from its sheath. The sheath expanded into a large round shield. The Arc crescents shined in their golden glory under the sun's great rays. Ruby gazed upon Crocea Mors magnificence. While being a classic (and Ruby knew people barely appreciated the classics anymore due to their simplicity), this had to be the most well-made, high-quality weapon she had ever lay eyes on. The sword itself had a white blade that rested upon a golden hilt. Jane gripped a blue-wrapped handle with a bronze diamond-shaped pommel. A very conventional weapon and the shield looked sturdy enough to tank a blow from a Deathstalker. There were no Dust compartments, nor any mechanical shifting pieces on it so Jane didn't have to deal with the hassle of having to clean each individual part every month.
"I have Crocea Mors," Jane said reverently. "It doesn't have fancy transformations but it's still a reliable weapon."
"Wow! That's sweet!" Ruby yelled in praise. "Who taught you?"
"My parents taught me how to use Crocea Mors while Glynda Goodwitch taught me how to use my Semblance effectively."
Ruby froze in place after hearing the name of the woman that interrogated her after the incident with Roman Torchwick. Now that she thought about it, she had seen Goodwitch use that riding crop of hers to summon a thunderstorm, as well as create an ice spike rain. Maybe Jane could do the same thing?
Glynda Goodwitch's reputation was legendary amongst Hunters and Huntresses, the veterans, and even the retired. Glynda was most well known for her constant seriousness and vigilance, as well as her prowess and skill. Especially with a riding crop of all things.
"Trained by Glynda Goodwitch herself," Ruby said in reverence. Training must have been hellish. "So what is your Semblance?"
"My Semblance is Spatial Gate," Jane replied, remembering when Jane accidentally walked in on one of her sisters in the shower when Jane was pacing in her room. Jane demonstrated by opening a red ring and a blue ring in mid air. Jane then dropped a small coin inside the two overlapping rings, letting the coin go through the portals continuously before Jane caught the coin in between her index and middle fingers.
"That's so amazing!" Ruby exclaimed. "You can open portals to different places?"
"Yep, it took me only a month to fully master it, too," Jane said. "Mommy and Daddy always said I was a fast learner."
Ruby smiled, realizing that she most likely found a friend (and one that as awkward as herself) but froze when she noticed something. "Hey, do you know where the auditorium is?"
Jane froze as well, "No, do you?" Jane asked, almost desperately.
"Crap!" both girls exclaimed before sprinting towards Beacon's general direction.
Both Jane and Ruby, with the help of a professor with green hair and glasses, made it to the auditorium on time.
"Ruby! I saved you a spot!" yelled the blonde from the Bullhead.
"Coming, Yang! I'll see you later, okay?" Ruby asked.
Jane nodded, turning around and decided to blend into the crowd. Which apparently didn't work.
"Jane!" yelled a very familiar voice that Jane both loved and missed dearly. Jane turned around to see a girl of smaller stature, ginger hair, and turquoise eyes that were filled to the brim with life and mirth tackle Jane, though Jane managed to keep her balance.
"Nora," Jane said, to which Nora Valkyrie's grin spread.
"I didn't know you were coming to Beacon!" Nora said. "Why didn't you tell us?!"
Jane giggled, "In my defense, I didn't know you were coming to Beacon either," Jane replied.
"Then that makes three of us," said the mature and calm voice of a taller male with long black hair that was tied to a ponytail, with a stripe of magenta, and magenta-colored eyes. His smile was calmer than Nora's, but it still holds the same mirth.
"Ren, it's so good to see both you and Nora again," Jane said. Lie Ren's smile widened a bit before embracing Jane.
"Oh, what about me?" asked the voice of another female. This one had blood red hair, emerald eyes, and wore a set of light bronze armor.
"Pyrrha!" Jane said in surprise. "I thought you would be attending Haven Academy."
"That was what my sponsor wanted, but I made my choice final," Pyrrha Nikos replied, wincing from how horrid the aftermath of her new reputation was. So many fan girls wanting to be associated with a celebrity and men wanting to date one. Jane Arc was neither.
They were interrupted from their friendly conversation when Headmaster Ozpin had walked on stage, clearing his throat, "Welcome, potential students of Beacon Academy. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the innocent," Ozpin announced, which several students nodded in agreement. "But I look amongst you... and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."
After Ozpin finished his speech, Glynda took the stage, "Students are to head to the ballroom for sleeping arrangements."
Glynda looked amongst the crowd and saw the unmistakable visage of Jane Arc, genuinely smiling despite being in a large crowded area, as well the slight shaking of the knees, but Glynda knew that with both time and determination, Jane would finally conquer her anxiety. Smiling for the briefest of seconds, Glynda directed the students to the ballroom.
Many awe-stricken eyes in the ballroom stared as Jane Arc sat in a far corner of the ballroom, twirling a finger around a small spoon, swiveling it inside a teacup while Jane read a book labeled 'A History of Time' by Stephen Hawking. With the moonlight bathing her form, the window was left open and her hair not braided, to which her blonde locks flickered and waved in the wind like fire. Jane Arc looked nothing short of divine.
"Ruby, I think I'm in love," Yang said, eyes unblinking as she drank in Jane's unnatural beauty.
For once, it was Ruby's turn to hold the knife by the handle, "Huh, I didn't take you for the kind of girl to swing for the other team," Ruby said with a small grin. "Do you pitch or catch?"
Yang rolled her eyes, unfazed by Ruby's attempt at being the tease, "I said that as a figure of speech, Ruby," Yang replied. "And even if I swung that way, I would be a pitcher."
Jane, for her part, didn't notice the stares, too immersed in her book. Jane was an avid reader and read more than she did spending her time on social media, considering she would usually avoid any sort of social interaction like the plague. That couldn't be helped when Jane's social anxiety still haunted her, though she still wished to overcome that fear. It will take time, but she will lose her anxiety, eventually.
Jane noticed the slight commotion of Ruby, the blonde girl, and the black-haired girl from before. Jane continued to watch their interactions before the mean Schnee girl berated them. Jane thought nothing of it and promptly fell asleep.
"Locker six six six... six six six..." Jane muttered as she walked throughout the halls of Beacon Academy, she still found it odd that her locker number was 666, the Devil's number. "Who needs this many lockers?"
Jane looked around until she noticed Pyrrha... who was being spoken to by the Schnee girl.
Approaching in a rather nervous manner, she tapped on Pyrrha's shoulder, "Hey Pyrrha."
Pyrrha turned around, smiling towards Jane while Weiss looked annoyed at the sudden appearance, "Hey Pyrrha, do you want to be on the same team?" Jane asked.
"That would be grand," Pyrrha said. "Though I think the process is random, so we'll have to be careful."
"Oh, I didn't know that," Jane said.
"Excuse me!" Weiss exclaimed with a typical rich girl shrill. "Jane, was it? Do you have any idea who you're talking to?!"
"Umm, y-yes?" Jane replied, afraid all of a sudden. Weiss either didn't acknowledge that or she ignored Jane entirely.
"She's Pyrrha Nikos!"
"I-I know that," Jane replied. Again, she was ignored.
"She graduated top of her class at Sanctum!"
"I was home trained."
"She won the Mistral Regional Championship three times in a row, a new record!"
"I-I understand that b-but why does that matter here?"
"She's on the front of every Pumpkin Pete's cereal box!" Weiss snapped, hoping this would at the very least make this foolish girl apologize.
"I-I don't eat that sort of cereal, it's rather disgusting," Jane replied.
"So knowing all of that, what makes you think you have any right to address her so familiarly?" Weiss asked, who looked like she was close to spontaneously combusting.
"Because Jane is a very good friend of mine," Pyrrha said, irritated at the Schnee heiress' rudeness towards one of her closest and exceedingly scarce amount of friends. Pyrrha was starting to see why her father was an underground Huntsman. "We've known each other for two years."
Pyrrha placed emphasis on her point by wrapping an arm around Jane's shoulders and bringing her close, to which Jane blushed at the closeness. Weiss, on her part, was flabbergasted and a bit ashamed. She had been cowing a close friend of the Pyrrha Nikos. Before Weiss could apologize in order to save face, the loudspeaker chimed for the students' attention.
"All students, you have exactly twenty-five minutes before initiation begins. I suggest you move swiftly."
"Crap!" Jane exclaimed before rushing towards her locker while Pyrrha and Weiss did the same.
Jane found herself on a panel that was last in a line of other panels. The Headmaster and Auntie Glynda were by the side.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors and protectors of the world and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest," Ozpin made known.
"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams," Glynda said. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today."
Jane heard Ruby groaning in despair.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well with," Ozpin said. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years," Ozpin continued.
"What!?" Ruby cried in shock.
"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die," Ozpin added on. "You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics.
"Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff," Ozpin continued. "You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and we shall grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"
Ozpin scanned the line and saw no hands had been raised, 'Thank gods.'
Soon the panels started firing everyone into the Emerald Forest, each of which gave their own battle cry. Ruby was last to go before Jane. Jane was the only one left to be launched. Jane looked at Glynda with a warm smile and a wave of her hand. Glynda returned the smile with her own.
"Hello, Jane, I look forward to seeing your progress," Glynda said to Jane with her rare smile. "Do your best."
"I will," Jane said before she was launched with a loud twang!
Glynda noticed Ozpin looking at her with curiosity.
"Glynda, do you know Miss Arc?" Ozpin asked of his assistant, though he already knew the answer, he wanted confirmation. He took a sip from his mug.
"Yes, Jane Arc is my niece," Glynda wistfully answered before turning her attention to Jane as she fell deep within the Emerald Forest. "But this does not mean she will receive any sort of preferential treatment, as Jane herself actually asked of me."
Ozpin only nodded. He knew about Jane Arc's most unfortunate history, being one of several victims of a catastrophe that shook Vale, if not Remnant, to its core.
The wind breezed past Jane's ears as she glided over the Emerald Forest. One by one she witnessed her fellow freshmen dipping below the forest canopy as she flew past them.
Jane looked down to see her fast approach towards earth and flipped once. Jane opened a red portal in front of her while she opened a blue portal, which lay parallel with a nearby branch. Jane had learned how to cope with the sudden changes in gravity when it came to the use of her unique Semblance. Jane flew headfirst through the red portal and flew out of the blue portal. After that, Jane landed gracefully on the branch next to the blue portal. Finally having reached solid ground, Jane closed both portals and began her trek within the forest, searching for a partner, hopefully, someone she knew.
As Jane was walking, a pack of Beowolves emerged from the foliage, growling menacingly at her.
Smiling warmly despite the situation, Jane focused her Aura and brandished Crocea Mors, to which a larger red portal consumed the Beowolves. Jane watched as she opened a blue portal a certain distance in the air with the pack of Beowolves falling helplessly. Jane continued walking, believing she had eliminated the only Grimm in the immediate vicinity, only to be confronted by three Ursa.
Expertly dodging swipes from the Ursa, Jane sliced off the first and second of the Ursa's heads with Crocea Mors before the third one rushed, but was stopped in its tracks by a red and bronze javelin. Jane recognized that weapon.
"Pyrrha?" Jane asked.
"Jane," Pyrrha said as she jumped from the Grimm's bodies and retrieved her javelin via her Semblance, Polarity. "I guess this means we're partners for the next four years?"
"Yeah, it's nice that I'm paired with someone I actually know," Jane said nervously. A moment later, several black masses harshly hit the ground with the monsters' black blood splattering the trees.
Glynda and even Ozpin flinched as the Beowolves hit the ground.
"I almost feel sorry for them," Glynda said.
Ozpin, on the other hand, sipped his hot cocoa before turning the Glynda, "That is quite a powerful Semblance Miss Arc has, but it is not the first time I have seen something like it," Ozpin said.
Glynda frowned, "Why bring up Raven of all people?" Glynda asked.
Ozpin looked over the footage of Jane creating the portals, "I remember going over the file when Miss Arc performed a Semblance Apprehension Test," Ozpin said. "While both Miss Arc and Raven Branwen create openings in space that allows instantaneous travelling between dimensions, the way those openings work is different from each other.
"Raven Branwen's portals can only open to those that she has 'bonded' with," Ozpin explained. "Other than that, anyone may access it, she can hold it as long as she likes, and there is no limit in distance.
"Miss Arc, on the other hand, her portals can expand in size, she can open more than two of them at a time, and can be projected at any angle," Ozpin continued. "She had to practice so she can get used to the sudden changes in gravity, but it still works. That and her portals can only be opened within a one hundred meter radius from herself."
Glynda wasn't surprised that Ozpin knew about that, "Alright, but why bring them up?"
Ozpin shrugged, "I am merely drawing comparisons between two similar Semblances," Ozpin said. "I find it quite fun."
Glynda sighed. Fun was something that Huntsmen, generals, and teachers rarely have when concerning their jobs.
Stupid paperwork...
Jane and Pyrrha stopped at the mouth of a cave, which bore markings of several characters with spears in the midst of batter with a giant scorpion. The cliff face showed lots of cracks and fractures.
"Deathstalker nest," Jane said nervously. "I think we should avoid that at all cost."
"Indeed," Pyrrha said in agreement. "We're both strong, but it would be better to conserve our strength for anything worst."
Jane nodded, eyeing the cave nervously before hearing gunfire in the distance.
"It would seem our comrades have encountered the enemy," Pyrrha noted. "Let us head further north and claim the relics as fast as possible.
Jane nodded again, this time waving a hand in front of them. Jane closed her eyes and envisioned Ren and Nora so as to join them. A red portal opened, revealing a ruin with several chess pieces on the other side, as well as several people that they recognized. Entering the portal, both Jane and Pyrrha were relieved to see both Ren and Nora in their serene/enthusiastic glory.
"Whoa!" said Yang. "Where did you two come from?"
"Well, you see-" Jane didn't finish her sentence when she heard several trees parting as an Ursa came into view, but fell to the ground with a thump. After that, Nora with a large hammer pouting.
"Aw!" Nora Valkyrie moaned. "It's broken."
Not too long after Nora's entrance came a boy with long, black hair and magenta eyes, who was panting from exhaustion.
"Please, never do that again," Lie Ren pleaded.
The monochrome girl gave pause as she processed the situation, "Did that girl just ride an Ursa?"
They were cut off from their thoughts when they heard a cry from above.
Jane looked up to see a dark figure wearing a long red cloak falling to the ground at a rapid rate, 'That's Ruby!' Jane realized.
Focusing, Jane created a blue portal facing herself and a red one just underneath Ruby. Jane let out her arms to prepare herself for the inevitable impact. Everyone there watched in amazement as Ruby was consumed by the red portal. Jane looked towards the blue portal to see Ruby suddenly growing closer to her at a very fast rate. With a dull thud and a thump, both Ruby and Jane were on the ground with Jane keeping her arms around Ruby.
"Jane!" Ruby exclaimed. Both Ruby and Jane promptly rose from from the ground. Looking at the others, Jane saw both the blonde girl and the monochrome girl from earlier looking at her in surprise.
"I'm Jane Arc, my Semblance is Spatial Gate," Jane said quickly. "I can create portals at any angle within a hundred meter radius from myself."
"That's quite the Semblance," the monochrome girl complimented. "I'm Blake Belladonna, this is my partner Yang."
"Good to meet you, Blake!" Jane replied anxiously. "And you too, Yang!"
"Yeah, good to meet you too," Yang greeted with a happy grin.
All of them stopped when they heard another cry from above.
"How could you leave me?!" shouted Weiss from above. They all looked up to see her clinging to the claws of a giant raven with a bone mask and two fingers protruding from each wing. A Nevermore.
"I said jump," said Ruby.
"She's gonna fall," reminded Blake.
"She'll be fine," replied Ruby.
"She's falling," deadpanned Ren.
Seeing this as a chance to make amends for her mistake yesterday, Jane created another red portal under Weiss as she fell. Jane, as well as the others, looked at the blue portal in front of Jane as Weiss flew into Jane's arms. Nearly losing her air again from the impact, Jane fell backwards onto the ground while Weiss was still shaking. Weiss looked up, feeling a very strange and rather sudden change in gravity, only to promptly stand up. She patted herself off in her rather idiotic attempt at keeping the dignified look.
Before anyone in the group of eight could say anything, a large scorpion-esque creature with a bone mask and a glowing amber stinger tore up trees and other foliage in its wake. A Deathstalker. Perhaps the commotion from the students woke it up?
"Great, the gang's all here!" Yang exclaimed. "Now we can die together!"
Ruby suddenly charged in, "Not if I can help it!" she cried.
Ruby was approaching the Deathstalker at a rapid pace before a red portal opened, revealing Jane on the other side. Ruby crashed into her, having too much velocity in order to stop or change direction.
'I really need to stop doing this to myself,' Jane thought as she caught Ruby. "There's no point in fighting right now. Your objective is right in front of you. There are two large Grimm, and you're about to charge into one of them without any clear communication."
Ruby nodded as she understood what she was about to do just then.
Either way, they had an objective to fulfill. All they needed was the relics and they could leave.
...
If only the arachnid and the avian would stay out of their way!
Ozpin nodded in approval, complimenting their skill in the fight against the two giant Grimm. The teamwork between Jane Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren was absolutely impeccable. It amazed Ozpin to such an extent, a grin stretched on his face, surprising his deputy.
"Ozpin?"
This was precisely what Ozpin was looking for in Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training.
Ozpin didn't answer his deputy, but still...
How interesting.
"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long," Ozpin announced. "You four collected the White Knight pieces. You will henceforth be known as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose."
While Jane and her friends applauded Ruby's promotion, they noted that Weiss didn't take it all that well.
"Jane Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren," Ozpin announced. "You four collected the White Rook pieces. You will henceforth be known as Team JNPR. Led by... Jane Arc."
Jane reeled in shock while Nora bear hugged her, squealing in joy while Pyrrha and Ren smiled her way. Her?! A leader?!
"Congratulations, Miss Arc," Ozpin complimented with a knowing grin. Jane awkwardly grinned back, now realizing that this was supposed to help with her anxiety. Auntie Glynda also flashed a very rare smile, knowing this as well.
'I believe this will be a very interesting year,' Ozpin thought to himself.
My own Fem!Jaune story. Hope you like it.