Hello lads, ladies, and other life forms. TreesofPaper here, suffering from chronic writersblock-itis and perpetuallylostfiles-monia. Sorry this took so long, but celebrating summer with your Irish cousins and finishing off summer homework (curse you education) can take up much of my time.
In other news, there's this chapter. I'm making it a two-parter because- well let's face it, no one's gonna wanna read a 14k+ word count fan fiction (I also just really wanted to get this out). I know this seems a bit humorous and jolly, but I promise people are going to feel such pain in the next part.
CLIFFHANGERS FTW
Story time.
All was nothing. The boy with pink eyes could hear nothing, could see nothing, could feel nothing. He looked up, and the moon came into being in all its shattered glory. He looked down, and grass materialized at his feet, tall and brushing his knees. Then, as he looked ahead, a radiant whiteness shone upon his face. Covering his eyes just enough to dispel its blinding effect, he watched in awe as a little girl walked towards him. She was dressed in pink and could not have been more than 7 or 8. No sooner had she reached him than a great darkness rose up from the ground below them. No Beowolf, no Ursa, no Grimm alive had ever matched its massiveness. Looming like a mountain, its black fur immediately put out the light and separated the two children.
The boy with pink eyes had had this recurring dream for weeks. His companion would wake him any second now.
The darkness grew an arm out of its side with a sickening squelch. The black fur built on top of itself further and further and further, until it ceased, tapering off into a small spike.
Any second now.
The darkness turned its body towards the pink-eyed boy, and brought the spike with it.
Any second now.
With a snap, it wrenched its arm forward, hurling the spiked end at him.
Any second now.
It was mere feet away.
Any second now.
It was inches away.
The last thing the boy with pink eyes saw before he woke up was a flash of white.
"Ren? Rennnn… REN!"
"Hmm… NoraAaAaAaAa!" The girl in bright cotton onesie pajamas had leapt up onto his stomach and started throttling his shoulders back and forth. "I'M UP, I'M UP!" He propped himself up, pushing his arms behind his back onto his pillow.
"You've got bedhead again!" Nora giggled. She brushed and patted his hair until it regained its original, sleek shape. She noticed his singular pink highlight and twirled it nonchalantly with her index finger. "Ah… I remember this. Welp, come on. 1st period is starting in an hour." She strutted away to the bathroom to wash and dress.
Ren could only stare at her as she turned the corner with bleary, unfocused eyes. "... Huh? But… but isn't it still Sunday?"
"NOPE" Nora called from the sink, slightly muffled by the toothbrush in her mouth.
"Wha… what do you mean?" he looked over at the digital alarm clock by his bed.
Oh no…
Everyone hated Mondays. Especially the students of Beacon Academy. Two days of relaxing break to do whatever they pleased; stroll around Vale, go to the amusement park, sleep in. Then out of nowhere, boring classes which required such a large amount of paperwork that local lumber companies saw a rise in revenue every week. Rigorous and dangerous training sessions that left students sore for days. Irritated students and teachers alike walked the halls, muttering and grumbling about the quiz later in the day and the weapon they'd left in their dorm on the bed.
Yes, everyone hated Mondays.
The dining hall was no safe haven from this gloominess. Pyrrha sipped coffee quietly, her face hidden under a mess of auburn hair. Jaune, still half-asleep, had gotten his breakfast from the serving area, and made it halfway to the table before realizing that he'd gotten 24 pieces of dry bread and 1 lettuce leaf. Weiss and Blake had hidden themselves in towers of books, studying for next week's test. Ruby was helping Yang brush her hair, while Yang attempted to make light conversation with Weiss. Of course, Yang was actually trying to make her slip up so she could fit in a dirty joke and make everyone uncomfortable.
Ren and Nora picked up their pancakes (the usual double stacks of 16) and sat down by Jaune and Pyrrha. "Geez." Nora observed. "What's up with you guys?"
Pyrrha spoke up first. "I almost forgot about Oobleck's big test on the origins of Mistral, so I was up all night with Jaune." She gave a sleepy nod and smile in Jaune's direction, who waved the flashcards they'd gone over from the previous evening.
Yang brightened at this incredible opportunity. "I could hear them grunting from our room." she lied to the group, barely holding in a laugh.
"Until like midnight yeah- oh DAMMIT YANG!" Pyrrha's hair still hid her face, but anyone could notice the few shades of pink she'd taken on after realizing Yang's innuendo. The latter had broken down when she heard Pyrrha's last comment. Yang made several moves to finish her food, but ended up snort-laughing and putting the fork back down.
"Oh yeah?" Weiss never looked up from her papers. "Not only do I have to study for that, but as Schnee Dust Company heiress, I've also got to help plan for the Annual Sponsor Ball on Saturday."
"A ball, eh?" Jaune perked up slightly. "Would the Ice Queen, by any chance, like to go with me?"
"Even if I were to agree, you'd have to be a sponsor. Annual Sponsor Ball."
"So you're saying you would agree if I was a sponsor?"
Weiss Schnee rolled her eyes and went back to work.
Yang entered the conversation. "Well, don't you have to bring someone to the dance?"
"Ball", Weiss corrected. "And I usually go with my father and my sister. But I am usually the one who plans them."
"Well you don't seem to be handling it very well." Yang gestured to Weiss's tired eyes and the stacks of papers around her.
Weiss dismissively waved a hand in the air. "Oh this is normal. I'm quite good at handling balls."
Upon hearing this, Yang's eyes widened and her cheeks puffed out. She hid her face in her hair, leaning over the table, and started pounding it with her fist. Much of the hall turned to look at her, and Ruby conked her over the head with her brush. Blake, Jaune, and Nora were dying of laughter. Pyrrha chuckled lightly, and even Ren cracked a slight smile. Weiss had turned neon red; she'd been caught off guard. "Y-y-you fiend..."
Ruby spoke up for her friend. "Hey, don't laugh! Weiss is a very well-organized, smart, and innovative person."
"Thank you, Ruby." Weiss huffed, still in her human tomato form.
"I, for one, think she'll handle this ball very smoothly."
Teams RWBY and JNPR ended up being 7 minutes late to Port's Grimm studies class, out of breath and still crying with laughter. Weiss pouted, lagging behind the group. "IT'S NOT THAT FUNNY!"
"...as you all should know, seeing as we discussed this topic last Friday, the best way to destroy a pack of Beowolves is to...?"
Very few hands went up in response to Port's question. "Ah... let's see... yes, Pyrrha."
"Beowolves travel in packs of around a hundred, so fire must be used to herd them in, or sounds between 90 and 95 dB. Once herding is accomplished, 2-3 members of your team must encircle the herd and use any necessary force to eliminate the Beowolves. Speed during this stage is key, as being pulled into the herd can mean death. 1-2 team members must stay under cover or at high ground to pick off the stragglers." Pyrrha took a deep breath and waited for Port's answer.
"I... Well... straight from the textbook! Incredible!" He applauded his student with large, booming, oak hands. "Then again, there's always an exception." As he said this, he glanced in Ruby's direction. "Moving on! What is the proper method to use when exterminating Nevermore?"
This time Ren gave it a try. "Regular procedure dictates that long range weapons are a necessity. They can be used to move the Nevermore into an area where its maneuverability is limited, like a forest or extreme hills biome. It has one weak spot at the base of its neck, which one can reach by either mounting the bird from a high position or by shooting down a wing or two. Once reached, a large incision must be made, killing the Nevermore instantly. The most important thing to keep in mind is the environment, as strategies for killing Nevermore have increasing variation."
"Excellent, excellent! I see you've all been studying!" Port boomed jovially. The class was still quite confused as to why he'd chosen to ask this seemingly random question in the middle of a lesson on prehistoric Grimm. "Well, I brought this up again today- I know you all thought this lesson was over- but I raised the point again because this class will be doing something special." He emphasized "special" with a lean and a wink. "You see, Professor Goodwitch has noted a rise of Death Stalkers in the Forever Fall forest recently, and I saw this as a good chance for review. Strategy is unbelievably important out there in the field, so think of this as a chapter test."
"We're finally gonna go back?" gasped Ruby. "YESSS! Crescent Rose finally gets to see some action again!"
"You all have until Thursday to prepare; during this time, I expect you all to be in shape and have a plan B, just in case. I will give you Friday off to rest and recover." A slight cheer went up at this. Thinking that his students were cheering for the grueling, tiresome extermination mission to come, Port laughed his Santa laugh again. "Ah, I'm so PROUD of you all, just raring to go. In fact, it reminds me of one of my adventures with my team when I was your age." He coughed and cleared his throat, lowering his pitch for dramatic effect. "We were outnumbered 10 to 1..."
His students' groans fell on deaf ears.
"We could barely take one! I nearly broke my neck that time! How are we supposed to take down an entire nest of Death Stalkers?"
"Chill out, Ren." Jaune patted his teammate on the back and put on a brave grin. The class bell had rung, and all students filed out for lunch. "We've all trained really hard, and we're much better in combat now. If anything goes wrong, I'm right there."
"Wow. Thanks." Ren replied dryly.
"No problem!"
"Your knees are still shaking." Nora observed under the lunch table.
"Uhhh... E-eat your lunch, Nora... we'll need our energy for this week." Jaune shoved a piece of chicken in her mouth and she chewed slowly.
Jaune was determined to get an A on this "chapter test". He didn't actually care about his grades, he just wanted to prove his strength and leadership skills. His orientation day had been quite embarrassing, and yes he'd become a leader, but he also adopted the title of laughingstock. With this mission, he planned to change that. No screw-ups, no messing around, no loose ends, this had to be absolutely perfect. And, as a little extra, Port had offered a reward to whichever team killed the most Death Stalkers. The winner would be allowed to miss three of Port's classes and still earn full merit. The free periods team JNPR would earn would give them time to relax and let Jaune get a little guitar practice in (no one could know about this secret).
"Alright, team." Jaune slammed his hands on the table for emphasis, but immediately cringed at how much noise he'd made. "Here's the plan."
"You've got a plan already? We just got out of class!" exclaimed Pyrrha. Maybe the boy was smarter than he seemed at first.
"N- no... well it's a plan to plan the plan." He told them all his concerns and expectations for this mission (of course, omitting the guitar part) as he finished his salad. "We'll meet back at the dorm tonight, right after class and figure out all the details of what we'll be doing to prepare, and what our plan is during the mission."
Pyrrha put a hand on his shoulder. "Oh Jaune, you're not a laughingstock." Even as she said this, a pack of girls walked by the hapless blonde and had a small giggling fit. Jaune gave her a look. "Well... I guess you could up your reputation a little. And the three free periods do sound nice."
"Well if we really are going to work at this, we better work hard." The three turned to look at Ren. "I don't want a repeat of Orientation day. I still can't bend over without feeling pain."
"So it's settled?" Jaune looked around at his teammates.
"I'm with you." confirmed Pyrrha.
"Let's- ow- do this." agreed Ren, just having dropped his spoon under the table and bending to pick it up.
"Eh. Got nothing fun to do anyways." chimed Nora.
"Alright then."
"So what do you think Jaune's having us do tonight?" whispered Nora to Pyrrha as the classroom door slammed shut behind them. Jaune Arc had gotten permission to leave Professor Peach's Physical Sciences class 5 minutes early with so much begging and pleading and reasoning that, in the end, Peach let him go because she was embarrassed by the amazing lack of dignity the boy had. He blew through the halls, straight to JNPR's dorm, and locked the door behind him just as the final bell rang.
The sun had begun to set, casting fiery lights and slight shadows through the buildings. Students poured out of classes into the halls like water from a fountain. Especially Port's last class, who'd been subjected to cruel and unusual punishment consisting of a long, sappy story of Port's younger days, which Port had described in too much detail. Teenagers still shivered at the thought of their large, hairy teacher attempting to trap a Boarbatusk by seducing it. Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha pushed through the crowds, taking potshot guesses at whatever Jaune had planned for the next few hours.
"He probably has a long workout and sparring session that he expects us to follow." suggested Nora, latched to Ren's arm as she was wont to do.
"Jaune?" Pyrrha chuckled. "He can hardly do a pull-up. Still, that's why I'm working with him."
"Maybe it's just a long, boring Powerpoint presentation. Had enough of those already." Nora yawned. Indeed, Oobleck's history class was filled with slides upon uninteresting slides of dead heroes and ancient civilizations. Who cared about the Great War of 3055? How would knowing how humanity discovered Dust in 5021 affect their daily lives? Oobleck was an interesting, eccentric person; that much they could admit. But once class started, he became as fun as watching paint dry.
"As if he could prepare that, let alone be willing to actually make it. Again, working with him." Jaune's incompetence at nearly everything to do with being a Hunter was often frustrating, but she enjoyed seeing her friend progress and grow with her help.
"He's been studying a lot lately; I'm not sure he'll be that unprepared." Ren pointed out. "Hey, speaking of which..."
"Hmm?" Pyrrha turned to the pink-eyed boy.
"You two have been studying together into the wee hours of the night together for a while now, right?"
"Yeah, so?" She turned to Ren, not sure where this was going.
"Does he know you like him?"
Pyrrha stumbled a little, dropping a book on the carpet. "H-how did..." Though she'd hidden her face with her hair again, it wouldn't cover up the scarlet flush creeping up her neck. After all her caution and work... "Was I… t-that obvious..." she asked meekly, holding her arm with her opposite hand.
"Eeeeeyup! We could tell since day one!" Nora's gleeful remark caused Pyrrha's foot to catch as she bent to pick up the book, sending her face first into the floor.
"I… I see..." The bright vermillion girl picked herself up, slightly shaking out of nervousness. "Could… Could you at least keep it a secret until… until I'm ready?"
"NOPE! I already told him!" Nora grinned.
"WHAT!?" Pyrrha was about to faint.
"Just kidding." the small girl giggled. She then put on a more serious face. "But seriously, when are you gonna tell him? We're all dying to see it happen."
"Once I'm ready. And see what happen?"
"You know."
Pyrrha had grabbed her book with a quivering hand and was just about to place it back in her bag. "Huh?"
"WE WANNA SEE YOU MAKE OUT REALLY HARD!" Nora's outburst drew the attention of a couple teams, who popped their heads out of their dorms to check out the ruckus. Pyrrha had hidden her face with her book using one hand, while covering Nora's mouth with the other. Ren just sighed, his face in his hand.
"I-I-I-I..." Pyrrha took several deep breaths. "I kind of exp-pected this kind of... thing... from Nora... but you t-too, Ren?"
"No, I-"
"S-so perverted..."
Ren made an indignant noise, then sighed. "Alright girls, we're here. Try to keep the make out talk to a minimum while we plan." Ren pulled out his scroll and waved it past the sensor, unlocking their dorm room door.
"I've been waiting for you." beckoned a gravelly, haunting voice. The entire room was dark, even the curtains had been shut to block out the moonlight. Only the dim shine of a dusty lamp bathed a small patch of the floor and illuminated the back of a high-back leather chair. The chair slowly spun around clockwise to face the three confused students. A large grin dominated Jaune Arc's face, turned into a terrifying sneer by the lamplight.
"Come fort- oh shit-"
Jaune had spun the chair with a little more momentum than he thought he did, so that it turned away from his teammates again.
"shitshitshitwait-"
He attempted to use the lamp to spin himself back around, but the lamp fell to the floor.
"oh dammit-"
Jaune fell to the floor as well, and the chair toppled onto him, knocking the wind out of him. Pyrrha sighed and flicked the light switch by the door. "Jaune, what are you doing?" she asked the pile on the floor.
"Uh.. th-that was just something I always wanted to do." The boy rolled the chair off of him and popped up. "Oh well." He propped the chair back up, and replaced the lamp on the desk. "5 minutes was actually more than enough time to set all this up." As Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha came closer, they noticed several diagrams on the wide, mahogany surface. There were several pictures of Death Stalkers off to the right, one of them a normal picture, the others precise anatomical drawings of it. A map of Remnant was featured on Jaune's scroll, placed in the center. Several other unintelligible maps, lists, and art had been strewn around the desk.
Nora bent over and picked up a fallen picture of a Beowolf off the carpet. "Did you draw this? THIS IS AMAZING!"
"Yeah, I sketch a little." he dismissed his art for the moment. "Now, gather round." Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren moved to his side as he began.
"So! Since we nearly died on our first day here, I think we need to come up with a better extermination strategy."
"I second that." chimed Ren as he rubbed his aching back.
"Our strategy, though effective, was crude. Needs refining. What I'm thinking is that, when we encounter a Death Stalker, we need to eliminate its weapons; namely, the stinger and claws. Pyrrha can take care of the stinger easily, as we saw on that first day." The corner of Pyrrha's mouth turned up a little at this. "Ren and I will have to take out the claws, or at the very least distract them. Nora, this is where you come in. After we've destroyed its appendages, the Stalker won't have anything to protect it's head. You're going to have to slam Magnhild and simultaneously release a few rounds into it's head. Does that sound doable?" He looked up from his scroll to see the other three staring at him in surprise.
"That… could actually work." admitted Ren.
"But this won't be just one. We're taking on a whole nest!" exclaimed Nora. "I mean, sure it's not gonna be just us; we've got the rest of our class. But still, we're going to have to take down more than just one."
"What will we do if we get flanked?"
"How will we take out the claws?"
"Do we have a plan B?"
"Can I have a sandwich?"
5 hours of painstaking debate and 44 1/2 sandwiches later...
"... so that'll be all for tonight then. Now, everyone go to sleep; it's nearly midnight, and we'll need all the rest we can get in the coming week." Empty coffee mugs were placed in the sink, cracker crumbs were brushed away, and papers were collected. Ren clambered into his bed, soon joined by Nora, who'd pushed their beds together so they could sleep together like they always had (but not together-together). They conversed in hushed, sleepy whispers.
"That... actually wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be." admitted Nora. "Our end result sounds simple and effective. I've never seen this super thinky, seriouser side of our Jauney-boy. He gets really intense." Nora pulled the covers up to her upper arms and rolled over to face Ren.
"What'd I tell you? You know, he used to play a lot of these types of games as a kid. Told me it was his mom's talent that made him so good at strategy card games, MMORPGS, you name it." Ren knew firsthand; he'd lost to his leader in most every game they played. Chess, checkers, even Hardcore Jenga (which involved removing three bricks at once from a 2 meter tall tower) were child's play for Jaune.
Nora pulled Ren's arms around her and snuggled deeper into the blanket. "It's a shame he's still really awkward and shy. Hope he can use this as a boost."
"He's a natural leader, and I trust him fully. No matter how awkward he may be." Ren let out a final yawn and closed his eyes.
"Well if you trust him, that's enough for me."
"Go to sleep, Nora."
"Okay." She smiled, then sighed, then snored herself away.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Pyrrha and Jaune were doing the exact same thing (but without the sleeping together part; Pyrrha would absolutely lose it if that happened, though she was considering it).
"Jaune, first thing tomorrow you start training us. You realize how dangerous this mission is." Pyrrha's concern showed clearly, even through her yawns.
"I know. Which is why we came up with all those contingency plans. And actually, I'd prefer to leave the training to you."
"Huh?"
"Thanks to what you've already put me through, I'm actually looking, feeling, and fighting much better. I think it's best to leave this part up to you. You'll help us improve in combat, like I'm working on stratagems, Ren on medicine, and Nora on pyrotechnics. You're in charge of us physically until Thursday, alright?"
"Really?"
"I don't trust anyone more than you." Jaune never understood the weight his words carried.
"Wh-why thank you!" Flustered, Pyrrha rolled over and turned off the lamp quickly, so Jaune couldn't see her smile. "N-now go to sleep, busy day tomorrow."
"Alright." Jaune smiled and turned to face the window.
The room sufficiently darkened, and her bed sufficiently snug, Pyrrha sighed and lay on her back, fiddling with the covers for a little. She fixated on the ceiling fan and closed her eyes.
It's nice that he's really pumped for this. If only he showed this much enthusiasm in classes... But I guess I have a reason to be happy about this as well. My first extermination mission; this could draw more attention away from my career as just another pretty faced, cereal-advertising model, who's only good for competing in the occasional tournament and making people money. They'll all see that I'm just a Huntress, and hopefully, they'll leave me alone. I'm sick of this spotlight on the parts of me that don't matter. Jaune's the first one who treated me like a normal girl, even after finding out about my fame. And that's all I want to be.
Jaune rolled over to face Pyrrha, his face in shadow. Pyrrha froze for a little, but relaxed when she noticed his deep, regular breathing.
Still, I can't help but worry about it all. This is quite a bit more dangerous than anything I've ever done, even if Goodwitch is supervising. Well, I guess that's why we're going to train a little harder this week. I've got a promise to make good on.
Pyrrha made good on her promise to Jaune at precisely 5:30 AM the next morning.
FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET
Jaune, Ren, and Nora fell out of their respective beds and instinctively reached for their weapons.
"UP AND AT 'EM EVERYONE WE'VE GOT WORK TO DO!" Pyrrha, dressed in a matching pair of burgundy sweat pants and jacket, strutted over to Jaune's leg and kicked it lightly. "COME ON, WE HAVEN'T GOT ALL DAY!" As an aside, she leaned down and whispered in her leader's ear. "Hey, am I doing it right?"
"Y-YES MA'AM!" Jaune bolted up and saluted nervously.
"Sweet!" Pyrrha giggled. Reverting back to her 'scary general' tone, she stepped back. "ALRIGHT, I WANT 10 LAPS AROUND BEACON BEFORE BREAKFAST! FOR STARTERS! NO DILLY-DALLYING! LET'S GO PEOPLE, LET'S GO!"
Nora, Ren, and Jaune finished her task and arrived, huffing and panting at the main entrance to Beacon. Pyrrha was already there, waiting with three glasses of a purple, unidentifiable liquid. "DRINK THIS!"
"YES MA'AM!" Pyrrha threw the glasses at her teammates and they chugged it immediately. Then began to gag.
Jaune ran behind a bush, retching violently. "BLERGHGHFF- *cough cough* PYRRHA WHAT IS THIS?!"
"Oh, just a little protein shake I mixed up." she smiled sweetly.
"*cough* It smells like someone died!" observed Ren.
"Must be the beondegi, then."
"The what?"
"Korean for silk pupae. Super high in protein."
"WHAT?!" screamed Nora, Ren, and Jaune.
"Or maybe it was the guinea pig." she considered, inducing another round of retching. Nora had collapsed to her knees, crying and apologizing to the glass in her hands.
The rest of JNPR's day was not much different. Pyrrha tried to disguise her training as games, some of which were incredibly questionable. "Fall-off-Beacon-Cliff-and-climb-your-way-back-up-without-using-your-weapon" made for an hour of such "fun". "X-treme double-dutch", while entertaining, left Jaune with a small patch of singed hair. "Hide-and-Seek-in-the-teacher's-lounge" might have been a great lesson in stealth if they hadn't received a week's worth of detention from an enraged Professor Goodwitch, who'd caught them shuffling through her diary (the front cover of which read, 'G + O').
Finally, what seemed like a break rolled around. "I know I've worked you three really hard, so why don't we have some fun?" Pyrrha had brought her team to the Vale SuperMall, more specifically to the laser tag arena.
"We're gonna play here?" Nora looked up. "Finally, something enjoyable!"
"Yep! I've even reserved the whole arena for ourselves. Thank you, sir!" Pyrrha called to a man in the back. "A little free-for-all might help relieve a little stress, and even help our accuracy."
"That's great, Pyrrha!" Jaune hadn't played laser tag in years, and was getting an itch in his trigger finger. He hefted a big blaster from the wall.
"Oh, it's nothing. But one more thing. I asked the guys to modify the lasers a little. Don't worry, you guys should be fine, but... well think of the sting as motivation not to miss."
"What do you mean modif- AGH!" As an example, Pyrrha had picked up a modified blaster and shot Jaune in the leg, not with a built in laser light, but with 25,000 volts of electricity. "I will be playing as well. Winner doesn't have to do any more work, losers have to run two miles around the track when we get back to Beacon."
She looked around at her friends. Nora was giggling menacingly to herself, Ren's mouth was open wide, and Jaune was on the ground, his leg still jiggling from the shock. "Welp, have fun!"
"Pyrrha, *pant* *pant* I really don't think *pant* *pant* all this running is necessary-"
FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET
"TWO MORE LAPS ROUND THE TRACK REN!"
"But-"
FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET
"We-"
FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET
"It's not-"
FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET
"Fine." He jogged off, sweating like a dog. Ren normally refused to use any more energy than was necessary, but he was only going along with all this because he didn't want to be slammed into another rock by a Grimm. And also because he, along with Nora and Jaune, had gotten shocked so many times that they'd lost track of the score; all they knew was that Pyrrha had won by a landslide.
I understand that I need to get stronger, but will only two days of this get us ready? I need to make sure we're all safe, especially Nora, because she's just so reckless. Always has been. But these sessions won't strengthen us so much as tire us out. Well, once we're done here, it's my turn.
Ren made it back just before Jaune crossed the finish line. "Whipped!" Yang jeered at the blonde boy, who would have retorted with a witty remark if he wasn't doubled over, hands on his knees and panting heavily.
Pyrrha strutted up to her breathless teammates (Nora being the exception; she'd blown past all of them without breaking a sweat). "I guess that's all for now. I'll be handing over training to Ren now."
"Just *pant* just give me a minute..."
Back at the dorm, Pyrrha, Nora, and Jaune sat at the foot of their respective beds. Ren stood by the window, illuminated by the warm light of the lamp that Jaune nearly broke the other day. A small table of five vials stood to his right, sparkling kindly. As he opened the map application on his scroll, Ren began his talk.
"The Death Stalker nest that we'll be destroying is situated here." He showed them all the screen of his scroll, which was completely grey.
"Uhm, Ren? I think your scroll is broken." Jaune observed, prompting Ren to turn it around to check it.
"No, it's functioning perfectly." Ren shrugged. "Why?"
"Well, it's all just... grey."
"That's the point. This grey expanse is the plateau in the center of the Forever Fall forest, under which you encountered the first Death Stalker."
Nora giggled behind her hand. "I remember that. We thought some girl was in trouble!" Even Pyrrha let out a small snicker. Jaune gave her a look, and she composed herself.
"Uh... *ahem* Please continue, Ren."
"Thank you. Now, these Grimm like to dwell underground. They do not dig; instead, they bore massive holes into these sheer cliff faces using their stingers as drills. Unlike normal scorpions, they do not carry their young on their backs. Instead, Death Stalkers store all their eggs around the center of their nest, which should be somewhere here." Ren circled an area of the grey expanse with his finger, highlighting it red. "Their venom is highly toxic to us and has a low lethal dose, but to their young, it's protection, it's nourishing. So the mothers spray down the eggs with the venom often. But-" He then traced a jagged line to a small blue dot. "Arlong River runs underground through the central nest. A little bit of the venom from the nest runs off into it, and all that diluted venom makes its way here."
"And what is that?" Jaune asked, squinting at the dot.
"This is a small pool in a massive hole in the plateau. Much of the grown Death Stalkers live inside the walls of this hole. We know it as the Pit."
"Y-you can't be serious!? That's THE Pit?" Jaune's eyes widened. The Pit was an infamous location. Many teams of brave, naïve Hunters and Huntresses had ventured down into the Pit in hopes of ridding the Forever Fall forest of Death Stalkers. Almost none came out alive; and no one came out dead either, because everyone else was too afraid to go back and fetch the bodies. This wasn't part of the plan. To think that such a dangerous hell-hole was less than a few miles from where he slept and ate...
"I know what you're thinking, but the only reason we might have to go there is to get samples for an antidote in case one of us... you know." He coughed and looked at his friends for half a second. Ren then turned around to the five vials on the table. "These four green ones", Ren explained, "contain 2 fluid ounces of pure Death Stalker venom each. This fifth, red one contains an ounce of the antidote."
"But how-" Pyrrha raised a finger.
"Professor Glynda lent me a small amount after I told her about our plan. All four of us will take one green vial and attempt to brew a version of the antidote as best as possible, using this red one as an example. Because this is such a high-risk mission, we always have to consider the worst case scenario, so I don't want any of you unprepared for a sting from a Death Stalker. Now," Ren bent over behind the table, and with a grunt, heaved a large chemistry set up from the floor onto the table. "Let's begin. Here, Nora. Take this beaker-"
The door flew open with a crash, causing Nora to drop the beaker. Ren, with his lightning reflexes, caught it an inch off the floor. "Hey, guys!" exclaimed Yang from the doorway. Wat'cha doin'?" She glanced around at their faces and the large collection of vials, tubes, syringes, and other chemical miscellany. "Cooking meth, I see! Never took you for that type, to be honest. But I guess this world needs a new Heisenberg."
"We are TRYING to learn to create an antidote to Death Stalker venom for the upcoming mission.' Ren sighed as he straightened back up. He handed the beaker back to Nora carefully and slowly. "And who's Heisenberg?"
Yang ignored that last question. "Really? Count me in, then! Don't want any of my team dying on me, that's way too much paperwork I'll have to go through." Yang's jest, despite her cheery tone, was still laced with a barely perceptible sound of serious concern. Ren understood, and accepted her request.
"You know, why not just invite them all over? It'll save us time." he suggested as an afterthought.
"Good idea!" Yang slammed the door, causing Nora to drop the beaker again, this time shattering it.
"Uhh... oops!" Nora laughed nervously with a shrug. Ren just sighed and rubbed his eyes. He waited for Yang and the rest of team RWBY to walk in so he could begin his lesson.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
"Oh, come on! They're just across the hallway, how long does it take? It's been 15 minu-"
The door slammed open once again. "Yo, yo, yo, Xiao Long in the house! You said bring them all over, right?"
"Finally! Yeah, come on in." replied Ren.
"You heard him, guys! Come on in!" Yang called out into the hallway. Team JNPR looked around at each other. Yang's team should be right behind her, why should she need to call like that? Out of the blue, a horde of students came flooding in to JNPR's dorm. The floor rumbled, and Jaune, Pyrrha, and Nora were jostled up to the head of their bed, squished among their classmates.
Jaune, crowded between Velvet and Ruby, managed to squeak out a small, "You… invited the whole… class?"
"What? He did say all of them!" Yang retorted. Ren just stood there, holding a small test tube, his mouth wide open.
"Y-Y-Y-You..." he stuttered, pointing a finger at her. He took several deep breaths, eyes closed. He opened and closed bis hands with excessive force. It's okay, Ren. They all just want to learn, they all just want to make sure no one gets injured. I'll accommodate them-
CRASHHH
"Sorry." said someone near the back of the crowd.
-even IF they're not exactly careful with my things.
"Alright, I'll help you all, but you have to promise to pay attention and NOT break any more of our things." he acquiesced, with a pointed look at the people in the back. "But, it's impossible for us all to work here. Too small."
"We could go outside?" offered Pyrrha.
"Nah, curfew, remember? " denied Ruby.
"Port's class!" shouted a voice from the back.
"The labs?" suggested another.
"Those are locked."
"How about..." The room erupted into a sea of arguments and quiet yelling (it was, after all, 10 PM). Weiss tried to calm everyone down, wildly waving her hands, but was largely ignored.
Nora pushed her way from her bed, through the crowd to Ren. "Let's go to the dining hall." she whispered in Ren's ear, clear even through the din.
"It DOES have enough room, and food for us all. And it is open at all times…" Ren whispered back. "Very well." With the help of Nora, he hoisted himself up onto the table, which was then hoisted up by the deceptively small girl. A hush crept over the room at the sight of the boy in the air. "Let's go." he said in a quiet, yet unnaturally authoritative voice. Nora pushed through the crowd into the hallway, using the massive desk she held aloft. Jaune and Pyrrha herded the others out after them, and closed their dorm room. For a little bit, they hung back to watch the odd sight. A boy holding baskets of glassware, standing on a big mahogany table, carried by a neon pink girl, leading a horde of students through the halls.
"Sometimes I think he could've been a better leader than me."
"Jaune. Ozpin didn't make a mistake with you, you know that."
"I know."
"Now come on, let's go." she grabbed his wrist and led him to the dining hall.
Jaune put on a smiling mask and allowed himself to be led, hiding his worry about the mission and what would happen if he failed to lead. And yet...
The dining hall never used artificial light. During breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it was solely lit by light from the Sun or Moon, reflected and amplified enough to brighten the hall (No one could ever say that Beacon Academy was unfriendly to the environment). However, this was far past dinnertime. The moon could not provide enough light to illuminate the hall well enough. Fortunately, Blake and Yang were more than willing to help. The pair dashed back to their dorm and returned, around two dozen candles in their arms. When questioned by Velvet as to why they owned two dozen candles, Blake and Yang replied with, "Reasons." and a bright blush each.
Anyways.
Lit by soft, warm, "Sensual Snapdragon-scented" candlelight(everyone did their best to ignore the candle's name), Ren proved his worth as a teacher that night. With the help of Nora, Jaune, and Pyrrha, he efficiently and successfully educated the rest of his classmates on how to create an antidote for the venom of the Death Stalker in just a little over an hour.
By the end of his lecture, the four green vials had been transfigured into four blood-red vials. He and his team then proceeded to educate the others on how to properly tie a tourniquet, attach a splint, and control bleeding in case they received an injury while their aura was depleted. Even Ozpin and Glynda came to watch, sipping coffee by the door as Ren continued his lesson, quietly debating whether or not a teaching position could be opened up for the boy when he came of age.
12 gongs echoed through the dining room, signaling the end of Ren's little class. Students shuffled out, chattering all the way back to their beds, waving thanks-and-goodbye to team JNPR. As Nora waved back, she leaned over to Ren. "Just like when we were kids in Atlas, am I right?"
Ren responded with a small chuckle and accepted a sweet(and crushing)team hug.
They began gathering his things and clearing the tables. Pyrrha took a long time handing the candles back to Blake and Yang, which Jaune noticed. He walked over just in time to see a slightly red Pyrrha hide a small package in her jacket, and Blake and Yang walked off with a smirk. Ren reflected on the past couple of days, a near imperceptible smile on his face. Though he didn't usually show it, Ren really quite enjoyed sharing small moments like these with his friends- no- he could count them as family now. Surrounded by his team and sharing a laugh; this was his home now. For the most part, they'd forgotten about the mission and just resorted to talking about the silliest things, like why Jaune hated flying and Nora's demented dreams. I think we'll be alright, Ren thought, as the first group of the new Death Stalker eggs hatched just a few miles away. Hundreds of little snapping creatures began to pour out, releasing an immeasurable amount of spores into the thick cave air. The scuttling of a thousand beasts echoed off the walls as the Death Stalker mothers converged on the central birthing ground. All of the nest let out a bloodthirsty, guttural, demonic roar.
The Hunters were coming, but the nest would be more than ready.
I really need to give thanks to everyone who's taken the time to review these little writing exercises. I truly appreciate your input, and if you have any comments, complaints, or suggestions as to how I can improve my writing style, please leave a review; it really does help.
No seriously help me.
Anyways, thanks to Homerocity(first review woo), Master Tdog, deni. .3, DarkZexi, thehemingwaydilemma, Carnival of Sorts, AoUsagi, violinnerd 14, Agent Washingtub, Commander Eggnogg, and Whistlewind Wolf for acknowledging me and my work.
I apologize in advance, the next chapter may get a little... GRIMM *bursts out laughing and slowly lapses into apologies* and also much more sappy Renora fluff, as this chapter didn't focus on them too much.
This is TreesofPaper, living life for the next chapter.