Teams RWBY, JNPR, ROSA, EMBR, and LWTJ all gathered round their lunch table. It had been a few hours since team's BLCP's fight against the Rancor Grimm, and most people were here to avoid Goodwitch, who was understandably pissed off. The teams weren't discussing the anger, however, rather the awesomeness of the famous team BLCP.
"Did you see his sword? Rocket boosters, that's so cool!" Ruby gushed as she pictured the weapon, the sexy parts moving in her mind.
"I thought that Lancelot fellows weapon was by far the coolest, a railgun? Sign me up!" Richard said with a hearty laugh, getting a few grunts in agreement.
"The teamwork they performed with was admirable," Weiss said, getting a few looks from the group, "Hey, I'm not saying anything about you guys, they managed to defeat a Grimm under serious pressure, and with extreme speed."
"Too be fair, she's right." Emily said with a laugh, which prompted the rest of the table to laugh as well.
"I guess, I wonder if I'll get a chance to meet them…" Ruby said aloud, only for a huge hand to clasp her back.
"You will," A familiar booming voice rang out, Ruby slowly turned around to regard the big man…before squealing like a school girl. The huge young man stood in front of her, his black beard shining in the light, "Though the honor is mine, I wanted to meet the legendary Ruby Rose, and I must say…you certainly look the part to be a huntress."
"Wait, you heard about me?" Ruby said with shock.
"Youngest person to attend Beacon Academy, currently one of the few scythe wielders in the world, and one of the cutest people here? Sound like you? You're legendary already, talk of you seeps throughout the schools. Many people are striving to be like you already." Beowulf said as he laughed heartily.
"I'm pleased to meet you, my name is…" Weiss started, only for Beowulf to cut her off.
"Weiss Schnee, I know of you," The big man said, leaning over her. Weiss looked understandably terrified, "The heir to the Schnee dynasty…and one of the best damn fighters I've ever seen, I appreciate a warrior who knows how to use Dust. You were a little stiff from what I've seen at first, but you seem to have gotten over that."
"Nice sword, you make that?" Yang asked, earning a grin from Beowulf.
"Aye, forged it myself," The warrior said, only for the clearing of a throat to cut him off, "Forgive me, you all know who we are, but I like pleasantries."
"What he means is that he likes to brag about us," Caramel said as she stepped forward, "Don't be fooled though, he still cares about his team."
"Ahh, whatever, the question stands, mind if we sit with you? Everyone else seems to be running away in fear." Beowulf said, to which the teens nodded, all of them in slight shock. Team BLCP sitting…with them? They might not have been full blown hunters, but their reputation made them practically rock stars.
"Hey, there's actually a question I wish to ask you." Blake cut in suddenly, earning a smile from Beowulf.
"At last, she speaks, and with a cute bow as well, playful like a cat." Beowulf said with a wink, earning a shocked expression from the teams. How did he know that?
"Uhm…your name, I know your named after your ancestor, but does it get confusing in battle?" Blake asked, her curiosity peaked.
"Nah, we just call him by his last name, Gras." Perseus replied, taking a drink from a glass.
"Tell me, Beowulf Gras, you here for the tournament?" Leonidas asked suddenly, taking everybody by surprise.
"Of course he is, why else would he be…" Weiss started before Beowulf cut her off.
"Your perceptive, I'll give you that," Beowulf said, leaning forward unto the table, "And the answer is yes and no, you see…we transferred over, after the tournament, we're full-fledged students of Beacon."
"Wait, what?" Ruby asked as everyone stared at the new team.
"Too be fair, this is the best hunter school around, decided to get some better training. We would have joined sooner, if it wasn't for Caramel not being able to keep her grades up." Beowulf said with a laugh as Caramel flipped him off.
"Hey, you try keeping your grades up when you actually have a life outside of fighting." Caramel replied back, prompting everyone to start laughing. All except for the silent knight of Lancelot, who merely stared on into space.
"Tell me, are you participating in the Grimm hunts?" Leo asked, stopping all laughter.
"The Grimm hunts? What are those?" Rick asked, every head turning to face him, "…What?"
"The Grimm hunts are how they test the arena for the festival, they select a few teams from the schools to fight Grimm in the arena. Make sure everything is working right, it's considered a great honor." Weiss said in a matter of factly manor.
"Alas, no…we weren't invited, I assume you were?" Beowulf said with a laugh as Leo stood up with pride.
"Yes, and its open to the public, why don't you guys come and watch? It's starting soon." The leader said, his team following suit. The rest of the group looked around, most of whom shrugged as they got up to follow.
At the Amity Coliseum…
The teams all gathered in the arena, staring at the floor. The stadium was packed, not just because some students wanted a glimpse of competitors, but also because many of them had never seen the arena operate. On the screens, Ozpins face took up the monitor.
"I welcome you to the Amity Colosseum, today, we test the mettle of these hunters and huntress initiates in combat against the true enemy of man, the Grimm," Ozpin said as he took a sip from his mug of coffee, "Our first team up to demonstrates their abilities is team LWTJ of Fate academy, led by Leonidas Khrusos."
The team strode out into the battle field with the slots spinning to determine the environment, normally, it would be multiple environments put together, but for this event it was a single environment, couldn't allow the participating teams too much of a lead on the way things worked. The slots stopped on the symbol for desert, and the arena descended to ready itself. It rose with cages on it as the screen changed to show a timer.
"All right," Leo said as he took a few steps forward before turning back to face his men, "My team, there they stand, enemies to all of humanity. The creatures of Grimm that haunt our nightmares, the reason why a hunter is supposed to fight. They crave the death of all good natured people, they hate the innocent lives of even the purist child, and we are all that stand against them. I hope they've had their fill of man-flesh, for TONIGHT THEY DINE IN HELL!"
"Well, that's only clearly showboating," Micca said with a grin, "Though, I admit, it was one hell of a speech."
"It wasn't just for the crowd," Perseus said with a grin, "Leo is another legend from Mistral, he graduated top of his class. His semblance is well known, he can bring in army in from the depths of despair with his voice, he can inspire anyone to fight to the death, and by Dust it works."
"So that's why I feel an urge to rush in with my chainsaw and start tearing these things apart," Rick said as he put his arm over Micca, "One hell of a semblance."
"Still not as good as mine," Micca said as she snuggled closer, "Course, I don't need to use it on you, do I?"
"Alas, you expel complete control over me my snake goddess." Rick said with a grin, right before the buzzers sounded off. Everyone stared at the arena with a mixture of fear and awe as the crates opened, a silent beat hung in the air, the crows leaned forward. The Grimm burst out, their eyes glowing red and their teeth gnashing as they charged. It was an entire pack of Beowolves, as well as two King Taijitu. The leader smiled at the sight as he raised his sword to the sky.
"Scatter, don't let them surround you!" Leo yelled, the group leaped apart as the Grimm crashed into the platform. Leo landed in front of a King Taijitu, the two heads hissed as they surrounded him. The Spartan laughed as one tried to strike at him, the Spartan slammed his shield into the creatures head, sending it flying back. He didn't stop moving as the second tried to come from behind, he quickly slashed at it, cutting deep into its face.
The beast roared as it leaned back, allowing the second to try and strike again. This time, Leo held the shield up, allowing the creature to slam into it. The Spartan didn't even budge as the blow hit, leaving the audience gasping. Leo grit his teeth as he started pushing back, moving the creature's head ever so slightly, allowing him enough leverage to shove and slam his shield downward, knocking the creature into the cold ground.
"Time to end this…" The leader muttered as he suddenly lowered his shield down, slamming his leg into a button. The shields edge suddenly roared to life, spinning like a buzz saw, as he slammed it down. The saw blade ripped through the creature like butter, slicing its head clean off. The other head roared as it tried to avenge it's other half, only for Leo to turn around and throw his shield ala Captain America style, the buzz saw blade cutting it in half.
The Spartan held his hand to the sky in victory, knowing that his team was perfectly fine in handling these creatures, and, to his credit, they weren't actually in any danger. Josephine had jumped to the left, right into the mass of the Beowolves. On the bright side, the pack had split up to take on someone else, but it was still a large group of the monsters.
Josephine drew her weapon, a saber and went to work. The blade flashed as it cleaved through the creatures, leaving halves to fall to the floor. It wasn't difficult, however, especially since Beowolves were some of the weakest forms of Grimm. However, one misstep was all it took for a claw to shove her against the wall, those watching gasped as the creature raised its paw for a final blow. It didn't see that Josephine had a smirk, she dropped her sword, reached over and pulled out her scabbard. She yelled a battle cry as it transformed into a pump action shotgun, the creature didn't have time to yelp as she pulled the trigger, sending it flying.
The rest of the creatures roared as they charged, only to get a similar fate. The teen in red smiled as she brought the barrel up and blew away the smoke like a badass, before strolling to meet with Leo as he pumped into the air. Willow, however, got one of the shorter ends of the stick, she jumped right into a smaller group of Beowolves that happened to have an Alpha level Beowolf Grimm.
The normal ones attacked first, Willow quickly drew her huge claymore and cleaved through three of them in a single stroke. The second wave fell in a similar manner, that's when the alpha ran in. Willow swung her sword in a downward arc, only for the beast to catch it with its paw.
"Oh, shi…" Will muttered as the creature threw her, right into a more open space were the Grimm would have more room to maneuver. The highlander smiled as she reached into her pocket, pulling out a blue Dust crystal. A slot opened at the base of her blade and she slide it in as the younger Grimm charged her, Willow's smile grew as she swung her blade at the ground. Ice erupted from the area, creating spikes that the Grimm impaled themselves on.
The older Grimm roared as it charged, Willow quickly slammed her blade into the earth, icing it to become like a hockey rink. The creature roared as it slipped and fell down, flying past the teen. It flew into a nearby dune, the Grimm roared as it got to its feet. Willow smirked, however, as the slot flew open, and she let the Dust loose. The creature roared as it charged, only for it to be frozen slowly as it got close. Its claws stopped only a few inches from her face, the highlander laughed as she slammed the butt of the blade into it, shattering it.
The highlander walked into the middle of the arena alongside Josephine and Leonidas, who was still holding his hand up. That's when the crowd gasped, the trio turned to see that Teddy was actually being slammed upon by the second King Taijitu. The crowd's eyes wouldn't leave the sight as Teddy was buried deep into the rock, leaving him almost certainly dead. The Grimm shifted its sights to the trio, who readied their weapons, ready to avenge their fallen comrade. That's when a voice filled the air.
"YOU THINK THAT WILL KILL A BULL MOOSE?" Teddy's voice rang out as he climbed out of the hole, barely looking any worse for wear. He popped his neck like a badass before pulling out his weapon, a lever action rifle with a bowie knife bayonet. The Grimm roared as it charged him again, the teen simply started firing shot after shot, each shot hitting the Grimm, forcing it back. It roared in frustration as the second head sneaked around, ready for a surprise attack.
Teddy laughed as he turned around, slamming his bayonet into the creatures face. It roared in agony as the teen ripped it out, before, without looking, firing a shot that hit the other one, this time blowing its brains out. The other head tried to rise, but Teddy planted his foot on its face. The barrel suddenly opened up, letting the knife fall free. The cowboy grabbed it and slammed it down hard, not needed, but he decided he might as well showboat.
The crowd erupted into applause as the team stepped into the circle, all of them doing various signs of victory. Leonidas was pumping his fist, Willow was swinging her sword around like a madman, Josephine just calmly bowed, and Teddy? Well, he put his rifle back together, and slung it on his back and started intensity than the rest. Emerald and Mercury put away their scrolls as they got up and walked away, ready to report to Cinder.
A few hours later, aboard the Atlas Flagship…
"Do you see any problems?" A random soldier asked Jessie, who was at a computer screen on the ship.
"Outside of the fact that you need better Grimm, no, nothing out of the ordinary." Jesse said, taking a sip of coffee.
"Well…then…" The soldier said, only for Jesse to cut him off.
"I know, time to go back to the cell, been through this before." The prisoner said as he got to his feet, stretching his medium size frame along the way. He held out his hands, allowing them to be cuffed as he was led away. Jesse was soon back in his cell, a simple white room with a white bed and a nightstand bolted to the wall. He also had a plain bathroom and shower, nothing that would allow him to escape of course.
The prisoner's handcuffs were taken off as he went in, so he went to the shower, taking off his clothes as he went. The hot water took some of the stiffness out of his joints as he cleaned off. The man got out and put on a towel to cover himself, had to dry off somehow and he decided to air drive, if the cameras caught his nether regions, well, hopefully they liked what they saw. As he sat down, he pulled out a book from his nightstand, a copy of 'The Thief and the Butcher,' and started reading. An hour passed, maybe two, but suddenly the lights in his room flickered.
"I know your there," Jesse said without looking up from his book, a figure stepped out of the shadows. It was a female, she wore red, had a huge katana at her hips, and wore a Grimm mask, "Tell me, Raven, did you bring me something?"
The woman through him something, the man chuckled as he pulled out a cigarette.
"Got a light?" The man asked, Ravens hands moved quickly and her sword's blade heated up and soon, he got his light.
"You know, that brand is hard to find." The woman said, earning a laugh from the prisoner.
"Of course it is, only tobacco product to not use tobacco, all the wonders of tobacco, none of the risk. It's a wonder why it hasn't caught on," Jesse said with a laugh, taking a drag, "Though…I imagine that this isn't a social call for you to give me some smokes."
"I needed to talk to you, things have started happening." Raven said, earning a look from Jesse.
"Yeah, Grimm getting into the city, White Fang going quiet right after, definitely suspicious. Though…not enough for Ozpin or Ironwood to ask for my help." Jesse said, taking another drag.
"They haven't? Never mind that…I needed to ask you…that request I made from you?" Raven said, hoping that Jesse would catch on.
"Yeah, of course it still stands, Yang Xiao Long is under my protection. Any problem arrives, I'll deal with it, whatever the cost." Jesse stated, getting a sigh of relief from Raven.
"Tell me, why are you here?" Raven asked suddenly, getting a laugh from Jesse.
"The refreshments," The prisoner said, stopping his laughter as Raven gave him a hard stare, "OK, in truth? No reason to leave, Council ordered Ironwood keep me here, if something that arises that needs my attention, they'll call me out."
"Interesting…" Raven said, something in her voice tipped Jesse that something was off.
"What, what's going on?" The prisoner asked, much more concerned now.
"It's nothing, tell me…could you escape this place if you needed too?" Raven asked, getting a scoff from the man.
"You think they actually are holding me? The only reason I'm still here is because I let myself stay, nothing more, nothing less. They couldn't stop me from leaving if they tried." Jesse said, earning a chuckle from Raven.
"I know, I just needed to hear it…take care, Jesse Stampede, be warned…you might be needed a lot sooner than you think…" Raven said, before she disappeared in a red light. Jesse stood sitting down, puffing thoughtfully on his smoke.
"OK, somethings not right…I sure hope Ozpin knows what he's doing…" Jesse said as he leaned over and flicked off the light near him, shrouding him in darkness.
At Beacon…
Cinder frowned as she looked at a newly arrived message, it was from Torchwick. Why would he risk contacting her like this? Did he know the kind of danger he was causing to the entire plan? Cinder growled as she opened the message, only for her eyes to widen in shock, worry, and fear.
"Cinder, I've made a recent discovery aboard our dear friend Ironwood's vessel, Jesse Stampede is here. It seems like he's a prisoner, but he's been given access to data. I don't think I need to tell you what would happen if he gets wind of the operation, on the bright side, he's still a prisoner, but if even half the legends are true. I don't need to tell you what he's capable of. Hugs and kisses, Roman." Is what the letter read.
Cinder looked around, the dorm was empty, Emerald had left to start infiltrating RWBY and Mercury was off to try and get some info on Rick Grimmes. On top of that, she had just received word that the White Fang had assigned a new commander to the task force meant to take down this…team that Ozpin was assembling with ROSA and EMBR, but this? This required her full attention, Jesse was not only a capable fighter, but a capable detective, hunter, and hunter killer. She needed evidence to break him…
That's when suddenly the smell of blood filled the air, she looked up to see a face shrouded by a mask and a hat, all that was visible was his burning eyes. She recoiled in fear as the man reached for her, his hand seemed to pass right through her. She blinked suddenly, only to find that the man had gone. She looked around, shocked and scared. He was no were to be found, Cinder sighed loudly.
This night was extremely stressful, she just needed some rest right now. She flicked off the lights, not seeing the face staring at her through the window, before disappearing all together…
What's this? An update after I said to wait? Well…a certain someone made a point about the last chapter that made me write this one, so NOW is the hiatus till we get more info.
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