… So to sum it up; what we call extremism is what the Estalians call normal, and what they call extremism, is what we call insanity.— The Realms of the South: Estalia, land of glory, faith, and swordplay. Written by Eberhardt Festcrift, Chancellor to the University of Altdorf.
The vision shattered and Pyrrha Nikos fell into something soft. So tired… She tried to open her eyes but found that all her strength had mysteriously disappeared… I must have dreamt the whole thing up. The champion felt a measure of reassurance that she could probably have another try at befriending Juan, and went back to sleep in her bedroll. Which a part of her mind noted felt less like a bedroll, and more like relatively soft flesh, and that she was rather upright. Wait a minute…
"Amazing." An accented voice disturbed her slumber, and she forced open her eyes to find herself in the arms of Juan Arc. "I must admit, Nikoritã, that this feeling is akin to no other!"
I WASN'T DREAMING!?
The inappropriate nature of the situation she found herself in drove her to scrounge up whatever strength was in her limbs to get back on her feet. Yes, She was lonely, but this was too soo— not the right way to start a relationship. Pyrrha could tell that he was well-versed in these sorts of matters, and it would mar her chances of getting a friend if she made him think she wanted to go further than that, so she pushed him away, but this caused her to fall down as she had no strength left in her legs whatsoever.
"Woah there!"
Or she would have, had not the lightning-quick reflexes from the blond grabbed her and swiftly taken her back into his arms.
"Are you feeling ill, Pyrrha?" He pressed a hand on her forehead.
Is this really the same person who witnessed an execution without flinching? She opened her mouth to ask, but then she froze when he stroked her ponytail.
"Listen if there's a reason why you can't tell, then I understand completely. However for now just rest and gather your strength."
The kind words calmed her and she looked up to see gentle blue eyes that no evil person could have. They can't be the same, I refuse to believe it. She nodded and coughed to ease her dry throat. "It's nothing Juan, just aura unlocking fatigue."
"Hah... Silly girl, you could have told me that!" Juan's cheekiness returned and he swiftly started ruffling her hair. "Then we could have done it later, idiot!"
"H-Hey, you needed to heal your wounds."
"Miss, I've dealt with foes far more terrifying than the riff-raff in this place and far more beaten up at that. If you knew you became this tired then you really shouldn't have done it."
"I'm sorry... I did not expect you to have this much aura."
"Does that have anything to do with how fatigued you are at the moment?"
She nodded. "It's like opening a door with something in front of it. The more aura a person has, the more weight is placed in front of the door."
The blond noble gave a devilish smile. "And let me guess. My 'aura' was akin to opening a door to a room filled to the brim with sand?"
"Y-Yeah that's a pretty good way to describe it. How did you know?"
"I'm a unique soul among my peers; few have achieved what I have, and none are as ambitious as myself!" Juan said it with spread out arms and a wink.
However, she was not impressed. "That's a rather arrogant thing to say."
He raised up a finger and wriggled it disapproving at her. "Arrogant is a term used by my enemies, Nikoritã. No, I'm simply at peace with my obsession. All great men must be obsessed with something, the scholar his books, the knight his code, the astronomer his stars."
"... And what are you obsessed with?" Pyrrha's voice came out timid. It felt like whatever answer he gave would either destroy her fears or reinforce them.
"The restoration of Myrmidia's Empire! I will become the hero that restores it!" He raised up a hand and clenched it into a fist, causing a brilliant white light to envelop it. She felt how he almost dropped her in shock as he stared at the glow. "... And it would seem my that 'aura' is a testament to that..." A power hungry grin spread over his face. "Hysh… The White Wind of Order!"
Ozpin grabbed his chest as sudden pain emerged.
"Our last pair has been formed, sir." He felt Glynda walk up to him with her head in her scroll. "Nora Valkyrie and Lie Re— Ozpin, are you alright?"
The pain disappeared as quickly as it came, and he felt himself being able to formulate an answer. "... Must have been the loss of the last cup that got to me." He looked to Glynda for a reaction, but she merely pushed up her glasses uncaringly. Cold as stone, sometimes I wonder why James has a thing for you. His eyes went back to the pair he had been watching on the scroll. "Glynda, would you please go to the feed of Mr. Arc and Ms. Nikos."
Glynda turned back down to her scroll and let out a gasp. "P-Professor Ozpin!"
"No, they are not making out. Go to camera 2."
She swiped a finger over her scroll. "...He's holding her up?"
"That is correct."
"Why?"
"Aura unlock fatigue."
"You must be joking! Pyrrha Nikos is a child prodigy and you would have me believe that this 'Jaune' fellow managed to tap her of all her strength!?"
He felt her glaring at him from the side, but he was far too preoccupied with the amusing scene on his scroll to care. "He's now carrying her like a newlywed bride."
Glynda's scroll fell to the ground and broke. "What is he?" It came out as a whisper, but he heard it nonetheless and chuckled.
"Shall we find out?" He pressed on top of his scroll and the loudspeakers gave sound to the distinguished pair.
This place is amazing.
Juan Arc was experiencing the dream of any hot-blooded Talabeclander male, a rather relaxing stroll through tranquil woods without having to watch every flickering shadow for a Brayherd or some other nameless monstrosity. The wind fondled his hair, birds sang in the trees, and a fine redhead was in his arms. Yes, he would make sure that this was a well-known part of his legend, so he could bask in the jealous glares of those tree-fondlers.
"L-Let me down, Juan!"
He let out a blissful sigh and looked down at the blushing girl. "Now now, Nikoritã. You should enjoy the experience! An incalculable number of female authors have written about this very situation."
"Yes, b-but this is different!"
"Really?" His voice dipped into fake confusion. "A marvelous young heroine in the arms of a dashing duelist! Seems to me that we fit those criteria, no?"
"Well yeah, but…"
"You don't find me dashing?"
"No, it's not that! You're kind, courageous, and It's just all so sudd— you're teasing me aren't you?"
The Diestro let out a heartfelt laugh. "Did you know, you're really cute when you flustered?"
She blushed harder as he expected, but instead of turning happy, she turned miserable. "Please, let me down."
The green eyes that she now had was vulnerable, too vulnerable, and it made him feel sick. "Pyrrha." He knew what he had to do. "I swear on my noble name, that yes I do find it pleasant to carry you, but I'm doing it because there is no place safer for you than in my arms." He let go of the teasing, the arrogance, the intensity and said the truth from his heart.
This did not go unnoticed by Pyrrha, whose expression went through a lot of different emotions before finally stopping on a soft smile. "Okay, I trust you."
He smiled back at her. "And I will live up to that trust."
"Good." She relaxed in his arms. "Then what more can a girl ask for?"
The serious attitude evaporated and he felt at ease."Hey, does that mean I can start teasing... You..."
"What's wrong?"
"... Tighten your stomach."
"W-Why?"
"Shut up and do it!"
He felt her tighten her body and threw her over his left shoulder.
"J-J-J-J-J-J-JUAN!?"
"Quiet, I'm trying to concentrate."
"B-B-B-Bu—"
Damnit how many are there!? His eyes searched to the left, where the view revealed something that countless males must have dreamt of seeing. She wears them black… Can't have distractions on the battlefield, though. He reached for the mini skirt.
"B-B-But t-t-th— AAAH!?"
And pulled it back down, so it could once again cover her modesty.
"... D-Did you see it?"
"Yeah, nice choice."
"Oh, that's a relief, I was sure you saw my pa—"
His audacity paid off and the pretty girl on his shoulder froze completely, giving him enough time to notice a bush briefly move against the breeze. Found you.
"YOU DID!?"
The Diestro felt his blood pump and unsheathed his blade. "Let's make a deal, Nikoritã. When the birds start singing again, I'll put you down. How does that sound?"
"YOU UNBELIV— Wait, what are you talking abo—"
A Beowolf jumped out of the anticipated bush set on cleaving Pyrrha's head off. He shot to the side with a crescent turn, causing the Grimm to miss and fumble, and slammed his sword down through the Grimm's neck, pinning it to the ground. This is a picnic compared to Lustria's jungles where the birds kept singing cheerfully as one was attacked by all manners of carnivorous reptiles! The Conquistador arose from his bend knee with a chuckle and pulled the blade out from the dead monster. "I must thank you, Pyrrha." He threw his sword up in the air and looked over his shoulder to the shocked girl.
She raised her hands and rubbed her forehead as if her head was hurting. "You… How… When did you... Never mind, why are you thankfu— SWORD!"
The sword came spinning back down, but he had anticipated it, and casually held the scabbard out to the side. Just in time for the blade to fall down and sheath itself perfectly into place."Why I must thank you for being my first girl to have on my shoulder as I kill something!"
He sent the last word off with a wink, and Pyrrha's face went again through all kinds of emotions before settling on a blank expression. "...You really like showing off, don't you?"
"Now you are starting to get me, haha!"
"Ugh… Why couldn't I have partnered up with someone normal."
"Hah! Like we're not having the times of our lives right now!"
She smiled and let out a sigh. "I guess you're right, but I do wish you could turn it down just a 'little' bit."
"Well, then I have great news for you! Try and listen closely to our surroundings."
Her green eyes blinked with confusion before widening in happiness. "The birds are singing!"
"Correct! So as a true man I will enact my promise."
He placed her down gently and Pyrrha lit up like a small sun. "Thank you... You're a real gentleman you know that, Juan?"
"I merely try to surpass what is expected of me."
"So how did you know I had the strength to stand?"
"When you managed to tighten your stomach."
"Ah, I see. Well, thanks again for— YOU WHAT!?" She pointed a judging finger at him with a flustered face. "You could have let me down before the Beowolf attacked and you still held onto me!?"
"Hey now, look at it from my perspective, when would I ever have the option of holding a pretty girl like yourself in my arms?"
The blush that emerged made Pyrrha's face appear redder than her hair, and she looked down to fix her skirt. "... I might be okay with it if you ask me about it when we're alone…"
Juan felt happiness swell in his chest. "You mean that!? Truly, Myrmidia has blessed me more than any man in history!" For some reason, his partner began to fondle her skirt even faster. Yeah… This place is without a doubt, amazing. A euphoric sigh escaped him. "Pyrrha Nikos."
She stopped and looked up at him with curious green eyes. "Yes, Juan?"
He flashed her a true Estalian grin. "I'm happy we became partners."
Her eyes widen before she gave him a smile that was akin sun's warm rays. "I feel the same way."
Silence, utter awkward silence filled the cliff top where Ozpin was furiously looking at the forest below. "Glynda, has our deranged student finally stopped putting Ms. Nikos in indecent positions, or does actually wish to send us both to Jail?" He never thought it was possible for so many things to go wrong in one day. First his last cup of cocoa had somehow evaporated into thin air, then Pyrrha Nikos had gotten herself partnered up with Jaune Arc, whose immense aura reserves where only outmatched by his sheer delusion, and lastly, that same dual personality nut-job had almost shown them Pyrrha's undies when he threw her onto his shoulders. If I hadn't reacted fast enough and closed the scroll, then I would have found myself in a cell with a bull Fanus named Brian! The only positive was that at least he found out who had dropped the armor in the bathroom.
"From what I can hear, it seems he has finally put her down."
Ozpin looked to his assistant, who was wearing headphones to hear what was happening, instead of seeing it. "Good then put the feed online, and let's hope that we won't have any more situations that could send us to jail."
"Sir, there was no mention of Mr. Arc suffering from dissociative identity disorder on his transcripts, so is it possible that it manifested afterward?"
"I'm unsure about that theory. Recall how he wrote that he was 'a badass knight', while now he has suddenly mastered a completely opposite fighting style. No matter how delusional one is, it will never give one the skill of a master."
"So Jaune Arc's condition is something not linked to psychology?"
"Precisely. This 'Juan' personality still uses the same last name, so it could be a semblance connected to ancestry."
"You're telling me that Jaune Arc's ancestor was a flirty swordsman?"
"Jaune Arc does have seven sisters."
"... Touche, but I'm not sure we should let this 'Juan' personality stay this close to Pyrrha… What if he does something to her?"
"That will not happen as even with his surreal amount of aura. I still can't imagine him being able to overpower Ms. Nikos."
"True, but what if?"
"Then I expect you to show him what we do with filth."
Glynda nodded and a huge tree got ripped in half.
"Good, you understand my point. Now let's resume our watching before we draw any conclusions."
Juan shuddered. Weird, I feel threatened... But there are no foes around? He continued moving towards the bush where the Beowolf had emerged. Could it be magi—! A familiar faint metallic smell touched his nostrils.
"Is something the matter, Juan?" Pyrrha's concerned voice ran out behind him.
"... Pyrrha how familiar are you with the consequences of conflict?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
He turned and faced her. "Can you handle seeing a corpse?" His voice came out more cold than her would have liked, but he had to be sure.
The red-haired girl flinched before nodding. "... I knew there was a risk, but I never expected it to happen so soon."
"Okay, but still… Prepare yourself." The Diestro did two quick cuts and the bush revealed its gruesome secret and Pyrrha gasped. A dead student laid in the grass, mangled to such a degree that pieces of his bowels could be seen atop nearby branches. Worst of all was the sheer look of despair on the student's pale face. He inspected the corpse and found the reason why the student had not screamed for aid. "The beast silenced him by stabbing its fangs into his throat, as the three wounds on his neck indicate."
"… I think he first depleted his aura and then landed next to the Beowolf, Juan."
"What makes you say that?"
"If you look at the tree further ahead, you can see it has a depression in the bark, meaning that the student flew into the tree before falling down into the jaws of the Grimm."
"Good observation. Now a moment of silence, please..." He crouched down next to the corpse with respect. As a faithful Myrmidian, he lacked the knowledge of Morr's burial rites, but even he knew a few classical prayers to the divine Patriarch of Dead. "Dabo pacem in Morr's velamen, fratre."
I give you peace in Morr's veil, brother.
He then placed a hand on the dead student's forehead and gently closed the boy's eyes, before doing the same on himself. A faint ruffle of grass sounded and he peeked open an eye to find Pyrrha mirroring his actions on the opposite side of the corpse. The swordsman gave a minuscule smile of approval, before closing his eye once more. "Mortem advenio, quemadmodum solis emergo unusque mane."
Death comes, just as the sun emerges each morning.
"Fac non pugna adversus illud. Haec quod tantummodo finis autem vestra obrussa in vitam."
Do not fight against it. This is merely the end of your life's test.
"Conpedes de delor religo tu heac mundus. Diminserunt eos evansecet in conqinitionis quod mortuus sollictus quie vester ratio."
Chains of regret bind you to this world. Let them disappear in the knowledge that you died striving for your ideal.
"Hic discipulus de Myrmidia, minimus ex ea Diestros, misit te ad amplexus ex ea pater."
This follower of Myrmidia, the least of her Diestros, sends you to the embrace of her father.
"Licet effodiant corvi congrego ut tu cedo imperium de Morr."
May ravens gather as you venture to Morr's realm.
A sense of tranquillity emerged, and Juan figured that his feeble attempt at prayers had pleased the watcher of bones. "It's done."
"That was a beautiful language you used, Juan."
"It is known as classical where I am from, said to be the very language of the gods, so some theologians theorize that prayers hold more sway if they are spoken in this manner." Now the prayers had been said, and thus the Diestro knew what to do next.
"Is that why you said it like th— WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
He stopped turning the corpse and looked to the redhead, who seemed strangely upset. "I'm looting the corpse for valuables." Juan then resumed turning the body over and smiled when he found something he had missed deeply beneath it.
"I thought you were all about respecting the dead?" Pyrrha asked incredulously.
"I am, but the dead has no need for weapons." He stood up and spun the gift from the deceased around in his hand. "But I do." A Tilean stiletto dagger glinted dangerously in the sunlight, and there was no doubt in his mind that the weapon was rejoicing over being wielded by a proper swordsman.
Dammit, now I have to do another emergency parent talk. Ozpin let out the deep sigh that had been building since the initiation and pressed the mute button. "Glynda."
"Sir?"
"Prepare a message to Mr. Arc's parents about their son's condition."
"What about the dead student: Tony Hanser?"
"Oh yeah... Get Professor Peach to deal with that."
He unmuted the scroll.
"You kept mentioning 'Morr' when you prayed, Juan."
"Morr is the god of death, so I was bound to pray to him in this situation."
"I thought you worshipped, Myrmidia?"
"I do. But I'm not so dim-witted to not pay any homage to her divine family."
"Her divine family?"
"Si. Myrmidia's family is made up of her father, Morr, the god of Death; her mother Verena, the goddess of Justice; and lastly her younger sister, Shallya, the goddess of healing. Myrmidia herself has the grandest honor as she is the goddess of civilization... But matters of religion is best spoken about under a starry night, so let's keep the subjects lighthearted from now on."
"If you say so… Do you have siblings?"
"I have two bro— argh, my head!?"
He lost his accent?
"Is something the matter, Juan?"
"Urgh… Yeah, I've just gotten a huge headache all of a sudden… And to answer your question, Nikoritã, I have seven sisters."
"Sir, did you hear?"
"Yes, I heard it."
The accent disappeared briefly, and he now suddenly remember his sisters… Could it be…
"Must have been fun... I'm an only child."
"Sorry to hear that. Did your father lose it in combat?"
"Lose what in combat?"
"Did he lose his ability to make babi— Pyrrha, does this aura stuff heal headaches? Because it feels like I got a Mousillon swamp worm eating my brain!"
"If it's not a natural headache then it should help."
Ozpin zoomed closer in on the boy, as what would happen next would either confirm or disprove his theory.
"By Myrmidia…"
Bingo.
"T-Two auras?"
A golden aura that closely resembled the foam that one could find upon waves, was now present on the boy's white aura.
"Aw man… I wanted to be known as The Diestro Del Hysh! But alas my soul resonates more with the likes of Bretonnian Paladins as it would seem..."
"There there, Juan. Aura color has nothing to do with your soul, besides dual colored auras are quite rare."
That is correct Pyrrha Nikos. The Headmaster allowed a smile to come out. But this is not the case here.
"What now, Sir?"
"Let's us not discriminate our students by showing favoritism, and resume to watch the other students, Glynda."
"If you say so, but what about the message to Mr. Arc's parents."
"Put it aside for now, as I have a theory about Mr. Arc's condition." He swiped to another video feed, showing Ruby Rose pointing at a Giant Nevermore atop a tree, while her partner, Weiss Schnee, was furiously shaking her head from side to side.
The charging Beowolf met a gruesome end, as Yang gave it an uppercut and then send it flying through the forest with a double blast from her shot-gauntlets, Ember Celica. "Did you see that, Blake!? Four trees with one Grimm! Ha! That's a personal record!"
"Should you really be so casual about this?" The sober voice of her newly made partner came out between gunshots.
"Lighten up, Blake! It's just— Hargh!" She shot her gauntlets and flew towards an upright standing Beowolf. "A minor warm up!" Her fist smashed into the Grimm's chest and made it into mush. "I got 3! How many did you get?"
"Are we really doing this, Yang?"
She turned and gave her black-haired partner a smirk. "We've killed all of them, so now we must do a countdown."
Blake sighed and stared back for a moment, before showing a mischievous smile. "I got 5 so that makes me the winner."
"Dang it!" She kicked a small pile of leaves, which made her partner break out into a small giggle. "I'll get you next time, Blake. Hope we run into some more Grimm on the way to the temple."
"We must be pretty close to the abandoned temple, so I wouldn't count on it."
"Aw…" They continued forward in friendly silence and saw an abandoned circular ruin further ahead. "Think this is it?"
Blake nodded. "Only an idiot would mistake the abandoned temple for something else."
"Are you certain this is the abandoned temple, Juan?"
"Certainly Nikoritã. Caves are natural made temples that only requires a few uplifting touches to complete. Why, If you look closely to the right side you can see tribal engravings resembling a bunch of people cornering a giant scorpion, so this must be some kind of cave-temple dedicated to an ancient scorpion deity."
"... I don't think so, Juan. It looks eerily close to a Deathstalker to me."
"Deathstalker?"
"Giant Grimm scorpion."
"Hm… Could be, but I fail to see the point, as there is no way this 'Deathstalker' could have gotten into the tiny entrance."
"Maybe they chased the Deathstalker into the cave, and sealed it off afterward?"
"Hah! I fail to see how any man could allow it, but if that's the case, then we'll do what the cowards could not and kill it!"
Pyrrha smiled at the boy's amazing confidence. "But then how are we supposed to go into the cave without any light to guide us?"
"Watch." Her partner went over to a nearby tree and took a branch; then he cut off a piece of his poncho and wrapped it around the top of the branch. Lastly, his hand went down into his blue pants and pulled out a lighter to set alight the cloth. The boy then turned to her with the newly made torch and gave a wink that made her heart flutter. "Come on."
She followed him as he went into the cave. Is it starting to get warmer? They had walked for a short while when a gradual change in heat had happened. Is it because I'm alone with him?
"Pyrrha, do you feel that?"
She almost fell over. He feels the same way!? She steeled her nerves before answering. "Yes, It's getting warmer."
"Yeah and for some reason my head is pounding once again! Argh! What is going on with me!? Suddenly, I feel regretful of my actio—" A huge stinger came rushing out of a side tunnel, aimed directly at her partner's head. Time seemed to slow down as the adrenaline coursed through their veins. The boy dropped the torch and pulled out his sword to pierce the incoming stinger with a horizontal stab. But only a person with a superhuman strength could ever dream to pierce the hardened exoskeleton.
NO! She activated her polarity semblance and pulled the sword with all her magnetic might. She had no idea if she made it in time as the stinger continued forward and caused a blinding dust cloud to appear. "JUAN!"
The torch hit the ground and time resumed to normal.
"Garghahaha!" A white and golden shockwave blew the dust away and revealed Juan holding death away by gripping the stinger-pierced sword on each side. "Was that metal manipulation I felt, Pyrrha Nikos!?" A crater was now around the blond boy, but he seemed to not care, as he was grinning madly with his mixed aura flaring around him. "You can explain to me your power over a cup of coffee, but for n— HAR!" He pushed up the stinger so it pierced the stone behind him, and pulled up his legs just in time to dodge a giant claw that aimed to decapitate his lower half. "But for now, flee! As we can't fight in so little space!"
"I'm not leaving without you!"
The Deathstalker shrieked in fury and yanked out its stinger, and slammed the boy up in the stone ceiling. "DAMMIT, WOMAN! IF I DON'T SEE YOU RUNNING AWAY RIGHT NOW, THEN I'M TELLING THE ENTIRE SCROLL-NET ABOUT YOUR PREFERENCE IN LINGERIE!" Even after getting slammed up in the ceiling, her partner still wouldn't let go of his sword.
"I DON'T CARE! I'M NOT LEAVING WITHOUT YOU!"
Silence fell over the tunnel, and even the Deathstalker came out of the side tunnel to stare at her with ten glowing red eyes. The silence lasted about two seconds before Juan roared with laughter, triggering the Grimm back into action. "I've commanded veteran soldiers with less balls than you!"
"I-I don't have balls!"
"Yes you do, on that big chest of yours!"
She instinctively pulled up her arms to cover her chest. "What is wrong with you!?"
"Ah, spare me! It's just the minor concussion that is making me ramble... But seriously, If you don't run..." The blond dodged another claw attack and pulled up his legs to clasp them firmly around the stinger. "Then you die."
What does he mean by th— oh. Pyrrha realized that the Deathstalker could no longer reach the sword-wielder, and even worse the Grimm realized that as well because its ten angry eyes shifted to her instead.
"Chess pieces?"
Yang nodded at her partner's words; Now that they had finally come to the ruin, it was obvious that the relics were chess pieces, in the way that each piece had been put on a stone pedestal. "Some of them are missing. Looks like we weren't the first ones here." She felt annoyed. Has he already picked his relic and left?
"Well… I guess we should pick one."
"Do you think what we pick will have any significance?"
"Since we're partnered up in pairs, and teams are made up of four, then I'm quite sure that our pick will be the deciding factor in who we form teams with."
"So... Matching pairs gets teamed up?"
"It could be like that, or it could be the pieces of different colors get put in one team." Her black haired-partner gave her a small smile. "If you want to team up with someone in particular, then you should consider the piece that he is most likely to pick."
"Got it. Then I'll take the golden knight piec— hey, how did you know I want to partner up with a guy!?"
Blake looked back at her with cunning eyes. "You do? I had no idea. Guess I got lu—"
A sound of an explosion followed by a shriek of a furious Grimm echoed out through the forest. "Blake, did you hear that!?"
"Yes, but I also heard your little sister somewhere above."
"What do you mea—"
"Heads up!"
Ruby! She looked up and saw the terrifying sight of her baby sister plummeting to her death. But then a red blur shot out of the forest and snatched her sister mid-air before flying into a nearby treetop.
"Did your sister just fall from the sky?"
"I—"
She didn't have time to answer as a struggling Ursa burst out of the forest with a ginger riding it's back. "Yeehaw!" The ginger then used her giant two-handed hammer to slam it into the Grimm's back like a massive riding crop. At the fourth hammer slam the Ursas spine finally caved in and the Grimm toppled over dead. Yang almost felt sorry for it, unlike the crazy girl that actually was sad. "Aww. It's broken."
Getting kinda crazy… I feel like I've seen her somewhere? A boy wearing green clothes came rushing out of the forest and then it clicked for Yang. It's the pair from the locker room!
"Nora… Please... Don't ever do that again." The boy was struggling to get his breath, and it was obvious that he had been running for quite a while. She focused her attention back on the hyperactive girl. No way… And found that the girl had disappeared. She wasn't the only one that realized it as the boy started looking everywhere.
"I'm Queen of the castle~! I'm Queen of the castle~!" A voice out of nowhere started singing and Yang looked behind her and saw the ginger spinning around with a rook relic on her head.
"NORA!"
The girl stopped mid spin and did a soldier salute with a smile. "Coming Ren!"
"... Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?"
She rubbed her eyes and looked to her confused partner. "I—"
Another interruption came as the same Grimm shriek sounded out, and the world famous Pyrrha Nikos ran out of the forest with a huge Deathstalker chasing her.
"And did Pyrrha Nikos just run all the way here with a Deathstalker on her tail?... And isn't that Juan's sword in its stinger."
Yang's blood turned cold as her partner's words hit her. Did he die while fighting the Deathstalker?
"By Myrmidia. This is getting absurd even by my standards."
You're right, Juan. It's not like a simple deathstalker could kill yo— Juan!? She snapped her neck up to the treetop and saw the poncho-wearing blond walk out on a branch while carrying her little sister as if she were a newlywed bride. "J—"
"Juan!" The third interruption, this time by the lucky redhead that had partnered up with the blond, if the sword in the stinger of the deathstalker was any indication. yet, the most annoying thing was that the interruption caused both Juan and Ruby to look at Pyrrha while being completely oblivious of her and Blake.
"I'm alright, Pyrrha. The gods made me experience this… Disgrace, so I could assist little Miss Rose here."
"Awww thanks, Juan!"
"I'm glad b—"
"Just run around in circles, Pyrrha."
"B-Bu—"
"No buts! Show me that those long legs of yours can be used for something other than looking pretty!"
Okay, now I'm starting to get pissed! Yang was unsure if it was the craziness, the interruptions, or maybe that tiny feeling of jealousy she was feeling, but something was making her grind her teeth.
The charming fencer gently placed down her smiling little sister on the branch. "Give me a sitrep why you fell down, Ruby."
"Got it! Weiss and I decided to try and sneak onto a Giant Nevermore. However, our attack failed when it flew away… While we were still on it."
He blinked a couple times. "So where is Weiss now?" Her little sister simply pointed up in the air, whereby the boy briefly looked up before nodding. "Aha, so this is the situation..." The blond noble then made his finger wet and pointed it up in the air. "So Ruby, what kinda Caliber does your rifle use?"
"Crescent Rose uses 50. DMG rounds."
"So smaller than 72. round bullets?"
"Pfhaha! No one uses round bullets, Juan. Everyone uses spitzer bullets in this age."
"Spitzer bullets?... But they fly at the same velocity as round bullets, yes?"
"No, actually they move 1.5 times faster than round bullets."
Had it been any other situation, then Yang would have smiled at seeing her little sister geeking it out with the blond, but this was definitely not the right time or place for that. "H—"
"1.5 Times faster!? But that would mea—"
"WILL YOU TWO STOP IGNORING ME!?" She reached her boiling point. One thing was the boy making her jealous with all the bride carrying and flirty comments about legs: it was a whole other thing for him to downright ignore her.
Ruby and Juan both turned around, and Ruby's face lit up in happiness. "Hey, Yang!"
She heard it, but she couldn't look away, because a pair of dark blue eyes had seized her. Why is he staring at me like that?... Is it my red eyes?... Does he think it makes me look like a freak? To make matters worse, the boy hadn't said anything, but merely moved over to her little sister and began to whisper something in her ear.
"Yeah, she gets them when she's angry... Oh, you do? Hihi... Sure, give me a sec!" Ruby jumped down and rushed to her. "Big Sis!"
"Ruby?"
Her adorable sister gave her a tight hug. "He said that you look stunning with those red eyes of yours, sis." One eyeblink, two eye blinks, and then the full meaning of the whispered sentence hit her. She looked up to the branch and saw the noble give her a smirk that made every previous flirter look like a dork in comparison. She subconsciously shifted the focus of her eyes to the ground before rushing them back up again, but it was too late, as the boy had already turned around and was looking up in the air.
"Ruby, there's an heiress we need to rescue."
"Got it, Juan" Her little sister stopped hugging her and activated Crescent Rose.
"With the wind speed, we're havi—"
The technical discussion faded away as Yang was distracted by bigger things, Namely, what had just happened between her and the boy. Did I just lose a flirt staredown!? She could feel the superiority ooze out of him as he spoke to her little sister with his back turned. So she challenged him back with a fully focused glare in the back of his neck.
Juan Arc must have felt it because he gave her a bored one-eyed shoulder glance. 'I thought you gave up?' The was no voice, but Yang was sure, that was what his dark blue eye said.
I never give up!
She met the eye with the same force, and he must have heard her because the boredom disappeared and his blue iris turned piercing. 'I've already beaten you, accept your loss with some grace.' It was not a silent sparring like they had done before, no, it was a downright war between them.
I'm not so easy and this is certainly not over!
Unstoppable red met immovable blue, and Yang knew that he was fully focused on her; even while giving orders to her little sister. Then the single blue eye eased 'Good, I wouldn't have it any other way.' He gave her a wink before looking away.
She let out a silent cheer and started air boxing. He's handsome and he's not backing down from my challenge! If it was just the two of us then we could have gotten some real fun going! A feeling of being stared at brought her out of the girl moment, and she noticed Blake was looking at her with a smug smile.
"Someone's in a good mood."
Yang felt her cheeks burn. "I—"
"Fire!" Juan's voice saved her, as Crescent Rose firing took everyone's attention. The bullet flew through the air and landed straight in the face of the flying Nevermore, causing it to drop the heiress from its grip. The fencer then casually strolled back to the tree-trunk, before turning and rushing forward to grab Weiss midair in the same bride carry as Ruby. Yang saw how the rescued girl now had a dreamy look over her face and unconsciously clenched her fist as the boy landed with grace. "Long time no see, my dear Ice Maiden."
"T-Thank you, Juan! You truly are a her—"
Juan threw Weiss onto her feet and rolled to the side to grab an incoming Pyrrha in the same manner. "Missed me, Pyrrha?"
"It's tougher than it looks, Juan. We should regroup an—!?"
The red-haired girl got thrown onto her feet like Weiss, and the boy began walking toward the Deathstalker. "A simple 'yes' would do, Nikoritã." He went forward three steps before looking back at the champion. "Pardon my rudeness, Pyrrha. But that accursed bug separated me from my sword." The blond boy said it with an unnatural frigid tone and resumed his walk forward. "And for some reason; that made me feel infuriated." Something caused Yang to shiver.
"... Is that why you kept holding onto your sword in the cave?" Pyrrha must have hit something intimate because the boy stopped completely.
"Yes... Even though I have never had a problem sacrificing my weapons, I was somehow unable to let go of that sword..."
He held onto the sword while it was stuck in a Deathstalker-stinger in a freaking cave!?
"No matter, Pyrrha. This is the abandoned temple, so I give you the responsibility of retrieving our relic, while I shall reclaim my sword." Without any hesitation, without any fear, not even when the screeching Nevermore announced itself with a furious airborne vendetta, did it change the blond's tempo in his steps. The enraged Nevermore flew over the Deathstalker and threw out a hail of giant, man skewering, black feathers. Juan twisted his shoulder to evade the first incoming feather, then he started spinning while zigzagging, making him skirt around four feathers, before abruptly stopping to squat: dodging a fatal feather that would have severed him in half but now only caused a few severed hairs to drift down to the ground. The boy arose in front of the Deathstalker, only to see a delayed feather too late as it pinned his poncho to the ground.
"JUAN!"
The two monsters gave sounds of amusement: A frenzied caw from the Nevermore above, and a content clicking sound from the Deathstalker as it readied its stinger.
He's not gonna make it! Weiss must have thought the same because she took some kind of stance. Maybe she can do someth—!?
Fear... Fear was something Yang knew deeply. She had once found a clue that could lead her to her missing mother, so she had waited for her dad to leave the house before venturing into the forest with Ruby in a wagon, and then after hours of walking, she made it. An abandoned house stood in front of her, the same house her mother had once used as hunting lounge, but instead of her mother rushing out of the doorway to hug her, red burning eyes filled with hunger had emerged. Yang knew without a doubt that she and Ruby would have died that day if Uncle Qrow hadn't shown up in time to rescue them. She still sometimes had nightmares about it, but no matter how frightful it was, it was nothing compared to the terror she was feeling now. The red eyes of Beowolves had been scary, but the boy's abyss blue eyes were downright horrifying. Shee stopped breathing, and milliseconds turned into hours as the Deathstalker's stinger dove forward to kill the boy. A single glint annoyed her, and she looked above the blue-eyed demon to see a silver dagger nose-dive downwards.
He planned this.
The death glare evaporated into the warm eyes of an announcer, welcoming them to a grand spectacle.
He knew that if we freaked out and thought he got stuck, then the Deathstalker would think the same.
A grin that only a master plotter could show, broke free on the boy's face.
Juan Arc.
He winked at her.
How much do you have hidden beneath that suave exterior?
The dagger snipped the stuck poncho-piece and the boy sidestepped while his hands grabbed the incoming sword handle, and used the Deathstalkers own force to rip open it's damage stinger. The Deathstalker gave an agonizing wail over its destroyed stinger and Juan spun around in a blur before thrusting the entirety of the blade into its red arachnid eye. The wail surged up in pitch, before falling deadly silent, and Yang began to breathe again.
Ah, that felt good! Juan Arc smiled brightly as he turned to the pale onlookers. "Sorry about the scare! But I had to make sure you did not rush into the falling dagger!" Different expressions spread over their faces as answers. Well, better than looking at me as if I were Emmanuelle the Disemboweler, I guess. He then turned back to the beautiful scenery of another hated foe in the dirt. A perfect execution! But maybe it would have been cooler if I grabbed the knife midair before severing off the stuck piec—!?
He tried to pull out the sword but found it firmly lodged into the dead Deathstalker. No, You gotta be kidding me!? Dammed bug-wannabe! You're not keeping my sword! Even though he used all his strength could muster, the sword didn't move an inch. Well this is awkward, but I guess, I have no choice… He then jumped up on the Deathstalker and used his legs, and arms to pull the long-sword with all his might. Not only did you make me spew the most inappropriate comment about Pyrrha's bosom! You're even forcing me into this crude action!? Why if you weren't dead already, I wou—!?
Like a scene out of a bad comedy, the sword suddenly became light as a feather and he flew up in the air before slamming down into the ground. D-Did this just happened? Well, it can't get any worse than this. The sound of Yang's laughter proved him wrong, and the rest of the group followed shortly after. He tried to keep himself from cracking, but the sway was too much and he joined in as well. Laughter filled the area and the blond Diestro noticed the clouds above in the blue sky. Thank you, Myrmidia. He pulled his legs up to his chest, and then kicked himself up onto his feet. Even though I'm quite confused about myself at the moment. Now arisen, he strode towards the group at the circular ruin while picking up the dagger from the ground.
"Psst, Arc."
A feminine voice came out of nowhere and he jumped up in the air. "Dammit Nora, my heart!"
"That's what you get for scaring us girls! Mhm!" She placed a closed fist on her hip and held the colossal two-handed hammer over her shoulder. "But luckily for you, I'm in a good mood, so I, Queen Nora, will let you off the hook, IF!" He blinked and now the Ginger with the strength of five ogres had a golden rook piece in her hand. "You take this as your relic!"
I would have preferred the knight piece, but a golden tower suits me just fine. Juan Arc reached out to take it, but then a memory hit him. "I have to see what relic Pyrrha picked."
"You mean the pale girl back there?" She tiptoed to the side and revealed Pyrrha Nikos marching toward him. "She was about to grab a relic, but then you went all scary-like."
The red-haired girl was looking at him with an expression stuck between concern and judging. Why do I feel like scaring her was the last thing I should have done? She reached him. "Is something wrong, Pyrrha?" He did not like how her green eyes were looking at him, it was the exact same way she had looked at him after unlocking his aura.
"We need to have a serious talk after this."
"Sure... Over a cup of coffee?" He flashed a grin but she did not respond and turned to walk away. Tsk seems like I have to do a bit of mercenary work to earn myself a nice sack of silver coins to treat her something nice. He smiled over the challenge that the cute red-haired girl had provided him, but then something important came to mind. "Can I still trust you with my back?"
She turned and glared at him. "Excuse me?"
Blue eyes glared back. "I must know that whatever I have done to earn your dislike, does not interfere in our partnership." He couldn't resist to try and cut the tension and gave her a smile. "Besides, I'll bring back that cute smile of yours one way or another!" The serious girl turned without responding, but he felt that he had succeeded in easing the tension a bit.
"Pfft women, amirite?"
"Yeah but that's why we love th— Nora!?" The Noble had completely forgotten the hammer wielder.
"That's me! Here you forgot this." She handed him the golden rook piece. Which he accepted without any objections, and after a short walk, they reached the rest of their companions.
"Heya, handsome! That was quite the sting you gave to that Deathstalker."
"Yeah, that was so AWESOME! But I'm still not sure where the dagger came from?"
"He threw the dagger up in the air, while he was spinning around."
The analytic voice from the green wearing boy shocked him. He saw me do it!? He quickly regained his composure. "Nicely spotted, Ren. As expected of my rival." He grinned to the green wearing boy, who on the other hand looked at him like he had done something foolish.
"Arc, do you know what attracts Grimm?"
Attracts Grimm? Surely it must be the flesh of living beings. Yet, something told him there were more to it. "I must admit that unsure about the answer."
"Negative emotions."
Oh. A severe change in everyone's faces made him dread the worst and he looked behind him to see an incalculable number of red eyes gleaming back out of the forest. "I'm sorry, Pyrrha. But I'm afraid that I must withdraw the promise of a chat over coffee."
"What do you mean?"
He pulled out his sword and dagger and glared back at the swarm of red eyes. "It was my ignorance that caused the situation, and it will be my responsibility that makes you all return home safely."
"J-Juan?"
"You can't be serious!?"
"Screw that! You're coming back with us!"
The Diestro frowned at the enraged girls. "I will not have your deaths on my conscious! Retreat while I hold them away as long as I ca— Pyrrha!?" His weapons flew from his hands to his nearby partner.
"You've promised me a chat over a cup of coffee, so you won't get your weapons back until then." Out of the blue, Pyrrha had apparently lost her beef with him and was looking back at him with warm eyes.
"Nice going, Pyrrha! I was about to knock him out myself!"
"Woooow… She can control swords."
"No, Ruby. I'm quite sure she has a magnetic semblance."
The correction from Weiss brought him out of the bewilderment. "Are you insane, woman!? There's a horde of Grimm preparing to charge us! Give me back my weapons, so I can die with honor!"
Pyrrha simply smiled and turned to Nora. "Could you please carpet bomb those Grimm?"
Carpet bomb?
"You felt up Magnhild with your semblance without asking!? How rude!" Nora spun her hammer around and somehow caused its handle to slide into the hammerhead, turning the weapon into an oversized gun of some sort. "But I'll forgive you for it this time, future partner!" She fired the weapon in quick succession, and pink canisters flew out toward the forest, consuming it in six powerful pink explosions that caused the trees to fall into a makeshift barricade.
Juan was actually graceful to Pyrrha for taking his weapons, because he would have dropped them out of shock. I have so many questions, but I swear I'm bringing back a copy of that weapon for Tim! Last I heard he moved to Ostland and signed up as a Maneater there. Meaning I would have to find a way to sneak it past associates of the Imperial Gunnery School and the College of Engineering, which means avoiding the road through Pavarron to Reikland. Not that I would have gone that way though, the tolls are obscene and I don't mind fighting off Greenskins, unlike the merchants. The thrill of discovering a new powerful weapon disappeared under the seriousness of the situation. "Okay everyone, listen up!" Every pair of eyes turned to him, and he felt the exhilaration of authority once again. "Nora here has just given us a small gap to go over tact—"
"Juan."
"-ics, therefore, it's crucial that we each give a summary of our strengths and weakness so I can put my Myr—"
"Juan."
"-midian tactics into action. Now, I am a Diestro, which means I'm more of a single target specia—"
"Juan."
"Yes, Blake! What is it!?"
"The giant Nevermore is circling back."
The Diestro followed the eyes of the black-haired girl, and true enough the avian Grimm was closing in. "... Then the scale of power has tipped to our enemies advantage, thanks for the observation, Blake."
"Your welcome."
"Uh, Juan, our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the cliffs… We don't have to fight these things."
He snapped to the scythe wielder. "That flying abomination almost claimed the lives of both you, and your partner?"
"I know."
"Then you would let such a thing live!?"
She met him with firm eyes. "I will not risk my friend's lives if I don't have to! Besides there's a bridge with a ruined tower leading straight to cliff not too far from here."A group cheer was heard, but the blond's thoughts took priority.
She follows 'that' philosophy, I see. Someone mentioned his name and everyone turned to him. He smiled at that and especially on what he would do next. "Then lead the way, Ruby."
From her shocked expression, that was the last thing she had expected to hear from him, and the like water in a collapsing dam her happiness flooded out. "I will! C'mon everyone! Follow me!"
She started to run, and Juan Arc, like the rest of the group, joined in right behind her. You're still naive, however, If my theory is correct then an event will soon occur, that will give you a small lesson. He slowed his speed so he came right next to the green wearing boy. "Prepare yourself for combat when we reach the tower." Ren looked at him for a moment, before nodding. Blake, who was further ahead, suddenly glared back at him and with judging amber eyes. It caught him off guard, but he concluded it was just a coincidence, after all. His low voice could only reach his intelligent rival, and not the black bow wearing girl further ahead. He gave her a smile, and she glared back harder, before looking away. Tsk, what a strange girl.
The cliff and the weird bridge-tower building that Ruby had talked about, came into view. A furious shriek sounded out and the Giant Nevermore flew over them and landed upon the ruined tower. I love it when everything goes according to plan! He grinned like a wolf and took action. "Listen up everyone! I want pairs together an— SPREAD OUT!" They ran to cover behind some stone pillars, just as the Grimm flew up and unleashed a barrage of spear-sized feathers. "I want that oversized chicken on a plate! Nora bomb it!"
"You got it!" She jumped out of cover and fired a couple of canisters on the bird, causing it to fly away.
"Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Blake, you four rush atop the tower and find a way to bring down the Grimm! Ren, Nora, Pyrrha, you three provide cover fire!"
"What about you?"
Grimm howls sounded out behind them.
"I'll deal with the chaff! NOW GO!" He grabbed Pyrrha and pressed her against the pillar as the others rushed forward.
"J-Juan?"
"I'm giving you command, make sure that the Nevermore do not shatter the bridge, or we will all die here, afterward you three join me as we hold the line in front of the bridge."
"Of course!"
"Oh and one last thing." He snatched his weapon from her hands with a wink. "Don't die, because I hate drinking coffee alone." She answered back with a smile and ran after the group.
So…
He walked out in the open and tested the sharpness of the dagger on his finger, before healing the cut with a grin.
How many can I kill before the cavalry arrives?
A Beowolf rushed out and attacked with a clawed hand, but he placed all strength into his back legs and slid the dagger in between the Grimm's fingers, causing its arm to split in half, the Beowolf roared in pain, only to be swiftly silenced with a stab through its open mouth with the longsword.
One!
He jumped up in the air in a corkscrew jump and beheaded a smaller two-legged Grimm upon landing.
Two!
Guns and explosions sounded out behind him, giving music to the battlefield, and a boar-like-Grimm challenged him by pawing the ground with its forefeet. He could not resist the urge to imitate the Estalian Torero and sheathed the dagger while pulling off his poncho as a makeshift bullfighter cape. "Come piggy! A death above your rank awaits!" The Grimm charged forward, but he stood his ground and fluttered the red cloth in defiance. At last, the boar was within range and he twisted the cape to the side, revealing the concealed longsword behind it. Red eyes widen in realization, but it was too late as his longsword shot forward and pierced one of its four eyes.
Three!
The Diestro ripped out his sword while dodging the boar that still kept going like a beheaded chicken. A drop was heard and he threw the poncho over his neck with a snap of the fingers. "¡Olé!" The same angry oink sounded out, and a second Grimm boar came out of the forest, this beast must have seen him kill its kindred because it was far more cautious. Juan eyed the beast with a frown."Tsk, another one? How boar-ing." He chuckled at the terrible pun, but then the beast jumped up in the air and spun around on the ground like a held back wheel. "Okay, I take that back." The trigger was pulled and the boar spun towards the astonished scrawny blond. "Had I been more uninformed of the world-" He dashed to the side and stabbed his sword horizontally into the wheel of fur and bone. "Then you would have gotten me."
Four!
The spinning boar pushed him back, but he held onto his longsword with both hands with all his strength could muster. "Alas, I've dealt with a wheel far more terrifying than you!" Actions into consequences and the Grimm fell over dead, its insides churn to bits by the sword. "However you were more of a challenge than your brother, at lea—!?" A duo of Ursa and Beowolf charged him, interrupting his musings. "A second more and I would have made this painless, SCUM!" He threw his long sword through the knee of the Beowolf and rushed to the Ursa. The bear swiped him with a black paw, which he nimbly crouched under and unplugged his sheat from his hilt. A roar of anger came, but it was silenced when Juan slammed the sheath into the Grimm's open mouth. He clicked the small button with a grin and strutted towards the downed Beowolf with his dagger. A disgusting sound of the shield springing forth in the mouth of the Ursa burst out behind him, but he cared not as he stamped down on the snout of the downed Beowolf, and stabbed the mutt in the eye.
Five, Six!
More roars came and five two-legged Grimms charged out of the bushes, he sighed, threw the dagger up in the air, and pulled out his sword, before running back to the disintegrating Ursa. He grabbed the shield and threw it between the legs of the first Grimm, causing it to tumble and bringing down two others, but the last two jumped over the grounded Grimm and continued their charge. Juan smiled and strutted forward, the first Grimm bit the air, as he twisted to the side and decapitated it.
Seven!
The second Grimm roared and blitzed towards his open flank, causing Juan to grin as the whistling sound of the plummeting dagger hit its mark. He turned around and went forward to the now dazed Grimm, and pulled out the dagger from its neck as it fell down dead.
Eight!
A bored yawn escaped him, and he twirled the stiletto around in his left hand as the clumsy trio got back up again. The monsters growled at him like they were some kind of threat, and he smugly waved them over to prove it. They roared and charged at the same time. These squig wannabes are nothing compared to the real thing! He coated his foot in aura and send the nearest Grimm flying with a mighty kick. Another jumped up in the air to bite his throat, but he used it against it and cleaved off its two defenseless legs with one swing.
Nine!
He evaded the last Grimm by rolling onto its back and held it in place with a dagger stab, before carving out its exposed neck with his sword.
Ten!
Then he did an acrobatic jump onto the beast on the ground and slashed its throat.
Eleven!
Juan Arc admired the carnage like a painter, but then heavy footsteps grabbed his attention and he faced the forest once more. I was starting to get bored, but something tells me that a challenge is on its way. He dusted himself off and began walking towards his shield. Trees were uprooted to give space for the colossal Grimm closing in. Then the beast revealed itself, and an Ursa, unlike any of its kind, leaped out in the open. The Diestro gave a whistle and clapped approvingly. The Grimm in front of him was thrice the size of any normal Ursa and armored like a bone steam-tank with spikes everywhere, and even though it only had one eye, that eye was filled with knowledge and age. "Well met! Oh, Patriarch of the Ursai!" He did a mock bow to enrage the one-eyed Grimm, and more importantly to pick up his shield on the ground. The spiked Ursa arose onto its hind legs and gave ear-shattering roar that even caused shockwaves to appear. "SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH YOU OVERSIZED TEDDY BEAR!"
He threw the dagger with as much force he could muster, and it flew into the mouth of the Grimm. "Aah, much better." Juan casually clicked the shield-turned-sheath back onto his belt, while the Ursa further away was struggling with the knife inside its mouth. "Had you roared any longer, then I would have had to ask Weiss to heal my hurting ears with her beautiful singing… Preferable with my head on her lap, hehe." The Grimm spat out the dagger and looked at him with a one-eyed death glare that promised a slow, agonizing death. He smiled back at that and placed his left foot sidewise behind him. "Oh, don't look at me like that." The beast charged him, but he did not flinch as his right foot took its place in the front. "You started the duel when you attacked me with that irritating roar." Lastly, he raised the long sword to shoulder level so it was pointing horizontally at the incoming monstrosity.
Now, let my geometry finish you of—!?
The one sound he dreaded, sounded out behind him.
"GIRLS!" He twisted his neck so fast that it pulled a muscle, but the pain was nothing compared to the sight he was seeing. The Giant nevermore had flown into the top of the tower and caused it to collapse while the girls were on it. A black bear pawn clubbed him from behind and send him flying through the air. He spat out blood while pain burned all over his back.
"JUAN!" Suddenly his face fell into something soft while his jaw slammed into something iron hard. "I'm sorry! I thought you could deal with Ursa Major alone s— ah~." He grabbed onto the rounded edge and pulled himself up. It would seem that Pyrrha had caught him with her body, and he was now currently holding onto something that he really shouldn't be holding. "J-J-J-J-" She turned redder than he had ever seen, but then strangely lost it in complete seriousness. "Concussion... Listen no matter what you do, do no—" He lost Pyrrha's voice as he saw a miracle manifest behind her. The four girls that should be falling to their deaths somehow broke every single law of physics and was jumping back up using the falling down ruble. I see. He started chuckling and pulled himself back to his feet. I am in the company of heroes. He softly took back his disgraceful hand and placed it caringly on the redhead's shoulder. His partner's confused green eyes looked back, and he gave her an honest smile as his aura flared up to heal him. "Sorry for the boob grab, Pyrrha. I'll let you slap me five times for that."
She recovered instantly and slapped him. "That was for making me worried."
The slap made stars appear, but he took it without complaining. "I guess I deserved i—!?"
Another slap, this time from her left, made planets appear. "That was for the grab."
"Okay, I get it! I get it!"
Pyrrha placed a finger on her lower lip. "We did have that incident earlier in the forest…"
"Please don't! If you slap me again then I'll pass out!" He raised his hands up defensively to protect his hurting face.
The girl merely giggled. "That leaves me with three slaps left."
"Ouch, yeah a promise is a promise... So what happened to the one-eyed Ursa, because it should have attacked us by now."
"Oh, Nora took care of it."
"What!?" He spun around and saw Nora sitting on the dead Ursa while Ren laid exhausted on the ground surrounded by a multitude of slain Grimm. "Nora! That was my kill!"
"You know the rule, Arc. One hit and you're out."
"True, that is what the Diestro dueling code says, however, in th— how in Myrmidia's sacred name, do you know that?"
"Don't sweat the small stuff, just turn around and enjoy the show!"
"This is no joking matter! Even though the girls are strong, they are still fighting for their li—" He turned around, and saw Yang jump into the mouth of the huge avian Grimm, and began to repeatedly shoot it in the mouth with her gun gauntlet. "-ves." Nora laughed behind him, but his focus was on the Giant Nevermore who was plummeting straight toward the rocky cliff side. "YANG GET OUT OF THERE!" His worry was unneeded because the cocky blonde jumped out the mouth just before it collided into the exposed rock, and to make matters worse, she was smirking far more than normal, meaning that she must have heard him yell.
Dammit, I will never hear the end of this. He turned away before he made eye contact with Yang and focused on Ruby instead who seemed to direct the whole thing. She pointed at the falling down Nevermore and Weiss rushed forward in the same fashion she had done against him, and stabbed her rapier into the cliff, creating a massive coating of ice that shot up the cliff and froze the Grimm onto the cliff solid, leaving only its exposed head. Meanwhile, Blake threw some kind of gun-blade-rope from a pillar to Yang who caught it and stabbed it into another pillar, making the rope into a ballista. What are they planning to fire? They have no ammunition… No way. It would seem that his Estalian kin was mistaken, there was, in fact, people more insane than himself.
Ruby jumped up on the rope while riding her fully extended scythe like a pony, and then Weiss pulled the rope all the way back with a black rune circle. Uh… The rune shattered and Ruby flew forward while spinning around like a buzzsaw. I think Ren has a point about this not being Cathay... A mighty cut from the cute skirt wearing girl beheaded the Giant Nevermore in such dizzying fashion that not even the cliff was spared a huge horizontal split from the attack. The Diestro rubbed his eyes, as a cheer erupted but he remained silent and simply sheathed his weapon before pinching his arm. So… Did that Crazy Skeggi shieldmaiden somehow curse me to their Valhalla when I died, instead of Myrmidia's court? He pondered the thought for a moment, before letting out an 'oh well' shrug, and joined in on the celebration. Open-mindedness did have its charms, especially in this situation. "Pyrrha could you do me a favor."
"Yes, Juan?"
"Could you please find the dead boy's dagger with your power? I kinda lost it when I threw it at the Ursa..." The girl gave him a deadpan glare before raising her hand threateningly. "Hold on! It's not for me! I was only borrowing it!"
"... Really?"
"Yes! It was sharper than any knife I had used before and with its dazzling decorations, I must conclude that it's some kind of family relic, and it would be sad to not return it to the mourning family." Pyrrha stared at him with a tiny open mouth. "Look forget I asked, I'll go and look for it mysel— huh?" She gave him a soft slap that was more like a caress.
"You should have told me that earlier." Pyrrha laughed softly and seemed completely appeased.
"Your right, but I don't know how to say this, but my head isn't really screwed on correctly at the moment."
"Well, it's screwed on good enough for me." She smiled and began to walk away while swaying her hips with every stride.
"Oi, Nikoritã!" Green eyes turned to him. "That counted for a slap!" The smile she had, turned into a laughter, and she nodded back happily, before proceeding onwards to complete his request.
"Look at you go, Casanova!"
He smiled at the odd nickname and turned to see Nora and Ren approaching. "I am but a humble Diestro, unworthy of that honorable nickname."
Nora simply giggled at that, while Ren joined him by his side. "I've noticed you don't treat Pyrrha Nikos like a celebrity?"
"First of all, the only knowledge I have of her fame is a few titles that Weiss revealed, and secondly..." A memory of a crying girl resurfaced. "I once differentiated a dear friend of mine, after I found out about her lineage. Of course, after I realized that fact, I grew a spine and pushed her down into a pond!" Nora's jaw dropped, while Ren simply stared at him like he was crazy. He laughed softly at their expressions. "Allow me to explain. You see, I had pushed her down into the pond before, and when I did that, I found out that she was the 7th niece of the King from a nearby screaming servant. So I passed out from the revelation, and shamefully ignored her for weeks, before my Master talked some sense into me."
["I see my apprentice has figured out, who exactly we are guarding, and then I find him scared like a common coward... Hmf... You allowed a girl to shred tears, without the justification of keeping her from bigger sorrow, and you dare consider yourself worthy of becoming a Diestro!? Get out of my sight, trash!"]
Juan flinched, as the chastisement still made him embarrassed. "Sadly, he kinda missed out on how exactly I should go about making her happy… So I ended up pushing her into the pond for the second time."
"... You pushed your King's niece down into a pond because you thought it was the best way to make her happy?"
"I-I was eight years old, okay!"
The Ginger grabbed him. "TELL US THE STORY NOW!"
"Nora, release him."
"Aww…" She did as she was told, in the same manner, a child would give back a rented toy.
"Thank you, Ren, and some other day, Nora."
"Promise?"
"On my title of Diestro."
"Yay!"
He laughed at the girl's happiness and spun around. "Now are you two coming, or do I have to congratulate the girls alone?" They joined him as he went forward onto the bridge. It occurred to him that this was not just a bridge with a tower, but a tower in a valley so deep, that the mist covered its bottom, not only that, but this marvel of architecture would have been connected with the other ruined towers in the valley, had not the other bridges connecting it broken down. Seems like this bridge was fortified more of the others but why would th- By the saints. Suddenly everything made sense, the magnificent stone architecture, the location, and the great stone entrance at the bridge end. A Dwarf Karak!?
He had never visited one, but he had heard tales about the mighty holds of the Dwarfs. It was said that whole mountains were carved out to give room to these mighty fortress cities, however he also knew that their stonemasons would never allow there to be as much as a single crack in their craft, and even then he had also heard that Dwarfs dislike spending much time in the open air, only setting up surface structures in mining outposts and small farms, so this was something else entirely. Is this something akin to the fabled city of Kavzar? His pondering had to be set aside because Ruby had seen him and started waving.
"Hi, Juan! Did you see the awesome buzzsaw move I did?"
He felt his cheeks pull up. "Of course I did! it was magnificent to see, Ruby!" The rest of the girls turned around. "And you three as well! It was a sight I will never forget!" They all responded differently. Yang smiled with a hint of mischievousness, Weiss gave a courtly bow, Ruby blushed happily, and Blake pulled up a book to read.
"Its finally over." Ren sounded out behind him to the right.
"And it ended with a bang!" Nora sounded out behind him to the left.
"Ended with a bang, eh?" Yang went forward to say something, but he stopped her with a right hand on top of her golden hair. "You mean ended with a Yang!" A complete coldness unlike anything he had felt, grabbed him. Hm? Something exceptionally dangerous is nearby, but where? Even though it felt like death itself reached out to him, a wonderful feeling of softness was also present, as Yang's hair felt completely natural unlike the artificial feeling of the purple-haired girl earlier. "Heh, I should have figured that her hair was as amazing as herself." He gave the stunned girl a good hair ruffle and then walked past her. Now the danger has disappeared all of a sudden?
"W-What?"
Oh shit, did I think that out loud?! Juan turned around to see Yang gaping at him in stunned silence. He could not quite read the emotion on her face, but it bore elements of surprise. Ruby, the one likely more attuned to her sibling's moods, was gaping in horror. Therefore, he must have said or done something so incomprehensibly offensive to her that she could not fully wrap her head around the sheer magnitude of his insult. True enough, tears began to form at the corners of Yang's eyes and he was about to go on his knee to beg for forgiveness, but him bending down made the blonde girl rush forward and suddenly suffocating darkness enveloped his vision.
Scandalized gasps filled the bridge.
After a moment of disbelief, it occurred to him that he was currently being held in the soft embrace that only a woman with 'large tracts of land' could provide. He was embarrassed that it took him so long to realize this fact, and quickly tried to extricate himself to not cause her dishonor. Strangely, he found that he remained in her hug, and tried once more with his full strength to no avail. Confusion filled his mind, but then he remembered that Yang had single-handedly kept the mouth of the Giant Nevermore open using only a single arm and her legs. Hence, he was not escaping anytime soon, so he prayed to Myrmidia that his breath would last. Especially as it seemed like she was not letting him go anytime soon. This is the end. I'm either gonna die of suffocation or, if I pinch her, then I'm gonna die when she throws me off the bridg—? Yang abruptly lifted up her arms and he raised up his face and saw that a dark aura had envelope her yellow gauntlets. They shared a moment of utter confusion before something grabbed his sword, and yanked him back.
"I did as you asked, Juan." Pyrrha's voice came behind him and he saw her walk closer with a spinning dagger in her palm. "Here you go." The dagger shot towards him, but he managed to grab it just in time. She then turned to Yang and released her from the magnetic grip. "I would prefer it, if you be so kind, and not strangle my partner while I'm away."
"Pff, a hug won't kill him."
Out of the frying pan.
"Fitting that you of all people would consider such indecency for acceptable behavior."
And into the fire.
"You wanna go, Ice Queen?"
One I can handle, two is a challenge, but three is a death sentence! A silence before the storm had formed, and each current was colored white, yellow, and red. I'm stuck between ice, fire, and meta—!? The red-haired girl did not glare, instead, she smiled with her eyes closed, and that was somehow more terrifying than the two other girls. He swallowed the excess of saliva in his mouth and looked around for help. Ruby looked confused, Blake turned a page in her book, Ren stared at a passing cloud, and Nora was snacking on popcorn. His stomach betrayed him, and let out a thundering growl. Everyone turned to him with wide eyes, and he felt embarrassment all the way up to the ears. I should have gotten Yang to throw me off the bridge. Laughter erupted, and he wished more than anything that he had his hat to hide under. How could you do this to me!? I kept you happy on rivel soup and red-wine, and this is how you repa—! The embarrassed blond realized that the humiliation had given him a window of non-tension. Thank you, my friend. A single imaginary tear was wiped away. We'll feast on fine food and good company when we get back! He slipped into an acting role and allowed the scene of his plot to take shape. "Everyman, heed my declaration!"
The girls blinked confused, and Blake raised up her eyes from the book. "Everyman… Was that really the best word you could think of?"
Juan Arc knew that she was smirking behind the book, and somehow he knew she was smirking like a cat. "Erm, you're right… Hmph-hmph… Everywoman and man, heed my declaration!" The stunt paid off, and the tension eased even more than before. "We've all had an amazing day filled with dangerous adventures, so!" He pointed up at top of the cliff. "The last one to make it to the top pays for dinner!"
"Arc, there is no need for that. The food in the school is fre—" Nora silenced whatever Ren was trying to say with her hand.
"Not the premium stuff! Cya on the top, jelly-bellies!" The hyperactive ginger rushed forward and started jumping up the cliff.
"Did."
"She."
"Just."
"Call."
"Us."
"Fat!?"
Yang said the last word, and then the girls rushed after the ginger at speeds that would make Empire Pistoliers green with envy. I forgot It's not normal humans, I'm dealing with here.
"I forgot about the premium stuff." Ren walked up to him and gave him a bow. "Thank you for paying for our five-star course." The boy was gone before he could manage to formulate an answer.
Juan let out a loud sigh, and he went toward the end of the bridge, where the dark entrance awaited, of course, that was not his objective as that would be suicide, no, his target was the stone staircase to the left of the entrance. It would be a massive detour, no doubt about it, but it was better than nothing. I'm knee-deep in debt… Myrmidia's blood, screw it! He took the first step onto the staircase. I've already come so far, so why not go a bit further? A memory of a sad-looking girl with bunny ears appeared in his head. I'm gonna invite her to the feast as well! The self-made promise filled the chevalier with manly vigor, and he hastily strode up the staircase. Eventually, he made it to the top and found ruins similar to the ones the forest.
"Took you long enough..." Ozpin stepped out from behind a pillar, and a minuscule shockwave touched his back. He looked over his shoulder and saw the female assistant blocking his escape. The confused boy then turned back to the headmaster and met a piercing glare. "Jaune."
Author's notes
Savage Theron: Tsk, I was planning to not have any A/N to really hit you hard with this cliffhanger. But I've gotten myself a fanfic rival, and that rival went ahead and recommended this fic to his readers in his latest chapter, so I was bound to do the same!
Ladies and Gentlemen! Please go, and check out: Shadow of War by ThemightyMorgoth. It's a Naruto fic, set in the rwby-verse, and I personally started sweating bullets when I read his 4th chapter because the quality surpassed my own. (Of course, with this chapter I hope to even the scale!) You can find it under my favorites if you're interested.
Lastly, I edited the title of privateer to pirate-hunter, thank you AC black flag for the correction.
Now onto the reviews!
Guest Nr.1: Wow if Juan ever discovers Ozpin's relation with the brother gods and his heretical immortality there going to be a burning. Or Ozpin kills him and disposes the body, wouldn't be to surprised if he did something like that in the past especially if the religious fanatics found out and got all homicidal.
Savage Theron: You're onto something, my dude, especially two words you wrote will have a major theme in the next chapter.
JustDave: MOAR!
Savage Theron: Here, have a fresh piece, friend.
Invitado Nr. 2: Por dios continua esto! Primera vez que veo un protagonista español en un fic en ingles. SI!
Savage Theron: La locura hay comenzado, amigo!
Slaggedfire: Well, this is awkward. I hope Pyrrha doesn't hold this against him.
Savage Theron: Indeed, but after this chapter, it might as well be added to Pyrrha's book of grudges.
Guest Nr 3: Could I actually finally read a story where a crossover character who doesn't need Aura doesn't go "ok, give me Aura"?
Savage Theron: *Smiles* I and solar actually went over this, and I defend my claim that Pyrrha would have forced unlocked out blond hero's aura if he had said no. Besides, it played a big role in this chapter.
Guest nr 4: I absolutely love your story. It is pure crack for me, only thing that could make this more spanish is having him doing some bull fighting XD.
I would prefer Yang, but I'm mixed with Pyrrah to be honest.
Finally as a recomendation, better separate memories from current events than have them inside brackets. It gets convoluted. Also, for thoughts the standar is to simply have them in cursive, so there is no possible confusion between dialogue and thoughts.
Savage Theron: Ole! Your words gave life to the Boarbatusk poncho-bullfighter-scene!
Heh, then I hope that this chapter was to your taste.
I see your point, but I still wanna keep at it with the brackets and see if I can make it work somehow. Of course, if that proves impossible then I'll admit defeat and change it. Thanks for the heads up about thought simply being cursive, really did open up a lot more options for me!
Guest Nr 5: Please continue as fast as you can please. This is simply one of the best Warhammer RWBY crossover that I have read for a very long time. Keep up the good work and continue to surpass the previous chapters.
Savage Theron: Arg, stop saying such nonsense! Nah jk, thanks a lot, king! Haha, I shall do my best to meet your expectation!
Ressan: Great chapter, and nice to see this back.
Savage Theron: W-Well, it was always back, I'm just not the fastest of writers, however, I am doing my best to improve my writing speed, my dude!
Someguy the anon: oh no... did Yang kill Jaune before Jaun took over Jane's body.
...thank you, this is a beautiful peice of literature. I'm having to hold back tears.
why'd it say it updated?
Savage Theron: Now you're asking the real questions!
Thank you, anon, I shall see to it that you shred those tears!
Uh… You see… Sometimes I make a typo, or two, or seven and then I see them after I have uploaded. However, I shall try and refrain from updating until I release a new chapter.
Azarune: Well, it ain't no lizardmen or skaven but this is pretty awesome. I'm very curious to see how Jaune and Juan interact if they ever do meet and hope there is will be a good ending to that. Would hate for poor Jaune to fade away and leave his family behind. Given that Juan is somehow possessing his body. Best wishes!
Savage Theron: I think this chapter might have given some insight into what is going on.
Rhivan: This fic is absolutley hilarious. When I first stumbled upon this once I saw Jaunes personality switch I dropped the fic but I decided to give it a go today and I adore this, and eagerly await what your going to do with this.
Savage Theron: I expect many to have done the same, however, reading is like food taste, and should not be forced, though I'm happy that you decided to give it another go, Rhivan.
Solarblaster: A very understandable thing to do, considering the overbloat of Jaune centered fics, most of which are recycled compost that is eaten and then shat out by a pachyderm.
Guest Nr 6: Amazing story so far and I can't wait for more
Savage Theron: My thanks, here have a chapter!
P.S if any of you guys have an OC bull Fanus named Brian… Then you gotta be happy that I am such a kind author to include them in the story, lmao!
