Hey, guys, Storm here! My SINCEREST apologies for the long break, not just on this, but on all of my stories. With work and trying to get things worked out for the next semester of school, I've lacked both time and motivation to write, but I sat down and managed to slam through the ending to this chapter. Hope you guys enjoy, and I'll TRY to make uploads more regularly, but no promises.
Also: I am working on a one-shot set in this universe, but it's a long way coming and I don't know if I'll upload it. Leave me some if you want to read it, but be warned, it'll contain MAJOR spoilers for where I want this story to go.
To answer reviews:
tyson113: Thanks! I'll try! ;)
As always, I own nothing, the characters of RWBY belong to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth, follow, favorite, and review if you enjoyed, I love the feedback, and have yourselves an awesome day!
Storm OUT!
Holly strode through the forest, whistling with her hands on top of her head, her staff strapped to her back. She looked around, making sure she was still heading north, then tensed as a crackling was heard from behind her. She whirled around, only to laugh with relief as she saw her friend (and maybe more) Omar walk out of the bushes, his gauntlets gleaming in the mid-afternoon sun. "What's up, partner?" he said, a smile on his face. Holly smirked.
"Apparently, your balls. I didn't know your voice could go that high." Omar blushed, scratching the back of his neck, which was kind of adorable, since the young man was almost seven feet tall.
"You, uh, you heard that, huh?" He asked, smiling ruefully. Holly nodded, her eyes gleaming mischievously.
"Come on, big guy. We've still got to collect this relic thingy." With a chuckle, the pair set off northwards, towards the ruins.
Erik panted heavily as he dodged another salvo of dart-like feathers from the Nevermore above them. They had been running for about ten minutes from the giant bird-like Grimm, and it was no closer to giving up then they were. Erik groaned as he rolled past another volley and out into an open area, a flat plain with what remained of a temple set against a cliff. "Great!" he shouted sarcastically. Cinder looked over at him with a questioning look. "No more hiding!" He answered. Cinder grimaced, drawing her blades from behind her back.
"We need to get it closer to the ground! I can't really do anything from this range!" Erik nodded, pulling his pistol from its holster. Rolling to avoid another volley of feathers, he came up crouched and fired several shots at the Nevermore, causing it to shriek and flap its wings powerfully, buffeting the two initiates with strong gusts of wind. Erik groaned. This could get ugly.
"Omar, did you hear that?" Holly asked, her head darting to the left as she stopped walking.
"Yeah." Omar replied. He pressed a button on the gauntlet on his left hand, and it expanded into a circular buckler-style shield. He began to walk towards the screech, flicking his right gauntlet, a blade extending from the front. Holly followed behind him, her staff unstrapped from her back as she stalked along in a hunter's crouch. After about five minutes, the pair came to a clearing covered with Nevermore feathers. Holly gasped as Cinder rolled past them to avoid another volley, as Erik stood off to the side, blood running down the side of his arm as he fired round after round from a black long-barreled pistol. "Come on!" She said, rushing out and parrying a feather that would have taken Cinder's head off.
"Holly!" Cinder said, a look of relief on her face. "Thank Dust that you're here!" Holly nodded, focusing on the Nevermore that was currently circling around for another pass.
"Omar!" Holly shouted. The big teen looked over at her. "Springboard!" She shouted, sprinting towards him. Omar nodded, readying himself and facing away from the Nevermore. As Holly leaped into the air, Omar pulled the trigger on the grip of his shield, and small firing mechanisms around the rim went off, providing upward thrust as Holly's sneakers made contact with the bronze disk, catapulting her towards the Nevermore at a colossal rate of speed. The nevermore snapped its beak at her as she flashed past, but she rolled to the side, whacking at it with her staff before she flew behind it, and she folded her staff in half, pulling the trigger and releasing a hail of bullets. She cheered her quick thinking…until she looked down. "Uh-oh." She gulped, falling through the air. This one was going to hurt.
"Eric!" Cinder called, pointing to the falling girl. Looking in the direction she pointed, he nodded. "Cover me!" He shouted, and Omar nodded. Erik closed his eyes, his brow creasing as he focused on the air patterns. Holly's eyes popped open when, instead of slamming into the ground, she landed gently on her feet. Looking around, she saw Erik with his eyes closed, panting slightly and sweating. His eyes opened and the wind around her dissipated. "Tha…thanks." Holly said, still trying to regain her bearing.
"No problem." Erik breathed, trying to catch his breath. Holy refocused on the Nevermore above them, as it circled back for another pass. "Oi, you, big guy." Erik said. Omar looked at him, seemingly a little miffed. "It's Omar." He replied. Erik nodded. "Omar, my bad. Do you think you can use that move with me?" Omar shrugged. "I could, but I doubt that I could get the altitude that I got with Holly…" He trailed off as Erik shook his head. "I'm not worried about that. Can you pull it off?" Omar though for a second, before readying himself. "Let's do this." Nodding, Erik started running towards him, and somersaulted through the air towards Omar, who caught him on his shield and launched him in the air.
True to what Omar said, he didn't get quite the altitude that Holly got, but he got just enough to bury his knife in the Nevermore's torso, causing to let loose an ear-piercing shriek. Hanging on for dear life, Erik unsheathed his katana from behind his back and used it and his knife as ice picks to climb onto the Nevermore's back. Folding down his katana, he fired a round into the beast's wing joint, almost tearing it off and forcing it to drop in altitude, into Holly and Cinder's range of fire. They immediately fired off a barrage of dust rounds and arrows at the massive bird, causing it to shriek and drop even further towards the ground. Finally, it landed, trying to shake Erik off from his perch in between its wings. He jumped clear, slashing at the base of its other wing. The Nevermore shrieked and hopped forward, Erik narrowly rolling out of the way of its beak as it sought to impale him.
Cinder gasped as Erik dodged the Nevermore. She didn't know why, but the thought of him being hurt filled her with dread. Ignoring Holly's warning, she darted forward, firing arrows at the bird. One of the arrows got lucky and buried itself in the Nevermore's neck, causing it to shriek with pain. Holly ran past her, leaping into the air and firing a barrage into the Grimm's back, which mad it try to turn to face her, and Omar darted in, blade flashing as it bit into the beast's exposed windpipe. The beast gave a gurgling cry before collapsing into a heap on the ground, which melted into a pool of shadows.
Erik collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. Taking a glance at his scroll, he noticed that his aura was dangerously close to gone. He sighed, he'd have to be more careful in the future. A hand entered his vision, and he grasped it, letting Omar pull him to his feet. "Thanks." He grunted. "No problem." Omar responded, walking back towards the girls, who were seated on the grass, trying to catch their breath. "Come on, guys. We've still got to get this relic thingy." Erik said, offering Cinder his hand. He helped her to her feet, and together the four of them made their way towards the ruins.
"Our next team…" Ozpin said, standing behind a podium on the auditorium stage, "is team ECHO, consisting of Erik Wolfe, Cinder Fall, Holly Oak, and Omar Kent." The four of them made their way onto the stage, beaming. "The leader of Team ECHO," Ozpin continued, eyeing the four of them, "will be Erik Wolfe. Good luck, Team ECHO." The four of them glanced at each other. Things were just starting to get interesting for the young Hunters.
There ya go! Hope you guys enjoyed, and I'll see you next time!
Until we meet again, may the sun always be at your back and the wind fill your wings!
~StormDragonSlayer
