"C'mon Ren!" Nora exclaimed as she dragged her struggling boyfriend by the collar of his shirt.
"Weiss, you're too slow!" Yang playfully shouted as she ran hand in hand with the heiress in tow.
"Yang! Stop! Have you no cont- Ahh!" the white haired huntress began to complain as the blonde fighter picked up Weiss in a bridal carry and sprinted after Nora. Her head was centimeters away from her voluptuous chest. Weiss clamped her eyes shut as she tried to hold back a blush. Yang, noticing this, brought herself closer so the heiress' face was touching her breasts. Weiss let a small gasp of shock and blushed harder. That only served to fire Yang up even more as she ran faster.
Ren, seeing no point in this race, wanted to stop, but his girlfriend's energy made his wish impossible. He breathed a sigh of defeat as he ran to regain his balance and figured he would humour her. He ran ahead of Nora and lowered his back. Without missing a beat, she jumped onto his back and laughed as Ren sped up his pace.
"They certainly know how to have fun," Pyrrha said as she and Jaune walked together holding hands.
"Well, when you mix Yang and Nora into anything, something is bound to happen," Ruby said as she stretched, ending the motion with both her hands behind her head.
"Maybe Blake should teach them how to be more nonchalant," Pyrrha said, nodding her head in the Faunus' direction. She gave her a discontent look, but brushed it off as she sped up her stride to close the distance between her and the racing pairs.
"As quiet as ever," Jaune said as he scratched the back of his head with his available hand.
"C'mon. We don't wanna drag everyone else with our slow pace," Ruby said with a sly grin as she used her semblance, leaving rose petals in her wake.
"He-hey! Ruby! Pyrrha, shou-," Jaune turned to face her mid sentence but was interrupted by a shouting Yang.
"Aren't you going to carry Pyrrha?" She shouted behind her to the standing couple. Jaune audibly gulped, but turned around so she could ride on Jaune's back. As he ran, her crimson hair fluttered in the presence of the wind. She smiled and buried her head into the nook between his neck and right shoulder, inhaling his scent as she thought to herself. 'Maybe we can raise our children here,' Pyrrha closed her eyes and sighed into Jaune's shoulder. 'Maybe.'
They had been running for twelve minutes and the landscape barely changed. Aside from more greenery that popped up here and there, the view stayed barren.
"Do you know where we're going?" Jaune asked Weiss as he carried his smiling girlfriend on his back.
"Nope!" Yang replied as she carried the still blushing heiress, her eyes clamped shut.
"Let go of me!" Weiss shouted as she struggled to get free from the blonde's grasp.
"Aww, that's not nice to say snow angel." Yang gave a pout as she set her down on the brown grass. Weiss dusted herself off and gave the brute a quick glare before walking away.
"Well, at least she didn't yell," Pyrrha said optimistically.
"Hey, do you guys know where Blake is?" Ruby asked to no one in particular.
"I heard she was going to scout ahead," Ren said as Nora contently patted his head.
"Oh, that's cool. I just wish she-," the crimson huntress spoke, but was interrupted mid sentence when she heard the sound of shouting off in front of them.
"We'd better get a move on," Yang said worriedly for that was the same direction Weiss and Blake went in. The group agreed as they sprinted into a burnt part of land with just exposed dirt that had not seen hydration for weeks. In front of them, Blake and Weiss had their weapons drawn. There was another group of eight in front of them, armed as well, which prompted the six who had just arrived to ready themselves as well. The man in a Grimm mask and black coat was the first to break the silence.
"Now, might I ask what you are doing here Blake?" The man spoke with a cold intent behind his words.
"No you may not," the cat Faunus replied bitterly.
"Ohhh, so good to see you Red. I'm just dying to catch up," the man with a white tuxedo spoke half heartedly with a mix of mockery.
"Torchwick." Ruby gritted her teeth as she loaded a bullet into Crescent Rose.
They stood there in silence. The wind blew lightly against the grass blades. Neither side dared to move. A leaf broke off from a dying birch tree. It held holes from the insects that ate it for survival as it fluttered around the air and it spiralled slowly towards the ground.
The moment the leaf hit the ground, the two parties ran head first towards each other, weapons raised. They ran with intent to settle their differences once and for all. They were fifty meters out to begin with. Thirty five. Twenty meters. Five. A brilliant flash of white light blinded the oncoming teams, stopping them in their place. Yang raised Ember Celica to help improve her vision through the impairing light; her team followed suit.
As the light began to diminish, she noticed that there was a symbol marked onto the ground. The outer ring had etchings that seemed like gibberish to Yang, but Weiss seemed to recoil in shock. The blonde could hear the heiress mutter something to herself. She then turned to Yang and translated what she said.
"Through broken gates and fallen graves; let the shining light guide your way," Weiss said as her face drained with colour. Yang was about to reach of her when the ground beneath them trembled as the symbols crumbled into oblivion. A being rose from the black void draped in a white cloak. The upper portion of his face was unrecognizable, the lower half of his face revealed a pale white mouth with wrinkles carved into their skin. He spoke with a thunderous voice that didn't match his appearance.
"I am Ordan: Guardian of Balance. Alongside me are four other Guardians, and together we make up the council that keeps peace in Remnant." As he spoke, four more white cloaked figures rose from the void. The man called Ordan spoke once the final person draped in white came into view. "Out of the sixteen present, four will be chosen to be their successors," he said as he motioned to the four standing behind him before continuing. "There will be three trials that each one of you must complete for you to qualify as a successor. I will divulge them later on. For now, your task will be to reassemble an ancient artifact. Pieces will be scattered across this landscape. Each team of two will have a specific relic they must reconstruct. Before we depart, is there any knowledge you would like to attain from me?"
Blake was the first to speak up. "Where are we and how did we get here?"
"In due time, you shall find everything needed to understand your role," the one in charge spoke with a deep monotone voice.
"What happens to the rest of us if we don't make it?" Adam asked.
"Later, my child," he replied in the same voice he answered Blake's question.
"Well, who are our partners then?" Pyrrha asked.
"They will be the first person you see once the trial begins," he replied without a moment's hesitation.
"Just like initiation! Weiss, we'll be unstoppable!" Ruby shouted as the heiress rolled her eyes.
"Why would we want to become a successor anyways?" Weiss commented as she struggled to wrap her head around this idea.
"All of your questions will be answered in due time," the deep voice replied to her, leaving more questions than answers.
"Wait, hold up. So let me get this straight. You want us to do something we don't even know about, to get a reward we don't even know if we want, without answering any of our questions?" Yang asked so bluntly that the elder Guardian was stunned by her audacity to ridicule his position.
"Any other points you would like to make before the trial commences?" he said, clearly avoiding the question. The air was silent and heavy with thought. After a moment of tranquility, Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but did something extremely unexpected.
"Ha! I told you Weiss! The Guardians! They do exist!" the crimson huntress shouted with glee as she pointed at the cloaked figures and ran around the heiress shouting in overjoyed victory. Yang looked questioningly at her baby sister. Weiss just stared blankly at Ruby while she ran laps around her. Blake face palmed and team JNPR shared a look of confusion.
Roman sighed as he raised Melodic Cudgel and pulled the trigger. An explosion rang through the air as it drew the attention of everyone. The criminal was covered in confetti and his cane turned into a water gun. Yang could hear one of the Guardians snicker before the guy in charge spoke up.
"By the way, your weapons and dust don't work here. Your aura has also been reduced to minimal amounts," he said, turning his head to see an unpleased Roman.
"Any more remarks and non-sense you want to get out of your system?" Silence once again filled the air. "Then be off!" He brought his hand down and the earth below disintegrated into nothingness, dragging everyone into blackness.
"Ruby!" Yang exclaimed as she used the rubble to try to get to her sister.
"Yang!" The crimson huntress tried to use Crescent Rose's gun but it went up in smoke and flames, turning into a dove with a rose clamped between its beak. It flew away from the falling Ruby into the hand of one of the Guardians standing above on a glowing white surface.
"Ruby!" Yang exclaimed once more as she was greeted by the void filled with nothing. Silence encompassed her as she slowly succumbed to the unconscious void.
"...iss….Wei….Weiss….Weiss!"
The heiress' eyelids fluttered as she faintly saw the outline of a yellow figure kneeling over her against the bright summer day. She slowly sat up rubbing the back off her head. The blonde hugged her so tight she thought she was going to suffocate.
"I so happy that you're okay!" the woman exclaimed, snapping Weiss out of her fazed state of mind.
"Yang, let go of me," Weiss struggled to say against a hug with the strength that matched an Ursa.
"Oh, right, sorry, " the brute said as she let go of the heiress. She struggled for air as she regained her composure. She got up and surveyed the burnt landscape. "Do you know where we are?"
"No. I woke up over there, and I saw you lying here, and I couldn't just abandon you, so I tried waking you up for a couple of minutes and now we're here," Yang said contently with a grin on her face. She pointed to spot no more than ten feet away.
"In any case, we should be going. Our first priority will be to find the others," the heiress spoke when she caught a glimpse of a grinning Yang. "What?"
"I guess we're partners Weissy!" she said as she nudged her lightly on the arm. The white haired huntress rolled her eyes before continuing.
"Anyways, if we stumble across any pieces of our relic-, say, what is our relic?" Weiss asked as she looked around to find anything that stood out to her.
"You mean this?" Yang said with a sly grin as she pulled out a lower half of a small broken mirror from her jacket pocket. It had a gold frame with intricate designs and symbols. The glass was pristine had it not been for the missing parts needed to reconstruct the mirror. It reminded Weiss of a mirror her mother gave her for her fifth birthday, two days before she disappeared from her life.
"A mirror, great. Come on, let's go," she said as she turned without saying anymore. She could hear Yang call for her to slow down, but she was already lost in thought. 'Those markings on the ground. The only time I've ever seen them mentioned were at my family's funeral. Does that mean…. No, it can't be, can it?' The heiress continued to ponder as the duo continued walking. 'Successor. To a throne that watches over Remnant? Hardly more than make belief. Must be a bad dream, but still, a Guardian?' She began causing herself a headache trying to comprehend this when she felt a tap on the shoulder. She turned around to see a concerned Yang.
"You alright?" She asked as she made her way towards Weiss. The heiress raised her right hand for the signal to stop as she began rubbing her temples to mitigate the pain in her head.
"I'm fine, I just need to stop," she said as she sat down on the warm dry grass and lay on her back. 'Maybe some rest is in order,' she thought as she felt the warmth of the grass against her skin. The cool breeze that blew against her only served to make sleep that much more welcoming. 'I'm sure Yang won't mind,' she thought as she drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.
"Hey Blake, you think that this belongs to our relic?" Ruby screamed as she jogged towards her, holding a part of something. They've been scavenging for twelve minutes in an abandoned farm half a kilometer from where they woke up.
"I think so, let's see," she said as she took out her piece of the relic that they kept. It was in the shape of a sphere. It had the top two-thirds missing. A portion of what they had was missing as well; there was a hole in the middle of their current piece that connected to the outer wall. It was silver with gold patterns outlining the outside of the sphere.
When Ruby came to a stop in front of her, she stuck out her hand with a piece of silver with gold patterns etched into the outside. It had the shape of a broken sphere. This got Blake's hopes up as her section of their artifact and Ruby's piece began vibrating. It shook more as the two portions got closer together. About ten centimeters apart, the crimson huntress' part flew out of her hand and onto the Faunus' piece, interlocking perfectly. Ruby screamed in excitement.
"Woohoo! One down, more to go!" she said as she pumped her fist in the air. Blake looked uninterested but her mouth moved up at the corners just a bit as she realized that Ruby was starting to rub off on her. She rolled her eyes as they made their way to the doorway. She heard footsteps coming from down the hall.
"Quick, get down!" Blake whispered urgently as she dragged Ruby out of the aisle and behind some old barrels. The Faunus had her hand over her leaders mouth and placed a finger over hers, signalling for silence. Ruby nodded as Blake removed her hand from her mouth and turned her attention to the doorway. She could hear footsteps fifty feet away. 'They must've heard us, dammit,' she thought angrily as she took a quick glance at Ruby. Her eyes were glued to the door as she peeked behind some flour bags. 'At least she's quiet when need be.' She returned her gaze back to the doorway. She closed her eyes as she tried to make out what they were saying.
"...Are you sur… one's he… ma… wind…" The first voice was a male's. He was with someone. She couldn't tell who the other one was for all the noise the man was making. Blake had heard enough as she peeled her eyes off the door and went to scavenge for a weapon. She found a broken wooden beam and a wooden pole that once belonged to a rake. She nudged Ruby softly on the arm and showed her the pole. She nodded and took the pole in her hands. Blake readied her makeshift blade and returned her look to the door.
She could barely make out the shadow of the two people. One had long hair and what looked like a dress. The other had short hair and was wearing something bulky. Ruby and Blake continued to look as the shadows grew bigger. Eventually, after what seemed like hours for the hiding duo, the two shadows made their way through the doorway. One was dressed in red and the other dressed in white. The one in red had the same idea as Blake: she had an iron rod used to poke burning firewood. Blake estimated they were ten feet away from them. She nudged Ruby again on the arm and raised five fingers. She nodded as the Faunus went back to spying.
They had just moved a foot closer when Blake returned to look. The one dressed in red was in front while the one dressed in white lingered behind. They were five feet away when Blake started to count down with her fingers. Five. Four. They inched closer as the seconds ticked by. Three. Two. Ruby gripped her weapon tighter as Blake readied her wooden plank. One. Now! The two jumped out of cover, surprising the one dressed in white but the one in red stood their ground. She was strong, Blake knew sh-
"Jaune?" Ruby said as she looked questioningly at the frightened boy cowering on the ground.
Blake blinked and looked at her opponent as she did the same.
"Blake?" The girl asked, squinting her eyes.
"Pyrrha?" The Faunus asked as she studied her more closely. She had long red hair tied back into a ponytail and had golden armor. Her stance and fighting style matched the voice she heard. It was Pyrrha.
"Umm, are you guys gonna stop?" Ruby asked as she looked from Blake to Pyrrha. Blake had only just noticed that they still were interlocking weapons. Pyrrha was the first to move her iron pole back as Blake rested her wooden plank on the ground.
"Say, Jaune, why are you covered in flour?" Blake asked as her cat eyes gave her enhanced vision in dark places.
"Ummm, you see, I was, ummm, how do I put this? I, kinda…" Jaune was struggling to find words to explain his predicament.
"It's fine. Forget it," the Faunus said with a brush of her hand for dismissal of the explanation. She heard Jaune breathe a sigh of relief as Pyrrha giggled a bit.
"Well, at least we found our friends, that's something, right?" the hunter joked as he lightly rubbed the back of his head in hopes of receiving a response.
"Sure," Blake said nonchalantly as she made her way to the doorway after picking up her wooden plank. "I'll be outside."
"Cold as ever," Pyrrha remarked as she turned to ask Ruby something. "What is your artifact?"
"A sphere of some sorts. Yours?" the crimson huntress asked with double the curiosity.
"This," Jaune said as he took out a hilt. It was gold with silver etched into the metal. There was a ruby embedded at the bottom of the hilt. The top part of the handle was missing, along with the blade and weapon guard.
"Cool. Hey how about I help you and you help us?" Ruby asked excitedly at the couple.
"Sure. I hope Blake doesn't mind the wait," Jaune said, pointing his thumb towards the doorway.
"I think she enjoys the alone time," Ruby said with an optimistic tone.
"Well, let's get to work," Pyrrha said as she ripped open a bag of flour.
Weiss felt a small bump as it stirred her out of her much-needed sleep. She brought a hand up to rub her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she saw an outline of a golden figure with a wild mane of hair against the bright summer sun. It reminded Weiss of an angel.
"Hey, I didn't mean to wake you from your sleep," a soothing voice spoke to her, gently bringing her back to reality.
"Where am I?" Weiss spoke coarsely.
"Somewhere," the figure spoke with an angelic voice. "Do you wanna sleep a little longer Snow Angel?"
"No, I'm fine, and don't call me that," the heiress said as she climbed out of Yang's arms and stretched hers.
"By the way, you used my breast as a pillow," the blonde said casually to Weiss. The white haired huntress turned away with a reddening blush that couldn't be controlled. The heat radiating off her face could be felt by Yang as she placed a hand on the heiress' shoulder and spun her around.
"Aww, Weissy, no need to be embarrassed. Ruby did it all the time when she was younger," Yang said coyly. "Although, you are cuter when you show your emotions, Snow Angel," she said as she rubbed the back of her fingers against her tender cheek which was warm to the touch. Weiss couldn't help but gulp audibly as Yang brushed her silky smooth hair out behind her ears.
"A-a-anyways, we sh-sh-should be going okay? Okay," the heiress said as she turned and walked away from the blonde.
They passed a pile of twisted metal that they searched to no avail. Yang lingered behind longer than usual. After a few minutes of walking, Weiss' blush was under control, enough where she could hide it, but not as much as she would have liked. Yang was the first to break the silence. "Hey, Weiss, if you're still embarrassed, don't be, cuz-" Yang said childishly. The heiress turned on her heels and stopped abruptly.
"Look, could you just drop the matter. I just…" Weiss started as was beginning to realize what was happening. Yang's face was half a foot away from Weiss'. The smell of lilac and lavender filled the air Weiss inhaled. The combination with her violet eyes was intoxicating for the young heiress. The golden mane only served to frame her perfection that was her face. The blonde also was taken aback by the smell of peppermint that radiated naturally from the white haired girl. Her scar only made her bright blue eyes that much more noticeable. Her slim face only established her slender build. Her hair gently swayed from the wind. They stood there like that for a minute, admiring one another.
"Umm, Yang, I ju-" Weiss started as she looked deep into those violet eyes as Yang suddenly placed her fingers under her chin to tilt her head back and firmly planted a kiss on her soft tender lips. Through the heiress was a huntress, she was so taken aback by the beauty that was Yang Xiao Long that her senses were dulled. At first, Weiss recoiled a bit, but then kissed Yang back harder. They held the kiss for several seconds. The white haired girl's heart was beating, throbbing for more, but the blonde pulled away as Weiss' lips were slowly chasing the brawlers retreating ones.
"Sorry, but it kinda felt right, you know?" Yang said apologetically as she stared into Weiss' clear blue eyes. The sun made them glisten and shine brighter than a shooting star. Weiss smiled a bit and nodded her head.
"C'mon, let's go-," Yang said as she grabbed her hand to guide the heiress when she jumped back slightly. The white haired girl peered over her shoulder to find a glaring Ruby Rose no more than a foot in front of the blonde.
"Yang! How could you?" the crimson huntress exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air.
"Ruby, I can explain. See-," the brawler started as her sister interrupted her.
"How could you be dating Weiss without telling your sister about it! I mean I would accept Blake not telling me about it, but you!" She breathed a sigh of defeat as she continued. "Oh well, I read one of Blake's books and what's next, a homemade dinner? Maybe a romantic walk by the beach? Ohhh! Maybe…" Ruby continued listing off suggestions as Yang and Weiss both looked from each other and back to Ruby, shocked to say the least.
"We're not dating, Ruby!" Weiss exclaimed.
"Sure…anyways, how about…," the crimson huntress brushed off the heiress' attempt for an excuse as she began to list more romantic scenarios.
"Well, at least there's that benefit for letting Ruby lead us," Pyrrha said as she wrapped her arms around Jaune's and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I still can't believe she stole one of my books," Blake said coldly.
"Hey, cheer up, at least it's making someone else happy," Jaune said as he pointed at the shouting Ruby and the still stunned couple.
"By the way, where is Ren and No-," Jaune started as he shout from above interrupted him.
"Nora!" Ren screamed as he fell from a tree branch two feet away with a thud. An orange haired girl landing on his back like a mattress made Jaune cringe.
"So, how long have you been up there?" Pyrrha said, eyeing the branch and the Ren.
"About three hours," Nora replied ecstatically. A groaning Ren caught the attention of the four onlookers.
"Is he going to be okay?" Blake asked without making eye contact with his girlfriend.
"Yup, cause he's Ren!" she said cheerily as she helped Ren get up off the floor.
"Please, don't ever do that again," the boy dressed in green asked as he struggled to straighten his laughed as a content Ruby, an innocent looking Yang and a blushing Weiss soon joined them. They chatted for a bit, not realizing that someone was missing.
Blake had left before anyone else, in the direction they agreed on heading. She looked up into the orange-violet mix that filled the sky as the sun was leaving them, inviting the moon and stars to take its place. 'I wonder if anyone else is taking this as seriously as I am?' she thought. 'I just want to get this over with,' she thought as she heard her name being called from several meters away. She got up and began walking towards the noise, wondering what Ruby was going to say about her absence now.
"Yo, Adam. Cinder what's to talk to you," a man with red sunglasses said as he leaned against the doorframe.
"Tell to her she can wait," he said as he lifted a hatch and stared into the darkness that accompanied the cellar.
"Yeah, but-," the man began retorting but was cut off as Adam jumped into the pitch black room, slamming the hatch shut to emphasize his point.
"Damn you, Adam," Junior said as he turned to leave. He made his way up the staircase and into the burnt remains of the living room. Melanie and Milta were conversing on a broken couch. Emerald, Cinder and Roman were gathered around a dining room table that had seen better days.
"Where's Mercury?" Junior asked Emerald who didn't bother to look at him as she responded coldly, "Finishing his job, unlike you."
"Hey, quiet you little brat! If I had-," Junior started as Adam interrupted, leaning against the doorframe of the basement.
"Had what? More guts or more of a brain?" The man with the Grimm mask insulted him. He could hear the Malachite twins snicker at the remark. Adam made his way over to Cinder, bumping Junior in the shoulder to signal him to get lost. He grunted as made his way out of the house.
"What do you want?" Adam asked without taking the empty seat at the table.
"Cold as ever," Cinder said somewhat contently as the man in the black coat stood there unmoving.
"Is that all? Or are you going to bore me to death?" Adam asked in an annoyed tone.
"Very well. We're moving out in the morning tomorrow and we want you to scout the path we'll travel," Cinder said calmly with a subtle grin.
"We done?" Adam not so much asked, but demanded in an annoyed tone.
"Yes."
Before the word left her lips, Adam had turned and left the room. He could hear gossip; most likely about him. He made his way back to the cellar hatch on the ground, opened it and discreetly entered the dark room.
It wasn't much more than seven feet high and three feet across. It was damp and smelt like rotten wood. 'A storm must've hit recently,' he thought was he noticed on some wooden planks supporting the tunnel had rotted and were waterlogged. The dirt that encompassed this death trap was slowly tumbling out of the walls and onto the ground. Streams of water were pouring out of the sides to punctuate its old age.
After a few minutes of walking, he came to a wider section: a ten feet tall square room. In the center of the room was a wooden crate with maps and books scattered across it. They were an assortment of miscellaneous items thrown across the floor. As Adam walked into the room, the sudden temperature drop caught his attention. The closer he got to the wooden crate, the colder it got.
Once Adam reacted the crate, he was on the verge of shivering. There were marks across a map of Vale and more across a map of Remnant. The books scattered on top of the wooden crate were written in a native tongue he couldn't make out. He brushed everything off the crate and picked up the container. It was heavy with something. With a shift of his weight, he brought the crate down, shattering it into tiny pieces.
There were stone tablets carved in the same language as the books. Adam counted twenty some tablets to be present. Along with the stone tablets, he found a small container and a letter attached to it. It had no markings of a name on it. The letter's wax seal of Vale broke easily as he unfolded the letter and read it to himself.
To whom this may concern,
I don't have much time, they're hunting me down. Inside the crate is my research and discoveries that can help bridge the gap between mortal and Grimm. I know this may sound like complete rubbish and trust me, I've been there, but you've got to believe me.
There are coordinates in the black box inside along with this letter. There should be another crate there with more of these stone tablets there. Take the one stone tablet that is different coloured than the rest to that place with the coordinates.
They're knocking at the door. Please, just take a chance and trust me.
It continued, but was charred and ripped in some places. Adam stood there, clenching the letter. He tore the letter into pieces as he picked up the small black box and opened it to find a small folded up map with a clear marker to signify the destination the person intended for the reader to go.
'I can't believe I'm following through with this crap,' he thought as he picked up a black stone tablet with white chalk imprints along its surface. It was small enough to fit in his largest coat pocket along with the map without looking suspicious.
He took one last look at the room as he left the old cellar to rot in undisturbed peace; burying everything in it.
More on the way, hoped you enjoyed. Later!