Mithos here with another chapter! This one was a bit difficult to write, since I wanted to get the Jaune/Pyrrha interactions down. I also wanted to modify the Deathstalker fight without making it too different from canon. As always, I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I had fun writing it!
"Jaune, why is your forehead bleeding?" Ruby asks the boy next to him.
The two stand beside each other on top of launch pads at Beacon Cliff, alongside their fellow first years. They have been told to wait there for further instructions from Ozpin.
"Because I was slamming my head against the locker room," Jaune whispers, trying to hide the information from the classmates near him. He notices his failure when several snickers follow after his reveal.
"And why were you doing that?" Ruby gives a look of concern. She takes out a tissue and offer to clean his wound, but he shakes his head in refusal.
"I broke down crying upon meeting another girl." His face shows no signs of joking, and his eyes look distant, as if staring at a dream long gone.
"Jaune, don't take this the wrong way," Ruby takes a pause to consider her wording, but ultimately decides to just tell the truth. "But you have a serious problem with girls."
Jaune could only nod in agreement.
Ozpin walks in front of everyone with Glynda behind him. The students all quiet down as he gives his instructions.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors. Today, your abilities will be evaluated at the Emerald Forest."
Glynda steps up, tapping at the scroll in front of her. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates, today."
A small whimper comes from Ruby. Jaune places his hand on her shoulder and gives her a small smile to reassure her.
I wouldn't mind if Ruby was my teammate. Hopefully that gets across.
"These teammates will be with you with the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."
Right, so that list currently consists of everyone but Blake. I expected more protest from Ruby, but-He turns around to see the girl's eyes focus on him, whispering a small prayer.
Okay, plan changes to 'hope Ruby is on my team' to 'get Ruby on my team.' He takes a second prior to making a prayer of his own. God, even if we end up not being on the same team, please at least put Yang in there. You can make my life as miserable as you want for the next few days, but I would rather confront that than the sad puppy face she will give me for the rest of the year.
"That being said," Ozpin continues, "the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."
The sting of the word 'partner' still gnaws at his loss, but it no longer pulls him to a state of depression. I have a job to do. I can't let this eat away at me forever.
"Oh please oh please oh please," Ruby repeats, the words barely understandable at the speed they were said. Jaune clasps his hands together in prayer and looks up in hopes his thoughts are read by a higher power. Okay, as miserable as you want for a week, two tops. Seriously.
"Make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation. But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one, and return to the top of cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"
No one gets the opportunity to respond as the person on the opposite end of Jaune is launched into the forest.
Bastard never intended to answer any questions! There is silence as everyone takes the hint, standing in combat positions. I need as much information for my plan, so let's just ask anyway. Another first year launches into the forest with a woosh sound.
"So... what happens if you do all that without a partner?" Woosh.
"Then you will fail," Ozpin answers without any hesitation. Woosh.
"Okay... And there's no way to change partners?" Woosh.
"Absolutely none." Woosh. Wait, where did Yang get the aviators?
"So despite your talk of compatibility, isn't this completely random?" Woosh. Ruby launches into the sky with her signature red rose trail.
Ozpin has his typical poker face on, taking a drink as if he is detached from the situation. "Good luck."
"That's bull-" The scenery quickly changes around Jaune, surrounding him in blue. Remind myself to give Ozpin a giant middle finger for his birthday. Fully describes how much affection I have for him.
He looks to see if there were any familiar faces around him. It looks like Ruby got flung towards the east, and seeing the yellow blast in the northern distance, Yang wasn't waiting. Twilight Bracelet materializes on his left arm, and he could feel the familiar cold sensation around his wrist.
Nevermore Series: Fallen Feathers. Black feathers grow on the side of his arms and legs, allowing him to glide and control his descent.Going to want as much time in the air as possible. Try and make out any traces of Grimm, a possible teammate, and a well-used trail. That'll make this mission a lot easier. Checking the bracelet, he notices that the black line covers forty percent. Still haven't recovered completely from the Scylla fight.
Scanning the forest, he makes note of a Beowolf pack to the east and near the cliff, and adds a mental remark to avoid those areas. He uses the rest of the time to find signs of the others, but the tall trees and large shrubberies make it impossible. By the time he could smell the earthy odor of the canopy, he still could not spot any hints towards his second objective.
Sensing a object rapidly approaching him, Jaune spins in the air to avoid it. However, he did not account for his feathers, and the impact sticks him into a nearby tree.
What the-? He examines the spear lodged into the feathers and the tree that pins them together. I recognize this spear, it's Pyrrha's! Reminded of his breakdown, he could only frown. Why would she-?
After a few rustles from the nearby bush, the girl in question shows herself, giving a small wave.
"You know, despite popular belief, not all birds taste like chicken. You're going to need a lot of salt and spices to make me taste good." Removing the spear and landing on the ground with a thump, Jaune makes an attempt to lighten the mood.
Pyrrha lets out a light giggle before replying. "Thank goodness I'm not looking for food. I'm searching for a part-" Recalling their first conversation, she fixes her wording. "A teammate. You wouldn't happen to know anyone available?"
How considerate. But what does it say about me that someone is considering my trauma on our second meeting...
Trying to hide his embarrassment, Jaune keeps the gag going. "Well, do I have the offer for you! For a limited time, you can get yourself a teammate with one easy payment of an introduction." Jaune returns her spear and extends out his right hand. "Nice to team up with you, Pyrrha."
She accepts the handshake. "Likewise, Jaune."
Jaune takes out a compass from his pouch, and starts walking towards the indicated northern direction. He gestures Pyrrha to follow.
She takes a pause before walking behind him. "Do you need help with directions? I have heard that you stumbled into the girl's bathroom..."
How fast do rumors spread?! I only told Ruby and... Damn it, Yang.
"Buildings are hard. Forests and trees I can do. Grew up in the middle of one myself."
"Is that why you carry around a compass? Most Hunters do not include that as part of their equipment."
"Yup. I also have matches, water purification pills, MREs, and handc-" Think before you speak, idiot! "hand lotion." Jaune rapidly corrects himself.
Pyrrha raises an eyebrow at the last item, but chooses not to make a comment. "You match Weiss' description of you. She said you look like the prepared type."
"Oh, thank you so much for her praise." That explains why Weiss asked me to be her teammate. "Speaking of her, she mentioned you are a super celebrity, right? What made you choose me as your teammate?"
"Whatever do you mean?" Pyrrha avoids eye contact, not wanting to answer the question.
"I mean, it seems like plenty of people would want to be your teammate. But you chose me when your spear pinned me against the tree. Why?"
Pyrrha could not look at him, clearly made uncomfortable by the question. Glancing around, she buys time for an excuse. "I just wanted to be with someone who would care so much for their partner. That's all."
She means the fact that I cried? "That was the flag?! Who made this terrible game?" Jaune kicks an imaginary rock, and raises his fist toward the sky. She's not telling the full truth. Oh well, not like we won't have time in the future.
Looking at his exaggerated response, Pyrrha gives him a smile. "You are interesting, Jaune."
"Gee, thanks. That's on the list of 'things girls say to guys before they dump them,' right next to 'it's not your fault.' I knew I was bad with girls, but-" Before he could finish his statement, he tackles Pyrrha into the nearby bush. Covering her mouth, he puts a finger up to his lips to tell her to be quiet. She gives a small nod, face slightly rosy at the two's close contact.
They slowly peek their head out, seeing two Ursa Majors in the forest clearing. The bear-like creatures poke and prod the Hunter on the ground, testing to see if he still lives.
Tightening her grip on her weapon, Pyrrha gets ready to lunge toward the Ursai, but Jaune grabs her shoulder to stop her.
In a hushed voice, Jaune tries to calm her down. "We need a plan. Rushing in there will not help." Forced to accept his logic, Pyrrha controls her breathing and gestures Jaune to continue.
"The Ursa on the right has his back towards us. I'll attack first, and you follow up. When it dies, we switch focus. If it lives, it'll be injured enough to us to target it down." He puts one ear down on the ground, listening for possible Grimm movements around them, but nothing reaches him. "If too many Grimm show up at the scent of the body, I'll give the evacuation command."
"But the student..."
"We can only hope the teachers come for him later. This is still a test." Pyrrha lets out a voice of protest, but her reasoning stops her. "On three." Jaune pulls Daybreak out of its sheath and returns his compass. "One, two, three!"
The blonde charges toward the Ursa on the right. Hearing his footsteps, it turns around and brings up its arm to protect himself. However, the initiative allows him to cut at the space between the armor, and the speed of the charge assists in cutting the Ursa's arm completely off.
The damaged Ursa lets out a roar, drawing the attention of its companion. This is where it gets difficult. If nearby Grimm weren't drawn to the body, they'll be pulled by the roar. Before it could get a swing in, three shots hit its face in rapid succession. Falling over, it starts dissipating.
He looks over to see Pyrrha holding a transformed spear in the shape of a rifle. Does every weapon have a gun? Maybe I should look into that. His attention shifts to the remaining Ursa. With its guard up, Jaune could only see a few minuscule openings.
Alright, Ursa Majors. More heavily armored than their counterparts, their claws and punches are their major dangers. Being beefier, it can take a few attacks, but moves slower as a result. The corners of his mouth lift up, beaming at the prospect of a fight. I'm going to be its worst nightmare.
Dashing forward, he gets into the range of the Ursa. It takes several swipes at him, but he sidesteps every single one.
How predictable.
More shots launch toward it, but its right arm comes up to guard, the bullets bouncing off the armor.
Now! Seeing the opportunity, he steps forward to make two quick cuts into its torso, and follows with a shoulder slam.
"Pyrrha, now!"
"Done!" Staggered by the push, it has no chance to respond as the spear is thrown, piercing straight through the beast. The spear wedges itself to the tree behind it.
With a roar, the Ursa falls backward and starts dissipating. "Good job," he says to her, who is already kneeing beside the boy. Jaune removes the spear, returning it to her before doing the same.
"I had hoped..." She could not finish her sentence, wishing that refusing to admit the fact would change the reality of the situation. Her face scrunches up, with eyes out of focus. Wiping the tears on the corner of her eye, she turns to look at Jaune.
"This is what the Grimm do." Jaune shrugs. Checking his pulse, he verifies the boy's death. He scans the body to see if he could identify the cause of death. When he flips the body on its back, he sees the claw marks and the large dent in the armor. Probably got overconfident fighting one of the Majors before getting taken out by the other one.
He lifts the body over his shoulder, and goes to cut some nearby vines. Throwing the body on top of nearby suitable tree branch, he ties the body up to prevent it from falling without excessive force.
"Let's go." Taking his compass, he takes steps toward the north again.
"How... how can you be so calm? Someone just died!" Pyrrha screams at him.
"He's a Hunter. It comes with the job. Screaming and kicking will not bring him back." There is an awkward silence between them before he continues. "It's not that I'm not sad or angry, or even cursing the world for his fate. But I know that if I let all these feelings out, all it'll do is attract Grimm and add ourselves to the body count. Think about the lives you have to protect by staying alive." Of course, I can't tell her that I'm used to corpses...
"I'm... I'm sorry. It's just... "
"I know. It's fine." Jaune brings her close for a hug. Why did I-?
Pyrrha shows surprise at the gesture, but accepts the hug anyway. A minute past before they separate, faces completely red.
I don't know why I did that, but that felt... right.
Jaune starts speaking before their faces grow more crimson. "Hey, we have only met twice, but we both have cried in front of the other already. Maybe we're better at this teammate thing than I thought."
She gives him a light punch, but her face cracks a small smile. "Maybe we are."
Jaune and Pyrrha run deeper into the forest, as a large Grimm cuts through the forest chasing after them.
"You know, I think I just had an epiphany," Jaune informs his ally.
"What is it?" Pyrrha asks, hoping the boy has an answer to their predicament.
He did not.
"Deathstalkers are called that because they're literally death stalking us."
"You know, I have a similar revelation."
"What is it?"
"You have trouble reading the mood."
"Point taken."
The two take a glance behind them at the Deathstalker. With its bonelike plate armor running along the top of its body, the two swiftly realize their weapons would not do enough damage to it. Not wanting to take on the large pincers or dangerous stinger on their own, they unanimously vote for a retreat to find help.
"What made it follow us?" Pyrrha asks her partner, hoping he would take the situation more seriously.
"It probably got lured out by the body and the Ursa's roar. Not seeing any other prey, we were the closest to it. So here it is." Nevermore Series: Feathershot! All the feathers on the side of his arm launch toward the Deathstalker's legs. However, the feathers do nothing to reduce its speed.
"We can't keep running forever!"
"We won't have to. Look!" He points toward the ruins that come into view. A few columns lay collapsed, and the ones still standing hold up a circle of stones. There appears to be chess pieces on pedestals inside the ruins. Blake and Yang stand in front of the ruins, mouths wide open at the scene of the chasing Deathstalker.
"We're playing rock, paper, scissors. Ready?"
"What? Jaune, we just went over this, this is not-"
"Rock, paper, scissors!" Jaune throws out a rock, while Pyrrha looks at him, eyes narrow at the fact he continued the game.
"Alright, you lost. You get to distract it while I get a plan together with the others."
"Jaune..." Flashing her a big smile, he runs over to the ruins while the Deathstalker continues to chase Pyrrha.
"I believe in you!" He gives her a thumbs up before reaching Yang and Blake. "Alright, Pyrrha is screwed if we don't have something to break the Deathstalker's armor and kill it. Do you two have anything?"
"How about we start with why you two have a Deathstalker on your tail?!" Yang exclaims, with a vein appearing on her forehead.
"Too long to explain. I'll take that as a no, then?" The two shake their head. "Alright, so we are royally screwed." Turning around, he sees Pyrrha block the Deathstalker's right pincers with her shield while her rifle shots bounce harmlessly off its carapace. He starts running beside her, evading the left pincer as it takes a strike at him.
"Do you have a plan yet?" She asks, her face beading with sweat. Small cuts and scrapes on her arm hints at the difficulty of the fight.
"The plan is to wait for more people!" He points toward the temple. "Since there are still relics here, that means more people still have to come! And speak of the devil..." A red silhouette comes into view, falling from the sky.
"Help!" Ruby yells as she rapidly descends, threatening to hit the ground with a splat.
Looking at that speed, I have about fifteen seconds before she lands. Come on, is there anything... He notices the vines from before. Bingo!
"Stay here while I help her!" Dashing to the largest tree, he grabs the longest vine possible. Nevermore Series: Fallen Feathers. Feathers regrow from his arms to replace the ones he launched at the Deathstalker.
"Jaune, this better not be a recurring theme!" The Deathstalker ignores the boy, chasing Pyrrha down again.
"No promises!"
Swiftly climbing the tree with vine wrapped around his right hand, he times his kick off the tree with the proximity of Ruby. He catches Ruby with his left hand, holding on her by the stomach, and pulls on the vine. The tension pulls him closer to the tree, and the vine wraps around the tree and slow their fall as they descend. The feathers also contribute to slowing his descent. As he falls, he uncoils the vine from his right hand like a spool of thread, to ensure they get as many encirclements as possible.
After circling around the tree four times, the vine could no longer endure the tension and snaps. He holds Ruby close before the remaining force sends them to a rolling stop, with Jaune on top of her.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt? Let me check." Before she could protest, Jaune pulls up her sleeves, checking for any injuries. He also rotates her head left and right to see if there is any damage on her neck or face, as well as checking her pulse. To finish the overdone impromptu checkup, he puts his hand on her head, checking for a fever. Feeling that it is only slightly warmer than usual, he breathes a sign of relief.
Finally recognizing the embarrassment of the situation, Ruby pushes Jaune off with her face as red as her namesake. She fixes her sleeves and stands up, glaring at Jaune. "I'm okay! I'm not a kid, you know!"
"Thank goodness. I was really worried." Jaune gives a smile that appears to radiate sunshine. Seeing that, Ruby could not stay angry at him.
"So what happened? My horoscope did not say I would be catching girls from the sky today."
"Oh! We rode in on a Nevermore, but we couldn't get it to land, so I jumped."
"We?" Looking up, Jaune could see Weiss falling from the sky. "Use your landing strategy!"
Several black glyphs appear on Weiss' trajectory. Each one slows her down significantly, before she kicks off the last glyph and lands on the ground. "What's with the difference in treatment?!"
"When you learn to make use of your cuteness, then we'll talk," he answers.
Exasperated, Weiss walks over to Ruby. "That was a terrible idea! Who in their right mind would suddenly suggest riding a Nevermore?!"
Jaune gives Ruby a light karate chop on the head as admonishment. "Weiss is right. If you want to ride a Nevermore, you have to be prepared. Generally with a saddle to control them."
Weiss' jaw drops at the revelation. "Your insanity is unmatched."
As if the world conspires to prove her wrong, the pink hair girl and green hair boy Jaune saw this morning breaks out to the clearing riding an Ursa.
"Aww... it's broken," the pink hair girl announces, as the Ursa falls onto the ground.
The green hair boy hunches over, gasping heavily. "Nora... please... don't do that again."
"Though, you don't need a saddle if your form is that good," Jaune comments on Nora's behavior. The joke did not remove the scowl on Weiss' face.
Nora runs over to the ruins and grabs the white rook chess piece before Jaune could even finish his sentence, doing a small song and dance to celebrate her success. More veins appear on Yang's forehead, clearly infuriated at the chaos of the situation.
"I can't take it anymore! Could everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!" Yang screams, her red aura flaring up as her eyes turn crimson.
Not wanting to challenge the blonde, everyone but Pyrrha gathers around Yang to discuss what to do next. The Nevermore that carried Weiss and Ruby circle overhead, ready to chase its escaped prey.
Deathstalker, check. Nevermore, check. Pyrrha blocks another one of the Deathstalker's pincer attacks, but the impact sends her flying and landing towards the group.
The redhead looks at Jaune, clearly less than pleased. "After all this is over... We need to talk."
Angry teammate, check. He looks at the Deathstalker, relentless on its chase. Let's just get imminent death to finish this day up.
After giving Pyrrha a hand to help her up, Jaune speaks up. "So... does anyone have a plan to deal with the Deathstalker?"
Ruby runs toward the scorpion Grimm, leaving her trademark rose trail. "I got it!"
"Ruby, wait!" Both Jaune and Yang attempts to stop her, but with her speed she has already reached the Grimm. She swings her scythe, but the blade bounces harmless off the armor.
Damn it! That's what I was afraid of!
The blondes run toward Ruby to try and help her. Realizing her weapon is ineffective against the Deathstalker, Ruby tries to get more distance between them. The Deathstalker does not let up, chasing after her.
The Nevermore flying above decides to contribute the fight, sending dozens of feathers at Ruby. She dodges a majority of them, but she does not account for her cloak. One of the feather pins her cloak on the ground and prevents Ruby from running.
NO!
The Deathstalker approaches her, stinger ready to pierce through the girl.
I can't let her die! If I use Goliath Series: Reinforcement, I can make it to her in time. Images of the pleading children from Child's Box, Ozpin's orders, and Master's face run through his head. Can... can I risk my cover and the chance to follow Master's path for this? Frozen in his hesitation, he could only grit his teeth at his indecision.
Suddenly, a white blur runs past, casting an ice wall and freezing the stinger in place before it comes in contact with Ruby. Gaining a sense of security, Weiss starts admonishing Ruby for her dangerous behavior, before the two both give a face of relief.
His legs collapse underneath him. I almost gave up a life I've been protecting, just because I was too afraid of the consequences of my powers. It turned out okay, but I failed to protect her. I could have made the same mistake as before...
Yang reaches Ruby and gives her a big hug, smiling at the fact that her sister is safe. The scene slightly relieves his guilty conscience. She's okay. But I have to talk to Ozpin about this. Next time, I don't think I can hold myself back. He pushes these feelings into the back of his mind as to not distract him.
The crowing Nevermore circles overhead again, ready for another attack. Its cry redirects everyone attention, aware they were not completely safe yet.
"Ruby, let's grab our relics and get out of here!" He yells at her, returning to the ruins. Ruby nods and arrives slightly after him.
Let's see... looks like I get a choice of which relic I get. Looking at what pieces remain, one immediately catches his eye. The rook that can only go straight. Sounds like my kind of relic. Ruby grabs the knight piece next to him. The unpredictable knight piece. It matches her.
"Got any ideas for where to run to?"
"While I was falling, I saw the ruins extend more northward, with a chasm. The Deathstalker won't be able to follow us on the narrow ramp, and the cliff there gives us more ways to reach the Nevermore."
"Lead the way, oh great leader." Ruby gives Jaune a series of weak jabs at his teasing.
Getting to the extended ruins and chasm, the group of eight could see the Nevermore once again preparing its assault on the group. Sending countless feathers toward them, they all dodge by taking cover or finding the space between the projectile.
"The feathers are launched four to eight feet away from each other! Read the gaps!" As Jaune says this, he jumps in between one of the gaps, dodging them by a hair's breadth.
He takes a glance behind him. The Deathstalker broke free from the ice and chases them with pincers clacking. Jaune grimaces, and looks around for any advantage he could use. Recognizing the chasm Ruby mentioned, he also could see a narrow pathway where the large Deathstalker would not be able to crawl on to.
"Get to the bridge! The Deathstalker can't move on to it!"
"Nora, distract it!" The green-hair boy commands. Nora switches the hammer on her back to a grenade launcher, firing three pink canisters at it. The shots explode on top of the white exoskeleton, staggering it. It slows it down enough for everyone to get on the bridge.
The Nevermore circles back around, ready to collide with the group. We're pinned against a wall here. Looks like we have to turn and fight.
"Ruby, take Yang, Weiss, and Blake with you to distract the Nevermore. The four of you are more mobile. The rest of us will take care of the Deathstalker and join up with you after!"
The four mentioned run deeper into the bridge and toward the steeple. Everyone else turns to look at the Deathstalker that guards the edge of the bridge.
"Pyrrha and Nora, keep firing shots at it to keep it stunned! The two of us will flank it, trying to make an opening. Nora, your hammer is the only thing we have to break its armor. Look for your chance!" With a quick 'aye,' the four run off to their positions.
The Deathstalker swings its pincers, ready to slice the boys apart if they get too close. They jump around to dodge, occasionally rolling back to the safety of the bridge if dodging became too difficult. The shots from the girls land, but the Grimm shrugs it off without any damage.
We're just going to get worn out at this point. I need to...
As if having a similar idea, the green-hair boy jumps and kicks off the incoming pincer. "Now!" He vaults himself on to the top of the Deathstalker's tail, firing from his pistol several shots into the stinger from point blank. The body part swings precariously, about to fall with the slightest bit of impact. The Grimm screeches, before swinging its tail and tossing the boy into a nearby ruin wall.
"Ren!" Nora yells in worry about her partner.
That was insane! But since it worked, I might as well try!
The Deathstalker focuses its attention on Jaune, swinging its claws toward him. Copying Ren, he jumps and lands on top of it, and follows with an immediate lunge towards the pincer.
Nevermore Series: Steel Feathers! The feathers on his arm sharpen as Jaune swings his arm at the stinger, cutting it off. It lands on top of the Grimm's head, piercing through as he grabs on to the stingerless tail. The beast screams in pain, thrashing around in an attempt to get the boy off.
Nora finally sees her chance and runs towards the Deathstalker with war hammer in hand. Reading the cue, Pyrrha aims her shield up, before giving Nora a jump boost. After reaching the apex of her flight, she fires four shots that adds spin to herself, rotating and threatening to smash the Grimm.
The monster is unwilling to go down without resistance, as it tries to cut at the incoming Nora.
Oh no you don't!
Jaune fires several feathers at the claw's joints and kicks one of the claws, pinning and stopping the attack from connecting on to the girl. The hammer lands with a satisfying "thunk," completely breaking the armor. Seeing the stunned Deathstalker and vulnerable flesh, Jaune pushes himself off the pincer to cut into its weak point.
Having the same idea, Pyrrha runs toward the beast, changing her lance to a sword as she approaches. The two synchronize their attacks, carving into the Grimm. Running along the top of it, they create two long streak marks along its head, revealing its brain and spine underneath. Nora fires her hammer once more to propel herself, and all three land behind the monster, ready to retaliate if the wounds did not kill it.
However, the damage is unrecoverable, as the Deathstalker collapses, the disintegration already occurring. Nora has a large grin on her face, ready for a second round. "Let's do that again!"
Jaune could not help but smile as well. That was insane, but that really was fun. Though by how unfazed Nora is, I wouldn't be surprised if she is already looking for another Deathstalker to fight. "Sure, Nora. Let me know when you find another Deathstalker."
Nora's smile grows at suggestion. Ren walks over, panting heavily and with a conflicted look. Before he could add to the celebratory banter, the Nevermore's screech reminds them they were not safe yet.
However, looking at the Nevermore, they could see the scream is one of pain. Yang is inside its mouth, firing several blasts from her gauntlet into its gullet. Seeing the approaching wall, she jumps off before the Nevermore collides into the cliff, temporarily losing its ability to fly.
Not losing the chance, Weiss lunges toward it with sword in hand. Stabbing into its tail, a line of ice form, binding it before it could escape. She retreats to where Blake has made a mock slingshot, activating a glyph onto it. Ruby places herself on where the slingshot's ammo would be. The glyph turns red as the slingshot fires, launching her blazing towards the Nevermore's head. Roses and ammo casings follow behind her as the scythe wraps around the beast's neck, pushing it up against the wall. Glyphs line up on the side of the cliff in front of Ruby, and she uses them to propel herself upward, beheading the Nevermore after she reaches the top of the cliff.
Jaune whistles. "And I thought our battle was crazy."
The eight of them stand beside the stage, waiting for their names to be called. They could hear Ozpin announcing the teams, and everyone waits in anticipation of their names.
"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this forward, you will work together as Team Cardinal." Their pictures appear on the on-stage screen, with their initials "CRDL" under their names. "Lead by Cardin Winchester."
Glynda gestures Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora on to the stage. The four walk forward as Ozpin starts speaking their names.
"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Juniper." Their faces appear on screen, with their initials "JNPR" under their names. Nora gives Ren a hug with the confirmation of their team. What a cute couple. "Lead by Jaune Arc."
Pyrrha turns around and gives Jaune a smile. However, he could not share the sentiment. I saw this coming since I took control in the forest, but Ozpin should know I'm used to following orders, not leading.
The redhead gives Jaune a light punch as he could only fake his smile towards her and the rest of his team. Can I shoulder the responsibility of their lives? Can I live up to their hopes placed on me?
The four walk off the stage as the last team is announced.
"Black Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as... Team Ruby." Their portraits appear on screen, with the initials "RWBY" underneath. "Lead by Ruby Rose." Yang hugs Ruby, proud that she became team leader.
Whew. I'm glad that Ruby is on the same team as Yang, but placing the team responsibility on the youngest girl... Ozpin, what are you thinking?
"Looks like things are shaping up to be an...interesting year."
Ozpin, if you placed us as leaders just to make it interesting, I'm going to do a lot more than write an angry letter.
And that's the chapter! I also realized that I can reply to reviews directly, so I'll be doing that unless there is something I want to address to everyone reading. Thanks again for reading the chapter, and I hope it was a fun read!
