Co-Written with Demons Anarchy of Pride. The creator of many fantastic masterpieces such as: Code Geass: Lelouch of the R-eset, Persona 4: The Unseen Truth, DxD: Final, DxD: Nocturne, RWBY: Colorless Memories, RWBY: Black Rebellion, RWBY: Final Judgment, Bloom, Wilt, and Scatter, Drifting towards Rebellion, The Reversed Fool of Justice, Persona 5: Hoshi to Bokura to, Outsiders, Die Set Down, Fate: Breaker, Fate: stay night: Dragon of Dragons, and Metastability.

I highly recommend you check them all out.

I really appreciate your help, man. Couldn't have done this without ya!

I also recommend a few stories made by another talented fanfic writer, Otaku-Nation666: Warning Letter, Highschool DxD: Destiny's Play, RWBY Riders: Spirits of Legend, Deadly Sin of the Spriggan, RWBY: Within Enlightened Hearts, Tokyo Ghoul: Wishes of an Eyepatch, Fabulae Parcae, RWBY –Apocrypha-, Tokyo Mirage Sessions: Apocalypse, Fate: Horizons, and Hellbent Ghost of the Rebellion.

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Final Fantasy XV x RWBY Crossover:

"Of Crystal Shards and Dust"

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Chapter III: The RWBY, The JNPR, and The LAPI (Part II)

"...oh you have got to be fucking kidding me!" The Prince of Lucis exclaimed with a tired glare.

Standing before the 12 individuals was a fully grown Behemoth. The gargantuan beast growled at them as it stood tall on all four legs, it's fangs bared.

"O-oh god." Jaune whimpered. "Um, Your Highness. Please tell me that's not what I think it is!"

"I'm afraid it is, Jaune." Ignis said morbidly. "It's definitely a Behemoth."

"W-what's a Behemoth?" Ruby asked, terrified and unfamiliar with most Lucian wildlife.

Before any could answer, the Behemoth released another roar. The Death Stalker emerged out from the ice prison, shaking off the remnants of cold bits before it whirled around, letting out a screech at the monster. The beast roared in turn before pouncing on the scorpion-like Grimm. It leaped over its body, which was an understatement given the sheer size of the beast, and in mid-leap, it grabbed the Death Stalker by the tail, fangs crushing the armor plating in between its teeth and dragging it along.

With the appendage still in its jaws, the Behemoth whipped its head around, dragging and thrashing the Deathstalker all over the place. It's ivory exoskeleton impacted the ground and trees surrounding it,

Splinters, pieces of rock - debris was kicked around everywhere with each impact. Some even broke into the shell that protected its body. With one final whiplash, the scorpion-Grimm was finally released...only it was sent flying through the air with black gunk spewing out of its severed tail, which was now as long as the tiny strings of flesh that attached the main body to the large pincers. The Behemoth crushed the remnants of the tail, spitting out the black remnants that began to quickly dissolve before it craned its head, finding the Death Stalker thrashing about wildly, screeching in pain erratically.

Its screams caused the initiates to cover their ears, the painful cries uncomfortable and unbearable to listen. It sounded much like hundreds of nails scratching a chalkboard.

The large beast let out a low growl, and stalked its prey. It planted its foot down on its stomach, preventing it from moving before it let out another roar and dug its fangs into its head, head pulling and tugging before, with impressive and terrifying strength, it pulled its head back...and ripped the Death Stalker in half.

The screeches of agony ceased as the carcass fell limp. It's remains had begun to dissolve into wisps of black smoke.

The Behemoth, on the other hand, was chewing up the remains of its head. Dissatisfied with the taste, the beast spat it out, leaving a mass of black gunk splattered on the forest floor.

The teens removed their hands from their ears and stared at the scene in horror and dread.

"H-holy shit!" Prompto shouted as he backpedaled, his face pale. "It ripped that sucker in half!"

Ignis frowned heavily as he prepared his knives. "I've heard that the wildlife in Lucis were capable of fighting off the Grimm," he noted tensely. "But seeing an Elder Grimm being slaughtered so easily...!"

"Guys, heads up!" Ruby shouted, pointing a finger upwards. The group looked up, and found the Nevermore squawked, flapping its wings before dive-bombing towards the beast.

The Behemoth craned its head toward the diving Nevermore and growled in what appeared to be annoyance. Instead of moving out of the way, the beast stood its ground and opened its maw.

What happened next surprised the group even further.

As the Nevermore was within range to strike, the Behemoth shot out a plume of fire from its jaws, enveloping the avian Grimm.

In a matter of seconds, the stream of dark red flames reduced the bird to ashes, not even allowing it let out a single cry. As the flames faded away, leaving only smoke to blow from within the jaws of the beast, there was not even a shred of the Grimm remaining.

"The hell?!" Gladio hissed. "Since when do Behemoth's breath fire?!"

"This one, apparently!" Noctis remarked before the group froze as the Behemoth turned towards them, eyes set on them with a predatory gaze. "Ah, shit! Everyone, get ready!"

The others prepped their weapons in hand as the gargantuan beast took an earth-rumbling step towards them.

Then, it leaped up, mouth agape with claws at the ready.

The group of twelve scattered from its trajectory and positioned themselves to flank it after it landed.

Prompto joined with Ren and Blake, gunning it from behind while Yang and Gladio charged up front, Nora trailing behind them. The blonde brawler struck first, slamming her fist straight into its snout and letting off a round, causing the head to recoil. Gladio followed up by slashing at one of its legs, creating a sizable gash in its ankle, though it seemed to barely faze the creature as it instead merely gave a growl of annoyance, raising a claw to crush them. However, a pink grenade exploded in its face, causing it to become stunned for a moment, allowing Gladio to escape.

"Yes!" Nora cheered. "Headshot!" She soon stopped her celebration, however, when the Behemoth turned, and flames danced in its mouth. "Oh no."

Quickly, she threw herself to the ground, avoiding the jet stream of flames that blazed through the grass. She then scrambled to get away as it began to crane its head, burning everything around it. The group was then forced to run around, avoiding the flames.

It swung its head from side to side to spread the fire over a wide area. Pretty soon, the surrounding foliage was lit ablaze as their air grew hotter and drier with each passing moment.

"Whoa!" Ruby cried, avoiding a nearby sprout of flame that nearly set her cloak on fire. "Hot hot hot!"

Jaune gritted his teeth, his skin becoming caked in sweat. "This is bad...any ideas, Your Highness?!"

Noctis quickly scanned the surrounding area, running calculations in his mind. The Behemoth set the surrounding trees ablaze to trap them in the clearing, slowly diminishing the oxygen in the area as smoke took its place. They had to find a way out of here and challenge it in a different area. If they stayed, it would only be a losing battle.

It was at that moment he noticed a path close to the ruins, still untouched by the fire.

"Everyone, come on!" he shouted, pointing to the escape route.

The other teens, alongside the Crownsguard, were quick to follow after him. In the midst of the flames, the Behemoth let loose a thundering roar that resounded, and soon chased after them.

XXXXXXXXXX

"My oh my," Ardyn chuckled, clapping his hands. "Splendid performance so far, young prince. Don't give up now. The best is yet to come!"

The dark-clad man still remained sitting on his vantage point, thoroughly enjoying the show. The Behemoth was a wonderful specimen and opponent for this Death Match. He really had to thank his young aid for providing the little beastie. So well-trained and deadly...

Still, the fire-breath was quite the surprise. Perhaps their research into changing the physiology of certain beasts and creatures was going well? He would have to check back with his allies to see if the progress had changed. Either way, this would most certainly be wondrous. It wouldn't be fun to see them just fight against a Nevermore and a Death Stalker. Oh no, that wouldn't at all! Too unoriginal. Surprises like these were needed!

A shame he wouldn't be able to see it to the conclusion. As he checked his pocketwatch, he found his time growing short. "Ah, what a shame." he lamented. "I'd have hoped to see you shine a bit more, Your Highness...but it seems I have another appointment to attend to." As he stood up to his full height, he dusted off the dirt on his pants before he turned around. As he did so, a smile formed on his face as particles of red light danced in the air around his hand before solidifying into what appeared to be a blade. With a swift movement, it clashed with a bloody red sword, aimed to cut him down.

Sparks flew between him and his assailant before he pushed the attacker away with a shrug. They were thrown into the air, spiraling around before landing back on the ground in a crouch. Slowly, they stood back up, revealing their form in entirety. It was a woman, going by the slender physique alone: she wore a shallow cut black dress, five necklaces with an assortment of beads, a red girdle-belt, and a pair of matching gauntlets. Over her hands were fingerless gloves, and in one hand was a naked bloody red blade, akin to that of an odachi. An object that looked to be made from feathers hanged from the right side of her skirt. She also wore detached black leggings with a red splatter pattern, and black leather boots beneath them. Her whole face was covered by a mask, vaguely resembling that of a Nevermore, with four eye-slits. Beneath them were a pair of fierce, deadly red eyes. Flowing out from beneath the mask was black hair that came down to the waist.

"I was wondering when you'd come, my dear." Ardyn chuckled, tipping his head. "Though you've come at a rather inopportune time."

The woman's glare burned with anger as she aimed the tip of her blade at him, her very form radiating killing intent. "...why have you come, Izunia?" she asked, voice cold and hoarse. There was a sharpness to it, an edge that seemed to make it as if there was a blade at Ardyn's throat. However, such an atmosphere hardly bothered the man, as he continued to smile as if his life wasn't threatened in the least. "Come to end the life of the prince?"

"Oh no, not at all..." Ardyn shook his head in amusement. "I was simply curious to see the young Prince and his friends in action. They are, after all, the next generation of Huntsmen and warriors. It would quite disappointing if they failed to reach the bar their predecessors set for them." He then turned his head a bit to watch the fight from the corner of his eye. "And from the look of things...they are not quite there yet..."

He then gave a low laugh before he craned his head to look at the masked woman. "And what about you, my lady? Why have you come here? Perhaps to finally reunite with your darling daughter? Or, perhaps..."

He didn't get far as the woman charged at him again with the intent of lopping off his head.

"I see then..." The man responded calmly as he raised his sword to parry the bloody edge. "It seems that your fury still hasn't quelled...even though it has been years." He blocked a diagonal strike and let it slide past him before he spun to deliver a horizontal stroke while she was wide open.

However, she proved to be quite agile as she bent her body down, lowering herself to where the blade hovered above her head, gliding past her while she spun around to deliver a roundhouse strike of her own. However, Ardyn proved to be just as fast as he twirled the handle around and slammed the blade into the ground, halting the katana's advance.

"Temper, temper~" Ardyn taunted her, wagging a finger. The woman scowled beneath her helmet, and delivered a kick to his chin, knocking him into the air. She then leaped up after him, ready to impale him. However, as she neared him, her eyes widened when she saw the dark grin on his face as the same red light as before danced in his hands. From below, the sword broke apart and disappeared in motes of dark red light before a new weapon formed in his hand.

A giant broadsword, with a rotating edge.

"Shit-!"

The strike came swift and fast, slamming straight into her while she was open. Her Aura suffered as the power behind the weapon pounded right into her abdomen. The rotating edge also cut straight into it. She felt the light that protected her diminishing in just that one moment before she found herself hurled back to the earth. A decently-sized crater formed underneath her, her body bouncing off. Saliva flew out of her mouth, reeling from the impact before Ardyn followed up by tossing the large sword straight down at her. The flat top of the blade, slammed straight into her, added only by the power of his throw and the force of gravity.

The woman gasped as the force of the blow tore even more of her Aura reserves, reducing it until there was barely anything left. Fortunately, though, she had enough to protect her ribs from being shattered. Through the pain, she glared at the man, who was currently next to her with his weapon in hand, through the eyeholes of her mask.

"Now, now, my dear..." Ardyn lightly scolded. "Is that any way to act? It is quite unbecoming of a lady to behave in such a barbaric manner."

"Screw..." the woman breathed, her voice laced in venom. "Y-you...!"

"No need to be so vulgar." He shook his head. He removed the blade from its position, alleviating the woman of her pain. The giant broadsword then vanished from sight, disappearing in motes of light like the previous sword in his grasp. He then gave the woman a wide smile, tipping his hat. "Well, until next time!"

Without another word to be said, he spun on his heel and walked away from the small crater.

"W-Wait...!" The woman growled, prying herself out of the earth with great effort.

Ardyn didn't spare her a glance, instead waving at her while she tried to stand, only to fall on her knees, using her weapon for support. Slowly, she got back up to her feet, and leveled a glare at him as he disappeared inside a green and black portal, vanishing without a trace.

"...Dammit."

She cursed. Her target was right there, and he slipped right through his fingers...again!

This had been going on for years now...ever since...

'No. Don't you dare think about it.' she thought to herself as she forced her body to stand back on her feet. With a swing of her blade, she created a black and red portal, not unlike the one Ardyn made himself. She gave one last glance to where the man disappeared, and then walked into the portal, which dissipated as soon as she passed through it.

All the while, unaware of the black crow watching her, observing the scene with sharp red eyes before letting out a cry and taking to the air.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Uh, Noct!" Prompto shouted as they reached what appeared to be the face of the cliff. Between them and the cliff was a large gap, and the only thing linking the two platforms together was a bridge. The twelve initiates barreled through, looking over their shoulder to see the beast still hunting them, roaring and snarling all the while. "Its gaining on us!"

"I see that, Prompto!" Noctis shouted back before he whirled around, slamming on his feet and calling on his Engine Blade. "Gladio, come on!"

The burly man nodded, eyes fierce. "On it!" As the Behemoth emerged, leaping out from the trees, Gladious charged forward, dragging his sword behind him. Letting out a roar, the large monstrosity swung its claw at him, only to be barred by his blade and parried, allowing him to swing it around in a full circle and slam it into its leg, knocking it off balance. "Prompto!"

The blonde sharpshooter was already over it, grinning as he took aim. "Hi there, opening~"

He pulled the trigger and an elemental bullet shot out of the barrel before hitting the beast's clavicle. The round exploded upon impact, eliciting a cry from the beast as its neck and shoulder were encased in a thin sheet of ice from the residual magic.

As it staggered, Jaune immediately saw an opportunity. "Nora!" he called. "Think you can give it a good thwack?"

Somehow, the dangerous smile she gave him was downright unnerving as she charged up. The Behemoth managed to recover quickly, shaking off the damage and inhaling, small flickers of flames dancing in its mouth. The group realized what was about to happen and quickly took cover behind the scattered pillars and rocks for cover. Nora, however, continued to charge forward. Just as the Behemoth was about to fire off another plume of flames to reduce the humans to ashes, she aimed her grenade launcher at her feet. "Boom!" she cheered as she was sent up into the air, thus avoiding the flames. As she flew upwards, her weapon changed into what appeared to be a giant hammer. Her grin grew wider as she descended downward, weapon overhead.

"YAZTHEE!"

As the Behemoth inclined its head to reach its target, the hammer, descent fueled by gravity and inhuman arm strength, slammed on top of its head, forcing its mouth shut. With its jaws closed abruptly, the flames had nowhere to go. The pressure built up before a blast of heat exploded from its mouth.

The hyperactive ginger used the monster's head as a springboard to propel herself away once her attack was finished.

The Behemoth then released a painful cry: a mixture of rage and pain as it shook his head, black smoke blowing out from its mouth and snout. The entire insides of its mouth were utterly charred, and several of its fangs were broken apart from the explosion. "Aw, what's the matter, big boy?" Yang taunted, smirking. "Too hot for ya?" In response, the Behemoth glared at her, and roared in rage, slamming its claw down in anger before it charged at her. Acting quickly, she used Ember Celica to bump her up in the air, avoiding the swipe of its claw that would have flatten her and delivered a few shots to its exposed backsides. Unfortunately, she was hit by its tail, knocking her out of the air. "Oof!"

"Yang!" Ruby cried in panic, seeing her flying towards the open chasm.

The brawler's eyes widened in panic. She would have used her gauntlets, but she realized too late that she was too far to get enough distance to reach the edge before she fell to the point of no return. However, she soon felt a black band wrap around her wrist, and found herself yanked back. She landed back on the ground, just shy of the edge leering over the seemingly bottomless abyss of the chasm, and looked to her side to find her partner with her weapon out. "...thanks for that." she said quietly.

The black-haired Faunus smiled thinly. "Next time." she said teasingly. "Don't be so reckless, Yang. It's bad for your health."

"What can I say? I'm a thrill seeker." Yang smirked back. "It's what I do."

"There's a difference between bravery and foolhardiness, Miss Xiao Long." Ignis admonished as he passed them, daggers in hand.

The Behemoth let out a growl as it tried to swipe the man away, only for him to nimbly slide underneath it and find himself right below it. Acting quickly, he tossed the knives at its ankles, two each striking around where the bone stuck out. Hissing in annoyance, the beast hopped back and tried to scoop the man up in its burnt mouth. Prompto, however, stopped it by using the gigantic metal contraption he used from earlier when they were launched into the Emerald Forest, firing a round off at its face and knocking it back, allowing Ignis to throw another knife at its neck.

His glasses developed a glare as he roared, "Noct!"

"On it, Iggy!"

Following his friend's command, the Crown prince of Lucis locked onto the dagger that was thrown. Focusing his power into it, Noctis warped to its location, flying through the air from the dagger's momentum. While airborne, he summoned his Engine Blade and stabbed it right into the Behemoth's neck.

He tried to dig the sword was far into the neck as possible, but the hide was incredibly thick. The Behemoth, in response, tried to shake him off, letting out a cry before the human could do any damage to it. Eventually, it threw him off, though Noctis was not done yet. His body disappeared into a burst of blue light and reappeared at the daggers thrown at the ankles of the Behemoth.

His forgotten Engine Blade, still stuck in the neck, also reappeared in his hand as he immediately went about cutting up the skin. A decently-sized gash was made in its ankle, blood spurting out before he warped to the next ankle and repeated. In an attempt to stop him, the Behemoth thrashed about wildly, stomping around as if in a tantrum.

"Hey, ugly!" Ruby shouted as she fired off a few rounds at the Behemoth, though they barely made any impact into the thick hide of the beast. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?!"

The massive beast craned its head over to the petite red girl, pure fury burning in its green and milky eyes.

Utilizing this distraction, Noctis cut through the last ankle, reminding the beast that it had someone underneath it. Roaring angrily, and having enough, it leaped back, avoiding the prince. His actions were already done as is as he warped back over to his friends. "Talk about thick skin!" Noctis growled. "Ignis, any ideas?"

"A few come to mind..." the strategist of the team replied. "Despite its hulking frame, it is quite agile. In addition it has a durable hide. However...given the state of its eyes, it seems to be blind on one side."

As the Behemoth stepped closer, growling and slowly waltzing towards them like a predator zeroing in on its prey. The group slowly edged away, weapons ready when it pounced. "So what's the plan?"

"Despite being quite durable, it doesn't have a favorable disposition to flame." Ignis noted, noticing how its mouth had been severely damaged from the result of its own flames backfiring. It was an odd phenomenon, as it lacked proper resistance to its own attack.

He was unsure why it was the case, then again, this is the first they've encountered a Behemoth capable of breathing fire. Nevertheless, this was an opportunity they could exploit. He pushed up his glasses, looking at Weiss. More specifically, her pouch. "Miss Schnee, how many Fire Dust crystals do you have on your person?"

"Quite a few. I always bring several crystals with me into combat." Weiss nodded, taking a couple of red crystals from her pouch.

Ignis nodded in approval before he took out a familiar sphere in his hand. "Noct," he turned the prince. "How many Elemental Bombs do we have on hand?"

"That depends." Noctis smirked. "We making Behemoth BBQ?"

"I've actually come up with a new recipe just now." The chef smirked in kind.

"Then we have enough for the job!"

The Behemoth, finding the moment to strike, let loose a gigantic roar and charged, releasing thunderous steps as it barreled its way toward them with the intent of ripping them apart.

Both Ignis and Noctis readied their bombs in hand and waited until the precise moment to throw them.

As the beast drew near, Ruby and Jaune looked at one another, nodding before they charged in. Weiss needed time to prep the dust crystals, and they were going to give her the time. Ruby reached the Behemoth first with her speed, darting forward with a burst of petals. Her scythe dragged along the side of its body, creating a shallow cut along the thick hide. The creature roared out as it whirled around, snarling while swishing its tail.

Jaune was nearly thrown off by it, but instead managed to use it to his advantage as he grabbed hold of it, hanging on and slowly working his way up. Feeling something on its tail, the Behemoth craned its head to find the human clinging to its tail and roared, swinging its body around. Jaune tried to hang on, but he eventually lost his grip and found himself high in the air.

"Oh craaaaaap!" he cried as he fell down once gravity got a hold of him. The Behemoth's body tensed before it leaped up with the intent of snatching him in its mouth like a dog catching a ball.

Nora and Pyrrha, however, had other ideas.

Nodding at one another, the two girls went to action. Pyrrha crouched down as Nora jumped. When the ginger fell back down on top of the Spartan's shield, she was seated on the shaft of her hammer, the face of her weapon using the shield as a platform. The moment she was on, the red haired girl jumped as Nora pulled the trigger of her weapon, propelling her high into the air and above the Behemoth. Once she reached apex height, she spun around fired off her weapon again, letting the recoil and gravity fuel her descent.

"BAAAAAATER UP!"

She swung Magnihld with all her might and the head of the hammer impacted with the side of the Behemoth's face, forcing it to crash to the ground away from Jaune.

Jaune struck the ground rear first, causing him to cry out in pain. "OW!" he yelped, rubbing his rear as he stood up. "Man...think I landed right on my scroll!" He looked up just in time to see the Behemoth growling in rage as it quickly shook off the damage, charging at him. It raised its upper body up, limb extended, with the intent of crushing him right there.

Acting quickly, he brought up his shield and braced himself for impact. The paw came down right on top of him and gritted his teeth, feeling the pressure being pounded unto him. Beneath his feet, the earth cracked. "Khrgh!" he growled before he mustered the strength and shrugged off the paw. "My turn, asshole!"

Throwing the paw off him, Jaune went on the offensive and struck with Crocea Mors. The blade made a wide arc before it dug into the Behemoth's ankle, right over the wound that Noctis made before.

The strike deepened the gash, causing more blood to leak out and cut into the tendon. The Behemoth felt strength being lost in its leg and roared in defiance, trying to swipe at the blonde, only for a blast of electricity to explode on its blindside, releasing yet another cry before it turned and found Blake and Ren shooting at it, the former prepping another Dust crystal to toss.

She gave her Fire Dust to Weiss, who was close to being ready. Meanwhile, Prompto and Gladio were heading towards it from behind, determined to keep it in one spot and prevent it from moving any further before their friends were ready to set its ass on fire. Using the distraction the two gunners were making, Gladio came up to one of the hind legs an swung its blade right at the heel.

The massive blade dug into the tough hide and pierced into the muscle. Prompto followed suit by bracing himself with the oversized cannon and fired at its other heel.

The Behemoth let out a pained cry, losing strength in its hind legs. With a furious rage, it turned around and tried to crush them, dragging its claw along the earth. They were quick to evade it, moving out of the way. However, it then realized its blindspot was exposed, evident when it felt several blasts strike away at its hide. "I!" Yang shouted, throwing shot after shot at the monster. "Hope! Your! Hun! Gry!"

The massive beast howled as kinetic energy rounds pelted it over and over again in the same spot, gradually wearing down its defenses. The fact that the attacker was in its blind side did not help either.

It eventually whirled around, kicking up dust and debris. Some of it went flying at the brawler, though she managed to blow some of it away. Pyrrha then charged in through the dust, leaping up. Switching her weapon to its spear form, she reared her arm back and threw it.

The thrown weapon flew and stabbed itself into the monster's lone, functioning eye. The Behemoth screeched louder than it ever had before, forcing the teens to cover their ears from the noise.

"Somebody shut it up!" Nora cried, clutching her ears closed. "I can't stand it! Its like somebody's dragging nails across the chalkboard back home!"

"It sounds even worse than that!" Ruby yelled in agreement. "It sounds like the songs of Yang's favorite boyband!"

"Hey!"

As the creature continued to thrash around, swiping a claw at its face and removing the spear, it shook his head, trying to shake off the pain before releasing another roar.

"Noct!" Ignis called. "Miss Schnee! On my mark!"

"Right!" Both the Prince and Heiress nodded as they readied the elemental bomb and dust crystals in hand respectively.

This time, the creature relied on sound. Hearing the three's cry, it charged right at them. "Steady!" Ignis told them, keeping their hands tamed. "Steady!" The Behemoth continued to charge, unheeding of its losing strength in its legs from the blood loss. If it was going to die, it would at least kill one of these humans. As it neared, a bead of sweat dripped down Ignis' forehead. "Steady!"

Three seconds. Two. One-!

"NOW!"

Just as the Behemoth lunged at them, they swiftly moved out of the way. Noctis and Ignis threw their bombs straight into the air, flying in an arc and ready to hit their mark while Weiss threw the myriad of dust crystals at the bridge's floor. As their bodies hit the ground, the Behemoth fell on all fours, tumbling through the bridge before coming to a stop. Growling, it tried to get back to its feet. However, none of the students were about to give it a chance.

"PROMPTO, NOW!"

"Aye aye!" Prompto shouted as he took aim with his handgun. Just as the elemental bombs came down close to the Behemoth, the blonde sharpshooter smirked. "Bye-bye~!"

He pulled the trigger. The bullet was pumped out from the chamber, shooting out from the barrel and flying right at the Dust crystals lying at the Behemoth's feet. The elemental bombs were right in front of its face now.

Then the bullet struck the Dust crystal, right as one of the bombs touched the cobblestone floor of the bridge.

The result was a cacophony of fiery explosions. Plumes of fire erupted from the bridge and swallowed the gargantuan beast whole. Furthermore, the force of the blasts compromised the age-weakened structure of the stone bridge, causing pieces to be blown off as cracks rapidly formed. In a matter of moments, all that could be heard through the blaze was the Beast's final howls of agony before the stone floor beneath it finally broke apart.

With that, a fireball was sent downwards into the chasm below, vanishing in the mist.

"...can I say a one-liner now?" Prompto asked, looking at the prince. "For reals man? Don't wanna jinx it."

Noctis shrugged as he laid down on the ground, utterly exhausted. Both from the events in the forest, running for dear life, and fighting a Behemoth. The adrenaline had finally left his body, and he was no worse for wear. "Go for it."

'Noct' another one out." Prompto grinned, laughing...only to wince as he held his ribs. "Okay...on second thought, no laughing."

"Good. Cuz that was a terrible one-liner." Gladio said as he stabbed his great sword to the ground and leaned against it.

"I don't know, I thought it was a pretty good one." Yang commented.

Ruby groaned, laying flat on the grass. "Only you would think that, Yang." she said tiredly. "Hey, Weiss? Can I go to sleep now? I hurt all over..."

"Of course not...is what I would say...but I could use a break myself..." The white haired girl nodded as she kneeled on the ground.

Nora let out a laugh. "What a bunch of wimps!" she said with a grin. "Me and Ren could take on another...cou...ple..." She trailed off as she fell to the ground. Moments later, they could hear her snoring. "Zzz..."

"...Ren?" Jaune asked his friend in exasperation. "You mind if I ask something?"

The boy sighed as he sat up. "Yes." he stated the unanswered question. "Yes she is."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Have all the students transported to the medical bay." Ozpin ordered the staff. "Their safety is our first priority. Also inform the initiates that, until further notice, Initiation will be suspended. Inform the nearest guild association of the situation. If there's another one of those things roaming around, we're going to need all the help we can get."

They didn't stick around much longer after that. They were quick to run about their business, intent with the tasks they had been assigned. However, that said, they couldn't help but feel disturbed. For as long as they have known him, Ozpin was a figure of composure. A giant of mental strength, stature and charisma. Yes, he could be odd at times, but his charm and excellent abilities could bring out the best in anyone.

To see the man lose his composure, however, was a little jarring, yet not expected. After all, no one had expected an honest-to-gods BEHEMOTH to suddenly appear.

Never before had the Emerald Forest had been home to one of these creatures native to Lucis. They usually roam around the Leide region, a vast desert surrounding the Capital of Lucis, Insomnia. To see such a monstrosity here in Vale of all places was quite alarming.

But it also begged the unasked question. Just how was a Behemoth even here?

The question was plaguing their minds, especially Ozpin's. As he sat in his office, forehead creased in disturb, he tried to think of possibilities and theories as to how such a beast could have been there. While Bartholomew and Peter had arrived late, just minutes after the students eliminated the Behemoth, he was still worried about them. This was not boding well, both for his own health and for political matters. No doubt the press or council would have a field day if they learned that a Behemoth had appeared in the Emerald Forest while so many transfer students from the Cultural Exchange program, including the crown prince himself, were present.

He let out a tired sigh. "I'm getting too old for this."

"Maybe it's about time you started drinkin', Oz." a gruff voice called from behind. Ozpin turned and found a familiar face walking toward him. It was a man with graying black, spiky hair, red eyes, and slight stubble along his jawline. With a red and tattered cloak, he wore a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. He also wore a ring on his right index finger, two other rings on his right fourth finger, and a necklace with a crooked cross-shaped pendant. "Stuff does wonders."

Ozpin's eyes widened slightly. "Qrow?" he asked, surprised to see the man here. "What on Remnant are you doing here? I thought you were-"

"Raven's back in town." Qrow Branwen said swiftly, causing the man's eyes to widen while Qrow's eyes narrowed sharply as he continued in a serious and grim tone. "And she was fighting Ardyn Izunia."

"WHAT?!" The calm facade of Beacon's Headmaster broke as he jumped out of his seat and slammed his palms on his desk. "Ardyn was here?! How?!"

"Probably the same way he's been popping up around Remnant for all these years." Qrow frowned. "What's more...he seemed to be keeping an eye on the King's boy during the Initiation..."

If Ozpin had been holding his mug, it probably would have dropped and shattered on the floor. Instead, his face paled and palmed it in his hand. "Dammit..." he muttered. As he slunk down in his chair, he took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. "So then...he's responsible for the Behemoth, I presume?"

"That'd be my guess." the scythe-meister said as he took out a flask, popping open the cap and chugging down some of the contents. "Even got to see him in action. I'm starting to see why the King was worried about someone like that." His eyes narrowed as he screwed the cap back on his flask, pocketing it away. "Along with the idea of Niflheim coming here."

"And I would not blame him." Ozpin nodded before he frowned, clasping his hands together. "Even now, one has to wonder...how was it that the man who hails from the same world as Regis, Counselor and advisor to Niflheim's own leader, has found himself here on Remnant?" His eyes then narrowed, staring out the window in contempt as if staring at some unknown figure. "Moreover...what does his presence bode for us?"

Qrow sighed. "Wish I knew." he said before his tone turned somber. "I'm worried about Raven, Oz. Ever since what happened, she's been hellbent on killing that fox, but at the rate she's going..."

"I know, old friend. I know..."

He, of course, knew that better than anyone. It was his mistake that led to that day all those years ago...

Even now, Raven refuses to forgive him. He could not blame her. He could not even forgive himself.

Even so, he had to bear his burdens and move on. He had to keep going, lest Remnant will fall at the hands of Salem.

And he'd be damned if he let that happen.

"...so how's Ruby?" he asked, concerned about the safety of his niece. "She okay?"

"She is alright. Merely exhausted from the intense battle. Fortunately, she and the others emerged victorious without receiving serious injuries. The worst some of them had after Aura depletion were scrapes and bruises." The Professor answered.

"I see. That's a relief."

The man let out a sigh. "Tai would have our heads if anything happened to her. Hell, I'd expect Summer to come back from the dead and hunt our asses herself." A shudder ran down his neck, remembering how she was like when they had graduated. "I'm telling you, Oz...she learned it from Raven."

"That aside." Ozpin returned to the conversation back on point. "For now, I'd like for you to keep doing what you are. Keep an ear out for any unusual activity from Queen's part."

"Gotcha." The man nodded. "I'll be sure to report in if I find anything new."

With that, the man walked away. In the meantime, Ozpin stared at the empty mug on his desk, furrowing his brow.

"...maybe Qrow is right." he muttered. "Maybe I should start drinking."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Whaaaaat?" Ruby whined. "What do you mean Initiation's been put on hold?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "After that whole debacle with the Behemoth, they want to make sure no students were seriously injured." she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "After all, I'm sure not even the Headmaster expected to have a monster like that in the Emerald Forest." She then gave the girl a small smile as she handed her a mug. "Here." she said as Ruby's eyes sparkled. "You said cream and three sugars, right?"

"Yep!" Ruby cheered as she gently took the mug into her hands, bringing it to her lips. Second later, she winced. "Hot!"

"Of course it is, you dunce." she admonished the girl. "What did you think it would be?"

"I thought it would be cool by now..." The girl whined as she fanned her tongue with her free hand and set the cup down. She and the others had been escorted from the forest and to the infirmary to patch up their injuries.

Fortunately, none of them were critically wounded. Especially after fighting a monster like a Behemoth.

While part of her was still shaken up, and quite frankly terrified, she couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment and excitement. She fought a Behemoth...a freaking BEHEMOTH! 'Ooh, I can't wait to tell dad about this!' she gushed before she turned to Weiss. "So, um..."

"What is it?" Weiss asked, crossing her legs before she narrowed a critical eye on the girl. "If this about asking me for state of the art stuff, you can forget it."

That made Ruby blink. What? Where did that come from? "I...wasn't even going to ask you about that." she said before she paused for a moment. "Unless, of course, by state of the art stuff you mean parts to spruce up my sweetheart."

"Sweetheart?"

Ruby nodded, smiling with pride. "My Crescent Rose!"

'Oh dear lord, who did I partner myself with?' Weiss thought with a feeling that she would no doubt find herself with a headache often with this girl. Even still, she was perhaps a bit interested. Most people would try and take advantage of having her for a partner. She didn't blame them, of course. You would have to be extraordinarily lucky to have the heiress to a powerful company as your partner, and perhaps even more so to have THE Pyrhha Nikos for one. She was still sore that she ended up with that blonde idiot with the black coat. Regardless, she was surprised that the girl in front of her hadn't made any attempts to do so yet.

Then again, Weiss would have to admit, she was interested in Ruby Rose herself. The girl had been quite the talk, having made the news. It wasn't everyday you learned that a fifteen-year-old girl had managed to thwart a bank robbery. Especially when said robbery was led by one Roman Torchwick, one of the biggest names in the criminal underworld. For her part, Weiss was impressed by her combat skills. She must have had an impressive teacher, and her weapon was quite a thing of beauty. Deadly, and efficient. Winter certainly approved, though she voiced her worries about a girl like that playing hero. Whitley, being the pessimist he was, merely dismissed the girl as someone living in a dream.

Naturally, as she expected, her father didn't care much. He barely had time to concern himself with such trifling matters, as business was far more important.

Her mother had no opinion of her feats either...as she was as despondent as usual.

There was one other person she believed would've appreciated and admired the actions of the young girl. However...

She winced and shook her head. She refused to allow herself to show weakness. Weakness was a sign of frailty. She was not frail. She was a Schnee. Schnee's were not frail.

At any rate, she was curious about one thing. "How did you do it?" she asked curiously. Ruby, attempting to drink her coffee again, looked up from the mug as she took a sip. It was still hot, but nowhere near as bad as before. "How'd you get into Beacon early?"

Ruby groaned, pulling her hood over her head. Weiss noted that she had done this before, back when she recognized her in Emerald Forest. "I got here because Ozpin offered me a spot." she said timidly, her thumbs twiddling around. "And I wanted to be like my parents and sister. I wanted to be like the heroes in the stories they used to tell me all about, so I accepted." She then gave another whine, pulling her hood down further. "Except now I'm like really, REALLY nervous. I mean, I just want to be normal knees, not-not the bee's knees?"

Weiss quirked an eyebrow. "...come again?"

"I-I mean...I don't want people to think I'm anything SPECIAL."

Ruby pouted. "I just...I just want to be a normal person. I don't want people to think I got here because of special treatment or something! I want them to see me as a normal girl! But it's too late since I'm here at Beacon, two years early..."

Weiss was taken aback. Most people would typically brag about this sort of thing, but Ruby? She was more worried that people would judge her for that. Soon, a smile formed on her face. "I think you'll do fine." she told her, making Ruby's face lit up. "By the way, I never asked. How do you know His Highness?"

"Oh, you mean Noct?" the silver-eyed girl giggled. "We're childhood friends. We actually met while my Uncle Qrow was visiting a friend of his in Lucis. I even got to meet Princess Luna from Tenebrae too!" She paused as she adopted a thoughtful expression. "That reminds me...I wonder if she and Noct are together yet?"

She completely missed the slack-jawed expression her partner was giving her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, at the edge of Vale's outskirts: specifically at an old warehouse, a certain criminal was looking at a map, eyes scanning it thoroughly while looking at the assortment of Dust he had in his collection. As he stared at the plans, he leaned back and pulled out his cigar from his mouth, exhaling gray smoke. "We're gonna need more men." he decided before he turned around to see various individuals, ranging from humans in black suits to Faunus in white vests, black hoods and Grimm masks over their faces. "One of you get me in touch with Junior. I got a favor for him!" One of the grunts nodded and went to the back, going to grab the man on the phone.

Roman was sure that the info broker was going to be throwing a fuss, but he knew how to deal with it. He wasn't one of the best criminals in Vale for nothing. As he went back to look over the plans, a cold metallic voice called to him from the side.

"I hope you aren't planning on disappointing us again, Torchwick."

"FUCKING HELL!" the criminal cried as he whirled around to find the speaker.

There, sitting atop a stack of crates, was a man wearing a battered cloak with a hood covering his face, shadows obscuring most of it while the rest showed off what appeared to be a mask resembling a skull with filter canisters on the jaws, glowing pinkish-red eyes staring back at him. Beneath the cloak were white bandages, wrapped around the upper body with a black, sleeveless, skintight shirt over them. Over that was a black, mechanical chest plate. He also wore dark gray camo jeans with metal knee pads and a pair of heavy, black combat boots.

"Dammit!" Roman cursed. "Do you HAVE to do that?! Gods, you're worse than Neo!"

"It is effective in getting your attention, that's for sure." The figure replied evenly. "I just hope you will not fail in the upcoming heist like you did not too long ago. The Great criminal mastermind, Roman Torchwick, foiled and bested by a teenage girl with a giant mechanical scythe. Even now, the media continues to spew that story."

Roman growled. "Hey, I could have handled her if that damned Huntress hadn't gotten in my way!" he protested. "Speaking of which, correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you supposed to help me back there?"

"And waste my time with something as boring as that?" the masked man huffed. "Not a chance. Besides...be glad it's me condescending you and not the woman who has your life on a leash."

The mobster scowled. "Don't remind me."

He REALLY didn't want to be reminded of the woman he was contracted with. If he could run away, he would. But if he did...he'd be signing his own death warrant. Shaking his head, Roman spoke again. "So why are you really here? I doubt it's just a simple social visit or reminder."

"We're moving up the plans." the masked man stated, causing Roman to quirk an eyebrow. "Get your boys ready. We move tonight."

"Okaaaay? And who exactly are we going to beat the shit out of, kill, or blow up this time?"

The figure let out a creepy chuckle, the voice modifier that made him sound menacing not helping matters whatsoever.

"The White Hoods."

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Chapter: END

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Next Time: Dried Petals, Part I