Hey guys! Here it is, the tenth chapter! In this is the last part of intuition and the naming of the teams! After this, we should get into the Beacon school year where the real fun begins! So, read and I hope you enjoy this!
To recap the current hellish situation. Crimson has gotten himself eaten, two huge Grimm are trying to kill everyone, and Ruby is stuck with one of the people who abused her and left her alone to die...
"Shouldn't we go help Pyrrha!" Jaune shouted as the Deathstalker continued to chase the warrior around the clearing. Turns out they didn't need to, as the Deathstalker backhanded Pyrrha with one of it's truck-size claws, sending her hurling across the space of the clearing and depositing her at the feet of the group.
"Well, there goes one of the better fighters." Skyler said. "Luckily for you, we still have three left." He glanced around the group. "So, does anyone have any ideas?"
The Nevermore screeched overhead.
"Any ideas at all?"
Ruby narrowed her sliver eyes and fully unfolded Crescent Rose. "Yeah, I've got one."
She took off running towards the giant Grimm, using the scythe's recoil she launched herself at the charging, subterranean Grimm. She carved the deadly blade in a overhead slash, only to have it blocked by the Deathstalker's armored claws. The powerful collision sent Ruby sprawling back, nearly causing her to impale herself on the razor edge of Crescent Rose.
"Neo! Battling a huge arachnid! A little help!"
She turned and shot the Grimm in the face, which did nothing but make it angrier then it already was. Ruby collapsed Crescent Rose as she spun around and ran back towards the group of other hunters-in-training. "NEO!"
Neo grabbed Skyler and set off at a run to Ruby. Skyler pulled Timelash out of his vest pocket while Neo held her Parasol firmly in her hand. But a Nevermore, the same Nevermore that currently had Crimson in it's stomach, gilded over the clearing, it's red eyes set on the fleeing form of Ruby. It screeched as it reared up and clapped it's wings, sending a hail of razor sharp feathers into the path of the fleeing girl in red. The deadly feathers pierced the ground all around her, one pinning her long cloak to the ground, trapping Ruby where she was. The spikes of the Nevermore stopped Neo and Skyler as the feathers thudded down, narrowly missing Skyler while Neo flipped into the air to dodge a deadly shaft. Neo's feet touched ground as she made a violent gesture to Ruby. "Get out of there!"
Neo slipped in-between two feathers and started to rush to Ruby, Skyler followed with more difficulties as the form of Neo slipped and slid into places Skyler could barely fit his upper body into. Ruby pulled on her cloak, but the feather had driven it far into the ground. "Neo, it's stuck-"
"GRREEEWOL!" The Deathstalker had crept closer, and was raising it's tail, the gold-color stinger simmering wickedly in the sunlight. "NEAPOLITAN!"
The stinger struck down at an unavoidable speed, even if she wasn't trapped, Ruby would never be able to dodge it. Neo saw the stinger flashing down and pumped her legs faster, almost to a blur, but she was too far away to get there in time.
"RUBY!"
There was blast behind the multi-color girl, a rush of gold, and a resulting collision that blew Ruby back, yanking her cloak out from under the feather. Ruby rolled across the ground and into a crouch, she turned to look at the person who saved her. A sharp gasp escaped her lips.
"You?!"
Standing there, holding the Deathstalker's stinger in her armored hands, was Yang Xiao Long.
"But..I..You." Ruby stood up, she stayed where she was, but looked at Yang in pure shock. Yang had an expression on her face that Ruby didn't recognize. The gold blonde opened her mouth.
"I jus-"
"BIRD!" Skyler's scream made both of them look up to see the Nevermore diving straight towards them. Yang used Ember Celica to shoot the stinger into the path of the Nevermore; the tail of the Deathstalker and the head of the Nevermore collided, causing them to roar in pain and jerk back. The humans took this time to run back to the rest of the group, Neo and Ruby splitting off away from Yang with Skyler in tow.
"Guys, that thing is circling back." Jaune said nervously, pointing to the now fully enraged Nevermore. "What are we going to do?" Weiss glanced over at the incoming Nevermore, her eyes narrowed.
"Look, there's no sense in dilly-dallying. Our objective is right in front of us." She nodded to the temple just a few feet away. The remaining relics glimmering in the sun.
"She's right." Ruby agreed. "Our mission is to grab a relic and make it back to the cliffs." She looked around. "There's no point in fighting these things."
Skyler raised his hand slightly into the air. "Well, there's Crimson, but...yeah, no point. You're right."
'Run and live." Jaune nodded. "That's an idea I can get behind."
They grabbed the relics as the Deathstalker came screeching back.
"Time we left." Ren said with conviction. Ruby nodded.
"Right, let's go!"
Ruby led the group towards the distance cliffs, Neo smiled after her for a moment before taking off after Ruby.
They broke through the trees, into the ruins of an ancient temple, this one being hugely more gigantic then the amphitheater from where the hunters just left.
Running to the cliffs, Ruby heard the Nevermore come screaming over the trees. It flew over the hunters, causing them to take shelter behind the pillars that lined the long forgotten road. The Grimm circled the towering temple at the base of the cliff, landing on top, the monster let out a screeching roar of challenge.
"Well, that's great!" Yang crouched next to Ebon, Blake, and Weiss.
"It's about to get better!" Skyler pointed behind them. Jaune turned to see the Deathstalker crash out from the forest.
"Oh, man, run!" Jaune shouted over the screeches as he and Pyrrha bolted from their hiding spot. The others followed.
The rush of hunters charging its perch caused the Nevermore to take flight once again, murder in it's soulless eyes.
"Nora, distract it!" Ren commanded as they rushed through the columns. Dodging a hail of Nevermore feathers. Nora pulled a massive, pink grenade launcher from her back and fired off several similarly colored grenades. The Nevermore roared with pain as the explosives erupted in a mess of purple Dust. The Nevermore flew off to the side while the Deathstalker crawled up behind Nora, its claws widening only to have them deflected by Blake and Ren. A glyph appeared at Nora's feet and Weiss helped her leap as Ren and Blake sprinted to the bridge that separated the forest from the temple. Pyrrha turned to see the Deathstalker snarling after her companions. She planted her foot as she crouched down to one knee and shifted Milo into an rifle.
"Go! Go!" She shouted as Nora and Weiss raced past her, the bronze-clad warrior fired at the approaching head of the Deathstalker. Ren slid to a stop beside her and blasted rounds from StormFlower as Blake leaped away from the clutching claws of the Grimm, who was far too big to fit on the bridge. They ran across the stonework that spanned a deep canyon, but before the hunters could reach the other end, the Nevermore appeared, using it's body like a battering ram, the monster obliterated the bridge, splitting the entire group in two. Jaune ran to the edge of the broken bridge and stared across at Blake, Ren, and Pyrrha as they battled the monstrous Deathstalker.
"Man, we need to get over there! They need help!" Jaune looked around as Nora came bounding up with a determined expression on her face.
"Let's do this!"
Jaune looked at the gap in front of them. "Yeah, but, uh..." A piece of bridge cracked off and fell into the misty depths of the canyon. "I can't make that jump."
Jaune didn't even have time to feel nervous as Nora laughed evilly, she hit Jaune back with Magnhild before unfolding it into a huge hammer. Taking a running leap, she pushed herself into the air, raising her hammer high above her head, preparing to bring it down. Jaune pushed himself off the stone.
"No, wait!
The hammer cracked the stone bridge, flinging Jaune into the air. "No! No! No! No!" And just like that, Nora Valkyrie and Jaune Arc went to battle a Deathstalker. Unfortunately, in the progress of smashing the Deathstalker's head in, Nora was propelled backwards, knocking Blake off the broken bridge.
Blake hurled Gambol Shroud, it's chain clinking as the blade of the chain scythe stuck into the rock face of the cliff, allowing Blake to swing elegantly through the air. She landed on the face of the Nevermore and sprinted down it's back, slashing with Gambol Shroud and its sheath down the length of the Grimm's back. She landed on the opposite side of the gap from Pyrrah, Jaune, and the rest.
"That thing is tougher then it looks." She told the rest of the group of hunters-in-training. Yang's eyes narrowed.
"Then we hit it with everything we got."
Neo looked over at Ruby, who nodded. Neo might not kill Yang yet, but her suggestions and orders were pretty much just noise to Neo. Skyler decided to follow her lead. Ruby hefted Crescent Rose, pointing it at the oncoming Nevermore. Ebon clicked a switch on the handle of her Nodachi, and the blade split and folded in half to reveal a single-barrel shotgun. Skyler pulled a small ice Dust crystal from his pocket and placed it inside Timelash. Spinning it around, Neo noticed that the gold shine was outlined with glacier blue. The Nevermore screeched as it dived down towards them.
"KILL IT!" Ruby shouted. Her group unleashed a barrage of Dust and a hail of bullets. Skyler nearly turning Timelash invisible with the speed that he was weaving the watch around him. Each swipe in the air releasing a crescent of icy Dust energy. The storm of lethal force caused the Nevermore to dive lower, right into the tower of the temple where the small group was standing. The tower exploded with the force of the Nevermore's crash, sending huge chucks of stone flying upwards. The huntresses and single huntsman leaped from chuck to chuck, landing on one of the four higher bridges of the temple. The Nevermore circled around for another pass.
"None of this is working!" Weiss stated as Yang fired round after insignificant round at the huge avian Grimm. The creature dived down into the depths of the canyon, the fog swallowing it.
Yang jumped down from the pillar where she had been blasting away at the Nevermore. Landing beside Ebon, the two girls peered down over the bridge.
"I don't see it." Ebon said slowly, waiting for the roar that would signal the monster's return. Blake and Weiss joined them.
"Maybe we injured it." Weiss looked down. "I mean, we hit it with-"
The high bridge shattered as the Nevermore knocked through it from below. the group of huntresses on the edge had the unfortunate placement of being right where the Nevermore's wide shoulder was, and as a result, the group suddenly found themselves on a unstable elevator ride up the cliff. They did not, however, end up like Crimson when they jumped off the the beast's shoulder and touched down on top of the cliff. Yang snarled and, with the rest's help, unleashed another barrage on the Nevermore. The combined forces of Gambol Shroud, Ember Celica, Myrtenaster, and Ebon's sword-gun, whom she named Scale Snatcher, hit the Nevermore squarely in the right wing. The limb was blown apart and the Nevermore was sent screeching to the ground where it landed with a thud on the broken pile of stone that used to be the temple. It lay limp and unmoving on the jagged heap.
"Please tell me it's dead." Skyler reloaded Timelash. "Because that would be fantastic."
"SRRREAAACC!"
"It's not." Ruby emptied her clip at the so-beyond murderous Nevermore, while Skyler unloaded Timelash of Dust. The Nevermore didn't even flinch as it pushed itself off the jumble of stones. The monster slammed down over the criminals, cutting off any means of escape. Skyler looked up in a calm sort of horror as the snarling Nevermore loomed over them, it's jaws gaped wide.
"Guess we're going to get to see Crimson again, after all."
The Nevermore drew it's head back, beak opening wide and...jerked it's entire body up on it's thick feet. The creature's remaining wing flapping wildly as it made squealing noises that no Grimm is actually capable of making naturally. Not that the squeals were being made naturally. The monster's belly extended, retracted, and then was blown open in a explosion of fire. The newly formed hole spilling the stomach's contents all over the bridge, toxic green fluid and one very, very, angry Crimson. His hair was flat and slick with fluid, what little remained of his makeup was running down his face, and his coat was smeared with copious amounts of...something. Crimson panted as the Nevermore fell over backwards. He stood up straight, wiping off the slime around his eyes, and walked over to the rest of his team. He stood beside Skyler and stood glaring at the Nevermore. Skyler was the first one able to speak.
"How are you alive?!"
Crimson spit a spray of digestive fluid out of his mouth, the rest of the team, as a whole, took a big step back. Crimson raised his sleeve to wipe away the stomach acid from his lips, took one look at it, and put it back to his side.
"I'm just lucky, I guess."
"You were eaten!"
Crimson whipped his head around to face Skyler who, along with both Neo and Ruby, had a disgusted look on his face.
"Really?" Crimson crossed his arms which made a slimy squelching noise. "I take it that it was me shooting my way out of a Nevermore's stomach that tipped you off." He continued to glare harshly at Skyler. "Or was it the fact that for the past half hour I was being tossed around in the digestive juices of a PISSED OFF GRIMM!" He shouted
"Well, uh...um." Ruby tried to say something supportive, but Crimson was really not in the mood. He stopped her with a raised hand.
"No, stop it. We will stop talking about this and continue with our lives."
Ruby nodded. "That's fine with me, nobody got eaten!" She gestured to the rest of the team. "Let's go!"
They turned to find a why up the cliff and saw that the other group had already killed the Deathstalker.
"Hi, Ruby!" Jaune waved over at her from the other side of the canyon. "Nice work!" He pointed to the Nevermore.
"Thank you!" Crimson called out before Ruby could say anything. "Nice work on the scorpion!" He gestured to the Deathstalker that had it's own stinger impaling it's head, it's body was hanging half-way down the cliff.
Jaune smiled and shrugged. "Oh, it was noth-BEHIND YOU!" Jaune pointed in terror behind them. The team spun around just in time to dodge the Nevermore's wing as it slammed down on the stone.
Crimson looked at the Nevermore in rage. "Will you just die, already!"
The Nevermore screeched a defiant challenge and Crimson snarled. "Ok, your choice." He scooped up his cleavers and charged the crippled monster.
Ruby looked over at Neo who looked back. Ruby shrugged. "Let's get this done." Neo smirked and used her semblance, both her and Ruby vanished in a swirl of color.
Skyler waved his watch around, shrugged, and charged into the fray, shouting. "DIE!"
"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark." Ozpin announced the names of the new team. "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL. Lead by Cardin Winchester."
Ruby's still-not-official-team clapped polity, Skyler still had a shocked expression on his face. "I never thought a Nevermore's body could twist that way." He murmured to Neo, who smiled slightly. Ruby hushed them as the next team stepped forward.
"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 JNPR. Lead by Jaune Arc."
"WHOA! Go Jaune!" Crimson clapped loudly while quietly saying. "Got to admit, not my first choice."
Pyrrha gave Jaune a playful shove, but, Jaune, having the footing of a obese penguin, he fell over. But they smiled at each other.
Crismon clapped and whispered to Skyler. "The involuntary body twist was one thing, but the way that Nevermore's head popped off? That was unexpected."
"Both of you, hush!" Ruby turned back to the stage where the next team was coming forward.
"Blake Belladonna. Ebon Winters. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team EBWY (Ebony). Lead by Ebon Winters."
A shocked smile appeared on Ebon's face and her black eyes glowed with pride and happiness. Yang was jubilant. "Yeah, Ebon!"
Ruby and the rest of the undercover criminals remained silent through the cheering. Then it was their turn to step on the stage. Ozpin faced them, a little sternly.
"Crimson Shard. Neapolitan. Skyler Snow. Ruby Rose. You four retrieved the black queen piece. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RSNC (Arsenic). Lead by Ruby Rose.
"Well, that was difficult!" Skler exclaimed as they entered their dorm room, simple, with four beds lining the wall. "I hope this employer of ours is of a appreciating sort."
Neo and Ruby snorted so hard that their noses started to hurt.
"That's a no, then?"
"A very big no."
Skyler sighed. Dropping their bags along side the beds, The official Team RSNC made the dorm at Beacon Academy home.
"Good night, Crimson!"
'None of you are forgiven."
OK! There we go! Team RSNC is in business and at Beacon, what's going to come from this? Awesomeness...as well as vengeful enemies, wild sprees of crime, kick-butt fight scenes, and a lot of property damage! Anyways, I hope you have enjoyed this story and I'll see you in the next chapter!