Chapter 36
To Be A Knight (1)

This was a bad idea.

Why, oh sweet gods why, did he think this would end anything but terribly? Hall never even imagined that he'd be lamenting to the gods, since he'd never considered them to be anything more than a background concept before. But here he was now, confessing his sins to the gods of baked goods and tuna, trying to redeem himself for his irreparable mistake. Please accept this offering of strawberry, sugar and flour. Oh! And this dried tuna stick, too.

... Okay, he really needed to find out why his mind's been more Ruby-esque as of late.

Though, to be fair, the situation did warrant a fair amount of panic. The Hall monitor was not exactly well acquainted with the little Valkyrie girl, and hadn't expected her to react the way she did. Which was surprising, since he had originally intended to investigate more on the girl's heritage, due to her namesake. Yet, circumstances meant he had scant time for research... But that was besides the point.

The point was that Nora was currently in some kind of terrible feedback loop. One that consisted of explosions and electricity.

If the Scholar had been asked to identify his first mistake, it would be that he forgot about the pink girl's Semblance. Or never knew it in the first place. Not that it mattered, since it didn't change the fact that the pink Valkyrie was currently smashing her hammer at anything that looked solid enough to take a hit. As well as anything that didn't, for that matter.

See, the problem first occurred when an unfortunate grimm found itself before the hammerwielder. Being the mindless monster that it was, it paid no attention to Nora's energetic grin, and charged headfirst at the girl. It was barely halfway into its first attack before it met the swing of a massive hammer. Of course, since Nora was Nora, this swing was backed by one of her many grenades, resulted in an explosive blast that consumed both the grimm, and everything in a 2-meter radius around the grimm, bathing everything in an electric sphere of... electricity.

The problem quickly became apparent when the group realized that Nora was in this sphere of electric death.

Hall's simple query of whether Nora was okay was quickly answered when Ren finally took the time to explain Nora's semblance to the hall monitor. The green gunman clearly outlined the effect of electricity on the orange-haired girl's combat capabilities, namely the positive effect that resulted in invigoration and heightened combat potential. And since the elemental enchantment bestowed on Nora merely augments her existing combat potential, the effects were ... compounded, if you were to summarize it in a single word.

If you were to be more liberal in your word choice, however, you'd make note that the immediate area was completely devoid of trees, as nothing more than scorching craters, broken stumps, destroyed earth, and shattered rock populated the artificial clearing. You'd also make note that the hammer-wielder was more energetic than before her little rampage, which ended up encouraging more wanton destruction the moment more grimm arrived.

And yes, more did grimm arrived. Attracted by the sounds of battle and smashing, no doubt. And yes, they disappeared just as quickly. This little series of repeated events continued on for another few minutes, before the effects of the Scholar's enchantments finally faded away, an event that was clearly marked by a certain girl's disappointment.

"Aww... It's over..." Nora was clearly crestfallen, judging by her voice and downcast expression, her eyes fixed on her hammer. This was quickly replaced by an expression of anticipation and joy as she turned to her partner. "Can I go again, Renny?"

"Sorry Nora..." Having learned his lesson, Ren shook his head, exercising great willpower as he stood against the beady eyes of disappointment in Nora's face. And truly, his resilience was great, as he managed to last a whole five seconds before he finally took a step back from his position. "... Maybe next time?"

"Yaaay!"

Ignoring Nora's antics, Hall turned his attention to the rest of the group. It seemed that everyone was just as surprised as he was, as none of them had expected Nora to lash out in such an energetic manner. Sure, they knew that the pink girl was lively, but they weren't exactly aware of her semblance. If they were, one of them might've mentioned the problems inherent in giving Nora free a source of lightning.

A Lesson for another time.

"Well, that was certainly shocking, wasn't it?" The first to recover was Yang, as she immediately changed her expression to a playful grin, much to the ire of the rest of her team. The blonde brawler scoffed at the collective groans of Ruby, Blake, and Weiss, turning her attention to her group. "What? It was an electrifying experience! Really eye-opening how she lit up our expectations!"

"Please just stop, Yang..." Ruby gave a tired sigh, no longer able to keep up with her sister's antics. Which was rare, but the older teen never went this far with her puns before, so Ruby had an excuse. "... Why are you making so many puns, anyways?"

"Because I wanted to get supercharged too!" The older sibling shot back with a pout of her own, though it was less tormented and more teasing, as the blonde crossed her arms in mock irritation.

Meanwhile, Weiss Schnee had her arms crossed in genuine irritation. She never got a chance to use her elementally enhanced glyphs, purely because a high-speed Nora exploded any hapless Beowolf or Creep that approached. As a result, the only influence she had on the battle was a tired sigh, one that came out long after the enchantments faded away. She was tempted to voice her complaint, but thought better of it, and chose instead to make her way back to her spot in formation, settling down just in front of Pyrrha.

Incidentally, Pyrrha Nikos was now terrified of the Hall monitor, for completely different reasons than before.

If one were to say that Ren was the driving force necessary to control Nora's antics, one could also say that Hall was the equivalent, opposite force. Multiplied by seven. It was the pancake incident all over again.

...It took a moment for the redhead to calm herself down, but she eventually managed to steady her thoughts. The initial conflict had long since passed, and by the time she was capable of more critical thinking, her thoughts immediately went to what she had just witnessed. Again, the exact nature of the Hall monitor's intentions eluded her, but Pyrrha was a relatively decent judge of character, if she were to say so herself, and was somewhat skilled in reading facial expressions.

And she had a clear view of Hall's facial expressions the moment he had cast his spells, from his nonchalant acceptance of the request, to the surprise and regret that had replaced his face when Nora went... Nora. At the very least, Pyrrha had come to the conclusion that he had intended to fulfill the students' requests wholeheartedly, and was just as surprised as they were at her teammate's antics.

Of course, a single instance didn't mean much, but it still helped. And it added to all the other times she had seen the hall monitor act... like a teacher assistant, really. Besides the initiation incident, he honestly hadn't tried anything. Maybe she was being a bit unfair?

Still, it was better to be cautious than not, especially if the rest of her friends had their guards down. The red warrior was nothing if not proper, and the proper attitude she should be taking in this situation was to prepare for the worst, even while hoping for better... But at the same time, she could afford to be a bit more lenient on her biases against the man.

By the time Pyrrha had settled her thoughts, the rest of the group had caught themselves as well. Nora was back to chatting with Ren, Blake was back to reading her book, and Yang was back to ... being Yang, really.

"C'mon Weiss! Don't be so cold!" The blonde smirked at her white-haired teammate, a playful grin on her face. It was a playful barb, one that Pyrrha had seen the brawler throw time and time again. And it was always one that always held mirth, never malice. "Then again, I guess you never got the chance this time. Guess magic really doesn't exist."

"Do you have to keep bringing that up?" Despite her annoyance, the heiress merely scoffed at the rest of her teammate's words, not really paying them any mind. And the look in Weiss's eyes told the redhead that there was never any real aggression in her words, either. Just as was the case with Yang, the lady in white's words never held any ill will, even if they were a bit rougher around the edges. "You're just upset because you didn't ask."

"Naah, why would I be jealous of that? I'll just ask next time around!" And with a grin, the blonde turned her attention to the remaining member of Team RWBY. "Blake's the one who's all jealous, trying to hide behind a book."

"Keep me out of your arguments, please."

Blake Belladonna. She was another person that Pyrrha couldn't quite get a read on. Not the same mystery as Hall by any means, but the black-haired girl still kept to herself, choosing to listen to conversation rather than participate. But while she was quiet, the young woman still held her friends dear, and that was something Pyrrha could plainly see.

"Since it's not hard to see that you are jealous."

With that said, Blake still had a playful side to her that she sometimes showed to her friends.

Yes, friends. The red warrior really didn't know how to describe them, but she was glad to have them all the same. It had only been a month, but the Mistrali champion did not regret her entrance into Beacon one bit. Which was why she resolved herself to remain vigilant, even in spite of the Hall monitor's light mood.

His light mood as he happily munched cookies alongside Ruby.

With a soft smile, she followed the group deeper into the forest.

"What sort of creature is that?"

Kali's inquisitive voice was in stark contrast to Jaune's panicked tone. The ghostly Khalitzburg kept her vision trained on the mysterious newcomer, idly wondering what sort of bear would go out of its way to make a mask, then prowl forests with it. She floated near the beast, waving her transparent hand by its face, only to pull back as the Ursa snapped at her.

"A rude one, apparently..."

"U-uh... Kali? I think we should probably leave..." Jaune had drawn Crocea Mors, gripping his shield intently as he kept one eye on the massive Ursa. The grimm before him was certainly old, but not quite old enough to attain 'Major' status. And while it lacked the bone quills found in its aged brethren, it had plenty of plates to make up for it, as its entire front arms were coated in the grimm's signature material. The blonde swordsman didn't spend much time thinking on this odd feature, as he noticed the crimson eyes of his enemy shifting away from the ghost, falling on the unfortunate Arc.

The young man stood still, trying to steady his arm as he tightened his grip on his heater shield. At the same time, he shifted his posture, one foot forward as he tried to remember how he was supposed to balance himself. It was an old stance, one that he hadn't quite hammered out yet, but it'd have to do for the battle. His other hand held the blade of Crocea Mors, gleaming in the sunlight, threatening to lash out at the enemy before him.

He might've even deluded himself to thinking it was impressive, if Jaune didn't feel the eyes of a certain Knight on him.

Kali had floated back beside the young Arc, and after giving the bear monster a few more cursory glances, shifted her attention to the blonde. She didn't say anything, but even Jaune could see that the ghostly warrior had some things on her mind when her gaze flickered from his feet to his shoulders. The fact that it was the same appraising look often thrown at him by Pyrrha, Ms. Goodwitch, and Yang did little to ease his inner turmoil.

Which was a shame, because the Ursa chose this moment to attack, suddenly darting forward as it raised one of its plated arm, ready to attack. Jaune quickly snapped his attention back to the Ursa, steadying himself as he prepared to take the blow head-on.

Turns out, that was a bad idea, as the Ursa had more than enough strength to knock the teenager back, sending him sprawling onto his back with a single blow. His shield meant that he only took the raw force of the attack, rather than the claws that came with it, and his aura ensured that he didn't take too much damage from the subsequent fall. Yet, he couldn't remain on the ground, and Jaune quickly crawled up to his feet as he lunged to the side, just in time to avoid another vertical slam from the Ursa.

The swordsman knew that staying on the defensive wasn't an option. As he clamoured up to his feet, Jaune swung at the Ursa's arm, hoping to inflict some damage against the beast. Yet, his swing was not controlled, and the blade could only give the monster a shallow cut, sending it further into a murder-fueled rage.

This time, the Ursa slammed both arms down against the ground, the sheer force of the strike echoing through the earth. It wasn't enough to knock the boy off his feet, but the sudden shift in soil still meant that Jaune had to put in effort as he tried to steady himself.

Which was why the bear chose to tackle the blonde immediately afterwards, its forearms already in position to propel itself forward.

Jaune let out a pained cry as his back slammed against a tree, his armour still managing to shield him from some of the damage. Yet, neither steel nor aura could mask the pain that shot through him, as one of the branches jabbed against his shoulder, finding a spot that his armour did not cover. He didn't have the luxury of wincing, however, as the bear continued it assault.

Adrenaline fueled his motions as Jaune forced himself back onto his feet, diving to the side, feeling the air rush beside him as the massive grimm slammed into the tree that had caught the young huntsman-in-training mere moments ago. And Jaune struck once more, this time thrusting his blade against the Ursa's side.

His motions this time were solid, but there simply wasn't enough strength behind his attack, and Jaune struggled to pull his weapon free as the Ursa reared back in pain once more. It took a few moments for the blonde to finally free his weapon, and that gave the bear enough time to bring its uninjured arm forward, a horizontal swipe clashing against the blonde's exposed side.

Once again, he was launched back, this time skidding against the ground as he collapsed on the dirt. But before the swordsman could pull himself up again, he saw a figure step between him and the bear.

"... I'm sorry, Mr. Jaune. But I can't stand by and watch this any longer. I shall take care of your foe."

Kali took a stance, one hand reaching to her side as she drew her blade, an ornate rapier that was as translucent as the ghostly knight. Her blue eyes narrowed as she fixed upon her foe, no longer holding back as she gripped her blade. It was the posture of an experienced fighter, and the young Arc realized how little he truly knew about swordsmanship. Yet, he could say nothing as Kali lined her rapier up with the black bear monster, wasting no motions as she paused for just a moment, the very air heavy with anticipation.

Even the Ursa took a step backwards, barely able to let out a growl as it recognized the new threat.

And just like that, the Knight charged forward. Jaune only watched, not even bothering to pick himself up from the ground, unable to do anything but watch helplessly as the ghost woman joined the battle.

All he could do was clench his fist in frustration.