Ozpin's Little Rose

Chapter 6: Initiation

"Birdie, no!"

Soon after Ruby starts to fire off some rounds from Crescent Rose to help her slow down. She might be young but she knew enough of physics. To know that as an object falls it gains in momentum in speed due to gravity. Meaning the higher you are and the longer you fall the faster you'll go. Which Ruby didn't want to go so fast that once she gets close enough to the trees. That she'll cut them and not be able to use them to help her land. The shots helped because once she got close to a tree branch she turned her weapon into its scythe form and caught the branch and landed on the ground and started to run almost immediately after she landed. "Yang! Yang! Yang!" she begins screaming as she darts deeper into the forest with each step.

Weiss used Myrtenaster as well as summoning a white snowflake circle under her to help her land.

Ren uses Storm Flower's to spiral around a trunk of a tree and thus to the ground. Soon after he starts to brush off his clothes.

Yang was flying in the air using her Ember Celica to punch through the air while laughing from her rush of flying. When she almost hit ground she started to land on a tree and jump down into the forest ground and started to run. "Nailed it!"

Pyrrha used her shield along with her sword form of her weapon. She crashes through many trees then rolls onto a branch. Pyrrha then shifts her sword into its rifle form and began to look for Jaune. Once she saw him she again changed her rifle into its spear form. Once she got a good aim at him Pyrrha threw her weapon at him. It hit its mark on his hood of his sweatshirt and soon it hit a tree with a loud thunk! At that moment Jaune yelled at her. "Thank you!"

Pyrrha started to wave to where he was. "I'm sorry!"

In the middle of the forest, Ruby kept on running looking for Yang. *I gotta find Yang! Gotta find Yang! I really gotta find Yang!* "Yang! Yang! Yang where are you?!"

This did help her to some extent because people who heard her calling out for Yang. Thought that those two were already a team and somehow got separated not knowing that the two were sisters. So they didn't head towards her. *Oh this is bad, super bad... What if I can't find her? What if she found someone already? Okay I know Jaune he is nice and funny, but I think he isn't a good fighter. Blake is also nice and mysterious, but I don't know if we have much to talk about. Who else do I know in this school. Yang, Jaune, Blake, and...!*

Ruby skidded and stop face to face with Weiss and time seemed to have stopped. It all ended when Weiss turns around and walks away. "Hey wait! Where are you going?!"

Ruby stops following her and kicks the ground. "We're supposed to be teammates..."

Weiss didn't go far because not long after she ended up seeing Jaune stuck on a tree. "Come on, come on! You stupid...!"

At that moment Jaune saw her and waves apprehensively "Hey."

Weiss thought about it and decided that Ruby was a better choice then Jaune. So she once again turns around and walks back to Ruby and grabs her by the hood. "This by no means make us friends."

This made Ruby very happy. "You came back!"

"Hey wait! Come back! Who's going to get me down from here?!"

Jaune was starting to worry that he was going to die on that tree when all of a sudden. "Jaune?!"

He looked down to see Pyrrha below her. "Sorry for keeping you waiting. It took me some time to find you here, here let me help you down."

"Weiss what's the hurry?"

"I will not let this test be delayed because you're too slow! I swear, if I get a bad grade because you are too slow."

At that moment Ruby used her semblance. "What the...?

"I'm not slow, see? You don't have to worry about me keeping up."

"When did you?"

"Oh it's my semblance and just because I don't exactly know how to deal with people. Doesn't mean I don't know how to fight. So why don't we try and get to know each other on the way to the Temple?"

"No we can do that after we are done with the test."

"Oh alright." Ruby was not happy about it but followed anyways. Which soon some Beowolfs emerged in front of them.

...

Elsewhere Yang was getting bored and was looking for a teammate. "Hellooooooo? I'm getting bored here!"

Just then she hears a rustling from behind her and walks to it. "Ruby, is that you?"

A growl was all she heard, as she raised her head. "Nope!"

Yang started to hit the Ursa Grimm's. "You Grimm wouldn't of happen of have seen a girl in a red hood, would you?"

The grimm just keep on attacking her. " You guys could've just said no."

The fight kept on going with her hitting them with fiery punches soon Yang began to laugh. Geeez, you two couldn't hit the broadside of a ba..."

At that moment Yang saw a single strand of her hair falling to the ground which this made her very mad. "You..."

She closed her pretty purple eye's then opened them as a fiery red ones. "You monsters!"

She let out her attacks like no tomorrow killing one of them, then looked at the other Ursa. "What?! You want some, too?!"

The Ursa raised up on its two hind legs ready to make another strike. When all of a sudden, it fell to the ground. Only to show that behind it was Blake and her Gambol Shroud in the back of the Ursa. Blake recalled her weapon to her hand. Yang eye's go back to being purple. "I could've taken him."

...

Back to Ruby and Weiss.

*Remember your training. Head up, shoulders back, right foot forward not that forward! Slow your breathing, wait for the right time to strike, and...*

Meanwhile Ruby was already fighting the beowolfs wondering why Weiss was taking so long to fight. *What's wrong with her?* she thinks.

Just then before Weiss was about to make her move. A beowolf was sneaking up behind her to kill her and Ruby saw it. "Look out!"

Ruby ran up to the beowolf and killed it with Crescent Rose scythe form. But it also scared Weiss and made her fire attack hit a tree. "Hey what was that for?!"

"You mean saving you from the Beowolf that was coming behind you to kill you!"

"That so was not happening!"

Before Ruby could tell Weiss to look down Weiss saw that the tree that she hit was causing a fire. "We have to go!"

Weiss grabbed Ruby by the arm and made a break for it. Once they got away Ruby pulled away from Weiss. "What was that?! That should of been easy!"

"Well maybe if you didn't distract me and caused a forest fire!"

"Well if you would of started to fight right away and not just stand there. I wouldn't have had to save you from that beowolf that was coming from behind you!"

"That didn't happen you are just making it up!"

"I am not you can go to a teacher and ask them since they are watching!"

...

""Fine I will in fact! Whichever teacher is watching us right now! You can go to Ozpin and tell him to come to both of us and tell us who is telling the truth!"

At that moment Goodwitch got startled from hearing Weiss yelling out to the teachers from Ozpin's scroll. "Well I certainly hope that Miss. Schnee is not team leader for her team."

"Oh don't worry from what I've seen so far I'll be certain not to pick her. Ruby, on the other hand I'm not sure yet I need to see more of what she can do and who the other two teammates will be. Before I make up my mind, But she has a better chance then Miss. Schnee there. I'll also be happy to tell her that Ruby was telling the truth about the Beowolf." Ozpin finishes pushing up his glasses.

...

Meanwhile across the forest, Pyrrha and Jaune are walking. "Pyrrha did you hear that?"

"Gunfire. It seems some of our comrades have encountered the enemy."

The two keep on walking at least until Pyrrha hit Jaune in the face with a branch."Jaune! I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay. Just a scratch it will heal in few days."

"Why didn't you activate your Aura?"

"Say what?"

"Your Aura."

"Gesundheit."

"Jaune, you do... know what Aura is right?"

Trying to get out of being caught for not knowing what Aura is he tried to redirect the question. "Psch! Of course I do! Do you know what it is?"

She just smiles at him and starts to tell him what Aura is. As this is happening Ren is walking alone. ("Aura is the manifestation of our soul. It bears our burdens and shields our hearts. Have you ever felt as if you were being, watched without knowing that someone was there?")

("Uh...yeah.")

As Ren was walking he narrowed his eyes, looking around. When a huge black Serpent rises up from the ground and attacks him. It was a King Taiju

("With practice, our Aura can be our shield. Everyone has it, even animals.")

("What about monsters?")

("No.")

Ren leaps out of the way of the snake's mouth and starts to fire at the snake with Storm Flower. Until the second head of the King Taiju came out of nowhere and made him let go of his weapon.

("The monsters we fight lack a soul. They are creatures of Grimm, the manifestation of darkness. and we are the light.")

("So that is why we fight.")

("It's not about why, it's about knowing. Understanding dark and light helps us manifest our Aura. Everyone has some of both.")

At that moment the one of the snake strikes Ren and while the other went for the kill.

("By baring your soul outwards as a force, you can deflect any harm. All of our tools and equipment are conduits for Aura. You protect yourself and your soul when fighting.")

Ren raise his arms and used his Aura to protect himself.

("It's like a force field!")

("Yes if you want to put it that way.")

At that moment Ren was able to take away the King Taiju's teeth and used them as a weapon and killed the snake.

Pyrrha walked up to him and smiled. "Now close your eyes and concentrate."

"Um...Okay."

She then placed a hand on his head as she was glowing and her irises shrink. Pyrrha was glowing red and as Jaune was starting to glow be became white. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."

At that moment Jaune looked at Pyrrha. She Looked exsausted and became concerned for her. "Pyrrha?"

The amazon waved his worries off. "It's all right. I just used my Aura to unlock yours, but the energy that protects you now is your own. You got a lot of it."

...

Ren was now putting his weapons into his sleeves, but started to hear Nora making a strange sound. "I still don't think that's what a sloth sounds like."

At that moment she poked his nose. "Boop!"

...

Glynda looked at her scroll. "The last pair has been formed."

She tapped on her screen to see the last two pairs. "Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. Poor boy... I can't imagine those two getting along. Well at least he is better off then Miss. Nikos. I don't care what his transcripts say. That boy is not ready for this level of combat." I also doubt their legitimacy, but Arcs have always been good Huntsmen. I remember Saphron and Vert. Bright, fierce and merciless. If Jesse truly taught him nothing, than we will have to fill the void! Ozpin thinks to himself.

She was now watching Pyrrha and Jaune walking together in the woods. "Well I guess we'll find out soon enough. At the current rate they are going. They will reach the temple in a few minutes if my calculations are correct."

Glynda was about to walk away when she remembered something. "Speaking of the temple, what did you use as relics this year?... Ozpin?"

Ozpin doesn't answer, too focus on his scroll. Glynda had a funny feeling that she knew what he was looking at. *I don't get why he is behaving like this. What is it about Miss. Rose that makes him become a different person.*

As Glynda had thought, Oz was indeed watching Ruby and her partner Weiss. Weiss was just walking around in random directions. When Ruby was just sitting there waiting for Weiss to ether stop and ask her for help or finally pick a path. Ozpin was not liking Weiss's bossy attitude and from the looks of it, neither did Ruby which he guess she got from him and Qrow. Since Summer and Lunar were more alright with people like Weiss.

* I need to know what Ruby is capable of, to see if she is a leader like me and Qrow or a follower like Summer. I just hope she didn't inherit Qrow's crazy and dangerous ideas.* He had a ghost of a smile for a second before he neutral his features. *I remember when Qrow and Summer first became partners during their initiation. Qrow came up with this dumb idea that since Summer couldn't fly that they should ride on a Nevermore. The only reason why Qrow became leader of the team was because Summer would let them get away with everything.*

Ozpin gave an inaudible sigh. * Tai came up with even more insane ideas then Qrow. To add fuel to the fire, he's quick to anger. Raven well... Even back then she was dark. Back then Raven could only be a leader to what she is a leader of now. A tribe of bandits that Qrow was trying to get him and her out of. It worked out for him... but Raven just went back to it after Yang was born, and of course their father dyed. At least Qrow was more of a good mix of the three others when it came to leadership.*

The headmaster gave a silent pray to what ever deities listened to the people of Remnant. *Ruby please stay safe.*

...

"It's definitely this way. I mean... This way! It's definitely this way. Alright, it's official! We passed it." She stated finally.

At that moment Ruby had it. She knew when to back down and let people figure things out on their own. A trait that she inherited from her mom from what Tai told her. But unlike her mother who would not step in unless she was asked to, would do nothing.

But Ruby would get irrated and step in when things were getting out of hand. Something Uncle Qrow would do right away no matter what. Which Ruby always thought she only got that from him since she spend so much time with him. "Weiss, just admit it that you have no idea where we're are and where we're going and let's try finding our way by..."

The Heiress once again cut her off. "I know exactly where we are! And where we are going! We're going... to... the forest temple!"

Ruby sighs in frustration. "Oh, stop! You don't know where we are, either!"

"At least I'm not pretending that I know everything! And I have an idea of how we can find out where to go. So can we just try my ideal which is to just cli-" Weiss began to retort.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked offended.

Ruby tried to placated the frigid girl. "I am saying that you're a stupid jerk and I hate you! As well as that we should try climbing a -!"

"Just keep on moving!" Weiss interrupted once again.

She tried again. "Just keep on moving is your big idea! Why are you so bossy?! Can't we just do my idea to climb a th-!"

"I'm not bossy! Don't say things like that!" She snapped.

"Stop treating me like a kid who doesn't know what she is doing!"

"Well, stop acting like a kid!"

Fed up with her, Ruby snapped. "How have I been acting like a kid I've been doing everything a huntress should be doing! I even have an idea on how to find our way, but you don't give me a chance! So stop acting like you're perfect and let me help!"

Weiss got into her face. "I'm. Not. Perfect! Not yet..." she paused before adding. "But I'm still leagues better then you."

And with that Weiss walked away. Feeling dejected to herself Ruby spoke to herself. "You don't even know me... Why can't we just climb up a tree and see where we need to go?"

...

Glynda was, shocked at what she saw both her and Ozpin were watching the two now. Weiss behavior was not what she would like to see in a future huntress. But then again the girl's father might of played a part in all that since Winter could be like that at times. Ruby surprisingly was being more mature on the matter. Which shocked her even more since she thought she would be more childish. "I can see why you thought it was a good idea to invite Ruby in to Beacon a whole two years early. She may act like a child at times, but it seems that she takes her job to heart."

Ozpin voice his thoughts aloud as well. "Yes and it seems she has Summer's laid back personality with teams. But when she needs to, she'll take charge like Qrow. Or at least takes charge if people let her. She might even be a better leader then Qrow was with is team. It all depends on who the other two teammates are. If their is a better choice than her that is fine, but Ruby has a very good chance now."

Glynda gave the headmaster a concerned look. "Her age makes me a little worried about her being a team leader. But from what I just saw, and depending on how the rest of the initiation goes, I wouldn't mind. She does in a way, remind me of you."

This surprised him and caused Ozpin to look at Glynda in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"You know when to let people talk things out and when to pry. And if Qrow taught her any of his battle strategies, she'll be a great huntress one day."

At hearing this Ozpin smiled. "Thank you for saying that."

She nodded her head and looks back at her screen and he looks at his. *I just hope she becomes a good enough huntress to stay out of Salem's grasp. Curse that Damned Witch*

...

Back in the forest, Yang and Blake step into a clearing that reveals a circular stone temple. It was, broken and decrepit but the platforms around it was holding several black and gold objects.

"Think this is it?"

Blake gave Yang an incredulous look and walked into the temple. "Chess pieces?"

Yang shrugged. "Some of them are missing. Looks like we weren't the first ones here."

"Well, I guess we should pick one." The hidden Faunus hummed.

"Hmmmm ... How about this cute little pony?" Asked Yang picking up a knight piece.

Blake just smirk at her new partner as she was walking to the center of the temple. "Sure why not."

Pocketing the 'relic' Yang rested her hands behind her head. "That wasn't too hard."

Blake motioned to the larger clearing. "Well, it's not like this place is very difficult to find."

...

At the same time Pyrrha and Jaune were now standing at the mouth of a dark cave, showing drawings of humans fighting a giant beast.

"You think this is it?" Jaune said as he grabbed a piece of wood and made it into a torch. They walked into the cave and as they were walking Pyrrha was starting to feel like that going into the cave was a bad call.

"I'm not sure this is it."

Jaune sighs at that. "Pyrrha, I made the torch. Could you at least humor me for, like, five more feet?"

As if the young man was cursed with bad luck, the torch he just lit, fell into a puddle from Jaune tripping.

At that moment Pyrrha felt something. "Do you... feel that?"

"Soul-crushing regret?" He sighed.

"No not that, it's... warm.

They saw a glow up ahead. "That must be the relic!"

"Um Jaune...?"

At that moment Jaune let out a scream.

The scream could be heard at the temple. "Theres a girl in trouble! Blake, did you hear that?

Blake didn't answer, staring at something in the sky.

Jaune was crying at this point. "Help! Whoa-ah-ah-ah-ah-! Why? Pyrrha! This is not the relic! It's not the relic!"

"Jaune! Whatever you do don't let-!"

At that moment the Death Stalker threw Jaune into the direction of the temple. "...Go."

She looked back at the Death Stalker and then makes a break for it. Running to where Jaune was flung to.

...

As Weiss and Ruby was walking the hooded girl saw a sleeping Nevermore. She got the idea that since Weiss wouldn't listen to her about climbing a tree to see where to go. That she should just make Weiss ride the Nevermore with her instead. So she grabbed the heiress's arm and dragged Weiss to the Grimm as soon as they were on it, the Nevermore took flight.

The snow haired girl was terrified. "Ruby! What were you thinking!"

The adrenaline junkie that Ruby was, calmly replied. "We're fine! Stop worrying!"

"I'm am so beyond worried!" Weiss retorted.

"In a good way?" Ruby asked.

"In a bad way! In a very bad way!" She snapped.

Ruby glared at the glyph user. "Well, why don't we just jump?"

A look of horror crossed Weiss's face. "Are you insane?!"

She was met with silence; Ruby had already disappeared. "Oh, you insufferable little red-!"

...

At that moment Ozpin hit himself on the head with his hand. "She got Qrow's crazy ideas!"

"Well he did teach her how to fight so it was bound to happen."

"I suppose so, but that doesn't mean I will not have a word with him later about what he can and can't teach. For when he transfers from Signal to Beacon."

"Wait! Qrow is going to work at Beacon now?! Since when did this happen?!" She cried.

He gave a nervous chuckle and smile. "Oh a few days ago. Did I forget to tell you?"

...

Down at the ground of the temple.

Blake was still looking at the sky when Yang was looking at the forest. "Blake, did you hear that? What should we do?"

Just then Ruby was falling near them. "HEADS UP!"

Ruby almost hit the ground when suddenly Jaune appears, and crashes into her and the both of them land into a tree. "Oohhhh... anyone get the boarbatusk that hit me?"

The dizziness passes when she shakes her head, she hears a voice. "Eh-hem!"

Looking up, Ruby finds Jaune, hanging upside-down in a tree branch above her. "Hey, Ruby…" He greeted tiredly.

Back on the ground, Yang and Blake were looking at the tree. "Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Blake asks.

" I…" Yang began.

Before she could continue, several crashing sounds were heard in the forest ahead of them, and an Ursa comes out, claws swiping, just as a pink blast of energy hits it in the back and it crashes to the ground, depositing its rider. "YEEEE-HAAAAW!" Nora rolls off of the creature's back, then gets up and groans, saddened "Awwww... It's broken." She dashes onto its neck and observes the carcass as Ren comes up behind her.

Ren was panting and leaned on the monster. "Nora! Please... Don't ever do that again."

He looks up again and notices by the pink dotted outline of where his partner should be that Nora has run off again, and looks around frantically.

Nora was now in the Temple, staring at a golden rook relic. "Oooohh..."

She then suddenly grabs it, an animation of stars and her hammer symbol playing in the pink background as she dances and sings with the chess piece. "I'm queen of the castle~! I'm queen of the castle~!"

"NORA!"

She gave a giggle. "Coming, Ren!" And with that skips off to her friend.

" Did that girl just ride in on an Ursa?"

" I..."

Yang was interrupted once more as a screech is heard from their right, and Pyrrha Nikos comes onto the scene as the scorpion creature uproots entire trees in its chase after her. Pyrrha narrowly dodges its giant claws and keeps on running.

"Jaune!"

"Pyrrha!"

Ruby standing up, looking at the monster below. "Whoa!"

"Ruby!"

"Yang!" Ruby raises her arms as if to give her sister a hug.

"Nora!" She said this as she came in between the two and knocking them off-balance in surprise.

The DeathStalker continues to follow Pyrrha as she runs.

"Did she just run all the way here with a Death Stalker on her tail?"

Yang getting angrier until she growls and erupts in a small burst of fire, eyes flashing red. "I can't take it anymore! Can everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!"

The tick-tock of a clock counts down the two seconds of Yang cooling down, Ren running over to a ditzy Nora, and Blake and Ruby looking up.

"Umm... Yang?" Ruby said while tugs on her sister's sleeve and points up. Up above, Weiss is revealed to be hanging on a talon the size of her entire body that belongs to a gigantic Nevermore.

" How could you leave me?!" She cried at Ruby.

" I said jump!" Like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

" She's gonna fall." Blake said to Ruby.

"She'll be fine." she waved her worries off.

"She's falling." Ren joined in.

Jaune is finally out of the tree, panting until he looks up and grins at the sight of Weiss falling through the air, giving him the opportunity to jump off the branch with arms outstretched and catch her in a slowed-down moment. Jaune smiles at Weiss. "Just... dropping in?"

Weiss is speechless... and Jaune realizes why when they both look down. "Oh, God."

The hang on to each other wide-eyed as their moment of suspension ends, their weapons flying behind them. "Oh, noooooooo- Oomph!"

Jaune does a face plant into the dirt, limbs splayed out, and serves as the perfect landing spot for Weiss as she falls into a seated position on his body. Weiss was not happy about it. "My hero."

Jaune began to groan. "My back..."

The Death Stalker is still hunting Pyrrha, but she manages to land on her side at the feet of the heroes.

"Great! The gang's all here! Now we can die together!" Yang told everyone.

" Not if I can help it!" Ruby then let out sounds of battle cry and rushes towards the Grimm.

"Ruby, wait!"

Ruby, still screaming, fires Crescent Rose and charges at the oncoming Death Stalker. When the two meet, the Grimm swipes Ruby away and she is knocked back. Ruby was getting up slowly. "D-Do-Don't worry! Totally fine!"

Ruby turns back to the monster and shoots it in the skull, running away from it and sheathing her scythe as the Death Stalker now goes after her. Yang began running forward to help her sister. "Ruby!"

Ruby rushes towards Yang, but the Nevermore caws above them, flapping its wings and releasing lines of sharpened feathers with points that catch on Ruby's cape and prevent Yang from reaching her. "Ruby, get out of there!"

Ruby was struggling with the cloak. "I'm trying!"

The Death Stalker approaches, raising its golden stinger above a scared Ruby and heading down on the helpless girl. Yang reaching out in vain. "Ruby!"

A white blur races past Yang and reaches the stinger just as it's about to pierce Ruby. "You are so childish!"

Ruby opens her eyes to the sight of the stinger encased in ice and lowers her arms from their futile position over her head as she stares at her savior. "Weiss...?"

Weiss continues to berate Ruby as she removes Myrtenaster from the ice that she had made. "And dim-witted, and hyperactive, and don't even get me started on your fighting style. And I suppose I can be a bit... difficult... but if we're going to do this, we're going to have to do this together. So if you quit trying to show off, I'll be... nicer."

"I'm not trying to show off. I just want you to know I can do this. That you can count on me to help you."

As Weiss walks away. "You're fine."

Ruby breathes a sigh of relief, then closes her eyes and clasps her hands as she gratefully whispers. "Normal knees..."

She gets up and stares at the Death Stalker as it struggles to escape with its tail trapped in the ice. "Whoa!"

Yang rushes up to Ruby and gives her a hug, "I'm so happy you're okay!"

The two stare at each other for a moment, then look up at the Nevermore still flying overhead and roaring.

Jaune made it back to the group. "Guys? That thing's circling back! What are we gonna do?"

Weiss looked at everyone. "Look, there's no sense in dilly-dallying. Our objective is right in front of us."

"She's right. Our mission is to grab an artifact and make it back to the Cliffs."

Ruby nods to Weiss before going on. "There's no point in fighting these things."

Jaune was happy to hear this. "Run and live. That's an idea I can get behind!"

Ruby goes over and grabs a gold knight identical to the one Yang picked out and Jaune takes hold of a gold rook similar to Nora and Ren's piece, smiling at each other. The Death Stalker continues to fight its bonds, cracking the ice a little in the process.

Ren yelled out to everyone. "Time we left!"

"Right let's go!" Ruby waves to the others she goes forward with everyone following except for a smiling Yang and Blake as the latter approaches her partner. "What is it?"

Yang staring proudly at Ruby as she leaps on a boulder and motions the group onward. "Nothing..."

She moves on as Blake smiles in realization and leaves as well, the group is heading out of the forest and into another abandoned series of structures as the Nevermore follows them from the air. They spread out when it passes above, concealing themselves behind some of the stone blocks with their allies as it perches on a high column and caws. Yang was getting annoyed. "Well, that's great!"

Jaune looks behind at the Death Stalker bursting onto the scene. "Ah, man, run!"

The group emerges from their hiding spots and causing the Nevermore to rise up into the air. Ren called out to Nora. "Nora, distract it!"

Nora obliges, running out from her block and jumping through the feather projectiles before reaching behind her and launching several heart-topped shells from her grenade launcher, bursting into pink electricity when they hit the Nevermore, and causing it to retreat. She is unaware of the Death Stalker rushing up behind her until Blake and Ren perform a cross-slash with their Gambol Shroud and StormFlower against its shell. Weiss lands next to Nora so she can create a jumping platform beneath them and leap to safety while Blake and Ren are now being chased.

Pyrrha stops running beside Jaune and gets out Miló, firing red shots along Ren's green blasts for a second until it reaches them and tries to swipe, prompting the group to run again. The eight race over the ancient stone bridge, not noticing the Nevermore closing in on them until it uses its giant wings to shatter the path right in the middle, forcing Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Nora, and Jaune closer to the central collection of columns and Blake, Ren, and Pyrrha on the other side with the Death Stalker. Ruby fires at the retreating Nevermore while Blake is beaten back by the scorpion.

Jaune "Man, we gotta get over there! They need help!"

Nora ran up beside him. "Let's do this!"

Jaune looks down at the misty abyss. "Yeah, but, uh... I can't make that jump."

Nora smiles diabolically at him, laughing as she knocks him back, turns her weapon to its full-length hammer form, and jumps to the edge of the bridge. Jaune seeing what she's about to do. "W-w-w-wait a second!"

But it was too late, she slams the hammer into the bridge and throws Jaune to the other side, with him constantly screaming. "No, no, no, no, no, no!"

Nora places one foot on the hammer and fires it off the collapsing section of bridge, launching her to slam its face right in the center of the Death Stalker's skull. She fires it just as the stinger comes down to get her, and blasts back again to avoid its reach, accidentally knocking into Blake and making her fall from the edge. She sees the Nevermore above her and launches her whip so the gun's blade sinks into the edge of the bridge, circling around and leaping onto the aerial Grimm's back. She dashes all over its body, slashing the entire time, before jumping off and landing on the ruined platform at the top of the columns next to Ruby, then going over to Yang and Weiss. "It's tougher than it looks!"

Yang readying her Ember Celica. "Then let's hit it with everything we got!"

The Nevermore approaching, Ruby, Blake, Weiss, and Yang set their weapons to fire a barrage of blasts at the bird, which it either dodges or takes harmlessly until it crashes through the columns and platform. The girls leap from one section of falling stone to the next until they reach the higher bridge on top, just below the cliffs. "None of this is working!" Weiss cried out.

Ruby watching Blake whip over to another section of the area and Yang firing round after flaming round at the Grimm. "I have a plan! Cover me!"

She blasts away as Weiss raises her blade and heads into the fray.

Down below, the Death Stalker is still battling Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha. "We gotta move!" Jaune called out.

They all rush towards the Death Stalker as it aims a claw at Pyrrha, but she deflects it with her Akoúo shield and slashes it with her blade. The scorpion recoils and swipes at her with its other claw, but Jaune is there to deflect it with his shield, knocking it back so Pyrrha can leap over and attack its face. Ren runs up firing and gets on the stinger when it tries to hit him, shooting at the base between it and the tail while Nora fires more grenades at the attacking claws. Pyrrha hurls her javelin straight into one of the monster's ten eyes, making it throw Ren to the side.

"Ren!" Nora called out as Ren hits the side of a stone block hard and falls to the ground, not getting back up.

Jaune, though, manages to stand and notice the stinger is hanging limply. "Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha looked at what Jaune was calling her for before understanding what he wanted. "Done!"

She raises the shield and hurls it like a discus, slicing the stinger off and causing it to fall into the Death Stalker's head as Pyrrha retrieves her rebounding shield. "Nora, nail it!"

Nora heads up she jumps on Akoúo, Pyrrha leaps as Nora aims her blast down to give herself a maximum lift, and she smiles the entire way up before twirling down until her hammer slams its head into the stinger, driving the point through the Death Stalker's head and crushing the bridge beneath it. Jaune and Pyrrha bound over the monster to the land behind it, and Nora fires up and away behind them as the monster falls to its doom. Jaune hits the ground on his back, Nora lands on her bottom, Pyrrha manages a crouched pose, and Ren simply walks over to them, panting and groaning until he just collapses. The other three get up and watch as the Nevermore is peppered with firepower.

Yang is still burning through her ammo on the beast, landing a blow at its face and causing it to head right towards her, but she leaps for its open maw and forces the beak wide as she attacks. "I! Hope! You're! Hung-! ...-gry!"

She looks behind her and jumps back from its mouth onto a ruin, causing the creature to crash into the cliffs. Despite Yang's attempts, the Nevermore recovers quickly, and Yang smiles as she spots Ruby and Blake on the broken columns with Weiss rushing to the battle. Yang passes her while the Nevermore starts to fly back up, but Weiss hops over to the ruin it's lifting off of and freezes the tip of its feathery tail to the ground, leaving it stuck in the same spot despite its flapping. Weiss back-flips into a snowflake-circle jump and lands on the other side, running to the group. Blake fires the pistol portion of Gambol Shroud over to Yang, and the two tighten it between the columns so Ruby can jump on the center with Crescent Rose and bend it back into Weiss' black glyph right next to the caster. "Of course you would come up with this idea."

"Think you can make the shot?"

Weiss was confident in herself. "Hmm! Can I?!"

A second passes Ruby looked at Weiss. "Can you?"

"Of course I can!" She snapped.

Ruby looks forward and pumps Crescent Rose as Weiss turns the circle from black to red and releases Ruby at such a speed that the ground behind her launch cracks, rose petals flying from her ascent. With each new shot, she gets closer and closer to the trapped Grimm until her scythe catches the Nevermore's neck in its blade and causes them both to fall to the cliff wall. Weiss raises her sword and creates a series of white circles up the wall, which Ruby dashes through by firing the entire way up. Yang, Blake, and an exhausted Weiss watch her climb up with the bird in her grasp until, both warrior and monster crying out, Ruby reaches the top of the cliff, circles up, fires one last shot, and renders the Nevermore's head from its shoulders in a shower of petals. She lands beside the severed head as the body of the giant Nevermore falls lifeless to the ruins and crevice below while the girls and, farther away, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren watch in amazement.

" Wow..." Was all Jaune had to say about what he just saw. Ruby, her cape and petals flowing with the wind, looks down to her friends as they peer up.

Yang looked at Weiss and Blake. "Well... That was a thing!"

Ruby continues to smile as the faint sounds of an audience clapping are heard, growing louder and louder as a familiar voice is heard. Ozpin was telling people who their teams are, their team name and who is leader was. Ruby thought that one of her other Teammates would get team leader since she was so young. Ozpin was now telling everyone the third to last team. "Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark."

The screen of the auditorium shows each of their profiles as the boys are lined up for the applauding audience to see as Ozpin continues. "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by... Cardin Winchester!"

The audience gives one more wave of ovation, while four more students walk up to the stage to take their places in front of the headmaster as their faces fill the screen. "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."

Amid the clapping, Nora laughs and gives Ren a hug Ozpin went on. "Led by... Jaune Arc!"

Jaune gaped in absolute shock. "Huh? L-Led by...?"

Ozpin gave a nod in acknowledgement. "Congratulations, young man."

A grinning Pyrrha offers a friendly shoulder bump to Jaune, but her fine leader was knocked over by her. Making him fall to his butt in front of the laughing audience.

Ozpin just kept on going. "And finally: Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long."

The Motions over the four as they stand before him. "The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose!"

Weiss looks to her right surprised, where Ruby is obviously in shock as Yang goes over to hug her sister. "I'm so proud of you!"

Ozpin amid the last round of cheers. "It looks like things are shaping up to be an... interesting year."