RWBY: Derelicts In Black

by A Gothic Writer

Ruby Rose, a quiet girl who rejects society for the pain she endured. Blake Belladonna & Adam Taurus, adopted siblings hated for what they are & running from a dark secret. Lie Ren, a gentle yet misunderstood boy shunned into a lonely exile by his own village. What will happen when these four teens meet at Beacon? Can they adapt to this new life & find some solace in each other? AU

13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: Hello my Dark Readers, I have returned!

I am very, very, very, very sorry for my absence! But anyways I'm very happy to be back in the heat of things and I hope I can make it up to you this summer.

To make it up starting now, I have written the LONGEST CHAPTER EVER! I'm talking over 60 PAGES and 20,000 WORDS!

AND A BIG THANK YOU TO KITTY-BELLE FOR HER PATIENCE AND HELP IN EDITING THIS THING. MY GOD, I PULLED ALL NIGHTERS WITH THIS! SO HOPE THIS MAKES UP FOR MY ABSENCE!

Anyways, welcome to the thirteenth chapter of "Derelicts in Black". A special thanks to all who reviewed, followed, and favorited. Please be sure to review and comment what you think. I'd appreciate the feedback. Whether you like or dislike, it's all welcomed. I hope you favorite and follow if you like this story. And don't be afraid to ask questions or constructive criticism. Now then, I hope you enjoy because it's time to continue the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY; all rights go to the Legendary Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. I do not also own any of the music that will be shown in the story

P.S. ALSO CHECK OUT THE SIDE STORY "RBTR'S GRIMM TALES!"

Opening Theme: The Brilliant Green: Ash Like Snow, English version

Chapter 13: Pieces Come Together

When the massive stinger struck down, Pyrrha felt as if the Deathstalker was toying with her. Like the many attempts before, the redhead successfully rolled to the side and continued running. But with each step, her legs started aching; her muscles cramped and her calves burned to no end.

She wondered if the Deathstalker knew this hence why it focused on her instead of the twins. But of course, she wouldn't want the Grimm attacking them.

'I can handle this.'

Were it not for her immense aura and training, she may as well have been dead. The beast would have already run her to exhaustion and devoured her body long before making it this far.

'I'm still moving!'

However, even a celebrity fighter had a limit. And Pyrrha felt hers coming, no matter how much she tried to ignore it. It was difficult not to; the heavy panting, the bits of sweat dripping and flying off her skin, and the minor burning in her chest. She couldn't fool herself.

'Just have to keep moving!'

Up ahead, Pyrrha spotted the twins, Militia and Melanie, which wasn't good. She remembered giving them a head start while she held the Death Stalker's attention back at the cave. The fact that she caught up to them so quickly meant the Grimm wasn't far behind.

'This is not going well.' Nothing was. First with encountering the giant scorpion, then with Jaune being thrown away to who knows where, leaving Pyrrha and the twins no choice but to retreat with the Grimm following closely behind. Things were spiraling out of control.

It was then that Pyrrha noticed something, something about the twins. They were panting just as heavily as she was with probably more sweat on their faces than hers. Their makeup was getting smudged from the moisture and the Amazonian could see the small limbs they took when running. They were growing beyond exhausted and she couldn't blame them.

From how they looked, they wouldn't last much longer. The pained expressions on their faces proved that. Their legs were most likely overworking themselves and the only reason they haven't collapsed yet was from the adrenaline. At least, that with the desire to not end up as the Deathstalker's next meal.

But as if fate decided to tease Pyrrha and her companion's luck, a sudden screech vibrated across the air and the Amazonian's eye went up. The sky was darkening now. And Pyrrha could see a large black figure over her.

'A Nevermore.' But it was not an ordinary one. The winged Grimm was far larger than any other she saw before. An average Nevermore would never reach that type of length unless…

'Unless… it's an Alpha!'

Pyrrha's eyes bulged. Alpha Grimm, were more powerful, dangerous and, intelligent than their average counterparts that go by instinct and bloodlust. They acted more like the surgical precision of a scalpel than a swinging knife. Every species of Grimm had at least one or several depending on its population. And they were always identifiable from whatever traits distinguished them from their common brethren. But what really made them Alphas, was how extremely difficult they were to kill.

The Nevermore screeched again as it flew closer to the ground. The massive wings flapped hard enough for Pyrrha to feel a forceful push on her back. She lost her footing for a second but corrected herself and kept running through the pain. She caught a glimpse of the Death Stalker gaining ground and tried to double her pace.

But it was fruitless. The wind was somehow restraining her legs like weights pinning her feet to the ground as she struggled.

'It's wings… such power!'

Her eyes squinted as rocks, dust and leaves flew around her body. Her ponytail flapped in all directions as she felt the air pressure weigh her back little by little. All the while, the Death Stalker shrieked behind her with what almost sounded like a terrifying cheer, followed by another screech by the Nevermore.

A sudden thought flashed through Pyrrha's mind then. 'Was the Nevermore helping the Death Stalker?!' She wondered. 'Are they working together?!'

Normally, Grimm never aided one another unless they were of the same species. But it is unknown if that rule applies to an Alpha. Pyrrha's thoughts suddenly halted when she was knocked off balance for a split second. She cursed her carelessness as she quickly tumbled and rolled back onto her feet, but her eyes widened when hearing a sharp cry ahead of her.

'Oh no…'

Possibly the worst predicament to happen, one of the twins, Melanie, had fallen to the ground. The way she gripped her ankle told Pyrrha everything. Melanie's sister, Militia, didn't waste a second in turning back and dropping to her sister's aid. There was a mixture of panic and worry in her eyes as she examined Melanie's leg. The wounded twin cried a sharp pain as her sister frantically pulled her up in fear of the Death Stalker gaining. Another cry came from Melanie as she begged to be put down. Militia froze for a second but reluctantly did so. The two were now sitting ducks.

'This isn't good!' Pyrrha thought and looked back to see the Death Stalker now gaining closer. Thoughts and decisions crossed her mind as she processed the situation. One of the twins were wounded, Jaune was still missing, and they were stuck in between two Grimm, one being an Alpha, with no way out.

Seconds of thinking felt like an eternity before Pyrrha finally reached a decision. Realizing the imminent threat, there was no other choice really. So, with a deep breath, as soon as she neared the twins, she spiraled around in the direction of the scorpion Grimm and unsheathed her blade and shield.

"Militia!" She called. Her tone soft yet strong enough to make the twin in red jump.

"Get you and your sister out of here! Find Jaune and get back to the school grounds, I will buy you as much time as I can!"

Militia's eyes widened. Pyrrha could see the panic in her eyes but remained calm to reassure her. Now was not the time to lose face.

"Are you like crazy or something?" The twin practically yelled, the frantic in her tone was crystal clear. "Don't do it!"

Her response caused Pyrrha to smile a little. It was quite rare for someone to worry for her safety, being a celebrity fighter and all, and she secretly appreciated it as well. "That thing will destroy you!"

With a twitch in her eye, Pyrrha's appreciation suddenly dropped, along with her smile. But she forced it back up and slowly turned around. "Just… just go!" She insisted, and took a defensive stance.

Militia was at a loss for words as she shook her head. Her bangs fell past her eyes as she gritted her teeth in frustration. "Stop being stupid!" She yelled. "I'm telling you that thing is-"

"I said go!" Pyrrha interrupted, her voice no longer holding any softness. She was no longer asking, but commanding. "I'm sorry but you will only jeopardize your sister's safety if you remain here!" The frustration was clear as she turned back and locked eyes with the twin. "Is that what you want?!"

Militia opened her lips to respond but no words came. It was like a flash of reality went through her as she broke her stare with the seriousness in Pyrrha's eyes. She looked down at her sister again and winced. She could see it all clearly before her, the pained expression, the slight twitch of her sister's hand grasping her ankle, the light grunts of pain escaping her sealed lips, and a small tear on the edge of her sister's eye.

The Amazonian was right.

Silently nodding, Militia slowly, and wordlessly, handled Melanie up with care to avoid any pressure on her sister's leg. When they both got back up, Militia turned to Pyrrha one final time and shouted, "You better not die!" Before slowly leaving.

Pyrrha watched the twins' slow departure and wished them well. She felt terrible for having to scream. Remembering it caused her to frown; but it was a necessary evil that she hoped Melanie would forgive her for.

A loud hissing suddenly brought Pyrrha out from her momentary conflict and, with a deep breath, she turned back to find the Death Stalker right in front of her. Quite Literally.

The hissing turned into a fierce roar as the Grimm thrusted its stinger downwards with such speed that Pyrrha barely had time to roll away. As the stinger pierced into the ground, she took advantage of that and began slicing the appendage swiftly. But its armor was too strong and received barely any damage from her blade.

The Death Stalker wiggled for a few seconds before thrusting back, retracting its stinger, and charged the Amazonian again. Pyrrha thought of another idea and waited for the right moment as she dodged the incoming swiping of pincers.

At last, the Grimm left an opening and Pyrrha took it. Despite the risk, she jumped around its pincers and landed on the Grimm's skeletal back.

The daring move angered the beast as it shook, with such abrasiveness, from not wanting to be ridden. Left and right, left and right. It even tried to pry her off with its pincers but failed to reach her. Instead it continued to shake harder and harder.

Despite the intensity, Pyrrha powered through it, refusing to lose footing, as she fumbled all over its bony structure. Every few times, she managed to swipe its back but, as expected, the armor was too strong. Several more attempts were met with little to no effect again until Pyrrha formed another idea. She held her balance directly on the beast's center and in one fluid motion, she twirled her blade and thrusted it down into the Grimm's armor. And to her relief, it worked; to a minor extent.

Her blade did penetrate, but only by a few inches. The bone structure was thicker than it looked. But a few inches was better than nothing. She could hear the Death Stalker screeching loudly. It obviously did not enjoy being stabbed. This time it shook more aggressively, either from panic or rage, Pyrrha did not know as she held onto her blade for support.

Below her feet, she spotted faint wisps of black substance oozing out like a small mist from the cracked armor. It felt hot under her face as it evaporated into the air within seconds and repeating the process over and over.

Pyrrha watched this happen with horror and minor fascination. It reminded her of what she mentioned to Jaune when they found each other earlier.

'The monsters we fight lack soul… they are the darkness.' She felt a chill run through her spine as the mist still emerged.

Unfortunately, the Grimm finally had enough. Instead of shaking side to side, it spiraled in a circle as it hissed. As if like a response, the Nevermore screeched right after and flew low to the ground again pulsing heavy winds to increase again. It felt like a hurricane now. The rocks and dirt now picked up speed and were beginning to scrape Pyrrha's arms and legs. She grunted in pain and held her shield tightly over her body to protect what little she could.

But unable to do anything else, Pyrrha had no choice but to fall back. The wind was just too much. When she jumped off, she felt her body being carried by the wind as she spiraled around. She did not even realize the Death Stalker's preparation until it was too late.

When she landed, her eyes could only widen when she came face to face with the side of its pincer. The impact was hard, knocking the wind out of her lungs and launching her into the ground, tumbling a few yards back. Scrapes and bruises were already forming around her arms and legs as she shakily rose. Her aura was already trying to heal her, but she had no energy left to run or move. Her legs finally grew too tired to respond.

All she could do was see the Death Stalker approaching, letting out a triumphant hiss into the air as it positioned its stinger over her head. Pyrrha glanced at the dangling, yellow tip then stared into the Grimm's multiple red eyes. There was no soul to be seen, no remorse. Only blackness and cold. And after what felt like an eternity, the stinger finally thrusted down, leaving Pyrrha only to sigh as she closed her eyes.

'I'm sorry everyone.'

But when she heard a sudden metallic clanking followed by a roar, her eyes flew open in time to see a flash of red.

When the flash became clear, she was beyond surprised. There, standing in front of her, was a short, red hooded girl wielding a large mechanical scythe. The curved blade somehow blocked the Death Stalker's stinger, and in one fluid motion the girl twirled the weapon around and knocked the tail away causing the Grimm to tumble off balance.

Ruby, glaring at the Death Stalker, remained still and vigilant. The urge for combat grew as the beast regained its stability and charged at her. She smirked as she fired a shot into the ground, launching her up and over the Grimm.

Now completely forgetting Pyrrha, the Death Stalker turned to pursue Ruby but was met with a sudden force impacting its left side.

Blake recoiled onto the ground and felt a little pain in her leg after delivering her kick.

"It's body is too strong for normal attacks!" She called. And Ruby grunted as she slammed her scythe into the ground.

"Then shoot its legs! Keep it focused on us!" She yelled and open fired at its limbs. Blake nodded, switching her blade into gun form and fired as well. The Death Stalker grew irritated at the sudden barrage of bullets and started swiping rapidly at both girls.

But as one dodged, the other fired, and the two repeated over and over. The Grimm had no luck in getting close and was now swiping in blind rage. In its efforts, it almost hit Ruby were it not for Ren suddenly appearing from behind the Death Stalker and twirling both his blades into its hind legs.

The ambush was enough to distract the creature long enough for Ruby to jump away safely.

As the three continued their run around with the Grimm, Pyrrha watched with widened eyes. The newcomers' coordination, their timing, and attacks were incredible. When one fell short, the others distracted the Death Stalker; and when one had an opening to strike, the others defended them. They moved with such swiftness the Death Stalker could not keep up at times.

Pyrrha was so focused on the strangers, so engrossed in the battle, that she did not even notice someone standing behind her. And when he placed a hand on her shoulder, the redhead let out a gasp of surprise. She turned quickly, ignoring her weariness, with sword in hand ready to strike only to stop when she saw a Faunus boy with red hair and sunglasses instead of a threat.

At least she thought so. The boy did not offer a smile. He did not look happy, nor angry. He only stared at her with no emotion readable on his face. Pyrrha raised an eyebrow and felt a chill run down her spine from his staring. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he spoke.

"What are you doing?" His tone was low and husky.

Pyrrha was confused and couldn't think of a reply. "I…" Her mind drew blank from the weariness now returning. Her lips didn't form any more words.

"Ok… answer me this then… do you want to live?"

Eyes widened, Pyrrha was taken aback. Her back even jumped upwards like a scared rodent. She didn't know whether he was threatening or not, and his blank face was not helping in reassuring her. "I… I'm sorry?" She felt herself cringe; that was a ridiculous answer and she was cursing her exhaustion. She hadn't been thinking, it just spurted out.

Her reply didn't satisfy the Faunus boy either as he sneered as if insulted and got on his knees to eye level.

"Do you want to live?" He repeated, this time with frustration clear in his voice. The only hint of emotion readable.

Without thinking again, Pyrrha nodded and spurted out, "I... yes… of course I do!"

The boy didn't reply at first. He nodded and looked pass her towards the other strangers engaging the Death Stalker. Despite the sunglasses, Pyrrha could see a small glint in his eyes before he turned back to her.

"If you mean it then get up and head to those ruins!" He ordered, nodding towards its direction. "We'll handle the Grimm."

Pyrrha frowned. She was about to interject and offer her assistance but she still felt an overwhelming exhaustion run through her body. She felt a small hint of anger and frustration with herself. She didn't want to just run while others fought. She was a fighter as well, but her thoughts suddenly went towards Melanie. She wondered if this is how the twin felt when she sent her away.

She shook her head, that was different than now. With a deep breath, Pyrrha slowly rose to her feet, using her sword for stability and ignoring the fatigue, but it was too much as she nearly collapsed if Adam hadn't caught her and eased her down.

"Can you walk?" He asked.

Pyrrha closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes… I just… need a minute to rest. Then I… can aid you."

Adam inwardly frowned and Pyrrha thought she heard him grunt. "You can barely aid yourself much less us." He wasn't trying to sound rude. He regretted what he said when he saw the wince in Pyrrha's eye.

"Sorry." He muttered and glanced back at Blake, Ruby, and Ren. He could see, despite their management, the Grimm was still difficult to deal with. They needed help. But looking down at Pyrrha's vulnerable state caused him to sigh.

'Why is being nice so difficult.' He wondered then kneeled. "Look…" he said and earned Pyrrha's attention. "You need to recover. You're in no condition to fight." Pyrrha opened her mouth to object but Adam raised one finger up. "I'm not questioning your skills. I only advise that you rest first. You did your part. Now let us do ours."

Pyrrha looked away and lowered her head. As much as she hated to admit, he was right. And her fighting it wouldn't help anyone. Being in a vulnerable position felt odd. All her life, she aided and cared for others. But being on the other end, she never felt so helpless.

"Are you listening?" Adam suddenly snapped his fingers. "I said you're fine. No need to beat yourself up." When she wouldn't look back up, Adam sighed again and muttered, "Believe me, I understand the feeling."

Pyrrha thought she heard a softness in his voice. But it must have been in her head. Still she did look back up at him and with a heavy heart she nodded. Adam nodded as well and placed her arm around his shoulder. "Alright, since you can't walk I guess I'll-"

"I'll take her!"

Adam and Pyrrha simultaneously turned in the direction of the new voice to see the blond boy Jaune running over to them. When he finally reached them, his face was sweaty and hunched over slightly out of breath. Adam had to admit, aside from how fragile he looked, he acknowledged the boy's effort to help. It was idiotic, but admirable nonetheless

"Oh god… I can feel my lungs trying to kill me!"

At least, just a little. After a few seconds, Jaune wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to Adam. "I'll take her." He repeated, his tone was soft but firm. "I think they'll need you up there." He gestured to the others still tangling with the Death Stalker.

Adam glanced at Pyrrha then back to Jaune. While, again, the boy didn't look to offer much, he did have some potential in something. With a nod, he carefully handed Pyrrha over to the blond's care and nodded. "Alright, get going." He ordered and unsheathed his weapon. Both Jaune and Pyrrha watched as he twirled it around a bit before racing off to join the others.

"So… cool." Jaune muttered as he watched Adam take off in minor awe. Pyrrha smiled and lightly nudged him back to reality.

"You know Jaune, it was also cool of you to come and help me." She said and could feel a little heat in her cheeks. Jaune looked down at her and smiled as the redhead thought he noticed her subtle hint.

"Are you kidding? I'm nowhere near that kind of level of coolness!" Pyrrha sweat dropped. But just a little. Before Jaune started walking them back to the ruins. "But… thanks Pyrrha… no one ever put me and cool in the same sentence before."

The redhead's smile returned. "You're quite welcome Jaune."

"Hey, it was really cool of you to take on that giant Scorpion!" Pyrrha laughed but then stopped when she saw Jaune's smile turn into a frown. "And… I'm so sorry… it was my fault that this all happened… that it followed us… the twins… you… I… maybe I don't have what it takes… to be a hero…"

Pyrrha rose her head and frowned. It was hard not to say he wasn't wrong, but at the same time it wasn't all his fault. And seeing his saddened face hurt her chest. So with a small touch and an ounce of confidence, Pyrrha leaned her head on his shoulder causing the blond boy to gape and stutter from the unexpected move.

"Jaune… I'm not mad at you. Mistakes often happen. But they are what makes us learn and offers us hindsight to better ourselves. I can never hold this against you or blame you for what happened to me. It was my own choice and I am the one who is at fault as well. And being a hero isn't always about the "cool moves" or power one has. We don't always have to be strong on the outside. What makes a true hero… is risking your life to help those in need. To put the safety of others over yourself. To sacrifice for the greater good. A true hero comes from within. That is what makes a true hero Jaune.

The blonde boy didn't smile, but Jaune wasn't frowning anymore. Instead he pondered her words carefully. 'A true hero… comes from within huh…'

Pyrrha was worried that maybe her words weren't enough. And she feared she worsened the situation when he looked away from her. But when he turned back, a wave of relief burst when she saw him smiling again.

"Thanks, Pyrrha. I… I needed that."

The Amazonian smiled, feeling her heart race for a second before calming down. "Of course, Jaune. And thank you for rescuing me."

The blond boy laughed and nodded letting their conversation end into a comfortable silence as they walked away from the combat zone.

While the two made their way towards the ruins, Adam immediately joined the fray against the Death Stalker. Without stopping, he rushed in and jumped on the Grimm's back while it was distracted with Ren.

The Death Stalker hissed in anger at having another person on its back yet again. And like Pyrrha, it started shaking violently to force Adam off. However, unlike the Amazonian, Adam still held on. He did not show any signs of struggling, in fact he was smirking.

As the Death Stalker rampaged all over, Adam rose his unsheathed blade into the air, twirled it, and thrusted it down into the cracked piece Pyrrha caused earlier which echoed into the air. The black mist still crept through but now it gushed out like a geyser of smoke.

Adam was satisfied at hearing the Grimm's cry. It shook faster out of desperation to get him off. The rough movement still had no effect on the Faunus and the beast was now panicking. It screeched. The ground trembled as it wobbled around in agony.

Ignoring the ringing in her ears, Ruby took advantage of the creature's vulnerability and rushed behind it. With a clean swipe, she sent her scythe right into its hind legs slicing two of them apart.

It let out another screech. The Grimm collapsed with a loud thud as it tried to turn around to grab Ruby, but she already retreated a safe distance away. Once again distracted, Ren and Blake charged, side by side, firing at its tail.

However, the Death Stalker had enough of the impacts. In a blind rage, the monstrous scorpion flailed with all its might in a full circle slamming its tail into Ren and Blake causing both to tumble onto the ground.

The Grimm was now shaking with such aggression that even Adam couldn't stay on anymore. As he jumped off, the Death Stalker had already turned and launched its pincer towards him. Without much chance of reacting, the massive appendage knocked him back with such force he dented into a tree.

Adam let out a loud grunt on impact and as he felt the wind leave his lungs. When he fell to the ground he growled as he gripped his sword tightly. The Death Stalker roared in victory as it gained the upper hand. It now charged at Adam but was stopped when Ruby fired a couple of shots at its eye. Though unfazed, the Death Stalker turned to her at having remembered her being responsible for cutting its legs and charged with malice.

Ruby jumped and twirled several times to avoid being stabbed by its stinger. Despite being difficult to avoid, she could see the slight wobbling it did from the loss of its two legs. Despite that, it still moved as fast as it would with its legs still attached. Ruby realized that she must have pissed the creature off.

'Seems Grimm also hold grudges!' She thought while dodging another strike. 'Uncle Qrow would be pleased to hear this!'

As Ruby continued to dodge, Ren was already back on his feet. He gripped his shoulder, feeling the throbbing pain pulsing and frowned. He closed his eyes and focused his aura into healing it and felt a relieving sensation as soon as he opened his eyes. He looked around and noticed that Blake was a few meters away from him still crouched.

His worrying instincts got the best of him as he raced off to her without thinking.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he kneeled next to her. Blake could hear the concern in his voice and nodded to reassure she was alright despite her panting. After a few seconds, she collected her breath and spoke.

"Yeah… it just hit my stomach… guess I got the short straw out of the both of us." She heard Ren chuckle a little and was a little taken back when she felt his hand on her shoulder.

Within seconds she felt a relieving sensation run through her body and turned to see his eyes closed and hand glowing pink. The pain in her stomach soon ceased and Ren let go as he opened his eyes.

"I'm sorry for that. I'll be sure to take the bigger hit next time." It was Blake's turn to laugh now. But the laughter stopped when she spotted her brother. He was hunched over, kneeling, and panting with his head hung low.

Blake narrowed her eyes with worry. She couldn't remember the last time her brother looked injured, the Death Stalker must have been stronger than she anticipated. It wasn't easy to get the best of him.

Just as she was about to run over to him, she was caught off guard when Ren suddenly passed her in the direction of Adam. His eyes were narrowed as he practically sprinted towards him.

Blake remained where she was, silently watching as he kneeled and exchanged a few words with her brother. She could see Adam turning his head with a look of frustration until, after a moment of silence, he sighed and nodded back to the long-haired boy. Ren nodded back and placed his hand on the Faunus' shoulder where his hand emitted a pink aura that soon engulfed Adam like it did with Blake.

She was silent the whole time watching. Part of her felt grateful, another felt confusion, but overall, Blake was bewildered with what she was seeing. It had been a long time since she had seen a human helping a Faunus. Of course, she hasn't been around normal society in a long time. And Ren seemed liked a fair person, but her habits of trusting was still thin. Either way, seeing Ren aid her brother, a Faunus, made her smile in a way she hasn't smiled in a long time.

Once all three were back on their feet they sped towards Ruby, who had been holding the Grimm's attention for a while. She managed to fire a few shots and even scraped a part of its armor, but overall it was a game of cat and mouse with the Death Stalker always playing the cat.

"You all took your sweet time." Ruby muttered sarcastically, cocking her weapon again. The others now joining her side by side facing the Grimm.

Ren smiled apologetically as Adam and Blake remained silent. "Apologies for that Ruby, recovering took a little longer than anticipated.

The red hooded girl looked side to side and shrugged. "I was… joking." 'I should work on that.' She shook her head at the thought. "Either way at least you're all back in the fight."

The battle now became a standoff as Ruby, Ren, Blake and Adam all silently stared down the Death Stalker, as it cautiously stared back. The atmosphere fell dangerously silent except for the Grimm snapping its pincers and silent hissing in acts of intimidation.

The group cautioned as the creature's tail swayed carefully over its head, ready to strike if provoked.

Seconds felt like hours as Ruby gripped her scythe tightly while Ren narrowed his eyes. Blake didn't take any more chances and switched to dual wielding her blades with Adam sheathing his sword ready to fire. He even contemplated whether he should make the first move or not.

But no one did. The wind was now picking up, and the Death Stalker seemed to take notice as it glanced upwards and shivered its scaly body. Then, to the surprise of everyone, it hissed loudly catching the group by surprise and braced themselves for the coming attack.

Though no attack ever came.

Instead, it suddenly started to retreat. Ren raised an eyebrow as he slightly lowered his weapons.

"What…"

The Grimm was now high tailing away into the forest behind it, limping rapidly with every step like an injured rabbit being chased by a wolf. The teens could see the beast collapsing a few trees in its way further down before finally losing sight of it and hearing its screeching fade away into an echo.

They all simultaneously turned to one another with looks of confusion. Never in any of their lives have they ever encountered a Grimm retreating from battle. At least not a simple-minded Grimm.

"Should we… pursue?" Ren asked a little cautiously. He rubbed his head at the strange behavior and turned to the others. Blake gave him as shrug as Adam remained silent, staring in the direction the Grimm left.

Ruby thought about it carefully and leered. A Grimm never runs from battle, no matter how injured or weak it is. It just wasn't their nature. But in the end, she shook her head as she retracted her scythe.

"No… let it run." She muttered. The urge for combat was finally dying down. "We have more important matters."

Adam sighed as he strapped his blade to his back. "We could have taken it." He muttered, crossing his arms. Blake rolled her eyes at her brother's overconfidence; but silently agreed.

"It doesn't matter now." Ruby replied. "It's gone. And we should be too."

"Then it's time we left." Ren stated.

The red hooded girl nodded. "Let's go."

Their walk back to the ruins was silent in an almost peaceful nature again. It felt as if no battle ever occurred. But that was how dangerous the Emerald Forest was. It draws an illusion to bring unexpected prey then surrounds them with its true nature.

Up ahead, the group could see Jaune and Pyrrha still walking back; they moved a little slow but seemed to be doing alright. Further up were the twin sisters, Melanie and Militia, almost reaching the ruins where the others were waiting.

Ren smiled when seeing Nora waving energetically. It was good to see his longtime friend again and nice to see her being her old energetic self once more. He never wanted to see the sadness she had months ago. It was too painful to remember, and he would rather not.

However, Ren also smiled at his surroundings. Aside from the Grimm, the Emerald forest was certainly a beautiful place. Healthy trees, colorful plants, clean air, silence and an impressive fog in the sky.

It was then that Ren suddenly stopped. 'Wait a minute…' He didn't remember a fog forming before; and thinking of it further, it was strange how quiet it was now. The long-haired boy narrowed his eyes as he gazed upwards.

"You ok Ren?"

Ren looked back down. His stop didn't go unnoticed by the others as all eyes were on him.

He didn't reply at first. He gazed back up looking left to right, an uneasy feeling hung over him. "I… don't know."

"What is it?" Blake asked, her eyes narrowed as her fingers trailed over her weapon.

Ren didn't reply again. His focus was kept towards the sky. "Something is wrong." He muttered.

No one dared to speak. Now everyone was on high alert as they remained in place, all staring at the sky.

Suddenly, Ren let out a small gasp catching the attention of the others as they saw his eyes widen.

"Where is the-"

A high pitch shriek erupted, startling the group. Ren turned around and jumped out of the way of an incoming large black feather piercing the ground where he stood.

"The Nevermore!" Ren cried.

Everyone's eyes scattered in multiple directions across the sky. They couldn't detect nor see the winged Grimm anymore from a heavy fog setting in.

Adam gritted his teeth as he gripped his sword. "Does anyone see it?!" He growled.

No one replied and an eerie silence emerged as the fog now thickened further over them. No one dared to move or make a sound. Each listened carefully for any sudden movements or flapping.

Then, almost like sudden rain, a barrage of black feathers started shooting down.

"Scatter!" Ruby shouted and rolled away. The others maneuvered in different directions as well. Jumping, rolling, spinning, and twirling in any way to dodge the never-ending volley of feathers.

Ruby activated her scythe again and began twirling it around like a temporary barrier as she ran. Blake did the same with her own weapon, using the elastic to whirl it around faster. Ren continued his acrobatic dodging until he stopped and felt part of his jackets sleeve narrowly rip.

'Too close.' He thought with a drop of sweat running down his forehead. 'At this rate… no! Keep moving!' And he did, narrowly avoiding three incoming feathers on his spot.

From the quick peeks he caught of the others, they were doing fine deflecting the feathers. In fact, Adam stayed in place, slicing all that fell near him with impressive speed. Unlike the others, he did not have any type of defense for a volley which he sincerely wished for now.

Then an idea formed in his head. It was risky but better than running out of stamina. Quickly retracting his weapons after another evasion, he channeled his aura where his fingers started glowing pink and was ready to try it until he heard a grunt to his left.

He turned and went wide eyed when seeing Ruby on the ground with a feather caught on her hood. She cursed and tried to pull herself free but to no use. She was trapped.

Without thinking Ren rushed towards her as fast as he could while avoiding the feathers falling in his way. He thought she would simply slice the feather off but he realized from collapsing on the ground, Ruby dropped her weapon too far to reach.

The red hooded girl was now trying to pull the blasted thing off. But as she tried, more spiraled down, forcing her to roll left and right to avoid them.

Ren was closer now and silently prayed to the Lotus Goddess that his idea worked. 'Please just work.' He begged and focused his aura again.

Like before, his gloved hands started glowing pink, and the more he focused the stronger the glow. When he was now standing above Ruby he extended his hands up and a flash of magenta aura erupted from his palms, growing into a large spherical barrier around himself and Ruby in a matter of seconds.

Caught off guard, Ruby glanced up to see the feathers still falling but couldn't puncture the barrier. She released a breath she didn't realize holding and turned to Ren. He was in deep concentration with closed, narrowed eyes.

She could only guess how long he could keep the barrier up, though she was impressed with how strong his aura was. Still, Ruby frowned a bit. She disliked having to need others for help, especially if she could do nothing to be of service.

She then stared at his glowing hands, fascinated by a method she never saw before. She had heard of barrier abilities from her Uncle, but seeing one in person offered more insight than just hearing about them.

"R-Ruby…" Ren muttered, earning the girl's attention. "C-can you pull yourself out?"

Ruby could hear the strain in his voice; the barrier must have taken a lot of energy to hold. She quickly nodded and tried again. But with every tug, it did not move. She growled in annoyance and pulled with every ounce of strength she had.

'Damn it, it's not moving!'

"Please… hurry." Ren whispered and was slowly dropping to his knees causing Ruby's eye to widen.

She cursed and tried reaching for her scythe. It was just barely out of reach from her fingertips. She pulled harder feeling the hood choke her a bit as she scarcely touched the shaft of her scythe.

'Come… on!' She mentally screamed, now angry with herself for being a burden. She pulled harder, feeling the desire for air escalate but ignored it and kept reaching for her weapon.

"Move!"

The sudden voice of Adam caused Ruby to halt, inhaling a fresh breath, and turn in time to see the Faunus boy with his sister rolling inside the barrier. In one fast motion, Adam and Blake twirled and sliced the feather in two leaving only a fragment of its quill remaining with the other falling outside the barrier.

"Pull it out now!"

Ruby did so with haste, and this time it came out easier. The quill penetrated deeper than she realized, nearly a foot into the ground. She sneered as she examined the hole in her cape and felt a wave of anger at the Nevermore.

After scrambling to her feet, Ruby quickly rushed to retrieve her scythe and when she grabbed it, the barrage of feathers finally ended. Everyone remained on guard as they looked in around.

Ren opened one of his eyes to peek up and saw the sky clearing up from the fog. He waited a few more seconds before feeling safe enough to finally drop his hands. The ceasing of his aura caused the barrier to fade away into tiny particles of pink dust, releasing the four teens in the open once more.

There were feathers as far as the eye could see; like a field, a long grassy field. The group was surrounded by them. They looked at all the destruction it caused, so many holes, leaves, and rocks all scattered. Many trees had quills spiking out of their branches and trunks, some even went through them leaving large holes and bits of feather pieces behind with several even collapsing off their roots. Bushes and shrubs were destroyed and beautiful flowers were buried.

"Such power…" Blake admired with a frown. Adam nodded as he caressed one of the quills. Just imagining the damage one could do if it penetrated someone was bothersome.

"At least we survived."

"How unfortunate for the plants." Ren muttered to himself. He gasped and suddenly dropped to one knee, now feeling the wave of exhaustion flow through him, and panted heavily.

This alarmed everyone. Blake, without thinking, kneeled over to Ren and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Are you alright?" She asked with subtle worry.

Ren nodded as he continued panting. "I'll be fine… I just wasn't… aware I'd use… much aura."

Ruby's eyes narrowed a bit as she kneeled quickly to inspect her partner. She was internally relieved to see he wasn't injured. "You are an idiot. You know that right?"

Ren smiled through his panting and glanced up at Ruby. Blake frowned at Ruby and was about to comment until she heard Ren chuckle. "I couldn't let my partner… get killed on the first day."

Ruby scoffed. "Like I would allow my death now after coming so far." She and Ren exchanged little smiles, and the red hooded girl sighed. "Just make sure you don't get yourself killed over me." She whispered with soft tone.

Ren looked into her eyes and nodded. "I understand, Ruby."

"We have to go." Adam muttered as he gazed up at the sky. "Now."

A sudden loud and painful screech erupted again. The Nevermore now came into view flying high above them. They stared at its massive figure, both mesmerized and threatened by its size.

Ruby squinted her eyes as the winged Grimm summoned another gust of wind towards them. She quickly turned to Ren and spread her hood over him to better shield him. "Can you run?!" she asked.

He nodded and slowly got up. "Yes! I'm a little out of breath but I can still move!"

"Look out!" Blake cried.

The Nevermore was now diving towards them with its beak wide open. It flew so fast it was far too late to dodge. Everyone braced themselves as it neared but before it could reach them, an explosion suddenly erupted next to the Nevermore's head.

Large puffs of pinkish black smoke emitted and the four teens watched as the Alpha Nevermore's massive body tumbled into the ground. Its collision echoed loudly, destroying all trees in its way before recoiling and quickly flying back into the sky.

Everyone remained silent. No one could guess what the sudden explosion was until Ren sighed loudly.

"I forgot how much kick that thing has." He muttered.

Ruby turned to him. "What are-"

"REN!"

Without warning, Nora suddenly appeared from behind the group, surprising them, and tackling Ren to the ground. She ignored his grunting and flailing as she squeezed his body tightly while shoving her face in his chest. "OH MY GOSH REN ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! DID THAT FEATHER BALL HURT YOU!"

"Nora… I can't-"

"OH, I SWEAR TO THE LOTUS GODDESS IF IT DID I WILL MAKE CHICKEN SOUP OF THAT- WAIT! CAN YOU MAKE SOUP OUT OF GRIMM? NO RIGHT? OR MAYBE YES?

"Nora… I-"

"OH! MAYBE WE SHOULD TRY AND-"

"NORA!"

Nora ceased her chatty voice and raised her head up to see her childhood friend's face. "Yes Ren?" She asked with a wide smile and giggle. Her legs were kicking the air happily as she stared at him.

Ren couldn't help but sigh and smile back at his bubbly friend. He could never stay mad at her. "To answer your first question, I'm fine. To answer your second, I don't think it's physically possible to eat Grimm; nor do I think it's safe to try. Also, could you please get off me."

Nora puffed her cheeks and frowned but then smiled again as she shrugged and pushed herself off giggling. Ren grunted a little from her push and slowly rose to a sitting position. He dusted his shoulders off but stopped when he saw a hand sticking out in front of him.

He glanced up and saw that it was Blake's. "You alright?" She asked. Ren smiled and nodded up as he slowly reached up and grabbed her hand. It was surprisingly warm and soft to his pleasure. With ease, Blake pulled him up to his feet where he thanked her and continued dusting himself off.

The bow wearing girl then glanced to Nora talking up a storm to her brother wanting to see his sword. She could see the uncomfortable expressions he made whenever he was in an awkward position, and shook her head with amusement.

"I don't know how you deal with that much energy."

Ren glanced up towards his childhood friend and chuckled a bit as he shrugged. "It's easier than it looks." It was Blake's turn to chuckle, as the two exchanged smiles.

"Guys," Ruby interrupted, "We should all get going." She glanced up at the sky with leered eyes. "The Nevermore may have retreated, but it will be back."

"She's right." Adam agreed. "We have to leave now. Let's go." Without another word, the Faunus boy took off, and with silent nods everyone else followed behind.

The run felt shorter than expected now that the Grimm were gone. And when the group arrived, Jaune, Pyrrha and the twins were already there resting their tired bodies. Weiss was currently seeing to Pyrrha while Neo rushed over to Nora with the twins sitting of on their own. Ruby could see the little panting the Amazonian did. She must have ran when hearing the Nevermore. She then glanced around her surroundings, still seeing no sign of the Grimm and breathed a silent relief.

Her eyes then wandered over the, now larger, group and frowned. Not because of their exhausted states and injuries; but because there were too many people. Even if they were all experienced fighters, Ruby felt off by having so many around her. A twelve-man group practically destroyed stealth much to her irritation.

It was not her style, and she secretly wished she could leave them and go on her own. The idea even sounded tempting, it would have been easy. She already had her artifact, and the forest was so close. She was a master of silence and speed, she could easily slip by unnoticed, and perhaps even persuade Ren and the siblings to come with her.

There was a sudden inhumane cackling in the back of her head.

'Weaklings reap what they sow!' The dreaded voice returned. Its words were so clear but faint like loud fading whispers echoing. 'Leave them!'

'But… they aren't weak.' Ruby thought uncertainly. 'Are they?'

'They allowed themselves to be wrapped in death's lovely embrace! We should not interfere.'

'What does that mean…'

'Death is life my dear!' The voice snickered happily. 'It is the filling of the void! Death is life's will!'

'How is that… life's will?'

'Petty questions remain ignorant! No one can change the outcome! Fate never changes!'

'You are making no sense… if death is life's will then… are you saying the weak are meant to die?' The voice laughed.

'They seal their own fate my dear! They are weak and deserve their consequences!'

'But… isn't death all of our fate one day?'

'The strong survive the longest! Those weaker fill the void sooner than others! Now leave them!'

Ruby closed her eyes and pondered. Then as fast as she closed them, they opened. 'But… it would be wrong of me to leave them…'

'Personal feelings corrupt my dear! To survive, one must walk with death, not towards him!'

'But… what am I?'

'Foolish girl, you are his kin! Now leave them!'

Her thinking suddenly stopped when Ren hastily walked by snapping her attention back to reality.

"Pardon me Ruby!" He said while zipping past her.

Ruby stared at his moving figure heading towards the twin sisters and stopping right in front of them. Melanie had sat on a broken step with Militia kneeling in front of her using her upper calves as a cushion for her sister's leg.

When he approached, the twin sisters glanced up at him, both eyeing him up and down. "Excuse me." He said with a polite smile.

Melanie's eyes flickered a little, feeling her cheeks redden, her heart skipped a beat as she smiled at the sight of the tall pink eyed boy. Militia smirked as she examined Ren from head to toe again, while he looked too… gentle for her taste, he was certainly eye candy.

"How is your leg?"

"Huh?" Melanie blurted before shaking her daze and fidgeted in her seat, "Oh! Y-yeah, my leg. It's fine, it's just my ankle I think. Just… throbs like a bitch ya know." She chuckled awkwardly, "I don't normally fall on my ass hehe! I'm actually a natural in these heels!" Melanie subconsciously played with her hair, a trait she normally did when nervous.

She worried she looked like a fool when Ren didn't smile or laugh at her attempted humor. His eyes narrowed as he stared at her leg. Militia raised an eyebrow, and nudged her sister. "What are you doing?" She whispered.

"I don't know, help me!" Melanie whispered back. Her sister's eyes widened.

"Girl, are you like crushing on this guy?" Melanie shushed her sister sharply.

"Don't blurt it out for the world to know idiot!" Militia glanced back at Ren. He was no longer staring at Melanie's leg. Instead, his eyes were closed.

"Hey, don't get me wrong he's not bad looking." Militia shrugged, "It's just… I thought you'd go for someone more… aggressive."

Melanie scoffed. "That's your style sis." She then turned to Ren and slightly smiled. "As for me... I'm done with bad boys." Her cheeks reddened again as wind gently swayed Ren's hair. "And… I don't know why but…. something about this hunk just… interests me. And you know how I can pick them."

Militia shrugged again, this time with a smile. "Whatever you say sis." She rolled her eyes, glancing at the others. But her sight stopped when her vision caught a boy with spiky red hair a few meters away. She eyed him up and down several times and grinned. "You don't know what you're missing indeed~." She muttered and licked her lips.

"Excuse me." Both twins turned to Ren again. His eyes were open again as he crouched in front of Melanie. "I'm sorry but, may I see your leg?"

The white wearing twin nodded, no words formed in her mind. Ren smiled and gently placed his hands over ankle slowly running his hands over it. Melanie blushed and winced a little as small cry escaped her lips.

"Hey, careful with her!" Militia growled.

"N-no, it's ok!" Melanie reassured as she waved a hand at her sister. Militia glanced back and forth at her sister and Ren, her eyes narrowed, still unsure of Ren's actions until she saw the look her sister gave her. Eyes sharp, mouth tightened, and eyebrows narrowed.

'Don't ruin this for me!' That look said, and Militia sighed. "Ok, ok. Just… be gentle with her ok dude?"

Ren smiled and nodded. "I'm sorry I caused you harm. I had to be sure where the pain was to better help you. I hope you can forgive me." Though sounding a bit... distant, his tone was sincere to the twins.

Melanie felt in heaven as Ren continued rubbing his hands on her ankle. His fingers were soft aside from the gloved palms. She only wished he would go lower if she had her heel off. Foot massages were always the best for her. Militia watched as Ren moved his hands, whatever he was doing was working its magic on her sister as she fidgeted in her seat, letting out small moans.

After a minute, Ren sighed softly and smiled up at Melanie. "How is your leg now? Do you feel any pain?"

Melanie was still in her trance like state of pleasure until Militia dragged her out with another nudge. Startled, Melanie moved her injured leg accidentally but discovered no pain. "Huh? It's… gone."

Ren smiled and slowly lowered her leg on the ground, not seeing the disappointment on Melanie's face. "Your leg should be alright now."

Melanie's heart skipped a beat as her sister smirked. "You some kinda doctor or something pretty boy?"

Ren chuckled, shaking his head. "Believe me, I am no doctor. I only used my aura to soothe your nerve tensions and pressure in your ankle."

Militia laughed. "You sound like a doc to me."

"Thank you." Ren smiled and stood up, turning to walk away.

Melanie frowned when seeing his departure. She wanted to call out to him, to say something, but she hesitated and remained silent. Militia observed her sister and rolled her eyes. Her sister never acted this way with anyone. She was always an in your face woman but seeing her like this was new.

'She really has it bad for that guy.' "Hold it aura boy!" Militia called, "It's impolite to not give two beautiful ladies a gentleman's name, right?"

Ren remained still and thought about it. He was unaware of Melanie bonking her sister repeatedly telling her to shut up.

Aside from that, Ren knew she was right, he was so distracted with helping the girl he forgot to introduce himself in the true lotus way. How disappointed would his honorable elder be.

Quickly he turned back and kneeled before Melanie who stopped hitting her sister. In one fluid motion, he picked up her hand caressing it gently as Melanie grew darker shades of red. She couldn't even breathe when his lips touched the top of her hand. She felt like a princess being kissed by a handsome knight, one of her long-time fantasies that she will take to the grave.

Militia raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected that from Ren and felt even her own cheeks redden when seeing how graceful he did it. 'This guy is a smoothie.'

When it ended, Melanie regained her breath and stuttered. Ren smiled then quickly turned and kissed Militia's hand as well catching her off guard. Despite saying he wasn't her type, Ren was proving to be more than just eye candy now.

With both twin's hands kissed Ren stepped back and bowed gracefully. "Apologies for my rudeness. My name is Lie Ren, but please, call me Ren. It's nice to meet you both. What are your names?"

Melanie shook her head. "Melanie! I-I'm Melanie!"

"Militia." Her sister said. Ren nodded to the two and silently walked away, leaving the two alone once more.

Melanie turned to her sister with a wide smirk as she nudged Militia. "Alright, alright. He's a little interesting."

"I told you I know how to pick them."

As Ren walked over to Blake and Adam, Ruby watched his interaction with the twins. The whole time the voice in her head called her to ignore them, to turn away, but after what she witnessed, she only had one thing to say to it.

'Your ideology, is flawed.'

The voice now growled with irritation as it faded away. With it now gone, Ruby decided it was time. The others had already gathered together, aside from the twins still sitting down, as Ruby approached them.

A sudden, familiar, shriek echoed across the sky causing all heads to turn. There in the far distance, the faint image of the Nevermore was seen.

"That thing's circling back!" Jaune pointed upwards and looked back at the group. "What are we gonna do?!" he frantically asked.

Weiss rolled her eyes and was about to speak until Ruby cut in front of her. "Calm down and listen." All eyes now on her, while Weiss silently "hmphed." "There is no sense delaying our actions any further." Despite the anxiety building up, Ruby ignored all the eyes on her and turned to the ruins. "Our objective is right in front of us."

Weiss then stepped in and cleared her throat. "As much as I'd… hate to say it, she's right." She ignored the urge to growl when seeing Ruby smirking. "Our orders were to retrieve a relic and retreat back to the academy. There's no sense in dilly-dallying with these Grimm."

"Run and live?!" Jaune asked happily, "That is an idea I can get behind!"

Weiss grunted in annoyance and turned around, "Well, come on then! Everyone grab a piece already!"

The others who did not have one all nodded and silently made their way to the remaining pieces. Yang laughed as she suddenly leaned on Weiss should causing the heiress to yelp. "Oh Ice Queen~, I think I like seeing you take charge! Makes our partnership a little more… intense~." She whispered in her ear.

Weiss shivered and without thinking attempted to shrug Yang away. "Will you get off me and just choose a relic already! You've already tested my patience, you blonde bimbo!"

Yang ignored the insults but complied at her request with a minor awe. She then ventured over to the golden pieces and walked passed a few several times with her hands behind her back. Weiss crossed her arms and tapped her shoe lightly as faint growls were heard from her lips.

Finally, Yang stopped over one and picked it up with a wide grin and raised it in the air for her partner to see. "Hey Weiss how about a-"

"Fine, anything, just bring the stupid piece and get over here already! I will not fail this test because of you!" Yang awed again but obeyed as she petted her chest piece, muttering that the ice queen didn't mean to call it stupid.

Ruby shook her head and glanced at the others. Nora and Neo already collected their piece, and twins had picked one up a few seconds ago. Jaune and Pyrrha were left as they chatted over one before picking it up, smiling.

Ruby nodded, all pairs had their pieces and it was officially time to leave the Emerald forest. "Everyone ready set?" Ruby asked, none opposed. "Good, follow me!"

She took the lead, motioning for the others. Ren was already next to her with Blake and Adam right behind. As the others quickly moved and followed. Yang was the only one to remain still, as her lips formed a soft grin.

"What is it?" Weiss asked, turning back to the blonde. Yang didn't answer, instead she watched as her sister jumped over a boulder with the others right behind her.

'Mom… hope you watching this…' "Nothing Ice Queen," Yang sighed and tapped Weiss' nose, "Let's go Ice Queen."

Weiss was about to complain but stopped for a moment and sighed. Without a word, she followed behind Yang.

For several minutes, the group ran. Long gone was the old prison ruins, as they headed through the forest and out into a new open plan. Around them trees turned into more concrete pillars with more broken structures ahead.

"We must be in the main city of the ancient tribe!" Adam shouted.

Ren glanced at all the piles of rubble and decay and shook his head. "Not much of a city anymore!"

"Doesn't matter, we just have to keep moving!" responded Ruby.

Blake's ears suddenly perked as she detected something behind them. "Heads up!" She shouted. It wasn't long before the sky shadowed the ground as the Nevermore came into view. It thrusted its wings harder sending large gusts at the hunters in training before flying passed them.

"Split up!" Ruby ordered among the heavy winds. "Get behind the pillars now!" The group wasted no time in doing so as each pair split off into their own direction towards a pillar. The gusts were strong as each nearly fell and stumbled to get behind cover.

And when they did, all weapons were drawn with everyone on high alert. And as the winds finally died down, the Nevermore landed, perching itself on a tall stone tower in front of them; specifically blocking the way they needed cross.

When the wind finally died off, the Nevermore screeched into the sky, echoing for miles as it spread its wings wide open waiting for the children to make a move.

"Well that's great!" Yang chided, lowering her hands from her ears. "What now?! Go back another way!"

"Not possible!" Adam objected. "Look!"

From out where they came, the Death Stalker burst through the trees behind, destroying them into pieces, roaring with new found strength. Its hind legs regenerated back with the small stabs now gone from its back. The giant scorpion was back to full strength, ready to unleash the rage it collected from the teens that caused it pain.

"Were surrounded on both sides!" shouted Blake, "What now!"

"Isn't it obvious you dunce!" Weiss shouted, "We have to go through the forest! Those things are too big to follow!"

Blake silently growled at the insult and turned to the forest. She narrowed her eyes at what she saw and gripped her weapons tightly. "That's not possible either!"

From the forest, both sides in fact, dozens of Beowolves came prowling out, howling and roaring in the rally as they slowly descended out the trees.

"Damn it!" Yang shouted, her eyes now turning red. "Now we're completely surrounded!"

"Prepare to defend yourselves!" Adam shouted and stood defensively in the direction of the Beowolves.

"Oh yeah! Time to bring the pain!" Nora cried happily as she activated her hammer. Neo nodded as she rested her umbrella over her shoulder.

"Huh, you brought an umbrella?!" Nora asked. Neo turned to her partner and only replied with a wink.

"You with me sis?!" Melanie asked as she faced one end of the forest. Militia stood behind her facing the other and sharpened her talons together. "Always!" she replied.

"Ruby," Ren called as he cocked his weapons. "Let's stay together, alright?"

The red hooded girl did not answer. She looked all around to see the various Grimm closing in. The Death Stalker to the south of them, Beowolves to the east and west, and the Alpha Nevermore to the north. Ruby sighed. An Alpha Grimm was truly a worthy foe. 'Dangerous and Intelligent.' It had managed to bring different species of Grimm together, surround them, exhaust them, and possibly overwhelm them right now.

This was something Ruby had never witnessed with an Alpha. The Alpha Beowolf she faced a while back used superior numbers and brute force to try and overwhelm in hopes of tiring her out. But when she took care of the Alpha the rest-. And then it hit her. Her eyes widened as realization struck her.

Quickly thinking, her mind was already forming the plan. She glanced at each of the others, then her surroundings, and finally, the Nevermore. Her plan was set, all she needed now was to rally the pieces.

"Ren!" Ruby called, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket. The long-haired boy was caught off guard by the sudden action, but seeing the strange look on his partner's face drew more curiosity than confusion.

"Yes Ruby?"

"I have a plan." She replied. "But… I…" The words dragged and faded from her lips. Ren leaned a little closer.

"I'm sorry?"

"I need your help!" She blurted out. "Please…"

Ren raised an eyebrow as Ruby turned away, too embarrassed to look at him. She didn't see that followed by the raised eyebrow, he smiled. "You have it. How can I aid you?"

Ruby turned back to him, silently relieved as she regained her composure and got serious. "It's clear that the Alpha Nevermore is the brains behind the rest. The other Grimm are simply the muscle."

Ren nodded when thinking about it. The Grimm certainly wouldn't have gotten this far without the Alpha. "So, what do you suggest?"

"Simple." Ruby smirked. "We sever the brain from the muscle." Ren looked slightly bewildered.

"You mean try and kill the Alpha Nevermore?"

"Correct."

The long-haired boy pondered the thought then sighed. "It won't be easy." Ruby agreed, but it was still possible.

"This is a game of chess, Ren." She explained, "The Alpha could have long since killed us. Instead, I realize now that it's been testing our limits, gathering its pieces and now making its next move."

Ren thought about it and it seemed to make sense. "Then what do we do?"

Ruby twirled her scythe and glanced at the Nevermore. "We play it's game and win!" she declared. "I refuse to die now, not when I'm so close!" She turned to Ren and smirked. "The Nevermore has its pieces, and we have ours."

Ren sighed again as he shook his head with a smile. "I'm still apprehensive about this. But I'm willing to follow."

Ruby nodded and turned to the others still behind their pillars. "Everyone get ready to push forward!"

"Are you nuts?!" Weiss yelled back. "You want us to go straight to the Nevermore?!"

"In the words of my Uncle, "If you want to stop an army, stop the general!""

Weiss shook her head as she stared at the Nevermore still perched on the tower. She gritted her teeth. "Whatever you're planning, forget it! We can't go against an Alpha, it's too dangerous you dunce!" Weiss argued.

"I have a plan Ice Queen!"

"Yeah?! A plan to get us all killed?!"

"Just trust her Weiss!" Ren exclaimed. "We have a plan!"

'We?!' Weiss thought as she stumbled over her words. Seeing Ruby smiling towards Ren caused her cheeks to redden as her blood boiled. She cursed Ruby for putting her in an awkward position.

"If my baby sister and hot stuff have a plan, then I'm in!" Yang announced as she raised a fist in the air."

"Renny's always the man with the plan!" Nora declared, "I'm in too!" Neo nodded in agreement.

"I'm with you too Ren!" Melanie called while waving to the long-haired boy. Militia shook her head but smiled and agreed as well.

Blake glanced to Adam who nodded to her as she turned to Ruby and Ren. "We'll follow what you have."

"Better that staying here to die." Muttered Adam.

"We'll help anyway we can too!" Pyrrha stated. Jaune nodded in agreement despite the quivering lips and shaky legs.

Weiss growled in frustration. Her fists tightened as she fumbled her words. Not only was she the only one who disagreed with the plan, but now she looked like an asshole to Ren. REN of all people! She glared at Ruby; once again the girl had made her look like a fool, made her blood boil, and made her heart race.

'Stupid girl with her stupid remarks, and stupid attitude! And her stupid mysterious eyes… and stupid luscious hair… and stupid soft lip- wait what the hell am I thinking! Damn that stupid girl!'

She growled again and gripped her rapier. "Fine, I'll follow your plan! But just know that I'm only trusting Ren, not you!"

"You act like I care Ice Queen!"

Weiss gritted her teeth. 'The nerve of that girl!' she thought as a shiver crawled down her spine. 'How dare she treat me like dirt, and call me names, and… makes me tingle all over… I don't find it stimulating at all!' Weiss sighed heavily as she fell to the floor, her forehead was sweat and face flushed red.

"Yo Weiss are you ok girl?" Yang asked, bending down. "You look like you just climaxed five times in a row!" she grinned.

"Shut up bimbo!"

"Look out their charging!" Adam alarmed. It was true, the Nevermore grew tired of waiting and let out another screech, no sooner had the Beowolves and Death Stalker roared back as they rushed towards the teens.

"Move!" Ruby ordered. The others did, following her forward towards the stone bridge as the Grimm made their chase. The Nevermore shook its massive head as it slowly began to ascend into flight.

"Nora," Ren called. "Distract it!"

"Aye aye!"

When the massive raven flew higher, it screeched as it summoned a barrage of feathers down towards the group. "Move through the sides!" Ruby called as she and the rest took cover behind the pillars again.

Nora diverted from the pillars and ran to the middle of the field jumping and roll dodging several feathers flying passed her. Instead of hitting the ground, some hit several Beowolves behind her killing them instantly.

Ruby turned back to see the bubbly girl laughing the whole time as she retracted her hammer into its collapsible gun form. She fired several shots of large cylinder rounds towards the Nevermore where one exploded on impact on its neck. The Grimm recoiled back, screeching in pain, as flew away with the rest of the rounds exploding near its body before it quickly escaped.

"That's right! Don't mess with the best!" Nora cheered but stopped when she heard roaring. The Death Stalker and two Beowolves took the opportunity to ambush the orange haired girl while she had her back turned.

Thankfully, before they could touch her, Neo emerged from behind her and stabbed one of the Beowolves in the chest with her umbrella. Ren and Blake also appeared and struck the Death Stalker near its eyes stunning it. The last Beowolf lunged towards Ren when his back was turned but before reaching him, dozens of sharp icicles plunged into its body.

"Are you alright Ren!" Weiss quickly asked and, without waiting for a reply, rushed to him feeling all over his chest and arms. While it may have been a minor excuse to cop a feel, Weiss ignored the blood rushing into her cheeks as she continued feeling.

It was only until Nora bear hugged heiress was she finally stopped. "Oh, thanks guys! I would have been Grimm bones if it wasn't for you!"

"Let go of me this instant!" Weiss screamed. 'How is this girl so strong!?'

Ren rubbed the back of his head awkwardly until he heard the Death Stalker hissing. "Come on!" He called. "We have to keep moving!"

Nora giggled as she put Weiss down. "Coming Ren!" As she and Neo ran, Weiss took a few seconds to catch her breath. Blake glanced at her and shook her head, silently pleased with what she saw. 'I guess I can call that pay back.'

"Come on," she grabbed Weiss' arm and pulled her up. "That thing isn't gonna be stunned forever." Before the heiress could retort, she was already moving with Blake dragging her.

When they made it back to the others, they could see they were already engaged with Beowolves that came around them. It was a massive battle with weapons twirling, metal clanking, and bullets firing. They wasted no time joining the fray as the battle grew more intense. And as they finally started clearing the pack of Grimm, it didn't take long before the Death Stalker closed in.

"Move across the bridge!" Ruby directed and was already on the move. The others followed quickly as the Scorpion Grimm gained.

"Go, go!" Pyrrha ordered as she kneeled and fired a few rounds at the Death Stalker. Everyone was almost across except for Weiss, Blake, and the twins. Ren suddenly stopped and turned back, firing alongside Pyrrha to help the others across.

The twins made it to the bridge with Weiss following close behind. Blake was the only one left now and the Death Stalker increased its speed as it started snapping its pincers at her. She was nearing the bridge now and, to the surprise of Pyrrha and Ren, the Death Stalker actually jumped into air to try to and land on top of her.

"Blake jump!" Ren screamed.

She did, nearly avoiding one of the Grimm's pincers. When she landed, Pyrrha and Ren turned and ran with Blake right behind them. The Death Stalker could only watch as its prey escaped through the narrow stone bridge. It shrieked with rage swiping the air at losing its chance to eat. Though its battle was over, the Beowolves did not give up. From the several that survived the battle, they jumped over the Scorpion Grimm in hot pursuit as the group kept running.

The teens never stopped running, they could hear the howls and roaring behind them. They were almost midway before the circular tower in the middle of the bottomless valley. But just when the group neared the center, the Nevermore returned. They barely saw its approach when it screeched loudly to notify its return.

All Ruby could see when she turned right was the massive Alpha staring right at her when its body whammed into the stone bridge. After that, blackness. Pieces and chunks collapsed and scattered in different directions before falling into the mist covered pit.

When Ruby opened her eyes, she realized she was still alive. She stood up and turned to see the massive gap the Grimm had left behind from its impact. She also cursed when she saw that more than half of the group had been cut off on the other side.

'It struck right in between us.' On her side, Jaune, Nora, Adam, Ren and herself were near the tower. But on the other, lay everyone else trapped with the Beowolves and Death Stalker.

'This isn't good.' Ruby then heard the screech again. She caught sight of the Nevermore swooping over them, blasting a gust of wind around them as it then zipped past. She nearly lost her balance had she not slammed her scythe into the stone. She gritted her teeth and fired several shots at the departing Nevermore. If she did not think of something soon, then more than half of the group would be lost.

When Jaune came to, he slowly rose. His head ached a bit from hitting the stone bridge. He glanced around to see a few of the others firing into the sky. His eyes suddenly widened when he remembered what happened. They were running, then the Nevermore appeared and suddenly hit them and then the bridge…

"The bridge!" he exclaimed and turned around. His heart sank when he saw a large gap replace the once stone bridge. But his heart sank even lower when he saw more than half of the others were on the other side fighting. He was relieved to see no one had fallen but seeing them cut off and surrounded didn't help make him feel better.

Blake, Neo, Weiss, and Yang...

From the look of the separation, they were scattered in multiple directions. The only ones still on the remaining bridge were Pyrrha and the twins Melanie, and Militia fighting a group of Beowolves trying to overwhelm them.

Just behind them Yang, Weiss, Blake, and Neo were sent farther back on the mainland where the Death Stalker was already happily confronting them. Jaune watched helplessly as Pyrrha fought two Beowolves at once. The twins were back to back but losing ground to fight quickly.

'Why…' His thoughts suddenly went back to the cave. None of this would have happened if he had listened to Pyrrha. Now she and the others were paying for his mistakes. The blond boy tightened his fist and slammed it into the stone below him.

"Why can't I be stronger!" He whispered, then rose his head up. "We got to get over there! They need help!" he cried.

"Then let's do this!"

Jaune flinched when Nora appeared from behind scaring the tar out of him. Without his realization, his hands popped out of the impressive hole his knuckles left behind.

When he glanced at her, to his surprise, she was no longer smiling. Her eyes were narrowed, her lips were tight and eyes focused. Jaune never knew someone so cheeky could get serious before and he stuttered when seeing her weapon raised.

"Y-yeah, but… uh…" He turned around to see the long way down in the misty pit. "I-I can't make that jump."

Nora glanced back at him with a raised eyebrow and then smirked as she used the side of her weapon to knock him down. She then switched her weapon to hammer mode and took a big leap into the air happily slamming down it down while firing an explosive round into the stone. The impact cracked and flipped a small piece of the bridge over sending Jaune flailing over the large gap, screaming, as Nora fired another round sending her over as well.

While Jaune landed near the edge, Nora actually flew over the Beowolf battle right towards the Death Stalker on the mainland. "I'M COMING NEO!"

'That's what she said!' Thought the multi colored girl as she turned and cheered when Nora slammed her hammer on the Death Stalkers head, sending it onto the ground.

The scorpion Grimm roared as it retaliated with its stinger thrusting down at Nora when she landed. There was a minor panic in her eyes, but she quickly blocked the attack with her hammer. The impact, however, was too strong as it knocked her back fast right into Blake who was re-loading her weapon. The two made hard contact as Blake grunted while her body was sent falling into the pit.

"Sorry!" yelled Nora as she turned back to the Death Stalker.

Blake rolled her eyes as she silently free fell. She remained calm and looked around to see the Nevermore returning with explosions firing around its body. An idea came to mind as she twirled her body and fired her weapon towards one of the stone pillars. From there she grabbed the end of her black ribbon tightly and swung under two sets of pillar before flying upwards near the Nevermore.

Focusing her semblance, Blake used the extra boost to release her weapon back into her hand and strike the raven Grimm several times in the head before summoning another clone to land on top of it. From there Blake ran across its monstrous body slicing its back with both weapons before jumping off landing on top of the central tower next to Ruby, Adam and Ren.

"Glad to see your still with us." Adam smirked. As his sister rolled her eyes.

"It's tougher than it looks!"

"Then let's hit it with everything we have!" Ruby suggested as the four waited for the Nevermore to circle back.

When it did, they all reloaded and switched their weapons to gun form and fired a barrage of bullets holding nothing back. Despite using explosive rounds, the Nevermore continued to charge and, like with the bridge, slammed its body into the central tower.

"Brace yourselves!" Adam shouted, and the structure erupted into hundreds of chunks and pieces. The platform the four were on didn't break right away which aided them in running up and jumping onto different debrief, parkouring their way back up onto the remaining stable grounds.

Each went up their own way with Adam jumping from chunk after chunk of stone while slicing a few out of his way. Ruby used her scythe to boost herself up onto pieces too far to reach, while Blake and Ren made their way near the same pillar. The bow wearing girl wasted no time in running up the column and using her elastic ribbon to pull herself up while Ren stabbed his weapons into the stone steadying himself first, before running up behind her.

When the four made it back up, Blake and Ren landed on a different bridge opposite to Adam and Ruby.

Adam glanced around and spotted the Nevermore still flying around barely showing any damage. He sneered at the Grimm. "Nothing is working and this Alpha is being annoying."

Ruby couldn't help but agree. She was beginning to feel frustrated with the Nevermore's resilience. 'If we can just keep it contained…' It was then that she spotted Blake landing and retracting her ribbon. 'That's it.'

"I have a new plan!" Ruby proclaimed. "Get Blake and Ren and meet me by the other land!" Without another word, Ruby sped off leaving Adam to stare at her departing figure. With a nod, he ran the other way towards the others.

While the four black clad teens dealt with the Alpha, the others continued holding their own. Melanie and Militia continued fighting together progressively. When one attacked, the other defended, countered and repeated. Pyrrha and Jaune worked together as well. With an interesting coordination, Jaune would absorb the damage with his shield and the Amazonian would finish off the Beowolf. By working together, the last remaining Beowolves were nearly wiped out as they either met their end by a blade or kicked off the bridge. Literally.

Unfortunately, the stability of the bridge was faltering from the only pillar supporting it. And the heavy fighting wasn't helping. Neither did Weiss, Yang, Neo, and Nora landing on the bridge after being pushed back by the Death Stalker. And when the Scorpion Grimm thrusted its stinger to the edge of the stone, the bridge's fate was sealed.

"Why did we fall back to the bridge that's about to collapse?!" Screamed Weiss as she turned to the blonde.

Yang shrugged as she cocked her gauntlets. "Don't look at me! I was following you!"

The bridge rumbled and Militia groaned in irritation. "Great! Thanks to that yellow cow, this bridge is too heavy!"

Yang suddenly froze with a twitch in her eye and turned back to face the red wearing twin, looking her dead in the eye. "Excuse you?!"

Jaune worriedly looked below at the rumbling stone. "Um… guys!"

Militia snorted as she crossed her arms. "You heard me! Those weights on your chest are gonna bring the bridge down!"

"At least I have weights to fill up my chest." Yang spat, then gave a sly smirk. "Unlike some people."

"Um guys!"

This caused a vein to pop out of Militia's forehead. Melanie sighed as she shook her head. "Oh boy, here we go."

"Oooo I smell a catfight! Meow!" Nora giggled.

"You wanna run that by again bitch!" Militia screamed. Unfortunately for Yang, Weiss and Neo stood next to Militia as they glared daggers at the blonde.

"Yes, bimbo say it again!" Weiss dared. Neo nodded as she gripped her umbrella.

"GUYS!" Jaune finally screamed, ceasing the arguing and having all eyes on him. He gulped and frantically pointed down. "The bridge is about to fall!"

To his relief, Pyrrha cut in as well. "He's right! We have to move!"

Yang and Militia, along with Melanie, turned to one another and begrudgingly nodded. "To be continued."

"Yeah."

"Let's go!" Pyrrha shouted and the group ran together towards the Death Stalker. The Grimm screeched, relishing the challenge as it launched one of its pincers down towards them.

Pyrrha jumped and blocked it with her shield as she twirled and slashed the side of the Grimm's face. The Death Stalker recoiled and sent its other pincer only to be blocked this time by Jaune as Neo jumped over him and kicked the claw away.

With both pincers pushed back, Yang took the opening and ran directly at it. Seeing the possible threat, the Death Stalker thrusted its stinger down at her. It missed, and Yang grabbed onto the tip as the Grimm recoiled its tail.

"I'm all for riding a big one! But not yours you oversized freak! Take this!" Heavily impacting, Yang sent several jabs at the connecting joint of its tail and stinger.

The explosive rounds burned its flesh as it roared and tried to get her off. Eventually it was successful and flung her away into a rock wall. But it was already too late for its tail, the damage was done. It's stinger barely connected now as it dangled in all directions. The beast cried out in pain and anger.

Jaune noted this and pointed to its tail. "Pyrrha, the stinger!"

The Amazonian saw what he pointed towards and flung her shield directly in-between the tail releasing the stinger from its grasp and collapsing into the Death Stalkers back. The Grimm hissed faintly now as it tried to lunge forward.

"Stand back!" Weiss ordered, summoning a large icicle and launching it with her rapier. The sharp object impacted directly into one of the Grimm's larger eyes causing it to stagger.

Jaune watched it and then got an idea. "Melanie, Militia!" he called back, earning the twin's attention. "Get behind it! Go for its hind legs!"

The twins were hesitant but reluctantly nodded and dashed forward with Jaune and Pyrrha ahead of them. Despite the loss of balance, the Grimm still attempted to swipe at them with its pincers again. But like before, Pyrrha and Jaune blocked them with their shields, allowing the twins to jump over the scorpion and simultaneously slash its hind legs in half. The beast fell.

Finally seeing it in its fragile state. Weiss nodded and turned to the orange haired girl. "Nora, finish it!"

The bubbly girl nodded, twirling her hammer. "Heads up!" She jumped. and on que, Pyrrha readied her shield for her to land. When she did, Nora was launched into the air with help from her hammer. She let out a small giggle as she fired her weapon again, sending her back to the ground with great velocity.

She twirled several times to gain momentum and when she neared the Death Stalker, she slammed her hammer with such forced the ground shattered beneath it. Unfortunately, the bridge finally gave up and broke down; though it successfully launched Pyrrha, Weiss, Neo and Jaune in in the process towards the mainland before doing so.

As for the Grimm, its fate was sealed as it let out one final hissing shriek when it's body fell into the bottomless misty pit. They had succeeded, the Beowolves, the Death Stalker all defeated.

As the group gathered and stood up, they all nodded to one another proud of what they done.

"Well… that was a thing." Yang muttered with a cheeky grin.

Weiss shook her head and was about to make an insult until explosions cut her off. They then remembered the Nevermore still in the fight and turned to witness its battle with the other four.

Yang watched with minor worry for her sister but then got an idea and quickly reached for her scroll.

"Alright does everyone understand?" Ruby asked, shifting her sights to the other three. No one objected. "Good, let's go."

Like she planned, they scattered in their own directions. Adam was up first and quickly made his way towards the highest pillar he could find. He unsheathed his sword and reloaded his weapon with a new all black clip he reserved. "Alright, let's see if it works."

When the Nevermore approached, Adam aimed his gun and fired several shots near the Grimm's face. The rounds surprised him as they felt stronger with a harder recoil but the damage was amazing. The rounds exploded more so than Nora's grenades and emitted a blacker smoke when in contact.

The Nevermore screeched as it circled around with him in its sight. "That's right focus on me." When the Grimm now charged its beak opened wide to try and swallow him.

Adam could see its long grotesque tongue and uvula and grimaced. He then shrugged as he waited for the right opportunity to jump when its mouth was wide enough and landed inside. Before it could close its mouth, Adam crouched and used his sword as a support beam where its upper beak jabbed down into the sharp end causing the Nevermore to screech in pain.

"Alright birdy." Adam began, "Eat this!" He fired several shots more, this time into is throat watching explosions and ruptures inside its mouth implode. He quickly turned and smirked. "Later!"

He quickly punched the upper beak, releasing his blade and back flipped out of its mouth and onto a stone bridge near two pillars where Ren and Blake were. They watched as the tumbled Alpha crashed into the large cliffside causing chunks of rocks to spurt out. It crashed onto the ground, moaning a little as black smoke emitted from its mouth.

As it tried to get up, Adam turned to his sister and Ren. "You guys are up." He extended his hand to them, offering two clips of the same all black ones he used himself. "You ready?"

They both nodded, each taking one of the clips, and reloaded their weapons. Within seconds the two sped off towards the Nevermore and made it just before it reached flight. They jumped and fired several shots near it's feet and tail, suddenly encasing it in blocks of ice. As hard as the Nevermore tried, it could not break the grip the ice had and screeched with irritation.

Satisfied with their work, Ren and Blake jumped and hurried back to the pillars where Ruby and Adam were already in position. They each split up and ran up their own pillar towards the top where they steadied themselves. Blake then turned to Ren and fired her weapon towards him while gripping the ribbon. Ren saw the incoming weapon and quickly grabbed it and held it steady as the elastic extended tightly across the pillar, connecting them.

It was just in time too as the Nevermore was pecking at the ice to try and free itself.

Ruby smirked and quickly got into her position. Aiming carefully, she ran and fired her weapon once, riding it backwards and using the speed to push her weapon onto the elastic stretching it downwards towards the ground. Before she flew off, Adam was already there and grabbed both the elastic and her weapon insuring, they didn't release.

Ruby knew it wouldn't last long. Which is why right after he grabbed her, Ren extended his hand out towards them where Ruby, her weapon and the elastic radiated pink aura around them which secured them from flying off.

"It's impressive… that you… came up with this… Little Red." Despite impressed with how he held her in place, Ruby could hear the struggle in his voice and smirked. "We only have one shot at this. Think you can keep me from flying over the cliff?"

She could hear him let out a gruff chuckle. "To ensure that won't happen, take this." Ruby turned and saw an all-black vile it with black dust. She raised an eyebrow at the little thing and glanced back to Adam. "Trust me… it'll help."

Ruby nodded as she heard the Nevermore screech again, it was nearly free. Quickly, Ruby released her clip and sprinkled a little onto her bullets before sealing it back up. "Thank you."

Adam nodded and turned back to the cliff. "Look sharp! Its free!" Ruby turned back and narrowed her eyes.

"Release!"

Ren and Adam did so as the pink aura faded and Adam released his hands. Within seconds, Ruby flew towards the Nevermore with blinding speed that matched her semblance. She fired a few shots to increase her velocity and was surprised with the increase in kick her bullets did. 'What kind of black dust is that?!'

Saving the thought for another time, Ruby quickly aimed herself towards the Nevermore's neck as it tried to maintain its altitude. Right when it was about to fly off, Ruby successfully pushed the blade of her scythe into its neck, carrying the massive body with her towards the cliff. Like before, the Grimm crashed into the wall again as its tongue flailed out of its mouth.

It started roaring as Ruby activated her semblance. Her eyes shut for a second then reopened to be all black. With a smirk, she sped up, dragging the Alpha with her as she continued to fire her rifle to help her speed. Ren, Blake, and Adam, and the others all watched as she hauled its massive body up the cliff creating a clean drag streak all the way up.

She was almost near the end of the cliff now when the Nevermore struggled to break free. It made dragging it difficult as Ruby started yelling. Both struggled, not wanting to lose. But with intense motivation and desire for victory, Ruby pushed through using the last of her bullets to keep her going. Her muscles ached, and her feet burned but she endured and continued. When she finally reached the end the Nevermore's body stopped on the rocky edge as Ruby's body flew up.

She turned to the Alpha for the first time, looking dead in its eye and for moment, she thought the Nevermore was looking right back at her. Her scythe still gripped its neck as she smirked.

"Checkmate!" She growled and pull the trigger one last time. In a flash, her scythe sliced through the Grimm's neck launching it up and onto the cliff itself as its headless body slowly descended back down the cliffside. Ruby twirled for a second and landed onto the ground with closed eyes. When she opened them, they returned to normal as she breathed a sigh of relief and turned around.

Aside from the Grimm, Ruby admired the view below her. The scene did look beautiful; the ruins, the forest, everything. She allowed herself to smile as she glanced down at the others below. Roses emitted around her as her cape flapped with the wind. She nodded down to them and they nodded back.

"Oh my god, did you guys see my baby sister out there!" Yang exclaimed as she bounced up and down. "I'm soooo proud of her! I told you all she was the bee's knees!"

"That was very impressive of her." Pyrrha admitted with a friendly smile.

"That was just… wow." Jaune awed as Neo nodded.

"Anyone who can behead a Grimm is awesome in my book!" Nora cheered.

"That was kinda cool." Melanie muttered. Her sister shrugged but nodded in agreement.

Weiss didn't say anything. She simply stared up at Ruby with tightened fists. The red hooded girl somehow made a daring plan to engage the Nevermore then made up another drastic plan to kill it and somehow, they all came out unscathed with success.

'That show off… no good…' She narrowed her eyes and couldn't stop staring at her. Her hair flowing in the wind, her strong figure posing beautifully with her cape flowing freely. 'valiant… sexy~… girl.' Weiss' cheeks reddened. "She did alright…" She admitted and turned away.

"And I got it all on video!" Yang cheered. "Oh man, I can't wait to add this on ViewTube!"

As the group relished in their minor victory and success, off in the distance they were unaware of another group watching the whole time.

"Oh very cool." Muttered one as she stared at her scroll's video. She smirked as she watched the entire fight that just happened again.

"Are you done yet?" another person asked.

"Just making sure I got everything I need."

A third person sighed as she shook her head. "Is there any reason why you've been crushing on those guys? You've been stalking them all day yesterday and now you're recording them? That's just plain creepy.

"Hey I'm not… crushing on them! I just… find them interesting. And how could you not after seeing that?!"

"They are good, I'll give them that."

"Hmph… they're ok. But we could have done better."

"Now, now." A fourth person spoke up. "It doesn't matter who's better. We are all trying to work hard to become hunters no? So, we should commend our comrades for their victory."

"Yeah, your right. Oh! You still have our pieces, right?"

"Yes, I have them both right here. But… why do I have to carry them?"

"Cause you're dependable!"

"Aw…"

"Alright that's enough, let's get back to the academy."

"Roger that!"

"Alright."

"Whatever."

As time passed, and the morning shifted close to noon. Students from all over the forest began returning to the Academy. Some successful, others not. As for Ruby and the group, they managed to return with little trouble since the Nevermore. And before they knew it, the ceremony began.

"Russell Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark."

One by one, the four boys walked in single file onto the stage as the student body applauded. Cardin smirked the whole way while a short mohawked boy, Sky his new partner, waved to the crowds. Dove and Russell, the two others with Cardin, cared less about the audience and instead shoved one another laughing as they neared the Headmaster and Professor Goodwitch.

When they settled down and stood at attention, Professor Ozpin nodded to Goodwitch who started typing away on her digital pad.

"The four of you have retrieved the Black Bishop pieces." The Headmaster announced. "As such, from this day forward, you will work together as… Team CRDL."

A large screen turned on above the stage and showed four individual pictures of team CRDL falling into a lined order with their team name presented below.

"Led by… Cardin Winchester."

Cardin chuckled to himself. "Was there ever any doubt?" he asked to which neither professor answered. Shrugging, he walked off the stage with his new teammates following behind.

The headmaster noted the Winchester boy's behavior, but kept his thoughts to himself as he called for the next team to step up.

To say Cardin felt satisfied with himself was an understatement. Half of his classmates failed the exam, but he didn't. Of course, he didn't and he was proud of that. He knew he would pass by any means necessary and he meant it; by any means necessary.

Though he had to admit, it was impressive how quickly the group he and his boys ran into got their chess pieces, not to mention extremely lucky. Regretfully from them, their fighting wasn't all that impressive. It wasn't his fault they lost. If they wanted to keep those pieces they should have fought harder. And to be fair it was not against the rules. The headmaster did say to destroy everything in their path, no hard feelings.

In retrospect, Cardin believed he did them a favor. 'They weren't going to make it far anyways', he thought, 'not with how they fought'. Cardin chuckled again. He couldn't wait to tell his old man how he put losers in their place. He would be so proud.

Speaking of losers, Cardin glanced at the other first years he passed. He could see excited faces on some of them waiting in line for their turn on stage. He sneered at them all.

'Weaklings.' Boring, pathetic, and worthless weaklings. He was sure more than half of them just picked their piece and ran like spineless cowards. Every guy was like a twig compared to him. Even the girls, or "babes" as he called them, were not worth his time or effort. They were all too… average for his tastes. But as Cardin neared the end of the line, he stopped and stared at a few faces, attractive faces.

Like Weiss Schnee, the so called "heiress" of the Schnee Dust Company. While easy on the eyes, Cardin frowned at her lack of chest and rear areas. But that was tolerable since she was filthy rich and made up for it.

Then he noticed Pyrrha Nikos, the Amazonian celebrity fighter. Another rich girl with looks but unlike the heiress, she had some plump in all the right areas. He whistled as he peeked at the armor she wore. They left nothing to the imagination and he wasn't complaining. He even wondered if the carpets matched the drapes.

But what really captured his interest were two girls standing near the very end of the line, both with bodies of a model. One had wild, blonde hair with a chest that could make a goddess jealous. The other was a brunette with a bow on her head with nice, long legs and thighs that looked grip worthy, and her chest is almost as big as the blonde's. He didn't know their names but he was going to rectify that. Girls like them needed a man who can satisfy them; make them beg and crave to be touched. A man with big strong arms to satisfy their desires. Cardin grinned. He was the right man for the job.

But there was something about the brunette that made him want her more. While the blonde's big boobs were great and all for a one night adventure, the brunette was more beautiful with a nicer figure compared to the other 3 girls. His old man did say, "the dark chicks know how to get freaky and can satisfy a lifetime." And from how quiet and distant she looked Cardin could only imagine what kind of things she could do. It is always the quiet ones, right?

He licked his lips and chuckled. The perverse fantasies filled his mind as he eyed the girls once more taking in their physique and beauty. Four babes in total… all for him. 'I guess I'll have some fun here after…wait,' Cardin narrowed his eyes.'What the hell…'

His eyes suddenly bulged in dismay. How he didn't notice before, he did not know.

Standing next to Weiss, far too close for Cardin's liking, there was a longed haired boy with a pink strip in his bangs. Both were deep in a conversation that was out of his hearing. But from the smile on Weiss's face, the conversation must have been delectable.

Cardin felt his face redden. He glared daggers at both but it wasn't just Weiss. To his left, he could see Pyrrha holding the shoulder of a blond-haired boy chuckling, having a good time with that... runt.

As angry as it made him, possibly, the worst of it all was seeing both the blonde and brunette, he favored most, standing next to a tall scrub with black sunglasses and spiky red hair. A strong disliking already emerged from Cardin as he stared at him with malice. He must have thought he was a bad boy leaning on the wall acting aloof. Although he noticed the brunette and the guy trying to stay away from the blonde, both glaring at her annoyed but it didn't matter to him.

'Why are babes hanging with… them?' he wondered with disgust. Confusion was one of the many conflictions in his head. 'A pretty boy… a runt… and some… wannabe tough guy.'

Cardin then noticed Mr. Shades also had a pair of black horns almost blending into his hair. He sneered at them with repulsion in his eyes, like seeing someone eating vomit.

'I stand corrected… a fucking animal…'

There was no doubt in his mind; those three had to go, immediately and permanently. They stood in the way of his "fun" with those girls. A crime that cannot go unpunished.

'But who to start with?' He wondered. He took glances at each of them then finally stopped at the Faunus.

Was he really the bad boy he portrayed himself to be? Or was he just pretending and hoping no one would discover who he truly is, a weakling. Whether it was real or not didn't matter, he would find out. For now he would watch him; see how he acts, his behavior, and, hopefully, uncover some dirt.

Aside from the animal, the long haired pretty boy didn't look as challenging as him. He could walk up right now and get rid of him in one punch. But whenever a pretty boy emerges, women always flock to him. And with the heiress already seduced, he will have others. Beating him now will make him resented and his chances with any girl over. There was no choice. He would have to watch him for now, perhaps… embarrass him in public.

And then, there was the blond runt next to HIS redhead. Just by looking at the guy, Cardin could see he was no fighter, at all. Scraggly arms, clumsy feet, fragile looking, and baby faced, he was the spitting image of a weakling. Someone who doesn't belong.

'How did he get into Beacon?' Cardin bitterly wondered. 'Let alone get himself with Nikos.' This angered him more.

No discipline, no coordination, or even confidence for that matter. And yet, he was admitted into one of the toughest schools for hunters, passed the initiation exam, and has even bagged himself a hot celebrity fighter clearly out of his league.

Cardin's face reddened. His fists balled tightly as his nails dug into his palms. The blond runt was clearly overstepping his place in the animal kingdom and it was wise not to mess with the food chain. He didn't come from any powerful family or wealth. He was a nobody and anyone can step on him like a twig.

Then Cardin smirked. 'Runts like him should know their place.'

On that thought, it was decided. He found his first target. It was perfect really. The runt wasn't tough enough to defend himself or pretty boy level for girls to care about. Picking off the weakest would be the most logical thing to do. Predators did it, and so would he. A plan already formed in his head that he grinned sinisterly.

'When I'm done with you. you'll never show your face again.'.He glanced at the Faunus and long haired boy again. 'You… and those two.'

Slowly, Cardin finally turned and walked out the auditorium where his teammates were waiting outside by the stairs. When he caught up to them, he could see their curious faces which amused him.

"Come on." He commanded, already walking ahead. "We have a lot to do this semester." He took a quick glance towards 1 of the girls, smirking, before leaving with his team.

Ruby, leaning on the wall, idly glanced around the auditorium as names were called and teams were formed. She barely acknowledged it all. Instead, she kept mainly in her own thoughts.

Thankfully after the battle, no other Grimm made any attempt to attack her and the others. Surprising enough, they were the last to complete the test, well under two hours. Aside from Schnee ranting and complaining about it, Ruby couldn't hold resentment. Like her, every student must have wanted to get the test over with. That was what she intended before being side-tracked.

'Still' she thought, 'Perhaps they did not have to fight large hordes of Grimm. Oh well.'

What good was thinking about it? In the end, they all passed and made it out alive. That was all that mattered.

Besides, being in the back of the line had its benefits. They didn't have to stand at attention nor stay in order of the line just yet. Ruby took advantage of this leeway by distancing herself from the others; to finally enjoy some peace and quiet, at least for the most part.

To her left, Yang could be heard bothering the siblings again with her usual teasing. She couldn't go for Ren since Weiss trapped him in conversation with her and the blonde did not want to be bombarded with verbal abuse; so that left only the siblings.

'Apologies.' Ruby thought. Though it was better them than her.

Further up, the Malachite sisters were standing among themselves whispering and casting quick peeks at Ren and Adam that Ruby took note of. Nora and Neo were in front of the twins with Jaune and Pyrrha next to them, all engaged in a conversation that Ruby could not hear.

At the very least, things finally looked peaceful. But, unfortunately, it didn't last very long. Of course, Yang had to disrupt it.

She should have known better than to try and be bold with both siblings. Because of her actions, Blake reacted negatively, while Adam looked like he was starting to get pissed off. When Yang leaned a little too close, Blake threaten to cut her hair off if she didn't back off from them. Yang had a look of horror on her face when she heard that statement and took a step back, then Neo and Militia involved themselves out of thin air.

An exchange of words happened and after several threats of scissors and her hair, again, Yang reluctantly backed off further. However, matters didn't settle when Militia stated her talons were more effective which caused the blonde to further reverse cradling her hair like an infant.

It didn't end there. For Ren, with the absence of Neo, Nora wandered over and decided to jump on his back demanding to be carried. He fumbled a bit before complying and patting his childhood friend's head. Seeing Nora happily snuggle into the long-haired boy's back caused a reddening Weiss to scold the girl about mannerism, behavior, and maturity. Melanie involved herself as well and demanded the hyperactive girl to release him to no success. Ren could only stand there awkwardly as the three girls all argued while encircling him. He became a fish surrounded by sharks.

Ruby shook her head. If things were like this now, how would they be for the next few years she wondered.

She didn't finish that thought. Instead she noticed something. To her left she saw a tall, brown haired boy she vaguely remembered on the cliff. He was standing by the exit looking at the first years with a peculiar smile on his face. Ruby recognized it almost instantly, the same look her old bullies had. He didn't stand there for much longer, after a few seconds he turned and walked away.

'Such arrogance.' Ruby thought. Her uncle had always warned her about overconfidence. How some have it and others don't. But for those who do, it always led to one thing.

'His funeral.' She shrugged. It wasn't her problem.

Aside from that, Ruby did feel off by his demeanor. He wasn't like the other, more typical, egotistical fools she encountered. His smirked proved otherwise. It was something else, almost… dangerous, ominous even. She narrowed her eyes at the shadowed hallway he left threw. Her feelings were never wrong before.

'Who is he?'

As the minutes passed, the line began to shorten rapidly. The masses of sophomores, juniors, and seniors continued to applaud each newly formed team as Ozpin signaled for the next to come up.

The outbursts and ruckus from Yang and the others finally submerged when they neared the front and thankfully everyone got in their groups positions. Ruby didn't notice it before but the three higher grades had much less numbers then the freshmen.

She suddenly remembered her mother's class again. Only fifty became hunters and that's roughly how many seniors are present now. This morning there were more than five hundred freshmen, and now half are gone. She was aware of the difficulties to become a hunter, but Ruby couldn't help but wonder; how many will last until graduation, herself included.

"Would the next four please approach." Ozpin called and gestured for the next bunch. They did.

A group of four girls stepped, one by one, onto the stage one in single file. like CRDL, and stood at attention. Now closer to the stage, Ruby peaked a small glance which suddenly turned into a full stare. Out of the four, she recognized one, the girl who held the camera; the one who took her picture. Upon closer inspection of the girl, Ruby noticed the sheep horns sticking out on top of her head, she can see that she was a faunus, a sheep faunus.

'So she made it after all.'

"Artemis Evergreen, Naomi Morginstern, Ottavia Golding, and Ember Rhodes." Ozpin proclaimed. "The four of you retrieved the White Bishop pieces." Like CRDL, four images of the girls displayed on the screen. "From this day forward, you will work together as… Team AMOR led by... Artemis Evergreen."

Applause erupted again but one staff member in the back suddenly jumped from his chair with a banner reading 'Go Emi!' written on it as he cheered her name as well.

Ruby could see the new team leader from AMOR tremble and growing red as Ozpin shook her hand. Weirdly enough, the girl froze in place as two of her teammates dragged her away awkwardly.

Ruby shrugged as the new team walked off the stage. She took another glance at the girl with the camera.

'Ember Rhodes'. She will remember that name. Coincidentally, Ember happened to turn in the direction of Ruby allowing both girls to make eye contact for a brief moment.

Ember said nothing and instead offered a peace sign with a friendly grin. Ruby raised an eyebrow in response as the camera girl left.

Ruby shrugged and turned to see the next team already approaching on stage. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at two of them.

"Neopolitan, Weiss Schnee, Nora Valkyrie, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the White Rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as... Team WYVN (Wyvern)… led by…Weiss Schnee."

"As expected." Weiss declared as she held her head high with much confidence, Ruby grunted in annoyance as the heiress turned to her with the highest of smirks. Ruby glared at her as did Blake and Adam which made Weiss flinch a little before "hmphing" and turning back.

Yang and Nora were the loudest in celebration as they high fived and waved to the crowds. Of course, Yang enjoyed the attention and added more cheer with her winking and blowing kisses to the older boys which did not sit well with several girls.

Unbeknownst to her, Neo again cradled Nora protectively away as she glared at the blonde. She felt her cheeks redden with malice as Yang jumped up and down, reminding her of what she lacked in her chest area.

After a firm handshake from the Headmaster to Weiss, which made her blush, team WYVN left the stage.

Yang attempted to rush towards Ruby demanding a "victory hug" but, painfully, she was grateful that Weiss stopped her. Dragging her away by the arm, Schnee led her team to the auditorium seats but had to double back to stop Nora from jumping on Ren. With team WYVN now seated, all four felt momentary relief.

"Are we really going to have to deal with that this semester?" Adam asked, leaning on the wall. The frustration could be heard from his voice.

Blake slowly nodded with a frown. "Seems so unfortunately."

Her brother let out a deep, tired sigh. "Great." He muttered, and Ren nodded in agreement.

With WYVN out of the way, the four teens turned to the next group already on stage.

"Jaune Arc, Melanie Malachite, Militia Malachite, and Pyrrha Nikos. The four of you retrieved the Black Rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as... Team PMMA (Puma)… led by… Pyrrha Nikos."

Applause again, and Ruby even clapped for a few seconds. She wasn't surprised in the slightest. The girl was a prodigy and those twins certainly knew how to use combination attacks well. But even so she had to admit, Jaune wasn't as useless as she thought he was. Despite being in separate battles, Ruby did overhear his quick thinking against the Death Stalker. It was impressive but he still had a long way to go.

'Perhaps with a little discipline… he could have potential.' She then saw Pyrrha giving Jaune's shoulder a playful punch which accidentally sent him to the ground. A round of laughter erupted as Pyrrha helped him up smiling, muttering a 'I'm sorry' to him.

Ruby shook her head. 'Maybe… a lot of discipline.'

As the student body ended their round of applause, team PMMA took their leave off the stage without further incident and sat a row behind team WYVN.

The Headmaster watched them leave then turned to what was left of the line. "Would the last group please come up." He requested.

And thus Ruby, Ren, Blake, and Adam approached, wordlessly, in single file.

As they did, there was silence and in the place of applause, whispers waved across the rows of students. Some were louder than others but Ruby could hear a variety of them. From several girls aweing over Ren and Adam, to the guys, even the girls, ogling and whistling about Blake. Of course, there were some for herself; some not so pleasant, but expected nonetheless.

"Isn't she that weirdo from the bathroom?"

"It's that freak from the airship."

"She's a student?! I thought she was a kid wandering around?"

"I can't believe that girl made it."

Ruby rolled her eyes. Nothing she hasn't heard before which made it easier to drown out the whispers as the Headmaster spoke.

"Blake Belladonna, Adam Taurus, Lie Ren, and Ruby Rose." He addressed, "The four of you retrieved the Black Knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as... Team RBTR…"

Ruby nodded with pride swelling in her heart, it was finally complete. What should have taken years happened today. She was now an official student at Beacon. She allowed herself to smile a little as she thought about her mother. She would have been proud. 'I did it mother… I'm one step closer… in following your path.'

Though working in a team would take some getting used to, Ruby didn't mind. At the very least, she was with people she could work with. And now a student of Beacon, whatever happens next, she would tolerate it.

"Lead by… Ruby Rose."

Ruby's eyes widened. However, leading a team was a different story.

And thus the thirteenth chapter comes to an end. That was long! My Dark Readers, again I am sorry for my delay. It feels good to be back! The main story continues .

Please leave a review, good or bad. If there are any constructive criticisms you have, please do not hesitate to tell me, it helps me to grow as a writer. Also if you have any questions or suggestions fill free to leave them in the reviews. Prepares yourselves, for the main story continues.

Until next time my Dark Readers. Forevermore – FT :)