Jaune and Pyrrha wandered about Emerald Forest for longer than they had realized, emerging from the northeast side of Beacon Cliff, where a cave in the cliff's side waited for them. Surrounding it were stone ruins, structures which had long lost their identity, ill maintained and difficult to ascertain their original form. However, on the walls at the entrance of the cave were ancient paintings from Old Vale, their condition was impressive. Even from a distance they could discern the pictures.
Jaune walked up to the paintings with Pyrrha by his side, taking note of the imagery of Grimm beasts walking among humans, "Wow, you read about it in textbooks, but seeing it in person..."
Pyrrha took a closer look, "Yeah, this is pretty amazing! But, Jaune, I don't think this is the temple."
"Pyrrha, look..." Jaune pointed at the paintings, fascinated by the expertly crafted details, feeling the grooves with his fingers.
Pyrrha distracted herself, lost in the pictures, "Wow. Vale is a fascinating place. Whose this?" she rubbed the surface of a carving depicting a human, scaled like a giant among the others who knelt before him. He head was dressed with the horns of an elk, feathers like a bird on his back, and legs like a horse. "Wow, this must be one of the Gods!"
"Think so?" Jaune directed his attention to the figure of another giant, its eyes sharp and terrifying, wings like a bat, a snout like no animal he had seen, and the claws of a Grimm beast. "Then, this must be his brother, the God of Darkness."
Pyrrha explored further, a smile on her face, in awe of Vale's glorious history, "I think you're right! It's so beautiful; Vale really is the center of Remnant." she placed a hand Jaune's shoulder. "I'm thrilled you found this. When I came to Vale I wanted to be a better Huntress, but I never thought I'd see this side of the country before."
"Yeah," his head fell forward, "but – like you said - this isn't the temple we're looking for. At least, I don't think it is."
Pyrrha glanced into the entrance of the cave, noticing scones with old torches lined against the walls, seemingly untouched for centuries, "Maybe we should snoop around a little more." she giggled. "It's just us after all. What's the harm?"
Jaune was surprised, "Really? But, um, what if we get a bad grade. And, what if there's something dangerous in there, like, I don't know, spiders or something?"
Pyrrha shook her head, "I didn't come to Beacon to improve my grades." she stepped in front of him, her hands crossed behind her. "Back in Mistral, I maintained perfect scores. Huntsmen and Huntresses all knew my name. To be clear, I wasn't sure why I came to Beacon, until I met you, Jaune." she held out her hand, Jaune hesitating through shyness before he grabbed on. "We're already teammates now. I don't care about the grade. I just..." she looked to the side, frowning for a moment, soon bringing her eyes back to his. "What do you say we go inside together?" she chuckled. "I'll keep the spiders away, I promise."
Jaune felt his anxiousness fading, her presence and energy comforting him, "Yeah." he nodded. "Alright, but, I'll take the lead! The name is 'Team Jaune,' after all."
Pyrrha laughed as he walked by her, pulling her towards a scone on the wall, grabbing hold of a dry torch, its condition appearing usable. He placed his finger over his brow, thinking of a way to light it.
"Okay, so how do we light this thing?" he asked.
Pyrrha took the torch from him. "I have Burn Dust here," she reached under her red sash, opening a pouch under her belt, removing a vial of liquid Red Dust, twisting the lid off and holding it up against the torch, "this might work." she summoned the power of her Aura around her wrist, holding the vial to the cloth, a spark igniting into a gentle flame "That should do it."
Jaune carefully held the it over the fire, the ancient fabric slowly lighting even through the dampness plaguing it. Then, another spark appeared, the Dust the vial breaking in her hand, combusting in their faces.
"Oh My!" "Ah!'
They closed their eyes, feeling their burned lashes fall off. When they opened them again, they pursed their lips, finding a well lit torch in Jaune's hand. Their cheeks and lips were covered with a small sheet of soot.
"Pyrrha." Jaune said.
She blinked, "Yes, Jaune?"
"I think you have something on your face."
She laughed, wiping herself clean with her gloves, then doing the same for her teammate, "You're so funny, Jaune. " she brushed the soot off of both of their clothes and armor, taking a step back afterward. "Well, captain, what do you say we explore?"
Jaune wiped the rest of the soot from his chin, holding the torch above his head, then walking into the cave, "Alright. Seriously though, I hope we don't get a bad grade for this."
Pyrrha followed him into the darkness, "I'll say it was my idea. Let's just be a short while, I don't think the fuel on that torch will last."
They kept close together, using the dim light to examine the walls. They found extensive carvings, some too difficult to see in the darkness, but others with clear depictions of Vale's history.
"Gods, isn't it incredible?" Pyrrha's mood shot upward, acting almost out of character for those who knew her as the Pride of Mistral. "Do you think that the school knows about this place?" she spun around, her eyes glittering against the reflection of the bright colors in the paintings. "Maybe we're the first to discover it?" she blushed, changing her stride from careless to aware. "I got a little ahead of myself there...I'm sorry."
Jaune stopped in front of a painting that caught his eye, holding the torch close to it, "Don't be. This is all new to me, too. You hear about it in stories, but this … its so different seeing in person. Hey, check this out." he lured her to the painting, spotting a depiction of four peculiar figures, holding their hands up in a circle, surrounded by Grimm. "I wonder what this one is?"
Pyrrha recognized the symbols above their heads, "Those are the seasons." she pointed at them, explaining their origin to her teammate. "That's Spring, and that's Summer... and there's Fall and Winter. Those must be the Four Maidens."
"The Four Maidens?" Jaune replied. "Aren't they just a Fairy Tale?"
"Yes, well...they are aren't they?"
They looked at each other in confusion, hoping that the other would offer some sort of explanation.
Pyrrha brought her eyes closer to the painting, "I don't understand."
Jaune interrupted, "It's been so long since I heard the story, but if I remember it right, they had special powers, something to do with the seasons."
Pyrrha explained, "It's the story off the Four Maidens of the Four Seasons: I still remember it. The story goes like this..."
"Long before the Shattered Moon had its cycles, there was an old wizard atop the mountain, the first to ever perform magical feats. He was widowed, and lonely, and never left his home. But, Four Maidens, whose kindness and virtue were immeasurable, came to visit him one day. They agreed to help the old wizard, to make him happy again. The First Maiden built a fountain on his land, where the waters would always be pure and never run dry, and he would never go thirsty. The wizard gave his thanks, but would not leave his home. The Second Maiden planted him a garden, filled with vegetables and every flower known to man, so that his home would always be beautiful. The wizard thanked her too, but still wouldn't leave his home. The Third Maiden prepared a gorgeous feast, a table with food so plentiful that he would be fed throughout the year. Again, the wizard thanked her, but he would not leave his home. The Fourth Maiden weaved him fabrics, and sewed many garments and clothes so comfortable and beautiful that he would never be cold and poor on his lonesome mountain. This time, the wizard thanked all of them, and left his home, withered and gray and tired. Under his rugged beard was a big smile. He had never seen such kindness in all of his time with humanity. So, the wizard cast a final spell, and gifted the Four Maidens with his power, each getting an equal portion of his magic. On that day, the wizard passed away on the mountain, and his spirit went up to the sky. The Four Maidens went on to use their powers to do good deeds to help mankind. The spirit of the old wizard watched over them as the Four Seasons, in honor of the virtuous maidens that showed him kindness in his final days."
Jaune stepped away from the mural, looking at Pyrrha and replying, "That sounds a bit different than the version I was told. I'm not sure, it was so long ago. My sisters used to tell it to me as a bed time story."
Pyrrha took the torch from him, examining the paintings once again, "I still don't understand. If these are the Four Maidens, then why are they on the Grimm's side?" she pointed at the wall, Jaune paying close attention. "Right here is humanity, but over here is the Grimm, but aren't helping the humans."
Suddenly, the torchlight began to dither, the cloth reaching its last stretch of fuel. In moments, they were enveloped in darkness, only the faint glow of each other's eyes against the light outside making it possible for them to see.
Jaune laughed, "Well, I guess you were right about that torch, huh?"
They heard a deep hissing from within the cave. The ground beneath them shook, the sound of scraping rocks echoing throughout, and a beat akin to footsteps, only much louder and with more than just two legs.
"We...should probably get out of here." Pyrrha said, walking toward the exit.
"Yeah." Jaune replied nervously, then followed. However, he was distracted by a faint yellow glow of light behind him, turning to find a shining crescent in the cave. "Wait, look at that! Its made of gold and its so, shiny."
Pyrrha stopped and turned around, "Jaune."
He was entranced by the glow, his feet taking steps toward it with his arms reaching, "It's so, beautiful. Maybe this is the artifact Ozpin was talking about." without realizing it, he became hexed by the light.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha's tone elevated. "I don't think that's an artifact."
"But, its just so..." he was close enough to touch it, placing his hands firmly at the sides, pulling it toward him with a grin. "We should take it with us."
"Jaune, look out!" Pyrrha warned.
The light of the artifact glowed brighter, revealing the face of a giant scorpion Grimm beast – a Death Stalker - staring at him with the intent to devour. Its body was covered with bone armor at nearly all corners, and the object that Jaune held in his hands was its golden stinger, used to attract animals and foolish treasure hunters with hypnosis. It hissed, and Jaune panicked, the beast lifting him from the ground as it pulled back its stinger, and he held on. He let out a high-pitched, effeminate scream. Pyrrha ran out of the cave, the beast giving chase, breaking the walls and destroying many paintings.
"It's not an artifact!" Jaune whined and yelled, still holding onto the beast's stinger. "Its not an artifact at all, its something else, Pyrrha, help!"
Pyrrah managed to escape the cave, the Death Stalker collapsing the entrance on the way out. She turned, looked at the Jaune hanging for his life, and she grabbed the shield from her back.
"Jaune, I'll save you, hold on!" she pressed the switch behind Akoúo̱, releasing the locks, her Aura forcing the blades hidden within to extend around the edges, turning it into a slicing disc.
She threw it with all of her might at the Death Stalker's tail, hoping to sever it from its body and free Jaune; but, the beast through its pincers upward, its bone armor reflecting it back to her. She snatched her shield in the air, and held it to her side, shocked that her plan had failed.
The beast hissed, and stared directly at her, and she chuckled lightly, "You are a big one, aren't you..."
"Pyrrha!" Jaune screamed.
She ran into the forest, heading northward, "Hold on, Jaune!" the Death Stalker followed her, and she used the trees to keep ahead of it. "I think the others are still in the forest! We need their help!"
…
Ruby Rose flew through the air in a gale of flowers, vines with sharp thorns growing around the branches as she passed by the trees, Myrtenaster held firmly in her hand as she kept her sights on the Nevermore flying away from her. Weiss still held onto its feathers, uncertain whether her Aura would protect her from a fall of such great height.
"RUBY! GET ME DOWN, NOW!" Weiss screamed, hurting her lungs.
"I'm coming, Weiss!" Ruby replied.
Suddenly, she found herself crossing over a stone passageway, surrounded with megalithic structures, some that reached heights beyond the trees. The forest ended, replaced with mounds of Dust and mud, eroded ruins buried underneath.
"Ah!" Ruby screamed when she looked down and found an empty canyon below her.
She stopped in mid air, levitating with a cyclone of petals around her knees, landing onto a long bridge over the canyon. When her feet touched stone, she looked up, watching the Nevermore fly around an ancient tower, built upon a greater temple nestled between the edge of Beacon Cliff and the canyon. There were bridges leading to all sides, stretching further than Emerald Forest, as far as the Vytal Woods beyond Central Vale. The entire area was shrouded with a dense mist from the river below the canyon, making it difficult to see.
"Weiss..." Ruby looked up at the Nevermore, flapping its wings with great force, taunting her as it twisted around the tower..
As the beast soared aimlessly in the air over the misty and dark temple, she held Myrtenaster tightly in her hands, conjuring her Semblance, flying up into the sky under a bed of roses to rescue her friend.
As she went into action, the other students - Yang, Blake, Ren, and Nora - ran through the ancient passageway, arriving at the edge of the canyon at the base of the long, stone bridge leading the temple. Yang looked above, finding her sister circling around the Nevermore, the beast throwing razor sharp quills from its wings, Weiss still holding on for her life.
"Ruby!" Yang screamed.
Blake watched with a raised brow, "I really shouldn't hang out with humans. You guys seem to get in the worst kinds of messes."
Ren removed his pistols from his belt, flexing his wrist until a pair of blades protruded below the handles, "He may be large, but if we work as a team, I think we can take him."
Nora giggled, jumping up an down, "That's my, Ren! Sexy and confident!"
Ren sighed, "Thanks, Nora!"
They heard a high pitched scream behind them, each of them turning around to find Pyrrha fleeing from a giant Death Stalker in their direction, Jaune Arc hanging from its golden stinger. The two of them approached quickly, and the other students had little time to consider options.
"Hey!" Pyrrha yelled through deep breaths. "We need your help!"
Yang dismayed, "Does everything go wrong in this forest?"
Pyrrha continued, the Death Stalker closely behind her, "Guys, we have to save Jaune!"
The Pride of Mistral jumped to the side as the Death Stalker lunged forward with its pincers snapping, and the other students dodged in different directions as they barely managed to avoid the attack, its sharp legs scraping against the ground as it reached the canyon's edge. Its stinger hung out in the open for some time, Jaune looking down with a tightness in his throat.
"Okay, I'm not afraid of heights, but...NOW I'M AFRAID OF HEIGHTS!"
Ren rolled into a stand, aiming his automatic-pistols, Storm Flower, firing rounds at the Grimm's body, each bullet turning into shrapnel and having little effect. "Nora!"
He ceased fire, his red-haired girlfriend jumping to his side and asking, "What's up, Ren?"
The Death Stalker charged at Yang, who blocked its pincer strike with Ember Celica, absorbing energy into her Aura, "Are you short on Dust for Magnhild?"
Nora looked down at the Dust-grenade launcher she held at her hip, the open revolving chamber filled with Pink Dusk – a mixture of White and Red. She had not used a single round since she arrived in Emerald Forest, conserving it wisely for the perfect situation.
"She's full!" Nora nodded.
"Think you can get through that thing's armor with a Heaven's Strike?" he asked.
She smiled, a giggle turning into a chuckle, then into snorting under a wide grin, "I've been waiting to do that!" she closed her eyes, her Aura flowing around her, bolts of electricity erupting from her arms.
In an instant, her weapon transformed into a war hammer, the revolving Dust chamber nestled between the head, the barrel of the former launcher transformed into a propulsion chamber behind it. She flipped it upside down, hoped on top of it, holding the handle behind her with her legs spread to either end.
"Here comes Rocket Nora! WOOOO!" she pressed a switch on the handle, using a vial of Dust stored in the revolver to produce a constant stream of wind and fire, propelling her into the air, spinning around at dizzying speed. "Hope you brought a helmet!" she shifted her body on the surface to control her angle, stopping her ascent the moment she was above the Death Stalker. She looked down, and winked, blowing a kiss with her her hammer ready to strike in the other hand. "Say Bye Bye!"
She pulled the hammer over her head, releasing a single burst of Pink Dust, forcing her weight downward, her arms surrounded with bolts of electricity. This was the power of her Semblance, High Voltage; the ability to harness electrical potential from the atmosphere into her body, transforming the energy into force, giving her strength and stamina an extensive boost. When she was seconds away from landing on the Death Stalker, she swung her hammer down with all of her might, striking the beast's head with an impressive impact, the ground quaking and the ruins shaking from the impact. It hissed and cried, throwing its stinger down, Jaune falling off and rolling away. Nora jumped away from the Grimm, running back to Ren and watching the result of her work.
"I got him, I got him!" she celebrated.
Yang warned from the other side of the ruins, "I don't think he's down yet!"
The Death Stalker screeched, shaking its body as it recovered from the attack. Its armor was still in good condition, ready for battle and seemingly unharmed.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha ran to his aid, pulling him up to his feet as he breathed heavily.
"Thanks" he greeted her, meeting eyes for a moment.
Blake climbed a nearby tree, perching atop a protruding branch, spinning Gambol Shroud over her head from its black ribbon attached to the handle, throwing it at the beast's pincers. The sickle wrapped around its arm, and she pulled it toward her with all her might, the blade cutting into a weak joint on its wrist. She damaged its flesh enough to let blood, but the Death Stalker pulled against her in turn, sending Blake to the ground in a struggle to maintain control. When she could no longer hold her grip, she conjured her Aura in her hand, sending a wave of power through the ribbon that forced Gambol Shroud free, the weapon returning to her before being damaged.
"What is with this thing?" Blake said with frustration. "Is it invincible?"
"How do we stop it?" Ren addressed the team.
"I don't know," Yang replied, glancing at the Nevermore flying over the misty canyon, seeing her sister struggle to rescue Weiss, "but we don't have to. Let's just save my sister, and get out of here!" she dashed for the bridge leading to ancient temple, her feet surrounded with flames, fleeing from the fight.
"She ditched us!" Nora complained.
"She's right." Ren replied. "We don't have any hope of stopping this thing with our equipment. Let's just get to the bridge before its too late!"
Ren and Nora ran together, dodging a slash from the Death Stalker's pincer, making it to the bridge and running across.
Jaune calmed his nerves, and Pyrrha grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the bridge, "Jaune, let's hurry!"
Blake followed behind them, until the Death Stalker crawled in front of the bridge, stopping in front of Pyrrha and Jaune, blocking their path. They backed away, the Death Stalker planting its feet firmly in the Dust, as if it were aware of their escape plan.
"No!" Jaune panicked. "What are we going to do now?"
Blake flicked her wrists, transforming Gambol Shroud into a semi-automatic pistol with a blade extending from the slide and to the back of the hammer. She fired rounds at the beast's eyes, hoping to land at least one bullet into its eyeball. Yet, it closed its lids shut under its armor, completely shielding itself.
"Damn!" Blake growled with irritation, swinging her gun down and ceasing fire.
Pyrrha charged at the beast, holding her sword in hand with her trusty shield in the other, "Let's see you stop this."
"Pyrrha, No!" Jaune reached forward, unable to stop her.
She held her hand forward, summoning her Polarity, a dark Aura forming around her blade as it transformed into a spear. She threw it over her shoulder in full sprint, using her Semblance to increase the speed of her weapon in air, guiding it toward the golden stinger above the beast's head. But, it shifted its body to the side just before impact, the spear soaring over its back. She was surprised for a moment, but reacted quickly to not lose her weapon, reversing her Polarity and bringing Miló back to her hand, snatching it in the air.
She gave no reprieve, twisting around its pincers and toward its mouth, Polarizing the blade of her spear and thrusting it into the creatures fleshy mouth. Yet, the beast bit down against it, stealing stealing her weapon. It dropped the spear and stepped forward, hiding it under its head.
"Pyrrha, LOOK OUT!" Jaune screamed.
She glanced up, its stinger quickly approaching her for a killing blow. She instinctively held Akoúo̱ in front of her shoulders, narrowly avoiding death as the stinger scraped against the surface, pushing her into the air. She landed on her shoulder in the mud, sliding and stopping before Jaune's feet.
"Pyrrha!" Jaune began to cry, losing control of himself as her knelt down and wrapped his arms around her. "Pyrrha!"
She seemed unconscious for a moment, but she slowly opened her eyes, smiling when she saw Jaune's face, "Jaune...guess I wasn't the best teammate for your leadership, huh?"
"No, Pyrrha," his warm tears fell on her cheek. "You did great! I should've been...I should be..."
She watched his face turn from scared to something that she could not recognize, "Jaune, it's okay. We'll get through this."
"Are you guys okay over there!" they heard Nora yell from the bridge behind the Death Stalker.
Blake stayed a safe distance away and answered, "This isn't an ordinary Grimm. We have to come up with a plan!"
Jaune's head fell forward, hanging loosely under his hair, his tears fading away. In his mind he heard screaming, breaking ceramics, and the crumbling walls. He could hear several little girls crying, and the vague sound of a man bellowing out with rage, his voice bleeding like a fuzzy dream.
Pyrrha lifted herself to her knees, crouching in front of Jaune and shaking his shoulders with worry, "Jaune, what's gotten into you?"
Her voice snapped him back into reality, but he was not the same as before. He stared at his open palms and leather gloves, his hands shaking; he clenched his fists, easing the tension her felt. Then, he glanced up and over Pyrrha's shoulder, staring with a scowl at the Death Stalker's golden stinger, taking grip of his sword, Crocea Mors, and standing up.
"Blake!" his tone changed entirely, his shy nature replaced with valiance.
Blake wasn't sure who spoke at first, turning her head and blinking with surprise, finding Jaune glaring at her, "Um, Jaune?"
"You still have strength left?" he seemed to demand an answer.
She blinked a few more times, her brows raised in confusion, "Uh, yeah...enough."
He returned his glance to the Death Stalker. "Nora, Ren, distract him!" Jaune unsheathed his sword, gripping the handle with confidence.
"Done!" Ren replied from the bridge, the sound of bullets firing against the Death Stalker's armor following.
The beast's attention was thwarted for moment, and Jaune continued giving orders, "Blake, grab its tail and hold it, and don't let it move!"
Blake smirked, "Why should I listen to you?"
"Do it!" he screamed.
"Fine!" she drew the ribbon of Gambol Shroud through her palms, transforming it back into sickle form and swinging it over her head. Her claws retracted, and she threw her weapon into the air, the force of her Aura pushed it a great distance, until it twisted around the beast's tail. She pulled on it as tightly as she could, holding its stinger in place over it's head. "Okay, genius, what now?"
Pyrrha grew concerned with his demeanor, placing her hand on his cheek and pulling his eyes toward her, "Jaune, what's wrong?"
His expression remained firm, and he quickly gave more orders, "Pyrrha, use the razor on your shield. Can you throw that thing at the Stinger and land on target?"
She looked back at the beast, her shield still firmly in her grip. She thought quicklly as she saw the stinger resting in place, Ren's bullets still firing and shattering against its armor, "I think I can do it."
"Then, hurry," he urged. "before it breaks free."
"Right!" she nodded, imbuing Akoúo̱ with her Aura, transforming it into a bladed disk. Immediately, she threw it into a spin, guiding it on the way with Polarity. The beast tried to pull away from Gambol Shroud's vice, but Blake would not let up, holding the stinger firmly in place. Then, the shield contacted the Death Stalker's flesh, slicing through a weak joint between the tail's armor. In an instant, its stinger was sliced clean off, the sharp end of it falling into the crack between its neck and body. Its tail bled profusely, and it was pinned to the ground by its own weapon. The gunfire from the bridge ceased, and Blake flicked her wrist, returning her weapon to her side.
"You did it!" Nora shouted.
Pyrrha Polarized her shield, the blades around it sliding back in as she grabbed it in the air, "Jaune, you really did it!" she held her other hand up, Polarizing her spear, returning it to her grip. "That was amazing!" she turned around, her cheeks lifted high with a smile.
But, Jaune was not through, staring at the Death Stalker as it squirmed for its life. "Not Yet!"
He dodged around Pyrrha, charging with Crocea Mors tightly held in both hands. He screamed with bitter rage, his feet digging deep into the mud as he moved with intent.
"Jaune!"
The Death Stalker tried to lift its head up from the ground, its bloody tail waving back and forth violently. Jaune avoided its pincers, thrusting his sword forward and into the beast's eye. It nearly closed its lids, but the blade slid in just in time, dragging against the bone as it pierced through its socket and punctured deep into its skull. As the blade slowly stopped, Jaune ceased his screaming, the beast hissing in agony for some time before it fell down with its legs completely limp, and its eyes turning black. Its body began to melt into the Dust, and Jaune pulled his sword from its bony carcass, watching its face turn into Grimmsang before him. His heartbeat slowed as his sword fell to his hip.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha ran toward him, hugging him tightly around his back. "Calm down, please!"
As the Death Stalker's body melted away, they saw Ren and Nora waving behind, standing on the bridge with cheer on their faces.
"Now that was impressive!" Ren said, pumping his fist.
Nora jumped, "Yeah, you guys really pummeled that thing!"
Blake walked up behind them, her hand on her hips with her tail swishing around behind her head. "I guess blondie is good for something after all."
Jaune loosened his nerves, turning around as Pyrrha let go of him, a piece of his old self showing. "Thanks...Pyrrha. I'm glad you're okay." he continued taking deep breaths. "But it's not over yet." he looked back and up into the sky over the canyon temple, where the Nevermore still glided over the tower, Ruby giving chase, and Yang standing on top of the temple afar with fire blazing around her. "We have to help them."
Pyrrha nodded, "You're right!" a tear fell from her eye, but she wiped it clean before anyone could see. "You're the leader, so lead the way!" she chuckled.
They wasted no time, running along the bridge and toward the temple, a deadly fall awaiting them if any structure part of the structure failed.
Blake stood and watched them for a moment, before smiling. "You humans really are entertaining sometimes."
She jumped over the cliff, throwing her weapon up and tossing it over a distant bridge near the top of the tower, swinging over the canyon without fear, ready for the assault against the Nevermore.
…
At the closest side of Beacon Cliff to the academy, Ozpin and Glynda stood near the edge, watching over Emerald Forest. A crowd of students waited behind him, nearly all of them holding a chess piece in their hands. Over the horizon, in the distant clouds at the northeastern edge of the cliff, they all watched as the giant Nevermore soared the skies, its caw heard even at their position.
"This isn't good, Headmaster." Glynda glanced at Ozpin, who kept his eyes on his Scroll, an image of red dots indicating the location of the remaining students, chess pieces highlighted in white on the screen. "This is the first time in Beacon's history that a Nevermore has interrupted Initiation. Sir, perhaps we should bend the rules a bit, just this once."
"Now, hold on, Headmistress." he wagged his finger. "There will be no need for that."
"Sir, with all due respect, I don't think those students can handle a Nevermore that size." she replied. "They could die."
Ozpin placed his Scroll in his pocket, crossing his hands over his cane, staring out into the open.
"Headmistress," he said, "Do you believe in fate?"
"Fate, sir?" she asked.
"Yes, fate."
"I'm not sure how to answer, sir."
Ozpin grinned, adjusting his glasses, "It's no concern. I'm not so sure myself. But, I do believe that certain things happen for a reason, for better or for worse, don't you?"
Glynda took a moment to absorb his words, She was accustomed to his cryptic way of passing down knowledge, yet she had never heard him ask such a thing until that moment.
Then, Ozpin's Scroll rang, interrupting her thoughts as he placed it next to his ear and answered the call.
He walked closer the cliff's edge, "Yes?" he stopped and looked up. "Again?"
Glynda listened carefully, unable to hear the other side of the call.
"Tell me, have the Valiant lost their touch as of late? That's the fourth Dust shop since last week." he looked down, placing his thumb on his chin. "But, how?" there was a moment of silence. "I see... I'll send a few Hunters your way." he listened to the other side for awhile. "Don't worry, I'll send only the best. There will be quite a lot cleaning up to do, I assure you, but if the Valiant still do their jobs, then it should be fine. Thank you!"
He ended the call with a swipe of his thumb, placing the Scroll back in is pocket, then glancing back at Glynda with a stern expression.
"What's wrong sir?" she asked.
Suddenly, and ear shattering hum penetrated the air, the students covering their heads, complaining as many of them groaned in discomfort. Glynda kept her hands to her side, fighting through the noise until it finally ended.
She looked at Ozpin, "I know that sound, What's going on, sir?"
Ozpin answered, "The Valiant are reporting two rogue Huntresses attacking the East side of the Commercial District. Obviously, Cinder must be among them. Glynda, I'm entrusting you and Oobleck to stop the situation from escalating."
"Yes, sir!" she replied, removing her wand, The Disciplinarian, from her hip and calling upon her Semblance, Telekinesis, to slice a cubic incision into the cliff, the Dust below her levitating.
"Glynda!" Ozpin caught her attention, stopping her as she was about to take leave on a flight of Dust. "Be extra careful. I suspect that Cinder may be in her sister's company."
Glynda looked back and nodded, waving her wand upward, lifting herself over the trees and heading in the direction of Beacon.
….
On the skyscrapers of the East Commercial District of Vale, Cinder stood tall with her arms crossed, her eyes set upon a single person watching her from afar. It was the masked figure from the forest, her eyes shining red through her Grimm eyes, her thumb pressed against the handle of her long sword in its scabbard. There was only the sound of wind around them as their long hair danced in the air.
"Well, well," Cinder muttered, sensing the Aura of the figure, knowing well that she could hear her words from their connection, "So sweet of you to come Sister ..."
Cinder held her hand over her chest, the emblem of the Branwen tribe appearing below her collar in red. Normally, the symbol consisted of a clock centered under the arms of a Raven's wing; but, it was altered, the clock replaced with something more peculiar. It was the symbol of a great tree, its leaves withered away with vines growing from the trunk. The only origin of such an emblem was none other than the crest of the Fall Maiden.
She grinned, Summoning the power of her Semblance, Scorching Caress, all forms of glass in the city near her shaking with heat, emitting an ear shattering shriek.
"Let's see who really deserves to be leader of the tribe, Raven."