Chapter 4: Initiation and a Discovery
Summary: a few days following the events in Vale, Our heroes enter Initiation to start off their new lives at Beacon. But it wasn't just our Nargacuga who arrived here in Remnant, as another creature, a being with a voice that makes the earth tremble, makes it's presence known.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for the crap I add or create. All rights go to Rooster Teeth and Capcom.
"Normal Speech"
"Thoughts"
"(Monster Speech)", Though this may change as the story goes on. Monsters in this canon speak a language composing of several dialects from the world over. Without a translator, anything they say just comes out as grunts or roars.
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It has been a few days since the incident in Vale. Ozpin, who had brought Ruby Rose into Beacon with her sister, Yang Xiao Long, was currently hosting an Initiation, a special event meant to choose who will be assigned to which teams for their time at Beacon. Glynda, a close friend and host of Beacon's arena, was accompanying him.
"Our last pair has been formed, sir." Glynda stated, walking up to Ozpin. "Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren." She listed
Glynda sighed. "Poor boy. I can't possibly imagine those two getting along."
"Still," Glynda said matter-of-factily. "He's probably better of than Miss Nikos." She switched to a screen with a red-head and a blonde haired boy.
Ozpin only hummed in response.
"I don't care what his transcripts say, that Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat." Glynda almost sounded like an over protective mother defending her child. "I guess we'll find out soon enough." she said dismissively.
SHREEAAAGGHHHH!
A booming call to the west caused both the huntress, and even, the professor to jump. Birds and other animals took off in fear, and the duo could've swore they had even heard a few frightened Grimm.
"I've hunted Grimm for almost 2 decades, and I have never heard anything like that." Glynda nearly dropped her scroll from the sudden trembles that wracked her body. "Do you think it could be another one of those-?"
"I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet." Ozpin cut her off. "Besides, the students are almost to the relics anyway. They should be there in a few minutes."
"Oh, that reminds me." Glynda turned to Ozpin. "What exactly did you use as relics this year? I don't think you told me."
Silence. The type of silence that indicated Ozpin was thinking or worried.
"...Professor Ozpin?" Glynda showed a bit of concern. She hated it when the man was silent like this
Ozpin only stared at his own scroll, watching Ruby and Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, argue over where to go. He sighed.
"I hope that thing that called out earlier stays away from them." Ozpin looked to the horizon. "...I don't want to lose them like I lost Team STRQ."
Meanwhile, with Jaune and Pyrrha...
"Think this is it?" Jaune Arc gestured to the large cave in the cliff wall. Pyrrha Nikos, Champion of Mistral, only shrugged.
"Only one way to find out." Pyrrha toke a branch from the ground and used a bit of Fire Dust to ignite the end of it. With a torch in hand, the unlikely duo walked into the cavern.
As the light illuminated the walls, Pyrrha was getting the suspicion that they were in the wrong place.
"I don't think this is it..." Pyrrha would be lying if she said she didn't feel at least uneasy.
Jaune, in his typical manner, sighed and glanced at her. "Pyrrha, I've got the torch. Could you humor me for 5 more feet?" he asked.
Jaune suddenly tripped on something and face planted on the ground, causing the torch go out and taking away their only source of light.
Jaune gave a groan and rose to his feet. Comically, only their eyes were visible.
"Do you feel that?" Pyrrha suddenly said, her emerald eyes glancing left and right.
"Soul crushing regret?" the spartan girl wasn't sure if he was serious or not.
"No, it's...warm?" That was a way to describe it, though it was a type of heat that made her uncomfortable.
Slowly, they made their way to the source. Pyrrha hesitated in her tracks upon recognizing what is really was, but Jaune's eagerness to grab the prize overruled his caution.
"That's the Relic!" Jaune cried with glee. Ignoring Pyrrha's concern, he reached out to touch the object, only for it to pull away just out of reach. Annoyed, Jaune tried again, managing to get a grab on the tip.
"Gotcha!" Jaune shouted in victory. Pyrrha, meanwhile, started backing up as the blonde was lifted into the air by the "artifact".
"J-Jaune...?!" Pyrrha got into a fighting stance and stared down her foe. Red markings and eyes lit up in the darkness as a Deathstalker, a massive scorpion Grimm, hissed in irritation at being disturbed. Jaune screamed (very high-pitched too.) in fear as the Grimm swung him around like a rag doll.
Pyrrha shifted her feet and gave an aura on determination at the monster. She barely knew the guy, but this spartan wasn't gonna let an ally die. Unwittingly, one of her feet touched something, something oddly...scaley...
Gggggrrrrrrr...
A deep, guttural growl echoed throughout the cavern, vibrating the ground and causing all activity to cease. Even the Deathstalker froze up and focused the orange centers that served as the scorpions pupils behind Jaune and Pyrrha. Both students snapped their heads to the newcomer, Jaune comically landing in Pyrrha's arms bridal style. Neither cared about that, not when there was something that no one on Remnant had seen before.
The light from the Grimm's stinger illuminated a draconic body, covered in yellow scales striped with cyan, and tall enough to look Pyrrha in the eye. It's long arms, sporting what appeared to be primitive wings, supported a lean body alongside powerful back legs. It's head resembled the Tyrannosaurs that Pyrrha had studied before coming to Beacon, with power jaws, jade-green eyes that showed a lust for destruction, and two ear-like structures on either side of it's skull.
The hearts of both students raced. Just what in Oum's name was this thing?! They didn't have time ponder as the Deathstalker hissed defiantly and aimed it's stinger at the Opposing creature. The creature jumped out of the way as the glowing appendage jammed into the ground. Both Jaune and Pyrrha dove to the ground to avoid getting flattened, though the risk only increased as the Deathstalker moved in the already claustrophobic space, it's size preventing from getting hits on the smaller predator.
A sudden draft of wind drew all attention to the creature, who took a massive breath before opening it's jaws, letting loose a booming roar that caused the entire cliff face to explode from the shockwave, sending debris (alongside the Grimm and Students) flying and ringing out for miles.
Miles away...
SHREEEAAAGGHHHH!
Yang Xiao Long, busty blonde and Ruby's sister, jumped at the loud cry from the west. Whatever it was, it scared not just animals, but some Grimm as well, as evidenced by the couple of Beowolves or Ursai that dashed past her.
"What was that?!" Yang asked, caught off-guard by the sound. Blake Belladonna, mysterious bookworm and Yang's partner, narrowed her eyes toward the direction the sound came from.
"You're guess is as good as mine." She replied. "But whatever it was, I hope it does not find us." Despite having a straight face, Yang could tell Blake was a bit shaken up. Wait, why were her pupils vertical?
"...heADs UUUUUUUUPPP!" a youthful voice called out from above, bringing Yang's attention to the skies. The blonde's lilac eyes widened as she saw her sister falling straight towards her and Blake. Before she could leap to catch the crimsonette, Jaune came flying out of nowhere and crashed into Ruby, sending the two crashing into a nearby tree.
"Did...your sister just fall from the sky?" Blake was puzzled. Where did the girl fall from?
Yang only shrugged. "Not the craziest thing I've seen. My question is: Who, or What, can throw Vomit Boy like a football?"
Suddenly, an Ursa emerged from the woods in front of them, flailing it's massive paws in the air before a bolt of pink electricity accompanied by a cheerful "YEEHAW!", causing the Grimm to go stiff and fall flat on it's face. From it's back, Nora Valkyrie hopped down, and looked at the corpse in disappointment.
"Aaww, It's broken." She pouted.
"Nora?" a young man walked out from behind the carcass, out of breath. "Please...don't ever do that again." He realized that he was only falling on deaf ears, as there was not but a pink outline where Nora stood.
Somehow, Nora managed to get to the ruins without anyone seeing. She picked up a chess piece and started dancing.
"I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the cast-"
"NORA!" The man called.
"Hehehe, coming Ren!" She ran off to join he friend.
Yang couldn't contain a fond smile at the scene. 'How cute. They're like me and Ruby in a way."
The sound of trees being crushed brought everyones attention to the treeline. There, Pyrrha ran out of the forest, followed by a VERY angry Deathstalker. But it wasn't the Grimm that had everyone's attention, it was what was hanging on to it.
Biting hard with it's jaws, and driving the Grimm to absolute madness, was a creature that Yang could only describe as a cross between a T-rex and a dragon, with yellow scales and cyan stripes.
Swinging it's tail around, the scorpion finally managed to dislodge it's assailant, sending the monster flying through the air. The stripes menace flipped in mid air and landed on all fours, it's claws creating indentions in the Earth. With it's powerful jaws, it rips a large tree from the ground and tosses it up into air before jumping up and sending it flying at the Deathstalker.
In a moment of sudden intelligence, the Grimm jumped out of the way, allowing the tree to sail past it and head straight for Yang and Blake. On instinct, the blonde bombshell activated Ember Celica, two gauntlets disguised as gold bracelets on her wrists, and punched the tree in half, sending splinters flying everywhere.
Pulling back her fist, Yang watched in smug satisfaction at the creature dumbfounded expression.
With the Tigrex...
DAMMIT!
For Boomer, chucking objects at opponents was an effective strategy. Not only did they keep them at bay, but seeing their frustration was way too amusing.
But here, in a world populated with all kinds of strange things, girls like that blonde bimbo can apparently split trees like match wood. And that fact, made Boomer's blood boil.
"Aw, what's the matter? Did I break your widdle toy?" The blonde taunted the Tigrex, only added to the fire.
"Listen here, you little bitch! Another word outta you, and Imma shove my big f-"
Pompff!
The monster's thought process was cut off by the black scorpion, who unwittingly stomped his head into the ground and continued chasing the armored red-head, leaving the Tigrex to struggle comically to get his head unstuck.
Back with our heroes...
"JAUNE!" Pyrrha called out while dodging a swipe from the Deathstalker's pinchers. While normally a Grimm wouldn't be too concerning for the girl, this particular Grimm was experienced, jumping out of the path of the tree that monster threw.
"Pyrrha!" She heard Jaune cry out. Pyrrha looked and saw Jaune hanging from a tree.
"Ruby!" Jaune was apparently also with Ruby, the silver-eyed girl. She witnessed her drop from the same tree and land next to Blake and Yang.
"Ruby?" Yang's lilac eyes lit up with recognition.
"Yang!" Chirped Ruby. The two sisters moved in for a high-five
"NORA!" Nora, the hyperactive redhead if she recalled, cut in, scaring the daylights out of the group. A loud shriek behind her reminded Pyrrha of the danger she was in, but it was too late. Spotting an oversized pincher out of the corner of her eye, she used her shield, Akouo, to block the strike. Despite her anticipation, the blow made her stagger bit, leaving open for another hit.
Time seemed to slow down as the Deathstalker brought it's other pincher in for a swipe, leaving the spartan girl to brace for impact. Well, that was the plan, until...
"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! CAN EVERYONE JUST CHILL OUT FOR TWO SECONDS BEFORE SOMETHING CRAZY HAPPENS AGAIN!?"
(A/N: le Record Scratch.)
An outburst from Yang caused all activity to stop, even the Deathstalker paused it's assault to look at the blonde, who's eyes were a furious red. After a moment or two, Yang sighed and her eyes returned to their usual lilac, relieving a tension no one knew was there.
The creature that had brought the Deathstalker into this mess finally pulled it's head free of the ground, and it was PISSED. Spreading it's limbs like the stand of a camera, the monster threw back it's head and gave a roar that split the air and shook the earth.
SSSHHHHHRRRRREEEEEAAAAGGGGHHHHH!
Everyone had to not only cover their ears to avoid becoming deaf, but everyone had to brace themselves ( Or hide their face in Yang's bosom, in Ruby's case) against the sheer shockwave the sound produced. Pyrrha was stunned at the display of power. Ren, the young man that accompanied Nora, was completely silent. Jaune, from what Pyrrha can unfortunately see, had pissed himself from fright. Blake was completely rigid, her pupils contracted to slits (hol up) and shaking slightly. Yang could only stand in shock, her hands in a protective hold on Ruby's shoulders, the latter cowering and clutching her cloak in fear. Even Nora was silent from shock.
The feeling didn't last long, however, as the group quickly noticed that certain parts of the monster, where the scales had gaps, were glowing white hot, as if a fire had been stoked within the monsters heart. Readying their weapons, the monster-hunters-to-be braced for an ass-whoopin', if the creature's stance gave any indication.
With the speed of a freight train, the stripped terror charged at our heroes, jaws gnashing in anticipation to rip into their flesh.
Well, that would've been the plan if a colossal Nevermore, stunned by the shockwave produced by the creature, hadn't fallen right on top of it, kicking up a cloud of dust in the process. And tumbling off of the downed avian, came a slightly battered up Weiss Schnee.
The heiress stumbled a bit before falling on her bottom, her chest heaving from the adrenaline rush. Pyrrha joined her (rather ungracefully) on the ground, having been chucked by the Deathstalker's claws.
"Don't...ever..." Weiss looked up at Ruby, the girl flinching from the Schnee's signature glare. "...leave me like that again." she breathed.
"Hey! The gang's all here! Now we can die together!" Yang said, her words dripping with sarcasm. Ruby only smirked at that.
"Not if I can help it!" the crimsonette watched the Nevermore recover and stand, it's eyes burning with primal rage. With a shriek, the avian Grimm took to the skies, joining the Deathstalker in a tag team strategy against the hunter/huntress team.
Without a moment to lose, our heroes, led by Ruby, went to fight their first real battle together. In their eagerness, they forgot about the unconscious monster that lay in the crater the Nevermore created in it's fall.
A few minutes later...
Boomer winced in pain as he slowly regained his awareness. Lifting himself up, he checked himself. A few cuts and bruises (Not counting the massive scar across his chest), but nothing too major, even though he'll definitely be sore by tomorrow.
He shot a glance at the sun. It hadn't moved much, giving the Tigrex the sense that not much time had passed. That also meant those kids aren't far away.
Those humans, especially that blonde bitch, are nothing but pests in his eyes. And as a resident of the Rotten Vale, that belief is what guided him to slay so many hunters back home. When there is prey, there is a trail leading to them.
He sniffed the air, quickly picking up a trail of smoke, roses, lavender, and other scents. They were still fresh, meaning that Boomer can reach those kids without a problem.
Running at top speed, he traveled through a land that had become a battlefield. Large feathers (presumably from that big bird that flattened him) the size of some of the surrounding trees, making him feel small.
Becoming small was not his proudest moment. He had fallen asleep in his den, a nest situated at near the path that connected the Rotten Vale to the Coral Highlands. When he woke up, he was in a cave with two humans and a big scorpion that apparently had a skull mask. You already know the rest. What puzzled him the most was that he had somehow shrunk, instead of being tall enough to look a Kushala Daora in the eye, he was reduced to just being tall enough to stare into the soul of that blonde boy.
It wasn't ling before he heard voices up ahead. His travels had led him to a massive chasm, one with massive pillars of stone that rose from the mist. There, he spotted the forms of the humans from earlier, panting as if they were exhausted. Judging by the destruction around them, they probably had a reason.
Now came the big question: Who was he gonna maul first? It didn't take long to answer that question, when Boomer spotted that blonde boy, completely winded, slumped against a rock. Not wasting a moment, he jumped at him, claws extended and jaws open
(Song: Megalovania [Metal version] by Caleb Hyles feat. RichaardEB)
"Jaune! Look out!" a female voice called out, alerting the twerp to the fast approaching monster. His eyes widened in terror as the Tigrex barreled toward him. In a split second, he rolled out of the way and stood next to his companions: Two redheads, the one from the cave, and another that wielded a hammer (why did he feel a twinge of fear when he looked at her?). The other male of the group, a young man that carried an air of profession, stood by the hammer wielder, holding two guns with blades extending from the barrel.
With a huff, he charged, jaws gnashing in anticipation to tear into tender flesh. The first to attack the Tigrex was the armored girl and the blonde boy (Wasn't he called Jaune?) the latter blocking a strike with his shield before countering with a slash from his sword. This only succeeded in chipping the monster's yellow scales.
With a snort, he swatted Jaune away with a backhand, sending the guy flying a short distance away. Movement out of the corner of his eye alerted him to his other opponent, forcing him to jump back to avoid a strike from a javelin. The red-head (Her name was Pyrrha, if he recalled) point the tip of her weapon at the stripped menace, her emerald-green eyes locking onto Boomer's own jade-green ones.
Pyrrha lunged at her foe, spinning her javelin in an attempt to lacerate the wyvern. Boomer side-stepped most of them, though a few swings actually nicked the monster's chest. Irritation increasing by the second, Boomer ran at Pyrrha and spun himself like a disk, forcing the armor-clad woman to leap in the air and land opposite to the wyvern.
Roaring in frustration, Boomer spun around and met Pyrrha's eyes once again. Without any hesititation, he charged, tanking fire from the women's rif- WAIT! Since when did she get a gun!?
He blocked the bullets as they were fired, but what he didn't anticipate Pyrrha's shield coming at him like a frisbee. The plate of metal hit the monster on the right side of his skull, leaving him seeing stars and causing Boomer to stagger around like a drunk. When his vision cleared, Pyrrha was gone. Raising an eye ridge, the Tigrex looked around and noticed the others had disappeared.
A sudden piercing pain in his shoulders made the wyvern give a uncharacteristic yelp. That young man, the one win the dual pistols, had got the jump on him. The green blades sunk into the monster's back, granting his unexpected rider to cling on no matter how hard he bucked.
"Hold 'em right there Ren!" An energetic voice called out. Next thing Boomer knew, he was slapped aside by a blow that connected with his chin, throwing his head back from the force. Upon regaining his senses, he found himself on the ground, back first.
His senses reacted quickly enough to catch the handle of an incoming hammer. With a tug, the face of that hammer wielder came into view, her bright blue eyes wide with surprise. Seeing the Tigrex's unamused expression, her mouth broke into a sheepish grin.
"Ehehe, sorry?" She did a poor attempt at a poker face. A comical squeak escaped from her when the monster locked her throat in a grip. Held in place by the wyvern's paw, the girl could only squirm as Boomer prepared to deliver a hay maker into the little shit's face.
"HEY!" A young voice barked from the left. Boomer's eyes left the girl in his grasp and located the source: a kid dressed in black and red, and wielding the biggest goddamn scythe he had ever seen. He raised an eye ridge skeptically. What gave this pipsqueak the right to yell at him like that?
"If you don't d-drop the girl, w-we'll be forced to take drastic m-me-measures!" Boomer could tell she was scared, but didn't act on it upon seeing her companions.
First came a girl that stood an inch taller than the kid, her hair alabaster in color, going surprisingly well with her pale complexion and ice blue eyes. Her eyes seemed to challenge his own gaze, one he would admit intimidated him to an extent. By her hip, a rapier was in a sheath, her hand poised to draw and, while unlikely, jam through his jugular in a heartbeat.
Next came a girl clad in a black bow. Her golden eye's seemed to stare into him, picking him apart to expose his deepest secrets. Creepiness aside, he couldn't help by eye her hips. If her hips had girth to them, chances are that her ass was thicc to-
Whoa, whoa, hold up! Why was he admiring a HUMAN'S body. Ugh...Whatever force brought him here definitely messed with his mind.
He snapped out of his thoughts upon spotting the last member of Pipsqueak's little group. She was easily the tallest out of all of them, and the most attractive. Her wild blonde hair, untamed like a flame, flowed down to her waist. Said hair framed a face containing amethyst eyes, which held a love for battle and destruction. There was another emotion he saw, but it was too deep within to see what it was.
He looked at the red head in his grasp, then the group. An idea came up, and Boomer smirked, released the girl, allowing her to breathe, and began approaching the group. Let's see how many pokes it'll take to piss off this bear.
Ruby's heart pounded in her chest as this...thing, walked up to her and her comrades. By the time the creature was directly in front of them, the poor crimsonette was shaking like a leaf.
Upon lowering it's head to her level, Ruby had to suppress a gag. Holy crap, his breath smells like roadkill! "Dude, have you ever heard of a breath mint?" Ruby nearly vomited from how strong the smell was. The monster's smirk only grew in size, as if he delighted in causing torture to others.
Her companions weren't better off either. Blake had put a gas mask on, Weiss had feinted due to how powerful the stench was, and Yang was turning green from nausea. Ruby's disgust turned into confusion when the creature straightened itself. What was he doing now?
The monster raised a paw and curled the three digits it had inward, making a fist. Ruby, while not the brightest, caught on quickly. This thing's strategy was to play Rock-paper-scissors to determine who was gonna give what attack. Thankfully, she knew this game well thanks to her Uncle Qrow.
She put down Crescent Rose and raised her own fist to be level with the creature. Her companions watched the situation unfold, dumbfounded by the absolutely bizarre behavior the wyvern showed. I mean, this was the same creature that caused an earthquake with it's roar, right?
"Something's off." Blake said, earning a glance from Yang. "One second that thing is trying to lay waste to those guys, the next he's playing Rock-Paper-Scissors with your sister."
"I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I think I've seen this before..." Yang put a finger to her chin, trying to remember where she this scenario.
With Ruby and the creature, they started the game.
One.
Two.
THREE!
Ruby got paper, the creature got rock. Giving a smug grin, Ruby gave the monster a flick on the nose(adding aura to increase the force). The action caught the creature off guard, making it jump. Mildly annoyed, he growled and raised his paw for Round 2.
One.
Two.
THREE!
Ruby got rock, the monster got scissors. This time, Ruby gave an aura-charged bitch slap, the force of which sent the wyvern reeling backward. The monster was evidently crossed now, his jade gaze burning into her own silver eyes. Still, both raised their fists for Round 3.
One.
Two.
THREE!
Again, Ruby won with paper, leaving the monster glaring with rock. The glare quickly vanished when Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose and struck the predator with the blunt end, leaving the monster to clutch the bump that appeared as a result. Ruby chuckled, letting her scythe rest on her shoulders.
"What's next, big fella? A vibe check?" Ruby said humorously.
Suddenly, Ruby felt a jolt go through her as the monster formed a hand-gun, smirking as his eyes flashed and her vision went white.. Next thing Ruby knew, she was flat on her bottom and the monster was bearing down her, it gaze containing no sympathy, just blood lust. The crimsonette braced herself, preparing to be struck down.
Fwoosh!
Thwack!
"Don't you dare hurt my sister!" Yang's voice called out following the sound of a punch being thrown (As well as something crunching), followed by a cry of pain. Ruby opened her eyes and gasped. Yang, hair flaming and eye's burning red, stood over the monster, who lay on the floor, clutching the spot between his legs. Ruby winced at that. With a semblance like Yang's, he may not be able to walk for a bit.
Yang took a breath to calm herself, and turned to Ruby, her lilac eyes showing concern. "You okay, sis?" She asked, pulling up the younger girl.
"Y-yeah, I'm okay." Ruby was still shaken, but she can manage. "Can't say the same about Corpse Breath right here." She pointed at the monster. who was too busy nursing his pride and joy to care about the humans now.
"Should we bring this to Ozpin?" Yang asked. "I mean, he COULD decide what to do with this thing."
"That would be the smart thing to do." Blake approached them, carrying Weiss bridal style, the latter whom was still passed out.
"I don't see why not." Ruby shrugged. "For now, let's regroup with the others. Yang, carry our little friend 'till we get back to the cliff."
The girls said nothing as they went to join the others, this time with a new "friend" in tow.
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Holy crap, this chapter killed me. It's 1:30 AM, but it was worth it.
This was the longest chapter I have wrote yet. The Rock-Paper-Scissors scene was inspired by "Godzilla vs. Kong but not really..." by Nuclear Productions. Check out the original on YouTube.
Next chapter, our heroes receive their first monsters.
Edit: I forgot to mention. The monster's mannerisms are partially based on how NCHProductions depicts his monsters. Just wanted explain the behaviors that will be depicted in this.
Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow.
Until then, catch ya'll later!