Chapter 4
Ruby wasn't a stranger to woodlands. She had grown up on the island of Patch, and even though it wasn't the biggest of places, it had plenty of forested lands. Ruby's dad had always made it a point to take her and Yang out at least once a month to practice fighting against weaker Grimm that also inhabited the island. But even with that experience, the Emerald Forest was an intimidating place. The tree canopy was so thick in some areas that it hid the sky, and the dense underbrush threatened to trip Ruby with every step, and the smell of damp vegetation hung thick in the air.
"Pyrrha, are you sure we're going the right way?"
Pyrrha glanced back at Ruby and smiled.
"I'm sure we're heading north, but I confess that I have no idea where the temple is supposed to be exactly."
Ruby let out a big exhale.
"I'm just glad you know what direction north is. I kind of got turned around when I landed." Ruby admitted with an awkward laugh.
"Yes, but your landing worked well for preserving Aura. I used ten percent of mine going through a tree." Pyrrha said, holding up her scroll to show a meter that glowed a pleasant green with ninety percent written beside it.
"Whoa, and you went through a tree? You must have almost as much Aura as my sister!"
"Your sister's here too?"
"Yep, she's always had more aura than me, but I think I got the better semblance of the two of us." Ruby disappeared in a shower of rose petals, and Pyrrha looked around wildly.
"I'm really, really fast," Ruby said happily from behind Pyrrha, causing her to start and whirl around.
"Pretty neat, right? So what's your semblance?"
Pyrrha played with her bangs and bit her lip in uncertainty, but a loud rustling sound came from a tall bush beside stopped her from commenting.
Leaping back, Pyrrha drew both her sword and shield from her back. Then, spinning her blade in her hand, she activated the mecha-shift function to elongate it into a six-foot-long golden spear.
Ruby was just as quick, embedding Crescent Rose into the soft soil and readied to fire at whatever revealed itself.
Ruby and Pyrrha's caution proved unnecessary as the greenery parted, and a girl sparkling white dress and heeled boots pushed her way through, her blue eyes lighting up as they landed on Pyrrha.
"Pyrrha, it looks like we are to be partners after all." the girl in white spoke pompously, resting her hands on her hips.
"I must admit I was a bit concerned when I did not find you right away, though."
Pyrrha rested the butt of her spear on the ground and leaned on it, offering a polite smile to the girl.
"It is good to see you as well, Weiss, but I'm afraid I already have a partner." Pyrrha nodded toward Ruby, who gave Weiss a wave.
"Hi."
Weiss's eyes widened in surprise and dismay before a scowl overtook her lips as she looked Ruby up and down.
"Well, while it would be atypical, it really isn't fair to you, Pyrrha, to be partnered with a child. I see no reason why we can't ask the Headmaster to change—"
"Actually, Weiss, I'm quite happy with having Ruby as a partner." Pyrrha interrupted, her smile fading slightly as she did so. "I think we'll be able to work well together."
Weiss's mouth hung open for a moment like she could process what she had just heard before she recovered and shot Ruby a hostile glance.
"Very well, I commend you for staying true to the spirit of Beacon's system, if nothing else. I trust you do not mind if I travel with you to the temple?"
Pyrrha shook her head, crimson locks fanning out behind her as she did.
"I have no problem with that. Ruby?"
"The more, the merrier," Ruby said, still feeling happy from Pyrrha's earlier confidence in her.
"Wonderful, then let us be off," Weiss said as she began to walk away, expecting Ruby and Pyrrha to follow her.
"Weiss," Pyrrha called, "North is this way."
Weiss flushed something that stood out clearly on her snow-white skin.
"Yes, of course, I must have gotten turned around."
"Don't worry," Ruby said. "I got lost when I landed too."
Weiss ground her teeth but didn't comment as she followed after Ruby and Pyrrha.
"Have either of you encountered any Grimm thus far?"
"No, I kinda thought there would be more honestly."
"As did I, especially after the Headmaster's warning." Pyrrha chimed in, pushing aside a low-hanging tree branch to reveal a clearing with a large pit at its center.
The three girls looked at each other as they walked into the glade, stopping at the hole's edge.
"You don't think this is what the Headmaster was talking about, do you?"
Ruby asked, looking down into the shadows. There was a slope descending downward at a steep angle, not enough to stop someone from walking down but enough to make them pause and question the wisdom of the action.
Pyrrha bit her lip and gave her spear a twirl.
"I don't think so? He did say temples, not whatever this is."
"That's not necessarily true. Look, this is clearly not natural, and ancient cultures used to build in places they thought would be safe from the Grimm, like underground. This could be a catacomb that leads to a temple," Weiss stated, gesticulating grandiosely. "Besides, this initiation has been too simple, especially for a place as prestigious as Beacon. So I say we investigate."
"I don't know," Ruby muttered as she alternated between looking at Weiss and peering into the hole. Ruby had never been a big fan of dark, enclosed spaces; they didn't compliment her fighting style or semblance, leaving her feeling trapped.
Weiss scoffed. "Well, why don't you wait here while Pyrrha and I go in and retrieve the relic? Then, you can reapply to Beacon next year when you have a bit more experience. Come on, Pyrrha."
Weiss leaped down, sliding down on the loose earth, quickly fading from sight while Ruby and Pyrrha traded looks.
"We really shouldn't let her go by herself," Pyrrha said, but she didn't move, waiting for Ruby to make up her mind.
Ruby steeled herself before she nodded, condensed Crescent Rose to its boxy rifle configuration, and hopped down, Pyrrha following right after her.
Sliding to the bottom of the pit, the only thing that illuminated the space was the sword in Weiss's hand and the fire that ran along its length.
"Cool." Ruby breathed, staring at the blade as she tried to uncover the finer details. "How are you getting to the dust to adhere like that?"
"Specially carved channels and careful application of aura to trigger a slower reaction from the dust being fed into them."
"A very impressive weapon," Pyrrha offered, but her eyes, unlike Ruby's, never stopped scanning her surroundings.
"Thank you, I call it Myrtenaster," Weiss told them as she began to carefully walk forward.
While the bottom of the hole wasn't cavernous, Weiss's light was only so intense, and it took a few steps before the entrance to a tunnel was revealed. They all paused at the tunnel entrance and peered inward.
"We need to be careful. I wouldn't be surprised if Grimm used this place as a shelter."
"Indeed, but I hardly think a few beowolves or ursa are much of a threat with you, and I present Pyrrha. The Emerald Forest isn't known to have anything more dangerous than those species."
"Don't forget the nevermore," Ruby chimed in with a smile, glad to be able to contribute. "They're pretty common in this area too."
Weiss rolled her eyes.
"I hardly think a nevermore, which is literally a giant bird, will be a big problem for us underground. So now let's go, I refuse to finish initiation with anything but exemplary scores, and finishing before anyone else will definitely be worth something."
Weiss took the lead, sword held high, with Ruby and Pyrrha following, their weapons ready.
They had only been walking for a minute when Weiss felt something stick to her face. Weiss stopped, Ruby and Pyrrha following suit as she quickly wiped whatever was off her face with a grimace.
"Alright, Weiss?" Ruby asked, wondering why they had stopped.
"Yes, I just walked through a spider web or something."
Pyrrha let out a squeak and fidgeted as Weiss and Ruby turned to look at her.
"I don't like spiders," Pyrrha admitted as she scratched at her scalp. Even their mention made her skin crawl like she could feel their hair legs scuttling about her.
"Who does?" Ruby asked, shaking herself dramatically before her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Do either of you hear that?"
Weiss just shot Ruby another irritated look.
"It's probably just an echo."
Ruby shook her head and brought Crescent Rose up.
"No, it sounds like clicking."
Now that Ruby brought it up, Pyrrha and Weiss could hear it too; it was faint but sounded like something hard and dull hitting stone.
"You're right, Ruby, and I think it's getting closer."
"I think we should go," Ruby offered, edging backward, away from the now clearly audible clicks.
"I think you-" Pyrrha cut herself off with an ear-piercing shriek that echoed painfully off the tunnel walls as she turned and came face to mandible with a spider the size of a large dog dangling from the ceiling.
Surprise and fear stole Pyrrha's usual grace, and she stumbled as she backed away, falling onto the hard ground, and scrambling backward, ignoring the feeling of rocks scraping her hands.
"Pyrrha!" Ruby brought Crescent Rose up and fired a round into the spider, punching a hole through its carapace and knocking it to the floor.
Ruby ignored the ringing in her ears, trusting her Aura to begin repairing the damage, and swooped down on Pyrrha, dropping Crescent Rose beside her.
"Pyrrha! Are you hurt? Did it get you somewhere?" Ruby fretted, hands flapping around, unsure what to do.
"I...I think I'm ok." Pyrrha panted, wiping at the cold sweat on her brow.
"What the hell are rachni doing here!" Weiss shouted, a note of hysteria in her voice. "They're class four Grimm, no way they should be so close to a populated area." Ruby grimaced as she pulled Pyrrha to her feet and snatched up her weapon.
"I don't know. I mean, it only took one shot to kill it."
Weiss shook her head, eyes so wide the whites were clearly visible. Then, waving Myrtenaster, Weiss launched a fireball in the direction they had been walking. The ball of fire landed and splashed outward, covering the floor and giving the girls enough light to see the source of the clicking they had heard.
The massive spider, easily the size of a house, let out a shriek as it backed away from the flames. Six beady red eyes stared at the Weiss hatefully as it scuttled on eight legs, its body almost wholly sheathed in a layer of bone armor.
"Run!" Ruby screamed as she saw more of the smaller rachni avoiding the fire by crawling on the floors and ceiling. Neither Pyrrha nor Weiss needed convincing as they took off, arms pumping as they sprinted back the way they had come. Ruby brought up the rear, making a conscious effort not to overtake the other girls with her semblance.
"Watch the walls!" Pyrrha called out as another of the small rachni leaped out at them. Pyrrha hit a hidden switch on her spear, and it condensed in on itself, becoming a long rifle that she aimed and fired in less than a second at the flying rachni, hitting it dead center without breaking stride.
Ruby would have been impressed if she wasn't so terrified.
After what felt like forever, the three girls made it back to the slope that led to the surface.
"We don't have time to climb out of here." Weiss wheezed, looking worried.
"Can you block the entrance with more fire?" Ruby asked quickly.
Weiss checked the series of armored canisters built into Myrtenaster's hilt.
"No, I don't have enough dust to cover the walls and ceiling."
Ruby grimaced, mind whirling before she came to a decision and grabbed both Pyrrha and Weiss by the arm, and steeled herself. She had never tried to pull two people along with her semblance before.
"I'm going to try and get us to the top. I might need some help once we get there, though."
"Wait, what–" Was all Weiss got out as the world descended into a flurry of color, rushing wind, and horrible spinning. Luckily, the sensation passed almost as quickly as it started, and before Weiss or Pyrrah knew it, they were back in the Emerald Forest, five feet away from the lip of the pit.
Ruby released Pyrrha and Weiss and sank to her knees as a wave of exhaustion fell over her. While Ruby's semblance was easy for her to use, dragging people along was a lot more draining, and Ruby felt like she used up almost all of her Aura in a couple of seconds.
"Made it," Ruby murmured. But none of them were safe yet as they heard chittering begin to echo from the hole.
"We need to keep moving," Pyrrha said while slinging Ruby over her shoulder in a fireman's carry and taking off northward, Weiss on her heels. But, unfortunately, they only made it as far as the tree line before rachni began boiling to the surface.
"Do you have a plan?" Weiss asked, panting slightly, glancing back, and pushing herself to run even faster.
"We need reinforcements or a more favorable battleground," Pyrrha said while hurtling a fallen tree without breaking stride.
"The best thing we can do is keep heading north and hopefully find help or the temple."
Weiss agreed but said nothing, conserving her breath as they fled the wave of darkness behind them, internally cursing herself for ever thinking initiation had been too easy.
"Well, that was easy," Yang said as she and Shirou entered a large meadow and saw the temple ruins. "I was kinda expecting we'd have to wander around in circles for a while and fight more Grimm."
"Maybe Ozpin was trying to scare everyone into taking things seriously." Shirou offered with a shrug as they ascended the crumbling, moss-covered steps and walked past a few broken pillars.
Stepping on the plateau, Shirou and Yang saw several chess pieces had been placed on several wooden daises, which, while chipped and weather-worn, were still clearly newer than the temple itself.
Yang snatched up a white knight and held it out to Shirou proudly.
"We got the cute little pony!"
"I think it's technically a knight." A feminine voice said from behind Shirou, causing him to jump, not having heard anyone approach.
Turning, Shirou took her in at a glance. Shorter than Yang and himself, her black hair capped with an equally black bow, she was dressed more for a night wandering around the city than the forest with her white shirt and shorts, purple leggings, and black vest.
Yang walked back over to stand beside Shirou.
"I've never been big on technicalities. It looks like a pony," Yang said. Holding up the piece. "So I'm calling it a pony."
The girl smirked and walked past them to grab a black castle
"Fair enough. My name is Blake Belladonna, by the way."
"Nice to meet ya, I'm Yang, and this is Shirou," Yang said, bumping Shirou with her hip. "So, where's your partner Blake?"
Blake shrugged. "I never saw anyone on the way here, so I guess I'll just have to wait here for someone to show up.
Yang hummed before turning to glance at Shirou.
"Do you mind if we wait here too? Just to see if Ruby comes by."
Shirou nodded without hesitation
"Sounds like a good idea to me."
Yang smiled happily. "Thanks, partner."
"Is Ruby a friend of yours?" Blake asked as she moved to sit cross-legged against one of the stone pillars.
"My little sister. Ozpin let her in early cause he saw how awesome a fighter she is." Yang said, chest puffed out pridefully.
Before their conversation could continue, the sound of crashing trees and the bellowing call of an
Ursa sounded.
Shirou traced Kanshou and Bakuya and searched the direction the sound had come from just in time to see an Ursa burst into the clearing, flailing like a rodeo bull as it tried to shake its rider.
The girl on the ursa's back held on doggedly, and if the smile was any indication, she was enjoying herself immensely.
Just as Shirou was about to intercede, the girl got her legs under herself and, using one of ursa's leaps for momentum, launched herself skyward and pulled out a massive hammer that she brought down on the ursa's head with a loud crunch.
Cackling happily, the girl slung her hammer over her shoulder and began to skip the rest of the way to where Shirou, Yang, and Blake were all staring at the scene wide-eyed.
"Well, that was something," Yang said, turning to Blake. "And it looks like you've found yourself a partner."
The look of horror that fell over Blake's face would have been comical to Shirou if he hadn't felt so bad for her.
"Nora!"
A man came running into the meadow and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath when he saw the dead ursa.
The girl stopped her skipping and gave the man a wave.
"There you are, lazy butt!" She called out, her voice bubbly. "How'd you fall so far behind anyway?"
"Thank Oum," Blake whispered in relief once it became apparent the crazy girl already had a partner.
The trio watched as the girl dragged the boy behind her to the temple, happily waving at them as she did so.
Standing beside her partner, it was easy to tell that the girl was practically tiny, and with her bright orange hair, pink top, and wide smile, enthusiasm wafted off her in waves. The guy looked exhausted, his straight black hair in disarray and his green jacket and white pants ruffled and stained.
"Hello!" The girl called out when she was close enough. "I'm Nora, and this lazy butt is Ren. Is this the temple Ozpin was talking about? I bet it is. It definitely gives off that ruin-y vibe, you know." Nora's zeel was dizzying as she shook their hands rapidly, sped off towards the dais, and gushed over the chess pieces.
Ren gave them an apologetic look as he caught his breath.
"I like her," Yang told Shirou as she wandered over to the girl and engaged her in conversation.
Shirou felt a sense of encroaching doom, like a shiver up the spine multiplied by a factor of ten, at the sight of Yang and Nora chatting.
Putting the feeling out of his mind, Shirou glanced at Blake and noticed that she was standing very straight and tense, her hand clasped on the hilt of the weapon sheathed at her back.
"Blake, do you see something?" Shirou asked as he began to scan the forest's edge.
Blake shook her head.
"No, but I can hear something."
Shirou reinforced his ears, but he couldn't distinguish anything with so many noises layered on each other.
Giving it up, Shirou focused on where Blake was staring and waiting. It took a moment, but two girls came sprinting out of the trees, and it looked like one of the girls had Ruby slung over her shoulder if the cloak was any indication.
"Well, that can't be good. Yang!" Shirou called as the two girls made it to the temple steps and climbed up, breathing hard and looking exhausted.
"Ruby!" Yang's worry was evident as she made her way over and helped the red-headed girl carrying Ruby set her down gently on her feet.
"'Are you ok?" Yang asked, checking Ruby frantically for any injuries.
While Yang took care of Ruby, Shirou turned his attention to the other two girls, bent over double as they caught their breath.
"What happened?"
The redhead looked at Shirou, and he was briefly taken aback by achingly familiar green eyes, but the feeling passed in an instant when she panted out.
"Rachni."
Shirou didn't know what a rachni was, but the context was clear, and he turned back just as a horde of spiders began to emerge from the trees, some scuttling on the ground while others leaped from the tree tops.
"Yang, I'm fine," Ruby said as she pushed herself to stand on shaky legs. "Shirou, I need you to..."
Shirou was already at the stairs, arm up and Kanshou pointed to the incoming Grimm.
"Trace, on."
Fifty swords coalesced in the air to the shock and awe of everyone other than Ruby, who just looked on happily.
With an unspoken command, the swords launched themselves with unerring accuracy toward the Grimm, punching through their bodies and pinning them to the ground.
As more rachni emerged, another wave of swords formed and launched themselves again and again until the tide stopped, and the battlefield held nothing but disintegrating bodies and shining steel.
"Holy hell, Shirou!" Yang shouted, eyes wide, but before more could be said, the sound of falling trees heralded a new threat pushing its way into the clearing. The rachni queen had arrived.
Ok, starting to diverge a bit more, I'm curious to see what's gonna happen going forward. Thanks for reading.