Author's Notes: So, been a few months. Been thinking and doing some more thorough future planning for this story. So to make sure that none of this is a surprise for you in the future, I figured I would outline some of current plans.

First, while this story is a FFXV crossover with RWBY, I have intention of including some mostly minor crossover with FFX, FFVII, and FFXIII. This is mostly being done to further expand on lore of Insomnia in Remnant and add some additional fun references to other fans of the franchise. It isn't super important, but I figured you would want to know ahead of time.

Second, you'll notice that this chapter goes through quite a few episodes of RWBY. This is intentional. I am mostly going to be making important reference to the original as the back drop to the crossover that is occurring in the world of Remnant. That isn't to say that the time at school isn't important, but it is definitely not going to be the lion's share of the story.

Lastly, this story is going to steer the RWBY plotline away from, across, back towards, and allover the canon of the original story. This will make more sense as the story goes on, I assure you.

Thanks for your patience.

~Nox


Noctis and Prompto found themselves separated onto a different airship to Beacon from Ignis and Gladiolus. That served them just fine, it meant a little time to focus on the things they wanted to focus on, rather than what the prim and proper Ignis and the rough and tumble Gladio wanted. Noctis did truly appreciate them and he could not ask for better friends, but these days they have both become so obsessed with their duties, Noctis honestly feels like they have started to become different people. The world and their mission was changing around them at a rapid rate, he had hoped that his friends would remain the same. However, Prompto was one of the first kids Noctis met who never treated him like a Prince. To Prompto, Noctis was just another kid at school and person to make friends with as a new student.

So as the two of them looked out the windows, they simply enjoyed their time together. Though Noctis did have to stop Prompto from flirting with half the girls on the airship. He was even wearing his 'coolest outfit' in a black vest over a red tank top and gray acid washed jeans. However, Prompto's face suddenly went wide eyed as he looked over Noctis's shoulder. Before Noctis could turn around to look at what had Prompto looking like he saw Cindy Aurum for the first time, he felt something tap on his shoulder.

Noctis turned and was confronted with the visage of a well endowed blonde whose entire air screamed confidence. She was attractive and she had no disillusion about that, but Noctis's attention was quickly transferred to the figure that was attempting to pull the blonde's arm.

"Ruby?" Noctis asked, surprised.

The blonde's expression changed from confident to surprised. She turned back to Ruby who had suddenly stopped pulling. "Wait," the blonde said, "Ruby, you already know him?"

"Noct, is that the girl you got arr-" Prompto started before Noctis jammed his hand into his mouth. Prompto leaned back, with the message received. "The one you helped stop a robbery?"

"Nice save, Prompto," Noctis deadpanned.

Ruby said, "Remember when Dad had to come pick me up in Vale the other day? Noct was one of the two who was there, Yang. I don't know who the blonde guy is though."

"Dad?" Noctis asked, turning back. "This is your sister?" Noctis asked, pointing at Yang. It was little wonder now that he thought about it. Taiyang and Yang were practically identical when it came to their color palettes and they similarly looked nothing like Ruby.

"Oh, you've already met her father?" Prompto said with a cheesy grin. "Well in that case, step aside, Noctis." Prompto slipped around Noctis and stood in front of Yang. "Howdy, name's Prompto Quicksilver. Could I get your name, beautiful?"

Yang leaned and placed a hand on her hip. She looked Prompto up and down and gave a small hum of contemplation before she said, "You know, I'm used to getting hit on. I've been called cute, sweetheart, and hot. But I think this is the first time a guy has used beautiful. Points in your favor, but I'm gonna have to deduct some points for hitting on me in the first place. So, plus one point for you, Bird-Hair."

Prompto laughed and said, "That's fair, I'll take one point. Hear that Noct? Still one point ahead."

"Good for you man. You went from zero to one. Only took you sixteen years," Noctis joked, which got Prompto to stick out his tongue at him. "How have you been, Ruby?"

"Just getting ready for school, Noct," Ruby replied with a nervous smile as Yang watched the two of them talk with intense interest.

Yang suddenly laughed and teased, "You are already on a nickname basis with him, too?" Ruby's cheeks flared up and threatened to match the color of her cape. Before anyone could continue, a holoscreen on the side of the airship had begun playing footage about a familiar orange haired rogue.

"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa," the newscaster said.

The screen changed to the face of a rather unenthused looking woman, with the name tag of Lisa Lavender, behind her was an image of animal eared, faunus mid demonstration with signs saying "WE ARE NOT ANIMALS!" The shot soon changed to a red growling animal with three scratch marks.

"Thank you, Cyril. In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. The once peaceful organization has now disrupted…" Lisa Lavender said before she was replaced by the blonde woman from the police station. Noctis and Ruby both groaned.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon," the woman's image said.

Yang looked from the screen to her sister and Noctis and said, "Who's that?"

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch," Glynda explained. "You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

As Glynda's form disappeared, the conversation was about to begin again when all of the students suddenly rushed towards a viewing window to look at the prestigious Beacon Academy. For many, this was a long awaited image for them, seeing the school as their destination for the most important leg of their lives so far. For Noctis and Prompto however, it was simply the first step to a much larger destiny.

The moment would have lasted had a young blonde man in a hoodie and a breastplate not began covering his mouth and turning green in the face. He desperately searched for a trashcan.

"Well, it was a nice moment while it lasted," Yang commented.

Prompto nodded and said, "If I get the angle just right, nobody has to know he was here." Prompto said as he took out his camera and began rapidly clicking through settings on the device. "Who wants in?"

Noctis stood behind Prompto and in front of the view. Yang hopped in right behind Prompto with two fingers in a peace sign sticking over his shoulder. Ruby side-step shimmied into frame with a shy stance. Noctis decided to pose as well with a hand on his hip and a slight lean in that direction, it screamed laidback cool, and the shutter snapped.

"I'll get you two a copy after initiation," Prompto said with a big goofy grin. The airship began to descend to the landing port as the four of them suddenly heard the sounds of retching.

Meanwhile…

"Do you think those two are keeping out of trouble?" Gladiolus asked his spectacled friend. He was wearing his black tank top again with his white jeans.

"It is Prompto and Noct, of course they are getting into trouble," Ignis replied without looking away from his information brochure about the school. He was clad in a grey button-down shirt, white suspenders, and black pants. After a while, he looked up and continued, "It is why we enjoy their company, why we formed our Brotherhood."

"It is duty," Gladiolus replied vaguely.

"Oh," Ignis remarked idly. "Tell me, if you found Noct completely unbearable, would you feel so compelled? If Prompto didn't bring such a refreshing brand of energy to our escapades would you have wanted him to accompany us on this journey?"

Gladiolus was quiet for a moment, before he replied, "Wouldn't matter."

"A bold lie, but one I can respect," Ignis taunted without looking at his large friend. His attention was instead pulled by a brightly dressed girl nearby, who appeared to have an entire bellhop's worth of luggage with her. He made a small note of the symbol on her containers and went back to his brochure. Why was he familiar with it?

"What's that supposed to mean, Specs?" Gladiolus asked with a gruff tone.

Ignis snickered as he put his brochure back down. "Gladio, look at how quick you are to anger. If Noct were a useless, whiny kid, you absolutely would have stopped trying, especially when you would eventually learn that you're not allowed to smack any sense into such a person because of their status. There is nothing wrong with that, it comes from the fact you are a great judge of character and protector," Ignis replied as he turned his logic into a compliment.

"Alright, you might be a little correct," Gladiolus finally admitted. "But even if I didn't try my best, I would still honor my father by following his example. Even if that meant whipping my ward into shape."

Ignis nodded as he finally said, "Gladio, you are a true model for us all. Now why don't you go and socialize with some of our future classmates?"

"Why not you?" Gladio asked.

Ignis gestured with his brochure and said, "Because I have this and you don't. So I am going to continue my… reconnaissance and you are going to learn about the people."

Gladiolus grunted and decided to look around. The first thing that caught his attention was the very familiar visage of Pyrrha Nikos. She had a long red ponytail, a gladiatorial leather corset with a red sash and metal armor pieces strategically around her body. He had been looking forward to meeting her since she would likely be the most capable fighter in this school. Gladiolus wanted to test himself against all the best warriors in the school and push his limits.

He walked over to her and cleared his throat to get her attention. She turned and Gladio was surprised by how her green eyes shone brighter than any broadcast or box of Pumpkin Pete's had ever prepared him for. He caught himself before things got awkward and he said, "Pardon me, but you are Pyrrha Nikos right?"

For the briefest moment, he saw her expression falter before she smiled and replied, "Guilty as charged." It sounded forced and rehearsed.

"Don't feel guilty for being you," Gladiolus replied seriously. This got him a slight surprised look. "Look, I'm not going to pretend like I know what you're going through. But you should feel comfortable in your skin, y'know? I honestly just wanted to come up and tell you that I look forward to attending school with you."

Pyrrha smiled a more genuine smile and replied, "Well thank you for the well wishes. May I ask your name?"

"Gladiolus," he replied. "Gladiolus Asparagales."

"Nice to meet you Gladiolus. My apologies for my initial reaction. I thought you were a fan coming to ask for my autograph and just otherwise not treat me like a person," Pyrrha said, lowering to a whisper by the end.

Gladiolus was suddenly concerned about her with that comment. He turned and leaned against the railing and quietly asked, "They make you feel inhuman?"

Pyrrha nodded and was about to answer when they were suddenly interrupted by a feed of a familiar blonde woman.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon," the woman in the feed said.

Gladiolus sighed and said, "Oh, her."

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world," the feed said until it ended.

"Have you met Ms. Goodwitch?" Pyrrha asked.

Gladiolus nodded and said, "The night I arrived with my friends. It was a strange night. Anyway, I'll leave you be. If you ever need someone to treat you normally, let me know."

Pyrrha nodded with a small smile. "I will," she said and she watched him walk away.

As Gladiolus made his way back to Ignis, his thoughts lingered on the previous conversation. Pyrrha often felt inhuman because of her status. He could not even begin pretending he knew what that was like. He'd keep an eye out for her. When he arrived, Ignis looked up and set the brochure down.

"So, learn anything of interest?" Ignis asked.

Gladio shrugged and said, "Looks like Pyrrha Nikos is going to be in our grade."

"Ah, I had heard the 'Invincible Girl' had received an invitation and scholarship to attend Vale. I believe it was on the back of her most recent victory in the Mistral Region Tournament. Fourth year in a row. A new record as I recall," Ignis replied. "This will be useful knowledge, a star athlete like that is bound to receive lots of attention. Keep the attention off of us."

Gladiolus frowned a bit and said, "Don't you think it's a little heartless to immediately think of her as a means to an end, Iggy?"

Ignis looked over the rim of his glasses and said, "And I suppose you found her and didn't immediately think that she would be a good way to test your limits?" Gladiolus faltered for a moment. "Exactly. We are people, we are constantly weighing the world around us by value. You are not a bad person for wanting to fight the best. I am not a bad person for not wanting to be perceived as the best. Pyrrha is not a bad person for being the best. But we must also be pragmatic. Nothing can keep us from our goal."

"Why do you always have to be right?" Gladiolus asked.

Ignis simply shrugged as he stood up, "It is my job. We will be arriving soon. We should reunite with the other two."

Both airships landed at the air dock for the school and students filed off. Gladio and Ignis immediately spotted Noctis and Prompto. The two of them seemed to be saying farewell to two students they had met on their own airship.

"Did you really need to run ahead to the airship before ours?" Gladiolus asked roughly.

Prompto looked over at him and with a cheeky grin, replied, "Well let's see. Two of us went off and made some friends. And two of us are just as alone as when they got on the airship. So I mean, I think we did. By the way, I've got one point with blondie."

"Zero to one point in sixteen years?" Ignis and Gladiolus asked together.

"Why did you all say that…?" Prompto mumbled as he kicked the ground a couple times.

Noctis held back a chuckle before he finally said, "Should we head to the auditorium? Probably going to be a speech or something." The others agreed and the four of them headed towards the auditorium lugging their bags with them. They were first instructed to drop off their bags at the nearby ballroom before heading over to the auditorium. The four of them kept to the back of the room as they were now surrounded by more people than they have ever seen in one place before. Noctis caught sight of Ruby entering some time later alongside the boy who had vomited near the end of the flight.

Ignis was immediately drawn to the familiar girl from aboard his own airship. Her hair and attire were bright enough to catch anyone's attention. However, Ignis finally remembered why the symbol on her luggage had tickled his mind. If she was a Schnee, then he would have to deduce that she was Weiss. Too young to be the Atlesian Specialist Winter Schnee, female biology would eliminate the youngest, Whitley Schnee. She would likely be a competent fighter. However her maturity was certainly in question as she was verbally assaulting the girl in the red cape. With Gladiolus and Noctis recounting the events from the other night, that was clearly Ruby Rose. His eyes landed on Pyrrha Nikos for a brief moment before he moved on. Though he had consoled Gladiolus earlier, he would never admit that Gladiolus had made him feel guilty for simply ascribing a value to her. With a final look around he identified a Winchester and an Arc. The sellsword and the knight, he surmised, would likely find themselves at odds with each other.

Prompto seemed to begin getting antsy when two figures took the stage and he let go a deep sigh. He pulled out his camera and snapped a quick shot of the stage where the man described to him as Professor Ozpin and the woman from the airship message, Glynda Goodwitch.

"I'll keep this brief," Ozpin began. "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

The hall was quiet as Ozpin walked away from the microphone. Glynda walked over to the microphone and addressed the new students. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

"What kind of speech was that?" Prompto asked as the students began talking.

Gladiolus shrugged as he said, "You gotta be kidding me. This is the guy we came here to meet?"

"I like him," Ignis commented. "A man of knowledge and the application of knowledge. I feel like he would be fascinating to sit down and speak with. The way you two described him I thought he would be a lot more flippant."

"He was practically a different person up there, Iggy. It's almost like that wasn't the man we met at the station," Noctis said. The student body began evacuating the auditorium and began heading out to the ballroom. It was in fact being treated as co-ed, but the chaperones for the night made it very clear that this was just a matter of convenience. Whatever reason that may be, it would be revealed the following day when initiation continued. In the meantime, people began staking out their own areas and disappearing to bathrooms to change for the night.

Gladiolus, like many, returned to the ballroom shirtless with his tattoos on full display and earned himself a large number of stares from both those curious about the designs and those for other reasons. Noctis followed shortly after wearing black cotton pajama bottoms and a button down top that was left undone. Ignis wore a simple white t-shirt and dark sweats. Prompto finally came out with a different tank top and shorts.

"Hey! Gladiolus, come here!" a female voice called out. Looking over, the four boys could see Yang waving them over. "C'mon, I don't bite!" He sighed and walked over towards her. When he got there, he saw Ruby behind her. "I just wanted to thank you for helping my little sis. Met Noctis on the airship, so I wanted to meet you. And can I just say... you are tall."

"I am," Gladiolus replied. "And you are...?"

"Five foot eight," Yang replied. Gladiolus paused for a brief moment and then just looked at her with squinted eyes and a slightly furrowed brow. "Oh, I'm Yang Xiao Long."

"Ah, Xiao Long," Gladiolus said, nodding. "You look a lot like your father."

"So I keep hearing," Yang replied. "How tall are you, you are towering over a lot of people in this room so I have to know."

"Six foot six. Why?" Gladiolus asked.

Yang whistled and said, "Yeah you look six-six. So Ruby tells me you smacked a bullet out of the air with a shield. Where did you learn to do that?"

"My father," Gladiolus replied. He was now being more friendly now that the strange attempts to flirt with him appeared to have passed. "Were you taught to fight with a scythe as well?"

"No, that is my uncle and Ruby's thing. I have gauntlets. Ember Celica. Maybe I'll show them to you," Yang said casually. She decided to lay off the flirty tone since it seemed like the giant in front of her was not biting. Maybe he was taken, maybe he was simply not interested, but clearly he did not want her to keep going.

Gladiolus nodded and replied, "Well this is a combat school, you'll get to show them off soon. And if you're as good as your confidence is claiming, then well, I guess I'll have to test my limits against you too."

"You're on Gladio!" Yang said, slamming her fists together with not even a flinch. He smirked.

The two separated and despite some arguing going on over on the girls side of the ballroom, the four friends set up their sleeping area, closed their eyes and rested for whatever their initiation would entail the following day.

The following morning was a blur of students socializing, breakfast, and everyone adorning their combat gear and preparing for initiation. The four boys kept to themselves and went through their preparations and morning rituals. Today was initiation, they were going to be on the top of their game. Soon they were all led to a cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest and everyone was instructed to stand upon a small stone slab. The four friends found themselves standing side by side just before the sisters most of them had managed to befriend. Soon they were joined by Ozpin with a small mug in his hand.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest," Ozpin said ceremoniously.

Glynda interjected with, "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of "teams." Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… today."

Undeterred, Ozpin said, "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Noctis then heard Ruby's shock as she cried out, "What?!" She sounded like her world had just fallen apart.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die," Ozpin said, oblivious to the interruptions and responses to his words. "You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

"Uh, yeah, sir?" Jaune started with a raised hand.

"Good everyone, take your positions," Ozpin said as he looked down the line of students. The sudden activation of machinery caught everyone's attention, with the exception of Jaune, and the first platform suddenly catapulted the first student over the treetops.

"Sir, I still have a question," Jaune continued. "So, this landing... strategy thing... Uh, what is it? You're, like, dropping us off or something?"

Ozpin, still watching the platforms go off, replied, "No you will be falling."

Jaune continued and even Gladiolus was beginning to feel bad for the kid, though he would not have time to show it as his turn was coming up. Noctis suddenly said, "Hey Gladio! Get this giant thing out of my storage would you?" The blue light weapons returned and soon manifesting in his hand was a larger than reasonable, squared off blade that Noctis tossed over to his larger friend. Gladio caught it, gave a small smile and was then sent flying.

"Also you too, Iggy," Noct continued as a small dagger manifested. He tossed it through the air to Ignis who caught it, activated a mechanism and it extended out into a spear, he was soon launched after.

"Man, I am so glad my guns are tiny, you have nothing to store for me," Prompto joked as Noctis struck a ready pose.

"Catch you on the far side, buddy," Noctis said and soon went flying as his platform launched him over the forest.

Prompto overheard Jaune begin to ask, "So, what exactly-" before Prompto was launched off over the forest. He took out his camera as he flew and rotated over to catch a snapshot of Jaune flying through the air, haphazardly and then a quick midair selfie before righting himself to get ready for his landing. Prompto flipped over again and pointed his feet towards his destination. Prompto wielded his gun and pointed it straight ahead and pulled the trigger as quickly as he could. He slowed to a manageable speed at the top of a tree and broke through a top branch and caught one behind it as he swung across to another tree. Using each contact to further slow himself, Prompto eventually rolled across the ground at the bottom of the fourth tree. As he looked up at the canopy above him. Footsteps approached him soon after and Prompto found himself staring up at the glasses of Ignis.

"Nice landing there, Prompto," Ignis complimented.

Prompto smiled and said, "Thanks Specs. But how did you get to me so fast?"

"Secrets for another time, I assure you," Ignis said with a mischievous grin. Prompto knew what that answer ment, he learnt something he was waiting to reveal for a more dramatically appropriate time. Ignis lifted Prompto up onto his feet. "Shall we go?"

"Alright, let's do this," Prompto cheered. After a brief moment he paused and asked, "Also, Iggy… what the heck's a 'landing strategy' anyway?"

Meanwhile, back in the air, Gladiolus spun in mid air and the sheer heft of his blade began warping his momentum. After he got up to a decent momentum, he hurled the sword towards the tree tops and felt himself slow considerably. Extending his shield, Gladiolus smashed into a tree and it impacted heavily while just barely preventing him from completely passing through the thick trunk of the tree. The top of the tree however, crashed down beside him and he looked up to see his sword laying across the area where it had so completely embedded itself into the tree that it caused the tree to collapse under its own weight. He yanked his shield from the tree's trunk and climbed up to his sword. A brief hum of energy later, Gladiolus looked over at the tree next to him and saw Noctis standing on a high branch with his sword in hand and an amused smirk on his face.

"Did you really need to completely destroy the tree, Gladio?" Noctis asked.

Gladiolus rolled his eyes and gave a snort. Then he said, "We can't all teleport to a location like you can, Noct. Some of us have to work to control our momentum."

"Fair enough," Noctis replied. "So we're heading north right?"

"Yeah, let's go."

As the two hopped down to the ground below them, Noctis suddenly had a thought. "Hey Gladio," Noct asked. "Why did Ozpin just catapult teenagers off of a cliff?"

Ignis and Prompto made their way through the Emerald Forest. They passed around bushes and could hear the sounds of combat all around them. They were a united front, there was no reason for them to feel concerned. The occasional Grimm would approach and be dispatched just as quickly. Eventually, the two of them found themselves in a clearing with a small set of ruins filled with pedestals. Upon each pedestal was a chess piece. The two of them look at the scene and suddenly Ignis snapped his fingers.

"That's it!" Ignis declared.

Prompto jumped and asked, "W-w-what's it?"

"I've figured out Ozpin's game," Ignis replied with a confident grin. Prompto looked around and then back at Ignis. "They are chess pieces in both black and white varieties. With the exception of some of the pieces missing, they are partnered up with a mirroring piece. Two white knights, two black bishops, and so forth. There is even a single king for each side."

"Why is there only one King of each color?" Prompto asked with a slightly confused look.

Ignis sniffed before he replied, "Ozpin is a traditionalist, in Chess there are only two kings on the board. One white and one black."

"So he has a full chess board out here, what of it?" Prompto asked with a shrug.

"Do you remember what we learned at the top of the cliff?" Ignis asked patiently.

Prompto thought for a moment and then said, "We'd be partnered with the first person we made eye contact with and that we would be put into teams of… four. Oh! Which would be two sets of partners! So each piece has a matching piece and therefore, a team of four."

"Very good," Ignis congratulated. "With that being said. We should take one of the kings. Gladiolus will be sure to grab the other one when they arrive. He will never miss a chance to remind Noctis of his destiny."

"What makes you so certain that those two got partnered up?" Prompto asked.

Ignis took off his glasses to wipe one of the lenses when he replied, "Gladio would have practically aimed for it."

Prompto walked over to the white king and squatted down next to it and took a selfie. He then grabbed it and said, "So now we head back to the cliff, right?"

"Correct," Ignis replied. Suddenly, they heard the sounds of conflict nearby. Looking around, they saw a giant Nevermore suddenly take off from the forest. A small speck of red and white seemed to be hanging off of its side.

"Well," Prompto commented. "That's something you don't see everyday."

"Should we help them?" Ignis asked.

Prompto thought for a moment, drew his gun, and replied, "Let's do it."

Gladiolus and Noctis had just finished fighting with the twelfth group of Grimm before Gladiolus audibly growled and said, "What the hell is up with this forest?"

"Well since you've been so negative since we left your tree, they probably just really want to get you," Noctis commented as he wiped the sweat from his brow. One of his eyes closed as he caught his breath. The duo stared at each other for a brief moment before Gladiolus finally let out a short laugh.

"Fair enough," Gladiolus replied. "Let's put some extra pep in our step and get outta here."

The two of them made their way through the forest and soon they heard a loud feminine scream. They paused and Noctis finally turned in the direction of its origin and started running. Gladiolus paused for a moment to smirk. Going out of your way to help someone in need was a kingly thing to do and Gladiolus felt a small spark of pride. He then chased after his friend. The two of them dashed in between rocks and boulders, dodged branches and eventually found themselves face-to-face with a large Death Stalker, chasing Pyrrha, and had Jaune hanging from the stinger.

"Well…" Noctis said as he trailed off.

"Not something you see everyday?" Gladiolus finished.

Noctis wound back his arm with his sword in hand and launched it forward at the Death Stalker, shortly after Noctis's body followed in a small flash of blue, catching the sword and landing on the back of the grimm. Gladiolus chased after him.

"Jaune, you gotta let go, if it swings its tail around, you're gonna get launched!" Noctis called up to the blond boy above him. Jaune nodded and attempted to gather the courage to let go when the Death Stalker suddenly whipped its tail, sparking panic and making him chicken out.

Pyrrha turned around when she heard an unfamiliar voice and saw Noctis riding the Grimm and trying to pierce its thick plates. Soon after, a more familiar long haired teen came bowling through the area with his shield ahead of him and slammed into the side of the creature knocking it slightly to the side. This caused Jaune to fall off the stinger onto the Death Stalker's back.

"Gladiolus?" Pyrrha asked aloud before she drew her weapon and fired shots at the enemy. She was impressed by his strength. It was clear to her that he would have been physically impressive from the moment she met him on the airship, but the spectacle was even beyond her expectations. The Death Stalker began charging as it was now overwhelmed and Pyrrha ran as the creature came after her.

"Wait! Noct!" Gladiolus called out as he chased after them.

Prompto looked up as he continued tracking the dark mass in the sky. The Nevermore was probably the biggest he had ever seen before. Ignis had better be ready soon because this bird was starting to lose him. Prompto continued running, leaping over an exposed root and then he slid down a small hill. He jumped away at the bottom and swung from a low branch.

"C'mon Iggy," Prompto huffed as he ran.

Ignis suddenly leapt up from a nearby tree and shouted, "Prompto, now!"

Prompto concentrated his aura into his weapon. A beam of light began to emanate from the end of the silver gun and he pulled the trigger. The bullet flew towards Ignis and shone like a shooting star. Ignis spun his spear and deflected it with a powerful swing towards the sky. The shining light flew towards the Nevermore and it became clear that something changed for the Grimm immediately. The bird began to wobble and then careened towards the ground.

Ignis spun the spear and created just enough lift to slow his decent int time to land on a high tree. He heaved a relieved sigh and then took off towards the bird. Prompto followed, admittedly, slower than when the day began. They found themselves headed back to the clearing where they found their relic. The specks that they identified on the Nevermore turned out to be Ruby and Weiss. Ignis almost felt sorry for Ruby. The Nevermore stumbled about as it tried to get its legs beneath itself.

"See Weiss, I told you everything would be fine," Ruby said with a bright smile.

"Don't talk to me," Weiss commanded dismissively.

"Man, Noct and Gladio weren't lying when they said Ruby knew how to party, huh Ignis?" Prompto said as he finally caught his breath.

Ignis nodded and said, "She truly is one-of-a-kind. Greetings ladies." Ignis clenched his fist, placed it against his chest and gave a small bow. "Ignis and Prompto at your service."

Weiss looked over and seemed to approve of Ignis's formal attitude and presence. Ruby gave a shy wave. Before the conversation could continue, the Nevermore began to stabilize. Ignis grabbed his dagger and let it extend into a spear. Prompto gripped his gun and pointed it at the bird. Ruby and Weiss spun back towards the Grimm and prepared to charge.

Before anyone could charge, everyone present heard a voice nearby say, "Think this is it?"

Suddenly, a yellow blur flew forward and slammed the Nevermore in the face and rendered it disoriented again. The form of Yang landed down next to the bird and then ran over to her sister and embraced her. Before anyone could address what just happened, a Death Stalker ran through some trees pursuing Pyrrha, with Noctis and Jaune riding it. A moment later, Gladiolus came through the opening left in the Grimm's wake. Before anyone could address that, a nearby explosion caught the group's attention where an orange-haired girl rode an Ursa, a bear-like Grimm, like it was a day at the rodeo.

"Aw, it's broken," the girl said.

"Nora," asked a raven haired boy with a pink streak in his hair in a green robe. "Please… don't ever do that again."

As this group got larger, and the scene more chaotic, the two Grimm found themselves now a bit overwhelmed. Both began making attempts to escape the hordes of students. They would need to regroup. The Death Stalker shook Noctis and Jaune off as it scurried back into the forest. The Nevermore hopped away from the group and managed to finally get her wings spread and into the air, giving out a piercing screech.

Noctis rolled back onto his feet and watched as the Death Stalker ran away. He knew it would be back if they did not hurry. He turned to see Gladiolus finally catching up as he offered Jaune a hand off the ground.

"We need to keep going," Noctis said, maintaining his calm. "Those two Grimm aren't done with us."

Behind him he suddenly heard a girl singing, "I'm queen of the castle!" He turned to see the girl dancing around with a Rook on her head. Noctis and Gladio made their way over to the relics and without any kind of consultation, Gladio grabbed the black King and tossed it to Noct. This earned him a look that could only be described as 'Oh, really?'

"Run and live," Jaune said as he followed the two of them over. "That's a plan I can get behind."

"Let's get back to the cliff," Ruby said as he started to direct people away from the relics. Every duon made sure to grab their own piece and soon they were all headed off towards the south. The follow-up screech got Prompto to look over his shoulder and see the giant bird in pursuit. He thought it was strange that it was so confidently charging the group, until he looked down and saw the large pack of Beowolves running in its shadow.

"Guy's we got company," he warned.

The rumbling of large legs announced the Death Stalker as it tried to sideswipe the teens. The brief moment of chaos that followed as everyone scattered. Prompto dove back away from the Death Stalker and he fired his gun back at the horde of Beowolves.

"Prompto, have you recharged Starshell?" Ignis called out.

"Starshell?" Weiss asked.

Prompto nodded and said, "My semblance is ready to go. This group of Beowolves are goin' down."

"Prompto, fire Starshell on them, Gladiolus, you and Ignis cover the others getting out of here. I'll distract the Death Stalker," Noctis started doling out jobs to his teammates. His friends all nodded as they set out to do their work. Prompto's gun shined a beam of light out of the end like a flashlight and he pointed it at the pack of Beowolves in front of him.

"Have fun, guys," Prompto said with a smirk. As he pulled the trigger, the nearby Death Stalker flinched as the bright bullet flew down the field and scattered the Beowolves. Noctis used this moment to leap on top of the scorpion Grimm and it began to attempt to throw him off. He let his sword disappear and it was soon replaced by a spear that he embedded into the body of his ride.

Gladio and Ignis charged after the shining bullet towards the large pack of Beowolves, weapons drawn. The disorienting nature of Prompto's attack made them easy pickings for the two teens.

The other teens made use of this distraction to begin running for the nearby ruins and as they ran over the bridge, the Nevermore crashed into the structure, scattering rubble and students everywhere. Noctis was eventually thrown off the back of his quarry as it chased after the now schismed group of teens in the ruins. He looked back and saw that the pack of Beowolves had been larger than any of them had been expecting because Gladiolus and Ignis were now retreating back and Prompto was providing them with covering fire.

"You guys better be careful," he called out towards the ruins before he took off towards his friends. His spear disappeared into blue light and was replaced by a giant four point, shuriken weapon. He threw the weapon forward and the vibrations made it sing as it flew through the air. The blades slice clean through multiple enemies. The weapon's trajectory gently curved and came back to his hand in a wide arc. It disappeared as he was now wielding a set of dual blades.

The four of them together made quick work of the remaining Beowolves and as they caught their breaths, they turned towards the other teens to find an interesting sight. The one named Nora fell from the sky and slammed her hammer onto the stinger, impaling the Death Stalker through the head. This sight was shortly followed by Ruby Rose being slingshot at the Nevermore and dragged up the side of the cliff face.

The four friends were quiet for a moment before Prompto suddenly said, "Man, wish I got a shot of that."

"That was rather impressive," Ignis commented. "We have some interesting classmates."

The ceremony for announcing the teams was progressing exactly as Ignis had theorized. Each piece corresponded with a partner piece and created a team of four from the partners made after they landed in the forest. As the newly named Team CRDL (Cardinal) walked off the stage with ovations from the faculty and older students, Ozpin began calling up the next team.

"Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR (Juniper)," Ozpin announced. The screen above the stage, filled with the portraits of the named students. Nora gave Ren a hug on stage. "Led by... Jaune Arc!"

"Really?" Gladiolus asked. "I woulda thought the job would have gone to Pyrrha."

"The best leader is not always the best fighter," Ignis replied simply.

The audience got a chuckle out of Jaune falling over when Pyrrha punched his arm. The team soon vacated the stage during a final clap, the next four portraits started to fill the screen. Noctis simply smiled.

"Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by... Ruby Rose!" Ozpin announced. Weiss was shocked, Ruby surprised, Yang gave her a big hug.

"Oh dear," Ignis commented. "I think the heiress may not take that so well."

"You got that right," Noctis commented. He had heard some of the interactions between Weiss and Ruby. Those two did not get along, though that was not without any effort on Ruby's part.

"Guy's it's our turn," Prompto said with an excited jump. Their portraits began to show up and the four of them made their way up onto stage.

Ozpin looked at the four of them, nodded and then said, "Noctis Starlight, Gladiolus Asparagales, Ignis Scripture, and Prompto Quicksilver. You fetched the black and white king pieces. From this day forward you will be known as Team NPSA (Anopsia). Your team will be led by Noctis Starlight."

The crowd applauded them. The four of them all placed their clenched fist to their chest and did a short bow. For some, this gesture was interesting, clearly this group had known each other from before their time here at Beacon. And where there was camaraderie like that, there was usually training.