Chapter 4

"INCOMING!" the voice of Zecromac sang as the two collided with the ground of the emerald forest, with Jaune standing up instantly with a shrug of his coat as he stepped out of the crater his body made.

Looking at his surroundings he saw Zecromac appear while having his left index finger in the air, shaking it he pointed to his right.

"North is that way" Zecromac said with Jaune nodding, about to make his way Jaune had to look up to see Pyrrah smashing through trees before flipping onto a tree, aiming her rifle she looked at her surroundings before dropping to the ground, somehow landing beside Jaune, making her flinch at his sudden presence.

"Hi" Jaune said with a grin that made the girl before him blush.

"Well, I guess we're partners now" Pyrrah said with Zecromac appearing beside Pyrrah with his arm around her shoulders.

"Well, let's get going shall we?' Pyrrah questioned with Jaune nodding as he began towards the way Zecromac pointed to, confusing Pyrrah as she followed.

"May I ask how you summoned your weapon?" Pyrrah questioned as Jaune turned to give her an answer before the two heard growls around them, with Zecromac appearing with a stance for fisticuffs.

Making Jaune and Pyrrah move back to back with Jaune bringing his chainsaw to battle.

Revving it defiantly with a serious expression as Zecromac began moving excitedly as he laughed hysterically, making Jaune look to his tenant in confusion until his eyes glowed with Jaune grinning at the sight of Beowulf growling at them.

"Jaune, I suggest we retreat for now… Jaune?" Pyrrah said before feeling him rush at the Grimm with his chainsaw held in the air with a laugh.

"Go, my friend, show them no mercy!" Zecromac cheered with Jaune bringing his weapon out as a pair of jaws snapped at him, only to let out a yelp of pain as the head was sawn off with no mercy, making Pyrrah watch as Jaune caught the clawed hand aimed for him, showing his grin of no mercy as he forced the Grimms mouth open and show the saw down its throat, making the Grimm die a horrible death as he turned to Pyrrah and threw his chainsaw, making Pyrrah's eyes widen in horror until she saw the chainsaw fly past her, turning she saw the weapon saw into the Ursa's chest, making it roar in agony before Jaune grabbed his saw and revved it violently.

"COME ON AND SHOW ME THAT VICIOUS SIDE YOU GRIMM ALWAYS HAVE!" Jaune roared as he ripped up the Grimm's chest, leaving Pyrrah and Zecromac watching.

"Uh, Jaune, too much" Zecromac said with the blonde turning to them with Pyrrah stepping back with Jaune looking to the fading corpse before ripping his saw out to scratch his head sheepishly.

"Uh, sorry" Jaune said with a bright smile, even though he nearly went berserk in front of his new partner, making Zecromac slowly clap, before all three took notice of the Grimm's absence, looking around, Pyrrah spoke shakily.

"I-it seems you scared them off, Jaune" Pyrrah said with the three standing awkwardly before hearing gunshots in the background.

"Well, let's go find those relics then" Jaune said with a cheerful expression, making Pyrrah follow him in silence, looking up with a frown at seeing a Nevermore fly up into the air, shrugging it off the duo began their trek to the ruins, with Pyrrah glancing at Jaune every five minutes during the walk.

It was when they found themselves in a small clearing did Jaune stop and crouch down, making Pyrrah follow his example, crouching low beside Jaune the two looked to the clearing to see two Beowulf alpha's challenging two Ursa Majors.

Watching the four intently the two huntsmen/huntress in training moved to the right, watching the four Grimm fight for the territory.

Running away from the clearing Jaune turned with the chainsaw replaced by a three-barrelled minigun.

Firing at the Grimm they were left as pieces with Pyrrah turning around in deadpan as the minigun dispelled.

"Why didn't you do that in the beginning?" Pyrrah questioned with Jaune shrugging before he walked past her.

Walking for a few minutes before seeing the ruins ahead up a mound.

"Well, we found the ruins," Jaune said with a shrug as they ran towards it, walking into the stone ruins, Jaune saw the relics to be chess pieces.

"Huh?" Jaune said as he picked up a white Rook piece, turning to Pyrrah he tossed it to her, catching it without effort, Pyrrah frowned.

"Wanna wait for anyone else?" Jaune questioned with the girl nodding.

"It is safer to travel in numbers." Pyrrah said with Jaune nodding, finding somewhere to sit he looked up to see Zecromac patting a spot in shade and a vantage point.

"Hey Pyrrah, up there" Jaune said with the red head turning to him to see the vantage point above the ruins, smiling the two went to it with Jaune helping his partner up, he let her get up to position while Zecromac appeared with his hand stretched down to his host, who jumped up and caught the hand before he grabbed the ledge, just as Pyrrah turned around to help him up.

"Thanks" Jaune said with the two unknowingly nodding at the same time with Zecromac vanishing back to his mind, sitting down in wait, Jaune looked to Pyrrah before nudging her side, making her yelp with the blonde trying not to laugh, getting himself a small hit on the shoulder as Pyrrah pouted, before the two perked up at hearing close gun shots.

With Jaune recognizing the shots to be shotguns, with Jaune scanning the forest edge before seeing a blonde and a black haired girl, making Jaune frown as Zecromac appeared beside him with a frown.

"Well, two hot chicks, one you"

'Shut up Zeke'

The following laugh made Jaune inwardly groan before waving to the two arrivals.

"Hey!" Jaune called out to them with the blonde waving back to him as they approached, with Jaune dropping down to greet them with Pyrrah.

"Hey, your Jaune, right?" the blonde questioned with the discolored eyed teen nodding, making the brawler smile as she stepped aside for Emerald to tackle Jaune into a hug, making the two laugh at being reunited.

With Pyrrah smiling as the two separated.

"Emerald, I thought you would've found a partner by now" Jaune said as Zecromac appeared between the two as the other two went to get a relic.

"I would've… if I hadn't got stuck in a branch" Emerald said with a nervous laugh that made Jaune hug her instead, making Pyrrah look to the forest edge with a frown at hearing a pained and surprised roar.

Making the two love birds turn in time to see an Ursa tumble out the tree line with pink explosions behind it before falling dead as the orange haired girl from this morning fell on its head.

"Aw, it's broken" sooner joining her was her friend this morning, panting tiredly

"Nora… don't… ever… do that" looking up at not getting a reply he looked around for his friend as an outline of her stood on the Grimm's corpse before seeing him at the relics

"I'm Queen of the castle" the girl sang continuously until the boy yelled.

"NORA!"

"hehe, coming Ren!" the girl said before running to her approaching friend, with Jaune instinctively looking up to see a Nevermore fly with a red and white dot on its side, making the Arc tilt his head in confusion.

"Is that…?"

"It appears so" Jaune said to his tenant who "Huh?" as the two watched the Nevermore fly over them, walking to the blonde brawler Jaune tapped her shoulder and pointed to the Nevermore, with the red dot falling towards them.

"That appears to be your sister" Emerald said with Jaune instantly running forward, looking up Zecromac appeared in the air with a hand extended for Jaune to grab, doing the motion the spirit threw Jaune up towards Ruby as she fell, surprising her as she was held bridal by a smiling Jaune.

"So, how's first class flight been?" Jaune questioned with the girl hiding her face that rivalled her cloak as they descended, landing with a cloud rising from the impact, Jaune walked out with Ruby still in his grasp, with the brawler running to them with worry, looking up Jaune sighed at seeing the white dot falling, letting Ruby run to her sister Zecromac appeared before Jaune with his hands low and clasped together.

"Our hero complex is gonna get us hurt worse one of these days" Zecromac joked happily with Jaune smirking as he put a foot on the hands before shooting upward, startling Wiess as he slowed with her in his arms, also bridal, looking to her he winked with the pale complexed girl blinking in both embarrassment and shock, looking down the heiress held onto Jaune tightly, screaming as the air rushed by her Jaune noticed tree's tumbling towards the clearing, and another moving towards them faster.

'Well, shit we'll need to move' Jaune thought to himself as he landed, running to the others they kept an eye on the Nevermore as Jaune put Weiss on her feet beside Ruby.

"Alright, we need to move, get a relic and get to the ruins" Jaune said with everyone turning to him.

"I saw two Grimm running towards us in the trees, if we move now we'll leave them in confusion." Jaune said with the group nodding, moving to get a relic of what was left, Emerald stayed beside Jaune.

Letting the others return with Ruby leading them to the cliff, stopping to see them running by her.

The Dead rabbits the Freak, The Creep, The Clown

Leaving Zecromac behind as he took a physical state, turning to the Grimm as the Nevermore flew after the others, waiting patiently before a Goliath and Deathstalker crashed through the trees, showing the Goliath to be near ancient with four tusks and spiked trunk.

seeing their only opposition as Zecromac the Grimm charged at the spirit, who grinned widely as his eyes glowed, flicking his wrists his hands were coated with black and silver, his fingers glimmering in the sunlight with black covering the back of his hand like a fingerless glove, his fingers growing nails the spirit waited for the two Grimm to come closer Zecromac shot at the Deathstalker like a bullet, effortlessly breaking the Grimms face, getting a dying scream from the Deathstalker before its fading corpse was slammed into the charging Goliath's face, making it growl in annoyance before running after the students, with Zecromac throwing the Deathstalker corpse away the spirit rushed after the Grimm, trying to tackle its front legs from the Front Zecromac grunted in annoyance as the Grimm slowed down due to the opposition, making it roar before it slammed Zecromac away, making the spirit snarl as he swung around a tree to knock the Grimm to the ground, making it glare at Zecromac as he landed with a skeletal grin before the two rushed at each other, seeing the Goliath's trunk swing down at him, Zecromac side stepped the attack, running up the trunk the spirit leaped into the air with shadows engulfing his elbow as he swung it upward, before letting gravity take hold as he slammed the attack into the Grimm's head, making it grunt in pain as its body followed its head, falling limp with Zecromac tearing his arm out of the face mask of the Grimm he jumped off to get back to the others, letting out a sigh he took a step before but he was sent flying by a surprise attack from the trunk, sending him impaled on a jagged rock, making Zecromac look at himself with a frown of annoyance as his physical state began to give out as the Grimm stood up

"You sneaky fucker" Zecromac said before fading into Jaune's mind, appearing beside the Blonde as they stood at a ruin on a cliff.

"Back news, Goliath is on its way, took a fucking Cheap shot at me" Zecromac said with Jaune nodding at him his hands took on the aspect of Zecromac's now as he watched the four girls taking on the Nevermore that flew over the ruins, with the Bridge still intact mind you, the Nevermore flew into the cliff side due to Emerald concentrating on it while leaning against Jaune for supported.

It was until a roar echoed that the five students on the ground turned to see the Goliath staring at the in fury, still angered by Zecromac it reared back with a roar before charging at them with Zecromac groaning.

"Where's Terragon when you need him" Zecromac Groaned in annoyance as Zecromac looked to Pyrrah, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, the three nodding to him as Emerald fell to her knees in exhaustion, turning to his girlfriend, Jaune kneeled down.

"Find somewhere to hide, we'll deal with dumbo" Jaune said with the girl nodding as she stood up, bringing out her weapons for insurance she fired a focused shot into the Nevermore's eye, making it caw in agony before being dragged up the cliff face by Ruby and Crescent Rose, severing its head at the top the four girls turned to see Jaune and the others facing off against the Goliath as it charged at them, with Jaune stopping its charge with a tackle it grunted as it was pushed back with Ren and Nora firing at it from the sides, making it grunt in anger before using its trunk to throw Jaune back, making Pyrrah duck, looking back she looked to the Goliath with her eyes widening before ducking to the right, flipping onto her feet with Miló in its rifle form and Akoúo̱ on her back in vain she fired at the Grimm's hide, making it roar as Jaune slammed into a stone pillar with a grunt, rolling his shoulders in annoyance as his hands flexed with his fingers elongating into needle-like claws, meant for slashing and stabbing, seeing the Goliath charging at him his eyes widened as the Ruin began to crack and groan due to the extra weight, narrowing his eyes the Arc rushed forward to meet it half way, ducking under the swung trunk the Goliath lifted its right front leg to kick Jaune, who blocked it by stabbing all his fingers that effortlessly broke the skin, making the Grimm roar in pain as Jaune skidded back from the force sending him back, hitting the Pillar once again the Grimm limped at him with speed, making Jaune's eyes widen as the Ruins finally gave out, just as Weiss, the brawler, and Black haired ninja made it to the solid ground with Ruby calling his name.

Looking to the Goliath losing its footing, Jaune took notice to the damaged headpiece, smirking the blonde rushed to the disoriented Goliath, severing its trunk for good measure with Zecromac's suggesting, leaping up the Arc plunged his hands into the Goliath's head making it roar midway before black smoke began to fly up from it.

Looking up Jaune saw what remained of the floor above he leaped up with his claws shrinking to scale the falling floor, jumping up Zecromac appeared with his feet hitting the floor with small impacts, grabbing Jaune's right wrist the spirit threw Jaune up to the cliff, making the Blonde feel G-force around him before he slowed at the cliff, grabbing the ledge with his claws fading away to show his skin he felt the earth fall with his panicking until Pyrrah and Ren grabbed his arm, lifting him up with the help of the Blonde Brawler and Weiss the Arc let out a laugh of relief as his back laid on the ground with Emerald rushing to his side, hugging him in relief as Zecromac appeared within the group, unseen by all but Lie Ren, who blinked at seeing nothing but a shadow among the group before fading away.

Rubbing his eyes he shook his head free of thoughts.

"Well, we won, and I need a nap" Jaune said with a laugh that was joined by the others, with Pyrrah smiling happily with Emerald.

An hour later

Standing on a stage before Ozpin, Jaune Arc stood firmly with his hands behind his back, with Pyrrah beside him in silence.

"Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie. You retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will be together as Team JNPR… led by Jaune Arc, congratulations young man" Ozpin said with Jaune smiling widely, shrugging off the punch Pyrrah gave him with a smile, his though vanished as he heard Emerald called up with ruby and her supposedly future teammates.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and finally Yang Xiao Long, the four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will be together as Team RWBY, led by...Ruby Rose." Ozpin said with the four smiling as Emerald had an uncertain look until Ozpin called her forward.

"Emerald Sustrai, usually if a student is unable to retrieve a relic, they are sent home until the next initiation…" Ozpin said with Jaune and Emerald growing worried with Jaune stepping forward until Zecromac stopped him, making Jaune look to his mentor who had a reassuring gaze, nodding to Ozpin the headmaster continued.

"But… with your skills and expertise, your gift and ingenuity will falter if left untrained, therefore, you may choose a team to remain with until one is available" Ozpin said as he gestured to the teams made, making Emerald turn to see team CRDL trying to lure her in with muscles flexed, RWBY looking at the four idiots with disgust and Jaune having a smile that she mimicked, turning to the Headmaster she spoke.

"I'll work with the one I know, team JNPR, sir" Emerald said with the headmaster nodding

"Very well then, team, if you may" Ozpin said with Jaune approaching Emerald who giggled as the two embraced, with Emerald snatching a kiss from Jaune with team CRDL deflating at the sight, with Jaune sending them a fierce glare, with Ozpin raising an eyebrow as Zecromac stood beside him with his arms cross, the two mentally speaking.

'So, have you heard of Salem's slaves or lackeys?' Zecromac questioned with his gaze turning to Ozpin, who shook his head with a reassuring smile, but Zecromac knew better for his old semi-host to put up the act of headmaster due to some students cheering with claps.

Looking to the spirit Ozpin mentally spoke.

'Qrow has reported me of a new player under her control, two to be exact, the third, however, faced a grueling end thanks to Amber, I'm sorry for our lateness old friend'

'Oh don't worry, I made a bit of adjustment to her recovery, also, you may want to try and wake her up tomorrow, my sister may also arrive on that day' Zecromac said with the two turning forward.

"Seems this year will be interesting"Ozpin said with the spirit nodding in agreement, smiling brotherly to team JNPR speaking to RWBY and Emerald.

Forever fall forest

The deep guttural Groan echoed for miles within the forest and cave, the Creeps running away from an ancient altar of a statue holding a Warhammer upside down, bearing a Viking style armor with the face hidden behind a helmet, shaking with tremendous force the cave rumbled as the Armor grunted deeply as cracks appeared among the stone before the arms began to move for freedom the eyes of the helmets eyes glowed a deep brown with yellow mixed in before the hands tore the hammer off the ground, followed by the statue letting out a guttural groan of tiredness as the hands released the hammer to flex and stretch, looking around the cavern, the statue closed its eyes to feel the exit, grabbing the hammer it made its way to the forest in silence, followed by a snake like creature snaking around its neck like a necklace, looking to the statures face two horns sprouted from the helmets side to curve forward as the statue scratched the dragon serpents head like a pet.

With the alter bearing the name of Terragon, Guardian of strength a justice.