Author's Notes: ...okay, so I finally got back into the groove of things, and with the help of Code-Emperor07 and Otaku-Nation666, I have returned with Black Rebellion, plus just got a RoosterTeeth FIRST membership, so now I can watch Volume 4 Episodes as soon as it's released! Speaking of which...daaamn that opening song! The meaning behind it, and the new characters that have been introduced! I gotta say, with the way things are going, what I had in mind for the events of Volume 4 have changed significantly. On a side note, daaaaamn Ruby! What did you do to Cinder?! She is fucked up HARD! Note to self, when she goes Silver-Eyes Mode, stand the hell back!
Anyway, with that said, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter, even though it's just same old canon stuff leading up to altered events leading up to the climax of Volume 1. Volume 2 is when things start to change, and come Volume 3, expect a battle of wits between Cinder and Rouge! Speaking of which...I have something to ask you guys. Lately, I've been getting questions as to whom Rouge is paired up with. If I may be frank, I have no idea who. If you have suggestions, I am all ears.
Also...someone asked if the Blue Devil is Jeremiah. The answer is NO! That is not Jeremiah. That is an OC created by Code-Emperor07, which you may recognize from our collaborative work, LNCE of Kresnik. He will be apart of Rouge's Team, alongside two other characters from canon. Who they are, I cannot say. That's for me to know, and you to find out~
Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
"What is defeat? Nothing but education. Nothing but the first step to something better." -Wendell Phillips
RWBY: Black Rebellion
Several hours after Initiation had come to an end, all the students that had completed the initiation stood together on a large stage. The rest of the student body gathered in the large auditorium and looked on as Professor Ozpin stood at the front by a microphone as he addressed all in attendance regarding the new hunters' success after watching their exploits on the many large screens around them.
"Russell Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark. You four retreived the black bishop pieces. From this day forward you will be working as team CRDL. Led by, Cardin Winchester." the crowd applauded as the newly appointed team stood proud.
The headmaster turned to the next team as they stood ready. "Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrah Nykos, and Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward you will work together as team JNPR. Led by, Jaune Arc."
Jaune paled when he heard the man, "Huh?...led by?" he asked while the team congratulated him. Ozpin nodded, "Congradulations, young man." Pyrrah punched Jaune in the arm and he toppled over not expecting it.
Smiling lightly at the display, Ozpin turned to face the last batch of students. He noticed how uncomfortable poor Ruby looked, being on the center stage while also being looked at by the audience around them. "And lastly... Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and 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."
To say the girl was shocked was an understatement. Her eyes were wide, her mouth open and speechless. Yang wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders, a smile of joy and pride on her face.
Blake looked indifferent, but she was happy for the girl. Weiss, meanwhile, looked shocked beyond recognition. It was clear that she had expected to be the one to be chosen leader...but that was not what she had anticipated. Ruby, however, was shocked beyond all belief. She...was made leader?
From the stands, Rouge smiled, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. "Nice work, sis," he congratulated silently. "Knew you could do it."
The newly dubbed Team RWBY walked off the stage, allowing Ozpin to make his next announcement. "And now for our remaining student who passed the Initiation...Rouge Rose. Please step forward." The heterochromatic boy pushed himself off the wall, and made his way on the stage. As he did, he passed by Ruby, and gave her a congratulatory smile. The silver-eyed girl blushed heavily, obviously still in shock. As the girls returned to the stands, Rouge stood on stage, in front of the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. "Rouge Rose...you are the lone student to have picked up the Black King Piece and did not become partners with any of the other students..."
The boy didn't look the least bit concerned about his predicament. Ruby and Yang were, however. Technically speaking, he had been made partners with Yang and Blake during the last stages of Initiation, so that should have count...obvious not, though. They were worried. Was he going to be kicked out because he didn't have a partner?
"However," Ozpin continued. "Your skills, bravery, tactics, and camaraderie with Teams RWBY and JNPR have proved to be valuable assets. Additionally, your retrieval of the Black King Piece has more than earned you a spot here at Beacon Academy. Therefore, until made otherwise, you will act independently from your peers."
This proclamation caused clamor to arise from the other students and those observing the ceremony. A student was assigned to act as an Independent unit? This has never been done before...
Rouge nodded. "Understood."
"Very good," Ozpin smiled. With that, Rouge returned to the stands, where he joined his sisters and her newly made team. Soon, a wide grin formed on the man's face. "Well, looks like things are turning out to be a rather interesting year..."
That was an understatement. After all...given what he had observed back in the Emerald Forest...this year's batch of initiates have great potential.
Now, it was simply the matter of testing and tempering their strengths.
As the day had approached it's end, all teams were escorted to their living arrangements. While the dorm was indeed co-ed, they had separated facilities for both men and women, which was a relief to the girls who did not want boys walking in on them bathing. As they shared the same room, however, they were expected to be civil. Speaking of the rooms, as students could modify their living arrangements however they pleased, the room itself only had four beds and white walls. It was freely customizable so long as it was to the liking of the whole team.
Rouge sat on one of the four empty beds, as he was by himself for now. A one-man team as it were, though chances were, once Ozpin made his decision, he would be placed on another team. Regardless of how things go, everything was working out nicely. A satisfied smile was clear on his face as he was browsing through the information on his Scroll, looking over the details that were sent to him. It was information on the White Fang's most recent...setback. One of their bases on the outskirts of Vale had been destroyed, leaving few survivors. Those that were left were captured and interrogated for more information. There was no new developments yet...but it was only a matter of time. As things stood, he was in a good position.
All he needed to do now...was wait for the opportune moment. Of course, being the careful planner he was, he had also taken the liberty of hacking into Beacon's files, using a secure line to ensure secrecy. He had all the public info on every student in Beacon now, including those who had successfully passed Initiation. He now had a fairly good idea of what each student in his year was capable of, such as their weapons and fighting style. Although, the set transcripts that confused him were those from Jaune Arc.
Based on what he had witnessed from the Blonde, his transcripts don't quite match up to him. Sure he did well to lead his new team in killing that Death Stalker, but according to his papers, he should've been capable of more. The more he looked at the transcripts, the more blatantly obvious it was that these hardly told how good Jaune was. If at all anything, it was a flimsy lie. That meant, of course, that it was fake. False transcripts...which meant that Jaune had virtually lied his way into Beacon Academy.
That, however, raised the giant question...if Jaune had lied about getting into Beacon, then why was he still here? Ozpin may be getting on in his years, but he definitely no fool. He could tell, easily, that Jaune's transcripts were fake, so why allow the boy to participate? Although, then again, given what Rouge saw back during Initiation...he was hardly half-baked. It seemed that he was the sort of person who 'bloomed' on the battlefield, where danger was most present. A sound strategy, able to figure out how to defeat the Death Stalker by using it's stinger...and recognizing the individual strengths of his teammates simply by their fighting styles. When Rouge thought about it more, the more he realized why Ozpin allowed him to stay.
That, and Pyrrha Nikos was on his team. With someone like that, someone with experience, Jaune would no doubt flourish into a warrior of his own right.
"Well, I guess that's a reason to let him stay," he mused before he pulled up another file. As he did so, he noticed a figure standing off to the side, leaning against the wall, though he payed them little attention. "So, what brought about this friendly visit, Raven? I doubt you came here just to say hi to your nephew."
Wordlessly, the aforementioned figure stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the room. "I see your still as cynical as ever," the woman remarked, wearing a shallow cut black dress, five necklaces with an assortment of beads, a red girdle-belt, and a pair of matching gauntlets. An object that looked to be made from feathers hanged from the right side of her skirt. At her hip was an unusually large sheathe, coupled with a blade locked deep at the hilt. Her mask was gone, however, revealing the face of a beautiful young woman with wavy black hair and crimson red eyes.
A face that was the spitting image of his half-sister, Yang Xiao Long.
"It's not being cynical necessarily," Rouge replied, still messing with his Scroll. "You usually prefer to hang around in the dark and watch from the sidelines rather than see what's happening up close."
Raven Branwen smiled wryly. "Let's just say I wanted to see how something of interest was doing," she said simply as she looked around the room. "This brings back memories...though I remember the room being a bit smaller than this."
"You still haven't told me what brought you here." Rouge stated. His aunt didn't do things without reason. This time was no exception.
"I simply came to see how you were doing, that's all," she answered simply. "That...and I've heard what's befallen the White Fang as of late." The dark-clad Huntress looked off to the side, staring out the window. The moon was half-full, revealing it's cracked form. "The whole world is left confused by the Black Fang's actions...a group that belongs to both humans and faunus alike." She then turned back to Rouge, looking at him curiously. "Are you satisfied with this? The whole world is looking for them."
The odd-eyed boy smirked as he closed his Scroll. "Hardly," he said as he looked at her. "This world is destined for further chaos."
"And you are just fine with contributing to that chaos?" She inquired.
"Of course." He replied simply. "After all, from chaos comes order. And I will see to it that the corruption of this world is eradicated by this chaos so a new order will come to fruition."
Raven couldn't help but smirk at his answer. "So you intend to make full on that promise of yours?"
"With every intention."
"...Ozpin, I still think this is a bad idea."
The Headmaster looked at Glynda up from his desk as he took a sip of his coffee. "You mean in regards to Rouge being placed by himself at the moment?"
"Yes." The female professor nodded. "While I admit that he does possess skill, it's too dangerous for him to be a solo unit. He is only fifteen for Oum's sake!"
"I am well aware of that, Glynda..."
"And don't get me started on Mr. Arc," she continued with fervor. "I looked at his transcripts. Ozpin, that boy HAS no training experience! That was his first real taste of combat!" She gave the man a heated glare, slamming her hands on his desk. "What in the world were you thinking?! He could have died out there! Both of them!"
"But they didn't." The headmaster refuted. "Both boys displayed exceptional skills out there. Mr. Arc took into account of his comrades fighting capabilities to devise the most effective way to deal with the immediate threat while Mr. Rose showed an impressive amount of skill and proficiency in defeating his own obstacle."
"That still doesn't change the facts!" What the boys did at the Initiation didn't mean anything. They still did not belong here. This was an Academy to teach graduates from Combat Schools who have the necessary experience to become full-fledged Huntsmen.
Rouge was less of a concern, and more of a worry. While his combat skills were on par with his sister, he was left as the only student to be independent. That was dangerous, as being without comrades meant that he would be in grave danger when he needed them most. Jaune Arc, however, was another story entirely. The boy had falsified his transcripts, and his performance, while adequate, was definitely not what the records said. It only took a bit of digging for her to realize that he had lied his way. She was angry at the boy for that very reason. He had no idea what he was going to get himself into! What was he thinking?! Did he think that this was all a game?! His life was on the line in that forest! Even if he proved himself, he was still not ready!
And yet Ozpin deemed them both worth staying. The decision, to this day, still confused her. "Why," she said with hostility as she glared at the man she respected. "Are you being so damned stubborn about this?"
"Two reasons," Ozpin answered her. "First, they have potential...young Arc most of all. While it may be true, he lacks experience, but given time, his skills will improve. As you saw for yourself, his combat abilities were quite pronounced, as was his leadership abilities. He is the sort of person who, shall we say, blooms on the battlefield. If he could hone that talent, especially being guided by those of us here at Beacon, with young Nikos to show him the way, he has the potential to live up to the Arc legacy."
"And the second?"
The man was silent for a moment, pausing to take a drink of his coffee. "...the second was because I received a letter of recommendation."
Glynda blinked. "That's it?" she gawked in disbelief. "You let them in because of-"
"You misunderstand, Glynda." he cut her off. "The letter of recommendation came a few days ago...specifically, the day before Ruby and Rouge fought Roman Torchwick. Furthermore...that letter was written specifically for Rouge."
The woman paused. A letter of recommendation for Rouge? Why only him? Her mind went through a list of names of potential candidates who could've written it. "...was it Qrow?"
"No..." The Headmaster shook his head. "...It was from Raven Branwen."
Silence fell upon the room.
Raven Branwen...the sister of Qrow Branwen and team mate to Summer Rose and Taiyang Xiao Long...and the mother of Yang Xiao Long...the woman who had disappeared shortly before Summer's death...SHE was the one who gave a letter of recommendation?!
"But...but...how...?" That was the only question from the many whirling through her mind that she managed to get out.
Ozpin slowly set his mug down, and adjusted his glasses. "Glynda," he spoke, his tone serious, as were his eyes, which were narrowed into a glare of his own. "What I am about to tell you does not leave this room...do you understand?" The blonde professor could only nod, offering no words. "Good...the reason why Raven gave me a letter of recommendation towards Rouge Rose is because..."
"...so, how are things over on your end, PIECE?"
"As well as can be expected...as far as casualties go, we didn't lose that many men. However, I sincerely doubt Cinder or Torchwick will be pleased by this. After all, the Black Fang has become increasingly meddlesome in their affairs. It's only a matter of time before one of them snaps. Personally speaking, I'm hoping it's Torchwick."
"Have patience, my friend. Everything's going according to plan...by the way, I met someone rather curious today. A girl with a black bow and amber eyes. You wouldn't happen to know her, would you?" The speaker on the scroll did not say anything. "By your silence...I'll take that as a yes."
"...How is she doing...? Is she doing well?"
"Seems like it...sadly, however, she's been placed on the same team as the heiress of the Schnee Company. I can only imagine how well that particular conversation blows over. Still...her skills during combat are certainly something. Her Semblance is making shadow copies of herself, isn't that right?"
"That's right...and by using Dust, she can apply elemental defense and offense to her attacks as well."
"Interesting..."
"Are you planning on recruiting her?"
"Would you object if I said yes?"
"I would not." The voice denied. "I know her better than anyone...and why she left the White Fang in the first place. Your ideals align with hers...I see no reason for her not to join up the Black Fang sooner or later. But promise me one thing."
"Yes?"
"Please keep her safe..."
"Heh...that's one promise I can keep...but first things first. There's something I need to confirm."
"And that is...?"
"Her resolve."
Elsewhere, a lone teen stood out on the docks of the harbor, his eyes trained on the shattered moon.
"Blake..." The figure spoke softly. He was a young man, around his late teens to early twenties. He had red hair spiked backwards in a windswept fashion, the upper half of his face concealed by a half Grimm mask. He was garbed in a pair of black pants, black shoes with red soles, and a red dress shirt. Over the shirt was a black trench coat with a red interior and slit sleeves. A large emblem was on the back of his coat, depicting a white tulip design covered by a red rose design. His fingers reached up and removed the ivory mask hiding his face. He looked at the moon once more, his eyes clear from the monstrous persona he once donned.
"I wonder...where could you be..."
He clenched the sheathed sword in his hand. He was getting really annoyed with Cinder and Roman getting on his case. If he could cut ties with them, he would. But it was just too risky right now. The only reason he kept ties with them was because of the resources they provided. But even then...Cinder had them in the palm of her hand...
He still recalled what happened that day several years ago. When she first came to them, she was just another human to him, seeking their cooperation for whatever reasons she had in mind. He refused, naturally. After all, why should he accept her proposal? She was just another human. Even if she offered a good deal of resources in exchange for their cooperation, she was one of the people behind their oppression. There was no way he would accept her.
When she came next, however...he found many of his men slaughtered.
Everywhere on the base lay the bodies of his brethren: bleeding...burned...dismembered...beaten...dead. Among the bodies stood Cinder Fall with a look of pure dominance on her face. Beside her were her two lackeys holding briefcases filled with Dust and Lien. But given the blood on their clothes...they had a hand in the slaughter fest as well...
It was then he realized...he never had a choice to begin with. She made it clear that she was in control. Even though he wanted to cut her down, it was suicide to do. He felt the power she held, the strength she possessed...thus, he had no choice but to accept her proposal.
Since then, the White Fang has served under her, as if they were faithful servants. It was aggravating. It was humiliating. To be reduced to nothing more than mere grunts for a human like her. It got even worse when she told him he had to work with Roman Torchwick of all people. A human who was a crime lord who held no sympathy for Faunus whatsoever. To him, they were all animals to be used for labor. Just like the Schnees. It pissed him off to no end...but there was one other problem he had to deal with. Something that had nagging at him ever since the day he stole the Schnee Company's train of Dust.
His old partner...Blake Belladonna.
It's been months since that mission. He could still remember her eyes as she left him. Eyes full of remorse and sorrow. Her actions spoke louder than words. She was done with the White Fang. She found his actions contemptible. He was willing to kill all the workers on the train just to retrieve the cargo and spite the Schnees. Even now...that single word she spoke to him continued to eat away at him.
Goodbye...
After everything they've done...after everything they've been through...the time they shared...was it all for nothing? Did none of it mean anything to her at all?!
The more he thought about it, the more angry he became. Once more, he donned the Grimm Mask. He raised his head and looked to the skies once more, eyes of smoldering rage hidden by the twisted visor. Silently, he stared at the bleak emptiness before turning on his heel and walking away.
One way or another...he was going to settle this.
This was a bad situation. He vaguely remembered the saying, "a rock and a hard place," but this was just outright ridiculous. Not only were they dealing with a Death Stalker, who Nora and Ren stated that they would hold off, but they were also trying to deal with a Nevermore that was trying to turn them into it's own personal pincushion. Needless to say, this was NOT the sort of situation Rouge wanted to be in. The boy ran further into the ruins with the girls and Jaune. As they did, Pyrrha slid her feet before coming to a halt, bringing out her weapon. "Go, go!" she shouted at them as she went to help the two. She took to Ren's side, and her sword shifted into a double-barreled rifle. They opened fire on the beast as it chased after Nora, who was quickly fleeing to avoid it, but the rounds merely bounced off the shells. Once the excited girl ran past them, they quickly fell back as it swung it's pincers together in an attempt to grab them, only to swipe at air. Due to the narrowness of the bridge, it was impossible for to track after them.
Unfortunately for them, the Nevermore had not forgotten about them as it quickly flew by the large structures around the bridge. It's target was clear in sight. Rouge' eyes widened, and turned to his companions. "Brace yourselves!" The next second, the bird Grimm rammed it's body into the bridge, causing it to break apart into debris. The group was scattered, with Blake, Pyrrha, and Ren falling to where the Death Stalker was, and the rest on the other side, close to the cliff. Jaune groaned, feeling the impact of being flung away, rubbing his head and back before he turned his attention to the three fighting the scorpion. His eyes widened in concern as he watched Blake, who was the only one among the group without a long-range weapon, get flung back after being hit by one of it's pincers.
"Shit!" he exclaimed in fright. "We have to help them!" He frowned heavily at the gap. There was no way to jump the gap, so how were they supposed to get over there? He looked around his surroundings, trying to find some way to reach them. It was then that he noticed the fissures running along the destroyed portion of the bridge, which ran all the way behind him. An idea streaked across his mind, but it made him pale and gulp. 'This is crazy...' he thought. 'Totally, utterly crazy, but...' He turned to Nora, who looked concern for Ren's safety. "U-um... Nora, right?" The girl turned to him, nodding. "T-this is gonna sound crazy, but... can we make this thing into a launching pad?"
The girl cocked her head to the side, but she quickly got the idea. "Aye aye, Captain~!" she sung as she brandished her weapon, which quickly turned into a large silver hammer. Jaune knew this was going to be a bad idea, but if it was going to help him save his friends, then it was worth doing... He just hoped it wouldn't get him killed. He quickly made his way to where the fissures end, while Nora stood at the opposing side. "You ready?!"
"Honestly?" he deadpanned. "...no."
Nora took this as a 'yes,' grinning like a demented madman, and jumped up. She reared back her hammer, and swung down, creating an explosive blast. The fissures broke apart, and the platform they stood on broke apart, becoming a makeshift launching pad for Jaune. Nora, meanwhile, hopped atop the large head of her axe, and fired off another explosive blast, sending her flying with him. The blonde hit the ground hard, groaning as he landed on his face while Nora fired off another blast as soon as she reached them, launching her into the air. "Nora SMASH!" she cried as she swung her hammer down on the Death Stalker. The force of the swing, with the explosive kickback, as enough to knock it into the ground. Hissing in anger, the scorpion tried to impale her with it's stinger, only for her to jump back. Sadly, she hadn't noticed Blake behind her.
The two collided, and Blake was sent flying off the bridge, spiraling towards the abyss below her. She quickly reoriented herself, and slipped her weapon into it's secondary form. She swung it while a black band wrapped around her wrist. Gambal Shroud struck the side of the bridge, allowing her to swing through the air. Her eyes caught sight of the Nevermore, and narrowed her eyes. She quickly pulled back her weapon, which came flying back to her thanks to the retraction system, and then began another swinging movement by throwing it at the tower close by. Her body swung through the air, and was now in the Nevermore's path.
Another swift tug brought the weapon back, and returned to it's original form. The Nevermore was now directly in front of her.
"...my turn."
She changed her weapon, Gambol Shroud, into its firearm mode. She grabbed the Nevermore by the face as it flew straight at her and aimed the barrel of her gun right in its eye. She pulled the trigger. The creature squealed in pain before Blake quickly delivered several quick slashes. She then jumped up to it's back, and ran along it's spine, hacking away at it before jumping off, landing atop a portion of the ruined tower before joining Yang, Ruby, and Weiss. "It's tougher than it looks!" she mentioned, slightly winded.
Yang glared at the black bird before them as she rammed her fists together. "Then let's hit it with everything we've got!" she declared. At this, everyone brandished their weapons. Ruby's Crescent Rose unfurled into it's scythe form while Weiss twirled about, runes dancing underneath her as streaks of blue and red formed around her. Blake switched Gambal Shroud into it's firearm, and took aim.
Everyone then began to shoot at the Nevermore. However, it simply withstood all the blasts and let out a caw as it swung it's wings again, shooting out several feathers with the intent to skewer them. The group braced themselves, but Rouge was quick to intervene. His eyes narrowed as he shifted Wilted Requiem into it's scythe form. A bead of sweat fell from his face, but quickly retaliated.
Each feather that came his way was knocked back, a dancing flash of purple and black were all around him as he demonstrated great dexterity with his weapon. The weapon seemed to spin all round him, almost as if it were dancing, as he knocked back everything that came his way. Ruby, for her part, was looking at his weapon in amazement. She knew Rouge had plenty of practice with it, but to think he was that good...she made a mental note to ask him more about when he got so skilled, but quickly paled when she saw the Nevermore continuing it's assault.
"Oh, poop."
It rammed it's body once again into the structure, causing it to break apart and fall. The girls, plus Rouge, used the rubble to jump up back to ground, with Yang, Rouge and Ruby using the recoil of their weapons to shoot them upward. Blake relied on their own agility and dexterity to reach the bridge again, while Weiss simply used her runes to jump along the air. Yang landed on the opposite side of Ruby and Weiss as she charged in once again. The heiress scowled heavily, glaring at the Nevermore as it flew above them. "None of this is working!" Ruby looked concerned before she noticed Blake landing on another platform, having used Gambal Shroud to swing over to it. The gears in her head began to whirl as she turned her attention to Yang, who was unloading shot after shot with her Ember Celica while Rouge, who quickly joined her, knocked back any further that got too close for comfort.
Her silver eyes widened, a picture forming in her head, and turned to Weiss. "I have a plan!"
(With Team JNPR)
"We gotta move!" Jaune called out as the platform beneath them began to gave way after the death Stalker rammed it's stinger into the ground, failing to hit Nora as she jumped back to avoid being stung. The force of the strike caused the platform to break apart and fall. The four were quick to run up the descending platform, running straight into the jaws of the Grimm in front of them. It swung it's pincer at them, intending to crush them, but Pyrrha intercepted, defending against it before parrying with her blade. The swing pincer tried to attack her blind spot, but Jaune moved in to defend her, using his shield to block it. Pyrrha used this opportunity to knock back the second pincer, leaving it open. Ren moved in, dashing to the side to avoid being hit by the stinger before latching unto it. He began to open fire on the beast, now directly above it while Nora unloaded her grenade launcher into the bast. The beast, now livid, tried to crush her with both pincers at once, but the two shield-bearers moved in to defend her at once. The brunt of the attack sent them both sliding back, with Jaune tumbling to the ground. The red-haired warrior, however, threw her weapon, now in the form of a javelin. It tried to defend itself, but the javelin went through the small gap between the pincers, and struck it in the eye.
It wailed in pain as it swung it's tail violently, throwing Ren off of it. "Ren!" Nora cried in concern as he was thrown against a pillar. Jaune was about to call over to him, but then noticed the now dangling stinger above the Death Stalker's head. 'It's loose?' he questioned before his eyes widened. 'Wait, that's it!'
"Pyrrha!"
The girl understood the plan immediately, grinning. "Done!" She swung her shield, which span right for the target. The sharpness of the edge was enough to cleanly cut through the remaining flesh binding the tail and stinger together, causing it to lodge in the armor.
"Nora!"
Said girl smiled like a madman as she jumped atop Pyrrha's shield, which returned to her like a boomerang, her weapon already in hammer form. Pyrrha thrusted her upward at the same time Nora fired off her weapon, leaving her to fly through the air, smiling as she sat atop the shaft of her weapon before descending towards the Death Stalker. "BOOM BABY!" she cried as she slammed the hammer down on the stinger, forcing it to break through the air, and straight into the body of the beast. The force of the impact, both from altitude velocity and the amount of strength the explosive kickback, caused the ground beneath them to break apart. Jaune and Pyrrha quickly jumped out of harm's way, while Nora used another explosive kickback to throw her to her friends, leaving the Death Stalker to fall to the misty depths below them.
The ginger flipped in the air from the impact and landed on her feet. Pyrrha and Jaune knelt on the ground out of exhaustion from their fight. Meanwhile, a tired Ren slowly walked up to the group...only to fall face first on the ground.
"I hurt...all over..."
Jaune agreed with him completely.
(With Team RWBY)
BANG!
"I!"
BANG!
"Hope!"
BANG!
"You're!"
BANG!
"Hung-"
BANG!
"-ry!"
BANG!
Yang screamed as she unloaded round after round of shotgun bullets into the Nevermore's open mouth. The gigantic Grimm flew and tumbled in the air, no doubt feeling the pain of bullets entering its esophagus. With her part done, Yang jumped away, landing on the ground while leaving the Nevermore to crash into the wall. Rouge took over, and switched Wilted Requiem to it's rifle form. He quickly loaded Gravity Dust rounds into the chamber, and opened fire, aiming straight for the tail. The added power behind the shot, as well as the kick, threw him far into the air, landing back in the bridge, while the shot hit home, striking at the Grimm's tail and forcing it back into the wall. The blonde brawler smirked as Weiss shot past her, leaping into the air with runes dancing along the shaft of her raper. With a thrust, ice formed and captured the beast by it's tail, ensuring no chances of escape from it. She then returned to her comrades, leaping back to them via bouncing off a rune. Blake released Gambal Shroud, launching it at Yang, who caught the blade and then embedded it into another pillar, thus creating a band. Ruby shot forward, propelling herself forward and catching the band with her scythe.
"Of course you would come up with this idea." Weiss scoffed as she pulled Ruby back with another rune, keeping her in place.
The girl smiled. "Think you can make the shot?"
"Hmph," the heiress grunted. "Can I?"
The silver-eyed girl cocked her head to the side, turning to Weiss. "Can-"
"Of course I can!" she snapped angrily. Ruby nodded, and released the shell casing, leaving a new round to enter the chamber. As soon as Weiss dismissed the sigil, Ruby pulled the trigger, and her Semblance roared to life, causing her to shoot forward at top speed towards the pinned gigantic bird. She landed on the face of the cliff, her scythe catching the Nevermore by the throat. Weiss created glyphs beneath the girl's feet to maintain her traction. Ruby then broke out into a run immediately after landing. As she ran, more glyphs appeared. The Grimm cawed and struggled as it was yanked up by the neck. Ruby fired a shot every so often to give her a boost of speed to overcome gravity. Her speed semblance also helped as she did not lose any momentum. As soon as she made it past the edge of the cliff, she gave one final gunshot, causing the blade of her weapon to give an abrupt jerk, beheading the massive creature.
Red petals danced in the air as the now headless Grimm descended into the abyss to join the Death Stalker, slowly dissolving in the air, thus joining the scattering roses. From where he stood, Jaune was left gaping. "...whoa..."
"Well." Yang grinned. "That was a thing."
"...I still can't believe you actually did that," Rouge remarked as he and Teams RWBY and JNPR made their way to class. "If Dad ever saw that, he'd have a heart-attack...and I'm pretty sure uncle would tease you like no tomorrow."
"H-hey, it was a giant Nevermore! What was I supposed to do?!" Ruby pouted. "Besides, I didn't see you come up with any other options!"
"Well, I did come up with one..." Her twin said thoughtfully. "...but if I used 'that'...I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to contain collateral damage..."
This caused confusion among the group, all except for Ruby, who stared at him with large eyes. "Y-Y-Y-You were seriously considering using 'THAT'?!" She screeched in horror.
Rouge shrugged. "Well, not like I could," he answered her. "After all, I didn't put in the necessary mods for Wilted Requiem to handle it."
"ARE YOU INSANE...?!" She yelled at him. "You were planning on using 'THAT' without better equipping Wilted Requiem for it?! Were you trying to blow your own weapon up?!"
"Whoa, back up..." Yang frowned. "Mind telling me what's going on? Did you have a souped up part for your gun, little bro?"
"Yeah. But it's still in the prototype stages." Rouge responded. "I still don't have the required components necessary to make Wilted Requiem capable of withstanding it. As it is right now, it could only make one successful shot before blowing to pieces."
That certainly made them all the more anxious. "...can I ask something?" Jaune said as he raised his hand. "What, exactly...did you do to your weapon?"
"To put it simply?" Ruby sighed. "Rouge added a rail gun to it."
The entirety of the group stared silently at the heterochromatic teen. It was so quiet one could hear the drop of a pin in the hallway. Rouge looked back at each of them, noting their expressions that ranged from excitement, to surprise, to shock, and to horror. "...I'm sorry," Weiss said quietly. "I don't think I heard you correctly, but did you just say you had a RAIL GUN installed into your weapon?!"
"Yes. That is the case." He responded matter-of-factly.
"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!" The Heiress screeched out. "WHY WOULD YOU TRY TO USE SOMETHING THAT DANGEROUS?!"
"Hey, you can never be too careful," the teen responded, uncaringly so. The others stared back at him in shock. A rail gun was no joke...the power behind it was unreal. The fact that he installed one into his scythe spoke volumes of how surprising it was. "Also...you do realize that we're now almost late for class, right?"
Once more the hallways were filled with silence. Snapping out of it first, Ruby yelled out:
"CHEESE IT!"
With that, everyone took off into a run, running as fast as possible to Professor Port's class.
First Act...END
"To defeat evil, I shall become an even greater evil." -?
