Blake opened the door to her room. After the end of their last class, the four of them had gone their separate ways. The room was completely deserted. Save for Weiss. She was sitting at her desk, a series of books strewn about. Weiss didn't say anything when Blake first entered, though Blake saw her glance up when the door opened.
"Hey there, Weiss," Blake said.
"Hey," she replied.
"So… how's the homework? Is it from one of the classes we're in together? We could help each other out."
"No thanks."
"Oh, alright… well, I'll be right over here if you need me, or anything," Blake said, gesturing towards her bed.
"Okay."
Blake clenched her first and marched to Weiss's desk. Her teammate had outright ignored her thus far, but she wouldn't have much of a choice with Blake right next to her. Weiss turned to her, a look of complete unamusement greatly contrasting Blake's irritation.
"May I help you?" Weiss asked.
"You have a problem with me," Blake stated.
"What?"
"You have a problem with me. Am I right?"
"No."
"I'm going to need more than a single word if you want me to believe you, Weiss."
"I'm just… not good with new people." Weiss turned her eyes away.
"New people? Weiss, it's been weeks!"
"A few short weeks! Do you have a problem with me, then? If you want to get in my face so much?"
Blake's expression softened, and she backed away from Weiss's desk. Weiss finally turned to look at her now.
"I… don't like the Schnee Dust Company. Which I guess means I don't like you Schnees. For as long as I've been alive, Jacques Schnee has been the CEO of the company, and for as long as I've been alive, all I've heard about the company is that it's sold its soul to profits. It went from trying to provide for the people of Atlas to trying to maximize profits despite its already colossal wealth, no matter the cost. The human cost. The faunus cost."
"Well, I can't quite blame you. I'm not the biggest fan of what he's done with my grandfather's company. One day, the company will be mine. I want to return it to how it was back then."
"Don't worry, though, Weiss," Blake started. "I don't have any love for your family's company. You, though… well, you aren't the company. I haven't known you for too long, and I wasn't really a fan when we first met. I'm trying to see you as Weiss first, now, and a Schnee second. …I just remembered that I forgot something in class, so I'm going to head out. I'll see you later."
"Yeah. Bye, Blake," she said.
Blake closed the door behind her once she was outside, eyes downcast. Weiss wasn't a very good liar. She could at least try to be physically convincing when she told Blake she didn't have a problem with her. Not like Blake was much better. Just like Weiss, she lied to avoid any sort of confrontation.
"What's up, Blake?" She looked up to see Nora standing in front of her door. "You okay?"
"Sorry, Nora, but I don't think talking about it would make it any better." She started down the hall, with no real destination in mind.
A few days later, the first year students were all assembled in the amphitheater. Professor Ozpin was nowhere to be seen, but Glynda was pacing before the group. Ruby noticed that Weiss and Blake were more quiet than usual. It was a bit worrying. She'd have to ask about that later when she had a chance. If either of them would want to talk about it, anyway.
"Today, you will be engaging in joint combat exercises with your peers. We will be sending you south, to the Emerald Forest, and north, to the Forest of Forever Fall. Two teams will be monitored by a member of Beacon's faculty. Your duty is to take the afternoon to train together, compete with each other, and grow together. I will now announce the pairs of teams. Once your teams are called, head to the dock and pay attention to your boarding orders."
RWBY and JNPR were paired up, to be sent to the Forest of Forever Fall. The girls spent the trip in an awkward silence. Weiss and Blake were silent, and neither Ruby nor Yang could bring themselves to say anything. The Emerald Forest, hence its name, was a beautiful, brilliant shade of green. Its sibling to the north, as the name implied, was a captivating shade of red, the trees all evoking the season of autumn, even though it was still the spring. The teams disembarked once the airships touched down, and the two teams followed after their instructor.
"Weiss, Blake," Ruby began, "Let's focus, okay? If this place is anything like the Emerald Forest, there are bound to be Grimm in here."
"I'll be fine," Weiss said.
"Likewise," Blake agreed.
The two teams were following a lanky man with circular glasses and wild green hair. He was walking fast, a thermos gripped tightly in his hand. Professor Bartholoew Oobleck, their history teacher.
"Listen closely boys and girls. Today, as Glynda told you, you will be working together to grow as people and as teams. You are free to roam, hunt, spar, or anything of the like during our time here in the forest. I will not interfere in your training but if you need help all you need do is let out a bloodcurdling scream and I will rush to your aid to make sure you don't expire prematurely. Now if you need me I will be right over there."
He spoke and left them all at breakneck speeds, drinking whatever was in his thermos all the while.
It wasn't too long after the two teams left Oobleck that they encountered their first obstacle. Blake gestured for all of them to stop and the group halted immediately. A Beowolf wandered out of the underbrush and snarled when it saw them.
"Don't worry!" Yang started walking towards it. "I got this."
Yang ran at the Beowolf. It swung and knocked her back. Yang got up again, and again. She didn't do anything different. Each time she got up, she recklessly charged it only to end up on the ground again. The more it happened, the more the rest of the group got confused and concerned. She didn't seem to be in pain, as far as they were concerned. She appeared to be laughing instead.
"What is Yang doing?" Jaune asked.
"I don't know…" Pyrrha said. "It doesn't exactly seem practical. And the laughter. It's almost like…"
"No!" Blake blurted out. "Nonononono!" She was the color of a tomato in a matter of seconds, covering her face with her hands. "There's no way Yang's a masochist!"
"You seem weirdly excited about that," Ren pointed out.
"I'm not going to shame her if she is but," Nora looked away from whatever it was Yang was doing. "It's kind of bold to do that with people here, isn't it?"
"What is with all of you?" Weiss asked. "I mean, Yang's acting like a weirdo, but it can't be that serious."
"Um, about that… Weiss…" Blake beckoned for Weiss to come to her. She didn't want to have to say what she was going to say out loud. Weiss looked at her and then just looked away. Blake was stunned. No one else seemed to notice what Weiss did, though. She crossed her arms. She was angry, furious even, but the embarrassment hadn't subsided yet. She was conflicted, to say the least.
"Well, Weiss… what they're trying to say is that Yang might be deriving pleasure from getting attacked like that," Pyrrha said, "Sexual pleasure, to be exact."
"Yang!" Weiss covered her eyes, just like Blake did. "Have some decency, please! Don't you have any shame?!"
"Ruby, mind explaining? Yang isn't really getting off on being beat up by a Grimm, is she?" Jaune asked.
"What? No, of course not!" Ruby had tuned the others out. She was too busy keeping an eye on what her sister was doing. "This is her semblance!" The others just looked at Ruby like she was insane. "Yang's semblance is… a little weird. When she gets hit, it builds her Aura. She's doing this on purpose. But it definitely doesn't feel good."
"Then why is she laughing?"
"Yang!" Ruby called. "Go Hot!"
Yang crashed into the ground one final time. When she pulled herself up, she gave Ruby and the others a thumbs up. Her heartbeat sped up and the soreness and pain she felt started to melt away. Yang sprinted towards the Beowolf. She ducked under one of its swipes and uppercut it, firing Ember Celica at the same time. The force of the punch and the blast lifted it off the ground. In the same breath, Yang leapt and kicked the Beowolf back into the ground. The consecutive blows staggered it, so it couldn't react before Yang picked it up and heaved it onto her shoulders, both of her fists dug into its body. She fired her gauntlets, throwing the Grimm into the air, where it dissipated and scattered into the wind.
"Pain to Aura to raw power! Presenting…" Ruby twirled and spread her arms out towards Yang like she was something on display. "Yang Xiao Long's Hot and Cold!" Yang fell over into the grass. "Yeah, that happens sometimes…"
After Yang's encounter with the Beowolf, the two teams went their separate ways. It didn't take long for Ruby and the others to encounter more trouble, though. An Ursa larger than anything any of the four had ever seen before was pursuing them through the trees. They wove through the trees, trying to disorient it, but it busted right through them all. Blake fired on it with Gambol Shroud. It veered towards her, but with her shadows and the density of the trees, she was never in any danger.
They stopped, and the Grimm stopped with them. They could all just barely see each other through the small gaps in the trees. Ruby was observing it along with the others, trying to figure out their best course of action. Crescent Rose wasn't the most effective in closed spaces like this. Yang was still recovering from her fight with the Beowolf. Weiss and Blake were their best bets. Maybe Ruby could hide herself and shoot the Ursa. No, if it couldn't find her, her shots just might agitate it. That would just make it worse for the others.
"Weiss, Blake, I'm sorry, but we'll have to leave this to you! Yang, we'll provide cover fire and back them up!"
Things progressed smoothly for a while. Blake and Weiss went in for quick strikes, doing what they could then getting out just as suddenly before it could punish them for it. When it honed in on one of them, Ruby and Yang would shoot it, drawing its attention to them instead. It was only a matter of time until it went down. An Ursa Major was supposed to be a much greater threat than a regular Ursa, but this definitely didn't seem too bad. Ruby shot it and the Ursa looked at her, roaring. Weiss approached from the side to attack it again. Then the Grimm turned on her. It swiped its huge arm, slamming right into Weiss, knocking her into a tree.
"Weiss! Blake, hold it with Gambol Shroud! I'll get Weiss!"
"But Ruby, I-"
"Just do it, Blake!"
Yang fired on the Ursa to draw its attention away from Ruby. Blake tossed Gambol Shroud, looping it around one of its arms. She held on tight, grounding herself the best she could to hold it and keep it from moving until Weiss was out of harm's way. Blake had to have faith in Ruby, even if she thought that this was a bad idea.
Ruby reached Weiss and knelt down to help her up. The Ursa Major looked at Blake when it noticed what she had done, and it swung its arm. Blake flew through the air like a ragdoll, slamming into the ground hard. It swung its arm again, and Blake crashed into a tree. Ruby saw her Aura flicker and break as she slumped over. The Ursa started towards her. It reared up, standing on its hind legs, towering over Blake. Yang was still hurting, but she did have an Aura surplus after what happened with the Beowolf. She went Hot and started sprinting towards Blake. Even at full speed while Hot, she wouldn't be able to get there before the Ursa did the simple action of swiping its arm. It had seen through their feints, so if it was intent on Blake, Yang wouldn't be able to do anything about it. She had to try, though.
Ruby Burst over to Blake. The Ursa swung, and she blocked it with Crescent Rose. She held her ground against it, not letting it overpower her. She knocked its arm away, then sliced it clean off. She hooked Crescent Rose around its neck and pulled the trigger, ripping right through its head. It only took a moment, and by the time the Grimm was dead, several trees around them toppled to the ground, collateral damage of what Ruby had done. An Ursa Major, and Ruby cleaved through it in only two swings. Something clicked in her when she saw Blake in such grave danger. She wasn't sure what. She had never felt such strength before. A Grimm as large as an Ursa Major bearing down on her and Ruby didn't lose, even though it was a contest of pure strength. What just happened?
She stuck her scythe into the ground and knelt to make sure Blake was alright. She wasn't moving, but she was breathing. Yang hurried over to them and helped Blake up. Ruby doubled back and helped Weiss. Two of them hurt, on Ruby's watch. Helping Weiss up, she felt terrible. Their next priority was finding somewhere safe to rest so they all could recuperate. Ruby was the only one of them at full strength. She would have to keep watch.
Jaune lagged behind the rest of his team as they ran. The Grimm on their tails were fast. It didn't take long for them to overtake and encircle them. Jaune had never seen such long fangs on anything before. The way they jutted out of their mouths was terrifying. They outnumbered the Grimm, but was this the right play? Let them play off of each other and support one another? He had no idea what these Grimm were capable of…
"We'll divide and conquer!" Jaune said. "Nora, you're with me! Split them up, and with our numbers, we should be okay!"
"Alright!"
Nora shot a grenade right in between the two. They jumped in opposite directions as the area filled with pink smoke. She rushed forward and slammed her hammer into one of them, sending it flying away from its partner. Jaune ran after her, leaving Ren and Pyrrha to handle their own. The Grimm hadn't noticed him yet. This would've been perfect for catching it off guard while Nora distracted it. The more Jaune watched it, though, the more scared he got. It jumped back and forth, darting in to attack so quickly that it was a wonder how Nora kept up with it at all. And those fangs. They were massive. Jaune gripped Crocea Mors, trying to strengthen his resolve.
It lunged at Nora and she caught it with her hammer, holding it off as its maw gaped, fangs dangerously close to Nora's flesh. Nora held off for a while. She didn't say it, but it was obvious that she was waiting for Jaune to act. He had the perfect shot. Just one good stab through the head and it was over. If he screwed up, or missed, or anything, though… An angry Grimm with miniature spears shoved into its mouth would be very angry with him. The thought of what it would do to him froze Jaune in his tracks. He couldn't move. His legs just wouldn't listen to him. His arms were shaking.
"Jaune!" Nora looked back at him.
Her grip slackened the least bit, and the Sabyr pushed. It got just close enough to bite into Nora's shoulder. One of its fangs was still exposed to the air. Her pained scream broke Jaune out of his trance and he ran forward, screaming. Nora grabbed the exposed fang and broke it right off, stabbing the Grimm in the head. It let go of her and Nora fell to the ground, gripping her shoulder. Jaune bashed the Grimm with his shield, pushing it away. As it tried to regain its composure he slashed, severing its head from its body.
"Jaune, Nora!" Pyrrha and Ren burst onto the scene. Ren went to Nora's side. Steam was rising up from the wound as her Aura healed her. "What happened here?" Nora didn't say anything, and Jaune couldn't bring himself to look into Pyrha's eyes. "Jaune. What happened?"
"I… I panicked, okay?! I saw those Sabyr, and I couldn't help but think about what they'd do to me… I froze because… because I didn't want them to maul me…"
"So you let it maul Nora instead?"
Nora tried pulling herself up, saying, "Pyrrha-"
"I'm disappointed, Jaune." Pyrrha's face was stern, and her tone cold. "You could've gotten Nora killed, all because of your cowardice; because you were afraid of getting hurt. It isn't about just you anymore, Jaune."
"I know, Pyrrha! I know, okay?" He looked at her, tears welling up in his eyes. "I know it isn't just about me, but I still couldn't do a damn thing. I really am a coward."
Jaune turned and ran into the forest, leaving the others behind.
"Jaune, wait!"
"Pyrrha, I think-" Nora winced. "I think you've said enough."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Ren asked her.
"For now? Yeah, I should be fine. Really should get this looked at later, though."
"Pyrrha, you look after her. I'll go and get Jaune." Ren took off after him.
The RWBY girls were resting among a group of trees. Ruby was patrolling them, Crescent Rose at the ready. Blake and Weiss were sitting on the forest floor, leaning against some trees. Yang was sitting up in a tree. Ruby found herself gravitating towards Blake. She heard a cough from her and rushed to Blake's side.
"Are you okay, Blake?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine…"
"Here, let me see if I have some water…"
"No, it's alright, Ruby. …Do you feel bad?"
"Well, of course I do!" Ruby said. "You got hurt because of me…"
"Well, it was more the Ursa than anything, really." Yang said.
"But it was my idea for her to lasso it, Yang!" Ruby retorted.
"So the answer is yes. How about this, then? Stop feeling bad about yourself, see what you can do better, and just try again the next time something happens?"
"Yeah, I can try that, I think. Oh, you were trying to tell me something earlier! What was it, Blake?"
"I was trying to tell you that I'm not all that strong. You know, physically. I didn't think trying to have me of all people play tug of war with an Ursa would end well."
"And, clearly, it didn't," Weiss added.
"So what're you good at, then?" Ruby asked.
"Stealth, recon, sneak attacks." A second Blake appeared. "My Shadows can be useful for throwing someone off and let me get in for a quick hit they weren't expecting. Or I just lay low and stab them in the back before they even know I'm there."
"Okay, okay… so you're like our little assassin! Or rogue, or thief, or something!" Ruby looked up to see Yang playfully kicking her feet. "You're all good for being on the frontlines, right, Yang?"
"Leave it to me! My semblance isn't all that useful if I'm hiding in the back anyway."
"What about you, Weiss?" Ruby asked.
"Me? Well… I'm a pretty good fencer, so I'm not useless up front in a fight. That's usually if I'm alone though, I think…"
"What about in a group? Yang's up front, Blake's sneaking around our target, and I can cover them from the back with Crescent Rose. So what about you?"
"In that case… I'd probably be with you playing support. You've seen the ranged attacks I can do with my Glyphs. And they're good for blocking attacks and repositioning in the middle of combat. I normally just use them for myself, but I guess they would be really useful supporting the rest of the team, huh?"
"Then that's what we'll go with!" Ruby stood up and started walking around their little rest stop in circles. "I don't know what we're going to run into next, but I'll have to keep that in mind… we'll be able to make it work. No casualties, no injuries…"
The three shared a look as their leader paced, smiling at each other. When Weiss and Blake's eyes met, the two of them turned away. Blake felt anger simmering, but Weiss's eyes almost seemed sad, from what she could tell.
Pyrrha was sitting with Nora. Her Aura had done most of the heavy lifting in healing her shoulder, and Pyrrha was leading her through some light stretches to keep herself limber and see if there was any lingering pain.
"Nora," Pyrrha began, "are you upset with Jaune?"
"Am I? I actually don't know what to tell you about that one."
"You're not sure? You stood and fought, and Jaune just stood there to leave you to your fate."
"Well, yeah." Nora shrugged. "Not like I blame him. My life hasn't been the easiest. I know I'm going to die some day. I've sort of gotten that out of the way already. If it happened against that Sabyr, it happened, but I wasn't going to go down without a fight if it did. If I didn't, then… I mean, think about it, Pyrrha. We're only seventeen years old. People our age aren't supposed to fight bloodthirsty demons for homework. I probably would've done the same thing as him, if I grew up differently."
"You're not afraid of death?"
"Nope! It's sort of a long story, though…"
"But you won't just roll over and die, either… You still have some sense of self preservation."
"Well, isn't that just natural? I mean, I doubt a lot of people would just sit as a thing with giant sharp teeth walked over to them thinking they looked like a nice little cupcake."
"What have I done, then?" Pyrrha held her head in her hands. "This is all life and death. Professor Oobleck is here with us, but we won't always have our teacher there to protect us. When we're out of here, the only things we'll have keeping us alive will be our own wits and instincts. Self preservation is one of the things that makes us the most human. Human or faunus, we don't want to die. How could I fault Jaune for wanting to not die?"
"Well, like you said." Nora patted her shoulder.
Ren was running through the trees, looking for Jaune. How far was he going to go? If he was so afraid of dying, straying so far when he was completely alone just seemed like it would be a bad idea. When Ren heard muffled crying, he stopped. Straining his ears, he started walking towards the sound. He found Jaune sitting against a tree. Ren walked over to Jaune and joined him on the floor.
"I don't get it," Jaune said. "Why Ozpin thought I was leader material. How could he think that was a good idea? Pyrrha is on our team. She'd be an amazing leader. You and Nora would be better than me. Anyone would've been better than me! He made a mistake…" Ren took in a sharp breath, and exhaled slowly. Jaune's crying calmed down, until it suddenly stopped. "H-huh?"
"My semblance," Ren told him, "It would be less than ideal if a Grimm strolled by because it picked up on your crying." He put a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "You're new to this, Jaune. You just have to learn. How to be a leader, and how to be brave. My father was a hunter. I always knew that there was a chance he'd go on a hunt and never come back. He tried teaching me to hunt, and it took me a while to get used to the idea of killing animals, let alone Grimm. I was afraid that things would go south and I'd end up hurt, or worse."
"You? You were a coward who would just run away, once?"
"Well, small children aren't exactly known for being brave in the face of death. No matter how old you are, though, you have to start somewhere. This can be where you start. And no need to feel like you have to rush, either. It's better to make a little progress each day than none at all. The confidence will build over time." Ren pulled himself up. "The lessons have already begun. You were scared, stood by and watched Nora get hurt, Pyrrha scolded you, and then you ran away. What did that teach you?"
"That…" Jaune stood up alongside his teammate. "letting fear control me holds back the entire team."
"I don't think that's quite the same conclusion I'd have come to, but any lesson is a good lesson. By the way, Jaune…"
"Yeah?"
"You might not have earned your place at Beacon, but you're here now. Whether you like it or not, you're going to have to step up to the plate."
"W-what?"
"I just find it a bit hard to believe someone who actually got into this school legitimately would freeze in fear like that. The application process would normally weed people like that out, but you slipped through the cracks."
"So you… just guessed it? You're not upset, are you?"
"A bit, but there's nothing I can do about it. You're my leader, and you're my teammate. I care more about making sure we all live to graduation than your cheating."
Before Jaune could respond, the ground slightly shook. The two of them looked around, hands going for their weapons. The shaking continued, and the louder and more violent it got, the more uneasy Jaune felt. A giant black shape walked through the forest, and the two could only glimpse it through the trees. Jaune felt his rising fear and panic be shoved back down as Ren shushed him.
"We're going back to the girls," Ren said.
The two crept along the forest floor, so as to not attract the Grimm. Once it was out of sight, they quickened their pace, until they were sure they were far enough away to break into a full sprint. Their sudden appearance, skidding to a stop, caught Pyrrha and Nora off guard.
"Whoa! What's up with you two?" Nora asked.
"Giant Grimm in the forest!" Jaune said.
"I couldn't really be sure of what it was, but it didn't look good," Ren added.
"Where's Team RWBY?" Pyrrha asked. "Did any of you see which way they went after they split up?"
"I'll give Ruby a call!" Jaune pulled out his Scroll and made the call.
"Jaune?" He heard Ruby say.
"Ruby! Listen, Ren and I just saw some huge Grimm! We don't know where it's going, but we should head to Professor Oobleck!"
"I don't really get it, but okay! You and the rest of your team should be careful on your way, okay?"
"Yeah, you too!" Once he hung up, he drew his sword, just in case. "We're heading back, everyone! Nora, are you feeling okay enough to go?"
"Not like I have much choice." She stood up, her grenade launcher ready to shoot. "But, uh… what do we do if we run into it?"
"...We might have to fight." Jaune hated the fact that he even considered it. It was large, but it didn't exactly look slow. If it could outspeed them, then running away wasn't going to help them at all. "Come on, let's get moving. Pyrrha, cover our backs."
"Right…" Pyrrha shifted her spear into a rifle and turned her back to the group. "And Jaune… I'm sorry."
"You were right to be angry, I think. And Nora, I'm sorry, too."
"Okay, okay, it's good that we're kissing and making up, but didn't you just say we needed to move because there's a big Grimm out there?" Nora asked. "Let's get going!"
With Jaune at the helm and Pyrrha at their back, Team JNPR started retracing their steps towards their instructor.
RWBY burst into a clearing in the forest. They saw four familiar faces as they did. The joy was short-lived, though. At the same time the two teams entered the clearing, the same Grimm that Jaune and Ren saw casually walked into it as well. Now that they got a good look at it, it looked like a massive gorilla. When it saw them, it let out a deafening roar. The eight clustered together, facing the Grimm.
"That's one big boy…" Yang said.
"It's easily over ten feet tall…" Weiss added.
"So, are you staying to fight?" Ruby asked.
"Unless you think we can outrun it," Jaune said. He was trembling, but he did his best to look fierce and threatening to the Grimm. Even though he was one of the tallest of them, he doubted it cared very much for him. "Ren, get behind it! Pyrrha, you and Nora stay back and provide cover fire. I'll draw its attention."
"Ruby, I'll help Jauney Boy out, alright?" Yang asked.
"Sounds good! Blake, you go with Ren! Weiss, you're with me! We're sticking with Pyrrha and Nora!"
"Got it!"
Ren and Blake disappeared into the trees, and Yang fired off a round from Ember Celica at it. It looked like she only irritated it. The Grimm lunged forward and swung a fist. Yang's heartbeat quickened to a nice, rhythmic pace right before it collided. It pushed her back, but she kept her footing.
"Yeah, I'm not going to be able to go Hot against this thing! One hit and I'm done!"
"We just need to hold it's attention!" Jaune told her. "If that's what it takes, it's fine."
The Grimm stared Yang down, then Ruby shot it in the side of its white mask. It turned towards her, only to be shot on from Nora and Pyrrha behind it. Right when the Grimm would focus on one target, someone attacked it. Jaun slashing at it, Yang punching it, Pyrrha, Nora, or Ruby shooting it, and finally Weiss with her Glyphs. This lasted for a few minutes, but even though it was clear Yang and Jaune were still winded, the Grimm appeared to be fine.
"This isn't good," Ruby said. "Weiss, I have an idea!"
Jaune saw Ruby run off and Weiss started towards him and Yang. She slashed at the Grimm's back and then vaulted over it. She jumped back when she touched down and used her Glyphs to fire off more icicles.
"Jaune, Yang, we're ending this! Be on your guard!"
"Roger, Weiss!" Yang responded.
"You're the key to this, Jaune. Just do what you've always done."
"Yeah, I'm on it."
The Grimm started charging at them. Jaune stepped in front of Yang, raising his shield. Just like all of the other times, Pyrrha and Nora fired on it. It stopped in its tracks and looked back at them. Jaune took off, drawing his sword across his body in preparation for his strike. He saw the red gleam of the Grimm's eyes when it suddenly turned on him. Its massive fist was speeding towards his face. What was going on? What had changed? Did the Grimm catch on to what they were doing? How? It was just a big, stupid Grimm. It wasn't supposed to learn.
Its fist never met its target. A white Glyph appeared between him and the Grimm, holding its fist in place. Jaune heard a bang, and a shape sped through the air, black, red, and white. Blake appeared, both her own and Ruby's weapons in hand. A long black ribbon was extending from her hand into the trees. She leapt over the Grimm's arm and fired Ruby's scythe again. She flew back towards the tree, and the ribbon pulled the Grimm's arm back. Ruby flew in, Bursting out of the air in a small storm of rose petals. With a spin, she severed the Grimm's arm. It turned towards the one who dismembered it and reached for her. It squeezed Ruby and lifted her into the air.
"Ruby!" Jaune shouted.
Blake and Ren sprinted out from their place in the forest, directly behind the Grimm. With them behind it, and its only arm that busy crushing Ruby, they were completely untouchable. Their footsteps were quick and light. They barely made a sound. They went for the Grimm's legs, slicing those off just as Ruby did its arm. It fell onto its back, and Ruby disappeared, reappearing just as suddenly on the ground. She cut off its remaining arm, and then the Grimm simply writhed on the ground, screeching at them.
Jaune walked over to the Grimm. It could still bite them, but with all four of its limbs gone, the most it could do was just drag itself along the ground. Jaune walked over to its head. The Grimm looked up at him and screamed. Jaune raised his sword and thrust it down, right through the Grimm's forehead. The clearing went quiet and the Grimm burst into wisps of black dust.
"Whew! It worked." Ruby cracked her back. The group winced at the sickening sounds that came from her. "Ugh… I was worried it was going to catch on eventually, and I was right. It did."
"How did you know that was going to happen?" Pyrrha asked.
"Because the same thing happened to me." Weiss raised her hand. "An Ursa Major caught on to our idea of hitting it from all sides to try and confuse it. Though… it's worrying that not one, but two Grimm we've run into today realized what we were doing so quickly."
"We're all alive, and that's what matters." Jaune sheathed his sword.
He looked at his team and smiled at them. They all returned the gesture. He didn't run away from the Grimm. He had stayed to help them fight. He was even the one to deal the finishing blow. Ren was right about baby steps. In the grand scheme of things, what he had done wasn't very impressive, but it made Jaune feel a lot better about himself at that moment.
"Are we in agreement that we've had enough exercise for the day?" Blake asked. "We were already heading back to Oobleck, and after what we just dealt with, we can probably call it."
"I need to see a doctor anyway, so I'm more than okay with that!" Nora chimed in.
"Oh, yeah! How did I do, guys?" The group started walking back, but Ruby suddenly piped up. "You know, at using your talents, and all."
"I mean, I just sat there and ate hits. That's what I do best," Yang said.
"I got to strike from the shadows not once, but twice. My speed is probably my best combat trait, and those small windows are crucial for that. I don't think you did a bad job making them for me." Blake added.
Weiss was slower to answer, which worried Ruby. "Glyphs might be my semblance and all, but I sort of wish I could've done more with my sword."
"Alright, then! I'll keep thinking about how to make the most of the things you're good at, everyone! And Weiss, we have to talk sometime about what we could do with you!"
Jaune followed Ruby's lead and asked his team how they felt about the battle. For the rest of their trip, the two teams reflected and shared stories. They learned a lot from each other in the time they walked. Ruby and Jaune were among the ones who had learned the most. For the two young leaders, they were eternally grateful for the lessons they had learned. Each lesson just made them a better leader, and the better they were at leading, the safer they could keep their precious teammates.
I'd like to thank everyone for reading as much as they have. This isn't something I addressed before, so I may as well do it now. The Beacon Arc will be very similar to the show. It isn't until after it that the major changes really begin to happen, but there's too many small things that lead into the immediate aftermath of Beacon, and things further down the line, that I can't just skip to the trip to Mistral since I assume everyone knows what's going on.
I hope you're all able to enjoy the journey to that divergence, even if more often than not, it'll be quite familiar.
I'd also like to mention that if I do take breaks, for any reason outside of unforeseen circumstances, it would be between Volumes. Like between Volumes 2 and 3, for example. I hope to have enough of a backlog that I won't ever fall behind, but I might take a few weeks off anyhow in order to let myself get some more work done so that uploads can remain consistent when I do come back. I'll announce something like that if I plan it, and if an inter-volume break like that isn't planned, it wouldn't be a bad idea to check back and see if something's been added to the very end of the most recent chapter, if I've just disappeared for a while.
I believe that Gears of Fate is very grounded in the world of RWBY. Even with the changes I make, it isn't anything too drastic, I don't think. It might be a bit bland to some people because there aren't enough changes to characters and their situations, or you just might not like the sort of changes I have made.
If you want a different kind of RWBY rewrite, with more substantial changes to the characters, and with more of a focus on each of the main four girls, you're free to check out The Forever Fall by oblivioness on Archive of Our Own: /series/3018930
