Disclaimer:This is a work of fan fiction using characters and/or scenes from the show RWBY, which is trademarked by Rooster Teeth, and the video game Persona 3, which is trademarked by Atlus. I do not, in anyway, claim ownership over the characters, the world, the story, or any other aspect belonging to either one. This story should not be, in any way, considered canon. This story is written strictly for entertainment and not for profit.
Warning: This story will exhibit slight differences in character behavior since I will be taking the liberty to fill in blank points in the pasts of various characters. As such, expect that many characters will not behave exactly as their canon selves. I will attempt to keep their core personalities intact, but slight changes will be unavoidable.
Another extra-long chapter for you guys. 24k+ Words of sheer goodness. If this keeps up this might start becoming my normal chapter length. And it's all thanks to everyone who's reviewed and followed the story so far. Seeing everyone enjoying this story is simply inspiring.
In fact, I was supposed to be working on the next chapter of my other story but I just couldn't. My mind just kept turning to the events of this chapter. So instead of wasting the inspiration, I decided to just update this instead. And I just kept typing, and typing, and typing, and typing… and before I knew it I had this.
Even the anonymous review I got just yesterday which said, and I quote, "this fucking sucks dick go die", can't put me down after all the others. I actually find this kind of review funny. No substance, no explanation as to why the story "sucks", not even any creative remarks. And the thing is, they reviewed the previous chapter. So either they just skipped to the most recent chapter and sent that in without actually reading anything, or they read over 30K words and couldn't come up with anything more creative than that. It almost smells like envy in a way. XD
Anyway, a couple of things about this coming chapter. We've got the entirety of the initiation day here so, as you already know, expect a long chapter. We've got a few friendship building scenes, though they don't necessarily point out who is teamed up with who.
A reminder and a word of warning before we begin the chapter. Seven months have passed since SEES woke up in Remnant and have gone through seven months of intense training with Ryoji, Elizabeth, and her own collection of Personas. Moreover, they learned that everything they once had outside of SEES is now gone. So expect their behavior to be slightly different (maybe more than slightly as time passes). After all, anyone would change once they find out that their families and friends are long gone, and that the world they once knew is literally ancient history.
The only upside is that SEES still have each other but even that won't be enough to completely patch up feelings of loss. So if SEES may seem OOC or different from how they were at the end of P3, just remember this. I'm giving this because while proofreading there were times, especially near the end of this chapter, that I had to remind myself of the same thing. That they have and will continue to change.
Even for me the change is pretty abrupt since I skipped those seven months, meaning we won't get to see them as they change. Instead, we get to see them waking up the same as always, and then change into slightly different characters right after.
As for RWBY characters, well, expect some of them to behave differently starting this chapter but still keeping close to their core canon personalities. The first of many major twists will be put into play here and will drastically affect their behavior. So just keep in mind that their behavior in the story is still based on their real personalities.
I just had to mention this since I got two PMs after the last chapter regarding this. One said that Mitsuru wouldn't have joked around with Junpei like that, or even tolerate his comments at the end of the chapter. The other just felt like they were different. I've already cleared it up with them but I wanted to throw this out here in case others had similar concerns.
Anyway, here's the long awaited 'mass-suicide' chapter.
Chapter 3 – Mass Self-Destruction
September 6, XX13
Beacon Academy was abuzz with activity. Although classes have yet to officially begin, it did not change the fact that many students were moving about the campus. These students, however, were not students of Beacon Academy. Not yet. Rather, they were the prospective first-years, students from various combat schools all over Remnant, and even some who did not attend one, who came with hopes of being accepted into the prestigious school. And soon, these students, these children, would be taking their first step into Beacon.
In less than one hour, the Beacon Academy Initiation Exam would begin.
One could already see the signs of nervousness and anxiety settling in as the initiation drew closer with every passing minute. Pacing, nail-biting, quiet whispers and muttering, forgetfulness, stiff movements, and an overall tense posture were but some of the more common signs that could be seen from most of the initiates.
But here and there one could spot the more composed, the excited, and even the uncaring, for one reason or another. And while such things did not necessarily indicate skill, it at least reflected the level of training they had received or their level of discipline. Or in some cases, the experiences they have had in the past.
Two such individuals were in the school's locker room. Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. The black-haired, green and white clad boy was calm, even considering his childhood friend was chattering away right beside him despite his lack of response. Most would have been amazed at his patience considering she had been talking non-stop since waking him up nearly two hours ago.
And contrary to his behavior, the orange-haired girl clad mainly in white and pink was bright and cheery to the point of being nearly overly exuberant. "No, no, can't bribe him. He owns the school. Don't really have anything that can top that. I know, how about we come up with some sort of signal? A secret signal. Ooh, a super-secret signal! Do you think you can imitate a sloth?"
"Nora?" he began, speaking to her for the first time since waking up.
"Yes Ren?" Her tone had calmed down significantly but Ren knew she simply pushed her excitement down to hear what he had to say.
"I don't think sloths make a lot of noise."
To anyone who might have been watching, the look on Nora's face could have been called disheartened, or at least just slightly discouraged. Ren knew otherwise thought. It wouldn't be long before… There it was.
"That's why it's perfect!" She practically squealed, excitement returning twofold. "Nobody will suspect a thing."
Ren chuckled, both at her response and at how easy it was to predict her actions. With a flick of his wrist, Stormflower, a pair of bladed automatic pistols, folded up into a more compact form and slid into his sleeves. "Come on Nora," he said, turning towards the exit. "Let's-"
"S'up Ren!" Only to turn the other way when someone greeted him. He had to stop halfway as an arm landed on his shoulders just before Junpei's grinning face came into view not far from his own. "S'up Nora!"
"Hey Junpei!" Nora greeted in kind, throwing her own arm around Junpei's shoulders. Unfortunately, the height difference of six or so inches made it difficult and awkward, forcing Junpei to bend down to accommodate her. And because Ren was slightly taller than Junpei, he was also forced to bend down. Anyone looking would have definitely been laughing their asses off at the strange sight. "You ready to break some legs?"
Despite only having spent an hour at most with Nora the previous night, Ren had to admit that Junpei had adjusted to her pretty quickly. Then again, he did seem to have quite the laidback attitude so it was no surprise that he'd adjusted quickly to Nora's own easygoing attitude.
Junpei just laughed at Nora's question, seemingly not bothered with being literally pulled down to her level. "Can't exactly break legs when I've got a sword," he said, jerking his head over his shoulder, presumably where his weapon was. Ren couldn't exactly see it from his position. "But hell yeah, I'm ready to kick some ass!" Junpei's response was just as enthusiastic as Nora's.
Ren could only smile and shake his head. Hopefully Junpei wouldn't be too shocked if and when he someday finds out just how serious Nora was with that question, even when it came to people. At least they seem to have made a friend in Junpei. The other three they had spent part of last night with were quite amiable as well, though Chidori's quiet nature contrasted with Nora's boisterous behavior so they probably wouldn't get along too well.
"Oh, friends of yours Junpei-san?"
Junpei took his arm off of Ren's shoulders, finally allowing Ren to straighten up once more as well as turn around to see who had spoken. Nora, however, wouldn't let go of Junpei. So instead, Junpei just turned around forcing Nora to swing around as well, placing her between Ren and Junpei.
Standing there was a young boy, most likely eleven or twelve years of age, with a spear taller than he was strapped to his back. Sharp eyes also caught what seemed to be a small firearm holstered slightly forward of his right hip. Looking over the rest of the boy, Ren immediately recognized the clothes he wore. A black blazer, white button-up shirt, a black ribbon tie, and black pants. More or less the same clothing he noticed Junpei wearing the night before.
A quick glance at the boy beside him confirmed this, though Junpei seems to have worn a blue dress shirt and a cap, of all things. The tie was also missing, giving him a more casual appearance than the boy in front of them.
"You betcha," Junpei replied without hesitation, adding to Ren's impression of his easygoing attitude. "This is Ken, one of the guys I came here with," he said to the two of them before introducing the two of them to him. "This here's Nora, and over there's Ren. Obviously they're gonna be taking the test with us today."
Ren nodded while Nora waved with the hand not wrapped around Junpei's shoulders, a large smile on her face. "I'm Ken Amada. It's nice to meet you both," he said, before surprising Ren, and even Nora, by greeting them with a formal looking bow.
But, never one to be shocked for very long, Nora was soon upon the poor boy, startling him by her sudden approach. And then, despite being only a few inches taller than he was, she picked up him by his underarms and lifted him up with an ease that startled both Ken and Junpei. "Ooooh, that was soooo cute!" She squealed in delight, holding him up like a little child. "Can we keep him Ren? Can we?" she asked over her shoulder before turning to face Ken. "Do you want us to keep you? Do you?"
Ken, still shocked by how easily she had picked him up, didn't even react to her request, a confused sound escaping his lips as he looked back and forth between the ground and the girl holding him. Behind her, Junpei was just recovering from his own shock as amusement took its place, laughter quickly bubbling up and escaping, not that he tried very hard to keep it in.
And beside him, Ren just shook his head with an exasperated smile. "No Nora, we can't. Besides which," he paused to look at Ken who was roughly eye-level with him now that Nora was holding him up. "No offense but aren't you…"
"Yes, yes I am," Ken replied, having already anticipated the question. Then again, quite a few people had already asked him that since waking up that morning, especially after breakfast when they decided to split up for a while.
In the past, each member of SEES had their own way of preparing themselves for a trip to Tartarus or a Full Moon Operation. Just because the situation was different didn't change that one little fact. Today's event just happened to be in a less morbid setting, but no less serious given what Fuuka had sensed in the forest nearby.
And if tradition held true, which everyone undoubtedly knew it would, SEES would gather half an hour before the exam began without fail. Which, unless Ken was mistaken, was in less than half an hour from that moment, probably a little more than a quarter of an hour.
At Ken's response, Ren just slightly raised an eyebrow but didn't question it further and simply nodded in acceptance. If the Headmaster was willing to let a twelve-year-old boy take the initiation then it wasn't really his place to question it. The fact that Junpei hadn't said anything against his presence made his own stance on the matter quite clear.
"Come on Nora," he urged her, placing a hand on the girl's arm. Even without words, the request was clear.
"Awww." Nora pouted as she put Ken down.
"You two wanna hang out with us for a while?" Junpei offered as he watched Ken slowly edge away from the orange-haired girl. "We're gonna be meeting the rest of our group in a while before we head to where they said the exam's gonna be. If you wanna anyway. It's gonna be along the way, not far from where we need to go."
"I don't mind," Ren responded, nodding his acceptance of the invitation as they started walking towards the exit.
"Well, I'm getting really pumped up already. Can't wait 'til we get to kick some ass," commented Junpei, Ken falling into step beside him.
"And break some legs!"
Junpei laughed. "That too!"
As they walked towards the exit, they walked past two girls. Yang Xiao Long and her younger half-sister Ruby Rose followed the quartet with their eyes as the made their own preparations for the day ahead. Once that was done, all they had to do was kill some time and head over to the initiation area.
"Looks like someone's pretty excited," commented Yang, to which Ruby just agreed.
Standing next to a bench, Yang had just finished checking over her weapons, Ember Celica, a pair of collapsible shotgun-gauntlets painted bright yellow like her hair. Sitting close to the other end of the bench was a short, slim girl with chin-length, teal-blue hair. Yang recognized the girl from last night, though only vaguely, when she and her friends arrived just as the red-haired girl seemed ready to scold them for being noisy. From what Yang had seen before the girl sat down, she seemed to be even shorter than Ruby. But what really caught the blonde's attention were the girl's weapons.
When not in use, Ember Celica took the form of a pair of bracelets, thick and only somewhat stylish, but bracelets nonetheless. When deployed, they extended towards her fist and covered most of her forearm as well to provide additional protection. The girl's weapons, on the other hand, were a pair of thick armguards with wide straps holding them to her forearm. Given the size, Yang was certain that what she was seeing was the weapon's smaller, compact form.
It was similar to Ember Celica's deployed form in many ways. It began just behind her knuckles and had a small barrel built into it, and reached all the way past her elbows, the elbows themselves covered by a V-shaped end. All in all, its compact form was longer than Ember Celica's full form. But since they were armguards they only covered the half of her arm facing outwards while Ember Celica were gauntlets, wrapping around her arm. Yang wasn't sure what kind of ammunition it fired or how it fired, but the similarities to Ember Celica definitely made her more than a little curious.
She did notice that the girl had a pistol, of all things, by her right hip, resting inside a belt-type holster that looked decidedly out of place. A back-up weapon perhaps? Not very common and, given its size, probably not very useful, but it wasn't exactly her place to decide that.
Next to the lockers, Ruby had just folded Crescent Rose into its travel form and attached it to a small magnetic strip hanging from her belt, grinning cheerfully all the while.
"Well, looks like they're not the only ones excited," teased Yang, grinning at her younger sister.
In response, Ruby grinned and let out a short laugh. "Yup. No more awkward small talk or getting to know you stuff. Just gotta get out there and let my sweetheart do the talking," she said, patting Crescent Rose.
"Well, just remember that you aren't the only one there. You're gonna have to meet new people and work together with them if you wanna grow up," she said, already anticipating Ruby's reply even as she spoke.
Sure enough, an irritated growl slipped past Ruby's lips as she shut the locker with more force than necessary. "You're starting to sound like dad." Even Ruby's voice had been more of a half-growl due to her annoyance. "Meeting people has nothing to do with fighting. And why do I even need them to grow up? That's what milk is for."
Yang hid her amusement at that, aware that Ruby did more than just drink milk to grow, and instead showed the worry she felt for her sister. "And what about when we form teams?" she asked, a small frown appearing on Ruby's face at that last word. "Can't really form a team if you don't know anyone. And it's not like Signal where we only do group exercises now and then."
"I… I don't know," Ruby admitted, turning away to hide the worried expression that she felt appear on her face. "I-I'll just… I'll just be on you team, I guess."
"You guess?" Yang asked with a raised brow, not that Ruby could see it. "Ruby, we don't even know if we actually get to choose our own teams. Besides, even if we do, don't you wanna try being on a different team?" Ruby turned around at that suggestion. "Maybe, meet new people?"
Ruby was quick to cross the distance between them, one finger already raised. "My dearest sister Yang," she began, her finger just shy of poking Yang's large bust. 'Nope, not jealous,' she made sure to tell herself, keeping her eyes from straying enviously to her sister's more than gifted chest. "Are you implying that you do not wish to be on the same team as me?"
"What?" Yang was taken aback for a moment, not expecting Ruby to take her words in that manner. "N-No, I just… I just thought maybe it'd help you… you know, break out of your shell."
"Wh-Wha- I… I don't need to break out of my shell!" Ruby declared vehemently, though Yang noted how she stumbled over her words at the beginning and backed away. "That's absolutely-"
"Ridiculous!"
Both Ruby and Yang jumped slightly at the sudden interruption, turning to the blonde boy standing two feet away as he walked towards them, then between them, and then away from them. "There's no way I put my stuff in locker six-three-six yesterday," they heard him muttering in seeming despair as he walked away and out of hearing distance.
As he did, a girl with short brown hair came towards them, sending him a questioning look as she passed him. "What's with him?" she asked, turning to face the teal haired girl on the bench.
Once again, Yang recognized her from the night before. She was wearing a pink cardigan, a loose red ribbon, a white choker, a black mini-skirt, brown loafers, knee-high black socks, and white gloves on her hands that flare open slightly past the wrist. The red band on her left upper arm with the word SEES drew her attention briefly, making her wonder whether she was part of some sort of organization.
At the sight, Yang couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She glanced at Ruby and saw her glancing back out of the corner of her eye. When Ruby nodded her head slightly towards the pink-clad girl, she knew that she and Ruby were thinking the same thing. 'What is she wearing?' While they, Yang especially, had nothing against looking good, it was another thing to prioritize looks over practicality, especially when they were going to be fighting Grimm very soon. After all, how else would they be tested?
"It looks like he's having trouble finding his locker," the gauntlet-wielding girl replied, rising from the bench. "Are you ready Yukari-chan?"
And again, the teal-haired girl's clothing drew her attention. She hadn't paid it much attention earlier, the girl's weapon being more interesting, but now that the two girls stood next to each other, Yang couldn't help but notice her clothing. A black blazer over a teal-green turtleneck, the sleeves peeking out of the blazer's sleeves, a black skirt just short of knee-length, white stockings, and black loafers. Asides from her armguards, she didn't look any more ready to fight than Yukari.
Did they somehow think the initiation was just some kind of skill demonstration in front of the teachers or something? If so, Yang hoped they weren't in over their heads choosing Beacon of all places to attend.
Idly, she noted that she also had one of the red armbands with the same word, SEES, wrapped around her left upper arm. It was either an organization or, judging by their clothing, a school.
"As ready as I can be," replied Yukari, patting a pink and white, roughly rectangular object strapped to her left thigh, a lightly arced handgrip facing forward, and a pistol strapped to her right thigh which looked to be the same model as the other girl's. Yang also noticed a cylindrical object peaking over the girl's right shoulder. "What about you, Fuuka? Is… you're weapon fine?"
Fuuka nodded, noting how Yukari intentionally avoided using the weapon's name. She, however, didn't have any reluctance in that regard. "Ancile's fine. I'm still not used to having something so heavy on my arms but I'm used to it. Elizabeth-san and Ryoji-kun made sure I spent enough time getting used to the weight."
Fuuka noted the grimace on Yukari's face when she mentioned both Ancile's and Elizabeth's names. "I really wish she didn't name them. I mean, I get that everyone else here names their weapons but why do we need to have names on ours?" she asked, not noticing a nearby girl taking notice of her words. "It just doesn't make sense."
"Hey," both Fuuka and Yukari turned at the upset voice that spoke and found themselves facing a young girl clad mostly in black with a red cloak. Immediately, they recognized her from the day before. "Weren't you the one on the ship yesterday who was complaining about people naming their weapons?"
Inwardly, Yukari sighed. Even without asking she already had a good idea what the girl was going to say. 'I really should try to keep my voice down saying stuff like that,' she said to herself. After all, it would be a problem if she used words people weren't used to hearing like Shadows and Persona. Shadows would be easy to explain but Persona?
The members of SEES had agreed to try to minimize the use of their Personas. One person using a Persona was one thing. It could simply be explained as a Semblance after all. Though the use of the Evoker would draw some uncomfortable question if the summoning process was seen. But even the Persona itself would raise questions.
They knew the secrecy wouldn't last. Sooner or later, most likely sooner, they would have to use their Personas. After all, their Personas were once their main weapons against Shadows. Some of the players had changed, and some of the rules had changed as well. But ultimately the game and the goal were more or less the same, and carried the same threat. To not use their Personas, Semblances for the newer generation, was almost akin to a death wish, if not a form of suicide.
Besides, after hearing Elizabeth speak of the Huntsmen and Huntresses, some of them could honestly say they were curious as to how they matched up in a straight-up fight against those their age. More importantly, if they were to avoid the use of Personas and fought someone who did not use their Semblance, could they fight one-on-one against someone who had Aura and win?
Hopefully Yukari wouldn't have to find out here and now.
"You heard that huh?" Yukari asked, already knowing the answer. "Look, I didn't mea-"
Unfortunately, Ruby wasn't in the mood to listen. Not only did she have to hear it twice now, but Yang had just tried to tell her that she didn't want to be on the same team as her. Well, perhaps that wasn't what Yang was trying to say, but it still meant the same thing in the end. "You don't understand anything," she said sharply, cutting off Yukari. "These are more than just weapons. They're practically our chil-mmph!"
"Okay, I think I better stop you before you get going there sis," Yang said, one hand covering Ruby's mouth and the other on her shoulder to keep her still. "I know you're a weapons nut and all but…" She paused, a confused look on her face. "You do know that licking my hand would have worked better if I wasn't wearing gloves, right?"
Ruby nodded, slumping in defeat since her plan had failed. Yang sighed, but took her hand away from her sister's mouth. But not before wiping her now saliva-covered palm on Ruby's cheek. "Eeewwwww! Yang!" Ruby jumped away from her sister, her arm rising up to wipe her cheek on her sleeve.
"Hey, you licked it, you clean it," she said unapologetically, before she turned to the pair of uniformed girls with an apologetic look. "Sorry about Ruby. She can get a little crazy at times around weapons."
"No I don't!"
Yang sighed, turning to her sister with a flat stare. "Ruby, you were about to go into one of your 'We created them, they're practically our children,' speeches. Nobody I know goes into a speech like that besides you."
"Hey, she started it," came Ruby's reply, accompanied by a finger pointing towards Yukari.
In response, Yukari just sighed, loud enough to catch the attention of the siblings, one hand rising up to rub the side of her temple with her fingers. "Look, you wanna name your weapon, that's fine and that's your business. But just because that's what you guys do doesn't mean that's how we do things or that we have to do the same." Yukari took a deep breath and released it, turning to face Fuuka with a much more calm expression. "Look, I'm gonna go on ahead. I'll see you in a while when we meet up."
Some might have thought that Yukari would have appreciated having someone to talk to, but by now Fuuka understood just when Yukari needed someone to talk to or when she needed to be alone first before she opened up. So the teal-haired girl just nodded, knowing that, in this case, Yukari needed some time alone to calm down. So as the brown-haired girl walked away, Fuuka turned to Ruby and Yang, the latter with a hand on the former to keep her from following or acting up again.
"I'm sorry about that," she apologized, not for Yukari's words but for how she said it. "It's like Yukari-chan said, we don't really name our weapons where were from so it's a little strange for us to see that everyone here names their weapons."
"But isn't that weird?" asked Ruby. "I mean, you spent all that time designing and making them. Don't you feel a connection to them?"
"As much as she's a weapons nut, Ruby's got a point though," agreed Yang, ignoring Ruby's indignant yell. "Doesn't it feel weird spending so much time making them and not feeling just a little bit proud once you're done?"
"Oh, that's because we didn't make them," Fuuka replied calmly. Ruby and Yang, however, didn't react as calmly. And while she didn't show it, Fuuka found it quite amusing when they turned to her with shocked, disbelieving looks. "The weapons we used back home were all ordinary, nothing like what everyone here uses, so we usually just bought them. In fact, mine, Yukari-chan's, and Aigis-chan's weapons are the only ones like what you have and that's only because someone bought them for us recently. I think Elizabeth-san said she bought it from… Mistral, I think? I can't quite remember now."
Neither one of the siblings could believe what they just heard. They just bought the weapons? Leaving aside the sheer cost of having someone make a customized weapon, were things just that different where they were from that Huntsmen, or whatever the equivalent was, didn't make their own weapons?
Then again, Ruby did mention that they came from a faraway country so perhaps it wasn't that unbelievable? But still, it was such a vast difference from what they were used to that it was like being told that the moon used to be just one big piece. But that was just plain impossible. More importantly…
"W-Wait, hold up. You're telling me that you guys just bought those?" Ruby asked, pointing to Fuuka's armguards, her own eyes wide open in shock and disbelief once more. "B-but... but… but…"
"Oookay. Ignoring Ruby for now, wasn't that really expensive?" Fuuka turned to Yang with a questioning look on her face. "I mean, you mentioned someone bought those from Mistral. I know there are only like, five or six people in ALL of Remnant who'd willingly spend time to make and sell custom-made weapons for someone else. There might be others but they're either not as well-known or they might not be open to requests from people they don't know. Either way, all of them are really expensive."
She raised her arm and deployed Ember Celica, showing the shorter girl her weapon. "I could make four or five copies of my weapons with the money I'd need to get them to make just one. And that's if I provide the designs for them. I could probably make seven or eight if I had to pay them to design the thing too, maybe more."
"Really?" Fuuka looked at her armguards in surprise as though seeing them there for the first time. "I knew they must have been expensive but… why is the price so different?
"But… But… But…"
"Nobody makes weapons like these for a living," Yang explained, seeing as Ruby seems to have gone into shock, most likely for multiple reasons. She tapped Ember Celica to show what she meant, and pointed at both Ruby's and Fuuka's weapons as well. "Since weapons like these are custom made, it takes a lot of time to design it to fit the user's fighting style or, if they're still young, what kind of style they were aiming to have in the future. Some, like mine and yours, also need to be fitted to our bodies. Then, once they know what kind of weapons they want to use, they have to find a way to design it so that it can shift between forms."
"Are there more than just the two forms?"
"But… But… But…"
"Sometimes, yeah." At that, Yang pointed to Ruby's Crescent Rose again, ignoring her sister's still catatonic but mumbling form. "That's Crescent Rose's travel form. Ruby can then open it up to either a rifle form, or a scythe form. So when she decided on what kind of weapon she wanted, she had to design how she was gonna carry it around, since you wouldn't want to carry around a huge scythe, and how it was gonna shift from one form to the other. Then she had to make the parts, fit them together, and test the weapon. If something's off, she'll have to either remake some of the parts at best, or redesign the whole thing at worst."
She then held up her arms to show the golden bracelets on her wrists. "Ember Celica's not as big and only has two forms. This," she paused and activated her weapons, allowing the parts to slide out from the bracelet and into its full form. "And its gauntlet form. It wasn't as complicated as Ruby's Crescent Rose but even something small like Ember Celica wasn't exactly easy to make."
"And you did all that within the past few years while you were in school, right? That's amazing." Fuuka could help but be awed, amazed at just how much work they put into their weapons. Elizabeth had explained some of the current culture to them, and the books she brought certainly helped, but to actually hear it from someone who had to do the work themselves was another thing entirely. "But wait, didn't you have teachers or family to help?"
"But… But… But…"
"Oh we did, but making your own weapon's sort of like a test," Yang explained. It was strange, though, to have to explain something that was practically common knowledge, even amongst the civilian population. "If we're stumped 'cause of a design flaw we're trying to fix, they might help us out by showing us where we went wrong but how we fix it is up to us. And even if they see something wrong with the initial design, they won't say anything and just let us build the thing and see it for ourselves."
"I see." And Fuuka really did. The entire thing was beginning to make sense the more Yang explained. "It does make sense that they'd want you to know your own weapon inside out since you can't really expect someone else to maintain or fix it for you considering it's so unique. And I guess that in some way it's also a test of resolve. I don't know much, but I heard back home that making a weapon is something that takes most people years just to be able to learn how to make a decent one, never mind something that could be considered the work of a master. I can't imagine how hard it must be to make something this complicated on your own."
"That's another way to look at it I guess." Yang just shrugged. Perhaps to someone who didn't have to go through it, it would seem like that. But to them, it was just another part of the life they'd chosen. Still, she had to admit that Fuuka might have a point. She could remember more than a few of her classmates who gave up on making a weapon and, consequently, the life of a Huntsman.
"BUT WHY WOULD YOU DO SUCH A THING?!"
Fuuka jumped, a short scream erupting from her mouth, at Ruby's explosive question. Yang, however, just sighed. "Little late there Rubes. We haven't been on that topic for a while."
Something about what Yang said caught Fuuka's attention. And after repeating it in her head, her eyes shot open in surprise as she looked down at her watch. "Oh no, I'm going to be late."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Yang asked, pulling out her scroll and glancing at the time. "We've still got about half an hour before the exam starts."
"No not that," Fuuka explained hurriedly, grabbing the bag on the bench and slinging it over her shoulder. "We usually meet half an hour before things like this. I'm sure everyone's together by now."
"Well, we're pretty much done getting ready. Mind if we tag along?" asked Yang, glancing at her sister who nodded even as she tried to calm down from hearing the shocking revelations from earlier.
"I don't mind. We usually have a quick meeting so we'll have to hurry," explained Fuuka as she and the siblings made their way to the exit. "Hopefully there's not much to talk about so we don't end up late for the exam."
"So you're actually older than us?" asked Weiss, trying to keep a victorious grin from overwhelming her facial features.
In front of her and to her left was Mitsuru Kirijo, the red-haired young woman she had met the day before. Much like the day before, Mitsuru was dressed in what Weiss learned was her previous school's uniform. Only now she did not wear the blazer, showing the white, long-sleeved dress shirt she had worn underneath it.
Moreover, this time she was able to see Mitsuru's weapon, a rapier much like her own, as she hadn't really paid attention to it the day before. Unlike Myrtenaster, the sword was incredibly simple in design but did not necessarily lack in aesthetics. It had a basket hilt, the elaborate design of the handguard standing out due to the simplicity of the rest of the weapon. The hilt itself looked to be shaped slightly, most likely designed for Mitsuru's hands. The blade was, long, thin, and double-edged, ending with a sharp point. Designed for thrusts but clearly capable of slashing and cutting as well.
It was strange to see such a plain weapon. Not only did it not look like it could shift into a different form, Weiss saw no indication that it held a hidden firearm or even a place for Dust. Rather, Mitsuru's firearm was a small pistol, held within a belt holster by her right hip. Again, it was a strange sight for Weiss. Rather than on a Huntress, it would be something you'd see on a town's local militia or police force, which, if Weiss was being honest, was rarely effective against anything more than the youngest of Grimm.
Still, she wouldn't say anything unless it became necessary. Besides, Mitsuru may simply be that skilled that she did not need anything more complicated or more varied in capability. After all, it would go against her plans for her school life if she was not even capable of forming a proper team. And one key member of that team was Mitsuru Kirijo.
While she may have made a mess of their first two meetings, she had done her best to make up for it that morning without being too overt in her attempts. It was hard to tell how well she was doing, however. Mitsuru always had a soft, polite smile on her face when she spoke to others, save for when she was speaking to members of the group she was with.
Weiss knew it was too much to hope for to be counted among that inner circle so quickly, but it did annoy her that Mitsuru didn't give away what she thought of her. Still, being on the same team with Mitsuru was definitely worth all that effort, especially with the third member Weiss had already scouted out.
In front and to her right was another red-haired young woman. She was dressed in bronze, brown and red, her choice of clothing resembling light armor that offered both protection and mobility. Her hair was a slightly brighter shade than Mitsuru's wine red tresses, and was tied in a ponytail. Attached to her back was a long blade and a shield.
Unlike Mitsuru, Weiss knew who she was the moment she saw her. Pyrrha Nikos, four-time consecutive Champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament, the girl hailed as the Invincible Girl who has never lost in any official match, and, as of recently, the top graduate of Sanctum. She had managed to speak with Pyrrha a little bit the day before, having encountered her in the dining hall, and managing to establish a bit of rapport with the girl to get her to be more receptive to the idea of forming a team with her.
She had spent most of the morning speaking with Mitsuru, seeing as they had yet to properly speak with one another. Once she had retrieved Myrtenaster, she was wondering who she should approach first with regards to forming a team. And as luck would have it, both Pyrrha's locker and Mitsuru's had been just opposite one another. Not only would she be able to ask them both, it would also allow them to meet one another. All in all, things were falling into place.
"I hardly think a year or two is that much of a difference," the redhead responded with a small smile. "But yes, I turned nineteen a little less than four months ago and Akihiko turns nineteen as well in a little over two weeks. We were essentially everyone else's seniors at our previous school. By the end of this year, everyone, save for Ken and Junpei, will be eighteen. Junpei will turn eighteen a few weeks after the new year, while Ken just turned twelve two months ago."
Technically part of what she said was a lie. Aigis was created not long before the event that birthed the Dark Hour and Tartarus. As such she was only, technically, twelve years old this year. In that way, she was the youngest of the entire group. Younger, even, than Ken by a few months. Had she been human, she would have been physically twelve but with the mind of a two-year-old, considering she had been in the robotic equivalent of a coma for ten years. Still, that was one complicated story they did not need to explain. For all intents and purposes, Aigis was an eighteen-year-old girl.
"Isn't it strange to be going to school with those you once saw as your juniors?" asked the other red-haired girl.
"Perhaps at one point it would have been a strange thing for me to consider," admitted Mitsuru. "But after all the time I've spend with them, it would be far stranger if we were separated now."
"Uh… I've been meaning to ask but uh… who's 'them'?" asked a tall, blonde boy.
And there it was. The one little wrench in her plans. Jaune Arc.
The tall blonde had walked up to them in the locker room, flirting with each of them shamelessly and even going so far as to offer them a spot on his team. As if she would ever consider such an idea. Thankfully, it had been easy to dissuade him from further attempts at both recruiting and wooing Pyrrha. Mitsuru had easily deflected his attempts, needing no help from the Schnee heiress. Instead, Weiss found herself as his only target. Still, she'd be able to put up with it if it meant he did not get the chance to so much as try convincing Mitsuru and Pyrrha.
"SEES," Mitsuru answered, turning her head to the side. Following her gaze, Weiss found the other people they were sharing the area with.
Not long after Jaune's failed attempts at recruiting and flirting, Mitsuru had mentioned that she and the others had planned to meet half an hour before the exam. Not wanting to let even a single moment slip by, Weiss had asked to accompany her, if Mitsuru had no complaints of course. She did not, and it did not take any effort at all to invite Pyrrha along. Pyrrha extending the invitation further to Jaune, however, had been unexpected and definitely unwanted. But since Mitsuru voiced no complaints, Weiss could not voice hers.
They were standing in a small clearing not far from where they were told to assemble for the exam. Along with the four of them, there were eight others, nine if you counted the dog. Six of them were from the group that Mitsuru had arrived with the day before. And much like that time, they were wearing their uniforms. Though this time Weiss noticed they added their own touch to the uniforms.
Akihiko, the silver-haired one who Mitsuru mentioned was older than them as well, wasn't wearing the blazer but rather a red, button-up sweater vest. On his hands were fingerless gloves with two steel plates on each. One was on the back of the hand and the other, smaller one, was above his knuckles. The second one also had metal studs situated directly above each knuckle. He was leaning against a tree, each hand squeezing a handgrip.
Junpei, the dark-haired boy with a buzz-cut and goatee, wore a blue dress shirt rather than a white one and wore a cap on top of his head. Hanging from his hip was a long, thin, and slightly curved blade inside a sheath.
Beside him was Ken, the youngest of the group. His manner of dress was the same as the day before but she couldn't help but, once again, notice the tall spear on his back. First was the design of the blade. It was a straight, double-edged blade, similar to a straight short sword, but had two more blades protruding sideways from the base, just before the blade met the shaft. The two protrusions were only slight shorter than the spearhead itself but were curved slightly upwards, almost as though it was meant to hold something in place if the spear was stabbed into the ground or a wall.
The second reason was that the presence of the spear only made it seem more real that he really was going to attend Beacon with people older than he was. Those his age would only just be beginning to enter formal combat schools, not entering a Huntsman academy. A part of her worried whether or not he would be fine. After all, even one year of training could make quite a difference, never mind the five years he was lacking. Even Ruby wasn't that much younger than the rest of them.
Still, as Akihiko had said the previous night, the Headmaster had allowed him to join the initiation. With regards to the school, that was all Ken needed. None of the teachers could really complain if the Headmaster himself allowed it. As for their future classmates… Well, SEES certainly didn't seem worried. If they were, they didn't show it at all. And if he did pass then nobody had any right to complain about his skill. All that mattered after that was maintaining his grades to remain in Beacon.
Speaking to them were two students she had never seen before. Judging by their clothing, they were most likely recent acquaintances of Junpei and Ken. The first was a boy with long black hair in a ponytail wearing a green tailcoat with gold and black trims, and white pants. The girl, whose back was turned to her, had short orange hair and was wearing a black top and pink skirt. On the girl's back was a large gun-type weapon. Though judging by its size it clearly shot more than just ordinary bullets.
Not far from them were Aigis and Yukari. Aigis was wearing the same clothes as she had the day before, the same, as of yet, unidentifiable weapon strapped to her lower back. Asides from the strange hand grip, which she now recognized as something resembling brass knuckles like those some of her family's bodyguards used, the rest of it looked too bulky. Most likely the rest of it shifted into a different form.
Weiss did find it strange that she was still wearing those strange headphones. Was she going to wait until just before the exam began before she took them off? It didn't seem like she was listening to any music since she was clearly speaking with Yukari, though with a slightly concerned look on her face.
Yukari, on the other hand, had forgone the black blazer and wore a pink cardigan in its stead. Her hands were now clad in white gloves that flared open slightly past the wrist, and there seemed to be a strap running around her wrist to keep the glove in place. On her back was a black, cylindrical object and on her left thigh was a folded pink and white weapon that she couldn't identify by looks alone. The choice of pink, though, made Weiss curious.
And finally there was Chidori. The strangely dressed girl was, still, dressed strangely. The white dress she wore looked quite heavy, or at least cumbersome, that Weiss couldn't imagine fighting in it. Hanging from her left side was a hand axe with a chain. Of all the weapons she had seen so far, that was quite possibly the strangest choice of them all.
Still, she tried not to make any more false assumption. For all she knew the quiet redhead may very well be the strongest of them all. Not to mention, her unknown Semblance may be enough to compensate, perhaps even complement, the choice of weaponry. And sitting at her feet, content with having his head petted and ears scratched, was the white dog that came with them.
Looking at them all, at how different they all were, it was so hard to imagine how they had come together. The armband with the word SEES hinted at their shared past but did not reveal enough. Moreover, there was one other thing she had noticed that they all had in common.
'I'm not wrong,' she thought, glancing at them all once more. 'They all have the same gun.'
Indeed, each of them carried the same pistol that Mitsuru had. In fact, most of them carried it the same way, on a belt-type holster. Only Yukari's was different, her short skirt allowing her to strap the gun onto her thigh without making it difficult to reach. Another thing that was telling was which side it was on.
Mitsuru, Junpei, Chidori, and Ken had it on the side of their dominant hand, the right side of their hip except for Chidori, who wore it on her left due to being left-handed. To Weiss, this simply told her that they used the pistols with their non-dominant hand, reaching across their torso to draw the gun.
Yukari's being strapped to her right thigh while her primary weapon was strapped to her left most likely meant the same thing. Aigis and Akihiko wore it on their left and right hip respectively. And given that Akihiko used his fists, and that the grip on Aigis's weapons meant she could open her hand without dropping her weapon, this allowed them to use their dominant hands to draw the firearm.
It did make her wonder though. Did the pistol mean anything significant? Or was it perhaps given to them after having joined SEES, whatever the group was? It could be that, but something was telling her that the guns were more important that they first appeared.
"Sorry I'm late everyone."
The voice that suddenly called out to them pulled Weiss from her thoughts and she, along with everyone else, turned towards the school to find Fuuka jogging towards them, a familiar blonde girl and black-red haired girl following closely. Much like the rest, Weiss noted Fuuka's use of their school's uniform along with a few personal changes, the teal-green turtleneck for one. Strapped to her arms were thick armguards, most likely her weapons, as well as that familiar looking gun holstered by her left hip.
"It's fine," replied Mitsuru. "It's not as if it's an ironclad rule to meet exactly half an hour before." Then, turning to the trio with her, Mitsuru said, "Please go on ahead. We'll just be having a quick meeting before we follow."
One by one, those bearing the red armband walked to the center where Mitsuru was already waiting. Something about how they moved as one without being told kept Weiss from following. Looking around, she noticed that Jaune, Pyrrha, the siblings, Ruby and Yang, and the boy and girl that Junpei was speaking with had begun to move towards the exam site. But much like herself, their eyes were on the small meeting about to occur.
The members of SEES stood in a rough circle, they appeared to be relaxed but there was a strange tension in the air that the spectators couldn't explain. They were chatting about something but Weiss could tell they were simply waiting for everyone else to leave. The clearing was small so it didn't take everyone else very long to leave.
She wasn't sure if everyone else was as curious as she was. But as tempting as it was to turn back, none of them did. Weiss wasn't certain if she could have gone on ahead if someone decided to eavesdrop on SEES for whatever reason. For now, she would respect their decision and wait for them at the meeting place. There was still the initiation to think about after all.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors. Today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."
SEES stood before a cliff overlooking a vast forest along with a few other dozen initiates. Far off to their left and right, another group of students could be seen. In front of them were Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch while the other groups similarly had two of the school's staff briefing them on the exam.
"Now then, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams, whether from family, friends, or other sources," began Goodwitch. "Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… today."
There was some muttering from the crowd, and even a few who sounded worried for some reason.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon," continued the Headmaster, his gaze steady and not looking at any one student in particular. "So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well with."
'That does not seem difficult at all,' thought Aigis. In fact, she felt as though such a concept should go without saying.
"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after your landing will be your partner for the next four years."
'Ah.' Now that she was aware of the catch, Aigis felt much better. After all, the Headmaster could have kept the conditions for the formation of their teams a secret. And while teams were formed in groups of four, being able to control one of three other teammates was better than simply going about things blindly.
"What?!" Other students didn't seem to think so considering a few cries of dismay she heard.
The Headmaster didn't even seem to notice, or possibly just ignored them, as he went on with his explanation. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. There, you will find the ruins of an abandoned temple containing several relics. Each pair must retrieve one and return here, to the top of the cliff. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to kill everything in your path or you will die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of the initiation but our instructors will not intervene, regardless of what happens."
The seriousness in the Headmaster's eyes told Aigis all that she needed to know about the opposition. Grimm. She did wonder just how ready the other initiates were as she could hear some whimpers and a few worried mutterings.
"Are the any questions?"
"Yes um… sir?" came a timid sounding voice from Aigis's right. "What-"
"Good." Despite the lack of mirth on his face or in his eyes, Aigis was certain the Headmaster had done that on purpose. "Now, take your positions."
'Positions?' Aigis wondered about that briefly before seeing the other students getting into a ready stance. 'Did we miss something? Perhaps this is something they've done in their previous schools?'
"Uh… sir? This uh… landing you mentioned…" came that timid voice again. Their confusion and nervousness evident in their tone. "What is it? I mean, are you… dropping us off in the forest or something?"
It was then that Aigis remembered what they were told when they arrived at the cliff but before the briefing began. Looking down, she narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized the strange, metal plate beneath her feet. Other than the school's emblem, she couldn't really see any reason why they would be asked to stand on it. At least, until she heard it. A strange clicking sound. But almost as soon as she heard it, another sound went off. Several of them in fact.
"No," the Headmaster responded to the question though Aigis paid it little mind. "You will be falling."
A glance to her left where the sound originated from showed that half a dozen students had just gone flying into the air. 'I see,' she thought, eyes narrowing in realization. 'These are the launchers Fuuka-san learned about.'
"Oh. I uh… I see." More clicking noises reached Aigis's ears even at the boy to her right asked questions, seemingly oblivious to what was going on around him. Or possibly hoping that ignoring it would make the problem go away. "So uh… did you… hand out parachutes for us?" he asked as even more people were launched into the air, including three members of SEES.
"No. You will be using your own landing strategy."
That was the last that Aigis heard of their conversation as the clicking sound came from beneath her feet and she had all of half a second to prepare as the platform shot upwards, shooting her forward and into the air at high speeds. Up ahead, she could already see many of the other initiates falling into the forest, Chidori, Yukari, and Ken among them. To her left, she could see Fuuka and Akihiko, who had been launched at roughly the same time as her.
Had they come to Beacon within the first month of their awakening, Aigis was certain they all would have been panicking. Months of fighting Shadows might have toughened them up but their bodies were nowhere near capable of falling from such a height and at their current speed. Even Aigis's mechanical body could not sustain a fall from this height without damage. And even now, after seven more months of hellish training, such a fall was past their capabilities.
But at least they weren't panicking. Moreover, the scroll that Ozpin lent them the day before had been a boon they did not expect. In the end, though, it made life, and their initiation, much easier. Aigis reached into the small pouch she carried and pulled out a long length of rope attached to a four pronged hook. In short, a grappling hook.
Far to her left, farther now than they had been earlier, she could see that Fuuka and Akihiko had also pulled out theirs. And just like her, they were waiting for just the right moment to use it.
It wasn't long before they reached the tree line and disappeared from each other's view. Unfortunately, Aigis didn't have time to worry about them. With sharp eyes, Aigis threw the hook towards a large tree trunk, holding onto the middle of the rope. The metal hook sank into the softer bark and the rope went taut almost immediately. Keeping her grip on the rope, Aigis allowed herself to be swung around, her movement directed by the rope and the hook. Slowly she circled the tree, her hand carefully allowing more of the rope to slip through.
Again and again she traveled around the tree, her speed slowly bleeding away. Once she was moving slow enough, she let go of the rope and flew through the air, landing on her feet several meters away. She immediately shut her eyes. Despite knowing that nobody landed near her, she dared not do anything that would risk their plans. As it was, there was no guarantee they would end up on the same team. Their choice of partners, at least, was easily manipulated. All they needed to do was wait.
It took a few more minutes of waiting before Aigis heard Fuuka's voice. Only this time…
"Is everyone alright?"
… Fuuka spoke directly into her head.
"I'm fine."
"Just a few scratches from the branches on the way in, nothing too bad."
"More or less."
"Nothing I couldn't handle."
"I'm alright."
"No problemo."
"It seems we all made it safely, that's good." Mitsuru was the last to speak, waiting until everyone confirmed their own safety. "Now then, proceed as planned. Fuuka, we'll be in your care from now on."
"Understood. Aigis, could you walk forward just a bit?" Aigis obeyed and took three steps forward then stopped. "Alright. First, turn to your left, then take a few steps again." Once again, Aigis did as instructed. After a few more trials, taking a few steps followed by turning a little to the right or left to adjust her bearing, Fuuka was satisfied. "That's good. I'm directly in front of you now. Just keep going, I'm not far. Meanwhile I'll help everyone else."
"Understood," replied Aigis, running directly ahead while doing her best to keep an eye on her surroundings. Hopefully it wouldn't take her long to reach Fuuka's position. In what could literally be the back of her mind, Aigis could hear Fuuka giving the rest of the team instructions on how to reach their partners, guiding them the same way she had done with Aigis so that they ran towards one another.
Juno, Fuuka's Persona. A Persona with abilities specializing in information gathering. More importantly, Juno granted Fuuka abilities that could be used even without being summoned, though her range was greatly reduced. Still, even the limited aid it provided them was a significant improvement over running blind.
Right now Fuuka was keeping an eye on their locations, slowly guiding them to their predetermined partners. In addition, she was helping them avoid the Grimm she could detect to prevent any delays while also avoiding other students that had landed nearby. But even if they met up with a student all they had to do was avoid eye contact. After all, the Headmaster was quite specific about that little detail.
While they had been unable to discover how partners and teams were formed, Fuuka's information gathering abilities did, at least, discover one aspect of the test. The falling part.
Another of Juno's abilities, one that they discovered by accident after two months of training, was that she could connect to any electronic device within range and access it through Juno's abilities. It didn't take them long to capitalize on it.
With Aigis's help, Fuuka swiftly learned the art of hacking and had easily surpassed Aigis's own abilities. Then again, having a Persona that could scan the security measures of the device in question without being detected eliminated the need for caution in most cases.
And being able to use that ability without summoning Juno was definitely a bonus. Especially while they were in Ozpin's office the day before. While Mitsuru kept the Headmaster busy, Fuuka had been accessing the Headmaster's computer. The system was completely different from what they were used to, causing her to take longer than expected. Thankfully Ozpin had a few questions of his own, making it easier for Mitsuru to stall for time.
Unfortunately, what she found regarding the initiation did not directly state what it was or how it would work. But a few work orders sent to the school's maintenance department, followed by a little further investigation, revealed how they would be entering the initiation site. And while they had not known immediately that the small platforms were the launchers in question, just knowing they would be launched into the forest was a big help as it allowed them to prepare adequately.
The choice to use grappling hooks was risky for many reasons. If the trees were too tightly packed they might end up hitting another tree while the rope was winding down. Too widely spaced apart and they might not be able to throw the hook far enough to reach one. Depending on their trajectory they might end up flying straight into a tree instead. Some of them, such as Fuuka and Ken, might not be able to maintain their grip when the rope went taut, causing them to slip off the rope.
But they had spoken about the issue at length the day before and, quite simply, they didn't have many options without relying on their Personas, something they wanted to keep secret for as long as reasonably possible. Thankfully, the school's armory had the necessary items on hand to make what they needed, as well as gloves for better grip and to prevent the ropes from injuring their hands as it slid through their grip. It had cost them most of what little money Elizabeth had left them, but it was a small price to pay in the long run.
And now, it was all a matter of finding the partners they had decided upon in the short time after learning of how partners would be formed. Without a doubt, Fuuka and Juno more than made up for their lack of combat ability with their superior support capabilities.
"Wait Aigis." The android paused, wondering what it was that Fuuka needed to say. "There's a student along the way. They'll be out of the way soon so just wait a few more seconds then continue."
"Thank you."
After waiting out those few seconds, Aigis dashed off once again, knowing that Fuuka was nearby. Sure enough, it wasn't long before she found the teal-haired girl, sitting on folded legs with her eyes shut as she focused on giving support to the team.
Without Juno's physical presence, Fuuka's abilities were not only limited, but also required more concentration to use. As it was, Fuuka couldn't move while actively supporting them all. One or two, perhaps, but not the entire group. To anyone else who might have seen it, they might have assumed Fuuka had simply fallen asleep for whatever reason.
"I'll be ready in a moment Aigis," said Fuuka, sensing her approach. "I just need to make sure Junpei-kun and Yukari-chan meet with Chidori-chan and Mitsuru-senpai without any problems."
"Are there actually any Grimm in the way?" Yukari asked over their connection. "I mean, if the way's clear for the rest of us you and Aigis could start making your way to the temple and just check up on us in a few minutes."
But before Fuuka could respond, Akihiko's voice chimed in. And by the sound of it, something had gone wrong. "Aigis, I know we were saying it as a joke earlier but I think you really might need to carry Fuuka to the temple while she keeps in contact with us. On that note, Fuuka, which way do we need to go to get to the temple?"
Aigis immediately responded, worried by the silver-haired boxer's tone. "Akihiko-san? What's wrong?"
The answer, however, came from Fuuka as she brought her focus to Akihiko's location upon hearing the worry in his tone. "What the- Why are there so many Grimm? There's at least a dozen around you and at least thirty more on the way."
"WHAT?" came the collective cries of worry and confusion from everyone else as they heard Fuuka's findings.
"I don't know the answer any more than you do Fuuka. But unless those books we studied were all wrong then this isn't natural. Look, just point us in the direction of the temple. Quickly. Aigis, grab Fuuka and head straight to the temple. Get the initiation over with as soon as you can."
Even as Fuuka got to work on locating the temple and directing the boxer to the temple, Aigis knelt down in front of her. With some difficulty, Aigis managed to wrap Fuuka's arms around her neck. She stood up a bit, just enough to reach underneath Fuuka and wrap her arms around the other girl's legs. Rising slowly, Aigis made sure that Fuuka wouldn't fall off before turning in the direction of the temple and running off.
"Akihiko, what's happening?" came Mitsuru's voice, the concern in her tone clear as day. "Are you and Ken alright?"
"We're fine, for the moment at least. As for what happened, the Grimm did. There were just three of them at first. Beowolves, all of 'em pretty young. But one of 'em howled almost as soon as they saw us." There was a sudden pause. They could hear the stress he was under even through a mental connection. Clearly he was having more trouble if he couldn't keep communicating with them mentally while still fighting. "Sorry about that," he said after a while. "Had to make an opening so Ken and I could get away. Anyway, five more came not long after. Then another dozen or so. All of them different kinds. None of the older ones just yet but I'm not looking forward to finding out if they're on their way. And from the sound of things there are a lot more chasing after us now."
"Alright, hang on as best as you can. We'll head over and-"
"No," Akihiko interrupted, surprising every member of SEES. The situation must have been serious if he was willing to interrupt Mitsuru. "We're already making our way to the temple. Pair up and head there, avoid the Grimm wherever you can. If you can't avoid 'em, kill 'em quickly before they can call for help. Look, I don't know what's going on. Could be 'cause we don't have Aura or it could be something else entirely. All I know is that they're after us and I'd rather not find out if you guys will get the same treatment. All we need to do is get to that temple, grab one of those relics, and get the hell out of here. We'll fight our way out if we have to but we'll have a better chance if we manage to regroup rather than fighting on our own."
"…Alright, understood." Mitsuru's response came after a brief pause, most likely from considering Akihiko's plan. "Fuuka, please guide us. Aigis, we'll leave her safety to you. Everyone, hurry to the temple and keep Akihiko's warning in mind. Akihiko, Ken, I know we talked about it but just remember-"
"I know, don't worry. We'll do whatever it takes to make it through this."
"Good. Everyone be careful. We'll see each other at the temple."
After that, everyone was silent. Only Fuuka's instructions and warnings could be heard through their connection due to everybody being on high alert and not wanting to distract anyone needlessly. And as Aigis ran through the forest, something told her that this was just the beginning. And while there was nothing wrong with hoping for the best, past experience told her that preparing for the worst was always the better option. Especially when death was a very possible outcome of their lack of preparation.
"WHAT?! YOU WANT SOME TOO?!"
The Ursa before her roared in response to her challenge only to suddenly groan as though in pain. It fell to its knees, its eyes no longer moving, before slumping forward, revealing a sickle-like weapon stabbed right into its head. With a tug on the ribbon attached to the sickle, the weapon came loose and flew back into the hands of its owner. In fact, said owner happened to be a very familiar looking black-haired girl.
Lowering her fists, Yang allowed her rage to dissipate even as Blake grinned at her for having stolen her kill. "I could have taken 'im," the blonde said with a shrug.
"Whatever you say," Blake responded, her weapon shifting forms into a katana before she sheathed it. "So, I guess this makes us partners then."
"Looks like," she replied with a smile. "Least it's someone I know."
"We just met last night."
"Still better than any of the hundred or so people I've never met."
"I guess," Blake conceded with a small grin. No need to mention that she had seen Yang earlier and had simply waited to see if she would be a good partner before showing herself. After all, they weren't partners until eye contact was made so it wasn't against the rules. "Anyway, we should head to the temple. Something tells me we don't want to stick around the forest too long."
"I'd say you were just being paranoid but yeah, I'm getting a bad feeling about this place too," the blonde girl replied with a worried looking frown. "Don't know if it's a good thing that I'm not the only one feeling it though. I just hope Ruby's alright."
"We'll find out soon enough," the black-haired girl said as she began to walk away, Yang following soon after. "Everyone's headed the same way so there's a good chance we'll meet her sooner or later."
"Yeah, but I can't help but worry," she said casually, trying her best not to let her unease dictate her actions. "I know she's skilled but she's still my little sister. Can't exactly stop worrying over her, you know?"
"Well, best thing we can do is get this over with. Sooner we finish the sooner you can see your sister again."
The two continued their trek in silence. And as much as Yang wanted to engage Blake in conversation to break the uncomfortable silence, the feeling of unease she felt made her reconsider. As far as she was aware there were no Grimm in the area, hidden or otherwise. In fact, the flora in their immediate area wasn't dense enough to hide even a Creep, let alone Beowolves and Ursa.
"I don't get it," Yang whispered to herself, eyes rapidly scanning the area from behind Blake. "Where are they?"
"Who? Your sister?"
The blonde was surprised by Blake's question. Moreover, she was surprised that Blake even heard her in the first place. Maybe she wasn't actually whispering like she thought. "Huh? Oh, no. I meant the Grimm."
Blake gave her a strange look, the kind that said 'Are you crazy?'. "And, you're looking for the Grimm… why?"
"Well… don't you just wanna get it over with?" Yang asked, still searching the area. She was unsure as to whether that question made her seem any less sane but it had to be asked. "I mean, you feel it too, right? Wouldn't it be better if we could get rid of whatever it is now?"
The black-haired girl stopped walking, causing Yang to nearly walk into her. Blake sighed as she turned to face Yang. "First of all, that's not why we're here. Find a partner, grab a relic from the temple, then get out. That's all we have to do. Second, before you say it, we may be Huntresses-in-training but that just means we answer to the real Huntsmen and Huntresses. And right now, we weren't sent here to hunt down Grimm. Third, even if I wanted to go along with that idea, which I don't by the way, we have no idea what's making us feel this way. For all we know it's just the fact that we're in a forest inhabited by Grimm that's making us nervous and not something trying to kill us."
"Aren't Grimm trying to kill all humans? I'm pretty sure we're both human."
'You are at least,' thought Blake, trying not to roll her eyes. "Well, not us specifically and not here and now. Look, I just wanna get the exam over with. The sooner we get to that temple and grab a relic, the sooner we can leave."
"Aaaand if I say I wanna look for whatever it is?"
"… Then I guess I'm gonna have to look into other schools," Blake responded as though she were simply stating facts. Which, in a way, she was.
Yang frowned at the response. Clearly nothing she said was going to convince Blake to go with her to hunt down the Grimm that seemed to be stalking them, or whatever it was that was making them uneasy. She couldn't even play the 'We're Huntresses' card since Blake had already cut that off by reminding her of the chain of command they were expected to follow as trainees. They may be taking an exam but it was clearly modeled after a retrieval mission of sorts. And they were definitely being tested on more than just their combat abilities.
'I could always just go off on my own, and meet up with Blake later.' The idea barely lasted a second before she discarded it. The Headmaster had mentioned they were being observed and graded. It would definitely count against her if she left her partner to go off on her own, especially when what she wanted to do had nothing to do with the exam.
So with a resigned sigh and slumped shoulders, she gave in. "Fine. Let's get going then."
Blake just nodded as she turned and resumed walking north. Inwardly, however, she was relieved. Very much so. Regardless of whether or not they found whatever was making them feel so anxious, Blake felt that it could only end badly. Moreover, what she had said about looking to the other schools was nothing more than a bluff.
She really didn't want to test her luck with the other academies. She was fortunate enough that Ozpin allowed her in despite her past. There was no telling what the other academies would say, or do, to her. And it wasn't something she could keep hidden after all. Hiding it from her peers was one thing but from the staff? That was a disaster and a nightmare just waiting to happen, especially if the academy she chose wasn't as Faunus friendly as Beacon, never mind how accepting they would be of a former member of the White Fang, deserter or no.
Their journey through the forest was made in complete silence. And as uncomfortable as it was for them, both knew that they couldn't allow themselves to grow complacent. Not with whatever it was out there that was causing their unexplained discomfort.
Soon enough they reached an open field, the remnants of an old stone structure standing before them. "Think this is it?" Yang asked, turning to her partner.
"Won't know 'til we check it out."
They approached cautiously, both aware that Grimm could very well be nearby, ready to pounce. As they approached the structure, they noticed a multitude of pedestals. It looked decidedly out of place within the old, crumbling walls. More importantly, on top of the pedestals were boxes just small enough to fit on their palms. A closer inspection revealed Beacon's crest printed on top of each box.
"Are these the relics?"
"Doesn't look like a 'relic'," Yang commented, picking up one box and shaking it. "There's something inside it though. Think we're supposed to open it?"
Examining the box in Yang's hand, Blake shook her head. "I doubt it. There's a keyhole but no key. I'm guessing we're just supposed to take these back. We'll probably find out whatever's inside once we take it back to the Headmaster or one of the teachers."
"And if we were actually supposed to look for the key as well?"
Blake just shrugged. "Guess we'll both be looking into other schools then."
Yang couldn't help but laugh despite Blake's negativity. And when Blake frowned at her, she just laughed even harder. Eventually she sobered up and held up her hands in front of her in a placating gesture. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry." Blake said nothing but the frown disappeared from her face. "Anyway, we've got what we came for, hopefully."
Blake hummed in agreement. "Let's get out of here before…"
"Before what?" Yang asked. But when she looked at Blake, she found the girl looking around slowly. "Something wrong?"
"Shhh," was all she got in response. After a moment, Blake spoke again. "Can you hear that?"
Yang strained her ears, trying to listen for whatever it was that caught Blake's attention. Whatever it was though, it was either gone, or Blake had really good hearing. "Sorry, I've got nothing," she said with a shake of her head.
"It's coming this way," Blake said, one hand slowly reaching up for her weapon. "I don't know what it is but get ready."
Yang deployed Ember Celica without any complaints. All things considered it was better to be safe than sorry, or dead. "What does it sound like?" she asked, keeping her voice low.
"Footsteps, or something like it. Lots of it too," Blake said. Quickly, she added, "Too many to be the other students. Not unless most of them are running this way all at once."
"Yeah, not likely," agreed Yang.
Given the size of the forest it was indeed unlikely that a large group, one large enough that their collective footsteps could be heard approaching, would be running towards the temple all at once. And the fact that Blake mentioned running implied that they knew exactly where they were going. So unless they were all running blindly in the same direction, which just so happened to lead to the temple, Yang doubted it was their fellow initiates.
It didn't take long before Yang, too, could hear the soft rumbling of countless feet running through the forest. Whatever it was, Blake was right. There was a lot. And though she hadn't thought to ask why, she now knew why Blake hadn't suggested they run. The footsteps were coming from the south. The same direction they needed to go in order to return to Beacon. Better to fight in an open space for the moment than amongst the trees, which could potentially hinder them more than help them. Once they determined the situation, then they could consider running.
As the sounds came closer, Yang saw Blake draw the sword from her back. Unlike earlier, it wasn't a slim katana, but rather a wide, cleaver-like blade. She didn't dwell on it though. Whatever was coming towards them was almost there. It wouldn't be long before they came into view just before they could cross the tree line.
And when the source of the sound finally came into view, Yang's eyes widened in shock. And she knew, even without looking, that Blake was most likely the same. The first thing that came out of the forest were two people. Two very familiar looking people.
Running towards them were Ken and Akihiko, looking like they had decided to run the entire distance to the temple from wherever they landed. And looking at them, she would believe it if they told her that they did. Sweat was pouring down both their faces and Yang could see how hard they were breathing even from a distance. But the most important thing she saw was the red liquid flowing down on Akihiko's face.
Blood. His blood. Coming from a wound on his face. It didn't take long to figure out where the wound came from. Rushing out of the forest not far behind the pair were five Beowolves. And from the look of things they had been chasing the two for quite a while. Whatever happened in the forest it was enough to drain Akihiko's Aura to the point that he had been wounded. It was literally just a small scratch – head wounds were notorious for bleeding a lot even from just a small gash – most likely received by dodging a little too late but definitely negligible as long as it didn't get infected.
Yang didn't know if Akihiko was just that weak or if they had been overwhelmed, but right now that didn't matter. She glanced at Blake. A nod from the girl was all she needed before they both shot forward, weapons at the ready. In just a few seconds, they closed the distance between them and the fleeing duo. And another second later, they were in front of the Beowolves.
With a roar that almost sounded inhuman, Yang punched the first one she reached, snapping its head to the side. Another punch sent it flying back, crashing into a tree. She hopped back as the one beside her lunged at her with its claws, missing her completely. Clasping both hands together above her head, she brought both fists down on its head, completely shattering its bone-like mask. It slammed down onto the ground, bouncing once as its earlier momentum carried it past her.
She barely spared it another glance as turned to look for her next target. But of the five that had come out of the forest, none remained. Just a few feet from her were the already dispersing bodies of the other three, all dead by Blake's hand. She relaxed, seeing the threat taken care of.
"Look out!"
She spun at the warning and saw the shattered mask of the Grimm she thought she had killed coming towards her. But before she could bring up her arms, she saw a blade pierce the side of its head, exiting through the other side. Turning her head, she saw the blade connect to the shaft of a spear. And holding the spear was none other than Ken, the same person who had shouted out the warning.
His breathing was labored but Yang knew it wasn't due to something like fear or from killing his first Grimm. No, there was a hardness in his eyes that showed he had done this before. She wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not. There was no hesitation in his movements as he pulled out the spear, allowing the Grim to slump down to the ground, completely lifeless and already begin to disintegrate.
"Are you alright?"
Yang wanted to laugh at his question. Oh wait, she was. "So-Sorry," she gasped out, seeing the frown on his face. "It's… It's just that I should be asking you that," she finally managed to say, getting her laughter in control. "You look like you just ran here all the way from Beacon."
Whatever Ken was going to say in response was interrupted when Akihiko approached, his expression tense and serious. "Don't relax just yet. There's still more of them."
"In that case we'll just take care of 'em like we did these guys."
"Uh… Yang?"
The blonde brawler turned to Blake, wondering why she sounded worried. Instead of an answer, all she found was a wide-eyed Blake staring in the direction of the forest, mouth slightly agape. Wondering what it was that caught her attention this time, Yang turned and couldn't help but stare as well. Only this time, she felt a sliver of uncertainty enter her.
There, standing just past the tree line, were over two dozen Grimm. But it wasn't the sheer number that made her feel worried. No. It was the presence of four Alpha Beowolves and three Ursa Major. Movement above them caught her attention. She shifted her gaze higher and saw easily a dozen human-sized Nevermores settling down on the branches of the trees, and just like their brethren on the ground, their red eyes turned to face them. Turned to face their prey.
"Wha… What the hell?" she gasped out in shock.
"They've been chasing us almost as soon as they saw us," said Akihiko. It took her a moment to realize that he was now standing between her and Blake. Ken joined him as well, standing between them with his spear at the ready. "There were only a few of them at first but one of them howled and called the rest. We took out at least two dozen before we were overwhelmed and had to run."
"Two… Two dozen?" Blake couldn't hide her surprise at that. "And there's still this many?"
"This isn't all of them." This time it was Ken who spoke. "There was a lot more than this. I don't know if they gave up or if they're just waiting behind this group. But there should be at least twice as many as there are now."
Yang and Blake glanced at each other, both of them seeing the fear that began to creep into the other's expression. How could they not feel fear after all? It was one thing to face a few dozen Grimm. It was another thing when that many Grimm was accompanied by multiple Alphas and Majors as they could see. And they weren't even sure that there weren't any more hiding behind this group or that the three kinds of Grimm before them were all that there was.
"Ken, you ready?"
Amber eyes and lilac eyes snapped to the silver-haired boxer at this words. Was he really thinking of fighting?
"Whenever you are, senpai."
"What?!"
It took the two girls a moment to realize that they had both screamed out their question. Incredulous and disbelieving eyes looked at the two standing in between them, wondering whether they were brave or simply insane. And as she pondered that, Blake realized one more thing. 'They're not afraid.'
She could be forgiven for not noticing earlier given the situation. But looking back, she realized that not once did the two show any signs of being afraid. Sure they were running away, but the expressions on their faces were hard and determined with only a hint of worry. They hadn't been running. They had been retreating. They knew they were at a disadvantage and so they ran. And now that they had a better chance, they turned around to fight.
When Ken had killed that Grimm just now, there was no hesitation in his movements. When Akihiko explained their situation, he walked up to them with determination. And now, seeing them stand between her and Yang, she didn't see two people who were afraid to die. She saw two people who knew they could die but chose to fight regardless.
'Who are they?' she couldn't help but ask herself, watching in morbid fascination as both Ken and Akihiko fell into a fighting stance, eyes filled with nothing but determination glaring at the Grimm as though daring them to attack. 'And how does a boy so young have eyes like this?'
"H-Hey," Yang stammered out, holding her hands out towards the two. "I know you wanna fight but your face is bleeding." Blake's eyes snapped to Akihiko's face, noticing that, indeed, the silver-haired boy had a cut running across his right cheek. "It's dangerous to fight when you're out of Aura."
"She's right," said Blake, keeping half her attention on the Grimm in case they decided to act at that moment. 'What are they waiting for?' she wondered idly as she spoke to Akihiko. "Look, the relics are just behind us. Just grab one and we can try to make a run for the cliffs. There's no need to risk our lives here."
"No need?" When Akihiko turned his eyes to meet hers, Blake couldn't help but shiver. His gray eyes looked as cold and sharp as a steel blade, seemingly piercing right into her very soul. "You said it yourself. The relics are just behind us. The relics we need to pass. The relics that everyone else is trying to find!"
Blake heard a gasp from Yang. "Ruby…"
Akihiko continued to speak, not even acknowledging Yang. "If we leave now then what happens? We don't know whether these things will follow us or if they'll decide to chase after whoever they meet along the way." The enraged boxer turned away from her and returned to staring down the Grimm. "If you wanna leave then go ahead. I won't stop you. But I'm staying and I'm not leaving until my friends get here. Doesn't matter if I don't have Aura. As long as I can stand, and as long as I can move, I'm gonna keep fighting."
Blake turned to Ken, hoping that he could talk some sense into his partner. But, as a part of her had already expected, the young boy looked as resolute as the young man. "You can't convince me to leave either," he said without looking at her. "Not just because we're partners, and not just because we're friends."
"Ken."
"Yes, senpai?"
"Back me up."
His words shocked Blake and Yang even more than they already were. They had been expecting them to wait for the Grimm to make the first move, to stall for as long as possible for their friends, or other students, to arrive to increase their chances. Instead he chose to make the first move.
"Got it."
Before either Yang or Blake could stop them, both Akihiko and Ken charged forward, the former running ahead. In response, several Beowolves, Ursa, and Nevermore charged forward to meet the two.
"Damn it," cursed Yang. Against just a few Grimm she might not have been too worried despite Akihiko's current lack of Aura. But against a dozen? With his lack of Aura all it took was one mistake, one moment of inattention, and he may very well die. Making a quick decision, she turned to Blake. "Sorry Blake," she said, causing Blake to turn to her in confusion. But by then it was too late. Yang was already running towards Akihiko.
Yang knew she wouldn't make it. Even now the two ahead of her were just several steps away from the Grimm. She just hoped she made it before anything truly bad happened. But just before Akihiko and Ken reached the approaching Grimm, someone else intervened.
"LET'S BREAK SOME LEGS!"
Another Ursa broke through the tree line far to their left. And riding on its back while yelling out the strangest war cry Yang had ever heard was an orange-haired girl. And sitting behind her, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else but there, was a black-haired boy. Vaguely, Yang remembered them from the locker room and the clearing just before the exam.
With one hand holding onto the Grimm, the girl aimed her weapon with the other hand and fired. Several canisters shot out of the large barrel, all flying towards the Grimm. Seeing this, Akihiko and Ken leapt back just as the canisters struck the Grimm and promptly exploded, pink smoke burst out from they now identified as grenades.
The girl fired several more shots as the Grimm she was riding closed the gap between them and the Grimm. When they had gotten close enough, her weapon changed forms, the parts moving and shifting until what remained in her hand was a large hammer. Springing up from her seat, she hopped onto the Ursa's head and used it as a springboard, leaping high above the Grimm that survived her initial assault just as the Ursa smashed into their lines.
The black-haired boy jumped off as well, wielding a pair of bladed pistols as he engaged the Grimm in close quarters. Akihiko and Ken soon joined them as the girl dropped from the air, her hammer smashing a Beowolf's skull into paste. Seeing the new arrivals, more of the Grimm joined the fight but Yang noted that the Alpha Beowolves and Ursa Majors did not move from their places. Instead, they seemed to be observing the fight for some reason.
Yang readied herself once more, preparing to charge into the fray only for a hand to grab her wrist. As she expected when she turned, she found Blake standing behind her. "Let go, Blake."
"We don't stand a chance against that many," Blake insisted. "There are literally dozens more behind what we can see and I can still hear more of them coming this way."
"How can you even hear that?" Then, realizing what she had just asked, Yang shook her head and pulled her arm away from Blake's grip. "You know what, forget it. Look, if you wanna run then just go. But I'm not leaving without Ruby."
"Then let them take care of it," Blake said, pointing to the quartet who were fighting against the slowly increasing number of Grimm. "Besides, their friends are still coming. The other students are still on their way as well. With that many people your sister will be fine. We have what we need, let's just leave already."
"Leave?" Yang's face transformed into a vicious snarl, and her eyes turned as red as a Grimm's. "Do you even realize what you're saying? You're asking me to risk my sister's life! Maybe they can handle it, maybe they can't. But either way, I can't take that chance. Not when it's Ruby's safety on the line. So either help us… or…" Yang paused, noticing that Blake was no longer paying attention to her but was looking up at the sky. "What are you looking at?" she asked, following Blake's line of sight.
"…aaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAA-gck!"
Only to see Ruby, falling from the sky, just as a blonde boy smashed into her from the side and into the side of a tree.
"…"
"Did your sister just-"
"Didn't happen."
"But we just-"
"Didn't see a thing."
"But Yang, she-"
"I totally didn't see my sister fall from the sky and get hit by a flying boy. Nope, not at all. You must be seeing things Blake. I know you're stressed but try not to let it get to you." If anything, Blake had to admire Yang's ability to say all that with a straight face and in one breath. "Oh look, Ruby's here. Ruby! Over here!"
All of a sudden, the thought of trying her luck in another school sounded like a good idea. A very good idea.
"Yang!"
"Ruby, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine," replied the younger sibling, pushing her sister away. "I should be asking you that. That's a lot of Grimm."
"Way to state the obvious sis," teased the blonde, receiving a punch in the shoulder for her trouble. "Anyway, there's a lot more Grimm than you think. We have to-"
A loud crash from the opposite side cut off their conversation. Turning, they saw a red-haired girl running directly towards them, with a very large, and very angry Deathstalker chasing after her. And now both were running straight for them. Ruby, Yang, and Blake scattered, avoiding getting run over by the Grimm.
Pyrrha continued to run but her eyes widened when she saw four people in front of her holding off dozens of Grimm. "Look out!" She shouted out a warning to the quartet holding back the Grimm just as she ran off to the side. Unfortunately, the Deathstalker had seen the other four and decided they were easier prey than the one that kept running away.
Turning at the warning, Ken's eyes widened when he saw an enormous scorpion heading straight for them. "Senpai! Ren! Nora! Move!" he yelled out, seeing that the others didn't seem to have heard the earlier warning.
The trio he had called out to just barely saw the Deathstalker approaching them. Scrambling out of the way, the trio narrowly avoided the Deathstalker's charge, causing it to crash into the line of Grimm. Seeing the new addition, Akihiko called for a retreat. And though Nora looked ready to fight regardless, some words from Ren placated her as the quartet rejoined the rest.
"Where'd you guys come from?" Akihiko asked, noticing the addition of Ruby and Pyrrha to the group. And just behind them, he saw the white-haired girl, Weiss, sitting on the back of a lightly armored blonde boy. "You know what, never mind. These things don't look like they're giving up any time soon. No matter how many we kill more of 'em take their place. And the big ones haven't even come out yet. So if you guys are planning to fight you better get ready. If not, then you better get moving. Ken and I will keep them busy while you run."
At that moment, Blake finally snapped. "YOU'RE STILL THINKING OF FIGHTING?!" she screamed out, much to everyone's surprise. "LOOK AT THAT! There are literally dozens of them and I can see at least two dozen Beowolf Alphas and Ursa Majors, never mind the ones we can't see. And you… You're probably completely out of Aura by now and you still want to fight? Not only that, but Ken's wounded as well. AND YOU'RE THINKING OF DRAGGING HIM INTO THIS?! FORCING HIM TO FIGHT?!"
Blake's last few statements caught the newcomers off guard, their eyes quickly scanning over Akihiko's and Ken's forms. Sure enough, both were injured, but not very badly. Their clothes were torn in some places and they both had several thin cuts on their faces and bodies, all of them bleeding lightly. It wouldn't be enough to endanger them but the fact that they had lost enough Aura to be wounded was very troubling.
"Don't go dragging other people, especially if they're your friends, into a hopeless situation. If you wanna throw your life away then at least-"
"STOP IT! PLEASE!"
Everyone froze at the interruption and turned to face the one who had yelled for them to stop. Hard, brown eyes gazed back at them full of determination. And despite belonging to a twelve year old, none of them could bring themselves to speak up. "Please," he began in a softer, but still firm, voice. "Don't… Please don't talk about senpai like that. He's not forcing me to fight, or even to attend this school. I chose to do this on my own. So please, don't think badly of him. It may not seem like it but senpai knows what he's doing. And I trust him."
Everyone's eyes shifted between Ken and Akihiko after that, wondering what the older boy had to say. But instead, he remained silent, back turned to them as he kept an eye on the Grimm. For her part, Blake couldn't help but see something, or rather someone, else in Ken and Akihiko's place.
"Don't talk like you know him! You don't know the first thing about him! It may not seem like it but what he's doing is for the best. I trust him."
The unwanted memory that the boy's word's brought up caused her to clench her hands into tight fists. 'No,' she thought bitterly. 'You're wrong. He doesn't know what he's doing. And sooner or later, someone is going to pay for his choices. And it won't be him.'
"Hey uh… Yang?"
"Yeah Ruby?"
"Do Grimm normally just stare like that?"
Had it been any other time, Ruby's question could have been seen as nothing more than childish curiosity. But this time, however, it reminded everyone of their current dilemma but also brought up a very good point. More Grimm could be seen now and some of them had stepped past the tree line. Roughly a third were older and larger than the rest. And as Ruby had so innocently pointed out, all of them were just watching.
Grimm were aggressive creatures whose only purpose was to kill humans and faunus. Older Grimm would sometimes leave them alone but only if they were at the age where they were capable of judging their chances of survival and deciding whether to risk it or not. But to see dozens of Grimm just standing there, watching them like scientists observing an experiment, was incredibly unnerving.
They were grateful, of course, that they weren't being swarmed. But it did bring up the obvious, though worrying, question of when they would attack. It wasn't a matter of if they would attack. They knew for a fact that the Grimm would attack sooner or later. It was only a matter of when.
"Akihiko!"
"Akihiko-san!"
"Akihiko-senpai!"
Everyone turned at the sound of new voices and found three- no, four people familiar joining them. Running towards them, having just exited the forest, were Mitsuru, Yukari, and Aigis. Fuuka, however, was being carried on Aigis's back, seemingly unconscious.
As soon as the quarter joined them, Ruby and Yang were the first ones to act. "Hey, is she alright?" Yang asked, turning her gaze on Aigis. "Is she hurt?"
"Fuuka-san is fine," replied Aigis. But rather than on Yang, her eyes were focused on the Grimm. "Akihiko-san, are these the same Grimm that were chasing you earlier?"
"Yeah. Don't ask why, but they've been standing there just watching us. They only attacked when Ken and I did but as soon as we pulled back they just went back to waiting."
"Could they be attempting to contain us?" asked Mitsuru, sharp red eyes evaluating the situation. "Have you tried to see how far they'd let you go?"
Akihiko shook his head. "Haven't been here long enough to try. Still, I've got a few ideas why they're acting this way but we can talk about that later. For now, let's wait for Junpei and Chidori. They're almost here anyway."
"Wait, you know where they are?" Akihiko and Mitsuru turned to Ren, who had asked the question. "Sorry, it's just that you actually sound like you know where he is, and not just assuming he'll be here soon. Am I wrong?"
The eight students not part of SEES were treated to an interesting sight as Mitsuru and Akihiko turned to one another and seemed to have a conversation despite not saying anything. Akihiko looked at Mitsuru with a questioning look, to which the redhead seemed to ponder the unspoken question. Then she raised an eyebrow while the expression on Akihiko's face looked like he had just shrugged. Then he looked at her with a small grin as though he had just said something amusing.
Mitsuru looked like she was thinking about something for a moment before nodding as though coming to a decision. "Fuuka," she said without even turning to face the girl who seemed to be unconscious on Aigis's back. "Connect with them."
Yang was confused. Was she really talking to an unconscious girl? "Hey, why are you-"
"Can everyone hear me?"
The present members of SEES could barely contain their amusement as their eight acquaintances frantically looked around, shouting questions like "Who's that?" or "Where did that come from?" The looks on their faces were amusing even as some of them drew their weapons.
"S-Sorry," they heard the voice say, even as it giggled. "I didn't mean to scare you all. Though it was pretty funny seeing you all react like that."
Having spoken to her at length earlier that day, it came as no surprise when Yang was the first to recognize the voice. "Wait, Fuuka? Is that you?" She turned to the girl on Aigis's back and saw a faint smile on her face. "And… are you actually talking to me inside my head or am I going crazy?"
They all heard the sound of giggling again before the voice now identified as Fuuka spoke once more. "No, you're not going crazy. If you are then everyone else is too. But yes, I am talking to you all inside your heads."
"That's so cool!" squealed Ruby. "Is this your Semblance? What else can you do? Oh, can you read minds? Wait… please tell me you can't read minds. That would be so cool but-"
"No Ruby, don't worry," Fuuka interrupted gently. "I can't read minds. This is only a part of my power. Unfortunately I can't access my full power at the moment so I have to remain still to be able to use it. It's why Aigis-chan is carrying me right now. I was using my power to guide everyone here while trying to avoid the Grimm. Akihiko-senpai and Ken-kun weren't the only ones being chased."
At Fuuka's words, everyone was reminded of their situation. And as amazing as Fuuka's Semblance was, they didn't really have time to find out what else she could do if mental communication was only a part of her full power.
"So you can tell where the Grimm are?" asked Weiss, noting Fuuka's words.
"I can, yes," responded Fuuka. "Right now it's as Akihiko-senpai said. The Grimm are just gathering there. I can't sense any of them trying to maneuver around us or anything like that."
"About that." The newly connected blinked in surprise when they heard Mitsuru's voice speaking this time. "Can you give us an estimate as to their numbers?"
The group waited with bated breath while Fuuka counted. Or at least, they assumed that's what she was doing. Only the SEES group knew what she was capable of after all.
"There are almost two hundred Grimm gathered here. And I can sense about fifty or sixty more following Junpei-kun and Chidori-chan."
Fuuka's words were stated calmly, but the reactions outside the SEES group was anything but calm. Most of them cursed, a few looked about ready to panic, while one looked almost excited at the prospect of fighting so many Grimm.
"What about Junpei? How far are they?"
"There are no Grimm in front of them so they should be here within a minute."
"Alright, in that case get ready to fight." This time Mitsuru spoke out loud.
The members of SEES nodded. Fuuka opened her eyes and stood as Aigis slowly lowered her to the ground. Mitsuru drew her rapier and joined Akihiko and Ken, facing the Grimm. Turning to the other three, they watched as Aigis and Yukari drew their own weapons.
Aigis slipped her fingers through the holes on her weapon's hilt and drew them from the pouch. Once they were out, the weapon unfolded revealing two blades roughly a foot in length attached to the bottom of the hilt. Aigis joined the other three and fell into a ready stance, both blades held in a reverse grip.
Yukari grasped the handle of her weapon and pulled it free from the straps holding it to her leg. When the weapon unfolded, it was revealed to be a pink and white bow. Unlike a normal bow, however, the limbs of the bow were wide, single-edged blades, allowing it to be used for close-ranged combat as well. Reaching over her shoulder, she unlatched the clasp on the cylinder on her back and opened the top, revealing it to be a quiver full of arrows.
They turned to Fuuka expectantly, wondering what her weapons were, only to find her just standing there, her eyes closed with her face scrunched up in concentration. "I'm ready, everyone," they heard her say in their minds.
"Alright," Mitsuru responded. "But before that, will any of you be fighting?" It took them a moment to realize that Mitsuru was talking to them out loud, and not a member of her group, and that she had turned to face them. "As Blake has pointed out to Akihiko earlier, the relics are just behind you." Those who hadn't known that spun around to find that, yes, there were several pedestals with small boxes on them, presumably containing the relics. "If you do not wish to fight, I suggest you retrieve a relic and prepare to flee. We'll draw their attention and hold them off while you run."
"And I can guide you to help you avoid the Grimm, or at least warn you if they manage to get too close or cut you off," added Fuuka.
"Then why not just come with us?" Once again, it was Blake who spoke up against fighting. "Why are you so insistent on fighting? Even with this many Grimm, if we all go together I'm sure we can get away."
"She's right, Mitsuru." This time it was Pyrrha who spoke, walking past the others to stand in front of Mitsuru. "If there are indeed that many Grimm with more on the way, you'll eventually be overwhelmed."
"And even if you weren't overwhelmed outright," added Weiss, stepping up beside Pyrrha. "You're still just human. Eventually your Aura will run out and you'll grow tired from fighting. The smart thing to do would be to take what we came for and run. Besides, given their wounds both Akihiko and Ken are either low or out of Aura."
"She's right. Our objective is to grab a relic and get back to the cliffs." They all turned to Ruby, who had decided to give her own opinion on the matter. "There's no point in fighting these things. Especially not so many of them."
Mitsuru looked at each of the students before her, their eyes filled with determination but, at the same time, imploring her to reconsider her stance. "I see. And I trust all of you share their opinions?" she asked, turning to the four who hadn't spoken. They nodded in response, as she had expected. "Very well. In that case, retrieve your relic and prepare to run. As I've already stated, we will hold off the Grimm and prevent them from pursuing."
Whatever sense of victory they felt when Mitsuru first replied to them was completely shattered as she finished her statement. A glance at the other five showed that their minds, too, were unchanged.
"I know you don't understand," said Mitsuru, speaking gently. "But this is simply something we have to do. While you are taking these exams to prove your capabilities to the school, we choose to fight here to prove something to ourselves."
"To yourselves?" asked Weiss.
Mitsuru thought for a moment before she nodded, coming to a decision. "Yes. And that is why we can't run. To us, this initiation is more than just a test to see if we are worthy of being in this school. This is also a test of our resolve."
"A test of… resolve?"
Before Weiss could question Mitsuru further, Akihiko's voice cut in. "Mitsuru, they're here." When they looked in the direction where he was looking, they saw Junpei and Chidori running towards them.
"Ta-Ta-Ta-Daaa! Junpei Iori is here! Let's get this party started!"
"In case you didn't notice, Junpei, you're the only one who's excited about all this," Yukari commented flatly. "Try to read the mood."
"What, you scared?" he taunted back, falling in line with the rest and drawing the sword hanging from his hip.
"Yeah right," she scoffed in turn. "I'm just tired of patching you up whenever you're done screwing something up."
Junpei barked out a laugh. "After the hell we've been through I'm not gonna be screwing up with something this easy. By the way, looking forward to playing with Shagara?"
"It's Sharanga you- Gah! Dammit Junpei! You made me say it!"
"Alright! Hey Chidorin, our next date's on Yukaricchi!"
"Wh-Wha… I never agreed to that stupid bet!" Junpei just laughed harder. Even the others joined in, showing varying levels of amusement. "Argh! Stupei!"
The students couldn't believe what they were seeing. It was as if SEES didn't care that they were standing in front of a horde of Grimm that was ready to kill them. And if that wasn't strange enough, the Grimm seemed to be content to leave them alone for the time being. But as though Junpei's arrival was a signal, they noticed the Grimm growing more agitated.
Fuuka, of course, noticed this as well. "Get ready everyone," she said to them all. "I can sense something changing with the Grimm. They might be getting ready to attack."
"Alright," said Mitsuru. But before she turned back to the Grimm, she addressed the eight students before her once more. "If you are going to run, now's your best chance. Wait until their focus is on us then circle around and past them. Fuuka will guide you for as long as you're within range." She turned and walked away, but paused just before reaching the other group. "Be careful." She spoke without turning around, then rejoined SEES.
"Is everyone ready?" She received various responses from the group, all positive. "Very well." The students all noticed a change in her tone and demeanor at that very moment. "Fuuka, we'll be relying on you to provide support. Akihiko and Junpei will act as our vanguard first. Ken, Chidori, and I will take advantage of any openings you create. From there, we proceed as usual. Yukari, Aigis, if the Nevermores attack I want you two to focus on them to keep them from overwhelming us from the air. Is that clear?"
Another chorus of affirmatives came from the group.
"Alright, let's go!" Akihiko and Junpei surged forward. Ken, Chidori, and Mitsuru followed a second later to give them time to engage the Grimm. Yukari and Aigis followed, the android-in-hiding running ahead of the archer.
And seeing their foes rush forward, the Grimm responded in kind. But just as there were more of SEES this time, they responded in kind. Dozens of Beowolves shot forward, followed closely by the larger but slower Ursa. And from the treetops, a large flock of Nevermore glided down as well.
And when the two groups met, chaos ensued.
Without Aura the members of SEES were far more vulnerable than the rest of their future classmates. Moreover, Grimm, as Elizabeth explained, all aimed to kill. And even the younger, smaller Grimm were easily capable of killing them. Beowolves were swift and agile, and had sharp fangs and claws. Creeps had large mouths with sharp teeth and powerful jaws. Ursa had sharp claws combined with a powerful and heavy frame. Nevermores had sharp talons and very hard beaks. And Boarbatusks could easily crush them to death with a single, powerful charge.
And that one, undeniable fact was the basis of their training with Elizabeth. She and Ryoji would attack them and their goal was to avoid getting hit for as long as possible. A single solid hit marked them as 'dead', no matter how weak, leaving the others to fight on their own until everyone was eliminated. When they got better at dodging – which they were forced to focus on since some attacks just couldn't be blocked safely– the two attacked even more vigorously, forcing SEES to adapt.
In order to dodge better, they were forced to learn how to anticipate their opponent's next move by watching their movements. Using this, they learned how to intercept their enemies, preventing them from reaching their intended target or even preemptively attacking to prevent the attack in the first place. In this manner, they minimized the need to dodge, and thus the risk of getting hit, even further.
And from there, they developed something that even Ryoji had referred to as insanity. A way of fighting beings stronger than themselves that was both incredibly dangerous, but amazingly effective. Even Elizabeth had praised their new strategy, though she did also refer to it as insane. But more importantly, she also told them, "If you could properly use such a way of fighting, then I believe you shall have little to fear."
And so they continued to train. For seven months they trained against two monsters who held back just enough to avoid killing them. Their bodies, their minds, their very souls were tempered by trials that far surpassed anything they had ever encountered. But in the end, there was only one possible outcome for those who survived a hell that few would ever experience.
Junpei cleaved off a Beowolf's arm before beheading it with a single swing of his katana as it recoiled in pain then jumped aside as a second one attempted to do the same to him. Sadly for the Beowolf, this left it open to a spear thrust from Ken, stabbing clean through its head. And even when a third Beowolf took advantage of his spear still lodged in the Grimm's head, a swing from Chidori's axe cut off its hand at the wrist. And when it reeled back, Junpei leapt back in to cut its head off.
Akihiko and Mitsuru, having worked together longer, were in a world of their own. Akihiko was fast but also powerful, and Mitsuru was agile and made up for her lack of strength with swift, shallow cuts to avoid getting her blade stuck, and incredibly precise thrusts to fatal areas. Much like the other trio, one would draw attention while the other finished it off. And when they drew attention, the other would intercept and kill it to give them time to recover from the attack. Even with just two of them, they were killing the Grimm faster than the trio of Junpei, Ken, and Chidori.
Yukari also displayed a remarkable increase in her archery skills, shooting arrows one after another, firing barely a split second after the arrow was properly nocked and drawn, and pulling a new arrow from the quiver almost as soon as the previous arrow was released. Standing less than ten meters from the main fight, it was rare that she missed despite the Nevermores being in constant motion or even actively avoiding her arrows. And when she did miss, Aigis was quick to follow-up.
With physical capabilities far above what the rest of SEES was capable of, Aigis was nothing but a black and blonde blur on the battlefield. At times she would leap up, slashing at the Nevermores in range with her blades. But more often than not, she used the other Grimm as footholds and springboards, aiding not only in her ascent but also by distracting them for her friends.
And as the seven combat members of SEES fought, their eight spectators watched in awe at the ease with which they tore through the Grimm's ranks. Many of them had seen full-fledged huntsmen and huntresses fight before, even while outnumbered. And though those men and women were leagues above in ability, they still couldn't tear their eyes away from SEES's amazing display of teamwork. Teamwork that more than made up for their lacking and still-developing individual ability.
Their movements were crisp and polished, seamlessly transitioning back and forth between offense and defense. And like a well-oiled, oft-used machine, each member knew their roles by heart and they played their parts well. The only sounds coming from them were shouts, grunts, groans, and the occasional curse. Not once did they hear orders or even words of warning. It was almost like a well-choreographed stage play, with even the Grimm being killed merely part of the presentation as they were slaughtered so easily.
"Wow." The breathy exclamation from the blonde boy summed up all their thoughts as they continued to stare, transfixed by the beautiful yet deadly dance in front of them.
"Aren't you going to run?" Fuuka's question pulled their attention from the fight and back to the teal-haired girl still standing motionlessly in front of them. "Right now the Grimm are focused on us. If you run now you should be able to escape without drawing attention."
'That's right', they realized. With SEES occupying the Grimm, they were free to take the relics they needed and return to the cliff. None of the Grimm, even those still watching from the sidelines seemed to be paying them any attention. And yet…
They all looked to one another and, for the most part, they seemed to come to an unspoken agreement. Almost as one, they drew their weapons and looked at the back of Fuuka's head, knowing that she would somehow know they were looking at her.
"We're fighting," said Yang, as she and the others stepped forward and past Fuuka. "It wouldn't feel right if we left you guys to fight this by yourself."
"Besides," added Ruby, pausing long enough to face Fuuka. "We may still be in training, but it's a Huntress's job to help people, even if they're fellow huntresses."
Weiss just sighed. "As idealistic as that is, I can't exactly disagree."
"We'll stand a better chance this way." At Blake's words, her partner turned to her, silently questioning her on her change of heart. "I still think we should run. But I'd feel guilty if something bad happened when I could have stayed to help."
Pyrrha nodded in agreement. "And as Ruby said, this is the kind of life we chose. And more often than not, what's easy and what's right are never the same thing."
"I just wanna break some legs!"
"And I'm just here to keep Nora under control."
Six of them just stared at the odd reasoning but accepted it. Either way, it meant two more people to help. And with the seemingly endless army of Grimm, they were going to need it.
Everyone turned to Jaune expectantly, wondering what he had to say about it. Jaune, on the other hand, was uncomfortable with the sudden looks. Truth be told, he would rather be running but now that everyone was choosing to stay he couldn't very well leave, not without a good reason. A very, very good reason. "The more the merrier, right?" he asked jokingly with what he hoped was a confident grin. Some of them just laughed at his words but took it anyway.
"I see," came Fuuka's reply to their conviction. "Well, I can't stop you if you really want to help. But I suggest you don't help Mitsuru-senpai and the others directly."
"Hey, just because we didn't wanna fight earlier doesn't mean we can't handle ourselves."
"It's not that," Fuuka explained, trying to placate Yang. "We've been training like this for seven months and we've been fighting together for even longer before that. It's just that they're used to fighting this way now. It'll only make things harder if they have to adjust to fighting with the rest of you."
Weiss considered Fuuka's words for a few seconds before clarifying it for everyone. "So it's not that you think we're incapable, just that it would be more of an inconvenience for them since they don't know how we fight. Is that about right?"
"Exactly. Anyway, you should-" Fuuka's voice suddenly cut off as she gasped verbally. Whatever it was, it caused her to lose her concentration briefly. "Hurry! The older Grimm are charging."
The eight of them turned back to the fight in a hurry and saw that Fuuka's words were true. A dozen Beowolf Alphas and Ursa Majors had broken off from the group alongside a dozen other Grimm and another flock of Nevermores, and were charging straight at the seven members of SEES, who were still occupied with nearly two dozen other Grimm. Not wasting any time, all eight of them rushed towards the battle. One or two wouldn't have been a problem given what they saw of SEES's capabilities. But a dozen all at once while fighting off the smaller ones?
Even if they could handle it, they wouldn't be in any condition to face those still waiting on the sidelines, which were still increasing as more and more came from the forest.
"Alright! Let's start things off," Yang shouted as she came within range of a Beowolf. "With a YANG!" She punched the Beowolf squarely in the chest, firing Ember Celica at the moment of impact. The Beowolf flew back and smashed into one of the advancing Alphas, temporarily knocking it out of the fight.
All around SEES, the eight initiates charged into the fray, taking on the Grimm not yet engaged in combat with SEES as requested by Fuuka. Each one worked with their partners, knowing that they would have to get used to working with them. Their teamwork was shaky at best, but they managed. Only Ren and Nora showed a level of teamwork equal, perhaps even better, than that of SEES.
But as the Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training fought, they soon discovered the reason why SEES had been fighting so silently.
"Aigis, behind you!"
"Ken, two to the right!"
"Now Mitsuru!"
"I'll handle this Junpei-kun."
"Yukari-san, the three on the right!"
"Eighteen more Grimm are joining, five Nevermores!"
"Leave the Nevermores to me, Aigis."
"Understood!"
"Junpei, look out!"
"I've got him covered, senpai!"
All that time SEES had been communicating through their connection with Fuuka. And now the trainees were part of that connection. But as helpful as it was for Fuuka to warn them of changes in the fight, it was also incredibly disorienting. Hearing half a dozen people shouting different things all at once was hard enough. But to hear it in your head where you couldn't block out the voices that weren't aimed directly at you?
All of a sudden, their respect for the group called SEES grew. They could only imagine how focused they were, how much training they had to do, to be able to fight properly while literally hearing voices in your head that didn't belong to you, all the while shouting your own thoughts over the connection.
But as hard as it was, they didn't have time to complain. Even after their collective efforts killed four of the Alpha Beowolves and three Ursa Majors, there were still several more trying to kill them, not to mention the group that had just joined the fight. Still, they were doing better than they expected. Hopefully the number of Grimm would eventually drop and they could leave. Another group of initiates coming to retrieve a relic didn't sound bad either.
Unfortunately, while the aid of eight more fighters allowed them to maintain their momentum, their arrival also provoked a response from the Grimm. In response to their arrival, more Grimm surged out of the forest with a primal roar that shook the entire forest. And along with the new wave came the Death Stalker that had been chasing Pyrrha earlier.
"Senpai, the Death Stalker is approaching along with about two dozen more Grimm, all of the older variety."
Various curses rang out, both in their heads and out loud, at the news that Fuuka delivered. Considering they were already outnumbered two to one, the addition of that many more Grimm would be much more than they could handle. Carefully but swiftly evaluating their options, Mitsuru came to a decision.
"Fuuka, we'll buy you time. Prepare to use Oracle. Center it around the Death Stalker."
"Understood senpai. I'll let you know as soon as I'm ready."
"Oracle?" Weiss asked, standing the closest to Mitsuru at that moment.
"One of Fuuka's abilities. As I said, we'll need to buy her time to prepare it. It should only be a minute or two at most."
While two minutes was hardly a long time, everyone there silently agreed that even a minute would be difficult given the opposition. It only took ten seconds for the new wave of Grimm to arrive and throw everything into further chaos. While the eight Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training were still fairly fresh, SEES had already gone through nearly fifty on their own so it was no surprise that they were beginning to grow tired.
But more than that, Blake was beginning to notice something about the group. They were weak. Not in the sense that they were incapable, they had proven without a doubt that they were. It was simply that compared to the rest of them, SEES were physically inferior.
None of Akihiko's punches even came close to matching Yang's in power. Junpei's sword strikes were strong enough to cut off limbs and heads but could not cut clean through their torso, not like Ruby, despite her smaller frame. Mitsuru was swift on her feet but compared to Weiss, who was fast but not even the fastest in the group, she was slow. Ken and Chidori were the same, skilled but lacking, while Yukari was clearly more of a ranged fighter and Fuuka was specialized for a support role.
All in all, despite their considerable skill, Blake just couldn't see them as huntsmen and huntresses. 'They're more like highly trained civilians. Almost as though their Auras were awakened really late and then only received training when that happened. And to make up for their lack of training, they emphasize their teamwork.'
And the more she watched them, the more she was convinced that they were, indeed, civilians who had, for whatever reason, decided to be huntsmen and huntresses all of a sudden. In fact, it reminded her a bit of some members of the White Fang, ordinary people who had chosen to take up arms.
Unfortunately, now wasn't the time to ponder over her thoughts. Outnumbered nearly three-to-one, everyone was beginning to struggle. Barely anyone was attacking, focusing more on not getting hit by the dozens of Alphas and Majors, as well as the Death Stalker's occasional attacks.
After what seemed more like an hour, Fuuka's voice finally called out to them again. "I'm ready senpai!"
"Alright, everyone retreat, now! Use your firearms to keep them at bay but be sure to get as far away as possible. Fuuka, do it."
Everyone nodded and began to pull away from the Grimm, though Nora needed a little convincing by Ren before she left. Everyone who had the option shifted their weapons to their gun-forms and fired at the Grimm as they attempted to give chase. The sound of gunfire filled the air, accompanied by several grenades and trails of Dust courtesy of Nora and Weiss respectively.
All of a sudden, there was a bright light. Caught off guard, the rate of fire slowly died down until it stopped completely, the eight trainees captivated by the light that suddenly appeared over the Grimm. And even they weren't immune it would seem. The light took the form of a large, round orb, and the Grimm continued to stare at it even as it began to descend upon them. And the moment the light touched the Death Stalker's body, the world turned white.
SEES had known what to expect but the others did not so some of them were unable to react in time, their eyes blinded by the flash and their faces pelted by dust and debris blown away by the explosion, and a few even falling back in surprise combined with the force of the explosion. When the dust and light cleared, those caught off guard could only gape at the damage.
Where once stood over three dozen Grimm was now a large crater littered with dead Grimm, all ripped apart and all beginning to disintegrate. At the edges of the crater were a dozen or so Grimm that had survived, Alpha Beowolves and Ursa Majors that were merely missing limbs or only had large portions of their bodies burned off. Either way they wouldn't be too much of a problem. But the real surprise lay right in the middle of the crater.
The Death Stalker that had been at the center of the explosion was now missing most of its tail and had large cracks running all over its body. Half of its left pincer had been blown off completely while the right was full of cracks and looked close to shattering. With one attack, the most dangerous of the group had been effectively crippled.
"Wha… What the hell?" Yang breathed out, her jaw hanging open at the destruction before her. What even made it more amazing was the knowledge of who did it.
She, as well as seven others, turned around in shock to stare at the teal-haired girl who had caused the explosion. "Fuuka… what…"
"That was Oracle," Fuuka explained to the gaping teens. "It's pretty much the only offensive ability I have since I'm not much of a fighter. Unfortunately it wasn't at full power so I wasn't able to get them all."
"That… wasn't even full power?" Yang's voice had been reduced to a whisper and no one could blame her. The attack they had just witnessed was powerful. More powerful than anything they were capable of. And it wasn't even at full strength? Just what else were they capable of?
Beside Yang, her partner was thinking along the same lines, much like everyone else she mused grimly. That attack had caught her off-guard. When Oracle had first been mentioned, she hadn't expected this, not from their support member of all people. And if she was capable of this and more, just what kind of Semblances did the rest of SEES have? In fact, how did such a powerful ability connect with her Semblance of telepathy?
"Well senpai?" Junpei asked, interrupting everyone's thoughts. "We pretty much did our best out there and this is all we could do. I'm pretty much at the end of my rope here."
Looking at the members of SEES, Blake could easily say that the same held true for most of them. With the exception of Fuuka, Yukari, and Aigis, everyone else looked tired. And while only Akihiko and Ken were wounded, mostly the scratches from earlier, the others didn't look to be in any condition to continue fighting either. Not Junpei, nor Mitsuru, nor Chidori.
Yukari looked fine but she was nearly out of arrows and Blake didn't think she would do that well up close. Not for very long anyway. And Fuuka had been playing support the entire time save for that last attack, which, though powerful, took too long to prepare.
It was Aigis who intrigued her the most. Out of all of them, only Aigis showed physical capabilities roughly equal to the rest of them, perhaps even higher in some aspects. She was faster and stronger than the rest of SEES. It was as though she, unlike SEES, had been training to be a Huntress from a younger age like everyone else on Remnant who aimed to be one. And even now she looked ready to fight, her face hard and determined and showing no sign of fatigue. But that made it that much stranger. Why then was she following Mitsuru's lead? Why was she not the leader?
Mitsuru hummed in agreement with Junpei's words and turned to the rest of SEES. "As Junpei said, it would seem this is all we're capable of."
"True," agreed Aigis. "But it is also much better than what we were capable of before. I believe we are-"
"Hey, don't look now but I think the Grimm are getting ready to attack." At Akihiko's words, everyone turned to face the Grimm and saw that they were approaching. Slowly and cautiously, but approaching nonetheless. Still, none were attacking for the moment but he wasn't going to turn his back on them just yet. "Don't know if I'm right, but Fuuka's Oracle probably got them worried. Doesn't look like they're gonna go with the wait and see approach anymore."
"Then it seems we have no choice," declared Mitsuru, making the students wonder whether they were going to run now. "SEES, get ready. You know what to do." A chorus of affirmatives returned her order as she turned to the eight students with them. "For now, I'll ask you to stay back."
As expected there were words of confusion and cries of disbelief at her request. Understandable. They had to join in to keep SEES from being overwhelmed and now they were being asked to stand aside? Even after SEES had all but stated that they were no longer at their best? Most of them were worried, but a few were shifting between anger and worry, not knowing which would be more appropriate in this situation.
Fortunately, Mitsuru could see the conflict in their eyes and had already planned her response. "I can see that you're worried. But we are not completely helpless just yet."
"But you're tired," commented Weiss, drawing on her lessons as the Schnee heiress to cover up her worry and indignation at being told to stand aside. "It's clear to us that you're not in any condition to fight, not against these odds. Besides, I don't think I'm the only one to notice that none of you are actually that physically capable." While none of the rest had wanted to say it, they did agree at some level, Blake especially. "The level of strength and speed you've all displayed are below what most Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training are capable of at your age."
Weiss hadn't wanted to say it in that manner. She had simply wanted to let Mitsuru know that she, and the others as well, were concerned for them. But she had been unable to stop herself from mentioning her thoughts on their capabilities. And, as Mitsuru herself had said the day before, willpower wasn't enough to erase years of tutelage as an heiress. Before she knew it her tone had gone from worrying to condescending, her words becoming harsh rather than concerned.
"You don't have to tell us that." The response came from the pink-clad archer as she stepped forward to stand beside Mitsuru. "We know we're weak. But that doesn't change anything."
"Besides," continued Junpei, walking forward towards the Grimm. "We've still got a couple of aces up our sleeves."
It took them a moment, but the other group eventually realized what Junpei was talking about. "Your Semblance," stated Ren. "All this time we've been fighting, none of you have used your Semblance."
In response, Junpei and several others from SEES just grinned as the others joined Junpei. Some were mischievous and playful, some morbid and dark, and some manic and excited in appearance. But they couldn't hide their excitement. Not even Mitsuru.
"Well then, I believe we've wasted enough time as it is." As Mitsuru had stated, the Grimm had taken that time to close in on their position. And now, all that stood between them and the sixteen students was a scant ten meters. "Go ahead everyone."
"Understood."
As one, the members of SEES drew the pistols they carried. And while some of them wondered how a pistol was going to help, they also could help but be curious. "Pistols?" Ruby, ever the weapons enthusiast, couldn't help but ask. "Uh… how are pistols going to help?"
"Yeah." Yang nodded. "Not to put you guys down but those tiny guns of you aren't exactly gonna help against the Alphas and Majors."
Mitsuru and Fuuka, the only two standing behind the rest of SEES, chuckled in response. For some reason their laughter sounded quite ominous to the students' ears. "Don't worry," said Mitsuru. "Those aren't real guns."
"Not… real?" asked Ruby. She glanced at the pistol in Mitsuru's hand as it hung by her side. It certainly looked real enough, and from the outside it seemed to have all the right parts. Though she did note that it was missing a safety feature, which definitely wasn't a good idea. Still, as far as she could tell it was real. "If it's not a real gun then what is it?"
Fuuka giggled, remember a time when she had asked a similar question. "Call it… a good luck charm."
The already confused group of eight were only further confounded by the girl's mysterious statement. But their confusion soon gave way to concern when several Alpha Beowolves howled and charged forward. And as fast as they were, the ten meter gap between the two groups meant almost nothing. But that concern soon turned to panic when Aigis suddenly aimed her not-gun. Not at the Grimm, but at her own head.
"What the… NO! STOP!"
Ruby attempted to use her Semblance to stop the blonde from killing herself but it was too late. The eight students felt their hearts stop for that one moment, as, with a shout of, "ATHENA!" Aigis pulled the trigger, and the sound of a gunshot echoed loudly in their ears as though the gun had been right next to them. Some flinched and grimaced, some screamed, but all them could only watch in horror. Time seemed to slow down as they watched Aigis's head jerk violently to the side from the gunshot.
But then they saw something strange. Rather than blood, something that looked like shards of glass erupted from the other side of Aigis's head. The shards then seemed to float upwards, and began to swirl around the space above Aigis. And in that space, motes of bluish-white light began to appear. First in one spot, then in others, and then they began to grow in size. Slowly, the lights gained form and color.
Horror turned into fascination as a tall figure appeared, two or maybe even three times the height of a normal human being. It was dressed in a flowing white robe, a golden helm upon its head with a long red crest. In its right hand was a tall spear, with a wide, triangular spearhead that was more than half a human's height. And hovering around it was a wide, steel ring, blue with gold and silver accents running the entire length of the band. Those not standing directly behind the figure could see a large, round shield at the front of the ring.
The figure pointed its spear to the right, then, with one swift motion, swiped it all the way to the left. And though the motion did not touch the Grimm, the results were destructive. A powerful force, barely visible to their eyes, shot out from the spear as it cut through the air, the blade of air smashing into the Alpha Beowolves that had been approaching and sending them flying back and cutting deeply into them, decapitating and dismembering many.
And then, another person raised the not-gun to their heads. "CAESAR!" Akihiko yelled as he, too, shot himself in the forehead. Once again, they bore witness to the same phenomenon as blue lights gathered and formed another figure. This time it was a tall, white figure wearing light armor and a cape with a red inner lining. In its left hand was a globe and in its right was a double-edged sword.
Unlike the one that Aigis had called out, this one raised its sword up in the air and held it there. Then, without warning, multiple bolts of lightning shot down from the sky and struck the Grimm that the first figure had knocked down. When the flash from the lightning had cleared, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that those Grimm wouldn't be getting up again.
As though spurned on by the deaths of their brethren, the entire line of Grimm, easily numbering over a hundred, perhaps even two, charged forward. Alpha Beowolves, Ursa Major, along with countless Beowolves, Ursa, and Nevermore, all rushed towards SEES, aiming to kill them before more of those strange constructs could be called forth. But they had reacted too slowly. Even as Akihiko had finished off the first wave, the others were already calling forth their own.
"ISIS!"
"TRISMEGISTUS!"
"KALA-NEMI!"
"HECATE!"
Four more constructs came into view above their respective summoners.
The upper-half of a woman with wings for arms, a human head set into a bovine one, two long horns growing from the top of the bovine head, and a large red plate held between the two horns.
A vaguely male figure that was colored red, with wings attached to its shoulders, and two more wing-like objects, each one connecting the hand and calf on each side. On its head – or perhaps it was its head – was a red and gold helm with what looked to be a white bird's head with a golden beak, two white and gold wings attached to its head and a red gem clutched in its beak.
A large, humanoid figure with shoulders connected to its torso with a strange sphere-like casing that surrounded its upper body.
And finally, a female figure that, unlike the rest, looked to be made of flesh rather than steel, dressed in skimpy clothing, gloves, straps, and boots, all made of leather. What stood out the most, were the three heads, one a horse, one a wolf, and what was likely a lion judging by its blonde mane.
A large tornado erupted in the middle of the Grimm's formation, tossing the smaller ones around like rag dolls and tearing them apart with razor sharp winds. The Nevermores, especially, suffered great casualties. And though the larger, heavier Grimm continued to charge, they found their movements halted when the space right in front of them erupted into flames. Those not immediately killed by the flames were unable to act as the red figure flew in through the flames, the wing-like blades attached to its arms and legs cutting through entire groups of Grimm with ease. Others found strange, glowing strips of paper appearing on their bodies. And once in place, they glowed once more and most of the Grimm they were attached to immediately disintegrated.
The first two that had been summoned had not been idle. The spear-wielding Athena charged into the fray, smashing Grimm aside with her shield and stabbing through their bodies with her spear brandishing it with skill that made Pyrrha envious. Alongside it, the sword-wielding Caesar began cutting them apart, occasionally calling forth bolts of lightning to strike down large groups of Grimm.
The students watched in awe as literally dozens of Grimm died in just a few seconds, their numbers culled by the strange constructs that SEES had called forth. "What… What are those things?" Weiss gasped out, unable to tear her eyes from what was essentially a massacre. It was ironic that the Grimm, known to be creatures that slaughtered humans, were now being slaughtered in turn, helpless against these strange new beings.
"We call them, Persona," answered Mitsuru as she watched the battle unfold. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted a flock of Nevermores circling around the battle to target SEES directly. Without hesitation, she raised her evoker up to the side of her head, and fired, the strangeness and suddenness of the action catching the spectators off-guard and causing a few of them to flinch and scream in surprise. "Artemisia!"
Another figure appeared, this time over Mitsuru. A feminine form appeared above her, dressed in a dark blue dress, tall, black heeled boots, and a red opera mask with a long, pointed nose covering the upper half of its face. It work black armor with gold accents and sharp spikes jutting from the hips and shoulders, and gold faulds and spaulders with decorative spikes. And in its left hand was a spiked, segmented whip with a sharp point. With one swift motion, it caught the middle of the whip with its other hand, seemingly not bothered by the spikes, and held it taught in front of her.
Weiss wondered what it would do. It was too far from the Nevermores to strike with the whip, and it didn't seem as though it was going to approach. Then she saw it. Ice. The very element that she favored. Large shards of ice began to appear on the bodies of the Nevermores and began to spread, throwing them off balance. And before they even fell to the ground, their bodies were completely uncased it ice, leaving them easy targets for the others.
"Fuuka, how many are left?"
And finally, Fuuka placed her own evoker to her head and fired. And while nobody screamed this time, they still couldn't help but flinch at the sight of someone seemingly committing suicide. Unlike the others, this time the light formed around Fuuka, taking the form of a large, glass globe around Fuuka. On top of the globe was the upper half of a black-skinned woman with long, messy black hair, a red top and gloves, and two wings on its back with three eye-like designs on each wing.
"There aren't many left," Fuuka replied, her voice once again echoing through their heads. "Only a few dozen remain. But that large Nevermore is still circling above us."
Nine sets of eyes suddenly turned skyward, eight out of surprise, and one calmly. The eight had forgotten about the giant Nevermore entirely. Surprising, since two of them had ridden it to reach the temple. But as Fuuka said, it was just circling around the area but its head was turned to face the battle the entire time as though watching for the opportune moment to strike. Or perhaps, even observing them, searching for a weakness.
"Let everyone know to remain alert. It will either strike once we are done with those on the ground, or it will leave."
And it wasn't long before the battle ended in a complete victory for SEES. In less than two minutes, six Personas had slaughtered what seemed to be close to two hundred Grimm, more than a third of them significantly older than the rest. And they remained standing there in the exact same place where they began, having not moved from the spot the entire time.
Above them, the Giant Nevermore screeched, drawing everyone's attention and causing them to tense in preparation. But their worries were unnecessary. It circled around one more time before leaving, clearly not liking its chances of success.
Once Fuuka gave them the all-clear, they allowed their Personas to disperse, turning into motes of light once more before disappearing altogether. SEES gathered together, standing with victorious grins in front of eight students still recovering from everything they had just seen.
"That was…" Weiss paused, unable to find the appropriate word for the situation.
Akihiko just grinned as he spun his evoker around his finger. "Heh. All in a day's work."
Just past the tree line, hidden within the shadows of the forest, stood eight people, weapons drawn and ready to attack. But, upon seeing the Nevermore flee, they relaxed and stood down.
One of them whistled, impressed by what they had just seen. "Damn, if I didn't see it for myself I wouldn't have believed it." The voice was male, rough and fairly low. "And those kids are just firsties. The hell are they feeding kids these days?"
A short, feminine laugh rang through the area. "You do know you sound like an old man, right?" she asked, turning to the male with a teasing grin. "I mean, those 'kids' are only a year younger than us, save for that boy."
"Can't believe the Headmaster let a kid that young in," came the reply. "Still, it looked like he was doing well enough. He'll have a hell of a time playing catch up with his studies though."
"Well, I guess we'll see. Still," she paused, watching as the group of sixteen retrieved a relic for each pair and began to make their way back to the cliffs. "I honestly thought Ozpin was insane when he told us not to interfere. Now though… think he knew what they could do?"
"Maybe he just had an idea. He did say to jump in only if they decided to run or if he gave the signal. Nothin' at all about what to do if they decided to fight like they did just now. Still, glad I decided to do this. That was one hell of a fight."
"A fight?" the woman scoffed. "That was a massacre and you know it. I've never seen that many Grimm in one place before, let alone that many Alphas and Majors. I don't think any of those kids took a major hit this whole time. And when they used those things…"
"What were those things anyway?" asked a new voice, this one female as well though higher in pitch and speaking with a slightly different accent. "I've heard of Semblances sometimes being the same between parent and child, but none of them looked even vaguely similar to one another. The only ones who might be related are the boy and the girl with brown hair but they don't look that similar at all."
The woman sighed. "I've got no idea what the hell those things were. Could be a Semblance but could be something else. Like you said, they don't look related to one another. Besides, did everyone notice how they brought those things out?"
There were nods from all the other seven. "Yeah. For a moment there I thought they lost their nerve and just decided to end it on their terms," replied another one, male as well but with a smoother voice. "And then 'BANG', those things just pop up from out of nowhere."
"They looked pretty solid too," mentioned a young woman sitting on a branch. "They weren't hard-light constructs and while I've heard rumors back in Atlas that the Schnee family had some sort of summoning ability, none of them look the part. Whatever it is, it's pretty damn powerful."
No one else said anything after that, simply trying to digest all the things they had just seen. But after a moment, two of them received messages on their scrolls. "Looks like Ozpin wants us to get back to our patrols. The Grimm here may be gone but I doubt that's all of them."
"Gonna have trouble concentrating after what we just saw though."
"Still you gotta admit," said the woman as she and the others walked away. "This year's gonna be an interesting one."
And it definitely will be interesting. Not only do we have Persona-users at Beacon, we also have the Vytal festival coming up this year. And you all know what that means. Just imagine the headlines. "PUBLIC SUICIDE ATTEMPT!"
Hahaha, anyway…
Okay, I'm pretty sure that there will be some complaints about some stuff in this chapter. I will address the two most likely that I can see some people complaining about, that being SEES's physical capabilities, and RWBY/JNPR's reaction to seeing all the Grimm.
First, the landing strategy. Some of you may be saying that SEES should be capable of it or that they could have simply used their Personas.
But consider the height they fell from. SEES has always relied heavily on their Personas. True, they aren't physically weak, but they didn't train for years like their fellow classmates. In the previous chapter and even here, I mentioned that Elizabeth focused their training on helping them catch up physically. But seven months of training, no matter how intense, cannot instantly make up for YEARS of training. They may have the experience of fighting against stronger enemies, but their bodies can only grow so much in that time. So, in the end, SEES is still, overall, physically inferior to their fellow classmates.
Now, before anyone says that their Personas make them stronger, I'd like to remind you that the 'Stats' you see in the game are just that, 'Stats in a GAME'. The way I see it, SEES grew physically stronger through fighting, not because their Personas grew stronger and passed on that strength to them. In the end, discounting the ridiculously superhuman things they can do in P4 Arena and Ultimax, their capabilities are still within human limits.
As for using their Personas to help with the landing, I stated in the story that they had already agreed to keep the existence of their Personas a secret for as long as possible. Semblance manifests differently for each people. The only ones who have similar Semblances that have been confirmed in canon are the Schnee. And they're related by blood.
SEES, despite the different Personas, will be seen as having the same Semblance, something along the lines of 'Summoning', despite not being related by blood. That will lead to too many questions. True, the secret is out now but they knew that the secret wouldn't have lasted long and were ready. They simply didn't want it revealed from the very beginning.
Moreover, the decision to rely on their own abilities as much as possible was, as explained in the story, done to test themselves against their new classmates and the Grimm. They are not necessarily expecting to seriously fight their classmates, but they do want to see how they stack up against the people in the world they've found themselves in. After all, they've experience firsthand that not all their opponents will be inhuman in appearance. Obviously SEES, minus Aigis, is physically inferior due to having significantly less training. But that doesn't mean they can't and won't try their best to catch up and constantly test themselves.
As the story progresses, the difference in strength and ability between SEES and the RWBY world will become more apparent beginning with SEES's lack of Aura, and RWBY's specialized Semblance + Weapons vs. Persona's wider range of abilities. SEES will not be overwhelmingly powerful, but they won't necessarily be underdogs either. It's simply that their abilities are so different that it makes it difficult to make an exact comparison of strength.
For example, someone like Junpei would have very little options against Ruby and her speed. Sure he has Marakukaja and Spring of Life, but if he can't even hit Ruby then eventually she'd whittle down his defenses and strength until he can't fight any more. There is a way for him to win. It's simply that it's not as straightforward as it usually is for him.
Although SEES pretty much dominated the fight once they revealed their Personas, don't forget that, unlike the Shadows, the Grimm are pretty much only capable of physical attacks. SEES didn't have to worry about the Grimm firing off elemental attacks or reflecting their own elemental attacks back at them. The Grimm may have numbers, but in an open space they're pretty much fish in a barrel with SEES's AoE attacks. I already have something in mind to even the odds again but that won't come into play until much later.
As for the RWBY cast's reaction upon seeing all that Grimm, hopefully you remember that they are only 17. And while they are more or less the same age as SEES, SEES have come close to death many times, facing Shadows well beyond their individual abilities, and were faced with the possibility of extinction.
Some of them have faced danger before (Weiss and Blake) and even come close to death (Yang and, possibly Ruby, not sure if she was awake to see the Beowolves attack when she was younger), but all of them save Jaune have had their Auras unlocked for a long while now. So even facing Grimm, they have the luxury of knowing that their Aura is there to help protect them. SEES did not have such a luxury. Persona or no, if they get hit they will get hurt and possibly die, even in one hit. In short, SEES is much more aware of their mortality.
Moreover, none of them have ever faced the Grimm in such numbers before. True, the Red Trailer specifically showed Ruby slaughtering dozens of Beowolves but younger Grimm are known to be aggressive and reckless. It's why I specifically made mention of the Alphas and Majors. Not to mention the Grimms' strange 'watch and wait' behavior, the reason for which will be revealed in future chapters.
But here, when it was just Blake, Yang, Akihiko and Ken, they were up against two dozen with several dozen behind them or approaching, plus several older Grimm were visibly present, acting as a deterrent from any reckless attacks. And from Blake and Yang's POV, Akihiko was out of Aura while Ken was still young.
Even when the rest of RWBY and JNPR joined them, they were still heavily outnumbered and there was at least three older Grimm for one of them. It's why I made sure to specifically mention how many Alpha Beowolves and Ursa Majors the characters could see at certain points, to give everyone a proper perspective as to how outnumbered and outmatched the characters felt.
Even if they are strong enough to fight them, they know that sheer numbers will eventually overwhelm them. Especially since they have no idea whether more are coming or when they will arrive, or if arriving students will even decide to help after seeing all the Grimm. A dangerous situation with lots of unknown factors.
There were a couple more things I wanted to point out but I think I've gone on for too long already. I'll either address them individually as the questions come or, if I feel the need to, address them in the next chapter's opening AN.
Quick reminder, still looking for Intermission and Omake ideas as well as help forming the new team names. PM me if you're interested in helping with any of these.
As always, please let me know what you think especially now that we've taken a huge step away from canon. Do you like what I've done so far, do the characters seem way to different, did I mess up a detail here or there, please let me know and I'll see what I can do to correct them. Especially from the point where Akihiko and Ken join Blake and Yang. I had no problems writing this chapter but while I was proofreading it, almost the entire battle felt strained, like it wasn't up to my usual standards. I did what I could but the feeling just won't leave. So I'd like it if you guys and girls could let me know what you think of the entire fight scene.
Thank you.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll be working on the next chapter of It Wasn't Supposed to be This Way next so it'll be a while before the Team Formations. See you all soon!
