AUTHOR NOTE
Wow I was gone a really long time!
Been a tough year. It's still tough, but I want to write.
This chapter's about six months late and I'm still not sure if I should post it. There's a lot of jumping, a lot of set up, and it doesn't even get halfway to where I wanted! But, I need to post something, I need to get back in the groove because this year's s***. So, this chapter and most of the next will be focusing more on the rwby part of this crossover. Redefining relationships, show the subtle changes that already occurred, seeing things from other character's points of view etc.
Vergil and Dante will still be around, but this mini arc is about setting up the pieces.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter of fighting, relationships, and trolling. Trolling that will be extra hilarious to me for anyone who doesn't read these 1am thought trains.
Sing it with me: "it's one a m, some people have work in 5 hours, sucks for them... Oh f*** I'm one of them!"
In any case, RAMBLING REPLIES, ACTIVATE:
loligang: It's been so long I can't remember which twins your talking about. Presuming Sparda twins,bthey will be making waves, especially once Rwby leaves the schoolyard so to speak. If it was junior's girls, they will actually be around in the story for a while with an interesting input :). Also, on the spar... Maybe :).
Sm0keyPanda: Indeed.
it is On: And here's another one Xd.
Darkmaster10000000: I thpugh it would catch a few people off guard! As for seeing the new update soon... It's only August :).
Xenoblaze: It continues.
MoedredforLife: Thanks man, means a lot. Sorry it took so long to get back into this. Good news is I now have a plan for volume six Dante and Vergil.
ShadowWarriorOmega: Here it is, only slightly late!
Ferunalutelou: Perhaps, I too was imagining the hunter exam but on a smaller scale. I also just like the idea of students mythologising their headmaster like gossiping teens.*shrug*
July 10th guest: They might show up... Or will they!?
reddevil47: Rad and negative for her possible physical and/or mental health.
kerrowe: Should take 2 or 3 chapters, and much.
Benxall: True.
808Joker808: Thank you. Currently no-ish. There's a sorta maybe, but I'd have to be convinced and she might end up liking Vergil instead.
YuukiAsuna-chan: Usual Dante. Yes. This Dante, depends what nerfs/buffs I choose to give out but... Probably yes.
July 11th guest: soon my pretty, soon.
July 12th guest: I've been an unmotivated s*** for a year, but I'm pretty sure Vergil has Beowulf in his dlc in dmc5. Will review before his next fight.
Red Dusk 369: All good points, I might work it in somewhere down the line.
Other guest of July 12th: I'm afraid not. My boy Nero is busy with orihime and such. You understand.
Hellsink bathhall: Thanks man, their presence might have some effect, but not in the way you might be thinking. Guess we'll just have to find out! I'd write a longer reply, but it's now 2am and I'm on my phone making it really hard to switch between comments and this writing page. Although, Jaune not getting too much screen time is important to me. I just... Don't have him but don't like him from a writing perspective. He'll be here, he'll have his moments, but he's part of the story not the only character.
Lilcrafter: I dropped it, bit now the ball's back up!
JO53... I can't copy and paste on my phone: thank you :).
FabledLife: that definitely might of happened.
Adriaus Nighthunter: it is now vertically inclined. Let us hope it remains so.
WarWithoutEnd: The wait is over... Like a year after your comment. Sorry!
Roachvit: OP power fantasies live hard and die faster. I'd like to keep this one alive to tell a bit of a story :).
Guest August 16th and September 21st: Here we are XD.
ShadowingLight04: could be fun :) I have the meeting planned but I still haven't decided how it's going to go.
Hetes: It is continued!
koper: sometimes, the only way to stop a bulldozer, is with another bulldozer.
Sir Jerington: Well, he's not omniscient dude. Loads of people died in Dmc5, and the stories gotta have stakes. That said, I'm not just gonna kill of characters willy nilly when Dante, or another character could and would save them.
lazyguy90: Thank you, here's the next chapter.
lolfrog: Let your cravings be answered.
Muddin2900: here you go!
Nagisa Tr: wouldn't you be? Being shot in the face hurts my man :).
Guest Jan 5th: We are finally here.
Vampire library: In my defence, one. It just feels like two.
And without further ado:
Chapter 6: Two Steps Back
Bonefeather slamming into his thigh, Ren couldn't help but partially regret having some sort of chain or knockback mechanic incorporated into his weapon. Aerially there was nothing he could do now. The blow sent him spiralling uncontrollably as his aura sparked, spinning with such speed he couldn't even try to get his bearings.
His original landing strategy was useless now. Stabbing a tree and twirling around it to drain momentum had been a fine idea. When one could only see trees for a fraction of a second before looking at the sky, then back to the trees, then back to… Well, it wasn't going to work.
Any lamenting ended when Ren hit the ground. Thoughts on whether it would be better to hit a tree or the dirt fled as the trees parted to allow his fall to the earth. Skimming like a stone across a lake, Ren bounced once, twice, three times before slamming into a tree, back cracking as the bark splintered.
The harrowing screech hit Pyrrha first. In the mere moments before the feathers followed her shield was up, the bone like spears ricocheting off the rounded metal like raindrops. Making herself as small as possible behind her shield, few if any arrows made it past the spartan's defence. Pyrrha switched her position at the last possible second, moving her shield to slam into the treetops she flew into, rapidly slowing as feathers still came down around her.
Pyrrha was up, rifle in hand as she rolled to her feet, scanning the sky. Wincing, she saw a boy in green spinning wildly into the distant tree line, sharing the fate of many initiates falling like bricks from the sky.
Other Huntresses were doing the very human thing to do. Fighting back. Explosions and blazing flames erupted like fireworks around the obsidian beasts. Some had their wings clipped; others just seemed annoyed as they scattered.
And…
Was that Jaune?
Flailing through the air, Pyrrha tracked the blond boy through her scope as he fell, black feather impaling his arm.
No. Nonononono!
His aura must be down, and- and falling uncontrollably meant his landing strategy was useless!
As Pyrrha finished her train of thought, Milo was already shifting, rifle breaking down and extending. Tracking Jaune with her thumb, Pyrrha drew her arm back, throwing the javelin in a well-practised motion.
Leaving Pyrrha's hand, fire exploded from Milo, the javelin rocketed through the air, sailing towards Jaune. Shadows surrounded Pyrrha before she could see if the shot landed true. Wood splintered under the weight of obsidian feathers as winged dread dived the disarmed huntress.
Stabbing pain erupted from her shoulders, sending the huntress in training flipping out of control. Another feather slammed into her abdomen as one barely skimmed her temple.
Rapidly sloping down as she flew towards the ground, the huntress was doomed to a painful landing.
…Until twin explosions had her ascend.
Righting herself, Yang's lavender eyes burned red, hair lit aflame as she set her sites on the most overgrown feather duster.
Quick shotgun gauntlet punches catapulted the blonde brawler through the air, spinning her around volleys of feathers as she soured. Closer and closer, using some of the monster's own shots to springboard her faster, Yang cocked back her fist, ready to down the ancient demon.
...With one almighty flap, the Grimm ascended beyond where Yang was aiming, preparing a new rain of death to accompany its victorious screech.
Glaring up at the bird, Yang watched its nightmarish wings move, its beak opening in a mocking laugh, a black blade flying between them.
...Black blade?
Yang grabbed the weapon on instinct, seeing a ribbon running up and above the Nevermore, leading to a huntress obscured by the sky's light.
Together, she and Yang clotheslined the monster's wing, coming around to each other as the line grew taut. Amber met raging red, the two huntresses locking eyes, sharing a nod as they looped around the titanic monster's wing. Two more explosions accelerated Yang as she swung down like a blazing valkyrie ready to clip the Grimm's wing.
Time seemed to slow. From the corner of Yang's eyes she saw the monstrosities' beak turn, opening not to roar but to devour the nat annoying it. Locked into her swing, Yang could do nothing, hoping that her burning fist hit first.
Inch by inch, both drew closer to their target.
The Nevermore opened its maw wide.
It was faster.
Oblivion came to claim patch's sunny little dragon before she had a chance to fly.
...
"WHAHAHAHA!" From the sky like a strike of lighting, Nora maniacally cackled as her hammer thundered down to the Nevermore's face.
The monster's beak slammed shut, white bone mask cracking as Nora pulled the trigger on her hammer, explosions erupting from its head. It was devastating. Black smoke leaked from the Nevermore's cracked face as Nora flipped, giggling away.
In fact, it was the second most devastating strike the Nevermore had experienced in years.
The most calamitous was Yang's fist finally hitting its wing. Age had hardened the Nevermore's body to something akin to steel and now it shattered! Every bit of energy Yang could muster went into the impact, the kickback made her bones ache, but it was worth it. The wing broke off in an explosion of black gore, sending the Grimm screeching to the ground, careening off towards Beacon cliffs.
Vergil watched the image of Mistral's champion being dive-bombed, frown deepening as splinters of wood took out the embedded camera. Perhaps she simply wasn't battle-hardened. There was still a chance… but a dwindling one. Better incompetence than-
Without looking, Vergil's arm shot out, forcing down the barrel of Kalina Ann, Dante's strangely named rocket launcher.
"What?" Dante innocently asked as the brothers quietly warred, one trying to raise the gun while the other held it down, ground cracking beneath them. "I'm just going to clip the big ones' wings."
"That seems rather unnecessary at this point," interjected Ozpin, gesturing the dazzling explosion in the sky as a Nevermore was clipped. "And if you could please keep yourself restrained Dante, this is the students' trial, not yours."
"Not sure they were expecting to be launched into a squawking blender," quipped back Dante, weapon disappearing as the flock dissipated. "You sure you want us just sitting here? At this rate, some of them might die, maybe a lot more."
"Then those living will prove themselves worthy," Vergil's cold tone intoned. "The fallen teaching their lessons to those who go on."
"It is the risk they signed up for," finished Ozpin, but his steady voice was betrayed by the tight grip he had on his cane.
"Dante has a point," Glynda spoke up, wincing like the words were ash in her mouth. "There shouldn't have been any Grimm old enough to organise an ambush, especially so close to the school. We've already lost two students, with aura levels down across the majority... Perhaps we should postpone. Do a sweep of the forest and return to this once it's safer."
"I'm afraid the die is already cast," replied Ozpin, narrowing her eyes. "Have there been any increase of Grimm activity inside the forest?"
"...No more than normal," Glynda glared at her tablet, knowing it was right but probably feeling what he and Dante did.
This was a trap.
"Then we'll let the students continue on as they are for now," ordered Ozpin, narrowing his eyes. "Hoping the worst of this is behind them."
Ah, so Ozpin knew too. But who was the trap made by? Who was it for?
Vergil couldn't quite bring himself to care beyond curiosity for the latter, but the former… There was a glint in Ozpin's eyes as they narrowed. Glynda's too.
...They knew… or at least suspected they did… interesting.
Graceful, controlled, well-executed… All terms that did not describe Blake's landing with the blonde brawler.
Whoever said cats always land on their feet evidently didn't take into account tree branches. Nor did they think of the muscular blonde that grabbed Blake, Yang using her own body to break the fall.
Blake's head shot up, scanning their crash site for the longest of moments before finally releasing a sigh of relief.
"You know," Yang chimed in, still underneath the feline ninja. "I know I'm stunning, but it's a bit early in the school year for you to be falling for me."
And like that, all concern Blake had for the noisy blonde dried up, gazing down to give a half-hearted glare.
Yang just smirked.
Rolling her eyes, Blake got off the blonde before offering a hand to help Yang up. Gladly taking it, there was a moment, just a flash of a grimace, before the blonde found her footing.
"I'm okay," winced Yang at Blake's look, rolling her wrist. "Bit too strong for my own good."
Ignoring the blonde's smile, Blake narrowed her eyes in a silent stare.
"Seriously," Yang punched her palm, golden mane flaring a little. "Aura's already fixed me up."
"Sure-"
"OH WOW! WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT GUY OR GIRL'S EYES! THEY ARE SUCH A DAZZLINGGGGGG... COLOUR! DON'T YOU JUST WANT TO STARE INTO THEM FOREVER! BUT MORE SPECIFICALLY RIGHT NOW!"
"Did she just call me a man?" Blinked Blake, glancing at Yang only for a head or orange, upside-down hair to come between them.
"Oh, hey Nora," Yang waved, just suppressing a wince as she raised her primary punching arm.
Not that Nora would have noticed with both hands over her eyes.
"HEY YANG," smiled Nora, not dropping from where she hung from a dangling branch. "DON'T YOU JUST LOVE THE OTHER MAN OR WOMAN IN THIS CLEARING'S PUPILS! YOU SHOULD LOOK INTO THEM!"
"Ummm, I'm a girl," Blake interjected. "And me and Yang are already partners."
"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!" Shouted Nora pointing the wrong direction with one hand while the other stayed locked over her face. "YANG! WHAT COLOUR ARE YOUR PARTNER'S EYES? DESCRIBE WHAT THE WOMAN OR FEMININE MALE YOU'LL BE SPENDING YOUR-"
Pulling Nora out of the tree with one arm, Yang stood over the splayed out girl who landed with an oof, looking down with a smirk.
"Light blue."
"…"
"…"
"...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Birds throughout the forest took flight, Blake was halfway up a tree, and Yang held her ears all before Nora's knees hit the ground, still screaming to the heavens. "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!?"
"Ummm, Nora?" Yang tried to interject as the sky darkened.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this," babbled on Nora, staring at her shaking hands. "Now Ren is going to partner with some other girl! They'll meet eyes, then we'll drift apart, slowly he'll forget about me, then he won't even listen to my suggestions on what to call their KIDS!"
"Nora."
"There'll be NO MORE PANCAKES!"
The wind picked up, swirling dead leaves around the distraught ginger.
"Nor-"
"NO MORE EXTRA SYRUP!"
Branches broke as a gust blew through the clearing, picking up dust as it went.
"Hey, Nora-"
"NO MORE LUNCH BREAKFAST MEALS!"
Light in the clearing dimmed further, clouds overcasting the poor girl's broken hopes.
"Listen to m-"
"IT'S all OVER!"
A beam of light broke through the clouds, shining straight onto Nora as she shouted up into the sky.
"For dust's sake-"
"It's allll gonnnneee... " Nora looked at the weapon in her hands, Magnhild, her precious grenade launcher, slowly shifting it into a long, two-handed hammer. "Unless-"
"NORA!" Yang poked a finger into the middle of Nora's forehead, the erratic huntress going cross-eyed before following the finger as it pointed Over Yang's shoulder. "Blake's my partner."
Nora blinked.
"Hi," waved the ravenette of the group, gingerly climbing off the tree she'd leapt on to.
"Oooooooh," blinked Nora again before hopping to her feet with a smile, waving back with her hammer. "Hey, Blake! So you aren't a man, huh… Unless you are, which is totally fine, some guys like tights, and that's totally-"
"I'm a girl," Blake closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply through her nose.
"Neat," Nora span, looking around with a frown, bringing a hand up to make… some sort of sound before frowning again. "Hey, did you guys see which way Ren was? I need to grab him before someone else gets him so we can be together! …But not 'together' together."
"Who's Ren?" Asked Blake as Yang scratched her head.
"Oh, he's this amazing guy, who's really smart and kinda cute," Nora listed off before her eyes widened. "But in a, anyone can notice he's cute way, not, I've been staring at himsometimesinhissleepkindaway. Nope, I mpmmrmmmph."
"He's tall," interrupted Yang, covering Nora's mouth with her hand. "Black hair with a pink highlight, Mistral style outfit, mostly green."
"Hmm," Blake furrowed her brow, ignoring Yang as she yelped, quickly retracting her hand from a smiling Nora. "I might have seen him-"
"WHERE!" Shouted Nora, picking Blake up off the ground by her arms to the raveonettes surprise.
"I think he was to my left when the feathers started flying." Blake explained slowly, trying to remember every detail of when the air became more sharp objects than not. "I think he was hit."
Horror flashed across Nora's face, only for a hand on her shoulder to tear her from her thoughts.
"I'm sure he's okay," reassured Yang, squeezing Nora's shoulder. "What huntsman hasn't fallen out of the sky before? Aura probably took the rough landing and now he's running about killing Grimm and going for the temple."
"Yeah," Blake nodded, "and it might not have even been him I saw getting hit. Green's a fairly common colour, especially for camouflage in a forest."
It could have just been another student getting hit by a Grimm, being sent into a spinning, uncontrolled descent into a monster-infested forest… Smooth Blake.
The words though did seem to get to Nora, who dropped Blake, the black-clad girl just barely landing in a crouch after the sudden fall.
"Yeaah, yeah," Nora agreed, bobbing her head as if she was trying to convince herself… rather unsuccessfully Yang thought. "Ren's fine; he's basically a ninja! There's no way he could be…. There's no way Grimm could catch him! Yeah."
Breathing out, Yang shot a smile towards her partner before cracking her knuckles.
"So," the blonde spoke out, gaining the other's attention. "Which way should we go?"
Black paused, looking up at the sky. It was easy to find which way north was, ergo, where the temple was…
But, the boy, Even, fell westwards…
He might already be on his way to the temple…
Or…
Damn it, which way should they go?
A spindly creature looked down at the humans with one bulbous red eye.
Unexpected variable, vermin not encircled, prematurely move on…
Unacceptable.
Adapt.
Wire thin legs stretched to the next tree, putting only a ghosted weight on the leaves before moving on. Not a sound was made as the tiny black creature glided between branches, weaving around the sight of mechanical eyes towards its destination. Abandoning the treeline, it skittered over fallen trunks, finally arriving at its target.
One of the oldest amongst their numbers, it was so… weak.
Unacceptable.
...Adapt.
Slivering monstrosities soon burst into the clearing, sinking their fangs into the old one as it screamed. It couldn't even ward off such a simple attack.
So weak… Unacceptable.
Objective straying too close to failure, plan must change, forces will be... adapted.
Huffing for breath, Pyrrha vaulted another Beowulf as it went to swipe, kicking off a tree to gain some distance. The creature joined the growing mob nipping at the huntress' heels.
Over a dozen of them had already been smashed, crushed, or battered into non-existence by their quarry, but more joined faster than she could kill. The only chance was to run.
Rolling under a new combatant, white claws sent red sparking across Pyrrha's back, slashing through another portion of the young girl's aura. Pyrrha grit her teeth, bracing behind her shield as she ploughed forward, bashing then flipping over another Grimm, quickly returning to her sprint in earnest.
Clenching her empty fist tight, Pyrrha channelled more energy into her legs, wishing she had Milo more by the second.
'Not my best landing', thought Ren, grimacing as he slowly pushed himself upright. Standing was marginally more difficult, but he would manage, even if the clicks from his back did make Ren shiver. Though, looking at the splintered, cracked bark of the tree he hit, it could have been a lot worse.
Thank Oum for Aur-
A sudden swipe knocked Ren to the ground, the boy cursing himself for being so distracted by his fall. Rolling across the floor, three more swipes just barely missed before Ren was in a crouch.
The Beowulf charged at him, growling in anger as Ren span away from each new strike, gliding to its blindspot. Wordlessly, Stormflower, a pair of bladed green rapid-fire pistols, descended from Ren's sleeves. The first shots fired a moment later, blinding the beast. Wildly, an uncontrolled claw flew over the younger hunter's head, then it was over.
Before the monster had another chance to move, a long green blade plunged into its neck, turning it to dust within moments.
Thankfully, the next attacker didn't manage to sneak up on the green-clad ninja. Then again, Ursa didn't tend to sneak up on anyone given they were giant bear-like beasts crashing through the brush. A single Ursa major massive, monstrous claws felling trees and smashing rock with every movement.
Ren quickly found his rapid-fire shots doing little to nothing, the old Grimm smart enough to hide its eyes and tough enough not to care if he hit anywhere else. Likewise, the long blades of his weapons could only boast minor cuts into his enemies boney hide. Attacks this monster could probably take a hundred more off before anything really happened.
Luckily, like many brute strength Grimm, the Ursas movements were rough, cumbersome, and generally easy to dodge as Ren flipped over another massive paw. Unluckily, there were only limited ways to down the beast without Nora's illogical strength.
That's precisely why Ren liked working with her, a small smile infectiously spreading across his face. Of course, given how long they'd been together… given what they'd gone through together, there was no way he wouldn't fight alongside his only real friend. It was just by luck that the styles they grew into complemented each other so well.
Or maybe it wasn't luck at all, who could say?
They covered each other's bases perfectly:
One quiet, one loud.
One forward, one reserved.
One fast and stealthy, one strong and instinctual.
She was the lightning dancing across his quiet sky… Ren could go on and often did as a reflective thought exercise, but now was not the time to think about what he was thankful for. Now was the time to focus; without his weapons being effective, without Nora being here, there were only two real courses of action.
There were likely many wounded students in the forest, and Ursa were known to track for miles, so running away wasn't an option.
So instead, he had to use his aura.
The power of a soul that all living things bar Grimm possess, a hunter's shield but, but with training, it could also be used as a spear. It would be risky. That fall from earlier already did a number on his, comparative to Nora, small pool of aura. Using more could put him in dangerous lows if another fight rolled up before he found others. All it would take would be one slip-
Tree bark was concealed in the grass where Ren now stepped, splintered off the boy's undignified entrance. Bark that slid across the ground, forcing Ren into unexpected splits, a massive paw immediately taking advantage of his ill footing.
Air forced its way out of Ren's lungs as half a tonne of monster bear pinned him to the ground. Ren quickly whipped up his guns as the Ursa reared back its other paw, dust rounds slamming straight into its eyes.
The sudden pain startled the beast, making it flinch back, stumbling a single step, but more importantly, releasing Ren. Without a wasted moment, Ren rolled to get distance, then once again, his breath was robbed from him. This time the paw hit his back, forcing him against the ground, barely able to turn his head to see the raging monster above him readying a finishing, skull-crushing blow.
Maybe this was the time to think about what he was thankful for.
For example, Ren was very thankful when metal slammed into the blinded Ursa's head, slamming it into a tree that obliterated it. There was a moment when the beast's corpse felt crushing on top of Ren, then it was gone, fading into a black mist and finally letting him breathe.
Ren took the hand that reached down for him with a smile, pulled quite easily to his feet, quickly dusting off his clothes.
"Thank you," nodded the green-clad ninja, grateful that he'd have some help against any more valiant twists to this initiation. "Ren."
"Cardin," replied the huntsman in training that just saved his life, resting his mace on his shoulder with a confident, cocky grin.
If events had gone ever so slightly different in a multitude of ways, Weiss would have said that today was a disaster. Being flirted at by that blonde boy didn't start her off in the best mood, but Pyrrha seemed receptive to her, so it all balanced out!
Then initiation began.
An event that Weiss was sure she was completely prepared for.
An event that Weiss had trained for extensively!
An event that quickly veered into tragedy…
And now she was partnered with an immature, clumsy, annoying… capable dolt.
At the launch, Weiss was ready, generating glyphs to manoeuvre flawlessly through the air. Feathers rained down, but Weiss was ready, bouncing from platform to platform, plunging her rapier into a young nevermore's skull. Leaping off the Grimm she killed as it was shredded by a preposterous volley, it was all going well.
Weiss could use her semblance, staying in the air, manoeuvring around the Grimms' animalistic attacks. Through her abilities, the Schnee heiress could kill these monsters one by one, saving her fellow initiates, proving herself.
A single feather shattered the platform Weiss tried to step on. Falling back on her training, Weiss immediately went to create a stable footing but completely missed the new bone feather's shooting towards her. Eyes down, looking at where she focused her semblance to keep herself in the air, pain and shock shot through the young girl as a feather speared into her thigh.
Weiss' aura held. The same could not be said for her concentration, glyph fading as the white-clad girl went spinning towards the ground. Unable to tell which way was up, thoughts froze in Weiss mind, unsure what to do, panic seeping in, fist tight around her rapier with no idea what to do with it.
In the end, Weiss just closed her eyes. Feeling another attack scrape across her cheek, instinct took over, curling herself into a ball, gritting her teeth in preparation for the dreaded impact.
Suddenly, a force pulled Weiss, the wind whooshing past her ears differently… Gunshots rang out, one after another. Opening her eyes Weiss could only blurrily see white, black, and red. Then the impact happened.
She definitely lost momentum, but then there was another crash, no, a slice, then another. Whoever caught her must have been using their weapon to slow them, an improvised landing strategy.
Weiss' suspicions were proven when said weapon audibly hit the ground before them, dragging away the lion's share of their remaining momentum. What could have been a pair of meteors hitting the earth ended up as two girls tumbling as if they just fell down the last few stairs tangled up with each other.
There was no way for Weiss to stop the quick panicked breathes she sucked in, excess adrenaline only now starting to fade.
"Are you okay?"
Hearing those words, those three simple words, finally had Weiss blinking away her blurry vision to look at the face hovering barely a foot above her own. Dilated, panicked blue met calm, concerned silver, and the world froze.
...Wait… Isn't that-?
Ruby's head shot up, snapping sticks startling her, and in a moment, the younger girl had pulled Weiss to her stumbling feet.
If they had been any slower, the brutal Ursa claw now buried in a crater where they just were might just have crushed them. Two massive Ursa lumbered towards them, one staring angrily while the other got ready to charge.
Remember your training Weiss.
Head up, shoulders back, "I'll take the-" right foot-
"HIYAAA!" Ruby dashed forwards, taking the charging Ursa's legs out from under him with a… GIANT SCYTHE?
A gunshot rang out from the massive weapon; Ruby was already on the other Grimm, leaving Weiss to deal with the injured monster tumbling towards her.
Resetting her stance, the obsidian monster managed to lumber to its feet as Weiss found the right place to put hers. Angrily roaring, the beast swung a massive claw, slamming into a white glyph as it materialised in the air.
Weiss dashed forwards as the Grimm struggled to comprehend what was happening, delivering three piercing stabs into its flesh. Rearing back, the Ursa found its feet frozen to the floor, forcing it to fall back, the ice quickly encasing its arms. Even the beast's back spikes worked against it, sticking into the ground, leaving the bear-like creature immobile and helpless. Leaping, platforms formed beneath Weiss's feet, one after another, allowing her to quickly dash around the monster's mass to aim her rapier at its skull.
A moment before the killing blow could land, ice shattered. White claws slammed into Weiss, rapier only barely blocking in time as the girl was sent flying. Weiss flipped in the air, plunging her sword into the ground to stop her momentum, looking up to see…
A giant scythe blade impaled the monster that just knocked Weiss aside. Already, the beast started fading into smoke, the young girl who killed it folding up her weapon as if the kill didn't even matter! Like it wasn't even an achievement!
Surveying the clearing, it became apparent the other Ursa was already long gone. How had the girl… Ruby… How had Ruby killed them so quickly? How was she carrying a weapon around that was taller than her without a single issue!? Ruby was just some clumsy, childish, dolt! ... Wasn't she?
"YEAH, we got 'em! Oh… Um… Are you okay?" Ruby startled Weiss, appearing in front of the white-clad girl in a burst of rose petals.
"I'm fine." Closing her eyes a moment for a deep breath, Weiss tilted her head up, looking down at the younger girl as she sheathed her weapon. "Why didn't you wait for us to have a plan before rushing in?"
"But the fight already started?" Ruby tilted her head to the side, brow furrowed, "wouldn't that just give the Grimm time to charge?"
"Having a concrete engagement strategy is important," chided Weiss, narrowing her eyes. "As is communication."
"But, but… with you taking a hit from the nevermore, we needed to end it quickly…." Ruby trailed off before her wandering eyes widened, locking back onto Weiss with startling speed. "How's your aura? That was a big hit. If you want, I could-"
"I'm fine," cut off Weiss, glaring at the younger girl. "...Thank you."
Weiss lowered her head, for the first time really looking at Ruby, evaluating her properly.
There were childish aspects, from the roundness of Ruby's face to the blatant… concern in the young girl's eyes. She seemed conservative when it came to clothes, mostly black with only her hands and face showing any pale skin, even having a big red hood to hide in!
Ruby definitely looked the part of a child who snuck into Beacon.
...A child who just killed two Ursa. A child who saved Weiss from losing a massive chunk of her aura in a calamitous fall from the sky. A fall caused by over a dozen Nevermores creating a deadly volley that Ruby showed no sign of being hit by at all!
If someone told Weiss that Ruby would be her partner at the start of this initiation, the heiress would have gone straight to Ozpin to make him see reason. It would have been a complete disaster!
Now that some time has passed…
Ruby was still weird.
Contradictions between observations and actions were infuriating! It was almost like Weiss was intentionally being misled or even being pranked, ridiculous as it sounded.
"Weiss, I think we're going the wrong way-"
At first, Ruby acted so clumsy that Weiss wouldn't trust her with a glass of milk, let alone one of the most dangerous-looking weapons she had ever seen! And she swung that scythe around like a trained dancer!
"-I mean, we might have passed it, I'm not really sure, I think I might have forgotten what I was supposed to learn in wilderness survival class-"
There was no way Ruby was anything but a child that snuck into Beacon. But then the red-clad huntress dispatched two Ursa with ease, instinctual movements showing her evident experience, even if her communication was lacking.
"-Wait. Was wilderness survival a final year class? Did I miss it!? Am I just meant to know these things? What if we've been going the wrong way this whole time? Did you learn it, Weiss?"
Was Ruby just used to solo hunts where talking to yourself would just make you look crazy? Was Weiss already behind this girl on the path to becoming a true huntress? Was there some fundamental difference between the two of them?
"-Maybe if we just keep moving forward, we might find it. Or, OR we could find someone who took wilderness survival! Maybe it was an elective! Wait, did Signal have electives? Weiss-"
And, of course, there was Ruby's attitude! Sure she was still hyperactive, immature, and… ehem. Beyond the constant chatter, there were the quick looks of… concern, Ruby kept sending her between inane questions.
"Weiss? Weiiiise!? W-"
It's not that Weiss didn't understand it; It made perfect sense, even if it did make her fists clench just thinking about it.
"Weiss? Hello? Are you-"
Ruby was looking out for someone weaker than her.
"-Listening to me? Hello-"
The younger girl saved a fellow classmate from hostile airspace-
"-Are you trying to focus? Am I interrupting you? Sorr-"
-Landed without a scratch-
"-I mean, you could tell me if you had a pl-"
-then she killed two massive Grimm like it was nothing!
"-We're partners now-"
Meanwhile, Weiss took a massive hit in the air, nearly crashed onto the ground like a meteor, then got hit by an Ursa like a novice! Here she was, trying to attend one of the prestigious huntsman academies, being outdone by a child at every turn! No wonder Ruby thought she was weak!
"W-"
But Weiss wasn't weak. No. There was no way she would lose like this, even with her diminished aura, Weiss could still prove herself-
"WEISS!"
"What!?" Whirled the heiress, glaring daggers at the younger girl. "What is so important?"
Shrinking, Ruby blinked before muttering, "...initiation?"
"I know," Weiss chided, hands on her hips. "I was thinking you dolt. Now, if you're done interrupting me, we best go on to the relics."
With that, Weiss turned on her heel, marching away confidently.
"Do you even know where we're going?" Ruby meekly asked, trailing behind her white-clad partner.
"Of course I do," growled Weiss, head turned up. "We're going… to the forest temple."
"THAT DOESN'T ANSWER ANYTHING!"
Weiss turned to rebuff the younger girl, put Ruby in her place as HER partner when the universe interjected.
So… A blonde, a nevermore, and a javelin fall onto an heiress…
"AND THEN I BROKE HIS LEGS!"
Blake closed her eyes, slowly counting to five as she rubbed slow circles around her temples.
"You broke a goliath's legs with a fork?" Yang asked, hands behind her head as they walked.
Why couldn't they just understand?
"IT WAS A SPORK!"
"Guys, please." Did schools not teach that TALKING IN AN ACTIVE BATTLE ZONE WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA!?
"Eh, don't worry about it Blakey," sang Yang, hands behind her head.
Narrowing her eyes, Blake glared at the blonde, only to glance down Yang's side, gaze softening.
"YEA Blakey," Nora shouted, slinging an arm around Yang as the blonde failed to hide a wince. "What's there to worry about when we can just WUPOW! So, there I was, surrounded by-"
Blake released a suffering sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose; this wasn't what she was expecting when coming to Beacon. Then again, a sudden attack by a horde of Grimm on the first day was also outside her assumptions. Out of her two broken predictions, having talkative teammates was by far the lesser of two evils.
Why were the Grimm waiting for them?
All her time as part of… In the wilds outside the kingdoms, Blake had never seen Grimm so organised. Sure, some older Grimm bossed around or at least aimed other obsidian monsters that lived near their nests, but organisation? A plan? A trap?
Grimm with that level of knowledge would never be allowed within ten miles of Vale!
An ancient herd would never come within a hundred!
So, how did this happen? A targeted strike against students, perfectly timed during their initiation, with devastatingly effective overlapping fields of fire…
What was their target? Objectively, wiping out an entire year's worth of huntresses would hurt morale and likely save dozens, if not hundreds, of Grimm. Or perhaps there was a more specific target. Initiation would be a perfect opportunity to draw out members of Beacon's faculty. Using the mindset of an… opportunist, Blake could think of two distinguished professors that were difficult to pin down.
Deputy Headmistress Goodwitch and Headmaster Ozpin.
The former was renowned for her rank and unparalleled damage mitigation/defence repair capabilities. Any significant breach of Beacon's or even Vale's defences could be severely hampered by Glynda's presence, if not made entirely redundant. If Blake wanted to weaken Vale, then Glynda would be where she started.
Then there was Ozpin. The hunter's meteoric rise to prominence was immense, and he had easily held his position for longer than any other living or dead headmaster. Respected by many throughout the kingdoms, a voice of reason amongst Vale's council, a force of martial might in his own right even in his old age…
Vale… Remnant would undoubtedly feel his loss. How better to lure out a headmaster than attacking his new students at initiation? Out of the nearby hunters, it wasn't hard to imagine those on the cliff being the fastest to react. Without additional assistance from Vale, alone against the Grimm, if the beasts had another trap…
Blake shook her head.
Those soulless monsters couldn't think up something that complicated. Hell, most people don't think through their plans nearly that much and even old Grimm had barely a fraction of their intelligence.
It wasn't like someone could-
Stilling, Blake dropped into a crouch, gesturing a hand behind her for the other two huntresses to follow suit. To Blake's surprise, they did, not making a single sound as they followed the brunette's lead.
Confused, the two brawlers followed Blake stealthily until they heard it too.
Bone crunching.
Wet snapping sinew.
Pathetic, hoarse cries, barely a whisper in the wind.
Crawling up the hill, the three huntresses watched, some struggling not to gag, others not understanding what they witnessed, all stunned. Horrified.
It wasn't a hill; it was the rim of a massive crater, trees crushed and felled around it. Blake watched writhing tentacles biting into the winged monstrosity that was somehow still alive. Smoke rose from the venomous incisions, the creatures melting together, leaving nearly a dozen ruby eyes where a gargantuan wing used to be.
Then those eyes zeroed in on the three huntresses. Focused on the dread creeping into each young girl, more eyes tipping the serpentine mouths of each tentacle slithered into view, lifting up the abomination.
It shrieked.
They ran.
White skull fractured, shattering along with the bark it was rammed into, the Beowulf fading before it even hit the ground.
"Impressive," nodded Ren, holding his side as he fell into step next to the taller boy.
"I know," Cardin smirked, kissing a flexing bicep. "Pity you can't have all this as a partner."
"CARDIN!" Whined another boy, matching step on the other side of Ren, eyes scanning the tree line.
"Shut up Russell."
Ren tried to offer the small boy a compassionate look. Honestly, though rough around the edges, the two had done well. Even now, they walked either side of their more wounded comrade, matching his limping pace, dealing with Grimm while Ren recovered.
"Thank you," spoke up Ren, "again."
Shrugging off the words like water, Cardin swung his fire dust tipped mace through some grass with a chuckle.
"Eh, it's the job. Hopefully, we can you a good partner then get back to civilisation and not trudge around some dumb woods. There should be some decent chicks left, eh? Or someone as useless as Russel shuffling around, anything better than one of those dumb animals."
Forehead scrunching, a few replies went through Ren's mind, but he let it go; better not start something while still inside a Grimm infested forest. Maybe Cardin had a good reason for his comments. There could be any number of events that could lead to… bias.
Wood splintered, Russel crying in alarm as feathers speared through the canopy. Ren's attempt to keep any negative emotion down to stave off more Grimm had proved for nought.
Suppose it wasn't for the attack at the start of initiation. In that case, Ren would say the biggest Nevermore he'd ever seen had descended upon them!
Trees fell, knocking the hunters down, pinning Cardin and sending his mace skittering to Ren. Looming above them was a screeching monstrosity, staring down at its helpless prey. A cry forced its way out of Cardin as the beast perched on the tree breaking his leg, revelling in the sound.
Below Ren, the ground gave away, leading to a black abyss. Falling, the sun disappeared as a catastrophic explosion rang out, and Ren was swallowed.
"I thought you were meant to stop him from interfering," glared Glynda, a now headless Nevermore featuring on her scroll screen.
"What?" Dante asked, still holding the literal smoking gun, or rocket launcher, as he grinned. "My finger slipped."
Gritting her teeth, the blond professor narrowed her eyes at Vergil, grip nearly cracking her scroll.
"I can hardly be held responsible for Dante's… accidents." Replied Vergil, not taking his eyes off the now smoking forest.
"Mishaps happen Glynda," interjected Ozpin, scrolling through the cameras, frowning as more and more of them just showed black,
"I still don't know why we haven't called off initiation yet," sighed Glynda, adjusting her glasses. "Something is clearly wrong here."
"Not yet," Ozpin ordered.
Although they didn't know it, the headmaster's thoughts paralleled a particular cat Faunus' at that moment.
Then a gurgling screech broke through the forest.
Grunting in a breath, Ren struggled to his feet, crawling out of the cave in's rubble, using Cardin's mace as a crutch. Hopefully, the other boy would be fine without it, although he really needed to get out of here to give it back to him; being a hunter without his weapon… Today of all days, Ren wouldn't want to be without his own dagger pistols.
Ren could see light through the tunnel he was now trapped in. Fumbling through the dark, soon the hunter arrived not outside but in a large cavern, lit by…
Oh.
Oh no…
Stingers.
Not one stinger of some ancient monster. No, multiple stingers dimly lighting the cave filled with a skittering chorus.
Dozens.
There were dozens of plated beasts waiting to sting just below the surface, waiting to strike, with Ren frozen in horror right next to them.
AN: Sorry for the wait, hopefully the next one won't take as long XD
