Chapter 13 - Encounter in the Emerald Forest
Wind blasts in my face as we arc down towards the forest, my watery eyes blurry from rapid gusts and my ears guzzling gales like a wind tunnel. I stretch my body wide, figuring that slowing down my speed would make my descent more manageable.
Add a coin to the wrong jar. The barrage of wind rocks me from all sides, threatening to turn me over and spin me out. If that happens, there's no way in hell I'll recover. Not to mention, with the momentum I'd build up, I'll plummet straight into the ground with the force of a bullet train. Aura broken. Bones broken. Dead.
Stifling a yelp, I fight back against the violent current, wrestling my limbs into place to keep myself stable long enough. I need to focus.
Squinting, I search for a fluttering red cape and a gigantic scythe. After a few rushed seconds of darting my eyes around, I spot a red dot closing in on the ground emitting several bright lights. That's her. It has to be Ruby. I remain fixated, zoning it as she descends to the forest when through the white noise, I hear a scream come from beside me.
For only a second, I turn my head to the right. Shooting past me, spinning faster than a hamster wheel, is the blonde haired knight from earlier.
Jaune. He's spiralling too fast. There's no way he can recover! H-he needs help. I...
If I straighten my posture, I might have enough velocity to catch up with him. I have no idea how I'll land for both of us but I'll figure that part out later, I don't have the time to think now.
I suck in a breath, arching my back. As I lean forward, the wind intensifies making me grit my teeth. The speed rattles my brain but it's doing exactly as I hoped it would, closing the gap between me and the freefalling Jaune. My body shakes and my senses numb. He's just within arm's reach. I stretch out my hand, aiming for his arm: shoulder, armour, anything. The wind jostles me about but I press on.
I need to grab him. I'm mere fingertips away.
Closer. Closer!
I swipe for his shoulder!
I miss.
No, worse than that, I over-extend myself and a harsh blowing gale spins me around for my failure. With a loud yipe, I counter-balance the spin drastically to regain control and immediately return to the spread formation without a second thought. Blinking, I look back towards him and...
He's gone. Jaune's gone. There's no trace of him. I...
I shake my head. Maybe... maybe his Aura will take it? Maybe he'll be okay? I mean, if there's anything I've learned in the last six months is not to assume I understand everything. F-far crazier things have happened. He could still be okay...
Another gust shoves me back into reality. Right, still falling.
I peer back up at where Ruby's distant figure used to be. Unsurprisingly, the sky is now completely bereft of the other students and more importantly, Ruby. The thought of smacking myself upside the head tempts me. She gave me one job and I blew it. Yang's completely disappeared too so, I can't even follow her. I'm in this thing alone.
Another gale causes me to struggle back into position. Those tall trees are starting to come into head-bashing distance now. I need to find some way to land.
'Use Warbreaker,' Yang said but, I don't know how. Transcending over terrain had never come to mind during its development. Several ideas were proposed between Ruby and I over the under-barrel but, beyond that, it's solely a monster-killing weapon. To be honest, the bayonet isn't even all that great with that either.
My eyes widen slightly. The bayonet.
I reach a shivering hand around take Warbreaker off my back. It might not be any good at harming Grimm but, it has reach and durability. If I stab it into one of the trees with enough force, the blade should bury into the bark. At least, I hope it will. The barrel doesn't offer much beyond leaving a couple of random bullets to remember me by.
I heave the gun into my shoulder, popping the blade with a click of the button, and scour for a decently sized tree to break my fall.
There, just above the main threshold of the forest level, is a thick-barked tree with several branches to latch on to. It's perfect. Careful not to repeat my earlier mistake, I gently shift my weight towards the allocated tree. I lift the gun up into the air and prime myself for the inevitable, and potentially horrific, collision. Contact in five. Four. Three.
Two.
One!
Not missing the beat, I slam the bayonet into the tree. With the added momentum strengthening my strike, the blade firmly pierces the wood up to the base before halting, safely embedded. Just as I hoped it would.
I, on the other hand, aren't as lucky. As the velocity carries my attack, so too does it carry me, driving me shoulder-first into the tough tree emitting a booming cracking sound on impact.
Fire engulfs my arm. An awful screech escapes my mouth, my arm and legs dangle helplessly as the only thing preventing me from falling thirty feet is my only good arm clinging onto Warbreaker - safely sunken into the tree. I bite my tongue, waiting for the agony to wash over me like it has so many times before, constantly reminding myself that my arm isn't actually broken and that it's all in my head.
I wiggle my finger, feeling slowly begins to return to left side. If I want to get technical, my plan did succeed - It did what I was looking for it to do. It just didn't do it as efficiently -and painlessly- as I'd like.
A lack of preparation will do that.
As I hang off of Warbreaker, I notice a branch only a few metres away. There's a small gap between us but, the mechanism in my gun is very resilient. If I retract the bayonet at the right time, I should be able to make it with Warbreaker in hand.
Wincing, I lift up my remaining arm and grab onto the space between the barrel and the scope. With a thumb trained on the button, I kick my legs up and start swinging to and fro. To and fro. To and...
Click. The bayonet retracts. Arms outstretched and with my gun in hand, I launch towards the branch. An airy 'Oof!' wheezes out as I successfully latch on. Not daring myself any time to drop, I scramble over the top of the branch and rest my back against the tree for stability, something that's been sorely missed over the last couple of minutes.
However, I'm not ready to settle down quite yet.
Tapping on every single one, I check my gear. Warbreaker: Here. Ammo bag: Here too. Scroll: somehow didn't fall out of my pocket. Everything is as I left it. Thank god.
"Jesus Christ..." I let out a relieved breath, rubbing my eyes. My heartbeat's still pounding away as it usually does and my throat is as clogged as a wretched toilet but, nevertheless, I've landed. It's over. At least, that portion of the test is anyway. That madness was only the beginning. I still need to find Ruby, find the temple, grab one of the relics and return. All the while fighting monstrous man-eating Grimm along the way. The very thought makes the very soul feel weary. Well, if there's anything I take away from this little fun-ride it's that I can now safely tell people the difference between riding a motorcycle and reckless sky-diving.
One is an exhilarating experience, and the other will give you several fatal heart-attacks simultaneously.
"Landing strategy, huh..." I say exasperated. I hope they don't use this method of transportation regularly. Launching students through the air without any guarantees that they'll land safely? It's... reckless. It's unethical! I-it's crazy! All of it! Crazy!
God. I hope I never have to do that again.
It still boggles my mind that Qrow never told me anything about this. Not even once. We've been training together for so long, he had to have said something that should've given me an inkling that this was going to occur. If not the Initiation, then the fact that launching your students is apparently a normal academic activity.
I unsheathe my Scroll. My instincts are telling me that I'm misremembering something. A morale from an obscure lesson that I had dismissed as 'Lazy Qrow being lazy.' I flicker through the lesson summaries I jotted down in my notepad app, reminders of given advice on what to do and how to properly act while on the battlefield. Well, that's what it mostly consists of anyways. Sometimes Qrow would phone it in and give me advice as helpful as a moral from a late eighties drug PSA.
Lesson Eight: Don't smoke. It's unhealthy and the chicks don't dig it.
He also told me that for lessons Forty-Nine, Fifty-Four and Sixty-One. My mentor, everyone.
Lessons Nineteen and Twenty-Six: Don't get caught cheating as it's only cheating if you get caught.
He... taught Ruby for far longer than he ever taught me. Why do I have this sickening feeling that she's secretly a mini-Qrow waiting to explode?
"Eck!" I blech. Just thinking about it makes me shiver. Better move on.
Lesson Twenty-Five: Improvisation is a must have skill for... Any... Huntsman to possess. You'll be put into situations that you won't always have a strict strategy. Learning to think on the fly will save your life one day.
He did tell me. He didn't say it out loud or anything, but the hint's definitely there...
Which means he did know about the launchpad! He didn't forget about it at all. He just wanted me to find out the hard way! My hand starts shaking the Scroll, visually Qrow's neck in its place. I bet he's laughing his bloody head off right now, the arse! The twat!
"The Jerk!"
Warbreaker's barrel brushes past the bramble as I peek out from behind the bush.
Cautiously, I scan around the immediate area, fully aware that a Grimm could charge out at any moment. Better safe than dead. With the coast seemingly clear, I timidly take a step forward. No reaction, yet. Finger on the trigger, I burst out from my position as my aim darts around for any sign of life. Checking your blank spots is an absolute must for anyone who doesn't want to be caught off guard. Or, in my case, when you can't afford to be taken off guard.
After a few seconds of searching, I let out a breath and lower my gun. This area's empty too. No sign of anyone.
Taking out my phone, I check the message I sent to Ruby.
'Lost you. Had an incident. In the middle of nowhere. Don't know where you are. Text me back.' Right next to the message is a buffering circle, spinning round and round monotonously as it has done for the last thirty minutes. No matter where I go, this damn thing just won't go away. The signal never goes anywhere above a single bar and even then, it might as well be completely gone.
It's like it's being... jammed or something. Did they know that we might try this? It wouldn't surprise me if they did. Though, it doesn't make it any less vexing.
I let out another sigh, resting a finger on my chin. With no clue where Ruby or Yang are, I don't have much other choice than to pick a direction and keep walking. Right, left, or forward? It's much of a muchness really.
Pulling the gun up to attention again, I veer off to the right. It's not exactly a calculated decision, it's more of a gut feeling than anything else. There's no distinction I can make from so little the forest itself gives me.
Still, the Emerald Forest more than earns its name. Lush green leaves, green grass, green fauna. The only thing I can see that isn't green besides the trees themselves are the, ow, rocks. Compared to this, the forest back in Patch might as well be a desolate wasteland. I'm surprised this place hasn't magically transformed into a sprawling jungle for all the green it sprouts.
All of a sudden, the leaves start rustling. An unnatural chilly breeze blows through my bones. Shuddering, I stop in my tracks and huddle my arms around my waist.
This wind feels... familiar. Not from the house, but more recently. It's stronger than I remember it, startlingly so. Intense, irritable and very frustrated. It's the kind of feeling that I wouldn't want directed towards me.
I shake my head. I should keep moving. I really don't find want to find out what incident's causing that.
I hope Jaune's okay...
Suddenly, an explosive boom rings in my ear. My aim snaps up to attention. West, five hundred metres away if my ears are correct. It's a fair distance away from my position but not horribly so. If I run fast enough, I could be there in less than half a minute.
A few more rounds go off. My ears twitch slightly as I try to make them out. From the few I've encountered so far, weapons tend to have unique firing sounds in order to identity them. Warbreaker's no different even with its simplistic design: swift, sleek, something audible but chances are, you won't hear it go off until after the bullet had made contact.
This one sounds, if I'm hearing it correctly, rough, clunky, powerful and...
Fiery. Like... High-impact concussive incendiary shotgun rounds. I know that weapon. That's Ember Celica.
That's Yang!
Without a moment to lose, I take off in the direction of the gunfire: sprinting through enclosed patches of trees, ducking under branches, leaping over overgrown roots and generally avoiding everything that stands in my way. Despite my lack of stamina, I don't dare slow down. I don't have any idea how many Grimm Yang is fighting right now. It could be a single Beowolf: a whole herd of them or...
I quicken my pace, the gunshots loudening with every step. I'm almost there. I have to be. I can hear the trees shake from the conflict just up ahead. Almost. Almost!
For but a second, I notice the ground quiver. That's all the warning I'm given as, out from the cluster of trees, rages a hulking black mass charging straight at me.
Move!
Forgoing any sense of grace, I hurl my body out of the beast's trajectory. As I roll with movement, I hear the monster smash through the thick line of trees that have taken my place, wrecking them, shattering the wood into tiny little pieces that wouldn't even pass for splinters. Sawdust kicks up the resulting wreckage, coating the area in a heavy, almost toxic, amount. It's like a smokescreen, cloaking the rampaging Grimm.
Then, I see it, walking out from the debris like it just broke through cardboard. Black fur: a gargantuan bear-like frame, bones spiking out of its flesh horridly like they've been forced out, claws that could crush me with but a stomp, and those same dreadful burning red eyes I've been lucky enough to only encounter twice in my lifetime. It growls at me, wriggling the bits of tree sticking to its back with a jarring shake. It stares at me, fixated on me with blood in its eyes with every single step it takes rocking the ground.
This is nothing like a Beowolf. It's worse. Far, far worse.
Ursa.
Warbreaker's rattling rings in my ears, a searing heat burns, and every second I spend looking at this abomination makes it harder and harder for me to breath. I know what this thing is, I know exactly what it can do.
Crush. Break. Devour.
I-I...
I can't-
...I grip my arm tightly. No. I can deal with this. This is what I've been training so hard for. Remember Qrow's very first lesson:
Don't lose your cool and use your head.
Through the nostrils, I take in a deep soothing breath. I didn't just training and spend time with the family these last six months: I've read, I studied, I learned everything I possibly could about the Grimm, anything that would give me an edge. Information was scarce but Ursai aren't complex creatures. They're deadly, no doubt, but they're not invincible. Nothing is.
Yang's just up ahead. I can still the resounding burning blasts from Ember Celica so I know she's still okay, fighting the rest of the Ursa pack most likely. If I run, the Ursa will give chase. If I stay and take it head on, I'll forfeit any tactical advantage while playing to my disadvantages. With that as the case...
Mm. I nod to myself. That could work.
The Ursa stalks nearer, the earth rumbling with every step from its gigantic paws. With that in mind, I twist my back foot in the direction of Yang. As the beast snarls in a deep powerful pitch, I carefully arch my back, slowly twisting my body around...
And I dash for the trees.
The Ursa roars, its thundering footsteps signal that it's giving chase. I'd be stupid to think that it wouldn't. Using its stomps as a measuring stick, I keep the distance between us in mind as I race towards Yang's location.
Gradually, though it's by no means slow, I feel the monster gaining on me as I expected it would. If we were out in the open, this would present a problem. But we're not out in the open, not like before.
Warbreaker isn't my only weapon here.
Before the Ursa can pounce, I hurl myself out of its sights, planting my shoulder behind the nearest tree in a bid to use it for cover. With its bulky mass slowing it considerably, the Ursa is forced to halt its forward momentum to turn. Opportunity presents itself. Popping out from behind the tree, I fire a volley into the demons meaty hide. One. Two. All three shots make their mark.
The beast doesn't even flinch, its movement doesn't slacken or stutter in the slightest like I was firing BB pellets instead of real bullets.
The Ursa swings. I hurl myself away from its reach. A mighty claw swipes my cover aside, cutting through the wood like paper and chucking it away powerfully. I give the remaining pieces a second look. Aside from a few misshapen pieces sprinkled with torn leaves and sawdust, there's nothing left of that tree. It's gone, destroyed completely. A bead of sweat sheepishly runs down my forehead.
Okay. Message received: Don't get hit. Glad we got that covered.
With a renewed bloodlust in its eyes, the Ursa slashes in an upward motion. I jump back as its claws carve up a wide portion of land right where I was standing but that's not where it stops. It launches towards me, clawing at me from every angle. Every time I sharply move out of its range but it doesn't leave me alone. One attacks blends into another attack, every sign of an opening blotted by an onslaught of wild sharp claws smashing the surrounding trees to bits in its bid to end my life.
One tree smashes, another crumbles to dust, and another more crashes to the ground with an incidental slash.
My dodges start to lose their lustre, beginning somewhat comfortable to weak and almost desperate in manner. I grit my teeth. I can't keep going start this. The monster never lets up and it's only going to end when one of us tires.
I don't think I'm putting myself down when I say that it's going to be me.
The attacks stop but only for a millisecond. Instead of blurring straight into its next stream of attacks, the Ursa takes a simple step closer towards me. Not exaggerated that it costs itself time and it lessens the gap between us. An attack from this range is going to hit. My usual rolling won't be enough to dodge it.
Shit.
The monster lifts up its claw high, telegraphing its attack. Wide. It's almost a certainty that the strike will connect unless...
My legs squint, my body falling towards the ground, flattening myself against it as much as I possibly can.
The Ursa strikes! Its claws scuff both my hair and the tip of my nose but otherwise, it misses the mark. I let out a small breath. If I was any slower with my movement, that scuff would've been a colossal direct hit.
The next one might if I don't move!
A subtle yelp leaves my lips as I just barely roll out of the way of a claw drilling deep into the earth I was laying on. Rocks crackle, pebbles shift and clumps of dirt kick up from the deadly impalement. The demon's breath is husky but it's by no means drained. This is starting to get out of hand. This thing needs to die and it needs to die now.
As it recovers from its finishing blow attempt, I switch Warbreaker from burst to single fire and aim for the one place that I would loathe to be hit in.
The gun clunks recoil as it fires. The bullet flies.
Straight into the Ursa's right eye.
It howls. Loudly. Pain echoing deep into the forest as it writhes and splutters, body shaking the earth. In agony and obviously very displeased, the Ursa slices one of the trees haphazardly, causing it to fall right in front of him. That'll hopefully grant me a little reprieve so I can catch my breath. A small smile crops up onto my face.
If I were fighting a bull Grimm, I'd say that I really hit the bulls-eye!
I feel Ruby mentally slapping me over the head for that one.
Jokes are good, keeps the mind calm and focused. Being too reckless is quite evidently a deadly trait to have on the battlefield but, even worse is to be too serious and let the stress consume you. Calm, focused and limber: That's the way to go.
I pull up my gun again, aiming for the second eye when...
Rustling. Up above. I snap up, gasping. For a second, I believe I see something jumping out of the branches. Another Grimm?! Jesus Christ, no. I still haven't dealt with the first one yet.
Which I have taken my eyes off of, breaking one of Qrow's most important lessons.
Never let your opponent out of your sight.
I turn around but it's already too late. With a mighty roar, the Ursa throws the fallen tree towards me. My distraction cost me dearly. There's no time for me to avoid this one. The rough bark slams into my stomach, forcing the air out from my lungs as I'm thrown into yet another tree. The cracking and snapping barely registers as my world goes numb with unparalleled anguish.
Hot. All I feel is molten hot heat screaming from my spine. Though I know it not to be true, my senses keep telling me that I can't feel my legs. I'm paralyzed, well and truly. It's not true yet it is. But it isn't. My Aura is still intact, it can't be true. It's not true. It's not true!
Is it?
I feel my toes wiggle. It's not true. I'm fine. Stop scaring yourself, you moron.
Focus. I need to keep moving, or else the beast will make it true. Feeling my breath return to me, I groan painfully and take in where I am: Lying on top of the same fallen tree with Warbreaker dropped a few feet away from me.
I hear a scream. No, not just a scream, a war-cry and the Ursa howling. I turn my head slightly, noticing the monster standing on its hind-legs with its head pulled back, its empty eye-socket oozing some sort of black substance. I don't know what the hell is happening but I notice that its neck is exposed.
I need to kill it now.
Adjusting to the weight of my legs, like a fawn walking for the very first time, I heave my legs over the log and hurl myself towards my gun. With it in-hand, I stumble back onto my feet, clicking the button to unholster the previously concealed bayonet. Then, as I feel my Aura slowly soothe and rejuvenate my legs, I step forth and leap! Thrusting my bayonet squarely into the Ursa's neck and, with a press on the trigger, a single bullet shoots through, piercing its skull.
I watch closely as the light from those evil red eyes leave its mortal frame.
It's done. It's gone.
Certain the beast is dead, I draw out the knife. The corpse falls limply to the ground as I stumble away, the flesh evaporating into a thick black miasma. As it leaves this world, for the first time in my life, I hope there is an afterlife. Because hell is a far more fitting punishment for these creatures than a pit of eternal darkness.
Good riddance.
As I watch the Ursa disappear, a pair of eyes glance at me from beyond the dark energy. The clouding miasma blocks them from my sight but I can be certain that someone is indeed there. The very same person responsible for intervening before the Ursa could capitalize on my prone body. I peer closely, wary not to stick my face too close to the miasma.
As the corpse finally dissipates, the first thing my mind registers is a striking shade of...
Yellow.
No, that's not quite right.
Amber. Amber eyes, bright enough that it almost appears like they're staring straight into my soul.
It's a girl with long hair that's as black as ink, wearing a simple yet oddly peculiar-looking black bow. Her lips form a thin line as she settles her sword onto her back with a flick, her expression fine and unwavering. There's an aura generating from this girl. Not the Aura from the soul but rather, a natural mystique about her. I don't quite understand it and yet, that's the appeal.
Who is she?
Quietly, the girl matches my gaze. The gravity of such an act doesn't pass me by. I haven't forgotten what Professor Ozpin told us back on the cliff. If the plan with Ruby hasn't fallen apart yet, it certainly has now.
This mysterious girl has just become my partner.
A/N: And there you have it! The quiet and timid Eren's partner is the equally quiet and moody Blake Belladonna.
Yes, she's here. She hasn't gone anywhere else, the train assault still happened, she was there at the Entrance Exam, she's here. She's in and now she's partners with the walking embodiment of awkward silence. Truly, their conversations will consist of such legendary wit and impeccable banter!
In all seriousness though, I think Eren and Blake are going to make for a pretty interesting dynamic. While they are very similar, there are some very key differences between them that'll give me enough material to work with. Though, according to the writing team behind RWBY, Blake is apparently one of the hardest characters to write for. Meaning if I haven't been doing well on the whole 'Portraying canon characters correctly' deal then, we're all in for a hard time.
I'm really surprised nobody guessed Yang as Eren's partner. Given that all four canon partners are foils of each other, out of everyone, Yang is Eren's closest foil. In many ways, Eren is probably more Yang's foil than Blake is. Hm. Strange.
So, what do you think of the Eren/Blake duo? Good? Bad? Leave a review and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is encouraged.