Hey there again, everyone! Surprisingly, I was able to get around to this second chapter just a bit more quickly than I'd thought I would. Here's to hoping this is a good sign to you all and especially to me – I'm eager to pump out chapters for both this fic and my novel at quicker pace.
And holy hell, what a response the first chapter got! It really does make me happy to know this fic has garnered so much interest already. I just hope now that I'll be able to live up to your expectations!
And on that note, let's discuss the chapter just a bit.
Firstly, I just want to say that team compositions will be the same as the ones in canon. Primarily because Jaune's relationship with his friends wouldn't change much regardless of how the teams would've turned out… but also partially because I'm an unimaginative punk when it comes to changing up the status quo, ha ha. That, and thinking up new team names and abbreviations for them would've been difficult too, even with help.
Hope you guys understand.
Secondly, this fic will be a slow burning one, in that things will take time to kick into high gear. That said, it certainly won't be lacking in either action or drama. If all goes well according to my current plan for this fic, it'll be just as epic if not more so than Don't Fear the Dark.
Thirdly, much like the first chapter, there will be a fair bit of skipping around – the events of the first volume have been done to hell and back, after all, ha ha – and Jaune's perspective will be kept brief in favor of the others. Again, this is for the sake of some intrigue and once more, I'm eager to see how you will like it.
Whelp, that's really all I have to say for the time being. Now without further ado, let's start!
P.S. This chapter will be noticeably longer than the first one. So buckle in and enjoy the ride!
Chapter 2
Blake Belladonna was a light sleeper. Always had been, always will be. Her time with the White Fang during its more radical shift hadn't really helped with this either as she and others had always had to be prepared in case of their camps being discovered and raided by either authorities or bandits.
In all honesty, it'd be more appropriate to say she took long naps – and no, they weren't called 'cat naps,' thank you very much – rather than sleep outright.
And so far, this looked to be no different upon arriving at Beacon.
She'd come here for a fresh start, as a way to wipe some of the red out of her ledger, so to speak. And as eager as she was to do just that, she wasn't about to suddenly let herself relax that much right off the bat.
As such, she was quite on guard when she already heard someone getting up despite everyone else being soundly asleep.
She did her best to not tense up. This wasn't the wilds, after all. She reasoned it was probably just one of the prospective students getting up to use the bathroom or something.
Except it didn't sound like it – the person's footsteps, barely audible to even her with her hidden cat ears, were too quick, the shift in the very air a little too… well, she had no way to describe it really, but she could just tell that this person was fully up and alert.
And whoever it was up already was passing right by her.
She feigned sleep, which was easy to do since she'd kept her eyes closed, but she wouldn't deny a slight nervousness entering her when she heard the person stop just a few feet away from her.
Blake could almost even feel the person's gaze on her now and it was nearly enough to make her get up and confront them, but she detected no malice… nor lust. So this person was neither a threat to her person nor a pervert – huh, for some reason, she felt let down by that last bit. She's been getting a bit too much into the Ninjas of Love series, it seemed – and so she reluctantly pretended to be asleep still.
But then the person, a guy judging by the heaviness of the footsteps now, slowly approached her and bent down.
Now she was ready to get up, but just before she could start moving, the unknown guy simply adjusted her blanket, which had slipped off her at some point during the night. Now it was back on her completely and she felt the difference in warmth now.
Huh, she'd misread the guy. Now she felt a little stupid, but not apologetic.
Until she felt a slight breeze from some of the open windows above and realized something that made her freeze.
Her bow had slipped off just a bit. One of hear cat ears was exposed.
No way the guy could miss such a sight and this thought filled her with worry. She'd hidden her Faunus traits with the hopes of getting any others to first know her and judge her as a person before risking exposing her Faunus heritage.
But now… what was to become of her hopes?
She received an answer just a second later as the guy, without hesitation, reached out and adjust her bow back into place, doing so with a gentleness that shocked her.
"…I don't know your reasons for hiding your ears. Nor what your ultimate goal may be," the guy whispered to her softly so that no one else nearby would wake up. "But I wish you good luck with it."
Then the guy stood up and walked away.
Once he got far enough away, Blake opened her eyes finally and peered up in time to get a small glimpse of him just as he silently opened the door to the room and exited. With the night vision that comes to her as a Faunus, she saw his tall and well-built form as well as the messy blond hair that he had.
And as if aware of her gaze, he turned his head just a bit to look back at her, revealing the diagonal scar on his face. He nodded to her as he left.
Leaving her alone now with only her thoughts, which raged like a hurricane now.
It'd be quite some time before she could finally settle down enough to nap once more, but not without a small smile on her normally stoic face.
That… had been unexpected. But pleasant, very much so.
Still… just why was he was getting up at barely two in the morning?
Weiss Schnee had not had a very pleasant first day here at Beacon, one of the four prestigious huntsmen academies.
First, it'd proven far more difficult than it should've been in transporting all her luggage here. Then she'd had to ride a bullhead full of other people, all of whom had shown little in the ways of elegance and grace.
Then after that, she'd been nearly bowled over by a girl two years her junior who'd nearly blown them off the cliffside only to be saved at the last moment by a blond young man, albeit one who'd quickly lectured her – her, of all people! – about how to handle Dust!
Now, granted, he had made a good point and she will admit to her mistake, but only to herself. Still, it had left her more than a little ruffled. It hadn't helped either with having to then share the same room with all the other would-be students, more so the same general sleeping space as that cloak wearing girl and another blonde that appeared to be related to her somehow.
Yes, it again went without saying that her first day hadn't been the most rewarding… but today? Today would be different.
All the other Beacon hopefuls had gotten up and changed and were now either getting a light breakfast or were gathering their weapons to head to where the initiation would take place. She'd done the same and after freshening up to the best of her ability, she'd quickly located the one person she could currently say was worthy of her time:
Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl and four-time champion of Mistral's regional tournaments. A young woman whose strength, skill and grace in battle seemed to be only matched by her upstanding personality.
Yes, she absolutely had to get her on her side! Together, they'd take the academy by storm and prove their worthiness as huntresses!
And so far, having managed to snag said redhead and engage in a most enlightening conversation, Weiss believe things were going well.
Until they weren't.
"Umm, excuse me, could I get by?" someone called out to them. "My locker is just there…"
"Oh, of course. Sorry about that," Pyrrha, who'd been fairly quiet up until now, said as she made room for the person to politely slip by…. But not without first making a bit of a face.
A face that Weiss was certain she shared.
While not outright foul, this person reeked of sweat.
"Ugh! Would it kill you to practice basic hygiene?!" she barked at the person who just opened his locker. And when that person turned to her, she was surprised to see it was the same blond from yesterday.
Like her, Pyrrha, and many others, he was already dressed, but unlike them, he smelled quite a bit, lowering her opinion of him even more.
"Oh, sorry about that," he said somewhat sheepishly. "I'd woken up early to warm up. As for the lack of a shower, well, since we'll be having initiation soon, I figured we'd all be breaking even more of a sweat then, so I held off on the shower for now… though I think that was mistake. Again, sorry."
Weiss inwardly huffed as the blond pulled out his weapons from the locker – nothing particularly elegant like her Myrtenaster, but just two plain looking swords.
As he strapped the sheathed blades and their harness around his waist, he looked to Pyrrha as he closed the locker. "Thanks. Sorry for interrupting again."
"Oh, it's no problem," the redhead said with a smile.
The blond returned the smile a little, albeit hesitantly and started to walk off…
But Weiss refused to let him, appalled by his casual manner.
"Ahem!" She made her disbelief known. "Is that really how you're going to talk to us! Do you not know who either of us are?! Who she is?!" She motioned to Pyrrha as she said this, unaware of the strained expression the redhead now had.
The blond turned back to look at them both, his blue eyes practically piercing her very soul it felt like. He looked first to her and then to Pyrrha and then back to her.
"Sorry… I've been out of touch with media for a while now, so I can't say I recognize you," he replied. "But I think I have seen you on a box of cereal before… Pumpkin Pete's, right? One of my sisters loves it… even though it's so unhealthy."
Weiss let out a mildly strangled cry. Just where had this bumpkin come from?! "I'm Weiss Schnee of the SDC!" she nearly yelled indignantly. "And she's Pyrrha Nikos!"
The blond stared silently.
"Four-time champion of the Mistral regional tournaments! A prodigy among our age group!" Weiss continued.
"Ah, I see." He nodded in understanding. "Name's Jaune Arc, nice to meet you both. And belated congrats on your championship streak. It couldn't have been easy."
He held out a hand and Pyrrha took it with a bright smile on her face. "Nice to meet you too, Jaune. And thanks, that's very appreciated."
Weiss's eye twitched at the sight before her. This ruffian was making more visible headway with Pyrrha than she was the past twenty minutes! How?!
"Then…" she began, narrowing her eyes a bit. "Knowing that now, do you really think you've a right to associate with her?"
"Who she spends time with is for her to decide. Not you," he said. His reply was so immediate and firm that Weiss actually froze in place. She even felt something akin to whiplash as he gazed at her, his stare much more intense than it was before. "Do keep in mind that status can only get you so far in life. Especially if you truly intend to be a huntress."
There was an awkward silence now as he and Pyrrha ceased shaking hands.
Jaune then blinked and the invisible pressure he'd just been giving off vanished a bit. "It'll be time for the initiation very soon now. I'll see you two there and good luck."
He gave a little bow with a surprising grace now and promptly turned on his heels and walked off, leaving behind a stunned Weiss and Pyrrha.
"W-Well, it is almost time, Weiss…" the latter said after a few seconds. "We should be going too."
"R-Right," Weiss managed to say as she regained her composure, subconsciously adjusting her combat outfit in the process.
As the two of them took off, however, the white-haired girl was unable to fully shake off the words the blond – no, Jaune – had said to her.
Little did she know, she'd start thinking on what he'd said for a long time to come.
Jaune flew through the air with great speed. He closed his eyes for just a split second, wishing to enjoy this breeze for as long as he could. It was one of the few things he took any real joy in ever since that day…
But that was beside the point.
Just a moment ago, he and others had lined up at a cliffside overseeing the Emerald Forest, which was a lush sea of green for as far as the eyes could see. The headmaster, Ozpin, as well as the deputy headmistress Glynda Goodwitch had both been there and had given them a quick rundown on what was to be done.
Use a landing strategy to enter the forest, form a partnership, and then make their way to the center of the forest where they were to obtain a relic to bring back. The partnership was to be formed via the first person they lay eyes on, a rather haphazard way of deciding teams in the end, but Jaune hadn't questioned it.
What he had questioned, however, was if it'd be possible to simply launch himself into the forest rather than wait for the spring panel he'd been on to launch him instead. His question had caught the headmaster a bit by surprise, but he'd replied in the affirmative not even a full split second later.
And so it had been with that confirmation that Jaune had dashed and leapt off the cliff into the forest below, well before the other prospective students could be launched.
Thus, his current airborne position.
As he descended now, he opened his eyes and looked below, undeterred by the thick branches he was about to smash through. He didn't even bother drawing his swords to cut them out of his way, he simply smashed right through them.
It was only when he was about to the ground that he finally took action, landing in a graceful roll to reduce the impact upon his body and getting up on his feet in one fluid motion.
This was hardly the first time he's done this kind of thing before, after all, having had to leap into action many times in the past during the past two and a half years he's been traveling out in the frontier, longer than that if he included how long in general he's been active. Not that such a fall would've actually hurt him, but the whole idea of rolling into it allowed him to get into the action just a bit faster and that's what mattered.
Alas, there was no action to be had just yet – no Grimm in sight and he highly doubted Beacon would have a forest teeming with bandits or hostile wildlife.
Nonetheless, he was fully alert as he started stomping forth.
Even with the smell of the forest around him, he remained aware of how he stunk of sweat but was unbothered by it. Instead, he fully intended to use it to his advantage.
He'd woken up early this morning as he usually did to engage in his usual calisthenics – push-ups, sit-ups, squats, armbars and much more – as well as practicing his unarmed combat on some extremely sturdy punching bags that he'd scrounged up in the training room nearby. He never set a number of reps to do, instead always settling to keep doing his exercises until every associated muscle was torn and inwardly bleeding, until his very bones fractured and creaked from the abuse. Only then did he ever stop his exercises. He'd have practiced with his swords too, but since he'd had to stow them in a locker like the rest of the potential students, that had to be reluctantly given up.
His clothes, plain and simple barring the Arc family crest on his long sleeve shirt, did more than provide him full range of motion – it was to also cover the fact that blood was visible from beneath his skin all over his body, the perfectly normal result of his training. It'd only take a few hours at most before the blood simply disappeared and his body fully healed, stronger than ever.
He was unsure if he'd be able to continue his training regimen in Beacon given he'd have to attend class and the like, but that was something he'd worry about later.
Indeed, his main priority right now was to ensure his fellow initiates were okay.
As he trudged through the forest, he listened and looked overhead whenever he saw the others getting launched through the sky in different directions and angles. He kept a close eye in particular on those whose 'landing strategies' weren't going so well and as he watched, he silently estimated how feasible it was to reach them in case they needed help.
It pained him more than he could put into words that many of them he wouldn't be able to reach if they really needed help, but it was a pain he'd gotten used to.
After all, for all his efforts, he can't save everyone. That said, he'd go to hell and back trying.
But really, he had to stop worrying so much. Surely, Beacon had safety measures in place for those that really were in danger of dying or being severely injured. This didn't relax him very much, but it helped him concentrate on what had to be done.
He then heard an all too familiar growl from nearby, roughly thirty meters away.
A Beowulf.
It had spotted one of the initiates overhead and watched in malicious silence now as it tracked their descent.
It started to head in the direction the person fell in – only to stop and sniff at the air.
Jaune's sweat. It could smell it now, just as he wanted it to. That way he could take most of the Grimm's focus away from others.
That said, just because he fully intended to act as bait didn't mean he was just going to take whatever they wished to dish out.
Before the Beowulf could even turn around completely, he was already upon it. Drawing his right blade, he swung and decapitated the Grimm in one clean swing, then allowed the momentum to carry him in a spin. Mid-spin, he drew his left blade now and sliced the Beowulf a second time with even greater force, destroying a majority of the body before death could fully set in for it.
The first swing alone had been a guaranteed kill, but Jaune would allow no chances.
An absolute, surefire kill. That is what he sought every time he engaged in life or death battles. Whether it was Grimm or bandits or any other criminal, he'd refuse to go easy on them. More times than he could count in the beginning of his treks, enemies have tried even in death to deliver some final blow. Against him, this was no issue. But should that possible strike be aimed at a civilian caught up in the mix? Intolerable, absolutely unacceptable.
Even if the others in this forest with him had been trained for this sort of thing, he'd no allow excessive harm to befall them.
His mind and senses sharpened as the Beowulf's body disintegrated, other Grimm now howling and roaring from nearby. This Grimm hadn't been the only one in this small clearing, just as he'd both expected and desired.
He turned to his left first and then, spotting more Beowulves now making their way towards him. And ever so slightly, he could hear more off in the distance, where the person overhead must have landed.
His eyes narrowed and his grip on his swords nearly tightened too much.
He had to ensure their safety.
But first…
He stood there and waited for the Grimm to approach him some more. Twenty yards, then ten yards and then only ten feet…
Jaune had inhaled deeply when they first noticed him and now as they neared so much, he exhaled.
Then he finally moved.
His very form blurred as he sprung into action, his swords truly invisible from the sheer speed with which he moved as he started swinging, slicing, cutting, and cleaving.
These Beowulves, like many in the past, had absolutely no idea what suddenly hit them.
He tore into the ones coming from his left despite them being further away than the ones from his right. This was done to open up some more distance between him and the ones from the other direction, not that such a thing would've made much a difference to him anyways.
Grimm were Grimm and he'd slay them all the same.
Not once did he ever slow down or allow himself to be deterred. If anything, he sped up as he went, always staying in motion.
He cut down one or two with each swing, well before the Beowulves could even mount a proper offensive. Those that did manage to start attacking were quickly overwhelmed before their claws could get even close to him.
In the span of mere seconds, the dozen that had come from his left were dead, leaving only those from the other side now.
His last swing in his vicious assault had been a downwards and his left blade cut deep into the very ground. Such was the strength of his attack. But he didn't stop there, rather he continued with the swing, doing a full circular motion with his arm. Because of his, his left sword eventually rose back up and cut into the nearest Beowulf that had tried to aim for his back.
Jaune then turned, his eyes blazing with power and he slid across the ground as he spun to fully face the remaining Grimm.
He readied his right sword and swung with easily the greatest display of strength thus far. His recovering muscles tore from the sheer strain he was putting on them and even his bone fractures worsened from his overexertion.
The pain was incredible. To anyone else, such pain would've crippled them, even left some in complete shock.
But to him, the pain was nothing. Less than that, even.
Aura bled off his moving form like a blazing sun, with the greatest concentration of it being within his blade as he fully swung it.
A wave of pure destruction born from the combination of sheer strength, speed, and aura was unleashed and devastated the entirety of the remaining Grimm in addition to numerous trees and bushes in the general direction he'd swung in.
Blood boiled to the point his veins burst from within his right arm, darkening his sleeve. He hardly even felt it.
The Grimm had been annihilated. To him, that was what mattered right now. For he could finally continue his trek.
He broke into a mad dash in the direction the person overhead had gone in. As he did, he could hear the sounds of fighting, which had been intensifying at the same time he'd been battling just now, begin to wane. The howls of several Beowulves abruptly ceased as the sound of steel and gunfire remained constant.
By all means, he shouldn't be so worried. Such was a sign the person was doing okay, but he still picked up his pace, his speed increasing even more-.
-Until he abruptly began to slow down and eventually stop just seconds later.
He saw someone in sight and the person – a girl – had just finished her own scuffle for the most part. She stood tall and proud over one final Grimm, yet another Beowulf though it was just slightly bigger than an average one.
It whined in anger from where it'd been knocked to the ground and tried to swipe at the girl's legs a split second later.
However, a swift swing of her own blade killed it for good before its attack could connect.
Jaune could only watch in mildly concerned silence as the girl took a deep breath, clearly having exerted herself just a fair bit, and sheathed her weapon for now.
"Are you alright?" he finally called out when she looked his way, slight surprise evident in her eyes.
She blinked in response to his question but then smiled lightly right afterwards. "I'm fine, thank you." Her smile grew a bit.
"Looks like we're partners now, Jaune. I hope we get along," she – Pyrrha – said.
Jaune could only return the smile with a small one of his own.
Looks like he really had been worrying for nothing, after all.
For roughly ten minutes or so, the newly formed duo walked in silence towards the destination they'd been told to go for these relics.
The whole time they walked, they surprisingly encountered no more Grimm, merely some annoyingly overgrown tree roots and bushes to hop over or cut through.
Pyrrha watched as her new partner, Jaune, took the lead, using one of his swords to expertly cut a path forward for them.
The redheaded Mistral champion couldn't help but marvel at her luck. The surprise attack from that small pack of Beowulves aside, she considered herself quite fortunate that her partner happened to be the one person she'd genuinely wanted to partner with in the first place.
The silence was a bit awkward though. Looks like Jaune wasn't much of a talker when out in the field, which was respectable – never hurt to be so alert for danger – but also made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"So, funny running into you so soon," she decided to say, unsure of what else to say.
"Same," he said without looking back at her as he stepped over a large tree root. He did hold out a hand, however, for her to take.
The gesture, so naturally done on his part, was enough to make Pyrrha color a little bit from embarrassment, but a pleasant sort of embarrassment. The tree root was hardly some great obstacle for her… but the gentlemanly gesture was certainly appreciated.
After allowing herself to be helped over it, she quickly moved beside him rather than let him take the lead again.
"So, tell me a bit about yourself, Jaune," she began. "What brought you to Beacon? Had any trouble so far?"
Jaune's stoic expression hardened a bit, but it was so brief a thing that the redhead could've sworn she might have imagined it. "…I came because I felt I could learn a lot from here," he answered, and what a vague and generic answer it was. "As for the initiation so far, it's been fine."
Pyrrha took one look at the dark spots on his shirt and had to bite her lip to keep from saying that it didn't quite seem 'fine' to her. She was a naturally kind person and seeing someone look hurt stirred her protective instincts, especially in the case of someone she'd quickly developed an interest in.
Alas, she kept quiet. Jaune didn't seem to move with any kind of pain or limp, so perhaps it was just some minor flesh wounds… which still raised the question of why he didn't use his aura to guard himself.
Off in the distance, the sounds of battle could suddenly be heard erupting. Looks like the other initiates have come across troubles of their own along the way.
From beside her, Jaune's entire body tensed up, every single muscle readying themselves. The suddenness of this and the sheer eagerness she could sense from him took her entirely by surprise.
Jaune… he was pretty intense. His gaze right now looked as if it could make stone spontaneously combust.
But intensity aside, she could see the worry in his blue eyes, the concern. The same look he'd had just moments ago when he'd stumbled across her.
"I'm sure the others are fine." She placed a hand gently on his shoulder. "They wouldn't have been invited for this initiation if they weren't capable."
He looked at her blankly for a second before blinking, shaking his head as recovering from a haze. "Right."
After that, the silence from before continued.
The walk kept on going until they eventually reached a cave of all things… and with the sounds of battle going on not so far away from it.
Pyrrha narrowed her eyes as she listened keenly. There seemed to be only the one Grimm… but it didn't sound like a Beowulf, that much was certain.
If anything sounded more like-.
"-Deathstalker!" Jaune hissed from beside her. He was looking towards the cave's entrance. Beside it was an image carved into the rock.
It was clearly a warning that something had been lurking within the cave. And judging by the sounds of it, someone hadn't heeded the warning, hence the fight nearby.
Pyrrha was now the one to tense up. Beowulves were one thing, but a Deathstalker was another. It would definitely take a full team to take one out.
And if only one or two people were going against it…
"Come on!" Jaune called out, already running off in the direction of the battle.
She was surprised by his speed, shocked even, but Pyrrha was quick to follow, drawing Milo out in its sword form.
Well, she silently thought as she and her partner ran, at least the initiation wouldn't be boring.
One Nora Valkyrie was feeling a little miffed and maybe – MAYBE – just a tad tiny bit scared.
When she and her longtime friend Ren had landed and linked up, she'd wasted no time having some fun. Just because she knew what had to get done didn't mean she couldn't take a detour – or two or three or maybe a dozen – along the way to the relics.
So, not long after Ren did his badass kung fu against a King Taijitsu, she'd roped him into her latest and coolest idea yet: Ursa riding!
Boy, what fun that had been. She almost felt bad for that small Ursa, since she'd literally rod it to death, but eh, it was fun at least.
And it had also taken her near this nifty looking cave. After Ren had caught up with her after she'd gone off with the Ursa, she'd dragged him inside under the pretense of finding some super cool secret thing…
…And had been rewarded with a Deathstalker of all things. She should've known better than to ignore that carving on the cave wall. Oh well.
But anyways, that was now the problem she and Ren were facing. For even after dashing out of the cave, the Deathstalker had given chase.
She and Ren had fired their respective weapons at it, but to pretty much no effect. Nora could get why Ren's Stormflower wouldn't prove effective but seeing the large Grimm shrug off her grenades was just insulting.
But again, was also kinda scary.
"Keep running, Ren!" she exclaimed as she shot a few more grenades in an attempt to slow down the pissed off Deathstalker. But the Grimm in question merely raised its massive claws to guard its face. Not because it had to per say, but by this point Nora was certain it was just tired of being shot near its face.
Ren, for his part, didn't run, however. Rather, he tried to circle around it, peppering it with bullets.
Ah, really, what an awesome guy Ren was! He may gripe a lot about some things, but he never ran!
That said, his shots still weren't doing anything. And with it guarding against her grenades and occasional swings with Magnhild, at this rate the best they could do was just keep running until they got the relic and returned back to the cliffs.
Jumping back when the Deathstalker's tail nearly impaled her as it continually charged forward, Nora shared a look with Ren and both of them nodded in agreement, the two of them having been together so long that verbal communication was no longer necessary for them.
As much as it pained her to do so, this was one fight they had to give up.
Or so she thought initially.
"YOU!" a voice boomed out, grabbing the attention of not just her and Ren but even the Deathstalker too.
All three of them had long since cleared out of the forest and entered an open plain. And now as they all looked back at the forest, they saw they were no longer alone.
Two people emerged, a cool looking blond with a scar on his face and an equally cool looking redheaded girl.
The blond suddenly put on a burst of speed, heading directly for the Deathstalker, which now turned fully to face him.
The Grimm hissed loudly and swiped one of its large claws at the blond. And for a solid millisecond, it looked like it was about to actually hit him – until it didn't.
The next thing any of them knew, the Deathstalker shrieked in pain as the blond had suddenly drawn forth two blades and cut into it several times.
Nora actually gaped at how fucking amazing the dude was, his swings having sliced into the smallest of openings in the Deathstalker's joints, a part of its claw splitting wide open while the rest of the arm fell off.
Then the blond slid under the stunned Grimm and spun, slicing one of its legs cleanly off on its left side before blitzing like a bolt of lightning and cutting off several more of its legs.
The Deathstalker crumbled to the ground just as the blond got clear from under it. He then looked to Ren.
"GET ITS EYES NOW!" he roared. Although he had to do so given the distance between them all, the sheer volume and intensity was enough to leave even Nora reeling.
Yet at the same time, something about this guy spurned her and especially Ren on.
Ren quickly dashed forth for a better shot and emptied his current clips into most of the Deathstalker's several eyes, the Grimm unable to defend it self thanks to having lost one arm.
It let out a shrill hiss of agony from its lost eyes now and tried futilely to move, but with most of its legs gone now, movement simply wasn't possible.
So, instead it started to flail around violently, its remaining claw and tail lashing out in any direction.
"Pyrrha, take out its remaining eyes!" the blond called out.
The redhead moved in now, switching her weapon into its gun form and firing at the remaining two eyes Ren had missed. Her initial shot missed and this alerted the Grimm to what she was aiming for, so it raised its claw to defend itself from the remaining gunfire.
But the redhead – Pyrrha – kept on running up to it, undeterred. She gave up shooting and switched her weapon into another form, a javelin.
She leapt lightly into the air, ready to through it just as the Deathstalker lashed out with its remaining claw.
However, just before it could strike her, the blond guy stepped up and did yet another amazing thing – he sheathed his blades, gripped the Deathstalker by its remaining leg and tugged it back several yards with all the ease of hauling a sack of potatoes.
It lurched awkwardly and its claw, still in mid-attack, was starting to miss Pyrrha by mere inches.
That was when Nora finally got her head in the game too and fired two grenades rapidly at the exposed elbow join of its claw. Her grenades struck true this time and blew the final arm from the elbow down right off.
This all occurred in the span of just a few milliseconds, just as Pyrrha finally threw her javelin, which sunk deep into the Deathstalker's eye.
It actually howled now, not exactly a sound a Deathstalker was said to normally make. It was a sign of how badly it was suddenly being beaten.
With its arms and legs now gone, it only had its tail left to attack with, its final remaining limb striking like it had a life all its own at anything nearby.
In this case, that'd be the blond, who danced around the strikes as he neared the downed Deathstalker with ease.
He then leapt over it from behind, the Grimm hearing him do so as he kicked off the ground. And out of sheer desperation upon hearing him approach it, it tried to impale him in midair.
It nearly succeeded too, the blond only avoiding the hit by twisting his body in mid-jump. He did this just as he was roughly halfway across the Deathstalker's body.
So, when the tail missed-.
It howled once more in pain, much greater pain than ever before really, as its own tail stabbed right into its own body.
The blond landed in front of it now and flung the blade in his right hand, the thrown weapon cutting off the stinger from the tail just before the Grimm could even try to pull it out.
He then looked in her direction, his blue eyes piercing her to the very core.
The blond didn't have to say anything at all to her for his gaze alone did the talking, as was usually only the case between her and Ren.
That he was able to do so despite not even knowing her… heh, it made her feel oddly giddy for some reason.
And she wasted no time obeying his silent command.
Switching Magnhild into its epic hammer form, Nora charged forth and leapt towards the downed Grimm, who could only watch helplessly with its sole remaining eye as she raised her hammer high.
And the last thing she was certain it saw was her smashing the stinger further into its own body.
Death was practically instantaneous, the massive Grimm writhing and letting out one final death for all of a split second before its form dissipated.
Just like that, it was dead.
Leaving behind only the four of them to stand there in place for a moment, utterly silent.
Slowly, Nora stood up to her full height and slowly eyed Ren, then the Pyrrha girl and finally the blond. They did the same, as if trying like her to comprehend how suddenly the initial situation had flipped onto its head.
Really now, if viewed from a certain perspective, it wouldn't be wrong to say it'd been a rather anti-climatic shift…
But damn, if that hadn't been cool.
Despite who knows many more Grimm could potentially be coming their way in just a bit, despite having to go get a relic still and who knows what else, Nora started to laugh, something that the redhead eventually joined her in doing if more subdued.
Eventually, even Ren and the intense blond guy cracked some amused smiles, a sight that only got Nora to laugh even harder for some reason.
Now this… this was what she'd been longing for. And now that she finally had it, she prayed like hell that nothing would ever take it from her.
Following the battle with the Deathstalker, not much else had really happened beyond some brief skirmishes with either Beowulves or Ursas, much to Lie Ren's relief. As oddly refreshing it had been to simply stand there and enjoy the victory against such a large Grimm with others, they'd all had an initiation to finish.
They'd gone as group to get some relics, one for each pair, and had then made their way back to the cliffs alongside a handful of other groups – but not before seeing the ending to a battle between an especially large Nevermore and four exceptionally skilled girls.
Ren had to admit, the way they finished off the Nevermore had been pretty cool.
But he was digressing here.
It's been a few hours since the initiation came to an end, a time that had been spent with all of them simply resting up and fixing up their clothes, which had gotten kind of messed up during all the fighting and trekking.
All in all, not a bad turnout if he had to say so himself. He could certainly see how things could've gone bad if he and Nora had been swarmed by enough lesser Grimm or had been left to their own devices against ones such as the Deathstalker. Thankfully, Pyrrha and Jaune who'd introduced themselves after the battle, had certainly helped ease off a lot of the pressure.
Clearly, teams were necessary in reducing the burden the initiation places on initiates. He could now see why teams were to be formed. Not that he ever had problem with such a thing but being a bit of a loner outside of Nora, Ren simply had a hard time imagining himself being able to effectively open up to and work alongside others.
Alas, he was still getting off track here. To be expected, really, since he wasn't used to having so many eyes on him. Okay, maybe not necessarily on him, but the point still stood.
Currently, he, Nora, Pyrrha, and Jaune were all standing side by side, awaiting their turn as others were called up to be officially branded as teams and welcomed into Beacon, by the headmaster himself no less.
He quietly gulped, his nerves a little frayed as their turn finally came up a few minutes later, though when Nora gently bumped against him, he felt himself calm down and shoot his longtime friend a grateful smile, which she returned with an ever-lively grin and wink.
"Jaune Arc. Lie Ren. Pyrrha Nikos. And Nora Valkyrie," the headmaster called out as they walked up on stage. "The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as team JNPR."
Team JNPR… catchy. He liked it.
Evidently, so did Nora, for she let out a giddy squeal and practically leapt onto him, crushing him with a hug.
Hardly the first time she's ever done this, but it didn't stop him from nearly losing his ability to breathe in the process.
Her grip on him was tight that he just managed to hear when the headmaster continued uninterrupted. "Led by… Jaune Arc." He looked at the blond teen in question, who stepped forward a bit. "Congratulations, young man. I expect much from you."
Jaune nodded…. And that was it, stepping back beside Pyrrha with no other acknowledgement of having been named leader.
Making their way off stage seconds later, they passed by the four girls who'd taken out the large Nevermore, and Ren didn't miss the way Jaune turned and smiled lightly at the four of them, nodding in silent greetings, a gesture that was returned by the blonde and the cloak wearing girl, who waved at him quite lively. As for one Weiss Schnee, however, she merely gazed at Jaune blankly before walking on whilst the last girl nodded politely to Jaune.
Looks like his new leader had been making friends already. Interesting.
Though what Ren personally found more interesting about Jaune was how he was taking all of this.
As the four of them headed for a corner of the room to continue watching the proceedings and semi-quietly celebrate their official acceptance into beacon, the R of the newly christened JNPR shot Jaune an intrigued look.
Whereas Pyrrha and Nora looked happy as could be over becoming students now and even he could feel himself smiling slightly over this matter too, Jaune looked dead serious over… something.
If anything, after being told he was leader just a minute ago, his expression only seemed to harden. If not for having personally seen the burning intensity Jaune had whilst in battle, Ren would've sworn the blond teen was stone cold right now.
Clearly there was a reason for such a thing.
And despite never really wanting to stick his nose in anyone's business, Ren found himself wondering just what Jaune's story was, for him to be so… well, not two-faced, but something along those lines he supposed.
He bet it'd be an interesting story for sure.
Hope this second chapter managed to successfully build up the hype from the first one. Will admit that writing it did feel a little awkward, if only because the whole initiation thing was necessary for obvious reasons yet at the same time something I kind of just wanted to skip since, well, it's been done a billion time already in fanfics. Hence the skipping around and separation of RWBY's Nevermore fight from the Deathstalker one.
On that note, I especially hope that Jaune's solo fight scene and the Deathstalker battle were to your liking, for they will serve as a minor sample of what's to come as far as Jaune's intensity goes. Trust me, he's only getting started and naturally, so am I, ha ha.
Until next time, everyone. Take care!